Realistic or Modern &nbsp; BEING HUMAN

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Outfit: 2
Location: Pub > Police Station
Interacting: Arryn

MagicPenguin , Daniel

ReverseTex , Ana

LoneSniper87

Early Overnight
Smooth jazz filled the low-lit pub as Elena sat at the bar. She'd made nice conversation with one of the workers whose named she learned to be Thaddeus or Tad for short. It was a strange name, but with everything that had happened earlier in the day it seemed rather normal. As much as she wanted to continue her conversation with him having not learned much about him at all except the basic "Where are you from?" and "What's your favorite color?" answers, the weak vibration of her mobile phone tore her attention away. Reaching for the silver device, she tilted her head curiously at the unknown number. From the first few digits she could tell it was a public phone, but why would anyone call her at nearly 3 in the morning?

"Hello?" Elena answered, her gentle voice echoing on the other end slightly. She winced at the sound before her smooth features returned to normal. A small smile soon grew on her face when she recognized the voice on the other end. "Arryn! I'm surprised you're calling at this time." The genuine joy in her voice was soon traded with confusion and then worry. "What?" Elena half yelled as she stood up from her seat, not minding the eyes of the annoyed performers. Apparently the three companions had been arrested for what ever reason. Did she even want to know? Not really. Immediately, she jotted down the address on a napkin that was half-drenched in someone's beer. "Okay, I'm on my way."

As she collected her wallet and made her way out the door, her two friends shouted after her. "What in the hell are you doing?" Felix called as he rushed to follow her. Elena didn't bother stopping to chat, her hand already waving for a taxi. "I made friends today and now they're in jail." The woman stated bluntly, leaving the male twin with a scrunched face. When a boxy black vehicle finally pulled over, she jumped in a stuck her head out the window. "I'll explain later. Tabs on you, love!"

About twenty minutes rolled by when the the station was in site. It would have taken less time but late night construction blocked off some of the main roads, forcing Elena to direct the driver down smaller streets. "Thank you!" Elena said as she paid the man her taxi fare before running up the steps inside, her heels clapping against the cold concrete.

"I'm looking for a trio. One really tall, the other with fluffy hair, and a uh... a pretty woman?" Explained the twenty-one year old as she approached the front-desk. The receptionist eyed Elena's attire, causing her to shuffle uncomfortably in place. The man finally pointed down one of the hallways where an officer was casually sitting outside.

"Ah, you must be Elena." The man said as he stood up to shake her hand. "Let me tell ya... your friends here are something. I'm assuming you're a LARPer too or else I don't know why you'd be hanging with this lot." Instead of giving a questionable response, Elena chuckled quietly and waited for the door to be open. Her eyes widened when she saw the three figures sitting on the other end of the table looking defeated.

Arryn seemed confused, Daniel looked like he'd been trampede over by a mob of lonely women, and Ann or Ana, whatever her name was, didn't really appear amused by the situation. "What on Earth..." Elena sighed as the officer allow the three of them to exit the room. He led them towards the receptionist, where Elena was ogled once again by the man sitting there. She tried to pull the fabric of her dress closer together across her chest, but that failed. After signing some papers, the four of them exited the building into the cool night.

She'd been so distracted and worried earlier that she failed to realize how chilly it really was. Elena checked her wallet and noticed she didn't have any cash left to pay for a cab and sighed. That meant she'd have to walk since the buses weren't running. How far was her house from the station anyways? Sighing and shivering slightly, the woman brought her hands to her arms and rubbed them. After a few steps her feet began to ache, leading to her bare feet touching the cold pavement. When she turned around, the three of them were still standing in front of the building.

"What are you three doing? Come on! It's cold." Elena called as she turned back around, her hands covering her arms once again.

ReverseTex · May 27, 2018

Daniel Payne
Whatever that card and it’s scribed numbers upon it was, it worked. He allowed the card for Arryn to use with the black box, and within a few moments it seemed he was in contact with Elena... But what surprised him more was the fact that the officer was allowing the trio off with a warning, believing they were a sex cult of sorts. Smirking as Arryn tried to protest, knowing very well whatever they said wouldn’t change the officer’s mind, he tapped his friend gently to signal him to stop.

After a few minutes, Daniel had tied his shoes, tucked in his shirt, and received all his belongings back. He didn’t feel the need to do the extra pieces, seeing as he wasn’t cold nor felt stylish. The only thing he added to his sloppy appearance was his sunglasses, a nessicary additon...

Suddenly a knock echoed in the room, followed by the entrance of Elena and the officer. Taking a sigh of relief, he glanced over to his defeated companions, who shared his level of gratitude for the woman, he rose from his seat to exit the station. Surprised with the darkness of the city, he removed his glasses apprehensively...
Daniel strolled between Elena and Ana, possessions in hand as the only sound that filled the air were their footsteps. Hearing a slight chatter from their new friend, he glanced over with his icy orbs to see the young woman shivering, and quickly acted. “Take this dear...” Daniel said as he handed the woman his trench, seeing as he wasn’t using it at the moment, then draped it over her softly. He hadn’t seen it before, but the way the streetlight shone in her hair made the blonde look like a warm beachy day...

Interactions / Mentions

koala · May 27, 2018

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Early Overnight
The three followed suit shortly as they all walked under the night sky, street lights and and moonlight the only things lighting their path. Elena let out a long, shaky breath as the cold took over once again. For a summer night, it was much cooler than usual and she didn't appreciate that at all. She at least wanted to be comfortable during the walk home after picking up her new friends from a police station, but of course, nothing has ever gone as planned since she moved out of her mother's house.

"Take this dear."

A light fabric fell onto her bare shoulders, causing the woman to slightly jump in surprise at the sudden contact. Elena looked up and met Daniel's gaze, his eyes reflecting the the night light like a chapel's stained glass. She smiled at the gesture and nodded with gratefulness. "Thank you, Daniel," the young woman whispered tiredly as she returned her attention to the pathway, warmth returning to her body.

Before long, a row of colorful homes came into view with a park across the street. The blonde walked skillfully down the sidewalk until they stood in front of a blue house. There was a short rattle inside her wallet before a set of keys was pulled out, one of them fitting into the lock perfectly. As Elena stepped inside. instantly surrounded by contemporary design, she dropped her shoes towards the side. "Shoes off, please," Elena said, not bothering to look at the group out of pure exhaustion.

She immediately hung the coat up in the closet and made her way towards the small kitchen. "Coffee? Tea?" She asked before nodding and answering herself. "Tea, it is." After a few moments of silence, four colorful mugs were placed on the round dining table, the woman gesturing them all to sit with her. Elena took a few sips before wrapping her hands around the warm cup, look up with a very serious, very wary expression. "Okay, so who's going to tell who the hell you people really are?"

Outfit: 2
Location: Home
Interacting: Arryn

MagicPenguin , Daniel

ReverseTex , Ana

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Outfit: 2
Location: Home
Interacting: Arryn

MagicPenguin , Daniel

ReverseTex , Ana

LoneSniper87

Early Overnight
The three followed suit shortly as they all walked under the night sky, street lights and and moonlight the only things lighting their path. Elena let out a long, shaky breath as the cold took over once again. For a summer night, it was much cooler than usual and she didn't appreciate that at all. She at least wanted to be comfortable during the walk home after picking up her new friends from a police station, but of course, nothing has ever gone as planned since she moved out of her mother's house.

"Take this dear."

A light fabric fell onto her bare shoulders, causing the woman to slightly jump in surprise at the sudden contact. Elena looked up and met Daniel's gaze, his eyes reflecting the the night light like a chapel's stained glass. She smiled at the gesture and nodded with gratefulness. "Thank you, Daniel," the young woman whispered tiredly as she returned her attention to the pathway, warmth returning to her body.

Before long, a row of colorful homes came into view with a park across the street. The blonde walked skillfully down the sidewalk until they stood in front of a blue house. There was a short rattle inside her wallet before a set of keys was pulled out, one of them fitting into the lock perfectly. As Elena stepped inside. instantly surrounded by contemporary design, she dropped her shoes towards the side. "Shoes off, please," Elena said, not bothering to look at the group out of pure exhaustion.

She immediately hung the coat up in the closet and made her way towards the small kitchen. "Coffee? Tea?" She asked before nodding and answering herself. "Tea, it is." After a few moments of silence, four colorful mugs were placed on the round dining table, the woman gesturing them all to sit with her. Elena took a few sips before wrapping her hands around the warm cup, look up with a very serious, very wary expression. "Okay, so who's going to tell who the hell you people really are?"

LoneSniper87 · May 27, 2018

Ana was, to say the least, relieved to see that Elena had shown up to their rescue. It was really late, and she doubted she would have come. The four had left and headed toward what she assumed was her home. She smiled to herself as the cold enveloped her, it was like the embrace of an old friend. "Nice out, isn't it?" She asked with a smile, but upon seeing a slightly displeased Elena, it faded. Turning back to the path ahead, she felt the jump of Elena beside her, but didn't bother to look, she thought a bug just flew in her face. She rubbed her hands together, concentrating one the feeling of the cold, and after a minute her hands were emanating a small fog, almost like dry ice.

She soon forgot about it, entering the oddly colored house, but then she asked what they were, and she held up her hands. "I, uh, ah!" She realized her hands were still icy, her panic dropped her concentration and the fog tapered off soon after. "We are members of the Atherian Royal Army, more or less..." She glanced at Arryn and Daniel, wondering if she should continue. "Perhaps one of them would be better suited to explain, I wasn't much for politics..." She then remained silent, taking a seat in one of the cushioned seats that looked almost like a bed, it half of it were flipped on its side. She looked down at her hands, trying to figure how she could just forget she was using magic, as well as why such a simple, almost party trick was so hard to do. It was almost unnatural to her. She could only imagine how hard a dagger would be. The possibility of ever using that again would be highly unlikely in a fight.

"Would you happen to have any clothes I can wear? From what I've observed, we are pretty similar in size and the like." She asked Elena, not looking up.

ReverseTex

MagicPenguin · May 27, 2018

Arryn Blacksmith
Police Station -> Elena's Home

Arryn was just as relieved as the others when Rose stepped through the door, though he was struck speechless when he saw what she was wearing. A very form-fitting and quite revealing black dress. It had a slit down the side of the leg--rather than down the middle as with a skirt for riding horseback--but she wasn't wearing any stockings underneath, so her long, bare legs were totally visible, causing Arryn to blush. Most women back on Aether wouldn't wear something so daring. The fashion on Sol sure was different from what he was used to. Certainly not an altogether too unpleasant difference, whispered a secret voice from some deep, dark, hidden corner of his wandering mind.

