~^~Dual Nature~^~ STARTS! (LSU's accepted)

[Mew Master]

Dual Nature

The soul. The spirit of every thing in existence. Anything can have a spirit, a cow, your cat, the rock you stepped over on your way to school, even your bike.

Such a thing is not unheard of. Human philosophers have long debated what makes us human and many with religious implications point to the state of the soul. The consciousness that seems to separate us from the rest of nature. If everything has a soul, a spirit, a consciousness, then wouldn’t that make humanity part of nature?

Everything has a soul. The spiritual awareness that taps into the surrounding environment and allows interactions with it. It gives the pulse of life and the eb and flow of nature and her seasons. The earth has a spirit (a massive one it is), as does the sun, the moon, stars, space. The soul is what connects everyone to everything, in essence, it is the metaphysical bindings of what all that we have ever known and ever will know.

A select few have the capability of summoning their own spirit forth, manifesting it as the raw potential they can draw upon. Each soul is different in its manifestation, some slither like shadows, while others explode into being. The danger comes when the soul is destroyed while manifested. It can then be affected by physical damage and when destroyed, the mind and body cease to function, possibly killing the individual.

Sometimes the spirit can manifest as an individual, as armor, or just as a glow around its mind and body. It can act either independently, fulfilling the mind or body’s true desires, or restrain itself. Nothing is impossible for those that have the will and capability.

The soul that everything has is singular. There is one soul/spirit to every person, animal, rock, tree, body of water, anything. This is the natural order of the world, of the universe, and cannot be tampered with.

There are rumors… however.

Rumors of people with more than just a single soul. Those who have two.

The human mind and body can normally only support one soul, the deeper inner workings of who they are and what they are truly capable of. But those with two souls seem to be in perfect balance. Conflicting forces of chaos and order, yin and yang, light and dark. Mixing together to form a whole individual who without one extreme of their soul ceases to affect anything in the world. Each side of these “dual souls” fights with the other, demanding more control over the mind and body that they share. Such combat can tear the person apart at the seams.

Yet these “dual natured” souls have been appearing, just as quickly as they are torn apart. Is it the next step in humanity’s evolution as it continues to tear itself away from nature, or nature’s own reaction to the atrocities that human kind has reaped.

I bid everyone a good afternoon as I work on my latest project/RPG idea that has been annoying me for quite some time. The basic idea is that the soul is normaly a singular entity within all things. The only reason we can’t see it is because well, a rock doesn’t communicate the same way a tree does. Everything in existence has a spirit, and a few of those can manifest that soul in order to defend itself or gain more power over its influence.

Now, there are those that have Two-Souls, conflicting aspects of their own personality that together make them whole, but separate can destroy them.

Factions:

Dual Natures: Those few humans who have two Souls, and can draw on either one to win a conflict. These are really powerful, and can manifest the souls in more ways than one. Making for difficult battles and the only way they might die is by sheer numbers.

Singular Unity: The faction of Soul Manifesters who have only one soul. They are the majority in the Manifesters and this organization seeks recruits regularly and helps to train them in manifesting their souls as well as weeding out the Dual Natures. Their soul Manifestation only has one single manifesting of the soul’s power, be it armor, a guardian, or just a flaming aura that allows them to manipulate everything as if by thought alone.

Humans: Regular mortals caught in the middle between the sects. More numerous than either side, their strength is both in numbers and fear of what they do not understand.

Government/Millitary/Law Enforcement: The battle between the Soul Manifesters has raged long enough to gain the attention of the local government. They will seek, capture, or destroy anyone or thing that can manifest it’s true self. Those they capture, they will test and test and test to learn how to harness the soul’s raw potential while the others will just die.

Mother Gaia: Animals can manifest their souls as well, although in a way unfamiliar to humans. Nature acts on its own behalf, following the tenants of Natural Selection and evolution for survival of the species. There are various sects within this faction, each pertaining to different kingdoms, elements, and even ecosystems. Humans can side with this faction, realizing their place within nature and trying to decipher the inner-workings of the soul. Examples: Shamans, spirit talkers, voodoo witch doctors, witches, druids. The majority of Manifesters that join this faction have souls that reflect nature and her balance. Such as animal souls and elemental abilities.

Neutral: The fight may not concern this faction, but it could get them involved should circumstances arise.

Terms, Drawbacks, Powers:

Manifestation: The act of drawing the soul/spirit into the physical world and abide by its laws. A manifestation is unique to the individual, and can take one of many forms:

Armor: Shielding the mind and body with armor
Transformation: Combining the soul’s power into the body and transforming the body into an amalgamation of the base form with the soul’s true form.
Summoning: Summoning the soul similar to a beast from another dimension. Many combat-oriented souls are like this, and can take a lot of punishment from objects and other souls.
Aura: Gives the Mind more awareness to that which is around the manifester. Can also manipulate objects and items similar to psychokinesis.

These are not the only ways of manifesting the souls, and some of their powers can be used without manifesting the soul, but a part of the soul in the body.

All Dual Natures are able to use the above manifestation forms, each at varying strengths. Those with one soul can only use one, or on rare occasions, two of the above abilities when manifesting their souls.

A Dual Nature can summon both parts of their soul into the physical world. However, when they summon one, the presence within the body and mind is minimized to where the other half plays more of a role. When they summon both, the manifester seems detached, half-dead, and sluggish in their movements and commands. Such a strain of summoning their spirits can push them to the edge of their own power, and the backlash from calling forth their two souls could put them in a coma very easily.

Those with one Soul only suffer a lessened effect of having the soul brought into the physical world.

Powers: These are as variable as the winds. Elemental, battle, mental, any power is possible to those who can Manifest their own souls. While not exclusive and set in stone, some powers are useable while not having to summon forth the power of their souls.

Current Characters:

Dual Natures (7)
Drako Ralen (Mew Master)
kalad1
Zofis (firepokémon)
Zeno (Herald)
-
-
-

Singular Unity (any number)
Kane Stachmeyer (Blademaster)
Verde Moss (Green Lantern)

Humans (Any Number)

Government/Military/Law Enforcement (Any Number)
Angelo Lazard (Mystic-Clown)

Mother Gaia (5)
Vivian Fey (Drusilla)
-
-
-
-

Neutral (Any number)
Kel the Wicked (Crystal Tears)

Sign-up Form

Name:
Age:
Sex:
Faction: (If Gov/Mil/Law, please state which part of the faction you are in)
Spirit: (name of your Soul/s)
Manifestation: (How your Spirit manifests itself)
Spirit’s Personality: (Because they have one, sometimes a 180 of how someone acts)
Spirit’s Description: (physical description of the Manifestations)
Main Powers: (the main abilities of the Soul/s when manifested)
Description: (the person's description)
Personality: (their personality)
History: (their history)
Other: (relationships, quirks, habits, ect...)

Let’s get started… shall we?

Name: Drako Ralen
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Faction: Dual Nature
Spirit: Kíashkiklah, the Dragon of Blood/Fire/Passion/Life/Love and Keiryuujin the Dragon of Light/Justice/Heaven/Mercy/Redemption
Manifestation: The two aspects of Drako’s soul have their different strengths, which correlate with their base dispositions.

Kíashkiklah’s most powerful manifestations are Summon and Transformation (respectively).

Kíashkiklah’s Summon stems from Drako’s own will. Fire starts to spark in the air around Mr. Ralen, and items that are combustible burst into flames. Then Drako’s body is surrounded by fire which expands, engulfing those that have drawn the Dragon of Blood’s ire, but protecting those that Drako is trying to protect. Then the fire starts to shape itself into the mighty Dragon of Fire, who then usually announces his presence with a roar that can shatter windows.

Drako’s Transformation also involves being engulfed by flames while his body shifts, augmenting with the draconic characteristics.

The Transformation creates an fusion of Drako’s body with draconic characteristics, giving the human digigrade legs with sharp claws on his toes and a long spike jutting out from his tarsometatarsus. The cache of spikes on Kíashkiklah’s arms are also on Drako’s, jutting out from his ulna bone. Each of his fingers end in wickedly sharp claws. Overall his physical appearance is more cut and muscle toned (constantly the transformation blasts off the majority of his clothing, except for his pants which are just shredded by the lower hem by the transformation of his feet). Drako’s usually long hair is even longer and wild, flowing from his head down to his mid-back and with massive bangs that hang in front of his face. Kíashkiklah’s horns jut out from his skull, about two to three inches above his eyebrows. Drako’s eyes also take on a golden hue and are slitted. Massive wings, similar to Kíashkiklah’s town and worn ones jut out from his scapula. These wings can wrap around him like a cloak, using the digits at the “writs” of the wing to keep the wings in place.

Keiryuujin’s strongest abilities are Aura and Summon, however both work similarly to each other in some aspects.

When Summoned, a blast of light bursts up from Drako’s body straight into the sky. The light then starts to twist and arch like a lightning bolt, curving around Drako until Keiryuujin is fully manifest.

The aura ability causes a bright blue withering and slithering aura to surround Drako. Looking carefully, an observer can see that the aura seems to have a beginning, but the end is constantly moving (if there is one). With Keiryuujin empowering him as such,. Drako’s martial arts training in Aikido increases in effectiveness 100 fold! The aura is able to tap into the ki (chi/energy/ect) of an opponent to use what ever they are trying against them. Drako’s movements are circular, with the aura following suit, lashing out like a whip. The aura seems to lash out, then return to slithering and writhing around Drako like a protective covering. To those who’s Spirit or have a higher tuned perception of auras, Drako’s aura resembles Keiryuujin himself.

Both spirits can manifest through all of the variants on the known Manifestations. However their strongest versions are listed here.
Spirit’s Personality: Kíashkiklah: The Dragon of Blood is perhaps an amalgamation of conflict, strife and passion. His very being represents unrelenting passion for anything, be it a lover, friends, work, projects, or just living. The passion is also tied to negative emotions such as Rage. Of which Kíashkiklah has gained more than his fair of bad rap from his own Rage getting the better of him and then destroying everything within a county area. This back-lash also leaves the Dragon mournful over his own lack of self control and the damage he does to others. He embodies the Chaotic part of Drako’s personality, and all the feelings that come from Chaos and lack of reason: love, hate, passion, drive, anger, and Rage. Drako’s (and Kíashkiklah’s) own Rage has been kept in check by Keiryuujin to a point, but the Dragon of Light can only hold back the Dragon of Blood for so long until the Flames of Rage cannot be contained any longer.

Keiryuujin: The voice of reason within Drako’s own mind and sense of control and self-restraint. The Dragon of Light represents balance, justice, and mercy when it’s required. Normally the conflict between Keiryuujin and Kíashkiklah would tear someone apart, however Keiryuujing tempos his influence to keep the Dragon of Blood in check, and not completely try for control of Drako. He is not completely without his own sense of passion, but the Dragon realizes that with passion must come restraint or else one would dive into the road of self-destruction. Keiryuujin will judge an issue fairly, weighing each side and contemplating everything that could affect a situation, dishing out justice and mercy when the circumstances call for it.
Spirit’s Description: Kíashkiklah: The Dragon has 3 sets of limbs. Two forearms, two hindlegs, and a pair of wings. The head is rectangular in shape with large crocodilian set teeth that seem to be angular. The Canines (the ones at the front edges of the mouth) are much larger than the other teeth, that seem to poke through the skin of the mouth. The nostrils have flaps of skin that resemble water-droplets in shape, with the tips pulled up. Between the nostrils is a horn-like structure. This structure is repeated twice along the dorsal side of the skull. The lower back of the lower jaw has three bony protrusions on either side that point backwards along the body. Large cat-like ears rest on both sides of the head, under the horns. The eyes seem to be surrounded by darkness and only the pupil of the eye can be seen as white-hot embers. Ridges over the eyes give way to the horns. These horns curve up twice, making them resemble a widened omega symbol. They curve up starting from right behind the eye ridges. The back of the head has a flowing main of pitch black fur that flows in the direction of the wind. This hair extends halfway down the neck from the head. This dragon's body is heavily muscled with much of the muscle concentrated along the hindquarters and pectoral regions. The fore arms are thin compared to the hind legs but are not devoid of muscle. They end in four-fingered hands with long curved claws at the end of each digit. Along the ulna and radius portion of the arm have several bony protrusions that curve back against the arm, pointing towards the main body. These structures are rock hard and sharper than a knife blade. The hind legs are heavily muscled and give the dragon enough power to lift off and up the ground. Three toes dawn each foot with a bone extension of the metatarsus extending past the ankle. A long tail ends in a cache of more bony protrusions that are shown across the entire creature. A pair of bat-like wings allows the dragon flight. The wings have holes and tatters in them, adding to the dragons proficiency in battle. They also have three long digits that connect the membrane for flight. The "wrist" joint of the wing has a small vestigial digit that ends in a curved claw. The underside of the dragon is armored scale that seems to be separated into sections that extends from the head down to the tip of the tail. The chest area seems to have the only difference as it has the scales arranged like chest armor.

