Together Again {Dante & Pure}

[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"Love you too, daddy." Truth mumbled, leaning over to kiss his cheek before she turned back in time to see Bander and Lianna changing places as a guitar formed in his hands. "guess they want to keep going with the music" she chuckled, pulling her hair over one shoulder.
"to be fair, Deception, Kuro has almost as many as him, i'm sure he'd be happy to tell you about them as he did them all himself." the wolf drawled as he readjusted the strings on his guitar briefly. his damnable brothers always messed up the strings when they performed in the city with this thing. "as for limiters, i think Rissa's got you guys all beat. the girl has anklets and bracelets and charms up the wazoo that she has to wear just to fight fair in the arenas." "and even that only just stops me from being a destructive nut ball." she snorted, shaking her head. "what you playing, bander? ah, volbeat it is then." Giving the briefest of nods, the auburn haired experiment gave a smile as he started playing guitar, a grin on his face as he watched Kuro walk in and pull Shiro off the couch, dragging the elder cat up to stand by their brother. "Counting all the assholes in the room, Well I'm definitely not alone, well I'm not alone. You're a liar, you're a cheater, you're a fool! Well that's just like me yoohoo and I know you too"

"so, what do you want to do? sounds like the big kids are playing music for Trevor. and i think the noise is attracting attention from his neighbors...." she mumbled, watching as curious faces began poking out of the various houses to see why the quietest house in the neighborhood suddenly had all sorts of music coming from it.

Falling fla on her back, Kana gave a low groan and shook her head as she began laughing. "i totally deserved that, but i wanted to see how quickly you could react to it." Feeling her face heat up as he re-positioned her body, the teen gave a light nod and glanced to him for a second as she took a calming breath, she grinned at him and swung at him once more. "be glad i'm not using my winds to enhance my moves at all, that'd be way worse." she snorted, blowing her bangs from her face.

'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 Ninja Assassins
Ephraim, Shayde,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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.

XXXXX"Yay. That's fine. Like I said, we love music in this house. Volbeat! God, now I'm hoping the NEET's older brother and legal guardian come with him. Y'all may get overwhelmed by Sheik's and my many contacts that will most likely come and go if they're needed," Trevor started in a hum only to seem to get pumped again. Ephraim had found the band on YouTube and made the Sheikah listen to it after he'd been pestered about what he was listening to for a while. Oh no... They'd probably just woken up the shadow user. "Play another one, gents." "Go back to bed, Ephie! Looks like ya made a good choice. Ephie likes listening to that group among various other artists. We should totally mix our groups together and become one large band. That'd be funny. And you don't know how many I have or how many he needs."

XXXXX"That's too many piercings and you're both nuts for getting that many... Sorry, Mari. You're already feeling a little down about my dad telling them about your tendencies. That is a bit too many piercings though," Deception started off strong only to notice Kristoff rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably and become apologetic. She hadn't intended to make it sound so negative, but something about how he was sitting there made her feel some part of him was going into a dark place. Smiling at him, she pointed at Bander's guitar, her eyebrow lifted slightly at him making him shake his head. "Please? The Halestorm one?" "You're not gonna stop are you?" "Nope. I'll join you~." "I'm just gonna start ignoring you now then..."

XXXXX"I dunno... Bit it does seem to have drawn the attention of the neighborhood. Uh oh. Human in a robe scurrying over here as fast as her legs can carry her," Rayne shrugged briefly, his eyes following the adult woman crossing the street. At her brief pause at the foot of the driveway and the horror on her face that not only two kids were on the roof, but one had cat ears, he gave a soft snort. Humans were amusing with their fears. If he'd flashed his fangs, she'd certainly be afraid. "The one called Shadowheart's meeting with her. Hm... Well I don't want to get in the way of their training though the yard seems pretty big... And exploring the neighborhood is... An iffy suggestion. First off, the area feels off. And secondly, I could zonk out again at any given point. With danger a strong possibility still, I wouldn't want to put you in harm's way by making you feel you've gotta protect me if I do."

XXXXXChuckling lightly as his hands and legs shifted swiftly to keep up with her movements, Sheik's guard had obviously gone back up seeing as it was much harder for her to get a hit in. When given the opportunity or having spotted an opening, he'd tap it with two long fingers. "Well I had my expectations severely lowered considering we said we were going through the motions, but smart move. If you wanted to kill me, you would've done it instead of playing nice with that first kick. I'm gonna hafta keep my guard up around you," he hummed smoothly before finally hopping over the girl and barely tapping her back with both feet in unison before he rolled back to his feet, lyre in hand. Upon reaching a position where he was standing again, his fingers plucking swiftly over the strings, he added, "Much better. What few places I tapped are your only openings in that position when moving. They're to be expected and can't necessarily be completely fixed without the aid of other things. Wind, wires, just something that can help cover those areas. The back is usually always wide open, but that's just how it is when you're alone. You can also pull off tricks like these hops and spins to help cover it. You're a strong fighter, Kana, especially them damn legs. Where they've made impact, I can still feel the tingle from when it first made impact like that initial feeling you get from being flicked. But that was just you being offensive. All I've done is defensive. That's where we have to go now that you've got some of that offensive strikes tweaked a bit. Alright? ... Oh God no... Shadowheart's intimidating the neighbors again."

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.

 

[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"Go back to sleep, Ephie, or i'll come up there and snuggle with you." Truth frowned, glaring up at the ceiling for a second only to blink as she heard someone strumming the guitar. Glancing down, she smiled at seeing that Kuro had taken the guitar from Bander and was giving it a feel only to start playing with a grin on his face. "There's a Cadillac out in the dark, There's a guitar gangster lighting a smoke, And he feels the night, and he feels the fire! Driving into the city unknown, 10 small houses is what he face in the cold. And he feels the night, can you feel the fire? Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood! They came from the road and out of the dark. Went into a place even darker. Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood~" he smiled, the sounds of the guitar having shifted to sound like an electric.

