Welcome to Gaia! ::

As Chef briefly summed up the latest news from events unfolding in town, Caelen led his small troupe back across the manor grounds and up to the front door. While he wasn't one bit surprised to hear that more trouble was brewing in town, it was still aggravating. With the town hall destroyed, chances were the council would not meet unless a solution presented itself to resolve the attacks.

Which leaves me with my hands tied unless we can get a unanimous vote from them in favor of my help. Blast it all! It looks like we'll have no choice but to rely on these magical warrior girls. Caelen though miserably to himself and sighed in frustration.

It was the past all over again. He understood perfectly well that once a person's destiny was set in motion, no force on earth could stop it, but he still hated to see young, impressionable girls getting into the middle of a war. He would not try to stop them though. He knew better than to even think about trying.

We'll alert the others to the current crisis as soon as we can get everyone rounded up. Things have culminated to a point to where we cannot put training off any longer. Those girls need to be prepared for what is to come. We also have the safety of the residents to look to, and the very real possibility of taking on refugees that may flee the town as things get worse, which I don't doubt one iota. I will not let this manor fall to outside forces. As long as there is life left in me, we will hold our domain Caelen said out loud, but not really to anyone in particular as he opened the front door, Chef and Celestine trailing him inside.

No sooner did they walk through the door than the three were greeted by an out of breath and very shaken up Terra. The poor girl was carrying on about attacks in town and a friend of her's who might be yet another magical warrior. Caelen looked first at Chef, then at Celestine. Cel approached the frazzled girl who had slumped to the ground from her over exertion.

It'll be OK, Terra. We know about the attacks in town. In fact, Chef witnessed it. He came and got me away from work before things could get worse. As long as your friend is on her way here, she should be OK. It's the people still inside the town square who are in immediate danger. We are going to try to do something about that as soon as possible. Cel said calmly to Terra, trying to calm the girl's worried thoughts.





((Just to be clear, Lunette had never left the enclosed reading room just off of the foyer. My post is reflecting that. I don't want anyone to get confused on this point.))

After Prim had dashed off suddenly, Lunette had remained at the reading nook window, staring hard into the distance, willing herself to see some sign that she hadn't merely imagined the disturbance she had felt. There was no actual column of dark energy, but the very air still resonated with the dark pulse that was slowly taking over Barton Square. It was all so wrong. Lunette's hands gripped the window frame tightly as if she could somehow snuff out the darkness by choking it right out of the woodwork.

The slightest shift in the air in the room and the subtle click of the door opening tugged at Lunette's sense. She wasn't alone anymore. Her skin prickled. Narrowing her eyes in disgust, she waited for the other person to approach her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pixie come into view, stopping right beside her at the window. Lunette's jaw clamped shut with an audible snap. Caelen had warned her to be civil or she'd be thrown out.

Fine then, I can play his game of nicities Lunette thought to herself with bitter sarcasm.

She let the pixie have her say. To Lunette it felt more like some sideways guilt trip tactic, bringing up Seren's feelings toward her, but she decided not to even remark on that issue. And she certainly didn't feel indebted to anyone, regardless of what had happened recently. She could see through the pixie's clever tactics. She was hoping to find some thread that would make Lunette choose to stay. She had already decided to stay long before this, but not for the sake of anyone else. She had her own reasons.

Lunette could hear voices out in the foyer, one of which sounded like the priestess girl. The butler was usually not far from her, so chances were he was back. Turning away from the window in one swift movement, Lunette strode over to the door. She placed her hand on the door knob and then paused, still facing the door.

Lorelei. The redhead is Lorelei. And no, I don't know anymore than that. She has her secrets, but don't waste time trying to pry them out of her. Nagging only serves to create animosity and resentment. She'll talk when the time is right and she's good and ready. I'm staying, but for my own selfish reasons. You could say I have an agenda, a mission. That is the only reason why I'm staying.

Without another word, Lunette opened the reading room door and stepped out into the foyer. Prim was out there for some reason, and the orange haired girl called Terra was there too. The priestess girl and the guy they all kept calling Chef had come back much earlier than expected, which only served to confirm that Lunette had been right. Things were getting more complicated and dangerous by the minute. Giving a half shrug, Lunette approached the group gathered in the foyer and said to no one in particular, What's going on now?

