The figure walked carefully, eyeing up her surroundings, as she clutched her bag and moved her small feet hurriedly. With the energy of a squeaky rodent, the young-looking girl ponder her next steps. This school seemed to had accumulated bad reputation, but she had been asked to come, and she would answer the summons.

The summoning invitation could not have been more bizarre. The gift box, of spell components, that her parents had greedily experimented with without her input had been spiked. The witch known as Diana, now bereft of her usual attire and clad in leftover middle-schooler clothes, had spent quite a chunk of time and effort to stop his dad from roosting on top of the fridge, and at least twice as much trying to convince her own mother that she had been just transformed into a hen and that the breakfast eggs were, in fact, not her children. After the debacle, she set the rest of the batch to a corner thoughtfully, and assembled what to do next.

The followup would probably lean heavily on her vexing childish appearance and lack of womanly features, but for the sake of purpose, it suit the Witch of Bones. She had coated her wiles and magic under a seemingly harmless appearance, much like the poisoned prank had been disguised as gift. Yet, inside the bag she was carrying there was no kitty-shaped purse, or cute stickers, but bones, blood and components. She wouldn't be lying if she wasn't ready to wage a small war. She had even played dress up in front of the mirror to borrow some time from the Reaper that haunted her. Fireball, Ice wall components, and even the dry bones of a 20ft long python had been reanimated. She had instructed the beast to infiltrate the school through another way, as that'd be a giveaway of who she was.

"Um... excuse me." She said in her most demure voice, painstakingly eroding any trace of confidence from it. After all she had a good teacher, even if he had been quite the sociopath. She hoped he'd not be here yet, wounds licked and ready to render her intentions moot. But Celestine wasn't there.

"Could you um... point the way to miss Erdrigan? I...am to be a new student of sorts...please?" She squeaked.

@AtomicNut

"...Edrigan?" The passing student she'd hailed down said.

St. Lucifer's had a certain atmosphere to it that was hard to pin down until you entered it. From far away, all seemed normal, but the closer you looked the more it was obvious something was off. Nothing major, small things here and there. Most of the students tended to care a little less than normal. There were more disorderly uniforms. More downcast faces. There was no minority, but certainly not any majority.

Any school in Rhea was always filled with a colorful set of students, regardless of what school you were in. Here, those colors seemed hushed, or diluted.

"Right, that is her last name... yeah." The student said. "She's probably in the committee room or something, I don't know. It's over there between a couple of classrooms."

The student shuffled off without answering any further inquiries from Diana. A student committee by any other name would perhaps be using a spare classroom or club room to hold meetings, and St. Lucifer's student committee wasn't exactly different in that aspect. The room they employed was simply an empty ground floor club room, without any shelves or the normal trappings which would normally hold the supplies needed for day-to-day use.

The student committee sourced those elsewhere, so it's not too unusual for the clutter to be removed. The unusual part was the long oval conference table that was there, and the black leather office chairs. Just how it always seemed to hang empty until the blinds were drawn, and it would be empty again soon after, looking for all the world like no one had ever been in there.

The blinds were drawn now. If someone were to be at the door this very moment, they'd notice it was very slightly ajar. The committee room's door had only ever been seen shut by the normal students. If they were brave enough to put their ear to the gap they would hear something even more amazing.

"...Christine Abigail, if you can hear this, I'm sorry."

That would unfortunately be the end of the miracles, as after a few moments of silence, the phone clattered to the table and not another sound was heard.

@Hammerman@Crazy Scion

@Hammerman

---

Everything hurt. That was the first sensation that ran through her mind, an all consuming pain that cut across her flesh, bones, and deeper. It was like a burn on the back of the tongue spears across her entire being.

Lifting an eyelid was a herculean effort, but never let it be said that Katherine Abigail is a quitter. It slowly flickered open to take in the blurry sight of a lavish, pent house bedroom. Outside the sun poured in through the glass door leading out onto the balcony, alighting on the plush white carpet, and beyond the open blinds she could make out the tops of skyscrapers. The bed was plush and soft enough to swallow her. It probably would have done so, luring her back into dreamland, if it wasn't for the fact that she had no idea where she was.

She tired to push herself up into a sitting position and instantly regretted it, the pain spreading like a firecracker across her chest as she collapsed onto her back again. "Piss, blood, and fire!" She snarled through clenched teeth.

