Characters: Simon, Albert
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Beepbeepbeep...beepbeepbeep...beepbee-click!

Simon yawned, one hand on the alarm, the other wedged firmly under his body, as he raised his head blearily from the pillow. Sleepy eyes stared at the burning red numbers, signaling that it was indeed time to wake up, despite his own internal protests. The hybrid slowly rolled over, trying to rub his eyes, and ended up punching himself in the face when he realized his other arm was entirely numb from lack of circulation. A grumble, and the hybrid slowly rose to his hooves, giving another loud yawn and ruffling his hair. The tingles started to move up his limb as he turned on his shower and tried to shake the blood back into circulation. He stepped into the water, still bleary eyed as he scrubbed his rump with a long handled brush.

In the loft above his cafe, the llama hybrid had set up simple living quarters. On one side, a gargantuan mattress covered most of the room, a custom sized bed specifically for a creature of his size. Large heavy blankets tossed casually to one side. The room was mostly open and devoid of furniture short of a high dresser and rather sizeable mirror. The bathroom was essentially one large shower, able to fit his bulk in, albeit tightly. Down below, the cafe felt more like a lounge room than an actual restaurant. Large, well worn couches sat in lowered depressions. Armchairs and tables, all a deep red and simply designed, were spread out around the well carpeted store. The windows had heavy burgundy curtains drawn shut with thick rope cords.

Simon pulled a large mint green sweater over his head, the blow dryer aimed with one hand at his lower half. A quick brush, and the hybrid was trotting down the steps into his cafe as the first rays of light began to peak in through the window, hair on both halves somewhat wild and poofy. He was most definitely not a fan of the morning, as he went about setting up the restaurant. Rolling up the curtains, turning on the lights, and letting various machines warm up and prep. He poured a cup of orange juice for himself before a soft knock on the door gave him a smile. His hooves clicked over the tile behind the front counter as he headed to the door, unlocking it and allowing the human inside.

"It's freaking cold out there this morning."

The man pulled his scarf down, pierced lips grimacing at the hybrid. Simon grinned at the young boy, one of his three total employees. Diehlstadt was not particularly fast paced or rowdy, so the Corner Garden was rarely rushed except during very specific times of the year. Albert was a nice boy, if your typical teen. Hormonal, moody, and believing in his inhuman knowledge of all things. Still, he worked hard and was reliable and polite.

"Good morning Albert."

Taking a sip of his juice as the moody teen walked over to the counter to get his apron and begin setting the rest of the kitchen up, Simon decided to leave the door unlocked and open a few minutes early. He already started to smell the coffee brewing, which unfortunately made his stomach pull a loop. He hated the stuff. But what was a cafe without coffee? He ruffled his hair and flipped the sign to Open, giving another wide yawn as he helped the boy begin baking the morning pastries and stock the case with breads.

------------

As the sun rose over the town, finally breaking the top of the sea of pinetrees surrounding it, a plethora of creatures began to stir. Cars trundled by as a griffon swooped low, nodding a greeting to the mermaid wheeling her way to the lakeside. Children hopped onto a bus, bumping shoulders with young imps and cherubs on their way to school. The occasional staring passerby revealed tourists and newcomers to the townsfolk, who simply headed towards their jobs and went through their morning routines. Underneath a pitch black umbrella, a vampire grumbled about the lack of cell service, on his way home from the graveyard shift at some 24 hour diner.

Just another normal day in Diehlstadt, the so called Mythical Town.

As the sun rose slowly into the sky, a black figure slithered about through the streets. The sunlight shone on ebony, plated scales, causing them to gleam magically. Piercing red eyes deftly darted about, scanning the whereabouts for any trouble or danger. An eleven foot long tail silently slid across the concrete ground, the scales slick enough for smooth movement. Passersby paid this figure some kind greetings and was repaid by a friendly smile and a nod as they slid past.

The snake-person soon stopped and looked up to the warm, morning sky. The sunlight danced across two long, and very sharp horns, making them glitter in the energy of the sun. If this city was in a desert land then the atmosphere would be perfect. Alas, the figure stood in a city with cars and buildings made out of bricks. It wasn't quite like home, but it was close enough. Slitted eyes darted to the nearby cafe that appeared to be open early this morning. Excellent. The Naga could use a fresh cup of coffee.

Slithering skillfully towards the shop, the Naga slipped inside stealthily. She was fast enough to find herself a seat on a couch before any of the workers could notice her. As was the game she enjoyed playing with them. How long could she sit there in wait before either Albert or Simon noticed her? Her tail flicked with all the patience in the world, her red eyes boredly looking around the store. She took in the nice paintings that hung on the walls to give the cafe a more relaxed look. The couches were old, but had that nice homey feel to it that had made newcomers feel welcomed immediately.

The snake woman had sat in front of the opened window, allowing herself to bask and lounge in the warm sunlight. As a young snakeling, she had often laid in the hot desert sand and let the sun's rays envelope her like a blanket. She could no longer lay in the sand, but she could still lay lazily in the warm sunlight.

Glancing out of the window, the Naga watched the variation of people walking past. There were vampires with their black parasols laughing and giggling at the latest gossip, centaurs trotting about with their fresh crops for the market and a small group of Imps were running to catch the bus they had missed.

Diehlstadt acted just like any other human town despite the fact that there was an eleven foot tall Naga woman sitting in a coffee shop like she was the most normal being in the world. Minutes passed as she waited for Simon to notice her and grace her with his usual startled yelp at the sudden appearance of a very large and very scary Naga.

On the opposite side of Corner Garden garden sat Nerd's Paradise, a cleverly named electronics store - or at least Anna thought it had been clever. She had never planned to rent out a corner shop across the way to such a popular little cafe, but she just counted her good fortune to have the exposure. Even though Anna wouldn't have called most people in this town 'nerdy' they still came by to check out her console games, HDTVs, laptops, and computer repair service. She was fairly good at repairing what small problems had too from hardware issues, user errors, or viruses.

