It was taking a while, she was starting to get impatient. She had finished singing two songs, she tapped on the door from where she sat. After waiting for a few moments she stood and knocked on the door. She jumped to see if there was a peek hole, but to no avail. She bit her bottom lip and placed her hand on the door knob. A voice in her mind yelled, 'No! Stop, don't do it. Ya don't wanna do that! 'Ey! Ya hear me? Quit right there!' She blinked, she felt conflicted.

Sophy didn't want to wait forever but at the same time it'd be extremely awkward if he were not to be clothed but still... Her impatience got the best of her and she opened the door. Her eyes closed, "'Ey! Why'd ya ran off?" Her face was bright red, "Huh? Why'd ya leave me alone with him? He's worried, ya know!" She stayed right by the door and was half hiding behind it and half in the room. A pout formed on her face as her face grew hotter.

The steam filled the room as the door was opened, he turned seeing Sophie standing there red with her eyes closed. He let the water run down him, and he looks at the drain once more. "I was not needed or wanted...I'm sure he's worried..." he said the last comment a bit sarcastically. He stopped the water, and stepped out looking at her as he grabbed a towel wrapping it around his waist. "Go back..he will need you tomorrow remember" he passes her into the room.

She felt the steam hitting her face, "I was not needed, or wanted. I'm sure he's worried." She could hear the sarcasm in his voice. She was moved further into the room "Go back. He will need you tomorrow, remember." She dared a peek and saw he was in his towel. The blood rushed to her head and she nearly fainted. 'Get a hold of yaself!' She took several deep breaths.

"I'm not leaving 'till ya come with me. I was told to get ya," she dared to open her eyes and she hoped her face couldn't get redder. She pushed him towards the dresser, "Put ya clothes on damn ya!" She turned the opposite way and actually walked away a bit. She was facing the opposite wall. The girl did not plan to move until he came with her.

"You go back, I am staying here" he says slipping on a pair of black night pants, and tossing his towel on the bed. He grabbed his brush and ran it through his wet hair, the cool air of the room on his torso now, he felt slight goose bumps flutter over his skin. He wondered why she was blushing so much, she liked women right? So a man's body shouldn't be making her blush so much. He turned and walked over to her turning her to face him "why blush?...I shouldn't be getting such a reaction out of you if your not interested in men...or am I an exception?" He backs her against the wall slightly serious, slightly playful.

She had heard the rustle of him putting on something and then a plop which meant something was thrown. He walked over to her and made her face him, "Why blush? I shouldn't be getting such a reaction out of you if you're not interested in men... or am I an exception?" She looked at him with an annoyed look. She slapped him, her blush finally toning down.

"I've never seen anyone naked, not even my cousin! I'd like ta keep it that way, especially with the male species." She pursed her lips, annoyed at having to share that. She glowered at him, wondering if he was ready to go yet. "Are ya going to put on a shirt? If not, then come on." There was a slight pink left, she really didn't appreciate his teasing. It always rubbed her wrong when someone brought up the gender she preferred.

He smirked lightly as she slapped him, then frowned again. "I told you, I am not going back so get yourself out of my room and go back on your own." He moved her out of his room, closing the door. He turned back to the bed, and picked up the towel. He was going to stay here, if Ken really was worried or cared so much, he would come back and get him himself. He sighed he was not a dumb kid or anything like that. He was more then that, but he never had the chance to show anyone.

She was shoved out of the room and door shut, she wasn't going to budge. She opened the door, and walked in. She sat down in front of it, pulling out a little bird mechanical. She set it on the floor and flipped a switch on the little bird, the bird began to move. It stiffly moved across the floor, "I'm stayin' till ya coming with me." She looked at her watch, she had been there for nearly an hour. Slipping it back in she looked up at him then back at the little bird. "You know, I really like these things, mechanical birds and stuff. They're calming," she pet the bird that was toddling around in front of her.

She looked at him, tilted her head, "What calms you?" Her eyes looked up at him from where she sat. She knew she was being a bother but she wasn't going to move. The best she can she was not going to move and wait until he'd come with her.

He sighs, walking over he picks her up once more sitting her out in the hallway. HE picks up the bird toy, placing it out with her. "Being alone" he says closing and this time locking the door.He got some bandages out of his bag, placing some around his side. He turns out the light walking over to the bed. The sheets and covers were warm, and felt a lot better then the ground. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the silence that followed. It was nice here, this town was peaceful. He wondered if she would sit outside the door and wait, or do something else. He hoped she would let him sleep though.

