Vash

Zambeenies. [CLOSED]

Awesome. Now we just need Vash and we can get started. @NuttsnBolts@Vash@ADParis

@Fennec

Just finished screencaps and have a good bio ready to go. Just need to write it out now.

Here. Have a spoiler to whet an appetite.

ETA: 30 min-1hr

Zambeenies. [CLOSED]

@Fennec

I'll be making up a sheet later today. Since I like to put a lot of thought into my sheers so that I'll become attached to the character, it might be a bit extensive.

Plus, I'll probably hop into fallout 4 and get my screen-cap on as I have a decent idea if who to play already. (spoilers: something ranger-esc.) I'll explore and see where my head takes me.

As for area, always a fan of modern times and big cities. Big cities, big dangers, big rewards. I'm not adverse to a more small town locale or even more desolate areas however.

Zambeenies. [CLOSED]

Do you know if our other group members use the same? I'm going with anime, if that's the case. @NuttsnBolts

@Fennec

@Fennec Paris I believe might draw her own, so she at not have a pic straight away. Vash I'm not 100% sure. When he GM the rp I was in he asked for more like artistic realistic styles but that could have been to fit into a specific theme. (Cari Cruz was from his rp)

@NuttsnBolts

I'll most likely be going for a more realistic design in my character. I'm not a fan of animoo characters. Least for my personal ones anyway.

Just your standard zombie thang. [CLOSED]

@NuttsnBolts I was thinking we could start just a few weeks after the zombies take over, and they aren't all just normal zombies either. Some of them are strong and fast. Not that they're intelligent or anything, but making them stronger is a definite shit-yourself kind of scenario.

@Vash So you'd like to join us? Or do a 1x1? It's three in the afternoon and I only just woke up, so my brain won't do things. xD

@Fennec

I'd like to join.

Just your standard zombie thang. [CLOSED]

Not looking for a forth, are you? I'm kind of on the opposite spectrum of time as Nuttsy as I work nights and sleep in the day, but it's not hard for me to crank out a post. I've been getting in the mood for a more laid back RP in between my current 1v1 and private writing. I can't post EVERY day but I'll do what I can.

Also. Hey nutsy. You beautiful thing.

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

In full armor, with a brilliantly white lightsaber in his right hand and a War Sword in his left. Zenithar stepped tentatively through a darkened forest. The only light he was granted was that of his saber, and the plants on the ground that gave off a faint bio-luminescent light. This forest had been the latest plague on his mind in the last day of his comatose state, swallowing whole the premonitions, dreams, and out-of-body sights he had been witnessing while Iisska spoke to him.

In his exploration of this endless forest he had never come upon any life or signs of such. Just the darkness and the plants on the ground that lit his way. Now, however. He felt an undeniably powerful presence. He had drawn his saber and reached his mind out as far as it could go, trying to find the source, but the problem was that the source was literally everywhere and had left it's mark on everything. He knew that it wouldn't be long before he found whatever was giving off so much force power...or it found him.

He froze and snapped his gaze to his right, feeling a spike of power. The light coming from the plants around him went dim, leaving him in near pitch darkness with his saber casting a dim glow on the trees around him. He heard the cataclysmic boom of thunder over head that made his ears sing with pain and the ground shake, but not even the light of the lightning above could reach him. His knuckles started to turn white from how hard he was gripping his weapons and he started to gather the force within him in readying for whatever monster was draining the very light from the world around him.

Out of nowhere He was hit with a tremendous amount of force, sending him careening backwards and slam into one of the trees with enough force to tear right through it. He hit the tree behind it and dropped to the ground as the tree he went through crashed into the dirt with a huge boom. Dark blue light sprang to life from the darkness and a storm of lightning was sent at. He leaped out of the way and landed with a roll. He felt something strange inside him spark to life, an inferno of rage. He felt a searing pain rip across his hands and arms then, looking down to see that the searing pain was from his hands and arms catching fire and engulfing his armor. After a few moments of blinding pain, he felt numb and his body moved on it's own, combining the conjured fire with his own force power and sending an arch of red hot justice through the forest, catching it ablaze in an instant.

Light returned to the forest as the fire he had conjured raged and the fire on his arms faded. He was left dumbfounded, looking over his scorched arms for a moment before snapping back into action, looking into the flames to try and see what had attacked him. The power he had summoned had gone out of control. In mere moments the entire forest around him was trapped in the inferno he had unleashed. Luckily for him it made the figure in the distance far easier to see. It was Darth Scurus. He could tell plain as day from any position and now she made herself known, sending volley after volley of lightning his way. Now that he could see, he jumped out of the way and picked up speed, closing the distance. He leaped over and ducked under her lightning archs, each one hitting right where he had been and igniting the grass and wood that it struck.