Plopping Shiro back on the couch, Bander gave a smirk and turned back to his brother, smiling as he hummed along lightly to his brother's singing. "take it down a notch, Dee, you're making him uncomfortable." the wolf drawled, glancing towards where she and the blonde neko were.

"you're right, i suppose. and i'd never hear the end of it if i got separated from my brothers during a fight." the girl frowned, her ear pressing back against her head. Peaking over the roof's edge when she spotted the woman there, the feline gave a grin and pulled out a small plastic spider on a fish-line from her pocket. "wanna see something funny?" she hummed, only to slowly lower the spider into the woman's hair.

Giving him a smirk, the teen crossed her arms over her chest and nodded lightly. "thank you. although, it helps to have a good teacher. and sure, we can do defensive next, just don't be surprised if i'm better at that. " she hummed, a taunting smirk on her face as she resumed her kickboxing stance, her blue eyes focused in on him.

'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 Ninja Assassins
Ephraim, Shayde,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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.

XXXXX"Please don't encourage him to disobey me anymore than he already does," Trevor requested with a frown directed at Kuro. As awesome as the music was, the teenager upstairs was far too unconcerned with his own health. When his health was brought up, he could act pretty childish about how he was fine. It didn't help he'd state he was fine even when he was obviously exhausted or not feeling well. Trevor had to keep insisting he go rest for him to actually stop siphoning information out of the shadows just a short while ago. "Oh my God. I wake up for two seconds to ask for a second song and y'all can't back the fxck up and stop nagging me. Thank you, Kuro."

XXXXX"But Mari's really good at it. He should be glad I'm not asking for Super Psycho Love or even Flesh. It was amusing walking in on him singing and dancing to those songs. Ooh~. Lookit that! Mari's face is turning red. Bet he'd look like a cherry if I told y'all he can sing like Heart," Deception pouted, her smile only returning when the blonde male appeared to curl in on himself, his face behind his arms. It was fun teasing people to the dark haired femme. When they acted like Kristoff was right now, she was just gonna keep pushing it. Poking him, her grin widened. "Heart? As in all I wanna do is make love to you Heart?" "Yes, daddy, that Heart. He's like a male version of Lzzy Hale. Please play something, Mari?"

XXXXXFinally standing up, the cat demon made a quick swipe of the hand only for a mean looking guitar to form up. Tapping it a couple times with his nails, he finally nodded slightly to himself an started playing. "In the daylight, I'm your sweetheart. Your goody-two-shoes prude is a work of art. But you don't know me and soon you won't forget. Bad as can be, yeah, you know I'm not so innocent. Better beware, I go bump in the night. The devil-may-care with a lust for life. And I know you~ can't resist me. 'Cause you know you~ are so addicted. Girl, you better run for your life. Welcome to the nightmare in my head. Say hello to something scary. The monster in your bed. Just give in and you won't be sorry. Welcome to my other side and now it's Mztr. Hyde. I can be the bxtch, I can play the whore, or your fairytale prince; who could ask for more? A touch of wicked, a pinch of risk-ay. Good boy gone bad, my poison is your remedy. Better be scared, better be afraid, now that the beast is out of his cage." "Damn... There's too much talent in this house. The neighborhood already thinks we've all come from some kind of circus. Deception, you can stop bouncing around 'cause you made him bend to your will." "Haha! I knew I could break him just like I knew I could break Ephie." "Well I've heard that the devil's walking around." "I sold my soul way down in the dirt but stole it back now forever in debt. And for a moment, I don't even care until I feel his breath at my neck. And maybe even you can feel it too. He's on a strike and looking at you.... Dammit, Ephie. It's a catchy song. And you're supposed to be going to sleep, not calling my daughter the devil." At the sound of someone stumbling on the porch, Watari scurried off to figure out what it was.

XXXXX"Exactly. Sure," Rayne smiled while watching her with the little fake spider. From what he could tell, the woman was pretty oblivious to it and yet Shayde was watching it. That was until the shadow user slapped her and shrugged. The crusinik was trying to bite back the laughter bubbling up from the nonchalance of the older male below having slapped the woman. "Oh snap. That went bad so fast, but I can't stop laughing. He has no couth at all. His answer is a nonchalant shrug." "The hell? Shayde what's going on out here? Ma'am, are you alright?" "Sha-dow-heart. Baka. She was full of BMCs I have no patience for. The spider on her gave me the opportunity to shut her up by slapping her. End story. It was a lovetap. She'll be fine." "Sheik, come deal with him before I ship him elsewhere! I am so sorry, ma'am." "Tch. Hippies..."

XXXXX"We'll see... Ugh... One second. Shadowheart, to the backyard now please. Tell me what happened this time," Sheik started with an amused grin only to frown when Watari called from the front yard, resetting his lyre against his lower back. As Shadowheart pulled himself out of Sheik's shadow, the strawberry blonde just stared at him expectantly. Scratching his arm, the dark haired male shifted his fiery gaze away from the Sheikah. "Slapped the lady across the street..." "Heh... I mean, why?" "She wouldn't stop bi-whining about how lively our house is and I was getting annoyed. Niji-chan and Rayne-chan had a plastic spider on a string that got near her face so I went with it and slapped her as if I were killing it. She fell, I shrugged, Watari's a hippie. End story." "Heh. The spider trick... Ahem. Shadowheart, while around civilians, you must behave like civilians. As far as they know, I teach people self-defense and everyone in this house is family. You have to be patient with them and even interact with them. You know the creed and that you must be able to hide in plain sight. You can't blend if you're chasing people away. And you should wear your civilian clothes when greeting them at the door. Wear one of those little doctor's masks if you're still uncomfortable showing your face. We've talked about this. Give it until this afternoon, then I want you to take Trevor's mountain bike and go down the street until you're out of sight. You're going to pick up something nice - flowers, candy, baked goods, just something - and then you're going to come back the same way you left. You're going to take that gift across the street and apologize to her. Just tell her there was a spider and you didn't want her to get bit. Then you can come back here and sulk in that dark spiraling abyss you live in. No arguing. Understand?" "But- Fine... I'm gonna get changed into some civilian clothes then... So stupid..."

