Together Again {Dante & Pure}

[Pure T0rture]

Dantes_river

forgive me if this is a bit babble-ish, I’m pulling an all-nighter to finish up some arts.

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"mmm-mm the bread granny used to make was sweeter. this is kinda bitter," the girl frowned before turning to look at Ephraim and Trevor when they spoke, she, like the rest of the group grew mostly silent save for the sounds of people eating as the introductions started. the only noises made outside of eating was when Truth stopped to snort at her father bringing up Deception's proposal to Ephraim, which got her a raised eyebrow from a few of the others. Opening her mouth to speak, the kitten soon found it stuffed with a piece of fruit and Kansei giving her an out of place smirk before those golden eyes drifted over to Bander. "well, i suppose I’ll start off for our band of mongrels. My name was once Bendiks Vangas and I'm originally from Latvia, but most people now days call me Bander Suzuki, I’m the eldest of these goobs you've taken in. Our group is kinda split into two smaller sections, those of us who have animal features are part of a group called the Strays. I'm the odd one out of the strays as well, since the others are technically all family. Shiro, Kuro, and Niji Suzuki are siblings by blood, and their cousins are Kansei and Kana Kirishima are their cousins. They adopted me in due to some complicated circumstances," he drawled, pausing in his meal to pull off the dog tags he'd been wearing that were held on by an old fish-line. "We're escaped experiments from a lab in Japan where they were trying to turn humanoids into creatures from Wonderland. The others were all part of the Cheshire experiments, while i was in another group for the Bandersnatch. Hence the name. While we're pretty sure that they won't go looking for us on this continent any time soon, the company in charge of the experiments is still trying to hunt us down by any means necessary" he sighed, pulling the second tag off and handing it to Trevor. "they found us once when we stopped in at a village of people who did things similar to you and destroyed the whole place. the old woman who took care of us during our stay said that the people who owned the place were enemies of her village and those connected to it, but they took us in anyways and taught at least a few of us their tricks."
XXXXX"Bander's the most responsible one when it comes to protecting others, but he's got a bad mouth on him at times. I'm Kansei, and I’ll probably be the one watching the younger kids for the most part, as Niji seems stuck to mine or Bander's sides. My cousin Kana is the girl with white and green hair sitting on the counter behind everyone, she's more anti-social than the rest because she's more uncertain about how the genetic experimentation could effect her than the rest of us are," Kansei chimed in, ignoring the cold look her cousin was giving her as she paused to chew on the scrambled egg sandwich she’d made for herself. "Niji's the youngest of us Strays, and while she may come off as sweet at first, you need to watch her carefully or she'll pull pranks or turn to thievery. Kuro's just a bit older then Niji and you'll have to excuse his hand walking across the table right now, he just loves to take advantage of being part cyborg. He's the one who got Niji hooked on practical jokes, thankfully he didn't get her into cigarettes because he smokes enough for the rest of us. and last of the ninja-trained is their eldest brother-by-blood, Shiro; although he's no longer actively using his training since he can't walk at the moment, he's the mechanic behind the smoke bomb's hand and he's currently working on building some prosthetic legs for himself. Kana and I weren't trained like the others while we stayed in the aforementioned village, while they received the training of ninjas, ours was more directed at exorcisms and the like."
XXXXX"They in turn, taught a few of us Urchins, as the other half of the group is called, some of their tricks. My sister and I were trained by our mother, a renowned monster hunter, unlike the others. I'm Skylar, or Sky if you want, and this is my sister Krystina. While we've known the others for a long time, we've only been on the streets for a little over three years due to our mother finding out about the magical powers we both possess. In her mind, the only species that should exist is a human and magic is a stain on the otherwise pure blood they carry. Imagine how she'd react if she knew i carried a demon sealed inside me," the blonde boy chimed in, taking Kansei's pause for breath as his cue to speak up. Glancing to his elder sister, he gave a light grin and began eating while motioning for her to do the same, if only to keep up appearances."She's a good tracker though, so its only a matter of time before she does find us again. Even with all the flying I've done to keep her away." "The magic I've been using to create a false trail has helped, but it's a bit taxing and as such I get sick more often than the others. My brother's not one for violence, but he's rather skilled with magic, which is lucky or we'd be dealing with a magical abomination created by the demon inside of him" she sighed, shaking her head while finally starting to eat a few things; she could still sort of smell Truth's blood from across the table and it was distracting her from the act of being human.
XXXXX"as for me, I'm from a family of Elementals descended from Greek gods, in particular, my father was related to the Embodiment of Time and I’ve been told a different story about her, but we can save that for a different occasion. Lianna here's been my friend for a long time and we just sort of never bothered to try living in a house. roaming around in caravans and camping out has been our thing since we were younger, and while the faerie here doesn't say much, she's tough as nails and don't piss her off because she gets weirdly scary. Also, I’ll kick any one's a** if they think about messing with any of my friends, no matter whose side they claim to be on." Rissa drawled, pausing to give her short introduction between large bites of food, the ravenette next to her rolling her eyes at the rather crude-in-comparison introduction the blonde had given.

'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

It's fine.

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...

XXXXX"Bitter?" Rayne echoed softly. That seemed weird. It wasn't bitter. Was her tastebuds messed up? At watching Trevor's reactions to the introductions, not to mention that dogtag, he wasn't sure if the man was still as excited or if he wanted to decapitate someone. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Rayne and it may have been mentioned to just about all of you that I am a Seer that uses drawings to portray things I've seen come to pass, not that it's entirely set in stone... And I may just so happen to be a crusinik... I've been away from home for some time, mostly being passed around like you've been passing the food around this table for my doodles. A short while ago, I met up with a boy I went through some bad times with called Holland and we were able to escape some bad people. We got separated a little while afterwards however, because of a thunderstorm and I've been looking for him ever since."

XXXXX"Tch... Of course they'd try something like that. The brotherhood's always had the upper hand with the shadow users. They needed something that could match up to us if not give them the upper hand. What makes it worse is that I can't pass this information on to the brotherhood without risking their freedom. Personally, I'd tell them without much care as to what happens to ya, but Trevor would never forgive me and I'm not getting him pissed off at me. I can't even beat him in a spar while using the shadows so I would rather not face his angry side in a real fight," Ephraim rumbled irritably while rotating the dogtag Trevor had handed to him after he'd examined it. Tossing it over to Watari who began his examination, his brow raised as a shadowy hand slapped a second one from the table. "Shadowheart, just ask for food if you're feeling hungry. Jesus, boy, you don't have to sneak it. There is also a heavy dose of irony in your name, Bander. Would you like to explain, Trevvy, or should I?"

