@KillamriX88

Diana sighed, her eyebrow slightly raised, as she looked at the display that this Cross character had made. "Well, that was a time waster. This entire school is." Diana blurted at the end of his spiel. "I guess I should have specified what did you want from me, given that your ego makes you prone to overestimate how much I care about you in general at this moment in time." The lithe silver-haired student shook her head and began to walk towards the barred door. "Oh, so you like to lock things up with chains. Rude."

She made a hand gesture, and a small clatter could be heard at Cross' feet. "Too bad you neglected the ventilation shafts." She said as 20ft of bone snake erupted at Ward's back, scarcely making any noise, and levelling itself with Ward's face, a bleached skull full of needle-like teeth. "Now, would you kindly undo your power, or do you want me to lead you by the nose?" added Diana, without skipping a heartbeat.

---

Ward stared back at the snake, not phased in the slightest.

"Am I supposed to be intimidated?" He blinked, a slightly colder edge entered his voice momentarily. "Though it's certainly nice to see an example of your abilities." Ignoring her request, he made no move to unshackle the door, instead taking a seat upon the nearby table. "The chains weren't for you, not really. You were always free to leave, miss. Or rather, if you find yourself unable to, then this conversation was pointless to begin with, but I expect that shan't be the case."

"And to be honest, I don't know what I want from you beyond an ally in my endeavors. I only know that these schools don't attempt to recruit people who aren't worth their time. Since they've clearly earned your ire, I sought to offer an alternative, for if you caught their interest then you've caught mine. The difference being is that I'm far more likely to make things worth your while. Think, you're just another face in the crowd to them. One of their dozens of students. For me, you're one of the first people I've met here, and you're making... quite the impression." He glanced at the snake still hovering closer to his face than he'd like. A simple matter to remove it, but why antagonize her further? He could already tell this was becoming a losing battle, but he wasn't one to give up that easily. "Again, I don't yet know you well enough to know specifically what you have to offer, but I know enough to know that I'm interested in finding that out, if only you'll allow me to."

"So I'll summarize. You know now what I have to offer and what I plan to do. All that is left is for you to decide if you wish to play a role, to take the chance to make a difference -- in your own life and in this city. So if you want to leave, then leave. If you can open that door, then all I ask is that you consider my offer. If you can't, well, you're still free to go, but that will be the end of things regardless of what you decide."

His expression had been relaxed, bordering on casual throughout their conversation, but suddenly it turned serious, "If you reject my offer I won't be offended, but I will warn you, I'm not the only one here with such goals. The difference being that you'll find the others won't be so straightforward with their intentions."

@KillamriX88

Diana did nothing but to wait. She just waited until he took a seat, and then she ordered her snake to just stay down. At the last minute, though, the snake jerked, lunging at Cross' crotch with its pointy teeth. And then it would twist the bite if its were successful.

"Wrong choice of words."

---

As the snake lunged there was a vicious crunching sound. This was revealed to be the snake's own teeth shattering before its head blew into splinters as Ward swung his arm violently to the side, revealing his forearm to be wrapped in chains.

"You know, miss," Ward hissed as he stood, "regardless of how poor my first impression may or may not have been, I feel I've done my best to be patient and polite. I did not waste your time, I gave you the chance to make it worthwhile. I offered friendship or at least a mutually beneficial arrangement, with every opportunity for you to walk away with no strings attached, but apparently you can't help but to act the child you appear to be."

"I'm sorry if you're feeling disappointed, but it takes more than a pile of moving bones to intimidate me. I suggest in the future you think twice before needlessly making enemies..." The building began to creak and the lights flickered and dimmed as some otherworldly force seemed to pry at the very foundations. In the dark corners of the room the shadows began to writhe and a horrid scratching sound emanated from them, as in something was trying to claw its way into the world. However, Ward soon pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Just as soon as it started, it stopped as the boy calmed himself, letting all his chains fall away and fade into nothingness. "Because I'm the newcomer to these parts, I'll just forget about this. I'll even state that my offer still stands, but you'll forgive me if at this point I don't hold my breath. Good day..."

With that Ward stepped past her and exited the room.

"How disappointing..." he muttered to himself. Well, it wasn't the end of the world. It was a humbling reminder that his path would be a difficult one. But, well...

He wasn't intimidated.

@KillamriX88

At this point, Diana's eyes narrowed and she took her kitty hat in her hand, gripping it hard. She normally was calm and collected, but too many things had happened recently. Her near death... Her parents... Erdrigan playing games with her. The newcomer who would not just let her go, despite her more than obvious desire to leave, decided to insist in a spiel, each time aggravating her even more.

If he had taken the blow, and even showed some common sense back then, she would likely have stopped. But no, he had to keep lecturing her. Showing how merciful was he. Such hubris only seemed to light up the fuse within Diana. She began to concentrate.

The first fireball blew up the doors wide, showering Cross in shards before detonating on top of him as he so nonchalantly had given her his back to an angry witch.

"I came here with two options. Get a compensation or wage a small war." Diana said, now floating in midair. "Guess which option it is now, you smarmy fool. I care not for your friendship or offer. The way you proposed it, you can place it right next up to the stick up your arse." She added, the magic of reinforcement making her limbs glow with circuit-like patterns. "I will personally make sure you won't forget about this, and perhaps learnt much sought out humility."

"Well this is starting to be one heck of a day," Michael muttered to himself, examining the spectacle unfolding before him. He had just wanted to get some data from Mephisto's, and yet he was not expecting the doors he was approaching to be blown open like that. In front of him, Diana looked like she was being antagonized by a student of the school. He briefly wondered what she was even doing here and if she needed any help, but quickly doubted the possibility and wondered if Cross was the one who would need help instead. In any case, Diana was already levitating off the ground, magicks at the ready, and Michael didn't need his data collecting location (the school) to be more chaotic than it already was.

Michael conjured up his paintbrush and placed the tip on the ground. Ink began to flow from it, shooting over to where Cross and Diana were. He placed Trap Arts beneath both of them, and formed a double sided stop sign between them. Then he activated the one below Cross, intending to restrain him with inky tentacles while the sign caught their attention. "I think that's enough excitement from the both of you," Michael called out to them, appearing nonchalant about the scene.

---

Ward had figured out that he'd somehow offended the girl. He'd known that she was annoyed that this Clara woman had no-showed on her, but the level of anger she'd begun to display suggested he might have walked in on something far worse. This was confirmed when he suddenly exploded. Instinctively he'd tried to protect himself as he felt it coming, but there was only so much he could do in the face of such an extreme sucker punch, so to speak.

Hit the floor face-first and coughed. He was officially out of patience, quite done with being the victim of this girl's misplaced anger. Before he could decide exactly how he wanted to respond, as soon as he got back to his feet he was bound by some sort of inky tentacles. Someone had seen fit to intervene, but for whatever reason he seemed to be the one targeted more so. Either that or they'd decided Diana looked distinctly hard to bind at the moment.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, I request that you release me. This girl here seems to have decided to vent her frustrations on me. I'm perfectly willing to just walk away if you'd allow me... Or since we're all stuck here, perhaps you'd like to actually talk about your issues instead of shooting people in the back over it?!" He glared at Diana as he spoke. Mildly sardonic, perhaps, but he'd have liked to know why she saw fit to go nuclear on him, not that it would make him forgive her...

@KillamriX88@Scarifar

Diana raised an eyebrow at the stop sign, her glare piercing at Michael. "Michael, get the f*ck out of the way. This is no time to grow a pair. I'm really angry now." Diana hissed, still seething as she hovered, her eyes wary of the trap underneath her feet. The standoff seemed to go for an eternity (when in fact it was a couple of seconds) before Diana's demeanour changed. The presence of Michael made Diana rethink things a little. Michael was a bit naive, but not a bad kid after all. "Fine, Michael, have it your way." She didn't want to revel on this. Her magic seemed to go down as she landed a bit of ways away from the trap. "This creep over here." She began to talk pointing at Cross. "Stalked me. Then decided to act friendly with me, locked me up and then tried to insist in doing funny business with me." She told loud and clear to her acquaintance. "So he got burnt cause he cannot read the mood. At all."

Diana began to walk away towards the exit. "Tell Clara Erdrigan that she owes me for her misdeeds have hurt my family. And I will enact this toll one way or another." Diana spared a glance to Cross. "Diana Graeca, Witch of Bones." She finally said to Cross, before allowing the mangled snake to crawl beside her. "Next time work on your speech, as I was risking life and limb fighting cultists during the attack."

