~ Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Kitchen ~

Another offering of caffeine? Perhaps, he joked, within the privacy offered by the space behind his eyes, it was their nefarious intention to keep him permanently awake, till his delicate work became impossible and he was driven out of town by a mixture of shame and unemployment. That would have been infinitely preferable to the usual methods employed by these… sorts.

“I really shouldn’t, Father. I had a cup on my way here, and I’ll be up all night if I just keep guzzling down.”

The thought that he perhaps wanted to be as awake as possible in the coming hours briefly assailed him, punctuated quite nicely by his imaginings of Marie, somewhere in between the stone and the silence of the cathedral, piecing together something metallic and decidedly vicious.

“Although, I suppose I might not be sleeping much either way…”

_________________

~School for the Gifted: Saura’s Dorm---- Do My Ears Deceive Me?~

Poppy stared at the handkerchief Saura offered him. He didn’t really know what use a thing like that would be to him, but he took it anyways, just to be nice. Once the handkerchief was in his hand, the satyr put it into one of his coat’s pockets, oblivious to what the little girl expected him to do with it. In his mind, it was probably just a gift of good will or friendship, or something like that. In all respect, the satyr was probably going to forget about it later on anyways. He probably had missed the look of disgust the little girl wore on her face.

What the girl said soon after giving him the handkerchief he really couldn’t believe. The place being described right then sounded too good to be true. In fact, it sounded like the perfect place to hang out at when he wasn’t working. And to make things even better, it was the place where the ball was being held. He didn’t know exactly what to think about the open mic bit though. An open make was great and all, but he didn’t exactly sing. He played an instrument. Would they allow folks to play an instrument, he wondered. They should, he couldn’t see why they couldn’t. And besides, he played one mean panpipe. Needless to say, Poppy was pretty interested. ”That sounds great!” he said happily, hinting at his interest in this place Saura spoke of. ”O’ course I would like to go! What’s it called?” He was bent on adding it to his list of “places he needed to visit”, which truthfully wasn’t all that big yet, but it was growing.

His smile grew when the little girl asked what he was going to the ball as. The satyr happily pointed at the ridiculous costume he was wearing at the moment. ”I’m going as Mr. Tumnus o'course! ‘E’s always been my favorite since I was a young’un!” Yes, Poppy was really about to go into an entire speech on how awesome Mr. Tumnus was. Can you blame him? Mr. Tumnus was the only character he actually cared to love in his life, mostly due to the fact he could never give any other character a chance with his lacking of read books and all. ”’E was brave enough to not hand over tha’ Lucy girl to the white witch (even though she was pretty hot) and defy her, despite the fact he was goin’ to be turned into some statue thin’ if ‘e did. Tha’ was horrible. Made me cry tha’ did. Good thin’ they killed the witch (although, she was hot) in the end. Or at least I think they did…did they” Poppy’s voice trailed off as he tried to remember what happened in the story he read so long ago. ’Oh I hope they didn’t, she was pretty hot’, he thought. After a moment’s recollection of how hot the White Witch was, he noticed that Marcus was yet to tell them about his character. ”What about you? What’re you goin’ as, buddy?” Poppy asked his best friend.

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

{Marcus Q. Maximus}

_Saura's Room_ Plots

Marcus looked at his coat, then back at Poppy, then back at his coat once more. He sat down his tea cup back on the table and sat up from his chair. Marcus then walked over to the closest wall and placed a hand on it as he leaned against it. With his back turned, there was a silence from him, but in his head, there were screams of primal rage. His right hand went straight to where he kept his gun, near the breast pocket. “ No, No... not yet." He thought as he tried to reason with himself from pistol whipping Poppy. “ There is a good chance the child will cry, if I start whipping the piss out of him, but I will get him. OH FUCK YES, I WILL.” He threatened in his head.

With his back still to the others, the silence he had stopped as he mentioned something to Poppy in particular “ Oh don't worry, Poppy, I will return the favor. This I, Marcus Q. Maximus, promise.” Through as it was him giving a threat, the timing and the wording, made it sound like Marcus had accepted Poppy's proposal of being very best friends.


He finally calmed down and turned to face the others. “ That sounds, alright. I haven't fully explored the area so it should be interesting. This theater of dreams.” Marcus mentioned as he showed interest in Saura's suggestion of heading over to the theater of dreams. He picked up his tea cup and took one final sip and then answered Poppy's question. He first needed some tea to quench his thirst as inner rage will do that. “ Arsene Lupin, a gentlemen thief, said to rival the great detective Sherlock Holmes.”