When he realized he was staring with a hot face and a slack jaw as if he were a teenager discovering women for the first time, he chided himself and recovered his wits quickly. Just because his body lost its maturity didn't mean his mind had to. "Rose!" he said gratefully, "thank you so much for coming. This has all been a huge misunderstanding. We weren't doing...whatever they told you they think we were doing. I promise." He followed the others out of the station and along the path that Rose led them down. Arryn was surprised at how loud and bright it was here, even at night. Not nearly as much so as during the day, but the crowds were appreciably thinner, the carriages weren't as numerous, and they didn't honk quite as often. Though the light orbs scattered down all the streets and all the flashing signs still made it brighter than any other city he'd ever been to, the relative quiet compared to earlier, as well as the company of good, trusted friends both new and old, made him feel as close to peaceful as he'd felt since he left Aether. So absorbed was he in the cool, open air and the pleasant walk that he completely missed Rose's shivering complaints of the cold. Looking again at the pretty, elegant young woman with soft, cascading blonde waves resting lightly across her shoulders in her flattering Sol dress, someone who had shown them more warmth and kindness than a couple of total strangers had any right to expect, he tried to ignore the stab of envy he felt when Daniel was the one who offered her his coat.

When they reached their destination, which Rose said was her home, he discarded his new boots neatly at the door and sat where she indicated at the table in the kitchen area. As he sat, he was surprised when a cat darted from underneath the table. With a malicious hiss, the little furball took a vicious swipe at Daniel's leg before rubbing itself in a territorial way up against Rose's leg to claim the woman as his. It then beat a leisurely retreat into another room, refusing to give the newcomers so much as another glance as it went, prancing unconcernedly as if he were a king and this was his palace. "I don't think he likes you very much," Arryn noted to Payne with an amused grin. The shrunken blacksmith looked around and took in all the strange sights in Rose's kitchen. A stove with no place to light a fire, a silver metal tub with a tube over top of it that spit out water into a drain when Rose turned a handle, a large freezer that lit up when you opened its doors...there was no end to it. He was just as amazed by it all as he had been by everything else that day, but he had seen so many magical marvels since arriving and his body was so exhausted that he was just about numb to the shock he would have normally felt. When Rose set down a mug with tea inside of it in front of him, he thanked her and experienced a momentary feeling of pure relief as he sipped. At least tea was the same on Sol.

Once they were all settled, Elena wasted no time. Her tired, chilled look from the walk home all but evaporated in the curious fire that now inhabited the deep, brown pools of her eyes. "Okay," she began firmly, her suddenly serious, no-nonsense tone and intense stare telling them she would tolerate no hedging or hiding, "so who's going to tell me who the hell you people really are?"

Arryn took a moment to consider how best to answer her question. He was about to start when Ana spoke up. She told Rose they were members of the Aetherian Royal Army. When she abruptly asked for something to wear, Arryn thought she was trying to quickly change the subject so Rose wouldn't ask too many inconvenient questions. He'd seen how well that worked with Officer Simmons back at the station, though, and Hogan's old warning echoed again in his memory. The more they tried to hide, the more suspicious the man had become. Besides that, Rose had more than earned their trust by this point, and then some. Deciding it was time for honesty, he started to tell her their story in full.

"Well," Arryn began, "I already told you when we met that we traveled here via a magic portal from the continent of Aether. An extremely dangerous enemy of ours fled to this world from Aether for some unknown reason and we came with a group of others--the ones I told you about earlier--to hunt down and slay her. As I said in the alleyway, the portal had some sort of side-effect that caused me and Ana to shrink and all of us to age backward, Daniel especially. Despite my current appearance, I am actually 26 years old. Before we jumped in, I was at least seven feet tall and well over 200 pounds with limbs as thick as tree trunks. Daniel was in his 60s and has been a dedicated soldier longer than either me or Ana have been alive. He had more battle scars than anyone I'd ever met, even Prince Roland." He shot a nearly imperceptible, envious, sidelong look at the attractive, newly made young Payne before wiping it from his face as suddenly as it had appeared. He hesitated a moment before saying anymore; to explain what they'd been doing in the park, he'd have to tell her Daniel's secret. Though he'd come to trust her, being a werewolf carried a heavy stigma, a potentially deadly one regardless of how much kindness she'd shown up until now. He glanced again at Daniel, a questioning look this time. Should he tell her? The old man merely nodded with a small sigh, his face resigned. "In truth, Daniel is actually a werewolf," he said hesitantly, eyes downcast. "He is extremely dangerous on nights with a full moon where we come from. Aside from becoming absurdly bloodthirsty, his curse can be passed to another with nothing but a scratch. We had to tie him up in the park like that to prevent a disaster, though we needn't have worried since the transformation didn't happen anyway." He looked at Rose then, anxious, though not as anxious as Daniel must have felt. She said nothing, and her facial expression was unreadable to him. He could not figure out how she was taking the news that there was a werewolf under her roof. Would all her goodwill vanish just like that? Would she kick them out? Gather a mob to have them all burned alive? The officer hadn't been disturbed by the revelation at all, but what if he was just the exception and everyone else on Sol hated werewolves just as much as the people of Aether?

ReverseTex

Morbuskid · May 27, 2018

Jack Fester
Small Park near the Centrum, London.
Late Afternoon-
States: Cold/Tired/Depressed/Homesick

Jack stood hunched there in the light of the lamp a moment longer, panting, his thoughts now lingering heavily upon this new world, already it had made an uncomfortable and vile impression on him. He still had thoughts of home, running through his mind, he could remember the forest he grew up near, the feeling of the tall wrinkled oak and small spotted snowy white spruce trees still danced upon his finger tips, as if he could remember the feeling of them well.

He remembers the smells of the fires, how the burning dried sap would sweeten the aroma of the ashes that climbed and dissapated from the chimney of his small cabin home. It pained him as he snapped back to reality (up, there goes gravity), he fully realized now that there may not be a way home afterall, that he may be doomed to this, as if fate had decided it.

Jack shuffled in his armor, heavier now than it had ever been on his newer mortal body, as he laid himself against a broad chestnut colored tree, the sat in it's own canpoy next to the intersecting 4 walkways that Jack had just retreated from. He curled himself up after had laying his covered up sword beneath him, digging his helmeted face into his metal knees as his arms wrapped the both legs together. More panting escaped his mouth, in this cold night, vapers of warmth seemed to dance in the dark sky, but Jack paid little attention to it.

Jack began making plea to the ghosts of the gods he had prayed still watched over, but most importantly he hoped that the ghost of his father could hear him. "Please, I ask this now out of depseration, and I am desperate now more than ever, I need guidance, I need someone, nay, something to show me the way, I need salvation for I have dug myself into the ground so far... that I might as well swim up the shores of Helvegen now," Jack had softly declared.

His tears, the only slavation of warmth on his now cold pinkish face, quickly rode from his eyes down his cheeks, he was confused but most of all he was afraid, not of death, but of the mess he has put himself into and how unnecessary it may have been.

Quickly his tears that did him little favor now brought forth the cold much more harshly, like the rallying of soldiers to overwhelm, the cold of the dark night now peirced his wetened face, he shivered in the cold. Jack took himself out of his feeble state to bring forth the strength to wipe his tears, that is when he felt a powerful wind blow past him, forcing him to shiver more than he had already, quickly retiring into his weakness.

That is when, in this most uncomfortable position, upon the soft grassy earth, in his fears and his sadness, he slowly lost his grip on his reality. It was not a pleasent one, but it was however the best for him, he slowly brought himself out of his feedle position, before grabbing and sliding his sword under neath a shrub which had hugged the tree, before closing his icy eyes, and falling into slumber.

(No Interactions)

koala · May 27, 2018

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Early Overnight
An white, fluffy cat jumped out from under the table and didn't hesitate to show Daniel some hostility. The fluff ball was normally kind to everyone that visited, even if he was generally cranky and moody. New people meant more attention, but apparently he wanted none of that. It was as if Daniel were a dog and the other two were dangerous--two things the feline hated. "Winston!" Elena hissed quietly, urging the cat away from Daniel until white could be seen zooming towards the hallways. She let out an apologetic sigh, her cheeks burning a faint pink, before asking her rather blunt question.

Ana spoke first, her voice a bit more collected than the other two. It was not surprising when she mentioned something about an Atherian army since Arryn had mentioned something about a land called that early in the day. Of course, she genuinely thought they were just actors or roleplayers that seemed harmless then. Now that they'd almost spent a night in jail if it weren't for her offering her number, everything was different. Things weren't just different, however, they'd changed drastically and she really didn't know what to think or feel anymore. So many emotions and feelings were swirling inside of her. Here she thought she was just helping some nice travelers who may or may not be psycho murderers.

"Yeah, follow me." Elena said as she began walking down the hallway into a room where one wall was half turquoise. She sat on the cool floor in front of a white dresser and opened two of the drawers, pulling out a pair of black shorts and a pale blue t-shirt. After handing the set to Ana, she took a moment to show her the bathroom connected to her room. "You're welcome to take a shower as well. Towels are in there," she pointed to the small closet in the bathroom, "and I hope you like coconut scents. If you need fresh undergarments, they're in the dresser too." Elena offered a small smile, obviously embarrassed at mentioning undergarments to the other woman, but she knew being fresh and clean was always a great feeling after a long day. Hell, she really wanted to take a shower then but even that wouldn't ease the curiosity and concern she felt towards the three. It was like an ache in the back of her head that just wouldn't go away. Or maybe that was an incoming migraine...

Changing into a pair of cotton gray shorts and a white t-shirt herself, she swiftly tied her hair into a messy bun and replaced her contacts for large-rimmed glasses. The whole process took maybe ten minutes and she felt slightly guilty for making the men wait, but they still owed her answers. Elena finally returned to her seat and sat down with a look of relief, although that quickly returned to a straight one. The atmosphere was heavy with curiosity and seriousness as her hands wrapped around the warm mug once again. Her doe eyes darted towards Arryn's lips when he decided to speak up before flickering to meet his gaze, giving her full and undivided attention.

Everything Arryn said, literally everything, sounded completely insane. Elena had a wild imagination, large enough that she even imagined that she was a wizard and waited for her invitation to Hogwarts, but she'd never been so enveloped in a story like the three she'd invited into her home. So she laughed. Her warm, musical laugh filled the interior of her home as she bent down in heaves. Who could believe anything he said? Only crazy people could ever think of such an elaborate story. It didn't help that she slightly believed them though.

After laughing for a good two minutes, she tried to return to normal but a few giggles would escape every now and then. A slender finger snuck under her glasses to wipe stray tears and she shook her head in astonishment. "I..." She began before chuckling, "I...." She chuckled again and coughed to try and end her fit of laughter. "You know..." Elena's voice slowly returned to one of seriousness and quietness. "I kind of believe you." She looked up and met their eyes before stating bluntly. "But that doesn't mean I don't think you're all crazy. I just... from everything that's happened, it makes complete sense and I'm not unopened to strangeness. I mean, I am a writer so situations like these are what I dream of." Even though seeing was believing, she really did want to trust everything she was being told. The woman smiled and her kind, gentle tone seemed to return in place of all the tiredness and seriousness. "I'm obviously going to need see some magic at some point though. You know that, right?" With a bit of quirkiness sparkling in her eyes, she took a sip of her tea.

