Lurking in the Dark [IC]

[FrostedCaramel]

1st Rank Agent Jonathan Adams and Hound Anna Finch
Gothenburgh
Early Morning
Adams Residence
​

---

The thuds from Adams sneakers was the only thing that kept him company so early in the morning, that and the dim park lights that were spaced out just enough so that there was a few seconds of darkness between one and the next. He always found that odd, like who ever had drawn up the plans for the park had decided that they should make places that would be great to be attacked in without being seen, he wasn't afraid though, if anything he was slightly itching for someone to try him, 'Hell it'd be a better release than this run' he thought as he exited the park and dimly lit street.

Adams stopped in front of a three story tall building with a small flower shop in the street front, its shutters were down and the lights were out but he could still make out the modest arrangements of lilies and roses from where he stood. Taking his gaze off the lilies, Adams pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door beside the store that led to the apartments above. Shutting the door behind him and being sure to lock it, Adams took the stairs in twos as he made his way up to the third story landing. Once there he stopped at the only door and produced a key from behind the radiator on the opposite side of the hall before quietly unlocking the door and slipping inside.

On the other side was his apartment, a kitchenette with a peninsula jutting out from the wall on the his left separated it from the round four person table that he called his dining room. Beyond it was the living room, a deep blue couch faced the television which was placed just below the wide window that provided a rather serene view of the dimly lit park he had just ran through. To the right of the living room was the bathroom and the two rooms, the first being his and the one closest to the park-side of the apartment was Anna's. It was modest for someone of his... class... but it was all he needed and he enjoyed the proximity to town and the Ministry so he had chosen it above the more upscale options he had.

Shrugging off his jogger and placing his shoes in the small rack next to the door he dipped into the bathroom for a quick shower.

---

Waking in a cold sweat, Anna rolled out of bed and fumbled for the alarm clock at her side before finally hitting the illuminate button. She squinted as the screen lit-up with a bright white and struggled to read the time for a few moments, "Four thirty in the morning..." she groaned before pulling the down comforter at her feet back up and over her face.

---

Adams stood in the shower with his arms at his sides letting the hot water run down his skin for close to an hour before he finally got out and dried himself off. Pulling a towel around his waist, he opening the bathroom door allowing the bathroom light to flood the living room as the hours worth of steam made it's valiant escape. He switched the light off and lumbered over to the kitchen as quietly as he could. With the flip of a dial the stove was on and he was pulling a pan from the cupboard. Giving it a health dose of butter from the fridge he placed the pan on the stove-top and turned back to his room.

---

Her stomach grumbling, Anna rubbed her eyes as she turned out her door for the kitchen before letting out a small "eek" as she stopped dead in her tracks. In front of her was Adams; mostly naked; but definitely Adams, but he looked different. She took a moment to scan him up and down, 'Definitely hasn't gained any weight that isn't muscle...' she continued looking, '...Still has nice definition...' she stopped her scanning on his left side, "Oh Adams..." she said as she walked forward.

"Keep your voice down Anna." was his only response to her sudden appearance.

She continued to walk toward him lifting a hand to his flank, softly running her fingers over the fresh stitches that started at his front and looped all the way around to his back, "Did I--?" she started before realizing that she already knew the answer. Noticing what she was doing she quickly pulled her hand back and clutched it in her other behind her back, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-"

"Don't worry about it Anna everything's okay, just keep your voice down."

Adams said with a sad little smile as he looked at her with eyes that told her nothing was okay. He started to turn for his room before she reached out again and grabbed his arm, "No... No. No, you don't get to act like everything's just magically better because I'm not dead and you're not dead and-" she could feel the tears welling in her eyes as she began to scream, "-I almost killed you god dammit!" her voice wavering with every breath as the tears began to roll down her cheeks she continued to scream, "You can't just say it's better and expect it to be better! You can't just tell me it's better and then look at me like it's not!" she shuttered as she took a deep breath and let out a sob, "You can't just pretend all the time!"

Still clutching Adams' arm, Anna just stood there and closed her eyes while she sobbed. After a few seconds she felt Adams reach around to her back before lifting her up and pulling her in close. She could feel his breath on her shoulder and the heat from his body, it was different than the other times they'd been so close. It was almost more intimate, and then he spoke.

"Corinne is dead Anna."

 

[Strawberry275]

[[Early Morning, Gothenburgh, Adams Residence]]
[Interactions; Anna & Adams @FrostedCaramel]
​

If the sound of the door opening was what woke Elias he took so long to realise it that by the he'd propped himself up on the sofa to look around whoever it had been was gone. With a muffled groan he flopped back down, slowly coming to terms with the fact that he was now awake at what appeared to be an extremely early hour of the morning.

This wasn't the first time he'd crashed on Adams's couch - staying at Chad's place wasn't really an appealing option most of the time since Elias could never quite shake the feeling that if he thought he could get away with it his agent might try and kill him in his sleep - but it always made him feel just a little awkward. Come to think of it, he hadn't heard Adams get home the night before, but perhaps that was for the best. Him and Anna had a lot of talking to do after yesterday, and Elias didn't really want to be around when it happened.

Just as Elias had settled down and started to go back to sleep the kitchen light suddenly switched on, ruining his chances. With a grimace he sat up, opening his mouth to greet Adams when he saw the distinct lack of clothing the agent was...well...not wearing. Silently he sank back down onto the sofa, eyes wide, and tried not to think too much about it. His issue wasn't exactly the scars the agent was covered in; that was just normal considering their profession. The rest, however...he frowned. Sure he wasn't weak, but...he wasn't exactly ripped like Adams either. And why was he walking around like that anyway?! Yeah it was his home, but Anna lived here too and what if she walked in on him?

In perhaps the worst possible instance of 'speak of the devil' in Elias's young life Anna walked in. And...apparently had no reaction to Adams's state of dress. Was this normal for them? That........that was weird, right? Right?! Not daring to move or do anything to indicate he was actually awake Elias lay there a few moments longer, his racing thoughts stopping him from realising what they were talking about until Anna started crying.

'So......awkward........'

Maybe he could jump out the window. Any damage from the fall or the broken glass had to be less painful than this situation. A bullet in the head from Chad would probably be better than this.

"Corinne is dead Anna."

"What?!"

Without thinking Elias sprang up, only to be faced with the two of them embracing. Which was. Totally. Normal. Right? Totally normal for your best friend to be hugging her naked coworker/roommate/...whatever else Adams was to her. It wasn't exactly important right then.

"What happened? I thought it was just a blackout, not..." Not anything that serious. Not something a first-rank agent like Corinne couldn't handle.​

 

[Strawberry275]

[[Morning, Gothenburgh, Underground Fighting Ring]]
[Collab between @Strawberry275 and @MiNaGi]​

The darkness that followed after Luca was hit in the back of the head at the festival was a long-lasting one. So long that he lost track of how much time had passed. It could be hours, days, even months. The next he knew, he was slowly fading back into consciousness. He started to regain his senses one by one, and the first thing he felt was the pain in his head. He winced as he felt the bare skin of his hands and legs against the ground. The cold soon woke him, and he pushed himself off the ground with a dissatisfied grumble.

"What the hell... my head feels like it's been split in half... where is..." He could not currently spot anyone in the room he was in as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. A wave of realization washed over him as he realized where he was. He had been supposed to find his father at the festival. He had distanced himself from Mika to go look for his dad. Spent some time at a café... and then... what? He remembered loud noises, and people running away. And then the pain in the back of his head. When he reached his hand to touch the spot, he could feel the very well-known sensation of a dried liquid in his hair. He figured that it had to be blood. Chains were holding his hands together. He was still in the pink dress that he had been wearing at the festival. It was pretty dirty. "Well there goes that dress." His belongings were nowhere to be found.

