Chieko had given it her all too cheer up the young street performer and luckily it did work. Aki was up and about in no time once more. She nuzzles and hugged with Chieko for a bit before Wisp had helplessly called out to her for Aki to free her. Off course Aki had freed the catgirl. They were good friends now after all. When Aki had undone Wisp her chains she got back over to Chieko her side and hugged her arm lightly. Chieko did seem somewhat flabbergasted after Aki had been using her magic. That was strange? Chieko did not know about magic? Well she was from a foreign country yet, it was still odd. Aki didn't think about it too much.



Shortly after Aki answered Chieko her question the aura changed. Aki completely froze when Crunch had stepped out of the door. She had just freed Wisp with her magic every clue gave away that she was the culprit in freeing the catgirl. Aki squeezed harder onto Chieko her arm as she shook lightly hoping that Crunch wouldn't notice it.

Luckily for her Wisp had moved just about right and stayed in the correct spot so Crunch wouldn't see him undone. Crunch happily walked off as Aki gave a deep sigh of relieve. That was too close for comfort.





Being released from Irene her comfort hug she chatted with her about how she was and her situation and off course what Irene was doing nowadays. After they were done the group that stood close to them had scatted off into multiple smaller groups. All of them were wearing their new clothes fitting in way better now. Irene went her own way as well leaving Aki and Eiko to decided what to do now. Aki and Eiko followed the group heading towards the hero district and caught up with all of them.

The group heading towards the clinic and the group heading towards the hero district were partly mixed up. Chieko was talking with Aerith and the so claimed 'Boxer'. Hiro patted Chieko on her head before they parted, Aki was having thoughts of what their relationship could be. Once Aki catched up to Chieko she cheerfully smiled at the girl before turning a moment at Aerith and boxer man waving wildly above her head.





Aki watched to the side of Chieko noticing the brown haired boy Yuuki seeming quite hurt for some reason. She gave a troubled look towards Yuuki as she clutched one hand to her chest and the other to Chieko.

---

Aerith felt a sudden surge of frustrations and anger bubbled up within herself, even as Chieko left them before she could say a word. She wasn't trying to even drag the smaller girl off with them to some other location, or to do the same house cleaning job or such things! In all reality, she had just wanted to check with her on what had happened on her end, and if she had died again or not like the rest of them. Hell, even just to make sure she was ok...but no. The girl had yanked away and run off to the others with a timidness, without so much as a word even. Not even a "hey did you both die or something" or "good luck" or the like with it!? At least she'd offered for the others to come with her, but...dammit.

It was that person talking to the twintailed redhead, wasn't it? Chieko had gone with them before, she remembered. Trying to rush them along to get their papers or something based on what she could hear from here? She....if they thought that was the best idea she couldn't blame them if it had worked out for that other group. But this was also causing the consequence of sabotaging any chances to work out what had happened last round as well....right.....right?

Even Hiro didn't seem to listen to her as he, like Chiecko, said something to her and walked off to talk to someone else. In this case, telling Fritzi that he was coming with her as she could hear him say from the short distance away. With no one with her at the moment, Aerith's hands clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white. She was no boss, but....couldn't they understand she was trying to help them all?! Could they not think for two seconds about sharing information, or anything else SMART like that in this situation they were in at all!?!? Did they all think it could be the same as last time without question, that by blocking out hearing what else happened and not saying anything new they'd be protected from death another time?

There was no guarantee of that or anything else here, potentially...

Despite some minor visible signs of agitation, even as the girl did her best to maintain a calm and proper facade, Aerith for the majority part kept up her mask. Deciding to give at least Hiro another chance at this, she 'patiently' waited for him to walk back to talk again (which he seemed to, thankfully, do). At that, another one of the people among the others (Flame, as granted permission by his RP'er for) seemed to walk over to her as well. It brought some minor ease to her mind, albeit the emotions remained pent up a bit despite the minor respite granting her some better grasp them at this time. It was just enough ground mentally to get a hold of herself, but...she wondered how long the self-control would last right now.

"This is....just entirely stupid," Aerith said with a very light bit of strain audible in her otherwise calm tone, Flame and Hiro now being the only ones close enough to Aerith listen to hear speak at the time, "We need to share information to try to figure out what happened and plan what to do, that's all i was wanting to pull everyone to talk about! And i just wanted to make sure Chieko was ok at that. Apparently she and everyone going to get permits were safe, at least....but still...whatever happened in that clinic killed a lot of us at once.

And Hiro, i agree that i, you, and Alistair if possible need to take the same route again to re-create the same conditions as we go to clean that house. I've got a score to settle with that shrimp who was going to gut me too, and i don't want to leave you alone for that fight. We know how they want to attack us, when they'll probably show up. If the remainder of this money can be used to buy a dagger, or maybe some super-thin wire or something, or anything else we need to prepare for them more properly that would be good."

Aerith then distinctly looked to Flame for the next part, after taking a few deep breaths to lower the feelings of agitation. Focusing on the matter at hand, at least for her, was beginning to help just a bit on the mental side of things. Even so, she still would only speak where Flame and Hiro could hear her right now.

"Now then...what i was going to originally say. This group is too big to manage at once and keep together without painting a target on our backs potentially. So if we break into smaller groups, and try to at least communicate here, maybe we could better figure things out and avoid dying.

I can't say i know for sure that would be best, but none of us know each other that well overall probably. So if we were together i have no idea if we'd all be able to work together on that level. If work together at all.

And you, i know you were at the clinic with all of us who died last round. We all heard what she said, too. I have no idea what you were all doing beforehand, but if you and anyone else could maybe solve that particular mystery...we might be able to stop anyone in that clinic from dying. At least, if you take that route again with the same choices that got you there in the first place. I wouldn't blame you if you want to go with the group going to get permits...but its also not like we all know what might happen if too many people or everyone went to get permits at the same time as well."

Reasonable worries, attempts to make a logical strategy. This was the name of what Aerith had wanted to bring some of the others over here to talk about the general situation. Maybe let some people go with other groups with this knowledge so they could at least try to help organize things on other ends....maybe coordinate with their people or something to help others along the line.

For example, Chieko going with the others, getting papers, and maybe being able to say something to guards about "suspicious people" showing up at the house Aerith and Hiro would be going back to now. Then maybe help could show up if the riming was right....ah. Perhaps that example was too specific for sure, but at the same time they didn't have to make big waves to properly stop dying. Her first experience with this proved that, as much as it chilled her to the bone. So maybe...organizing things somehow in some fashion would work?

To her it felt better than one large target composed of everyone together, and better than potentially a batch of many squabbling people trying to enact various plans without any sense of organization. She'd seen too much of that crap at home, too much that she was sick of it. She didn't want to die, and to an extent she didn't want these others to die either.

