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#26
Old 01-12-2019, 08:38 PM

Arael finished his tea as Silas agreed, and Anders had mentioned going to bed but coming back in a few minutes. He bit back a small frown and slid down from the chair, going over to the sink as Silas rinsed his cup out. He listened quietly to his words and glanced up at him.

It's about having a heart to protect others.

Arael lowered his head some and remained quietly for a moment before setting his empty cup on the counter. "The only who scares me is Anders." He teased some, offering the older a small smile. He just needed to work on thinking, before opening his mouth. "Thanks for having me, Silas. I can't wait until tomorrow." He said, his smile growing innocently.

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Lea listened as she spoke, and couldn't help smirking some. Lea knew a lot about Anders, this wouldn't be the first run-in with him. She sighed some and relaxed her legs some. "Don't worry, I'll tell her everything when I see her. Promise." She said casually as Mars got up and looked at her.

She slowly rose from the couch and briefly hugged her friend. "I'll come back to the House tomorrow. I just want to make sure he's okay, first." She promised before letting her go. " Goodnight. "

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#27
Old 01-12-2019, 10:31 PM

( Sorry it's short. We can skip to the next day but if we're going on the evening I figured I'd sneak in some way to keep the dialogue going―even if by phone, haha. )

Silas took the cup from Arael once the younger guardian was finished with rinsing it. He returned it to the cupboard above the sink and wiped the counter down with a paper towel to dry what had splashed up onto the rim. "Me, too," he chimed with a grin. "I think we've tidied up enough for now. Goodnight Arael."

On Silas's first step toward the staircase he thought about going down to the first floor. The dim lights reminded him of sleep, though, so he resolved to climb up to his room on the fifth floor.

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Mars hugged back. "Alright," she said. "Would you call me when you're sure he's okay? I don't mean to pry but if you're alone like this I don't want to miss out if he's showing signs of a medical emergency, y'know?"

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#28
Old 01-12-2019, 11:05 PM

(It's cool ^^ and I don't mind doing that lol but I'm a little lost on what you mean ^^')

Arael watched him clean up the rest of the counter and smiled once more at seeing the holder's grin. "Goodnight, Silas." He said quietly as the other guardian left the room.

Arael waited a moment before heading up the staircase to his is own room. His room resided on the third floor, as well as a handful of other trainees and a few other guardians. He took his time venturing down the long hallway until he reached his room, where he opened the door and made his way to his bed and laid down.

He fell asleep on top of all the blankets, having not bothered to cover up before hand. Black sleep claimed him, and no dreams were shown to him.

~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~° ~°~°~°~°~°~°~

Lea nodded. "Of course. You'll be the first one I call once I know for sure." She said.

(Ugh, dreadful one liners ;~;)

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#29
Old 01-13-2019, 12:03 AM

( Oh. I mean if Lea were going to check on Jason then there could still be dialogue between our characters because Mars asked for a phone call. It's nice in the beginning if characters start in different settings―it helps with world building! But once the pot gets going I kinda don't like writing in a vacuum. OTL If you don't have anything to add for Jason then we can skip to the next afternoon. )

Anders had just changed out of his sky gear for the night when he felt the exhaustion kick in. If I sleep while I'm this tense it'll be bad news in the morning, he thought. He looked through his open door down the annex hallway. The building extension was a single floor, so the moon shone through the sky lights onto the soft red carpet. At one end of the hall was Anders's suite, and at the other was a corridor that wound around to the first floor facilities of the quarters.

He stepped out of his suite in his robe and lounge pants and strode across the carpet. He re-materialized the channeling orb and twisted his hand in an assortment of summoning symbols over the glass as he walked. Doors and hallways passed him and his gold-glowing orb, and eventually he made it to a small room with a warm bath.

He folded his night clothes on a bench and slipped into one of the pools. He stretched his arms over the side of the pool, facing outward, and held the orb close. He examined the surroundings that the light ray had passed through. He saw Silas, on the left. He saw another flying figure in the distance. That must have been the boy, he thought. He saw the girl, too. He had seen her before, but her identification card wasn't in line of sight of the ray. A defeated sigh escaped his lips as he scrolled the orb forward in its memory. There wasn't much from the day. He cursed himself at first for de-materializing the orb just before Silas reacted so passionately.

He thought about that conclusion for a moment. No, he thought. If it came to light the committee on discipline would want evidence. Better that there wasn't any.

He kept the orb, spinning forward in his hands. "Lea, snap out of it!"

So it's Lea, he thought. I wonder if it's better to send Silas to districts that avoid her, too. If she wanders around with that other one...

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#30
Old 01-13-2019, 12:16 AM

(Oh! I get it now ^^)

Lea stood at the door for a moment after she found herself standing alone in her the living room. After another moment, she turned on her heels and walked through the living room, and ventured down the hallway to her partners room, pausing only when she noticed The bedroom door still opened. "Jae?" She asked hesitantly.

There he sat, on his bed with his head hanging in defeat. He raised his head when he heard her, only to lower his head once more. "What happened today? How did we end up like this?" He murmured quietly. Lea slowly walked into his room and approached him. Standing in front of him, she out be hand under his chin and made him look at her. "What do you remember last?" She asked hesitantly. He lightly pushed her hand away but kept eye-contact.