It wasn't the fact that that bothered him very much. He was much more concerned with where he was and what he was doing in a place like this. Upon closer inspection, the place turned out to be some kind of prison cell-esque room complete with a barred door and dim lights. He was on the cold, hard cobblestone floor of this room. There was a bed made out of wood with a blanket strewn over it. After having slept for god knows how long, he didn't exactly feel an urge to go to sleep right now. There was a toilet tucked away behind a little partition over by the wall, and a sink. Nothing he wasn't used to. When he followed the general direction of the chains around his wrists, he saw that it was attached to the wall. He let out a sigh. "You already have me fuckin' trapped in here, what would you expect me to do about bars anyway..." He mumbled to himself. He wondered what the purpose of capturing him could be. His dad had many enemies. It wasn't the first time Luca had been in a situation like this.

The thick headphones she was wearing meant it wasn't until Ivy noticed a glimpse of movement within the cell that she realised Luca had woken up. Great. She'd hoped for at least another hour or so of slacking off before she had to deal with the new 'recruit' freaking out. Turning to fully face Luca she fixed her eyes on the prissy, frilly-looking girl she'd been given to deal with and hoped she wouldn't be a screamer. Fluffy blonde hair, wide green eyes, and an outfit that looked like it had been paid for with daddy's credit card, even if it had gotten pretty messed up during the kidnapping. Her face twitched into a smirk as she thought of what kind of life this girl led to find such a pale, girly outfit practical, or how upset she must be to see it ruined.

Finally noticing that the girl seemed to be talking to herself Ivy sighed again. "Don't waste your breath, princess. You aren't getting special treatment here just 'cause you think you're cute," She announced, taking her headphones off at last and slinging them around her neck.

"Who the fuck are you calling princess?" Luca was pretty mad that he had not only gotten captured in some random dungeon, but now people were also teasing him about his appearance. He figured that surely they must've looked closer and figure out that he was a guy, and that this woman was only fucking around with him. "Look, I don't really care about your "special treatment" or whatever, just tell me why exactly you need me to be here in this dungeon. Don't expect my dad to come after me. Bastard probably wants a new son anyways."

It was pretty enraging to have to deal with this kind of situation again. It wasn't the first time he had been abducted, though this time it seemed as if it wasn't for the usual purpose, which was money. There was some other purpose for him being captured. Not that he had any kind of idea what that reason could be right now.

"...the fuck?"

She hadn't been expecting a voice like that from such a dainty little thing. For a moment Ivy thought she must have imagined it, but no, it just kept going. Even then it took her a while to catch on. 'Son'…ugh.

"Listen princess, I don't give a damn who your dad is. Just…give me a second here. I don't get whatever gender issues you have going on and I don't think I want to. Simple question. Are you male or female? Because if you're actually a guy I've been cheated out of a day off and I'm gonna kick someone's ass. It'll be yours if you keep mouthing off like that."

What the hell kind of mistake was this? Sure he looked like a girl...a lot...and if someone had actually checked and it really was a girl she'd probably have kicked off even more than this one was. But who had screwed up this badly?! It definitely wasn't her problem. Probably the brat's fault for dressing that way in the first place.

"I'm a guy, what of it? It's not really my fault that your friends decided not to check who the fuck they had abducted. Fashion is fashion. I dress like this because I want to, it's not like I owe anyone a particular explanation." Luca had calmed down a little realizing that the woman literally had no idea that he was actually male. Someone had seriously screwed up badly for something like that to happen.

"But what's happened as happened. Were you going to tell me why I'm here or not?" He inquired, already getting tired of the gender talk. That they hadn't checked couldn't quite be blamed on him in the first place. He didn't really mind this person all that much.

"Shouldn't you be glad they didn't molest you or some crap like that? I dunno about you but my first thought on meeting someone isn't to check out their junk."

So it was a misunderstanding. A weird, kind of fucked-up misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding nonetheless. As for why he was dressing like that despite being a boy….Ivy really didn't care enough to question it. She didn't understand girls with that fashion sense in the first place, so why would a guy be any different? Besides, they had more important stuff to talk about.

"I was getting to it, pri-…brat. Short explanation, this is an underground fighting ring. Monster v monster. It's your job to train, fight, and try not to get yourself killed. This is your life now. If you try to escape you'll be dealt with. If you stir up trouble you'll be dealt with. If you try to hurt your superiors etc etc. You with me so far?"

"Yeah, more or less. So I became a target because I'm a monster. I suppose that's an explanataion I can deal with. So what? Excuse me for doubting your logic, but not much training can be done in these chains." He mentioned, rattling with the heavy metal chains wrapped around his wrists, connected to the wall.

"If that's what I'll have to do to survive, I suppose I have no choice. It's regrettable that I don't really have much brute force in my fighting, but that's just a variable I'll have to work with. So, what are you here for, then?" Luca pointed at Ivy, feeling a bit confused. If she was just his guard, she wouldn't have to talk to him like this. She didn't catch him as the type who would gladly go and run her mouth to a prisoner.

"…"

Man this kid was starting to get on her nerves. "You're chained up because we didn't know what your monster form was like or when you'd wake up. I'm here to explain all this stuff to you, and then if you agree to play nice take you outta this cell and show you around the place. Because apparently babysitting the newbies is what being a top ranker around here gets you" Ivy grimaced as she muttered the last part, still kind of pissed she got stuck with this not-even-a-girl brat when he could have gone with Dante and the other guy who'd been brought in.

"So, do you agree not to do anything dumb if I let you out? Bearing in mind that I have about 10 years of experience on you and could probably snap your arm if you try anything…"

"Why would I think of doing something like that? I'm obviously at a disadvantage here, weakened and not to mention the fact that I have no idea what you're capable of. So I suppose I won't do anything "dumb", if that's what you're getting at." Luca was going to try and live through this situation. It was a lot asked, but if he could get through this alive, he would be pretty relieved. It would be stupid of him to go against this woman and ending up dead because of it. He might as well go along with her.

Ivy unlocked the door of the cell and stepped inside, not bothering to be particularly cautious as she began to remove Luca's chains. Sure she had a physical advantage over him and he was unarmed, but for some reason she trusted him when he said he wasn't going to do anything.

"If everyone who got brought here was as chill as you are this job wouldn't be such a pain in the ass," She sighed, straightening up again after finishing with the chains. "What's your name anyway, kid?"

Not wanting to stay in the cell any longer than necessary Ivy started to leave but paused in the doorway, glancing over at Luca again. "Oh yeah, I forgot. See this?" She pointed at the collar around her neck, identical to the one Luca himself was wearing. "It's a shock collar. If you get out of line you'll find out what it feels like. It's also fitted with a GPS tracker, so...even if you were dumb enough to try and escape you wouldn't get far. Got it?"

"I don't think this kind of calm is normal." Luca muttered in response, a thoughtful expression his face. "I'm Luca." He left out his last name on purpose in case Ivy knew it. When his attention was directed towards the collar, he only just then noticed the strain around his neck and grabbed it, experimentally pulling and patting on it. Hm.

"I see. I'll have to be careful, then."

"Good. Now let's go. Once we get to the training room you can be someone else's problem."

 

[RaccoonKing]

One thing was obvious from studying the director was that he was pissed off. Exhausted, angry and currently on a very short fuse. Grey eyes seemed to trace the passing walls as he made his way to his office, his glasses in his left hand as his right reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Dark circles lined his eyes and his hair, still with their natural slight curl, was untidy. Though it didn't take anything away from his stoic image, he just looked even less approachable than usual, especially with the scowl on his features.

Clean up crews lined the halls but not one dared to stop the director for a moment. A few needed his signature, some of the passing office workers, yet they all decided to go through his assistant to avoid directly speaking to Zachary. The white haired director sucked in a sharp breath as he eventually came to his door, throwing it open before stalking into the room. Sitting upon the pristinely organized black desk was a stack of white papers. A pile of neatly stacked and stapled packets of reports on damage, injuries, death and anything else to do with the attack the day before.