XXXXXGiving a heavy sigh as the dark haired male slunk back into the house unhappily, Sheik shook his head. "Sorry about that. He's tough, I'll give you that, but shattered which is why he shuts others out. It's taken this long just for me to get him to realize I'm far more stubborn than he is. I give a good long, hard stare and he'll drop his argument with me and agree with a spiteful fine. Anyways, we were going with defense. Looks like I get to be on the offense finally. Fun. And there's always room for improvement. Most times, the student surpasses the master... Unless your master is my parents," he hummed smoothly, as his arms and legs shifted back into his previous stance. Taking in a deep breath, he raised a brow at her. At least this was a good way of getting to know each other. What made it better was how it distracted him from the numbers missing around her. And just like that, he made a few quick jabs with his hands at the female. Unlike her brief rundown however, he didn't split up his punches and kicks. Just as he appeared to be swinging his fists, his foot would come flying at some part of your body besides where it looked like he was aiming for.

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.

 

[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"you're right, he is pretty good." Truth hummed, a smile on her face as she waved to Kuro, sticking her tongue out at him for a moment before she bounced up to stand next to him as he began playing for her. "Jimmy's in the back with a pocket of high, If you listen close You can hear him cry: Oh, Lord, heaven knows, We belong way down below! Sing it. Oh, Lord, heaven knows, We belong way down below. Way down below, way down below! Judy's in the front seat picking up trash, Living on the dole, Gotta make that cash. Won't be pretty, Won't be sweet, She's just sittin' here on her feet. Sing it! Oh, Lord, heaven knows, We belong way down below! Go. Oh, Lord, heaven knows, We belong way down below! Sing, Oh, Lord, tell us so; We belong way down below! Oh, Lord, tell us so; We belong way down below, Way down below, way down below! Way down below, way down below. I've had better days, man. I've seen better days. I've had better ways, man. I know better ways. One, two, three and four; The devil's knocking at your door. Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie. Start your life with your head held high, Now you're on your knees, With your head hung low. Big man tells you where to go. Tell 'em it's good. Tell 'em okay. Don't do a goddamn thing they say~!" she hummed, keeping a drum beat going on her leg as she went. Glancing at her sister, the redhead gave a smile as if saying the song were about the two of them.

The child gave a small squeak only to start laughing softly at the silent boy using her spider as an excuse to slap the woman. "that went better than i thought it would." she snorted, peering over the roof once more as a bright grin formed on her face, her tail flicking mischievously behind her. "... think that's enough to get rid of her? she smells horrid. " she mumbled, watching the woman carefully as if debating what else she could do without causing too much harm. Grinning lightly, the child pulled out a sparkler and lit it, only to drop it at the woman's feet just as she saw Krystina come out to check on everything. "is everything okay out here?" she asked, leaning in the doorway with her tired smile on her face.

Glancing to the roof for a second, Kana gave a sigh and shook her head only to smirk when Sheik began speaking to her once more. "its fine, he's not the only one with problems fitting in." she shrugged, humming to herself as he began the attack, blocking roughly every two of three hits he made, her eyes never leaving his movements. This was an easier way to get to know each other that's for sure. and it broke the tension from their conversation last night.

'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 Ninja Assassins
Ephraim, Shayde,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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.

XXXXXTapping her foot and clapping along with her sister's choice of song, Deception returned the smile. "But of course I'm right. I do make better judgements of people. We have drums in the house?" Deception retorted before pulling a set of drumsticks out from under the couch cushion. Well that was a weird place to find a set of drumsticks. "Hm? Uh yeah. I got them for Ephraim when he took an interest in the beats I'd tap out in the kitchen whilst cooking. He found it a good distraction from work and to get rid of a lot of frustration when he didn't feel like talking about it with me. You girls feel like taking up an instrument, let me know." "Where? Ah. That big room over there. I hear you, Ephie. You don't go to sleep and I'm gonna come up there and give ya something that'll really terrify you." "" "It's him? He doesn't seem like the type to do something like join a karaoke session."

XXXXXAt being given a few taps on the drums hidden somewhere in the house, Kristoff nudged Deception with his elbow before his fingers began dancing across the strings. "Ooh~. Mr. Anti-social is up to no good. And you, Truth, pay real close attention," she purred before stepping over to Truth and giving her a hug. Might as well speak up while she got her sister's attention. "We came to battle, baby. We came to win the war. We won't surrender 'till we get what we're looking for. We're blowing out our speakers. There goes the neighborhood. A little scissor happy, little misunderstood. We can turn you on or we will turn on you. Daughters of darkness, sisters insane. A little evil goes a long, long way. We stand together. No, we're not afraid. We'll live forever, daughters of darkness, daughters of darkness. Na nanananana! Na nanananana! Na nanananana! We're all survivors somehow. We just broke out the pack. And I don't need no dogtag, my name is on my back." "You two have grown up too fast on me... That song is a little ironic though."

XXXXX"I'd think so, but some humans are pretty persistent," Rayne snickered while continuing to peek over the edge of the roof. Wow. That Watari guy was good at patching things up considering the woman was stuttering and not exactly getting shrill. Agh! He just shot a glare at them as the firecrackers started going off and he scooped the woman up. "It's fine, Krystina. Just a couple of mischievous children on the roof and one teenager that still trusts only one person in the world and only just barely. Ma'am, please return home. I'll stop by in a short while with some kids that will be apologizing properly to you, " Watari responded as he set the woman back down on the concrete path leading up to the door. Getting a bashfully compliant response, he turned quickly and made a quick flick of the wrist. Catching Rayne's sketchpad, he started into the house before tucking it into a pocket. He then extended a hand to the fair haired female for assistance in moving about. What had once been irritation had returned that angelic smile that made him appear to be the most trusted and gentle man in the world. "H-hey! That's mine!" "Both of you need to come meet me by the stairs. Now. Miss Krystina, you needn't have followed after me. I had a feeling it was Shadowheart. Give him an excuse to do something that'll chase people away or give him freedom to whack them and he jumps right on board. Sheik gets the honor of getting into staredowns with him. Are you alright?"