"Watching you fall out of the sky." He answered casual. "The rest is blank." He murmured, lowering his eyes. Lea sighed partially out of relief and partially out of guilt. At least he didn't hear his name.. Right? "We're okay, just a little beat up. Try to get some rest, okay?" She said quietly before turning and walking out of his room. She closed the door before hurrying to her own room and shut the door.

She pulled out a phone and dialed Mars like she had asked. Jason was alright, at least for the time-being.

Last edited by Nova_Alchemist; 01-13-2019 at 12:29 AM..

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#31
Old 01-13-2019, 02:31 AM

Mars opened her eyes at the sound of her phone. She snatched it off of her night stand and rolled out of bed before her partner woke. "Hey," she whispered as she snuck out of the bedroom with her pajamas. She put on her coat and opened the front door to sit out on the porch-like area.

"What's the status?" she asked.

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#32
Old 01-13-2019, 02:51 AM

"Hey."

Lea relaxed some when she heard her voice through the phone. "He's okay, at least for now.. Then last thing he remembers is me getting blasted by Anders. Rest easy.. If anything changes, I'll be the first to call you. Okay?"

*edit
Typo x.x

Last edited by Nova_Alchemist; 01-13-2019 at 04:52 AM..

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#33
Old 01-13-2019, 04:44 AM

( I couldn't resist the bird-people references to Melia and Kallian! )

Mars nodded, though she knew no one could see her. "Yeah, okay," she said. "Goodnight," she added.

When she hung up she frowned. It was late, which didn't help her think clearly, but she didn't like the idea of young shinigami involved in a guardian affair. Especially not with someone like Anders, and especially not with Nevra so out of the loop. Things could get messy, and quickly. Although a bloodbath favored the shinigami on principle of chaos alone, Mars had to admit she preferred the company of her friends and family over the satisfaction of principle. She sighed and looked up to the moon, and then returned inside to sleep.

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Silas woke to the warm sun on his face. He opened his eyes and looked up toward his clock. It was almost seven, so he rose early and turned off the alarm. He yawned some, dressed lightly, smoothed the long dark locks that had tangled in the night, grabbed a snack to-go from the breakfast hall, and then made it into the spa area for a shower.

The rest of his mind woke as a burst of cold water drenched his skin. He shuddered and hugged the side of the stall until it heated more. Jason... The name echoed through his mind as he stood away from the water. Were you cold? When you... He shook his head and cranked the temperature up. He stifled further shivers until the water was hot enough to burn and by the end of the shower he could barely focus without thinking of his former friend. He turned off the water, stepped out, and dried his extremities. It was warm but he knew the walk back to his room would be cold so he slipped into a royal blue robe as soon as his torso was dry.

"Got water in your ears?" a familiar voice called from nearby. Silas lifted his gaze from tying his robe enough to spot the cyan locks. It was Anders, dressed in his flight gear already. "You keep shaking your head."

"No, I was just thinking," Silas replied. He stood properly when Anders approached. Silas found that he could get away without formalities with his friend as commander in front of other guardians. It was even easier to do so in crowded places where most beings were out of ear shot. He could not seem to get away with improper non-verbals, though. He wrung his hair again over the drain. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I came to give you this. You'll cover for Melia today." Anders extended the folder to Silas and then abruptly snatched it back from Silas's fingers, like a cat. "Without wetting the documentation."

Silas huffed and then dried his hands out on his towel. "I wonder if anyone else sees how much you enjoy this," he quietly mused as he accepted the folder. When he turned the page to the picture of the grounded guardian, his brow twitched into puzzlement. "I remember her. Doesn't she have a patrol partner who can―"

"Kallian's in the infirmary with her. And I want you more familiar with other districts." Anders explained simply.

"Oh? Retiring early?" Silas jested with a grin.

"At this rate we'll need a new clan," Anders responded expressionlessly through his teeth as he checked his wrist watch. For a moment he grew absorbed in the interface, and then seemed to realize that he had no time to stand around. As he stepped backward to turn and go, he met eyes with Silas once. "See you at four."

Silas tucked the folder under his arm as he re-tied the knot in his cloth belt. The orders were tall, even for a busy day. The newest clan was Highrose and it was created for the sake of stricter order. Silas couldn't imagine what newer, stricter clan might look like. He took a deep breath.

He dove from the flight deck into the neighboring districts: his and the other guardian's. Normally, he would have time during the dive to daydream. Moments between assignment stages. Peace of mind as he flew home.

But today he was instructed to land in Melia's district, and although it was close in proximity to his own the landing protocol was different and it demanded all of Silas's attention. Throughout the whole day he had hardly enough time to focus on each sub-assignment. He met with Melia's mortals for the first time. He met with his own. He met with officials in Melia's district for the first time. He checked in on his own and on their the surroundings for signs of trouble. Although the number of guardians was lower due to injuries from the previous day, most of the remaining guardians doubled up such that every district was covered by three different guardians at some point during the day. It was a tactic that the guardians used in case of a localized follow-up attack. Although only a single guardian patrolled a district throughout the day (even on normal days), it was possible for up to three of them to collapse together, versed in the district's procedure, in a very short amount of time to retalliate. The bustle of assignments was close to chaos and it left everyone on their toes.

By quarter to four, Silas was half asleep as he flew upward toward the city. He landed on the flight deck and hit his wings on the doorway as he entered, having forgotten to seal them when he landed. Once content with the sealed state of his wings, Silas reported his return to Highrose. He exited the building connected to the deck and sat on a public bench near the side walk. It was close to the trainee academy, and Silas thought he might be able to catch Arael. Then it dawned on him that the young guardian's training had been postponed. "I wonder where he is," he mused aloud. "Or maybe he would have wanted to meet in the living quarters instead.."