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

~Behind the Curtain~

Lothian smirked as J was about to berate him, getting ready to make a witty retort to his/her comments, but as the store owner asked them to follow her, Lothian obliged. But before beginning to follow he looked back at J, "See ya around," he paused for a second before his devilish grin returned to his face, "Lady-boy." He turned his back to her/him and picked up his duffel bag and followed the woman around with a semi-bored face. He slung the bag over his shoulder and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his black leather coat.

"Now if this was the Necronomicon ex Mortus then I'd be a lot more inclined to read it," Lothian said sliding his hand over the cover of the book, "Unfortunately not even my boss knows where that book of fun and games is, if it even exists." He unzipped the bag and dropped the book in his duffel bag, and looked to the linen envelopes. "As for the lodgings I should really bunk up with someone, cause I got this, uhh, thing," he folded his arms and looked at the owner, "If ya don't mind." Lothian grumbled angrily in latin as he thought of what his masters often called a 'gift', but to him being a medium for ghosts and demons was more of a curse.

~Shadows Apartment~

Vivi looked between the two women with a confused look. She moved next to Shadows and stood next to him with her instrument case, she leaned close to him her shoulder barely grazing against his arm. "What are they talking about?" she asked him in a whisper. Vivi set down her violin case and straightened back up and looked between Claire and Angel. "I was kind of... out of it," she added quietly wringing her hands together.

_________________

~ Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Kitchen ~

Thomas kept himself occupied by, conjuring up a litany he had heard when he was younger. There were a number that he turned to when he was meditating, but this was one of the more common ones.

I I must not fear.Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

After saying it in his mind once, he turned to Callaghan. "Doctor Callaghan, if I may be so bold, what exactly do you do?" Thomas said, gazing at him intently. The question itself was loaded. He meant far more than Callaghan's profession. He was also asking how much he already knew about the situation in the world. And how exactly he was connected to the Father and Marie.

-Felix Clothiers, The Powder Room-

Ruscoe made his way inside, disappointed to see that there were no other doors for him to slip into so he could do his other business and rummage through Felix's things. To look through clues of course. Clues to what, Ruscoe had no idea, but people always left tracks to something. No office to sneak into, but Ruscoe could still snoop.

He went into the bathroom, locked the door and pulled out a cellphone. He dialed a number, a friend of his did paperwork at the police station. Well, honestly, Ruscoe couldn't really call him a friend. He remembered at one point in time holding onto the man's wife as she stumbled from a police party to go vomit in the alleyway. It didn't exactly endear Ruscoe to the man, especially when he saw the two of them walk back in, her hands all over Ruscoe. But explanations were made and his wife vouched for Ruscoe, so with still a bit of suspicion, this "friend" of Ruscoe's said that he owed him.

Ruscoe didn't forget that part. Especially since it happened just thirty seconds after the man clocked him on the jaw.

"I'm sorry, but Harold Blum" The name came low and gravelly, totally opposite the serene female voice, "is not available. Leave a message after the beep."

BEEP

"Hey, Harold, it's Ruscoe. From New York. We worked together at the department. I'm passing through here on a case, thought I'd say hi. Maybe we can get a drink or something. I might just cash in on that favor you owe me. Call me back."

Ruscoe sighed and put the phone away. He checked himself in the mirror, gave up and stepped out the "powder room."

It was going to be his turn soon.

_________________

~ Gwenna Morridain's School for the Gifted, away they go! ~

Saura smiled at how openly the Satyr spoke. It was wonderful when things flowed so easily. His friend was a little more difficult, almost shocking. When he turned his back her face twisted into a worried expression. Her dainty hand reached up to cover her gaping mouth. Was he all right? Did she say something wrong? Did she insult him? Such a wonderful friendship in the throes of tearing apart before it had time to bud from its most fragile innocent stages to a full grown…. Her mind trailed off until he spoke. She was slightly confused by his first statement but relieved when he said her suggestion sounded wonderful. Of course, in her mind she romanticized his language, just a little.
With a soft smiled the girl stood and placed her napkin on the table, the tea set could be washed at a later date. She turned her back to the boys and fixed her skirt and veil, giving herself a nod of approval, before turning to see them again. A soft toothless smiled slipped across her face.
“That is a wonderful costume, come now we should be going. Please just leave your tea cups on the saucers, I will clean it later.” She smiled and tried to herd the men out of the room and their way to the theater of dreams.


