Time-Jump Eminant: To the next morning. ~Wrap up your night folks, prepare your characters to be in the day light of tomorrow.

Kacie Burkowitz's face turned bright red at Sugar's insinuation, and for a moment he had forgotten that he told everyone that he name was Alex, not Kacie.

Honestly, the type of fire that Eden could produce stuck to Rosetta's hand for a moment, before Nick lost concentration. Simply black fire wasn't normal, and it often depended on the will of the user.

Punch to the face was great at causing a nose bleed, or breaking a nose. "Shit, Mama that fuckin' hurt!" Honestly if it hadn't been Rosie throwing that punch, then it really would not have hurt so bad, Nick would have laughed it off.

Landing on his toes he dropped to his knees and held his nose, not because it hurt, but because he could feel what the collar was doing. Edgar...? The injuries healed faster than they might have initially from the collar alone, thanks to Eden's healing ability.

"Heh.." Standing up Nick brushed himself off, feeling fatigued of course, but touched the pretty trinket around his neck. Seems that it came in more useful than he orignally thought.

Kacie glanced in the direction that everyone else was looking and blanched. "That looks like it's in town, lets go check!" Honestly, for the first time all night, he thought about his brother.

~~~~~~

Yeah, so at the hospital while there was magical turmoil afoot? Reginald Burkowitz was fighting with a crowd of magical and non-magical alike. Well, more like he was kicking the last twelve into the basement of the hospital.

So far Mr. Burk had used only his staff, and not the swords hidden within that very staff, not honestly wanting to hurt this hoard that had been sent to him for no known reason. It was irritating that the last few proved harder to toss into the magical jail. "Iscariot! Focus on fighting the group, not individuals!"

It had been about an hour since they started beating back the hoard.

~~~~~~~~~

Rory looked thoroughly annoyed. Yes, a trickster spirit, accompanied by several other very strange people. "Well then, I won't bother with luring you with candy." Glancing up at the sky, he saw the aura of the phoenix, and it seemed as if it struck a chord somewhere in foxy's head.

His pupils narrowed for a moment before he heaved a sigh and stood up straight. "I don't know why she isn't watching you right now." Before Sarah could react, a gust of wind blew at her strong enough to knock the child off of her feet. Ruarc picked her up by the back of her shirt and tucked her under his arm. "Free baby sitting service! Courtesy of Ruarc O'Connor!"

His voice was jovial but laced with a dangerous sarcasm. Out of his hat he pulled a card, and pin. Using his teeth he poked the pin through the card and tossed it into the material of the roof. His address and name, why would Rory have business cards? To make himself feel important of course. It was starting to seem to him that there were very few trickster spirits left in the world.

"Let's go, Arianna." Bossy bossy, what happened to fun-loving Ruarc? Either way he ran to the edge of the roof and lept onto another, glancing up at a raven that seemed to be having no problem flying in this turbulence. Also it had a scroll. Oh, that was the troublemaker that Rory had felt.

"Chronos, you couldn't follow that bird, could you?" Half spoken to himself, if the fairy boy wasn't listening, he might not have heard. Then he heard Eliza speak, and glanced down. Acting as if Sarah were a squirmy bit of luggage. "No, but I'm sure someone in the councils does!" Thinking about it, he sighed. "You can come to my place if you like, I have contact with a few councils.."

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Kaz looked at Axel and nodded. "You should be safe here, Bastion. Unless you would rather be transported to some place less open. I don't expect you to trust a stranger." Gee, what a nice way to make an offer. "Axel, if you would like.." What's with my characters having business cards? Lack of creativity. So Kaz handed Axel a calling card so to say.. Literally a card but it had a small blue fiery bird in the corner.

Speak to the card and it would burst into a small little fire bird and go find Kaz. Awesome! However that's strange. "I'd love to see another one of your shows sometime." Ah, there's the explanation.

If he didn't hear anything from Bastion, Kaz was going to disappear for the High Council.. Somehow Triston and his twin brother had disappeared. Family emergency if you decided to ask Kaz why.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As for dragons? Well we have one neurotic girl laying on the floor of a cave with white-ish hair pooled under her head. She was holdng a simple doll against her chest and staring at the ceiling that glistened like the night sky. A black onyx cave, rare to say the least. However with the dragons present it wasn't likely that it had been there for centuries before having this strange company.

"Eri.. When are they going to be here?"

((What to do what to do what to do....

I don't feel like coloring @_@ but I made lines to show where each post is!))

Bastion nodded vigorously, though the reason was even unknown to him. Fear caused many people to act peculiar and this immense fear of death was what drove him out of the safety of his own home. He curled alongside his tail, his eyes shut tightly as if not seeing what was around him really made it disappear. Sadly, it wasn't the case, but Bastion continued to hide with his arms over his head. Remembering that he can foretell the future may have benefited him at this point; too bad Bastion was too afraid to even remember he had that power at his disposal. He truly believed entering the water would be the end of his short-lived life.

A soft, almost child-like whimper could be heard from the ball of merman. Normally his people weren't so fearful; Bastion was an exception to that brave assumption. Every action Bastion ever performed was to prevent his own demise and save his own hide. He stayed in this lake upon the arrival of the phoenix (since... I doubt he's lived here this whole time? Correct me if I'm wrong, since I wouldn't know) because Asoch had no interest in harming him. How would harming a merman benefit him? Though, if he knew of Bastion's power to see the future there might be a reason... but he kept his visions to himself for that precise reason. No one dared to come to this lake if they knew the phoenix resided here, so he figured he was safe... Since when did people WANT to find the phoenix? OH HOW HE WAS DOOMED! DOOMED!

Over his loud thoughts off I'M DOOMED, Bastion barely caught a lick of what the people around him were saying. If he had any mind to pay attention then he would have noticed that the kelpie safely returned to her watery home, which resided in the same lake as him. Too bad he was too busy suffering from what is commonly known as: a panic attack.

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Jamilah lost interest in following Ludvic. It was highly unlikely his kind had any idea how to read that scroll, so his adventure was likely to be short-lived. She let out a sigh, rolled her eyes and exited the building with her hips swaying from side to side. A temptation to find that woman she had met many years ago crossed her mind, but she thought it was unlikely that the woman wanted to be found, even if it was only for Jamilah to ask her a few questions concerning this scroll. She noticed the female human checking the carcass of the man Ludvic had killed moments earlier, but it meant nothing to her.

Briefly Alex stared at Jamilah, curious to learn more about her. The curiousity was only brought on because of her appearance and where she was located. Why would someone who appeared to be a belly dancer be in a place like this during a horrendous storm and not even care there was a dead man upon the floor? It was odd, but he was then distracted by the beauty of the banshee not too far away from them.

The jinn eyed the banshee from head to toe then smirked. "I forgot what various creatures existed... I really should have left the desert sooner..." Before she was able to speak more with the banshee, the female human asked a question she thought it would be rude to ignore. "A parasite demon, judging from his scent... He is likely to be heading to the desert at some point, but only if he can translate that scroll...." A chuckle then a yawn, politely hidden by her right hand as her left lay upon her hip. If it wasn't obvious by now, Jamilah was easily bored.

"Now, if you'll excuse me...." Jamilah jerked her hip to her right side with her torso bent in slightly and clapped her hands together, her face tucked against her left arm. Smoke engulfed her, some of it circling and spiraling about the room. Her black hair began to curl and shorten as her skin turned pale while her body thinned, losing some of the large curves it once held. As Alex puts it, belly dancer clothes disappeared briefly (anyone staring at her may have seen her body exposed, though smoke could have covered it depending on where you stood) before a short, black, frilly dress took its place. A top her head lay a tiny, black top hat and her feet had black ballet slippers. Eyes, though still the color of a dark ebony, were larger and made her appear younger (shrinking a feet or so helped a bit). Black wings sprouted from her back. The once voluptuous Arabian jinn was now a pale, petite white girl. "I have a circus to attend to..."

Alex was amazed, though it was not shown upon his features. He continued to stay poised in all of the havoc. Any human would have thought he was bored by looking at his face. This expression wouldn't last too long, not on Jamilah's watch.

Jamilah frowned at the less than surprised male human, though she knew he was impressed. How could she not? She can READ MINDS. A couple strides and she was standing right beside Alex with her heads on his broad shoulder, twirling his golden hair in her finger tips. "What beautiful locks of gold.... I know what would make you even more beautiful..." She grabbed a hold of his face and pressed her lips hard against his cheek. Suddenly the once yellow hair was just as black as hers. A quick spin and she was away from the human, giggling.

He stared at her perplexed until he noticed the bangs in his face were no longer the beauteous color they once were.... His eyes jolted open as far as they could go. "What... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Alex pulled on his hair, screaming at the top of his lungs at her. "My... My beautiful hair! Everything is ruined! Change it back, you heathen!" He stomped over to her, grabbed onto her top and lifted her into the air with his left hand. Jamilah's body slumped over his fist, her forehead pressed against his.

"Tsk, tsk, child... That is no way to treat an elder... I shall change it back after you escort me to the circus."

"THE WHAT?!" Alex yelled. It was unlike him to express his anger this way, but no one messed with his appearance. Tear his clothes, break his belongings, throw him out on the street, stab his arm, what have you, but NEVER mess with his hair, face, or eyes. "I never agreed to escort you anywhere! I do not care what powers you possibly possess. CHANGE MY HAIR BACK BEFORE I DESTROY YOU!" He shook her violently then lunged her out the door and down the stairs of the museum, thinking it may enough damage to her to make her change his hair back.

It did nothing. Jamilah sat at the bottom of the stair case laughing her head off. "I cannot wait to see your reaction to your new clothes!" She rolled about the ground with her hands clenched over her stomach, trying to sustain her laughter.

Alex glared down at his new clothes. A burgundy scarf that dragged along the ground with a black vest that ended around his knees, a white under shirt with a black dragon embroidered on it, baggy burgundy pants that tied around his ankles, thin black shoes meant for acrobats, a useless chain necklace, as well as long black gloves. He didn't even notice his piercing yet. "CHANGE ME BACK!" Alex stomped down the steps and lodged his foot into her side, but her laughing didn't cease.

"Escort me and I shall... I refuse to bring a blonde escort." Jamilah disappeared then reappeared sitting on his shoulders. "I can also help you..." She leaned in close to his ear then whispered, "find who you are looking for..."

He was ready to throw her off of him until she said that. There was a brief pause as he thought out his options, then he nodded. "All right."

Before anyone could question them, they both disappeared.

----------------------

Chronos watched the people leaving the museum and said nothing as Ruarc spoke to the others. The scene between the pale woman and the clearly angry man interested him. The bringer of justice inside of him wanted to help her, but then he saw her face: she was laughing. He was baffled; why would she be laughing? She was just thrown down stairs! Ruarc said his name, but he barely heard what he had to say.

