Welcome to Gaia! ::

A cup of coffee? Despite his rather rich appearance, the man appeared to be but another boring gentleman. Part of Leine wondered if the masked fellow was as courteous as he was now, in bed? The thought caused the suited servant to smirk and served as a rather dubious form of mental amusement as he slipped off to the kitchen, returning less than a minute later with a small platter, which served as the silver floor for a steaming mug of coffee, a silver canister of cream, a pot of sugar and a small bowl of chocolate-topped biscuits. When Francis spoke, the scoff of Leine’s Mistress was quick to follow, though the butler quietly interjected. “I truly apologize for the delay, sir. We merely required a moment to satiate thine curiousity.” Though as if his very words had been a cue to his shadow, the darkness silhouette returned to his feet and he paused silently as he straightened his posture, inhaling quietly, as if some lovely aroma had just tickled his senses. He looked over to his resting Mistress, allowing his lips to twist into a smile. “It would appear that the disturbance outside was nothing noteworthy,” he announced, more to Moria than anyone else. “’Twas simply nothing more than a pack of dogs pissing around to widen their territory. A vile discourse, but worthy of granting your attention to, m’lady. They are vacating the Caverns as we speak.” His grin only seemed to widen as he proudly reported his Shadow’s explanations before finally, he turned his monocled mug to their masked messenger. “With that out of the way, the floor is yours, sir. Please guide us to your highly-acclaimed sire.”

Al Paca’s whiteless eyes faced their guest. His head was turned as he gazed upon Francis as if he had been staring at the Messenger for the past several hours, despite the fact that he had been looking to Moria only a few seconds prior to the present. He pressed his hooves together; the first openly noticeable movement that he had in a long while.

“Al Paca approves of your mask. He notes that it reminds him of a woman he once knew,” Leine chided from Francis’ side. “He also mentioned that you hold the posture and mannerisms as a properly trained eunuch.”

LeineIshtar
Al Paca

Dante woke up roughly an hour or maybe two later from his nap on the relatively flat rock he had laid himself out on. He blinked a few times, remembering he was still in a dim light cavern and sat up. He stretched out his arms then and looked about his little training zone. "Back to work I suppose...." He cracked his neck and knuckles before pulling himself up off the rock and back to the dirt floor. He stood up and pulled out a pendant from around his neck that was underneath his shirt and red overcoat. It was on a dark silver chain and the pendant was in the shape of a curled up dragon. "You haven't walked about for a little while eh?" He grinned as he took the pendant in his hand and held it out in front of himself. "Zeige Dich! Bahamut!" He then let the pendant slip from his hand and down to the cavern floor as it began to glow a bright red energy. When it hit the ground, a large round circle of flames roughly about five feet in diameter spreed out from the pendant's landing point. Dante stepped back as the flaming ground cracked and the pendant melted away into the glowing flames. Soon enough, the cracked ground burst up as a large dragon broke up as if it was buried under the dirt and the pendant had released it. It jumped up and out of the fire ring, which dissipated almost immediately and landed back down on the now normal cavern floor. It looked as if nothing had just happened there at all.

The small dragon then stood in the ground, it's clawed feet digging into the dirt. It stood a little taller than the average adult if you excluded it's wings. Though it's body was definitely much heavier considering it's build, physic and heavy natural body scales. It stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of it's new location before shaking it's body all over in a sort of stretching manner. "aahhh....It's good to be out again finally." The beast spoke in a rough and deep voice befitting it's appearance. It then turned to face Dante. "What happened? You never keep me locked up in that thing for so long."

Dante just chuckled and responded as if he were simply talking to an age old friend rather than a heavy built and dangerous dragon. "Yea, sorry but I had to travel without being as conspicuous. And a seven foot tall dragon walking around with me is kind of counter productive in that manner." He let out a bit of a chuckle. The dragon then simply nodded. "I suppose that's true. However, why are we here? This seems a bit confined for you, don't you think?"

Dante chuckled again and looked up at the dragon. "Yea....I suppose it is. But it hides our spiritual pressure and makes a nice little training area. Now come on. I need to see if you can do something before we begin." He walked over to the most cleared area of the small cave space he was using earlier. The dragon then walked over along with him, each of his steps sunk into the dirt leaving a clawed impression. "And what are you showing me exactly?" The dragon inquired. Dante just grinned as he repeated the process of collecting Reishi into his legs that he had mastered earlier in this same spot. Dante simply winked to the dragon as his body then seemingly vanished from sight, only to reappear a few dozen feet farther into the cave. "I just figured this trick out earlier. I want you to try it before my next idea. Just collect energy into your legs and let it propel your body to where you want to go, just faster than usual." He explained it in a simple tone as if it were no real task at all.

