No shots were fired. That went better than I expected. Leroy thought with a slight sigh of relief. He was still a bit on guard, half expecting someone to throw a punch or two, when Clarence leaned and shared his little joke, well Leroy hoped it was one. He gave a slight smirk before leaning back. "Those holding cells you have aren't too secure. You'd be missing a certain crow once night came." He said with a smirk before walking over to Jonathan. "So who is this guy, is it recruitment day?" He said with a smirk before offering a hand to shake. "You can call me Leroy." He said with a sly smile.

Clarence examined each of their movements, trying to understand these strangers. He shook their hands, showing no reservations. He had hopes this would go somewhere, but if it turned out this group was really just a terrorist group... He knew their faces, knew a few names as well. "My name is Clarence.. I already met some of you." He faked a smile, still feeling anger inside.. but that was to be expected when you are outsmarted by people you are paid to catch. When hearing about the medkits, he nodded. "Of course, I understand. I don't intend to be shot." The group was worried, that was obvious. Most likely their mission was not easy, and with him here now.. It wouldn't make it easier on their nerves. Clarence wanted to do the right thing, to help Columbia.. But what was the right thing to do? Comstock and Fitzroy didn't know what it was, but did these people? This rag-tag team of "protectors"? Clarence glanced at Leroy, the one he trusted least. Despite the level of trust, if that's what it was, Leroy put on Clarence, an uneasiness was present between them. Whether only Clarence felt that, or he did too, remained unseen. For now, Clarence would do what he was told.. See where this path took him.

Kennedy waited and watched, as each of the others introduced themselves and greeted the newcomer. She stood silently for a moment, when Jeff handed her a med kit she placed it in her bag and nodded once to him as he whispered to her. It was expected, trust cannot be fully granted to a stranger. She knew Jeff and most likely the others would be keeping a very close eye on the man, and she would as well. Until he could prove himself, he was going to be under heavy surveillance.

Kenn looked to Daniel as he questioned Jonathan on the side effects of leaping through one of these dimensional portals, and she laughed lightly when the only response he got from the man was "Well... I seem to be okay." She wondered also what would come of this adventure, considering they were about to launch themselves into another world that seemed very different from their own. Looking around the tent, she was satisfied with the supplies they had on hand and the optimism from her team. With a cheeky expression, she smiled and announced "Alright boys, let's go."

Jonathan nodded and took in a deep breath. Kennedy watched with gleaming eyes as he mustered up his strength and produced a rather large tear. Looking through the hole, the underwater world could be seen in all its glory. A brightly glowing neon light spoke to them, "Welcome to Rapture." Kennedy was in awe yet again, but she gathered herself and looked back to her friends and comrades. "There it is," She looked back into the tear and closed her eyes. Get it together, Kenn... Inhaling a deep breath, she opened her eyes, and as she did, she stepped through the tear.

Landing with a slight stumble, she straightened up and looked around. It worked... it actually worked! She stood in a different city, a different time... Luckily they had entered the world in an unoccupied area, behind a wall in a large open court area. Looking ahead she could see out of a glass wall, a sea turtle passed by and behind it was the rest of the neon city. Kennedy kept her excitement contained as she waited for her party to join her on the floor of this new world.

When the tear opened up, Jeff took a hesitant step back from the immense flux of energy it created. Damn, creating something like that must take a lot out of the guy he thought to himself as he watched Kennedy approach the portal. He could tell she was hesitant, and was tempted to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but of course her being her, she stepped into the tear without a sound. It was strange, from where he saw, it looked as if she had just walked forward, no indication that she went through aside from the fact she was now discolored as the image in the tear was.

Jeff cracked his neck from side to side and walked forward, planning to be the next to step through. "Well gentlemen, danger awaits!" he said to the other men as he gave a hearty wave and took a leaping step into the tear. He didnt feel that weird aside from the little strange flutter he got from going through, but now he found himself next to Kennedy in as much awe as she was in, taking in the grand spectacle that was this Rapture. "This... this is... incredible!" he exclaimed excitedly to Kennedy, gripping her shoulders as he looked at her with a gleam in his eye before turning back around and taking in the view of the vast underwater city.

Leroy watched in wait one could only call amazement as the stranger opened a hole in reality it self to this other worldly place that lied at the bottom of the ocean. Every thought of the guy being some average Joe went down the crapper rather quickly, along with most of what Leroy thought was impossible in the world. He watched with awe as he's leader walked into the portal, though she put on a brave face he and the rest of the knights could see the nervousness coming off her, then watched Jeff follow suit. Guess it's my turn. He thought as he stepped forward, stopping just before he entered the tear. He looked over his shoulder giving a calm smile. "See you lot on the other side." He said in his smooth tone before stepping through to the new world. The tingle that came over his body was a bit disorienting as he joined his two fellow knights. It was even more other worldly once he was able to get the full effect of the city. "Damn.." Was that could escape his lips.