Wait, what had that been. Did she talk like that?

No, said the voice in her head. I think that was one of mine.

Oh right. This.

"Trying to grab a little more of me?" She said in a strained whisper.

Nothing of the sort, the voice said in mock offence. We were bleeding all over. Some of that bleeding was mental. You got some of you on me, I got some of me on yo-

"That ninja!" Katherine choked out, ignoring her passenger. The events of the previous day...week?...month?...however log it had been, it all came flooding back. Ninja, Clara, Rurik...

Christine?

She tried sitting up again, this time pushing herself with her whole being to fight through the pain. What had happened after that fight she totally won? Where had she been taken, by who, and what had happened to her sister?

@Gentlemanvaultboy
After the incident, Christine stayed with Kath, going with her to Thobias' place as she received her treatment and as she recovered as well. The two didn't return to their mansion, as Thobias graciously allowed them to stay in his apartment as long as they needed to. Christine took his offer, though she would only sleep right beside Christine in the sofa, even though Thobias had offered his own bed.

When Kath woke up, she would see the face of her sister first. Nobody else.

And that was what indeed happened.

"Kath!"

Without warning, Christine jumped out of her sofa onto the bed, giving her sister a great big hug (that unfortunately couldn't be warm thanks to Christine's ability).

"Kath, you're awake! Oh, you're awake! Oh thank God!"

Christine started sobbing tears of pure happiness and joy as she hugged her sister even tighter, enjoying her familiar warmth and scent.

"I was so worried that you-- that you aren't coming back!"

@Hammerman

---

Katherine let out a 'HURK" as her sister nearly leaped into bed and threw her arms around her, a sunspot of pain spreading out from the middle of her chest. But that pain was immaterial. Christine was here, and they were both all right. That's what mattered. The coolness of her skin was actually soothing, both to body and soul.

She stroked her sisters hair as she held as tight as her injuries allowed. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Of course I'm okay. You know me, it's gonna take more than a mephisto creep to out me down."

Not much more.

She ignored that as the hug ended and she was able to get a look at her body. She looked like a mummy, someone had cut off her shirt then protected her health and modesty with a crisscross of white bandages. That pain whenever she moved must have been stitches. It looked really professional. So why didn't this look like a hospital?

---

Katherine didn't know, because she hadn't been awake for the trip here. Thobias's secret hideout was an expensive top lever suite in downtown Rhea, not actually that far from his fathers Enson building. The idea was, he could teleport. When Thobias wanted to get away from his family he could go anywhere. The last place anyone would look for him was nearby.

It was also the last place anyone looking for to finish off Katherine would be able to fine her, at least according to him. Thobias and his entourage had left sometime early that morning. He wanted to be seen in other places, just in case someone was looking for her through him, and had given the sisters the run of the place for as long as they thought they needed.

---

Katherine shook her head, trying to sort out the events of the tournament day. She had the gist, but it was all fuzzy and there was stuff in there that just...didn't seem to fit. "Christine, what happened yesterday? I got stabbed, I know that, but afterwards it's like trying to remember a bad dream."

I could tell you.

"Yeah, no offence, I'd rather hear from her." She said, looking up slightly before putting her eyes back on her sister and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, my guardian angel keeps trying to interject."

---

As Andras for some reason edged closer to the ticking time bomb that was Vera, it seemed she might actually be safe for the moment.

"Well... look who's awake to face the music." Or not. It was a shame that Andras was so sore -- she might have been fast enough to escape otherwise. Instead, a considerably less beaten up Vera rolled over, one of her hands coming down on the other side of Andras, trapping her while Vera's hair cascaded over her shoulders to drape around their faces as Vera hovered menacingly over her. "You sneak into my bed, in my room, in my house?" Vera frowned and glared down at the girl. She waited silently for a moment to let Andras process her crimes.

However, she suddenly just smirked, "And worst of all, it wasn't even on purpose. Did you know you sleep walk or is this new?" She sighed and pulled back, settling for just kneeling next to the girl. "For a moment I thought you were really just that bold. What a shame. Might have kept Wolf on his toes."

One last glare, though. "Seriously though, you're lucky you're you. Anyone else..." Vera drew he finger across her neck. Though, that was a good point. Why was Andras lucky? Vera couldn't quite place why she'd let the little dweeb get so close... or when she'd come to the decision to allow it. "Anyway... how was my bed?" Regardless, Andras would never be allowed to live this down.