Why did people not even listen to reason before jerking away from it sometimes?! It was so stupid, so foolish, so aggravating to the nth degree that she wanted to scream sometimes back home. And now there was this...these people, random people from Earth, who probably had the same talk with that "particular fellow" before coming here if she had to retain that guesswork on her part. And for what? Because a certain someone loved them enough to pull them into this mess?

'...Whomever you are out there, who loves me enough to get me brought here...please help me survive. Please help me survive and meet you, and understand why you had us brought here in the first place. Why? Why did you bring us here to die over and over like this? Entertainment? Pity? I want to understand!' the girl cried out mentally in her mind in the manner of a prayer, hoping something out there in the ether would listen to her amidst all of this...and actually help at that. It was a desperate move, but she was having to come to terms with all of this madness somehow.

If her attempts to make a plan here didn't work, she'd have to get desperate. More and more desperate until either people listened...or she would go off on her own.

Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks

Flame nodded and said, "I am not the best at this cloak-and-dagger stuiff, but I'm cynical enough to know when it's needed and that's the best we have. But despite my cynicism, I know when to share information and when to keep it secret. So, I'll share everything that's happened to me and Ashton so far while you tell me about the assassins that tried to kill you and the the other guy and how the cleaning went down."

He had added that last phrase as an afterthought. "Basically, nothing happened to those who went to get papers - and by nothing bad, I meant nothing fatal. One can see it in the Japanese girl; she seemed like she got pulled out from the verge of triumph."

Flame paused, "But here's the info we have; the entire party - all of us Earthlings - are under a curse that prevents us from talking about being from another world, although a partial way can be gotten around it by referring to L.T. as L.T." Another pause. "After personalized interrrogations that were actually humane, we also got our papers; all except Yuuki - I'll tell you about what happened to him later. Note that said papers don't give us citizenship, just allow us to go around the city without fear of arrest and death. And this is the most important piece of information; Yuuki got denied papers and will be treated to honorable confinement because..."

He leaned in closer, "His dad, on Earth, is apparently a part of the Cult IRL and said Cult has power even on Earth. And they're afraid that while Yuuki can be trusted, his father is able to control him or had cast something to turn him into a Demon Beast at an opportune time." A sigh, "And finally, I fell out with Chieko; she hates me and Ashton now because I called her 'mean' for casting mean looks at the both of us. Then we found out that the authorities are not taking recruits or apprentices, and thus we had to go to Doctor Donovan for a job."

The redhead looked at Aerith and Hiro now. "Now, tell us what happened to you two so we can get a complete picture. You talked about assassins and I saw what happened to you and your companion earlier. Also, while I'm only a botanist and Ashton's a novice veterinarian, I know the difference between dying to a blade and dying to poison now, and if Fritzi is an enemy, she would not have exposed herself to poison candles or pointed out that there could be poison candles in the first place. Plus, she was exhibiting the same symptoms as us before we all collapsed."

Flame had made up his mind; Doctor Donovan was guilty and suspicious to boot. But he'd let the others infer it and assess his evidence. He then waited for Aerith to tell him what happened and once she was done, give his own thoughts.

"Even more evidence for Fritzi being somewhat innocent," He would say if he had been given the required information; if not, he'd stay silent. "She would not have taught you guys magic if she were planning to kill you all right from the start - at least, it's not likely. Also, I'd presume that you guys still know how to use your magic as we all retain knowledge through resets. So I think that first order of business is to ask Fritzi or someone else to check all of us for our 'Magical Elements and strengths'; even if she's treacherous, we can retain the knowledge and use it in future 'loops'."

He then looked to see if Chieko, Yuuki, Aer, and Ashton had left yet.

---

...I died?

The young, arrogant man looked down at his hands and noticed there was nothing wrong with them. Specifically, he had begun to look at his fingers, which had become prune from the water in his bucket. He'd been working hard in the house before things went sour, but he had not been away from the water long enough for his fingers to return to normal. This was how he decided to confirm his return, although simply looking around was more than enough evidence.

Around this time, Aerith had tried to grab his attention. He glanced over at her, sighed, and simply replied in as calm a tone as he could muster that he needed a moment to himself. His hand came to his chin as he began to lose himself in his thoughts. And they were not pleasant ones.

I died... again...?

This was humiliating. How could he fall yet again! And this time, there was no visible foe with which to direct his hate. It caused him to grind his teeth, and his expression betrayed the rage lying beneath. He was not happy with this outcome at all. Who had killed him? How had they done so? Was it those candles? He recalled Fritzi had called them to attention before he passed out and presumably died from... poison? Or perhaps he was just stabbed in his sleep? He didn't know what exactly happened to him and the others, but he realized that they'd met their fate while searching for the good doc.

...But who could have set a trap for us there? How would they have ever known where the group would be?

Alistair could only assume that it had something to do with the attempted ass-- well, just the assassins that had attacked the boxer and Aerith earlier that had led them to seek out Donovan. Were there more, or did those ones somehow beat them to Donovan's and set the trap? If that were the case, they would have had to known where the group was headed, which could potentially mean that they'd been stalking the group for some time. But there were so many possibilities, and the irritation Alistair felt at being slain yet again was too great. He'd died twice now, so he was beginning to wonder when he'd get a chance to return the favor. He gave an audible sigh, then turned to find Aerith, who had desired his presence a minute earlier.

Alistair approached Aerith and the others as she reached the end of her part, but remained silent as Ashton and Flame spoke. He wasn't sure how he felt about the evidence pointing towards Doctor Donovan. That man had a shine to his smile that rivaled a star, and an aura about him that could turn even the grouchiest bear into a trusted friend. Alistair did not want to believe such a man was capable of betraying them and murdering them, especially because he could not see how the man would benefit from doing so. Rather, Alistair would hold onto the belief that Donovan may have, unfortunately, been taken care of before their arrival. And if that were the case, the arrogant young Archibald was now considering the reset a blessing of sorts.

"Listen well, all of you. I, Alistair Archibald, am usually a benevolent and tolerant man, but there are three things I simply cannot stand: People who order me around, people who insult me, and... cowards." he voiced to the small group consisting of Hiro, Aerith, Flame, and Ashton. "And these bastards that would dare attack us are exactly that. Striking when we've done nothing, and resorting to ambushing us. It's sickening. And thus, I will, of course, destroy them." he boasted, although he kept a similar level of voice as the others. Only the group would really hear him.

He glanced at Hiro and Aerith. "If you two could survive being caught blind by those idiots, then it simply means that with my assistance and the advantage of precognition, they'll pose little threat. After all, it seems obvious this phenomenon we are experiencing isn't something they are privy to, otherwise, they wouldn't have slain us. So this would provide us with the perfect opportunity to find out more information on what is going on. We'll crush them like the insects they are, and then beat the information we need out of them." he voiced his intentions. It was a rather elaborate way of saying he didn't mind repeating the circumstances leading up to the scene the assassins had caused.

