Cities have secrets. It was a simple fact that seemed to elude most people, but it was something that was very much abused by those with the necessary knowledge - be it thieves, thrill-seekers, bureaucrats or even the leaders of cities. Cities were almost like people in that regard - once you knew their secrets, they could be manipulated - and this was not a fact that was lost on the second member of the Elite Triumvirate, Yugaku Hayake. Her trips to cities were always very interesting, for she saw the secrets that most people took to their graves effortlessly. Within a few minutes of being within the city of Toran, she could tell all of its hidden nooks and crannies, and the secrets of those within it. She saw Anastasia's secrets, her immense capacity for strategy and her love for her Tibearius. She saw the secrets of Kasumi Touhou, the fox-faced thief who had killed mercilessly and efficiently within the wars who was deceiving her parents in order to receive her inheritance. She saw the secrets of Kito, who had recently encountered the Natrelmon Ritoi, and she saw Ritoi, standing guard over the city. His secrets were less obvious, hidden more carefully, and she turned her gaze away as best as she could to avoid gleaning any insight into them - it was not her place to pry into such an ancient Natrelmon's secrets, and the two of them knew this. Neither could hide from the other, and so they both came to the consensus that staying away from one another was for the best. It was a pleasing symmetry in a world of imbalance.

A place in Toran that few knew about was the Peak of the Gods, an ancient track of gates that extended out over a grassy cline towards the sunset in the evenings. Those who knew of the location knew nothing of its significance, but Yugaku had long-since discovered the area's secrets. It had historically been used as a beacon for power, with each gate imparting a little power into those that walked through it, until the culmination was the infusion of enough power to commune with the "gods", but that was a truth from a time that had long since passed. If the Lord of the South still heard the prayers of those at the Peak of the Gods, he showed no inclination to answer them. That was, if anyone still knew enough to pray there.

Yugaku took a steady stroll through the first of the gates, admiring the architectural integrity as she lightly ran her hand across the old stone foundations that kept it standing. Despite being obviously ancient, it had weathered the test of time, and its features looked no different to how they had hundreds of years ago. The stone bases of the gates were thick cuboids, bridged together at the top with vermillion red tiles, and decorated with kanji that had lovingly been carved into the slates and painted over with red. Prayer beads were strewn across the gates, in some cases underneath them, and in some cases in front of them, or attached to the walls. Despite their age, the aura of reverence had not yet left, and walking through the gates gave Yugaku a feeling of serenity and hope. It was brief, but she managed to enjoy it while it lasted, and after ten minutes of walking, she had reached the end of the string of gates, and was overlooking the sun as it began to dip below the horizon, reflected across the water like a painting upon a canvas.

"If you still hear our prayers, O Suzaku, I ask that you listen well. The darkness that Ritoi has foreseen will be upon this new blood soon, and we three cannot protect them all. You know that our duties will keep us elsewhere. There will be casualties before the upcoming storm - give them your blessing, Lord of the South, and watch over them where we mortals cannot. I fear they will need your assistance soon enough." She began, looking out towards the sunset before it dipped below the waves for the day, and the time of prayer was no longer correct. It was cathartic to speak out loud the worries that she had felt for some time - while the other members of the Triumvirate might understand, there was little that any of them could do, and speaking to them about the upcoming darkness was hardly necessary - they had all come to the same conclusion, in some manner or another.

For now, she would wait by the shore before visiting Toran and returning to Lifan - she would check up on the new trainers before they challenged Anastasia, but beyond that there was little assistance that she could offer.

"Oh! I am so sorry, Elwis." Amelia had no idea how much her leaving had hurt the natrelmon. She smiled at him in hopes to at least start rebuilding that bridge. She was certain he would be happy to see her new friends. Kito had been called to get his key, so Amelia waited for him to come back. As he returned he asked about her studies.

"Of course! My mother gave me a relic that belonged to my father's mother just after I arrived home." She stuck her foot out to show him the piece of jewelry. The gems attached to the chain hummed and sparkled with excitement. The feeling made her leg tingle and she giggled. They wanted to meet Kito. They would certainly get the chance, but for tonight, it was time to rest.

When Kito mentioned the people of Ward Amelia face grew somber.
"Ward is mostly intact. A lot of people died. My father included." she smiled, it was not good to dwell on these things. "I am here in Toran looking for books on breeding. I couldn't find anything in Ward, but I am certain there is something here." She looked at Elwis then back to Kito, "How have you been these last years?"

Kito went somber upon hearing about her father's death, he could relate to her, he lost both his parents as well. He shifted his focus from the current topic, to the new one, "I'm sure you'll find a couple good books on breeding here. Even if you don't, I'm sure there are a couple breeding farms with breeders that could help us both." he replied. Elwis still refused to forgive Amelia, instead, deciding to return back to it's relic. He sighed, looking at his ring, "Looks like it'll take time for him to trust you again. I remember when he was an Olena, he was never far from you, it was adorable. But when he evolved...he changed. And not just by appearance, his attitude changed as well. I don't know if this is common for a Natrelmon like him, or if it's something else. I wish I knew how to help him." he told her. "I suppose things have been well for me, aside from Elwis' behavior. I managed to find a Sakura not long after you returned home, and ever since I battled her, I decided on becoming a trainer. I spent the last three years learning what it means to be a trainer, hence why I'm here in Toran, I intend to challenge the Arena leader. But before that, I want to find out something. I was approached in the forest not long ago by a Natrelmon, it didn't attack me, more like it tried to scare me off. I was wondering, have you ever heard of a Natrelmon like that?" he asked.

