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8:39 PM. Amber Street, Athánatos. 

 

 

     It was foggy. It was dark, and the first quarter moon was hidden behind the grey clouds. Typical of a spring night in the city of Athánatos; an aged place cut off from the rest of the world due to its wide variety of citizens. However, what wasn't typical was the heavy rain that poured down. Thick and harsh where the drops that hit the many objects in the city. It hit the roofs of homes, stores, shops, restaurants, churches, elementary schools, high schools, and the university. The rain looked like it wouldn't stop. Most people stayed inside, or some relished to see the rare showers. So, there were not a lot of people out. Another reason folks weren't out was because of a terrible riot that occurred the afternoon before, leaving the majority of the city in shambles. The troublemakers were, of course, irritated esper and beast youth who rebelled over the lack of control and concern in a reoccurring string of murders.

     Murders came often, but not at the rate it was happening lately. So far, there are a total of five murders in twenty-four hours, and all of the victims ended up with the same fate. Their hearts were torn straight out of there chests, their eyes were missing, and they all had black canine-like fangs lodged in their collarbones. Police officials as well as government officials teamed up to help clean the mess from the riot as well as send the youth home. Some of them even went to investigate the possible cause of the murders. However, there was one youth that wasn't home just yet. A shy sonokinetic who goes by 'Joel'. He didn't participate in the riot. He just got caught in its crossfire. He was inside the infamous place known as, "The Chrysanthemum Sisters", A local fortune-telling house.

 

     The Chrysanthemum Sisters themselves were two aging women who's personalities still remained young. They went by Madame Linda, the younger, and Madame Cadence, the older. They are known for being spunky, sarcastic, and full of heart. They both possessed the ability of precognition, and use it to help others see hints of their fate. Right now, Linda was using the age-old method of tasseography, also known as tea leaf reading.

     "Hmm...", Linda hummed, staring into Joel's tea cup. "Oh, my..."

     "W-What? What is it ma'am?", Joel asked rather frantically.

     "Well, from these patterns, they tell me that... you should be wary of those you love, and that your city is going to become more dangerous in the days that come.", Linda said, looking at Joel in concern. The younger man just flashed her a look of utter fear, groaning in disappointment. He know it was something bad.

     "Oh, stop it, Linda!" Cadence cried before swiping the tea cup of of her sister's hand. "Stop scaring the child!" She promptly throw the tea cup over her shoulder in frustration. Joel sighed, slouching in his chair.

     "Well,", Joel started. "What else should I do?"

     "Never go out during a new or full moon.~", Linda replied.

     "Report anything you see to the police or detectives.", Cadence added.

     "Be careful, and don't die.~", Linda concluded with an awkward smile.

Joel sighed again, looking down at the ground in despair.

     "Now, anything else you want to ask us?", the younger sister asked.

     "No.", Joel replied. "I guess not." He put on his jacket and scarf and took his umbrella. "Thanks for the tea." With that Joel headed out on his way back to his dorm. He would have gone back to Ellen's house, but that was just a bit too far away. This fortune-telling house wasn't all that far from the dorms of the university, so Joel figured he could get home safely enough. He had a silver crucifix in his pocket just in case, because it is speculated the murders were done by black dogs or vampires.

 

     Once outside the house, Joel quickly opened up his umbrella and held it over his head.

     "Danger? How could things possibly get any worse?" He muttered to himself as he started to walk. "Heh. Jeez... It's darker than I thought... But, the rain's nice, I guess..." He was starting to get scared, for no one know what could happen to you at night. Besides, the streets aren't safe anymore since there is a murderer on the loose. "Don't panic. I'm cool. I'm... cool..." He looked down at the ground in despair as he continued to walk, not paying attention to whatever might be in front of him.

The morning light streamed through the cracks the curtains of her window didn't cover, annoying the beast greatly. But that wasn't what woke her up. Instead, it was the annoying beep of her ringtone that pulled her out of sleep. Her hand fumbled over her nightstand to grab the phone, disconnecting it from the charger as she did so. Without bothering to look at the caller I.D. she answered, unaware that she was in her half form making her words seem more of an angry growl, not that she wasn't already angry,"What do you want?" 

 

Artemis paused for a second, as her brain formed thoughts and she added, this time a little calmer,"Who is this?" 

Edited June 26, 201510 yr by Xenok Shoushin

     Joel managed to make his way to the plaza, seeing a crowd of irritated university students cleaning up after the hellhound's destruction. The streets were a mess. Rubble, debris, and glass were scattered about, and blood among other odd substances filled the streets.The sonokinetic sighed, and tried to look through the crowd to find someone familiar at least. He couldn't really see anybody he knew, not until a familiar voice snuck up from behind him.

     "You're here early.", they said. The voice sounded to be female. Joel turned around and was relived to see that it was just Ellen.

     "Yeah, I'm early.", Joel responded, fixing his scarf. "So, where can we start?"

     "By that pole over there.", Ellen said, pointing at an almost-collapsed pole.

Joel sighed yet again. "Why did this happen? Honestly, sometimes I can't take this place. They can't keep making things like this happen..."

Ellen patted the young man's head, smiling a bit.