"Now, do you men want to shower or something? Or is indoor plumbing nonexistent in Aether?" Elena asked as she got up, making her way down the hall again in hopes they were following. She opened the door to a closet and pulled out three toothbrushes as well as some men's clothing that were stuffed into a black. She looked a little uncomfortable at the action but she forced a smile anyways. "I've been meaning to throw these out since they don't really have a use anymore, but um... yeah. They should fit the both of you. Feel free to dig through it and find something comfortable." After showing them the closet, which was also stacked to the brim with pillows and blankets, she flickered the light to the second bedroom. It had a large king bed with lamps on either side, and two dressers on the opposite end of the bed. "The other bathroom is across the hall and the sofa in the living area can also become a bed. Let me know if you need any help with that."

Elena paused and let out a few thoughtful hums, turning to Daniel with a smile. "Werewolf or not, you can sleep on my furniture as long as you don't shed terribly. And you-" she whisked towards Arryn, "if you really are as tall and big as you say you are, please don't magically grow to that size and break anything. Ana can sleep with me in my room as well, so you don't need to worry about her." While she wore a smile on her face, it was clear she was still skeptical about the whole situation. But if there was anything that she learned since leaving her mother's house, it was that taking chances and having an open mind and heart were really the only ways she'd survive.

Outfit: White t-shirt, gray cotton shorts
Location: Home
Interacting: Arryn

MagicPenguin , Daniel

ReverseTex , Ana

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Outfit: White t-shirt, gray cotton shorts
Location: Home
Interacting: Arryn

MagicPenguin , Daniel

ReverseTex , Ana

LoneSniper87

Early Overnight
An white, fluffy cat jumped out from under the table and didn't hesitate to show Daniel some hostility. The fluff ball was normally kind to everyone that visited, even if he was generally cranky and moody. New people meant more attention, but apparently he wanted none of that. It was as if Daniel were a dog and the other two were dangerous--two things the feline hated. "Winston!" Elena hissed quietly, urging the cat away from Daniel until white could be seen zooming towards the hallways. She let out an apologetic sigh, her cheeks burning a faint pink, before asking her rather blunt question.

Ana spoke first, her voice a bit more collected than the other two. It was not surprising when she mentioned something about an Atherian army since Arryn had mentioned something about a land called that early in the day. Of course, she genuinely thought they were just actors or roleplayers that seemed harmless then. Now that they'd almost spent a night in jail if it weren't for her offering her number, everything was different. Things weren't just different, however, they'd changed drastically and she really didn't know what to think or feel anymore. So many emotions and feelings were swirling inside of her. Here she thought she was just helping some nice travelers who may or may not be psycho murderers.

"Yeah, follow me." Elena said as she began walking down the hallway into a room where one wall was half turquoise. She sat on the cool floor in front of a white dresser and opened two of the drawers, pulling out a pair of black shorts and a pale blue t-shirt. After handing the set to Ana, she took a moment to show her the bathroom connected to her room. "You're welcome to take a shower as well. Towels are in there," she pointed to the small closet in the bathroom, "and I hope you like coconut scents. If you need fresh undergarments, they're in the dresser too." Elena offered a small smile, obviously embarrassed at mentioning undergarments to the other woman, but she knew being fresh and clean was always a great feeling after a long day. Hell, she really wanted to take a shower then but even that wouldn't ease the curiosity and concern she felt towards the three. It was like an ache in the back of her head that just wouldn't go away. Or maybe that was an incoming migraine...

Changing into a pair of cotton gray shorts and a white t-shirt herself, she swiftly tied her hair into a messy bun and replaced her contacts for large-rimmed glasses. The whole process took maybe ten minutes and she felt slightly guilty for making the men wait, but they still owed her answers. Elena finally returned to her seat and sat down with a look of relief, although that quickly returned to a straight one. The atmosphere was heavy with curiosity and seriousness as her hands wrapped around the warm mug once again. Her doe eyes darted towards Arryn's lips when he decided to speak up before flickering to meet his gaze, giving her full and undivided attention.

Everything Arryn said, literally everything, sounded completely insane. Elena had a wild imagination, large enough that she even imagined that she was a wizard and waited for her invitation to Hogwarts, but she'd never been so enveloped in a story like the three she'd invited into her home. So she laughed. Her warm, musical laugh filled the interior of her home as she bent down in heaves. Who could believe anything he said? Only crazy people could ever think of such an elaborate story. It didn't help that she slightly believed them though.

After laughing for a good two minutes, she tried to return to normal but a few giggles would escape every now and then. A slender finger snuck under her glasses to wipe stray tears and she shook her head in astonishment. "I..." She began before chuckling, "I...." She chuckled again and coughed to try and end her fit of laughter. "You know..." Elena's voice slowly returned to one of seriousness and quietness. "I kind of believe you." She looked up and met their eyes before stating bluntly. "But that doesn't mean I don't think you're all crazy. I just... from everything that's happened, it makes complete sense and I'm not unopened to strangeness. I mean, I am a writer so situations like these are what I dream of." Even though seeing was believing, she really did want to trust everything she was being told. The woman smiled and her kind, gentle tone seemed to return in place of all the tiredness and seriousness. "I'm obviously going to need see some magic at some point though. You know that, right?" With a bit of quirkiness sparkling in her eyes, she took a sip of her tea.

"Now, do you men want to shower or something? Or is indoor plumbing nonexistent in Aether?" Elena asked as she got up, making her way down the hall again in hopes they were following. She opened the door to a closet and pulled out three toothbrushes as well as some men's clothing that were stuffed into a black. She looked a little uncomfortable at the action but she forced a smile anyways. "I've been meaning to throw these out since they don't really have a use anymore, but um... yeah. They should fit the both of you. Feel free to dig through it and find something comfortable." After showing them the closet, which was also stacked to the brim with pillows and blankets, she flickered the light to the second bedroom. It had a large king bed with lamps on either side, and two dressers on the opposite end of the bed. "The other bathroom is across the hall and the sofa in the living area can also become a bed. Let me know if you need any help with that."

Elena paused and let out a few thoughtful hums, turning to Daniel with a smile. "Werewolf or not, you can sleep on my furniture as long as you don't shed terribly. And you-" she whisked towards Arryn, "if you really are as tall and big as you say you are, please don't magically grow to that size and break anything. Ana can sleep with me in my room as well, so you don't need to worry about her." While she wore a smile on her face, it was clear she was still skeptical about the whole situation. But if there was anything that she learned since leaving her mother's house, it was that taking chances and having an open mind and heart were really the only ways she'd survive.

QizPizza · May 28, 2018

"The girl who tried to interrogate me - her name was Sparrow I believe. Family name; and the other girl on the reception desk was called Lisa. Lisa Sparrow. It will be... sufficient. You would do well to think of a name and quickly. We are almost at our destination."

Raijin put some thought into his alias. He didn't feel particularly creative, and he had already given that Officer Simmons a name. What was it? Raijin Kaminari, was it? That seems like a rather nice name. "I'm going with Rai Kaminari. It's the name I gave the officer earlier. Borrowing from my own name and the Oni word for 'thunder'."

As the two walked, they reached an street corners, where countless "cars" as these humans called them roared past. The immense amount of "cars" was a wonder in it of themselves. How the humans were able to craft and enchant such a number magical vehicles. Not even the dwarves could construct such a number of metal creations with their advanced knowledge of smithery and engineering. These humans truly have something to learn from.

"You think to command me, little one? ...I shall allow it this once."

Raijin could not help but laugh at Lucrezia's submission. "The queen of shadows submitting to some glowing text. Hilarious!"

He stopped soon enough and the two continued onto this "registration office". They reached the rather bland building. It was rather large, but it looked like every other building he saw along the way: made of brick and mortar with several large windows dotting the walls. When they walked up to the doorway, the two glass doors magically parted for the queen and the god. Raijin stifled his wonder, in an attempt to blend in, but he couldn't help but stay still for a few moments in case it was a death trap. After a few moments, the glass doors closed. Raijin took as step back, as it was apparent that the registration office did not want their presence, but suddenly, the doors opened again.

"Is this a some kind of joke or..." He stood still again, and after a few moments the door closed again. This time, Raijin waved his arm in front of the door, and the two panes of glass slid open. "As I suspected, these magical doors detect some form of motion before opening. Quite convenient, but they would be absolutely pointless in stopping unwanted visitors from entering."

He continued his little experiment a few more times before he noticed a woman inside the building giving him a strange look. Raijin took a hint and quickly moved into the building, dragging Lucrezia by the arm. He must have been acting rather strange to a person that was used to the facets of human society, and he did not want to make a fool out of himself. When he would be a fool, it would be intentional. The god of Thunder took a look around the room. It was decorated similarly to the "police" station from earlier. Some pieces of intricately carved furniture and some that are rather simplistic, yet very geometrical, like something a dwarf would make. His eyes soon arrived at a sign above a wooden counter that read: "Registration Office".

Raijin walked up to the woman at the counter and began to address her. "Hello, my Lady, we would like to register for citizenship in this 'United Kingdom.'"

Rai Kaminari

Physical Status: Freed
Emotional/Mental Status: Slightly Confused
Location: London - Registration Office
Interacting With: Avari
Mentioned:

Avari · May 28, 2018

HANNAH MILLER
MILLERS CAFE

Hannah sighed quietly as she finally had a moment to rest for the first time that day and began to brew herself some coffee. Millers had finally quietened down somewhat - not that it was exactly busy to begin with - and now only Mr and Mrs Spreadbury, who were a pair of regulars who stopped by every day at the same time without fail were finishing their drinks. Millers Cafe was a very small and rather...well - pokey little place (Though Hannah preferred the term "charmingly rustic hovel" that a local critic had used to describe it.) that nonetheless had managed to survive the cut-throat world of London business for the best part of a decade; which was frankly a bit of a mystery to her. She had taken over ownership from her dad only a year ago, and was barely breaking even on the place so far. At least she wasn't having to pay anyone's wages anymore.

"Where's that lovely boy who used to work here, darling?" Mrs Spreadbury wondered as she drained her cup of coffee. "I've only seen you here for the last week - you look dreadfully tired. Doesn't she look dreadfully tired Harold?"

"Oh, y'know just one of those-"

"I think she looks dreadfully lovely," Mr Spreadbury interrupted smoothly, his wrinkled hands then scooped up Mrs Spreadbury's own. "But not as lovely as you my dear."

"Oh Harold..."

Hannah politely averted her eyes from them, as mr Spreadbury began a rather thorough inspection of Mrs Spreadbury's dentures and was relieved to hear the Cafe door give a cheerful tinkle as a pair of men walked in. They looked rather odd, but you got all kinds in London.

"Hi there!" Hannah said brightly and rather loudly to drown out the snogging pensioners. "Welcome to Millers! What can I get cha?"