Keiryuujin: The Dragon of Light looks like his name suggests. He is a very elongate eastern dragon. A long mane of fur starts from the back of the Light Dragon’s head and flow with an ever moving flow of energy. Multi-branching horns continue out from the hoods above Keiryuujin’s eyes, ending in horns that look too heavy for the slender dragon to hold his head up. His head is elongate and wedgeshaped, with three whiskers flowing back from under his nostrils. At the bottom of his chin is a small beard. Keiryuujins hair, like his scales, are colored a bright white, with a shade of blue seen only in the right light. His eyes are a golden brown with a slit pupil, giving Keiryuujin the appearance of intelligence behind the animalistic eyes. The Dragon of Light’s body is very long, nearly un-ending, and slender. A row of dorsal spines arch back along his spine, starting from somewhere within his mane and extend down to the club-like tail. His tail (if it’s ever seen) end in a wide spade-shaped club with spine protrusions along the marginal sides. The club is pebbled in texture, while his scales are keeled and overlap similar to a rattlesnake. His ventral scales are more like segments that are larger than the rest of the scales on his body, resembling segmented armor, specifically around his chest. He does have two pairs of limbs, each ending in three claws. Resembling a raptorial foot, only with two fingers and a “thumb.” At the joints of Keiryuujin’s wrists and ankles is blue-tinted fire that won’t cause anything to burn, except those he judges to require justice. The fire twists and increases in intensity as the Dragon of Light flies or fights. While lacking any wings, Keiryuujin can control his own body by manipulating his own energy to keep him afloat and never require to touch the ground. Keiryuujin’s movement is undulating, similar to a sidewinder snake, curling his body into intricate circles and his seemingly never ending body make him that more imposing to opponents.
Main Powers: (in no particular level of power) Kíashkiklah:

Energy Dome: In the defense of others (something that might seem contradictory to the Dragon of Blood), Kíashkiklah can create domes of energy around objects or people he is trying to protect from his own Rage. However, the shields won’t last for very long should the Dragon give into his own Blood Rage, as his concentration is now bent on killing everything around him

Inferno Teleport: Bursting in a cyclone of flames, Drako or Kíashkiklah can teleport between spots within sight or their own memory. If anyone is in close range (as sometimes they are) the flames will horribly burn anyone or thing they touch.

Fireball: A basic fire attack using a ball of Flames.

Incinerate: Creating a contained sphere of flames, this attack encompasses a target and reduces it to ashes, cremating them instantly.

Blazing Devastation: Gathering raw super-heated energy around, the user is able to charge it up to the extent his own body can contain the energy. The sphere that the attack is formed within starts to become unstable and then lashes outwards, vaporizing even concrete that comes into contact. Kíashkiklah can affect a whole city due to his own affinity with fire, while Drako can only destroy a few blocks at first. The only known protection against this attack is the Energy Dome… However stable the domes are depends on how much effort the user is putting into the attack.

Dragon Essence: Only useable by Drako thanks to Kíashkiklah’s own raw energy. The user summons their inner fire and lets it loose at the target. The flames take the shape of the Dragon of blood. On contact with the target the flames erupt and consume all that they touch.

Fire Claw: Flames surround the users hand. Whether the hand is in a fist or extended, the fire slashes as if the flames were solid matter. Burning and cauterizing the wound in the same motion.

Blaze Body: Concentrating the energy of fire through his body, Drako is able to do things that he normally can’t do, such as overturn cars, jump on top of telephone poles, and outrun most city cars. Increasing his normal dexterity, stamina, strength, perception, and other basic physical abilities. This has a drawback though, as it increases Drako’s metabolism to a high rate that he’ll have to eat something or possibly go crazy, gnawing on the first thing he can. However humorous this might be, it can have some bad consequences should he literally take a bite out of someone or their pet.

Pyro Twister: The user casts forth a blast of flame that spins into a cyclone when it touches the ground. Usually engulfs the target in the flames and draws the oxygen from their lungs and burns them from the outside.

Blood Rage: Not really a power, but a constant threat when communing with the spirit of Kíashkiklah. This Rage can be brought on by the scent of blood itself, which is always a possibility in conflict. What happens is Drako (or Kíashkiklah) will lash out at anyone and anything, usually going for the thing that first brought on the Rage and then everyone else is fair game. The spells that have the highest risk of bringing on the Blood Rage is Kíashkiklah when Summoned, and the Transformation where Drako and Kíashkiklah’s minds come closer into synch.

Keiryuujin:

Illusion: By manipulating light particles, Drako or Keiryuujin can make any kind of illusion, even down to sounds associated with what they can come up with. Commonly this can mean that Drako makes extra illusion copies of himself, make an alley look like a dead-end, or anything this artistic mind can come up with.

Dragon Claw: Instead of energy swirling around and striking from close distance, the user can slash horizontally, sending a crescent arch of energy a long distance, slicing through however or whatever’s in the way.

Dragon Fang: Similar to Dragon Claw, except the attack is made in a vertical direction. A constant barrage of Fang and Claw strikes can take down most opponents, however the energy for doing so is high.

Heaven’s Strike: By concentrating, eight orbs of light surround the user before spinning in a circle and then blasting forth, exploding upon impact, blinding targets and damaging anything within the blast radius.

Connection: By feeling through the lines of energy that a person has, the user can connect with that energy (if offensive towards the user) and send it elsewhere. This doesn’t allow for all-out control of a person, just a slight manipulation of where they want to go.

Flash Burst: A burst of light that blinds everyone in the vicinity except for the user of the ability.

Flight: Calling upon the energy that holds Keiryuujin up, Drako can also use this to fly for short distances, however the longer and higher he travels, the more of a drain on his own ability to stay afloat.

Ley Line Sight: Through using his energy to connect with opponents, Keiryuujin and Drako can shift their vision to follow the paths of energy the encompass a city. The synergy of the city is in plain sight, and the user can see a definite view of another’s Aura, including what (if anything) they are manipulating with their Aurua. Using this ability the user can actually track someone by following the trail of the energy they left behind. However in a crowd, this power can be a bit overwhelming with the conflicting and different auras shared by normal people. Drako’s eyes turn golden, similar to Keiryuujin’s when he draws upon this ability.

Description: Drako is fairly tall, at a little over six feet. He has long hair, about shoulder length, that he doesn’t keep tied up, and lets the bangs hang partly in his face. His eyes are a bright green that look out at the world with a natural curiosity. The majority of his clothes are loose and are a size too big for him anyway. Drako’s frame is large, but kept thin through practice and some basic physical conditioning. While in shape, he’s not overly fit and his loose clothing hides that fact from a lot of people. He enjoys pants that have wide bottom hems, with chains connecting loops from the hips and mid-legs. They also have a lot of pockets that he keeps his personal effects in from his life before his Souls manifested. Drako also has an over-shirt with the right arm of the shirt missing, reasons for it being gone are… unknown other than the hem has been slightly modified after the sleeve was removed.
Personality: Drako seems to be in balance between Kíashkiklah and Keiryuujin fighting for control. He loves life, living, and tries to keep a semblance of order about. More of Kíashkiklah’s influence comes through, since Drako usually picks up a project, imagining what it would be like to completely finish, but then getting disinterested half-way through and going onto another project. His interests go through stages, where he’ll be on one project one moment, and then move onto an older one he stopped working on months ago. He’s sarcastic, strong willed, and willing to throw himself in the face of danger and help anyone with what he can. He doesn’t like to fight, but he will if he absolutely has to, and has no problem knocking out members of the military or Singular Unity then making a quick escape.

However, when Drako’s pushed towards the edge, he’ll throw caution to the wind and burn everything to cinders.
History: Drako Ralen, isn’t his real name, and he’s even gotten rid of any personal ID that may claim him other wise. Before his soul manifest itself, he was a good kid, in the midst of a Graduate Student program at a college, and had a bright future ahead of him. His friends were sarcastic, but loyal, and the professors appreciated the work he put through. Despite the chaos of the Soul Manifestors and the government, he usually didn’t know what to think of either side.

On the side of the Souls, here we had people with incredible power and abilities that defied explanation. They could use those to better the lives of everyone, or just go on a mad-power-trip. On the other was the military and the government and their round-up of those that could manifest the souls. The news portrayed them as decadents who were power-hungry. Drako knew not to trust everything the media tells you. So he kept going about his business, until he realized what he was.

For a week or two, Drako could smell smoke and fire. No one else did, and he was looked at oddly as he sniffed around the department trying to find out what was burning. His grades also saw a major boost, something that took his professors off guard. Something was going on. Either he was loosing his mind or he was actually learning something in class. Then came the incedent that brought his true powers forward.

A lone gunman ran into the college and kept the department hostage. Drako, one of the hostages, could feel the rage burning within him at this injustice, and he snapped when the gunman backhanded his advisor, knocking out a few teeth. Ignoring his own safety he rushed the gunman, knocking him back and away from his advisor. Drako’s eyes were glowing red through the shadow cast over his face from the darkened hallway. Fire started to spring up in the air around him, causing plants to burst into flames and the fire alarms to go off.

The gunman back tracked, scared shitless because of what was happening. The last thing he saw was a blast of flames coming from Drako, in the shape of a massive tooth-lined maw.

The resulting damage destroyed the department building, injured a few people, and Drako was missing. No one was killed however, but Drako is considered either missing or dead. He still doesn’t understand what happened that day, but he’s come to terms with his own Dual Nature, seeking out others like him while avoiding the trouble that follows.
Other: He’s an artist, tries to maintain his own site that helps him sell art and what not. Much of the works he’s done depict himself in constant struggle between Kíashkiklah and Keiryuujin, or images of members of the Singular Unity he’s come into contact with. The funds he gets from the art he sells isn’t much, but it helps him get by.


IT BEGINS…

Thursday, Mid-day
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun blared down as someone sat quietly in a cyber café. His labtop fan hummed quietly through the hustle and bustle of the little place he had stayed. Working on his latest project using a Wacom Tablet to work out the kinks in his latest work of art.

Parts of the image were disproportioned, but they were supposed to be, because that’s what he had seen a few days ago. His devoted public fans expected much of him, and he had to find a way to show that the miss-matched proportions were intended and not due to lazyness or some other factor. So he continued to edit the strokes of the stylis to ensure the effect.

The Soul Manifester he had ran into was from the Singular Unity, or whatever the hell they called themselves. One thing was for sure, he was a tough opponent, and the artist hoped no one got caught up in the crossfire between them. However he had to keep up his own living expenses. Hitchiking across the country and through the city was one thing. He had to keep his fans sedated because they respected his work online.

And that was fine.

Drako was so concerned with his latest work that he almost didn’t notice someone walk up to him and stand, staring at him.

“On your feet, now.”

“Hmm?” Drako muttered, looking up at the person who just showed up.

“I said on your feet, Abomination.” The woman said again.

“You really want to start something?” Drako asked, glad for the refresher of the woman’s features. He had forgotten a few details and wanted to add them into the image in some subtle ways.

She was getting frustrated with him, ready to blow and just kill him right there. Granted, it was surprising how she had managed to find him that fast.

“Let me put it this way,” he said. “We’re in a public place, and I can guarantee that there are at least 6 people with cameras who can record and upload both of our faces to the net. Not to mention the fact that the government’s gonna be on our tail shortly after that. You start something here and we’re both as good as lab rats…”

“Do you think you can intimidate me?!” she yelled, getting the attention of everyone else in the café. “You’re an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. Of everything he created.”

Drako saved the file and closed his laptop.

“You want to talk to me about God?” he said, glaring into her eyes. “You want to talk to me about a mass-imaginary friend that most of the earth’s population belives in because they refuse to accept the fact that they are part of the natural order of the world. They think themselves above it all because we can think and we can reason.” He stood up.

“But that’s only half of the story. We don’t know what lies on the other side. We’ll never know. As far as I’m concerned, when I die. That’s it. No eternal life up in heaven or burning for all eternity in hell until the end of days. You guys use the fact that we can make our souls visible to prosecute those who have done nothing wrong except for being alive and different. It’s the Crusades and Holocaust all over again for you isn’t it? What have I ever done to hurt anyone else? Or is it just because I’m different from you?”

The anger rose in the woman’s mind, and Drako knew it. Things were going to get very complicated if he didn’t tread carefully. Hell. At this point he didn’t care anymore. The Singular Unity’s high-and-mighty attitude just pissed him off on principle.

“In the name of all that is whole and good in the world,” the woman said as energy started to flow around her. “I will send you to hell where you belong!”

Crap! Drako’s mind screamed as he grabbed his stuff and shielded his eyes.

A bright flash of light and the cyber café’s windows exploded outwards, showering the street in shards of class and rubble. Something stood in the wreckage of what used to be the café, tearing through the upper stories and causing dust and debris to rain down onto the street.

A massive being, reminiscent of an angel in the form of floating armor and connected by energy stood in the rubble. The woman stood in front of the being, looking down upon the destruction she had brought by summoning her Soul to the physical world.

“And now may you know God’s fury…” she said.

“And may you know what self restraint is!” Drako shouted back. His voice came from the cloud of dust and concrete particles still falling from the place where her Soul had come forward. Bright red spheres glowed through the dust and as it started to clear. There were people curled up in the spheres. People that Drako had saved from the falling rubble by protecting them.

“Go!” he shouted to the people as the energy spheres disappeared. “Get out of here!”

Damn, he thought to himself. You just had to go and egg her on didn’t you? Yeah… You did.

Drako turned to face the woman and her Soul. A smirk split his face.

