[IC] Enigma: Dawn Of The Rebellion [Sci-fi/Fantasy]

[TheTwistedOne]

It was the beginning of another day in the city. The night shift had ended just hours ago, and the morning shift workers were making their way to work. Many of those workers were human, and were forced to walk. If they were lucky, they may have had a bicycle with which to reach their destination. Others fortunately lived near or on site of their work place, and so were lucky, as the metropolis was large indeed. The rest of the many species of the city however were, mostly, given privilege to modes of transportation such as high-speed electronic highways, trollies, even hovering vehicles that could soar through the skies, but not many humans. For here in this city, despite its location on Earth as one of the few standing civilizations, humanity was on the bottom rung, the lowest block of the totem pole, society's mud crawlers. Nearly five thousand years ago, more or less, humanity was at its peak- flying cars provided to the masses, space colonization was on the brink of discovery, and the governments were stable in their positions as the highest order. However, war was still rampant, poverty, famine, still all too common. The world was slowly dying, and the true reason for movement to space was revealed; nuclear war was all too likely to happen at any given moment. However, it didn’t happen. Apparently humanity was close to destroying the Earth, for the Gods themselves came to its salvation. The war was swift, if war it could have been called. Over fifty percent of the humans were killed, their cities ravaged, and the rest enslaved. Earth was reborn, it's wounds healed in an instant, and what was left of humanity was forced to build grand cities. Not for themselves, but for those who would now inherit the Earth. For when Men was overthrown, those creatures who lived in secrecy, in hiding, surfaced from the shadows. The creatures from old wives tales, so called fictional, and even things that were not imagined in dream or nightmare.

The primary city that was built was Enigma. While three quarters of the city were built with all that man had achieved, and even more by secrets the Gods now revealed to the builders, the fourth was constructed as the cities of old, made of stone and brick, but not a shred of technology to be found. For they were quite closely monitored when constructing this quarter, the one they were destined to live within. Punishment for the enslaved, for the enslavement so long held over the Earth. The Gods ruled with an iron fist for one thousand years, as more and more so called Mythical creatures sprung up around the globe, and migrated to the few cities; most made their way to Enigma. In time, the gods decided that rule over humanity should belong not to them, but rather to those that had been forced into hiding so long ago. And so, the Hierarchy of the Elders was created, and those that led were chosen, either by the Gods themselves, or by the people of the city. It has been four thousand years since the gods departed, leaving the world in the care of the Hierarchy. More creatures have continued to make their appearance, even entirely Alien species in some cases. But Humanity has not been idle. An organization, dubbed Chaos, had arisen in the years of the Hierarchy's rule. While open warfare was scarce, the Humans continued to fight a war of espionage, subtlety, and sabotage against the ruling body of their city. The ultimate goal was to reclaim the rights they once had over the planet, starting with Enigma.

So it was, another day. The nocturnal creatures were now going off to their respective homes, and there was a brief period where the city lay comparatively silent, then it is alive once more with creatures of many different species moving to and fro, conducting their business. There were few clouds, the sun was rising over the entertainment district and, for most, it was a beautiful day, full of promise. For others, it was simply another day of plotting, preparation, and shady dealings. It was another day, in the city of Enigma.

[Pree]

Endre woke up with a groan even though the sun had not yet risen. Halfway through the work-week and he was already sore from running large stacks of books and other side-tasks he had to do to make sure his friend Kharlee didn’t accidentally starve herself to death. Speaking of which, he went down a short ladder to his kitchen, and quickly fixed something for the ‘lil harpy to eat when she showed up for work, and bundled it into a brown paper sack as a surprise… Although if she could actually smell, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise he was packing sushi with extra wasabi and a side of lemon.

From there, he took off through the rooftops of the west-end to the book-store, swung gracefully in through an half-open window, and celebrated showing-up to work on time with a long draught of cognac from under his desk before going out-front to unlock the door and greet the early-arrivals and start unloading fresh inventory.

By the time he made it to the front door, a rather scantily clad female was standing there, blue furred arms crossed under her chest as she waited, delicate looking fingers toying with a scarf around her neck. Upon seeing the Drow, she offered him a toothy grin, her canines flashing slightly as she did so. “Well good morning Endre,” she said as the Drow unlocked the door, leaving it for her to push open, “Where’s the Mistress? I would have thought she would be here already considering it is opening… unless she has slept late again?”

Kharlee woke up to the sound of birds, or she thought she did. Whenever she did wake up she didn't hear anything, and she made a mental note of it in her head to ask Endre about the sound of birds. Or dreaming of birds. She wasn't really sure was dreaming. She didn't have dreams like what he told her dreams were. She sat up and then stretched, her wings arching out. Her left wing pulled a little down and her right stretched outward as she ran her hand through her tangled hair.

It took her close to twenty minutes to get her hair untangled with just her fingers, by which time she was thinking of food. She didn't have a clock to tell the time, and just somehow knew that somehow she would be on time if she had to be. But she never had to be on time. After her parents died, she downscaled from the mansion to a two bedroom studio, cut her past times down to one job, and only had Endre looking after her. The money was in the banks, in the stock markets, other than of course the money that was stored in gold just laying about.

She didn't need to work. She did anyway. It gave her things to do other than spending money. She got out of her room and immediately the smell of fresh fish wafted through the house. She didn't see it anywhere though, and slowly felt he had taken the food with him. She frowned a bit before going to brush her teeth. Listerine. It was hard as a carnivore to maintain good teeth, and she had to constantly work at it. Her parents had insisted as a child and it was something she did automatically now.

She stepped out to the tiny balcony, where Endre had put a dying plant in a pot. She stared at the drooping twigs and then decided to throw some wine on it. There was always a half glass or so of wine lying about. She then leapt off the roof and flew up through the skies, before swooping down to the shop. She walked in, wearing nothing as she usually did. Her breasts bouncing a bit as she came in and sat at her desk. She found her little bag of sushi and hunted for a minute or two till she found her special chopsticks.

She ate ravenously, enjoying the fresh fish, and then looking around at the patrons. They knew of her. They knew of her reputation. She didn't speak to them, instead writing a sign that said, “No enquiries.” She sat there the whole time though, not wanting to be disturbed as she partook in an oak smelling leather covered copy of Star Wars fantasy novel. She had her legs up and her wings spread menacingly out on her comfortable chair.

She sat with her legs folded and then slowly looked through the updated inventory. She didn't know where he got the more expensive sets of books from, but he always seemed to know who to contact for things like this. She didn't much care for what he did around the time she needed to be fed or interact with humanity. She only hoped he didn't gamble as she got deep into her book, flipping through chapter after chapter quickly.

Watching the harpy enter her shop from her place between the shelves, Azura couldn’t help the small smile that caused the corner of her mouth to twitch upward. “Good morning to you Ms. Kharlee,” she said as she walked over to the other female, a few books in her hand. As always, she ignored the sign the woman had set up, mainly because she rather enjoyed speaking to her despite the Harpy’s dislike for social interaction. “I take it you slept well?”

As she set down her books, she glanced over at the Drow again, curious as to what the male was doing. “Oh, I also have some books to bring you when I return tomorrow, I’ve had them for a hundred years or so, so they may be of value to you in this shop if you would like to take a look at them?” Finishing her sentence, she started to rummage around the folds of her scarf to pull out some money to pay for the titles she had chosen.

Endre had finished sorting and stacking books upon the rows upon rows of shelves, only to see one had already gone missing and two were already misplaced and out of order… What he also saw was one patron already leaving so soon after opening...yet the only one to offer paying for anything so far was Azura; it took very little time or effort to get ahead of this pesky human, and even less effort to see he was trying to steal some little book on being calm, written in german, in all capital pink letters: NICHT PANIK all across the cover, larger than the actual title which was actually quite unreadable. Pulling the book away, he shoved the poor beggar-boy out into the streets to hitch-hike a bit more with little more than just his scarf for a towel before setting the book back upon the shelf.

He then caught a side-glance of Azura, still staring at him, still judging him. He decided to try and make himself look more busy than usual by trying to figure out where the book he’d just recovered actually went… the title suggested non-fiction… Somewhere in the back…

Kharlee looked up at Azure and then took the books from her hand, writing down the names of the books so that she could tell Endre which one she had sold today. She shrugged about the sleep question. “My kind doesn’t need the amount of sleep I get. It’s probably going to kill me sooner or later.” She looked up at the girl’s canines and then said, “Probably not good for anyone.” She said, putting the books in a neat bag and giving it to the woman.

It is not that Kharlee minded it. The social interaction was good for her, but she had had enough of it already and was ready to rest again after a big meal. She looked at the woman and said, “Of course, your continuous support and patronage is what keeps my business running.” Though it was meant well, it was a well rehearsed line when she didn't want to say anything of use to anyone. “We look forward to seeing you again.” She said after she had made a bill for the books and given it to her. “Seeing you very soon.” She said, somehow missing the glances she took at Endre.

“Endre! Come help Miss Azura.” She said, rolling away from the table so the conversation would cease, and now Endre had to deal with the woman. She always knew Endre disliked little human thieves, even though she paid no attention to them. One out of four loss wasn't that bad. But mathematically it upset Endre and she let him do as he pleased. “And get me some tea.” She said, sitting back and getting her book out again. “Good day to you, madam.”

Endre’s shoulders slumped-forwards as he stopped mid-stride on his way out of the main-room, when he heard his name being called by Kharlee; his ears did perk-up slightly when he heard it was to help Azura, though. Could be worse customers in need of assistance. But first, tea… A happy mistress is a complacent one, it was really only on her particularly bad days that she really nitpicked every non-obvious thing he did; a good thing, since much of what he did had obviously nothing to do with books.

He simply left the book for pan-galactic germanic hitch-hikers on the desk next in-line for Kharlee to read as he fetched the ready-made tea that was conveniently-enough warmed-up on a hot-plate before giving a bit fuller, more direct attention to lady-Azura. “May you be in need of any service?” He enquired with a wide grin as he tilted his head to the side, lowering his perspective just enough to determine whether or not Azura’s lips were curled into a smirk or a scowl.

[Kokushi]

As always, Azura had a pleasant smile on her face when Endre came back from his attempt to hide from her, or at least that is what she was assuming he had attempted to do, “I am ok, though I would not mind some company to the border of West End if Kharlee would not be opposed to you walking with me?” she questioned, her green eyes darting over to the Harpy for a brief moment before focusing back on the Drow half-elf before her. With all the time that she had spent at the shop, and the 25 years she had spent in West End, she had done her best to befriend both Kharlee and her manservant, even after she had become the Elder of East End. “I would not wish to step on any toes with my request of course.”

As she waited for either Endre or Kharlee to reply to her request, she situated the books she now held so they would be easier to carry, not wanting to deal with any awkwardness with the objects. However, no matter how often she re-arranged them, she always found that the largest happened to bite into her ribs slightly while the top book would only nestle comfortably under her breasts.

“I’m sure she won’t mind, I’m only going to be doing what she told me to, after-all.” Endre smiled back as he wrote a note, then pulled a violin from beside the desk to leave both in plain view on top of the desk, the note having read “If in need of assistance, play violin.”

“Those books look heavy, mind if I carry them for you?” He asked as he helped get the door for her. His eyes though, happened to see an elderly devil carefully reading the note he’d just left before stepping aside ready to offer skills at playing fiddles in exchange for their souls.

Undoing his cape, he tucked the books inside the material as he gathered-up the four corners of the cape around the parcel and gave them all a great big twist to seal it as he slung the makeshift-sack upon his back, ready to go without having to worry about pointy bits of book in Azura’s ribcage; allowing her to walk with a more lady-like gait and giving him an excuse to lag somewhat behind her from time to time.

Azura offered him a smile of appreciation as she left the store and headed for the border that separated West End from her own home. “How have things been going at the shop?” she questioned, her arms crossed over her torso as she walked, “Kharlee seems to be in good health, which means you’ve been making sure she continues to eat, good… I swear that child would waste away if you were not here to look after her. Tell me, how was it you became her manservant again? I am only used to seeing humans subservient to people.” As she walked, Azura’s slim tail swayed from side to side, almost as if the thing had a mind of its own, allowing Endre to catch small glimpses of the swell of her rear due to the low rise of her skirt.

“Things have been going pretty good.” He said after a sigh, already knowing she didn’t ask for the short and sweet answer, “She still tends to oversleep and can’t keep to a decent schedule, but at least she’s eating healthier, thanks again for advice to sneak veggies into her sushi.”

As they continued walking, Azura asked how come he behaves as some sort of slave, to which he shrugged. “I tried climbing the graces of society a bit too quickly and fell off, landed in a bunch of debt that her parents were happy to pay-off…” His voice trailed off as his pace slowed, trying to find the easiest way to describe what really happened, although not exactly the truthful reason, “Provided I looked out for her. Although that contract is quite over-with, I still make sure she’s doing well.” He finished, noticing he was falling well behind, began catching-up, but then noticed her tail making somewhat faster movements out of synch with her pace as he moved closer, teasing him with brief glimpses of her posterior-figure.

Not to let her have the final say in this, he swatted at the offending tail once it came within reach and then darted past her, challenging her to move just a bit faster to keep up.

At the feel of his hand hitting her tail, a small yelp of surprise left the female’s mouth and her eyes narrowed the moment she saw the Half-Elf Drow run past her. While she was sure it was all in good fun, every time she saw someone running from her, she had the overwhelming urge to give chase, and if she did not restrain herself properly, it sometimes ended in the opposite party getting hurt. Bouncing on the balls of her feet a couple times, she eventually took off after the male, her ears pinned to her head and her tail trailing behind her as she did so. “Get back here Endre!” she half shouted, just so she could be heard as she avoided running into any of the pedestrians on the streets, “What is it with you and hitting my tail?!” I swore he understood it’s a sensitive appendage, she thought to herself as she grew closer to catching him.

[Foster]

To tease an elder without concern for their own safety, either requires complete ignorance, or complete arrogance; Endre managed to perform with the later while showing signs of the former as he darted through the streets. He knew he wouldn’t outrun her, not while carrying a makeshift sack of books; nor would he be able to hide from her, as she knew the streets and their hiding places well as he did himself.

No, he was merely working Azura up to a sweat as he led her across the many moving-platforms of the elevated streets, across rooftops and down drainpipes, until he came to a dead-end. He knew it was a blind-alley, and chose it anyways; as upon the top of the wall-facade, one could peer deeply into the east-side entertainment-district as the sun glimmered off the many glass-paned high-rises, while affording quite a bit of privacy at street-level, the otherwise calm and tranquil street-noise being drowned-out by the nightclubs just on the other side of the wall.

At the end of the chase, he would have merely turned around and smiled, had Azura not managed to tackle him half a moment after he stopped, causing the pair to tumble to the ground with Azura on top, mostly because he figured that was how she tackled people; it wouldn’t make much sense to tackle people with the intent to end up underneath your prey, after-all.

Taking the minor setback in-stride, he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, and kissed Azura when he was sure nobody else would notice. It was a short one, but that didn’t mean he didn’t put any effort into sealing his lips around her’s. Upon releasing her from his kiss, he spoke:

“So, we’re here. Is there anything else can I help you with, Miss Rosenthorn?” He asked, trying to sound calm despite being quite out of breath by using short, very evenly spaced words, with pauses.

Azura froze over him the moment she felt his lips against hers, his actions towards her clearly surprising her out of her instinct to kill what she had caught. Ears flat against her head, she jumped off of Endre and stared at him, her tail twitching from side to side as her eyes darted around the empty alley as she had not expected him to do such a thing. “I… Uh… no… no this is fine,” she said, trying to hide the sudden embarrassment she felt, though she was pleased her dark fur hid any blush she may have, “You uh… why would you…”

Not entirely sure what to say or how to react to what had just transpired, she took to just staring at the male, her green eyes clearly searching for an answer. While she had known him for the past 20 years, she had never really picked up on him having any interest in her, even after she had chased him naked through the streets after he had peeked in on her bath. “I should get going…” she murmured, holding her hands out for her books, “I am sure Kharlee wants you back at the shop, we both know how much she hates talking to people.”

Endre nodded as he handed Azaura her bundle of books and walked past the elder, brushing past her tail as he made his typical exit by rooftops and car-surfing, as he allowed himself to be painted upon the skyline for as long as possible, so that a certain keen-eyed person could watch him.

MEANHILE:

The noise of the violin bothered her. Not in a way that it sounded bad or anything like that, it just bothered her that Endre had one lying about the shop and just left one there. She stared at the half human playing it, not sure what other half he was, and then slammed her fist on the table. “Enough.” She said, going to the back. She got a kettle out and several cups with a tea bag. Tea, the best thing the humans had ever done. Other than wasabi. It made everything good again.

“Anyone speak or make a sound and I will make sure your innards are strewn about the floor.” At barely 5 feet, people rarely had a chance to look away from her bright blue eyes to her breasts, she was just too short, even if well endowed. She had a feeling she would be seeing Endre back, unless he had died. He had a thing about doing that, almost dying. Her father had warned her to not help him anymore than she could. He was the kind of man Kharlee always tried to be like, have a problem? Throw money at it till it goes away.

The crowd quietened down and she looked at the new books that had come in, tilting her head as she glowered at the papers. She made a mental note to remind Endre to get more love stories. People needed that. Especially in today’s world they always need something to look forward to. Kharlee wasn't hungry again, just bored. She went back again to see if there had been any granola bars left behind, but came back scowling.

Why were there never any granola bars?

