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Andromeda had locked the door to her room, as she sat down on the bed and closed her eyes. But despite how tired she was, she couldn't find sleep. It continued to elude her. Out there with the others, it had been easier to think of her life as a dream, a distant memory. She could fixate on the others and the strange events that they boasted from their timelines. But now, alone by herself, her mind was free to wander. Closure was generally something meant for the living, not the dead. And it was still something that she felt she needed. Or at least, wanted so much that she couldn't distinguish it from a need.

What had happened to the others after she died? Did they prevail? Or one of these days, would she see them here - dead just as she was? Andromeda knew that everyone had to die eventually - it was just how the universe worked - but she hoped that she'd never see any of them here. At the same time, she hoped that she did see them again at Ville au Camp - that she could ask them what happened and finally get closure. Her life before may have felt like a dream, but it was one that she wanted to revisit.

Nancy was having a difficult time sleeping, but for an entirely different reason. She was filled with crazed energy and each time she jumped on the bed, glitter shot up and glistened in the air around her. Nancy regretted not having a record player or something in her room. This would have been amazing for a dance party. She twisted back and forth as she bounced, grinning madly and just having the time of her life in general.

But eventually, even Nancy ran out of energy and she flopped down on the bed, glitter covering her face. Her heart rate eventually calmed down to a normal level and she let out a yawn. If she had been Gio, she would have known exactly what time it was. However, to Nancy, such things didn't matter. If she was sleepy, she went to sleep. If she was bored, she played a prank on someone. If she wanted candy, she stuffed her face with sweets. And at the moment, sleep was calling for her as she rolled over in her bed, making herself into a burrito with the blankets, and began to dream.

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For a while, Gilbert lay atop his bed. Bedecked in nothing but a pair of front buttoning shorts, the "boxers" of the period, he preferred this time to recline over his covers, exposed to the air of the evening. It was not a decision he made a lot, being as he was a man who had grown to appreciate the various creature comforts that life had to offer. Tonight, he was thoughtful as he drifted toward slumber.

A lot had happened over the past handful of hours. The group dynamic had changed. And the house was full again. If he listened intently, he could hear the various creaks and movements associated with an older dwelling such as the Destrehan House supporting residents. It was the quiet reminder of his coming responsibility to these new Paradoxes and the world that he did so love.

Gilbert put his hands behind his head and looked over to what was left of the door. If that was a permanent bit of damage, he might be angry. Instead, he contemplated revenge upon one or the other of the people responsible. He briefly considered using his gifts as an Emendator to find out who did it; it was locked away there anyway like some piece of barely recalled trivia he had but to put effort behind to recall, but decided against it for the moment. There was more fun to be had another way. Plus, it would be fixed with the reset.

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Sleep wasn't coming easy to James. I mean, how could it? His mind was awash with not only the memories of his former life in Walker infested Georgia, but pieces and traces of what he had come to realize were other lives from other timelines. The implications were staggering. James wasn't the philosophical type past a certain point, really. That point has been crossed a while back. This was more of a "buckle up and hang on tight" moment for him.

Dead friends to reunite with. A new war for survival to be a part of. Oh yeah, and now he was a frigging Wereboar. That was some shit right there. Wereboar. He wondered if that full moon deal had any hold on him. Either way, James was sure that he couldn't sleep. Wasn't going to. Not possible, considering what his day had been like. Today took everything he knew or thought he believed and turned it sideways. He might not sleep for ... .. . .. ...zzzzZZzzzZzzzz

Only the camouflage tuxedo and big, gaudy deer necklace bore witness to the sudden and remarkable bout of narcolepsy-grade slumber that fell over James Mandingo Grady. The situation as a whole and the many questions of the here and now were presently between he and his subconscious to puzzle out until the sun rose over an all new same day.

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And now we enter the world of the case files. Each of you are going to assigned a trainer, some in pairs, others in trios. Each case you will have 10 days to COMPLETE. Not get partially through, complete fully. These are your training sessions. Where you will learn your skills. Which skills you will be getting? Oh the dice is determining that. So that will make it very interesting to see who gets what when. At the end of each case, I will let the Paradoxes know which skills were learned during that case.

Trainers are in charge during the cases. How they train you is up to them. Emendators, take control. I have listed out a ~study~ for each of you. This is in a broad sense and goes along with your characters CS, so work with it. You can try to train them with anything just know what the focus is. Example, Evelinas study is ~Under Pressure~, she will teaching people how to deal with stress, how to remain calm and focused under different conditions, and so forth. The Study listing has suggestions but you don't have to go by that. Just as long as you can explain that what you are doing ties to the title. Now with ~Under Pressure~ she could do this in tons of ways. And it will change with each character she is dealing with. So pay attention to your students CS's, especially their personality. You can use all of this to help them learn things. (And to have some fun tormenting them, lol)

Location is just your ~meeting place~ to start your training. You may take your students ANYWHERE. You heard me right, ANYWHERE in ANYTIME. This could be in any RP I am currently running, could be in any RP on my timeline, could be your own, could be anything in human history or some place you make up and think would be interesting. HAVE FUN! *Note: If you leave the grounds, pm me for a roll to see if during your time outside of the safe haven you run into any ~problems.~











Now, you have 10 days to get your case done. Once counter hits 11, you are over. So keep that in mind. I suggest you collab these out in PM with each other or on Si to make things easier than trying to post back and forth. At the end of this case I will post again, and again, until every character has gotten a decent amount of training. At the end of each Case, once it is posted and I have reviewed it, I will roll to see what skills ~stuck~, if secondary abilities came forth, the amount of control you gained, and so forth. This is going to allow us to cover a lot of time and Rping quickly. Once Training is done, then you will go on to full assignments.

The day will start like any other day at Camp, weather is the same, layout is the same. No need to worry about much to start. Letters are left and slipped under your room doors on where to go come morning instructing you to meet your trainer at the starting location. A bell will toll over the grounds at 5:50 AM to start the day, time to be at the starting location will be listed as 6:00 AM. Start your posts waking up OR there, however you wish.

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor. (I will be pming my students shortly.)

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"Andromeda Anathema Aldrich..." Nancy said, dangling upside down from a tree that overlooked the swamp. "God, your parents must have really been into alliteration. That name is a mouthful" She smirked slightly at the pale girl, curious to see how she'd react to it. While Nancy was certain that Evelina didn't intend for her to antagonize the Paradoxes, she figured they could use a little teasing. And it wasn't like Nancy was one for a structured and carefully planned out lesson, anyways.

"What sort of name is Nancy Parker?" Andromeda muttered. She was always a bit sensitive about people making comments about her name. She knew every reason behind why her parents had selected it - her mother was an astronomer, so they named her Andromeda. Her father loved the book Good Omens, so they gave her the middle name Anathema.

"The sort of name that I've decided for the moment to use," Nancy replied with a shrug. "You're welcome to call me Ace, however. Or Ailith. Is there a name you'd prefer to go by?"

"...Andy..."

Nancy nodded, swinging a bit as she did a bit of a complicated maneuver, climbing out of the tree. "Andy it is, then. We'll have to do something about your hair, but where we're going, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Could always just get you a hat or something from Gilbert if we need it."

Andy raised an eyebrow at that. "So the lesson won't be taking place in the swamp?" She had woken up early and spent a bit of time wondering as to what exactly she'd be doing with the most chaotic Emendator in a swamp. Her question elicited a laugh from Nancy.

"Yeah, I asked for the swamp, but I really hate repeating things. Repetition bores me - funny, isn't it, since I live in an actual loop of repeated time? Anyways, I think it'd be much funnier to use it to mess with Faith. Have you seen Star Wars? It's in your time period, so I imagine you must have....Taking a bit of inspiration from the Yoda character in Faith's lesson."

Andy's eyes widened slightly. This one really is mental. It also seemed almost impossible to get a read on her. While Andy knew in the abstract that Nancy was there to train her, to teach her valuable skills used for survival and to combat the Destruere, she wasn't sure what Nancy's motivation was. She didn't strike her as the type to dedicate her life to a cause. "Okay then, sure she's going to love that...But look, if we aren't doing the lesson here, where are we and what are you going to be teaching me?" Andromeda asked, trying not to sound too tense.

Of course, at this rate, she was wondering if she'd be better off teaching herself. Her control freak tendencies were coming out to play and she doubted that Nancy actually had anything planned. This seemed like the beginning of an improvised disaster.

"That'd ruin the surprise!" Nancy protested, before grabbing a bag of clothing and tossing them at Andromeda. "Now put those on. I'm sorry you missed the eighties, but don't worry, this time period is the next best thing. Everything's shiny there."

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"They don't call me the Cards for nothin'," Nancy told Andy with a chuckle, as they walked into the Lady Luck. Her accent seemed to shift as they arrived and Andy couldn't help but observe that Nancy carried herself slightly differently. It helped that the Emendator wasn't dressed for the 1940's anymore. Nancy had almost a gypsy like red skirt on, a white tank top, boots, and a faded leather jacket. She had done a little twirl for Andy when she had first gotten dressed, before handing over Nancy an ensemble appropriate for the time period.

"So you took me to the future...to gamble," Andy pointed out with a sigh. She was definitely feeling that she had gotten the short end of the stick when it came to Emendators to train with that day. Nancy just ignored her, going over to the bar and grabbing them two beers, before she sat down at a table in the back.

"Do ya like stories?" Nancy asked, putting her feet on the table as she opened up her own beer. Andy nodded slightly, still irritated and not certain what any of this had to do with anything. "Good. 'Cause ya need to tell one. Ya gotta create a new identity for yourself, a new story - and please, don't use that gorram name Andromeda - and know that while ya gotta be detailed, the more details ya offer up to people, the more ya look like a liar."

Andy frowned. She wanted her to come up with a bunch of details - but at the same time, not? It didn't make any sense to her and Nancy sighed slightly. No one ever liked working in contradictions, but she figured that this was the easiest way to drill that lesson into people's heads - by throwing them into the deep end. "So tell me a story, puhn yoh."

The albino nodded, looking at the drink that Nancy slid over to her as she thought for a moment. She didn't know much about where they supposedly were - beyond the fact that there was gambling and upstairs, she could see what she assumed to be hookers looking for someone to entertain. It reminded her of the wild west - just with a bizarre Star Trek crossover, as if someone had been a little too high and said "You know what we need? D&D....IN SPACE!" Or a bizarre real life enactment of the game from the Office, Belles, Bourbon, and Bullets.

"Ya got your story, kid?" Nancy asked, setting her beer down. Andy nodded. "Alright, introduce yourself to me."

"Alright...Erm....My name is Mary Pittman. I'm a rancher's daughter, but I'm looking for someone to show me the stars - probably oppose an evil regime and --"

Nancy rolled her eyes, causing Andromeda to stop speaking. "Waaaaay too much information. Gorrammit girl, who do ya think actually talks like that? Or tells that much about themselves? Ya think this is like in yer school, where ya stand up and give three facts? No. This is real. Ya gotta get good at lying, kid. Try again." Nancy then got up, grabbing her beer, and she motioned Andromeda to follow her as she went over to one of the card tables. She avoided the one with the stuttering boy at it - she already felt irritated with him and she hadn't spoken to him.

"Deal me in," Nancy instructed the person, taking a seat and grabbing a handful of cards. Andromeda noted that Nancy didn't offer any details about herself, just acting as if she belonged there - and she decided to follow suit, grabbing the last free chair and taking a seat. "Me too, y'all," Andromeda said. Nancy had to resist the urge to throw something at her. Too Wild West - but she'd learn. It was sink or swim. And of course, that wasn't the only reason that she had brought Andromeda to this specific time and place. As if on cue, there was the sound of gunfire and Andromeda jumped, turning around and looking at where one woman was standing over another.

Nancy shook her head at Andy, taking a swig of her beer and continuing to play. Nancy won the hand, pulling all of the winnings towards her with a giant smirk. However, Andy kept on looking over her shoulder, expecting to see another round of gunfire go off. Guess she's sinking... She snapped her fingers at Andy, motioning for her to go back to the game. It was an important lesson - to be able to stay calm, blend in, and leave well enough alone if it wasn't part of the mission. There'd always be some sort of altercation going on, but it was in the flow of time. It was supposed to happen.

"Ya two got names?"

"Maybe," Nancy said with a shrug, looking over her hand. "Name's Ashley," she then said with a bit of a smirk. She liked her hand.

"...I'm Tess," Andromeda said, giving the man a smile. "Pleased to meet ya." On the inside, Nancy couldn't help but smile slightly. She was starting to get it - however painfully slow the process was. Of course, it had helped that earlier, while in transit, she had told Andromeda that if she even so much as kicked up a subtle wind in the establishment, she'd flick her in between the eyes. It was being surprisingly effective, though Nancy may have given Andromeda the impression that she didn't really want to see what Nancy's secondary ability was.

The men just nodded and they continued to play, with Nancy winning hands and pretty much taking all of the petty cash she had given Andromeda for the trip. Of course, had Andromeda not lost it all, Nancy would've confiscated it at the end anyways. She really wanted to get as much as she could, throw it up in the air, and dance around - she wanted to make it rain. By the time Andy was completely out of money, Nancy made her excuses to leave by just taking her winnings and getting up from the table.

"So....was that it?" Andy asked, once the pair of them were alone.

Nancy flicked her on the nose, before she snickered slightly. "Was that what?"

"The lesson...."

Nancy shrugged. "Ya learned how to lie - or at least, ya should have. If it sticks, great. If not, I'll flick you again every time I see you at dinner. My treat. Also taught ya how to blend in - when to act - and ya kept a lid on that tornado of yours. Believe me, gambling with me is waaaaay more fun than whatever Giouse had in store. Now sadly, we gotta go. Come on, girlie."

"Alright...But Nancy, I do have to ask...What is your other power?" Andromeda questioned, following Nancy out of the establishment and into the streets. It had been bothering her the entire time. The Hat and the Dice - both of them had already revealed what they were. The Cards and the Watch remained something of a mystery to her.

"I have the power to make bad movie reboots," Nancy replied simply, not saying another word until they returned to Ville Au Campe and Nancy bade Andromeda farewell for now.

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Underneath the Oak Tree, some unusual adjustments had been made. On the opposite side of where Peter's grave had been made were some pieces of furniture that were rarely seen around Camp Au Ville. Closer to the tree was a large desk complete with a rather exquisite, if simple chair. In it sat Giosue with a pair of bifocals atop his nose. Opposite of the Emendator and his desk was another one, this one much smaller, cheaper and with only a plastic fold-out chair to sit upon. The time for the lesson would be soon, and until his pupil arrived, Gio sat perfectly motionless.

That Oak seemed to be the focal point of the entire grounds. The Paradoxes arrived there, the Halloween party was mostly spent there, and this particular morning, James was making his way back to that sprawling Oak to begin his lessons with the Emendator known as "The Watch". Something told him there would be some manner of scolding, possibly even merit/demerit based system inflicted upon him were he even a minute late. The Paradoxical Wereboar stepped into the area looking just the vision of a Knight of the Backwoods, bedecked in his shining armor of denim overalls and broken-in cowboy hat. He looked from one desk to the other, the item of finery and the high school surplus piece. With a sigh, James crawled into the smaller, obviously designed to put one at a psychological disadvantage desk, and removed his hat. He cocked his head to the side, declaring, "Here." in flat, grey monotone.

"Good morning Mr. Grady," Gio greeted with a big smile. The Emendator rose from his chair and pulled from his desk a packet of papers along with a couple new, pre-sharpened #2 pencils. He placed the papers and writing utensils on the desk in front of James before walking back to his desk. And plopping himself back down.

"Your task for today is a simple one. If all goes well you'll even have more free time available to you than your peers. All I need is an essay about the justifications of the Secession from the Union by the Southern States prior to the American Civil War of your timeline. Did they have a point, or were they just making excuses? Why did they do what they did? 1,500 words. Be sure to properly format your paragraphs and write legibly." Gio smiled again as he laced his fingers together.

James looked just the slightest bit bewildered as Gio poured his instructions all over him. The initial guess was correct, this scenario was designed to give him a sense of being in over his head amid choppy waters. And it was a really good setup, too. Perhaps that was why the ear-to-ear smile that split his face seemed so misplaced. "Why, no problem a'tall, Mr. Watch, sir! You know I'm a black man, what was raised inna south of Georgia - took my elementaries in th' nineteen and eighties! Them muthafuckas love them some Civil War, and they just a loooove whitesplainin' the whys and wherefores." He grabbed a pencil and tucked it behind his ear, then another for writing. "I'll be done in time to make us some lunch. Should, anyways. You just let ol' James know what you're hungry for, mkay?" Perhaps he played up his accent, but just a smidge.

"I'm glad you appreciate the topic of choice," Gio responded, still smiling. If James' constant exaggerations of his dialect impacted the Emendator in anyway, he didn't let it show. "If you feel the need to relieve yourself or rehydrate, you may do so. If you have any questions about your task, feel free to ask. Otherwise, you may begin. In the meantime, I have some work to take care of." From another drawer in the desk, The Watch produced a book that he opened up perhaps a quarter of the way in and started to peruse.

James shrugged, rapidly becoming disheartened with the concept of being a Paradox. It beat dying, he supposed. Again, anyway. And though he failed to see the point of this little exercise, James held out some hope that this was one of those "Mr. Miyagi" moments wherein his seemingly mundane task would reveal itself to secretly be something of pertinent value to him as his training continued. A little burst of optimism hit him with that thought. Certainly that must be the case. Learning patience or some such necessary virtue, or a test of his overall knowledge of history. Maybe his ability to accurately report or brief others, without personal bias. Yes! That must be the reason, or something like it.

Nodding optimistically, James swept his pencil across the paper, trying to put in words the story he picked up long ago, back in a lifetime that featured Georgia State public schooling. "James ...Mandingo ...Grady ...age ...forty-three. Hmm." he spoke as he wrote, getting that obligatory chunk of header out of the way. Now, how to begin? Somehow, "it was a dark and stormy night" didn't seem to cut it. He always did have problems getting a thing like this started. Perhaps if he listed out some points on a separate sheet - brainstorming! Yes... economic reasons, religious excuses for racism, etc. He had this. Though, James did wonder what the other Paradoxes were doing, and if they had schoolwork, too.

Meanwhile, Gio seemed to be quite preoccupied with his book. James couldn't read it from where he was in the dark of the early morning, but it was quite a fascinating book from decades in the future. It was an autobiographical novel covering a man's journey with a group of people who dive deep into the ocean without any of the equipment developed to make that kind of thing possible. There were people going into the depths of trenches on a single breath. How peculiar was that?

Every few pages or so, Gio would break his concentration from the book to look over at James. It was partially to make sure he hadn't suffered some freak heart attack and keeled over dead (just because it hadn't happened so far didn't mean that it wouldn't), partially to check up on his progress. He'd keep his gaze transfixed on the Georgian for merely a few scant moments before returning to his book. How the underwater pressure didn't kill them was beyond him. He'd hate to end up in the ocean like that involuntarily, that they went on their own volition was something else.

The constant movement of pencil upon paper became tedious after a while, but that was expected when one sat down to a writing assignment, expecting a wholly different sort of day. But James stuck to it; he was just that kind of guy. Every so often he would pause in his efforts, make a quick count of words and lightly scribble a notation, but otherwise kept to his work.

In the end, it was apparent that it was not flawless. Not by a long shot. There were erasure marks left on the page, the format was a little off, but each individual point was clearly, if fairly simply, explained. As it turned out, he wasn't exactly a master of the source material. At least not as much as he claimed. Interesting perspectives on the reasons why, compelling even, if left to be explained by a person more apt with pen and paper. However, the report was limited by a man that, while intelligent, chose a life of physicality and cunning over one of quiet study. Being fair, this was C+ work. He handed it in and sat back down at his joke of a desk, quietly waiting the inevitable from "Mr. Watch".

Gio came over when he noticed that James had completed his assignment for the day. Gingerly, he lifted the bundle of papers from the desk and sat back onto the front of his much larger desk. It took a few minutes for him to work his way through all of James' essay. Occasionally he would make some wordless noise, an "ah" or "hmm," but whether he was pleased with what was submitted wasn't clear until he began to speak. When he was done, the emendator chucked the paper behind his back.

"Objectively speaking, from a writing standpoint I've read far better. But I've also read far worse." Gio paused for a moment before continuing. "The ideas behind the cliche and poor penmanship are there. I'd suggest putting in some effort learning to better articulate your thoughts. A sharp mind is dangerous, but one that can disseminate its ideas is exponentially moreso."

"Putting aside the quality of writing, it's only proper to tell you the whole point beyond this exercise. You can't expect your time here as a Paradox to be exciting and adventurous. Even on a mission you could find yourself saddled with tasks of incredible dullness that you would never think you'd have to do. But it's still important to be able to maintain focus and accomplish the task at hand, which you achieved with flying colours."

"A word of warning, do not take your own knowledge and assumptions for granted during other training missions or during trips. What you know to be True may not be the case when out and about. But more important than the facts about what's history in whatever timeline you find yourself in is being able to understand how others think. The details change, but human nature remains the same. And if you can understand the mindset of whenever you may find yourself, you'll do a much better job keeping yourself invisible."

"Now putting all of this together I'd give you..." Gio trailed off, looking upwards as if thinking long and hard what grade to give to the boar hunter turned wereboar, "an F+. However, you might be able to raise that score if you impress me with lunch. Dazzle me with your best dish, Mr. Grady." With that last command a toothy ear-to-ear grin covered his face. In actuality, James had done quite well overall. About a B, but he figured that the man was smart enough to figure that out from the rest of the speech.

The lesson, such as it was, did seem a touch Miyagi-esque. James was not sure exactly how the task at hand assisted in grounding him with preternatural focus, though he might concede it to be a test as to whether he had any focus at all with which the Emendators could work. Still, he felt a little disillusioned by the day's activities. James was even more let down by the fact that he had a blank spot in his brain that used to be his capacity to cook. It was a shame, curse even, that he remembered being good with a knife and spatula, fire and seasonings, but was cut off from the ability to do much of anything anymore. It was a messy slap to the face, one that lowered his mood both immediately and considerably. "Yuh huh, Mr. Watch. Sandwiches it is."

James stood and tied his bandana around his head, then settled his cowboy hat on top of that. The next few moments saw the dejected wereboar slowly walking to the Kitchen House with his hands in his pockets and head hung a little lower than usual. Absently, he toyed with the boar tusk in his pocket, even pulled it out once or twice to inspect on his way across the greenery. "...this gonna be tough..." he whispered to himself. Not the cooking end of things, though that would present a challenge now where it never had before, but the whole concept of being a Paradox, whatever that meant. This was who he was now, like it or not. He made sandwiches, not masterful barbecue. Time to embrace the cold cuts, with all the good and bad that accompanied it.

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Pulling out a pocket watch, Evelina checked the time. The bell had tolled, hopefully Sophia would get up quickly and be there any moment. Considering the time line the girl came from, she figured it wouldn't take much to get her out of bed. Sure there wasn't time for breakfast but that would be dealt with later. A horse in the barn stall whinnied and Evelina smiled slightly, she enjoyed training new Paradoxes. She understood how important it was and she felt teaching them how to remain detached was a large part of that. Looking back on the womans life, she felt Sophia would do well but she worried about some hangups she might have.

Sophia slowly opened up her eyes as she looked around her room and stretched slightly as she, she was used to waking up rather early in the morning it was going to be her first official day of training. As she got up from her bed, Sophia noticed a letter that was slid under her door as she knelt down and picked it up she started to read it. It was from Evelina telling her to meet her at the barn, she was both excited and also a bit nervous as well. She went to get changed and then reached for her prosthetic hand, and made sure that it was secured and on tightly she made sure that she had her room key with her before leaving.

Sophia then started to go down the hallway of the main house and made it outside looking around the grounds for a moment, before spotting the barn in the distance and headed there. Once she was there Sophia spotted Evelina and gave her a smile and waved towards her, "Good morning. How are you this morning?" Sophia asked as she approached her, and looked at the horse and reached over to gently pet it. "What are we doing today?" Sophia asked.

Looking down at her pocket watch there was a hint of a smile. "Right on time," she said more to herself than to Sophia as she slipped it back into her front pocket. A trail of smoke curled up from the pipe in her other hand as she turned to look more directly at Sophia. "I am very well thank you for asking. I would ask how you are but giving what we are about to do, I must apologize because even if you are well you won't be for long. Today we start training you to remain calm, how to control your powers, and most importantly, both at the same time."

Turning her attention back over towards Evelina when she told her what they would be doing today, and gave her a slight nod though she wasn't sure how they would actually be doing it on the grounds. The grounds appear to always be pretty calm for the most part, though she did remember very freshly when her first power came up that caused her to pass out and gag which probably didn't make a good first impression on some of the others. "Sounds like a plan to me. However where are we going the grounds seem to be fairly calm for the most part?" Sophia asked giving the horse one more pat on it's nose before taking a step back turning her attention fully now to Evelina.

Stepping over to a worn knapsack, Evelina opened it and pulled out some rather worn out items. "We go somewhere less calm." Holding out a a very dirty shirt and torn jeans, as well as a pair of overly used boots she nodded slightly. "We're taking a trip to Minnesota, summer, 2012. Your time line." Pulling out another set, Evelina stood behind a stall and began to change.

Sophia eyed the knapsack which contained worn out clothes, and listened to her she wasn't to thrilled going back to her timeline full of walkers. But it was probably the best place to go, it was never calm then, Sophia gave her a nod before grabbing the clothes. "Alright then I'll get changed and we can get started." She said as she turned and headed into an empty stall, and stripped out of her clothes and quickly got changed she came out feeling more comfortable in the clothes that she was given.

Once they were both ready, Evelina lead Sophia to the back of the barn where a portal had been set up. "This way," she said and stepped through. On the other side she stepped onto a platform of sorts. It looked to be a connecting tunnel of glass with a floor between two buildings. The sun was shinning outside, and the smell of death was heavy in the air. There were tents set up but it looked like nothing was alive around them. Sure didn't smell like it. Below them on the ground, walking between the buildings of a large city looked to be a hoard, thousands of walkers shuffling through the streets just twenty feet below them.

Following Evelina towards the back of the barn, she then paused for a moment as she stared at the portal standing before her eyes, it was both amazing and also a bit terrifying as well. She watched Evelina walk through the portal, she hesitated for a moment before stepping through herself. Stepping on the other side, she looked around it felt something out of Star Trek or some other Sci-Fi or fantasy show. "This is amazing.." She said softly, as she noticed the cityscape before her, and the massive herd of walkers below and the stench that came from them made her gag slightly.

Puffing on her pipe Evelina nodded. "Yes these walk ways saved many lives during the beginning of the outbreak. They were made to allow people to walk to work during the winter months here in Minneapolis. Quite ingenious. It will serve a purpose for us." Looking over at Sophia, Evelina clamped her teeth around her pipe and held it there. "I want you to think about the most painful loss you had after the outbreak," she said in a firm voice.

"We didn't have anything like this in Newnan, but then again I didn't see much of it I was confined to the infirmary." Sophia said before turning her attention towards Evelina. She nodded slightly she had experienced quiet a bit, losing a hand was up there focusing on that for a moment. Remembering that experience was the worse pain she'd ever felt, but Sophia then thought for a bit longer and thought about earlier in the outbreak. It was a few months into it, she settled into a group though they weren't as prepared and used just a large convoy of vehicles as shelter and traveled as a group like that for awhile. They came across a group of raiders, and they just opened fire doing the only thing she could survive was to hide under the bodies of people she had gotten to know. And then when the dust settled she was the only person left alive.

"Separation can be the most painful of things. Pain needn't be physical to scar us." Evelinas eyes watched the walkers moving through the streets below them. "Latch onto that pain, slowly let it in and as you do, let your senses expand." Putting the pipe back in her mouth she took a puff, her eyes darting between the surroundings and Sophia. "Use the amount of pain you allow yourself to remember to gauge how much of your senses you let in. Sound, light, smell, taste."

Sophia turned her head to look at the walkers below, then her attention went back towards Evelina. "Alright then.." She said softly as she closed her eyes again as she focused on the pain. Focusing on the memory of losing her hand, though the pain itself was faint and occasionally came back every now and then. Sophia then opened her eyes and decided to focus on looking out further into the city below them, while ignoring the walkers shambling below them as well.