It was Friday though and the morning was a bit chilly, meaning it'd probably be a slow day. Anna had caught up on her work and glanced up at the slow rays of sunlight creeping through her front window and shrugged to herself, figuring she might as well flick the OPEN light on. She had spent all night playing a strategy game on the main computer downstairs that also served for transactions and taxes purpose - really anything business related - but had earned enough money to have a buffed up three-thousand dollar computer to play games on too. Not having to sleep had it's advantages and she popped up as if she had just slept all night and looked outside.

As she was pulling the small chain that would let everyone know she was open for business, she saw that one naga slither into the Corner Garden. She seemed to love that place, she noticed and smirked to herself. She had always been curious, but she would never be so forward to just walk in and say hi. It wasn't her style. She supposed that was why when Kirei mentioned she needed a place, Anna was a bit surprised at herself for offering her a bed at her place - at least for now. It had only been a day since the spider-woman had moved in, so it was hard to say what would happen in truth ... but she was slightly worried it might get a bit complicated. She did reason that Kirei was likely into men though, so nothing complicated would happen.

Anna rolled her eyes as she spun back around, her kitty tail flicking in the air. This is what she got for not sleeping; sometimes she had to curse her own wandering thoughts and the fact she got bored if she wasn't consistently doing or thinking of something. Her eyes slide across the image of the upstairs, curious if her new room mate would be up anytime soon and questioned herself a few times now - weren't spiders like nocturnal or something? What did she know though?

She hadn't a lot of experiences with all these new races, even if she had strange, lingering, ghost-like memories and thoughts of what must've been a past life ... 'Oh well,' she lazily thought to herself and plopped back into the chair and went right back to her game with almost no sound - just enough for her sensitive ears to catch the soothing music of a strategy game.

[h3]Sophia]/h3]Sleep was a luxury that the jackal woman did not always take advantage of. Surely in the past she required it much more often as a human. It was hard to recall exactly, it was so long ago. Much of that life was lost in her memory. It was slightly sad really. The draw of returning never quite left her mind though. Of course there was no way she could have anticipated the changes to, well, everything that occurred.



Reading all night she only stopped as the sun had risen, light streaming through the blinds hung in the windows. Often she could be found in the library at any hour, day or night. However she knew that she needed to break the stalemate of isolation. Mornings were good for that. People had their early hour rituals that often meant mingling at this or that place. Coffee was apparently the customary drink of choice. She had yet to understand why, what with it's awfully bitter taste. Though perhaps attempting to make it herself was the issue. Either way she had not tried it again since.

Observing the clock her place of work would not open for another hour so she had a little free time. Placing a bookmark she put away her reading and stepped outside, locking up behind her. As expected people were moving about in preparation for the new day. Making a deliberate path she navigated to the cafe. Socializing was still somewhat tricky for her, only just developing interests that others could relate to. Or at least for those that have interests in human things. All the rest would have to wait else her head would explode from too much at once.

A man in a Hakama stood in front of her, sword out and ready. It was obvious enough that he was ready to fight. Perhaps it had been because she had ate a human? Such fickle creatures they are, not knowing their place on the food chain. After a few seconds the man was easily on the ground with her standing over him. He wasn't dead, just injure--. The sounds of explosions resounded through the forest behind her and a pain jolted through her body starting at her shoulder. As she grasped the spot she turned around to see just what happened. Five men holding very strange long sticks with smoke emanating from a hole in the front. Whatever it was, she didn't want to feel it again, so she started to run, only to trip as the swordsman on the ground grabbed her leg. The men with explosive sticks got closer and pointed them at her. It was then she closed her eyes awaiting the worst.

THUMP. Kirei felt a great pain surge as her whole body hit the floor. Normally she was safe enough in her web hammock to not fall out of it onto the ground however, this case was a little bit more extreme than normal. "I wonder why I even had that dream. Nothing like that's happened in a long time." She muttered. It was suppose to be a little backwater town. The fact they got guns was a surprise to her at that time, but pointless now. She looked around at the space she was now sharing. She felt out of place to be sure. It was all bright colors that made one feel like they'd be blinded if they look too long. Then there were the "adorable" pictures of kittens and puppies and then a lavender field and a mountain that reminded Kirei of "home".

"I should probably get my day started." The Jorogumo muttered as she started to head to the door downstairs. Luckily she caught herself before heading down for she was wearing the equivalent to a bathing suit. She didn't want her clothes to stick to her web, so she wore what she thought wouldn't stick to it. Apparently it work as well as planned, otherwise she'd have not smacked her head on the floor. "I should probably get dressed."

The wardrobe was nicely divided between her things and Anna's. The styles of clothes were easy enough to differentiate anyway, but it made it easier sort through things. Kirei decided on a pair of pants, a blue shirt, and her favorite leather jacket then headed downstairs, where she knew Anna would be. Unconsciously quiet, Kirei walked down the stairs and found Anna playing one of her games again. She wasn't so sure about these things since she lived in the mountains most of her life. "I thought you had a store to run." She slightly joke from not too far behind Anna.

PAIN

The first thought of the morning, incredibly annoying but still sharp pain. What was the source? Lancelot, and his spear. By spear I mean beak. Hardly the best way to start your day, but for Mulivon it was a common occurrence.

"Why can you not allow my alarm clock to rouse me? Do you derive some sense of joy from pecking my forehead in the morn? Answer me Lancelot lest I grow angry!"

Her eyes struggle to open, unlike her mouth. As she rises Lancelot lands on her shoulder and rubs against her cheek, he always knew just what to say. She sighed defeated by the birds charms. She rises from her bed as there was no hope that Lancelot would allow any other decision.

"Did you start my breakfast? Or at least my bath?"