     "Oh, I'm sure one day the wall will fall down. Like, fall way after we die."

 

     Joel rolled his eyes at his childhood friend, waving her hand away. 

     "You're optimistic.", he muttered sarcastically.

     "Tell you what, grouchy,", the woman teased. "Let's get something to eat and then come back. I don't want to clean with you while you're half-awake."

     "Hmm. You're right. I-I hope they don't mind if we're gone for a bit..."

     "You worry too much, Joel. They can spare a few students.", Ellen reassured, wrapping her arm around the other and causing him to chuckle a bit.

     "I guess you're right.", he said, succumbing to the playfulness. "I think I'll just have coffee or something.", the sonokinetic responded, smiling with rosy cheeks.

     "Just promise you won't treat me like I'm a kid.", he asked.

     "Can't keep that promise.", she bluntly said as she walked with Joel over to a nearby cafe. "Oh, and Joel? Keep your scarf on.", she demanded as they got farther from the crowd.

     "Yeah, yeah. I know.", Joel sighed, pressing his scarf closer to his neck. 

     "I need to tell you something important anyways...", she said sternly.

 

With that, they quickly made their way to the cafe, Joel concerned as to what Ellen had to say.

     "Oh, boy...", he thought. "It's about tomorrow night, isn't it? It has to be!..." At the thought of tomorrow night, it caused him to think of the kitsune that visited him last night. "I hope she's okay..."

-Randir Mori-

 

Unable to locate the detective, the Cryomancer turned in for the night, for he was too tired to keep futilely looking and returned home and to his bedroom, changing into a Blue shirt and black shorts and heading to bed, allowing sleep to take him...

 

The next morning, after getting his breakfast of Frosted Flakes (Ha), he turned on his TV to watch the news briefly, noting the Reporter talking about very particular things from the night before, including the fact that Espers were sighted helping Beasts and the Beasts returning the favour. He couldn't help but feel pleased and worried...

"Hmm...this is good that they are acknowledging it and the fact that people are taking a stance now....but, it'll only make the fools upstairs angry...what will they do next?" He thought as he finished up his breakfast and changed into his usual clothing, deciding he needed some morning air, he headed outside.

 

The streets were messy, but University Students and volunteers along with "Law enforcement" were helping clean up. He gave the "Law Enforcement" shifty looks as he went by them. He despised the majority of them and had recognized some of them from Police Brutality Cases he had stopped himself where they would beat innocent Beasts just because they happened to walk by. As he walked on by, he neared a Cafe and saw someone he recognized...the boy, Joel, from the night before. He was safe, relieving a concern in his Heart and going about his normal day with a girl. "Hmm...well, I fancy a Coffee anyway." He said to himself as he entered the Cafe, not before checking he hadn't put on his mask out of habit, he hadn't. For in the morning: He was Randir Mori, an everyday Esper.

Everything was a mess. There was blood being cleaned up, things thrown around, a lamp post or two were ripped from their place and thrown across the street, the ground had cracks, glass here and there. He was surprised that there wasn't bodies covered in white sheets. Maybe there was and he hadn't seen them yet. The Hellhounds were good at the only job that they were created for; killing everything and leaving no trace behind. "I really hope that no one got killed last night." Silas muttered under his breath. It wasn't odd for a fellow beast or two to be killed by the Hellhounds. It wasn't odd either for them to be arrested and simply never seen again. There were rumors of what would happen to a beast if arrested...rumors Silas rather not think about. As long as his siblings didn't get caught...he was good. But this could not simply go on forever. He avoided stepping on the blood pools. "Police don't do ****...they only cheer the Hellhounds as we are killed off like cattle." Silas hissed between gritted teeth, walking all the way to the theater as he had promise. He walked around in front of it, looking around at the damage again.

     Joel walked with his friend into the cafe. It seemed rather empty, mostly because of the students cleaning up. This caused Joel become even more anxious.

     "Uh, Elly?", the young man whispered to her.

     "Joel, quit worrying. Everything is fine. Sheesh..."

     "Sorry...", he muttered as they went to sit at a table. He didn't feel like getting something straight at the counter.

A young waitress who looked to be in high school came up to them in what seemed like no time, and asked what they would like. Ellen smiled up at her and responded first.

     "Ah, yes. I'll have a coffee. Black."

This caused Joel to just blink in surprise. Sure, the girl liked strong coffee, but he didn't think she'd be able to handle that. What she ordered right after just confused him more.

 

     "Oh, and two apple cinnamon muffins, please.~"

Joel just blinked at her. He loved apple cinnamon muffins.

     "And what about you?", the waitress asked Joel.

     "O-Oh! Um, I-I'll just have a cappuccino...", he said.

     "Okay!" The waitress said as she wrote down his order. "It'll be ready in just a moment!" With that, she walked off.

Joel looked at his best friend. But, before he could speak, Ellen just chuckled at him.

     "Oh, Joel! You never really treat yourself. That's why I got you a muffin."

     "Hm. You read my mind. Thanks, Elly.", he responded with rosy cheeks and sweet little smile. "You keep doing things like this for me, people might actually think we're a couple!", he said.

     "Nope.", Ellen said. "You're just a brother to me!", she teased.

