At first glance, Primrose Terrace seems like an ordinary apartment building. Surrounded by a well-maintained garden with a small pond in the corner, its primrose bushes line its borders among the tall trees. The building itself is ten stories high, with a rooftop swimming pool, a luxurious lounge on the ground floor, and of course, fully furnished studio apartments. However, one should not let its picturesque appearance fool them...for each of the residents of Primrose Terrace have a secret.

They're not human.

Of course, ordinary people have no idea of this. They are under the belief that the apartment building is a place for the wealthy, and inhabited by people so important that they have their own personal bodyguards. They steer clear of the tall iron gates of the complex, though occasionally there are a few visitors loitering nearby, hoping to get a peek of the famous residents. No one dare approaches the territory, however. There's a rumor that you'll get arrested if you're unauthorized.

Currently, one resident was trying to leave the premises without attracting unnecessary attention. Dressed in shorts and a white ruffle shirt, the black-haired woman was an interesting sight as she stood impatiently tapping her foot on the paved path, glaring at a spot outside of the gates. A band of girls from the local high-school were hiding (poorly so) among the trees near the road, and she knew that as soon as she would step through the gates, they would try to follow her. Of course, she could lose them once she was in the city, but it wasn't easy doing that alone, especially since her bodyguard had left recently and she was still adjusting to not having an extra pair of eyes help her. Taking a calming breath, the young woman sat down on a bench nearby, casting her eyes on the tall building opposite her.

It was nearing lunch time, with the sun still high up, making the apartment building cast its tall shadow over the grounds. Kimiko couldn't see any new residents nearby, and she intended to keep it that way, at least until she had the chance to check up on their backgrounds first. She'd avoided going to the lounge for breakfast, opting to eat in her room just so that she wouldn't run into anyone. Though, if the annoying kids didn't disappear soon, she'd probably have to make an appearance. There was only so long she could go by with snacking on granola bars in her room.

"OhmygawdHime-chaaaaan~!"

A high pitched voice came from the nearby bushes as a short high school girl with vivid blonde hair and a sickeningly bright pink tank top popped out, waving furiously at Kimiko. The girl's eyes were wide as she bounced around, keeping out of arms reach of the other girl as she pointed at her furiously, batting her eyes with a huge grin as she spoke in a heavy valley girl accent. The wind carried a heavy scent of cinnamon around her as she clapped both hands to her cheeks.

"Are you pouting? Ohmahgaw, that so doesn't suit you! You should smile, you're SOOOOOO pretty whenyousmile!"

The girl pulled a wild spin, and her hair cascaded down around her, before splitting apart to reveal a white haired young man in a blue coat, eyes glinting as he grinned at Kimiko, standing with folded arms.

"Sorry Hime-chan, I couldn't resist."

Capello's pet name for Kimiko, Japanese for Princess, despite all protests. The fox had no real special meaning behind it. The girl was Japanese, or at least her name was, and had been raised with great reverence. It wasn't said with disdain or a mocking tone, but it was definitely a tease. The fox demon chuckled, putting a hand over his mouth as he examined the high school girls in the bushes.

"Fan club? How sweet! Oh, and don't worry about rumors about you and some boy talking, they can't actually see me right now. Or could they possibly be bullies? Jealousy of your beauty, of your sweet elusive smile! Oh, youth!"

The fox fanned himself with one hand, giving an idle chuckle and seeming to choose to not remember that he was only four years older than the girl. At least, if his age was to be believed anyway.

"Want me to scare em off for you, Hime? You know, so you can run off without supervision for what I can only assume to be a secret tryst with a man. Ahh, forbidden love."

He held one hand near his mouth, as if conspiring with her.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me! Personally, I'm all for loving humans. Can't get enough of the little buggers really, they're adorable. Dumber than a balloon in a field of pins, but sweet! Like a big stupid baby, you just wanna protect em!"

Capello was full of energy today, that much was obvious. His grin was far too wide, far too eager. With the fox, that was rarely a good sign for anyone looking for solitude. And odds are the Capello currently talking was just another illusion, and the real fox was watching from somewhere else, trying to muffle his laughter.

Mattis lounged. So far, nobody had had any interest in using his pool today, despite the glorious weather. He'd checked the pH and the salinity, skimmed the pool twice and dislodged a stray Frisbee from the filter. Now, he was bored: the major drawback to his job. Staring up at the blue sky through four or five feet of water, he released the lungful of air he'd been keeping and watched the sigh bubble up to the surface. What time was it anyway? Lunch time, perhaps? Wading over to the side, he grabbed hold of the bottom rung of the ladder and heaved himself up.

Thirty minutes. Darn. He considered skimming the pool one more time, but the surface gleamed as cleanly and clearly as the sky it mirrored. Kicking one of the lounge chairs aside, Mattis slouched over the fence surrounding the rooftop and gazed out onto the town below. More people should swim, he decided, frown settling heavily over his eyes. Why don't more people swim? Maybe they don't like me. Maybe they're afraid of me. Biting his lip, he reflected on this for a moment.

Is that Miss Hoshi? He stood up a little straighter, squinting down at the black-haired girl. She seemed hesitant and--oh, it was Campana! A short-lived smile lit his face for a second, quickly replaced by a frustrated huff. What was going on? He slouched over again, watching intently for lack of anything else to distract him from his darkening mood.

"Why not come swimming?" he muttered, wishing the distant figures would hear his suggestion. "The water's lovely and the lifeguard's bored!"

