Blood and Magic 3: Chaos Legions {STARTS! LSUs Welcome!}

[Drusilla]

When desire becomes alive,
When it fades, it becomes inactive,
When attached, sparates 'cause,
You will not let your destination break

Get up, get up,
Give up your mind

Corruption inside and hateful crimes
Sorrowful days all full of despise
Defective minds and anxious vibes
Will never lie the meters sky high
Standing high, falling down
tSimple lives will all come together
Animosity will always be
'Till we relieve the children from their tears
-Crossbreed, Seasons


Life as we knew it has come to a halt. The world economy eventually fell to its knees and collapsed all together. Tensions in the Middle East finally exploded, resulting in the loss of millions of lives across northern Africa, eastern Europe, and western Asia. Temperatures continued to rise in the northern climates, resulting in the emptying of the majority of western Europe. Disease finally took hold in the dense populations of Asia, wiping out entire countries. Anarchist upheavals in the Americas resulted in millian action against the people, the likes of which had not been seen in the western hemisphere before. Civil war broke out worldwide in countries not all ready depopulated by disease or famine.

Then came the Shift.

As best as we can tell, the tectonic plates all moved at once, destroying landmasses and rearranging what remained. The skeletal remains of NASA captured images of a world that seems far too alien to be our own. New masses have begun to appear, and some are completely gone. Now, under normal circumstances, this would take millions of years to change...

Our circumstances are far from normal, however.

Creatures haunt the night. Seemingly human, they stalk those who remain after dark in the ruins of Los Angeles. People have been vanishing. Others have appeared, and not all fear the light of day. Some are calling this the wrath of God unleashed upon the world; others argue that whatever God there may be has abandoned us, if He ever truly existed. There seems to be nothing but demonic influence upon these... legions...

One must also note the rumors of "good" monsters appearing as well, though nothing conclusive has been found. Maybe there is a salvation, but I highly doubt that it will come in the form of a Judeo-Christian God.

As for myself, I trust none. The task of daily survival is enough to make the weakest end it themselves. Suicide rates are through the roof, such as it is, but I worry about no others.

Chaos has taken hold. I am in my element. Let me be an agent of destruction, if I must, but I fear that holding out is now useless. Become, or be overcome.

-Lillian Slade, August 3rd, 2035 C.E.


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Name:
Gender:
Race: (Use good judgment, people. I reserve the right to refuse anything I think is too much.)
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Post or PM with questions.

Name: Lillian Slade
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Age: 20
Appearance: Fine, shoulder length blue-black hair goes well with her pale cool-toned skin. Her eyes are a dark grey, the color of calm, deep water on a cloudy day. Aside from her clothes, she looks like she could have stepped directly from a black-and-white photo. Her wardrobe is typically loose-fitting and comfortable, the predominant shades being black, white, and dark blues and purples. She wears a variety of silver jewelry, usually several nondescript bracelets, ankh earrings, and a star necklace on a delicate chain. Calf-high heeled black leather boots complete her outfits.
Personality: Compassion really isn't her thing, and depending on how she's feeling, she can be downright malicious. She wants to know what's in it for her before she ever agrees to something, and she almost always comes out on top. When she doesn't, she bears a grudge that unearths her truly ugly side. She seeks power and knowledge above all else; everything else is secondary.
Powers/Skills: Open for discussion; she practices dark witchcraft (not necessarily black magic, though... she's pretty neutral in respect to good and evil). Whether her powers are from inborn talent or from channeling from some mysterious source is unknown.
History: She doesn't share much. She came from a pretty well-off family, and grew up appearing to abide by the rules to keep her family out of her hair. Left to her own devices, she meddled in drugs and alternative religion, slowly becoming the woman she is today. Now, she is the last of the Slades alive... But she is bound and determined to insure that no one forgets her legacy.
Other: Has one "pet" wolf, Asha, who also happens to be a were... If only she knew... Also employs Aelfric to protect her property from vagabonds who would take it from her by force.


Lillian Slade
If you see me, better flee me,
If you hear me, better fear me...

I sighed, looking out of the front windows of my mansion home. Until a few months ago, the view was breathtaking, downtown LA in all it's glory stretching out for miles below the hills where I lived. Now, only darkness and wreckage, broken buildings lying scattered about like the picked-over remains of some long-dead prey animal. Broken buildings, broken dreams...

Thousands had died in the initial earthquake, one that had even the most experienced geologists shocked. I had never heard more on it, but I wouldn't have been surprised if it had registered around ten or so. Only my magicks had saved my home from total destruction, and the exertions had left me weak for days. This new magick, so much like something out of a fantasy novel, overlapped with what I was used to, but without the subtly.

Then had come the wolf. I don't know what her story was... Maybe an escapee from a nearby zoo, or a "pet" of one of my millionaire neighbors? In either case, she was now my near-constant companion, seemingly content to watch me go about my days. It was lucky that I could now "summon" food from nothing, otherwise feeding her would have been very difficult. I'm sure that she could have hunted the vermin that ran in the streets, but such faire would be insulting to such a beautiful and dignified creature. I myself was mostly vegetarian, and grew much of my own food, so I could focus my magicks on providing for my new friend, whom I decided to call Asha.

Later had come the vampire. The wolf I could explain by logic, but a vampire...? Had such a being existed before or only after the Shift? In either case, his company was welcome, another shadow walker like myself, someone who could appreciate my love of the darkness that had descended on the City of Angels. He was handsome as well, though I had yet to make any advances to that end. He was in my employ now, guarding my grounds and experiments from the street scum that sought to take my land from me. I had a wind-and-water powered generator, so while the rest of the city was in darkness, I still had electricity. It was welcome in these "dog days" of summer, as they were called by some, so I and mine could relax with ease in the air conditioning, which was about all I used electricity for in the first place.

I slept by day, and by night, practiced my craft. Each day, I grew stronger in my dark fortress, and I contemplated the meaning of these changes in my spare time...

EDIT: Second character!


Name: Apollinariya, or Riya for short
Gender: Female
Race: Demon-like being from another dimension
Age: Somewhere around a thousand Earth years old
Appearance: Her natural form is more of a shadowy humanoid figure with no discernible features. However, while on Earth, her preferred human appearance is of a young Caucasian woman with waist-length strawberry blonde hair, pale skin, a slender (but generous) figure, and large sea-green eyes.
Personality: She is, quite literally, a trouble maker from Hell; her own universe's hell threw her out because of it. She's sex-mad, impish, and fun loving, but rarely of any use to anyone, because while she has no real agenda, she's not about to help further the plans of anyone else. At times, she can be downright difficult and double-crossing, but then, who in their right mind would take the word of a millennium-old sex fiend?
Powers/Skills: Shapeshifting (to other female humanoid forms, but could, in theory change to a male appearance), slight mind reading and control capabilities, shadow-shifting. Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as well; fights with a mixed martial arts style.
Through her psychic abilities, she can instantly learn the language(s) of any person she comes into contact with.
History: Has been banished from her home plane and wanders through different universes, creating chaos as she goes. The Shift caused so much cosmic noise, she couldn't help herself and just HAD to investigate.
Other: Bwahahaha... She's ready to wreak havoc with the remaining human populace in LA.