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#34
Old 01-13-2019, 05:25 AM

(Melia and Kallian? O.o
Might be my last post.. But imma try for at least one more after this x3)

Lea sighed once the phone line went dead and she brought her arms around herself. Maybe she was just worrying too much.. She shook her head lightly and flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling until sleep claimed her.

*~*~*

"Jason!"

Jason woke the next morning with a start, jolting up right in his bed and a damp sweat cooling his hot skin. The unfamiliar voice ringing in his ears. It took him several minutes to regulate his quickened breathing as the effects of his 'dream' wore off as he became more aware of being awake. He signed and placed a hand on his head. "What the hell was that about?" He murmured under his breath. After a moment he slid out of bed and came out of his room with a clean pair of clothes, turning down the hallway and going into the bathroom to take a shower. A nice steamy shower.

Lea lazily opened her red and blue eyes as the running water reached her ears. Not have the best night's sleep, she was soon dozing off again. By the time Jason was finished showering and changing, he hadn't seen her around the safe house so he opened her door and poked his head into her room. He sighed at the sight of her fast asleep and only went into her room to cover her up with a blanket, then he left and quietly closed her door. He wandered outside and opened his wings before taking off, just to have a morning fly.

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The clock read a quarter 'til four and Arael had spent a large part of the day wasting his energy in the courtyard of the homebase, fighting with his wings. Nearly a whole day and he couldn't unseal his wings. He was exhausted, and his lack of sleep was starting to show. He couldn't leave Highrose until he had access to his wings again.. The thought alone was enough to drive him crazy. A guardian who couldn't use his or her wings were useless. That's what the other trainees said anyway.

Mostly annoyed with himself and the situation, he left the courtyard and trailed off outside into the large city. He hadn't forgotten about meeting Silas and the Commander for tea, he just didn't have any idea on where to meet with them. Or where to find them.

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#35
Old 01-13-2019, 08:28 AM

The heart of the city was a collection of critical facilities. Outside of the center a pedestrian walkway, Central Way, encircled the core buildings. Along the outer circle of the walkway were auxiliary buildings or small branching paths that provided more space for newer buildings. The Highrose quarters were one such complex that sat at the end of a road that branched out from Central Way at 3 o'clock, east. Highrose guardians saw the sun first, and they were expected to rise earliest. The flight deck, the one critical facility outside of Central Way, sat at 12 o'clock and faced north. It was easier to fly straight north at most times of most seasons, so most guardians dove north as well.

Silas took the long way home. On Central Way he followed the outside of the training academy, court house, the recruitment center, the assignment center, the original libraries, the central infirmary. He passed along the inside of the flight deck, the sky lake, the park, the theater, the newer libraries, the catch-all medical facility for other health-related needs.

Although he saw no sign of Arael on his walk, he kept track of time with his wrist watch. That was about all he could do with ease on the silly device―aside from a walkie-talkie call. He had seen engineers program it to relay assignment scheduling as well as track basic landing protocols, but Silas was more comfortable without it.

On his way past the central infirmary he heard Anders from slightly behind. Silas turned to look. He couldn't make out the context but Anders was on his way out of the building, calling back to a nurse about an alternate something for a patient's concern. "I'll let them know when I get there." When Anders saw Silas he slowed and brought his volume down to a speaking level. "This is an unusual route for you."

"I was hoping to find Arael." Silas stepped toward Anders. "If you're here, though, then we can head over―"

"I need to take care of something that's running late. I was on my way over to tell you in person since it's on the way to the assignment center." Anders paused. "It shouldn't take more than thirty minutes. I'm sorry it's running late."

"That's okay." Silas was too tired to feel anything else. Annoyance or whatever the bubble-burst might have done on another occasion. "See you at four thirty?"

Anders nodded with a short "Mhm." He offered a quick good-bye wave and marched past Silas with hardly any delay. Silas checked his watch again. Five to four. It occurred to him that if he were in Melia's shoes then he would have been nervous about his youngest mortals in the care of another guardian. So, he resolved to check on the two Antiquas siblings later in the evening to let them know that things went smoothly in their district today. Silas gazed along the walk way as he neared the three o'clock mark on Central Way. Then, he saw a familiar light-haired guardian ahead of him.

"Hey Arael!"

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#36
Old 01-13-2019, 08:24 PM

Jason didn't bother going back to the safe house, if Lea needed him she'd come and find him. Right?I

Flying kept his head clear. He didn't need to need to be thinking about yesterday's events.

Yesterday..

His mind wandered to the assignment, and his it went wrong. He shook his head and flapped his wings to gain some speed.

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Arael had a little storm cloud forming over his head as he walked aimlessly. Where was he even going? No where, he was just walking.

A bit more of aimlessly walking and he paused at the sound of his name. Arael glanced in the direction of the familiar voice and his little storm cloud slowly faded when he saw Silas. "Hey!" He greeted with a small smile.

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#37
Old 01-14-2019, 09:03 AM

Silas offered a friendly smile and stepped closer to the younger guardian. As he closed the gap between Arael and himself, he pulled back the sky blue hood of his flight gear to seem less like a stranger in the late afternoon light. Most days were predictable, so on skirmishing days he wore light armor from head to toe and on calmer days he wore silk. Today had been surprisingly unpredictable, and by the end of the day he knew it was too busy for plain cloth and yet still too flight-filled for light armor. So, before he dove down for the day he assumed the potential for both extremes and met in the middle with the closest thing to all-purpose gear he owned.