After Diana walked through the exit, Michael released the Trap Art on Cross and allowed his inky constructs to dissipate. "It's for your own good as well as hers. She would've destroyed you had I not intervened. And no, that is not an exaggeration," Michael said to Cross, giving him an unimpressed glare. "Next time, try not to harass a little girl, especially one with powerful abilities like hers." With that said, Michael turned and left, following Diana out and no longer in the mood to gather data from other students.

"I highly doubt it, but he didn't hurt you or anything, did he?" Michael asked Diana, catching up to her. "What are you even doing here, anyway? You're powerful, but it's still no place for a young girl like you to be around."

---

"As no doubt I will be when they inevitably return," Ward spoke in response to Diana's claim of fighting the cultists. "We share the same enemies, Diana. We may as well be allies when the time comes." She didn't seem to want to stick around, so he didn't bother saying any more before she left the building and Michael finally released him.

"Speaking from experience?" Ward scoffed as he dusted himself off. "Regardless, I appreciate your assistance in defusing the situation, so I'll give you some free advice. Don't make assumptions about people you don't know and situations you weren't present for. Farewell." He left, heading the opposite direction of Michael as the other boy did so.

It had been far from a warm welcome in all but the most literal sense. It didn't matter, though. He'd make a proper introduction for himself soon enough.

@KillamriX88@Scarifar

Diana sighed, as she continued to walk away. Cross was a prety nosy, pushy individual, wasn't he? That hardly seemed a wrong first impression of him. He couldn't possibly be smitten by her. That had never happened, despite how sweet his ex-boyfriend words were. Even Michael, who for some reason, was being favourable in his treatment towards her, had not seen past her appearance and disguise.

He, like half of Mephisto would've believed, thought she was a little girl. "Just a ruined snake servant and some spent components. Nothing that some money and glue can't fix." Diana kept walking away. "I was trying to prove a point. I do not like people who play around in their deals, furthermore if it affects my family."

Diana stopped for a second, her face turning to Michael with a deadpan expression. "I'm actually a 3rd year. And I am old enough to even own firearms if I needed those." She finished, the corner of her lip turning a bit upwards in a mischievous smile for the briefest of moment. "You can drop the little girl. I am just petite."

"Oh, I see, a third-year," Michael said, nodding. Then the realization hit Michael like a sack of potatoes. "Wait, what?!" Michael spun his head toward Diana with an incredulous expression. It soon turned into one of close scrutiny. While she did give off a few adult-like mannerisms, the schoolgirl outfit she was wearing and the attitude to her "Witch of Bones" title had cemented into him that she was at least younger than him. However, the spell components Michael had seen her use suggested that those things were not cheap, certainly not something one could obtain very easily. Either that or her magical abilities lie greater than he had initially thought.

"No, no no no... but maybe... hmm..." Michael muttered as he stared at Diana, his thoughts racing on her real age. Eventually he gave up trying to figure it out. He sighed and shook his head while raising his hands. "No, I can't believe it," Michael concluded. "I want to believe you, but your appearance right now is really throwing off my judgement. If you happen to have an ID though, I might change my mind."

@Scarifar

Diana sighed, and began to fiddle around in her bag, producing a rather ornate plush skull wallet. Deftly, she opened it, and produced her ID, place it a good inch or two away from Michael's face. She was used to this kind of situation, given how deft her movements were. "See? No tricks, kid" She said. "That's why you need more experience. Sometimes, things are not what they seem, trap user. You should get used to deceit. Isn't that your style of fighting?" The witch said, before withdrawing her id and walking away.

Maybe she should play the obedient little lamb instead and join Mephisto anyway? That Ward guy seemed to be bent on a self-aggrandizing quest, so why not nudge him a little? It was at this moment when Diana stopped her train of thought. She had spent too much time around Celestine that his bad habits had grown on her. But still, what Clara had done...

She decided she could give some more thought outside the school, so away she went.

---

Cassius could only describe how he'd felt at the end of that day as completely and utterly defeated. He'd run after Katherine only to fail to find her in time and in the process abandoned every back at the arena which had subsequently been torn apart. The fact that no one he knew had died was a miracle. Some people had, but at least they hadn't been his responsibility so to speak so he tried not to let it get to him.

But the days went by and he still learned nothing about what had become of Katherine. It was driving him insane. He needed to do something, and in the end, he had only one lead. Rurik. Clara had said they'd fought, so Cassius figured he might as well direct all his frustration at him...

. . .

Meanwhile, Rurik showed up for school after the three days of time off ended. He knew he still didn't have to show up til' next week, but he figured Bak wouldn't be happy if he waited any longer. Also, he hoped that perhaps Christine would be there by some miracle.

Neither Bak nor Christine were who greeted him, however. Rather, he found a small mob led by one of his least favorite people.

“Rurik, hey there, buddy!” It only sounded friendly, of course.

“Caleb... hey, so, can we just fucking not?” Rurik replied tiredly.

“I'm wounded,” Caleb said, the mirth already draining from his voice. “And so are you, it seems. What happened to your arm?” Indeed, Rurik's arm was bandaged tightly and done up in a crude sling to keep it immobile. Meredith's healing had only done so much, spread thin as it was.

“Well after everything, I just really needed to relieve some stress and overdid it,” Rurik spoke deadpan, earning a few disgusted faces from the crowd.

“You really never change, huh?” Caleb frowned.

“What do you want?”

“Oh nothing, I just wanted to make sure your head didn't get too big,” Caleb told him. “Your tournament showing wasn't all that great in the end, you know.”

“Ah, OK. I get it. Look, it's OK that your tournament showing was non-existent, I won't judge you. You see, that's really what I was planning, you know. Didn't want you to feel bad so I held back.” Rurik smiled. “Gotta keep that tiny glimmer of hope that Christine might fall for you alive, you know?”

“You know what, Rurik? Fuck it. I wasn't gonna kick your ass today, but now I just can't help myself.”

“Always knew you were beyond help.” Rurik sighed and set his feet. This wasn't going to be fun. He didn't waste time; the second he saw Caleb begin to move he fired a bolt at his face... but the boy saw it coming. He raised his arm and the bolt glanced off of it. Slowly armor spread out across his body from his hands until he was covered in an insectoid suit of chitinous armor.

Rurik really hated that fucking armor. It was way too good at dispersing impacts... which was most of his attacks.

Rurik fired a few more futile bolts as Caleb rapidly closed in. Caleb threw a punch and Rurik threw up his shield to block... but Caleb handled the reflective property surprisingly well, planting his feet and then throwing out his other hand clamping it around Rurik's throat, Rurik having no options to stop it.

Rurik could only quickly press his one good hand against Caleb's chest and release all his energy at once. It tore Caleb off of him... but as Rurik fell on his ass, Caleb slid back and fell only to a knee.

Rurik tried to gather up more energy to defend himself but Caleb charged at him once more. Rurik tried to trip him up by aiming at his feet, but Caleb suddenly jumped, locust wings sprouting from his back. He took flight and grabbed Rurik's shoulders and abducted him up into the air.

“Try not to land on your head!” Caleb cackled and then not just dropped, but kicked Rurik back to the ground. He landed with all the air knocked from his lungs on impact.

Rurik coughed as he fought to get his airflow reestablished, “I'm gonna... kick your ass... when I get back up...” he wheezed.

“No. No you won't.” Caleb alighted back on the ground.

Rurik did his best to pick himself up off the ground, but Caleb was already on top of him by the time he began to get his feet under him.

“Hey! Hold it!” Spoke... neither of them. It seemed someone had seen fit to interrupt them. Wait, Rurik kind of recognized the voice. “I need to talk to him.” It was Cassius. The boy had finally managed to follow someone to the Mephisto's school grounds.

“Cool. Sorry Caleb, we'll finish this later. Good fight though. Let's call it a draw,” Rurik said and tried to limp off but Caleb wasn't having it.

“Great, you two can have a nice long chat after Rurik wakes up in the nurse's office,” Caleb grunted, but Cassius thrust himself between the two.

“I don't care about your fight, I need to talk to him now!” Cassius insisted. In response, Caleb grabbed the boy by the shirt collar.

“You know, I really don't have a problem kicking your ass too,” Caleb growled.

Cassius just sighed, “Three...”

“What? Really? Counting?”

“Two...”

“And what are you gonna do-”

“One.” SNAP Cassius's hands shot up with rocket propulsion and smashed Caleb's hands away from him and then he thrust both his fists against Caleb's chest. SNAP! BOOM! And so Caleb was sent blasting off into the distance, slamming through a stone wall and then sliding to a stop about a hundred feet away.