As he drew near, he put up a hand and blocked another gale-force level of force push that nearly brought him to his knees. He kept on and got close enough to start retaliating. She raised into the air a bit, floating on her own force power and zooming off into the inferno that they had created, but Zen would have none of it. He reached out with the force and sent out his own force push, aiming at the trees to shatter them and turn the splinters and logs into deadly projectiles. It did little as she deflected it like it was nothing. Zen threw out his swords to intercept her before she got too far away and closed the distance. Unlike the trees, she caught his sword and deflected the lightsaber, changing directions and rushing at him now. He reached out with the force and gripped his saber, igniting it as he caught it and met her sword in a vicious grudge match. Zen struggled to push against her and keep his balance, having to dig his heels deep into the ground to keep from being pushed backwards. She was strengthening herself with her own force power and draining his at the same time. His frail body depended on the force too much and he was weakening fast.

She smashed through the grudge then, disarming Zen in one swift swipe of her captured sword and gripped Zen with the force, raising him into the air. He felt the air in his lungs dragged out and his body started to suffocate. She brought him close, face to face with her golden mask. He struggled against her crushing will, trying to look away, trying to fight back, trying to do anything, but it was no use. She was far too strong.

She rammed his own sword through his gut, piercing his armor and running him through. Blood filled his mouth and she reached up to take his helmet off, seeing his battered face as blood ran down his chin. He managed to spit out the blood onto her mask, and she responded by twisting the blade.

____

Zen woke up in the Harpoon screaming, his heart beating too fast for his own good. He patted his stomach, still screaming, and finally stopped when he realized that he wasn't injured at all. His arms weren't scorched either. He couldn't stabilize his breathing, stuck in a panic attack that he couldn't bring himself out of. He rolled out of his bed and stripped off his clothing, inspecting himself for damage. He finally started to calm down as he saw that all the normal scars that he had accumulated over the years were still there.

His breath still shakey, he stumbled out of the med room, entirely naked, and made his way for his room. Everything was definitely not as he had left it. There was new furniture, decorative weapons on the walls and everything was CLEEEEEAN. It's like somebody went through the ship and spit shined everything. Last he remembered, it was tipped on it's side and everything was broken. He must have been out for longer than he thought.

He got into his room and fell down for a moment, realizing that his legs were weak from not moving them for however long he was out. "Now, seriously?!" He groaned before trying to gather up the force to make himself better. It took several times as long for him to do so. As he lay on the floor, barely cognative and trying to recover, he tried to remember what happened. They had crashed and he walked out of the ship and face planted into a coma. He couldn't figure out why for several moments, but as his leg strength finally returned and he could stand again, it hit him. "Oh void this planet is devoid of the force. Fuck. Me. Sideways."

He shambled over to his closet and opened it up. His clothing and armor was cleaned and repaired. "Who in the hell has touched my-oh fuck it." He ignored the thoughts and dawned his armor. He found his lightsabers on a dresser in the corner, a dresser that he noted was WAY better than it was before, and raced out of the room. He went down the hall and ran by Iisska's door and stopped for a moment, looking at his darksaber.

He ran down stairs and found his swoop bike in the same condition he had left i-"NOOO. THERE'S A SCRATCH. IT'S JUNKED. FUCK. AUUUGH. SCREW IT." He mounted it and found the on switch. It took a few seconds for it to kick on and he revved it to make sure it worked. Detecting the vehicle readying to leave, the Harpoon automatically opened the hanger door. Zen didn't wait for it to open fully before he burst out, landing with a hard thud against the grass, right next to where Marquis was sitting with the puppy. The two looked at each other for only a moment before Zen shot off into the forest.

"Well. It has been a while since I have seen Iisska thrown into a raging fury...this is...definitely going to do that." Marquis sighed, watching the gray sith disappear into the distance.

In Iisska's room, however. Placed neatly in the middle of his bed, was a gift. Zen's darksaber.

___________
Stepping into the open-aired blacksmith shop, Nyrette swooned over the assortment of blades that were on display against the stone walls. Swords of many types and sizes, though she regained her composure and went over them more carefully. She had to choose a nice blade to train Quin with. A balanced blade that would ring true to her personality and be well balanced, well suited towards her build and to her-Found it! She grabbed a Sturdy Falchion from the wall. She turned towards the master smith, whom was starting to approach her to do business with her, and she spoke. "How much for this?" She said. "Twenty one sovereigns." He said, crossing his arms. "Hmm...I'll take it, but I'm not quite ready yet." She said, looking around. She looked around some more, trying to find a sword for herself. Her rapier was nice, but it didn't have enough weight for her to actually take anything down. She looked up and down, staying within sight of the master smith, and couldn't find anything. That is...until she saw the blade that hung proudly over the Forge.

