[System]
NICKNAME: Lila, Bombshell, Princess (what her father and grandparents calls her)

AGE: 22

GENDER: Female

EX: Hunter

FAVORITE MUSIC: Indie Rock, Rock, Pop, a little Hip-Hop. Dislikes Classical, any type of Metal, Country, Rap and R&B

FAVORITE COLOR: Magenta, Silver, Bronze, Gold, Blood Red, Navy Blue

HOBBY(s): Reading, Shopping, Going out with friends, Walks on the beach, Netflix, Traveling

PERSONALITY: Friendly, Passionate, Intense, Jealous, Loyal, Outgoing, Vengeful, Stubborn, Impatient, Flirtatious.

TATTOOS/PIERCINGS/OTHER: One piercing on each ear. One tattoo of five black stars in form of an S in her left forearm.

MAJOR IN COLLEGE: Chemistry Senior

OTHER: Delilah Duclerc comes from a privileged family. Her father is a well-known lawyer with vast knowledge in politics and economy, who decided to run for Blackwood (their hometown) mayor for the Democrats, won and is currently on his last term. On the other hand, her mother was an auditor for an important company before she resigned to take the role of Blackwood's First Lady. Lila is the type of girl that never forgives or forgets. Enjoys swearing. Only her ex knows what a freak she is in bed.

[User]
---

Delilah was peacefully contemplating the open sea when a woman's voice called out "hey" to her, shifting Lila's thoughts back to the present. She turned in the direction of the woman and smiled as her her best friend Clover slipped into the jacuzzi beside her. "Jesus, you always smell so good," Clover commented, flashing Lila a grin as she bumped their feet together playfully under the water.

"Hello yourself! Thank you so much! You know I practically drench myself in perfume before going anywhere." Lila greeted and thanked enthusiastically, taking note of how amazing Clo looked in her bathing suit. It was a very pleasant surprise for Lila to see her friend venturing from her usual conservative items and trying out new things, as she knew how hesitant Clo could be about taking risks. Lila was usually very open, honest and vocal about her opinions whenever good or bad, so she quickly went on to compliment Clover's looks. "And, babe, let me tell you that you are slaying with that bathing suit!" Lila could be a bitch, but she always gave praise and credit when it was well-deserved.

"I'm astonished that you don't have at least three guys fawning over you right now. Are you losing your touch, Delilah?" Clover teased affectionately.

Lila raised her sunglasses to give a mocking scowl towards Clover. "Me? Losing my touch? Oh, please! Do you know who you're talking to?" she replied, playfully splashing water in Clover's direction and sliding her sunglasses back in place with a laugh. "So, what were you up to this morning?" she asked, genuinely curious about what she'd been up to because by the time Lila had woken up, none of the other girls had been at the suite. But before Clover could even begin to formulate an answer to Lila's question, the latter's eyes fell on her best friend's smooth, sleek red hair and she was unable to hold back the giggles. "Oh my God. Tell me you did not actually blow-dry your hair to come hang out at a jacuzzi?!" Lila exclaimed, clearly amused at the sight. She had always been jealous of Clover's hair and skin color (in a good way, of course). It was a dream of hers to be a redhead, but she knew it would clash horribly with her skin tone. And as for Clo's skin tone, Lila thought of it as perfect because pretty much all hair colors would suit her. Lila wasn't making the comment to humiliate or make fun of her in any way, but was instead trying to understand the strange logic that drove Clover to take the time to blow-dry her hair when their trip would mostly be spent on hot and humid places where it would get wet.

[Assistant]
---

Clover flushes a little under the other girl's praise, scratching at her nose and giving a soft cough. "Aw, you flatterer. Stop it, I'll turn all one color," the pale girl quips, flicking a little bit of water at Lila.

"So, what were you up to this morning?" The brunette asks as she slips her sunglasses back down. Lila's skin almost looks golden in the early afternoon sun and one of the pool boys is openly gawking at her from across the Solarium. 'That's more like it,' the ginger thought. Delilah Duclerc was the kind of girl that lit up any room she entered and she always garnered a lot of attention from men and women alike.

"I went to the gym. I'm down to a six minute mile," Clover explains, letting herself relax back into the water. The temperature was perfect and felt splendid against her sore muscles.

"Oh my God. Tell me you did not actually blow-dry your hair to come hang out at a jacuzzi?!"

"Mmhmm," Clover hums, cracking an eye open and peeking at Lila. "I sure did. And once you hear about my morning, I think you'll agree that it was the right decision." The pale girl straightens back up and turns so that she's facing the younger girl completely.

"So I ran into…," she pauses here and glances around quickly, almost like she was checking to make sure no one else was around. Her former boyfriend was a lot like Voldemort, she tried not to speak his name unless she had to. "...Jareth. And he looked perfect, like he was getting ready for a fashion show or something. And I looked like a wet dog. Seriously, I was in my ancient, 'Save the Dolphins!' t-shirt and covered in sweat. My hair wasn't even brushed, I just had it up in a ponytail." Clover makes a mortified groan and she buries her face in her hands, feeling her ears burn at the remembered humiliation from that encounter.

She really was all one color now.

"So I'm not leaving the suite anymore unless I look my best. I can't face him again unless we're on equal footing," she finishes, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before letting her hands fall back into the water. "What kind of fresh hell is this, that all of our exes are here? We must have been wretched people in past lives, like the kind that kicked puppies or tripped little old ladies or something."

[User]
Hunter

Hunter was on the verge of breaking down. Jareth was right, Hunter was looking for a scapegoat for his problems. He always was looking for one no matter how bad things seemed to get. He was also right on the fact that this was supposed to be the vacation of their lives! And so far things just seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Even though he hated the idea of Jareth restricting the idea of his friend restricting himself due to Hunter's problems he felt a sense of relief when Jareth poured the drink down the sink. "Pizza sounds nice man... it sounds really nice." Hunter was barely able to speak. "Uh... Jareth? Look man... sorry for freaking out on you like that... I'm just... just stressed as hell." Hunter want tot eh living area to find his wallet from his pants from the day before. He found it with his shirt that he was wearing the other day as well. Now he was still wondering how he woke up in a shirt that wasn't his, and who's shirt it was. And why was his shirt still here if he changed into a new one? 'Dammit' He thought as he tried to remember. "Reason one hundred and fifty two to stop drinking." He brushed it off and met Jar at the door again.

Hunter put a smile on his face. It was forced but he was looking forward to things getting better. "Alright then, let's go have some fun." Hunter started to leave when he remembered something. "Also, I found a picture of Delilah if you're interested? It's somewhere in my wallet full of coupons, receipts, matches, and gift cards with about 30 cents on them. Maybe even a couple dollars." He started to dig through all the random crap in his wallet when he pulled out a cheaply printed picture of his ex studding in the campus library, she was unaware of the picture when it was taken. "Proof! Told you I have the ability to have hot girlfriends." He was still struggling to hold a smile but it wasn't as forced now.

[Assistant]
---

"Pizza sounds nice man… it sounds really nice." Hunter admitted after a few moments of silence. Jareth released a breath he was holding in… good, at least he didn't go for the face punching route. Sure, Jar deserved a good punch for a hell of a lot of reasons, but he wasn't one to just take that kind of thing sitting down. Jareth nodded with a smile "Cool… I, uh--" he looked down at towel that was the only thing between Hunter and all of Jar's nekkid glory. "Just let me get dressed real quick." Jar offered a crooked grin before turning to head to his room to change.

"Uh… Jareth? Look man… sorry for freaking out on you like that… I'm just… just stressed as hell." Hunter called out an apology from behind him. Jar paused and looked over his right shoulder, which sported a female sugar skull tattoo design. "Don't worry about it, man. It's bad to keep shit like that bottled in." At least that's what Wendy says… he thinks the last part as closes the distance to his room.

After closing the door, Jar retrieves his cell phone and shoots a text to Julius reading: "Hunts and I are heading out to grab some pizza and hit up that Challengers Arcade. You and I got a date with the DDR machine." He finished off the text with a saucy kissing-face emoji and chuckled at his own stupid humor.

Jar decided on a black and white tank and skinny jeans before checking himself out in the mirror. His air-drying hair was starting to get a little too fluffy, so he smoothed down the flyaway curls with some water before shrugging. Good enough…

Hunter met up with Jar at the doorway. He started rifling for his wallet, and Jar assumed he was just making sure he had cash on him when he mentioned having a picture of Delilah. "Proof! Told you I have the ability to have hot girlfriends." He boasted as he displayed the picture for Jar's viewing pleasure. "Hey now, I never said that you couldn't!" Jar said defensively as he briefly glanced at the picture. She was a bombshell, all right, but Jar thought it would be in poor taste to say such a thing. Plus, he wasn't looking to provoke Hunter much more tonight. Instead, Jar had another idea. He reached into his own back pocket and produced a zippo lighter, because any self-respecting rockstar always carried a lighter on them. And zippos were the classiest of lighters. Jar flicked it open, igniting a small flame. "Here's to new beginnings." he said, gesturing for Hunter to burn the picture. "To forgetting past heartbreak, and attempting to make the most of this overpriced boat ride!" He would say once Hunter decided to go through with burning Delilah's photo.

After that, the boys would leave and meet up with Julius at the arcade with a pizzas in hand. Something atrociously meat-packed for the boys, and a smaller veggie delight for Jar.

[User]
"Mmhmm," Clover hummed in answer to Lila's question of blow-drying her hair, cracking an eye open and peeking at her "I sure did. And once you hear about my morning, I think you'll agree that it was the right decision." she told Lila before straightening back up and turning so that she was facing Delilah completely.

Lila slid her sunglasses to the top of her head, gave Clover a questioning look and shifted her position so she was also facing her best friend completely. "If you wanted to get my attention, you did an excellent job. Lay it on me, babe. What the hell caused you to think that blow-drying your hair during a cruise in humid weather was something you had to do?"

