Right after collecting Weber and having all the bombs in place, Blaque spoke into the comms to check on everyone's status. Caretaker was dead thanks to Darric so that took care of that in regards of the head of the organization. Jonathan finished off Mickey the pedophile who was able to travel through surfaces. He seemed to have died while still in a surface, the way Jonathan killed him.
Quincy was taken out for good as this world was better off without such a prick. Blaque decided that Ginger should be brought in just like Weber to answer for her crimes since she and Weber were pretty much the next in line of running the place. Blaque had to be careful from the chemicals Delta used but she was definitely successful in defeating the girls. They weren't dead but....they were pretty fucked up. Black requested help from Delta to use a carrier that could transport the toy soldiers out of the orphanage to be sent to another facility where they could hopefully be rehabilitated and disarmed so to attempt to have a normal life again.
As for the regular children, Blaque made sure R0se escorted the children to the buses that waited for them so to take them to a trusted group that could watch and care for them and possibly locate their families. Misty was among the regular children that were being sent off to a better place while Blaque called for his team to head back to Safe Haven. After contacting Priest and making sure Bob was helped out of the place, Blaque rushed to Caretaker's office to find whatever else he could that's considered useful information. Associates, connections, discoveries, whatever he could find but that was until he found a strange box in the corner of the room that held a particular sign on it and decided to take it with him to figure out what this thing could be. More than likely something very valuable inside of it but from a few destroyed rooms away, the explosions started as he didn't have time to continue searching and rushed from the building to head off back to the SafeHaven.
As a burning heap of rubble, the orphanage laid as a former place of torment and torture. The bunker was destroyed, the lab and all the works of it, was no more until a bit of the rubble moved, revealing Nicholas, The Model Child, standing up with dust and dirt all over his body, completely healed from the neurotoxin bullets that was shot into him and from the injuries he's sustained from Blaque. The boy looked around now, no longer with a master, no longer bound, and no longer under control. He shouted out a roaring yell, mentally constructing a death scythe in one hand and picking up something from the ground, a scratched minor damaged holo-tablet that contained something called "Kill list" on it as the boy's eyes went from looking at it, reading what was on there and looking straight ahead into the unknown and rushed off into the city with his weapon in hand.
Not too long after leaving the Orphanage, Blaque was still carrying along the box he took from Caretaker's office with intent on discovering just what the hell was in it. With the children heading another route, Blaque trusted in the people that he sent them to to take care of the rest.
Now he could focus on this situation with Father Francis. He had not heard back from Darric since he left the orphanage but trusted he was okay. It was already a risk sending Paige in and both he and Paige knew the risks but went along with it anyway. He already knew Darric was not thrilled and whatever happened, Blaque said he would take responsibility for it as he had the say so whether or not she should have gone or not.
Coming into the building with the box in hand, Blaque went pass the bar to check if Darric and Paige were back. Down the hall he caught a glimpse of the light that was on in the medical room and walked towards there, turning into the door frame to notice Paige laying down, while Mike and Darric were present. What happened to her?.. Walking in to get closer with a concerned expression on his face, noticing the bandages on her.
Darric glanced up and saw Blaque. He stood up and pulled the door shut behind him as he moved forwards backing Blaque out of the room. "How is she? They damn near killed her that's how she is. That monster knocked her up. She had to have an abortion. She is a mess that is how she is. They flogged her with a knotted rope with glass embedded in it!" Darric's fist clenched and he looked like he was going to kill someone and soon.
After hearing what all happened, a long deep huff came from Blaque as even though the shades he wore, covered his eyes, regret was on his face for what he had her go through. His face turned away for a moment with shame Dammit... he said softly. It's my fault this happened...I know the dangers and I still let her handle it. ...if she can't forgive me for this, I understand. Darric, I should owe you an apology for this as well. Blaque said in an upset tone. I won't send her on anything like that again but...I know right about now, you want to head back and seek vengeance...for every bit of pain she suffered..
Coming down the hallway, the distinct thuds of metallic boots resonated against the walls as NERON approached the medical room, Jinx dangling from the machine's outstretched arms, Willard tagging along behind. "Is the medical room occupied, then?" the automation turned its head in a nearly human fashion from Blaque to Darric, the quizzical phrase breaking the tense air that was hanging in the hall. Willard peered around the leg of the robot, his bright green eyes staring up to Blaque in a confused daze, before he saw Mr. Darric. Smiling, Willard greeted the man with a wave, but stopped as he took note of the intense colors his master and Mr. Darric both had. Clearly something bad had happened, and the boy shuffled back a bit to make sure he didn't get in the way.
Darric was seething and barely holding back his rage. "Yes, you should have pulled her out sooner. No she won't be doing this again. She already promised me that and yes, I intend to kill that bastard but I'm going to make him suffer first." Hearing Willard come into the room Darric clenched his jaw and kept it together. The kid looked up to him so he needed to appear calm or at least in control of himself.
He turned to Willard, "Hey buddy, I heard you did good in there. I had to take off early. I had to go get Paige. She got really hurt on her mission. We did get two of the kids in there out. I wasn't even looking for them but we brought them here. The boy and girl are in the game room over there."
Darric pointed to the other medical rooms and told NERON "Those are still open."
Blaque couldn't blame Darric for his anger and hell, Blaque was angry as well. More at himself for what happened but he wanted to bring that cult down. He stared at Darric, not answering as there was no need. There's but so much he can say to calm Darric down but he ultimately needed to apologize to Paige. He felt he owed her for all of this. When Willard spoke, Blaque took a deep breath to try and change his demeanor for the young one to not worry the kid since he's more than likely seeing their intense colors.
Blaque let's Darric speak to WIllard and waited for the young one and NERON to head to the medical room before he would speak again. They were going need a hell of a counter attack on the cathedral.
With the point of Darric's finger, NERON silently nodded in response as the machine trudged off, entering one of the free rooms and laying the unconscious girl upon the medical table before closing the door to work, leaving Willard in the hallway with the two men. Glancing from one face to the other, the boy silently nodded to Darric's reference to the other children and sent another gaze to Blaque - his signal that he knew something was up, and was worried about Ms. Paige. Finally, the boy turned and ran off to the game room, joining the two other children in the board game they had sprawled out on the floor.
There was a small crowd in the corridor in the lower chambers where blood and dead bodies laid after the rescue of Lara. 2 overseers, including the son of Francis and Mary, John and a few other followers were looking at the mess that happened under their noses. Paige aka Lara was missing, they lost a few guards, and a couple of children are gone. Francis had a calm demeanor but he was indeed furious on the inside. How could we have let this happen? For this much carnage in my home. For someone to sneak in here like a rat and steal what belongs to me...who could do such an evil thing?