Lancelot answers with a light peck to the side of her head.

"Yet I keep you around...You are fortunate to be so adorable."

Lancelot hoped off and fluttered away, likely to go about getting his own breakfast.

"Oh yes, so fortunate"

----A short bath later----

So many walls, and doors. She had only been here a short time but the small tubs and even smaller waterfalls (Otherwise known as showers) left her perplexed on how anyone was able to really feel the connection with the waters? Her thoughts continued to wander until Lancelot dropped her headdress on her head.

"Thank you, I will head to the local shop that sells the rather bitter but sweet drink. Coffee. Oh and their swee- I mean breakfast foods"

She walked out in her more traditional garb despite others finding it chilly it was nothing compared to the northern mountains. Though she did have to wear shoes, which she despised, but this type of ground was horrible on such soft feet.

Some stranger using a parasol early in the morning bumped her without a second thought,Using a stupid device no less. She turned to say something but Lancelot forced her headdress down over her eyes to distract her. It took her a few seconds but long enough that it was no longer worth it.

On her trip all sorts of strange shops lined the roads, and everyone dressed so strange. She wasn't in awe but she was interested, particularly with the various forms of entertainment. Television still did not make much since but apparently it did not use magic, but yet could project images that where happening from somewhere far away. It was like a the looking waters from home.

Lancelot pecked the side of her head. She had gotten lost in thought staring at a television display. Mulivon turned around to enter the Corner Garden, a rather open establishment compared to many. But rather than look around she stops dead in her tracks when she spots the giant serpent literally over twice her size! The creatures eyes seem fixated on the staff? Is it a gorgon, she read about those they turn others to stone, but those seem fine? What should she do? Lancelot once again breaks her silence when he flies over to the serpent in question!

"Don't!"

Her plea seemed almost a shout in the empty shop. She winced at her own voice, knowing full well she looked like a fool.

Beginning to grow bored of Simon's unobservant nature, the Naga was ready to call out his name and scare him on purpose. That is until a strange woman entered the small cafe and froze in place when her gaze set upon the large Naga woman. Her attention was turned to this new arrival, slitted eyes inspecting her with scrutiny. This woman must be new to this mythical town or has, at least, never seen a Naga before, judging from petrification and the terrified look on her face.

A smirk slowly crept along her face, her eyes seeming to brighten in their intensity. The look on this stranger's face was comical and, if she had a camera, she would've taken a picture and added it to her scrapbook. Her gaze shifted to the small, black bird whom had flitted it's way towards her. Hands reached out to gently cup the winged animal in her clawed hands. Her deft eyes flitted back to the strange woman who was now shouting in the empty cafe.

''Have you never seen a Naga before, girl?'' The woman spoke, her voice low and rich, with a feminine drawl to it. Her fangs could easily be seen as she spoke, alongside her tongue which randomly darted out of her mouth faster than a snake. Her piercing eyes shifted to look at Albert who had been alerted by the commotion and had exited the kitchen to look at the two. He flinched when he noticed the snake-woman's presence in the room.

''It's been just over ten minutes, Albert. You're getting a lot slower.'' The Naga spoke, leering playfully at the younger human boy. Said boy stared at her with an emotion that could only be akin to terror. The Naga had picked up on how his breathing pattern altered into a quicker pace. The young boy stared at the eleven foot tall Naga sitting leisurely on one of the worn couches. His eyes seemed focused on the long, sharp fangs that hid inside her mouth. The boy's movements were deliberately slow so as not to make any sudden movements.

''Officer O-Oerba... You're early today. Uhh... Sorry for keeping you waiting this morning...'' Albert spoke, his voice wavering and his throat gulping. He fumbled about with his notebook, unable to find it in his apron. The Naga remained perfectly calm and gave him a friendly smile, knowing how terrified of snakes the poor boy was. She kept her distance, respecting his need for distance from her. He slowly backed away from the Naga when he caught the slightest glimpse of her fangs, beginning to hyperventilate.

''I-I'll, uhh, just go get Simon for you! Sorry for the wait, officer!'' The young boy exclaimed, quickly ducking back into the kitchen to go and get his employer. Sweat ran down his face as his body shook with fear, trying to calm his breathing once the Naga was out of sight. Left alone by the teen, the Naga then looked at the small bird in her hands, gently stroking it.

''Are you new, little bird? Here to quell the Ophidiophobia that seems to run in these parts? I must say, I am impressed by your bravery.'' Oerba spoke, her finger gently scratching the bird's feathered head. Her red eyes then flitted to look at the woman who had entered, waiting for a response.

Dulla-chan

The sun was rising behind her as she stood looking down on the sleepy town on Diehlstadt. Standing at less than 5 feet, at the shoulders, the red coated figure none the less cast a shadow reached even the town. Dulla studied the town from a moment, her head nestled tightly under one arm. A grin appeared on her face as she spoke. "Lo, The Herald of Death hath come to your town. What poor souls might I find here, I wonder." Dulla-chan's shoulders began to shake slightly as she started to laugh. "Heh. Ha ha ha ha ha. Mwah HA HA HA HA- Ouch!"

Dulla-chan looked up at her own body from the ground, having dropped her head when she spread her arms in an overly dramatic gesture. She reached down to pick her head back up, taking a step forwards in the process and nudging it with her foot, just enough to cause it to over balance and roll down the hill into town.

With a gasp, Dulla-chan's head came to a stop up against the side of a building and she watched her own body stumble past, arms outstretched to feel the way ahead. She tried to turn around and come back towards her head, only the feel the impact of a wall, followed by the feel of ground on her back. She couldn't see from the angle she'd come to rest on, but it seemed her body had fallen over somewhere nearby. "Crap... Now what?" She mused, blowing dirt out of her face.