XXXXX"I can indeed explain, but I will add that the people who own that logo are on my black list as well so we have a familiar enemy. Unlike that town however," Trevor started in a slightly darker tone only to crack his neck just slightly. Letting out a soft breath and returning to that cheerful smile though his eyes still seemed to be frozen over, he leaned back in his chair. "I've never lost in battle even when I had no one watching my back... Well to anyone besides my father, the jackass. Which reminds me, you two will never meet your grandparents, God and the Embodiment of Time willing. Anyhoo, the Cheshire Cat is a close friend of mine and the Bandersnatch to him. The irony behind your new name, Bander, is that it's always been the Bandersnatch's name. Have any of you actually met them? They're really quite delightful. Ephie, do you mind?" At the request, the teen stood up and walked back into the kitchen. After digging around in the fridge for a bit, he returned with a plate carrying a variety of sweets on it alongside a multi-colored cat-shaped pitcher. "If what he's cooked is bitter, then try some of this. I'll tell you what it is after you've tried it. And you, Miss Kansei, if the girl wishes to add something, let her. She's her own person. As much as I dislike your li'l militia of girls, she still gets a say on things."

XXXXXAfter pouring a bit of an odd liquid from the pitcher into a small cup for the smaller neko and set the plate of sweets near her, Ephraim's brow furrowed only to cast a shadow over Trevor's plate with his hands just so it'd be swallowed by the darkness. "I'm tired of smacking his shadow off of the table so it was either your plate or the entire buffet you set before these guys," Ephraim muttered before sitting back down, his eyes watching as Watari made a small gust of wind return the dogtag to Bander. Trevor then glanced over to Kristoff who'd been eating in silence. As if feeling the eyes on him, he glanced up from his plate and swallowed. Crap. It was his turn. What all to say... It had been spelled out so obviously that lying wasn't exactly going to work around them and that was what his life had been built around. How he kept it straight was beyond him. As he tried thinking of what to say, Ephraim's shadow slapped Truth on the leg before pointing to her arm as he added, "A crusinik is the natural born predator of vampires just so we're clear on that, or more like a vampire that feeds on other vampires and they don't even have to bite anyone. So we have, quite literally, a predator to a predator to yet another predator in this house. Remove your hand from the table if you're just playing with it, Kuro, before I detach every part of you that is artificial. Your only warning. I'm letting the storm pass your buddy, Rayne, before I drag him here. He has a presence around him that says he'll attack anything as terrified as he is and I'm not gonna play nice with children still terrified of thunderstorms."

XXXXX"Mm... Partial cat demon and I go by many names due to having many personalities. There's Kris, Matthias, Jin, Mari, Kitty and... A few others. Yes, I gave my many personalities a different name... Kind of... Point is that I'll respond to one of them. I don't know what my other half is so don't ask. Uh... I'm an illusionist that can make said illusions solid as if they were real. Fortunately, I haven't broken anything as of this second... Came from Japan originally after... Some bad blood between me and my father... Moved around a lot in the attempt of hiding from my past and keep making a bunch of bad decisions... Possible enemies would include... My father that I thought I'd killed when I was thirteen, but apparently he is still alive... A preacher that dealt with foster homes for kids who did what I did and multiple street gangs inside and out of the Underground worldwide that had members who convinced me to get most of my piercings. I'm not that interesting of a guy. I mostly gather intel and play Hitman on occasion. I was also a top ranked fighter in the Underground arenas though I never faced her. Nothing special. Just Deception's little birdie," Kristoff responded hesitantly to the unspoken question of whether or not he was going to introduce himself. After mentioning his piercings, he stuck his tongue out to expose the silver ball set into place. With that, he returned to eating and ignoring the eyes of the three ninjas and Deception on his back. "You... Killed your dad?" "It was self-defense so the charges were dropped." "And I was saving him for last... I'm gonna have a migraine before sunset." "I hate it when they don't stay dead. Quit stretching yourself so thin then, Ephie. If you're so adamant about digging up dirt about them then do it in increments. You're still on active duty after all. It'll distract you if you can't focus on your work and then there'll be worse injuries than just your fingernails." "I am so sorry you all have had to endure all of this... We'll do our best to help you with all of these horrid people. There are so few good people left in this world, but I hope you'll see we're not like everyone else. And we'd love to discuss the Embodiment of Time thing with you at some point, Rissa, but don't feel pressured. Really, this was mostly just so everyone knows who is who and what threats are in the open. Our only real threats are my cousin Sheila, Shadowheart's older brother, a few ninjas here and there trying to get Trevor to un-retire, Wataru and Basilisk... And now the people who own that logo, but still. I hope we can all become good friends and allies. You all seem very kind albeit mischievous, but who doesn't love mischief? It's fun."

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"thank you. This is much better. What is it?" Niji hummed after having tried the items set before her, only to continue eating them shyly.
"Kuro and I have met Cheshire. He was being held their prisoner while we were being experimented on. He's kinda the reason we're out of there. he went and caused a big commotion by unraveling the way he does and we used that as our opportunity to escape. Niji and Bander met Bander's namesake and that's why Niji's blind and deaf on the one side. they'd done something to make the Bandersnatch aggressive, to which he took things out on our sister. if it hadn't been for Bander stepping in, things could've been much worse." Shiro drawled, scooping up a helping of fruit salad before he smacked his brother upside the head, to which the dark haired neko's hand grabbed a biscuit and came whizzing back on the cable connected to his hand. "next time, just use your words, jack@ss." he scolded, taking a bite of food before turning to look at the twins with a sigh as if urging the redhead to add to the conversation.
"well, actually, there are others we might need to worry about." Truth sighed, pushing her food around on her plate nervously as she glanced at her sister. "there's.... this gang.... and their leader's kind of..." "he's obsessed with her. and nod in the good way" "yeah, that. and well, he used to show up at the Tower every so often and honestly for a time it wasn't so bad but things canged and now... yeah. Anyways, if he figures out where we are, he might show up." the girl mumbled, putting her hand on her twin's for comfort. Just thinking about him made her loose her appetite, not to mention the nightmares she already had about him. Glancing to Ephraim when he explained what a crusinik was, the teen gave a sigh and glanced over to Krystina. "Better now than never, right, Dee?" she asked, tapping her fingers nervously against the table while she debated if it'd be best to tell them the truth or not.
"if you ever wanna find out who's the better fighter let me know. it'd be fun to see why they didn't put us against each other." Rissa snorted, waving a hand down to Kristoff as she began eating again. Lianna on the other hand, turned her attention to Truth's nervous tapping and frowned, taking a sip of water before she gave two low whistles at which the others all turned their attention to the twins. "um... well.... Its not really my place to say," the girl sighed, practically begging the blonde sitting across from her for help with the look she was giving. Chewing on her lip, she seemed to twitch slightly as Krystina tucked some blue behind her ear and cleared her throat. "i.. was recently changed into a vampire. Truth's been helping me with it as best she can and i asked her and her sister not to tell the others because i didn't want them to freak out."

'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...