No one said they saw anyone suspicious. If anyone did, they were the ones dead on the floor. Get this place cleaned up. I need to find out who could've infiltrated us. See if we can get the hounds on this to track Lara down. Telling a few of his followers present. Francis looked to his overseers I need you Rebecca to be in the search party in looking for Lara as well. Seth, get a few people to sweep the building. Getting a nod to make sure nothing else were taken nor if there were anymore infiltrators around.
Mary approached Francis Darling, I think I may know who could be responsible.... She told her husband. Come with me. stepping into another room You know who could've done this? he asked her I have a hunch....do you remember the man I came to you about? The one I wanted you to check out but thought he simply left? Thinking for a moment, Francis spoke The one you said was from the Harrison Chapter? Mary nodded yes, he seemed to have known who you were or at least heard of you and asked about you. And when he claimed to be from the Harrison chapter, last time I checked, the Harrison chapter shut down or at least we thought it did which was why I wanted you to speak with him to be sure. he said to him.
This were starting to make sense a bit that this man was more than likely the culprit that infiltrated them since he seemed to have disappeared. Mary of course remembers what he looked like but who did he work for? Obviously he and Paige knew each other but were they of some agency? another simple faction trying to learn about Francis and his operations to shut them down? Possibly the GHPD? Whoever this man was and whoever they could be working for, Francis was ready to get to the bottom of this. Listen...I need you to contact Nolan and have him look up any archives regarding the Harrison Chapter. Find out if there are any files on the members. I'm contacting the crusaders and heading to the vault. I have no idea who this rat works for and also, I'm bringing her back. She still needs to be disciplined and I will make sure that she is purified personally. he said.
Leaving the room, Francis planned on putting the cathedral on alert. John came over once he saw his mother and father leaving the room. Rushing over Father....is everything okay? I'm about to go on the search party to help find Lara. Francis looked to be on a mission heading off towards the vault to get his items of war and cleansing. He spoke No son, I want you to stay here and look after the children here in the chambers with your groups. I'm going to handle the rest while others are handling their assignments. John had the look of disbelief. He wanted to be of real help by searching and getting his hands dirty in finding Lara out in the streets. Francis spared his son the trouble of having to do the street work or handling the "tough" jobs. Being the first son of Francis, he's lived a sheltered life, which his father called "protecting" him. So, John has never officially been in a heavy assignment out in the world. Mostly because of Francis feeling he was not ready yet and to raise him to be a true leader to lead the flock after his father is gone without having the struggle in this turf war like his father.
John spoke Wait, father...look after the children? That's it? I want a real assignment this time, you promised me a real assignment. You said I passed all of the other tests. I'm sick of babysitting... he said following his father Son I said that you will be on heavier assignments later... Francis said continuing to walk. Or is that just another lie... John said in aggravation as Francis stopped and turned around What did you just say? Francis asked John who was now aware of what he just said. Francis slowly approached John Let me see if I'm correct on what you said....you said "or is that just another lie?" you said that right? John paused for a moment and was hesitant to speak L-look...f-fathe- Francis slapped John in the face.
Tell me....are you in charge here? do my rules not apply to you? You think I'm a liar? he asked his son giving him an intense and intimidating stare. John knew he screwed up once his father made that expression Father...I I didn't me- Francis slapped him again. Excuse me? You need to speak up. You're a man right? You can guide your own step right? Hm? he slapped John again Come on, boy. You seem to know better, let's hear what you have to say... John started to stutter I-I-I... he looked intimidated and scolded like a scared child against a bully. During childhood, he had to be "disciplined by the rod" which brought upon fear towards his father even though he forgotten that until now. Francis was now in his face, hovering over his son to size him up and to see how outspoken he truly was. Being that he was in charge and would not tolerate betrayal nor his authority questioned, he made sure he was putting his son back in his place.
If you have nothing to say, BOY....I suggest you watch your mouth for now on, stop trying to defy my guidance and do your assignment. Do I need to repeat myself? No sir.... John was a little shaken up and averted his eyes before turning around to do as he was told. He motioned for his group to leave with him Come on let go! he said feeling humiliated while he huffed off. The stern expression of Francis stayed plastered while watching his son leave with his team and he himself turned to continue to the vault. They already have a situation at the moment and the last thing they need is to have a morale issue within the congregation. This was war in the eyes of Francis and he was going to need everyone to be on the same page here. Otherwise, everything that he worked for would just end up being for nothing...
Darric was in the basement hitting the bag so as not to hit one of his teammates in his frustration and anger. He was literally knocking the stuffing out of the bag. The sweat was running down the extremely well built man's chest and back as he had been down there for at least two hours. He heard only the slightest noise come from the staircase.
Paige had been asleep when he left to go work off some of the rage. They were going back out tomorrow. He was going to kill Francis tomorrow. He would be ready for him. He would be calculated and cold and it was already a frame of mind for him at the moment. In his current state he didn't stop to look to see who was coming up behind him and he turned letting an uppercut fly towards the person sneaking up on him. They were all aware of how sneaking up on a fighter in training was likely to end so he knew they would be prepared. He didn't expect to turn and see Paige. Her arm went up out of instinct and she blocked his punch but she shrieked at the pain in her back from the sudden movement of the muscles that were injured.
Darric had pulled back at the last second so she only blocked a light punch. He reached over and grabbed her up in a hurry and set her on the couch carefully.
"What the hell are you doing in here? You are supposed to be sleeping. You need to heal." Darric softly scolded her.
Paige winced slightly. "Hey Tarzan, I already know what you are planning and I'm going with you. I want to see him die." Paige was obviously in quite a bit of pain and Darric picked her up and carefully carried her back to her bed and Mike gave her a stronger sedative.
Having been transported away from the Orphanage the teen had a brief opportunity to speak with Blaque. Being out and around others, much less out of her cage, was somewhat overwhelming. And while she voluntarily signed on with her liberators she really had no idea what she was getting into. She did however know what her captors had been attempting to turn her into, a weapon. While they may had accomplished that they never had been able to break her down enough to make her cooperate. Not that she was intentionally aware of it at all times, just that their modifications made it difficult. And yet the freedom she now had didn't feel like it meant much. Without a purpose what did it matter where she was? So perhaps this was her grasping at some kind of meaning in this time of uncertainty.