The cloth shirt and leather pants insulated mildly during free fall yet breathed comfortably on land―and they were so soft. The V-neck was as deep in the back as in the front, making for comfortable wing materialization and sealing. The hood was just the right size to fit without strangling, and the dense leather point at the front helped it stay in position during free fall―whether against his goggles or behind his neck. (In contrast, his other hoods flapped horribly in the wind without an ounce of grace.) It was taxing to continuously materialize and de-materialize assets, so on missions with extensive ranged combat the leather strap on the front was helpful for when Silas needed to clip on an entire materialized quiver of arrows. Similarly, on missions with extensive ground combat he could clip his materialized katana sheath onto the side without pulling the side of his pant leg to the floor. All the while, the hand guards protected his fingers against prolonged arrow, string, and grip handling of either weapon. On the whole, Silas got the most use out of the attire and wore it and its scrub-like siblings throughout a range of assignments.

As his brief fashion daydream came to an end, Silas shook away the dark strands of hair that had collected in front of his shoulders earlier. His grin turned sheepish and he glanced away. "I thought I could find you earlier but forgot you had no training today so I wasn't looking in the right places."

Silas fixated on the younger guardian again and turned to lead Arael toward the Highrose quarters. "Shall we head to the lounge? Oh." He mentally kicked himself for forgetting. "Anders is running about half an hour late so we can start without him. We can stop on the first floor common lounge for coffee if you want a stronger refreshment. Alternatively we can head straight to the second floor where it's quieter and there are more options for tea. Which would you prefer?"

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#38
Old 01-14-2019, 11:05 AM

Lea grew bored without her party her around and huffed with annoyance was She stood in the kitchen, leaning against the marble counter and wooden cabinets. Shinigami didn't require eating or drinking unless in their human form, but she rarely used it unless she wanted to participate in human events. She spazzed like a cat with a ball of strong when a small black book suddenly appeared before her, before bringing her hands up to open it. Really is was a book that only appeared when an assignment was given. With a sigh, she she closed the book, watching as it disappeared and took her leave. First she had to find Jason, if he hadn't gone to the place where the job took place.

'Forget it.' She thought as she walked out onto the porch and opening her wings. 'I can't waste time looking for him, it's already after four.' Lea took flight without another thought. Her target was a elderly man who was sick, and not getting any better. He's be at the park, and that's where she went. The distance between the safe house and the park weren't far so her destination came into view shortly after she took flight, and she soon spotted her target. The man was sitting on a lone park bench. Though she could simply address the older male, some was common for mortals to see the shinigami around who came to collect them, she chose not to. She decided she'd at least follow him home and then strike.

Why? Because, a soul usually felt more a peace when at home.


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Arael casually followed the older guardian back towards headquarters, stuffing his hands on the pockets of his white hoodie, he lowered his amber eyes some as the other mentioned looking for him. "I was in the courtyard today, trying to figure out how to unreal my wings- didn't get anywhere though." He spoke, murmuring by the end of his statement. His mentor had to patrol, so he wouldn't be back until later, which left the younger to figure it out alone.

He raised his eyes to Silas when he asked about going to the lounge, then gave his head a tilt when he mentioned Anders running late, and listened quietly. That just meant he could spend more time with the guardian at his side currently. Somewhere quite sound good, as did something stronger than tea. He offered Silas a small and lazy smile. "The second floor sounds better, I bet we could both use a little pick-me-up right about now." He said.

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#39
Old 01-15-2019, 02:52 AM

Silas made his way up the entrance steps to Highrose. They were easy to climb, but they were longer than most stairs and the sheer irregularity drew on his attention every time he returned home. There were four white marble stairs, and each had a thin metal mesh secured down the center for the wetter, icier months of the year. Once he reached the top of the stairs he pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped through the open archway into the high ceilings of the main lobby.

The far left and far right walls were each lined with a row of victorian chairs and sofas. A navy carpet with black designs swirled across the marble flooring toward the walls and under the furniture. At the back of the large entryway was a two-person desk for a doorman/security guard pair. On the left of the desk was a door into the stairwell for residential floors and on the right was a hallway and staircase into the common areas.

But the desk was in the back, far across the carpet. Whenever Silas passed through the entrance it always seemed to lack something. The space was rarely used in Highrose outside of major events, though in other clans the entry space decorations reflected minor holidays as well as clan events and other miscellaneous celebrations. Here, it lacked Jack-o-Lanterns in October, cornucopias in November, ornaments of an evergreen tree in December, snowflakes in January, hearts in February. Silas had spent very little time visiting other clans, but it was the only way he had ever seen festive decorations firsthand.

Silas stepped across the navy carpet toward the doorman desk at the back of the entrance. There was only one guardian on duty―an older-looking man with olive skin and dark features named Farah. Once Silas neared, Farah looked up from his paper work and smiled through his neatly trimmed beard. "Welcome back, you two!"

When Silas reached the counter he leaned onto the counter and propped himself up with his elbows. "Thanks for holding the fort down."

"Whose fort did you hold down today? Unless you mean to say that you over-dressed for your own districts." Farah looked toward Arael. "Were you assigned to take over a training course?"

Silas shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that. I covered for Melia today―that looks like a nightmare." Silas motioned toward the half-foot stack of golden folders on the desk.