"Oh! Is that one for sale?" She yelled to the master, pointing at the golden saw-sword above him. "Is is, but I doubt you can afford it. It is an antique. Razor sharp and could slice through a warg's neck in one swipe. Six platinum." She looked excited when she fished her hand into her pocket and pulled out the coins the old woman had given her.

"Can I bundle both swords?" She said, much to the blacksmith's surprise.

Just a few minutes later, she had finally found Quin and Cynthia walking out of a small cafe with a small bag of dough rings and a couple tins of coffee. "Oh, hello Nyrette. I had told Pike of this shop that had exquisite pastries and coffee and...I had...convinced her to try." She said, a little blush in her face.

Earlier

"Oh, Pike!" Cynthia said. "While you're here, you simply must try their pastries. Delebor sent me into town several times to pick up orders from there and they are simply delectable! You must try!" Even though Quin said that they needed to get only the important things, she unfortunately found herself being dragged to the cafe anyway.

Present

Cynthia nervously chuckled a bit as Nyrette just smiled and shook her head. "Hey, got you a present for when we get home." She said, presenting Quin the Falchion. "Once we get back, I'm going to start training you on how to use a sword. Figured that I should buy you one while we're here."

Quin took the sword from her gently and then slowly removed it from the scabard. The steel had a rippling effect like an oil spill across its surface.

"It's gorgeous," she said awestruck, "You didn't have to-- Thank you. I'll put it to good use."

Quin gave the falchion a good swish to test how the weight felt in her hand. It was a little bit heavy, but she figured that wouldn't be a problem once she had some decent practice with it. And it helped that she had a great teacher. With a smile she sheathed the sword and scooped Nyrette up into a big hug.

"Hey, hey," she said, hugging her back. "It's not a problem. It might serve you a little better than your knife while we're here. Get good enough and I'll see if we can find you a good vibrosword when we get back." She said with a smile.

"Vibro-sword?" Cynthia said, curious. "What is that?"

"It's a special type of sword that vibrates at a special frequency that lets it cut anything cleaner than any normal blade. They also work with knives as well." She said, gesturing to Quin once she let her go to show Cynthia her knife. She nodded and pulled it out, letting Cynthia play with it for a moment and make the blade pop out.

"Oh wow. You can't see it, but it's actually moving at incredible speed. I can barely keep up...would you mind if I looked at it more closely?" She said, smiling. Quin shrugged and nodded. Cynthia held the knife in her hand and closed her eyes. Her hand turned to liquid like it did in the estate several days ago and the knife sunk in. A few moments later it reappeared in her palm and she handed it back. It wasn't damaged in the least. "Thank you," Cynthia said.

"What did you do?" Nyrette said, curious.

"Watch." She spread the fingers of her right hand and jerked her forearm a bit. In less than a half second her arm had taken the form of a razor sharp curved longsword. "You can't see it, but my arm is vibrating like your knife. It's harder to maintain but I think I'll be able to cut through anything like your knife now."

"You can do that to both your arms?" Nyrette said.

"Yes." Cynthia replied.

"That...that's actually really badass. Why didn't you mention this before?!" Nyrette exclaimed excitedly.

"Did not see it as important." Cynthia shrugged.

"Wait 'till Cheshik sees this. He's going to blow a gasket...Iisska too." Nyrette sighed.

Just as she finished saying that, a small cadre of heavily armed and armored guards approached them, brandishing their weapons.

"The three of you are under arrest," The guard said calmly.

"What are the charges!?" Quin screamed at him.

The rest of his squad were busy detaining Nyrette and Cynthia and keeping her from biting the officer's face off. Their weapons and goods had bee seized.

"Ma'am, I need you to keep your voice down," the officer sighed.

"Then tell me the fucking charges!" Quin yelled louder.

People were starting to stare. The guard looked around and put a hand on his hip.

"Two of the companions you entered the city with have been arrested for illegal underground fighting." he said, "You're being brought in for questioning until we can determine if you were accomplices."

"What? How can we be accomplice to our own friends beating each other senseless?!" Quin asked.

"We simply need to bring you in for questioning." He said calmly.