Existential ramblings aside it wasn't long before Lydia was moved to the Holton Slums base. While she didn't really get the chance to see how to get there she did memorize the turns and had an extremely rough idea of how far they traveled. Not that it meant much at this point. Having never been around Grand Haven or been outside in seven years it was effectively useless information. But that was how her brain worked.
Getting moved into a medical room she awaited an exam. Scrutinizing the room she could already tell it wasn't like the place she'd just come from. Things were relatively clean and kept. Equipment was tools you needed for healing more than for experimentation. It could be used for such but wasn't it's primary purpose. Still Lydia couldn't wait to be somewhere else than on a medical bed being poked and prodded.
Presumably someone would be along for an examination and to talk. Having caught a glance of a few of the members here not all of them were human. So what exactly to expect couldn't be said. In the meantime she wandered the small space, opening, and looking at everything.
Helping Bob hobble out of the orphanage was a trial. Currently he was sitting outside Safe Haven. His one arm was still missing but at least he had mended his face enough to show off. Imagine the face of a civilian after seeing a giant walking around with half his head missing. That would be entertaining at the least.
Priest leaned against a wall in the hallway, eavesdropping on the rest of Blaque's crew. He wanted to help Paige, ease her pain. For Priest this was a treat, a peculiar mood but he figured that she had earned it. Unfortunately he had doubts as to whether Darric would let him. The man was obstinate and stubborn. To let their least-trusted member be next to his loved one would probably push him to violence. This would have to wait, maybe there would be another chance. The ex-con man leaned back against the wall, looked at the ceiling and yawned. Long day.
It hadn't taken NERON long to diagnose the situation - it was clearly some sort of paralytic, but the chemical make-up was unique, and it took him a good deal of sorting through the databanks before he could find any kind of viable solution for the ailment. Luckily, with the facility they kept in the back, there was a good deal of medical supplies for the AI to work with, and within only a few minutes, the girl began to stir, groaning and rubbing at her eyes as the drug wore off, leaving her thoughts blurred.
NERON quickly scanned her for any further medical issues, and coming to a conclusion that she only needed a bit of rest, the machine trudged out of the medical room, shutting the door behind him as he went to sit beside Willard and the other children. The two chidren looked to NERON with fear in their eyes, but after a few kind words from the machine's speakers and Willard's excited smile, they gradually adjusted to the AI's presence.
Jinx
As Jinx's eyes finally opened and the numbness her body felt had all but dissipated, she carefully rolled to her side, sitting up in the dim white light of the room, alone. Diligently, she lifted her hands to her head, the slow pulsating of blood blurring her vision with every beat. A few moments passed before she felt well enough to stand, and nearly as suddenly as she did, her arms reached for the support of the medical table behind her.
"That damned freak..." Jinx's words came out tense, using most of her strength to keep her body from falling to the floor. She glanced back down at her medical gown - Blaque's trench coat had been removed, and was hanging from a hook near the door, which she grasped delicately to put back on. Taking a few deep breaths, Jinx turned the doorknob, exiting into the empty hallway. Wherever the hell she was, it seemed a bit more welcoming than the Orphanage, though there was a bit more dirt on the walls.
Almost like home, Jinx smiled, gazing from one end of the hall to the other, and turned left, walking ever so thoughtlessly down toward the main bar, her left hand sliding against the wall for support. There didn't appear to be any patrons inside, so she slid into a seat at the far end of the bar, propping her head up with one hand, quickly becoming lost in thought.
Priest walked down the hall to check on his golem out front. The lone girl at the bar caught his attention so he paused. "Looks like whatever had you down didn't take." He had seen her briefly when NERON hauled her into a medical room. She definitely seemed more stubborn than the other children. He had a soft spot for orphans, which is why if he ever went into that orphanage he wouldn't have been able to resist shooting each of the culprits to make sure they did no further damage. "What brings you up here, kid?" Priest asked.
Jinx took a good look at the man, intrigued with his kind tone despite his rather outlandish appearance, and smirked a bit in jest. "Not quite sure, mister; can't say I even know where I am. I'm assuming you know that Mr. Blaque fella'?" Jinx was still a fair deal confused of her situation, but still felt like she could let her guard down a bit. Still, she could feel her head swirling still, though it seemed to be getting better.
"You could say I know just as much as everyone else around here. Blaque is.. well. Blaque is like a wall on a house with no door. You can see him and what he does but there's a helluva lot more on the other side. At least that's my impression. He's quite the character." He glanced around to make sure the man in question wasn't present. "You can trust him because he generally already knows all your issues before he talks to you. He's that kind of a guy, which is a good and bad thing I suppose. Especially if you like your secrets like I do." Priest flashed her a goofy smile.
"I always have room for a few more secrets," Jinx grinned in response to the man's smile. "Though, I would like to know, if this isn't too much of a secret - where am I, exactly, and who are you?" Jinx leaned back on the bar stool, lifting it up on two legs in an idle manner, but kept her gaze focused directly into the man's eyes, almost invasively. Though her eyes were only an amber, color, they had a certain shaded glare to them, dimming the light that bounced off of their surface.
"No, this place is no secret even if what we do here is. It's called Safe Haven. A seperation from the outside world to relax, dine and have a drink. You can call me Priest. It's a bit of a homage to what I used to do. I don't use my given name because it draws in certain crowds that have since tried to kill me." Priest scoffed at the thought.
Jinx stared at the man for another moment, biting her lip as she began to lose herself again in thought. Finally, she lowered the stool back down to settle on the weathered wooden floor, and stared up at Priest, her expression settling on quizical. "So, what do you guys end up doing with the other kids? You got 'em out, right? And did Mr. Blaque get that... piece of shit scientist?" Jinx's tone dropped as she spat out those last few words, disgust coating her lips.
"With the way you talk about him I'm sure you and I carry the same opinion of the man." Priest shook his head in response. "Blaque did get the man, but I am unsure what Blaque did with him. I know what I would have done but Blaque doesn't share my perspective or agenda." Priest said.
Jinx sat in silence for a moment, staring off down the hallway behind Priest, her mind becoming clouded again. "I'm not quite sure who to thank for gettin' me here," the girl sighed, before she continued. "And I don't really have anywhere else to go, exactly..." Jinx slumped down in her chair, her next thought weighing heavily on her. And... what ever happened to Pohl? Jinx's eyes glimmered as tears filled into a small pool, but she quickly blinked it away before it could be noticed.