INTERACTION

WillfulWren

MagicPenguin · May 28, 2018

Roland Fairchild
Miller's Cafe

Roland gave the girl a bright smile. He didn't see any other staff, so he figured this young lady must be in charge. That surprised him. There were taverns owned by women in Alcamoth, of course, but none quite so young as this one. Perhaps she was the actual tavernkeep's daughter, looking after things in her father's absence. In any case, he wished he had the money to purchase something; in his experience, merchants of any variety were always more forthcoming with information when they were dealing with a paying customer. Besides that, there was the alluring aroma of coffee grounds being roasted in the air, stirring his craving for a cup. Alas, he was quite destitute in this world.

"Hello," he said cheerfully. "This is a lovely little establishment you have here. Reminds me of the smaller, homier taverns in some of the rural villages where we are from." He said this with genuine admiration. Despite all the unfamiliar technology and the elderly couple making out in one of the booths, this was the only place he'd seen so far that even half reminded him of something he might find at home. "My name is Roland and my friend here is Marcus. I wish we could stay a while, but unfortunately we're in a bit of a hurry. We're travelers, you see, and we've gotten separated from our companions. This is such a big city and we've gotten ourselves quite lost. Have you by chance seen a very large man, roughly seven feet tall, with dark curly hair and a big metal warhammer? Perhaps travelling with an elderly man with a facial scar and a military air about him? Or perhaps you've seen a short, dark haired elven woman with bright yellow eyes? If you could also tell us where we are and where we might go to find a room for the night, we'd be quite grateful. We seem to be losing daylight at an alarming rate and I'm afraid we may not find them before it gets dark."

Avari

IG42 · May 29, 2018

Tannur - Billy's kitchen

Grabbing Silver Tannur went to pull her away from the noisy cupboard before she could stick her fingers in anything and aggravate their host but paused for a moment as he noticed that the cupboard was somehow lit from within and the air inside was cold. While he was curious about whether the noisy cupboard was using magic or something else that escaped him he was very much in favour of getting new clothing, the sooner they were able to blend in the better.

Directing Silver away from the kitchen Tannur smiled easily at their host's politely worded demand that they behave themselves. "I'd expect nothing less." He said calmly, while he still thought Billy was asking to get a knife stuck in him he was at least slightly ready for it.

Dragonlord318

WillfulWren · May 29, 2018

Silver Ferae, Billy's house - IG42 Dragonlord318
"We can have food, and clothes, and all we have to do is not bother the magic box or snoop? It's that easy!?" Letting the door swing shut, Silver casually stepped away from the fridge as if she hadn't been doing anything in the first place. "I, Silver Ferae, shall not attempt to harm anyone in this house...At least not until I've had food!
At least she's honest about her indecision on whether to stab them or not.

She ducked away from Tannur as he tried to grab her, grinning as she started exploring. It didn't take her long to discover just how comfy a sofa is and - uncaring of how bloody and dirty her clothes were - she rolled over the sofa wriggling into it in a manner that seemed rather...Animal like. It sounded almost as though she was purring...

"Hey, Tannur, can we get one of these back home? Please, please, please?" After all, if her lessons on manners have taught her anything (they haven't, by the way, Lucrezia needs to try harder) it's that saying please is a sure fire way to get whatever she wants.

~~Marcus Felis~~ Shy Sweet Boy (what are you talking about, this is his name), Miller's - Avari MagicPenguin
Marcus hung back slightly as the young woman directed her attention at him and the prince. He almost wished he could be shorter than the prince again, so skulking behind him wasn't as obvious. He didn't say anything, just nodding his agreement to Roland's words. Until-
"W-We're also looking for a girl! A little shorter than me, you would know her if you saw her! She has really bright silver hair, almost to her waist, and red eyes and cat ears! It's really important we find her!"

Either for a family reunion or to avenge Georg's death, the black haired shapeshifter wasn't quite sure yet. She couldn't be allowed to get away with murder but still...His head hurt with the decision he knew he'd have to make soon.

"We don't have any of this area's currency, but we would...Umm...Owe you a favour? We really need help..."

As his loudness drew attention, blood rushed to his face, and he looked decidedly panicked. "Of course, it's o-okay if you haven't seen any of them..."

Avari · May 30, 2018

HANNAH MILLER
MILLERS CAFE

Hannah regarded the pair blankly for a moment, as if they had been speaking in a completely different language. Then a massive lopsided grin spread over her face as she seemed to come to a conclusion.
"Oooooooh! Were you guys going to Comic Con? I thought that ended last week? But hey - I love that kinda stuff! We do DnD nights here ya see - but that's on Friday and ya gotta register for it. Maybe I could..."

She put her hands on her hips, and thrust her chest forward in an attempt to look grand and important. It wasn't hugely successful.

"Well met friends!" She boomed, putting on a deep voice. "Alas, I have not seeneth any such persons with such characteristics regrettably! Though they sound mighty fierce! Perhaps If you would stay for a drink, thy friends might cometh to find...thee?"

Hannah considered for a moment, a finger to her lip. "Verily," She added.

The two old age pensioners have thankfully stopped their making out for a moment and were glancing over at the three of them.

"Kids sure are strange these days," The man observed.

----

INTERACTION

MagicPenguin · May 30, 2018

Roland Fairchild
Miller's Cafe

Roland eyed Marcus sharply at his interruption. He was asking after the woman who killed Georg, he deduced. He'd have to have a talk with the boy later. Roland understood his youthful desire for revenge, but that girl was not their primary target. As well if they didn't encounter her at all before they found and killed the one they were really after. When the hostess responded to their queries, her demeanor completely changed. Her mannerisms and language were so grandiose and over the top, Roland almost thought she might be mocking him.

"Comic Con...? Dee and Dee...?" Roland repeated the names she'd given them experimentally, just to see how the strange local words felt on his tongue. "Are those...the names of festivals? We have some of those on our wor-I mean, back in our country as well. Are these festivals to celebrate the coming of Summer? Or perhaps there has been a planting or harvest of crops recently? I am most interested in the customs of your people. Regrettably, though, we haven't the time to stay for a drink. We're really in a hurry, you see, and in any case, the currency of our homeland is probably of no value here." He fished in his coin purse and pulled out a shiny golden token from Alcamoth, emblazoned with the Fairchild dragon on one side and the Church sunburst on the other, to show her what he meant. "If you could just give us directions to a place we could find a room for the night, we'll be eternally grateful and out of your hair. And if you see either the large man or the elderly soldier, Arryn and Daniel respectively, please tell them Roland and Marcus were looking for them."

How he was going to pay for a night at an inn, he did not yet know. Most inns on Aether let him stay for free just because he was both royalty and the Hero of Light. Somehow he suspected neither would carry much weight here. He'd have to think of something else he could barter for a room on the way there. If worst came to worst, they'd have to find someplace out in the open to take shelter for the night.

Avari

Avari · May 31, 2018

LUCREZIA AND RAIJIN
GOVERNMENT REGISTRATION OFFICE

During her exceptionally long life, Lucrezia had overcome all sorts of challenges in the pursuit of her goals. She had overpowered Necromancers and forced proud Vampire Kings to bend the knee. She had ventured into the deep, dark pits of Hollowvale and investigated the dead cities; she had fought against ancient mighty golems, befriended werewolf tribes and climbed the Throne of the Abyss. She had spent almost a decade in a dank dungeon:

But nothing - nothing - could prepare her for the sheer nightmare that was Earth Bureaucracy.

It felt like they had been in the stuffy, packed room for hours now. The spinning fans above doing little to circulate any wind flow whatsoever. Lucrezia's hypnotic power could only do so much against the mountain of paperwork that was constantly being piled around her and Raijin - as they constantly filled out the necessary information and Lucrezia's eyes flashing yellow every-time an uncomfortable question would arise from the evil old hag that was serving them.

"This is for your national insurance number," The old witch said dreamily, as she handed her and her companion yet another 30-page document - and she gritted her teeth as she picked up her pen again. That was the one positive at least, these pens - known as biros - were vastly superior to the quills she was used to back home, with their own constant ink supply. The Humans were rather ingenious in their laziness, that much was certain.

"I do believe I'm close to losing my mind," She hissed to Rai, as she began ticking more boxes and signing her new Signature "Lisa Sparrow" wherever it was required. Her head was hurting as well - she and pain were old friends, but it had been a long, long time since she had been in a form that was so...weak to it. Her temples gave a rather venomous throb and she flinched. It felt like a rusty nail was slowly being driven into her skull.

"How many more?" She inquired of the woman, but the witch was frowning, looking confused.

"Who...who are you two again?" She wondered.

Lucrezia clicked her tongue in annoyance. Her powers were certainly seeming to fade faster than she'd hoped. Her eyes began to glow yellow again, but her expression became strained with the effort as she commanded her to continue with their legally questionable registration.

Gods, her head hurt.

The witch's confused expression slipped back into one of dreamy complacency, with a silly smile on her face.
"Oh...of course dearie. Sorry - Memory seems to be slipping! I do believe we're almost there - just need to cross reference forms J832 and H822...but I can do that; you two are all done!"

"Wonderful," Lucrezia sighed - her latest magical effort had left her feeling rather sick and shaky and then she glared in annoyance as the senile old bat was staring at her again. "What??"

"You're...bleeding dear. Y-your nose."

Lucrezia instantly held a hand to her nose, and felt the hot, sticky redness that was currently pumping out and trickling down to her mouth - leaving a familiar irony taste in her mouth. She glanced at Rai, feeling shaky.

"Raijin...I don't feel...well."

Without warning, she felt her body slip from her control, and she fell out of her chair and onto the floor - blackness overtaking her vision.

----

HANNAH MILLER
MILLERS CAFE
With Roland and Marcus

Hannah stared at the pair of them a moment more, and then giggled. "You guys are weird. Anywho - there's a nice Bed and Breakfast around the corner, kinda expensive though; but it's pretty classy. They put those little soaps on your pillow and stuff. I stayed there with an Ex once. But come pop by sometime alright? I could do with the business."

She gave them a cheery wave, as she went back to rubbing down the wooden counter. "But have fun with your roleplay thing!"

---

INTERACTIONS:

QizPizza

WillfulWren

Ready for Time skip!

MagicPenguin · May 31, 2018

Roland Fairchild
Miller's Cafe -> Bed & Breakfast

"My thanks, miss," Roland said gratefully. He placed the solid gold Alcamoth coin he'd taken out of his pouch onto the table next to the girl. "You can keep this for the trouble. I have plenty of them and it's not much good to me around these parts anyway. Might make a nice paperweight or maybe a doorstop if nothing else," he said with a shrug. "Come, Marcus. We're off!" With that, he led his younger, taller companion back out the tavern's door with another tiny jingle from the overhead bell to mark their exit. The sun was almost completely below the horizon when they walked back out onto the main street.

As they walked down the street to the corner the hostess had indicated, Roland tried to talk to Marcus about that murderous shifter girl he'd asked about. "Marcus, I know you're upset at that woman for what she did to Georg and Natalie. Believe me, I understand that feeling--the desire for vengeance--all too well." Marcus opened his mouth to say something in response, but Roland held up a hand to cut him off before he could get anything out. "Now, lad, let me finish. What you have to remember, Marcus, is that we're here for a very specific purpose: to kill Lucrezia, end her threat to our lives and those of our countrymen, and then leave this place for home as soon as possible. This is not about vengeance, but about duty, justice, and self-preservation."

