Scout

The Flower, Russian and Hunter [ Cont. Em + Scout ]

Hours turned into days and Nero heard absolutely nothing from that guild or from Rose and Nikolai... A week passed and he had begun simply to throw himself into combat, dropping his emotion. Yuna's name had been grey in his friend's list since that night, as she had been taken into the dungeon, and that meant that she was still not in a safe zone. Had they not found the guild yet..? He assumed that Jacob's name had also been grey because he was spending all of his time hunting and returned for short periods to sleep or resupply. However, after so many days, Nero had begun to truly question why he had yet to hear from anybody since Yuna was taken. The sun was low over that same floor and it was nearly nightfall as he stepped onto the teleport platform.

"Teleport..." He started the command, nearly calling out the city in which his house was located. However, he surprised himself when he finished it, "Black Iron Palace."

In a flash, the white-haired boy found himself in front of the intimidating building... The atmosphere was so cold as he saw the Monument of Life. Those who had passed on would have their names crossed out with a cause, time, and day of death. Something told him to stay away... Go home, go to bed... Nikolai would contact him tomorrow, surely, for an update at the very least. However, his legs moved against his will and his boots made a slow, echoing tap... tap... tap... as he slowly walked into the large hall. He was face to face with the rock and he placed a hand on it... It was so smooth... He paused for a moment, instinctively moving to Jacob's name once he had remembered the order of Romaji characters. His finger froze as he found Jacob's name... There was a perfectly straight line through it... The cause read in absolute clarity, "Player-killed." Nero gasped and held his breath for a moment, visibly beginning to tremble as he fell forward into the wall, his forehead hitting his forearm as he squeezed his eyes shut, taking several deep breaths. How..? He was alive only days ago, not even hesitating to save the girl that Nero had fallen for. A voice rang in his head You don't want to know... it sounded in warning, Don't look for her name... The boy didn't listen to it as he scanned for her name - it was in one of the columns near the end and his fears were confirmed. Same cause of death... minutes later... Where were they? What had happened out in those woods?

Nero pounded his fist against the wall and was met with no more than an 'Immortal Object' window. His teeth ground together and he stared at the ground, the tears welling in his eyes. Now was not the time, he decided before swiping his left hand through the air and sending out a message to Sasayuka once more. He was sure she already knew where the two he had gone to for help were and when they met, he was three times as violent as he had been a week prior.

---

"Where are they?" He snapped offensively, fire in his eyes. They had agreed to meet on the teleport plaza for the final city of the twenty-sixth floor. He'd never lost his cool so readily... This was more Alice's personality than his - he was always so much more calm unless he was frustrated... Today, however, Nero was afraid; he was scared to have lost his best friend and the girl that he loved in the same day.

"..." The girl's expression was dark as she looked down sadly, "I'm sorry, Nero." He stepped back and furrowed his brow at her; Nero had never known his information broker to apologize or feel empathy for anybody.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The boy asked, clenching his fist at his side in aggravation.

"They were going to the boss room the last time I saw them - I expect them to be on the next floor within the hour based on previous start times and Rose's safety margin... Which means you have approximately an hour and a half before they have left the first city on the twenty-seventh," She stated, sighing and turning around. "No charge."

She would say no more apart from a very quiet command, "Teleport..." It began, but Nero could not hear the end of the line. He didn't need it because he had already kicked off after the floor's labyrinth, his blade outstretched at his side. He was going to find out what happened - Rose could kill him, Nikolai could destroy him mentally... But he had to know.

---

"Get your ass back here, you masked son of a bitch!!" His voice boomed as he threw open the doors to the boss room. It was empty and he could hear footsteps... They were climbing the stairs already. Nero pushed himself forward again, bolting up the staircase after them. He appeared directly behind them on the next floor, where he didn't stop his momentum, blasting straight into Nikolai, pinning him to the ground.

"What... Happened?" He asked briskly, his voice a low growl. "You can kill me or do whatever the hell you want - just tell me why Jacob's and Yuna's names both had a line through them on that god forsaken wall! Did you ever try to find the guild? Or do you just not care?"

Digital or Real?

I would honeetly be fine with either direction. That one works though ^^ I don't wanna sacrifice plot or realism for a simple setting change. :p I figure all angles will have some way to tie it in, seeing as the world they live in is one of... the fuuuutuuuurrre oooooohhhhhhh *waves arms around like a super spooky ghost*

Resounding Provocation: The Council of Shadows

Dark Eternity said
AoT is a nice anime, but I feel like it does not add anything new to Anime... And one simple spoiler ruins the whole Anime season(s?).