Clarence's eyes went wide, a tear in the fabric of the world opening before him. He watched the group, most looking extremely nervous. He stepped up to follow Leroy, but he stopped. What would happen when he took a step through this thing? Was it like a doorway? Clarence stepped back, collecting himself before approaching it once more. He took a deep breath and stepped through, a tingling feeling washing over his body. As he stepped down onto the floor of this new city, this unknown land, he stumbled. He motioned that he was okay before leaning over a potted plant and retching. After a moment he stood up and looked around, what appeared to be the ocean outside the window. He wanted to ask questions, to figure out what was actually happening, but the scene was overwhelming and only a few noises managed to escape his throat. He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't imagining things. His mind wanted to believe that he wasn't actually here, that they had drugged him or he had gone insane.. but he knew neither of those were true. He turned back to the tear, waiting for others to enter.

Daniel stared at the tear, watching as the others poured through one by one. Kennedy, Jeff, Leroy, and even Clarence the cop had gone. He felt a tight knot form and clench his stomach, tightening and making the ever present nerves stand out on edge.

Taking a step forward in the sand, feeling the warm air around him, Dan closed his bright eyes and focused on the sound of the waves whispering to the shore. Another step, along with it, the loosening of his knot. He opened his eyes when he could feel the powerful tear in reality, feel the life that awaited just beyond it. Now he could understand why it was called a tear. In that moment, before he stepped through to join the others, Dan could feel everything.

Taking another step forward, pushing his way through the tear, he felt strange. His mind jumbled, almost causing him to forget where he was, but he caught himself at the sight of the other Songbirds. The warmth he had once felt on the sunny beach of BattleShip Bay was instantly replaced with a cool breeze. The sun overhead was too, replaced by this strange world. The water concealed most all of the light, instead the building itself generated light and energy. As he looked around, still gathering his bearings, he found himself mystified at the sight of the glass walkways, the people, and the water itself.

"A city under the ocean..?" He was about to scoff, but decided against it. As he took in more of his environment, he soon realized just how out of place each and everyone of them looked. In appearance, and in fashion. He turned suddenly at the sound of a deep moaning, his honey colored eyes staring out the almost completely clear glass, locking on a whale swimming nearby, it's underbelly gleaming with the reflective colors of the city. So, this was rapture. The underwater city in Jonathan's tale. It was beautiful, in a strange sort of way. Though it did make him feel a bit trapped, and small. He broke his near-hypnotic gaze from the glass, turning to the others.

"I suppose we should get new attire before we continue. Lest we want to seem suspicious." He smirked, "As if coming through a strange looking tear in reality isn't suspicious enough"
He leaned back on his heels, his eyes finding a poster adversities an orphanage belonging to a Fontaine fellow. Immediately his face fell, smirk disappearing. "We can get that on the way, but as beautiful as this place is.. We have something important to attend to." His shoulders lifted slightly, eyes burning through the poster, heart yearning for his head to release the memory that pained him. Begging for him to focus, to clear his mind. He had to focus now more than ever.

It was magnificent. Some thought of Columbia as a beauiful city, but this was... This was something else. An underwater city, gleaming with lights and sounds. The scenery was something you could get lost in. Kennedy had to force herself to focus, watching as the rest of her team stepped through the portal and joined her on the floor of Rapture. It was clear that they were all amazed at the site. A wide smile crept across her lips as she looked at the others.

When Daniel mentioned their attire, Kennedy glanced around and caught sight of a few citizens gathered in conversation. He was right, not only did they look like a bunch of tourists out of their element, but their clothing made them stand out even further. Looking down at her own blouse and skirt, then looking to the men, she bit her lip in thought. "Well, there's got to be a clothing store somewhere around, right?" There were many small shops set up in the court they had stepped into, which must be a shopping center or social gathering area. "C'mon boys, time for a wardrobe change."

She tried to walk like she knew where she was gping, but in fact she had absolutely no idea. Her eyes scanned the area, posters on the wall advertised things that said "Cohen", "Little Sister Orphanage", and "Andrew Ryan". Stores and shops were tucked into the walls to the left and right. Confectionaries, tobacco shops, jewelry stores... and then she found what she was looking for. Ahead was a store with mannequins garnished in suits and dresses, fancy blouses and vests were folded in the window.