XXXXX"What's usually served at the tea parties in Underland; sweets and tea," Ephraim answered calmly, his eyes zeroing in on Shiro when he spoke. Chewing slowly while thinking over his words, he started spinning Trevor's fork in his hand. Good boy for giving up details like that. It made his job a little easier. "I'm not surprised. They may have more people and better funding, but we're tougher and faster. Let any of 'em set foot on Trevor's land and we'll show 'em a real fxckin' nightmare... Jesus Christ, it's like we're six again." Standing up, marching over to Truth and snatching up her hand, Ephraim caught a small box when it got tossed out from under the table and flicked it open. As much as he hated being this close to Deception, he had to bandage it up or he'd never hear the end of it from Trevor. Any time she tried to fight him on the issue, he'd slap her upside the head. Considering he was only using one hand, he was proud of his work as he tossed everything back into the box and stalked back over to his chair.

XXXXX"Really? Then I suppose the hunt is on. Guess I'll have to don the uniform once again," Trevor purred darkly before swatting the metallic haired teen's hand back down and slapping him upside the head within one swift motion. He knew Trevor would beat the crap out of him and yet he seemed adamant about showing his disapproval of certain things by doing things like kicking him out of his chair or swatting him upside the head. At least this group had a better understanding of the restraint he was using with that smack Ephraim was now rubbing. Motioning the teen to fetch him a new plate, he pulled one leg up into his chair so he could tuck a foot under him. "Thank you, Ephie. that was bothering me, but I wasn't going to force her to let me see it in front of everyone unless Miss Krystina felt like sharing about her recent changes. 'Tis such a pity to meet with such misfortune for one so young. Bander, or perhaps I should call him The Snatch now so as to avoid confusion, is really such a sweet and gentle boy. He must've been through a lot to become aggressive and young Miss Niji had to suffer the consequences. As for you two, I'll get in contact with a few friends to aid you in your feedings. As a newborn, Krystina, you'll feed more often than the elders or purebloods until you can tolerate longer gaps between said sessions. It'd be preferable for you to do so every day, but you can skip a day or two if you feel up to it. And then there's you... Holland sounds like a familiar name, but the fact that your friend's about as old as you, I don't believe they're the same person. His last name Deatri?" At getting a nod, the Sheikah tisked lightly and shook his head. "It's not his real name, kiddo. He's probably been exiled from one of the three kingdoms and feared you'd reject him if he told you. Holland Deatri was a man-made crusinik and he's over a century old. Man-made crusiniks still keep all of their organs functioning, like all crusiniks mind you, but their organs begin shutting down over time and once it reaches major organs... Either way, I can fix you both up."

XXXXX"We'd need to be sure there's enough room and we don't do any damage to his stuff... Maybe something that's like the arena in size with the sturdy walls and such...? Rocky Horror Show's Touch A Touch A Touch Me?" Kristoff suggested, as his nails extended a bit and picked up a piece of egg. After his suggestion, his calico colored ears popped up atop his head and twitched as his brow furrowed. At this question, Ephraim hid his face behind his arms causing the male to start snickering while popping the eggs into his mouth. Raising a finger in the air, his steel blue eyes glanced back at the table. "Um... Quick question that the Rocky Horror Show song just brought up. It may be personal, but it's kind of necessary since we're all over the age of one. Do y'all go into heat? I mean, I do, but I just get pissier instead of frisky... At least thus far that is."

XXXXXAs if the question hadn't been thought of until it was just brought up then, it took a moment for it to settle in before a snort came from Ephraim. "Oh my God. You did not just go there. Please tell me he did not go there," Ephraim chuckled from behind his arms and the back of his chair. Trevor and Watari had both slid a hand over the lower half of their faces to contain the laughter. Since Trevor was the first to bite it back, he nodded slightly. "He did just go there, Ephie. He went there in a very blunt fashion which seriously took me off-guard. That is a good question though 'cause there certainly are a lot of, and I apologize for how it sounds in advance, animalistic beings in the house." "We wouldn't want anyone to get into a fight over that after all."

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"h-hey! honestly! Ephie if you don't stop now-! urgh!" Truth frowned, wincing with every time he bopped her only to give up and let him finish. Flexing her hand once he'd seated himself again, the redhead turned to look at them both and rolled her eyes. "you could've just told me it hadn't closed all the way. it doesn't need a bandage." she snorted, starting to eat now that topics had gotten away from their so-called-enemies.
"well... up until now I've been feeding off my brother a-and the twins when its necessary, but honestly i'd rather avoid it as much as possible. Food still somewhat sustains me since most of my organs still function. I think i'm a living vampire instead of one of the other kinds. not sure." Krystina drawled before she began eating what was in front of her, a content smile slipping into place as she continued eating.
"well, we can always use another dimension like purgatory for our fight. one of the winged ones could put up a barrier around us so that the others could watch without getting them hurt." Rissa offered, only to give a slight chuckle as his attention shifted to the song although she practically choked on her eggs at his question. and it seemed she wasn't the only one surprised by his question as Bander, Kana and Niji all started coughing. Clearing her throat with a sip of water, the white-haired exorcist gave a sigh and brushed some hair from her face. "well, most of them do. Niji hasn't hit puberty yet and that's when it generally starts for us genetic disasters. I'm the exception; haven't gone into heat since our DNA turned into someone's play-toy. At least, not that I can remember." she shrugged, picking at her nails as she spoke. "Kansei and Bander both tend to disappear for days when they go into heat, usually they're out kicking but or something to distract themselves from it. Kuro gets really angry too, and he'll smoke more because of it; typically something with catnip or opium. He's gone to dens before. Shiro just sleeps it off as best he can. But I imagine with us being under this roof together, things might not work out like they used to. we'll probably all have to readjust how we handle that time when it comes." she explained, swinging her legs to avoid the glares she was getting from Shiro and Kuro. At least she hadn't mentioned that the two typically went on a perv fest when everyone else was gone.

'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...

XXXXX"I slapped you like fifty times and you ignored it. Be glad I didn't knock you out for ignoring me and making me get near the she-devil," Ephraim growled back at Truth only to jump out of his chair and back several paces when he noticed Deception smirking right beside him. "Don't fxckin' do that. And don't get near me either." At her starting to laugh, his brow furrowed in confusion only for it to click that he'd only gotten closer to more girls. "Oh Lord have mercy. It's amazing how oblivious he can be when I stand beside him. Revenge has been taken for you, Truth. Aww. He's moved to a corner of the room twitching. He kinda reminds me of a schizo or like he's hyped up on coffee." That said, she practically skipped back to her seat to finish up her breakfast while Watari got up from the table and began patting Ephraim on top of the head.