She heard the gentle click of the door as he locked it, she wasn't sure how to feel about what just happened. She hadn't been picked up in a long time. She turned off the bird and looked through her pockets. She found one of her lock pickers and set to work. After about 15 seconds she got it to unlock, she listened at the door and all was quiet. Underneath no lights were showing. She stood back up and brushed off her skirts, and stood there. Waiting for a little while. After about 5 minutes she got too impatient and quietly slipped in. It was dark, she could see his silhouette in the bed. She sat down quietly in front of the door again. She was not going to move! If he wasn't going to go with her, then she'd stubbornly stay here. She was told to bring him back, that's what she was gonna do.

She bit her lip and mouthed to herself random strings of sentences. Stuff about the dream and what it could mean, stuff about how she thought Ken would react, and stuff about food. She pulled out her pocket watch and opened it, she rubbed her thumb over the engraving that was inside of it. She looked up at the ceiling, the quiet was all around her.

'Will he come? Will he follow me after he sleeps?' She frowned, her forehead creasing in thought and she began to tap her chin gently. 'Ah, Ken will be annoyed. He must be worrying,' she murmured. Sophy had a bad feeling that she was gonna be thrown out of the room again. Cold chills ran up and down her spine which caused her to shiver.

He herd the door open and sighed. Why couldn't she just leave him the hell alone. He slowly stands after a bit and picks her up. "I am not going..please...just leave me alone" he places her outside the door again. He loceked the door, placing a chair under the knob so it could not be turned and the door unable to be opened. He made sure there was no other way she could slip in, and got back into his bed. He yawns exhausted now, and just wanting sleep to take him annoyed with the nights events. He was slightly hurt as well from what he had herd. He hears a howl far off in the woods, and knew it was probrably the wolf from before. He hoped the next day would be better.

Gemini sighed and sat up.she had been tossing and turning since she had gone to bed, and hadn't gotten a single bit of sleep.it was a restless night, she figured, as her sensitive ears picked up the sound of Master's footsteps, then Mari's, then Fang's....she stood up and turned her hands and feet into cat paws, then silently padded out to the hallway, where she found her twin with night vision only a cat could possess."good evening Mari.mii~" she said, turning her hands and feet back into hands and feet."I heard Master pass by.and Fang, too.why is everyone awake, I wonder? Mii~" she asked.one sensitive fox ear twitched a bit as a fly flew past it."that Fang is mean, trying to steal master.mii~ ooh but he is cute, though, yes? Mii~"

Dawn was breaking as Ken waited for Sophy to return with Liore. Slowly but surely, the forest was lightening and streaks of red and pink tore across the sky. When the birds began to chirp, Ken knew they were gone far too long. What happened to them? he wondered as he sent out his shadows again. Liore was so close the last he had checked. Tendrils of dark energy left Ken's fingertips and blended into the woods, searching for Sophy and Liore. The hotel? Confused, Ken sent another shadow blast to merge with the first one, expanding his point of view and heightening his senses. Confusion turned to annoyance as he made out the dark outline of Liore sleeping in the hotel bed and Sophy just outside.

Ken got up and dusted off his pants. Bits of grass and dirt had dirtied his black pants, but he could care less right now. Exasperation tore trough his body as he stalked after Sophy and Liore, each step down the makeshift road increasing his frustration. Ken made his way coolly through the hotel's lobby, ignoring the front desk's fake plastered smiles and unconvincing "How do you do's."

He took the steps two at a time and stormed down the floor to Liore's room, the rug unfortunately muting his stomps. Sophy was outside, like his shadow sense had told him, but he didn't realize that she was locked outside.

"I tried," she pouted, which caused Ken to nearly snarl in anger. He would have busted down the door, but that would have caused some explaining complications later on and be couldn't afford creating a scene. Instead, he called to the shadows once more. Ken quietly put his hand on a wall covered with tacky vertical stripes and bathed in shadows. He reached inside for that pool of energy once more and imagined himself stretching out like the shadow. He melted in the darkness and quickly slipped underneath the door, carefully maneuvering himself around the chair and materialized next to Liore's bed.

Ken hesitated for a second, unsure of his next action, but before he could think it out he had lightly slapped the boy on his head.

"Mind telling me what you're doing?" Ken asked through gritted teeth.

The dull thudding of padded feet told her that her twin sister was also haunting in the night time. More restless souls, she thought to herself with a soft sigh, what was it about tonight that had all the residents of RavenWood so incredibly restless. She wanted to be left to her own devices to haunt the halls as usual. She liked the quiet lonely that was the darkness. It was her comfort, like a warm blanket or a gentle friend. To many the darkness was full of surprises that would make the skin crawl, but she knew the dark so well that she melded with it and it with her.