Eh, it all depends on what you like. It's like DBZ with the amount of filler in it, but the animation style is neat and I like the characters. Plus, I like that it's one of those serious anime that doesn't overdo the chibi/adorable expressions and mannerisms. I like anime that treats itself like it's a live-action TV Show rather than a cartoon. Though it's always good to have a balance. :p It's very hard to find anime that brings anything new to the table with the amount of it that's out there and the demographic it's geared to. XD

Until the End (Scout and Vena Sera)

The server had given them drinks rather promptly and Komada opted for a clear glass filled with some kind of bright orange liquid. She held it with two hands carefully, enjoying slow, long draws of liquid from the straw... It was still amazing how they could make anything flavoured in this place. They were eating and felt full, and yet they wouldn't gain a pound. There was a rather pungent kick to the drink, but it also tasted somewhat carbonated. Her initial reaction was one of surprise, but after a few sips it began to taste normal and she gave a small smile, letting out a sigh as some commotion raised nearby. Her attention perked up and she turned curiously, impulsively leaning down without removing her eyes from the scene before her to take another sip. Those twins from earlier seemed to be a bit involved, but one was so entirely detached from what was happening to her sister that it was almost stressful. Komada almost envied her for being so calm and able to let absolutely nothing affect her demeanor. But, wouldn't those boys have money from the training that day? Even Komada was impressed by her cash intake and was rather excited to see what she could do with it. Finally, Hanta rose out of his seat and she watched him.

"Onii-chan, wai-" she started, finally putting her glass down and hopping off of the seat after him, but he had already involved himself.

The girl instinctively put a hand on the hilt of her blade, though it was far from intimidating, she didn't want to seem useless as she stepped up behind her friend. The scene was silenced by that boy from yesterday and Komada looked down, the life draining from her for a moment as she remembered why she had even met him in the first place. Thankfully, the atmosphere would soon change as one of the twins almost attacked Hanta and she felt something twinge inside of her but ignored it quickly and smiled as Hana praised the boy. Komada opened her mouth to answer his non-verbal plea for help before being cut off.

Finally, the other girl spoke as she walked by, "Of course we can sit with him. He wouldn't have interfered if he wasn't prepared to accept responsibility for it. You ask for permission too often, Hana," She said, resting her hands on her hips.

Komada was in shock - that was a litlte bit rude, asserting herself like that... But then, she was right, the action was an invitation on the most basic level. She bit the inside of her cheek for a moment, looking the two girls over, before getting up the courage to introduce herself. "Seeing as nobody else is going to do it, I'm Komada," She said with a smile, extending a hand.

Lily stared at the outstretched appendage blankly before ignoring its existence entirely. Komada huffed in embarrassment, blushing; there couldn't be even a year between them, and yet she felt so much smaller than the other two girls. Why were they so tall?

Once they had all sat down, Komada returned to her drink as a thought itched the back of her mind before she finally, tactlessly blurted out, "You two don't look Japanese... How'd you get into the game?" She asked. It was already considered rude to talk about life outside of Aincrad, but Komada was entirely oblivious to it; however, the question itself was a bit inappropriate given any circumstance, though it balanced well against Lily's previous assuming attitude.

The neutral twin was the first to react with a shrug, "That's because our parents were from Britain before going to Japan. We've lived there our entire lives apart from when we visit family..."

Komada's eyes lit up at the reply and she began to fire off questions, leaning forward on the table, her hands wrapped around her half-full beverage. "Really? What's it like? I've always wanted to go there... Does that mean you guys speak Japanese and English? I can barely read the romaji on the names in this game... Did you guys go to London? Why did your parents come here?" Her curiosity had been lit ablaze and was not running rampant. She had always loved new scenery, cities, and other cultures.

Resounding Provocation: The Council of Shadows

*Claps hands together* Alright, alright! Time to read up :3 just got out of a 45 minute tennis... session. XD The balls in my trunk were old when I put them there and I haven't taken them out for a year - almost NO bounce to them at all, so... There was a LOT of very healthy running and retrieving going on today. Whee! Loved it. So much sweat ;n; but dat shower though. Ramblerambleramble.

Hey! Has anybody here seen Attack on Titan? :p I watched hte first ten episodes with a friend last night non-stop. It was beautiful. XD I'm loving it.

Digital or Real?

*headdesk* XD I should start replying when my mind is working better - those are all great ideas. I think, story-wise, the gaming idea would be the best route to go. Or we could do one of those first ideas (I would say the summer/spring potluck one, despite my love for Winter) and then in their mid-teen years hit on the gaming setup, seeing as either would work. I was thinking if we do the summer potluck one, my kid would likely be playing on his handheld as his parents are trying their damnedest to make him socialize and be a person. XD ... Story of my early childhood, by the way. :p I'm outgoing now, definitely was the kid on his DS/Gameboy all the time back then though. Heheh.

Last Embers ~Reboot~

Hope so! Good luck, Love! ^_^ Can't wait until we get going again.