“Now...” Cassius turned back to Rurik... who was stealthily trying to walk away. “HEY!”

“Ugh.” Rurik's shoulders sagged and he turned around. “Fine, you got me. What?”

“Look, I haven't seen Kath since the tournament. I know you saw her. Do you have any idea where she is?”

“Hm... nope.”

“Bu- w-well, some guy named Thobias was involved too, right? What about him?”

“Nope.”

“You're not even try-”

“Look pal, I don't know where your fucking girlfriend is. And considering I'm pretty sure I hate her and Thobias, I'm not sure how much I care. Pretty sure it's not a lot, though,” Rurik raised his voice, speaking over Cassius as he weakly attempted to interject. “Got it? OK, good.” Rurik attempted to walk off again, but the next thing he knew, he was spun around and Cassius was now grabbing him by the shirt collar.

“No! We're done when I saw we're done! You're not telling me everything!” Cassius shouted.

“I'm sure you want to believe that.” Cassius's attempt to be tough clearly hadn't impressed Rurik. “Now let me put this a way you'll understand. One. Two-”

But Cassius quickly pulled a fist back, the air beginning to distort around it. “Three?” Cassius said icily. Rurik's head lolled back and he let out a long, tired sigh. And then his head shot forward in a sudden, vicious headbutt that had enough power packed into it to send Cassius sliding across the ground on his back.

“Oh, I'm so sorry,” Rurik said with exaggerated and feigned concern. “Did I kill your momentum there, tough guy?”

Cassius's eyes were screwed shut with pain. He was pretty sure his nose was broken. He finally sucked in a deep breath and managed to half open his eyes. This was nothing, he'd had worse. He just hadn't expected it. Snap! He didn't bother speaking again, just throwing his fist out and letting a explosive burst of flames roar toward Rurik. However, as the flames dissolved into smoke, he noticed no sign of his target.

Then the next thing he knew he got a boot to the ribs and was sent tumbling again.

“Your attacks have a hell of a tell you know,” Rurik taunted him from his new position.

This time Cassius used his flames to blast himself back to his feet and then charged at Rurik. The other boy dodged with unnatural quickness, but Cassius stayed on him. He used his flames to launch a super-fast backhand that Rurik raised an arm to block, wincing from the impact. Cassius then grabbed his wrist and jabbed him in the ribs before twisting his arm behind his back until it hurt.

“Pretty cocky for a guy who clearly doesn't know how to fight properly!” Cassius growled.

“Mhm...” Rurik grunted through the pain. BLAM! And then Cassius was promptly blasted away, having plenty of energy charged up to shoot out of the very hand Cassius had trapped behind his back. “Says the guy with the memory of a goldfish who forgot how my powers work,” he said as he turned to find Cassius once more sprawled out on the concrete. “Would you stick your finger in the barrel of a gun to stop it from firing?”

But again, Cassius just grit his teeth and started to get up again.

“OK, kid...” Rurik shook his head. He looked down at his sling-bound arm and frowned. He clenched his fist and then the sling exploded off of him. He flexed his hand a few times and found that it felt a little stiff, but it'd work.

Just as Cassius had regained his footing, Rurik burst forward and cross the distance in a instant. For a split second, Rurik appreciated the shock on Cassius's face before he hooked his foot behind the boy's ankle and took his leg out from under him while planting his palm on Cassius's face and loosing another point-blank blast to slam Cassius back to the ground he'd just left.

“I think we're done here.” Rurik rolled his eyes, making to take his leave for the third time.

“Wh-what's wrong with you?!” Cassius coughed the words out, clawing at the ground as he tried to get himself off of his back. “She's Christine's sister and she was hurt! How could you do that!?”

Rurik glanced back at him, expression neutral as always, “Judging me now, are we?”

“Of course I am! Look what you did! Who wouldn't?!”

“Yeah? Well I don't want to hear it from someone who wasn't even there.”

In the end all of Cassius's struggles had just left him face-down instead of spread-eagle. He was struggling – suddenly his arms just felt weak. Twisted as it was, the truth in Rurik's words hurt. The pain became a burning deep inside, growing until it seared worse than any burn he'd ever suffered through in even the most heated battle.

But that burning became the strength he needed to move one last time. He pushed with all his strength to rise to a knee, ignoring as his knuckles ground against the concrete.

“Seriously?” Rurik groaned. “Just give it a rest. I will keep hurting you and I won't feel bad about it. Like, at a-” But Cassius threw his arm out and with no warning a tendril of flame lashed out, wrapping around Rurik's neck. “WHAT?!”

Cassius pulled and yanked Rurik off his feet and face-first into the ground. As the flames unwound from Rurik's neck, Cassius stood, now having two whips of pure flame hanging from each of his arms.

“OK...” Rurik wheezed in pain and shock as he tried to gather himself. “That's it... I'm breaking every bone in your body... see if you get back up after that, smartass-” CRACK But he was just sent tumbling as Cassius with no hesitation proceeded to test his new-found power. An explosion sprouted from the end of the whip as he lashed out at Rurik.

This time Rurik forced himself back to his feet with a burst of energy. He stumbled a few steps, not having had time to regain his wits, but knowing sitting still was a bad idea. He could only dash frantically as he tried to avoid Cassius's explosive whip lashes. However, off-balance as he was, tripping up was all but inevitable. He clenched his eyes shut as his staggered and waiting to be sent flying, but all he felt was a wave of heat gently roll over him.

He cracked an eye open and saw a cloud of smoke dispersing a few feet away. Cassius also looked confused, staring at his whips. Actually, they looked a little shorter now, and seemed to be slowly fizzling out. Well, Rurik wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He unleashed a barrage of bolts Cassius's way, but to his dismay Cassius began fervently swinging his new whips, smashing the bolts out of the air. Some of the transparent projectiles still snuck through, but Cassius just pushed his way through.

Oh... oh shit. Indeed, Cassius had pushed through and was now back in range. He leapt forward and struck out with both whips. The tips of the two fiery tendrils met and with another crack let out a tremendous blast that sent Rurik shooting back. The boy was left there, a high pitched squeak coming from his mouth as the air slowly leaked out of his lungs.

Meanwhile, Cassius felt like he was on fire. The whips continued to burn down, shorter and shorter until there was hardly anything left. The closer they got to burning out the hotter he felt, as it he might combust on the spot.

It didn't scare him. His whole life had just been him intermittently burning alive. No, he just embraced it. A flame greater than ever before was burning within him, burning to get out. He gathered that flame as the whips burned away and let it loose. He raised his hands and it was like a small sun was born between them. He then brought it crashing down and the whole world went silent for a moment for the sound that was let loose was beyond what mortal ears could handle.

Rurik had just gotten to his feet when the shock-wave hit. It was quite literally stunning. This was unfortunate because he hadn't had even a second to spare and now a wall of fire and death was barreling toward him. He didn't really even have time to despair, only instinctively throwing his arms up in front of him and hoping in some way he'd be able to shield himself from it.

Now, thanks to Katherine, Rurik had many times felt a kind of heat few people ever got to experience. Being engulfed in fire like this, however, was something else entirely. Strangely though, he held his ground and kept his feet. The heat was there, the burning was there, but somehow it was as if there was a space between him and it. And only a moment later his terrifying ordeal was over and the smoke began to clear away.

When he could see again, he saw that Cassius looked just as confused as he felt. The ground all around him was charred black but he himself was fine... mostly. He was still in quite a bit of pain and struggling to breathe between his concussed lungs and the painfully hot air.

“What... iszat all you got?” Rurik panted and coughed. “Got another in ya? Come on... I can take it...” Having just lived through that Rurik felt a strange high coming over him and was perhaps feeling a little cockier than he should have.

This was proven when Cassius just steeled himself and the air around him began to waver as he began cooking up more fire and explosions.

“Oh come on! I was joking...” Rurik deflated immediately and just did his best to set his feet even as his arms hung limply. And then the next explosion roared free and Rurik had to decide. Left or right? Wait, did he even have any energy stored up? Shit. He'd have said he felt justified in being a little off balance, but that wouldn't save him from being lit on fire.

What did save him, however, was a sudden set of spectral jaws darting in and literally eating the entire explosion.

“Oh no...” Rurik muttered under his breath as he saw his “savior”. Cate Accia, the woman who had brought him to Mephisto's over two years ago now. The woman who had nagged him for a month or two and then seemingly dropped off the face of the earth when he failed to live up to her expectations or something.

He'd always been stuck between blaming himself and feeling abandoned. In the end, he just chalked it up to the school being what it was. The students all sucked, why should the faculty be any better?