Prim was glad to see everyone gathered back in the foyer, now she felt they could all work together. Her chest was pounding, she was afraid that if they waited any longer, their enemies would break through to the manor. She stood watching and waiting for their next plan of action.

Lorelei exited the kitchen with Leif in tow. She materialized her golden sword behind her waist and gripped it. She was on high alert already, and the watery clones could be hiding anywhere. She joined the others in the foyer. "Did we miss something?" Lorelei glanced at Prim who quickly turned away. Lorelei just smiled to herself. "Have we figured out our next course of action? I can be of assistance to anyone who needs me. Ancient magic is nothing to be fooled with."

Seren listened to the news that Chef relayed with shock and horror, it appeared the state of things in Barton was taking a drastic turn for the worst. I'm still not sure what good I can do, but I wont stand by while my friends and my home is in trouble I vow to train as hard as I can to help she thought as she clenched her her fist in front of her chest.

Day three of things going off kilter in town seemed to be enough to push a certain butler into doing what he dreaded most. With Chef and Cel back inside the relative safety of the manor and the other young warriors talking about getting rounded up to start conceptual training at the very least, that left Caelen with a singular task and the weight of reconciling with his past. Of all things, Aylin unexpectedly handed Caelen a window of opportunity. Not wanting to dawdle, but also dreading facing his personal problems, Caelen resigned himself to the challenge ahead of him.

Lunette, I’d like you to meet me in the ballroom. I need to see to something, but I’ll be back momentarily. Your training begins now. He left Lunette with that rather blunt statement and briefly turned his attention to the rest of the crowd gathered in the foyer.

I’m afraid I must excuse myself for the time being. I have a rather important task to attend to, Caelen said succinctly to those gathered in the lobby and then slipped away from the crowd without any further explanation. He looked back briefly as he neared the top of the grand staircase. Celestine was looking up at him from where she still stood next to Chef. She looked confused and a bit hurt. Gritting his teeth against the instinct to go back to her, Caelen looked away and continued up the stairs to the second floor.

Second floor was used mostly for guests, but the butler kept his personal quarters at the very end of the east wing. Caelen reached the end of the hallway and, sighing heavily, entered his sparsely furnished room. He never did need much. There was a small armoire where he kept what little clothing he owned. There was a ridiculously large bed which he had no real use for. Even the adjoining bathroom didn’t see much use. The only other items worth mentioning were a small stand with a simple flower vase sitting on it and a long black lacquered trunk sitting at the foot of the bed. Caelen went over to this trunk and knelt down in front of it. He placed his gloved hand on top of the trunk and stared off into mid-space, remembering another time.

The past clung to Caelen like a shadow that refused to stop haunting him. Cel had been wrong about one thing. His greatest shame was not his covenant mark. True, it was a major thorn in his side, but his greatest shame was his own cowardice. Instead of manning up and taking a side, he had run away when Azreal had challenged Ciro, thus the great demons versus angels war had begun. No matter how many times he replayed his conversation with Ciro not long after the war ended, the guilt still rubbed him raw inside. How many angels could have been spared had he forsaken his own and joined the angel’s ranks? Ciro himself had said he would have welcomed the extra help. He knew what Caelen was, but more importantly what he wasn’t. Ciro was smart enough to realize that Caelen did not practice the vile ways of his kind. There was something unusually pure about him that one could not hope to find in any other dark creature. It didn’t matter in Caelen’s mind though. He had tried to be more active in the years following, even joining up with the senshi once he met Venilia. But there too he had failed. He had been too late to save her in the war against Melinda. After that, he had vowed to put away his swords and never take up arms again unless the very fate of the entire world was put on the line. And now here in the present, it seemed that very condition was being met. The very real threat of Nyx’s return could not be taken lightly.

Shaking his head, Caelen drew his mind back in to the present.

It appears I am left with no choice. The new warriors must be trained, and I have my orders. I had hoped to never set sight on these wretched blades again, but it is not my say, Caelen spoke in subdued silence, mostly saying it aloud to confirm it for himself.

