-- Night Raid Hideout --

 

A group of individuals sat outside in the brisk cold of the evening wind. Tonight, these seemingly harmless children and young adults were going to be officially inducted into a group called Night Raid, an assassination squad part of the Revolutionary Army. Everyone of these people were also told that they were going that certain "preparations" needed to be made in order for them to officially join. What these preparations were, nobody knew; the group was just told to wait outside Night Raid's hideout and wait for instructions. All of them had been waiting for at least ten minutes now...

 

One of these individuals, a young and well built man with tan skin, blue hair, and strangly, an old branding iron strapped to his back with a rope, was actually fine with the wait. He was very interested in joining Night Raid, of course, but just not impatient to join. He preferred to take things slowly anyway.

 

The boy, named Seelo, standing with his hands in his pockets and chewing on the straw in his mouth, looked around the area, eyeing the others that were with him. He wasn't much of a conversationalist, so he really did not have it in himself to start talking to them. Considering their strange wear and looks, Seelo could tell they probably never lived on a farm either, like he did.

 

Man... buncha of colorful characters that I'm hangin' 'round... I wonder what they're like... Seelo thought to himself, his country boy tone deep set in the words he spoke in his head. If anythang, they're probably pretty good at fightin', like I am, 'r else they wouldn't be here lookin' to be a killer for these Night Raid folks...

Edited February 10, 20169 yr by Firaga Sensei

Julia wasn't a huge fan of Leona's brazenness, but she could realistically do nothing. Instead she walked into the small shack herself. She glanced about the rest of the building, still unimpressed, but once again, nothing impossible to fix. That farmhand seemed to think otherwise, but clearly he had never been a part of a more disciplined, well oiled machine working towards a goal. The Empire had several problems, but generally, military strength was not one of them. Then she heard the known assassin, Lucifer, ask if anyone wanted to hear an assassination story. Julia immediately remembered that the group she was currently a part of was not a well oiled, disciplined, machine. It was a group of new recruits, and they had yet to go through boot camp. Julia leaned against a wall, then glanced to Lucifer. "It better be good."

Seelo

 

Seelo couldn't help but palm his own face upon seeing Elektra accidentally send the door toppling down to the ground. "This pile of wood is in worse shape then I thought. Dag gum."

 

Seelo walked into the vicinity of their new abode. Not only was it dirty and basically prehistoric, but it was hard to tell what was where. Seelo went up to the walls on the right side of the entrance and felt them with his fingers. Eventually he touched a door knob and opened it, coughing as dust and dirt fell off the top hinges and blew into the air. Seelo noticed that there was a bed inside, as well as a desk and a window.

 

"Well. We got a room. There's probably more of them too. We best settle down somewhere to rest our heads so we're ready. Especially since I gotta get up earlier then everybody else..." Seelo announced to the room, saying the last part to himself. "Any takers for this one?" He added, referring to the room he had just discovered.

Lucifer stared at the room, having been interrupted by such a question. "Nah, I'm alright here on the floor." Standing up, he stretched his body before yawning. "I'll save the story time for later. Let's see if we can find another room."

"If no one wants that one, I can take it." Kotetsu offered, approaching the room. "Kinda dark in there, though..." He noted as he peeked inside at the bed. "It beats sleeping on the floor, I guess." He walked in, and looked around at what was inside.

Elektra blinked. "There were beds?!" How did she not notice this? Well it was kind of dark as hell, that would explain a thing or two of her missing it. She stood up, picking up her axe in the meanwhile. "Is there an extra bed I can use?" Elektra asked, rubbing her eyes slightly as she let out a small yawn. Even if she couldn't find a bed, she would just have to share one. "If there isn't an extra one, then one of you will have to share a bed with me!" Elektra said as she walked around. That's when she started to feel around the darkness and felt her way around to a small door frame. The room was as small as a closet, fitted with a bed and a small desk. "If anyone needs me I'll be in here." Elektra said, and with a loud thump, she slammed her axe against the desk, the axe now standing smoothly against the desk, stabbed into it. Elektra crawled into the small bed, dropping herself on it and resting her head down. It didn't take long before she closed her eyes, and while curling her body, and rather quickly, falling asleep without much thought. "

Seelo

 

"Alright, well, the lil' lady's got that room. I'm sure we can find some more if I look around..."

 

Sure enough, Seelo found two extra rooms on the wall facing the entrance door. He looked inside both. They were just the same as the last one: nothing but a bed, a desk and a window.

