Together Again {Dante & Pure}

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

The Ninjasxxxxxxxxx&xxxxxxThe Additions
Ephraim, Shadowheart,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDeception, Kristoff
Sheik, Trevor, WatarixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRayne

When the days are coldxxx
And the cards all fold
And the saints we seexxx
Are all made of gold...
When your dreams all failxxx
And the ones we hail
are the worst of allxxx
and the blood’s run stale...
I wanna hide the truth,xxx
I wanna shelter you,
But with the beast inside,xxx
There’s nowhere we can hide.
No matter what we breed,xxx
We still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.xxx
At the curtain’s call,xxx
It's the last of all.
When the lights fade out,xxx
All the sinners crawl...

xxxxxHearing the movement and feeling the bed shift, Rayne shifted his gaze towards Bander and gave a slight nod. "I'm alright. It happens more often than not actually... I'm going to have to apologize to Niji though," the boy murmured softly while lightly rubbing his thumb against the side of his sketchpad. Briefly blowing a hair out of his face, he used one hand to reach over and gently pat the large paw. "Sorry for stealing your bed. Closets are my preferred places to rest so I shouldn't be doing that again. Sorry if I disturbed your sleep too. I'm not usually awake this early in the day."

xxxxxCatching the knife thrown at him, Ephraim shifted his gaze towards the brothers and held up a finger in front of where his mouth should be. "Shush. I am Ephraim, yes, and Trevor doesn't know I'm here yet nor do I want him to as of yet. He freaks about every little bump and bruise I bring with me to check in on him. I wouldn't have to be in here if I wanted to watch you sleep like some kind of creeper. I'm only here as a favor for Shadowheart seeing as he's attending business. For the one with the moths visiting in increments, one herbal tea of some fancy design. Don't ask. He created a tea bag with the herbs in it and I'm just supposed to make it for you and the..." Taking a moment to shudder slightly and set the knife on his thigh, his grimace could be seen by the way half of his face scrunched up at what was running through his head. Briefly waving the fingertips of one hand as a cup he'd lifted up off the dresser burst into a lavender flame, his gaze returned to it's impassive nature. "Girl in the room opposite of you two. He has a special herb in hers though that makes it different from yours. That's where the tobacco scented one comes in. Shadowheart also said to smile and offer you one of your cigarettes when you woke. He's so hilarious with his choice of words."

xxxxx"By the way, good senses, boys, but still rather slow in picking up intruders. I've been here for at least an hour while examining y'all's arsenal of weaponry... Which depresses me to a high degree. May I sharpen these for you? It's got an edge as deadly as a dull wooden pencil; effective to a degree, but I'd have better luck just using my fingers as is. That also requires his asking the rest of your group if it's alright for me to sharpen their blades considering I'd rather avoid the females, especially the twin princesses, like the plague. Trevor is against my forcing people to do things or doing anything with weapons beyond examination without the owner's consent so be glad I'm asking," he added smoothly. Ephraim knew quite well that he stressed his sarcasm and distaste when it came down to it, but Trevor wanted him to be honest so he was being just that. If he'd've added how he wanted to snap Truth's and Deception's necks, however, there'd be some hostile air passed between the trio whereas right now one side cast suspicion whereas his side was completely platonic. Cutting off the flame, he dropped off of the dresser and set it closer to Shiro alongside his knife before returning to his spot on the dresser where he returned to examining the Beretta. "Family traits are traits passed through the actual family. I have no family, just acquaintances. Trevor can call me his son, the twins their brother, but the truth of the matter is that he was a partner of mine and he tried pushing me into your world. Those twerps are naive and should be grateful he's still alive and able to smile..."

xxxxxGlancing up at the ceiling briefly, Watari furrowed his brow whereas Tyvinda shifted his gaze automatically to the two girls. Smiling at the question, the Sheikah nodded and beckoned the girls to enter the kitchen. "Of course you may help. The more the merrier. Miss Lianna and Rissa, right? You're such sweet girls, but don't push yourselves too hard. That's why I'm here. I'm used to being everywhere at once and I love being active," he hummed cheerfully while flipping some bacon over in a pan. "He goes a little nuts if you restrict his movements. According to Ephie, they'd both been caught once and Trevor wound up detaching a chair bolted to the floor by finally snapping." "Ah yes. I remember that like it was yesterday. The shrieks were so very pleasant and warm. My wife yelled at me later when I got home and was taking a bath 'cause of the bruises on my arms and across my ribcage that I hadn't let the girls see. It was worse when she realized Ephie had all of his fingertips bandaged, a cut over his right eye and a busted lip. She would've beat me upside the head if she would've known Ephie was hiding the stab wounds we'd both gotten. It comes with the job description though so she knew we weren't going to be coming back unscathed all of the time." "Ephie's already home." "I know. He's hiding it from me again. I just hope he doesn't encounter Truth and Deception before I can get him to speak face-to-face with me. He's a young volcano on the verge of erupting. If he has his way, there will most definitely need to be an intervention. Then again, considering he still fears Deception may try kissing him again, I may get to speak with him first. We can only play it by ear. So ladies, is there anything in particular you wish to add to our little buffet or something in particular you wish to work on? I'll probably add some cookies and donuts on the table for the sugar lovers too..."

So they dug your grave
xxxAnd the masquerade
Will come calling out
xxxAt the mess you made.
Don't wanna let you down,
xxxBut I am Hell bound.
Though this is all for you,
xxxDon't wanna hide the truth.
No matter what we breed,
xxxWe still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.
xxxThis is my kingdom come.
They say it's what you make.
xxxI say it's up to fate.
It's woven in my soul,
xxxI need to let you go.
Your eyes, they shine so bright,
xxxI wanna save that light.
I can't escape this now
xxxUnless you show me how.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes_river

The Strays
Bander, Shiro, Kuro, Niji, Kana, Kansei

&

The Urchins
Krystina, Skylar, Rissa, Lianna, Truth

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

Whoa!
My head is on fire but my legs are fine.
After all they are mine.
Lay your clothes down on the floor,
Close the door, hold the phone,
Show me how no one’s ever gonna stop us now.

XXXXXShaking his head, the beast leaned in and gave the child a lick on his cheek as if to tell him everything was alright before he picked himself back up and went to grab his clothes. scooping up his clothes with his large maw, the beast hid himself in the shadows as he returned to his normal form and pulled on the tattered jeans from yesterday and his old black tank top. once dressed, he let the shadows around him fade away before turning and giving Rayne a smile. "you didn't disturb me, i actually slept in for once. and don't worry about the bed, i tend to sleep better when i look like that, so i'll probably end up on the floor eventually." he chuckled, scratching his neck.

XXXXX"well of course my senses are rusty, i haven't gotten to do anything for the past three years thanks to these damned legs. i'm just glad i picked up on anything at all, really," Shiro snorted, pushing himself into a sitting position so he could drink the tea set in front of him.
XXXXX"thanks for the offer, but i'll pass right now. i'll pro'lly end up having one after breakfast, though. as to Krystina and her tea, i'll take that over there in a bit since you don't seem so keen on doing it." Kuro drawled, shaking his head. "and some traits aren't passed through the blood; some are learned, picked up subconsciously." he added, slipping from the covers to go look at their blades. he was right, they were more dull then an afternoon listening to the old woman squawk about poisons and antidotes and bandages. "yeah, they've seen better days, that's for sure. would you mind if i helped you? it'd be nice to get back into my old routines."
XXXXX"i highly doubt there's a forest nearby for you to practice your climbing in." the elder feline drawled, shaking his head as he continued to sip on the tea.
XXXXX"then i'll just climb houses." the younger shrugged, cracking his knuckles as he glanced out the window. there were a fair ammount of trees around, maybe he could use them?
XXXXX"don't get yourself in trouble." he smirked, watching his brother carefully.
XXXXX"b!tch please, I am trouble." Kuro grinned, turning to stick his tongue out at his brother.

XXXXXLooking around, rissa gave a pout and turned to look at Lianna, who picked up an apple from the counter. "oh! we rarely got to have fruit, so it'd be a great treat for everyone if we made like a salad or something with it. good idea, Lianna!" she hummed and spun around to give her friend a hug, her blonde-to-red curls nearly hitting watari in the face as she did so.
XXXXX Blinking as she was hugged, the faerie returned the hug, patting her friend on the back lightly while smiling at her childishness. setting the apple back on the counter she began looking around for a knife so she could start to cut it up, tapping her foot as she did so.