XXXXXSheik could only chuckle before pausing in front of the girl. Letting his eyes shift from their blue-green coloration to the fiery red-orange, his smile grew a bit. Picking back up on the fast swings of his arms and legs, his speed seemed to increase and at times none of his limbs were on the ground. "Is that what you deciphered from my words? Not that I'd be surprised if that is what you drew the conclusion to. I've been told I don't explain things well. It's not that he can't fit in, but more like he doesn't want to fit in. He wants to live in his abysmal ball of solitude, always keeping people out of arm's reach and pretending the world and everyone in it is out to get him. Once you let someone in, the hurt they cause you by betraying that trust cannot truly be fixed, only repaired. It's like if you break one of those little glass figurines and try super gluing it back together. It's repaired, but there are still cracks in it. Same goes with opening that wall of trust. That's like a soda can or bottle; once opened, the seal is broken and it can't be compressed enough to hold in the carbonation as when first sealed shut. Make sense?" he breathed out.

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.

 

[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"ooh, real drums~" Truth purred, clapping her hands lightly only to find her sister standing beside her now. Grinning and practically bouncing in her place, Truth joined her twin in singing. "We can turn you on, Or we can turn on you! Daughters of darkness, Sisters insane. A little evil, Goes a long, long way. We stand together. No we're not afraid. We'll live forever. Daughters of darkness. Daughters of darkness." the redhead grinned, taking her sister's hand again.

Pouting as her firecrackers were dodged, the child flinched away from the side of the roof as he glared at them. "ah, crap. c'mon, we'd better just get this over with. he's obviously gonna hold your book ransom until we do." the feline huffed, standing with her ear pressed flat against her head. Glancing to Rayne for a moment, the kitten gave a sigh and jumped off the roof, grabbing onto a tree branch and slowly making her way down from there. waiting for him to come down however he pleased, the child gave a huff and crossed her arms. that guy had to go and ruin her fun. the human shouldn't even be bothering them, why did she have to ruin everything?

"i'm alright, thank you, just a little tired," Krystina smiled, taking his hand as she reentered the house. "i was actually going to check on the kids. Niji's never really liked dogs, wolves, inu, or lycans, i wanted to make sure she wasn't going to cause problems for the others that were arriving. she's not too fond of humans either...." she sighed, poking her head outside to look at the little purple fluff ball. "if you don't mind, i'll probably come with you when you take them over just in case she decides to act out. she'll probably behave a bit better if someone she knows is around."

Grinning to herself as he sped up, Kana gave a smile and moved faster as well, her blue eyes flashing green as a wind sped her along. "well, even if that is the case, he can't stay like that forever. he's going to meet someone who piques his interest or he'll need help. whatever it is, someone out there will change him. even the most stubborn person can't handle everything on their own. and while he might not trust them as much as he had the original person, i'm sure that a bond might still be formed." she hummed, barely even panting.

'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 Ninja Assassins
Ephraim, Shayde,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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.

XXXXXLaughing as the song came to an end though Shayde obviously picked up on a different beat so as to waste time until he had to do as Sheik instructed him to do, Deception hugged her sister again. The very thought of apologizing to that noisy woman irritated him and yet Sheik and Watari would be on his case until he followed through on his word. "Apparently so. I'm curious as to what all dear ol' dad's changed in the house seeing as he apparently got a set of drums for Ephie. Who knows what all he's done over the years... Like the photos of mom no longer being on the walls with the exception of our room," she purred with some indescribably dark emotion behind every word. As Trevor began scratching at his jaw and neck, his red-orange eyes shifted elsewhere in the room, a dark sort of amusement passed over his face. "That wasn't... I mean..." "Shut your mouth, you obnoxious little twerp. Karma was an ungrateful little trollop according to both the shadows and Sheik. Fortunately, she'll be getting out of the picture soon enough if the next hand is dealt correctly. Stop scratching, Trevor. You're gonna draw blood if you keep at it." "What? What's that supposed to mean?" "Sorry... It's a premonition, Deception, a prediction of future events based on a specific course of events. It's a hypothesis at most... And Sheik took them down, piled them in a box and put them in the back of your closet. He said she made her choice and any remnants of her, minus you two, would only hurt my... Recovery."

XXXXX"Agreed," Rayne sighed heavily. Standing up, he hopped down over the edge and landed on the ground in a low crouch just the the balls of his feet and the fingers of one hand. Brushing a few dark strands from his face and dusting himself off, the crusinik glanced over to Niji before glancing inside the doorway to the house where Watari was taking Krystina to sit for a few moments while he scolded the children. At least he would soon enough. "I'm a little weirded out about the fact that someone that appears so fragile, a barely repaired morsel of what once was alive, could become something so terrifying. I mean, yes, he kills for a living, but innocence still lingers with him. It's still such a vibrant thing too. How odd..."

