---

Theris woke to a gentle chorus of hisses, each one a little melody from her eight loyal companions. She blinked, stretching, and looked up at the slithering bundle on her head. “Good morning, everyone,” she murmured, reaching up to give each of them a gentle pat. One of her snakes was looking across the room, her head raised and focused, as if confirming that all was well for Theris to start her day.

Another one darted back and forth, her hisses curious and quick, clearly eager to know what the day would bring. Theris smiled. “Just another normal day, Isela.” she murmured, and Isela flicked her tongue in what Theris took as excited approval. Then, a low, warning hiss sounded near her left ear. Xena, with her piercing yellow eyes, was coiled and ready to give a death stare to anyone who might cross Theris today. “Don’t worry, Xena,” Theris whispered, “The manager is still out, so nothing to worry about. But I appreciate the backup.”

A soft rustling brought her attention to Kaki, who had somehow managed to slip down her shoulder and was eyeing a muffin on her nightstand. Theris sighed, picking up the muffin just before Kaki could snag a bite. “Don’t worry, Kaki. I’ll feed you all soon.” she said with a laugh, gently nudging her back into place.

Then, another snake, the most vibrant of all, slithered forward, lifting her head as she gave Theris’s reflection a long, critical hiss. Theris knew that tone all too well. “Yes, Neiko, I know. Not the blazer.” Neiko gave an approving flick of her tongue, and the other snakes seemed to listen intently, as though fashion advice was a sacred ritual.

“Alright, alright,” Theris chuckled, “the cream dress, then.” She slipped into the dress, smoothing it over and making sure her hair-snakes wouldn’t get tangled in the fabric. Neiko gave a soft, approving hiss, which Theris took as her stylish seal of approval.
A faint, slow hiss sounded near the back of her head as Kisses finally stirred from her sleepy daze, only to rest her head against Theris’s shoulder, half-dozing again. Theris gave her a gentle pat, while Pippin—the affectionate one—wound herself around Kisses, giving soft, comforting hisses as if to say, “Go on, sleep in; I’ll keep you warm.”

Theris approached the fridge where she kept the mice for her snakes. Kaki immediately snagged one and swallowed it whole, making Theris chuckle. She fed all of them one mouse each, having to wake up Kisses so that she would also get her meal. One snake, Sheila, was a bit reluctant to eat a mouse, but Theris’s comforting words, and Kaki’s threat of stealing her meal, made her also swallow the mouse.
With a last look in the mirror, Theris took a deep breath, feeling bolstered by her little crew. She straightened up, her eight companions arranged elegantly and snugly around her head and shoulders.

“Thank you, everyone,” she murmured, smiling at the mirror. She was about to head out of the door when suddenly, Layla gave a warning hiss. “Oh right.” Said Theris, quickly grabbing and putting on the pair of glasses that she kept near the door. “Can’t go to work without this.”
As she headed out the door, ready for whatever the day had in store, she knew she wasn’t alone—her little team of protectors, critics, and sleepyheads would be with her every step of the way. She descended to the ground floor, greeting every resident she met along the way. She made her way back to the first building and into the entrance area. This was where her office was located, right next to the front desk that was usually manned by Max the human.

She looked at the time. It was still a bit early for Max’s shift to begin, so she manned the front desk herself. Layla moved herself to the top of the pile of snakes and kept an eye on the surroundings as well. “Alright ladies. It’s time to work.”

Kai floated in the middle of his saltwater pool. The water was calming, providing a sense of comfort only the ocean could provide. After a bit, he surfaced, pushing his aqua colored hair back and sighing contentedly.

He slipped out of the pool and activated his bracelet to shift into his human form, his scales melting into tan skin as his fin turned into legs. Kai reached for a towel, drying off as he admired his reflection in the wall mirror. With a smile, he ran a hand through his now-chocolate brown hair and grabbed a teal tank top and a pair of swim trunks, for that I just got back from the beach look, even though he would definitely be going to the beach later. “Lookin good!” He shot finger guns at his reflection. He decided that today was going to be a good day.

After dressing, he slipped his shell necklace over his head and adjusted his flower crown before stepping out of his room. The air outside his humid apartment felt different. It was drier than what he was used to, but the condo’s protections kept it comfortable enough for him. Making his way down the hall, Kai hummed to himself, thinking about heading to the restaurant to grab a breakfast of sushi.

Eventually, he made his way to the main building, where he spotted Theris at the front desk, her hair alive with her usual companions. “Mornin’ Theris!” he greeted her with a playful nod to her entourage. “And same to all the snakes too.”

_{Early Morning
Outside Streets > Building 1 Reception
Interacting with: @DragonydasTheria, @Crimson FlameKai}

---

Kill. Me.

With a thin groan, Velvet plodded down the sidewalk. The early morning sun beat down on her like the most oppressive summer, and both her lethargy and her hunger were rapidly building. Her boss had asked her to stay for overtime at the bar (it was a twenty-four-hour special night) and she'd lost track of time in a blur of ice cubes, liquor bottles, and cocktail shakers. By the time she was off, it was already 6:30 AM, and rays of searing light were already peeking over the horizon. Teach her to not pay attention to the clock.

Consequently, it had been a hell of an unpleasant half an hour walk to get back, enough that she'd actually had to take a moment about ten minutes ago under an overhang to rest before she continued her sojourn. At least she had an excuse; anybody on the graveyard shift looked dead on their feet afterwards, so she fit right in.

When she finally passed the security and the doors of Building 1 and into the vestibule—out of the gentle for any other creature early morning sun—her relief was almost palpable. Flipping out a compact mirror, she took a look at good long herself; she looked awful. She had fiendish bags under her eyes, her skin was even paler than usual. And, most concerningly, her hair had grown a few shades lighter; that was a pretty good sign all on its down she would've been in danger if she'd stayed out in the sun much longer, and the paler it got the closer to ash she came. Her lipstick was just about gone too. She took a deep breath, and a moment to get herself in order; then she pushed open the inner doors, heaving a tremendous yawn, to be greeted with Theria and Kai. Still a little early for Max, so at least she wasn't salivating at the smell of warm human blood. Even if gorgon and merman blood were still wildly appetizing about then.