 

"Wait a cotton pickin' second... there aren't any more rooms in this thang," Seelo unfortunately confirmed, not finding any more doorknobs on the other walls.

 

"Uh... so we have four people and two rooms... well, I say that the other lady here gets a room to herself while us three boys share one. After all, it'd be awful awkward if one of us shared a room with her, and I don't know about you guys, but my momma raised me to be courteous of women-folk. 'Specially you there, mister," Seelo said, pointing to Lucifer, who gave him the same vibe that he got from Lubbock, especially when he saw the hidden expression on his face when Elektra was hugging him earlier.

 

(If one of you wants to to take over for Tatsumi, be my guest. I don't think I would do his character well and I don't think it would be fair to keep him silent.)

Edited March 1, 201510 yr by Firaga Sensei

Lucifer stared at the Seelo, trying to decide. "I wouldn't mind sharing one with Julia. I'll be taking one for the team!" Giving a thumbs up and wink, he looked to Julia for input. For a while, the teen considered sharing one with Elektra in the closet, but shook his head at the thought. No, no. Seelo would never allow me to get away with that. "How about you, Kot? Any opinion on this? If not, I'll just drop flat on the floor right now, and call it a day."

Did he just call me "Kot?" Kotetsu looked somewhat confused by his new nickname. "Uh... I wouldn't mind sharing a room with anyone, as long as there's space. I'm used to it by now, anyway." He said, referencing his experience in the Revolution Army.

"Well, Lucifer, I suppose you could share with me if you wish. Just know that if I catch you peeping, you'll be out, and with a lot more pain than seeing my breasts would be worth. That much I can guarantee." Julia said, walking into the room Seelo had pointed out. To her, her words certainly rang true. Whether the assassin would take her up on that, was of course up to him. She set down what few belongings she had taken with her, and placed them on the bed in the room.

Lucifer's heart almost skipped a beat as he accepted her invitation. He had easily thought of a perfect hit-line for her, one that would put Lubbock to shame, but settled against it for now. However, he didn't trust himself to stay with a female in the same room, much less the same bed. Giving a genuine smile to Julia for the offer, he left for the other room instead, laying down on the empty bed.

Edited March 7, 201510 yr by Tatsumi

Seelo

 

"Hmm. Wise choice, partner," the young country boy said, eye-balling Lucifer as he went into the soon-to-be boys only room.

 

"Well, uh... Kotetsu, right?" Seelo motioned towards Kotetsu. "I guess you, me and Lucifer better get comfy with one another."

"Yeah..." Kotetsu didn't sound too happy about having to share a room with two other people, not realizing that all three of the boys would be crowding together. "Well, I guess this will help us with teamwork." He said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "So, uh... Who's staying where?" He asked.

Lucifer looked up, staring at the two boys. "I'm taking the bed. I sat on it first." Rolling back and forth, he figured it had enough space for them to share, but that was the last thing he wanted to do at the time.

"Alright. I'm used to sleeping on the floor, anyway." Kotetsu said, stretching out on the crooked wooden boards beneath him as he did so. "Well, if that's all we've got to do for the day... I'm going to try to get some sleep." He muttered, and shut his eyes. Tomorrow, we get on to training... I doubt it'll be too bad. I mean, I have been a member of the Revolution Army for a few years now. My only real concern at this point is either being suffocated by that blonde lady, or having my hand eaten by that one weird girl... He thought to himself.

Seelo

 

"Hmm, well alright, Kotetsu..." Seelo then motioned over to the bed that Lucifer was laying on and took a spot for himself.

 

"I know this is kinda weird, but uh, I can't sleep on the floor. Other than a bed, I can only sleep on hay..." Seelo cracked, stretching himself out on the bed while avoiding contact with Lucifer. The fact that he was even in the same bed as a boy his age was grounds enough for him to stay awake the whole night, but given the duties he was assigned, he decided to drop his pettiness.

 

He turned off the nearby lamp, the only source of light able to fill the room besides the sun, and the three boys (and two girls) went to sleep for the night...

 

-- The Next Day --

 

Around the time the sun rose up in the morning sky, Seelo was already up and working on the shack, using tools that he got from the HQ. Usually he wound't be upset at working with hammers and nails, but unfortunately, he was more in the mood to train than work, surprisingly.

 

Aw well... at least I'll work up a good pre-sweat... if that's even a thang... Seelo thought, working hard.

 

By the time the others were awake and ready, Seelo was found laying against the side of the shack and napping, snoring loudly with dried sweat on his body.