There was the smallest moment he considered simply going with Donovan now. It would perhaps benefit them to learn of what fate awaited him. But a deep nagging in his heart prevented Alistair from daring to respond to it. He knew that the chance existed that Donovan was not killed last "life", and that he may have even been part of the reason why they died. Alistair did not wish to be the one to have to confirm this, it would cost too much.

"As for you two," he turned towards Ashton and Flame. "Ignoring the pointless bit about interpersonal relationships, it would seem that your group did not meet with a terrible fate. Does this mean we're all linked in some way? Not all of us need to perish? That is... strange, but then again, this entire situation is. I suppose that's important information to keep in mind." Alistair did not want to be a leader figure, though he naturally had a tendency to take charge. It was a weird contradiction he faced here, and it was made apparent to him since he'd been asked to be a leader of sorts.

That sort of thing...isn't happening.

While it was only natural for people to look up to someone like him and trust in him, the responsibility of other people was not a burden he wanted to shoulder for any extended period of time. He figured he ought to wait and see what Aerith thought. She did not appear like she was having fun, which was reasonable in this situation. Alistair was stressed too. His outlet was going to be these damned assassins. But what would be hers?

Return by death is an interesting power. It is the power to re-write history when one screws it up so badly that they cause their death. Perhapse there's more to it than that, as some people reset without dying at all, and one's death does not ensure that the world will be reset immediately. Regardless of what the specifics are, it is undeniably a very powerful ability. The ability to replay your life like a video game, over and over again, until you survive. That did not mean that the reset came entirely free. Those with this power had to pay for it with their very lives. Any information or moments they may have shared with those that didn't have this power would be forgotten. They were erased, as if time itself denied they ever happened. So it was not fair to say death had no cost, but for what the foreigners were getting, it was certainly worth it. With this power they could try anything, do anything! And if it ended in their death, they could always try something else. And with such a power allotted to them... they decided to do exactly what they did last time.

After flame got done talking with the others, he rejoined Ashton, who formed up behind Aer. Wisp shrugged his shoulders and joined them, not wanting to skip out on the adventure. ”Seems like there's no reason to leave Wisp here. Besides, weren't you the ones who thought he'd be important to getting you checked through” Aer immediately walked towards the old guild hall.

Fritzi on the other hand was thrilled with her cleaning crew. ”We're going to make those houses sparkle! Aren't we, Noble?” Fritzi tail waved side to side as she waited for a response from Hiro.

”Another time then.” Donovan grinned and walked back into the clinic.

---

Get this, Fritzi discovered Hiro, Aerith, and Alistair's elements! She even taught them how to use their magic, even though you technically already got this lesson. After everyone demonstrated their magic (who wouldn't put on a show for Fritzi) She waved everyone on and ran upstairs. It wouldn't take the assassins long to arrive, if things went just like last time. They only had a short time to prepare.

---

Aer, Wisp, and Aki had been filled in on the details, and were about ready to find Mono in front of the old guild. If Flame, Ashton, Yuuki, or Chieko wanted to do something different, now was the time.

Talking. So much talking. Did they think that no one noticed their gesticulations, that as long as they formed a vague circle, their conversations would go undetected? Yuuki let out another sigh as he mentally calculated the seconds that had passed in comparison to how fast they had left last time, before rubbing the back of his neck. Well, if they were gonna burn time like this, he had no need to hold back, right? Directing a slightly apologetic smile towards Aer, the blue-eyed backpacker stepped up to the cleaning woman and asked, ever so innocently, "Oh, um…by the way, where will you be doing the house cleaning? Just, you know, in case I wanna find you afterwards."

Fritzi looked up into the sky and tapped her foot. ”Hmmmm...” Her tail waved back and forth as she thought. ” Today, it's going to be one of Pepin's houses.” She grinned before placing her hands on her hips. ”It's not too difficult to find, they are the shortest houses in the Noble District! Kinda like trying to pick you out of all these people around here!” She reached out to pat Yuuki on the head. ”Just follow the main road between the Noble District and Cham, and we're going to be in one of those tiny houses on the street down the first or second left.”

“Pepin?” It was an unfamiliar name, but one easy enough to remember in the long-term. “Got it, Miss Fritzi. Hope we’ll see you soon then.” His ears burned slightly when she patted him on the head out of the blue. Geez, what was up with that? She was only slightly taller than him, and that was only because of her ears to begin with. He Dempsey rolled away before the wolfgirl could move onto hair-tousling, before following after Aer once more.

---

Nothing changed afterwards. Not really. Yuuki kept quiet to let Ashton take over the conversation, kept to himself, and did his best to recall what he had said in the previous iteration’s interrogation. Picked up the pace, just very slightly. Tried to gauge just how long it took for one to walk from the Golden Quarter to wherever Mono was. Kept an eye out for directions, streets, landmarks.

Thirty minutes. That was the maximum time frame they were operating in. If they died where they worked, it would be Pepin’s house. If they were injured and then died while seeking aid, it’d be around Donovan’s clinic. Twenty minutes then? No, fifteen to be safe. So how could he ensure his information was trusted?

Lost in his thoughts, Yuuki picked up the pace further, until he was walking a step or two in front of the person leading the group.

Hero's District, Priestella
Death count: 1
Reset Count: 2

---

Chieko mostly kept to herself, still feeling bad about not going with Aerith and Hiro. But what could she do? She was certain that as a hero, she was completely invincible...but, that didn't mean she wasn't afraid. Afraid of death, specifically. It hurt, last time. A lot. Dying hurt. She didn't want to again, if she could help it and this seemed like the safest route. Still...maybe Hiro would give her more head pats if she went with them. She did quite like those. Still...she left, following behind Aer in the same manner as she had before.

"...Aki. Hiro's just a friend." Pulling her out of her thoughts, was the adorable Aki. Seeing her immediately improved her own mood. With a satisfied smile she shook her head. Just like last time, huh. "Sorry. I have to go with Miss Aer right now." Chieko replied holding onto Aki's other hand. "Uhm, but maybe you could show me around later? Or do you want to come with?"

Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks

Ashton wanted to ask Flame what the latter had found out from Aerith, but knew that the journey to Mono's place or the interrogation was not the moment to do so. But judging from his boyfriend's expression, it was clear that they were not out of the woods yet. So along the way, Ashton busied himself with another matter: Teaching Wisp how to use his former Phone. So, walking beside Wisp, he began to give instructions on how to use the gadget to the Catboy, making sure that said instructions were audible as instructions.

Flame, meanwhile, walked beside Ashton, and on impulse, asked Wisp, "Do you know how to detect the Magic within people?"

(Deleted)

“You’re not a great salesman, are you?” Mie snickered. The old monk really wasn’t doing a good job of selling this little venture. Pros and cons. Pros, it’d probably be fun and there was a chance she could get some money. Cons, it was probably dangerous, and she might get in trouble. Hm. So no real Cons either way.

“But,” Mie’s usual smirk didn’t leave her features. “I’m bored so I’ll humor you. I could use a bit of fun, and what better way than to swindle someone out of their money. So what’s the plan, boss man?”

