"No, you didn't." Grim said as he extended a now gloved hand to grasp Tsai's wrist in a non-to delicate fashion and lifting it away from the sketchbook before she caused anymore damage, hardly noticing the sicknening discomfort that was the effect of her caustic secreations. He felt anger towards the Dryad for ruining the drawing, but it was more out of principle then anything else. What she destroyed was nothing more than a practice, so he would make such a big fuss over it. "Now then, unless you think you can take me in a fight, I suggest you find someplace else to sit if my presence bothers you. Whether or not you stay, I'll commence on another piece of my work and if you try to mess this one up, you'll lose your hand Do I make myself clear, Dryad, or do I need to prove that this is no hollow threat."

@c3p-0h

Fear flickered in her for a moment, but it was quickly smothered by indignation. This reaper had the nerve to tell her to leave?! Tsai's glare sharpened and she curled her hand into a fist, still captured in his grip. She drew closer and spoke to him in a level voice.

"You are the one who came to me, Reaper," she said, practically spitting out the word. "You're the one who saw fit to come over and harass me, and –"

"Hey!" a third voice cut in. It was the innkeeper. Apparently he'd been trying to get their attention from the bar, and got fed up, finally walking over. "C'mon kid, no standing on the chair." He stood before them, arms crossed and looking down at Tsai. Then his expression shifted as he really took in the two people. Uncrossing his arms, he raised an eyebrow. "We having a problem here?" Alvin the innkeeper was not a small man, and he knew it. And he had no tolerance for trouble in his inn.

@Raijinslayer

"Carmen, you might want to turn around now."

Carmen began to turn around just as a familiar face walked up to her. Her eyes widened as she silently mouthed "...Kathy?" Kathy then introduced herself as Kathy, and Carmen finally exclaimed "Kathy!" as she jumped up to give Kathy yet another hug. "I'm so glad to see that you're ok...it's been so long!" She stepped back concluding the embrace and continued, not quite as joyously. "I wish I could say I thought I'd be able to see you again...but alas. But this is a wonderful surprise!"



Kelly stared at Joseph blankly as he made some sort of joke. Before she could respond, he unexpectedly grovelled before her.

"Hm," she replied, clearly not rushing herself in front of the prostrating male. "Killing you in here would make this place smell terrible. I don't think the bartender would like that," she postulated. "Normally I wouldn't care, but these drinks are pretty tasty." She looked down at him and smirked a little. "I like this grovelling, though. Do more of that and I'll be appeased." She paused to take a sip of one of her drinks. "Probably."

Drow hurriedly jogged over to the next table to take an order. She quickly wrote down what the people at the table wanted and quickly went over to the next table to take orders from the people sitting at it. Her pen clicked on the paper quickly scribbling down what they wanted. A few drops of liquid fell down onto her notepad making her look up into the sky wondering if it was starting to rain. She was stuck in the moment letting her body relax after working like this for nearly an hour straight already. She held her hand in front of her eyes to block the sun from her sight as she felt the sweat on her forehead slowly drip down her face. After a few minutes she was broken out of her trance by a man sitting at one of the tables "Miss can you get our orders, we've been waiting for a while already" She gave a nod at the man and looked around the terrace once more, noticing how many people were sat out on the terrace. She was already panicking about how she was going to handle everyone and now the terrace was completely full. When she tried to jog over towards the man that had requested her assistance she caught her foot on a loose brick in the stone floor making her notepad, pen and serving board drop and scatter across the ground, she let out a gasp as she hit the ground. The people around her started looking at the small girl lying face down on the ground and some of them tried to help her up picking up her stuff at the same time. When she finally regained her composure she took the man's order and noticed that her boss had entered the cafe from the back.

He had a stern look on his face already and gave a luring gesture at Drow to come speak with him for a few minutes. A terrified look appeared on her face as she slowly walked over towards the inside of the cafe with her notepad clutched close to her chest. She stood in front of the much bigger and somewhat fat man with an apologetic look on her face. The large man's voice was deep and loud enough to echo through the inside of the cafe as Drow gave the barkeeper the notepad to prepare the drinks, while she heard the man out "Why are you the only one waiting tables? There are supposed to be two more, right?" Drow gave the man a simple nod and tried to avoid eye contact with him by looking at the barkeeper seeing him shrug. He wasn't much of a help for her right now either to get her out of this mess. The barkeeper gave her notepad back to her with a full board of drinks for the people outside. She took a new page of the notepad and scribbled on it before showing it to the boss "Melissa's car broke down and Stacey is sick." The man frowned a little at her before stepping aside making the way to the back visible "You look like a mess go treat those scrapes. Jerry you go and serve the guests for now, I'll handle the bar." The two of them immediately jumped into action while the boss called some of the other staff to help out at the same time. Drow looked down at her clothes first seeing how dirty she actually looked. She got to the back and treated her scrapes while freshening herself up a little with some ice tea. After everything calmed down and the other staff helped out Drow's shift was finally finished.

She changed back into her casual clothes and started walking down the street towards the Athalia meeting that was supposed to be held in a nearby tavern. It had been 5 years since Marcus had attacked the school and left it in ruins. It wasn't that big of a deal that he broke down the school but he also took some of the students lives. A building could be rebuilt and would eventually wither by itself anyway but you couldn't revive the souls of the people that had died. This reminded her a little of her old room mate. She had perished in the fight over Athalia academy, not by any violent slaughter but by her kindness to save the others from any fatal wounds by healing them. Her face saddened as she thought about it while still mindlessly walking forward. She was flustered for a moment when she heard a group of children in front of her.

She didn't particularly mind but the little brats were all looking at her. She forced a smile onto her face which wasn't that great, while slowly waving at them not trying to get a huge amount of attention but just trying to act kind. Their creepy small faces kept staring at her making her smile fade a little. The children slowly started approaching her while she at the same time backed off to avoid more contact. Before she could turn around the children already quickly caught up to her and started pulling on her hair a little while laughing. But before they knew it an electrical shock went through their small bodies giving her an opportunity to escape the cheeky little buggers. She ran for the last few meters towards the inn while covering the sides of her head and with her eyes closed. The kids were like a gang that ruled this part of the neighborhood and without thinking she had entered their territory, what was a pretty stupid idea.

She came running through the doors not really watching where she was going and bumped into a big ice sculpture that hadn't been there the last time she had visited the inn. She fell backwards onto her butt and lifted a hand to her hurting face while her other arm supported her. She rubbed her face a few times before curiously looking around her seeing all the people that must have seen her accident. She quietly sat there for a few minutes trying to figure out what had just happened before a small trail of blood slowly ran down from her nose. She blinked a few more times before noticing she knew some of the people around her already. People she had met during her Athalia school years and also a lot of new faces.