The black trunk before him was crafted by demon-kind. The top was engraved with a special crest, a seal. Only the demon whose crest appeared on the trunk could open it. This rare artifact created by demons was only made for the Firstborn. The crest was connected to the soul of the demon who owned the trunk, thus only opening to the touch of the demon’s seal hand. Caelen placed his seal hand on the crest that matched his own and felt the enchantment upon the trunk release under the touch of its master. He hesitate a moment, not really wanting to see the wretched, cold steel that had harmed so many and ended many more. But that was not the half of it. There was something else inside that trunk that burned Caelen to the core even more than his demon blades.

Heaving a sigh of resignation, Caelen slowly lifted the lid of the trunk and stared inside at the weapons he had vowed to never take up again unless he had no choice. The golden hilts ended in a curved black and gold dragon wing motif. The long, sharp silver blades were partially covered by a deep gold flame design creeping onto the part of the blade nearest the hilt. The tips were barbed and glowed with the poison that would forever scar and pain whoever felt their bite. The butler looked away in a brief moment of disgust, but somehow managed to force himself to look at the bigger picture. He made to remove the blades from the trunk, but then his eyes were drawn to the one odd item at the far right end of the trunk. Lying there, wrapped in a silk cloth, was a hand mirror. Caelen’s hand tenderly moved over the mirror as it lay there, safely preserved as Venilia had asked before she died. He had expected to give the mirror right back to her after the fight against Melinda was over, but then the unexpected happened. Venillia had been killed in the last great battle of that war. It wasn’t until a while afterward that Caelen found out she had not survived. Her death had been a searing blow to his soul. She was the first person who had trusted him completely from the very beginning, never once batting an eye at his origins or power. He had seen her child-like innocence give way to the burned soul of a warrior as she slowly withdrew, even from him. Her distance never really bothered him too much as long as she was still alive and found some joy in life. But then she left him alone in the world again. All these years later, the pain was still as raw as the day he learned of her death.

Venilia….I’m so sorry. I would have saved you if I could have. I don’t want to lose anyone else to war. I don’t want to fight. But…..I know I risk losing them all if I don’t fight. They have to be ready and able to defend themselves and this world. Give me strength Venilia, wherever you are, Caelen spoke in a strained whisper.

A solitary teardrop fell from the butler’s eyes as he hung his head in silent grief over a death whose pain refused to ease with time. Caelen took in a shaky breath and exhaled sharply. He could not afford himself time to grieve over the past. He was living in the present, and the present threat was very real, not to mention daunting. Hardening his expression, he lifted the dual swords out of the trunk and shut the lid, the enchantment resealing the box until next time. Now was the time for action. Caelen changed into something more suitable for combat practice. That done, he buckled the sword harness across his chest as he made his way out of his room, not pausing to look back.

((Useless information added for my entertainment and yours. Also because "Aeris rode her bike to the manor" is really boring.))

Chef wholeheartedly agreed with everything Aylin had to say. They had been hiding in the manor for far too long. If they stayed there any longer, there might not even be a town to save. But... With the council potentially incapacitated, there was no longer an organized group capable of at least leading the town. There was no force capable of warding off the powerful magical attacks that gripped the town day after day. The BFAA was in the best possible position to save the town, though that wasn't saying much. Still, something had to be done.

"I'm with you, Aylin," the young leader of the BFAA said, stepping forward. "As is the rest of the BFAA. The Barton Manor is at your disposal. That goes for all of you," Chef said, referring to the other guests. "I may not know any of you very well, but you're more than welcome to use the manor as a home away from home. Caelen, myself, and the others will see to it that you all feel welcome here. And as long as Caelen is around, nothing could possibly get beyond the walls of the manor. This is as safe a place as any for you all to train in."

The young Chef kept a reassuring look on his face throughout all that he said. Everyone in the manor had a tough task ahead of them, and saving the town was only one part of it. Before they could even do that, the senshi had to make it past the mob of doppelgangers that have been multiplying outside the manor walls. And even before that, most of them had to be trained to unlock their abilities and wield them. And it all had to be done quickly. It was only a matter of time before the town was attacked yet again, and it may very well be the last time. That, Chef thought, was something the young girls need not worry about. He wanted them to prepare for a battle, not panic and run away. And it seemed like his efforts were paying off.

"Thank you, Chef," a voice called out from behind. As the young man turned around, he saw Terra, no longer slumped on the floor. "I don't really know much about magic, senshi, or any of this stuff going on... But I'm ready to learn. I can't sit by as our town gets destroyed! So let's go!" The sudden burst of energy and excitement was almost a complete one-eighty of her earlier demeanor, though it was rather common for Terra's mood to swing in such a way. Deep down inside, however, she was still worried about whether she could even learn anything. And she was even more worried about Aeris.



