Reaper Squad

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

After Larkin explained he was agreeing with her, Saya said nothing and only reacted to his next taunting comment. Her reaction wasn't bad even if she was deep down a bit offended at the thought of being considered a bad guy. It wasn't as if Larkin knew her that well though, so when he said something like that it didn't really matter. "I'll let you figure out that one," Saya replied with a wink. She would've liked to think she was still one of the good guys, but from the eyes of others--such as players who participated in the game--she probably looked like one of the enemies.

Although Larkin ignored much of her commentary and found it boring, Saya didn't even notice. She was too busy looking for a bag to wrap her old kimono up in. Once she had secured her other outfit in a bag, she responded to Larkin's explanation about Casters. "Huh, well I definitely don't have Casters where I come from. They sound interesting though." She smirked at his comment of haggling and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it's worth a try, but the boss seems pretty strict about what we're allowed to do in the afterlife. You'll have to come up with a pretty good plan to convince him to give you your powers back."

Saya smiled. "You think it's funny I'd find you anything but straight? Well, I find it funny that you think I could be one of the bad guys. You don't know me very well and I don't know you. Assuming things about strangers is only natural. Don't take it as offensive, I was just making a guess. I've met some pretty cool people who are gay or straight. In my eyes, it doesn't really matter at all."

Ignoring Larkin when he defended being straight again, Saya gestured to the door. "Yeah, I'm ready to go. Let's head out and be careful. There's a good chance a lot of noise are still outside." Gripping her One Love Magnum pin, Saya shot Larkin a grin before boldly heading out the door. Whether he was the type of gentleman who liked to open the door for a lady or not, Saya wasn't going to wait up for him. They needed to get to Hachiko.

Meanwhile, at Hachiko, Joshua ceased his beams of energy when he saw Teresa and her group approaching them. "Oh thank goodness, she made it. But wait, where's San--" The Composer paused, eyes widening when he saw Teresa was carrying Mr. H on her back. "Sanae!" he exclaimed, rushing over toward the group just as they were landing. He skidded to a stop in front of Teresa, moving to help her lower him to the ground. "What the hell happened!? Who did this to you!?" he gasped, obvious worry on his face.

Mr. H simply grinned, hoping to show to Joshua that what had happened wasn't a big deal. "Eh, it ain't a big deal, bossman. I used a little too much of my own energy when I took out some noise. I'll be fine after a little rest." The Producer offered him a thumbs up, hoping to solidify that he was all right.

Joshua scowled and gripped Sanae by the hair on the top of his head, pulling it.

"Hey! Ouch let me--"

"We'll talk more about this later," Joshua grumbled, letting Sanae go after a moment. He ran a hand through his own hair afterwards, finally sparing a silent glance toward Teresa, Arya, and Coco.

"Ugh, well this is a fine mess we're in. Any minute now the other reapers will be showing up here, seeking answers... I don't really know what happened either. I'll need some time to figure this out and to keep things calm..."

After a minute of thinking, Joshua's expression calmed. He thought of a reasonable lie to tell everyone. Mr. H was the only one who would see through it, but the others would buy it until he came up with the truth.

"You weren't supposed to get hurt during a noise attack drill, Sanae. You need to be more careful next time," he calmly stated, bringing a frown to Mr. H's face. He glared at Joshua before hesitantly nodding.

"Yeah, I'll be more careful next time..."

Coco smiled upon hearing these things, easily believing Joshua. "Oh! So that's what happened? Like, okay, I guess that makes sense," she said with a nod.

Joshua glanced toward Teresa. "We're all going to wait here until other reapers start to show up so I can explain to them what just happened... The only thing I can't really explain is how you got hurt, Sanae, and how... well... he appeared," Joshua added, gesturing to Hurley who was standing near the statue of Hachiko behind him.

After looking at Teresa, he glanced to Arya as well. "And I hope you have been keeping yourself out of too much trouble..."

From a distance, Saya and Larkin began to approach. Saya pointed toward the group, a smile on her face. "Well, lookie there! The Composer and his crew is already waiting for us. It looks like we're the first ones here too. We weren't late after all." Saya chuckled. "We should've gone shopping with our extra time."

@Hospes @Krieg @Thuro 116 Pendragon
​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

Oh, great, now she was getting sass from a certain She-Wolf. She knew this whole transition must've been taking a big toll on the girl, but this wasn't the time to talk about that. "Look, we can have a little talk about this later, alright? For now, we just need to get out of here alive," she remarked, voice heavy. Admittedly, Teresa was a bit surprised that Arya complied without any complaint other than the seemingly mocking bow, but she was admittedly thankful. Maybe even a bit impressed.

Once they finally got out safe and sound(with Teresa often checking over her shoulder to be sure that Arya and Coco were alright), it took little time to spot Hachiko and the Composer's beams of light. Even less time was needed to arrive at the location. It was quite the little journey for sure, but the Conductor was just glad they'd made it alright... And that Joshua had, as well. A sigh of relief passed her lips as she landed gracefully, wasting no time in gently and carefully starting to set Sanae down. Soon enough, Joshua was right by her, helping with the process. "Thanks," she muttered. Once Sanae was safely set down, the female stood up straight, rolling her shoulders slightly. She completely understood Joshua's concern for Sanae, and it was actually rather endearing.

But, of course, Teresa had concerns outside of the group as well as in it - Little Guy was hurt, and she needed him healed, too. So, naturally, the moment that Joshua seemed to be done talking to Sanae, Teresa didn't hesitate to voice her own issues. "Josh, I need yo--..."

Whatever the words were going to be, they trailed off, the voice's owner seeming to freeze up. It was like she'd seen a ghost - literally. There, standing by the statue, was a familiar man that one Teresa Agnes hadn't seen in ages. Her burning blue eyes widened, and all she could really do was stare at the figure in silence. She was seeing things... Right? She had to be. This all must have been some big, elaborate dream. She was still sleeping. Hurley was dead and gone, lost when he was murdered.

All words directed at her by Joshua were lost to deaf ears. Looked like she was currently a bit too stunned to really pay him any mind.

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Krieg @Thuro 116 Pendragon​

 

[Krieg]

"Ramsey is the heir to throne, he has married th-"

"The Boltons have no right to throne, only a Stark rules Winterfell! He has no bloodright, no matter what god he swears to!"

"Do you expect a young lady to rule the whole North?"

"I don't expect traitorous savages to rule the North."

"A'ye, you can count me too, the Boltons can go crawl to their little Dreadfort. Maybe we'll skin em' alive."

"A skinned man hides no secrets they say, I'd be glad to see them at the end of their own knives."