"Bingo," She led the small group into the store. The shop owner gave a curious look towards them as he eyed their outfits. Kennedy thought for a moment and then laughed lightly as she approached the man. "Please, sir. Ignore our less than appealing attire, we are simply dressed for a costume party. However we learned we will be attending a play beforehand, and you see we didn't bring a change of clothes." Her signature smile was apparent on her face as she spoke to the man, one hand touched his shoulder and the other pointed to her company, "If you could please help these gentlemen find something to wear I would much appreciate it."

The man smiled and nodded, "Of course, miss." He turned his attention towards the men and Kennedy gave them a wink. "Help yourselves boys, I'll just be over here finding an outfit." Her attention then turned to the fact that they had no money to pay for these clothes with. She looked over her shoulder and noticed the owner was busy with the others, so she let her eyes search for anything that could help them. Her eyes fell to a newspaper that sat on the counter. On it was an advertisement for one of the same names she had heard before, Cohen. Apparently he was hosting quite the party, big enough to make the paper... She grinned, forming the plan in her head already.

Kennedy turned her attention to finding herself new clothing, and she disappeared into the ladies' section. She shuffled through the racks of clothes before she grabbed a white dress with a black sash and popped into the dressing room. When she emerged, her long brown hair was let down, curling over her shoulders and down her back and she held her old blouse and skirt folded under her arm. Approaching the shop owner once more, she donned her innocent smile. "Thank you dear, my good friend Mr. Cohen has said to put this all on his tab. Can you take care of that for me?" The shopkeep hesitated a moment, but Kenn batted her eyes and smiled just so... and the man nodded and returned the smile. "Yes ma'am, to Mr. Sander Cohen's account." Kennedy grinned and waited for her boys near the men's side.

Unbeknownst to the others, a small, skinny girl skipped down the street on her own with sickly golden eyes. She hummed under her breath as her clean white shoes clicked across the metal street ways, blue light from the glass walls distorted and reflected onto her white dress. She pressed her nose to the aforementioned confectionery store, gasping in delight with all of the sweets lined upon the shelves. She checked her pockets before realizing that she has no money to pay for the sweets themselves, and went to glance up at the store window again before catching sight of her own reflection.

There are moments, it is said, when a Little Sister comprehends her situation. When a little sister briefly becomes self-aware of what she is, how she came to be, and what it is she's doing. Most reported cases of this show the little girls screaming and crying, unable to come to terms with their own monstrous forms. So why was it, perhaps, that Poppy stroked the glass, fingertips running across the golden eyes and the sickly glow and the pale skin as if she wasn't really what she saw in the mirror? Who would truly be able to figure out what it is that a Little Sister can really see when she looks at her own image? Poppy was not scared of what faced her, not in the slightest. After all, it is in the nature of the Hartwell family to be quite brave about these situations.

Of course, years of mental conditioning weren't going to be shrugged away so easily. The sounds of footsteps across the pavement tore her gaze from her own visage, and like a flooded damn, all of the delusional images flooded back into view in her own mind, and she was content again, forgetting what it was her own face looked like.

Poppy stared in wonder at the Knights of Songbird, hidden from view by her quick climbing and hiding behind one of the shop signs like some sort of rabid animal. Their clothes were so outlandish and beautiful, Poppy was reminded of fancy dress parties playing pretend, rag-time dress-ups with her "Daddy" and using her ADAM syringe like a Tommy gun, pretending to be a mafia leader. These people piqued her curiosity, so when they entered a clothes store Poppy slipped from her hiding spot and peered into the window.

She watched with interest as they looked through the racks of clothes, jealous of them. How she wished to have something else to wear than endless rows of white uniforms! For a moment, her eyes lingered on Daniel. His blood was visible under his shirt, and her stomach rumbled. She licked her lips impatiently, tearing her eyes away from the sight. With a quick shoulder-shrug, she had slipped her ADAM syringe into her hands.

"Awwwh, now I'm hungry. I think there's an angel nearby, Mr B...Mr B? Oh, okay then, I guess I'm on my own for now!" chimed Poppy, looking around for her "Daddy" with only a minute amount of disappointment. She followed her nose to a reeking corpse, which appeared to have been stabbed through the chest by a frighteningly massive rivet. The body was relatively fresh, and Poppy knelt down in the pool of congealing blood, plunging the syringe into the stomach of the splicer corpse.

"Rosie made you sleep, Angel? I never get to see her often, 'cause Daddy doesn't like me playing with Rosie. I bet Rosie is off doing some work outside, though, so I'll take the shinies out of your belly on my own for now." cooed Poppy, watching the bright red ADAM-infused blood dribble into the syringe.