“Bring it!” he shouted at her, fire flaring around him and starting to surround his body.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And thus, it begins my friends. Let the flames of war be spread as the Dual Natures, Singular Unity, Millitary, Mother Gaia, and anyone else fight for their own survival.

Bring it!

[Blademaster]

It's about time you started this thing up.

Character

Name: Kane Stachmeyer (pronounced 'STOCK-my-err')
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Faction: Singular
Description: Kane is 5'11" and weighs a slim 158 lbs.. He has short black hair, vivid green eyes, and is very clean-shaven. His skin is rather pale, save for a small area around his eyes that's healthier-looking.
Kane's attire varies. In the rare instances that he is able to live comfortably amongst other humans, he wears a light grey hoodie, blue jeans, and loose, worn-out sneakers. He wears a golden ring on his left ring finger (Yes, he's a leftie.), which has a black serpent inscribed around it.
Personality: Kane is a serious, yet gentle, individual. He doesn't often laugh, but he smiles frequently and is never too busy to help someone who needs it. Though he usually keeps to himself, he is an intelligent man and a decent conversationalist, though he has a tendency to ramble if he gets started on a topic that he enjoys. If saddened or angered, he doesn't change much, but he will react if provoked at such times.
History: Kane's history is centered around his most notable (and ironically, his most secret) passion: He's a ninja.
Yes, a ninja. He grew up on crappy action movies starring the likes of Van Damme, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, etc., but his favorite movies revolved around martial artists like Jackie Chan. From a young age, he took lessons in many martial arts, but he never found one that satisfied him. Karate, judo, tae kwon do, jujutsu, Hapkido... You name it, Kane's probably tried it. But none ever satisfied Kane... Until he discovered Ninjutsu.
Training under Toho Kizuma, a largely unknown Grandmaster, Kane devoted himself to the art of Ninjutsu from the age of 13 onwards. He soon became Kizuma's star pupil, and his training improved his performance in school as well.
At the age of 18, Kane took on the task of assisting his Sensei by training a newer student named Gretchen Schwartz. As one may expect, a love interest soon sprouted between the two, and with Kane's support, Gretchen quickly became a skilled ninja.
After another 5 years, both Kane and Gretchen had fallen deeply in love and they were both near graduating Kizuma's academy and had were both in college, to be married after graduating. Kane's life couldn't get any better... So, naturally, it got worse instead.
One night, Gretchen disappeared on her way hom from class. She wasn't kidnapped, murdered... She just vanished without a trace. That same week, Kane himself was assaulted by a strange squad of militants on his way home from searching for Gretchen. Kane easily dispatched them, but one of them made the mistake of mentioning his girlfriend. Realizing that these agents were involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, he violently attacked them; this was when his Manifestation first appeared. The agents took advantage of Kane's confusion and fear and fled before he could finish them.
Confused and heartbroken, Kane returned to Kizuma's academy and asked for help. Kizuma acted odd when Kane mentioned his Manifestation, but he agreed to help Kane by teaching him absolutely everything he knew.
Aaaand that brings us to the present day. Kane has technically graduated Kizuma's academy, but he still trains, and still searches.
Other: As you've probably guessed, the ring on his finger is from Gretchen. Kane never takes it off.

Soul

Name: Shinobi
Manifestation: Aura
Personality: Shinobi is the embodiment of Kane's passion: His love for Gretchen and his devotion to the Ninjutsu art. He'll do whatever it takes to protect Kane, and when battling (especially for Gretchen), he'll do everything he can to win.
Description: As an Aura, Shinobi's appearance is rather unremarkable. He's just that: an aura of light blue energy that surrounds and protects Kane or can project outward and attack, Fantastic Four-style. He has intricate, butterfly-like wings; coupled with his light blue, human-shaped body, he bears a resemblance to Tabuu.
Main Powers:
1. Flight: Shinobi's wings solidify enough to grant Kane the ability to fly.
2. Forcefield: Shinobi projects himself forward or outward from Kane's body, smashing everything in his path with unearthly force.
3. Focus: Shinobi withdraws into Kane's body, giving him a faint blue glow. In this state, Kane's strength, speed, intelligence, stamina, and reflexes increase tenfold.
4. Finality: Unofficially dubbed the "Kanehaneha Wave," this self-explanatory energy blast is Kane's/Shinobi's ultimate attack.


So, let's do this!

******************

"Begin... Now."

The second the word 'Now' left the Japanese man's mouth, his student leapt into action. Darting between the tightly-packed trees at a solid 30 miles an hour, his eyes and ears scanned them at speeds most people would find impossible.

A stray oval stone on the ground ahead of him caught his attention.

FWISH!

In the blink of an eye, he pulled a throwing dagger from his waistband and hurled it, impaling the small rock right down the middle. Upon impact, a steel net sprang up from the ground, obviously intended to capture the young man. He dashed under it and continued, coming to a series of fallen trees arranged in a shape reminiscent of a laser security grid.

Under his tenugui, he smirked, leaping above the first series of logs, skittering under the next like a spider, and bounding through the next like a frog. Over, under, through, under, through, over, through... Within seconds, he'd cleared the obstacle, not even brushing against a single log.

His jika-tabi pounded silently against the forest floor; he began to grow suspicious. The path was too clear... Something was coming...

A noise like a wisp of wind reached his ears; he immediately stopped and spun around, drawing his ninjato.

SLASH!

Two severed halves of an arrow flew past him, cracking and striking the ground harmlessly.

Sheathing his weapon, the man followed the path of the arrow, drawing three shurikens from bands around his arms. He bolted between the trees and jumped, landing on a high branch and scouting the area.

Nothing but trees and rocks all around him... Silently, he waited...

A glint of metal at the corner of his eye caught his attention; he instantly hurled one of his shurikens and dropped, dashing towards the metal object. As he ran, the sound of his shuriken impaling something reached his ears, immediately followed by the crackle of electricity. He burst through the trees into a clearing, seeing a mechanical crossbow mounted on a pedestal. His shuriken was impaled through the trigger, which spurted a few sparks.

Before he could retrieve his shuriken, however, a tiny door in the pedestal itself opened, revealing another arrow. In a flash, it fired straight at the man's chest.

His eyes widened; he dove out of the way and hurled his remaining two shurikens. The arrow missed his arm by millimeters; one of his shurikens struck the bow dead-center, causing the barrel to explode. The other shuriken struck the pedestal itself, missing the bow by a half an inch.

"Stop."

The man hung his head as a middle-aged Japanese man stepped out from behind the pedestal, arms behind his back. His face was emotionless as he inspected his crossbow, retrieving the shuriken from it and from the concealed weapon beneath it. The shuriken that missed, however, he didn't touch.

"One and a quarter centimeters..." he muttered, creases appearing in his brow. "Deplorable, Kane... I've come to expect much better from you."

The trainee, Kane, dropped to one knee, his head lowered.

"My deepest apologies, Sensei Kizuma..." he said sincerely. "I should have expected anything."

"Yes, you should have." Kizuma replied, still showing no feeling in his voice. "Those few millimeters can well mean the difference between life and death. You should know that by now."

"I do, Sensei Kizuma." Kane replied. "I truly do."

"Then can you explain to me why your performance has been dwindling the past two months? This is the third time you've failed this course."

Kane sighed softly.

"I am just beginning to feel that... Gretchen... It has been over 8 months, and I haven't found her yet... I feel like as hard as I search, I'll never find-"

"Stop." Kizuma said. "Kane, you are my star pupil. To be a true ninja requires strength in body, mind, and spirit. You cannot allow your spiritual pain to cloud your judgement. It is painful to lose one you care for, but you have not lost her for certain yet. You must maintain the hope that you will find her, and if you do not, you must be driven further to find her. To lose hope is to lose all that you have worked for."

A tear appeared in Kane's eye; he blinked, managing to hold it back; his fist clenched.

"Stand up, Kane." Kizuma said, turning around. "Let's return to the dojo. You need to rest your body and your mind before you can resume your training."

"Yes, Sensei Kizuma." Kane replied, standing up and following his Sensei.

As they walked, however, a distant rumble reached their ears; Kane turned towards the source of the noise, seeing a plume of smoke and dust rising from further into the city.

"What...?" Kane muttered.

Kizuma stepped towards the explosion and narrowed his eyes.

"Not again..." he whispered. "It is becoming worse and worse each day..."

"Sensei Kizuma, what is it?" Kane asked. "What do you see?"

"It is nothing we can assist with, Kane." Kizuma replied, turning and walking back towards the dojo. "Come."

"But, Sensei Kizuma, there may be people who need-"

"DON'T argue with me, Kane." Kizuma said, his voice taking on a commanding, almost angry tone. "I am the Sensei and you are the pupil. Do as I say and return to the dojo. Those people can defend themselves just fine. Trust me."

Kane frowned, but he obeyed.

"As you wish, Sensei Kizuma..." he replied, following his Sensei inside.

****************************

Next.

[Drusilla]

Drusie is sorry! Life is, as always, in turmoil... for me to think it might be otherwise is just self delusion! But, anyway...


Name: Vivian Fay
Age: 20
Sex: Yarsh! Uhm, female!
Faction: Mother Gia, fire witch

Spirit: Valkyrie
Manifestation: Transformation
Spirit’s Personality: Somewhat a zealot for the Goddess, especially Frejya, Vivian's matron, she often has a one-track mind; once she has a goal in sight, nothing will stand in her way. She is mostly action, and has little to no patience for small-talk or even, on occasion, details. She believes in Destiny, and that everything will happen as it is supposed to be.
Spirit’s Description: Drusie is feeling lazy.... This with deep red hair. And, ya know... more clothes.... <_<;;
Main Powers: Again, Drusie is lazy, and will elaborate if Sir Mew Master so wishes... Since she (Vivian) is a witch first, Valkyrie has advanced sword-fighting techniques (woe on he who calls it 'swordsmanship'), and pyrokinesis. Vivian/Valkyrie doesn't train to fight as much as she trains to understand and become one with the spirit world.

Description: Vivian is about five foot seven, average weight, with silver-rimmed glasses (which she is known to fiddle with habitually), bright cat-green eyes, and fair complexion. Her hair is currently black on top, and deep red underneath in back. Faded freckles can be seen over her cheeks, nose, and shoulders, though it's apparent that it's been some time since she spent any real time in the sun (at least, without sunscreen; mustn't forget it!). Her ears are pierced twice on the left, three times on the right, and she has her left eyebrow pierced. Her right arm has a vine tattoo winding around from her wrist all the way to her shoulder. Her back is a mass of symbols, script in other languages, and pictures that make no sense at first, or second, glance. One could spend hours going over the designs there and still find something new.
Personality: Vivian goes through life to her own beat, as if she's listening to music that only she can hear, and her actions are a dance to it. She's a free spirit, and isn't afraid to make her mind known to those around her. She's quirky, passionate, bold, die-hard, and loves every minute of it. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone more alive than she is. She lives to experience life to the fullest extent, and gods forbid that you try to persuade her otherwise. She's a source of comfort, joy, and healing to her friends, and she has many of those.
History: Nothing out of the ordinary; family with three pets (cats, of course), two kids (Vivian has a younger brother), grew up in suburbia. Her parents don't understand her religious/spiritual shift from Christianity, and continuously try to coax her back to it. She either ignores this or laughs it off, going along on her own path. Like Valkyrie, she believes in Destiny, and feels she has her own path to walk, apart from others.
Other: No romantic ties with this one, as most men find Vivian's inner strength to be intimidating as hell. Sometimes she feels lonely, but she has her cats to keep her company at night. She wants to find someone, but she will settle for nothing less that someone to accepts her just as she is.
She's also a DJ at a local alterna-goth club, a known adviser for alternative spiritualists, and has doors open for all (not literally, of course, yikes!). To the conflict between the other factions, she will help all, as long as they don't intend harm to her or others.


Vivian Fay
It looks like something from far away
Inside the image grows and makes the shadow fade

Light filtered through the dark blue curtains that, for the most part, hid the windows of my bedroom from view. I rolled over to look at the alarm clock; nearly one in the afternoon. That meant I'd had about four, maybe five hours of sleep. Not quite enough for the hours that I was working. I laid back on my pillows and sighed; it was going to be another one of those days. At least it wasn't Friday yet, as Friday nights were not the best time for a club DJ to be sleep deprived. Been there, done that, didn't want the t-shirt.

Paws scratched lightly at the bedroom door just as I dozed off again, jolting me awake. Damned cats... Gods forbid that they go a few hours without being fed and petted. Sighing, I rolled out from under the blankets and stumbled to the door, where I was greeted by my furry little charges. Or furry little pains in the ass, you take your pick. Nearly tripping over each other in glee, they fled to the food bowl, where three pairs of eyes watched me, expectantly. Giving up on any further sleep for the day, I fed them, retrieved a sherbet and spoon from the kitchen, and plopped myself down on the couch before the TV.

"...witnesses available for comment all had a story of their own, each more outrageous than the one before. At the time, no one seems to really understand what could have turned a peaceful afternoon into a dark day of turmoil...

Witnesses? Turmoil? What the hells was going on now...? The camera showed a scene of a shop of some kind, literally torn to bits of rubble, with emergency crews rushing back and forth. The reporter when on into speculations, mostly centering around a possible gas leak, though something told me otherwise. Gas leak, my ass... in such a crowded section of town, someone would have smelled it before something could happen on this grand of a scale. No, there was something more sinister at work.