[Pree]

Ah, the streets of west end. Archivald did not frequent these streets as often as his superior, Azura did. In fact, he usually kept to north end, his home, and east end, where more rebellious activity took place. One of his spies, however, managed to uncover that there was a small cell in west end. Normally Archivald would just send some soldiers, but he was feeling in the mood for some slaughter himself today. He was donned in his signature black armour. His horns and tail were armoured as well. The armour added an halberd-like feature to the end of his tail. With him were two soldiers, because you could never be too sure. This cell was only about ten insignificant people at most - far too easy for the powerful warlock - but if there was anything the warlock disliked, it was surprises. If anything major happened, the soldiers could deal with those rebels while he solved it. The warlock eyed a small building where these rebels were holed up and extended his arm towards it. Within a second an enormous surge of fire came forth and engulfed the house. The building only had two exits, and both were located at the front. Archivald could hardly believe they had been so folly to not include other exits. As the survivors of the fire ran out, Archivald formed his bound sword in his hand. This was a black longsword with several wicked features and infernal runes and was coated in a dark essence.As the man cut through the rebels, a strange white substance in their image emerged from them and was absorbed into the blade. Archivald’s laughter was audible, nearly maniacal. There were few things he enjoyed as much as killing humans stupid enough to think they were above their station.

Kharlee liked the streets around the bookshop, which tended to curve around themselves and then curve again. Endre had talked about it as roundabouts, and entirely useless unless you had made a mistake on the way to the destination you desired to go. There was no need for motorised vehicles for her. She lived close enough for it not to matter. On the other end of the giant circuit from the bookstore was a lone coffee shop. It was a pop up where, a human, generally sat there growing his beard and making coffee. At least she assumed him to be human. She couldn't tell the difference sometimes. For this occasion too, she had worn no clothes. The proprietor knew of her and her ways didn't mind very loudly, even if he did a little. She enjoyed coffee whenever she needed a break from the wine. And she was out of wine at the bookstore. She generally had two different wines for the bookstore and for her house, and didn't like them mixing.

A sudden explosion from a nearby room caught her by surprise, and she moved to it, wondering what was going on. She stared wide eyed and a little helplessly at the slaughter that happened in front of her. The humans who were already singed by the fire taken down by a man with a sword. The last one was younger, and she flew in front of him, stopping the sword from striking him, but unable to stop it from striking her till the last minute, where she managed to pull her wings inside to not get crushed. She may not have had much dexterity but she had speed. The younger, burnt child fell to the ground, but unable to cope with the damage from the burning died right in front of her.

“Why did you do that? He’s gone now.” She said, turning to him. Not much noticing his sword or his maniacal laughter.

As the sword struck the harpy, the dark essence seeped into her body. She could feel an intense pain spreading through her body before Archivald had the chance to extract it from her. The harpy had gotten into the way at the very last second and he had not been able to still his blade in that time. “You imbecile. It was nearly you who were gone! You should not stick your beak in businesses where it doesn’t belong, harpy.” He had noted the bookstore on his way here. He knew Azura liked the place and had asked him to not harm the harpy and drow in that place specifically. He had once before joked about burning the place down after Azura and he started squabbling, she did not take nicely to it. (before you ask pree, yes koku and I did RP that :P) He wasn’t sure, but this might as well be that harpy. Then again, if she turned out to be a rebel sympathiser, not even Azura’s word could stop the warlock from ending her. The law was above even the elder’s word, after all. He made a motion to the soldiers behind him as the fire dissipated by his will “Into the building, check for survivors.” He turned back to the harpy “Who are you.”

She didn't much respond to the strike of the sword or even the dark essence in her body. It seemed as though she couldn't care any less about it, and just looked at the man as he didn't answer her question. Was it common among men to do this? Not answer a question they were asked. She just stared at him as he hurled insults at her. When he in turn at the end of his rant asked her a question she moved to him and knocked on his forehead. “Anyone in there?” She asked frowning at his forehead as if she really believed it to be empty. “Why did you do that?” She asked him again. He would see her eyes transcend a shade of blue, suddenly get much lighter and make him aware of the fact that he was not just dealing with some other monster. She was what nightmares were made of and her ancestors formed lores of banshees and witches. Even in his warlock books he would know harpies were not common enemies, and that was mainly because their enemies didn't survive long. Her eyes went paler but her eyes still inquisitive, as the dark essence suddenly began dripping out of the wound. When he didn't answer her still she turned to one of his soldiers, “Is he stupid?” She asked them this time as they ran to the building.

As the soldiers went ahead into the building, he could turn his full attention to the woman. Although her actions clearly tried to intimidate him, he wasn’t going to just back down from that. Although he would have to be wary. He could feel she was at least hiding something from him.After all, what would people say if the well-known Archivald bel, right hand of the first elder, would back down from a staring contest with some harpy? That would tarnish his pride just a little too much for comfort. Maybe he would have to confide with Azura at some point. Ask her what she knew about this woman. He wondered if she knew more. If not, than he would make her aware that he wasn’t keen on her friend protecting rebels.”You are interfering with the rebel extermination ordered by the first elder of enigma, Azura Blackthorn. I am Archivald Bel, second in command of the first elder’s forces and her right hand. I will ask you again, who are you and why did you interfere?” The woman may have her scary ancestry, but Archivald’s own wasn’t anything to scoff at either. That was nothing he would ever tell her. A half-demon did not disclose his ancestry to anyone outside of his own kind. He stared at her, anything but pleased with the current situation.

She stared at the poor dead human, and as he was speaking understood this was something they did. Rebels. Had she ever seen this one before? Had he come to the store? Did he deserve this? She bent down and stared at the corpse, it’s eyes wide with fear and anguish, before she shut them. She didn't need any more information from the man though, and began moving away as he started introducing himself. Whoever he was it didn't matter. There was a person forever lost into the abyss. This wouldn't have happened if there was no hierarchy, a chain of command, a food table that benefited one and not the other. She sat back down with her coffee again and stared off into the abyss almost. She had been there, death, and it wasn't something she wished upon most. To have their lives cut off short as if it didn't matter. Books she read spoke of some Karmic sorting out where it would all work, but it never seemed to work quickly enough for her liking. There were rules here, that made it alright to do this, and she had been told as a person who lived here, she must follow the rules.

Gods and demons alike had determined the fate of humans. Both them had done so on separate accounts and found the humans worthy of no fate better than this. The little human was simply a victim of his parents’ folly, Archivald was sure. The harpy should not blame the executioner for carrying out the sentence that was put upon the people. He followed the rules, albeit with a large grin on his face. The harpy should blame the parents of the child, who were probably other victims, because they dared risk their child’s life in their selfish convictions that defied the will of the gods. Archivald did not revere the gods, but their opinions on the matter aligned, so he liked the gods as he liked a good acquaintance. Ultimately,.the harpy seemed to give up despite Archivald’s answering. But Archivald was not the type that He walked over to where she had taken her seat, sipping her coffee as if nothing happened. “You do not get to walk away from this, harpy. You shielded a rebel from harm. The punishment for rebel sympathisers in this city is the same as for rebels themselves. I shall ask you again, who are you? And also, did you shield that child knowing of his charges?”

“Uh. No.” She said, offering him a coffee. She didn't know he was a rebel. “He didn't quite look human to me.” She said, tilting her head at the dead boy being carried away. “He quite looked like me.” She of course had grown up a little aloof of her busy parents, and assumed for the longest time that she looked like Endre, her half drow caretaker. Endre was taller than most people, and she had wings, she assumed it all to be the same. “He looked exactly like me.” She said, in a singsong voice almost. The violence was unnecessary. She knew violence. Her entire species always being fought by humans, and those people called Gods. Her elders were old enough, when they did tell her stories, that one day just normal people started calling themselves Gods. That power was not the sign of the true Gods. Gods were just another set of monsters and deserved as much worship as she did. Kharlee read about Gods in books, and none of the real Gods could do that. Not even ones other people called Gods. She made a mental note to make Endre explain the rebels to her. She looked at the other man, not much noticing the anger in his features. Her eyes had returned to a normal colour, the wound still remaining but then it obviously didn't hurt as much. She stared at the creature for a second or two before she tossed a packed up fruitcake at him. “You look a bit stressed. Have a fruitcake, tart.” She said, in almost a scary flirting manner, before she decided to fly away from him.

“Well, turns out that this bird doesn’t have eagle eyes.” He laughed “It was a human, definitely. Not that the race was the decisive factor in the murder, it were the ideas.” As a mixture of two races, he had enough to prove to the purebloods. And he had. He had shown his fellow demons, his father and all that doubted him that he had the power and ferocity of a true inhabitant of the infernal realms. He had been allowed to discard his human last name, as was commonly done among the proven half-demons, and was treated as a real demon despite his mixed blood. Humans, all they had were numbers. They were nothing but simple breeding machines, resource hogs preventing the thrive of the stronger races. After their subjugation to the other races, their role as simple cattle and slaves suited them perfectly, the bottom of the food chain. He had been in this city for thirty years now, keeping the humans at bay. He wasn’t about to change his ways now. Preventing former rebellions before they started was what had brought him his position in the first place. Archivald couldn’t give a damn if the gods were real or not. They reinforced the rules that helped him, and therefore he would use it to his advantage. He slapped aside the fruitcake that was thrown at him. He wasn’t really angry, more incredibly annoyed at this creature’s lack of… sense. He didn’t respond to the creature. At this point he was just going to assume this was the bookstore owning harpy that was Azura’s acquaintance. Even if it wasn’t so, he’d find out with a simple inquiry. He turned his back to her as she flew off. “Azura will hear of this.” He muttered under his breath as he walked off to find his subordinates. The bitch commander may have explicitly told him not to harm these two, but that wasn’t going to stop him if she turned out to be their enemy at a later point. And he had the means to find out. He just had to convince her… somehow.

[Pree]

Terrence knew that he desperately needed the research. He needed as much general and advanced knowledge he possibly could assemble, on every single creature. He had to meticulously study and investigate everything he had and investigate any possible angle, his first dilemma was obvious. That he didn't have what he considered to be nearly the satisfactory amount of materials. An idea struck him at that moment, he knew where he could get more information. Which is precisely why he flew and ended up here. In the west city, right beside seemingly an out of the way bookstore strolling around in his manticore form. As much as he hated it, still struggling to get used to it. Loathing his very reflection in the windows of the bookstore. It was in the early afternoon, and the store's sign said, 'Open'.

This would be the perfect place to collect everything he needed, he didn't know why, after all this time, he never went here or anywhere to get a book. Being a frequent reader of books in any free time he had. If he was away from his patients he was likely reading. Probably because he didn't really want to deal with the monsters outside of having them as patients. Terrence let out an exhale and began to approach the door, carefully pushing on the door with his paw trying to keep his strength limited, as to not rip off the door. While attempting to squeeze his way into and through the door without breaking anything. He managed to make it through the door with damaging anything. Hearing a bell like chime as he stepped through the door, as the door creaked itself closed. Terrence smelled the air and looked around at the bookstore to see where to begin. Preferably someone could come to help him find what he needed so he didn't have to spend too much time searching for all the books himself.

Kharlee had just been staring at her wine in confusion. There was some reason to killing. Food. Survival. Hell, even the fun of it was a reason for killing. But in a world where monsters had decided they could live along with each other, come out of hiding and thrive in the world above, she didn't understand killing. Some had no choice but to be slaves. A lack of money for instance, wherein Endre began taking care of her. But others, they had a choice. If they wished to not serve, if they had no debt to their name, why should they be killed? Death was so permanent. She was distracted from her thoughts by wings. A pair of wings floated into the bookstore, obviously attached to some creature, but she didn't bother talking to it just yet.

Through all that though she had been worried about the shop. The boy. The man. The fiery one. He could create fire with his mind, and she wasn't sure if the shop had any protection at all. It was all she had after all and protection was something she now realised she needed to concern herself with. Hence, while she wouldn't worry about the creature generally, while Endre was away, she decided to ‘help’ this being out. “Anything specific you were looking for?” She asked, looming into him with her bright blue eyes.

Terrence noticed the smell of alcohol in the air right away, guessing right away that it smelled like wine. His one sister really loved wine...But he quickly stopped himself from thinking about things like that, not wanting to get emotional right now. Turning his attention at the harpie who was at a small distance away from where he stood. Looking at her, and asking him a question. Terrence assumed that she was the owner of the store, due to the question she asked. He cleared his throat, as he spoke up.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I was. I was looking for every medical and medicine science book that you had currently available for starters. If you would be able to gather them for me or point me to that particular section,” Terrence stated in his usual professional sounding voice though he still wasn't used to how deep and honestly rather threatening his voice sounded in this form. “Please.” Terrence clarified to make sure he didn't come off as someone demanding or rude. As Terrance stood there only coming in slightly closer, taking several steps inside the bookstore. So he didn't completely block the front door trying to not cause any problems keeping his wings and tail tucked in beside him, being very careful of his surroundings, waiting for her answer continuing to look intensely at her immediately recognizing an injury on the harpie's body, as her body's wound glowed a pale blue. He knew something was wrong with her.

Kharlee looked at the smaller creature, inspecting him and his size carefully. Once she was certain he wouldn't topple shelves she just got up and looked at him, before taking one of the book carts. “Follow me to the section. Point to the things you want and I will get them for you.” She wasn't sure books with claw marks sold very well. She didn't want the books to be hurt. She took him three sections in and then began flying. Usually Endre would climb up some ladders like a monkey for this, but she just flew. The wound didn't seem to heal properly, and seeing him eye it she just disappeared with the basket for a second before she came back with a bandaid, much too small for the wound, over it.

Kharlee didn't say much else as he picked his books, barely looking at the books he picked. But as he picked heavier and heavier books, her wings weren’t flapping as easily as they did before. She frowned at this, glowering it would seem at a dust spec on the wall. Though she had promised to help so she kept floating eerily up and down as she tried to concentrate on not the pain. The wine was definitely helping, this was not. She silently followed him as the books got heavier, unsure she wanted this job.


Terrence just observed her as he was processing in his head exactly what happened, and in a flash he could tell what had happened to her. He just wasn't sure if he'd come of as intrusive for asking but as a doctor he did sort of want to get in personal business if it regarded their health. Terrence for now kept himself quiet as he followed behind her still on the ground, watching her fly up and struggling to do so. Terrence's eyes just scanned the book shelf looking for anyone's that looked like they'd help him learn more, picking the largest books he could find first.

“That one looks good, that one, that one, that one and that one too...” Terrence said as he reached out with his tail to more accurately point out which books that he desired, seeing a lot that caught his eye. Though noticing she was having more problems, the more books he picked out for her. Terrence couldn't help but say something as he couldn't help it anymore as he could almost feel her pain, knowing exactly how much was hurting. “Please stop, if you keep flying like that your stab wound will only get worse and so will your pain.” Terrence spoke out to her bluntly and rather loudly on top of that, hoping that she would stop flying.

She frowned at him, wanting to prove that she could even though he said she couldn't. But it hurt and she saw his tail was much much more useful than others. He could potentially... She sighed when the pain did get worse and mumbled something about “Not been stabbed.” She didn't linger on about it and her band aid had come off. She went down again and then grabbed the other books he wanted, though it felt like she had a sore shoulder. “They were. Killing rebels. Murdering them.” She explained the situation. “My coffee got cold.” She also added looking at the ground. She didn't like that bit. Cold coffee doesnt taste very well. She stretched a bit and then said, “I will need more bandaids. Endre can fix it, but he isnt here.” She just said, kicking the book bag around now because she couldn't carry it.

She had no idea about medicine or anything like that. She could definitely not fix it herself. But when she started bleeding a bit again she grabbed a rag and placed it against it. She didn't want to drip on the books. Endre would already be mad she put her head in something she shouldn't have. But there were children. She didn't like dealing with them but felt sympathy for their tiny unable form. They were also underdeveloped in the head. They hadn't seen enough of the world to be killed yet. She shook her head. “Murdered.” She added.


Terrence watched at her frown at him, as his patients usually did. As he told them everything wrong with them. It was much easier to make the human patients he once had feel at ease, with his warm and gentle voice. Not the case with this form. As he stopped asking for books as he wanted to wait for her to follow instructions. As she started to speak and explain what happened to her. Terrence listened to her words carefully as he still was watching her, his eyes widened a bit as she started to bleed more. “Please! Don't hurt yourself any further.” Terrence spoke out with a concerned tone as he almost went to take her down himself as he was growing agitated and rather on edge. But restraining himself he just thought to himself, that he wished he brought his supplies with him. As he often did but he had not thought of it.

He heard about the rebels getting killed and murder as he looked away for a brief moment to stop himself from saying anything he thought, hiding any reaction knowing of just how careful he had to be in this town.“I'm a doctor. Can you come down? May I look at it a little closer?” Terrence asked as he didn't actually need to look at the wound any closer, knowing even exactly what stabbed her and knowing she needed some attention and he really wanted to convince he to come back down speaking as soft of a voice as possible for him as he rather anxiously waited for her to come down.

“A Doctor?” She asked curiously. If she had mended up at least before Endre came... He wouldn't be mad at her but he tended to defend her, and she didn't want him talking to that person. She didn't like him too much. “Can you use a first aid to help me out?” She asked, forgetting herself, flying up to get one. “My friend -- he would be very unhappy if he knew I got hurt while he was away.” She explained. Much happier to talk about Endre than the afternoon. “He wouldn't be very happy with me.” She explained, opening the box for him as she sat cross legged in front of him. “I am not sure how you would tie a tourniquet without fingers.” She said, staring at his paws and then looking back at him.