Quin's mouth pressed into a paper-thin line, her face began to turn red and an uneasy silence fell over the entire scene. She stopped struggling and allowed one of the guards to bind her wrists like they had done to Nyrette and Cynthia. Quin could hear Nyrette asking her something from far, far away. Asking if she was alright. Yet her words were so muffled as if under water. No. As if under the ocean of blood that was currently flooding Quin's mind as the very fabric of her mental state ruptured under the devastating and explosive weight of unbridled rage being turned inward on itself. Her inner tempest ebbed just enough for her to realize that her eye was twitching violently and a single drop of blood had trickled out of her nose.

"I'm fine," she managed to whisper, "Might be some problems later, but nobody will miss him."

They allowed themselves to be lead to a large fortress close to the center of the city and the massive radio tower that rose up above everything. This fortress was a sort of primitive prison. The windows were sparse and barred and razor wire lined the walls. Escaping would be extremely dangerous. Quin didn't think it would have to come to that. She desperately hopped it wouldn't come to that. Once inside, the three of them were paraded through a sort of check-in and then lead to a small cell surrounded in brick and iron bars where they were roughly dumped inside.

"Our inquisitor is occupied. You will stay here until he comes to retrieve you," One of the guards said.

"Are you serious!?" Quin snapped, "We were nowhere near them when they were arrested. We had nothing to do with this."

"If that's true, then you have nothing to worry about. He may even decide not to torture you," the guard shrugged and locked the cell.

"Torture is an inhumane and despicable means of interrogation," Quin spat.

The guard looked at her with a raised brow and walked away shaking his head.

Quin's breathing had been steady but it slowly sped up and she began to clench her fists so hard that her nails bit into the palms of her hands. Suddenly and explosively she let out a furious scream and threw herself down into the corner, pulled her knees to her chest and buried her hands in her face.

"I'm going to kill them," she moaned, "Fucking idiots!"

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

Nyrette gripped Quin's hand as the guards approached with halberds in hand. Cynthia stepped forward calmly, showing no fear or aggression, with her hands clasped. "Good morning, sirs." She said. "Is there a problem?"

"What in god's name is that?!" He pointed at Iisska. He looked behind him, seeing nothing, and went a slight shade of red. The guards looked scared of the unknown creature in front of them.

"Do not worry, sirs. He is an outlander and he means no harm. The group with me are all outlanders and, again, they mean no harm." She said, smiling. The guards seemed to calm slightly, but then they focused on her.

"And you, where is your mask Haemonculi?!" They said accusingly.

"I am Cynthia and, until one week ago, I was the Haemonculi servant of Alchemist Master Delebor. Unfortunately, sir, Delebor has passed away from disease. His last command was that I be passed onto these outlanders and have my mask removed." The two guards reeled a bit when she mentioned Delebor's death. He was well respected in the community apparently.

"I have my doubts about the two humans and Scytheran you have with you, but I have no reason to not believe Delebor's Haemonculi. My humblest apologies, ma'am." He said, bowing. "How did he go, if I may ask?"

Though she maintained her neutral and calm composure, Cynthia was overcome with grief and anger at the question, but she answered it dutifully. "F-from a rat infestation. He was infected with the plague and we could not find a cure." She said, though the guards continued.

"Why could you not find a cure?! Wasn't that the reason you were created? To help Delebor make cures for the land? Why weren't you able to clear the infestation of rats before he was hurt! Isn't that your job!?" He started to yell and Cynthia started to shake a little.

A heavy hand dropped down on Cynthia's shoulder and she was pushed behind Iisska's back as he stepped around her and went toe-to-toe with the guard.

"Because shit happens!" he yelled in the man's face, "She did what she could and you yelling at her isn't gonna change a damn thing! People die. Get over it. Now are you gonna let us pass or what?"

The guard stared the Togruta down, his fellows behind him readied their halberds. Cheshik stepped forward now and towered over the guard. "Is there problem?" Cynthia was frozen.

Iisska snorted and folded his arms, leaning back away from the guard.

"Hey. Don't start none," he glared at the guard, "wont be none. We just want to go in. Trade. Spend money. This guy's got all bunched up over nothing."

"Indeed," Quin stepped forward, "No good can come of this. Put your weapons down and we will not cause trouble."

The guard stared down the group for several moments more before finally putting his hand up, making the others lower their weapons. "Get your business concluded then leave. Cause any trouble and I'll make sure you spend the rest of your days in a jail cell." He threatened. Him and his cohorts left the group alone then to recover and make their way towards the markets. They noticed one of the guards diligently heading off to either warn the townsfolk or alert them that nothing was wrong.

