Sutoratosu

And so it was that, with his seemingly shit luck of attracting arrows towards his squishy body during every downtime scene, probably due in large part to him being an asshole, Luka again was in need of first aid. The parties resident healer though... was less than thrilled, to say the least: "So... you somehow got yet another arrow in your shoulder, is that right? Well... forget it. We went over this last time; I can't heal stupid,take this stupid vulnerary and bandage it up yourself. Oh, and try not to bleed out too much this time... If I have to step in and close the wound myself, my methods won't be pleasant." (Best part about this though? It's probably very close to what she'll tell him IC if another Arrow incident ever happens again.)

Jesse, Aquila Senpai The bird flew off of the angel's shoulders and perched herself on the table the moment the ball was conjured. There was no way in hell she was going to let that brat throw rubber spheres at her... the sniper could get his ass handed to him all he wanted, but drawing her into it was out of the question. She turned and watched the two as she cleaned some of her feathers, a bit of radiant sheen coming off as golden plumes caught the light. Honestly, the eagle couldn't help but hope the first shot the child fired would nail the fool square in the face...

Geez Luka, way to be an asshole to be an asshole. Ya made the damn Lord cry...

"Hmmm... odd, looks like he's disappeared somewhere. Oh well, I'll give it to him later.Goddess knows he certainly needs it more than anyone else here." She put the vial back, turning her attention to the flames yet again before she heard something close by... a slow rumbling rustle, almost like something large and heavy was trying in vain to be stealthy. She looked over her shoulder and saw none other than one of Equis Wyvern's creeping near the fire. From the emerald gleam of her scales among the dancing light, she recognized the beast almost instantly. "Well, look who it is~" She chimed to the wyvern in greeting. Even in her mood, she couldn't help but perk up a bit at Morgan's company, "you trying to get near the fire too, eh girl? Well, come on, here's an empty space, you can sit by me~"

Already feeling the apprehension in her rise like the sun, Desperaux settled to again trying to coax his partner forward as the boy held the door open, this time actually putting a bit more force behind it. Lucille gave a sigh of defeat as she actually felt one foot forcibly place itself before the other, then stop... clear indication of the choice before her. Either do it herself, or let the mouse do it for her, which honestly, he really didn't feel like expending the energy to do. She hesitated a bit longer, staring up at the glass facade still. Despereaux sighed and projected a memory through the connection, letting the scene of a night sky alive with starlight years ago flood through her mind...the sensation of open air, of the myriad of ambient noises... the things that freedom felt like, and the steady calm he maintained for the both of them. And almost immediately, as the feelings rolled over her like a wave, the girl felt the weight in her chest lift like it was nothing. She took another cautious step, and another as Des guided her path. "Just...just think about the sky... you can do this, one step at a time" Good. The mouse reinforced those thoughts as he heard them. All she had to do was walk, he'd take care of the rest as it was needed. He was there for her, just as he asserted earlier, and just as he'd promised then, there was no way in hell he'd let a repeat of that day come about. "Damn whichever one of them chose this place," She muttered as she headed past Gabriel and into the lobby, "I might just wring their neck after this is all over..."

"I doubt you ever will..." said Maya, as the mage walked away, "but we'll see, I guess... maybe I'll find something to get me back in the mood someday, maybe I won't..." with that little talk done though, she was soon alone again. Something else nagged her now... something physical rather than mental. She reached into her robes and pulled out the small vial of Vulnerary, staring at it before the flames... she'd completely forgotten about the thing, honestly, and well... she didn't need it at all. "Why did I even take this in the first place? how long have I had it?" The answers escaped her, but it didn't matter. She started scanning the camp site, loooking for the monk, wherever he may have gone...

