[hr][i][h1][color=skyblue]Wendy Lucker[/color], [color=lightseagreen]Rowan Campbell[/color], [color=00ff7f]Rori Aherne[/color], & [color=92278f]Ellen Nile[/color].[/h1]
[sub]([@Mr Allen J], [@Nosuchthing], [@FernStone], & [@Zombiedude101])[/sub][/i]
[hr][hider=Breton - Convention Centre][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoFMTe2vQ5g[/youtube][/hider][hr]
[b][code]Academy 61, Roseview_[/code][/b]

After the meeting with the curious cricket-girl, it wasn't long before Wendy made it back to the Academy grounds. Hopefully, she could get something done today. Since she'd been spending the last couple days training with Rowan, and getting the hang of her electricity powers. She hadn't quite gotten the hang of them - since she couldn't change back to her paper powers - but she's mostly getting there. Rowan was a pretty good kid, despite his rough exterior.

She wondered how Rowan would go with the rest of her friends.

The youth always kept her pool of friends small. It was because of her nature, she believed. Not exactly being the most social kind of person - but apparently having a strong enough personality to attract people to her. Maybe having a small amount of friends was what's good enough for Wendy, honestly. She wasn't like her far more extroverted sister, and she's fine with that.

When Ellen and Rori met, it went relatively well (except for the photograph incident). Wendy wondered how it would go if they were introduced to Rowan. Hopefully good. Hopefully. Rowan's rough around the edges, but Wendy could see the good in him.

Wendy approached the main gates, she whipped out her phone, and started sending out a group text to all her friends in Baybridge. Right when she was about to walk into the gates, Wendy turned into paper, and appeared on the other side. In the exact same position as before. She kept walking.

She sent out a text to her "squad" as her sister would say. Rowan, Ellen, and Rori.

[quote][code]Hey guys, do you all want to go out to town just to hang out? Let's meet in Prince Ed-Field.[/code][/quote]
After sending the text, Wendy moved towards her moped.

[hr]
Rowan dragged the point of the pencil slowly across the page, taking care not to press down too hard or too light. [i]Just the outline[/i], he'd decided. Another one of his stencil pieces, still in the planning process on the pages of his black book.

Just before he finished, he heard the brittle sound of his phone rattling in his pocket. Raising an eyebrow, he set his black book aside and leaned over to check on it, finding a message from Wendy.

[quote][code]Hey guys, do you all want to go out to town just to hang out? Let's meet in Prince Ed-Field.[/code][/quote]
[i]"Guys"[/i] caught his attention pretty quickly. From the sounds of it, Wendy meant to invite him along with her other friends, though he'd never met them yet. She'd not said much about them before except in passing, though maybe they were decent enough. Shrugging, Rowan hid his black book in his bag once again and pulled his stuff together, before heading off to meet them.

[hr]
Rori hadn't left their house since being injured, and almost getting stuck somewhere in between bird and human, in the hurricane. It had taken them almost a day to change back to being a human and the injured wing had somehow translated to a broken right arm and wing (not that the wings they had as a human could even be called that).

It seriously sucked. They'd got stuck a few times while transforming, but had never been injured. The doctors that had seen to them had basically told her that if she did change to a bird she wouldn't be able to fly, as the wing in that form would still be broken.

So Rori was pretty much bored out of their mind. They couldn't draw that well with one arm, play their instruments... even writing was a struggle. And it was difficult to get about!

They'd pretty much been aimlessly wandering the house when their phone buzzed, immediately gaining their attention. It could be something exciting!

[quote][code]Hey guys, do you all want to go out to town just to hang out? Let's meet in Prince Ed-Field.[/code][/quote]
Rori smiled down at the text from Wendy, before sending a quick response saying that they'd be on their way. Grabbing all the stuff they needed they practically ran out of their house, in a rush to get on some form of public transport to meet them all.

[hr]
The room had been unfamiliar; it had no home comforts, and had looked as though it had been constructed on a far lower budget than her room in the Academy. It was probably also not equipped to deal with the vast majority of metahuman abilities that she could manifest. Ellen shouldn't have been there, and she hoped that no one at the Academy would notice that she had not been in her room for her latest metamorphosis. With everything that had happened recently, she was relying on the confusion and panic in the wake of the latest attack to distract the staff from her absence.