The dragon watched rather impressed with this new maneuver that Dante had learned. It was eager then to try for itself. Nodding, it went to stand where Dante had stood before using it. Dante had made sure to step clear of the dragon's facing direction. The dragon then went through a nearly identical process as Dante did to collect Reishi in it's powerful legs. It the looked forwards and moved itself forwards. The result was similar to Dante's rapid blur dash from before. Dante grinned and nodded at the result. It was almost perfect. "Try again. Spread the energy out evenly and let it simply go. You needn't force it." The dragon nodded and went back to it's starting position then. Doing as Dante had instructed, the dragon focused it's energy to it's legs once more. This time, the dragon's speed had defied it's seemingly bulky and slow appearance as it flickered forward a good distance, nearly as far as Dante had in the same amount of time. "Perfect." Dante grinned. "Now, there's something I'd like to try that involves each of us using that technique at once." The dragon looked at him curiously then. Knowing him, the idea was either crazy, dangerous, or risky. Sometimes all three.

Dante grinned and walked up to a nicely sized stalagmite. "See this? We're going to use that technique to rush it from two different directions and smash it between both of our attacks. Simple as that." Dante grinned as he drew out his rather large, back mounted black claymore blade. It was wide, extra sharp and seemingly unresponsive to attacks that would shatter any other similar blade. The dragon nodded then, actually liking the potential brutality of such an attack as it watched Dante get a short way back on the opposite side of the upwards pointed rock formation. "Ready? On the count of three." "Understood." The dragon replied, redying it's razor edged claws and fangs for an onslaught to this chunk of rock. It would not likely hold up against its and Dante's attacks. "One....Two....Three!"

In an instant, they had both flickered from their spots and had slammed into each side of the stalagmite. Dante's dark blade slicing through and tearing large chunks and the dragon's claws ripping it apart in quick ripping motions. In seconds, there was nothing but a meager pile of rubble, and the two of them chuckling out at the ferocity of their attacks.

Effloresca walked into the cavern, dropping the twins unceremoniously at the entrance to go sit down on a nearby rock and catch her breath. She had never ran that fast for that long before. She hoped to never do it again.

She ran a hand across her fore-head, wiping the beads of sweat away from her bangs and eyes. She slowly reached down to Ifrit's pendant. Holding it as her heart beat like a drum against her temples. "Drink." She muttered. Her gaze moving to the entrance as the other boy ran in, Foa she thought she heard his name was. He probably had no idea where they were or what was going on. She certainly wasn't going to explain.

She sighed, why was she always saving her brother's asses? She chuckled. Because she loved them ofcourse. They were lucky they had such a caring sister.

She wondered how far behind Dante was. He was interesting to her, he smiled at her despite the initial scowl she showed him.

Foa coughed collapsing at the entrance. This was much more than his body could handle right now. "W-where...am...I?" He coughs out making sure the twins were alright. Then looking back, waiting for Dante to arrive.

He wasn't expecting this. Nor did he even know where he was. His body and mind were both exhausted. "I..could...use...a...drink...too.." He murmurs. He rubbed his temples lying on the ground, too tired to even stand. He hated running, it was bad enough that he smoked. But that was just ridiculous even for an athlete.

Effloresca blinked. Several times. Did she just hear him right? Mother was dead? She swallowed, hugging the boys as close as possible. Her eyes wide she stood, slamming her fist into the opposite wall with a resounding crack. But no it hadn't been bone. Her hand was still very much intact. As she pulled away, the damage on the wall was quite visible. She had left a fist sized hole, deep enough to fit her hand into. That was where she collapsed. Her emotions run dry, she slowly began to sob. "I'm sorry." She whispered to them, her face hung in shadow.

Ifrit's pendant burst, forming embers which in-turn began to construct the being. He moved, shaking the ashes from his skin, gently placing a mighty paw on her shoulder for comfort.