A face flashed in my mind's eye, that strange visitor from last week, the one who had been trying to get me to join some group. I'd treated him like I treated the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons; Sorry, MY Goddess says that YOU are going to Hell. Which, by the way, I don't believe in. Eventually, he'd given up on banging on the door, only as I was picking up the phone to call the police. I didn't like people trying to "convert" me to anything, and only mildly tolerated it from my parents. A stranger showing up at my home was going to get my foot up their ass. He, nor any colleagues of his, had returned to harass me yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had been having a go at others.

Others like me. I was aware that I was unusual, but not in the least unique. While I'd like to speak with someone else with similar... talents... I wasn't about to join some single-minded, brainwashed moron for the chance. As we are each our own person, so we should each trod our own paths. Sometimes paths converge, but never are they the same. To think otherwise would be foolish. I liked my path, thank you very much. Not interested.

Still... looking at the destruction on my tiny TV, I wondered. Just who were these people? Who else out there has the ability to connect with their inner being? What the hell was going on, and where would I fit in?

My thoughts were cut short by a pounding on the door. I jumped slightly, looking around for a pair of pants to put on so I could answer. "Just a minute!" I yelled, dashing into my bedroom.

I grabbed the first thing I found, a floor-length black skirt, and buttoned it up, pulling my tank top over it at the waist. My hair was a mess, there was still black makeup smeared around my eyes, and I generally looked like shit, but there was nothing to be done.

I opened the door, blinking from the bright light outside. "Can I help you...?"


Who is it? Government officials? Someone seeking aid? Another Singular Unity drone? Hmmm... You tell me, ehehe...

[Green Lanturn]

I didnt forget, here I am!

Name: Verde Moss
Age: 19
Sex: Female
Faction: Singular Unity
Description: Verde is a rather unique character. Standing at 6 ft,she is fairly tall. She has dazzling green eyes that accompany the green streaks she placed in her brown hair. She has plenty of freckles, and always can be seen wearing green lipstick, green nailpolish and a green sleeveless top. Brown bellbottoms and green sandals complete her ensemble. She wears a silver bracelet on each arm, the left in the resemblence of a string of flowers, the right in resemblence of a string of thorns.
Personality: Verde is one of the quietest people around, always keeping to herself and her love in life, flora. Being a passionate gardener, Verde has a habit of bringing dead plots back to vibrant green life.
History: Verde has a fairly unremarkable past. She was born and grew up on a farm, herself attending to the crops and flowers. She even developed a small business of selling flowers in the nearby town. It always seemed as though there was nothing she couldnt bring back to life. One day, she was approached suspiciously by several uniformed figures who "tested" her abilities. They attacked her and in an effort to save herself while cowering, the attackers were stopped by a large collection of thorny vines. Looking out to see what happened, Verde noticed that she was surrounded in a green aura, and that the aura surrounding her right arm was glowing. The agents had seen what they wanted, so after they ceased their attacks and the thorns had recessed, they spoke to Verde about her gift and brought her to the organization, where she now works with them to weed out those with dual natures.
Other: none


Spirit: Florae
Manifestation: Aura
Spirit’s Personality: With her love of plant-life, all of her manifestations involve plants, mostly in a healing and defensive light, but if highly provoked, will prick you...
Spirit’s Description: With the outline of the green aura, Verde's powers focus from her arms, as the bracelets suggest. While the left hand has flowers for one purpose, the right side has thorns for another. You can tell which she is going to use depending on the aura, which will begin to radiate highly from the side about to be put to use.
Main Powers:
Flora-shield: Using the protective left-side, all plant life is summoned to impede whatever might be attacking Verde.
Herbal Healing: Using both left and right together, Verde can actually heal through a combination of protecting flora and the thorns, which work to seal the wound.
Thorns: Using the right side, Verde can use any plant life as a weapon.



~~@Verde@~~

It started to seem routine. Gathering information on the..."abominations"...was becoming simple. Nobody ever expected that the tall, skinny girl in green was ever actually WATCHING them.

She rarely ever did any of the fighting herself either, she was always the quiet bystander....innocent, or so it seemed. The fight was always engaged, and she'd walk off, a lot of the time protected. But what did she care? The abomination would be beat down, and she helped, but that was part of her job.

It had been another sunny afternoon. They found her where she normally was, in the garden. Sitting in a tree and humming to herself, watching the sky....they gave her her next assingment.

His name...Drako. This one had caused problems before, but her mission was, once again, routine.

She had found him and watched him. She had watched as the hotheaded member of her group provoked him....and of course, Verde left, as she always does.

But something went wrong apparently.

Sitting in a cafe and glancing at her own computer....HE walked in...Drako.

"Shit"...she thought. "It's not MY place to provoke HIM myself."

She didnt have to...for SHE was back. Verde looked around...there were others there, but she knew it wouldnt matter.

"Should I stick around for this just in case?"

And then the fight began. "Of course...her style". The ceieling was collapsing...it was a ruckus.

And then she was surrounded with a red orb....how convenient. She didnt have to show her powers after all...YET.

The orb disappeared, and she heard HIM yell "GO!"

She considered this, as this was her usual response.....but this was getting interesting, as HE flared up with flames around him.

Perhaps she MIGHT just stick around and watch this after all....screw her superiors...

~GL

[Mew Master]

Drako Ralen

Thursday, Mid-day
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The fire burst forth from nothing, surrounding Drako in a cyclone of flame. The heat was intense and sent humans scurrying and flames burst forth that melted the concrete and rubble surrounding the area.

Spreading out, the fire fizzed out into embers. Standing there was… humanoid. Large wings sprouted out from his back. Shredding through his pants was a long tail ending in a chache of spikes. His fingers had sharp hooked claws for nails. Each arm had spines jutting from the bone, piercing through the skin. What he had worn was now torn and burnt off, leaving his pair of jeans with the lower hem shredded for his digigrade legs. Curved horns grew back through his hair and his ears were elongated.

Drako looked at the woman and her manifested soul with golden-hued reptilian eyes.

“Heh,” he said, a growl behind every word. “I hate it when I have to destroy my own clothes to save my skin.” His voice was slightly deeper, like someone else was talking through his fanged teeth.

“You are an abomination!”

“Abomination?” He replied, crossing his arms. “I live. I breathe. I feel. I am an individual. Just like you,” he pointed with a clawed hand. “I’m a rarity above even your kind.”

“Cease this chatter!” she shouted. The manifestation raised a golden rodded arm. “And Enjoy your time in hell!”

The arm slammed down, crushing rubble and concrete. Dust and debris flew into the air. The woman smiled as she admired her work, the Dual Nature killed, finally.

“So much anger, from such a weakling.”

She turned around and looked up. Sitting on part of her soul’s arm was Drako, his clawed hand tapping on the rods that made up the outermost arm.

“Silver Barrage!”

The angelic mecha soul stood up, causing more rubble to fall from the surrounding building. Panels across the chest area slid open and orbs of pure silver hued energy formed from within the soul itself. They burst forth, in a continual volley, surrounding the transformed Drako in a barrage of energy blasts. The soul was damaged, true, but it was minimal as smoke rose from the attack point.

“Miiiiiiissed meeee!” Drako sang as his wings kept him afloat in the air.

“You damned abomination!” the girl shouted. “DIE!”

Sirens sounded off down the street as police and fire trucks howled to the scene. The fight between the Singular Unity and Dual Nature dwarfed the concerns of mortal men. Survivors were running away, except for one woman who stayed and watched. Drako turned to the police gathering, their lights flashing blue and red through the dust.

Too many people here for a full burst. I could just reduce everything to ashes… but what would that make me then… he thought.

The dragon humanoid turned towards motion off to his side. The woman’s angelic soul shot at him with the Silver Barrage once more, making a direct hit. Drako flew back, flipping backwards from the blast. His body hit, square back into the side of the ruined upper story, concrete cracked from his impact. The soul raised one of it’s rod supported arms and thrust forward.

Drako flexed his wing and back muscles, dislodging him from the concrete before the angelic fist slammed into it. He dropped down, folding his wings closer to his body allowing himself to drop fast. Flexing his legs, he lessened the force of the fall, but also gave them enough energy to spring him forward, his clawed reptilian feet gripping the rubble and giving him enough friction to propel him onward.

The other fist was thrown at him, and he disappeared in a cloud of dust and flame. The girl smiled, but then stared in shock as fire swirled around her soul’s arm and reformed into Drako’s dragon-hybrid form, his momentum not reduced.

He pulled back a clawed hand, open wide, rage in his eyes and teeth bared. The girl stepped back, surprise and fear across her face as his arm thrust forward.

Such a blow would have killed someone, if Drako hadn’t closed his hand into a fist at the last second. The attack wasn’t meant to kill her, he didn’t want that. What it did accomplish was deliver enough force to knock the wind out of her, knocking her out cold. The woman’s limp body dropped down, and he held her gently by the clothing around her torso. Her soul vanished, no longer maintained by her unconscious mind.

“Freeze!”

The police were lined up behind their cars, guns drawn on him and her. They were a good 30 feet away, close enough they could aim for vital areas.

“Shit,” he muttered, changing his stance and facing them with the girl in his hand.

The shots rang out, echoing through the towers of glass and steel. Drako’s head hurt as his energy barrier was thrown up to protect himself and the Singular Unity who had just tried to kill him. If this continued, his mental fortitude for the shield would break, he’d be gunned down, or worse. The military might get involved, if they weren’t on the way already.

Leaping, he burst out of his shield and dashed across the rubble where a small dome had been erected around his personal effects. The dome dissipated as he got close. Grabbing his items with his other hand, he spun around, wrapping his wings around himself and the woman before flames surrounded him. Bullets flew into the flames and ricocheted off of the rubble even as the flames danced away, leaving nothing there.

* * *

Drako was still in his transformed state, sitting on top of a building’s water tower. He rested with one leg perched up by the seat, while his other dangled below him. His chin was in his hand, resting on his knee. The personal effects, his computer, art stuffs, and extra clothes were sitting in their bags slightly behind him. Sitting there, he watched as the sun’s rays cast golden red across the horizon.

He hadn’t harmed the woman other than knocking the wind out of her after he used the flames to teleport away from the scene. What he DID do was tie her up using metal piping from one of the roof-tops to keep her restrained until she regained consciousness. The military would get here, but Drako didn’t want them to get her any more than he didn’t want to get caught himself. If they were moving in, he wanted to be as far away as possible, so he took her with him, if only for a bit.

Drako sighed. So much beauty in the world, so much to love, to protect, to destroy. With Kíashkiklah’s influence being drawn upon, Drako could feel his self-restraint lessen. He wanted to indulge in all sorts of pleasures and activities that he denied himself. Keiryuujin, the other Soul within him, was always there, keeping the Dragon of Blood in check.

He would have to change back at somepoint, the strain of manifesting the Dragon of Fire through his own body would catch up. Since he wasn’t fighting with anyone at the moment, he kept the form until the sun, watching the city light up under the night sky.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Dragon of Blood is manifested through Drako’s own will. The Singular Unity is alive, but weakened, and who ever followed him (if anyone) may find an opportune time to question his dual nature.

[Mystic_clown]

Name: Dr. Angelo Lazard
Age: 26
Sex: Male
Faction: Government
Spirit: n/a
Manifestation: n/a
Spirit’s Personality: n/a
Spirit’s Description: n/a
Main Powers: n/a
Description: Standing at 5’5’’ with a lean build and a slightly pale complexion. He has dirty blonde hair which is mostly tied back, though has a couple of bangs falling past his chin. He has hazel eyes which can be surprisingly cold.

For clothing, he normally dresses in a formal manner. A pale blue, buttoned up undershirt, mahogany pants and a pair of black, Italian shoes. When at work, he wears a white lab coat and white gloves. Every other time, he’s seen wearing a royal blue overcoat. A pair of rectangular glasses sit on his face.
Personality: Cold, almost ruthless in his methods. He rarely shows any mercy to anyone, though there is the odd occasion that his old self shines through. He has an eye for detail, noticing things many others do not. Efficiant and calculating, he always tries to stay one step ahead of his foes. However, underneath this cold and cruel visage lies a gentle man in pain.
History: The chief scientist behind the governments study into Soul Wielders. Angelo wasn’t always the cruel man the soul community came to fear. He was once a kinder, gentler man, who felt guilty about experimenting on his fellow man. He tried more humane methods of testing, and tried to limit the amount of pain they experienced.

However, that all went downhill when a test subject managed to escape. A few days later, his beloved wife, Maria, turned up dead in the park, murdered in a brutal fashion. There was no doubt in his mind who caused it.

The one that came to be known by the government as Kel the Wicked.

Angelo’s personality took a change for the worst. He became more cold, more uncaring about his subjects. While he once treated them as fellow humans, he know treated them as if they were something else entirely. Although he tried to keep his subjects alive, who barely seemed to care if they died or not.

However, the main focus of his cold, and uncaring nature is the one thing he despises most, Kel. As he rages this private war against him, he sees him as nothing more than a psychotic lunatic, a rabid dog that needs to be put down.

Yet, deep within the cold Angelo, the man he once was still lives.
Other: If there’s one man he hates more than anything, it’s Kel.