She had been spotted by her sister, not really all that surprising. A tad annoying perhaps, but not surprising. Not that she found her sister annoying on a regular basis, she just preferred the darkness alone. She did not let her sister see her annoyance however and chose instead to humor her. “I heard Master pass by and Fang too” she had said in her usual excited Gemini Tizzy, “wonder why” she said, she may have even bounced when she said it. But perhaps not, it could after all just be in Marionette’s head.

“They are, restless I think. Especially Master” her voice was soft, barely much more than an audible whisper. It has a raspy, almost mechanical sound to it “I fear something may be coming to make everyone so restless so” she let her thoughts wonder off a bit. Her sister continuing to talk by her side, it was only when fang became once more mentioned that she turned her full attention back to her sister, “Fang….”

"that Fang is mean, trying to steal master.mii~ ooh but he is cute, though, yes? Mii~" she thought on this for a moment, “Is he cute? I wonder….”

Reina smiled softly as she watched the pair tend to the flowers. Suddenly she perked. The air had changed. There were new people in the area, and most of the manor was awake. Reina spun around slowly, trying to pinpoint which direction the odd air was coming from. Shaking her head, she knocked lightly on the table, to get Fangs attention before smiling and leaving. Reina had heard complaints that she disapeared to suddenly, without noise or warning.

Heading back into the manor, Reina listened to the air, finding out where the master and other experiments were. Walking through the manor, she stepped up to the study door and knocked softly before letting herself in. "Master?" she whispered softly.

Liore felt the slap, but did not move. He kept his eyes closed. "I went back to the hotel like you wished..since after all all I am is a dumb kid" he says. He then turned more over away from the other male as the twinge of pain from the words returned to his heart, but he would not say so to the other. He would in no way ever show weakness not after...after what? A memory was on the edge of his mind, but he could not seem to conjure them up into a solid form. He sighs lightly and hoped that the other would just let him be for now since he was obviously of no use to the one he had thought he was close to.

Hataru had fallen asleep at the desk of the study, hearing the knock, he slowly opened his eyes. He reached up lazily to rub his eyes with the back of his hand. "Hmm?" he looks at the experiment as she entered the room. Realizing his appearance, he stood immediately closing the journal and replacing it in the drawer. He then moves around the desk to look at her. "Reina, what is it?" he yawned slightly again, this time managing to hide it with his hand. He glanced at the window where the light was beginning to shine through. So it was morning eh?

He sighs lightly, and moves to the curtains, pulling them open a bit. His eyes closed instantly as the early morning sun hit his face. He lightly hissed under his breath "ahh...I sweqar the mornings here never get better" he says more to himself then anyone. He turns back to the experiment as he wondered if she had responded yet. He had apparently lost track of time, having fallen asleep at the desk. He needed to get better sleep in his own room, but that rarely ever happened. He guessed Fang would probrably be in the green house, and others awake as well.

He would have breakfast soon, and make sure that the experiments had something to eat as well. However, the thought of food did not intrest him much but he would need his strenght later. He had some planning to do of his own about the trip later. He was not exactly looking forward to it, but it was not necesarily a bad thing either. He wondered how it would go over with the experiment, most of them would probrably want to go it would be a hard decision on which ones would be put to better use where. He would probrably leave Fang home for sure though, the cold nights as it got closer to winter would not do well for him.

"You heard me, huh," Ken responded unabashed. The way he pronounced his words made it obvious that it was a statement, not a question. Ken sighed and ran his hand through his silver hair. There were enough complications as it was, he didn't seem some kid's attention complex aggravating things.

Ken sat on the edge of Liore's bed and mussed the boy's hair. "I'm only going to say this once so those ears of yours had better listen up," Ken began. "I didn't want you to come initially because I knew how the place was going to affect you. Those headache weren't a coincidence and you'd be a fool to think otherwise. That said, I always thought you were a bigger person than this."

Ken gave Liore's hair a final shove and rose from the bed. For a hotel, the room was musty and stank of stale air. He moved toward the window and pulled back the curtains, letting the early sun bathe the room in light. Ken opened the windows, letting in the crisp air and turned around to face Liore once more.

"You have thirty minutes," he commanded. "Drag yourself out of this pity party immediately and clean up. I want you and Sophy back at the woods before that sun out there gets any higher." Ken jabbed a finger at the window outside and deftly climbed onto the ledge.

"Liore," Ken said softly as he gazed out to the landscape ahead. "Don't over exert yourself." Silently, Ken jumped and hit the floor with barely a thud, light on his feet. With barely a glance back, he made for the woods once more and prayed that precious time had not been lost. He cared for Liore, but Ken wasn't one to coddle. No, if Liore wanted affection, he could go somewhere else. He just hoped Liore knew that, as well.