After getting settled in at the inn, Caelyn settled in for a nap. After a few hours of sleep, he still had a 3 or 4 hours of sunlight left. Caelyn decided to go out and grab some relics to get some new natrelmon. "Crowire, come out and play." Caelyn said as he touched the left earpiece on his glasses. They acted as a dual relic and it was very handy when needing to summon them. Crowire came out in a black shroud and let out a caw. "Hey buddy, are you ready to go look for new friends?" Crowire let out a squall and the search ensued.

Caelyn decided to go to the shore, to do his search today. He looked around all down the beach until he found a cave. It wasn't very big, maybe 4 or 5 feet of clearance, so it was a little cramped. Caelyn had spent many a night just inside of cave for shelter, so he wasn't too unnerved in here. "Crowire go ahead and use Lightning Torrent so that we can get an idea how deep this area is." After letting out the lightning and making sure he was cleared of it, Caelyn looked into the cave just in time to watch the bolt strike a very large bat. "Crowire again! It looks like we might have made an enemy." Crowire flew to intercept the Kyonshi that was flying at them. He beat his wings fast and released the bolts using momentum. The electricity wrapped up Kyonshi like a web, each little bolt shocking him more and knocked him down from the air. He fell onto a the ground.

Caelyn quickly pulled out the keyring of the ten D relics he had purchased earlier that day. They were a bit pricey, but he wanted to succeed. Something inside of him channeled the words he spoke next, "I offer you this key, hear my plea. Let the relic take you, and come fight for me." The key radiated as the and glowed as Kyonshi's essence was pulled in. He felt the key heat up profusely in his hand to the point of dropping it. He saw it glowing red, then turn to black. Caelyn smiled and stroked Crowire as he landed on his shoulder. "Not what I was expecting to catch, but hey!" He let out a hardy laugh. It was the first time he had laughed that hard that he could remember. Crowire just stared at him, and then nuzzled him a bit. "This...this is what I have been looking for." Caelyn thought to himself.

Caelyn had some light left so he decided to look around a bit more, and heard a cry? At least he thought he had. He shook his head and started looking around again. He definitely did it hear it this time. He called out Eishund this time to give Crowire a break. "Hey girl, come on out and stretch your legs." She appeared and shook her coat. The sight always left him in awe. She was so elegant and majestic. The whine came again to draw Caelyn back to his senses. Then he saw it, a dark sleek fox-like creature; Metosune. It must had been down foraging for oysters and clams. But somehow got its legged wedged between two rocks. "Eishund, stay back you are going to make Metosune nervous." Eishund whimpered, he didn't like leaving Caelyn vulnerable. He slowly knelt down to the Metosune, and it began to issue a nervous growl.
"Easy." Caelyn said in a soft voice. He extended his arm slowly and pat the Metosune, and it nipped him. He did not jerk, he knew he needed to earn its trust before going for the rock. Blood started to drip from his hand. Eishund almost leaped until Caelyn turned and ordered him to lay down. As if knowing Caelyn kept Eishund back, the Metosune tucked back its ears. Caelyn tried to pat it again. This time the Metosune dipped its head but did let Caelyn pet it. He slowly stroked its beautiful fur and talked softly to it. "There, see its not so bad. Now, I am going to reach down and get your leg out, ok?" After trying to pry the rock free, he realized it was heavier than he anticipated. "Eishund I need you to help me get Metosune free. I need you to freeze the rock." So Eishund launched an impressive attack that covered the rock in solid ice, while avoiding Metosune's leg. With the rock being that slick and the water rushing against it, Caelyn used the slick rock to wiggle Metosune's leg free.

Metosune leaped in the air, and Eishund got ready. She placed herself between Metosune and Caelyn. The natrelmon laid down on the ground and rolled on its back placing its legs in the air. Caelyn giggled. "Want to come with us buddy?" The Metosune let out a gruff. Then Caelyn took out the relics, and let the words flow. "I offer you this key, hear my plea. Let the relic take you, and come fight for me." The Metosune did not fight it as it entered. Placing the keys back into his pocket, he realized it was getting dark. "Come on Eishund, lets get back to the inn."

Shio

"You are Kasumi of the Touhou family," Shio responded, "Both of our observations are correct."

She set her silverware down, letting it cling just lightly against the plate. Her Natrelmon, as well, had finished their food moments before she had. Kasumi's choice of starting Natrelmon could be considered a touch odd for one of the noble families, given the relationships Gen had with the shadows and operating within them. Often times, especially in the culture those two were from, Natrelmon were seen as a reflection of the trainer that had them. Shio took mental note of Kasumi's approach, which was unusual given the difference in their cultural status, enough that Shio felt she was obligated to respond.

"I have never looked at the sunset in Toran with much focus, it is a different experience. Do you need me to preform some kind of exorcism?" Shio asked, her tone even with her earlier commentary, a dry tone that managed to express focus rather than disinterest. Shio had been taught the formalities to observe when dealing with the noble families. However, her training as an exorcist, as well as part of the Enyo family in general, lead her to develop her unique personality quirks.

Shio returned to the bow to the Gen, as well as Kasumi for appreciation in directing the display of respect. She slipped her hand into her jacket and pulled out the very small amount of cash she carried around, a tip to the restaurant owner for his kind service. Politely she set it on the table next to her empty plate, ensuring proper respect was extended to the cook and the staff who had created the experience for her. An experience for her notebook. Tipping, in Atren, was only done out a sign of deep respect in very special circumstances. Considering she hadn't paid for her meal, it was one of those circumstances she was taught to provide such a tip.

Patiently, she'd await Kasumi's reply on the necessity for her family to preform its service to the Touhou family.