A heavy blink, a nod to acknowledge their presence. Slipping a case out of her pocket, she plucked the blue out of her eyes, leaving them their natural luminous red before snapping the contacts shut in their saline and pocketing it again. Another yawn, then she finally spoke; her voice dripped with exhaustion and a barely concealed predatory instinct, and she had to fight to stop from drooling.

"Mornin,' kiddos. Any volunteers for dinner? I'll pay and everything."

Yeah, sure, she had plenty stocked in her fridge, enough to last her a few weeks at least, and could get more at just about any time (she didn't question how they sourced it). But walking around in sunlight burnt blood like nobody's business, and it always tasted way better straight from the source.

Like those stupid fancy water bottles from Iceland. Or ice cream. Or rum.

_{Location:Umbra Rose Condos: Loading Bay ——> Bldg 1, Floor 1 Hallway
Time of Day: Early Morning
Relevant Cast: @Mistress dizzy}

---

Thirty three... thirty four... Thirty five.

Max counted the last package as the delivery driver wheeled it out of the refrigerated truck and onto the loading bay platform. He yawned as he ticked off on his clipboard, absently scratching his stubbled chin, and mentally tried to calculate the number of packages to each resident. He ended up shaking his head with a sigh, even that simple math making his head spin this early in the morning. While his shift hadn't technically started, he always made sure to be at the bay first thing on delivery days, desperate to avoid another 'incident' like what happened during his first week. A shudder ran down his spine as he remembered finding Velvet 'lightly snacking' on the poor driver, though the anemia apparently did wonders to blur the man's memory of the entire event.

'A hallucination due to blood loss and a mild concussion.' Was what the responding EMT had said after Max told them about the 'fall'.

"Well, that's the whole kitten-kaboodle." This new driver said, pulling the sliding cargo door closed. "Gotta say, this place takes double- no triple the raw meat deliveries of the other condos I service." It was absent conversation but it still made Max's stomach tighten and the blood drain from his face.

"Oh! Yeah. Well. It's uh... you know these 'rich folks'... Always demanding the weekly... barbeque." He stuttered out with a slightly-too-loud laugh.

The driver gave him a look but stepped back into the cab with a chuckle. "You wouldn't BELIEVE the kinda shit they've ordered from us before. Capybara meat! Can you believe that? I tell ya, the eccentric tastes on some of these folks!"

"You have no idea..." Max whispered to himself through his teeth as he flashed a broad smile and a wave. "See you next week, Sal." When the truck was gone and the bay doors securely closed, he grabbed the dolly and loaded it with the first set of packages. 100% All-Natural, Prime Beef Cuts! He wheeled it into the elegantly-decorated hallway, the light squeak of the dolly and his echoed footsteps the only sounds this early in the morning. Stopping in front of the first unit in his round, he took several steadying deep breaths before knocking lightly. "Miss Chima...? It's Max! I'm here with your weekly delivery."

Qaymu eyed himself in the mirror, making sure his uniform was perfect - creases sharp, no pendants, ribbons and insignia straight, nary a wrinkle or a spot.

Carefully, he slipped on his trench coat on, then gave himself a final look in the mirror. He let his human face appear, his elegant black whiskers turning as white as the hair now appearing on his head, no sign of his proud dragon crest. In short, he looked like an old human male.

He turned to take a look at his apartment, slender marble pillars rising up to hold up the balconies and the ceiling above, the chandeliers, the tables and bookcases that held books and other trinkets picked up in his travels. The windows that let in the light showed a grayish sky beyond, belonging to some other world or dimension.

His eyes darted to his cat, watching him preparing to leave.

"Watch this place," he told her. Picking up his briefcase, he strode out the door, closing it carefully behind him. As the lock clicked, he smiled and whispered the locking spell that would secure it.

As he strode out of the elevator, he heard Velvet's call for "volunteers." From the look of her, the bartender had had a hard night. It was a wonder she hadn't slipped up and tried to tap one of her bar's regulars. Perhaps it was self-preservation? Not wanting to become a second-hand alcoholic. Those AA meetings would be interesting - and short lived.

"Ladies," he said, nodding.

"Going to the VA hospital," he told Theris as he strode past her desk. "Visiting a sick friend."

"Ah. Good morning Mr Nereus." Said Theris as all the snakes in her head hissed a good morning back. "I hope you had a good night. Since I get you here, how was the water condition this morning? We've received some reports on broken filters."

Theris held up a folder with many pages inside. She had just started her day and some complains were already in the desk, probably left by the night clerk. Still, this was her job, and she was used to dealing with them. Then, both Xena and Layla imediatly turned to the front door. There was something coming... something ancient... something hungry...

As Velvet walked in, Theris sighed in relief and chuckled at her request. "Lady Coventry, You sure got my little girls all riled up. Both Layla and Xena were feeling your hunger from outside. Is everything alright? I wasn't expecting to see you this early in the morning."

As Qaymu passed by, she nodded. "Have a nice walk sir. Do be carefull as per usual."

Sometimes, when confronted with a serious conundrum, the ‘sleep it off’ strategy worked wonders. Problems that seemed insurmountable at first glance might turn out to be easier than they seemed with a fresh perspective, and along with healing all wounds, time lessened issues’ immediate severity. Daylight could illuminate a path forward that remained hopelessly hidden in the dark. And sometimes, to tackle the task at hand, one just needed more energy.

Unfortunately, Khalid awoke in the morning to find himself not one inch closer to solving the crisis that confronted him the prior evening, and a night of fitful sleep certainly didn’t help. He stirred, groaning, from his spot on the couch and levered himself upright. Once he planted his feet on the bare concrete floor, he placed his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, rubbing and creasing in an attempt to get some much-needed clarity. As always, his room was dingy, humid, and stiflingly warm. The doggedly perseverant supermarket desk fans, which he kept on and pointed at something or another twenty-four seven, helped to an extent, and his old but persistent dehumidifier fought to push back the cloying wetness, but even blanketless and stripped down to his boxers Khalid seldom found relief. It smelled in here, and not just of the variety of homegrown plants bathing beneath their ultraviolet lamps. Instead the musty air here carried a noxious foetor. Some described it as the smell of rotten eggs, but Khalid didn’t think so. To him, it smelled unlike anything else on earth, which was fitting given its origin. Unpleasant? Absolutely. Evil? Possibly. Unbearable? Hardly. This potent cocktail of herbal and antiquarian aromas just took some getting used to, and since it tended to keep his neighbors away, it wasn’t all bad. Even if that odor’s tendency to cling to him as well abbreviated many of his interactions.