"So, my point is, despite what she did to our friend, we are not here seeking that cat woman, nor are we specifically here to kill any of Lucrezia's other generals. Unless she threatens us directly or somehow gets in the way of our primary mission, it's better if we don't engage with her at all. It would only be a distraction, and a potentially deadly one at that. If you do encounter her, you are not to attack her unless she is an imminent threat to your life or the lives of innocents. Do you understand? In fact, if you do manage to find one of the witch's generals, you are to do all in your power to stay beneath their notice. Try and see if you can tail them until they lead you to Lucrezia herself, but if it's impossible to do without attracting their attention, don't even do that. Just let me know where you saw them and I'll take it from there. That's an order. Have I made myself clear?"

By the time Roland was done explaining that Marcus was not to seek vengeance on Georg's murderer, they reached the so-called "Bed and Breakfast" that the tavern hostess directed them to. It was a fancy-looking building, even by Sol standards, with a luxurious, cozy reception area and a well-dressed man behind a polished marble front desk. Roland took the time to watch how other customers handled payment. Most of them handed the man a colorful card, which he swiped through a device with a bright light coming out of it. One or two, though, handed him pieces of paper instead, which Roland assumed must be the primary currency here. Some others who were not in the line at that front desk stood at a large machine that was labelled an "ATM." People would place the card in the machine, poke at the thing's front display a few times, and the machine would give them currency in return. If only Roland had one of those colorful cards himself, he would have access to all the Sol currency he needed through that ATM.

"Hmm...I wonder..." he said mostly to himself, an idea coming to him after watching a few more people interact with the ATM in the exact same way.

He fished through his jacket pockets for the mysterious blank sheet of paper Arryn had given him from Lyra before they jumped in the portal. He said that Lyra told him this paper would somehow help them "fit in" on this world, right? What if the paper was like those cards the others used? It couldn't hurt to try. He and Marcus approached the machine. Roland placed his blank paper in the slot where the others placed the card. The ATM's display turned to a snowy, static sort of image for a moment before shifting to a screen asking how much they wanted to withdraw. Not seeing any reason not to, Roland selected the largest value available. After a few more whirring noises, the machine spit out paper currency for them, just like for the others. The numbers on the paper added up to the number he'd selected on the display, £500. Then his paper came back out of the card slot.

"Ha!" Roland exclaimed excitedly. "It works! Marcus, this machine is incredible! It prints money! You ought to try it! Everyone in this city must live like the richest king on Aether with machines like this! I wonder how they deal with the inflation?"

He placed the paper in the machine again and repeated the process. He got another £500. Elated, he did it a third time and got yet another £500. He was extremely disappointed when, on his fourth attempt, the machine wouldn't take the paper anymore. He put it in just like before, but the display did nothing.

"Well, shoot. I guess the paper ran out. Lyra did warn us about this. Oh well. This should be plenty to last us until we find the others and kill Lucrezia. Shouldn't take much more than a few days, I wager. Would you like to try your paper as well or shall we get ourselves a room for the night so we can resume our search on the morrow?"

Avari

Avari · May 31, 2018

In-RP Date
Saturday 28th July 2018

Cast
Lucrezia - "Lisa Sparrow" - Avari
Silver - WillfulWren
Raijin - QizPizza
Jack Foster - Morbuskid
Tannur - IG42
Morgana - koala
Juniper - Shotgunpenguin

Roland Fairchild - MagicPenguin
Arryn Blacksmith - MagicPenguin
Daniel Payne - ReverseTex
Marcus Felis - WillfulWren
Ana - LoneSniper87
Aemi - @strifE

Hannah Miller - Avari
Hisae Shirakuni - Clouds
Elena Benoit - koala
~~Tad Dahlton - Safety Hammer~~
~~Cas Mauro - Safety Hammer~~

Rules
1) Basic Rules still apply
2) Light/Dark interactions are now allowed!
3) Magical abilities remain unaccessible.

Notes
1) If you're living with another character, I would recommend discussing where you're living and what kind of place it is. I hope to create a map to pinpoint everyones exact locations.
2)

ReverseTex - It's been two Full Moons now - last one was on the 27th July. Again, nothing happened. For all intents and purposes, it seems you're free of your curse.
3) You're all dirt poor.
4) The magical items you brought from Aether are now 100% useless.

koala · May 31, 2018

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Midmorning,
Saturday 07/28/2018
What was a month felt like a mere week. Elena's life was turned upside down not too long ago, from meeting strangers and helping them only to find out they were from another world... and still helping them. She didn't know what came over her the night she brought them home. Perhaps it was her never ending curiosity, her tendency to help others in need, or maybe even her unconscious desire to go on an adventure and explore what was beyond her own reality. What ever the case was, she realized there were forces that an everyday person like her would, or could, never understand. It was incomprehensible, like the day they spent at the Registration Office. Applying for citizenship should've taken months if not weeks, but Ana, Arryn, and Daniel had managed to do it within hours. Truthfully, she barely believed their stories the night she bailed them out of jail but after seeing them use their magic paper, how could she not?

Sighing, the beautiful blonde sat idly on her sofa with a book on her lap and mug in one hand. Winston was napping lazily beside her, nudging the woman's bare thigh every now and then in search of attention. Her morning began early that day as she woke up before the sun. Sleep hadn't come easily for her in a while due to having new roommates and teaching them about Earth and the different societies. However, it should've been the opposite starting a week ago since they'd finally found their own living arrangements, excluding Ana. They all agreed that the spy should stay with Elena after some debate, considering she was a woman even though her old life consisted of what would be considered "masculine tasks". In all honestly, Elena had grown fond of the three and the thought of them all leaving her home was quite saddening. Knowing one of them would continue being her roommate offered a tiny bit of comfort, especially since she'd been getting strange messages lately.

"Winston, you're awfully quiet these days, aren't you?" Elena asked adoringly as she lifted the white fur ball while laying on her back. The feline rubbing himself against her neck as he purred quietly, causing the woman to smile in response. "Me too. It's boring without the other two, isn't it?" She laughed as her small hand went to stroke his back. "But you're probably happy that Daniel is gone. You two were practically brawling every day." The corners of her lips curled up into a small smile as she recalled their many stand offs. Winston would often tease Daniel by running up to him, pawing his feet, and then scurrying off to a safe location. The cat was well aware of whom the werewolf was much sooner than she did. It was a bit discouraging knowing her cat was quicker in catching the truth.

After a while, Winston finally jumped off his human and went about his own business. Elena, who was still in her sleeping attire minus the pants, let out a loud yawn and grabbed her mug for a tea refill. She wasn't working that day so that meant cleaning and a lot of it. Unfortunately, the twenty-one year old couldn't bring herself to pick up a broom or rag just yet. The silence in her home was still uncomfortable and she knew it'd take a few more weeks before she got used to it. Maybe I should just go out... she thought as she sat back down and reached for her phone. It wasn't long before there was a beep in response to her text message and she smiled. Sophia had just agreed to clearing her schedule for a girl's day and was already on her way to get ready.

Instead of getting ready ahead of time, Elena decided to wait for her best friend to arrive. There was no need to put on any shorts since they both had basically seen each other naked since birth. Sure, Ana probably found the sight strange or uncomfortable but if she was going to live with Elena, she needed to get used to her habits. Over the passed month, Elena had been letting herself loose lately and that meant walking around with either no pants or no shirt. Sometimes she was completely in her undergarments alone.

A ring at her door prompted the young woman to jump onto her feet and stroll over. She hummed an old French tune on her way, fully expecting to see Sophia loaded and ready on the other side of the door. When she opened it, however, she was greeted with an unexpected face. "Oh... hello..." Elena coughed as she met his gaze, forgetting that she was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear. "W-what are you doing here?" She could feel her face turn a slight pink as she looked down before shuffling behind the door, only the upper part of her body peaking out.

Outfit: PJs
Location: Home
Mentions: Ana, Arryn, Daniel
Interacting: -

Elena "Rose" Benoit

Outfit: PJs
Location: Home
Mentions: Ana, Arryn, Daniel
Interacting: -

Midmorning, Saturday 07/28/2018
What was a month felt like a mere week. Elena's life was turned upside down not too long ago, from meeting strangers and helping them only to find out they were from another world... and still helping them. She didn't know what came over her the night she brought them home. Perhaps it was her never ending curiosity, her tendency to help others in need, or maybe even her unconscious desire to go on an adventure and explore what was beyond her own reality. What ever the case was, she realized there were forces that an everyday person like her would, or could, never understand. It was incomprehensible, like the day they spent at the Registration Office. Applying for citizenship should've taken months if not weeks, but Ana, Arryn, and Daniel had managed to do it within hours. Truthfully, she barely believed their stories the night she bailed them out of jail but after seeing them use their magic paper, how could she not?

Sighing, the beautiful blonde sat idly on her sofa with a book on her lap and mug in one hand. Winston was napping lazily beside her, nudging the woman's bare thigh every now and then in search of attention. Her morning began early that day as she woke up before the sun. Sleep hadn't come easily for her in a while due to having new roommates and teaching them about Earth and the different societies. However, it should've been the opposite starting a week ago since they'd finally found their own living arrangements, excluding Ana. They all agreed that the spy should stay with Elena after some debate, considering she was a woman even though her old life consisted of what would be considered "masculine tasks". In all honestly, Elena had grown fond of the three and the thought of them all leaving her home was quite saddening. Knowing one of them would continue being her roommate offered a tiny bit of comfort, especially since she'd been getting strange messages lately.

"Winston, you're awfully quiet these days, aren't you?" Elena asked adoringly as she lifted the white fur ball while laying on her back. The feline rubbing himself against her neck as he purred quietly, causing the woman to smile in response. "Me too. It's boring without the other two, isn't it?" She laughed as her small hand went to stroke his back. "But you're probably happy that Daniel is gone. You two were practically brawling every day." The corners of her lips curled up into a small smile as she recalled their many stand offs. Winston would often tease Daniel by running up to him, pawing his feet, and then scurrying off to a safe location. The cat was well aware of whom the werewolf was much sooner than she did. It was a bit discouraging knowing her cat was quicker in catching the truth.

After a while, Winston finally jumped off his human and went about his own business. Elena, who was still in her sleeping attire minus the pants, let out a loud yawn and grabbed her mug for a tea refill. She wasn't working that day so that meant cleaning and a lot of it. Unfortunately, the twenty-one year old couldn't bring herself to pick up a broom or rag just yet. The silence in her home was still uncomfortable and she knew it'd take a few more weeks before she got used to it. Maybe I should just go out... she thought as she sat back down and reached for her phone. It wasn't long before there was a beep in response to her text message and she smiled. Sophia had just agreed to clearing her schedule for a girl's day and was already on her way to get ready.