Masilatabhrata stepped out into the morning air, leaving the dull apartment complex behind. He would need to find a new building to feed from soon - many of the tenants had suspicions of a demon. Some outright knew what was going on, and the ethereal being couldn't get past the charms they had put up. Though, it wasn't rocket science to figure out what was happening, as most people who didn't know the alp knew of him.

Another thing to add to his to-do list: Find and have a nice talk with whoever's selling these charms. Most of the areas on Earth had a lot more rules and regulations than his homeland, and he had learned to think of them as a game. Two hundred years ago, he would easily lose the game in a New Orleans back alley. But now his dice were loaded and he could make the law work for him.

Coming out of his thoughts, Masilalt watched humans as they walked past him. It was easy to tell the tourists apart, and he always took note to remember their face. He hated them, considering they weren't exactly at the town for the scenery. However, a lot of his money did come from tourists and selling them charms and teas, so they weren't entirely a waste. The cafe may have had some good coffee, but the llama couldn't make tea the way he could. A few hundred years in the practice might have given him a bit of an advantage.

The demon glanced up at the sky. He had a few orders, but didn't start his work until noon. He needed various herbs for them that he didn't have, and would have to dry more. He shook his head. He always procrastinated on getting new spices, and was always put in this position. Rounding a corner, he walked into an open air market. The cold morning meant not a lot of others were there, which he was always grateful for. Places like this weren't always open as late as he would like, and the few souls dragging themselves around was a reprieve from the crowd normally found.

(Eliza's section will have her name in red at the begginging, Ian's will have his name in gold at the begginging)

Eliza

Eliza's day started the same as any other. Start with morning stretches (mostly for her wings), get dressed and ready, then jump off the side of the building and into the air. That last bit was her favorite part of the day. Her little delivery shop didn't open till 9 (and even if she wasn't there, people could still leave their stuff to be delivered so long as they put their payment and mailing instructions in an envelope with their name on it in the "Payment box" she had set up. Made life so much easier for her) so she had a bit to go get some breakfast and enjoy the town's early morning scenery. She could see a lot from where she flew in the sky. As much as her glasses/goggles would allow at least. She could see the daily lives of people high above their heads, unnoticed usually, unless they happened to look up or noticed her shadow. It made Eliza happy to see everyone living their lives from up there.

Except for one person. The first few times she had run into Ian enough times that when she first saw him lying on the roof, she thought he was hiding from a few angry prankees. A couple of times after that, she thought it was just some place he liked to hang out. The more times she saw him there after that, especially going on into the night and the fact he would sometimes have a little tent set up there, Eliza realized that there was a good chance he lived there. She knew sticking her nose someplace it didn't belong wasn't the best idea...but she couldn't help but feel bad for him if that was the case. And today when she saw him there, asleep on the roof...well...She went off and got some breakfast before flying over to his roof and landing on it. She went over to him and gently nudged him with her foot a little while saying. "Hey! Wake up! I brought Breakfast!"

---

Ian

Ian woke with a little start, currently wrapped up in some patchwork blankets he'd stitched together in his off time, scratching his head as he looked up to see Eliza standing over him, bringing an offering of breakfast for him. What kind of demon would he be if he didn't accept such a gracious guest. But first, he had to get up to claim his meal, which brought up a rather painful sting from his back.

"Fuck, my back, That is the last time I follow a centaur into the forest . . . that being said, they sure do now how to party." Ian grinned mischievously at the thought, but he quickly shook himself from his fantasies when he remembered that he had company that had brought an offering of food to him. "Sup Boss, and I thank you for the kind offering. . . and please forget everything you just heard, it's of no consequence to anyone. That being said, I might be off for the next day or two, kind sprained my back after some . . . 'bareback riding' if you catch my drift." The smile returned, and with it came an excited wag of his tail from behind him, which soon reached out to grab the lunch bag that Eliza held in her hand.

"So, what brings you over to my rooftop abode today, bring me lunch of all things. Have you decided to take me up on my offer of passionate love making, I assure you that you won't regret it."

---

Eliza

Eliza rolled her eyes at Ian's recounting of last night. Nothing she hadn't heard before from him really. She sat down as she handed Ian his food, noticing his tail, which she was sure she had only seen a few times before now, wagging like a dog's who had just received a treat. That was actually kind of cute. Anyways.

"Sorry, but we met in the wrong timeline for that to happen." Eliza told him as she took out her sausage biscuit and started munching on it. "It's more along the lines of I've been curious. You might have seen my fly up past here often, because I certainly see you and...well...I really don't want to be nosy but do you live up here Ian?" She asked him, a little worried.

---

Ian

Ian pulled out the biscuit in his pack and took a bite, taking a few seconds to chew and swallow before he responded to her question. "Yeah, never really had a roof over my head. Where I come form it's kind 'every demon for himself' after you hit 8, though I was lucky and my mom cared for me for an extra year before she had to kick me to the curb. After that I've just been wandering from palce to place, having lots of fun memories and exciting adventures along the way. I've also had a lot of crumby nights as well, one time I almost died of frostbite out in Russia, probably would have to if I hadn't been taken in by a nice family. . . got chased out a week later after I was caught in bed with the man's daughter, bit i swear that it had been a hundred percent her idea." Ian finished his biscuit, wiping his mouth on a corner of the blanket before giving off his trademark smile. "You know I'm defenseless against the charms of females of any races. As for seeing you fly by, then yeah, once or twice. Most of the time I'm up here, I'm either driunk off my ass orrrrrrrrrrrrrrr- you know what, I'm just going to leave it at drunk off my ass/recovering from a hangover." Like hell I'm going to admit to my boss that I'm on drugs, not with my first decent paying job in months. Come on Ian, don't fuck yourself on this one.

