FalloutJack

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

There had once been a time...

"Rikes!"

...when things were far more innocent.

"Riiikes! Ellis! Merdo! Harkin Roscoe!"

A time of winter, snow and ice everywhere. And naturally, they all liked to play in the snow. A younger Isaac Black called out to the pack, then howled at them for good measure, before taking a sled and going down a hill. Naturally, because he was going face-first, Isaac soon tumbled out, the sled itself going blades-up when he did. He landed in snow, of course, so there was no difficulty. Plus, he was soon joined by nearly half-a-dozen furry friends! They were all so exciteable! Rikes, the only brown pelt among them was feeling especially energetic, but Isaac already knew why THAT was. He had noses in his face, loud sniffing and snorting, making him laugh as he got up. He did so and two of them went down and showed their bellies before running off and back again. They were all trying to get him to head for the house because it was time to eat soon. Rikes actually took his hat and ran with it.

"Hey!"

He beat him back to the house, of course, not only for being faster, but because every other wolf BESIDES Ellis was circling him. Ellis followed Rikes, as per usual. It'd been about that time. Emeri Black, a brown-haired farming girl with basically a heart of gold, was now scolding Rikes and getting his hat back.

"Thanks, Em."

"No problem. I was just about to call, actually."

"Yeah, I know. They know, too. They're really smart, you know."

"I'll bet. So...which ones do ya think?"

"It's Rikes and Ellis, definitely. They've been doing it in the middle of the night, I bet."

"D'you...think we'll keep 'em long after she has her pups?"

"Oh, we've gotta. At least Ellis to raise 'em a while."

"Isaac...doesn't it bother you that you're gonna lose them, one day?"

He didn't want to think about it, hadn't wanted to think on that, even though it was something he did know had to happen. Isaac knew that some day, he would have to let them go to join their new lives. The thought of losing them...even though they'd be going to good homes...

"It does, but...I can't do anything about it. We raise livestock, and alot of the little ones are cute, themselves, but...we gotta eat 'em, anyway. I don't know what to think about that, Em. I just don't."

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"...and you're absolutely sure it's him? I don't see a collar or anything."

"They never liked collars. You put one on and they'd walk backwards for like twenty feet before pushing them off and running around like kids, going 'Lookit me! I'm naked!'."

He laughed, but Britta was again struck surprised by the things coming out of his mouth. Rikes was busy cleaning the bowl his food had been on, and then Isaac finally got the vest off of him. It was a parcel vest. It was essentially made so a dog - or in this case, a wolf - could deliver messages and other small materials - like, say, a pistol and some ammunition - back and forth. He was just about to inspect the contents of the vest - It had two small satchels...and a front pocket, weirdly. - when Michael came up and asked about the surprise wolf. Isaac looked up at him and nodded.

"This is Rikes. I put him and his pack through domestic training so they could be owned by people. He's an Apennine Wolf and...hello..."

Rikes was staring between Micheal, Isaac, and Britta now, doing that thing where the wolf stares and just licks its chops once. Isaac was opening that front breast pocket on the vest to pull out something small and official, going "Huh..." as he read it.

"Looks like he's Messenger, First Class. Guess they wanted to capitalize on his speed and smarts. Uhh, Britta? Would you get something medical, preferably with rubbing alcohol? I don't like the looks of those wounds."

"Sure, Isaac."

"Let's see what else ya got here..."

The satchals didn't contain anything, except for one message on a hastily-folded piece of paper. Isaac opened up the thing and read. His brows furrowed, and then he lowered his hands with an exhale. It had been from whoever was regularly in charge of Rikes, and it was dated the same day as the gas attack.

Message

TO: Atlantic Federation Forward Command (Amone)
FROM: Observation Post 17

Dear Sir,

Following the death of Major Willis, the Imps have grown more and more bold in this area. It's the Green Fox effect. They start to think they've got a guardian angel on their side, and so they get more brazen in their maneuvers. Tactically stupid, but it's making our position riskier by the hour. I'm recommending a full bug-out from this post to rendezvous with the main force for debriefing as soon as it's safe enough to move. Even if you don't agree, do not send this messenger back, please. No sense getting him killed out here over nothing.

Sincerely,
Ryan Aldridge, Corporal, AFA OB-17

"I'm gonna have to talk to someone in command..."

They could be dead already, either by Imperial attack or...or the gas smog, if it had wafted in that direction enough. Isaac didn't even know where their position was. It sounded like it was inside the Imperial front lines, but that could've been prior to the gas coming down, and now there could be an outpost full of corpses who all looked like they'd been choked to death, coughing up blood. Rikes had survived this, somehow. Isaac began to pet him some, still worried but wanting to reassure the wolf.

"Don't worry, Rikes. You're with me now..."

~ Phantom Thieves of London: The Calling ~

For his part, Hakuro had to agree that none of this was really creepy, as Ava had asserted. No, as much as the train was weird and the hosts were kind of hard to place, he did not feel threatened at all. This place was more-or-less relaxing, and the company entertaining. The only thing that he wasn't sure about...was whether Amari was female or not. Alex seemed to think so, and the Attendant did absolutely nothing to dissuade him. But then...there was no confirmation at any point, either. It was all very ambiguous, like the state of the exterior of the train. He'd looked out the window and thought he saw Big Ben out there, and that it was rotating...only the train was also turning, so were they going around it, or was it moving on its own? It's like when you stare at a lake and wonder if the opposition shoreline is actually mmoving while the lake is actually still. Stuff like that, optical illusions.