"I think NERON and Willard brought you in here, the robot and the boy." As for staying, this girl should have left with the other children but it seemed NERON was determined to tend her before she went anywhere else. Priest carried on. "Kid, I kind of figured you would be headed somewhere to stay by now. You were drugged or poisoned. Something of the like. So our resident medical bot decided here was better to take care of you. Honestly I'm surprised you're as lively as you are right now. When they brought you in here you were as limp as a dead fish."
Jinx snickered at the man's metaphor, but her tone remained quizzical. "Though I'm not entirely sure if you're the right one to ask," Jinx paused for a moment, as if her next words were difficult to put together, "I was wondering if anything else was brought back from that place... Ya know, besides kids," Jinx's brow furrowed as she looked up at Priest, but her gaze fell as their eyes met briefly.
"And what other thing could that possibly be that you're wondering?" Blaque asked standing by the door frame, looking towards both Jinx and Priest. Blaque left not long after speaking with Darric about Paige. With the box he took from the Orphanage still in hand, Blaque gave a quick analysis on Jinx' condition. "I'm glad you're up though. I meant to thank you for your help. Since we have a moment of peace, I hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions we couldn't get further into back at the orphanage."
Priest acknowledged Blaque with a curt nod. "The head of the snake arrives. I do have something to ask our Fearless Leader. What happened to the dear doctor after our encounter? He bent his head to the side as he took a good look at the box in their leader's arm. "And what are you doing with that old chest?"
Blaque turned to look over to Priest. Not very fond at the moment with his choice of words but he answered regardless. "Let's just say he won't touch anymore children ever again. He's locked away somewhere that I do not wish to specify." The man said and looking down at the box. "This box here, I grabbed it from Caretaker's office after his defeat. I want to know what's in it and why he would keep such a thing in there."
The moment Blaque had entered, Jinx smiled in greeting and nodded in response to answer a few of his questions. As Priest began speaking with Vendetta's leader, Jinx's gaze fell upon the wooden chest in Blaque's hands, sending a jolt down her spine. In a flash, the girl jumped up from her seat, causing the wooden bar stool to clunk down onto the hard floor. "I-- I can't believe--!" the girl stammered out as she stared at the box, a wave of exhaustion washing over her, causing her to grab at the bar for support. No doubt that she would be feeling a bit light-headed, as traces of the paralytic still coursed within her blood. All at once, a flood of emotion swept across her face, as her troubled mind eased with the sight of the small chest. "You... You actually found him!"
"Him?" Priest commented. "What, was Weber holding your hamster for hostage?" He looked at the chest with a gaze of disbelief. Why would Weber need to keep an old locked chest for a little girl in place of simply destroying her old belongings? Priest offered Jinx a hand back to the stool. "Not so fast there. Let me help you out."
Seeing the excitement Jinx displayed upon noticing the box Blaque carried, the man in shades looked down at the box, a little curious as to what he actually found. With Priest helping her up, Blaque examined the box for a moment. It didn't feel like an animal was kept in it. So what the hell was in there? "I knew there was something interesting about this box, but I wondered why Caretaker had it and what it's purpose was."
Jinx eased down onto the stool and placed a hand to her head, letting her vision clear as she calmed down. With a furrowed brow, Jinx shot a glance to Priest. "I didn't really think he'd be okay... I thought they had sold him off, or somehow killed him," Jinx glanced again toward Blaque. "I suppose now is as good a time to tell you... I have, eh, a friend in that box. It's kind of hard to explain," Jinx rubbed her temple gently as she tried to piece together a way to say what was on her mind. "He's, eh, kind of spooky," Jinx snickered softly, and continued. "I guess it'd be easier to just show you, instead of stammering my way through it," Jinx nodded to the box, hoping Blaque would try and open it.
From what she said, Blaque wondered aloud, "You make it sound as if there's some sort of spirit in this box?" He said, trying to open the box for a moment, but with no luck. He could just try and break the box but...
Priest turned back to Blaque. "Bring it over here, it looks like no problem. We can open it right on the counter. I just hope whatever's in it is as lively as our girl here." He passed her a doubtful frown. "For your sake."
Hearing Priest ask Blaque to bring the box over to the counter to open it, Blaque brought it over "This box is sealed tight though; unless you know what to do to get it open, I'm leaving it for you to do so," Standing in front of the box with his arms folded. "Jinx, does your friend have a name?" He asked.
"Y-- yeah..." the girl muttered, locking her fingers together in anticipation. "His name is Pohl," Jinx smiled softly, glancing back and forth from the wooden box to Priest, awaiting eagerly for the magical man to remove whatever seal was placed upon the chest.
The man in question looked over the box without touching. It was simple, a little beaten even. If this was stowed in the doctor's lab, it may have been he didn't even know what it was either. The latch wasn't even closed and locked into place. Priest gave the top of the box a gentle tug, to no avail. He tried a little harder and it didn't do any good. He looked at Blaque and grimaced. "I take it you already tried that?" Priest shrugged and looked at the various designs on the box. "Well, whoever closed this box wasn't relying on glue or iron to keep it that way." He looked more closely on the set of symbols that peaked the box. "I feel as if I've seen this before. It appears to be Chinese characters but I cannot be sure of whether or not they trapped it." Priest picked the box up and held it snug under his arm. "Will you help the girl, Blaque? We need to take this upstairs. No point sullying our front room." He hauled it upstairs to his room and placed it in the middle of the floor.
Waiting and watching, Blaque witnessed Priest pretty much do what Blaque already did as the bald crime fighter kept his arms cross giving Priest the look of 'no shit, Sherlock' expression on his face. Being asked to help Jinx, Blaque immediately walked over to her "Come on, I got you..." having her support her weight onto him. Helping her up the stairs, Blaque spoke for a moment "How did you a Pohl meet? What can he do?" he asked her.
"I guess..." Jinx began, pausing to adjust herself as they approached the top of the steps, "He tells me that he's always been around, ya know? I mean, just kind of lingering, really. Then, he finally showed up..." her voice trailed off, an obvious pain in her eyes. "Well, there was this one night, something happened, and he appeared and, eh, took me in his arms, and he's been following me around ever since." Jinx snickered a bit under her breath, though it did little to mask the pain in her voice as she fumbled through her explanation.