She had taken the small vial of glowing liquid with her the night before, and reached the address he had given her. The tall ceramic figure was waiting for her. He towered over her, his lanky frame intimidating, almost frightening. Ellen had doubted for a moment whether she had made the right choice. Could this figure really want to help her?

His eyeless face had watched her impassively as he welcomed her, and kind though he seemed, she had been too scared to backout. There had been another as well, a slight Chinese man with a delighted smile that still somehow crept into some dark part of her brain to lurk. At least the Mannequin (she was later told what she could call him) was only creepy because of his power.

She sat up from the bed after the metamorphosis and turned towards the faceless machine.

"What... should I do?"

The Mannequin turned his head over to Ellen and looked at her. There was a simple answer to her question.

"...You should get back to your school, before anyone notices."

The last thing the Mannequin wanted was Ellen getting discovered - and by extension, him getting discovered. If he was going to get anything out of Ellen, he would have to make sure that she remained useful long as possible.

"I will be in touch... I simply wish that you attempt to control your transformations... if it's successful, you should be able to access a variety of powers. However, I need more data... simply contact me if there's any complications."

He would warn her to stay out of Prince Ed-Field, but he didn't want to give anything away. Besides.... He looked at Jiang, then back to Ellen.

She seemed bright enough to stay alive.

[hr]
Ellen's phone pinged as she entered her room; it was a message from Wendy. She replied quickly, her thumbs flying over the keyboard with the ease most teenagers enjoyed with such things. 

[quote][code]I'll be there in like 20 mins, gotta shower first.[/code][/quote]
It looked like she wouldn't have time to work out what she had. She'd gone to sleep with no firm idea of what she wanted, concerned that the serum would have no effect. The Mannequin had said it would allow her some control over her transformations, but how she had no idea. Instead she'd gone to sleep with her mind full of recent events, worried that she wouldn't be able to defend herself, that she wouldn't recognize danger until it was too late.

It didn't take her long to shower and get ready, and before long she was walking out of the Academy gates, her phone back in her hands.

[quote][code]So where are we meeting in Prince Ed?[/code][/quote]
Wendy read the text as she was getting on her motorcycle... She hadn't thought about that. So, she just sent the first thing that came to mind.

[quote][code]Chinatown, that place has great food.[/code][/quote]
[quote][code]Sounds good, see you in a bit.[/code][/quote]
Ellen pocketed her phone and head off down the road to the bus stop, it wouldn't take long to get to Prince Ed-Field, and Chinatown wouldn't be long after that, she could do with the walk at least.

[hr]
Wendy herself decided to quickly pick up the pace and get over to Prince Ed-Field. After the various shitstorms, people were avoiding the overloaded areas... Or simply avoiding larger areas. While DOVE and RAVEN officially confirmed that they had the suspect in custody, not too many people were keen on believing them. Some were even saying that there could be more people behind the overload attacks. Wendy herself was suspicious, but she wasn't about to lock herself in her home.

She had a life, surprisingly enough.

Most importantly, Wendy had artistic aspirations, and dreams that were just waiting to be fulfilled. That's why she hopped up on her scooter, and slid her helmet on as she revved up her moped. After everything was prepared, Wendy hit the gas pedal, and started speeding off towards Courtbridge...

...At thirty miles an hour.

Thankfully, traffic died down.

[hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

After a [i]looooooong[/i] trip into Courtbridge, Wendy arrived in Chinatown. She saw the Asian-styled decorations line up the streets as all she saw were Chinese-themed stores, and restaurants. She rolled up into a moped parking space, and then stepped off. There were all sorts of people walking around - it was a Saturday - what was surprising was that people were trying to live their life despite the threats of a terror attack.

Perhaps people weren't so afraid after all.

Wendy wasn't.

So, the only thing that Wendy could do was find the others. She shrugged as she put her hands in her pockets, and pulled out her phone. As she walked, she looked like another teenaged girl distracted by her phone. She was merely sending out a text to all of her friends:

[quote][code]I'm here guys... where are you all?[/code][/quote]
[hr]
[quote][code]I'm here guys... where are you all?[/code][/quote]
Rowan raised an eyebrow as he stepped off the bus, phone in hand, before tapping in a response of his own.