Ultimately, as stagnant as this room was, Khalid’s environment wasn’t the issue. Instead, that took the form of the letter sitting on the table in front of him. It came from The Crow, the modern, mixed-media equivalent of a pulp fiction magazine that just so happened to be the man’s place of employment. He’d been working there for almost a year now, long before his arrival in Umbra Rose Condos last month, concocting stories of wildly varying length, subject, manner, and quality, all within the purview of the Crow’s focus on the supernatural, sensational, weird, and wonderful. To most readers and writers, his writings were works of fiction at best, but Khalid knew better. That was his edge, as a scholar of very particular erudition: the well-researched nuggets of truth buried amidst all the absurdities to lend the tales a detailed, fascinatingly grounded air of plausibility that gave his stories some real bite. Unfortunately, The Crow didn’t make much money, so neither did Khalid, and perhaps thanks in part to those tensions, not everyone saw the virtues in his style of penmanship. That included Wesley Barnes, the chief editor, and this letter was from him.

Mr. Alhazred. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially considering your situation and the amount of work you do for us, but your submissions to The Crow just aren’t cutting it. When anyone writes in about your stories, or reviews us online, the feedback is primarily negative. For one, you’re too wordy. I’m sure you put in a lot of effort to learn English, but nobody wants to read stuff that makes them feel stupid, or crack open a dictionary. Your writing is old-fashioned, and too technical. There’s too much time spent on trivial details and set-dressing. This isn’t Shakespeare, you know?

And while I know your talent is writing about monsters, the monsters you choose to use leave us all scratching our heads. Half of them nobody’s ever heard of, with gibberish or foreign names, and they’re so strange it’s impossible to imagine them. Whatever happened to good old ghosts, vampires, and werewolves? On that note, most of your stories are real downers, with the characters getting killed or going insane. People want characters they can relate with, even if they’re monsters! They want action. Romance. Triumph over adversity! You should look up this thing called the Hero’s Journey. Might learn a thing or two!

Anyway, the bottom line is, people aren’t tuning in for what you’re writing. They’re tuning out. You’ve got a week to write a winner before we see if an AI can’t do a better job. I don’t want to do it, it’s just business. Good luck.

With an ultimatum like that hanging over his head, Khalid languished on his couch for a few minutes longer. The letter left him terribly embittered, of course, but outrage wouldn’t get him anywhere, and he’d swallowed plenty of bitter pills before. Unfortunately, every attempt to push forward just left him spinning in place. Truth be told, he wasn’t the best writer, and his lack of worldly experience was always going to bite him sooner or later. His unusual studies afforded him a wealth of insight into abnormality, but purple prose, granular details, and cosmic horror weren’t what people wanted–at least, not from someone like him. Above all, he needed characters, situations, and stories people could relate to. The monsters weren’t the problem; plenty of people could relate to monsters. In the creatures of the night they saw themselves, unwanted outcasts whose flaws and isolation could be romanticized. But try as he might, Khalid just couldn’t leverage his actual talents to write something the casual horror enthusiast would actually enjoy. And now he’d be replaced by a computer program, regurgitating a thoroughly digested slurry of other writers’ work. Unbelievable.

As he tried to think of a solution, the thin man’s eyes landed on his companion. He performed such checks compulsively, since the price of negligence was disproportionately steep, but luckily his roommate was right where Khalid left it: a half-melted heap of oozy, mercurial organic matter the size of a corgi, bathing like a lizard beneath its heat lamps. He stood from his couch and walked over for a more thorough checkup, grateful for the momentary distraction. As he watched, the thing distended itself, its gelatinous mass manifesting a number of limbs and wide-open mouths, stretching and yawning like some kind of eldritch cat. A half-dozen eyes blinked open before the mass began to move the man’s way, rolling and slithering and dragging itself through the pen.

Khalid pursed his lips, reached down for the spray bottle of alchemical tranquilizer serum, and spritzed the thing just to be sure. It stopped, stiffened for a moment, then lazily sank back into place. This Shoggoth -which Khalid liked to call Horace- was the only reason he could be here to begin with, living and studying in this place of providence that allowed him to subsist off his meager and insulting salary. A combination of clever legalese and magical resistance had gained him entry, but as far as any of the actual monsters in this bizarre apartment complex knew, there was no distinction between ‘Horace’ and ‘Khalid’. There was only the Shoggoth, a reclusive but intellectual and flawless shapeshifter, of whom any independent entity was merely a temporarily separated portion. It was an illusion that Khalid was careful -desperate, in fact- to maintain.

Unfortunately, that posed issues for his current predicament. So far, he’d managed to drum up exactly one idea of how to solve his problem, and it did not inspire much confidence. Still, he didn’t have the luxury of time when it came to deliberation. So far, he’d walked a fine line when it came to dealing with the complex’s other residents, simultaneously keeping his distance and taking refuge in audacity. The place had plenty of monsters who looked -or could look- human, after all, and none commanded his irrefutable, nigh-encyclopedic knowledge. Thanks to both prior study and recent discrete observation, he might know more about these supernatural beings than they knew about themselves.

But now, he would have to take a more hands-on approach and actually talk to them, in order to learn about these monsters as people and get the relatable storytelling he so desperately needed, sourced from a reality stranger than fiction.

After deciding on his course of action, Khalid got ready quickly. He showered, shaved, and dressed himself, all with his characteristic sharpness. If he aspired to be professional, after all, might as well look the part. Then he loaded up his satchel with his various study materials, texts, and laptop, and finally coaxed Horace into its heated compartment with the aid of a trowel. After that, he slipped out of his apartment and made his way through the quiet halls of the complex’s sparsely-populated third building, headed for its dedicated restaurant. Soon after arrival, he’d worked out an arrangement with the staff there in order to satisfy the Shoggoth’s needs. Though its appetite demanded great quantities of food, its lack of pickiness meant that yesterday’s stale leftovers were more than enough to satiate a living garbage disposal like that. While his little friend got to work enveloping and absorbing a bin full of leftovers, Khalid sat himself down at one of the many empty tables with a more palatable breakfast of his own, where he opened his laptop and began to design business cards for his new enterprise.