Even in blindness, Arya could hear the echoes of the lords and ladies of the North playing in her imaginary head. With each silent step, her heart ached, imaging herself sitting on the throne of Winterfell, presiding over the many houses that dominated the rough and chilly lands of the far North. She could imagine it all, from the hard pelted furs to the grizzled steel, some of the lords standing having served both Robert's Rebellion and the Greyjoy Uprising. Contently, Arya kept near the back, her walk slower than usual, even for her unfortunate state of blindness. Abruptly, however, she began to speak, the She-Wolf's voice soft yet audible.

"Karstark, Mormont, Umber, Glover, Forrester, Manderly, Frost, Blackwood, Thenn, Locke, Ironsmith, Stane, Ryswell..." she trailed on and on, naming the many and many houses of the North, recalling her young days remembering them all, recognizing their banners and sigils. Father told her once that, one day, she would marry off to one of those houses, ensuring that the Starks would forever rule the North uncontested, despite the overwhelming support for the monarchy. However, now those houses lay in ruins or turn their cloaks in the face of tradition and honor, overthrowing the established rule of the Wolves of Winterfell that has existed for thousands upon thousands of years.

"Only a Stark rules the North. Only a Stark..." she finally finished, as if it were some type of rhyme, standing above the rubble and debris, like the good little soldier she was expected to be. Near the back, Arya stood, her hands resting before her, clasped together in a rather sincere and reserved pose. With bandages wrapped around the young, newborn Reaper's eyes, hiding the uncomfortable whiteness of them, she extended her blasphemous wings of black and white. Branded forever in the eyes of some as the only servant of that foul demon to survive and not only of their own kin, Arya gazed up in the direction of Joshua, a shocking expression coming from the She-Wolf.

A smile.

"Of course, I am a little hungry though..."

But not for food.

@Hospes @Klutzy Ninja Kitty ​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Half-distracted, and assuming she was talking about food, Joshua replied to Arya, "Yes, well, you can eat something later. We have to wait for the other reapers to arrive so I can explain this situation to everyone all at once." Although he spoke to Arya, his eyes were looking over at Hurley as he tried to figure out what exactly he would do with the man. He didn't even notice Teresa's cut off statement asking for help with Little Guy. He did, however, notice Teresa's silence after a moment and sparred her a glance to see she was staring at Hurley.

"Don't ask me how I found him, I just did," Joshua began, again gesturing to Hurley. "It was a strange situation and I'm not entirely sure what happened, so I'll have to keep him close to me for observation. Still, that doesn't mean you have to be as silent as a grave. Talk to each other." He wanted to see how the two would interact, and if Hurley even remembered who Teresa was.

Shaken from Joshua's instructions, Hurley bashfully rubbed the back of his head--a tiny smile spreading over his lips. "Hey, Teresa... I--" He cut himself off and rushed over to Teresa, wrapping her in a big bear hug. "I can't believe you're okay!" he exclaimed.

The man paused.

"...but not for long."

Before their very eyes, Hurley's appearance began to warp like ripples on the water of a still pond. Steadily, the warping increased until his appearance was completely different. He had returned to the dog noise form Joshua had discovered him in earlier.

This dog, however, grew massively in size--ending up far greater than the statue of Hachiko nearby. It snarled and made an attempt to bite into Teresa's shoulder with her being so close. Because Joshua and the group's guard had been down, they were powerless to prevent it from happening.

d

"Teresa!" Joshua exclaimed, rushing toward the situation. He charged for an attack, glaring at the noise. "Oh, you're going to regret that," he grumbled under his breath.

Sanae grunted and sat up alarmed, but knew there was nothing he could do to help them out at the moment. He simply grabbed a screaming Coco and moved out of the line of fire. "Oh of all the times to be outta commission, I sure picked a rotten one..."

Little Guy, wanting to protect his mommy, jumped up and grabbed onto the massive ear of the dog. This did absolutely no damage to the noise beast, and Little Guy barely looked like an earring on the thing.

Saya, from a distance, watched in shock. "Oh crap! We gotta go help them!" she exclaimed, rushing toward the situation with her pins in hand.

@Hospes @Krieg
​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

If Teresa really, truly heard Joshua's words, it didn't show. It was as though she were literally frozen there, unable to so much as move her mouth to speak or blink her wide eyes. This couldn't be right.... Hurley was dead. Long gone. No, this had to be some sort of sick prank - an illusion meant to toy with her. But, then again... The ravenette knew better than anyone that anything was possible. Even people who seemed to be gone coming back from the dead, herself being a prime example. How many times had she died, now? Too many to count.

When the male spoke, though, Teresa realized it couldn't be anyone but him. Nobody else swept her up in such a warm, heartfelt embrace before... Not even that person she couldn't quite recall.

There was a small pause before the slightest trace of a smile crossed the Reaper's face, her eyes becoming watery(though she'd blame this on having been unblinking til that moment) as she tentatively and awkwardly attempted to return the embrace. "I'm... Glad you're okay, too," she murmured, weakly. It wasn't much, but she couldn't get any other words out, really.

But then the whole world shattered around her.

The embrace was too tight, as though the male were outright trying to squeeze the life out of her with those final words. But then she was released, and the figure before her shifted right before her very eyes. There was nothing that even remotely resembled the friend she'd lost before her, now - no, in his place was some sort of monstrous noise. Yet, Teresa found herself unable to move, as though she were observing the horrifying scene from outside of her body. No, she was left completely defenseless, at the mercy of thee beast before her. Just as she forced herself to snap out of it and registered she needed to get out of the way, the thing lunged upon her, sinking it's teeth into her shoulder and causing her to hiss in pain. Most people likely would have struggled in her situation, but Teresa knew that'd only worsen the damage, with how good of a grip it had on her.

Admittedly, it was difficult to do anything. Teresa was still stunned and wounded by the appearance of Hurley - the dishonoring of him by this creature. It was impossible to tell if she was more infuriated, upset, or broken in the moment. Regardless, she could only squeeze her eyes shut and grit her teeth in pain, hands clenched into painful fists. After a moment passed, she attempted to grab her Sexy D in hopes of forcing this thing to open it's jaws, but the pin spilled from her pocket as she made the attempt.

A good minute or two of immense pain gone by before the female finally managed to act. And oh, it wasn't good. "...Get... Off... Of..... ME!" she snapped loudly, her free and good arm suddenly launching itself at the spot where the thing's eyes would be, her hand closed in a fist. As she did so, a battle cry that sounded of nothing more than anger, pain, and anguish passed her lips. It was a weak attempt, with how much pain she was in, but it was better than nothing. She almost went into a barrage of unwise attacks, but was stopped when a new voice made itself known, the owner of which causing some sort of dark barrier to rise between Teresa and the noise, seeming to force it to remove its jaws from her and allowing her to stumble back slightly with a number of tolled pants.