[quote][code]just got off bus, where are you?[/code][/quote]
"I'm..." Wendy voiced out loud as she looked around. She was trying to find the best reference to give everyone an idea as to where she was. She was by a few restaurants - Oh, she'd just stay in this area.

Stopping for a moment, Wendy leaned up against a tree as she sent out another group text.

[quote][code]I'm on Race Street. Right outside the Twin Tiger Delight restaurant.[/code][/quote]
Unknown to her, Ellen had in fact just stepped off the bus immediately behind Rowan, and looked curiously at him as they appeared to simultaneously receive a text. That was weird. Ignoring the strange coincidence, she turned to head down towards Race Street, picking up her pace a little. It didn't take her long, and she was moderately surprised to find that the boy from the bus was here too.

"You followin' me?" Rowan asked, glancing over his shoulder with a quizzical look as they hit Race Street in search of Wendy.

When she actually caught a look at the boys face she was sure he looked familiar, but couldn't quite place him.

"Don't think so... Don't I know you from somewhere?"

She was hesitant to ask if he was at the Academy, in case he turned out to be a meta-hater. She couldn't think of where else she could have seen him; after all, she didn't spend much time outside of the Academy if she could help it. Add to that one week of every three she never left unless friends talked her into it.

"You one of Wendy's friends?" he blurted out, her face suddenly a familiar one with the connection in his head.

"Wendy's..."

It clicked, clearly this guy knew Wendy somehow, and Academy or not, surely that made him mostly safe. She smiled hesitantly.

"Yeah I'm... Ellen, I go to school with her but I'm a couple years below her."

"Yeah, I know her. She's... good, right?" 

"Yeah, she is pretty cool. I mean she puts up with losers like me so she could be a lot worse."

[hr]
[quote][code]Still on a bus - will be a few mins.[/code][/quote] 
Rori wasn't particularly used to using public transport for getting around. Normally they would just fly, but that wasn't exactly possible. Navigating public transport had been a bit of the nightmare - especially with the wings causing a bit of frustration for other people.

They arrived about ten minutes after Ellen and Rowan did and heading off in the direction of what they [i]hoped[/i] was Race Street.

[hr][i][h1][color=salmon]Haruka[/color] & [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka[/color] [color=salmon]Taka[/color][color=cornflowerblue]shiro[/color].[/h1]
[sub]([@tsukune])[/sub][/i]
[hr][hider=The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya OST - God knows...][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxFQeIniK1w[/youtube][/hider][hr]
[b][code]DOVE/RAVEN Joint Headquarters, White Coast_[/code][/b]

Haruka was finally discharged after three days of sleep - and an even more stringent check-up than the last time he had after the mall incident. Unfortunately, the suppressant collar had to stay on his neck for another week as a precaution. He sighed - he had never expected himself to be a target for overloading, at the worst possible place.

Shizuka happened to be off-duty today (or he probably found some ways to slack off work, as usual), and he offered to drive his twin in his car. Haruka was a little amused to see him - especially not after the comedic episode of Shizuka's sour pouting the day before, when he was struggling to make an apple bunny slice ("[i]How the hell did they actually do it in the anime?[/i]"), and Haruka had to show him how after all the laughing.

Aside from Shizuka's usual overprotectiveness, Haruka felt that there was something else his twin wanted to discuss with him. Sure enough, once the car was out of White Coast area, Shizuka turned down the volume of the radio, starting off, "[i]...Did you mention that masked girl we saw back then in your statement?[/i]"

"[i]No.[/i]" Haruka shook his head, scratching his neck - the collar felt awkwardly cold against his skin. He didn't want to tell his brother about how she almost tried to kill him... but the line she said after that was still on his mind. "[i]I don't know why, but she feels like someone I know.[/i]"

"[i]I get what you mean,[/i]" Shizuka said. "[i]The look that she gave me when I yelled at her - she knows me too.[/i]"

Haruka raised his eyebrows. While he didn't recall anything about the spear from back then, the speed of her regenerative factor wasn't something he could forget easily. And her eyes... he didn't know what she might have been going through after all these years, but he could feel a sense of familiarity behind the hardened gaze. "[i]...It can't be.[/i]" Then he sank back into his seat. "[i]How...[/i]"