Joel smiled. She really was a great at playing the big sister, even if she can get a bit too clingy with him.

 

     It wasn't long until the waitress came back with their orders.

     "Here you are! Enjoy!", she said, handing the two their respective items.

     "Thank you!", Ellen and Joel said, almost simultaneously. Then, the waitress walked off again.

Joel took his drink as Ellen took hers.

     "Right. Now, Joel. Hate to kill the mood here, but, there's something important I thought you should know."

The sonokinetic listened to his friend, but not until something caught his eye. He saw someone else walk into the cafe, and it made me wary. Yet, he felt an odd sense of familiarity as the man walked by. He shook his head and looked back at Ellen.

     "U-Um, what is it?", he asked. 

     

     "Well, I overheard from some of the university students that tomorrow night,", she said, before going to a whisper. "Um, they want to... get over the 'wall'. Like, break it down. You aren't a part of that rebellion, are you?", she asked sternly.

Joel's eyes widened. 

     "W-What?!", Joel whispered. "N-No!", he hesitated. "I-I wasn't even aware of this! I don't have a lot of friends, remember?"

     "Okay then...", Ellen said, looking suspicious of him. "If you say so. I just don't want you tagging along with someone who'll... take you down a path you don't know."

     "Yeah sure. You just don't want me to leave you. I know that's it.", he said. "I'm not 7 anymore. I know right from wrong. And I know we have to do something to get the government to listen to us for once."

     "Yeah, but the beasts-"

     "Elly. Most of the beasts have done nothing."

     "Says you.", she whispered. "A vampire attacked you, and killed your mother and father." That statement caused Joel to slump in his seat and rub his neck. 

     "Yeah... I know...", Joel muttered. "But, not all of them are like that. I'm sure that the students planning this 'rebellion' are mostly Espers who want to help."

     "Maybe. Just don't get yourself mixed up in that.", she said, taking a sip of her drink.

     "I know...", Joel said, looking away from her, hoping that person who walked in didn't hear any of that. He couldn't make any promises, for he was just as desperate to see what was outside this city like anybody else. 

     "Good.", Ellen said. "Finish your things and then we'll head out. Don't worry. I'll pay."

     "Okay. Thanks.", the sonokinetic said, sighing a bit.

-Randir Mori-

 

He saw Joel and the girl he called "Elly", presumably an affectionate nickname, enter and sit down at their own table, waiting until their waitress was done taking their orders before walking by, glimpsing at Joel briefly before heading to the counter to take his order.

He smiled at the boy behind the counter, who like the female waitress seemed to be in high school, yet had a positive attitude to his work, especially in his voice when he addressed Randir. "Good morning, sir! What can I get you today?" The Cashier said with surprising enthusiasm.

"Ahh, morning to you too. I will have a Coffee, with Milk and one Sugar please." He told the boy. "Mmkay..." He took his order on the till. "Coffee, Milk and one sugar?"

"Yes. Thank you." He replied. The Cashier nodded and informed someone in the back of his order. A short time later, the boy came back with his Coffee. "There you go! Enjoy." He said politely. "Thank you very much. Keep up the good work, I like you." Randir said, prompting a grateful smile from the boy. "Rarely do you see people with such positivity for a job behind a counter." He thought as he sat down on a nearby table, which happened to be on the opposite side of Joel and "Elly".

 

He lifted his cup to his mouth and making sure Joel would catch a glimpse, blew cold, misty breath over the Coffee, keeping it warm enough to be warming, but not hot enough to burn his mouth and drank some. He overheard Joel mention that most Beasts do nothing wrong, so he interjected briefly:

"You are not wrong there. Most of them are tortured with baseless and biased accusations...a pity really." He said before sipping Coffee again.

     As Joel drank his beverage a bit more, but he glanced to see a man sit in a table near them. He seriously couldn't shake off the feeling that he had somehow seen this guy before. Maybe he when to the university? Joel wasn't quite sure. But then, something clicked as the man tried to cool his coffee. His breath seemed a bit... misty. Joel thought he was sure he knew who that was. However, as the man interjected in their conversation. Ellen looked at the man with a subtle glare. 

     "Oh? Are they now?", she asked the man rather sternly. "And how do you know? You work with the authorities or something?", she asked a bit mockingly. "They're nothing but brutes, those beasts." She was always a bit rude when people interacted with Joel in particular. She was oddly protective of him, even more so since Joel told her about his preferences. It was rather unhealthy of her, to say the least.

 

     "Elly, be nice.", Joel told her, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "Y-You'll have to excuse her. But, yeah. I wish there was something to stop that..." he said. Ellen glared at Joel, obviously jealous as she let him speak. She didn't want to give more of a bad impression. So, she just listened for now, despite her jealousy. She sipped her drink and tried to calm herself.

     "You look like you... are a part of the university...", Joel said with a small smile and rosy cheeks, trying to hint at his familiarity with the man. "Have you heard of the students wanting break down the wall tomorrow night?..."

