[System]
~Awesome Sounding Name For Character List~

"Follow your dreams and your heart is sure to tag along"

Shouken tower's most at 6'3 and has a lanky yet muscular build. He is around 190 lbs. but looks as thin as a rail. At a younger age, his purple hair would fade to brown in the summer and shade back to purple in the winter, however, now, It stays a darker shade of purplish pink.

He has bright, deep, blue eyes that supply his innocence while his somewhat chiseled jawline compliments his more deceptive and darker look. Shouken's outfit matches that perfectly of the picture, save for his new blade, Bachiatari, which sits in a mimicking position of his previous blade, Kusemono.

Personnel files.
Access only by security personnel with a C3 clearance.
【Alias】
The Oasis

【Age】
17

【Sex】
Male

【Sexuality】
Hetero

【Birthplace】
Sunakagure

【Bloodline】
Washi

【Rank】
Chūnin

Psych. report.
Medical secrecy applies.

【Personality】
kind hearted and loyal. He is confident within himself but ignores his limitations. He is always eager for a challenge and often is the first to start making wages. It is nearly impossible to dampen his spirit with words, and all who have tried have failed.

 Shouken hates to see any form of suffering and will go out of his way to ease someone else's stress before his own. He was fairly popular amongst his class, and even teachers were pleased by his presence. He strives to become the best ninja possible and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

Shouken's seriousness shows rarely, as he usually covers up his emotions with jests or taunting. He doesn't fear death, which allows him to fight with everything, holding nothing back. He'd sooner spit in the face of a kage rather than give up. He is forgiving and understanding, yet his bold attitude shades it to where people may get the wrong idea.

He likes the attention from the crowd but refuses to lead. He's a little lazy when it comes to responsibilities and will usually turn down a leadership role, unless the order is necessary.

【History】
Shouken was born in Sunakagure, expected to take over his Father's store. Though, fate had a different plan for Shouken. He was blessed with the element of water and also possessed a strong urge to use it. By 5, he was practicing hand signals and claiming to be the world's strongest Shinobi.

At 9, Shouken took his first life. His parent's store was being robbed and burned to the ground as he returned from playing with friends. Thugs had started the fire and fled the scene, but one remained, pointing a small knife at Shouken. His gaze still struck upon the burning building, Shouken snapped. Thoughts of his parents being trapped inside rummaged through his head and rage filled his body. He lunged at the large man, knocking him to the ground. Shouken was instantly atop the man with his hand over the mouth of the thug. Water surged down the throat of the man and began to fill up his esophagus. Shouken returned the man's horrid struggle to breathe with an emotionles glare. As the man's body went still, Shouken eased his hand down to be accompanied by his Father who had been running errands. His mom remained inside the building.

The following month, Shouken and his father moved to Konohagakure to resume the store business in a safer enviroment. A year passed with the death of his Mother, but that never stopped him from following his dream. That very next year, Shouken's father registered him in The Academy. Shouken had even more determination now than ever. He loved his mother and knew she would love to see him excel. Shouken studied and trained non-stop.

Once Shouken turned 12, he achieved the Genin Rank. The following year he would earn his next ranking of Chunin.

He soon hopes to achieve his Jonin Rank and truly make his family proud. However, he does not plan to stop there.

【Family ties】
Danguu Washi - Father
Suma Washi - Mother

Danguu Washi | Father | 39, Konohagakure, General Store Owner
Suma Washi | Mother | 35, Deceased,

【Dreams and fears】
Simply to be the best and to help anyone within his ability.

Combat reports.
Gathered from evaluation reports after missions.

【Fighting style】
Shouken likes distance between him and his opponent. He rarely deals in close and when he does, he gets out quick. His hand to hand is not bad, by no means, but his confidence fades when it comes to this category. He battles that insecurity with his Katana 'Kusemono' in which case he cast aside negative thoughts and attempts take on his opponent up close.

【Ninja techniques】

A rank techniques:
Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique

B rank techniques:
Water Release: Snake's Mouth
Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks
Water Release: Water Fang Bullet

C rank techniques:
Water Release: Gunshot
Water Prison Technique
Water Clone Technique

~~Custom Made Techniques~~

Jutsu Name: Water Technique: Hydro Wolf
Rank: B
Description: Hydro Wolf is conducted by creating a simple set of seals. Shouken generates water throughout his body and unleashes it from his mouth. After extreme training, Shouken adapted the skills of shark techniques and developed the shape into that of a massive wolf head with the body of a snake that's length depends on when Shouken decides to stop. The wolf, in comparison to the shark, is fairly large, however, the speed of the wolf doubles that of the shark. This does not only add speed but also power. The jutsu can follow the opponent for about 8-10 seconds before dispersing into a small bed of water.

【Weaponry, tools and objects.】
Weapon, tool or object name:
Bachiatari
Weapon, tool or object type:
Katana that does allow chakra flow.
Description:

Other: Shouken carries around a little case that contains 3 cigarette looking joints. In his free time on a mission he likes to smoke one alone to relieve any stress and to stay somewhat sane..

【Full Name】
Kumo
【Alias】
N/a
【Age】
Roughly early 40's
【Role】
General Store Owner from Sunakagure
【Personality】
A simple soul. Loves silly jokes and is usually very friendly.
【Techniques and Tools】
??? ;)
【Others】
Shouken's father's closest friend.

[User]
Flashback

Their client Hiro and mother explained more about the mission, they mentioned the sky pirates, pirates that floats their boats up the sky. They are the target because they have something that can defrost the island. Sentou keeps the seaweed to herself and not use it, instead she shares with Shin. Not wanting to waste such thing when in fact you can just swim deep and cover yourself with chakra, the group swam underneath and reached their destined place. As they reach the center of the Snow Village, it is just what Hiro described. A museum of frozen architecture, people, animals and the frozen turtle and whoever did this is the sense of danger.

---

Currently....

Sentou Uchiha

In the village, everything is frozen but all living things are alive, Sentou attempts to melt the weird ice with flames and fire jutsu but it was futile. "Shin, Rin. This is your forte, go analyze the weird stuff going on here. This isn't my thing b-" Something caught her attention as a silhouette is above them, it was huge, Sentou throws a smoke bomb and asks both to follow her to a safer location. The signal in a frozen island is rather weak, hacking the mainframe is useless but based on the data received from her phone, there's a pirate ship above with enhanced technology. "Sky Pirates, fought them before back in the old days. It was my first mission and it sucked. We have to stick together guys and whatever you do. Don't use any jutsus or else you'll find out the hard way." Intertwining to what she explained to Shin, she remembers that the Sky Pirates were bunch of morbid fellas. They won't stop at anything to do what they want such as stealing, killing, raping, and all the heretic hellish stuff they do best.

The mission is simple. Infiltrate the Sky Pirates ship and retrieve a scroll that entails instructions on how to defrost the village but things aren't going well for them due to the smoke bomb Sentou threw just a minute ago, the Sky Pirates' attention diverted to the incident.

---

Sky Pirates
More like, a brand of girl pirates that steals and take what they want.

Boat of the Sky Pirates

Their objective is to seize/cease everything they come across and they are one of the threats that Kiri and Yuki had been facing for the past seventy years. The morbid methods they commit are despicable and traumatizing to the point one would die off in an instant.

Sky Pirate Captain: Arisa

"Smoke bomb? It could only spill out, ninjas. Without a doubt they are sent by their Kage to defrost the island and claim my treasure. Insolence as always, Zeno Hakarasu. You and your Shinobi Alliance had been dancing with us for the past 5 years and your Kage friends have been sending foolish kids to steal my treasure, the Meigo." She pouted. Whatever she and her crew are after, it must be worth than gold, the Meigo is described as something that is platinum and above than gold, whatever it is, it is a mystery for now.

Momoka the Sky Archer

"Captain." She salutes to her, "You summoned me?" She asked while riding her over sized pet.

"Go after those fools while our men fires a dupe commotion."
"Roger!" Momoka flies away. Sky Pirate Captain Arisa ordered to fire their canons falsely. And her other crew member appeared. Sky Crew Member, Mira

"And what about me Captain?" She asked. The captain said. "Go out out there, I sense a familiar chakra that is worth a pot of gold." She teleports out.

Back to Team Sentou

From there, they hear the canon being fired, the team moves to find a higher ground and just before they can be safe, the pirate girl with the ability of transportation appears to the group and bear her sword against them. "You're not going anywhere, duckies."

[Assistant]
Jaakuna Sawada, The Sundance Kid

---

 Assaulting you? The fuck is this guy on? I barely even touched him.

 Jaakuna just about had it with not only this guy, but the cunt that got him into this mess. Everything that went wrong was under her clever and very evil, planning. Jaakuna didn't know exactly what her plan was, whether it was to just cause mayhem for the people that were hired to protect her or to test out how long they could survive following the orders of some spoiled brat. Either way, Jaakuna was in deep shit(for the most part, anyway), and he had all of but two choices. One, he could surrender like a good citizen and perhaps get a little off his plate for cooperating. Or two, he could do what he's known for and fight the shitface trying to arrest him.

 Looking around, Jaakuna also considered all options including an escape route and he saw none that would actually lead to his freedom. Plus, he'd probably get into even worse trouble if he tried anything. "Fuck it, jail is looking like better company than the cunt up there." Jaakuna sighed. He really didn't want to go jail or at the very least, the police station for a second time in the same week, but it couldn't be helped, it seemed.

 Jaakuna held his hands out as he waited for the guy to cuff him up properly. "Do be gentle. I need my face intact for dinner tonight." Jaakuna smugly smiled, looking as calm as he could, even if that smile was a facade.

---

Rin Reikan, Ice Minx

---

 Frozen land everywhere. Rin felt as if she was at home. Being a Hyoton-user, the feeling of coldness that came from the ice was a welcomed feeling. Granted, she wished she wasn't here to begin with, but Rin still had a certain feeling of home as she was surrounded by the frozen wasteland. As Sentou tried to melt the ice with her fire jutsu, Rin kind of laughed. "You stupid idiot. Do you not know that chakra-infused ice cannot be melted by simple fire jutsu?" Rin said rather rudely, "It's what makes the Ice Release so powerful. It is able to withstand fire release techniques that are equal strength and even some of slightly higher than that." Rin spoke with such confidence in her voice.