Cynthia kept her eyes down as they moved towards the market, feeling a heavy guilt weigh down her shoulders. "Thank you...." She said, giving Iisska a peck on the side of the head for stepping forward in her defense. "I...had seen Pike and Nyrette do that in thanks for actions too. Thank you for defending me. I...still grieve for my master's passing." She bowed slightly and went to the front of the group, steeling her face again, though everybody knew that underneath her neutral features was a torrent of feelings smashing against one another.

"Oh! Uh. Well, see, thats..." Iisska trailed off as she walked away. "You're welcome," he mumbled under his breath.

"Stop staring at backside." Cheshik whispered into his ear and patted his back as the group made their way towards the town market stalls.

___

On this clear blue day, their visit to the market stalls could not be more timely. The sun reflected brilliantly off of the ancient sky scrapers of a civilization long since passed. Vegetation had reclaimed the stone that had once held families, businesses, shops, and other curios of the ancient past. Exotic flowers bloomed along the ground, walls, and wherever they could manage to not get trampled by the townsfolk of what the group would find out would be Airedale. Many of the buildings had been reinforced with steel and wooden beams so that the citizens could reclaim them and use them for their own families. To Nyrette, whom was walking the main thoroughfare and exploring, this was a brilliant yet foolhardy choice but she was not one to object to these people's traditions. The town was bustling today as, according to those that she had asked, today was "Trading day" for the merchants and many in the region gathered here once a month to trade their goods back and forth. Huge pack animals moved around one another, following their masters. Nyrette had no trouble moving through the crowds due to her rather thin figure.

She held a few trinkets from the mansion in a sack on her back. A vase or two, a small painting, a few daggers and a crossbow. She took a sharp turn and stepped through the grass to a large stall. There was a sign on the front that said "antiques". She figured that she would be able to get rid of the vases and the painting here.

Stepping inside, her nose was assaulted by the musty vellichor of the antique shop. The owner had obviously been here a good while as the tent had wooden floors and beams to hold up the top as well as bookshelves and displays. Nyrette made her way inside and started to poke around a bit, using her free hand to grasp onto the dusty antiques and look them over. Some were very very old, others seemed like they were made less than a week ago. "Looking for something, dearie?" an old, shambly woman's voice called out from the middle of the tent. There was a hunched over woman with bony, sagging, features in front of a circular arrangement of bookcases around the main support pillar. She waved Nyrette over and she complied, strolling over while still gawking.

"My, aren't you a pretty little thing? Not from around here, are you?" She said smiling a bit before pulling a washrag from underneath the counter and shining the top.

"I'm not, no. I'm...ah, what did she call us...an outlander." Nyrette replied.

"Yes, yes, I know you are an outlander. The town watch made sure the entire city knew. Hah hah!" She laughed. "I am guessing that your husband gave you that fine rapier there?" She noticed Nyrette's sword. "Why would he do that, I wonder?"

Nyrette was slightly insulted by the woman assuming that she was given the sword by a husband. "No, I found the sword myself...and I have no husband."

"The same place you found that vase I hope." She winked, noticing the shape of the vase in the bag. Nyrette remembered why she was here and lowered the bag gently onto the counter, removing the two vases and the painting.

"Are you able to give me anything for these?" She asked.

"Well, dearie. I can give you plenty of things." She cackled. "Food, shelter, an ear or two, maybe some hair or a kiss on the cheek." She laughed as Nyrette blushed a little. "I suppose you would be wanting gold for it though, right?" She said, pulling out a sack of at least a hundred fifty gold pieces. "Your vases are very nice, pristine, and the painting is an original. Two more bags after this for six hundred pieces." She smiled.

"You can tell just by looking?" Nyrette was taken aback.

"Yes, dearie. I have been in this game for forty years. I know a good antique when I see one. " She answered.

"Well...tell you what. I'll take four hundred and you give me that kiss on the cheek." Nyrette flirted a bit, harmlessly of course. The woman's eyes opened wide and she laughed hard, coughing a bit in the middle.

"Kids these days still surprise me. Here." She walked away for a moment and returned with but a single small bag. "Ten platinum, a thousand gold to you outlanders. I love when customers make me laugh." She tossed Nyrette the bag with a smile and reached forward after Nyrette caught it. She pulled on Nyrette's shirt and gave her that peck on the cheek. "Now get out of here before I lose a lung." She said, shaking her head. Nyrette chuckled and walked out of the tent with the remainder of her supplies, which was the daggers and crossbow. Now all she had to do was find a blacksmith of some sort and see if she could get a nice sword for Quin to practice with when they returned to the Harpoon.