“The plan, dear fox, is to find this warehouse and take our cut.” Mirt grinned, feeling 30 years younger than he was, as the mischievous nature of their new mission crept up on his sensibilities.

The seal belonging the the letter was addressed to a Larchmond family, powerful merchant class turned royals after their great grandfather seized swathes of city land and began stockpiling anything they could get their hands on. Years down the road that warehouse operation had become a force to be reckoned with, complete with its own privatized security force and a list of suppliers from across the city from the tip of its crown to the soles of the poorest citizens shoes.

They dealt something to everyone.

No doubt the fox girl would know these were top brass they would likely be robbing.

“There is an order for foodstuffs, clothing, medical supplies, and weaponry. If I’m to secure the position as a third-person supplier for this family I’ll need someone who knows their way around a business transaction to get me through the door.” Even as the words left his mouth, Mirts hand was on Mies back eagerly pushing them forward. No doubt Anyon would follow but if not there would be time to send a message for where they would meet up. She was critical to bare-knuckle part of this trip.

---

Initially, Mirts confidence was at its absolute limits when foot met pavement to go to this golden quarter warehouse but since then it had deflated considerably. Mostly because Mirt, a foreigner to the city, did not know where anything actually was, and thus needed to over rely on Mie for assistance.

“Apologies for my blunderous sense of direction. The city is larger than I knew.”

"You sure you're not just a senile old man?" Mie retorted. This little venture was starting to sound dangerous. Right up her alley, really. The Larchmond's were some of the elite of the city. Trying to rob and trick them was a fool's errand, but she could respect a fool if they showed her a good time.

"Fine, fine, I'll lead the way though." Mie sighed in a playfully annoyed manner. "Just make sure you buy me a drink later. Golden Quarter's this way." As she took the lead, the fox kept her ears open, making a quick checklist. Blade? Check. Vial of poison? Check. A merchant could never be too careful, and going unarmed would be a death sentence in this day and age.

"So tell me...what do you know of the Larchmond family? They're some of the Elite of this city. Getting involved with them on a business level is certainly good for profits." This warehouse would be easy enough to find. She knew what storehouses looked like. Guarded, locked and supply wagons. "I wouldn't be surprised if they have any shady business practices behind the scenes. All good merchants do, heh!"

“From what I hear, it is quite a vast bit of shade. We are taking supplies to some sort of gambling arena. Properly barbaric. Wagers made in the hundreds, and now in need of resupply.” Holding onto the unsealed letter, Mirt couldn't escape thinking it had all been a little too easy. Finding a courier at a brothel? It was a bizarre city.

As the three strolled leisurely through the rumbling trade district, the elder of the group felt a twinge in his heart as workers went about their business without even a sideways glance.

“For a moment this place reminded me of home. Dozens, hundreds, of my people performing their duties day in and day out without a thought. Eager to be started, eager to finish. All to find a piece of happiness for themselves.” Of course in his homeland the work was usually of martial training, hunting, preparing clothing for the harsh winters, and endless prayers to their gods for what meager warmth the glorious sun could provide. Here in this foreign land the sun beat the ground with an intensity Mirt couldn't have ever fathomed. “Were you raised here in this city, Mie?”

"Gambling house...?" Mie's ears twitched in thought. Now that...actually sounded like something she could get in on. Huhm. Maybe she should let the old man get in over his head? The Larchmond's certainly wouldn't mind a little fox such as herself helping to supply some more...exotic things. Inserting herself into the situation would be easy.

"Ah, no." Mie replied dismissively. "I was raised in a small village out in the countryside. Moved to Kararagi to learn business and a bit of self defense during the war. Since things have calmed down a bit, I came back and work out of the capital a lot, at my sisters place. People here are usually eager for exotic goods from Gusteko, Kararagi, or Volakia. Makes me a nice little profit." A rather brief overview of her life, and certainly not telling of the whole story, but for Mie there simply wasn't much to say about it. Digging up the past got no one anywhere.

"...If I may make a suggestion, though." She quickly changed subjects. "If it's a gambling den you intend to shut down, would it not be better to give this information to the guard? No reason for yourself to get involved." She paused, a grin forming. "...I also know some people who could clean it up quite...nicely."

“You misunderstand our intentions madam,” Mirt glanced at the looming buildings as they approached a polished iron gate seperating the various businesses from the dozens of warehouses lining the area. “I am here to shut down a piece of it,” Hooking his thumbat Anyon trailing behind, the lithe woman had already begun various short stretches as a predatory grin spread upon her face. “She is here to teach these men manners,” His index finger came to rest pointing idly at Mie, the two of them standing side by side, “And you are here to swindel every fat gambler with a purse of their coin, take everything of value you can carry, and get these greedy pigs to bet against Anyon. By the time they get wise we will be long gone with their fortunes.”

It was a simple enough plan on paper but the process would be straining and Mirt, his homeland rife with gambling on a warriors prowess, was no stranger to the subtle art of raising someones expectations about a fighter before blindsiding them when the coins were stacked well out of his favor.

Though he had never participated in the gambling part. Mirt had often been the fighter being wagered on.

---

Like most every building, the warehouse in question looked pointedly cheap. Run down disheveled. The bricks were crumbling and the paint was cracked or overrun with graffiti, its roof showed it had taken a beating from its dozens of years in the elements and looked close to collapse.

At its front gate was a single armed soldier in leather armor with a longsword on their belt, the handles grip was worn out from use. Their eyes roamed the newcomers top to bottom looking for weapons or hidden threats. Finding none or not fearing their use, the guard called for them to halt a respectful distance away with an upraised hand and a shout.

“Halt! Stand and state your business.” The mans hand casually rested on the hilt of the longsword. Likely it could be drawn in an instant.

Mirt, impersonating a haughty nobleman, merely gave an indignant shrug and a roll of his eyes, ushering his ‘servant’ to answer the question for him. Before they had approached, Mirt had given Anyon orders to stand behind him and let Mie act as his voice, passing the letter and giving the fox woman the passcode he had taken by force.

How greedy.

Mie couldn't say she didn't like their intentions. Take from the rich, line your own pockets. The whole 'teaching them manners' thing, was likely just an excuse. The fact they were being honest with their more human desires was amusing. Was she wrong? Perhaps, but that thought was neither here nor there. They had soon arrived at their destination. A single guard was the only thing standing between them and their destination.

Play time, ufufufu~

"How rude." Mie took a few steps closer to the guard in question. Half of deception was merely looking and acting the part, something she believed she was quite skilled at. "The fact you do not recognize one of Lord Larchmond's associates is disgraceful. I suppose I shouldn't expect anything else from the uneducated grunts. You're merely doing your job, afterall." A pause. The Fox coldly walked closer still. Didn't want to oversell it too much. Waving a hand dismissively, she gave the password."'Cattail'"

Suspicion turned to dust in the face of the thrown name. The pass code had been correctly stated and the guardsman, bowing to his superiors, stepped aside and blew a series of whistles that received a reply moments later from the other side of the massive doors.
Close to 10 feet tall and just as wide, the rusty metal doors slid open without a sound on well oiled tracks. Only enough for Mirt, Anyon, and the Fox Herald of his, to walk in single file before the doors closed behind them.