"No, Shio, not today. Perhaps soon, though... You feel it in the air, don't you?" Kasumi noted, looking around the room with practiced precision and sniffing the air slightly. Perhaps it was the nature of one who had long been attuned to the darkness, or perhaps it simply came of being observant, but despite the warmth and glow of the sunset there was a chill that hung in the air, however mildly. It was not unusual for the time of year, but perhaps that said something in and of itself about what tidings the time of year could bring.

While Shio was respectful and formal to the extreme, it was clear that Kasumi took her status as a high-ranking member of a high-ranking family as something to be used rather than something to be dutiful towards. It was not uncommon for members of the elite to be raised as such, 'spoiled' some called it, but Kasumi was not spoiled as such - she simply understood the social fabric of the world in a far different way than most did. That same fact was true to Shio, though, but the lenses through which each viewed the world were distorted in different ways. It was an interesting paradigm to consider in a world where the social norm dictated so much. With a small clanging sound, Kasumi set her cutlery down and placed her feet on an adjacent chair, leaning back to relax a little.

Despite the sudden shift of pose, Kasumi's Gen kept its composure and pose without so much as moving, effortlessly adjusting to the change in environment, a sign of co-operation between the two, as well as a testament to the well-trained nature of the Gen. Kasumi's Gen seemed most unlike the majority of its species, however, as it was quite clearly acting as a kindred spirit to Kasumi, rather than a subservient creature as the Gen line was known to do for trainers who did not truly resonate with the Natrelmon. Most people perhaps would not have picked up on such a bond, but Shio of the Enyo family was not most people. She had been taught to see what should not normally be seen, both as an exorcist and as a member of the social hierarchy, and it was doubtful that she would not pick up on Kasumi's alter-ego. Still, it did not concern her, as Shio observed the courtesy given by lesser families to greater ones, and her silence was assured as a service that she could provide to the Touhou.

"You should experience the sunset with me, Shio of the Enyo family. It is an experience worthy of that book, believe me." Kasumi invited, standing up and walking over to the waitress to pay for her meal. While it would have been customary for her not to pay as a member of one of the Great families, she felt like the Red Nakumo had an aura of reverence, that it could not possibly be stolen from. It seemed to be immune to such mortal things, in its own special way. After paying Kasumi and Gen bowed before heading to the exit and beckoning for Shio to leave with them. It was her choice to accept or decline the invitation, but she would likely not refuse. Still, if she did, it would make proceeding to Kasumi's favourite nocturnal activities a little easier.

+ Free Kittens (For Shurikai's roll) +

It was an all too common fate for Ocalia offspring. The weathered cardboard box had fallen onto its side, the scrawled penmanship on the side reading 'Free Kittens' at a rather awkward angle, smudged from the water that dripped from the eaves above. Occasionally the box would weakly rattle, a soft, fading mewling could be heard from the shadows it cast. The dirty blanket would also wriggle, the small Ocalia kitten twisted within its confines.

It tried to stumble out onto the cobblestone street on the side alley it now seemed like would be its home. It was a desperate attempt to be noticed, to be selected like the rest of them had. For whatever reason, it had lacked the draw on the others that had walked by the days old box, leaving it the forgotten, unwanted of the litter for no reason other than luck. It mewed again, it's front paws reaching the cold, wet stone of the side alley.

A leftover relic lay in the box, for whomever would take the Ocalia.

Aera Blitzfield sighed as she sat down on a park bench, watching the clear Toran sky while sipping a nice cup of steaming hot coffee.

“This place is a pretty city, alright, but it’s got nothing on Xuan’s sunsets.”

The trainer ran a finger through her Kujaku’s ruffled feathers, flicking away the pollen that gathered on it after their brief trudge in the forests of Toran. After the long boat ride from Xuan, a good long walk was just the thing she needed to shake the weariness one gets after spending too much time in a cramped space.

A good sized leather bag lay by her foot; it contained all of her meager possessions, which wasn’t very much at all. The natrelmon pecked at it, reminding Aera that it was time to book an inn. She stood up and stretched, the went ahead to take a stroll around the busy city square. It was not long before she came upon a fairly popular inn. There seemed to be quite a few trainers residing in it already, which Aera took as a good sign. She went in, speaking directly to the innkeeper to book a room.

After that, she decided to loiter around the lobby, casually observing the general crowd of people going in and out of the inn.

After the long day, Caelyn had a restful night. He was awoken by the sun beaming through the slit in his curtains. What a fitting day after such a successful haul yesterday. Caelyn was awake early enough to get breakfast as well. He rewarded himself with a calorie-rich croissant that was a lot better than he thought it would be. The croissant was not greasy like he had imagined. “Hmm, looks like the saturated fats won’t be killing me today!” He said to himself quietly. He giggled as he cracked himself up. He noticed an attendant looking at him and immediately stopped. His face started to get warm as he felt it go flush. It was a good time to excuse himself.

The delicious breakfast was just what he needed to kick off his hunt for new companions. After leaving the inn, Caelyn decided to check out the forest for his search. It was dark as the canopy blocked out the sun, so he thought it would be a good time to get acquainted with his new Kyonshi. “Kyonshi come on out, and stretch your wings.” The key glowed and soon the bat shot out like a rocket eager for release. The shade really brought out the violet hue on his fur.
Caelyn was always looking for beauty in weird places, that is until he got to the teeth. “Holy shit Kyonshi, look at your fangs! They are huge, dear God. Hey a fitting name. Fang.” The Kyonshi let out a screech to let Caelyn know he approved of the name.

After wandering in the forest for about an hour, Caelyn thought he had heard some kind of barking noise. “What the…” He said as he scanned the canopy. Thats when he saw it. A nest of Xiao and they were attacking some kind of other Natrelmon he had never seen. It was about a foot tall and had prismatic wings. “Fang get up there and see if you can spook those Xiao away from that creature.” The Kyonshi flew up into the tree and dived suddenly as the Xiao flung venom at it. “Easy Fang, don’t get too close.”

