Duoya

THE OUSAMA GAME | a Short-Term Horror

A low, pained groan emanated from the confines of Coffin #4. It's occupant, the young Ryan Watts, slowly came to consciousness within the darkness of his container. He was probably one of the calmest players to awaken from their coffins - working as a mortician over the age of 21, there had been several blackout incidents in the past where Ryan treated alcohol a little too liberally. At first, Ryan assumed this must have been another situation just like the ones in the past - maybe a friend or a client wanted to spend the night drinking, and Ryan simply misremembered climbing into his own bed the night prior. He sighed slightly, annoyed by the pain he felt all across his body and was about to leave the gloomy coffin he awoke in.

He froze when he saw the teeth. Small holes were drilled into each individual tooth where the string was pulled through, with what seemed to be care and precision far beyond that of a blackout drunk Ryan. In the middle of the necklace was a pendant that shifted gently from gravity and the movement of air nearby - it took some effort to make out the initials D.C. on the back. While initially Ryan wasn't too disturbed by the grisly necklace, he quickly went pale in the face when he noticed this pendant. Ryan pulled his sleeve over his hand and gently opened the pendant to find a child's tooth. Ryan could tell it was a child's - he had worked on numerous children's bodies in the past and had even tried the flesh of one near the beginning of his cannibalistic outings. Children didn't sate his palate, but this necklace had nearly made him vomit. Was it a threat? Dennis still had some baby teeth - is this one he had already lost or is this some random corpses' tooth? Whatever it was, it was clearly the freshest tooth on the necklace, and Ryan was disturbed immensely by this.

Ryan slid the necklace into the pocket of his track pants, being cautious to keep his fingers from directly touching it. If he was lucky, he could get it searched for fingerprints when he got back home. Ryan tried lifting the cover of his casket open, but was met by resistance - it was locked. He pushed hard with his arms and the cover broke easily - less from Ryan's strength, and more so because the wood was of very poor quality. Ryan took several deep breaths, doing his best to calm his nerves. He had no idea where the hell he was, and the fact that he was in a room full of other coffins did not help him keep calm. The thought of climbing the stairs for a better view and to find some windows crossed Ryan's mind, but the only stairway he could see was decrepit and unusable. Looking back at his Casket, Ryan saw a small red mark against the base of it. It was blood - specifically, it was blood from the large #4 carved into Ryan's hand. That explained the pain and dreariness, whoever kidnapped him must have drugged Ryan in order to carve something that looked so painful into his flesh without him waking up.

Ryan read the bloody text on the wall with a fair bit of fear and confusion leaking onto his face. Was it... Some kind of game? Ryan felt another wave of nausea come over him but managed to not throw up. He didn't know when he would next get food or water, so he couldn't waste what he already had in his system. The rules and the sounds of other people waking up caused Ryan to realize he wasn't alone in this predicament. He noticed the other Caskets earlier but had not thought to help open them in his panicked daze. Ryan called out to the others, who he assumed were victims just like he was.

"H-hello? Do you guys know where the h-hell we are?"

*+. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Coldplay .+*

Haven't seen a Jojo RP in awhile, seems like this could be pretty fun - Interested!

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

Ken Ozawa

Character Sheets

Name: Ken Ozawa

Age: 17

Appearance:

My Hider

Ken lacks any real distinguishing features, with black hair in a common style and an almost constantly monotone voice. He is slightly below average in height and weight, but that would only be noticeable if he was standing right next to someone taller. He always seems very bored and uninterested, unless showing a different emotion would be more beneficial for him at a certain point in time. Ken's belief in staying anonymous and not standing out has caused him to not have any really outstanding fashion choices - his only real defining choice of attire is that he almost always wears formal or semi-formal clothes, and he always has a pack of cigarettes on him, despite being too young to buy them. His Magical State is exactly the same as his normal one, which he does not mind too much.

Secret Wish:

My Hider

Despite his rough exterior, Ken would love nothing more than to take care of people who need help.