Eh…that tagline might need some work. But once settled on a design for his card, Khalid could drop by the front desk later to ask that a number be printed out, so that he could begin to distribute them among the monsters of Umbra Rose Condos and get the ball rolling on his grand plan. First, though, the cards would need to be perfect.

---

The morning was still young, with the sun not having fully risen yet. A few stray beams of light struggled to make their way through the east-most window of a room on the fourth floor of the first building. Wooden blinders had been hung to keep it out, after all. The room itself was fairly unassuming, but possessed a refined yet simple elegance to it. Wooden flooring, carved wooden boards on the walls, a full-body mirror with a sleek brass frame, a lacquered nightstand with a small, traditional japanese lamp atop of it. And then, of course, there were the two things that completely clshed with and stuck out from the rest of the chamber.

A large, extravagant-looking queen size bed, with silken sheets and large, luxurious pillows. And nestled in the mess of pillows and sheets fit for royalty of olden days? A fox girl, with long black hair, several tails and a figure that could only be described as a smokin' babe. She was asleep, slightly curled in her posture, somewhat like a shrimp. Her breathing was calm and soft, with her sometimes making brief, quiet sounds. She had a some point been wearing what loooked to be a pure white haori-jacket styled pajama... But the sash had come undone during the night, probably from tossing or turning in her sleep, and now the thing was more or less all but open in the front. Which was alarming, considering the vixen didn't seem to be wearing a bra... Or any kind of underwear for that matter...

Luckily, she was all alone in her room, with no peeping tom's or other distractions to disturb her peaceful, lavish slumber.

All was well in the world of Miyuki.

... At least, until a certain roommate of her's got done with her morning chores and decided to destroy the peaceful rest of this perfect being.

---

---

Location: Unit #407
Interactions: @Xaltwind Miyuki

It was about six in the morning when Yumeiko stepped out from the shrine grounds, beyond the torii gate at the far end of the foyer in room 407. One could swear they could see the outside through the door, but it was closed behind her quickly. Maintaining a shrine all by herself was tough work.

The five-tailed fox woman stepped into her room from the foyer and shed the traditional red and white clothing in favor of something a little more relaxed and modern. A nice skirt, just over her knees, and a cute button-up blouse looked nice in the mirror.

As seven o'clock hit, Yumeiko was letting herself into Miyuki's room, ready for a certain task she was especially suited for. The spirit fox approached the vanity she knew would house Miyuki's grooming supplies and relieved what she needed, before coming to the bed and the other fox. With great care, Yumeiko laid down and started to comb the elder fox’s tails.

With regular maintenance, grooming them could be done rather quickly each day. It was when you let them go for any more than two days that the process started taking a long time, again. If she kept track of which was which, she could do five one day and four another, and if she was smooth enough about it, she could avoid waking her. Let the Kyuubi sleep.

Location: Building #1, Floor #4, Room #407 -> Building #1 Hallways
Time of Day: Early Morning
Relevant Cast: @CitrusArms Yumeiko, @Xaltwind Miyuki

---

At first, things were going smoothly, with the sleeping beauty being mostly calm and still. Yumeiko would would oon find that today her snoozing princess to be a bit fussier than usual. The comfy and gentle brushing eventually caused the nine tails of Miyuki to stir, beginning to sweep and sway in the bed. The fox herself made content, sweet noises and began to edge closer and closer to her groomer, drawn in by the familiar and pleasant scent of her fellow fox, as well as her warmth.

Within a surprising short amount of time, the kyuubi had somehow managed to snuggle up right next to the other fox girl, tails and body starting to wrap themselves around her. Was this black-haired girl really a fox? 'Cuz she sorta seemed more like a snake at the moment...

"Oh..?" Yumeiko noticed one of the black furred tailed had wrapped itself around her thigh, first. Then another, at her waist. As she tried to ever so gently disentangle herself, an arm slipped around her and pulled her closer. Her cheeks flushed softly as she suddenly found herself wrapped completely, tails and arms and legs binding her in place. "_{This isn't even a proper seal...}" she pouted.

She only had an arm and a leg free. Her other arm was pinned across her body, with her hand at her hip. She could wave with it. Even as she managed to free herself from one binding, another took its place. "Mmn. Miyukiii..." She was wiggling her shoulders to get loose when a hand slid through her hair and pressed her head forward, into Miyuki's chest. She gave a squeak and turned her head so she could breathe, sighing. "Miyuki. Wake up."

"Mmmhml... Nnnmm... _{Dun wanna...}" Was the only reply Yumeiko got, as the black-furred one continued the snuggles.

"Geh... Of course not." Yumi rolled her eyes and considered her options only briefly before she thought of something. A change into her fox from shrank her out of her bindings and allowed her to slip out from the tails trying to hold on to her, and she reformed into her demihuman shape at the end of the bed. Too bad she had to get dressed again, though. She hadn't done anything to bless or enchant those clothes, so they wouldn't shift with her.

"Miyuki, aren't you hungry? I know I am. Let's get something to eat." Of course, she'd been up and doing chores already. Made a body hungry.

"Hmmnn... Food...? Yeah, I could eat, sweetums..." The kyuubi myurmured in a slurry fashion, turning over on her side and now facing the other way - since her body pillow had so cunningly escaped. A few moments of silence passed.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrumble

A very recognizable sound suddenly filled the room. The unmistakable rumble of an empty tum-tum. Making a discontent grumble, the black-haired bombshell fussed about a bit, trying to ignore the prospect of promised plates of palatable goodness... But ultimately, the allure of eating won out over her urge to continue sleeping. Sitting up, very slowly mind you, she streched her arms into the air, made a 'hnnnngghhhh'-sound and yanwed.

... And that caused her pajamas - and lack of a brassier - to expose quite a hefty deal of things that shouldn't be described in detail.

Miyuki then nonchalantly rubbed her eye with one arm and looked around her room, sluggish and unhurried. When her eyes finally found and focused on the other fox girl at the end of her bed though, a small, gentle smile formed on her lips.

"Morning, Yumi my love." Her voice was sweet. "Did you bring breakfast to bed? Such a sweetheart." Apparently, Miyuki had either misunderstood Yumeiko's intentons, or was just trying to avoid having to actually get up to go get food...