"Oh most glorious and radiant of goddesses, do words even adequately do you justice? I am just trembling at the mere thought you have decided to grace me with your presence." Joseph exaggeratedly bowed in front of Kelly. She was the kind of type with an inflated ego, and empty flattery seemed to only to bring her joy. She was a spirit after all- and spirits were known to be the target of worship. Perhaps she was a shrine maiden?

"The ground at your feet is not worthy of your radiance. The sunset pales in comparison of your complexion! The..... stars are..... dim compared.. to your eyes? Fuck, sorry, there's a limit to how much bullshit I can make up." Joseph took his seat again, and motioned for the bartender to take his glass away. Perhaps he got a little too drunk today.

"So you're the sadist type huh? Or do you just enjoy being praised?"

"None that can't be solved with a few words, innkeeper, no need for you to get involved." Grimm spoke in a bored tone, not even bothering to look at the man. Instead, his gaze was fixed upon the Dryad's glare, confused by her anger. "What is the matter, Dryad, I only assumed that given your anger towards me, you'd no longer wish to be in my presence, and since I don't feel like moving, told you to move so conflict wouldn't arise. Seems to me that you're looking to start a fight you can't possibly hope to win without outside interference, and while I'd normally wouldn't mind entering a duel with you, I'm currently waiting for a meeting to start and I can't afford to be escorted off the premises."

Grimm let go Tsai's hand before going back to his drawing, this time he was fixing up an older piece that showed a lone Reaper facing off against a large, necromatic dragon, erasing and replacing a few messy lines and polishing up the shading. He took notice of the new arrival who rushed into the ice sculpture,a blond haired girl whose soul spoke of sparks and shocks. Strange . . . the frequency of her soul bears some similarity to that of Criston's . . . I wonder if they're related in anyway. Similar soul frequency is a phenomena that occurs when there is a connection between souls, through either close friendship, romantic relationships, or being related by blood. After a few more minutes of inspection, he shrugged his shoulders and went back to what he was doing. She seemed to have suffered a minor injury in the collision, but it was nothing serious so she had no need for medical assistance or assistance to the other side.

@c3p-0h

@liferusher

Criston sighed as the rest of the crew seemed to roll in, some he hadn't expected to see. With a quick swallow of his now room temperature beer, he turned to the crowd once again.

"Good evening. So, Maria Cross isn't in town currently as she has some business to attend to so I'll be taking her place for tonight." Criston began, suddenly feeling very, very tired.

"As some of you know, our great school, Athalia, was taken by Marcus Cross, my uncle. It's time we take steps to take it back and turn Lavanya back into what it should be, a continent one can feel.. at least relatively safe in. Not everyone needs to come as the groups will be comprised of volunteers, however... It is very important that we have at least a sizable group." He began.

"Brako Rackshaw has gone ahead to see the dragons. It is my understanding that they are in some sort of situation and need our help before they can offer us theirs. We will be following behind, making a few pit stops along the way. However, when I say we, I won't actually be going with you. Maria will catch up with you later but for most of the journey you will be lead under the supervision of Vikki Miller, a friend of Maria's. I will be staying in town to keep an eye on things here and should you need supplies, Britnia and I can get those to you in a timely manner." He explained, hoping what he was saying would be enough.

He spent the next few hours answering questions before finally leaving for the night to head back to the apartment he shared with Britnia.

Prometheus

"Criston," Prometheus said, speaking for the first time all day and pushing himself off the wall, "There is one more thing I'd like to bring up before we adjourn." From the pocket of his jacket, he removed a small half sphere device with a lens on the top and placed it on the table. Without any word or buttons pressed, a holographic image of the globe flickered to life above the device with six points highlighted and one area circled.

"I was performing some routine social media scans the other day and came up with something very interesting. According to several rumors, there's supposed to be an object of some power here," He pointed at the circled area, "At first I naturally assumed it was a hoax or a roleplaying scenario, but on closer inspection, something stands out about it that lends credibility to it." He paused, letting people piece it together themselves, and after a while a few of them would.

"That's right. The circled area is Lavanya. Another verifying fact is the second part of the rumor, which is these six dots. The image flickered again, and a new object took the place of the globe. This one was a rather ornate sword, rotating slowly in midair. "This should be proof enough for several people in this room, especially Miss Calandra. I believe it bears an uncanny resemblance to a weapon owned by one Lily Brightendale.

The image flickered out and Prometheus reclaimed his device, resecuring it in his pocket. Turning to Criston, he cocked his head slightly. "I would say these rumors bear investigation, wouldn't you?"

"So you're the sadist type huh? Or do you just enjoy being praised?"

"That's the first time that's ever happened," Mizuki replied, with no small hint of aggression in her voice. "Legitimate or not, it's a huge improvement over being hunted. Have you ever been hunted, Joseph?" she asked, staring directly at his eyes. "When I was a spirit only I was hated. When I inherited my current form I was hunted. So I think I'm justified in taking what I can get. Kind words are hard to come by."

"Especially from me," she finished.

---

The next morning, everyone intent on going met at the inn to strategize. After everyone was assembled, an imposing woman nobody was familiar with walked in.

"Hi," she said simply. "I'm Vikki. I'll be leading this expedition until Maria arrives. If you all do what I say, your chances of not getting killed by Marcus' forces will be significantly improved."

She presented a large roll of paper and unfurled it on a table, revealing a map of Lavanya. "Our destination is the dragon nation, Xiuhcoatl," she explained as she pointed to it on the map. "However, I have been informed of the existence of six elemental swords that will help us, three of which we will be collecting on the way. As for the other three, one is already in the hands of one of ours, one is in Europe, and one is here in Oasari. Since Carmen Calandra is a celebrity of sorts in this country, she is already on her way to collect that one. Europe is obviously far out of Marcus' sphere of control, so I'll need two volunteers to separate from the group and go as a pair to collect it - preferably two that can get past museum security without causing an international incident."

"As for the other three, they are here, here and here," Vikki said as she pointed them out on the map. "All of them are deep within Marcus' territory, and all of them have unique conditions for retrieving them. It would be unsafe to send one or two people to collect them, which is why we're stopping on the way to Xiuhcoatl to pick them up as a group."

Vikki rolled the map back up and looked around at the faces surrounding her. "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering who gets the swords. They aren't Excaliburs, so anyone can take them. I'll leave that up to you all to fight over. I'd love one myself, but that's not in my contract," she explained. "The swords aren't are main goal, though. As you know," she continued. "We go in, retrieve the swords, and rendezvous with Brako Rackshaw and his dragons and await further instructions."

"Any questions?"

Prometheus

Prometheus sighed, shaking his head. As the person who had discovered them, he felt he really should have been in charge of the quest, but it didn't bother him too much.

"I'll go to Europe. I can disable cameras and disguise myself. You should send two others with me though, not one. Like I said, this was on the internet. I don't know who else managed to piece the truth together besides me, so we should be prepared for anything."

He moved passed Vikki and towards the door, pausing for a second before he left. "I'm heading back to my lab. I'll be back in a few hours if anybody wishes to converse."