Background:
Ken was born to a perfectly normal family, with his mother being a nurse and his father working as a manager in a somewhat large office building. In his youth, he always enjoyed his mother's work far more - the thought of helping people heal seemed almost magical to the young Ken, and he used to dream of becoming a nurse just like his mother. Ken's father, however, wanted his son to be successful financially and didn't think that becoming a Nurse was going to be enough to give his son everything he wanted from life. For the rest of Ken's life, he was taken to nearly every function and family event that occurred at his father's company, in a vain attempt at sparking Ken's interest in the dull life of a Salaryman.

While the attempts to spurn interest from his son failed, Ken's father did succeed in deciding Ken's career path. At the age of 14, Ken finally realized how precious money was - not from any major incident or tragic event, or anything interesting like that. No, Ken realized how precious money was when he accidentally broke a precious vase while playing at a friend's house, which his father had to pay a for. Ken never felt guilty over this, primarily because his parents constantly reaffirmed how it was only an accident - instead, he was awestruck how the parents of his friend instantly changed from furious to docile as soon as they saw Ken's father write them a check. Money was the closest thing there was to a real-life Superpower, at least to Ken's knowledge at this time.

Ken's father capitalized on this as soon as he noticed and leaped at the chance to offer his son a part-time job at the company he worked for. While it took a few months to get into a good balance between work and school, Ken was quick to become a favorite among his coworkers, thanks to his youth and ability to act how people wanted him to. For the first year, each paycheck was like a dream come true - one which Ken never spent, and instead saved for some later point in time.

Inevitably, Ken grew jaded of this monotony. He sacrificed his social life in order to maintain his grades and work schedule, and with the only thing breaking up his day-to-day grind being the occasional event at the company, he rapidly grew disinterested in most aspects of his life. The only thing he really enjoyed anymore was his wealth, which was quite impressive for someone of his age and background. With both of his parents fearful of his newfound apathy and regretful that their son lost a lot of his childhood, both decided that time away from work and a new environment would do him some good. His family moved to Angel City, Ken's mother choosing to find a new job at one of the hospitals in the city while his father transferred to the Angel City Branch of the company he worked for.

At a new school where he knew no one, Ken felt the need to change his identity. He had no idea what this city or school was like, and didn't feel safe with such a major change to his daily life. He decided to try and be as anonymous as possible, and fit into the crowd so he wouldn't be targeted in some way. Unfortunately, this would prove to be impossible.

Monster Fighting Abilities:
Supply: With a decent chunk of magical energy, Ken is capable of fixing a person's most important possession - themselves. Ken can heal wounds, with the cost being based on the level of damage - a scratch or flesh wound could be healed for almost nothing, while life-threatening injuries would need an entire night's worth of magical energy, and still leave Ken drained for the next few days.

Savings: Ken is capable of forming barriers of green light. These barriers are able to take several weak hits without shattering, with strength directly proportional to how small the barrier is. These barriers can theoretically be used offensively, such as by forming a wall while an enemy is punching, but they cannot be formed inside of things, making it only useful for defense and as a counter. Surprisingly this is Ken's least costly ability and can be used very liberally.

The Invisible Hand: A variation of Telekinesis, this is by far Ken's most complex ability. The Invisible Hand is controlled by Ken's unconscious desires and obeys it with an animalistic intellect. If he is hungry it will bring something edible to him, and if he is tired it will pull him somewhere quiet and comfortable. The Invisible Hand has a massive range of half a kilometer, and has an extremely low mana cost at its weakest levels, but is very weak and cannot be directed to do something that Ken doesn't really want to do. At it's worst, it could even pull him away from situations he thinks is too dangerous, or try to prevent him from doing something that stresses him.

At its usual strength, The Invisible Hand can use 5 pounds of force. It could be pumped up to a higher strength with mana, but this is horribly inefficient - using a day's worth of mana would only boost the strength to 50 pounds, for a few seconds. The Invisible Hand is aware of things that are happening within its range, such as the presence of monsters or the location of easily seen objects, but it is nowhere near Omniscient and can only find things that a normal person would be able to see at a glance - it cannot actively search for things. And, while it knows many things in its range, it can't communicate with Ken outside of pulling and pushing him - and even then, would only do so if Ken wanted something The Invisible Hand knew about.