Liore sighed, he forced his body up out of the bed. His muscles a bit stiff, but he ignored it. He shakes his head to clear it, and pushes his feelings away. He was getting soft, and that was something he could not afford to do. He walked over to the bag he had gotten clothes out from the other day, and dressed in clothes that were easy to manuver in and fight in if needed. He pulled out a bottle of pills as well. A mage had made them, they were ment to surpress feelings as well as memories, unknown to anyone he had been using them because of the dreams he was having. He sighs and pops one into his mouth, closing his eyes as the dream, the mess with his feelings, and the night before faded away.

His eyes open and focus on the wall ahead. He felt better now, his heart and breathing calm, not a single thought of what had happened passed over his mind he was himself again. He picked up the two hilts of his blades and slipped them into their rightful places at his hipa, before fixing his hair. He then turned to the door removing the chair, and looked out at Sophie. "Lets go woman" he says before moving to the window. He had no need for stairs, easily jummping out and making his way back towards the woods. He looks around this place was oddly familiar, and for some reason that thought seemed familiar as well. He shrugged, and continued on his way back to where the camp had been. He looks around for Ken.

Reina looked at him patiently. Even though he was just an experiment when she was brought to the manor, she viewed him as the Master of Ravenwood. "Master, there are... Odd things in the air. New comers perhaps... I am unsure." She spoke softly, still standing just inside the door. Reina hadn't meant to wake him, but considering the time.it was probably better she did. A soft breeze lifted just around the female experiment, just enough to lift her hair off her shoulders before it died. "Should I explore more?"

Hataru looks at her once more and takes a breath. He sighs lightly and nods "I had a feeling something was off." He turned away from her and looked back at the desk he wondered how things were going to work out with everything that could be sensed changing and approaching. "For now there is not much we can do but wait and watch..see what you can find out if you wish but do not let the others find out for now..I do not want to worry them."

He cared a lot for all the experiments, they were his family, and all he had left in this life. He wondered what his life would be like if they left, and it sent cold shidders down his back. It hurt to think of being alone, that was a fear of his, to be alone. No one knew it, but he did not want to feel like he had back when he had been an experiment ever again. He sighs lightly, and looks over at her once more.

Reina nodded in understanding. "As you wish Master. The others may worry if they knew." Her gaze drifted out the window, the rising sun casting lights of colour around the room. It seemed peaceful, but the experiment knew better. Reina knew better then anyone that appearances were not the truth. Something about Harus manner was uneased, but she wouldn't pry.
' "a confident. A secret keeper that's what she is." ' the voice of the old Master still rang in her mind.

With a sigh she banished the voices of the past. "Is there anything you need Master?" Reina whispered looking back to him.

She listened in on the conversation inside of the room, Ken pretty much told him what Sophy was trying to say and it sounded like it worked when Ken left the room. "How did ya do it?" She asked Ken quietly as he left the hotel. Not too long after he left the hotel was it that Liore told her to go with him and called her woman. She smiled and stood up, holding the bird in her hand. "Yah, yah." She followed him and instead of simply jumping out she grabbed a gun, shoved something inside and shot at a tree that was two yards away and held onto the rope that hung from her gun's nozzle, she swung out and landed a little ahead of Liore. She severed the rope and pulled what was left inside of the gun out.

"That is better." Sophy pocketed the gun. "How ya feeling?" Her reddish-brown eyes met his, and she began to walk backwards with her hands clasped behind her back. "Not too bad, eh? Ya seemed worse for wear last night! Rejected me," she grew quite and took one hand to tap her chin gently as she thought about, "Four times I think?" She turned and began to walk beside him normally. A leaf fell on her nose and she twitched, breathing in quickly a few times before sneezing a high pitched, "Ahh-hee!" The leaf blew away and fell on the ground which she stepped on and didn't noticed. Rubbing her nose she furrowed her brows. "It tickled," she explained to Liore.

She was sure that Ken was nearby since it hadn't taken them that long to leave, or did it?

Ken was halfway back through the woods when he heard two pairs of feet slapping quickly at ground. His shoulders unclenched marginally as he slowed his pace to allow Liore and Sophy to catch up. Truth be told, there was a nagging voice inside his head that told him there was a possibility Liore might not follow, and so he had no response to Sophy's question when he left the hotel.

"About time," he said curtly when the pair finally caught up and the three of them fell into a steady pace: Ken in the lead, Liore and Sophy flanking either side.