“I have read of doctors in books, don't much care for them myself, Endre takes care of me.” She said, distracting herself. “Endre will be here if you need more help with your books. But you are right. My wings hurt. I wish to go to sleep soon.” She said, but knew better than that. “Though I don't think he will. I will close the shop after you leave.” She looked at the ground. “I have to... Drink a little more. A lot more. I’ll sleep better then.” She said, wishing she had got her wine with her.
“That's correct.” Terrence replied giving her a slight nod to her questions, as he approached her. Watching as she sat down next to him, coming closer as he saw her open the first aid kit. He was immediately dissatisfied, seeing the sheer lack of supplies that he carried in his first aid kit. Remembering just how primitive medicine sold to the public was. Terrence let out a small sigh, unable to contain his feelings. Terrence had to do the best with what he had, grabbing things with his tail as he had become very effective at being a doctor in this form. Figuring it would be best to stay this way at all times in public. “I'll manage, just fine. Just be aware this might sting a bit.” He assured her. As he started to properly clean out the wound. While gently holding her in a position that made it easier for him to work, and then using his tail and paw wrapping the injury up quickly and correctly making a tourniquet for her finishing his task quite fast.

“I don't mind getting the books myself, if you don't mind. I am in a bit busy. Unless you know exactly when they will be coming around?” Terrence answers her curiously as he didn't mind who got the books but he did want them quick as possible. “Rest sounds like a good idea, I would suggest moving as little as possible until you get further treatment. I have open slots if you wish to come and get your wound fixed and healed quickly. I assure you, I work ten times faster than any other doctor around. But I am also expensive.” Terrence states with confidence and matter of fact like. “But, I am willing to make exceptions.” Terrence added looking at her.

“Endre will look after me.” She repeated, but then she wasn't ungreatful. “Thank you for taking care of me. I am glad you were the next customer to come into the shop.” She said, going back to sit down so he could get the books he wanted. She moved her wings just slightly, wondering how he knew to tie the tourniquet on a wing so well. Even if he had wings, it had taken Endre a lot of falling off trees to get it right on how to put tourniquets on wings. She had gotten into trouble before, but nothing similar to getting sliced by a sword. She drank some wine, waiting intently for him to come out with the books, hoping he didn't knock any of the isles down.

“Alright then and no need to thank me. It's my job. ” Terrence replied as he watched her getting up and sitting down. Terrence then went to looking at the many bookshelves, scanning over thoroughly to make sure he didn't miss anything wanting to get as much in one trip as possible. As he quickly started to pull them all out and stack them in a careful manner, as to avoid damaging the books trying to not knock anything down. As it could him a little bit of effort to soften his power.
Terrence had collected a large stack of books holding them all on his back as he walked back to the harpie and set the books down carefully next to her.

“These will do.” Terrance replied as he looked at her as he quickly wrote down his information on a piece of paper with his tail and a pen. “If you decide to come to me, here's my address. These are the times I am available.” Terrence explained as he waited for her to give him the okay to leave with the books as he carefully made his exit, back through the door, though his tail accidentally gently touched the bell making it chime even more as he left as he flew off back to his home, with all books held tightly in his paws.

[Foster]

Endre returned after his short... detour with Azura, to find the shop deserted as a black antlered kitty-thing with a large stack of books left. Inside, he saw Kharlee, her wing bandaged. He rushed over to check her over for any other injuries, running his hands in search for cuts, any pooling blood underneath her, anything. He found nothing.

"W-what, what happened?" the drow-servant stammered. Although previously he was officially a servant, he'd come to think of Kharlee as his little quirky sister, and any blow against her struck as a blow against him.

Kharlee didn't know what to say, staying still and silent as he examined her. She wanted to shrug and ignore him, but then she respected him too much to do that. He had to take care of it. “They are hunting the humans, calling them rebels, and killing them on the streets, Endre.” She said, looking at her glass of wine unsurely. “Surely that cannot be allowed, that cannot be right?” She asked him. It seemed wrong. “He set the place on fire. A small child. Burned away and died before I could reach him.” She said, tilting her head back and then pouting.

“The child could have known all sorts of life.” She added after a minute. “He didn't look very human to me.” She then said, trying to prep up a bit so he would not think she was that affected by it. “They could do that to you though. Do it to me. Come in here and burn everything...” She started and then sighed. “Books don't do well against fire, do they Endre?” She asked him looking at the bookshelves now.

Endre was less sympathetic towards the plight of the humans until he heard Kharlee mention that the ‘human’ looked more like a half-breed of some sort, and that the same fate could befall him should they fall out of Azura’s favor.

"We have Azura’s assurance that it won’t happen to us…” He said, trying to re-assure her as much as himself while rubbing Kharlee’s shoulder-blades; “But yes, books do burn.”

Finally, he ran his fingers over the tourniquet made by Terrance, testing its snuggness. “So, is this their way of apologizing for mistaking you for a rebel?” He asked, trying his hardest not to get angry with the knights.

“I don't think he much cared for it. I may not have known people who are cruel and murderers...” She said looking at Endre, “But I know you, I know compassion, kindness and love. And that man there did not know that. He did not care that it was lives he was cutting away like a hedge bush. He didn't know and didn't care, and if he had a reason he would come after us.”

“No, one of the customers who came in to buy books did it for me because it didn't stop bleeding. I didn't like him much so I ran away.” She said, looking down. “He just murdered them all.” She repeated again softly, not wanting to seem weak but having been very shaken by the incident. “Right there on the road, besides the coffee shop. Just as people were walking.”

Endre realized Kharlee was trying to talk of two different people at the same time, one that cut her, and another that healed her. She didn't elaborate on which one she did not like; he would have guessed both, since she never seemed to care much for customers. Since she said she ran away, and she was still in the store, it was safe to assume she did not intend to say she did not like the customer.

He held onto her for a bit longer, noticing the faint smell of alcohol to go with her melancholy mood.

"Would you like some tea and a blanket?" He asked, still not daring to let go until she'd given permission. Kharlee's parents had tried very hard to give her a sheltered lifestyle, and Endre knew just how seeing death could devastate a person's typically cheeky-cheery mood.

[LeoricAquila]

The day felt dark… It was always dark in the slums, at least it’d been that way for months now. It seemed as though the sky was perpetually in overcast and there was no escape from the overwhelming sense of dread. Mason, however, felt differently. He dreamed of a day where he, and his human brothers and sisters, could escape the dreary streets of the South End and retake what the Humans had rightfully earned with blood sweat and tears over thousands of years. Mason craved that light, lusted for it. He knew it once, it was a foul taste, but he knew what it felt like to be free of the shackles the bound the race of humans to the slums.

As Mason walked through the streets of the slum, he could see humans sitting in gutters, begging for food and what little coin the other humans could spare, this practice however was almost never profitable. He could see shady back alley drug deals and prostitution. It was a dark time for the humans. Degrading themselves further than they already were. Treated as third class… no… treated as rats in the cities they built and maintained. Treated like they were nothing compared to those things… those monsters. It was infuriating to see his comrades brought to such a level, to see them beaten and battered and left with no self worth, incapable of valuing their own lives and existences. It drove Mason to where he sat now, Leader of the Chaos Organization, a faction of rebels motivated to topple the racist scum that sat at the top of the pantheon of monsters. A faction dedicated to destroying the Elders and all they stood for.

Mason kept his pace through the streets, knowing he had to make it to the West End quickly, and without raising alarm. Luckily enough for him, no one but those within the rebellion knew who he was, no one had any idea that he was the mastermind behind the chaos that drove the monsters to fight amongst themselves more fiercely and gave the humans a reason to keep fighting and keep seeking that freedom. It was disappointing that so many saw the rebellion as just a reason for the elders to crush the humans as a race, but Mason, and his followers saw it as a path to liberation.

As Mason made his way through the streets of the slums, he kept thinking of what he would need to do to conceal his biotics, it was no easy task when the synthetic tore and he needed to get it fixed. What was more difficult was figuring a way to conceal them from the bioscanners that were posted at the major transfer points to get from the slums to any of the other sectors. He figured he’d need to find a way to increase the surface temperature of the synthetic skin in order to fool the thermal imaging section, but the x-rays were another story. The metal detection wasn’t a problem as the biotics were mostly plastic with very few metal parts in them, and even those were hardly detectable by the machines. However, he couldn’t chance getting caught, not now, not when the Chaos organization needed him most. Not when they were getting ready for the greatest strike against the monsters that had ever been recorded in current human history.

A quiet whirring noise sounded in his head as his bionic eye booted up with maps of the slums and possible entry points into the West End through underground tunnels and sewers. With a destination in mind and a route to get there, it wouldn’t take him long to avoid detection and remain hidden as he traveled discretely through the slums and into the underground tunnels that were often populated with thieves and other base criminals. Much to Mason’s luck, many of the street rats that resided in the tunnels aligned themselves with Chaos and knew that Mason was important to the group, not that he was the leader. He was left alone for the most part, he looked the part of one of the street rats anyways. Lanky, tall, hair looked messy and he seemed like he would probably rob you blind if given the chance. Though he was much more honest than that, but having the people of the slums see him as one of their own made it much more easy for him to work in secret and much more likely to attract followers to his cause.

”The Doctor will likely be waiting for me… I sent him a letter stating that we needed to meet soon. But that was a week ago. I certainly hope that he is excited to see me, just as I am to see him.” Mason spoke to himself as his eye cycled through a few functions until it came to a messaging system, writing a message to his old friend and doctor, Terrence Redmond;

Terrence, I am on my way. Be prepared to do some work, and be ready to have a serious conversation. I have a few things to discuss with you tonight…

”Send. And done, okay, I should be there soon.” He spoke as he kept his reasonable pace through the underground tunnels, hoping to arrive sometime in the next hour or so. It wasn’t like him to set up a meeting with Terrence, but he knew now that his friend was working in the West End, it was easier to set up an appointment rather than drop in on him with a patient.

[SleepingSilence]

It was another morning, it had been like the past several weeks now. It started with a long nearly desperate attempt to sleep followed by a brutal nightmare. Terrence thrashed about in his sleep frantically kicking his feet. Speaking in his sleep, sounds that are between deep murmurs and snarling like a dog with rabies. He jolted upright, opening his eyes. Putting his hand on his heart to check his BPM as he felt his heart palpitating. Terrence took some deep breathes. Spending time inhaling and exhaling, to slow down his heart rate and calm himself down.

He looked at the mirror in his room, which was on the opposite side of his bed. Seeing his reflection staring back at him. He knew it was just another nightmare. They had been only getting worse and more realistic, it was like he was being tortured by his own subconscious. As the nightmares only felt longer each time he slept. Terrence could already tell he needed to fully remake his bed, as the sheets were all bundled up underneath him. Terrence's feet touched the floor as he stood himself up from his bed. Terrence let out a long yawn and stretched out his arms, he was a little groggy but he was used to not getting a very good sleep.

Terrence looked at his alarm clock to check the time. He was relieved he still had time to shower and get dressed before his very special patient came in, he had left a message on his personal pager of all things. He had almost forgotten he had that still. He had promised to see him early and he wasn't one to break his promises, especially when it came to his duties as a doctor. Terrence went over to his table by his bed, which had a small stack of books and several dozen papers all stacked up. It was all the research he had been doing this week. He felt like he was finally getting somewhere. He also had all the clothes he needed to wear already set up for this morning there as usual. Terrence slept with nothing on these days, as he no longer wanted to wake up to his clothes being torn to shreds since he has changed in his sleep before and he didn't exactly have many more outfits to wear. Terrence headed to take a hot shower to relax, as he could feel that his bones and muscles were sore. As he traversed through his still quite dark apartment, as the windows all remained covered in thick black curtains. He didn't have any issues navigating through however, it was a rather large apartment but his eyes were like a cat's, he didn't need the light to see anymore.

When he reached his bathroom, he didn't waste anytime. Not even bothering to turn on the lights. Immediately, pulling back his shower curtain and stepping inside his shower and proceeded turning the hot water knob fully on its own and turned away from the shower head and leaned against his shower wall as the hot water start to pour over him, for most it would feel like sticking ones hand in a pot of boiling water but he preferred it to be that hot. As he just stood there for a moment taking a moment to just let the hot water do its thing, starting to relief his tension. He couldn't help but recalled some of the patients he had just a few days ago, as he mind wandered off...

Just a few days ago...
Terrence was in his apartment's lab, dressed in his normal attire, getting prepared for his 2 o'clock appointment. He made it specifically for his job of being a doctor, mostly for the west side residents. But that wouldn't stop other cities residents from coming by, as he was just that popular. A lot of monsters, or humans when he still treated them on a regular basis, called him the best. But that wasn't something he particularly fond of people saying, not that he thought it was a hyperbole or misleading. He just was more humble towards his intelligence. This is where most of his time was spent taking and treating his patients, while also creating an abundance of various medicines and experimental elixirs all in carefully assorted group. Drugs found nowhere else in the world, plus many other things he needed for his wide variety of patients, including things like jars of different body parts stored, in bags or jars contained in a storage freezer and even wielding and repair tools. Everything to ameliorate any given negative situation.

Terrence finished mopping his labs floor as it was almost painted in blood, as the mop bucket was filled with red water, as Terrence poured it down the sink he heard a firm knock upon his door but this patient was frequent one, he knew he wouldn't wait for Terrence to open his door and it was already unlocked as it often was, so patients could come inside. Terrence immediately started to walk to the halls to greet his patient as he could already hear his door swing open and shut as he could hear them walking toward the lab. As he couldn't quite reach his doorway before being face to face with an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, wearing some light armor with several weapons in his possession but Terrence wasn't concerned as it was rather inconsequential to him, not nervous in the slightest. Terrence saw his stomach glowing a dim blue, as Terrence walked to his table to get what he needed.

“Come lay down, please lay your possessions down over there.” Terrence remarked pointing to a spot on the floor as he briefly opened his drawers quickly fingering through and pulling out a folder and looking into folder containing his information as he kept everything down about his patients here, at least the ones that allowed him to keep records that is. Privacy cost extra, which is why his apartment looked as opulent as it was. The wolf creature did as instructed, as it he threw all his armor and weapons and laid on the large red medical bed similar to what you'd see in a doctor's office but clearly made out of a much stronger material. The creature watched him look through the file for a moment as his back was turned to him.

“Well you know I love coming to visit, Doc. That human skin of yours looks less revolting every time I see you.” The wolf states in a sardonic tone. Terrence took a shot filling it with a light green liquid and made his way over to the wolf who was laying down, with crossed arms. “Well I can appreciate you not being disingenuous and blunt as usual. I hide this appearance from most of my patients, since if they believe I'm human, they won't come anywhere near me. Let alone trust me. You should feel honored that I show this to you.” Terrence replies back equally as sarcastically. To play along as his statement didn't upset him, as Terrence wasn't easily offended. Terrence's words made the wolf scoff but show a bit of a smirk but remaining silent for the moment. Terrence looked at him.

“Not you're usual loquacious self I see? Stomach hurt that bad?” Terrence asked as the wolf rolled his eyes not even surprised that he knew exactly what was in pain before the wolf even mentioned it. Terrence got the shot ready, as the wolf looked at his table filled with medicine or what he assumed it all to be. “Just hold still, this shot needs to be in a precise area.” Terrence warns him as the wolf stayed still feeling a pinch as Terrence injected the needle and administered the shot. “You've been making a lot more I see, its almost doubled in size since the last time I came here...are you really a doctor? Or are you a mad scientist now?” The wolf jests. Terrence let out a small chuckle hiding his true feelings as the wolf had no idea how accurate that statement had become, as Terrence quietly counted down from five, and before the wolf could even ask what the hell he was counting for, the near crippling pain in his stomach had faded.

“What the hell...the pain is already gone? You really are a god damned miracle worker aren't you?” The wolf spoke out in astonishment. Terrence cleared his throat, as he looked at him rather seriously. “So who tried to kill you?” Terrence questioned as the wolf let out a long sigh not immediately reticent. “That kind of poison, would of left you dropping dead in another 48 hours.” Terrence added. “I'm probably not even suppose to speak about this information” The wolf mumbled in response. As Terrence put the shot in the sink. “Hasn't stopped you before now has it? Just tell me. You know I can keep a secret, and keep my promises.” Terrence continued not letting up.

“Alright, I'll tell you! Damn. I was sent on a private mission to eliminate possible members of the human rebellion, things got a little hectic, and I think I might have been hit with a dart or something in the back of my neck...was it really that bad? Didn't know humans even had access to anything that potent.” The wolf admitted. As Terrence looked away for a moment, to hide his expression as his thoughts on the human resistance were rather quite clear, despite how absolutely hopeless as the cause seemed. He despite how he had only gotten used to what he had become and his life was now in many aspects. He would love nothing more for everything to go back the way it was before the day that cursed him into this existence that he uncontrollably despised. Terrence had to squeeze his dominate arm with his hand some to relief some tension he felt was building up, snapping out of it when the wolf sat himself up on the bed. “Everything okay, Doc?”

He quickly turned to face his patient with a convincing though still hollow smile as he nodded his head and corrected his glasses as they had half fallen off of his face. “You should be fine now, just drink plenty of fluids to get any lingering negative effects cause by the poison to be flushed out of your body. You'll all set, hopefully I won't need to see you again soon.”Terrence stated meaning that in a multitude of ways speaking in such a way it was hard to tell exactly what he meant. As the wolf got up and started to go for his gear. Terrence put away his patients chart knowing he didn't have another patient today being what he considered, 'his day off'. But he stopped to think for moment, he should ask him. What was stopping him? It would be beneficial to get someone other than himself to test his recent drugs that he made. Terrence walked toward the wolf to stop him from leaving just yet. As the wolf started to strap all of his gear back on, as he does so however one of his daggers, somehow, fell out of his gear.