@Gentlemanvaultboy
Christine soon calmed down (Kath patting her head certainly helped with the matter) and released her hug, though she still kept her hands on her sister's. When Kath asked what had happened to her when she was knocked out, Christine's smile disappeared, replaced by a frown as she looked away from her.

"You... were wounded pretty bad, Sis," she answered. "Thobias had to take you to his hideout here so that doctors could fix you up safely. Here, we're safe from anyone who would try to harm you. Like Clara." She kept the last part to her own thoughts. "We're free to stay here for a while until you're recovered fully, Sis," she added with a smile.

"A-and the demon... is she... still controlling you?" she then asked, a worried look on her face.

The night after the cultist attack.

The attack on the tournament grounds had been swift and relentless, many people have gotten hurt, taken or killed. Andreim's first priority had been to protect Lise from harm, while he knew she could fight he wouldn't allow any harm to come to her. Second priority had been to rescue Katherine, which had been attacked by one of Clara's disciples. The ninja. Not only that but she had acted strangely and alot of focus ended on her. Ultimately Andreim and Lise were unable to reach Katherine, thanks to the interuption of some cultists ending up in their path. Once they saw an opening out of there they took it and at that point they had lost trace of Katherine and the battle.
The arena grounds were too dangerous to return to, doing so would have put Lise at the center of attention. Due to her beauty and regality. Andreim felt that he could not return to the school grounds with Lise, some of those evil men might have gone there.

Thus the pair decided to go into hiding among the commoners, much to Lise's displeasure no doubt. But in order to safeguard her and also make certain some of the common people unable to defend themselves were not taken captive. They've sought refuge at the vigilantes hideout, a church by the looks of it. Andreim and Lise had both grabbed blankets in which they wrapped around to be makeshift hoods and cloaks. The duo slipped inside without anyone recognizing them, first staying with the rest of the commoners, before darting off to a more private section of the place. The old tower.

Andreim began to climb the ladder up to the hatch, which would lead up to the room which held the mechanisms for the bell. It was a nice and tidy room, it had a seating area in the form of a sofa and a table aswell as a few lights, the outmost top of the tower held a second hatch leading out to the actual bell, which was out in the free, kept under a neat roof to protect it against rain and strong wind.
In order to prevent Lise from the strain of climbing and the potential risk of someone noticing them and Lise wearing a skirt while ascending the ladder, Andreim would have been forced to inflict mind loss to that person to protect her ladyship.

To prevent all of that he climbed down to princess lift her, and then use his water manipulation to create enough pressure to get them up into the room. After which he set her down and began to manipulate up all the water and then opening a window to gradually send it flying out of there at the yard below. Making sure it was a fine distance away to not hit anyone.

"Ahh.. that was alot of work for one evening... don't you agree my lady?" He sat down in the sofa and breathed out. "We couldn't get to Katherine. William got taken out. Cassius is missing. Samoth vanished in the crowd of people. We might be the only ones left... but don't worry, I will not let anything happen to you. Not as long as I draw breath. I'll protect you and the future which is waiting for us." He said in a reassuring tone, as he looked over to his goddess, the fair lady Liselotte.

Lise looked out of the window quietly, the light from the streetlights reflecting in her eyes. "To think that these festivals become this rowdy... Truly this city has a lack of restraint." Though it was nothing compared to her castle of which she was titled, it reminded Lise at least a little of her nights spent in a true castle tower.

Of course, she had never been with a boy in the tower, which was something Lise was slowly becoming aware of. She took a few deep breaths. Not that there was anything strange going on between the two! It was an emergency circumstance. They may even have to... spend the night together...

Lise cast off her commoner's disguise of a blanket and faced away from Andreim. She had to reassure herself, 'No one will know about this! And if they do, then it's a manner of safety that he's here! That's it!' She sat on the sofa, sighing.

The exertion of the tournament was now very clear to Lise as she laid back on the couch. "Ah. We might have to stay her tonight, won't we...?" Lise muttered, nodding off before opening her eyes back up.

Andreim turned to look over to Lise as she peeked out of the window. 'Amidst all this chaos, she still stands with her head tall, refined and more beautiful than anything else this world has to offer.'