-Randir Mori-

 

Randir was unfazed by her casual hatred, instead speaking rather sternly:

"It is not wise nor is it healthy to hold on to the events history has "taught" us. Beasts have been an issue in the past, but that was not all of them. And it still isn't now, ma'am." He could not abide the propaganda the Government had spread and how easily most believed it. "And besides, you shouldn't judge by appearance alone." He added, sipping his coffee, exhaling an obviously icy mist from his mouth. "You haven't given the best of impressions, unlike your friend there. Tell me, what is your name?" He asked politely to Joel.

 

He looks at Joel's friendly smile, clearly he somewhat recognized him, this was not a bad thing, as a few people here and there knowing of his identity was not bad, hell he didn't care if everyone did, he just wanted to help as much as possible. His eyebrows furrowed when he heard Joel mention the students rebellion. "Ahh yes...I have." He said, sipping his coffee again. "There are many ways to show opposition toward the oppressive and hateful government. Attempting to break down the wall however, it really doesn't work, you know?" He added with a lot of scepticism.

     Ellen softly groaned at the man. To her, he didn't understand. A vampire killed Joel's parents, for God's sake. How could they not have some sort of weird instinct to kill anythings that breathes.

     "Hmp. Who do you think you are?", the woman said, trying to ignore him in a rather immature way. She just looked away from him and stared out the window. Joel sighed because of her rudeness. 

     "Why, oh, why do you do this, Elly?", the boy thought. "He's right, you know. Sorry. I-I'm Joel.", he greeted, bringing his own drink close to his lips, looking shy, but friendly. "Mm-hm. I really don't think they'll be able to pull it off, in all honesty. And... that's sad, because it seems like a last resort." Joel blinked at the other man. "But, there are some pretty powerful beasts and espers here. So, I don't know." He looked over at Ellen, who pouted as she looked out the window. "But," Joel muttered, looking at the man again. "Maybe it'll get the attention of the government somehow..." If they could manage to take out a good chunk of the wall, that'd be an accomplishment of it's own.

 

     "Oh, sorry. I never got your name. What is it, if you don't mind me asking?"

At hearing that, Ellen listened closely, just in case. However, she still stared out the window.

 

Silas sat on the steps of the theater, calmly waving his feet. Soon enough, someone familiar walked by, sitting down next to him. It was Kimi. "Good morning, Silas." Kimi said smiling. "Good morning, Kimi. Are you alright? The Hellhounds were attacking beasts yesterday." Silas said with a smile. "I'm alright. Just happy to be alive. The Hellhounds are quite a mess to work around with." Kimi chuckled. "Did you eat breakfast this morning?" "Scrambled eggs and waffles." "Oh sounds yummy." Of course, this was all a lie. Silas knew what she was, she knew what he was. They were simply beasts trying to help each other out. He would never kill a human for her, but he would at least help in keep her cover up. She was young, and not at fault for her to be born as she was. "Are we still up for game night tonight?" Kimi asked. Once again, speaking in phrases that sounded normal, but the two know what they actually meant. "I think I might actually join you guys for cards for once...I could use some distraction." Silas said, giving a small green. "Remember that it's a bring your own drink kind of thing." "Of course. I'll most likely just bring some water, though." "Oh yeah, here's the recorder I borrowed. I finished that school project so I won't be needing it anymore." "Cool, thanks." Silas took it, getting his headphones on as he plugged in the recorder. "You didn't erase my songs did you?" "Nah." Silas pressed play.

 

"Espers are going to try to make a run for it to infiltrate the wall. Contacts have been made and we have been asked to cause a distraction in order to draw the police away from the wall and give them time to work through the security system of the wall, maybe even cause some damage. All we have to do is make some noise and keep them busy. Masks are required to keep identities disclosed. Silas is in charge of causing some trouble in the east. Kimi in the north. The rest will take care of the west and south. If anything happens we leave no one behind.

Let our instincts guide us."

 

 

 

 

-Randir Mori-

 

Randir was again not so bothered about Ellen's attitude, only shaking his head a little at her, before turning back to Joel.

"Of course I'm right. It's the Government who's wrong." He said, before noting that he hadn't introduced himself. "Ahh, where are my manners? My name is Randir. Randir Mori. Pleased to meet you, Joel. Nice name by the way." He said, offering his hand to shake.

He took note of some of the things Joel mentioned about the rebellion. "Hmm...indeed there are, some of them I've met in my travels. Fought a couple, put them right, or so I thought. Just minor disputes, nothing major, but I can hold my own in combat." He said, trying not to say who he was outright to Joel.

"As for getting their attention.....it may well do so, but will probably cause more harm to innocent beasts...they just try to live their lives in peace, I can understand why they'd do this and even Espers...but only things like the Hellhound Attacks being prevented by Esper/Beast forces and Vigilantes or people who just take action can be known....heh, perhaps this falls into the action category." He explained, sipping his Coffee.

 

 

-Nevada Hasashi-

 

After awakening along with the rest of her Clan and hearing about the news, the Grandmaster informed all members of the clan not to participate in the Rebellion to break down the wall, as it would not only stain their reputation, but would possibly encourage others due to their clans notoriety. Nevada wasn't bothered by this, as it would probably be a fruitless rebellion anyway. However, it was wise of the Grandmaster to say this.