What this all came down to, as Alex explained to Ava, was something Hakuro had heard about in class, and before that other places. In philosophy, in psychology, there is a concept: Everything is unconsciously connected to one other. Our thoughts and memories, our habits and mannerisms, our teachings, our history, and everything down to the first instinct - it is all linked in one place that we all share that's in the back of our brains and existent all over the place. In Philosophy Class, you'd be asked things like "Where is the human mind, as opposed to the human brain?", because the brain is just the organ that manages our body. But where in all that gray matter is the mind? The frontal lobe? The pineal gland? We don't know. The human mind doesn't seem to have a location. You may as well be asking "Where is the human soul?", because you won't find it on any map. But here...in the Velvet Room and whatever this place it resided in was...maybe you could find it. Maybe here was where it truly existed.

And that was the point, basically. The Collective Unconscious was the full gathering of all of our minds, our dreams, our perceptions of reality. This was deep stuff, deep enough to create a world. Igor had come all this way to give them a heads-up, that things might be going down. They were taking a romp through a world unlike their own, and he cautioned them to be careful out there. Once Alex was done informing Ava of what he thought was going on - what seemed as good an explanation as anything else - he turned back to Igor once more, asking the how and... Yeah, he'd had those cards out and...they looked like Tarot Cards. What was up with that?

"Oh, these cards? They're yours."

He raised a hand, and they flew out into the open air, facing the three, side-by-side at first, but then moving to rotate around each other. They were The Priestess, The Emperor, and The Fortune, respectively.

"This journey has already taken its first step. Three forces of personality have come in contact with one another, and soon they will draw in more and more to their place, to come here."

More cards appeared, taking on orbits around the three, yet also changing their respective trajectories in a harmonious fashion. Hakuro saw The Chariot, the Tower, the Hanged Man, and so on... And then, at the center, there appeared another card: The Sun.

"Each person has their place in the world, and they are both driven and influenced by the force of their own existence and the interaction of others. They are confidents, friends, cammon associates, and the like. They orbit around each other, each with their own path in life that can be altered at the drop of a hat."

Igor ignored that Hakuro dropped his hat for effect.

"What is our purpose, our reason to exist? Why are we here? Where are we going? We ask this of ourselves all the time, even if we do not know it. Perhaps we are looking for purpose, or perhaps what our goals were have been dashed, or perhaps we've known all along and work ever-so-quietly towards it. Ultimately, the greater purpose may elude us because the outline of it is so great that we cannot see the entire picture, or that it was staring us in the face the entire time that we simply did not notice it."

All the cards vanished, except for the original three...and The Sun, still hanging between them. And then, The Moon appeared!

"I give you...your starting point, to see the whole picture, to see what the influence of your lives and others do to this world, to see its purpose...and to know your own."

The Priestess, The Emperor, and The Fortune flew over and landed in the hands and hat of Ava, Alex, and Hakuro respectively. Hakuro looked down at the card as he picked up his hat, then back at Igor and Amari. The Sun and The Moon were still there in mid-air.

"Who are they, then?"

"One you must seek and one you must find. The Moon will wander along the path to this world. The Sun will guide you in this place. Look carefully, all of you. Your lives may depend on every detail you see. There are those that make it here, without guidance and purpose, without hope or help, and they have fallen..."

The three of them could now feel the train coming to a halt, and saw that Amari had produced an old-style microphone from...somewhere. The outside looked EXACTLY the same as when they first came in here.

"Now arriving at Velvet Station! Everybody off! And please remember to mind the gap!"

"This is the end of the line, for now, but the end is also the beginning, and we will meet again when you enter this world of your own free will. 'Till then...farewell."

The doors opened, everything got all foggy, and soon...they would awaken where they had fallen asleep, prior to arrival.

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Hakuro found himself with his head on his desk, by the computer. Oh, he must've blacked out. Too tired or something. His head hurt a bit too. Should be more careful... Ah well. A quick look around the site, and then to bed for real, this time. He had a funny dream with this train and a big nose and... He paused, then. There was a response to his question about tree-climbing in London that struck him, suddenly, as familiar:

"It's not really proper, though. Pip, pip!"

~ Phantom Thieves of London: The Calling ~

In the evening, Hakuro had decided to head back to his room and forgo the day of hijinks that would have normally occurred. He didn't do these things all the time, not when it wasn't necessary. It was just that when the moment struck him, he was all-in. The fact is that Hakuro preferred to live his life on impulse and random choice, to let fate decide and go with the decision made that way, rather than spending excruciating hours deciding on his life. It made things so much simpler, and alot more fun. In his youth, he'd read about a particular Batman villain, an attorney whose life had been half-dominated by a dark personality, and that in the course of things...that personality had been brought out in equal shares to his own. This was Two-Face, Harvey Dent, the man who split in half. Harvey obsessively made decisions by the flip of a coin. And while that shaped the kind of person he was darkly, Hakuro flipped a coin to make things go quicker and to throw in that random charm.