He honestly wished the stack would spontaneously combust here and there.

A stressed sigh caused his chest to heave as he dragged himself over to the black leather chair to sit. Reaching up he settled the thin black frames upon the bridge of his nose before turning to his computer to let it turn on and start up. As the device loaded, Zachary turned himself towards the pile that awaited his attention, taking the first that held reports on injuries and deaths. Sometimes he really was thankful for his assistants efficiency.

Having flipped open the first page he turned his gaze over to his computer to enter his password before moving to answer the com by his desk. "Mr. Sutcliffe. I've moved any meetings to later when reports on damages and such will be done." There was a moment of silence from Zachary before he pressed his finger against the button and spoke. "Thank you Michael." He grumbled out before continuing. "Please just drop any more reports and paperwork on my desk when they arrive. I will deal with them immediately."

With the communication over, Zach turned back to the report with a determined glimmer to his gaze, once again focused upon the names listed there and the extent of injuries and who was now deceased. He propped his elbow up upon the desk as he settled his chin upon his fist, gaze strapped to the paper as he ran through the list quietly. However, he was stopped when he came to the more familiar name...'Corrine'. Zachary didn't say a word but he expression twisted angrily at the sight of the word printed next to it, his lips almost a snarl. One of the first ranked agents were lost which means spaces need to be filled. In fact he now had to do a lot of moving around...

Unfurling his fist he settled his chin into the crook of his palm as a tired gaze remained steady upon the black inked name. The office was eerily silent, even for Zachary who preferred to work in such conditions, as he was left to contemplate his next moves. A narrowed gaze flickered over towards his computer screen before he shifted his full attention to it. Opening up some files on agents he spent a few moments looking for a certain one before he settled back into his leather chair, reaching up to pull the frames slightly further away from his eyes for a moment or two. With a grumble falling from his lips he moved back over to the com connecting to his assistants desk.

"Michael. I need you to get the remaining first ranked agents for me. Plus Agent Ellen Johnsson please."

​

 

[DustBunny]

@Aka~Kitsune​

Why, Noe... Why must you hate everything related to rest...

Sylvester was awake before anyone else, as he never really ever seemed to sleep. After spending the entirety of the previous day skulking about in the General's shadow and then doing nothing at all when they returned to the base, he was getting used to the idea of doing less than he normally did. But, it seemed fate, or Noe rather, had different plans this morning.

Rising before the sun had even considered it, Noe went to work on whatever it was that Noe worked on. Sylvie didn't pay much attention, as he never understood the business side of things that went on with the Watchers. He did, however, understand how tedious and repetitive paperwork is, so he silently felt sorry for his boss. As he watched Noe go through whatever it was she did, he noticed she had set aside some treats for him. Awe, how sweet, boss-lady. He thought, lounging comfortably in her shadow.

As one of the newer recruits entered with a report, Sylvie couldn't help but smile to himself at the shyness of the boy. It was cute, really. Noe really wasn't that scary unless she got a bad report. And most always those bad reports had to do with their barbaric neighbors, the Rats, and their leader War. So, unless this was one of those reports then the boy had nothing to worry abo-........

Not long after Noe began looking at the report did Sylvie feel a change. Ah... So this IS about War. A silent sigh left his lips as he waited for the boy to leave. Probably wouldn't do too good to give the newbie a heart attack by seeing some random figure seep out of the shadow of Lady Death. So, instantly following the closing of the office door, Sylvie's body began to take form as he left his place in Noe's shadow.

Before his head or torso had left her shadow, his hand was already in place on her shoulder. Immediately, he felt a rush of fear emanating into his core, but he ignored it and kept his hand there. Soon enough, his entire body was kneeling next to Noe, looking up at her. "Don't get too bugged about this. These things happen with the Rats; you know how they are. Let's just go get the deets from Big Boss Rat Man himself and THEN we can get pissy about it~" His kind voice rang softly towards Noelani. After his small pep talk, he stood up and straightened his clothing. "Now, let's do something about that scary aura. We don't want the entirety of this group to feel so scared they'll throw up. Let's save that for our 'friends.'"

Normally, Sylvie's voice always mimicked his previous tone: Lighthearted and happy. But, his tone changing, it was obvious he was ticked off about an attack at the festival, at least to Noe. Sylvie was never too fond of the Rats' methods, but they were pretty useful to have around. That being said, he didn't have to like them, per se.

"So, shall Lady Death pay General War a visit?" Sylvie asked with a sadistic smirk, holding his hand out to help Noelani stand if she wanted. Despite his apparent disapproval with the situation, he tried to make sure Noe stayed in a good mood.

At least for now.

 

[RaccoonKing]

@DustBunny

Noelani had relaxed as she silently listened to her friend and 'shadow.' Anger still illuminated her red gaze in a icy blue but the aura that wrapped itself and flared around her began to dwindle till it relaxed to the lowest level she could contain it. Unfortunately it was a constant thing for her. A deep sigh left her lips as she fell back into her seat, letting her eyes close as she relaxed her grip. "...They attacked the festival..." The general murmured, her expression shifting to one of discomfort as she flickered her gaze over to Sylvie. "I apologize for loosing control..." She mentioned, referring to her ability briefly.

She said nothing for a minute then gathered herself up to sit properly, folding her arms over her chest as she studied her friend. "The rats...they attacked the festival that we were at. If we were there a moment later..." Her hand reached up to rest over her eyes for a moment. "If we had stayed then I could of possibly reduced the damage... The rats have gone to far in this. I'm sure the news will not get any better either. They will have to be confronted..." Noelani reached out and took Sylvie's hand and got to her feet.

Faintly a frown painted her lips as she huffed. "But not yet." She stated, though even through those three words her disapproval for her choice was evident. "First I want to go over everything to do with the event and then I will try contact General War for an explanation. If needed... we will be going over there." Reaching over to her desk she reached over to get the sweets for Sylvie and passed them to him. "If it was seconds earlier...Nico...Wren...Makoto...they could of been caught in all that."

Turning on her heels she walked over to the door of her office with long strides, only turning back to Sylvie briefly. "We should go get some breakfast. I assume you have been in my shadow all morning which means you haven't eaten." Turning back to the door she stepped out, though her arm remained pressed against the surface to keep it open. "Also, if Makoto does not see me eating something other than sweets I will be force fed a salad..." A shudder tore itself down her spine as she continued on once Sylvie was out.

"Did you do anything yesterday...at the festival? Or did you just stay with us?"​

 

[Gremory]

No Banner
@Aka~Kistune

"So Alexander, what's new in town? I haven't been down in a few years and I'm quite interesting in making a visit this afternoon." Lucifer lazily asked his butler. Since money problems weren't a problem in his family so most of it's members had personal butlers. His was named Alexander and he was around 50. That didn't make him a slouch though, Alexander could hold his own in a fight and was quite intelligent. Although he had his upsides he wasn't without flaws, sometimes speaking of his own accord. Often it would be trivial but sometimes it would be rude. Instead of punishing him Lucifer listen to his wisdom. "There has been a cafe and some store fronts. I have heard the tea at the new cafe is quite good, and the talk of the town for the moment, although they are quick to move on. I think it would be a good idea to go there." Alexander replied. Lucifer hoped up from his seat and made his decision. "Very well Alexander, bring the car around." He was quite bored and needed something to do. He had thought about how it was nice to have everything provided for you but sometimes you need to just go out and do something. Lucifer wasn't one for sitting around just doing nothing.