~Rose apartments , Shadows place~

Claire listed to her and nodded biting her bottom lip softly. She knew her friend was correct, his blood ties did not give him any right, but it was hard to allow someone to step in. Every part of her was fighting. Part wanted her to give the codependent little prick everything he deserved, but she also couldn’t let the poor confused innocent little boy be hurt. The girls’ hands clinched before reaching up to run through her hair. With a deep breath, the girl collected herself again. She accepted the towels from the blond beauty and nodded.

“ I’m sure if you bring it up to the right person something will get done, but I don’t know what the right path is, and to be honest most of us are a little too confused to do anything,” she paused for a second, "Mikey told Claire she’s crazy. Or to be exact, he said ‘you should go see someone...like, a psychologist’,” the girl sighed and shook her head, “I will be out in a few minutes, I promise.” The girl turned and slipped into the bathroom to take a 3 minute shower.


~ Emerald Tower, lobby ~

Kane stopped short of the entrance to the Emerald tower. His skin glistened softly with sweat from his run over. Long nimble fingers ran over his short silver hair as he prepared to enter. He always enjoyed his entrance into the tower. A slight smile, a wink, a suggestive look was all it took to make the normal night receptionists heart flutter, at least in his opinion. A perfect white smile rested on his chiseled jaw as he walked in glancing over at the front desk. The boy paused for a second, this wasn't normal. Sure there was occasionally someone else at the desk, but not normally a babe as... well hot as her. He could have just walked past, women that pretty normally have an attitude that doesn’t mesh well with his, but her plea to have the receptionist bare her apology did not sit with the boy. Without second thought, he turned to the desk and strolled over. A charming smile shone in the receptionist direction, ignoring the other female.

“Hello Pumpkin, how has your night been?” he made small talk with an underlying tone of something a little more unsavory to it. After his few words with his 'ons', the boy turned back to the new comer. “You know it’s not fair to make Kate the messenger. Not to mention the fact that apologies are best served in person.” The boy tilted his head to look at the woman, showing off the perfectly sculpted lines of his face.

Emerald Tower, Lobby

Genevieve had made a small mound of her bags a few feet from the desk, her attention focused on the room's display screens. She swept an offhanded glance over the new arrival, but for the most part she seemed to pay neither he nor the receptionist any heed. After all, she could hear them just fine from here. The facade was ruined, though, at the disgusted face she made once he started speaking. Pumpkin, really?, she thought, her eyes rolling heavenward. She had carefully schooled her features back into a neutral expression by the time she heard Kane's approach.

For a second it seemed as though she wouldn't respond. Nothing in her manner suggested that she'd even noticed his presence. She supposed he'd given her a bit of the "silent treatment" as an insult; however, if she refused to acknowledge the slight, she knew it would entirely derail whatever efforts he'd made. The clear disapproval in his words, though, wasn't so easily ignored. "Oh, damn, I expected her to do her job and relay a message," she replied, her gaze still trained on the view of the indoor forest. If she hadn't sounded so bored, it would have even seemed sincere.

"Truly, I am an awful person." Her words were flat with sarcasm, to match the jeering look she finally gave Kane. "This has nothing to do with you, so stay out of it, please." The polite word dripped with acid as she resumed her original pleasant facade, turning once more to disregard him in favor of the decor.

_________________


Why follow me to higher ground?
Lost as you swear I am...
-- "December," Collective Soul

~ Emerald Tower, Lobby ~


Kate gave the pretty blonde woman a sweet, shy smile, reaching for the phone, and then colored immediately when Kane's voice pulled her attention to the well-muscled young man.

"Ah...." She searched for words that failed her, and silently thanked Cockroach when his attention was pulled to Genevieve. Poor Kate wasn't so handy in personal situations, especially where it concerned a guy who apparently wanted her (though she couldn't fathom why, she wasn't that pretty), but didn't want to be her boyfriend or have any type of commitment with her. It left her very confused.

She averted her attention to the phone, lifting the receiver and dailing quietly to deliver the message.










~ Emerald Tower, Residential Floor ~

Melissa's phone rang with a jarring jingle, and she pulled the flat flip-peice from her jacket, the movement flashing a peek at the matte black 9mm pistol that she had hidden under the jacket in a shoulder holster.