XXXXXTruth gave a frown and sat up with a start, her eyes wide as she scanned the old toys and pink blankets, spotting her sister in the bed across from her with a sigh. damned dreams. Pushing herself up off the bed, she began to pull her hair from its braid and watching it fall down to her hips. slowly padding over to her sister, she gave a sigh and sat on the floor, sliding her finger's into Deceptions as if making sure all of this was still real and none of her dream had come true. closing her eyes, the redhead began to hum to herself softly so as not to wake her twin. "Long lost words whisper slowly to me. Still can't find what keeps me here. When all this time I've been so hollow inside. I know you're still there; Watching me, wanting me. I can feel you pull me down. Fearing you, loving you. I won't let you pull me down! Hunting you, I can smell you - alive! Your heart pounding in my head. Watching me, wanting me; I can feel you pull me down. Saving me, raping me, watching me. Watching me, wanting me. I can feel you pull me down. Fearing you... loving you. I won't let you pull me down!"

'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

 

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

Family emergency. Not sure when I can actually post as internet is not available often. Sorry.

The Ninjasxxxxxxxxx&xxxxxxThe Additions
Ephraim, Shadowheart,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDeception, Kristoff
Sheik, Trevor, WatarixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRayne

When the days are coldxxx
And the cards all fold
And the saints we seexxx
Are all made of gold...
When your dreams all failxxx
And the ones we hail
are the worst of allxxx
and the blood’s run stale...
I wanna hide the truth,xxx
I wanna shelter you,
But with the beast inside,xxx
There’s nowhere we can hide.
No matter what we breed,xxx
We still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.xxx
At the curtain’s call,xxx
It's the last of all.
When the lights fade out,xxx
All the sinners crawl...

xxxxxAt having been licked, the boy was taken aback momentarily though it passed just as quickly. Had he noticed? "Even if you say that, it doesn't make me feel any less guilty. This was supposed to be your bed and somehow I ended up getting placed on it to sleep. Besides that, you only stirred when I sat up," Rayne smiled faintly before finally glancing up briefly at the other male. "It was Sheik that brought me up, correct? He kept his gaze on us while we were sitting at the counter last night so I'm not entirely sure if he had a feeling something was going to happen or what..."

xxxxxShrugging slightly, the metallic haired male let the handgun sink through his own shadow to be returned to its owner. "I don't get along with girls. Never have. But in my defense, I was raised around nothing other than testosterone so estrogen makes me uncomfortable. Deception just made that discomfort grow into something similar to a phobia," he clarified while rotating the second cup on the dresser beside him. At the commentary of the sharpening of weapons, he smiled faintly beneath the mask. "They've had their fair share of wear and tear, that much is true... Most certainly you can aid me in the sharpening of blades. They will have to pass my inspection though. It's something I find enjoyable and will more than likely keep me away from said females in your little gathering... At least I hope it will... Forest? I can take you to a forest I spend some time training in. I can even give you some better training for your senses. And you, don't use your legs as an excuse for your senses sucking some serious tit. I'll cut the damn things off just so you can't use it as an excuse. That's denial of responsibility and I don't accept excuses. It's either you do or you don't, yes or no, pancakes or waffles. There is no third option of maybe or I dunno or the whole 'not my fault' spill. Plain and simple. And the only trait I've even possibly picked up on from Trevor and his brats would be sticking out my tongue at people, usually in a mocking manner, to which I have been unable to do for years now. All else are my own little quirks and habitual nature."

xxxxxInwardly glad the girl's hair missed him yet still having flinched at the movement from the corner of his eye, Watari removed a knife from a drawer and placed it near the girls with a smile. "Here you are. Careful so as not to cut yourself. Thank you for the help," he thrummed in that far too gentle nature of his before scowling at Tyvinda ruffling his hair like he was still a child. "I love this guy. He's such a sweetie no matter what, smiling and trying to keep the mood light. It's just in his nature. There's plenty of fruits lying about. Some are in the fridge on the right drawer second from the bottom like blueberries and strawberries. Feel free to make a fruit salad. If you don't eat it, I know several gentlemen who will." "That makes us sound like gluttons, Tyvinda." "Well we kind of are, Watari. We have to be in order to maintain a healthy weight to which most of intake is burned off by our constant activity. Should Sheik get the two clans to understand his request, we'll be having two more staying with us too and lycan ninjas, assassins and informants tend to eat up to five times more than two of us can eat. I'm just so excited!" "And ya just hide it." "Hahaha! You are definitely a funny guy. I'm so glad you're my cousin."

xxxxxInside her shared bedroom, Deception felt something warm in her hand and gently squeezed her sister's hand. Truth could be such a fruit sometimes, disagreeable on more than one occasion, but she loved her all the same. Hearing her sister, the dark haired female suddenly wrapped an arm around her just so she could pull her closer to the bed. "I ought to smother you right here. Quit singing such a depressing song. I'm the Negative Nancy, remember?" she muttered though a smile passed over her lips. Patting her atop the head instead of keeping her in a headlock, she finally sat up with a yawn. "God, it feels like forever since we last saw this crap. Your dolls are probably still strung up in the closet too."

So they dug your grave
xxxAnd the masquerade
Will come calling out
xxxAt the mess you made.
Don't wanna let you down,
xxxBut I am Hell bound.
Though this is all for you,
xxxDon't wanna hide the truth.
No matter what we breed,
xxxWe still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.
xxxThis is my kingdom come.
They say it's what you make.
xxxI say it's up to fate.
It's woven in my soul,
xxxI need to let you go.
Your eyes, they shine so bright,
xxxI wanna save that light.
I can't escape this now
xxxUnless you show me how.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes_river

its fine, take your time!
I may end up editing some posts, just so you know.

The Strays
Bander, Shiro, Kuro, Niji, Kana, Kansei

&

The Urchins
Krystina, Skylar, Rissa, Lianna, Truth

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

Whoa!
My head is on fire but my legs are fine.
After all they are mine.
Lay your clothes down on the floor,
Close the door, hold the phone,
Show me how no one’s ever gonna stop us now.

XXXXX"yeah, he did, but I don't think he's here. He left sometime last night for one reason or another, took someone with him," the teen drawled, watching Rayne closely. "You wanna come with me to see of Niji and the others are awake yet? she'll be happy to see you're awake," he hummed, heading for the door only to stop and look back at the kid.

XXXXXturning to look at Ephriam once more, Shiro gave a frown and set down the tea. "you sound just like the old bat. She was always telling us that if we didn't practice we'd never get better," he snorted, pushing himself out of the bed and standing. "but I suppose you're right. I can't just sit around and do nothing." he mumbled, pushing the younger's hand away when he tried to help him.
XXXXX"great, he's at it again. Well, since you're feeling like walking, jerk, why don't you head downstairs and see if food's ready?" Kuro grumbled, shaking his head at how stubborn his elder brother could be.

XXXXXNodding her thanks as she took the knife, Lianna began cutting the apple from earlier up, whistling over her shoulder to Rissa every so often, who then began to search through the fridge for more fruits while tossing an occasional 'okay' back as if Lianna were using real words.
XXXXX "I couldn't find any pomegranates, water melons, or honeydew, so we'll have to make due with these," Rissa sighed, turning back to her friend with her arms full of strawberries, apples, bananas, and oranges. Setting those down, she smiled to the ravenette and turned to Trevor. "Um.... Do you have a bowl we can put this into so it doesn't make too much of a mess?"

XXXXX"actually, I buried them under my bed in a shoe box before we left. They're probably still there," she sighed, returning the hug and closing her eyes. "sorry I woke you up. I just had another nightmare, it's nothing important; I'll ask the sandman to help me next time he shows up," she breathed, still holding onto her sister. she didn't even notice how much she was shaking in her twin's arms, let alone the grip she had on the girl.

