@RaijinSlayer and the rest...

"Well some says the dog barks harder if it can't say anything good, I guess the joke's on you Ms. Smarty Pants." Rika throws back with a comeback to the girl who volleys insult with her. Giving off her usual smirk which is a trait of her mother and the usual coolness from her father. If anything, her father always says she reminds him of his wife aka Rika's mother. Rika goes to Grimm and have a closer look at him after biting the dust with the annoying girl which is hate at first sight.

"Grimm is it? Rika. Rika Fueguchi, sorry for the unusual impression but it's crash. Like I told ya it's better to crash the mode because the mode is bad. I must say I really look forward to see your drawings. I'm part of an art workshop, if you're interested, here's the number." Rika gives Grimm a calling card which have the details of the art work stuff.

Then Rika approaches the guy so called Criston. "So your name's Criston, that's cool.. even cooler, Cris. I got a question if the inn does broke, couldn't any of us just rebuild it? You know ice made out of inn, magic mumbo jumbo and all of that. By the way, how does magic work? I believe there's no such thing as magic and it's all about science. Chicken and the egg if you know what I mean but which comes first?"

Oliver -

when he heard her voice he smiled and looked up at her. he put a hand on top of her. "Sorry honey, i just really needed a break, if i stared at that paper for any longer i would start crying" he chuckled, just being around her put him in a better mood. "what have you been up to, gardening?" he carefully turned the chair to look up at her, and carefully pushed himself to his feet. he couldn't really move but he could stand there.
standing he was taller then her and carefully put his arms around her waist "how are you this morning, my love?" he asked, smiling widely, staring into her lilac eyes."you get any sleep last night?"

Andromeda -

she sat quietly on a bench. it over-looked the busiest street of their little community. she had a sketch pad on her lap, opened to a fresh page, a set of water colors balanced on her knee. the wind gently pulled at the veil over her face. it fluttered but did not come free. she watched everyone around her with quiet bemusement. she didn't talk very often anymore but she still found people fascinating, she hadn't had much interaction with people before she went to Athalia, and when she got there she had gotten better. but the destruction of the school had damaged her, she knew it, she'd reverted in a manner of speaking. she preferred the safety of her own mind to dealing with people. but the interactions among them were interesting. she twirled a pencil in her hand before stopping and quickly sketching out the tree in front of her. then she went back to twirling it and watching people go by.

Scillia

"Mmmm, not as much as I should have," Scillia admitted, briefly resting her head on Oliver's shoulder. After a few moments, she lifted herself upright again and gently pushed him back into his chair.

"Have you been doing your maintenance? You seem a little more unsteady than usual." She settled herself on the arm of his chair and put a hand on his back, gently rubbing his neck. "I know you don't like talking about it, but we live in a village filled with some of the most magical and technological marvels of the age. I'm sure if you just asked, someone could fix your legs. What about that Prometheus fellow? Or maybe Maria could put together some golem legs, or something."

Carmen elected to sit quietly and sip her cocktail instead of getting involved with the proceedings going on all around her. You could cut the tension with a knife, and this kind of tension was very unusual for this quiet mountain town. Carmen observed that the ruckus was being caused pretty much exclusively by the new blood, a fact she realized with a condescending sigh. Fortunately, she was distracted from the calamity by a lot of things.

First up was the sudden ice sculpture next to her, which she promptly complimented the creator for. "Very nice," she offered, and turned back to face Criston, who presently spoke to her. "I don't remember there being this much tension, do you?" he asked.

"There wasn't," Carmen replied matter of factly. "But some people that have recently joined us aren't exactly the most civil beings in Lavanya."

She couldn't help but chuckle at Criston's attempt at an address to everyone. She continued to chuckle when he spoke to her after it was done. "Well...I've heard worse," she said, still smiling. "I think."

"...but it doesn't matter, because nobody seemed to hear it," she said, noting that insults kept flying after the brief speech's conclusion.

Turning to the silver haired man that began speaking to her, Carmen beheld his sketch. "It's lovely," she said, smiling at him. "You're not that far off, either," she said, and at that moment transformed into her gaseous bird form. "Wow, it's really been quite a while since I've done that," she said, as if nothing had happened. "Does that help?" she asked him.