"Bird? Oh... yeah, but I didn't see where it went..." his eyes were still locked on the scene of the man and woman until they suddenly disappeared.

"Ooooo! Can I come? I wanna come!" This place is so weird... Chronos now face Ruarc with a bright, brimming smile.

---------------------

Jos Milerwak Sertheon tapped her foot impatiently in her human form inside of the cave that the dragons were designated to meet in. Most of the council was here, except for a few lallygaggers. Early she had entertained herself with her powers of illusion as well as with her smoke screens, but it grew boring quickly. She bit her cheek then dug her longs nails into the skin of her sides. Sertheon, which was what she went by amongst her brethren (since she was the last of her family), desperately wanted to return to her well hidden child. Surely they may understand her reason to leave if she would put down her pride and reveal her story, but she refused to endanger her child nor admit to her weaknesses. Ever since the birth of her child she became impatient, quick to temper, and quite rude since she hated leaving her baby's side, but to them it appeared as if she suddenly changed. The once emotionless dragon now only expressed rage around them.

"Yes, Erihjo. When will the rest of these pests arrive?" Sertheon hissed. She wasn't even aware her human form was bleeding thanks to her digging into her skin. All she cared about was ending the meeting abruptly to return home. Besides, unofficial fourth wasn't exactly needed for any of the meetings; she was called upon in emergencies.

"Calm yourself, Sertheon..." Erihjo lifted an open hand, tilted it palm down, then lowered it. "I assure you, this meeting is necessary and all will be present soon enough. Remember that we must all come here concealed in our human forms, so it may take others a bit longer than the rest to arrive. Once all high members are present the meeting shall begin."

Sertheon growled, her smoke swirling around Erihjo's neck. "Such insolence... Of all members the high members know better than to be late to a meeting. Their tardiness is unforgivable. If they do not arrive soon I shall depart." The smoke solidified, tightening around Erihjo's long neck.

The crystal dragon's eyes narrowed at the defiant fourth, gripping onto the solidified smoke. "I do not wish to fight you, Sertheon... Do not tempt me."

She hissed and the smoke disappeared. Sertheon walked deeper into the cave to avoid Erihjo's presence and distract herself. Surely no one would find her child... no one.

"Excuse Sertheon, Nyph." She smiled at her cousin, looking down at her. Since Sertheon was an unofficial fourth she rarely attended meeting anymore, thus she rarely ever saw Nyph. Erihjo met her when she was still a young dragon and Sertheon was still known as Jos. They were friends once, but that was long before Nyphra's time. "I am sure the others will be arriving shortly."

Then came a long, high-pitched whine from none other than Orion the stone dragon. "Aaaaaaw man! I can't believe it's raining! Did you guys know it was raining? I hate flying in the rain!" He pouted, arms crossed over his chest as his cloak dragged behind him. The cloak was given to him by his father, who insisted he would grow into it. His white ponytail whipped alongside him, hitting him square in the face inducing another whine. It wasn't until he pulled a blue, plastic box from under his clothes that the giant smile commonly seen on his face appeared. "Battleship as we wait anyone? I loooove Battleship and it'll pass by time! It will, it will."

Erihjo chuckled at Orion; Sertheon growled and sat down on one of the rocks near by.

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"Weeee! Oh my! I can't believe Axie owns such a big place! BIG BIG BIG!" Lydia danced around then did numerous flips about the main hall of Axel's mansion without so much as a care. She doubted the little ash demon minded so long as she didn't break anything. "It's been sooooo long, Kiri!" She landed one of her flips, almost running into a bookshelf. Her eyes widened, carefully taking a few steps back before letting out a sigh of relief. "PHEW! That was close."

Kiri flew about frantically, tugging her farther away from the bookshelf.

"What, Kiri? It's fine! See?" She held up her arms as if she was presenting the bookshelf, then it fell to the ground barely missing her. A very guilty look spread over her face, stepping carefully away from the scene of the crime. "Um... um... I... I doubt he cares! Pssshhhh."

The tiny dragon shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, shush, Kiri! Don't you have a dragon meeting?!"

He gave her a 'Who? Me?' look and shook his head.

"Ya know... Ya can't avoid them forever."

He scowled.

She strolled over to the staircase and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah... I know... Not like I don't know my own past, Kiri... but I bet your kin misses you." A pause. Lydia stopped walking in the middle of the staircase, staring down at the steps. Her eyes narrowed and watered slightly. "I... I doubt mine..."

Kiri flew over to her, nuzzling his face against her neck. It took a few minutes, but Lydia gently petted his head. He then nuzzling against her cheek, staring into her eyes.

"Huh? OH!" She laughed a good hardy laugh, shaking her head. "It's nothing, Kiri. Absolutely nothing!" Lydia screamed and then proceeded to do flips down the stairs and Kiri panicked that she might hit her head, which she didn't. Bouncing up and down in front of the front door was Lydia, excited to see Axel again after to many years. "I wonder what he's like now, Kiri! Think she raised him good? I bet she raised him good. I doubt she's here anymore though. I bet you she ran off somewhere once he was old enough to be a-okay. I don't blame her, though! We stay alive for sooooo long, so why not explore and stuff by ourselves? I know I'm soooo happy I got to explore. I wonder what Axie decided to do! Do you think he'll still like me? I hope he still does. I hope he doesn't hate circus performers... I'll have to beat his butt if he does! For reals."

Kiri shook his head, chuckled, and curled around Lydia's shoulders.

"I'm too excited to sit down, Kiri! Too excited!" She grinned.

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Timk stomped about a mountain range, chomping down on the raw dragon leg from his latest victim. He licked the blood dripping from his lips before devouring yet another bite of the delectable dragon. The night was like any other night for this minotaur werewolf. A victim was found, pummeled to the ground, and devoured for SUSTENANCE. With a satisfied belly, he searched for the nearest village to terrify the inn keeper for his best bed and a woman or two.

With a free hand he hurled a boulder that was in his way, tossing it behind him. The large rock landed on a wagon travelling a good distance from him, but he didn't care. Timk only cared about the needs of Timk, not those of pathetic travelers.

The things that haunt Mr. Stoker.

The door closed behind him, and his head fell back resting against it. The scroll hit the ground with a loud thud. His heart purred into his ear. His chest rose up and down at a rapid pace. He couldn't stop shaking, worse, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Her face haunted him still. He had never really forgotten. It was hard to forget something you couldn't bring yourself to kill. The image of a female child came into his mind. She was so small, so helpless. He could have done it so easily. All it took was a snap to the neck.

Instead, he had befriended her. He had gone on walks with her, carried her upon his shoulders. He had recited poems to her, read to her, and sang to her. He had listened to her every word, and had encouraged her every fantasy. He would play games with her, nursed her to health when she got sick or hurt. During nights he had held her in his arms waiting for her to fall asleep. And he did it all with a smile.

When he had killed them, it was the first time he had ever felt regret. Seeing her face made it all worse. In the end he had left her in the forest to die. He couldn't kill her himself.

"`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore...' " Ludvic quoted softly.

Reunion (Simple ain‘t it?)

A brow lowered to the sudden gesture. Though when Kaz explained his reason, Axel was able to give him a smile. Maybe he was jumping to conclusion, but Kaz seemed to be suggesting something else. After all that had happened, Kaz giving him a business card to call him about an up coming magic show was rather odd. Neh. What else could he possibly want? There was nothing he could think of at least.

Glancing down at the card he noticed the blue bird in the corner. There wasn't much else on it. But instead of asking any further questions he gave a bow. He had an idea of how to use it. "Then I shall be seeing you again soon. Goodnight, to the both of you," Axel said. He left behind a silhouette of sparkling dust which slowly descended to the sand.

In his home he reappeared in about the same way. Brushing the dust off his shoulders he noticed the hole in his shirt. That would need mending. He heard chatter coming from the downstairs hallway. It was a familiar voice, but he couldn't quite make it out. So he could only assume she was with Dr. Bingham.

He leaned over the railing to get a better look. He spotted a white haired girl with a dragon around her shoulders. Well it wasn't the person he had been expecting, but he still didn't know who she was.

Despite his better judgment he went down the spiral staircase onto the long red rug, and headed towards her. Shadows consumed him, and he disappeared, reappearing in front of her. He lifted his right hand up. The ruby ring on his middle finger glowed. His eyes glared down at her.

There was something familiar about her that made his expression soften. Axel lowered his hand, and drew it towards his chin. The white hair, the silver eyes, and that look. It all stood out to him as more than it appeared to be. True she looked like his kind, yet there was still something more. He knew her. “Liddy?” he finally asked. It was the only name he could place with that face.

THE DRAGONS. Cause I just HAD to make two.

Galilea stared up at the cave. Her heart must have sank clear down to her feet. Hand her flesh eating giants, and she could take them down, but this, she wasn't she was going to able to handle this again. What if she did something wrong?

"Stop worrying. You're as good a leader as you ever were. Do you remember everyone's name?" Xiulan asked.

Galilea's expression went blank.

Xiulan laughed. "I'm kidding. No ones going to be mad at you for not remembering a bunch of old dragons' names."

Galilea nodded. "Kyra Yuel Bjudu, Nyphra Nabori Naron, Jos Milerwak Sertheon, Erihjo Etioh Naron, and Orion Lorg Mereeoinh."

"You forgot Kiri! But that's ok... I don't think he was at the last meeting." they both shared a good laugh, and then they headed up to the cave entrance. They had arrived shortly after Orion did. And in response to Orion's question Xiulan happily said, "I'll play ya Orion. Gally helped me memorize all the coordinates."

Galilea gave a bow, then noticed that there was one very important missing. She had a bad feeling about that. But having the feeling that she should know, she didn't question it. "Please pardon the tardiness, but our boat got caught in the storm. We had to swim the rest of the way." She tucked in a strand of wet hair that had fallen out of place seemingly on cue behind her hair. She wasn't terribly wet, but her long thick hair took a little longer to dry than the rest of her.

The museum peeps.

Danu smiled at the dark skinned woman. "And it's not every day that I come across one of your kind." She was going to say more, but she was distracted by a girl, and the dark skinned woman transforming, and all the other strange things that occurred afterwords.

Eliza stared up at the Kitsune as he spoke to her. Did he really just asked what he did? Did he really expect her to say yes? Was it not clear how much she hated him, and his kind? Her attention quickly shifted to the jinn. There, there was her answer. That's all she needed to know, wasn't it?

I think you should take him up on his offer. This guys tricky, if he's dabbing into some ancient voodoo, we're going to at least need a tag along team, Jack said.