After he got into a professionally polished black Lamborghini Huracan with black leather seats, Lucifer sat back and enjoyed the ride. The car was quite expensive but also very nice, and while the appeal of a luxury car was almost too great, he preferred the sleek style of speed. It wasn't very long before he got to the new cafe. Lucifer wasn't one for names of the establishments he visits, only deciding which names to remember by how satisfactory they were. It was stupid and he knew it, but he was a big pessimist so that is just how he thought. They pulled up and Alexander dropped Lucifer off then went to park the car. Lucifer walked inside and went up to the counter. He always enjoyed the taste of Earl Grey Tea with raspberry honey. Assuming it was a safe bet he order such. After getting the drink he went to sit down. Luficer wanted to take in everything he saw, as he didn't get out as much as he would have wanted to in the past year or two. School was hard and it was made even more difficult with helping his father with the family business. Even though he would most likely be taking over after his father is gone, Lucifer thought it was a safe bet to takes classes and maybe get a degree to fall back on. He thought that he could even take something that would make him even more successful in his underworld ventures.

Even though his mind was clouded with thoughts of what he wanted to in the future he could tell something was wrong. It was wrong, but a familiar aura. "No. Wait. Maybe... Well, I guess were going to see regardless..." Lucifer wasn't sure if he could be wrong about who it was but he hasn't been around his kind in some time. His butler was Human and so were many others he met around his residence. He didn't shout but he said in a calm normal tone "Azu? Is that you...?" Lucifer could only hope, he had a fancy for Azu it would be nice to sit down and enjoy some drinks together. He missed the time they spent together and he really hoped it was her. It wasn't like Lucifer to be hoping for something, but it would only make the trip to town that much more worth it. Even if he was wrong, whoever it was, was really close and it was only a matter of time before they revealed themselves. Lucifer silently waited in anticipation.
​

 

[FrostedCaramel]

1st Rank Agent Jonathan Adams and Hound Anna Finch
Early Morning, Gothenburgh, Adams Residence
Interactions: Elias @Strawberry275

---

​

Putting Anna back on her feet, Adam's turned to the half of Elias that was visible over the back of the couch and frowned, "We thought so too..." his eyes darted to the side and then refocused back on Elias, "I thought so too... But it was a raid, the attack on the festival was a decoy to draw the agents out and leave the Ministry almost defenseless." he brought his right hand up to his mouth and took a moment to figure out the best way to let them know what had really happened.

"They broke out all the monsters we had kept their and slaughtered the staff that didn't make it out in time, I can't say for sure what happened to Corinne I just know she didn't come back out of that building in one piece..." a flash of rage almost overtook him as he recalled the night before, police lifting the tarp off of her head in front of the Ministry and the hatred and pain he felt for those who had done it almost saw him lose himself in the direction of a manhole. Snapping back to reality Adam's made his way over to the stove and simply stared at the now burnt butter in the pan before he sighed and shut off the burner.

Having stopped crying the moment Adams had broke the news, Anna just stood where she had been put down letting the words twist their way into her mind as she pictured the woman she had seen just half a day before. All work and no games but fun none the less, and now she was gone. It had to be a lie. A bad joke. A really bad joke especially from Adams. But she knew she was just grasping at the last strands of hope as life cut them down. She didn't cry this time, but she did stumble back and lean against the back of the couch as the pain in her chest almost brought her to her knees.

She watched as Adams made his way from the stove to his room and shut the door.

Clutching her chest she spoke, "Elias... What do we do now?" her voice was hollow and her gaze remained on Adams' door.

 

[RaccoonKing]

@Gremory

The next morning Azusena was wondering the streets looking for her new favourite café as she had a couple hours before she was to head to work. While most may of taken the few spare hours to rest up or lounge around, Azusena was already wide awake and fully made up with her usual light makeup and designer clothes. A smile decorated her red painted lips as she typed away furiously on her phone, texting her brother about random things as most of her messages were just full of keyboard emojis as she walked by people.

Eventually her attention was tugged away from her mobile as she appeared in front of the usual small café that she visited in her free time for food. Azusena adored the home made Victoria sponge here. A delighted grin took its place upon her expression as she reached over to unzip her purse, shoving her phone inside. She brushed down her pristine white blouse with the slight ruffled design, adjusting her light material grey jacket before she headed inside. Her outfit was completed by a pair of red skinny jeans and grey strap heels. A red chiffon scarf was wrapped loosely from her neck as a pair of silver earrings were visible as her hair was curled today and pinned slightly back so none of it fell in front of her face.

Once she was inside, Azusena's red orbs settled upon the counter where the familiar brunette resided. Azusena settled her red bag upon the counter and pulled out her purse. Looking over to the lady she smiled brightly before speaking. "A slice of your Victoria sponge and a lemonade please.~" She cooed, pulling out a note to pay for her order. When the female came back with the cake and a glass of lemonade she handed the money over before waving away at the girls attempt to pass over the change as she heard a familiar voice from within the café.

Peering over her shoulder, red eyes widened in surprise before she grinned happily. She grabbed her order and headed over to Lucifer, practically dropping her items onto his table before she reached out to pull Lucifer into a hug. "Lucy~" Azusena leaned back from the embrace, smiling brightly before releasing him to take a seat by her old friend. "I haven't seen you in ages, Lucifer~" She mumbled, propping her elbows up on the table as she dropped her cheek into her palm, the other hand wrapped around her glass as red nails tapped idly. "How have you been?~ Anything new happen?~"​

 

[Strawberry275]

[[Early Morning, Gothenburgh, Adams Residence]]
[Interactions; Anna & Adams @FrostedCaramel]
​

"...shit...."

Standing in stunned silence Elias eventually realised he should say something, but the only word he could manage in response wasn't exactly enlightening. He couldn't believe it. It was Corinne. She had always seemed so perfect. Ready for anything. He could see Chad's recklessness getting him into trouble, or Adams's compassion causing him to take too great a risk, but...to think that Corinne would...

He ran a hand through his ruffled hair, leaning back against the sofa. Of course it was always a possibility in their line of work but...for it to happen so unexpectedly and to Corinne of all people....she was always there. Trying, and failing, to keep Gabriel in line. Encouraging Chad to abandon the latest game and actually get some work done. Always trying to cheer Elias up in her own way, checking up on him, stopping him from sinking...

They had spoken just yesterday. She shared her umbrella with him at the festival. What had they even talked about? He couldn't remember. It was the last time he was ever going to speak to her, to see her alive, and it had seemed so trivial he hadn't even bothered to remember it properly.

And whilst she was being killed he had been slacking off in a park with Anna. He hadn't gone to the ministry like he had been supposed to, he hadn't even stayed to keep an eye on the carnival. He'd done nothing to help and people had died. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference but...he could have fucking tried.

"Elias... What do we do now?"

"Huh?"

Elias's head snapped up at the sound of Anna's voice, only just realising that Adams had left. What were they supposed to do? "I-I..." He didn't know. But he couldn't say that. Not when Anna looked so lost.

"........we should get you some breakfast, I guess. I know you probably don't feel like eating right now but if you think you can keep it down you probably should. It'd be safer, after...well..." After what happened yesterday. "Let's just take it one step at a time."

He had already shut down. Dealing with what had happened to Corinne would have to wait, he couldn't afford to lose it like that in front of Anna. He'd have to go to the ministry to help deal with the aftermath but there should be plenty of work for him to focus on. So long as people left him alone he wouldn't snap. He couldn't.

Elias sighed deeply before finally raising his head to look at Anna. "Okay?"​

 

[l0ck0n]

---

Waking up to rain showers was quite a shock when it was predicted that the sun would be out for the day. Either way, Yukon enjoyed getting up to rain showers, and walked over to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.

As he started making eggs, hash browns, and pancakes Yukon looked out of his kitchen window to check on the weather. It didn't look like it would be letting up soon, but that wasn't a bad thing. It took no longer than 30 minutes to make both the hash browns and the eggs, but the pancakes would be a whole other story. Yukon flipped the pancakes too early, and one had fallen apart. He threw it away, and attempted again though still failing. 3rd times a charm... Pouring in another cup of pancake mix into the pan Yukon was careful to not burn it.

