[IC] Royal Rumble: Rumble over the Heavens

[Lewascan2]

Chinami Nadakai

@Dezuel@Letter Bee

Chinami was out the door not a second after acknowledging Reverio's gratitude with a mild nod. She barely paid attention to anything else he was saying, by now certain that if she allowed herself to care, it would simply stoke her risen temper unreasonably higher. Besides, even then, she'd managed to grasp the cliff notes through her Spirit's partially manifested hearing.

Rotten world this. Survivor's guilt that. People are liars, and no amount of beauty in the world can overcome the ugliness. Words dripping with pessimism, with a frank inability to let go of the past and focus on the future. Wallowing in regrets and stagnating in obsession. There was no use in pining over a perfect world. That was an unrealistic dream, fit only to drive the dreamer to ruin. Humanity's nature was ambition, and there was no future where humanity lived in blissful harmony. That was impossible. Such a world... could only come about by way of grand scale tyranny... or a lack of humanity entirely. Chinami frankly couldn't think of anything she'd like less than to "dine" with Reverio now or in the future... Well, except maybe dining with Suzakura, but at least the latter had the advantage of having shared the same air during lunch at Kiburi's and so had some level of precedent.

It was a truly strange thought to realize that she might actually be the optimistic one between herself and Reverio, despite their outward presentations. When it came right down to it, they were disturbingly inverted mirrors. He seemingly saw only a glass half full, beauty overshadowed by ugliness. Flowery words and false hope spewed from him, poisoning the results. As he had said, far too many people wore masks, shadowed their intent and actual beliefs. Not so many as he seemed to think, but many nonetheless. One might wonder at the hypocrisy of wearing such a mask himself however...

She instead saw the ugliness of the world and humanity for what it was, wasn't surprised, and accepted that imperfection, content to seek the silver lining, to carve her own limited corner of peace. She didn't need to obsess over making the world into some idealized caricature. She only needed to improve what surrounded her personally, only when necessary and without coming at an innate cost to others at large. She preferred brutal honesty, speaking her mind. After all, she too was frustrated with the lies everywhere she looked, but how could she call herself truly dissatisfied if she didn't live up to her own words? So, maybe she was rude, and prickly -a bitch really, and more than a little volatile to the point that she would kill for her ideals... but she liked what she liked and hated what she hated. She'd say so upfront without shame, all but shouting her beliefs from the rooftops, and if others disagreed? Tough. They were free to be as incorrect as they liked. She despised lying, so when it came down to it, she preferred to stay silent instead. Even when her words conveyed falsities, her tone would more often than not make it perfectly clear how genuine she was about them.

She wondered how Reverio felt, to meet a person like her. She wondered if that discordant image clashed with his world view in new and amusing ways. What would it do to him to meet someone who was honest about their ugliness? Would he reconsider his position that humanity should be more honest if all that would do is create a world of honest selfishness? Somehow, Chinami could only think that such a realization would merely make him double down on his foolishness harder. He seemed like the type.

Consumed by her thoughts, her pace was languid, enough so that Ken quickly passed her by on his way to make his own departure. Apparently, his parents seemed to be picking him up this time as well. Shaking her head, Chinami's pace slowed until Ken's family was well out of sight... and then she turned on her heel. Adopting a brisk stride, she glanced around for onlookers and, seeing none, made her way around the side of the apartment complex, sticking close to the wall while retracing her path within on the outside. And after a minute, she came to a halt and tilted her head, before her Spirit launched her up to grab hold of and lever herself onto the second story of the fire escape stairwell on the side of the building.

"Good enough?" she muttered quietly, glancing around again and nodding at the seeming lack of observers.

"25 meters... Sufficient," was her only reply, as Chinami leaned up against the building, out of sight of easy observance from the windows, extracting her phone from her pocket. Frowning at the idea of how fast this might be moving, she settled in for what might end up being all too short a wait. The fact that the strange man in her soul had stated that Reverio's foolishness was backed with a frighteningly immediate will to act left her with little choice in whether or not to be done with matters concerning him today.

And so, she waited and listened.

[Dezuel]

Orpheuz Paladice

The peace, if there was such a thing had been disturbed by a hulking brute which had decided to take on everyone within his reach. The loud noise caused by said combatant was causing people to stumble, to grab their ears in pain or flee the scene. The girl which he had spoken with prior, Andras had even tumbled into the pinkhaired one which he had momentarily spoken with. It may have been an odd sight, but Orpheuz didn't raise his hands to his ears like most others, and once he pinned down the source he merely shook his head in reply.

'That will sadly not work on me anymore. I have changed. The rules have changed. This brute however... those who cannot control the power do not deserve the power. A strong body without a strong will is doomed to crumble. I suppose he may still fill the role of a training dummy to the rest... If this world will turn in the same manner mine did then every little bit will help.' Orpheuz mused in his head, as he watched Vera tending to some other girl. Andras had already dashed away or so it would seem.

'A premonition of what is to come. I'll find the source and destroy it this time for certain, rest assured my comerades lost in time...' Orpheuz stood still watching the scene, a part of him felt that he should help them. But what then would they learn if he just went in and took care of things in their stead? That would be counter-productive. Another figure, a masked individual had entered the fray aswell, hurling out numbers. It reminded him of these boardgames that some library visiting students had been overly fond of. Those things were far too geeky for someone like him, even if he was fond of things involving strategy and tactics. 'Some unfamiliar faces, even some who cover it alltogether. Perhaps some of them will be of use in the coming battle...' As the scenery played out before him, he just stood there and watched the battle play out. Yet ready to lunge in if someone was about to be outright slain.

'Can you feel it at our core? The familiarity. We are home, yet away. I know you cannot answer me anymore, even if we are now one and the same. Just you wait. I will save you. I will save all of you. I will turn our dream into reality...' Orpheuz raised his right hand and turned it into a fist, as if he was grasping another's hand. Another whose hand was no longer there.

[Dezuel]

Reverio Galand

Once both Chinami and Ken had left his apartment, the young blonde closed the door behind them. Well. That had gone alot worse than he expected it to. He felt disappointed as he would have liked to keep Ken and Chinami around. But fate had not been kind to the former king, it was almost as if the gods themselves were slowly guiding him down a road he doesn't want to go. But nontheless feeling like he has to.

What possible good could he do in the world that would weigh up for his brother's sacrifice? What possible good could outshine the evil that seemingly was drowning the world? Ken had been hopeful about the world, especially Rhea, noting it was the place of heroes and villains alike. But how could good permit evil to exist? Wouldn't that also make those good people evil themselves? To think about it all was causing his head to hurt. He knew there was beauty in the world, things to see and enjoy. Yet there were always those who were prepared to bring all that joy into ruin.

'I would have liked nothing more than have been the one to have died back then. Why did you do it my brother? All I needed to have was my duty, my princess and you being well... and I couldn't even hold unto any of the three.' He mentally lamented as his fingers rose up to the bridge of his nose.

Had he'd been wrong in telling his past to Ken and Chinami? He didn't feel like it was the wrong thing. He wanted to be clear with them, but also have someone walking beside him. And everything was pulling at him down towards a darker path, he could feel how wrong the thoughts were, how he wanted nothing more than someone to strike him down before he could do it. But then... what would his brother have died for? The world hasn't changed one bit by his death. Not for the better.

His homeland was now under the rule of Emperor Valois, who had turned the entire nation into a war factory. It would surely only be a matter of time before a great war would break out between the various nations of the world. All the suffering and loss caused by wars. Just how many people would have to die for the world to be peaceful and where people could understand oneanother?

Perhaps the dream was just a dream. Something unobtainable. Or was it? What options were there? To mount a symbol of fear above the head of everyone and threaten the world itself like some god of fear? Release the great evil itself to unify all under one banner against a common foe? But if the great evil would be defeated... how long would it take for the world to repeat the same mistakes again? His head sunk down and he sat down in his armchair. What if the great evil would end all life? Wouldn't that mean peace? But then... none would live to experience it.

'What manner of sin must I commit for the sake of the world? All of these are... the same as letting evil exist. Because it results in the same. I would become evil myself. Perhaps I am evil? Would an evil person ask themselves this? Doubt. How it follows me like a shadow...' He momentarily closed his eyes.

'If you were still alive my brother, what would you have told me?' He thought before his mouth opened.

"Live your life, free with joy. Such was the prince's final ploy..." He said in a solemn manner with his head sunk, his blonde hair falling over his eyes obscuring them.

"How can I do what you ask, when there is no joy left for me? I was blind when I sat on the throne, I was letting my joy blind me and that's how I failed you all. I don't deserve to be happy. But the world deserves better. But how will I be able to do it? Where is the key needed to open the door to a better world? Does it even exist? Is this my punishment then? To live on? Like this? Unable to do anything? No. I've been inactive for most of my life. Never again. I must move on..." He breathed in and out heavily as he considered all the thoughts swirling around in his head like a whirlwind.

'Someone. Somewhere. Hurry up and kill me before I do it. Someone end this pain forever. Let me go to my brother while I am still myself.' He closed his eyes as hard as he could and gritted his teeth together, before finally relaxing his entire face.
'No... this is selfish. I don't deserve to... I need to find out more about the great evil. Could perhaps someone control it? A mortal vessel? It would consume me completely. I am not strong enough. But perhaps there's someone else who could become the symbol of evil and through that unify the world? A being or perhaps an artifact capable of storing the great evil itself? But how is this any different from becoming a tyrant? Become a tyrant but bring peace to the world? Is this what I must become? The very thing they labeled me in my homeland? Become the tyrant they all saw? I need to learn more of the great evil before I decide. Still on with the doubt? Will I ever be free of it?' Rev furrowed his eyebrows before opening his eyes and stood up from his armchair, he knew where he had to go. To the Rhean grand library. To search for knowledge of the darker beings of the world. There were books, tomes and old scrolls locked away deep within the grand library no doubt. But to enter such a place was no easy task, not to mention the librarian, but traps and wards to prevent those of evil intent from easily obtaining it. But what about people who wanted to do good? What about those? There were many who hunted the beings of the dark and sought information on how to battle them. Surely they had access. Perhaps he would find a way once there, if nothing else perhaps some fresh air could help to clear the swirling thoughts in his head.

The blonde then opened the door leading out of his apartment, then he locked it behind him. But not before giving his bird companion some food and water, and leaving the window open for fresh air and a way to escape if there was accidental fire or if he wouldn't be able to return. The former king considered his travelling options, he could fly over to the place, it would give a more scenic route too. Thus he manifested his powers of light and spectral looking wings spread out as he took up into the air and watched the city of Rhea from above, soaring higher and higher up. He could see the parks, the lakes, the unique architechture of the buildings below, of people wandering about in their daily lives.

"It's beautiful..." He smiled but shortly afterwards had it turn into a frown and he shook his head. "But evil can hide in the light too... hnn... I cannot afford to be blinded again." He gave a disgusted grunt as he sped up his flight abit, aiming to land outside of the Rhean grand library.