"Fine," she said, and then she started off after him.

Danu gazed down at Psykhe once everyone seemed to be out of harms way, and then they were gone.

And here's what happened after they left.

The artifacts belonging to the Seth, and Osiris exhibit lit up. Symbols of an ancient language spread over the floor in black markings. The thunder in the sky became louder, and lightning struck the museum. It was like a form of direction because after the black clouds above began to withdraw into one spot and then came spiraling down like a tornado. Lightning hurled itself out of it as spun around. All within a two mile radius began to sink.

The tornado seemed to be dying down, until all together disappeared. The museum was gone along with anything that had began to sink. All that was left was a hole with clean shaven edges. It was also perfectly round. The sky was as clear as it had been before the storm.

[Ick post.]

Time Skip - Morning
Ynyr has gone missing and is proclaimed dead. With the threat of the Phoenix in the world, the Dragon Council has initiated a very rare meeting in a cave not far from the Vampire Council building and the city of Lacrosse in order to determine, not only how to handle the threat, but also the replacement of their First.
The Vampire Council has suffered losses and appears to be MIA, or perhaps in hiding.
The Werewolf Council too seems to be at a standstill after Second in Command-Dellius started a fight with First in Command-Alianor.
The High Council on the other hand is a flourish of activity, searching for the Phoenix while Council Member-Kaz researches the disturbances in Lacrosse City involving some very strange weather.
So there's the basic idea of the big things that are going on.. It is now the morning and you characters can start from wherever you find necessary!
__________________________________________________ ______________

Kaz hadn't slept a wink, nor had he really gathered any information on the Phoenix. So after being berated by Levi, Kaz had decided to send lackies to question members of the Vampire Council. Having a basic idea of what Asoch looked like as a human, more lackies were sent out to find his position if the Phoenix still resided in the city.

Now the blond was seated in an antique-design crystal chair with papers strewn all over the crystal tea-table in front of him. Unless Bastion had protested Kaz, the merman would currently be swimming about in the large pond to Kaz's right.

With a heavy sigh, the Council Member set a piece of paper on fire, the ash falling onto the papers on the table. "I need a vacation."

~~~~~~~~~~

The night before, Nyphra had become upset with Sertheon. However Erijho seemed fine. If the young crystal dragon hadn't believed that Erijho could handle herself, then there might have been a surprising display of violence from the timid one.

Nyphra knew very little about Sertheon, and it didn't help her opinion of her. Thankfully Orion had come and lightened up the mood. Throughout the night, the Dragon Council deliberated and took note that Annalesia and Ynyr were missing, even presumed dead.

Had they debated all night about what to do? Or had they gone to sleep to continue talk in the morning after everyone had relaxed considerably? Either way, Nyphra had sat off to the side, fiddling with a green crystal that she had made, contributing when she thought necessary. The sunlight was now sitting just outside of the cave's entrance and Nyphra noticed. "Erijho... Are we going to meet with any other council's today? M-m-maybe we sh-should go see the High Council... About Ynyr..."

~~~~~~~~~~

Light was shining brightly through a bedroom window in the Kitsune estate, finally landing on Ruarc's bed, rousing him from sleep. Last night he had lead the group of Arianna, Chronos, Sara, and Eliza to this ridiculously large mansion and showed each of them a room.

Honestly he was being utterly cranky and rude throughout the night and decided to deal with official matters in the morning. He was also tired, he had been fighting off the pain of the protective spells around Sara since he picked her up. In the end he put the girl in a room furnished with several stuffed animals, barred windows, and a lovely bed.

The room was locked both conventionally and magically. Little Sara, despite her having been kidnapped for her own protection, was essentially a prisoner in the most accommodating quarters.

Up in the morning, Ruarc went to his dresser, and opened a small box, picking up two small white pills and popped them in his mouth before chasing it down with a dusty cup of water. With a stretch he grinned widely, and headed down into the kitchen where he propped up fans and started cooking bacon. The fans were so strategically placed that they wafted the scent to the rooms of his guests.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morning, Reginald Burkowitz was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee, head cleanly shaven into a crew cut. Despite this, he looked ragged and upset, he had hardly been off of the phone since he returned home. Not only that, Kacie was missing and Jeremy refused to say a thing.

On a bookshelf next to the stairs, a small green crystal lay as a decoration among other crystals, rocks, or crafts that Kacie had made in school. "Dad?"

Glancing up to the stairs, Reginald wasn't aware of how tired and old he looked to his son. "Anything I can do to help the Council?"

"No, Jeremy. The phoenix is missing and the hoard of rogues in the hospital basement are being taken care of."

"You should go to the hospital.. Or one that's not overrun with demons... You haven't really reccuperated, I don't know how you're conscious right now."

"It's not my son's job to treat me like a child, I'm not going back until your brother shows up."