Quickly turning off the gas Yukon flipped the pan over his plate. Stepping back, and looking at all of the things he had made for breakfast he was content with how it turned out. Especially since his landlord wouldn't be yelling at him for stinking up the whole first floor with a burnt smell. He had never purposely tried to make the whole floor smell like burnt food b...Actually, he had on more than one occasion, burned food just to pick at the landlord. It was pretty easy to tick off the guy anyways, so why not have some fun with it.

Humming a melody as he grabbed the plates of food Yukon walked over to the small table in his apartment. He placed the food down on the already set table, and sat down to eat. Technically, he was supposed to be at the festival partly hosted by Carnival, but he decided not to go. Not sure how Ms. Ringleader was going to take his absence Yukon had taken a picture of himself in bed earlier in the morning just in case he needed to have a cover story for why he missed the festival.

While eating he contemplated about what he should for the day. There was grocery shopping, cleaning, practicing, or just hanging around and finding someone to poke at. He could be able to do it all, but instead just settled for practicing, and hanging around. He would be able to do both simultaneously if he went to practice at Carnivals amusement park, so making up his mind he cleaned up the kitchen, got dressed, and headed out for the park.

[/hr]

 

[Gremory]

No Banner
@Aka~Kitsune

"Lucy~" Azusena leaned back from the embrace, smiling brightly before releasing him to take a seat by her old friend. "I haven't seen you in ages, Lucifer~" She mumbled, propping her elbows up on the table as she dropped her cheek into her palm, the other hand wrapped around her glass as red nails tapped idly. "How have you been?~ Anything new happen?~"

"Man I'm happy it's you Azu. You're the first familiar face I've seen in a while. The family business and school have been quite hard as of recently so I haven't gotten out much. Anyways forget about me, what have you been up to?" Lucifer asked intently. He was genuinely happy that is was Azu who showed up instead of some filthy rats or even watchers. He wasn't sure if they came out much anymore but anytime Lucifer saw one he instantly tried to provoke them, but he wasn't feeling up to making a big commotion today. Lucifer went over a few questions while Azu answered. He always had a small crush on Azu though he never made a move, for fear of being turned down and ruining their friendship. She was Lucifer's best friend, so it wasn't something out of the ordinary to ask to spend the day together. "If you don't have plans today mind spending the day with me? This is the first day I've spent alone so I want to spend it with you if you're willing." Lucifer felt weird asking, even if they were best friends. He didn't like to show people his soft side and this was pretty revealing. He just hoped she didn't notice.

While waiting for an answer he took a sip of his tea. All the excitement and he forgot he even got something, or nearly why he was there. Lucifer's mind was prone to wandering while he was in the middle of a conversation. It wasn't a pleasant habit as he constantly worried about his family business. While thinking he caught himself wandering after missing what Azu had said. "Azu can you repeat that? Sorry I was somewhere else for the moment." Lucifer said with an almost embarrassed tone. ​

 

[Wolfsin]

It was a strange feeling. The bed was nothing comfortable, not like his little nest back at Cor... The walls were white, and there was a single window if he actually felt like watching the nurses asses as they walked by. It wasn't that Gabriel was locked up, or forced into the room, but until further notice this was his room now. Back to the life of a singular hound to the ministry. No luxury suite, phone, gun, None of it. All of those things but his rank had been stripped of him and no one besides the occasional nurse had come to see him since the death of his partner. Of course he'd not expected them to either. This just put it all back into perspective for him as to where he ranked as far as the ministry went.

Gabriel turned on his side, instead hyper focusing his red eyes on every single molecular detail on the while wall. His eyes were blank a familiar sense of nothing glazed over them like a bad painting. Yet something stung like an annoying little flesh burn and despite his effort Gabriel couldn't shake the feeling and so he twisted in bed again this time focusing the ceiling; with a smirk on his face.

"Just like I said. Our power is in the ability of our team work not solo fighting.... You knew that though didn't you... "

Gabriel reached his hand out towards and obvious nothing and slowly closed his fist up before letting his arm fall limp at his side. "The whole thing was planned from the start. It didn't make sense for them to leave the back entrance so unguarded especially with it being so close to their escape..." But Gabriel hadn't even considered that when it mattered. Thoughts of the White haired man, demon.. monster .. whatever he was... flew through Gabriels mind. Even he had warned them then... but by that point they were already victim to the trap. There was nothing they could do... "I never listen to your orders... why then?" Gabriel chuckled and sighed under his breath; then he kicked up from his bed and moved to the door.

One of the nurses noticed him exit and gave him a look. yet again this sort of this was to be expected.. now that he was an orphan to the Ministry. "Bathroom... your welcome to join me if you'd like!" Gabriel joked. The nurse just smiled and rolled her eyes before going about her business, and Gabriel made his way down the hall. Taking the first left Gabriel ignored the few glances he got from other working members of the Ministry and disappeared into the bathroom.

The room was quaint, a typical business style restroom. There were three mirrors, six stalls, and three Urinals even. Gabriel settled at the second urinal and did what he'd come to do; zipping, buttoning and flushing before he turned around and went to the nearest sink. The water was cool on his hands and wrists in a way that made him want to take an ice cold shower. Gabriel started to walk away when a voice in the back of his head... called him back.

"Dammit.. Gabriel use soap. Cold water isn't going to kill the germs!"

Gabriel turned to look at the soap dispenser for a second where he laughed a little to himself and clicked it twice before properly washing his hands like he always did when she nagged and he mouthed what would be her next words perfectly.

"I swear I don't know what im going to do with you..."

His eyes found the mirror and he dried his hands and at the tail end of his mimicry his lips pursed a little. "Whats this?"

Staring back from the mirror was Gabriel smirking as he normally did... Almost smiling like always... and a single tear that ran down his cheek.

 

[Katherine Sanderson]

Wasp the Fanatic
-​

Soft echoes of heels against concrete could be heard as the woman know only as Wasp strode through the sewers that was home to the Rats. The expression on her face was stern but elegant and no one who didn't know her would suspect what emotions really bubbled underneath the facade. Anger.

She was angry that she had been overlooked when it came to participating in yesterdays attacks. She understood that a newer member like Lilith might need the experience (and look where that got her) and maybe she could understand Tori being there despite her laziness seeing as she had a weird sort of chemistry with Zilon (but if that's why she got to participate shouldn't she have been sent to the ministry and not the festival). No! She couldn't doubt the General, she was sure he had some sort of reason for it that was just beyond her at the moment.

Entering the main hall and catching sight of Tori's students sparring against each other did nothing to improve her mood. Wasp was not fit for being any kind of teacher and it grated on her nerves that that … that bimbo could do even one thing better than her. It wasn't fair. Wasp worked harder than anyone else to uphold the ideals of the Rats and that someone who didn't even seem to care about any of it could still handle the new recruits and the trainies better than her was insulting.

Unfortunately utter dedication to the cause hadn't automatically given Wasp any people skills so the best she could do to shape the next generation of the Rats was be a model member, demonstrating the level of devotion that was only proper without having to truly interact with the newer members and hoping that none of Tori's … attitude rubbed off on them.