XXXXX"I'd love to have you there to help smooth things over if you feel up to it, but your health is of utmost priority. An umbrella would be wise to take with us as well. It will start raining again shortly. The rain will only worsen your already frail immune system," Watari smiled at the blonde female as he led her to the stairs leading to the upper floors. Motioning her briefly to sit on the stairs, he glanced over his shoulder and motioned the two kids to enter the house. Such naughty children. "Well I do hope she will behave for me and understand. He should, but I fear he does not enjoy the company of humans. It could be a mortality issue with him though I can't quite tell yet. Vampires and crusinik, at least those born to it in certain mannerisms, are more difficult to read than others. He's one of those though still but a child. She will apologize whether she wants to or not though. Same goes for the boy. Sheik most likely has a set plan of action for Shadowheart already planted so I won't have to drag him along. He's the most difficult person I've run across thus far. Ephraim being a close second." Dropping the smile as Rayne begrudgingly approached him, Niji in tow, his hand immediately snapped out for his sketchpad to be returned. "Not until apologies are made, Rayne. As for the glare, that isn't because I'm infuriated with y'all. You're mischievous and it's understandable. You're kids. Point is, what I'm slightly miffed at is you two chose a bad time to do that. At least wait a day or two of being here before starting anything like that so we can make sure all our bases are covered... And make sure Shadowheart isn't there 'cause he takes golden opportunities like that fake spider just to hit people. He's difficult. Now let me think... Think, think, think... They've seen Jacoby, the NEET, before and all of his many, many computers so we can play off some things, but... Ah... So much to do, so little time. How to work up an apology without consulting the others is the question. Got it! Vagueness with a bit of truth splashed in and some little white lies. Niji-chan, this is going to sound a little weird and most definitely offensive, but if asked by the woman about your ears and tail, would you mind just going along with me stating they're mechanical? These people don't understand nekos, elves, valkyries and anything that isn't human even exists. They think it's a fantasy and we're trying to keep them in the dark on a lot of things for their own safety. How they haven't figured out what we do as of yet is beyond me considering Ephraim's had to clean bodies out of their yards on many an occasion during the night and Trevor gets a hysterical form of the giggles."

XXXXX"I'm still waiting for that someone to pique his interest 'cause otherwise, he'll refuse help with anything. He'd rather die than ask for help and even if he didn't ask and you did it anyways, he'll get hostile about it. He's difficult like that much like how he won't usually approach anyone amongst a crowd. The fact that he came out around all of you is a shocker in and of itself. Unfortunately, he's reverted back into isolated spaces. If he wishes for the input of others, he is certain to corner you alone to get it. And I will warn you in advance, peek around the curtain before stepping out of the shower. He has this habit of popping into the bathroom yet remaining silent as if contemplating something. Sometimes he won't say anything at all and just leave, but he is not concerned with things like modesty," Sheik chuckled as he landed a couple paces away from the girl, his feet bouncing a couple times before he settled into how he stood. Approaching her in a less hostile manner, he lightly flicked her between the eyes. "Smart in kicking on the wind as a reflexive instinct, but I believe we were testing physical reflexes which means no elemental use. You're indeed much better with defense than offense though, I'll give ya that." Hopping back to his original spot a few paces away, he vanished and reappeared behind the female. "It'd be a struggle mind you, but I think I could take you in a real fight. Good job. No pointers to give to you there. Love your eyes by the way. They are quite unique. Lovely in color, shape, size and it just accents the finer details to your face. Have you ever tried the elemental light test?" It was a sudden shift in conversation and yet the words flowed so smoothly from his lips.

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.

 

[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.

XXXXXFrowning as her sister seemed to verbally attack their father, Truth gave a sigh and smacked her sister upside the head. "will you use your brain for a second? if he was upset by us leaving, imagine how mom's leaving made him feel since, unlike us, she didn't intend to come back. if someone pulled that on you, would you want reminders of them hanging everywhere in the house? especially if you still felt something for them?" she snapped, her voice cold and quick as she glanced sideways at her sister. Turning to her dad, she gave a sigh, her eyes softening. "would you mind at all if we maybe went through it and picked out a hand full of things to remember her? she is our mother after all."

Nodding her agreement at the umbrella comment, the blonde gave a smile and pulled a hand through her hair. "oh she will, or i'll be telling her brothers about this. and they're pretty harsh when she gets in trouble like this." she drawled, glancing to the kids as they entered, Niji's face a mix of anger and embarasment at being caught. "would it help if niji hid her ears and tail? she'd look like a human for the most part and we could pass it off as some form of toy? her eyes and hair can easily be passed off for cosmetic changes." She hummed, standing slowly to get closer to the kids. "Niji, sweetie, could you do that for us? just for a little while? I know you don't like lying, but this is one time where you'd have to, just to keep everyone safe." she hummed, smiling when the child nodded and seemed to relax slightly.

"thanks. but if i was trying, you'd have more than a struggle on your hands. be happy we're on the same side" Kana grinned, putting one hand on her hip as she stuck out her tongue. At the comment about her eyes, her cheeks flushed slighty only to tilt her head to the side. "the what now? i've never even heard of it before" she admitted, her face scrunching up in confusion.

'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 Ninja Assassins
Ephraim, Shayde,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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.

XXXXX"Are you high? I wanted to go with mom, but couldn't find her. You wanted to be with daddy dearest. Conflict of interests, hon," Deception corrected while slapping Truth on the arm for hitting her. Moving away from her twin, the dark haired female sat on the arm of the couch with her arms crossed over her chest and one leg over the other. Trevor had started scratching again while shifting uncomfortably in his chair. Shayde had put down the drumsticks and walked into the room in something of a stalk. Never hesitating in the slightest, he smacked the dark haired teen off the couch. "I said to shut your stupid mouth, you ungrateful little-. Listen to your sister for once in your life. Trevor, stop scratching. Every time you open that mouth of yours, he's falling back into habits Sheik and Ephraim have dragged him away from. Think about it, sunshine. Your mother betrayed his trust, broke his heart after he gave her everything she could've ever wanted. Karma left you and your sister to be his burden. She abandoned you a full day before Trevor even came home. Grow the fxck up and accept it already." "The hell do you think you are?! I ought to kick your scrawny backside across this living room!"

xxxxx"Shadowheart, leave. Now. Truth, either you or Kuro shut her up or I'm coming down. I don't care which. I just want her to shut up before he starts shutting down again. And yeah. Just keep her stuff in your room. That's why I kept Sheik from throwing it in a burn pile in the back. Y'all are really loud by the way," Ephraim growled as a shadowy hand snatched Shayde away from the girl and pointed him out of the room. The boy begrudgingly obeyed by dropping into his own shadow while a more human hand had popped out of Trevor's chair and pulled the hand scratching at his neck away. "Sorry, Ephie... I just..." "I know. Believe me, Trevvy, I know. But hey, you got the good one back and I'm still here for you just like you were there for me. Mmkay?" "'Kay... I'm done scratching... I'm good. It stung a bit, but I'm good. Shadowheart, don't hit my daughter please." "Tch."