@Lewascan2

[Dezuel]

Alrune Ihadugram Al-Zardun Dimekshia nu Karzanoon

The night had passed and he felt energy course through him again. It was his day free of any practice or work, but even that couldn't stop his stroll down the streets of Rhea, a hotdog in one hand and a cone icecream in the other, a soda bottle in his one pocket and an energy bar in the other. He was all set for what the day would bring, the magical music of his own mind would play around him causing some people to turn their heads as he passed by. Most regular citizens of Rhea had no clue of his underground fame, that was just a specific type of crowd. Which had indeed it's benefits that he could go up to the surface and live his life more like anybody else.

While that feeling did feel good, he couldn't help but feel as if he was special in some way. Gifted. That he wasn't just one in the crowd. But another side of him was strongly denying these feelings, his logical mind was shaking wildly at the presumption that he would somehow be greater than others. He was just another ordinary human being, all he had was his powers, his performing skills, his family and being a foreigner. He didn't have the southern dialect of El-Undura, perhaps he had been too influenced by the people of Rhea that he quickly adapted to their dialect.

As long as he had his family he knew that no matter what would come at him in life he would be able to enjoy it. Challenges and struggle was after all a part of living, even if he would have prefered to just have a life of relaxing and doing what he likes. Al began strolling through an open marketplace, greeting the various people there which he had met several times before when he bought fruits, vegetables and various streetfood. There were so many things to do in life, but even he had to chose to exclude some. Food wasn't one of them. Unless he somehow felt sad about a poor animal dying for him.

The sun was shining brightly this day, from what he could tell it was a perfect day to be out walking, breathing the fresh air, watch people walking by. Or flying. He thought he saw someone fly past a few buildings on his way down the street. He couldn't help but wonder how it would actually feel like flying through the skies like a bird. The sights must be really great from up there.

'Well, no one can have everything. Just gotta make do with what you've got. And I got plenty!' He grinned with a mix of hotdog and icecream in his mouth.

'The benefits of having a job that pays well. I should soon be able to send some money home to mother and father and my siblings... it feels like it's been so long.' He couldn't give them a call however as the family didn't have a device for that, not even one of those Vaquelian bird-things. They were far too expensive, both to buy one but also feeding it.

As the young man finished his icecream and hotdog, he came upon a streetcrossing and an old lady waiting at one end. "Oh.." The boy said to himself as he walked up next to her and then looked at the walk-over signal. It was broken. How typical. But that wasn't going to ruin his or this old lady's day. Not while he had something to say about it.

"Wanna cross over? Let me help ya." Al smiled widely and walked up to offer the old lady his arm to help her cross over the street, he cane making the trip almost feel like he aged another year. Well. Maybe that was abit too extreme of a comparison.

"Be careful on your way home!" Al waved his hand to the old woman who had thanked him. It did feel good helping others, but he didn't do it because he wanted to just feel good. Because the way he saw it, the people in the world needed to help each other more. Something as simple as befriending someone who has not a single friend in the entire world could change that persons very life. Or perhaps even yours. Every little action had a reaction.

And the next reaction that struck the boy was to open up his soda bottle and take a bite out of the energy bar as he now travelled down a street he had not walked on before, at least not one he could remember. It was always exciting to explore new places and meet new people. Perhaps he could find a friend or some inspiration for a new song even?

There was a big variety of buildings on the street, and he looked over each and everyone of them just up to one place where he sighted an alleyway next to a large industrial looking building with boarded up windows. He stopped in his tracks. Something about the place gave him the creeps. He felt a lump in his stomach and he dropped his energy bar and soda. His hands reaching up to hold his head and face. He was sweating and his head was hurting. Had he unwittingly been poisoned? Had the old woman been sick? Was he having some illness come over him?

He took a few deep breaths and then fell down on his rear, luckily avoiding any soda on the ground and the energy bar.

"Oh man... why now of all times? This was just starting like such a good day." He lamented and collected himself, reaching for the soda and then picking up the half-eaten energy bar. At least half the liquid was left in the bottle, he could still enjoy it. He wouldn't let some sudden feeling of nausea and headpain to get the better of him. He was going to enjoy his day. His perfectly unplanned free day of doing what he liked. Maybe the local library had something fun? But he couldn't bring in the soda with him surely. It would be risky with all the books understandably. He couldn't play his music neither. That was the biggest minus. Well it wouldn't hurt checking out the building at least.

[MagusDream]

Kurogane Ookami

Location: Park of Rhea
Interactions: None

BGM: Cassete Tape Dream by しゃろう

It was a beautiful day in the park. The sun was shining brilliantly throughout the sky. Classes were already happening, but he just simply wasn't feeling like it, so he just skipped the morning and decided to take a stroll out in town. It's not like he was totally forbidden from doing it so, considering no superior from the school ever came to actually stop him from just bailing out. And he wasn't in the mood to study but to just rest under a beautiful tree and enjoy a tranquil morning under a tree's shade. The crickets sang as the wolf boy just started to hum a tune by himself.

"Aaaaah~... nothin' like a good snooze under a tree to make the night, eh?" He spoke to himself.

Kurogane Ookami, a 2nd-year student of Lord Kiburi's School for the Truly Exceptional. He's considered to be a "delinquent" by some other students, but his records are clear as a freshly cleaned window... though, not exactly. While he hasn't committed any actions that would sully his school registry, he's not off the hook. He was a street thug, now going through reformation in order to clean his record. He still keeps the memory in his heart regarding how it all went.

(It's been three years since I've been under Master's tutelage, eh? Can't say it has been all flowers, but it's fun. Though the way we met was utter bullshit.) He thought, remembering the day he met the one who "saved him" in the past.

The Deal to a New Life

Kurogane was pushed by the guards to the prison's meeting room. He was handcuffed, so despite how much he struggled, little there was for him to do. There, waiting for him, sat a mysterious man, wearing a kimono and looking at him. The guards made him sit on the chair, as he faced the man.

"So, you're Kurogane, huh?" The man said.

"Whaddya want, old geezer? If I stole somethin' from ya, then it's too late to come at me." Kurogane answered.

"How brazen, little wolf. They did say that you were a good-for-nothing punk with a short temper and an abrasive tongue." The man answered.

"... You wanna piece o' me? 'Cuz yer certainly askin' for it, and I don't care if yer 60, I beat ass whether young or old!" Kurogane growled.

"Hahahaha! Boy, oh boy... kid, you're too young to even touch me. It'll take you at least 35 years before you can get at my level." The man laughed.

"That's it!! I'm gonna grind that pretty face to dust!!" Kurogane roared.

Even though he was handcuffed, he still leaped at the man. The guards jumped into action, but the man was faster and subdued Kurogane with a single hand, forcing him into the table and almost breaking it.

"Arrrrrrgh!!" Kurogane roared in pain.

"Calm down boy, calm down. I told you, you can't do anything against me." The man said.

"Grrrr... goddamn these handcuffs!! If I didn't have them holdin' me back, I would've-" Kurogane kept growling, trying to break out from his pinned position.

"Kid, will you just sit down and listen for a second? As much as it's fun seeing you pinned down like this, I have other things to do." The man spoke.

Kurogane tried to keep resisting as much as he could, without any success. The guards approached them and held the boy back on his chair, while the man cleaned his hands.

"Motherfucker... who the hell are you?!" Kurogane questioned.

"My name is Den Ookami. Kurogane, I came here because I have a deal to strike with you." The man presented himself and his intentions.

"Deal? What deal?! You wanna sell my body or some shit?!" Kurogane kept questioning.

"If I wanted to sell you, I wouldn't have bothered to come here. I'd just buy you from the police and that's that." Den answered.

"Then just spill it out already, man!" Kurogane growled again.

"Hasty, aren't you? Very well. I came here to... adopt you, for the lack of a better term." Den said.

Kurogane looked utterly confused. Why would someone go out of his way to adopt a kid who's currently behind bars when there are pure, innocent kids out there, waiting for someone to call them "son" or "daughter"?

"Dude... if whatcha want is a kid, ain't there better options? The hell yer doing here, wanting me?" Kurogane asked, confused.

"Oh no, don't get me wrong. You're not going to be exactly my kid. More like... my pupil, maybe?" Den answered.

"Pupil? So what, you think I'm gonna call ya Master or some shit? Well, if that's the case, then get lost." Kurogane said, bothered.

"I knew you would say that. Good thing I came prepared for this already." Den answered.

From his beautiful kimono, he took out some papers. When Kurogane looked, it was his probation file, his registry as a prisoner, and a deal to swap his sentence.

"If you follow through with my proposal, I can guarantee you that you'll be free from this prison. Right there is a deal to grant you parole. All you'll have to do is live under my roof and my orders, and you let me do the rest." Den spoke, smiling.

"What the... but... why? Why do ya want to help me?" Kurogane asked.

"You're not some thief that has been stealing because it's fun. You did this because you had no other choice but to survive this way. And you wanted to protect those little friends you made on the streets too. That I can respect, so I'm offering you a different approach to your goal WITHOUT the need to steal things from people." Den explained.

"I-I get that... but why me, of all people?" Kurogane asked again.

"Well, I see in your eyes someone who has gone through a lot. Maybe that experience you had, wherever it was, could help someone in need. And a boy like you, with a big heart like yours, will do it just fine, won't you?" Den answered.

Hearing that made Kurogane cry. The tough and violent boy who was acting so brave has been dominated by teardrops and was bawling like a child. The kindness that Den had was something Kurogane never experienced himself throughout his entire life. Memories of the circus came by, as he kept crying.

"So then, what is your answer? Do you want another chance at like, Kurogane?" Den asked, gently.

"M... mmhmm..." He answered amidst tears.

"Good. Then sign the deal for me." Den instructed him.

Kurogane looked at the deal. He didn't bother to read the words and just did the best signature he could. Even if he wanted to read, he was crying too much for him to actually make any sentences out of it. Once he finished signing the deal, he gave the paper back to Den.

"Alright. Now I need you to be brave and wait for me. In the next days, I'll be getting you out of here and you'll start a new life under my tutelage, got it?" Den instructed him again.

"Y-Yeah sir..." Kurogane answered.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Kurogane Ookami." Den said, leaving the room.

Kurogane looked at his clothes and then at the park. He never imagined having this sort of freedom before in his life. Now, he was a student at Lord Kiburi's, and his parole was going better than ever since he was keeping himself on the line. He didn't want to return back to prison or disappoint his master. Though missing the Midnight Tournament will have to require some explanation from him, he felt as if everything was going to be fine, and that he may have avoided a big bullet for not going with the others.

"Hnngh! Alright, I'm rested up and enjoyed a good night. Time to head back." He spoke, getting up.

He got up and left the park, going down the streets. He looked at the beautiful sky while walking down the path back to the school. He had to get back to the dorm otherwise he would be lost in the middle of the town, and that would end up becoming another explanation, one he actually didn't want to give. He may be used to live in the streets, but he certainly wouldn't want to be found by any officer who would even suggest that he was doing something bad. The cops weren't exactly friendly, so it was better to dodge them than to provoke them, especially in the middle of the day.