As the group headed down the glass covered passageways, Daniel couldn't help but lift his head up and stare out at the deep blue that surrounded them, reminding him of the night sky. Beautiful and vast, filled with mystery. It was as if he was surrounded in the comforting haze, wondrous sea creatures swimming along with the group as they walked, Kennedy at the lead. Dan couldn't help but smile at how she had reacted to the news, being out of fashion definitely bugged her. This time, however, he couldn't blame her. As he looked around at the men and women, they all seemed to be so..beautiful. Along with the rest of the city, it was as scary as it was alluring.

Along the way, his amber gaze was left to trail across the many signs that hung about the walls of Rapture, finding himself strangely intrigued at the saying at the bottom of one, "Andrew Ryan reminds us; We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."

It was strange, but definitely made sense. In fact, it was almost a bit inspiring. He only realized he had stopped when Kennedy let out a "Bingo." Causing him to turn and head over to the clothing shop. He was about to reach into his pocket and take out a few silver eagles to pay, but soon realized that they definitely wouldn't use the same currency that only belonged in the floating city. With a bit of a sigh, he dropped his hand back down to his trousers. One thing he had that seemed to still be in fashion was his vest, but it was blood stained.. That wouldn't do.

Again watching from the sidelines as Kennedy wooed the shopkeeper, quite an impressive display. In doing so, he had been ushered over along with the other's into the men's section, he immediate headed for the vests and dress shirts. Hey, some habits die hard. He picked out a dark purple vest, almost black, but in the light it would reflect as a dark bluish. He swapped out his old white shirt, and replaced it with a light color dress shirt, it was soft as silk, as he changed he tried his best to avoid getting blood on this new pair of clothing, but he wasn't as lucky with the light colored shirt. Ah well, the vest would cover it well enough. He then proceeded to swap his trousers for a dark pair of pants that looked as if they belonged to a suit, but not quite. They had faint stripes lining them, almost unnoticeable, but still there all the same.

As he walked out of the dressing room, he gave one last glance at his old clothing, a remnant to Columbia. It was almost sad to depart from it, but he'd wanted to be free of that place for so long, so why was he in such a state?

Daniel shook his head, adjusting his newly adorned blue necktie, and heading back to the front desk. When he arrived back, he noticed a women standing there, perhaps shopping for an expensive pair of earrings to match with her dress. Dan couldn't help but fix his honey gaze on her, she was if possible, prettier than anyone he had seen in this city so far. A wonderful white dress that hugged her frame, yet was still flowing. Her brown hair, fixed so it would fall in waves around her shoulders, which her dress managed to leave ever so slightly exposed. Daniel couldn't tear his eyes away from her, yeah, she was exquisite.

That's when he saw the blouse and skirt in her hands. The same clothes that Kennedy, his friend had been wearing. Daniel's eyes widened, challenging those of an owls, his face plunging into a deep red. 'That's Kennedy...What?!!' He finally tore his gaze away, frantically focusing out the window, trying to look at anything but her. Readjusting his necktie, trying to find something to focus on, he stepped over to the store window, leaning near the door. What he saw made him pause, and gave him an excuse to forget his little incident. A girl. A little girl. Tilting his head in wonder, he focused in, trying to find out what she was doing. It seemed as if she were humming, she seemed happy. But, who was that under her?
He knew it was probably strange of him to do so, but he didn't see anyone near the girl, no parents. Though, when he looked closer, he swore he could see a golden glow come from her face...

He shook his head, giving a breathy gasp. No, there wasn't anything there.. It must have been the blood loss. Yeah, that was it. He pursed his lips, listening to Kennedy's sweet and honeyed words, she had that shopkeep in her hands, melding him just how she wanted him. He couldn't help but smirk into the glass, just because they were in a different setting, didn't mean it would hold the, back, nor change things. He tilted his head and continued to watch the smiling little girl, trying not to focus too much on the glow emanating from her face.

Jeffery was at first a little hesitant to change his fashion, as it had come to be his favorite growing up in Columbia. But he realized that he would have to change and blend in during their little mission here in the humongous Rapture. With a sigh he began rummaging through the clothes, finding that these were completely rich people clothes, the kind he could have only dreamed of having. And to his surprise, they looked infinitely better than most in Colombia. As he looked around, he came across a rather nice suit. It was a tuxedo style complete with black vest and matching coat, it was cut just below the waist and had a silk black tie to accompany the white dress shirt underneath.