"Anderson. Yes?" She turned away from the trio, talking quietly into the phone. "I understand. She's cleared to come up."

She flipped the phone shut, turning to look at her little Spec Ops team with a smile. "Well, looks like you won't have very long to wait to meet her, after all."









~ Rose Apts, Shadows' Apartment ~

Angel sighed softly, moving to pull the bathroom door closed as she exited, though she did turn to speak through it just before the crack closed completely.

"Seeing a psychologist doesn't make you crazy, Lith." She pressed her free hand against the doorjamb as she closed the door softly, and then moved to fetch some clothing for the girl, quietly opening the bathroom door once more to set the items on the sink before retreating again.

She paused in the hallway, closing her eyes and hugging herself tightly before taking a deep breath, as though she were the one that needed comfort. The breath seemed to strengthen her, because she lifted her head with her normal soft smile in place, and hurried back to the open floor plan of the kitchen and living area.

"Terribly sorry about that." She moved to Shadows, resting a hand on his arm and reaching up on her tip-toes to peck a kiss on his cheek. "Lyle, sweetie...I think I'm going to ask Claire to help me with the delivery if you don't want to drag Viviana to the Tower." She turned a sugary sweet smile on the Tzmisce, "If you want to come and sightsee, though, I'd be more than happy to give you a bit of work."










~ Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Kitchen ~

Marie slipped back in, settling her cap on her head. Battered black sneakers now covered her feet, and her trusty backpack with the baseball bat handle sticking out of it was slung across her good shoulder.

She glanced up at the trio, arching a brow at the strange atmosphere, sensing that she entered in the middle of a conversation.









~ Felix's Clothiers ~

The thin gay man chuckled, stepping back as he noted the last of Torin's measurements.

"Well, I can assure you that I only ever speak fact, cutie." He looked Torin over, from head to feet, and gave a little nod, stepping back so the irishman could step down from the dias.

"All done...I'll want you back here in 4 days for a fitting, just to be sure everything is perfect."

He gave Torin a bright smile, and then crooked a finger at Ruscoe. "Your turn, sweet-cheeks."









~ The Bamboo Tower, Lobby ~

The receptionist looked up at the detective, her eyes flat and bored for a moment before she raised a long-nailed hand and pointed to the tall Japanese man who stood near the fountain in the center of the floor.



Atemida's eyes followed Marshal like a cat watching the movements of small and only slightly interesting prey. He straightened the cuff of his jacket over his watch and arched a brow, unmoving from where he stood. He would make the detective come to him--a small reminder that the man was in foreign territy and treading on the proverbial glass floor.









~ Behind the Curtain ~

"That book would not be free," the tattooed woman said through a cryptic grin to Lothian.

She tilted her head, looking as though she was only half-listening to Lynn. When the woman took the envelope from her hand, Aurilye rolled her head on her shoulders to give the asian woman a sly, almost sleepy smile.

"You have my guarantee that you will not be bored, Brother-Sister."

_________________

Official Forum Mom

~~Felix Clothier's to Elyslum: Entrance~~

Torin stepped lightly off the dais as Felix pronounced him done, and gave the man a wide smile as he walked around him and picked up his camera case, clipping it to the back of his belt once more. "Ah'll be here then." He grabbed the packages he had set down on the counter earlier and nodded to Ruscoe before exiting the shop, and heading back up the way he came, he had a delivery to make. His long strides easily got him back to the apartment building he now resided in, but continued on to the Elyslum, whistling slightly as he did so. Presenting his work to subjects always put him in a cheerful mood as he approached the steel doors he had spent so much time outside of the night before.

_________________
Zath: Behold, Karo: The only woman in existence who can make Fenix shut the fuck up.
Redsnow: That, and, frankly, if Karo doesn't like you that much, your character is probably going to die soon after his acceptance anyway.
Keiran: Bad RPs don't get picked, unmemberable RPs get ignored.
Zelosse: I don't usually laugh at blatant attitude, but when I do. It usually involves Karo.

~ Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Kitchen ~

Michael’s brow furrowed as the strange question slipped past his ears. He knew what it was the man meant by the employment of such blunt and awkward words, and he had only one answer to present in return.