Clearing her throat, Jinx smiled up at the bald man, and continued. "But, eh, he's great! He doesn't really do much, except talk about all this weird history stuff, though sometimes he'll help me out in a fight, if I really need him. But, he's nice! And you don't really gotta worry about him getting in the way or anything," Jinx giggled again at her last comment. "You probably think he's, like, a ghost or something. But he isn't - not really. He does a lot of business with ghouls and spooks and all that, but I don't think he was ever alive enough to die, ya know?" she glanced up at Blaque, a childish grin spread across her lips.
Blaque looked at her with the responses she made as if she wasn't making any sense but he took in the information regardless "You make it sound as if he took your virginity that night you two met," he said with a serious but curious expression on his face. Seeing the pain she was obviously felt, he was going to ask if she needed to stop but he figured if she needed anything, she'll just say so.
As Blaque spoke, Jinx's eyes widened in surprise. "N-- no!! Oh, gosh no, that would be way too weird!" Jinx felt her face redden, and tried her best to gather up her thoughts. "No, it-- it was, like, eh, he grabbed me, with his whole body-- he, um, absorbed me, I guess?" Jinx glanced up at Blaque's face for a brief moment, before fixing her gaze upon the floorboards. "I know it probably doesn't make sense, but, he grabbed me with his entire body, and then I was transported into this other realm," Jinx took a deep breath before carefully looking back into the man's face. "Um, Mr. Blaque," she eased her way through each word, "what do you know about... Purgatory?"
After explaining what happened, Blaque still felt that what she was saying sounded like a spirit being raped her but he shrugged it off. In the end, sounds like Pohl took her as a new host or vessel and possessed her. She claimed he was friendly and he was going to believe her for the moment. Blaque usually don't deal with spirits. They were at the top of the stairs now and Blaque thought about her next question. "Hmm... Never really thought much about it... Just knowing it's either a state or place where sinners try and atone for their sins before going to heaven... As some people say or believe," he said.
Jinx stood for a moment with Blaque at the top of the stairs, collecting her thoughts before she spoke. "Well, that's where Pohl took me," she stopped for a moment, glanced about, then continued. "Purgatory isn't as weird as people think, ya know. It isn't this dark, spooky, twisting hallway of jail cells or anything like that. Its more like the real world, 'cept everything is colored all black and white," finally the girl stopped, and nodded to Priest's room. "I think if your magician can open up the box, Pohl would probably be better at telling you all this stuff than I would," Jinx took a deep breath, and turned toward the doorway, determined to walk the rest of the way on her own.
Priest's room was pretty empty. There was a comfy chair, a single bed and a foldable desk with a laptop on it. It was after all not his actual home but served as a place to stay during missions. "Find a spot while I work." He advised as he moved the furniture clear from the middle of the room and began drawing a circle on the ground with chalk from his pocket. "Don't go getting any strange ideas now. I just prefer not being questioned so I'll explain before anyone gets the wiser." Priest finished his circle, a simple thing with several small characters in four spots that could be considered corners. "This will hold whatever magic or entities comes out. I don't particularly like the idea of exploding or sporting extra limbs before bed." He went over to his laptop and opened it up, quickly surfing onto the net. "Welcome to the magic of tomorrow. No longer does one need to have a vast library when you can just put it on a computer! A Russian mail-order bride popped up in advertisement, covering the screen. Priest scooted uncomfortably in the way of Jinx's view and arduously closed everything but what he was looking for. "Yeah.. magic of tomorrow.." He mumbled, if you can sort through all the filth.
"Aha! Gotcha." He announced enthusiastically before spinning the laptop to face them. It was a flat picture of the same set of symbols etched into the top of the chest. Priest looked at them over an awkward silence with that same silly grin. "It's kanji! They're Chinese characters adopted by Japan. So what we have here is onmyo magic." He let his smile slowly slip with the sudden realization. "Unfortunately I don't know how onmyo magic works, only that they apparently used it to fight and seal away demons and spirits.. The good news is that we've confirmed that this Pohl of yours, Jinx, -- is not a hamster..."
"I coulda told you that," the girl scoffed, before pondering over what else Priest had said. Staring at the wooden box for a moment, Jinx let out a sigh, then let her disappointment come forth. "So, what you're saying is, you don't know how to open it?" the pale-skinned teen let her brow furrow, a tinge of sadness layered on top of her voice.
Priest suddenly postured up, looking his usual arrogant self. "Now don't you go thinking I have no plan." Despite his lapse of knowledge in this area someone had just dangled a mystery in this magic man's face that needed to be solve. "Most sealing magic has one thing in common. A physical manifestation with a magical background. In other words, the symbol with magic willed into it. Damaging the symbol could weaken the magic. I have a hunch these kanji were supposed to keep something inside rather than keep an outside presence from entering. That may have been an alteration or afterthought." Priest paused his rant to produce a pocket knife, offering it to Jinx. "It's your box, just make the kanji illegible and the seal should burst."
Jinx sat for a moment beside Priest, reaching out to grab at the small blade, and, grasping up the box, stood upright, letting Blaque's long black coat droop to her feet. Staring down at the wooden chest, Jinx took a deep breath as the knife hung idly in her other hand, then with light feet stepped into the circle in the middle of the room. Priest extended a hand to the circle as the girl entered it, willing his own sealing circle to close. There was an audible pop in the room as the shimmer of magic circled to the seal. It looked like the wall of a soapy bubble. Priest smiled at Jinx. "Just in case."
Jinx turned her head at the sound of the pop, scowling a bit as she faintly saw the magic shield surround the strange Priest, but quickly refocused her attention upon the case that held her companion. Gingerly, the girl adjusted the small pocket knife in her hand to be aimed down toward the symbols upon the aged wood, and began etching away. As the first kanji character began to turn more into a mess of scratch marks, she felt a strange pulse coming from the wooden chest, almost similar to a heartbeat, but arrhythmic. Another character was scraped away, and the box shook a bit in her grasp, along with a faint whistling that seemed to emit from the latch. With each character that was removed, the shaking became more violent, and the sounds that escaped from the box grew louder and increasingly shrill, until it had thrashed from her hands and crashed onto the floor, emitting a great BANG!
Jinx dropped to her knees and caught the box beneath her arm, struggling as she dug away at the last of the kanji. At this point, there was a screeching and low rumble that filled the room, and the girl had to put her entire weight upon the container to keep it from lunging out of the circle. Finally, in a burst of light, Jinx was thrown from the circle across the room, a great thundering CLAP escaping into the hall and filling the whole of Safe Haven, the box's latch burst off and the lid of the chest swung open. A booming roar, almost demonic in tone, shouted out from the small, blackened space that filled the box, casting a great shadow into the light that had been bouncing off of the walls.