Quiet. That was the aura that enveloped Gins room, as she sat on the balcony, watching the everyday people on the streets below. Not the kind of quiet that makes you uncomfortable, but the kind that lets you be at peace with your thoughts. Gin was used to quiet, and welcomed it, as she predicted she wouldn't be having much more of it.
Primrose was very much a new thing with her, as she had never lived in an apartment, and the fact that none of the inhabitants were human didn't help ease her into the situation, though it seemed like a nice enough place. She had only ever met the owner of the apartment and the maid, Marie, or was it Maddie? She'd have to ask again later. But they both seemed rather friendly, although the maid had almost broken her door handle trying to get it open.

It was almost lunch, and Gin supposed that she should try to interact with the others who lived here, or at least get to know the place. Walking over to the sink, Gin went through her daily activities, smiling as she remembered how her grandmother would always nag her as a child, telling her that the spirits would come and steal her teeth if she didn't take care of them. It wasn't true of course, but Gin had always believed her, fretting over the stories and sometimes staying awake to try and see if they were really real. Finally finished, she clipped a few flowers into her hair. Slipping her shawl around her shoulders, she stood for a moment, letting it and her tail sway in the light breeze coming from her window.

Gin gritted her teeth, hand on the doorknob as she mentally prepared herself for what was ahead. She always tried her best to get close to people, but always lost her nerve and ran the second they weren't looking. But this would be different. She was going to find someone, someone who she could be close to and not have to worry about losing. Someone that could understand her, even when she didn't know how to say it out loud. A friend. After repeating the words in her head, Gin pushed open the door looking determined. She silently through down the hall, down the stairs, and towards the direction of the front doors. It was unlikely that many were still asleep, so she had decided to see what the apartment held, and possibly start a casual conversation with somebody.

By the front gate Gin could see what looked like a girl, but she was facing away from her, and it seemed as if she was speaking to someone else. Walking far enough away so that she wouldn't intrude, Gin went to see the primrose bushes that lined the gates. The leaves were a beautiful green, and the flowers looked new and fresh, reminding her of the garden that she had back at the temple. A frown settled across her face as she remembered how it had been destroyed, leaving only the crushed soil, devoid of any color or life. She shook off the thought, spotting a ladybug crawling along one of the leaves. Letting it crawl slowly across her arm, Gin turned to look up at the sky. She was going to be fine, and she knew her grandmother would always be watching her, protecting from the spirits that wished her ill will.

Finally remembering the girl she had seen earlier, Gin noticed a group of girls across the street, whispering and pouting at the girl. The girl had long black hair, similar to her own, and seemed rather impatient as she looked at the gate. Gin still couldn't clearly see the other due to the suns glare, but from what she could guess he seemed male, taller than the girl next to him. Gin suspected that they were going out, but were hindered by the girls who seemed to think that they couldn't be seen. She frowned slightly as the ladybug crawled across her elbow, wondering if thats what all the residents here went through.

Walking silently towards her destination, the tall, wild-haired woman turned quite a few heads as she passed. Dressed as if she had stepped straight out of a business meeting, a water bottle in one hand as she dragged a small suitcase behind her. Conspicuous, perhaps, but definitely human. Not that Alexis was concerned with how slightly odd her presence was. After all, it wasn't her job to impress random people, after all.
Draining the last of her water with a satisfied gulp, Alexis rounded the corner, mere feet away from her destination now. The sound of small wheels turning against concrete was the only sound the tall woman made as she walked, turning her head towards a voice she could hear.

...Were those girls in that bush supposed to be concealing themselves? Not even 'amateurish' could describe the lack of success present in their attempt. Honestly, the sheer obviousness of their presence was an insult to the concept of stealth itself, but... it was hardly her business.
Ah, the source of the voices. A young girl talking with some energetic boy. She let her gaze linger for a moment, wondering why she couldn't detect a distinct scent from the male. Well... there was no obvious malicious intent, as far as she could tell, so it wasn't something to be overly concerned about, right?

Minding her path, Alexis rounded past the young, black-haired girl standing by the bushes on their side of the road, casting her a small glance as she passed. Nothing friendly, nor antagonist in her gaze. Simply... an analytic look at the girl, before Alexis continued on silently, finally reaching the front gates of her destination.
Primrose Terrace, the place where she would take on her first job. Looking at the building, well within the ground's confines, she wondered just who her charge would be. Not that it ultimately mattered, as she would fulfill her role perfectly, but if it were someone of an annoying or disagreeable disposition...

Akari the Akuma
Visible beads of sweat bordered a pale girl’s white hairline and a color much paler than her already fair complexion emerged across her skin. Weakly hands helped to raise a frail body to its feet clad in geta reeno. Suddenly the demoness halted mid-step and sloughed against a wall dropping a couple of ancient texts near a lounge shrub. It was a miracle her petite frame made it this far without fainting. Red amber eyes closed for a moment as a sigh escaped, gathering her bearings. This happened occasionally as to be expected. The half-yokai only had so much energy to dedicate while continuously binding her resistant akuma half-sister within a tiny amulet necklace. Sometimes more stamina was needed if Kira was feeling especially defiant.

“What ever is the matter Akari-chan? You seem awfully winded today. Perhaps you should leave this foolish place and go back to my shrine. I am all the company you will ever need.” A hauntingly spectral voice spoke fourth that was only audible to Akari. A living nightmare not so easily escaped. Kira always managed to somehow offer unnecessary commentary trying to rile her sister or make her lose focus. It was only a matter of time before this practice would cease to work. Kira had all the time and patience in the world to wait for this exact moment where she could be free and wreak havoc once again.

“Haven’t you any empathy for your poor sister?” A palm was brought to Akair's balmy forehead to gently dab any remaining perspiration away.