"Stay focused." The words were short. It seemed to be a reminder or perhaps a warning as from her pocket, Evelina pulled a small oddly shaped hammer and struck it against the glass. It shattering a panel away and getting the attention of the walkers below. Their sounds increasing as a rush of air came through that could knock either of them over if they weren't careful. "Stay calm."

Sophia's concentration was quickly broken when she heard glass shattering, then the walkers attention was diverted to them looking a bit terrified. It was certainly a very long drop and Sophia didn't want to end up falling down and getting eaten alive by the hungry herd of walkers. She could feel the gust of wind going through her hair as she quickly tucked a few behind her ear, gulping slightly. "Alright got try and stay calm.." Sophia said mostly to herself as she remained very still and focusing on hearing the things around her.

Things were going smoothly, too smoothly. Evelina eyed Sophia as she continued and decided to up the ante. Grabbing a hold of her by the shoulders she spun her around and shoved her out the open window. Her hands sliding down Sophias arms until she reached the wrists. At that point she tightened her grip and caught her just barely. Letting her dangle over the edge. "I will drop you." Her voice was cold, as cold as ice as she spoke. One could feel her palms sweating against Sophias skin. She would drop her at this rate.

Sophia felt Evelina grab her by the shoulders, what next she wasn't even expecting as the Emendator literally shoved her out of the window causing her to scream rather loudly. She could feel her heart beating harder as she dangled above the twenty foot drop, looking down at the walkers. She used her right hand to grip onto Evelina's rest, feeling her hand go very cold which would go up Evelina's arm as well. "Don't drop me please!" She begged, Sophia wasn't sure if she wanted to actually kill her or it was still a test either the drop would kill her or the walkers would if Evelina did drop her.

Feeling the icy touch Evelina quirked a brow as it caused her muscles to tense but not enough to keep a good grip. "Remain calm and focus. The ice is from you, it is causing my muscles to tighten. Better grip. If it doesn't get colder you will fall." Her voice was calm even as her grip on Sophia faltered. Her breath remained calm as she watched her newest charge start to slip from her grasp.

Sophia gripped onto Evelina's wrist even tighter, looking down made her stress out and worry even more instead she went and focused up at Evelina and nodded. Just remain calm and try and relax, it didn't get any colder than it was right now but she wasn't sure how much longer or if she will fall. Sophia started to calm down some but her grip remained very tight feeling herself starting to slip slightly.

Evelina nearly lost her grip, that was until she felt her blood run cold through her hands. It caused an involuntary muscle crap, her hands clawing up. There was a grimace on her lips but a slight light in her eyes as she managed to get a good enough grip on Sophia to be able to pull her up and back onto the walkway. "Now if you would be so kind as to calm further and stop icing me before I look like a Tyrannosaurus Rex permanently that would be wonderful."

Sophia was about to brace for the inevitable fall, that was when she was starting to get pulled back up again letting out a sigh of relief. Once her upper body was back up Sophia quickly let go once she was able to get a better grip and rolled onto her back, taking in several deep breathes. Sophia started to finally calm down looking over at Evelina's arm and hand and then at her, she was glad that she did end up falling but she wasn't expecting the training session to end up nearly killing her. "I'm calm now, just wasn't expecting to be dangled like that." Her hand was shaking slightly but she was starting to calm down now.

Pulling out a small flask from her coat pocket she held it out. "Being able to control oneself is not something you learn when things go as expected." Reaching over she cupped Sophias cheek and smiled softly. "You did wonderful, never doubt that. Let us get home. I believe that is enough for the day." Turning she moved back to the portal and stepped through.

Sophia accepted the flask that Evelina offered her and quickly took a few large gulps of it before handing it back to her, she gave Evelina a slight smile. Though she was very annoyed after being shoved and nearly fell to her death, she felt Evelina touching her cheek she was grateful for the compliment. "Just promise to not shove me out of a window like that again if we have further training." Sophia said as she stood up again and dusted herself off. She watched Evelina walk through the portal first, and then looked back for a moment she was tempted to go back. But she knew that she couldn't now, with Newnan knowing that she was dead she turned around and headed back through the portal, once she was back at Ville au Camp Sophia gave Evelina a slight wave before deciding to head to her room for a little bit of rest.

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The scene at the Mill opened up not in the Mill, but just outside with Gilbert setting up a worktable. Upon this table he placed a pot of coffee with just a wisp of steam still escaping from the spout and two white ceramic cups. Most viewing the table would not describe the lightly bitter brown-black beverage as the most interesting feature upon it. Dominating the space was an assortment of short blades and matching sheathes. Everything from Bowie knives to seax, trench knives, fixed buck knives, and various tactical and utility blades; clip point, drop point, broken back styles and with an assortment of handles. What all of them had in common was a single edge, decent point, and they were all of respectable length to large. With a small smile, Gilbert stood behind the table with his own cup, slowly sipping and sporting a light, devious smile as he waited on his Paradoxes to join him for their first day of training.

Faith awoke at the bell toll. She had gotten used to waking up early most days and she was sure there would not be sleeping in. She threw off the covers and noticed the note under her door. She remembered today would be the day they would start training and she was anxious to get started. She read it and her face fell. Truth be told, Gilbert was a likely choice, but she remembered her choosing Evelina. She huffed a bit, tossing the note over her shoulder. She wasn't sure what to expect from that man, but she may as well face the day. She got dressed and walked over to the mill.

Immediately upon noticing the display on the table, her mood brightened. It was weaponry and it was nice looking ones at that. So it seemed combat training was on the agenda. "We doing combat training today? Gotta say, not what I expected but I am definitely not complaining. Don't suppose you got some coffee for me?"

The tall Emendator fixed his eyes upon Faith and smiled. He motioned to the coffee and nodded but did not speak a word, instead pressing a finger to his lips to indicate silence. Taking a sip from his own cup, he looked in the direction of the Main House, patiently waiting.

Bartholomew rolled over as the bell tolled, awake at the sound. "Evelina said today would be training right? Wonder what that entails." He thought to himself, and sat up, to see the note on the floor, he rose and picked it up, scanning it over. "Guess I'm with Gill." He muttered, shrugging. The Emendator was nice enough, he figured. He got dressed with a bit of a hurry, the last thing he wanted was to be late for that man. He had read the Epic of Gilgamesh, and if he really was him, Bart would want to be on his best behavior for the man. He rubbed his eyes, still sleepy, but was quickly out the door, heading towards The Mill.

Soon, he'd made his way there, and saw he was to be joined by Faith. "Morning Mister Hat." He said, as he approached the table adorned with more knives than he'd ever seen in his life. Quick on the uptake, he grimaced. Combat was not at all something he wanted to engage in. Standing a bit away from the knives, he uncomfortably looked between the table and The Hat. He walked over to Faith's side and stood next to her, giving her a slightly nervous wave. He didn't know her name, but he remembered her saying she was from the Undead timeline. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Bart." He said, clearing his throat, and taking a quick glance at her, but quickly resting his eyes back on the blades sitting on the table.

Gilbert took a large swallow from his cup and set it down. He gave quick scrutiny of the two new Paradoxes he had to work with that morning, then began with a scolding. "Socialize another time." he said with dismissive, articulate syllables. "You are here purely for the purpose of learning. No other." The laid-back, easygoing Emendator was replaced by a colder, more direct individual possessing a stare capable of boring through mahogany. "The lessons I impart are the ones that keep you alive when things go wrong. And they will. When the lessons of the other Emendators are of no help, what you take away from me will determine the likelihood of your survival." He set his cup down and selected a chisel point asian-styled knife, turned it around carefully in the morning light, and set it back down. "Now, select a blade from the table. Take some time, but not too much. Here begins lesson one."

Faith shrugged, wondering why the talkative man the day (or rather, previous day) ago. He seemed different, but she saw weaponry and couldn't be upset. She was anxious to get started. Soon, someone else walked up. It was the vomit boy. She sighed. She would be paired up with him. He looked like he could barely look at a knife, let alone wield one. Which makes sense. He would need training especially or suffer the same fate as the other man. He introduced himself and Faith couldn't be bothered. "Whatever." She rolled her eyes, waiting to get started.

And she was already pissed. Having been chastised for essentially doing nothing wrong, she glared at Bart before making her way over to the table to pick out her knife. She observed the blades on the table. They weren't long like swords, but she imagined that was the point. Start on the smaller side and work their way up. It was hard choosing. Faith tried to recollect if she knew anything about blades, but nothing came to mind. She was sure she used them in her life, but she was new here. So she decided to have fun with it and one dagger stood out. She picked up the blade and moved it aroudn in her hand. She nodded, "This'll do."

"Seax. Norse." intoned Gilbert, "An earlier but highly effective style of utility knife. Very nice. Bart, you are next." He motioned again to the table of sharp implements.

Bart flinched back at being rebuffed by Gilbert, and nodded. Faith seemed less then enthused with Bart to say the least, he took it she didn't quite like being chastised. He exhaled, his apprehension apparent. He figured he'd be selecting a knife at some point, but he thought The Hat might at least tell them a bit about each one. He was pretty much in the dark on these things. For a brief second, he thought The Hat might make the two of them fight, but that quickly disappeared, being certain that he wouldn't put them in danger like that. He'd probably just give them some training with whatever blade they picked. He figured the shorter the blade he could take, the better. Bart knew he wasn't very strong; he'd want something he could wield easily, without getting exhausted. He gingerly stepped over to the table, and made his choice, picking it up and trying to figure out the right way to grip it, moving it between his hands. "Guess I'll give this a shot..." He said, uncertainty ringing through his voice.

"Excellent." remarked Gilbert. "Understand, we will not be killing each other today. Such practice will come, but right now those knives will indicate your level of commitment. You will keep them with you at all times. Use them for every task that you can. Hone. Polish. Tend to them. Even if you do not develop an affinity for short blades, you will take away the lesson of them: Take care of your tools and they will take care of you. Do not, and you will suffer for it." He eyed the two Paradoxes carefully, continuing, "I will be inspecting them daily. Remember." He stepped up to the Mill doors and swung them open to reveal a field of faint shimmering. It spread across the archway as a spiderweb adorned with dew, catching the first light of dawn. "Bartholomew, you will be familiar with this. Faith, not as much. It is a portal, similar to the one that brought you here. This particular one opens into a barn loft in an unoccupied homestead on July 21st, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia. It has an excellent view and was not touched whatsoever by events transpiring around it. Students of history might know the significance of this, but I assure you, seeing it firsthand is an eye opener. Especially if you have never seen war before today. After you."

Faith was a bit upset she wouldn't be fighting immediately. She really want to hit something, but it would have to wait. Since she was expected to take care of her blade (and what a sweet blade it was), she didn't want to upset the first Emendator she trained under, she kept it close to her as Gil ushered them over to the Mill and opened the door. She peered inside, seeing the shimmer instantly. A portal brought them here? And why would Bart be familiar with it? Faith felt Gil's warnings were pretty insignificant. Even if she hadn't seen war, she was essentially in her own war against the undead. Battles daily were the norm. And given it was in the past, it couldn't be any more horrendous than what she dealt with. She paid Bart no mind as she entered the portal. Ladies first, after all.

Bart eyed the portal that was not at all unlike the one that'd brought him to Cairo. He placed his hands, and blade by extension, behind his back. He paused to think for a second, Summer of 1861... He knew the slaves were freed in 1863, and given The Hat's hint, it wasn't at all a stretch to guess that the inciting battle of the Civil War happened this day, but he had no idea which battle that was. Normally, he might ask, but now was not the time. He followed after Faith quickly. He'd never seen war before, he'd grant Gil that, and if there was one to see, he supposed the bloodiest war in American History would be it. He'd count himself lucky that this would be removed from the violence, if The Hat was to be believed. One thing caught Bart's attention though, The Hat said he'd be checking their blades daily? "How long exactly will this training be going on then?" He asked.

The expression on Gilbert's face was one of incredulity mixed with mild humor. He began to address the question slowly at first, as if the words needed to be experienced one at a time. "Becoming a warrior takes much more than a day. Several young men and women throughout history have been conscripted, given minimal training, and forced to fight a war they had no stake in - very few of those people became warriors in their own right." He leaned in closer to Bart, allowing his voice to fill with quiet intensity, "Bartholomew, your training never ends." As Bart decided to hesitate, Gilbert took the opportunity to grab a bag from beside the door and step through the portal himself. Even though history dictated that the point of arrival was totally abandoned, he had no desire to leave Faith in 1861 all by herself.

As Faith materialized into the world of 1861, she found herself in a hayloft. There was hay. There was a lot of hay. Faith did not like hay. It got everywhere and was a pain and if there was hay there were smelly animals around who ate hay. Faith stepped forward and looked out the open window of the hayloft and saw what they were most likely intended to see. Faith was not a history buff by any stretch, but she was not a dummy. Given the time and what she saw on the field, she had to wager it was a war in America and if two sides were fighting, it was probably the Civil War. She saw dead littered on the ground and heard the screams of the dying. She clutched her blade, aware that it would be bringing a knife to a gunfight (even if it was older century guns). She waited for Gil and Bart to appear before she moved on. She didn't want to startle the soldiers.

Bart met Gill's eyes, and nodded. The Hat did have a fair point, Rome wasn't built in a day, and he wouldn't be either.He stepped through the portal after Gill, trying not to let his trepidation control him. He ended up a little behind Faith, seeing her staring out a window. He followed her gaze, and quickly averted it, not being able to stand the sight. He felt dizzy, and he could feel his stomach turn over in disgust. Throwing up wasn't something he wanted to do again, especially not now. He clenched his jaw shut, focusing on keeping himself under control. Needless to say, he was at a loss for words at the hellscape before him.

"This is why we are here." said Gilbert, looking to the dead and dying off in the distance. "We are nearing the end of the first major land battle of the American Civil War. The pity was, it could have been the only major land battle of the American Civil War." He cleared his throat and pointed further into the distance, indicating the growing sounds of feet upon trampled earth, steel, horses, and flame being touched to black powder. "Those would be General McDowell's men. Union Army. He doesn't know it yet, but the withdrawal he just sounded is going to become a full rout and cost him thousands of lives. Because he failed here, this war will continue to cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Would you like to know why?" The sounds of battle and death grew louder, as a multitude of young men in blue coats and caps scrambled over the bodies of their casualties laying in the field, occasionally getting mowed down by a volley of lead or grapeshot artillery from much further out. "Don't worry. The war never touched this barn."

Faith listened to the Hat's words as he spouted off the history lesson. She didn't know why she was standing here watching it. Was she supposed to feel sorry for them? Granted, she knew that plenty of soldiers lost their lives fighting this was, some of them conscripted into it and others fighting against their will, but that's what war was. It was ugly and pitiful. She heard the artillery fire, knowing instantly why the lives were lost. "So are we here purely for a history lesson or what? I can't imagine us getting involved here. You guys may be able to pass, but there weren't many women dressed like me with a knife running around the battlefield."

For just a moment, Gilbert looked like he might actually place his full, outstretched hand upon his face, partially out of embarrassment for someone else and yet partially in disbelief. He had seen others perform this action several times in addition to his own indulgence in the practice. Perhaps he should come up with a name for it, seed it into the timelines and step in every so often to make sure it flourished. Something involving the nouns "hand" and "head", possibly. Or forehead, maybe. Face? Yes! Facehanding! No... well, no matter. Gilbert would come up with something. He was good like that.

Bart closed his eyes as he listened to The Hat, the sound of artillery in the distance. He got where he was going with this, or at least, he thought he did. Countless soldiers died, years of war were fought, and millions of dollars were wasted all because General McDowell couldn't finish the job. He turned his gaze up to Gill, and asked, "Because... he didn't do everything he could to win the battle?" He asked. That was his best guess. The North loses a battle, it inspires the Confederacy and makes them think the war is winnable, and leads to the ultimate continuation of the war.

The meeting of Gilbert's hand and his head paused as Bart spoke. Someone was listening. He could work with this. He pointed to the baby Paradox and spoke with professorial intent. "Close. Too broad, though." The screams of the wounded and dying continued in the distance, bodies still breathing but unable to move, even from atop one another even as their life's blood painted the ground with pooled scarlet. Gil's voice shifted to the somewhat distant, even tinged with regret and irritation. "Brigadier General Irvin McDowell led a superior number of completely untested soldiers against a dug-in force of motivated recruits that knew the terrain. He struck out of revenge for a very recent attack, motivated almost purely by emotion." He looked to Faith, drilling holes with his eyes, "Pride brought him here. Pride killed all of these men. He refused to listen to his officers, certain that he knew better when he knew nothing."

Again his words moved to encompass the both of his students, "He didn't stop to gather intel, he didn't try to flank or maneuver. He didn't wait for the right moment. McDowell had to march his men one hundred and nine miles south and take Richmond. Instead of acting wisely, he framed a beautiful lie to his President about a guaranteed victory and told his men that the war would last ninety days." The Hat gestured out of the hayloft window to the botched retreat in progress, "Those men died because McDowell attempted to live up to the grand opinion he had about himself." He looked to Bartholomew, stressing, "McDowell thought he was special. And his men paid the price for his hubris. Over six hundred thousand of them, not including civilian casualties. Please summarize, both of you: What can we learn from this?"

Faith listened to the words and felt the gaze when the Hat mentioned the foolish man's pride. Was that a hint directed at her? If one had the skills, why shouldn't one be proud? It wasn't like she was proclaiming to be the best fighter, the best shooter, the fastest, or the strongest. In this topsy-turvy world she now resided in, she didn't know what she was good at anymore. Perhaps that was the lesson here. "Is the lesson that no matter how smart you think you are, how skilled you feel you are, or how prepared you think you are, fate can always come in and kick you in the balls?" Truly, Faith understood the reasoning behind the visit, but it seemed silly to watch men die here from someone's stupid decision.

Bart gave a slight laugh at Faith's interpretation, but nodded, "If you go in thinking you're gonna win, you're not going to be prepared for when you start to lose." He said, continuing Faith's train of thought. It was a good point, and something worth considering. If you make a plan, and don't make contingencies, you're leaving a massive opening for yourself. He was certainly interested in this, getting a lesson in strategy from Gilgamesh himself. Even if he didn't want to fight, being prepared to do so was nevertheless a good idea. "Is that about right?" He asked, a small smile on his face.

Gilbert shook his head. These were all good points, but somehow he thought that the effect was lost on them. Perhaps it was too much, too fast. Some people didn't learn to swim by getting tossed in the deep end. "Those men out there - the ones who are dying by the hundreds and the six hundred thousand that die in the next four years - paid the price for their General's arrogance. Be it from a Commander, line soldier, or Army cook, people die because of it."

"In your training, I will do my best to treat you fairly, but I must prepare you as best I can for what lay in front of us. They are things of nightmares, far worse than any battlefield I have ever entered. These lessons will not always be kind. Understand that my decisions will ultimately be made to preserve your lives. While you are training with me, keep the image of those men on that field in your mind. This is what we are trying to avoid. This is what I am here to teach."

"Take to your lessons with humility. And make your decisions in the timelines with the same humility." He motioned to the still shimmering portal back to the Destrehan Plantation, October 31st, Louisiana, 1943. "We're done for the day. At our next training session, I intend to expose you to a variety of different weapons and combat styles. Throw the pasta on the wall and see what sticks. For now, let's get back home." The Hat's hand still pointed toward toward the portal, but his eyes lingered on the scene of unnecessary death outside.

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"There is nothing like the smell of a fresh grave in the early morning hours," Belladonna said in a cool voice as she knelt down and ran her fingers over the dew that had formed on the freshly turned earth that now covered Peters grave. How she would have adored playing wake the dead but that would have to wait. She had spoken to Evelina about Alexandra and it was decided that the eldest Paradox would be part of the training this time. Without Drem they were down one Emendator, it was only fitting.

Alexandra didn't consider herself to be a morning person. Well, scratch that. She wasn't an early morning person to be more specific. She stifled a yawn as she walked up to their meeting place, the fresh grave of a fallen Paradox, in loose fitting clothes and comfortable shoes. Yes, you head me correct, she's actually wearing shoes. It's a miracle. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she vaguely wondered if this choice of venue was somehow symbolic to her training. You know, like, don't die. Aw shucks, there goes my evening plans. An amused smile came to her features as she came to a stop beside Belladonna. "Morning," she murmured.

Letting the dirt fall from her fingers Belladonna glanced up towards Alexandra. "It is time to find yourself. Part of which involves finding out just who you were." Rising from her crouch her tight dress stayed fitted to her. A hand reaching out to Alexandra as she started walking. "And to know that, you need to know who I am. Let us go fetch a coat, you will need it where we are going."

Alexandra smiled softly at Belladonna. "Sounds good to me," she replied, taking the woman's hand in her own as she followed after her. "I like a good adventure. So, where are we going exactly? Hopefully somewhere dangerous." She looked the woman over. Definitely somewhere dangerous, she thought. Belladonna had this whole goth corpse thing going for her. It seemed only fitting that death would be a factor.

"I wouldn't dare ruin the wonder." It wasn't long until coats were fetched, and a portal was found. With a single motion and no words Belladonna stepped through it. On the other side the wind cut deep and the cold cut deeper. They were standing on a cliff covered with snow and ice. The air was thin and there seemed to be a look of pleasant nostalgia on Belladonnas lips as she pulled the fur of her collar closer to her neck. "Velcome home," she said letting a thick eastern European accent slip through. It was a rare sight but one that all that were trained in the ways of Russia wished to see one day. It was the Moldoveanu Peak. The fabled birthplace of the skill set.

Alexandra could feel the bite of the cold on her skin before she could see the mountainous landscape open up before her. The wind stung her flushed face, and yet she found a sense of familiarity, solace even, in the cold. It reminded her of--"Home," she breathed out, her facial expression turning into one of awestruck wonder. She was back home, and more than that, she was in a place she had dreamed of upon occasion seeing. It all seemed surreal to her. She glanced up at Belladonna, shaking her head slightly. "I thought ve veren't suppose to go back?" she questioned, before quickly backtracking. "Vait, never mind. I don't vant to knov. Just, just let me, just let me take it all in for a moment." She took in a breath of the thin Russian air, emotion welling up in her eyes as she reminisced on bittersweet memories. She looked back up at Belladonna, her lips spreading into a wide grin.

Lacing her fingers together the woman leaned back slightly as she bent her knees just a hair. Her ebony eyes looking out across the vast landscape. "Being me has certain privileges." Her voice was rather matter of fact as she spoke. Stretching out her hand a long finer tipped in crimson pointed to the small village below, it couldn't have been past the Bronze Age in their technology. One could hear the screams from below. "Do nothing, we don't change time." This time her voice was firm as the screams of fear turned into screams of terror, the water breaking and Golgravtiz grabbing a large burly man with dark hair. "We just observe history being made."

Alexandra curiously looked to see what Belladonna was pointing at. However, her ear-to-ear grin soon faded as she heard the people's screams and watched as the chaotic scene unfolded below. She inhaled sharply and grimaced when what was no doubt a Golgravtiz shot out of the water to snatch up its unfortunate victim. She pulled her coat tighter around her, glancing up at Belladonna. She nodded her head solemnly, before looking back out at the man struggling against the Golgravtiz. She understood the purpose of the rule, but it didn't mean that it made it any easier to swallow.

"Like you I was chosen." The Golgravtiz began dragging the man towards the water. A cloaked woman, pale as the snow with raven hair came rushing towards them. "Like you I was different." One could tell she was casting the Gologramma but as she righted herself, her large rounded belly showed she was different in one more than one way. "Death comes for us all." And it did, the Golgravtiz winning against Belladonnas former self and her body hitting the snow.

A gasp escaped Alexandra's lips as she saw the younger, very much alive, version of Belladonna down below attempting to defeat the Soulless beast. More than that, the woman was undeniably pregnant. She glanced back sharply at the Paradox version of Belladonna before looking back down at her younger self. Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles nearly turning white and her nails digging into her palms in an attempt to ground herself. She squeezed her eyes shut just before two lives were ended, one of which never even had a chance to breath the cold Russian air. She hesitantly opened her eyes again, her gaze gravitating to the Belladonna that stood beside her. "I vaguely remember hearing you say something about a child. D-did your child become a Paradox too?" she asked quietly, her voice little more than a whisper as the gravity of the situation was almost too much for her to bear.

There was nothing more than a simple nod as she watched her own life be taken as her village ran off, her body being grabbed by the Golgravtiz and being drug towards the water. "You are just learning your abilities. Everyone learns." Coming from the tree line another dark haired woman entered the scene, it was Evelina. Walking through the snow as she dropped two small stone like items from her hand. As they hit the snow the ice gave way and the creature fell below, losing its grip on Belladonnas corpse. The other woman grabbed her and drug her back, away from the water. As she did the corpse gasped for breath. "Two souls for the price of one."

Alexandra let out a small sigh of relief at knowing that the child was "saved" as well. The knowledge brought her some solace, but not much. She looked back down at the scene, her lips thinning with displeasure. However, her eyes suddenly widened when yet another familiar face entered the scene. "Dice lady!" she exclaimed, taking a quick glance over at Belladonna. Her natural curiosity was piqued at this sudden, more positive, change of events. Her brows then furrowed at Belladonna's words, and the gears in her head soon began to turn in order to decipher the meaning behind the woman's words. "Vouldn't that make you a Soulless? You died by a Golgravtiz, so Golgravtiz you should become. Granted, it didn't successfully drovn you, but still," she questioned curiously. "Hov does that vork? Being killed by a Soulless, but then being resurrected. Hov does one not become a Soulless?"

There was a tug at the corner of Belladonnas ruby lips as she watched Evelina pull the pregnant her out of the snow and into the woods. The scene was over, as far as they were concerned. "When pitting a Soulless against the powers of The Dice, chose The Dice every time." Letting out a small breath, the cold winds causing it to fog like smoke as it fell from her lips. "Yet, somethings still remain or are lost," she said as she turned and headed back towards the portal. Stepping through it, the temperature rose. It was warm and humid with the smell of salt in the air. Alexandra would know the place, it was the coast of France. Only a couple of days before she had died. the sounds of the circus folk could be heard down the length of docks they were standing on.

"Huh," Alexandra remarked simply. Her response seemed rather lackluster, but it was just that internally she was contemplating how much good someone with such abilities could do back in her old timeline. Sure, there were plenty of remarkable skillsets hailing from a multitude of different countries, but nothing quite compared to the powers of The Dice, the power over life and death. Such an ability could most certainly turn the tides of the war against the Soulless in favor of mankind. The Dice could save countless lives. At that notion, her acceptance of not changing the course of history faltered slightly.

However, she didn't have much time to think on the matter as she followed Belladonna back through the portal. She was soon hit by a burst of warm air as the scenery changed. She shed her coat as she took everything in. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell a bit agape as she recognized the place. "This is from my timeline! Before the circus went to London, we were here in France," she exclaimed.

A single brow arched deeply on the pale Paradox. "And here I thought it was just a happy coincidence." Her delivery was so dry it would be hard to determine if she was speaking truthfully or out of sarcasm. Belladonna motioned with a single finger towards the alleyway. As she reached the end she stopped and held her hand out. "Remember, we do not intervene." Just as the words left her mouth all hell broke loose. It was a reply of a Soulless attack the Circus has dealt with in France just prior to leaving for London.

Alexandra arched a brow and opened her mouth about to make a remark when something else Belladonna had said chose that precise moment to pop back into her head. "Vait. You said some things can be lost. Vhat do you mean by that? Like, you mean parts of yourself remain lost?" she piped up. Any further questions were quieted as her gaze followed the direction Belladonna was pointing at. Her dark brown eyes widened at the scene before her.

The screams could be heard as the Circus began to fight various Soulless that were attacking. As it went down like a scene from the movies behind Belladonna she turned and faced the young Paradox as a cold static feeling rushed through the air. "Sometimes fear doesn't scare us to death but only partly to death. It is rare but it does happen. Most of the time you continue to live, a soul heals like after a broken heart. You weren't given that chance, to heal."

Alexandra's breath whooshed out of her, and she felt her legs start to give out underneath her. She stumbled forward slightly in an attempt to steady herself. "Vhat? No no no, that cannot be. I vould remember, I vould, vouldn't I?" she gasped, shaking her head vigorously. Her skin was paler as the shock, and horror, sunk in. Her breaths came in and out in a shaky, panicked manner as fear rose up in her like bile in her throat. I am infected by a Soulless?! No no no, this is an absolute nightmare! she thought in utter horror. "Vhat am I?!" she cried out.