XXXXX"And there's his panic attack kicking in. Like I said, he freaks when he's near the opposite gender yet denies it being a phobia with every fiber of his being. He'll be fine shortly," Trevor hummed in that usual cheerful manner of his. Taking his fork back off the table, he stabbed a piece of watermelon and started nibbling on it. It was pretty funny how the group with only one major connection to the half-neko reacted to his up-front question and admission, but then again, it was most likely their way of being surprised in the midst of eating. They'd all been taken by surprise by him though he didn't seem too modest about it. And then there was the Krystina issue, Rayne never having really responded besides a nod in his feeding process. "Like I said, Krystina, I can discuss it with some friends of mine and if they have any suggestions, I'll offer them to you before we settle on anything permanent. We can try avoiding it as much as possible, but it's going to be a part of your life now... Unless Koail interferes with your life and your system gets overtaken by his blood cells which will make your vampirism null and void. Elves from the Undying Lands, I swear. Point is, it's how you'll maintain your strength and sanity. You do not want to meet up with a vampire who is so desperate for blood that they feed on themselves." That said, he gave a visible shudder as if recalling something from the past.

XXXXX"Sorry for the surprise question, but yeah, we'll figure somethin' out when we cross that bridge I suppose," Kristoff murmured, his interest in eating somehow dissipating to where he was mostly just shifting it around on his plate with his nails. At Rissa's suggestion of doing the whole purgatory thing, he nodded slightly. It sounded better than destroying Trevor's yard with their spar. "Sounds like a plan... And you're welcome for passing intel onto you guys through Dee. Y'all looked like ya needed it more than me. I practically lived there so I wasn't too bad off. It surprised me they didn't ask me to off Dee after she wiped the floor with 'em at the tables and got banned. They don't take losses too great."

XXXXXTapping his fist against the palm of his hand, Trevor became a bit more serious. "That reminds me actually. I'm gonna need help from y'all with one thing; Mr. Hitman there's got suicidal tendencies. I'm gonna see if I can't find someone amidst my contacts to help him with tha-," he started only for a chair to knock him out of his chair, the wood shattering upon impact. Even Deception was locked in a mix between the look of that-had-to-hurt and shock before she glanced at Kristoff, his chair missing completely. "I don't need a fxckin' babysitter much less some damn psychiatrist!" he snapped before stomping off upstairs. "Yep. He needs some serious therapy alongside anger management classes. Trevor, you okay?"

XXXXXSitting back up, the elder Sheikah rubbed the side of his head before picking up a piece of wood. "That actually hurt worse than Ephraim kicking me out of my chair. I think I blacked out for a second there. Ooh. Lookit all the wood... Wait. Is that my barstool?" "Y-yes. You kinda... You've got blood coming down the side of your head," Watari responded after having stood up from beside Ephraim to check on his cousin. At mentioning the blood, Trevor pulled his hand away from his head only to blink at the warm red liquid on his hand. "Well lookit that. I'm glad I relaxed when I did or that would've done a lot more damage. I wasn't expecting that. I'm gonna... Nope. I'm gonna fall if I try standing back up. Can you pass me the medkit, Watari? Thanks." And with that, his cousin having passed him the metal box Ephraim had used, he pressed a piece of gauze against the side of his head even though it hurt and started cleaning up what had run down the side of his face. Jesus Christ, that boy had an arm. If he hadn't noticed it sooner, he didn't doubt he'd be unconscious right now. That was straight up oak after all.

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"Thank you Dee, although you didn't have to send him into a panic attack for something as small is that. next time, just give him a little peck on the cheek or something." she drawled, continuing to eat between words, causing her sentence to be a slurred mush that most of her friends wouldn't understand.

"Heh, they really don't so i'm amazed that they never noticed that Bander and I were actually working together. i mean really, if you're gonna have a bet going on who's gonna kick another person's arse at least make sure that no one gambling actually knows the fighters. its like asking for cheating. i should probably warn you that i'm a fast healer which is why i always lasted so long in the ring. they kept putting me up against weaklings for a while before anyone actually took note of it. it was funny. one day it was fifteen minute fights all strung together the next it was hour long and soon my fights would take a few days just to beat one or two people." Rissa snorted only to sigh as she watched him attack Trevor. "annnd there he goes." she sighed, shaking her head as she watched Truth stand and walk past her dad to the sink to fill a cup with water before returning to her dad.
"here. lemme take a look. i'm not the best at this but it's better than nothing" she drawled, dipping two fingers into the water and allowing it to coat her whole hand. Gently moving the gauze off her dad's face, the teen gave a slight wince at the cut he had before she placed her water-covered hand against the cut, smiling all the while as the water from her hand began to spread across his face briefly and pick up the blood he'd missed cleaning up. "y'know, he probably already feels out of place being around so many people, maybe it'd be best to start in baby steps and let him adjust to living around us before we drop something like that on him? besides, for all we know there's probably a story behind his sudden blow up."
Once Truth had moved down to her dad, the others seemed to all return to eating so as to give the duo some small form of privacy. not to mention they were all quite literally starving and this was the best food they'd had in years.

'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 Ninjas
Ephraim, Shadowheart,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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...

XXXXX"He would've done the same thing even if it was just a peck on the cheek. Since I was on the side containing more males, he retreated to the side with more females. Even if I hadn't laughed, he would've noticed and reacted the same way," Deception retorted, never so much as twitching towards her dad and his new injury. Idiot. He should've waited to spring that up. The only one he really knew here, even if only slightly, was her and Rayne after all. It wasn't something he'd want broadcasted. "He most definitely heard you Rissa. It's hard getting much past him and those ears of his. And if it's not already obvious, he's got a lot of physical strength and endurance. Mari might be one of your biggest challenges yet!"

XXXXX"Ow. Owowowowow. Ooh. Spots. That's a first in a long time. Ephie's back in his chair! Told you he'd be fine," Trevor started with a slight frown, the bloody gauze sitting on his knee now that Truth was trying to deal with his head wound. As soon as Ephraim returned to his chair in something of a sulk, his cheer had returned once again, his hands clapping lightly in front of him. God, he was so fricking hyper even if he had just gotten hit by a stool. "I know, but he does have suicidal tendencies and he's still a minor. If he succeeds in offing himself in my house, what am I supposed to do? Bury him in the backyard like it's a pet cemetery while pretending I've never met him in my life once his undead dad and that orphanage running preacher come by? Heh. That's actually pretty ironic considering... Sorry. I see you got my healing water ability. I couldn't do major injuries with it, but I could clot blood to major injuries... Healing wasn't my best skill I'll admit. That was more of a Watari thing so in all technicalities, you could be better at it than me and got it from my grandma. She was a lot like Watari... I was always curious about what abilities you'd get from me seeing as you both got the essence of at least half of your mother; you being the good side of karma while Deception got the bad side. Anyhoo, that boy's got one hell of an arm on him. I wouldn't have made it out of my chair in time as I was sitting so I got lucky. It's not so bad is it? Head wounds bleed a lot after all and most of the blood's in my hair so it might be hard to tell what's actually the damage and what part of my hair is sticking to my head. It's fine, Ephie. I touched a topic that I most likely shouldn't have quite done yet, but it worries me when someone's actually hit that point especially a child... That's why I figured I could see about getting him to meet with someone I know who's been there, been both suicidal and homicidal at one point in their life when they were his age. I just want to n** that in the bud is all..." Waving off Ephraim's gaze on him, his shoulders slumped over, he shut his eyes and let out a soft sigh. He knew what the teenage shadow user's lingering gaze meant, but he honestly didn't want to admit he had hit that point himself albeit as an adult. His daughters would feel guilty if they knew he'd hit rock bottom after their departure and Ephraim was the only reason he was still here.