"One step ahead of ya, sweetheart," Larkin had assured Saya with a wink. But, after that, he seemed to... Vanish. Like he'd just faded from existence altogether. Yet, his voice came again from a point beside Teresa as the barrier rose up. "Jeez, awfully chaotic over here, huh?" he mused, an almost dark and sly grin on his face as he reappeared, two pins clutched firmly in his hands. After adjusting his jacket, he casually toyed with the pins, doing little tricks with them between his fingers before the Noise.

...Oh. Right. They were supposed to be fighting. But, hey, Larkin needed to look good while he did it!

So, shoving his pins into his back pants pocket and thus letting his barrier drop, Larkin produced a different one - his grin growing wider as he ran his free hand back through his hair. "Good day to go to hell, ain't it? Say hi to my family for me, if ya would," he remarked before a few spears of ice rose up, hovering in the air before launching themselves at the noise.

Finally, something exciting!

@Krieg @Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Krieg]

I've never been the type to turn back and run
Never appealed to be the same like everyone
I can't see you anymore through the black
Gonna scream your name till' you come back

I bury the sick side
I tear from the inside
I follow the downside
I'm waiting for something else

I know that you'll be here and I'll be waiting
I know that you'll be here and I'll be waiting
I know that you'll be here and I'll be waiting
I know that you'll be here and I'll be waiting
​

Bravery is a confident, hasty killer

Even in the shadows and blackness of Arya's eternal curse, the blind could mentally picture the anarchy occurring around her. Realizing that a face was without form, without intention, the She-Wolf bared her teeth, clenching her hands wildly into fists. Fury and hatred brewed in her heart, not at the Reapers themselves shockingly, but at the harming of Teresa. As much as the Stark was not willing to admit it openly, Teresa and Joshua were...acquaintances. After all, given the circumstances, she owed much debt to the two, having liberated her not only from the Coalition but her slow, insidious descent into the hollowed nothingness of Death's embrace.

Or whatever foul demise awaits enemies to the multiverse.

Smacking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, the teenager extended her monochromatic wings drastically, propelling herself to land in front of Teresa. Acting as a sort of guard for further protection, the white-eyed abomination turned around to face in Teresa's direction, Arya couldn't help but burrow her eyes together in an almost frown. As much as she wanted to call the older woman a fool, she herself knew the attachment of loved ones, names of ghosts dancing around the husk of a Northerner.

"Faces are what dooms us. I saw many, now I see none." she spoke ominously, facing ahead at the barriers being placed towards the Noise. With no weapons, Teresa having taken her badge containing her precious rapier, Needle, the Northerner soon became resourceful. Scrambling off, reaching down to grab small bits of debris and rubble, Arya virtually threw mere rocks at the Noise to distract it. Scrambling and darting frantically, the wolf kept her pace, imaging herself running about frantically, the flapping of her wings giving her extra propulsion.

Eventually bumping briefly towards Joshua's direction, Arya swerved back, arising into the air, screaming down below. "Do something! I got this thing distracted!" she declared, unaware of any barriers or other sorts of magic. Whilst sound may of reflected off of them, they were not as dense to make a difference in the blind child's ultrasensitive hearing. Still, the strategy was efficient so far, buying time for the other Reapers to plan an attack or evacuate others.

Ironic, the most untrustworthy of the Reapers, throwing herself deep into the frontlines of this once drill.
​

@Hospes @Klutzy Ninja Kitty ​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Cursing this frustrating situation, and the lack of coffee he had to help him deal with it, Sanae made his way behind the statue of Hachiko and hid, folding his great white angel wings around himself and the little female reaper he intended to keep safe. Coco quaked in his grasp, covering her eyes. At times like this she yearned to be a better fighter, one who wasn't a coward who had to hide herself. She couldn't even feel content with Sanae's presence beside her. She knew if he was able, he would be out there helping the others. He was no coward.

"Boy, if only the higher ups could see me now. They'd sure be pissed," Mr. H mumbled, peeking up over the corner of the statue in order to see what was going on. "I'm not really living up to my position of helping out the Composer while I'm hiding behind here."

As he looked outward, he watched the situation unfold. The monstrous noise attacked a very shocked Teresa--who retaliated with a barrage of random attacks. A couple of these attacks hit the monster noise, only angering it. Hoping to get back at Teresa, it shook Little Guy loose from the ear he was hanging onto and launched him into one of Teresa's attacks. Already injured, the attack caused the pup to black out and drop to the ground.

Next came Arya and Larkin. The two were more than enough to block the monster from further attacking Teresa, so it turned its focus on them. As Larkin launched the ice spears at the monster, it caught them in its great mouth, smashing them with its gargantuan jaws.

Joshua also unleashed an attack at this point, but he tempered his energy beams to make them weaker. "I really don't know what this thing is. I don't want to destroy it... even if it really is being a huge pain in the ass right now... And it would just be too much work to make my attacks stronger. I don't feel like it..."

Lazy as ever. : |

Perhaps he would've cranked up a notch of power in his attacks if he would've realized Teresa was in a lot of pain, but with Arya and Larkin defending her, he didn't notice for the time being.

Anyhow, Joshua's lazy beams hardly left a scratch on the monster, causing it simply flick them away with a wave of its tail. The beast almost seemed unfazed by their attacks for the moment, at least, until Arya began tossing little rocks at it.

The dog noise became distracted by Arya's attempt, turning its head toward her in order to snap at her with its dripping fangs. With Arya's distraction aiding him, Larkin finally managed to pierce the noise with one of his ice spears. It howled in pain and went back to attacking him, realizing that Arya's little rocks weren't doing anything to him. For the moment, the noise no longer felt her to be a threat.

Meanwhile, Saya watched from the sidelines in order to figure out the best way she could aid the group. "Drat, it looks like that thing isn't distracted anymore... wait, I know!" The jade-eyed female suddenly dashed forward, her wooden sandals clacking against the ground. She stopped by the side of the dog noise, aiming her pin at him. "You know what this thing is, right? It's a dog! We fight it like a dog!"

Firing a single bullet from her weapon, Saya watched as it hit the noise directly on... its nose.

Its eyes widened and it yelped, its tail going between its legs, distracted enough to suddenly be impaled by a few more of Larkin's ice spears.

It howled in pain and turned its head, attempting to gnaw at the spears sticking out of its body from all angles. It dropped to its right side and began to bleed from its wounds--vulnerable enough to be attacked further by the group.