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

From the shadows, Tu'chak'a stepped out as his predecessor sliced out his tongue and reeled in pain from it. He stood in the low light, baring his fangs and stood with his claws behind his back, his tail twitching with anticipation. "Blood mother..."

"Apparently," she began, "the Agent and her accomplices have... vanished. You will seek them out and return her to me. However, a warning. Do not return to me without her."

"Beg my...pardon, Mistress." He began, his words slowed by the respirator around his neck. "In your...apprentice's cowardice there was a...nugget of truth." He spoke when both breathing outward and taking breath in, to not waste his blood mother's time and his own life. "There is one among them...Zenithar. He makes the...acquisition of your agent very...troublesome. His power, as well as his own apprentice's...is immense. A direct assault to...capture the agent is not...possible. Setting a trap may...be more appropriate." He slowed and clenched his hand several times from a sudden sharp pain. "I can weaken, threaten, and lead...them into your grasp, let them be made...examples of your might..."

Darth Scurus was quiet for several long moments.

"Hm. Both of you mention this person... Fine. Do as you see fit."

"Yes, my blood mother." He finished, placing his fist over his heart and bowing respectively. He turned around and brushed harshly against her apprentice hard enough to stumble him as he made his way into the darkness quick as the wind that had carried him in. When in the light, he looked at the source of the pain in his hand, it had been sliced open and the flesh stripped away. Already his naturally extreme regeneration was healing the wound, but he made note that her apprentice was to be his next target after the agent.

____

The camp was a little quiet this damp, foggy, morning. It had rained heavily the night before, drenching the camp and the logs that were outside the ship. Cheshik's wagon was loaded up with various things to sell in the city and was covered with a tan tarp. The sun was still a few hours from rising. Nyrette and Quin were still fast asleep and Cheshik was saddling up Snickers. The Varactyl preened it's head feathers, cleaning them of the dampness that was setting into the area. "I am sorry, Snickers." Cheshik said, rubbing behind her ears. "In all of excitement, I have neglected your cleaning. I even avoided hunting with you. Forgive Cheshik for being bad father." He rubbed behind her head and found her happy spot. The Varactyl seemed to forget the past few weeks when it's hind leg went to scratch it's neck but could not reach. She illicited a strange sound from her mouth, a mix between a hiss and a purr. Cheshik stopped and hugged the neck of the huge lizard. She flicked her tongue several times and nuzzled against Cheshik.

"Hello Cheshik." Cynthia said, walking down the ship steps, still in the same angular gown that she wore all week. Even with the ruckus, it stayed pristine. Considering she doesn't sleep, she must clean it constantly.

"Oh. I did not see you. Good morning." He said, turning away from Snickers to address the Haemonculus. She lay her head down next to Cheshik's leg and rubbed up against his ankle.

"If I may ask, why did you name her 'Snickers'?" She asked, approaching the lizard. She felt a pit of fear in her heart for a moment, having never seen or heard of any creature like this before.

"Because of sound she makes when I scratch behind head." He reached down and started scratching behind her ear again and she made the same hissing-purring noise from before. "It sound like snickering, thus, Snickers." He stopped and she looked up at him, a little disappointed.

"She reminds me of a cat, but...um. Huge." She said, nervous.

"Do not be afraid of her. She big softy." He said, patting her head. "She would never hurt family."

"But...I'm not family. I'm just a servant here." She said, coming close and placing a hand on Snicker's head, feeling the scaly texture.

"You are wrong. We all want you here, you are as much family as Quin, or Marquis." He smiled, as did she. She looked a lot happier and continued rubbing Snickers' head, finding the spot behind it and scratching, making her snicker again.

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

A week had passed since Cynthia had come to stay with the crew at what had developed into a rather nice camp. Cheshik had insisted on hauling over as many items as he possible could from the mansion to make the Harpoon a more comfortable place. Comfortable as in extravagant in the most out of place sort of way. Beds, couches, paintings, chairs, tables, armoirs, cookery, anything that struck his fancy. Despite the protests from most of the crew he must have made nearly a dozen trips. However he had been forbidden from doing so until more food was hunted as they had already burned through the first kill.

As Iisska slowly pulled himself out of his sudden need for more than fourteen hours of sleep everyday to a more reasonable amount and began to calm down and regain energy, he was more help to Cheshik in that regard. However whenever he wasn't helping to hunt or gather other kinds of food, water and supplies, or working away on vital ship systems, he seemed to disappear for hours into the forest or into hidden areas of the ship. Quin caught him leaving Zen's room after one such disappearance, but all she got out of him was, "Still not awake."