"Well, this is perfect then. Do me a favor and keep my student there from being burned alive. I think this trespasser will prove to be an excellent first test of your capabilities as potential council members," Cate said. It seemed she hadn't come alone.

"What? I-I mean I know I'm trespassing but I'm only here for-” Cassius looked a little nervous now. He was probably tired and certainly hadn't been prepared for more opponents.

“I don't care why you're here. Just that you are...” She told him. She then approached Rurik, leaving Cassius to the others.

“Hello, Cate... I had it under control, you know...” he panted. She frowned at his less than formal greeting.

“We'll discuss this later.” Was all she had to say. He was already in a bad mood and perhaps understandably on edge so he was unable to hide the bitter expression that grew on his face.

“Since when do you ever want to discuss anything?” He wondered if he shouldn't have tried a little harder. He didn't know Cate as well as he probably should have, but he had a feeling he shouldn't make her too angry. However, rather than anger, he was met with only mild surprise.

While he was distracted by her, he missed the start of the ensuing fight. However, suffice it to say that Cate had found some students that were strong enough to make the already tired Cassius's life hell. It wasn't going to be a long fight.

“Oh for fuck's sake...” Rurik groaned, earning a curious look from Cate.

Meanwhile, Cassius screwed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable impact... but it never came.

“Oi, uh, good work and all, but as an actual current member of the council, I've got it from here. Rich kids you know? We beat him too badly it comes back on us.” Rurik had popped out of nowhere and put himself between Cassius and his new opponent. He then grabbed Cassius's arm and began dragging him off. The other student looked back at Cate in confusion, but she just shrugged and waved them off.

“Wh-what?” Cassius stumbled along as Rurik lead him by the arm.

“Would you prefer I leave you to get minced?” Rurik muttered, not sparing Cassius a glance as he spoke.

“But why?”

“Because I don't wanna hear about it later.” Cassius knew Kath who knew Christine, because duh, and he was already dreading his reunion with his girlfriend. He wondered how long that title would remain.

“Just thinking about yourself again...”

“Listen dumbass, do you have any idea who Thobias is?” Rurik shot a withering glare at Cassius.

“How should I know!? Uhh, wait, wasn't he her ex or something? She really doesn't like talking about him.” Now that he was forced to think about it, the name did seem familiar... ish.

“He's a teleporter.”

“Wait, what does-” Cassius was silenced as they reached the edge of the school property and Rurik shoved him forward.

“Do the math and get out of my face.” When a very bewildered Cassius turned around, Rurik was already walking away. This time he let him. It was a fight he didn't really want to start up again.

Do the math? So Kath's ex could teleport, but that just meant they could be anywhere! Though... anywhere did include safety, didn't it? If he was an ex, did he still care or did he resent her? All these things he just couldn't know and so now he was just left waiting again.

However, maybe with just a bit more hope than before.

@AtomicNut

Michael moved his head back an inch to get a good look at Diana's ID, and was surprised she was actually a third-year, yet somehow not surprised that she had the means to back up her words. "So it's true," Michael said, letting out an embarrassed smirk. It wasn't very often he was proven wrong.

Now that he thought about it, wasn't this a perfect opportunity to find some actual data worth recording? Diana had experience with the world outside the bubble of his own home and peers. Information worth learning and bettering himself with. "Diana, would you..." Michael said to Diana, only to find her gone. A quick look around found her already ahead of him, seemingly intent to leave. "H-hey, Diana, wait a minute!" Michael called out to her as he ran to catch up to her.

Michael cleared his throat and began to ask her, "Could I... could I spare some of your time? There's... a lot I want to discuss with you."

Sunlight filtered into Lise's room from a half-opened curtain, illuminating the mess of soft and undoubtedly expensive sheets in the middle. Within the tangle of bedsheets, Lise listlessly watched the immense TV screen that nearly covered an entire wall of her dorm.

Between the newly bought TV and Lise's excessively large bed, the room was beginning to feel small. Lise had talked to the resident assistant about remodeling the nearby dorms by evicting the tenants and expanding her room into them, but the idea was only given a lukewarm "I will think about it." Lise assumed that she would have to wait for the permits for construction and remodeling to clear.

"I have already seen this episode..." Lise muttered, disinterestedly watching the rerun of Magical Girl Descartes. She was at first overjoyed to watch things on her television, but she soon found herself wondering if anything new was ever displayed on it. "If only I could pick the show I wanted to watch whenever I wanted..." She sighed. "But that is just impossible, isn't it?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by some kind of commotion outside. She wasn't sure what the sound was - some kind of locomotive? Lise wasn't aware of any trains near her. It was too loud to be an automobile, but it sounded close. In fact, the sound was getting closer. Lise's window rattled, the sound reaching a roar, and the light that shone on her bed was obscured entirely.

"What is it now?! There's no peace and quiet in this city, is there?!" She walked up to the window, and gasped as a black helicopter roared just outside of her dorm. Its door was open, and though she could not see who was inside, she knew it must have been a messenger from her family. Quickly, her shadow servants opened the windows, and amidst the gusts of wind an arrow sped straight into her room. Without a sign of acknowledgement, the helicopter rose and sped off, as quickly as it had came. Lise could hear excited and confused speech from her surroundings, so she quickly had the windows shut and the blinds drawn.

Lise looked at the arrow embedded in the floor. It was a familiar sight for someone as high within the Valois-Saint-Remy royalty as Lise, at least - The arrow was constructed of shadow, much like Lise's servants. Wrapped around it was a letter, and as her servants retrieved the letter, the arrow seemed to melt away into nothingness, as if it joined with the shadows and ceased to be.

Lise quickly opened the letter, reading the elegantly handwritten lines:

Dear Liselotte,

With the disaster that recently occurred within Rhea, the House Valois-Saint-Remy has decided to do a charity ball to help the victims. As you, Liselotte, are the highest of Valois-Saint-Remy nobility within Rhea, you are to finance and organize this event. Use this event to promote goodwill amongst the city of Rhea and House Valois-Saint-Remy, and invite those of the schools affected by this event as well.

We know how this may be a difficult endeavor for one so... Precious as you, so We have already informed many vendors and the venue to use. You will have to decide some parts of it, however.

This letter was delivered in such a way because you do not seem to have an e-mail account nor understand how to use your phone. Please look into either. We are having a new phone shipped to you in case you have lost another one.

Lise gasped with excitement. She was finally going to throw her own ball, a dream she had since her childhood. Though in the back of her head, she wondered if the commoners of the nearby schools would even truly appreciate one. "I will show them the grandeur! It will make all others pale in comparison!" Lise nodded her head confidently. This would show everyone her family's importance in the world.

"Servants, fetch me my finest dress." Lise said, a smile growing on her face.

---

It was early one day at St. Laurel's. A commotion quite unbecoming such a prestigious school was brewing. Attention was drawn to the large fountain in the center of the main courtyard. Students were gathering around to stare at the strange girl who had perched herself atop the fountain. Finally it seemed a large enough crowd had gathered for her liking.

"PEOPLE OF RHEA!" She shouted suddenly, startling a fair few of students below. "Classes start soon, so I'll keep this short. I know that times have been hard recently, but fear no longer! My father has sent me here to save you all!" She announced this all with a confident and cheerful smile.

She was met with mostly dumb stares from the befuddled onlookers.

The painful silence that ensued seemed to shake her confidence slightly.

"Uh, d-do you have any questions? I know this is very sudden!"

"Well, uh, the name of our savior would be a good start..." From within the crowd, Cassius had taken pity on the poor girl and chosen to humor her.

"Oh! Of course!" She jumped down to a lower level of the three tiered fountain. "Vala Ace, at your service!"

"I see. Well, I think it's just hard for them to believe that one girl can do all that much, Vala," Cassius told her.

"What? Because I'm a girl?"

"Well, by girl I mean child... and the fact that you're just one person," Cassius explained, "I mean, we had some of the strongest people around there, but they could barely even slow them down." He hadn't witnessed it, but he'd eventually heard what had happened.

"Oh, I get it! I need to show everyone what I can do!" Vala's face lit up.

"Err, I-I suppose that would help, yes..."

"Are you strong?"

"Uh, I mean-"

"Hey, is this guy strong?" she asked the crowd. The response from the crowd seemed to indicate that most people thought Cassius was fairly capable, leaving Cassius blushing slightly. He hadn't realized he'd had a reputation of any sort. "Perfect!" Vala hopped down in front of him. "Fight me."

"Wh-what?"

"Right now. Fight me."