At this point, however, Joshua halted his attacks and rushed over to the creature, stepping in front of it. "Stop! Stop! No more. We're not going to destroy it. This thing is..." He paused, turning to look at it for a moment. "...I don't know what it is, exactly. I'd like to figure out what it is and where it has come from. So, I'm going to capture it if all of you don't mind," he told them, turning to look at the dog creature once more.

@Krieg @Hospes​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

It wasn't far off to say that Teresa wasn't thinking, which, with her genius and tact, was rather surprising. Her uncalculated attacks seemed to do little, but she hardly cared - this thing had stoked an anguish that burned intensely inside of her, not to mention endless pain and anger. It had mocked her and Hurley by impersonating the latter of the two... A man that had died with nothing less than a heart of gold. Her friend, the one that reminded her so much of young Chuck. Not only that, but it was attacking her and her friends. And even her precious Little Guy. There was no way in hell that the Reaper was going to let this slide.

So on she went, firing off punches with her good arm aimed right at the thing's face. The one thing that the female wasn't expecting, however, was to have her small companion thrown straight into one of her attacks. Immediately, blue eyes widened, the world suddenly spiraling around her. It was like everything was in slow motion. And all of the emotions running through her were washed away, replaced by simple horror, sadness, and regret. Instantly, the female sank to her knees, even the immense pain of her wound bleeding away in the moment. There was no time wasted in her scooping the unconscious Noise into her arms, only for the pain to slam back into her when she moved her injured arm, causing another small yelp. But it didn't matter.

"Little Guy.... L-Little Guy...!"

Curling herself around the canine, Teresa attempted to cover the poor creature, clearly intending to block any further blows with her own body if needed. Which, a certain male that was still near her saw as rather pathetic. Admirable, maybe, on some level - but pathetic and stupid.

Smirking widely as the creature thrashed, temporarily distracted by Arya's rocks and allowing Larkin's attacks to sink in, said male clapped his hands together as though dusting them off. His hair remained as though slicked back, and his excitement and enjoyment with the situation was quite obvious. What could he say? This was a whole lot more fun than sitting around and having to help some dreadful players on occasion. "No wonder. Shame that this dog ain't got manners like ol' Boo Radley did," he mused casually, once again vanishing from sight, his barrier he'd made going with him. "Now, I suppose it's time we put him dow--"

..Aw, man. Joshua had to come and ruined the fun. Oh, well - at least he'd gotten some action. It was great while it lasted. Sighing and letting himself reappear, the male could only shrug his shoulders nonchalantly. "..Fair enough. Capture away," he spoke, now seeming somewhat bored.

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Krieg​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Saya lowered her pin and glanced toward the others after the noise monster went down, frowning when she saw the deeply amused smirk on Larkin's face. She marched over to him and grabbed onto his ear, giving it a tug.

"Hey! What's with that ridiculous look on your face, huh? One of our comrades was just injured. You could show a little more concern for them..."

Joshua simply nodded when Larkin gave him the okay to capture the creature, however, his sights returned to Teresa for a moment when he finally realized she was hurt. As important as it was to properly escort the creature somewhere else, he wanted to make sure Teresa was okay first.

"Watch it for me," the Composer ordered Larkin and Saya, "I'll be right back." He turned and walked over to Teresa, kneeling next to her curled up form--not noticing Little Guy at first. He then reached out and shook her shoulder.

"Hey, its over now. You're going to be fine. Let me see your wounds."

Sanae, hearing Joshua's words, stepped out of hiding with Coco. "Ohhh, sure, heal the girl first. I see who you like better," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Joshua simply scowled, not looking over at him. "Oh, don't even go there. You know I'd help the person who needed it most first thing. It has nothing to do with who I like more."

"Sure," the Producer replied with a grin before turning his attention on the noise that had attacked them. "Say, it looks different to me now. Don't you think?"

Saya narrowed her eyes, skeptical at first, noticing the change after a moment. "You're right! Its body looks cracked," she said, tilting her head as she watched it.

Coco nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it looks like shattered glass!"

"Yeah, but its more than that," Saya added. "It's... changing."

Before them, the glass-like shards began to drift off the creature floating into the air before dissolving entirely. Beneath the departing shards, a new form of the creature began to appear. It was almost like a creature shedding its skin.

Once enough shards had vanished, a new form of the creature was apparent: a black-haired female adorned in a dark cloak.

"Uh, it turned into a... girl?" Saya questioned, baffled at the monster's new appearance.

Still unconscious for the time being, the creature said nothing.

@Hospes @Krieg​

 

[Krieg]

​

Like her namesake years and years ago, the Underfoot followed her nickname's suggestion too the canine monstrosity. Petite rocks, once the first tools humans killed one another, was barely an annoyance to the foul abomination. Yet still, with such a minor effort, the young, inexperienced, disabled Reaper did what she could in such a desperate time. Begrudgingly, she hoped that Teresa would return her precious Braavosi rapier to her, but alas, fear and suspicion trumped over reason and logic. As much as the She-Wolf harbored negative feelings to her allies, she knew in her state she had little power, little say in this game, just another blank yet despised face out of many.

So when the dust settled, when the little pieces around her convened around the sleeping girl, the blind, young teenager simply stood. At a mere five foot, the girl retracted her opposite-colored wings, a distasteful look growing on her round face. Filled to the brim with apathy, Arya lightly began to shake it, reaching up to take off a small piece of cloth that she used to hide her white orbs. Holding the clear cloth softly in her hands, the disturbed Stark spoke loudly and almost defiantly, ushering in her own opinion.

"Dogs are meant to be put down. If you spare her, so be it." she spoke, a tad bit of irony coming from a former servant to the Arch-demon. "She almost killed Teresa, a life pays for death, a death pays for life." the Northerner chanted, a common saying in her days at the Hall of Grief. "Of course, so be it. After all...I am just nobody." she stated with a soft chuckle, though coming off a slight bit passive-aggressive in her remarks.
​

@Hospes @Klutzy Ninja Kitty ​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

In some sense, Larkin was caught off guard by Saya's little ear-groping escapade. Granted, he recovered quickly and seemed rather unfazed, ending up obliging and wiping the grin off of his face. "Haha... Ow," he began, sheepishly rubbing his head. "Right, got it, sweetheart." What a pity. But, hey, even if he was an asshole, he still held concern for the rest of the group, likely shown by his nod of agreement to watch the beast while Joshua helped his Conductor.

One female, on the other hand, was even less happy with the development. Her focus was on keeping Little Guy safe, and she hardly even noted that Joshua was approaching her until he knelt at her side, shaking her good shoulder. If the young woman was startled, it certainly didn't show. And oddly enough, she seemed to be handling the pain quite well, not so much as letting out a whimper or cry to indicate how much pain she was in. No, instead, she silently dealt with it, not hesitating to voice her immediate thought after Joshua's words.