Yay for turmoil in the Burkowitz-Sidel residence, speaking of Kacie.. Where was the boy?

~~~~~~~~~~

Kacie was back in the Awesome Force home, sometime in the night Violet had disappeared, and the rest of the group had to deal with cranky Rosie.

After the group left, trying to track down their leader in Lacrosse City, Eden and her many personalities were left alone. None of the Force was really interested in keeping the vampire, and honestly, Eden hadn't protested.

Instead Edgar was in control and headed into the city, not sure how to find Alicia or Evelyn. So they took up residence in a hotel, where they were sleeping now.

((Now for me to reply 8D Hopefully it doesn't suck D: ... MEH
AND I'M TOO LAZY TO COLOR D:< SO DEAL WITH IT))

BEFORE MORNING SO SHORT POSTS WILL BE SHORT
"Axie!" Lydia squealed then giggled. "What ky-oooooot shadow techniques. Your mother taught you so well!" She clapped her hands together, but she could no longer restrain herself from glomping on the younger ash demon. Her legs lifted into the air, allowing her to hang from Axel's neck. "You're so taaaall now."
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Orion squealed and immediately began playing Battleship with Xiulan and ignored anything the other dragons had to say. All that mattered to the youngest dragon was having fun, whatever they tried to discuss meant little to him.
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NOW IT'S MORNING AND STUFF SO I HAVE NO EXCUSE IF IT'S LAME D:

Bastion was quite happy with his temporary pond home provided to him by Kaz, it would be safer here. He swam about without much of a care, since he knew neither of his neighbors cared if he disappeared; they were only used to protect him from humans. Moving to the new water was terrifying, since Bastion is clearly a skittish individual who panics over everything.

He glanced over in Kaz's direction, only above his nose was out of the water. The merman wasn't quite sure what else to do aside from swimming around.


Sertheon desperately wanted to go home, but the others refused to let her. Her stomach churned and a scowl appeared upon her face upon the realization that she was to become the official third in command rather than her favorite unofficial forth if the first in command remained missing. But the group insisted she was dead... She gritted her teeth and sunk low into her stone seat, glaring at all of those around her. How she missed the days when she flew about freely and none of this mattered; when most of the dragons were still with them.

Erihjo occasionally nodded and intently listened to what all of the dragons had to say. A soft smile crossed over her lips when she noticed Orion playing with his game instead of joining the meeting. Even if no one else was playing with him he continued to take down the opposing ships. It was nice to see someone so innocent and unaffected by any of it.

Her head turned to look at her cousin, she brought up a good point. "We surely must, Nyphra... That had yet to cross my mind. The sun has risen, surely the High Council is awake by now... at least one of them should be." She rose from her rock seat and headed towards the cave entrance. "I suppose this meeting shall commence when we return from meeting with the high council? Unless all wish to come along... but it may be best to remain hidden. Whatever ensnared the others may get us as well."

"Does this mean I can leave now?" Sertheon sneered.

Erihjo sighed, "I suppose so... but be on call, Sertheon."

Orion blinked, gazing about at the other dragons with a high curiosity. "So... wazzup?"
-------------

Chronos had returned to his tiny pixy form and was exploring the whereabouts of the house for anything interesting. He began to miss a couple of his friends that he wasn't aware he'd long for, since they weren't one of his people anyway. Hopefully something fun and exciting may happen to distract him from all of this! So he could ignore it and move on. It was highly unlikely his friends were to be seen by him ever again.

He managed to find an empty cup in the kitchen and proceeded to sit inside of it with his knees to his chest. The rainbow fae wasn't sure how to feel at the present moment, but he wasn't quite sure if it was best to find the others in this mansion.

((Sorry... Chronos was truly terrible..))

--------------

I'm not quite sure what went on with the ash demons that night... BUT IMMA PRETEND THEY STAYED UP ALL NIGHT AND BECAUSE RENO LOVES ME I'LL GET AWAY WITH IT MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA... ha ha..

Lydia stayed up all night with Axel as they caught up with each other; it was more Lydia blabbed on and on and Axel bobbed his head occasionally. She told him of all the adventures she went on with Kiri and how she was taught combat as well as dancing and many other skills since she left him and her mother. There were many tales of action and adventure and a lot of Lydia hugging Axel.

Unlike Lydia, who was quite energetic, Kiri became exhausted long before the blue night sky darkened. He curled up on the couch and almost instantly doze off. With Axel there Kiri didn't feel a need to hover over his friend, since he was certain the boy wouldn't allow her to get into any sort of trouble while she was in his sight. Finally he felt it was all right of him to sleep even though Lydia was still jumping all over the place.

"You've grown so much, Axie!" she squealed and kissed him on the cheek. "I remember when you were sooooo little. How adorable you were!" Lydia giggled and swung her legs about. It was a struggle to contain her emotions, at least all of the happy ones. She jumped backward, landing perfectly on her palms.

Then came a knock at Axel's door, surely more unexpected visitors.... because I say so.
---------------

TIMK DEVOURED SOULS.
Okay... not really... but I'm not sure what to do with him until I am ordered to kill another innocent person who disappeared.

"No one has need to leave." Echoed a taunt voice across the smooth and glassy walls of the cave. "I am right here."

From around the bend, appeared a very tired and very worn out man with silver hair. His approach was slow but dignified, like an old, dying lion who had lost a battle. He kept his eyes open just enough to know which foot to put in front, and motioned towards Erihjo with his right hand to follow him back towards the group. The place was unbearably silent until he took his seat before them. He inhaled deeply through his nose, and as he exhaled, he took the time to look about the place and the dragons he was with; three females and one young male whom he passed by on his way in.

Ynyr tried to choose his words carefully. "Now what are we discussing, Dragon Council?"

[HOW DARE YOU?????!!!! :feesh: Eh. Lol.]

Yawn.

An arm fell off the left side of the twin mattress, swaying like jello did if you knock it the right way. Ludvic's head lay under a pillow. On the spine of his back one could see a patch of ashy gray skin, that slowly became a light brown.

He let out a groan, and rolled off onto the floor where he lay, staring at the ceiling. His expression captured the look of a person who was being forced out of sleep. (One of those I know I need to get up, but I really don't want to kinds of things.)

Eventually he did get up, and when he did, it was very slow, and he would spend the next thirty minutes in a nice, hot, wonderful shower.

The Morrigon Council

The night had gone by quickly and quietly for Danu, and Psykhe. They ended up staying in one of the rooms of the Morrigan Council headquarters. Three sky scrapers connected hall-like bridges(or is that the other way around?). At any rate, Danu had been off early that morning to talk to Mira. Mira had some concerns with the baby, and Danu's decision to keep her form till the child was born. Danu had told her, if the head council decided that she needed to step down from her position, she would. Otherwise, she would continue to do the job that she had been placed in, in the best way she could. She was very stern with her words in their conversations, but never drew to anger.

In the mean time, Psykhe had been left alone, and all she could do was think about the boy she had seen the other night. She wondered why he was the way he was. He hardly seemed himself at all, as in, none of his actions seemed natural, they all seemed puppeted. And what was that strange man to do with that scroll he had taken? And the ugly storm that had taken place? She began to wonder about the events of last night so much that she began to grow dizzy. She became stuck between going after answers, and using her lessons about following strange things.

The three of us together. Buh Buh Buh Buh. Yeah....


Lilith. Lilith. Lilith, can you hear me? Jack spoke softly.

"Huh?" Lilith opened her eyes slowly. The brown haired man, she had seen him before. In a dream, she had seen him. But she was awake now, and he was here. Here? Once her eyes came into focus, she realized she wasn't in home. This wasn't her bed. She gasped, and kicked the blankets off of her.

Hey. Wait a sec. Calm down. Everything's ok. Jack carefully made his way over to her, and helped her gain her balance.(Though not really.) Suddenly she fully recalled last nights events, panic struck her, and she shoved him away.

"S-s-stay back. I mean it." She backed up against the wall. Lilith grabbed onto the only thing that was close enough to her(a pillow). "I swear I'll beat you senseless! I took a self defense class!"

Jack couldn't help, but laugh. It wasn't just the being threatened by a pillow, it was her daintiness. She was so skinny, and short, and looked far to young for the age she was supposed to be, which, he believed was her mid twenties, but in appearances, she looked teenaged. The gown she wore that flooded her, added to that. Please. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise.

Lilith smirked. "I'm sure that's what you said to that poor security guard."

Now wait just a second! I mean... uh... you gotta hear me out. He sighed. I'm sure you're very confused... let me-

As he was talking he had made the mistake of trying to come closer to her, so when there was to little distance between them, and enough space beside him, Lilith ran. She hurried passed him, the pillow tightly in hand, until she reached the door, and chucked it at him, poking her tongue out him in victory.

Even with this triumphant attitude, she was deathly afraid. She had to get out of this madhouse, and get to the police. Hopefully no one else was at home at the moment.

Will you for a moment listen to me?! He saw the expression. Don't. Don't scream. Please don't scream.

To late. She did, and it was kind of loud. "How'd you do that? You were, and now you're.... Oh my God! I must be loosing my mind." She clutched her head. "Oh God. Oh God. He must have drugged me. Raped me even, (dropping slowly to the ground) I don't even think I own a gown. What if this is the gown of his last victim?"

I can hear you, I hope you realize this.... His eyes went narrow. Did he really look like the psycho type. Again he made an attempt to comfort her, and put a hand on her shoulder while kneeling down to her level. It was such a gentle touch that instead of pulling away, she merely looked at him with puzzled eyes. Look I know... you're afraid, and confused. Trust me, I was confused at first too. He hated doing this, but it had to be done. I'm not real, we're not real. What you saw last night, that was real, but it wasn't your eyes that saw it. We're just one-

"Jack? How'd I... get here?" It was Eliza, he could tell. There was just something about her gaze that told him it was her.

His eyes welled up. Please. Please tell me you didn't hear any of that.

"What do you mean?"

Thank God. He laid his head into her lap. She didn't know what to do. She had never had this happen to her before. So very awkwardly she placed a hand on his back, and rubbed it. Her head bowed down over him, and long red curls fell down from her shoulders. In this moment, she realized, that something wasn't right. All those times that she had believed she didn't really exist were starting to make sense now, strange, she was more confused than ever. She wasn't even sure who she was anymore... and she began to cry too... for the first time ever.

The Boy.

Though it had come at a bit of a surprise, he hadn't been to startled when as he was making his way to his uncles that he was snatched up by two flying creatures. And had not for the fact that he had been in one place at one time, and then suddenly in another place at another, he would have surely broken free with ease. But instead they were inside Ruarc's mansion (Eliza's assigned room)"The boss requires , and he had been released without any struggle.

Looking upon the two, he found creatures who appeared to be partially vulture, partially human, and a few other things. No mattered what they could be compared to, they looked beastly. It was very difficult for Pasha to keep his attention on them.

Pasha straightened his collar. "This seems to be a very unusual kidnapping." he smirked. All they seemed to know how to do is stare.

The two looked at each other as though to ask the other if they understood what he was talking about.

"I mean, why did you bring me here?"

Again they looked at each other with the same motion. Finally the one to his left spoke. "The master demands your servitude," it said in a raspy voice. And its feathers, skin or whatever it was, began to bubble. Black strings came out of it, lurching out at him, and it all happened to quickly for him to dodge. Before he knew it, they had clustered over his heart, and were sinking quickly into his chest, all the time he was being pinned against the wall.

Pasha remained calm, for he knew that he were to struggle without a decent enough plan, his effort would be wasted.


Not much time had passed since Eliza(in Lilith's body) had had her moment. In fact hardly a minute had passed. She wiped her eyes, and pulled herself up, her nostrils filling with the smell of bacon. Jack was still a puddle of mess on the ground, and had told her to leave him there. There hadn't been much of an argument. So she decided she would change her clothes first, and then go see what was going on in the kitchen. She would be forced to share her new appearance then, but that would have to wait.

When she opened the door, she saw Pasha against the wall, and all to familiar creature, one of the parasites she had apprehended. Despite there being two of them, because she knew his abilities, she knew the reality was that there was only one, one was just a copy. As the copy came towards her, she ducked, and he ricocheted off the wall, and turned into a pile of feathers. But, this wasn't the end, more began to come out.

During this time Pasha used the opportunity of distraction to seize his athamé, and used it to cut the strings away from him. What was left, sunk into his skin, and he had known ahead of time this could be a possible result. "Catch!" he shouted out as he threw it to Eliza, who caught it with ease, and to no surprise he pulled out another. The original was gone, but there were four of him. "I do hope, looks are deceiving, right now." They were now standing back to back, and as one came from the opposite direction of where he was looking, she swooped around the side of him, and jabbed in the gut, wielding the same effect on it as the wall. "Eloquent. My turn." Two came at them at once, this time with fangs bared, and piercing howls. He slashed one threw its mouth, and was able to knock the other one back(that one survived). But the game was clearly over because the two remaining began to circle them, and grow larger, and more beastly. You could hear their bones crack, and their necks grew larger, their eyes wider, and black, their skin became gray, and looser, their limbs turned backward, and their hands became claws, and they began to walk like four legged creatures.

Whose that knockin on meh door?

The night had passed by in Axel's favor. He was glad to listen to Lydia speak, and added only positive things that he had encountered whenever he needed to. Otherwise he had mostly spent the night listening to her, and receiving many hugs.

They could have continued going on had it not been for the sudden knock at the door, and he was cut short of a smile. Worry struck him. He composed himself, and stood up. "I am sorry, but it appears that I have company. Please, stay here." He made his way out of the living room, and down the hallway to the door. Very cautiously he opened it to find....

The Dragons. Because I can't think of anything else.

While Xiulan played battleship with Orion, Galilea was fully attentive in the meeting, and was able to add input whenever needed. It all came rather natural, and she wondered if this had been what it was like before she had lost her memory.

"I'll go, but Xiulan, I think it would be good for you to stay here," she said. "I mean no disrespect, but as second in command, I do believe I have an obligation to at least be present."

Xiulan was about to speak up when she heard a familiar voice. "Ynyr," she said joyfully. "Well we were saying how you and Annie were missing, and possibly dead, and what we were going to do about it all. Nyphra suggested we go to the High Council, you came in about that time I believe. And it seems as though you're ok, but I don't suppose Annie's with you. In which case it seems we have a lot more discussing will be needing to do still." Despite that it all was sad, Xiulan kept a smile the whole time(one of those innocent ones, not creepy).