"[i]I know what you're thinking, but let's not jump to conclusions just yet.[/i]"

"[i]Remember what she had said to me - to us - before? Her regeneratio---[/i]"

"[i]Haru,[/i]" Shizuka cut him off firmly. "[i]Like I said: until we've more information about our mysterious masked witch, for now just keep this matter in view - and just between us. I'm not going to put her into my report either.[/i]"

Haruka sighed; his brother was right. He turned his head around to look out of the car window, and he sat straight up again when he saw the sign that read: Prince Ed-Field. "[i]Shizu, what...?[/i]"

"[i]Taking a detour, obviously,[/i]" Shizuka snickered at his twin's flustered face. "[i]And we can continue our catch-up over a big bowl of hot ramen in Courtbridge.[/i]"

[hr][i][h1][color=dodgerblue]Lihua Zhao[/color], [color=salmon]Haruka[/color] & [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka[/color] [color=salmon]Taka[/color][color=cornflowerblue]shiro[/color], & [color=9966ff]Lihn Phan[/color].[/h1]
[sub]([@Mr Allen J], [@Fernstone], & [@tsukune])[/sub][/i]
[hr][hider=Adriana Figueroa - Soldier's Dance][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT7iqzEErbI[/youtube][/hider][hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

After the whole incident in Oakdell, Lihua decided to take Lijuan out somewhere to get her mind off things. It was the best she could do. Such an incident was... scarring. For a child her size and age. Especially after the incident where she burned her schoolmates alive. Lihua looked down at Lijuan as she held her hand. This child had been through so much in her young life...

...Lijuan would do great things, Lihua could feel it.

They were walking down the streets of Prince Edfield, searching for something to do. Lihua went into the emergency fund in order to buy Lijuan whatever she wanted, within reason. She took a look off to the side, and only saw the streets of Prince Ed-Field.

Something was off. Even though Lihua was bent on helping Lijuan, she couldn't shake that feeling that something was wrong here. Baron was found dead in his house just three days ago. His house was literally burnt to the ground, and there were traces of accelerant. Only problem was that they couldn't find any clue.

Someone obviously killed him.

However, Lihua didn't have the slightest clue as to [i]who[/i]. Possibly, someone out to silence the man. She just couldn't put her finger on who would have such a grudge against Baron. If it was a Changeling - honestly, she, Meifeng, and the others, would be a larger target. Then again, that bastard had so many messy mysteries, and was so closed off that Lihua didn't want to deal with it.

It just made her a tad concerned, that's all.

It was just the itching paranoia in the back of her skull. Either way she wasn't going to focus on that, and focus on making Lijuan happy.

[hr]
Shizuka had no choice but to park his big ass car a little further away from the place the twins were going to - it was a weekend, so it was no surprise that the Downtown was packed with people.

...Except for the closed-down mall where the second overload incident had happened. The shoppers were avoiding that area like a plague, but Shizuka merely saw it as an alternative route to get away from the suffocating, crowded street, and dragged his brother with him.

Haruka allowed himself to be led around by his twin - it was somewhat unnerving to get glares from passers-by at the suppressant collar around his neck. He glanced at the ruined mall. "[i]...I wonder if it will be abandoned and left to crumble away.[/i]"

Shizuka shrugged. "[i]Probably. Superstitious fools still exist even in this era.[/i]"

Haruka let out a chuckle. "[i]Your power is definitely something they won't want to encounter.[/i]"

"[i]Either that or they can start 'worshiping' my ghostly existence,[/i]" Shizuka said, rolling his eyes. He looked around - even though they had already passed by the mall area, the crowd was still thin, with only few odd individuals and pairs strolling around the inner areas of Courtbridge. It was almost like the majority were staying around the outer parts so that they could get away faster in case another Metahuman disaster struck the district again.

Which made it easy to spot a particular someone among the few.

Shizuka had hoped to pretend not to see that person and continued on, but Haruka didn't share the same sentiment as him and called out, "Hey, Lihua!"

"Hm?" Lihua vocalized as she came to a sudden stop and looked over her shoulder. A quick scan of the people calling her had told her that it was the Takashiro twins. How lovely. She didn't hold any ill will against either of them - she held Haruka in high regards, Shizuka... she could just feel the passive aggression. However, she was going to "kill him with kindness", as they say. There was no need to return such senseless aggression.