The difference from the exterior to its interior could not have been any more different. From the outside it seemed like a nearly dilapidated warehouse complete with a failing roof.
Inside was a an entirely new structure build within the failing ruins of its exterior. Polished walls, smooth stone floors, rows of stacked product neatly organized along sturdy shelves. Everything was hidden behind wooden crates so as to prevent thieves that managed to get in from identifying the more expensive items without wasting precious time. Often resulting in a swift capture.

The process of acquiring the goods was rather simple. Anyon was told to fetch a wagon and by the time she returned, the items required to be moved had been placed in a tidy stack near the front doors, arranged to be loaded so that the heaviest items were on the bottom and fragile or foodstuffs on the top.
A route had been pitched to avoid scrutinization and within the hour the three were leading a relatively large pile of goods across the smooth stone paths into the city.

The poorer side of the city, far to the outer ring.

Mirt, for all his bluster, couldn't hide his unease and had quietly conversed with Anyon before stepping aside to speak with Mie.

“We picked out some clothing from the warehouse while the others were loading cargo. While in this gamblers ring it is important that you distance yourself from us. A brothel lends their services as eye candy and hostesses during fights, and are treated as all but invisible. Can you sacrifice your dignity to go where we can't?”

There was an unflattering uniform server girls wore but he left that out for now.

"Oh..." Mie smirked upon hearing talk of dignity and brothels. "How lascivious. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you simply wanted to see me in a revealing outfit yourself." She mused, her grin never fading. "But dignity is a funny thing, foolish monk. It varies from person to person, and suffice to say I am unafraid of flaunting my good looks."

Mirt blushed a little out of embarassment. There had indeed been some improper thoughts towards the fox girls looks, and his own eagerness towards seeing the beautiful specimen in something more revealing, but his own pride concerning the Headmistress' request of aid had him constantly checking his own temptations. "I can assure you such was not the case." The lie of it was plain as day across his face.
To his right, Anyon gave a dry and exasperated sigh before chiming in, "I don't have to wear that piece of string do I?"

In the distance, their destination loomed. A clustered gaggle of run down homes. Below their roofs lay a network of tunnels few but the privileged knew of.

@zelosse@ZekariVoblis@Rune_Alchemist@BrokenPromise

Aki had mistaken Hiro for her older brother when he was actually just a friend of Chieko. Aki got a little red when she heard that but still accepted it. Did friends head-pat each other as well? Aki would have to try on Hiro next time to see if they were friends then!



After Aki had mentioned Chieko wanting to wash her hair before Chieko didn't seem to have time for it right now at the moment. Aki totally accepted that off course. Aki didn't want to come over as pushy when Chieko mentioned wanting to wash her hair so she better patiently wait for Chieko actually having time to do it and wanting to do it off course. Aki brightly nodded that she understood her lack of free time right now.

Chieko did ask if she would want to show her around the city later when she had free time. Off course Aki was gonna say yes. She wanted to spend as much time with big sis as possible. She would show her all sort of fun places, maybe she even wanted to play a little. They could be going to the castle a little to walk around the beautiful gardens and such. Or go through the merchant district to see all cool craftsman shops and such. Everything that didn't involve money off course.

Not hing too different happened this time. Yuuki did manage to get a time frame for when THE EVENT took place, but he didn't really do anything different.

Flame for some reason asked Wisp if he could detect magic in people. To which he responded he couldn't. Flame was a little disappointed, as he kind of wanted to have forehead sex with him, like Hiro and Fritzi were able to enjoy.

Chieko was robbed of a chance to do anything because she was doting over Aki. Being a gigantic siscon is hard work, and some times you miss chances to do interesting things, But you get to “do” other things. Know what I'm saying? I know you're smiling, you get it.

But none of that intelligence gathering/waifu pampering changed the course of things to come. Mono would apprehend Wisp, Ashton would convince him not to imprison him right away, and they would all be interrogated, but Wisp and Yuuki would be forced to stay. History repeats itself.

---

You know what? I have no idea why I hold up the RP for you dorks. I can roleplay your characters just as well as you guys can. So who's laughing now, jackwaggons?

"Alright." Aerith said, "So basically, we need a plan! I think we should plan stuff!" She pounded one fist into the other. She then had a long inner monologue that almost everyone in the RP skipped over.

Heugh. Alistair made the most haughty, angst-filled anime grunt he could before stroking his chin. Last time I, the great Alistair, was not present where this scuffle took place. I shall remain by the door so that I can assist you when the knife loli comes to stab you. I just need to put my royal cape aside so that I don't get blood on it.

"You don't have a cape!"

Heugh. Alistair groaned again.

"Well, I was very happy with my fight, except for the part where I got cooked like a ten piece Kentucky fried chicken meal." Hiro's eyes scanned the room. "I think all I need to survive this encounter is a leather apron. If I wear that under my clothes, then it should stop the flames from melting through my chest." Hiro nodded. "I would also fair better if you gave me a kiss, as a harem can pull a LN protag through any situation."

"I want the lust authority, so I might be able to manage that. But I'm unsure if I want to be gay or bisexual." She scratched her chin. "Tell you what, how about I kiss you only if this all works?"

"LN's do tend to roll that way."

"Cool beans." Aerith reached behind herself. "Seems the former person who lived here was a blacksmith, since there's a leather apron here." She held up a bread board up to her stomach. "A bread board can stop a bread knife, so I'll just hold this up in front of where I got stabbed. That should be enough to survive!"

Heugh. Alistair pointed at the door Let's kick some ass!





…Wow, okay, so, minor blunder. Turns out the knife loli is some sort of martial arts prodigy who has near perfect aim with her knife. She simply stabbed around the breadboard, and had more than enough time to dispatch Alistair. His ability to use magic was fairly weak, and didn't really offer much utility in a fast scuffle like this. Hiro didn't fair too much better. While he was able to mostly recreate the battle from last time, her flames were hot enough to melt the leather apron. It was just one more thing to fuse to his skin before succumbing to an oni headbutt. The outcome was close to last time, only this time Alistair was not available to help Fritzi carry off the wounded. He was among them instead.

When Ashton and Flame returned to see how things had changed, They saw Fritzi carry the wounded into the clinic. Ashton tried to warn Fritzi, and ended up walking into the Clinic after her. Flame almost didn't follow, because he's kind of an ass hole most of the time. But his one defining character trait is being a flaming homosexual, so naturally he had to follow after his boy toy. And so, here they are.

"Okay." Aerith took a deep breath. "Let's try this again. This time, as soon as the fight starts, Hiro will come help us beat up the little girl. There's no way she can take all of us on. Once she's been defeated, we can take on fire bitch. How does that sound?"