With that, he moved out the door and disappeared from sight.

----

Half an hour later, Prometheus' Lab

"I'm home," Prometheus' voice echoed through the hallways. The mechanical body holding his mind walked towards the research room. He had a few things he wanted to get done before he returned to the village.

Axel spent most the rest of the night, just observing the group. There was a moment were he had to stop himself when a reaper mentioned his race in a accusatory tone, but he let it slide. Any normal day, and Axel probably would have started a conflict right there and then. He didn't want to bother the inn keeper and his family with the trouble of cleaning up after him. The highlight of the night was when Criston started talking about retaking territory from Marcus. Axel was sure that a few people in the inn had noticed the immense amount of blood lust that poured from him when Criston mentioned Marcus' name. If it wasn't for Marcus, The Vampire Council wouldn't have joined him on his conquest and Axel's father wouldn't have had to exile his only son. Just thinking about the whole ordeal made Axel furious. He didn't show it, but the aura he put off was definitely there. When the meeting was convened, Axel picked up the groceries and left to go tell his Landlords that he would be leaving with the group.

----

Axel walked into the inn and waited for whoever was going to lead the group. He had arrived early and waited eagerly to get this show on the row. He watched after people slowly started to trickle in, but it wasn't until the presence of an imposing woman that he hadn't seen before walked in. She introduced herself as Vikki and then explained that she would lead the group until Maria Cross joined back with us. She explained everything about the swords and what the group will do after they retrieved them. Although Axel was listening intently, apart of him couldn't get Vikki out of his mind. She was human, and he could sense it. He knew this feeling well. He had felt it plenty of time before and he hated it. The thirst for blood. Axel ordered another Bloody Mary, and tripled the usual dose of substitution blood. He continued to listen and, when she asked if there were any questions, Axel stood up and gave a smile, " I have one! Do we know which swords the main group will be picking up, or is the element of the swords unknown until we retrieve them?" Axel stepped closer to Vikki until he was just outside of arms length, "I'm pretty sure close to everyone will want one of those swords, I know I do, but wouldn't it be easier to decide who gets it before hand? This will help mitigate conflict before it even happens, Correct?" Axel's smile never wavered. He extended his hand inviting Vikki to shake his hand and said, " The names Axel, Axel J. Black."

@Driving Park

"..... I see." The sudden change in personality made him pause for a bit. "But yes. I was hunted once. Perhaps a day, nothing more." Joseph placed money on the counter for both his drink and the the kitsune's drinks. "It was not fun to say the least. I do not think it is very pleasant if the people hunting you used to be friends and family."

"But, that is a story for another time. We do have a busy day ahead of us, so I would suggest going to sleep as I am. Good night, Kelly." Joseph waved goodbye as he began exiting the inn.

Kathy smiled as she received the third hug of the day, and yet another warm welcome by a familiar friend. Wrapping her arms around Carmen as well, though keeping her grip slack enough that the skylark wouldn’t have trouble moving away later, she returned the embrace until the Carmen stepped back again. “Ah, well,” She raised a hand up to the back of her neck in a sheepish manner. “I wasn’t too certain I would be able to make it back to see you either. But… I’m really happy I could make it, and to be able to see you again too.”

Hearing a sigh, she turned to face Criston again and waited until his announcement ended. She looked a little troubled as the white-haired lad was approached by others wanting their questions answered, her own having long been forgotten since they joined up with Carmen. ”Um… Have you been keeping in contact with any of the others?” She asked, looking to Carmen. ”Like… Well, just everyone in general…” Apparently the years hadn’t taught her to be more smooth with her words. There was one specific person she wanted to ask about, but after so many years of being out of touch with everyone she knew at the academy she couldn’t bring herself to show such blatant favouritism.

((I'll be moving onto the next day in my next post! ^^;))

(Ryuu, Crash, Zivon)
One day ago.

---

The strangest kind of incident began when a red-haired guy who somehow knew his name busted into an anime store that was about to close.

Ryuu had been looking forward to watching a particular twin-tailed magic girl show when he got home, but instead, he was greeted by a bandana-wearing dude who talked to him in what could've been the weirdest set of clothing he had ever seen. In fact, to fashion sense made Ryuu stare at his jacket before at the man before him.

"..."

The dark-haired man took a deep breath.

"...Wat."

Now, he had dealt with nutcases before, but the man before him was either a special kind of stalker or someone he somehow met before. Ryuu was leaning a bit towards the former, but he remembered that he occasionally forgot about people he met hours before he met them again. Perhaps this was just one of those moments...

So, instead of being rational, Ryuu decided to be an ass and go with the flow.

"...'Sup," he said, wondering who the heck the person before him exactly was. If he was getting robbed, then the robber was doing a magnificently convincing job at robbing him. In fact, Ryuu would-

-...Of course Ryuu wouldn't let him go off like that.

"Just kidding," the otaku said as he suddenly slammed the counter with a hand, "I don't know who you are. What're you doing here?"

His hand instinctively grabbed for a certain Star Wars weapon replica, though he made sure that he could not be seen holding onto the harmless-looking thing.

-.-.-.-

Crash stood perfectly still as Ryuu stared at him before he dropped his gaze to his clothes, he'd been in such a rush to get back to Lavanya he couldn't even recall who's clothes he had taken after leaving Mercy's wedding. He 'd just known that he needed to get rid of the penguin suit before leaving...

He glanced at the Otaku as he spoke, adopting a rather confused look as the other guy just kind of...stared at him...in an odd fashion. He wasn't sure whether Ryuu was going to try and steal his lunch money or...what really. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to his somewhat forced greeting..."Erm...well-" The bang the Otaku made on the counter caused the shapeshifter to stutter to a halt clearly surprised by what the Otaku had said.

Doesn't remember me...do I really look that different? He wondered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. ."Well, we didn't run into each other all that often but...okay. I'm Crash, used to share a room with you like 5 years ago" Crash introduced himself, moving further into the shop...which wasn't his brightest idea, shops were a natural enemy of his.

-.-.-.-

Raising a confused eyebrow, the otaku repeated, "Crash?"

Crash.

Oh, this guy is LARPing as Crash Bandicoot, the dark-haired man thought to himself as he slowly straightened himself up. And I must be his secretly acquainted ally, Ryuu.

...Sounds like a hunk of crap no matter how you look at it, though. I really like the Bandicoot franchise...

But whether he liked the Bandicoot franchise or not was definitely less important than the current situation he was in. This guy probably mistook him for some other LARPer or something. With that in mind, he crossed his arms, letting go of his weapon, as he grumbled,

"I don't remember sharing rooms with anyone other than a bunch of punks that wanted to rob me of my stuff. I think you got the wrong man here."

The otaku added in, "And not to mention, but I definitely don't remember making friends with someone around my age. I'm quite confident about that."