“I am a doctor, Thomas.” He said, a twang of invisible flame in his words. For a moment, the subtle shifts in his posture seemed to broadcast his displeasure at the insinuation creeping in Thomas’ words, and the assumption. He did not enjoy being grouped with these people, and the impression of it radiated outward, making him seem, just for a heartbeat or two, a wholly taller, nobler thing than a somewhat lanky doctor with an itch for neatness. He was, in that instant, unapproachable.

“I help people,” came the final part to his answer (and it certainly was very final), as Marie entered and the fierce air began to wane, as if retreating back into Michael’s flesh, leaving him once again as just a man in a white coat.

He ran a hand down his tie, as if the silent display of anger had creased him somehow, and turned to Marie. Standing there, in her cap and trainers, the bat sticking out like an odd limb, she reminded him of something that had shattered and been pieced back together in not quite the right way. For some reason he couldn’t help but smile reassuringly before his eyes flicked back over to Thomas.

“Now, we really must be going.” Yes, yes, he had put this off for far too long… “I apologize if I seem a little brief, but the night is only so long, and we are off to see a very busy person…”

_________________

As I thought, he is an ally of circumstance only. I would do well to remember that, unless I want to find myself a little further up shit creek than I already am. I didn't realize how much I had come to depend on Saire, until now. Saire was always around, keeping me alive at times. How foolish of me to allow such weakness. How stupid to try and replace him with these people. So it's for the best really.

"Well, I'm sure you are a great doctor. It is a noble profession, I think. " He said honestly, smiling, and seemingly unperturbed by the vehemence the doctor had just shown, and in fact a little amused by it. The fact that he could still cause such alienation with a single sentence was reassuring and a bit amusing in and of itself. Besides the Doctor had told him what he needed to hear, and he would remember the lesson, even if the Doctor didn't know he had taught it.

"Not at all. I'm sorry, to have interrupted." Thomas replied

-Bamboo Tower, Lobby-

“Well well, look who decided to be useful today.” Marshal eyed the woman with disdain before casting a sideways glance towards the man he was supposed to be meeting. “Ah, good.” He remarked. “Seriously lady, why the hell do these people even pay you?” Marshal blew some air out his nose, annoyed, and turned away from the receptionist’s desk and began to make is way towards Atimida. He sized the man up as he did, the man’s eyes narrow and scrutinizing. The way he was dressed was reminiscent of Commons from the day before; well dressed, expensive tastes. Clearly he wanted to make a similar impression, namely that he had the power here. Marshal was similarly unimpressed and it showed. That was where the similarities ended however. Atimida was no Commons, that’s for sure. He had a look in his eye like a cat watching a mouse from afar. It just oozed arrogance. “Damn, as if I wasn’t pissed off enough already today.” Ringing him dry would take a little finesse. Too bad finesse was a quality in which Marshal was severely lacking. “Ah, so you must be Mr. Atimida.” He greeted the man with a nod, about as gracious a gesture as he was going to get. “I’m Frederick Marshal, private detective. Thank you for meeting with me. If you don’t mind I was hoping I could ask you a couple of questions.” For the moment he was playing it cool, testing the waters as it were, but careful not to kowtow to Atimida’s perceived self importance. “Your move.” He thought, waiting for a reply.

~ Behind the Curtain ~

Without a word- but always with a smirk on her face- Kate took the book, and then the envelope. Oh, she was already seeing the great possibilities of staying in this place for a while. It seemed she had happened to arrive in moments of tension, and what time was better to learn and teach? Not to mention people did the weirdest things when they were pushed to their limits. She didn't even pay much attention to the book. Maybe later, with more time and less interesting people around. One seemed to exude the typical 'serious business' glare that old magical farts were so adept to, while other was far more talkative. As usual, it was impossible to tell the length of their abilities just by watching them talk and move.

"Sweetness; hey, sister!" The woman moved to the side of the serious glass wearer, teeth bearing person, giving her one good look. "Want a roomie? Yes? Yes?"

((That's you Cas btw))

_________________

~Behind the Curtain~

Lothian sighed and picked up the linen envelope, glancing back at J every now and then. He held the thing in his hands not bothering to open it yet. He looked at the tattooed woman who handed out the books and gave her a bright smile, "I would like to read it sometime, if you would let me. But thats something to talk about later." Lothian looked at the other members of the group before he opened his envelope and removed the contents, holding them in his hand. After the zealot's eyes finished examining the item(s) within he looked back up at the proprietor of the establishment, remaining quiet.