“I have to help Kyonshi somehow, but how…” Caelyn pondered for a minute and then it hit him. “Fang lead him to that branch right here.” Caelyn pointed to the appropriate branch he was targeting. Then he fell into casting. The spell was impressive, Pillar of Winter it was 9 feet in height. But that was not the reason he casted the spell, he had other plans. Arctic assault was inserted and placed to release from the tip of the pillar enabling it as close to the Xiao as he could get. Caelyn may not be able to fly, but that did not mean his battle couldn’t be aerial. “Now Fang!” The Kyonshi let out a deafening screech, and it knocked the Xiao off-balance, at that moment Caelyn released Arctic assault and it struck it solidly in the chest. The Xiao fell from the tree, and Caelyn knew that if it hit the ground it would likely die, and he could not let that happen. “Quickly relic, capture the Xiao.” The key glowed faintly, the Xiao was in bad shape.

The moment pulled him back when Fang screeched at him to let him know the strange Natrelmon was in danger. The other Xiao in the nest had it cornered and was about to impale it. “Fang build speed and use Gale Wind III to knock the Xiao off of the branch.” It was truly impressive to watch the Natrelmon swoop in like it did. Flying so fast that Caelyn had to squint to see it, and just as was about to make contact, it pulled up some 15 feet away. The shockwave from the move shook the tree, knocking both Natrelmon out of it. The winged creature started to fly off and that is when Caelyn noticed the Faeron. “Oh no you don’t Faeron!” He said as he released the Assault from the pillar. He thought it would be the appropriate time to use his relic, and he activated it. While the Faeron was inside the key however, it heated up so immensely it burned Caelyn forcing him to drop the relic. The key dissipated instantly. “Damn an easy 1k N gone.” He cringed at the realization. The creature was still paralyzed from being released so Caelyn immediately tried it again. This time it worked. Caelyn was still in udder disbelief as the events unfolded in his mind.

That was until the remaining Xiao dropped onto his head from the tree. Caelyn panicked and threw the creature off of him, and did what any seasoned warrior what have done. He ran. He ran a solid fifteen minutes until he saw the edge of the forest in sight and the light peeking through. “Alright Fang, come back.” He returned the Natrelmon to his relic, because he knew the light would hurt him. Caelyn decided after lunch to go explore Toran and see what interesting things there were to behold.

2spooky (Holiday Event Subplot)

The fading summer air had a restless hum to it, an ominous stirring of divergence from the change of seasons past. The subtlety had been lost on most, even the Toran natives. The nights had become progressively darker. Colder. Restless.

The Natrelmon could sense the impending chaos, at least the wild ones. Those with human companions often would miss the details, not out of a lack of senses, but out of a more focused concern for their trainers and not their own self preservation. The once active nights, when Xiao would occasionally skitter through the streets, chased by the few scarred Ocalia that had avoided capture were a remnant of weeks past - replaced by an restlessness with no living source. The natives were grateful for this, ignorant of what it truly brought. The streetlights that once battled with the darkness were now a part of a losing campaign, the unnaturally dark mist seemingly pulling all light into it and then into the nothingness of the Void. It was a foreshadowing of the chaos coming.

And, in all chaos there is calculation.

---

For those with access to television, the evening news would be dominated with reports of a brutal murder of a Toranese researcher that had been working with the Mage's Guild.

"At this moment we have no leads on the case or who was behind it. We have called in additional investigators and forensics teams from Lifan to assist on the case as we examine the scene and the body for evidence," a woman spoke, her presence and tone exuding authority. A few tried to interrupt her with questions, "I'm not going to answer questions this early in the investigation, but we will keep the people of Toran informed of any dangers posed to them. We believe right now that Dr. Alexi Imin was the target of the attack and that no one else is currently in danger."

With that, she stepped back from the podium placed outside the Toran Arena and a young, artificially blonde woman moved into the screen, the reporter from the local Toranese news agency with her prominent T1 News badge, "That was Officer Cat Koekje from Lifan who has been brought in on the murder of Dr. Alexi Imin. The Mage's Guild at this point has declined to comment on the nature of Dr. Imin's research in Toran, raising more questions around the already mysterious death. This is Janie Strom with Toran One News."

---

Cat was glad to be out of the limelight. Even though she'd be in this kind of position for, as the lead investigator for a number of the most prominent cases in Lifan, she still would have preferred to be back out following leads. She never felt that these appearances did anything to help the cases or the people.

"Koekje," another woman spoke, stepping out of the shadows cast by the Toran Arena. "Can we get a move on with this?"

Cat just narrowed her eyes, "Violet, you know how this goes, especially when we investigate outside Lifan. We have to be the face of the investigation."

Violet's grumble, and the crack of brick wall behind her, could be heard even at the distance between the two, "Couldn't they have sent someone else to do that part? It is a waste of our time."

Cat didn't need to response, Violet already knew her position, one that she had vocalized on many occasions. Violet just liked to get these sorts of things out of her system and Cat was willing to let her fiery partner do so.

"Here's your guns, I'm sick of holding them. They make me feel dirty," Violet growled, violently tossing the large rifle her way, stepping out beneath one of the few streelights providing any light, revealing her brilliantly pink hair. She was taller than Cat by a few inches, as well as having a bit more tone to her muscles. Her abnormally thick metal gloves were covered in various dials, with lines of intermittently crackling energy running up her arms, vanishing into the various body armor she adorned. She brushed the red dust off her hands from the crushed brick.

Cat merely nodded again, slinging her rifle onto her back and holstering her sidearm belt. "Lets get to work."