"You are a Paradox who is healing." The statement was so dry. Not a hint of emotion as she spoke. Just stating simple fact. Stepping forward she cupped the womans cheek and let out a small smirk. "And over reacting because you were a performer. Composure my darling, you needn't act for an audience anymore."

"Vho says I'm acting," Alexandra replied as more of a statement than a question. Anxiety and confusion shown in her eyes as she looked up at Belladonna. She felt like her whole world was crumbling down on her once more. She didn't know who, or better yet what, she was anymore. It wasn't much of a wonder as to why she often hid behind sarcasm. It was plain and simple really. The truth sucked.

Looking towards the portal the corseted woman glanced over her shoulder towards Alexandra. "Until you find yourself, it is all an act." There was the barest hint of a smile on her crimson lips before she stepped back through the portal and was taken back to their home. The road to finding oneself was a long one, it started with a single step.

Alexandra let out a small huff of defeat. "Fine," she grumbled, sarcasm quickly bleeding back into her voice. "Maybe I am just being melodramatic, I mean it's not like I'm now part monster or something." Her lips were set in a hard line as she repositioned her coat as it had started to slide off its resting position on her shoulder. She then rolled her eyes at the whole absurdity of the situation before unhappily trudging after Belladonna through the portal back to Ville au Camp.

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Two months have passed. Each Paradox has been working with their Trainer for the last two months. Sure you only posted about 1 day but that was so that you could get an idea of what is going down. (If we took the time to cover every day of training for two months... we'd be here for two years lol). Random generation determined the first round lasted for 2 months.

This newest update has two parts. Part 1 - Skills. Part 2 - Next round.

Skills: Now, we have a run down of what you all learned over the last two months of time while training. The dice have ruled these are the following skills that either emerged or stuck during this time for each of the Paradoxes in Training.

You have 48 hours from this post to edit your Cs. Copy and paste your new skills into place under skills if you have new ones to add.

• Sophia:
  • Activated 2nd Ability - Ice Touch.
  • Diplomacy - The art of negotiation, which encompasses the talents of tact and cleverness to reach a mutually agreeable end between parties in a dispute.
• Andromeda:
  • Mimic - The ability to copy mannerisms and voice patterns of another person after an observational study
  • Photography - The ability to use both still and modern cameras including developing of film and trick of light
• Faith:
  • Hand 2 Hand - Basic skill used to strike another person in unarmed combat. This includes striking, grabbing, tackling, shoving, tripping, and choking.
  • Soft Martial Arts - The art of striking nerve bundles, ganglia, and other vulnerable areas of the body, as well as performing holds and throws
• Bart:
  • Hand 2 Hand - Basic skill used to strike another person in unarmed combat. This includes striking, grabbing, tackling, shoving, tripping, and choking.
  • Soft Martial Arts - The art of striking nerve bundles, ganglia, and other vulnerable areas of the body, as well as performing holds and throws
• Alexandra:
  • Horsemanship - The ability to ride and care for horses.
  • Memory Training - Skill that allows one to recall things with more clarity and quicker than most.
• James:
  • Court Etiquette - Knowledge of the intricacies of politics in medieval and ancient courts
  • Heraldry - An Archaic Skill involving the design, description, and recording of coats of arms

Cases: Now, time to rinse and repeat. Round two of five. Time to play magical chairs. Trainers, your over all jobs are the same. How long you have these pupils will be determined at the end of the round like this past time.

Remember as trainers, change to meet each character - so review their current Cs and their characters Cs from before. It will help.











*This is a repeat message from before but it still holds true.
Now, you have 10 days to get your case done. Once counter hits 11, you are over. So keep that in mind. I suggest you collab these out in PM with each other or on Si to make things easier than trying to post back and forth. At the end of this case I will post again, and again, until every character has gotten a decent amount of training. At the end of each Case, once it is posted and I have reviewed it, I will roll to see what skills ~stuck~, if secondary abilities came forth, the amount of control you gained, and so forth. This is going to allow us to cover a lot of time and Rping quickly. Once Training is done, then you will go on to full assignments.

The day will start like any other day at Camp, weather is the same, layout is the same. No need to worry about much to start. Letters are left and slipped under your room doors on where to go come morning instructing you to meet your trainer at the starting location. A bell will toll over the grounds at 5:50 AM to start the day, time to be at the starting location will be listed as 6:00 AM. Start your posts waking up OR there, however you wish.

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor. (I will be pming my students shortly.)

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Giosue stood underneath the tree waiting for his current charge to show up. Even in the dim light before Dawn anyone passing by would be able to see that The Watch was not wearing his usual attire. No, the dark, formal suit was nowhere to be seen. Instead he wore a chiton made of linen and dyed a soft orange with a bright green pattern emblazoned just above the bottom hem and belted off at the waist.

On his feet he wore simple sandals. Over his shoulder he carried a burlap sack, evidently full, but tied up tight so as to not spill any of its mysterious contents. And in his hand was a coin. What kind of coin it was couldn't be made out both from the darkness and that he idly flipped it and caught it again and again as he waited. If anyone were paying close attention, they'd notice that each toss and catch took a total of 4 seconds exactly before he began again.

Andromeda couldn't help but be excited when she saw the familiar note under the door, instructing her to meet the Watch at the Oak Tree. Finally, a proper trainer! She loved to travel and explore, but field trips with the Cards did wear old after a while. And most of the time, Andy felt they were just excuses for Nancy to go and do whatever she liked with her time. Getting dressed in a simple pair of trousers and a non-color clashing blouse, she brushed her white hair and put it into two short braids.

"Hello," she greeted the Watch with a smile, arriving right on schedule. She couldn't help but internally geek out over the way he was dressed. She had been a history major in life and she could only imagine that whatever lesson he'd have prepared for her, it'd be right up her alley.

"Salutations Ms. Aldrich, pleased to see you've arrived right on time." He spoke affably, but neutrally. Whether he was truly pleased to see his student or merely offering a polite word wouldn't be immediately evident to most, but one who knew Gio would know that he wouldn't have offered the bit of praise were it not the case. The watch caught the coin one final time and stepped away from the tree. With his other hand he pulled the bag off from his shoulder and gave it a light underhand toss over towards Andromeda to catch.

"Well, wouldn't want to be rude - plus I was a history major when I was alive, so I am pretty certain I am going to absolutely love whatever we'll be doing," Andy explained, catching the bag he threw at her. She couldn't resist the urge to open it up and looked through it, examining its contents. There was a large piece of blue fabric, which when she felt it she determined it was likely wool, and she had to imagine it'd be big enough to cover a bed. A smaller bag contained what she discovered to be ten coins, there was then also a leather strip and a sheathed bronze knife. When she saw the pins and sandals, she couldn't help but get an idea that they might be going to the Roman Empire or something!

"Are we going back in time?" she asked eagerly.

"We're going home. My home. In a fashion. We'll be taking a trip to what you'd call Ancient Greece. More specifically we'll arrive in the city of Gortyn on March 1st, 220 anno Domini. In that bag you'll find everything you need to assemble your peplos, appropriate footwear, a knife and your allowance for the trip: 10 Drachma. That's quite a lot of money for the time but be smart with it. If you need any assistance putting the peplos on, I can instruct you. It's far simpler than you post-industrial types think." As Gio stepped closer, Andromeda could see a shortsword dangling on his hip.

"...Yeah, I think I'm going to need some assistance putting on the peplos," Andy admitted, looking at the blue dyed wool. She was imagining that you sort of wrap it around oneself like a burrito and then use the leather strap to fasten it - but she wasn't certain at all and didn't want to make a fool of herself. Plus, there was the whole fiasco of having to go back into the house, change clothes in privacy, and come back out. She didn't want to go in there without knowing what to do with the peplos.

"All you have to do is first lay it out flat on the floor, Then you fold the long side down towards the other long edge. You don't want to do it too far, this shortens up the length of the dress so it won't drag on the ground. You want this section to be about the length of your torso. Then you wrap the garment around you fold side out, just underneath your armpits, pin them together over your shoulders and then tie it up with that belt at the waist, or higher if you prefer. Some ladies liked to go as high as just underneath the breast. Hm... sounds more confusing purely in the spoken word. Ah, a quick visual aid should suffice." Gio broke off a tree limb and with the twing proceeded to draw out a rough couple of diagrams illustrating the process in a more expedient manner.

Andromeda stared at the diagrams, muttering to herself as she memorized them. The visual aids did help. She always found that a visual aid, accompanying a verbal explanation, was key to teaching her. Some learned through hands on methods, some through reading, something through watching, some through listening - Andy was best suited to a combination, an audio-visual experience so to speak. "Okay, I think I get it - I'll be back in five minutes," she said, grabbing her bag and hurrying back to the house. A little less than five minutes later she returned, wearing the peplos and the shoes. In her opinion, it wasn't too bad a try for her first time wearing one - and she couldn't help but wonder if people used them to double as blankets, the peplos.

"I tried to get something on the darker side for you," Gio said off-hand when Andromeda returned, "Anything more would require something like Indigo, which shows off more wealth than we'd need for this mission. Ah, while we're on this mission please refer to me as Thucydides. 'Giosue' is rather out of place for the time and place." Gio produced The Watch and opened up a time portal in front of the two of them that shimmered and shifted in the light of the encroaching dawn.

"Ladies first." Gio motioned for the Paradox to go ahead through the time jump.

Andromeda nodded - she did tend to gravitate towards darker colors. In her experience, light and colorful ones somehow made her look entirely too washed out. Her skin was corpse-like enough as it was. "Thank you," she said, committing the name Thucydides to memory. She guessed that her own name wouldn't be that strange for the time period - if anything, it tended to raise eyebrows in her own modern period. It was likely right at home in an ancient one. She took a breath, as if expecting to get the wind knocked out of her from the portal, and she stepped on through.

On the other side, the sudden increase in light blinded her briefly. She had traveled from the dim light before dawn to the Mediterranean noon of Crete. The sun hung directly overhead, shining brilliantly across the entire city, amplifying all the colors, making them appear even brighter than they would have otherwise. And it was hot. Had she been wearing what she'd been dressed in just a few minutes earlier, she'd been baking immediately. The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of the sea. There was nobody out on the streets where she was, other than Gio who stepped out after her.

Andromeda held a hand in front of her face, shielding her eyes from the blinding sunlight. Instantly, her mind flickered to the fact that she didn't have anything even close to resembling sunblock with her. Of course, once that slight problem had been registered, she then focused on the breath taking beauty that surrounded her. "It's beautiful," Andromeda told the Emendator with a smile.

"If we have the time, I'd like to show you the view at the height of the city. It's quite the view. But right now we must focus on your mission. I'd like for you to head over to the market and fetch me a gallon of olive oil. It should cost you about 5 drachma, give or take a few obols. Anything left over you can use to get something for yourself if you find anything you'd like." Gio slipped her a couple of sheets of paper, one was a map of the area with relevant locations marked out. Another one was a flashcard of Ancient Greek phrases she might need: Where's the Market/Bathroom, I'd like to buy some olive oil, Thank you, Sorry, Don't hurt me. Things like that.

Andromeda looked over the cards - she spoke Latin, not Ancient Greek, so they'd be incredibly helpful. However, just having the phrases written down didn't mean that she'd be able to communicate effectively. She was almost entirely positive that she'd butcher the phrases entirely, somehow mispronouncing them so much that she'd be stoned to death or something of the sorts. "...Alright, I'll give it my best shot," Andy said, looking at Giouse for a moment. She figured she'd be able to get by with pointing at the olive oil if she needed to - and hopefully handing them the appropriate amount of money, as there was no way she'd understanding what they said. Andy then gave Giouse a nod, before she examined the map and moved off by herself in the direction of the market, using the relevant landmarks to orient herself.

As Andromeda walked through the city, there was a noted lack of people wandering the street despite the weather and the time of day. Off in the distance she could hear some disturbance, but it was unclear what exactly it could be. Still, she had yet to run into any real resistance to her path through the city. "Is it volcano day or something?" Andromeda muttered under her breath. However, no exploding volcanos or life shattering disasters reared their head as she followed the map, paying close attention to the landmarks and every bit of detail. She didn't want to get lost, by herself, in a strange country, in a time she'd never been to - it just sounded like a recipe for disaster. And this was coming from a Paradox who had been killed in what could only be described as an epic disaster.

As she walked through the market, she had to stop herself from going to a stall that looked like it sold curios. In her life, those had been her go to purchase. They interested her and increased the amount of items to keep in the small museum she ran in her Massachusetts hometown. "Tha íthela na agoráso lígo elaiólado," Andromeda said slowly, looking at the merchant. He was a middle aged man: tanned, dark haired, very hairy, thick beard. And as Andromeda spoke, he raised an eyebrow, looking at her as if she had just mashed a bunch of random words together.

Vaguely, Andromeda remembered Alicia's warnings about Nancy and Giouse pranking people....Hopefully this wasn't one of those times. "Tha íthela na agoráso lígo elaiólado," Andy repeated. Somehow, her pronunciation was actually slightly worse.

"Θέλετε να αγοράσετε ένα μικρό ψωμί?" the merchant asked her. "Δεν πωλίζω κανένα από αυτά, χάσετε. Θα θελήσετε να πάτε δύο πάγκους με αυτόν τον τρόπο."

Andromeda had no idea whatsoever what he had said. She looked down at her cards - somehow, please don't hurt me didn't seem appropriate for the situation, but she had that one on hand just in case she needed it. She was also contemplating just showing the notecard to the merchant, but she figured that with her luck, he wouldn't be able to read. She didn't know what the literacy rate was in this time period, though she doubted it was good. "Tha íthela na agoráso lígo elaiólado," Andy said again, a bit slower this time in an effort to get the pronunciations better.

"Θέλετε το ελαιόλαδο? Δεν είναι λίγο φραντζόλα?" the merchant asked with a laugh, grabbing a small thing of olive oil. Andy pointed at it and nodded. "Πέντε δραχμές," he then said, holding out his hand. Andy nodded, figuring that he wanted money and she put one drachma in his hand at a time, having no idea how much he wanted, until five were in his hand and he moved his hand back, letting her take the olive oil. She frantically shuffled through the cards. "Efcharistó," Andromeda said, only to get a funny look. Figuring it was better to quit while she was ahead, Andromeda left the olive oil stand.

On her way back to Giouse, Andromeda couldn't help but look at the stand with the curios again. She went up to it and pointed at the one thing that interested it - of course, it all interested her - and paid a few drachma for a few small little bead type things, which looked like they were meant to be children's toys. She was able to mess with them in her hand as she walked and she smiled slightly, realizing that she had essentially just bought something to fidget with in Ancient Greece. At least she had the olive oil Giouse wanted - and no one tried to burn her at the stake or something.

The shopkeep looked at Andromeda a bit wide-eyed at her purchase, but took the cash without fuss. At the stand Andy noticed the noise in the distance grew louder and more defined. They were definitely the sounds of people, mostly men yelling. The words couldn't be made out, but the tone was unmistakable. It was a mix of aggressive demands and desperate cries of anguish. Footsteps. Metal against metal. Metal against stone. And it was coming her way faster than comfortable.

"...Okay, this is way worse than volcano day," Andromeda muttered, clutching her flashcards, children's entertainment, and olive oil as she took off at a run in the direction she had come from. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but her guest was either a riot, rogue soldiers, or some other scenario in which a huge mob came to murder people. "Shit shit shit," she cursed, as one of her - in her mind now instantly labeled as a glorified flip flop - flew off and she had to run after it, quickly putting it back on before resuming her run.

And yet, even with this hurdle, Andromeda was able to make it back to Giosue without too much trouble, aside from being out of breath from running and perhaps developing a sunburn from the intense summer sun above.

"Afternoon Andromeda. I see you've completed your objective," he spoke calmly, despite the oncoming noise out of eyesight. He extended his hands to take the jug from the Paradox. "Did you pick up anything for yourself?"

"Yes, the beginning of a bad sunburn," Andy couldn't help but reply, handing the jug of olive oil over to him. She knew that probably wasn't the proper thing to say to him, but she was at least mildly convinced she had nearly gotten in the way of an angry death mob. And given that this was from where Giouse was from, it meant that he knew it was going to happen. Of course. "And these," she added, holding up the marble/bead like things.

"Very nice. Do you have any spare change left?" Giosue asked, taking the olive oil off of her hands. In doing so, the impending noise finally arrived, with a soldier brandishing a shortsword stepping into view, shortly followed by several more. He pointed at the two of them and shouted a command to the others there. The Emendator simply saluted to them before speaking.

"Είμαι φίλος του Γνώσου. Αυτή είναι η εγγονή μου, Ανδρομέδα. Είναι από την Ιταλία και δεν μιλάει ελληνικά. Πιστεύω ότι είδα κάποιους Λυσιτανούς με αυτόν τον τρόπο." He pointed further down the street. And as simply as that, the men exchanged a few words among themselves and ran ahead in the way he had directed them.

"It's a good thing you got here when you did. I believe we won't have the time to go to that lookout I had promised. Let us continue our discussion back at Camp." Gio quickly reopened the portal behind him and stepped back into the future.

Andromeda couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed - she had imagined that the Watch would have to have known that the lookout wouldn't happen. Time flowed the same way every time - right? Of course, there were those Destruere things that had been mentioned, but she doubted she would have been brought to an area where one was active in order to train. "What was that?" Andy asked, once they were through to the other side. "Was it the outbreak of a civil war or something?" Her Ancient Greece class hadn't been the best but after becoming a Paradox, all of those old memories were fuzzy anyways, so she couldn't even begin to attempt to place what was happening.

"Long story short," Gio began on the other side of the portal, "the city's divided over who to support, Gnossus or the Lyttians. That army was the elders and Gnossus driving out or killing all the supporters of the Lyttians. Appearing as old as I am, they believed me when I told them I was on their side and when I pointed out that I saw the enemy yonder that way. But I didn't want to take the chance of even more showing up and not believing me. I'm not from Crete after all, so I'd be more suspect." Gio set the jug of clay down.

"How'd it end for them?" Andromeda asked, a bit curious. From what Giouse said, it sounded like the older population backed Gnossus - and perhaps the younger generation went with the Lyttians? It was the only thing she could think of, based off of the simple fact that he indicated his age was inherent to his credibility with the army.

"The Lyttian supporters get driven out. They hide out in Phaistos for awhile and then launch a counterattack that results in a siege but never really goes anywhere. But none of that's really important. As far as your mission was concerned, the invading forces were more important as an impending time limit for your task. If you had dallied too long, gotten distracted, or let your mind drift and got lost, it'd have been very easy for you to run into the army without my immediate aid."

While Giouse seemed to be more focused on discussing the mechanics of the task, Andromeda wanted to know more about the siege itself. What type of strategy had been used - and when it really went nowhere, what sort of impact did it have on the place? She couldn't help but imagine there'd be at least a preserved cultural memory of it in some way. "That makes sense," Andy replied. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the oil salesman in particular.

"So we didn't have time to go to the lookout during that particular stint, but the advantage of traveling with The Watch, is that I can just open up a portal to a slightly different time. So we could go to a different day. Or perhaps... How would you like to go see a show at the Roman Colisseum?"

Andromeda's eyes were positively sparkling. "That'd be amazing! I'd love to!"

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Nancy was throwing stones into the swamp, just waiting for her pupils to arrive. It would be a nice change of pace, getting a new set, after her few months working with Pasty. After a certain point, they came to get a read on your personality and expect certain twists and surprises. But these two were fresh and Nancy hadn't been able to sleep much the night before, eagerly coming up with more and more ideas - most of them inspired by Faith, but she had made sure to throw in a few things to purposefully catch Bart off guard as well. "It's a small world after all," Nancy sang under her breath. She didn't really care if they showed up on time or not. In fact, she'd be mildly irritated with them if they did arrive right on the dot.

Faith woke up a bit later than normal, despite the alarm. Having been training with the Hat for a while, she had gotten used to her body being sore and fatigued, but it didn't make it any easier. Still, she was thankful for the sessions, even if she had to be paired with Bart for them. She was sure Evelina had a hand in that and paired them on purpose. Faith woke up and glanced at the door, seeing the familiar note. She read it and dropped it instantly. "The swamp?!?" Of all the places to train at, she had to be at a swamp? And she wasn't with Evelina this time around either. Faith moved slowly around her room, getting dressed and grabbing her knife and sheathing it, before she stumbled out the door and made her way, hesitantly, to the swamp.

Bartholomew woke, saw the note under his door, and nodded, getting dressed. Once he was ready to head out, he bent down, picke dup the note, and read it. Oh fun, it'd be Nancy, finally time for him to get to know her. They'd be working in the swamp, which he didn't really mind. He'd run by there enough that he actually kind of liked it. Excited, he headed out the door. Working with the Hat wasn't bad horrible, but he didn't at all mind taking a break from combat training. He did wonder what Nancy might have in store for him. He hurried towards the swamp, and wondered if he'd still be working along side Faith. Best he could tell, she wasn't here to make friends, to say the least, which made her less than fun to spend time with. Reaching the Swamp, he waved at The Cards, "Good Morning!" He said, smiling, trying to put his best foot forward with her. "How's your morning going?"

"Are you always this happy so early in the morning?" Nancy couldn't help but ask, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Bart. She had a sudden craving for sweets so she pulled a caramel chew out of her pocket and popped it into her mouth, before throwing one to Faith and another to Bart. She wasn't going to make them sit in a swamp, early in the morning, and just watch her eat candy. She then walked onto a fallen log in the swamp, balancing on it with her arms out. "To start...Faith, right? I want you to put Bartholomew on your shoulders and carry him."

"Which reminds me....What would you two like to be called? I ask because let's be honest, some of the names Paradoxes are stuck with are quite awful."

Faith made her way over just in time to see Bart already there. So it seemed she would be paired up with him again. Faith caught the candy in her hand and looked at it. She wasn't a big fan of caramel, but she ate the good anyway. For all she knew, this was part of the test. It wasn't until Nancy actually placed her task in front of her that Faith finally came to attention. "I'm sorry. What?" She wanted her to carry him? Not only was that probably not going to happen, but she would soon lick off caramel from the swampy log. "You want me to carry him? I'll drop him for sure, either on purpose or accidentally. And I prefer Faith. It's my name, after all."

Bart caught the chew, and cocked his head in surprise as Nancy's initial question, having just tried to put his best foot forward. He was a bout to answer as Faith appeared, at which point Nancy asked her to pick him up. He gave The Cards a curious look. "Pardon me?" He asked in a mix of surprise and confusion. He turned his head to Faith and shot her a look at the mention of dropping him on purpose. Recomposing himself, he continued, "I prefer Bart, if that's alright. And um, why do you want Faith to carry me? I can walk fine." He popped the chew into his mouth, letting it melt on his tongue as he waited for some kind of explanation.

"Yes, of course. I want you to carry him. Put him on your shoulders. Haven't you two seen Star Wars? It's like that, when Luke carries Yoda. Except Faith will be Luke and Bart, you'll be Yoda," Nancy replied matter of factly. She popped another piece of candy into her mouth as she waited for them to do it. She didn't care if Faith dropped him, on purpose or accidentally. "Go on then, we don't have all day."

Faith gave the Cards another look. This bitch had to be on crack or something. She could understand going back in time to see some Civil War battle, but to carry some loser on her shoulders for no clear reason? And in a swamp?!? This was insane. But far be it from her to not make an effort in this crazy time. She looked over to Bart and shook her head. "Fine. Get on then. Don't touch my hair or so help me..." She knelt down to allow the boy to climb on her shoulders, but she would drop his ass if he so much as did anything other than sit there.

Okay, maybe Nancy wasn't all there. Not seeing a good way out of this situation, Bart sighed, and nodded at Faith, "I won't touch your
hair if you don't drop me..." He said, stepping behind her, and climbing carefully onto her shoulders, actively trying to avoid touching her hair. He sat himself down on her shoulders, and looked towards the Cards, completely lost as to what in the hell this was all about. He was mostly focusing on keeping his balance at this point, but managed to get out. "Alright... what now?" He said, moving the Caramel chew to one side in his mouth.

Nancy pulled out her camera, a Leica III and positioned it perfectly, taking photographs of Faith and Bart. She was trying her best not to laugh too much. The lighting was good and she did enjoy taking pictures of the Paradoxes - especially since sometimes, they did seem to last longer. "Beautiful. Now if you'll walk through that portal, we'll be on our way," Nancy said and she stepped to the side, as a portal appeared. "And if you do decide to drop him on purpose, let me know so I can get a candid shot of the look on his face, Faith."

Faith glared at the woman. What the hell did she think she was doing? Taking pictures like she's some circus animal and making her carry this sack of worthlessness? She had half a mind to drop Bart then and there, but decided against it. This had to be a trick of some sort. She had to keep carrying him. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "Hold on, loser. Here we go!" Faith quickly followed her into the portal, holding on to Bart as best she could.

Bart blinked at the flash, and swayed a little, trying to keep his balance. He gave an annoyed look down at Faith, did she have to be so rude? He didn't really understand people like that. He knew she was from undead world, so maybe that hardened her? He didn't know. He felt the ground move beneath him as Faith carried him, which made him feel quite silly. He peered forward as they made their way through the portal, curious to see what would be on the other side.

---

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Nancy was positively beaming as she brought her charges to the true site of their lesson - the Haunted Mansion ride. Of course, the fact that they had gotten to change out of 1940's attire and into fashion from the early 21st century also put a smile on her face. "So here is where we'll be having our first lesson," Nancy explained, as she got into line for the ride and motioned for them to follow her. It was about the middle of the day and the sun was beating down, but the lines weren't too terribly long. "Rule number one - don't use your powers unless you are in a life and death situation," Nancy instructed.

"And I'd give you more rules but honestly, the rest are sort of guidelines," she mused. "But at any rate, I doubt either of you will have any trouble with blending into this time period - even if it doesn't come with the usual heaping of undead that you're accustomed to, Faith. Instead, your job is to find out a personal secret from whomever you sit with on the ride. This ride has been having some problems lately and will break down while we're on it - so you should have a good period for a chat with them. If you can get them to give up this information, then you're a damn good actor and as a treat, I'll let you pick the next ride we go on - and that'll be just for fun, no lessons involved."

Faith exited the portal and instantly recognized where she was. Even if she hadn't been there before, it was easy to put two and two together. The sights, the smells, and the sounds instantly took her back. She hadn't been here in years and the apocalypse kind of put this further down the list of desired locales. Though, she did often wonder what happened to Disneyland after. She also enjoyed being out of her 1940's attire, as fashionable as she looked in them. 'Ok, get down now." Bart should appreciate the fact she didn't just drop him, but she let him down and prepared to queue up. She was excited for this task. Sitting and talking to someone, finding out secrets, this was easy, especially if they were stuck on a ride.

Bart gasped as they appeared in Disneyland. He'd never been able to go here as a kid! They were always too poor, and even though he would have loved to go. His face lit up, and any apprehension he might of felt about Nancy dissolved in a moment. This put her in his good books for sure. He listened to what the goal of their lesson would be, and quickly got down off of Faith's shoulders and onto the ground. He gave a hum, and said, "Could we get a little advice?" He asked, cocking his head. He'd never quite done anything like that, and while he mightbe able to come up with a few ideas, this wouldn't be his forte.

"Personality mirroring will endear you to some," Nancy mused, as the line moved up some more. They were almost at the very front now. "But others hate a yes-man with a vengeance. Of course, know that only lies have details and that unless you're dealing with someone from a criminal past or organization - which is quite possible in this timeline and location - people generally enjoy talking about themselves. My biggest recommendation? Have fun. You'll know what to do, I'm sure. And if you don't, I'll send you on It's a Small World to do the same exercise until you do."

Faith didn't want to toot her own horn, but she was fairly confident she would succeed in this task. She loved talking, especially about herself. If anything, if she opened up, others would too. She just hoped she wouldn't be paired with some loser or something whose deepest secret was that they wet the bed until they were 20. She would NOT be put on that ride either. She would sooner kill herself (again) than have to listen to that fucking song on repeeat. "No, I got this. I'm excited!"

Bart gave a mock shiver at Nancy's threat. "The horror." He said playfully. He'd never been on it, but he had heard the song on the ride was a little repetitive. He nodded at her advice though, and started planning. The hard part would be getting somebody comfortable enough on one ride. Maybe he could give, or pretend to give some secret of his own, show vulnerability, and get them to mirror it. Yeah, that could work. He'd either go with that, or try "personality mirroring", as Nancy called it. He'd have to see if he could insight the type of person he was next to.