Terrence was just close enough before he could say anything he saw the dagger just barely cut into his arm, the wolf turns to see this and looks as if he was about to have a heart attack. His horrified expression, very quickly changed to confusion as Terrence expression didn't change much at all. Letting out a brief sigh as he casually went washed it in the sink and put a little bit of his homemade gel on his cut, as Terrence watched it instantly recover as if nothing happened. Terrence looked at the wolf's still rather shocked expression holding its head with its paws in bewilderment. “T-that dagger, I didn't mean to...but that should of killed you. Its dipped in a toxin that should kill most instantly...” The wolf spoke out in apprehension.

“Its fine, though I'd suggest being a lot more careful with how you handle your gear. I've grown immune to about every single poison and disease known to this world.” Terrence replies. As the wolf blinks for a moment trying to process that in its head. “I've been injecting little bits of everything into me, to better understand how it effects the body and how to effectively treat it. Its all to make me better at my profession, to know exactly what I'm dealing with. In return, over a year or so. I'd say I've grown an immunity to every thing, so I can avoid sickness I can even further interact with my patients without worrying about any possible contagion.” Terrence explained further to help him understand though it only raised more questions.

“I don't even want to imagine, what you do to yourself then,” The wolf retorts,“Did you want something from me?” He asked as Terrence shook his head. “No, have a good day.” Terrence lied as he made a last minute decision that it be best to do it on his own, even if it was more dangerous and less productive, he just felt like he was used to doing it alone for quite a while now. With those parting words, the wolf seemingly at a loss for words just left as Terrence followed and locked the door behind him. Terrence went back to his lab, to continue his work not wanting to procrastinate any longer. Terrence took off his clothes and folded them all nice and neatly. Terrence pulled out a blade from his desk as he looked at his arm.

“I should of felt that cut, even a bit. But I didn't. Its clear that the longer I stay like this, the less vulnerable my human form becomes in turn it makes me more resistant to changing forms without wanting to but...I'm becoming less human...” Terrence states in a professional tone like he was speaking to a patient. Terrence opened the large jar of medical jelly he prepared weeks ago as he walked away from anything, wanting room. As his expression only changed slightly as he cut himself putting in blade through his arm, he felt nothing, no pain, just noticed his body glowing a dim blue where the wound was. Terrence watched himself bleed as he checked his BPM. “Rate...65 BPM...no change.” Terrence said as he pulled the knife further in his arm as he continued to watch himself bleed. “Rate...64 BPM...” Terrence was growing unsettled draws the blade even further across the arm all the way as he could feel his heart rate stay the same, something in Terrence relatively calm demeanor snapped. STAB! STAB STAB! Terrence furiously began to stab his arm deeply with the knife again and again without even being fully aware of how far he was going, as his heart rate did start to increase, beating at a rapid rate.

Within a minute, his entire body began to twist as it sounds like bones cracking including many rather unpleasant sounds for most ears as he grew a much larger size, thankfully his apartment was incredibly tall as well. He quickly went to the healing jelly container, as his dipped his tail into the jar and started to cover the arm in the jelly. Terrence stopped to count as he looked at his 3 deep stabs and his long cut vanishing from his arm. “3.5 seconds.” Terrence stated aloud as he grabbed one red vial with his tail from his assortment and drank it down. Terrence looked at his arm. “And that should heal possible internal damage very shortly.” Terrence then just stood there and focused just sitting there to breath in and out as he counted every second passed, until he finally reverted back. “Able to change form after attack in 2 minutes 45 seconds...” Terrence commented making mental notes of everything he tested today so he could write them down later. Terrence stomach roared at him which interrupted his thoughts, he needed to make himself something to eat as he nonchalantly went the sink and cleaned himself up some with a wash rag as he gathered his clothes and left the bloody mess behind. He could clean it after he filled his stomach...

Present day...
“I wonder if one day, I won't have a human form to return too...” Terrence finally said aloud realizing he had been daydreaming and recalling his past week a lot recently. Which was during all the time he spent on heavily experimenting on himself. Terrence was wondering if he was going too far, but he still wanted to go even farther. No, in his mind. He had go farther. That what all the books were for he brought from the bookstore last afternoon. He needed more information. For some reason remember the resistance and what they wanted to do. Just maybe he should...

But the rumbling of his stomach brought him into the present, reminding him that he needed to eat still. He also needed to be ready for a visit from his patient and old friend who he hadn't seen in a long time. He got out of the shower and dried himself off and got himself dressed, putting his gloves on last. Terrence went to his kitchen, to make some eggs benedict. Figuring he'd be able to eat breakfast and be ready for his meeting with his friend and what he wanted to discuss that was so serious, that he'd go to the east side. So Terrence cooked, and ate and washed his dishes, trying to be not nervous as he waited for him to come by. He left the door unlocked, his lab was set up last night. So all he needed to do was wait for him, reading one of the larger books he took from the bookstore.

“Any minute now.” Terrence muttered to himself.

[Mag Lev]

Adrian stood outside on the a patio by his pool and stared down upon the bustling city of Enigma in the morning light. It had been a long time since he could properly stand outside and watch the sunrise. Many times before this, he had been distracted by his work as Elder and Clan Head and thus could not watch the striking beauty of gold and orange light bounce off the glass of the buildings. It was something that he just loved to see, the beauty of the world which the Gods had given back to them. Though he himself would never admit it to a human, he did find the occasional human 'beautiful' in their own form. Their bodies so fragile and weak yet can have features so strikingly different from others that they stand out, quite like a flake of gold amongst dust. His 'Prizes' were prime examples of this. They were women and men who he had found so strikingly beautiful or handsome that he decided to keep them, though they were never kept for long as he often grew bored of their sight. The young Elder took a long drag from his cigarette, letting the taste and smell swirl about before releasing it and the cigarette itself over the edge of the patio. His night had been a long one and he was glad it was finally over.

---

A few hours earlier...

"You have grown bold, Master LeRouse, in your new position of power as Elder. I warn this, not as an enemy but an ally, that such expansionist views on your own Clan will bring nothing but ruin for yourself." said an older man who, despite his small stature and lightly colored skin, gave off an air of authority that nobody else in the room could even match. He was the Patriarch, a vampire who had lived far longer than all others in the room and had seen the fall of humans first hand. Time had worn on the vampire who, in his prime, was once head of the Clan Pelium, largest of them all before its fall centuries before Adrian's time. Patriarch Pelium sat in a small chair of oak and looked upon the collection of Clan heads before him with something no pureblood had ever seen before, compassion.

The Patriarch, in a time long past, had learned to care for his vampire brethren, even those who weren't in his Clan, and had come to like Adrian for he was quite like a child still learning his ways. It was why the old vampire had called him and four other clan heads to his quarters in the North End. "Yes, Lord Patriarch, I understand. My goals are not to upset the other Clans but to secure ground for my own which has grown so much in the past decade. Were I to leave our lands as is, Clan LeRouse would possess nowhere near enough Prey for us to feed our young purebloods, the ten which had been born in the decade since. I plead with the other Heads this moment before you and offer this vow in your presence as proof of my commitment to it. Clan Heads, oh Masters Berion and Wallace and Madames Velirouse and Calista, I have taken all the land I wish for my people and from this day forward shall do all I can to forward our power, as the Vampires we are, in Enigma as an Elder. You have my word on my honor before our mighty Patriarch." Adrian answered in response to the old vampire's warning. He was not entirely lying, though it was a veiled lie he told either way.

A murmur of agreement arose from the gathered Heads as Adrian bowed to them and the Patriarch to show his respect. They knew how much a commitment made before the Patriarch was worth for he was one who was revered above all and to swear on a promise in his presence was similar to doing as such should the Gods come before you. Such a move secured Adrian the support f the four before him who's collective strength would do him well. All others scattered leaving Adrian and the Patriarch alone in the small room. "A cruel man you are, youngling, to lie to them like that. You know that none of them would believe you lying as you told this promise before me. And yet, you used this to your advantage knowing that a normal promise would likely cause you far more danger if it were issued in the presence of a normal congregation. You've learned well the art of decit and manipulation Child, use it well and you may come to lead the community like I have." the Patriarch said with a smile on his face. Adrian looked at the man, not daring to smirk as he would at such a compliment, and poised himself to say his part.

"Perhaps I will rule over them like you do Patriarch, though I see now why you put up with their complaints. They are like cattle who simply need a hand to lead them. It is wisdom to know which hand to use, a stern or soft one. Quite like dealing with children Patriarch. Goad them along too hard and they'll stumble and cry and throw a tantrum. Lead them along too softyly and they stray from the path or end up too weak to support themselves. Truly you are the greatest of our kind sir." Adrian said before turning and leaving the room. He had finished his business here and had attained the support from the Greater Heads that he needed to continue on with little worry. Though, it was not the Greaters he worried about, it was the Lessers. Those fools who's Clans were far to small to be considered anything but weak but sought positions of power high above their abilities. Their target was often Adrian who, in his young age and position as Elder, had become a perfect target to make a name for a small Clan. Thus, the young vampire ended his night with his Prizes after having returned to his penthouse. He had a busy day tomorrow as well.

---

"Master LeRouse, the car is waiting for you down below." a voice called from behind, shaking Adrian from his expansive memory. He turned around to see the head of his guards, Tygus, at the patio doorway in his usual attire of black leather and cotton. Tygus was an extraordinary specimen, a vampire who stood at just under six feet and five inches in height and weighing nearly three hundred pounds of muscle. Long had Tygus been with the LeRouse family, having pledge his life to them long ago after being saved from the exile of another Clan. The giant of a vampire offered Adrian a long white jacket as he approached. "You have a busy day today Master, are you sure you shouldn't be resting instead?" Tygus said as they walked to the door of the penthouse, worrying about Adrian as always.

"No need to worry dear Tygus, I will rest once we get back and that will be a promise." Adrian said as he stepped out the door. He had quite the night and now he was in for quite the day as well.

[Polymorpheus]

.

[shylarah]

((@Jewels is Shakti, of course.))

Casara Talbot passed through the checkpoint separating the East End from the West, feeling impatient at the delay it invariably caused her. As a courier, she crossed all over Enigma several times over the course of a day, and a good number of the guards knew her on sight. Some of them -- mostly the nicer ones -- were perhaps a bit less thorough when they screened her. But it wasn’t nearly as fast as the tunnels. For that matter, the streets as a whole were sometimes slower than the tunnels -- not to mention they had far more /people/. She focused on keeping her breathing even. She nodded to the guards on duty that she recognized, as they finally waved her through.

Adjusting the strap of her bag, she made her way into the West End, checking the address on her clipboard. She knew the location, and before long she’d made her delivery. It was early afternoon by then, and she’d been running around nearly nonstop since that morning. It was time for a break, and some lunch, and she needed to get groceries for home anyhow. In addition to the things she got for herself, she grabbed a bag of butterscotch candies after noticing they were on special.

The young woman tucked a stray lock of blonde hair back under her cap before unwrapping her sandwich. When she reached the apartment building that was her next destination, she still had a third of it left. She went right past the elevator and up the narrow flight of stairs near the back of the building. She never took elevators, not unless she had something with her that couldn’t be easily maneuvered up the nearest staircase. Elevators were small, which wasn’t so bad, but if there was someone else there, or if they got on after you did, there was absolutely nowhere to go.

In the sharp light of the stairwell, she caught glimpses of it watching as the lights overhead threw her shadow first behind, then ahead. Cas had long ago learned that it was best to pretend she couldn’t see it, always lurking nearby. After all, no one /else/ could -- at least not most of the time. If they could, it was time to run, run, run -- before her Shadow, her curse, claimed more lives.

It didn’t like to move. There were so many beings in passing that it was difficult to brace for all of them, particularly with the limitations Shakti had. Its world ended where light encroached, and the one who carried it with her did so enjoy the light for that reason. Hell had made Shakti a being of paranoia, and without a body, there was no other sensation for it to have except those of its own mind, and it was a fragmented mind in the best of times.

It had the sensation of moving blindly, able to peer through holes in its own darkness here and there, where shadows might linger. Every living thing it passed was a threat to it and the one who carried it, but it could not act upon it lest she make good on her threat to end her life in the light and bury it in this limbo for eternity. At least, that’s how it felt. What the anchor didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, though.

It’d keep preying on small and weak things while she slept, and be more devious about its protection in the future. Nonzero risk was too much risk, after all.

It waited in the dark.

[LeoricAquila]

@Shylarah@SleepingSilence@LeoricAquila@Jewels

As the hour passed and Mason exited the tunnels nearby the doctor’s apartment, looking for the shortest path to get to Terrence. Mason determined that climbing up the fire escapes would be a dumb idea as they seemed to need repair, and it would be a long climb. The most obvious choice would be an elevator up, but that would put him in a position to be alone with other monsters for a period of time. He would need to figure out if it was worth it to put himself in such close proximity to these disgusting creatures. It wasn’t an idea he enjoyed, but it was the only logical option. “Fucking monsters…I’ll put them back in the ground where they belong...” Mason walked casually into the front hall of the apartment building and made a beeline to the elevator, avoiding contact with as many of the monsters going in and out of the building as he could.

Once he arrived at the floor that Terrence’s home was at, Mason prepared himself to give his friend a punch in the mouth… mostly due to the fact that he felt abandoned by him. It had been years since he had seen Terrence and he was hurt that he hadn’t heard so much as a peep from him until he finally tracked him down and sent messages to him. It was time to reveal the truth to his long time friend and deliver him his just desserts for abandoning his friends and his family. Mason stood at Terrence’s door, preparing to knock, considering what Terrence would do if Mason did clock him one in the jaw as soon as he answered.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Mason’s bionic fist pounded on the door before the door creaked open to reveal the entrance way of Terrence’s home and office. Terrence waited, rubbing his eyes some, as the nightmares were definitely starting to affect how he slept and more importantly how awake he felt. He refused to feel this way when he was working with his patients. Figuring that he would have to possibly need a break from his experiments and maybe make some herbal tea to help him sleep. While he continued to sit leisurely with his book, flipping through the pages until he found something he wanted to read. “...If mixed with this extremely rare seemingly harmless substance on its own, it would rapidly transform into a very lethal, high rising gas. That almost any creature would die if inhaled, due to causing most functions of the brain to shut down causing instant death.” Terrence read to himself as he briefly looked up at the time worried that it was taking him a little longer than he'd originally thought. Hoping that he was alright and would get here soon. Minutes later, Terrence stopped when he heard a knock and several more that were equally as loud, followed his door opening. “He must be here.” Terrence thought as he stood up, shutting the book, remember what page he was on anyway. He approached the hallway to his door and saw Mason, as he stepped into full view in the hallway. As he could tell it was him but simultaneously he looked quite different than he last remembered. Though he could hardly oppose such a thing given his own circumstances. Terrence smiled at him as it felt nostalgic to see an old friend again.

“It's certainly been a while, please come in...” Terrence offered not exactly sure what to say, though a little wary since Mason didn't seem to share his smile. “It has been a while...dick…” Mason spoke harshly as he removed his jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair while he walked into the room and approached Terrence, a slow smile creeping across his face. Excitement overwhelmed his anger. Happiness flooded in as he came in to give his old friend a hug. “You left us… and we’ve needed you. We’ve missed you, Terr. Your absence created a void that we can’t fill. Not in my heart, and not in your former office in the slums. We need you, man. We’re dying out there.”

Terrence looked taken aback from his friend and his actions as Terrence hugged him back feeling a little emotional himself as certain feeling swept over him. Terrence had to keep his emotions under control as he tried to remain calm. “Believe me, I had no choice in my actions. I couldn't stay in the slums. Not after what they did to my siblings,” Terrence replied, omitting the true reason why he left, it was because everyone would have been too afraid of him. Shortly after Terrence’s comment, Mason broke the hug and nodded, moving to rub the exposed plastic of his bionic arm, keeping it somewhat hidden from Terrence. “You don't know how much I miss the way things used to be.” Terrence continued just as Mason took a few strides across the room towards where Terrence kept his fridge. “I know… Hey, you got any beer in here? I’m fuckin’ thirsty, man.” He spoke before looking back at the doctor with an arched brow and a quizzical look on his face. It would please him quite greatly if the answer was “Yes”.

Terrence could already see certain issues that he had with his body, no matter how Mason tried to hide it. But he left that alone for the time being. He smiled at him slightly as he nodded his head. “Yes, I don't honestly drink alcohol very often anymore. But I did buy some very recently, should be on the bottom,” he replied to his question as he observed Mason rummaging through his stocked fridge. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to ask him what the serious thing that he wanted to discuss was.