 As Rin heeded what SEntou said, she suddenly heard a gunshot-like noise sound off. Instantly -- and with her team -- she jumped to higher ground to avoid any damage from whatever came from that shot. As the smoke cleared from the cannon shot, Rin looked down to the lower level of the ground and she saw some blonde in a rather revealing outfit holding a sword. "Shit, we got company." Rin said referring to the blonde down below.

[User]
Shouken lifted his head from the Earth to observe the boy, who indeed was no stranger. He had heard of Saburo Uchiha from others and knew of his skill. After registering what the lad had said, Shouken spoke up.

"I've been at this all day, my friend. That was one of several jutsu I've been touching up on."

He rose from the ground to greet his newly made acquaintence. Whiping the grass from his jeans, he extended his hand to Saburo. He had somewhat ignored his odd greetings and also his strange reference to Naruto and Sasuke, and let out a simple smile.

Detrimental? And why does he keep saying denoting?

This shot through Shouken's thoughts, being warned previously about the boy's communication skills. While his grammar was excellent, he wasn't exactly the best conversation starter. However, Shouken ignored these thoughts and was happy to make a new friend, especially one with such a unique heritage. Saburo was sure to help Shouken excel whilst also having a trustworthy friend. Which was the feeling that Shouken recieved upon talking to Saburo. He was friendly and had an innocent look about him. Shouken thought it wise to make sure he kept a friend like Saburo.


[System]
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Race: Etlock

Appearance:

(minus the swords)

Grol makes an imposing figure. He stands at about 7'4. Judging by his build, one can guess him at at least the weight of two large, muscular human men. As it is highly typical for his race, a rather large fraction of his body is covered in ornate tattoos. They don't represent actual objects, but are of a more abstract design mainly based on curved lines of variable thickness. Grol's eyes are of brown color and embedded in rugged features. His face is framed in a wild mane of almost black hair, organized in more then a dozen thick strings held together by metal clamps.

He knows about the benefits a comfortable, lightweight and highly flexible piece of leather and fur can have, which is why he most often wears this, especially in towns or when he has to reduce his noisyness. When he needs all the protection, he replaces it with a piece of heavy plate armor of Edlock craftmanship that encases him completely.

Backstory: Grol's roots originate from the Edlock captical city of Etlockbarv, but he was never really happy with his stay there. After all, the policy of not leeting foreign people enter their land results in themselves not being able to see much of the world. At least if one doesn't decide to leave it - and that's where the really interesting part of his story starts.

Even by Etlock standards, Grol has always been a bit of a rascal. When he found himself far away from home and with his supplies dwindling, he picked up work. Not an ordinary job, that would have been to boring and tedious for him. Instead, he started as a mercenary. It was there that he met a particularly interesting female elf called Amalay. While he was basically adding himself to the borderline criminal folks by.. let's say subtle loot enhancements, he always kept his line and turned out to be more reliable than most of their 'comrades'. It was a fertile ground for a developing friendship between them, though not without several more or less severe breakdowns partly based on his stubbornness.

It survived - and so did they, probably to a significant part just because of that. One day they found themselves effectively being sold as slaves without knowing. When they found out, it was too late for a pieceful solution. Soaked in the blood of the slavers they had managed to overwhelm, it was the end of their life as mercenaries. Hopefully the hunter's guild and its boss would turn out to be a much less corrupt bunch than what they had experienced.

Personality: It is probably a good strategy not to take him too seriously. He is loud, has a tendency to make jokes and to immediately tell people what he dislikes. This can include a small rant here and there, but those who know him can expect the tides to subside and an apology to occur a few minutes later. He has quite a criminal potential, but his kind-heartedness prevents him from doing real ugly things. His compliance can be increased by returning the favor: Yell at him, give him a whack into his face or punch into his belly: He can take it and if one's point is right chances are good that he will ultimately accept it with laughter instead of a fight. He likes fights though...

Weapon skill/choice: He uses a very large morning star as a means to bash enemies.

Notable ability: Pickpocketing; very, very strong and massive.

[User]
Place: Hall of Remembrance, Hunter's Guild.

 The air shifted sharply as the door let in cool breeze from the outside world, as it continued to open letting new faces be seen. Drovia had not seen a jump in population since the end of the great war, but word that the hunters guild had began recruiting openly again made new way for new comers to the great human capital. All races of Terecoth, now gathered in the hall in which it all started. A hash was issued over the large crowd. They were made up of all ages, some looking as though they had just finished grade school now to enlist in the Hunter militia. Rather large foot sets upset the silence as the hall door opened. The large metal and engraved door dragged on the ground and opened slowly. As the light from, the large windows broke the shadow of the man walking in, everyone peered to look at the new body in the room. Head-Master Ash stood tall and spoke in a deep dark voice that voided all other sounds. "Welcome New-Bloods" Ash gave a slight chuckle giving a little room for comfort. "My son Varioyn is going to be signing you. I will only say this once, come one by one up to the table and tell him your name and reason for being here today" He gave a quick glance around the room at all the faces, some strong, some frail, some looked as though he was a monster that needed to be hunted. "Many of you may not know who we are. Many of you do. We are the Hunters, Drovia's first army, Terecoth's finest men and women the titans have to offer. What we are NOT, is assassins, brutes, farmers. We are not here to murder or disrupt, we are here to help those in need." He gave another quick glance, to see if there was any change in facial expressions of the mass. "This is a life or death profession. Many here...." He looked back towards Varioyn and the veteran hunters "....Have lost friends, Family, ..Themselves." He pulled himself back. "There will be a test for both physical and mental capabilities, we need to know you are fit to be a hunter. These will begin tomorrow after the signing and introduction. Please feel free to say and look at the Hall of Remembrance after you have spoke to Varioyn" Ash nodded at the crowd and walked back into the room, closing the great metal door behind him.

 Varioyn looked down at his pen and paper. "Alright, everyone line up. You heard the Head-Master" The line looked so long that it could stretch forever. Varioyn laid his cloak down. Might be a long night..

[Assistant]
Amalay had steadily been working her way as close to the table as possible because of her impatience. She hated waiting in line, and whenever there were formalities, there was always a line. Upon everyone beginning to collect, a dodge here, a few steps there, and she was only about a dozen back from those fortunate enough to randomly choose to stand right at the origin of the line. The bows and announcements were largely human youths since we were, after all in the great city of humans, and none were more eager for their time to shine than the young.

Upon her turn, she showed all respect that was due, a flowing curtsy with crossed feet that was almost fluid. Memories of her mother teaching her her manners ran through her mind. "As though you are blown upon the wind, as though you are water trickling over the stones. Hands spiral in, and clasp at your heart. Not so fast, not so slow. Now bend at the knee and hip as though you are to fall asleep. And now remain, but not too long should the person feel themselves not important enough to deserve it."

Strangely enough, should she show such formality to a merchant troop, not only would she be viewed as strange, they would all be horribly self conscious. She had been a very long time in coming to any sort of nobility.

"I am Amalay Du Lya, Somnant Knight of One Kill, the Dreamer of the Lya. I have come to join the hunters in order to destroy the world... and to elevate a greater one in its stead. A place where the shadow is driven farther than the most distant reaches of the abyss, and the talons of evil is scalded away by the goodness that flows from the people."

What is in a name? Well, if one was versed in this olden time address, this was more than simply a noise that your family decided to use to clarify what they were talking about. This was a resume. Amalay Du Lya meant that she was from the village of Lya, a small and humble residence somewhere around Lothadid, like it's greater dwelling, it too was hidden and thus meant very little to those unfamiliar with the forest and the ways of the elves.

Somnant Knight of One Kill, well, that meant she was a warrior that had seen real combat numerous times and was now considered a veteran... however, unlike a warrior in human terms, notching their weapons to keep track of the enemies they have slain, it was the opposite. Each kill was a blemish, since it meant that the conflict could not be resolved without bloodshed or killing. This was a way of the past now, Somnance was the magic of nature to transfigure opponents into harmless forms of life. While it gave a certain edge, and let the Elves sleep at night, it was not the most efficient way of battle since it required quite a bit of training, about twice as long to master as a bow. During the great war, there was no time for lengthy training of troops, and thus more carnal solutions were used. Now, most Elves had taken the habit of notching on human terms, especially since it singled out the skilled rather than sharing company with newcomers, and it was no longer a display of how approachable and humble they were.

Dreamer of Lya meant that she was given a title in her hometown as a dreamer. While someone might not know who Amalay was, they would undoubtedly hear stories of "the Dreamer of Lya." Depending on the size of the community, such stories could really mean something, but since Lya was pretty small and un-influential, it was probably a hand-full of wild antics that the locals knew about.

With her introduction out of the way, she signed the parchment before her. A calligrapher, she was not, and her chicken scratch was full of asymmetric letters and lumpy blobby loops that would have earned her the tisk of her teacher had she been nobility herself, or had she been studying swordsmanship.

[User]
(Waddling into the lecture, Meshiro pushed to the front ... alongside the others. Even with his stature, he could barely squeeze through the breaks of the crowd for it was as a tight and clustered as tuna in a tin. Occasionally, Tsuekami found himself brushing past individuals who smelled entirely of corpus and must. With each advance, Meshiro took scheming stares, and harsh eyeballing from a few slender elves who had been plotting behind their thick black mantle of steel knives and other deadly trinkets, or even a downward glance from brutish, hulking Etlocks who loomed over the boy like an ant to a human.)

"Boy, am I gonna be an anvil's face, or a hunter? These big body, lousy ruffians here... They out here expectin' they're gonna be swift killers on a field, heh! To be soaked like a towel just by trying to move... and not even by mine sweat, musty beast ya are. Maybe, one of those filthy thieves from before will cut me with his ears alone. Dice my little body up like-- eh, signori, ya're in the way...?"