'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

 

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

The Ninjasxxxxxxxxx&xxxxxxThe Additions
Ephraim, Shadowheart,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDeception, Kristoff
Sheik, Trevor, WatarixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRayne

When the days are coldxxx
And the cards all fold
And the saints we seexxx
Are all made of gold...
When your dreams all failxxx
And the ones we hail
are the worst of allxxx
and the blood’s run stale...
I wanna hide the truth,xxx
I wanna shelter you,
But with the beast inside,xxx
There’s nowhere we can hide.
No matter what we breed,xxx
We still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.xxx
At the curtain’s call,xxx
It's the last of all.
When the lights fade out,xxx
All the sinners crawl...

xxxxxBrushing a dark hair from his face and giving a faint nod, Rayne slid his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. "Well we'll probably get the honor of meeting this other person when he returns later. I can't be positive, but there's a shadow that'll be back sometime in the near future based on part of my dream when I zonked out," he stated in a slightly not-so-timid voice while padding over towards the canine. "I should apologize to your friends for not mentioning my sudden naps that kick into effect. I don't want to make anyone worry about me because of that."

xxxxxSlapping a hand against the one male's shoulder, Ephraim narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't misinterpret me, stupid. You've got the intelligence of Deception apparently. First of all, it's factual that if you don't try to improve, you never will and you're better off living under a rock than wasting the time of others much less risking their lives for you. Get used to it. Secondly, I didn't tell you to work on yourself physically. Until that's fixed, you're useless. The most you actually have to offer is your senses. Block out the pain and focus on your surroundings. If you need to learn how to do that, I'm a professional and can help you with that," he growled irritably before reaching over and dragging Kuro nearer the door before he hefted Shiro up and over his shoulder. "You, Kuro, get the honor of keeping the girls away from me. And you, Shiro, get the honor of me carrying you down the stairs. Bite me, claw me, punch me in the back all you'd like, but just know that I can do all of that much harder and I don't have any nails right now. Now that you understand that much, move. Trevor's already gonna start bxtching at me for trying to hide my hands from him so just imagine how he's gonna react when I reject breakfast and your little get-together of introductions."

xxxxxOpening the fridge back up, Trevor tapped on a drawer in the fridge a couple of times which began changing the contents rather quickly. "He's got spells in his fridge that contains all of the foods you were actually looking for. Same goes with the pantry. It's how he conserves space and I'll show you ladies how to work it after breakfast if you'd like," Watari hummed in that sweet and cheerful tone that would usually make Ephraim gag, his hands already pulling a large bowl out of the cabinets and over to the girls. "Here we are. Watari, stove please. Here you ladies go. Pomegranates, watermelons and honeydew. I like how you communicate by the way. It's unique. And nothing's ever a mess. Even if it were, cleaning keeps me busy and Ephie's ten times worse about causing a mess. He's probably already made a mess upstairs because he was attempting to hide injuries from me."

xxxxx"Ugh. Of course you did. You loved your dolls. Dad said he hadn't touched anything in here so it'd be exactly as we left it. Thus far, he hasn't lied about that. Don't be stupid. There's no such thing as the sandman and you didn't wake me up. I just didn't want to get up 'cause he's gonna be bouncing in his seat at us being home, the weirdo. You know how dad was when he'd come home and ask us to tell us about how things were going here. He was always on the edge of his seat as if it were jaw-dropping information," Deception responded while brushing her fingers through her sister's red hair. It was no wonder she'd liked her dad so much; they were both redheads and very cheerful. Their mother had been dark headed and pretty irritable much like herself and they'd been closer than she was to her father, the vice-versa for her sister. They were most definitely the opposite of each other. Then again, Trevor had said that she hadn't been that way before the girls were born so maybe it was their fault they'd separated in the first place. Shrugging off the thought, she let out a heavy sigh. "We need to find you a dream eater is what we need to do. I heard rumors about how they live in dream catchers so we should get one and they should get rid of your nightmares. They catch them after all and never let them go from their web. I'm sure I can drag some kind of information on said rumors from that depressing idiot that dad brought home years ago. Sound good to you?"

xxxxxDown the hall from the rest of the group, Kristoff had jerked awake in a cold sweat, his illusionary form having dropped at some point in the night. Giving the wall an angry-blank gaze, he finally swung his legs off the bed and dragged himself off of the bed. Ignoring the fact that his hair was now a brownish-black color, his child-sized clothes pretty tattered and worn out beneath an even more worn out jacket, and several of his piercings that had been visible were now gone, he shuffled out the door to his room and onwards to the kitchen. Once there, he found a barstool that he sat down on and smacked his forehead against the counter without so much as a word making Watari and Trevor shift their gaze in his direction rather quickly. "Not a morning person?" Watari questioned before frowning at the low feline-like growl of an answer. "Got it. Lianna and Rissa, this is Deception's friend Mari... I mean Jin... Or something like that. It's the names he gave her though he doesn't seem to approve of being called that right now. He wasn't wearing that when he came in last night, was he?"

xxxxx"No, but he's an illusionist so it's to be expected that he changes in appearance, speech and so on. So what name are you going by right now, kiddo? This your real form or are you just in a mood?" Trevor responded while tapping the boy on the head. Taking a moment before raising his head back up, he took a moment before finally responding with, "Real. Bad. Hate. Night." From that, he just dropped his head back down in a loud thunk which made Trevor tilt his head to the side. "Got it. He's in a mood. I believe it's one where he has no care about much of anything, but may have suicidal tendencies. He was like this last night; hopping between his different selves. I'll just take his gun for a little bit until he's feeling a little better."

So they dug your grave
xxxAnd the masquerade
Will come calling out
xxxAt the mess you made.
Don't wanna let you down,
xxxBut I am Hell bound.
Though this is all for you,
xxxDon't wanna hide the truth.
No matter what we breed,
xxxWe still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.
xxxThis is my kingdom come.
They say it's what you make.
xxxI say it's up to fate.
It's woven in my soul,
xxxI need to let you go.
Your eyes, they shine so bright,
xxxI wanna save that light.
I can't escape this now
xxxUnless you show me how.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes_river

^-^

The Strays
Bander, Shiro, Kuro, Niji, Kana, Kansei

&

The Urchins
Krystina, Skylar, Rissa, Lianna, Truth

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

Whoa!
My head is on fire but my legs are fine.
After all they are mine.
Lay your clothes down on the floor,
Close the door, hold the phone,
Show me how no one’s ever gonna stop us now.

XXXXXGiving the boy a small pat on the head, Bander couldn't hide his smile. "It's fine. You can explain whatever you feel is necessary during introductions. There'll be a lot of that going on today." He sighed, fidgeting with one of his dog tags again as he started towards Kansei's room, tapping briefly on the door before entering, only to find the sleeping form of a panther and the young neko sitting there staring at her while humming to herself
XXXXX"Niji, c'mon, let's go get you some food." The wolf called, chuckling to himself when the purple haired girl lifted her head and slowly sauntered out of the room, rubbing her eyes as they adjusted to the light.
XXXXX"Urgh... " She grunted, the arms of Kansei's sweatshirt trailing on the ground as she stomped on ahead of them, her feet making a few thuds down the stairs before she stopped and turned to look back at Rayne as if only just registering he was there. Waving lightly, she then waited for them, which only caused the wolf to chuckle some more.
XXXXX"Forgive my sister, she's a bit slow in the mornings. She'll be her usual chipper self after an hour or so," he explained, shutting the door lightly behind him. Spotting Shiro being carried by someone in a mask, he gave a sigh and walked over. "Le' me take him, he's less likely to put up a fight if he's known the person longer." He drawled, ignoring how Shiro was now glaring at him coldly. The albino could just deal with it, he had no patience for his crap any more. Not saying another word, the wolf scooped Shiro from the stranger's arms and flung him over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's get your sorry a** downstairs, brat." He drawled, shaking his head some as he glanced to niji, motioning her forwards.
XXXXXGrumbling something to himself, Shiro crossed his arms and began to glare at his younger brother who was still behind Ephraim, pretending to be preoccupied by something that seemed to be poking out of his left hand while hiding the grin on his face. Glancing to Ephraim, the white haired neko gave a sigh and brushed his hair from his face. "i'm more the mechanical type then i am the fighting type, anyways, but okay. if you want to teach me something new i'm all for it." he sighed, holding his hand out only to have Kuro plop his severed hand into it along with a small screw driver.

XXXXXNodding eagerly, Lianna gave Rissa a poke in the side, causing the blonde to chuckle. "We'd like that, thank you." She nodded, tapping her fingers on the counter as she watched Truth's dad poking around in the fridge. Taking the other fruits from Trevor when he turned around, the girl thanked him before she set them on the counter. "Thank you. I could teach you how to understand what she's saying if you wanted. When she lost the ability to speak, we needed a type of communication she could use while her hands were otherwise occupied, and so I spent a few days working on it with her before we shared it with the others. It's not a complete language, but it gets the job done." She hummed, brushing a red ringlet from her face. "And we'll still need a bowl for mixing the fruit together, but now that there's more, we'll probably need two?" She grinned, going over to the drawer and grabbing a second knife so she could help her friend.

XXXXXGiving a sigh as she pulled herself off the floor, the redhead gave her twin a grin. "Sandman is a nickname I gave a dream demon I met, he shows up every so often, less then when we were little. But he's actually the one who introduced me to Krystina," she smirked, ruffling her sister's hair before turning to her bed and grabbing her scarf from the night before, wrapping it around her waist to hide the scraggly ends of her magenta tank top before turning to look Deception once more. "So, I don't need a dream eater, just the Sandman. i think i might be able to summon him if i can find the right herbs. wanna meet him?"

XXXXXGlancing at the boy who came down, Lianna gave a sigh and shook her head before pushing some apple slices his way, it would be hard to get along with each other if every one wasn't in a good mood, and they already seemed to have two sour apples in the bunch. "Nice to meet you, sunshine. There's some food in front of you if you want it," Rissa drawled as she chopped open the honeydew, humming what sounded like the opening to a movie to herself as she went, the faerie next to her whistling the accompaniment as she began chopping up more apples.