~Shadow's Apartment~

"Whatever," Viviana said, her heightened senses dying down to their normal state. She concluded that whatever the two were talking about in the other room was none of her business, and wouldn't pry. However she was a little annoyed Shadows hadn't responded. As the woman came out of the other room and offered to take her sight seeing she looked between the two of them "I think I'm supposed to stay with Shadows," she said looking at the woman, " I wouldn't want to rouse any suspicions against me," she said nervously, "Unless Shadows comes along I'll sit it out." Vivi sat down on the couch and hung her head a bit, realizing she may be acting a little overly cautious.

_________________

-Felix's Clothiers-

Ruscoe held his hands up like a runaway criminal at gunpoint. It was inevitable. The fairy was going to have his way with Ruscoe. There was nothing left to do except close his eyes, hope for the best, and try not to tighten up. He stepped up to the tailor and against the will of every cell in his body, gave his body to Fabulous Felix to do with what he wanted.

"Be gentle." Ruscoe whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

All the while Ruscoe thought of the cash prize at the end of the road. Just hold on a little more, Ruscoe, you'll crack this case yet.

_________________

~ Behind the Curtain ~

"'Brother-sister,' huh?" Lynne smirked and crossed her arms in droll amusement. This store had something to offer after all. "Less Brother and more Sister; a little less than kin and more than kind."

The Brotherhood was a paradoxical existence for her. It was not the society she was born into, nor did it ostracize her. For the whole of her part, she avoided unnecessary association with them outside of the times she wanted instruction from elders. They were a service that provided goods to her. Materialism, a great illusion of the world and such, she feasted upon wholeheartedly. They would think poorly of such base attachment to inevitable recycling in samsara, but a life of asceticism killed the humanistic soul. She lived by that soul, and monastic rites and vows were never hers to begin with.

"Looking forward to working with you, Madame. Namaste, Añjali Mudrā, et cetera..." Her voice trailed off when she heard the other mages entreating her for lodging.

"Chouxiaozi." (Stinky Lad) she thought inwardly with sour humor as she heard the Euthanatos speak.

Her expression almost immediately soured. Decades of cold-shouldering, back-to-back frigid relations, and these two could only think of shacking up with her? Besides, Lynn hated roommates.

"What?" She smiled at the other mages. It wasn't impossible for her to perceive their respective orders, but there was some room for error in her guesswork. "If you can't afford a cheap hotel room, I'd suggest the hostel. Though it might not be as comfortable as you'd like..."

She didn't seem entirely opposed to splitting rent at some place, but she didn't appear to value their company.

_________________
FUKKATSU

~ Behind the Curtain ~

Kate wasn't really listening to anyone save the woman; the whole brother-sister business had her without much care at the moment. "I guess you can actually have the best from both worlds eh?", mentioned vaguely as she gave her/him a wink.

Lynn’s answer was anything but concrete. “I was going to get a suite in some fancy hotel, actually, or take the nice probably-yet-not-completely-proven-to-be-lady’s offer for accommodation; I mean, money isn’t really…naaaah.” She was about to pat the woman in the back, but the idea of losing her hand happened to cross her mind; she was trying to be nice anyway. “I’m more interested in the company, you see? If I have to pay everything then sure, let’s do that.” She always had a weakness for helping people, sometimes when they really didn’t need it, but this time she also had reasons to be interested on watching the woman a little longer.

“Besides, it’s no fun if we don’t stick together~.”

_________________

~ The Emerald Tower, Hallway ~

"Huh.. Its not Vince here." Racheal remarked. Not exactly stunned or surprised at the fact that they were in doubt of Vince's leadership abilities, if he had them at all that is. Though she did frown at the fact that they were so quick to replace him before he even had a try and fail.

Growling softly at Vince Racheal really couldn't help her annoyance. "Aren't you at least a little bit pissed." She asked, her voice low and tense. Why was she annoyed. It made no sense. She didn't particularly care much when it came to other's affairs. So why was she butting in?

"Screw. What do I care if you wanna hide in someone's shadow." She wasn't his baby sister. He do what ever the hell he wanted. "I'm going. I got see If I can get these glasses repaired." She announced as she began her departure.

_________________
The Dinobots can combine! What they combine to is death!

http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/d/d2/The_B ... 2_full.jpg

~ The Rose Apartments, Shadow's Apartment ~

The second time Shadows heard Vivi say his name was enough to bring him back to reality. He unintentionally found himself recounting the past; how he came to meet Claire and Kane, how he killed that mark and destroyed the life of a little girl, how he even came to this city. The trigger for this stroll down memory lane was unknown to Shadows, and he decided not to pursue the matter further. His past hurt, it had no place in the present.