“Ha, clearly you underestimate my leniency.” Snidely remarked an aggravated Kira.

“You have none. Everything you’ve ever done is for yourself.” Akari brought the pendant into view and stuck out her tongue at the item before heading to the rooftop for some more air. Perhaps soaking her feet in the pool would do some good. While reaching the destination overlooking a beautiful horizon Akari silently wandered fourth, the bottom of her long kimono beautifully trailing a couple inches behind. Not one for casual attire since she had no clue how to put together a matching outfit...thanks to her sister's old ways. A brow arched however at the peculiar sight of Mattis hunched over like a lurking nightstalker gazing down upon the Terrace below. What was more comical were the murmuring words he said to himself.

He speaks with himself Akari thought with a giggle. Many residents had caught her chatting with Kira on numerous occasions, though they assumed the awkward girl was simply holding a conversation with herself. Placing a finger to her bottom lip Akari nodded deciding to greet the bored gentleman. Taking a few steps forward she raised her hand in a welcoming gesture and began to speak when Kira suddenly intervened.

“Akari! Look out!” The older sister shouted with urgency making Akari in a panic scan the area for what her feet were about to stumble upon. While trying desperately to avoid the invisible obstacle she ended up tripping over her own clogs and landed front first into a gleaming pool with a splash.

“Oh, Akari-chan…how foolish. My pathetic little one.” Kira mocked with a devilish chuckle as she had purposely tricked her gullible little sister.

Sinking to the bottom of rippling water a pile of silk teal material ornately decorated with amethyst peacock feathers descended gradually. Akari was trapped within the mess of layered clothing, each heavy piece dragging her down further. One would have become devastated by this particular incident, an elegant kimono tainted by chlorine but this style was all the ivory haired one wore. Many more lined the inside of her wooden wardrobe so truly only slight loss befell her. This was the least of her worries as Akari remained as still as a rock completely embarrassed, and wondered if perhaps she would stay here for a moment that Mattis would not notice and continue eavesdropping on the tenants below.

Feli tugged the hood of his hoodie up awkwardly with one arm available for him to use. His left one, his right one was heavily bandaged at the shoulder and went down to nearly his elbow. The thick, annoying, layer of bandages protected his recent burn injury from getting infected or rubbing on his clothing. Even so it was rather painful and uncomfortable. It could have been worse though, at least his fever had broken already. The Elf glanced down at his wardrobe and scowled, even though his leader had given him clothing that resembled his usual Elvish garb it still wasn't the same. It was obviously made by human hands and the material wasn't entirely natural, making it itch. He wasn't at all happy about the current situation, but if it meant his family would get to live free without having to fear the stupidity of humans, then so be it.

He slung his bag over his left shoulder. The bag containing pretty much everything he owned. Some clothing, his weapons, and a few trinkets and gifts given to him as goodbye presents. With map in hand telling him where this Primrose Terrace was, Feli took off. Leaving his old life behind. His long, pointed, ears were pressed flat against his head and the hood securely covered them. He was completely on guard as he walked through human territory. The smells coming off the cars was making his stomach turn. As he rounded a corner he was greeting with the sight of an iron gate and an elaborate looking building. Feli rolled his eyes, humans and their fancy houses. The forest was a much better place to live.

His shoulder's tensed as he saw some very poorly hidden girls just outside of the gates. He could never be certain about what humans were thinking about. Though the motion did send shooting pain through his right shoulder, so he was forced to relax a little bit. Silently he walked past the girls, ignoring their rather loud whispers as their conversation shifted from the people standing near the gates to what his gender could possibly be. He approached the girl with black hair and the boy with white hair who were standing near the gates. Feli was sure that they were residents of this place, considering they were actually inside the grounds. "This is the Primrose Terrace, correct?" He wasn't entirely sure if this was the area he was looking for or not. The map wasn't the easiest thing to read, and all buildings looked the same to him.

This was about Andrew's fourth or fifth day at Primrose. Primrose was fine. It wasn't nothing all that special but he didn't mind it. A bit fancy for his taste, but with all those prep schools he been too, he got use to it. He was just roaming around the place, trying to get a firm lay of the land, while he is not very ambitious at all, he isn't inactive. If he has something he has to do, he will do it, and if he doesn't, he would often times just walk or find something to do. Normally it was walking, reading a book, watching something on the television, or just playing like a game of chess or a sport with someone.

Andrew was not one to just go up to people and meet them, he has seen certain people around and might know their name, but he doesn't know know anyone. The idea of not entirely being human and being surrounded by other people who aren't entirely human surprisingly doesn't really bother him all that much. Obviously, their was a great deal of shock and denial when he first learned about it, but as he learned how to use his powers, he just thought it was the coolest thing and slowly it just became normal to him. However, their was still a bit of hidden anxiety about it.

They told him he was going to be someone else bodyguard and that he just wasn't quite assigned to someone yet or something like that, which also didn't bother him. He was told that he was getting a job here and he was willingly to work for a living. Again, he works, he just doesn't work hard. He learned what certain Yokai would do to him, so he was going to be at risk either way, might as well make some money at being the target of supernatural beings.