-.-.-.-.-

Crash stopped at the center of the shop next to one of the shelves watching Ryuu fold his arms across his chest, he pulled his hand away from his neck and tucked it into the pocket of his jeans (another thing he shouldn't do). He was completely unaware that he had been pinned as a LARPer, he'd need to get rid of the shirt and either sprout fur or paint himself to look like the legendary Bandicoot.

I'd say I look more like a hippy right now than a punk ."It's starting to look that way isn't it..." Crash sighed, feeling a little deflated by Ryuu's statement.

Not that he was willing to give up yet. ."I mean the Ryuu I knew had this awesome plasma ability, a rather unhealthy love of 2D girls and THE best anime collection around..." He commented, looking around the shop as he did. He reached over to touch one of the figurines on the shelf.

-.-.-.-.-

Dis guy. Dis guy- this guy.

The otaku lowered his eyebrows, a small scowl forming on his face. This man had just stated something that no one else should have known about. This man had just stated something that he wanted to keep to himself. This man... This guy...

...was about to touch Megumi-chan.

"GET YOUR HAND OFF OF HER!" Ryuu exclaimed. "Er, and also, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT ME, ANYWAY?!"

-.-.-.-.-

Crash hadn't quite expected the Otaku to explode like he had, one moment he was cool as a cucumber the next his voice practically pierced the young shapeshifters ears, scaring the life out of him as he did. It was such a shock in fact that Crash physically jumped causing his hand to twitch forward and set in motion a series of events that were incredibly likely to result in either his untimely death or a plasma singed face.

Firstly, the Megumi-chan figurine pinged backwards hitting the back of the cabinet it was rested in before falling forward and rolling into the figurine next to it. Crash barely heard Ryuu's demand as he watched the perfectly placed line of figurines drop like dominoes. Oh fudgenickenson...this isn't going to end well

He sucked in a sharp breath of air as the final figurine was knocked close to the edge of the shelf. ."I got it!" Crash yelped...right as he dived forward with both hands outstretched to catch the falling merchandise. Of course him being him meant that this situation still had the potential of becoming a lot worse...unless the Otaku intervened,

-.-.-.-.-

The otaku paled as he watched his figurines prepare to fall. Not only did Megumi look as if she were about to fall, but so did Kotori, Tachibana, and-

ABAFH, he thought simply as red light suddenly began to glow around one of his free hands. Throwing his glowing hand towards the falling figurines, the otaku launched thin lines of plasma towards the shelf. Each plasma line expanded as soon as they reached the figurines, catching them safely.

But then Miku fell off of his plasma net. Thank God she was made of extremely durable plastic unlike the others.

Remaining still for a brief moment, the dark-haired man slowly lifted the figurines, tilted them, and put them back to where they belonged. He made sure Miku was placed where she was supposed to be as well. Letting the lines of plasma return to him, the sunglasses-wearing man shook his head.

So now I just confirmed that I had some sort of superpower in front of a guy I don't know of... who somehow knows that I have a superpower.

Ryuu sighed.

I knew I should've worn blue instead, he thought pointlessly as he proceeded to cross his arms again.

"So... once again, I ask; who are you, and what do you want with me? If it's a fight, I've had enough punks trying to impress me for today."

-.-.-.-.-

Crash landed with a thunk, turning back to look over his shoulder as he watched the Otaku make a neat looking plasma net. The shapeshifter had to admit he was suitably impressed by the gentle control Ryuu had used, he'd only ever seen the other guy go 'ham' with his plasma abilities in the past. Plasma powers: Check, Love of anime: Check...I'm really starting to get the feeling something is off here

Crash couldn't help but feel rather deflated by how this meeting was going...it caused him to become anxious. If Ryuu didn't recognise him would anyone else? How exactly had the last five years gone?

."Ok, I don't got it" He commented as he got to his feet, standing upright he dusted himself off and readjusted his back pack. ."Whoa, whoa. I'm not here to fight you...I'm so out of touch I doubt I'd even last a minute" Crash murmured the last part before he lifted his hand up to the back of his neck and sighed. ."Well, I'm erm...nobody really. Just a guy. I used to go to an academy in Elaniel, Athalia? Heard of it? It got destroyed about five years back" Crash asked carefully.

-.-.-.-.-

"Athalia?" The dark-haired otaku muttered as he looked up blankly at the ceiling, trying to recall a thing called Athalia... only to come up with no results. Looking back at Crash, he straightforwardly responded, "Never heard of it. I'm not even that sure on what Elaniel is, anyway. I spent most of my life here."

In a sense, he was not lying. He did take out the fact that he woke up in some sort of cryotube, however. The last thing he needed was him figuring out that he was some sort of bullcrap catalyst that drew in all kinds of bullcrap in a bullcrap continent.

"Sorry to say," Ryuu said without feeling sorry, "but I'm not sure why I have to remember some random academy that got busted down to smithereens because of stupid managing."

The otaku turned around to pack more of his things up before noticing something.

He remembered that the man who freed him looked similar to him...

...That's a bit intriguing, I'll admit, but it could be coincidence, he thought as he continued packing up.

...

...

...

...

...

Ryuu glanced at Crash, who seemed somewhat deflated at something. He wasn't good at dealing with decent people, that was for sure.

...Seriously though, what is this guy talking about?

"Do you have any proof that I went there before?" The otaku asked out of curiosity. "From what you're saying, and from what I could tell, someone similar must've gone to that... place if I remind you of him."

-.-.-.-.-

Crash shuffled form one foot to the other as he tried to wait patiently for Ryuu to think, though he tapped the toe of his trainer against the floor as Ryuu gave him a straightforward response. ."Ah, Elaniel is another country" He explained hesitantly, he only knew that much because he'd been informed upon his return. When he had first gone to Athalia he hadn't paid any attention to the geography behind it.

Hearing Ryuu apologise he frowned ever so slightly up until the point he touched on the subject of Athalia. ."Because if you don't then it'd be obvious I've made a mistake. Don't talk about it like that and it wasn't destroyed because of stupid managing..." He grumbled feeling his hackles rise as Ryuu unknowingly prodded at a wound he knew nothing about. Crash was about to give up on trying to interact with the otaku as he turned away to pack up his stuff. He figured he could just ask for directions and leave the guy in peace...

However as the otaku asked him for proof, the shapeshifter rubbed the back of his neck adopting a sheepish look Should have seen that coming...people always want proof before they'll believe in it ."Err...well...no, no I don't" Crash admitted but he lifted up his free hand and quickly added ."But there's a meeting going on in the inn and I bet there is someone there that can you the proof you need...or at least explain why you remind me of Ryuu" Crash finished his sentence with a friendly grin as he shifted his backpack further up on his shoulder.

."I mean if you're not busy I could use some directions..." He chuckled looking down at himself. He had been hoping he could have changed into something less scrappy before going to the inn but...it didn't seem like that was going to happen.