As they backtracked to the manor, Ken began giving orders. "We've lost quite a bit of planning time," he said, purposefully not making eye contact with Liore. "But what's done is done. There can be no more mistakes today. Sophy, you'll keep guard on the movements of the manor's inhabitants. Make it your number one priority to know who's doing what and where. When that 'heir' leaves the manor, I want to be the first to know. By the way, did you finish those communication devices I asked about a while ago?

"Liore, you're coming with me into the manor. I'm going to need your power in case we run into . . . obstacles. Once Sophy gives us the green light, I'll take us in with shadows. But Liore, I need to make sure you're up for this." Ken wheeled around to stare Liore right in the eyes. "I can't have you suffering headaches or being in any unstable state."

Ken stepped back from the boy, effectively breaking the initial formation and enclosing everyone in a circle. His speech was done, now to hear their reply.

Liore looked at the other listening to his words. He raises an eyebrow as he was directed, and then waited for his chance to reply. "I am fine..why wouldn't I be?" he tilts his head a bit before slightly crossing his arms as a slight tingle ran through them at the thought of letting out his power. "Don't worry about me, I can handle myself, and anything you or they can throw at me" he says calmly. His head was clear, whatever had been bugging him, the pill had done the trick. He was glad that it was able to help so much, he did not want to let whatever weakness was inside of him out.

He looked up at the sky, the sun had risen to its early morning position, birds flying overhead. Something nudged his side, and he looked down to see the wolf from that night. He let one of his hands down to scratch behind its ear, and it seemed to smile in responce. He was slightly comforted by its prescence for some odd reason, but either way he was ready to go. He did not mind the thought of taking on some obsticles, though he knew it would be better if for now they avoided them. He paused as a thought crossed his mind that had been avoided. "What exactly are we looking for?" he says looking at Ken "this trouble is not worth it for a simple recon mission...your after something."

Sophy raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Just tell me when ya need help."

She punched Ken's arm gently when he grumbled, "About time." He lectured them lightly, "But what's done is done. There can be no more mistakes today. Sophy, you'll keep guard on the movements of the manor's inhabitants. Make it your number one priority to know who's doing what and where. When that 'heir' leaves the manor, I want to be the first to know. By the way, did you finish those communication devices I asked about a while ago?" She smiled, he had a bag and she grabbed it looking through it, and pulled out three little things that had antennaes and what not, they were pretty much recreated walkee talkees. She turned one on and the other on and held them apart, using one she spoke into it some random words and you could hear them out of the other.

She handed each one, "Let me know if dey mess up. I didn't finish them to perfection." She blushed, then she threw some random junk out of it, which included a few acorns, she pulled out these earbud things. She plugged one into each of the thingies, she put one in, talked into hers, then heard it come out fine. Nodding she said, "All good."

The earbuds for her looked rather intricate, and each one had a cuff that would fit on the ears of the person wearing it so it would stay in place. She set hers up, leaving one hanging. "Will definitely let ya know about stuff." She ran ahead of them, to a part where there were few windows and jumped up, she still had the bag of stuff with her and used a rope from inside of it as a pulley in a way. Once she was on the roof she felt a bit dizzy, but gave the "ok" and settled herself.

Cheshire

His tail swung lazily in the breeze, as he laid on the branch of the tree. His true name had been lost long ago, so he went by the name Chishire now. A bird landed near him, and began to sing. His ruby eyes slide over the bird, as he raises a large clawed paw swatting at it. It flutters off into the sky and he returned to his lounging. It was so boring here lately, but the air was shifting. Chishire could sense something was about to happen, and it sounded positivly delicious. He lightly laughs to himself, he always loved a bit of trouble in his life.

He turned onto his side and watched a group pass by, two men and a girl. They smelled a lot like trouble, he would be keeping an eye on them yes in deed. He sits up on the branch tilting his head. He was curious to go see what was up on the manor, but many of the experiments there did not trust him. He didn't mind it, he didn't trust himself much either. He laughs a bit once more, and leans back falling from the branch and flipping down to the ground, where he lands on his feet perfectly. His arms move above his head as he stretches his muscles ready to start his day.

"There once was a group of three, who decided to play a game with me...time passed on, and then there was one, oh what a game it will be~" he laughs once again, and turns into the forest. He moved swiftly but without a sound, wondering how to get his little game to begin. Time was moving forward, he had to chose his actions carefully and not waste any precious play time. He stopped suddenly, and tilted his head back sniffing the air. Seems there were other players in this game. "Perhaps my three may grow" he moves a paw over his mouth a bit to hide another laugh. "This will be a game to remember for sure!" he spins lightly, before jumping into the trees.