He hadn't bothered doing that with the tree, though. That was all the tree's fault for wanting to be climbed.

.....

Okay, not really, but you get the idea.

Because he hadn't had much sleep today, his energy had actually been on a budget. He'd climbed, and then he'd run off for class to conserve energy for only his brain...until he had Phys Ed, gym class. That was a bit more taxing, and Hakuro was confident in saying that he'd used up about 90% of his burnable energy for the day, which meant he wasn't going to be much for antics today anyway. Thus, he came to his room, closed the door, and hung the coat over his swivel chair at his personal desk. His hat, he placed upon the dresser, shortly before ruffling his own hair and stretching. Being Hatto-san was tiring work, and speaking of which... He sat down before the computer and got on the Hatto Site. He was looking things over, smiling and snerking at the comments, even the negative ones. He started to feel tired - more-so than when he'd walked in - as he was asking the question, 'Why are people so uppity about me being up this tree?', posting his pictures OF said tree and all the pictures he'd taken. He'd gotten pics of the campus, some of the people, that girl on the motorcycle, a random bird...

Wow, he was REALLY-

THUD!

Ow.

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He blinked and...had his hand to his forehead, then it dropped to his sides as he looked around. Hakuro was at a train station, back in hat and coat, surrounded by fog. Well, that wasn't unusual. He was often doing that. Thing is, though...he couldn't remember where he was going. That was something he would definitely remember. Was he off to visit a friend? Move to a new place? Buy some groceries? Meet a stalker? His mind was all fuzzy on that, and this place seemed to eerily desolate. Nobody was around...right?

"Hello!"

Hello...lo...

Just echoes. Hmmm.

"Hey!"

Hey...!

Now, he smirked.

"WWWIIIINSSSTOOONNN!!!"

Couldn't resist, although...the answer was ironically a train. He wasn't on the tracks, so there was no worry to be had there, however the train itself was a bit strange... Blue train, looking like it really didn't belong. The doors opened, and a voice made an announcement that seemed fitting with the English surroundings he'd been getting use to. Alright, this sounded fun... He stepped inside. No sooner had he done so than he noticed two of the people he saw in the morning today, Alex and Ava.

"Oh, hi. Fancy meeting you here."

He didn't really have Alexander's attention. HIS was on what was presuumably the announcer, as the voice had been a youthful one, and there was a youth here whom...Hakuro couldn't really tell if it were male or female. Hmmm. Out of sheer wit, he meant to draw out his coin and flip it for random decision on that matter. He couldn't find it. What...? Aw man, did he lose it? It was just a quarter from the US, but he'd had it since he was a kid from one of the guests at the resort. He'd look for it later. Had to be somewhere...

Down to business, though... This Igor fella. What a nose! Why? How? He did not explain. What he DID say was that this Velvet Train leaving the Velvet Station was called the Velvet Room, and that they were safe. Good to know. So, the man had also introduced themselves and seemingly had a bit of trouble with the rebellious Amari. Furthermore, when Igor invited them to say whatever was on their mind, Alex surprisingly answered in a heavy accent to the Attendant first. This made Amari laugh, as well as Hakuro, and go "It's not really proper, though. Pip, pip!" before Alex continued with the serious questions, as well as Ava remarking on the train itself and also asking her own question.

As for Hakuro...he felt the train moving and...much like how outside it seemed like the tracks were going at odd angles...it felt almost like the train itself was traveling at those angles...yet nothing and nobody was falling over.

"This isn't a normal train, is it?"

Igor smiled calmly and said...

"This place...is not reality as you know it. At this moment, you are not really here, but asleep in your own rooms. The Velvet Room is a place that exists between dreams and reality, neither fact nor fiction. This train travels upon the rails of human consciousness, in a world where the mind may hold great power, if you know how to reach it. You have come here, because you are undergoing a journey, one quite unlike any that you have ever taken."

"What, even me? I've been around..."

He nodded.

"Indeed. It is one that only you and those who follow you may take, and I must warn you...that while this place is your haven, the world outside of the Velvet Room is full of danger and mystery. You must arm yourselves against it, in mind and in body. You will know what to do, however. Of that, I am sure."

"You still haven't answered his question, though. Why us? Why are WE here? What is this journey?"

For a moment, it seemed as though Igor might seem a bit grim. His voice did not change, but the tone of his everything else did.

"Those who can traverse this world number in the many, right now, as well as those who can affect it with their subconscious and not even be aware of it. This is not just a world alternate to your own. It IS your own, in spirit. It is connected. Things are happening now, the dice of chance are rolling. They that come here are responsible for their actions, for good or for ill, but they can affect the lives of many others. However, only they can determine if it is right or wrong. It all comes down to this: Purpose. Why are we here? What drives us forwards? Why do we do what we do? What is right or wrong when we do it? You must keep these thoughts in mind when you finally cross the barrier into this world of your own free will."

He sat back, now.

"Only you can decide upon the outcome, what happens here. Only you can determine if it was right or wrong, or if the grand design was too complex. You may choose to bow out, and you are free to do so. No one would blame you. But whatever comes of that decision, to move forward or to pull back, is entirely yours...and you must live with that."