-.-.-.-.-

...Huh. So this guy might have something, Ryuu realized. Either this is a route where he tries to lynch me, or he tries to provide something different.

...Let's just be a bit optimistic and think the latter. Think optimistically, Ryuu. Think optimistically, Ryuu. Think optimistically-

Shit. I can't think optimistically.

Fortunately for him, he did manage to think optimistically when he decided to speak his thoughts.

"Let's see what you have, then," he said, slinging a backpack (which looked a bit familiar) around his shoulders. "I have business at the inn, anyway, so you can show me some stuff there."

The dark-haired man with sunglasses immediately opened the door and locked it. No one outside of the building would be able to enter the anime store, but Crash would still be able to leave without having to unlock it if he loitered around a bit. With his hands in his pockets, the otaku began to walk to the inn. If any of his stuff was taken, he would make sure the redhead would receive more than a beating.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Crash blinked in surprise as Ryuu spoke, he hadn't actually thought that the otaku was going to bite when he suggested they seek out proof. ."Really? Great!" He responded enthusiastically, grinning broadly as Ryuu slung a backpack around his shoulders. ."That sounds like a plan" The shapeshifter nodded, moving out of the otaku's way though his eyebrows shot up as he simply passed by him and...locked the door.

The shapeshifter blinked in disbelief, watching as the otaku shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off. ."...o-kay then...well..." Crash murmured to himself, he looked around the shop for a few moments before he jumped towards the door, a rush of relief when he could still leave the shop. ."Yo, Ryuu wait up!" He called after the otaku, jogging after him. Once he caught up with him he dropped into stride next to him though his gaze was flickering here, there and everywhere as he tried to take in the sights around them.

."Lived here your whole life huh? What's it like around here...do you...do you know any of the other residents?" He asked, apparently not about to let the otaku walk in peaceful silence.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Ryuu had a feeling that Crash was going to go nuts with questions, and he did not like it. Nevertheless, he decided to cool the dude's curiosity; it's not like anyone who knew about him would actually have some sort of advantage over him, anyway. There was nothing particularly special about his past other than the fact that he lived his life without knowing much about how he came to be.

"I know some residents," he admitted. "Some of them didn't like me; not that I give much of a crap about that. Some of them liked me, but they're mostly elderly people, though. I have no comments for my life at the moment."

."Oh...that's err, too bad...at least you got on with some of them though" Crash murmured, churning over this information in his mind before he attempted to push Ryuu just a little further. ."You wouldn't happen to know any of their names would you...does someone called-" Kathy ."-Carmen live around here or-" Kathy! ."-Zivon...or-" Kathy!! Say her name, just say it He wasn't sure whether it was because he was afraid of the answer or because of...other things, feelings that he probably shouldn't be focusing on. ."...Kathy" There was a change in his tone as he finally managed to say her name, though he acted as though there hadn't been.

Keeping up with the otaku, Crash didn't let his question sit between them for very long before he quickly slid another question into the conversation. ."So...do you know anything about the guy that's blazing his way through Lavanya?" He asked after a few minutes still trying to figure out what was going on with the otaku, maybe if he kept mentioning things related to Athalia it would jog Ryuu's memory...yet again maybe it wouldn't.

Ryuu put up a thoughtful look... but it dissipated within mere seconds as he prepared to answer Crash's question, only to be attacked by another question.

I can literally see the questions attempting to break into my head, and I'm not liking it, Ryuu thought as he continued to walk.

"...Never heard of any of them," the otaku admitted. "And I don't care about anyone who blazes through Lavanya. If he hurts anything around here, though, you bet I'll bust his ass like an angry Babe Ruth."

The dark-haired man continued to walk over to where the inn was.

-.-.-.-.-

Zivon got off on the swing and back to his wheelchair, he might be stalling a bit to long. Tme to go grocery shopping, as he was passing by the streets he noticed two people passing by, they looked kind of familiar well one fo them he knew. it was Ryuu, he did own a shop, not sure what kind of shop though...something to do with anime probably. The otehr person with red hair, it really seemed familair but he couldnt put a clue on who was that person. He wasnt really a type of person to go say hi to anyone or anyone he knew at the streets. Maybe for the best to ignore them, not like he would have a good conversation with any of the two. He slowly passed by them, not really saying a word..still not used to people he guessed.

-.-.-.-.-

Crash hadn't been holding out much hope that Ryuu would even know what he was on about, though he still felt himself deflate as the otaku admitted he didn't know any of them. He wasn't aware that Ryuu was onto him...his perception was no where near good enough to pick up on something like that. He rubbed the back of his neck sighing loudly as Ryuu spoke. ."The only thing neccesarry for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing..." he murmured ."Its only a matter of time before he comes here...surely stopping him before he can get anywhere near this place would be better" the shapeshifter was still naive to the strains of war. ."What is an angry Babe Ruth anyway?" He asked after a few moments adopting a quizzical look. Up until he realised someone was coming towards them, he dropped back to let the passer by past though he misjudged the distance between him and the chair.

Meaning as Zivon went to pass by them in his wheelchair, Crash's foot was in his way. As the wheel of the chair passed over the toe of his shoe, Crash let out a rather undignified yelp as he jumped away from the wheelchair and gripped his foot, hopping around on one leg. ."Ah, sorry! My bad I thought I was clear!" He blurted out, looking at the guy as he came to a halt standing on one leg like a flamingo... ."Hey...wait...I kno-whoa!"...without the ability to balance. In true Crash style the shapeshifter didn't think to simply release his foot and put his foot down...nope instead he kept a firm hold of it as he went down, landing on his backside with a heavy thud. Having grown used to such an occurrence it onlt took him a few moments to recover from the tumble and return his attention to Zivon. ."...sorry about that" He apologised rubbing the back of his neck as color entered his cheeks ."I thought you were a friend of mine, Zivon...you kind of look similar" the shapeshifter murmured, he figured blurting it out really wouldn't damage the situation anymore than his clumsiness had.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"...You don't say," the otaku muttered at Crash's perspective upon Mr. 'Edgy Supervillain With Fire Powers'.

...Though, he did not understand why Crash did not know who Babe Ruth was. Before he could go ruthless on Crash about Babe Ruth, however, some dude on a wheelchair crashed into Crash.

...

...

Crashed into Crash.

If Ryuu wanted to be really creative... he would have put on another pair of shades and state that there was a "Crashcycle" that crashed into a guy named Crash who was acting all funky like Crash Bandicoot.

The name Zivon further weirded him out.

What the heck? The otaku thought as he looked between the wheelchair guy and the red-haired guy named Bandic- er, Crash. Is this guy's name 'Crash' for this kind of reason?

Nevertheless, Ryuu remained silent, wondering if he should just ditch Crash as quickly as possible. It seemed impossible, however, considering how the red-haired man seemed to be a bit athletic. Ryuu had developed a decent paranoia that allowed him to analyze basic things quickly.