With a smile like a childs, he grabbed his size and went to change. The suit was form fitting and showed off his slender yet strong build, while still allowing him free movement without restraint. He was upset that he wouldnt get to show off his tattoos, but he figured he would be able to in due time. He strutted out of the changing room, he spotted Daniel in his new attire and was about to compliment him when he noticed that he seemed... distracted, so he figured it best to leave him alone for now. His gaze shifted until it landed on... Kennedy?! His eyes shot open and his jaw dropped only slightly at the new look of his leader. She was gorgeous! Jeff smiled and made his way over to her after she sweet talked the clerk, charging a poor sap by the name Cohen.

After the clerk had left, Jeff went to her and said "My dear if we didnt have a job to do I would take you out to dinner and a movie this instant" he smiled warmly at her as he said this, even though his eyes were playful his voice was sincere. He coughed a little to bide his time then said "Y-you look great... not that you havent before... b-because you have its just... wow... you look great"

Now, it is rare to hear Jeff stutter and stumble for words, as little to no scenario would have him unprepared for such a thing. But when it came to speaking to his own leader... well complimenting and borderline flirting... well, he'd much rather face a Handy Man unarmed first.

Leroy's awe struck expression seemed to be frozen on his face as he stood trying to comprehend the very fact he just took a single step and went from a city floating in the sky to one submerged under the sea. His eyes seemed to move a mile a minute as he tried to take in as many of the sights as he could, from the ocean that laid just out side a thin glass wall to the crowd of people that seemed to be gawking at the knights. The dark haired knight was so entranced by the shier majesty of it all that he was almost left behind as the rest began to walk through what Leroy assumed to be a market distract. As the group made their way through the city Leroy couldn't help but notice the swarms of people that passed by them, by which he was shocked to see the wide range of races all coming together without the discrimination he had come use to in Columbia. He had dreamed of such of a society for years but now that he was experiencing one it seemed like just that a dream.

Leroy was still examining the city when the word 'Bingo' caught his attention. When he turned his gaze he was greeted by the sight of Kennedy standing in front of a shop. Leave it to Kennedy to find clothes in a whole different city. He thought with a smirk as he followed the rest in. He sat to the side as Kennedy worked her 'magic' for the shop owner before she disappeared to find her own new attire. With a shrug Leroy went off to find something for himself, he quickly came across a simple black vest and pants. He picked up a white dress shirt and black necktie to where under it and he was about to head to a dressing room when something else caught his eye, a black trench coat and a fedora. He couldn't tell why but he was drawn to them, maybe because they reminded him of his dread crow outfit, but he picked them up he headed to the dressing room.

The newly dressed Leroy stepped out of a dressing room, straitening the coat, and rejoined the group. He let out a smirk as he overheard Kennedy putting their purchases on someone else's tab. But what came next was something Leroy thought he'd never see, it was Jeff and he... was stammering. Leroy believed he'd see Songbird sun bathing on Battleship Bay before Jeff would get tongue tied. He let out a chuckle before he pasted his bumbling comrade, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Smooth as always." He said with a smirk.

Clarence unhappily glanced at the clothing selections and then his own attire. He stood in the corner, opting out of changing. He didn't feel out of place, so he saw no need to change. He made eye contact with the worker, who was either the owner or just a clerk. Clarence narrowed his eyes at the man, who quickly averted his gaze, Glancing back outside the shop, he looked at the windows keeping the water out. He felt uneasy, like he was expecting everything to give from pressure. He smirked at Leroy's choice of clothing. "Nice coat." He called out to the man who had been his enemy not 2 hours ago. He still felt out of place with this group, but that was to be expected as he had just met them. The tension and unease between them would either get better, or it wouldn't. No sense worrying about what was out of his control.

Looking at the various items in the store, Kennedy waited for the others to finish their shopping. It fascinated her really, all the new sights and sounds. She remembered that when she had perused the paper, the date had read 1959... it surprised her that not only did they travel to a different dimension, but they went nearly 50 years into the future. The concept was hard for her to grasp, but she decided not to think on it anymore. They were here and they had a job to do.

Looking at all of the colorful shirts and ties, she smiled. It was then that she spotted Daniel, the first to emerge in new attire. He looked handsome in a bright colorful tie with a rich vest on top of a shirt that looked like silk. She smiled at him, but wasn't sure if he had noticed as he was staring out of the store at something. Jeffery was the next to appear, looking masculine under a black fitted suit. Kenn grinned when he approached, laughing at his movie date comment.