She conversed with one of her friends about it during her day:

"So, you think that Rebellion will actually work?" Nevada asked. 

"No way! It's so hard to get the Government to pay attention that this'll be like a midget kicking a Giant in the shin. May be an itch afterwards but can soon be remedied." Her friend said. She often agreed with Nevada, seeing her logic in things but not refraining from sharing her own views on things.

"Well....we shall see in the end. But we have to make sure the Ketsurysū keep their reputation intact, lest we be known as Inciters of Conflict." Nevada told her friend, with a hint of sternness, as she didn't want the Government to get too big for it's own shoes. 

     Ellen scoffed at 'Randir' and rolled her eyes. Quite frankly, she just wanted to leave them be to ignore the guy's nonsense. She thought he was just crazy, but Joel seemed to be agreeing, and that made her a bit upset. She warned little Joel about strangers. That 'little brother' logic went to her head sometimes. She'll have a talk with him later.

     "Well, Joel,", Ellen said, looking at the sonokinetic. "You have a... nice talk. I'll be right back." With that, she stood up from her seat to head to the restroom. This caused Joel to sort of slump in his seat. When he saw her walk off, he just sighed.

     "I'm so sorry about her. She gets that way... when I talk to people... She's the jealous type, if you couldn't tell.", Joel said to the man. "A-Anyways, nice to met you too, Randir. I, uh, like your name too.", he complimented, the rosiness in his cheeks still prominent as his smiled and shook the man's hand. He was always this shy when meeting someone like this, especially if they were nice.

 

     He listened to Randir as he spoke of his own experiences and the risks of this outlandish rebellion. 

     "Wow. You must be busy. I wish I could help in some way. I'd like peace more than anything in this city. It does fall into that category. People risk their lives to help each other." He brought his drink close to his lips again. "I just hope that history doesn't repeat itself... You lose too many in risky rebellions like that, or you get attacked. Things really get out of hand in this city."

 

     He continued with a sentimental face. 

     "You lose love ones, friends, and other people you care about. That's actually a common thing for most of us.", he admitted, unconsciously rubbing the same spot on his neck. "I'm... sure you know someone like that..."

-Randir Mori-

 

Randir raised a open hand in front of him. "It's quite all right, Joel." He reassured. "However, she seemed...overprotective. Like she doesn't want you to talk to me. Not exactly a healthy attitude to be having or giving. Talking to people is the beginning of friendships as well as rivalries or even hostilities, it depends on the person." He explained, sipping his coffee. "And thank you." He said regarding to his return compliment.

 

"I am indeed busy...more than you know...or maybe...hmm." Sips his coffee, unsure if Joel should know yet. "If you're up to the task, you would need to show bravery and cunning. If you don't have that...you can always be trained." He said to the still rosy-cheeked sonokinetic. His face then took a solemn and stern look. "History here has a bad habit of repeating and recycling...people fight, people die, they submit to the government...and it all repeats in an endless loop. But...never before have people fought the Hellhounds." Randir spoke with intrigue in his tone.

 

"Hmm...I do have friends, yes. But I haven't spoken to my parents for years...because of a...decision I made." He said, sipping more Coffee but more thoughtfully. He had been oddly open with Joel, even though he'd only known him for almost two days, though he doesn't know that...yet. "And I've not found love from either gender or species. Not a priority but...nice to have." He lamented a bit, exhaling a cold breath, with a slight blue tinge to it.

     Joel smiled softly at the man, glad that Ellen's attitude didn't really bug him.

     "I know.", the shy sonokinetic said. "I-It's been like that since she, uh...helped me a long time ago. Yeah.", he said, not trying to get too detailed as the thought of the past always made him somber in the heart. "She's kind of like my big sister.", he chuckled nervously.

 

     He blinked in confusion at the man's mention of bravery and other things that make someone helpful. This caused Joel to look down, staring at his empty drink that he held gently in his hands.

     "Mm.", he hummed, nodding in agreement. "Oh, what I'd give to get the knowledge to defend myself and others in times like those. I mean, I-I know how to control my abilities and all, but honestly, I'm such a dork that I'd probably almost get killed... Again...", he admitted shamefully, murmuring the last word. "And yeah, it's really surprising that the citizens stood up to the hellhounds. A-As far as I've heard, n-nobody's been killed... I think that battle was just, like, preparation for tomorrow night or something, and God knows what happens here during a full moon...", he said, cringing at the last thought.

 

     At the mention of Randir not having spoken to his parents, Joel gave him a thoughtful, yet comforting look. 

     "O-Oh. I see.", he said, pushing his empty cup to the side. "That happens, I guess... But, I-I'm sure they keep you in their heart s, and...hope you stay safe where ever you may be.", he said, smiling a bit. At the mention of love, Joel's heart jumped a bit. He was always a sucker for that kind of stuff, even if it was mentioned just a little bit. That was one of his wishes, to find that one person to care and be there for in the future. However, in a place like this, those chances are slim to none. This was mostly because of his own cowardice, and because of Ellen's over-protection. However, he was a bit surprised that Randir didn't have that special someone. He did seem like a nice person, after all.