Yumeiko watched calmly as Miyuki roused herself for the promise of food. She watched, unabashed, and retrieved her clothes from the bed after her companion found herself awake enough to speak with intent. "Your beauty lends you such grace, Miyuki." Underthings went on, she refastened the belt over her skirt and started buttoning her blouse.

"Oh my~ Feeling amorous this morning, hmmm~? Flattery will get you everywhere." Miyuki's gentle smile widened and became a bit more... Lascivious... In nature. It faded after Yumeiko had put her clothes back on, there was even a bit of a pout from the black-haired fox woman. Apparently she prefered her company to be in the buff.

It had been a bit of a backhanded compliment, but Miyuki seemed to be too asleep to catch that, yet. "No breakfast in bed, sorry. Let's go downstairs to eat. We should get to know our neighbors, it'll be good." Yumeiko turned to face the other fox, her tails swaying behind her as she finished fastening the top buttons.

"Fiiiiine..." She said, clearly unenthused at the prospect of meeting new people. Even if they were monsters or non-humans. It hadn't been too long since the pair had moved here to the Umbra Rose complex, and they hadn't really mingled with their fellow peers. Sure, the brief greeting or passing pleasantry when passing each other by, but the two had been more focused on getting settled in their new home and learning from the staff about the many, many, MANY differences between modern north america and their native home of The Japanese Isles. So, there hadn't been much socializing going on.

".... Now where'd I put my kimono..." Miyuki began to slowly get out of bed, after a long arched-back stretch. Considering she didn't have a wardrobe or even a dresser in her room though, chances were fairly high that it was somewhere else in the condo... And considering she wasn't exactly great a getting herself dressed... Well, it would take a bit more time for the fox couple to get out still...

Yumeiko rolled her eyes and took a moment to enjoy as Miyuki stretched and rose. "Yes, up you come. Your wardrobe is here, if you open this partition." The spirit fox doubted the Kyuubi would remember that any time soon, she was always so groggy when she was being dressed. Her bare feet plipped softly across the floor as she approached the sliding walls and she waved her hand, opening one of them.

Following after her kindred, Miyuki stuck her face, and upper body, into the walk-in closet that had been revealed. Which she would've remembered about, if her head hadn't been full of cotton and mist, as it always were in the mornings. Rummaging around, she soon found her trademark outfit, the black outrageously revealing kimono. Or perhaps there was nothing actually wrong with the clohtes, and more so that any garments had a hard time properly fitting the kyuubi. For obvious reasons.

"Do you want to go down in kimono together?" She had a few items of apparel in Miyuki's closet, as well. No way anything of Miyuki's would fit her, nuh uh.

Looking over at the Yumeiko, Miyuki just smiled.

"But you're already dressed. And I think what you're wearing now is cute. A bit modest for me, but it does suit you." The kyuubi complimented, now fiddling and floundering with her attire... It would come as no surprise that, if Yumi wanted to leave anytime soon, she'd have to lend a hand in getting this useless-but-good-looking lady dressed.

Yumeiko smiled softly at the compliment, her tails swishing gently behind her. A light blush touched her cheeks. She stood in the center of the room, watching as Miyuki entered and tried to put herself together for the morning. The blush faded and her smile changed to a slightly exasperated grin, "you're beautiful, graceful, but so helpless. Come here.."

Her spirit fox attendant approached her and spun her gently to face her. There were a few things, first. The kimono had to be resting properly, and dealing with nine tails made that tricky. One of the best ways she found was to reach to adjust from the front. She slid her hands under the kimono and, as she leaned forward, rested her face against Miyuki's chest. She worked the tails and kimono into coexistence one by one and then gave the soft skin a gentle kiss before straightening up. She drew the fabric closed and knew better than to try and make the woman anything resembling decency. There just wasn't enough fabric. "Have you ever thought about, perhaps, something in your size, Miyuki?"

Miyuki thanked her generous caretaker and then laughed softly at her comment.

"But Yumi-dear, this one is my size." A devilish smile and half-closed, suggestive eyes accompanied by wiggling eyebrows was all Yumeiko would need to know that this old fox had no intention of changing her ways.

The golden furred stepped behind the black furred to tie the obi and secure fabric closed. As much good as that did. "Alright, all tied up." She smirked softly at her pun as she made her way to the hallway, "I'm starved, let's go."

Once Miyuki was done moving some strands of her own hair out of her own face, and ajusting her floofy ears, she pitter-pattered over to Yumeiko at the door. "Well then, let's not keep this hungry princess waiting any longer." With a smile, Miyuki gingerly locked arms with Yumeiko - gaving her a quick peck on the cheek, and the two finally proceeded to leave their condo, to head for that place what where the food and drinks and free eatings were to be had. What had they caleld it? A rest-o-rent, or something? Cathy-terium? These western terms were so strange...
[/quote]

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@LupusIntus
"Just a moment, Max!" Achieng's cheery voice sounded out as she finshed tying an artful knot in the bright scarf around her head. Yesterday's full moon had brought the tide with it - she'd been out swimming last night. She felt fantastic, honestly. She always did after a long venue in the ocean. But now it was back to reality - and to class later that morning.

She wheeled herself to the door, not bothering to put on the strangely stifling magical bracelet. Among other things, it turned the reality of her glittering sun-orange fin into a pair of legs, but it couldn't actually make her walk. Thus the chair. Sometimes humans stared, but apparently they just did that sometimes. Other humans in wheelchairs who went to the college had commisserated with her about the rudeness of such behavior. They thought she was a transfer student from another country. It wasn't a lie, despite not being the truth of the matter. But the cover story helped to explain away little differences, cultural and otherwise, when she failed to be ordinary.

"Good morning, Max!" Achieng offered him a sweet, dimpled smile as she opened the door. None of her teeth were on display. Some people were easily startled by teeth - she'd learned that one the hard way. "Would you like some tea? The kettle should be singing any moment." She rather liked Max. He was sweet, even if he was the most anxious being she'd ever met.