Dr. Angelo Lazard
---------------------------------------

“Again?” Angelo growled in frustration. The scientist standing before him nodded nervously.

“I’m sorry sir,” he said, “Security swears he was alone for at the most two minutes while they switched shifts. They don’t know how he could have gotten hold of that cording sir.”

Angelo growled. Another test subject dead. This one apparently got hold of a length of cording and managed to hang himself when the guards weren’t looking.

“Dammit!” He hissed, slamming his fist into the wall, “Why is it that every test subject either dies from the experiments, or gets killed trying to escape? Just once I’d like a subject to stay ALIVE until we can get some decent information!”

“Sir!” Angelo and the scientist turned to see a security guard run up to them.

“What is it?” the chief scientist muttered.

“You may want to take a look at this sir.”

Angelo and the scientist followed the security guard to the security staff room. A news report was showing on the small television set.

“Police reports that one of the two responsible for this destruction resembled a humanoid dragon, while witnesses stated that the second, a woman, resembled an angel. Police are unsure who, or what they are, or how this chaos started. Witnesses claim the woman was the first to attack. Police are on the lookout for these individuals and the public is advised to take extreme caution.”

Behind the woman, Angelo could see the ruined remains of what appeared to be a café of sorts.

“Again, if you see any of these individuals, please exercise extreme caution.”

A couple of images appeared on the screen, clearly artist’s depictions of the two involved.

“Soul Wielders,” Angelo murmured to himself before turning to the other two.

“You,” he pointed to the scientist, “Call the police and inform them that we want them captured alive. And you,” he turned to the security guard, “Round up the team and get moving. I want those two found and brought to me immediately!”

[Drusilla]

Vivian Fay
Stay away from the lady night
Don't you mess with the devil's bride

"Yes, sir, I understand your concern, but I... Yes, I assure you, I know how serious the situation is, but I stand firm in my beliefs. Goddess made us each the way She planned, so I don't think that they are abominations... Yes, I'm sure that someone had to start the conflict today, but you can't be sure it was the Dual... If I learn something that I feel you should know, I will pass it on, you can be sure. Yes. Goodbye."

I hung up the phone and groaned. I really didn't want to be caught in the middle of this anymore. The "Singular" faction had been pressing me hard for some time now to join them in their little crusade, but I didn't agree with their views. No matter how they pleaded, threatened, or bribed, I would not join them, now or ever, for I served Goddess.

I glanced at the time. Nearly six o'clock. I stood, stretched, and wondered at the question of the day: What would I wear to work tonight? I'd all ready set aside my new pair of boots (black PVC with four inch platform in front, seven inch in back, with big silver buckles up the outer side of each all the way up to my knees!), but what to wear with? I ended up selecting a pair of black shorts to wear over black and red striped stockings that matched my three-quarter length arm warmers. I threw on a random black tank top, put my hair up in big, poofy handlebars, applied my makeup, added a black leather collar and a black hairband... and deemed myself ready to go.

Being Thursday, it would probably be a small-ish turnout, maybe a couple hundred people, but that never bothered me. Saturday was my big night, and people were usually turned away at the door before midnight because of the crowds. I never let the turnout effect my performance, though; every night got my best. I loved what I did, which made me incredibly lucky in comparison to the masses...

I locked my apartment door and turned towards the stairs just as someone dropped down from the overhang. Startled, I kicked out, landing solidly in their side. Now, I might not be any stronger than the next woman, but the platforms on my boots had to weigh several pounds each... The person, apparently male, was thrown into the wall with an 'Ooof!' as the air rushed out of his lungs. It seemed my appearance startled him as much as his did me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, playing around out here after dark?!" I yelled at him as he recovered his breath. He glared at me.

There was something about him, though... Something that felt familiar...

I tilted my head to the side, looking at him. "Do I know you?"


Sorry, Denny, I'm having problems with Drako's personality... Tag?

[Mew Master]

Drako Ralen

Thursday, Mid-day
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun was setting, and Drako finally let himself revert back to his “normal” appearance. With his shirt destroyed and in tatters, the bottom hem of his pants was in tattered, well, it was supposed to be, it was his favorite pair of pants. Carefully, he packed his stuff, grabbing an extra shirt and putting it on, he added some extra packaging to his labtop, protecting it from what he was about to do.

Channeling the force of fire, Drako could feel his body become full of energy and vitality. His senses sharpened, and he could hear people talking on the street below. Grinning, Drako scrambled down.

If anyone saw him, they might mistake him for a street athlete. His hands grabbed ledges, railing, and bricks, with his feet gaining some placement. Twisting his body, Drako managed to flip onto an outside ledge that had doors facing it, part of an apartment complex he thought.

Dropping down, the young man managed to stick the landing. That was expected. What wasn’t expected was a 2-pound foot connecting with his side and kicking him to the wall, causing his computer case and small backpack to go sliding.

“Oof!” he commented as the wind was knocked out of him before he hit the wall.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, playing after dark?!” came the voice of a mad and annoyed young woman.

Drako’s first instinct was to glare at someone, whoever kicked him. While he did have to admit that one kick did a number on his ribcage. Through his glare and pain as he regained his breath he commented, “Ow…. Nice kick.”

He looked up at whoever had kicked him, and didn’t know whether to be attracted or afraid.

Standing above him, looking through silver-rimed glasses with bright green eyes was a young woman. Her hair was a stark transition between raven black on the top of her head, down to red at the ends, which was in a handle-bar style, sticking out the top of her head like curved horns. The skin was pale, with some freckles dotting her cheeks. The shirt was black, and hung towards her torso a bit, it almost melded with her short skirt. The whole outfit went down to red and black stripped stockings, which matched the cloth covering her forearms, and the knee-high boots with metal buckles and four inch high platforms for soles.

Drako gave her the entire once over, top to bottom, trying to make sense of who was standing over him, and who had apparently kicked him. His eyes went back up to hers and stared into the bright green eyes behind the glasses. Something was there… he could feel it. An attraction of sorts, he wasn’t sure. She had the same confused look in her eyes as she tilted her head at him.

“Do I know you?”

Wow, Drako thought looking at her. She’s cute.

“Uhhh,” he started. “Never met you, buuuuut,” he pushed himself up from the wall, breathing in an bringing some air into his lungs. “Doesn’t mean we can’t know each other now does it?” He popped his neck a bit, trying to get some feeling back into his body.

The Blaze Body left him hungry, so he needed food, and he really didn’t want to start munching on her or the railing. So Drako kept himself under control for the moment.

“I’m Drako,” he said offering his hand and rubbing the back of his head.

The girl blinked at him for a few seconds. Confusion, shock, or bewilderment, Drako couldn’t tell. However it was reassuring when she grabbed his hand and gave it a good firm grab.

“Vivian,” she replied. Her eyes darted to the watch on her wrist. “I don’t mean to be rude, but, I’m going to be late to work if I don’t get going.

Drako was just going to leave it at that, however the sound of his stomach growling loudly on the ledge broke off his comment.

“Uhhh,” he said, looking drained “Don’t suppose you know of a good place to grab lots of food at cheap prices?”

Vivian looked a little surprised. “Well, there’s a nice hole-in-the-wall Chinese place across the street from where I work...” Her eyes seemed to consider something before continuing with the statement. “I’ll… give you a lift.”

“A lift?!” Drako perked up, quickly grabbing his computer case and backpack. “Don’t mean to be a mooch, but I’ve got is on my back and my only transportation is my feet.” He smiled at her. It was rare to find some good people in the world who would offer to help without asking for anything in return. He followed Vivian as she walked down the stairs towards the ground level, turning towards a small indoor garage.

He was surprised as she walked up to a silver tinted car. The label said it was a Corolla and it looked new, or at least in the last few years. A whistle escaped his lips.

“What?’ Vivian asked.

“Eh? Oh nothing, just never been inside something like this.”

“Or you think I wouldn’t have a car like this?”

“I never said that!” he said in his defense. Honestly he had never been in a car like this, and it was much better than what he had driven… before his Souls awakened.

He got in, careful to keep his stuff close to him and not leave it in her car. Vivian was a good driver, well, for Drako he always buckled up and held onto something when someone else was driving, and living in a city was something he wasn’t used to. That and the radio instantly blared a deep bass sound that made his chest vibrate the moment the car turned on.

“So uh,” he said, trying to make small talk so that the music wouldn’t knock the wind out of him like her kick earlier. “Where do you work?”

“I’m a disk-jockey,” she replied, swerving the car into another lane before coming to a smooth stop.

“Heh,” he replied. “Cool.” And his hand grabbed onto the passenger handle for the door as Vivian once again moved through traffic. There was an odd way how she seemed to move around the traffic as if she was trying to move with music only she could hear, and no one else was paying attention.

She pulled into the parking lot of a large building that already had a lot of people in line for the place. As Drako got out, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and looked up to a large neon sign that read the name of the place.

“This is where you work?” he asked, looking up at it.

“Yes it is,” she said with a bit of a smile behind her response. “Wanna see?”

“Uuuh,” Drako thought. He looked across the street to the Chinese place she mentioned and back at the club where she claimed to work. Hell, you only get to live once. “They have food?”

“Some… but it’s not that cheap.”

“I’ll manage,” he replied with a smile.

Vivian lead the way, going past the line of people being checked before entering the building. She took them both to a side door with a large man at the entrance. He was wearing a black shirt with the word “STAFF” across the chest.

“Vivian,” he said with a gruff voice that matched the exterior. “You’re on in five. Who’s the guy?”

“This is..” she looked back at Drako, and he could see the gears turning in her mind. “My apprentice.”

“Manager never said anything about an apprentice.”

“Well the manager isn’t in charge of who I choose to take on as my pupil, now is he?”

“No…”

“Good,” she said. “Come on Drako.”

“Eheh,” he said smiling and waving at the bouncer before slipping behind Vivian. He followed her, not putting his stuff down until Vivian stopped and went through a single door that had “Employees Only” stuck to the door in yellow and black stripes. She opened the door and motioned for Drako to follow.

There, the Dual Nature stood inside an actual Disk-Jockey’s work station. CDs, Records, electric reverberations, a turn-table, and a lot of switches and equipment that had just as many cords littering the floor.

“Whoa,” he said. “You know how this all works?”

“Of course,” Vivian replied, grabbing some head-phones and an extra pair. “Here, have to make it look like you are learning something.”

“Right,” he said taking the headphones and listened to her as Vivian prepared for her night.

* * *

The first few hours passed by, and Drako could still feel the hunger pains from earlier demanding to be satisfied. He had contemplated gnawing on the cords on the floor but decided against it because of getting sick and electrocuted didn’t sound like a good idea.

“Um,” he said to Vivian, having to yell slightly so that she could hear him over the beats. “You said they had food here?”

“Huh?” she replied, too into the song manipulation to really notice. “Oh yeah. It’s down there in the back corner. Just tell them your with me and they should give you a good price.” Her hand pointed towards a bar-looking area in the back. There were some people there. Drako perked up and dashed out of the DJ room and followed the wall towards the food.

Vivian was right about it though, they did give him a decent deal. If it did cost him half of his current money to get enough food to fill him. Drako’s hands and mouth made short order of the food, getting some odd looks from the people near him. He wasn’t messy, but he did inhale the food, thankful at least.

He sat there for a bit. Looking out at the rest of the club, he saw those on the dance floor moving with the music that Vivian was playing. What caught his attention was a small circle forming that had individuals go in, do some dance moves before sliding back into the mob of people. Drako’s foot tapped and his head bobbed with the beat.

Something was making him impulsive. Well he knew what it was. Kíashkiklah, he thought. You really want me to try and dance, when I have no rhythm or sense of timing? There was something else too. Drako looked up at Vivian. He could almost sense the raw flame coming from her as she manipulated the music and got people dancing. Like the first fire drawing out the intelligence of the first humans.

“Heh,” he muttered to himself. “Why not?” With that, he hopped off the stool and waded to the dance floor.

Drako was never one for dancing. Even the act made himself a bit unstable and he couldn’t predict the music like others did. Of course they probably heard the song several times and knew the notes and beats better than he did. But right now, he just went with it. Experimenting was something that brought out the part of Kíashkiklah that the Dragon of Blood could actually express. Keiryuujin didn’t suppress the feeling, but he did keep Drako in moderation.

Most of the time.

The Dual Nature jumped into the circle of people after the last one stepped out. The metal on his pants clinked against the floor as his feet slid, stepped, tapped, moved his hips, body and arms. Drako’s movements looked akward at first, but then after a few turns and twists he started to find the rhythm. His motions turned into expressions of circles and circular motions, feeling the beats and tempo better now. He could tell Keiryuujin was taking control, or at least guiding his movements, and Drako was glad.

He moved with the song, grabbing the attention of the people bobbing their heads with the beat, they weren’t complaining, and some of them started cheering for him. Two girls even stepped forward as the circle widened giving them all room. More people clapped with the beat and Drako smiled. It was fun… he just wasn’t very good at it.

As the last note played, he threw himself backwards. Tucking his leg back, he went into a back-roll along the floor before the momentum brought him back to his feet, with a small jump a few inches into the air and landing on his feet. The crowd clapped and Drako caught his breath before bowing and shouting to them all.

“Thank you! Goodnight!”

Quickly he ran back up to the booth where Vivian was still working the controls. He put on his headphones and hoped she wouldn’t be upset that he stepped out to let Kíashkiklah have a little fun.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

….