 

[Crowley]

Conner Rexfield Milton - The Mute

​

The soft yet mournful chimes and melodic tones of his strokes across the piano keys filled the otherwise silent apartment as Rex sat in total darkness. An old oak desk lie flipped over in the center of the room, papers askew in all directions, pictures that once hung neatly upon the walls lying face-down on the ground as if Rex were hiding from their sight. The sizable flat-screen television which usually was the center-piece of his living quarters rested in tatters as a sledge-hammer was nestled comfortably through the center of it.​

In his kitchen, his once regal refrigerator had nearly a dozen fist sized dents upon it's face as it sat half ajar from it's normal position, as indicated by the dust out-line on the floor. Though despite the utter destruction in the room, the young man continued playing the music effortlessly, lost in his own mind. His eyes stung, he knew they must be red with the amount of tears they'd spewed in the recent hours, though he lacked the ability to close the flood gates, not with so many memories.​

It had been his mentor that found him in that orphanage, that brought him into the Ministry's fold and taught him how to not be a victim. Rex remembered every holiday that his mentor chose to visit him, despite having his own family, he never allowed Rex to feel alone. He remembered each time he couldn't understand a lesson, how his mentor would stay afterwards, making himself late getting home, just to be certain Rex understood. A smile crawled across his lips for a brief moment as he even remembered how his mentor would chastise him over being so lazy in both his appearance and sparring. Though the smile vanished as rapidly as it had arrived as he recalled their last 'conversation'.​

Snapping back into reality, Rex stared blankly at the sheet of paper that should have been the music he was playing, though he knew this song by heart and could play it eyes closed. No, this particular sheet of paper was one he wished didn't exist, as it verified something his heart could barely manage. Through tears and blurred vision he read the only line of the paper which held any value "In light of recent events, effective immediately Conner Rexfield Milton is promoted to Rank 2 Agent." "In light of recent events, huh?" He thought to himself. Rex understood many people had lost their lives, but to summarize the death of his second father as a 'recent event', nearly made him double over in pain.​

Shifting in the seat he felt something beside him and remembered that his mentor had left his sword with him. It thoroughly resembled a samurai's weapon to Rex and neither of them ever really liked guns, unreliable and too impersonal for their tastes. His mentor had been training Rex to apply a whetstone to the blade and how to care for his weapons as though they were a part of his body, much like his limbs. Perhaps if his mentor had possessed his weapon, instead of trusting Rex with it, he wouldn't have...Rex's hands slipped slowly from the piano keys as he turned to straddle to seat and stare down at the sword as it rested in it's sheath. Gingerly reaching down to grasp the hilt with his right hand and resting his left upon the scabbard, he tugged just enough to expose the etchings just above the guard, G.V.. George Varg.​

A former rank one agent, until one day he stepped down to teach the next generation, as far as Rex had ever been told, his mentor was a bit of a legend or...the word they used was outlaw, during the 'Wild West' days of the Ministry. Though Rex never saw any of that man in his mentor, he experienced only wisdom and compassion, the kind he would have never expected or thought he deserved from a stranger. When Rex had one of his fits or would withdraw, George never lost his patience or even raised his voice, often sitting for hours with Rex, just listening to music and comforting him until it ended.​

​

Clutching the sword to his chest like a lover, Rex proceeded to sob silently and heavily, his heart so broken but understanding he had to let go and move on. His platinum white hair obscuring his face from sight, he sat hunched over for what felt like hours, just letting it all out. He knew once he got to the Ministry, everyone would be hurting and there was no place for tears when work needed to be done.​

Luckily Rex had mastered the art of the five minute shower as he hastily cleaned himself up, picking out a white collared shirt and a solid black tie to accompany it. He grinned in the mirror as he tied the tie perfectly, then loosened it to hang around his neck in a lackadaisical fashion, also leaving the top button of his shirt unfastened as well, he took note of his messy hair and to be honest, it was a trademark of his. As though he possessed a permanent bedhead, he could comb it and condition it, blow-dry it or straighten it, but by the end of the day it would always be messy and unkempt again, George often poked fun at him over it.​

​

Having thoroughly washed his face, his crystalline, azure eyes seemed magnified in the steamy mirror as he finished up in the bathroom and halfheartedly tossed on a blazer around his form as he grasped his new sword and slung it over his right shoulder. As opposed to jeans, he elected to wear black slacks as he found the fabric of jeans to be constrictive and uncomfortable. Shrugging his shoulders as he took a quick glance around the apartment which appeared to have been hit by a tornado, he locked the door and headed out to the Ministry, which was only a block away.​

It was raining, at least where he was on the street. It made sense to him, that on such a somber occasion, even the angel's would cry. He didn't mind the light rainfall, the droplets felt good on his warm flesh as he broke off into a sprint towards the Ministry. Hastily withdrawing his I.D. badge from within the confines of his pant's pocket, he oddly clasped it to his lapel as he vaulted around the corner and approached the Ministry building. Stopping for only a moment as he stared up at 'where it happened', before making his way inwards.​

 

[RaccoonKing]

@Gremory

Azusena lazily sipped her drink, red eyes watching the other curiously as he spoke. A smile remained painted on her lips as she drummed her fingers against her cheek. "I know~" She cooed, pushing her drink further to the side as she sat herself up properly in her chair. "I haven't seen you in so long! Ages really!" She confirmed as she continued to mumble on. "Well...I have been well. The usually really. Working with Liz and bugging brother dearest..." Azusena stated, waving her hand dismissively at the last part. She hadn't visited her father or Theodore properly in a while...her contact with them was mostly through messaging...

Shrugging her shoulders softly she raised a brow towards him curiously, her head tilted slightly as her grin faded slightly. "Ah...You said you haven't been out in ages...Lucy~ You should really go out more! Being cooped up isn't healthy!" Azusena complained as she reached up to press the bridge of her brow in mock stress. "What will I ever do with you~" She paused for a moment before chuckling softly. "But really, Lucy~ Get out more and do stuff. You'll become a hermit if you keep this up..."

The spider monster blinked owlishly at Lucifer when he asked the question, only to hum slightly in thought. She tended to forget things quite easily, especially anything work related, so she took a moment before answering. "I don't think I have to be in work for a while...." Reaching into her pocket she dragged out her phone to flick the screen on. The only message there was from Theodore. "Well...Liz will message me if I'm needed back..." With that she nodded happily, dropping her phone onto the table as she took up her fork to remove a piece of her slice of cake to eat. "So yep! Lets hang out for a while, okay?~"

Bringing the cake to her lips she took a bite happily, only pausing when he mentioned not listened. Azusena pouted slightly before grinning. "I said we can hang out. I'll have to go if Liz texts me but I definitely have some free time. What do you want to do?"​

 

[Esmeray]

Locale: Early Morning, The Rat's Nest, War's Office
Interactions: War & Tori, War's Secretary Janice, Mr. Fredrickson, Rat NPCs
Mentions: Zilon (@DustBunny), Chad (@Wolfsin),

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
​

Tori had prepared herself, in some sense, to meet the face of the general of the rats but what she came across was far from whatever she could expect from War. Teal eyes were wide in suprise as instead of the adult female form of war...he was a child. A little girl. Tori found herself stumped at the sight, her brows furrowing for a moment as her lips parted to say something, only to close once again. How didn't she notice this earlier? Tilting her head slightly she pursed her lips. "You...That is you, right Boss'?"

The little girl had her hand clenched into a fist pressing hard against one of the windows while she watched the new recruits train. The glass surrounding the fist is heavily cracked as if a force had recently thrust itself upon its surface during a flaring temper. Only a few feet behind the general's desk was a limp body of some random solider who had the unfortunate task of giving War some bad news. News he clearly did not take very well, but there was something else beneath the surface that was making him irate. Something that clearly put him on the edge prior to being shoved over it. Something he clearly would not express, though he was certain the right people would know. At this moment, Tori's hesitant questioning sounded like nails on a chalk board to him, and all War wanted was to rip her tongue out to keep her quiet. He drew in a sharp breath, and exhaled as he tried to suppress the urge to do so. He quite liked Tori after all, and obviously killing her would be more than just counter-productive. It would be plain stupid..., so he turns around and holds up a hand as an attempt to silence the woman. With half-lidded eyes and a scowl he shifted closer to his desk and grabs a plain white cloth and some hand sanitizer. He thoroughly cleans his hands with both, removing what can only be the blood of his most recent punching bag. Honestly, he was quite ashamed he had gotten so violent with one of his own, but with in recent years War's capability to deal with unpleasantness has drastically changed and each year a part of him that really gives a damn seems to fade away. He knew it was a problem, but it's not like there was a monster psychiatrist that could give him a bottle of pills to make the problems go away. Even then the pills probably wouldn't even do much, so he was probably a lost cause. Tossing the now pink, bloodied cloth into the trash bin he extends a single finger and pushes a button on his office phone. There is a light buzz before his secretary answers him.