A splash instantly drew Mattis's attention and he turned to find his docile pool disturbed. At its bottom swirled a cloud of white hair and colorfully-dyed cloth. Muscle overriding mind, he dove, long body arching over the pavement before slipping smoothly beneath the water. Chill calm flooded his thoughts, and he felt momentarily content to sink until his fingers brushed the smooth tiled floor. A few yards further, he recognized Miss Akari with a start. She sat perfectly still and seemingly unperturbed except for the slight reddening of her cheeks. Meeting her red eyes with his black ones, he blinked for a moment, trying to register that familiar, almost pleasurable sensation of drowning. Nothing, not yet. Shaking off his inaction, he lunged forward to scoop her into his arms. Though he couldn't be certain, he'd learned by trial and error (mostly error) that people didn't generally go for a swim fully clothed. From this he reasoned that Miss Akari's swim was accidental. So he would remedy it.

The pair broke the surface in moments as Mattis dragged them both skyward by way of the ladder, Miss Akari clutched against his shoulder. Water pouring off them both, he was suddenly aware of the weight of a sodden kimono. For a brief, perilous second he glanced back at the inviting depths and reconsidered his rescue. Imagined the last air forced from her lungs, the flavor of panic and cool silence of death. He shuddered and closed his eyes. No. Stop it.

"Are you okay, Miss Akari?"

Laying Miss Akari gently on the ground, noticing her breathing. If he remembered correctly, this was a Good Sign. Wiping water from his face, he hauled the long train of the kimono out of his pool and gently raised her head to rest in the crook of his arm. She felt so tiny resting there! He bit his lip briefly.

"Are you at all injured?" he asked in lilting Norwegian tones as he peered anxiously into her pale face. "I do hope not. If you are, I have good knowledge of First Aid!"

It was a bright sunny day, and still, Alexandra was stuck inside, reading a book with the heating on. Heat was a necessity for her, so she always made sure to keep her room heated up, lowering it slightly only during the night. She had just finished reading the third of the nine books that she had gotten for today and was now checking if all the information was in place. She had an holographic display of a search engine right in front of her and her fingers moved in the holographic keyboard as she typed the tittles of the books she had read so far. "The Serpent on the Crown", a mystery book about Archaeology, "Tesla: The Lost Inventions", a book about the great inventor Nikolai Tesla, and "Fifty shades of Grey" A more... personal choice. This last one had given her a slight blush.

After checking out that all the information was there, which made her blush even more after checking the third book, she decided it was time for her normal routine of getting used to her new human shoes and, more importantly, her human legs. She still didn't had it quite figured out. Every now and then, her legs would just stop responding, or do the exact opposite of what her brain told them to, and she would have to change back to her snake body. She still didn't knew what the cause was, but she felt as if it was only a matter of getting used to them. After activating her necklace, which gave her a pair of human legs and transformed the snakes on her head in to normal strands of hair, she put on her human clothes and walked outside her apartment.

She reached the entrance door with no problem and realized that there were three persons outside, two of them yokais that she had seen before, but before she could greet them, she tripped on herself and fell on the floor. She managed to break the fall using her arms, but her most prized possession, her glasses, fell from her face. She immediately closed her eyes and faced the floor, moving her hands from side to side in a desperate attempt to find her glasses. She couldn't find him, so she took a quick peek at the floor in hopes of being able to see them. It was no use. Everything was so blurred out that all she could see was shades of grey from the path, and about fifteen of them. Knowing that the others would still be around the entrance, she called out to them.

"Excuse me" she said. "Could you help me find my glasses?" Still she refused to look at them, not because she wanted to be rude, but because she didn't want them to be petrified. Besides, she was outside and there were eyes and ears all around.

Marie had been sweeping the hallway near the pool, humming a cheery tune when she had heard the splash. At first she thought that it was just Mattis swimming, but after the second splash she decided to check it out. Stopping in her daily chores, she walked out onto the pool deck, and scanned the area, but saw no one. Odd, since Mattis spent most of his time here, and she hadn't seen him leave. Just as she was about to shake it off, Mattis, holding a soaking wet girl, breached the surface of the pool. Recognizing the girl to one of the younger people of Primrose, Akari, Marie dropped her broom and quickly ran over as Mattis set her down.

"Oh dear, is Miss Akari alright? She looks absolutely dreadful. You two wait here, I'll go and get a towel."
Fretting over Akari, Marie ran off to grab an extra towel from the closet near the pool deck, along with some extra clothes she had put there for this kind of situation. She ran back over, handing a towel to Mattis before wrapping the other around Akari. Gently pulling her up, she let Akari rest against her.

"Are you alright sweetie? Don't worry about your kimono, with a good hand drying it'll be good as new." She cooed, gently patting her head. "Ha, it's not even past noon and we've already had an accident. And from what I can see from up here, it seems that Miss Simonides has had a little spill. Hopefully the others down there will be able to help her before she petrifies anyone, especially since we have those terribly hidden girls out there watching"
She said, laughing as she remembered the events of the morning and the night before. She had helped a new girl settle in, cleaned up a mess of suspicious blue goop out of one of the hallways, two people had already had accidents, and they were expecting some more new residents today.
It was going to be a long day.

She was surprised that there were already so many accidents, but she wasn't really one to judge, as she has had many spills herself. She was quite clumsy during the day, partially due to her bad eyesight. But she was able to see well enough enough to get on with out glasses, and she still had her other senses. Like her hearing, which allowed her to determine where the strange human girls were, and whom they were whispering and giggling about.

Akari the Akuma
Not expecting a rescue so soon Akari waved sullenly with puffed cheeks holding her breath. Doe eyes, gleaming pale skin, and back length white hair—Akari surely did look like a fragile resting doll at the depths of a timeless existence, and even more so as Mattis gathered her up with ease to the surface. Shame and complete despair were such emotions the soft-spoken girl felt at that exact moment. Though, instead of ire Mattis seemed anything but and that was quite reassuring. After taking a deeply needed breath she was able to speak and explain her situation.