Ahhh...so that's why his coin was missing. This was too important to decide on a whim.

~ Phantom Thieves of London: The Calling ~

Now, while it is important - nay, essential - to allow for the lives of the people here to continue, we must also push forward. Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so. The fact of the matter is that during the lives of every individual - be they from Evergreen or St. Paul's - must go on, but there shall be a certain focus on some of them. We start with the setting sun upon the general area, especially with this, the office of the Vice-Principal of Evergreen Academy, Henry Ashcroft.

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Worthless, spoiled children, all of them.

He sat in his office, the evening sun peaking into the window as he looked over the reports on his desk, and eyeing the half-filled glass of scotch he'd poured for company. It was after-hours. He could do as he damn-well pleased. It was a gentleman's hour, anyway, a time for men of his time and era gathered 'round and had the odd drink and discussed important topics or past amusements. Ah, the good old days... Not like now, with everything digitized and growing way out of proportion with these self-important twats running things and these children playing at adulthood...

Well, some of them did. Others seemed content to be a grave disappointment. Thus, the file...

'The Principal's responsibility was to the running of the school', they said. 'You're enough not with the times, old boy', they said. Well, who exactly was running things if it was apparently up to HIM to administer discipline on these out-of-control students? How could truly-dedicated types, like Alexander Furst, possibly flourish when he and his ilk are bogged down with the Avas, the Joeys, the Merjas, and now this...this idiotic Japanese boy. He helped put down his kind AND Germany in the war. What does that all amount to? Nothing. Nothing but these wild, uncontrolled kids. He'd have to have Alex in here to give him a lecture, set him straight. Then...he was going to get him separated from the wrong sort of people. He didn't need people like Merja or Ava, either too passive or completely supportive of disruptive elements like this hat boy, Hakuro.

The glass of scotch was already at a quarter length. He hated this, but he would whip these fraudulent human beings into shape...

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I showed you that, so I could show you this...

On the evening of the day that Alexander, Ava, and Hakuro met...well...it seemed the cards were just right. The fates collided as The Priestess, The Emperor, and The Fortune all neatly overturned at once on the table. It was time. The three students of Evergreen and St. Paul found themselves growing more and more tired that Tuesday evening and fell asleep at once, regardless of WHAT they were doing at the time.

Hopefully, no harm was done.

The three of them would find themselves on a platform of the London Underground. To be specific: Each one of them was there alone, absolutely no one else there where they stood. Identical platforms, identical surroundings, looking a bit dim and foggy around where they stood, indicating that leaving was probably not advised, as the further you looked from the spot, the more gray it seemed to get. But...that all changed, very quickly. There was the telltale sound of a subway train - looking of a sleek blue bullettrain, though in a classy and old-fashioned kind of design - on the approach. The train came to a halt and the doors slid open as a young voice called out over speaker.

"Velvet Station! Mind the gap! Mind the gap!"

All three would enter from their platforms, and although the movement and the places were identical, they entered through different doors, which then shut behind them as the train started up again, moving along rails that...if you were of a mind to look...might surprise you as to the directions they seemed to take. Alex, Ava, and the hat boy would find themselves in the midst of...

The Velvet Room

Have any of you ever read the book, Neverwhere, by chance? It describes an amusing encounter with an underground king in a subway. Granted, there was an entire world of the unnoticed and out-of-place in that book, but the important thing to note is that while the man who faced them was not a king, he seemed rather important. He sat in a very comfortable-looking chair, with a table before him that had three tarot cards hovering, face up. Numerous passenger seats of a decidedly plush nature led up to this place, which a... Boy? Girl? Both? Neither? A person bid them to "Have a seat, please!" in a rather exciteable, pleasant voice. No chance ofdetermining gender here, folks. Might well be both, or all. Anyway, the man with the nose from hell - well-dressed and ever-glaring - chose this moment, as everyone was seated comfortably, to speak in a voice that was surprisingly calm and collected. He said...

"Welcome to the Velvet Room... I am Igor, your guide in this venture."

He gestured to the youth standing nearby, who now had a clipboard in hand, which could have easily been a train schedule.

"This is Amari, my assistant."

"Charmed, I'm sure."

The Attendant had spoken in an over-the-top cultured voice, just then. Igor's eyes shifted over to Amari for a second.

"In the normal fashion, Amari."

"Pleased to meet you all, sirs and madam."

Once again, Big Nose focused on the three sitting before him.

"Thank you. Now...I wish to assure you all... You are perfectly safe here. You are our honored guests, the first of a great deal, should all go well. I imagine, however, you have questions. Please...speak your mind, and we shall do our best to answer."

Alexander Furst, Ava Munroe, and Hakuro Kuroda... The three of you have entered into a world unknown to you, but very soon you shall discover a world that is literally pure imagination...and terrible nightmare. In this place, there is respite, however. The Velvet Room caters to all guests, and in this endeavour, the house reputation and indeed right to exist is on the line. Igor awaits your input, your questions and concerns. How do you react to this place, and the strangeness surrounding you?