'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

 

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

The Ninjasxxxxxxxxx&xxxxxxThe Additions
Ephraim, Shadowheart,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDeception, Kristoff
Sheik, Trevor, WatarixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRayne

When the days are coldxxx
And the cards all fold
And the saints we seexxx
Are all made of gold...
When your dreams all failxxx
And the ones we hail
are the worst of allxxx
and the blood’s run stale...
I wanna hide the truth,xxx
I wanna shelter you,
But with the beast inside,xxx
There’s nowhere we can hide.
No matter what we breed,xxx
We still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.xxx
At the curtain’s call,xxx
It's the last of all.
When the lights fade out,xxx
All the sinners crawl...

XXXXXFeeling his face heating up from having his hair ruffled, Rayne could feel himself shift his shirt up to hide the embarrassment of being treated like a child. He hadn't been able to act like a real kid for the past few years so the fact that he'd been treated like one made it difficult to not become flustered. "Kay," was all he managed to mumble before following behind the wolf, his feet never making so much as a soft thump or shuffle. Once Bander stopped, he stopped, his hand never having dropped his shirt. As Niji exited, however, he 'd stepped out of the way for her and her overly large sweater to head towards the stairs. When waved at by the girl, he hesitated briefly before waving lightly back. It was here that the older male apologized for her behavior and received a shake of the head alongside his feet moving forward to catch up with Niji. "She's fine. It's not an unnatural trait during the early hours."

XXXXXEphraim more than likely wouldn't have been noticed if it hadn't been for more than one factor. The first was Shiro over his shoulder making him kind of look like he was kidnapping him. As for the second, he'd slammed on the brakes at seeing Niji... And Bander mentioning that she was indeed a she. Why couldn't Trevor just keep it to the two he originally had? Now there was a fricking militia of them in this house. It was then that he noticed the weight of Shiro had vanished from his shoulder. "Hm? Oh. I had him just fine, puppy. It's not like I care if he scratches, claws or bites me. You'd just have to feed him soft foods for the rest of his life 'cause I'd knock his teeth down his throat. Besides that, I have a bit of time to waste and I'd rather not spend it dealing with your militia of estrogen," the teen drawled, his golden amber eyes shooting a glare at the wolf. When Shiro spoke up, he swatted him upside the head alongside his brother. "What'd I say about misinterpreting me? You have it already, just too stupid to tap into it. And you, baka, don't think you can hide anything from me. At one point or another, whether you want it known or not, I'll have your entire history up here." Tapping his right temple briefly, he flipped up onto the banister and slid down it without a slight sway. Before reaching the bottom, he flipped off of it and went to sit on the entertainment center in the living room. As if he was going to get near the broads flitting, or sleeping, about the house.

XXXXXSmiling at Rissa's words, Watari nodded slightly. "Alrighty then. Glad to be of assistance to you. I'm good on learning her way of communicating though Trevor and the others might have some difficulty understanding it," he hummed while fetching a second bowl from the cabinet and setting it down beside the girls. At Trevor briefly raising an eyebrow at him, the black and white haired ninja gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "It's pretty easy to figure out based on the variations of sound, the pitch of what her voice would sound like and various coded languages overlapping each other... Um... Sorry? Trevor, please stop looking at me like I'm an alien..." "That... Is impressively weird, Watari. You've always been good with anything involving sound waves and the wind. Now don't brag about already deciphering it. And I'm done over here. Is there anything I can do to help you two?"

XXXXX"That doesn't make him a- Nevermind. I'm still getting you a dream catcher. I'd like to meet your secret buddy since you've met both of mine," Deception sighed before fingerbrushing her hair and half-heartedly braiding her hair over her shoulder. Stretching and sliding off of the bed, the dark haired female glanced towards the door while completely ignoring the disheveled mess her overlapping tanktops were in. "Anyhoo, we've gotta make it through breakfast with dad first and I coulda sworn he was on the verge of breaking down right then and there. He's gonna smother all of us in his much-too-clingy ways. It did sound like Ephie is here though so that's a plus in my book."

XXXXX"Mm. Heard it and you and your fxcking rope," Kristoff responded with an Irish accent, a brief flicker of a smile passing over his face. Pointing towards the door of the kitchen, he finally lifted his head without caring that there was now a red spot on his forehead. "Six more came down the stairs. At least one headed towards the den... Restless sleep makes me grouchy. Did you sleep well?" "Too excited to sleep." "Been worried about Sheik since he left me behind and Shadowheart... Is Shadowheart."

So they dug your grave
xxxAnd the masquerade
Will come calling out
xxxAt the mess you made.
Don't wanna let you down,
xxxBut I am Hell bound.
Though this is all for you,
xxxDon't wanna hide the truth.
No matter what we breed,
xxxWe still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.
xxxThis is my kingdom come.
They say it's what you make.
xxxI say it's up to fate.
It's woven in my soul,
xxxI need to let you go.
Your eyes, they shine so bright,
xxxI wanna save that light.
I can't escape this now
xxxUnless you show me how.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes_river

The Strays
Bander, Shiro, Kuro, Niji, Kana, Kansei

&

The Urchins
Krystina, Skylar, Rissa, Lianna, Truth

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

Whoa!
My head is on fire but my legs are fine.
After all they are mine.
Lay your clothes down on the floor,
Close the door, hold the phone,
Show me how no one’s ever gonna stop us now.

XXXXX"actually, you'd've had to deal with them if you beat this dummy up." Grinning more as he watched the masked guy walk away, Bander gave a low hum and started down the stairs, ignoring the sounds of metal on metal in his ear as Shiro opened Kuro's hand and began messing with the gears inside. "Remind me to work on my project some more later, I'm sick of you guys babying me." He grumbled, pulling a thin cable out of the end of the hand and sighing. "And you, quit detaching this thing! It only has so much range before the signals from your wrist stop reaching it, and if you lose it I'm not building a new one!" He frowned, bopping his brother on the head before he took the younger boy's wrist and reattached the cable to a clasp at the end.
XXXXX"Right. So, it has a twenty foot radius and you only gave me a ten foot cable why?" Kuro snorted, taking his hand back and settling it back into place before flexing his fingers. "Eh, whatever. At least it still works." And with that, the cat passed up the kids on the stairs to see what the smells from the kitchen. pausing when he found Ephraim in the den, he gave a sigh. "ya want me to grab you some food while i'm in there, or are you going to face the females yourself? i could send Rissa out with something"

XXXXX"so.... how'd you sleep?" niji mumbled, rubbing her eyes once more as she pushed the sleeves of the sweatshirt up again. glancing behind her at her two eldest brothers, the child gave a frown and shook her head. those two were always bickering like baboons in the mornings, it was amazing they got a long at all.

XXXXX"honestly, i could use a bit of fatherly love right now. maybe being home will help with these nightmares I've been having too? who knows" Truth snorted as she pulled her own hair from its braid and let it settle just below her waist. "and you'll meet him, don't worry. but i should probably go and check on Krystina soon, see if she's gotten a bite in or not. you mind making sure the songbird eats? he's looking as pale as she does and we don't need the others asking questions"

XXXXX"You see this s**t in bad television! That James Bond s**t doesn't happen in real life! slept like a rock, myself. although i think lianna was fighting a horde 'r something with how she kicked me out of bed before we came down here." Rissa grinned, spinning the knife in her hand as she dumped cubes of honeydew into the bowl. setting down the knife, the blonde picked up a pomegranate and cracked it open on her knee, using her fingers to dig out the seeds and place them into the bowl as well. Smirking, the faerie beside her rolled her eyes and gave a several short, low-toned whistles in a row before tossing an apple at her friend. "oh, you were so!" Rissa laughed, giving her friend a hip check before she went back to picking the fruit out of it's husk. "and i am not a barbarian! it's just easier to use your hands with these things then it is to use utensils. you know that." she snorted, setting down a now empty pomegranate husk while wiping her hands on a towel.

'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

 

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

The Ninjasxxxxxxxxx&xxxxxxThe Additions
Ephraim, Shadowheart,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDeception, Kristoff
Sheik, Trevor, WatarixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRayne

When the days are coldxxx
And the cards all fold
And the saints we seexxx
Are all made of gold...
When your dreams all failxxx
And the ones we hail
are the worst of allxxx
and the blood’s run stale...
I wanna hide the truth,xxx
I wanna shelter you,
But with the beast inside,xxx
There’s nowhere we can hide.
No matter what we breed,xxx
We still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.xxx
At the curtain’s call,xxx
It's the last of all.
When the lights fade out,xxx
All the sinners crawl...