Nancy gave them a smile as they were ushered into the room. "Everyone, please head to the dead center of the room," one of the workers announced. The Haunted Mansion ride always began the same way, and Nancy enjoyed every single bit of it. It reminded her in some ways of one of her favorite movies from this time period - Beetlejuice. Once the introduction was finished and they were ushered down the halls, Nancy climbed into a doombuggy all by herself. "See you two on the other side," Nancy called out.

Faith entered the attraction, ignoring the spiel. She had heard it before and it got tiresome. She looked forward to the down time, if one could call it that. She got to relax on a ride and complete a fairly easy task. She looked at the potentials in the room with her, hoping to land an easy one, but was that the point? Soon, they got on and she saw Nancy enter alone. She got up to her own cart and sat down, waiting to see who would sit with her.

Much to her dismay, a heavy-set, middle-aged woman in full Disneyland get-up joined her. She gave Faith a warm grin. "Sorry dear. Husband and son got the other cart to themselves. We'll just have some good girl time, yeah?" The woman's accent screamed Minnesota and Faith fought the urge to stab her eardrums. She had to remember the task at hand. "It's no trouble at all! I love what your wearing by the way. Very cute." The woman sat down and turned to face Faith before they got moving. "Thanks dear. So nice to sit next to such a kind, pretty girl." Faith rolled her eyes out of view as the ride started. Soon they were moving through the ride and Faith counted what she saw, waiting for the time for the ride to break. Soon, it happened, just as Nancy said it would. The woman next to her sighed. "Oh dear, this is the 5th time this has happened to us. We must be cursed. Sorry dear, I am sure this will pick back up soon." Faith nodded, but she already knew she had a time frame. "You may be right, ma'am. How about we have some girl talk before they get it working?" The woman chuckled, "Oh dear, I doubt an old woman like myself has much to talk about with a young thing like you."

Faith thought a moment. This woman had to have a secret, as stupid as it may be. She had to cater to her. What would a married, older woman keep secret? Soon, Faith mustered up some tears, letting them fall. "It's just...my boyfriend broke up with me. We were supposed to be here together! He left me for my best friend and just..." Faith cried, letting her fake emotion come over her. The woman soon had an arm around her. "Oh dear, there there. Pretty thing like yourself will find someone else, I'm sure. He sounds like an idiot." Faith laughed, "Yeah. It's just, seeing you with your husband and son, got me thinking about marriage. How wonderful it must be. Being together for years. During your best and worst times. And it got me thinking of the future. Your life must be so great!" Faith looked over to the woman, seeing if her line hit a snag. The woman sighed, "I tell ya dear, it's not all its cracked up to be. You should enjoy your youth. There's a big world out there. I only wish I spent my days looking at it. Got married too young dear. My father even told me I shouldn't marry Hank. Said he had a bad feeling about him, but did I listen? No, and now I am 30 years invested with only stretch marks and credit card debts out my eyeballs." The woman gasped, "Oh dear, I never told anyone that! You just seem like such a peach to talk to." Faith wiped her wet eyes, "Thank you, ma'am. That helped." More than the woman would ever know.

Bartholomew scanned up and down the ride, if he picked a seat with somebody already in it, that'd help ensure he'd be able to get the information he wanted. He saw a teenage boy sitting on his own, and thought for a moment. Quickly, he had a plan, and smiled to himself, ever impressed with his own cleverness. He approached the seat, and sat down. The boy gave him a look, and he shrugged, "Seat was open and I needed one, all good?" He asked coolly. "Yeah, I guess..." The boy said, evidently a little annoyed that he wouldn't be on his own. Bartholomew rested his arms on his own legs. The kid didn't seem too happy at the moment, which was odd for the "The happiest place on Earth". As the ride started up, he initiated step one, getting him talking. "So, what brings you here? Vacation?" The teen scoffed at Bartholomew. "Why do you care?" Bart shrugged, "Guess I don't kid."

That surprised the boy, and he practically glared at Bartholomew. "Asshole." He grumbled, at which point Bart looked at him and smirked as the ride started up, "I'm just not very interested in talking to bratty teenagers. Take your angst somewhere else." That should do it, he figured. The goal was to get him angry enough. People loved to talk, and given the opportunity, they'd say almost anything. Police commonly used this, get a potential suspect talking, and let them talk and talk, and they'd end up slipping up and sharing something they didn't want to. Now all he had to do what shut up. The teenager looks pissed as could be, and just as Bart hoped, started talking. "Alright, yeah, sure, just assume." He said, Bart gave him a sideways look, but remained otherwise silent. "People like you are the actual worst, you think you know me after five seconds?" Bart visibly rolled his eyes, things going swimmingly. He focused on not smiling, or giving any positive cue to him. "Why? Why do you think it's okay to treat people like this? Tell Me!" The teenager's voice was quiet, but it was also harsh, with notes of sadness.

With Bart's continued silence, he said, "Whatever. I'll forget it all tonight. You're what weed's for." Bart exhaled. That counted, as far as he was concerned. So the kid liked the Devil's Lettuce. Not earth shattering, but no way in hell his parents knew. He looked back over at the kid, "Listen, I'm sure High School's hard, and nothing's wrong with smoking on occasion." He said, carefully, "But trust me. Don't use it as a coping mechanism." The kid rolled his eyes, and looked away, not talking to Bart anymore. He sighed, and shrugged. He couldn't fix people, and he figured that he kind of had to toe a line here. Interfering too much would put him in hot water, and he didn't need that in his life.

Once Faith and Bart exited the ride, they'd see Nancy wearing a pair of Nightmare Before Christmas Mickey Mouse Ears, eating some cotton candy as she waited for them. Nancy was a bit curious to see if they'd had managed to complete the task - and if they hadn't, she hoped they'd lie to her and convince her that they had. It would be a good enough test of acting if they'd be able to pull that off. "So? How was it? Anything good for the Burn Book?" Nancy asked, referencing another popular film from this era. She loved the movies. She then held out the cotton candy to Faith and Bart, in case they wanted to partake in some.

Faith walked out jollier than she had originally been. She even took some of the cotton candy Nancy offered her. "First, solid reference. Love that movie. Second, I sure did. Sat next to some old lady who told me her father told her not to marry her husband. You could almost sense the regret. She poured it out once I let the water works run. It was almost too easy. That was...oddly enjoyable considering we were just in a swamp." Faith was almost tempted to buy her own Mickey Mouse ears, though she knew it would not last.

Bart stepped out of the ride, and calm and collected. He saw Faith and Nancy, and walked over to them. He didn't catch the reference, not being a Mean Girls aficionado. "Story of the century, teenage boy does pot because he's bullied." He said dryly. "People love the sound of their own voices, it turns out. Spilled the beans when I poked him in the right ways." Though he was proud of himself for getting it out of him the way he did, he couldn't help but feel a bit bad. "It's kinda sad honestly." He clearly looked uncomfortable with what he'd just done.

Nancy looked at Bart, raising an eyebrow at that last comment. "Of course it's sad. People's darkest secrets are always sad - same for Paradoxes and Emendators. There's a reason they don't tell people - to hide pain. But if you need something to help you sleep at night...acting and lying won't do it. The other Emendators can teach you to be heroes - I'm just going to teach you how to survive, how to slip through people's fingers that way you can be heroes if you wish, to stop the forces that would destroy us." Nancy then couldn't help but feel annoyed at herself for that bit of monologuing. "As promised, you two can pick the ride we go on next. After that, it's back to work - this time you need to pick an accent you overhear here and try to mimic it."

Faith rode her high of succeeding at her task all the way to one of her favorite rides in Disneyland. "Space Mountain!" She didn't care if Bart wanted to or not, it was her favorite ride ever since she was a kid. She would ride the hell out of that and not think about the next task of mimicing an accent. Something she was sure she would fail at. Accents were hard to master, but she would give it her all, especially if the threat of Small World still hung over them. She woulds not ride that without someone dying.

Bart nodded at Nancy's words. Sure, he might have to lie to survive, but that doesn't mean he had to like it. In the mean time, he was in Disneyland for the first time in his life, and he was gonna take this as a small pleasure for himself. He thought he had a pretty good idea about who Nancy was, and said, "On the other hand... We could do Small World anyway." He said, flashing a smile at the Emendator. This was two pronged, one, it might upset Faith, and she hasn't been too kind to him, so he was feeling admittedly spiteful, and two, he thought Nancy would appreciate the irony.

"Do you enjoy torture?" Nancy asked Bart with a laugh. "If so, I can teach you all about how to cause someone pain in order to get information....But right now, I decide Faith wins and we're going to ride Space Mountain. Let's be real - that and Splash Mountain are the best two rides here, with the added benefit that Space Mountain isn't based on a racist story." The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, beyond Nancy working the occasional lesson about accent mimicry into the rides. However, by the time they had finally gotten to Splash Mountain, the Emendator was content to just let her charges enjoy Disney with her.

"So, I hope you two give me a five star rating, it will not have any impact whatsoever," Nancy joked, as they returned to Ville au Campe. "If you got blisters while at Disney...Consider it a part of your souvenir. And honestly, it won't be the worst thing to happen to you two while you're here."

Faith was happy she got to ride Space Mountain. It made her forget, even for a brief moment, she was dead and was about to take part in this thing that could mean the end of her forever. She also hadn't forgotten Bart's suggestion of going on Small World. She would pay him back later for even trying. However, during the exercise, Faith found it hard to grasp some accents. She managed Southern pretty well, but English could have used some work. Still, she got to ride rides, so it wasn't all bad. "Definitely five stars. Useful tools and fun rides. Would have been complete if we got some of that mango Dole ice cream they sell here." Faith wasn't optimistic they would get that, but it was an enjoyable time overall as they made their way back to the portal.

Bart had an absolute blast on the ride, definitely the coolest coaster he'd ever ridden. The rest of the day went by with some difficulty, having never done any kind of accent work before. He tried his hand at French and English, but he knew that it wasn't very good. Southern was definitely the easiest, and was the only half convincing one. Once they were back at the camp, He cracked a smile at Nancy, "Maybe four and a half, for that stunt at the beginning." He said playfully. This training was, at least, much more fun than working with Gil.

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It was not quite dawn yet when Gilbert stepped into The Mill. It was a fairly secluded spot on the rounds of Ville au Camp; a freestanding building surrounded by tall, thick trees that helped to muffle the labors performed within. This was The Hat's workshop, and while he kept it more or less tidy, it showed the telltale signs of a place of utility and creation. Particularly if one were creating implements of death by the hundreds. Walls were lined with various pieces of weaponry and armor, divided by eras of human development. Ancient to modern, and more locked away besides. But the focal point was a smallish, round table with two cups of coffee, lightly steaming, with a platter of scones in the middle. Simple wooden chairs sat on either side, practically begging to be used.

Gilbert sat down on one side of the table and helped himself to a blueberry scone. Not bad, if he did say so himself. Today was going to be special. He should treat himself and his student first.

Sophia opened her eyes and started to stretch out, while letting out a slight yawn she started to get used to things by now, she looked over at the note that was under her door. She spent two months training with Evelina the first day was the scariest almost nearly getting dropped twenty feet and getting eaten by walkers. She'd be training with The Hat it seems as Sophia walked over and got changed for the day.

She left the main house and started to make her way across the grounds and over towards The Mill where the letter had told her to meet him at. When she got there Sophia noticed the round table with two cups of coffee in front of her and the Hat sitting there, as she approached him she gave him a slight smile and wave. "Good morning." She said before making her way and pulled up a seat. "What will we be doing today if I may ask?" Sophia asked, curious as to what they would actually be doing for their training.

Gilbert raised an eyebrow and set his scone down. This one was inquisitive. Probably for the best, though he did not want to encourage completely open discourse at the beginning of her training. "Ordinarily, I would have you pick out a blade and give you a short lecture on responsibilities." he confided, "You are a little different. We will get to that, probably tomorrow, but today you require something more personalized to start our time together. Tell me, what do you consider the biggest hindrance to your combat training?" He looked the woman over, eyes resting on her hands for just a second. "Oh, and by all means, help yourself to some breakfast."

Sophia smiled slightly towards Gilbert when he offered her breakfast and reached over for a scone as well as the cup of coffee and then leaned back in the seat as she took a bite out of it. "Thank you for the breakfast by the way." Sophia said as her eyes then looked over towards him when he asked what would be the biggest hinderance for their training. She was grateful for the more personalized part of their training, before taking off the prosthetic hand and set it down on the table. "I probably wouldn't be able to properly hold a second weapon with my left hand anymore, or some kind of rifle that does require to hands to handle either, and punching with a stump probably wouldn't hurt anyone much." She said shrugging slightly, she felt like her options would be a little bit more limited.

"Mmm, of course." agreed Gilbert, speaking through a mouthful of scone. He motioned with his cup before clearing his palate with it, cleared his throat, and continued. "You have a liability. Something that makes everyday human function more difficult for you." The timeless warrior narrowed his eyes and leaned in toward Sophia a bit, his demeanor much changed from just seconds ago. "And they sent you to me for combat training. Curious." He reached under the table and brought up a bundle of coarse cloth. "Put this on and follow me."

Gilbert rose and walked to the back of the Mill, past various sets of armor and and to a simple wooden door. Just before he stepped through, the tall Emendator called back, "And don't forget your hand, Sophia."

Sophia took another sip from the coffee, before finishing the cup and set it down her attention fully towards Gilbert nodding in agreement. Everything was a quiet a bit harder for her, even tying a simple knot was though a lot somedays as well Sophia raised an eyebrow towards Gilbert at his comment. Then he produced a coarse cloth and set it onto the table, she was curious what it was as she unwrapped it was a simple grey dress with a high collar and long skirt, a black corset, and a pair of black gloves. "Just give me a moment." Sophia said as she stood up and then walked to the other side just for a little bit of privacy, before getting fully changed in the outfit that the Hat had given her.

She approached the table once more and grabbed her hand, and quickly went to join Gilbert at the back of the Mill she took notice of the various sets of armor that were there. Which did get her interested in it a little bit. "So how do I look?" Sophia asked looking over towards The Hat, wondering what was actually behind the door.

Gilbert gave a devious smile and motioned for Sophia to attach her prosthetic hand. To answer her question, he straightened his posture considerably and clicked his heels together in a fairly antiquated manner of etiquette, intoning with flawless German accent, "Wie ein Deutscher, Fräulein Harris." He opened the smallish door to reveal a field of shimmering in the frame, the telltale sign of a portal suitable for Emendator and Paradox use alike. Gilbert's features started to alter, but not by much; he changed just enough to appear Caucasian while maintaining his same basic appearance. His clothing changed with him, though it was more drastic. For all appearances he looked to be a tradesman or merchant from an era long past, somewhere in central Europe. "Holy Roman Empire, in what would now be Germany, 1509." The accent remained with the man, like a motivated method actor. "A village tavern outside of Munich. I have something interesting to show you. Follow me." He stepped through the door and into the dim light of history beyond.

Sophia nodded as she started to attach the prosthetic hand onto her stump and made sure that it was on firmly as she pulled the straps tightly on it. Then she slipped the pair of black gloves over her hands, she watched as Gilbert started to change and shift slightly which was still amazing to watch to her. Sophia raised an eyebrow towards him as he spoke in German towards her, which she didn't know or understand either. Sophia listened to him as he gave her a brief description on where they are traveling which was the very early 1500's as the door opened and quickly joined Gilbert on the other side. "What are you going to show me?" Sophia asked, as she stepped through the other end and looked back as they emerged out of an outhouse. She was certainly very curious and interested on what he would be teaching or showing her.

The portal in which they emerged was indeed inside of an outhouse. The structure bore a heart-shaped cutout, was painted the most brilliant shade of green, and for the meantime had a sign bearing the word "ACHTUNG!" across the front of it. It made for an excellent place to hide a temporal gateway. But that wasn't the point of their jaunt across the centuries; the tavern nearby was. Evening was just beginning to settle in, and the townspeople were putting away their tools of labor, many coming to this humble place of beer and sausage to unwind. Gilbert pointed to the tavern and ushered Sophia inside, saying, "This night, a man by the name of Götz von Berlichingen is visiting this establishment. He was also known as 'Götz of the Iron Hand'."

He smiled and selected a table for them in a out of the way section near a series of massive, untapped barrels. "He was quite the character. Dangerous, but well liked by the common people. You'll see why in a little while. For right now..." Gilbert winked at a young lady carrying a tray of steins, traded her a coin for two of them, filled with frothy, red-amber liquid, and returned to Sophia. "Have a drink and enjoy the show." Gilbert plunked the beer stein upon the heavy wooden table with a hollow, sloshing sound, and slid it across to his Paradox-In-Training.

Sophia looked among the people that were there, as they were finishing up their day of labor and then some of them heading directly towards the tavern. She looked back over her shoulder towards the outhouse that was their way back home, it was still very weird for her to go back in time. She quickly caught up with Gilbert as he led her into the tavern itself, and followed him towards a secluded spot in the establishment.

Sophia sat directly across from Gilbert as he sat down and ordered two beers for them, as Sophia quickly caught her stein and listened to him speak. Sophia wasn't to big on history growing up, she didn't know the guy The Hat had mentioned but she had a feeling his name would have some significance anyway. "He sounds like an interesting man, also thank you for the drink." She then turned slightly to watch the scene unfold.

The man that Gilbert pointed out, Götz, was sitting atop a table with his boots in the chair in front of it, near one side of the tavern. He was resplendent in his military finery and big, black beard. Götz hoisted a drink with one hand, the other closed into a fist and laying in his lap motionless, covered by a black leather glove. Truly a man of the people, he was obviously of noble bearing yet was spending his time drinking and socializing loudly among the common folk.

A trio of armed men suddenly burst into the room, pointing at Götz and yelling angrily in the local German tongue. Whatever the meaning of the exchange was, the intent was clearly to inflict great bodily harm upon the man. They advanced, swinging their swords wildly. "They won't bring the fight this close to the beer barrels. Priorities, you understand. They aren't savages." His remark came with a smile, though admittedly it was easy to remain calm when one was the veteran of a thousand wars.

Sophia took a quick sip of the beer as she turned her head as she heard the door open seeing three armed men entering the tavern, she turned the chair slightly to face the action. She couldn't understand a bit of German as they argued amongst each other for a moment, before the fighting broke out. One of them aimed for Götz, when he blocked it she could instantly hear the telltale sign of the blade hitting his metal hand. Which was pretty smart, seeing that it didn't cause any injury or harm to his hand, she then turned to look over at The Hat. "What happened to his hand?" Sophia asked, the title was fairly obvious that he did end up losing his hand at some point.

The fight raged on, even as Gilbert and Sophia spoke. The bearded Götz was doing remarkably well against the armed men, and without so much as having the need nor opportunity to draw his own slender sword from its sheath. "Cannonball." said Gilbert, answering Sophia's question. "Blew it mostly off. He had to have the rest amputated. It was supposed to end his career. He had another plans." One of the men in the fight, apparently realizing the mistake he had made, ran as fast as his legs could carry him away from the "crippled" man and out of the door of the tavern.

Sophia listened to Gilbert as he answered her question how Götz ended up losing his hand, shuddering slightly it probably was a lot more painful than getting bit by a walker and having it getting chopped off. She leaned forward as she continued to watch in interest as the fight continued to rage on. Until one of the men finally started to chicken out and then ran out of the tavern, seeing the crippled man was still surprisingly holding his own. "He can certainly hold his own actually." Sophia said looking back over towards Gilbert.

"Yes, he surely can." agreed Gilbert, paying attention to the fight with familiar interest as it raged on. The one-handed Götz was demonstrating martial superiority against armed men without so much as drawing his sword. Almost wistfully, Gil continued, "There are many like him in history that I can show you. A Roman general named Marcus who lost a hand and had a gauntlet commissioned for him so he could still grip his shield, for one. A young warrior woman from India who lost a leg, supposedly given an iron one from her gods so that she might continue fighting. Oh! And a somewhat arrogant man from Michigan with his own supernatural and undead problems; he had to remove his own hand in a battle. Replaced it with a chainsaw and, like the others, became even more dangerous because of it. Do you understand the conclusion I am leading you toward?"

Sophia watched a little bit longer of the fight seeing Götz holding his own well enough made her feel easier that she could do it on her own someday as well. Her attention went back towards Gil as he spoke, she gave him a nod as she understood it very well from various people who went through the same thing that she did as well. Though the bit with the guy with a chainsaw was a little bit farfetched to her, but again anything was possible at this point to her now as well. "I'm understanding more now, I wouldn't be as useless with more practice over time." Sophia said giving Gilbert a friendly smile.

"True, but that isn't the whole of my point." returned Gilbert. His eyes seemed to brighten with the idea that his Paradox was beginning to understand, which would make his time with her considerably more productive than he had anticipated. "Every one of these people, including 'Herr Iron Hand' here, turned a liability into an asset. You can do this, too. I will help you." He looked to the fight in progress which was already winding down, the ironfisted German fellow the clear victor. "The lesson is over. Let's finish our beer and go home."

Sophia brightened up some more and nodded, she would certainly like that a lot and learning from someone like Gilbert would help, she took another drink from her beer before putting it down again. "I will certainly look forward to learning a lot more from you." She said as she could hear the fight starting to wind down more, looking down at her hand once more wondering how to make it even better in the future. She soon finished up drinking the last from the stein and looked towards Gilbert she was ready to head back whenever he was.

"Excellent." replied Gilbert, "Your earnest training begins tomorrow." He immediately slammed back the remainder of his beer, plunked the empty stein down on the table, and rose. "Alright, let us get back home. To the Scheißhaus!"

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It had been an interesting two months training Sophia but the girl had managed to hold her own. Now came time to train Alexandra. Belladonna had been keeping her updated about how the girl was doing and her special condition. This would be interesting. It was time to see just how far she could press the girl and teach her how to keep her cool in all situations. This could pose as a challenge with her but Evelina had some ideas. Some wonderful ideas in fact.

Alexandra was honestly a bit sad, in a bittersweet kind of way, to be changing trainers. Over the last two months, she had grown to enjoy Belladonna's company, and she had come to view the woman as something akin to a mother, a very unorthodox mother, but a mother nonetheless. The older paradox had helped her find herself, the real and the apparently Soulless, and to differentiate between the two opposing parts. Learning that you had unwittingly been infected by a Cargast and lost your soul shortly before death was a tough pill to swallow, but perhaps she had grown to accept it throughout the duration of her training. Well, think again because she hadn't fully accepted it. She was just stubborn like that. She had more or less grown to at least tolerate it.

Brushing all that aside for the moment, she focused on the next adventure that laid ahead of her, training with Evelina, or as she liked to call her The Dice Lady. She briskly strode over to their assigned meeting place, the barn, with a coat draped over her shoulder. If her training was anything like Belladonna's, she would need something to keep her warm. She silently hoped though that cold weather would be the only similarity. She had had one too many revelations as of late. "Here and ready for some adventure," she exclaimed with a somewhat confident air about her as she came to a stop beside Evelina.

Evelina glanced over to the young Paradox and gave her a small smile, the pipe clutched between her teeth. "That is good to hear, I have plans for you." Her voice was more warm than it tended to be when she was addressing the Paradoxes as a group. Less authoritative and more motherly. "I want to take you to the circus." Yet before they could go anywhere they would need to change their clothing. Pointing towards a small basket she motioned for Alexandra to open it. "First things first, you must change." Evelina stepped out from behind the stall and pulled the pipe from her lips. She was dressed in a long tunic that reached her ankles, a stola, and sandals. What was in the basket was the same, just in plum instead of baby blue.

At hearing where they would be going, Alexandra's eyes widened before quickly narrowing. They hadn't even begun actually training and already she was feeling suspicious. If this is another trip down memory lane, I think I'll pass, she thought, electing to keep that little sentiment to herself. If there was one person she didn't want to anger from the get go, it was most certainly the woman before her who held power over death itself. Yeah, that wouldn't be a fight she could win. "Uh-huh," she replied with a hint of skepticism to her voice. However, when Evelina stepped fully into her view, thus revealing her outfit, her brows soon furrowed. Well, that's definitely not from my timeline. She eventually shrugged and then retrieved her assigned outfit before darting behind the stall to get dressed. A few minutes later, she stepped out in her new ensemble. "Okay, let's do this thing then."

Maneuvering through a portal by this time was an old trick. Probably something the young Paradox was used to, at least Evelina hoped it was at this point. It was time to go through one again. Stepping through the sun was bright and the walls of stone were high around them in the narrow alleyway. The streets were loud with people speaking in a foreign tongue as they passed by without notice. Evelina turned and looked towards Alexandra. "Welcome to Rome, 89AD."

Alexandra lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight as she stepped through the portal after Evelina. Her inquistive gaze drank in her surroundings as the sounds of talking and laughter reached her ears. She switched hands as she looked back over at Evelina, brows raising slightly at hearing when and where they were. "Huh," she murmured, but otherwise kept quiet. She decided to just sit back and let the Emendator do her thing.

Stepping out from the alleyway Evelina crinkled her nose a bit, she had done her best to forget just how strong the smell of a large city could be during these times. Especially in the summer. Turning she looked at the large structure that stood towering above most of Roman, it was the center piece and a marvel of engineering, even in modern times. "The Colosseum, where we are headed." It was odd she didn't have a pipe in her hands but this wasn't an era where there would be one. As they strolled she pointed over towards a long stadium to their left. "The first circus. Circus Maximus. Chariot races."

Alexandra covered her nose with her hand for a moment as her nose wrinkled at the rank smell. To think she thought a circus full of sweaty men stunk, but it certainly had nothing on this place. She grimaced before hesitantly lowering her hand back down to her side. She supposed that it wasn't the Romans fault that their plumbing wasn't as great as it could be. She would just have to get used to it, as this surely wouldn't be the last ancient civilization she would be visiting as a Paradox and all. Her nose twitched as she followed Evelina's gaze. Her eyes widened in wonder and her mouth fell slightly agape in awe of the magnificent structure before her. She glanced back at the Emendator, the corners of her lips pulling up into a smile, before her gaze went back to looking at the rest of the impressive architecture Rome had to offer.

Making their way up to the Colosseum, Evelina knew what was about to happen. She had lived through this time before. Coming up to the steps a guard came into their path and started speaking in Latin. Evelina just stood there, unmoving and eying the man as he kept talking. It wasn't clear what he was saying but it was clear he wasn't letting them through the gate. "He says women cannot enter the arena." Her voice was calm as she spoke even though the man seemed to be getting more and more livid by the moment. "I wonder what we will do about that."

Alexandra's brows furrowed a bit as the guard came up and started blabbering on in some language she didn't understand. She glanced over at Evelina, arching a brow in question. Her brows rose when the Emendator translated, and she gave the woman a look that said "oh really, now?" She looked back over at the man, giving him a onceover through narrowed eyes. Ugh, what an asshole, she mentally concluded. She rolled her eyes, before looking back at Evelina with distaste still clearly written on her features. The woman's next words however were quickly drowned out as the guard started screaming at them. Her jaw clenched in irritation before she spun on the man. "Vhy don't you just shut your mouth, you sexist pig?!" she exclaimed sharply at him, her brown eyes lighting up. "Sheesh."

Evelina quirked a brow and for a moment was very glad that Alexandra didn't speak Latin or the man didn't speak English. Yet that didn't seem to matter, the mans jaw went tight and it closed. The quirk in the Emendators brow rose a bit more. This was an interesting turn of events. "Calm yourself and tell him to let us in." The woman wanted to test something, if she was correct, the young Paradox had a very useful skill indeed.

"Oh," she exclaimed when the man's mouth suddenly snapped shut, before looking back over at Evelina. "Did I do that?!" A devilish grin came to her features when she realized that she had. Sweeeet! Apparently she had a new power presenting itself, and it wasn't much unlike one she had back in her timeline. The skill of Tizirovat' gave one the power of suggestion, not quite mind control but certainly very close to it. She looked back at the man with a sly glint to her eyes. "Move it, loser," she commanded.

The man did as he was told but Evelina observed that he was resisting. She wondered if it was the fact that this seemed to be a new ability that the young Paradox was trying to use or perhaps the tone. Inflection counted for a lot when it came to these type of skills. Motioning for Alexandra to move with her she pulled part of her stola over her head. It would be easier to blend in if they weren't flaunting their gender. Last thing they needed was to have to depend on a new skill for every man and guard they walked past. "Part of blending in means keeping a level voice and tone. Think of dealing with the living as dealing with a dog. You can say almost anything to someone if you use the right tone."