"I don't think I should." This wasn't Mephistos. Random fights in front of the school weren't really appreciated. But soon the crowd began egging them on. It seemed they wanted Cassius to put this newcomer in her place.

"You said it yourself right? I need to prove what I can do. So I need someone worthy to prove myself against. The people have chosen you! Are you going to let them down?" She looked at him quizzically. The peer pressure was getting intense, and finally it broke him.

"O-OK, just like a quick sparring match, OK?" he relented.

"Perfect!" And suddenly Vala pulled a flask seemingly out of mid-air. Immediately Cassius reacted, snatching it out of her hands.

"What, are you crazy?! You can't bring alcohol to school! Where are you from!?"

"Oh, don't be so silly! This is different!" She told him, holding it back up again. Wait, what? When had she gotten it back!? She twisted the neck of the flask twice, and it began to glow slightly. She threw her head back and drank from it. She then took a stumbling step forward, the flask seeming to vanish as her hand dropped.

"Alrigh... lesh go... fight!" she slurred.

"Uhm..." Cassius didn't feel right- BAM! Vala suddenly lunged forward, spearing his gut with her fist. Cassius felt himself slide back a few feet and was left clutching his stomach before falling to his knees, struggling to inhale. He broke out into a cold sweat immediately. That had... that had really hurt.

"O... OK... I get it..." Cassius wheezed and pushed himself to his feet. He took a few unsteady steps before using his power to accelerate himself into a run. He tried to surprise her with a high-speed punch, but she swayed away from it. He kept going and rebounded off the edge of the fountain, accelerating himself again to throw himself into a mid-air spin-kick that caught Vala across the jaw.

This spun her around and he aimed to follow up while her back was turned, but she suddenly bent over and took a step back, backing herself into his still aching midsection, doubling him over. She then rapidly stood up and the back of her head slammed into his face.

"Ugh... guh... not again..." He clutched his now bleeding nose.

"Waz wrong... thought you was a tuff guy..." Vala stumbled despite standing still as she questioned him.

"F-fine... have it your way..." Cassius took a deep breath. SNAP! HE thrust his arms forward, loosing an explosion right at her. Her eyes widened before the flames engulfed her. When the smoke cleared she'd been thrown back quite a bit and was lying on the ground staring up at the sky. Rather than get up, she pulled her flask back out and twisted it again and took another drink.

She then coiled up and sprang back up... and over... face-planting herself back onto the ground with her butt sticking up into the air. Fortunately, or unfortunately for those watching, she had shorts under her skirt. However, she then pressed her palms to the ground and tucked one of her feet under her, this time launching herself forward like a torpedo in a ridiculous burst of speed.

Cassius got a glimpse of her eyes, and they were almost lifeless, but scarily focused. She reared a fist back as far as she could and then threw it forward. Cassius grit his teeth, waiting for what was undoubtedly going to be an even worse punch than the first. However, it seemed she was still conscious enough to show mercy as at the last second her fist unfolded and instead she palm struck him, though this still resulted in him being catapulted right out of the courtyard into the nearby hedges.

Somehow, Cassius found himself unable to pick himself back up this time. He felt like he'd been run over by a truck -- twice.

However, a bit later he felt himself being dragged out of the bushed and onto his feet. Vala, well inside his bubble of personal space was holding him up and patting him on the back jovially, "Sho how'd I do, huh, huh?!" she asked, speech still slurred.

"P-pretty good..." Cassius squeaked out as his lungs tried to reboot themselves.

"Shee! I told you I'd shave everywun!" She threw both her hands up in victory... and promptly collapsed onto her back. "I did it..." she mumbled sleepily and promptly started snoring. Cassius hoped she could last longer in a real fight before falling asleep...

---

It had been some days since his botched meeting with the witch, Diana, and now Ward was an official member of St. Lucifer's. It was time, then, for his proper introduction. He showed up to his first class, some sort of science class he was fairly certain, and the teacher gave him a halfhearted introduction and told him to find a seat.

"Oh please, we can do better than that," Ward ignored the man. "Hello, my name is Ward Cross. I come from a neighboring country because your city has been troubled as of late. However, trouble does not always mean disaster. Sometimes it is an opportunity-"

"Pfft, who does this guy think he is, Clara?" he heard someone chuckle in the back of the class. He ignored it.

"I will be getting to know you all to see who among you may aid me in taking advantage of these trying times to make a difference. There, I believe that will suffice."

"Oh really? Mr. Big Shot here to show up all us plebs?"

"Fuck off, dude!"

". . . how trite." Ward muttered.

"And why the fuck should we care?"

"Because, unlike most, I have the will and the ability to do something. So I might as well take charge," Ward told them.

"Please, Mr. Cross, take a seat," the teacher groaned.

"Is that so?" And then one student in particular stood from his seat and the teacher immediately threw his head back in despair.

"Fine, just don't break anything. I'll be back in a few minutes," the teacher quickly gathered a few of his things and fled the room.

The student in question was Gabriel Brekke. If Clara was the Queen of the school, Gabriel was considered to be the King -- not that the two were so closely associated. While Gabriel was on the council, he usually didn't bother himself with doing much. He seemed content to sit atop his throne, only rising when he felt challenged.

"Yes," Ward replied. "What? Do you need an example? Is that what it takes to get through to you people?"

"Maybe it is." Gabriel stepped around his desk, squaring off against Ward. "So you have the will?"

"In spades." Ward's tone hardened in response to challenge.

"Hmph." Gabriel's face scrunched up, not looking impressed. Suddenly a spectral figure shot out from Gabriel, swinging violently at Ward. Many of those watching were surprised that Ward immediately began dodging successfully... until Gabriel shot forward in a blur, merging with the spectral figure once more and slamming his fist into Ward's stomach. Ward doubled over, falling to a knee. "Better than expected... but that's not saying much." He turned to go back to his seat.

"So quick... to proclaim victory. To me, that's a sign of weakness," Ward coughed. Gabriel turned around at the exact second Ward rapidly rose to his feet. He was caught off guard when a baton suddenly sprang to existence in Ward's hand and cracked him across the face.

Before Gabriel could retaliate, chains sprung from the floor, binding his wrists and neck. He found himself unable to pull free, as if something was clawing at the back of his mind, stopping him from giving it his all.

"You there!" Ward pointed to a student at the back of the room. "Open that window for me!" The commanding tone in his voice had the student obeying practically before he realized it.

"Wait, why?"

"The teacher did say not to break anything..." Ward's voice suddenly held a hint of malice as chains and shadow began to wrap themselves around his arms.

The next thing anyone knew, Gabriel was flying out of the recently opened window and crashing to the ground outside. Ward also stepped out the window, coils of chain forming steps for him to climb down.

Outside he found Gabriel struggling to his feet.

"Ahhh, not done? I'm impressed." Ward clapped slowly. More spectral figures launched at him, but he swatted them away like clouds of fog. Finally, Gabriel himself charged forth, fist first, but his hand was caught in Ward's palm. He twisted until the pain forced Gabriel to kneel. "I think that's quite enough, don't you?" he said icily. Gabriel stared back defiantly, but then to the shock of many onlookers, averted his eyes.

It was over, and as far as many were concerned -- Mephisto's had a new king.

---

King stood surrounded by all those he'd managed to gather that day. They stood in the church that served as the makeshift base of operations. They gathered to welcome a prospective new member. He claimed to be from a neighboring country, wanting help out in light of recent events. Oh, King had seen through him immediately. He had ulterior motives, but that just meant things would no doubt become interesting in he allowed this. Keep the rest of his group on their toes and allow them to grow, and if this newcomer became a true ally in the end, then all the better.

"All right new guy! Go ahead and introduce yourself, I think this is everyone we'll get today," King told him.

"Good! My name's Jasper, Jasper Aldon!" He told them.

"You a rich kid? 'Cause you talk like you're normal but you walk like a rich kid," Vera, who'd come along with Wolf, questioned him. "If you're just gonna be fake, I'm out of here."

"Whoa, not one for warm welcomes, huh?" Jasper laughed. "Fair enough, you got me. But I don't feel like it. My family barely takes the bronze medal when it comes to wealth in my country. It's enough that I feel like a commoner when they look down on me. It's a smaller country, so even third place doesn't mean much to some," he told them.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Vera rolled her eyes.

"Vera..." Wolf sighed. He'd thought she'd been a little more humble lately, but apparently old habits died hard.

"Well, you're here to help, right? Well it's been some pretty serious stuff lately. You aren't just some pampered kid with a big head, are you?" King rode a fine line between judging and testing the boy. "It was pretty rough."