Okay I got nuthin… *slaps someone* TAG!

[Drusilla]

Vivian Fay
Step lightly over me
Watch the hollow in the ground
This space left blank for you
Next to where they lay me down

I changed the volume levels, letting the last song fade away into silence, rather than the next song. The masses on the dancefloor came to a standstill, knowing that something big was coming. My people knew me well.

"Now, watch the master work," I grinned wolfishly at Drako, fresh from his excursion onto the floor. I half wished that I could have been out there myself, Skinny Puppy being one of my favorites to dance to.

I began the new track and raised the volume, so that the sound of running water filled the building's speaker system. Someone on the floor yelled, "FUCK YEAH!", and chaos broke out as "Water To The Dead" by Ego Likeness ripped through the bodies below. It wasn't one that I played often, only because I loved the song so much that I wanted it to be special, and it was.

I danced along as I prepared the next track, graceful moves that I'd learned from bellydance mixed with my own personal style. I was only vaguely aware of Drako watching me, the knowledge pushed to the back of my mind by the need to become one with the music. I flipped a switch here, lowered a level there... Soon, light was seen emitting from my fingertips, as was usual when I got caught up with the atmosphere. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but tonight, I wasn't alone...

"Uhhhh... Is that... friction burn...?" Drako asked, sounding slightly hopeful that this was, indeed, what was happening.

Startled, my eyes flew open, and I blushed, furious with myself for the lack of self control. "Wha... what are you talking about?" I stammered as I turned back to my work.

"Your fingers. They were... on fire..."

"Just a trick of the light, I'm sure..." I mumbled. Damn fool, damn fool! With the government on the lookout, the last thing you need is to go attracting more attention to yourself...

[Mew Master]

Drako Ralen

Thursday, Night
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Drako stood there, watching as Vivian decided to show him up one. After his little “performance” that had gotten the club excited, he found that she was doing a better job than he could. Which was fine. Too much attention was a bad thing for him.

He watched her as the sound of rushing water sent shockwaves through his chest and the headphones only deadened the beat from giving a head-ache. Vivian’s body moved in pace with the music, arching and flipping switches in perfect harmony. The movements were a little… enticing, and Drako could feel his heart pick up pace and some blood rush to his face while watching her move with the music. In her outfit and the motions someone watching could find it sensual and attractive.

There was something else though. And Drako could sense it.

Hell, he could see it.

As Vivian moved with the music, running her fingers along the dials and levels, the tips of her fingers started to glow. Drako’s eyes widened as her fingers traced short archs that dissipated like smoke on the air made from her movements. A pulse from inside him, a flaming connection. He could tell Kíashkiklah was interested in this woman, and Keiryuujin was holding the Dragon of Fire back.

It’s…. fire? He was sure… but how could he point it out without getting barbequed, or thrown out.

“Uuuhhh…” he started. “Is that…” quickly his mind went to the first logical thing he could think of. “Friction burn?”

Her eyes flew open with shock and surprise. Drako could see blood rushing to her face as she seemed to stumble a bit.

“Wha… what are you talking about?” Her reaction was one of surprise.

He pointed at her. “Your fingers. They were… on fire…”

“Just a trick of the light I’m sure…” she mumbled a reply.

Trick of the light my ass, he thought. Is she… Singular Unity? No. They would have found me again if that was the case and I’d be out of here by now. New soul? No… she seemed to know what was going on, and enjoying it.

“If that was a trick of the light,” he said, concentrating slightly. Light particles from outside the booth started collecting next to him. The reflective properties of light gave him some control over what he could or could not form with the Illusion ability from Keiryuujin. Just as Kíashkiklah had slight control, Keiryuujin had wrestled it back. The light collected and conformed into an exact copy of Vivian. It was far enough back in the DJ booth that the people on the floor couldn’t see it, and neither could anyone coming from the door out of the booth.

“Then this defiantly qualifies,” said the image, which looked and spoke exactly like Vivian herself, down to the headphones on her head.

Vivian glanced back and seemed shocked to see herself, standing next to Drako, and even spoke.

“H-how?”

“Like you said,” Drako said before waving his hand and the light particles broke apart from the image and floated down to the floor, blinking out on contact with the cables, cords, and floor. “A trick of the light. We need to talk....” A slight smile was across his lips. There was no malice, no smugness, no inclination of any kind of aggression. Just a nice, calm smile as he stood there, looking at her, in the back of the DJ booth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Taggies! *hits someone with a chair*

[Crystal Tears]

I have a diff character...

Name: Milla
Age: 26
Sex: Female
Faction: Neutral
Spirit: Senka
Manifestation: Possession
Spirit’s Personality: Identical to Milla’s in all ways except that cold persona has changed to not distant one’s self from others, but to see them in pain. Senka values no life save for her own and Milla’s (as consequently, if Milla dies Senka is royally screwed). Senka will talk more than her host, choosing to put people in a position to die easy and then laugh at their misfortune. She is not easily angered, something that is shared by her host, which furthers her malicious intent. Senka it seems just wants to see the world burn.
Spirit’s Description: Most of the time Senka looks like Milla, in the form of possession. This makes her incredibly hard to tell apart from Milla and would explain why the woman can hide Senka so easily.
Main Powers:
Telekinesis: A powerful trait that Milla can use when Senka is not summoned, however, when Senka takes over the power is enhanced and becomes much more lethal.
Persuasion: She can manipulate someone’s mind to do whatever she asks, however, it only works on the weak-minded. The more drastic the command, the more likely said victim is to resist it.
Invisibility: Simple, host and spirit become invisible.
Superhuman: Senka can invoke super human reflexes, speed, and strength.
Description: Milla has light brown hair that has been dyed an orange-blond colour, though the roots are showing. She stands at 5’10’’ with an athletic build. She’s usually wearing a faded tan fishnet tank top with a visible black bra underneath. With that she has black cargo pants and black boots.
Personality: Quiet, mysterious, and rather cold. Milla doesn’t seem interested at all with people; her answers are short and to the point. She is constantly calculating the odds and the chances of a mishap occurring; she will not show emotion or kindness towards a person at all. She seems to have no soft interior; her entire heart and mind seem cold and shut off from the world. Many have claimed she was born with a conscious.
History: Milla, for all intensive purposes, had a rather normal childhood. People suspect she kept her power a secret and when the time was right, revealed it.
Other: Milla is an assassin for hire, only working for the highest bidder. For this she, unlike more spirited people, is not hunted by the government, in fact she often is employed by them.

* * *

A grand hall, something to be appreciated close up, with lights, a wonderful band and of course, a singer who could hit every note required of her. The scene itself was enough to lit up most of the main street and made the entire ball impossible to miss. Guards were posted at the doors, most balconies, and no doubt they had someone watching from another building. It was a function that was to unite both the spirited and the normal people, or so said the invitation. Some people had a problem with this, mostly the government, who wished for the benefit of all people. Strange some would say, but it didn't matter, no enemy had infiltrated the party, no one was to storm in, guns a blazing.

She stood over the body of the one guard who was meant to keep watch around the building. He was on the rooftop of an apartment complex B, a tall, brick structure that easily overlooked the castle like building the ball was taking place in. He had a spirit; in fact the bloody thing had been helping him keep watch. However, both he and the beast of a thing had forgotten about the unknown. Monsters that lie in wait in shadow, eyes keen for an opening that would no doubt come. Her chance to strike was when he had yawned and the spirit turned back towards the party. Perhaps staring in wonder at the normal people and spirited getting along? Dancing together and laughing, something that was wanted but not allowed.

Or at least that was what she had been told. And so, when he yawned, her body emerged from the shadow, wobbling like heated air she had acted so fast that the guard never saw it coming. It was a small, silver knife that now sat in his throat. Her pale green eyes had watched the spirit gasp, and for second it looked as if it were going to attack. But the beast failed, falling before her with desperate eyes. Something that matched its host expression as he slowly died. When it was over, she took a long blink and reality came back into view. Dropping the case to the ground she kneeled at the edge and peered towards the dancers below.

We're not here to watch...

The voice sounded like hers, but she knew it was not. She nodded as an acknowledgement and opened the case. Inside sat the pieces for a deadly weapon, it only had four shots, but she would only need one. Easily she snapped and slipped the pieces together, giving the rifle one quick look over before inching closer to the edge and peering through the scope.

The target's name was Jacob Simpson, a lover of the spirited and wanter of piece. Close ally to all those wanting to be accepted in society, a few particular men wanted him gone. She, Milla, had accepted the job with a cold gaze but no recognition expression. Something emotion, even a hint of it was not her duty; it was to serve those who paid the highest. This usually caused anarchy, but it wasn't so bad. With a war raging she had work, no war, no work. Simple as that really, no twists or turns. Simplicity was best, even if the higher people of the world didn't agree.

He was in sight now, a perfect shot through the window. Milla took a deep breath, not hesitating a second more she pulled the trigger and felt the gun lurch. Her eyes closed for a long moment before opening again; quickly she looked over the edge and a smile spread across her lips. Lying dead on the floor was Jacob Simpson, half his head blown clear off from the weapon. The smile faded as she quickly took the thing apart and shoved it back into her case.

As simple as that... Came the voice again, and she nodded, her body disappearing from sight as she headed for the door into the apartment.

[Blue62]

(Dammit what'd I do!)

http://www.pokemasters.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=17097

Name: Corporal Gary 'Blue62' Williams
Age: 32
Sex: male
Faction: Military
Spirit: na
Manifestation: na
Spirit’s Personality: na
Spirit’s Description: na
Main Powers: na
Description: Thin, slightly built, and standing at 5' 3" Williams weighs a mere 135lbs and steadfastly refuses to conform to standard military practise. Wearing his red hair close cut, but shaggy and wears a thick bear with pride. He wears glasses over his blue eyes. On any given day, he wears a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, with an open hooded sweatshirt on cooler days. In any case, he wears a red dogtag on a silver bead chain around his neck as well as a .303 bullet casing tied to a string. His traditional hat (light blue front with medium blue back) and red and white rubber band bracelet complete the look.
Off base, he leaves the bulk of his weapons there, but prefers to carry a combat knife (7inch double sided blade) clipped to his waistline or in a sheath under the cuff of his right leg.
On foot (on base or on a tour), he slings his assault rifle (Heckler and Koch 417) over his shoulder and keeps his pistol (Colt 1911) in a cross draw holster. In his mech, he stores the rifle in the stndard locker on the right hand side.
Personality: likes to keep things loose and friendly, but has an edge when things are getting tough. Loves to joke around- usually at his own expense and frequently walks into joke merely to get a laugh. In combat he can sometimes try to take control when he shouldn't but fortunately the few times he succeeded, luck turned his way.
History: Williams was raised on a farm bordering a military firing range and grew up watching mech and mechons stomp past his house between the hangers and the range. The pilots got to know him and a few would occasionally give him a ride in the cockpit. By the time he was old enough to enlist, he knew the bulk of operating procedures and had a good understanding of how the weapons systems were intended to operate. Passing the preliminary training with flying colours he was transferred to a local division that was receiving the next generation of control systems- AI Fragment Assisted. The early AIFA systems were crude but within a year pilots had started ‘bonding' with the AI's and the program was claimed a success. War hit the country and Williams served with distinction, a rose quickly to command of the wing. When the war ended he was moved to a training school- much to his displeasure- where recruits could learn from his experience. Skirmishes on the fringe territories threatened to break into all-out war again and Williams was transferred to the front in anticipation.
Other: cracks his neck and fingers near constantly, has been seen picking up random things 'to use 'em later'

--------------------------
"Got it, Sir. Take my mech, see what the cops want." he said brightly. Still eager to please thought the captain dryly of the youngish corporal he'd assigned for 'civvie duty'. A well spoken of 'pacifist with a bloodlust' Jacob Simpson had been assassinated at the embassy. Naturally, Canadian officials were looking into it, but they'd requested an armoured unit as a runner. Why he wasn't sure but it was hardly his opinion. Watching out the window, he watched the blue trimmed 2-ton mech lock into the transport and drive off.

Muttering to himself, Gary watched the CSI guys from behind the transparisteel canopy. They'd been at it for hours and none of them had bothered asking about the tracking sensors on the mech. He already knew where the shooter had been, but they hadn't listened, insisted on using 'existing techniques'.
"Existing techniques, my bloody ass." he repeated for the hundreth time. Finally he keyed the ignition cycle. they glanced at him and shifted away slightly as the machine rose to its standing height of 13 feet and turned toward the building. Stopping in front of it, he powered down and climbed out, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. At least they'd let him out of uniform for the investigation. The cammo suits were hell to pay in the poorly air conditioned cockpit. Climbing the steps he found his own way to the roof and looked around. A body lay with its throat punctured and beside it an empty bullet casing, much like the one he wore around his neck, glinting in the in the fine gravel. Crouching beside it, he grabbed his own and blew into it until someone looked up, "Found your shooter's stakeout, guys. tokk you damn near long enough." Walking back down he paused at the bottom of the steps, and listened. Sounded like a fight. He shrugged and told himself to pass it on to the cops...they'd ask everyone in the building anyways.

[Drusilla]

*hands Blue a tuk* Welcome, eh?