Alexandra's grin grew even larger, basically turning her into the Cheshire cat, at seeing that her newfound power took hold on the man. She proudly glanced back over at Evelina, doing a doubletake when the woman motioned for them to get moving. Her overexaggerated smile diminished to a small, pleased smirk as she followed in beside the Emendator, pulling her stola over her head as well. She looked over at her, arching a brow before eventually sighing and nodding her head in seeming understanding.

"Especially when dealing with me." Was that a bit of a smile and a lilt of joking in the womans voice as she spoke? It could have been as she continued through the Colosseum. People were walking this way and that, many of them just speaking to each other. All were men. The wonderful thing about being in a crowd was that most people didn't take notice of anything that didn't concern them, this made it far easier to blend in that one would thought. It was obvious by the flow of people that they were making their way to their seats. Cheers from the crowds could be heard echoing through the place.

Alexandra glanced sharply back over at the Emendator's comment. She arched a brow in seeming surprise before amusement seeped into her features. She looked forward again with a small smirk plastered to her features. She glancing around, paying attention to their surroundings while trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. She was curious about what this place was all about. After all, Evelina had said that the other stadium was where the circus was held. So what were they doing here? She decided not to question it and to just go with the flow, and this flow was leading them to seats amongst the buoyant crowd.

There was a choice to make and this was normally the time where Evelina would just shove a Paradox into a situation and see how they dealt with it. Yet considering their choices it could go either way with either choice. Stopping as they reached a set of stairs, one going up and one going down, she looked over towards Alexandra. "Would you rather watch the circus unfold or be part of the entertainment?" she asked. Normally when once asked about a circus there was a lilt in their voice, an amusement about amusements, but not now. Evelina looked deadly seriously, as if this a true choice of life and death. "Up to watch, down to join," she added with a gesture of her hand.

Alexandra glanced back over at Evelina, brows furrowing in confusion as to why they were stopping. Her brows then rose at the woman's question, before her eyes then promptly narrowed as she caught the tone of the woman's voice. "Is this some kind of trick question?" she questioned, giving the woman a onceover. "Yeah, definitely a trick question." A pout came to her features as she looked down at stadium, up at the rows of seats, and then back over at Evelina. "Vouldn't joining just drav unvanted attention? I-I think I'll just go up to vatch the shov unfold," she replied with clear skepticism in her voice.

Evelina kept her facial expression neutral as she was asked if it was a trick question or not. She wasn't Nancy but Alexandra would find out soon enough just what a trickster looked like. Tilting her head she motioned towards the stairs that lead upwards as several women were being lead in chains down the other set of stairs. "Looks like act one just arrived, we should get good seats before they begin," she said but she didn't move, waiting to see if Alexandra was going to stand by her choice or not.

Alexandra's face fell as her gaze caught the chained up women being lead away. Were they--slaves? she thought. Her jaw clenched as she felt a spike of anger within her. She closed her eyes, taking a deep, hopefully calming breath. Despite the urge to help those poor women, she knew the rules, and she knew that this was some kind of test, a sick, twisted one at that. In the moment, her free-spiritedness to do what she wanted warred with her stubbornness to not fail this test, and more so not to fail Evelina. She let out a small huff and stomped her foot in annoyance. She threw a stink eye at Evelina before marching up the stairs irritably.

"Interesting." The Emendators voice was clam as she uttered the single word before following after Alexandra. Gathering the front of her robes she moved up the stairs and came out into the sunlight. Shielding her eyes with her hand she glanced around and then made her way to find a seat. She found one in the front row of an upper level. It would allow them to see the full area without having to worry about anyone turning around and seeing their faces. Taking a seat on the stone perch she got as comfortable as one could with the sun beating down on them and the hard stone below them. "This is what they call a Circus." No one was out yet but it did have a feeling of an arena, sans the tent covering.

Alexandra pulled her stola down a little bit more to hide more of her face, and hopefully to block out some of the sun, as she took a seat beside Evelina. She still looked unhappy with the Emendator if her facial expression was any indication. You could do a lot to her without a hitch, but playing with her heart and her humanity was something that definitely crossed the line. Perhaps a part of her understood the purpose of this exercise, but nevertheless, it didn't mean she had to like it. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared blankly down at the arena, only giving the slightest nod of her head in acknowledgement to what Evelina had said.

A man started bellowing across the Colosseum in Latin, dressed in white robes and gold. Next to him was the Emperor under his tented area to stay out of the sun. "Every circus has a ring master and he is it. Getting the crowd excited. In the streets people die from poverty, Rome conquers, more die. Yet the mob but be kept in check. They do this here. Panem et circenses, bread and circuses. The slaughter of others to entertain the masses as they eat," she said giving a small history lesson as slaves started tossing bread from baskets up into the stands. "Every nation in history has had their version of control. None did it better than Rome."

Alexandra finally looked back over at Evelina, her lips thinning at the Emendator's words. So, this vas some kind of fight to the death? And they have the gall to call it entertainment? Sheesh, she thought. She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back down to the arena. "It's not peace they've attained. It's fear," she commented plainly. She attempted to relax back in her seat, wishing she could prop her feet up on something.

Evelina shook her head. "I never said peace, I said control." Watching the arena, the doors opened up underneath where the ruler sat comfortably. A rush of chariots driven by one and another at the back came into and circled around. "In the course of human history there are far more years with slaves than without. Even in your own time, even in the circus." It was a cold fact. Slavery was such a common thing during that time it was everywhere. Even places that didn't have slavery had indentured servants and in many cases. Slavery was better.

Alexandra glanced back over at her. "But they're trying to attain some form of 'peace,' aren't they, no?" she stated, arching a bit of a brow before looking back down at the arena. She let out a small sigh when she saw that something was finally happening. She was getting a tad bored just sitting there idly staring at the sad realities of life. She glanced sharply back over at Evelina, sticking her bottom lip out a little at her. "You certainly know how to ruin a good mood," she commented with dry sarcasm.

The chariots kept racing about, the man kept bellowing, and more poured out of the gate beneath the emperor; this time on foot. "If a single sentence can affect your mood to just a point you purse your lip out like a child who has been denied desert after supper how will you learn to keep a level head when it counts?" Men and women, who could only assumed to be slaves, found their way to the center of the arena. They were the pre-show. They were crudely armed, looked to have little to no training, while those in the chariots could have been seasoned trained soldiers if one went just off their looks alone. "You have to remain status quo, at least outwardly." A spear was thrown and landed in the chest of one of the women they had seen on the stairs, "no matter your personal opinion." Her scream echoing out as Evelina stood and gave a fist of cheer just like the crowd. "No matter how horrid the scene." Sitting back down as blood poured from the womans mouth. "To you blend in." Falling forward her dead eyes stared out blankly until the chariot ran over her skull and crushed it. "Because there are greater evils in the world than this. That is what we fight."

Alexandra's mouth fell open, and she let out a small sound of astonishment at Evelina's reprimand. She glanced around as if to see if anyone else heard the conversation, before closing her mouth. "Sorry," she murmured. Her gaze went back to the arena just in time to see what transpired next. She jumped up out of her seat onto her feet, but it wasn't for the same reason as the Emendator's. Her breaths came in and out sharply just like her now racing heart. Stay calm. Stay calm, she told herself. Glancing over at Evelina and seeing what the woman was doing, she then attempted to imitate it. She stiffly raised her fist and gave a more halfhearted cheer before sitting back down. She gulped as the slave woman's head was crushed, and it took all the strength in her not to look away. She shakily looked over at Evelina, raw emotion in her eyes. "It doesn't get any easier, does it? You just grov more numb to it for the sake of the greater good," she spoke quietly, although it wasn't quite clear if it was more of a question, a statement, or simply both.

Evelina stood from her seat before the next act began and motioned for Alexandra to follow her. Quickly with her head down since they were moving against the crowd she found a dark and empty area where they were out of sight. Finally lifting her head there was a well of a emotion in her eyes and a flow of tears spilled from them, rolling down her cheeks and dampening her attire. "It never gets easier, you just learn to hold back the flood until you cannot be seen." The woman did feel, she felt deeply every time she watched someone hurt. Letting out a ragged breath she dotted her cheeks to dry them, and quite literately sucked it up. Another breath came, this one more calming, and the another until she was the stoic Emendator once again. "Now, let us go home. You've earned a rest."

Alexandra sprang up and followed the Emendator without hesitation. You don't have to tell me tvice. I'm more than ready to get out of here, she thought to herself. After finding a secluded place to reconvene, she stopped short at seeing the raw emotion suddenly spill out of Evelina's once stoic expression. The corners of her lips tugged down into a small frown, and she felt a pang of sadness for the woman. She opened her mouth before quickly closing it again. She wouldn't to say something, anything, but she didn't know what words could possibly console someone who had seen such unspeakable horrors for a millennium. There wasn't a word suitable for that kind of grief. She nodded her slightly when the woman finally recomposed herself and said they should go home.

Turning, Evelina remained quiet and made her way to the portal. Somethings were better left unsaid, somethings were better shown. This was one of those times. Evelina had to remain stoic, constantly. If she didn't, if she didn't control herself, the grief would never subside, she wouldn't be able to function. Seeing death was something each Emendator knew well, it was not something they grew used to, they just all had different ways of dealing with it. Even a Paradox would have to learn, the ones that learned it the best were the ones that tended to live the longest. Belladonna was a perfect example of that. It didn't mean they didn't care, that they didn't feel. It just meant they had found ways to keep living despite it. Finding the portal, Evelina stepped through back to what was currently known as home.

Alexandra remained quiet for the rest of the duration home. The gravity of her new reality was now finally sinking in. She could already feel the weight of it pressing down on her and the weariness that accompanied that feeling. And when she stepped through the portal back into a Ville au Camp, she honestly felt like a changed woman. However, with that said, she knew full well that this was just one of the first steps of many in this journey of transformation.

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It was truly amazing how the turning back of time kept a grave so very fresh, at least the ground itself. Belladonna knew better than to assume that the body was in the same shape it had been two months before. Filling a roll that was one held by an Emendator was a great task and rather enlightening. A lot of time had been spent with Alexandra over the last two months and it was enjoyable but it was time to move on. James was up now and she let a spider crawl across her fingers as she waited next to the fallen ones final resting place.

And indeed James was up, not only in the rotation for training but up for the morning, headed toward the gravesite with something of optimism brewing in the back of his brain. It was a long two months training with The Watch, one of serene studious intent. One of papers and uncomfortable desks, and busting his mind to remember things he had long skipped over in his high school and GED lessons from a lifetime ago. But this time, he had the unique distinction of learning from am elder Paradox, one that, by the looks of her, would be giving him a much different sort of lesson for the day. Optimism, and the barest hint of anxiety of the unknown, colored his thoughts as he walked up to the pale Paradox, removed his cowboy hat, and said as respectfully as a Child of the South could muster, "Mornin', Miss Belladonna. It's a honor havin' this time with you."

Holding out a slender hand towards James the elder Paradox gave a chilling smile. "I am sure it is. An old friend of yours has spoken to me about your time. Truly a dark era, one I believe I would have enjoyed greatly." Her words were silky as they rolled off her tongue. A friend of his? Who could she have been speaking about? The trainees were pretty much stuck with their trainers if they weren't sleeping, so that would mean that she hadn't had a lot of time to speak with Sophia. Was there someone else there the rest were not aware of?

The assessment that Belladonna gave of James's native spot in the timelines was not an incorrect one, though he had to take her assertion that she would have enjoyed it with a grain of salt. Or a shaker full. "That place where I'm from? It ain't so dark." His voice was grave, even certain as he spoke. There was a telltale note of experience to his words. "It'll draw the darkness outta you though, hard an' fast, like it or not. Even the best of us, if'n you want to survive." What used to be his Georgia, United States, at the beginning of the 21st century was a place that belonged in the worst parts of the Bible. James wrestled with the desire to return to help the people he considered family and sheer relief that he was no longer in the middle of it, even if he had to die to get out. Then the rest of her words hit the fledgling wereboar. "Wait, which friend?"

There was a sly smile on the womans lips as she looked towards James. "Schrödinger." Belladonna was rather frank in her speech as she glanced up and down his body. "Oh this will never do, you look far too free." Kneeling down she reached behind the tree by the grave and pulled out a burlap sack. Rising back to full height she held it out to him between two fingers. "Today, I own you. Now, change darling. We have to hurry, the boat sets sail soon." The woman was still dressed in black with a tight corset but on closer inspection it was obvious she was no longer wearing her hobble skirt. The woman was in black fitting slacks and knee high boots. She even had a whip on her hip.

The man cast a very wary eye over Belladonna. The truth of his people's history, the being of African descent living in the American South, was that some of his ancestors were considered property, once upon a time. It looked very much like he was about to visit that "once upon a time" very shortly. On the other hand, a charmingly svelte goth lady just claimed personal ownership of him. That... could have perks. His own proclivities warred with his sense of ethical outrage at institutionalized slavery, until two facts poked into his mind: One, he would likely be sent on tasks in places where a person who looked like him would be at severe disadvantage. He needed to play the role that would allow him to blend, like a professional. And two, the lady had said Schrödinger. "Schrody? He a damn... You talk to cats? Course you talk to cats. Why wouldn't you talk to... ?" James shook his head a few times and tried to rummage through the sack. There was a fairly decent quality suit in there, with tails and a very fancy derby hat. Black, of course, with white shirt and wide black tie. It was, at one point in time, disparagingly described as a "monkey suit". "Aw, so I'm your Houseboy, is 'at so Miss Bella, Ma'am? Aight then." And when his brain caught up to him, "Wait... what'd Schrody say to you?"

There was a nod from the woman as she laced her fingers together. His look would play the part she needed of him for this little expedition. Motioning with a slender finger for him to follow her, she made her way towards a portal that was ready. "That man says a lot but never speaks straight. I believe he has spent too much time as a cat. Something you should be aware of, those who can change into animals tend to take on their traits if they stay in that form too long. It will be interesting if you should have a run in with Mr. Clops," she said in a sultry voice as they walked, her feet moving smoothly over the ground and through the portal. As they emerged, they found themselves in a cemetery surrounded be above ground vaults. "Ahh, such a lovely city New Orleans is."

"Been to Nola, some many times..." began James in careful voice. He was tugging at his tie almost reflexively before he forced his hands down at his sides. Needless to say, such formal attire that also marked him as property was not comfortable, even if he was attached to someone as drawing as Belladonna. He also didn't feel like processing the news he just found out about the fuzzy orange cat that used to steal scraps of barbecue from him while he worked, so he tried to focus on the here and now. "Fun place. Dangerous, too; last time I was here there was 'lectric lights, though." His mannerisms indicated a man who was apprehensive, even nervous, but trying to shove it down with some success. "Miss Bella, ma'am?" he respectfully inquired as they walked, "Maybe I ought know what we doin' here." James slowed his pace until he was a step behind his teacher and to her right. He figured that he might as well begin acting the role he was here to play. They would definitely talk about the cat later.

There was a slight sparkle in the womans eye as she glanced in the direction of James. "You young Paradoxes. Always in such a rush to know why, what ever happened to the thrill of the unknown?" she asked as she reached out and lightly adjusted a button on James attire. Her nail tapping it for a moment, a quiet clicking sound echoing through the grave yard. "Anticipation is nine tenths of enjoyment." There was a coyness to her expression, however subtle before she turned and began walking between the crypts as if she was taking a leisurely Sunday stroll through the park. "This way."

Admittedly, it was something of an adventure for James. He knew there was a lesson to be learned here, and did desire to "find himself" as a Paradox. Still, he was more than a touch uncomfortable right then. His desire to please the alluring Belladonna Crypt was one of painfully few motivators he had to continue. "I'm yo' man, Miss Bella. Whatever you need. But Ma'am? I just died. Everything is unknown now, if'n you get my meaning." He matched pace, albeit a little stiffly, keeping an appropriate distance from the powerful woman.

A glint of joy, was it joy or mischief? Either way, a glint of something came to the womans lips as she looked over her shoulder as her hair spilled out over her back. "That just means you have the joy of having everything being fresh and for the first time once again. How I envy you." Turning and continuing on her way she stopped at the edge of the cemetery as they came to the street. "Save for this moment. Do nothing." Her voice held a hint of remorse as she spoke and then it grew firm as she stated for him to do nothing. It seemed there was a lynching taking place just a block up from them.

The noise associated with people doing something awful to another human being was always the same, or very similar at any rate. He had heard it before. Echos of the past catching up to him, be they the rebounding sounds of his ancestry or the horrors he had witnessed man inflict upon his fellow man in his native timeline, it kindled a sense of sorrowful rage that burned just underneath his skin. Two months ago, before his death and subsequent loss of the abilities he so finely honed over a career of being a backwoods folk hero, James would have put a stop to this. He wanted very much to try anyway, but the extreme likelihood of embarrassing failure would also result in his swift, undramatic death and put Belladonna in danger. He addressed the pale woman with quiet and serious voice, though his eyes never left the scene one block over. "This what you meant by 'Anticipation is nine tenths of enjoyment', Belladonna?" A coldness to his demeanor took hold, his hands closed into fists and he spoke to his Senior Paradox as nothing less than an equal, his "role" be damned. "I know what a lynchin' is. Why I got to see this one?" Indeed, the lesson was lost on him without clarification.

Somethings about death even Belladonna didn't want to answer as they started to go forward to watch and witness what was unfolding. Whatever people had heard, it was nothing compared to actually watching one happen right in front of you. The mans neck was bound by rope and it was tossed over a railing on the second floor of a building. His feet teetered on the edge of a rickety piece of what one might have called a stool in its better days. "Because this one is personal." Her voice held a tint of remorse but her job was to help people find themselves and she was a firm believer that the past defined who we are. Taking a shallow breath she repeated the simple statement of, "do nothing," just as a small child who couldn't have been more than ten looked at the man with tears in his eyes was held back by an older woman.

She was screaming "James!!!"

"DADDY NO!!!" the boy cried. It had no effect on the crowd.

In the history of the Grady family, going back as far as they could remember in the United States, there were hushed rumors of an ancestor that was strung up by a mob. No reason was ever given as to why, nothing mentioned except that he was taken by violence. And the name, James, was common in his family. Two and two together told him that this was no coincidence, though he never imagined that this story took place in the middle of New Orleans, right on the street. His voice slightly shaky, even as a previously unknown feeling of wonder mixed with subdued rage bubbled within him as he asked, "What's the reason they doin' this to him? There even one at all?"

"Was accused of deflowering his owners daughter." Belladonnas eyes didn't leave the man as the scene became more chaotic but her voice remained even and calm. Chances were the man didn't do anything, that the girl had been caught having been already versed in the world of the flesh and blamed it on the man. It was a common occurrence and it wasn't like a slave could ever get a fair chance in a court. "What we are comes from what happens to those that came before us." The man stood proud, refusing to show an ounce of pain as a whip connected with his backside, mearly a flinch in his eyes.

"Don't you cry boy, never let them see you cry." His words were fierce, defying as he locked eyes with his son.

James stood dumbfounded as the condemned man gave a final piece of bold advice to his son. It clicked with him in a very personal way, echoing the words of his own father, back when he was about the child's age. Other children (okay, white children) had pelted him with rocks, splitting skin and hammering bruises all over him. Luckily nothing was broken, but father gave him the same talk. "Don't you cry now, James. That's what they's wantin' from ya. Bleed all you like, but don't never let 'em see you cry. Don't let 'em have that." A quiet rage built within him then that swelled within him now. James knew that, deep down, he was a good man. But he also knew he was a violent man. Was this his lesson? Was that predetermined about him from this moment?

The young boy sucked it up as his father demanded and nodded at him, he seemed to steel but a rage filled in the childs eyes. "Innocence lost, too young." Belladonnas voice was tragic as she spoke before glancing over towards towards James and lacing her fingers together just below her breasts, a look of understanding came to her features before she turned and walked down the street, putting the mob and the scene behind her even as she could hear the screams of the mans wife ring out as her husbands neck snapped. "We will be late for the boat."

The desire that James felt to do something about the lynching was strong, even though he knew he did not possess the skills he once did. The anger or his ancestors burned behind his eyes, but outwardly a cold stillness took his features. It formed the second that he saw the look on the boy's face change from sorrow to rage, quiet rage, just like him. He knew of it well, like an unwelcome but necessary visitor, come calling every so often. This moment hammered into his people the will and the ambition to survive. The desire to do whatever it would take to ensure the continuation of them and theirs. The shred of hate and longing that he knew all too well, buried beneath the smiles and the barbecues and the homemade liquor. It was very possible that it was the thing that kept him alive when his timeline decided to throw an undead uprising at him, and in turn fueled his desire to make sure everyone he called family then was safe and fed. It was also a motivation that made him a murderer. And he was. One of the last acts of his life was to take another's.

James fell in step behind Belladonna again, lesson learned from his jaunt into his family history. "Yeah. Boat." he rasped out.

There was one more quick stop to make. Every story had a beginning, a middle, and an end. James knew his end, he died. He now knew his beginning. He needed to have a middle for this tale. Coming to a large paddle boat in the harbor, Belladonna boarded with her property in tow. Once in a lavish stateroom there was a portal hidden behind an armoire. Stepping through, it seemed as if nothing changed at first. Then there were subtle changes, furniture and bedding was different. "Ahh, post Civil War, better." Holding out an arm to the man she gave a sultry grin. "I may not own you in this time but make no mistake you are still mine."

The very recent lesson still fresh on his brain, James followed along behind Belladonna almost robotically. He didn't stop to question whether or not they should be boarding an unfamiliar boat, nor why she gothic Paradox chose to step behind an armoire. He'd read that book a number of years ago, and unless a giant talking lion and/or Tilda Swinton in full Ice Witch regalia was waiting on the other side (which honestly at this time he wouldn't be that surprising to him, all things considered), he wasn't going to make a big mention of it. When they reached the other side of the portal, the near lack of difference did come as a source of confusion, but again, eyes open and mouth closed. James responded to Belladonna's words with a noncommittal look. He accepted her arm with courtesy nonetheless; after all, he was a gentleman of the South, more or less. "Just let me know where you need me, Miss Belladonna." His morale had obviously taken a hit.

"Oh don't tempt me my dear, I have such a vivid imagination and we are short on time, but perhaps we can arrange something later," the woman stated in a sultry tone as she rested her free hand over the other and they headed out. It was a gambling ship and it was obvious that times had changed, dramatically. Clothing was practically the same but who wore what was not. There were plenty of dark skinned men and women walking about; talking, gambling, eating, drinking, and just enjoying themselves. Making her way to the main room she stopped in the main room and took look around. "Oh yes, we have made it just in time for the show."

The thought that initially ran through James's head at the mention of a show was one of some cynicism. A riverboat show, even one during a time when it looked like his people had better control over their own destinies, ordinarily sounded like an interesting dip into the culture of the period. However, James had a feeling that this was playing out to some potentially horrifying end. For the meantime, he tried to tuck those thoughts away and merely enjoy the scene and the fact that he was on the arm of a lady who seemed to draw every eye in the room. His mood still darkened from the previous lesson in history, he nonetheless attempted to sound less grim as he said, "Well, then after you, Miss Bella."

Belladonna tightened her grip on James' arm and remained perfectly still. "No, just watch my darling." The show was beginning. An middle aged black man sat at the table, he looked to be nearly done with everything in the pot, and cards in his hand. Across from him sat an older white man with a large grin on his face. "The difference a generation makes." The white man placed his cards down and boasted as he reached forward to take the pot. "Things are not always what they seem." The black man gently laid his cards down, he had won the hand and left the white man speechless. "Calmness on the surface." The white man started yelling, making quite the scene, threatening the black man. "A lifetime of rage beneath."

"You ain't gonna cause no one no mores pains." The black man spoke.

"What?" The white man looked confused as the older man stood slowly, he looked confused but the rant had stopped.

"No more. Not you, not yer family. It's finished." The white man went from confusion to fear and rage.

There was no way that James could know what had, or was to occur. But considering the nature of the scene in front of him, "The Show", and the one that he had left just a moment (and decades) before, there was an idea beginning to congeal in his brain. James looked coldly at the events unfolding before him, then to Belladonna. He nodded back to the conversation at the table, saying, "Best served cold." in a flat voice. Humorless sarcasm. The nature of his people was hardship and revenge, apparently; a tradition that he wholeheartedly leapt into during his naturally allotted life in Georgia. Okay, so this man deserved whatever he had coming, and maybe even James's victim did, too. Maybe it was part of him, down to the core. But it wasn't everything. There had to be more than pain and death. This show wasn't done yet, and James was suddenly very curious as to how it would end. So he simply stood there as witness to what was about to be uncovered, arm-in-arm with the original Lady Crypt.

It was a scene alright. The white man going off, threatening the man, calling him a cheat. Yet the older ebony man just stood there watching him unload. That was until a gun was pulled. For a man as old as he was, he had quick reflexes. A cane which had been resting against the table came up, smacked the gun to the side as it went off, came back down and crushed the mans hand on the table before a fist landed in the white mans face. This wasn't some town. This was a river boat, a gambling river boat. It might as well been the wild west for they had their own laws and ways of doing things. No one stepped in to stop it. It was between these men. The white man had drawn first, that was all that was needed for the older gentleman to do what he did next, which was bash a skull in and leave the dead in a pool of his own blood on the ground. "Like I said, you ain't gonna cause no one no more pains."

"Never let them see you cry. That was what his father told him." Belladonnas voice was cool as she spoke before glancing over towards James. Her dark eyes flashing slightly before she continued. "What happened that night didn't end. It just was a beginning. You're beginning." Turning she motioned for him to follow her. That was the end of the show but not the end of the story. She wove quite the tale as they headed back to the room, telling how that old man was the very child that had watched his father be hung. How he had had children of his own, and grand children. The money he won that night funded them to move to the Southeast, start small farms of their own. The man that died just before them, was the grand son of the man that hung the man known as James. A man who had actually raped that young girl. His son and his grand son were no different. Hurting people through the years, always getting away with it. Until now. Their line ended with that old man, he had killed them all.

"They earned their fates, as did Richard Johnson." Motioning towards the portal she leaned in and gave him a chilling kiss on the cheek. "It doesn't matter how justice is dealt, just make sure it is dealt." With that, she stepped back through the portal to home.

James hung back for a second before stepping through the portal. Belladonna's direct mention of the man he had opened up with his axe, Richard, seemed to freeze him in place, provoking his emotions forward to be dealt with. The kiss on his cheek afterward seemed to stay there, feeling of mercy. Even permission, after the fact; a vindication that he had made the right decision in ending the man where he stood. Family tradition, apparently. Did Belladonna absolve him, in her own way, of the sins committed just prior to his death? Was his sense of personal justice actually more in line with the way the world was supposed to work? And if so, then why was his guilt pressing down upon him?

In the end, the only conclusion he could come to was acceptance. Not of others, but of the darkness that still existed within himself. It kept his family line alive during one of the worst periods of human indecency, and it kept himself and his people alive for a long while during an Undead Apocalypse. His death was one of happenstance. Accident. Meant to happen at that time. Perhaps it was so that his brand of darkness, instilled into an otherwise good, decent man, could be utilized by these Emendators. It was too much philosophy for him to deal with consciously right then. James entered the portal back to Ville au Camp, jogging to catch up to his Paradox teacher. "Miss Bella? If'n you'd care to join me, I could really use a drink. Set and talk a while. I gots me a lot of work to do, 'fore I'm ready." And step one was getting a lot more comfortable with his new abilities.

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You thought 2 months was something for last time. Well the Dice have decided that you were with your trainers for 4 months this last time. So you covered a lot - now to see what comes of that. Let's get down to business.

As per last round, we are breaking this down into 2 parts. Part 1 - Skills. Part 2 - Next Round. This will be round 3 of 5.

Skills: Here are the skills your characters picked up over the last 4 months of training. Last time you got two, one for each month. This time you got 4 these past four months. (Gotta love how shit changes.)

You have 48 hours from this post to edit your Cs. Copy and paste your new skills into place under skills if you have new ones to add. I would make sure you get these in post haste. If it turns out you received a skill your character already learned, well, you are out of luck - just means you got more training in it. Place a * next to it.