"Of course not! Strength is needed just as much as money to keep respect where I come from. I've had to push myself since I could walk just to keep up," he said.

"Great, then one last push to prove what you can do should be fine, right?"

"Oh, a test? No problem!" Jasper nodded.

"Wonderful. Wolf, you're up!" King snapped his fingers.

"Wait, what?"

"Oh just do it and get it over with." Vera rolled her eyes.

And so, Wolf and Jasper were soon facing off in the main aisle of the church. Wolf was armed only with this shield. There were no safe guards to stop him from accidentally killing Jasper if he used his sword here. A shimmer came over Jasper as the two engaged. Jasper was quick, uncannily so. Not enough to be quite superhuman, but enough that it didn't feel right. With neighter gaining an immediate advantage, Wolf finally dodge and turned, aiming to strike Jasper across the face with the edge of his shield, however a blue energy washed over Jasper and redirected the strike away from Wolf.

The shimmering around Jasper intensified and he spun and struck the back of Wolf's head with his elbow, knocking the boy to the floor. He then kicked Wolf in the ribs, sending him tumbling away with great force. One couldn't say Wolf had made any mistakes, but still Jasper had the upper hand by a wide margin.

"So, is that good, or-" Jasper began to speak but suddenly Vera marched over to him.

"This is pathetic," she whispered harshly. "Look, if you want a real fight you're gonna have to make him mad."

"Oh, uh, how?"

"Hit me."

"What?"

"Just do it. Not hard, just p-"

"I'm not hitting a girl I just met!" he frantically whispered back.

"Then I guess you belong in third place-" SLAP! Vera stumbled back and all three just stared in shock for a moment. Vera that he'd actually hit her, Jasper that he'd... actually hit her, and Wolf that some guy they'd just met had hit his girlfriend.

Well, in the end, it did the trick.

A spike of anger shot through Wolf and in a flurry of red he barreled at Jasper, his spiked armor and warhammer bursting into reality around him. He swung and Jasper had to quickly lean aside, but Wolf's other hand soon wrapped around Jasper's neck.

"AHEM!" King loudly cleared his throat. "This is getting intense! Why don't you take it outside before we upset the priest?" As soon as Vera had been struck, King had made his way to the front doors and opened them.

Wolf acquiesced... by tossing Jasper into the air and batting him out the door with his hammer. The new boy rolled to a stop a few dozen feet from where he'd began and blinked rapidly as he tried to get back up. That one had stung a little... OK a lot.

"Guess... I can't hold back, then," Jasper said as he staggered to his feet. He hadn't wanted to do this, he was supposed to be working with these people, but right now this Wolf guy seemed to be on the warpath for real. He shut his eyes and just before Wolf closed in once more to bring his hammer down, twin jets of flame, like wings, burst to life over his back and his hand shot out. He caught the hammer in his palm and stopped it dead.

His eyes opened, having turned a blazing amber color and his hand tightened, more and more, around the hammer. First there was a crunching sound, and then suddenly a chunk of the hammer's head was smashed in Jasper's hand. Wolf, caught off guard, was left open as Jasper speared his knee into Wolf's gut. However, he was on the warpath. He immediately gathered himself, the hammer repairing itself in a swirl of red smoke and he swung again, horizontally, with full force. A lesser being would have been pasted.

Jasper, however, backhanded the hammer so hard he tore the head clean off of it. He then surged forward and with three rapid punches, took Wolf off his feet and left him airborne before he found a handhold and swung Wolf back to the Earth and left him in a small crater. This time, Wolf was left stunned and out of sorts -- to the point he lost focus and his armor faded away.

"Hoo boy..." Jasper exhaled, returning to normal. "Hey, you all right? Had to take it up a notch when you went for my head there!"

"AH, he'll be fine!" King grinned. This was good. Jasper was powerful. Just as he'd suspected, his inclusion to their group would keep everyone on their toes. Whatever trouble loomed in the boy's wake would no doubt keep things interesting for quite some time. "But since you just damaged public property what with that crater you put in the sidewalk, I think it best we all jet and reconvene at a later time..."

And then a small shiver went up his spine. King could see the pieces landing on the board, but there was still something else yet beyond his sight. That "trouble" that the boy had brought with him. No, not brought with him. Something Jasper was following. And then he knew, powerful as Jasper was... the boy was out of his depth.

So what did that mean for the rest of them?

Ah, he was sure it'd be fine.

@Scarifar

Diana eyed Michael, raising an eyebrow. She stopped for some reason. As crossed as she was, Michael's request had not been obtrusive nor as grating as the other perp so she addressed him directly."Time is money. Make it worth." Diana said, her gaze sizing the boy up and down, before announcing. "An offering of pancakes will do. Your treat. Surely you understand. I will answer questions as long as the treats are there." She added.

---

@KillamriX88

The exchange student shuffled along the crowd, taking note of the crowd and their circumstanced. Hardly the only exchange student, it seemed. The figure flinched somewhat upon hearing the coarse beckonings of a girl her age, atop a fountain, making a display fit for heroes of stories. Except this was no tale, this was just school. There was also another second year student roped in all of this. A struggle ensued that the newcomer could not understand. This country was full of oddities. And it was hot. Warm. It also had a lot of sweets, far from the unforgiving land that was Yekaterina.

Still, there was no time to waste, and he shuffled to the side of the vanquished. "You alright, comrade?" He said in a delicate, girly voice as he reached out for the fallen student to help him get back to his feet. "Wind out of lungs. Hurt much?" He added as he tended his dainty little hand to Cassius. It would be no surprise he would be confused as a girl, as he had no choice but to wear the uniform designated for girls. Mitya was not a girl's name, but the shorthand of Dmitry. But Rheans know very little, so they had issued him a female uniform. With little time to correct himself and not wanting to break the uniform rules, Dmitry Olegovich Kalinin had crossdressed to come to school. That much was fine. He did not feel particularly ridiculous. He had been complimented in the Kalinin household for how he looked great in both boy and girl clothes. It would be fine as long as Physical education was not involved, Mitya thought.

"Exchange student feisty, Da. Long breaths. Name be Dmitry. Can call me Mitya. Yekaterinan." He said to Cassius as he helped back to his feet. "Could trouble you? Mitya lost. Mitya needs to fix uniform. Mitya short Dmitry. Not girl's name. Boy's." He said nonchalantly. There was another thing he needed to fix. The letter sat comfortably in his pocket. It was an introduction letter. Not to the school, but to a person of great importance. The Kalinin house had known that the aristocratic Valois-Saint-Remy family had a daughter at school. So Dmitry had to present himself to such esteemed blood. Maybe with a little of luck, he would get to serve someone, like he did in his homeland.

---

The problem with Vala collapsing wasn't just that it called her competency and endurance into question... it was that she had been holding Cassius up. His bruised solar plexus was still leading to some wobbly knees. However, before he could join her on the ground, a slender arm held him up.

"Thank you miss-" he told the girl... named... Dmitry.

Oh.

"Uh, I mean, th-thank you... Dmitry?" Cassius swallowed hard. Uniform mess up indeed.

Cassius did as Mitya suggested, focusing on his breathing. Soon enough his legs steadied up again and he was good. Well, mostly. He was still forced to breath through his mouth as his nose was still somewhat clogged from the swelling and congealed blood.

"Sure, no problem, I'll take you to the main office," Cassius said and nodded. "Err, one second."

That said, he couldn't just leave Vala on the ground. He felt responsible somehow, having been the first person to engage with her after her speech. He knelt down to shake her shoulder gently... and suddenly he arm shot up and grabbed his shirt collar. Her grip was like iron and he realized that sleeping or not, that absurd power was still coursing through her.

The next thing he knew he was flipped onto his back, Vala over him, fist reared back.

"H-h-hey! Fight's over!" Cassius wheezed and held his hands up in surrender.

"Whu-" Vala blinked, slowly remembering where she was and what she'd been doing. Then her eyes snapped wide and she let him go, slapping her hands over her mouth as she gasped in shock. "I-I'm shorry!" she still slurred a bit. She then shut her eyes hard and shook her head rapidly. "OK... OK..." She blinked again, rapidly as if trying to focus. "I'm g-" hiccup "I'm good now..." she blushed a bit in embarrassment.

Cassius sat up, coughing a bit again. At least he hadn't been punched this time.

"Um, um, here!" Vala suddenly held her flask out for Cassius.

"Um, I don't thinking numbing myself with alcohol is a good idea..." Cassius pulled back a bit.

"It's not booze..." Vala frowned, again pushing the flask toward him.