XXXXXBeing asked how he slept, the dark haired boy readjusted the crappily buttoned up short-sleeve shirt he was wearing while tuning out the bickering behind them. "Mm... It wasn't that bad I suppose. Depends on which side of the spectrum you're on for each indivual event honestly," Rayne responded while beginning to tap his index fingers together in front of him. If it weren't for Bander behind him, he'd just tell her in complete confidence to gauge a reaction from the others. It wasn't exactly something he wanted to share yet had to in order to keep things out of the shock zone. Crap. He'd left his sketchpad in the room. Guess he'd have to go without it for a little while. "What about you? Did you sleep well?"

XXXXXHaving ignored Bander's two cents altogether, Ephraim was rather comfortable on the entertainment center. Well he had been until Kuro showed up and threatened him with sending Rissa in which only got a hiss from him. "I can eat from here, pussycat. It wouldn't do me any good to sit down at a table much less have you bring me food unless you'd like to see the true meaning of a bloodbath. I'm just tired and irritable so don't push your luck. My threat of knocking teeth down throats applies to everyone except Trevor. He can dodge just about anything you throw at him even when he's goofing off, the dillhole," he responded while readjusting his mask slightly with one hand. As if he wanted people staring at him for not piling food up on a plate much less how his eyes were fixated on the girls. Then there was the questions that'd be asked that he didn't want to answer.

XXXXX"James... Bond? Trevor, you'd know this," Watari questioned while glancing at his elder cousin. Trevor, however, had started laughing about the exchange. At least the girls got a full sentence from him instead of just choppy words. "He's a secret agent slash spy of sorts dreamt up by idiots, Watari. They have him constantly being loved by women and getting his freak on with them. In short, he's a fictional character in a fictional world where normal humans can escape a bomb blast timing down from ten seconds from a gap that requires at least thirty seconds with only a few dirt smudges." "Oh... That's... Extremely stupid." "Agreed. That exchange and song go to a movie called Boondock Saints that follows around four main individuals; the Irish brothers, the funny man and the queer investigator. It's a good movie though the sequel sucked horrendously. I'll let you watch it later. Don't bother, Kuro-tan. He can't remove his mask so he finds it weird to join people while eating. I'll explain it better over breakfast. Ephie, you'll stand behind me while we introduce ourselves better so they'll get to see you." "Not even if I was dying and it was my only way of living.... Stop giving me that look, Trevor. You aren't my partner anymore so you don't - Argh! Fine. Just keep your militia of estrogen away from me." "Good boy. He's such a difficult child."

XXXXX"Good. And you just enjoy that smothering. You know dad and I don't mix well," Deception smiled back before wrapping her arm around her twin's arm and dragging her out the door. "Mornin', Bander. Mornin', Shiro. Let's get the songbird and check on Stina." After waving at the two males, she rapped twice on Krystina's door before opening it up. "Skylar, don't make me turn into the raven that's tap-tap-tapping on your window like someone gently rap-rap-rapping on your chamber door."

XXXXX"Thanks for the mild amusement, chiquitita, and the apples," Kristoff purred while briefly rubbing his eye like a cat, his form shifting back to the shaggy dirty-blonde color it'd been last night only in a ponytail. "Need a haircut again. That's gonna be a pain. Introductions can be short and sweet, right?" "We'll start with only things you feel comfortable with sharing and possible threats in the future. Should you grow more comfortable around us that you feel you can open up more, perhaps with something like your real name, then you can do so. No pressure. We're full of secrets even to each other. Example: I catch him and Sheik staring at me like a wounded animal every now and again, but they avoid telling me why. I've given up trying with getting an answer that doesn't involve the topic being changed. I've been kicked out of bed by Sheik so I don't doubt it. I've even woke up to him sitting up straight, I kid you not, with his eyes fixated on a wall and unresponsive."

So they dug your grave
xxxAnd the masquerade
Will come calling out
xxxAt the mess you made.
Don't wanna let you down,
xxxBut I am Hell bound.
Though this is all for you,
xxxDon't wanna hide the truth.
No matter what we breed,
xxxWe still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.
xxxThis is my kingdom come.
They say it's what you make.
xxxI say it's up to fate.
It's woven in my soul,
xxxI need to let you go.
Your eyes, they shine so bright,
xxxI wanna save that light.
I can't escape this now
xxxUnless you show me how.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes_river

The Strays
Bander, Shiro, Kuro, Niji, Kana, Kansei

&

The Urchins
Krystina, Skylar, Rissa, Lianna, Truth

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

Whoa!
My head is on fire but my legs are fine.
After all they are mine.
Lay your clothes down on the floor,
Close the door, hold the phone,
Show me how no one’s ever gonna stop us now.

XXXXXnodding as she brushed her hair from her face, the child gave him a light grin. "slept alright after a while. but my ear's been acting up so it wasn't the greatest." she shrugged, using a piece of string to tie off her hair and keep it in place. "at least this time i managed to stay on the bed." she admitted, her cheeks a slight pink. "i sometimes sleepwalk. is that weird?"

XXXXXGiving a stretch as she finally rolled out of bed, Kansei gave a grin and padded out of her room, pulling Bander and Shiro down the stairs with her with little care for the others as she plopped the white haired neko into a chair. "Stay. Down. or i cut them off and your little project gets extended." she hissed, her eyes cold before she leaned over to hug him. "well, you're in a good mood today." the wolf snorted, rolling his eyes as the panther gave him a nudge on the shoulder. "oh come on, its not everyday you hand out hugs! i mean really!" he chuckled, shaking his head at her when she just flew the bird his direction. "i think most everyone is here now. if you want, we can set up the table for you, Trevor."
XXXXX"okay, see you later then." Kuro drawled, padding after his siblings into the kitchen. who was he to judge if the guy didn't want to eat with them? looking around at the eight other people in the small space "man, this is getting a bit crowded. it's worse then the Tower. ooh, food." he smiled, scratching his midsection as he stole an apple slice from Lianna's cutting board with his mechanical hand."you nut balls are really loud" Kana grunted, scratching at her bedhead as she stumbled in, sporting a pair of cat ears and a tail that hadn't been there last night. "i mean sheesh, tone it down a bit before you wake the dead!" she taunted, ruffling the smoker's hair as she took his apple slice and bit into it. make that nine others.

XXXXX"i'm up i'm up!" skylar called over his shoulder as he pulled the blankets around his sister. "just get in here before people see? she's having troubles right now and i can't tell if its the sickness or the other thing. you really sure we should be keeping this a secret?"
"well, no, but it was her idea and i'm not gonna go back on a friend." truth drawled, pushing the male towards her sister. "now you go eat something while i help your sister." and with one final shove out the door, the redhead was alone with Krystina. spinning on her heel, she gave a sigh and pulled her knife from its sheath and closed the door with her foot before walkign back to her friend. "hey, sleepy, c'mon. it's time to eat. no arguing or i'll smack you." she purred, carefully helping the blonde sit up as she spoke. "you're evil, you know that? you and your twin." Krystina huffed, grimacing at the new aroma in the air as truth cut her wrist open and held it up for her to drink. "you won't always be saying that." Truth snorted, wincing slightly as her friend latched on and began drinking more greedily then she usually did.

XXXXX"haven't seen it in a few years. i bet several people here wouldn't mind watching it again, either." the blonde drawled as she and Lianna began mixing together the various fruits they'd cut up in their respective bowls. "i'll warn you now, some of our introductions might be pretty effing vague. such as 'person a is after us for reasons you needn't bother with.' or somethign along those lines. so don't stress yourself with spilling your guts in one go." Rissa smiled softly, giving the fruits another toss. "oh! i just remembered! do we have scrambled eggs as an option?"

'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

 

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

The Ninjasxxxxxxxxx&xxxxxxThe Additions
Ephraim, Shadowheart,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDeception, Kristoff
Sheik, Trevor, WatarixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRayne

When the days are coldxxx
And the cards all fold
And the saints we seexxx
Are all made of gold...
When your dreams all failxxx
And the ones we hail
are the worst of allxxx
and the blood’s run stale...
I wanna hide the truth,xxx
I wanna shelter you,
But with the beast inside,xxx
There’s nowhere we can hide.
No matter what we breed,xxx
We still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.xxx
At the curtain’s call,xxx
It's the last of all.
When the lights fade out,xxx
All the sinners crawl...

XXXXXSmiling back at the girl, the boy rocked back on his heels briefly. "No, it's not. I used to do something similar before the surprise naps started up," Rayne answered rather calmly, his head shaking slightly. After inhaling to say something else, he stayed on his heels and started sniffing, his eyes becoming a solid black for a moment. "Exquisite... Er. I'm just going to sit down so I'm not in the way." Spinning on one heel, he padded quickly into the dining room and sat down, his forehead set against the table in a resting position. Crap. Maybe no one noticed... Or maybe they did. Stupid stupid stupid.