Cynthia had been busying herself tailing random members of the crew and proved nearly impossible to be rid of once she had made her pick for the day. She had also picked up a rather unsettling habit of mimicking, actions, speech patterns, gestures, manerisms and other such behaviors of everyone in the group. It was like looking at a very unappealing photograph of oneself.

At the moment she had latched herself onto Quin, and for the time being she didn't care as she needed her advice. Cynthia had told them of a settlement that was reletively close by. They should be able to reach it in just over a day or two at a good pace. Quin had busied herself picking out things that could possibly be worth something to sell or trade. They needed supplies and badly. As much as Cheshik loved the hunt, she and Nyrette wouldn't last long on the all meat and meager forest roots and berries diet. They would also need medical supplies and information. Mainly they needed to know if there was another way off this planet. Cynthia had been of little help when she had asked that question of her.

"What about the paintings, would we be able to sell those? I know Cheshik will have words to say about getting rid of them, but they really aren't necessary and I'm not fond of them," Quin asked Cynthia.

"They would sell for quite a bit, Pike. More than enough for a good amount of food." She said confidently.

"Excellent!" Quin said, "They should be easy to carry... And 'Pike?' Who have you been following around this time?"

"Your life mate, Nyrette, calls you Pike'ire. I took the initiative and shortened it to pike. Is that alright?" She said, a little worried.

"Life mate? What n-- Never mind. That's fine with me," Quin blushed.

__

Over the past week, Marquis' temper and attitude had only gotten worse. He was secluding himself a lot more and spending much of his time in the still-heavily-radiated A.I. core. He distanced himself from the others and when the Haemonculus tried to shadow him for a day, he nearly threw her out of the ship and locked it. It wasn't that he wasn't incompatible or intolerant of the others. He loved them as family. His mechanical heart ached for the woman that had sacrificed every bit of power in the ship to save them and he was under so much worry about if she'll wake back up that he couldn't stand to be around anything. He was devastatingly alone and hurting.

Cheshik however had been thriving. Making multiple trips with Cynthia back and forth to the mansion to replace the rapidly aging or damaged furniture in the ship. Though he had been banned from it for two days until more food could be found, so he had disappeared for a day and a half straight, coming back with several bags of meat on his little makeshift wagon and threw it into the freezer. There was enough meat to last them a week. Plus, the puppy was happy with a hunk of lamb meat.

Zen has been in a coma for a week. Not much has happened. He soiled himself once and giggled for some reason while Iisska was walking out of the room. Strange slap marks appeared on his skin one day and Quin's hand was red as well. What a coincidence.

STAR WARS: ANIHILATION {Reboot} {DemonTongue/Vash}

"You are here. Good." Cynthia said coldly when the group knocked on the door. She opened it and allowed them in, shutting and locking it behind them. "My master has begun experiencing throes of near death. We must hurry, follow me." She lead them without a second thought, heading up the stairs with the group running behind her. They made their way down the hall and to the master's bedroom, bursting inside without a thought.

Delebor sat in bed as he was this morning when they saw him, but he was in a far worse condition. The markings on his neck had spread all throughout his face and pustules had formed on his cheeks and forehead. It was obvious that he was in tremendous pain, but he showed barely any stress as he sat up against his pillows and beckoned the group closer. "You return in the nick of time with the potion. I am grateful, give it here, please." Nyrette reached into Quin's backpack and fished out the large white vial and approached Delebor, handing it to him gently. He held the ice cold bottle in his hands for a moment and reached to the top, uncorking it and smelling it. His smile said that the group had found what they were looking for and they were able to sigh in relief when he took a swig, downing the entire bottle in one go, and smiling for a second time.

"This. Was a vial of river water. Utterly worthless but...ah." He paused and peeled back the covers. "A good last drink."

"Oh void, I'm so sorry." Nyrette pleaded, ashamed that they had all been fooled. "The vial looked as good as-" Delebor shook his head, smiling still.

"It was none of your faults." He swung his legs out and Cynthia ran to his side to assist him, but he put up his wrinkled hand and she froze. He got up all on his own, incredibly sick, in excruciating pain, and on the verge of death, but he did it on his own and proudly. Standing up now, he was hunched a bit but he was a little taller than Iisska. "Instead of bringing me a cure for my life, you have instead brought upon me a cure for the life of another." He approached the group slowly and gripped onto a bed post. "With my very near passing, a unique opportunity has been presented and I wish to take the most of it." He said, coughing hard afterward and taking a deep, ragged, breath. "I wish to ask one more favor of you, outlanders."

"What is favor?" Cheshik said, crossing his arms. "Is it chocolate?"