Finally, as the echo died and the brightness dimmed, there within the circle stood a darkened figure, which seemed to absorb the light from around it, holding no true form and growing and shrinking again and again. Finally, from the darkness of the form, what seemed to be a long, thick brown stick appeared, and was lifted to the top of the figure, the tip sparking an ember-glow, smoke escaping from both ends. The shade began taking shape and filling with color, until what appeared to be a man stood before them all in the center of the circle, tall and thin, with gray skin and a dark brown suit. His face was young though sunken, and most notable were the two dark, beady holes that filled the spaces where eyes would have been.
"Ailis," the spirit's voice was gentle and distinguished, and surprisingly clear, though there was still a strange tone to it that made it sound not quite human. Jinx jumped to her feet and ran over, embracing the spirit which seemed to tower above her. Seemingly surprised, it lowered one hand onto the girl's head and let out a sigh, shifting its gaze to the two men in the room. "And these are...?" Sounding quizzical, the spirit, who could only be Pohl, lifted his free hand to his lips and removed the cigar, breathing out a large cloud of blackish-gray smoke into the air, which seemed to disappear as it lifted above his head.
The girl pulled away from the spirit and nodded to each figure as she spoke. "Pohl, this is Blaque, the man who saved me from the orphanage, and Priest, the man who figured out how to get you out of that box," rubbing the tears away that had pooled around her eyes, Jinx stood silently smiling as the spirit began, "Gentlemen, I thank both of you immensely for the services you've done for myself and for my little Jinx," gazing back toward the girl, he muttered quietly to himself, "orphanage?", then continued. "There's no way I know which could express my gratitude in a proper manner, but know that I am deeply indebted to both of you, and if ever you would need me, I shall be waiting." The spirit bowed low, and as he rose, replaced the cigar upon his lips.
"I imagine you both have many questions, but come, I would assume after the show I had put on, there would be a few other souls in this establishment who would be aware of our presence. Shall we go to meet them?" The spirit glanced down toward the circle around his feet, and frowned. "Though, I suppose I wouldn't be going anywhere so long as I am bound here. Ah, escape one prison, only to fall in another. Pity," fixing a grin upon his lips, Pohl let his gaze fall upon Priest. "I can understand your precaution, though I figure it would be safe to say that I cannot harm you, unless Jinx would will it," the spirit glanced down toward the girl, then looked back toward the sorcerer. "Would I be asking too much of you to allow me leave of this seal?"
Priest was on edge the whole time, at one point his hand even drifted to the inside of his coat to do what one might imagine would be done when threatened. Of course drawing a gun on a ghost didn't seem like a very reasonable thing. Reasonable? It was a ghost. Most people would be driven to panic just to witness this spectacle. He finally relaxed a little but wasn't about to let his guard down. "Letting an unknown element like you walk free in this place during such a time seems like a bad idea." He mused, pacing around the circle. Priest pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He peered down at the sobbing girl and grimaced. With a shake of the head he finally approached the circle. "This goes against my better judgement." Using his shoe he scuffed the chalk and broke the circle. The shield shimmered and fell to the floor like a fine mist. "You're lucky I have a soft spot for orphans." He glared at the spirit. "Just don't forget I have no reason to trust you and I know how you wound up in there so don't make me exercise that power." He grumbled and walked out of the room.
"A gentle tone just isn't what it used to be, it seems," Pohl smirked as he turned his gaze toward the opening in the circle, gracefully lifting one leg across where the chalk used to connect, placed his foot down gingerly, and followed through with the rest of his body, stretching his arms as he stood outside of where the seal was. Looking to Blaque, Pohl nodded in thanks, then followed Jinx out of the room and down the stairs, toward the main bar beneath them.
Witnessing the little show of releasing this spirit, Blaque quietly observed what was going on. Even though he was told that this new acquaintance was not harmful, Blaque was still ready to use his paranormal ammo just in case he needed to keep the spirit in check. With the booming sounds that were made upon freeing the spirit being, Blaque honestly was not afraid but more cautious towards it not knowing if it would actively attack them for the sake of "protecting" his friend/host.
With a stern expression and simply nodded to the gratitude Pohl expressed, Blaque responded I'm going to trust you...for now. You're welcome here along with Jinx but aside from Jinx, if you give us a reason not to trust you, well...you already know the statement Priest mentioned. Not to mention the weapon Blaque can use to defend himself against the spirit. Anyway...I have some things I need to take care of. Make yourself at home and feel free to meet the others. I'll check on your both later. Blaque said leaving his coat for Jinx to continue using.
Blaque started to head down stairs until hearing the beeping of his personal messaging system in his watch. Of course, another development that Moretti wanting to bring to the attention of Blaque to handle. Depending on what it was, it would either have to wait or he'd just send one of his employees to handle it. This Francis situation was his main priority at this moment. Walking down the hall he passed through the medical area passing where Paige was before, taking a look inside and then moved along to catch one of the new faces.
Stopping and staring at the female, Blaque remembered seeing her You're one of the kids from the bunker in the orphanage. Am I correct? He asked.
Safe Haven - Medical Room Having rummaged through anything even remotely interesting, Lydia had begun putting everything back in its place. This process was quite meticulous as she tried to put each item just as she found it. Obviously this took some time but while she was busy the loud bang reverberated through the halls. The sudden noise caused her to jump. In a brief moment of panic she discharged arcs of electricity which scorched small lines on the counter she was standing by. This new environment had her on edge as is and loud noises didn't help.
Sparking and crackling for a minute afterward the girl poked her head out of the room. Someone was coming, she could feel it in the air. Taking a step back she readied herself for anything. Much to her relief, at least at the moment anyway, the one in the hall turned out to be Blaque. The electricity that had been building visibly traveled down her body and dissipated into the floor. That was one down side to her powers, a charge tended to build up particularly in stressful situations. Yet another reason why she was held in a faraday cage.
Despite being asked a question the electrokinetic first put a few more things back before acknowledging being addressed. Turning back to Blaque she observed his demeanor. Not that it had said much up to this point, but he didn't appear particularly stressed per se. She would need to get close enough to touch him to be sure. Moving closer it occurred to her that she was asked a question. Stopping short she finally spoke. "Yes." An uncomfortable pause followed before being broken again. "What was that noise just a while ago?" Not fond of being in such a small room any longer she stepped out and started walking down the hall.