Erihjo bowed respectfully at their leader Ynyr, knowing he was alive brought a small smile to her face, though an even brighter one was hidden behind it. Her people dying over the course of these many years worried her greatly and it was wonderful to know that he had not fallen to their same fate. Following closely behind the head dragon until she reached where she had sat prior; she then bowed her head again and sat down upon her designated rock. There was once a time when the dragons didn't need to meet in such a pathetic hole, but there was before they were attacked and before their numbers dwindled so low. Would their numbers ever grow? She lowered her gaze to the cave floor, That involves procreation, Erihjo... There are too few males for such an occurrence... A sigh escaped her as she wondered if their end was near, then her usual calm and collected expression returned to her features as she returned her attention to Ynyr.

"As Xiulan has explained... We were worried about our missing numbers. Three of our brethren were not accounted for for quite some time, but now the number has lessened to two thanks to your return. Annalesia and Kiri have yet to return to our council, though we all know Kiri must still be accompanying that girl he met many years ago." I still wish he visited occasionally... There was a pause to collect her thoughts before proceeding. "Annalesia, however, has disappeared from our numbers for some time now and I grow worried for her. We have already lost so many of our people..." Her stomach churned, then Erihjo abruptly stood up. "Please grant me permission to search for our missing sister. I promise I will not alert anyone nor will I let out any of our secrets upon being captured, if I am. I cannot rest easily not knowing what has happened to her..." Light eyes narrowed towards the ground, grief striking her soft features.

Sertheon stood up with a heavy growl. "That's absurd! How the hell are you going to defend yourself against any of those wretched creatures?" She hissed, clenching her fists at her side. "These are cruel times, Erihjo, and people don't fight with honor anymore. Have you ventured out of the safety of our mountains lately? They stab people in the back now. You weren't trained to fight these sort of bastards; your parents trained you to fight others who fight with honor."

"And so I will continue to fight with honor. I will heighten my defenses to prevent such a foul attack from behind, Sertheon. You need not worry of my safety." Erihjo replied calmly.

The foul dragon gritted her teeth, her scowl locked onto Erihjo. "And what of the phoenix? Are you prepared if he finds you? You're stupid vulnerability technique will not work on him and you know it."

Bluntly talking about her vulnerability stung Erihjo greatly; she felt as though she had been shot straight through her chest. Not all knew of that technique that her mother taught her when she was still alive and she preferred it that way. Why was she throwing that in her face? Why now? The churning in her stomach thickened, a hand now resting upon it as if it could reverse the effect. "I assure you... I will be fine." She desperately hoped none of the other dragons would question what the vulnerability technique was, especially not Nyphra or Ynyr.

"Go on and die, Erihjo. See if I care."

Orion frowned at the grim conversation. He had been excited when Ynyr entered the room, since that meant he was no longer the only boy, but he couldn't suppress his whines. Yes, he wasn't very young, even though he appeared to be, but Orion still acted like a child would. "Nuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"

----------------------------------------

Lydia cocked her head to the side, deathly curious to see who was at Axel's door. She scrambled across the couch, leaning over the armchair in a failed attempt to peer over to where he had left to. Her bottom lip protruded into a pout until she realized she could just follow anyway, such an action from her wasn't shocking to anyone who knew her anyone. Carefully she tiptoed to not alert the younger ash demon and found a spot she could peak over at him from to see who the new guest would be with a grin spread from ear to ear.

"Why does my hair color affect any of this? Change it back! I could care less wearing these ridiculous clothes, but I cannot stand having my hair this hideous color." Alex growled at the woman he was to escort, gripping tightly onto her bicep.

"Has it not become clear to you already, my love? Your strength does nothing to me, nor will I allow myself to be escorted by a blonde. I demand the best and black hair rather suits you." She brought her face close to his, their lips only centimeters away from each other; her fingers trailed up from his neck and stopped at his chin. "The beauteous sapphire color of your eyes pop out extravagantly with your dark hair... and I told you already" dark eyes closed slightly, a smile coursing across Jamilah's pale face. "I will return your hair to its natural color after your escort mission with me is over and I will grant you any wish you so please of me."

Then the door opened revealing the odd couple. Jamilah smiled brightly while Alex continued to pout and grip tightly onto her arm that was turning red. She clasped her hands together with a toothy grin and bowed ever so slightly to Axel. "Axel Qeinan I presume?" Without awaiting a reply from her host, Jamilah strolled passed Axel and entered his home whether or not he wished her to. "What a glorious household you live in... I could never stand living inside, but the architecture is truly exquisite." She jerked her arm causing Alex to fly into the house and fall onto the floor flat on his face.

Alex squirmed to his feet and swung a fist to Jamilah's face, making her nose bleed.

Jamilah sighed and shook her head disappointedly at her escort. "My love, please control your temper. We are in the presence of good people I need to speak with and you are giving them a bad first impression of us both."

"Us both?! You-"

She placed a hand over Alex's mouth gently, her eyes briefly flashing their original color before she changed to this form. "Hush now, my love. Please go entertain Lydia Jun so I may speak with Mr. Finn."

"Who are you ta-" before Alex could finish, Lydia ran out to the new guests with a gigantic grin and an obnoxious squeal.

"JAMIE!!!!" Lydia jumped up and down before embracing the tiny Jamilah, lifting her up so her feet no longer touched the ground. "I wondered where you ran off to when you left the circus! Where did you go, huh? Why are you here? How do you know Axie?" Questions flowed out of her mouth, but she had yet to set Jamilah back to the ground.

"Please, Lydia... Set me down." Jamilah asked politely, trying her best to stay in character for this form. Keeping up with all of the personalities she portrayed over the years was terribly trifling, but she put up with it to lead different lives when her actual one was too hectic to handle (or too boring).

She did as she was told and returned to jumping up and down in pure excitement.

"I will tell you all you want to here, Lydie, but, please, may I have a word with Mr. Finn alone? You may take-" Shit... I didn't come up with a name for him yet... "Armando to the other room with you. Surely he would love to see all of your old circus tricks, he is a great fan of that sort of thing."

"YOU ARE?!" Lydia's grin grew wider as she grabbed onto Alex's wrists and dragged him outside. "KIRI I'LL BE OUTSIDE DOING TRICKS FOR ARMANDO. OKAY? BYE!" And she was out of sight before much else could be said.

Kiri's head poked up a bit, extremely dazed, then he returned to sleeping.

Jamilah, known as Jamie in this form, closed the front door behind her with a seductive smile, though she wasn't trying to seduce the boy at all. "Hello, Axel Finn... May I inquire a moment of your time? It concerns your race."

Poor, poor Axel, he was confused from the very moment he opened the door, and saw the odd pair standing there. It all got worse after that, it seemed. The woman seemed in a good mood, but the man standing with her looked absolutely miserable, and it wouldn't have surprised him, if he had been dragged here.

She asked if he was Axel Qeinan, then made her way in before he had the least bit of time to respond. After, he could hardly gather enough words together. "Yes. Thank you, I had-" He had to pause when he realized how old the mansion was. It had been around since colonial times. "I had workers who were gifted in restoration. The one's who crafted it originally, certainly had a great deal of talent too." The truth was, it had just been well kept, and modified with time. When the mansion was built, he had spent about fifteen years living in it, when his appearance started to effect his status. He had gone from being a god to a mere witch. Today it was easier to be old, and look young at the same time, though his years here were growing short despite this. And excusing his age, he needed to be moving on anyways, times were becoming grim here.

Axel gazed down at 'Armando' , and sighed when he socked her the face. It was hard to suspect these characters. A finger went up, but she was clearly capable of handling herself. Once she mentioned Lydia, he became a bit unglued. How did she know her, and most importantly, how did she know she was here? It was little less harder to be suspicious of them, more so the woman, than the man. He folded his arms, and was again cut off in the middle of beginning to speak.

Lydia burst into the room with such excitement, that any negative thought vanished from his mind. His arms fell to his side, and he watched the reunion take place. He hadn't realized how small the woman was until now. "Huh?" he exclaimed, when he was addressed again. He looked at her, giving her his full attention. Though that seductive smile of her threw him aback a bit.

Axel cleared his throat. "My race," he said as though he were trying to remember what he was. His expression grew a little fierce. "I mean you no disrespect madame. The events have drawn themselves together a bit eerily previous to your arrival. So in circumstance, my trust of you is very scarce." Dropping his gaze. "However, I will spare you at least a moment my of time, and will listen to what you have to say. I will not promise you a response, but you do have my ear."

"I don't blame you for not wanting to trust me, sweetie..." Then came a soft chuckle, she strolled over to the staircase and laid her head against it. Lydia was easy to trick with her disguise and tricks because the girl was naive enough to believe it was all a part of her circus act; Axel was a different case. She appeared before them as a regular, dainty human, but with how she was able to take a punch from Alex, whom worked out regularly and it was clear he did so through his clothes, and that she knew Lydia was there without even seeing the girl something was definitely up and she admired Axel for being intelligent enough to notice these details. Truly, she could have kept up with the front, but then Axel was unlikely to get suspicious of her. On the other hand, she also could have been herself, but then Lydia would be far too curious to leave them alone. So, all in all, every mistake it seemed she made was done on purpose. "Every word slipping from my tongue," she turned to face Axel and opened her mouth enough to lick her teeth then closed it. "could very well be a lie. Only a moron would believe everything they are told."

"Let's cut to the chase though, shall we?" Jamilah pressed her back against the railing, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned back. "I know your mother, you may choose whether or not you believe me. Ask for proof if you wish, but I have none unless I want to reveal what I am to you and I truly do not. I met her long before you were born and resided in the same desert area that you all came from. I know very few details of your race, but enough to recognize things and I could easily learn more if I please, but mystery appeals more to me than knowledge." Her arms were then crossed together under her breasts, pushing them out more. "However... I do not wish the world to end, so I must ask of you if what the parasite demon took from the museum will affect this world negatively if he manages to find a translator."

She let out a sigh, her chest pushing against her top and seemingly about to pop out until she let the air out and they returned to their position. "I would ask your mother, but I have a feeling she doesn't want me to find her... Sure, I easily could... but I don't want to cross a dear friend of mine, so I figured I may ask her son."

Then came a grin, a devious one. "See? It's nothing that can harm you, child. This is information anyone can gather quite easily on their own if they try... I could easily find out myself, but I rather ask someone of your race directly. I'd have asked Lydia if I felt she knew anything about it."

Jamilah shook her head to get hair out of her eyes, then the seductive smile returned to her lips; it was hard to tell if that smile was done on purpose or not. She pressed her index finger against her bottom lip and glanced over at a wall away from Axel. "Hmmm... I wonder if it was right of me to leave Lydia outside with Armando... I have no ill will against her and I doubt he can hold his temper inside much longer... You saw how he hit me so quickly, though... it isn't much of a shock." Her back jerked back against the railing to propel herself up and onto her feet, her hands now pressed tightly against her waist. "I am unsure how much you listen to human banters... but I doubt leaving someone who cannot die with a ruthless killer who adores torturing people was a very wise decision on my part." There was a pause then she looked back at Axel, that devious grin returned; her eyes changed to that fiery red they were before she transformed then returned to the dark color of this form.

If Axel tried to open his own door, assuming he would check to see if Lydia was all right, the door was locked as well as extremely hot.

His brow raised, but the fierceness never left, it fact it may have grown a bit fiercer. He felt as though she were trying to lead him into something, and perhaps that is what made him stray to her more. Axel was very easily manipulated despite his efforts. Strange that he could also be called a genius at the same time. Be patient Axel. You must hear her through.

"Indeed. Mother rarely communicates with me today." He moved towards the wall, and picked up a slender black vase. There was nothing significant about it, only another gift from another dead friend, that allowed him time to think. It wasn't hard to believe that she knew his mother, only because he didn't see to much of a reason for her to lie in this situation. It was either she knew her, or knew of her. But of his people, his kind, it was very difficult to take in. He wondered what few details she did know of them. In a very odd way, he was happy to hear that she may know of them, and at a seemingly more familiar way than Dr. Bingham. He only knew them by objects.

Axel set the vase back down on the pedestal, placed his finger around his chin, and looked up at the tapestry on the wall (which contents don't matter enough to describe). "Dr. Bingham, all he claimed to want to do is look at old artifacts. And of course he ended up wanting a lot more. I thought so little of his desires, and almost admired him till the end." He half smiled, tracing the ends of the tapestry. "A stolen scroll. A storm foreshadowing a great darkness. I don't have much more to tell you."

Once again he faced her. That seductive smile returned to her, and she began to go on in words that picked at him. He was very close to turning on her. He kept himself together though, some how. He witnessed the quick change of her eyes. It didn't heighten his suspicion of her, he didn't know what she was, but he had already figured out that she wasn't human. When he could stand to look at her no longer, he made his way towards the door, half expecting her to block his way.

The handle burned through his flesh as he grabbed hold of it, and refused to let go. Before he could know it was lock, he had to snatch his hand back. He bits his lips. The sad thing about his ability to regenerate himself was out of his control. His body was able to comprehend that such a minor burn would not lead him to death. The ruby began to glow again, and he raised his hand towards her, his middle finger extended out more than the others.

((Last time I'm replying until the other two reply >.> JAMILAH IS TOO ADDICTING!!!!))

"Pity... Do you know the whereabouts of your mother? And do you have any information concerning this 'great darkness'? I really am curious as to whether or not this will affect my choice of living or not... I know it is unlikely to destroy me, but the numskulls I choose to bother may very well die. As an ash demon I would imagine you know what it is like to have your loved ones die before your very eyes as you stand there without any means to help them." Jamilah stepped towards Axel, caring less whether or not he was trying to flip her the bird. She grabbed a hold of his hurt hand, gripping it tightly to cause him more pain. Pearly white teeth gritted, that grin still spread over her face as her brows furrowed in rage. As her grip tightened the burning increased, seeming to come from her very flesh. She pressed her other hand against his neck, burning there as well.