Mizuki was very relaxed.

She enjoyed the calamity, and was nonchalantly stealing a little bit of life-force eminating from it.

Looking at the man she had just spoken to and who had just smashed the ice sculpture, she called, "I'll take those two drinks now" with a satisfied smirk on her face.

(@errybody)

He smiled at Carmen's reply. "Well... I suppose that's par for the course. They'll listen eventually, even if I have to bring this inn down myself." He returned, sending her one of his signature, "I might be up to no-good." smiles.

Criston blinked as the girl who had introduced herself as Rika to the reaper-esque fellow spoke to him.

"Ahh... Call me Criston, please." He told her, a smile on his face. "And, you miss the point. Being able to rebuild the inn isn't the issue." He explained to her, his eyes softening a bit. He motioned his head to the older fellow behind him who was currently making drinks for the other patrons in the room. "See, destroying the property of those that have lent it to you is rude, especially when it has been given so graciously. There is a certain... element to the emotional attachment felt to a certain place, especially when you have lived there your entire life. Hey, Alvin, how long have you live in this inn?" Criston asked the inn keeper, turning his head to look at him.

"Ahh... Nearing 30 years, sir." Alvin answered with an awkward smile.

"Now, if you destroy his inn, you won't only answer to me, you'll answer to Maria Cross. And ah... trust me when I say, you'd rather deal with me than with her. I know I've had my ass handed to me on more than one occasion... He explained, shaking his head at the sudden memories of sneaking into the girls' dorms. A small chuckle escaped his lips at the memory.

"As far as the question about magic goes... I'm not really sure. I've been a magic user all my life but I've heard several different theories as to how it actually works. Mom... Maria, that is, tells me it's based around our energies, or our mana reserves. And the power of the spells lie in the words we use to bring them to life. I mean... I could go on and on about what I learned about magic from my mother but honestly, you'd probably be better hearing it from her. I'm not the expert on it." He explained rather lengthily. "And... the chicken and the egg question? I'm not really sure. There's far too much crap going on in this world for me to be worrying about some proverbial chicken and egg. My mind goes to the friends and loved ones I've lost, the faces of those who died in battle and worse, the faces of those who never found the rightful burial they deserve so forgive me if I refrain from even considering the question." He added, smiling at her curtly.

It was then that he saw a flash of light beside him and before he could turn to look and see what had happened, Carmen sat there, talking to the reaper fellow. He blinked, staring at her. "You're getting quite speedy with that, aren't you?" He asked, chuckling. "Anyway, is this Grimm I see? How are you today?" Criston asked, a soft smile held on his face.

@Masaki Haruna
@Driving Park
@Raijinslayer

^{@Masaki Haruna & @Nytem4re}
"Kinda like what you did earlier, huh, snowflake?" growled Remliel. She was about to say more, but the other girl turned around and left, obviously good at giving insults but not too much at taking them. "Shoulda figured you were a wimp," she muttered, before shouting at her: "Oh, and before trying to sound all smart, fix your grammar dumbass!".

"Now I'm sure everyone is here for some kind of meeting, or some semblance of order, so can we just all just wait for someone to start it? And yes, I am mainly talking to the two girls about to have a brawl over the existence of magic. Sit down, drink something. It'll calm the nerves. And it probably would cost less than paying for the entire inn."

Remliel paused for a moment, looking like she actually had to consider following the request to stop before sighing and shrugging her shoulders. "Fine, whatever." She sorely wanted to cave that girls face in, but she was in the company of better, smarter people; she would leave her alone . . . for now anyway.

^@HylianRose
Remliel made her way to the bar, her mood slightly sour because Rika, and planted her head into her hands. Looking around and trying to focus on someone else didn't help either. Seeing them preform various feats of magic brought back that earlier inadequate feeling, and in all honesty she was getting the urge to just up and leave before she embarrassed herself. Sighing internally, she looked at the guy that addressed everyone, and much to her annoyance, that Rika girl was still going on about science! God, how dense could she be?!