"Yes General?" she answers with a pleasant and polite tone.

"Janice, please be a dear and fetch someone to remove Mr.Fredrickson from my office." The tone in his voice had a pleasant facade, but there was a clear sound of irritation underneath that seemed ready to bust. This was made even more apparent as he raised his free hand to his face and rubbed at his eyes. He pauses for a moment looking at the beaten, unconscious monster in his chair. He gives Tori a quick glance and ponders where they should sit for the duration of her report, as there is currently blood all over the chairs nearest his desk. "And someone to clean it." He finishes promptly. War then moves around his desk, the light click of his host's black mary janes echo in the room as he stops at the pair of black leather couches facing a centered coffee table. He motions Tori to sit at the couch neatly placed in front of a wall lined with book shelving, and decorated with white pillows. While she takes her time to adjust he simply drops his new form into the opposite couch also adorned with the same white pillows.

Tori watched attentively, her lips pursed before she simply nodded to herself. "Yep...Definitely Boss..." The monster whispered to herself before following the motion of War and heading over to the couch where she sat herself down slowly, crossing one leg over before taking a small, sigh of breath.

"Okay. So I arrived early to the festival and the rats who came with me spread out a bit. We simply hung around awaiting the start signal from you. I..." Tori paused, tilting her head slightly as she knitted her brows. " I ended up giving the go to start the mission when I didn't receive any message from you. I assumed by the time I did this the attack on the ministry would have begun. Most of the guys kept to just wrecking stuff though quite a few went after the humans that were to slow to run. It was honestly not long after we acted before one of the booths was set on fire and it spread...Wasn't huge but it certainly caused panic." Tori explained, adjusting herself to sit up properly.

The little girl leaned into the back of the leather couch and crossed her arms while she listened intently on the report. Her eyes were closed as she focused on every word trying to picture the scene in her possessed mind. He felt slightly embarrassed that he almost ruined a mission he had planned himself. The void in which he spends a large amount of time in is so peaceful that it's hard not to fade into a state of non existence with it. All he had to do was close his eyes while he was there and then he would be gone. Unlike sleeping in this god forsaken world, he never had any dreams or nightmares while in the void. It was as if he became part of the void, and being able to not feel, think, or even exist seemed alarmingly pleasant to him. If Lilith hadn't called him he probably would not have waken. However, he wouldn't admit this mistake to a subordinate like Tori... or anyone for that matter. Anyone alive that is. Instead he crafted a simple fib to keep them from asking questions.

"Ah, I do apologize for that, I was in the void and sometimes there is a warped sense of time there. I'm not really certain how it works, but I suppose I should stay in this realm during such important missions in the future. Regardless, you executed your part of the mission efficiently. " He said his words carefully, and distinctly chose to praise Tori for her efforts as well as carefully following orders. It's not like War really cared if there were any human civilians that died in their efforts, but sometimes even monsters would participate in the festival before nightfall and he would rather avoid casualties that would hinder monster kind. In a way telling them not to kill was an attempt at testing their obedience. It is extremely difficult for his radical followers to spare human life, but he has been trying to reform his faction from radicals into soldiers that wouldn't dare question his orders. He did not have the patience for soldiers that did not listen, which is why there has been a specific one on his mind for quite sometime now. Where the hell was that pain in the ass Zilon!?

Tori just nodded silently, though there was a small twitch to the corner of her lips at the praise. Mostly out of relief but also out of a small amount of pride. "I'm glad it worked out then...I was a bit worried my actions may of been premature..." She mumbled, bringing a finger up to her lip as she chewed absent mindedly on her lower lip before continuing. "Well after a while of supervising... I was disrupted when one of the newer members who joined the mission came and told me about an agent taking out our ranks quite easily. So I went to go see what was going on and decide what to do when seeing the agent that was causing fear in them." Tori slowly began to scowl, a twitch to her brow as she thought back to Chad and the fact their fight was disrupted. "I have to admit...He is someone we should watch out for. He spoke to me briefly before attacking us once again. I had to quickly step in and I pulled someone out of the way of his attack and took him on myself." Unconsciously, her hand settling on her side where the wound resided. "Fuckin' mutt got a hit on me eventually...I was surprised at how strong he was. The odd thing though...after a while he released this type of gas...must of been from his weapons or something...Didn't really catch much details on that. Either way it did something...slowed me down? The mutt got a lot faster, disorientingly so. Must be something of the shitty ministry's creation. Z appeared and I told the rest of them to return back and I dragged Z back here, believing the other mission was complete."

War's eyes snapped open the moment Zilon's name slipped off of Tori's careless lips. His black abyssal eyes stared at her with an interest, but gave no indication of feeling. Zilon was what he wanted to address first and foremost, but going in chronological order would be best at negating any confusion. "He does sound like a problem. It seems that the agents I used to work with are starting to be replaced with newer ones. Tch, of course Zachary would do something like that to keep my knowledge of the ministry at minimum." He clicks his tongue with an extreme annoyance. He pauses while he ponders the best way to handle this information and their next course of action. They caused a serious blow to their ranks yesterday, so being able to gather intelligence on new top tier members would be vital.

"We need to start gathering information on all the new agents that have recently been assigned to third rank and higher. More so on ones that are an apparent threat. This means we need to create a task force whose primary job it is to gather intelligence on our enemies. I didn't think we would have to use such extreme measures but it seems the ministry is starting to enhance their weapons and procedures. I suppose it's time to open the interrogation rooms again. Zilon would be very satisfied with the news." War pauses again as there is a buzzing on his intercom. He quickly stands up and moves over to the grey phone on his desk. After the single press of a button his secretary Janice is on the other end waiting for him.

"General War, the medics and your cleaners have arrived. Should I send them in?" Her voice while still pleasant as before, seemed to carry a sense of drawl to them as if she was incredibly bored.

"Yes, I would rather much have this unpleasantness removed immediately."

Moments later the door to the office was opened and group of monsters entered without even looking over at the two in the office. Two moved to grab the body without a single word while the other two dragged in a mop, bucket and a range of other cleaning equipment. Tori watched them all carefully, her expression stoic and uncaring before she turned back to War. While the two medics extracted the body from it's chair and unto a white stretcher she continued with their conversation. "I'm sure Z will have a field day with that news..." She grumbled, irritation dancing across her features as she huffed. "I know for a fact the agent I battled was good with both guns and a blade...The worst part though is definitely that gas. It is quite a irritating weapon..." Tori seemed to only make her mood worse thinking about the irritating Z and her lack of an ending to her fight with Chad. A teal glaze slipped back over towards cleaning crew that had moved on to getting the blood of the desk, the body long gone. "As for the information task force...I know there may be a few of the newer recruits I am training now who have skills that would suit that...But they are to inexperienced. Some of the older members could be useful..." Shifting her gaze back to War she shrugged softly. "We could always single out recruits with useful skills or who want to do a job like than and adjust what we train them in response..."

War shifted in his seat and listened carefully to his subordinate's suggestion. The information she could provide would be useful no doubt, as would all the other trainers. He would have to hold a meeting soon with the trainers and their IT department to develop a team of people that can collect data either prowling the streets or possibly hacking the ministry servers. Some of the new recruits they rescued yesterday might be familiar with the inside of the building, and the staff hierarchy. There was a lot he gained yesterday that could help him with this new task, he just wish he got the body of a ministry worker instead of some little girl.