     "Ah. I see. To me, when you've lived in city like this you're whole life, what gender or species one would prefer is the last thing they should worry about.", he said, clasping his hands together. "It would be nice to have..." He looked down at his own hands, smiling a bit at the thought as the rosy color returned to his cheeks. "Also, when you live in a place like this, it'd be nice to find that special someone to be with you... I-I'm sure if they wanted to, anyone would be able to find that person one day.", he reassured, taking a muffin and nibbling at it a bit.

 

     Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Joel, Ellen had been eavesdropping on him. She stood by in the bathroom, pressing her ear against the door to try and make sense of the conversation. She couldn't help but grit her teeth in frustration and jealousy. She'll defiantly have a stern talk with him later.

(Goddamn Backspace = Back on Browser..so annoying. -_-)

 

-Randir Mori-

 

"Hmm...let's hope she's not like those really protective big sisters who'd lecture you for having the audacity to talk to other people like me. Perish the thought!" He said with a sarcastic tone and a chuckle. "I just hope she's also not eavesdropping, because they do that too. Be forewarned, Joel." He jestingly warned the sonokinetic. "She does seem to love you...perhaps a bit too much." He pondered, sipping his Coffee.

 

Joel's mention of his lack of training gave Randir an inquisitive glimmer in his eye. "I could teach you if you like. Or if "Elly" would let you 4 feet away from her." He said with a joking smirk, trying to lighten the mood, hoping he doesn't get an earful off of the overprotective "sister". "That battle with the Hellhounds was so unlikely I could hardly believe it...it's a new development, one that may help get those fools out of office." He said sternly.

 

Randir then chuckled as Joel mentioned his parents. "Yeah...I bet they are." He spoke with a small smile on his face, sipping Coffee again. He then listened intently on Joel's views on love and having that special somebody in life. "Hmm...I, never really thought about it that way....for someone so shy, you quite knowledgeable, Joel. And...you wouldn't happen to....be bisexual, would you? I mean, you agreed with me on Genders not mattering so...forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, I like you so, I want to know more, is all." He explained. 

     Joel chuckled nervously at the thought of Ellen possibly eavesdropping on him.

     "Ahahaha... Yeah...", he said.

In all honesty, he hoped that was a joke. He's never caught her eavesdropping, but sometimes she sure seemed like she wouldt. She gets so jealous, she might as well be tempted to. "She does love me a lot, like her little brother. She tells me that I'm all she has, even thought she has friends and stuff." He nibbled into his muffin again, trying to somehow relieve his upcoming stress.

 

     However, the subtle offer of being trained made Joel's eyes widen a bit in surprise.

     "R-Really? That'd be very helpful. I-If you know somebody who knows how to work with sonokinetics, then that'd be swell. I just have to find a way to sneak around Elly so that she won't worry so much.", he said, chuckling a bit. "She's odd, because she let's me live on my own, too. I live near the university and the woods, so maybe I can work something out."

Joel sure liked Randir's kindness and intelligence. He doesn't really get to talk to a lot of people like that since most of them seem so depressed. He also seemed open with the sonokinetic. It was rather odd.

 

     Joel giggled a bit at being called 'knowledgeable' about love.

      "Well, I-I'm no expert at all. I just do things like reads books, watch films, and other things like that. They're okay references, I guess.", he said smiling. At the question of Joel being bisexual, the young man's eyes widened a bit as he put the muffin down and sort of froze in his seat.

       "O-Oh! Me? U-Um... Y-Yeah, I am. Wasn't very subtle, huh?", he muttered, the shyness prevalent as he clasped his hands together again. "Always have been, I guess.", he said, chuckling a bit, flattered that the other desired to know more. He was tempted to ask a similar question, but hesitated. "I guess there's a lot of people like that. Most don't mind, unlike some people I know...", he muttered.

 

     Every word exchanged from the two just infuriated Ellen more. Seriously, Who does this guy think he is asking Joel those questions? Why was he so open? Why, why, why? She was just about ready to bust out of the restroom and drag Joel out of there, but just not yet. She still needed to keep her cool and think.

-Randir Mori-

 

"Perhaps she feels...maybe, incomplete without you? Because if she cares this much about you, then it's nothing but genuine, if a little clingy." He mused, finishing his Coffee, but still sticking around as the Sonokinetic interested him, as his presence seemed to make him open up more so than most would. "Hmm...never told this much this early to another before, Joel. Clearly you're a nice person, albeit shy though that can be remedied, with time." He said politely.

 

He chuckles. "Oh, I think I know a good person in particular..." He said, referring subtly to his Night job as "Sub-Zero", but not saying it at all outright. "If you are allowed to live on your own, then she really should trust you. There's a difference between being worried for good reason and being more than a little distrusting." He explained, not trying to insinuate anything, but thinking there must be something more to her attitude.

 

"It's knowledgeable enough to me, Joel." He said reassuringly, smiling at him. He then chuckled. "Well, you were subtle...for a few seconds." He jokingly stated, chuckling lightly and nicely. "It's not a problem to me at all. Unlike some people, of course...I do wish that people who didn't like just...opened their minds, you know?" He put forward to Joel the question with a tone of familiarity, as if he'd experienced it before as well.