"Oh, Haruka, Shizuka," Lihua said kindly as she turned Lijuan towards them and started walking in their direction. "It's a pleasure meeting you two here."

"It's nice to meet you here too," Haruka greeted back warmly; Shizuka simply nodded and said nothing, his face impassive.

Lijuan was quiet as always. It's funny, the child was always cheerful and happy any other time.

"What brings you two here? I'm here to give Lijuan here a very special day."

"Oh?" Haruka bent down slightly and smiled at Lijuan. "Let me guess... is it your birthday today?"

Lijuan shook her head left and right. "My birthday's in October," she blankly said to him, before returning to silence.

"She's not very good with older people," Lihua was quick to say.

"...Ah." Haruka's smile faltered a little - not at the answer, but at the sight of the collar around the young girl's neck. He had heard a bit about her losing control of her pyrokinesis in school when her fire power suddenly developed. His hand went to his own collar - after the incident at Oakdell, he was still feeling guilty about all damage and death he had caused (which, according to his twin, would take [i]years[/i] to restore the harbor back to its former glory). Shizuka had told him it wasn't his fault and he was merely being used by some assholes to further their evil needs, but they both knew that the public would still blame it on a "disaster-level" Metahuman to fuel their hatred for people with powers that they couldn't have.

"Well..." Shizuka stuffed his hands into his pockets. After the gathering with the old crew back at Sugarbush Tavern, he was starting to see the former matriarch in a less negative light, but he couldn't forgive her for what she had done so easily just yet.

Of course, he wasn't that petty to let his personal problem spoil a kid's special day. [i]Make that two[/i], he thought, glancing at Haruka. "Just bringing my bro here to cheer him up instead of letting him to sober at home like a hopeless puppy," he joked to lighten up the mood, earning him a look from his brother.

"Says the one who keeps skipping work to fuss over me like a nagging granny," Haruka returned the sarcasm with a raised eyebrow, hinting at Shizuka's silver hair.

"[i]Oi, don't push your luck.[/i]"

Hearing the twins bickering made Lihua laugh a little bit. She found their antics rather... charming. Rather than annoying. She found it nostalgic, in a way. "Well, today is a beautiful, beautiful day!" She cheerfully said. "I hope you two enjoy it despite everything's that's been happening..." Shizuka was probably getting the brunt of it while in RAVEN.

Shizuka stared at Lihua - he couldn't tell if she was trying to sound optimistic, or rubbing salt into their ([i]his[/i]) wound. Just as he opened his mouth, Haruka beat him to it and spoke first, "Thank you, we will."

Shizuka understood the hint from his twin; he kept his thoughts to himself and followed up with, "As long as he stops moppin---"

"Anyway," Haruka continued on, cutting his brother off. "If you don't mind, you can join us for a meal. It's Shizu's treat."

"Oh, I'd love to," Lihua said as she put both of her hands together, realizing that she had let go of Lijuan. She briefly looked down at Lijuan. "...I'm certain she'll love to, as well." [i]Even if she isn't talking[/i], Lihua briefly thought to herself. She knew, from the look on Shizuka's face, that he wasn't fond of being volunteered. Though, he wasn't that against it since he wasn't speaking up.

Shizuka frowned at Haruka's sudden invitation (and the equally abrupt interruption), but shrugged in the end. He wasn't sure if he could ever reconcile with Lihua, but maybe at least he could give it a shot, to try to improve their relationship bit by bit. Also, there was something he could probably ask her about.

"So,"  Lihua started off. "Where is this place?"

Shizuka ran a hand through his hair. "...There's a nice Japanese restaurant called 'Shiraisake', near Chinatown."

Lihua herself wasn't too familiar with Japanese food - but, everything's a learning experience!

"Excellent, excellent, lead the way."

[hr]
The last few days had been increasingly stressful for Lihn. She'd lost a few more non-metahuman clients due to all that happening meaning the number of people she actually saw was beginning to thin. Thanh had been growing increasingly insistent that Kei [i]must[/i] return home; and when told he couldn't she just threw a tantrum.

And Lihn was scared. Her brother was a target for anyone who was anti-metahuman. That could always translate to them too. Her powers, and Thanh, were not exactly noticeable - but that didn't make the fear go away.