XXXXXScratching his ear, the dual-colored haired male shrugged slightly. "Well, yeah, but we could've just as easily said they were mechanical. The NEET I mentioned has built... More advanced stuff here than cat ears and a tail controlled by thoughts. Even better, he's a spirit fox so he understands the whole ear and tail thing. But either works. He looks human enough, minus the elongating fangs. Yeah. I'll call up someone for that after y'all are done with the apologies. Thank you, Stina," Watari responded in answer, his mind skipping over the fact that he'd cut out part of her name. The crusinik had quickly covered his mouth with his hand at the comment of his fangs elongating. Crap. This lady was like dangling a worm over a bunch of chickens or a wild hog over a pack of starving wolves. At having forced his fangs to shrink back down, he dropped his hand and cleared his throat. "Sorry... So just vaguely apologize?" "Yep. Just vaguely apologize for the firecrackers. I'll just tell her Trevor will explain all of the new additions to the house at a later time should she ask who y'all are so we can discuss it amongst all of us on what all of your back stories will be. Foreign exchange students, performer friends from the circus, etcetera. Alright?"

XXXXXSmiling lightly, he held up a hand and let several orbs of various colors rise up in front of him. "The elemental light test. Each of these orbs represents an element. Light is yellow, dark is purple, water is blue, fire is red, earth is green, wind is pink, and spirit is tan. This test is to help figure out your strongest elements and that which you're vulnerable to. For each element, you take turns thinking of certain key points. An example would be how for water, you'd think of drowning or a hurricane for offensive measures. If you are strong offensively with it, the orb will become a dual set of swords. If you're strong defensively with it, it will shift into a shield shape. If it's iffy, it will remain the same. Sometimes it will also give you a level grading as to what extent you're capable of using it at though you'd usually need Cirdan or Koail to get that extent of predictability. They aren't my specialty in truth, but these were my results. I'm defensive with earth and light, neutral with water, spirit and dark, and offensive with wind and fire," Sheik explained to the best of his ability, the little orbs slowly rotating in the air in front of him, some in the shape of shields while others were swords or just a ball. Giving a brief shrug, he stretched his arms up over his head. "Perhaps with your wind, yes, but I wasn't exactly being serious myself. That's why I stated it'd be a struggle. I believe I could, but I'm not entirely positive. You are... More difficult than your companions for me to read."

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.

 

[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 a sigh, Truth stepped back over to her sister and stood in front of her. "Dee, let's drop it for now. What's happened has happened and there's nothing we can do to change that. what we can do is adapt." she sighed, pulling her hand through her hair.

"i can do that." Niji nodded, a smile on her face as her ears and tail dissipated. "but, whatever lie you come up with is also going to have to explain the sudden rush of large animals. because most of us turn into big cats and then Bander is a monster" she mumbled, rocking on her heals while fidgeting with her human ears.

"huh," was all Kana could say as she looked at the lights in front of him. "seems simple enough." she nodded, smiling at him and putting her hands on her hips. "we should see about that some time~" she hummed, sticking her tongue out at him. "but first, i wanna give that thing a try~" she hummed, flopping to the ground in a seated position her eyes closed. Within a few seconds, a pink shield had formed over her head followed by a yellow shield and a green set of swords. Gradually after that, came a tan orb, a purple orb, and red and blue swords. Opening her eyes, the former experiment grinned and glanced over at Sheik.

'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 Ninja Assassins
Ephraim, Shayde,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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.

XXXXXRubbing her cheek from where Shayde had made physical contact with her and managed to knock her off the couch, Deception narrowed her eyes briefly at Truth then shifted her dark glare back towards Trevor. "Whatever. Don't know why I'm suddenly the horrible one, but what-the-frick-ever," Deception muttered irritably before turning away from the two. That stupid brat was not going to make her start crying over the points he'd made about their mother. She was stronger than that and he was just some newb tween brought in by her uncle stuck on stupid. As if unspoken words were heard loud and clear, Shayde stalked back into the room only for Trevor to hook his arm around his waist and drag him down into his chair with him. "Let go. I was being far too lenient with this -" "Precision of language." "Hell no! You know my exact definition of your little spawn of complete and utter evil. She deserves more than just one good slap to the face. I'm gonna knock her off her high horse and cause some internal bleeding with her teeth when I hit her in the mug with my fist!" "No, Shayde. You're not gonna lay another hand on her. She's entitled to -." "I don't give a shxt about what she's entitled to, Tyvinda."