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

@IceHeart
Got it, those are pretty reasonable concerns. How about this instead:

The Invisible Hand: A variation of Telekinesis, this is by far Ken's most complex ability. The Invisible Hand is controlled by Ken's unconscious desires and obeys it with an animalistic intellect. If he is hungry it will bring something edible to him, and if he is tired it will pull him somewhere quiet and comfortable. The Invisible Hand has a massive range of half a kilometer, and has an extremely low mana cost at its weakest levels, but is very weak and cannot be directed to do something that Ken doesn't really want to do. At it's worst, it could even pull him away from situations he thinks is too dangerous, or try to prevent him from doing something that stresses him.

At its usual strength, The Invisible Hand can use 5 pounds of force. It could be pumped up to a higher strength with mana, but this is horribly inefficient - using a day's worth of mana would only boost the strength to 50 pounds, for a few seconds. The Invisible Hand is aware of things that are happening within its range, such as the presence of monsters or the location of easily seen objects, but it is nowhere near Omniscient and can only find things that a normal person would be able to see at a glance - it cannot actively search for things. And, while it knows many things in its range, it can't communicate with Ken outside of pulling and pushing him - and even then, would only do so if Ken wanted something The Invisible Hand knew about.

---

A little complex, but I was really fascinated with the concept when I was taking my economics elective. I could also go with just normal telekinesis if you think this is a bit vague/weird, but I feel controllable Telekinesis might be a little overpowered considering its versatility. The awareness thing is mostly because no one else has any sensory ability and that might make things difficult, but I'd understand if you feel that is pushing it a bit far.

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

@IceHeart
Things took a bit longer to take care of than I expected - this guy need any changes?

Ken Ozawa

Character Sheets

Name: Ken Ozawa

Age: 17

Appearance:

My Hider

Ken lacks any real distinguishing features, with black hair in a common style and an almost constantly monotone voice. He is slightly below average in height and weight, but that would only be noticeable if he was standing right next to someone taller. He always seems very bored and uninterested, unless showing a different emotion would be more beneficial for him at a certain point in time. Ken's belief in staying anonymous and not standing out have caused him to not have any really outstanding fashion choices - his only real defining choice of attire is that he almost always wears formal or semi-formal clothes, and he always has a pack of cigarettes on him, despite being too young to buy them. His Magical State is exactly the same as his normal one, which he does not mind too much.

Secret Wish:

My Hider

Despite his rough exterior, Ken would love nothing more than to take care of people who need help.

Background:
Ken was born to a perfectly normal family, with his mother being a nurse and his father working as a manager in a somewhat large office building. In his youth, he always enjoyed his mother's work far more - the thought of helping people heal seemed almost magical to the young Ken, and he used to dream of becoming a nurse just like his mother. Ken's father, however, wanted his son to be successful financially, and didn't think becoming a Nurse was going to be enough to give his son everything he wanted from life. For the rest of Ken's life, he was taken to nearly every function and family event that occured at his father's company, in a vain attempt at sparking Ken's interest in the dull life of a Salaryman.

While the attempts to spurn interest from his son failed, Ken's father did succeed in deciding Ken's career path. At the age of 14, Ken finally realized how precious money was - not from any major incident or tragic event, or anything interesting like that. No, Ken realized how precious money was when he accidentally broke a precious vase while playing at a friend's house, which his father had to pay a for. Ken never felt guilty over this, primarily because his parents constantly reaffirmed how it was only an accident - instead, he was awestruck how the parents of his friend instantly changed from furious to docile as soon as they saw Ken's father write them a check. Money was the closest thing there was to a real life Superpower, at least to Ken's knowledge at this time.

Ken's father capitalized on this as soon as he noticed, and leapt at the chance to offer his son a part time job at the company he worked for. While it took a few months to get into a good balance between work and school, Ken was quick to become a favorite among his coworkers, thanks to his youth and ability to act how people wanted him to. For the first year, each paycheck was like a dream come true - one which Ken never spent, and instead saved for some later point in time.