"So I ran into…," she pauses here and glances around quickly, almost like she was checking to make sure no one else was around.

Lila raised her eyebrows again, this time in an exasperated gesture. "You ran into... Who?!"

"...Jareth."

Lila let out a loud gasp and covered her mouth with her hands, making the glitter on her pink nails sparkle with the sun. "Noooooooo?! That Jareth?! Are you fucking serious?! Shit!" She was destroyed that Clover had also been cursed with running into her own ex at the cruise. Lila still remembered how happy Clo was during her relationship with Jar, the length and consideration she'd taken when deciding what was best for her, and how heartbroken she'd been after taking the decision to break things off with him. And judging from the pain in her voice, Clover was still not over him.

"And he looked perfect, like he was getting ready for a fashion show or something. And I looked like a wet dog. Seriously, I was in my ancient, 'Save the Dolphins!' t-shirt and covered in sweat. My hair wasn't even brushed, I just had it up in a ponytail." Clover said, making a mortified groan as she buried her burning face in her hands

"Oh, good God, no." Lila groaned, wincing at the thought of her friend's cringe-worthy scene. If she'd thought her encounter with Hunter had been bad, it had nothing on Clover's.

"So I'm not leaving the suite anymore unless I look my best. I can't face him again unless we're on equal footing," Clo finished, tucking a lock of that gorgeous red hair behind her ear before letting her hands fall back into the water.

"And I agree 100%! It's pretty damn horrible to run into an ex, but getting that sweet satisfaction of watching the expression on their face as they realize what they lost is one of the most rewarding things on this planet. So, if you need any advice on how to look like a drop-dead diva -which you are, but could probably use a little help in the sexy department- feel free to ask or come to my room and borrow anything that fits.

"What kind of fresh hell is this, that all of our exes are here? We must have been wretched people in past lives, like the kind that kicked puppies or tripped little old ladies or something."

Lila let out one of her loud cackles of laughter, sliding her sunglasses back on. "Oh, honey, I'm pretty wretched in this life! In my case, it's probably karma for being such a spoiled bitch, but in your case my only guess is that life's playing you a pretty sick prank. But, seriously, though. Clo: you're a smart, beautiful, independent young woman with your whole life ahead of you. I know how much Jar meant to you, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be right now. If it's destined to happen, it'll happen. If not, then cherish the memories and move forward. That's about the best advice I can give ya.


[System]
Age: 28

Gender: Male

Appearance:
5'11", neat white-blonde hair, bright aquamarine eyes. Smiles a lot, with a kind of customer-service smile that might make you wonder if he's going to try to upsell you on something. Unfailingly dressed in a pristinely pressed white shirt and a well-tailored black suit.

Personality:
Businesslike, polite, and quick to shake your hand with a smile so friendly and a grip so firm and honest that it seems suspicious, because surely nobody is that nice.

But Clifton really is that nice. An honest-to-Odin good Samaritan.

He just also happens to be capable of murdering you with a homemade garrotte without losing a wink of sleep if that's what work requires. These contradictory sides of his personality are managed by an excessively active sense of compartmentalization, and the fact that he strictly follows his own professional code of ethics, even if it's...unconventional.

Skills: Clifton is skilled in most standard forms of physical combat, but his real proficiency lies in stealth and dexterity, not brute strength.
Resourceful and clever, he has a knack for turning miscellaneous objects into weapons and household chemicals into poisons, sedatives, etc.
He consistently delivers quick, clean kills, with no collateral damage.
Adequate knowledge of runes and lore.

Weaknesses:
For all his capabilities, he's still human and can therefore be shot, stabbed, and strangled just like anybody else.
A pathological perfectionist and germaphobe, Clifton cannot stand to be disorganized or dirty, and he does not do well with any bodily fluid (with the exception of blood, which is something a guy sorta gets used to as a skilled assassin), so spitting on him is nearly as likely to incapacitate him as shooting him in the kneecap. This obsessive corner of his personality is not immediately apparent to most people, the only hint of it being that he always smells like citrus hand sanitizer.
His good-naturedness is exploitable.

Brief History:
He's been one of the Blessed for about seven years. Though only 21 years old on arrival, he came already armed with an impressive and...well...specific set of skills. He doesn't do much by way of talking about where he got them or where he came from. But his background check would be just like the way he keeps his desk: squeaky clean.

[User]
More people flooded in, and Maeve remembered why she so hated being early. She was where she was, and there was no way to disentangle herself from the now considerable crowd without seeming rude.

She raised an eyebrow at Makorai, and then quirked a crooked grin in his direction. She could smell the booze on him, and was moderately proud. A hometown hero.

Isa didn't seem so bad- a bit cold. Heh. But not so bad.

Someone tell through a window and didn't identify herself. Vaguely concerning, but if something in the mansion was planning on killing them all, she figured it would have no problem managing. Lock down the Windows and doors and gas then and then hunt them down one at a time to cut them up like it was-

Maeve blinked. She had missed a good bit of the conversation. A few introductions. No matter- someone would say their names later.

And someone had ripped the door off of its hinges. Maeve gave a low whistle, and nodded in Amity's direction. "I'm sure you could learn to channel that," she started, but her attention was pulled as Isa continued her questioning of the unidentified. Maeve's attention sharpened toward the exchange, but her body did not tense. Nothing coiled to spring. Just watching.

[Assistant]
Jeddah was barely in the room and something had already gone flying across the room. How glorious. She did, however, maintain her composure despite wanting to instinctively fall forwards in an attempt to be closer to the ground. Nothing bad every happened when anyone was on the ground, right? She had laughed off her nervousness and reassessed the situation at hand. She had bought two dozen muffins. There were nine at least eight other people in the room. Unfortunately for her, she did not know proper math. So instead, she placed her confidence in herself and spoke to everyone again.

"Yeah! If you want you can have some. Got them for you guys of course. I'll just set them somewhere and you guys can help yourselves." She had said, walking over to a nearby table. "I got banana nut, poppy seed, blueberry, plain, and something special for those of you with sweet teeth."

[User]
@VitoftheVoid

 Volkir directed his attention to the girl who brought in muffins. He silently rises from his chair and walks across the table to her, crouching, then looking at the muffins. "My these do look great, It's not cake but, these will suffice. You mind?" At this point he heard@VitoftheVoid another lady talking about the revealing of runes. Though his attention did not divert, ho spoke. "Seeing as your asking for runes, you must have a notebook on you, considering you offered for us to sketch it." He then grabs a muffin and bites it. " I'll save you the trouble." He says with his mouth almost full as he reveals the Tiwaz Rune on the back of his neck to Isa.

[Assistant]
---

The rune had probably appeared on his chest way before he had noticed it. Being a dazed child, he only noticed it after finally taking a shower one night. He examined it for a long, long time in the mirror. It was the one thing on him that he actually liked, even though he wondered how it got there. It was two nights before his nineteenth birthday that the Blessed took him away from his mother. They showed up at their apartment after he had finished giving his mother dinner. As he opened the door, there were three standing there. It seemed to him like they were from the government or something. Terrified that they were there to take his mother away, he attacked before they even explained themselves. He didn't win.

He woke up in a bed that wasn't is and in a room he didn't recognize. They had dragged him off somewhere, and he didn't know where. A card with the explanation of what was happening had been left for him. He refused to believe it and refused to leave his room, even though he knew he wasn't a prisoner. Not wanting him to die, meals were given to him. He didn't eat most of them. He was curious about the whole "powers" thing though. Wanting to try it out, he gave himself a cut and then tried to heal it. It worked, to his surprised. He decided from then on that he would use it to heal others, and not himself. Other things he did in his free time included exploring the lavish room they had given him and looking through the things they had left.
It took him a while, but he eventually found that they had left him "male" and "female" clothes. He had fun (for once) trying them on. He did this on his nineteenth birthday, celebrating it by himself.

Morgan stayed there for five weeks before told that he had to go to some meeting the night before it was actually supposed to happen. On that day, he decided to wear whatever. Had to make a good first impression, right? He put together an outfit; a black crop-top with daisies all over it, some ombre bleached shorts, and some black converse.
He knew that he was late, but he didn't care. He was the last one to enter the room, by the looks of it. But there were nine people in the room and only nine runes. What was happening?
Morgan didn't bother to make an introduction, or to even say hello as he entered. He simply walked over to the other empty couch in the room, sitting down. He looked around at the others.
Because he hadn't left his room for a month, he hadn't even seen any of these people. And none of these people had ever seen him. Upon first glance though, it seemed that everyone in the room was older than him. No more than ten years, but not less than two or three.

[User]
Oren was midway through her attempts to give Kana the third degree when she realized she was being addressed. And perhaps not in the most constructive way. She gave a sharp sigh and momentarily turned hr avian gaze away from her target.

"Firstly Tiwaz I have no interest in seeing your rune. I know what your rune is. I've already listed it off. Please try to pay attention or this initial meeting is going to take a very long time. Secondly I've already provided the person in question with pen and paper. Thirdly your input is holding me up from dealing with the problem of an unregistered person being present in an extremely important meeting, so without wishing to start things off on the wrong foot I'd appreciate it if you-"

"Oh, hey, is this the right..room? ...what happened to the doors?"  Oren glanced round for a moment to see a somewhat familiar face peering around what was left of the door, a young woman with a mop of untidy ginger hair, wearing a far oversized sweater with a triceratops on it, juggling coffee, milk, sugar and a donut box, and looking rather uncertain of her position between everyone apparently already eating muffins, and the fact that the last time she passed the room the meeting was supposed to be happening in, she was pretty certain that it had doors.