-.-.-.-.-.-

As he was passing by the red head guy seemed well...to crash down, he was not sure how it happened. He wasnt really paying attention to the two anyway but man that guy took a fall. This guy sure had some wierd ways to fall down like that. He apologized to him, well it was nothing to bad, not like he made him fall down instead. "its alright..." He muttered out as he was about to leave, yet again still not used to people. Though something caught his attention, the red head knew his name, it was wierd how he just knows it... A friend...its been a while since someone said he was a friend. Fianlly he remembered who was that red head... Crash, no wonder why he seemed to fall quite badly, Crash had a reputation like that before.

"...Crash?" Ziv asked fiorst, it better to ask then assume. It be so awkward to assume this person was Crash even though it was very higly likely he was indeed Crash. "u-u-umm...Its me Ziv..." He spoke in a quiet voice, well this is new but he felt a bit better. Hey maybe he could interact with people a bit more now.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The red haired guy glanced at Ryuu as he muttered. ."You know theres a meeting in the inn...a group keen on putting an end to Marcus's reign" He mentioned absently, before questioning the otaku on Babe Ruth. He wasn't the most perceptive person but he could tell Ryuu was not impressed by A) him in general and B) that he didn't know who Babe Ruth was...

He was so caught up in the act of falling on his butt after getting himself run over by a wheelchair that the shapeshifter wasn't aware of the otaku's quiet contemplation on whether to ditch the clumsy red head or not. It would be safe to assume that the shapeshifter probably would have found him again in no time...like that annoying duckling from Tom and Jerry...popping up just after you think you've got away.

Crash almost lost his nerve as the guy muttered something under his breath before looking like he was about to carry on past. The shapeshifter had been sure...he was beginning to think this entire situation had been a ploy to mess with him. However when the guy spoke up and quietly said his name, Crash felt an overwhelming amount of relief pass through him it was obvious in his face as he literally grinned from ear to ear. ."I knew it!" The shapeshifter exclaimed, looking up at the other guy. ."Zivon! I can't believe it, its really you! I mean...you remember me...when Ryuu didn't I was...well...just yay!" Crash stuttered on, ending his mini episode of lunacy he offered his hand to Zivon in greeting, clearing his throat as he tried to reel himself in, remembering the other guy had been rather timid before. ."Sorry...lost it a bit there. Still haven't learnt how to contain the excitement.." He apologised feeling his cheeks flush in embarrassment. ."So, how have you been? The last time I saw you..." Crash trailed off, realising he was about to bring up a tender subject. He glanced at Ryuu noting how the otaku looked like he was about to bolt at any moment. ."We're heading to the inn did you want to come with us?" he was still practically buzzing with excitement as he fired yet another question at Zivon, which in fairness was very...Crash-like.

-.-.-.-.-

Ryuu paled.

Oh God, we're bringing a guy on a wheelchair with us because this Bandicoot knows about him, he thought, realizing that things were already going out-of-hand. Ohhhhhh boy.

The otaku sighed as he turned to the inn's direction again. He really, really needed to get to the inn to pay the innkeeper as soon as possible. "If he's coming with us, he can follow us."

-.-.-.-.-

Zivon was surprised it was really Crash, he really hasnt seen the red head in a long time and surely enough he was excited to see him as well. It made him feel awkward with all the excitment that Crash was having, he wanst well the type to handle it well. He moved back though, a bit too much for him to handle. "I am d-doing fi-fine..." He muttered out and looked the other direction, he didnt want to be reminded when they did late met. It was painfully and he already tried hard enough to forget the past or at least ignore it. Giving out a sigh as he was offered to go to the inn, he had to buy some food though, maybe he can help him if goes along maybe. It was tough for him to get stuff from the shelves so just maybe...

"I have to...b-buy some f-food...though...uuhhI-I can go...if you can help me on i-it later..." He asked out then turned to look at Ryuu, he seemed ot be in much of a hurry to go to the inn not sure why though. Sure he can follow at a slow pace, if anything he could go agaisnt his will just by pushing his wheel chair in that direction.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Crash had enough sense in him to realise his over zealous greeting had been a little too much for the other Athalian to handle, he adopted a sheepishly guilty look as Zivon moved back and mutter a greeting. The shapeshifter lifted his hand to his neck, rubbing it awkwardly as Zivon looked away...despite the obvious signs they were both injured in a way by what had happened at the academy five years back, their injuries were very different. ."...Good to hear" Crash murmured, trying to internalise his excitement so as to lessen Zivon's discomfort or at least attempt to.

."Grocery shopping?" Crash repeated glancing from Zivon to Ryuu as the otaku sighed. ."Dude! Wait up" Crash called after Ryuu, frowning as the otaku powered on. ."He sure seems to be in a hurry" He commented before answering Zivon ."Sure thing, promise I'll help you out afterwards" he smiled at Zivon, before signalling for the boy to follow along. ."Ryuu! What's the rush?" He called after Ryuu, trying to decide whether to rush to catch up with the otaku or stay back with Zivon ."Say Zivon are...are any of the others here?" he asked after a moment trailing behind Ryuu with Zivon unless the latter asked him for assistance...he wasn't entirely sure whether he should offer his help for two reasons, A) He wasn't sure whether Zivon would appreciate it or not and B) Considering his track record he wasn't sure helping would be a good idea...he wasn't even sure where the inn was or how far away it was.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The otaku called out as he continued to walk, "I need to pay the innkeeper lots of stuff!" Ryuu shouted as he lazily waved a hand at Crash and Zivon. "If you're not following, the inn's at the right a few meters from here."

Ryuu would have had time to do random crap... if he paid the innkeeper in advance. However, he had a little fine to pay by the end of the day. He did not want to increase the fine any further.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Thanks.." He was happy that Crash would help him later with some grocery shopping, it was really hard to get stuffnow a days. He looked at Ryuu again, he still wonder why he was suchi n a hurry though, was he in debt or something? "Oh uh... there a-a couple of them...like C-carmen and Lily but I-I dont really talk to them..." He answered crash question as he began to follow the two, they were a bit to fast for him though. Only using a wheel chair as his way of getting around its not really that fast. He seemed to be being left behind a bit to much so he called out. "uh...s-slow down...p-please!" He asked out as he was trying to catch up with Crash and Ryuu.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Crash tilted his head to the side, wondering what the otaku meant by pay the innkeeper lots of stuff...he hadn't thought about it before but perhaps he should have asked Maria for some more details on the world he was coming back to. A place to live or work wasn't a problem, he'd spent years traveling from one place to another without the certainty of such things. ."Thanks, we'll catch you up" Crash shouted after Ryuu as the otaku shot off.