Inevitably, Ken grew jaded of this monotiny. He sacrificed his social life in order to maintain his grades and work schedule, and with the only thing breaking up his day-to-day grind being the occasional event at the company, he rapidly grew disinterested in most aspects of his life. The only thing he really enjoyed anymore was his wealth, which was quite impressive for someone of his age and background. With both of his parents fearful of his newfound apathy and regretful that their son lost a lot of his childhood, both decided that time away from work and a new environment would do him some good. His family moved to Angel City, Ken's mother choosing to find a new job at one of the hospitals in the city while his father transfered to the Angel City Branch of the company he worked for.

At a new school where he knew no one, Ken felt the need to change his identity. He had no idea what this city or school was like, and didn't feel safe with such a major change to his daily life. He decided to try and be as anonymous as possible, and fit into the crowd so he wouldn't be targeted in some way. Unfortunately, this would prove to be impossible.

Monster Fighting Abilities:
Deficit: This ability can seal a single ability of a single opponent, rendering it unusable. The effect lasts as long as Ken is able to focus, but can be broken by things like an attack or extremely distracting stimuli like illusions. While extremely potent against a single opponent, swarms or groups completely remove its use.

Supply: With a decent chunk of magical energy, Ken is capable of fixing a person's most important possession - themselves. Ken can heal wounds, with the cost being based on the level of damage - a scratch or flesh wound could be healed for almost nothing, while life-threatening injuries would need an entire night's worth of magical energy, and still leave Ken drained for the next few days.

Demand: Manifesting as a red tendril, this ability can be used as a somewhat poor method of maneuverability by launching the user off of a surface or connecting them to a wall. It's main use, however, is its ability to forcibly activate other creature's abilities. Upon piercing an enemy, the User can temporarily activate one of the victim's abilities, as well as choose things like the direction it is used in and how much force is used. This ability costs as much as the ability being used and while potent, it usually ineffective against highly durable opponents. The tendril is only moderately sharp, making monsters resistant to piercing essentially immune.

Savings: Ken is capable of forming barriers of green light. These barriers are able to take several weak hits without shattering, with strength directly proportional to how small the barrier is. These barriers can theoretically be used offensively, such as by forming a wall while an enemy is punching, but they cannot be formed inside of things, making it only useful for defense and as a counter. Surprisingly this is Ken's least costly ability and can be used very liberally.

THE OUSAMA GAME | a Short-Term Horror

#4

Name: Ryan Watts

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Appearance: Ryan has short black hair that is rarely combed, and has a somewhat greasy look - like he hadn't washed in a period of time. It wouldn't be wrong to call him short, but he is not too far from average height. His choice of clothing is usually either very casual, such as baggy tracksuits, or extremely formal, like three-piece suits. Perhaps because of this, very few people realize that Ryan is fairly muscular - he's been going to the gym around 3-4 times a week for the last 4 years, at the request of his ex-girlfriend, Susan. Ryan claims he only continues out of habit, and because it makes his work easier. Ryan also has several piercings in his ears, but he takes these out whenever doing a Funeral or Viewing. He planned on getting rid of them, but a kid he watches after, Dennis, said that it made him look cool.

Personality Traits:
Passionate | Friendly | Upbeat | Clingy | Creepy | Aggressive

Relevant Info: Ryan works as a Mortician in his family Funeral Home, and has been doing so since he got his degree. He has immense respect for his Father, Wyatt Watts, who was the primary reason he even went into that career path. He's had two girlfriends in the past, but would only really be bothered by threats against the first, Susan Robinson. He has a very wide circle of friends and acquaintances due to his line of work, several of which he would sacrifice a lot for. Ryan volunteers at an Orphanage in his free time and has been planning on adopting a younger boy, Dennis Cleat. He is nervous about his chances, considering he is a single male in his mid-twenties, and threats of limiting his time with the boy would be very persuasive.

D A R K - S E C R E T:

My Hider

Ryan regularly eats human flesh. He has a steady supply due to his job as a Mortician and, with proper care and stitching, it's surprising how much you can take out of a person without anyone noticing. Even worse, he regularly includes human flesh into the meals he cooks for his friends and family, getting an almost euphoric pleasure out of tricking them into eating something they would never do otherwise. He occasionally steals corpses from recent funerals, which he keeps in a freezer in his basement - a secret which the King could use to great effect against Ryan.