XXXXX"Mm... Most definitely a story behind all of that hostility, sadness and distance. I'm sure he knows you have good intentions behind what you said, but there's obviously some fear behind opening up," Watari nodded as his gaze shifted towards the stairs when a door shut upstairs. Sighing lightly, he rubbed the back of his neck before sitting back down in his chair albeit not too comfortably so he could help his elder cousin get back up. Making a brief rotation of his finger beside him, the shattered wood began cleaning itself up without bothering anyone much less anything else. "It's pretty bad, Trevor. It didn't just knock you out of your chair, it shattered upon impact and you were completely relaxed when it hit. He'd hurt someone if he played in any type of sports... But I think part of him felt bad for doing it as soon as it hit you 'cause there was very minute details that seemed to say oops before he stomped off. He could be incapable of fully controlling his strength..."

XXXXX"That isn't helping me any, Watari. That means I upset him in two ways, one making him act violently and the other making him retreat from guilt... Actually, that does kind of help. He stated he's been trying to run from his past, his mistakes. He's been trying to start over entirely, his names always changing along with his appearance. It's signs of fear in short. He's hiding from people including himself. If one avoids their own inner workings, they become confused on who they truly are which is why he stated he kind of named his separate personalities. It also makes it harder to track who he was, who his father was, and what caused him to defend himself to the point he actually killed his own flesh and blood. It's like how people use aliases only each of his aliases have left a mark somewhere that he's not proud of. Should he find somewhere that one of his new identities can settle in without ending up as part of a gang or other various bad decisions, he'll try erasing himself completely just to be that person. Ephie, that Fall Out Boys song fits what I'm talking about entirely." "So you're saying that his inner war is quite literally the song The Phoenix which represents the very fabric of his very essence? Well according to what I'm dragging up, most of the names he gave us have made a career out of... Some bad decisions. I won't go into detail seeing as you told me to keep it to myself. I'm still trying to figure out his real name though. None of the records I've pulled up thus far have any line-up photos resembling what he looked like in his room when I borrowed his gun. I don't get how you intend to stop him from committing suicide anyways. With his abilities, there's a million ways he could kill himself and you can't stop him unless you entirely seal off his abilities and keep him under constant surveillance. If he was so suicidal however, he would already be dead by now. Some part of him wants to live and yet some part of him would rather be dead. He's stuck at a crossroad until something finally pushes him over the edge in making a decision. Also, if that preacher guy or his dad shows up, you can't legally keep him here seeing as he's still a minor and they are his legal guardians. It's considered kidnapping if you do keep him. Technically speaking, several people are still minors here and if they have a legal guardian, you can't keep them here even if they wanted to stay. Example: Niji and Rayne." At that being mentioned, Trevor's eyes opened and glanced up at Ephraim still staring down at him. "Ah fxck! They're not twenty yet." "Eighteen. Not eighteen, genius. Eighteen is the legal adult age outside of the land of the Sheikah." "Eighteen? Really? That's so young. How is that an adult?" "Yes, Trevor, really really. You were my age or younger when you married Karma so you tell me." "Shut up. I was very mature for my age thank you. Besides, we dated for a year before we got married so meh."

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"It is eighteen in most places but there's no need to really worry about Niji. Our parents and most of our tribe were killed by those people for fighting back."Kuro drawled, gesturing to the dogtag with what was left of his toast. "they didn't want to leave any trace of our past behind when they took us kids so yeah. the only one with parents of us is Bander and they sold him to the company to feed his other siblings." he explained while scratching his shoulder with his fork before he used it to shove half a breakfast sausage in his mouth.
"I haven't heard from my folks in years so it wouldn't really effect me much and Lianna's... well, her family most likely thinks she's dead since she ran from the fae realm. " Rissa shrugged, taking a sip of juice before she looked to Watari. "you don't have to throw the broken one away. if you can collect all the parts, Skylar can use a bit of restoration magic to make it good as new."
"way to throw my brother under the bus with that, Rissa. You know how taxing the flow of things is better than anyone so why don't you do it, little Miss Re-gen?" Krystina snorted as she continued to pick at her food, pausing briefly to tie her hair back before she began eating once more.
"Because he's better at it and i can't exactly use those powers without a certain someone coming here to yell at me like last time." the brown eyed blonde retorted, rolling her eyes as she fidgeted lightly with the charm around her neck. Her family could be so overbearing. she was glad that no one really had any qualms with her being off on her own so long as she avoided using certain powers. Opening her mouth to speak, the girl found her voice gone and shot a glare towards Skylar
"would you two stop? i'm fine with doing it myself, i get why rissa doesn't want to use those powers so stop." Skylar frowned, having set his fork down for a moment to magically take away Rissa and Krystina's voices for a few seconds. Letting his hand relax, the two girls found their voices returned, and he went back to eating while ignoring the look his sister was giving him.

Pausing, the redhead rose an eyebrow. "mom told me i got this ability from her." she mumbled, continuing to heal him as best she could. "'course, she also told me some pretty big lies when we were little and i don't think she realized i could tell she was BSing." the girl snorted pulling her hand away with a small ball of hardened blood in her hand. "there, i think i got it all. and it's stopped bleeding from what i can tell. might want to put a bandage back on it just in case." she hummed, the water that was left returning to the cup.

'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 Ninjas
Ephraim, Shadowheart,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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...

XXXXXSlapping a hand against his forehead and sliding it down the side of his face, the teen shook his head. "That obviously went straight over y'all's head. The point is that if you have a legally appointed guardian, Trevor can't legally keep you here even if you wanted to be here. At least not unless I forge some documents and plant them in their appropriate places. Unless I have real names, i.e. one bipolar neko with a terrible record, I can't forge said documentation. I could get Trevor the death certificate of his dad too if I had his name too which would make his legal guardianship null and void, but he was sent to live with some unnamed preacher that took in orphaned children and, most likely, juvenile delinquents after the charges were dropped. As stated before, I need names and he refuses to hand over anything besides aliases. All of these aliases started off with good intentions, his real identity never being exposed even once, yet before disappearing, they were stuck in the middle of some serious shxt. Reasons for their disappearance is inconclusive. They came from nowhere and disappeared the same way. Kitty, as he so blatantly uses as a name, and Jin seems like the most docile out of them all thus far," Ephraim muttered irritably as his gaze shifted back up from the elder man on the floor yet avoiding glancing at Deception. Apparently he had to clarify this on the level of toddlers. At the thought of one thing he'd be mentioning, his eye twitched slightly and his grip on the chair tightened. He could hardly remember much detail about it besides his movements being restricted and how bright it was, but he knew it wasn't someplace he wanted to go back to. "Besides that, the brotherhood's always gettin' pissy if I do anything without their approval. I can't get approval without exposing your case to the brotherhood. The brotherhood finds out we've compromised them, I get put back in the cage and Watari and Sheik will wage war against the brotherhood to protect Trevor and the Tweedles here. In short, it's an endless cycle of compromising you guys and Trevor doesn't want you to return to being lab rats. He doesn't want Truth and Deception being dragged into the brotherhood either. He promised sanctuary to all of you and he'll do his damnedest to keep that promise. I'd follow him to hell and back to help him keep that promise too. I owe him that much."