Oh yeah...that's right... hopefully next time he'll actually listen when folks tell him to take a damn Vulnary

ya know, come to think of it, who wants Maya's Vulnary? Cause I got legit zero practical reason to keep that thing on me; Heal outperforms the recovery every time, and the self-heal skill just drives another nail into the coffin of how worthless the thing is to me; it's literally just a waste of my inventory space. Well? Someone speak up if ya need a new one, else it's going right to the Convoy next map

"Yup, they'd definitely call him pathetic. Shun him even, maybe even take him down themselves...he sure as hell didn't fight for the monsters, not with that attitude. Probably the damn humans then, if he's got such a bleeding heart for them. Go figure..." "Aye, it is." She said as she started off again, "Jorgen actually came looking for me earlier to try and find the rest of you, though I guess somehow, they all managed to keep focus enough to set accomodations up for everyone. I have to say I'm a bit impressed, after how he told me just about everyone besides you two ran off for leisure almost the instant they got here. Maybe this whole affair won't be like herding cats after all" well, technically she of all people could herd cats no problem if she really wanted to. But that was besides the point. Her voice definitely sounded anything but impressed though, as she continued in stride, stopping not too far from the front entrance. There was no doubt she wasn't a fan of the place, as she scowled at the interior lobby visible beyond the twin glass doors. The decrepit basement pit in the thousand had been one thing, even with Luna's presence choking the air. This was something else entirely. Desperaux squeaked from her shoulder, tugging on their link in an effort to calm her down, get it done with already, Lucille swatted him away in her mind. "Shut up, I know...but You're not exactly helping me..." "Might as well get used to it," she sighed, as if to trying to talk herself into the idea "It probably won't be the first time I have to go in... damn gilded cage..." Despite her words though, she stayed fixed where she was, staring up at the building... all that glass and concrete... just another confining, stifling space that would greatly dampen the breadth of how far she could sense ahead...restrict her like a caged animal doomed to captivity, remove her from the safety of an open sky. Even despite Des's reassurance he'd be right there the entire time for her, that he'd never let anything like back then happen again, She could already feel the air begin to thicken just by thinking about it, chest begin to tighten in turn. Gabriel could doubtlessly notice the slight change in her breathing by this point...the tremble in her fingers...

"Yes well, I thank you for that," Mayanna said as she took the place beside the mage, "hopefully it'll be the last time the dead are mistreated so... but it probably won't be. There are some men in this world capable of rivaling even a demon's depravity, if they lust after something bad enough..." She simply let the sentence hang off into oblivion as a slight glow came from her staff, washing over Serene's arms and returning the skin to healthy state. It wasn't long before she tried to change the subject though. "I'm just glad at least one of us can do it when it's needed. For most of those I've seen fall, singing a dirge has always been the furthest thing from my mind...in fact, I can't even remember the last I just did it for leisure, honestly. My brother would probably have said it's a shame that I keep letting all that talent from mother go to waste, but I guess it can't be helped in the end..."

She didn't flinch at the sheer ferocity of the scene so much as the sudden buzzing along her spinal cord as the beast' life twas ended and their link instantly severed. In all honesty, despite all the gore, the boy's frenzy was still nothing compared to the carnage Bora inflicted when he was in a foul mood. There was once a time when families were lucky if they had gotten their sons home in more than just a few gnawed and mangled chunks, hell, sometimes they were lucky to get them back at all. And speaking of which... "Get rid of the carcass." she ordered the mouse. "Last thing we need today is another run in because someone found something and alerted the guard. Once was enough." Desperaux was already preparing to do it himself though, having recalled the exact same spectacle of Jorgen scaling buildings and running like he stole something. Granted, by the time anyone would find this, they'd be long gone, but it was best to leave no trace. Without a sound, the rodent's eyes took on their characteristic white glow and the Rune of Kenaz: that of torchlight and knowledge-a purifying flame to bring warmth and light, formed before him in the air, little more than what some mathematician would mistake for a "Lesser than" symbol. In no time at all, the air around the horse began to change and shimmer as a copy of the rune blossomed on the stones beneath the body, framed by a burning white circle as the carcass finally went up in flames, though Gabriel himself would feel nothing of their heat despite standing so close... almost as if the combustion had one authorized target, and one authorized target alone. The fires danced like mad men, becoming a swirling storm before finally cascading into naught but embers as the deed was done and the horse's entire corpse was gone, flames so efficient in their consumption that not even cinders were left. The glow in Des's eyes faded, as did the rune Kenaz before him, and so too did the sigil on the stones. Lucille could smell the blood like the stuff was choking the air though. Des's sight showed just how much of a mess there had truly been... though Kenaz had purified the body and the blood from the stones, the boy was still practically drenched in the stuff. From the utter shame on his mug, and his little chastisement of more is more ruthless brethren earlier, she knew beyond doubt what it was now: He was soft. Softer than any vamp she'd met before, honestly...interesting to say the least. Though one of them would likely look at the boy and brush it off as pathetic. "Lions shouldn't mourn over Gazelles." She offered simply. It wasn't much for comfort, but in all honesty, it was the best she had, "That's just how things are. For there to be life, there has to be death. If anything wants to eat, something else always has to die for that meal, somehow, somewhere along the way. What happened between that horse and you was no different, just a part of the cycle. Feeling remorse for his role as prey, or yours as the predator, is honestly just guilting yourself for things that in the end, are beyond anyone's control." That smell though...the iron. It was almost overwhelming. She doubted there had been anymore than a few pints still left in the damn thing by the time Des had taken care of it... "The blood though...that's going to cause a bit of an issue... trying to get past the front lobby and all. And I think it might be a bit hard trying to pass it off as something else with that much on you...and especially with that strong a scent."