His second Exgirlfriend nearly discovered his stash of bodies, and Ryan waited at the top of the stairs with a knife. When she came up with what she went to retrieve, he managed to convince her to leave, and he promptly broke up with her a few days later. He is nowhere near as upset by his close murder attempt as he feels he should be, but doesn't really mind too much.

Ryan only thinks about eating the flesh of the already deceased, and the thought of killing for his meals disturbs him somewhat. He may think differently if he had to go awhile without any meat, but he has never thought of eating anyone in his direct social circle.

THE OUSAMA GAME | a Short-Term Horror

@Yankee
This guy alright?

Ryan Watts

Name: Ryan Watts

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Appearance: Ryan has short black hair that is rarely combed, and has a somewhat greasy look - like he hadn't washed in a period of time. It wouldn't be wrong to call him short, but he is not too far from average height. His choice of clothing is usually either very casual, such as baggy tracksuits, or extremely formal, like three-piece suits. Perhaps because of this, very few people realize that Ryan is fairly muscular - he's been going to the gym around 3-4 times a week for the last 4 years, at the request of his ex-girlfriend, Susan. Ryan claims he only continues out of habit, and because it makes his work easier. Ryan also has several piercings in his ears, but he takes these out whenever doing a Funeral or Viewing. He planned on getting rid of them, but a kid he watches after, Dennis, said that it made him look cool.

Personality Traits:
Passionate | Friendly | Upbeat | Clingy | Creepy | Aggressive

Relevant Info: Ryan works as a Mortician in his family Funeral Home, and has been doing so since he got his degree. He has immense respect for his Father, Wyatt Watts, who was the primary reason he even went into that career path. He's had two girlfriends in the past, but would only really be bothered by threats against the first, Susan Robinson. He has a very wide circle of friends and acquaintances due to his line of work, several of which he would sacrifice a lot for. Ryan volunteers at an Orphanage in his free time and has been planning on adopting a younger boy, Dennis Cleat. He is nervous about his chances, considering he is a single male in his mid-twenties, and threats of limiting his time with the boy would be very persuasive.

D A R K - S E C R E T:

My Hider

Ryan regularly eats human flesh. He has a steady supply due to his job as a Mortician and, with proper care and stitching, it's surprising how much you can take out of a person without anyone noticing. Even worse, he regularly includes human flesh into the meals he cooks for his friends and family, getting an almost euphoric pleasure out of tricking them into eating something they would never do otherwise. He occasionally steals corpses from recent funerals, which he keeps in a freezer in his basement - a secret which the King could use to great effect against Ryan.

His second Exgirlfriend nearly discovered his stash of bodies, and Ryan waited at the top of the stairs with a knife. When she came up with what she went to retrieve, he managed to convince her to leave, and he promptly broke up with her a few days later. He is nowhere near as upset by his close murder attempt as he feels he should be, but doesn't really mind too much.

Ryan only thinks about eating the flesh of the already deceased, and the thought of killing for his meals disturbs him somewhat. He may think differently if he had to go awhile without any meat, but he has never thought of eating anyone in his direct social circle.

THE OUSAMA GAME | a Short-Term Horror

Internet is down right now and I’m looking at this through phone, but I’ll start working on a sheet when it comes back on.

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

College is rough with these midterms - will get a char out sometime tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest.

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

Although she had previously squirmed and fought with all her might when the giant had placed on her his shoulders, the girl was surprisingly docile and quiet while resting in his arms. Perhaps there was something comforting about being held, or perhaps it had more to do with him actually holding onto her in a safe manner, rather than letting her sit haphazardly on top of him... Regardless, with the younger sister being princess-carried, the boy led the way! ... As best he could.

As they made their way through the bustling streets, made wrong turns and had to ask another stranger for re-directions, the trio slowly but surely made their way southwards in the city. As they walked, the morning sun climbed slowly higher in the sky, and the day grew warmer by the minute. There was no strong breeze to speak of though, and the absence of many clouds meant the only shade available were those that were cast from the larger houses, as well as the massive Babel of course. Still, the heat wasn't unberable or unpleasant, so it was of no real concern.