(The quiet rant had come to an end. Interrupted by a mountainous Etlock whose arm lazily swung towards Meshiro with a hand the size of a frying pan with fingers built like juicy bratwursts. Cerise fuzz decorated the giant's palm like green on endless hills. Meshiro accosted the great hand with the warmth of his own, but in reality could only bring the Etlock's pinky to a twitch and not even a shake. The Etlock grinned and scooped Meshiro from behind with his veins bulging like thick viola strings. The Etlock catapulted Meshiro through the crowd with a 'gentle' shove.)

"Uffgh, signori... Ya needa be careful shoving me around like some doll.... Oh."

(Meshiro glanced up, lying at the feet of yet another Etlock. This Etlock was not as kind the former, and didn't offer his hand. Furthermore, this Etlock was even bigger, with golden locks of hair, and wielded a heavy spiked iron baton in one hand, with a red bulwark in the other. The Etlock nudged Meshiro off the ground and faced back the other way. Meshiro looked around himself, and still, it seemed he hadn't moved even a meter from the entrance.)

"When will it be my turn already..."

[Assistant]
Human taverns... Without knowing it, the hunter's guild had done something that asked for compensation. Wouldn't it have been the better decision to hold this rally in the open field ? The initial benefit of it being warmer and calm in here was dwindling anyway, leaking out of this room divider that was barely given the chance to stay closed for any noticeable amount of time. Still, Grol was focusing on the damn thing as if he could stop the steady stream of people by greeting them with a grim look.

A silhouette grabbed his attention. Its strange familiarity had got it past the filter in the Etlock's mind, identifying it as something that was worth being relayed to his upper levels of consciousness despite the fact that it had only occured in the corner of his view. Grol raised himself on tiptoes, something that was bound to be considered hilarious because he was already towering above his surroundings, risiking a serious strike onto his head from above. It was a sign of good quality that the floor was able to hold up against his inhuman stature on such a small area without too much protest.

It was when Amalay got up from her curtsy that he was able to see her dead ahead. What a lucky person... or... was she really ? Or had it been determined usage of her skills that had gotten her in front of this desk so quickly ? He couldn't tell, but the latter thing really would not have surprised him. Grol could very well remember when and how this 'one kill' had occured. The true meaning of this event eluded him however. For the Etlock, it was 'just' a singularity in the behaviour of his friend. As far as he knew her, she didn't freak out and stab somebody with his own weapon, but used methods that seemed to be much more advanced. Not that this would have been capable of reducing his self esteem... After all, he was the biggest one in here. That had to count, too!

He glanced over to the two Etlock comrades. Grol already had to bear the rather bad reputation of his people, he knew that his appearance would do nothing but support this theory of all Etlock's being brutes, and now that! A small boy being pushed around like air by two of them. Perhaps he should step over and give them a beating before he had to start being afraid of a local revolt against his kind ? Luckily, the action subsided before the hulking giant had to give up his place in the line for this.

This was a good thing, because now he had progressed so far that there was only one person left in front of him. Once the man had made his signature, it was his turn to bend down and place his hand on the desk for support. If anyone was worried about Amalay's handwriting, that same one had to be horrified by the act of pure gross motor skills Grol was torturing both parchment and quill with. "Grol. If I wouldn't be convinced that the hunter's doing is a good thing I wouldn't try to join them." he growled with a voice that was brutally deep, then chuckled.

He was really looking forward to those physical tests. Hopefully they would have much to do with what he was good at and less with what he wasn't good at, but who knew ? Now he had to try to get out of this mess as quickly as possible, even if it meant stepping forward slowly, but continuously so that people would get out of his way of their own accord.


[System]
Age
15

Grade
2nd year

Bio
(Maybe malter DX)

[User]
Gideon's eyes focused on nothing in particular, rather than looking for something, it looked more like he was taking a leisurely stroll through the school grounds. Consumed by his own thoughts for some time, he suddenly felt a light hand on his shoulder, followed by a girl's voice, although seeming somewhat meek.

"Are you Gideon by any chance?"

Gideon turned around with a stern expression, dragging himself out of his own thoughts. After giving Emilia a quick scanning glance, he offered forward a slight smile, nodding his head once.
"Yes, my name is Gideon." He answered in the affirmative, his eyes inquiring both her name and purpose with a faintly overbearing presence following his own answer.

[Assistant]
Taylor let out a small "eep" when the big girl threatened to throw him. But Lilith didn't even bat an eyelash.

"For a moment there, I thought you were going to say something smart. But no, you're just another skirt-chaser who's too stupid to think of anything but threats of violence."

"Lilith" Taylor whispered, trying to get her to shut up.

She didn't "But don't worry, I have the perfect thing for you. Next time you're at the pharmacy, ask for a little thing called Tampax, okay?"

"Lilith!" Taylor gasped, certain they were for it now. Fortunately for them, the big girl seemed a bit pre-occupied with her bag. Apparently she had broken a few things.

"Yeah, Karma's a real bitch when you treat her wrong" Lilith mocked "Don't act like such a tool next time and your stuff might be alright. Come on, Taylor. This chick's probably going to go after us next if we stay."

The big girl turned to walk away, and Lilith was going in the opposite direction. Seizing the opportunity to at least try and make amends, Taylor addressed their antagoniser.

"S-sorry about her." He began meekly "She's just a little flinchy over me. Anyway, I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding. I -"

"Taylor! Come on!"

The boy bowed respectfully "Sorry. Got to go."
-----

When they were out of earshot, Lilith began snickering "What an idiot. Throwing her bag about and then expecting her stuff to be fine."

Taylor was a little more reserved "You didn't have to say that to her."

"Oh, and I was just supposed to let her talk crap about you?"

"She was upset. I'm sure she didn't mean to -"

"I'm going to stop you right there." Lilith stopped and turned her brother to face her. "What if she was angry and decided to hit you? Would that be okay? Or if she got bored, so she started trash-talking you, just for giggles. That okay? Or maybe she gets a bit randy and she feels you up - that's happened before. Am I supposed to just let you take that?"

Taylor squirmed on the spot, trying to suppress old memories "But did we have to yell at her?"

"Yes. It's the only way she'll learn."

They walked on in silence for a bit after that. They were headed to the auditorium until Lilith remembered something.

"Hey! What happened to the other girl? You know, the one with the stonking great big boobs."

"Her?" Taylor thought for a moment "She went into a dark room after whatsherface chucked her bag at us. I think I remember seeing her running off whilst you were giving the big one a tongue-lashing"

Lilith grinned "I hope no-one heard what you just said there, Tay. Might get the wrong idea."

Rolling his eyes, he continued "I saw her go down... that direction, roughly."

"Hm" Lilith sighed "That's the wrong direction then. Ah well, if she gets lost, she gets lost..." She stepped forwards as if to keep going.

"Wait a second. Maybe we should go get her. You know, make sure she's okay and all."

Now it was Lilith's turn to roll her eyes. "And then all three of us would be late. I wouldn't bother."

Taylor hung his head, looking abjectly miserable. This really meant a lot to him, it seemed.

"Alright, bloody hell, you can go look for her. God, you look like a kicked puppy with that face. But take my map with you and remember, if you get lost it's not my fault."

Perking up significantly, Taylor hugged his sister, took the map and went off in the direction he saw the big-chested girl go. Lilith sighed and shook her head. Then, she continued on to the auditorium.

------

Having walked a fair distance, Taylor was starting to question himself. Was this such a good idea? Maybe he should have stuck with Lilith after all. He was going to get lost, he knew it. And if that other girl found him - or Lilith, come to think of it - on his own, he wouldn't stand a chance.

After a fair bit of walking, he noticed that the number of people in the corridors had risen a fair bit. That was a sign he was running out of time. People got in his way, buffeting him this way and that. It was impossible to walk straight and since most people were at least half a head taller than him, he couldn't really see where he was going either.

But though he crowd slowed him, it also aided him. Just when he was about to give up hope, he spied a group of boys. That itself wasn't so impressive - there were now multiple groups and cliques forming - but as he got closer, he saw one of the boys making rather suggestive gestures and claiming something about 'they came right out to here'.

Hope rekindled, he plowed on, following makeshift trails of vulgarity and rude gestures. He prayed he was following the right track, or else he was truly screwed, since he was now very lost.

Before long, he caught a glimpse of what could have been the girl he was after. She certainly seemed to be attracting the male gaze, and a few of the girls too. Not for the first time in his life, Taylor thanking his creator that he had been born male.

Eventually, he got close enough to confirm it was actually the person he was looking for. Now it was just a matter of getting her attention.

Clearing his throat politely, he spoke up "Miss? Hey, it's me. I was just wondering if you were okay - that other girl seemed to have really upset you."

[User]
Feather

Blushing and giggling from all the attention she was getting, Sayaka noticed Taylor, one of the English kids who protected her. She smiled, hugging him close and smothering him with her chest. "Hey, it's you, the cute little English boy who saved me from that psycho tanned chick! Thanks soooooo much!~" She giggled, setting him down and patting him on the head. The crowd was nosebleeding from the sight, cheering Sayaka and Taylor on. Sayaka then spoke again. "So, how else would you like for me to repay you? I'm a sucker for kids like you.~"

[Assistant]
------------

Oh bloody hell, he had not been expecting that. Abort, Abort!

Too little, too late. Taylor had saw what was coming only to late and by the time he was ready to make a move out of harm's way, he had a face full of rack.

This was a mistake... he thought to himself, slightly mortified. It was like being smothered by a pillow. A soft, warm, feminine, attractive pillow. It wasn't even gentle - he was literally being smooshed into the girl's cleavage cushion.

He felt humiliated but didn't struggle so as to appear rude. He could feel his blush deepening every second that passed. This was, to him, the second or third most embarrassing thing that any girl could have done to him. It was probably worse because she might not have meant it. Might not. He wasn't sure.

After what felt like a small eternity, Taylor was released to the sound of a baying crowd. Sweet, merciful freedom! He gulped down a lungful of air and tried to recover. Being patted on the head did not aid that recovery.

Oh, did she have to use those words? Even before she finished talking, Taylor could her the leers of the crowd. Best thing would be to recover as soon as possible.

