Ante Mortem found them self lagging behind the others as they left the ice-cream parlor, mainly due to Angel's sluggish pace. The Silver Reaper had become rather notorious for being irritatingly lazy when indulging in activities he considered [i]bothersome [/i], a word he believed synonymous to effort. His footsteps dragged across the floor, expressing his disdain for their current predicament. "What do you think?" The Chrono suddenly inquired with a sudden change in her tone. The jovial and light hearted sound of Rena had been replaced with a callous monotone. As she gently tilted her head to face her partner, even her expressions had drastically transformed. A stoic and calm expression now lay bare across her face; her eyes cold and void, a kin to a doll'. "Good evening Rin I see you are finally awake," Angel replied, greeting the second half of his partner. "This mission is bothering you as well huh?" He continued, slightly relieved it was not mere paranoia. "It is rather coincidental that the primary makeup of this team mostly comprises of the survivors of Innocence. There is no doubt the ripples of that day would eventually hit shore, but why after eight years of this uncanny silence?" The more he mused over this mystery the more interest slowly peaked. "The Asylums present.....can you tell?" Rin inquired once more, the cryptic nature of her questions designed to keep this topic from prying ears. "I'm impressed, there are maybe three or four people who could catch that," Angel replied, a sense of pride in his tone as he complimented the Chrono with a gentle pat. "It is subtle, a subatomic anomaly in their alchemic drives and there is no way that this occurred naturally. Currently it is of no consequence but if this mutation evolves, oh what fun." A fiendish smile lay spread across the Reaper's face as his gaze slowly shifted from one Asylum to the other. [/i]Mason you cheeky bastard.[i] "We are dealing with uncertainty, if a risk can not be quantified we should eliminate the possibility of it's occurrence," the Chrono responded, her callous tone providing an equally callous solution. The dampened sound of mechanical tinkering appeared to emerge from Rin's boots; however before her stance could change, Angel's arm on her should abated any further action. "Come now, they are harmless. We have Mischief Maven comprised of Nathan and Lama, I know they seem like a handful but they tend to keep themselves in check and they have track record of getting things done. Next we have Psychosoma made up of Groudon and Altaria, I think it is adorable they are named after pokemon. Also sure the name Banshee might be ominous and what not but come now, between Move and Tiara, the latter is the only problem. And please don’t tell me you wouldn’t feel bad after killing BJ and Kite, their team title sounds like a honeymoon spot.” As Angel spoke he couldn’t help but don a puppy face in hopes to try and convince his partner in letting him keep the new amusement he had discovered. “Very well, the current probability of risk is minuscule at best so you are welcome to indulge yourself,” despite the fact Rin made it appear as if her decision was based on logic, it was rather evident this was an exception for her brother. “Lovely, I have something to look forward to now!” The Lost Number replied with his notorious smirk. [b]----------------------------------------Xx---------------------------xX----------------------------------------- Location: Cruise ship currently in harbor Passengers: The Bloodline members awaiting the Asylums ----------------------------------------Xx---------------------------xX-----------------------------------------[/b] [u][b]Queen Anne[/b][/u] “Well-well sister, our guests should be approaching at any time!” Dollos exclaimed, the boy clearly enthusiastic over getting to meet Alchemists of such pedigree. “I can’t remember the last time we saw an Asylum, oh wait yes I can,” as he muttered these words the heir couldn’t help but snicker in a belittling fashion towards his doting sister. “The last time we saw an Asylum was when you, my dear…lovely sister, decided to cover a town in fog for weeks causing panic. As much as I would love the opportunity to supersede you for the position of patriarch, I rather not my sister be disemboweled by an Asylum…..so behave yourself.” From the way Dollos spoke to his elder sister, it was clear the boy enjoyed teasing and provoking her. In the mean time the head of the family found himself mingling with an old ally, the head of the Tatasuko family. Henry had known Zume for a while, particularly due to a friendly business relationship that revolved around information and occasional favors. “Well hello my old friend,” Henry suddenly entered within Zume’s line of sight, a bright smile spread across his face. “How was the last meeting you hosted, I hear you are steadily gaining influence. These are turbulent times, influence and friends are indeed what helps one through them. Then again within such times, it is friends that one must be cautious off.” [u][b]Adesolas [/b][/u] “Look at all these curs, if I find the one responsible for killing our people there will be retribution. Blood for blood, don’t trust anyone Folami, it will only hurt you in the future. You have a kind soul, but this world is not for the kind it is for the strong and the strong must be independent. If you start depending you will eventually fall prey, always remember our traditions and the past child.” Amaka softly lectured her daughter as the Adesola sat at the opposite end of the other bloodlines. Her hatred and paranoia of the other bloodline appeared evident, however what the others weren't aware of were the several eagles that appeared to roam the skies above them while sharks remained positioned far off. Such was the nature of the alchemy of the Adesolas that even nature would bend to their will. [u][b]Steins[/b][/u] ................. Their presence seemed negligible; the quiet bunch of alchemists remained seated without uttering a word, not even speaking to each other. The only thing of import appeared to be that even the Matriarch was present, Cassandra who had only attended two meeting in her entire life. [u][b]Laveaus[/b][/u] “Mon’amie, I seem to have lost your God, do you know where I can find him?” The matriarch of the Laveaus didn’t seem to waste any time in exchanging wits with the Pallidinios, a bloodline she severely despised. “Tell me Dante what does you God think about your priests ravaging young boys, il aime ca? How much do you charge him?” She scoffed in a potent French accent, blatantly provoking him in front of the other hypocrites. “What about you Zidnae, care to share your philosophy on God? Are you really sure that your God isn’t the devil?” Clair continued, poking one at the head of Legende’, however her tone didn’t have the same toxic nature, it appeared as if this woman actually respected the man but also enjoyed poking fun at him. [u][b]Laofengs[/b][/u] The Laofengs have been known to be consistently present in every meeting, however it has been a time bound tradition that but a single representative is sent from the head family. The presence of a Lao is but a mere reminder of who sits on top of the food chain however at the same time they refuse to interfere in collective Bloodline matters and or politics. They believe in balance and do not believe in exerting power to disturb said balance; instead they willingly allow power to be delegated and dispersed and take the role of the observer. However if this balance is put in jeopardy it is only then the Laofengs take on an active role. The current situation that has come about due to the deaths in every bloodline has indeed disturbed the balance, which is why this marks the first time in well over a century where a Patriarch has come to grace the meeting in person. Bearing not a single worry, Lei Gong the current patriarch appeared to be calmly enjoying a glass of vine open to any discussions by any bloodline member that seek to indulge him. However due to security conditions his sister and former Laofeng, Ying remained in close proximity. This however came as little surprise as the Laofengs were known to get special treatment from A.M.R.O and being appointed a Lost Number as a personal guard was but one of them. -------------Xx------------xX----------- "Looks like we are finally here," Angel muttered in disdain as his eyes gazed upon the cruise or what was in his eyes, a massive death machine. "Socializing is not my forte," Rin replied in her usual monotone, her worries not being about the chance of the ship being destroyed but having to exert the effort in trying to hold a conversation. "Don't worry little one, the others will be the one's who shall partake in socializing. We are merely here as insurances, or well it would be more prudent to call us a nuclear warhead on standby."