She had decided that the best way to relax was to go out; leave Thanh with a (trusted) babysitter and have an evening to herself. She'd texted Kei to see if he could come, but the answer had been as expected. He had, however, recommended a place for her to eat.

So she had ended up outside a Japanese restaurant named Shiraisake, reading the menu outside before she decided if she wanted to eat here. It looked nice enough. Shrugging to herself she headed inside.

[hr]
Shiraisake was a pretty posh Japanese restaurant; the interior was surprisingly spacious, where there were some traditional tatami-styled seats on raised platforms with low tables and cushions aside from the standard modern tables and chairs, a contrast to the seemingly smaller storefront seen from the outside. The lights were kept dim, giving it a dreamy atmosphere, though it might amuse some to hear well-known jazz songs being sung in Japanese playing in the background.

The twins would have gone for the more comfortable tatami - if it was just the two of them. They went for the normal seats instead - a glance at Lihua's towering height told them that it was the right decision. They were already some customers around, but the restaurant wasn't particularly busy today.

Once seated, the waitress placed a menu book each before the four. "Would you like to have any drinks first?" she asked politely.

"Tea for him," Haruka began, gesturing at his twin. He then looked at Lihua. "They have the Nikka Yoichi whiskey here. Do you want to try?"

Lihua quietly looked down at Lijuan for a brief moment as she considered it, before she replied.

"...I'll pass."

Drinking in front of Lijuan was shameful. However, this restaurant was fairly... pleasant, Lihua had to say. She enjoyed the pleasant music, despite not understanding the lyrics. She was curious as to what she could eat here... Lijuan wasn't a very picky child, so would eat whatever Lihua gave her. Lihua herself had to watch her weight.

Haruka followed Lihua's gaze to the young girl. "...I see. Then I guess tea for you too. How about you, Lijuan?"

Lijuan nodded her head in agreement.

"Let's just get tea for everyone - and no, you can forget about keeping the whiskey for yourself," Shizuka spoke up, rolling his eyes at Haruka's disappointed face. "I'm very hungry now, but we can have a deluxe sushi set and some fried sides to munch on before the main course." He snapped his menu shut. "I'm here for the [i]ramen[/i]."

"I would like some ramen, too," Lihua quickly injected. "I just want to give some [i]real[/i] ramen a try, opposed to the disgusting blocks of depression they sell in the stores..."

...That she's regrettably been eating.

Of course the real deal is [i]nothing[/i] like those disgusting instant junk you can buy off the shelves." Shizuka shrugged at Lihua. "For one, you'll get the actual thick pork broth with fresh ingredients, not some dried processed crap in MSG soup." He was a little amused to see another unknown side of the Zhao woman - he was often under the impression that she was a vain bitch with an expensive, [i]classy[/i] taste, not someone who would actually consider instant noodles as food.

After they had placed their orders, Haruka tried start a conversation with Lijuan again, but she continued to give him the cold shoulder. Leaving his twin to entertain the young girl (and failing hilariously), Shizuka faced Lihua, lowering his voice, "There's something I thought I could ask you... given your [i]past experience[/i] before you came to this land."

He tapped on his mobile a few times before he showed her the image of the same blue dragon tattoo taken from the victim from the first overload incident at the market. "...Does this look familiar to you?"

The question made Lihua raise her eyebrow, but she thoroughly examined the image to the best of her ability. It was a tattoo of a dragon going in a circle, almost like an ouroboros. Lihua herself wasn't familiar with it. So, she was going to be honest with the boy.

With a shake of her head, she said, "I've never seen it before, unfortunately." She wondered what it was. And more importantly; what it meant to Shizuka.

Shizuka sighed and switched off his phone before pocketing it without another word. Something about this tattoo kept nagging at his gut feeling, but he just couldn't quite understand why.

[i]Another dead end.[/i]

At that moment, the waitress came to their table with a huge sushi palette. Shizuka quickly snatched up his chopsticks. "Food's finally here!" he said cheerily, albeit somewhat forced.

Haruka raised an eyebrow at his twin. "...You are weird today." But he did the same, and went for his favorite: the grilled eel.