"I just came to see if you were okay." He said, face resembling a tomato somewhat "I hope I'm not getting in your way or anything..."

[User]
Feather

Sayaka giggled, giving Taylor a quick kiss on the cheek. "No, of course not. In fact, you just made my day even better!~ It's really sweet of you to come check on me, and I hope we see each other again. Bye, cutie!~" She turned around and left, blowing a kiss in Taylor's direction. As she walked away, she giggled internally. "Wow, what a loser!~ But that just makes him even cuter. I can't wait to meet him again. ...it'd be nice to see his sister, too, though." She sighed and continued walking away, still smiling.

[Assistant]
The girl smiled in response to his confirming her guess and she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet, her chest bouncing as she moved though not an over abundance while she stepped back and held out a hand to him. She had to look up quite a bit, the male having been at least a whole foot taller than her and clearly weighing more though, unlike most of the other students around, Emilia was not afraid. Emerald green found his dark, brooding eyes as he looked down at her; his foreign features giving him a look that made him seem intimidating even though his lips curled up at the corners in a small smile.

"I'm Emilia Pond; I'm here to help you around."

The girl was enthusiastic, cheerful and undaunted by him; friendly and open as she smiled though it wasn't an invitation to her home but a wish to be friends and for him to call on her when he needs her. A yellow ribbon held back her light brown hair in a high ponytail; her bangs were just out of her face and her soft, plump lips were spread wide in an outgoing smile. Her hand was still held out to him as if she wanted to shake hands with her, her palms soft and skin smooth alabaster.

[User]
"I'm Emilia Pond; I'm here to help you around."

Gideon's eyebrows rose slightly with Emilia's cheerful attitude, his taught features relaxing slightly. With a slight shake of his head, he reached out to shake her hand. His hands were roughly callused along the fingers and his palms were wrapped, the fresh linen peaked from the sleeve of his shirt all the way to his knuckles, wrapped around his thumb. Gripping her hand with methodical caution, he bowed his head slightly before looking back to Emilia with mirth mingling in his features.

"Then- how do I put it... I'll be in your care." He says with a neutral smile. His overall demeanor seems to be fairly reserved, but he allows Emilia to take charge, resigning himself to following her.

[Assistant]
@Aline

Hotaru was beginning to regret her decision and often peeked behind her, expecting a ghost or something. "It's not even dark, so why is this school so scary?" She sighed and whined a bit. Suddenly a boy appeared out of nowhere and approached her. Of course, to Hotaru, this could only mean one possible thing. Oh no... This guy! He's gonna take advantage of a vulnerable young girl now that she's all alone, isn't he?! She began backing away in a defensive position, subconsciously wearing a hilarious expression.

"You're new here, I can tell. Don't ask how-"

"..." Hotaru felt her cheeks start to burn, realizing she jumped to conclusions. Why would I even think that? This is a school! A pretty high-rated one at that... She held out her hand, hoping to receive the map he picked up with her head turned the other way. A slight gasp escaped when he threw it to the ground. "Wh-?" Without hesitating, she dove to grab it. "I need this, it's essential!"

Hotaru held a blank as the boy proceeded to introduce himself while self-proclaiming as Hotaru's official tour guide. She stood up, regained her posture, and turned to look straight at the Senji. "... Huuhh? A tour guide? Hmph! I know exactly where I'm going! I don't need your help," she turned back and looked down the long, scary corridor. "Er... On second thought," she turned back, grasped his hand with both of hers, and shook it vigorously. "I'm Hotaru Takano! Nice to meet you, I'll take you up on that offer!" Although it was more of a declaration...

"Hey!"

Hotaru turned to look as another student approached them. The girl informed them of the opening ceremony and introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you Emi," Hotaru put on her best smile and introduced herself once again. Wait... Does this mean the auditorium was right there the whole time?! She felt like facepalming but resisted the urge.

[User] Emilia was glad that he'd reached out and shook her hand; she'd been afraid that he was just going to ignore it or walk away from her though it looked like he had a good grasp of the language though he may need some help sometimes. She tilted her head to the side slightly as he pulled his hand away, a question in her eyes though it was rude to ask so she left it silent and looked down at her own hand. His hand was rough, strange for someone so young, but even stranger to her since most males his age here were fairly small; American boys were different. They were bigger and he was clearly stronger and she found herself in awe of how tall he was. "Would it be easier for you if I spoke in English?" She asked him, for the time being still speaking Japanese since it came to her first having grown up with the tongue spoken by her parents. "Many of the students here wouldn't understand most of it, since they don't pay much attention to such a commonplace language."


[System]
Let's do this!!
Nickname
Race: Drow (Dark Elves)
Gender: Female
Age: 200 looks 22
Appearance:  Tor Vier usually has a conspiratorial smirk on her face. Her eyes are a pale Red for seeing at night easier. She keeps her ebony hair short and wavy. She is always seen in dark rich colors usually black and purple. Her skin is a paler shade of grey than the rest of her people. She is always seen wearing a dark pair of shades during the day.

Powers: Tor Vier uses Umbral Magic or more commonly called shadow magic.

Shadow Travel: Tor Vier can travel through the dark world to move almost instantaneously between places. The further the distance, the longer time it takes to arrive, and the more draining it is.

Solidify: Tor Vier can use the shadows to conjure an object, as in, weapons, chairs, and so forth. The bigger and more complicated the object the weaker it is.

Dark Room: Tor Vier can cast a wave of shadow out wards from her body, engulfing up to forty feet from where she cast it. The shadow cannot be permeated by any form of light and only she can see through it.

Dark Sight: Having lived underground most of their lives Drown are able to see in the blackest darkness. Able to navigate as if it was daylight. Although this means that during the day, the sunlight hurts their eyes, causing most not to leave the burrows and those that do need heavy glasses to block out the light.

Weakness: Sunlight is harmful to most Drow, and some strong lights are uncomfortable. Also if there is no shadows she cannot use her powers as effectively.

The bigger and/or the more complex a construct is the easier it is to destroy.

The further she travels, the more time it takes to get there and leaves her tired if to far.

Crush: None at the moment. (Pansexual)

Relationship: None

History: Tor Vier was born in the slums of her Burrow. Growing up she was often the target for bullies due to her pale skin. Tor Vier's powers came to her at a young age, using them, she began to get back at her bullies with pranks, and tricks. Living in the Burrows was tough living, she didn't have many people she could put her trust in and when she was old enough she left behind the underground City to learn more of her powers and travel the world. Finding that her people have a reputation, for being thieves, and cut throats. Tor Vier is exploring so she may go into government work so may be an ambassador for her people, and improve their way of life, and to change people's way of thinking about the Drow, especially their cousins the elves. They have treated her people as a subspecies, and second class citizen.

Personality: Tor Vier is often seen as closed off and untrusting, this is due to her past with bullying. But once you can get past her icy exterior she opens up and is a bit of a playful flirt, who is fiercely loyal to the few she let's in. She enjoys getting to know people, despite not letting to many in herself, knowing that having connections can help her in achieve becoming an ambassador. She tends to come out of her room after the sun goes down, and can been seen hanging in the common area playing pranks and joking with friends.

Room appearence: hotels2see.com/sites/default/files/im…

[User]
Zinogre@Cerces22

"That is correct, I do love a juicer steak with fruit." Mihoshi said as she finish Hive's sentence. To her his mind must have jammed up with so many thoughts. "You can pet my tail, if you want." Mihoshi said as she is thinking she needs to control her tail a bit more to not to tease people. She looks over to a girl in a corner with shadows around her. "Everyone has their reasons, sharing their reasons is up to the person." She breathes in and out hoping that would calm her tail down a bit.

[Assistant]
After gathering herself,she shyly walks down the hall, hugging herself. She eventually came upon the elf again, whom just finished talking. She looks at a bird cage that sat on an old table. The cage was rusted and it had a recently deceased crow in it. Alexi gracefully walks to the cage, opening it and gently cradles the bird in both hands to the floor.

 As she sits on her knees, Alexi places her fingertips gently on the bird and closes her eyes. She removes her hands and strokes it. The crow then caws before flapping itself up and landing on her shoulder.
"Welcome back.. I'll call you. Hmmm... Carva" She says with a slight smile. The crow caws again in response.

[User]
@Alisdragon911

Hive didn't question how Mihoshi knew exactly what he was thinking she couldn't have read his mind, there is a fail-safe for that god help the person that attempted to do something so silly. Maybe it was his body language or process of elimination or...maybe she was as smart as he was. If that was the case then that would mean he wasnt alone in his class of intelligence after all. Hive looked at mihoshi with a newfound respect. SAID IN ELVEN "Praise be to the higher power for the gift of one as smart as myself."

It was at this time that Hive realized the drow from earlier sat in the room now And she too was quite the looker had it not been for the realization of Mihoshi's intelligence he would have near fallen for the Immaculate raven haired beauty that spoke with the voice of one from the choir of the higher power yes he was not attracted at all to her pristine slate colored skin. SAID IN ELVEN "I needed to somewhere else other then where i was for reasons CONTINUED IN COMMON on a lighter note i saw an ad and the place looked nice so i hoped on the 1st thing smoking which was something i built i call it an interdimensional matter transporter" He said with a smile

[Assistant]
Zinogre@Cerces22

Mihoshi could not read Hive mind but could tell by his body language and the look in his eyes that keep looking at her tail. To her he did not have the vibe to cut off her tail for his own scary reasons. She shakes those thoughts away in the back of her mind. She notices the dark elf is more attractive than she is as her fox ears droop as she did not know eleven. The other language she could speak is dog, she gets up from the couch to stretch a bit feeling she sat there to long.

[User]
??

Tor Vier was unsure on where to start, her attention being pulled from so many directions. It was the Elven dialect that caught her attention most.

"I understand cousin, I duly hope the bad blood between our people will not cause a problem for us??" She responded in kind phrasing more as a question for him. "And remember, the powers that be also say the bigger our opinion, the thinner the bubble."

Now the girl on the floor has done something wonderful. Is she a vampire maybe?? No there is still some color in her cheeks. A damphir than?? Yes that's it, don't see many of those around. She's very attractive too. She thought to herself.