When Jeff struggled to get out his next sentence, Kennedy blushed ever so slightly. It was very rare to find Jeffery struggling to get his words out, he had a natural way with words. Kennedy smiled and gave a small curtsy, "Why thank you, you don't look too bad yourself J." Then Leroy walked up to them, patting Jeff and joking for a moment. Kennedy could see Clarence standing off to the side, she assumed he had decided not to change his outfit. "Well boys, shall we?"

She walked to the door where Dan stood peering out. Kennedy turned to face the others, looking them up and down. "Aren't I a lucky girl, I get the company of all these handsome men! You guys look great, I think this place suits us well." Her smiled shone to all of them, and a playful wink was sent their way. "Gentlemen, we have some business to attend to so I suggest we get to it." Jonathan, the one who had brought them here was waiting outside, he had grabbed a set of dress pants and a yellow pastel shirt to change into from the rags he had on. "You know that fellow you charged all this stuff to? Cohen? He's a big shot here in Rapture. An 'artist'. I can't believe you got away with that, poor sap."

Kennedy gave a shrug and a smirk, "Well, nothing like some free clothes to welcome us to Rapture. Now, if you wouldn't mind, we should get going." Jonathan nodded and began walking. Kennedy stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted something in the corner of her eye. She turned to see a little girl... and she was on top of some poor guy who looked like he had just been mugged. An eerie glow cast off her face, and Kennedy let out a gasp.

That girl, she seemed to remind him of someone...But who- no when?. Dan shook his now aching head, trying to clear the sudden fog that embraced it. He narrowed his light brown gaze, trying to lock in on the little girl, but to no avail. All that was truly visible was the gleam of yellow, a pallid one, almost pouring from her eyes. He had been staring for awhile now, perhaps too long. Hearing footsteps approach, he turned away from the windows, his mind still swimming in the vast array of thoughts, each pounding at his cranium with a different resolve than the next. He'd almost missed what Kennedy said, almost, but not quite. Though he couldn't see her face from his position so near the door, he could imagine her smiling after her comment, and perhaps, she had let a wink fly.

A reflex now, though strange, he had gotten used to her affirmative, yet personified "pep talks". So used to them, he couldn't help but give his lopsided grin afterwords. Kennedy was doing her father proud, not just as a leader, but as a mature young lady. Daniel felt honored to be around her. "Thank you Kenn, but in truth, I think that you far outshine the rest of us." He gave a nod, opening the door for his leader and group. "Indeed we do, let's get going."

Leaning against the door he was holding, Daniel fixed his honey eyes on Johnathon, lifting a brow when he had mentioned the artist, Mr. Cohen. If he was all that and more in Rapture, then maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be placing tabs on his list. Bringing attention to themselves didn't seem like a good idea... Though, Kennedy shrugged it off as if it were nothing, perhaps so. Maybe he wouldn't find out, maybe he wouldn't care. Hopefully one of the two, and not the alternative...

Johnathon said nothing more, nor did Kennedy, both content with that. Though, Dan had something nagging at him, a bad feeling. He just hoped nothing bad would come of that decision, but knowing his luck, and that of the Knights, that probably wouldn't happen. His mind had cleared a little now, allowing him a brief flash, a memory, a girl. His heart racing, Daniel turned suddenly, his face paler than the silky white dress shirt he had chosen to wear. He stopped dead in his tracks, hearing a gasp from Kennedy, he followed her gaze.

It was her, the little girl he had seen not too long ago. She was still humming her strangely peaceful tune, still kneeling over the what seemed to be unconscious man, her eyes still aglow. "Kenn, that's who I saw earlier, while we were in the shop..." He warned, his voice deep with a sudden caution. Daniel moved in front of the group, spacing himself just so he was between them and the strange girl. He was slowly approaching her, only stopping a few feet away, allowing him to get a better look at the girl. If he could call her that. Her eye's were the source of the glow, as he had thought. Her skin was a strange, grey color, mirroring that of the dead. She wore a small white dress, reminding him of Kennedy, and her current wear. Dan knelt down where he stood, the orphanage signs propping into the back of his head. The sign about 'good little sisters' and how they harvest.

That was their current destination... So, if he were correct, this little girl; or sister, could help them. The sister's according to the signs, held out in the orphanage. His mind was made up almost instantly, he knew that this girl could help. He just needed to go about getting her to help. Now that, was the only problem that he could process. If that were so, he had experience with children, having a sister of his own once. Though, that seemed ages ago now. Dan clenched his jaw, only to relax it, he didn't want to scare her off.
With a lighthearted tone, and kind eyes, he tilted his head to the young girl, mirroring a confused puppy.