---

Location: Building 2, Tranquility Room 2
Interactions: None

---

Honey brown eyes slowly fluttered open and Iris Madril let out a low groan. It took a moment for her exhausted brain to register where she was and what was happening. She inhaled deeply, her whole body throbbing in pain as it did after a night of transformation fun during the nights of the full moon. That's right. Last night was a full moon. She remembered where she was now,

She pulled her outstretched arms towards herself, feeling a painful pull then something clicking into place with a loud pop. A dislocated shoulder. How the hell did that happen? She only pondered the question for a moment before moving on. That was a question to be answered by the video footage of the room from the night before. Cameras were placed in this room for a reason, Iris only being one of many.

She slowly pulled herself into a fetal position, clenching and tightening all her muscles before she stretched herself out completely, sprawling out on the ground on her back. She laid there for a long while, not really thinking of anything in particular. Judging by just how exhausted her body was and how foggy her brain seemed, she guessed she had maybe an hour of sleep last night, if that. She groaned again as she slowly pulled herself up into a seated position to finally look around at the damage. It was surprisingly calm-ish looking in the tranquility room. There were only a few broken pieces of furniture and it looked like the walls survived far better than normal. It seemed like her little experiment worked, at least to a degree. She would have to go back on the video to see just how well it really did work but the room wasn't littered with mounds of broken items and furniture and she could probably, actually come back to this specific tranquility room next month. It was progress. Sweet, sweet progress. Until she saw the state of her phone.

Iris leaned forward and slapped her hand down angrily on what was left of her phone. It was in pieces! The screen was shattered, the battery was removed and thrown, god knows where. There were chunks ripped off it and were those bite marks? Did the wolf really take a BITE of her phone? She groaned as she threw it across the room into a heap of what she assumed was once a couch. You would think a couch wouldn't be a good item to keep a werewolf busy but it had a lot of parts to it that could be shredded, chewed on, clawed up, sometimes even peed on. That night was not a great night for her, she'll be honest.

She slowly stood before she stalked her way to the protected lockers off in the corner of the room. She snapped it open, anger still burning in her chest. She has to get a new phone now but with what money? How the hell is she going to afford another stupid 1k phone? Did she still have insurance on her phone? It's been a few months since she filed a claim. She might be able to get away with claiming it was stolen. She groaned quietly as she dragged her hand along her face with a long stroke of exasperation. Being a werewolf sucked but she knew this might happen when she decided to try out the experiment. She had just foolishly gotten her hopes up when she saw the less than usual damage. Who knew that streaming kid's youtube videos for the wolf would keep it occupied, at least for a time. Obviously, at some point, the wolf had enough of the videos and returned to its usual routine of havoc.

Her goal was to one day tame the wolf enough that she could keep from having to lock herself up on the full moons. That would be great.

Iris pulled out the spare sweatpants from within the locker and quickly got dressed. Her stomach rumbled loudly and she grumbled to it in response. “Yeah, yeah. I guess we'll go see what the cafe has food wise.” Iris had quite literally broken the first tranquility room in her normal building by heading off to transform on the full moon pissed off. The wolf apparently picked up on that rage then considered it a challenge. By the time the night was through, every inch of that room was in shambles and they had instructed her that they would need a month or two to repair the room. They were just lucky the door held, barely. Like by one single steel hinge that was praying to god to be spared the pain and misery of its fallen brothers anguish, barely. Thus she came up with this, in hindsight, really stupid plan. She could have put the phone somewhere the wolf couldn't reach or something. Maybe found a way to let it watch the videos without actually having a chance to actively get in contact with it. Eh, hindsight is 20/20.

As Iris walked out of the tranquility room, she could hear the sound of the meat delivery truck leaving the area and she pondered if she could find Max off somewhere on the property. She was due for her delivery but she wasn’t going to get it until after he did his rounds in building one. Being in building two meant a bit of a wait, which was always such a pain when it came to full moon nights. People had asked her why she didn’t live in building one with the human looking tenants and the answer was simple. When she was given her room at 13, she was more wolf than girl. She spent more time as a wolf than she did as a human and thus got a room in the less than human looking building. Now that she was older and had better control and rarely changed into her wolf form, she just stuck with the room and building she knew.

Iris gave her achy body another stretch, dragging her tongue along dry teeth before she rubbed lightly at her temples. Her head felt like a small construction worker was redoing the street in her brain with a vengeance and last but not least, her stomach rumbled at her like it was a beast of its own sounding its distaste at being left empty. She gave in and slid her hands into her pockets, hunched her shoulders and headed towards building one. A good raw steak would make a large part of this discomfort go away.

_{Location:Umbra Rose Condos: Bldg 1, Floor 1, Rm. 107
Time of Day: Early Morning
Relevant Cast: @Mistress dizzy}

---

Max let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding when Iris smiled up at him politely. He didn't think he would pass out from seeing those rows of shark-like fangs, not like the first time they'd met (he still had trouble living down that embarrasment), but he was sure the site of them would make him... anxious.

It was probably all those specials he watched on the Discovery Channel during the most recent Shark Week.

"You really are kind, Ms. Chima, but I'm more of a coffee man, myself." He chuckled, running a hand across his lightly sweat-beaded brow before pushing the dolly inside and over towards the large meat locker. When the packages of fresh beef were tucked away inside, Max dragged the dolly back towards the hallway. "Ms. Theria wanted me to ask if your bed- tub- tank... If your sleeping space was keeping the proper salt levels now? She said I could contact the city aquarium again if the filter was still acting up." Max's dark brown eyes usually tended towards the ceiling with most residents but he found his gaze falling on the shimmering scales of Achieng's tail fin. It was truly magnificent, bright and shining with each scale catching the light at a different angle. It was like something out of a painting.
Or from the front of a Lisa Frank trapper keeper, like one his sister had when they were kids.

Worried she'd notice his assumedly rude stare, Max's cheeks flushed slightly and he looked away quickly. "Y-Your tail fin is looking particularly lustrious this morning!" His deep voice only broke slightly with a nervous cough.

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Location: Alphonse's Bedroom -> 3rd Building Resturant || Interactions: None

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_{Early Morning
Building 1 Reception > Building 1 Hallways
Interacting with: @DragonydasTheria, @KuroSuzy (kinda)}

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"No," Velvet groaned as she let herself sag backwards slumping into a wall, "It is not." She opened her mouth to continue, but before she could actually speak, the resident dragon (well, one of them) stepped into the foyer along with them. Velvet hadn't interacted with Qaymu much, on the whole; really, she'd been a touch reclusive in general. Such was life when you were nocturnal; you met people at dawn and dusk, and occasionally you'd find people staying up super late, but you ended up somewhat alone a majority of the time. The only other person that was typically awake at the same time as Velvet was...