Amelia frowned as Elwis disappeared back into his relic. Maybe he would never forgive her. She shook her head, it was unlike her to give up. She listened quietly as Kito explained what happened with Elwis. Seems he had gotten an attitude. She frowned again. It was very unlike him.

"I certainly hope so. Anything would be helpful to us. I will have a look around the library tomorrow morning." she looked around, then outside. It was still light enough to go out and search for some Natrelmon. She should do that. "A Sakura? They are so beautiful. I've only seen them in pictures. Oh!" Amelia had just thought of something wonderful! "If you are going to challenge the Arena, maybe we could train together! In the forest. It will be fun!" She jumped up and bounced around the lobby clapping. It would be wonderful!

Amelia became very serious when Kito mentioned a natrelmon trying to frighten him away. She tapped her lips thoughtfully, she had never heard of a natrelmon like that. In all her studies, nothing. Behavior was something Amelia never had the time to study either way. "No, I don't think so. Nothing comes to mind." She folded her arms. Her mind was a steel trap, if she couldn't think of it, it was either not common or her just hasn't read it yet.

Now that Kito had mentioned something trying to scare him out of the forest, Amelia became dubious about going and searching for natrelmon in the low light. Then again, a scary natrelmon in the woods would keep her and hers on edge. Yes! Plus, with Eishund, nothing would be able to sneak up on them too easily. She would need to pick up some relics before hand.
"I am going to head out before it gets too dark. There may be friends to have!" she bid Kito good night and walked out of the hotel, vowing they would finish catching up tomorrow.

Amelia whistled as she browsed the fine collection of relics. There were a lot of them, but she wanted something in particular. She was about to give in and buy some lovely bracelets when she found them. Charms. There were many in different colors. They were very beautiful. She ended up choosing five that she felt attracted to, paid, and clipped them to her anklet. She had chosen a ruby, opal, emerald, obsidian, and turquoise colored gems. It would be very nice to get a new natrelmon to call friend.

The light of the day was starting to fade before Amelia finally found her way into the forest. She summoned Eishund from his charm as she entered the inky black wood. She stopped and looked around. As if he was reading her mind, Eishund produced his globes of Ielle and Indolu on either side to illuminate the area. Sighing, she pat Eishund on the head as a sort of comfort before walking forward.

There was a high pitched shriek and a thud behind them. Amelia whirled around to see a Metosune growling. Eishund placed himself between her and their attacker returning his own snarl. Her topaz charm hummed, Crowire wanted to fight too, but she was going to have to wait. The fox lunged, snapping at Eishund's neck, but he was able to easily avoid and come back with a bite of his own on the front left leg. The attack left a bit of ice on the Metosunes fur that started to grow down its leg, causing it to stick to the ground whenever its foot rested. This slowed the fox down enough for Eishund to position his globes close enough for them to affect the enemy. Not thinking, the Metosune shot a beam of dark energy at Eishund.

Amelia had always been so proud of how smart her natrelmon were. Eishund was almost always able to out maneuver any wild natrelmon they came across. This was no different. After they both avoided the attack, she realized the fox was unable to respond due to the globes. Still, it was fairly fast and quickly escaped the globes before they did any damage.
"Use solar flare then radiant star." As she spoke the Globe of Ielle burned with a blinding light. This caused the Metosune to paw at its face as it tried to clear its sight. Before it could gain a clear image of what was happening, it was struck by Eishund's radiant star. The impact made it fall to the ground. Once the light died away and it appeared to be unmoving, Amelia approached. The last attack had knocked the wind out of the natrelmon and it seemed to not want to fight anymore.
"Come friend," she held out the obsidian colored gem, "rest and be at ease." Metosune closed its eyes, thankful she wasn't going to kill it. The black stone glowed red as the fox was captured. She gently rubbed the stone as it faded back to its original black color.

Amelia stood and looked at Eishund smiling. He was panting, but happy. Maybe it was Crowire's turn to come out. She needed the light though, so he would have to stay.
"Join me, my friend." She cooed and a dark mist spouted from her topaz charm. Crowire cawed from a nearby tree. She was upset that she wasn't able to help capture their new friend. The moment was short lived as they heard a commotion just a little ways off.

Upon arriving at the scene, the group realized what was happening. A Gen had taken on more than it could handle in a family of Sparwire.
"Go! Crowire!" It took no more encouragement for Crowire to frighten off its younger counterparts. They scattered and could be heard squawking as they flew into the distance. Crowire landed near the Gen and ruffled her feathers before settling. She looked at the little monster tilting her head to and fro.

"Oh, are you okay, little one?" Amelia kneeled next to the Gen. It had fallen on its face and hadnt moved. She wasn't sure what to do to. Gingerly she rested her hand on its soft black ball body. It twitched under her hand, then slowly rose to its feet. It stared at her with its narrow red eyes.

At first, thinking it may attack, Amelia braced herself. However then she looked back, she found the Gen kneeling before her. She laughed and patted the Gen, who then glared up at her.
"Sorry.. do you want to come with me?"
The Gen nodded, though he was still slightly annoyed. Amelia touched the ruby colored gem on her anklet. "Come friend, rest and be at ease." The gem sparkled and shone with a bright red light before fading.
"Well, I think we can stand to look for one more natrelmon!" Amelia said to Crowire and Eishund. They cried out in agreement and she laughed.

They had walked for several minutes, Crowire was perched comfortably on her shoulder. Things were pretty quiet... until a growl sounded off to the right. Amelia froze and slowly turned to face the sound. She was met by an Emleaf. She stared at the creature, horrified. Eishund placed himself between the now frozen Amelia who shortly there after screamed and ran off. Crowire, startled by the random shout, fell off of her and flapped her wings to not hit the ground. The bird exchanged looks with Eishund and they followed their trainer. The Emleaf cackled before fading back into the shrubbery.