"Yes Helena. The meeting is here." Oren muttered wearily, gesturing for the office intern to scramble in with the drinks thing and attempt to navigate to the table across the room with it without bumping into anyone. Mostly because at least half of them looked lowkey terrifying.

[Assistant]
@Cloudburst

Volkir sighs as he grabs another muffin.@Cloudburst "Thank you muffin lady.." He says in a monotone voice, he then walks across the table and back to his chair, where he re-assumes his crouching position. He continues to eat the muffin, but is surprised at this one. He turns his head and looks inside the muffin. "How delightful..." He seemed like he really didn't care at all,in truth he did. "How did you know to bring cake?"

[User]
Out of all the things that Dawn could have expected, a woman tumbling in from a third story window certainly wasn't one of them. Pale hair. Purple eyes. Claiming to be one of the newer runes picked up, although Isa, she noticed, seemed to have no idea who this person was, despite knowing the others gathered. Perhaps it was just a fluke, but Dawn would keep an eye on the woman regardless.

More and more people filed in as time passed. A gloomy looking man calling himself "Volkir". Jeddah, a young woman about her height bearing a box of muffins. Dawn studied the little lineup silently, in a sort of absent reverie- something that from time to time. She was snapped out of it, however, by the door to the room soaring from its hinges and into the wall opposite. Dawn turned, alarmed, to see a rather embarrassed looking redhead standing in the gap left behind.

Super strength. Alarming, but given the fact that all of them had developed powers almost overnight, it wasn't surprising in itself once the initial shock were off. Recomposing herself, Dawn glanced once more at the ruined splinters that once made up the door, then back to Amity. "I agree- I'm sure you'll be able to get it under control with enough practice." She smiled warmly, then stood, stepping over to where the muffins had been laid out and looking over them idly.

"Thank you, Jeddah. These look delicious." Dawn plucked one from the box- blueberry- and sank her teeth into it, relishing in the taste. She paused, swallowed, then spoke. "My name is Dawn, by the way. It's good to meet you."

Behind her, she could overhear Ira asking the stranger to draw out her rune, and Volkir immediately offering up his own in response. She listened in as she took bite after bite, but before Ira could get any far in her questioning, two more entered to interrupt her. Both were strangers, although one, the girl of the two, seemed to be struggling quite badly with her cargo.

Finishing off the rest of her muffin, Dawn pocketed the wrapper and stepped over to the girl. "Would you like some help with all that?" She asked. Ira seemed to know this girl, Helena, and seeing as she hadn't been referred to a rune, she could assume that the newcomer was the last remaining marked.

Nine runes, two others. One of which still hadn't been identified.

Even as she spoke to Helena, Dawn made a point to keep the wildcard of a woman in the corner of her eye.

@Cloudburst@Kuroakuma@xXSINXx@GoodLuckTuck

[Assistant]
The next arrival breezed into the room wearing a slim fitting Italian suit and a smile like the sun, in that it was bright and that if one looked straight at it for too long, one might get a bit uncomfortable. He carried with him a rather sharp but not unpleasant scent, like he had perhaps just peeled a tangerine, after taking a bath in rubbing alcohol.

"Miss Helena, I suspect that the Uruz rune had something to do with it," said Clifton, deftly relieving her of the topmost precarious object and setting it on the table next to the muffins by way of example (since she looked a bit lost), and so that nobody would have to clean coffee and donuts off the floors. "Don't worry, Miss Amity. Such mishaps are only to be expected at this juncture. A technician will take care of that."

He dusted off his hands to make sure no stray bits of donut powder had found their way onto them. None had. But he dusted just in case.

"Hello, my friends. Good to see you up and about, Mr. Sydnous," he added specifically, feeling a mild sense of obligation to make sure the lad felt welcome...seeing as their other meeting had ended less than cordially. "I hope you're getting settled and aquain--"

He paused abruptly upon spotting the unfamiliar girl.
Clifton's smile remained perfectly cheerful, and to any outside watcher his posture seemed perfectly at ease.

"I don't believe we've met. Care to introduce yourself?"

He took an unthreatening step toward her, one hand in his suitcoat pocket, the other extended for a handshake, ready to learn something about the stranger. One could learn a lot about a person from a handshake. Of course, if Kana took his hand, she'd learn something about Clifton too: He had a perfect handshake. Just the right amount of strength in the clasp to be bracing but not uncomfortable, just the right amount of time held to be personal but not awkwardly intimate, just the right intensity of eye contact to be engaged but not creepy. It was a perfect damn handshake.

...Whatever that said about him.

Clifton's other hand, the hand in the pocket, lay on a concealed pistol.

...Whatever else that said about him.


[System]
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Race: Human

Appearance: Alexander possesses a healthy physique. He stands at nearly six-feet in height, is composed of lean muscle, and exhibits proper breathing. A pale golden pigment colors his complexion. His round, smooth, and well-shaved face exaggerates his youth. Similarly, his protruding gray eyes and high brow contribute to his childish appearance. Alexander fashions his ash blond hair into a short side-parted haircut. Despite his tendency to don a serious expression, developing laugh lines and forehead wrinkles hint at his humorous nature.

Personality: "Beige is a beautiful color," an expression Alexander composed to describe his outlook. Simplicity is a virtue, and complicated matters can be deconstructed into their simplest forms. Appreciative of the ordinary, and satisfied with plain pleasures, Alexander can behave blandly if his curiosity is not fed. His mannerism and language are forthright, yet this belies the amiable extrovert underneath. Good company animates Alexander, thus, he frequently seeks companionship. Jokes and jolly tunes await those he trusts.

Quirks: Collects beige colored items. Enjoys disassembling objects. Positions himself near exits when possible.

[User]
It'd been a few weeks since she had been stuck in this jar. They said they'd just "ship" her and she'd know when she would arrive, but she had some doubts about that. Now she was hearing people talking. . . Like, a lot. It wasn't the normal old man voices (Or so they sounded to her) but instead, younger people. And again, a lot of them. "Okay. . ." She muttered to herself taking a peek outside the vase finally. It was a room with a lot of people. . . Well, Humans and Non-Humans. . . It looked like? Some were a lot more obvious than the others.

A girl with Draconic features, a. . . Uhh, small Dragon. Some humans. . . A merman, and, well, a lot of others. Most of which she hadn't seen until this point. Taking the opportunity, she departed the vase to look around some more at the people and creatures. First thing's first, "That dragon-girl looks so cool." Alicia muttered to herself as she floated over, slowly turning upside down as she tried to get use to her bearings.

Soon enough, she found herself looking the dragon girl in the face. "You are quite interesting." She said while eyeing all the features of the girl. "I've not seen someone with non-human features before today. Well, not in person." After a few seconds more of inspection Alicia remembered, "Oh! Where are my manners. Alicia de Gheeste, at your service."

[Assistant]
Solan – Iosef/Cia

Solan had made it to the common room, taking in how big the school really was. She wondered how long it would take her to memorize its layout and not get lost. She began to regret not paying attention to the twists and turns it took to get here, noting she'd have to find a map. A nervous feeling began to settle over her once more as she realized how many others were cramming themselves into the room. The Valkyrie tried to make herself smaller, almost fearing how dangerous much of these non-humans could be. She folded her wings tightly against her back, a couple more feathers falling to the floor, and she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, trying to be as inconspicuous as she could.

Despite being on the rather shy side, Solan didn't want to be rude. She turned her attention to an androgynous student of dark features aside from their bright eyes. They seemed friendly enough, although in her almost overwhelmed state, she managed a small smile and a quiet "yup". The thought of being alone in this exchange sounded more terrifying than being around others. She almost felt thankful if she wasn't such an introvert.

Solan shifted a bit impatiently, wondering when it would start so she could get a room and get out of this crowd. She looked around, trying to find a teacher of some sort who may begin the orientation. Instead, she noticed a rather normal looking girl heading her way. Perhaps she was lost given non humans were supposed to be here? Then again, who was she to judge someone; she could have powers beyond her imagination. The girl approached her, commenting on her muscles and her ability to run.

The Valkyrie blinked, being a bit unnerved by the question. If she didn't know any better it almost could have been a threat. Was this girl going to chase her down? Solan did often have to herd the Pegasi back at home although it was usually in vain since they flew away once you begin pursuing them. She looked over this girl, wondering if she could out run her if she had to, but her attention lingered on the bat in her bag. Why did she have a weapon? Was this school lax toward a weapon policy? She looked to the floor, fearing not to anger the girl.

"Um, I s-suppose. When your wings don't work, then next best thing is uh, legs?" Solan tried for a joke, but came up with whatever that was, being more awkward than funny. She wasn't sure what the correct answer was, glancing up with a sheepish smile.

@Cuccoruler

[User]
Grey, @Antarctic Termite,@gaudi

Grey's black eyes scanned the students as several approached it, probably drawn by the clipboard in it's limbs. It decided against telling everyone that it was doing crossword puzzles on it. So many questions, so many little minds, curious and worried and eager. Raising a digit to it's mouth, it's voice let out in a soothing tone.

"All questions will be answered in due time. However, at present, I would ask you all to make for the Common Room with little dawdling. It's the main room in that rather large building with the scaffolding still up on it. Rest assured, you are all where you are meant to be, and you are all right on time in all things."

Grey stepped away from the crowd, then with a smile at the pair, added:

"That means you two, Miss Aelonya and Miss Malinal. You may continue the playful banter as you walk."

Without giving any hint at how it knew their names, the being Grey stepped towards more approaching students, guiding and directing. A few groups walked away confused, asking why their friends had used "Sir" or "Ma'am" or had simply stared in silence.

[Assistant]
Malinal
The sound of phalanges clattering against her own fingers struck the tzitzimitl as nothing less than ecstatic, and she momentarily balled them into a fisted victory pose, a thin hiss of a yes! leaking out of her. Without losing the pose, she swiped her other hand into a perfect encore with the mostly human-looking girl who ran shortly into her attention. The red-haired one's aim had been a little off, but Mali had more than enough spacial awareness for both of them.