Instead of getting ready ahead of time, Elena decided to wait for her best friend to arrive. There was no need to put on any shorts since they both had basically seen each other naked since birth. Sure, Ana probably found the sight strange or uncomfortable but if she was going to live with Elena, she needed to get used to her habits. Over the passed month, Elena had been letting herself loose lately and that meant walking around with either no pants or no shirt. Sometimes she was completely in her undergarments alone.

A ring at her door prompted the young woman to jump onto her feet and stroll over. She hummed an old French tune on her way, fully expecting to see Sophia loaded and ready on the other side of the door. When she opened it, however, she was greeted with an unexpected face. "Oh... hello..." Elena coughed as she met his gaze, forgetting that she was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear. "W-what are you doing here?" She could feel her face turn a slight pink as she looked down before shuffling behind the door, only the upper part of her body peaking out.

WillfulWren · May 31, 2018

Silver Ferae, a park somewhere - Open for interaction
Work started in five minutes, and the cat girl was in a tree. The tattoo parlour she worked in was ten minutes walk away from the tiny apartment she and Tannur rented, and here she was, trying to reach a bird's nest to get at the chicks inside. She was somewhat used to her new body, with no sign of the wobbles and shakes that had plagued her first day on Earth. No, anyone seeing her lithe, nimble form among the tree branches would have thought she was born to that body. Or maybe, there was something different about her, something in the catlike way she moved, in her grace and the ease with which she - oh, and then someone distracted her by walking underneath, and she toppled with a startled screech.

She landed atop of the distraction, and, grateful for the soft landing, rolled off in a tangle of messy hair and pale limbs. "Woops." She said, with a bright grin, neglecting to properly apologise. She was slender, having lost some of her muscle, and there was a lot of pale skin on show, as she was just wearing a black tanktop that looked as if it had been hacked with safety scissors to stop just above her navel, and ripped black denim shorts. She was wearing knee length boots though, so that was something.

"You should watch where you're walking."

Avari · May 31, 2018

HANNAH MILLER + LISA SPARROW
MILLERS CAFE

Hannah had decided she was rather fond of Lisa Sparrow. She couldn't quite recall why she had hired her, since there was another applicant with far more experience - but Lisa had given off such a air of unflappable confidence that Hannah had found herself saying yes before the interview was even over. Plus, it was nicer to work with another girl. She watched, with a small smirk as Lisa worked behind the counter - brewing peoples coffee with a sense of diligent focus that Lisa had found herself admiring in the other woman more and more. It had been a rough start - she seemed to be completely baffled by both the coffee machine and microwave at first, but she had adjusted well.

She was cute too.

I mean sure, she could probably work on smiling a bit more - but hell, even her rather icy attitude seemed to only make her... hotter. She had a certain knack for confrontations as well; Hannah had never been good at dealing with problem customers: the occasional drunk that had wondered in, or sometimes a man who just wouldn't take no for an answer... Lisa could be rather scary when she wanted to be. Hannah had quietly wondered if perhaps she had had a rough childhood - she had another friend who acted in a similar fashion, but while they were rather rough and ready, Lisa seemed to exhume a certain elegance to her nature.

Hannah had certainly noticed a increase in young male customers recently, though Lisa had seemed completely oblivious (or completely disinterested) in their attempts at flirting.

Frankly, she was a bit jealous.

"Thank you for your patronage," Lisa said, bowing politely to the last customer of the lunchtime rush - a smart business type - as he left the cafe. The man seemed a bit taken aback, but waved as he left. He had tipped as well. She then began to wipe down the sides, where a few of the messier clients had stained the wooden counter. The TV was mumbling in the background.

"You're staring again," She said eventually.

Hannah blinked, and realized perhaps she had been watching her new colleague for a for moments too long. "O-oh! Sorry! I was just ...admiring you I suppose."

Lisa rose an eyebrow. "Admiring?"

"Mmhm," Hannah confirmed, as she began to grab a few stray mugs that were scattered about the tables. "You've just been doing so well! I kinda wonder how I ever ran this place without you."

"You're exaggerating."

"Nah." Hannah replied merrily as she placed the mugs in the sink and switched on the tap. "I mean, you still jump when the cash register opens but-"

"That thing," the raven haired girl responded, eyeing the item in question with distaste. "-is a menace, and it is only a matter of time before it takes one my fingers."

"Now you're exaggerating."

Lisa clicked her tongue in annoyance as she tucked away a cutting board and Hannah giggled again.

They chatted for a bit - or rather, Hannah chatted and Lisa would occasionally deign to answer if she felt like it. They probably wouldn't see many more customers that day anyway, since all the regulars had already been and gone - at least until the evening. Lisa - as always - had produced a book from the pocket in her apron and was now flicking through its pages. She seemed to have a different one everyday.

"Oh, that reminds me! Was that your flatmate that was here last night? The guy with Red hair?"

"Rai." Lisa confirmed from behind the book cover.

"He's cute. Weird. but cute. Are you two...?"

Lisa's blue eyes peeked over the book at her for a moment as Hannah left the question hanging in the air. "Absolutely not."

Hannah laughed, and noticed that Lisa's pearl white cheeks had gone slightly red. "Aw. Just friends then?"

"Something like that. I doubt Rai has any interest in anyone but his own reflection."

"Can't say I blame him," Hannah replied dreamily.

Lisa sighed as she dived back behind her book, muttering something about "Humans and their hormones."

MagicPenguin · May 31, 2018

Roland Fairchild
Home

Roland hummed a little tune from Aether as he cracked another egg and let it fall into the frying pan before discarding the shell in the trash. It hissed and crackled on contact with the pan's heated surface. Roland poked at it and occaisionally flipped it with a spatula. He sprinkled in small bits of cheese and bacon before folding the cooking eggs in half to make two omelettes. You could do a lot with eggs to make them tasty and, more importantly, they were filling and cheap. It was already mid-morning going on noon and Marcus was still sleeping in. It was a Saturday, and the first day the boy had had off from his Earth job in nearly a week and a half, so it was not surprising he was so tired. After the first few days without finding their companions or their target, the two of them had rented two small rooms on the second floor of a man's house. The rooms were extremely small--just big enough for a mattress for each of them--and they had to share a bathroom and a kitchen with two or three other tenants who also rented rooms there. The payoff, though, was that it was exceedingly cheap to live there and there were very few questions involved when they accepted the offer. £550 a month for Marcus's smaller room and £600 a month for Roland's marginally larger one for a combined £1,150 for the both of them. That first day, they simply handed the landlord--a quiet man named Armando--the first month's rent and the keys to their rooms were theirs. Combined with what they still had of the £3,000 they got on the first day from the ATM with both of their now-useless magic papers, the weekly income from the job Marcus got was enough to support the both of their living expenses that month. Their daily routine had quickly gelled after moving in here. Marcus would work most days to support them while Roland cooked breakfast and dinner--he was a pretty good chef, if he did say so himself--kept the rooms clean, and spent the rest of his free time searching London for their targets. He'd learned quite a bit about Earth society just wandering around, talking to people, and exploring. He never managed to find anyone, but he felt he'd pretty much gotten used to all the wacky technology and strange customs this civilization had. Sometimes, as the day's exploration drew to a close, he would find a quiet spot in Hyde Park or Victoria Park to simply sit and draw scenes of passersby in his notebook or record his thoughts about the weird dreams he'd been having since arriving here. A few people had even paid him to do detailed drawings of them, though that was rare and only brought in about £20 a day on average. A few of the women did tend to leave him their phone numbers afterward, though, so that was nice. Now he just had to find the money to get himself a phone.

They had done well enough like this so far, but their ATM cash was just about totally expended and they couldn't go on as they had been much longer. They would have enough for August's rent, due in the next few days, but they'd be just about completely broke after that. Roland had hoped this routine would serve them long enough to complete their mission and return home, but that had proven not to be the case. If they wanted to keep going long enough to succeed, it was increasingly obvious that Roland was going to need a job himself. He sighed and placed the two omelettes on paper plates, then knocked on Marcus's door.

"Marcus! Wake up! It's nearly noon. I've got breakfast ready for us here and we've got to talk."

He looked uncomfortably for what felt like the millionth time at his bare forearms as he waited for Marcus to emerge. That was another problem he was going to have to solve today. It might be a frivolous bit of money that they didn't have, but Roland felt completely naked without his Dragon tattoos, the ones that every Fairchild royal got at 13 to mark their passage into adulthood. Not everyone got them in such a conspicuous location as Roland had--his sister's was on her back, where it was easily concealed by her long hair and clothing--but Roland had always been proud of his family's red and golden serpentine dragon coiling proudly up the lengths of his arms to the backs of his hands. He felt very uneasy without them, like he was somehow not a part of his family anymore as long as they were absent. He'd been content to stay without them when he thought it would only be a few days to complete their mission and head home, but now it was clear it might be much longer. So that was his to-do list for today. Tell Marcus he was getting a job to help them out. Get his dragon tattoos back. Then find himself said job.

Roland knocked again. "Come, Marcus, it'll get cold. I know you're tired, but you can't laze about in bed all day. The two of us have got work to do."

WillfulWren

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Arryn Bennett
Road -> Elena's place

Arryn sighed and re-firmed his grip on the leash in his hand. The little golden retriever puppy on the other end of it sniffed and pawed excitedly at everything. This was the first day he'd had off from his construction job in a week and Arryn was spending it trying to figure out what to do with the little guy. On his way home from work yesterday, he'd found him abandoned in a box in an alleyway that simply said, "please adopt me!" He was a cute little fella now, but Arryn could see from the second he'd glanced at him that he'd grow much larger after a year or two. For now, he was a big soul trapped in a little body. Kind of like someone else Arryn knew. With an unavoidable rush of sympathy, Arryn could not help but to take the pup and bring it home with him. Daniel hadn't gotten angry, but he didn't seem especially pleased either. He made it clear that the animal was his responsibility; Daniel was not going to walk it or feed it or run around cleaning up after it. In truth, Arryn did not much look forward to that either, but he couldn't just leave it to suffer alone in the streets. So, as he always did when he didn't know what else to do in this world, he decided to go to Rose's place and ask her what he might be able to do about this problem.