The two natrelmon were able to catch up to Amelia after a few seconds. It was several minutes before she stopped. Breathing heavy, Amelia looked at her companions.
"Sorry guys. Those things just really freak me out." she said between breaths. They both let out what sounded like a laugh. Crowire returned to her relic, a bit tired. Eishund stayed, he know how much Amelia hated the dark.

Looking around they could tell they were in unfamiliar territory. The town was nowhere in sight and nothing could be heard. It had started to get chilly. Amelia pulled out her coat and a pair of gloves from her pack and put them on. She smiled at Eishund, slightly worried, "What are we going to do?"

Shio (for Kasumi - evening before 2spooky)

Shio merely nodded to the first question.

"I will join you."

Shio rose, stiffly replacing her chair to as close as the original position as possible. Her Kujaku jumped over to the other side of the railing to wait, while her Kohitsuji and herself walked into the restaurant and then out the ornate door designed to appear like the legs of a Nakumo with glass between them. It was, of course, thematically painted a brilliant red and strangely non conductive to heat or electricity - or at least that is what she assumed.

It was unusual for Shio to be invited to such an outing, as she was not a noted conversationalist. Especially so given the difference in familial status. She was unsure of what Kasumi also meant by experiencing the sunset with her, but felt it was best to refrain from asking. She followed Kasumi's lead on the matter, her Kujaku and Kohitsuji in tow. She had nothing really to comment on as they walked, as it was customary to allow one with Kasumi's status to lead not only their movements, but the conversation as well - it was as Shio liked as it helped avoid her potentially serious faux pas.

---

Shio (for Aera - the night before 2spooky)

After her outing with Kasumi, Shio had retired to the inn. It was the same Inn that Aera was staying in. Shio had already unpacked what little she brought with her into her room, so opted to remain in the lobby. The news was on, but it was uneventful. There was a small segment about the influx of new trainers in Toran to try to begin their rites. A few of them were being interviewed. Shio took note of these individuals, as well as their Natrelmon in case they would be potential threats for her later down the road. Like she suspected, her assessment of them at the end of segment was that none of them would pose serious threats.

Shio noted Aera's presence, as well as a couple of other in the lobby. Aera was the only new trainer currently lingering in the lobby. Shio looked at her with her trademark blank expression as she quickly examined her threat level. The elderly couple, well into their seventies, were classified as low threats to her, given the man's shaky left leg and her obvious signs of arthritis. Aera was in good physical shape and clearly spent a fair amount of time outdoors. That made her a bit harder to read in terms of threat. Shio's gaze, however, didn't linger any longer than necessary, quickly shifting to look out the window yet again to observe the flow of traffic in and out of the inn.

Like with Kasumi, her Kohitsuji and Kujaku were still out with her.

Aera looked up as another trainer made her way to the lobby. She had been chatting with the innkeeper, asking for directions to a cheap but reasonably good restaurant, ahd none of the innkeeper's suggestions sounded appealing to her. While the older folks probably knew the town well, she felt that disturbing them would be most disrespectful. The trainer looked relatively well-travelled herself. Perhaps asking a fellow trainer wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all. Aera walked over to the trainer.

"Good evening." She waited for a moment, trying to read the atmnosphere. The trainer seemed slightly stand-offish, despite her bright eyes. Aera and her natrelmon kept their distance. "I couldn't help but notice that you were a trainer. See, I was hoping to find someplace to eat that wouldn't be too heavy on the wallet. Do you know a place? You look like you've been around."

She glanced at the trainer's natrelmon. The kohitsuji's hard shine seemed to reflect his trainer's personality.

The rest of the afternoon Caelyn spent with Eishund wandering Toran. He saw many strange Natrelmon he did not recognize, and some he did. Eishund struggled to maintain her calm when they walked past the docks where they were bringing in fresh fish haul. "Eishund come on its getting dark, we need to be getting back." Eishund whimpered as if not wanting to obey, so Caelyn made her return to her relic and decided that the walk home would have to be alone. "Stubborn ass dog. Sorry girl, but i will make it up to you later ok? We just really need to get back to the inn before it gets too late.

On the return to the inn, Caelyn was attacked. His stomach roared at him and cursed his name. It seemed to say "How dare you neglect me!?" Caelyn sighed. He had just spent a lot of money on the Natrelmon relics he had purchased and now his stomach was demanding a sacrifice. "Can't be helped I guess." He said. Almost as an act of defiance, his glasses seemed to tilt a bit, as if it was Eishund's way of saying "serves you right". Caelyn grinned and adjusted his glasses in his way of pushing back. "Dog, you are so stubborn! But so am I." Caelyn burst into laughter. He looked up and saw an elderly couple in the inn lobby just staring at him. "Oh come on! How does this keep happening!? I am not crazy. I am talking to my Natrelmon thank you very much!" Caelyn noticed his volume and cleared his throat. "Right, terribly sorry." He offered a small smile and a very fiery red face. He noticed the two other trainers in the lobby conversing and blushed harder. His glasses shifted again and he could feel Eishund's glare.

Caelyn walked up over to the group to escape the more embarrassing scene before it unfolded. "Hi, my name is Caelyn. Wow is that a Kohitsuji? It's beautiful."

double post D:

Shio (Aera and Caelyn)

Shio hadn't been in a setting like this before - at least not in awhile. Two people approaching her was unusual. As both walked over to her, she slid her right hand slightly towards the base of her back where she had her belt knife, in case it was a hostile move. It was a subtle response that she had learned to disguise well as natural, a trait she couldn't carry over to her art of conversation. She had been trained to utilize specific responses and conversation was not easily able to utilize the same formulas she had learned as a child.