---

Zephyr Regrard

Location: Sir Clausewitz's School for the Militarily Minded, Corridor
Interactions: None

BGM: Fortress of Lies (NieR: Automata)

Morning came, and so started another day for the students. The most rigid school in all of Rhea had its students all awake and risen up in the first hour of the morning. Whether this was a way to separate the strong from the weak-willed was unknown, but they were already used to it. The bustling students still had some moments to make use of before heading off to their classes.

(It's that annoying day of the week. Again. What a pain...) He thought to himself.

Zephyr Regrard. One of the most popular, yet dangerous students in Sir Clausewitz's School for the Militarily Minded. Many students admired his strength, others hated his attitude. The same thing could be said about the teachers. Zephyr wasn't their cup of tea, since he was one of the most problematic students in the school. He has good grades to compensate for the number of disciplinary problems he carries on his record. But this was something that didn't matter to him. Something so fickle as "reputation" could be easily twisted around if he ever had the interest to bother with such a thing.

"Zeeeeeeephyyyyyyyr~!!" A voice called for him.

When he looked behind, a female student was going in his direction. Her friends were looking all from a distance, no one wanting to get even close to him. He looked at her with his deadpan visage, as she spoke to him.

"W-Wow... I can't believe that I'm actually able to talk to you! This is such a miracle!" The girl spoke, excited.

"... What do you want?" He asked.

"Well, my friends are going to hang out after school, so I thought that maybe you could come along with us!" She spoke, excited.

"Pass. Now go bother someone else." He answered.

"Oh really? Then... maybe you and I can have some fun together? Just the two of us?" The girl asked.

"Huh? Why?" He questioned.

"I mean, you're one of the coolest guys in school, so maybe a date between you and me will be a hit for the ages! I mean, I'm pretty cute myself, so we totally match!" She answered.

"I don't want to. Now get lost." He spoke, turning his back on her and leaving.

"Whaaaaat?! Awww, come on Zeeeeeeephyyyyr~!! Just one daaaaaate, pleeeeease!!" She spoke, grabbing his arm.

"... Let go of me, you bitch." He ordered, looking at her coldly.

"You don't have to be that mean, you know?! It's just one date, it's not going to hurt you, right?! After that, I'll leave you alone, but please, please let me just have this chance! I swear, it's going to be lots of fun and we can have a nice coffee, or tea, or even some beers to make it account..."

The girl kept speaking... until she couldn't. Zephyr used his powers to mute her "volume" and make him unable to hear her. As he did that, he turned his back on her and kept walking, ignoring her as if she didn't exist while she kept talking and even start to bawl in sadness and humiliation after being rejected. He didn't care for her feelings. All he wanted right now was silence. Especially from her annoying voice.

(Ending her with my power is a waste of my time. I bet she wouldn't be able to wake up for the next week, which would do me a huge favor... but I'm not going to. I'll just go to the faculty office as I was instructed.) He thought.

That's when another student, this time a male, stopped him in his tracks. He looked pissed at Zephyr, who didn't change his own face as they stared each other in the face.

"What the hell's your problem?! How can you leave a girl like that after she invited you out, dude?! You got no heart or something?!" He asked.

"If you're interested in her, go ahead and pick her up. Now let me go before I make you." Zephyr said.

"You think you're some super bigshot that can just order us around like some minions, huh? People like you need to learn a lesson." The student retorted, getting angrier.

"... Let me go and get out of my sight, you worm." Zephyr demanded.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S A WORM HERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"

*BGM stops*

The student tried to punch Zephyr, who evaded him. Without any second thought, Zephyr put his headphones in his ears, used his power, and released a disturbing and loud noise in the area. All the students around them instantly blocked their ears as the cacophonic sound invaded the inside of their heads. The student crouched as he was the closest one to Zephyr and the noise was ridiculously high where he stood. Taking advantage of that, Zephyr hit him with a roundhouse kick in the head.
The student fell down and tried to get up, but Zephyr stomped on his head before he could even move.

BGM: You Want It (Resident Evil: Code Veronica)

"UGH!!" The student groaned.

"Pathetic little whelp. Should I finish your life right now?" Zephyr asked.

"Y-You wouldn't dare...!!" The student spoke, in pain.

"Then you'd do well to think twice before confronting me again. I'll let you live today, but there won't be a second time." Zephyr said.

He then kicked the student's head as if it was a football. The strength was enough to cause the student to bleed and fall unconscious. The other students watched the scene agape, while a few of them decided to go to help. The girl who was bawling changed her expression to a horrified face as she looked at him. She quickly got up and ran away back to her friends.

(Utterly boring. It's really not worth ending this bastard more than what I already did.) Zephyr thought.

He put on his headphones and walked away towards the faculty office, as he initially intended to. Some students picked up the injured one and ran to the infirmary. The others who stood there, still shocked at the coldhearted colleague, all took their phones out and began to warn everyone. The message began to spread around the school, as quickly as spam to an e-mail. And the warning was very clear:

"Don't mess with the Maestro... or else he'll kill you."

*BGM ends*

[AtomicNut]

Darla Drake

"Hey gorgeous." It was Grant Handsome's day. There she was, a real preppy beauty, sporting the St Laurel's crest on her shirt that contained a generous bust. A third year, she seemed to be. The Grand Library was an Oasis of repose for the youths of Rhea. Where one could sate their thirst for knowledge. Unfortunately, this also means people with other kind of thirsts approached these feeding grounds. And wherever water sources were, there were predators.

Grant offered the best side of his manly chin and his pearly white teeth, but the damn broad didn't blink for a second. She just kept fixated on the book.

"I said...Hey gorgeous." The jock was getting impatient. This time there was a reaction. A single finger raised, as the beauty smiled back, her radiant visage and aquamarine eyes sparkling.

"Jet. Initiate evacuation procedure." She said. An incomprehensible blabber. "I can't understand the theory behind BAK Reactors with this...noise."

"Wait-what?" Grant Handsome said.

---

Outside the library, Reverio was treated to a most unusual sight. A large, and stocky gynoid was hurling a blonde jock outside the front door so hard and fast, the poor teen flew some good ten meters, before landing inside a dumpster with pinpoint accuracy. The robot whirred menancingly, her head tilted to Reverio...

And offered him a curtsy. "Welcome, master Reverio. Mistress Darla is in the library."

@Dezuel

[Letter Bee]

Ken Illustrious Ikari

After taking a brief nap, Ken woke up to find his indecision, his grief, and his sense of loss replaced by a sense of determination. He was going to train; to get stronger so that he can defeat threats like Nightman on his own, to strengthen his blessing and his mundane skills, as well as earn money for additional magic items - What he was proud of was not using his parents' worked-for wealth to buy the magic items he did have; he had bought them with his own money gotten through Vigilante work. And it was by resuming Vigilante work that he hoped to find new strength for when Reverio and Chinami eventually collided and the consquences put innocent people in danger.

He told his parents what he was going to do and that he will bring the Ame-no-Murakumo with him; aside from some concerns about his safety, they agreed to let him go, but only if 1.) he returned before late night, and 2.) he took extra exorcism talismans with him. Those were better terms than he expected - Ken vowed that he would at least try and keep to them; the key word being try, of course.

The boy took public transport to a location close to the old apartment he wanted to exorcise, then prepared to walk all the way to his target. He had also notified the other Vigilantes that he was taking that specific job, just in case they wanted to help him or get a share of the rewards.

Ken's plan was simple; bust his way inside and beat up some ghosts with his magic items, his blade, and his parents' exorcism talismans. As the building was infested with said ghosts anyway, he would not get any penalties for tresspassing. Either way, as he walked towards the tenement doors, he took a short video of the structure in question, analyzing it for any easier entrances and exits, as well as to see if there were ghosts at all and it wasn't just a false alarm or even an attempt at fraud.

There were ghosts; now it was time to bust in. Training, money, and a chance to blow off some steam awaited...

[KillamriX88]

THE FUCKHECKING END OF MIDNIGHT ALREADY

@AtomicNut@Dezuel@Crowvette@Letter Bee@Spin The Wheel@RoflsMazoy

---

---

The hulking mass of muscle pushed itself to its feet. It turned around… and took a table to the face. It looked down with its beady eyes and almost gently reached down to lift the table. It inspected it… and then hurled it with hurricane force back where it came from, flooring the brave individual who’d sought to help out.

However, their act of bravery seemed to spark courage in the few patrons who remained. Mystical projectiles, chairs, and empowered fists all flew at the hulking being, slowly driving it to its knees.

“Ha! I got it!” One woman cried out, rearing her fist back. “Take th- . . . Oh.” She then realized that its meaty fist was now around her lower leg. A moment later and she was the next projectile to fly, slamming into two others who tried to catch her, only for all three to be left writhing on the ground, none having the supernatural durability to weather such an attack.

More concerning was the darker, maroon hue its skin was beginning to take. If anything, the muscles seemed now to be shrinking back down, taking on a taut, glossy appearance. Seeing this continued evolution, the “heroes” that remained on their feet paused.

“Oh to hell with this!” One broke and fled. Even then, numbers were still on their side, but one person giving in began to erode the resolve of the others.

Soon, the only one left to challenge it seemed to be Suzakura…

Meanwhile… “What?!” Vera shouted at Alex. Oh, right. It seemed they were both equally deafened at the moment. “OK, OK, wai-” Vera reached out, but Alex was already making for the back exit. It was the right idea, but… well communication was impossible right now, so Vera gave up. “Ugh, come on!” she turned to her passed out friend, pulling them from their seat, but couldn’t keep a grip on the girl’s dead weight as she just flopped to the floor. “Dammit! Wake up already!”

CRASH Vera’s eyes widened as a projectile body, that she vaguely recognized as the creep known as Suzakura, went flying past, through the big, front window, and then slammed into the wall of the building across the street. Vera glanced up at the berserk muscle fiend, and then back down at her friend.

“Wake up, wake up, wakeup!” Vera shook her violently with redoubled panic, but she just wouldn’t come to. On the bright side, as the creature that was once human roared, it seemed consumed by its own evolution, its muscles shrinking and condensing down, tighter and tighter as its body took on a deep, purplish hue.

On the down side… there were scarce few people left to distract it once it was finished.

. . .

Mina was sad. She had lost her baby, who had proceeded to backstab her. Stupid stupid Mina. She could not read the mood. She wanted to cry, but then she saw a figure flying outside. Even Suzakura.

Something deep stirred as she squeezed the last out of her magical power to create Miracle Milk. One of such flasks was for herself, which she drank. The other was sent flying all the way to the bar, landing softly near Vera.

"YOU, YOU BAD PERSON. YOU HURT MY BABY! YOU HURT MY SUZA. YOU WILL PAY".

She said as she dug her heels and wrenched an entire handrail as improvised melee weapon from some nearby stairs. She mooed somewhat menacingly as she waved the big metal bar, aimed at the freaks head.