"And we'll get Fritzi to stay downstairs this time!"

Aerith's companions all nodded in unison. Things were going to work this time.





Or not. Turns out it's nearly impossible to prevent Fritzi from going upstairs, and the only thing more dangerous than the loli is the loli and oni working together. Their attacks are so finely layered it's like they are one horrible four armed, four legged martial artist. Like fighting a spider that can spew flames, command the shape of it's weapon, and gut people before they have a chance to react.

One thing was clear from this last reset. Nothing was going to change if they kept trying to do the same thing. Even if they managed to defeat their assassins, it didn't mean people were going to stop coming after them. The foreigners were going to have to get creative if they wanted to get to the bottom of this. They knew nothing about the person or people who wanted them dead, only that they knew Hiro's name. Possibly everyone's. The fortunate thing was that there weren't a lot of people who heard their names, and all of them were in the golden quarter.

Was it Irene and her incompetent knight friend?

Was it Fritzi the fox girl?

Was it trustworthy doctor Donnovan?

Was it Aer the mysterious adventurer?

Aki was not above suspicion either.

And that was just people they had met. There could be someone else hiding among the merchants present. But they would not be discovered in this infinite loop of small changes. The foreigners were going to need to make big moves if they wanted to uncover anything about their assassins. Otherwise...

Hiro would never get that dream harem.

Chieko would never be able to adventure of live out her siscon fantasies.

Alistair would constantly be reminded of how powerless and weak he was.

Yuuki would keep being Yuuki.

Ashton would keep looking foolish.

Flame would keep being sexually frustrated.

Father Whiskey would continue to never post.

And Aerith would fall on some horrible fate that's a mixture of all the above.

And this speaks nothing of the odd limbo the natives were thrust into. In a bizarre sort of hell where their memories are erased, and the events are forced to play out again and again. Do something, foreigners.

Save us.

This kept happening. This kept fucking happening. These fuckers kept on fucking up because holy fucking shit, maybe it wasn't a good idea for a bunch of children from the safe-zone riddled modern era to pick a fucking fight with whatever monster that exists in a fantasy land, regardless of whatever delusions they had? Maybe they're nursing some trauma or some brain damage or some ego the size of a fucking truck, but Yuuki? He was getting tired of repeating the same shit over again, trying in different ways to convince Mono and Crunch to send a patrol over to the area before it was too late.

Fucking hell, who had the patience for this save-scumming fuckerinoing?

As he found himself standing before the same scene a third time, having gained nothing at all, the young boy took a deep breath, nursed a headache, and let out a long, controlled sigh. Alright, there was no need to hold back anymore. Who was the ringleader there? Aerith. Tall woman with more tits than brain matter. Or maybe Nobuhiro, who had obviously been punched too many times in the head? How about Alistair, the dickweed with hair the color of cat litter? Fuck it, it was all their faults. Before they could form their group huddle again, Yuuki beelined towards them, his eyes bright and his smile wide.

"Well, whatever you guys are doing, it's definitely not working. For a change of pace, how about coming over to the guards and just seeing if that works for you guys, eh? I know it's tough to trust a bunch of armed xenophobes, but c'mon guys, we can't just stand 'round here forever!"

Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks

Two resets; this was getting bad. As the latest repeat made itself apparent, Ashton walked over alongside Kimura, registering the growing sense of panic and annoyance from everyone, including the small Japanese boy. He took a set of deep breaths, forcing himself to think of home, of Pidgey II. Then he added his voice to Kimura's, saying, "Guys, I think that either we should do what Yuuki says, or failing that, we should look at the three available paths open to us and ensure that we at least have some people on each one. And by that, either we all go with Aer to Mono, or we split our merry band between all three options we have. Those are our two main options; who will chose?"

Flame looked at his boyfriend, "I think that we should all go with Aer, but if we must repeat past... Risks, I volunteer to go with Doctor Donovan." He had accompanied Ashton and Yuuki as they went to the huddle where Aerith and the others were. "But I will be honest, going with Aer, then fanning out from the Guard Barracks in order to seek out Fritzi and Donovan would be the best idea."

He looked around to see if Aer was listening, and continued, this time in a whisper, "I do not think that the 'gift' we've been given is free; it must carry a curse if it came from L.T. So we should keep ourselves from using it as much as possible."

Ashton nodded at that, then added his own piece, "We should also keep each other in the loop, even the ones among this group that don't like me or Flame. Like it or not, we're all in this together, and no one should be denied the right to contribute to the fortunes of this group. We've wasted enough time already in futile, isolated, flailing."

And with that, the brown-haired boy went over to where Chieko was, unafraid of her 'mean looks'. Noticing that Aki was with her, he phrased his words carefully so as not to activate the 'geas' that bound what he was allowed to say. "Someone wants to kill your friends - Aerith and Hiro."

He faced the mean-spirited Japanese chunni girl, and continued in a barely audible whisper, "Someone wants to kill Aerith and Hiro and Alistair where they're going, but we don't have proof beyond our memories. Furthermore, any attempt to get them medical attention..." He gave the briefest of side glances to where Donovan was still waiting, "Will just seal their fate. And you and Yuuki both know what place is safe. So, I have to ask, can you convince your friends to pick the safe choice?"

A pause as Ashton took a chance, "One of the people here is the 'Arc Villian' of this particular chapter of our group's story. They're the one who masterminded the plan to kill Aerith and Hiro. You can guess who."

A slight bow, "By the way, I know you don't like us, but you have drive and I recognize that. That's why I came to you, because despite what you feel towards me and Flame, I trust you."

And with that, he walked off, back to where Flame and the others were, saying, "All right, everyone; the choices are to pick the safest choice or split ourselves as evenly as possible. The way I see it, our options are limited and our main asset might be cursed in the long run. And if we pick the safest choice, we can always come back later. Point is, though... We need to choose now and there is no shame in the safest choice if we can pick other choices after that."

Hero's District, Priestella
Death count: 1
Reset Count: 4

---

Annoying.

How many times did they have to die before they realized this was fucking stupid? Were they insane? She was pretty sure they were the literal definition of it. Seriously, what did they think they would accomplish by running headlong into the knife of a trained assassin? Maybe Hiro could handle himself, he seemed fit and trained, but Aerith? That overly masculine walking stero type? Stupid. All of them. Why couldn't they do the smart thing instead of dragging everyone back with their stupidity? Thankfully it seemed like Yuuki was of a similar mindset. At least one of them wasn't completely brain dead.

Walking over to the group, Chieko had lost all patience and any sort of shyness or uncertainty she might have felt as Ashton walked over. They went on to explain the situation fully, not that she needed much more information to come to a conclusion herself.

"..." At first she didn't say anything as he walked back off. Arc villain? Guess who? She didn't have enough information to even make an educated one. She didn't trust that fox in the slightest. She after all, had showed up where they had been ambushed first, hadn't she? Donovan was also suspicious according to the others, but they had too little information to work on. Looking over the others, she probably she step in and say something.