"No."

Such a simple word, truly, yet it held so much power. At least, if the right person spoke it. And Teresa was nothing if not the right person. It wasn't to be some sort of act of defiance, really, but rather one that needed a bit more of an explanation in all likelihood. "I'll be fine," she assured, confidently and steadily as she could. Instead, she slowly rose up, flinching slightly in pain as she did so. It didn't matter to her, though, she only wanted to make sure she got Little Guy some help. As such, despite the pain it caused to course through her arm, she carefully held the injured Noise out to Joshua. "..I need you to heal him. I tried to, but my pin wouldn't work on him," she explained. There was an unspoken word there. A silent plea. If she ever needed Joshua to pull through for her, it was no--

"...Huh. Well, that's somethin' else," Larkin remarked, taking the opportunity to pull free of Saya's grip and rub his offended ear as he gazed at the creature with golden eyes. But, suddenly, his face lit up. He knew what this was - he'd be able to recognize something like this from a mile away! "Gee, Sir Boss Man, I didn't realize ya let in another illusionist without tellin' me," he huffed, his grin subconsciously returning as he peered at the unconscious girl. Idly, he nudged her with his foot, as though testing to see if she'd wake if he did so.

His intrigue with the girl on the ground briefly interrupted by a new voice speaking up, Larkin raised a brow, glancing to the voice's owner.. Only to find a young-looking girl. Huh. I wonder when Boss Boy started letting children in the joint, the Illusionist thought to himself, less than amused. The girl hardly looked much older than Ryan, and it almost pissed the male off. But she held her own well enough, and Larkin supposed he could respect her for that. Granted, that hardly meant she was at all free from his assholishness. Quite the opposite, actually. So maybe that was why he didn't seem to hesitate to casually pat the girl's head as though she truly were a child. "I think ya've been reading too much Twilight, judging by the angst you're spoutin'. Lighten up, kid."

@Krieg @Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Tip-toeing cautiously towards the mysterious female monster, Coco stopped directly in front of her and nudged her with one of her black wings. "She doesn't look as dangerous as she did before. I mean, like, she looks just like a young girl..."

Mr. Hanekoma walked after Coco, gently pulling the smaller reaper behind him. "Ah, I wouldn't get so close. We don't know for sure if she's still dangerous or not. We wouldn't want for her to wake up and attack one of us..."

"Right," Coco sheepishly mumbled, stepping back.

Saya glanced at the monster again, switching her gaze back to Larkin again just in time to see him ruffling Arya's hair. She frowned once again, and this time elbowed him in the side. "Could you be anymore rude? Sheesh, the girl is blind, can't you tell? Don't say things like that," she quietly mumbled to him. If Larkin kept acting like such an ass, Saya would be tempted to tell him to he should keep his mouth shut until this situation was over with.

Joshua kept his eyes on Teresa, ignoring Larkin's comment for the moment. He glared at her intensely reaching out to grip her wrist when she told him no. "That wasn't a suggestion," he hissed. "That was an order."

He listened to her plea, however, hearing the desperation in her voice for him to heal her pet. Joshua looked down at Little Guy, scowling. "For goodness sake, it's just a noise. If something happens to it, I can replace it. I can't replace you," he scolded, tightening his grip on her wrist.

Despite his frustration, however, the Composer gave in to her request. "But fine, just this once," he said, releasing his grip on her wrist in order to take the noise from her. "I'll heal your pet as long as you let me heal you next."

But, next time anything like this ever happened he wasn't going to someone's injuries before his Conductor's.

Meanwhile, as Larkin, Saya, and the others would watch the unconscious black-haired girl, she would begin to awaken--slowly opening her eyes.

@Hospes @Krieg​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

"Ah-- hey!" Larkin yelped as Saya's fired her elbow off into his side, causing him to jerk back slightly with an annoyed look, his hand immediately going to his side. "Aw, come on... Being blind doesn't mean she can't read. Or that she can't lighten up a bit," he defended, though he didn't seem too serious about it all.

To say that Teresa was at all pleased with Joshua taking a hold of her wrist would be the lie of the century. In fact, she retaliated with an intense glare of her own, frustration burning bright in her eyes. "Then I guess I'm defying orders," she muttered through her teeth, though she somehow didn't seem too angered. Just desperate, one could observe as she tried to pull her wrist free to no avail. "Now come on... Please." Oddly enough, the word seemed much easier to get out when she wasn't asking for something revolving around herself. Which, she hardly ever did, if ever. This just came naturally.

Just like her aggravation when Joshua scolded her, telling her that the noise could be replaced. In most circumstances, she would've teased Joshua for saying that she, herself, couldn't be replaced - but she wasn't in the mood for their teasing games. "Trust me, he'd be harder to replace than me," she grumbled with frustration. "Besides, I'm fine, so just... Focus on him, would you?" she requested, stubbornly. Her annoyance and insistence carried her through, though, it seemed - for Joshua finally, albeit reluctantly, gave into her plea. A sigh of relief passed her lips as her wrist was released and her noise taken from her, but she did find herself somewhat frustrated with her Composer's insistence upon healing her up.

I don't need a knight in shining armor.

Despite this frustration, there wasn't a moment wasted by Teresa before her response. There was no way in hell she'd ever hesitate to help someone else.. Even if that someone was a little wolf noise pup. She wasn't going to let him die just because of her stupid complex about not getting help from others. "Fine."

"..."

Despite still recovering from the blow he'd taken from Saya, Larkin silently noted the movement out of the corner of his eye, causing him to pause in rubbing his offended ribs. "...I hate to interrupt, but I think sleepin' beauty's wakin' up."

@Krieg @Klutzy Ninja Kitty​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Saya crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at Larkin's asshole logic. "Yes, but being blind means she deserves to be treated with respect, you know, like all people." The ex-sweeper noticed that the more Larkin tended to run his mouth, the more he put his foot in it--as far as she was concerned, at least. Thankfully, Saya had a high tolerance for assholes though. After all, when she had been alive she helped one of the biggest assholes she had ever met change his ways. Even though the situation had led to her death, she was still proud it was her final accomplishment in life.

"Really?!" Joshua spat, grumbling under his breath when Teresa felt the need to undermine his orders. "If you want what's best for your pet, you'll listen to me." He listened to her mumbling, despite his frustration, only shaking his head until she finally agreed to his deal. "Okay then, just give me the noise."

Assuming he had permission, Joshua reached out and took the noise into the palm of his hands, lightly wrapping his fingers around it. He closed his eyes and made his fingers glow in a white light. After the light faded, the injuries on Teresa's little creature vanished. Little Guy slowly opened his eyes and looked at Teresa, wagging his tale once.