"Tell me all I want to know and I'll let you be free. I can tell when you are lying, so do not bother." Like she had done with Alex prior, Jamilah pressed her nose against Axel's, but she also pressed her body against his causing him to be pushed back into the door. "Displease me and you shall burn... The longer you take to give me the information I want the more likely Lydia will be tortured by my dear Armando. In fact, I can predict him carrying her off far away from here leaving you with her pet. I bet he has figured out where we are by now and has figured out his way back to his residence where he tortures and stores his victims from over the years. All he has to do is give her a good whack to the noggin and that isn't hard to do on such an absentminded girl. Besides, I bet he thinks I am close friends with her and I bet he thinks it'll be a way to get back at me for changing his precious hair to blonde..."

She chuckled as a thought occurred. Jamilah twirled her fingers that were on Axel's neck about his hair just as she had done to Alex only moments ago causing Axel's black hair to become the yellow color that Alex's once was. "There... now it's like you traded with him." Then came a cute giggle, fitting the body she stood before him in.

One of her legs wrapped about one of his, pressing her closer against him. "You see... if it wasn't already clear... Armando is not who he appears to be, dear child... He has only known me for a few more minutes more than you have known me and he is bound to be think he can somehow bring me down to get back at me for the hair I destroyed. Do you really want Lydia to suffer for however long it takes you to find her all because you are displeasing me? All because I changed Armando's hair from blonde to pitch black?"

She realized Axel didn't believe her when she said she knew of his race and details about it and it didn't surprise her in the least, but she figured it was best to make him believe her to get what information she could. "I have been around far longer than you can imagine, child... It is a pity you do not believe the words I speak, but I cannot blame you for not trusting a stranger who entered your home without an invitation and now threatens your beloved friend. I know you know I am not human, though revealing my race is pointless in this situation. If your mother told you anything of the desert then you may be able to figure out which race I belong to, otherwise you shall never know. You cannot die. Believe me, I have tried to kill some of your people."

That was when Jamilah snapped back into reality and realized what she was doing. She took a few steps back and examined Axel carefully before letting out a heavy sigh, gazing away from him. "Hm... I suppose it is relevant or it does not explain my rude behavior... I apologize. Sort of." Dark eyes returned to their natural fiery color and they softened into a sad expression yet to be seen upon her face to anyone else; it was rare Jamilah ever expressed sadness.

"You shall soon regret lending me your ear, young one... I was once young and naive, long before you were ever conceived..." One arm wrapped around her stomach, her other hand placed delicately against her slender neck. Jamilah either refused to look at Axel as she told her tale or was spacing out she remembered it all, it was hard to tell. "I foolishly fell in love with someone of your kind... You see, I am a sucker for dark hair and beautiful eyes... and she had it all. We snuck around with each other for many, many years. It was perfect... until her damned mother found out about us. I didn't understand what a prideful race your kind was at the time, nor did I clue in how idiotic it was to make love at her house. Before I would take her away, far away, but I wanted to be where she lived and smell what she smelled and see what she saw every day; I foolishly wanted to be apart of her life." As the topic became more grim so did her features. Without realizing it, Jamilah sunk down to the floor with her legs crossed pretzel style. Her short hair grew at a phenomenal rate and covered her grief-stricken face. "We... weren't even doing anything... It was the morning after and I held her close to me... Had I known better I would have never let her out of my arms... Her mother instantly knew what I was and chased me out of their home. Sadly, for me, she knew the right curses to scream to whatever it was she was screaming at... I tried to kill her, but nothing I did to her stopped her. Now I know what I can do, but it was already too late... I was banished from that area and even my own people prevented me from ever entering again. I desperately tried to find out what had happened to her for years... but they refused to give me the details. It wasn't until I met your mother that I-...."

She wiped at her eyes and chuckled half-heartedly at herself. "Heh... heh heh... How moronic. Sitting here telling some strange child my pains..." Jamilah dug her palms against her eyes like the tears could somehow be pushed back inside of her. "Point is... I... I can't... I can't stand your people. I apologize for treating you as I would treat one of them, since you are clearly a banished child, but I let my rage get the best of me." Her hair stayed in front of her face to prevent Axel from seeing her, but as she stood it was revealed that her hair was now down passed her feet. With how she composed herself currently she appeared to be a dark weeping willow tree. "Give me the information, I'll heal you, and take the boy far away from here before he realizes Lydia cannot die. You can forget you ever met me if you wish."

Glad that she had suggested something of some use, Nyphra stood up carefully, brushing dust off of the white sun-dress she had chosen to wear. Holding the ever present doll in her hand she glanced at Sertheon, hoping that the crotchety lady wouldn't start any problems. "I-I would like to come Erihjo."

When Orion spoke, Nyphra smiled on the inside even though she gave him a blatantly curious look at his question. "We're uh.. We're going to-" Then Ynyr showed up. Nyphra's eyes lit with joy and confusion upon seeing the haggard looking old dragon. He definitely didn't look better for wear, and despite wanting to ask him how he was doing and everything, she gave a slight bow and took a few steps back into the shadows to hide a little.

Ynyr was much like a lovable uncle to Nyphra in a way, however she couldn't help but to fear his authority. So she sat on a rock, partially in the shadows and listened to the proceedings, knees tucked into her chest, and doll hugged in her arms.

As much as Nyphra disagreed with Erihjo's idea to go and search for Annalesia, alas Sertheon stood with a growl, drawing Nyphra's gaze, pupils contracting into slits. Sertheon was just barely above the totem pole to Erihjo, and it seemed a wonder that the quiet, meek dragon watching the two was third in command.

Slowly Nyphra set down her doll, and when she stood up, her form shifted from human to dragon, tail lashing side to side before settling on the ground behind her. Moving from sitting on her haunches to standing on all four, she approached the two, and sat at an angle, facing Sertheon, her tail falling idly between the two as if drawing a line. "I think you would care if she died, Sertheon..."

Nyphra's posture shifted swiftly from anger to kindness, and she tilted her head, leaning closer to Sertheon, being sure not to draw to close to the cranky dragon as she observed the woman very closely with forest green eyes. "I do not think it will help anything to fight amongst ourselves, especially if the phoenix is meandering around in the world." A smile came to her eyes, and her frilled ears fell back. "There is recklessness with action, and recklessness with words. I think you and Erihjo complement each other in a way. I'd like it if you supported her a little more."

Nyphra didn't want a fight, of course she chose her words carefully to diffuse one. However she still didn't know Sertheon very well, and as much as Nyphra wanted to crawl back into the shadows to sit there and watch, she was protective of her cousin. She also had a secret ambition to stop being the hidden dragon her parents wished of her. Tail twitching, she continued to watch Sertheon, not sure how volatile the purple haired woman was.

Meanwhile... Away from the BatDragon Cave

Kaz decided he needed a break, even though he would probably be sent into the field at any moment. Standing he went to the water's edge, and smiled at the mermaid head he saw bobbing in the water. "I don't remember if I gathered your name.. I go by Kaz Inumaru Mou, personally.." Sitting down, Kaz lost his very professional demeanor. "So.. I have never seen a Merman before..."

Would encouraging Bastion to speak work?

In a land of make believe..

Ruarc gave a start when he picked up the cup that contained a small rainbow fairy. "Oh! Chronos, what are you doing in there?" Red ears twitched as Ruarc thought that he heard a scream coming from the upstairs. However he ignored it for the time being, for Sarah Sidel had been tossing quite the fit all night.

The smallest frown overcame his features. "I suppose you don't eat bacon.." The sound of rustling chimes could be heard moments before a blue will-o-the-wisp was circling Rory's head. Immediately distracted, Rory dropped the cup on the counter top and caught the glowing bugger between his two large hands.

"Awe, quiet down! What's all of the noise about?" The sound of more chimes came from his glowing palms, and Rory glanced up at the ceiling just as howling could be heard. "No one messes with my guests!" Putting his claws between his lips, an ear piercing whistle sounded and Ruarc took off running towards the stairs, leaping two at a time. Reaching the second floor, bare feet skid to a stop and a gaze of slit pupils settled on the mess down the hall.

Pasha was not a welcome guest, and who was the red-headed woman?! Intruders bursting into his house just to cause a problem. Alas... Lilith somewhat smelled of Eliza, how curious. Thunderclouds clapped overhead, just under the ceiling of the manor. One lightening bolt fell, aimed for one of the parasite demons. "Well oops, I'm not sure I wanted a thunderstorm.... Millie up!" And thus the fight was made official by Ruarc and he dove at one of the monsters, claws a flyin'.

It was interesting to Ynyr to see so many dragons interacting at once, and as usual, some sort of mild conflict arose. It was just a dragons nature, to be more solitary and not join together like this. But they had all decided to go against instinct and instead come together to protect and preserve their race in the ever changing world.

The silver dragon wasn't up to being as emphatic as the other dragons, for his whole disappearance was him off in his own lair, taking his time healing from his burns and wounds, pondering over what could come next and how he was going to fix these problems. He had come back too early; a phoenix's fire was something to fear and avoid.

But he absorbed all the womens' words, and sat in silent contemplation. They were all young, passionate female dragons. He felt a bit misplaced and wondered how the other dragons ended up picking all females for the council. After watching the squabble between Erihjo and Sertheon, and seeing the intervention and diplomatic words of Nyphra, he decided that some better suggestions were to be made.

"It doesn't make much sense risking a life to find another which may not be anymore, does it, Miss Erihjo?" He tried sounding kind instead of belittling. "I appreciate your concern for one of our kind, and even more for the leader of this council, but I cannot support your expedition if you go alone."

The dragon shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with his body and the aches it gave him. He closed his eyes for a moment before going on. "I am not a member of this council, please remember that, miladies." He looked about the cave to them all, trying to convey his emotions and good intentions to all of them through their eyes. "I am your superior, but I want you to make decisions for yourselves. Miss Galilea, as second in command, you take the place of the first in command when she is dead or missing. You ultimately make the decision of what to do next."

Ynyr wished to intervene more; these were his people, his closest consorts after all. But he had bigger matters to ponder, such as the sudden disappearance of the phoenix Asoch, and the future of the world as a whole, be it the fate of dragon or human or vampire; he had to consider all lives on this planet. He couldn't hold the Dragon Council's hand and tell them what the wisest decision was.

Upon hearing the youngest member of this council give a sort of protesting whine, and his only male counterpart, Ynyr was slightly confused (for he didn't interact much with the very young) but felt the need to help. From Orion's reaction to his appearance earlier, he took the safe guess that the child liked his well enough, and beckoned for the boy to come to him. "Come here, Mister Orion." He softly called. "You must have an opinion on Miss Erihjo's proposition on scouting alone."

[It is really hard to write and watch Meet the Robinsons.]

The Prodigy

The lightning bolt struck the parasite, and it leaped back howling. The current surged around it as it lay out on the floor. Its center began to enlarge until it imploded. Instead of a feathery pile, it was a carcass with its internals poured out and dripping from its rib cage.

Ruarc had clearly took the creature by surprise, but with a quick rotation of its body it lunged its claws back. Fangs bared and snapping, claws in a fury, it fought back to the best of its ability. Finding that the battle was becoming to intense, it made a staggering run towards the window.

This parasite was part of a low ranking parasite; it was only dangerous because of its speed, well that is not including the average human who would more likely live through an elephant stampede. No. Its class was on a level of annoyance, meaning that a well skilled human could be a match, excluding the speed obviously. The birth-er of these creatures was certainly more powerful than the spawn it created, however, it was a minor nuisance in comparison to other of its kind. Probably a bit of rambling, but it will all come together soon enough.

At any rate. Back to our human friends.

While Eliza appeared to be completely unimpressed by Ruarc's sudden heroics, Pasha had become quite drawn. The lightnings effect on the creature had left him baffled, more so because he was able to pull off such an attack. Though proffering to take action he stood back with his finger lacing his chin, admiring the battle at hand.

As for Eliza, though the expression was void from her face, she was honestly quite impressed. She had never had the opportunity to work with anyone, not that she could remember.

When the thing decided to make a run for it she immediately took to stance to go after it, but was cut off by Pasha who had turned and place the point of his athame towards her neck. There was more to this boy than she had expected. for one thing he was a lot more daring than she had given him credit for, and far less innocent apparently. This had to have been staged. "Keep an eye out Ruarc. There might be more coming." she called out. Her focus then went back to Pasha. "You're going to die."

"An honorable sacrifice. Lilith I presume," said Pasha and then concluded after he had seen her expression by saying, "I'm guessing not. I swear I remember that being Lilith's body."

"My name is Eliza Noel Turner, and it has always been such," she said with a lot of venom.

"Humph. Well then, Eliza Noel Turner, today you will die, along with your friend, and anyone else who so happens to be in this household. I assume that's his order considering the lack of other details." Pasha picked at his shirt where the creature had attacked him, "I guess he thought I must have gone soft in those three years, either that or I am another loose in. Ah well." A smile curved upon his lips.

All in a Matter of Time


Axel knew better than to let her approach him, it was that he refused to be violent, if he didn't have to. With all those years of being tortured by lunatics, and such there was little that he now feared. Afraid or not, it did no vanquish the pain as Jamilah grabbed a hold of his injured hand. The rings glow faded, and his body began to droop down. He didn't scream, it wasn't the worse sort of pain. It didn't become unbearable till she had him pinned against the door, and his entire body began to burn. At this point it was more difficult to not let out a scream.

His eyes were shut tightly only till her nose pressed against his. His breath became heavy against hers. The whole time he remained silent of words. He was deathly afraid for Lydia, and wanted a great deal to protect her. She was only one life, and a life that wouldn't end. Her questions appeared to be simple, no danger in telling her the power the scroll had. All he could think about was how little he had told the doctor, and how little harm it had seemed to let him look at a few old artifacts. Telling her that if a translator were to be found, then the scroll could be used for the destruction of the world. Before the only people he had knew of his kind that lived outside the palace walls were his mother, and perhaps his father.