XXXXX"Heheh. I love how she's trying to be sneaky. How did y'all overlook that?" Ephraim snickered, his voice sounding in the kitchen as if he were in the room. This got a roll of the eyes from Trevor and Watari before the latter made a couple of loops in the air with his finger. Once a wind picked up under several platters of food covering most of the counter space, Watari started for the dining room. "Names, species and their target is all that's required in your vagueness. I'll do the research myself instead of just hearsay. I'm already scraping up details on you dingle dorks so what's a little more homework? It's hilarious that there's a predator of a predator of a predator in this house."

XXXXX"We're good with setting the table so feel free to seat yourselves. Ephie, not your place to tell us anything unless it's crucial to their well-being. You can do all the research you want, but keep it to yourself. I want them to feel comfortable in telling me things on their own. That's how society grows closer albeit I don't like society too much. But he does have a point. So long as we have at least those three things in vague dialogue, we can figure out the rest or y'all can have the honor of dealing with Ephie when he gets super pissed about enemies he digs up from your pasts that are possible threats. That'll probably stir up Shadowheart too and he's a bigger pain in the backside than Ephie in the state he's in now. You don't want to meet the other side," Trevor responded with a brief wave of the hand. As if he was going to force, not to mention ask, them to do anything until they felt a little more at home here. Having given his overly cheerful promise that Ephraim wasn't exactly the kindest of people to intel not given to him, but also that of Shadowheart more than likely jumping into any type of fight that got started, he turned and waved at Skylar and Deception. "Don't glomp your daughter. I can feel you practically squealing on the inside. Ephie, don't even say it."

XXXXX"Good boy. See ya," Deception hummed while switching arms to where she could now drag Skylar along. "I'd tell everyone, but then I'd have to listen to both of them yammer on about how it wasn't my place... Yes, dad. Listen to the talking skunk and don't glomp me." At her comment referring to the color of Watari's hair, the plates dropped onto the table and he had disappeared from where he was. That was weird. At being smacked by something behind her hard enough she had to regain her balance, she was taken by surprise. Who'd hit her?

XXXXX"Be quiet," a tall dark haired male with cold red violet eyes hued with hints of blue muttered while setting his foot back on the floor, Trevor's cousin standing behind him with a slight frown. "Sheik said it'd take a couple days. If Sheila shows up, I'll throw him back to you. Be nice or shut up... Mm. I suggest laying all cards on the table or none at all. It won't matter either way." Leaving it at that, he turned on his heel, lifted his hand up a bit, hesitated, then finally patted Watari on top of the head. After a couple pats, he stepped around him and dropped through the floor. "That was Shadowheart. He's going through lessons on being nice though he doesn't seem to like it very much. That was going to be a slap upside the head, but Sheik would scold him for slapping him. You'll notice a lot of hesitation before he does anything nice. Guess I'll have to tell you about them in introductions. He didn't kick you very hard now, did he? You're lucky. And we'll have a movie night tonight then. I think we're going to have a be-a-utiful friendship. Feel free to sit already. We've got it all under control. Believe me, this isn't my first rodeo. Family reunions, death in the family, the Brotherhood get-togethers, all among various other things, contained more people than this... Actually, I might have overdone it a little... Oh well. Ephie will have no excuse not to eat now." "Argh! You with your babying me. I'm not a child! I'm an adult already. You have eggs in every style of cooking in there. Question answered."

So they dug your grave
xxxAnd the masquerade
Will come calling out
xxxAt the mess you made.
Don't wanna let you down,
xxxBut I am Hell bound.
Though this is all for you,
xxxDon't wanna hide the truth.
No matter what we breed,
xxxWe still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.
xxxThis is my kingdom come.
They say it's what you make.
xxxI say it's up to fate.
It's woven in my soul,
xxxI need to let you go.
Your eyes, they shine so bright,
xxxI wanna save that light.
I can't escape this now
xxxUnless you show me how.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes_river

The Strays
Bander, Shiro, Kuro, Niji, Kana, Kansei

&

The Urchins
Krystina, Skylar, Rissa, Lianna, Truth

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

Whoa!
My head is on fire but my legs are fine.
After all they are mine.
Lay your clothes down on the floor,
Close the door, hold the phone,
Show me how no one’s ever gonna stop us now.

XXXXX"my brothers used to have to take away my toys at night because i'd start fighting them in my sleep. it's a little odd, but since sleep allows the mind to go over the information one's learned, it sort of makes sense. especially since we were in training while it was happening." she mumbled, babbling over his second sentence as she hadn't quite heard him. following him into the dining room and sitting next to him, the tween frowned when she noticed the way he was acting. "you okay?"

XXXXXCatching a plate that hadn't quite made it onto the table, Bander gave a sigh and glanced to Deception. "so it wasn't just us that got your big mouth. y'know how words have more power to others than the one using them, Dee? this is one of those times where you should think before you yammer" he drawled, setting the plate down before he took a seat at the table, leaving a spot next to him so that Kuro could sit by Shiro as Kansei sat on the albino's other side.
"your daughters' sharp tongues have caused us many a problem, but their abilities with interrogating are quite useful, Trevor" Kansei chuckled, waving lightly at Deception before glancing to Skylar. "where's your sisters?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. it wasn't right for the sickest one to miss a meal, nor for one of their so called ringleaders to skip a meal either.
XXXXX"they're upstairs. Truth wanted to try something she picked up in the market yesterday to see if it'd help Krystina. they'll be down in a moment." Skylar hummed, seating himself next to Kansei and setting his jacket down in the chair next to him.
Giving a sigh as she set down the knife, Rissa took Lianna's hand and pulled her to the table, sitting criss-cross on her seat next to the seat that skylar had reserved for his sister. "well, should we wait, or do you want to serve up now?" she mumbled, glancing to the fae next to her while scratching at a bandage on her shoulder.

Giving a sigh as she pulled her hand away, the redhead gently pat the blonde on the top of her head with her good hand and licked her arm, closing the cut. Standing, she held her hand out and helped the new-born vampire to her feet. "feeling better now?" she asked, brushing her hair from her face. "yes, but you're still evil." the blonde sighed as her eyes faded back to blue. "c'mon let's go downstairs before people ask questions." she drawled adjusting her dress before she took Truth's hand and the duo started down the stairs, neither one noticing the faint line of blood still dripping from the redhead's wrist.
XXXXX

'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

 

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

The Ninjasxxxxxxxxx&xxxxxxThe Additions
Ephraim, Shadowheart,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDeception, Kristoff
Sheik, Trevor, WatarixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRayne

When the days are coldxxx
And the cards all fold
And the saints we seexxx
Are all made of gold...
When your dreams all failxxx
And the ones we hail
are the worst of allxxx
and the blood’s run stale...
I wanna hide the truth,xxx
I wanna shelter you,
But with the beast inside,xxx
There’s nowhere we can hide.
No matter what we breed,xxx
We still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.xxx
At the curtain’s call,xxx
It's the last of all.
When the lights fade out,xxx
All the sinners crawl...

XXXXXLifting his head back up from the surface of the table, Rayne nodded at the girl. "I'm alright. I just... I'll explain it during the introductions. Like the guy who kicked Deception upside the head said, it's better to lay all of our cards on the table or none at all though it won't really matter. The heavily sarcastic guy in the living room has been shifting through intel on all of us since we came into contact with Mr. Chipper coming to the table now," he responded while trying very hard to tune out the mocking laughter from the living room. When he noticed Trevor lift an eyebrow at him, he gave a brief dismissive wave. "Bingo! We have a winner. Let's give the boy a hand. And that, my albino kitty, is what I was telling you about. Hey, Trevor, I still don't quite get why people who're torturing others think pulling teeth is a good idea. It's not as painful as they think it is. That's how I lost all of my baby teeth after all."

XXXXX"Not the time nor the place for talking about torture methods, but I honestly never got that too. Maybe if you were a normal human victim of a serial killer it'd make sense, but in technicalities, only the brotherhood and the people that stay in this house know you exist. I've always wondered that myself," Trevor responded with a brief half-shrug, his eyes shifting towards the stairs ever so briefly. Flicking a dark red hair out of his face, he smiled back at the group just as Kristoff found a seat two down from Deception's seat. "Go on and fill up your plates. The girls should be in here shortly. Trevor and Ephraim, not during meals please." "Sorry, Watari."

XXXXX"Woof," Deception retorted to Bander, leaving her tongue out for a minute before she actually dropped down into a seat beside the black-and-white haired ninja who was already pulling down his mask so he could eat. "Wow. He actually has a face under that mask. Did yours just get horribly mangled to where you can't remove yours, Ephie?"