"Hmph." Scoffing loudly, Chieko lowered the scarf from around her mouth. Right, she could do this in a totally normal manner. "You're an awfully presumptuous, disrespectful little maggot aren't you? Begging for my help when you lot can't even empty water out of a boot with instructions on the heel."

Nailed it.

"My two nemesis are correct, as loathe as I am to admit it." Chieko continued, completely lost in her own little head at the moment. "As I have already said, we have very little hope to fend off the assassins of the villainous lord that hunts our heads. Our best option is to make a tactical retreat and regroup." Folding her arms, Chieko looked over to Alistair. "But since I have little hope that you will suddenly do the smart thing, as you'd rather be stuck in a loop of the definition of insanity, the best we can do is thusly - add more variables into the mix." Holding up a hand, Chieko pointed to herself. "We need more information. Someone needs to go to Donovan's and figure out what exactly happened with him. I will volunteer this myself as unlike you all, I am mildly competent at using my brain to think instead of throwing it at a brick wall and hoping it will somehow crumble."

Five minutes ago. That conversation happened five minutes ago and upon reaching the cart. It was gone, the cart that they had brought all the way from the Ayt Forye estate just poofed out of existence... it would've been had it not left any tracks. Elque's day couldn't get any worse, irritated and angry... she believed that whoever took the cart probably kidnapped Chiyo somewhere and began running in the direction of the tracks thanks to her sense of sight and smell for being a Wolf-Cat. She hopped from roof to roof, hoping to catch the perpetrators from above. People were bothered by her whenever she hopped from each one, complaining about being reckless more than anything before taking sight of the cart moving slowly following a stone road. "There you are..." With a tightened grip on the sheath of her katana, she raced it, trying to get behind them and interrogate them with no turn behind them.

It was a risky move but she was sure she can handle a bunch of thieves.

"...can assure you such was not the case." Elque's ears twitch now walking slowly, her hand shifted slowly on the handle of her blade, ready to strike if they did anything rash.

"I don't have to wear that piece of string do I?"

She opened her mouth, making sure to be audible while her eyes stared down at the people before her. "You will be soon if you don't return that cart this instant." It was audible enough to be heard by them but not by the people near their destination. "And if you have a little girl in a black dress in there, you better cough her up too." Unknown to her, little Chiyo was off on a murdering spree someplace else.

@Zelosse @ZekariVoblis @Rune_Alchemist @BrokenPromise

Warehouse

---

Mie didn't reply to either Mirt nor Anyon immediately despite their rather funny jabs at each other. No, something was bothering her. Like a little nagging feeling in the back of her head. The fur on her tail stood on end, though she didn't show any outward signs of obvious distress. Had they been discovered? Hm, no, unlikely, then what? Mie turned her gaze towards the road behind them. Weren't being followed. She had learned to trust her gut over the year, but such actions also had to be tempered with reason and caution.

She was about to pass it off as nothing, until another Demi-human threatened them. Something about a stolen cart? For a brief moment, Mie simply stared, seemingly sizing her up, but in an instant, that gut feeling was gone. This kitten wasn't dangerous in the slightest. She relaxed, taking her usual playful smile.

"Fufufu." A laugh. "And here I thought you were an upstanding citizen, Mirt. You break this little foxes heart. Stealing from such an adorable kitten. You should be ashamed." A small tease before addressing Elque. Hopefully he'd let her do the talking. "Apologies for my benefactors carelessness, little kitten. I can assure you we have the best of intentions in erm, borrowing it." Really, she should have gotten her own. Much less troublesome and she had some...insurance policies in there in case things went south.

"We are attempting to swindle some swindlers as it is, and teach some rather nasty humans about how they shouldn't hit innocent women." Walking over to Elque Mie offered her a friendly, playful grin. She didn't seem worried about Elque's hostility at all. "The only little girl here is me, though, heh...but perhaps you would be interested in helping us? I could compensate you for your troubles, if the satisfaction of bringing justice isn't enough."

Elque had thought them to be only human brigands but to think a lone Demi just approached from behind the pair surprised her. Mie wasn't in chains at all, she wasn't bruised, she didn't look like a slave to them and she seemed more into the plan than both of her comrades. Loosening her grip, she turned to look at the ragtag trio, her ears flicking and tail lightly swaying from left to right at the mention of "nasty humans".

Yes.

She liked the idea of punishing them but remembered her goal in coming here. She was to bring the cart around back... specifically the one they "borrowed" and to bring back Chiy-

"The only little girl here is me, though, heh...but perhaps you would be interested in helping us? I could compensate you for your troubles, if the satisfaction of bringing justice isn't enough."

"Huh?" Was all the Wolf-Cat would say, not only was Chiyo missing, she wasn't anywhere near the cart to begin with. The problem with her duty just doubled until she remembered Mie saying something about compensation. She's been in binds before and would always solve them with the sharp end of her blade but in this "illegal justice" operation that's going on...

...it doesn't look like she has a choice. Then again, these are humans she's going to punish so...

"...alright... umm... I'll do it under two conditions. You return the cart to me in one piece and without a scratch and you help me find a small human girl who supposedly got lost somewhere... I don't wanna come back and get punished." Elque gulped, a hand out for Mie to shake, she seemed a little okay around her own kind, the Demis but are wary of her two human friends, Mirt and Anyon. She's going to keep an eye on them if they try anything funny.

"I hope the Master doesn't suspect me taking too long..."

@Zelosse @ZekariVoblis @Rune_Alchemist

@Seirei No Hai@Rune_Alchemist

This is quickly turning into a gaggle of inconveniences. Mirt mused with more than a twitch of annoyance.

The mission from the Mistress had barely begun in earnest, the seemingly simple part having passed smoothly, but now there was some unknown stranger speaking of lost children and stolen propert. As if a cart was such a grand prize. While the two demi women prattled, Mirt searched the cart for a sign of ownership and sure enough there was a symbol of claim etched into the wagon.
Which meant it had to belong to someone with money, with influence, and their own lackeys to deal with problems.

Lackeys like the woman who had threatened them with her sword. As a princeling in his own country, albeit from a time long ago, the situation was somehow more vexing for the added trouble. 2 servants and a prize fighter by his side, with more hostesses coming from the Darkened Honey, the entourage lacked something.

Clearing his throat, Mirt paced forward and rested a hand on Mie's shoulder and offered a serene smile. It lacked any form of hostility and his body language was equally unthreatening.
His posture turned defensive upon turning to Elque.

"My underling," Referring to her only because she has mentioned him as a benefacotr, "Has overstepped in speaking of private matters. You, who accuse us of theft without proof of ownership, must serve another. Bring us to the true power behind your emboldened authority or leave."

The more important issuendealt with, Mirts face softened considerably as he offered a deep bow of respect before continuing. "As for the young girl you speak of. I will need more information if we are to find her before harm may come. You have my word. I am Mirt of no house, first warrior of Aier'Sun. We will find this girl for you no matter how our current business ends."