"Criston Cross, huh?" she thought. Her mother knew about him, and his mother. It was why she was here. She thought they might be able to help. Remliel didn't see it though; the guy was kinda wimpy looking, sorta sleazy even. Not the kind of guy Remliel would hang around for long, she thought. "Maybe his mom's different. She is the one calling the shots here."

Shaking her head, she approached the girl next to him, who was talking to a really depressing looking guy. Same hair as Criston, just not as sleazy looking. Still looks very depressing; it was better than being around Rika though.

^{@Driving Park}
"So when does Miss Maria get here anyhow?" she asked as politely as she could sound, right before jumping back as she transformed into a bird-gas-thing. "Gah!? Woah-woah," she exclaimed, right as Carmen changed back.

"Oh....Finally decided to settle down a bit? Wise choice, one should always accept free drinks!" Offering two drinks worked surprisingly well, as he was expecting another brooding cynical comment. It seemed getting her out of the corner might be easier than expected.

"Two long island teas barkeep." Perhaps he shouldn't have been ordering such a strong drink, But that woman needed to loosen up. Alcohol, in his opinion, was the recommended treatment. The barkeep placed the drinks next to Joseph.

"Come over here and introduce yourself. I think it would be courtesy if you told me your name in exchange for some drinks.
@Driving Park

Grimm didn't respond to Carmen's inquiry at first, seeming to be sort of in a daze for a second before he refocused his attention. The skull mask he wore fell away on it's own accord, seeming to melt into the shadows of his cloak as he seemed to stare through Carmen, then back to his drawing, repeating this process several times with his face set in an expression that suggested he was deep in thought, an assumption supplemented by the hurried way he spoke to himself; the words being spoken so quietly and at such a fast pace that it was impossible to tell what he was saying. He absentmindly nodded in agreement to Rika's invitation, his cloak rising on it's own accord to take hold the proffered card. After a short while, Grimm's eyes closed as he nodded to himself, seeming to have come to a conclusion.

"Yes, tremendously, but I fear I won't be able to show you the finished product for a wile. It will take several tools I don't have in my current disposal to achieve the feet in a way I see fit, and since we'll be gone for a while because of our current mission, it'll be sometime before I can go receive them from where they are currently being held, A pity, but such is the cost of perfection. I'll be sure to notify you the moment I finish the piece, and of course you'd be able to receive a copy if you so wish." Grimm then turned to Criston, considering the man's words for a second before replying. "I'm feeling rather well, this new project I plan to get to immediately after we're through with the mission has me very excited. But that'll have to wait on that for now. If you'll excuse me, I must find something else to occupy my mind for now."

With a small nod of acknowledgement, Grimm turned away from the group and began scanning the present crowd for other possible subjects of study, muttering quietly to himself as he did so. _{"The Kitsune maybe interesting, but I've already done plenty of spirits, same with the vampire, though that mark on his face does bear stir in me a need to investigate the individual at a later date. The ice girl is an interesting one to speak to, but I feel that she may be engaged already with the other human girl. Which leaves me with . . ."} His ice blue eyes swiveled over to examine the child-like Dryad who was situated away from the rest, noting her soul held a feeling of disinterest in the current situation, as well as fading remanents of fear and denial, probably rom his earlier act of impassioned rage at the annoying children that had almost ruined his piece. He didn't feel sorry in the slightest for scaring those brats, but he did feel a twinge of regret for doing so to the Dryad, who had been just as annoyed with them as he had, if not more so. Looking past the emotions, a process that would send a cool, yet unnerving chill down her spine, he'd see her soul in it's purest state, though seeing wasn't exactly what was he was sensing, just how his mind interpreted it. He was actually pushing parts of his soul, thin threads, into here and from them getting a look at how it may appear to him.

The Dryad's appeared to him like a bush of delicate looking roses, their fragile beauty regally shining past a wall of wicked thorns that acted as their protection . . . and their prison. From the thorns dripped thin threads of liquid that gave him a sense of caution, a warning echoing through his mind. Don't touch, for like fire, it may burn.