Mason smirked as he pulled a chilled bottle of what looked like a brew made down near the slums by humans. It pleased him to know that Terrence still enjoyed the same swill they used to when they were younger. “Perfect, always had a good eye for the worst shit. On to the business end of this meeting, unfortunately.” Mason spoke as he showed the very rough tear in his synthetic skin, showing a large open section of his bionic arm. He pointed to the section and laughed a bit. “First things first, I need you to repair my SynthSkin. Tore it up while I was out the other night helping get some of my men back to their homes in the South End. We found out what Molocaseum has been up to, and it needs to stop. Now.” Mason spoke before he popped open the top of the beer bottle and took a short swig. Terrence watched as Mason, it felt almost surreal, and he was equally pleased to see Mason’s penchant for beer was still the same. Last time Terrence tried to drink alcohol, he drowned in it causing him to cease touching it. But he was glad at least someone was drinking it now. Terrence pushed his slightly sliding glasses back into position as he awaited exactly this was all about. Terrence wasn't surprised at what Mason said, he already knew as all the damaged spots glowed a dim blue. Terrence acted as if he didn't already know as he leaned in to examine it closer, not wanting to look apathetic. “Molocaseum? Forgive me, I'm not familiar with that name.” Terrence interjected. “I can help you repair your body, you look like you certainly got in a scrape. I should have enough spare parts to make replacements. Come with me and I can take you to my lab.” Terrence replied, willing to help, as he watched him start to drink.

Once Mason swallowed, he continued, nodding to Terrence, moving to affirm any and all suspicions about Mason. Before he spoke, however, he moved to shut the door and pull out his handgun from his leg compartment. Mason aimed it at the door while he spoke. “Secondly, I need you with me on this. In recent years, since you left, I became the leader of the group now known among the monster community as Chaos. I am leading a rebellion to save our people, Terrence. I need you by my side to stop these monsters from using us like cattle… like slaves… like playthings. You know what happened to our families, you know what happened to our friends. More and more people are being dragged from the streets, their homes. It’s disgusting and no one is standing up for us. No one but me and the few who stand behind me.”

Terrence looked as he saw him pull out his handgun, it didn't startle him being around weapons all too often. But he was very curious at that moment as he heard him plead his case and reveal that he was a part of the rebellion he had been hearing about. It all was said so fast it was hard to process all at once. “That's...certainly a lot of information you have divulged,” Terrence stated, as he raised his voice in growing concern hearing that he's doing something so dangerous, seemingly to forgot just how he had been behaving the past week alone. “How can you do something so reckless? Is that how you lost your body?” Terrence exclaimed as he quickly changes his tone to a calmer tone. “You ask me to join the rebellion...are you seriously the leader of the rebellion?” Terrence questioned, though from Mason's tone, he believed him. But Terrence was just feeling very conflicted, so many things he wanted to say at once but he stopped himself.

“I’ve always been honest with you. I have no reason to lie to you. We’ve been friends for a very, very long time. You know who I am. And… Kind of.” Mason spoke as he followed into Terrence’s lab, looking around at the equipment that his friend had been afforded. Something didn’t add up. Mason knew that Terrence’s skill as a doctor was beyond compare, but why was he allowed to have such advanced equipment. Didn’t make sense. “You have a nice setup here. Very highly advanced. Guys who gave me these new limbs weren’t as advanced as this, though I should know that you have been taking on monsters as your patients. I lost most of the right side of my body when I got captured a few years back… monsters tortured me, kept me alive while they tried to see how much of me they could remove or break before they got bored. Thankfully they only got what they did before some mystery men showed up.”

Mason told this story as he sat in a chair near the operating table and sighed gently, keeping his human arm pointing the gun at the doorway, his beer carefully placed on the floor at his feet. A small pool of condensation formed at the base of the bottle and left the SynthSkin on his bionic arm wet and a little bit more cool than normal, which he normally never felt anyways.

Terrence believed his friend's words though it brought him discomfort to learn that he had been putting himself through this. As soon as he heard of the rebellion, he always viewed it with a pessimistic lens, but somehow his confidence in his friend knowing he was a capable leader, Terrence really started to contemplate his offer analytically, which itself made him feel a little cold. He still felt camaraderie wasn't enough to hold this together, after all the first person Terrence went to all those years back was another old friend and he was shunned and treated just like one of the monsters. Silently the doctor followed him into his lab, which was cleaned up. He observed the look of Mason's face, understanding his surprise was over the amount of equipment that he was in possession of, but it seemed like he thankfully wasn't pressing the issue. Further listening to him explain how he had been tortured which made him looking down, the words crushed him, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt. He knew just from his patients’ stories that the rebellion was attacked quite often, most confrontations lead to someone getting killed. He wondered at that moment if maybe by saving one monsters life he doomed more of his own kind to their demise. He stood on the opposite side of the table watching his friend clenching his fists tightly just to stop himself from interrupting, being lost in his own thoughts. “How can I even reply to that, I only wish I could say I didn't have any other choice. My curse killed my bond with humanity, have I not abandoned them would the results been the same?” he thought in his head unable to answer himself.

“I uh… I’m missing my right eye, right leg and most of the organs on the right side of my body. Magic is scary stuff, man. I’m not sure what sort of science would have kept me alive… Hell I doubt science has an answer as to how I survived it. Heh… Ever since then though, I’ve been driven to stop the Elders; Molocaseum, Adrian and Azura. They wield the power to stop this, to finally bring peace… Molocaseum however has been farming our kind to sell as meat to local butchers. It’s truly disgusting. Adrian sees us merely as playthings… And Azura...The First Elder, the head of the three… She could stop this all if she wanted. She could put an end to our suffering if she cared. But humans are the last thought in her mind.” Mason took a deep breath to continue his spiel, but he didn’t get a chance to do so, for he was interrupted.

Terrence shared his deep breath outward, extremely frustrated with himself as he couldn't sit there any longer without least saying something, but when Mason stopped, Terrence noticed faint sounds coming from outside the lab, like footsteps. Able to hear someone else approaching, his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't expecting any guests...he couldn’t be certain but he was concerned that it was one of his patients but that didn’t narrow it down or make it any less unnerving. The only person he could imagine coming here at this time was her, since she occasionally visited him, often times at random, but even if that was the case, she picked an extremely poor time to come….

Reaching Terrence’s floor, Cas had gone down the hallway, the polite but disinterested attitude she tried so hard to maintain for her profession falling away. By the time she reached the doctor’s door, she wore a bright smile. This was a safe place for her. Terrence understood her, understood what she’d been through, and how it affected her. And he didn’t push her when she wasn’t feeling like talking. She’d taken to turning up at his place on a semi-regular basis, often unannounced. So it was this day; she turned the knob and pushed the door open with one hand, hold what was left of her sandwich in the other. “Terry~” she carolled as she entered. “Wait until you see what I--” The words died on her lips as she saw a second man inside the room. The young woman scrambled for the fragments of her discarded mask, the detached demeanor that she used as an all-purpose defense to cover shyness and anxiety, and even the kindness that some might take advantage of. Inwardly she was cursing herself. She’d become so accustomed to dropping in that she’d grown careless, forgetting that she was not the only one who did so.

Shakti’s attention sharpened further as the one who carried it fought down a wave of panic, and jumped from its anchor’s shadow to one a bit farther into the room. The girl’s gray eyes flicked to the watching shadow and back to the unfamiliar man by the doctor. Cas was sufficiently flustered that she didn’t even notice the weapon pointed in her general direction. “I apologize, I didn’t realize I was interrupting. I’ll see myself out.” The words came out stiffly, forced through the tightness that she felt all over.

Mason’s hand tightened on the grip of the handgun as he stared right at the young girl who came crashing into the private moment. He was certain that by the tone of her voice, she was a girl, but the rest of her figure screamed young man. Mason was about to pull the trigger before he noticed something wasn’t normal about her. Maybe a monster? A human mage? Mason couldn’t be sure, and he didn’t trust her.

“No… stay… You seem to think that you can burst into ‘Terry’s’ home and invade any privacy he might have. Which means he either trusts you, or you’re a thorn in his side who just comes and goes as you please.” Mason spoke as his eyes narrowed to stare her down, finger prepared to squeeze the trigger if he felt for any reason that she would be a threat or would run off with sensitive information. “How much did you hear?”

Cas’s heart thudded in her chest. “He--” her voice cracked on the word, and she tried again. “He said it’s okay to come in, if the door’s unlocked….” The fingers of one hand tightened on the strap of her bag, the other crushing the uneaten portion of her lunch as she tried to keep them from shaking. Terry was okay; strangers were /not/. She’d just been with people, acting like she was fine. She could do that, most of the time, as long as she focused on shutting them out and her anxiety in. His words cut into her like knives. Terrence thought of her as a friend, didn’t he? He’d never so much as hinted that he disliked her presence. Sure, there were times when she wasn’t welcome, but she’d never protested leaving if asked, nor hassled him if the door was locked. The girl had precious few friends since her Shadow had shown up, and he’d been the very first. The idea that she’d misunderstood things was painful. “How much? I didn’t -- if I’d’ve heard anything, I would have stayed in the hall, or gone back downstairs until you left.” Her gaze drifted downward. “I told you, I didn’t mean to...interrupt….” The girl’s uneven voice trailed off as her eyes came to rest on the gun pointed at her, and before she could think better of it she’d taken a half-step back. Again Cas’s focus shifted briefly to the where the hidden demon lurked, before she dragged it back to the man threatening her, though her attention remained with the shade. She didn’t want it killing anyone! If he was a human, he really didn’t deserve it no matter how unkind he was, and if he was a monster, it would only cause problems. And she didn’t want Terry in trouble either, which would surely follow if someone died in his home. “Please, don’t -- put it away, please.” Only the stiffness of the anxiety already clawing through her kept the girl from shaking. “Just -- please, I--” Her words came out all tangled, and she had a terrible feeling that everything was going to fall apart. The demon was already painting her vision in blood, its voice hissing through her head. The girl felt dizzy and sick. “Tell him, Terrence, please --- help me!”

Confirming that it was her when he heard her voice calling his name, well what she called him. He didn't know why he hadn't spoken up yet, perhaps it was the fact his was tired, but if that was the case he only had one more thing be blamed for. The tension was palpable, instantly making him anxious. Seeing Mason and Cas and a possible dangerous situation if he didn't respond quickly it would only exacerbate the current situation. Terrence stepped in front of Mason's handgun and put a hand on Mason's shoulder firmly gripping it. “Please stop! What she says is true, Cas is a friend of mine and former patient. She won't do anything to cause trouble. Please set your weapon away Mason, you'll only make this worse otherwise,” he interrupted, explaining who she was, emphasizing that she was his friend, looking at Mason with a serious expression. Then he looked at Cas. The look and hand on his shoulder prompted Mason to lower his weapon and shake his head. Mason’s eyes lost some of their previous intensity.

“Calm down, Cas. It's alright now. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let it go that far.” Terrence spoke to her in a calming manner, hoping it would pacify her and her demon. He approached her slowly. “Are you alright now?” he asked her softly. Meanwhile, Mason holstered his gun in the leg compartment and clicked it closed before picking up his beer off the floor, taking a long drink while the two spoke to each other, saving his speech for when the dramatics were over with.

The girl sagged against the doorframe, the breath caught in her chest rushing out, and she gulped another. She looked at Terry when he spoke to her, before squeezing her eyes shut. “I’m not sure. No. No, I don’t think so.” Cas opened her eyes again, seeking out his face, but flinched and closed them again, not able to handle the vision of layers of his skin peeling away as if being sliced off. Still, it was plenty of time for the doctor to observe that her pupils were dilated. “I will be, but...not yet.”

Terrence glanced back to make sure Mason was still lowering his handgun, he still had to resolve this situation before it became a problem. Knowing Mason would be on edge after the information he relayed, he didn't want him to believe she was a threat or was scheming any nefarious plots, not exactly able to say she was harmless since the demon was clearly aggressive. However he knew Cas was innocent. Bereft of any better ideas, Terrence went for something simple, having medicine for this that would assist him. He quickly went to the table and pulled some medicine from it. Specifically, a home remedy with a purpose that the smell of it was designed to reduce stress levels and heart rate and various other factors that caused anxiety. He had created it a while ago, having to use it quite often on his more stressed patients and less frequently on himself. Approaching her, he held an open vial close to her nose. “Breathe in, this will relax you,” he calmly instructed.

“Now that the theatrics are over, may I finish? Thanks… Girl, you just sit there and do… whatever makes you happy, I honestly don’t care. If Terr trusts you then I suppose you can listen as well, but that doesn’t mean you go blabbing what you hear to all your little friends or whatever.”

Turning his attention back to Mason as he interrupted, he could tell he was still frustrated with the situation. “Mason, you don't have to worry about her.” He assured as he looked at Cas with a smile hoping it would make her feel less uneasy. “You certainly picked an unfortunate time to come and visit me, dear. I sincerely apologize, please excuse my negligence. I should have locked the door when you arrived. So this mess wouldn't have taken place.” Terrence stated and sort of spoke to both Cas and Mason wishing he would’ve considered this, he knew he probably would have if he had just gotten a better sleep last night. Terrence watched Cas lean against the wall as he exhaled figuring this was the best outcome that could possibly occur. Terrence patiently waited for Mason to speak up again, knowing he had far more to elaborate on. He turned his attention to his friend, listening to his words while also trying to keep everything under control, rubbing the back of his head a bit, feeling tense.

“I think I’d rather just leave...” Cas started to protest, but trailed off as Mason shot a glare at her. His expression said she had no choice in the matter. Then he turned in his seat to face Terrence, motioning to his arm to prompt him to repair the damaged skin. The girl slid down the wall to the floor, her mouth twisting down in a grimace. It would be rough making her way home in her current emotional state, but she would much prefer that option. Still, she wasn’t inclined to cross a man who had threatened her just for walking in. She rested her head against the wall and did her best to tune him out. The sharp-smelling vapor Terry had her inhale helped, but it didn’t get rid of her anxiety entirely.

Mason began to speak again, “Anyways, as I was saying, I have a few plans... one of them requires a certain… expertise. One that I know for certain you would be the perfect man for, Terrence. Killing the Third Elder, Adrian LeRouse the Pureblood Vampire. I heard rumors that he captured his position by poisoning the former elder and killing him. I intend to do the same to him, however I don’t know, personally, what poisons would affect the vampire’s biology. You however would, being a doctor and having that unique ability to read a person’s health. I need to to design and administer a poison that would leave him weak and helpless so that I can come in and clean up the rest of the mess. Molocaseum is a different case. He’s just death and disease… I’d need to use my arm as a last resort against him, I’m sure… He doesn’t seem to have any visible weaknesses yet. I need someone to find out more… someone who can get close without consequence. I can’t put you in harm’s way Terr, not for him.”

“Well it’s true that I have learned the different species of vampires and their various weak points from having them as patients, and I could likely create something potent enough to eliminate them in a matter of seconds with some research I picked up. It won't matter what his title is. Although, I'm hesitant that you don't have a better plan than that. You need to be exact in your calculations. Because you might be only able to try your plan once.” Terrence stated bluntly, not wanting to have him speak vaguely about something needing precision. “The Molocaseum, I think I remember having discussions with soldiers about him. It even sounds like he makes the other Elders’ soldiers nervous. Like he'd go on a rampage against monsters, if he felt like it. It sounds like you might be able to spread enough propaganda and paranoia to maybe make the others fear him, and maybe they can eliminate him themselves while also saving your own skin in the process. But that's only conjecture on what I've been told about him. I've also heard of several rather tall sounding tales of him and possible weaknesses you may be able to exploit, but I don't know how accurate any of them actually are.” Terrence continued speaking up in a rather direct way, taking this conversation quite seriously. He stopped due to hearing Cas whisper something that he quite easily overheard, not surprised at her disapproval.

Though she tried to ignore what was going on in the room so she could focus on calming down, certain words still registered. Adrian LeRouse, for one, though even if she didn’t know who he was, Elder caught her attention as well. Killing, poison...Molocaseum?! Her jaw clenched at the last name. She’d heard of the monster, though she’d never been even remotely near him, thank goodness. Word was that he had a people farm, raising humans for food and who knew what else. And this man was planning to attack them? “You’re insane,” she whispered as she opened her eyes, though her gaze ended up fixed on empty air. Blood splatters and spectres of the dead still filled her sight, but now they were joined by a memory that was painfully real. “You’ll end up dead -- you, and anyone else stupid enough to try. They’ll slaughter anyone that gave you even the slightest bit of aid.” Her insides twisted as she remembered something she’d heard earlier that day, something about an armored demon mage that had torched a building supposedly holding held rebels. One of those killed was a child -- that tidbit she’d heard separately, as for the most part only humans cared what happened to other humans. And if the man was part of a rebellion, then regardless of whether the deceased had been members or not, he was partly to blame. “I don’t want any part of this. ...Terry, you aren’t seriously considering helping him, are you?!” Her panic, not yet banished, wrapped around her throat and threatened to strangle her, and the harsh sound of her breath was audible. She had thought the doctor was an intelligent man, smart enough to know better than to get involved in something like this.