"Sigh... This whole town is descending into utter chaos... Again," Aeris thought as she collected her belongings before leaving. "And now I have to make the trip from here to the Barton Manor, by myself, with some malcontent with a penchant for destruction on the loose. How wonderful..." All sarcasm aside, Aeris was actually quite excited to finally see the Barton Manor in all its glory. The history, the ambiance, the opulent decor, the dutiful butler who maintains it all on his own, the eccentric guild that is based there, and its leader... Aeris perked up at the thought of meeting Chef, which was rather unusual. Most girls who came to the manor or at least were familiar with it were obsessed with Caelen. In fact, Caelen had a massive legion of fangirls on the internet that he probably wasn't even aware of. Aeris, on the other hand, was part of a small following that was more interested in the mysterious leader of the BFAA. Though she didn't think for one second that she'd ever meet him. After making sure the house was locked and she had everything she needed, she grabbed her bicycle from the front yard and pedaled to the manor with extra zeal.

Prim listened intently to what Chef was saying. It was good thing everyone seemed so willing to fight. Prim herself tried to think of a way to help the others begin their transformations. She figured it would be much different from her own. It was also reassuring to see Celestine, Caelen, and Charm return. The more magic they had against these enemies, the better. Aylin seemed very ansty to begin, as were the others. Prim was already in with her pixie mentor. She was thankful for Miss Kagura's kind gesture. She didn't want to train in her school uniform, though she already knew how to transform. "I'm ready! I want to protect this town and the people I love."

Lorelei nodded. "Yes, I will help with guidance, and protect this town and its people. When we stand together, our strength is our victory." She stood proudly unsheathing her sword and pointing it skyward. It was almost comical to see, as if she was a knight declaring war.

Aylin was genuinely surprised by the rousing support her little speech had gained. While it made her happy to see the girls willing to do what it took to save the town, Aylin was expecting at least a little hesitation and unease about what they were about to get involved with. It was only natural for them to question if they were ready to do what was asked of them and wonder if they could be strong enough to do it. While it wasn't spoken by anyone, Aylin had the feeling the girls might be thinking it on the inside. Aylin was certainly questioning if the girls would be ready enough when the time came. She had every confidence the girls would be able to control their transformations and protect the town but at the same time Aylin wondered if they could be trained in time to save Barton from being completely obliterated.

The moment Caelen and Lunette were gone from the foyer Aylin let out a held breath as she watched Kagura present the girls with a basket of t-shirts, running shirts, running shorts, spandex shorts, sweat shorts, sweat pants, and yoga clothes for the girls use. Time was running out for the town and the sooner the girls got to training the better. However, that didn't mean they couldn't take some time to properly prepare for their training. While Seren began sifting through the basket of clothing to wear during training Aylin addressed the group once more.

"Thank you for your commitment to this cause. I'm sure you have reservations and worries that we might not be ready enough in time. I know that's one thing I worry about right now. I know you'll all make amazing Senshi but the question of when is what weighs the most on my mind. We'll just have to make you as ready as possible and hope for the best," Aylin began as her face spoke of both hope and concern, "Now I want all of you to get something you feel comfortable working out in from the basket, grab a good mid morning snack from the kitchen that will keep you fueled, and meet me out in the back gardens in thirty. I'd use the ballroom but it seems our intrepid butler has claimed that for his own training regime. Kai and I will be waiting for you out back."

"You better stretch out girls because I have a feeling you're going to be sore if you don't," Kai added before falling in step with a now retreating Aylin.

As she left the foyer a soft glow enveloped Aylin as, for the second time that morning, she performed one of the few successful spells she knew that didn't backfire on her. The ability to change clothing through magic came in handy during times such as this.

((More filler information! Provided of course for your entertainment, and mine.))

Terra smiled and thanked Kagura for her kind gesture. There was no way she was going to take part in senshi training in her school uniform; she was reluctant enough to wear the uniform for school. So she was rather delighted to be provided with a much more comfortable set of clothes. She was also very grateful for the immense support she and the others were given by those at the manor and the other, older senshi. Aylin and Kai addressed the young girls one last time before heading out back, telling them to prepare for training. Terra didn't need to be told twice to grab something to eat, though she appreciated Aylin's considerations. The orange-haired girl was about to bolt towards the kitchen when she just remembered that the group was still short one.