• Sophia:
  • Military Tactics - In-depth knowledge of major battles through out history and how to best apply location, numbers, available weapons, and skills to the best tactical advantage during battle
  • Breakaway - The ability to twist out of someone's grasp
  • Bow - The ability to fire long and short bows, composite bows, and crossbows
  • Hard Martial Arts - This discipline concentrates on power blows to break bones and cause other major trauma to the body
• Andromeda:
  • Italian - Place this with languages
  • Dancing - Skilled at the performance or modern improvisational and classical dances, including whatever dance is the most popular at the time
  • Juggling - The ability to perform juggling acts with balls, clubs, hoops, or other various objects
  • Stage Presence - The ability to perform on stage and enhance other performances such as acting, dancing, juggling, mime, musical instrument, or singing (Must have other skill for boost)
• Faith:
  • Sumerian - Place this with languages
  • Torture - Knowledge of the pain centers of the body, and how to apply pain to extract information from a person
  • Bicycles - The ability to ride a bicycle with a high proficiency, including tricks - double normal movement rate vs those unskilled
  • Photography - The ability to use both still and modern cameras including developing of film and trick of light
• Bart:
  • Demotic - Place under languages
  • Old Saxon - Place under languages
  • Scottish Gaelic - Place under languages
  • Spear - Skilled at using a spear/javelin. This includes the ability to throw, stab, slash, and use defensively
• Alexandra:
  • Second Special Ability Activated
  • Punic - Place under languages
  • Bow - The ability to fire long and short bows, composite bows, and crossbows
  • Horsemanship - The ability to ride and care for horses.
• James:
  • Knife - Ability to fight with an item with a blade 12in or less
  • Fishing - Knowledge of techniques for catching aquatic animals, including Fish, crustaceans and related form. Use of lines, nets, traps, etc.
  • Etiquette - General skill that makes one able to fall into the basic proper behavior for various situations.
  • Russian - Place under languages

Cases: Now, time to rinse and repeat, again. Round three of five. Clean cup, clean cup, clean cup, move down, move down, move down.

As a reminder - remember as trainers, change to meet each character - so review their current Cs and their characters Cs from before. It will help.











*This is a repeat message from before but it still holds true.
Now, you have 10 days to get your case done. Once counter hits 11, you are over. So keep that in mind. I suggest you collab these out in PM with each other or on Si to make things easier than trying to post back and forth. At the end of this case I will post again, and again, until every character has gotten a decent amount of training. At the end of each Case, once it is posted and I have reviewed it, I will roll to see what skills ~stuck~, if secondary abilities came forth, the amount of control you gained, and so forth. This is going to allow us to cover a lot of time and Rping quickly. Once Training is done, then you will go on to full assignments.

The day will start like any other day at Camp, weather is the same, layout is the same. No need to worry about much to start. Letters are left and slipped under your room doors on where to go come morning instructing you to meet your trainer at the starting location. A bell will toll over the grounds at 5:50 AM to start the day, time to be at the starting location will be listed as 6:00 AM. Start your posts waking up OR there, however you wish.

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor. (I will be pming my students shortly.)

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The fog rolled over the edge of the water in the distance as Belladonna stood next to the still fresh grave of the poor deceased Peter. The woman had spent the last four months taking James to various places and helping him to find himself, she hoped that he was able to also put some doubts to rest about what he did was the right thing even if his methods were still in question. She had a new student today, the lovely Andromeda. The girl had lovely skin, there was just something about its paleness that she could respect.

Andromeda couldn't help but have some mixed emotions about working with Belladonna. She reminded her of her own timeline, of the people she had left behind, and the questions that were never answered. Had her brother made it out alive? Did he finally find redemption and serenity? Was her father's spirit resting easy? Yet she knew that she'd just go mad if she spent all of her time asking those questions to herself. She had enjoyed working with Giouse far more than working with Nancy - she was a history nerd at heart. And as she approached Peter's grave, Andromeda gave Belladonna an uneasy smile.

Belladonna smiled coolly towards Andromeda as she came towards the grave. "Terrible morning to you my darling. I do hope you are well rested. We have a court case to attend to today, should be very stimulating," she said in a nearly giddy voice as she pressed her palms together in front of her chest. There was an air of glee, morbid glee, to the woman this day. Motioning towards the burlap sack against the tree she continued. "You must change, I know the attire is so horrible but we do what we must," she said with a sigh as she looked down at the cape that covered her. Pulling it back slightly it revealed that the woman was dressed as a puritan. "I despise wool.."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "...Are we going where I think we are?" she asked, examining Belladonna's attire and then the mention of a court case. Combined with the fact that the elder Paradox was so giddy over this and Andromeda still thought of her as a witch, there was one moment in particular in history that came to mind. "But this could be worse - Giouse's trip he took me on resulted in a sun burn," she mused, grabbing the sack. At least the puritan garb would protect her from the sometimes irritating star in the sky. She went off and changed quickly, coming back wearing the appropriate garb. She braided her white hair as well for good measure, figuring it'd already stand out enough on its own.

Belladonna waited patiently while Andromeda got changed and situated. "Oh don't you worry, we won't be visiting Salem during your timeline. I have picked something very special for you." There was this lilt to the womans voice. It was odd. Such a intonation on most would bring happiness, a feeling of warmth. Not from Belladonna. This lilt, while mirthful, was ominous. Perhaps it was just because it was coming from Belladonna's lips, perhaps it was something more. One could never tell. She liked it that way. "Do not worry about the sun, it is raining this day when we arrive. Positively dreary. It is quite lovely." Turning she began to move towards the portal. She did so enjoy traveling.

Andromeda noted that supposedly, Salem had a different history in various timelines. She had assumed the split was in the modern day, but perhaps that had been egotistical of her to assume. Not everything could happen in the 21st century in America, despite what movies and films suggested. "Sounds wonderful," Andromeda replied, mostly due to relief that she wouldn't need to worry about a sunburn. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly Belladonna wanted to show her or what she was supposed to take away from this, but it was also strange to think she'd be so close to her home and temporally, so far away.

"Oh it will be darling." The woman sounded positively giddy with cool excitement. A portal found and stepped through. Belladonna had not lied when she said it was raining. Out in the woods. Trees tall above them with gray skies beyond that which let cool droplets of water fall to the earth below. There was that quiet tapping as the droplets hit the leaves and the ground. Belladonna found it very pleasant as she looked around and took note of their location. "Should only be about an hours trek to Salem from here."

Andromeda looked around, taking a moment to breathe in the air. She wiped at her eyes for a moment, afraid that tears would fall. Whereas she couldn't say which way exactly she'd have to walk to get back to the place she was born, the general landscape and scenery just felt right to her. The woods of Massachusetts had a drastically different feel to them than the grounds of Ville au Camp did. "What direction do we need to walk?" Andromeda asked. She couldn't help but want to place where they were, to know which paths would take her towards other familiar towns.

"East darling," the elder Paradox said as she began to walk. "You had just an interesting time line and while things are not as chaotic during this time, it is still a very trying time for our kind." There was a glance in Andromedas direction and a slight pull to the corner of her lips into what could have been thought of as a smile. "But from every tragedy strength is born." An understanding was in that cool voice of hers as they made the trek, having to cut through the woods for a while before a worn and well beaten path was found that they could follow.

"Our kind?" Andromeda inquired. She knew her father's family history all the way back to the Civil War - anything much before that had been lost to time. Yet she couldn't help but feel that Belladonna was implying that her family had been practitioners of witchcraft far before her brother had come along. Our kind didn't make sense to her in the context of Paradoxes. Her mind continued to spin and try to extract each piece of information from this. "Do you mean witches?" she couldn't help but ask, wanting to know for sure, as she continued to follow Belladonna and the path.

"Yes, of course dear." There was the confirmation as Belladonna kept walking down the muddy beaten path. The rain increasing and clinging to the wool capes. "Though it seems every time and every timeline calls us something different. Those that can tap into other sources of power. Witches, demons, the Trained, Mutants, oh the list does go on and on," she said with a wave of her hand as the tree line broke and one could see a wide spans of open fields before a small town rested off in the distance. "Oh Salem, such a lovely little village though I must admit that I do prefer it in the late twentieth early twenty-first century along one particular time line. Very festive."

Andromeda looked into the distance, seeing Salem come into view. She had been born there. It always struck her as slightly curious that she hadn't been born in her hometown of Coventry, but her father had insisted that Salem was the place to be at the time. Like her brother, he was more on the spiritual side of things. "I'm not a witch though...Or anything close to one, unless being a Paradox counts," Andromeda explained. "Walter was the one that messed with forces...I just traveled and looked for the bizarre, thought there was a beauty to them..."

"Women my dear. Women with free thinking minds and hearts." There was a clarification to her statement though it was still most likely a bit perplexing. "And yes, the bizarre has a beauty unique to it. It shows a breaking of bounds that much of this world doesn't take either by circumstance or design." Walking down the road they finally came into the village proper and Belladonna made a beeline for a building at the end of the road. It was a church. "The days before separation of church and state."

"Oh," Andromeda said, feeling a bit awkward. As much as she knew that she needed to get past Coventry and everything that had happened, her mind went straight to witchcraft being real and everything that had happened - rather than considering that in this timeline, magic and other things like that seemed to just be fiction. She spotted the church at the end of the road, following Belladonna and she had to hold her tongue to herself - sometimes, she could've sworn people in her own time period forgot about that.

The doors pushed open and inside was a riot of yelling and accusations and anger and fear. Belladonna slowly moved over towards a pew and had a seat, making sure she slid far enough over for Andromeda to have a seat as well. A poor woman was on the so called stand, no chance to speak as more and more accusations came towards her. She was attractive by that days standards of beauty and most of the accusations were thrown towards her because she could read, or was not married, or a number of other factors that had nothing to do with witchcraft but were attributed to it. She was being held responsible for the thoughts and actions of men around her. Belladonna sat stoic as she watched.

As she sat down next to Belladonna, Andromeda wasn't sure what she felt - beyond nauseous. She had read all about the Salem Witch Trials, having spent a fair bit of time in the town that was her father's namesake. It was troubling that those same factors, those same insults that were ultimately turned into accusations, were not unheard of in her own timeline. As much as things changed, they still remained the same. She couldn't help but wonder why Belladonna was showing her this - she knew that the Emendators had been clear with them. They couldn't change anything. But it was sickening and heartbreaking to have to watch this.

This wasn't a trial, it was a parade of madness. Yet, what happened next wasn't in the text books. The woman on the stand narrowed her eyes. Apparently she had had enough of this. The candles flickered and then roared to life as they grew in length. "Witch!" various people in the room started shouting. The flames of the candles bent and came to the woman on trial, burning away the ropes which bound her hands. "Bride of Satan!" others called out, along with many other terms they yelled in anger and fear. They tried to come for her but as they dove, they were caught in midair by an unseen force and flew back, hitting the walls and landing in crumpled heaps on the ground.

Andromeda's eyes widened with fascination. "So in this timeline...witches were real?" she whispered to Belladonna. She knew that they were real in her own timeline, though she couldn't remember if the supposed witches at Salem had been actual witches or if it was just mass hysteria. And even though she had seen a lot of powerful events that were essentially just magic, driven by demons and witches, it still took her breath away to watch. Though she didn't know why Belladonna had taken her here to see this - but she couldn't help but wonder who the woman was.

Belladonna nodded and turned her head as the woman left the building while mass hysteria broke out, people fleeing for their lives. Rising calmly she looked at Andromeda and gave a soft smile as she cupped Andromedas cheek in her cool fingers. "Everything Bizarre that you adored does and so much more." Letting her fingers slip she turned and exited the building. Outside the woman stood there, the rain beating down and suddenly it stopped. A man with eyes so dark they seemed hollow stepped out of the shadows and towards the witch.

"Leave my domain before I make you," he told the witch. She looked frightened for the first time and vanished, there was a feeling of something zooming by them. Then he spotted Belladonna and Andromeda. "Field trip?"

A shiver had run down Andromeda's spine as Belladonna cupped her cheek. As she followed her outside, she couldn't help but keep her eyes on the witch. Yet she felt another shiver as she turned and saw the mysterious man, looking at his terrifying eyes and presence. The skin on her arm stood up on end and she couldn't help but wonder if the witch had ran past them like the Flash or Quicksilver. "...Yes?"

"Oh this one speaks, you have a brave one with you," he said as he started walking towards them. Belladonna smirked as she held out her arms and embraced the man. "How are you Bella?" he asked. Now that he was closer his eyes still showed nothing but one could tell he looked to be Native American, his dress fitting of one beneath the long black cloak.

"Marvelous darling, just marvelous. Please, let me introduce you to Andromeda Aldrich. Andromeda, this one is known as Naumkeag," she said introducing the two.

"Aldrich? Oh brought her home to roost?" he asked and then grinned slightly, it was unsettling. Holding out his hand. "You are probably confused," he said as the crowd ran out of the church. Turning his head he flicked his wrist and the world seemed to stop, everything but the three of them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Naumkeag," Andromeda said - half to be polite, a little bit to practice pronunciation of the name, and then a little more because she was generally fascinated by the man...whatever he was. She doubted he was a simple human and her mind started running through the names of various creatures she had encountered. Had it not been for the bit of - she assumed magic - she would have guessed that he was a hunter. Of course, time seemingly stopping caused a little bit of panic within her. She had died in a very similar situation. "...And yes, I am confused," she admitted. "I know my family roots can be traced back to Coventry in the late Civil War period but...I always assumed my father's fascination with Salem was because of its history with witchcraft," she added.

"Oh really? Well, that is just because it is...." he began but he caught a look from Belladonna that cut him off. "I'll let her explain, it was nice meeting you," he said as he turned towards the church after kissing Belladonna on the cheek. His wrist flicked and it looked like time was rewinding itself. The elder paradox couldn't help but shake her head as she motioned for Andromeda to follow her back the way they came.

"Let us be on our way and I will explain as we walk," she said as she pulled the hood of her mantle back up as soon as they go far enough away they stepped into the rain once again. "He is what is known as a Concret, an Elemental in general terms. He looks over and watches this area. Every place on earth has one. The higher the population the closer they are together. Currently he watches over all New England, by the time we reach the twenty-first century he only patrols this one town."

Andromeda hadn't heard of Concrets or Elementals before, yet it wasn't at all surprising. Even in her timeline, she only had scratched the surface of the paranormal. This was a new timeline, one fresh with possibilities - as far as Andy was concerned - and with different lore than what she had become accustomed to. "Does Ville au Camp have one?" Andromeda asked. She imagined that it had to, given Belladonna's description, but she felt it was something she should have noticed by now if it did.

Belladonna nodded. "In this time line but she knows better than to cross over into the Emendators home. There is an... understanding," she said with a lilt in her voice. Glancing over towards Andromeda she smiled slightly. "This time line is unique. So many things exist. Vampyres, Weres, Witches, Ghosts, Wyghts, Inuits. Daemons are a personal favorite of mine. Yet they still live in hiding for the most part. Some know of them, most do not."

Andromeda couldn't help but smile slightly. The terms were different yet they felt familiar at the same time. In a way, it was comforting to know that things like that could still be out there, even if it wasn't her own home. Her mind was buzzing with more and more questions, especially as to why some timelines were called certain things - how one could be singled out as the main one - and so forth. She also wanted to know more about the Elemental that guarded the area of Ville au Camp - and she couldn't help but feel a bit of pride knowing it was a she. "Sounds like home..."

Belladonna stopped and turned to face Andromeda, her hands coming out suspiciously quickly. Grabbing the young Paradox by the shoulders as she locked eyes with the girl. "Listen to me darling and listen well. Home is where your family is. You brothers and sisters, the Paradoxes. Your mother, aunt, and uncles, the Emendators. That is home. No matter what you have been through before this life, this is your life now. This is your family now. I am your family. That is home. Where they are, is your home. You will feel a draw to them. Here," she said in a rather maternal voice, like an older sibling, as she touched Andromedas chest right at her heart. "Only they will ever understand what you have been through."

Andromeda stared back at Belladonna, her heart beating quickly. She understood what Belladonna meant - but to her mind, she could have multiple homes. The rooftop looking up at the stars in the desert was her home. The cheesy hotel in Coventry was her home. The study hall in her dormitory at college was her home. Ville au Camp was her home. "I get that - but I can have multiple families," Andromeda said softly, not trying to be rude or anything. She was having some trouble letting go of her life from before.

"Dear Peter thought so, as did Drem, they are both dead now because of it." Belladonna wished that there could be more than one home or family but in this life she had seen what it had done, when connections were not cut, when love wasn't severed. When loyalties were split. It drew them to them. Belladonna inhaled slowly and her dark eyes widened. "Run.." she whispered.

She didn't have time to ask more questions, though the mention of Drem and Peter brought them to mind. They had died because of the Destruere, Andromeda recalled - or at least, she was fairly certain she remembered that was the truth in both cases. As Belladonna told her to run, Andromeda's eyes widened and she nodded. "Which way?" she asked, not certain where they were supposed to run to.

Belladonna was barely able to motion which direction with her hand before she was grabbed by an unseen force by her leg and drug backwards. Her face hitting the ground as her long nails dug into the earth as she was pulled back at an astounding rate. The hem of her gown seemed to start to melt around her pale calves. There was a sound in the air now, like the rumbling of digestion through a stethoscope. Belladonna seemed to vanished and a flock of ravens exploded from where she had been. The flew up and enveloped Andromeda, pushing and leading her towards the portal with their beaks and talons.

Andromeda didn't need the ravens to tell her twice, figuring that it must have been one of Belladonna's abilities as she took off at a run in the direction of the portal. Had it been a coincidence that the Destruere came? Or was her attachment to her old life the reason they had decided to ambush them? Her heart was hammering and she wanted to ask that question - that was what she did, she asked questions. She questioned everything and looked for more things that didn't seem quite right. Her mind was never still.

The ravens pushed Andromeda,keeping her shielded at the back. Batches of them would get knocked left and right. The portal came into view and the turned their attack towards the area where they kept getting hit from. Once Andromeda was through they vanished and a thick fog formed over the area that swept through the portal before it collapsed and cut the connection between that time and home. The fog got denser and denser, pulling together until the form of Belladonna could be seen standing there. Blood stained brightly on her pale skin, her dress in shreds, her cloak gone.

"...Was that because of me?" Andromeda asked tentatively. She took off her own cloak and handed it to Belladonna. She hadn't known first aid before and she certainly didn't know any now, but she figured it was the least that she could do for her. "Are you alright?" she then added, looking at her with worry.

Belladonna looked towards Andromeda and started to look over the young Paradox. "You're home, I'll be fine." There was a slight look of relief on her features as she saw Andromeda was alright before turning and heading towards the mill. She needed a new dress.

"I'm glad you're fine - or will be fine," Andromeda said. She took a quick glance at Ville au Camp, thinking about what Belladonna had said - that this was her home. These people were her family. She took a breath and shut her eyes. She brought to mind images of her brother, her father, her mother...And then she imagined letting them go. When she opened them again, she took off after Belladonna, not certain if the lesson was over or not.

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The past two months with Alexandra has been quite the adventure. It was not often that Evelina opened up or showed any raw emotion. She had only allowed herself that one slip but it was enough. At least for her. She worked hard to maintain a level of professionalism but it was hard, especially now that Drem was gone and she really didn't have anyone to lean on emotionally. She had opened up to Gilbert some but with the new Paradoxes, there really had been no time. Taking a long puff from her pipe, she waited for her newest pupil, James.

The morning light filtered through the trees over James as he made his way to the barn. It had been a highly interesting few months with Belladonna, putting it mildly, and he was a little sad that her tutelage had come to an end. Interesting things had been learned from her. Things he would not have been exposed to in his previous life. Six months in, and he was almost completely a different person. But he was keeping the hat. It was a point from which he was not willing to budge. James brushed the thoughts aside as he came up to his destination. The Dice made him a little nervous. Supposedly, that's what this training was about, so he was already off to a good start.

Before entering the Barn, James rapped his knuckles on the door frame, politely inquiring as to his state of welcome with, "Miss Evelina?"

Turning around Evelina was dressed in her signature dark blue but the attire was slightly different, as was her hair. Not to mention the fact she had a six shooter on her hip over the dress. Not that she could use a gun, she was not to fond of them but apparently it was for something more. "Good morning James," she said as she stepped out from behind the horse she had been saddling. "Your clothing is folded and on a stool in the stall over there." Her voice was even as she spoke and motioned over to the right before picking up a stetson and placing it on her head.

James eyed the stetson, and indeed the whole of Evelina's apparel before moving to take a close look at the selection put aside for his use. Of particular interest was the sidearm strapped to the Emendator's side. Was he going to need one, too? How dangerous was this trip going to be? He tried to focus on just the present, confident in the fact that whatever horrors were waiting on him would be a lesson-worthy experience, and he would get to that soon enough. "Hey there, Miss Dice, Ma'am? You thinkin' I'm gonna need one o'them Peacemakers, too?" After a moment, he exited the stall and held his arms out, as if to show himself off. "So, how I look? I was thinkin' on keepin' my hat, but nah. Wanna go for that Full Immersion I done heard about from them LARPin' geeks back in Georgia."

There was a quirk of the brow from Evelina. "Have you been trained to use any weapons as of yet?" she inquired. Not that she was trained to use a gun but James didn't know that. She wasn't one to arm those that didn't know how to use a weapon or did not have a long history of being in the field. People who were armed with no training could be very dangerous indeed when push came to shove.

There were times that James missed the skills of his previous existence. Sometimes, the fuzzy bits of yesterlife would get muddled with his present state of being and he would count assets he no longer possessed as his own. It was fleeting, a half second at a time, maybe, and it was getting less as time went by. But just sometimes, it was confusing. Time was, he was a good shot with a pistol. Had a favorite Beretta and everything. He was better with a rifle, though that was not the case anymore. His own embarrassment at his mistake forced him to reevaluate a smidge. "Uh, that'd be a no, Ma'am, now that you mention. Gun ain't my thang no more. I am a fair hand with a short blade, thanks to Miss Bella." He put his hands in his pockets and glanced downward for a second, before looking back up at Evelina, "An' I ain't got one of them from Mr. Hat yet, like I seen some of the others with. So I'm sorry - please lead the way."

"Neither am I but I do not know how you would handle yourself if you had one. Let us get you a weapon though," she said as she knelt before a trunk and opened it. She chose a belt with a side arm, emptying the bullets from it and then handing it over. She also found him a nice bowie knife and sheath. "That should do," she added before making her way towards a portal. "I am sure you have heard it before but it bears repeating. Do not intervene and do make sure to blend in," she said before stepping through the portal. The sun was low in the sky, setting in the west as she glanced around the area. A tumbleweed rolling by over the dusty ground just outside of the cave they had walked into.

This Emendator seemed to be in a rush to get to where they were going, in contrast to the two previous ones who had been teaching James. Admittedly, he and Gio never actually went anywhere to begin, and Belladonna's first outing was understandably not something he wanted to jump right into anyway. But he did his best to follow quickly, lest he piss off the lady who raised him from the dead. James walked through the portal even as he secured his weapons - his pistol at least. Being unloaded, it was little more than a prop. The knife, of the other hand, he wanted a closer look at. Briefly scanning his environment, he noted that he was in no immediate danger, and turned his attention to the blade in his hands. He rolled it between his fingers, got a good grasp on the balance and edge, then pressed it firmly into its sheath and placed it on his belt. "Many thanks, Miss Evelina. That should do f'sure." He had no idea if a knife would help him in whatever this lady had in store, but he was comforted by the fact that he had it. "So ah, what we doin' first?"

"First thing is first, we need a ride and I do not suspect that McFly will show up with a car anytime soon," she said rather matter-of-factly before holding up a finger for James to wait. Stepping back through the portal she came out a moment later leading the horse that she had saddled. "I do hope you can hold on," she said as she slipped her boot into the stirrup and got into the saddle. Holding a hand out to him she motioned with a jerk of her head. "Up we go."

The generally optimistic blackneck shrugged and reached out to grasp Evelina's hand. He noted that the pale, slender Emendator was a lot stronger than she looked. It was probably true of all of the Emendators, but he wasn't about to ask into it right then. He was being taught a lesson of uncertain outcome by an immortal. Some things could wait. Inexpertly climbing onto the horse and getting a firm but respectful hold, James indicated that he was good to go with a quick, "Ready, ma'am."

Evelina nodded as she tightened her grip on the reigns before easing the stallion out of the cave and heading west. There was a nervousness about her and one could actually feeling a slight shake in her body as they rode. The sun was setting and out in the distance a town could be seen growing as they started to approach. "Some things are a first, even for us Emendators. Keep your wits about you, this isn't going to be like most training sessions." There was a warning in her voice as she spoke.

"Aight, okay Miss Evelina." responded James, noting the change in her overall demeanor. His tone was that of reassurance, not only that he had indeed heard her properly, but that he was willing to offer support. "I ain't knowin' what I can do for ya, but I'm here to help, much as I can." There was a definite shot of worry that ripped through James, however. Anything that could make one of these Emendators nervous, especially one with some power over death, gave the still-fresh wereboar Paradox nothing short of The Willies. "Takin' yo lead, Miss Lady."

No words were spoken from the Emendator as they came to town. It looked to be like any other town in the old west. It seemed to just have been dropped out in the middle of nowhere. A single street ran through the town, buildings on each side for about a quarter of a mile and then nothing once again. The tallest building in the town looked to be a salon slash inn. It was the only one with lights burning inside and the sound of people drinking, yelling, and gambling could be heard clearly out on the street as they road past.

James fell likewise silent as they approached the western settlement. He had a pretty good idea what to expect from the locals so far as reactions to his presence were concerned, which were a mixed bag given his loose knowledge of the period. Riding bitch on the horse with a white lady taking the reins was probably a good idea, although Evelina on horseback while he walked might be a better one. Time might not be with them, so James kept his ideas to himself. Okay, most of them. "It's like I'm inna episode of 'Gunsmoke'!" he mused quietly, curious as to who the "Miss Kitty" analog was in this slice of reality. Early seasons, naturally. James seemed to remember that Father Time took a ballbat to the lady as the series went on. Still, he kept his eyes and wits about him, as suggested. When someone like The Dice got nervous, you paid good attention.

As they reached the edge of town, Evelina pulled back on the reigns and glanced around. Dismounting the horse she tied it off to a post and motioned for James to follow her. One could still hear the salon down the road but there was another sound. A whistling sound in the air. Her hand came to her chest and she swallowed slightly before pushing on. Rounding the edge of the last building and spotting a fire out in field behind it. Three people were sitting there. One was a young woman of Native American decent. Another was a large cowboy who when he turned, James would know the face. It was Gavin, or at least, Gavin for this time period. The last, his image hung in painted oil over the mantel in the library back at the main house. "Drem..." she whispered to herself as her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress.

Following Evelina, a glimmer of recognition came over James in that moment. He only recognized Gavin at first, and had to stop himself from calling out to the big Texan. He had gone so far as to take off his hat, intent on waving it about to draw attention. But something was wrong. Gut instinct and The Dice's warnings held his mouth shut, even though he didn't understand why. It wasn't until his Emendator companion spoke the name that James began to understand. "...wait, he dead. Right?" he whispered, looking to Evelina. "I mean, this one of them 'Dr. Who', fixed-moment-in-time thangs, or can we grab the muthafucka and make for the exit?" He knew it couldn't be that simple. It never was. Hoping against fate, or something similar. Then he noticed the level of anxiety, fingers scrunching up dress fabric. His hand instinctively started to drift toward his knife, but his voice was kind as he asked, "You okay, Miss Evelina?"

Evelina shook her head. "Nothing can stop this..." she said in a quivering voice. Drem rose sharply and Evelina turned her back, she couldn't watch. Drem yelled for them to run as he drew his guns and started firing into the air. The bullet flew but vanished and blood came out of thin air. The run didn't come soon enough. The woman seemed to be eaten by an unseen force, her body getting bitten in half as she screamed. Gavin rolled onto his back but was lifted into the air by nothing. His head was rolling on the ground before his hat could even fall off.

James's eyes widened as the unseen force tore everyone in front of him apart. If he had the presence of mind to do so, he likely would have soiled his undergarments on the spot, but even that bit of stress response wasn't coming. James had seen awful things being done to the human body, by the Living Dead as well as the Living, but they were perpetrated by things that he could see and understand on some level. This was horrifying in a different way, as it was a thing that should not be and wasn't perceptibly there. Yet something else pulled at the fledgling Wereboar. His own history, or the history he most connected with, at any rate. He was a gentleman (kinda) of the American South, and this was a Lady, if there every was one, who was going through some amazing personal distress. As he understood it, this was her ...what, boyfriend? Lover? Whatever, it was someone important to her. The question as good as smacked him across his face - Were they there for James, or for Evelina?