Over the past month, Elena's help had been indispensable. Arryn had been somewhat annoyed and embarrassed when she laughed at them that first night at her place, but she seemed to learn pretty quickly after the trio used their magic papers at the Registration Office that they hadn't been making things up...or "roleplaying," as she and her boss, Thomas, liked to call it. After that, most people might've been a frightened mess, dealing with strange people from another world who had actual magic, but not Elena. She'd simply nodded as if it made no difference and redoubled her efforts to help all three of them in whatever ways they needed. It was she who helped him and Daniel find a reasonably nice, affordable apartment. She even helped Arryn find a blacksmith's forge to apply for work in. Unfortunately, the head smith there, one John Bennett, had taken one look at him and laughed him right out the forge. "You wanna be a smith with those spindly little arms? Come back in ten years, kid, when you got a few hairs on your chest." It was just as well, though, because Arryn didn't recognize three quarters of the equipment he'd seen in the man's workshop. The trade he'd spent more than half of his life perfecting was completely foreign to him on Earth. So, dejected and more depressed than ever before, he'd again gone to Elena to vent his frustration. He decided to throw away the last name Hogan had given him when he was just ten; after all, why keep the name "Blacksmith" when he couldn't work in a forge anymore? That was just false advertising. He'd taken instead the last name of the man who turned him down, Bennett. He then exclaimed to her in a fit of dark humor that the only thing he retained from Aether was his ability to swing a hammer. Rose just got a thoughtful look on her face at that and then did some more internet searching on her laptop. Before long, she directed him to a construction site that was looking for help. They needed someone to help them knock down parts of a building so they could begin re-furbishing it. All Arryn really had to do was swing his hammer at walls to break them down. At first, that was all he did from 8 in the morning to 5 in the evening: swing his hammer angrily at innocent walls, taking out all his anger and frustration with his situation on them. Since the rebuilding had begun, though, some of the older workers who were impressed with his work ethic and his deliberate, methodical way of doing things had begun showing him the basics of bricklaying and carpentry, so now he was learning to build walls instead of just destroy them. Again, all that was thanks to Elena's help. Arryn smiled at the thought. Truly, the girl was too kind for her own good. Anyone else would have called the cops on them the second they were found loitering in the alleyway that first day and been better off for having done it.

As he walked up the steps to Rose's place, he picked up the puppy and cradled him in his arms--he knew Winston the cat was not fond of dogs and did not want the two of them getting in any scuffles. The pup gave his hand a lick; it was happy to bask in his attention and let Arryn do the walking. He knocked on the door and waited for Rose to open up. When she finally stuck her head out, Arryn gave her a big grin. "Hey, Rose!" he said happily. "Look, I brought my new friend." The pup yipped excitedly at the new face.

Arryn noticed then that Elena was all but hiding behind the door, her eyes darting nervously about and her face a mask of crimson. "Oh, sorry," he said suddenly. "Is this a bad time? I can come back again later..."

LoneSniper87 · May 31, 2018

The last month to her had been an interesting one. She had stayed with Rose for it all, and she had seen some interesting things, like how she walked around without any sense of modesty. It was different, but refreshing. However, she did choose to keep to her normal ways, usually in some form of long pants and a shirt, and she had grown rather close to a black leather jacket she had found. There were small arguments, at times, but that was to be expected. Things like where to work, what to do, and having weapons were big topics.

She had finally decided on working at a local tavern, or pub as she had learned. Someone had commented she certainly had the looks to earn some tips, whatever that meant. She was currently in her 'room,' a small-ish sized guest room with a full bed, a dresser, a TV, and a closet. She had no idea how to work the black box that was mounted to her wall, so it sat there, lifeless, not doing much of anything. She heard a knock and had then decided to investigate, walking out and peering around the corner.

"El? Who is it?" She asked, looking past her form and seeing Arryn. She smiled and fully stepped out, currently in a grey shirt and black track pants. "Oh, hey Arryn. Something wrong?" She asked. It had seemed the two were in a more or less awkward moment, but she kept a straight face. "Big strong Blacksmith hasn't seem a woman like this? I'm surprised." She joked, leaning forward onto the couch.

koala · Jun 1, 2018

Elena "Rose" Benoit
Outfit: PJs > Daily
Date: Saturday 07/28/2018
Location: Home
Mentions: -
Interacting: Arryn

MagicPenguin , Ana

LoneSniper87 , Sophia

Midmorning
"No, no!" Elena exclaimed as she tried to maintain her position behind the door while shaking her head. She'd nearly revealed herself in the process due to the shock she felt when Ana rounded the corner. The blonde woman turned her head to see her flatmate lounging on the living area's sofa, a look of amusement on spy's face. Pursing her lips, she scolded the younger woman. "Oh, shush." Turning to Arryn, she offered an apologetic smile. "Um... could you possibly give me a few minutes?" After thanking the male quietly, she left the door ajar and sprinted to her bedroom. Elena grabbed the closes items that made a presentable outfit, leaving her in a floral blouse and some denim shorts. It wasn't much, but simple was her style. Simple was also better than wearing nothing at all.

Feeling much more comfortable and less scatterbrained, she finally returned to the front door and opened it with welcoming arms. Her smile was wide, revealing her pearly white teeth as the heat from earlier simmered to coolness. "I'm sorry," she laughed, pushing her glasses further up and moving aside to let Arryn and his new companion through. "I wasn't really wearing guest-appropriate clothes..." Elena quickly changed the subject by turning to the little puppy in Arryn's arms, her eyes immediately widening. She immediately went to pat its head, only to feel an itch as soon as she did. Unfortunately, Elena had a very mild dog allergy that left her with day-long itchy rashes. She didn't let that stop her from showing the puppy some love, however. Even though she was allergic, she absolutely loved animals and the doctor even said that as long as she monitored her exposure, she might even get over the allergy some day.

"I had no idea you got a new friend. What's his name?" Elena beamed as she sat on the floor to play with the Golden Retriever. Winston was peering around the corner like a menace at both Arryn and his dog as they'd both come to siege his home. Shaking her head, the blonde woman reached over and shut her bedroom door to prevent the two animals from crossing paths. It'd be nice for the puppy to get used to other felines, but she worried for his safety. Winston may not have been an attacker, but he was still mean and grumpy.

"I'm assuming he hasn't gotten any vaccinations or anything yet." Commented Elena as she let out a breathy laugh as the canine jumped up, his head hitting her chin and causing her to dramatically fall backwards. When she looked up, however, her expression seemed to softened. The word "vaccinations" must've startled Arryn and Ana. "Vaccinations prevent illnesses. They don't cure anything, but they offer protection against things that may harm animals or even humans. Animal physicians, or veterinarians, administer them and perform all kinds of things to make sure animals are healthy and strong. Right?" Elena asked the puppy as he licked her check. "Yes, I know."

Arryn still seemed a bit stumped on what to do and she quickly realized she needed to step up. After asking if the man was planning on keeping the canine, she explained a few other things, like how big Retrievers were but how smart they are. It was also rare for someone to come across one that was abandoned since they were so popular in demand. The women then continued the veterinarian conversion before going into pet store topics and the kind of food, training, and exercise he needs for them both to stay happy and healthy.

"Do you want to go today?" Elena asked as she stood up, the puppy wandering off who knows where. "I don't work today so I have a lot of free time until my performance tonight." Suddenly, she remembered her previous conversation with Sophia and she let out a quiet groan. Sophia didn't live far from her at all so she was probably a few steps away from the door as she spoke. A mighty "Hello" then filled the room and Elena knew who it was, the door wide open and an outgoing woman standing in the doorway.

"Oh." Sophia said as she strolled over, not even bothering to shut the door. "Who's the handsome fella? And who's the pretty lady?" The shorter woman walked around Arryn as if she were at an art exhibit, nodding every few seconds in approval. "Yes... yes... I see..." She touched the tips of his hair slightly and let out a distasteful sound, and Elena already knew why because her best friend was a professional hair stylist. "You, sir, need a trim. These ends of yours will kill your hair within a month."

Eyes widening, Elena rushed to her friend and dragged her towards the door. "Soph!" The blonde woman said quietly, throwing an apologetic look back at Arryn and Ana. "They are my guests. Well, Ana is my roommate, but anyways, you can't just treat them like you've known them forever." Sophia only stuck her tongue out and smiled, although it was clear she regretted her words and actions. "I'm sorry. I just... can we raincheck?" Elena asked, to which her friend sighed. After a few seconds of pure staring, Sophia finally nodded and let out a defeated "Okay, yes. But you owe me customers. Miss Evans was not happy I canceled on her."

Elena smiled thankfully and walked Sophia out before turning to the duo behind her. "Sorry, that was my friend Sophia. She can be a bit... how do you say... overwhelming?"

Outfit: PJs > Daily
Date: Saturday 07/28/2018
Location: Home
Mentions: -
Interacting: Arryn

MagicPenguin , Ana

LoneSniper87 , Sophia

Midmorning
"No, no!" Elena exclaimed as she tried to maintain her position behind the door while shaking her head. She'd nearly revealed herself in the process due to the shock she felt when Ana rounded the corner. The blonde woman turned her head to see her flatmate lounging on the living area's sofa, a look of amusement on spy's face. Pursing her lips, she scolded the younger woman. "Oh, shush." Turning to Arryn, she offered an apologetic smile. "Um... could you possibly give me a few minutes?" After thanking the male quietly, she left the door ajar and sprinted to her bedroom. Elena grabbed the closes items that made a presentable outfit, leaving her in a floral blouse and some denim shorts. It wasn't much, but simple was her style. Simple was also better than wearing nothing at all.

Feeling much more comfortable and less scatterbrained, she finally returned to the front door and opened it with welcoming arms. Her smile was wide, revealing her pearly white teeth as the heat from earlier simmered to coolness. "I'm sorry," she laughed, pushing her glasses further up and moving aside to let Arryn and his new companion through. "I wasn't really wearing guest-appropriate clothes..." Elena quickly changed the subject by turning to the little puppy in Arryn's arms, her eyes immediately widening. She immediately went to pat its head, only to feel an itch as soon as she did. Unfortunately, Elena had a very mild dog allergy that left her with day-long itchy rashes. She didn't let that stop her from showing the puppy some love, however. Even though she was allergic, she absolutely loved animals and the doctor even said that as long as she monitored her exposure, she might even get over the allergy some day.

"I had no idea you got a new friend. What's his name?" Elena beamed as she sat on the floor to play with the Golden Retriever. Winston was peering around the corner like a menace at both Arryn and his dog as they'd both come to siege his home. Shaking her head, the blonde woman reached over and shut her bedroom door to prevent the two animals from crossing paths. It'd be nice for the puppy to get used to other felines, but she worried for his safety. Winston may not have been an attacker, but he was still mean and grumpy.

"I'm assuming he hasn't gotten any vaccinations or anything yet." Commented Elena as she let out a breathy laugh as the canine jumped up, his head hitting her chin and causing her to dramatically fall backwards. When she looked up, however, her expression seemed to softened. The word "vaccinations" must've startled Arryn and Ana. "Vaccinations prevent illnesses. They don't cure anything, but they offer protection against things that may harm animals or even humans. Animal physicians, or veterinarians, administer them and perform all kinds of things to make sure animals are healthy and strong. Right?" Elena asked the puppy as he licked her check. "Yes, I know."

Arryn still seemed a bit stumped on what to do and she quickly realized she needed to step up. After asking if the man was planning on keeping the canine, she explained a few other things, like how big Retrievers were but how smart they are. It was also rare for someone to come across one that was abandoned since they were so popular in demand. The women then continued the veterinarian conversion before going into pet store topics and the kind of food, training, and exercise he needs for them both to stay happy and healthy.

"Do you want to go today?" Elena asked as she stood up, the puppy wandering off who knows where. "I don't work today so I have a lot of free time until my performance tonight." Suddenly, she remembered her previous conversation with Sophia and she let out a quiet groan. Sophia didn't live far from her at all so she was probably a few steps away from the door as she spoke. A mighty "Hello" then filled the room and Elena knew who it was, the door wide open and an outgoing woman standing in the doorway.