"Necromancy?? Very rare magic indeed, taboo as well. I do enjoy taboo things. The crow his beautiful, I have always felt a close connection to these wonderful, and taboo, birds." Her hand absentmindedly went to her necklace. Than her attention went to the Kitsume.

"My dear is something the matter?? My, your tail is lovely!!" She exclaimed. She got very nervous as she asked the next question. "I am unsure of the etiquette with your people, but may I possibly touch it?? I am a curious person by nature, and have never met a Kitsume before."

[Assistant]
@Alisdragon911
"Dammit" Hive cursed at himself he didn't like making anyone sad and felt he had just done that to Mihoshi and at the same time he could feel the ability to dissociate beginning to leave as well. He looked over at Mihoshi and realized what he had just done was very rude and not to mention she seemed to be the only one that looked to be of the canus type among the inhabitants. "Forgive me Mihoshi I did not mean to exclude you I saw a cousin and got rather excited" Hive said as he looked to Tor "I'm half-moon-elf not sun the sun elves are the ones that wish ill will on any unlike them I rather love the drow cousin there is something to be admired in that level of intensity."

Closing his Eyes hive would search all known traces of… Wait Tor said she was a Kitsune that was simple enough he thought. Locating her native tongue Hive would speak to her, Dog/Kitsune "Again my apologies I did not mean to exclude you before your tail is very distracting in a good way I have a sort of weakness for them but you understand Geniuses like us tend to have a penchant for random super cute things or is that just me?" Hive questioned as he put his hood up and in mere milliseconds the Nano-machines camouflaged his ear making the look as though they weren't there and when he blinked the pattern of his iris changed to look identical to that of an alpha male, Removing the hood he would smile at Mihoshi once more as it revealed a set of jet black wolf ears tipped crimson. "Since you were polite enough to let me touch your tail you can touch my ears" He said knowing that the feel would be undeniably exact to the real thing.

[User]
@Howilng Zinogre

"You seem more sexyier than me but everyone has their charm. You may pet it," Mihoshi says to Tor Vier. This is the first time meeting a dark elf, she met artic elves in the north. She looks over at Hive as her ears perk up and her tail slowly swishing again. "It is okay, everyone gets excite when seeing another one of their own kind." Mihoshi says as she is surprise that Hive has wolf ears, did those ears just pop out of his head? She starts touching his ears as she starts sniffing them as well, she hopes this is not invasion his personal space.

[Assistant] The twins arriveing at there destination, they took a moment to admire and marvel at the size of the mansion. "WOAH! THIS IS SOOOO COOOL!" Excaliber exclaimed giddily as she ran into the manson, with Dagger behind her. "Yeah, it is pretty impressive" he said nonchalantly as he followed behind his sister. Haveing absolutely no bags with them, Excaliber decided to immediately go insearch of the kitchen and ran off in a direction. Dagger decided to explore, with his hands in his pockets he strolled around. When he stumbled apond a group of diverse species, his jaw dropped. His normally expressionless face was actually smileing as he ran to the group. Excaliber haveing found the kitchen, found her self in a livingroom with the weirdest species, as she continued to eat the candy she found. After quickly devouring the candy, she grinned and loudly introduced herself, not careing whos conversation she interrupted. "HELLO FELLOW BEINGS! I AM EXCALIBER" she pointed to her brother "AND THIS MY BROTHER DAGGER!"

[User]
Price was about to go in the living room but then stopped at the sight to two humans ahead. He took a few steps back into the hallway and decided head towards the dining room instead. No humans there, right?

Juno hopped off of Price's shoulder before shifting to human and walking alongside him. He looked over his shoulder and could see why he changed directions. Right, he can't be around humans. He thought to himself.

---

Living room
@PaintLynn
Arin leaned back on the sofa as he attempted to listen to the conversation but couldn't really understand elven himself. He looked over at the kitsune since she seemed to be the main attraction for now. Then a loud voice caught his attention and he looked over at the new arrivals before waving at them. "Arin over here."

Jyden decided to join the group and chose to stand in a corner. Why not ki- Shut up! He just hoped no one in here was another telepath.

---

Hallway
Argo continued to wander around the halls until he would find someone or something that peaked his interest. He saw someone walking away from the living room and decided to approach the vampire(Price).

[Assistant]
Just as Tor Vier was about to touch Mioshis tail a loud voice boomed in the room. She gave a small apologetic smile to the Kitsune as her attention turned else where. Tor Vier processed the humans in front of her, the few she as come across always had such bravado, seemed this one was no different. Though the brother Dagger had yet to say anything, she ventured a guess that that wouldn't change much. Still the way they carried themselves, she knew they had powers.

Best make a good impression. She thought. An other human greeted them, she didn't notice him earlier. She put on a warming smile.

"Hello, I am Tor Vier, a pleasure to meet you."

[User]
Seeing someone leave Excaliber felt like it was was something she had said that made him uncomfortable, she frowned for a quick second before beaming, as she looked at the first person to introduce themself "HIYA! Nice tah meet cha!" She exclaimed. Dagger noded in acknowledgment at the gentleman who introduced themself as Arin. Looking at Arin, Dagger expressionless said "i was afraid we'd be the only humans here. Glad to know we arent." He stated before he turned his attention to the gentalmen in who went to a cornor, they seemed like they would get along the best, so he approached him. "Hi."

It wasn't she introduced hersef that, Exaliber noticed Tor Vier. " WOOOAAH!" Excaliber said in awe as she looked Tor Vier up and down. " what ARE you?! Where are you from?! What can you do?!" Excaliber blurted out, asking each question as it poped in her head. She was absolutely facinated by this.. this...being! Turning to see who she hadnt quiet met yet, Exaliber made a mental note to interrogate them all, she was super excited to learn about these new beings. After makeing mental notes she snapped her head back to Tor Vier.

[Assistant]
Tor Vier smiled sincerely, she liked a person with candor.

"I am a dark elf, or drow. For the most part my people are agile, and can see in perfect darkness. But I on the other hand." Tor Vier extended her hand and a whip as black as night appeared in her hand. "Can make just about anything I can imagine, with some minor restrictions of course. I can also use the shadows to travel from place to place, and can make a room completely dark despite how much light is shone."


[System]
Sex: Male
Age: 27 (Born 6/24/1988)

Appearance/Personality/Biography:

5 May 2014 // 05:29 UTC-04:00

Grant sat up, twisting towards the night stand to press the button on his phone's alarm clock before it struck the half-hour and woke the person lying next to him asleep. He couldn't remember her name. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. He slipped out of bed and walked to the bathroom, clicking the light switch on after the door closed behind him. There was an expensive-looking purse on the counter, a wallet poking out from the top. Grant flipped it open, thumbing through the cards. Victoria Fong, 25. He shrugged and slid the ID back into her wallet. Doesn't ring a bell. Grant started a shower and looked into the bathroom's long mirror while the water heated. It must be the money, because guys that look like you don't get women like Victoria. His father, always an honest man, once said, "We're average men Grant, nothing wrong with that." And average was an accurate appraisal. Like his father, he had dirty blonde hair cut conservatively short and angular but symmetric features. His eyes though, were a gift from his mother. Ice blue and expressive, they were a painful reminder of things lost in the past. He was in good shape from a martial arts regimen that had been his passion for the past 13 years, but he'd never gotten the muscles to go along with the strength. He showered quickly and quietly and looked back into the bedroom. His suit was in a pile next to the bed.

"Grant?" Apparently he hadn't been quiet enough.

"Victoria, I'm sorry, I really need to go." He walked over and picked up his pants, feeling for his wallet. "Here, take this. Should be enough for a cab back to, uh, where'd you say you live?"

She stretched and rubbed her eyes. "Oh, I've got a place at The Marlowe, but honestly, I'm fine."

He pulled on the suit with practised motions. "If you're sure." He buckled his belt. "Room's paid for - your purse is in the bathroom. I saw a room service menu over there if you're hungry." She saw it too. Grant babbled when he felt guilty.

"I saw it too." Victoria picked up her phone off the night stand. "So, why the rush? Have a meeting or something?"

"Yeah, actually. I always get in around six, looks like I'll be late today though. Oh well, meeting's going to be boring anyway."

Victoria was polite enough to force a chuckle. "Where do you work?"

"Sullivan & Cromwell."

"Oh, so you're a lawyer then?"

"Guilty as charged," said Grant, then winced when he saw the clock. "Well, uh, have a good day."

The night stand buzzed. "Hang on," said Victoria, "You forgot your phone." She handed it to him and he saw the caller ID.

He headed for the door and tapped the screen. "Hey honey."

17 January 2015 // 15:21 UTC-08:00

"So, Mr... sorry, how do you pronounce that?"

Grant sighed. "Raskstål. It's Swedish." The office was one of the most inoffensive he'd ever been in. He didn't know if the splotches of color framed on the walls could rightly be called paintings. The furniture was simple and wooden. His chair was subtly uncomfortable. Likely it was all by design.

"Alright, I think I've got that Mr. Raskstål. As you probably know, I'm Dr. Hanson, but please just call me Jim." The psychologist smiled and adjusted his glasses as he looked up at Grant.

"Ok, Jim. Call me Grant. We going to start now?"

Jim pulled out a notebook and pen. "Sure Grant, let's get started. Can you tell me why you're here?" Jim had a soft, carefully modulated voice.

"Ever since the divorce I've been less productive at work. I'd like to fix that." Grant couldn't believe he was doing this. He was used to solving other people's problems, and he'd thought solving his own would be easy. He was wrong.

"I see. Can you tell me about yourself?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Start wherever you think is appropriate. We're just having a conversation here."

Grant thought about that for a moment. Things had been a blur for the past 7 years. Law school, marriage, work, divorce. He decided to be concise. "My mom was an American lawyer and my dad a Swedish fisherman. He's retired now. By the fact that I can afford your rate, you can probably guess whose footsteps I followed in. I had no life throughout high school other than class and studying; that won me an acceptance to Harvard where I spent four years doing Philosophy. After getting a 2.5 in my undergrad Harvard had second thoughts about me spending another two years at their law school. My mom pulled some strings and got me in at Princeton Law - I didn't deserve it. Sullivan & Cromwell hired me straight out of school and I moved to Manhattan and got married. I made a lot money there. I screwed around. One day, I just couldn't deal with it any more, so I told her. She filed for divorce. I asked for a transfer out to the boonies. So here I am." Grant looked out the picture window. The afternoon sun glinted off the L.A. skyline. January and 73 degrees. He hated California.