---

Eliza

Eliza listened quietly to his story. 9...and he was 19...that was ten years of adventuring before he ended up here. Eliza was a little jealous to be honest. Of course, his was forced adventuring, and he had just made the most of it like she did her own life, so she could admire him for that. "Listen Ian, we both know that you partake in things other than booze." Or at least that's what the stories she heard went, but judging by how his end of the conversation got awkward, it was probably true. "I don't really care. You've been working for me for a few months now and you haven't negatively affected my business. So what you do during your off time is up to you. But the one thing I can't really stand for is for you being out here. I mean, c'mon Ian, the winters here might not be as bad as those in Russia but I'd hate to get a call saying they found you frozen up here. You need a decent place to live."

---

Ian

Ian let out a breath of relief at that, laying down and looking u at the sky as he listen to the rest of what she had to say. Once she finished he kinda looked away from her, partly out of pride in what he's managed to cobble together up here, but mostly because of how ashamed he was with his current living situation. "This place is plenty decent," he mumbled weakly under his breath, not really wanting to admit that he did infact hae it up har more often than not. He didn't want to tell her that he couldn't afford to live here because that would be implying that he had a problem with his current pay grade, which he didn't, but it just wasn't enough for him to lie on his own, and he didn't know anyone that well that he'd feel comfortable living with them. Despite his willingness to sleep around, he was very picky about who he trusted to the level that he could live with them/ Guess I wasn't as unaffected by mom leaving me behind as I thought Ian let out a sigh, looking up into the sky and tracing the edges of the clouds with his tail. It was a thing he used to do all the time when he was younger, a fun activity and a good way to practice and exercise the tail, keeps it from getting to stiff. That's what his mom told him at least.

Characters: Simon, Oerba, Mulivon
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Simon trotted out from the kitchen, a calm expression on his face. Oerba, the surprisingly intimidating naga. Earlier than she normally was, she must be trying to stay warm on the chilly morning.

"Officer Oerba, what a surprise, you snuck into my cafe without my noticing. Again."

Truth be told, the hybrid was hardly affected by this game anymore. He mostly reacted for her benefit, having easily seen her enter the small cafe. At this point, he was eternally on guard for her, having been scared multiple times and embarrassing himself with some rather undignified screams at the time *and almost burning himself severely with hot drinks*. Since then, he had become a master of noticing her entrances and simply acting surprised, simply from a matter of survival. It was far easier than risking her stepping up her game and actively putting effort into such theatrics. His heart would probably explode. The vision of her pouncing from the roof onto him was not one he ever wished to come true. Plus bringing attention to her caused Albert to get rather panicked. With a friendly smile, he folded his arms, giving the naga a lazy quirk of his brow.

"And you yet again caused my employee to have a mild panic attack. You know the poor boy thinks you're going to devour him whole, right? Though I suppose I should be thankful that it wasn't me who was startled this morning."

For all her pride and power as a police officer, Simon knew better than to worry about her abusing her position or trying to intimidate him. She was a good cop, one of the few both humans and monsters could rely on. For that, Simon respected her. He doubted she was half as mean or threatening as she came off as, most of it was probably just the sheer amount of confidence she had in her abilities. Albert's severe phobia of snakes didn't help matters, but it wasn't her fault after all. A slight clattering noise came from behind Simon as Albert stepped out, carrying a cup of coffee shakily. The hybrid immediately went over and took it from his hands to prevent a messy, potentially burning situation.

"Thanks, could you double check the scones, I don't want them to burn."

The boy practically shot behind the counter, clearly not enjoying the snake lady's presence. As Simon set the cup in front of her, his trademark breezy smile never leaving his face, he finally noticed Mulivon. How he had NOT noticed the young girl was beyond him, as she was dressed in very elaborate clothing, even by Diehlstadt's outlandish standards. She seemed rather fixated on Oerba.

"Oh, hello. Sorry, I didn't see you there. Hmm...I don't recognize you."

The hybrid folded an arm behind his back, giving a cheerful smile as he spoke.

"I'm Simon, welcome to the Corner Garden Cafe. Can I get you anything?"

Approaching the Corner Garden, Sophie found it already quite busy. The other residents apparently interacting with each other. The naga she recognized, having met her already on another occasion, even if briefly. There was some fowl that she was holding, her breakfast perhaps? No she was holding it far too gently. "Good morning Officer Oerba. Do you have a new friend there?" Interactions were not her strong point but that was partly the reason she was there. So far she had noticed that people in this world were not as formal.

The other woman there, Mulivon, was wearing some tribal garments. At the very least it looked to hold some personal significance. Not wanting to stare though she continued to the counter so she could again try a coffee whilst awaiting Oerba's answer. "Good morning Simon Armijo. How are you?" She had a habit of addressing people with their full name. As she has had to explain it was customary to pay homage to one's past lineage. What was not explained quite as well was why. But she didn't want to bore someone with details that did not necessarily pertain to them.

@Spawnling@Queen Cobra@Satsuki

The first words Mitch Garmen uttered upon arriving in Dielstadt were a stream of obscenities, directed at the cold, albeit clear morning. He hugged his bulky coat around him, pressing the inside pockets to his chest. He'd planned ahead and put some glove warming pads in his pockets for exactly this reason, but it didn't help the chilly breeze that found its way into his shirt. In any case, he thrust his hands into his pockets and roamed down the street, a limp laundry bag slung over his shoulder.

He'd just arrived by bus from Kilner, one of the largest and busiest cities in the region. It had been a long all-night ride, and he was stiff, tired and ready to walk around at long last.
As he walked around the town, though, Mitch had a hard time believing what he was seeing. He'd heard that this was one of the first fully integrated towns in the country, but seeing so many myths just bustling about normally, rubbing shoulders with humans without a second thought lightened his spirits considerably. Sure, Kilner was huge and therefore filled with all manners of people, when he'd left they were only beginning to come out of hiding, and human-only establishments were not only common, but pretty standard. He wondered if Kilner had changed as much as this place had progressed; he hadn't been home long enough to see.