"Favor, not Flavor, Cheshik." Nyrette grumbled and listened to Delebor chuckle and Cheshik's misunderstandings.

"It is nothing drastic. I simply ask of you...nay, I plead of you. When you leave this place and continue your journey, wherever it may be: Take Cynthia with you." The request was met with shock from the group, but Quin was the first to ask why. "I was never able to have a child. My will was not strong enough. My dear Cynthia is as close to a daughter that I can get, however." He took a moment to breathe and found that he could no longer stand. He sat on the bed as his breathing became more ragged and tired. He reached out for Cynthia's hand and she grasped his gently. "Take off her mask and let her become more than a simple alchemists' apprentice. I..." he coughed again. "I never removed it myself out of fear she would become what I am. An introverted, lonely, old man. Please. Let her experience the world."

It was a solid few minutes of silence for the group before Cheshik was the one to step forward and deliver the answer. "We are always happy to welcome new family." He said happily. "What do you mean by "Take off mask and become more than alchemists' apprentice"?"

"When a Haemonculus removes their inhibitor mask, they begin learning from their surroundings and the people that control them. Depending on how reliant the people around them are, it can take a few days or a few months for any Haemonculi to become almost unrecognizable from any person and become entirely individualized." Cynthia said as coldly and robotically as ever.

"To be...a master of her own fate...thank you, outlanders." His voice began to get weaker and he slumped over a bit. "Take good care of her. She is...every...thing...." He slumped fully against the bed post and closed his eyes. A few seconds after, he went limp and Cynthia kept him from falling via laying him backwards onto the bed. She stood and clasped her hands together, awaiting a command.

"Cynthia lets...go down stairs for a moment to...talk about this away from the stench of death." Nyrette said, feeling the bile start to rise as the body released it's fluids. Cynthia bowed her head slightly and waited for the group to go through the door. They made their way down stairs and to the living room. Iisska quickly found a large wall-parked couch to lay on and rest for a moment. The rest of the group gathered around the fire, Quin and Nyrette sitting while Cheshik stood next to Cynthia, whom stood the same as she was upstairs, awaiting orders dutifully.

"Well. Mask must come off, correct?" Cheshik said. "If none will do it, I will." He said happily.

"Hold on." Nyrette said. "We should learn mo-and you're not listening are yo-No...no you are not." Nyrette didn't even get to finish her sentence before Cheshik approached Cynthia and placed his hands on her head.

"If you feel pain, speak. Hate when I hurt family on accident." He reassured her, though she just nodded, unaffected by what he said. His nails found the edges of the mask and he prepared to pull hard, but it started to come off rather easily. He pulled a bit more and more until it disconnected from her face entirely. Cheshik lowered the mask slowly and the group finally saw what was underneath. Even Iisska got up and leaned against the chair behind Quin to see. The main feature was her bright and shiny blue pupils above her pointy nose and rounded face. A radical change from her very angular clothing and hair. She looked from person to person in the group for several seconds before her eyes widened and she put her hands on her face and screamed. "OH THE PAIN! IT BURNS AHH!" She screamed and turned away quickly before turning back with her hands at her side again. "Nevermind, it is fine. Where were we?"

"Oh she'll be just fine in our little family." Nyrette chuckled. "Do you know our names?"

"I do not. No." She said inquisitively, again a big departure from her robot voice.

"I am Nyrette Silvanus, The lizard there is Cheshik Essan. The beautiful woman there is Pike're Quin, Quin for short, and the Togruta behind her is Iisska Reylos." Nyrette said.

"Oh! You're hurt!" Cynthia said and stepped around the chair to Iisska. He tried to back away but she held him fast, pulling up the sleeve and looking at his shoulder. It was missing a decent sized chunk of flesh from his arm and he was bleeding pretty bad. "I have something for this, I will be right back. Do not worry." She hurried away, walking as precise as she did before though in a much more emotional manner. Nyrette turned around and saw the shoulder.

"Oh wow. Why didn't you say anything? We would have held your stuff and wouldn't have pushed you as hard to get home." She turned back around and leaned on the arm of the chair, sighing. "I'm just a mess today. Got somebody killed and didn't even notice my brother's hurt shoulder. What is wrong with me?" She grumbled, though Quin placed a hand on hers and smiled, cheering her up quite a bit. Within a minute, Cynthia was back with a small red potion in hand.

"Here, drink this, please. It is not fast, but your wounds will heal in a few hours and the hunk of flesh missing will regenerate as well." She held it out to him. "It will taste a little bitter, but I added a couple dashes of Cinnamon for flavor."