The shapeshifter hadn't realised that he had sped up...he had been thinking about what Zivon had said/ A couple...Carmen and Lily... he felt his pulse quicken, although he didn't know Lily all that well he couldn't help but be excited about the fact that both her and Carmen were here and he optimistically hoped they were doing well. Hearing Zivon call after him he pulled himself out of his fast paced thoughts and turned to look back at Zivon realising he had left the poor guy behind he instantly slowed down again, coming to walk slowly beside his friend. ."Sorry! Got a little carried away there..." He apologised to Zivon before looking up to see how far away Ryuu was. ."So Carmen and Lily are here huh? I hope we run into them soon..." He grinned at Zivon, he was dying to ask the young guy whether he'd seen some of the others but he decided to wait and ask Ziv about himself first. ."So what have you been up to over the last few years?"

-.-.-.-.-

Zivon sighed in relief, at least he wont be left nehind as usual. That what you get for using an old fashoined wheel chair than people with htose mechnical legs and stuff. it felt weird though to talk to Crash again, its really been a long time and he sort of forgotten how to talk to him, he idd had more of a brighter and energetic personality than him. "...ya...sure" It was really hard to think what to really say, he sitll goes with the flow and never says anything else. Zivon sort of laughed after crash asked what he has been up to since the five years... learning how to get use to not feeling his legs, falling on the floor, the ability to end up trying to get htings from high places....those things really. "Nothing m-much...I mean....still t-trying to get u-use to moving w-without walking or standing...hard st-stuff but not to bad... Also helping a bit...ch-charity work with knitting and cooking. I-I cant do much now a days..." Zivon explained as he continued his slow pace, he did want to work in some resturants but they usually dont hire a person who cant walk at all. "...h-how about you?..." He asked, looking up to Crash.

-.-.-.-.-

Crash had almost forgotten what it was like being around shy people, on his travels he'd generally been dragged towards the loud types, they tended to be more accepting of him. He rubbed the back of his neck as Zivon attempted a laugh, he felt like he'd said something wrong for a moment then...he was aware that the other guy was in a wheelchair but he wasn't exactly sure how to approach him. He had just been talking to him as if he were still the same Zivon he'd known back in the days of Athalia. ."I'm sorry this happened to you Ziv...isn't there any way to make it easier for you?" He murmured, clearly uncomfortable with his own words. ."The charity stuff sounds interesting, glad to hear your still cooking and knitting" He quickly added on with a small grin that quickly vanished as Zivon questioned him in return. ."Well, if I was honest nothing can compete to living in this place...I went back to living with normal humans. Travelling...trying to find my way back here" He answered, deliberately avoiding any mention of changes he may have gone through. ."Do you reckon there will be quite a crowd at this meeting?"

-.-.-.-.-.-

Zivon just shrugged it off, he gotten used to it...well the feeling that it happened, you can't change the past. "...yes...b-but...I prefer....not to use any of th-those mechanical l-egs and braces..." Its for his own preference really, he rather have this old wheel chair than those mech legs he see people wearing. Usually charity work did keep it of his mind, making sweaters and cooking food usually took a good amount of time for him to not notice that he cna't walk anymore. "Its been...g-good..." Smiling a tiny bit after saying that he tunred to look around the place, it was going to be a while until they reach the inn with his pace, maybe he could ask Crash to push him? That would probably speed thinsg up. "Wow....hows trav-velling? You must ha-have seen so many places..." He was sort of jelous, he wanted to travel, maybe see the rold a bit better but then again....legs. "It must b-be cool to see alot....Oh...I do-dont know....I usually dont go to the meetings....c-crowds.." Zivon was still shy as ever and being in a crwod worried him alot.

-.-.-.-.-.-

."I see..." Crash smiled, a fair choice he couldn't possibly pass judgement on. As they trailed along the shapeshifter found himself wondering how everyone else had been effected by the events five years back, it caused a lump of uncharacteristic anxiety to settle in his chest. He turned his head towards Zivon catching the smile, it was nice to see that Zivon could still smile despite everything. ."Travelling is fun I suppose. I ended up going everywhere I possibly could. Favourite part of it, seeing the northern lights and the blooming of the cherry blossoms" He grinned at Zivon, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, having initiated small talk he didn't feel quite as guilty for asking another question he was eager to know the answer to ."Say Zivon, you mentioned Carmen and Lily earlier...you err wouldn't have happened to see Kathy around would you?" He murmured, clearly a little nervous about asking but unable to stop himself. Before Zivon reminded him about his aversion to crowds...[i[And here I am dragging him along to a big meeting...[/i] Guilt leaked into Crash's expression as he looked up to see where the otaku had gotten too...he was probably already at the inn by now. They are meeting again tomorrow... he told himself, chewing his lower lip indecisively. One more day, could he wait one more day? ."You know...this meeting isn't really all that...there could be quite a crowd there, what do you say we skip it for today? I'll come help you with your shopping now instead?" He asked

-.-.-.-.-.-

Zivon tilted his head, seeing Kathy around...he hasnt seen her around that much...well he wanst the type to go looking for people so she might be here. "No...n-not really, I dont k-know much who still stays h-here...I stay m-most of the time inside..." He answered, he had to smile though seeing that Crash was still interested in Kathy after many years ago...like a fair tale or a corny love story. "I am sure...y-you will see each ot-other though." If it was a corny love story who knows when they would meet but most llikely soon...maybe. As the two were goign to the inn crash asked instead if they skip for a day. Zivon was okay with it since there would be a lot of people there but he wonder why though of the sudden desicion. "Oh...o-okay sure, that would be really nice....hey for t-thanks for helping me...uuhh... with all that travelling I am s-sure you havent h-had a real cooked di-dinner havent you?" Zivon offered out, he stillliked cooking for people so it was a good way to say thanks atleast.

Sometime in the morning...stood a figure along the mountain slope wearing a brown hooded cloak that has been tattered and dirty from a long journey. Strapped to the back of this stranger appeared to be a blunt weapon hidden by multiple layers of dirty bandages tightly wrapped around it. The person looked down at the town in silence with the wind casually blowing her cloak, knowing she had finally arrived at her destination. The place where the former Athalia students took refuge after it's destruction. There was a little bit of nostalgia building up in her stomach.

I'm here at last...I hope my bugs located them...

The person extended her arm with her index finger pointing outwards, allowing for a certain bug to land on the tip of her finger. She brought the fly closer to her face and began to communicate with it. The bug managed to collect some information about the plan before she was able to arrive at the inn herself. What a stalker...typical Kiwi...

"How interesting...Time to put my services to no good use once again! Let's go make an appearance!~"

She released the bug to scurry back to its partner at the inn to continue eavesdropping and sending information back to Kiwi until she arrives. Kiwi pulled down the back of her hood exposing her face, which haven't aged a day mind you, then made her way down the slope and into town. She was taking her sweet little time hoping to bump into any tardy students and drag them into a dark alleyway to conduct 'necessary' medical procedures on them, just like she did at Athalia Academy. Anyone who recognizes her would instantly know to avoid her at all costs, those who are new were pretty much doomed to face what cruel experiments this sadistic nurse had in store for them.