In any case, it was cold and he was hungry, so, spotting the nearest public building, he nudged into a cafe called the Corner Garden, stooping under the door as a rush of warm air and a buzz of strangely familiar sounds came to greet him. It was strange, how normal it was for him, even now. He'd spent an innumerable number of mornings in cafes like this, but for four years he'd been without them; he'd have thought it would be more of a culture shock to enter that atmosphere again. Still, he savoured the feeling. He closed his eyes, breathed deep the smell of coffee and pastries, committed the morning chatter and buzz of coffee machines to memory. Then, before he could make more of a fool of himself, he strode up to the counter, leaning over and looking for anyone who might be working there.

He tapped the counter with his palm and looked around, dropping his bag by his feet and leaning on the counter. He wanted to talk to someone (preferably the owner but anyone would do) who could tell him any places hiring, or a place to rent a room. He wouldn't mind a good hot drink, either.
As he scanned the cafe with slitted eyes he saw a lot of far-fetched beings, the most blatantly noticeable of them being a large naga woman with black scales and horns. Grinning amiably, he waved, but otherwise didn't engage, since she looked preoccupied. In any case, it wasn't very often he met other serpent myths.

Diehlstadt’s only graveyard sat in complete silence under the rising new moon, engulfing the world in darkness. Not a single shadow was cast over the graves from the rows of tombstones, dating back to Diehlstadt’s founding in the late 18th century. Entering the cemetery through the iron wrought gates, visitors were greeted by tall oak trees, their orange and brown leaves now scattered over the dying grass. The new headstones sat at the front, polished and clean, looming over rectangles of loose soil, while the old ones lingered at the top of the hill. One particular tombstone, a small granite grassmarker, read:

The stillness of the night was broken by a roar in the distance; not that of a beast, as common as it was now in these parts, but from a machine. A pair of lights burned through the night fog, travelling with a sense of urgency; it had been a long journey, and now, so close to the end, they rushed forward in a frantic blitz. Yet, right when the lights reached the heavy gates of the graveyard, they faded into darkness, and the screaming machine fell silent. They were replaced by another muffled scream, however, under six feet of dirt beneath the grave marker of Werner Kelist.

The first sensation, and really the only one, Werner first gained was smell. The sweet stench of rotting wood, mildew, and wet soil filled his nostrils, a nauseating combination. His mind was foggy, like awakening from a deep sleep. What the hell happened? was his first thought in over thirty years. It didn’t take long for him to remember. The flash of headlights. Squealing tires. Turning over and over and over. He’d just been in a car accident. Werner tried to open his eyes, but they offered heavy resistance; it felt like they were glued shut, Using every muscle in his face, they finally peeled open, but the view remained the same; black. Here Werner began to panic. The car must have been buried into the dirt when he landed. He reached out to grasp the familiar feeling of a leather steering wheel, glass, something, but was only met with a dull thump as his arms extended just half a foot in front of him; wet wood. Heavy breaths escaped Werner’s nose, and let out a moan, his voice hoarse and throat dry. He tried to open his mouth to cry for help, but it wouldn’t open. It had been sutured shut in the embalming process.

Werner fell into a full panic, lashing out his arms and legs in any direction to break free from his confined space, fists pounding against the top of his cheap pine coffin, letting sprinkles of dirt fall in. After a few minutes of this, the young man finally calmed down, though still breathing heavily. Slowly, his battered hands felt around his cage, and he finally came to terms with his situation. Buried. Buried alive. Upon this realization, he tried his best to slow his ragged breaths to conserve the oxygen in the coffin. There couldn’t be much left. He frantically searched around for anything that could be of use, and found a pair of keys in his pants pockets; his dad left them in his coffin, a sort of parting gift. He used the rusty key to cut the sutures in his mouth, allowing him to breathe freely. He then promptly screamed.

When he was content with his screaming, Werner quickly ripped off his suit jacket, which proved to be easy; the back on both his shirt and pants were cut vertically down the middle so the mortician could better dress the corpse. He tied the dry rotted jacket around his head, forming a sort of bag, so he could dig out of his grave and not breathe in dirt. That was the theory, anyway. Since Werner didn’t have the leg room to kick his way out of the coffin, he tucked the two keys between his fingers, wrapped it in some cloth, and began punching away at the top of his coffin, hoping his hands wouldn't become too mangled. Surprisingly, he felt no pain; perhaps it was the adrenaline coursing through his body that dulled the sensation. Dirt began to fall freely into the coffin, and Werner acted quickly. He tore the wood apart, making an opening wide enough for his shoulders, and as the wet soil poured in, he transferred it to the bottom of his coffin. Once there was enough space, he began his ascent, thinking of nothing but the surface. Werner did not grow tired, nor did he feel out of breath, despite the lack of air. He simply put one hand in front of the other and pressed upwards in a blind rush.

The freshly mowed grass below Werner’s grassmarker started to tremble, and soon a bloodied hand burst from the grave like a geyser of flesh. Soon, a body followed, stripped of almost all rotten clothing from the brutal climb. Werner Kleist was born into the world a second time. He let out a final scream before falling onto the freshly turned over soil. It was more comfortable than any bed he’d ever lain on. Werner remained at his grave for almost an hour more, trying to collect his thoughts, but they felt out of reach, like a piece of fruit one branch too high. He tried to remember his parents, the accident, or his girlfriend, but not even their names came to mind. If he just looked beside his own tombstone, he would see two more flanking it, both with the last name Kleist. But Werner could think only of the burning hunger rapidly growing inside him. It wasn’t a feeling of depletion, but a primal, driving force, forcing him off the ground. In a haze, he stalked through the graveyard, searching, but he did not know what his body yearned for in this unfamiliar state. Once Werner felt something brush against his bare leg, however, he instinctively knew what to do. His bloodied hands grabbed the creature tightly and brought it to eye level. A scroungy stray black cat, now hissing and yowling with its ears pulled back, its slanted yellow eyes staring back at him. Werner didn’t have much further time to analyze it before he brought it to his mouth.