She threw her head up and screamed in grief, the ambience probably throwing the mournful wail for miles. It had been a heart-breaking noise. For anyone who had ever known loss, they certainly would have felt it pluck at their soul strings. She embraced the twins once more, she resolved to redeem herself. She would look after them in their mother's stead.

Ifrit had no idea what to do, so he sat in the corner digging his claws into the sand as he watched his partner suffer. He knew what she felt. He could feel it himself. And it tore him apart. "Flor, there's no way you could've known."

She shook her head, that didn't change the fact that she hadn't been there. She didn't watch them. She couldn't stop mother's death. "Flor, no one can halt the flow." He managed to say, roughly between his fangs.

Effloresca slams her fist into the ground turning to him. "THATS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" She screams. It had been her fault. All her fault. Tears slowly streaked down her face. "I should've been there." She whispered retreating farther into the cavern, sitting down in the darkest corner to brood.

Ifrit took no offense from the outburst. He had seen her like this once before, she just needed someone to talk to her. To comfort her. To hold her. There was no-one who could do that now, she had already lost him as-well. Ifrit sighed. "Boys how 'bout you talk to me for awhile instead. Your sisters been through a-lot lately, not including the news she just received."

Ifrit wondered if they even remembered him.


Foa wisely remained quiet. Sitting up and turning around to stare outside. He gently scratched at his head. He knew all too well what that family was going through. But atleast, he thought, they still had each other.

He had no one.

It had been twenty six years ago and thirty three days. That was the day he was conceived. That was the day his mother died. That was the day his father left.

He had no one.

Effloresca quietly sobbed in her corner, despite the comfort her brothers gave her. She held no resentment for shinigami. She once loved one.

Ifrit spoke. "Flor lost someone dear to her before returning home, before hearing this. Someone she loved very much. I'm not sure how much more she can take. She really needs someone to fill the first void, before she can start healing the second." His voice was somber, if not guttural. He witnessed the death of many, caused many himself. But he knew that when someone lost or saw the death of a loved one, it caused a grief beyond mourning. Some might consider it insanity. He, Ifrit, considered it one of the most painful experiences a person could go through.

"It'd be best not to tell her how, she just needs to know when." He breathes out, a gust of flame carried on his breath. His skin crackled like the pops of embers escaping a flame. His mane and tail was the very embodiment of the element. His eyes, however, showed no burning soul. Perhaps when he was younger, but now he had witnessed a centuries worth of sorrow. Smoke gently trailed up from his nostrils as he watched his partner cope the only way she knew how. Venting it. Through anger and sadness.

Effloresca breathed heavily. Attempting to stop her tears. It worked, partially. She sighed scooping up the brothers. Holding them as close as possible. They were the only family she had left now and she would do everything in her power not to lose them. "Yes." she said smiling down at them. "We're still a family."

Ifrit looked at the two, Tinker and Gaia. His lips forming into something akin to a smile. "Ofcourse. The first technique you should learn is the body shift. It allows both you and your partner to move at incredible speeds. Now, I don't quite understand it myself. But it does allow you both to travel to diffrent locations. It's very interesting. Have you ever seen a shinigami use flash-step? Same prinicpal." His voice growls out, not menacingly; it was just his way of speaking. He carefully picks at his teeth with one clawed finger. Gazing occasionaly over to Effloresca to see how she was coping.

Dante soon enough flickered up to the small hill that led to the entrance to Kariya Cavern. Even though his ability allowed him to move at a faster pace than anyone else in their group, he had to make a quick detour before arriving with them. He already could tell they had come here by tracking their spiritual pressures before their signatures were lost inside of the reiatsu hiding effects of the cave.

He stood in front of the hidden entrance for a moment with his hands placed inside his red overcoat's pockets as he usually did. He figured that everyone was already inside and that Fōa was probably very confused as to where they were right now and that they must be discussing the Shinigami indecent that had just happened.

Dante just shrugged a bit to himself again as he started walking inside of the cave complex to meet back up with the rest. After he was inside of it, the reiatsu hiding effects of the cave no longer stopped him from tracking the group again. He walked along the hardened dirt path as he could feel that everyone appeared safe and unharmed, though their spiritual pressures seemed a bit strange. As if there was emotional stress.

He doubted that it was over the Shinigami that had appeared either. Dante let out a slightly annoyed sigh before continuing in to where they were all at in the cave. As the group came into view again he removed a hand from the pocket of his overcoat and waved to them. "Oi. Is everyone here alright?"