"Hey, Mr. Chef?" Terra started. "My friend, Aeris, is on her way over here... I don't know if those water-clone-things are still out there, and I don't want anything bad to happen to her. But I can't really do anything myself. Can you please make sure she gets here safely? She should be here soon."

"Sure thing, Terra. I'll see to it that your friend gets here unscathed," replied the young man. He knew the doppels were still out there, having briefly encountered them on his way back from town, but he left that detail out to avoid discouraging the teen. Chef really wasn't worried, however. He considered himself a fairly resourceful guy, so he could probably hatch a plan to get the girl into the manor safely. And if not, he was more than capable of fighting his way through, not that he really wanted to. He wasn't sure punching beings made of water would work out so well.

"Thanks a bunch, Mr. Chef!" the young girl replied cheerfully. Having been reassured that her friend would arrive safely, she finally made her way to the kitchen for a mid-morning snack. She would have gone for a second breakfast, but it seemed like all the food from earlier was gone.

"Thanks for helping out, Kagura. These girls are going to need all the help they can get. It's a good thing we're fully stocked on supplies. The fewer trips we can make into Barton, risking another encounter with whoever's been attacking the town, the better." With that, Chef excused himself to wait in the front lawn for Aeris' arrival.



"Phew... What a workout..." Aeris thought as she made her way up the last hill before the manor. She knew she'd get a good enough workout riding from her home to the manor, but she had no idea there were so many hills in between. "Thank Gaia... I made it..." she said in between deep breaths. The manor was finally within sight, and Aeris would be completely awestruck by its beauty, had she not been so tired. She stopped momentarily to catch her breath when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Right along the manor wall were several unusual figures that had a vaguely humanoid form. As Aeris slowly and silently approached the manor's gate, the figures lazily ambled toward her. They didn't seem to be as agitated as earlier when Chef and Cel were trying to get into the manor, but they were still quite unnerving. Aeris was just a few feet from the manor gate when the figures, now appearing to be made of water, were right in front of her. They stood motionless just as Aeris did, and appeared to be staring right at her. Or, they would appear to be staring at her if they had eyes. Aeris made baby steps toward the manor gate in hopes that she wouldn't agitate these strange creatures. The young girl was one part curious and several parts frightened by the things. Oddly enough, they almost looked like schoolgirls. In fact, Aeris swore one of them looked familiar.

"Terra?" pondered the teal-haired girl. Sure enough, between her and the gate stood almost an identical twin of her friend, albeit one made of water. "No, that cannot be... What are you!?" Aeris exclaimed. She reached out a hand to touch the pseudo-Terra, who reached out a hand of its own to meet Aeris'. She withdrew her hand, caught off-guard by the option, only for the creature to mimic her. "How peculiar..." the teen thought. She reached out her hand once more, almost convinced that these strange creatures were nothing but watery mimes someone must have created for their own amusement. Just before her finger was about to touch that of the Terra-clone, the gate to the manor creaked open. Someone reached for Aeris and pulled her into the manor grounds, then slammed the gate shut.

"Hey! Now what did you that for?" Aeris began to gripe. "I almost tou--" Suddenly Aeris' tongue was tied as she realized just who it was who pulled her away from the doppelganger. "I-I... um..." The poor girl could barely speak as she at last came face-to-face with someone who she was very much obsessed with.

"You... are Aeris, right? Terra's friend?" The girl could only manage a nod; she was still speechless. "Alright, great! Welcome to the Barton Manor. I'm--"

"You are Chef, leader of the BFAA, a guild created in the aftermath of the Rejected Olympics as a way for members of Team Barton to keep in touch after the event ended." Aeris interjected. "Oh my... I am sorry. I did not mean to do interrupt like that." The young girl's face went from its usual pale color to a bright red as she was overcome with embarrassment.

"Well, yes. I suppose that just about covers it, and then some. Let's head inside. I'm sure Terra will be excited to see you." Aeris simply nodded again, figuring she couldn't embarrass herself any further if she just didn't speak, and the two made their way into the manor.