Aera was first to speak, which relaxed Shio a bit knowing that it wasn't a threatening gesture. The question was standard, so Shio didn't need to spend much effort crafting a response.

"I ate at the Red Nakumo. It was free because I assisted in exorcising the restaurant 3 years, 2 months, and 5 days ago. I had a spicy noddle dish." Shio was unsure of how to really respond to the question. She hadn't been exposed much to the concept of money, since that was the duty of her father growing up. She was aware of how it worked, and the general principle of not wanting to consume unnecessarily, but her limited range of experience in utilizing money for her own enjoyment, particular for sustenance was an entirely new concept to her.

"I have only ever purchased ice cream myself," she added, hoping the afterthought may assist in Aera's understanding of her strange response, ignoring that the answer itself might come across as even stranger. Her tone was as dry as ever, but she still managed to convey that she was entirely focused on Aera's question. Inflection was one of her other weak points. While she could understand tone deviations in other people's voices, she had difficulty utilizing them herself because she had been taught to suppress her emotional reactions to the point it was done instinctively. She still had them, and had a general caring for people, but she was unable to express it well because objectivity and sensibility in emotionally trying situations could be difference between life and death.

Caelyn's was also quickly eliminated as a potential threat. Shio had initial questions on his mental capacity during his peculiar rant in the middle of the lobby while she discussed Aera's options for acquiring food.

"I am Shio, of the Enyo family. Yes, it is a Kohitsuji."

Despite Shio's lack of response on the compliment of her Natrelmon, Kohitsuji appreciated the attention and bleated in a cheerful tone. Shio's Kujaku ruffled it's feathers some, perched on the back of the chair that Shio was sitting in, slightly upset that it, the ornate Peacock Natrelmon, had been overlooked in terms of beauty.

"I ate at the Red Nakumo. It was free because I assisted in exorcising the restaurant 3 years, 2 months, and 5 days ago. I had a spicy noddle dish."

Aera almost smiled at the mention of the word free, but upon hearing the word exorcism, the smile died on her lips and turned into a quizzical frown. Then the girl made some non-sequitur response about ice-cream. Aera wondered what the girl was exorcising, to respond in such a strange manner.

Before she could thank the girl and walk away, some man went to them as well, eager to join the conversation. He quickly introduced himself, which prompted the exorcist girl to share her name; Aera realized she was the only one of the three who remained anonymous.

Shio's Kujaku caught Aera's eye; she grinned when it seemed jealous of the Kohitsuji.

"I imagined exorcists would have started with one of those ghost types. At any rate, thank you for the tip, Shio. I've heard some great things about the Enyo family - Echo gym is in good hands. Never thought I'd meet one myself."

Aera sized Caelyn up with a quick glance. He was friendlier than one would expect from a man who looked like him. Neither Shio now Caelyn gave her reason to withold her identity; they seemed like trainers not so different from herself.

"Oh yes, seems I forgot my manners. You can call me Aera." She gave a polite nod at Shio and Caelyn. "Pleased to meet you both."

2spooky

As the news of the mysterious murder unfurled on the streets below, the form of the Fox-Faced Thief could be seen perched upon the edge of a building overlooking the entire scene if one had the Perfect Sight necessary to see through the invisibility that she had wrapped herself with. The ace detective, Cat, had been known to Kasumi and the Touhou family for some time due to her assistance with investigative matters in Orin, which had been of great interest to all of the great families, but Kasumi's vested interest in keeping her nocturnal activities outside of the eyes of the law was what had given her real interest to follow them. In the past, she had sparred with Violet, but she had lost miserably - her speed at the time had been nothing compared to Violet's incredible strength, and she had suffered from the bruise for a good few weeks. It had been a good lesson in humility, her father had said, for the Touhou family were often known for their needless pride. It had certainly knocked her down a few pegs, so to speak, but she had quickly gotten the skill to bring herself back up - but when she felt ready to challenge Violet and win, her life had gotten far too busy due to the calling of the Lifanese government.

Still, the idea of such a murder in Toran was strange - she knew why people killed, and she also knew that men like Dr. Imin typically did not have anything of convential value - the valuables that a researcher kept were secrets or artifacts, and as no theft of artifacts had been stated, it was more likely to be that the Doctor had known something someone hadn't wanted him to know, or had something that someone else knew the true value of. Either were a disturbing thought, given the nature of the murder. From a thief's perspective, the murder was highly suspicious, but it was still entirely possible that the murder had been for a personal reason, or even a reason beyond the comprehension of most "normal" minds. These things were even more worrying for most of the populace - but for Kasumi Touhou, the Fox-Faced Thief, this was the essence of excitement. The thrill of danger had been like a drug to her for many years, and this particular case promised a chase unlike anything she'd experienced before... But even she felt uneasy about the situation. That was strange, and that meant that the case was strange.

Still, it couldn't hurt to allow the two detectives to do what they did best: Detect... Things... To do with murder. Without being caught. As far as she knew, neither had the gift of Perfect Sight, so she followed them across the rooftops.

~

Shio and Kasumi had watched the sunset together for a brief time before Shio had decided that it was time for her to retire, which had separated the two from their somewhat-bonding-experience - It had been quite lovely for the brief time that it had lasted, and the words of Kasumi's father had indeed echoed true: It was always a lovely sunset in the city of Toran. Sunset had its own sets of connotations for whomever experienced them - and in the case of Kasumi, it was the gateway towards the nocturnal hours, which given her little habit, was considered preferable. Though they had only spoken briefly - and Shio had not really engaged in conversation at all - Kasumi already understood the foundations of what made Shio tick. That was one of the more fortunate elements to being of a higher noble house.