When she finished whooping, Mali clapped both hands back onto her face. "Why, what eyes?", she feigned, as her wrist winked at the non-human. This, at least, was something she'd anticipated- Her sisters had warned her well that her joint-eyes would stand out especially. They spoke of it in tired tones, but Malinal was still young enough to relish the attention.

It didn't hold her for long, though, and she was shortly reaching up to pinch at the red-haired girl's cheeks. They didn't stretch much, but compared to the cloaked woman-figure and herself, they were luxurious. "Holy mother, skele-hand, look at how pudgy these are! Are all humans like this? Are you even human?" Mali cast her face to the distance and shrugged with one arm while still holding the girl's cheek in the other, an exhibit of wonder.

The decorated spirit was talking in an echoing rattle of reassurance- Or so the tzitzimitl heard it- just about long enough for her to pick out the figures that were listening with particular attention. A girl with an ugly-looking club, from her ankle; A flittering blue animal, from an elbow. "This isn't banter, this is cultural appreciation," commented Mali quietly, but shortly stepped up to follow the directions, still holding the human-looking cheek as long as she was able. "Eel-on-ya, did it say? I'm Mali. And this here is my human. I haven't named her yet."

@Arty Fox

[User]
Aelonya.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a loud-looking human girl appeared and slapped the other girl - again, if you could call her that - on the hand, after Svarog. Aelonya paused, trying to remember the kind of person the skeletal hand had come from; ultimately, this didn't matter, as his remains had been imbued with the old god Svarog's likeness - all to some extent - around the winter solstice. To die around these times was a great honor, she thought; she just wondered why Svarog would slap hands with this creature, though she was an eyefull. The thought of this produced a soft chuckle. Perhaps she should try slapping the girl's hand, too, just to see how the glossy membrane of the embedded eye felt. It proceeded to blink at her in an uncanny, self-aware sort of fashion not unlike the disembodied hands that followed Aelonya around, extracted commands from her general will, yet acted on their own.

The red-haired girl had a sizeable amount of flesh wrapped around her bones, to the point where you could not tell, in most cases, that there was a harder structure underneath. Soft. Upon being pinched, the human's cheek flushed lightly, into a soft pink. Almost delectable. These types of humans always made Aelonya feel much older than she actually was, as the times she had physically encountered them, they were always asking favors. They got lost in the wood easily, or perhaps went to ask her for fire, lost their brides, or had an abusive step-family. And so on. She would help them in her own way, which was generally successful, but ensured that they would never return to bother her again. They were too fragile and completely unaware of the world to question anything, anyways.

"All of the humans are meaty and moldable. Defenseless little things. But there's a skeleton down there, if you dig around. You might need a knife," Aelonya noted, entirely nonchalant. "Such an existential question. Are you a demon?" She cocked her head to the side, mimicking the creature's shrug.

The pinstriped man opened his mouth, striking Aelonya with the sight of his tongue - which was covered in thick, dark hair which seemed to drip beads of fluid that struck the sides of his face as he spoke. Absolutely disgusting; similar to a domovoi. Did he live under the stove? Did the school's headmaster look like this? Grotesque, but Aelonya heard her name, and some order about a common room in one of the unnecessarily large mausoleums that surrounded the grounds. But the girl - Malinal - was trying to speak to her.

"Ail-ohn-yah. And you should let the human go before it asks you favors," Her laugh was in between something entirely exuberant - out-of-place in between the gaunt cheekbones and disembodied hands - and somewhat forced. "Going to open a rift into the common room, demon?" Aelonya smiled with pretension.

Termite

[Assistant]
Alexander switched off the ignition of his vehicle. He had arrived at the Daelstadht Academy Dormitories. Collecting his suitcase from the passenger-side floor, Alexander stepped outside. Many dormitories and utility structures stood before him, the area never seemed this large when Alexander knew where he was headed, but today was a mystery. Had he been assigned a destination, he would have been more discerning about where he parked.

Standing alert, Alexander moved forward, his eyes carefully scanning his surroundings. He felt warm, his body was starting to perspire under his beige overcoat. Autumn in Daelstadht is warmer than in his home country. The situation was rather uncomfortable for Alexander, particularly because there was little he could do to prepare for it. Sudden changes are in store for the academy, the recently constructed dorms that became visible in the distance are evidence of that.

"Hello Alexander Ozarovsky," a bellowing voice declared.

Standing straight ahead of him is a middle-aged man wearing a modest charcoal-gray-colored attire. The man was holding a clipboard, yet his eyes were fixed upon Alexander, at least that is what he assumed, for the man's eyes resembled that of a sharks. Normally an oddity like this would be unsettling, and while the man's rugged physique could enable ferociousness, his demeanour was gentle. He lacked any hair, and was rigid like a statue.

Alexander responded, "Hello, can you tell me where my destination is?"

The man proceeded to instruct Alexander to visit the East Dormitory common room, and await further instructions. With a polite word of thanks, Alexander marched forward to his destination, only to hesitate for a moment when the man uttered an unusual question. "Mr. Ovarovsky, would you happen to know a Polish soup that is often made with rye flour?" Quickly, Alexander considered the possibilities, but arrived at only one answer.

"Borscht." he responded.

The man scribbled onto his clipboard, and gazed back at Alexander with a content smile, beckoning him his leave. With a simple nod, Alexander advanced forward. His worries about the dormitories were temporarily settled, for they were replaced with doubts about his knowledge regarding the origins of borscht's many varieties. However, he would soon find another distraction.

Reaching a crowd of fellow students, Alexander caught glimpses of various mythical creatures among his fellow man. The variety and contrast was staggering, yet there certainly was one aspect many of the mythical creatures shared with his fellow human high-schoolers. Proclamations of superiority and inferiority echoed from every direction, an attitude Alexander did not miss while away for summer. With a hurried pace, he stepped ahead of many fellow students.

Once arriving inside his destination, Alexander stepped to the side of the entryway, and waited near the door, still grasping tightly to his suitcase. Every time a student would wander through the entrance, Alexander would do his best to offer a polite and formal welcome. He did so without a smile, which earned him some glances of confusion.


[System]
* Age: 16
* Gender: Female
* Race: Oni
* Appearance: She's definitely on the short side... and the completely flat side. Akari is one of those highschool students (technically) that everyone eagerly mistakes for a middle school student.
* Personality: Everyone expects an oni to be brash, confident (at least until defeated), and rowdy. At the very least you expect them to be loud or somehow aggressive. This is all completely untrue of Akari, who is happiest communicating with everyone via technology rather than in person, and would much like to be back in her room undisturbed. Even when you get past the extreme shyness by enough association or shared interests, she's still meek, worried about her own strength, and disturbingly skittish. With an extra irrational fear of samurai, which is definitely a bit odd for a girl who's worn traditional clothing every day of her life except the one week she went to school.
* Abilities: Akari is a shockingly powerful oni, for someone that has had no reason to exercise her natural abilities to any extent. Despite her unimposing physique, there are very few people who are going to be winning if it's simply a contest of pitting strength against one another. She's about as difficult to seriously injure; blunt force is mostly useless without some serious strength behind it, and simply cutting her often requires magical assistance or massive force. Plus, like her mother, if it's not cut off entirely it will doubtless heal fine, and losing limbs would be more of a (physical) inconvenience than life-threatening.
Although she hasn't any practice at using it, Akari has inherited Ibaraki's affinity for Heat--not just heat in the direct sense, but heat as a driving force for changes. It's this affinity that led Ibaraki-douji so easily to shapeshifting, and allows for just reattaching missing body parts later. She's also inherited the ability--or some would call it a mystic scar--common to all of the famous oni's relatives: Lost Arm. So significant was the injury that, even now, her entire extended bloodline has the ability to summon a single phantom arm.
You know, if two arms isn't enough for hitting things.
* Skills: None of any particular use! She's actually rather clumsy, which is bad because of the strength that comes from being an oni. This also extends to a tendency to trip on things and fall down stairs, though that's more disorienting and worrying for people watching rather than actually dangerous to Akari.
* Equipment: "Mum said I should bring an iron club if something dangerous happens..." She also has a phone, "a little spending money" day to day--that is, enough money that anything of interest to a sixteen year old oni is fine--and a perfectly-accurate seeming ID that nevertheless claims Akari to be an adult, because oni and alcohol are inseparable.
* Brief Backstory: As her name attests, Akari is closely related to the Ibaraki-douji. Extremely closely; Ibaraki is her mother and Akari doesn't have the faintest clue who her father is. This, in and of itself, makes her the closest thing a rowdy bunch like oni can have to royalty--and also, with the benefit of being born into an extremely small family that has had a thousand years of practice avoiding danger and past banditry, used to the wealth that implies.
Akari spent most of her childhood in a very traditional home, essentially secluded from the non-supernatural world, and told all the supernatural stories one might expect. Of course, the viewpoint was skewed--the role of hero and villain constantly inverted, with the samurai and exorcists vilified for going after oni that were only acting according to their natural desires and compulsions. Given the obvious problems that a supernaturally strong child with some innate drive to prey on humanity could fall into, this also meant a distinct lack of school attendance.
They moved to a more modern house, one actually positioned conveniently for school, when it was time for Akari to start middle school. After attending for a few days, she just... stopped, the ease with which she had accidentally hurt someone in sports and the pressure of pretending to be human--on top of her own limited experience with so many people--just overwhelming the young oni. Although she's somewhat kept up with the schoolwork, a large amount of Akari's time has instead found itself devoted to popular entertainment--light novels, anime, and so on.
Ibaraki is hardly someone one would expect to be an experienced parent... or skilled at addressing this in a manner more appropriate than "fight it out", which would hardly help in this situation, so she's been trying to find someone that might help... or at least get Akari to socialise more.