At that moment, a crackling chill shot through the room. Even Velvet, who was more or less dead and so could pretty much ignore temperature 90% of the time, felt it.

Well. Speak of the ghost.

She hadn't spoken to Suzy much either. For...an entirely different reason. Apparently some of the residents could see and hear her, but Velvet, regrettably enough, was not one of them. But occasionally the two of them spoke through proxy—a text document on her third monitor, usually—when they were the only ones up in the wee hours of the morning. It made her regret her inability to see her Suzy even more. Nights could get long when you were always alone, and while video games went a long way in palliating it, they couldn't fix it. She nodded at the general direction of the rest of the building, where the ghost had probably come from. Sup?

When no new guests were forthcoming, she heaved a long sigh and focused on the Gorgon behind the desk again. "My boss asked me to stay for overtime and I wasn't paying attention. By the time I got out the sun had already risen and I had to walk all the way back under it. Now my skin's all messed up, my hair's going to take nights of washing to get back to normal, and I'm way too hungry!"

A long, deep breath, and she pushed herself away from the wall. "Now since all of you are so selfish and want to keep all that tasty blood to yourself," she gave a tired smile, "I'm going to go empty out my fridge." With that, she headed up towards her room. A few hundred feet and some turns down the hall, a bit before the staircase (somehow she just didn't trust elevators; she blamed the time she'd been in one as it fell and it had hurt like hell), she found the cafeteria beside her, and she peered in curiously as she walked. She hadn't gone here much, to be honest, and some of the food looked pretty good. Maybe after she drank her fill she could—

That thought was as far as she got before she was slapped upside the head by a wave of nausea, like she'd walked by someone carrying five or ten crucifixes. Above her? A hallway over? In the cafeteria? She was so out of sorts and it was so sudden that it was hard to tell. Head spinning, already running a bit faint from hunger, she tripped over herself and fell to her hands and knees with a shocked gasp, trying to fight back the urge to vomit. And failing, as a splatter of blood painted the floor. Her body felt like lead. It took her a not-insignificant effort to rise again, and when she did, her knees were weak and rubbery as she attempted to hobble onward. What—who—what the actual fuck?

"Max," Qaymu calls out quietly, but the figure on the bed didn't stir.

"He's sleeping all the time now, sergeant," the nurse said. "And he's stopped eating. We're keeping him hydrated, but it's just a matter of days, now."
"I see...." Qaymu sighs, feeling the tears forming. "Is it okay if...?"
"Of course," the nurse smiles.

He waits until the nurse closes the door behind him before stepping over to the bed.
"Last week, you were chasing nurses and complaining about the chow," he said, raising his hand from his hat, "this is just too... sudden."

Qaymu glances about the room, making sure there were no cameras and the door was closed behind him, then straightens his index and middle finger.

"Ŷmen indmthą otën oũryth indmthą; ŷmen hōughtsthė otën oũryth hōughtsthė," he intones softly. A small yet elaborate magic circle appears spinning over his fingertips, then he leans forward to touch it to Max's temple.

"Hey!" Max said, still running his hand over the stubble left on his head by the boot camp barber, pointing at Qaymu's mustache with the other. "How come dey didn't cut dat off?"

Qaymu shrugged and grinned. "I don't think they noticed it."

Bullets zipped through the leaves overhead while Max frantically tried to cover his head with his hands in the little hollow.
"We gotta do somethin'!"

"I got this," Qaymu said, a fireball appearing between his hands for a second while Max looked on wide-eyed in disbelief, then it shot through the brush and exploded. The VC screamed briefly.

"What da hell was dat?" Max demanded, stunned.
Qaymu grinned, tapping his temple with his index and middle finger. "Magic!"
"Dat's some trick! You gotta teach me dat!"

The music swelled. Max and Qaymu turned to see Mary, resplendent in her wedding dress and escorted by her father start up towards the altar.
"Can you believe dis is happenin' ta me?"

Qaymu smiled, leaning forward. "No, you lucky sonna..."

"Hey!" Max said, still running his hand over the stubble left on his head by the boot camp barber, pointing at Qaymu's mustache with the other. "How come dey didn't cut dat off?"

"Sergeant? Would you like something to drink?" the nurse asks, leaning through the doorway. She frowns as Qaymu steps back, tears trickling down the old man's cheeks. "Are... are you okay?"

"Yes," the dragon says hoarsely, wiping the tears away as he sat down heavily in the chair beside his buddy's bed. "Just... reliving some memories. I wouldn't mind some coffee, thank you."

"Of.. of course," she says, smiling as she closes the door.

Qaymu checks the drawer next to the bed and pulls out Max's signet ring, slipping it on the soldier's ring finger. It flares for a moment.

"Don't forget, this comes to me."

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Locations: Bldg 3 #303 → Bldg 1, Restaurant Interactions: @Dragonydas

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It was dark in the depth of the dragons lair, the kind of suspenseful dark that made the hairs on your neck stand on end. A slow rythmical rumble echoed in the cavernous hall as the beast breathed in its deep slumber, followed by wheezing gusts of scorching exhales. Only a single point of faint light could be seen in the opressing darkness: a great eye of glowing ember, unblinking, fixed on the direction of the entrance. It was an ability her kind had developed ages ago, to always sleep with one eye open. The treasure won't guard itself, as it were, and less careful wyrms had lost lots of valuables to sneaky would-be heroes in the past. Ryū was not one of them. She was careful, paranoid almost, and the few adventurers that had tried her had all gone up in flames. Keeping a respectable pile of treasure was a point of honor to her kind, and she guarded hers jealously.

As the dragon suddenly stirred, the hoard rattled and rustled with scattering coins and baubles. Ryū blinked and smacked her maw, stretching her tail and wings as she started to wake. She yawned audibly, the roar causing the walls to shake, and finally got up on her feet. She shook herself to dislodge any treasure still stuck to her belly, and then began towards the revolving doors of her chamber. As the dragon had climber off the great hoard, it muttered a short phrase in arcane draconic, and was immediately engulfed in a thick red cloud of magical energy. When the cloud dissipated, the dragon was no more; in stead, there was a red headed girl with a sleepy look on her face. She entered the secret compination on the door, and stepped out into her apartment through the revolving fireplace.