"I wouldn't put it past Commander to ask you to run training sessions. He wants to you lead, you know. Ah, these?" Farah scribbled something on the page in front of him and slid it into a folder on the right. "There are a lot of injuries from the other day. Most of these are simple, but... Actually, most of these aren't from Highrose. But we have plenty of resources here, so I offered to help."

"That's Highrose for you," Silas cheered.

Farah smiled. "It's things like accessibility changes for the few with limb injuries, ventilation adjustments for the rooms that need to be marked vacant for a while. A few guardians have rodents or fish so those need to be watched until someone else takes temporary custody of them..." He closed the folder and tugged the string around the button to tie the opening shut. Then he gave it a small yet clearly calculated toss onto the growing stack on the right. "There are a handful of room changes due to accessibility constraints so there's the issue of forwarding addresses and more paperwork, yada yada. Most of the pet concerns came first so that's mostly out of the way. At this point it's really just a lot of paperwork to document the rest."

Silas pushed himself upright and away from the desk. "Well, we won't keep you then. We're going for tea on the second floor lounge―I'll be there until six. It would be great to see you if you wanted to take a beverage break between now and then."

"Thank you. Take care."

Silas spun backwards and stepped to the left of the desk. "To the second floor!" He reached for the door handle behind him and faced the stairwell to pull it open.

He climbed the stairs to the second floor, made his way through the door into the hallway, and stepped toward the lounge. He unhooked his hooded cape and, once he reached the seating area, draped it over the back of the chair from a day earlier. Silas propped the tea cabinet below the counter and then turned to Arael. "What kind of tea would you like? I'm into green tea but there are lots of choices in here. Some of these I've never even heard of." He took a deep breath as the tea-scented air from within cabinet rose to his face. Even the scent was enough to tug him from numb exhaustion toward pleasant wakefulness. "Ah, they all smell nice."

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#40
Old 01-15-2019, 03:51 AM

Lea continued to watch the elderly man as he sat on the park bench, quickly growing bored. She tilted her head when the elderly man seemed to be looking at her and hesitated before making a move. Could he see her like all the others she had met before stealing their souls? Hearing the sudden ruffling of feathers caused her to spazz, and her reflexes kicked in. The blade of her scythe was inches from slicing through her partners neck, before she could fully turn around to see who was behind her.

A cocky smirk formed in Jason's lips "Fancy way of saying hello- relax, would ya?" He spoke casually, causing Lea to sigh a breath of relief. She relaxed her weapon over her back and straightened out some. "You should know better than to sneak up on me like that, Jae! Where have you been?" She responded, followed by an annoyed question.

"Flying. My head's a little messed up from yesterday, so I went flying." Jason explained easily, taking note that Lea still wasn't very amused. She dropped her eyes briefly, then turned her attention to the elderly man. "His name came up today. I want to follow him home first though.." She murmured. Jason shifted his attention as well and stood quietly for a moment before lowering his head.

"He's waiting for you to come a s take him."

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Arael easily walked with Silas through the doors and inside the large and fancy, at least in his eyes, building they called headquarters. Arael offered Farah a small smile when he addressed them, and followed Silas over to the desk to greet the old man. He mostly stood quietly while the two conversed, only stopping his gaze to the floor at the mention of a training course.

Casually waving goodbye as he began to follow the older guardian once more, climbing the staircase leading up to the second floor. Arriving in the lounge, Arael watched the older for a moment before smiling. "I could go for some Orange Jasmine, please." He said, being mindful of his. manners. "So, you covered for Melia? No wonder you looked so exhausted when I first saw you. You okay?" The younger spoke, genuinely concerned about the older. If he needed to rest.. He had time before Anders came to meet them.

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#41
Old 01-18-2019, 02:16 PM

Silas blinked at the name of the tea. Orange Jasmine... The boxes of tea were neatly organized into long prisms that stacked together, so he searched for a moment and then pulled one out from the bottom that matched the name. As he inspected it more closely, turned it in his hand, the rest of the long rectangular prisms neatly slid down a space.

The smell of the tea box in his hand was unfamiliar but sweet. With his free hand he lifted his favorite box of green tea off the top of the stacks and then placed both on the counter. As he began to fill the counter kettle with water, he tilted his head slightly when Arael spoke. "It came last-minute." Silas then set the kettle back on the stand and hit the power button. He paused, uneasy about how to respond to the next question. Slowly, he moved to fill the two metal cages with their respective tea leaves. Once there was nothing else to do but wait he took a seat in the chair from the previous day and faced Arael.

"It kept me busy—I could definitely use a nap..." He shifted automatically in his chair. He wanted to bring up his friend, to get it over with in a sense. He also didn't want to ramble about something that he knew time would heal. Uncomfortably, he drew in a breath. "This morning I was thinking about the person I ran into yesterday." He continued slowly. "He was't well. But I didn't stay with him, and now he's one of them. It helps to stay busy, but whenever I have time it eats at me." He had failed to recognize the severity of Jason's illness. Silas had failed to save him, and the guilt upset his apetite. He glanced toward the kettle, unsure of whether to reconsider the tea.

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#42
Old 01-19-2019, 02:48 AM

"He's waiting for you to take him."