     Joel looked away from his own hands and back at the man, blinking rather quickly.

     "Maybe... I mean, she has parents and stuff, even two little sisters to take care of. I don't really know. She's just been...different lately, but I-I'm sure she means well...", he admitted. The other night while it was raining, she did ask him about his visit with the Chrysanthemum Sisters, a bit too anxious if they told him who his own special someone could be. Maybe she wanted to be... No. The sonokinetic pushed the thought away, thinking that'd just be pushing it. So, he just continued listening to Randir. He was glad he did, because the compliment he had received caused him to smile a bit and blush out of flattery. He couldn't really help it. "O-Oh. T-Thank you.", he said. "I hope the shyness can decrease with time, too. Not really sure how, though. And...I'm glad you've been nice to me too. It's good you feel comfortable talking to me.", he complimented, taking bites of his muffin afterwards.

 

     "Oh? That's great that you know somebody! H-How should I contact them? Should I give them a number, or something? Or should you give me some way of contact", he asked eagerly, finishing his muffin. Having the knowledge to defend and possibly fight would be marvelous, and he was kind of ecstatic at learn as soon as possible. Or at least when the Vigilante from the other night motivated him to do so. However, he tends to be a slow learner, so he hoped he wouldn't frustrate anybody.

 

     "Yeah. I agree. Why?", he asked innocently. "Have you known someone like that?" His voice became more sincere. "O-Or, perhaps you are..."

Before Joel could finish his question, Ellen loudly made herself in clear view as she marched out of the bathroom.

     "Aha! Would you look at the time, Joel!?", she sort of shouted, a fake, exaggerated grin on her face. "We really should get going!"

Joel slumped in his seat and displayed a look of disappointment at her. Not again. Ellen dug in her pockets, took out a random amount of cash, and quietly slammed it on the table. Then, the woman walked over to the sonokinetic and pulled at his arm to get him stand up. Joel stumbled as he got to feet, creating a soft yelp as his arm was tugged on.

     "A-Ah! E-Elly... Don't-"

     "Sorry, sir. Love to stay and chat, but we're late for cleaning duty in the plaza.", she said, giving Randir a stern look as she greedily hugged Joel's arm close.

     "Elly, come on. Not in public, please?", he whispered. "Can you hold on?...", he asked, gently trying to peel out of her grip.

-Randir Mori-

 

"Oh, I would hope so...to care for you so much even with all of those other people, she'd have to mean nothing but good...hopefully." He said, playing with his empty cup a little. He then chuckled. "You're most welcome, Joel. And I believe you can beat your shyness...just as long as you're not being smothered." He said with both jest and concern.

 

He then leaned a little closer to Joel before speaking his next. "Just contact me. I will show you to them if you're interested." He said, writing down his number on a Card and handing it to Joel. "Even if you're not currently interested, keep a hold of that. It may come in handy." He smiled nicely as he spoke.

 

"Well....to be honest, I'm--" He attempted to speak before Ellen's grandeur entrance into the fray interrupted them. "Excuse me, Ellen, was it? Isn't that just a little rude of you?" He said, standing up as Ellen began dragging the poor Sonokinetic away. "You don't need to be so protective, you know." He spoke his advise with a hint of experience. "Give him some breathing room, please? He deserves that much if you care for him so, doesn't he?" He urged as her grip got visibly tighter on the boy. "I understand you're late, I know the cities policy for clean-up after Hellhound attacks, but keep the clingy attitude to a minimum. In fact, I wish to assist in the clean-up anyway, so allow me to accompany you. Perhaps we could also get to know one another?" He spoke with a proper and polite tone, surely Ellen would take the hint that he isn't bad at all. 

Silas sat on his bench, glancing around in hopes of seeing Ty as they had planned to meet in front of the theater. "Hopefully I didn't scare him." Silas muttered as he glanced down at his phone, playing around with it. Mimi helped beasts clean up the mess that had been caused the other night. Most beats weren't out in fear that the Hellhounds would be released once more in surprise. Others were out because they had to. Volunteers were brave enough to help with clean up as a way to show that they didn't want to fight, simply to live normally like everybody else. Some of them even had bandages from injuries of last night. Hellhounds attacking innocent beasts that had nothing to do with it...if Kimi could she would attack the main building and show the leaders what it was like to piss off a beast. But that would have to come later. "(Lets see...there are some abandoned buildings in my area, some off limit until they can be taken down and renovated...I think I have an idea or two of how to come up with a distraction big enough...)" Silas thought with a smile. He wouldn't harm anyone innocent. But the distractions would have to be big and loud if they wanted to make an impact, and he had just the thing.

Aya Elizabeth Everus. That is the name she gave herself. The sunlight shone into her shop, she just had opened and her glass eyes reflected the rays. This was a dangerous city for someone as fragile as her. She usually didn't have people come into her shop early, but that didn't bother her. Her fingers clinked softly together as she turned through pages of a book. It was an old Irish myths book. 

She sat there silently, non-moving pupils staring at the page. 

Only one part of her current body could read, so combined in her state, she had a hard time reading. 

Dolls were lined up looking out the windows of her shop, clocks lined the walls, it was a very eerie place. But it was always welcome to any beast of esper. 