Joshua watched the noise, narrowing his eyes. "You do know what these things are, right? They're made of strong emotions, usually negative, leftover from people in the living world. Emotions so strong they took on life. They're wild, so be careful about getting too attached." He offered Little Guy back to Teresa and looked at her next. "Okay, now you let me see your injuries."

Before he could check on Teresa, however, the Composer heard Larkin's warning about the creature waking up. "Restrain it," Joshua ordered. "I'll be there in a moment."

The awakening monster slowly lifted her head up, gripping it with her right hand. "Hngh, wh-where am I?" she questioned, dazed as she glanced toward the group.

"Be careful," Mr. H warned. "The creature could be trying to trick us."

@Hospes @Krieg​

 

[Krieg]

​

Voices

Strange and unfamiliar, newcomers, or more accurately Reapers the blind initiate had failed to encounter. One of them spoke with dashing yet crude wit, having the brash to pat her head. The other, a more softer, gentler soul, two sides of the same coin battling among each other. Briefly, a moment of natural anxiety rushed through Arya's head, finding herself briefly at a loss of words. Although everything and everyone was but a void to the teenager's eyes, that void frighten even the most drained of souls., even Arya. As much as she didn't want to admit, the comforting familiarity of say Teresa or Joshua's voice, even if spiting or resenting the traitor, was one that she gravely welcomed. Familiarity, even with those who spar against you, is better than nothingness. Because quite simply, in the end, nothing is nothing, the greatest horror that dwells in all of existence.

"Pat my head again," Arya spoke softly yet defensively, her tiny form rotating on an axis, facing in the general direction of snarky individual. "And I will ram a sword through your eye and out the back of your skull." Arya blankly spoke without an ounce of hesitation, rotating her body forwards, stiff, rigid, and stern. Hearing that Noise abomination awaken, having an extremely sensitive sense of hearing, the She-Wolf roughly bit her lip. This was not a good idea, and the more she thought about it, the more she knew this would inevitably backfire.

Eventually, it wasn't until the crimson started to ooze out of her lips that she realized the pain she had inflicted onto herself, briefly looking down, wiping away the festering blood. She would not be listened to, she had no authority, and to be honest that position was familiar to Arya. With power, she saw her downfall, she saw everything fall apart once again. Now, she was truly the Underfoot, the one that dwelt in darkness as punishment for her sins against gods and men. No matter how noble her cause may of been, no matter how justified her actions may of been, justice had delivered her on a silver platter to this place. How ironic, a Reaper, Arya Stark, a harbinger of justice that she herself had become a victim of.

Taking a few timid steps away, the blind girl felt a chill down her spine, walking away from the festering crowd of Reapers huddled around the Noise. In fact, Arya simply walked off for a bit, only stopping to sit down by the street, keeping her head low and her hands clenched tightly into fists. Feeling the passing of a breeze, a sniffle escaped the wolf's nose, and for a moment, she thought she was in Winterfell.

She thought she was home.

But there is no home anymore.
​

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hospes​

​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

What a drag, Saya was. Larkin could definitely do without her nagging, but hey - he'd dealt with much worse, such as the likes of Reece. This wasn't so bad. "Sorry," he finally muttered, reluctantly. Though, whether this was directed towards the slightly younger blind female that had swirled to face him or the slightly older female telling him off was up to the imagination. He normally didn't exactly treat people he had yet to come to know and/or like with respect, admittedly, but it looked like he had no choice here. Besides... They were ladies. What harm could it do? :|

As Joshua spoke, Teresa listened with a stubborn gleam in her eye, not seeming to have any intentions of relenting. But when he stated that she should listen if she wanted what was best for Little Guy, she seemed caught off guard. There was no moment of hesitation between him voicing this and her lowering her head slightly, some silent sign of submissiveness. But as the Noise was taken from her, she broke her stubborn silence. "..Thank you," she murmured. Her blue eyes watched intently as Joshua began healing her 'lupine' companion, and she briefly forgot about her own pain as she did. Or perhaps she was just getting used to it, somehow. No matter the answer, she let out a breath of relief when Little Guy seemed to return to normal, wagging his tail at her and thus earning a weak smile.

Snapped out of her relief by none other than the Composer himself, a certain reaper let herself listen closely, focusing on his words rather than her pain. "Yeah, I've got it," came a muttered response, though Teresa knew it was a bit too late for that. In fact, this didn't only apply to Little Guy: she knew she'd let herself get attached to people, too. Much too attached for her own good... Or theirs. The fact that she'd let herself be so distracted and torn up by the creature disguising itself as Hurley was plenty proof of this.

Gladly accepting her Noise back with her good arm and setting him down, Teresa gave a reluctant look at Joshua's request. But, reluctant or not, she obliged, reaching up to carefully slide the shoulder of her sleeve down slightly so the wound would be more accessible. The action was painful, but she seemed to manage it alright. "There.." she mumbled, only to slowly glance over to where the others were upon hearing that the creature was waking up. Briefly, an unreadable flash of emotion crossed her feats, only to vanish as quickly as it came. Gritting her teeth, she abruptly tugged her sleeve back into place, ignoring the pain this caused. "There. I 'let you see my injury'." With that, she attempted to climb to her feet, albeit somewhat unsteadily. "So what're we doing about that..."

"...Girl?"

That was a surprise.

Personally, Larkin didn't seem to pay the question any mind. Rather, he was more focused on the weird chick on the ground that they were apparently supposed to restrain. "Somewhere ya ain't supposed to be," he mused in answer to her question. Sanae's words were acknowledged with a small nod, but Larkin hardly seemed concerned. He also didn't seem to have anything to restrain her with... And he didn't really have the muscles most likely, either. "So. What's another illusionist like you doin' in a place like this, hm? Assuming that's what ya are."

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Krieg​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Ooooh, feisty!" remarked Saya, immediately following Arya's threat. To Saya, Arya's words sounded like something she would've said when she was younger herself. But at least Larkin had apologized (sort of) so hopefully the little she-wolf wouldn't make good on her threat. They had just gotten through with a battle and the young, kimono-clad beauty didn't really feel like breaking up any fights. As soon as their black-haired female monster was taken care of, Saya actually hoped she could take a break for some time.

When Teresa was a pain in the ass, she wasn't just a pain in the ass some of the time. She was a pain in the ass all of the time, in Joshua's opinion. "That's not what I meant, you conniving female," Joshua spat out, grabbing hold of Teresa's wrist. Taking advantage of her unsteady balance, he tugged her closer only to release his grasp on her and poke her hard on her wound. The jab would be enough to send a serge of pain up her shoulder, but truthfully the jab would also send a bit of his healing energy into her wound. Of course, he could've been a bit more gentle when it came to healing her, but since she was being a pain to him, Joshua figured he would be a pain to her as well.