Lea blinked at his words, and glanced at the old man. "Waiting?" She repeated quietly. Jason nodded. "Look at him, he's got nothing left, and he's obviously sick." He explained. "He did something he regrets, and probably can't forgive himself.. I almost feel bad for him. Still.." "Letting him live like that is too cruel." Lea finished Jason's sentence and lowered her scythe. No guardians were around to stop her- so, why was she hesitating? She glanced at her partner, who had lowered his head. "Don't you understand? As shinigami, we do what the guardians can't. If they're already dying, why let them suffer? We give them a release by ending their suffering."

Jason balled his hands by his sides. "He's innocent.." Lea held up her scythe and pointed it in the direction of the old man, keeping her blue and red eyes on Jason. "He's already dead! That man has no light in his eyes, no fight left. Get it through your head! By taking him, we're granting him mercy." She said before hovering towards the man, who smiled at her as her scythe struck him. His body fell limp as is he had fallen unconscious or a sleep and his spirit left.

Lea turned to Jason, who hadn't raised his head. "This is our job.. Quit acting like you're still human!" By the time she had noticed the pain on Jason's face, he had already left. He murmured something inaudible, then flew off.

"..What have I done..?" Lea whispered, long after he had left. She soon flew off to find Mars. She had just messed up, big time.

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Arael sat quietly as Silas spoke, and lowered his head. He could hear the uneasiness in his voice and felt pretty bad for saying anything. He felt even worse when th older mentioned yesterday's topic. The shinigami he had guarded in the past. "Shinigami.. When you think about it.. Why are they born? I'm sorry for asking something like this.. I just don't understand why anybody would throw their life away.."

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#43
Old 01-26-2019, 05:47 AM

Mars swung the tree house door open and expressively jammed the top edge of her scythe onto the wooden floor. There were several cuts in the same area of the wood, and for that reason the evergreen carpet began a few feet into the afternoon-lit room. She muttered something under her breath about risky assignments and difficult humans. "And I get such aggressive people, too. I hate this..."

She paused for a moment to look left through the wide window out at the afternoon sunlight. She took her hand away from the end of the snath and the weapon stood firmly wedged in the small wooden crack. Then she turned to close the door behind her. As she stepped away from the scythe, the blade glinted brighter than usual, the way it did with new souls. She flipped the switch to the four interior lights of the main area. There were two small couches against adjacent walls and each other on the left side of the room, and a door to the connecting tree house structures on the right. It didn't seem like anyone else had returned from their assignments. She sighed loudly and turned off the lights. There was no reason to leave them on so early in the evening. She leaned against the arm of the couch with enough elevation to look out the window.

Mars held her breath at the sound of a knock on the door. The other residents all had keys, or at least announced their return if they had locked themselves out. She slipped off the arm of the couch and slowly moved toward the door, taking hold of her scythe quietly and lifting it out of the wooden crack. Isn't it a little early for the kids? she wondered.

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"It's not that someone would throw their life away," Silas began. Then he stopped himself. Maybe some humans had done that. He had seen human gang fights which ended lives. And maybe, he thought, that was all Arael had ever seen in his youth. Silas sighed lightly and looked straight at Arael.

"When someone is ill like that they don't act with reason. He...had lost self-esteem over the time I watched him but it seemed like keeping him company was helpful."

He looked over toward the counter at the beep from the kettle. He rose out of the chair to prepare the cups of tea. He was glad to be able to at least talk about the issue. The citrus jasmine and green tea scents floated through the air as Silas poured hot water over the metal cages. When he was confident that they had steeped long enough he placed the soggy cages on a napkin and scooped up the teacups. He turned around and offered one to Arael. "When I was new, Solias and the other senior guardians would talk of how they protected humans into nearly adulthood. And of how some humans were once guarded for life based on their status. I used to think it was strange that we were always so short on time at Highrose but maybe those stories are the real strangers. If only we could have more time."

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#44
Old 01-26-2019, 02:58 PM

Lea flew through the city for the one person who she could show her tears to. At some point she stopped and glanced down at the glinted blade of her scythe, then shook her head and made for the tree house. If nothing else, she could wait for Mars there if she was out.

It didn't take very long for her to get to the tree house. She softly landed on the wooden porch like base in front of the door and hesitantly knocked. "It's Lea.." She spoke, before slowly opening the door, her blue and red eyes lowered to the wooden floor. She lifted her head and spared no second in running to Mars with tears in her eyes.

---

Jason on the other hand, returned to the safe house and shut himself in his bedroom, Lea's words echoing in his ears. 'Human... I don't even remember how I ended up like this.. I sure as hell didn't ask for this!' He brought his hand up and balled it, sending his fist hard into the wall. It was then that a flash ran across his mind and his bright ruby eyes widen. Moving a hand to rest in his forehead, he stood in place. 'What..was that?'
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The younger guardian listened quietly as Silas spoke. He didn't know what to say. He didn't understand. Instead, he let the words sink in like any good trainee would when listening to their superiors. While he sat there, he hadn't noticed his small wings had revealed themselves. He wanted to be useful, to have a human to guard. To save a life that was out of reach from other humans. "I still don't understand.. But, when I graduate from the training school- I want to protect both the shinigamis and the humans. I hear rumors about guardians and shinigamis being enemies.. The shinigami take the lives we swore to protect, but I think they're not just going around stealing lives. There has to be a middle ground.."

Arael glanced at Silas and smiled. "I'm going to find that middle ground. I'll be the first guardian to bring our kind together. To understand the shinigami for who they were as humans and why they take lives."

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#45
Old 02-01-2019, 04:21 AM

Mars relaxed at the sound of Lea's voice. She reached out to the door but before she could reach the handle it opened from the other side and Lea was running right at her.