The improvised weapon easily reached the back of the monstrosity’s head, driving it to a knee, the force enough that it had to use its hands to catch itself from falling further.

Up close, one could see that nearly all its clothes had been shredded by its explosive growth earlier, and yet it had nearly no visible anatomy aside from its swollen muscles. Even its lips were peeled back, leaving only gnashing teeth and enraged, bloodshot eyes visible.

Blood spurted from its head as its veins bulged. When the inevitable second swing came, its hand shot up to grab the metal rail, crushing and twisting it in its grasp. It then slowly turned its head to shoot a seething glare at Mina before wrenching her closer and reaching out to grab her.

"NO GRABBY, ONLY SUZA CAN DO THAT!" Mina yelled as she jumped out of the way, her clothes getting torn at the front by the barely effective dodge, spilling out all the goods. She eyed the giant with fury, and prepared for a gore charge…

As Mina prepared for her charge, the chaotic symphony of the battle was cut through by a firm, calm, and commanding voice. “Twelve, versus twelve.” Suddenly a stick, formerly a part of a bar stool, slammed into the giant’s arm with enough force to shatter the wood and had it been a head shot, pulverize a normal man’s skull into mush. The thrower was a young man who was standing near the bar, his face obscured by a cheap plastic rabbit mask. “Hey, how about you stop trying to hit a lady, and pick on someone your own strength?”

Mina’s charge was successful, with the stick embedding itself in the hulk’s arm like a ballista bolt. It was left draped over Mina’s shoulders… but then its muscles bulged once more. The stick was sent rocketing back out of its body by the pressure, and its other arm went to wrap around Mina’s neck.

For Mina, hitting him would have been like hitting a solid, rock wall. Her horns pierced him, but did not gore him through…

Vera, at this time, was left with a strange vial of liquid and a chaotic battle between perhaps the two beefiest individuals in the world. She held the liquid, having an uncomfortably good idea of what it was.

However, things were desperate. She opened it… and took a sip. Almost immediately her hearing came back. She then looked down at the unconscious girl next to her.

“That’s it. Drink it or choke on it, bitch!” She pried her mouth open and upended the rest into her mouth. A few second later, the girl began to choke, but then rocketed up to a sitting position gasping for breath.

“Wh-what the fuck is-”

SLAM! A moment later, as was becoming distressingly the norm, another figure went flying past, though this time colliding with the doorframe and remaining in the building. The recently awakened girl stared at the fallen Mina, blinking in confusion before Vera clamped her hand down on the girls head and spun her around to face the freakish being of twisted sinew.

“THAT is the fuck! Now can we go?!” Vera shouted. To her dismay, the other girl narrowed her eyes ponderously.

“Nah, I got this.”

“Wh-”

“My high is gone and I’m pissed!” The girl shoved herself to her feet, shoving a lock of her dyed green hair behind her ear before marching over.

At the same time, the beast had its bulging eyes locked onto the man in the mask. It took a lumbering step toward him before a piercing whistle hit its ears.

“Hey, buddy, eyes on-” It immediately turned and uppercut the girl straight through the ceiling and out of sight. The young man in the mask watched in horror as this happened, and gripping onto part of the bar flexed his body, using the entire thing to rip a long piece of it off to swing like one may a sword. This time, three numbers would flash above the boy’s head, two ones and a five. Then, another set of numbers, a 13, as he attempted to slam the piece of wood into the hulking freak’s neck as if to break it.

Mina for her part, was hurting all over. She focused on bringing more miracle milk out of the source. Yes, even if her bones were broken a dozen times, she would be fine if she still had the panacea.

Which she just ran out. Her powers were waning as she got the mother of all splitting headaches. Her body seemed to change as her figure…became more trimmed, her bovine attributes reduced in some parts.

"Ugh…" Mina said as she staggered to her feet. "Mina is not feeling well."

The brute’s head snapped at an angle, the thing stumbled around, but not falling. The absurd mass of muscle and sinew simply wouldn’t let the bones beneath break, or its neck to twist far enough to do lasting damage. However, it was left momentarily dazed, shaking its head.

And then a moment later its attention was captured by a rain of dust and drywall as the girl came back through the ceiling, having finished her parabolic journey through the rafters. She landed in a heap, unmoving. The beast tilted its head curiously, but then seemed to detect nothing further worth attacking, so its rage quickly returned to the masked man.

Until she did move. Almost like a zombie rising from the grave, she shambled to her feet, head still sitting at an awkward angle and her joints creaking. However, her veins began to pulse under her skin.

“That… fuckin’ hurt…” she groaned, straightening her neck with a crack. “If it wasn’t for you… I’d still be nice and numbed up…”

The beast rounded on her again, perhaps most fixated on her now that it thought it had defeated was somehow moving again. It parted its jaws and bellowed at her.

The girl grit her teeth and then roared back, but suddenly a thick cloud of noxious gas spewed out, consuming the thing. One could hear it screeching and flailing within the cloud, before it then burst back out and brought both arms down on the girl in a double-hammer blow, flattening her to the floor.

That said, before it could right itself, her arm flew out, grabbing it by the neck of the head and slamming its face into the floor as well, leaving them both face down in a crater of cracked floorboards.

It pulled itself back, but as it did, the girl also shoved herself to her feet, slamming her head into its face, toppling it onto its rear. It sat there, suddenly gasping for breath, an increasing amount of sweat pouring down its body.

“Heheh…” The girl grinned viciously, veins pulsating, even as blood ran down from her nose. “I got you for five minutes motherfucker.”

The thing rose to its feet, shaking its head angrily and bellowing in fury. The two rushed at each other, but… the girl made one mistake. Whatever advantage she might have had, it was not in her reach. Shrunken down or not, the being was still nearly twice the size of the man it had grown from, and its fist reached her jaw long before hers could reach its.

She was sent skidding across the polished, bar floor, face first, leaving a smear of blood in her wake. During this time the masked man grabbed what remained of the pipe Mina had been using, and readied himself for battle, letting out a loud scream towards the beast which cracked the mask. “Come get some, you misshapen lump of roids and rat shit!” Two threes and a six appeared over the boy’s head, and his scream slammed into the beast, not a proper attack but it could feel the sound against its purple skin.

A last flask of Miracle Milk rattled gently beside poison girl face, the now drained Mina facing the beast. "Rend unto Caesar." The cowgirl muttered, in a more measured inflection than the simple girl seemingly could do. She eyed both opponents. Then the girl in the floor.

Then… she jumped. Out of sight. Up and up into the rafters, using her bovine leg strength. One could be forgiven by confusing her for a goat at this point.

"So, you are proud of your muscle armor. Well then." She put her chin on her arm. Mina…was thinking. It seemed almost surreal. With ease, she reached out for one of the thickest power wires she could grab, creating a show of sparks and a blackout.

Before people could even react to what was happening, the cable was already connecting with the giant's muscle mass.

"Muscles are conductive." She said as she watched electricity do its job and turn the muscle power of the giant into a chaotic mess, therefore turning his great boon into his greatest weakness.

The wave of sound hit the thing, effectively shorting out its simple mind for a good few seconds. It was left standing there, chest heaving from seemingly inexplicable, mounting exhaustion. Before it could bring itself to move again, it suddenly only knew a world of indescribable pain as every muscle in its body convulsed and flexed to the max and beyond. Its back arched and then… a sickening series of cracks could be heard as its inhuman musculature overcame the structure beneath, shattering its own bones.

Smoke rising from its now slackened muscles, it slowly teetered over and collapsed onto its back, completely still.

A moment later the girl with the green hair’s head popped up, “Where is he?! Where is he?! I’m gonna kick his-!”

However, Vera just walked over and kicked her lightly in the ribs, “Chill, superhero, it’s over. Mad cow already fried him.”

“Is he…?” The masked boy asks, implying about the lump being dead.

“Who knows…” Vera rolled her eyes, not terribly concerned at the moment. The fate of the psychotic being that had just ransacked the bar was pretty low on her list of concerns for the night.

“Hey, what’s this?” her friend held up the final bit of “miracle milk” that had been thrown to her while she was face-down earlier.

“Some sort of super healing potion.” Vera shrugged.

“Neat.” The girl went to open it, but… suddenly Vera snatched it away. “Hey!”

“You don’t need it.” Vera then tossed it to the masked man. “If he’s not dead yet and you care, try that. Might even bring him back to almost normal. Dumbass here was high as a kite when I fed it to her and now she’s stone sober.”

“Wait, that’s your fault!?”

“You stole my shit in the first place. Nothing more than you deserve.”

The masked boy for a moment looks up, as if expecting to see someone looking down at him, before he walks over near the lightly fried lump. Taking a moment to wrench open the muscular jaw of his former foe, he then begins to pour the milk down their gullet, massaging their throat to help them swallow.

"Tis a blessing of my cow nature. Miracle Milk. I craft it… in the way you craft your poison." Not-Mina replied as she stood up. "But it seems my power waned. Now I can use my full brainpower. I should thank the miscreant. Well then, so long." The cowgirl said, before looking at Vera. "Hey, Goh. Do you think Tech Stocks are a good investment now?"

“I… don’t know,” Vera blinked, baffled by Mina’s sudden, mental awakening. Vera didn’t really do investing, she just leeched off her parents. She shook her head, “Ugh, whatever. I’m out of here. This isn’t my mess and I don’t want to be a part of it anymore.”

Meanwhile, the muscled hulk had begun to shrink and its wounds to close as its bones also slowly cracked back into place. Before too long, one could have gone back to referring to it as him once again. He didn’t wake up, nor did he go back to normal entirely, but it seemed that perhaps given time he might be restored fully, just that the extent of what had happened to him was beyond what a single drink, even from Mina, could fix all at once.

. . .

Vera stalked off toward the back entrance, grabbing her purse from the bar as she went.

“Where are you headed in such a hurry?” her friend asked.

“None of your business. I suggest you get out of here too. And don’t follow me,” Vera told her, barely sparing her a glance. She made for the door, but was halted.

“Hey… are you OK?” the other girl asked.

Vera just pulled herself free of the girl’s grasp, glaring back at her. “I’m fine...”

“O… K…” The girl frowned. “Sure you don’t want me to go with you? Tonight has been crazy.”

“Fuck off, Anna! I said it was none of your business!” Vera snarled and turned her back on the girl. However, before she could make it through the door, she halted. “And don’t fucking disappear on me. You owe me money.”

Anna just rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah, I hear you.”

With that, Vera finally made it out the back door into the alley behind the bar, her head on a swivel. She needed to find Alex. “Hey! Alex?! You still here?!” she called out.

. . .

Before Anna and Mina could fully vacate the scene, the masked man tossed both folded pieces of paper. “I owe you both for the assistance. If you ever need help, just call, no questions asked. However, Miss…Anna was it? You took some really nasty hits. Are YOU ok?” He asks, seemingly worried after Anna had been tossed around like a rag-doll.