"Oh, uhh..." He supposed alcohol didn't make people that strong. "So... what is it?"

"Blood!" She grinned.

. . .

"What?" Cassius's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"It's a long story, but it makes me strong! For other people, a few drops makes them feel better!" she insisted.

". . . OK." Well... he didn't want to be rude. He took it tipped it, but the golden liquid within oozed out very slowly.

"Careful, not too much though. Then you get side-effects." Vala warned him as the liquid finally dripped into his mouth. Between the strange taste and the belated warning Cassius coughed and sputtered. It was weird; like liquid pop-rocks. It had no real flavor, just sensation and warmth. However, the pain quickly faded and he could once again breathe through his nose. All was well that ended well, he supposed.

"Th-thanks." He handed it back. "Anyway, um, Vala this here is Dmitry-"

"A girl named Dmitry?"

"Err, no, he... Never mind. He's new here too, so I'm gonna show him around and bring him to the main office-"

"OK! I'll come too!" Vala smiled and popped up onto her feet.

"Oh. OK." Cassius supposed it was fine, she was new too after all. He might as well bring both. "So, uh, right this way." He nodded to Mitya and began leading him, and Vala, into the school. He gave brief descriptions of what halls led where, covering as much as he could on the short trip to the office.

In the end... there was naught for her. Only the gnawing of the back of her mind seemed to be the only thing she had gotten. Still drained because of her ordeal and subsequent struggle, Meredith flew. She had been a good girl, but most people had not caught wind yet of what she had done. Retribution was in order. She did not fear punishment as much as the rejection it'd create. Demon child, a kid of both worlds. Her father... her father would be so disappointed.

She hesitated for a second... before typing a curt "I'M SORRY" message to her dad's cellphone, the last link between him and her. She had wished he had been around... but he had not. A demon hunter sometimes had to go and disappear for weeks or months. Her own mother would be no good either, as without her father she would have mocked her. And those two... they always fell in line with mother. Her hands tried to reach for a stray cat, a yearning for fluffiness to soothe her aching mind. But the little puss caught wind of her nature, and hissing, jumped away in some bushes.

Her knees were about to fail, the letters "POLICE STATION" in front of her looming menacingly.

"Hmm. Empress, you seem to be in the wrong place. What're you doing here?" A familiar voice asks from behind Meredeth. Since he had woken up from his forced nap, he had been trying to keep an eye on her. However as she grew closer to the police station, he knew he had to act. He didn't know why she was going there, but it looked like she was about to collapse on the spot.

In a risky act of kindness, he tried to walk over and put his arm around her to help her stand. "I didn't think I had taken so much out of you....unless you got into something after?" He asked, a toothy grin spread across his face. Just as the voice had indicated her would be savior was indeed the monster she had faced against outside the arena. Well, he was the monster. His body seemed to have reverted to his normal human form, and stayed as such.

"Before. I was nearly bled to death and driven insane with pain. I made some regrettable decisions. Probably this is my last chance to be a good girl." Meredith droned, her voice full of sorrow. "I never wanted any of this. I was lost and scared, and ended up listening to the wrong people." She added, but she never made the step to enter.

"I..." He started, before he let out a deep sigh. Her words hit him like a ton of bricks, the powerful and commanding demoness he had met, reduced to a sniffling wreck out of her want to do good. This just felt like a knife had been plunged into his gut, and was twisted. "You don't need a police station, you need a hospital. Come on, you're in shock." He whispers, moving to try and pick her up. The wound in his back ached as he tried to lift her, and he prayed it wouldn't tear open again.

"It will heal. It always has. Ever since I was a kid, unless my heart or head are gone, I will heal." Meredith said as she clenched her teeth. "I suppose that's the price I have to pay, I was born with a twisted heart. Just like the other half demon... and I've lashed out at my best friend." She added. "I despise that woman of his. He deserves more. And I don't know why I am telling you this." She added, trying to force her way into the station.

---

When Alexander arrived at the tournament, everything was chaos. There were scorch marks and blood everywhere, and the fire department and paramedics were scrambling to give everyone the attention they needed. He saw a set of officers hauling away a Mephisto boy into a squad car, but that didn't interest him. He had larger concerns. The number one being finding out everything he could about the cultists who had attacked the people. He did not need to climb thanks to the fact the tournament ground had no basement. The ground floor was the lowest point, so he wasted no time and called for the spirit of the Arena. The monstrosity of a man that formed nearly made Alexander draw his weapon, but he reminded himself that it could not harm anyone. He took in minor details such as his worn armor and scars. He felt like he should know this person, but brushed it off as he had more important things than remembering a long-dead warrior.

Alexander had the spirit tell him everything it could recount after Katherine had transformed into a demon. He had some info having watched everything he could from King's TV network, but needed the spirit to fill in the blanks. He quickly found that there was too much information, and had to have the spirt summarize it all for the sake of time. He was shocked to find out one of the Cultists was still alive. He was especially confused when he found out Meredith was with them. He wanted more answers, but he had already wasted so much time listing to the stories of the spirit. He pressed for as many details as he could while having the spirit take him to the edge of its domain to point out where it saw them go. He was able to gather that Meredith had befriended the cultist, or it worshipped her. He wasn't too sure given the rushed explanation. He left without saying a word to anyone. If they needed him then he had a radio.
He was able to follow them by stopping at every other building and summoning a spirit. He stopped mostly at stores and vacant lots as they, typically, didn't have subfloors. He had a lot of time to process his thoughts while tracking them. He still didn't know how he felt about Meredith. He finally knew the truth about what happened the night of the airship crash. He had spent these past few weeks looking into Galbrek and Meredith. He wasn't able to get much on Galbrek, but he learned plenty about Meredith. Perhaps he did too much digging, as the things he heard painted a sad picture.
As he rounded the corner, he saw them, and to his amazement, they were both standing outside a very familiar building. He hadn't counted on them turning themselves in. Especially not the cultist who was looking at some serious time if not death. It would probably be for the best if they did, but he would never get any answers in that case. As a junior officer, he would be a low priority for a case like this. The other, more experienced, officers would take the lead and leave him at the wayside. He needed to make a move, but he couldn't risk scaring them off. He needed to control the situation as much as possible.
He glanced around the area and spotted a small coffee shop a few buildings down. It was his and a lot of other officers favorite place to sit and eat though none of them would be present after the incident in the arena. They were speaking as he approached backs turned to him. He did not draw his weapon, but when he was as close as he could be, without catching their attention, he spoke in a calm but firm voice, "Meredith." He paused, giving her time to turn and see him, "We need to talk. Follow me." then without saying another word, he would walk past them and towards the coffee shop. He knew showing his back to them was risky, he could get supplexed again, but this was in its own right a test. He didn't know anything about them and needed to get a read on their position. Their reactions to his actions was a good first step. He gave them a clear opportunity to escape by approaching them this way. He didn't want to believe someone willing to turn themselves in would attack him, but of course, he could be wrong. They may have come to destroy his station and him along with it. If that were the case, he had a grenade in his coat ready to take himself and his attacker with him. He'd been taking a lot of gambles lately, and so far none of them had paid out. However, he needed certainty more than he needed safety right now. What was one more gamble? If they did go along with him, then maybe they could all get some answers they needed.

"...alright." Meredith, said sheepishly, as she followed. "I suppose i need to be told off." She said, a hint of sorrow in her voice as she hesitated for a second... something dark and deep stirring in her mind, beckoning her to rend the human into pieces and drink his soul... which she ignored. Just listening to her darker impulses had made her make poor decisions. Outwitted and outsmarted by everyone, she needed to play better assets... fortunately, people would still believe in her good faith, a newfound trust earned by the sheer amount of blood she had shed in the invasion.

"...I need this. This is my last foothold among people." She whispered back to the cultist, before prying herself out of his grasp, and indicating him not to follow with a gaze. She and only herself would turn herself in.

The Cultist puts up only enough resistance to Mer's prying as to not let her fall on her face, and sighs. He puts his hands into his pockets, and starts to waltz off. He stops for a moment, and looks to Alexander. "We'll talk, later....you, and I." He says, his attempt at keeping his face locked into a scowl failing as the corners of his mouth curl up into a restrained smile.

Alexander nodded to the Cultist in response to his words. He hadn't expected this all to go so smoothly, but he was glad that it did. This short interaction told him Meredith was more than willing to speak with him without a fight. The Cultist also showed respect for Meredith's wishes and to him. He wasn't sure what Meredith did in such a short time to win the boys trust, but he was glad that she did. He was feeling far more hopeful about this plan now. As Alexander entered the diner, he was greeted by name by the waitress. "Hey Alex, who's your girlfriend?" she teased while looking over Meredith.