Darric had made a decision. He was taking Paige and they were going to go on the honeymoon they never got to take. He hadn't decided yet how long it would be. He just knew that they needed time to regroup, heal and reconnect the way that they should be. He had already packed the car. Putting the envelope with the letter to Blaque and the extra set of keys on Blaque's desk he closed the door and walked towards medical. Darric picked up the bag of medicine that Mike had given him and shoved it into his pocket. Pulling the tickets out he showed Paige and smiled. "Ready baby?" Paige was near tears. They were really going to go away together.
"Finally, we can tell people that we are married." Darric chuckled at her comment.
"If you want you can shout it off of the roof top. I however, am taking you to a caribbean island for at least six weeks or maybe six months." He helped her get off of the bed and slipped her shoes on and they walked slowly out of the bar's back entrance.
Whenever Blaque reads the letter it says
Hey Blaque,
I've decided that Paige and I need some time away. She needs to physically and emotionally heal. Me? Well I need to take some time off and be with my wife. We never even got a honeymoon so that is what we are going to do. Honestly, I'm not sure if we'll be back or not but I'll let you know when we get back into the country. Be safe and make them pay!
After only a few games of monopoly, Willard quickly found himself to be exceptionally bored - these other children certainly weren't very good at this game at all, and seemed more fascinated by the miniature figures and making up their own rules, which only irritated the boy all the more. Eventually, having grown tired of the game and tired of the children, he excused himself from the game room and walked into the meeting room behind the bar, withdrew the drape that covered his own bedroom, and settled down onto his child-size bed, withdrawing the in-ear microphone that he had been given for the mission from his pocket, and set it next to a few other of his keepsakes - an old mp3 player that had worked a while ago, a deck of cards from a plethora of different pre-war card games, an antique He-Man action figure, and a picture of mom, dad, and himself, which was faded and bent.
Lifting the Polaroid image in his small hands, Willard sat back against the wall and stared into the picture for a moment, pondering lightly as to how his "parents" were doing. He had been restricted from visiting them after he had been taken away by Blaque, leaving them behind in a gloomy and run-down part of Grand Haven. Though it wasn't nearly as decimated and crime-ridden as the Duval District, Willard still worried if they were safe, once asking Blaque when he could visit them again. It would be a while longer, he had been told, and so Willard waited, wondering just how much time was in "a while longer".
Willard's focus was broken as a large banging noise erupted from above, causing the single light dangling from the ceiling to flicker and shake. The boy sat in silence, gazing up as dust fell upon him, a low rumbling coming from the room above his. He replaced the picture in the corner of the room, and stepped out into the back room. Just as he did so, the rumbling ceased, leaving him standing silently as he waited for any further noise. After a while, Willard walked over to the door separating the bar from the back room, and, opening it just slightly, peered out, watching as Priest descended the stairs and left. A short time later, two other figures came down the stairs, and placed themselves next to the bar.
That's the girl from the orphanage. Willard watched carefully as the girl, still clad in Blaque's coat, hopped onto a bar stool and sat quietly as the other figure stood beside her and began speaking. Willard inched the door open just a tad bit more to try and get a better look at who was talking, but whoever it was had stood just beyond the boy's sight. Hearing another set of footsteps come down the stairs, Willard turned his gaze toward Blaque, who had begun making his way down the hall toward another medical room. As the man in shades disappeared from vision, Willard refocused on the pair, unaware of the eerie silence that had settled in the main room.
"Come out from hiding, child; there is no reason to be afraid," the voice of what sounded to be a man cut through the air, startling Willard as his presence was discovered. Slowly and cautiously, the young boy stepped out from behind the door, eyes cast upon the floor as it shut behind him. The girl had turned her gaze to look upon the pale young boy, hair white as snow, covered in light, baggy clothes. "You need not worry, young one, we mean you no harm," the voice drew Willard's gaze toward the source, causing the boy to stand in silent terror at the sight. The man, gray in complexion and with small, round eyes, had no color that Willard could see. The boy blinked, and blinked again - there was nothing beyond his "normal" appearance, no aura to be read, no feelings to predict.
"You - you're the boy that was with the robot, right?" the girl drew Willard's attention away from the colorless man. He stood motionless for a moment, then nodded, which seemed to please the girl, as she smiled in response. "What's your name? Can you speak?" Noticing how silly he must have looked, Willard began, "M-- my name's Willard, miss," he looked from the girl to the gray man, then back to the girl. "What 'er yours'?"
The girl grinned, amused by the child's response. "I'm Jinx," then, pointing a thumb toward her companion, "my spooky friend here is Pohl," then with the same hand, she beckoned Willard forward. "I promise he won't eat you or anything!" Jinx laughed, though Pohl's face remained expressionless. Hesitantly, Willard stepped away from the wall behind the bar and stood before the two, pressing his hands against his sides. Glancing back toward Pohl, the boy noticed something peculiar - the gray man didn't have a shadow. His brow furrowing, Willard looked up into the man's beady eyes, which were fixed upon his own.
"Oh, all you're doing is frightening him," Jinx snickered, hopping from the stool and crouching down, eyes level with the child. "So, Willard, how old are you?" Jinx asked kindly, trying her best to keep the boy from focusing too much on the spirit behind her. "Ten," Willard spoke softly, gazing into Jinx's amber eyes. Jinx stared back, a bit intrigued by the way the boy's eyes almost glowed, and was almost tempted to ask about them, until Pohl piped up behind her.
"Another soul comes to meet us," the spirit's voice danced across the air with the smoke from a new cigar, playfully skipping and flowing through the open space of the bar, until it dissipated into nothing. Jinx lifted her head to observe a teenage girl, perhaps close in age to herself, walk to the end of the hallway, her own gaze seemingly distant. Standing upright, Jinx placed a hand upon the bar, raising an eyebrow at the other girl, waiting for her to make the first move. Willard turned his head, feeling a bit out of place in his own home with the new people inside of it. Unsure of what to do, he remained still, Jinx and Pohl at one side, the new girl on the other.
Safe Haven Not the most interesting place in the world thus far. But beggars can't be choosers. It was far better than being locked up. Everyone else moved in a particular direction. Seeming a reasonable option she followed to see where they were all headed. Coming to the end of the hall she entered a room. Someone must have alerted them to her coming because they were already staring when she entered. Eyes darting from one to the next she studied each.
While she observed many things about them, most of them didn't seem all that important to her. There was young child, Willard, who seemed to be just a bit nervous. There was little telling why at this point. Perhaps he came from the Orphanage as well, she saw many children being moved out. Perhaps the striking green eyes was the most noticeable feature aside from his age.