With a smile on her face, Lihua opted out of the chopsticks for a fork. She was going to enjoy this meal.

[hr][i][h1][color=darkslateblue]Reed[/color] & [color=gray]Quentin[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Tay[/color][color=gray]lor[/color].[/h1]
[sub]([@Zombiedude101])[/sub][/i]
[hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

He looked up at the sign with mild confusion.

"Shirishaaa... Shirisha, Shiri..."

"Shiraisake?" The younger of the Taylors interjected on his brother's behalf.

Quentin cleared his throat, "Yeah, don't lynch me. I never said pronunciation was a strong point of mine. You [i]sure[/i] this stuff's good? I'm still feeling cramps from that Korean place in Black Falls..."

"[I]Japanese[/i] food." Reed emphasised, "Big difference, better learn it or you [i]will[/i] get lynched around here." Reed pointed out, with a thin chuckle.

"Still, no idea if I'll like it," Quentin complained.

"Have you even tried it?" Reed let his brother's silence hang for a moment before answering his own question. "No. Didn't think so. Quit being pessimistic, it's about time we had a chance to enjoy something. Trust me, the Asian food in this city's worth it." That day at Oakdell was still fresh in his mind, though he'd wanted to push it to the back of his mind.

Dragged out into the water, tightly clutching onto Lijuan... he was glad he'd found the girl and been able to pull the both of them back to shore. 

His brother, on the other hand...

Quentin had a great many thoughts swirling through his head, few of them were good. The years since Verthaven had left him with a keen set of instincts and they hadn't truly settled from the moment he'd set foot in this city. Reed had tried to distract the both of them from it, give them both a break, but all the same - Quentin kept up his guard.

[hr][i][h1]The Hands of Science, & the Mannequin.[/h1]
[sub]([@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]
[hr]
[b][code]Old Raygate, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

"Hello, Dr. Cross," the Mannequin said as he dropped down from the roof into the room, followed by Jiang in his misty acidic form.

The group had assembled in a large warehouse in the middle of Old Raygate. Dr. Cross has been at work getting as many of the former Hands of Science, and REAPERS from off the grid as possible. Thankfully, they were able to do it right under the nose of all their enemies.

"Hello, Mannequin," Dr. Cross said, folding her hands behind her back, and Ignatius taking her side. "I take it Old Man Winter's about to enact his plan soon."

"Yes..." the Mannequin said, hunched over. "I need all of your 'employees' to be at their finest."

Ignatius took a few steps forward, and crossed his arms. "Yeah, you've got the best of the REAPER organization."

"Hehehehe, Ignatius," Bison said as he put his hands on his sides. "Yo' pale ass came out of hiding? Well, I noticed you were a few shades lighter! Ha!"

Ignatius sneered, "Bison... someone hasn't killed you yet?" Then he said, disappointed, "...Unfortunate."

With a wide grin on his face, Bison rushed towards Ignatius, assisted by his wind manipulation. Cocking his fist back. "Heh! I'll show you something unfortunate! Freak---" he shouted, before Ignatius literally caught his fist.

Both were sent sliding back a few inches as Ignatius was struggling. Ignatius' hand was surrounded with a blood-red aura as Bison was pushing him with all his strength. He started surrounding his fist with a wind to throw Ignatius off.

"Bison! That's enough!" Eliza said as she put both hands forward, and created a giant transparent hand (which had a lilac color) that grabbed Bison and pulled him away. Before Bison could.

"Ah, the Bull is entertaining, isn't he?" Jiang asked the Mannequin.

"Bison... save your violent urges for later. We'll need you to put it to good use later," the Mannequin said.

"Sorry, but I don't appreciate little freaks like him talking down to me," Bison said, staring Ignatius down.

The REAPER general didn't say a word.

"As I was saying..." Dr. Cross said. "Is Old Man Winter ready?"

"Yes... his operation is going to be launched," the Mannequin said. "We have to be ready..."

"I'm always ready!" Bison said as he slammed his two fists together. "Just gimme the word!"

"...We have to be careful," Dr. Cross said. "The Founding Family isn't going to appreciate our defection... some of their members are... extremely unstable."

"We'll have a plan for them later," the Mannequin said. "Once Eco-Naturá causes a big enough scene to get a large RAVEN force deployed, we have to be ready."