As they drew closer to their destination however, one could tell the difference in the city-scape gradually changing. From the larger and more spacious dwellings from whence they came, the homes and buildings here grew progressively smaller, more compact or more tightly squeezed together. The quality in the masonry and upkeep also became more apparent, with more rough and uneven materials being used, cracks and indents being more visible and less and less color being present. A descent into poverty - the Daedalus Street, home of Orario's destitute and economically challenged.

However, as tey drew closer, the boy's eyes lit up - as did the girl's.

"I'm starting to know where we are! We're not far now!" The boy said, turning his head to Torran with an xcited smile.

Despite the rapidly deteriorating conditions of the surrounding buildings, Torran was still oblivious to the status of these children. Instead, he was far more concerned with the growing heat - he was always uncomfortable in hot weather, and the leather armor he was wearing did little to relieve the heat. Torran did very little ever since the boy had taken the lead, instead focusing on carrying the girl in his arms, and keeping an eye out for anything that even resembled a Familia.

While Torran didn't notice the poor infrastructure, he did make note of the lack of colors. It was very drab, which Torran did not find very comforting - he always preferred bright colors, since they reminded him of flowers. He chose to instead think of the directions that strangers gave them, doing his best to track his steps. He wanted to find the way back to the place he came from since that might help his search.

Eventually, the boy picked up his pace and finally called out to Torran.

"I'm starting to know where we are! We're not far now!"

Torran smiled in response, glad that he managed to help these children successfully. He leaned from side-to-side before responding.

"That's great - we'll get you guys home in no time! LEt's go."

After another minute or two of travel, the small group finally managed to arrive at a small building, similar to all the other homes that littered Daedalus Street. Before the boy could open the door, Torran rapped the door several times, easily holding the girl with a single arm. He didn't do this out of fear that the occupants were dangerous, as was the case in the last house he knocked at. No, instead he was taking the initiative because he had spent the last hour or so walking fairly slowly behind the boy, and he was feeling somewhat anxious to deliver the children home.

The boy and the girl in Torran's arms both lit up at the sight of the small, drab, unremarkable and worn-down-looking house. Their eyes almost sparkled as if they were looking at the very essence of hope, beauty and safety... And perhaps to them, it actually was. However, before either of them said anything, the big oaf approached and banged on the door - because he really seemed to like doing that.

A muffled voice came from inside the door, and after what felt like an entire minute, the door slowoly edged forward.

"Y-yes? W-who is i-" A woman's voice, soft but tired, sounded from within. However, as soon as she saw the boy by the giant's side and the girl in his arms, the door flung open, crashing into the wall behind it and out from the dusty, murky interior rushed a woman.

"Beli! Anra! Where have you two been!?" The woman's eyes were stained with tears and her face was a mix of relief, fear and confusion. A rather interesting mix. The woman herself was a plain thing, thin limbs, below average stature, scrawny physique and messy, matte brown hair with equally dull, brown eyes. The children both cried out for their mother, and squirming out of the man's arms, the sister freed herself and ran alongside her brother to embrace their mother in a glorious, tear-jerking reunion, with all three bawling like babies and talking in each others' mouth.

... For about half a minute.

"YOU STUPID LITTLE BRATS, WHERE THE HECK DID YOU GO!?" The mother now roared like a lion, proceeding to deliver a top-of-the-head knuckle to each of her children, her collapsed onto their behinds while rubbing their newly forming bumps. trying frantically to explain what had happened. The woman simply folded her arms and kept scolding though.

"I told you not to run off! I was just going to go in, deliver the laundry to the Familia there and come back out. And what do I see when I come back? Nothing! You two'd run off, leaving me to drag the rest of the laudnry home all on my own and worrying me to death about where you were!"
"But mama! We got scared and-"
"And you ran off? On your own? Did you even think where you were runing to? Or how to find me once you stopped?"
"Well, no, but-"
"But, but mama! The big man helped us!"
"Hm?"