Grimm was intrigued by this soul, and he could feel the vestiges of inspiration tingle at the edge of his thoughts, but he felt like he'd need to converse with the dryad to get a more wholesome picture of her soul. Only problem with that was that he wasn't good at conversation, not liking to skirt the issue and going straight to the heart of a matter, something he found others didn't seem to appreciate that well. But then again, why did he care, if the girl refused him, than he'd simply talk to another.

With his mind set, Grimm quickly approached the Dryad, his feet making hardly any sound as he crossed the floor over to her. Once there, he'd take a seat across from her, helping himself to an apple from her bowl of fruit with a mutter, "Thank you", before he pulled out his sketchbook, flipped to a blank page, and began to draw her. It wasn't an inspired drawing, but it was a good exercise, as he didn't want his skills to get rusty just because he was waiting for that illusive muse. He didn't speak until he got the basics of the figure done, his eyes staring into hers as his hand began to go on auto-pilot, transforming the featureless stick figure into the lady of the forest, sitting bored in a tavern biting into some fruit as she stared of into space.

"I hope you don't mind me drawing you, I need he practice and you are an interesting subject, as well as one I've yet to draw. Dryad's are a rather rare sight in the plain of the dead where my father resides, and I with him. Tell me, do you often find yourself beset by children and dragged around? Must be quiet annoying, I'm surprised you're able to keep so calm about it. I would've, well, you already see how I get when I'm angered. A bit of a hollow threat, however, as the only souls a Reaper can pull out of the body are those that have invaded one that is not their own. The connection between the two is weak, and easily cut." Not the whole truth, their had been reapers who made deals with various beings in order to increase their own powers, mainly those associated with Necromancy. They were deemed heretical and quickly and merciless exterminated, but they still had existed and some continued to exist, if rumors are to be believed.

@c3p-0h
@Masaki Haruna
@Driving Park
@HylianRose

The inn was an uninteresting place. It seemed that group from earlier was having some meeting, but aside from that nothing could particularly claim Tsai's attention. She passed the time by doodling little designs in the table with her finger, her acid burning at the varnish. The inn keeper wouldn't appreciate that. Tsai didn't really care. She mused that enough time had probably passed since the children had run away, screaming, and it was now acceptable for her to leave as well. She picked up one last chunk of fruit to bite when suddenly a shiver ran down her spine.

Tsai felt cold, an awareness thrumming through her that put her on high-alert. This wasn't like when the trees warned her, whispering at her to be on her guard – this was something alien and invasive. Yes, it was very much time to leave now.

At least, it was until the reaper from earlier sat himself down at her table, claiming an apple from her bowl as though it were his own. He muttered a thanks and then went to work on the pad he carried. It took her a moment to realize he was drawing her. She just stared, frozen in her spot.

He was a boy, hardly older than the children who'd dragged her to this inn (at least from Tsai's perspective). But it seemed reapers grew quickly, and he was annoyingly tall. An image of him from earlier flashed through her mind, with his demonic mask and unnatural voice. He carried death around him like a shroud, the chill of it prickling at her, unnerving her.

It was then that Tsai realized he was the source of her shivers from earlier. He'd been probing her.

Tsai's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

He's a presumptuous one.

Pride swallowed up her uneasiness. She was not afraid of this child reaper. She would not run. And so instead, she placed her elbow on top of the table, her chin resting delicately on the back of her hand. An eyebrow raised as she listened to him speak.

"Yes," she replied after a moment "It seems no matter what, children come and find me. Loud, inexperienced brats who throw tantrums when something doesn't go their way. And whether I'm in my shop, or on the street, or at an inn, they come to me and make assumptions about what they can and cannot do with me because I'm just a colorful little flower to be plucked and admired."

"Now," she said, raising her chin at him in a challenge, "would you like to tell me why you're any different?"