"I'm not quite sure what we could do with the gas. Maybe we should start using gas masks during our missions? I'll discuss this with the others as well. It could be handy to find a way to analyze the components of such a weapon and then reverse engineer it, but for now lets just focus on at least neutralizing it's affects with other means." He didn't have much else to say on that subject in particular, so his mind immediately phased over into the other subject. Some of the trainees had the potential but not the experience. They would have to start out small with them and work them up to bigger jobs. It would take time, but they might not have time for that. For now he would start by going over each member's files and singling out ones that could be promoted for such a task force. He would need to start with the older or more experienced members to fill out the leadership positions for such a group. Then they could train the newer recruits on the necessary skills.

"I'll take that into consideration. I'll also speak to a few of the other trainers for their feedback as well. It's possible we might have older members that could train the recruits with the basic potential and skills for such a force. Now.....you mentioned him earlier so I have to ask," He pauses as his eyelids flutter open to gaze directly at Tori. His lifeless pitch black hues stare directly into her blue orbs as he leans slightly closer. He then narrows his eyes at her appearing to be very unamused. "Where the hell is Zilon!?" His voice was suddenly very harsh as if he no longer had the patience with the fact that the man had remained illusive since they broke him out of monster hell. Did that boy think this was just some game!? "You were the last one to see him, so you must have a better idea as to where he must be. "

Tori dropped into a silence when War began to speak, her arms folding over her stomach as she leaned slightly back into the seat. Her calm appearence was shook for a moment when War's tone changed, teal eyes widening before shooting over to look to a corner of the room. She was going to kill Z. Painfully. She took in a sharp intake of breath before she replied, turning back to war. "Well...I did technically see him last...That was only when I dragged him back. After that I went off back to my room to deal to avoid....well...wanting to kill him..." She grumbled out, sighing softly. "I haven't seen him today at all. I've tried to contact him but...Nothing yet."

War let out an irritated growl of displeasure, but he leaned back composing himself with a sigh. "Well at least you dragged him back to the nest then. You're one of our best trackers, so I'm tasking you with finding him and bringing him to me. Do you think you can do that?" War questions, not that he was really giving her a choice in the matter.

Her lips twisted into a scowl for a moment before she nodded tiredly, a hand reaching up to brush against her eyelids before she dragged herself up to her feet. "Understood, Boss'" She replied as she headed to the door as a yawn passed from her lips. "I'll drag the moron back here for ya'. " Tori was just hopeful their usual antics didn't occur and War got more pissed off than Z was currently making him.

War stood from his seat as the other nodded to his order obediantly. Black hues trail the other as she motions to get up and leave. "And Tori," he pauses turning to face her direction.

Tori paused for a moment in her steps, her head tilting to the side as she twisted around to face War. "Yes, boss?"

"After you find him try not to cause to much trouble on your way back." He warns her, before turning on his heels and casually returning back to his desk where an open file, Lilith's, awaits him. Being in a tiny body he has to physically exert himself to climb up into the chair and sit on his front legs to keep himself propped up above the desk's surface. When he is finally settled he glances at her one final time and lifts a rubber stamp from some red ink. There on the file he stamps the word "Deceased" in big red letters. He frowns as the door quietly closes when Tori exits. If Lilith had any family he would have to contact them soon...

 

[FrostedCaramel]

Early Morning, Gothenburgh, Adams Residence
Interactions: Elias @Strawberry275​

---

Still staring at Adams door Anna simply listened as Elias spoke, and with a small hint of disgust on her voice she replied to Elias' suggestion, "After I almost ate a kid. I know, but don't worry I can eat. I can always eat..." she stood up and turned to Elias finding him looking up at her, his face indistinguishable from a statue and is eyes showing just a hint of sadness. She felt a small amount of rage boiling up inside her as she looked at Elias, silently contemplating if she was angry at herself for almost eating a child, angry at Elias for not having the decency to just come out and say it, or at the fact that she was pretty sure he felt like he had to put on a facade just like Adams did to keep her under control.​

Pushing the thought from her mind and attempting to swallow her rage before it boiled over, Anna reached down with both hands and grabbed Elias under his arms before pulling him up and over the couch in one quick motion. "Come on then, let's get something cooking before I think about eating you instead." she droned before walking away from Elias and over to the stove top. Ignoring Elias she pulled the pan from its resting place on the burner and gave it a quick rinse before slapping another piece of butter on it and lighting the burner again.

Humming a tune that made no musical sense, Anna watched the butter as it melted and ran around the pan, the yellow-gold liquid swirling in mesmerizing patterns as the flame beneath edged it forward. Her stomach began to growl and she began to work a bit faster as the hunger she was ever used to began to make its appearance for the day. She opened the fridge, flooding the dark kitchen in light as she pulled out some eggs and bacon before shutting it again. Taking a handful of bacon, Anna dropped them into the pan and separated them with a spatula. Stopping for a moment realizing she had forgotten about something she turned her head back to Elias, "Mind grabbing the bread and getting it toasting, or would that be too hard for you?" she teased with a grin.

 

[Strawberry275]

[[Early Morning, Gothenburgh, Adams Residence]]
[Interactions; Anna @FrostedCaramel]
​

"...yeah. That."

Trust Anna to be so blunt. She seemed a little pissed with him now, but...really, what was he supposed to say? Yeah, after you almost ate that girl and nearly ripped Adams in half. After you got your arm tranqued into a pulp and I had to drag you off, unconscious, while the carnival turned into a battleground and Corinne was slaughtered at the ministry. That. Elias was trying to keep calm himself but Anna getting snarky with him wasn't–-

"H-hey!"

Her grabbing him and dragging him over the sofa was kind of the last thing he had expected but Elias supposed it had to be better than a punch. It also immediately pulled him out of the spiral his thoughts were sinking into, and with a sigh he followed Anna over to the kitchen.

It was pretty amazing how she could suddenly seem so carefree again, humming as she cooked. Of course he knew she must still be upset about everything that had happened on the inside, but...Anna just never seemed to let things like that get her down for long, unlike him. If he had to say of course it was one of the things he liked about her, and he trusted Adams wasn't letting her just bottle everything up.

Suddenly distracted by the sound of her voice Elias nodded, taking a few seconds to find the bread and shoving a couple slices in the toaster. Even once he'd done so he found his attention drifting back to his friend and leaned back against the counter with a sigh. "Anna...listen, I..."​

 

[Katherine Sanderson]

-​

"Sebastian!"

Panic made her voice break as she stormed into yet another of the carnival tents in search of her friend. Her friend who seemed to be missing.

Her morning had started relatively calm. She'd gone to Sebastians tent the night before, intent on sharing her popcorn with him only to find him not there. She figured he must have gone for a walk at some point and payed it no mind. Sure, she'd pouted a bit, disappointed that she wouldn't get to share some of the festival feeling with one of the people she considered family but she'd soon fallen asleep while waiting for him to get back (the popcorn eventually all eaten by her).

When she woke up and he still wasn't there she'd figured he'd bunked with someone else seeing as she took up most of his bed in her moster form. Then she'd seen the news about the attack and locating everyone in her faction had gotten a lot more urgent. She'd eventually managed to locate all of them except for Sebastian.

Most of them were already at the carnival amusement park. Yukon was on his way. Miki was with Famine. Sebastian was missing.

She tried to keep her panic under control but it was hard when she didn't know what had happened and thus had no culprits (human, monster or otherwise) that she could just get rid of in order to fix the situation.

She took a couple of steadying breaths.

What she had to do now was obviously to find out what had happened and proceed with the destruction of the cause. Nothing and no one was getting away with taking her family from her.