"From my experience, it tends to be a good idea to avoid getting involved unless invited. Not because you would be intruding, but rather getting involved without request means trouble, somehow..." He left that thought open and took a seat on his couch next to Vivi. "I hope you don't mind, I have to do this before I forget," Shadows said, and he drew one of his sidearms, the magnum he so often carried, and began disassembling it as if to clean it. He reached under the couch and withdrew his hidden cleaning kit and prepped the table to start his maintenance.

~ The Emerald Tower, Hallway ~

Aubrey 'observed' the atmosphere change right before him. The numerous attitudes in the air were beginning to sicken his stomach... perhaps he was right at home. Egos clashed all around him back on the reservation, and often he found himself overhearing alpha-calls (and omega crawls) whenever heated debate or ritual combat arose. He knew it was time to get out of there.

"Good meeting you all," he said plainly. He turned in the direction of Melissa, "I must be leaving." He knew which room was his; he asked the Spirits to show him the location earlier and Melissa had already provided him a key. He nodded at the two team members and took his leave. He moved down the hall, halted at his door, and entered.

After securing the door behind him, he let loose a sigh... I need to meditate...

_________________
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Laozi

-Emerald Tower Hallway, Vince-

Vince glanced curiously at the metal thing that Melissa seemed to hid in her jacket. Was he seeing things or...ah shit, Michelle had said something about only executives being allowed to spill blood in the lounge. Maybe it was a pistol or a taser? Despite the smile on her face, Vince couldn't help but look at Melissa with a new sense of fear. Great, she could fire him in the literal sense too if he made any mistakes. “Oh, well that's a pleasant surprise.” Now what would the new team member be like? Melissa hadn't said anything about the positions of the team shifting when Aubrey arrived, so whoever the girl was, she must have been pretty impressive. Maybe even some kind of prodigy like Enter's sister was?

“Huh?” Vince turned to face Rachael, she said something about him being upset even though she was the one who looked like she was about to blow a gasket. “I'm sorry, what? The letter I got said nothing about leading the team, and I'm kind of iffy about a job that I'm not sure I can do that will get people killed if I make any mistakes. I'm not complaining.” Vince slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he looked at Rachelle with a mixture of curiosity and just a pinch of irritation.

What did it matter to her if he was the leader of the team, and why was she getting mad about him not wanting to? Vince wasn't sure what to make of her outburst, if her irritation could really be called that. She wasn't exactly a social person, so was it concern or some ulterior motive that was causing Rachael to act this way?

“Sure, bye guys...” Vince waved awkwardly as both Aubrey and Rachael turned to leave. Apparently they weren't quite as excited about their new teammate as he was, not that he could really blame them much. He seemed to be the only one had a reason for wanting to see what the new arrival was like outside of just wanting to try to be friendly.

Yeah...maybe they'd be someone nice? Or a military hardass?

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~ DuBois Estate, Lillian's House, In Front of Lucy's Bedroom ~

Arietta huffed through her nose as Victor patted her on the head. Hmpf, treating her like a kid. Surprisingly, she didn't swat his fingers away. His large hand was comforting somehow, despite the fact that it was something typically done to children. Arietta bit her bottom lip and turned to leave once Victor's attention was once again on fiddling with his precious weapons. Before she left the room, however, she turned her head and peered back at her guardian's arched spine, his eyes and focus concentrating on his craft. "Victor..." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts, a tired and grim expression aging her youthful features. "If...if thaumaturgy doesn't work then..." She shook her head. "Nevermind. I'm going to go wake up your friend."

She scurried off and up the stairs before Victor could say anything; somewhere inside Arietta had a feeling Victor would refuse any of the other methods of blood bond breaking mentioned, so it was a moot point to bother asking. Still, if it came down to it...well, they had time to think about it. Besides, the thaumaturgy method might work out.

The young vampire reached Lucy's door with an air of restrained panic. She had been awfully rude the other night; Arietta only hoped that Lucy wasn't too miffed at her attitude. Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice on her bedroom door. "Um...Lucy? It's me, Arietta..."