XXXXX"Be quiet, baka. I'm still not explaining why I have to where this thing twenty-four seven all year long. The most you get to know is that when Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk, that's me playing Monopoly with you," Ephraim's voice muttered irritably. "He was never good at Monopoly. Kept flipping the board when he'd start going bankrupt or he'd realize I'd skip his turn or even when he had to go to jail." "It's an evil and stupid game. You go around a square a million times for reasons I still can't comprehend. UNO was a better game than Monopoly. Hell, I liked the game of Clue and Life better than Monopoly. You either get to guess who a killer is, what room they killed someone in and their weapon of choice or get to have a maximum of ten kids you get to cash in for money at the end of the game. By the way, Bander, and I can't believe I'm defending the she-devil, her yammering doesn't go into too much detail about anything. It's shocking to say in the least. I could just as easily spill the beans, but I feel it's her place to say it herself or run a very high risk of you finding it out yourself through an accident."

XXXXX"Okay, okay. No fighting please. I'm sure it has. You shoulda seen 'em as children. Every time I came home, Deception was rallying the kids to gang up on another kid and Truth was always telling her that dad was gonna show up to stop what she was doing like the Butter Sock Incident and the Pillowcase-Turned-Duct Tape Incident. The latter was one that Ephie stepped into and promised a boy that the adults would find himthis time. Those three were the little Hellians of the neighborhood albeit Ephie never really interacted with the kids much. He stood up for my daughters from the shadows though. He literally gave a lady down the block whose son had been duct taped to a tree upside-down a heart attack jut by walking around her house and disappearing through his shadow as if he were a ghost because she tried to threaten my family with being evicted. I didn't take it seriously 'cause we never truly did anything to be evicted for, but he certainly took offense. They used to make the other kids cry during their detective scenes like when candy disappeared or a teddybear was found in a ditch with the head torn off. Truth and lies are their gift so it's impossible to lie to them or tell if one of them is lying once they're together. They're like mirrored twins only they don't exactly look alike. Truth got mostly my appearance, her mother's eyes. Deception got her mother's looks, my eyes," Trevor hummed rather calmly while crossing his ankle over his knee. Making a gesture to the plates spread out across the table, he nodded slightly. "Feel better my foot, the newbie. I'm gonna play a video game to avoid this bore fest you've got going on." "Ephraim, dining room. There's a spot next to me where you'll have two boys next to you." Listening to an irritable grumble, Trevor gave a tired sigh as the golden-amber eyed male shuffled into the room and over to the chair indicated, spinning it around and seating himself so he could face those at the table. "Get your stupid introductions over with while you're eating. I don't want to be in the same room with the creature three seats down from me much less the other entities that have estrogen as their hormone. I've weapons to sharpen, quests to finish and a couple new songs I need to figure out how to download on that little whatever-ya-call-it. That YouTube thing has opened up a new door for me." "You finally tried going onto YouTube? Thank God you get bored so easily. Did you like it?" "It all seems foreign, but it's decent I guess. There's a weird part of it though. It's where I found the songs I was talking about. They're... Nice. Really hits home I guess. You're by your evil sister and you're by the songbird." Leaving it at that as Krystina and Truth finally entered the dining room, he pulled a set of earbuds out of his shirt, set them in his ears and shut his eyes. It wasn't like they could sneak up on him after all, his shadows still on alert.

XXXXXAs if hearing what was playing, Watari gave a soft snort while placing a hand over his mouth. "A K-Pop boyband? Really?" he asked Trevor who just shrugged. "He says they have more talent than the female groups though he did like a song done by a guy from a boyband and a girl from one of those girl groups put together. To be honest, from what I've heard, he isn't exactly wrong. The guys do seem to have more talent. In this one female group, there was a chic in the video in a straitjacket, her hair all over the place and she looked cross-eyed. We couldn't get past that, the words "hot, hot fire" and "bum-a-ra-ta-ta-ta ta-ta-ta-ta-ta" being repeated. The video made us really weirded out and I've seen Ephie in drag. Agh!" As soon as the words had come out of his mouth, Ephraim had flipped his chair making the elder male flail for a second before he managed to roll and hop back up onto his feet. "Shut. Up. We said we weren't going to talk about that." "Aw. I'm sorry, Ephie. You would've made a pretty girl. Ow! What was that for? That was a compliment." "Shut UP! That mission made me completely uncomfortable and you're making it sound like I look feminine. That would be Shadowheart and Skylar if anyone... Well anyone besides Sheik. He looks like your younger sister while Sheila looks like your younger brother with a severe case of man boobs." That got Watari and Trevor to start laughing, both trying to keep it down instead of just letting it out.

XXXXX"Alrighty then. Now that we all know which boys are considered shota to you - my apologies for his brashness, Skylar - and that my sister is very masculine for a girl, let's eat. No one be surprised if the plates start shrinking down a little at a time 'cause that's just him eating," Trevor chuckled, his laughter having calmed itself down. As if remembering something while Watari was helping Deception put food on her plate, he snapped his fingers while completely ignoring how the teen next to him was slightly bobbing his head and tapping his fingers to the beat of the song he was listening to. "Would y'all like me to start introductions by telling you a bit about myself, Sheik, Shadowheart and Ephie?" "Now what? We're taking control. We get what we want. We do what you won't. Dirt and glitter cover the floor. We're pretty and sick. We're young and we're bored. God, it's an addictive beat. No wonder he has no problem listening to it even with it's repetitiveness." "You should see him dance to it instead of just bobbing like he is. He may have only discovered music that isn't the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls a few years ago, but he's figured out dancing like he's done it his whole life. He's pretty decent with singing certain songs too. You've gotta catch him unawares though or this is the most you'll get from him. Stop trying to kick me out of my chair again. I've told you a million times that this house is meant for you to open up and not be what you were trained to be; for you to try being a regular kid and teenager. It's hard, but possible. I did it and still kept all of the skills I was taught."

So they dug your grave
xxxAnd the masquerade
Will come calling out
xxxAt the mess you made.
Don't wanna let you down,
xxxBut I am Hell bound.
Though this is all for you,
xxxDon't wanna hide the truth.
No matter what we breed,
xxxWe still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.
xxxThis is my kingdom come.
They say it's what you make.
xxxI say it's up to fate.
It's woven in my soul,
xxxI need to let you go.
Your eyes, they shine so bright,
xxxI wanna save that light.
I can't escape this now
xxxUnless you show me how.

 

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes_river

The Strays
Bander, Shiro, Kuro, Niji, Kana, Kansei

&

The Urchins
Krystina, Skylar, Rissa, Lianna, Truth

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

Whoa!
My head is on fire but my legs are fine.
After all they are mine.
Lay your clothes down on the floor,
Close the door, hold the phone,
Show me how no one’s ever gonna stop us now.

XXXXXNodding her agreement, the child gave a sigh and turned to look at her brothers and cousins. would they even want to tell these people the truth? they'd struggled to tell even the twins the whole story. "i might have to step in, here" she frowned, tapping her fingers on her seat before noting the piles of food that were being plopped in front of her by Kansei. Glancing up at the normally stoic panther, she gave a smile and scooped up one of the pieces of toast. ".... this smells funny..." she murmured, only to take a bite and grimace. "tastes funny too" she huffed, setting it back down. "try it with some jam, kid" Kansei chuckled, ruffling the kitten's hair as she plopped some strawberry jam on top of Niji's toast. Trying it again, the girl gave a brighter smile and began chomping away at the food while keeping her good ear cocked towards the conversation at hand.

XXXXXNodding as he served to his brothers, the wolf gave a sigh and looked towards Kansei, raising an eyebrow at her only for her to nod lightly. "Sure, but i think it's only fair we tell you about ourselves as well." the wolf drawled, ignoring the glare Shiro gave him. "you're not gonna tell them ever-""only what is necessary," the wolf drawled, pushing the plate closer to his brother and urging the sickly boy to eat.
XXXXX"someone toss me the eggs." Rissa drawled, shoving a hand towards the bowl on the other side of the table. Rolling her eyes when food was actually flung at her, the blonde gave a grin and spun her hand, the chocolate brown of her eyes flashing a light scarlet as the eggs stopped mid air and landed lightly on her plate. "nice try, Kuro. don't mess up the house or i'll mess up your face," she drawled, scooping up some fruit salad for herself before handing the bowl to Lianna.