He allowed a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth, before opening it to speak. "Yes, sometimes things do not go as planned. It is in those moments it is good to remain calm and remember what caused things to go wrong. What you say is true my lady, this city lacks restraint. But also control."

Andreim allowed his gaze to wander over Lise's form, taking another glance to make certain she was physically fine. When he was trying to find the right words to tell Lise they would likely be best off sleeping in this tower for the night, with the city being in the state it was. The church tower was however surely a big change for Lise, who no doubt were accustomed to the comforts of a big and soft bed and the security of large mansion defenses. That's when he heard Lise breathing deeply, she had cast away her blanket. The act had caused Andreim to raise an eyebrow and his jaw drop abit. 'At this rate we are going to have to share that couch.' He swallowed as the thought struck him. 'I have to...' He snapped out of his thoughts as Lise spoke again, words which caused Andreim to blink and then offer a comforting smile.

She actually had pondered on the idea of staying here for the night. Andreim walked over towards the couch. after taking a sip of water by making a water orb in his hand. He had done this previously to also give Lise water to make certain she didn't faint. "That's right, my lady. I know it isn't near what you are used to, but we'll have to make the best out of the situ... Lise?" He blinked as he saw she seemed to be on the verge of nodding off.

He went up to the couch and smiled on seeing that. It had indeed been a long day and anyone in their right mind would be tired, himself included ofcourse. He knelt down in front of the couch, looking to Lise's face. He leaned down carefully with his face close to hers, she had closed her eyes. Andreim's heart began to beat faster, as if it was about to tear itself out of his chest. Then Lise's eyes flashed open. Which caused Andreim to heavily blink, before he instinctively leaned down abit further to kiss her lips, his left gloved hand moved to softly caress the side of her face and hair as he did. His right hand tried to interlock with hers, as he softly squeezed his fingers against hers.

"A-Andreim?" Lise said, freezing in place. Her entire body felt rooted in place, and all she could feel was her face flushing red. "Um... W-While I understand this place is comparatively private..." She managed lean a little away from the boy. "I-Isn't it hasty to do t-t-that here?"

At the same time, she didn't let go of his hands. It felt reassuring to her. But she couldn't consider anything further than that. She gently indicated that Andreim should sit next to her, keeping her hand intertwined with his. 'Maybe... this is fine.' She thought, her heart fluttering somewhat.

Andreim smiled softly and made his way to sit next to Lise, still keeping a hold on her hand, offering his lap as a makeshift pillow for his goddess. "You go ahead and sleep.. I'll wait til you do. There's things to do tommorrow." He reached out to pat Lise on the head, caressing her hair with his free hand, making sure her fine blonde strands of hair would not obscure her face. The young man leaned back abit against the couch, still looking over Lise however.

'Rhea needs a revival. I thought it would have to wait til after our third year of St.Laurels, but at this rate everything will be lost. I will not allow these evil beings to make things worse. I'll cleanse the city. I'll cleanse it all, for my lady Lise's sake! No. Not only for her, but for everyones sake!' The noise from the surrounding area was getting more and more quiet, rest was no doubt in order and well earnt. The pair found themselves at the church tower, their refuge for the night.

As the dawn of a new day was about to greet them head-on.

@Hammerman

---

Katherine groaned when she learned who was supplying this luxurious safehouse. "Man, I guess I can't complain but I really don't want to owe that guy."

The subject of the demon, thought, required her serious attention. Christine was obviously still unsettled by the whole thing and, honestly, Kath was too. There was a part of her, deep down, where she could feel a ring of fire. One that stood empty.

I couldn't very well save our lives from in there, could I? I'll told you, there was some bleed. We mingled.

What did that mean for her?

Rest assured, I cannot simply assume direct control and fly out of here again. It simply means that, should you ever require my aide again, it would not take something so dire as a mortal wound to bring my strength to bare.

That was...unsettling. She opened her mouth to try and tell Christine, but...

Do you really wish to worry her more than she already is? Look at the poor girl.

Right. Katherine had been through hell yesterday, but at least she'd been out for most of it. Christine had been forced to watch it all happen. She imagined how she would feel watching her sister in the throes of possession, knowing the only thing standing between her and certain death was the strength and machinations of a demonic being. The thought of it, of how horribly powerless she'd feel in that moment, sent a rolling shutter of revolution through her entire body.