“Don't worry Cas, you don't have to be a part of this. I won't let you get into any trouble. You have my word, I always keep my promises,” Terrence quickly assured the young woman, looking at her. He clenched his fists at her question; maybe when she first met him, he'd have had the answer she wanted from him. His past self had become quite depressed feeling as it everything was hopeless in his previous state of mind, especially because of the whole situation that had been decidedly thrust upon him. Defeating these monsters would’ve been an impossible endeavor in his mind. But after interacting with some of his many patients and examining a wide variety of monsters and their sicknesses, he discovered something peculiar. By heavily observing and keeping detailed records over several years, he saw some monsters were literally dying from the simplest diseases or ailments, learning that many of their immune systems were much weaker than that of his human patients. Even just having the common cold was deadly to some, it was a foreign concept that baffled him immensely, as he hadn’t even had those kind of problems with his human patients that he once saw. As more similar scenarios occurred, he learned that many of the monsters were actually far more frail than they appeared. He had honestly considered joining the resistance for quite a while now, but he had never been so confident in his current decision. His growing bitterness and loathing had never stopped increasing the longer he was trapped inside this metaphorical prison and personal hell of being turned into what he had become. The time to act was now or never, he had to exterminate them all if he had to. Despite knowing he wouldn't exactly be able to kill them all that easily, he was certain he'd be able to massively cripple the monsters and cause widespread destruction. He couldn’t take it anymore. The endless visceral nightmares he had every single night often haunted him even after he awoken from his bed. They made him feel even nervous going to sleep, just knowing as soon as he closed his eyes he'd see his dead siblings again. He frankly didn't care about the ones wanting to live in peace, he had no sympathy left over for the monsters. His curse was all their fault, his family was dead because of them! He had never been more sure. However didn't want to express his honest intentions, figuring being truthful would only cause Cas’s panic to spiral out of control. Though he hated being deceptive, there wasn't another option besides to stretch the truth and keep his true intentions hidden from her.

“Cas, my friend wants my advice. As a doctor I'd be inconsiderate not to at least hear his words, while providing my personal opinions on this complicated matter. Please don't insinuate anything from this. In fact, I think it would be best if you wait in the living room while we further discuss matters. Would that be alright with the both of you? I don't wish to upset you with our discussion. You can watch television while you wait...” Terrence offered making his tone as nonchalant as possible. To discontinue further interruptions, figuring Mason would prefer this conversation to continue quickly, he added, “Actually, could you please do me a favor and lock my door so we don't have any other guests?”

Gray eyes flicked from the doctor to his other guest and back, but the girl nodded silently and started to get to her feet. As she went to push herself up, she realized she still had something in her hand. Look at it, puzzled, she found the remainder of her sandwich, now half-crushed and rather pitiful. Cas no longer had any desire to finish it; her appetite had fled with her smile. She tugged the wrapper so it covered the exposed parts before tucking it in her bag and standing up. She left the lab, closing the separating door partway behind her.

Once out of sight she went to the front door and turned the deadbolt. It slid into place with an audible thunk. The muffled sound of the television soon drifted from the living room, but Cas wasn’t really watching. Unlike the visiting stranger, tv was easy to ignore, and it came to her as a soothing fuzz of white noise, over the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She wasn’t calm, but she was starting to fall into the cold clarity that let her think best. Her thoughts fluttered a moment before she started organizing them. The man didn’t trust her, that much was clear. He was dangerous, possibly crazy, and dedicated to his cause, or he wouldn’t be trying to enlist others. Dangerous was the main concern there -- and how her shadow would react to such danger. But she knew about the rebellion, and there was no way the stranger would be okay just /hoping/ she’d stay quiet. Paranoia was a familiar thing. Between herself and Ms. Susan, she knew it well. Terry might know about her Shadow, and he wasn’t just a weak human, but she couldn’t put him at risk. The coming confrontation couldn’t occur with him nearby. And if possible, she wanted it to occur with the stranger far enough away that he wouldn’t get hurt either.

Where could she go that he couldn’t? The narrowest parts of the underground tunnels came to mind, places where blockades had only been partially cleared and you could rip your clothing easily if you weren’t cautious. But those were risky at speed, and all farther away than she wished to attempt. She was an excellent runner, but it would be foolish to bet her own speed and endurance to be all she would need. She had to think of something closer. Ideally, she’d come up with some way she could tell him she wasn’t trying to escape, just get somewhere no one else might get hurt, before he was able to reach her.

Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. She didn’t need him to be unable to reach her. She just needed her Shadow unable to reach /him/. With the sun only an hour or so past its peak, that could be just about anywhere outside, as long as there was nothing overhead. The roof, for example. People hardly ever went there, too, so they’d be able to talk. And if Terry followed, he wouldn’t be in danger. The girl’s mouth twisted into a pained smile. She should have thought of that sooner. With her plan of action decided, she pulled out her clipboard and scrawled a note on a sheet of paper. She placed it where it would be clearly visible, and after a moment’s pause, set the small bag of candy on top to make sure it didn’t blow away. Then Cas quietly slid open the window and started up the fire escape.

Shortly after Cas left the room, Mason let out a deep sigh, his eyes trained on the door that she left through. “You think I can trust her? She won’t go and run her mouth to some monsters about what she heard?” He spoke to Terrence as he turned back to rest his arm on a small table with a few surgical tools on it. Mason needed the repairs to the SynthSkin completed before he left back for the slums or anywhere else for that matter. The beer in his hand was still cool, but it was starting to get to room temperature, which would mean he’d likely throw it away soon if he didn’t finish it. He took a long draught from the bottle and waited for Terrence to get to work.

Terrence carefully watched Cas and Mason as she started to leave the room. The look on her face didn't make him any more comfortable, and he listened intently to the sound of her footsteps walking further away, hearing her lock the door. Hearing the television turning on in the living room, however he couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling that something bad was going to happen. As Terrence glanced at Mason, the man let out a sigh and asked him a question. He could tell he was still uncertain about the whole situation. But he trusted her to at least not say anything. He nodded his head slightly in response as he prepared what he needed to repair his SynthSkin and moved up the the table. "I trust her enough that she won't say anything to incriminate myself, you are my friend, I believe she understands that. She won't betray my trust. Though you need to understand, the girl means you no harm. Just please don't provoke her," Terrence explained as he suddenly overheard the window opening. “Oh no...” Terrence thought, quickly looking at Mason, relieved he didn't seem to have a reaction, knowing Cas just escaped outside through the window and was currently heading down the fire escape. He curses himself in his head, having a feeling he just started a mess through his carelessness. Realizing he was being silent, he spoke up. “Alright, let's begin.”

“Yea… the sooner the better. I have a lot to do still. Thanks man, you have no idea how much it means to hear that from you. But I’m still not sure how I feel about you just ‘giving me advice’. You have as much reason to hate the monsters as I do, so why are you on the fence?” Mason spoke as he watched Terrence lay the replacement SynthSkin over the tear. It didn’t take long for Terrence to work on the repairs, once the skin was in place and self adjusted to the same color as the skin around it. Something similar to a welding tool was used to fuse the new skin to the old, making the skin look almost seamless. About ten minutes later and the skin was smoothed out and sanded down to remove any imperfections.

The skin wasn’t perfect, but it would do until Mason could get back to his base and add some level of realism with ink and other materials. Maybe tattoo over the new skin and try to make it look more real, or at least hide most of the imperfections.

While Terrence grabbed his tools he began to work on the damaged SynthSkin, repairing it as best as he possibly could. While also hesitating in very subtle way, to make it go a little longer, while not focusing on Mason. He wanted to go a little slower than usual because he honestly didn't want Cas to be chased down and caught, which he figured may happen if he were to go too quickly. He heard what Mason said, looking up at him reacting in a controlled way, not wanting to give anything away in his tone of voice. “I simply just don't want to have unnecessary conflicts with people I know. I'm not on the fence, believe me. I want the exact same thing you do, I just wish to remain cautious. But to answer your question about needing help with the resistance. Consider it done,” Terrence answered as he wiping his forehead as he set his tools down. “You're finished.” Terrence added letting out a small sigh.

“Thanks Terr, I knew I could count on you.” Mason spoke as he ran his fingers along the new SynthSkin that was in place of the tear. Once he found that he was content with the results, he finished his beer and walked into the living room, noticing first that Casara was missing and that there was not note written on a piece of paper “Fuckin’ kid…” He muttered when he picked up and read the note:

If he wishes to find me, I’m on the roof. Sorry I caused such a mess. The candy’s for you.
~Cas

When Mason finished reading the note, he glanced at the candy on the table and let out a shallow breath and rubbed the forearm of his bionic arm. His eyes went immediately to the window and to the fire escape, knowing he had to follow her. Mason didn’t want Terrence to be a liar, he wanted to trust his word, but something about the girl made him uneasy… there was something he just couldn’t put his finger on. ”I’m going up there… just to talk, nothing else. I don’t intend to hurt her, that would go against your wishes. Besides, I still need you as my doctor.” Mason laughed as he headed for the window, head peering out of it and upwards once he reached the window sill. It wouldn’t be a long climb, but it would be annoying to make if the girl had intentionally made it difficult for anyone to follow her. Without much more thought, he made a nod and wave to Terrence before ascending to the top of the apartment building by way of the fire escapes.

Terrence looked at his repair work and found it sufficient enough. Though he was self critical about it, because how he felt, he certainly needed to drink something caffeinated to help him feel more awake refusing to sleep and suffer more nightmares. Smiling at him as he spoke though concerned as he followed Mason walking out of the lab. As Mason looked around as he knew that he was finally aware that she had left hoping that he bought her some time. As he observed Mason starting to head up the window before he could tell Mason to wait. Knowing it was too late for that. He didn't necessary distrust his friend's word not to attack, but he was unsure that the demon in Cas wouldn't force his hand and have them both ending up confronting one another. Which is something he didn't want, but would warning him even help at this point? But before he could even say a word, or try to stop him. Mason had gone out the window already.

Terrence walked up to the note she left and the bag which he opened it able to smell them, seeing the butterscotch hard candies in plastic wrappers. He rubbed the top of his head, not entirely certain if he should followed them or not. He certainly didn't want to be spotted in his other form but it was unlikely that he could even catch up. Not able to go as fast as the other two without it, not being as especially athletic or quick in this form. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers, in slight annoyance from Mason's decision to go after her. “What a mess this all turned out to be...just please be careful I don't want to have anyone else I care about, winding up dead.” Terrence mumbled aloud to himself.

When Mason reached the top of the fire escape, Cas was seated several yards away. She was leaning back, supporting some of her weight on her hands with her legs stretched out before her. Hat and bag lay discarded beside her, and her face was tilted up towards the sun. She opened her eyes when she heard the creak of metal and the scuff of gravel, but didn’t turn their way. “So.” Far calmer than earlier, the girl fell back into the carefully practiced habit of adjusting her voice so she sounded like a male. It didn’t take much work, but when sufficiently distressed her pitch tended to jump higher, and disguising it required far more concentration. “How do we proceed from here? I really don’t want to cause you any trouble, but I have no way to convince you of that.” Her tone was different as well, and it was one she rarely used around Terry: detached and lacking cheer.

“Well, we can start with you explaining to me why you just ran out of Terrence’s apartment, then tell me how exactly I am able to trust you. He told me you were trustworthy, and I want to believe him. I have known him far longer than you have I’m sure, so I think I hold some sort of importance to him when I speak. In the same way, his words carry great meaning to me as well, so when he tells me I should trust someone, I trust his word.” Mason spoke as he took a few small steps towards the girl. He wanted to make sure he could stay at a safe distance from her, to show he meant no real harm, at least not immediately. “You know things that not many others know, and I can’t trust my secrets with just anyone.”

“I didn’t run. I won’t say I didn’t think about it, but I’m here, aren’t I? Surely he read you the note.” Cas sighed. “And even if I had run off--”

“If you had run off I could have come after you myself and made sure you didn’t say a word to anyone about what you heard.” Mason interrupted.

“I know,” she replied, tone flat. “But you’d already threatened me, and I don’t want Terry to get hurt. I couldn’t have this talk with him here, not when I don’t know you at all, and don’t know what you intend.” She let her head drop, watching a pool of blood she knew wasn’t real spread around her feet. Her Shadow didn’t like it in the sun, and was letting her know by violently twisting her view of the world around her.

“I wouldn’t hurt him, and I promised him I wouldn’t hurt you. I’m a man of my word, though admittedly I am not the most likeable man anymore. You heard of my involvement in the rebellion, you know sort of who I am by that. Truth is--”

“I don’t want to know.” She cut him off, the words coming a bit louder. “The less I know, the less you have to worry about, and really, it doesn’t matter to me who you are. I doubt I’d convince you to leave your group -- I doubt they’d let you. But I don’t need to know.”

“I’m the leader of the group, it’s sort of too bad if you don’t want to know. Because now I need to ask you what I asked Terrence.”

“I’m not going to help you. You think you’ll win? That’s wonderful. Truly -- if you do, I’ll be glad. But...you don’t want my help. People will only get hurt.” Her mouth twitched. “Besides, you saw how I reacted back there. You couldn’t possibly trust me under pressure -- and you’d be right.”

Mason smirked when she spoke of others getting hurt and him not wanting her help. At her comments, his right arm came up slowly, his hand folding back to his forearm to reveal a large circular hole. After a moment of silence, a small whirring sound could be heard and his arm opened up to reveal a very odd looking weapon. It looked like an energy cannon embedded in his arm. Lights along the side flickered to life as a much louder hum of electricity could be heard. Once the weapon was finally active and primed, he pointed it upwards, away from Casara.

The strange noise caught her attention, and Cas finally looked at the self-proclaimed rebel leader, then at the strange machine that was where his arm ought to be. “It seems I was right,” she murmured, mostly to herself. “Well? If you’re going to kill me because I’m not willing to join you, get it over with. That’s why I’m up here, and not--ah!” She grimaced, putting her hands to her head. Her Shadow was shrieking in rage. He had to be gotten rid of! He had to be destroyed!

“I made a promise NOT to hurt you. I am merely showing you the strength the rebellion truly wields. I don’t need more fighters, I don’t need more people to put their lives on the line for this anymore. I need people who I can trust to get other jobs done. Jobs that a soldier can’t do. Most of the men that follow me have no skill in espionage, and that just won’t do.” Mason spoke as he took a step closer, not realizing what was going on until he took a closer look at the girl. She was noticeably distressed once he got closer. Her hands were on her head and she looked like she was on the verge of breaking down completely.

It had never been quite this bad before, but then she’d never made a point of staying in a dangerous situation before. Face scrunched in pain, his words still reached her, and her reaction was one of disbelief, before she broke into harsh laughter. “You don’t really understand what you’re doing, do you? Do you listen to what people talk about at all?” she asked, getting her borderline hysterical amusement under control. “You think the monsters will care who was a soldier, and who was just helping? Haven’t you heard what they do to those they just /suspect/ are rebels? Or supporting rebels? Just this morning they torched an entire building with people inside. I don’t know if they were yours or not--”

“One...more...word, child. One more word, I dare you. I already know what they do. However you seem to be moving freely through this district. From what I understand, you frequent Terrence’s apartment. Meaning you can come and go as you please with little to no interruptions. Your name...Cas? It’s not short for Castor Mallory is it? Funny that you use a boy’s name yet have all the same mannerisms of a young woman. I would hazard a guess that if that’s you, then you are pretty skilled. A good messenger and delivery man… so to speak.”

“Terry knows I’m not a boy. It would have been...difficult to overlook, at the time.” She squeezed her eyes shut again, partially against the howling in her head, partially against the increasingly disturbing things appearing in her vision. At least with her eyes shut they weren’t quite so vivid. “I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not with him.”

“Look, I’m not going to force you, I’m only going to ask you to help us. I’m not going to force you to be someone else. Hell I’m not going to force you to do anything… just can’t let you go without being one hundred percent certain that you are not going to run off and tell some monsters about who I am, what my plans are… I can’t let anyone do that. Not even Terrence. I need to know that you won’t, I need proof, your word… something.”

This was going nowhere, and she wasn’t sure she could keep her lunch down much longer. “Would you even believe me, if I promised?” Cas didn’t seem particularly hopeful. “All I want is to be left alone. I have no reason to tell anyone about any of this.”

“You would have nothing to gain from it? I mean if you don’t think there’d be anything in it for you… Then I suppose I can trust you for now. In the future, try not to burst into rooms before you knock or something, it’s rude.”

The girl hesitated. This was it, this was an easy way out. All she had to do was tell him she didn’t have anything to gain. Would he be able to tell she was lying? Even though she was mostly calm, her Shadow was making it hard to think.

”If you need anything, please, don’t hesitate to find me. You know where the slums are… You should be able to find me easily. Ask anyone for Mason Thames, they can point you in a general direction.” Mason spoke as his arm reverted back to a regular arm, concealing the beam cannon and the mechanisms in his arm. After it was fixed and the skin was set, he turned for the fire escape to make it back down to the ground.

She snorted. If he wanted to succeed, he’d better learn how to be paranoid. She heard him moving off, and shook her head. “Wait.”

When Mason heard her speak, he turned to look at her.

“You’re Terrence’s friend, so I’m going to tell you the truth. I can think of a lot to gain. Protection, for one. When you and your rebellion get wiped out, they’d let me live, because I told them about it.” Cas made an effort to look him in the eye -- or rather, the empty sockets she currently saw them as. “But...I can’t think of a good reason to do so. It wouldn’t be a guarantee, and it wouldn’t last.”

A slight smile spread across his face when she spoke, acknowledging her honesty. “You were just honest with me and took a risk to do so. You are trustworthy, but remember, you know the monsters don’t care about us humans. They would kill us if they got bored. Watch your back out there.” Mason spoke with a slight chuckle at the end, pleased with the meeting.

“You’re a jerk, and you’re going to end up dead,” she informed him, closing her eyes and looking ill, before covering her face with her hands. “Still, good luck.”

“Probably.” He laughed and turned around, back to the fire escape and made his way back to the ground level to return to the slums for the rest of his business for the day. Mason made his way back to the tunnels, taking his time to inspect the new skin on his bionic arm and enjoy the sunlight in the West End. It was rare for him to get any form of a tan in the Slums.