Figured I'd throw these out... Freya, Val's theme, and Maiden, Mother, and Crone, Viv's theme, both by The Sword. Yes, Freya has a poor quality video, but The Sword was practically unheard of before Guitar Hero II...

Vivian Fay
Come a little closer, angel,
Let me see where I belong...

"OK, first thing's first; who the hell are you?! I've TOLD the government that I'm not interested, and the crack job 'Singular Unity' jackasses know better than to fuck with me." I snarled at him, furious for being misled. He had the balls to stand there as if there was nothing as wrong, which only drove me further into my anger.

"Wait... what?!" Calm quickly was replaced by shock. "Um... I'm with neither really..." He held his hands up, which did nothing for my blood pressure. I had to consciously unclench my fist before I cut into my hand with my own fingernails. "I wasn't trying to fuck with you, really...."

He was hiding something, though, I could tell. I didn't believe a word that had come out of his mouth, and paranoid ideas flooded my mind. They had taken my friends... was I to be next? I flipped a few switches to cue up the next song, smoothed out the transition manually, then whirled around, jabbing my finger into his chest.

"Then you'd better start talking before you're either blackened or deep fried, buddy. I work for NO ONE."

"Neither do I!" he protested, obviously flustered. "I told you the truth! I was just wandering through when I dropped down onto your balcony, then you kicked me, and well... from there you know."

I narrowed my eyes, peering into his, trying to discern the truth of his words. His aura flared to life as I opened my third sight. It shifted strangely between red and white-blue... which only confused me. However, I was not alone...

"He speaks true; you should focus on your work, however..."

I whirled around again to face my soundboards and began to fiddle with it again. I wasn't about to let it drop; he would wonder why, and I wanted more answers. "There's some attack on people in town, then you appear... I'm not buying. It's after things like this that all the little underground organizations try to get me, and I've HAD IT. I serve my Goddess, no one else." I paused momentarily, thinking. "If you're not aligned with anyone... Well, either way, why should I trust you?"

He blinked behind me, as I watched his reflection in the half-window of the booth. "Wait... what attack?"

"How could you NOT know? It blew up a half a block of downtown! It was all over the news and everything..." What kind of a man was he, that he remained unaware of such events?

His eyes flew open wide in further shock. "Waitaminute! That wasn't an attack on people... That was an attack on ME."

My head jerked up as I turned on my heel, a trick in platforms, adrenaline once more rushing through my veins. "I KNEW it! You're involved in all that shit; I'm not getting involved with you singular people! OUT!" I pointed towards the door violently.

"I'm NOT a Singular Unity!" He protested.

"PROVE IT!" I screamed back, waving security back from the glass door of the booth. Finally, they gave up and went back down the stairs to the club's main floor.

He sighed and moved back into the corner where only I could see around the equipment and shelving. "I'm a Dual Nature," he explained, seriously, as he held his hands out. Fire wrapped around his left, transforming into a western dragon, with horns, a mane of hair, massive teeth; around his right, a stream of light wrapped around his arm turning into an Eastern dragon. The two roared in challenge one another before they lunged forward at each other, sparking into nothingness.

I stared at him for several minutes, turning around to keep the music going, before looking back at him. "WHAT. THE. FUCK?!"

He sighed, a defeated look on his face, as he moved towards the door. "I guess I'll go now..." he said, grabbing his belongings.

"Wait..."

He looked back, puzzled. I sighed and continued. "So, you're... not aligned with anyone?"

Drako shook his head.

"You're not trying to get me to join with anyone? You're not going to kidnap me, like they did to my friends?"

Again, he shook his head. "No... Why would I do something like that? All I ever wanted was to be myself. People have the right to be whoever they want to be, and no one should be allowed to stand in the way of their happiness. But... the government and Singular Unities can't see it like that..." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Sorry to frustrate you Vivian... I'll get out of your hair." He opened the door. "Take care of yourself, ok?"

I turned back to the soundboard, but spoke to him. "Drako, I'm sorry. Stay... Please."

[Mew Master]

Drako Ralen

Thursday, Night
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At first, Drako didn’t know what to be more shocked about.

The fact that Vivian didn’t freak out by screaming or stuttering in confusion, or the fact that she was actually angry with him.

True, being able to do all sorts of things with light and fire wasn’t that normal for anyone. And Drako was an exceptional one at that. A Dual Nature on his toes and on the run from Government officials, Singular Unity lynch mobs, he was, well, different. However Vivian’s reaction wasn’t anything like he expected, and he was actually on the defensive for once. Not from anyone that wanted to kill him, but from someone who was more than willing.

So he told her what he was, and even summoned an illusion of his two souls, Kíashkiklah of fire, and Keiryuujin of light. Let the illusion roar and charge each other before bursting into light and fading like a firework display. Even then her reaction was still of one of confusion, and there was the tone in her voice that she was either unsure or distrusting of him. Hell, he couldn’t blame her, Maybe the replica of her was a biiiiiit much…

With Vivian’s exclamation of “WHAT THE FUCK?!” Drako took that as his cue to leave.

He had successfully, for the umpteenth time, pissed off someone he had just met, was nice enough to him to give him a lift and some company. Drako sighed inwardly, as he grabbed the studio door, taking the headphones off and placing them on a piece of equipment.

She stopped him, after he had explained to her that he wasn’t with anyone but himself, and that he just wanted everyone to be happy with who they were and what they did.

“Drako, I’m sorry. Stay… Please.”

Again, the Dual Nature was shocked. Why she hadn’t called security when she had the chance, and now she was asking him to stay.

He was silent for a bit, gathering his thoughts through his confusion and Kíashkiklah’s urges to lash out at something in the Dragon of Blood’s frustration. “You sure?” he finally said. “Two minutes ago you wanted me to leave

Vivian seemed, thoughtful about something, her demeanor changing from the red-hot fury to sorrow? Frustration? He couldn’t tell exactly.

“I believe you,” she said to him, seemingly calm. “I don’t want anything to do with the secular spirit holders, but if you believe in freedom for people like us…” she seemed to think over her next words. “Then please stay. I have vengeance heavy on my mind, and I apologize. My best friend was kidnapped by the government, or so I believe…”

Drako didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t really lost anyone close to him, other than letting his family think him dead, which was almost as bad. “They… were?” Feelings of anger and blazing justice buzzed around in his mind from both of his dragon souls, and he pushed them back, maintaining his own mind.

“Please stay,” she said looking back at him, blinking. Her eyes were glowing bright red. “I’m sorry for my distrust, but these days, you can’t be too careful…”

He looked at her. She was… not kicking him out? She wasn’t with the Singular Unity?

“Agreed,” he said, trying to come up with an explanation why he went overboard a bit on the illusion. “Which is why I had to know if you were a Soul Manifestor or not. I had to take the rist,” to which he mumbled under his breath “Damnit Kíashkiklah.” “To know for sure whether my eyes were playing tricks on me…”

Vivian nodded towards him, her face seemed very serious. “Now, if you will please excuse me,” she went back to the controls. “I need to finish my set,” she looked at the digital clock in the room. “I’ve only got ten more minutes.”

“Um,” Drako said, watching her work, standing next to the door. “Sure.”

Towards the end of the ten minutes, she finished up with a final song before she spoke to him again. “Well, that’s what I do for a living…”

“Interesting,” he said, glad she was talking to him without threatening the Dual Nature to within an inch of his life. “Playing music for a bunch of people you don’t know for their entertainment.” He thought that sounded a bit snobbish, so he tried to add in, “But you are really good at it.”

His escort was wearing a slight smile on her face. “Thank you… it’s a lot of fun. I,” she said touching her upper chest with most of the fingers of her right hand. “Have control of them while they’re on my dance floor.” Then her grin got wider. “As you can see, they will do some silly things.”

“Noticeable,” he snickered at himself, rubbing the back of his head. “How often do you do this?”

“Three times a week, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I DJ private parties during the rest of the week.”

“How often do those happen?”

“About… three a week,” she replied thinking. “Sometimes more... I can do two parties in a day if I really try. Usually late afternoon then late night.”

“Must be tiring,” Drako commented.

“Not at all, I find it invigorating.

“Heh,” he smirked. “As long as you do what you love, it’s never work.”

”Yup,” she nodded.

“It’s why I draw,” he smiled. Someone who understood the joys of living life, not as a chore, but as whatever you try to make of it.

“You’re an artist?” She seemed interested in his so-called profession as Vivian left the booth to the next Disk Jockey after her. The two were walking through back stage, talking as the Security and Staff watched them and let them by without incident. Drako guessed that since he was with Vivian, that he wasn’t going to get thrown out, however he did think about what he could do if they tried to grab him.

“Ehh… Try to be,” he replied. “I’ve been able to make a slight living. Not much but it keeps me fed… for the most part. I can show you some of my work if you want…” Drako kept the laptop case slung over his shoulder and his backpack strapped.

“Of course!” Vivian’s tone was genuinely excited. “I’m always more the willing to take a look at the work of a fellow artist.”

He smiled. “Heh, okay then.”

What followed was another car-ride with the Dual Nature hanging onto the “oh-shit” handles as Vivian drove through the streets, with the music beating in his chest and ears. The two got back to her apartment as she pulled into the parking garage.

He kept talking with her, a bit taken aback. A woman was actually letting him into her apartment. A woman he had just met, actually kicked by, only a few short hours ago.

How do I end up in these things? he asked himself as he entered Vivian’s apartment, following the woman inside.

[Drusilla]

Vivian Fay
Welcome to creature feature number thirteen...
Scream, baby, scream...

The door opened, revealing white walls and black furniture. There was only so much I could do to gain the appropriate "spookiness" that I required in my surroundings, thanks to the landlord, but I did fairly well. The kitchen was a lost cause, apart from the various skull and bat decorations, but the living area was pretty cool, if I said so myself. All of the furniture was black, the couch having been reupholstered by yours truly in black velveteen to match the love seats that were set at right angles on either side. A black lacquered table sat in the middle, parallel to the entertainment center with small TV and massive sound system. All about the music, you know? The computer was off in the corner, between the CD player and the bedroom door. The bathroom door was along the opposite wall from the TV, the bathroom also connecting to the bedroom through a second door.

Drako stood at the doorway, staring at everything. Aside from what the apartment came with, ie the fridge and oven, everything was black or, for the curtains, dark blue. White throw pillows on the furniture pulled it all together. I was rather proud of my decorating touch, and let Drako take it all in for a few moments before breaking the silence.

"You can put your things where ever... make yourself comfortable," I said, tromping to the bedroom to take my hair down and kick my boots off. They weren't painful, but rather ungainly. They were fine in the club, but my downstairs neighbors didn't appreciate me stomping around at three AM, either.

I felt a stirring in the back of my subconscious. I'd forgotten to tell Drako that I normally allowed Valkyrie "free time" once I got home from work. Though normally a transformation, I had eventually learned to allow her free reign without a full physical change. My eyes often did change colors, and glowed, but other than that I was able to hold back the power. It was something that had taken me years to master, and I tried to practice at least every night after work so that I didn't lose the knack of it. I used up so much energy at work, anyway, that it was convenient; it allowed me time to wind down without laying in bed, tossing and turning.

Wondering what Drako and Val would make of each other, I slipped into that comfortable place where I was only slightly aware of my surroundings and let my other half take control...

Valkyrie
Vision of the Sibyl has foretold...

Vivian loved his artwork, of course. A few of her own paintings hung on the walls, though she didn't want to say anything about it. She was not one to brag, my Vivian...

"Very lovely," I smiled that smile that she and I shared. I could feel our eyes glowing, but there was little I could do about it. I was an old, powerful soul, and Vivian was a powerful human to be able to contain me as well as she did.

"Thanks... Being... what I am... I've got a lot to work with... mostly Kiashkiklah and Keiryuujin fighting it out in my dreams, then of course the other Soul Manifesters I run into along the way." He sat back in the love seat. "I don't know WHY they're so hell-bent against Dual Natures..."

I shrugged. "It is merely human nature to fear and attempt to fight what is not understood. Goddess understands, however... she knows and loves all, even you."


Finish 'er up, Denny.... Let's get this show back on the road.

[Mew Master]

Drako Ralen

Friday, Early Morning, 3:12 AM
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Drako didn’t know exactly what to say about the décor, but in his own artistic mindset I like it…. Black and red were always good combinations of colors, mostly for the macabre or fear effect.

As Vivian had disappeared into what Drako assumed was her bedroom, he set his laptop up, plugging into a power source as it booted up. He rested the computer case under the table and plugged in the extra hard-drive that had his finished work on it.

Vivian walked out of the bedroom, hair down and her very large, and heavy, boots taken off. There was an odd way she carried herself and sat down next to Drako, as he realized he was now sitting in one of the love-seats in her apartment. He watched her reaction a bit as she had scanned through the images. Granted, he had spent hours, or even days on some of the work, and the small resolution of his laptop didn’t give them enough credit.

She turned towards Drako and commented “They’re lovely.” A smile added to the statement. He had leaned back as he responded, commenting about being a Dual Nature, the constant struggles with himself and the Singular Unity.

“It is merely human nature to feat and attempt to fight what is not understood,” she said, and Drako nodded his head in agreement as he stared up at the ceiling, laying his head back on the edge of the loveseat and his hands on the top of his head. “Goddess understands, however,” He could see her turn towards him at the edge of his vision. “She knows and loves all, even you.”

Drako thought for a moment. “Goddess? What Goddess?” Being, somewhat versed in mythology, Drako had some idea of ancient gods and goddesses. He never held any ill-will towards those of any particular religion, however it would be nice to know.

“She is my Mother, your Mother, Mother to us all, but so many reject her.” Drako started to notice the glow in Vivian’s eyes as she spoke to him, looking into his own. “It is through her that I knew you were telling me the truth, and that I could trust you. But I am her servant on this plane.”

“Yeah,” he said, unsure of what to reply to first. “Your eyes are glowing.”

She smiled gently at him before responding, “Hello Drako, I’m Valkyrie.”

“Uh,” he blinked. “Who?”

“Valkyrie,” she repeated, not losing the smile, perhaps even amused with him. “I am Vivan’s Soul Incarnation, her other nature if you will.”

“Her other soul eh? Interesting,” he let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry if I don’t introduce you to mine. One’s a bit uptight and the other’s rowdy.”

She nodded. “I understand, and I am sure I will meet them soon enough. All in time.”

“Uh…” he replied. “Depending on my mood, sooner rather than later.” He changed the subject. “So, um… How long have I been talking to you, and not Vivian?”

Valkyrie shrugged. “About a few minutes I suppose. Since I exited Vivian’s room I’ve been in control.”

“You’ve… been in control?” he asked, slightly un-nerved.

The Soul could see the unease in Drako and turned towards him a bit more, her words were non-threatening and calm. “Usually about this time of night, she lets me come out. She has been practicing to control herself should things get… out of hand. It has been rough on the furniture however..”

“Rough on the furniture?” Drako was even more confused now. But what had him concerned was the fact he could fee Kíashkilah wanting him to indulge himself in this woman right now. It was more than just the original urge with Vivian, it was intensifying. He had to willfully bap the dragon on the nose Down boy!, which only made the dragon try harder.

Valkaryie smiled weakly at him. “Bursting into flame can be hard on anything… When you see me, us,” she seemed to catch herself. “You’ll understand.”

“I kinda do,” he replied, thinking about Kíashkiklah and the dragons affinity with fire and flame. How much has burned whenever he’s called upon the Dragon of Blood’s power. “Fire is almost uncontrollable once it’s unleashed.” His demeanor changed, he was being serious, almost sorrowful. “Raw. Uncontrollable. Fury”

The Soul seemed to sense the change in Drako. “But,” she added. “It can also be pure, and powerful… passion…”

At the mention of the word passion, he could feel Kíashkiklah urging him more now. Keiryuujin was trying to temper the urges from the Dragon of Blood, Kíashkiklah… he thought.

“That’s true too…” Dragon of Blood… Fire… Passion… Love… Life…. Chaos… His chaotic soul roared within him, and Drako was trying his best to hold him back.

Valkyrie laughed softly. “Very much so, and it’s so much fun.”

“But,” Drako said, covering his face to hide his concentration to keep the Dragon of Blood held back, his inner conflict that was going to eventually tear him apart. “Too much fire… and you burn everything you care about…”

“Not if the fire is everything,” she replied. “Fire is pure, free, untamed.” Her tone of voice raised to that of a devoted one, with all the passion for a cause or ideal. “Fire is the Goddess gift to us!”

“I…” he struggled with the words. To keep the conversation, and to keep his own soul of freedom from breaking free. “Can’t let my fire burn too long… Gift it is… I let it burn. I can’t guarantee what isn’t fire won’t burn.” DOWN! BAD DRAGON! NO COOKIE! his inner voice raged at Kíashkiklah, which only spurred on the Dragon of Blood. Keiryuujin’s resolve was fainting, bit by bit.

“There is so much She has done,” Valkyrie closed her eyes contently. Drako didn’t know if she had noticed him fighting with himself yet. If she had, she didn’t say it. “So much to make life worth living.”

Drako spoke the very first thought that came to his mind. “All I try to do… every day… is survive to see the next sunset…” He didn’t know what or why, but Kíashkilah backed off, and he could feel the Dragon of Blood retract his influence. Drako was breathing a bit heavily and he looked at Vivian.

Her eyes had lost the glow behind them, and she was looking at him with her own eyes.

“Um… Vivian?”

She smiled a bit, looking at him. “Yes?” Her tone and way she carried herself had changed a bit, back more towards Vivian, and not Valkyrie.

Drako let out a sigh. “Okay, just making sure it was you.” His body relaxed a bit as he felt the familiar feeling of the Dragon of Blood being back as a small urge. “Valkyrie had an… interesting conversation with me…”

Whether she could notice the wear on his face, or his seemingly exhaustion, Vivian did look more concerned. “You okay? She can be a bit overbearing.”

“Juuuuust slightly,” he replied, grinning a bit. He leaned his head back a bit on the loveseat. “Uuuuhg… I need sleep. Staying up till three AM, taking on that Singular Unity, and dancing at the club,” he left out his own taxing experience with Kíashkiklah. “I think rest is a good idea now…”

“Rest… yeah,” Vivian replied. “You,” she seemed to consider something before continuing. “Can take the bed if you want. I usually don’t fall asleep until dawn.”

Wait, what?! his mind screamed. “Me? Take the bed?! What kind of guest am I?”

She looked at him. Either annoyed, amused, or frustrated, Drako couldn’t tell. “A human being that deserves to rest while I pace around as normal.”

He looked at her, surprised for one, shocked for another. She was going to really let him sleep in her bed? He was actually going to sleep, in a bed?! He gave her a weak smile. “Heh. I guess… if you’re sure about it.” Cause I’m sure as hell not.

“It’s no problem,” she shrugged. “I’m a nocturnal oddball.”

“I know the feeling,” he replied with a short snort. Sleeping on park benches, alleyways, and rocks doesn’t allow for much sleep, he reminded himself as he stood up and grabbed his pack full of clothes. He stood and started making his way towards the door he thought was her room. Clicking on the light, sure enough, it was a bedroom, with the bathroom connected to it. “Thanks, Vivian.” Drako said to her before going inside and closing the door behind him.

It’s always a strange feeling, being in someone else’s room. There’s the feeling of being able to look into their mind and see who they really are. Vivian’s bedroom was, fairly clean, with the same kind of occult décor that was throughout the entire apartment. Her bed was large, resting in the center of the room with the headboard against the wall. The pillows and blankets looked a bit fluffy but comfortable. The only colors seeming to be red and black.

Drako set his stuff on the floor, noticing Vivian’s boots laying at the edge of her bed. He stared at the bed, contemplating what had happened this night. It doesn’t feel right to sleep in her bed. What are you complaining about? I should be sleeping on the couch! When’s the next time you’ll get to sleep on a bed?!

“I don’t care…” And he really didn’t any more.

He started peeling off his clothes, letting them fall into a small pile next to his pack. Drako’s shirt was pulled off his torso, showing his scared body. Scars marked up and down the Dual Nature’s back, one arm, and sides. A set of three were across his left pectoralis muscle and arced down his side. He had what looked like healed bullet wounds through his right shoulder. There were several on his legs as he put on a pair of shorts and undid the cloth wrapped around his right fore-arm, between his elbow and wrist. The cloth fell to the floor, revealing a set of horrible scars up and down that portion of his arm. Drako clenched his fist, flexing his arm as he looked at it.

The scar no longer hurt, but it was still sensitive. He did consider himself lucky that his face hadn’t been scared up by now. Drako’s body had seen its fair share of damage, fighting for his own survival. He saw himself reflected in the windows of Vivian’s room and he stared at what had become of him.

His body was scarred, his hair was long and mostly unkempt, and here he was in someone else’s bedroom, preparing to sleep in her bed. Drako let out a sigh before he grabbed a large shirt and slipped it on. Turning out the light, he carefully made his way to the bed before finding his way through the blankets and wrapping himself up. Subconsciously he hugged one of Vivian’s pillows, almost curling up around it.

Best to enjoy it, he told himself as he felt the exhaustion take his mind away to sleep. Don’t know when you’ll sleep in a bed again…. And Drako Ralen drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Eeeeeokay Drusie... your go!

[Drusilla]

They say that the third time's a charm... so, here goes...

Vivian Fay
Come and take a walk with me
Where the angels fear to tread...

Jerking awake in a cold sweat, I instantly knew that something was wrong. I reached around for my glasses and peered at the DVD/VCR; it was almost 5:30. I had finally dozed off only half an hour before, and now something... something was very wrong. But what?

Then it hit me again, a rush of hot energy that nearly scalded me. It felt so similar to my own that it was unsettling, but I knew that it was not coming from myself, obviously.

It had to be Drako.

What could be happening, though? There were no audible sounds in the living room, and if there was a physical struggle I would definitely have heard something. Unsure of what to expect, I cautiously knocked. No answer. Slowly, I opened the door a crack...

Drako lay on my bed, hair a mess, and even in the dark I could see it plastered to his forehead with sweat. He was obviously still asleep, but pain seemed to contort his features, and he moved jerkily.

"Drako...?" I whispered, and still no visible response. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, I closed my eyes and reopened them, feeling for his aura. It lashed out, violently red, then brightly light blue, constantly changing, swirling, shifting, almost as if the colors themselves were... fighting...

I moved closer to the bed, cautious of my movements and his. He only seemed to be getting worse as time passed, however, and the power flowing off of him was blazing hot. Kneeling by the bed, I touched his shoulder.

"Drako, please, wake up... I'm right here..."

Then I heard the words he mumbled under his breath... "No.... stop..... stop.... don't... fight.... no.... not again.... leave.... him....alone..."

Fear took me in its grip, and I shook him hard by the shoulder. "Drako, wake up!"

His eyes flew open, pulsing with power, and he struggled to sit up. My panic subsided slightly with the power flowing from him, but adrenaline still pumped through me. My hand trembled as I reached up to brush some of the hair from his eyes, moving slowly as not to spook him further.

"Drako... can you hear me?"

For a moment, I thought perhaps he hadn't heard after all. Then he swallowed, blinked, and looked at me. "Yes, I... it was just another dream."

I shifted my weight back, sitting on my feet. "At least you're awake, now. Is there anything I can do...?"

His aura died away out of my ability to see, and he regained some amount of calm at last. "I... don't know.... It's the same dream... just.... more intense... it was Kiashkiklah fighting Keiryuujin again... only... it was more violent. Each time they hit each other..."

I put my hand back on his shoulder. "It's OK, Drako, you don't have to tell me. I understand..."

He shook his head. "My mom... once told me... that you have to tell someone something that happened. Even if you can no longer do anything about it. If you keep it to your self, you'd just stew over it, constantly, kicking yourself for choices you could have made..."

I nodded. "Wise words... but it's completely up to you. I don't want for you to feel uncomfortable..."

He took a deep breath and sat up further, crossing his legs beneath the blankets and hunching over, resting his elbows on his knees. Waiting patiently, I watched him think as I waited for him to speak.

"It's been the same dream... every night... for nearly seven months now..."

I was unable to hide my shock. A violent dream, a nightmare, almost every night for that long... and he had endured it alone?! It was beyond my understanding, how someone could bear that kind of pain without comfort or help.

He went on. "When I'm asleep... I can always tell... that Kiashkiklah and Keiryuujin are at each others' throats. I can't see it clearly, but I can feel every blow, every strike, every attack they make. I almost feel myself being pulled apart.... but.. Then I relive it. Detail by detail... what happened..."

He went on to tell me what triggered his first transformation. From an academic standpoint, I found it interesting how late he was in discovering his power, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was the obvious trauma in his eyes... It tore at me, knowing that here was a human being who had endured far too much for someone of our age, but not knowing what to do about it...

I moved up to the bed and sat next to him. "I think I know... You did what felt right at the time. To those newly empowered, control is lacking, and accidents happen... Especially those of us with fire powers." I laughed slightly. "I set the cheerleading squad on fire one day during lunch my sophomore year of high school. One moment, I'm sitting there, eating and reading with them trying to torment me, the next, their uniforms were up in flames... I was allowed the mercy of it being released as a freak accident, but my parents... they don't understand. They think it's some kind of evil in me... I thought it was funny at first, but then the stench... god. I never meant to, but they just wouldn't leave me alone. I was the fat loser who sat in the back and listened to music all day... I knew them, I had class with them... I did that... it was so hard sitting in class when they came back. They didn't even know what happened. Only my parents guessed, said it was Satan's work in me... I too can never return home, but I have not needed to change so much as you..." Impulsively, I hugged him. "Here, I hope, you'll find a place to call home. This city is different, I think... There's a place for people like us, people who have pasts to leave behind and futures to create for themselves."

"I just hope...." He paused, and I waited for him to go on. "I hope that I don't have to leave..."

I smiled at him. "You won't. Anyway, there's no use worrying about it now, is there?" I lay down on my side, pulling him down next to me and cuddling against his side. He looked slightly alarmed at first, unsure of what to do. I brushed more hair from his eyes and smiled at him. "As much as I'd love to stay awake, if I have to work, I have to sleep..." I sighed, weariness tugging at me all ready. "It will be OK, Drako, I promise..."


Aaaaand... so ends day one, eh? *rolls the dice* What comes next? No one knows (LIES!!)... but we can finally drag the rest of y'all in! Ehehehehe...