"Lea―" Mars could barely make out a word in time. She opened her arms to catch the little shinigami and hugged Lea tightly. "What's wrong? Did something happen? And why didn't you bring Jason with you?"

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Silas stared at Arael. He knew that contact with shinigami was dangerous but to imagine that someone would willingly go against the rules was beyond a shock. He set Arael's cup of tea on the table and, with a frown, settled down in his chair. He didn't know what to say and to pass the time he crossed his legs so that his left ankle rested on top of his right knee. He balanced his teacup on top of his right leg, the hot surface against his pantleg again reminding him of the length of his silence.

At last he spoke. "Why?" Nervously, he glanced toward each side of the hallway and lowered his voice to a whisper as he returned his gaze to Arael. "They'll take your license away for that kind of thinking."

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#46
Old 02-02-2019, 01:49 AM

Lea took a few moments to steady her emotions at least enough to answer the older shinigami. "We had a fight.." She murmured, unable to fight back much of her tears just thinking about it. She'd never seen him wearing such a painful expression before, even if he had only been her partner for two weeks. "We had an assignment, it turned out to be an old man. He was sick, and he didn't have a reason to live. You could see it in his eyes." She sniffled some. "Jason.. He wanted a reason not to take his life. I told him that letting the old.man live would've be been cruel. " Lea went on, trying to stiffen her sniffles and wiped her eyes. "In the end, the old man smiled at me, like could see us. Which isn't unheard of but.. I snapped. I told Jason it was our job to free then, and that to stop acting like he was still human." Lea buried herself in her friend as the tears came bsck.

"I can't believe I said something so cruel.. He's only been one of us for two weeks.. He's basically a newborn and I might've just destroyed whatever relationship we had!" Was she being a tad over dramatic? Possibly. But she deeply cared for her partner, like having a younger brother, and the last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt him!

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Arael bit his bottom lip after he spoke, and watched Silas. Crap! What was he thinking, saying something like that to a superior? Well, now he has to think of an answer. And not just a half hearted one. He lowered his eyes to the cup on the table and stared at the tea inside. His reflection almost looked like it was frowning, but he noticed his wings which didn't seem to matter right now.

After taking an extra moment, he raised his eyes to look at Silas. "They deserve a chance.." He said quietly. "Please.. I trust you more than anyone here." He spoke in a quiet tone that matched that of the older guardian. He closed his eyes briefly and folded his wings but left them unsealed for now. "They might take my license, and my wings might turn grey, but in my heart- I feel it stronger than an urge to guard my first human. My destiny starts with brining our kind together."

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#47
Old 02-05-2019, 01:45 AM

Mars kept her hug-hold on the smaller demon through the tears and sniffle-filled explanation. She had been wide-eyed at first when Lea arrived, but as she heard more of the story she relaxed. When the story was over, she gave Lea a squeeze. "There, there," she cooed with a head-pat. Mars loosened the hug hold so she could look straight at Lea. "You know, it's pretty normal for new shinigami to take a while to adjust. It's alarming, yeah, but he'll get there at some point and be a-okay. As for right now...he might have flown off somewhere to sulk but eventually he'll have nowhere to go but home."

She gave Lea's shoulders another squeeze and then let go. She stepped between Lea and Mars's scythe, which had fallen sideways, in order to close the open door. She lit the lamp and then turned back to Lea. "Besides, you two are good friends―you'll make up in no time."

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"Arael, your wings!"

Silas's eyes darted up to the source of the voice. Then he saw the bright cyan and tensed. He opened his mouth to say something but he was too slow, too dazed.

"Congratulations," Anders cheered as he strode around to the back side of Arael's chair. He put his hand on the back edge of the chair and leaned expressively to get a better look at the young guardian's wings. "I know you had been wanting to unseal them." He let go of the chair and moved between the two guardians. "I apologize for running late. I hope I didn't miss much."

Silas inhaled the beginning of a sigh of relief and caught himself before it was too obvious. He was more than happy that Arael had just barely missed the wrong person to talk to about treason. He tried to channel the relief into some other kind of excitement. "We thought you fell in," he joked. "Want some tea?" Silas set his cup down and half began to stand.

"I can make it―you don't have to get up." Anders moved toward the counter.

"Do you know what the flavors are?" Silas watched Anders and sat back down.

"If they haven't changed," Anders replied. He bent forward to read the the label of one box. He set it down and reached for another.

Silas took the distraction opportunity to make direct eye contact with Arael. He quickly shook his head and made a "cut-it-out" headless gesture with his right hand and then relaxed his posture again before Anders turned.

"Is that the green tea?" Anders asked, motioning toward Silas's teacup. Silas affirmed a wordless mm-hmm and Anders turned back toward the counter to make fiddle with the tea leaves and tiny metal cage. "Arael, I seem to have forgotten. Were you assigned to do anything today?"

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#48
Old 02-05-2019, 02:39 AM

Lea quieted most of her sniffles and dried some of her tears when Mars gave her eye contact and spoke comforting words. She wiped we set eyes with the sleeve of her long striped glove and slowly calmed down after hearing the words of the older shinigami.

She watched Mars close the door and she herself sat down on the couch. "I'm sorry.. I guess I'm still a child after all." She murmured quietly, lowering her gaze. "What if he doesn't adjust? He'll be punished and who knows what else.." She brought her hands to rest the sides of her cheeks.