[User]
As far as Homura could tell, the dynamics were already well-established for the club, by now. The first couple meetings had been surprisingly normal, at least content-wise. She had to wonder just what sort of dirt the president had on some of the other members, though. Regardless, the scene currently playing out before her was no longer surprising.

Kaori had brought sweets. Shuicirio was already helping himself to said sweets. One would hardly know they weren't just ordinary students. Homura refrained from taking any baked goods just yet, mostly out of propriety and waiting for the meeting to begin before helping herself to refreshments, and not out of mistrust at all. "Afternoon," she returned Tomoko's greeting.

"Should I put on some tea," she offered as she made her way over to an electric kettle on a desk by the wall. "It's a good day for it, and would probably go nice with the snacks."

[Assistant]
Ibaraki Akari

Like the others, Akari was nominally a student at the school. From slipping into the premises clubroom just as school had ended, and the distinct lack of a uniform worn, it would have been impossible to guess. But despite this, she made a valiant effort to blend into the room's background, moving a chair off to one corner and pulling out a book to read while everyone showed up. Hopefully, she could spend the entire meeting like this, and just go home afterwards.

It didn't help that everyone here was so... outgoing. Almost everyone. Akari felt that Homura had the most compatible personality out of the entire club, but she was way too scary! What if she wanted to do some youkai hunting or her family thought this would be a great opportunity to finish what Watanabe-no-Tsuna started or...

Oh no, she was looking this way. Tea? Oh, no, Akari shook her heaed vigorously at that. She wasn't a big fan of tea anyway, and she already brought her own drinks along. And this way she wasn't at risk of being poisoned somehow. Hopefully, she wouldn't mind. Hopefully.

[User]
After having experienced Kaori's attitude and affections for a considerable length of time now, Tomoko had learned to be prepared for this kind of treatment.

The karakasa wasn't the only friend she brought along today.

Letting her surprised decoy 'enjoy' Kaori's affections, Tomoko stepped to the side and around the clingy jorogumo, ignoring any muffled pleas for help.

"Tea would be lovely, thank you," she said, in response to Homura.

She cast a bright smile around at the assembled students. Yes, she'd done quite an excellent job at putting together various supernatural attendees at Miyama, and it hadn't taken very much effort at all!

"I'm sure you're all curious about our first order of business today, so I won't delay any longer," she continued, retrieving the daily newspaper from her bag. She didn't often read them, but picking up a copy seemed like it was a wise idea for illustrating the task at hand.

"Tada~" Tomoko declared, presenting the paper, or more specifically one of the articles.

The article in question was one that detailed all the publicly-avaliable knowledge on the recent rash of children's disappearances. There wasn't much, but it was enough to establish the fact that there was little to no evidence, and no way of knowing if the disappeared children were alive or dead.

Though given the length of time since the first known disappearance, the outlook was growing considerably more grim.

"Seven children have disappeared this month alone," she continued, "Without any evidence, with no sign of a struggle. Nothing is left behind at all. Even if I didn't have a few friends letting me know they thought something was going on, I think this would be plenty of reason to suspect it's not simply a human kidnapper, isn't it?"

At the very least, it was clear that Tomoko was taking the matter seriously, even if she had presented the newspaper article in such a lighthearted manner.

"I have my suspicions as to what it may be, but I'm curious if anyone else does," continued the girl as she put the newspaper down, waving her real hand idly, "Speculation and conversation are the best path forward!"

Indeed, assembling a plan of action meant discussing that plan of action first.

Tomoko had no intention of allowing another child to disappear, so letting the perpetrator go another night wasn't an option.

Meanwhile, the shapeshifted mujina in Kaori's grip squirmed frantically. She'd altered her usual human form to be identical to the intermediary, but she hadn't been told why this was happening.

Only now did she understand.

Daze@Vega7285@Pyromania99@AzureKnight@Rune_Alchemist

[Assistant]
Homura nodded at Akari's decline of the tea. The other girl tended to get skittish around her for some reason, but she still communicated well enough, and there really wasn't reason to be bothered. Once the kettle finished boiling, she prepared a pot of tea, and brought it and some cups over to the meeting table. Homura of course poured a cup for herself, and another for Tomoko.

"So, kamikakushi in the literal sense," she began, after Tomoko had explained the situation. "Sounds like something we should look into, all right. Sadly, it could be a lot of things." Homura spares Kaori a glance. "So nothing immediately comes to my mind just from disappearances. A namahage, maybe? Or...isn't there a couple urban legend sort of things that grab kids?"

[User]
Shimizu Kaori
Occult Investigation Club Room

---

"...eh? Eh?" Kaori blinked, looking from the Tomoko in her arms to the Tomoko walking away from her. "Two...two Tomokos?" She'd look back to the one in her arms, then back to the real Tomoko all the while not letting the one in her grip go or giving her any sort of leeway to wiggle out of the embrace. Had she died? Was this heaven? Was she given a gift by the gods for being a good little spider? Ahhh, she could hardly contain herself!

"Eheheheh~!" With a loud giggle, Kaori would pickup the Mujina, completely uncaring of the other youkai's struggle. "Tomo-chan, you shouldn't have! Ehehe, I'll be sure to take her home with me and make sure nothing bad happens to her~" The Mujina, would find it hard to respond since her face was still shoved in Kaori's chest as the spider would take a seat at the club table, sitting the girl down in her lap and not releasing her as Tomoko got to explaining what they were doing here.

Oh dear, oh dear...someone snatching up little girls that wasn't her? Oh that wouldn't do at all! Some other, nastier, meaner youkai surely was doing such unwholesome and terrible things to them! It made her loving little spider heart angry...of course, she was completely aware of the look she got from Homura.

"Ufufu, what's the matter, Homu-chan? Giving me such a passionate seeming glance~ Now's not the time you know?" Teasing aside...hm. There were many youkai known for kidnapping children, or people in general...and she was guilty of that, but she had mostly behaved herself since she met Tomoko. "Do we...have any more information, Tomo-chan? We can narrow it down to those that specifically like to target children, but without other information it feels hard to speculate..."

[Assistant]
Hina tumbled out of her secret treasure room with a melon soda and a box of animal crackers in hand. She sipped the soda like some sweet elixir, and it replenished her not at all. All the money she spent on snacks could have been donated to a worthy cause, and might have gone on to help groupings of Humans in need. But the only cause she cared about... was the state of this soda coursing through her Youkai body. And also finding the secret penguin animal cracker. It had been a long night of owning scrubs online at UMvC3, but someone had to do it. Humans had to learn that all their practice, dedication, and devotion comes to naught in the face of the infinity that is a Youkai as immortal and long-lived as her. And also, Soul Fist spam is bullshit.

Hina looked vaguely around the clubhouse, and noticed that pretty much everyone was here today. It was probably a super fun new case. She put her box of animal crackers down and crawled to the table where Tomoko had presented the newspaper article. She nodded as she read the paper, and soon would give her valuable and probably correct opinion.

"Alright, I see everyone is just huddled up in my house without asking," she muttered, looking around at the other club members (it was a club room and not her house). Especially the Humans, "that's cool. Uh... paper says there's a sale at Don Quijote. That is indeed very suspicious because all their prices are rock bottom already. There's also, ah... kidnappings. Oh."

Hina scratched her head, slightly embarrassed that she'd caught onto the wrong thing, but if it turned out that sale is also a Youkai's doing, she knew that she would look super smart.

"Uuuhhh Nurikabe," she said, going directly to her default answer, "one of these days it's gonna be one of those funny wall guys, and everyone will praise my genius~ do we know what time of day these kids disappeared? All at night? Some during the day? Were they being naughty? Maybe it's a Human after all. I think you underestimate them, sometimes."

Hina climbed up on the table on her hands and knees like a cat, and swiped up as many Spider Cookies as her tiny hands could hold, getting crumbs all over herself and the table.

[User]
Children were disappearing? Oh no, that was bad, she just wanted to go home normally and not have to worry about strange youkai that couldn't tell the difference between a (very) small teenaged oni and a child. She couldn't just stay here until the problem cleared up on its own, all her stuff was at home and the Zasshiki-Warashi would start demanding she pay rent or something if Akari spent the night and she didn't have enough to drink to just give it away like that...

The girl opened one of the drinks in the plastic bag she had brought along, thinking who it could be. If they could solve it without going anywhere, then that meant Tomoko could fix the problem and she could just go home normally, right? Youkai that were interested in kidnapping children and keeping them, rather than potentially turning them into dinner or some such...

The bottle of definitely-not-fancy-water was placed on the side table Akari had ensconced herself at as she looked at everyone present here.

"I-It isn't Kaori, right?" Just look at how tightly she was holding the not-Tomoko!


[System]
I've decided to make a male character just to have some fun~
Age: Appears about 26 years old
Gender: Male
Race: Vampire
Description:

Alignment: Neutral
Personality: Kai is a bit of a loner, has often kept to himself. When he is around others, particularly a crowd; he's quiet. With one individual he may talk a bit--but not much. He is not quick to anger and seldom shows his emotions.
Background: Kai was a born vampire into the colony, but chose to break away as he did not agree to senseless killing. He had little respect for other races, but if he didn't have a reason to kill; he didn't. He "lives" in the forest, but drifts from village to village.
Other: N/a

[User]
@smiter19
Feon seemed to dodge the stamp from the creature with what looked to be pure luck as she moved just barely out of it's way. "Ha! You think such a creature can stop me." Feon said with a drunken smile. She wasn't an ordinary person this much was now proof. She had either a large amount of luck, or a drunken master fighting style. "Your funny." Feon stated now entirely forgetting the weird floating man.