XXXXX"You're such a crude boy, Ephie. And um... I was just cleaning it up a little so it wasn't just laying on the floor. Most of us don't wear shoes after all and splinters are a pain," Watari responded a little bashfully, his bright blue-green eyes glancing at the still swirling mass of broken wood chunks in the corner. At least it was starting to take shape again with compressed air holding it in place. Giving a slight wave in front of him, he gave a nervous chuckle before moving over to Trevor and setting a bandage over the wound, a small wrapping around his head holding it in place. Once finished, he helped him back up and into his seat where he was rubbing that spot with a slight frown. "Y'all don't have to stress yourselves over the barstool. So long as I can get it shaped back together like a puzzle with compressed air holding it together like a vacuum seal, Ephraim's using his shadows to stitch it back together. If that doesn't work, he can just make the shadows create a replica. You good, Trevvy?"

XXXXX"I'll live though it'll cause me to have a headache for a day or so. It was just one of those fluke things that takes me by surprise every now and again. I just let myself get so hyped up that I lowered my guard," Trevor responded to his cousin dismissively before smiling a little sadly at Truth. How to respond to that was the question. It wasn't entirely Karma's fault she lied to his girls after all. Taking the glass and the hardened blood from her and setting them on the table, he then pulled her close to him just so he could hug her. "That's because I asked her to tell a bunch of lies to you girls when I was away. As you got older however, she was growing angrier at me for being gone most of the time. It'd gotten to the point that we'd started fighting when you girls were asleep. At some point she must've slipped the divorce papers into some school paperwork I suppose and asked me to sign them so I seemed more active in y'all's lives. She knew I'd be tired from work and playing with you girls all day, stopping Deception from people beating other kids up too, so I never really read anything. And that gift, princess, is your lineage carrying Sheikah blood. We call it the Gifts of Truth. You can both tell when people are being truthful albeit you acquired the inability to speak lies too well whereas Deception can speak lies without letting on she's lying. That's why she has such a good poker face. It's also where your names derive from albeit your mother wanted them not to be in Sheikah. I was actually gonna teach you two my native tongue when you reached middle school and after I retired, but didn't get that chance. I had so many plans on teaching you about my side of the family once we had a secure setting even though your mother was against it. I repeat, God and the embodiment of Time willing, you will never meet my sister or parents. I refuse to let you meet them if I can help it... Ephie, what are you digging through in the physical realm?"

At being stared at by Trevor, the golden-amber haired teen gave a heavy sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I am not-" he started to argue only to be interrupted by Trevor's sharp retort. "You have that look, Ephie... And you are stretching yourself too thin again. What'd I say about that?" "I can't tell you. And I'm not stretching myself too thin. There's just a lot of voices I'm listening to at once." "That's stretching yourself too thin. And why can't you tell me?" "'Cause you told me not to tell you." "You're digging through... Watari, hit him. Hit him for me please. Thank you." At being requested to hit Ephraim, Watari swatted him upside the head only to get a scowl from him. "Whose stuff?" "Doesn't that count as telling you things you specifically told me not to? It's Grumpy Cat up there's stuff... Ugh. I can't tell you why 'cause it'd give away details, but it's nothing too personal. Just something he hasn't mentioned to you yet. And there's yet another enemy to add to our list. Apparently it's a second super creepy stalker type guy too. I hate stalkers. I don't even know if he realizes he's looking for him still."

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"to be entirely honest, I've been wondering if this brotherhood of yours doesn't already know we exist. that symbol on the door of the Tower was on the necklace granny wore. 'course i'm the only one who saw it because none of the others were paying any actual attention during her lectures. they all thought the lessons on poison and bandages were stupid." Niji chimed, setting down her food to scratch at her limp ear. "but then again, she might not have told anyone about us either. for the same reason you said you wouldn't. protect your own and all that." she shrugged, ignoring the looks her brothers were giving her.
"and you didn't mention it to us, why?" Bander asked, raising an eyebrow, only to growl lightly at his sister's shrug. "great. now she's keeping secrets. i blame you for this." He grumbled, slapping Kuro upside the head again. "ow! hey! i didn't teach her that! why do you blame me?" the smoker growled, rubbing his head only to have to brush some of his hair back into place."because you're the youngest of us boys so therefore it's your fault." Shiro snorted, rolling his eyes as he continued to eat like there was no tomorrow. "well, that's not very fair." "we never said it was." Bander grinned, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned back to look at Watari.

"oh, well it's more because we want to help than anything. it's just a matter of deciding which person would be of most use in this situation" Krystina explained in place of her brother as he turned his attention to the stool reforming in the corner, a silver glow coming from one of his fingers and circling up around the stool. "due to the nature of Rissa's core element, she's able to use a wide variety of different powers, however, some of them have certain consequences. and as you no doubt heard her say, one of them involves getting yelled at by a woman in a veil. my brother on the other hand is the most magically gifted of us all and would only suffer minor issues with using a restoration spell and it wouldn't bring us any more guests than those already here. so in this particular case it'd be him that'd be of most use."

"heh I know all about our abilities dad. we had a whole week one year where we just tried out various things to see if we had certain types of powers. it was... very informative..." Truth hummed, hugging him back only to pause as she thought back on that week. "huh, come to think of it. there was someone i met during that week who told me i was going to find you again in five years time. she was strange too. kept herself hidden under a veil like she was some mysterious being or something. but she had the same symbol on her veil that Rissa wears around her neck and it sort of seemed familiar to me even though I hadn't met Rissa yet."
Turning her attention to Ephraim when her father started to scold the boy, she could only shake her head and grin at him. "you really should take it easy on yourself. even you have your limits. we all have them." she hummed, leaning back on her hands slightly. even if he was a jerk she still cared for him like a brother.

'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

I just realized... Your avi looks like Lightning from the Final Fantasy XIII game. 8/

The Ninjas
Ephraim, Shadowheart,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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...

XXXXXBeginning to rub the sides of his head, the shadow user gave a tired huff. "That's why I'm digging, itty bitty kitty. Your grandma could've also been involved with the brotherhood in a different manner. Then again, there've been those who've strayed from the brotherhood and tried to disappear; the defectors. If she was a defector, she was probably on a hit list anyways so her and possibly anyone else there who were defectors wouldn't be of any concern to the brotherhood anymore. The children, if any lived like y'all, wouldn't know of the brotherhood thus you were of no importance. Stop talking to me already. It's very distracting," the coppery haired male muttered, his hand twitching slightly as the muscles in his arms tensed then released. So many voices, so many details. Why'd there have to be this many people at once? At feeling a hand touch his arm, he shifted his gaze towards the owner only to see Trevor with a slight frown. "What? I'm fine. Really."