“Oh, Mr. Mattis!” She exclaimed while addressing him by a formal title for reasons unknown even to her--maybe since he had addressed her so.

“First aid? No no, I am fine. I was just—uh, testing this new ability to see if it would keep me afloat.” Akari’s quaint nose scrunched up as a fib spilled from her shivering lips. Even under a mass of material her flesh underneath rose with goose bumps. The sudden change in temperature still affected this akuma so much so that prolonged fangs became visible as she sweetly smiled while held in his arm. Also, it took focus to retain such characteristics and any emotion of fear or embarrassment caused these distingue abnormalities to make themselves known.

Long eyelashes blinked while russet hues started to observe how—intimate this scene appeared and a nervous laugh arose as angelic features radiated an intense red. The maid known as Marie had heard the ruckus apparently and decided to assist. All too soon Akari’s dainty body was enveloped in a fluffy towel and then coaxed to stand. Everything was happening so fast that the timid yokai simply stared wide eyed as Marie moved about like a woman on a mission. Like a caring motherly figure she seemed concerned and Akari could not help but relax and genuinely smile. “Forgive me Miss Marie and Mr. Mattis. I didn’t mean to trouble the two of you.” Fingers gingerly swept a stray lock of white hair behind her ear.

Hands then clasped a bit of drenched material, towel still resting upon shoulders, to begin ringing out what seemed like several pounds of water from the bottom of her kimono. While hunched over she cast a kind glance to Mattis before straightening her back and sighing lightly. “Thank you once again Mr. Mattis. I would have surely struggled without your aid. And thank you Miss Marie for assisting me. I should probably change lest these new residents find me in such disarray…”

“You should stay this way, it suits you dear sister.” Kira laughed but Akari ignored her cruel words like she usually had to do.

Before stepping away she peered down seeing a geta shoe lounging contently at the bottom of the pool where it would stay. Defeated she trudged fourth carrying her other clog like shoe in hand, and leaving a trail of water as her outfit continued to drip. Suddenly the soaked demoness stopped to turn around to her savior once again. “You know, perhaps you should greet the others instead of being by your lonesome all the time. I am sure they’d love to meet you.” Akari said warmly while nibbling on the end of a thumbnail, hoping he would not take offense to her good-hearted suggestion.

“Oh, and here is your towel back Miss Marie. I’ll bring back the extra set of clothing later.” She clumsily scurried over to exchange the towel for the clothing from the maid and then walked inside the pool’s changing station. It was a fancy cubicle with doors offering privacy though anyone changing could still be a part of the conversation as there was no ceiling.

Alexandria would find her wrist taken gently in one hand, which would then guide it over to the frames of her glasses as the real Capello stepped out of hiding, seeming to have simply walked out of the wall nearby, making sure to avoid looking near the Gorgon's eyes.

"Right here Adonia. Take your time. Still getting used to the legs I see."

Again, another nickname. It was a wonder Capello even remembered names, given that he never used them. Adonia, a greek name meaning Beautiful Lady. Again, the liar had tailored his choice to the fact that Alexandria was a gorgon, and probably Greek. While he would have preferred to remain hidden from the other tenants and humans, this situation was one that could easily turn sour if not taken care of quickly. While not permanent, being petrified certainly caused problems, even for Youkai. And despite his antics and his distaste for being out in the open with all eyes upon him, Capello knew better than to put the tenants in such a position. Besides, he hadn't been assigned one of them to watch over yet. So potentially, messing up now could put his future charge in a pinch. Ignoring the ramifications of such a first impression, Capello wasn't one to let others be bothered due to inaction on his part. The Fox grinned at his own illusion, which waved back, still teasing Kimiko as it quickly got out of Alexis' path. The fox grinned as he held out his arm to help Alexandria stand up, still careful to keep his eyes away from hers until the all clear was given.

"Such an energetic morning, don't you think? Everyone's out and about! Even our new Little Flower over there."

Gesturing at Gin, one of the newer tenants who seemed to have an affection for flora. He could fine tune the nickname later as he got to know her better. The fox tilted his head and gave a warm smile, trying desperately to smother the urge to simply poof out of sight and continue his socializing via his illusory self. Despite his warm attitude and general friendliness, his nature was one of deception and lies, and that generally made enemies in life. Being out in the open like this always made him nervous. Still, the tenants could be trusted to not stab him in the throat when he wasn't looking.

Probably anyway. He had spent most of the week spying and watching the new comers with great interest. Curiosity over who would be his Master or Mistress, wondering if any of them seemed sensitive or delicate, and fine tuning his own persona to make sure he wouldn't scare them off immediately. Maintaining his lies took effort, time, and research. Else someone could see through them before he was prepared.

"Shall we join them Adonia? Don't worry, you can lean on me till you get used to the legs. I won't vanish till you tell me to."

The liar grinned warmly.

Rustling above the group that diverted to tasks that could be considered something "normal". The sounds of rapid climbing followed with a squirrel performing a death-defying leap across a tree -- followed by a girl. Black hair, amethyst eyes, dressed in what seemed to be the typical fall feather of a plad skirt (shorts thankfully underneath them to prevent a terrible scenario), a grayish jacket on top of a white button down, and simple shoes that were NOT make for scaling trees were what consisted of her outer wear, and to hell if it wasn't a sight to see a girl leap out of a tree the way she did...for a squirrel. It was a grand chase -- or so it seemed for all or the next two minutes -- which unfortunately ended up with her falling on her ass and whining a bit as her "prey" got away from her.