@raijinslayer

Oliver -

he chuckled lightly as she pushed him back into the chair, he shifted slightly to get more comfortable. "I didn't get a wink of sleep last night but I suppose that's normal for me" he smiled warmly at her and took her hand.
when she mentioned maintenance he sighed. she sat on the arm of his wheelchair and he wrapped an arm around her waist "not as much as I should I suppose" he sighed again "I don't want to bother anyone honey, they're all busy people with important things to do, why should they waste time trying to help me?" he kissed her hand "I'm alright, i just haven't had time to work on my legs recently, with all the problems with the paper, don't worry about me"
He smiled at her "I haven't eaten yet, have you? we should go get something"

Grimm continued to draw for a couple minutes before he responded, having some trouble with drawing the markings on her arms. He also was taking the time to observe and go over the information he was receiving as he stared, his gaze unwavering and intense. _{"Unease, pride, returning feelings of another emotion, too faint to tell, could be fear, but could also be annoyance."} He muttered to himself again, his voice a whisper that could hardly be heard by the Dryad unless she strained her ears. Grimm leaned forward on the table, switching the apple in one hand for the pen in the other with a fluid and graceful toss, catching both of them easily and taking another bite out of the apple before he finally spoke.

"Well, besides the obvious ones, I'm not treating you any differently than I treat anyone else. If I see something I take interest, I draw it, and one of my favorite things to do is something that is only possible because I'm a Reaper. I stare into the souls of everyone I meet, and while all are interesting in their own way, some pull at my mind and set it ablaze with inspiration, like that of the Skylark over there." Grimm indicated to Carmen with the pencil in his hand, and using he break in the conversation to sneak in another bite of his apple. "But then their are ones like your's, where I feel something at the fringe of my thoughts, but mere observation isn't enough to gain a clear picture. I have to approach them, investigate them, see what I can gather that might set the gears in motion, what will fuel the fires of my creative process. And you have given me a bit to chew on, but I must ask you a question now. Why did you stay, as I can tell from your soul that you aren't interested in anything going on here, and even more so that you're scared by me, my presence instills you with unease. Does Death disturb you, Dryad, does the thought of dying alone, with no one to call your own frighten you? If so, then why do you continue push people away?"

Grimm's eyes had taken on an intense glow now, finding in her soul latent traces of loneliness, regret, sadness, and beyond that, eh notice a new detail of her soul that he had missed before. The ground which the bush was planted upon was vastly different from the ground outside of the wall of thorns, ground that would change as time past, over and over in a cycle but never matching what the roses stood on. Grimm had a lot of practice decoding the appearance of souls, which changed with person did and grew with every life-changing event in their life, so it only took a few moments for him to begin connecting the dots to from a picture of the person who stood before him. It was still rather vague, but it was something. "Something happened, something that forced you to leave your home, where ever that maybe. You miss it, want to go back, the thorns that keep others out because you want to forget the pain, but that same pain keeps you trapped because you hold on to the memory too tightly to ever let it go." Grim leaned his head back, going over everything he talked about, from the start of this conversation to the end of it before finally returning to the initial point of her question. "You ask how I am different, but I don't really believe I am, but are you any different yourself with the way you try to solve your problems, hoping that if you don't stop moving, the pain will go away. I may be young, but I know frm experience, both my own and that of souls I've gathered, that pain like yours doesn't just go away. It never just goes away."

@c3p-0h
((OOC:I'm not entirely sure how well I did this thing with the soul, and having Grimm piece the dots to form that vague background or whatever. I feel like I might've meta gamed a little, despite my efforts to avoid it. If you have a problem with it, I could change somethings, though I don't think it'll have the same effect.

Tsai was annoyed as the reaper prattled on about art and inspiration. She raised a single, unimpressed eyebrow as he spoke. Her anger rose when he insisted she was scared of him, and she opened her mouth to retort. But then he brought up her home. His eyes took on a faint glow as he seemed to pick her apart, piece by piece. Her expression faltered as memories washed over her, regrets resurfacing in the wake of the reaper's words. Things she never had to think about except when she was alone at night with nothing to occupy her but her own thoughts. And here was this child thinking he knew her, knew her past and her pain, as though he had any right–

In a single graceful motion, Tsai pushed herself up so she was standing on the seat of her chair. She leaned forward, pressing the palm of one hand to the center of the table for balance. She was not lonely. She was not scared. And she was not for some child to poke and prod at because he found her interesting.

She raised her free hand and placed a finger in the middle of his half-finished drawing, acid spreading from her skin to eat through the thin sheets of his pad. All the while, Tsai kept her eyes locked on his in a glare.

"I did not give you permission to draw me."