Alexander stepped in front of Meredith at her prodding, trying to keep her eyes on him and off Meredith. He didn't want to risk her noticing the blood under Meredith's cloak. "She is just a friend. Now Liz, could we get a table for two. I am here on business today, so I don't have time for your shenanigans."

"Ah, your no fun a usual Alex." she pouted, and then pulled out some menus. She sat them down in a booth by the window and set out waters and poured a cup of coffee for Alexander. "Thank you, Liz," he responded before casting his gaze upon Meredith. She looked very stressed and understandably so. He felt a little sorry for her, but he wasn't ready just yet to play the sympathy card. He let her sit for a moment to give her a chance to gather her thoughts before asking, "Why were you at the police station?" it was a question with an obvious answer, but he wanted her to say it. "I would also like to know why you befriended that Cultist, and yes, I am aware of who he is." He waited patiently for her response, but he kept his stern look.

Meredith stood very silent. It was significative how unresponsive she was to the teasing the other girl did, and merely followed, avoiding as much contact as possible. "I... was there to offer an apology. I fully did not understand the consequences of what was going on. There was so much pain... and I ended up listening to the wrong voice in my mind." Meredith managed to piece together. "As for him... I just... stayed my hand at the right moment. Even though my demon self wanted to eat him for his transgression." She tried to steady herself as she gathered more confidence. "I don't really want to be a bad girl. Mom was a bad girl. Look what good it did to her. Trapped among humans."

Alexander listened to Meredith's words intently, only pausing at the mention of voices. If the girl had mental instability, he wasn't sure he was equipped to handle it. She could have been referring to her conscious, but it didn't come off that way. He was surprised to hear the cultist had been won over by an act of mercy. He knew nothing about their sect, but it at least seemed like mercy was not a valued trait. It may have been more personal reasons that motivated the boy, but he would have to ask him directly to find out.

Alexander sipped his coffee before answering, "Ok, I want to believe that you mean it when you say you want to be a good girl. I really do, but It is hard given your choices as of late. This right here." He gestures to the cafe, "Was a good choice, and what you did at the arena was even heroic." He sighs, "But, I am not a judge. I'm not even a full officer. I am a junior officer. So, I can't pardon your crimes." He waits a moment to let this sink in. "I can, however, forgive you." He gives her a small smile, "You put my brother and I through a lot of hardship, but I am willing to look past that and give you a second chance and, if possible, become friends."

As Meredith and Alexander wandered into the diner, sat down, and began their chat, the cultist watched from a near by rooftop, laying down and peering from the edge to try and watch them. Most diners had windows so those dining could see outside, but the cultist found it hard to see them from his angle. "Don't try anything funny, officer...." He muttered quietly to himself. He was untrusting of this fellow, this final foothold. Part of him wondered if they'd try to bind the Empress of Dreams with magic, make them a servant. Surprisingly, that part of him boiled with rage where normally, the idea would of amused him.

Then, his stomach rumbled. He cursed at how much of his energy he used in the fight, and how now he was famished. However, he knew he couldn't just pull someone off the street to satiate his hunger, he'd have to find something, or someone, else later. For now, he had to continue his watch. Something in his guts told him he needed to keep a watch out.

Meredith bit her lip, as she fidgeted with her hands. She strained herself for a moment before eyeing Alexander. She tried to talk a couple of times, before finally raising her sight to meet Alexander. "Well, I am glad, you're still willing to believe somewhat in that I can redeem myself." She paused. "However... you're projecting " She added, her hesitant voice gaining firmness all of a sudden. "It wasn't my idea to go with the overkill by wantonly borrowing a magic airship. You failed to use proportional force, and knock sense in your brother as well." Meredith added. "You are also given a second chance, am I right?"

---

Meanwhile, in the rooftop, a presence appeared behind the prone man. It felt very much like the Meredith... but somehow even more potent, a true otherworldly presence, which she also laid low just behind the cultist. "My my, my little Mer... you keep fumbling and fumbling. What an useless daughter you are sometimes..." The sultry voice answered to the man's back.

".....Hmm. So you're the mother she spoke of." The cultist grumbled, as he rolled onto his back, and leaned up onto his feet. He looked over the new arrival, and sneered in an almost disgusted manner. He crossed his arms, gently creaking his neck to the side. "So tell me, servant of darkness....why're you here? It's a dangerous time for you....the city will be in a panic, looking for those like you, I, and her."

---

Alexander raised an eyebrow, "I didn't expect her to feel so strongly about the situation."He thought to himself, sipping his coffee. He thought of being scolded by his superiors and being made fun of by his peers, his face looking increasingly more sour as he did. He set down the coffee and took a breath, "I don't view it that way. Though, you're not alone in your opinion." Alexander replied, looking a little put out, "Let's agree that we both have made poor choices as of late. In that sense your right. This is a second chance for me as much as it is for you. Though admitting that doesn't help either of us." He said, letting out a sigh, "As I said, I can't pardon you. I could maybe put in a word for you, but as much as I hate to admit it. My word isn't worth as much these days. I have some plans if you'd like to hear them, but what are your thoughts?"

Meredith sighed, listening to the explanation. "I just don't want to waste my chance at trying to be a somewhat normal girl. That's all. But it's all in pieces. If you were expecting some sort of plan, you're barking at the wrong tree."

"Well, that's fine. If it makes you feel better I tend to make most of my plans last second. Though I tend to finding bouncing my ideas off other people tends to improve them. Alex says, then pauses to consider all that he has learned. "I'll be straight. I want to do something big. Something big enough that it would restore my honour and pardon you at the same time. Now, I said plans, but what I have is more of an idea with possible outcomes. I got it when I found out you were with that Cultist boy and have been mulling it over ever since. I don't know how close you are to him, but do you think he would be willing to tell you anything about his organization?"


Meredith sighed. "Well, I stayed my hand... and he keeps following me around for some reason. I might be able to convince him... over time, but as it stands, it won't be possible." Her eyes darted outside, in the general area where her mother was. "Expect hiccups."

---

"I was watching my little girl. But seems like I don't need to do much anymore. She's getting sharper by the day. I had an offer to give you... but I guess that might happen sometime in the future." Mona said, as she crouched even further, before aiming to take flight. "Well so much for fumbling. I guess she is less pathetic than it seems."

---

"That's fine. If anything I expected that." Alexander replies, then sips more coffee, "Time. We always need time." He takes a deep breath, then let's it out slowly, "OK, I have an ides, but I am going to hate myself later if this backfires. You need time to work with your new friend, thus you need somewhere safe to stay while you work with him. So." Alexander reaches into his pocket and pulls out two objects and slides them over individually to Meredith. The first was a card, "This is my emergency contact information. It has my work number, personnel number, and most importantly my address." He slides the second object over, a key, "And this is a key to my condo." Alexander doesn't say anything else. letting the objects speak for themselves.

"...Are you really sure about this? You're giving a key to a condo to a half succubus teenager. It could be taken as very wrong." Meredith said, eyeing Alexander. "I'll ask again, are you really sure about this?"

"I'm frankly more worried about harbouring two fugitives, then the potential social backlash. However, you have a point. The condo complex does have a desk lady who like to gossip. Hmm..." he takes moment to think rubbing his chin, "Ok, have you and the Cultist kid claim your my cousins and that your last names our Everett, that's my mother's maiden name. That way anyone who really knows me would recognize the last name, but wouldn't be so knowledgeable to know my whole family. If your OK with playing pretend this should work. What do you think?"

"Alright. It could work. But I was warning you." Meredith said it. "I will be your cousin then. I will see if i can alter my appearance too. I've gotten a bit better at magic."

"That sounds great." Alexander replied, with a pleased look on his face. "I'll talk to my wife about you coming over. In the meantime I got to go back to the arena before I'm missed. Go ahead and talk to your friend or do whatever you need. You have the key so feel free to come by anytime. I won't be home until later tonight." with that Alexander stood up, paid for his meal up front and went out the door leaving Meredith to consider here new situation.

---

"You've no idea the potential she wields. Things have changed, in the deep dark....Those like her wield power unmatched, if only she knew how to use it." The cultist says, before he too turns to leave, spotting the detective as they left the establishment. "For now, as you said....later, offers will be made..." He mutters, before stepping off of the roof on the opposite side from Mer and Alexander. He had things to do, plots to set up, dark powers to appease. Much to do, so little time....

---

"Mm." Was the tacit approval of Meredith. She decided to made herself scarce for the time being and return to school.