It was hard to say about his father. He had only met him once, and he had not been in the best of shape. He lacked his heart, and prevented him from staying whole. Every time he’d regenerate it, his body realized it could not live without a heart, so it would become ash again. Had the heart been simply removed, he would have been a able to return to his natural form, his heart was trapped by dark magic, and was only able to call out to him, instead of draw to him like it should,

His mother had told him about others who had escaped. They were in few numbers. Up till now he had forgotten about Lydia, and still knew little of her besides her vague image, and what she had told him. He didn‘t expect her to willingly go against their race, or against the rest of the world, yet he wasn‘t sure what would convince her.

As for his mother, he hadn‘t known her precise location since they parted ways. After that he hadn‘t seen from her, nor heard from her directly. Their way of communication was by letter. He didn‘t worry about giving out her location as much as he did other things, he would never knowingly put her in danger, but he knew his mother was powerful enough to take care of herself. In fact he wouldn‘t mind if her power had grown exceedingly much since they last saw each other.

Her expression changed suddenly, and she made her own sort of apology he was taken away. His body slid down once she was away from him. He gazed at her, listening to the best of his ability. The tale she told, he remembered his mother telling him about a royal who had been put to death for being with someone of a different race, and worse of all with one of the same gender. There was a set of laws that ash demons were expected to adhere, and one of the strictest laws they had was mixing blood, it was in the same ranks as using magic.

“A jinn,” he muttered out. Axel’s fingers went through his newly colored hair. It was the least of his worries, it was curiosity that had caught him. He let out a sighed, then looked deeply into her saddened face. “I do sympathy with you. And I hold no hard feelings against you, but I cannot tell you more than I have already.” He half laughed. “I have the worse luck on choosing who to trust.” Another sigh. “There is someone who can tell you, and she can tell you far more than I can, that is, if she deems you worthy enough. Her name is Danu Aileen Coen, the head of the Morrigan council, and a dear friend of mine.”

Say what now?


Xiulan counted on her fingers, and then threw her feet into the air letting them hover. “Yup. He’s right. You’re next up Gally.”

Galilea swallowed, and gazed down. She hadn’t even known what to do when Seertheon and Erihjo had began their arguing. Was she really worthy of being first in command?

Before she had lost her memory, she was the type who never doubted herself, and was a great encourager to others. She thought things over before speaking , and always conveyed some sort of wisdom when she did. A great many things had changed about her, but only Xuilan and those who knew her best would see that there was still evidence of her former self left behind.

“Well...” she began. She gained a bit more confident as she spoke out. “Erihjo, I do agree that we need to find our sister, but it will have to wait for now, and none of us will go at it alone when the time comes. At any rate, our first act should be to gain more knowledge on what we’re up against. We should also seek allies, our numbers are after all, very low. I do wish to hear from the rest of you, so do speak up.”

“Perhaps, I can be of some assistance,” came a voice from the cave entrance. A blonde haired man stepped forward into the light with sapphire eyes. He looked very serious, though in his mind he was smiling deviously.

A silver ring on his left index finger prevented any knowledge of his true identity. Ludvic was no sorcerer, but he did know the small things that would benefit him when needed. He couldn't risk his mind being read, nor his aura being sensed, and it was amazing what you could find laying around the house of an ash demon. Of course all this didn't mean he would automatically be trusted, if at all, and it didn't stop them from trying to put things together. One could wonder, for example, how he came to know of this meeting....


[I felt like adding drama. XD Hope that's ok. And I don't see a reason for mentioning Danu, and Psykhe, considering they're not involved with anyone at this point. If someone wants to, I'll make them available.]

((Time for me to reply XD YAAAY JAMILAH TIME :3

And, yes, I realize the pic I use is supposed to be a boy, but it is what I describe it for this RP so deal with it. :D))

That day my heart burst into flames
As if the word jinn was some kind of magical phrase, Jamilah's pale body instantly turned into red smoke upon his verbal realization of what she truly was. Black hair had spiraled around her body until there was nothing but a dark red smoke that wreaked of burning wood and lavender. Whether she was there or not was hard to tell; the smoke didn't hold a specific form nor were any human features clear.

Only few would be able to tell what Jamilah doing at that precise moment and that was grieving. She was far too prideful for her own good, refusing to let such a child see a weakness in her. For many years her tale was kept deep within her chest, burrowed in a hole long forgotten. Her kind as well as elders of the ash demons knew of what she had done, but there was no point in telling the tale out loud. The ash demons were told by her lover's mother then so on until she was beaten before the public eye, then forced to down the poison that was equivalent to death for their people. Jinns? All she had to say was "She found us" and they instantly knew what had caused their kin so much grief, then insults ensued. They criticized her terribly for how moronic she was. Yes, they knew about their relationship and warned her of the outcome if she was not careful, but she didn't comprehend how serious they were. If only I had known how dire it was....

Then the spiraled smoke violently untwisted and before Axel stood a short, little girl with enormous eyes filled with sadness and woe; they narrowed towards the floor shortly after transforming. Her skin, clothes, hair, eyes, and anything else about Jamilah was now a soft shade of blue. The body of her new form was terribly scrawny, even for a child, and the baggy clothes only enhanced this appearance. "I would have died with you...." came a soft whisper. Delicate rabbit ears drooped down alongside her head.

She closed her eyes, contemplating whether the journey was worth it. "I already read your mind and gathered all I needed... I can no longer why I cared about the fate of this world... Excuse me." Jamilah poofed then appeared by the front door, standing on the balls of her feet. Gently her tiny hand rested on Axel's face and the burns disappeared. "Lydia is fine... tell her Jamie had to leave when she asks, for she will... Tell her she had a client..." She then snapped her fingers, returning Alex to his normal self though only Lydia would see this. A question crossed her mind, but she felt she already knew the answer; there was no way to bring her back ever. Her pupils dilated while spacing out on the door in front of her, then she shook her head.

No longer remember your name
Sertheon was ready to strike Nyphra for daring to come between her verbal battle with Erihjo, was it not for Ynyr’s appearance she would have. Transforming and pummeling her would have been a synch thanks to the training she endured in her younger years and the fights she got into when rage flared within her. A cocky smirk crossed over her features upon hearing her win, since Ynyr denied Erihjo’s proposal. He was right when he said they needed to function without him; well, at least he was right about them. Sertheon chose to not care whether the leaders of the council were present, being the independent dragon she was. Hell, she could care less what they did at this point! She just wanted to go back to her lair instead of listening to all of this whining. She stepped towards the cave to prepare for flight once the best possible moment occurred.

Erihjo let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, then looked up and smiled at Nyphra.

Orion’s lips curled as he concentrated really hard, walking over to Ynyr. How did he feel about her leaving? He bit his bottom lip once he reached the elder male, staring up at him with big, curious eyes. There was so much for him to think about! Usually he just nodded in agreement when he felt it pleased them most and continued to played Battleship against himself. Now he was being brought into the group like one of the adults. “Wwwweeeeeelllll…. It’s not safe to go alone! That big ol’ mean ol’ flamin’ bird guy will swoop down and gobble ya up and stuff, ya know? ‘Sides, she’s a big girl and she can find her own way home. We gotta make sure we save the world and stuff, right? Riiiight. I think… That’s right… isn’t it?” he stared up at Ynyr, longing for his response and desperately hoping he was correct; he was the only other boy and he wanted to please him so badly.

Erihjo was silent then bowed respectfully. “Of course… How ignorant of me to not think of all of the outcomes… Losing another one of our numbers won’t help use defeat the phoenix. Please forgive me for my insolence.”

That smirked stayed plastered on Sertheon’s face. A snicker slipped through her teeth, but could only be heard by anyone standing directly next to her. She knew Erihjo all too well. This quickly curved into a frown with the arrival of the blonde stranger. She growled, "Da hell do you want?"

The love we felt was real
Bastion gazed up at Kaz rather curiously as well as cautiously when he approached his water’s edge. So far it seemed he meant him no harm; it would be all right to speak with him for not. “You may call me Bastion…” his head rose above the water allowing him to speak clearer. “My people choose to hide in the deep depths of the water to avoid being attacked, captured, studied, and so on. I was the only one staying in the lake though…” Then he stopped speaking, sinking back into the water so his mouth was covered again.

But never again
His sensitive ears captured the battle at hand as much as they could and it was enough for Chronos to know it was best to stay inside the sanctuary of this kitchen mug. This little fae was no warrior, nor did he ever plan on being one. Adventurous, yes, but reckless and willing to sacrifice himself for nothing? No.

My heart died when you were killed

Ynyr smiled at the Second-in-Command's decision; a small one, but one of approval. "I like that idea much better. Very good thinking, Miss Galilea." The woman may have been shy and uncertian, but with enough time and training, she could be a promising leader, if the situation called for it.

Then the youngest dragon walked up to him, and this made the silver dragon smile even more. Though he had no children of his own, he had a soft spot for that cute age where reason and innocence met, perfectly where Orion was. He gave a chuckle. "Saving the world is my duty, little one; you have big ambitions. But you are very right." He saw those large and gleaming eyes, and couldn't help himself; he reached out a hand to ruffle the boy's hair in an affectionate manner, and then patted his small shoulder in approval.

And then Erihjo spoke up. That woman could be so hard on herself, Ynyr thought. She was all seriousness and noble when it came to the Council and their conflicts. Though one's mistakes and rash thoughts must be acknowledge and corrected, the silver haired man couldn't help but think that this severe mental punishment on herself was too much; sometimes one can end up going backwards than forwards that way. "It is not insolence, Miss Erihjo, just misplaced faith. I know you feel invincible, but we do have others here who would gladly join you, or find another easier way. You don't have to burden all the troubles onto yourself, my lady." The dragon had hoped that his words would come more as guidance than a lecture, and he tried very hard to show this thru the soft look in his eyes.

But a foreign, male voice echoed into the cave, and Ynyr whipped himself around to catch a glance at the intruder. A blonde man, who didn't smell like a dragon at all, but had the scent of dead embers and smoke. The dragon didn't take too well to uninvited guests, and so stood up in a domineering manner, despite his preference to relax and stay down. He had half a mind to tell Sertheon to stand down, but she was just be protective, like he was. "And who may you be, good sir?" His voice was strong with a slight hint of a threat. Back stabbers could always be an option for them.

The young one bounced up and down in pure excitement at the thought of being some sort of super hero alongside Ynyr. The happiness deteriorated with the arrival of the blonde and evolved into a heightened curiosity that may very well get him killed some day. If it hadn't been for the elder male's stance and tone with the stranger Orion had planned on greeting the man himself, but Ynyr didn't seem to approve of him even being there, so the little dragon stayed close to Ynyr instead. Surely he was safer over here. Then again... he was probably the largest dragon here, when it came to the actual dragon form. Orion was a stone dragon and was the last known in existence. They were born enormous to begin with and blended well with mountains, but they lost their numbers drastically thanks to the phoenix.

Erihjo had planned on explaining that she didn't feel she was invincible but that it was a waste for all of them to search for her to Ynyr, but the newcomer stopped her before she ever had a chance to. Stepping towards the entrance sounded appealing, if only to help Sertheon if needed, yet stepping back was tempting as well. Delicate fingers covered her lips. It was obvious she wasn't a born leader, nor did she ever wish to be, but it didn't help in these situations. What was she to do?

"Yessss...." Sertheon hissed, turning her back to her dragon comrades. Smoke emitted from her, whether it was intentional or not was unclear. This man was another obstacle between her and escaping this damned cave and this stupid meeting. With a scowl she examined him with her eyes from head to toe then toe to head, her nose scrunched up in agitation and disgust. "Why are ya here? How can you possibly be of any assistance to us? What the hell do you want? Who do you think are you barging into our meeting without an invitation?" Again she hissed, a dragon tongue slipping out then in her mouth much like a snake's.

All she wanted to do was go home; all she wanted to do was leave. When would they let her leave? Erihjo already said the meeting could go on without her, so why not just leave? Because Ynyr was here. Because Erihjo wasn't one of the higher ranking dragons, so she wasn't allowed to dismiss her. Then again... with the disappearance of Annie that made her third in command, didn't it? Which meant she could leave.... but then being irresponsible and leaving her clan like that wasn't something she cared to do either.

Nyphra turned and listened as Ynyr reminded them all that Galilea would be 1st in command with the absense of Annalesia. Her scaley tail flicked back and forth for a minute, that would mean that Nyphra would be second in command, then Sertheon would be third. The young one became lost in thought as she considered having Erihjo take her place. After all, her cousin was much more capable of being the leader-type than Nyphra was.. However would Sertheon appreciate being knocked down the scale?

Somehow Nyphra was sure that Sertheon wouldn't care as soon as the woman went to the mouth of the cave. Alas, the indigo and pink dragon listened with a curious tilt of her head as Orion spoke, unable to hide the grin in her eyes. Nyphra didn't feel like one of the youngest when Orion spoke, not to say that she viewed him utterly as a child.

When the stranger walked into the cave, Nyphra gave a start, and quickly disappeared behind Erijho. How did a huge dragon disappear behind a slender lady? Simply by shifting to her own dragon form, and now she wished that she hadn't left her doll sitting on the rock. No matter how much she agreed with Ynyr, Ludvick now took the majority of her attention.

Nyphra's eyes narrowed as she listened to Sertheon, what was wrong with the old dragon? Why was she such a crab? In frustration she ruffled her own hair and let out the softest of whines while still hiding behind Erihjo. Nyphra had been raised to be someone that hid from dangerous or unfamiliar things, but she knew that, as second in command, she should step forward and be next to Ynyr and Galilea in discovering what intentions the stranger had.

If only she hadn't left the doll on the rock. With a deep breath, Nyphra's shaking hand touched Erijho's arm. Then she walked up next to Ynyr and Orion. "Sertheon, why don't you let him answer, please? Surely he wouldn't walk into a den like this without some sort of purpose." Her pupils narrowed for a second. Yeah.. He wouldn't walk in without a purpose.. Could he be the phoenix, somehow she pictured the phoenix to be more boasting, and malicious in appearance. At the same time, if he was a complete idiot, it was one man against several dragons, what if they were hungry today?

Hair fell over her shoulder and she started to play with it. She couldn't tell what the blond man was. He didn't smell human, or like a dragon, or of ash... Not something Nyphra liked in the least.