-Oliver-

he took her hand for a second as she suggested the Inn "I'd like that" he shifted slightly in his seat as they started moving "I'm not too heavy am I?" he glanced back at her with a loving smile "I can push myself, you know" he leaned back in his chair though, he was still pretty tired and this was easier, but he always suggested anyway. It wasn't far to the Inn so it shouldn't take too long. He wondered who would be there now, he hadn't talked to the other residents of their little town very much lately, he wasn't the most sociable person but he didn't really need to be. he glanced up at her again and smiled.

An orange-haired girl stood still in the middle of a research room, her arms wrapped around what appeared to be a white, spherical device that produced a soothing tune.

She stared at where Prometheus, a familiar figure, had popped in from.

"..."

Margaret Clementine remained still, staring at Prometheus, her face unchanging. She was noticeably shorter than him and used a tinge of effort to look up at him.

She was silent as ever.

Prometheus

Prometheus immediately moved in front of Margaret, looking her over, pressing his fingers against the outside of her wrist, and shining a penlight from his index finger at her eyes. Once he was done with his examination, he moved to his desk and cleared a space, sitting down in his chair.

"The good news is your life support is keeping you in perfect health," He started as if they had already been talking for a while, "The bad news is I'm not going to be around as often for a week or more to check on you. Remember that if anything goes wrong, you can always call me."

He closed his eyes and connected to the lab's network, mentally reviewing a specific set of blueprints he'd been tweaking.

"Tell me, Margaret, have you experimented with the equipment I made you?"

Save has been in Prometheus his lab for about two weeks now reading up on some of his files that he had given her read rights on. Some of the files showed her a huge amount of information which she had all taken up inside of her own memory. Luckily there was no end as of yet to her memory so it was easy not to forget. She was quietly reading his research about multiple coding of drones while having tuned on some relaxing music that she could only hear through her own headphones. She was lying in the air on her belly as she alternatively kicked one of her feet in the air following up by the other feet. Her head was slowly shaking from right to left while leaning on her arms. A camera view of the entrance of the lab was shown right next to her. her eyes turned to the camera view as something seemed to be moving.

It had come into view that Data had entered the lab again. She cheekily smiled as she closed the document and showed herself via one of the many screens in his lab "Welcome back Promotheus!" She sweetly smiled at Promotheus while her arms where folded behind together behind her back "How was the meeting, anything intresting happened? Did you happen to see a cross dressing boy?" She kept smiling at him and suddenly disapeared. Save used one of the cameras close behind him to project a holographic body of herself. There was a huge height diffrence between her and the boy. She started talking again from the back of Promotheus "Or do they perhaps have a plan to take Marcus down yet." She slowly started walking through the room with her hands still folded behind her back. She walked around Margaret expecting the ball she was carying around with her.

A minute or so before the meeting took place the next day, Crash decided to finally make his way to the inn. Having opted out of the meeting the night before, it was safe to say he wasn't entirely sure what he was going to be met with as he opened the door to the inn. With his backpack on his shoulder and wearing more acceptable clothing that consisted of a pair of old jeans and a white shirt beneath an open crimson button up...the type of plain clothes he always wore rather than the strange get up he had been in the day before. Of course his bandana was still resting around his neck, it had become a trademark of his over the years.

As the shapeshifter entered the inn his eyes or rather eye instinctively inspected the ceiling before dropping to see who else was in the room, seeing as he didn't immediately recognise anyone he moved further in, just about catching what Vikki was saying to the others that had assembled around her. He was slightly disappointed when he didn't recognise anyone, not that it quelled his excitement in the least, just because they weren't in the room didn't mean they weren't here...until he asked Maria, Criston or even Vicki who was here, he was clinging to the hope that everyone he knew was either here or at least safe.

The shapeshifter moved close enough to see the map over the top of the people that had gathered around it. He tried to focus on what Vicki was saying, aided by the mention of a certain skylark he was barely able to suppress the urge to interrupt the imposing woman with the torrent of questions that rushed to the front of his mind...none of which had anything to do with elemental swords...unfortunately. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he waited for Vicki to finish speaking once she did he was at a loss of what to do. Seeing as another red haired guy had started talking to Vicki and a blue haired woman seemed intent on talking to the pair of them as well, he couldn't bring himself to muscle in and ask after Carmen.

"Brako's in Xiuhcoatl...I feel like I'm missing a piece of the puzzle..." He murmured to himself, lifting a hand to adjust the bandana around his neck, he was clearly unsure whether going with them was a good idea...him and pointy objects were a terrible mix as were him and security systems. "I mean how can a bunch of swords help against Marcus anyway..." He mumbled, leaning back on the bar without looking his elbow bumped into a glass sending it skittering across the top of the bar.

"Eeek!" Crash squeaked, practically throwing himself over the bar as he chased after the spinning glass, exhaling in relief as he managing to wrap his fingers around it before it could shoot over the edge. "Phew, disaster averted..." He grinned to himself, reversing back over the bar and placing the glass down in front of the bar man with an apologetic smile.



'I don't understand you...are you even aware of what you're telling me? Eurgh...I'm surrounded by Neanderthals...' The werewolf kept her thoughts hidden away from the people surrounding her as she tried to read their body language. She had been in the inn for quite a while already having rented a room the night before, though in fairness she'd spent the night outside on the roof, soaking in the moonlight. The journey to Oasari had taken longer than she had expected, she'd arrived rather late the night before and completely missed the first meeting.

Rain's oceanic blue eyes studied the other people in the room, she'd watched plenty of people come and go, each one as confusing as the next. She ran her finger around the rim of her glass trying not to breath through her nose, it was sensitive and the aroma of the inn was...distasteful to say the least and fairly confusing. She almost wished her empathic companion had accompanied her to Oasari, his ability to detect emotional scents would have been useful. 'Instead its just me...clutching at straws...and talking to myself. First sign of madness Rain...' She'd clocked the vampire a little while ago, though felt little need to interact with him, he had clearly been waiting for the same thing she had.

Taking a swig from her glass, Rain perked up as a rather imposing woman entered the inn, though she didn't leave her seat straight away and join the group as Vicki begun her speech. She listened from a distance and simply...watched. Catching the subtle signs the vampire displayed as he ordered himself another drink 'laced with something perhaps? I can't smell blood...' this kind of thing occupied her thoughts as she watched the others of the group.

Without moving from her seat at the bar the werewolf decided to join the meeting, hearing the red haired vampire speak to Vicki she piped up "Why decide that now? No point fighting over something you do not possess" She interjected, turning to look at Axel and Vicki she slid out of her chair and approached the pair, carefully skirting around the group. "At least not yet" She lifted an eyebrow at the pair of them, though she didn't introduce herself to them. "If you'll excuse the intrusion, I have a question as well. What is the plan should we come across Marcus's forces and when do we leave?" The werewolf's body language wasn't exactly threatening but there wasn't an ounce of submission or respect there.