XXXXX"Hey, Lee, when you're done, pass that this way?" Skylar called, a grin on his face as he glanced to Ephraim. "yeah, i know i'm pretty damn girly. if it weren't for the difference in body types, i'd probably get mistaken for Krystina's twin or something." he chuckled, brushing one of the thin braids he had over his shoulder as he took the bowl from Lianna, scooping some of the honeydew fruit salad for both him and his sister. "i should show you some of the videos i picked up from hanging around the coffee shops all day. there's some pretty interesting things. ever heard of a thing called 'Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'?"

'Cause here we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
Sun will come
We will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone.
Carry on.
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

 

[Dantes_river]

Pure T0rture

The Ninjasxxxxxxxxx&xxxxxxThe Additions
Ephraim, Shadowheart,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDeception, Kristoff
Sheik, Trevor, WatarixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRayne

When the days are coldxxx
And the cards all fold
And the saints we seexxx
Are all made of gold...
When your dreams all failxxx
And the ones we hail
are the worst of allxxx
and the blood’s run stale...
I wanna hide the truth,xxx
I wanna shelter you,
But with the beast inside,xxx
There’s nowhere we can hide.
No matter what we breed,xxx
We still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.xxx
At the curtain’s call,xxx
It's the last of all.
When the lights fade out,xxx
All the sinners crawl...

XXXXXNodding once more, the dark haired boy pulled his legs up into his chair and just kind of piled some random mash-up of what was on the table without much thought involved. Picking at it a bit, shifting it around his plate and taking a bite every now and again, he was trying to tune into everything being said and done while keeping up a discussion with the neko girl beside him. "Mm... Well I'm sure Mr. Trevor will let you add anything you feel should be said if it hasn't been already. He seems genuinely interested in getting to know us and wants us to understand he wants to help, to be trusted. He's never forced anyone to do anything, just offered suggestions and made one or two small requests," he murmured around a piece of bacon. How'd he get this to taste so good? It was unnatural how good his food tasted. When Niji spoke of the toast smelling and tasting funny, it took him a moment for it to click. "Funny? Might be 'cause you're unused to all of this. Besides, toast usually tastes better with jam or butter."

XXXXX"That's all he wants besides hoping you'll let him in eventually. He's been trying with me for years, but he's never given up. To him, you're already part of the family. Unlike him, however, I have no qualms about digging up y'all's history," Ephraim muttered, his eyes opening to a half-lidded position and his hand pulling some of his hair out of his face thus exposing one of his eyes as being silver instead of the coppery color of his hair. As soon as his hair fell back into place, his eye color had returned to reflecting the color of his hair. Tapping his fingers against the back of his chair, his gaze shifted back to Skylar just so he could flash him two of his fingers. "More than one way too. But no. I've heard of 'The People of Walmart' to which I'm guessing it's some kind of supermarket based on the lyrics and pictures in the video, 'Epic Rap Battles of History', 'The Hillywood Show', 'The Key of Awesome' and 'Your Grammar Sucks' though... And then there's that Nightcore and Vocaloid thing... Or the animal videos where there's this guy giving voices to his cat when it meows or hisses in real life. The 'Stupid, Stupid World' video with this cat is humorous. I mostly just use that YouTube thing to find new music to listen to."

XXXXX"He's finally stopped hating the computer. Took ya long enough," Deception muttered while starting to eat what she'd gotten on her plate. At Kuro having tossed the eggs, she narrowed her eyes at him and held up her fork for him to see. "I will stab you in the hand with this fork if ya try a food fight, brat. I've done it before, just ask Truth."

XXXXX"Deception, we're not stabbing anyone with forks again... Or anything else for that matter," Trevor warned only to ignore her groan. Clapping a couple times, the elder dark ashy red haired man seemed rather pleased with the responses he got. He'd been tossing and turning more since he got home last night than the past several years. Trevor couldn't help it though; his babies were back. He was just so excited. "But of course. Like I said, anything you feel comfortable with saying and possible threats is all I ask for. I just want y'all to feel safe and comfortable under my roof. You've been helping keep my princesses safe after all. Now where to begin..."

XXXXXTaking some time to think it over, the man finally seemed to come to a decision on how to begin. "Alrighty then. I'll begin with Ephie and me. As I said last night, I'm Trevor and I'm Truth's and Deception's dad. Well, technically speaking, Trevor is my locally designated human name. Tyvinda is the closest translation into this realm to my real name and its roughest translation into English is the word time. I'm a purebred Sheikah who just so happened to marry karma and created two beautifully strong daughters. My occupation was being an assassin - codenamed Time mind you - for a long while, but I'm retired now. This young lout with the horrible attitude is Ephraim, my unofficially adopted son and ex-partner. I started up the nickname Ephie and it kind of stuck though he'll tell plenty that his name is Harvey. His occupation since before he can remember is that of an informant for the brotherhood. You need information of any kind, just ask him. If you want to express yourself openly without worrying about anyone else knowing, feel free to speak with him and no one will ever know. He's been trained to endure massive extents of pain and never utter any intel he's gathered. As is obvious, he's uncomfortable around girls alongside open spaces and bright lights and is extremely hesitant to learn of the world outside of the brotherhood. He's the same age as my girls and has only just now discovered videogames, the Internet and MP3 players so don't be surprised if he has no idea what something you may have mentioned is... Especially if it's emotions. Emotions are not something he's intuned to. He can smile, frown and cry on demand, but he doesn't understand when it's appropriate to do these things much less why he's doing it during certain events. Example: his phobia over girls. He'll argue it's a strong distrust towards them after Deception proposed to him when they were younger followed by kissing him, but he can't register how he runs from females as fear when it clearly is. If one of you ladies manage to touch him, he will have a panic attack and hyperventilate. We were partners from the time he was about four or five until I retired which was when my girls had left home. I've been working with him on his attitude and stepping into the less violent world he's grown up in," he hummed only to pat the teen on the back when he scowled. Such a silly teenager, acting unhappy about being here when he'd always enjoyed coming here. "Sheik is my uptight younger brother that used to follow me around like a lost puppy when we were younger. He's... Difficult to put it nicely. There's a lot of stress and pressure put on him because of that little hourglass necklace a couple of you have seen. The goddess of time asked the Sheikah to guard her, or more like most of her power, as she recovered from an event that almost made it to where none of us existed entirely. At least that's the tale that's been told to us... Either way, he inherited that responsibility from our grandmother. As for Shadowheart... He's a stray that Sheik picked up about five years ago. We're guessing he's about sixteen or seventeen, but he doesn't really talk much about himself. When he came here, he literally acted like a wild animal. After a few hours of Sheik flashing him with a flashlight, he'd settled down and exposed he'd had human contact before. It's taken that long to get him to just mutter threats to us and Sheik's still fighting with him on manners. Ephie found out he was once a part of the Silent Shadow Clan, a clan of shadow wielding ninjas mind you, and was one of the two remaining members. The other was an older boy that was like a brother to him... He's very much a recluse instead of being like Ephie in being downright mean. You got lucky, Dee. He actually spoke to you even if it was brief."

XXXXXNodding at his elder cousin's words, a piece of toast covered in a mix of cream cheese and grape jam in one hand, Watari smiled while chewing. "Entirely true. Sheik's kinda hard to understand and Shadowheart's an enigma. At least Ephie will tell you he doesn't like you to your face. And Trevor is sweet, don't get me wrong, but he isn't someone you want to anger," the black and white haired ninja hummed, his foot tapping silently on the floor under his chair as if he couldn't sit still. It was then he realized he should probably pick up on the introductions. "I'm Watari, Trevor's and Sheik's younger cousin. I can't sit still for long periods of time unless I'm unconscious or dead. Heheheh... I am, or more like I was, only half Sheikah unlike those two. Supposedly I died and came back a fallen angel though I don't have wings. Sheik said they must've been removed and I wouldn't be here, much less speaking English, if it weren't for Sheik. I can only remember the past four years and a couple names so don't ask much about me. Can someone pass me the fruit bowl? It skipped me somehow." "Clear up a bit of your plate first. What are you, a garbage disposal?" "A what? And don't judge, She-Devil. We kind of have to eat a lot. Why did you think Karma would cook up such large suppers when we'd come back here yet there was never any leftovers?" "And there's one of those things he doesn't know about. Keep eating, Ephie, instead of trying to pick a fight with someone you're just gonna run from. You're fine, Watari. This is exactly why I keep so much food in the house."

So they dug your grave
xxxAnd the masquerade
Will come calling out
xxxAt the mess you made.
Don't wanna let you down,
xxxBut I am Hell bound.
Though this is all for you,
xxxDon't wanna hide the truth.
No matter what we breed,
xxxWe still are made of greed.
This is my kingdom come.
xxxThis is my kingdom come.
They say it's what you make.
xxxI say it's up to fate.
It's woven in my soul,
xxxI need to let you go.
Your eyes, they shine so bright,
xxxI wanna save that light.
I can't escape this now
xxxUnless you show me how.