Jim was writing carefully in his notebook. After a few moments he looked back up. "I see. That's a lot to take in at once. Let's start with your parents. You said you 'followed in your mother's footsteps.' How does that make you feel?"

Grant sighed.

Skills:
* Martial Arts: Grant has studied martial arts for 13 years. He is practiced in traditional Chinese Wing Chun, a 3-dan in Japanese Kendo, and has studied HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), specifically the longsword.
* Law: Grant has studied United States law.

Elemental Cores:
* Aether
* Cold

Abilities:
* Materialization of the Blade [Metal: Earth + Cold]: Condenses mana from the user's reservoir into the body's hand in order to materialize a sword or other bladed implement. For quick creation, the form of the blade must be memorized. New designs may take some practice before perfection of form is reached. Currently, Grant remembers the form of a European longsword and a Japanese katana from his time on Earth.
* Mark of the Sojourner [Aether]: The user identifies a point on their line of sight and marks it with mana. This consumes a small amount of mana. The user may then consume more mana to travel through hyperspace to that location. A user may have multiple marks simultaneously, but the target mark must be on the user's line of sight to perform a hyperspace jump. The marks persist for several hours before they dissipate into the environment if they are not manually removed.
* Serenity of the Dispassionate Mind [Cold + Aether] [Passive]: The user's mind is stable and not easily inflamed into rash or emotional behavior. This ability lends its user a certain cold, removed objectivity, as well as a resistance to less subtle mind-altering magics.

Possessions:
* Tom Ford Charcoal Grey Suit: A $4000 suit with white shirt. The tie has been lost. The owner is likely compensating for something.

EDIT: 7/15 2:40 PM PST - Put in a hider for easier navigation.

[User]
GrantGrant began to charge after the bear as it tried to escape with the green girl, but quickly realized he was far outstripped by the bear's four-legged sprint. Standing, out of breath and slightly dazed, he took a moment to do a mental inventory of what had happened in the past - what felt like - seconds. Perhaps it was time to start operating on the assumption that there was actually some truth to what the so called goddess had said. Perhaps it was time to assume that this was actually happening, and not just some sort of dream or vision. I woke up in that bed... almost like a pod. The stuff in there looked... electronic? This place doesn't look like any environment I know of on earth. And that thing... a bear? Grant was starting to wish he remembered the Biology he'd taken. Although he was pretty sure no species existed that looked like that. And then there was the issue of this sword. He brought it up in front of his face to examine.

Silver Knight Straight Sword from Dark Souls rendered in Skyrim
Steam was still rising off of it in wisps. Curious, he knelt down and placed it on the ground. The second he released his grip, the sword disappeared, dispersing into some sort of glowing particulate. Did I make that? Grant shook his head and stood back up. The absurdity of the situation overwhelmed him. Him, a lawyer from Los Angeles, had evidently been kidnapped to some alien world, imbued with magical powers, and left to fend for himself. Well, on second thought, he wasn't entirely alone. He turned around to face Darius. "So, you can throw ice spears then." Grant started laughing humorlessly, overwhelmed by the insanity of what had just happened.

[Assistant]
Vestus

Vestus flinched a little when the woman shot a blast of cold and sweat went down his brow, he tried to act cool as if he hadn't been afraid but he was smiling through clenched teeth so to speak.

"The cool one eh well that's a little to cold for my taste why don't we turn up the heat?"

He was wondering awhile back why he felt so warm and fiery on the inside and at times he realized within him he was radiating a little bit of heat and he now thought about what else he could do so he for a second scratched his head and thought what any person would do if they had some kind of heat power so he switched his gaze to his hand and he extended it forward so the group may see and focused intensely on his hand he felt a slight tingle in his hands as he started focusing harder and after a minute small flames danced across his finger tips and then they got larger until the blaze was surrounding his whole hand and it didn't even effect him it only felt slightly like he was being tickled.

"And I'm the hot one!"

He said looking at everyone as they stood there and the he made the fire die down as he lessened his will and let the fire douse.

"My body feels like a furnace at times"

He explained how it felt in short and he enjoyed how flames only tickled him now which deeply amused him though life would not be the same as it ever was.

Vestus wondered what else he was capable of other than lighting himself on fire and being extremely resistant to it.

[User]
Darius → Darius watched with caution, still stanced in a defensive position as the bear made its retreat with the girl. She should've made a move to try and fend off the bear, but her inaction earned her death. He felt perhaps a little sense of guilt, but there wasn't much he could do. He just had to count on the girl reviving at the shrine, just as the goddess of the realm had told them all. Grant charged after the bear immediately, but it was of no use. The bear could outrun the man any day. Darius surveyed the aftermath of the event: the group was down one person, Grant was having some sort of epiphany about the ordeal, and John Eidolon was unconscious. Just great... The brunet grimaced. The current situation wasn't ideal. Or it might have been, depending on how helpful John and fish girl would be.

 Darius took a look at Grant, the taller, blue-eyed, blond man that contrasted completely with Darius's own complexion, height, eye color, and hair. What a complementary duo. The boy only hoped that he and Grant could work together somehow and build enough trust to form a strong team. In the meantime, Grant was all Darius would have. The shimmering, steaming blade that Grant once wielded had disintegrated completely. Interesting... The boy at least took note. Grant could summon a sword, and Darius had some sort of power with ice and water. His face took on a more thoughtful expression as he committed to memory their abilities and internally mused about them. Grant turned to Darius, and the motion drew his attention straight to Grant's face.

 "So, you can throw ice spears then." Grant quipped half-heartedly.

 "Yeah..." Darius gave a hesitant chuckle and an uneasy smile. "And, uh, you have a cool sword." He ambled casually over to Grant and stood next to the older man. "Any ideas for where we go from here, uh, Grant?" The day was young in the Cradle of Divinity. They had eternity here until they could overpower the pantheon and escape. He just wanted to go home. He didn't want this. He didn't want to feel mediocre in a contest against other godlings. He was... a nobody. He was just an average kid. The young man said just above a breath, "As for me... I wish I knew why this had to happen to me. It feels fucking awful."

[Assistant]
Grant"Any ideas for where we go from here, uh, Grant?" said Darius as the teenager walked over to him.

That's a damn good question, thought Grant as he instinctively reached into his shirt pocket, forgetting that the pack of Marlboro Lights he kept there for moments such as these was now gone, simply vanished. He'd been paid $230,000 a year to come up with good answers to tough questions (or at least good-sounding ones) and now he was coming up empty, something that was becoming a trend in this, as the man in the lab coat had put it, brave new world. All his years of study, his overpriced Harvard education, were beginning to appear more and more worthless here. He almost laughed when he realized his martial arts hobby that cost $50 a month in gym membership fees would be more valuable. He had to say something though. Even stating the obvious would be preferable to standing there with his mouth hanging open, dumbfounded.

"We should see if... John? Yeah, I think that's right. We should see if John is alive. Maybe he's a doctor or scientist - he could know something about this place." Grant was aiming for sounding calm and confident - well, he managed to not stammer, at least. "I suppose we should get to know each other as well. It looks like we're going to be spending some time working together. To, uh, overthrow some gods." Grant fell silent when he realized how ridiculous that sounded. He fell back on custom to break the awkward silence and stuck out his hand. "As you obviously know, I'm Grant. Grant Raskstål. Darius, right?"


[System]
Age: 42
Gender: Male

Personality: He likes to treat the office interns as his personal coffee jockeys. He's the type of boss that would refer to the company as being "like a family". And by "like a family", he means that he will cut your ass out of the will.

Appearance: A stocky man with a penchant for tweed suits, and hair styles perfectly to hide his receding hairline.

[User]
Isaac looked over at the small form, currently face down into the mattress. He gave a brief smile and walked over to him.

"Lucas," he put a hand on his shoulder. Lucas's head shot up, and he turned to look up at Isaac. "We need to know what they're planning. Do you have any idea?"

He sat up slowly and nodded. He looked around, then delve into the bedside table for a pen and Bible. He opened the holy book and promptly began tearing pages out of it.

Lucas set the pages on the floor, arranging them in a circle. It was the same arrangement as the X's in the map that Lars had drawn. Lucas drew something on the middle page, then looked up at Isaac. Isaac came over to inspect the drawing.

"A gate?" He asked. Lucas nodded. "A gate...from hell?" Lucas nodded. "To here?" He nodded again.

Isaac looked over at Evie. "You said you saw digging equipment down there. Why are they digging?"

Lucas smacked the paper loudly to get his attention. He then drew a chest that was underground, and a line down to it to signify digging.

"There's a chest down there? A demon chest?"

Lucas nodded. "That must be one hell of a demon if they're going through all that trouble to free it."

Lucas nodded.

[Assistant]
"Then we have to stop them before they get to that chest. If the demon is as horrible as you say it is, we won't stand a chance once it's free or has a host." Evie said, looking at the two of them.

"The only question is, how do we kill it should it free? I know Lucas is able to destroy others, but what if he can't handle it? We need a backup plan for the backup."

[User]
Isaac looked at Lucas, who just shrugged.

"I don't think letting it get free is an option," He said, turning back to Evie. "If it's capable of opening a gate to hell, we're utterly screwed if it gets out. Out only hope is to keep them from getting their hands on it." He paused, and sighed. "Lars believed that dragging them into the spotlight was our best bet of beating them. The three of us alone don't stand a chance, but with authorities involved, maybe we can flush them out for good. I didn't think the panic it would cause was worth it, but...after seeing all this, I don't think we have any other choice."

[Assistant] "I'll need my laptop from my apartment so I can finish the story and send it to Joe. He'll get it published then everyone will know the truth. It should stop them long enough for us to get rid of the demon before it's set free. But I can't go there, they know what I look like."