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Arael came out of his daze and lifted his head at the sound of his name, and the voice of the commander. He tensed some when Anders came up behind his chair to examine his small wings, feeling a tad embarrassed by their size. "T-thank you, sir." He spoke, not bothering to hide his surprised voice.

He curiously watched the two interact and converse before glancing at Silas as Anders went to make himself some tea. Arael briefly lowered his gaze, just.to glance at the Commander once more when he addressed him. He blinked and smiled a little. "No sir, my training was put on hold because of my wings. Now that they're unsealed though, I can go to Ghost in the morning and report." He said in a cheerful voice. He could continue his training, and possibly get to go on a practice assignment with his mentor.

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#49
Old 02-28-2019, 01:26 AM

Mars's eyebrows furrowed together in a look of concern. "It would be unlike Nevra to let a newcomer fall that far into trouble," she thought aloud. She stepped toward the couch, stretched her arms once, and plopped down. "He might be slow to adjust but even with shinigami who are out of their element here―we find a place for 'em to fit in, you know?" She turned toward Lea. "It's kind of private until the last minute―if it goes public at all―but people who get in trouble have usually refused a lot of help from Nevra. She's decisive and ambitious so she seems scary all the time but she thinks of us as family and looking out for us all is her top priority."

Mars yawned into a sigh. "Mmm...There are a lot of ways for someone to fit in with us. I used to do more administrative work with new shinigami―before I sharpened my knife to do field work like this―so I've seen countless..." She yawned again and closed her eyes to recount the tale. "Countless shinigami...that take a long time to...adjust...or need to change...assignments...a thousand...times..."

With the sun yet set and her scythe sharp-side sideways on the floor, Mars in her street clothes fell fast asleep.

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"Good!" Anders cheered. He poured hot water over the tea leaves and shook the metal around in the water to force a faster steep. He unclasped the tool and tossed the damp leaves in the waste bin. He spun on one heel and extended his arm so as to counter the movement and avoid spilling his tea. "I'm sure he'll be delighted to get you into missions." Anders sat down in the third nearby chair and took a sip from his steaming cup.

Silas closed his eyes. His chair faced away from the window in the lounge and the sun had started to shine in for the evening.

"Silas, how was Melia's district today?"

Silas opened his eyes to Arael and then turned to the sound of Anders's voice. "I didn't realize the districts were so unique. Even the landing protocol is different."

Anders laughed. "You'll get the hang of it." Silas frowned, and Anders caught himself. "Ah, Silas. I didn't mean to have you completely replace Melia. I wanted you to get to know her district better so that you might be able to mentor her, among others."

"I don't understand how today would help me mentor her."

"No, you're certainly not going to mentor her yet," Anders agreed. "Today was an opportunity for you to learn the in's and out's of her assignments. Even an emergency backup call would have worked in your favor so that you would learn and demonstrate experience in her jurisdiction―"

"All of this just makes me tired," Silas half-snapped as he leaned forward and pressed his palms into his eyelids to rub the sleep away. "I don't even remember what I had for breakfast." He moved his hand toward the stray strands of dark hair that had fallen forward and tugged them away from his eyes.

"You look like you could use a nap," Anders retorted. He paused for a moment to collect himself and then turned toward Arael. "You must have worked hard, too, to get your wings unsealed. Perhaps both of you could use a refreshing rest?"

( OOC: Which person should bring up time-travel? I won't kick Silas out of the lounge if that's where we want to bring it up but if it's better for Silas/Arael to conspire after Anders leaves―or sends them away―then we could do that too. )

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#50
Old 03-01-2019, 01:11 AM

Lea listened the older shinigami, being sure to make a mental note to maybe go talk to Nevra about helping Jason, or getting him off the field.. Anything to keep him from meeting that angel again. Watching her friend, she soon noticed how tired to other was and immediately felt bad for barging in so late in the day. Once the other was sound a sleep, Lea carefully moved her scythe and propped it up against a wall where one wouldn't trip over it, then she found a blanket and covered her up with it. After doing what she could to make her at least a little comfortable, Lea quietly left and closed the door.

Lea headed back to the safe house to talk to Jason. However, before she reached the safe house she heard a voice that sounded much like her partner. "Jae?" She murmured quietly.

Jason had been caught by one of the angels in which he was currently trying to fend off an angel with short spiky snow hair hair and an ethereal sword glowing shades of blue and white. Jason grunted as his scythe clashed with the sword. It was pretty clear who was winning. "Jae!" Lea called out, speeding her flying and bringing her scythe down on the offending angel, which at least got him to back off some. Enough not to get himself impaired. Lea landed in front of Jason and held her scythe up in a defensive manner, and Jason took this time to collect himself.

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Arael sounded a soft hum at the appraisal, and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Last he checked, his mentor wasn't too thrilled about his coming of age- or whatever-where he was ready to go out on missions. But, that was besides the point. His wings were unsealed and that was that.

He curiously listened to the two seniors converse and sipped from his tea. Was Silas being transferred to a new district of something? He thought maybe it was one time thing, but after hearing Anders.. He wasn't too sure.

Eventually, while listening to the two, he had finished his tea and began to feel the affects of unsealing your wings for the first time. Arael blinked out of his daze when Anders spoke to him and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I had no idea I'd be feeling this tired afterwards.." He murmured quietly. Silas had.looked tired when they first met up, now he really looked like he could use some rest, and the younger did worry about him some.

 



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