"Hey, little miss... I saw you earlier, while I was in the shop over there. The name's Dan." He whispered smoothly, his voice like the silk he was wearing.
"What're doing there?" His light brown eyes flickered over to the man on the ground, widening slightly when he noticed the lot of blood, and the misshapen face he had. Also, he was dead. He quickly returned his sight's to the girl, smiling good-heartedly to her. "Anything fun?" He leaned in just a tad bit closer, placing his right hand on the ground to balance himself, leaving his other to rest on his knee.

There were only seven incidents in which Poppy had ever been approached, for as long as she could possibly remember. 5 of them were direct attacks, so it was no wonder that hearing people shocked her, and all that mental conditioning briefly went out of the window. She saw the corpse. She saw the syringe, full and bright red, she heard the gasp and the footsteps and just as tears started to fall down her face, the fever dream swept her off her feet. Now she was crying and she didn't know why. Oh, right! The people.

"Hey little miss...I saw you earlier, while I was in the shop over there. The name's Dan."

Uh oh. Oh no. Uhm, uhm... not even Poppy's mind could form a proper reaction to someone talking to her. Probably an angel, but...he didn't have a shiny in his tummy. So -not- an angel. She didn't turn around, she couldn't turn around and face him, not yet.

"What're you doing there? Anything fun?"

She could feel him getting closer. She looked around for Daddy, for Rosie, but there wasn't anyone out there who could help her now. Well, no-one but 'Stickie' in her left ankle sock.

The next few moments went by in a bit of a blur.

Poppy went from her crouching position and leapt over the body - yes, a body, recently dead. He looked like a tramp, or something akin to a drug addict, syringe still painfully clutched in his hand and bandages covered his malformed face. His arms, covered in blisters and sores, and a pool of blood slipping around his form like a grotesque halo. From his chest, a 15 inch long steel rivet has him well and truly deceased. But the depth in which the rivet went through....no, there was no way a child could've done that. Someone attacked this man with a very large industrial rivet gun.

But this...this was no child. Her bright white dress and cute little shoes are splattered with red now, from kneeling in the dead man's congealed blood. Her skin, a pallid and deathly pale and her eyes...bright yellow, like two flames, emitting a soft candlelight glow which only emphasizes the pale features. Her brown hair is neatly tied back, and it's clear that someone took great care in making her look unnaturally perfect. In one hand, what appears to be a large syringe - the needle is about as long as her arm, sharp and still slippery with blood - and it leads into what appears to be some sort of hamster bottle-type chamber, with a tap on the end for goodness knows what. It's full of liquid that's too bright to be blood, but where else could it have come from? In her other hand, more recently, a box cutter from her left ankle sock. This was stained with blood too and with a clicking noise, she revealed the rusty blade and pointed it threateningly, protecting her syringe.

And yet, and yet...she is a child. She really is, behind her monstrous appearance she's openly crying with fear, shaking from head to toe...she's a child, but terrible things have happened to her to make her into whatever she is. And now she's all alone in the alleyway, with a group of strangers closing in on her.

Her voice sounded echoing, like several little girls in fear all at one time, all of them saying the same thing at the exact same moment. "N-now...don't try anything funny, okay?....'Cause if you do, I'm gonna get Rosie. And Rosie made the angel sleep, see that? Rosie made the angel sleep and she's somewhere close, and if she hears me yell...then you're all in trouble!"

Clarence watched Daniel approaching the little girl, the one standing over the corpse. Why wasn't anyone concerned about the fact there was a corpse in the street? Was this common in this town, or did everyone just mind their own business? Daniel approached the girl, trying to make conversation with her. She didn't seem to be responding until she suddenly jumped up, withdrawing a blade. She looked like a cornered animal, her eyes glowing menacingly. "Daniel... back off." He spoke softly, as not to alarm the girl.

Clarence glanced down at the corpse, the rivet running straight through it. The little girl didn't do this, there was no way she could've have. Clarence narrowed his eyes, reaching down and prying the corpse's fingers open. He picked up the syringe, examining it for a moment. He slipped it into his coat pocket, making a mental note to check it out later. He brought his attention back to the girl, who was mentioning a "Rosie". So this Rosie killed the man...

Clarence spoke up, softly as not to worry the child. "Little girl..." Her voice was disconcerting, as it seemed to echo on itself. "We're not going to hurt you.." The picture before him was like one from a nightmare. The girls dress was covered in blood as she stood there, ready to defend herself. Clarence would prefer that this Rosie not be called, but if she really did have a rivet gun. His eyes quickly darted around, making a mental note of the nearby cover. He brought his eyes back to the girl as he waited for her response.

