Welcome to Gaia! ::

The girls quiet down once the heard the knock at the door. They stopped their little chat and looked at their father who had pulled out a knife. Emma was about to say 'really' but Ana covered her sisters mouth and in return Emma covered Ana's.

Upon seeing his old friends jaw drop Cody replaced his usual grimace with a large, smug smile and simply stated "hmm. My apologies. Seems I left my badge in my other jacket."

The grimace returned. "It's quite simple old friend. Terrorist are poorly funded. The ammunition was trash and the shooter clearly was as well. I was well alive on the battlefield after the impact. When the bullet hit my skull it split into several pieces and essentially spider-webbed. Which also explains the extensive blood loss because after knocking me flat on my a** it left many.."He paused and took a deep breath. "MANY tears, splits, and cuts under the surface." He put his cigar out on the palm of his hand and reached into his jacket to retrieve another one. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Very well then." He placed the still-wrapped cigar back into his jacket. "I'm still quite shady about what happened that day. After the whole 'getting shot in the face' thing". When I woke up I was in a seemingly abandoned building and I had this." He balled his fist and punched himself in the center of the forehead. A loud clanging noise reverberated through the room. "I also had this." he added. He reached into his jacket and pulled a very large blade from the left-breast of his jacket. Affixed in the center of the blade an inch and a half above the hilt was an orb. To the naked eye it looked like a large marble. Cody lifted it up and gazed into it. The orb glowed with the ferocity and color of hot iron. The color bled through the decorative etching on the blade. Coursing through it slowly as if the orb was bleeding. Cody moved the blade from in front of his face and looked at Devlin with a look to suggest a small bit of confusion and a lot of confidence.

"Less" Cody said as his expression changed to very serious one. He placed the blade back in its sheath and rolled his sleeve up and presented his wrist to Devlin."I don't know how but.." He paused and gestured to suggest his pulse to Devlin.

"That's just it. I think I know, I'm simply not sure. Been scared to test the theory really. I guess un-trusting is more the way to word it." Cody pulled the dagger back out of his jacket. He stared deeply into the orb and the glow began again. Brighter. When seemingly almost in a trance he continued his glare and said in a serious tone."When I look into this orb, I see every memory of mine I have ever had. The good, the bad.. The parties where I drank myself nearly comatose. The fights, the love and the lovers. The bullet hitting home plate on the day my pulse stopped. The blade itself feels warm in my hand. It hasn't left my possession since the day I woke up with it in that house. I think this is where the heat.."He paused. "The life itself is coming from this blade."

Cody turned his attention to the two young ladies in the room. "Hello girls. My name is Cody. An adoptive-brother of your fathers. Him and I go far back. Further back than either of us care to remember I am sure." He smiled and and offered a handshake. "Sorry to withdraw so rudely but I am in desperate need of some fresh air. Devlin, do you have a balcony, and would you care to join me for a cigar?" He produced two hand-rolled cigars of high quality from the breast of his jacket and gestured them towards Devlin. "Perhaps some scotch for old times sake as well? Nothing better than a fine cigar with a bit of fine scotch." He smiled as he finished his statement.