Little Guy, not keen on Joshua's move toward his mommy, would lunge at Joshua and try to nip his finger after he jabbed Teresa. Josh cursed and yanked his hand back, barely avoiding the noise's teeth. "For a creature that was nearly dying just a moment ago, you sure have a lot of energy now," he complained, standing up and taking a step back away from Teresa and Little Guy. "Anyhow, I suppose we should take care of this girl now," he said, moving to go look at her.

The dazed monster glanced at Larkin, unsure what to make of him. "I'm not an illusionist, I'm--" The girl cut herself off, grasping the side of her face. She grimaced and turned away from him. "I can't remember."

"Likely story," the Composer remarked, approaching the former noise. He nudged the monster with his foot, mulling over what he thought about her.

Sanae pulled down his sunglasses to get a better peek at the monster, uncertain. "Ya know, boss, I think she might actually be telling the truth."

Josh shrugged. "Regardless, we don't know who she is and why she even exists for that matter. Human-noise hybrids, or whatever she is, don't just exist unless someone makes them. So, my guess is someone made her. We'll have to hang onto her and keep her captive until we figure out who did." He narrowed his eyes. "Whoever made her is likely in charge of the noise hoard attacking Shibuya as well. So... it looks like we have another little problem on our hands. It's something I'll look into..."

He sighed. As if they needed more problems, right?

Joshua pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, well, first things first I'm going to restrain this girl. Sanae and I will deal with her later." He stepped toward her, simply snapping his fingers in front of her. Before she could even speak again or move, she vanished into a ball of light that shot into Joshua's hand, reforming into a pin resting on his palm.

He clutched it before turning to the others. "Noise can be turned into pins, so this will be a convenient way to keep her captive for now. And as for the rest of you..."

Well, Joshua didn't want word getting out that Shibuya may have had another problem on its hands... and he didn't trust that this group would keep such a thing secret. "...I'm going to require that all of you take a mandatory oath of silence about what you've learned here. When the other reapers arrive I'm going to tell them this noise attack was just an emergency drill. I don't need everyone panicking over something we know nothing about yet. We just got this place cleaned up from the Arch-Demon incident and I don't want to see it go to chaos again." He paused. "Understand?"

"I guess... that would be best," Sanae replied, hesitant.

"But if there's a problem going on... and we can't speak of it, that's restricting our freedom," Saya pointed out, feeling uncertain. "Don't the others have the right to know?"

"It's for their own good that they don't know right now. That doesn't mean I won't tell them later. I just don't want anyone panicking. I want Shibuya to continue functioning and I even want us to go ahead and host another game. So, as I said, when everyone arrives I'm doing to announce that today's event was a drill, that we'll be having another game soon, and... we'll even have..." Joshua cringed, as if disgusted. "...we'll even have a party next week to celebrate our recent accomplishments, such as the Arch-Demon defeat, our new Conductor, and the start of a new game."

Sanae laughed, causing Josh to let out a scowl. "And what, pray tell, is so funny?"

The coffee shop owner smiled. "I'm just surprised is all. Parties ain't your style."

The Composer turned away and shrugged. "Yes, well, we all have to bite the bullet sometimes," he mumbled. Joshua knew it would help ease the reapers if he actually put on an event showing them that all was well. It was for the best.

"Anyhow, my decision is final. All of you will not speak of what you learned. My power will see to that." He snapped his fingers, causing everyone in the group--except for Sanae and Teresa--to grow dizzy, disoriented, and even hear a ringing in their ears. He had charmed them using a bit of his power so that they wouldn't be able to speak of the event. If they would try, the words would be unable to escape their mouths. However, since Teresa and Sanae were his top two, Josh figured he would trust they kept his command without being charmed.


@Hospes @Krieg​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

In return, Teresa frowned right back at Joshua, looking less than pleased with his comment. "I'm not conniving - I just want you t--" And once more, whatever she had intended to say was lost to the wind. For apparently, the world loved interrupting her - especially when she was trying to tell Joshua what she was doing. It was difficult to suppress the instinct to hit Joshua the moment he grabbed her, admittedly, but the female managed to catch herself mid-reaction. Shame, though, that Joshy was left unscathed. Before she even had a chance to truly react, or even snap at her boss, she found herself being jabbed harshly right on her wound. A hiss of pain was held back only by the ravenette biting her tongue, and she immediately clutched her offended arm, cursing under her breath.

"...Careful, Josh. Next time ya do that, I might be the one trying to bite off your hand," she remarked(while discreetly throwing Little Guy a wink to assure him she was okay), though she seemed to become slightly less tense as the healing effect set in. "...Thanks," she added, sighing and letting her hand drop to her side before quietly following after to examine the girl. Like she had wanted to in the first place, mind you.

Yeah. She definitely wasn't holding a grudge. :|

"Don't remember, huh?" Larkin repeated, mulling this over even as the Composer and his Conductor approached. It was tempting to make up some sort of lie and trick the girl into believing that that was her life - but that probably needed to wait, considering Joshua was right there. What a shame. That being the case, he reluctantly held his tongue.

Teresa, though? She had no quarrels with saying what she was thinking, even with the possibility of being scolded for it being there. But, the thing was, the anger had left her when she spotted the girl... Especially when she stated that she couldn't remember what she was, and didn't seem to be aware of what she'd just done. How could she be mad at some clueless, dazed girl? Now, if Joshua was right and someone made her or used her, however... The person behind it all would have hell to pay. "...I'm with him on this one. Pretty sure that's sincere cluelessness," she spoke to Joshua, deciding to state her agreement with Sanae's point.

She did look about ready to break the neck of whoever might have 'made' their new captive.

Truthfully, she didn't at all like the idea of keeping some girl they knew nothing about trapped in a pin, but she knew Joshua had a point. She could be dangerous, and it was better to wait until she knew more than to let her run around and potentially stir-up trouble - especially if they were about to start a new Reapers' Game.

Larkin, who had more or less been tuning out all of what Joshua was saying, resumed listening when he heard the word 'party'. Man, did that sound nice. Of course, his definition of party was actually fairly classy, and he wasn't sure what this would be like... But he was still sure it would be great.

And... Dizzying. Ugh.