"Names Feon, and the reason I'm alive. I guess you could call it pure luck. Stupid vamps just kept stumbling into my punches and kicks. A few times, and I'm not kidding, they ran into each other!" Feon said with a stupid smile on her face. She then let out a burp. "What are you guys gingers?" Feon stated at this point looking at the two who were rapidly getting sunburns. "Seriously you gotta get a tan if you don't wanna get sunburned." Feon added with a laugh. At this point Feon seemed to be swaying a little less though she was still taking steps in random directions. "So why are you all alive? Are those vamps really as stupid as they were for me?" Feon added with a smile. What she hadn't told them about her fight though was her light imbued fists which gave her an upper hand.

[Assistant] "You speak blasphemy," Talon said keeping his distance, "no drunken wench, such as yourself, could've defended herself against a group of vampires. Especially by herself, there is something you aren't telling me. Vampires are very auspicious creatures and would've killed you the instant they saw you. Merely out of fun that is, since they could probably smell that ale on your breath. Made me want to vomit smelling you on your approach."

[User] Artemis sighed as the drunk woman went on and on how she killed vampires. She believed her but she did have her doubts. How could she fight them off this drunk? It seemed like nonsense but adrenaline can make anyone do crazy things. She looked back over to see that both Rena and Kai were starting to get sunburnt. She reached into her bag on her back and pulled out two blankets. She handed one to each of them. "You can cover up with these for now." She said whispering to Kai and Rena to see if they would like to use them.

[Assistant]
@Smiter19 @Cuccoruler

Rena blinked as Artemis handed her the blanket, her sunburn must be getting obvious at this point. She hoped they only thought of it as fair skin, but she gave a hidden sigh. It wouldn't be long before her companions found her out. At this point, she just wanted to get Saedd safe and move on before her mother found her. She gave a weak smile to the elf and took the blanket. "Thank you," she said. She draped it over her head as if it were a cloak. She was small enough, that it basically became one. However, she remembered Talon's comment just before he began to argue with the drunk woman... Feon?

Kai smiled and shook his head. "Thank you, but I need to be light." He remarked as his eyes examined the woods. As the two were bickering the trees began to talk and make noise. "Artemis, move the girl and the unconscious one to safety. Something doesn't feel right." The vampire quickly moved between the woman the apothecary. "If you two don't shut up, you'll get us all killed. Keep your wits about you," his dark red eyes peered like daggers to Feon. "Get ready to prove you worth." He hissed and stepped sideways. Suddenly, he was gone. In a flash of darkness, his body no longer stood where it once was. He moved through the trees, following the sounds he originally heard.

[[Don't anyone make any vampires jump out or nothing yet. Kai is doing something.]]

[User]
@Smiter19@Cuccoruler

Artemis looked to see the concerned look on Kai's face. It seemed very important so she trusted his judgement. "I can do that." She said as she took Rena's hand. "Come with me. I will keep you two safe." She said as she used her other hand to push Saedd with her free hand towards the back of the abandoned house. She hoped there was somewhere outside that she could hide with them. She found a small hut on the outside of the house. "Get in here. I will cast a protection charm so no one but our allies can open the door." She said pushing Saedd inside and held the door waiting for Rena.

[Assistant] Rena hesitated as she followed Artemis, watching as Kai disappeared within the tree line. She could feel the presence. But it was so faint, how could he feel it so strongly? She let out a sigh and nodded as she moved into the hut. She used the blanket to weigh Saedd down a bit so he wasn't as obvious. She knelt down to the ground, putting her hand on his chest. "Can you sense anything?" She asked, looking up at Artemis.

[User]
Feon turned to look at the forest with a smirk on her face. "I don't see a reason for me to have to prove myself to anyone. I mean, I already know I'm awesome." Feon stated showing off her ego now before getting into a fighting stance, though her stance was mostly her stepping side to side drunkenly while trying to look like she had an idea of martial arts. The fist she had more forward than the other looked like it was giving off heat from the steam coming off of it. But slowly that steam was turning into a bright yellow flame of holy power, it was faint for now but just barely noticeable.

"Honestly, you all seem too serious, should really try drinking some time, gives you a load off." Feon stated, though this comment could be put right back on Feon for when she was sober she was like an entirely different person. The kind of person that hated everyone and trusted no one. Though the bonds she makes while drunk are far better than those bonds she makes while sober.

[Assistant] Artemis closed the shed door and closed her eyes taking two slow breaths concentrating very hard to remain calm in order to cast the spell. "Enstia Protectia!" She said softly as a white circle with a diamond in the center. She then walked over to the door and tried to listen for anything in the background. "I can hear something. Its hard to tell what it could be. I will keep listening to be sure. It could be villain or an animal since the sun is up." She said looking over at Rena then back at the door.

[User]
Talon watched Kai disappear in his darkness. He scoffed to himself while Artemis, Rena, and Saedd entered the shed. It was only momentarily when the aura of a protection spell surrounded the place. His eyes wandered as they settled on Feon. She was staring off into the forest as her body swayed back and forth.

'If she really can defend herself while being a belligerent drunk,' he thought to himself while his piercing gaze steadily examined her, 'I wonder what she's like dry.' He shook his head as he disappeared, his transparency being more visible in the sunlight but not by much. He recollected himself as he approached the shed then stopped. He turned to Feon.

"There's been a lot going on in this world," Talon said to Feon, "I've watched my friends get gutted by each other because they were too trusting. I know there's something about you. No point in not trusting you, but eh... so many vampires." Talon returned to his original path as he stopped at the shed.

Talon ripped the door open calling out, "Boo!" He stepped past Artemis as he left the door open. He closed one of his hands causing it to shut. He walked to Saedd and checked on his status. He raised his hands and began to cast a healing spell. The aura of the spell surrounded Saedd's body. 'What the hell is wrong with you,' Talon said to himself as he pressed his hands against Saedd's chest and stomach. He stopped on his face as he gently pressed his eyes in, then pushed on his temples.

[Assistant]
Rena blinked as Talon came into the shed, and scowled a bit from his attempt to bother Artemis. As he began messing with Saedd again, she felt her hands ball into fists. "What are you doing to him?" She asked, avoiding the demanding tone that she wanted to have. It looked painful, whether he was in a coma or not. She didn't enjoy him prying at the man. Her body suddenly gave a shudder as she glanced out a small window that was nearby. The air felt the same as it did before, except something was a bit off.

@Belle?

The young vampire weaved through the trees, almost to where he could no longer see the group. There was something lingering in the air that made him uncomfortable. He crouched in the tree canopy and scanned the ground below. He could hear the faint sound of a group talking and knew it was noone from his group. He squinted a bit before moving through the trees until he smelled a fire. As he came upon the smoke, he spotted a group of vampires--- 5 or 6--- settled around a camp fire. They were murmuring amongst themselves about finding the half-ling while the Queen was in the swamps. They mentioned the Queen didn't want the half-ling dead, but they were itching to kill her. It sounded the queen was obsessed with the creature and wanting to bring it back. He began to wonder if this half-ling was Rena...

[User]
@RenaKin90

Artemis jumped when Talon came into the shed causing her to grab onto her dagger before she relized it was him. When he came in the enchantment was broken and it made her cringe in anger but she held it back. "The least you could have done was let me change the enchantment..." She said as he walked over to Saedd. She repeated the enchantment and replaced the seal on to the door speaking in the elvish language with her eyes glowing a bright blue before the seal stopped glowing. She knew he did not mean to but it took a lot out of her to do the spells. It was not as easy as everyone thought it was.

[Assistant]
@DeadlyPhoenix

"I'm doing more than you'll ever be able to do for him," Talon said sounding calm but intending for it to hurt her, "this man is the death of us all if I can't run him back to the world of the living. He's trapped inside his head, like a coma. I'm also making sure he isn't hemorrhaging internally. His body has been through quite a bit of punishment," Talon said concluding his assessment. He turned to Artemis as he watched her cast her spell.

"Artemis... how long have you been learning the art of magic," he asked sitting down in a ghost chair, "I usually don't look down on fellow magic-users but forgive me if I sound snobby. Not my intentions, but I am powerful. I can cast your spell with no reprucussions. Us Apothecaries have to be powerful... or else we wouldn't be used on battle fields. I myself haven't seen war because I'm more interested in the vampire sickness." He was going to mention that it was because he was human but he didn't want to make it about race because her spells could be if they weren't already stronger than his. The one thing he was confident about was that by the time she casted one against him, he would have already attacked multiple times and his strongest ability to be ethereal practically made him invincible. That was of course if it was a normal opponent. Most magic can hit him, and if the attacker is as fast or faster than a vampire, or that can swing a full three sixty with a great sword.

Talon laughed to himself as he remembered how his second tutor died. Got cut in half by a damn rogue elf. Beautiful beast that thing was, running around completely naked with a great sword and bested one of the best Wizards the academy had. Despite it all, Talon got away more or else just walked away.

"Anyways, I don't doubt your skill. If you need training, I can send a request to the academy. They have some great elves up there," Talon snapped as he broke free of his memories.

[User]
@RenaKin90

Artemis listened to Talon talk about her magic abilities. She knew he did not mean it in a bad way but he seemed to be saying her magic was useless. When he said there were elves that taught at the academy she almost wanted to spit at her feet. "I....I have only learned what I know from books. I was shunned by the Elven people when I was younger so I don't trust them so much." She said looking back at the door trying to hide her anger towards other elvish people. "But if we live through this...I might consider taking you up on that offer." She said looking back with a calm expression on her face.

[Assistant]
@Smiter19

Feon looked at the one that spoke to her and gave him a rather toothy grin. "Life is unpredictable friend, that's a good reason to drink." Feon added before heading off.