Digital or Real?

Hm... yup! All seems ready!! ^_^ So excited. I think a club activity would be a great way to start things off - common interest and all. Might be neat if it was some kind of lingual club, as I know Englad is more progressive with teaching kids new languages than America and in a few decades I'm positive that language learning will be even more encouraged throughout the world and more people would take an interest (because of how important global affairs are and whatnot)... but as children they might just like it at this point, rather than think about things on a global level. XD If you have another idea, please feel free to use it. 8D

Resounding Provocation: The Council of Shadows

Roses and lust filled Felix' nose even long after he and Sera had parted ways to prepare for the meeting that night. He stood upon a balcony outside his own room in the castle, now dressed and ready for the meeting. He closed his eyes, a blissful smile resting on his face as he thought about how the rest of the evening after the council would play out. A powerful hand clapped onto his shoulder before being joined by a voice full of disgust.

"Again I approach you, and once more you reek of corpse, brother," Adrian said.

Felix smirked and shook his head, "That is because you take after father and scents are what you believe them to be. Your mind fools your nose," Felix replied, having not opened his eyes as he breathed the fresh air from so high up.

"I disagree... perhaps I am merely more attuned to it than you are," Adrian argued with clear disdain, crossing his arms. "It's a disgrace... But it's also none of my business," He stated before stepping away. "I'll see you at the meeting, brother... Do try to be civil."

"I'm always civil, Adrian, but thank you for your concern," Felix waved his hand in farewell before looking out to the forest. It sure did feel like a fine afternoon for a walk - help him gather his thoughts before the meeting...

---

Finnegan O'Shaugnessy, a large, middle-aged brute of a man looked to the rest of his pack. He was now two-hundred-and-fifty years old and the Alpha of the most esteemed pack in the world. Soon, he was to hand off the gauntlet to Felix Allistor and take his retirement in stride. However, the leader-to-be had yet to appear, though it was unlike him to be late for anything. The Alpha looked over the others before resting his eyes wearily on Adrian and beckoning him forward.

"Adrian... You will be my right-hand this evening, understood? Don't speak and don't look at anybody wrong. We just need somebody in that chair and the others can relate you to him, even if you aren't. Speak only when spoken to, and only the bare minimum. I've been doing this for nearly a hundred years... Just... Do not ruin it," He said sharply.

Adrian shook his head, "Sir, with all due respect... This is not a good idea... I believe perhaps you would be better to take another in until Felix returns - after all, whatever is keeping him is certainly important and he will likely return soon, yes?"

"You will do as I say. For this evening, you are your brother until we can find him once more." The Alpha looked down somberly - he was still required to step down... If Felix did not return, then he would inevitably have to crown Adrian in his place.

Finally, Finnegan looked around at the highly ranked members of his pack who had all been invited to observe the meeting, placing his hands behind his back. "All of you, listen. Felix, our brother, has not yet returned to the castle... He left earlier and there has yet to be any word from him; in order to keep from delaying the meeting, Adrian shall be joining me at the delegation. As far as all of you are concerned, there is no issue. Adrian and his brother are one and the same tonight - Adrian is Felix and you shall refer to him as such until we are able to recover our missing comrade. Nothing is out of the ordinary," He said, looking to Abigail; she was Adrian's since he had turned her - it was his job to make sure that she adapted to the new life and understood the rules and that she quickly met the standards of their pack. "None of you have seen him, have you?"

Adrian looked over at her curiously, wondering why the Alpha would asked Abigail of all people. She was neither his mate nor one who kept track of wherever he went. Then again, he realized the man was addressing the pack and sighed, looking out of the window tiredly. He needed his brother back... he was not leadership material nor diplomatic... That was why he had always been with the other man - he liked his position...

Resounding Provocation: The Council of Shadows

Also, guys, just so we all know - the werewolves, unlike vampires and demons, are entirely mortal. We've estimated most to live to be about 300 when they start to really fall off the edge and die. Alphas voluntarily step down, out of tradition, at about 250 years old - even if pure-bred - and will very, very likely die within a century thereafter. Not to mention that in a majority of cases, the hierarchy is almost etched into a werewolf's brain irrefutably - it's rare to fight against the order of an officially named Alpha. Not impossible, but it feels unnatural to them and most will let that feeling alone prevent them from action. With the Demon-werewolf pack thing, it wouldn't really work still. The demons have very little access to their "true demonic form" and a whole pack of werewolves would likely be able to overpower a single demon. Not to mention, the Council would quickly act on an atrocity like that. ^_^

And we want your werewolf around, Dark, but there we'd like to keep molding it to fit a little bit better ^^ Simply so that everything fits smoothly and keeps the story consistent. <3 It's very creative though, so we want to have that new facet of plot added in.