xxxxx"Then you're getting tossed back outside until you can calm yourself down. Stomp about, sulk all you want in the shadows of the trees and the house, but you're not to set another foot inside my house until your temper tantrum has settled itself down," Trevor sighed heavily, his legs swinging back down to the floor. "Trevor, I'm coming to get-" "It's fine, Ephie. Go on back to sleep." Standing up with his arm still around the smaller built shadow user, the Sheikah ignored his vision blurring just long enough to heft him up and over his shoulder. Continuing to ignore the struggles of the teenager, he headed for the back door where Ephraim had shoved open the door and tossed him out into the grass where he rolled. "Sheik, he's misbehaving again. Either you get him under control or I'm personally taking him to the brotherhood and setting him somewhere he can't get out. He lays another finger on my daughters, he's gonna disappear for a while until he can learn to behave himself. Plain and simple as that." "Tch. You don't scare me." "You should be." Leaving it at that, he shut the door leading back into the house and headed back to the living room where he proceeded to flop down in his original seat and rub the side of his head. "May we stop the bickering now? As much as it hurts, Deception's always preferred her mother over me and I've known it. I'm not surprised to hear it hasn't changed, but it doesn't mean I love her any less than her sister. You're both my little girls, my princesses, and that's not gonna change no matter how old you get. Ephie kept what remained of your mother in the house specifically for you girls since she is still your mother. He told me as such after I'd fully returned to my usual daily routines and I've avoided it since though I did visit your room occasionally. It's just how it is and, if I may be quite honest, it was because she'd left you girls behind and that you weren't here when I returned that truly hurt rather than your mother's departure. Karma is karma after all. She had her reasons and I have no doubts that my occupation was one of those reasons. The length of time I would be gone, whether or not I'd even return, was undetermined. It had to be stressful for her and I do recall a certain redhead expressing her concerns about that too. I'm just glad you girls are still in one piece and back home. Now I can rest a little easier though I'll still be paranoid you're gonna disappear on me again or this is all some very realistic dream I'm having that I'm going to wake up from."

XXXXXNodding slightly, Watari smiled at the girl. "We'll figure something out for that, Miss Niji. And just so you know, I do not believe I will ever find Mr. Bander a monster no matter his appearance. There are true monsters in this world, those like the ones who hurt you and your family, but he is not one of them," Watari hummed gently, before stepping over to a closet and pulling out two umbrellas. Handing one to Rayne, he extended his hand to Krystina once again so as to walk with her across the street with the younger duo. "Alrighty then. Let's get this done and over with. I may seem like a social butterfly, but I don't feel comfortable speaking with civilians like Trevor does."

XXXXX"We should indeed try it one day, but perhaps a day where it isn't about to rain on us," Sheik chuckled in response. Examining the lights appearing over her head, he was almost astonished at their similarities and their counter-balance with each other. For what he lacked, she mostly covered. Starting slightly when Trevor tossed Shayde out of the house, he gave a tired sigh. What now? When told of how he laid a hand on one of Trevor's daughters, he pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced up to the gloomy sky overhead. Why him? "It will indeed be an interesting spar between us on that day. We balance each other out, mostly. Shadowheart, I'm disappointed in you. To a girl? Really?" "But she- Argh! Irritating critters, the lot of you." "I hate you. You ruin my life. Stomp, stomp, slam... Just take a few to settle down, but do so under the porch. Apologies. It's starting to rain just as predicted by basic signs. We should head back inside, Miss Kana. Trevor has a tendency to treat everyone like children when it comes down to colds, the flu and other illnesses. Comes with being a parent I guess. You did a good job in the spar though. Color me impressed."

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.

 

[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.

XXXXXAs she listened to her father talk, a pout slowly began forming on Truth's face, settling in slightly before she glanced to her sister and took her hand. "let's... drop this for now? please?" she asked, putting a hand on her hips. turning to her father, she smiled softly at him before chewing on he cheek. "as much as mom is karma, technically, we are too. we inherited that much from her; which, in all honesty, is probably why things are so complicated. it's also probably why it took so long for us to get back home. three entities warring over control of a thing when two of them only control one half of the scale, i'd say that could cause problems. especially if you take into consideration that we didn't fully develop our abilities until we were about thirteen-ish."

"you won't say that once you've seen his other form." Niji mumbled, crossing her arms as she looked at the man. Turning to Rayne she gave a small sigh and grabbed his hand. "... i might need your help... i'm not used to this form so i'm a little off-kilter right now..." she mumbled, tucking her hair behind her bad ear. may as well play up the innocent act a bit more if she was going to try and win over the human. she really hated the idea of apologizing to this woman, but it wasn't like she had a choice if she wanted to get Rayne his drawing book back.
"if you want, i could do the talking..." Krystina smiled, taking his hand and standing. "i'm used to dealing with humans, after all, i used to be one." she hummed, fixing her skirt with her free hand.

"we'd make a pretty good team, then, if we balance each other out," Kana chuckled, glancing up at the sky to check on the clouds only for a few raindrops to fall in her face. chuckling softly at the familiar feeling of rain on her skin, the girl glanced back at him and nodded lightly. "as much as i enjoy the rain, i have to agree, we should get inside. i don't like fussy people. i even locked myself in another room of the tower just to keep Bander and Truth away for about an hour one time when i was sick." she mumbled, opting not to make a comment on Shadowheart, as he already seemed to be having enough problems with him. Starting inside, she paused momentarily to glance around at the trees in Trevor's back yard before heading in. perhaps it had just been her imagination.

'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 Ninja Assassins
Ephraim, Shayde,
Sheik, Trevor, Watari

&

The Additions
Deception, Kristoff, Rayne

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.

XXXXX"Whatever. Topic dropped," Deception repeated, her gaze having shifted towards the others in the room. It was amazing how quiet they got when this conversation started being dragged to the surface. "I hope I got more of her than of him..." "Dee, we got it. Just chill. Seriously, girl. You shouldn't have this much attitude considering the circumstances." "Oh lovely. Now you're on his side." "Baka. I'm on my side and whatever this is, it's not the girl I know." "Careful there, kitty. Them's fightin' words." "... What?" "Don't worry about it. I gotta go put a disobedient child back to bed." Standing up, she patted her twin on the back and started for the stairs only to smirk and go in reverse. Grabbing Ephraim by the back of the neck after he'd started climbing out the backside of Trevor's chair, a faint squeak could be heard ever so faintly from him, his entire body having gone stiff.

xxxxxSighing lightly, Trevor rubbed the side of his head. "Should've gone back to sleep, Ephie. They're like me in the aspect of stating they'll do something and following through on it," he said calmly, pity laced into every word. "I really hate her..." Remaining tensed in something of a crouch so Deception wasn't on tiptoe, the teen started a very stiff march towards the stairs with Deception slightly in the lead. " disappear for a while until he can learn to behave himself. Plain and simple as that." "Tch. You don't scare me." "Don't lie. You weren't just looking for them for me and you know it." Waving the boy off, he shifted in his seat and glanced towards where the front porch was. "That's not quite true, Truth. It seems that way, but it's not. You have the blood of a Sheikah and a human embodiment of karma. True, you may get her abilities over things like the elements or to see good or bad intentions, but that's all she's really given you girls through blood besides physical characteristics. In a way, you're both like Watari. The inability to mature your abilities until you turned thirteen-ish? He went through something similar. Sheikah blood doesn't mix well with other critters. It's like mixing oil and water. Puberty just starts correcting things a bit. There are others besides you three, of course, but all of you couldn't mature your abilities until you reach that age leading you into adulthood."