Maya stared into the flames as they danced, the church still fresh in her mind even now. She doubted she'd ever truly forget, to be honest. The bodies weren't anything new, she'd seen sights like them countless times on a battlefield. No... what truly stuck with her was... the fury. The sensation of wanting to do more than simply give the dead peace... of wanting to bring retribution and ruin... that desire for blood at the sight of the Demon's handiwork... perhaps she was more of her father's daughter than she thought. "This is the path I chose. I told him I wanted to help people, wield the staff just like he did...but perhaps...perhaps I should've tried to follow the other way he helped people. Maybe I should've taken up the blade, become another avenger like him and Freyl..." Even as she said it though, the words sat ill in her throat "Oh who am I kidding, I wouldn't be cut out for their path even if I had tried it...I'm far more like her. Perhaps I should've let her teach me how to bend others with my voice afterall..." Her ponderings however, were interrupted as she noticed someone close by sticking their hands into the flame, like some sort of idiot who didn't know the first thing about getting burned... only to find it was none other than the strange mage as she lifted her gaze. She could see the other burn scars up and down the woman's arms, doubtless from her pleasure session earlier. She made to ask whether the woman was simple, stupid, touched by lunacy, or perhaps all three but thought better of it at the last moment. She had been the one singing the dirge earlier, after all, and she'd taken far more care with purifying that awful scene that Maya would've ever expected her too...strange though her... apparent affinity for burning was, at least she was capable of some form of respect. And she would be lying if she said she hadn't been thankful for it. "Those will turn vile if you don't have them tended to..." She said, eyes still on the woman's burns from earlier in the day. She was resillient, Maya had to give her that, being able to fight at full strength despite having already gotten herself a bit singed...and then carrying the things the entire day too; she'd managed to get Hosh,Rose, Klaren and even the stranger back to their best... somehow the pyromancer had slipped her mind entirely though. "And they'll only get worse if you keep insisting on burning yourself. You surprised me though, despite my first impression when we found you in the house... that dirge you gave the dead...perhaps I was a bit too quick to judge you. Just like with Klaren..."

I mean, Maya probably will...for reasons Also... "I'll take one Heal and one Sleep, if you'd be so kind" It's about time I start being more than just an observer as you all slowly get killed and patched back up again...