So she put on her brave face, smiled warmly, and gave Christine's hand a gentle squeeze. "She's fine. It was an emergency thing. So long as I'm not literally dying, I'm all me. Turn's out it's easier to get into a castle when there's a big stinking hole in the wall. Who knew, right?"

She laughed. It hurt, but she did of anyway. What was she joking around for, this was her life she was talking about.

Speaking of which, a thought occurred. "Oh shit...have you called mom and dad?" That whole debacle had to been in the news. Sure they were distant, but gods above, they would be freaking out right now.

Hearing Kath's response brought Christine's smile back. "Oh, I'm so glad to hear that, Sis! I was afraid that you--that you had been absorbed by the demon like Clara said!"

Here she finally spoke of Clara's name. As much as she didn't want to think of it, it was the truth that she had tried to hunt down her sister. And it was truth as well that she had made an enemy out of her because of it.

At the mention of her parents, she froze. She had not thought about them in the slightest through these last few days.

"I...I haven't contacted them," Christine said, looking away from her once more. "I... had forgotten about them entirely, actually..." she said sheepishly. "Should I... call them now?"

Andras felt her stomach drop when Vera spoke. She went from pleasantly sleepy to stone cold awake. She dared not move, in some kind of childish attempt at seeming asleep.

Andras tried to formulate responses to Vera's statements, but she was still frozen in fear. Her brain made them easily, but she both didn't want to interrupt if Vera was to begin talking, and was scared of mispronouncing her words from the sheer nervousness she felt.

After Vera finished talking, there was hanging silence for a moment before Andras realized she was supposed to say something. Then, all of her responses flew from her mouth at once.

"Yes!I'mawake! Uh! I didn't mean- Maybe I do sleepwalkbutI'mnottryingtobebold!" She took a moment to gasp for breath. "B-Bed was great! I-I-I mean, not because you were in it! But!"

Andras's mind raced to a single conclusion. 'This is a mess. Bail. Bail! BAIL!' She quickly made the decision to run out of the room as fast as possible. She quickly threw the bedsheets aside, and jumped to her feet.

And as her legs gave out underneath her, she remembered that the previous day was a bit of a personal marathon for her. She grabbed onto a bedpost to keep from falling on her face and slowly lowered herself to the ground.

"Vera... I think I need help..." Andras meekly whimpered.

---

Vera just sat quietly with the faintest smile on her face as Andras rambled in her panic.

Hilarious.

It was then completely hysterical when Andras attempted and failed to run away. If it wasn't for the fact that Vera was actually somewhat concerned she probably would have been laughing by now.

"Wow, sleep and run, huh?" Vera clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Well, it was cold last night so we'll call it even," she said, cementing the fact that she'd been awake when Andras had crawled into bed. Finally Vera slid out of bed and stepped over to Andras, looming over her. However, instead of immediately helping Andras, Vera began stretching and loosening up for a few seconds, her sleek abs peeking out from under her shirt as she did so. "All right, it's good that you're so small." Vera suddenly reached down and scooped Andras up completely. This way there would be no escape.

She let out a small grunt of strain and immediately regretted this. Andras was heavier than expected.

Or maybe she was just weaker than she'd thought.

Well, it was too late now. She'd committed. She'd look stupid if she changed her mind and put Andras back down. Instead she just threw on her cockiest smirk.

"Where to... first?" Vera did her best to talk normal.

@Hammerman

---

Katherine narrowed her eyes. Yeah, Clara. She had known that her sisters friends were dirty, rotten cheaters that liked to mess with other schools. Killers, though? Outsode of Vitto's insane grudge? They were going to have to have a long talk about what Christine's little club had actually gotten up to while Kath wasn't looking.

That was a exhausting conversation for another day. It was time for a different hard conversation.

She sighed. "Could you handle it, please? I'm not sure I'm up to explaining how I got possessed to them right now." In fact, she was getting pretty drowsy again. Slowly she laid back down, looking a little more peaceful than she had been before. "Give me a day or two, I'll be back up and cracking skulls before you know it."

---

The neighbors were looking at him oddly, with the suspicious paranoid of those whom had heard of disaster but had not been directly touched by it. He could see them, peeking out from the windows, watching him perform his morning routine. He thought one of them was on the phone, probably describing the strange featured boy doing Kung-fu in front of a nice, upscale home. He cared not, continuing to punch and kick on Vera's front lawn.