Feon followed Kai, as she walked she seemed to stumble around less and less, a grin of blood lust coming on her face. "If we don't kill them now I get the feeling they will be coming after your friend there." Feon stated as she rose a fist ready to fight. "Say the word and watch just how I killed the last fools." Feon added. She didn't want to step in and attack. If anything she was better off fighting when the enemies came at her than anything else. "Oh right, I never got your name did I?" Feon asked quietly.

[User] Kai let out a low hiss as the strange woman appeared at his side. "What are you doing here?" He growled, his eyes flicking with his annoyance. "You'll get us both killed. Those are not ordinary vampires," he remarked, pushing her further into the shadows. "Excuse my hands, but it's best not to be seen." He dropped his arm to where it was low in front of her. The murmuring below had stopped, they most likely heard the rustling. "Move, head back towards the others. I'll explain there." He narrowed his eyes, waiting for her to move. He could feel the head guards eyes burning into his heels, but he knew there was little chance they were seen.


[System]
Username: XxDarkKnightxX
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Main: Hecarim

Appearance: Raze is a tall man, standing at approximately 6'3". Despite his height, Raze's build is fairly average. He is neither skinny nor heavy, neither scrawny nor muscular.

His hair is jet-black and wavy. It is long, extending down below his ears, and is typically unkempt, even while he is at work.

Raze always looks exhausted. Not from lack of sleep, but from world-weariness. He looks like a man that has given up on life, his neck and head tilted down. As he walks, his fists are always clenched. Not tightly, but just enough to cup his thumbs.

His usual attire consists of wrinkled suits, mainly of black or grey colors.

True Appearance:

Powers:
Warpath: Raze is naturally able to run faster than normal, topping out at 60 mph.
Rampage: Raze is able to summon Hecarim's glaive at will, using it with Hecarim's skill and experience. Additionally, the longer Raze is in combat, the stronger his blows become.
Spirit of Dread: Raze absorbs the prana of nearby beings, using it to restore his own prana, as well as heal his injuries
Devastating Charge: Only able to use this in his True Form, Raze boosts his running speed even further, gathering more momentum for a devastating blow. Only sufficient force or an immovable object could hope to stop his charge.
Onslaught of Shadows: Only able to use this in his True Form, Raze summons Ghost-warriors to fight by his side. If Raze activates this while already using Devastating Charge, his velocity will increase to sound Barrier-breaking speeds, and end his charge with an explosion of spectral energy. Only an immovable object could hope to stop this move.

Personality: Raze is extremely distrusting of people, only seeing the bad in the world and the people that inhabit it. He is a short-tempered individual, becoming a loud and outspoken man after years of keeping quiet under his parents and peers. Raze never made the conscious decision to be selfish, but typically only takes action if it will benefit him in some way. He is impatient and tackles conflict head on, hating to leave anything unattended to.

Raze is indeed a cynicist and keeps people at arm's length, but some small part of him deep down inside hopes that there is good somewhere in humanity.

Short Biography: Raze's past has been fraught with backstabbing and betrayal against him. At every turn, his attempts to forgive, forget, and reconcile have been met with more and more reason to distrust those around him, leading him to conclude that man was selfish and untrustworthy, and that Raze should simply respond by acting in kind.

Raze's parents were both very successful and accomplished professionals in their fields. This allowed Raze to live a very comfortable childhood, but left them with hardly any time to actually spend together. One day, Raze came down the stairs to find all of his belongings packed into bags. He was unceremoniously being shipped off to a private school on the other side of the country.

With his underdeveloped social skills and care for others, Raze had a difficult time making friends. The one person he thought would be his friend ended up leading him to some back alley to be mugged.

Finishing with high school, Raze went off to the University of Darkwell, studying Psychology, and earning his doctorate and certification by age 26. He opened his own practice to help others escape from their suffering, but he only became more and more jaded as people shared the terrible things they had done with him.

Things looked like they would turn around when he finally met the love of his life. At age 27, he proposed, and she said yes. The month before their wedding though, Raze caught her cheating on him with one of her coworkers.

Using entertainment as a means of escape, Raze has been an avid gamer since a young age. Upon its release, Raze became enthralled with the game League of Legends and plays it to this day.

[User]
Alex

Alex turned away from the fascinating sight of the two girl's attempting to turn the gunman into so much red paste at Leon's shout. He nodded in response, seeing that many people were still huddled behind various counters. He made to grab a small family of three and lead them outside via the same fire exit Leon had used. Once outside the building he glanced back to see smoke billowing out of it and further away, some sort of red fireball headed towards it. "Shit." he cursed to himself and raced back inside the building to get out as many people as he could before whatever that was impacted. Maybe if those idiots inside hadn't tried to kill them man all this trouble wouldn't have started.

---

Artemis

Artemis observed the attempts of the two females to take down the gunman and his quick, efficient response to the assault. Nodding quietly to herself she used the moonlight pooled under the table to smash through the window behind her. Then she quickly stepped out the empty frame and distanced herself, crossing the street. Upon re-examining the area she saw the building was still profusely pouring smoke. The quaking of the ground caused Artemis to instantly seek a source, one that she found in the form of a red mass about the size of an earthquake rapidly moving towards the building. Perhaps even more concerning was that further back Artemis could see Raze attached by a long ethereal chain to what appeared to be Thresh. Next to Raze was the Malzahar, Mortiz. Curious now Artemis quickly began moving towards them, seeking to find out more about the situation and perhaps rescue the two of them since it seemed they were at odds with the Thresh and Urgot. At least Artemis assumed the fleshy heap of metal and stitches was Urgot.

[Assistant]
Yosuke

Today definitely wasn't Yosuke's best day. Maybe it wasn't that bad but being called into work on your day off still sucks. Now he just wanted to go back home and find something to play to try to salvage what was left of the day. All of a sudden chaos started to happen across the street causing Yosuke to take cover in an alleyway. Peering out from his hiding spot he watched what little of the scene he could without exposing himself too much. After a few minutes Yosuke couldn't believe what he was seeing. There were other champs and if a fight was about to break out things would only get much worse for anyone nearby. Yosuke put his sights onto Thresh and Urgot as he prepared to charge at them.

[User]
Just a mere inch away from his target, Raze felt a sharp lance of pain pierce his right shoulder. He came to an unceremonious halt in midair, followed by falling to the ground in a heap, yelling in response to the terrible pain. Raze reached to his wound with his left hand, feeling now that something was sticking out of his shoulder. Twisting his head sharply, Raze could see it now: a large, viciously curved blade was sticking into him. Attached to the blade was a cold, black chain that snaked out of the cafe and into the streets.

Before he could get a good look at its source, Raze began being dragged backwards out of the cafe by the chain, the scraping of his armor against the floor unleashed a sickening screech all around. The pull of the blade sent enormous pangs of torturous agony twisting throughout his veins. Raze never screamed so loud in his life.

The warmth of daylight struck his face. Raze gritted through the pain and turned his head to see who his attacker was, only to see elephantine footsteps thundering their way towards him. Raze flinched, raising his arms to cover his face. Fortunately, the flaming footsteps simply passed him and headed towards the cafe. Raze looked down towards the footsteps, but was unable to view anything through a wall of smoke and dust.

He turned his gaze back to his attacker. The chain snaked its way up the large sleeve of a tattered grey robe worn by a skeleton enveloped in green flames. This was, without a doubt, Thresh.

It's about time, Warden.

The Warden twisted its detached jaw into what might pass as a grin for a skeleton and continued pulling in his victim.

"You'll have to wait a bit longer, Hecarim!" Raze screamed out.

Through pained, grunting effort, Raze turned over onto his belly and raised his spear with his left arm. With whatever leftover energy he could muster up, Raze threw the spear at the Warden, then immediately followed it up with a move he just learned that morning: he stretched out his left hand towards the Warden and an orb appeared in his open grasp. Whisps of green light began to flow out of the Warden and towards the Spirit of Dread that Raze held in his palm.

He could already feel energy returning to him, along with the sensation of his own body beginning to push out the sickle-and-chain.

---

Garrett Fishman

Garrett glared across the street at the man leaning against the wall. Who the hell is this bastard? He better get going. "Do you know him?" Megan appeared by Garrett's side. He wasn't sure if she stepped through the front door or not, he didn't hear it swing open or close. "He keeps looking over here...Do you think he knows something?"

"Dunno. If he keeps staring over here though, he's gonna know what being stabbed in the gut feels like."

Just as Garrett finished his threat, a window shattered from somewhere up above. Garrett looked up, only to immediately hide his face behind his arm. A hail of glass came raining to the ground, sending out a flurry of pitter-pattering and the sound of shards breaking against the concrete. A few seconds later, a muffled thump sounded in an alley next to the apartment building.

A small crowd of people was beginning to form at the mouth of the alley. Some already had their phones out, ready to get pictures. Megan turned to Garrett, her eyes wide and scared. "Garrett, what should we do?"

He turned to the crowd of people. There was no stopping them from getting a look at what happened. Garrett then turned back to the man across the street, but he was already gone. He looked up and down both ends of the street, desperate to spot his quarry. He clenched his left fist with disappointment, then whispered to Megan, "Go check out who the body is. I gotta stay here and make sure no one gets in or out of here."


[System]
Race: Andalite

Gender: Male

Age: 4.3 (Approx. 30 Earth years, mature in Andalite terms)

Background: Deraen doesn't talk about his past, and little is known of his origins other than that he was a deserter from his native military. In Andalite society he ranks in the lowest of the low, and has been convicted of treason. To return to his home world would be a death sentence, thus he has chosen to live his life in exile. Occasionally his stories suggest he may be guilty of worse crimes, but he is so vague that nothing can be said for certain.

He started out his fugitive life as a spare parts trafficker, and today he's a fairly well-known and (mostly) respected arms dealer, specializing in handheld short-and-long ranged guns, explosives, and gasses.