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-- Sketch Blog -- My Art Thread -- DeviantArt --

~Gwenna Morridain's School for the Gifted----Off To The Theatre of Dreams~

The way Marcus was acting had worried the satyr. Had he said something wrong? He sure hoped not. He didn’t want to say anything to hurt his best friend. But there was also the possibility that the nocker wasn’t upset. ’Maybe, he’s thinking about how wonderful it would be for us to be the best of friends!’ he reassured himself silently. And sure enough, when Marcus turned around and told him of his “acceptance” of his proposal, the satyr had absolutely no clue whatsoever that Marcus was really giving him a threat. In fact, when Marcus stated he would “return the favor”, Poppy very much felt like giving him a big hug. ”Tha’s great! I’m sure we’ll be great friends!” he commented on Marcus’s decision, not knowing just what he was getting himself into.

”A detective huh?” he then said in response to Marcus’s answer to his question. He smiled, ”I think it suits you! You look like the sort of guy who could be a detective.” Of course, Poppy meant this as a compliment, despite the fact he really didn’t know that much about detectives.

When Saura mentioned they were leaving he stood up, teaming with excitement. ”We’re goin’ already?” It wasn’t like he didn’t want to go. Poppy couldn’t wait to visit the Theatre of Dreams. It even had a sort of romantic ring to it. The Theatre of Dreams, a place where all your dreams will come true! Just like in fairy tales! He obediently put his tea cup on the saucer and followed Saura, off to the Theatre of Dreams. As he did so he couldn’t help but hum the tune to “The Wizard of Oz”. We’re off to see the wizard…the wonderful wizard of Oz. It wasn’t like they were going to see a wizard anytime soon however, but that didn’t stop Poppy from humming it. That tune was made for wondrous adventures.

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Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

~ DuBois Estate, Lillian's House, Dining Room ~

"She cares for you as much as you care for her, I think." Lillian said softly as she swept into the dining room, setting the dishes out for 'breakfast.'

"I don't think she realizes that that care would still be there even if the blood bond were broken."











~ Emerald Tower, Residential Floor ~

Melissa's mouth turned down at the corners as two of her group slipped away. Well, she would just have to make sure they were apprised of their schedules later tonight. It wouldn't do to have them miss out on their first team-building exercise, now would it?

She turned to Vince, clearing her throat. "I'm glad to see that at least someone has an interest in the last member of your team." She turned, her low heels clicking on the spotless tile as she walked back toward the elevator, keeping her pace slow enough that he wouldn't have to walk too fast to keep up.









~ Felix's Clothiers ~

The fabulous flaming fag of a tailor chuckled at Ruscoe's whispered request, and, perhaps to the detective's dismay or chagrin, he was perfectly professional. His hands didn't linger a moment longer than necessary, even for the infamous inseam measurement.

Once he was done, Felix stepped back, noting the last of the numbers on his handy-dandy pad of paper, and then flicked his hand at Ruscoe. "There...I'll need you back for a fitting, of course, but you're done for now, sweetheart."

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Official Forum Mom

-Felix's Clothiers-

Ruscoe slowly opened his eyes. He had tried to keep his flinching to a minimum and incredibly he had succeeded. Felix despite his appearance was not so invasive with the hands. Ruscoe couldn't help but let an audible sigh of relief escape his lips. He stopped short of wiping his brow, though. Taking back a little bit of his composure Ruscoe shook Felix's hand, refrained from wincing when the man called him sweetheart and politely told him, "Thanks for everything, Felix, I'll see you when I see you."

Ruscoe gave a short wave as he left the shop.

Well, that wasn't as horrible as Ruscoe thought it would be. He lit a cigarette and started puffing away at it immediately. All things considered, all the pieces were falling neatly into place. They had a finger on the teenage girl. Ruscoe blinked. They had a finger on the whereabouts of that teenage girl. The finger being poor Marshall, stuck with stakeout duty. Ruscoe smirked at the thought. And they had a pretty nice lead with that ballroom dance for the missing lady, invitation and all. Usually Ruscoe would have to sneak into these sort of fancy events, but meeting Felix might have been one of the best things to happen to Ruscoe. Not in that way, of course.

Things were going smoothly.

Ruscoe bit down hard on his cigarette and tasted the poison. He tossed it, most of the tobacco already burned. Ripe time for something to go wrong. Fate always had a way of fucking Ruscoe's life up. He really didn't think coming to Tarrytown would make that any different.

Putting another cigarette between his lips, Ruscoe got into his car and headed off to meet his partner.

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