Edited March 29, 201510 yr by Firaga Sensei

Lucifer groaned, having to share a bed, with a guy of all people. His body was stiff from sharing as he rose from the bed. Letting out an unintelligible mumble, he walked out, noticing Seelo asleep next to the shack. "Well, he really can sleep anywhere if he puts his effort into it."

Elektra slowly opened her eyes. The bed wasn't as comfortable as the beds back at the manor. Less than the bed she was given with the Revolutionary Army. But she couldn't complain about that. Not yet. She yawned and stretched, popping a bone or two as she rubbed the back of her head. Surprisingly with a shake, her bed head was fixed, looking naturally elegant. She jumped onto her feet, taking a step outside. Were anyone to touch her, they'd feel her skin be almost ice cold. But Elektra wouldn't know how that felt like. Seelo's snoring caught her attention, taking a glance back at the shed. "(Did he wake up extra early to fix it?)" Elektra truly didn't see the need to fix the shed. It was so run down it would've been easier to build another one than to fix it. Regardless...she felt grateful that he'd do it on his own to keep it from it falling on them. She smiled at Lucifer. "We should thank him when he wakes up. He fixed it up all by himself. He could have called off help on it but he didn't. That's very brave of him." Elektra said sure of her words. Even if they didn't mean much. "I wonder what kind of training we will be forced upon."

Edited March 15, 201510 yr by Stardustblade358

Kotetsu eventually woke up, only to find that his two roommates had already left. "Good morning... Guys?" He asked, standing up from his spot on the floor. He ran outside. Aw, crap, did I miss something important?! I can't believe I was the last to wake up... He left the shack, and found Seelo taking a nap outside, being watched by Lucifer and Elektra. "... What did I miss?" He asked, joining them as they looked at Seelo. "And why's he sleeping out here?" Kotetsu scratched his head. This is a great way to start my morning off... He sighed, already confused.

"Likely didn't get enough sleep before he started working." Julia answered Kotetsu as she approached the group from behind. "Moron. He shouldn't have started working on the house if he wasn't well rested. Could've knocked down the entire thing if he were careless from exhaustion." Julia said. Her words were a little critical, she of course understood Seelo's predicament. But her point remained. Considering the state of this structure, it seemed like one wrong swing of a hammer could and would bring the entire place down. And well, it would be a rather unfortunate end for them if they died from a building falling on top of them.

Seelo

 

After a couple more moments of snoring, Seelo snapped awake, muttering something about hay and horses.

 

Yawning into his hand and rubbing his eyes, he took notice at everybody gathered around him. "Oh, uh, mornin' folks," he said, clearly still shaking off his tiredness combined with the strain of the early morning work.

 

"Well, uh, shack's lookin' a lot nicer than it was before. Not too much, but hey, it'll do." Seelo commented, clearly prideful of his work.

Kotetsu sighed. "You know, Seelo, Julia's right. You probably should have waited until you were more awake..." He stepped back a bit, and took another look at the shack. "It does look a lot better now, though... So, uh, thanks for that." He admitted, straightening up a bit. "So... We all have to go do some training or something today, right? What do you all think we're going to have to do?" He asked, trying to hide the fact that he was slightly nervous. I... should be fine with the training. I mean, I've fought in battles before... This won't be anything too difficult, right?

Lucifer rolled his head around, unsure of the training Night Raid would do. "Well, first things first. We need the basics. They'll probably have us execute some drills while learning how to survive on land."

"You did wonderfully, Seelo. I'm sure we're to survive in the shack much longer now than before." Elektra hummed, complementing his work. Elektra thought and played with her fingers. "Maybe they will have us do an obstacle course, or something similar?" Elektra suggested. The Night Raid made quite the impression yesterday with such variety of characters and personalities. They were very brief in any details as well. It was anyone's guess by this point.

Seelo

 

"Hmm..." Seelo looked unamused by Koetsu's and Lucifer's comments. "Gee fellas, thanks for the gratitude." He said sarcastically. "'Cept you, Miss Elektra. I appreciate it," He said to Elektra, earnestly. 

Edited March 29, 201510 yr by Firaga Sensei

"I doubt they will have us do anything so simplistic. If we are to become high end assassins, no obstacle course will give us the tools we need. After all, we are all competent with the basics of combat." Julia said, giving her own thoughts on the matter of what kind of training they'd receive. "It's much more likely to be a kind of training that is not meant for large groups of people. More individual, or specific training if you will."