@Raijinslayer

Carmen was amused at the variety of reactions to her form change. Intensive study, nonchalant amusement, and very chalant amazement all occurred in a matter of seconds. "I've had some time to practice," she replied to Criston with a playful smile.

Turning to the quite formal-speaking reaper, she replied "Take your time," accompanied by a polite grin. She found it curious that the man assumed instantly that she was enthralled by his piece and dearly wanted to have it. Soon he moved to a different group of people and Carmen was left with Criston and the girl who had been amazed while they waited for something to happen. I don't believe we've met," she said to the girl while extending an outstretched hand and a polite smile. "I'm Carmen."



"It's really just the calamity," Mizuki said as she walked over to the average-looking black-haired male. "Other people get angry, I get happy. That's how it works."

She picked up both drinks at once when she reached the bar. "And by that I mean I become slightly less likely to incinerate everything," she explained, her tails lighting up with blue fox-fire partly involuntarily and partly to make a point.

"It's Kelly," she said, giving her human name. "That won't help much, though," she pointed out, and began drinking one of the long islands.

Deep down, Mizuki knew that somewhere in her heart was her benelovent zenko side. She had always had too much time to think, and she wondered why she thrived on other people's anger and misery. Thus was the way of the nogitsune, of course, but she knew that was only part of her spiritual genetics.

Until her quest was resolved, however, her malicious side would reign supreme.

Kathy raised a hand up to the door as if to knock, but managed to catch herself at the last minute. 'It's an inn, not someone's room.' She reminded herself. Still, it felt oddly inadequate for her to simply stroll in to join with the group that was undoubtedly gathering just beyond the doors. She wondered if bringing a gift would have made things less awkward. Like a cake, or a box of muffins to share. Or it could have drawn less-than-necessary attention to herself... In short, there was probably nothing she could do to ease the feeling of stress rising up inside of her other than to simply walk right in and get it over with.

So she did just that.

Giving herself a few slaps on the cheeks, she put a faint smile on her face and entered the building. Her eyes scanned the crowd, taking in quite a bit of detail at once. Much too her surprise, she saw more unfamiliar faces than ones she knew. But the biggest surprise for her was what she felt: relieved. Rather than guilt or the nervousness that had been gnawing away at her only a split second before, she was incredibly relieved and happy to see her friends alive and well (as far as she could tell at any rate).

Carmen was, as always, a sight for sore eyes and easier to spot than most. And... Was that really Criston beside her? She was pretty sure that his hair was as long as hers now. She stepped away from the door to prevent herself from becoming a potential traffic hazard. Sticking close to the wall, she stayed out of the way as she continued to scan the various faces there.

The wide grin that had been making its way onto her face faded a notch. Surely this couldn't be everyone? There were so many others that she had expected to see there. Optimistically hoping that they were still waiting for others to arrive, she raised a camera up to take a picture of the gathering in front of her. Not the one she actually used for her trade. It was just a cheap disposable camera she had purchased along the way just for the occasion. Everything seemed to be going peacefully so far, but if this crowd was anything like the one back in Athalia... She didn't think the scene in front of her would remain so for much longer.

"Ah. I suppose it is just wishful thinking. Can't blame a man for hoping for the best." He supposed someone of her temperament could never truly be completely without ill intent. "Name's Joseph by the way." While she was not the tough gritty loner he expected her to be, she was eerily cold in her own way. Not anti-social from what he had seen, but more of... an intimidating factor? He watched as Kelly's tails seemingly caught on fire in a blue flame.

Should Joseph do it? It would probably destroy his reputation with the kitsune, if he had any at all. But he'd never really been a person to really care what others thought about him, so he went for it anyway.

"Well Kelly...It would seem... that you have a... how do I put this....fiery personality!"

And thus the deed was done. Joseph struggled to keep his laughter contained. It was one of the most cringeworthy lines a person could muster. Yes. Even Joseph wanted to kill himself at that moment. If he had a tanto on hand, Joseph would have probably committed harakiki, laughing maniacally as he sliced open his own insides, well aware of the dishonor he had brought to his name. But still, he attempted to rationalize the situation. His brain told him one thing.