Hopefully the sincerity would be enough to sway a meeting with someone in charge. Perhaps two deals would come from this one.

And so, Yuuki and Chieko aproched the Aerith /Alistair/Hiro group. They both voiced their ideas for what they should do, Chieko doing so a bit more forcefully than Yuuki. Ashton also arived, attempting to assert himself and lead the discussion, but this just seemed to infuriate Chieko further. And what she said, further infuriated Aerith.

Hiro groaned. "getting passports isn't going to stop who's coming after us. They are clearly not on the side of the law. If we want answers, we're going to need to confront them."

Alistair was not as quick to “defend” his past choices. He listened to what everyone said before saying his own bit. "Listen well, all of you. I, Alistair Archibald, am usually a benevolent and tolerant man, but there are three things I simply cannot stand: People who order me around, people who insult me, and... repeating my mistakes." He folded his arms. "I do not think we were wrong to try gaining the upper hand on our attackers. It's taught us a great deal about how they operate, and how we operate." Alistair pulled out his hand and opened it up. A gentle geyser flowed out of his palm and ran over the edges of his hand. "But there is little else to learn or gain from a forth encounter. And I also believe that someone who is capable of thought should see Donovan. To ensure such criteria is met, I will go with Donovan this time." Alistair made no attempt to look at Chieko or the others, nor would he respond to them. He did not want to be ordered around, but he did not want to be burdened with the rest of them as they made their choice.

"Alright!" Hiro walked up to Yuuki. "We'll try going with Aer, but if things don't work out, I think you should consider helping us defeat the assassins. You'll get a free magic lesson out of the deal too."

”Are you done gossiping?” Aer and Wisp were making their move. ”I'm glad some of you had a change of heart, but I really must be going.”

---

It was a hell of a situation, and each new death had brought both hope and a greater sense of frustrations. So many tries, so many people, but never the right timing. Never the right protection. Never the right solution as of yet. It was like hitting one's head into a brick wall and trying over over to overcome the shitshow that was this situation. Then this brown haired son of a bitch began mouthing off at them, as if he was their babysitter and wanted to force them along. Then at the least the super (albeit more chill than this asshole) duo of Flame and Ashton had tried to figure out some kind of plan, which the dark-haired girl had begun to try to at least organize everyone. It was a better measure than some people seemed to be suggesting, and yet....her own hopes that things could start to go more smoothly were dashed upon the rocks.

Chieko.

Scared chuuni of a girl, who had refused to work with them in the first place. No, even if she hadn't gone with them she hadn't even taken the time to listen to anyone but that asshole who had first called out to herself, Hiro, and co as if they were naughty delinquents who needed a lecture.

Did she want to help this girl, whom she had helped avoid death once already with alongside Hiro in their impromptu group effort? Yes.

But was she mouthing off like that same asshole, with that cocky, shitty attitude that set Aerith's blood ablaze. Did these worthless....these retarded little dipshits think they had the superior plan? Did they they would all be safe at the damn papers place? Did they think ascertaining the danger of an enemy who could very well still hunt them down regardless of the place was a terrible idea? Were they so angry at herself and Hiro and company that they felt the need to do this sort of shit to try to for them into the "hive mind's choice of options" and such?

These people.

Ashton and Flame seemed intelligent.

Hiro wasn't stupid.

She also wasn't stupid.

This brown haired asshole (Yuuki) might have been wanting safety above all else, but ignorance was also just as foolish.

And Chieko was wanting to ass like a little bitch, fleeing when anyone wanted to just share information and talking down on people when she felt like it. The arrogance was incredible.

And at least Alistair seemed to have a brain on his shoulders.

"At least we were gathering some kind of information as we kicked the bucket a few times over, just in case anyone among us runs into those other goons again. And who is to say something else won't happen if everyone gathers into one specific place? Maybe something worse could happen if we are all lumped into one place, and maybe not. Hiro is right that just attempting to avoid these issues, and people outside of the law, won't likely make us all suddenly safe in the near future or beyond either.

Now i don't blame you two coming over here and arguing for wanting to go what seems to be the safest route so far among what's happened so far. Hell, it makes sense. Keep everyone alive, avoid trouble, and we don't keep coming back here over and over again. Its a shitty situation, and frankly we all have a right to be pissed at one thing or another.

But when you refuse to communicate, to share information, or anything of the sort, and then talk down on everyone like you are our caretakers and try to force us along, you kinda make people lose you and care less about your opinions. These acts are laughable, at best, in the long run, and if you want to communicate feel free to join us in actually talking about things in the future. We'll probably be willing to talk with you in turn then, so we can all properly listen for once.

But overall, organizing this mass of people from another place, it doesn't seem to be totally feasible. It doesn't help we all seem to be at a random whim of a random person croaking and all of us being forced back again and again. As opinions clash, all of us go about whatever we do around here, and otherwise we will likely clash over and over and over about this stuff at times unless it has a limit to 'coming back' to this place....or any other 'places' later on to be honest."

Aerith delivered her lines aloud for just all the other-worlders to hear, as calmly, properly, and clearly as could ever muster. Yet in her delivery her voice was leveled by a sense of experience and chillingly blunt analysis. Aeirth was making it as clear as she could her feeling and such on the matter, even as she sought to point out the group's big flaws in all of this. No immature tones, no sassy backlash, no whining, none of it carried over in her voice as she had spoken. To lash out, she knew that invited further ego stroking and fussing. And she was sick of those kinds of things. Sick to her stomach of them at home, and now this crap here.

If things were this bad this time around, the future was bleak. But she didn't say no to going to get papers right now. Not at all. She would go this time around, for what little empathy she had left for Chieko in this matter. She didn't want to hate the girl, or Hiro, or Yuuki, or anyone else. But at the same time, if they all became enemies it would likely eventually trap them in a loop of repeats. Endless frustrations, ceaseless arguing, constant foolish behavior as Yuuki and Chieko were showing as plain as day right now.

As much as she was pissed, it wasn't like Chieko and Yuuki had no points at all about going the safe route. To this end, Aerith without waiting shifted mental gears and approached Aer before speaking again.

"I'll be happy to come with you all as well, shall we set off? I would feel terrible if we held you for too long...," the girl said, seeming genuinely apologetic and polite in this instance, albeit a tad shy with a tint of embarrassment in the process. An eerie ability to change masks at the drop of a hat, though a thing that hadn't been performed in the visible line of sight of the in-worlders as Aerith had taken into account in things.

It was the others' move now. She had made her choice this time, and called out what she saw as the overall situation. If they became belligerent, mouthed off, or the like right now...it was on their heads. They would be acting the part of the fool, prancing upon the stage and wasting everyone's time. As for Aerith, she couldn't care less right now for anything but moving on to get papers. To her, things would improve on her end mood-wise if they just did something right now and got on with it.