Upon standing up, Exoris would receive an acorn to the head for her terrorizing of the poor, fluffy mammal. A growl at the upper area would result in more rustling prior to her brushing herself up- ? Ah. There seemed to be people outside of the gates! Well, time to terrorize them! She turned to, ready to hop up and start barking at them like a rabid dog- ...That smell.

CINNAMON.

Her attempts to eat the tree-dwelling fluffball had failed, but perhaps the Fox had something that the Hound could chew on! Mind completely diverted from her previous notions of behaving for once, She spotted...Wait a minute. One, two, three...

That was two Foxes too many.

There was only one solution to this.

The first one she could reach she promptly pounced on -- and through -- landing her face against the wall in a nice, painful "THUD" to end her descent. T'was a shame the Inugami couldn't take off her head in this form. She would've used it to go around nipping at the rest. Instead, she ended up pushing off the ground that her face had become acquainted with and rubbing her face with a whimper akin to a saddened puppy as the comedic outline of brick kissed her left cheek.
"All I want is a cinnamon stick! ...And maybe that squirrel in the tree. ...Or something to eat...A lot of stuff to eat..."
Seems like her stomach was speaking instead of her brain again this morning, and to hell if that wasn't scary itself. So, off she went -- of course, uttering her distracted hello's as she passed by the others and her face continued to search the air with random sniffing in hopes of finding the source. Cinnamon sticks, cinnamon sticks...IT WAS HARD FINDING HIM HERE. But she was craving one! Or a bone-shaped cookie...Or really anything that she could chew on and swallow. So there any form of maturity or responsibility went from her for the time being.

Exoris Magnolia. Enter scene, and promptly crash it. The Doge was here to find her food-
"MATE! I WANT A STICK!"
...Oh, not this mate bullshit again. Blame should be directed towards Capello for this. Wherever he was. She'd keep pouncing each one she saw until one of them actually went through the wall with her.

I guess I'll go to the lounge then, thought Kimiko when several minutes had passed and the girls outside were still loitering about. Getting up from her bench, she had just taken a step towards the building when a girl jumped into her path, screeching in a disturbingly annoying voice. What on earth...? Kimiko glanced at the gates wondering if a human had somehow made their way inside, though it was impossible for them to do so. The magical barrier would make any human feel a sudden sense of nausea if they got too close. Wait a second... Hime-chan? Oh no...it's...

"Capello," Kimiko groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt the sudden poundings of a headache at his presence. She'd lost count of how many times she'd protested at his nickname for her, but he was persistent and seemed to enjoy getting on her nerves. She shouldn't have expected anything less from a fox-demon.

"Dramatic as always," muttered Kimiko, fixing her blue eyes on him with an unamused look. It wasn't that she disliked him, she had no real reason to, but he had a knack for wearing away her patience with his teasing and tricks. She'd thought she'd get used to him over the years, but he always made her lose her composure just as effortlessly now as he'd done since the first time they'd met. She almost cringed at the thought of their first encounter. Having had years of formalities ingrained into her by her family, she had bowed in greeting when they met, still clad in her silk kimono, looking like every bit of the princess he had so aptly named her. Of course, the fox had chosen to never let her live that moment down.

"Want me to scare em off for you, Hime? You know, so you can run off without supervision for what I can only assume to be a secret tryst with a man. Ahh, forbidden love," the fox continued his dramatics. She didn't know where he got that absurd idea from. Sometimes she wondered what really went on in that white head of his.

Kimiko sighed. "I simply wanted to go out to have lunch. Alone," she said. "...away from annoying foxes like you," she muttered under her breath, looking around as other residents started to come outside. She saw a few new faces and locked them away in the back of her mind, intent on finding out more about them later. While she knew that the landlord wouldn't let anyone untrustworthy to live here, Kimiko didn't feel comfortable being around people she barely knew. Even now, one could tell by her crossed arms and darting eyes that she was just looking for a way out. Though she'd known Capello for years, his mischievous nature and the fact that stories about his past always seemed to change depending on who she asked, didn't sit well with her.

Kimiko's attention was drawn away from the fox as a lone figure made their way up to the duo. Clutching a piece of paper in one hand, the tall figure looked a bit tense as he inquired whether he had arrived at the correct place or not.

"Yes, it is," Kimiko answered before Capello could open his mouth and possibly misdirect the poor lad. Though she herself was annoyed that there were more new, unknown residents arriving and she was meeting them before being aptly prepared, she didn't want to leave him in the hands of the fox. "If you enter that building, you'll find the lobby where the concierge will show you to your room," she added helpfully. In that moment, her eyes fell on the real Capello, helping up Alexandria and she snapped her eyes to the illusion in front of her. Of course, another one of his tricks. She chided herself for having not realized that when he had started talking to her. Before she could figure out a way to dispel his illusion, a blur of movement occurred as someone tackled Capello's illusion, only to have themselves going right through him and making themselves well acquainted with the wall.

Kimiko shook her head, feeling her headache pound against her temple. It seemed that a quiet afternoon was impossible to find in a place such as Primrose Terrace. She could only imagine how the new residents were taking all this.

---

A figure materialized in front of Alexis near the large double-doors of the building, bowing in greeting with a warm smile. The landlord, clad in a black suit, was a tall man with long greying hair tied into a pony-tail. His face was hidden by a Sambaso mask, with only his mouth visible through it. It was unknown what species he was, but he seemed to appear whenever he was needed, often in several places at the same time. Even residents who had lived at Primrose Terrace for years had no idea what his real name was. He was simply 'The Landlord'.