[Bulbasaur4]

Name: Veanic
Gender: Male
Race: Unknown by almost all, seemingly a hellish angel to any human.
Age: The age of the Earth, technically.
Appearance: Think of this, for a general guide. Veanic stands tall at a height of 6'5" with a solid, formidable build that is quite defined and toned. His most noticeable bodily feature would be his broad, muscular and arms that usually always are poised and ready when in a hostile or uncomfortable environment. Veanic's skin tone is slightly tanned, having a sun-touched color to it, giving him a warmer appearance which contrasts nicely to his thick, ebony hair. In the front his black, silky locks drizzle elegantly about his face (framing it, as one would call it with his style of haircut) but around his ears and to the back, the hair hangs longer and if it isn't tied into a silken ponytail, it becomes a full mane of hair that reaches slightly past his shoulder blades. However, usually he chooses to fold his hair down and up once so that when in a ponytail, it doesn't go past his neckline. His eyes are a fiery crimson color, animating themselves somewhat and flushing with gold if angered or if he gets excited about something.
His normal attire would consist of slightly tight black jeans with a silver-buckled belt, in which he attaches the hilt of his sword to so the belt always sags to that side some-what. He also wears a long-sleeved buttoned crimson-shirt that is made out of a soft, thin material however his casual attitude usually as the shirt open so that it exposes the entirety of his defined pectoral and abdominal muscles. When out and about, a long black trench coat is worn, usually slitted in the back and front to allow for easy movement. He always wears black, mid-calf boots.
Personality: Veanic is a wild card, although appearing some-what calm. He is very hard to anger or to get a rise out of on purpose, but his excitement and wild personality show in the midst of the night in battle or in peculiar situations. He's witty and intelligent, although he chooses carefully whom to ally himself with. His outside appearance is mysterious, blank and cold but when getting 'comfortable' with someone, his true colors flare up.
Powers/Skills: Veanic is quite strong and extremely skilled with his large, broad-sword blade. His movements are swift and powerful and his cat-like reflexes are obviously super human, using his negative-energies to aid his impulses. There is a dark, sinister aura about him that occasionally is manipulated into channeled energy to help amplify his skills in battle or to stifle his opponents.
History: Veanic is actually one of five personalities stemmed from the being known as "Helvanearica." Known as "Helve" in her neutral state, she is essentially "Creation's Afterbirth." When the Earth was created and all beings living, there was excess matter which for quite a time was suspended with little purpose. but then it shifted and molded itself, forming itself into God's created image of Eve. (Helve WAS/IS not Eve, it just choose that form to appear like after humans were created.) Helve is essentially soulless as of now, although she yearns for a soul.
She has five other states that can be pulled depending on the state of the Earth. Whatever is 'dominant' determines her alignment and situations determine the degree of that alignment. If one knows her true name, they can even summon her by simply stating it outloud. Helve is the neutral state, a woman. Lvan is the Neutral Good state. Arica is the Chaotic Good state, which has never been seen. Veanic is the Neutral Evil state, currently in control due to the Shift. And Nearvica has only been seen once... and is hoped to never been seen by again....
Other: Rwar!!

Veanic
MUSIC START: "Dress" - Trinity Blood OP
~,~,~,~,~,~,~,~,~,~

"What?! What do you want?!" A pale man took a few steps back, his arms wrapped about a small package that was wrapped in old, torn newspapers. His beady black eyes were constantly shifting; since the shift the man had become consumed by paranoia and now it visibly showed.

Veanic merely raised a finger and pointed at the package within the man's arm, a emotionless and rather blank slate of an expression resting upon his face. The man practically shrieked, taking another stumbling step backwards- closer to the edge of the building. The man, known as Denison Ronswald, used to work as a common banker. He was a normal man who used to have a large apartment, a beautiful wife and two young children. Then the Shift came... and Denison's apartment crumbled, his family perished and now he lived atop of one of very few skyscrapers that managed to only half-fall, leaving twelve stories as a perch amidst the barren towers of LA.

Veanic took a step towards the man, his penetrating gaze trying to dominate the human into giving him the package. The man froze for a moment, hesitating as he looked to the small parcel in his arms and then back to the ominous man in front of him. Then slowly, ever so slowly Denison's hands began to stretch forward- to hand the package over to Veanic.
Alas, but paranoia is a very troublesome thing...

A vulture or perhaps a crow of some sort flew overhead, managing to sneak just barely into the vision of Denison. It was enough to make the poor, broken man leap in fright and stumble backwards. His foot caught one of the jutting pieces of cement, causing the momentum of his fall to carry him over the edge and start plummeting towards the cracked, forbidden ground.

The package was still in the man's hands. Knowing this, Veanic took one bent step forward, pressing his foot against the jutting cement piece and pushed off to send him plummeting downwards with greater speed. Reaching the man in a surprising act of aerobatics, a glimmer or perhaps some inner sane recognition of hope flooded into the doomed man's gaze. It soon faded and was followed by a curdled scream, as Veanic's hands grasped the package and easily plucked it from the man's haphazard hold. Reaching out, Veanic kicked the side of the building he was falling near to send his body into a spiral. This was enough to allow himself to land upon the ground upright and upon both feet. He neatly rested the palm of his hand against the ground as he came to the surface like a dangerous cat, as the man's body soon made a sickening mixture of a crunch and splatter when it hit the earth.

Veanic's gaze regarded the body for a second, a slight sigh escaping his lips. His gaze looked to the newspapered package within his arm and then trailed off to his surroundings, for he was in the middle of the newly formed hell hole of chaos, formally known as Los Angeles.





Name: Proticia
Gender: Female
Race: The Fallen
Age: Appears to be 16
Appearance: I like to think of her as sort of like this. Proticia stands at a height of 5'7" with a thin, graceful build that has a way of making her seem vulnerable. Her skin is quite pale, often reflecting even the slightest ray of color shining off of the nearest object. Her hair is quite long, reaching midway down her back and having a deep, cold-ocean blue color to it. Her eyes are silver, but at a closer glance someone could see flecks of ice blue and green intertwined with in the silvery hues. Thick, black lashes rim her eyes to make the color scheme of her hair, eyes and pallor seemingly come together to give her a bewitching and startling appearance.
As of the beginning of the RPG, she wears a form-hugging dress (much like in the picture) that is a deep, violet-blue in color and rimmed in a white trim. She wears thigh-high stockings of the same color, rimmed at the top in a lacy white. She wears thin, supple black boots that go slightly above her ankles.
Personality: Proticia is observant, but when addressed or when seeking answers, she is quite forward. She tends to second guess herself a lot, but refuses to show any weakness despite whatever mental or physical turmoil she may be in. The rest of her personality will be seen in the RPG.
Powers/Skills: Her powers are not active right now. The only thing she has the ability to do is draw a glowing line in the air, which molds itself into a metallic, silver pole.
History: Proticia was technically the daughter of the angel known as Gabriel, the messenger. She was, technically, a "Born Angel" and was known for often having visions of the future within her dreams. One day, a vision came to her about Gabriel going to recieve a message from Lucifer and dying while trying. In order to protect Gabriel out of love, Proticia went down to Hell herself and fetched the message from Lucifer. Lucifer made no such actions to kill Proticia, but the grin upon his face made it seem as if he knew of Proticia's actions.
When it was found out that Proticia brought the message from Hell to Heaven, she was punished. (It was Law that only Gabriel, approved by God himself, was allowed to carry such messages.) Proticia pleaded her case about why she broke the Law, but there was no exception upon her behalf. Gabriel himself had to aid Michael in casting Proticia from Heaven, down to Earth. This process caused Proticia's angellic powers to completely fade- causing her wings, her holy lance and her ability to cast magic to disappear.
When upon Earth, Proticia was immediately swallowed into Hell due to a curse that Lucifer placed upon her when she first went to obtain the message. Upon Hell, Proticia went through centuries of agonizing pain but managed to keep a hold of her own sanity so that she did not become a mindless "Fallen"- an angel who loses their wings and powers usually becomes insane, destroyed and a tool of Lucifer. Lucifer took notice but did not speak of it to Proticia, but instead watched her progression of torture.
Finally, the Shift occured and Proticia took the chaotic moment as an opportunity to escape from Hell. Climbing back to Earth, Proticia is now neither Angelic, Demonic or even technically a "Fallen" although she deems herself as one.
Other: Proticia will gain powers as the RPG progresses. When she summons her wings, it'll be painful and twisted- not really angelic wings and eventually her pole will transform into a scythe.

Proticia
MUSIC START: No Fear - The Rasmus

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Proticia was not sure where she was currently located, except that she most definitely had emerged upon Earth. The name of such a location upon the human realm was unimportant to her, and she couldn't help but feel intermixed emotions.

Proticia hated Earth. Yet, she had no where else to go... for she despised Hell even more.
The sky was dark and the world was torn- looking much like the first layer of Hell, although it still had a taint of humanity lingering within the air. She had managed to force herself from the main depths of Hell, journeying through the layers during the Shift and finally found one of the now many pathways to Earth and broke through Earth's now fragile shell.

Her body had paid a heavy price in the journey, for while the chaos of the Shift offered and opportunity of escape, it did not go unnoticed. A few creatures of the Underworld had attempted to stop her, but the Hellish energies that Proticia had absorbed allowed her to battle them enough for her escape.

She was still weak, and now the sting of humanity was seeping into her skin- adding to her pain. An Angel's true form was never allowed upon Earth, but yet now Proticia was not an Angel. A demon would become a possessor in most cases, unless it too had picked a form to represent itself. Proticia had no such ability...

"It'll... be a surprise..." Protica muttered to herself with a bitter laugh, sucking in a sharp breath as she nursed her side. "... what will happen to me... will be a surprise."

She was in a room, that much was clear. The pathway from Hell was a bit like a portal- but once it was used, the portal closed and usually a pathway from Hell to Earth would shift and become a new pathway unless a dark power of some sort forced the portal to remain open. It was this way that demons (with given permission, some without) would travel to Earth but would not be traced. It was a complicated matter that Proticia understood and yet did not grasp fully.

Her back leaned up against the wall, her eyes flickering about to scan her surroundings- fear for her own being was still pumping through her systems. Yet, she was tired and her body was bruised and perhaps broken in a few places.

Softly, a warm sensation began to drizzle against her fingers and Proticia's eyes widened as she lifted her hand from her side. Crimson liquid...
"Blood.." Proticia whispered, as her vision faded and she slumped over, exhaustion overcoming her tired body.

[Dr.McNinja]

Aelfric sat on the roof of the mansion, the pale half-moon hanging in the sky casting a silent spotlight over the ruined city below. The vampire flicked a match from his pocket, striking it against his boot and lighting the Dunhill held lightly between his lips. Cigarettes, even the high-class expensive crap, were easy enough to find these days, just knock over some ruin of a gas station or tobacco store and hope some other urchin hadn’t gotten there first. He held the match in front of his eyes for a second, feeling the instinctual thrill in his stomach as his vampire heritage warned him away from even this tiniest of flames. A grin slowly crossed his face as he shook the match out and sent it falling to the shingles below him, the last hunter that had come after him had tried that trick with a torch and a tank of gasoline. The wounds he had gotten from that scuffle had taken a damn long time to heal but it had been worth the look of disbelief on the bastard’s face right before the torch got shoved right back in his face. People got too cocky when they thought they had one up on you, like he was just gonna explode into ash the second he singed his nose. A rough laugh escaped his throat as he began to lean back and try to enjoy what he had hoped to be a rare quiet night in the hellhole they called Los Angelas. Movement at the mansion’s perimeter caught his eye however and his laugh was immediately followed by a disgusted sigh. More trash to take care of.


Simon looked back as his hooded companion, his sweat-slick palm clenching and unclenching around the handle of his 9mm. The man, who had called himself Nathan, had promised to get him past the Witch’s magic and the man, one hand wrapped around the chain of an incense burner, definitely seemed to be doing something. What the man wanted with the Witch’s house he didn’t give a shit about. People paid big money for anything “magical” these days after the Shift and if he could produce something, anything, taken from the Witch’s lair he’d be able to make a killing off all the half-bit mages and warlocks and whatever else they were calling themselves back in the city. Nathan’s voice ceased and Simon glanced back at the so-called mage and raised an eyebrow. The man was sweating and his voice as it emerged from his hood was strained, “The bitch did some good work with her wards but nothing I couldn’t handle. She must be getting haughty here in her little castle in the clouds…watching the rest of us suffer down below.”

Simon began working on the lock at the side gate with his free hand, twisting and turning his lockpick in the simple mechanism. He grunted over his shoulder as he worked, “So what the hell do you want with her? Take some revenge for leaving everyone to rot?”

A chuckle came from Nathan, “I’m not that stupid. Careless she might have become but she’s still too dangerous for me to confront directly yet. Given enough time…and maybe one or two peeks at some of the discoveries she’s made…and then maybe.”

Simon mumbled some reply as the lock clicked open, these magick types were all the same. What use were any of these discoveries if you were just gonna waste your time “studying” them. Studying didn’t put food in your mouth. Such were his thoughts as he pushed open the gate and let it swing on its hinges. The soft creak of the gate was already distant to him as he took a step forward towards his goal. The abrupt stop of the creaking however caused him pause, and the gravely voice that rose softly behind him sent a chill to his core, “I have one question….”

Simon didn’t wait to hear what that question was, his turned and brought his gun to bear, firing as fast as he could pull the trigger. The sound was deafening in the still night but even as his ears screamed in protest his heart rose as he saw the dark figure twitch as the bullets struck him again and again. A rapid clicking announced the end of his ammunition and he let the gun fall to the ground and waited for the figure to follow. He had a second to take in what he was facing: a tall, blonde haired man dressed in a long black coat, his bare chest covered in his own blood. A completely unexpected sound came to Simon’s ears and his heart dropped right back to his feet.

The man was laughing.

Aelfric’s wild, laughing eyes locked with the little prick who had unloaded his 9mm into him. Already the power in his blood, the stolen vitae from his victims, was pushing the inconsequential nuggets of metal from his chest and within another few seconds the wounds would close as if they had never existed. It would take more than a single pistol magazine to leave an impression on him. He kept laughing even as he heard the hooded man’s voice rise in a chant and smelt a nauseating mix of incense rise in the air. The vampire turned and kicked through the opening in the gate’s bars, his booted foot connecting solidly with the man’s jaw, shattering it into dozens of pieces with a sickening crunch and dropping the mage to the ground unconscious. The idiot would drown in his own blood in a few minutes. He turned back to the asshole with the pistol.

Simon felt a warm track of urine running down his leg as the…monster turned back to him. He turned to run and barely felt the hand on his shoulder before he was flung into the fence with incredible force. He felt one…no two…of his ribs snap under the impact and groaned into the immaculately trimmed grass. He rolled painfully to his side with a thought to stand but the boot slamming into his shoulder stopped him halfway. He looked up at Aelfric, tears and fear mixing freely in his eyes. Aelfric shook his head, his cigarette sending a wisp of smoke up past his disgusted eyes, “Like I said, one question. You really thought that a no name shit of a mage and a damn burglar were going to be able to pull this off? Really?”

The man coughed up a trickle of blood before he managed to force out words, “He…he said he could…the wards…were supposed to be…”

A rumbling sigh escaped Aelfric, “If your dying load of a friend there could even see half the wards on this place I’d be fucking impressed…not that it matters, it’s not the wards that’re going to be your problem tonight.” Aelfric could see the question in the man’s eyes and shrugged, “I’d be more worried about how you’re going to convince Lucifer to let two first class screwups like you into Hell.”

He tried to scream as the vampire slammed the gate onto his head but the movement was so fast, so sudden, that he barely managed a squeak.

Aelfric’s watched as the mage let out a final bloody gurgle and lay still. Pulling his cigarette from his mouth and exhaling a stream of smoke he considered the mess that used to be the burglar’s head. Neither of them had been worth draining, even if he had been hungry and he had better things to do with his time than bother any longer with these two failures. He never questioned what it was that cleaned up the messes he inevitably left across the ground, he just appreciated the fact that he didn’t have to deal with it. Returning to his perch on the roof he re-settled himself and waited. The pay was good and his employer was…interesting enough but damn if he wasn’t bored being a guard dog. He would have to have a talk with Lillian, he was sure there was something out in the ruins of the city she would want for her work. And damn him if he couldn’t do a better job of it than the idiots who kept showing up here.

[kalad1]

Name: Anna
Gender: Female, at least, she thinks of herself as female.
Race: Mutant, Monster, Freak, she's been called all these things, though she doesn't know herself.
Age: 23
Appearance: Anna's appearance is rather unique, in that she's a shapely young woman, about 5'4" most of the time, composed completely of opaque, emerald green goo, with 'hair' to her shoulders, eyes, and other defined features varying in darkness of hue. She typically bears an expression of depression or sadness. When standing still, her legs merge to form a solid column, and she only seperates them into true legs when she needs to move. Beyond her face, which she gets right every time, her other features, like height, and arm length and such tend to vary slightly.
Personality: She's usually depressed, but kind when able, and, if anyone took the time to actually know her, they'd find a friend for life, but as it is, her self esteem is at an all time low.
Powers/Abilities: Being composed of slimy goo, and lacking defined internal organs, most methods of inflicting physical harm, like cutting, shooting or stabbing, are wholly ineffective in affecting her on anything but an emotional level. However, fire, electricity, extreme cold, or any other force that could actually destroy her body mass is sufficient. As well, she is able to shift her shape and do things like squeeze through cracks or holes, though the smaller the opening, the longer it takes. On the downside, she isn't the strongest individual, being slightly weaker than the average human.
History: Once being human, a child of parents who could provide for her but unfortunately had died, leaving her an inheritance to get by from day to day, she simply woke up one morning the way she currently is, and was quickly run out of town, and ever since she's wandered around, trying to find her place in the world.
Other: wooo.


Anna
Setting Music: "The Best is Yet to Come" from Metal Gear Solid
___________________________
Anna sighed, wandering under the shadowed sky, though the areas of the broken city around what had become her lair, a mostly intact section of the city sewers, raised up to join with a house's basement. It wasn't much, but it was secluded enough to allow for privacy, and protection.

Thoughts, as always, raced through her mind, why did this happen? Why did everything twist so greatly that it was unrecognizable? Why did this happen to HER? What had she done, what was so vile that she had to become this repulsive... THING?

Lowering her hands to her side, she continued to walk through the ruins. What was the point? Why did she even bother to continue this farce? This pathetic excuse for a life she went about having, scraping by, day after day, cut off from everyone due to being..

She was cut off from her reverie, when she spotted an woman slumped up against a wall, obviously hurt. She was quite pretty, but definitely bleeding, and unconscious. She paused, wracked with indecision, before deciding to help, people might call her a monster, but hell if she was going to act like one. She headed over to the woman, carefully shifting.

Spreading out her own mass like a carpet or board beneath the woman, Anna began the slow, painstaking process of taking her to her place. Where the woman would at least be a bit safer, and she could care for her a tad bit better.

[Drusilla]

Lillian Slade
And all the drugs in this world
Won't save her from herself

Standing at the foot of the porch steps, I lit a cigarette of my own (black clove for me, thanks), and pondered.

"Bored being a guard dog, huh?" I smiled as Aelfric gave me blank face in response to me invading his thoughts. "My apologies, I just have yet to figure something more exciting out. I am coming close, though. There is someone here in this city that is lingering on the periphery of my visions, I just don't know who they are or how to find them. It's entirely possible that I could walk right past this individual and have no clue that I seek them." I frowned and exhaled slowly, allowing my head to be encircled by smoke for a moment before the breeze blew it away. I saw Asha watching me, out of the corner of my eye. I wouldn't be at all surprised if, somehow, she knew something that I didn't. She was entirely too intelligent to be quite what she seemed.

All in due time, of course...

I made a shoo-ing motion with my left hand. "If you feel the need to seek entertainment elsewhere, though, don't let me hold you back. I think I can handle myself for a while."

Tag, McNinja!

And now... Introducing Riya! (See character sheet above.)

Apollinariya
Hope your faith is very strong,
By the time they're finished,
You'll have none

Ah, humanity, or what was left of it. I kept seeing fleeting glimpses of what must have been not so long ago, the glory of this vast city. Now, a ruin. The thought made me smile. Not as tough as we thought we were, are we, eh? Gee, if my homeland crumbled every time we had a cataclysm, why, nothing would ever get done! Then again, we had lifetimes that far surpassed those of these weak creatures... I was just barely out of my childhood, and by my calculations, I was born a millennium ago by this Earth's reckoning.

It blew my little mind, let me tell you.

However, I had also observed creatures that mimicked humans in appearance, but weren't They tasted much, much older, as well. They intrigued me quite a bit... But not as much as a small colony of humans I found hiding out in the grungier part of town.

Compared to the others, they were downright ingenious. They had taken what they could find and salvage, and had, somehow, created a living and working space in a building that was once used for storage. Not my idea of the high life... but hey, what is?

I'd seen people going in and negotiating for the creation or repair of weapons. Some of them were clunky and cumbersome, but some were beautiful. I wanted one of my own, but didn't know how to go about acquisition.

I mean, big, shiny things that could cause pain? What girl wouldn't want one?

I had no "money" (whatever the hell that was), nor any items that could be bartered. Maybe if I watched the weapons man long enough, I could learn of something he desired that I could use as leverage? Hmmm...

Or, on the other hand, I could confront him. Yes, this was much more to my liking. With this plan in mind, I materialized, donning a white "babydoll t-shirt", blue "hip huggers", and black heeled boots. The names these people came up for their clothing still baffled me, but no matter. It still left a good amount of skin showing, because I was still unaccustomed to the level of propriety required by this culture, but I couldn't wander around in the nude. No that would attract too much attention, of this I was sure.

As I approached, another man was negotiating for the payment for something to do with his weapon, an odd "ball and chain" affair. The weapon man seemed slightly afraid of the grey-haired warrior, which struck me as odd.

The weapon man spoke another language, which I quickly lifted from his memory. It was much different from the tongue he now spoke with the warrior, and I wondered as to why he was here, and not in his homeland. Perhaps he was like me, and could not return? Possibly, though somehow I doubted it. Maybe he was just stuck here after the Shift...

"Ah, excuse me, but I was wondering if you could craft a... weapon," here, my mouth stumbled on the odd-sounding word, "for me."

"Well, that depends. Do you have anything to trade?" The weapon man asked me, looking me over. The warrior was looking me over, too, but with a gleam in his eye. I smiled slightly at them, and threw in a blush.

"I have nothing, no where to go, either, please..." Here, I slid into his native tongue, "Russian". "I am but a poor girl with no way to protect herself..."

[Dr.McNinja]

Rillian held the struggling man by the back of his shirt, the ground outside the warehouse a good thirty fifty feet below. Her cloak drifted lazily in the still night air, its hood dousing her features in impenetrable darkness. The man yelped out some words, incomprehensible in his fear. Rillian gave the man a little shake, her voice at the same time distant and immediately close, its words echoed by the voices of the recent dead that caught her thoughts in the space between and added their own whispers to he speech, “You dare to hesitate when speaking to me?”

The man gibbered even more fiercely, his words at least intelligible this time, “No! No my Lord! Forgive me! The Children have moved their operations…somewhere…somewhere in the former downtown! They’re gathering for something, I don’t know what! Please! That is the truth!”

A horrible laugh emitted from Rillian’s hood, “Of course it is. How would you dare lie to me, me who could pluck those very words from your mind if I deigned to look into that filth. Very well, you may have your life this night. Pray you are more prompt with your answers should we meet again.”

A step off the roof brought the pair floating down to the ground where Rillian released the frightened man. She watched him disappear down the street and around a corner, her eyes unseen yet seeming to the man like burning knife wounds in his back until he was nearly a mile away. A rippling chuckle escaped Rillian as, like smoke dissipating in the wind, she released her hold on the space between and returned to her human form. A smile on her face, she turned and entered the warehouse, a pair of ghouls closing the sliding doors behind her.

Perfect she thought to herself Flash those signs the bastards tattooed on me and throw up my cloak and they buy the whole ‘god’ thing hook-line-sinker. God, how was I stupid enough to get captured by these losers anyway?

She knew the answer of course. Just like everyone else she had been as blind as the rest in the time before the Shift and even then it had taken literally dying for her to get the big picture. No one was going to help her in the wasteland that was left after the Shift, no one but herself. That idea would have as foreign to her before as the thought that she might get kidnapped and sacrificed to some nonexistent gods. The power that ordeal had given her was real enough though, and even if she could barely close her eyes remembering a dozen things no human should see and live to tell about it at least she wasn’t prey anymore. No, now she was one of the predators.

As she sat on the couch she had had one of her ghouls bring to her she turned to the one she had taken to calling, “Timmy”, the largest of the original ghouls she had raised and the one that acted as something of a bodyguard when she deemed it neccesarry. Timmy couldn’t respond anymore than he could understand what she was saying but his decaying visage at least gave her something vaguely human looking to talk to, “I wish I could see the looks on their faces when that guy gets back and tells them he was interrogated by ‘Rillian’”
Her melodic laugh hung lightly in the still air of the warehouse as Timmy continued to stare blankly ahead, “Did you see the look on his face?! Of course you didn’t, your eyes don’t work anymore but if you did you would have died laughing….you know….if you could laugh anymore. I guess I need to start figuring out what I’m going to do to them once I find them, I can’t have what’s left of them doing what they did to me now can I?”

Rillian considered the coffee table in front of her, the covers of the magazines hearkening back to the time before the Shift. Would such times ever return to the world again? Rillian didn’t know. Rillian didn’t care right now either. The cult that had made her was still out there, this group had just been one of several but soon enough, if the man’s words had been true then she might just be able to catch them all at the same time. Wouldn’t that be delightful?

Rillian giggled to herself as she opened the Coke that one of her other ghouls had set next to her, it was…liberating to be the one making the plans now instead of following the masses down their lemming paths.


Tag to anyone who wants, otherwise she'll be heading out to run into people next post. If you show up the ghouls will stop you as best they can but they won't attack until Rillian gives them the order to and she'd probably come to check what was up before doing that.

Lemme know if the color's too hard to read.

EDIT: Made an Aelfric post too.


Aelfric looked down at Lillian, cocking one of his eyebrows at the young woman. He didn’t care that much about her reading his thoughts, it was at her own risk that she peered at what he was thinking. He gave an inner grin at that thought and wondered if Lillian had caught it, and if she would be more careful at what she looked at from then on. His focus however was on her words and with a quick twist he spun off the roof and landed in front of Lillian. He stood, towering over the woman and gave her a smile that could only be called predatory. His fangs glistened in the soft light as his eyes lit with a soft red glow. His voice rumbled softly, “You can handle yourself eh? No problem? You don’t care if another set of thieves show up to rob you? If some killer out to get the ‘Witch whore’ comes in the night for you? If one of those monsters wanders around and decides you’d make a good dinner? If someone out there in the city finds me while I’m ‘entertaining’ myself and gives me a nice chunk of change, more than your giving, to come back here and off you so they can get at your little toys? You think you can handle that?” Aelfric leaned in, his face inches from Lillian’s, his smile burning with a feral hunger, “You think you could handle me Princess?”

Lillian looked into Aelfric’s eyes, saw the Beast that lay at the heart of all vampires reflected in them. A moment stretched impossibly long before finally she sighed, releasing a small plume of smoke that fluttered up above their heads, “Don’t call me Princess.”

The vampire’s smile shifted at that into a wry grin as the glow faded from his eyes. He turned, his coat rustling against the stone of the steps, and began walking away. His hand rose and gave a single two-fingered wave, “Yeah…you’ll be fine. Call me if you want something done while I’m gone.”

It wasn’t until he was in the mansion’s garage, swinging one leg over his motorcycle that his grin faded and he took a thoughtful pause. Could Lillian really handle him if he got it in his head to kill her? Aelfric didn’t know for sure but damn if she couldn’t make someone believe it. She hadn't even flinched under his stare and that had satisifed him that it was indeed safe for him to leave for a time, there was other business he wanted to attend to anyway. His smile re-appeared as he revved the engine of his bike and accelerated down the drive and for not the first time he wondered if his presence here was really necessary or if Lillian just hated to be bothered.



If you protest her reaction Drusilla lemme know

EDIT: I wanted to clarify Aelfric's purpose for the whole confrontation a bit, wasn't sure if it came across the right way.

[Crystal Tears]

Aeron / Asha & Kate / Arrow

It wasn’t quite the home she had been hoping for when she had appeared on this world. But it would do Asha supposed. She had wandered the desolate streets for sometime before she had encountered the woman of magic. Lillian had been her name; Asha hadn’t revealed to her what or who she was to the girl, and so doing she had become a pet dog to someone. Not exactly the most glamorous title, but at least she got food and didn’t need to hunt anymore. If she could think in a human state, she would’ve been thankful and cursed the vermin that had been her meals before hand.

She didn’t particularly like the man, Aelfric, the vampire if she could recall correctly. He didn’t smell like a human, he smelt of creatures Asha had fought somewhere before. That made her strain in an attempt to remember where she had indeed, fought something that only appeared at night. Of course it never came to wolf, and instead she had put up with the fact that the man smelt funny. And when he gave that sick grin to Lillian Asha instinctively got to her feet and the ears on her head went flat back. Did she care for the magic woman? Maybe, she was a source of food, and that was reason enough to defend her if she had to. For a moment, and only that moment the scent of fear filtered out of Lillian and into Asha’s nostrils. The wolf looked ready to pounce, but on whom no one would be able to tell. Fear… She thought was a pungent, delicious smell that made any animal want to attack. It was the scent of prey… Woman was the next thought in her mind, and followed quickly by Friend.

Aelfric eventually changed, but one’s true nature is not so easily hid by a smile. Not to a wolf anyway, he smelt like a predator and acted like one too; something to be admired if Asha’s mind could think like that at the moment. But a wolf’s mind was far less complicated than humans, and Aelfric was summed up in one word to Asha: Hazardous. She watched him leave, and Lillian seemed to stand there for a minute.

She murmured something, but Asha wasn’t really interested in what it was. The canine sat down, ears perking up as the tension disappeared along with the vampire. The wolf yawned, waiting for… Well she wasn’t exactly sure, but she hoped it was more interesting than doing nothing.

* * *

“This…” Kate grumbled as she slipped into her jean shorts and t-shirt. “Sucks…” The woman absolutely hated this place, it had no comforts what home could or would offer; in her opinion, it was an unforgiving hellhole at best. “City of Angels my ass…”

With a long sigh she climbed up the crumbling wall of one some old building, she had to get off the ground. That man, whoever he was, would not expect her from above. Of course, she didn’t exactly want to attack him. Sleeping was the priority, not attack some crazed man who seemed hell-bent on killing her. Kate brushed her hair from her face as she successfully made it up to what was left of the second floor, which was basically large enough ledge for about three people to sit comfortably or one to lie down and sleep without a major risk of falling off.

Despite wanting to sleep, the various smells and sounds of this crumbling place always managed to distract Kate. None of them sounded or smelt like him but it was enough to put her on edge. The woman fidgeted for a moment before slinking up right against the wall. From the ground she was perfectly out of sight, safe from whatever the hell he was. He didn’t smell like a wolf, or a vampire, nothing that she could think of anyway. With a hateful growl her mind went back to the encounter.

He was just there. Faster than what she could’ve imagined a human going, he had appeared through the crumbling doorway of some apartment building and attacked. Kate had been in her wolf form (Arrow as she was called by others of her world), when he had so viciously tried to kill her. Arrow managed to dodge the attack, the smell of fear didn’t expel from this human at all, instead it was different. Something similar to a predator but not quite, either way, he had challenged her. It was instinct that made her stand her growled, snarling at the man as he neared again.

Arrow maneuvered out of the way again, and seeing a weak point, attacked. She would never forget the taste of blood, her jaw had clamped down on his upper arm and suddenly the red liquid had poured from the wound and onto her tongue. It was bitter and vile, something she didn’t particularly like, but it fed her fury. She thrashed, making the wound that much worse before he brought his free arm down on her head.

Pain had been the only thing that had made her back off. Her head ached as blood and drool dribbled from her mouth. Flee. The simple thought and command she followed as quickly as she could, she ran for the pile of clothes and snapped them up in her jaws before running. Arrow had no wish to fight, to kill, or to feel anymore pain than she already was.

Kate’s eyes opened as the memory faded into the soft blackness of her eyelids. The world was still dark, perhaps a bit darker than it had been before. She snorted in disbelief, despite not wanting to fall asleep, she had. Yes, you would make a great watch dog, always falling asleep when your life’s in danger… Kate smirked, and looked down at her shirt. It still had blood stains on it from when he had scooped it up and ran. She imagined if anyone had actually seen her, a wolf with clothes in its mouth must’ve looked entirely odd. And thus is successfully keep a low profile. Congrats.

The sound of footsteps shut away her thoughts and suddenly Kate found her heart pounding at a rate usually unheard of. It couldn’t be him could it? She had been running from him for three days, only taking short breaks to take a breather and find something to drink. She inched towards the edge of the ledge, peering down into the darkness to see who it was.

Slowly, a figure stepped into the crumbling room…

~ ~ ~

Tag somebody.

[Bulbasaur4]

Proticia
[ Fallen | F | Current Location: An Abandoned House ]
MUSIC START: Fallen Angels - Artist Unknown
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Proticia's thickly lashed eyelids slowly rose upwards, blinking a few times as her vision slowly sharpening from its unconscious haze. The first thought that trickled into her mind was that she had not dreamed- an idea foreign to her- even in the depths of hell, Proticia had always dreamed. Some dreams were her desires, others were bits of her past, and then every so often her known gift would come... a vision of some sort. Yet upon her first night of Earth, she had not dreamed. Instead, a feeling of dread had begun to gnaw away at the inside of her stomach.

Proticia blinked again, this time more aware that she was not in the same surroundings as before. She was somewhere else, that again appeared to be like a house although it was torn to shreds by the Shift, but Proticia was unfamiliar with what a house was supposed to be like and thus did not make note of it. She lurched her body upwards so that she sat up, but immediately a sharp pain rippled through her side and she winced, sucking in a deep breath as she clutched her abdomen. Her mind was swimming and she felt dizzy and sore. Flickering her gaze downward, she saw that her waist had been bandaged up roughly and a small taint of crimson had begun to blot through.
"You're awake..." A soft voice rose and Proticia's sharp gaze flickered upwards instantly. Despite her broken state, she tensed up and froze. There before her was... something that resembled a humanoid female. In the shadows, Proticia would have thought that perhaps it was a human but her keen gaze took note that her color was slightly green and seemed to be... oozing?
"Who are you?!" Proticia demanded, leaning forward to try to stand but her legs simply buckled over and again a sharp pain pierced through her side again as she landed back upon her butt.
"I wouldn't try moving... you're badly injured. I think you broke a rib or something..." The female took a step forward, revealing that her body seemed to be what Proticia would have called, a Boggling- a form of demon that could manipulate its body to different sizes and shapes and had a rather gelatinous appearance. "... I'm Anna." She added in her name.
Proticia's first instinct was to demand questions- to get answers. What was this... this thing in front of her? Why did she help Proticia? What were her intentions? Yet, such demands were diffused from her mind when she looked up at this "Anna" and saw the rather a bleak expression on the girl's face- as if a part of the girl's dreams had faded. Proticia had seen this look before, it was often upon those who had lost Faith. Back upon Heaven, many Angels had worked to bring such bleak expressions back into the Light... but Proticia sighed inwardly. Did God even care for such measures anymore?
"No... he has turned his back on this planet, just as he turned his back on me." She thought bitterly, leaning her back against one of the walls of the room.
"Thank you... for helping me." Proticia said quietly, for such words had not left her tongue in quite a long time. "My name is Proticia." She offered, to perhaps put this green girl at ease. Anna stared at her for a moment, as if perhaps a little confused as to why Proticia was not screaming or making fun of her oozing appearance. Proticia did not recognized this expression, but merely started to check her legs, arms and neck for any other injuries. Bruises, scrapes... the true injury was within her abdomen.
"This wound isn't going to heal very well.... not with humanity eating at me like hungry maggots." Proticia spat out loud, looking up at Anna keenly. "You, you're familiar with Earth, correct? Do you perhaps know of any... thing that could heal this wound?" Proticia noticed that crimson spots upon the wrappings were growing a little bit in size. "I'm not used to this... bleeding."

Veanic
[ M | Seemingly Human ]
MUSIC START: INNOCENT SORROW - Abingdon Boys

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Veanic's leathery black boots made a gentle padding noise as he walked along the destroyed, ruined city of Los Angeles. The night was deadly quiet but one with keen senses could detect the bustling activity. Creatures of the dark were on the prowl and occasional cries of fear, pain and the scent of death would abruptly scream out of the shadows. He was simply walking however, looking for a suitable place to sit down and perhaps channel his energies. It wasn't a needed thing- Veanic didn't really need to rest nor did he need to channel his energies. However, it allowed him to analyze his own body and, perhaps from a Warrior's point of view, it was a way of reconnecting with his abilities. Although if anyone were to ask Veanic, he would assure you that he was fully aware of what he was capable of.

"Earth is always so charming..." Veanic mumured to himself absently, barely paying attention to a pair of beady eyes staring at him from one of the collapsed buildings. His crimson gaze flickered once again to the package underneath his arm. Eventually one of the Seven would come to claim it, but that most likely wouldn't be until tomorrow. They seemed to be busier than Veanic last remembered them, but again being busy for the Seven was a good thing. Until then, the package was under Veanic's protection although secretly he didn't care what was in the package or didn't feel very frightened at the fact of losing it. He was bored. That was the reason he had been doing little side jobs for the "Big Boss" down under. If something more interesting came along, Veanic had told himself he'd do that instead.

Stopping for a moment, Veanic's gaze flickered to a few shards of broken glass that scattered in front of what used to be a gas station. His own tanned, crimson-orbed face glittered back at him from his reflection. His hair wildly blew about his face, layered downwards and his longer strands billowing slightly in the wind behind his back. He hadn't been too concerned with clothing, at least not until his clothing became perhaps cumbersome, torn or destroyed at some point. A black, form-fitting shirt hugged his defined chest and showed the creases in his abdomen. It was a sleeveless shirt however, something Veanic preferred since clothing about his arms bothered him immensely. Dark sable gloves were upon both hands, going up slightly past his wrists, although both gloves' finger slots were cut off, to expose his fingers and allow for proper gripping.

Jeans were upon his lower half, although the material was thinner and softer than the typical jean pants that most humans wore. They were a black as well, although they were quite faded in the knees and towards the front- small holes forming where already his rapid, harsh movements had begun to take its toll upon the material. A strong, thick leather ebony belt however was wrapped not in the loopholes of the jeans, but rather over the jeans themselves and about his waist loosely (the belt was not upon him horizontally either, but rather slopped down a bit towards his right side). The belt didn't serve any purpose perhaps, but merely was upon Veanic's body when he first transformed before the Shift. The buckle was an intricate silvered buckle- somehow forming the shape of what seemed to be a snarling wolf's head. Veanic preferred to say that the wolf's head mimicked Fenrir, for he firmly believed that it did.

Another glint from the reflection within the glass revealed Veanic's true definition of character- his sword. The large, broadsword-styled weapon hung upon his back- the sheath being only a small silver of casing that was enough to hold the sword in place but exposed the blade to the night air. Two thin straps of leather wrapped about Veanic's shoulders tightly, rubbing only slightly against the inner side of his underarms. Upon his back was another piece of leather that attached the two loops together, which was where the sheath was attached to. Veanic didn't mind the tight feel of the leather- if he was human, it perhaps would restrict him or chafe his skin, but such a thing was not a worry for him.

The blade of the sword gleamed of a silvery color, but upon closer inspection it was also semi-transparent. Embroidered swirls of ebony and deep crimson were inscribed into the blade- markings that were ancient and forgotten long ago by everyone perhaps, except Veanic. The handle of the blade was fittingly a glistening obsidian, the upper half of the handle (where it met the blade) forming into a similar mold of a snarling wolf's head, that seemed to almost match Veanic's belt. The blade, was called "Fenrisulven".

Veanic continued to walk until at least he found a darkened, slightly collapsed structure that he thought would serve himself very well as a place of so-called "rest". Walking inside, Veanic paused for a moment after a few steps and found himself looking upwards. Movement. There had definitely been movement from above and Veanic wondered if perhaps this place would serve as a hostile place of rest. Yet, Veanic had chosen this building to reside in and he wasn't the type to let a few strays push him out of that decision.
"Hmmm... gonna come out or am I gonna come up there?" Veanic asked absently, his tone a little aloof as he noticed a few broken pieces of furniture that dotted along where he was standing. After a small while of no reply, Veanic shrugged and ran towards the wall. His gait was smooth and not jerky or harsh, so it wasn't a burst of speed he was using as he ran up the wall half way and used the rest of his momentum to reach the "second" floor. Immediately the hazel eyes of a woman stared back at him, her soft dark hair framing her face as she backed into the corner somewhat.

"She's like an animal..." Veanic thought absently, noticing her demeanor and the strange, glittering look within her eyes. "... odd human." Was the last thought, as he suddenly sat down upon the far edge of the ledge- the remnants of the second floor. His back pressed against the wall as he looked away from her. She was a very attractive human and the strange nature that Veanic had begun to detect was a bit of a welcome. Earth was filled with too much trash, too many losers like that man who had fallen of the building earlier...

"What do you want?" The woman questioned, obviously unsettled although she didn't lash out. Veanic enhaled deeply, closing his eyes briefly as he shrugged.
"I was going to relax here." His head turned as his gaze settled upon her, "Do you mind? If you do, you can leave or I can throw you out." A faint curve of a grin formed at his lips as he turned away again, the blood-red gaze scanning the rest of the room now that he was above it.

"This is more interesting than delivering a package..." Veanic thought absently.

[Crystal Tears]

Kate

Kate had moved back towards the corner. He obviously wasn’t a normal human, hell she could’ve told that from the smell he gave off from the ground floor. But there were other things, like defying gravity though he had not appeared to have a sudden burst of speed, and the fiery eyes that stared into hers when he had gracefully landed on the ledge. Too surprised to growl and Kate wasn’t even sure she wanted to; he was a predator, no doubt about that. Stronger than she was, but some relief came to her as in the back of her mind realized it hadn’t been the hunter, and as he sat down on the far end of the ledge, he wasn’t going to rip her to shreds either.

And that is always a bonus… She mused as he looked away. Not being ripped to shreds by a… a…. Kate frowned and looked at the ground again, still highly on the defensive. The scent was so odd; it wasn’t evil per say, evil smelt like rotting flesh and spoiled milk most of the time, even if humans couldn’t detect it. No, this fire-eyed man smelt of darkness, but something associated with darkness isn’t necessarily evil. A fire-eyed man… Not exactly the worse title out there…

It suddenly dawned on Kate that she had no idea what this warrior wanted, and that he could simply be waiting for her to let her guard down to strike. Not that… The thought came as a cold shiver. It would matter to such a man with build like that and giant sword…

“What do you want?” Her question came out with a defined edge, but not of anger, only nervousness.

“I was going to relax here.” His gazed turned onto her and Kate found herself wanting to shrivel up. He obviously wasn’t afraid of anything; Kate had found that even the most confident of facades were given away by the underlying stench of fear. He had none of it, this worried the woman greatly. “Do you mind? If you do, you can leave or I can throw you out.” Struggling she kept a growl from escaping her throat and watched as he began to smile ever so faintly.
Cocky Bastard… Kate fumed mentally, and though the annoyance showed on her face a bit, she decided to forget about it. It’s not like I could throw him out… She almost smiled at her own thought of a little woman throwing a giant of a man out of the building. Amusing thought though…

The silence between them lasted until the werewolf in hiding spotted the small package; it was wrapped in old torn papers and the like, something that stood out like a sore thumb against the man. Kate paused, should she ask about it? It would mean those eyes would probably turn back to her and she’d had to stare into them again. Of course, she had to admit they had a neat colour, and almost seemed to dance like fire sometimes. Despite the hesitation, curiosity got the better of her.
“What’s that?” She gestured towards the package, and she looked at him. “Better yet, who are you?”
She stared into the fire again, only to have a question poised at her. “Who are you?”
Kate was well aware she had asked first, and though his voice had the slightest touch of amusement in it. She felt compelled to answer, this is why… She thought, unaware of the anger flicking across her eyes. I hate people…
“Kate.” She answered, arms wrapping themselves around her knees. He didn’t say anything; only shut his eyes for a minute. Whether it was wise out or not, she reached out and gently nudged him. “And who are you?” Buddy I’m really not into the whole ‘repeat myself ten times’ thing…

~ ~ ~

>.> That’s all you get for me, I’m too afraid of taking him out of character (gotta wait until I really see him actually TALK more than... Two lines...). I’m sorry if I did anyway ^^’’ Tag B4 =P

[Bulbasaur4]

VEANIC
MUSIC START: Bizarrerie - OST Naruto Shippuden
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Veanic was well aware that she was trying to converse with him, and at first it simply amused him. Usually those he stumbled upon during these times would rarely speak with him, let alone tolerate sitting next to him. He had a way of making others disappear whether it was directly or indirectly so. His amusement soon shifted from slight, perhaps the slightest curiosity as the woman had nudged him.

"She had the nerve to nudge me to get me to converse..." He thought, not out of annoyance or anger, but in disbelief. It was extremely foreign to Veanic- as were most social conversations, courtesies and things similar. His eyes opened again and turned to face her again although he didn't speak right away. He sized her up, analyzed her... tried to get a full mental picture of the woman incase he didn't meet her again. Such events as these were rare and he would like to remember her so that if perchance he were to stumble upon her again, he wouldn't mistake her for another lowly, normal human.

Who was he? She had asked that question twice now, and the gleam of a tinge of anger and annoyance was reflecting within them. That was a rather loaded question, but it perhaps was better that she did not phrase the 'who' into a 'what'. Veanic wasn't the big story type, but then again... he was well aware he wasn't a social type either. A bit hard to be sociable when most of the ones you surround yourself with are your victims or your hirers.

"Veanic." He said, his voice smooth for a man yet his tone was deep and heavily matured. He raised a brow, slightly recalling her former question. Looking towards the package he held within his grasp, he gave off an uncaring shrug.

"This package is something I obtained for one of the Seven." Veanic didn't care if she knew who they were or not, nor did he care about keeping anything secret. It wasn't in his nature to weave lies or fib truths, for such methods were a pain and Veanic didn't see the point of staying away from the truth. If someone disliked the truth, they should learn to deal with it anyway- and if his hirers didn't like that he answered truthfully, well then that was their problem.

Silence settled in between them again, and Veanic turned his head and closed his eyes. He heard the gentle howl of the wind vibrate against the outside of the building, occasionally gusting through the cracked windows. Pieces of torn papers from below would dance in a circle with the wind, as slight creaks of the house would give off a silent moan. It was late at night, but it was getting closer to dawn and the activity in the streets was growing. Veanic noticed this occurrence happened almost every night- as if all the creatures rushed to get their last minute activities in before the sun rose above the barren wasteland. Veanic personally found it pathetic that they couldn't do their activities during the day- as if the sun would shine a light to all their doings.

The woman, again Veanic's thoughts drifted to her. He sensed something odd about her, something extremely different and he was beginning to sense that it wasn't just her personality. For a few moments, Veanic slightly wished he had more of the 'senses' that his neutral state, Helve, had... but that thought swiftly vanished due to knowing Helve's fighting ability was virtually non-existent. Yet the woman... Kate, her name was Kate, had seemed a little more at ease when she had first seen him. Veanic was puzzled by this- he never had been one to bring some sort of 'relief', although it had been faint.

"You hiding from someone?" Veanic said abruptly, but his eyes remained closed and he still rested his head against the wall. "You must be special if someone is chasing you. Got something interesting?"

Veanic felt uncomfortable at asking questions... let alone talking, but for some odd reason he decided to try something new.

[Samchu]

Name: Gaelen Underwood
Gender: Male
Race: Human (for the most part)
Age: 19
Appearance: Gaelen stretches just above the six-foot marker but looks taller. His broad shoulders and strong arms frame a well-constructed torso that hangs over sturdy calves. He has dark hair, grey eyes and lightly tanned but very scarred skin. He still dresses in clothes from "beyond the shift": jeans, trainers and a black t-shirt. He wears no jewellery save for a pure silver bracelet.
Personality: He has the cocky-overconfidence of youth but often has the strength to back up his claims. He has his way of doing things and won't let anyone stand in the way of that without good reason. He's a loner by nature but curious of humans and observes them often. On the outside he appears to be sure of his goal, but it is a mask to hide his conflicting emotions. He does not know of his purpose and so he has taken to monster hunting as it is the only thing that feels natural to him.
Powers/Skills: He is strong in a way that seems unnatural; it is not the time to come from rigourous workouts and yet it exists. He can also navigate shadows, using them as portals between different places. But he cannot create them.
History: The name "Underwood" is a fake he adopted after he was cast out by his family. Days after the shift, Gaelen began to display unnatural abilities and his inherited blue eyes turned a stormy grey. His parents, fearing for themselves, knocked him unconcious and dumped him in the wastelands of LA. He has spent every day since trying to build a life amongst the wreckage whilst hunting down the monsters that walk the night.
Other: nope

Gaelen
~~~~~

As I stepped away from the wall I felt the stab of ice against my spine. It lasted for little more than a second but it was always strong enough to let me know it was there. I shuddered as the feeling subsided. There was something about shadow-travelling that creeped the hell out of me but I had to admit that it came in handy when tracking down the dark beasts of the night.

I stretched out the stiffness in my neck and paused to check the crude bandage wrapped tightly around my arm. The last monster - the one I was still in the process of hunting - had managed to take a sizeable chunk out of it during our battle. I'd make it pay for that. For now, however, it seemed to have eluded me. As great as my portals were, they would only take me to places that I knew and could picture in my mind. For hunts like this, they were practically useless.

I paced the ground until I found the tracks I'd been following for three days. They were hard to make out in the twilight but I'd learned to adjust to such things. I followed the tracks until the first trickles of dawn began to appear. The sounds of the nightwalkers had risen in the distance but I was too focused on my prey to let their temptations distract me.

I frowned when I found the end of my trail. The monster's tracks had led me to a wall, slightly slanted and yet still strong. I glared at it. "How the hell did you get up there?" But more importantly, how was I meant to get up there?

I circled it like the silent predator I was. All I needed was one image, just the slightest glimpse of what was up there and I could make it. But it wasn't to be. I made my way back to the wall and sighed. I was going to have to climb it.

It was a difficult journey and one that I would have given almost anything to avoid. I thrust my fingers into another crack and pulled, feeling my muscles scream at the strain I was putting on them. Only halfway up and they were already purple. I cursed silently at my pain. The cut in my arm was stinging again, so much so that I could feel my pulse in the blood that ran through it. Once more I cursed the creature that I hunted.

I reached the plateau at last and my prize awaited me, wide-eyed and human in form. There was another there, a male I didn't take time to inspect. He wasn't what I hunted and therefore he wasn't important. If he posed a threat then I could always deal with him later.

"Did you really think that you could be rid of me so easily?" I was impressed at my own ability to sound threatening even though most of my breath had left me. I slipped my foot forward into a battle stance. "I believe we have some unfinished business."

[Dr.McNinja]

Aelfric’s cue shot forward, slamming into the cue ball and sending it careening into the two ball. The small orb rebounded of two walls, grazed two other balls that fell into their pockets, and set itself almost gently into its own pocket. He sighed, since his embrace games like this had become too damn easy, the six darts lodged in the bullseye on the board behind him attested to that. He grabbed his beer and took a gulp from it. Open bars were few and far between I the ruined city and getting in required either a hefty sum to the small army that protected the place or connections within. Aelfric glanced at Rich, the owner of the bar who he had done a few favors too and grimaced, even with those favors the bastard still robbed you blind with his prices. At least he didn’t need to worry about money for the foreseeable future, Lillian paid damn good. He sat down his beer and gave a second sigh.

People are way too fucking into the whole cloak and dagger thing

He spun, bringing up the cue as a blur of wood that stopped with a fierce suddenness an inch from the eye of the man who had been sneaking up behind him. Aelfric grinned at his stunned expression, “If you had drawn that pea shooter you have shoved in your pants I wouldn’t have bothered with stopping. What the hell do you want?”

The man swallowed a few times and glanced to the side. Aelfric followed his gaze to the side door and, after a moment, nodded. The two headed outside.

Aelfric lit his cigarette, a Lucky Strike this time, and leaned against the brick wall of the half-collapsed building next to the bar, “Start talking, I don’t like wasting my time.”

The man nodded, seeming a bit more at ease now that the vampire wasn’t threatening to impale his face with a pool cue, “People say you’re good. That when you take a job you make sure it’s done. That’s you right?”

Blowing out a plume of smoke, Aelfric shrugged, “Depends on the job. You come straight with me now and I’ll tell you whether or not I’ll take it or if you can go fuck yourself. Leave me to find out something unpleasant halfway through it and I won’t bother telling you anything before I feed your foot to your ass.”

For some reason this seemed to confirm something to the man, “Yeah, you’re him alright. Okay, we might have a job for you. A few hours ago we had something stolen from us…a package…and we want you to get it back.”

Aelfric watched the man sweat before replying, “Who’s we, what’s in the package, and why do you need someone like me to get it?”

The man bit his lip as if wondering how far to answer, “I can’t tell you who we are, my employers would kill me for that and honestly I don’t know what’s in the package. If and when you get it back though there’s nothing stopping you from looking inside and deciding whether or not to return it…we’re willing to pay enough up front that it’d probably be worth the search anyway. As to why you…well…word is the guy who took it made the grab about ten stories up and then just walked away.”

The man saw a quick flash in Aelfric’s eyes and a widening of his grin, “Really? That’s a nice trick.” The vampire blew out smoke once again and seemed to come to a decision, “Fine, there’s enough secret cults or organizations around here that I’m used to the whole secret identity bullshit. And you’re right, when I get this thing I’m gonna take a good hard look before I bring it anywhere. How much are you paying, and where can I find this superman who took it?”

An envelope appeared in the man’s hand and Aelfric reached to take it. He opened it and raised an eyebrow at the contents, “This is half?”

The man nodded and Aelfric’s whistled softly, “You really want this thing back. What about my second question?”

A shrug creased the man’s cheap leather jacket, “The only one who saw him said he started walking towards the west end of the city. He was too afraid to follow him.”

A hunt then, Aelfric was fine with that. Without another word he turned and walked out the alley, calling behind him, “You’ll find me here when I have it.”

Halfway back to his bike Aelfric flicked out his phone. It was a flip-top black deal with a satellite link, he wasn’t sure if there was a cellular tower left in the city. Most interestingly it had attached to it a small Hello Kitty cell phone charm that swayed back and forth as he walked. He kept waiting for someone to ask him about it, but no one had dared to yet. The phone buzzed for a second before a female voice emerged from the other end, “Lillian.”

Aelfric swung himself onto his bike, “I’ve got a bit of a side job, thought I might start on it tomorrow night. If you’ve got something else for me to do or think you’re gonna need your security blanket tomorrow lemme know before then.”

Lillian’s voice returned, “Taking on other jobs now? What does that do for our agreement?”

The bike roared as Aelfric turned the key, “Nothing, my deal with you is to do what you ask of me until such time as our contract expires. But if you listen for a second I think this job might interest you.”

Aelfric explained what the man had told him. He grinned behind his cigarette as he raced through the lightening streets towards the mansion. Lillian was long in responding and he could tell he the wheels in her head had begun to turn.

[Drusilla]

Hey boys and girls... the storm wasn't bad at all, but it's thrown me off. On top of that, I have work first thing tomorrow at the university, and then normal work at the normal job until Sunday night.

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to post soon; I will make it a priority. Until then, haffun...