There wasn’t much left of the cat when Werner finished feeding, just a pile of fur and bones joined with sinew and bits of flesh. He finally returned to his normal state of consciousness, though he didn’t like what he saw. Werner’s ragged black suit was coated in dirt and sticky blood, and where his ashen grey skin showed he saw scarred flesh. The hands he used to punch through a pine box were broken and battered, but failed to bleed, and Werner still felt no pain. His lethargic gaze turned to the brutalized remains of the cat, and and quickly turned away. This was a bad dream. A hallucination. He would wake up in an upturned car and walk away from the wreckage untouched. Only he didn’t. No matter how hard he closed his eyes, each time they opened he stood in the middle of the graveyard.

A pair of golden lights emerged in the distance, at the entrance to the cemetery. Like a moth drawn to a flame, Werner stumbled towards them, a sensation of deja vu flooding over him. The engine roared to life, sending chills down his spine. He knew that sound. It was one of the last sounds Werner could remember. The roar of a 1974 De Tomaso Pantera’s rear mounted 5.8 liter Ford 351 Cleveland V8. It all came back to Werner, crashing upon him like waves. Adrien. Car lights. Metal crunching. The cold mortuary slab. Coffin nails, ashes to ashes, and sobbing parents. And the car, this car that plummeted off a cliff, now sat before him in mint condition like an eager puppy wanting to play. “Nope. No. Fuck you, no,” Werner rasped, his voice gravelly from disuse. He walked away from the car down the road into town, dirt falling off him with each step. He’d just come back to life somehow, and he wasn’t about to enter the very same thing that got him killed in the first place. No, Werner needed to find someone who could tell him what the hell happened to him, and only one person came to mind. Abioya. The two didn’t see eye-to-eye very often, but his girlfriend’s grandfather was familiar with… Reanimation.

As the sun rose over the horizon, Werner was just about into town when he looked back to the graveyard. In truth, he wasn’t ready to part with the car. Sure, it killed him, but right now it was the only thing he had from before his burial. Well, it actually belonged to some rich man from the hotel he was working at, but that wasn’t important. Oddly enough, the car wasn’t parked at the graveyard anymore, but trailing only a few meters behind Werner, coasting along. “Alright, alright! But I’m not getting in.” He heard the radio tune up, followed by music. Now life is short and it's filled with stuff. So let me know baby when you've had enough. Oh do the dead, turn blue. "The Cramps? Really? Not cool." The radio fell silent. Diehlstadt felt… Different. Alien. The new buildings looked old and broken down, and the old buildings were gone completely, replaced with new ones. The town wasn’t very active at the moment. Empty streets, no foot traffic, only Werner walking down the sidewalk with the red car following shortly behind. Well, he was alone until a white blur rolled down the opposite side. Oh man, please don’t let it be another cat… I couldn't look it in the face. Werner crossed the street and looked around, hearing a voice grumbling. “Hello? Anyone there?” he called out, feeling rather silly. That is, until he saw a disembodied head cloaked in blonde hair sitting next to a couple of trash cans, and he screamed almost as loudly as he did upon escaping his grave.

TL;DR: A continuation of the events of the last collar post, Ian gets taken to Eliza's home, some ground rules are set, Eliza's landlord expresses his dislike of her choice of company, and some background is given to Ian, the specifics of which you'll have to find out yourself. Ian is know currently speaking to Oebra and Milivon, joking with the former and flirting with the latter. Leroy, the demon ferret, has been introduced as well and is currently eyeing Lancelot as a possible meal.

"Okay then. I'll give you a moment to get settled." Eliza said as she went out of the room to the living room and waited on him. He came out a bit later and before she could ask if he was settled, he was already saying his goodbyes and walking out the door with Leroy following close behind. "Hey casanova! Wait!" She called after him and when he turned she threw the keys to him. "Don't get into too much trouble and I expect you at work tomorrow!" She decided to give him the day off to get settled and he had said his back was hurting "...ugh, maybe I'm was spoiling him...I might have to make him work extra hard tomorrow to make up for it." She told herself before she took a running jump off balcony, launching herself into the air as she always did. She quickly flew over to the shop and got the letters and two small packages that were to be delivered and put them into her messenger bag before setting off again (having to jump into the air from the ground, because alas, her business was located on a ground floor...) As she was flying to the first destination, a scream suddenly broke out from down below.

Seeing how hard it is to ignore a scream filled with terror, Eliza looked down and saw...Did someone find a dead body!? There was a head and then there was a...body that was struggling to get up...okay, so even though the body looked human, Eliza was 85% sure humans couldn't move like that after be decapitated...but could zombies? Eh, the person probably wasn't human. The guy that found her probably was judging by his reaction. There was no one else around to really help with the situation, and while she was telling herself to stop butting into things that didn't concern her she flew down and landed near the two people. She first turned to the one with his head still attached. She noticed three things. The fact his body was covered in scars, his eyes were glowing red, and he had blood on him...and what looked like cat hair...okay Eliza was pretty sure this was a zombie. "I'll get to you in a minute." She told the guy. She was a little cautious turning her back to him but he looked to terrified to move right then and there. So she went over to the head and saw that the head was indeed alive by the eye movements. "Uh, hi." She told the head, who she believed to be a girl. "Do you need help?" Eliza's first instinct was to pick the girls head up and take it over to her body, but Eliza got the feeling that would be both rude...and kind of morbid..."How about I just go get your body..." She asked a moment later...