It didn't matter. Eyes still focused on the scene of carnage, he reached out to hold Evelina, whether to hug or just help support her up, he would gauge propriety as he went. "I gotcha, Miss Evie. I gotcha." Maybe he was stupid for trying to comfort an Immortal, a true Power in the timelines. The woman who held his life within her dice. "I'm right here, Ma'am. But maybe we ought get gone now, you think?" If James made it back out alive, he was going to throw up and collapse, he just knew it.

Evelina could hear Drem yelling and fighting. She knew she shouldn't have come to witness but there was reason behind what seemed like a poor choice of location. Each person that was losing their afterlife had had a horse. Each of those animals were about to go through what their owners had even though they were speeding off. Towards Evelina and James. Rushing past them and across the street towards the field on the other side of the town, trying to get away from this unseen force that was leaving devastation in its wake. Terrible events triggered abilities.

It was instinct; pure protective instinct that James pulled Evelina close into him and placed himself between her and the charging horses. It was probably stupid in hindsight anyway, seeing as a ton and a half of speeding horseflesh would turn James into a weeping lump of salsa on the ground, whereas The Dice could probably shrug it off. Emendator were made of tougher stuff. Old habits still died hard, as the saying went. But there was more than that going on. Somewhere in the back of his brain he felt something, like a new sensation growing into a cardinal sense. It was full, unbridled, palpable fear. Fear. But it was not his own. Separate from his own feeling of horror at the force which was consuming and laying to waste everything around him, James could hear the sounds of the horses' panic as they neared and threatened to trample them both. His eyes catching those of the lead horse, James's mind protested as much as his mouth as he reflexively raised his arm and half commanded, half pleaded, "WhoawhoawhoaWHOA Nellie! Thataway!" He swung his arm in a wide arc as if to ward off some unseen flying insect. Then something truly odd happened: They listened.

Strangely, impossibly, the horses knew what James needed. The last few fractions of seconds before the first one got to him, it snorted loudly and diverted path just enough to avoid colliding with the pair of them; the Emendator and the Paradox. James could feel the wind of their passing as the others followed. Fear mixed with wonder on his face, and he exhaled a shallow, "...I felt them. I could feel them... We gotta go."

Evelina took a step back and nodded. Turning, she grabbed James' hand and began moving swiftly back towards the horse they rode in on. It wasn't long before she was back in the saddle again and holding her hand out to James. She knew what was coming and it was far worse than he had already seen. Yet, the purpose to coming there had been filled. A high anxiety moment that forced an ability to show itself. There might have been other ways to drive someone forward but she knew the life the man had lived before this one. She knew what Belladonna had taken him to see. The man needed a bigger push and she just gave him one.

Trauma did seem to be the opening theme to every one of James's training sessions. Especially his first one with The Watch. That was a truly horrifying experience. Not so much as personally viewing the death of an Emendator, but still pretty awful. Shaking these thoughts away as best he could, James took Evelina's hand and pulled himself onto the horse. No words were necessary. It was time to leave. The implications of his budding Paradox skill could be figured out when the threat of evisceration was significantly less.

The horse tore down the road and out of town, once away from the danger of the town behind them the horse slowed to a troy. Evelina still had not said a word but the woman did pick and choose her moments. It wasn't uncommon for her to say nothing for a long period of time and then do an information dump on one or more people. Riding up to the cave, Evelina seemed to finally breath again but a few tears fell from her cheeks before she dismounted after James climbed down. Keeping her back to the man she lead the horse through the portal without saying a word.

The sudden manifestation of a power seemed wholly secondary to the event that was just witnessed. Even secondary was generous. James followed the blue garbed Emendator and her horse through the portal, constantly glancing behind them with a foreboding sense of self-preservation. He had seen the death of an Immortal, in and of itself a paradox in the truest sense of the word. Moreover, he had a better idea as to what they were all up against. Even after passing back into Ville au Camp, James remained quiet. Contemplative, even. He coldly regarded the past hour, taking no more action than to look toward Evelina with a knowing, serious expression. No words were good enough. Speech itself was woefully inadequate.

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Another morning, another mission for Faith and Bart to complete. This loop saw the Emendator known as Giosue waiting for his trainee(s) as usual, but today he had forgone his suit for something a little more natural. Atop his head was a wide-brimmed felt cap. Around his neck were a pair of binoculars. Over his torso was an olive button-up shirt, with plenty of spacious pockets adorning the front. And on his legs were matching shorts paired with durable brown walking shoes. On his back, he wore a backpack visually encumbered with unknown cargo. At his feet were two more identical backpacks planted firmly on the ground.
Faith woke up the same way, with maybe a bit more pep in her step. Having spent a good portion training with Nancy (which she enjoyed) as well as keeping her knife sharpened and maintained, she was beginning to get used to this life. Or as used to it as she could manage. She also noticed she started disliking people less. She actually nodded at people when they said hello to her. It was kind of moving. So again, she checked the note and got upset she was still not with Evelina or Belladonna. She was beginning to think they did this on purpose. She got dressed and left to meet Gio and, most likely, Bart again. She was not excited by the sight she saw. Not only did Gio look like someone's lame dad, he also looked like they would be going on a hike. "I'm not gonna like this, am I?"
Bart rose from his bed, saw the note, and nodded. It was that time again, this time with Gio, the Emendator he visited Cairo with. He figured they might be going somewhere deep in the past, or at least so he hoped, Given Gio's status as "The Watch". Seeing parts of history would always be something he'd find interesting. He stepped out of his room, and headed out to the Big Oak tree. As soon as he made it there, He saw Faith and Gio, with two bags at his feet. He might assume that whose would be for Faith and Bart to carry, but at the same time, he'd kind of learned that acting without instruction was typically a bad idea, so he just placed himself next to Faith, and gave a careful look at Gio's getup. "So what's the plan for today?" He asked, thinking that they might be doing some kind of hunting.
"Good morning Ms. Masters and Mr. Rosecliff," Gio greeted the two paradoxes. In response to the former's question he merely smiled before continuing his explanation. "Today we shall be going out on an adventure, a safari so to speak. In each of these packs I've included some useful objects for your mission, up to and including a suitable change of clothes. If you wish, you may briefly excuse yourselves to change before returning. Or if you're prefer to remain in your current dress you may. I won't stop you. The one on my right is for Ms. Masters, the other for young Bartholomew. I'll explain the rest once we've traveled to our destination."
Faith fought hard to not let out an audible groan. This meant walking. Probably a long trek. She was not dressed for the part so she walked forward and grabbed the pack Gio referred to as hers. She opened it and peered inside, seeing the change of clothes. "Yeah, I'm gonna go get changed back there." She didn't want to undress in front of Gio, and definitely not in front of Bart. So she walked back to the house and got changed into the clothes. She had a feeling it would be needed on this journey. After she changed, she walked back, pack slung behind her as she waited for them to get started.
"I'll go get changed then." He said, grabbing for his pack, slinging it onto his back, and following Faith's lead back to the house. While Gio had made the option to stay dress as they were available to them, that struck him as a profoundly foolish idea, so he settled on changing. He wasn't looking forward to spending an entire day outside, but things always found a way to be interesting with these people, so he figured he wouldn't hate it. Going to the first available rest room, he changed into his gear for the day, and hurried back to Gio.
"No need to dither. Let us proceed." Gio opened up a time portal unceremoniously and ushered the two paradoxes through. On the other side, they found themselves standing in a hot, arid grassland. The sky was bright but covered in a dense slate of light charcoal and the smell of ash assaulted the nose. Tough, thick yellow grass that rose up to the knee covered the ground for as far as the eye can see, occasionally broken up by the occasional animal silhouette, rock formation or tree cluster. In the horizon loomed a dark mountain with a frail of smoke rising into the sky above; the only significant marker breaking the relative uniformity of the rest of the location. Well aside from one item that immediately broke up the natural setting elsewhere: a jeep with an open top and four seats by the look of it, with signs of more cargo in the back.
"Welcome to the Serengeti, Faith and Bart. Today, you two are going hunting," he proclaimed, climbing in the back of the jeep. He quickly got himself comfortable and motioned for the others to get in the vehicle as well.
"Whichever one of you wishes to drive may do so. I believe you're both familiar enough with the skill. But you'll both need to work together. We want to secure an impressive prize to bring back to camp, and you don't have much time. As for the specific target, I'll let the two of you decide. Back here I have some goods that wouldn't fit in the pack." Gio dug up a few different items from behind him. A hunting rifle. Then a few throwing spears. A blow pipe.
"I think you get the idea. Don't worry about anything like depopulation through overhunting either. This is well before that could become an issue."
Despite her "devil may care" attitude on most subjects, Faith didn't enjoy hunting. She did it in her timeline, of course, because it meant survival. Hunting for sport was another matter. Humans were easier, in a fashion, to put down because they often did bad things, like try to take advantage of her, and it was survival then too. Animals did nothing wrong except what instinct told them to do. So the fact Gio wanted them to hunt, even if it was ok for the population, it still made her uneasy.
However, she didn't trust Bart to handle a hunting rifle or throwing spears well. "I'll take a crack at the guns first. Any target you want specifically?" she asked Bart.
Bart didn't care much about the moral implications of hunting, so long as over hunting didn't occur. Animals were on the planet, but they lacked the intelligence humans did. It wasn't the best thing in the world, but it wasn't reprehensible. "I don't mind taking the wheel. If we want something impressive, maybe a lion?" He suggested. Then furrowed his brow. No, not a big cat, that didn't sit right with him after leaving lucky on his own in the advent of his death. "Scratch that, A Giraffe? That's look cool in the camp I guess." He offered, sliding into the front seat of the jeep, and rested his hands on the wheel.
"You don't need to worry about the target. As much as I'd like to, we don't have the time to plan all the specifics of this trip. We're going to have to improvise through this." Gio handed Faith the hunting rifle. Once in her hands, she'd see that it was bolt-action, which would require her to manually reload the bullet after every shot. He also handed her a small box that when opened would reveal the ammunition for the weapon.
"You only get three shots before you have to change to another weapon. Use them wisely." Bart on the other hand would be able to see that the keys to the jeep were already stuck in the ignition. All he'd have to do was turn it, and it'd roar to life. "You see off in the distance at 2 o' clock? Those barely moving silhouettes. That's your best bet for finding anything within the next half hour. Dallying around here would not be a wise decision."
Faith took the rifle in hand and stepped into the vehicle, waiting for Bart to get it started. She didn't care about the target, so long as they got something. Faith checked the aim on the rifle, preparing herself for using this type of gun. A bolt-action rifle was not ideal in this situation, but it was better than nothing. She was sure she'd have an easier time with it than the spears or the blowgun. The silhouettes were within her sights. "Let's get moving then."
Bart turned the keys, starting up the car. Taking a second to translate Gio's instruction into something he understood, Bartholomew started driving towards the figures in the distance. "I'll see if I can get up close to them quickly." He said, gently pressing his feet down on the accelerator, getting them up to around 50 miles an hour. He figured he could manage the speed for now, but might want to slow down as they got closer, for fear of scaring away whatever these creatures were. "Hey Gio," He said as he drove, "You told of where we are, but when are we?" Still an odd question for Bart to need to get used to asking, but he was genuinely curious about what time period they were in.
A sudden distant rumbling sounded in the distance, cutting off any answer Gio might have given. It very clearly came from the mountain behind them. And the smoke emanating from its peak appeared thicker and darker than it had when they had first arrived.
"Curious thing really. That question is more pertinent than some might think." Gio yelled over the sound of the engine and the wind. As they neared the silhouettes, were were specks became larger, more defined. And it was immediately obvious that there were several beasts that were not of "the usual fare." Faith, armed with the scope on the rifle would be able to pick out things like great pachyderms, larger than the largest elephant she'd ever seen with downward sloping tusks, or giant boars with long, forward jutting tusks of their own.
"We happen to be in, well you probably wouldn't be interested in the exact date. But we're in what you'd call 12,000 BC, well before the earliest known civilizations formed." It was only a few minutes later that they would pull in closer to the point where they'd be able to see any of the animals distinctly with their own eyes. In addition to the animals of old, there were also a smattering of gazelle, zebra, cape buffalo, wildebeest and rhinoceroses. Furthermore, they were all running in the same direction they were.
Faith waited until they were closer as Gio spoke. As it planned perfectly as soon as he told them when they were, the creatures formed. They were unlike any she had ever seen. Even in picture books. She put the rifle down as she gazed in awe. Given the time period, it made sense now. There were animals aplenty before humanity carved out its place on Earth. She was half tempted to put the gun down and just observe these creatures, but she had a task. She pulled the rifle up and aimed at the big beast. Even large animals could be taken down.
And then she heard it break. She put it down again and checked. The rifle had jammed. "Fuck!" She got to work as best she could at fixing it. Managing to get the bullet out and the rifle cleared, she tossed the bullet aside. Now she only had two left.
"12,000 BC?!" Bart asked over the hum of the engine. That was very far back in the past. He couldn't help but wonder about the butterfly effect. He figured Gio well knew what he was doing, so he didn't vocalize anything, but he considered the implications. Maybe they weren't really changing anything here, in a way, they always came to this point in history, so their actions wouldn't change anything. He would consider this more, but he was driving, and that, along with the rest of their current circumstances, merited his full attention. He heard Faith curse and said, "Missed I take it? Want me to take a shot?" He asked her as they sped along the Serengeti.
The jeep drew ever nearer to the herd of animals. On one hand, this meant whoever was shooting had a better shot, but also that the beasts began to take greater notice of them and react accordingly. They'd begin to divert course to flee away from them rather than simply keep going the way they'd been. If Gio had anything he wanted to insert to the situation, he didn't bother to say it, leaving Faith and Bart to sort things out on their own.
Faith shook her head as she brought the rifle back up and looked through the sights. "No, I got this." She would be damned if she let Bart show her up in any capacity. She set her sights on the big guy again, ignoring any feeling ot concern at shooting a creature she knows did not exist during her timeline. She shot and landed a hit. "That's how it's done!" At first, it seemed like the shot didn't do much and Faith feared her cheering would be her downfall, but soon, the large beast slowed down and stumbled. "So...do we finish it off now?"
Bart lowered his head at the crack of the gunshot," Nice shot." He said, and looked over to Gio, "I assume we still want to bring this back to camp?" He said, trying to focus on following after the wounded animal. He had no idea how they'd ever manage to lug something that big, so he figured The Watch wasn't being completely honest with his expectation of them bringing it back. He was more than fine with that, if that was the route they were going to go.
"It'd be quite the waste to just kill a creature and then leave it here, although it wouldn't exactly be in anything's way. Yes, we are going to transport it back to camp." Gio called over the increasingly loud tremors of the impending eruption. His posture remained relatively lax throughout, as if his only worry would be Bart's driving.
Faith put the rifle down. The car was shaking too much for her to be able to concentrate properly. Instead, she grabbed one of the spears offered and aimed. She wanted to fell the beast, but it was a touch mother, to be sure. Instead, she aimed for one of the calf things next to it. The spear left her grasp and charged forward, but it missed its mark. However, the calf got scared and ran in front of the giant and tripped it. It appeared to be slowing down more, but they would quickly pass it. "We need to slow down some. It's almost done."
As the creature tripped, Bart had a bit of a smile on his face. "Let me show you how it's done." He said, reaching out for a spear, and, with one hand on the wheel, lobbying the weapon at the creeature, striking it dead in the chest. With a grin on his face at his success, he said, "I'm gonna bring us up to it, and we'll figure oiut how to get it up to camp from there." He said, slowing the car down, and driving up to the apparently dead beast.
Faith was mildly pissed Bart managed to stop the thing while he was driving, but she was content in thinking she had a hand in weakening it, at least. As the car came to a stop, she jumped out and walked over to their target. It was bigger in person than she had anticipated. "So, now what? How are we taking this thing back with us?"
"That would be where I come in." Gio hopped out from out the back of the Jeep and rubbed his hands. "I hope neither of your got too attached to the jeep. It's probably not going to survive the day." Gio produced The Watch and created a time portal beneath the beast large enough to completely engulf it. The corpse fell through silently back to Camp.
"I'd not hesitate to jump in. The volcano's going to blow any second now. I'd hate to have to leave one of you back here to the ash." That said, Gio pinched his nose and hopped through the portal, the way one would into the side of a pool.
Faith followed shorty after Gio, not intending to stay here any longer than needed. As much as she would love to see an active volcano erupt, she at least knew that during this time would not be the best if she wished to remain alive. She thought about pushing Bart before she jumped as a "screw you" move, but opted against it. The little twerp stepped his game up and Faith had to give him props. Not to his face, of course, but the fact she didn't insult him was a step up.
Bartholomew was mildly surprised with Faith's lack of a comment on his kill, but he rolled with it. Maybe it was some kind of progress. Very much not wanting to be around lava, for obvious reasons, he quickly followed behind Faith, jumping into the portal., landing safely back in Ville Au Camp. He was happy with his prowess there, feeling a sense of personal growth and achievement in what he'd done.
The three of them landed on top of the slain beast in the middle of Camp, now around 10 am. Gio jumped off the fallen deinotherium with a giggle.
"Good job to the both of you. For a second there I was a bit concerned, but you pulled through." The Emendator took off his cap and turned to face Bart and Faith, a wide smile plastered on his face. "Now the question is what to do with this thing. I was thinking of cooking whatever you killed, but this is more than we'd be able to eat, even if we tried to feed it to tonight's partygoers. Suggestions?"
Faith was concerned with how jovial the man was after witnessing them kill this thing, but what could she do? She was tasked and she passed. 'Didn't Native Americans like...use every part of the animal they killed? We may be able to get some food, but perhaps there's other uses for its bones and skin and such?"
Bart shook his head at Faith, " I'd say this is neccesarily wasteful, given that Gil can pull anything out of his hat." With that said, he looked over the beast. " On the subject of the partygoers though, maybe we could stuff it and use it to scare them. Is anybody good at taxidermy?" He asked. That seemed to be the only real use they could get out of this, and it would be pretty scary for sure.
"The main issue is that there's so much to use, I don't think we'll be able to get through it all with the manpower we have." Gio scratched his chin, staring over the thing. "I'm sure we'll figure out something. At the very least we need to do something before it starts rotting away." Perhaps for once he hadn't thought things through as thoroughly as he tended to. But it was certain that the last thing anyone wanted was to smell that thing as it sat underneath the sun all day.

Nancy had enjoyed training two Paradoxes at a time more than she had anticipated. The past four months of working with Faith and Bart allowed her to not only play them off against each other, but it was amusing to see their reactions to the various scenarios they were thrown into. While Bart had shown a proclivity for languages, Faith shined when it came to torture - no doubt analogous to their personalities in Nancy's opinion. She wore a blue dress with a green, her cards currently stashed into a coin purse. By her feet were three sacks filled with clothing.

Sophia had enjoyed the last four months training with Gilbert finally getting used to handling things one handed which took sometime to get used to. She looked at the letter that was under the door and made her way towards it, it was going to be her first training session with Nancy which would be interesting. She got her all of her things and started to make her way towards the swamp where the letter was seeing Nancy there in her dress and gave her a slight wave. "Good morning how are you doing this morning?" She asked as she made her way towards her seeing the sacks of clothes there.

Nancy gave Sophia a mischievous grin, before she side stepped to allow Sophia unhindered access to the clothing. "Oh, I'm just brilliant," she said with a giggle, hardly able to contain her excitement. "I'm guessing you've become accustomed to Emendators just throwing costumes at you and telling you to dress...So this time, you get a choice. Once you've found a get up you fancy, change into it and we'll be on our way."

The first bag contained a dress similar to Nancy's, except for it was a muddled orange shade. The corset peeked out slightly from underneath the dress and it was partnered with sturdy shoes, along with a brown shawl, coin purse, and a concealed pocket knife. The second bag contained a lilac dress with a princess-line silhouette and a matching bonnet. There were lace white gloves as well, long enough to reach to the crease of her elbow. The final bag contained a suit and a tall hat, along with the material to prepare a false beard.

Sophia raised an eyebrow slightly hearing Nancy giggle, she did like the idea of choosing the clothes but knowing Nancy a little bit as a prankster she probably had something up her sleeve. "Having a choice certainly does help things thank you." She said as she knelt down and looked down at the three bags that were there. Seeing the first one seemed to be pretty much what Nancy was wearing just with a muddled orange color, and then the next one looked to be more elegant, and then the last one. When Sophia pulled it out seeing that it was a suit, her eyes turned towards Nancy when she pulled out a suit, and saw there was some stuff to make a beard.

She certainly didn't want to wear the suit, and she'd certainly feel very out of place as well, Sophia went with the lilac colored dress. "Give me a second and i'll be ready." Sophia said giving Nancy a slight smile before heading off to get changed, a few seconds later she was finished and came back fully dressed.

Nancy couldn't help but be intrigued with Sophia's choice, but she shrugged. If Sophia complained, the Emendator would just point out to her that other options had been available and it wasn't her fault she wanted to dress with such class. "Interesting taste," Nancy commented. "What you're wearing now is proper evening attire for an upper class women in the late 1890's in London - perhaps a member of the gentry or the peers," Nancy added. "While we're away, please refer to me as Miss Parker. As for yourself - well, if you want to pretend to be a peer, Lady Harris should do - Lady Sophia if you want to be particularly high up on the social scheme. If not, Miss Harris." She then gave her a smile, before she walked a bit further into the swamp to reveal a portal and she stepped on through.

Once on the other side, Sophia and Nancy would find themselves in the Whitechapel district of London on September 30th, 1888. It was barely the date in question, with the city shrouded in darkness. They were in an alleyway at the moment and Nancy couldn't help but grin with glee, looking at her charge. Disneyland had been fun, but even Nancy enjoyed a good thrill. She could already feel her blood pumping at an accelerated pace.

Sophia adjusted the elbow length gloves that she wore, she certainly wasn't used to wearing something this fancy except for her wedding day that was the only time she truly did dress up. "Thank you." Sophia said giving Nancy a friendly smile as she listened to Nancy giving her a discerption on what she was wearing exactly. "I'll go by Lady Harris then, lead the way Miss Parker." Sophia said as she followed alongside Nancy towards the nearby portal. Sophia stepped through the portal shortly after Nancy just did as she stepped through it Sophia looked around, it appeared to be night now where they were at. "So what are we doing here exactly?" Sophia ended up asking looking around the alleyway that they were now in.

"I'm bloody well 'ere ter 'ave myself a good time. Yer, 'owever, need ter survive the bleedin' next two 'ours wivout bein' exposed," Nancy explained, slipping into a rather thick Cockney accent. Not many knew how far back the particular accent group dated and it was one of her favorites to portray. She ducked her head out of the alley, looking down the moonlit streets. "Lady 'arris, right, I need yer ter cop us from Berner Street ter Mitre Square. I'll follow yor lead. If anyone encounters us, right, yor'll need ter blend in. Uvverwise, right, well. Right...Oh, that'll just spoil the bleedin' fun. It'll be me secret for the bloody mument wot would 'appen uvverwise," she explained. She then handed Sophia a crudely outlined map of the area, with giant X's drawn on the starting and end points. In theory, it was only a twelve minute walk.

Sophia looked at her surroundings once more before her attention went back to Nancy noticing her accent changed drastically, it was a tad bit hard to understand at first. "Alright then, just follow me Miss Parker." Sophia said as she took the crudely drawn map as she started to look it over before heading out to the alleyway that they were in. She took a look down at the map once more and eyed some of the people that were out in the streets before headed up Berner Street while remaining alert as she focused on the path ahead of them.

As they walked, Nancy let her arms swing at her sides slightly, watching the street ahead of them. It was a fairly nondescript street, with a few pubs and the likes along the way. Dutfield's Yard was at the end of the row and Nancy glanced at Sophia with a bit of amusement. She then counted to three in her head: one...two...three...and....now. As if on cue, there was a scream that pierced the air, coming from the yard.

As she continued to go down the road Sophia would remain pretty quiet since no one had approached the two of them yet, she adjusted her dress ever so slightly. She was still very much used to wearing something other than a dress, but it certainly did beat having to wear a suit and a fake beard that probably didn't even make her blend in. She looked over her shoulder at Nancy seeing the amused look on her face, then out of random she heard a very loud scream which made Sophia stop instantly looking back at Nancy. "What was that, sounds like someone is in trouble and should we go and check it out?" Sophia asked.

"This is yor challenge, Lady 'arris, right, not mine," Nancy pointed out, her tone a bit unsympathetic. She didn't appear to be phased at all by the sounds of the screams. There was a single man standing in the yard - Louis Diemschutz - looking down at something that Sophia wouldn't be able to make out just yet. The steward had a horse near him and it was whinnying. No one else was in the street at the time, with the nearest building adjacent to it, Workers' Club, being dark and boarded up for the night.

A part of her told her to not go and check it out, due to her time out in the wilderness back in her time, but she always wanted to see what was exactly going on there. Sophia closed her eyes and sighed slightly to herself before looking over at Nancy, it would probably put a lot of time on their little trip in the late 1880's. "Lets check it out." Sophia said, before making her way over towards the man who was staring at something. "Good evening, sir what happened here?" Sophia asked.

Diemschutz glanced over at her, the crumpled form at his feet illuminated by candlelight. It was the body of Elizabeth Stride, one of the victims attributed to Jack the Ripper. There was blood flowing from a wound in her neck and it was fresh; she had been dead for only a few minutes. "I don't know, miss...I just found 'er like this, 'orse got shy..." Diemschutz responded. His screams had attracted the attention of local police and a bobby was running over towards them. A few doors on the street opened up as people peeked out into the darkness, wondering what had occurred. Nancy had remained back in an alley not too far from the scene of the crime, just watching Sophia, curious to see what she would do. If she went much further with this, she'd have to stop her. This wasn't blending in - too much more of this and Sophia would be making a scene.

Sophia's eyes then turned over towards the body that was there, and backed away slightly she didn't expect to see a body there at all, covering her mouth. She watched as some of the local police started to show up, which was probably something that Nancy didn't want her to be around. But if she left it probably would look very suspicious as well to the locals, she looked away from the body and backed off some more seeing some doors opening. Sophia would look around for Nancy seeing she had gone off probably to watch her from a distance, she certainly did feel very out of place at the moment.

As Sophia backed away, she walked into a rather plump woman two doors down from the Workers' Club. With beady eyes and an unusually long neck, as if she existed to eavesdrop and spy on people, the woman looked at her with a scowl. However, once she took in Sophia's apparel, the scowl melted away. "Oh, I'm so sorry, miss...I could 'ave sworn you were one of those harlots for a moment," she apologized. "Come inside, ya must be so shaken..." However, a large part of her sympathy came from a burning curiosity to know what was going on.

Sophia jumped slightly when she accidentally bumped into someone, when she turned around she looked up at the plump woman. "I am so incredibly sorry I wasn't paying attention where I was going.." Sophia apologized as she looked back towards the crime scene and then back at the woman, she felt a bit awkward when the woman thought that she was some kind of harlot, but ignored the comment. She knew that they had about two hours, for Nancy's little test to try and blend in. "I don't want to intrude or anything." Sophia said as she looked back at her, then over to where Nancy was.

"I insist, miss - it ain't proper for a pretty thing like yerself to be out at night," the woman said, opening the door and ushering for Sophia to go inside. As Sophia looked into the alleyway, she'd see Nancy shaking her head at her, before Nancy traced her finger across her throat.

Sophia stared at Nancy for a moment seeing that gesture, she wasn't sure if she was telling her to play around or not she turned to look at the portly woman as she was ushered inside of the house. "I really cant stay long though and I don't want to trouble you at this late hour." Sophia softly said as she entered the house. She rubbed her arm slightly as she looked around it, she was starting to feel like she was screwing everything up right now.

Nancy nearly hit her palm against her forehead, seeing Sophia enter the home. She thought it had been a clear gesture, but maybe the undead infested Georgia didn't know that sign. It was her fault if that was the case and Nancy shook her shoulders, symbolically shaking off the blame. Sophia had just made her training harder than it had been intended to be and she was completely fine with that. If she hadn't been able to pull off an upper class British accent before this, she'd become an expert in it.