Having gotten some clothes on, Ryū pondered what to do next. Her belly answered her enthuastically by rumbling, and so she decided to go have a snack in the canteen in the main building. There was a restaurant in her complex too, but they had this special hot sauce in building 1 which she had become addicted to. Plus, they had gotten used to her there by now, and usually had food prepared for her in advance. She was quite the glutton, after all. At least by human standards. Passing the reception, she shot a toothy grin and waved at Theris. 'Sup, gorg'! she barked as she walked on by, See you around!

Finally settling in the restaurant, she exchanged glances with the head chef before sitting down. He nodded in understanding, getting a few cooks together to start preparing her meal. They would need a few people to carry it to her table, after all. Now, eating in her human form had initially posed somewhat of a conundrum for Ryū. As a dragon, she wasn't much schooled in the subtle art of table etiquette. Rather, she preferred to just rip into her prey with teeth and claw after having given it a proper scorching. She had quickly found, however, that her way of eating was a bit frowned upon in civilized circles and, wanting to blend in, had had to compromise in some regard. Ryū had taken to using cutlery, but not in the standard way; she liked to use two forks, symbolizing in her mind the claws she lacked as a human, and would always have her meat barbequed to a crisp. Then, there was the hot sauce. How she had come to love it! Not only did it look good on the food, but it made it taste as if it was burning. Ingenious! All this thinking on food had her belly rumble again, and her mouth watered. She sat staring at the kitchen door with her unblinking predator eyes, just waiting for the moment her roast pig and grilled chickens would finally come out to meet her, knuckles white from grasping her dual forks.

Location: Building #1; Hallways → First Floor
Interactions: @Xaltwind Miyuki, @Lemons Velvet, @Kuro Suzy

The door to the stairwell on the first floor apparently opened itself, and out stepped the foxly pair. One pair of their tails were coiled together, while the rest of Yumeiko's swayed gently. They were chatting a bit about what kind of food they had a taste for, but as Yumeiko saw the sight of Velvet, crouched and ill, came into view, she exchanged a concerned glance with Miyuki before she began to step forward.

The younger of the two approached Velvet, concerned. She reached out, but stopped a few steps short. She could feel a powerful, ancient curse. Directly in front of her. This young woman? “You're..” she could not tell where the curse ended and the woman began. Yumeiko’s eyed widened and she gasped, a hand rising to cover her mouth as she backed away quickly. She couldn't dispel it without disrupting her entire being and killing her. Besides, she wasn't sure she could if she tried. Maybe seal it, but this seemingly young lady was probably a resident of this building, so that wouldn't do, either.

“Miyuki. I shouldn't touch her.” She spun on her heel to look at her companion, a soft scowl maring her expression. “I shouldn't be near her. I-, ah..” this had never happened before, she wanted to help but her help would be anathema, “I'll go to the lobby for five minutes.” She turned back to Velvet, backing away further before offering a bow, “I'm sorry, miss.” She gave Miyuki a soft kiss on the cheek, though she had to stand on her toes to do so, and then jogged off down the hallway.

---

Wow! It was cold in the lobby! She wished she'd worn pants, if it was going to be like this. But, wait, the hallway hadn't been like this. As well, she could feel- aaah. That's why the lobby was particularly cold. There was a spirit in this room. She closed her eyes and felt for the presence, and her attention slowly closed in on Suzy. Her eyes opened and there was the spirit. A young lady, doing her best not to bump into anyone. The spirit fox approached.

“Oh, hello. I didn't realize we have spirit neighbors, as well. Nice to meet you, I'm Yumeiko.” The demi-human smiled and waved, her five golden fox tails wagging slowly behind her. This was a welcome distraction to the mess she left Miyuki with. She'd have to make it up to her...

Location: Building #1; Hallways → First Floor
Relevant Cast: @CitrusArms Yumeiko, @Lemons Velvet

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"You think so? I've grown quite partial to that thing they call 'toast', so crunchy and-- Oya~?"

As the arm-and-tail-locked couple came down the stairs, there was a scene. An unpleasant one. A (seemingly) young woman staggering about, and there was a puddle of... What could only have been either blood, or really rancid pizza sauce, not too far off. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. Miyuki could tell something was off about this one - being a creature of dark curses and EVIL, she had a sense for identifying that which was similar or shared traits to herself.

Sadly, her little spouse - too good and pure for this world - quickly tried to approach and aid the ailing stranger. Only to realize a bit too late that her very presence here was only going to cause more harm than any good she could hope to provde. A sad, but often too true reality, for their kind. Sometimes, beings were just plain incompatible, like oil and water. It was waaaay to early in the morning for this sort of drama. But, she could tell by the look on Yumi's face that this was important to the golden-haired miko, and what kind of monster could refuse that face? Miyuki sighed and lightly shrugged her bare shoulders.

"Very well, my dear."

Soon after an uplifting smooch on the cheek, the priestess of the Fox Goddess had managed to scamper off and away from the stairwell and the crumpled person. Miyuki eyed her up and down. She was afflicted by a very powerful curse... A very old one too. it was unfamiliar too, which meant that it wasn't something native to her homeland - which made since, because this woman clearly wasn't from the land of the rising sum. Descending the final steps, Miyuki slowly approached the unfamiliar woman.

"Apologies, we weren't aware someone so averse to faith was living here." The fox paused. "You do live here, yes?" The follow-up question was far less cordial than the initial greeting. If this was some random, off-the-street human who had just wandered in and accidentally gotten herself cursed becuase she'd messed with things beyond her comprehension... Well, then there'd perhaps be need for even more curses to fix that memory of hers.

"If you have a room here, I could lend you a shoulder I suppose."

Miyuki didn't bother with things like introductions or other formalities. This wasn't really a situation that warranted that sort of pleasantries. For now, the important thing was to get this gunk-spewing mess-of-a-woman somewhere else so she could go and enjoy her breakfast. She was still smiling though, albeit the kind you'd see a store-clerk or salesman wear. A forced smile for the sake of appearances. She extended and offered a hand to help steady the poor thing though. Standing there... With her bare shoulders and exposed neck... And big ol' blouse-bunnies... Just waiting...

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