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

ISAAC & Britta

Aw, Jean, don't... Don't get in the way of dinner at a camp of several people who've been smelling frankly incredible smells the past how-ever-long-it-took-to-cook. Don't do that. Even if it's important, it could surely wait. Oh fine... So, Jean had an announcement about what was going on soon. It was entirely about their latest orders, their next move as a squad. Well, actually it was to be their situation involving a scouting mission, with just three people along with Jean. Apparently, Sergeant Baker wasn't sure of the area ahead and that meant they were needed for a bit of reconnaissance. This was for a great push forward to take over Amone, which presumably the rest of the squad should be ready for, since the scouting mission was tomorrow morning and they wanted to somehow end the seige - all of it - in two days.

Good fucking luck, probably not likely, unless they were killing everyone in Amone to do it or something. Isaac definitely felt that the higher-ups didn't know what the hell they were doing or thinking, in regards to this. Jean and them may be walking into a damn hornet's nest if his own wary instincts were any good. Isaac was starting to value his instincts far better than what the likes of Middleton or Baker might say, especially Middleton. Britta was also of the opinion that Jean should have waited on this, though her reasoning was entirely culinary in nature. She'd reduced the fire to mere waning embers, which would try to keep the meal heated while they latest, but they would die out quickly, and then the meal would begin to cool. Good food is best eaten hot, especially when there's been terrible weather involved, so it's rude to keep it waiting.

Frankly, Jean's reaction to the garlic bread was priceless.

The food must've been absolutely exquisite, because we have Jean reacting this way, everyone anxious for the meal, and Luke was...was apologizing for his arsehole behavior. Let's be clear here, on this. Luke Godfrey was definitely an arsehole. He had a bitter attitude and he hated Darcsens. So, for him to be trying to make up to Jean and any other Darcsen by proxy is nothing shy of a Christmas miracle. Too bad it's not December, 'cause then we could invest in that and pray for the war to be called on cold weather. No such luck there, we thank god for small mercies. This even made Isaac smile.

Look at that. Our little pain in the ass is growing up. Well, he's trying.

Jean was, at the time, making sure with Britta that any excess of the meal be spread out beyond Squad 1, which she nodded at, saying "Of course! I wouldn't dream of letting this go to waste.". However, his response to Luke was a decided 'Try harder, next time.', because while Luke was struggling to get around his stupid hang-ups, he couldn't quite remove the bile from his mouth long enough to be polite about it and act like Jean was a person like everyone else. He called him Boss, but Jean was standing up for the intolerance against his people. Boss wasn't good enough if you weren't calling your boss a human being. People in the Atlantic Federation called the Imperials 'Imps', but they were still human, regardless of the name-calling. Isaac appeared next to Britta, muttering.

"Ya think he'll ever clear his head and act right?"

"I don't know. It's like he's salvaging a pride that isn't there. What's he trying to prove?"

"I have no idea..."

Luke wandered off and things returned somewhat back to normal as Isaac took an assessment for Britta about how many people were looking to benefit from the stew and garlic, which he'd finished eating already and Britta was about to get her own fill. However...

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Rikes

I can smell it. I can taste it in the air. It's nearby. I want it. I NEED IT.

"Whoa! What the...?"

"Hey, is that ours?!"

"Gotta be. It's our vest."

"Hey, watch it!"

Feddie humans. No worries. Home. Safe. Or safe enough. Food nearby, and closing. Wafting, taunting, teasing... So very close now. He couldn't keep his paws from moving him forward at all speed, bumping into things, into people. Feet hurting all day, cuts and bangs and wounds here and there - ignoring all to get some REAL FOOD!

There!

Right there!

At last!

The pot was still warm, but not too hot. Meat and broth... Oh, dig in! Dig in!

"Hey, stop! HEY!"

CLANG!

OW! Loud banging on the pot! How dare you! Feddie soldier saying no? WRONG.

Mine now! MINE!

He'd run from fights, run from deadly smoke, run from Imps and bombs and bullets, but not this. NOT NOW, while he was hungry and hurting! It was his now! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT! NO!

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Britta had turned and had been about to announce to anybody nearby that the rest of the meal was up for grabs when...when there was this sound of something running in and stepping up onto the pot. She turned around and saw this shaggy brown thing in a vest with Federation markings tipping its head down into the pot to eat its contents. She rapped the side with the ladle and what reared up was the face of a vicious wolf.

Not a dog. Wolf. With rather big TEETH.

Immediately, Britta drew her serrated blade and held both it and the ladle defensively. This couldn't be just a wild animal. It was dressed, marking it as an army canine, except it was a LUPINE, clearly. Ears back, growling and not barking, teeth bared back to gums to show the entire set in its mouth. It was defending the pot like a kill it had made.

"Isaac? ISAAC!"

"What? Oh..."

She couldn't take her eyes off of it, but Isaac... You could see that he was suddenly overcome as he laid eyes on their intruder.

It can't be... That bastard... He sent 'im HERE...

Memories of his childhood, of raising what would have been wild animals, if not for his influence... He couldn't possibly mistake that muzzle, that growl, that pelt... He came beside Britta and gently forced down the blade. When she looked at him, she was about to question this, but his face said everything. He was handling this. He approached Rikes, knowing that if he was very hungry, he wouldn't give up a potential meal. Wolves don't need much for day-to-day operation. They can work on a few hours a day of sleep, even very little food for a time without being too hungry, but that assumes a less-than-super-active period. He looked tired, spent...