He supposed anyone that looked like him would be a object of suspicion, at least for a while. His physical abnormality, up until now simply a point of curiosity, would only cause concern in the wake of so many freak coming out of the woodwork to assault everything these people considered normal.

That was a good thing, in his opinion. He might get a few good fights in the aftershock of the attack. He certainly hadn't gotten anything last night, to his disappointment. A group of demon worshiping nutjobs appear and he hadn't gotten to battle with a single one. Him! A member of the race once called angels, the hand picked warriors of the gods.

He stopped, having finished a particularly elaborate sequences. "Ose!" He shouted, brining his morning warm up to an end. Nodding to himself, he shook the sweat from his face before turning and heading up the stairs to Vera's home. He opened up the door, and entered for the first time since he'd arrived.

He looked around, walking inside until he discovered the kitchen and grinned. He went immediately to the refrigerator and yanked open the door. Someone had already taken the liberty of clearing out much of the food, but they hadn't touched what Naseaph was looking for.

A disturbingly genuine smile plastersd it's way across the bird boys face. "Juice." He said hungrily, pulling out a half gallon of orange juice. He pulled off the cap, tossing it carelessly onto the floor before bringing the carton up to his mouth and beginning to drink. And drink. And drink.

In a few moment he crushed the empty carton with with a satisfied growl and an undignified full body shutter that he was glad no one was around to see. Despite everything else, that was a wonderfully vitalizing way to start the morning.

Now all he needed was a good soak. He tossed the carton in the trash bin and started looking for the girls shower.

Andras's heart was racing. At that moment, all semblance of Andras, the Demon Lady of Despair, seemed to melt, and the shy bookish girl named Alex appeared, if only for a moment.

However, Andras returned quickly to her senses. While the situation was embarrassing, she also didn't want to protest for fear of cutting it short. She also became somewhat self-conscious about her weight... but she shoved that thought aside. Self-consciousness wasn't going to help her right now.

'Consciousness... Self?' Andras began to remember something from the last night. Or was it this morning?

"Oh my GOODNESS!" Andras fidgeted excitedly in Vera's arms, not aware of potentially unbalancing the girl who was holding her. At the same time, Andras's cards appeared, floating and rotating around Andras as if reflecting her excitement. "Vera! I had a VISION! It was like... It looked just like me, and it told me about the Root! I think it was some kind of entity or being that worked within the Root of All Magic!! It- She had, like, blue robes, and they were inscribed with magic symbols, and she had suuuper long hair! She kind of looked like a character I made up for a fan..." Andras trailed off as she realized she said something she probably shouldn't have.

She quickly looked away and quickly tried to change the subject. "A-Anyway, I want to use the shower, so I'll tell you more about it after you take me there."

@Gentlemanvaultboy
"Alright, Sis," Christine replied with a gentle smile. "I'll take care of everything. You just have to rest, okay?"

She then lifted her hands from hers before she stood up and left the bed entirely. She then walked to the wireless phone placed just a few feet away from said bed. She took the device, entered some numbers, and then stood there waiting for the other side to pick up, all the while fidgeting in place.

She was nervous, that much was obvious.

"Who is this? Who is this speaking?"

On the other side was a booming, manly voice that was all too familiar to her.

It was her father, and he was not happy with this stranger daring to call him directly to his cellphone; the number only being shared to a few.

"P-Papa? I-it's me, Christine..."

"C-Chrissy? I-is that really you, Chrissy?!"

Christine then began telling him everything that had happened to her and Kath. Well, mostly the latter. All amidst her father shouting back over the phone with his loud voice. She had to keep the phone away just so her ears wouldn't hurt.

Of course, she didn't tell him about Clara. If she did, well, she was afraid that her papa would go back here and punch Clara himself. He was a large, musclebound man who was never afraid of anyone (well, the exception might be his wife when she's angry). He would certainly never allow anyone who hurt his daughters to just walk freely. She still remember one guy who tried peeking up her short dress while they were having a family vacation. Broken legs and arms were just the start, if not for Christine begging for him to stop.

As for the matter relating to the demon, she told him about it while reassuring him that it was under control by Kath. She wasn't lying. That was what Kath had just told her after all.

The call lasted for a while, about half an hour to be exact, and Kath would be able to hear every sentence Christine was saying. But eventually, it ended, and Christine took a long sigh of relief as she put the phone down. She then walked back to Kath with a relieved smile.