Lucille was more than a bit perplexed at his...rather low regard towards other fellows of his kind. Sure, a good portion of them were little more than beasts mad with hunger, but even those who were strong enough to retain some form of sentience despite the disease's influence were still just predators doing what was needed... and most of the time, the victims were human, so who cared? Honestly though, she didn't feel like getting too far into his past. It was late, she had a prisoner to help interrogate, and the rest of the city layout to still memorize for tomorrow. Best to just get this out of the way... "Well, where I come from most individuals wouldn't be called a 'person' by the other races either. Just a bunch of derogatory shouts and slurs...with humans and elves alike having the biggest knack for getting creative with them." She admitted rather bitterly, in the same moment letting the power welled within her soul expand outward across the entire cityscape, rolling through the air like an unseen force intangible to all but those of a beastial nature. "Though, even I'm not usually so...accommodating...towards the undead, but given that most vamps don't exactly choose this fate willingly...you're better than those who go seeking to defy the laws of nature out of personal gain or power. Whatever beef you might have with the traditional prey methods of other sane vamps is your own business though." Just as she finished, the sound of hooves clopping hard on cobbled stone and an liberated whinny sounded through the air as a dark shape emerged from down the road, the sliced rope and muzzle that had obviously once restrained the equine to his post flailing behind him as he galloped... how Lucille could've remotely cut the bindings to free him though, was honestly Gabriel's guess. The young stallion slowed to trott not too far from them, closing the rest of the way and staring rather... intently at the boy vamp. Almost as if he had some inkling as to his purpose here... "I only ask that you make it quick." She said as she let her power recede and her eyes returned to their normal state. "It's not exactly like me being connected to something as it gets torn apart and fed on feels terribly pleasant. So, please...do me a favor and try not to toy with him; right now my influence is the only thing convincing him that everything's alright here and that this is simply the way of things... how his fate is supposed to go. But if I let my hold go, that calm will fade fast and he'll run like hell; animals can sense the supernatural... and they tend to get a bit skittish around those towards the darker end of the spectrum."

"..." She stared at him blankly a moment more. Despereaux as well, sitting perched on her shoulder in full view as he stroked his whiskers. She concentrated for a moment... let the lurking awareness of the supernatural, or in this case, the unnatural that had constantly surged through her mind like an overrun stream actually flood into the forefront of her thought; ever since she'd gotten to this damn city and even weeks earlier in the thousand, she'd been relatively ignoring all but the most powerful of signatures, Luna's having been case and point.... the thing was that there were just so damn many of them, it had been simpler and less taxing on herself to restrain her sense to filter them out according to orders of magnitude... But as she unleashed that innate detection now, she could feel it plain as day, and she honestly wondered why she hadn't put the whole thing together from how off his scent was alone. Perhaps distraction, or agitation at the fact that in all honesty, she wasn't at all happy about the circumstances of her involvement in this little Co-op. Regardless though, sure as day, she picked him right up, right along with all the angels and other shit inhabiting or visiting this damn city. "...is that so?" She began, letting the sense recede into the background of her mind again, though with a higher sensitivity than she'd been allowing it before. This whole thing about not even realizing was embarrassing regardless of her reasons for missing it. "'It's a sensitive issue' you say...look, if you're a vamp, you should've just cut straight to the point. Just take a good look at me for a moment, who do you think I fought for before all this?" As if to provide a very easy answer, she let her teeth sharpen till they were all little more than jagged edged daggers in her mouth, her irides instantly losing their blank, pearl like appearance only to be replaced with twin reptilian slits surrounded by radiant green that seemed to burn like shimmering twin flames in the night air. "How big does thing need to be?" she sighed idly, letting the teeth transformation fade, though her eyes remained with their draconic radiance. Honestly, she didn't know why she was even bothering...perhaps because even though they were undead, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor bastards like him in the past. Most of them had been rendered into their state entirely against their freewill, given that despite the unnatural nature of what it did to it's victims, Vampirism truly was more or less akin to a chronic disease in how it operated... not some process that was freely and voluntarily entered into, like the preparations for a wizard transforming into a fucking lich. "I can probably find some random merchant's wagon... there's certainly more than enough of those bastards in this city right now, it wouldn't be hard to arrange for a horse or two to...wonder away while it was unhitched."

"Oh really?" She asked, raising a brow herself at the vague change in subject. Slight though the slip of nerves might've been, she picked up the change in tone like clockwork. She stopped and turned back to face the boy, eyes about as scrutinizing as blank pupils could be. A few brief moments of silence passed, just her and her blank gaze until finally "Well, spit it out then. I know you're no child despite your looks, don't go getting shy all of a sudden after talking to me about assassinations and false flags."

"Well guarding a specific target is going to be impossible if you can't even narrow down who it's most likely to be..." She muttered. Desperaux's attention perked up at the flashing light of the Central Hotel just another block or two away, and so too did Lucille's as she followed the mouse's gaze. "Either way, there needs to be something in place by morning. You and the others will have to figure out who'll be the priority without me though... I honestly don't have the patience to just sit around talking in some gilded prison cell. Once that moron of a mage spills whatever he knows to Raziel, I'm out of that place... well, ex-mage, more like it. Not like bird-boy will ever be using his magic again...or his hand."