"Rikes! Down... Down..."

It wasn't the words, so much as the gesture and the tone. A firm commanding tone, and...a smell, familiar. Anger turned to uncertainty, and an urging from him to calm down in that recognized tone of voice, that accepted tone of masters... Rikes' ears perked in understanding, his nose told him who he was talking to, even though his eyes needed a minute to be sure. He saw so many faces that it was necessary to check and check again. The wolf stopped mounting the pot and backed down, letting out a small whimper because the master seemed a little angry with him.

"Gimme the ladle."

Britta, amazed at how easy it was for Isaac to get this hungry beast to back down, did so without question. Isaac scooped some of the stew into a bowl and led the wolf aside, saying "It's alright! He's with me." to any onlooker. He noticed that Rikes was limping a little, that his army dog vest was a bit tattered and torn. He placed the food down and the wolf immediately went at it. Isaac reached down to inspect the vest, but there was a growl from the feasting animal, and he decided to leave it, for now.

"God sakes... What'd they do to ya?"

~ Phantom Thieves of London: The Calling ~

Oh, Hakuro thought this was very funny.

It was the sort of thing he needed to brighten up his day and keep his other freakier thoughts from clouding it up on him. Yeah, that was the last thing he wanted. It was actually a good thing that Alex hadn't shouted the question of whether he understood the situation or not. Guaranteed, the answer was no, and that he really didn't care. Actually, that much was really obvious, because he wasn't even sure why anyone would make a fuss. It was just a tree! They acted like he didn't belong here or something. Well actually, one person rightfully-acknowledged that he was just being his normal self, though it must be said that Hakuro WAS having a little bit of a hard time hearing them from up here. What he definitely heard was that someone wanted to learn to climb. Okay, admittedly, this tree was more of an advanced tree to climb, opposed to other trees. Hakuro supposed it was all very well and good to want to learn. This WAS a school, after all.

"Sure! Though, it WILL take effort!"

Her friend immediately seemed to berate her, which he felt was unkind, but some people just seemed more cautious over this for some reason. It was like he'd done something superhuman and extremely dangerous, and he knew that it was normal human and only somewhat risky. There was a clear difference, which is why when the potential climber's friend called up and asked if he needed any help, the hatted youth looked genuinely confused and called back "No?", making an emphatic shrug. He didn't seem all that concerned as thhe frustrated boy - Alex - started discussing...something-or-other...with another boy, and then he suddenly seemed interested in the photos he was taking. For some reason, this also seemed to warrant some attention. What was it with people in this country? He knew he was always going to be the odd Hatto out, but this was just bizarre...

"Hang on, this is getting aggravating! I can't hear anything!"

From there, he seemed to almost slide back down, except not really. There was very clearly an iron grip he was maintaining around the trunk with his hands, while his feet angled down into the grooves of the tree, and soon he was down on the ground and taking a quick bow with a smile. There, he turned to glance at Alex with a smile, as he said, "And to answer your question, everything." And...it was about that time that his phone began to beep. Taking it out, he switched off his alarm - which was a reminder that he had class incoming - and then put it back into his pocket.

"Well, I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. I simply must dash!"

Shoom! Timing is funny like that, but...morning classes were what they were, and must be attended, so he doffed his had and took off, all while singing - for some goddamn reason - Lovely Bunch of Dragonballs. He wasn't even aware of security coming. It just worked out that way!

Shingeki no Kyojin: Cleansing Amongst Man { Jack & Angel }

Not that Katherine would've had any objections to an escort back to her room, but you have to ask if there was really anything to be concerned about. Well...there was always the chance that a drunken soldier could bump into her and cause an incident. The question, though, is who would be causing more harm to whom. On the one part, you have such behavior being reminiscent of Kate's father, the reason you don't ever see the girl in any sort of drunken celebration. It would very clearly make her uncomfortable. On the other part, therefore, someone trying to give her a hard time might trigger a response that was bound to be violent. Imagine the report on Erwin's desk for such an incident:

Wall Guard A gets tanked after Battle of Trost, remains in drunken and generally festive mood for hours.
Encounters Kate Bellows.
Guard A says something he presumes to be a proposition to Kate that makes Kate visibly uncomfortable.
Kate recoils, decides she wants to be anywhere else right now.
Guard A insists, makes a grab for Kate.
Guard A then wakes up a few hours later and picks up own teeth off of the ground, complaining of a massive hangover.

Yes, that would look great on a report, and even the unflappable Commander Erwin would surely have an eye twitch or something in reaction, given that both a man might be irresponsibly drunk, and that the girl who mainly designs things has stood there and unleashed enough fury to require said man to count his teeth. All of this was completely hypothetical, of course, but you could definitely see it happen at this juncture, so it was probably for best that Sara looked after Kate that night.