It was at this point that the woman actually seemed to have registered that the boaz man was there. Taken slightly aback by his size, she took a step back, before eyeing him up and down. However, after the kids explained what had happened and how the man had lent them his help, doing so much to try and help - despite seeming like a rather thick, useless adult - the mother let on a very sweet smile as she looked at the fellow.

"Thank you so very much, good sir." She said, approaching the man, standing on her tippy-toes and giving him a small peck on the cheek.

Torran recoiled at the woman's touch, blushing heavily - he was far from used to such blatant affection from his own mother, let alone some random woman he met seconds ago. Was this the charm of an Adventurer? Torran's determination wavered slightly, but he steeled himself and tried to ignore it.

"Of course - delivering these children back to safety was the least an Adventurer could do!"

Torran allowed a smug smile to crawl across his face at that. He had already managed to save the day, and it was only around noon! The reunion between the family was touching, and Torran was confident that it was primarily due to his help these children managed to ever come back home. Of course, that wasn't actually the case - their mother would have inevitably searched for her children in order to recover them. Still, Torran had managed to shorten the process and saved the children unnecessary stress.

In the end, Torran had a valid reason to feel so good about himself.

This didn't last too long, however, and horror quickly spread over the Boaz's face as he made a realization. It was already past noon, and he was no closer to finding a Familia than he was when he left his home that morning! By the gods, this was horrible! Torran fell to his knees dramatically, shellshocked at the revelation.

A few seconds later, however, and he caught back up to reality. The woman had said something while admonishing her children... That's it! Torran lept to his feet quickly, something quite intimidating considering his massive size and girth, and turned to the woman he had been searching for all day.

"E-excuse me Ma'am, but did you say something about a Familia?! I have been looking for a Familia to join - could you give me directions to the one you speak of?"

As the big fellow put on a theatrical appearance that was first brazen, then pathetic, and now pleading, the plain-looking mother was unsure what to make of him. He seemed.... Strange, to say the least. Still, he had brought her children back safely and he didn't seem like a bad sort - just a bit odd. When he asked her to give directions to the Familia though, she rubbed her elbow and cast her eyes sideways, a concerned smile on her face.

"Sorry sir, but if you're looking for a familia, I- I don't think you should go visit them... They're a bit picky about who can join." She said this as someone who had experienced their rejection first-hand. However, her expression changed to a brighter one soon after. "However, if you want, you couldm come with me. I still got one more delivery to make to the Athena Familia today. They're not a very big group, but they're good people, and their Goddess is kind and pretty and -"
"Mama... You're over-praising that Goddess again."
"Shush you!"
"I don't like that Goddess... She's scary..."
"She most certainly is not, you little fool!"

Another bonk on each of her childrens heads made for a quick method of silencing their protests.

"I just need to go get the basket with their laundry and I'll be right back. So, do you wish to come along and meet them at least?" She asked the large man.

"Oh yes, I would be forever in your debt, madam!"

Torran nearly leaped to grab her hands in gratitude, but thankfully, he seemed to realize it was a bad idea at the last minute. Instead, he merely bowed his head several times, waiting for the woman to return with her latest load of laundry. As he waited, Torran looked around the dilapidated neighborhood, finally realizing how decrepit and poor the area was. He wondered why everyone seemed to not be taking care of their homes, and why everyone was living in such small houses. Perhaps it was a choice of style? Torran preferred larger houses since he was quite tall and didn't enjoy ducking indoors.

Eventually, thoughts turned to the way the woman handled her children. She seemed to punish them very lightly - Torran had experienced significantly worse from his father. Then again, she punished them for merely talking out of turn, so it seemed like she chose a more 'Quantity over Quality' method of parenting.

Inevitably, the Mother returned, and Torran quickly moved to follow behind her. As he did so, he attempted to grab the laundry from her hands - his mother told him that most ladies did not enjoy carrying things, and Torran was quite proficient at doing that exact thing.

"Let's leave at once, Ma'am! I'll be right behind you!"

Torran was reliant on her for directions, even though he had already been to the Familia before - if this was where the mother delivered laundry, then the building where Torran received directions was the target. Unfortunately, having been an hour or two ago, Torran had mostly forgotten the path he had taken to get there.