~Ty Everson~

 

"Oh its me, Ty. You know, from the troupe? I was wondering if you wanted to come down for a birthday party. There's not a lot of people coming, so I thought it would be nice to hang with you." Artemis was a good friend, and Ty really wanted her to be there. He scooped up his eggs and threw it on a plate, while poring the toaster on to the same with the other hand.

 

"Listen I gotta go, meet me at the theatre if you wanna go!"

 

~Amelia Ashby~

The town really was packed. But nothing Amelia couldn't handle. She was free as a bird, or rather, a fox. She ran down an alley, and hid in a small box, trying to keep hidden. She was aiming for the town square, to see if she could find a map... og course, she'd need a map to find out where the square was.

     Ellen slowly sucked in a breath as Randir spoke and actually thought about her previous actions. 

     "Well, yes. But-"

Joel looked at his childhood friend, gently shaking her arm to get her to listen to him.

     "Elly, listen. He's fine!", he reassured in a bit of a whisper and smile. "He's a nice person. He didn't make me feel uncomfortable or anything. Just give him a chance.", he asked, begging a bit and subtlety giving her his puppy-dog eyes.

Ellen over at at Joel, and her expression softened. Not the eyes. She usually gave into them. She sighed to herself. 

     "I need to calm down..." she thought to herself. "If Joel says things are fine, then... they must be... I hope. Oh, whatever. I just can't let my guard down."

Joel just sort of blinked at Ellen as she stood there.

 

     "Ugh... Okay. Fine, sir.", Ellen finally answered the man, letting go of Joel. "Sorry, Joel...", she whispered to her friend. "You know how cautious I am about you."

     "I know, Elly. You're just, uh...going a bit far again...", he responded in a whisper, holding his arm.

     "Tch. Okay. Whatever. Sorry. Let's just get going.", she scoffed, flipping her light-blue hair out of her eyes.

     "'Kay. Thanks, Elly.", Joel said before the cryokinetic started to head out the door, giving Joel some space so that Randir wouldn't give her any more crap. Joel sighed a bit, then looked at Randir in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry about her... She can be really cold... Just like her powers... Anyways, let's get out of here before people start staring." 

 

     He began to walk out the door himself, but held it open for Randir.

     "Sooo, what were you about to say before she interrupted?", he asked curiously.

-Randir Mori-

 

The moment Ellen calmed down, Randir breathed a sigh of relief and spoke. "Thank you, Ellen. You won't regret this, trust me." He reassured before she left and Joel apologised for her actions. "It is all right. No need to apologise, Joel. And...funny you mention her powers, because I'm not that cold." He said with a chuckle, practically spelling out that he's a Cryokinetic, but nothing more.

 

He then stepped out of the held open door with Joel. "Ohh...it's not important. But thank you." He said, deciding to move on from the subject, waiting for Joel to follow him out of the Cafe. "Did I, give you my number, Joel? Since you expressed interest in training." Randir asked, wondering if he forgot.

     Joel kept the door open as Randir spoke.

     "Oh? Is that so?", the rosy-cheeked sonokinetic asked as he followed him. "You're a cryokinetic too?", he assumed. Joel had high respects for most cryokinetics since Ellen was one herself. She might not be the best example of one at certain times, but she usually kept her powers stable. But, as of late, she's been acting a bit more strange than usual. "If so, that's pretty sweet. I've been around them a whole lot lately.", he chuckled a bit. "Not that I mind. They're really cool. U-Um... N-No pun intended." He cleared his throat, blushing a bit in embarrassment as he listened to Randir's response to his question.

 

     "O-Oh. Okay then.", the sonokinetic responded, a tiny bit disappointed, but he let it go. He walked until they made it to the plaza where Ellen was working by a collapsed streetlight. Joel waved at her as he approached. She looked a bit irritated, but still greeted them anyways. She had rubber gloves on and a black garbage bag was next to her.

     "Took you a while.", she said, eyeing both of the young men. She proceeded to toss them both rubber gloves. "They gave these to me so we can pick up some of the glass over here. Make yourselves busy. I've got somewhere to be later. And wipe that blush off your face, Joel. I don't like it. Keep your scarf on, too" Joel stumbled as he barely caught his pair or gloves. "Whoa!", he exclaimed. "Okay, okay! Careful. No need to go all big sister on me again..."

 

     Ellen sighed as she then continued to do her job.

     "Sorry. Ugh, God. This city is a dump.", she groaned. "Riots, hellhounds and death yesterday. Tomorrow night will be even worse..." She glared up at the cloudy sky for a moment. "Sometimes, I wonder why we were born in this craphole to begin with, ya' know?", she said to Joel in particular. "I wonder what the rest of the world thinks of us..."

     "Elly. You don't know and I don't think you want to. There's a reason this place is cut off from the rest of the world. We're a danger, obviously.", he responded as he put on the gloves. "It's not like things are gonna change..." Thinking about that reminded Joel of the little kitsune he met last night. He rubbed his scarf-covered neck in worry and hoped that she was safe somewhere, and sort of wished to find and help her. "Not unless the wall goes down...", he whispered to himself.