XXXXX"If you'd like to. I'll introduce you three to her," Watari hummed in response while leading them out the front door. Popping open his umbrella, he stepped down from the porch with his female companion. Rayne had hesitantly nodded at Niji before leading her along the path the ninja had gone. Once he was out of the way with Krystina, he too opened his umbrella and stepped down from the porch with Niji. "Hope my fangs don't start elongating again... Let's get this done and over with." Shifting his bare feet nervously under him, the crusinik gave Niji's hand a gentle squeeze only to glance upwards a bit as the rain started picking up. At Watari's silence, he shook off the thoughts running through his head and began following his path across the street.
Upon reaching the door, the male knocked on the door with the smile of an angel. As the woman answered, her attire of being in a robe having been quickly swapped out for this event. In fact, she swapped the pajamas and robe for a pair of blue sweatpants and a light pink tanktop with a push-up bra of the same color underneath, her hair was teased in its ponytail and she'd dolled herself up in make-up. Watari seemed not to really care as he raised a finger from his umbrella as if to say hello. "Good morning, Ms. Hawthorne. I'd like to introduce you to some of the new guests in my cousin's home that you may see around as of today. This is Krystina, Niji and Rayne. You three, this is Ms. Hawthorne. The young man behind her is Ethan, her son," he hummed while seeming unaffected by how she'd quickly changed just for him. "Please, Maso. Lizzie's just fine. Ethan, come say hello." "Hey," the teenage boy behind the woman smiled flirtatiously at Krystina only to flinch when something dark flickered behind Maso's eyes. "Good morning, Ethan." "Ugh. No one says that anymore... Might as well be mom's age." "Just makes him a better man than you'll ever be..." "What'd you say, pipsqueak?" "Nothing! Just that we're a different kind of man across the street, raised in old fashioned mannerisms, a breed apart. Nothing special at all." Nudging Rayne with his knee, Watari almost felt like smacking him upside the head after decking the Ethan boy. Rayne just slightly tightened his grip on Niji's hand and the umbrella at the nudge while glancing at her. Was she able to keep up with what was being said?

XXXXXBrushing a strawberry blonde hair over his just slightly pointed ear, Sheik smiled lightly before leading the female to the back porch. Shayde didn't seem inclined to obey and get out of the quickly oncoming rain, his eyes shooting daggers into the trees. "Perhaps we'll see if that is completely true. The best part is that we're both fast in moving," he almost seemed to hum, a faint smile playing across his lips. At her mention of loving the rain, he froze for a moment before shifting his golden red eyes to hers again. Without thinking about it, he swiped a raindrop from her cheek with his thumb before starting to press his fingertips together. Why was this conversation making him become unsettled in a good way? Was that even possible? Why was he even becoming fidgety enough that he didn't know what to do with his hands? Then again... Nope. Don't think about it. "That's... Kind of funny. We're a lot more alike than I thought. I find the rain pleasant myself alongside the night. But yeah, I completely agree. I don't like when people fuss, especially over something so small. It's irritating... Mm... I wouldn't go with the imagination thought process. Even before y'all showed up, we had a lot of visitors. It doesn't bother us much anymore."

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.

 

[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"Dee, don't leave him alone this time. stay in there until he actually sleeps!" Truth called after her sister, a large grin on her face at the sight of her 'brother' being dragged along by Deception. glancing to the feline who'd spoken out, she could only shake her head. Returning her gaze to her dad, she smiled and crossed her arms. "well, that'd explain a lot. so, what're the plans for today, anyways? 'cause frankly, while sitting around playing music is fun, i can't stay still that long."

"well, with the rain starting up, you might not have a choice in that, Princess." Bander sighed, glancing to the window with a frown. "besides that, i think we'll be preoccupied pretty soon. i hear feet in the trees." he sighed, standing. ".... it's still a bit early for those other persons to be coming, isn't it?" he asked as he stood, Kansei following suit.

Half curled into Watari's side, Krystina gave a smile towards the woman as she was introduced, the smile lessening at the teen behind the woman. "good morning, Ms. Hawthorne, it's a pleasure to meet you. and your son as well." she hummed, tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear. chewing on her lip slightly, the vampiress glanced down to the kids for a second before back up at the neighbors. were those two alright? she could just feel the unease radiating off of them both.
Nij tilted her head to the side slightly, angling her good ear at the others so she could hear all of what was being said only to frown slightly. she was only really picking up half the words. Squeazing Rayne's hand slgihtly, the pout on her face grew as she looked up at the woman. she seemed a bit too thrilled to see Watari. "i'm missing everything..." she mumbled, barely above a whisper. hopefully that was loud enough for the others to hear, because she really felt out of the loop right now. she'd maybe only gotten the woman's last name and her son's name. she really hated this other form.

".... i was hoping you weren't going to say that. i don't have my stuff on me." she frowned, returning her gaze to the woods. "who ever it was, they're gone for the moment. but they could return soon with more people. we'd better get back in and tell the others." she sighed, blue eyes suddenly more serious. with that said, she returned to the house, shaking off whatever water had gotten on her much like a feline.

'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.