Anna blinked as she was given the piece of paper, “You’re fuckin’ weird, dude, but ‘aight.” She then snorted at his question. “Nah, I was pretty amped up myself. He just got a lucky hit and I blacked out for a second.” She rolled her neck, a surge of some sort seeming to flood through her veins momentarily. As it did, her bruises began to fade. “Almost running on empty after that one, though, so if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go home and sleep for a week.”

“Alright, well, be safe Anna.” He says, and as she walks away he turns up towards the rafters above, trying to see if Mina was still hovering about.

Mina sighed as she made a modest bra out of cloth, now covering her much reduced attributes. Her eyes rested on the masked man. "That mask is lame. Are you a middle schooler?"

“No, but I am supposed to be somewhere else.” He says, before tossing a shirt up to Mina. “As for the stocks question, I’m not a gambling man but I’d avoid pharma and pump into agriculture. Call it a magically infused hunch.” He tells her, as the faint image of a four leaf clover appears above his head.

Mina tilted her head. "Okay…" She then took the shirt and wore it snuggly. "Might as well go grab some food and see if Suzakura has gotten his head out of his ass. Are you coming, Rabbit Kamen?" The smart sounding cowgirl said, before fetching a drink.

"A last one for the travel. I'm parched. Bottoms up!" Mina said before downing it without mercy…immediately afterwards she began to cough. "Alcohol! Damn…high calorie content… many thoughts… head full.." Mina began to stagger as an explosion of meat threatened to burst through her shirt.

"Mooo…?" Mina said, confused.

“Aww crap baskets. Let’s go get your friend from the nearby wall he was put through and get you home.” The rabbit man says, as he leads her off, leaving the scene barren except for one rather bruised, and fully spent, former lump.

"Rabbit." Mina said as she grasped the masked youth in a hug, warm and tight.

---

The MC of the tournament cautiously stepped out of his glass safety booth now that the fight was over. He looked around, and then ran a weary hand down his face. The place was trashed. The ring was toast. The attendees were all but gone. Either the next tournament would be huge... or a bust. Mind you, that depended on whether or not the bar ever opened its doors again after this.

His eyes fell upon the one tournament goer who was still there, sitting at one of the few tables still standing. Michael.

"Fuck it." The man walked over and placed a gaudy, cheap trophy on the table before him. "Congratulations, now get out."

Lastly went to the door, flipping the sign from open to closed. The sign promptly clattered to the floor as the string holding it snapped.

The winner of the tournament by default is Michael. The Midnight Bar closes its doors for repairs.

[MagusDream]

Lambda Lazuli / Kurogane Ookami

Location: The Grand Library
Interactions: Lambda > Reverio (@Dezuel)

After walking some more, Kurogane ended up reaching the Grand Library, a place favored by the youths of Rhea who pursued knowledge. This was far from being his favorite place, though. He couldn't exactly "have fun" in the middle of a library like he wished to. Rule of silence, after all. However, he did remember hearing someone at his school talking about some comics that were kept in the library. Perhaps he could waste some more time. He wasn't actually interested in going back to school anyway. And hey, the library could be a really good excuse to use if he'd be actually questioned over why he skipped class.

He approached the huge building. It was prestigious and luxurious, offsetting for someone like him. This wasn't exactly a place for people like him to be going in. Everything felt so grand, it was almost blinding. To a punk and ex-convict, books aren't what one could call "fun".

(Yeesh, this ain't the place for me... maybe I shoulda step back and not go in.) He thought, regretting his decision.

That's when he saw a guy being kicked out like trash by... something. He didn't exactly know what that something was but it was strong enough to toss a jock of that size back to a dumpster. And it looked like a girl... maybe? He couldn't exactly tell. He did get surprised, but excited about that fact.

"Heh, so these kinda stuff happen at a place like this? That sounds like my type of place. I'm definitely going in after this." He spoke to himself, going inside the library and avoiding the two people standing outside, but not without giving the guy at the entrance a glance.

He seemed like a noble. And by the looks of his uniform, he belonged to St. Laurel's. From what Kurogane had heard of that school, it was perhaps the most peaceful of all four grand schools. At least, it was nothing like Kiburi's. They had a better set of rules and whatnot, something his school didn't have and never needed, apparently. They also wear their school's crested uniform more than the regular, while he didn't have that much of a problem in his school.

(So he's one of them Laurel's paupers, eh? Yeah, that high and mighty, oh so noble attire of his is sure to hit the mark on that school's fame.) He thought.

That's when someone bumped into Kurogane from behind. Luckily he managed to hold his ground, otherwise he and this other person would've fallen on the spot.

"OWW!! Oi, what the hell?! Look where you're walking!" Kurogane complained while turning to see the person who bumped into him.

BGM: Lotus Love -Remastered- (Touhou Gensokyou: Lotus Land Story)

When he looked, it was a white-haired boy. He was shorter than Kurogane, and also belonged to St. Laurel's. He was wearing a rather beautiful scarf and comfortable clothing. He had his black bag with him on his shoulder, and his eyes were shining red.

"Oh, pardon me. I didn't mean to actually bump into you, I was distracted." The boy spoke.

This would be the moment in which Kurogane would actually do a snappy comeback, but he wasn't able to. The boy standing right in front of him was the kind that he was weak against: the cute ones. As a guy who's weak to cute objects, animals, and even people, Kurogane lost all his anger and couldn't respond with the same attitude you would expect from a punk.

"N-Nah, it's fine. Just pay more attention the next time." He spoke, rather mildly.

"Of course! And once again, I'm sorry." The boy apologized.

"No big deal." Kurogane spoke, as he went inside, scratching his head.

Lambda Lazuli. One of the most recent students at St. Laurel's, starting his first year of school. The sole heir of the Lazuli family, though not by blood. A young and chirpy boy with a brilliant smile and happy demeanor, fighting against the cursed fame of his new family, which stains him even if unwarranted. Although he faces such a fate, he's not exactly hated by the people. That's all thanks to his power and, well, his natural personality.

(What a blunder... I hope he's really not hurt. I wasn't even able to speak with him properly.) Lambda thought.

Considering today was a day off in St. Laurel's, he decided to go to the library and study something regarding flowers and plant cultivation to pass the time. He has gardening as a hobby and is responsible for maintaining the school's garden even though he's just a first year. What he wanted was to learn advanced and different techniques to make a happier garden. Once he recovered himself, Lambda tidied himself up and checked his surroundings. That's when he saw a fellow school student standing at the entrance with a gynoid apparently welcoming him. He was relatively new to the school, but that student looked somewhat familiar to him. As if he had actually heard about this student somewhere in the school. Either way, he decided to greet him.

"Hello! Sorry to be bothering you, but you're from St. Laurel's too, right? If I'm not wrong, I think you're Reverio Galand. I heard some classmates talk about you." Lambda asked him.

[Dezuel]

Reverio Galand

The landing had been smooth enough, and the little flight over the city had been a refreshing change to momentarily push away his troubles.

But where one problem was temporary put on hold, a seemingly new one came knocking. A young man was hurled through the air and landed in a nearby dumpster. Rev blinked quickly to process what he had just seen. His gaze wandered from the dumpster and up towards the one which had launched him. A large... machine. As the dots connected, Reverio realized that he had miscalculated on something. While he had expected to meet the librarians within and possibly get into trouble while searching for the knowledge he wanted. In the shape of traps and wardings, he had been unprepared to deal with this problem.

Darla.

His cousin. While she were partly of Albion blood, she was still one of very few living relatives of his. He never found the whole matter of blood an important thing. After all, what mattered more to him was how they were as a person. While he considered her a good aligned person, he couldn't help but feel worried in her presence. It was almost as if he was floating on a surfing board, and below him was a great shark. A feeling of being observed and an underlying sense of danger.

In his worries, he realized that perhaps Darla could actually help him out with his current predicament. Maybe she could distract the librarians long enough for him to sneak into the vaults. There was danger involved, this was trespassing if he would be caught. And potentially Darla could become involved into such aswell. He knew he didn't want that. So she would have to remain oblivious to his plan, that way even if they interrogate her or mindread her or something like that. They wouldn't find enough to punish her for his crime. This was if he would be caught ofcourse. While there were a high amount of risk involved, he knew he had to try find some information of the great evil. To see if it could actually be the solution to his dilemma or something which could make it even worse.

Reverio offered a polite bow to Darla's robot servant once his mind had processed all the swirling thoughts in his head. For some reason he felt good about it all. As if this was going to change the day for the better.

"You have my thanks, I will head in to meet Lady Darla in just a few moments. You may return to inform her of my arrival." Reverio offered a deep nod towards the robot. Perhaps to most people he would look weird, showing such respects to a machine. But in his mind, this robot was just an extension of Darla. Like how a king would use a diplomat to broker peace and unions.

But Darla didn't know that part about him, that he was in fact the former king of Vauquelin. To let her know would be a disaster, not because he didn't trust her. He knew she was a good person and all that. But her mother and father would see a world of money and some scheme to somehow get themselves involved with the crown. Well, or rather have Albion gain a claim on the lands of Vauquelin. Reverio mentally frowned on the idea. If Albion and Vauquelin would go to war, alot of people would die all because of him. The greedy nobles of Albion would put their warmachine into full gear and Vauquelin would fight to the death with their militaristic young emperor.

Who knows how many other nations would become involved in such a scenario. He definitely couldn't tell Darla about the truth. As painful as it felt to keep such secrets from her. He had to. Not for himself, but for the sake of his brother who died to save him and the other people of the world. After having excused himself from Darla's servant, Reverio hurried over to check on the guy which had been flung to the dumpster. Grabbing hold of his one leg that would be sticking out of the dumpster and then he channeled his healing power to restore the man's vitality.

"Try stay out of trouble from now on... don't mess with my cousin you hear?" Reverio glanced into the dumpster to give the guy one look before he walked over towards the entrance again. Two others were standing there, perhaps they were already standing there when he was being courteous to the machine and mentally prepping. Before he had the chance to address them both, one of them decided to head into the building. He had some strange ears on his head. Just how fluffy were they?

"A.. cat...person?" Reverio blinked as he spoke aloud to himself his jaw dropping slightly, while watching Kurogane walking into the library. But soon his attention was turned towards the other individual which was now approaching him.

'This person knows me?' The blonde thought as he looked Lambda over from top to toe. Was this young man a noble? It wouldn't be too far fetched after hearing he was attending to St Laurels.

"Excelsior! You are not bothering me at all, young sir. You are also correct, I am Reverio Galand. I hope these classmates have not been speaking too ill of me? To whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking with? Are you here to... lend a few books aswell, or is it the architechture that peeks your interest?" Reverio assumed his usual pose for greeting people, which involved a formal but polite bowing motion, with one hand over his heart.

'This person seems to be quite tranquil in the peaceful meaning of the word. Have I met him before? Seems like the type I may have known... is he someone from Vauquelin? I met so many nobles and their heirs during my time on the throne to the point I lost track...' The former king pondered as he looked over Lambda a second time.