"Then why_not just assault everyone?" She said idly as she kept walking. "think about it. It only makes sense here, if there are so many potential targets whose deaths could all accomplish the same goal. Why_not go for them all, create a spectacle for the cause, get greedy and take all the fish from the stream? They've already proven they can flaunt alliance security when they killed representatives, getting a bomb or some other even more destructive, perhaps arcane device into one of the proceedings here probably isn't beyond them. And it would certainly go a long way towards destabilizing relations among the races further and sowing paranoia; isolated assassinations are one thing... but focused mass killings are on an entirely different level. " The way she said it all though.... no real concern or compassion for the potential victims, or outrage at the ethical violations... just the methodical and efficient analysis of a predator gauging out what her prey might try next. She killed killers afterall, it was what she excelled at, had been her sole job for years before the peace. Mapping out the tactics of whatever these terrorist might attempt for their next stunt was no different than evaluating what tactics a unit might react with, whether they would attempt to fight back or just retreat, and how hard or how fast in either case.

Lucille "What's wrong with here?" the girl asked. In that very moment, all the ambient noise of the city's night life instantly faded away to nothing, deafening silence reigning supreme before she broke it with her own voice. "Anyone listening will only hear what I damn well want them to, and you're the only one my voice was being projected to just now. But fine... the others have apparently taken care of things. I was just on the way back anyway" and with that said, the protective silence that had blanketed them seemed to drop away and the ambient bustle again filled the space like clockwork. Lucille turned on her heels and headed back towards the way she was going in the first place, not bothering to look to see if the boy followed... given she couldn't see at all to begin with.

Lucille (since my homework is apparently fucked and it's impossible for me to resume it... screw it, might as well post instead) The crowd had thinned considerably as she stalked through the streets in utter silence, letting nothing but the ambient noise of the tired city guide her path. Though she lacked sight, the way ahead was clear as day, a sonogram of black and white perfectly outlying countless buildings and facades The texture of the cobbled streets was oddly smooth against her bare feet. Most passersby either outright crossed the street or took extra care to avoid her path, doubtlessly put a bit off by the woman whose very presence more closely resembled that of a beast than any human being. Not like it was anything she hadn't gotten used to though... "One little girl..." She thought as her stroll back towards the hotel continued. Finding a suitable place closeby had proven a bit more problematic than they'd thought... in the end, Bora had begrudgingly agreed to just go back to the grove and wait to be called. He never did like her being too far... "One, blind little blonde girl, dressed in furs... they never expected it. All they saw was someone small and helpless...'surely, she must be lost...' my how that presumption seemed to fade so quickly... only took word of a few units being wiped out before they realized I was nothing like them at all." It was just then that a familiar scent caught her nose... "A half-elf...that little stale-one..." She followed the trail around the corner, not even needing Desperaux's prompt squeak of recognition to know the boy was just a few meters ahead in the distance. It was easy for her to pick up the questions he slung at passing strangers, looking about as lost as one would expect a small child alone in such a sprawling metropolis would be... or well, something that at the very least looked like a child. "Last I saw that Metal Face, he was busy hopping up buildings and distracting guards" Her approach had been totally silent, subtle as the night itself as she stood directly behind Gabriel, eyes like blank moons as she stared at him. "If he wasn't captured with that little diversion, chances are he's been laying low ever since. Either way, you're probably wasting your time trying to get a lead out of these walking Pigeons."

The BBC Code holds all, my dear children... if only ye are willing to poke through it Hmmm...well...it's broken...er... the hermit looks foolish now...damn. I'm not one to admit defeat so easily though. Apparently, soundcloud ain't as simple to embed as a youtube vid... https://soundcloud.com/pages/embed http://shareandembed.help.soundcloud.com/customer/portal/articles/2167182-embedding-a-track-or-playlist-on-wordpress so yeah... if ya just follow the steps to get the proper embed code and insert it via the bbc code...should work

Eh, sure I guess. Cuts down on the number of people they'll have to go looking for in the morning if she brings him back. EDIT: You know what...fuck my original intentions for her personality, I'm honestly liking this semi-mean, ruthless efficiency streak she's got going. Personality has been edited, I like this too much to go back now.

No. I am not sorry.