Her eyes rolled over to the spirit. What was he anyway? Aside from obvious differences in appearance he didn't give off the same signals other people did. Admittedly she knew very little about mystical beings and the like. Somehow this didn't really bother her so much in its own right. So long as he wasn't out to harm her who or what he was didn't matter. If anything it made her more curious. So what if he looked dead and didn't have eyes.
This of course brought her to the one person in the room that she actually recognized. "You made it out." Stopping she tried to remember the name. It didn't come right away and she walked closer to the three of them. Reaching down she lightly ruffled Willard's hair despite not having introduced herself. At the very least though her mood was pleasant, if not a little weak. Drumming a finger against her cheek she glanced at Jinx again. "I remember seeing you. They put you in a pod. I don't remember what they called you though. That was a long time ago."
Jinx silently stared at the girl as she approached, intrigued by her familiarity, though she didn't seem to recall who the new girl was. Looking her up and down, Jinx locked eyes with her as she spoke of the pod, putting Jinx a bit on edge. "You're from the orphanage too, then?" Jinx noticed Willard take a small step back, though it seemed more to give the two of them a bit more room, as he still remained close by. "Yeah, I was in one of those pods. You can call me Jinx. I imagine that's all they called me there, too, unless they came up with some sort of codename for me."
Finding the pockets on Blaque's coat, Jinx subtly pressed her hands into them, leaning gently against the bar to try and relax her nerves. It wasn't so much that she disliked this new face, but rather felt a bit uncomfortable with her knowing about the condition she had been in. "I can't say I remember you at all, though. Figures, since I was in that pod for most of the time." Fixing a grin upon her lips, Jinx quietly scanned the girl again, assessing her body language and general demeanor, trying to figure out whether she was friend or foe. "And what should I call you?"
After speaking to Lydia for a moment and giving a simple answer of what the noise was, Blaque needed to be excused for a moment to head to his office to see what their next step would be as far as dealing with Francis. What he did notice was a letter and a set of keays on his desk, reading what came from Darric. Blaque couldn't blame them for needing to leave for a while, he was basically responsible for allowing Paige to take up such a job. For now, would they need to hang back from dealing with Francis? Or take him down now? Or...simply leave it alone all together? They've already come this far.
Maybe Blaque and a few chosen others could take the fight to them and the rest of the team could do whatever missions they want. Blaque was not going make anyone be part of this unless they really wanted to. He may have gained 2...well....3 new members but at the cost of losing 2. Whatever he was going to have to do now, they were going to tread carefully. It has been a while since he contacted Gil...
Safe Haven Taking a seat at the bar she picked up an empty glass and examined it casually. For a while there it didn't look like she was going to acknowledge that she was being spoken to. However she snapped back into the moment and turned the stool toward Jinx. Leaning forward Lydia could tell she was being read. Or as much so as her slightly erratic behavior allowed. "Yes I was at the orphanage. Kept me locked up to poke and prod until you showed up." She grinned slightly and sat up straight with her face taking on a more naturally dull expression. "The doctor always had his favorite of the week. I won't miss that attention. He's not dead is he?"
Trailing off in her own thoughts again she studied Pohl absently. He was a rather peculiar individual. Sadly Lydia didn't have a good way to categorize what she was looking at. Ghost? No that didn't seem to fit exactly. Spirit of some kind might make more sense. At the very least everyone appeared calm around him so there was little reason to believe he has ill intentions. Despite not looking at Jinx she responded to the question. "I am Lydia. It's nice to finally get the chance to meet you face to face."
Glancing back toward Pohl, Jinx let out a small sigh as she noticed Lydia focus her attention upon her spooky companion. "If you really want to know, his name's Pohl, and yeah, he's a spirit," Jinx let her eyes fall back upon Lydia's face, scrunching them together as the corners of her mouth curled into a deviant grin. "Don't worry, he only attacks if I give him the command - he's such a good boy."
Pohl observed the interaction between the two teen girls with subtle content, not particularly enthused, but calm nevertheless. Hearing Jinx's remark, the spirit shifted his dead gaze to the girl he was bound to, and spoke. "I'd prefer it if you didn't refer to me as if I am but a mere mutt. You know just as well as I that I don't have to fight anyone unless I choose to. You just act as my catalyst, and I act as yours," Pohl shifted his feet slightly, reaching his hand into his coat to withdraw a shiny, glossed oaken pipe and place it in his mouth. With a snap of his fingers over the top of the bowl, the contents inside lit ablaze, bringing a thick black smoke into the air of the room that dissipated as it lifted above the spirit's head.
Jinx scowled as Pohl spoke, swatting away her attempted intimidation as if it were but a pesky fly. "W-- well, regardless, if I was in need of you're assistance, I know you wouldn't hesitate to help me!" Tapping her fingers upon the bar, Jinx continued speaking to Lydia. "Well, I hate to say it, but I can't say that I remember you. I don't remember much of anyone, or anything, from that place, save for those damn needles. Guess it had something to do with that ass of a scientist keeping me in that pod thing for... Shit, it really was a whole year," Jinx lifted her arms to lean her back against the bar, kicking one foot against a stool next to her. Doing the math in her head, she landed finally on seventeen - how old she was, if she matched the dates right. She had been captured shortly prior to her sixteenth birthday, and had spent at least a month being prodded and poked, but was finally put in a pod after she proved too difficult to deal with, and newer patients came in.
Closing her eyes, Jinx took a deep breath, leaning her head back as she pondered to herself quietly. After just a short time, Jinx opened her eyes again, stared up at the ceiling, then glanced over to Lydia with a rather bored expression. "As far as I know, the doctor is still kicking, but I think he's locked up. Doesn't really give me much ease, but I trust Mr. Blaque," Jinx noticed Willard's eyes shift at the mention of Vendetta's leader, as if he finally found an interest in the conversation, but continued on. "I gotta admit, I had figured this place to be a bit more lively, with superheroes and such all flying around, but I guess I shoulda known better," Jinx snickered, finally placing her hands and hopping up to sit on the counter. Letting out a yawn, the girl twisted her neck to stretch, unsure of how to continue on with the conversation. Pohl remained standing and smoking, once fumbling around in his pocket to withdraw a small black container with which he opened and poured what looked to be a dark black ash into the bowl of his pipe, which he again lit and began smoking.
"So," Jinx finally began, "Most of the kids left already, right? Why are you still here?" Jinx looked quizzically toward Lydia, pondering to herself where Blaque and Priest had both gone to.