"Was that cat man with you?" Reverio asked. He had to ask.

@MagusDream@AtomicNut@Lewascan2

[Dezuel]

Suzakura Plagerzes

The slightly blurred vision soon became clear again for the overambitious bully, and he found himself looking at the world from a new perspective. Had the world suddenly warped around him, everything was upside down. No wait. As his senses readjusted themselves alongside his various organs, bone and flesh he realized. He was upside down and imbedded into the building wall. Thankfully his bone armor had absorbed much of the impact, not to mention his pain receivers were turned off. If they wouldn't have been, then this would no doubt have hurt quite the bit.

"Allright... where the frecking holy hells am I? Aha. Just across the street. You punch like a nerd fat-for-brains! Eh... screw it. I've made my point to the weaklings, that no matter how much they try. They just ain't Suza." He grinned as he popped himself out from the building wall allowing him to fall down and faceplant against the ground. It was too much of a bother to actually try to land on ones feet. Then when he finally found the will he pushed himself up in a lazy manner.

"Oi! Mina! I am returning to Kibuririririri! Be back by morning! I need milk for my cereal!" He yelled at no one in particular, as he doubted Mina could hear him unless he manipulated his vocal cords. But it was such a bother...

Thus the bully returned home and the next day came knocking.

The next day...

"Oooh yeah, Kurararara- Suzazazaza-cool-a! Allright, which one of you first years brought lunch for me? Ahh did you? Ah?" Suzakura opened the lid leading into the lunchhall of the St Laurel's school. A place he was NOT invited to. But with his ability to change his appearance into just about anyone, how could they possibly keep track of where or who he was?

Sadly the bully realized too late that today was the St Laurel's schools day off. Celebrating Laurel-day of all things.

"Friggin' goodshoes good for nothing geekmeeks! Argh! Fine. I can find other ways to get what I want..." He lowered his voice as he quickly exited the school grounds and transformed back to his usual appearance. He couldn't afford to be mistaken for someone less favorable. At least not while he was out letting the weakminded and the holy knight types look upon him in all his glory. Well. For now the clothes remained on.

"Marketplace-marketplace. Gotta snatch my daily batch of beefy stew! An apple a day keeps whatever the hells the rest of that line says. Ohoo! It smells friggin' good here, almost like they are producing some Suzapheromones and making everyone into foodfreaks. Just like the ladies can't have enough of Suza, I can't have enough frecks to care whose lunch I take. But if you cannot keep it, it's all fair..." The bully began whistling as he strolled down the street past the various marketstands.

How useful it was to be able to create extra limbs to snatch food with. The bully made sure to distract so many of the goodnatured sellers, talking about things with them and just saying yes or no. Nothing like abit of random chit-chat to work up an appetite. The chicken was tasty. So was the hotdogs, the apple, the lollipop he too from the kid and even the burger he snatched out from the two breads of the person trying to eat it. He could feel it in his body. This was indeed going to be the day when Chinami would propose to him. He just knew that couldn't be far away.

"Oh Suza~ You are such a manly man-man. I am a hot sunshine hating girl with a fetish for men who are top dog. Grrr! Rawr! You are even more smexy than Kiburi-sama! Oh hold me Suza! Hold me with your strong multiple arms..." Suza said as he altered his vocal cords to sound like Chinami, a smile on his face as he said the lines, his two hands behind his neck. While the other temporary ones carried his food.

"Ooh.. babe... behave~ I am so much of a man it might be hard to keep me all for yourself. I should let the whole female world have their piece of this muscular manly miracle of man. But ofcourse you are number one. I know you have unvocalized feelings for me. You know me, I cannot take the first step. I may lose my man-aura... so go ahead and tell me how much you are obbsessed with me?" Suzakura replied in his own voice as he reached out with one of his main hands to gently take hold of one of his extra ones. Before the arms would begin to fondle his own chest in a hugging manner.

The bully created an artificial blush on his cheeks to go along with it before he was rudely interupted by a young man on a mailman bike driving past him and hitting a puddle of water, causing it to splash on him. The extra hand that had been formed into a fist, had been torn off from his arm and hurled after the biker and hitting him in the helmet, causing him to crash into a nearby alleyway.

"Freggin' nerve of some people... I am WALKING here. Idiot." The bully soon proceeded to twist his entire body like how someone would wrench water out of a towel until he was all dry again.

"Allright." Suzakura said in a satisfied manner, as he allowed his extra arms to vanish and he took a few final bites of his food before hurling the remains and the papers over his shoulder. Despite there being a trashcan closeby.

"Well ain't that a ghastly looking building? Well you ain't scaring me..." The bully whistled as he passed by a building.

[MagusDream]

Lambda Lazuli / Kurogane Ookami

Location: The Grand Library
Interactions: Lambda > Reverio (@Dezuel)

BGM: Lotus Love -Remastered- still playing

"Excelsior! You are not bothering me at all, young sir. You are also correct, I am Reverio Galand. I hope these classmates have not been speaking too ill of me? To whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking with? Are you here to... lend a few books aswell, or is it the architechture that peeks your interest?" Reverio assumed his usual pose for greeting people, which involved a formal but polite bowing motion, with one hand over his heart.

@Dezuel

"Oh no, they haven't, I assure you! They said of you as a courteous and elegant gentleman. And now that I met you, I can assure you they were right!" Lambda spoke, smiling. "I'm Lambda Lazuli, a first-year at St. Laurels. Sorry for the sudden appearance again, I just thought it'd be nice to talk a little with a fellow student from school." He introduced himself. Not as elegantly as Reverio, but polite enough to someone of his caliber.

"I decided to take the day to study some gardening, so I came here to gather books on advanced and different techniques. As I'm the responsible one for our school's garden, as the council nominated me, there's much for me to learn." He explained his reasons.

"Was that cat man with you?" Reverio asked. He had to ask.

@Dezuel

"Cat man...? Oh, you mean the guy I bumped into earlier? No, he's a stranger I never met! Though I'm pretty sure he's more like a wolf, not a cat...?" Lambda answered.

He then stopped to think that, maybe, he was out of turn to actually call out Reverio like this, in the middle of nowhere and without reason. Lambda has the problem of being overfriendly and overbearing. Though not many people call him out for it (at least, not in front of him), he gets this sense of consciousness... every now and then, when he's not distracted by the fact he has been talking with someone for too much.

"Anyway, I think I should get going for now. I'd love to chat more, but I'm sure you have your own reasons to be here, and I don't want to hold you out at the entrance for too long. It was nice to meet you! We'll see each other back at school!" Lambda spoke, taking his leave and running inside the library.

BGM: Voile, the Magic Library (Touhou Azure Reflections)

Once he went inside the library, the grandeur of the interior matched the exterior's beautiful design. The library had an enormous collection of bookshelves, all of them filled to the brim with books on the most varied subjects. And just as expected, the library was also filled with many types of students. Chatter was mostly whispery, but he could still see that people were engaged in fervent discussion and conversation, with debate and laughter mixed in-between the talking.

(Wow... this place is gigantic! It's even bigger than the library back at home, or even at school! This is getting me a little excited!) Lambda thought with himself.

"Welcome, young sir. Do you need any help today?" A soft voice spoke to him.

When he looked at the voice's owner, it was the library's receptionist. Lambda went to the counter and inquired about the gardening books... but not before pulling some trivialities and formalities first.

"Hello. Today's a good day, isn't it? Are you doing well?" Lambda asked.

"Ah... yes. And I'm doing fine, young sir. Anyway, how can I help you?" The receptionist answered, being caught by surprise.

"That's good to know. Oh, I actually wanted to know where I can find books about gardening. This library's so big I might get lost, haha." He laughed gently.

"I can imagine. Well, the gardening section is located further northeast, right on the library's second floor." The receptionist instructed him.

"Wonderful! Thank you very much for your help." Lambda thanked her.

"It was nothing. Oh, and if you wish to rent books, please consult the librarians on the first floor, right in the library's very center. You can't miss it, it's a huge and round table." The receptionist informed him.

"Right at the center, first floor... got it! Have a nice day and a wonderful shift!" Lambda thanked her once again, taking his leave.

As for Kurogane, he did the exact opposite from Lambda. Once he had entered the building, he didn't ask the receptionist for help (because he didn't want to tell her that he was just killing time and looking for some comics). And now, he was utterly lost in the gigantic library without any knowledge of where to go, where he could sit, and where exactly the comic section was. The worse part is that he was getting loads of stares from other people. Not only because of his looks but because of his canine ears and his tail, which were somewhat uncommon. That combination of situations was making him angry by the second.

(Yeesh, I don't know where to go, everything looks the same in this place! And these damn nerdy pieces of shit giving me the stares... I'm holding myself back but I wanna punch the next person that looks at me funny!) He thought, angry.

With no other option, he decided to head back to the entrance and try asking the receptionist he had once ignored. Once again, there were loads of stares for him to (try to) ignore. What he couldn't ignore though were the voices. Having a set of four ears, two human and two animal, was good enough to make his sense of hearing more enhanced than usual, but that also meant that some whispers didn't exactly escape him.

"Is that guy seriously wearing dog ears and tail? Like, seriously, go cosplay somewhere else." A girl whispered to her friends.

"What a dork. Who would wear those things in the library? Fool." A guy whispered to his group.

"Are those real? They look so real! I wonder where he bought that..." Another boy whispered to himself.

"You guys havin' fun, talkin' trash 'bout me? Why don't ya stop whispering and say that to my face, huh?" Kurogane spoke out loud, glaring at them.

They stopped looking and returned to read. The librarians looked right at Kurogane and stared at him, with him glaring back at them.
He just walked towards the entrance as he planned.

[Crowvette]

Alex

@KillamriX88

Alex felt pleased with herself that she managed to sneak out with Vera in tow even amidst a dangerous situation. As she walked into the alleyway, she whirled around, her chest puffed out with pride - Only to find nobody following her. "Huh? Vera?!" Her ears were still ringing slightly, but she couldn't even pick out anything that sounded like Vera.

Alex thought out what could have occurred, her gut sinking with dread. 'Okay. She's fine. Don't panic. She didn't get shot. Or trampled by the crowd. Don't panic. She wasn't kidnapped by that weirdo stalker guy who was snooping on us. Don't panic. Don't panic don't panicdon'tpanic-'

Alex was panicking. And just before she was about to dash back inside, Vera appeared through the exit.

"Where were you?!" Alex wiped her eye with her sleeve. "Did you go back IN there?!" She gave Vera a look of incredulity. "I don't even think we should be stopping running right now!" Alex quickly shot glances up and down the alleyway, as if she was looking out for more danger. But at this point, she would deal with danger. She couldn't let Vera leave, especially on such an awkward note for both of them. Alex wished they had run into each other in a situation other than a pit-fight-turned-shooting. Couldn't they have met at a library or coffee shop?!