[Melo]

“Status reports!” Archivald barked at the sodiers as they exited the burned out building. Their report didn’t surprise him. They were dead, all of them. The bodies were counted, the numbers matched and that was the end of it. Archivald simply wanted a simple breath of fresh air. That is why he had chosen to do this particular job himself. This wasn’t even North End, eliminating rebels here wasn’t even really his job. Then again, Chaos wasn’t really that active in North End to begin with. These days, all he seemed to do were the mundane jobs: checking up on the soldiers’ training, maintaining the spy network and investing time in his arcane studies. Archivald needed to use his magic. What good was it to know, but not use it? Then again, this hadn’t been a very satisfying expedition either. The sentient chicken, commonly called a harpy, getting in the way did not even have a part to play In that. No, Archivald had simply killed. He missed the thrill, some actual resistance. How did Azura manage it, with her activities as an elder? Did she not have the urge to destroy?

A sudden sound broke his train of thought. The cry of a crow, his familiar. Badb Catha, the crow, descended upon his shoulder and softly pecked at his helmet. She spoke to him and told him the tales of the happenings of his homeland. Badb had been Archivald’s partner ever since he left home. Her eyes were beady and seemed to carry a soft red hue. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that, much like Archivald, this crow wasn’t exactly normal. After all, it was Archivald’s crow. Today she had a message for him. Archivald listened with great attention, even though no words could be heard. The soldiers just stood there, watching the dark armoured man observe the crow pecking at him in silence. Suddenly Archivald started to chuckle slightly, softly petting the crow with one finger. “Really now? Interesting. Head on home now, Badb.” With that, the crow flew off. Archivald looked back at the soldiers. He wasn’t sure if they were still waiting for new orders, or if they were just amazed by the man talking to a crow. A few seconds of silence were followed by a sigh of Archivald “Dismissed, I’m handling the report.” Normally the warlock would’ve just let the soldiers handle a tedious job like that, but he had business with the elder anyway. He’d just report it directly to her.

Archivald rose his arm and whispered a few words in a foreign language. In the old days, this spell would summon one a steed to traverse the land. In this day and age, however, that was not the most practical way of travel. Archivald had taken the liberty to alter the spell, instead creating a vehicle that was more suited for today: a hover bike. A steed truly appropriate of the modern mage, one should say! There were those that took insult to the alteration of the spells of old, but not Archivald. He was far too practically minded to concern himself with such petty squabbles. If a spell had aged beyond its point of purpose, it would be altered. The fact that magic allowed one to do so, meant that change was in the nature of magic itself. To not alter magic that has outlasted its welcome and throw it away like an used rag, that, Archivald would argue, was an insult to magic in itself. And this spell served him well every time he raced through the streets, dodging cars left and right. It only took him minutes to exit the east end and return to his familiar turf of north end. North end was his turf. He may not be the elder, but it felt as much his as it was hers at times. This was a place where he had become familiar with its every nook and cranny over the last thirty years. This is where he had his seat of power. As right hand of the first elder, he was arguably the second most important person in the entirety of north end. The elder’s mansion loomed in the distance, easily spotted by its sheer size. And that place was also his own home.

Azura’s mansion was enormous. With its sheer size and exquisite decorations it only further helped to mark how powerful the elders were. The mansion itself was used to also house many novice soldiers, trained on the large amounts of land that surrounded the mansion. Sometimes Archivald wasn’t sure why he didn’t just get his own mansion. He had amassed enough riches during his service. However, he had to admit that living here made things so much easier at times. Azura managed the entire mansion, which meant he didn’t have to. Not to mention, the dog had a nose for picking out the best people, which included her servants. Not only were they capable, the maids were often pure eye candy. And this was something that Archivald gladly used to his favor time and time again. Then there was also the fact that living here meant that his workspace was literally one step out of bed. Furthermore, he actually had to admit to liking her taste in aesthetics. Upon his arrival, the guards at the front door saluted him, stepping aside to provide access to their superior. The guards, along with the rest of the elder’s army, was one of Archivald’s responsibilities to manage. Archivald scanned the guards, then nodding in approval of their form. He actually didn’t give a damn about their form itself, but this was a matter of them showing respect for him. He had to at least play as if he cared, otherwise they wouldn’t care either.
Archivald stepped up to the closest guard, noting the man’s gulp as he did so. The man seemed to think he was in trouble, as did many of Archivald’s inferiors if they were approached directly. The half-demon wasn’t known as a kind soul. His punishments were often described as brutal, soul-shattering, but never unjustified. He gave the guard a good-natured laugh as he stood before him and asked “Has Azura returned?” The guard answered in a loud voice “Yes sir! Elder Rosethorn returned not long before you.” Archivald nodded “Thank you, stand down.” In the meantime, two servants had opened the large doors of the mansion and bowed as he walked in. Upon entering, his armour vanished into thin air. Bound to him as it was, he could dismiss it on a whim. Archivald looked at the one on his right “Please send word to Azura that I would like to speak to her. I will see myself to her quarters in about half an hour.“ The servant nodded. “As you wish, sir Bel.”

Before visiting Azura, Archivald wished to visit his own quarters first. The mansion’s halls were as lavishly decorated as the outside. On his way, he was saluted by several guards and bowed to by the servants. Every one of them seemed to regard him in a completely different way, judging by their glares. Many guards respected him, but there were about just as many that were scared to death of him. The male servants usually hid their gazes. It was no secret that most of them hated his arrogance. This was very different from the views of the female servants, which were much more varied. Some hated him, others loved him. Archivald had a bit of a mixed reputation in that regard. It was no secret that he had slept with a fair number of them. Archivald couldn’t help it! Azura’s taste in maid uniforms was just… a little too much for him.

Archivald was saluted by the guard posted in front of his door before he opened the door for him. Archivald’s room was among the largest of the mansion. It featured a king-size bed, a desk, a wardrobe and multiple closets and shelves. Many of these closets and shelves were filled with either books or artifacts. It was one of Archivald’s hobbies, the collection and restoration of magical artifacts. Other than that, there was a large desk that featured large stacks of books. Most of these books featured information on arcane knowledge. Several were written in the infernal language, nearly indecipherable to anyone not demonkind or practiced in the tongue. This was where the warlock spent most of his days. Next to the desk was a large double door that led to the balcony. On the other side of the room was another door, locked tightly. This room was reserved for some of Archivald’s… private matters. What was inside there was conjecture among many servants. Archivald took place at his desk and picked up the book he had left open when he had left. The book detailed the magic used to create portals between two remote locations. He was fervently scanning the pages, looking for information that corresponded to a broken artifact that he had left next to the book. Somewhere in these pages he hoped to find how to make this tick. But thirty minutes were not enough to figure this out.

Half an hour was all that needed to pass for the afternoon to near its end. With three loud knocks the guards announced Archivald’s presence to Azura. Now he was just waiting to be let in.

[Polymorpheus]

.

[Meth Quokka]

The Ignus Fatuus was an ever busy, ever debauched and pulsated with an alluring and intoxicating primal pulse; the atmosphere itself seemed burdened down by the cloying cocktail of scents of perfume, sweat and alcohol. Here the worries and troubles of the world were stripped away as easily as clothes, pressed along by the consumption of all manner of drugs and alcohol leading to a stupefying maelstrom of corruption. At the centre of the storm, Erasmus stood and observed, like some voyeuristic addict; though he sometimes stepped into the madness. Too see but not touch, to smell not taste would take far more willpower than he could ever claim to possess but he was always careful not to get carried away by the rough waters that swirled around him. He’d seen too many creatures corrupted into nothing more than mindless husks to ever ward him away from that life.

Beyond that, his second calling always kept him tethered to a modicum of moderation and a grasp on sanity, that eternally satisfying sense of power and control which came from the flow of information. Secrets scurried their way towards him, carried along by a tide of money and favour that flows even easier than that of information in this city. Corruption lay at the core of Enigma, and it oozed throughout every part of the city no matter the denizens, their affluence or their supposed moral standing. It is what made the city so intriguing and so appealing, especially to a mind like his own. It was a haven and a hedonist’s dream, just the kind of haunt that Erasmus felt most at home in.

It had been the murmurs of rebellion and even possible revolution from the darkest slums; a pro-human movement that sought to overthrow the ‘monsters’ that had established themselves as the top of the pile. As an elf, logic would dictate that he act out against such a pro-human and anti-creature agenda, but as a hedonist and borderline anarchist, it was an alluring potential. It was a curious movement, led by someone he’d only heard referred to as ‘Mason’ not that it meant anything to him. The true identity of their leader had frustratingly avoided his reach, ever dancing beyond his fingertips like smoke on the wind. It was not frustrating so much as challenging, here was a character that was able to avoid both the power of the Elders and the intrigue of his own network. Yet he could not let himself in to melancholy, the end of the night drew near; the last actions of the desperate unwilling to relinquish their otherworldly night drew near and their grim reality would settle in once again.

He stirred from his lounge where he’d been lazing alone for perhaps the last hour, time itself seemed to become convoluted in the club. Even after spending nearly every night here for three years it still carried out its designed purpose of drawing the mind into an almost lucid dream state; the body was abandoned and the senses overwhelmed. The club was rather unique in the fact that it possesses several distinct areas; there was a quiet bar out the back where many of the ultra-elite clientele haunted, there was the exotic rooms below where almost any desire was satisfied and others but where he truly loved was the Pit; where the young, the desperate, the lonely and the depraved gathered to form a kaleidoscopic clash of creation. He’d built a private room which hung over the room, allowing an observational wonder of it all. Few of his establishments could be considered quiet or tame, but then few could claim to be akin to Ignus Fatuus; it was every inch the suggestion of its name, a foolish fire than one could bask in the warmth just as easily as be consumed by the heat.

As he watched the last vestiges of these frantic souls surrender themselves to the approaching morning from the most hedonistic of nights, a grim smirk betrayed itself unto his face. All these people, all the chaos they created when they came would soon spill itself out onto the streets of Enigma. Half of him longed for the status quo which would come from assisting the Elders crush Mason while the other longed for him to aid Mason to bathe the streets in chaos and blood. Just as he’d been torn asunder by his internal division, so could Enigma be torn asunder and then would the corruption truly begin to flow out.

[Kokushi]

Archivald was allowed into Azura's chambers after about ten minutes of waiting, however, he found that the two of them would not be alone as next to the female was another individual. It was nearly impossible to distinguish the figures features due to the hooded cloak that they were wearing, but it was very clear that there was a reason for them to be there. "Hello Archivald," The Elder said with a small smile, "You have horrible timing with wanting to speak to me. It takes some time to interview potential Rebel Contacts you know."

When archivald stepped into the room, it was clear that he was reasonably annoyed after having to wait that long. He had announced his arrival in advance. If he had to wait longer, surely the damn dog could've send him a message back. He leered for a second at his boss before he noticed the figure next to her. "Hello Azura. Who has the pleasure of joining us today?"

"She will be keeping you company more than myself I am sure," the female murmured under her breath before returning her second's stare, "For all intense and purposes her name is Lilith, she has an in with the Rebellion and will be reporting to us at least once a week with any information she may have. When she is out on missions for them she will be returning here to report to you directly. Anything of use is to be reported back to me so I may adjust... plans accordingly. Now, it is apparent that you have something to tell me that you feel is important enough to bother me over?"

"A spy? Well hopefully she does better than the last one." He looked her over, then he turned back to Azura. He;d do the introductions afterward "I ran into an acquaintance of yours during my last mission today. I believe you are a regular of that harpy in west end. That flying piece of filth did not only shield rebels, she also did not seem afraid of attacking me if it came down to it. After the drama she also ignored any orders made in the name of the first elder of Enigma." archivald paused for a moment, observing the elder's reaction "Surely you know that these offenses are punishable by death. The only reason I did not attack her was because you have explicitly asked me before to not harm these individuals. However, I am not overlooking possible rebel sympathisers with no respect for your authority. I believe action against her is in order."

"She isn't a sympathizer, I don't even think she even know what a rebel is. Kharlee is a... strange case, while she may not necessarily like humans, she does not dislike them either. On top of that, she has had a relatively shielded life and does not understand much of what is happening through no fault of her own. Considering the situation, I will have a talk with her when I return there tomorrow with the books that I have promised her as well as make it very clear that there are some things even I cannot protect her from. However, you will not take action against her unless I say so, I want to make sure she understands the situation she just put herself in. You are allowed eyes on her, I am sure your... friend will be more than enough."

"Please do so." Archivald sighed "I decided not to engage out of respect for your usually keen judgement. I trust you will be able to work it out. Also, I'd rather not use a precious resource like that on an oversized chicken." Archivald shook his head. "I trust you will talk sense into her. Tell me if you want a spy on her afterward and I'll see it done." He turned back to Lilith "So, tell me more about yourself. Who do I have the pleasure of working with?"

"For all intense and purposes I go only by Lilith," came a female voice, "The less you know at present, the better off we will be. Should it become necessary for me to give you my real name and show you who I am then I will do so. At the prestent time, even being in North End is putting my station at risk, I managed to get away from my group for a little bit, but I can't stay away for very long. I will send you various birds with a weekly report, it will never be the same bird twice unless I am under duress." As she spoke, a pale hand came out from under the cloak, the fingers slender and almost frail looking, "I look forward to working with you Archivald."

He walked over to the cloaked figure and extended his hand "Nice to meet you Lilith, I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly." He smirked. Unlike what the frail hand might've implied, the handshake was actually rather firm. It took the warlock by surprise ever so slightly. It wasn't completely unexpected, because this wasn't completely uncommmon among monsters. She may be some kind that has enhanced strength. He could hear the professionalism in the way she described her work, and nodded approvingly. "You seem competent, good to know. Keen judgement indeed, Azura."

"Well met, now please excuse me as I have a group I need to go meet up with," she said before leaving the room without a word, and without a sound. Once she was out of the room, Azura looked at her Right hand and offered him a small smile.

"I think she will fit in nicely. She already has a home that she stays in when she is not with the Rebels, but she knows to report to you the moment she returns back. I wonder how long it will take her to leave the cloak behind, or how long it will take you to simply take it off of her." The Elder knew all too well of Archivald's habits, not that she really cared how the Demon got his Rocks off, but she wasn't about to let him ruin a good spy if she could help it. "Now, do you have anything else for me?"

Archivald gave her an half-hearted wave, dismissing Lilith's presence. He shrugged at Azura's remarks on his behavior "I don't just go for any lady, you know. You are the living proof of that" He smirked at her. He knew he'd get a snarky comment back in retort, as per usual. The two of them always seemed to be at odds with eachother, but it was usually in good faith. "Nothing really. I don't think I need to point out that it was success. I'm happy I got to blow off some steam. Any more news? Any updates to our plans?"

"No more news, updates are pending. If anything changes I will be sure to let you know if it affects anything we need to do. Now, you are dismissed, I have to make a trip back to West End to talk to Kharlee. While I am sure Endre has already discussed things with her, it may be a bit better if I do so she can better understand the situation." With that said, Azura simply turned her back on Archivald and began to gather a few things to bring to the Harpy. She had not expected having to go back so soon, but she knew that it had to be done now rather than later. "Lilith will send you reports as needed."

Archivald nodded "Good luck. Please let me know how the conversation went." And with that said, he left the room of the elder. He was happy with the acquisition of a new spy. He just hoped her reports were worth a damn. She may have come accross as a competent one, but only results would speak truth of her skills.

Once the Warlock left, she wrapped up the books in the cloak she had aquired from Endre earlier in the day and shouldered it. She figured the sooner she got the talk out of the way, the sooner she could go through the reports that liked to pile on her desk throughout the day. Well, time to go have a chat with a harpy, she thought to herself.

[Foster]

Kharlee & Endre

“Endre, I am going back home now, close up at time and please come back to make me food...” She said, cowering a bit, her shoulders in a little as she slouched a little as she got off the table. She didn't know what she thought about what had just happened. There may have been things going on, but whether death was the necessary punishment made her doubt the current society. And what if we stopped being in Azura’s favour? She didn't like that. Why did one, two, or three people have more power to destroy the lives of others. That wasn't a society she wanted to be a part of. She didn't want to live in a world where death had no consequences. Where monsters were encouraged to hunt beyond their needs.

There was a balance, some people needed to die. She understood that. For her to consume something needed to die. But there needed to be a balance. There needed to be some karmic record that ticked off how much you could take. That’s why the humans had fallen. That was their greatest folly. But now were they headed to the same thing? Would Endre be in danger just because of what he was rather than his actions? Would she? She made a mental note to summon Azura back, and asking Endre for what rights she had in this world. She went home but didn't sleep. She took the restrictive bandage off and poured some alcohol on it so it would not get infected. She took some wine and then laid back, staring outside the window.

As most of the store was vacated of customers for the day -thanks in large part to Kharlee’s demeanour- closing the shop was not much harder than securing the doors and windows, and turning-out the lights. That, and cleaning-up the remnants of a first-aid kit strewn about the floor; he’d need to replace that.

Walking to Kharlee’s was quiet and uneventful aside from the distinct smell of smoldering hardwood-flooring from the incident his friend related to him. Thankfully they managed to remove the corpses before they stunk-up the streets. But then he remembered her saying they looked like he did… could he be mistaken for a human servant?

Arriving at Kharlee’s inherited… estate, he took off his boots in the foyer, hung-up his hat and met Kharlee in the lounge, sipping wine and sitting by the fireplace as she awaited his arrival.

“It’s expected to be a cold night. I’ll prepare some clam-chowder.” He announced, knowing that although it was seafood, it was cooked and came with potatoes, two things the harpie did not like about her food… sometimes it felt like he was still cooking for a nine year old… Although to her credit, he would make it rhode-island style, rather than the more typical new-england breed.