~~~~~~~

Now why had Ruarc whistled earlier? Well despite Kitsune being a dying race, he had plenty of connections among the fae in this strange world. They were waiting outside.. Or at least a few were. One being a Pooka, a very strange creature indeed that delighted more in torturing mortals. A shape-changing age-old creature that was waiting outside, preferring never to go into abodes -especially Ruarc's- waiting for a signal to be of assistance. Well some creature running out of the window was well enough, and the Pooka went after it in the guise of a too-large Eagle.

The Kitsune was not concerned by the creature, obviously. If it got out of his house, the better. How had it even gotten in? He would have to fix his protection circles later, as Eliza was thinking, it had to have been staged. "More? Aye, if things weren't already all sorts o' arseways.." The thick Irish accent was doomed to taint his speech for the duration of the next few hours, most likely, whether or not I can type and effective Irish accent.

Yet, how did this new girl know Rory's name? Ah, she was Eliza. No, that made no sense. An athame? Good god, this albino kid was a nutter that had to get out of the Kitsune household NOW. So, as quickly as possible, Ruarc ran up behind Pasha, and attempted to pull the kid into a full-nelson while dragging him away from Eliza. Now, a fox-demon could be rather swift, how swift was the albino kid?

"You're going to be gettin' the heck outta my house, and leave my guests alone." Assuming that the girl that looked nothing like Eliza really was Eliza.


((o.o; I'm sure I definitely missed someone I should post for, but this should do it for now.... <.<; ))

((Edit: I was right! Now I post for Kaz! ))

Of course the blond listened, and nodded accordingly. Bastion didn't seem too talkative. "Bastion is it? Well.. What is it that kept you in that lake? I've heard tell that Mermaids can transform into humans.. I would imagine that, unless there's an underground river, it would be very hard to leave that lake."

Of course Kaz was neglecting how he had magically transported Bastion.

((voila!))

((I'm just replying to Kaz, since everyone else seems to need Reno first o.o; Yeah, nothing great, but it's a post!))

"I chose the lake because it was safe... far from harm and any predators..." Bastion said once his mouth was above the water again. He tilted his head to the side, keeping his eyes locked on Kaz in case the man decided to do anything he did not approve of. "Yes, merfolk can transform into humans once they reach the age elders deem worthy to learn the spell that changes us... but I don't choose to use it. Humans are vile creatures who only seek to destroy... It is why I live where I live, non-human creatures reside there that protect me from their destruction... I can sing in peace."

/blarrgh wrong place/ I do miss this roleplay though...