Personality: Deraen carries his Andalite arrogance with him wherever he goes, he is haughty and thinks very highly of himself in spite of his record. He's not exactly cruel but you wouldn't say he was kind either. He is very literal and has absolutely no sense of humor, however the extent of his anti-humor is sometimes amusing. He's honest and, for the most part, keeps his word. Right and wrong do not concern him as much as doing what is necessary to accomplish his goals. He's slightly claustrophobic and enclosed spaces make him uncomfortable.

Gear:
- A collection of various plasma, particle, and projectile weapons; his favorite being the shredder which, similar to a phaser, can be set low to stun or high to disintegrate; He's really quite fond of anything he can use to point and shoot
- A handful of small explosives including thermal detonators, plasma grenades, etc.
- Andalite morphing technology*
- And his tail blade of course

Personal Ship:

Intended for a crew of two Andalites, the Elite Fighter is equipped with shield, cloaking technology and FTL engines. While it is not designed for long-term occupation, Deraen has modified some of its components to extend the life-support system in order to suit his needs. The ship is armed with two long-range shredder canons and four short-range plasma guns.

*Note: Andalites use morphing technology much differently than how it was used in the Animorphs series. Originally it was a tool for spies and while all military personnel are required to train in on it, it's actually not used very often due to the fact that Andalites consider their bodies to be ideal. Deraen personally has never used it beyond training and for the most part forgotten that he even has it.

[User]
Johanna gave John a nod, picking up her datapad and looking over the choices again. After about a minute of debating the pros and cons in her mind she finally decided to choose the second option, the escort mission. She figured the mission's rewards were on par with the risk in involved. The siege mission was a suicide attempt and not worth dying for, and the guard mission, well that just wouldn't pay enough to be worth their time, especially if they got into a gunfight.

Johanna thought that maybe not the group slowly assembling around the galley would start having conversation with each other, she liked to listen to other people talk. She didn't mind when other people were around, she just became really uncomfortable when people spoke to her directly, or god forbid being the center of everyone's attention.

She should have know better though, she was cursed with an appearance that automatically drew attention to her, at least from other humans. Other species hardly noticed the difference, but among her own kind she stood out like a sore thumb. It wasn't long before someone decided to sit at the same table as her. She briefly had the urge to get up and find a different table, but she didn't want to be seen as rude. Instead she looked the boy over, immediately noticing he wasn't entirely human himself, he appeared to have some mechanical implants.

The cyborg suddenly spoke, "You appear to be a form of mutant. Please elaborate." It caught her off guard, people usually weren't so blunt or direct about asking why she was different. He spoke with a precision that reminded her of an artificial intelligence. He wasn't like other humans either, he was different. They had that in common at the very least.

She realised she'd simply been gawking at him in silence for the past minute. With a blush she snapped out of her daze, she decided she had no choice but to answer his question, she reasoned it was better to get it over with now then put it off till later, she had a sick feeling though this wouldn't be the last time she'd have to do this.

"Well I...I was kidnapped and experimented on at a research facility that had been hidden inside an asteroid. I woke up in this strange cell, and that's when it began. Whoever they were, they never spoke to me, or revealed themselves. I don't think I was worthy of their attention...they simply began the...experiments." She couldn't help but shudder.

"I was unconscious for a lot of it. But sometimes when I was awake these mechanical arms would come down and inject me with strange substances, they made me feel sick. Sometimes they'd gas the room too. After what I think was weeks I sort of got used to it. Whatever they were doing...it made me stronger, faster...they were enhancing me for some unknown purpose. After a while the more...obvious changes appeared." She gestured to her ears and tail.

"My hair and eyes changed as well, but I didn't notice those as easily. Whatever they did it changed me down to my DNA. I-I'm not really sure I can even be considered human anymore, at least not entirely...it's like they wanted to create a new...species." She looked down at her coffee mug. "Starfire raided the research facility and rescued me and some others who were held there, and that's how I ended up here more or less." She took a long sip of her coffee, she needed to calm her nerves.

[Assistant]
Space, the void between worlds.
The ancients may have foresaw this very age.
Where the planes were brought together.
The cosmos united as one world.
And there they would divide up the heavens.
Casting lots and waging wars.
The Skies, Seas and Underground.

Just outside of the cabin, past the precipice of metal and technology, was infinity. A view into the depths of the universe, onwards to the ends of visibility as far as the light could reach. Looking into the past as you journey into the future, a strange paradox, but the FTL drives had made the universe a much smaller place as the distant galaxies were suddenly neighbors. Beings suddenly awakened from their fugue state, contact made, species eradicated and information exchanged. Evolution took them far enough to becoming the dominant species on their own planets, now Revolutions shall see which alien race will control the universe. But certainly not these. For just outside the view of eternity, the bodies floated amongst the wreckage. Neither as countless as the stars, nor as a beautiful, but in the same swallowing void all the same. There they drifted past, cold and lifeless, expended.

In stark contrast to the grim and somber tragic waste of life, there was another which died upon this very vessel and caused great upheavals. The Coffee machine. To which someone was cursing at it and tinkering with it to produce some black liquid of some nutritional value for these organics. Was this black fluid so important to them? Could they not function without it? Such strange creatures who consume not what they need to survive, but need to perform. But who was Cy to judge them, he was made with everything he required to survive, an electrical yolk which would be consumed every moment of his existence. And when it was no more, he too would return to the universe and become like these organics nothing more than a victim of the void. One day this crew would join those floating outside, but today the coffee machine shall join them first, jettisoned in the lock as rubbish.

Looking around, they were an odd bunch. A human, an alien, and more humans or rather perhaps mostly humans. One asked of how the rest of them fared in these early moments, seemingly just woken from a deep slumber. Yet again Cy had no responses for this as the Valis do not sleep, nor eat, nor reproduce. Lacking a true biology, the physical needs for the cosmic energy being was simple: Energy. To infuse his core with additional electricity was to extend his existence from which he has maintained a stable working agreement with the Company. The extreme amounts of energy required to survive another hundred cycles was ludicrous and as such mercenary work footed the bill and kept the lights on at home. Both figuratively and literally.

Speaking of which, the assignments made their announcements known as the Valis continued to watch the organics in their affairs. He had gone unnoticed so far, sitting alone at the table, watching the celestial bodies move. A silent sentry who spoke as little as four words every few hours of the day. Actions however, spoke louder than words, and as such, Cy cast his vote for the second mission.

[User]
John looked around the galley as more and more people arrived and made their presences known. Great. People. I hate people. Nine times out of ten, they start shooting at you as soon as they've got the chance. And I can't shoot these guys because I'm supposed to be working with them. When one of his new cyborg compatriots walked into the room to greet everyone, the mercenary replied with a short groan, acknowledging Valian's question but not putting in the effort to give a real response, which in itself sort of answered the question.

Having nothing else to do, John took a look at the datapad on his wrist to see if there had been a decision on which mission the team would do. He was a bit surprised at the outcome. Out of the nine people on the ship, seven had voted for the same mission. The one I picked at random must have been the escort mission as well. Two more people have yet to vote, but it doesn't really matter what they pick now does it? He took another sip from his coffee, only to find that he had finished it on his last sip. Just the start to another bad day. Escort missions always suck. At least Yamikov-Fujikawa ships are never armed, we don't want some gung-ho captain trying to help, only to get himself killed instead. The mercenary checked his datapad one last time to see what they're estimated time of arrival would be. One hour before we reach orbit, huh? Great, plenty of time for someone to try and annoy me further.

[Assistant]
Deraen watched John's interaction with the coffee-producing machine quizzically. Why the human would think utilizing force on an automated machine would solve a performance issue he could not begin to guess. He supposed it had to do with their violent nature. When the machine had been returned after he shook it, the Andalite stepped forward to examine it. John hadn't done a good job of putting it back exactly in place, so Deraen pulled it out enough to peer at the wires and tubes in the back. The problem quickly became apparent, the liquid infuser seemed to be leaking. All the shaking and abuse had jarred the bolt loose and there was a puddle on the steel bench indicating that it had been a persisting malfunction for quite some time.

Deraen reached into his left pouch and withdrew a magnetic wand which functioned as both a wrench and screwdriver, and used it to tighten the bolt. Just like that, the problem was fixed. He didn't worry about the puddle, since it would eventually turn to vapor then be absorbed by the ship's life support system and recycled. <This crude machine may yet last another year,> he said to no one in particular. As he'd worked he noticed others appearing in the room. He checked the status of their assignment on the personal screen communicator which was wirelessly connected to the ship's computer. Unsurprisingly, almost all the other crew members had selected the same mission Deraen had.

<It seems we're going to be joining the Babylon IV.> As he spoke, the cyborg Valian appeared and greeted them all. <I awoke without any trouble,> Deraen said in answer to his query, slightly confused. <Does your species have difficulty when waking?> He tried to imagine what such an experience would be like and to be completely honest the idea of not being able to open one's eyes after sleep with a clear and alert mind was rather horrifying.

His hooves clicked on the galley's cold metal floor as he turned, surveying each individual present. There was John Mason, of course, and the petite girl Johanna Hawkins. Stephen Walker, whose appearance and speech suggested he might be disabled in some way. Deraen was unsure of his background but it was obvious that Stephen relied very heavily on his cybernetic modifications. He thought the same of Valian Forsythe, actually, with his prosthetic limbs and eyes. It was unnerving to look at them, who would otherwise be handicapped. Then there was Cy, whose physiology was a mystery though it was obvious he was alien, and Jaydaar whom he had never spoken with but felt a certain kinship with the reptilian creature being that they were both ethnic deviants. Something about Jaydaar was reassuring in that while he walked on two legs at least he was balanced with a long tail like Deraen did, unlike the humans--except Johanna--who looked like they could tip over at any moment.