XXXXX"Your seals are glowing, Ephraim. Take a break from it before your head explodes or the other thing. They'll take you away again and put you back in that room. Do you want to go back there?" the elder Sheikah murmured a bit softer than his normal tone. At glancing down at his shirt, Ephraim muttered a few unintelligible words at how the marks stitched into his clothes were glowing a reddish-orange color with red and yellow sparks coming off of them. Shaking his head, the teen stood up and jutted his thumb over to the door. "Go on ahead and lay down upstairs. Don't answer any calls from the brotherhood either. You've been going and going like the Energizer bunny for months now. Food and sleep are on your priority list right now, buddy. The kid never takes care of himself. How he manages to do it is beyond me."

XXXXX"If I'm allowed to ask, what is this other thing and room you were talking about with him?" Rayne asked curiously though he noticed the discomfort Trevor was showing now that Ephraim was out of the room. He didn't want anyone, especially not his daughters who'd practically known him their whole life, to look at him differently. The boy had felt alienated his whole life as it was. That entire memory was horrible and difficult for both males. "That's... Difficult to explain. The other thing is... It's the reason he has to wear those seals in the first place. I've never seen it first hand, but according to the man who raised him, something in him... Something in him is unnatural. He turned on allies, on the boys he considered to be like brothers since they grew up together, because of it. The room is... A holding cell in name I suppose. I didn't even like that room so I can only imagine how it was for him at the time... He doesn't remember how he got there in the first place, how long he spent in there nor any of the conversations I had trying to comfort him, but he never wants to go back there. I don't ever want to see him like that again. I don't like seeing kids in distress at all so I like helping them out."

"Like when the boy down the road was duct-taped to that tree upside-down in the park. I would've just beat the crap out of him, but no-o. Big bad Trevor had to come get me and Truth before I popped his mother in the nose for yelling at me then diffuse the situation. This was followed by the realization that he was nowhere to be seen and the start of a neighborhood search. I'm guessing Ephie told our dad where he was 'cause he went directly to him and had to cut him down. He was squalling like a big baby too," Deception snickered while getting a slight nod from her father. The man was always trying to diffuse the situation though the look Watari was giving her told another story. "What's up, skunk?" "He's surprised you were talking about one of the times I diffused a bad situation. Believe it or not, I was one Hellian of a child before I met your mother. My parents hated my rebellion against them, my defiance on how they were raising us. What sense of humor Sheik has came from me, his hoity-toitiness from them. He can be a serious buzzkill like them at times. And it's good you've explored your abilities. "

"Even so, we didn't want y'all to stress over doing anything especially this soon. It just wouldn't be right," Watari frowned slightly while letting his deep blue-green eyes flick a couple of times from the wood pieces to Skylar to Krystina and back. He didn't exactly want to be rude by stating that due to the conditions they were living under, they were supposed to focus on the less stressful things like their health. If they wanted to help, they were free to do so, but Trevor and him were mostly focused on their recovery and making sure they didn't exactly over eat to make up for what they hadn't had for some time... And trying to help with issues like Shiro's legs. Oh God... "Shadowheart, please come out from under the table by Shiro and Kuro." "I was examining his legs and the condition they're in. Sheik's in the living room recliner by the way. The other two will be here later today with one of the loup garoux escorting them. His reaction to getting hit in the knee didn't so much as twitch. Did you even feel that, Shiro-san?" "You hit him?! Sheik, get him to behave himself."

"Be glad that's all he did. He asked if he was allowed to do much more damaging things as his physical examination to which I told him no. Heck, I'm surprised he's even curious about them," Sheik sighed from the doorway while ignoring the fact that the dark haired shadow user had slid out from between the two brothers with a serpentine-like grace. Snapping his fingers twice, the strawberry blonde Sheikah beckoned Shadowheart to come near. When he hadn't so much as budged from where he stood, Sheik gave an irritable grumble before walking over to him and pulling him off to the side. "Stop bothering them while they eat... Is that...? Give him back his hand! How did you even get that?" Getting a faintly annoyed tisk from Shadowheart when the Sheikah lifted up the hand holding Kuro's hand, the young teen skulked back over to the brothers and set the hand down just to return back to Sheik's side. "As your brother would say, I have skills. Mad skills... Here's your hand back, Kuro-tan, alongside a carton of cigarettes Ephraim asked me to pick up for you... I can't do anything with you guys around. It's not like I'm feeding 'em to a wood chipper." "First off, you do things that aren't exactly acceptable in even the world of assassins. Secondly, you don't steal automated limbs from guests in my brother's house. It's just rude. You need to apologize." "Fxck off." "And there's that lovely way of him refusing to use his manners. He's such a doll." "A definite peach... Sorry, gentlemen. Once he has his mind set on something, he's impossible to control without a flashbang. Ask before you touch anyone my brother has taken into his house, Shadowheart, and clear everything you- Ow! Real mature stomping on my foot and over to the counter, Shadowheart." "I shouldn't have to clear anything with any of you. You want me to act like a child, your toes are gonna get broken. I held back." "He really shouldn't, Sheik. Maybe report things and tell you where he's going, but you're treating him like he's six. But, Shadowheart, you really should ask for a better look at something for these ladies and gentlemen. They're supposed to feel safe, not violated and void of all privacy." "Mm... Yeah. You weirdoes have some issues about that kind of stuff after all... Then may I finish my examination of your clan after breakfast? And boy are you two pretty stupid. Unless he's the oldest, he's not to blame."

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 funny part is i'm actually trying to cosplay as Desire but can't find a skirt for it. =/ but thanks?

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 a light chuckle, Shiro could only hsake his head at Shadowheart's messing with his legs. "i didn't feel anything. to be honest, that's why i'm building a pair of robotic ones. its just gonna be a matter of finishing them up and then i'll need to find a decent place to do the procedure without wrecking Trevor's home and Kuro's gonna have to be there to help me, and i'll probably want someone to numb me up a bit so i don't shake to bad while i do it." he chuckled, pausing to scratch at his neck. "and yes, we can blame him. he's the youngest brother and Niji hangs out with him more often then either of us."
"i swear you are way too eager about this to be normal." Kuro drawled as he took his hand back, reattaching it to the cable on his wrist before he turned his gaze to where he'd heard a thud, only to see that Kana had dropped off the counter and was currently smacking the other white haired neko upside the head. "thanks for the cigarettes. i'll try and keep the smoke outside." he drawled, tucking the pack into his pocket beside one of his knives. "don't act so eager to rip yourself apart, moron. you're the only one of us who can actually build this stuff without it breaking so we need you around." the female scolded as she put a hand on her hip.