[Aqutanama]

Maverick Maddison Maximiliano Majere

Darkness. Everything was dark. A bristling cornucopia of sound muted all. Strange noises could be picked out of the mass as if detangling a ball of wires. An annoyance formed at the edge of view. A small gray light. Slowly it became brighter, and the sounds all faded leaving one.

“Young master it is time to wake.” Came a familiar voice trying to rouse the deep sleeper.

The young man sat up, his hair a mess as drool had dried in a trail down from his mouth to the bottom of his chin. He opened and closed his mouth a few times rubbing his tired eyes. The sun was barely up and yet he had to wake now. This was displeasing to him to say the least. Sleep was required for his mind to work correctly. That and his body requires a specific routine, or it doesn’t feel right. More sustenance, exact sleep, and a few other things.

His family purchased a massive building for him. Originally the building had 26 floors with many rooms. However, after renovations the rooms were cut down to 13. Each floor was a master suite. What would normally be the first floor was actually counted as floor 0 and the basement also extended likewise. The 0th floor was halfway down. The main hallway also extended the same distance in each direction. However, it wasn’t shaped like a giant box more like a giant cube shaped star. His room, like the others, was two floors tall and took up the entire two floors. Well, it wasn’t his entire room, but his full suite took up the entire floor.

“I’m awake. Please show yourself out Sir Gideon.” Mav informed the hired help. They nodded and bowed as they quickly exited. After that he moved toward the wall on the left side of his bed. His body started moving quicker as he shifted the gravitic pull around him allowing him to jog onto the wall. From there he continued as his speed picked up and again, he shifted the gravity so that he was now running on the ceiling. Once he was finished with his morning run, he would then shower. After that he would cook, eat, clean, and then get dressed. While he did have a Chief of staff and several servants, he didn’t want to depend on them. Getting up early in the morning was another thing.

Living and breathing a routine helped him. Getting into Sir Clausewitz' School for the Militarily Minded put a new gear into his schedule. Because of this he told Sir Gideon to wake him up early. His first stop on the agenda would be The Grand Library. He hoped that going there would allow him to glean the missing parts of the mathematical equations in this world. Mav left the building and Sir Gideon was waiting for him. Gideon escorted Mav to today's vehicle and drove him to the Grand Library.

Upon arriving, to say that the grand library was anything other than grand would be a lie. The building itself reminded him of grand cathedrals. He was amazed that such an old looking building existed within such an advanced kingdom. While the building didn’t look new, it looked as if ancient magics kept it from degrading. Saying it was huge was an understatement. Mav made his way up to the doors with his Sir Clausewitz' School for the Militarily Minded cloak brooch on. The coloration of the broach revealed that he was a third-year student.

“He can fly?” Maverick queried out loud as he noticed a man thrown from The Grand Library. He winced when he noticed that the man in fact could not. At least not that he would like to reveal. Mav made his way into the library. The great thing about this place is that it had more than one entrance. As he went inside, he noted a few people standing around. He couldn’t help but go to the receptionist.

“Where could I find anything about how technology works?” Mav asked as he pulled out a strange device. It was a two-part device. The first part was connected to his phone and the other was a strange headset with a lens that went over one eye. The lens was clear and was almost invisible.

“Any electronic versions of the books would be welcome as well.” He continued as he pulled out a black card from his wallet.

“These are the books on the subject you mentioned. There are over five-thousand books on said subject. If you would like we do have electronic versions of each book that we can lend or sell to you. Whichever is more convenient.” The receptionist informed him as he nodded and handed her the card with his phone.

“Please upload them to my phone. I will be purchasing them with that card. Thank you.” Mav informed her as he started browsing the books within The Grand Library. He noted the romance section was located at the front of the library. His fingers brushed the spines of each as he moved past them into different sections. Theoretical concepts and sci-fi was where he ended up. He pulled out the books and started scanning the pages.

Mav could hear several conversations throughout the library but decided to ignore them as he read. Friends… this was something that he didn’t have. Then again, he didn’t really need other people or so he thought. He couldn’t help but hum a tune as he read his book. It was one of his favorite songs from his original world.

Zerøspace

Maverick hoped that some of these books would hold answers for him or possibly be useful in school. It surprised him to find a book out of genera within the section he was in. A smile crossed his face as he noticed the book and took it to the returns section. It took him a while to move through the massive library. The librarian that was helping him handed him his phone and card.

“Everything should be on there. Please take this receipt.” She informed him as he took them.

“Thank you very much. Also, this book was out of place over there.” He informed her as he placed the book into her hands. She only nodded but looked confused. Could have been because most of the books were put away by magical means. Autonomous constructs could be seen moving throughout the library. He excused himself and moved to a nearby seat. His eyes started focusing on the darker coloring of the library as he started reading with his lens. His RBF probably reached maximum level at this point.

[AtomicNut]

Darla Drake

"Mmm, far too long. This is not Okay, cousin. Really not okay." Darla, sighed, before folding her hands in front of her mouth, fuming ever so slightly. People were usually stupidly infurating sheep who could only bleat most of the time, but they had to be specially grating this time. Apparently, there was a small trickle of students who were in her way besides Reverio.

It had been such a decent scene she had played in her mind. Her cousin seating with her, complimenting her good looks. Asking for a favour, Darla opening her hand and endearing herself to him.

But no, there had to be a stupid dog-wolf-boy-drooling thing making an ass out of himself in the library. The problem was not his looks, he probably was so subpar Darla would not even cast a glance at him even if he were naked. The problem were the "oohs" and "ahhs" from the cadre of morons who had come to the library to see if they could reach enlightment by osmosis.

Or just get laid. Mainly get laid.

She lifted herself from her seat, indicating her other robot maid, Pearl, lightweight and petite, to follow her for the entrance, as she took confident steps with the swagger only the beautiful elite could pull. On her way she passed some sort of punk sci fi cosplayer, which made her raise an eyebrow and shake her head.

"Cutting edge tech. Zero fashion sense. Gross." She said as she passed Maverick. "Things have to have both suitable form and function." She casually reminded the youth, asserting her dominance as Alpha female.

She also saw one of the first year herbivores. Lamb, or something. She would have presented herself as her senior and watch him squirm and chafe under her judgemental stare, but she guessed the librarians would take over for her. That's what they were paid for.

Of course there was the fucking dog. Some Kiburi scum. He probably thought books were for eating. She pondered how such a creature would come to existence. Would the bitch be the mother or the father? That sort of stuff. It did matter not. She just grabbed some tinfoil wrap, with her hands blessed by the god of the Forge, and began to twist and transform the chewing gum wrapping into a makeshift dog whistle.

FUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT She blew air into it, confidently that most students would not even register the sound, but the dog-man-thing from Kiburi would feel as if someone was playing Death Metal on his ears. She just coyly smirked, discarding the wrapping, as she made good headway into the door.

"Oh, there you are Reverio. Can't you believe...how crowded the library is these days? I had thought you would have entered already... but I guessed wrong. So...did you need help with something? You can ask me...anything." Darla offered her best pearly smile.

@Aqutanama@MagusDream@Dezuel

[MagusDream]

Lambda Lazuli / Kurogane Ookami

Location: The Grand Library
Interactions: None

BGM: Voile, the Magic Library still playing

Before he could go upstairs to the floor where he would find the gardening books, Lambda distracted himself with the library's huge structure, so he stood there dazing and lost in thought. There were so many people, from various schools gathered there, so he thought about the possibility of finding any of his classmates or other students from St. Laurel's. He was still relatively new to the student body, so he didn't know anyone that deeply yet.

(Whoa... I know that I said this at least three times, but this place is huge! Maybe a tour around won't be too much a problem, before going to the gardening section.) He thought with himself.

Changing his route a little bit, he decided to take a look around the other sections before going where he should. That's when a loud noise echoed in the halls.

*BGM stops*

"AAAAAARGH!!" Kurogane growled loudly.

"Huh?! What was that?" Lambda spoke, looking around.

When he finally caught up where the voice came, he found Kurogane, kneeling at the ground, blocking his wolf ears in pain. The whistle that Darla (@AtomicNut) crafted played an absurdly loud screech that could easily make any caninae feel a hurting world. The rest of the people in the area just looked at him, not understanding what exactly was happening. Not Lambda, who went there to help him.

"H-Hey, are you OK?" Lambda asked him.

"Urgh... this fuckin' noise...! Make it stop, make it stop!!" Kurogane kept growling.

"What is going on here?! Can you please not disturb the other readers?!" One of the librarians came to them.

"I-I'm sorry, my friend here is sensitive to noises. I think he caught up a noise that's hurting his ears." Lambda explained to the librarian.

"Then please tell him to keep himself silent! He already caused a ruckus moments ago! One more and I'll expel him out!" The librarian warned them.

"Y-Yes. My apologies, he'll tone it down from now on." Lambda assured the librarian, who just huffed and left back to the central table.

Kurogane was still kneeling when Lambda opened his bag, trying to find something to help him. Whether this was luck or not, he had a pair of ear muffs in his bag. He took them out and placed them at Kurogane's wolf ears.

"Khhhh...!! H-Huh...? The noise..." Kurogane said, as the noise started to muffle out in the distance.

"Is it better now?" Lambda asked him, quietly.

"Y-Yeah, it's better. Thanks." Kurogane answered him.

"Good. Now please, come with me." Lambda said, whispering.

"Huh? To where? And why should I go with you?" Kurogane asked him.

"I'll explain it once we sit down. For now, just stick with me for a while and talk really quietly, okay?" Lambda told him.

"... Sure. Lead the way." Kurogane answered.

They both got off the ground. Lambda took Kurogane to the upper floors, as to leave the scene as soon as possible. Meanwhile, other people started to find weird that a student from St. Laurel's was helping someone from Kiburi's. And most of all, calling it a friend. The schools were so different, like night and day, and so was the pair who just left. However, no one stopped them at any given point, as they went right ahead to the first floor.

[Aqutanama]

Maverick Maddison Maximiliano Majere

Mav was busy reading and copying over information within his HUD. He was so excited with the prospect of finding out how to utilize his world's technology that he didn’t even register the person talking to him. A laugh broke out timed almost perfectly with when she finished speaking to him. Other than that, he didn’t really care. If he had noticed, he would have just rolled his eyes at the female form of a bully. It was a missed opportunity that he left so quickly. Yes, he moved faster than she could probably run while skipping. If she took a look at him, she would only see his smile as he passed by. Unfortunately, he hadn’t noticed the ability of creation she so noxiously displayed.

However, his thoughts permeated around going to school. It would be his first day and he was a third year. Perhaps he could find another gear in the way technology fully worked. The information he copied over was specific to the magic mathematical equations and formulae. As he stood up, he bumped into someone and apologized quickly, as he moved out of the library. While it was early, school waited for him. He was still laughing as his ride pulled up.

“I see your time was spent well.” Chief of Staff Sir Gideon Glover observed. Mav wasn’t someone who liked needing people to help him but according to his father he was still too young. Mav opened the door and nodded as he entered the vehicle.