Kharlee just lived minutes from the shop on a first floor double room studio apartment. It wasn't much of a mansion that she was brought up in, but she did intend on spending her life doing very little, so conservation of her wealth seemed the way to go. Plus this little shithole cost absolutely nothing anyway.

She half groaned in pain when he mentioned clam chowder. It wasn't the worst but she had many other things she preferred to it. She didn't tell him anything though, slowly coming into the kitchen as he cooked, sitting near him as she said, “What happens if we fall out of Azura’s favour? Does she come and end us all?” She asked him intently. She wasn't much of a social person, and didn't like Azura as much as Azura liked her, though she truthfully believed Azura didn't like her at all, and only liked to pretend as she did for some reason.

“What if they decide that half breeds and harpies are just as useless as humans, do we have to become slaves? Would I be sold? My property taken away from me? Deserved to be killed in the streets?” Of course this wasn't against Azura, but she was the only Elder of Enigma she knew. She may have been the only elder there for all Kharlee knew, she wasn't much into things outside her little bubble of a world, and she didn't want monsters in it that she was sure of.

“Look at these.” She said, throwing a magazine near him. It had fireproof shutters and modern methods of fire safety written all over it. “I’ve called them.” She told him, “Someone will be coming soon. Close the shop and make sure it can not be burnt into ashes right in front of my eyes.” She told him as she went back out, dragging her little wheely chair squeakily out of the kitchen with her.

Endre stopped cooking and made it obvious he had considered what may have happened if he ever pulled a joke too far with Azura before answering, “Well, I suppose she’d stop visiting.” He said, only to hear Kharlee go-on about not being particularly fond of Azura’s company… before hitting the subject of non-human slaves…

“I came into your family due to the choices I made before you were born, and not out of my mixed heritage, if that is what you are inferring of my presence.” He explained, not considering the choices he made as being particularly bad or unfortunate, and ignoring the criticisms that his choices were even remotely dictated by his bloodline.

Just as the half-drow was about to stop being defensive, he was assaulted by a magazine that landed harmlessly on the nearby countertop. She made it clear that in this awful turmoil what few things were important to her were safely protected in her private-fortress(es). He nodded, and began glancing over the glossy pages as he finished preparing the chowder.

“Not you.” She told him from the other room, looking at some birds flying about. “Not only you.” She corrected herself. “Your situation and mine are different, you are no slave, you are family, you know that. You’ve known that for years.” She told him, not much paying attention to his silly jokes. “You haven’t seen her blood-hound. He wouldn't mind hurting me or hurting you. Or just for his amusement hurting everything.” She just said, sighing as she remembered him.

“I do not feel safe anymore.” She said softly. “I don't feel Enigma is safe anymore.” She just said, looking around. “Endre. Why are they killing the humans? What is the resistance?”

Endre sighed, “Because the resistance wants us either back in hiding, or dead. Not so much a resistance as a bunch of people that think things were better back when the humans were to blame.” He replied, frustrated by the idea of so many humans not realizing they had their chance and blew it, right in front of their own god.

“I’m not saying we’re without faults.” He admitted as he came-out with Kharlee’s bowl of chowder and set it in front of his hungry little harpie, “We’ve just been given our chance. Now we just need to make the best of it and prove we can do better. If we leave Enigma now, the resistance wins.” Endre explained, highlighting his thoughts on being driven-out by the mounting violence in the streets.
Kharlee attacked the food immediately, looking at him as he spoke, a lot of food going all around the place. Self healing took a lot of energy, and she didn't usually use her powers at all. She frowned at what he said, done with the meal soon and then wiping her face down with a tissue. She slipped back and then stretched, her eyes mellowing down to a much darker shade of blue, almost black.

“I think the humans got this way because of the killing. And the Gods do not care what we as individuals do, it’s what we achieve all together. Do the humans need to die?” She told him, “Does Azura want humans to die?” She asked, her eyes widening for a second, “Why would she want anyone to die?” She just couldn't imagine it.

“I just wish people didn't have to die. Why. What is the point of that. The Gods have always been mad. You know it’s true.” She said, looking at him, not sure she ever believed the Gods cared about her.

Endre placed a blanket in Kharlee’s lap for the night as she suggested that her views contrasted sharply against their close friend Azura.

“We both know that the slavery was not a punishment we chose for the humans, and we’ve already made many reforms to give them nearly as many freedoms as ourselves. Yet despite this peace-offering, there are some who wish to bite the hands that feed them.” He replied sternly, trying his best to keep his patience as one friend talked ill of another mutual friend behind their back.

He turned to leave to his own room, only offering a few parting words so Kharlee wouldn’t have the final-say in this discussion, not tonight: “The rebels are being hunted-down because despite everything we do for them, they still wish to kill us. All of us. Half-breeds included.”

[shylarah]

@SleepingSilence @Jewels

Cas listened to the Chaos leader head down the fire escape, wanting to wait for him to be all the way gone before heading down herself. Her Shadow's assault upon her senses had not ceased with his departure, and her stomach was telling her in no uncertain terms that it wasn't going to let her keep her lunch down much longer. As a result, she only gave the man a small head start before she too made for the stairs. The girl slipped back in the open window and made a beeline for the bathroom, discarding her bag on the way. She made it just in time, not even bothering to turn on the light. It was fortunate she'd not eaten much, she reflected, feeling oddly detached. It wasn't an unfamiliar sensation, sometimes coming along with anxiety, as if distance would make the situation less nerve-wracking.

Terrence had returned to clean his lab and organize what he left out during repairing Mason, under the assumption both were already long gone. Terrence pondered what he read this morning and what just transpired. Terrence then wondered what he'd do now. He refused his desire to keep on his experiments wanting a mental break even if he knew he had even less time to prepare what he had planned. “I should get back to reading my books, in the next few days I should be able create something potent enough to start what I have in mind,” Terrence thought to himself. Walking out of his lab to grab the book he had left in the kitchen too read it further, but his plan was abruptly interrupted at the sound of the window being opened and hearing someone had returned. Terrence could tell who is was from her fragrance with a whiff of his nose as he went to find where she was, hearing her running through the apartment. Terrence stepped to the front door of the restroom seeing Cas was there, he saw her looking quite tired and rather nervous.

The girl started to turn around, but her attention was caught by the demon that haunted her. Since she'd moved out of the bright sunlight, it had been prowling around in the shadows in restless anger, but now it was regarding the approaching doctor with fierce intensity from near the door of the dim room. It had learned -- Cas thought it had, at least -- that the doctor was a friend, and would never harm her. But the way it had gone from enraged ranting to soft words she couldn't make out was concerning, and the way it was watching him...it worried her. She started to warn him to stay back, but she'd not realized what was going on swiftly enough. Terry stepped into the shadows of the doorway, and the creature rose up from them to leap towards him. "No!" Cas cried, "Stay away!" Lunging desperately for the door, she flung it shut, even though it would hit him as it closed. That was far better than letting her Shadow attack him. Instead, it slammed into the door with a loud thud, and howled at being thwarted as it attempted. The cry rang through the apartment.

The girl moved back to the wall away from the door, so there was no way it would be able to emerge outside the room. She thought that would be the end of it, but she was mistaken. Instead the creature shrieked in fury, slashing the door and splintering the wood where Terry’s face would have been, then tore through the small room, destroying whatever it could reach. The young lady yelped, ducking down and using her arms to protect her face as she heard something smash to pieces on the floor. Though she was fairly certain her Shadow wouldn't deliberately hurt her, even if it didn't come after her directly there was still the danger of flying bits of glass and other debris. It was some time before the crashes and yelling at last subsided, and quiet took their place. Cas lowered her arms and looked around, searching for the glow of her Shadow's eyes. She located them, and was relieved to see that it seemed to have settled down.

“Cas, are you alright? Is something the matter?” Terrence asked softly concerned smiling at her. Although he already knew the answer to that question, being mindful feeling her demon's aura anger figuring it be best to not get any closer. But he noticed it starting to approach with a rather vicious look. He remained undeterred and stood there perhaps too confident that he wouldn't be attacked. Seeing it lunge at him, Terrence had almost changed forms to defend himself from the attack but instead the door slammed into his face, hearing her yelling to stay away. The door hitting his forehead and knocking his glasses of his face, falling onto the floor next to him. Sighing he reached down to pick up his glasses, having the door shake loudly. As he waited there a few steps back still listening intently to the other side of the door and the commotion it was making in the bathroom. He was grateful that he didn't have much stored in there, hearing the mirror shattering. He was hoping that she was doing alright as he almost had half a mind to say something but his better judgment kept him from saying anything to possibly endangering them both. He was patiently waiting there until the figurative storm died down, figuring that what it would look like took place there, listening still as he could barely make out the words coming from the bathroom, hearing Mason's name which made him a little concerned exactly what happened. She seemed mostly out of danger but she was glowing blue for several albeit small cuts on her skin, likely from the scattered glass, but that only made him wonder if Mason was still alright. Letting out a deep breath awaiting for a sign that he might be able to open the door.

"Are you done?" the girl asked the monster, speaking softly.
I’ll slice him from gullet to gut the next time you cage me… The thought hissed into her mind as if it belonged there, the normally pure shafts of light that formed the being’s eyes tainted red for a moment as though emphasizing the blood it had no fear of shedding. She shivered under its gaze, but didn’t look away. “I couldn’t have you going after Mason with him there. You know I don’t like people getting hurt,” Cas responded aloud, though she was doing what she could to keep her words from reaching outside the darkened room. “You’re not the one that has to live with the results when you go after people!”
I watch over us both without rest. You flirt with danger every day. I do what I need to do to get your attention.
“Your choice of methods is awful. You show me terrible things -- and you hurt people that don’t deserve it.”
You place too little value on your life. You would protect others, even at cost to yourself. That is unacceptable.
“I’d rather die than bring harm to an innocent!” she snapped back, angered enough that she didn’t watch her volume as closely as perhaps she should. “I’ve told you what I’ll do if that happens. Don’t test me; I’m not bluffing.” She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Terry?" The girl lifted her voice so it could be heard clearly beyond the dark bathroom. "I think it's safe now...." She was audibly uneasy, but at least she hadn't completely panicked.

Overhearing her seemingly angry words confronting her demon, he didn’t want to respond just yet figuring he’d only cause more conflict. He heard her speak up as he responded. “Yes dear?” as he put his hand on the doorknob and turned it. “Alright, I'm coming in,” he warned as he was preparing himself in case the demon wasn't calmed down, opening the door and seeing the damage, looking down at her. “Are you okay? Careful, there's a lot of glass around you.” Terrence stated sounding sympathetic though he couldn't help but be a little miffed, though not so much because of the damage or caring about his bathroom. The cost for repairs was money, and money was something he needed as much as he could to complete his plans effectively. On the other hand, regardless of what just happened he still was genuinely concerned as he carefully stepped over the glass shards. “Let me give me you a hand,” he offered as he went to pick her up and take her out of the bathroom safely.

“I’m alright, just a couple scratches. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it would -- it’s never done something like this before.” Cas looked back at the trashed room and winced. “If you need me to help get things fixed, I’ll do what I can.” She was ashamed that she’d caused such trouble. She made her way to where she’d dropped her bag, and picked it up before flopping on the couch and rubbing her forehead with one hand. “I’ve never deliberately put myself in danger like I did today. I mean, I chose the roof specifically because it meant my Shadow wouldn’t be able to get at Mason. He’d already threatened me once, and I didn’t know if he would again. Even if he didn’t follow through, it would be perceived as danger, and...I didn’t want to risk that.” The girl gave a wry smile. “Apparently that’s not an acceptable option.” She sighed, her gray eyes troubled. “I made a proper mess of things, didn’t I?”

[shylarah]

@SleepingSilence @Jewels

Terrence shook his head in response, ignoring what had happened and putting it in the back of his mind for the time being. As he saw Cas get up and leave the restroom. Watching her sit down on his sofa in his living room. “You should still wash the cuts even if they didn't cut through the skin,” he insisted, never taking chances when it came to health, beside his experiments, but now wasn't the time he was thinking about that. Terrence quickly ran to his kitchen which was the room across to soap up a rag, turning on his sink to dampen a rag. He let out a deep sigh as he was listening to what she was saying, coming back with the rag as he looked at her. “I do wish you would've stayed around until he left but I understand why you felt the way you did,” he stated and he smiled at her. “Don't worry dear, you didn't do anything that I can't fix. You’re my friend, your burdens are mine too,” he assured her trying to cheer her up a bit, seeing her troubled.

“I was afraid you’d end up hurt,” the girl replied softly, taking the rag and using seeing to her cuts as an excuse not to meet his gaze. “If he wasn’t your friend, I would have gone somewhere else, and...and if he’d ended up hurt trying to hurt me, I wouldn’t mind so much.” Her breath hissed through her teeth as the soap stung the lacerations on the back of her hands. “But...as things were, I needed somewhere I knew nothing would happen. Somewhere with no shadows.” She glanced at the watching creature. “I didn’t run. I chose my battlefield.”

Terrence did his best to suppress the various opinions and emotions he had, that he didn't want to be expressing, thoughts accumulating in his mind, right now he just wanted to be kind and show sympathy, watching her closely. He had things he wanted to say but he kept them in the back of his mind. “I told Mason, to leave you be. If you have any worries you may hurt someone else. I'd prefer if you'd come to me than inflict any harm, and get yourself in danger,” He spoke up. “I only have your best interest, if it puts you in danger. That's a problem...I know you've said before he won't hurt you, but I'm honestly rather doubtful and you should be questioning if it's really safe,” he continued, referring to the demon, pacing around the center of the living room giving her some space.

Cas’s expression darkened, and she started fussing with the strap of her messenger bag. “I do my best to avoid hurting people, Terry, you know that. If I’m able to escape the situation, that’s what I do. It’s just not always possible.” She gave him a crooked smile, but it took effort. “And I certainly can’t bring all my troubles here, though it’s a nice thought.” Her gaze strayed back to her watching Shadow, and she shook her head. “It’s a menace, I know that. I’d get rid of it if I could, but...well, particularly after today, I think nobody else would be safe near me if I tried.” A haunted, guilty expression flitted across her face. “But it won’t hurt me. It needs me, though I don’t really understand why.” She looked back at the doctor. “I’m not in danger from it, just everyone else.”

“I understand you try your best, but for this semi-symbiotic relationship, I'm concerned this thing is being reckless and endangering your safety. It needs to learn a little self restraint if it doesn't want to be seen as a threat.” Terrence responded seriously as he watched carefully. “If it tries to attack what you and what it shouldn't see as a threat, it's the kind of hostile I'm very uncomfortable with.” He continues expressing concern looking at her. “I'm certain I could get rid of it, but I wouldn't want to risk it in how dangerous my idea currently is but, I may end up having no choice if it keeps acting on seemingly insatiable blood lust,” he thought in his head his eyes shifting away from her briefly, while rubbing the back of his neck. As he curiosity suddenly reminded for all that she had told him about her shadow as she referred to it, he didn't actually know that much about it and after what happened he only wanted to know about it more. “So, what's exactly the full story about your...shadow?” he asked her, forcing himself to speak the last word.

“It’s better than it was,” she protested, though without much conviction. “...I never did tell you how things ended up this way, did I? I told you what I’ve learned, but not how it started.” The girl’s voice turned pensive. “Honestly, the only reason I was okay telling you at all was because you have demons of your own. And if you hadn’t seen it yourself the day you found me, I’m sure you would have thought I was insane. Even I thought so, for a while.” Cas looked down and sighed. “It’s hard to discuss. That’s why I’ve never brought it up. Remembering hurts, even after all these years...but I don’t much believe in keeping secrets from friends, so I really should.” She looked off into space as she focused on the memories she tried so hard not to think about. “It was the week of my eleventh birthday. This group of...I don’t even know who or what they were. They grabbed me and my parents. I had to watch while they killed them, and it wasn’t done quickly. I’m sure they would have done the same to me, but something interfered. I passed out, and when I wake up, everyone else is dead. Torn apart.” Her tone went flat as the girl starting closing up inside, trying to separate herself from events that had left deep mental and emotional scars. “I leave as fast as I can, and find my cousins’ house. When I wake up in the morning two, three days later, they’re dead too. A neighbor I know finds me and gets me out of there, but the next night, when his wife tucks me in and puts out the lights this.../thing/ comes out of the shadows. It slices her open, and I start screaming. I throw my little knife at it, but I’m not sure what I expected to accomplish, especially since I couldn’t use it well at all back then. The thing turns toward me, and it gets in my face, before just vanishing. That was when the hallucinations came for the first time. My neighbor shows up -- he must have been too far away to reach or something, because my Shadow didn’t kill him. He sees what happened, and doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.

“A group of thieves pick me up several days later, and by then I’ve got no clue what’s real and what’s not, because I’ve been seeing things pretty much constantly. They were really nice kids -- didn’t mind that I was just this side of a raving lunatic, didn’t mind humoring me when I didn’t want them standing too close. They even let me keep a lantern on at night -- until we forgot to make sure it had enough oil to last, and I wake up to chaos and screaming.” The girl covered her face with her hands. “You know what happens after that, more or less. It takes some trial and error to figure out what my Shadow can and can’t do, but the rumors that start spreading help some.” The words came out slightly muffled. “It didn’t occur to me that it was trying to protect me until you told me it dragged you in order to get your help.”