"FUCK MAN, SHE WAS SETTING HERSELF UP FOR THAT ONE!"

He calmed down and got out of his seat and prostrated in front of the kitsune, begging for forgiveness. "A thousand apologizes, fox spirit. Please find it in your heart to overlook my transgressions. I accept any just punishment you desire."

@Driving Park

Criston sighed as the question was asked. When would his mother come back? It was a good question, one he really didn't know the answer to. "She'll be back in a few days. I apologize on her behalf but she had some things to attend to before meeting you all."

As he turned to speak to the girl, Criston noticed a female with a camera taking a snap shot of the group. An eyebrow raised, he waited for the camera to lower.

...

"Kathy!" He shouted, immediately getting up to rush over and give the girl a hug, ready or not. "It's so good to see you well. You... are well, aren't you?" He asked, a smile on his face. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy seeing Carmen, but he honestly hadn't expected to see Kathy. It was a refreshing surprise.

He chuckled as she stared at his hair, a grin on his face. "My hair's longer than yours now, huh?" He remarked, pulling his long white hair over his shoulder to show it's length. "I took an oath that I wouldn't cut my hair until this conflict was resolved. Though... I might have to uh... skirt myself around that one. I mean, it wouldn't be good to trip over my own hair in the field of battle, now would it? Wait... Maybe someone can braid it for me..." Criston rambled, a hand up to stroke his chin in thought.

"Ah, well. I'm just glad to see that you're back." He shouted again as he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up slightly. Putting her back down, he continued, "Have you heard from anyone else, Crash? Alex?" He asked, his eyes soft as he looked down on her. "Crap, where are my manners!" He suddenly shouted and then motioned for Kathy to follow him to the bar.

"Carmen, you might want to turn around now." He spoke, a playful tone to his voice. It had been a very long time since he'd seen those that left and he was very, very happy to see them alive and well.

Scillia

"Why don't we stop at the inn on the way home?" Scillia suggested, getting up and moving around the chair to push it. Their newspaper/potion store wasn't all that far from the town's inn anyway, and she thought it would be a good idea to see how Criston was doing with his meeting. Most of the people she knew had been pretty down since the destruction of the academy, though most managed to hide it well. She tried to do what she could to ease their burdens, but there was only so much one witch could do.

Prometheus

The doors to the inn opened up, and a tall brown haired man entered the room. He silently walked passed everybody on his way to Criston, patting the white haired boy on the shoulder as he walked past. Finding a spot out of the way, he turned and leaned against the wall, surveying the room.

Ryuu's shift at the anime store ended just like usual. After confirming that some random douchenozzle did not steal from the store, the dark-haired man tossed his uniform aside to some dark corner he couldn't care less about.

Another day, another couple bucks.

Actually, I have a surprisingly amazing payroll here, the otaku admitted. A good hundred-twenty bucks for every shift? That's pretty insane.

Snatching up his belongings, the man prepared to return to his apartment. The only other living thing other than him in the apartment was a small little creature that smartly preserved his resources, so he had no need to worry about his place getting dirty. It was strange how he lived a slightly disturbing, yet normal life. Every once in a while, he would run into some punks who did not know that he had enough decency to not cause a ruckus wherever he went. He wondered if he had to crack his knuckles for a one-sided beatdown again.

The dark-haired man began tidying up the counter. The door was currently left open.

I doubt I can explain what I'm feeling right now, not many people experience the transition from the mortal realm to the magical Lavanya.

And I know its probably all in my head but I swear I could feel the magic rush through me as I passed over.

Want to know the best part?

As soon as my feet touched Lavanya soil I was no longer bound to my oath.

I've spent the past five years with a collar round my neck, you have no idea how good it feels to finally remove it...

Crash spread all four of his legs slightly as he shook out his crimson pelt, careful not to dislodge the backpack secured on his back. Since he'd returned to Lavanya he'd barely stayed in one form for more than a few minutes, pushing himself to his limits as he darted about shifting from one animal to the next ignoring the disapproving grumbles of the people behind him. At this moment in time he was trotting along a cobbled street, taking in the sights around him. He had no idea exactly where he was, just that he was in the continent known as Oasari.