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@Shilly@shivershiver

@onenote@shivershiver

Dulla-chan

Dulla-chan had been concentrating, thinking hard on a possible solution to this problem. She considered and discarded many before settling on using her teeth to grab a hold of an appropriate stick and using it to pole her way over to her body. She was looking around for a nearby stick when she was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream that caused her to let out a little shout of surprise of her own. "AHH! W-what?" She looked around and caught sight of someone standing in the edge of her vision.

Another person arrived directly in front of her, a woman with wings, and asked if she needed help and Dulla-chan couldn't help but feel the tinge of her injured pride. A smug smirk appeared on her face as she blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Heh. As if one such I would require thy help. I am being beyond comprehension. Even this is nothing before my power." As she spoke her body climbed clumsily to it's feet and started stumbling around blindly, arms outstretched. "Sonofa-!" She flinched as her body collided with a trashcan, knocking it over and causing a domino effect.

"Ow ow ow!" Her body jumped around, clutching her foot, for a few seconds. Once she had recovered, Dulla-chan was silent for a long moment, her face turning a bit red. "M-maybe I need a little bit of help..." She mumbled, sulkily, refusing to look directly at the winged woman.

Characters:
Simon, Sophie, Ian and Mitch

The bored officer inspected the small bird who trilled and ruffled it's feathers at her cooing. Deft eyes flitted to stare at the llama hybrid who approached her, giving him one of her mischievous smirks. Her long fangs could be seen, glinting in the sunlight that shone on her. The snake woman made a show of stretching her body in the warm sunlight, purring lowly as her body began to heat up in the sun's rays. She eyed the centaur's expression critically, not impressed with his facade. If he were truly frightened, he would be covered in hot coffee by now.

''You've kept me waiting here all alone this morning, Simon. I was frightened that you had moved on from our little... thing.'' The snake woman replied, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Today it seemed like she wanted to tease him a little, just because she was in the mood for it. Her full, red lips smiled sweetly but not so sweetly at him, offering him a small wink to hint at her silent meaning. The Naga made a small laugh in response to his comment about Albert.

''I don't swallow children. I would be breaking the law that I enforce by doing that. I prefer adults myself...'' The Police-snake responded, her tongue darting out with hidden meaning. Her piercing eyes quickly shifted to Albert who was shakily carrying the drinks into the cafe's lounge. He looked as if he could have a heart attack at any moment. Poor kid. He was lucky that Oerba was on the side of the law and not otherwise. The snake woman would've had fun scaring the wits out of the boy on purpose. Her hands opened to let the little bird escape and once again take flight. Taking the cup offered to her, she offered Simon a thanks before she sipped on her coffee and warmed her hands on the cup.

It was piping hot, but her body was designed to take sweltering temperatures so she felt no discomfort. Her horned head looked up to notice the new arrival who greeted her. She nodded her head towards her.

''Morning, Sophie. I do believe this young bird is here to teach courage to Albert. The poor lad is afraid of serpents, yet this bird flew towards me with all the confidence in the world. I hope you are faring well this cold day.'' The Naga responded, offering the Jackal a friendly smile with a slight gleam in her eye. Her lips pressed against the coffee cup again as she took a sip, savouring the bittersweet flavour of coffee and the enjoyable heat that warmed her belly. Her eyes inspected the Jackal-woman who stood before her. The Naga found this woman attractive to look at and offered her a sly smirk, her eyes gleaming with hidden motives.

Noticing the other snake morph in the cafe waving at her, she offered him a nod of her head in acknowledgement. He wasn't a Naga, but he was the closest thing to kin she had around these parts. Although, an attractive Naga female to take the loneliness from my nights would be nice... The officer thought to herself, a sly smirk stretching across her face.

Soon, a bad smell entered the cafe and the Naga made a show of covering her nose and making disgusted noises.

''Has something died in here? Oh, it's just Carver. Wake up in your own piss this morning? Again?'' Oerba commented, her red lips widening into a malicious smirk whilst her fangs elongated involuntarily.

''I would, but you would enjoy it too much, lecher. And there is no way my pristine body is going anywhere near your flea-covered one.'' The snake woman responded, spreading out her hand so she could inspect her perfect, but deadly manicure. The Naga's red, glowing eyes then shifted to the ferret that was staring down the small bird. A quiet, but dominant growl sounded from her throat, warning it of it's death sentence if it dared to strike. Being a predator herself, Oerba has been known to feed on small, insignificant creatures such as ferrets.

With all that had taken place in such a short time, Mulivon was rather overwhelmed. Compared to the rustling of the trees and the quite whispers of the wind this shop would only be compared to a sudden storm. The shock of giant serpent would turn out to be the easiest part to take of all this. An Albert, saved her the indignity of admitting she had no idea what a Naga was, she simply thought she was one of the stone gazers.

When Simon came out from the back, he seemed comfortable around the creature, she was fairly certain the Naga was not going to harm Lancelot.

"I would like the coffee and a sweet bread with fruit inside, Woolly Simon."

Next thing she knew it would seem like an entire herd found itself in the shop. So many newcomers of various shapes and sizes, she had seen several of their various types before but never all at once. She would jump at the sudden words that where once again for her.

"And who is this ravishing creature that stands before you, I don't believe we've met. My name is Ian Carver, and I'd be honored if you'd give me the pleasure of knowing your name?"

"I am Mulivon, Sweet Sounding Ian." She states rather perplexed but admittedly flattered by how forward he was. Despite this she still felt very out of her element, and looked for what could only be described as an escape, she excused herself and let a quick high pitch chirp slip from betwixt her teeth. Lancelot quickly made his way to her shoulder, knowing full well how much trouble he was in.

As much as she would have preferred to fly away herself, she was not going to give any more ground than she already had. A vacant spot near the counter seemed to be calling her, it was there she would stand as strong as an oak, the coffee and sweet bread would be hers.

@Queen Cobra@Raijinslayer@Spawnling