“Yes, I found some intriguing information within the library!” He gleefully informed Gideon and his voice cracked. Usually, he would be embarrassed when something like that happened. However, he was so happy about the information he found. This was one of the rare moments where his world age showed. These moments were uncommon but not so much that they didn’t occur more than expected. Most of the time it would happen when he was excited, surprised, or scared. He tried to overpower his body's natural fight or flight responses but that was difficult. That and given he didn’t have any experience in actual combat in this world. It was hard to not just run. However, he was different when he was sparring people.

[KillamriX88]

@Crowvette

---

"I never made it out," Vera told Alex with a tired sigh. "And relax. Everything has been handled. It's just us now," Vera told her. "I ran into our replacement, by the way. Your new pal Michael. He's a nosy little shit, that's for sure. I don't like him."

What the fuck was she doing?

"At any rate, I'm glad you're awake and healthier than ever, but I'm tired, Alex. You have anything to say? Because I think I've spoken my mind for now. I can see well enough where your priorities are these days. I get it, really. Something like a coma must really get you thinking about life."

[Dezuel]

Reverio Galand

The brief moments which he had conversed with Lambda had left the blonde blinking in a state of confusion. Had he just approached in order to bid his leave?

'A stranger you never met? But you just did? That doesn't make any sense at all...' Rev raised his eyebrows and shook his head after Lambda had left to go into the large building. But perhaps it was for the better, after all he had things to do. Chit-chatting and being idle was no longer a good choice. He knew that now. That being passive and simply letting evil do it's thing was just the same as being evil. Hopefully he could ask Darla for assistance, but he couldn't tell her his intentions for he wouldn't want to put her into danger.

'This is my burden to bear. This is my new duty. To find out what I can about the great evil, if it truly can bring salvation to this world.' The blonde headed up the stairs leading to the entrance of the building, each step felt heavier than the one before. Doubt. Why now? He felt as if he had the gods themselves set their judging eyes upon him. But if this wasn't their plan for him, then whose plan was it? It wasn't his... he was only mortal after all.

'There are limits to what a mortal can do, even as a king I was powerless. Power doesn't lie with me, it lies in others. Thus it is through others that I can change the world for the better.' The thoughts began to swirl yet again, perhaps they resurfaced to hide the realization he would soon meet his enthusiastic cousin. As he wandered into the doorway of the building he received a few looks by people within the library, he tried to not think about it. After all back in his homeland he had the eyes of the entire nation upon him, this was surely nothing to worry about. Was it his way of clothing that made him stand out? Or was it his long ponytail reaching down to his lower back? He couldn't tell.

His eyes did however wander abit, to look around the library. The way to the ceiling was huge. The large amount of ladders and books covering the walls was astonishing. Who knew how many books were lost in the massive collection. He could imagine the sheer pain of re-arranging books after a reader have placed them in the wrong section. Reverio didn't envy them at all. Perhaps those golem like things were doing just that? To one side he spotted the fluffy-eared boy and the boy which had briefly spoken with him. There were also some others wandering about which he had not seen before. His stride was cut off by hearing someone scream. The former king stopped in his tracks to look in the direction of the scream, or what he thought was the direction. Wasn't libraries meant to be places of tranquility? Something had happened to the fluffy-cat guy. But before Rev could go over and see if he could help, he was waylaid and had to defend himself.

It was at that moment he realized he was beset upon by a high level adversary. His cousin.

"Salutations dear cousin, I pray you have been well? Oh and for certain it seems the library is quite the gathering place. Perhaps people are just that interested in history, art and those fantasy world traveling stories. You know those where the protagonist falls into a world that is foreign to them? Ehm.. ahh yes... I was hoping you could help me with something? Uh.. anything? Well.. I do have something I really need to do." Reverio said in a troubled manner as he walked closer to his cousin and out of the doorway so he wouldn't block the way for someone else. He took a few breaths and then said in a hushed manner, it was after all a library and what he had in mind was troublesome.

"You see, Darla. I need someone to distract the librarians over there and the two golems by that door next to the counter. Leading them away from it. There's something I need to borrow from the library. But I cannot be seen with it. Think you could help me? I will make it up to you, whatever one request you want that is within my power I will grant. I need to get all of them away from that door over there and their attention set on something else." Reverio explained in a hushed manner to Darla, he had to take a few moments to take a breath away from her due to her perfume but overall he plowed through with the words.

If his cousin was unwilling to provide assistance it would make things much more difficult, but even if it were difficult there was no reason to quit. He owed his brother to do what he could to change the world, not only him but for the sake of everyone. Out of people the former king trusted, Darla was one of them. Albeit he couldn't tell her his greatest secret, due to what her parents would do if they found out. It would be a disaster of personal and worldly proportions and had to be avoided at all costs.

'I am counting on you! Help me Darla!' He voiced in his head as his eyes shimmered, watching his cousin in the eyes. Why did she look at him as if he was a freshly baked cake? Did he just imagine it? Perhaps he needed to blink his eyes to make sure. But doing so would make her suspicious. What if he only blinked one eye at a time? Rev took a moment before he blinked with one eye alone, to see if that would change the expression he was seeing written all over his cousin's face.

@MagusDream@AtomicNut@Lewascan2

[Dezuel]

Alrune Ihadugram Al-Zardun Dimekshia nu Karzanoon

The young boy nodded to the beat of the music that was emanating from him, making snapping noises with one hand, while visualizing he was playing on a keyboard with the other. The stroll down the main street leading to the library was far more trafficated than the one he just left. His specially enchanted magical guitar was flung over his back just in case he had to make an improvised performance with stunning visuals. They were stunning right? At least he hoped so.

Ofcourse his guitar and powers did bring a specific kind of feel to his performances, but they could be dangerous if used recklessly and he didn't want to hurt anyone. Especially not someone who was a fan of his songs or was there to have a great time. Speaking of great time, there was few things better than walking around in the fresh air, enjoying life and having a beat in your soul and heart both.

It was then the harmony was disrupted by a signal. Something rang.

"Hmm? Oh no.." Al reached for his phone and the display was showing him what he feared. It was his manager. Then again what did he expect, that was the only person who had his number, aside from the other members of the band. The young boy took a deep breath as the music died down completely and he pressed the green button on the phone.

"This is Al." He said in a tired manner, it wasn't like he hated his manager or was ungrateful for the help he had gotten in getting some fame underground. It was just that he needed some time alone to enjoy his life.

The rough voice, followed by a deep blowing sound into the phone was what greeted the boy when he listened. His manager was prone to drinking and making use of his cigars, typically blowing the smoke carelessly in front of him no matter who happened to be there. In this case it was the phone.

"Great news kid. I've kicked out Dogge... Duggo whatever his name was and replaced him with a new guy. Best of all the guy is cheap and down on his luck. Good thing I am around to save the day eh? People really need to appreciate the hardships I go through to get things working smoothly." The old man said with a grunt as he blew some more smoke into the phone he held.

"But.. he was a good person. He just needed more time to learn how to use the-" Al replied in a disheartened manner.

"He was trash! Complete and utter waste of space. In this buisness only the strong ones make it. You want to go living on the streets eh? Are you disatisfied with the effort and sacrifices I have made to help you? Eh?" The balding man asked in an annoyed manner. Al could almost feel the snarl and visualize the expression of the man.

"I am grateful for your help, I am- I just think-" Once again his manager broke him off in the middle of a sentence.

"That's the problem, kiddo. You think too much. Leave the thinking to the guy who saves everyones day. Me." The grown man said in a satisfied tone, the small chuckle that followed clearly indicated that he was fully convinced what he just spoke was facts.

"Okay.." Al said in a bored manner. His manager had completely killed off his good mood, and what he wanted now was nothing more than to end the call.

"One last thing kid. I know you've been strolling about the marketplace today. Keep yourself out of that part of town. You don't want to be around there at day, especially not at night. Bad things happen there. Wouldn't want to encounter the wrong kind of people. Good thing you have me to watch over you eh? Later kid." The manager gave a last blowing of his cigar into the phone before he hung up before Al could even reply.

'Just because I'm young, doesn't mean I'm stupid.' Al began walking again as soon as he had put his phone back into his pocket. It was true that he owed alot to that man, but he sometimes felt as if the man was seeing him as nothing more than a way to make money. Perhaps they were all viewed as that to him? The boy knew that he was also in need of money himself, so he could gather enough to help out his family and get a place of his own in the city and perhaps afford to join one of the schools.

Many of his fans had recommended he should join the school of Mephisto, but how would one even apply? Perhaps only by finding one of their recruiters. St Laurels and Clausewitz were two other options, although he felt that Clausewitz was far too militaristic for his liking and St Laurels were likely having too high a bar needed in order to join. Lastly there were Kiburi's, which was even more restricted. It also didn't seem like the place which Al would like at all. A place where the strong gather and seem to believe in the rule of the strongest.

Picking on those weaker than themselves, how was that a sign of being strong? Just a place of bullies and people who viewed themselves greater than everyone else. Perhaps he was being judgemental himself. But at least he was honest, this was what he knew of the schools and he would keep believing it until someone would change his mind. It was Saint Laurel who first made it so that arguments could be settled in legal arena fights, to avoid the nation to fall into disorder or lose it's appeal. After all, as far as most people were concerned, Rhea was the symbol of achievement and a good life. The other nations were trying to catch up, or were too occupied in going in the other direction.

As the boy pondered on the history of Rhea, he passed by many shops and windows, when a display in one window caught his attention. He wasn't alone in stopping to look, a gathering of ten or so people were watching a large monitor behind a glass window to a tech store.
There were speakers outside of the building however, to allow the people passing by to hear the quality offered by the brand new speakers but also view the local news and music programs. Not to mention the commercials. But what was being displayed at the time was something that made the boy frown and his face turned grim to what he was seeing. The screen showed a military parade in Vauquelin.

Theme

youtube.com/watch?v=xnaXbEdVUro

A large force of military clad men and women marsching down a large open square with various weaponry being displayed aswell. And atop on a balcony of the administative building stood several figures, the one in the middle he could recognize.

'The emperor of Vauquelin... just another tyrant who may someday put the world on fire. Just like those warlords of my home. Why can't people just be happy with what they have? Why can't they just enjoy life? Why must they always want more? Izumo has an emperor too. What makes people want that kind of power and responsibility to begin with? Do they really hate the world that much? There's so much beauty here but none of them can ever see it, or is it because they have chosen not to? What would I know. I am still a kid. Well until my birthday which is soon. Transition to an adult just like that. I wonder how that will feel like...' Alrune allowed his head to fall as he turned around to continue along his way, leaving the other people still standing there watching the scenes playing out before them.

The boy decided this was a good time to start whistling, that usually was a good start to get into a better mood. Also it could even evolve into a new song later along the way. 'I wonder if that Shal-Akkun used to do things like this back when he was alive?' He pondered for a moment then smiled. "Probably not!" He said aloud and began to balance walk along the different elevated walkway leading to the Rhean library.