He padded over the stones lifting his nose into the air as he drew in a few deep breaths, absently searching for familiar scents as he did. He couldn't be sure whether it would be a very effective way to find anyone but he figured it wouldn't hurt to try. He'd been so excited about returning to Lavanya and being able to shapeshift again, he'd left his guides at the edge of the town an hour or so ago. He'd wanted to explore before he went to the inn, his ears flicked back as he thought about it. A ball of nervous energy appeared in his chest, intertwining with the buzzing wires of excitement that had settled there a few hours before.

He wasn't entirely sure why he was nervous about seeing the surviving Athalians, he figured it had something to do with the way he'd left. When Mercy had taken him away he'd been in pretty bad shape, so much so his survival hadn't exactly been a definite...not that he thought that would excuse the fact he had left them. The shapeshifter skirted around a few people, trying not to grin wolfishly as they barely paid him any mind, his tail was already swinging around happily behind him. Carefully crossing to the other side of the road he was trotting along, Crash turned his head to take in the sights around him vaguely taking in the names of shops and buildings as he passed by.

The red wolf came to abrupt halt in front of one of the shops, craning his head back to read the sign above it, lifting his lips to reveal his teeth in the best grin he could manage in his current form. He was pretty sure there was only one person that would have a store like this...without thinking it over the wolf padded over to the open door poking his head into the store, his nose twitched as the familiar yet unfamiliar smell of the Otaku greeted him. Feeling more confident that he was right, Crash reared up on his back legs, effortlessly and quietly shifting back into his human form. Wearing a patterned loose fitting shirt with his trade mark bandanna hanging around his neck and plain stonewashed jeans, the shapeshifter looked a little different. The most obvious differences were the eye patch that was just visible beneath the mop of fiery red hair atop his head, a small ring in his left ear and the mature edge to his once boyish features. Once the small cloud of purple smoke had dispersed he lifted his hand and knocked on the door to announce his presence.

"Hey Ryuu" He greeted the Otaku with a large grin, reaching around to loosen the straps of his backpack so he could slide one of his arms out of it and lift it to salute at Ryuu. "It's been a while huh?" He stated, shuffling from foot to the other in the doorway, he reached up with one of his hands to grip the strap of his backpack. "This place looks awesome, mind if I come in and look around?" Crash asked as his other hand moved to rest on the back of his neck...he was completely unaware that the person before him wasn't exactly who he thought it was.

CLICK!!

Pressing the button, she took a shot of everyone currently at the inn. Kathy had just started to roll the film to the next window, preparing to take at least one more photo out of habit, when someone called out her name. Barely having enough time to see Criston run up to her, he suddenly caught her by surprise with a hug. "E-Eh? Ah, yeah, I'm fine." She stammered out. Managing to find a proper reply despite how surprised she was by the friendly greeting. The possibility that they would welcome her back hadn't been entirely lost on her, but...

At any rate, she was delighted to receive such a warm welcome and almost wanted to jump for joy. Literally. But following her gaze down to his hair, Criston managed to get her to focus on a different topic of conversation before drew more attention to them both. The second time she managed to hug him back, laughing when he continued to speak without a long enough pause for her to respond back. Then hearing the familiar names, her eyes opened wide as she stared back at him in confusion.

"Criston, wait!" Grabbing onto his sleeve, she quickly followed after him and asked, "You mean you don't know how the two of them are? They didn't stay with you and Maria?" Kathy had no idea what to make of this new piece of information. Actually, she'd been hoping to ask Criston about their whereabouts and ask how they were doing. Not the other way around.

Drawing near Carmen and a girl with black hair tied up in a ponytail, she gave them a sheepish wave in greeting. "Hey." She glanced back and forth between them, before facing the unfamiliar girl and adding, "I'm Kather- I mean, Kathy. Though Carmen probably knows that already. It's nice to meet you." Turning to Carmen, she hesitated for a moment. "H-How have you been?" She asked, smiling broadly despite the butterflies in her stomach. As she waited for the skylark to respond, she noticed a young man with a rather stoic-looking expression put a hand on Criston's shoulder before walking right on by. "Oh, as popular as ever I see." She thought aloud.