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Krieg​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Chapter 2

A week later the noise invasion, which had swept through Shibuya, was but a distant memory--replaced by the Composer's up and coming event: a party to celebrate the reapers' latest accomplishments. This party, set to be one of the biggest events Underground Shibuya had seen in years, took nearly every bit of the entire week to prepare for. From everything to food preparation down to ridding Shibuya of the remaining noise hoard, there were plenty of jobs for everyone to partake in. Even an hour before the party was to start, various reapers were still preparing for it.

Map

Atop the Shibu department store building a majority of the reapers were hard at work, fluttering about like busy bees as they accomplished their remaining tasks. Figuring it would be a unique setup, Joshua chose the roof of Shibu's department store rather quickly. Not only that, but preparing for the party would be much easier with a department store located directly below the party area. With that in mind, shopping for their supplies wouldn't take very long at all.

Bar Party Area

Supervising the working reapers in place of Joshua, a very prepared Sanae Hanekoma stood off to the side, clipboard in hand. He was so prepared, in fact, he was even dressed for the party already. Looking like a pretty swag hipster too, if he did say so himself!

"Lights?"

"Check."

"Appetizers?"

"Check."

"Refreshments?"

"Check."

"Lights?"

Saya let out a huff, folding her arms. "You already asked about the lights!"

Mr. H tipped his dark shades down and peered over them, squinting at the print on his clipboard. "Oh yeah, I did. Eh, well, it never hurts to be over-prepared, right? Anyhow, what about the appetizers?"

Saya tapped one of her wooden sandals against the floor impatiently. "You asked about those too. And we have them all ready! Can I go yet?"

Sanae frowned. "What in the world are ya in such a big hurry for anyhow, kid? Everyone's been working!"

Saya glanced over her shoulder at the roof's stairs. "Larkin and Arya are downstairs in the department store. The boss ordered us to find a dress for Arya to wear to the party. I left them alone! You can only imagine how that's going. Larkin can kind of be... an ass sometimes."

"Kind of?"

Saya grinned sheepishly. "Hey, I'm not trying to sound too harsh. But anyhow, like I said, I need to get downstairs and catch up with Larkin and Arya. If he pisses her off, I'm sure she wont hesitate to pull an arm off one of the clothing mannequins and beat him with it."

Sanae smirked. "Alrighty, kiddo, go catch up with em. I'll work out the rest of the bugs up here."

"Thanks!" she exclaimed with a wave, turning to rush down the stairs.

Shortly after Saya left his side, Joshua appeared atop the roof. He slowly crept toward Sanae, hoping to sneak up and scare the Producer. Without even flinching or looking up from his clipboard, Sanae noticed him. "Don't even try it. I could sense you a mile away if I wanted to."

"Hmph, you could try and have a little fun every once in a while, you know?" Josh pouted, folding his arms.

Sanae shook his head. "And you could try having a little less fun. Have you even done any work?" His eyes scanned over the Composer. "You're not even dressed for the party."

Joshua shrugged, glancing down at his usual plain, blue shirt. "I intended to get dressed... soon."

"Soon? The party starts in an hour, you know! You'd better get dressed soon! Have you even done anything?"

Joshua grumbled. "I've been doing... things. Anyhow, I'm here to do something right now, in fact. Have you sen Teresa?"

Sanae frowned. "She's working somewhere here on the roof. I think she was checking the lights. Let me guess, you're calling her in for some last minute training?"

"Yeah, a little."

Mr. H slapped his forehead. "You do know that some Composers and Conductors from other districts might come to this party, right? You really should've started her training a week ago."

Joshua stuck his hands in his pockets and gave a non-challont shrug. "It'll be fine, Sanae. You just worry about your job and I'll worry about mine." He started to walk away, only to stop when Sanae called out to him again.

"Hey, before you go could you at least get me another assistant? Saya ran off on me."

"How about... Lucy Kuo?" Joshua gritted his teeth. "Give her all of your most strenuous, back-breaking work. I think I'd rather enjoy seeing that happen."

Mr. H sighed, adjusting his sunglasses. "You know, just because she comes from the same world as John doesn't mean she's just like him, you know. Be nice. She's probably in earshot, working somewhere up on this roof right now."

"I don't really care if she hears me or not," admitted Josh with a shrug. "If she knows I don't trust her, maybe she'll be careful with her behavior." Lucy worked with John White for a time. It was hard not for Joshua to project some of his leftover frustration at John onto her.

"Anyhow, as I said, I'm going to find Teresa. Later." The Composer walked off, approaching an area where Teresa was up on a ladder adjusting some of the string lights. "Some reaper you are," he mumbled. "Shouldn't you be using your wings instead of a ladder?" He smirked. "Anyhow, come down from there. I need you for something."


@Hospes @Krieg @Atomyk ​

 

[Midnight Maiden]

The past week had been nothing short of painful. Joshua had still been putting off her training, and hadn't even given her any sort of work. Where did that leave her? I'll tell you where - lacking in any sort of distractions, tired, anxious and annoyed. To make matters worse, she wasn't sure how much longer the noise-girl would be in their captivity for, and she was more than ready for the situation to be over. Hopefully? With her getting to give whoever was behind this all a damn good beat down. It'd certainly serve them right, but even if she didn't get that desire sated, she at least hoped they'd get some sort of punishment. But at least she didn't have to worry about that all right then, because she finally had something to do.

...Even if that something was hanging and adjusting string lights for some sort of party, whatever that was supposed to be.

Truth be told, Teresa wasn't entirely sure just what a party was. Or, at least, what they were like. Sure, she- no... Vivi -had heard mentions of them, but she'd never been able to hold one or found herself invited to one. And Teresa had certainly never witnessed a party. But hey, as long as it didn't involve hell being raised, her friends- or anyone in general -being injured, or insane scientists and weird monsters attacking? She was happy enough. After all, it couldn't be so bad, right? Besides, maybe she could find some time to spend away from stupid Joshua. Maybe even with Arya or--

"...Shouldn't I be kicking my shoe off at you for bothering me while I'm workin'?" Teresa replied, only briefly glancing at her boss as she spoke. Of course she had to think about him. Maybe he wouldn't have come over if she hadn't. Regardless, rather than staying hung up on the fact she'd been approached, the ravenette casually resumed making the finishing touches on the lights. Ah, that was easy enough, she mused to herself, contently wiping her hands off on her pants despite the fact thy weren't actually dirty. Force of habit.

With that out of the way, the Conductor finally shifted her attention to Joshua, one of her eyebrows raising inquisitively. She probably wouldn't say it, but she was curious. So, wordlessly, she automatically began to climb back down... Only to stop herself before she finished putting her foot on the step down from the one she was on. ...Hmph. I'll show him. Without a second thought, Teresa let both of her feet lift off of the steps, taking to the use of her wings instead to descend. "And what 'something' is that?"

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty​