It didn't long for the assembled party to begin their journey to the briefing room, if Terra's orders were not enough every associated Asylum had received a telepathic communication demanding their presence. It appeared to have been scheduled ahead of the designated time, however with all the ruckus in the Cafeteria, perhaps management felt it prudent to have the trouble makers briefed and on their way. Angel for one found it quite bothersome, the man had intended to delay this inevitable assembly to the last second as a form of defiance and yet now there was no escaping it. From the way Angel appeared to have his eye brows narrowed while staring at one of the banshees ahead, through his silver tinted spectacles, it was clear there was another reason for his stale mood.

"This little one," Angel thought as he slowly paced himself closer to the banshees, his stare fixed at Maeve. She had been a troublesome deviant who had always been a handful and the weary sigh which the Silver Reaper heaved seemed to stress it. His coffin was firmly strapped onto his back once more and it seemed to be have been polished. There were a few personal belongings which Angel guarded akin to Fafnir and his gold, his massive metal coffin, his spectacles and his over-coat which he rarely ever wore. From all the memories he shared with the Banshees and their cooperative missions, one appeared to rise in stark contrast to the others. Maeve sleeping on his coffin, not a care in the word and with a look of serenity that a monk may envy.

It didn't take long for Angel to suddenly appear behind Maeve, his towering figure staring down at the stubborn Celtic warrior. His palm quite gently placed itself on top of Maeve's head as if to hold a jar by its lid, his back slowly bent so that his face could be parallel to this troublesome girl, his spectacles shimmering an eerie silver and staring at her as if two mirrors pointed towards you.

"I see you find my coffin to be suitable substitute to a chair, was it comfortable?" The entire statement appeared to be heavily laced with rhetoric and the man knew the woman would in fact answer it feigning innocence. "At least you didn't sleep on it again.....it is not a chair, troublesome girl." By the time the Lost Number finished his chastising and his palm had left the she-warrior's head, her hair-style appeared to have been re-designed, alchemically, into a one that is often found on little lassies. A pony tail extending from the top of the head as if a fountain on top of one's head.

Before Angel could examine the Asylum's reaction to her hair, his attention appeared to suddenly divert to his partner, the Chrono. Rena had rather quickly found herself attached to the new Asylum whose size was a tad tinier than Rena. The Lost Number had never really considered this, while Rena had been with children and those her size, that had always been out in the world, mainly orphanages. She has never been with a 'kid' Asylum, it was a little heartwarming to see the Chrono smiling about with another, it gave a sense of familiarity. I suppose no one wants to be out of the place all the time. His trail of though calmly continued as the Asylums walked their way towards the briefing room.

Rena, as Angel observed, had latched herself to Audrey. Often ogling the Asylum as if she were an oddity among them, for Rena the word Asylum was synonymous to being big and intimidating, however she found this person quite opposite to that label and it appeared to fascinate her. She maintained her fascination throughout their brief walk towards the appointed room, twirling around Audrey, tugging at her arm or her hair or her clothes often followed by remarks such as, 'such tiny shoes', 'such tiny pants', 'I have a doll just like you'.

-------------XX------------xX--------------
The Briefing
-------------Xx-------------xX-------------

It wasn't long till most of the Asylums had seated themselves on comfortable shares with their elbows leaning on a large black table, all staring at a single individual standing in front of him. From his appearance it was quite obvious the man was in charge of dispatching them, however even a novice could tell this man was no Alchemist, he was human. Every Alchemist gave off an energy reading that defined him or her as an alchemist, yet this fellow was entirely human. Possibly a seeker, yet logic stated he was of a higher post. It did make sense, why would A.M.R.O trust an Alchemist with mission details, Alchemists regardless of their prowess, all were a threat due to the insannadiction effect. Most perceptive Asylums could already peace out the fact, those on top had to be humans.

"Does anyone know why we're all gathered here, or have any inkling of what the mission is going to be?"

Maeve's question, as if a certain signal, started the official debriefing with the human in the black suit slowly tapping the table causing a ripple through it to reveal an interactive interface embedded in the table.

"I suppose we should get straight to the point, you lot have caused trouble enough as it is, alright Aii (pronounced 'eye') show them what they need to know." As soon as the man's words concluded a sudden holographic appearance of a bald female head appeared on top of the table, situated at the middle.

"Good evening Gentlemen," The head welcomed those in front with a polite yet mechanical tone, shifting to do the same to the females. "And ladies," she continued and all the while she spoke Angel appeared the most disturbed of what is going on. The sudden crevices on his forehead appeared enough to spell the words he thought. 'What sorcery is this.'

"I am the Artificial Intelligence Interference, you may call me Aii (Eye). I will be providing you with the current mission debrief." As the artificial intelligence spoke, details of the mission appeared in a page like format on the table, the digital pages whisking towards all those present. Again it was no surprise that Angel appeared to be the only one staring in disbelief.

"An event unlike ever before has occurred, a Bloodline has been annihilated leaving but a single survivor and no sign of the culprit," with those words alone a sense of urgency suddenly resonated among those present, at least Angel felt it. These very words foretold disaster and at an unfathomable scale. It was no secret that A.M.R.O marinated balance through its strict vigilance on alchemy, it existed as an administrative body. However there was also another aspect which was just as crucial in maintaining the balance among the rouge alchemists of the world. That was the Bloodlines, families which held power and a license to operate freely from A.M.R.O themselves as long as a few rules were maintained. They would suppress the rogue elements, they would provide A.M.R.O with children who excelled in alchemic potential, they would not fight or cause chaos that has far reaching consequences and they would share wealth and information. This relationship had been incremental in establishing A.M.R.O as the unquestionable entity that ruled from the shadows. The Bloodlines considered themselves royalty in the world of alchemy and the rogues often followed and bent a knee to them, yet there had always been an unstable relationship among the Bloodlines themselves, even so they respected the treaty of peace laid out by A.M.R.O. Now a Bloodline had been eradicated, it meant war.

"The Legende who were one of the Eight High Crests, have been destroyed. Their estate is in ruins as you can see yourself." As Aii continued the pages appeared to slowly change to show a video recording of the ruined Legende estate, a rubble. "This is a potentially world threatening problem, the Bloodlines are barely adhering to the treaty and war is a likely outcome, I predict a 45% likelihood. If a war occurs among the Bloodlines, the damage will be catastrophic before A.M.R.O can successful suppress it. The top most priority is to find the one responsible, however since no clues have been recovered the priority has shifted. Your objective is to locate the sole survivor who has sought refuge with the Pallidino Bloodline in Venice. She maybe the only one who holds the answers and as such this will be a level A asset recovery operation. There is little time to waste, the porters have established the teleportation circle and you are to move out right now. Locate Anya Legende before the threat of war escalates, God Speed."

With that said the illuminated table appeared to suddenly extinguish with Aii vanishing and the room itself going pitch black, the single source of light coming from the door that led out.

"God Speed," The human who was shrouded in the blackness whispered softly as if to say this is their Que to leave and succeed at this mission.

----------------Xx-------xX----------------------
Venice after jumping in the 'teleportation ring'
Location: Cafe Florian
---------------Xx--------xX----------------------

The Ante Mortem had been the first ones to enter the teleportation ring. It was one of the few new alchemic advancements A.M.R.O had made. Porters were specialized Asylums who were trained in the art of teleportation and they through utilizing a team would form a large interconnected sigil which would in turn form the 'Teleportation Ring' a large sigil with the potential to teleport Asylum over vast distances.

The timely departure of the Ante Mortem alone appeared to show the necessity for haste, this mission was not like most and as such demanded one's utmost focus. Or at least it should have....

"I can't belief I am finally in Cafe Florian!" Angel exclaimed raising a croissant before taking a bite of it. Even Rena appeared to share in her partner's enthusiasm who was now occupied with finishing a large bowl of their finest gelato, and the sheer bliss on her face was all the critique needed.

It was quite obvious the Ante Mortem had their priorities straight.

Samad made an indifferent glance in Kiara’s direction. It soured almost immediately at her over the top attempt to try be cheerful and polite, asking about the guesses over the mission details. His lips pressed tightly together as if to tell her silence was better. He expected she already knew the obvious fact that they would be informed shortly instead of making false guesses and discover they to be wrong later. In his mind, that was the best way to build up disappointment. Choosing to ignore her outburst, Samad noticed the human at the end of the table, the notable position of power stand, stand upright after the question.

Upon seeing the ripple dart across the table, Samad’s arms jerked up and off of like it was on fire. This sudden reaction caused Cade’s head to jerk in his direction as a questionable look crossed his face.

‘What…h-?’ In normal fashion the link sounded like a broken radio but Samad had gotten the basic gist of it.

He shot a glare in Cade’s direction, a silent indication for the younger asylum to drop it and causing the blond to turn away. Nothing farther crossed his mind in regards to his sudden reflex as the human continued onward like nothing worth notice had occurred. Samad paid little mind to the brief mention of the antics in the cafeteria, but his peripheral vision noticed Cade shift uncomfortably causing the Iranian to subtly ‘Tch’ under his breath. Any situation with Ante Mortem was bound to be trouble. This mission was no different and he deeply wished to be off it.

The only reason, at least Samad assumed, that the Chrono and Lost number were still alive was either because of two reasons. Either they were too strong to dispose of or managed to complete their given assignments despite the destruction that followed in their wake. It didn’t matter much to him since he didn’t really care to do any in depth reading over how A.R.M.O worked. His attention snapped back to the meeting at hand, derailed a moment by his inner thoughts, as the human summoned up Aii which took the form of a bald, human woman’s head.

A spark of Cade’s amazement crossed over Samad’s own interest. However, unlike Samad, it was plastered clearly on his partner’s facial expression. It seemed Angel was nearly as surprised as Cade over the achievement from his word choice. Not letting the new development distract him, Samad lowered his eyes to the data page that slide under the surface and halted before him. His finger tapped the rectangular shape before him and drew it to pop up into a 3-D holographic image in front of him.

He looked to Cade, who was hunched over and reading it like a normal piece of paper. Samad sighted then idly tapped Cade’s too pulling it up from the flat surface. The younger Asylum looked at him with an apologetic expression which Samad completely ignored in favor of being productive. Meanwhile, his ears listened to the Aii continued to debrief them over the mission.

At mention of the Legende Bloodline, Samad was walled by Cade’s sudden dread. Usually the emotions between them were mild and ignorable, but this time… it was much different. The emotion washed over him in a fashion that felt sickening and unnatural. At first, Samad wasn’t sure what was happening until he glanced toward an apparently pale Cade. Any color that had recovered during his mending was completely now. Confused, Samad began to consider the reasons and recall what he knew he about Cade himself.

For the first time in his life, Samad found his knowledge was nearly nonexistent.

He hadn’t bothered to get to know his partner or about his history, putting him at a disadvantage when it came to solving the mystery before him. This was a fact he wasn’t pleased to face but there was no way to change it now. Mentally his mind reached out to Cade in hopes to both draw Cade’s attention and gleam the needed information.

‘Cade… Cade! Cade, can you hear me?’

Nothing. The doctor just stared at the information display as it turned into video and seemed unresponsive to Samad’s attempts to distract him. Samad’s jawline tightened in frustration. There was a deep and dark desire to grip Cade’s hair back then slam the asylum's face into the table for ignoring him, but he resisted the urge.

After all he promised Zak he would be nice to Cade even if the balīd deserved it. Not wanting to draw attention from the meeting to them, Samad decided to wait until after the meeting in order to determine why Cade was acting strangely. He continued to listen and reading the information displayed before him, trying to find a connection between his partner and the Legende Bloodline. As the meeting came to a close, Samad was among the first to rise and pushed the wheelchair toward the door.

Once more his mind tried through the link to reach Cade on their way out,“Mind telling me why you’re reacting the way you are right now or I do I dump your ass upon the floor in the middle of the hallway?”

Through the threat sounded sincere, it was far from it. Thankfully Cade didn’t call the bluff,‘Samad, please not now. We have to get to Anya and now.’

‘Why?’ A suspicion rose in Samad’s throat causing him to piece the puzzle together gradually.

‘Samad...please,’ Cade almost sounded like he was pleading.

Abruptly, Samad came to an instant stop in the middle of the trip toward the transporter circle. Wordlessly the Iranian stepped toward the front and glared at his partner with a look that, if it was possible, might’ve killed Cade on the spot. He open his mouth instead of using their telepathic link, not caring if the others spotted their friction,“No, not until you tell me why. I want know why you called her by her first and what your connection to the Legende Bloodline is, Cade.”

Cade fell silent for several moments. His eyes studied Samad and slowly his head shook in disbelief,“You never once looked at my history, have you? If you did, then you would know the Legendes treated my father after he contracted a rare disease that was caused by Alchemy over the years. They also witness my surge, reported it and retained me until A.M.R.O. arrived to collect me.”

Taking a breath, Cade then added in a tone more irritated than he wanted to show,“If you spent the time to learn anything about me, you wouldn’t be asking me that and instead focusing on the mission.”

Clearly pissed off, the younger Asylum lowered his arms and pushed his wheels to move on. However, Samad had placed the brakes on causing his attempts to fail. His eyes glanced toward Samad in expectancy causing the Iranian to flip about the back and release the brakes as he pushed the wheelchair along.



Cade had felt his strength returning to his limbs, but it was slow going and in small amounts. Cautiously he pushed himself from the wheelchair and gripped his bag, ensuring he had everything. The doctor barely managed to retain his balance as he left his seat behind, his wobbly feet edged toward the teleportation ring. He had nervously watched the first team, Ante Mortem, slip through then abruptly vanish into the glowing sigil’s center. His stomach curled and twisted in building anxiety before the tingling darted across his surface causing his eyes to close in fear. The sensation was very much like the one an individual had in a limb when it had fallen asleep.

A series of sharp needles gently poked and prodded the surface for several moments, then faded away. It was enough to catch his attention as his eye fluttered open to the daylight peering through his eyelids. Causally he noticed his position beside the window and glanced through it, the view overlooking one of Venice’s numerous waterways. A vaporetto, a large water bus of a boat, skirted across the surface while it chugged from sight.

Distracted for a moment, Cade watched it a moment then was jerked to attention by Samad.

“Stop daydreaming and focus on the mission,” The Iranian bluntly put it as he began to move toward the exit, his desire to finish this shined through. He flat out ignored Ante Mortem’s antics and focused on the information he did know. According to the data given to each of the Asylums, Anya Legende was currently somewhere in this wounding path of waterways and medieval pathways that one could easily get lost in. This made their mission rather difficult since even tourists went missing in Venice.

On instinct, Samad turned to his partner and only source of psychological insight on the subject. He was their best lead, much to the Iranian’s disgust, as he looked expectedly at Cade before he voiced his thoughts,“Do you have any idea where she might be? Insights on her personality would help and make this much easier.”

“Give me a moment, it’s been a while. Last time I saw her was when she was comforting me over the fact my life was no longer about to be mine and it was a very… upsetting time for both of us,” Cade said as he thoughtfully placed his finger on his lips, thinking about why she would be here. The Pallidino Bloodline hadn’t been exactly accepting of the Legende Bloodline purely due to religion conflicts through they tolerated each other much better than others. In fact, the Legende were the most sociable and indifferent family when came to relationships with the others. The memories caused his heart to tighten and jerk in his chest, a flutter of pain bring depression and sharp pain into his attention.

“Cade,” Samad growled in warning.

“Growling isn’t going to help, I’m thinking and working through it.”

After another moment, a thought occurred to him,“If Anya is in Venice, her first actions would likely to locate one of the churches sponsored by the Pallidino Bloodline and try to get into contact with them. She’s going to likely see a sanctuary of sorts. What’s the nearest church that fits that description?”

His eyes turned to Samad who already was pulling what little information he could on the landmarks and the Pallino Bloodline’s assets,“Nearest two are Saint Mark's Basilica, or nicknamed the Chiesa d'Oro, and Chiesa di San Moisè. We should be able to also find some information if she’s managed to make contact with any of the Pallidino family members. So which one do you feel it the best to head to first?”

“Saint Mark’s Basilica. It’s well known and a large place, but it doesn’t mean she’ll be there,” Cade admitted with uncertainty in his voice.

Samad nodded, then looked to the others who had teleported with them and asked,“Who’s going where? If we find no trace of Anya, be sure to check the surrounding areas just in case she hasn’t made it there yet.”

Dorian stumbled as a new world swept up appearing around him. The sudden change in location stirring his alchemic senses and leaving him weak in the stomach and legs.
Finding a nearby wall he firmly acquainted himself with it, slowly regaining his bearings as the others moved on.

His mood was a foul one. Despite the pleasant speed of the trip he still found it overall unpleasant. To his denial the reason was not the short sickness it left him with but more so having to rely on and be at the mercy of another's powers. His trust was short and ego quite large. He hated to rely on others.

Further more, he was expected to pick up on another's failed research. The logical place to start would be the estate that now lies in ruins. He had little belief or faith that no substantial evidence could be found. Such a statement Only furthered his doubts of others competence in the organisation. But this was just another of his many social flaws, unless done or witnessed by himself it was never to be truly done properly. He held an unnatural assumption that everyone that was not himself was flawed and lazy.

Lastly the leniency of his own organisation. A bloodline stood near complete decimation. Now was the time to assert dominance and fear. Yet some of their best troops fumbled blindly around the Venetian labyrinth. He couldn't believe he was sent to babysit. Luckily he was not alone in this endeavour and someone else could deal with the conversations.

---

A few minutes later

---

"Ahh." Dorian muses, now outside and taking in a deep breath of air while looking around in awe. For him it was good to be back in the streets of Venice once again. The atmosphere brought an excitement and energy to the core of the mans very bones as he drank in the friendly sights, sounds and smells from all around. He couldn't help but feel a revitalising sense of nostalgia that only a place of such intricate architecture, rich history, winding clandestine canals and prominent grand statues could give him. It's safe to say his previous mood almost instantly vanished as he gazed off over the canal bridge.

In Venice nearly everything and everyone existed twice, with the teal coloured waters holding a reflective copy of all that was above it. And the people!
The Venetians seemed to be people not bound by general meaningless conventions, this and the natural beautiful muse that was their city gave them a sort of freedom in their arts, crafts and performances. They were not followers and instead sought their own path. This is where and why they had Dorian's respect.

While it has been known by many names, mainly the city on the water. For Dorian it would always be the city of masks. He longed to drift through the streets as the town came alive with performing arts, elaborate costumes and wild personas of the masquerade carnival.

If only they were here for that long.

Pulling out his data pad he adjusted his settings to his new location, bringing up a map and locking in a few places of personal interest. Then without word or reply to the others Dorian eagerly made his way into the busy streets.
After a short self-serving walk and a test of self control as he passed a quaint little high end leather shoe shop, Dorian then turned his attention to the task.

So the Pallidinos were not completely cooperative. Fear made people stupid. Anya was not cooperating, youth made people stupid. The best thing for every party at this moment would be to hasten the AMRO's search. Undoubtedly the Pallidinos already knew more than the AMRO. Dorian felt like he was missing some key information. Perhaps they all were.
The Pallidinos could be the culprits, Dorian wasn't ruling anyone out yet, not even other members of the AMRO. Right now with his limited information that was the only explination as to why they didn't already know more. Why they were chasing their tails instead of dealing out justice.

Either way there must be another party searching for this girl. The information she held was critical. Dorian found a quiet spot and playing on his data-pad began digging deep. He didn't attempt to search for someone hidden but for those that did. Calling in help from the base tech department he searched her details across all facial algorithm software to see if it had been entered. He checked if anyone had recently done a full security camera system override or left traces of access.
He looked up key words he would use to find her and ran a comparative analysis seeking similar search patterns.

He checked to see if anyone had checked on her records, social media access, financial accounts, phone history. What he couldn't do himself he would demand of the AMRO's techs or even utilise some of his more costly and shady contacts. Calling in favours if need be.

Hana slowly applied her lipstick over the sink, Hwan stood in the doorway watching her. Twisting the cap close, she spun her head around to meet his eyes, “What?” Hana tossed her light strawberry hair behind her shoulder and crossed her arms, “You’re blocking my way,” She used a tone that sounded overly sweet, dripped with hidden anger, “Hurry up and move.” The boy pulled his surgeon mask down to reveal his soft pink lips and opened his mouth to say something to retaliate his partner’s words, “Don’t you start with me! I am in a good mood and I will not stand for you to ruin it this early in the day...!” She humphed and stepped past him.

Hwan watched her step away from him, but before she could head off towards the direction of the cafeteria, he caught her attention, “No matter how much makeup you put on…” He started and walked past her, “You’re still look disgusting to me.” Hana’s short temper was amusing to him, riling her to a breaking point was satisfying. All the repercussions usually affected Hana and never Hwan. She had a habit of taking her anger out on everyone and thus always causing her trouble. Hana humphed and strutted away from him, “Huh…” he remarked, “You must be in a very good mood to not be willing to burn the building down.”

“I am..!” She puffed out her cheeks and looked away from her partner, “Now hush!” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the briefing room. The duo quickly took their seats and waited for the room to be filled with other Asylums. Hwan leaned back and poked Hana to catch her attention once again, “What?” She asked sharply.

“Why are you in a good mood?” He whispered. She narrowed her eyes at him before looking away and to watch the debriefing process. Needless to say, she ignored him throughout the entire meeting.

~*~

Hana took a deep breath in and spun on her heel, “Venice! It has been forever since I came here!” She placed her hands on her hips and flipped her sunglasses over her eyes. She lightly hummed as she reiterated the mission to her partner, “We’re looking for Anya Legende. From what that computer thing said, she is taking refuge with another bloodline family?”

Hwan nodded and smirked, “It’s the Pallidino bloodline.” He crooked his head to the side, “You were paying attention to the debriefing?” Hana puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, looking away.

“If I was her...I would be scared and eager to find whoever did this.”

Maeve made a rude gesture at Angel as he walked away, shaking her hair back to normal. "You and I both know I'm going to sleep on it again. Better keep it close this mission. Thanks for saving me from dying horribly though!"

For Kiara's part, she merely arched an eyebrow at Samad as he made a face at her. He was going to be troublesome, that was certain. Angry and bitter never ended well. She turned her attention to the debriefing, ignoring Maeve's snickers at Angel's discomfort. The mirth quickly vanished as the situation was explained. This was bad. The Bloodlines were always snippy with one another, sometimes even violent. But always in the shadows, and never to this extreme. Peraltas? No. Not their style. Too open, too public, too obvious. I doubt it was a Bloodline at all. No one would risk war and AMRO's wrath like this. Someone new to fight! Think they'll last longer than the others? Doubt it, you bloodthirsty maniac. AMRO doesn't take true rivals lightly. She ignored Maeve's sigh of disappointment, scanning what information they knew. It wasn't much. Next to nothing, in fact. Kiara glanced up, searching for anyone who knew more than she did, while Maeve rested her head in a hand, bored and waiting for the mission to begin. Kiara immediately spotted Cade's reaction, and Samad's growing frustration. Her eyebrows rose once more at the sight.

Cade knows them. Personally. Good for him. He can lead the charge finding them. If his Partner gets his anger under control. Quite an asshole isn't he? Yeah. A bleeding heart and a bitter asshole. Neither of whom trust the other. They'll die in a year. Hopefully not on our mission.

The two Asylums stood up and followed the Ante Mortem through the portal, Maeve making a disgruntled face and noise as she popped out in the Cafe. Kiara merely shook her head and smiled, stepping out of the way for the rest of them. Teleportation never bothered her. It was always a pleasure to be surrounded in darkness, disconnected from the world. The two Banshees rolled their eyes at each other as Angel and Reri both immediately leapt to the ever important business of eating the cafe food. "They'll catch up with us later. Or we'll have to put out their fires. One of the two, or perhaps even both." Maeve glanced at Samad as he growled at Cade, snorting. "If you were less of an asshole, you'd probably have a better time. Kiara and I will take San Moise." She began to head out, stopping and looking over her shoulder in exasperation as Kiara spoke. "Cade, how are we going to convince Anya to trust us if we meet her?" I mean, I'm all for just catching her if she tries to run and hauling her back here. Unconscious if need be." Maeve interjected, earning a disproving look from her partner.

"I'd rather avoid that. Poor girl has been through quite enough already."

It didn't take long for Ante Mortem to devour the exquisite desert that most certainly appeared to their palette, however Rena did take notice of a few discrepancies. Her partner hardly appeared to be enjoying, or to be more accurate, something seemed to be distracting the Lost Number from it. Rena briefly nodded with her fingers resting on her chin, a Sherlock esque pose she would take when stumbling upon a peculiarity.

Rena's fingers calmly brushed against her partner's coffin and with a soft click a compartment appeared to open revealing a leather bound book neatly placed in its compartment. The act simply drew a tilt of her partner's head and with that he once more returned to his trail of thought, his fingers softly tapping the frame of his spectacles.

The Chrono thumped the book on top of the table with considerable noise, though in her defense the sound was partly due to the book's absurd thickness. There appeared to be no title page, just endless writing in two distinct writing style. As Rena calmly flicked page after page her eyes slowly darted on the contents and suddenly the flipping appeared to stop, her nibble fingers gently trembled while her mismatched eyes stared at a specific question which was occasionally sprawled, though the writing did not belong to Rena.



The trembling merely lasted a second and just as quick the Chrono returned to her jovial self, her fingers swiftly flipping until arriving at a fresh page.....

"Well shall we get going?" Angel finally spoke, moaned would be more appropriate though, it was was quite apparent the man had no interest in the shit storm they were plummeting towards. "We should catch up to the other, that Cadey alone will be a handful, the boy is so incredibly naive." He continued while wearily rising from his chair while massaging his nose bridge.

"Alrighty, I am done anyway!" Rena chirped with enough enthusiasm for the both of them, her eyes briefly going over the contents of her diary and then with a nod of approval she closed the book, placing it back as delicately as she could manage.

It didn't take long for Ante Mortem to run into the yet another duo of Asylums that were present at the briefing, a quick look at those two and Angel decided it would be best to just move on, he had no time to deal with those flamboyant personalities. Rena on the other appeared to derail from following her partner and instantly stumbled ahead of the two, Tae-Huwan and Hana Saek.

Without a though of hesitation the Chrono appeared to lunge towards the female, Hana, and clasped her arms around the woman's neck while swinging about with a chirpy laugh.

"Such pretty hair!" The Chrono exclaimed as her eyes twinkled from observing the details, the color and the accessories attached. "I always tell big brother to make my hair but he can only manage making these pigtails," she continued, despite blaming her partner's grooming failure, the child appeared to beam with pride when flaunting her bright gold twin-tails.

It didn't take Angel very long to catch up to the 'Banshees' and 'The Experimental Team', though what happened next the Lost Number could barely wrap his head around. It was no secret that the Ante Mortem was one team which rarely used most forms of modern transport, they never opted to take planes or trains and vehicles were a form of last resort for them. It was also no secret that the real reason behind this was Angel's severe displeasure associated with most transport systems, if left to his own devices the man would walk and teleport to any and all destination possible.

"How?" Angel thought to himself while grimacing as he stared at the other Asylums seated near him, his fists clenching and loosening and every bump on the road and his face growing more rigid by the second. The events that transpired seemed to happen much too fast in his mind, one moment he was standing with Kiala (Kiara), Suave (Maeve), Cafe(Cade) and Salad (Samad), the next some body brought the suggestion of a public transport and despite his firm disapproval the conniving vixens managed to convince his partner "it would be fun".

Angel's gaze fixed on Maeve and Kiara and even though his eyes were veiled behind tinted silver, they could tell he was glaring daggers at the two, as if blaming them if not every person here for this....situation. The man could barely pay attention to the conversation around him, he seemed to vaguely hear a conversation going on, perhaps Reri talking to the new team, or was it between Cade and Samad, maybe it was between the Banshees and himself. The entire ride was such a discomfort that the Lost Number couldn't even focus on whether he was talking or not, only one thing was certain....

"I am never riding this abomination again!" The words bellowed in his mind, by the reaction of the several passengers around him maybe he had just screamed it though at this point Angel hardly cared. Just when it seemed Angel would kill the bus conductor....or someone, his eyes brows suddenly rose at the announcement of their arrival and the realization the bus stopped. Without wasting a second Angel strapped the coffin behind his back and with two jumping strides was off the bus and on solid ground, though his foul mood would remain.

Nothing that happened next actually helped his mood, the Asylums finally entered the Pallidino estate. After waiting an hour they were granted audience with a member of the head family and with extreme politeness, and diplomatic care, were told that no person by the name of Anya and they should swiftly leave, after taking some refreshments of course.

"What a wretched day!" Angel cursed as he sat, sprawled on a comfortable sofa with his legs crossed and his head resting on his fist. His posture along stated the man was royally irked and as soon as he found this Anya he may just stuff her inside his coffin.

"It is obvious....is it not?" A cold and distant voice appeared to echo from the small party of Asylums seated in a large and empty hall. "It is always politic among the Bloodlines, it is called the Game of daggers yes?" Rin's eyes calmly darted over the number of Asylums, dismissing them casually before resting on her partner. "No Bloodline will openly admit to housing a possible suspect that had a hand in the genocide of a crest. Reading between the lines.....it is clear the package has escaped and is in hiding? What is the possible location that may harbor the package?"

A smile appeared to creep on Angel's face, it always surprised the Lost Number at just how observant Rin was; the child was a prodigy among prodigies. Though he did wish Rin could share some of Rena's openness and maybe smile? That wasn't too much to ask. At that thought he couldn't help but sigh, a kin to a parent stricken with worry.

"Any suggestions?"

Samad’s head twisted and his eyes hardened, giving Maeve a glare hot enough to scorch flesh. His jaw clenched tightly as if biting back a retort and inhaled to prevent his temper from getting the better of himself. Letting it exhale, he then directed his subtle fury upon the celtic sharmuta, “Fine. Try not to sleep with anyone on your way there, it’s a mission and the target comes first before your appetites.”

Through relieved Samad’s anger, for once, wasn’t directed at him, Cade could feel that Maeve had hit a deep nerve. If pain could be measured in blood, his partner would’ve been bleeding to death right now.

His attention didn’t linger upon the subject long as one of the Banshee’s directly asked him a question causing his head to turn. His hand adjusted his glasses a moment before he replied, “Um, there’s a saying she told me before ARMO came to… take me.”

He quickly moved on, “If you spot her and managed to get her to calm down, say my name and this: Life is not without its sorrow, or how else would we know how happiness feels? It won’t stay the same forever so be hopeful.”

“Tch,” Samad huffed but made no additional comment. However, Cade could easily feel the Iranian’s disapproval over the phrase and obviously didn’t believe in it.

Ignoring his partner for the time, Cade turned to Kiara. His expression softened as he then pleaded, “Please don’t let anything happen to her.”



Samad was the first of the Experimental Team to have both entered and exited off the bus, its ride finished at last. During their individual investigations, there seemed to be no clues to the whereabouts of Anya causing the Iranian to become more disgruntled with passing time. His eyes glared briefly at Cade, either blaming him for the string of misfortune or for his association that had dragged them into this messy mission.

However, the Doctor seemed unaware. He didn’t react to Samad’s look at all as he followed his ill tempered partner into the estate with the other other arriving Asylums. His attention drifted to the decoration, mainly to distract him, while they were lead deeper in by the nun who greeted them at the door. The place appeared to be more a church than an actual home in the young man’s mind. He idly caught mention of them having no one called Anya within their place and of two others that had arrived with similar inquiring questions.

Cade sighed. Another dead end, he thought bitterly and his eyes causally stopped wandering. Samad, upon sensing the depression, even faintly, turned to his partner.

“Focus. If you don’t, she might as well be dead.”

It was blunt as with everything Samad ever said to him. It also barely helped pull him out from the depression and hopelessness that weighed him down, a continual threat in drowning his silver lining. They arrived just in time to catch Rin’s statement. Samad’s eyebrow to raise in question and the Iranian’s feet immediately stopped, but his partner brushed past in his walk.

Noticing the reaction finallhy, Cade’s figure turned back and he attempted to draw Samad’s attention with telepathy, ‘Samad...w… wrong?’

“Ouroboros,” came the simple answer.

Cade’s eyes tightened in confusion, “Excuse me? Ouroboros? The Egyptian dragon ever eating his own tail, but what does that have to do with Anya?”

The rental car turned a corner, a silver Mercedes that rolled on the cobbled streets of the alleyway. Eron sat at the wheel, his face in a grimace as his partner, Jessica, screamed at him from the passenger seat in Spanish. He couldn't understand what she was saying, save for some curse words, but he picked out the message clear enough. She was pissed at him. He supposed she had a right to be, since he did make them late. Again. He was never great with punctuality even when there was incentive.

He glanced at her for a moment then turned back to the road for another turn. "You know I can't understand you, right?"

She paused."Idiot," she said with a deep scowl. "You knew this was an important mission. You knew! You were there for the briefing. And what do you do afterwards? You fucking go to sleep!"

"Sorry."

"Sorry my ass. You ain't sorry, you're probably depressed that your sleep got ruined!"

He shrugged. She pretty much hit the mark.

"I can't believe you. How did I end up as your partner? What sort of demon possessed me when I made that choice, sweet Jesus. I can't get a break from you, Eron. All you do is sleep and kill. You can't even wake up to eat! I have to wake you up so you don't starve! What am I? Your mom?"

"That'd be kinda gross."

"Boy!"

"Look, there they are," he said as he pulled over on the curb.

"Don't you get out of the car. I ain't done with you!"

"We got a mission, Jess."

She stared at him in that sort of way she always did when she was pissed off. "You step out this car and I swear you're dead, boy. Step out the car, go ahead. Make my day. Gimmie an excuse to break your fucking legs."

"Aight, ok, I'ma stay in. I ain't getting out."

She started berating him some more and he looked more miserable by the second. All he wanted was to simply step out and get out of his crazy partner's way. She was in a mood and he was the unfortunate bastard caught in her crossheirs. Well fuck me, right? Eron wished there was some other fool in his place so he could at the least get away, better yet to go sleep, but now that they had some important mission that wasn't possible. An enter family of a bloodline were incompetent enough to have themselves killed. What was the point of them if they couldn't even protect themselves, and here they were trying to clean up the mess and prevent the rest of the bloodlines from panicking and killing each other. That wouldn't do. It'd mean he wouldn't get anymore sleep. Wouldn't do at all.

Jessica snapped her fingers. "You ain't even paying attention are you?"

"Nah, I am," he said snapping out of his thoughts. "I got you, you pissed. I should sleep less. Or some shit."

She stared at him for another long moment. Then, "Get the fuck out the car."

Before he could even open his door, she was out and slammed the passenger side's hard enough that he was afraid he'd have to pay more for damages. Oh well. He stepped out and they stepped inside the church-like estate and after sitting down on the lavish chairs were told that the Anya girl they were looking for wasn't there. Jessica glared at him as if it was somehow his fault. He could swear on his ma's grave the damn woman would blame him for everything that went wrong, as if he was somehow in control of everything. Shit, if he was he'd fix everything just to get away from her.

She then, thankfully, turned her attention away from him towards the rest of the group. "Does she have any friends in high places or that're particularly resourceful that we know about? She could have used one of them to bunker down in a temporary safe house."

"Ouroboros, not the dragon, but the place," Olivia spoke up to explain to Cade, after glancing at the two newcomers. The first time she had spoken since she made it to Venice. She had been too caught up in the sights of the Italian city. She squinted at her fellow Asylum as if she wanted to try to figure him out, before shrugging and continuing. "Where Asylums are granted sanctuary, and it is neutral ground for all Asylums."

Click click click.

Olivia paused for a second. "It's a place where information can be bought and sold. It would be a good place where someone trying to hide would run to." Olivia frowned. "But..."

Click click click.

She cleared her throat. "But if Anya did go to Ouroboros, I doubt she'd be there long. Either way, Ouroboros would be an ideal-"

Click click click.

"Do you mind?" Olivia hissed as she shot a glare towards her partner. He wasn't even looking at the cursed cube. He was watching the conversation and making sure he didn't miss anything. At her question, he rolled his eyes and put the brightly coloured toy into his pocket with exaggerated motions before gesturing for her to continue.

"Thank you. Now where was I? Right! Ouroboros would be the best place to pick up her trail."

"And we best be quick about it." Lawrence stood up from his seat and addressed the group. "If the girl is being hunted by whoever destroyed her family, they may have no qualms about razing Ouroboros in search of her"

A Fallen and Xodus collab~

The refreshments arrived quite promptly, almost as if the Pallidinos were trying to usher the Asylums on their way. However even royalty among the rogues could not simply disrespect an Asylum let alone a Chrono Asylum. Perhaps any Chrono other than Reri would have taken this opportunity to address the lack of etiquettes, A.M.R.O's princess on the other hand appeared quite content nibbling on the sweets and biscuits provided.

The real peculiarity was the behavior of the Silver Reaper, Angel was never one to shirk something sweet though now he sat cross legged staring at the Asylums, their numbers growing by the minute. His fingers gently tapped the frame of his silver tinted spectacles all the while listening to the course of action suggested by his subordinates. It was little surprise that their reasoning was on point, Asylums were not mere humans. They were humans trained to perfection, each art honed beyond what an ordinary human could possess. Factors such as intelligence, strength, stamina were all molded into the monstrosity that was the soldier of A.M.R.O.

“Ouroboros,” came Samad's casual input. The Iranian a stark contrast to his partner on top of being an oddity himself.

"Does she have any friends in high places or that're particularly resourceful that we know about? She could have used one of them to bunker down in a temporary safe house." The team Pravus Feles gave their contribution next. It was almost irksome at how easily these Asylums deciphered the webs of lies, all it really meant was that procrastinating this ordeal would be that much more arduous.

Cade's head jerked to the new arrivals, his right hand pinched his chin his forefinger and thumb in thought, "I wouldn't know for sure anymore, it's been too long. I wasn't really interested or subjected to alchemy politics until I surged a few years ago."

Samar huffed under his breath for a moment, his mood soured by Cade's outdated information, "Is there anything useful and updated you do know?"

Cade flinched but didn't say anything farther when Olivia interrupted the intense moment.

"Where Asylums are granted sanctuary, and it is neutral ground for all Asylums." Angel eventually tilted his eerie gaze to meet Olivia. A relatively young Asylum, despite her judgement being spot on she seemed to mix a few things.

"It is 'Parle'" Angel corrected the child in front of him, the tapping of his spectacles stopping briefly before continuing once more, almost melodiously. "A mistake that, the place should have been torn to the ground," the Reaper continued, though this time almost talking to himself until realizing he had drifted off. "Ourosboros has existed a long time child, it has been a sanctuary for alchemists long before a Chrono decided to mark it as his territory. The confusion is quite common, Asylums are not really welcome in there and very few do go." As he continued to speak, his gaze slowly appeared to shift towards Samad, a weighing gaze, until returning back to Asylum. "Your deduction are probably accurate." Despite the acknowledgment, Angel's tone was anything but praise giving, weary would be more accurate to say. "A main branch Bloodline member would have the currency for invite and as such Ouros would be the ideal refuge for the 'package'. For most of you this may be the first time you enter Ouros, the rules in there are very different and you should take heed. It is a breeding ground for filth of all kind, a hub of knowledge that would make you sick. 'No blood shall ever be spilled in Ourosboros', a rule that predates the 'Parle'". With that said Angel didn't waste any time in brushing his hands against one another, as if washing away the taint of where he would soon go. "While I step out for a while, I will need you all to accompany my lovely partner and buy yourselves proper clothes, we are going to one of the most exclusive clubs in the world....have to look the part, no?" Angel spoke while gesturing towards the rest, all aside from Samad whom he casually signaled to follow. Though not before smirking at the rest and brushing his crimson vest, as if hinting the rest at the art of dressing.

Samad's right eyebrow arched in question, his figure stirred from his standing posture and moved into Angel's wake. He knew his little slip up had been noted but he drew no attention to it. Instead he moved to follow the Lost Number. Cade gaze drifted in his wake, the sensation of faint curiosity and confusion tried to infuse itself into the Iranian's own. Being a weak link, it didn't work well. Samad shrugged it off easily.

"Now there is the matter of getting ourselves an invite, that and discussing the matter of the kind of person you are..." Despite the casual tone there did exists something unsettling in how the Reaper spoke the last few words.

Samad didn't comment while in the company of others. It wasn't likely they would've heard the statement or understood its implications, but to reply would've created more issues than he was willing to deal with. He gripped his cane tightly and moved in a limp gait behind the Reaper until they reach outside.

[color=deba5e][b] "Does it really matter? After all, Asylums aren't considered... human. So the term person is farfetched or at best, stretching it. Don't you think?"[/color][/b] Samad let the statement linger in the air until Angel decided to replace them.

Angel maintained his silence as the two continued to walk for a while, minutes dragged on as the two strolled through Venice at a leisurely pace. "What one is considered is unimportant, the fact is you Asylums are humans." The Reaper finally broke the silence as his hands delved into his vest pocket and fished out a gold coin.

"Did you know the 'linking' bonds more than just the sanity of two people, it was once considered the bonding of souls. That is one reason why surviving a 'severing' has been so uncommon. It has even been observed that those rare individuals that did survive would often commit suicide at some point or the other. I believe I read a hypothesis that if death came to one of the linked, the survivor would feel that pain, a debilitating kind of pain and greatest desire left in the survivor is 'the desire to die'." By this point Angel had apparently forgotten that Samad was trailing behind, lost in his own words the Lost Number droned on until suddenly stopping and realizing he was near his destination.

"Been there and desire already passed," Samad noting that AMRO wasn't too keen on their assets dying and took measures to prevent it. Despite the property value, if it wasn't taken care it than it wouldn't last too long and only wasted more money than was needed.

"Those who don't have much to lose are the most dangerous, they are also the likely one's to not blink when staring into the abyss. That is not a compliment boy." The look Angel gave Samad was a cryptic look, a scrutinizing look. "How much do you know about Ourosboros?" It took but a single glance at the Iranian's face to know the man knew of the seeping filth. Perhaps not the greatest of its secrets, Angel thought. But he did know the some of it, the kind of knowledge that made your eyes that much more hollow.

[color=deba5e][/b] "Didn't expect it to be, you're not big on giving them from what the rumors say. Then again, you often get anyone that works with you killed,"[/b][/color] Samad commented off handedly.

"Ourosboros has many layers, each harder to accessible than the other. Human trafficking, drug cartels, alchemic experimentation and forbidden alchemy," the Lost Number grimaced as he finished. "Were you involved in the latter?" Angel stopped as soon as the question left his lips, his gaze fixated on the grand "Trevi Fountain" in front of them. His hands slowly delving into his vest pocket and fishing out a bright gold coin.

"No, I wasn't," Samad stated bluntly.

"There are certain doors that should remain closed, I do not wish for the others to learn of such ugly things. The foul taste never goes away." As Angel concluded he realized he was humming a familiar tone, one that was quite apt in this situation. Ourosboros had always had a flair of dramatics, the invite process was no exception. How did the wordings go? The Lost Number thought as he stared into the pond, watching his own reflection.



As he hummed the last bit of the song the gold coin shimmered as it flew into the air from a soft flick and with a pleasant "ching" landed into the fountain, the ripples obscuring the Reaper's reflection.

"The others will likely, if they haven't already, see such things in time. I aim to keep Cade out of trouble as I don't want to do through that painful experience again. He's going to be sticking to the lower, more public levels."

"Were you this charming with your last partner as well?" If the question was meant for a taunt, Angel's casual tone didn't appear to signify it as such.

Samad held silence for a moment then finally clarified, "No, I wasn't. I didn't expect to be linked up again when she died. It's not something you often consider because you usually don't survive it."

He inhaled, then continued, "How many invites do we actually need for everyone?"

"There is always one invite boy, I am the patron whose called for the ferry and my guests will pay the toll upon the gate," the Reaper grimaced once more as he spoke, his hand reaching into the pocket of his crimson waistcoat and fishing out, what looked like a rectangular parchment with intricate symbols laced all over. "Let us be on our way," and with that the two began their stroll through the city once more.

The Reaper soon realized he was among the first to arrive at the Pallidino manor that was the place everyone had to rendezvous once they had worn the appropriate apparel. After that Angel appeared to lose track of time while staring at his coffin, a form of meditative tradition he would often perform in order to pass time.

"Big brother, hellooo?" The Lost Number gave a start, his head slowly tilting towards the person looming over him. "I see you are back Rena, enjoyed your time with the others?" He asked while patting the Chrono's head affectionately.

"Yea I did! At first I thought they would just be a bunch of boring old people, but I suppose not all old people are boring!" The Chrono chirped while twirling about, her Victorian stylized crimson gowns fluttering about.

"You will have to tell me off your adventure with the others later, for now let us get going," Rena gave a slight pout at having been cut off so abruptly by her partner but eventually gave way and with an excited nod.

With a weary sigh Angel placed the sigilled parchment, 'the invite' on the door and with yet another sigh, he reluctantly activated the sigil. While Angel had his glasses to protect him, Rena had the past experience to shield her eyes as a bright light suddenly engulfed the room and a white glistening portal had taken the shape of the door.

"After you, ladies and gentlemen?" Angel crowed while flourishing a bow and gesturing the rest to go through and before each Asylum could pass into the portal, the Reaper placed a bright gold coin in each of their palms. Once everyone had gone through Angel almost contemplated just letting them run wild in there and avoid going altogether. Ourosboros had every kind of pleasure one could ask for, aside from a peace of mind and a nap. However the Lost Numbers devious attempt at abondoning the rest was foiled by his over eager partner who mothered him into going. When Rena would place her fists on her hips and arch her chin, all hope would end and loss was inevitable.

As soon as Ante Mortem leaped through the portal they found themselves standing in front of a large golden gate with the insignia of the Ourosboros carved onto it. It was hard to tell where this place was located, that was the trick to how Ouros always avoid unnecessary attention, simply because no one knew where the damn place was. A small slit appeared to be present in the door, the size just large enough to slip a coin through and upon doing just that, entree would be awarded.

Once again the Ante Mortem were last to enter, the Patrons must always enter at the end and as soon as they stepped through the golden gates, deafening music and a flurry of lights bombarded them. One would assume Ante Mortem would despise such a gathering of fool and they were right, but at this moment they weren't Ante Mortem. Angel and Rena quite calmly walked towards a nearby bar, an air of arrogance and aristocracy emanating from the two. In such a place, status, wealth and power were the ruling qualities.

"Welcome to the first level, I am to be your personal attendant. How may I serve?"

"Is the 'betting' open?" Angel didn't even bothering looking towards his 'attendant' a glorified name for a man servant which this institute appoints for every Patron.

"I-I'm s-sorry sir?" The man spoke while fumbling over his words, by his gaping eyes it was clear he did not expect this.

"Tell management Legna Damodred wishes to place a 'bet' and the price is information, the medium is the 'ring'. Go on boy!" Angel only had to raise his voice a little to send the attendant scurrying off, almost yelping as the poor lad ran towards a restricted elevator that would take him to the deeper levels.

"Why don't we dance too?" Rena chirped while staring at the thousands of people that appeared to have lost themselves in blaring music and the endless drinks offered by the bar.

"Maybe if they put on Vivaldi's Seasons, I don't even though what this rubbish is. It is just a cluster of different incoherent sounds."

Olivia's mouth opened and closed without sound after Angel corrected her like a child. It was bad enough having a slip of the tongue, but being corrected in front of a group of people was as irritating as it was embarrassing. Her face had turned a slight shade of red. While Angel took control of the discussion, Olivia crossed her arms and half-pouted, half-glared at the Asylum's back. "I knew that," she muttered under her breath.

She tore her eyes away from Angel as she heard chuckling. "I'm glad you're finding amusement in this," she whispered, irritated, turning her face to the source of the chuckles, Lawrence.

"What can I say? You look like a pouting child." Lawrence whispered back to her, a smirk on his face. Olivia turned her glare on him for a moment before lightening up and giving a small chuckle of her own. She didn't need to listen to Angel explain to the other about Ouroboros, she had already been there with Lawrence a few times since she had been able to go on hunts.

When the topic of clothing was broached, Olivia's eyes lit up and she turned her head towards Angel, giving him one last smoldering glare behind his back before looking at his partner.

Olivia frowned.

The girl looked so young. She looked too young to even be going on missions. Sure, Olivia had noticed this earlier, but now she had her attention on the girl, she wondered how such a young looking person ended up here.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a hand on her shoulder. Staring is rude. Olivia turned to look at Lawrence. It was strange for him to use their link while in a situation where whispers would work just fine.

Be careful. Ante Mortem is not a team to take lightly, even if we do both work for A.M.R.O.. Rin more so

Olivia raised an eyebrow at Lawrence. She had heard the whispers about Ante Mortem, but she had usually paid them no mind. She couldn't really judge people until she met them. Whispers and horror stories were just those, whispers and horror stories.

Noted. Olivia followed everyone outside and took in the sights again before turning to the girl. "So, where are we off to?"

Rena merely blinked once she realized she is the one being asked the question and after a some muttering a few words under her breath and nodding her head as if understanding instructions, she bounced to her feet with all the zeal credited to the hyper Chrono.

"Big brother says he wants you all to look like 'appealing human beings'," as soon as Rena finished she appeared to nod to herself yet again before continuing. "Big brother says he may be asking a little much, so just look appealing." As the Chrono spoke she danced towards the Asylum, Olivia. Rena's mismatched eyes, sparkling sapphires and emeralds, staring at the Asylum, scrutinizing her appearance. "You would look adorable in pink!" The girl suddenly clasped her hands as if already deciding on what to make the woman wear.

Olivia nodded affirmatively. "Damn right I would, but pink is difficult to pull off without looking like some life-sized Barbie doll." Olivia grimaced at the thought. "It's going to be nice to have someone with an opinion helping me find some good clothes. Unlike some people." Olivia shot a playful glare at Lawrence. "Look at him! Everywhere he goes, nothing but camo."

Lawrence noticed Olivia's glare and raised his eyebrow at her before shrugging and making a show of pulling out a Rubik's cube to fiddle with, which drew a minor cringe from Olivia. She turned to Rena. "Let's get going. After all, we have somewhere to be, right?" Olivia seemed to be in a hurry to leave Lawrence behind.

Cade stared after Samad, his questions left unanswered or even noticed it seemed.

"I'm sure you could make anything look good." Maeve purred, winking at Olivia. Kiara merely rolled her eyes, sighing.

"I...uh..." For a moment, Olivia was caught off guard, her face turning red. However, the embarrassment gave way to giggles. Lawrence approached Maeve, looking between her and Oliva. "I think you broke her."

"Does anyone know a good shopping mall?" Rena twirled so that her eyes could scan all the remaining individuals until resting on Maeve. A mischievous smile slowly appeared to spread across her face, a smug sort of smile. "Oooh Maeve, remember our deal? I made big brother sit in the bus and now you will wear a nice flowery frock!"

Maeve smiled, eyes roving over Olivia's body. "I'm sure I c-" She suddenly winced, hearing Rena speak, and sighed ruefully. She knew she shouldn't have made that deal. Kiara smirked at her then, made her way over to Cade. Nudging him. "Come on, we've got clothes to buy. Tell me about your partnership along the way."

Feeling the nudge, Cade's spell broke and his head snapped into Kiara's direction. Blinking he then nodded, "Ah, sure. What do you want to know exactly?"

Luciana, having been engrossed with her phone, furiously typing away, suddenly broke her silence with a sudden muffled laugh. While she hadn't worked with Maeve before, she had seen the woman around Innocence and knew well enough that flowery anything was not in her wheelhouse. Currently she herself was in nothing complicated, sleeveless tank top and sweatpants but ironically, did know where they could find some stand-out clothes. The high-end clothes might even get Rena to overlook the lack of flowery frocks.

"There's actually a really good mall about 4, 5 blocks from here. We can get some great clothes there," she said with a quick glance at Maeve.

Maeve raised an eyebrow at Luciana. "You'd better watch yourself, gorgeous. I might just recruit you in helping me try on those 'flowery frocks'. They allow more than one to a changing room after all." Her eyes quickly looked Luciana up and down, before she smiled impishly and walked on.

Luciana puffed up, like an animal being challenged. "You can try," she shot back, fire in her gaze and a curl to her lips to match Maeve's.

Kiara's groan of dismay was audible for all to hear.

The Chrono merely nodded her approval to Luciana though something seemed quite different, this was not the jovial child who was gleefully concocting fashion advice for the rest. What stood in front of the Asylums was a stoic remnant of the latter. Her hetro-symmetrical eyes bore no expression, just two empty jewels staring everywhere and staring nowhere. Her face too was but an expressionless mask and her body language was a kin to a mannequin, unmoving and unnerving. For those who knew anything about Ante Mortem and their oddities, this was one of them. The Chrono who had two distinct and polar opposite identities. This was Rin.

"You may proceed to our destination," the Chrono spoke in words that could chill you to the bone. There was no tone in her voice, the entire deadpan sentence was said in a monotone and spoken as if royalty.

Maeve looked back at the Chrono. "Hello there Rin. Nice to see you. Would you happen to know if Rena is going to come back in time for the shopping spree?

Rin acknowledged Maeve by a mere tilt of her head, "possibly, she is shrewed when it comes to collecting a debt." The Chrono spoke regally after which the Banshee appeared to cease existing for her and the child walked out of the Pallidino manner, though it would be more apt to call it a graceful glide, as if a spirit drifting out.

Well that's creepy as hell. thought Luciana as she followed the crazy Chrono, her thumbs tapping away at another text. She may walk with an air of royalty but it'd be hard to keep that up without knowing where to go. "C'mon, this way," she said as she made a right, "What exactly should we be looking to get for tonight?"

"I'm not sure, I've never actually been there or knew about it. If I knew what type of atmosphere it was then I would be able guess what type of attire we would need," Cade said as he moved his medical bag to a more comfortable position and continued to walk with the rest.



A short time later, after nearly getting lost among the wounding streets and canals, they arrived at the mall Luciana had shown.

Luciana had stayed within eyeshot of Rena or Rin or whatever name she decided she wanted. The young Chrono made her uncomfortable. She felt like the only one who considered the powerful girl's instability as a cause for concern but at least the bubbly one was super cute. If anything was gonna happen, she'd be the first one to jump into cover. During the walk over, she had made sure to keep the group together, a bit like a Shepard dog as she herded some of the more wander-y folks like Cade. At the very least, he responded to her. She could see that there were other unpaired agents among them, but maybe it was a victim complex that made Luciana feel excluded. She shrugged it off with a flare of petty anger. She texted vigorously and sent it off.

Rin made sure she was at least an arm's length away from the others, she did hate to be in the presence of filth and there was just so much of it in the world. The Chrono mechanically gazed up at the mall, it wasn't as much a mall as a large and somewhat sophisticated clothing store. Hopefully, the Chrono thought, that she should be able to make these lumbering fools look presentable. A good gown and a nice suit can make even the most unruly of fools look appealing and that was the objective. But that wasn't her greatest concern, it wouldn't have mattered to Rin if the Asylums showed up naked to Ourosboros, the real issue was that they had been followed.

"What are you doing?" The Chrono spoke, almost muttering to herself as she tilted her head to the side as if addressing someone next to her.

"Dressing them is my job, you go to sleep!" The Chrono replied in a far more cheerful tone while tiling her head to the other side.

"Don't be impuden-"

"My turn," and with that Rena became the dominating personality, her expression which had been drastically changing back and forth were now consistent, a smile and a look of excitement on her face as the child skipped inside the mall, making sure she stays close to the others.

"Sorry. Keeping her busy is a handful." Kiara smiled apologetically at Cade, glancing distastefully at all the clothes around them. "I hate formal wear." She muttered briefly to herself, turning her attention back to Cade. "To answer your question from earlier, why don't we start with how long you've been bonded? You certainly don't act like it's been very long."

"About less than six months and I was the only one compatible for him since his last partner died. I feel like he resents me, but Samad is difficult to read. Do other Asylums have that trouble?" Cade's eyes glanced over to Kiara's direction.

Maeve, kept silent only by Kiara's glares and watchfulness the walk over to the mall, sidled over to where Luciana was as Kiara began to talk with Cade. "Was that a request earlier, or a challenge? I'm fine with both. Pretty girls with fire in their eyes have always been a weak point for me."

Luciana had been one of the first in and seemed to know the lay of the land. Still unsure of what attire they were supposed to be getting into, she thought it safest to try to find an outfit that could be versatile. Nothing too flashy, nothing with cheap material and simple enough where accessories could accentuate the piece and bring it up to whatever level it needed to be. When Maeve walked up to her, she had a small number of dresses picked out and in hand. Luciana eyed her with suspicion on approach, a cold gaze that contrasted with the liveliness in her earlier outburst. At the compliment, her eyes narrowed and it was almost visible the moment she bit her tongue on a venomous reply.

"Would your partner appreciate that question?" Luciana asked teasingly, maybe mockingly, with a glance around Maeve's shoulder at her partner conversing with Cade. She knew the woman was strong but with her jacket (assuming clothing similar to Maeve's appearance section) and jeans, it was difficult to see how fit she was. In contrast, Luciana's physical ability was obvious with well-defined muscles along her exposed arms and while Maeve was a couple inches taller than her, she seemed to puff up to meet her. While the words and body indicated a thorny pride, the eyes, the windows they always are, betrayed an unsure curiosity. She was not going to be baited into making a fool of herself as had happened too many times before.

Olivia had stayed quiet during the journey to the store. The change in personalities from Rena to Rin had perturbed her. She and Lawrence had stayed near the back of the group. It wasn't until they reached the store that she noticed Lawrence was muttering under his breath. She looked over to him. His eyes were half closed and he had his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. "Wh-" She was cut off as Lawrence spoke through the telepathic link.

Quiet! The others may or may not have noticed, but we are being followed. Have been for a while. Lawrence looked Olivia in the eye. This is mission, remember, and it seems we have someone trying to hunt us.

A tingle ran up Olivia's spine and the corners of her lips tugged into a smile. But we're the hunters. She said back to him. Ok. Let's make them think they were unnoticed. That'll give me time to set a trap.

Lawrence nodded Think of this as a learning experience. Never let your guard down on a mission. With that, Olivia and Lawrence walked into the store. Olivia walked up to Rena and spoke up in a cheerful voice.

"So, I believe you were going to help me find something to wear." Olivia pulled out a stack of post-it notes and a pen.

Rena clasped her hands together in excitement, almost as if just remember she was supposed to help dress up Olivia as well as Maeve. "Yes, hurry hurry!" The Chrono chirped while grabbing Lawrence and Olivia by their hands and tugging them away towards the clothing section.

By the looks of the place it was certainly quite elite, all the clothing were upto fashion and the material was exquisite. It didn't take long for Rena's gaze to fixate on crimson silk gown. (i.pinimg.com/736x/76/94/c6/7694c6a398… )

"What about that one?" She pointed while trotting towards a mannequin display that showed off the gown. "Maeve would like that on you," the little one jeered, almost snickering as she trotted off once more to find a suitable suit for Lawrence.

Maeve smirked. She was enjoying having a beautiful, fiery woman to flirt with. Even if the flirtations were being received with alternating fire and ice. "She wouldn't, but you wouldn't be able to tell her. If you tried, I'd just kiss you silent." She tilted her head, as if in thought. "Admittedly, that would probably only make the fire I saw earlier spark into a blazing inferno, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think you look gorgeous when you've got that look in your eyes." She winked, then glanced down at the dresses in Luciana's arms, pursing her lips.

"Those two would look best." She pointed at a white dress and a warm gold dress. "Depending on if you want to make your mesmerizing eyes darker or sparkle."

Luciana began to thaw at the barrage of compliments. Even if they were not genuine, it was the words themselves that made Luciana feel good. The affirmation of what she already knew, the acknowledgement that she was right in her self-image. It was certainly petty but as an Unlinked you take what you can get, even if it was laid on strong. Though the eyes thing was something she had only heard once upon a time. It made her break out into a soft smile.

"You've got a good eye. Now let's hope that cr-, err...young one is picks something flattering for you. If not, I'm sure we can ruin the dress on the sly," she said in hushed tone, looking around to make sure the Chrono wasn't nearby.

Kiara shrugged, not surprised. Asylums who had been together for less than a year never got along well. Add in the fact that Samad was most likely hard to get along with at the best of times, they were an experiment, and one of them had just lost his partner, she was almost surprised that one of them hadn't died yet.

"It seems like most who have spent your time together do, and some who have been together even longer. Maeve and I personally have never had that problem. When we bonded we shared everything. Nothing was held back. I know every thought, feeling, memory she's ever had, and vice versa. It's hard to hate someone when you understand them as they understand themselves." She suddenly frowned, eyes glancing to the side for a few moments. "Something I don't understand though, is why you put up with Samad so much." She moved, glancing at the clothes, and then turned to face Cade once more. "I understand that he's lost a partner, and that is the worst imaginable thing an Asylum can go through, but being an, as Maeve puts it, 'complete asshole' doesn't help." She crossed her arms.

"I'm use to healing wounds, but mental ones have always been difficult. Every medical professional knows this. I don't really see how telling him off can fix things. If Samad had a choice, he wouldn't bring me on missions," Cade admitted openly. His tone was calm and defeated slightly. It was hard to understand the man when he refused to share his pain with the world and even worse when their connection was more broken then their partnership.

He sighed, "I can't bring myself to blame him because it's not quite the same for us as it is for you. I've been able to share a single coherent thought with Samad, even when it was accepted."

A shadow arrow, hidden from view by Cade's body, pointed down on Kiara's forehead. Across her arms in white lettering were the words We're being followed. Be prepared for an attack. When she was sure that Cade had seen the message, the words and arrow disappeared like dust in the wind. She sent the same message to Maeve. The only sign her partner heard was a subtle shift in her stance, ready to go from flirting to fighting in a moment.

It had been over half an hour since the Asylums entered the local shop, later the jovial half of Reri would look back and laugh at how quickly it all turned to panic and chaos. It wouldn't be callousness for Rena is incapable of such a thing, but mirth in the unpredictability of life. In the end did that not make everything much more interesting?

In a matter of minutes after the initial half an hour, several individuals appeared to enter the mall. Their appearance was deliberately random, no one came in together or in bulk so as to avoid suspicion. In the first minute, two entered who positioned themselves near the windows. In the next three minutes another two entered who stood near the entrance. Finally in the last minute around three more entered, each slowly covering all sides off the mall.

All of this occurred while Rena still appeared to be making her decision on which clothing would suit Olivia the best. She had already decided on what Maeve will wear, a short pink gown with a red bow for a belt and a fashionable Victorian stylized bonnet.

Before Rena could however settle on the matter, one of the intruders had apparently wandered in their location. Unlike the other destinations, the area where Asylum and the Chrono were present was relatively secluded with only three of them present.

"Both of you stand where you are, move and you die!" The man roared and at the same moment the others present had revealed themselves, sending the entire shop into an upheaval of screams which died down fairly quickly after the bystanders began hearing gun shots. It was clear hostages have been taken.

In that brief moment Reri's personalities switched to Rin, the cold and calculative Chrono instantly opened a telepathic channel to all Asylums present. "This is a code 21-C. Public confrontation is to be avoided. Disengage open hostility and avoid aggravation of enemy alchemists. Alchemy is not to be exposed, witnesses are to be eliminated upon failure of primary precaution." Even telepathically Rin's coldness and apathetic nature flowed. It was clear the Chrono would not hesitate to dispatch every witness present upon the failure of the 'primary precaution'.

"Suggested course of action: Primary task, the passive handling of witnesses. Non-lethal. Secondary task: Subterfuge and disarming of hostiles. Use of alchemy, restricted, only covert use. Use of weaponry, denied till the pacification of bystanders. Permission granted for lethal hand to hand combat. Begin." It took the Chrono a flat second to send the entire communication and by the time the relatively large man placed a hand on her shoulders, her personality had reverted to Rena.

"Where is my mommy, please don't hurt me mister!" The Chrono whimpered as she turned to face the intimidating assassin or whatever this fellow was. The pure innocent expression and fear-filled eyes were enough to have the man let his guard down just enough to scratch his head and wonder what should be done. Clearly shooting a harmless child was not the task he was given.

In that brief moment of hesitation and self-doubt, Rena switched over to Rin. The alchemist only had enough time to widen his eyes at the child's sudden change of expression. From the teary eyed harmless infant the girl had become a callous and soulless doll bringing death in the form of a jab to the neck. It all appeared to happen in one fluid motion, Rin pivoted forward with her arm thrusting forward, her fingers striking the man's throat and destroying his wind-pipe. The rest was just gargles and a man crumpling to the floor.

"Ha-ha fooled you!" The Chrono tilted her head to the right and spoke in the voice of Rena. Her tone ecstatic at winning their game and being such a good actor.

"A mere insect," Rin replied after tilting her own head to the left, as if whispering in the ear of her second-half. "Your antics were hardly needed." She continued coldly, her eyes staring at the corpse and though her expression remained calm her eyes showed revulsion, as if staring at a dead worm.

"But did you see his expression when you stabbed his throat!" Rena spoke, while tilting her head the other way. "Lets do that again, you try this time Olivia!"

"Sure..." Olivia was usettled by the conversation her fellow Asylum had with herself. Now wasn't the time to be at unease, though, and with a shake of her head, Olivia got herself into the mindset of a hunter. A smile crossed her lips and she beckoned to Rena to follow. Ever since she had entered the store, Olivia had been using her sticky notes to stick dormant sigils out of sight. All over the store, sigils laid hidden. One on the inside of a dress she looked at, one under the hat of a mannequin.

Her traps had been set, now all she needed was to find some prey.

After some searching she found one. The man was standing over two hostages with his gun leveled at them and was throwing glances in their general direction. They hadn't been noticed yet, so Olivia assumed he was waiting on the guy Rin killed. As she looked at the man, a plan formed in her mind. First, she'd need to get him away from the hostages, and what better way than have him chase after a weaker looking hostage who wasn't staying still.

While she watched the man, Olivia moved her hand towards her hairline and made several small cuts on her forehead above her left eye with her nails. As blood started running down her face and into her eye, she roughed her hair up. Once she felt ready, she flashed Rena a smile and gave a small terrified sounding scream and ran out from cover.

The man jerked his head in Olivia's direction, but before he could swing his gun around, she was already out of sight. He cursed and turned towards the two on the ground. "Stay put!' he shouted at them and when he got terrified nods from them, he went hurrying after the injured girl.

He caught sight of her turning down an aisle and chased after her, but when he rounded the corner, she was nowhere to be found. Even the blood trail had stopped. He walked down the aisle slowly, gripping his gun tightly. After he took his next step, something went wrong. He lost feeling in his entire body halfway through his step. There was a cracking sound that followed. Just as quickly as the loss of feeling came, it disappeared, and pain shot through his ankle.

As the man looked down at the ankle he broke in disbelief, Olivia struck. She planted a foot in the back of the man's knee of his now mangled foot and pushed off, using it to both raise herself higher and knock the man to his knees. In the same movement, she wrapped an arm around the man's chin, pulled up and twisted.

A series of pops and cracks could be heard and the man twitched. His hands, which were trying to dislodge the arm, fell to his sides limply. Olivia let go, and the man fell to the floor, seemingly lifeless.

_________________________________________________________________________



Kiara, having drug Cade into a nearby bathroom the second gunshots went off, pushing him to the side of the door. "If anyone comes through, deal with them." Her eyes got a faraway look as shadows darted off of her. They slithered on the ground and up the walls, almost unnoticeable, giving her an idea of the situation. She telepathically broadcasted it to all the Asylums. At least, those that would let her talk to them mentally.

"Two covering the entrance. Two covering the windows. Two wandering through the store. Reri and Olivia have eliminated one. Maeve, Luciana, you've got one going to check the dressing rooms. Maeve, I'm sending you pictures of them so you can deal with him accordingly." She stopped broadcasting, looking over at Cade. "The second is approaching the bathrooms. We'll have to deal with him."

Cade felt his back lightly smack the tile when Kiara pushed him to the side of the door. The action had taken him aback and surprised the younger asylum, his eyes widened in reaction. As she explained, he nodded his understanding and wordlessly reaching into his bag. He inserted a sebon between each finger then hugged the side of the doorway in a ready position.

Unlike Samad, who thrived on physical strength, Cade lacked such talent and he knew it. So he had to be more creative in his approach to things. Each tip was dowsed in a non-lethal sedative that when it pentrated the skin would slow and eventually comatose the subject for several hours.

His breath held in his throat. Seconds ticked by dangerously slow as the man's hand pushed the door open and his gun muzzle tip peered into the restroom. First one he spotted was Kiara. His mouth opened, ready to order her out, until suddenly the door smashed into his face. Without giving the man much of a chance to recover, Cade inserted a needle into the exposed throat side and sent a sharp surge of electrical energy into the nerves.

The man jerked and twitched then crumbled immediately into an unconscious heap. Meanwhile, Cade felt a dizziness swirl into his attention. His arm snapped and extended toward the wall for support.

"That was a bad idea..." Cade replied then continued.

"We need to either knock out the hostages or evacuate them. The first task might be easier if I find a janitor closet. I honestly don't think we can get everyone out without someone getting hurt. Where's the nearest closet, Kiara?"

"Don't over extend yourself. You're little better an Unlinked as is." Kiara chided gently, looking at the man on the ground. She pulled his collar down, rolling her eyes. "Omerta. Great. We've got these stupid mercenaries to deal with." Her eyes got the faraway look again, and she nodded. "Leave the bathroom, take a left, your second right, and it'll be the first door on your left. It'll be unlocked."

Cade frowned. He had heard of Unlink and ARMO's policy over them, neither were considered very pleasant. Many Asylums viewed them as something to be treated with caution and never fully trusted, though Cade couldn't understand why. Ignoring his ignorance, the blond Asylum adjusted his glasses again while he listened to Kiara's directions. He chose to overlook her statement since he knew she was trying to be nicer than Samad would've been and right nevertheless.

"Alright. Can you keep their attention on you? I need to slip out quickly and quietly before they come to investigate the source."

Kiara nodded, more shadows spreading from her. They watched as Cade made his way through the mall, distracting the hostage takers as they came close to discovering Cade during his trip.

When Kiara did her thing, he carefully slipped out and into the small path leading to the closet. Nearly getting lost about twice, he managed to enter the room and shut the door behind him. Searching through the chemicals, Cade recalled his lessons from AMRO then began to formulate a air born gas.

In moments... There was a loud hissing sound before Cade busted open the door and coughing, a rag pressed to his nose and mouth.

[i][color=7CCD7C] 'Everyone better hold your breath! There's gas in the air.'[/i][/color] Cade's telepathy shouted to each of his team, though he wasn't sure they were all listening.
_________________________________________________________________________



Maeve, having gloomily moved over to the changing rooms with her new dress and Luciana, suddenly perked up and grinned. This was much more exciting than getting dresses and flirting with women. Her excited, slightly bloodthirsty, eyes glanced at Luciana. "You're going to be upset with me beautiful." She suddenly lunged forward, dragging them both into the changing room and closing the door.

Luciana went from relaxed, if a bit reserved, to alarmed in no time flat. Gunshots and screaming rang out within the mall, and not soon after Maeve lunged at her and took them both into a dressing room. As Maeve went for a kiss to complete the act (despite already being in the dressing room), Luciana reacted with a mix of reflex and shock by head-butting Maeve in the forehead, successfully dazing herself. "Wha-, what?" she started as she started to regain her bearings and dropping to a whisper, "Not the time! The hell! I'm..I'm... uh, forget it."

Luciana briefly whipped out her phone and typed a message and sent it off. Within the claustrophobic changing room it wouldn't be hard to look at her screen. -Gunshots @ mall, radio now- She took a look around to see what they had to work with besides dressed and their fists and succeeded in finding nothing but an a grate overhead, possibly an air duct?

Maeve, her head snapping back as she was head-butted, winked and grinned at Luciana. "Had to try. Been thinking of kissing you since we first met." She was met with an incredulous look and the beginnings of a stink eye. She turned to the door, contacting Kiara. "Alright, tell me what the situation is."

Maeve looked over at Luciana, eyebrow raising for a moment. "Who're you texting, sweetheart? We can handle this ourselves. But first we'll have to disguise ourselves." She held out a hand to the other Asylum. “Take my hand so you can see what form to shift into so we can fool him then beat the shit out of him. I'm going to need enough access to your mind to share images. It won't hurt." She smiled at Luciana. "I promise."

"I don't think a disguise is gonna help if they're gonna attack anyone," she said as she firmly grasped Maeve's hand and receive an image of one of their assailants. "Huh, never mind, that'll probably work for a moment..." Noticing the smugness radiating off of Maeve like heat on a desert road, Luciana continued, "...before they notice there's no gun."

Maeve's grin broadened. "Well, we'll just have to get a gun then won't we?" She winked, before looking speculatively at Luciana. "You know, for the sake of fooling them to get the advantage, we should probably look like we were messing around in here. You know, again purely for the sake of getting an advantage, bras off, tossed clothing, smeared lipsst-." She started, hands behind her back all-too-innocently, looking expectantly at the other Asylum before she was rudely interrupted with a raised finger against her lips, squelching the words before they could leave her mouth. Luciana was frowning, and whispered softly, "Footsteps."

Maeve smiled, cracking her neck. "Showtime." She waved a hand over her face and body, muttering "Folaigh mo chuid." Her body rippled and changed, replacing her original form with one of the men holding the store hostage. She grinned then stepped out of the changing room while Luciana got out of view of the doorway.

Rounding on the other man, she lifted her hands dramatically. "What the hell are you doing here? This is my sector."

The man looked confused, walking closer with his gun lowered. "No, we went over th-" Maeve leaned forward and yanked the barrel of the gun towards her(and thus the open changing room behind her, tripping the man and using his momentum to throw him into the room with Luciana. "Kill him, quickly." She checked the gun, tsking. "Cheap."

As the man fell into the changing room, Luciana was on him like a snake. Getting onto his back to keep him pinned to the ground, her arms slithered to the front with one hand covering the mouth and the other arm constricting around his neck, pulling upward to have gravity help with the process. There was a struggle from the man as her arm tightened its grip but in time, his eyes rolled back in his head and his body went slack. Luciana was quick to act, taking one of the dresses in hand and beginning to make a flowing sewing motion with the other. The dress unraveled into threads and started to reform into a rope. It wasn't exactly lead to gold but the principle was similar. Using all but one dress to increase the amount of rope, she performed several fluid, dance-like movements as the rope animated and hogtied the man. With more sewing motions, the last dress unraveled into ribbons which were then stuffed into the man's mouth to keep him silent.

With her work done she looked over at Maeve, "He'll be more useful alive. Bodies don't narc."

Maeve shrugged. "Already got one. I suppose we could kill one and make the other talk." She strode over to the hogtied man and pulled down his collar, curling her lip. "Omerta. Gods damned mercenaries." She stood, hefting her gun. "Come on gorgeous. Put on your disguise so we can kill the rest of them with our alchemy before they realize we're not their friends."



By the time Olivia had coyly crumpled the alchemist in front of her, a strange gas began to slowly spread across the mall and any bystander that could take a whiff of it instantly succumbed to a spell of drowsiness. The Chrono was aware that now the situation had changed, the witnesses had been dealt with and now it was a no holds bar.

Rena gave the Asylum in front of her a pat on the back with an approving smile. "That was so awesome!" A.M.R.O's little princess praised Olivia, even giving her a pat, though she had to pull the woman down to do so. "Now I need to go and beat up some baddies, big brother will get worried if I take too long." With that she cheerfully skipped away towards the direction of the upheaval. It was clear some of the gunmen had started using alchemy as well.

Once the gunshots had started and hostages were taken, Lawrence took cover behind a pillar. He had eyes on the men covering the doors and windows. While weapon use was denied until the hostages were taken care of, that didn't stop Lawrence from assembling his rifle.

He took the hollow tubes out of his backpack and laid them out on the floor in front of him. He chose a few select tubes and put the rest back into the backpack. He ran his hand across the tubes and the metal reacted to his touch, morphing into parts. By the time he had the gun assembled, Cade's warning came about.

After affixing a piece of fabric torn from one of the nearby suits to his face, Lawrence watched the hostages. Once he was certain they were out, he took aim and started muttering under his breath. The air around him shimmered as a bubble formed to prevent sound from escaping his location. The air around the doors and windows shimmered as well, to prevent noise from reaching the street. As soon as that happened, the heads of the hostage takers snapped in his direction.

He didn't shoot. Not yet. He watched for the first one to notice him. None of them had yet, but they were scanning the general area where the alchemy came from.

Then he was noticed.

One of the men brought his gun up to bear on Lawrence and turned his head to shout to the others, but all that escaped the man's lips was a wet cough as a bullet punched through his chest. As the man dropped, Lawrence took cover again as the other men started shooting in his general direction.

Whereas Maeve was a bit more a direct, in-your-face kind of gal, marching toward the rest of the mercenaries with gun in hand, Luciana held back. She followed and let Maeve take the vanguard. As gas swept through the area, the two of them held their breath. The sounds of panic and whimpering from hostages died down immediately as they fell into a slumber. There was an eerie moment as Maeve and Luciana's footsteps went unaccompanied. It seemed as if the store itself held its breath until a gunshot rang out, followed by a storm of gunfire.

Maeve broke out into a sprint toward the noise, and was first to come upon the scene. With Lawrence pinned down by gunfire, one of the three remaining mercenaries began performing a pulling motion, attempting to drag away Lawrence's cover. "What's all this?!", Maeve shouted in the fallen merc's voice. One of the mercs, reloading, looked over at her with glowing eyes and started to respond before alarm spread on his face. He had pierced the veil and Maeve was quick to turn and shoot wildly at the man, causing him to fall into cover. "Hank's not Hank!", he tried shouting over the din. Drowned out by gunfire, it was hard to tell who could have heard the warning. With a sonorous chant, Maeve dashed forward with unnatural speed to find the man fumbling with his gun in a panic. She was right in saying the tools were cheap. It was jammed. With a gleeful grin that wouldn't be amiss on a street Alchemist, she proceeded to dive onto the man, pummeling him to a bloody pulp (kill him or leave him alive or change this up entirely if you'd like. Didn't really wanna put any Alchemy in your character's mouth that's too flashy)

Luciana played a more subtle game. Avoiding taking the same disguise as Maeve and opting instead to just keep her own form. She followed in the Asylum's shadow, staying hidden among racks of clothing. Reaching into her handbag, she grabbed a small case and took the time to gently jab herself in the eyes as she inserted a pair of what seemed like contacts. Blinking away the discomfort, she started to move her arms stiffly. Like a puppet on strings, her movements were jerky as she sat down in her hiding place amongst the clothes and mannequins. Translucent strings started to emerge from her hands and fingers, snaking out from her flesh and dancing in the air like grass in the breeze. Some strands entered her hand bag and attached themselves to some small metal baubles within. These trinkets started to float out from her bag, up into the air and out toward the carnage ahead. Other strings went ahead and attached themselves to a nearby mannequin which slowly and twitchily took its first step as material from nearby was pulled in.

As Maeve was finishing up with her poor victim, little bits of metal seemed to float lazily toward the ceiling like cottonballs in the summer. "Two enemies left, gunman to Maeve's 7 and Lawrence's 11, I've got the alchemist." sounded Luciana's voice in each of her allies' minds. As the gunfire stopped for a moment as the gunman reloaded, a strange clicking sound at a running pace could be heard. Looking over at the alchemist that had previously been attempting to tear away at Lawrence's cover, one would see the man being ran down by a mannequin covered in gruesome spikes made of tile, stone, and metal. He tried to fight and may have won if he had not made the assumption that his assailant was a fellow alchemist. After successfully tearing off the being's arm and leg and being suprised by mannequin's continued movement, pulled along by strings that slowly faded into view the closer it got, the mannequin was upon him, tearing and gouging and pummeling the man until the threat was no more.

"You were having fun without me!" Rena pouted as she stared at the Asylums engaging the remaining assassins, or whatever they were. Their motives hadn't quite been made clear, though finding motives was grunt work.

"They are at least moderetly efficient in their task," Rin replied with her head tilting side ways, the Chrono's expressions turning to steel, stoic and cold.

"Damn you bastards, this is not what we were paid for!" The last remnant of these would-be goons roared as he valiantly charged towards the Chrono, thinking she would be easy picking.

"Avert your eyes, filth," Rin replied without even bothering to stare at the insect crawling his way towards her, acknowledging an insect would only demean you yourself. She merely brushed her palm aside, deflecting an orb of fire while simultaneously crushing the man where he stood. The gravity around the insect densening to such a degree that even after being pinned on the ground he continued to be crushed until the frame of his skeleton succumbed to the pressure, flattening in a pool of blood and splintered bones.

"Pick your choice of clothing and leave," Rin commanded in her usual callous demeanor while walking out of the mall. Though before leaving she did sternly hand Maeve a bag and a look that silently said, 'you will wear what is in this'.

As she stopped outside the Chrono could clearly see a well defined perimeter being set up, barricading the mall. The fire department had been positioned, along with various police men. Though to a trained eye this was all a farce, the real power were certain individuals present at key locations, each wearing a simple civilian outfit. These men were 'Keepers', the humans employed by A.M.R.O and the one's responsible for cleaning up the mess left behind by Asylums.

One of the apparent civilians briefly gazed at the approaching chrono and merely nodded, his fist touching chest in a form of a salute.

"All media is blocked, a cover up story is already in place and damage control will begin swiftly," the civilian gave his report after which he merely faded into the remaining clutter of firefighters and policemen.

"Time to head to Ourosboros, the den of filth"

Location: Ouroboros within Venice (Club)

Cade was not expecting what greeted him within Ouroboros. When he stepped through the portal, his skin rose from the alchemy and immediately heat flowed over him. In moments his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room now highlighted with neon purple, blue and pink colors scattered through the crowd of people. Individuals bounced to the DJ’s electrical beat while it seemed to pulse through the atmosphere. The beat rapid and erotic, it was hard to focus through the haze in the air. Casually, Cade lifted his hand over his eyes to shield them from the intense light.

The scene exploded around him and the others. So many people flocked together within the room that a sense of impossibly washed over the younger Asylum and his teeth clenched together to fight it off. A nervousness and longing crept into his middle causing butterflies to flutter in his stomach. Almost immediately his attention turned to his attire.

It was a simple combination of navy blue cotton shirt with long, folded v shaped sleeves and black slacks. The collar was propped up and each button was in place. It was enough to give him an almost unnatural crisp appearance to his outfit. Fighting the urge to adjust his buttons for the tenth time, Cade inhaled then panned the scenery. From the corner of his vision he couldn’t help but note Samad in a bit more form wear compared to himself: A cotton dress shirt under a swallow tail and sleeveless vest, his slacks tailored to fit his form well. His hand still held cane to support his ‘limp’ despite there being nothing wrong with his leg.

The sooner they find Anaya, the better. With that thought in his mind, he panned deeper into the crowd before he noticed Angel and his partner walk toward a table.

“She’s not likely to be here on the first level,” Samad spoke, his voice near enough to make Cade jerk and nearly drop his medical bag. Most places would’ve had him check at the door but considering they went through a portal, he was slightly surprised they weren’t confiscated. The Iranian’s tone indicated he was still bitter at what happened earlier.

Cade mentally sigh again.

“I wanted to be sure. I was honestly hoping this could be an easy in and out mission,” Disappointment in his voice, Cade relaxed and his bag stayed at his side.

“It would be if I didn’t have to play babysitter to you,” Samad retorted.

It was obvious hint that he expected Cade to be as useful in this place as any other, nothing changing even after the whole shop affair. In fact, Cade suspected the only reason the man allowed him to tag along this time had to do with the fact he was connected to the target.

Ouroboros. The asylum for alchemists. Olivia grimaced as she thought back to being corrected. She'd been there before, of course she knew what the place was. Pushing the annoyance aside, she admired the dress that she decided to go with. Even though Rena had been teasing her when she pointed the dress out, it had its charm. It didn't matter whether or not Maeve liked it, Olivia liked it, and that was that.

Olivia looked over to Lawrence. It was always interesting to see the man in clothing that wasn't a type of camouflage. He wore a maroon button up shirt with a pair of black dress pants. It was simple, but it worked. Lawrence noticed her gaze and gave a small nod. Olivia nodded back and stood up a bit straighter.

Time to look professional. SenDep was at Ouroboros.

They made their way towards one of the booths in the lounge and took a seat. When someone came to ask what they wanted to drink, it went the same way it normally did; Lawrence ordering Crown on the rocks and Olivia ordering something creamy. As they waited for their drinks, Olivia noticed Cade and Samad. She looked over at Lawrence.

So what's their problem? They don't seem to get along that much.

Lawrence looked at Olivia then over at the Experimental Team.

Well, I'd assume you'd have a bit of a problem with your new partner not long after your old one died. He looked back at Olivia, whose eyes widened in shock.

But don't most link-

Yes, most linked teams do die together. It's not often that one survives. It was one of the reasons why I... Lawrence trailed off, then looked back at Samad I would imagine Samad hasn't quite gotten over it, and with Cade nearly dying a few weeks-

"He what?" From the sound of it, Lawrence was pretty sure that Olivia had said that out loud as well as through their link. And from the looks of the people nearby, she must have said it quite loud.

As amusing as that was, you might want to keep a bit more quiet. Unless you want us to draw undue attention?

Olivia flushed red. No, I don't want that. So should we gather information like we usually do? Lawrence waved her off.

Not yet. Let's see if any of the others have a plan.

Their drinks arrived. Olivia picked up hers and stood up. Well, I'm going to make sure those two don't tear each other apart.

Lawrence stood up as well. Oh, that's not going to happen. Not here, at least He followed her towards Samad and Cade.

"So what's the plan, boys?" Olivia asked with a smile as she arrived. She took a sip of her drink. Oooh, she had to get the name of this one.

The aftermath of the mall was a blur. After the last man fell, Luciana was quick to recollect herself. The swarm of metallic shards that had radiated out into the mall swiftly converged on her and into her bag while the mannequin collapsed into a mess of perforated plastic and metal. She scrambled back toward the dressing rooms as she received the order to collect what she wanted and head out. Stepping over the unconscious civilians, she was surprised that none she could see had been killed. It was obvious that these assailants had come for them but she had never known Alchemists to be concerned with minimizing casualties when trying to get their way. Everything about the situation pulled at some string of unease within her but she was unable to articulate exactly what was wrong with the picture. She looked at the man left in the dressing room. His neck was already beginning to bruise where she had held him. He looked at her with anger and a sense of acceptance. She wouldn't be here if things hadn't turned out in A.M.R.O's favor. She picked up a bag from near the room and left.

As she passed by one of the Keeper's, she passed on the living Alchemist's location.

---

While she had heard stories of the extravagance of Ouroboros, Luciana had never been there personally. Or knew someone who had. It was all through the grapevine and all the rumors paled in comparison to the truth. Reality did have a tendency to trump fiction. Handing off her coin, and gaining entrance was exhilarating. It made her feel like royalty, or like a member of some secret organization. Her heart beat in her chest to the thump of the bass as lights and bodies danced in front of her. It smelled sweet. Of sweat, smoke and intrigue. This place was filled with secrets but in this moment, all she wanted to do was dance. As she went forward with the group, her hips and arms swayed unconsciously to the rhythm. Her plain facade of a face broke into a smile as she swayed.

"Gin, tonic, lime," she said into a nearby attendant's ear as she ran a hand through his hair. He smelled like vanilla and his hair was so soft. Every facet of this place announced the attention to each and every little detail. As he went, she ran her fingers down her dress. It was soft to the touch and clung to her. It's clear, white color cut through the dark colors around her like a beacon. She looked around at the others to find that they were already beginning to convene to try and discuss how to go about their business. She scowled for a moment before making her way to the dance floor. If they were to find anything in this place it wouldn't be done standing in a huddle and talking about it. Not only that but they stuck out, or at least this was how she justified herself joining in on the fun as she merged with the crowd and began to dance.

"I don't think we'll get much done talking as opposed to looking," she messaged to Maeve as she danced, "Aside from the dancefloor, what other ground should be covered?"

Location: Ouroboros within Venice (Club)

Cade had considered coming up with a quip, but knew Samad would’ve been steps ahead. He was also mentally exhausted between the prior experience and finding Anaya, so he didn’t want to waste more energy on a pointless bickering. Trying to calm his mind, Cade cleared whatever frustrating he was feeling as he left the statement commented upon. It was better this way.

Reminded of his original task, the younger Asylum’s hazel eyes drifted among the crowd that had collected within the more accessible levels in the club. Each time he spotted a dark skinned woman with black hair, his heart jumped and his vision narrowed. However, the closer he looked then the realization came it wasn’t her. Disappointment sank into his middle causing the worry to build up. His attention was distracted when Olivia spoke, her voice made his head snapped toward and acknowledge her presence.

Olivia had her own beauty in itself. An attractive, young woman whose aura gave off a subtle carefree sense and her smile would’ve made any men melt in her hand palm. Samad’s eyes couldn’t help but flicker over the woman and something she was likely use to at her age. As his partner finished his subtle look over, Cade decided to be the first to break the silence and pressed a fake smile of his own on his lips.

“First thing, we need to locate Anaya and see if she’s been there. It’s logical she has, but it’s also obvious,” Cade began.

“We won’t know for sure unless we spread out and begin searching, through we need to likely split up. If you find her, then contact me immediately.”

Samad scoffed then began to limp into the crowd. His weight pressed into the cane and pushed him forward, his eyes peeled for any sight of their target. Immediately he was swallowed up by the mass of bodies causing Cade to sigh. While Samad was usually patient, he was pressed to get Cade out of there. Mainly for his own protection causing the older Asylum to make the first move.

“I hate when he does that,” Cade grumbled as he moved to follow him.

Kiara snickered again as she glanced at Maeve. The Celtic woman was stuck in a bright pink dress, an obnoxiously large bow around the waist, and white lace with around the skirt. Maeve hated it. She glared at Kiara, daring her partner to say something. Kiara grinned. "Don't be so upset. You look sooo adorable in it. I could just squeeze your little cheeks and hug you." "Do that," Maeve replied, "and I'll break your fingers." "Is someone feeling touchy wouchy? Is her pwetty feewings hurt?" If looks could have killed, her partner's glare would have turned the entire club into a glowing radioactive pile of rubble. "Don't worry Maeve! Look on the bright side. With that bright pink of a dress, you'll attract waaay more attention than the rest of us, and will no doubt give us the freedom to move about undetected." Kiara herself was dressed in a simple black dress, optimized for movement in case things got messy.

She looked over as Luciana made her way over into the crowd, her white dress standing out almost as much as Maeve's. She gave a small smile, knowing already who would be following. Kiara tapped Maeve on the shoulder, drawing the Celtic woman out of her brooding. "You do what you want. I'll do scanning for our target, and the dance floor is the easiest area to react from anyway. Maeve tilted her head, grinning, as if she was listening to someone else's message. "Don't need to tell me twice. Keep me updated, and I'll make sure Luciana and I can get to wherever we need to go. Even if it's from the bathroom." Kiara rolled her eyes as Maeve wiggled her eyebrows suggestively then followed the Unlinked onto the dance floor, ignoring the looks and snickers she got.

She was next to Luciana in a second, smiling lasciviously at the other woman. "That dress looks great on you. Told you it'd go great with your eyes." She glanced about, nodding slightly. "As for business, Kiara has most levels covered. If her shadows see anything worthy of noting, she'll tell us and we'll be able to react quickly to it. But for now," She sidled closer to Luciana as she danced. "Pleasure."

Kiara herself was had sat next to Olivia and Cade, a glass of red wine in her hand. "He does know that I'll be able to search this place for what we're looking for faster, right?" As she spoke, shadows rippled off from her, darting across the floor and throughout the club, nearly invisible in the flashing lights and shadows of the other patrons. "Oh well. It'll keep him busy until we find her." She looked around, tsking. "A tad too clubby for my taste. Maeve will enjoy herself at least. How are the two of you enjoying our new surroundings?"

Olivia flashed Cade a smile as he made suggestions on what to do. It made sense to split up to look for information. Before she could say anything though, Samad scoffed and walked away from the conversation. Olivia glared at the man's back as he walked into the crowd. What an ass. She thought to herself before shrugging and turning to Cade. She sipped at her drink while she examined him. He was a bundle of raw nerves. That just wouldn't do. Before he could hurry after Samad, Olivia put a hand on Cade's shoulder to stop him.

"Let him go." Olivia grinned at Kiara. "He needs some room for all of his baggage." Who didn't have baggage working for A.M.R.O., though? She looked back at Cade. "You, however, are going to have a heart attack if you don't stop your worrying. Granted, I get why, but all this stress isn't going to help."

"She's right." Lawrence was at Cade's other shoulder. "If you continue like this you're going to be little to no help in a fight."

"Gee, thanks for that lovely insight." Sarcasm dripped from Olivia's voice. "Please, leave the talking to me." Lawrence shrugged and motioned for Olivia to continue.

Olivia nodded. "Good. Now come, let's take a seat." She made her way to where Kiara was seated and took a seat herself. "I'm not much of a club person, either." Olivia answered Kiara's question. "Say, do you want to help us in de-stressing Cade here?"

Cade promptly stalled when his shoulder felt Olivia placed her hand on it. His blond head turned to give her a bewildered expression. A hand jerked up to adjust his glasses, prevented them from sliding down his nose and crash onto the floor.

The electrical lights and erotic movements caused Cade to lose Samad in the crowd. It was likely the disgruntled Asylum’s intentions.

He sighed at Samad’s stubbornness and inability to work with him. This seriously wasn’t the time for such… irrationality. However Cade knew telling the older Asylum that would only go in one ear and drift out the other. Wasting time and energy in the effort of his breath.

Upon Kiara’s interruption, his peripheral vision caught sight of her shadow. The thing shuddered and drifted from under her. It darted into Samad’s wake.

“I don’t think he really wants to depend on you. He never really does if he can help it, especially on me.” Cade explained.

His eyes narrowed in his partner’s wake. It was about the only thing he could as Samad was already long gone and served only to ease his frustration. It didn’t help that both Olivia and Lawrence were right. At the rate he was going, he would pass out from pure stress.

“It’s hard not to worry. Anaya is an old friend. I haven’t seen her since I surged, and she had to explain to me what was going to happen when AMRO arrived. Granted, she didn’t realize the hell I was going to go through…”

His words trailed off a bit at the end as Olivia suggested they take a seat. He nodded then followed where the woman led, being polite. As he sat, he heard Kaira’s question being answered to Olivia.

“You look like someone who would thrive in a club. Especially with how well you blend in.” Cade blurted out loud.

While being honest, the statement could’ve been seen as flirting. Or flattery. Realizing this, Cade bit his cheek then rolled his tongue in thought.

“No, I don’t belong in a club. Give me a doctor’s office, or a classroom, and that is a different story. The Legendes were assisting in my medical education before… things fell apart.”

A broken oath~

Ante Mortem had not wasted time in idle banter, despite the disguise they have donned both Reri as well as Angel had a strong distaste for places like Ourosboros. That is exactly why the two had quickly disappeared into one of the lower levels to proceed with a meeting with the management, for most such audacity would have been met with a swift removal from the premises, but then Angel and Reri were not most.

After half an hour or so, Angel and Reri finally appeared to walk out of the elevator, urgency in their steps as they approached the Asylums.

"There is a little problem," Angel spoke announcing his presence in his usual non nonchalant manner, his gaze casually sifting through the crowd as if weary of some presence. "I went to see the management and well, I only found their bodies." As the Silver Reaper spoke the Chrono appeared to tug at his sleeve, the nudge of her chin gesturing towards a stir in the crowd.

"Blood can never be spilled on the grounds of Ouros." The Lost Number quoted as his hands slowly balled into fists. "That rule has existed before this establishment was declared a 'Parle' and it has been broken and I have a feeling the host may hold us accountable."

"Stop right there!" A shout rang through the crowd and in the next few seconds a dozen or so security personnel had quickly surrounded the small group of Asylums. "You have shed blood on neutral ground, you Mr Legna and your guests are Anathema!" As soon as the executioner spat out his declaration of war, all the security personnel unleashed a volley of flame, countless orbs of fire being hurled from the palms of their hands.



Before the volley could reach the Asylums, the world suddenly appeared to go still and timeless and then it all shattered the very reality around them breaking like glass and fading away in a blinding glitter of diamond dust.

"This is beyond a simple retrieval mission now," Rin's voice echoed in what appeared to be a formless white abyss.

"Beyond simple? This is a haunting mess." Angel's voice echoed in reply along with a sound of his footsteps and with each step the formless white void around them slowly appeared to wax and wane. Walls appeared to manifest out of thin air along with furniture, a roof with a brilliant mural of Angels, a wooden floor, a kingly fireplace and finally countless bookshelves and candles. And just like that all the Asylums found themselves standing in this library.

"Ah I see you have all managed to give shape to your psyches, excellent," Angel slowly clapped as he stared at the Asylums in front of him. His appearance in this world appeared to differ greatly, for one Angel did not wear spectacles and instead had an elaborately designed eye patch over his right eye. Another change was the lack of stubble and longer hair which reach roughly below his shoulders and far more meticulously groomed. Angel's clothing retained their usual flair, the only difference here was the inclusion of a sword belt buckle however without a sword.

"Time is limited Angel, do not over tax yourself." Rin spoke in her usually monotone, her words being carried without a shred of emotion. "Rin is right Big Brother, you can't stay here long so hurry up!" Rena nodded as if agreeing with her alternate personality, her tone brimming with livity and cheer. And just like the stark difference in their personality, their appearance appeared to reflect the difference, being in a constant state of change. Transforming from a bland black frilled gown to an elaborately laced red one. Their eyes appeared different as well, she no longer appeared to have Heterochromia iridium in this world. Instead, both of Reri's eyes changed from red to green.

"As my lovely partner has put it, I lack the stamina to exist in this world for long. The Banshees have already been here with me in the past, but for the rest of you I can try and explain. The mind is a vast expanse, you can think of it like a world. Now we have seven billion individuals, so that is seven billions worlds. Every mind is connected to some degree and this includes that off the deceased, the place we are is in that void which exists and doesn't exist, it is the in-between." The Reaper slowly locked gazes with each individual, and despite the fact that one of his eye lied behind an eye patch, his good eyes appeared to be concealed as well, made to look like a blackened eye socket.

"Explanation is unnecessary, the point is we have been compromised," Rin's interruption gave her partner no time to further elaborate the Void. "We have been framed. The probability of another Bloodline interrupting our course of action is likely, third party intervention is at 15%. Suggested course of action would be to interrogate the Pallidinos." Suddenly Rin appeared to go silent, her cold calculative gaze going distant as if another variable had come into play. "Priority task is package, alteration to suggested course. Locate package and retreat, the meeting of crest cannot be delayed."

"This will come back to haunt us, but with the management dead we have no way to prove our innocence. You all should know, once A.M.R.O investigates this mess....a Chrono will come for all of us." Despite the grave and almost fatal implication of his words, Angel tone retained its usual casual demeanor. "Cade I leave finding Anya to you, use whatever Alchemy you deem necessary. Everyone else, congratulations, we are the distraction."

With those words the same bizarre events appeared to repeat themselves, the stillness, followed by the shattering, followed by the reshaping until finally all the Asylums found themselves in the path of a hundred flaming orbs and roughly two dozen highly trained alchemists and the executioner who appeared to lead them all.

"Ah I forgot about them...."

Fallen and Konan Collab



Olivia snorted at Cade's comment about blending in at a club. "Of course I would. It was part of my training. It doesn't mean I like it, though." While she talked, Olivia pulled a stack of post-it notes and a pen out of her purse, a red one, naturally, and started scribbling on them. She looked up at Cade, continuing to write on the post-it notes. "How much time do you think it would take to for you to work out this stress?"

"Depends. I wouldn't depend on time, but rather the caused. This boils down to three factors."

Cade lifted up a finger for each stress factor he listed as he went through them.

"First, Anya's location. When that's discovered, a great part of that worry and stress will be solved. Second, getting her safely out of here. When that's done, I don't have to keep looking over my back and expect to find lurking killers in the shadows. Third, finding out why the Legendes were killed in the first place without causing more issues."

He paused to catch his breath.

"I much rather not work while drugged. We might need the sedatives or muscle relaxers for the event I have to patch up one of you. Especially if things go wrong."

Olive adjusted one of her notes and clicked her tongue "Thirty minutes it is, then. I'm not talking about drugging you. You do bring up a good point, though." She looked at the two sticky notes she had on the table with sigils etched on them and smiled a Cade. "Lucky you. You get to see the better half of SenDep." She pulled a black sleeping mask out of her purse and handed it to Cade. "Granted, it won't actually be thirty minutes, but it'll feel like it." She paused for a second. "This'll most likely help relieve some of the strees."

Cade raised his left eyebrow in question over the statement Olivia just made. Confusion poured over his expression at what she meant. How in the world could she make him relax and focus without some sort of drug-induced state?

When she handed him the black mask, then to the sigils. He recognized them to be Sigillum. Cade used himself for more powerful Alchemy, then frowned.

“Alchemy? I do not like this idea…at all.”

Cade objected. He hesitated over the whole plan. Mostly because he knew what was actually involved and it was going to be a form of mental manipulation. At least he suspected it was. It was one thing to use Alchemy on things on the outside, such as Kiara’s shadows. Mental manipulation was a totally different thing.

"Have you ever been in a sensory deprivation chamber? Usually, it's a tub of water that is heated to the temprature of one's body heat. The water has a very high salt content to allow you to float, and you are in pitch blackness." Lawrence spoke up, taking note of Cade's hesitation. "It's used by some to relax, and for others, it allows them some insight." He pointed to one of Olivia's notes. "That one numbs you and acts like the water." He pointed to the other note, "That one changes one's perception of time. Depending on how it's written, it could stretch minutes into hours, but it's been set to you percieving five minutes as thirty. I'll take care of the noises."

Olivia gave Cade a reassuring smile. "This is all voluntary, but it should allow you to clear your head and be able to focus on helping find Anya."

Cade looked like he wanted to argue but he found it difficult. He didn’t have the better dog in this fight. He was useless while a ball of stress and they all knew it, now they wanted to fix it. It wasn’t their fault he found alchemy changes conflicting. Especially since his surge.

The doctor inhaled. He debated a moment longer before finally agreed.

“How do I activate them and so I just set them on my eyes or what? I tend to use Sigilum for bigger spells since they require more time and energy to set up.”

He looked at Olivia like a lost puppy.

It took everything Olivia had to not visably gush over Cade. There was a kind of innocence to the man that Olivia was surprised AMRO had not snuffed out. She heard Lawrence scoff next to her as she could not stop gushing mentally over the Asylum. "It's easy. All you have to do is put on the blindfold." Olivia smiled at Cade as she picked the notes off the table stuck them to him. "And we will do the rest."

Meanwhile, Lawrence started muttering under his breath and tapped Cade's forehead.

Before the man was engulfed in silence Olivia spoke up. "Remeber, all you have to do is speak up at any point if you want to stop"

Cade leaned back as he placed the blindfold on. Everything immediately went black as his skin began to numb. A sense of fear rushed to his system, followed by adrenaline. Memories, unwilling, flooded behind his closed eyes.

Snow… bloodstained.

Life flowed from his system, leaving his skin to prick and figure to tense more than before. Just for a moment. On reflex, Cade’s hands fell to the side of his seat. The fingers gripped the plastic covering.

For the first two minutes, his figure remained stiff. Struggling between relaxed and unknown stress. Several times Cade seemed to want to scream for them to stop but resisted it. Finally, something seemed to give. His body settled into the numbing sensation produced by the sigils and Lawrence.

Olivia bit her lip as she watched Cade fight against their attempts at calming him down. She glanced at Lawrence, who shook his head slightly. He was about to burn out. Sometimes, one's own thoughts are the most insidious. He commented to Olivia through their link.

Olivia relaxed as Cade did. She hoped that the expirence would be helpful to the man at least, even if it didn't remove his stress fully. She leaned back into her chair and sipped at her drink. It was nearly gone and she was ready to order another. But that could wait until the session with Cade was over.

---

Lawrence tapped Olivia on the shoulder as Ante Mortem approached them. She looked at the two approaching and felt a knot form in her stomach. Something had happened, that much was certain. Get ready Lawrence sent to Olivia. She nodded, and started tying her hair back into a ponytail. Lawrence stiffened next to Olivia as Angel revealed that management was dead. Soon enough, they were surrounded by security and had fireballs launched at them.

Then the world shattered and they found themselves somewhere else. Olivia looked around the room and noticed that some of her fellow Asylums looked slightly different. Lawrence didn't change. He looked exactly like he did at Ouroboros. Olivia, on the other hand, looked quite different.

Her hair was dirty and disheveled. She was wearing a ragged and yellow-stained white shirt that was slightly too big for her frame. The noticeable feature was the blood. Her clothing was splattered with it. She listened silently as Angel and Rin and Rena briefed them on what the plan was and what they would do next.

The next thing Olivia knew, they were back in Ouroboros and they were surrounded again. Immediately, Lawrence started muttering under his breath. The air around them shimmered and formed the shape of a dome, encompassing them and security. The sounds of the club outside the dome died out. Any noise made within the dome echoed and reverberated around them loudly.

Now would be an ideal time to scream, Lawrence sent telepathically to Kiara and Maeve