"he's fine, really, guys. although we do appreciate him asking, most of us probably would have just ignored it until he did something harmful." Skylar hummed, waving his hand slightly as he pushed his empty plate further onto the table. Stuffing one hand into his pocket, the teen gave a smile as he pulled out a pocket watch and tossed it towards Shiro. "add butter." he called, grinning at his friend when the teen began taking it apart piece by piece and stuffing each item into his pockets.

"i don't think anyone would really mind you doing so, just don't be suprised if Kana gets all defensive if you try bothering her. she's liked her space ever since we discovered that she and shiro have a shared genetic doner." Truth smiled, only to get a slap upside the head from Kana who then walked out of the room. "i'm not hungry any more." she called over her shoulder, which just got a collective sigh from the other females.

'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

Ah. It's a compliment by the way. She's pretty kickass for a gender bent ripoff character of the main character from Final Fantasy VIII. cool She reminds me of Desiré too.

The Ninjas
Ephraim, Shadowheart,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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...

XXXXX"Unbelievable. And that kind of attitude is going to encourage him to keep acting like this," Sheik growled to himself, his fiery red-orange eyes deliberately avoiding Shadowheart's mockingly cold gaze. Lovely. They gave him the okay to do as he wished which meant everything he'd been working on with him just went on a steep decline. Setting his foot back on the floor, he gave a light tisk before turning on his heel and returning to the living room. "Fine. Whatever. Just don't come crying to me when he starts it up again."

XXXXX"I thought so... You'll show me how to work these little ticking and whirring devices of yours?" the dark haired teen responded to Shiro's commentary of replacing his own legs with prosthetics, his head cocked to the side ever so slightly. By the way he was watching the male taking apart the pocketwatch, one could see this was the first he'd seen it in action. If Ephraim had still been in the room, he too would've been watching curiously as it came apart. Shadowheart was genuinely interested in it, but seemed to lack the ability to ask in a polite way to be shown how these things worked. The truth of the matter however, wasn't that he lacked the ability, he just wasn't using it. From how Trevor or Ephraim watched him doing anything, he knew they could tell yet never said anything about it. At least they were leaving it to him to choose whether or not he should be nice and let others in.

XXXXX"I think we should just drop the discussion of whose fault it was 'cause there's obviously those thinking logically and those thinking not-so-logically. It's fine. It's all good. She just didn't mention it to you until now and it's honestly not a big deal. Sometimes you'll see things that you think aren't too important to mention so you don't until something else makes you recall it. I had plenty of those moments and still have them to this day," Trevor intervened with a brief clap of his hands. Sheik really needed to relax a bit. The two coming later today must've had really strict families if they'd kept refusing him like they had. His little brother got stressed out pretty easily though so it wasn't really much of a surprise that his mood was in such a sour state. Unfortunately, Shadowheart's suspicious nature wound up chasing one of the girls off. This would be a difficult readjustment for all of them. "I'm going to have to agree with Miss Kana on not getting so excited about tearing yourself apart. Like I said last night, there's still the possibility of correcting that without you being poked and prodded. I've just gotta talk to some of my contacts in the medical field. I actually have a contact who has a little brother who could help you with your little gadgets there. If it comes down to it, I've got a room in the basement Ephraim and I used to remove bullets from each other. I made sure Karma and the girls didn't find it although I'm pretty sure at least one of them - Truth - can now. But yeah, it's sanitary and I've got a bunch of surgical tools down there. We didn't want them freaking out if they saw a bullet wound in an arm or whatever. Ah. The girls had no idea of the times I had an injury and still played games with them, running around the yard and showing them how to do flips." "That... Is weird. You kept a mini-operation room in your house? And Shadowheart would probably do something that registers as hostility to everyone. He has this habit of being highly hostile." "As if I'd trust the brotherhood with any injuries I got. Nope. My medic was a kid my girls' age and I was his in return. Before him, I mostly did things by myself or Karma would catch me trying to use a mirror and then force me to sit still so she could do it all while scolding me. And well, when Sheik first dragged his butt here, he behaved much like a feral animal being dragged into society. He bit me on several occasions and drew blood without hesitation. I'm shocked he didn't lose an eye when Sheik was cutting his hair."

XXXXXSitting on the stairs as Kana passed by, Kristoff rubbed the back of his hand. It wasn't like he was going to bother anyone after hitting Trevor with that chair. Nope. He was just going to try blending into the walls and watch as they interacted with each other. It's not like they'd really miss him if he didn't interact with them. He just had to apologize to Trevor for snapping like he had. He had issues. He knew he had issues, but he kept falling back under the impression of things being different this time. It was then he glanced back at the one called Sheik laying on his back on the floor with his legs stretched up onto the wall.

XXXXX"A prime example of why privacy should be respected," the blonde Sheikah muttered, his gaze following Kana's movement even though he didn't seem to be paying much attention to anything else. "Sorry about him. He's very suspicious of others though as curious as a cat. You scold him for wanting to cut a finger off of someone and get my brother and cousin on your case. They want me to keep him from biting and tossing people into the shadows, but God forbid I get him to give others the respect he expects from them... You alright, Miss Kana?"

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

heh, wasn't sure because of the emote xD

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.

XXXXXGrining more as he looked up from his project, Shiro nodded lightly to Shadowheart before looking back at the watch. "well, in the case of this watch, its just a wind up one so there's a gear at the top and that in turn winds a spring which will keep that thing running any where from a day to a week before it needs to be wound again. however there are some watches now that run on battery power and i really wish i could get my hands on one because those have the parts i could really use. its rather difficult to get robitc parts to move if they can't respond to the electric signals of our bodies" he hummed, practically glowing as he picked apart the gears and started laying them out by size. thankfully, most of these were useful as replacements for the rusting ones on Kuro's hand or he would've given them to Rissa to melt down. Glancing up to Trevor when he mentioned another mechanic who could possibly help him, he grinned and nodded. "sounds good to me, i wouldn't mind having someone else take a look since most of my handiwork is trial and error. it took me six tries to get Kuro's hand working. and that's without full use of his pinky, if you haven't noticed. i kinda fried the nerves there too much." he chuckled, scratching at the back of his head while Kuro glared at him.

Frowning at her dad when he mentioned having a mini operating room here, Truth spun on her heel to smack him on the shoulder. "butthead. you know, even if we were little, we still understood what it meant to be hurt. you could've very easily gotten away with resting if you'd told us." she huffed, crossing her arms as she walked away from him before he could say anything to her.

waving slightly to Kristoff as she paused in the hall, Kana gave a sigh and shook her head at Sheik. "just... just call me Kana. no need for the honorifics. and yeah, i'm ... i'm alright. i just wish truth didn't spill her guts every time she opened her trap. she has this bad habit of forgetting when it's her business and when it's not." she hummed, leaning on the wall as she looked to the cieling. "but still, i can't be angry at her so instead i just left so no one would give me that look like they're expecting me to break any second. it's irritating and why am i even telling you this? i hardly know you" she snorted, shaking her head.

'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.