After they had departed, Kasumi and her Gen had taken the opportunity to practice their pickpocketing skills, and despite not having the gift of Invisibility like Kasumi did, the Gen's affinity for the shadows was more than enough to keep it concealed from the drunks and the fools that were wandering around the crepuscular landscape of the sunset city. The spiritual bond that Kasumi had begun to explore within the art of Gishiki had been very interesting, for both herself and her Gen, and the ability to communicate with her Natrelmon and guide it without the need for verbal commands was exceptionally useful... But something about the art did not seem to truly resonate with her. She was a talented magician, favouring the deceptive and intellectual arts, but the nature of Gishiki was something that she was not sure she could truly abide by.

Perhaps, in time, it would be useful to her - but she did not hold her breath. There was talk of more magic, ancient magic, that had the potential to be more powerful than she had ever imagined magic could be... But it was not time to discover such things yet. She'd been told stories of blood mages as a child, perhaps in order to scare her rambunctious self into submission, but she had only ever found the promise of power enthralling. It would certainly be interesting for her to obtain such a magic - but it was one she felt would not bode well with the nature of Gishiki. Perhaps she would have to ask Shio about the nature of Gishiki and its compatibility with blood magic, or even other types of magic.

After a brief half an hour, Kasumi decided to venture to the Inn that seemed oh-so-popular, and stood at the entrance while she surveyed the scene, and used the spell Aspect of Mirrors in order to immediately move within distance of the unlikely trio.

"Boo." was all she said, hoping that she had been too spooky for them to react.

2spooky:

After meeting Aera and Shio, who probably think that he was off a bit, Caelyn had the sudden feeling that someone or something was directly behind him. "Eishund did you get out of your...." Caelyn was immediately interrupted by a eerie "Boo". "Holy shit, where the hell did you come from?! You are most definitely not Eishund." Caelyn said with a heart racing exhale. This new person had snuck up on the group without a word. Caelyn did not know what to think. His mind raced back to the article he had seen on the tv in his room about the murder in Toran. You never know who could be trusted and silently cursed himself for letting his guard down. Caelyn looked to Shio and Aera to gauge if they knew this person. Aera seemed just as startled as Caelyn, but Shio seemed almost irritated. He was half expecting her to roll her eyes. She had hardly flinched. Caelyn tried to put the ball back in his court a bit and get control of the situation.

Caelyn let Fang out of his relic. If any of his natrelmon had a repulsing effect it would be this one. "It's nice to meet you, my name is Caelyn. This is Fang, he's my Kyonshi. What might be your name? May want to be careful scaring folks like that with a murderer running around on the loose."

Shio & 2spooky

Shio's awareness of her surroundings had granted her the incredible ability to multitask. Despite the breaking news from Toran News One, Shio reacted swiftly to Kasumi's arrival, chaining a Word of Conviction: Blind with the tossing of her pcoket knife, blade loosed, at Kasumi's location. Thankfully, Shio was confident in Kasumi's ability to react to it once she realized who it was. Shio bowed immediately in apology.

"Greatest apologies Lady Kasumi," she added, just as the two police officers from the television program burst in.

Cat's black hair was a mess and she was alarmed by something. Violet's hands were stained with what looked like darkened blood.

"Everyone who is not confident in their ability to protect themselves needs to get upstairs immediately," Cat told them, Violet bracing the door shut while Cat preformed her duties.

Suddenly, the window shattered by what looked like a Crowire, but decayed and encased in a shadowy energy. It looked poised to strike at Caelyn, but a second later a shot echoed through the room, the once proud bird Natrelmon collapsing to the ground. Outside there was an eerie scratching noise of claws on stone. Unlike the quick movements of the normal night life, these were slow, dragging, and ominous.

"I don't know what this is, but Natrelmon already dead are being summoned from the graves. They seem to be converging on the morgue, so it should be relatively safe here. Just give the horde a moment to pass by," Cat explained to the likely stunned trainers. Violet's ears were pressed against the door she was holding up, listening for any potential threats. Despite her imposing frame, and clear skill, she was a bit bothered by this. It was a mixture of fear and sadness which could occasionally be seen in flashes in her face.

"Cat, we are the only two officers that can be accounted for. We can't get to the morgue on our own and we need to know what is going on there," Violet spoke, still holding the door shut in case of another attack, Cat shutting the heavy drapes on the broken window, blocking out the light from the Inn to the outside. She hoped it would prevent another one of the creatures from flinging themselves into the area. Cat had seen ones in far worse shape than the Crowire that had come in moments ago. She had seem a number of them covered in fresh blood from victims that hadn't managed to avoid the horde's path only to then moments later join the horde itself - it wasn't just Natrelmon either. It was the people of Toran too who were in danger of becoming a part of the mass of undead.

"You're right," Cat acknowledge begrudgingly, "If you aren't comfortable with this, go upstairs. Rest of you trainers can come with us. We need to get to the morgue and quick."

Shio nodded at Cat, "I am Shio of the Enyo. I will assist." It would be up to the rest of the trainers on what to do.

Violet nodded as well, tapping a few buttons on her strange gloves, "I've sent out a broadcast signal asking for all trainers in the area who can to assist us at the morgue."

"Let us head out then," Cat commanded, Violet opening the door into the dark, misty streets of Toran, a few straggles of the horde still outside the door. Violet launched herself at the nearest, her glove crackling with energy as she struck it, launching it back into the wall of the dark building on the other side of the street, completely obscured by the mist only feet into it's flight. The crack of bone against the wall was all they could hear. Cat's rifle sounded again as she took another one of them down.

"Try to stay in a group."

With those simple orders, they would head to the morgue.