"Nonsense, it's just me and m' husband," the woman explained, closing the door behind her. "Mr. Mortimer - e's upstairs, kipping. I can make ya some tea if ya like," she then offered. She must have been Mrs. Mortimer. But it seemed that Sophia's luck wasn't changing as there was a knock at the door and Mrs. Mortimer opened it up, only to find a constable. There was a bobby at the scene with the body, but more were coming into the area and this one was going around to get statements.

"Good evenin', madams," the constable greeted, looking at the two as he took off his hat. "I'm afraid there's been some trouble up the street...Did either of you see anythin'?"

"Trouble?" Mrs. Mortimer asked, looking at Sophia.

"Some tea would be great.." Sophia said as she gave the woman a friendly smile, as she stood there she wasn't going to turn down tea she assumed that Mr. Mortimer was either her husband or some kind of caretaker for the man. She thought about just leaving the house when the woman turned to get the tea for her. That's when she heard the knock on the door, as she turned around to face the door as it opened seeing a local constable in front of the door. "Good evening sir." She said giving him a slight smile, as she looked over towards where the body of Elizabeth Stride was located.

Sophia quickly started to think of a story, as to what had happened. "I was just walking along the streets when I heard a scream. I came over to see what it was, and that's when I saw the body of that poor woman.." Sophia said softly.

"And did ya happen to see anyone, miss?" the constable asked, not even bothering to ask if Sophia knew the woman. There was no reason, in his mind, for a member of the upper class to be consorting with that sort. He found it slightly odd that she was with Mrs. Mortimer, someone that struck him as middle class, but he figured they could be distant relatives or something of the sort. It would explain how Sophia's accent struck him as strange.

Sophia shook her head towards the constable. "I did not, i'm sorry if i'm not being much help." Sophia said towards the man, as she rubbed her arm slightly. She started to feel a little bit nervous she had a feeling that Nancy was standing nearby watching from a distance, she shifted slightly where she stood.

The constable nodded, before going over and speaking with Mrs. Mortimer. From the way he was standing, he actually blocked Mrs. Mortimer's view of the door. If there was ever a moment for Sophia to escape the house unnoticed, this would be it. Mrs. Mortimer was already talking the constable's ear off, being a gossip herself and enjoying the attention.

Sophia returned the nod towards the constable, and took a step to the side so that he could talk to Mrs. Mortimer she stood there for a few seconds. Seeing that the moment was now for her to sneak out of the house Sophia quickly and quietly left the small house, and quickly walked her way across the street. Seeing the alleyway that Nancy was at previously she quickly made her way over towards the area, where she last saw Nancy.

"Ya must've done better than I'd thought ya woulda, Lady 'arris," Nancy said with a smirk, but internally she was relieved to see Sophia come back in one piece. "But lesson number one, alright? Finger on the throat means death."

Sophia quietly sighed to herself seeing Nancy was still there and smiled slightly. "I certainly screwed up, sorry I shouldn't have followed her inside and stuck closer to you." Sophia said, as she looked back towards where the body was, and then started to realize where they were now.

Nancy followed Sophia's eyes. "'Ave ya figured it out then, luv?" she asked. They had about half of Sophia's time remaining in order to reach the destination. Not only was it the goal of the task, but it was also near where she had arranged with Giouse to have the portal be kept. She was certain that Sophia would be able to make it on time - and if not, well, London was lovely this time of year in Nancy's opinion.

Sophia took out the makeshift map that Nancy had made, and then looked at the closest street sign and at the body as she started to remember a little bit of something in history class. "This is the Whitechapel District, the scene of one of Jack the Ripper's victims right?" Sophia asked, as she turned back to face Nancy.

She nodded, grinning at the young Paradox. "Spot on, Lady 'Arris. Tonight is the night of the double murder - every bobby cop in this area is on patrol. And less than twelve minutes away, Catherine Eddowes is gonna be the next, ya see." She then made a slight shooing motion, indicating for Sophia to get a move on. Even though she'd successfully navigated the area so far, she still needed to get to the end point on the map.

Sophia smiled and nodded towards Nancy. "Thank you Miss Parker." She said, as she looked down at the map once more, she didn't want to go towards the next scene of the murder, she then went forward with the map still out in the open as she continued down the path for the trail. "Is there anything else I need to look for or stay away from while we are here Miss Parker?" Sophia asked, she didn't want to screw up anymore than she already had this evening.

"Ya really think I'm abouts to tell ya that?" Nancy asked with a laugh, following Sophia. There was a side road that allowed them to not be seen by the various constables in the area, but given that they were women, they were largely ignored and allowed to pass by peacefully. They received a few odd looks as to the locals, it seemed a lady was walking with a prostitute, but it wasn't the strangest thing to occur that night. "Listen up, lady, when ya goin' out and about on missions and all, ya won't know all the time what to watch out for."

Sophia smiled slightly and shrugged it was worth a shot trying to find out what, but she certainly wouldn't be able to get it out of her it seemed. "Sorry I thought it was worth a shot on asking." Sophia said as she continued to follow the map, eventually heading down a small side road seeing some people stare at her, had made her feel a bit awkward. But she didn't say anything about it either, then Nancy spoke up again looking back at her and nodded. She was used to having to deal with the unexpected, it was what caused her to lose her hand as well. "So always expect the unexpected and blend in with the locals then correct Miss Parker?" Sophia asked as she made it out of the side road.

"Don't apologize t' me. I'd ravver yer stand by yor actions than just default ter agreein' wiv wotever I say," Nancy explained, her voice still thick with a cockney accent. She was becoming a bit irritated with it herself. Her adopted accent of choice, at the moment, was that of a New Yorker. There was just something about that city in the 1940's that put a spring in her step. "Do yer think that's correct, Lady 'arris, luv?" Nancy then asked pointedly. Mitre Square wasn't too far from their starting destination and the delay with Mrs. Mortimer had actually worked in Sophia's favor. The next Ripper killing had already been discovered and she didn't need to hear the screams from that loss of life.

Sophia smiled and nodded towards Nancy, as she continued to walk along the pointed trail aside from the Ripper Killings the night did seem to be fairly nice. It was certainly better than being nearly dropped twenty feet from her very first training session with Evelina, she looked back towards Nancy and then the map when she questioned. "Yes I believe so Miss Parker." She said as they made it towards their destination finally, as Sophia noticed the portal back to Ville au Camp. "Well tonight has been very interesting, thank you for everything." Sophia said giving Nancy a friendly smile, and then stepped through the portal once more and back to where they all currently lived.

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The first day of training with Alexandra. Her and Gilbert, one-on-one, for the next block of time. Now, training with the other Paradoxes had been fairly straightforward; spend the first day doing something pointed in a personal direction. The first one was to demonstrate the true cost of hubris in combat. Or as it was said among the soldiering community (in one form or another) since the time of the Egyptian Empires, "The Price of a Mile". Hopefully, it stuck. The second was the lesson of taking a weakness and turning it into something strong - a liability into an asset. This one, well... It was different.

Within the Mill, there sat a small round table covered in white tablecloth. A bottle of notable wine sat next to a basket of lightly steaming, pillowy breadsticks, along with a porcelain dish containing a perfectly balanced Maître d'Hôtel Butter and spreading knife. Gilbert sat on one side of the table in alternate period finery, glass in hand, waiting for his Paradox student to arrive.

Alexandra had a skip to her step as she made her way to the mill. Training with Evelina had been a blast, and by blast she meant sometimes fun and sometimes a shot to the chest. Nevertheless, she was ever eager for her next adventure. She strode into the mill with a certain confidence to her as her dark eyes drank everything in, the wear and tear of use, the showcase of weaponry and armor, and finally the quaint little table where a certain someone sat with food and wine. "Av, is all this for me? You shouldn't have," she commented playfully, a slight twinkle to her eyes. She gave Gilbert a sweet smile as she approached the table, before plopping down in the chair across from him. "So, vhat's up, big man?" she questioned before leaning back in her chair and propping her feet up on the edge of the table.

Wordlessly, though not without a disapproving glance at Alexandra's feet on his pristine white tablecloth, Gilbert reached over and poured his newest pupil a glass of wine. Pushing the breach of etiquette put of his mind, he greeted the former circus performer. "Do not be silly, Alexandra. I very much should have. I know that it is a little early for wine, but I believe that even the esteemed Miss Emily Post would make an exception in this instance." His words dripped with saccharin, but potentially carried the weight of a caveat. "You see Madame, it is a special occasion." His smile was broad and friendly as he picked up the basket in the center of the table, offering. "Bread?"

Alexandra slid her feet back off the table, arching a brow at Gilbert. "Is it just my imagination, or are you trying to butter me up?" she replied, before adding with a gesture to the dish of actual butter. "Pun intended." She then picked up the glass of wine and took a swig of it. As the liquid went down her throat, she pursed her lips slightly and nodded her head. Not bad. She nodded her head in reply to his offer, before grabbing one of the breadsticks, tearing off a piece, and popping that into her mouth.

Gilbert grin broadened. "No, of course not. And by no, naturally I mean yes. Today marks a very special day for me, in one manner of speaking. Giosue, ah, The Watch is generally very obliging with his ability to give us passage into different times and locations for the training of Paradoxes. And occasionally for other important matters, but that is another discussion." Gil sat back in his chair, leisurely sipping his glass of wine and regarding Alexandra with his same, friendly smile. "But it is uncommon for these journeys to benefit me in some way, even if it is to greet someone lost to me. But as I have said, this is a special occasion and you are to be a part of it. Today, you meet one of my fathers." Gilbert cleared his throat. "More wine?"

She nearly choked on her breadstick at that last statement, which he quickly tried to gloss over. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head in seeming disbelief. "Vhat? You're taking me to meet your parents?" she sputtered, before the hint of teasing came to the tone of her voice. "Don't you think it's a little too soon in our relationship for that?" The corner of her lips pulled up into a smirk, before she took another sip of her wine. Her brows suddenly furrowed as something else of what he said stuck out to her. "Vhat do you mean one of your fathers? Are you adopted or something, sort of like me?" she questioned curiously.

"Hmm..." regarded Gilbert, trying to find the proper way to answer Alexandra's question. "Everyone who lives goes through different periods of maturity. And every transition from one stage of life to another comes with influences, both in the form of personal decisions and outside sources. Emendators are the same, in this regard. At least I was." He sat forward in his chair, closing the gap some between himself and his latest student. His face took on a more serious, more wistful expression. "I have followed human conflict since the beginning of civilization. There are certain people who I could not help but influence, and who in turn have shaped my world view. There is a cyclic type of wisdom to humanity, in my experience: They do not gradually come to new concepts. Instead, a few remarkable individuals leap ahead of their time, and the rest of them are forced to adapt or get left behind. The man I intend for you to meet is one such person. And yes, he was one of my mentors. As close to a parent as I will ever experience."

Gilbert removed a cardboard garment box from underneath the table and set it upon the table. "When you are ready, put this on and follow me. The portal is through the back door, I will be waiting."

Alexandra blinked slightly as he took on a more serious expression, but as her gaze took in his features, she noted that there was something else to his demeanor. There was a certain--sadness? It was a look she herself had frequented over the years, and her dark eyes softened at that realization. She gave him a small, almost reassuring, smile. She nodded her head in understanding as he finished his explanation and handed over the garment box. "It will be my pleasure," she replied, standing up as she took the box from him. She gave him a soft smile, before turning to find a more private place to change.

Soon enough, she had changed into the interesting clothes. She honestly felt a little awkward in the attire, but then again, when did she not feel awkward in a dress? It didn't matter what era, country, fabric, style, etc. etc. it came in. A dress was a dress, and she didn't do dresses. They made pants for a reason after all. She had to admit though it was kind of pretty...darn, maybe she did actually like it. She mentally shook her head, before stepping through the portal. "Okay, let's get this shov on the road," she explained as she appeared on the other side.

The air on the other side was brisk but not overly cold. It was an area of low grass and evergreen trees with a small stream of clear water winding over a bed of white stones that were likely placed one at a time by hand. A path led to an arched, wooden bridge spanning the stream, and just past that rose a building that conferred a sense of importance. A light fog had settled upon the area, not quite obscuring vision but giving an air of mysticism and wonder to a place already shrouded in both.

Gilbert moved to take a place next to Alexandra. One would have to assume it was Gilbert; he spoke lightly but oddly accented English, gave his usual warm, friendly smile, and seemed very comfortable giving his salutations. A moment of confusion might be allowed, considering the fact that the man speaking had a very different appearance. "We are in the state of Wu, in the latter part of the Zhou Dynasty in what you would know as China. It is the time of the Summer and Autumn Wars, as I can relate from experience birthed many concepts once previously unheard of in battle. The man I take you to meet is Master Sun of Qi. I was once his personal bodyguard. You might have read about him under that name 'Sun Tzu'. It is important that you show the utmost of respect. Highly. It is why I have taken... a precaution. I hope you understand. Come along, he is in the temple, taking tea."

Alexandra glanced around, taking everything in curiously, before turning her attention to--huh? Her brows furrowed, head tilting to the side a bit as her gaze landed on some stranger. A look of confusion flitted across her features as the man began to nonchalantly talk to her as if they knew each other. Oh! Her head jolted straight again as she finally put two and two together, realizing that Gilbert was doing that shapeshift thing that she had seen him do some many months ago. The corners of her lips curled into the beginnings of a smile. She arched a brow before nodding her head in understanding, compliance, something of the sort.

A quizzical look crossed Gilbert's newer features. He opened his mouth as if to say something, thought the better of it, and continued toward the small temple. As the pair of them set foot on the arched bridge, Gilbert was pleased to remember a little trick from the last time he was at this place: Every wooden beam that formed the base of the walkway made a slightly different percussive note when stepped upon, like a hollow, wooden xylophone. He briefly considered taking a moment to dance a little tune on the bridge, like he had done many times millennia ago, but thought the better of it. "Maybe on the way back..." he mused, a playful little smile across his lips. Over the bridge and to the short few steps up to the temple's main doors. "I'm pleased that you don't seem to mind the tiny precaution I have taken to ensure compliance, considering the delicate nature of this man's effect on future history. Provided you do nothing that upsets this, I shall give you the antidote upon our return. Otherwise, you may ask this man any three questions as it relates to tactics and martial strategy, be it armies, personal combat, the use of fire, spies, practically anything. I will translate, as I do not believe you are familiar with Zhou period Wu dialect Mandarin." He laid one hand upon the temple door and nodded to Alexandra. "Ready?"

Alexandra followed in behind Gilbert at a leisurely pace and with a soft smile on her face. She looked very much the picture of contentment. Well, that was until something The Hat said caught her attention. Her face fell and paled slightly before she whipped her head around to pin the man with a steely gaze. "Excuse me?! Hov, hov--" she exclaimed indignantly. How could he have possibly put this little "precaution" into place? Her mind soon went back to the food and wine he had given her just prior to coming here via a portal. A fieriness came to her dark eyes as she now glared up at him. "You freakin' drugged me?! Not only that, you totally set me up, you--you arsehole," she spat, angrily wagging a finger at him.

The tall Emendator simply held his hand to the door. He did not open it, seeing that a touch more conversation was necessary before they met a legend. "Now Alexandra," he began in a matter-of-factly tone, "this is exactly what I was talking about. And do not be silly, girl. I did not drug you." Gilbert shook his head, sporting a nonchalant look on his borrowed face. "No. That would be counterproductive. I poisoned you." A harder, more paternal expression took his features, and he spoke with the confidence of a master craftsman. "These are hard lessons I teach my Paradoxes, Alexandra. Harder than any one person should have to bear all at once. But they have to be learned, and quickly. The means I use to teach them are my own, tailored to the individual and overseen by none with higher authority. But do not worry about anything right now. It will be hours before onset. Believe me, you will know when that happens."

And at that Alexandra's jaw about dropped to the floor. "You did vhat?!!" she exclaimed, a shrill quality coming to her voice. She shook her head. She couldn't have been hearing him right, could she? He poisoned her?! A mixture of emotions welled by in her eyes: shock, indignation, hurt, fear. Her breaths came in and out sharply, and she could feel her heart racing. She had to close her eyes for a moment as she tried to calm herself under this immense pressure, just as Evelina had trained her to do. However, she found that no amount of training would ever truly rid her of that hatred and that fear of feeling helpless, of being incapacitated. As she steadied her breathing and heartrate, she finally opened her eyes and looked back up at Gilbert with a more or less blank expression. She gave a small nod of her head, this time in true understanding and true compliance.

Gilbert swung open the door to the Taoist temple, revealing a mostly open room with a fitted wooden floor. Decorative lanterns and murals depicting scenes of nature, battles, and long scrolls bearing kanji could be seen readily, as could a man in his late forties to early fifties sitting on the floor behind a low table. He was dressed as a State Minister, and was apparently sitting down to tea. "Respectful, in all things." reminded Gilbert quietly. He placed his hands together and bowed low to the man from across the room, and did not approach until he was waved over.

She looked back ahead, keeping her facial expression neutral yet still inviting so as not to offend anyone in some unknowing way. She mimicked what Gilbert did with the bow and all. But, when she straightened back up, she laced her hands tightly in front of her in order to hide how they were shaking.

There was a brief, hushed conversation between the older man and Gilbert as Alexandra waited just inside of the door. Before a minute was through, the man behind the table gave the young Russian lady a gracious wave, indicating permission to approach and sit. A pot of simmering water was set to one side of them, as was a stack of upturned tea bowls. Their host looked to Gilbert, who immediately selected the top three bowls from the stack, dropped a spoonful of pale green powder into each one of them, and finally withdrew a short bamboo dipper from the water to finish the simple process of making powdered tea. "Give it a moment before you drink." advised Gilbert.

There was a flurry of conversation between the two men, an exchange lasting only a few seconds before Gilbert looked to Alexandra and addressed her, "As I have said earlier, this is Master Sun. He is enjoying what will be a fairly short retirement before he is called upon by his Emperor once more, though he is not aware of this. Master Sun is aware that you are not from his culture, and so is not holding you to the strict standards of etiquette that this situation ordinarily demands. He has deigned to allow you this time to ask him any three questions about battle, tactic, training, or any other aspect of warfare that his experience may enlighten. If you are unfamiliar with his work, I will say this: Sun Tzu is a legendary General and Tactician. His formative work on the subject, "The Art of War", is still being used thousands of years in the future, well past your time in the Imperial Russian era, and well past the time of Ville au Camp. For now, please drink. Enjoy the sounds of wind and silence. Enjoy the flavor of the tea, the type of which you will likely never experience again, and as the questions come to you, ask him directly. I will translate. But it is important that you look to him when you speak." Gilbert bowed his head in Master Sun's direction, and took a light, airy sip from his tea bowl.

Alexandra nodded her head and strode over once given permission to do so. She then sat down at the table across from this Sun Tzu, carefully crossing her legs in a way that didn't expose herself and ultimately seemed at least moderately ladylike. She gave a soft smile to the man before watching as the tea bowels were placed on the table. She glanced back up at Gilbert as he explained things. Nodding her head, she looked back down at the tea. She waited a bit for it to settle and cool before she gingerly took the bowl in her hands and took a small sip of the liquid. She nodded her head with a smile. It was certainly good. As silence soon enveloped them, apart from the occasional whoosh of the wind outside, she fought not to fidget. Idleness and her were not friends. She instead tried to distract herself by thinking of the questions she wished to ask. She pursed her lips a bit as she deliberated on the matter. What kind of information would be pertinent to her specifically?

After sitting in the relative silence for awhile, a question popped into her mind. She glanced up at Gilbert before locking gazes with Sun Tzu. "Hov, in a physical altercation, can a voman gain the upper hand over a man, considering our differences in strength and size?" she asked.

Gilbert smiled warmly and began to translate English to Wu Mandarin, bowing to Master Sun before and after speaking. The older (looking) man considered the words put before him. He took a sip of his tea, savoring it for a moment, and took in a deep breath. The sound of the wind outside caught his attention, giving him a contented look. After a moment, he began to speak. As he spoke, Gilbert translated his thoughts to English almost as quickly as they were spoken:

"In any show of force, be it a skirmish, an exchange between scouts, assault upon or defense of a fortified position, even a match of individual combatants, the outcome is decided before the first blow is struck. To succeed, accurate knowledge is necessary. Therefore, when able, seem to be unable; when ready, seem unready. If your opponent sees some advantage, entice him with it. When he is arrogant and extended, attack him and take him. If the conflict will not lead to victory, and if your defeat does not allow for higher victory elsewhere, do not let pride lure you into the fight. Bigger, stronger, man, woman, this does not matter. The army of Wu was primed to be attacked by the army of neighboring Chu, their force outnumbering Wu by a factor of Ten. Wu struck first and forced Chu to break their plans for a vigorous, decisive assault. Over the course of the war, Wu was successful, even annexing Chu. Size and strength are less of a determining factor in a battle, except as they serve to make an enemy overconfident."

She nodded her head in understanding. The man's words were most certainly useful. She glanced up at Gilbert with a smile before taking a small sip of her tea as she thought of how to word her next question. "So, vith that in mind, in vhat vay could one use vords as veapon in order to svay the course of a battle or perhaps to even avoid unnecessary violence and loss of life altogether?" she finally asked.

Master Sun listened to Gilbert's translation and have a small chuckle. He nodded to Alexandra, but before he spoke a word he finished his shallow bowl of tea, bowed, and prepared himself another with a small bamboo whisk. Motioning to Him and Alexandra to help themselves, he began to speak. As he did, Gilbert's words followed. "The core of my philosophy is unequivocally that the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. However, this rarely means that it can be accomplished with words alone. Words may seek to enrage an enemy, but to one who is already in motion, words do little without the threat of violence. To negotiate without the appearance of advantage is tantamount to begging. Beggars to not win conflicts, unless doing so is a ruse."

"The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. However, in order to do that support must be withheld from your enemy. His will to continue must be broken. There must be a clear representation of effects that he will suffer if defeated; likewise he must believe that defeat is likely. Moreover, and this is important - always allow your enemy a means of escape. Provide one, if you must, or even the appearance of escape. The lack of one will make him fearless." Gilbert cleared his throat and took another sip of tea, then reached across the table to take Sun on his offer and refill his own fine drinking vessel.

Alexandra's head tilted a bit to the side as she listened intently. She pursed her lips slightly before taking another sip of her tea as she let the man's words sink in. She finally nodded her head before asking her final question. "Hov do you suggest a person vith a tendency tovards--flamboyance tamp dovn on that part of themselves in order to better blend in?" she questioned.

Sun glanced to Gilbert again as Alexandra spoke, but immediately drew his eyes back to the Russian lady as the question continued. The translation of the experienced Emendator followed swiftly, carrying with it as always the intonation provided by the woman for whom he was translating. The legendary tactician nodded is head as the question came to a close, sipped his tea, and responded through Gilbert thusly: "The question you ask rests near to the question of how to be a better Spy. Spies are employed by Generals for a wide variety of reasons, if they are smart, and unilaterally well treated. Far better than the common troop. Understand that it is a profession as dangerous as any soldier, for as a good spy will be cared for and difficult to replace, they will receive the first blame for unforeseen difficulties."

"With that as my assessment, I am obligated to say that, dismantling a strong personality is not impossible, but highly unlikely. It is best to direct your flamboyance to other areas; to devote one's energies to another task - Formlessness. One must embrace total subtlety to the point of formlessness. Mysterious to the point of soundlessness. To appear without form is to appear empty. To not restrain flamboyance. Instead, seek to put it aside entirely, until the exact moment it is necessary. Then use it as a weapon." Gilbert then bowed to Master Sun, who in turn bowed back to him and then in Alexandra's direction. He held a brief exchange in Mandarin with the shapechanging Emendator, who smiled broadly and then looked to his Paradox, saying with bubbly tones, "Master Sun thanks you for your presence this day, and for the ability to share knowledge with a new pupil. Further, he invites us to remain with him for a time while we finish our tea and listen to the music of the wind in the trees."

Glancing up at Gilbert for a moment as he started giving her the translation, Alexandra nodded her head in understanding whilst fighting the urge to also raise a brow. Vell darn, that doesn't sound like something I could possibly manage to do, nov is it? she thought to herself as she pursed her lips. She mentally shook her head out of that train of thought as the Q&A session appeared to be coming to a close now. She respectfully bowed back to Master Sun and Gilbert before looking back at Gilbert expectantly. Her brows rose slightly at his next statement, lips thinning a bit. Sit in silence? Uggggghhhhhh. I don't have a choice, do I? Aren't ve on a time crunch though, you know, before I die because you FREAKIN' POSOINED ME?!! She kept those thoughts to herself though, hoping they didn't show on her face. She nodded her head as stoically as she could realistically manage before smiling over at Master Sun and taking another sip of her tea.

Gilbert looked to Alexandra with the barest hint of amusement on his face. He gave her a knowing nod and turned to Sun, speaking to him in his native tongue with smooth, apologetic tones. Gil bowed several times over the course of his monologue, after which he stood, bowed yet again, and motioned with his hand for Alexandra to so the same.

She did a doubletake as she caught a bit amusement in Gilbert's facial expression. He seriously thinks this funny?! Yeah, ha ha ha--bite me, arsehole. She gave him a calculated look before somewhat tensely facing forward again as she took yet another sip of her tea. However, she soon breathed a small sigh of relief as Gilbert sped things up. Thank God. I really don't vant to die--again. She slowly stood back up before respectfully bowing to Master Sun with a soft smile gracing her features.

Master Sun raised his hand and spoke in a manner that required no translation. It was apparent from the actions that he wished them to wait for a moment. A warm smile and quick set of hands later, and the old general had emptied and wrapped the tea set they had been using; a large pot of bronze, decorated with inlayed Wu calligraphy and the full set of eight tea bowls. The cloth used for the wrapping was rich, teal silk with a black floral pattern, and in fact was the cloth that lay over the low table they had taken tea upon. Sun bowed to Alexandra, sliding the silken bundle over to her. He said a short sentence to her and bowed.

Crap, Alexandra thought as they were suddenly stopped again. However, that selfish irritation and impatience was short-lived as Master Sun graciously offered her the whole tea set. She was honestly touched by the action, and she was grateful for the parting wisdom the man had given her. With that in mind, she felt a twinge of guilt for being so quick to want to leave. She was just a tad, okay very, anxious to get the antidote from Gilbert, which probably was a justifiable reason, but still. A genuine smile lit up her features. "Thank you, truly," she replied gratefully, bowing slightly before gingerly taking the bundle from him.

Before the pair shuffled out of the door, Sun issued a short command to Gilbert. The Emendator stopped, turned, and was greeted by the sight of Master Sun picking his sheathed sword from beside where he was sitting at the table. It was large, too large for him to comfortably wield and far larger than swords of the era. He unsheathed just a hand's breadth of the weapon to reveal sharp, black metal, before snapping it back closed. Sun handed it over to Gilbert with a bow, spoke a few more words with a chuckle, and motioned over to Alexandra.

With a look of profound gratitude and respect, Gilbert held the blade at his side and took a knee before the man, rising only after his head had almost touched the floor beneath them.

As soon as they were outside, Gil confided in Alexandra, "He said that the Imperial Swordsmith who was ordered to make this for him had never met him, and by reputation thought he was a giant. He cannot actually use this thing, and said that it is more suited to a warrior of my stature. Supposedly, it is forged of a fallen star. Curious."

Alexandra's gaze flitted between Gilbert's face and the massive sword he now appeared to have in his possession before arching a brow in question. Ah, she thought, nodding her head as he gave an explanation.

"Yours is a princely gift, indeed. The silk and the tea set, both. Also considering the source... Okay, let us just get you home. There is one more matter to settle."

"Ya think?" she retorted with a snort and a roll of her eyes at his last comment.

Once comfortably back in the Mill, Gilbert squared off at Alexandra. "The overall lesson, my young Paradox - one of the core teachings of Sun Tzu - and the truth that stands now, thousands of years later that will likewise stand for thousands more: All warfare is based on deception." Gilbert gave another of his wickedly disarming smiles, coming to his secondary point. "And so, I have a confession... You were never poisoned, Alexandra. Though it should serve as an unforgettable lesson for you, from this point forward. Deception. All warfare. Chilling, is it not? Take a moment, then enjoy the rest of your day. Tomorrow, I have no doubt that you will not hold back during combat training."

Alexandra's mouth fell agape for possibly the second time today. It had all been a ploy?! Her jaw then snapped shut, eyes narrowing slightly before she finally let out a small huff of exasperation. "Arsehole, she exclaimed, shortly before they parted ways for the day.