[User]
"If you tell your boss all of this, he'll probably have you committed," Isaac said. "We need proof, first. You said they stole a demon chest from your apartment. I know you probably aren't particular fond of seeing one again, but if we can get that chest back and have Lucas destroy it somewhere public, with witnesses, then they can't deny that this is real."

It sounded crazy, but it was the only thing he could think of.

[Assistant] "But the chest is with the cult, how are we going to get it out without being seen?" Evie asked before realizing the answer was before her. "No, we can't send Lucas back in, what if they have a trap set up for him? They could capture him again."

[User]
"It's our best chance," Isaac said. "I don't like it either, but Lucas can take care of himself. Right Lucas?"

Lucas looked up from where he'd been drawing on the pages and nodded.

"He can probably already feel where the demon is. It'll only take a second."

[Assistant] Evie sighed deeply as she glanced at Lucas, so innocent and childlike to her but she had seen him destroy a demon as well as protect her from one. "Alright. Just...please be careful." She begged softly.

[User]
Lucas stood crumpling the drawings under his old boots. He was gone in a flash. After ten minutes, Isaac was getting anxious. He was pacing the floor, checking his watch constantly. Finally, another flash filled the room, and a heavy thunk sounded as the chest hit the floor.

Lucas looked very pleased with himself as he perched on top of it.

"Good, let's get it into the car," Isaac said, hoisting up one side of it.

[Assistant] Evie grabbed the other side with her good arm, giving Isaac a nod in agreement before walking with him out to the car. She knew they were probably going to get some looks since they didn't have the trunk before nor Lucas who just appeared but they didn't have time for that right now. "If we want somewhere pubic, Times Square might be our best chance."

[User]
Isaac nodded in agreement as he hoisted the chest into the trunk of the car. "Alright, let's go."

As they drove, he glanced in his rear view mirror a few times. "Are those two cars behind us following us?" He asked no on in particular.

[Assistant] Evie glanced at the sideview mirrors, seeing what he was talking about. "Shit, how did they find us so quickly?" She asked, looking behind them before glancing back at Isaac. "We need to shake them somehow."

[User]
Isaac sped up, weeving in and out of cars to evade their pursuers. The two cars behind them followed aggressively. Suddenly, Isaac saw flashing lights as a police car joined the chase.

"Shit," He cursed as he took a sudden turn onto a a highway. Lucas slammed against the car door in the back seat. "Sorry!" Isaac said, trying to focus on getting away. More police cars were joining the chase. This was a real clusterfuck.

[Assistant] "Oh great, as if this couldn't get any worse." Evie muttered before looking back at Lucas. Then an idea struck her; it might be crazy, but it could work. "Lucas, can you teleport us to Times Square? It might be our only chance of losing them."

[User]
He shook his head.

"He can't teleport with other people," Isaac said. "We won't survive."

Just as he spoke, a police cruiser pulled out in front of them, blocking them off. Isaac slammed on the breaks and lurched forward as another cruise slammed into the back of the car. He heard a crunch of car parts and wood. There was a loud shriek.

"Oh no," Isaac croaked, his head bleeding from hitting the steering wheel.

[Assistant] Evie screamed as they were hit, her injured arm getting rammed into the dash and causing fire to spread up her arm. She winced before looking back at the chest, seeing tentacles attempting to widen the cracks to escape. "No!" She exclaimed as the demon quickly slithered out of its chest, releasing a blood curdling scream.

[User]
Lucas was stunned by the wreck, but quickly snapped out of it upon hearing the demon screeching. Well, it looked like they were doing this thing here and now. Cars careened around them as Lucas got out. The demon was tearing its way out of the trunk. Police were piling out into the road, guns aimed at them. Several onlookers were recording.

The beast crawled from the car, it's tentacles flailing. The police and onlookers were a chorus and scream and orders, getting on the radio and calling for backup, and citizens crying. Lucas lunged at the demon, burning it as he put his hands on it's body. It was trying to escape, possibly to eat a few onlookers, but he blocked it off.

It seemed like this would be a pretty straight forward demon killing, but the two cars that had been following them pulled up. The backdoor opened on one, and a body was shoved out. It was Lars! He was still alive, but had clearly been viciously beaten. He groaned softly, picking his head up to look at up his friends through swollen eyes. His head began to expand, and his flesh tore. He cried out in agony as he began to transform.

[Assistant] "Lars!" Evie exclaimed, getting out of the car and, quiet foolishly, ran towards him through the crowd. "Fight back!" She yelled as she drew closer to him. She didn't care if she got hurt or killed, she was going to try something to help him.

[User]
But he couldn't fight back. By the time she got to him, Lars was already dead, and a monster was wreaking havoc on what was left of his body. The black beast that scuttled forth blinked it's huge, red eye at her, then let out an angry cry and lunged for her. Isaac just managed to snatch her and pulled her away.

The police opened fire on the demon, but that seemed to do fuck all, other than piss it off more. It scurried towards them and began tearing into cars and officers. Lucas had just finished destroying the first demon. He was exhausted, but he turned on the second one. A flash of light, and he was suddenly standing between the demon and the police.

A helicopter flew overhead, a news crew filming the entire stand off.

"You need to get people out of here!" Isaac shouted over the noise at any cops that would listen.

[Assistant]
"All units, fall back, I repeat, fall back!" An officer ordered, the others making people stand back so they wouldn't become casualties. Evie watched in horror and sorrow as another friend fell to the demon possessing them, her nails digging into her palm enough to leave behind angry red half moons.

Remembering the vial of holy water Isaac had given her, she grabbed it before looking at the demon who was once Lars. It might not work and cause her to become a signal for other demons, but she had to take a chance. Without hesitation, she threw it at the demon in hopes of it either breaking near, on, or even it swallowing the liquid.

[User] The demon let out a cry as the holy water burned it. It whipped around to face Evie and lunged at her, leaving an opening for Lucas for jump onto it, holding on for dear life as it burst into flames.

[Assistant] Evie quickly backed away from the burning demon, watching as the surrounding crowd screamed in fright, took pictures or videos, or just watched with her. The truth was out now, the cult wouldn't be able to hide now.

[User] Once the demon was finally reduced to ash, Lucas was left huddled on the ground. He had been so focused on the task at hand that he hadn't really noticed how large the crowd around him was. They were gasping, pointing, taking pictures. He pulled his scarf up desperately and tried to curl in on himself. He was weak from destroying two demons back to back, and all he wanted to do was disappear from this moment.

[Assistant] Evie ran to his side, gently placing an arm around his shoulders. "It's okay. I'm here, Lucas, I'm here." She said soothingly, trying to coax him to stand so they could leave. "If you have enough strength, go to the hotel. Isaac and I will meet you there." She whispered.

[User]
He shook under her arm. He didn't have the strength to teleport, but he could make it to the car. Once in the backseat, he curled up with his knees to his chest.

"Take him back to the hotel," Isaac said, poking his head in. "I'm gonna stay here and talk to the cops about what's going on. Hopefully this can get that subway raided."

[Assistant] "Hopefully." Evie echoed before driving back to the hotel, trying to get people to move and leave Lucas alone as they tried taking pictures of him. She eventually got away and back to the hotel, helping Lucas up to their room and onto a bed. "There. We're safe now." She assured him

[User]
Lucas tugged the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around himself. This had been why he dreaded going public with this. His fear of people, plus being bombarded by the media, would make him miserable. Hopefully, once this all blew over, he could live out the rest of this reincarnation's life in peace and avoid being brutally murdered like usual.

He turned the TV on and watched the news stories unfold. Isaac was shown talking about the goings ons of the last few days, and even what lead up to this years prior. The subway was, indeed, being raided, and people in cloaks were shown being stuffed into police cars.

[Assistant] "See? We brought them to justice and no more demons will be released. You're a hero." Evie smiled before gently giving him a side hug. She knew it wasn't usual for his incarnations to be seen as a hero, but someone had to see it for him. "I know it's not vinyl, but I saved some Louis Armstrong songs on my phone if it will help calm you down." She offered.

[User]
He nodded as he fidgeted with the blanket. Music would certainly take his mind off things. He looked back at the raid on the TV. The news helicopter filming it was hoving right over the subway entrance. He could see the familiar form of Isaac down below talking to the authorities.

Suddenly, a group of cultists burst from the subway, guns blazing. They sprayed the police with bullets in retaliation, resulting in an all out fire fight. Isaac fell to the ground.

Lucas leaped towards the TV, pressing his hands against it anxiously. Isaac wasn't getting back up...

[Assistant] "Isaac!" Evie screeched in fear and worry for their friend as she saw him get shot. A shaking hand covered her mouth. "No...no, no, no, no. Isaac, please don't leave him. You can't leave him alone." She begged, unable to see what was happening as Lucas blocked the screen in his worry. Tears stung her eyes as she fought back sobs.

[User] He looked back at her, his dark eyes anxious and sad. Lucas rubbed his face on his sleeve, drying the beginnings of his own tears. He stood and went over to her, taking her hand and squeezing it for reassurance.


[System]
Alias: Adrian Romano
Age: 26
Appearance: A tall man, completely covered in bandages, wearing a heavily worn trench coat and an old hat. His physical appearance varies, but if one looks close enough, they might see something squirm under the bandages.

Para Category: Alpha, threat level 3

Rumours have begun swirling in the back streets of Marlon, of a mysterious vigilante hellbent on revenge. A bandaged man in an old trench coat, prowling the alleyways to fight injustice. His hatred for the Lorne corporation is only matched by the ferocity of the rats he commands as they tear the flesh of his foes. Those who know of his existence often speculate on his identity. A man burned by a chemical accident, a parahuman disfigured by his own powers, and more theories thrown to the wind. In peeling back the bandages, one finds the truth - a mass of rats in the shape of a man, hiding the gnawed bones of whom they once were.

The Ratman began his life as Adrian Romano, proud son of Claudius and Rachel Romano, and brother to a number of siblings. His parents were high level managers in the Lorne corporation who had worked their way up from nothing, and Adrian's older brother also worked there. Adrian followed suit and sped up the ranks, hoping to use his position for good. Sadly, his rapid rise had attracted jealousy, and there were those already plotting his downfall.