"Done. Though Papa nearly made us leave our schools and this town entirely. I had to convince him that there's no need for it," she said proudly.

---

"Mephisto's School for the Wickedly Inclined." How... very straightforward. Of course they at least had the sense to hide behind the front of "St. Lucifer's."

Ignoring some explosions on his way in, Ward went against his instincts and simply blended into the background for now. A difficult task for one of his pedigree to be sure, but he would manage so long as he put his mind to it. Yes, of course he would.

It was a blessing and curse that the school was a little more barren than usual after the attack. Not everyone wanted to go right back to school after a demonic cult had blown up part of the city. That meant less prying eyes, but it also meant less loose lips for him to eavesdrop on. It was thus quite lucky that he stumbled across something rather good.

"... point the way to Ms. Erdrigan?" Ah, another new student? Now that could be quite useful. It seemed she was looking for someone, so he casually tailed her while thinking things over. He did know a few things already, so he was able to piece together that this girl was looking for some Student Committee member. Strange that she'd be looking to another student rather than a faculty member, but then... that told him quite a bit right there. This Erdrigan girl must have been rather important.

An obstacle to be seen to later, no doubt.

Well, he wouldn't be figuring that out today, unfortunately.

He followed her to a rather unassuming room and then... nothing. Some words he couldn't make out without literally hovering over the girl's shoulder and then something fell to the floor. And thus he was out of patience.

"Excuse me." Making his presence known, he edged past the girl and then shoved the door to the room open. Empty. Well, almost empty. A phone lay on the table still connected to the other end. Someone, presumably the Erdrigan girl, had called someone else named Christine. They were now leaving a very long, very silent message for Christine. He picked the phone up and...

"The owner of this phone seems to have vanished. Goodbye." And then he hung up and tossed the phone aside. "Well, that's that then. Tell me, miss. Who exactly is this Erdrigan person you were after... and do they normally evaporate into thin air?" Ward asked her. "Oh wait, how rude of me. My name is Ward. And yourself?"

@KillamriX88

Diana made no visible gesture other than a raised eyebrow. First, a stalker. That was a given, the whole school was full of weirdos. Diana paid him no heed, until he rudely interrupted the scene with his swagger. The witch just frowned to find the vacant place, and the phone. For a moment she thought she would be able to place an hex on Clara Erdrigan. She eyed the boy up and down before saying.

"I don't give my name to people who tail me. I had been told to join the school, but negotiations have fallen through. Very badly. Farewell." Diana said, as she turned her back. "If you see Erdrigan, the student council president, tell her that and that she owes me a compensation. Or don't tell her. I am done with this." She added, fed up with the whole thing.

It had been an offer too good to be true, but it had ended in a poisoned gift, two parents who were roosting like hens, and a 20 ft snake lodged in St Lucifer's ventilation system. She would cut her losses here and now, and think of the Mephisto's lot in a less favorable light than ever. With deft steps she began walking towards the exit.

---

Well, her demeanor had certainly done a 180.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had to introduce myself to every single person I shared a hallway with," he told her. OK, sure, he'd been following her, but he'd only been after what he'd assumed she'd be leading him to. But now that it was just them, she had piqued his interest. Not only had she just changed personality rather drastically, but she was perceptive enough to have noticed him following her... not that he'd exactly been hiding around corners.

"But since you've come all this way, if you want compensation, I'm right here. You could leave and waste the trip, or you can hear me out," he told her. "I'm more than capable of making it worth your while. I have plans, Miss, and you could be part of them if you care to be. Surely you can spare a minute or two more, hm?"

Whoever she'd been trying to meet had certainly earned her ire. Maybe if he could prove to be a more worthwhile investment of her time he could use this to his advantage. These schools existed to seek power, constantly clashing, that much he knew. So, if they had wanted her on their side, then perhaps he should as well.

@KillamriX88

"I've had my share of condescending bored people in a month. Whatever mystery and glamour you've got, it's irrelevant. For me you're just as trite as a bible salesman. Or even worse, someone who hits on middle- schoolers" Diana said, adjusting her cat hat. "Then again, it's not wise to be guided by first impressions. You have one shot. Don't waste it. What do you really want?" Diana said, as she eyed one of the vents near the hall. If need be, she could move her skeletal python from there...