All that aside, we must plow on ahead with their journey to the castle. Eren was feeling better, for having gotten out of that hole of a dungeon, essentially. One thing that definitely kept Eren calm, despite everything, was that he knew these people were on his side. Yeah, Levi was kinda' scary and Sara had no hesitation in beating him up, but both were clearly trustworthy, which in turn made the special services perfectly fine. Kate was unsurprisingly quiet today, but very surprisingly focused and poised for any sort of action as she watched over the second cart like a hawk, having looked over its contents perhaps a bit obsessively, like some of the things might get up and walk away in the interim. She had those gloves on, the ones made to attach to blades to become the Titan-Shredders, and pretty much every soldier here would have access to same, though the one who had definitely mastered their use was her.

Everyone was wary of Titans on the way up. You wouldn't think that there was any particular reason to be, since this was the area between Rose and Sina, but after the Battle of Trost...they couldn't take the chance that some wanderers hadn't gotten loose in the confusion. That was the official reasoning, of course. Credible, but the actual reason? You had to wonder. In any case, they reached the castle and ummm...they had to clean. Seriously, Levi insisted that the base had to be dusted and possibly scrubbed. You wouldn't think him some kind of a neat-freak, the way he looked, but then you can never tell a person by looks alone. And as for where Eren had to sleep, well...you could tell that he didn't like the idea of being in another hole, which didn't amuse him later when Hange appeared and literally stuck him in one.

That was a tense moment. They'd stuck him in a dried-up well, asked him to hurt himself to activate his Titan form, and...nothing. For some reason, he just wasn't able to. It was frustrating, having something like this that you could say was literally at his fingertips, and yet he couldn't reach it on command. Why? The worst part, beyond the confusion and disappointment, had to be that he'd bitten his fingers raw in the attempt, leaving him in pain for hours. So, here they were, taking a break to get some food, and he was left like this, trying to figure this out with no ideas from the technical side of things. Currently, there was a debate between Hange and Kate over whether anything in normal Titans accounted for this, but there didn't seem to be so. Sara would probably have heard Kate equating all the regular Titans to sleepwalkers, though nobody had any idea why Abnormals were so...yeah. I mean, they walked like they had a malfunction, and were singularly-obsessed on a specific target. It was weird. Eren's titan form acted abnormal, but he was markedly different, for sure.

Eren was kind of staring at his hand when Sara addressed him, and he looked up with a concerned and irritated at the whole affair while trying to eat. He flexed his eating hand a little.

"I don't know what it is. I thought I hadn't been hurt enough while down in the well, so that's why I tried so hard, but it was a waste of time... I didn't like it down there, either. It was almost like I could tell it wasn't gonna work, even before we started, but I really wanted it to and-"

He'd started to eat again, but in his frustration he'd dropped the spoon. He reached...

THOOM!!

Total chaos.

There was a crack of energy and a thunderclap, like a freak lightning bolt had shot out, and a rush of steam where the table had been. Everyone at the table Eren had been at was either flung back or jumped back, if they were able to. Instantly, everyone - elite or otherwise - was poised for action, blades out and ready to take on a titanic...

...arm.

The steam cleared and there was this grotesque-looking appendage that Eren was now sitting on, and...it had a spoon in its hand. Kate was as shocked as Eren at this point, who was wondering "Why now...?", not aware at first that mostly everyone here was staring daggers at him. Kate was shocked, at first, at the sudden transformation...but then she received another surprise. One second, Hange was standing right there, making sounds equivalent to a tea kettle about to whistle, and the next...there was sudden empty space where she'd been standing, as she ran full-tilt at the arm.

"EREN!! Can I touch it?! I want to know how it FEELS!!"

Of course she wants to touch it.

~ Phantom Thieves of London: The Calling ~

This wasn't as easy as it looked...and it didn't look easy at all. But even with all that in mind, Hakuro had learned the important tennants of that running-jumping-climbing urban sport known as parkour, and its rules applied to every surface and every structure. The first thing is momentum. You can seemingly defy gravity if you have the right speed applied in the right fashion, the force of your momentum pressing against the tilt of the world. It only lasts a couple seconds, and then it's all down to you, but it does work. Velocity is a great force-multiplier in every situation, provided to don't do something that'll just get you hurt...and Hakuro spent time falling down alot before getting the hang of it. Second thing: your grip can be maintained temporarily - i.e. long enough - on even a small outset. Rock climbers do it, professional tree-climbers do it, and so too does this hold in parkour. The skills are interchangeable. It's just that one is meant for the urban setting and must be adapted accordingly. Even still, Hakuro had been taught how to get up a brick wall, so a tree with many grooves in its bark wasn't going to be as challenging. Finally, you need to be sure of yourself AND be consciously aware of your limits at all times...but Hakuro didn't really have that problem, considering he must've climbed EVERY TREE on his island, at home!

I'm not even using 15% of my strength!

He was up that tree, enough so that people were starting to get a little concerned. Nobody official, mind you. In fact, Hakuro wasn't even aware of anybody really watching - Your focus is important, in some situation. - until someone decided to shout up at him from the base of the tree. Seems he didn't want him up here for reasons of... Ah, what do they say here in Endgland? Oh right, Health and Safety. Well, by the time that call had been made, Hakuro had managed to pull himself up to a nice thick branch for sitting on and looked down at whoever was talking...which in this case was one of the local boys and a pair of girls that he...hadn't been around enough to know their names or anything. Kind of sad, really. He usually got on with people faster than this. Certainly worked in Japan, and the Americans loved him! Well, mostly. He had a feeling that the boy shouting at him wasn't going to be pleased with this smiling magpie. Even still, he called back down, still unaware that Laurence had been reading on the other side of the tree.