Stabbed in the back by someone he trusted, Adrian was taken through the back streets of Marlon to die. They threw him into a pit, leaving him with nothing but the clothes on his back and a bullet in his head. Barely alive and in shock, Adrian weakly called for help, but his call attracted a swarm of hungry rats instead. Only a miracle would have saved him, and funnily enough, one came. The energy wave came from the tower, imbuing various people with special powers. This did nothing to dissuade the ravenous rats, however, and Adrian was promptly eaten. As they ate, however, they were slowly coming under Adrian's influence. The more they ate, the more they became like him. When they had gnawed him down to the bone, he was reborn. His will had been transferred to them, and there was no going back.

It took some time to get used to being a swarm of rats, but that allowed him time to get used to his environment. He became familiar with the lowest rung of society, making him lose more faith in the Lorne corporation. The shock at his situation had given way to anger, and now he planned against the corporation which ignored the plight of the poor and who had, in some ways, facilitated the betrayal.

When the Lorne corporation began their sweep, he was ready. Hiding their identity, Adrian and his swarm of rats became the Ratman, fighting the Lorne corporation and the corrupt government as best they can, carving their legend into the back alley streets of Marlon.
Blood ties
The Ratman's sole power. His flesh and blood act as a conduit for his will. By ingesting parts of his body, a part of Adrian's consciousness is transferred and the recipient becomes a part of him, allowing the effect to proliferate. The effects of this power are affected by certain factors, however. The mind control is strongest from Adrian himself, but takes a back seat to stronger wills. A secondary host exhibits weaker powers, but the effects are stronger if the secondary host infects another host similar to itself. This way, the rats of Ratman can create other rats for the mass. There is a limit, however, as if there are too many minds to control, some will resist the effects.

Those under the effects function as a hivemind of sorts, many minds making one whole.

Strengths:

* Infiltration and surveilance
The small size of Adrian's rats allow for discreet infiltration, and they can pass information around the hivemind.
* Survival
As long as one rat survives, the pack can be remade. In an emergency the entire mass scatters in different directions, maximising survival chances.
* Knowledge of the Lorne corporation
As an ex-employee of the corporation, he knows of some secrets. Though they have most likely scrubbed his credentials from the system, he knows other ways to enter the headquarters.

Weaknesses:

* Strength of many
The strength of the Ratman is the strength of numbers. In situations where they are outnumbered, Adrian doesn't have many options. Thus, he prefers avoiding large engagements where he can't just pick off targets one at a time.
* Human contact
The Ratman is a group of rats in a trench coat. While he can communicate through language, it's obvious that he's at the very least a parahuman. This makes communicating with non-parahumans difficult.
* Hunger
In order to ensure their survival, every member of the pack needs to eat. Finding food for a large pack of rats every day is a task in and of itself.

It was a calm, moonlit night. The bandaged man walked the back streets of Marlon as he usually did, traversing the maze of concrete with measured ease. Rats accompanied his every step, skittering to and fro, exploring every unturned rock and dustbin in their path. Suddenly, the he stopped dead in his tracks, prompting the other rats to follow suit. They looked at him with curiosity as, in a hundred little voices, the Ratman sighed. As the bandaged man turned to stare at the moon, the other rats turned to the sky as well. He wanted nothing more than to simply stand there, staring at the beauty of the world. It was something he wished for everyone, in some ways. But not tonight. He had snagged something on his information network, which meant he had work to do.

It was a quiet night, which meant that he could hear it pretty soon. Grunts, thwacks, and occasional sobs. The bandaged man turned the corner and found what he was looking for. In the alleyway, a man relentlessly pounded a scantily clad woman with his fists. Judging from the man's clothes, he was from Marlon's upper crust. The woman was likely a sex worker of some sort. The bandaged man didn't know their story, and he didn't care. The bandaged man knew him as a government official, and it was time to pay his respects.

His shadow loomed over the pair, and the squeeking of rats heralded his arrival. The man turned, his face twisted in anger melting into horror as it beheld the bandaged man.
"Y-You!"
"Me." The Ratman rasped.
The man was angry, but his voice was tinted with fear. So they had heard of him up there. Good.

He stepped forward with measured ease, slowly closing the distance between them. The government man scrambled through his pockets and withdrew a gun.
"Back off! Now!" He barked.
The bandaged man stopped stopped. A hundred voices spoke in unison.
"Don't bother. You'll only put more holes in my coat." He said.
The government man opened fire. The bandaged man's flesh shifted under his coat. Blood splattered from the holes that formed in his chest. The man grinned, but his triumph melted into confusion, as the being in front of him stood right where he was. His expression once again turned to fear, as the bandaged man brushed off the blood and took another step forward. The government man gritted his teeth and took aim, shooting at the bandaged man's head. 2 shots landed, and the bandages unfurled. The bandaged man put a hand to his face.
"Y-you see that? Get the hell out of here, freak!" The man yelled with renewed bravado.
"My, my. Look at what you've done to us." The bandaged man replied calmly.
He rose to his feet and 2 bloodied rats scurried out of his hand. His head bluged and shifted under the now bloody bandages.

The bandaged man took step forward.
"S-Stop!"
And another.
"I mean it this time!"
And another.

The government man turned his gun towards the woman.
"Take another step and I'll blow her brains out!" He yelled.
But it was too late for him. Rats swooped down onto the flustered man from the rooftops, biting down on his gun hand. The government man screamed. The rats at his feet scurried into his clothes, biting and scratching wherever they could.

It was over quickly. The bandaged man surveyed his handiwork. The only thing left was bones and clothes, the rest had been eaten by the rats. The woman had run off in the mean time, but he didn't mind. There was only one thing left to do now. He issued a command and a wave of rats picked up the remains.

The night was transitioning to day. In an hour the sun would rise, and the citizens of Marlon would begin their day. But there was no rest for the police, especially not with parahumans running amok. The donut shop was a popular place for them to relax, as it was open 24 hours a day. In other words, it was the perfect place to send a message to the right people.

A policeman sat outside the store with a box of donuts on his lap. He was the only one to see it happen. A mass of rats dropped from the rooftop, scattering as they hit the ground. The cop jumped up and drew his gun, but they were gone as fast as they appeared, taking some donuts for the ride. Left on the scene was the skeleton. The policeman scrambled to the car and yelled a report through his radio. He had served for a while, he knew what he was dealing with. The Ratman's eyes watched as the policeman howled his name with fury, dozens of pairs of tiny little eyes, watching from the shadows. As the sirens drew closer, they turned away and disappeared into the night.

[User]
Darkspire's lips pursed as she watched Taylor work. They seemed rather skilled in their methods. "Were you a doctor before this?" She asked softly, curious. She helped levitate the unconscious man, so that his back could be tended to and keep the wounds from being aggravated. She shrinks her lights and scatter them through the room as to give better sight. "Your methods remind me of my brother, he worked in this sector of the city." Her eyes flicked over to the rats. "I'm guessing these rats are with you as well? They seem too intelligent to be normal."

She looked outside. "Orwell, get me out of work tomorrow. I know it's probably going to be a bad idea but I can take days to myself." She looked outside. "I'll look around, the moon will set in a few hours." She flew out of the room, the lights staying active as she didn't go too far, merely went outside to observe the city. To look over the ruins of the place she had found her few friends in.

[Assistant]
As cautious and suspicious as Taylor was being overall, it was at least warming up slowly and noticeably to the para woman. It did not argue when she used her abilities to assist it, so as long as she kept her distance and allowed Taylor to do its work uninterrupted. After cleaning the wounds, it saw no signs of a negative reaction to the antibiotics. Granted, it was not an ideal sort of test, but these were not ideal circumstances. It applied the antibiotics to deal with any potential infection, then set to work with care and precision to bandage each and every one of William's burns.

Regardless, Taylor was still somewhat terse in its answer to the para woman. "It doesn't matter what I was before. That life was stolen."

However, even after the woman flew away to keep watch around the area, Taylor still had cause to be protective. She had called attention to the rats, so Taylor was taking notice of them. It had seen them as it was fleeing through the city, and now it could still catch glimpses of them here, as long as it looked closely enough. Their presence only reaffirmed to Taylor that it needed to stay right by William's side, if they intended to make a meal of the incapacitated Human.

After Taylor had finished with the bandages, it dressed William in the clothing the woman had brought, then curled up, laying on the ground by his feet. Its many, glowing eyes scanned the room, vigilant even for small signs of movement.

[User]
It appeared that it was time. The rats had brought the costume, all that was left was to reveal themselves. The swarm gathered together, reconstructing his bones, winding up the bandages, and putting the clothes on. They had gotten a fresh coat from somewhere - it was old and worn, but at least it didn't have any bloodstains on it. The Ratman put on his hat, and he was ready.

Quietly, he stepped into full view, the rats scattering and gathering behind him.
"You are by far one of the strangest beings I have ever encountered." The Ratman said, emerging from the shadows. "I must apologise for watching you from the shadows, but I have questions I hope you'll answer."

[Assistant]
Taylor jumped up to its feet the moment it spotted the being enter the room, letting out a sound most akin to a growl to warn it from getting too close. It could not see behind the coat, but the sight of some of the rats gathering around it immediately clued Taylor in to the fact that they were related. It seemed that the para woman had been right in her intuition about the rats that had been trailing them; they were more than just normal rodents.

"Just stay back from him. I don't know you, but I will kill anything that tries to hurt him. You have questions...then you can ask them from right there." Taylor warned.

[User]
"Of course, I never intended to bring harm to anyone here." The Ratman replied easily.
The rats at his feet dispersed back to their positions, as quiet as they could, in order to avoid arousing the suspicion of the woman outside. He recognised the man the being had carried into the building as the one he had seen being captured by the police. Strangely serendipitous, though not outside the realm of coincidence.

"Don't mind the swarm, they've already eaten tonight." Ratman said, leaning against a nearby wall. "A little while ago at the tower, there were explosions somewhere underground. That wouldn't happen to have been you, would it?"