---

"To the point, then..." Now the girl's attitude was wearing on his nerves, but, well, she was certainly sure of herself and he would wait to see what face she put on when he made his intentions clear. "Thi-" He heard voices in the hallway and frowned. He lifted a hand and then clenched his fist. In a flash, chains sprouted from out of nowhere and barred the door and windows shut. "Better. Now, as I was saying... this city is in a panic, whether you see it or not. The people and those above them have grown complacent in their power. Rhea, the greatest city in the world, and in an afternoon the foundations were shaken. No one knows who they should have faith in anymore. Cracks are starting to show." A small smile spread on his face. "Vulnerabilities I plan to exploit. I am under no illusions that I can stage some sort of coup and take over the entire city, no, but getting to a position where I can pull the strings, well, that's certainly within the realm of possibilities and from there? Who knows."

"My family has done it before and they'll do it again, and this city will be my inheritance should I play my role to fruition. Unfortunately, however, I can't do it alone. So that leads to you and people like you. So now you know what I want, what do you want? Money? Power? I can offer both in excess, but more importantly I can offer purpose. As I said, the cracks are showing and you live here, don't you want to make it better? Why not be in a better place yourself when those cracks are sealed? It'll happen one way or another, sooner or later. Might as well make the most of it. I certainly will be, and I'll remember those who played a part."

"You don't have to answer now, in fact I'd prefer you didn't. Think about it, give it some time. If you're even the slightest bit interested in what I have to offer stick around, finish your application to this school. In a little while I'll be officially joining myself, and by then you should have everything you need to make your final decision."

Even then, he didn't drop the chains that held the door shut. However, should Diana have tried the door she'd have found the chains strangely... pliable. They'd fall apart if she put any effort into trying to open the door -- and she'd find Ward smirking in amusement if she succeeded.

---

Vera was fighting to breathe normally as she carried Andras to the bathroom. She was thankful she didn't have to take any stairs to get there. She wobbled her way out of her room and down the hall, cutting off Nas as she put on a final burst of speed and power walked past him into the room where she finally let Andras down, sitting her on the edge of the tub.

Panting only slightly, as she refused to show weakness. "Here we are. Uh, you know how to run a shower right? Err, just don't drown or whatever. I suppose I should show Nas where the other bathrooms are. I'll be back in a minute or two to check on you..." She stepped back out to speak to the birdboy, but then she heard the front door open downstairs.

Her eyes shot wide. She had no idea how to tell who it was.

"You first!" She spun Nas around and pushed him down the stairs, using him as a meat shield to investigate the sudden intruders and... why was he sticky? Ignoring that, they rounded the corner and discovered who it was.

Honestly Vera would have preferred a pair of cultists wielding murder knives.

"Vera, honey? Whose car is that outside? And who's this? Another new boyfriend?" Her mother asked, with Vera's father standing beside her.

"What?! No! This isn't my boyfriend! This is, uh, Nas and it's his car outside!" Vera lied through her teeth, jumping out from behind him now that she wasn't afraid of being killed in her own home. "We were all hanging out and when everything happened I just told him to drive us here so we could avoid it all. Where were you two?"

"Working. You didn't answer your phone so we came back to make sure everything was all right." Her father said... suggesting if she'd answered her phone they would have been fine not seeing her despite everything.

"I see, well, it seems fine now so you're free to go, Mr. Nas," Vera's mother said, politely and not so subtly kicking Nas out. That was awkward since it wasn't really Nas's car and Vera had no reason to believe the bird could actually drive.

"He can't drive!" Vera blurted out.

"What?"

"I-I mean he hurt his foot, in the tournament, so, uh, I mean I have other people here too. When they're all ready I'll drive them back home," Vera struggled to keep things straight as she was put on the spot.

"Are you OK? You're acting strange," her mother suggested. That was rich, as if she knew how Vera normally acted. With that little seed of indignation planted, Vera was able to put on a much straighter face.

"A lot happened last night, OK? It was stressful! I'm sorry if I'm not a perfect little angel right now, OK!?" Vera snapped.

"Of course dear, I'm sorry. I leave you to deal with your little friends..." Her parents glanced between each other and then skirted past the two, with the father definitely giving Nas a few "curious" looks as he went by.

"Sorry you had to deal with that..." Vera grumbled. "Ugh, I'm sorry I had to deal with that."