Jonathan looked at the little sister with wide eyes. He didn't want to tell the other what she really was just in case that would throw her into a fit and call her big daddy on them. Jonathan kept silent but he tried to make discreet hints to the others by looking at them with wide eyes then looking towards the little sister.

"Everything looks nice on me Clarence." Leroy said with a smirk to the officer's little quip, though he still felt a little on guard around the man who once pointed a gun at his skull. It wasn't a moment after that when their, apparently gorges judging by the gawking of his fellow knights, leader announced their departure of the store. As Leroy exited the shop after the rest he pulled down the rim of his hat so it concealed more of his face. Old habits die hard. He thought, he was still not used to showing his unmasked even if it was in a whole different city under the sea. Leroy's attention was quickly grabbed by the gasp coming from Kennedy, they couldn't of run in to trouble already could they? But Leroy was sad to say he was a bit relieved when he lad his eyes on the little girl. To see a child looming over a dead body wasn't a uncommon sight to Leroy, it was an almost daily occurrence in Shantytown, but it was something about how the girl that wasn't... human. Maybe it was her snow white skin or her sickly yellow eyes, but the thing that really uneased Leroy was her voice. Yes they were the words of a frightened child but they were more, there was an unsettling echo from her voice. Leroy couldn't help but take a step back.

His voice may have been soft, but Daniel couldn't help but to regret his choice of words. It was all he could think of to reassure the girl, yet now, he could only wince at the poor introduction. He had pounced too soon, and expected too much, that was always his downfall. Dan wanted so badly to reach out and comfort the girl, his brotherly instincts taking affect, yet he restrained himself. He couldn't, the movement required would scare her, and would make her feel entrapped. Best to give her space, let her have a distance between them.

That was his mistake. He intruded on her space, closing the distance between them, rather than letting her take her time and approach them if she had so chose. He had the mind to slap himself right across the face. She might have been holding a syringe filled with bright red, almost too bright to be blood. She may have glowing eyes, and paler than pale skin, but as he watched, Daniel saw more to the girl, beyond her appearance.

She had reacted just as any child, afraid. Indeed, she was being approached by complete strangers, so that when she turned with a pocket knife in her hand, Dan could only understand. Yet, as his amber eyes locked on her, he could only see the form of a child before him. She was crying, and shaking in fear. Just as his sister had been befor-
Dan closed his eyes, not able to stare any longer. That's when a voice came from just behind him, getting closer.

"Daniel...back off" The sound of Clarence's voice, a police officer, one who probably dealt with lost children all the time, it should have been listened to. But Dan couldn't, he couldn't leave his spot on the floor, not now. He opened his eyes again, watching as Clarence bent down, near the corpse, closer to the girl than any of them. He picked up the syringe from the corpse and pocketed it, though Dan was unsure why. He might have been an officer in Columbia, but he had no such rank here. Not in Rapture.

"No. Not yet.." He replied, his voice stronger than it was before, yet still soft enough to not echo. He knew he shouldn't add to the mounting fear this young girl had, but at the same time, he wasn't sure that he liked how Clarence was going about the situation. He was clearly disturbed by the scene, as Daniel would have been, but now all he could see, was a young girl in front of him. The blood seeming to pass straight through his sight, along with the syringe, and the knife. Under all of that, was a child. One that was afraid, and definitely not used to being approached.

Daniel didn't want to waste his breath warning Clarence to back away, not for his sake, but for the girl's. She didn't need anymore pressure, anything else to scare her. Daniel left his kneeling position, and instead sat on the floor, crossing his legs under him. He was about the girl's height now, lessening the intimidation of himself. Though it was hard to do so, Daniel returned his soft eyes to the girl, trying to hold back his feelings, blocking them in his sea of emotions, closing them off. He didn't want them to break through, not yet.. Not now.

Daniel had wanted to ask the girl her name, but before he could do so, he had to apologize to her. She definitely deserved it, after the shock he and the other's had put her through. He looked up at the girl, his eyes flowing with the emotion's he tried so hard to hold in, his hands resting on his lap. Though, a strange thing happened as he opened his mouth. He begged for forgiveness, yet.. It was a personal reflection.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I scared you. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me most. When the world seemed against you. I'm sorry that I wasn't a good big brother..." His voice was deepening alongside his regrets.
"I want you to know, that as long as I'm breathing. This big brother is here for you. I couldn't protect you then, but I can now." After whispering his regrets, his pain filled pledge echoed in the near empty hall, along with a pain filled groan that escaped from his mouth, the final crack in his dam. Daniel locked his eyes on the little sister, his honey colored eyes seeping with liquid pain.