"Oh." Sophia said as she strolled over, not even bothering to shut the door. "Who's the handsome fella? And who's the pretty lady?" The shorter woman walked around Arryn as if she were at an art exhibit, nodding every few seconds in approval. "Yes... yes... I see..." She touched the tips of his hair slightly and let out a distasteful sound, and Elena already knew why because her best friend was a professional hair stylist. "You, sir, need a trim. These ends of yours will kill your hair within a month."

Eyes widening, Elena rushed to her friend and dragged her towards the door. "Soph!" The blonde woman said quietly, throwing an apologetic look back at Arryn and Ana. "They are my guests. Well, Ana is my roommate, but anyways, you can't just treat them like you've known them forever." Sophia only stuck her tongue out and smiled, although it was clear she regretted her words and actions. "I'm sorry. I just... can we raincheck?" Elena asked, to which her friend sighed. After a few seconds of pure staring, Sophia finally nodded and let out a defeated "Okay, yes. But you owe me customers. Miss Evans was not happy I canceled on her."

Elena smiled thankfully and walked Sophia out before turning to the duo behind her. "Sorry, that was my friend Sophia. She can be a bit... how do you say... overwhelming?"

WillfulWren · Jun 1, 2018

Marcus Felis, Home - MagicPenguin
Something smelled amazing. With a slight grumble, the black haired boy rolled over - and fell out of bed, hitting his head against the floor with a loud crack.
Owch. Well, that was one way to wake up and start the day.

Marcus groaned as he got to his feet and he started looking for a clean T-shirt. He shrugged on a baggy (stretched, more like) black shirt that showed his collarbones, along with a pair of joggers, then stumbled out of his room, still rubbing the sleep from his mismatched eyes.

"No way it's noon." He muttered, leaning against the doorframe and running a hand through tangled chin length hair. "I can't have slept-" He yawned, abruptly interrupting whatever he was going to say. Raccoon like circles had formed under his beautiful eyes, and there was a new pallor to his previously tanned skin.

"Speaking of work, one of my co-workers has a family event today, so yesterday I said I'd take her shift. It's later this afternoon..." Another yawn. "I hope you don't mind..."

MagicPenguin · Jun 2, 2018

Roland Fairchild
Home -> Public Library

Marcus gobbled up his omelette as if the boy had never seen food before. He looked disheveled and exhausted, yet he'd volunteered to take yet another shift at the pet shop. They could use the money, of course, but all the money in the world wouldn't help them if the shifter worked himself right into a sickbed. Roland sighed.

"Marcus, you're working too much. I had hoped our mission would be complete by now and we wouldn't have to worry about paying another month's rent, but, well, here we are. We'll have enough, but there's no way we can keep going with only you working shifts nearly every day to cover all our expenses. So, I've decided. I'm getting a job. I plan to start looking immediately. And you're going to cut back on your hours next month so you have a little time to rest."

Roland shook his head and gave a sad chuckle as he tried gently to straighten Marcus's bedhead a bit. In his smaller body, Roland looked like a younger brother trying to console his taller sibling rather than a mighty Prince looking after his subject. Marcus had gotten paler since they'd arrived and, despite sleeping nearly 12 hours, his exhaustion was still plain from the dark circles under his eyes. "Just look at you. You're a mess, kid. You need to relax a little. No one can fault your enthusiasm, but you're going to completely wear yourself out at this rate. I was going to tell you to take the day to yourself and do some sightseeing, considering you really haven't had the chance to explore the city yet. But if you've already agreed to a shift, I suppose it can't be helped. But I mean what I said. You cut those hours back and let me take some of the burden now."

Roland placed his empty paper plate in the garbage and returned to his room. He hastily changed his clothes into comfortable street fare appropriate for the day's activities. A simple white t-shirt underneath a button down, flannel short sleeved shirt, which he left open. He wore a pair of comfortable blue jeans and a pair of white sneakers to go with them. Then he gathered up his large backpack and checked its contents to make sure everything was still there. His current library book, his sketchbooks and drawing pencils, his journals in which he recorded his thoughts and observations about London, a thick, sturdy steel pipe he'd found and kept in case he managed to find Lucrezia...yep, all there. He pocketed his keys and his wallet, locked his room door, and headed back out to the kitchen area, where Marcus still sat in a tired daze.

"I'm going out now, Marcus. I have some personal errands to run first and then I'll start looking for work. I'll try and be home before your shift ends to make you dinner, but I can't promise anything." He got close to Marcus to whisper in his ear so any nearby tenants wouldn't overhear. He didn't think they were listening, nor that they would steal his cash if they knew it was there, but it never hurt to be cautious. "If I'm not back," he whispered, "there's some cash hidden under my mattress in my room. Use the spare key I gave you to get in and take it. You can order pizza or something." That said, he quickly retreated from the boy's side. He continued on in a normal voice as he walked over to the stairs leading down to the front door. "Oh, and you might want to change your shirt before work," he called over his shoulder. "That one has a big hole in the side. One of the hounds at work took a big bite out of it, I bet," Roland said jokingly. Poor guy must've been half asleep when he'd put it on.

It was a quick bus ride over to his first stop, the library. Despite that, Roland didn't want to waste the money on the ride. There was still plenty of daylight, and walking was good for him besides, so he just decided to take the 30 minute stroll. The public library was an amazing place. It was like the church archives or the castle library at home, but EVERYONE had access to it, not just the scholars, scribes, clerics, and nobles. An inventor named Gutenberg on this world had, several hundred years ago, devised something called a "printing press," an easy way to reproduce books and written words in bulk without the need for someone to copy them over by hand one page at a time. The result was that a decent education was not out of reach of even the lowest commoner. All one needed was a couple pounds to afford a library card and he had access to all the information in the world about anything he could want. In addition, this world had something called "computers," which had nearly instant, on-demand access to anything you couldn't find in books. The library had those too, and you didn't even need a card to use them for free, which is what Roland was headed there for himself. This world, he'd learned, did not have any of the magic he was used to on Aether at all, but all the marvels they did have were a sight more spectacular even than that.

When he got to the library, Roland quickly found an open computer station and began searching for tattoo parlors in the area. He might've found one just by wandering randomly, but he had no way of knowing how long that would take, nor the cost or the quality of what he would get that way. This was a much better way to find what he was looking for. When he first learned of it, he thought "Google" was the name of some sort of prophet or all-knowing Earth seer. It wasn't, he'd found, but the reality was certainly close enough to that. He pulled up a list of nearby parlors and found ratings and cost estimates. He scrolled through the list for one that was affordable and reasonably close by. He was about to click on one when his eye caught something he had not expected to see in the picture of one of the stores further down the list.

It was the hammer and anvil banner of Magruhdul.

He leapt to his feet, not believing what he saw, his chair toppling over behind him with a loud bang. "What the hell!?" he shouted. The other library-goers eyed him sharply. Talking and loud noise were discouraged here for good reason. "Sorry," he said quietly with an abashed look. He picked the chair up and placed it back upright before sitting again. He rubbed at his eyes and looked back at his computer screen. He had to have been seeing things, right? He couldn't have seen the--

When he looked back, the hammer and anvil were still there on the store's front window, plain as day for all to see. All the time he'd spent randomly wandering the city to find the others from Aether, and he never found a thing. Now he wasn't even looking for them, and he'd found a clear sign that one of them was in that building. After all, no one but an Aetherian could have come up with that design, right? It had to be either one of his companions--maybe Arryn, since he was so connected to the dwarves--or Lucrezia or one of her minions. He quickly jotted down the address in his notebook and logged out of the computer. It took all his willpower not to sprint out of the library in his haste to reach that tattoo parlor.

WillfulWren

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Arryn Bennett
Elena's home

When Rose started explaining all about golden retrievers and how big they got and how to care for them, Arryn just shared an amused grin with Ana, whose previous childish attempts to embarrass him he pointedly ignored. For all her serious, mysterious reputation back home, Arryn was often shocked by how crude her teasing humor could be in person. "It may surprise you to know, Rose, that we DO have dogs where we come from. People in the stables whose job it is to train them, too. I've been around them enough that, for a change, I might actually know more than you about something on this wor-!" He cut himself off at a sharp glance from Rose. "I mean, in this country," he finished in an embarrassed tone. Rose's face softened with his self-correction.

Shortly after she decided they weren't making things up, Rose sat Arryn down and had a long talk with him about casually mentioning that he was from another world or that magic was real. It made him sound like a crazy person, she told him, and it drew attention to himself he wouldn't want. She explained how nothing on Earth was magic, just advanced technology. When he protested that the machines must be magic because they were able to light up and move by themselves sometimes, she explained the concept of using electricity as a power source and even demonstrated by showing him a hair dryer that wouldn't work unless plugged in. This didn't totally convince Arryn the machines all around him weren't magically enchanted somehow--after all, it took a mage of the rarest natural ability to control lightning bolts on Aether, so how could they reliably use them as a power source here without magic?--but he accepted her wisdom. He stopped openly talking about his origins and he stopped gawking at every new thing he encountered as if he were a wonderstruck child. It had gotten easier as he got more used to the way things were this last month, but he still had occasional slip-ups like that one.

"Anyway," he went on, "I haven't thought about a name for him. I just found him yesterday in a box in an alleyway. Almost kind of like where you found us, come to think of it. It would probably be better for him if I took him to a shelter instead of keeping him. They'd certainly take better care of him than me and Daniel could and it isn't like we have all the money in the world to spare, anyway..."

As if the pup could understand what he was saying, the little guy stopped his rough-housing with Rose at the mention of a shelter. He cocked his head at Arryn and gave a sad little wimper. Arryn felt as if those big, innocent eyes were trying to swallow him whole. Then the little golden trotted over and started knawing at his pant sleeve affectionately.

"...Well. Let's just say we'll decide about that later." Suddenly, for some reason, he didn't have the heart to talk about giving the dog away anymore.

It was then that Elena's friend Sophia made her entrance. He fidgeted a bit uncomfortably, but said nothing as she sized him up like a horse she were thinking about buying. When she said his unruly, bushy hair needed a trim, he couldn't even deny it. He'd been so busy with work lately, he hadn't even had the time to consider it. He had today and tomorrow off, though. Just one more thing to add to his to-do list.

"Sorry," Elena said after escorting the woman out the door, "that was my friend Sophia. She can be a bit... how do you say... overwhelming?"

"I like her," Arryn replied with a shrug. "She seems...spunky." That was a word he heard some teenagers he passed on the street using the other day. Recently, he was trying to change his language a bit to better fit in on Earth. "Sorry, though. I didn't mean to intrude. You don't have to cancel your plans for this. You've already given up so much of your time for us...just let me know where I should go to get these 'vaccinations' you spoke about and I'll take it from there. I just hope this 'veterinarian' doesn't cost too much. If you hurry, you can probably still catch Sophia before she leaves."