"Ah, Miss Anderson, I am glad to see you have found your way to our humble sanctuary," the landlord spoke in a raspy voice, the smile still fixed on his face. He waved his hand and her suitcase disappeared. "You'll find your belongings in Room 1A. I trust you'll find them to your liking," he said, handing her a small, metallic card which was to be her room key. "If you need anything else, our concierge and other members of staff will gladly cater to your needs," he added with another bow.

Marie swept through in a whirlwind of matter-of-fact warmth. As Mattis sat blinking, the maid had already exchanged the young woman in his arms for a fluffy white towel and supplied Miss Akari with dry clothes. Standing slowly, Mattis obediently began to pat himself down with the cloth—the only result of which was to soak the towel. He, meanwhile, continued to drip, as per usual.

“Thank you once again, Mr. Mattis. I would surely have struggled without your aid.” Miss Akari announced, having wrung a small flood from her lovely kimono with about as much affect as the towel had had on Mattis. “And thank you, Miss Marie, for assisting me. I should probably change lest these new residents find me in such disarray . . .”

“It wasn’t any trouble, Miss Akari,” he assured her, smiling like the sun nonetheless as he turned to bid her adieu.

“You know, perhaps you should greet the others instead of being by your lonesome all the time. I am sure they’d love to met you.” She hesitated only a moment longer, thumb to her lips, before hurrying to the changing stall.

“You think so?” he murmured wistfully, laying his towel over one of the deck chairs to dry. His smile dimmed to a more private expression, revealing satisfaction, and not a small touch of pride. With an absentminded hand, he twisted his hair up and secured it with the clip he’d left on one of the tables. New residents—yes, he remembered Marie mentioning as much. No doubt they’d travelled far to come to Primrose. And probably a relaxing dip in his rooftop pool would help them relax. But what if everyone forgot to mention Primrose had a rooftop pool? He bit his lip.

Glancing at the clock again, he saw his lunch break had drawn even nearer—and what difference did five minutes make, anyway? There were new residents too, and that didn’t happen every day. Shuffling through his gear, he pulled out a sun-bleached t-shirt with the neat, Primrose logo on its breast. It was, after all, something like a special occasion.

With this in mind he exited the rooftop, locking the door behind him and he carefully moved the pin from “Come Swim!” to “Gone to Lunch”. He’d be back soon, he promised, though who exactly he made the promise to he wasn’t at all sure. Free at last, he galloped down the stairs, bare feet leaving conspicuous wet footprints on the polished wood.

“. . . our concierge and other members of staff will gladly cater to you needs.”

Mattis stopped short, frozen just inside the lobby. His eyes flicked from the enigmatic form of the Landlord, to the unfamiliar young woman and back again. He should have known the Landlord would be here to greet their new arrivals. Slumping even lower than usual, he tried in vain to make himself small and unnoticeable—at least until his boss had vanished.

Alexandra did found her glasses with the help of a man that she could only recognize through his voice and the nickname he had for her. Capello. He was the only one that called her Adonia, and seriously, Alexandra did not mind. It was a compliment after all. She put on her glasses and took use Capello's arm to push herself up.

"Thank you." She said, letting him know that it was safe to look at her now. He was right. It was an energetic morning. There was a new resident checking out the flowers and another one at the entrance. She made a mental note that she had to get to know them another time. Now, and after the embarrassing fall that she took, all she wanted to do was go inside and stop the magic of her necklace. "I'll be fine." She said. "I'm going inside to get rid of these damn legs. I seriously don't know how you can work with that one foot in front of the other thing. It never works for me."

She had just finished speaking when a girl jumped from a tree, following a squirrel, and just slammed her head against the wall, which made Alexandria slightly jump. "Oh my!!!. Is she ok?" She said to Capello, not really expecting a response, for the girl quickly resumed her pursuit for something. Without saying anything else, she went back inside and deactivated her necklace, returning her snake body back to her. "Ah, much better..." She thought to herself. The Landlord was there but she had no business with him that she could remember. Still, she was a bit curious as to who the new residents were, so she decided to stick by the lobby.

The Fox chuckled at the remark of feet. The gorgon was always so quiet and withdrawn, it was remarkable she even responded to him to be honest. He flinched as Exo slammed through his illusion, who was giving Kimiko sad eyes at the look of annoyance she was flaring back at him.

"Who, Puppy? She's fine. Just enthusiastic. Looks like she's hunting me again today. Probably thinks I have a cookie on me."

Capello smiled as Alexandria wobbled her way back inside, waving one hand as his illusion burned apart into smoke, grinning at Kimiko and Feli. The liar fished around his front pocket for a moment, pulling out two cinnamon sticks and placing one in his mouth, enjoying the spicy sensation as he stepped...to both sides, body splitting into two forms, one fading from view as the other placed the cinnamon stick on the ground in front of his feet. He gave a whistle, waving at Exo and pointing at the stick on the ground.

"Over here Puppy, you're looking for food again I take it? You can have it as long as you don't pounce on me. I'll give you some gingersnaps later as well."

Exoris Magnolia, an Inugami who had lost her master to an Oni. Capello was one of her more...frequent...targets, mostly due to his habit of carrying sweets and cinnamon around. To say the dog was driven by food was like saying the sky was blue. Still, she seemed to have more of a playful attitude towards his illusions, taking it as a challenge to try and find the real him. Sometimes succeeding and getting rewarded with a cinnamon stick.

Sometimes failing and landing face first into rose thorns.