"Oh, hey there! Good morning! Why's it more a problem if I hit someone? I'm someone! Suppose I fall down and hit no one! Then what? I mean, I could just not fall, but what I'm trying to say is that I don't understand the position!"

We interrupt this episode of Persona: The Calling to present Hakuro Kuroda being a smartarse, followed by a clicking sound and a flash as his phone got whipped out suddenly and he took a picture, followed by him doing more of the same with his surroundings. Granted, it was going to be on a phone camera's resolution, but it wasn't bad. He'd have to review them later, and the people and sights contained therein. Now, the only question was that...he was here, but didn't he have class soon?

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

And so, while the Sovereign planned and the Green Fox was deployed, while reassignments were made and love letters were discussed...

...food was being made.

And let us be perfectly clear here. This wasn't simple ordinary rations and water, the very basics of human survival doshed out to soldiers to keep their bellies quite. No no no no... REAL food, food for champions, proper eats. As it all came to fruition, cooked and toasted to perfection, the aroma began to seriously waft. Tender beef and cooked veg, herbs and spices, and even...garlic bread!

Britta had outdone herself in two particular ways. First of all, while she had often helped her mother with the cooking at home, this would be the first time creating a large meal for many, basically on her own. Isaac's assistance was more-or-less a time-saver in regards to what she could do on her own, though she would at admit that it made the job easier. Secondly, though, the challenge of the meal itself - working with what they had, rather than having the selection of a store to decide her approach - was almost genius. That she had managed a decent dumpling stew like this was an achievement in of itself, and to top it all off with garlic bread? That was a stroke of luck the camp would soon not forget!

She worked on her own, staying in the zone of cooking and not thinking - for now - of her own troubles, and a smile planted itself on her face. It was almost ready... Even if she'd done half as well as she had, the Squad would be eating better than they had in a while, perhaps as good as they'd had it at the White Hart, even. Oh, but she hated to think of that now... All those great memories, and all that tragedy, coupled into one...

Hans, wherever you are, I hope they gave you a gasmask too.

Or better yet, that he didn't need it, and would never need it. Now, that she had pulled out some of the wood to lessen the fire, let the stew simmer and toast the bread a little, it was almost time... Isaac had gone to find glasses, but along the way he realized he needed to set out alot of things, like bowls and spoons. He did that without even thinking about it, demonstrating what HE did around the house at home. What must it be like, on the Black family lands? He was the youngest in his family, according to him, and it was a bit bigger than her own family, perhaps just as warm. Rather than dealing with crops, they wrangled animals, so they must've all been fairly-strong too, rather than just traveling on excess crop-picking stamina. Isaac returned to the cooking spot when he was done.

"Alright, everything's ready. They're gonna love this..."

"They're gonna surround us like your wolves."

"I wouldn't be surprised. It was almost impossible to keep them all away from our slaughterhouse when there's been a fresh kill. Rikes even tried to dig under it and pop up through the wooden floor."

"How'd you solve that?"

"Tossed some unused giblets outside and worked like hell to fill the hole."

"Did you ever do the slaughtering yourself?"

"Only to feed the wolves. Dad figured if I smelled like that and it wasn't feeding time, they'd get confused."

"Smart man."

She knew that he was making conversation like this to help her keep her mind off of things, like she wanted. Isaac had that 'Whenever you're ready' look about him. He wouldn't force it, and for that she was thankful, but he also wasn't leaving it. That was okay, though, because she didn't want him to leave it. She wanted to say, but not right now. Right now, they were all about to sit down to a nice meal. Right now, she was putting out all of the fire and setting out the garlic bread on a small makeshift table. Right now, it was...

"DINNERTIME!!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Lost. Alone. Hated that. He lost their scent. How did he lose their scent? It was all because of the smoke. That awful stenchful smoke. He'd turned and fled like a pup from something that smelled worse than decaying dead, something that was death. He had to. It would choke him to death. He could tell. There was no choice. Hadn't been able to find the others since. City smells, enemy signs, distant sounds - no friends in the curious-patterned clothes. Only the things they called the Imps. He'd killed several Imps, since then. Last resort. Not suppose to, but had to. Hungry, or nearly trapped. Got hurt, but not badly. Snagged the parcel-vest more than his flesh. Have to be more careful...

Been a while. No food. Last Imp he attacked had food, but there was a shot and he had to run. So close. Even Imp rations are okay to eat, sort of. No friends, no Feds. Must have ran fully into Imp territory when the smoke arrived, gone the wrong way. Been wandering the entire time, sleep only when absolutely sure nobody was around...so very scarcely, even for his kind. Distant sounds were resolving into...people. Lots of people. Not sure, but...wait, no. This was okay. It wasn't Imp-speak. It was English, or mostly English.

Also, there was...

Oh!

Oh, that smelled good...

Rikes' ears perked up, suddenly.

Did somebody just shout 'Dinnertime'?

~ Phantom Thieves of London: The Calling ~

"A locallized tornado was witnessed earlier today..."

I'm off to see Godzilla. Hope you guys enjoy!