Still, she was nice enough and though her sneak attacks sometimes made Capello scream like a small girl, the liar had no real problems with her. It was nice to see her actually out, considering how long she had been aimless when her master died. The fox leaned back against the wall, blue eyes scanning the area for a moment before he simply slipped into the wall, disappearing. This was how Capello preferred things. Hidden. Safe. No longer needing to stay human, the liar shifted into his other form, the huge lithe white fox, paws padding silently from alcove to shadow to overhang. Relocating seven times, and dropping a few cinnamon sticks here and there to keep Exo from singling him out too easily, Capello settled into his new observation post, tail flicking back and forth as he watched those down below. His mind shifted gears, analyzing, watching, and listening carefully. His eyes roamed over to Marie, Mattis, and Akari. He would need to say hi to Marie, possibly 'try' some of her new dishes. It was easy enough to have an illusion appear to eat the food and give the actual food to Exo later, and it seemed to make the maid happy. Sure, he was encouraging what could only be described as unethical torture for those who actually HAD to eat the food, but the liar had seen her depressed far too often to not try and make sure he got her to smile at least once during the day.

Akari the Akuma
Akari stood in front of the floor length mirror staring in horror at how nearly naked she was. These clothes exposing half of her body even though they were normal everyday pieces. To her the shorts were too short while the tank top revealed too much of her arms and neck. She bent forward to test the top and sure enough one would be able to see straight down if she were to pick something up. Her hand immediately went to cover her neckline with a gasp.

“I can’t wear this.” She said aloud in a troubled tone.

Her eyes looked to the kimono on a hook dripping with water and smelling of pool cleaner. She remained in that cubicle for what seemed eons just glaring at her reflection and back to the soaked dress. She would surely cause an incident wearing the drenched robe as it would leave behind a slippery trail, and the trek down to her apartment would be exhausting. She remained in debate over the two options and then realized her books were downstairs as well. They were priceless and if they became tarnished she would have no other leads on how to successfully keep her sister bound.

“Decisions decisions. How I grow weary of your petty quandaries.” Kira groaned.

“Enough Kira…It should be ok if I run downstairs quick. Don’t you thi—nevermind, don’t answer that.” Akari tried to ring out the remaining water in the kimono; crystal liquid landing upon her legs before sneaking down stairs in bare feet. A few drops of water lagging behind as she snuck around as best she could as far as a damp 5 foot 1 inch girl luging around a large silk outfit in bare feet could…how inconspicuous. Akari soon reached the first floor without a hitch, inching her way to the front entranceway, and throwing a worried glance at the landlord who was introducing a new resident to the complex. Good, that one is occupied Akari thought relived but noticed two others nearby including Mattis from earlier, and she bowed her head low offering a hasty greeting of “Hello, um, Goodbye!” and pushed open the door before anyone could respond back.

She met resistance trying to venture forth, nearly yanking the demoness’ body back was the door that had decided to shut tight on a piece of her kimono. Yelping faintly before correcting this issue and continued on ward but could not for the life of her remember where those books had fallen. “Oh, poor thing. So scatterbrained this eve are we?” An all too familiar voice snickered bitterly.

“Shut up already!” Akari shouted and stomped her foot on the ground like a little girl throwing a tantrum while accidentally dropping the lump of a dress upon the ground. Eyes enlarged remembering that she was in clear view of anyone near the lounge, and she turned slowly scanning the residents to see if they were shooting her a look of bewilderment. What an awful day.

Marie returned to her sweeping, not even noticing as Akari snuck out in her sopping kimono. Having mopped up the water left on the floor, everything looked normal once again. She walked down the halls to the first floor, placing the used towels in the dryer. The landlord was speaking to one of the new residents in the front lobby, and she looked out the window towards the gates, smiling at what she saw. Remembering that she had a new recipe from the previous night to try out, she hurriedly skipped off to the kitchen.
Lemon iced sugar cookies... I'm sure that Miss Magnolia will enjoy them, and maybe they'll make her stop chasing squirrels for once.

---

Gin watched as the ladybug flew off her arm, disappearing back off into the mass of primrose leaves. She was startled by a loud thump, turning to look just as a girl stood up off the ground, obviously having had a short and painful introduction to the wall. A sharp whistle caught Gins attention, causing her to almost get whiplash as she turned her head towards the noise. Her eyes widened as the boy she had seen earlier split in two, one placing a stick that smelled strangely of cinnamon on the ground as the other disappeared from her sight.

Oh, he must be able to make illusions as well. That explains the way he manages to get around so quickly. It's nice to know I'm not the only one, though he probably has more experience than I do.

Gin began wondering about the other residents of Primrose. What kind of yokai were they? How long have they been here? Even if she often could tell whether or not someone was a yokai, she couldn't tell what they were without peering into their mind. Looking into someones mind wasn't exactly pleasant, there were so many thoughts and memories floating around that it was hard to locate the knowledge that you actually needed, and often found something you didn't need to know. Gin had learned that from experience. She shook the thoughts out of her head, remembering the reason she had come out. Slowly, steeling her nerves, she made her way over to the two standing at the gate.
Bowing quickly to both, she looked between the two. The group of girls were still behind the trees across the way, and even if they couldn't see her, Gin still felt tense. She turned to the girl, who looked rather irritated, and nervously spoke up.

"Um, h-hello. Are you Kimiko? Miss Marie told me about you and some of the others here..."

Gin looked down at the ground, voice faltering as she attempted to complete the sentence. When she lived with her grandmother, she was always around people either older or younger than herself, and never had anyone her own age to speak to. The spirits often kept her company, idly floating around her as she planted flowers. Living at Primrose was going to be an entirely new experience, and Gin wasn't exactly sure she was as ready as the others living there.