Fantasy Demon Wars

[Kuromi_Jiro]

He gave a short scoff in response "I'm pretty sure I handled it just fine your threatens to me weren't a problem it was when you decided to bring in family it became a problem." He responded while trying to keep his anger hidden while she pinched his cheek he matched her glare and gave his own wide grinned smile "Of course I'll keep my promise and be on my best behavior as well." The man stated "I wouldn't want Natasha to get into a "freak" accident I'm known to be bad luck on my bad days." He added keeping the smile but not trying to hide the threat of his words. After all was said and done he nodded to Natasha in appreciation before grabbing more ice and handing it to Natasha "Here's some more ice encase you need it. I guess that's why it felt like my ribs were being crushes you got the strength of a fuckin' bear hidden under that care free personality." Gus said laughing a bit mostly to help erase whatever tension was in the air but with the laughter sounding so forced and fake it in his mind made things much worse and made the air feel heavier not that he really minded.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra finished their meal and then stood up. They cracked their knuckles and left the room without a word, they returned a few minutes later in completely different clothes. Instead of their rough pants and leather jerkin they now wore knee high leather boots, a plain white shirt and a simplistic looking skirt. Their hair now swept to one side over their eyes, the eyelashes on their other eye had more length and looked more prominent. If the others hadn't seen them in their masculine style they might have thought Umbra was female. They looked at the group and then sighed before speaking, their voice softer now "the Duke is going to be here soon to register you all into the Hunter's Guild. I have a say over who joins but he personally visits the guild whenever a new intake of Hunters comes in. This means I need you to be on your best behavior." Umbra looked at Gus "especially you and your brother, I might have to slip something in a drink for your brother to numb his tongue so he can't embarrass himself any more than he already has"

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Amberlynn let out a sigh as she looked at Umbra with a confusion that couldn't be hidden. She understood what it meant not to identify as both or neither genders. Most people weren't okay with it, but the mute was not one of these people. But that didn't mean that she had met many that were able to pull off both genders. It kind of freaked her out. How was she supposed to know what they wanted to be? What they were born as? And yeah, she knew that what you were born as wasn't always what you were; she knew quite a few transgenders who had proved her wrong. But Umbra? They could be either, so she no longer knew which way was up with them. So she just played it as indifference as she signed what she wanted said.
'If he doesn't really matter to the fact of us joining, then why should we appease his male, higher society ego? Just because he has the title of Duke? Because if that's the case, I'll be heading to the training room to do something useful with my time instead of wasting it kissing the boots of some man who doesn't deserve it.'
Natasha repeated what her friend said, but she didn't try to apologize for Amberlynn's wording. "I have to agree, Umbra. If there is some importance with us meeting him, I will gladly doing it. But if we are just going to stand there as we are looked down on...even I don't have the patience to put up it more than I have to. And Reggie has maxed that out for today." She added, rubbing the back of her head before moving her hair over her shoulder so she could play with the strands as if she was trying to find something to distract her as she spoke her thoughts. "So if it's alright, I'll head to the training room with Amber to practice a bit." She added, moving so she could stand behind the other girl.

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

He looked at Umbra in a confused expression "Wait..can we dress Reginald up like that?!" He asked while laughing at the thought of him meeting the Duke dressed as a female. Then it hit him like a sack of bricks he'd have to meet the man as well which caused him to lose the thought "Ya know crazy suggestion but I want Amberlynn there I wanna see if she'd rip the guy's tongue out it'd be a sight to see." Augustus thought aloud while crossing his arms wondering what the punish would be if the Duke can't state who the defend was. Of course the Duke could still see who did it so they'd have to remove his eyes as well but Amber probably knew how to do that as well at least to keep him alive that is. Yawning he popped his neck while looking at the leader "When is he gonna be here and how long will that numbing stuff last on Reggie? Cause I'm with Natasha I doubt I could handle both talking especially in a single day I may just have to take the girl up on her offer of killing me slowly that seems like a luxury than both." The man stated while his brother started to stir a bit opening his eyes and looking around "W-Where is he!?" Reginald yelled sitting up and looking at Umbra his face growing with confusion "Wait..you're a female? I was wondering why your movements were much more elegant than that neanderthal over there." He stated while getting up and dusting himself off forcefully taking his spear from his brother with a bit of trouble. Finally putting it back in his sheath and crossing his arms and his face regaining that overly confident smirk that made Augustus want to punch him but refrain since he already caused them all enough trouble "Ya know buddy why not just have some tea and no I won't be touching it so it'll be safe to drink." He said with a forced smile putting his arm around his brother's shoulder causing the younger man to shudder under the disgust of being touched by someone socially below him.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra sighed "the Duke is essentially here just to peacock. Show off his wealth, flex his power. But at the same time if he sees Hunters he doesn't like he may just remove funding hence why best behaviour is needed...Augustus is there anyway we can gag your brother? I feel like he might be the one who says something so idiotic to offend the duke" Umbra shifted slightly and looked around "the sooner this is over the better. I hate the high class, bunch of stuck up prissy asses if you ask me." Umbra looked at Reginald after speaking realising what they had said "full offense intended."

 

[Veil]

Paige walked down the street with purpose. The sun beat down as she made her way toward the guild hall. She had heard they were recruiting and more than anything, she wanted to help. She stopped once the guild hall was within sight. Her right hand came up to wipe beads of sweat from her forehead. Her left hand held a metal staff that reflected the light. After wiping the sweat, she continued her walk. At the door, she paused for a moment, taking the moment in. This was it. Grasping the door handle with her right hand, she took a breath and opened it, stepping inside.

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

Rolling his eyes Augustus didn't try hiding his dislike for the Duke he made it plainly obviously to the members of the guild but sighed and nodded "I'm guessing he'll try threatening the budget at whatever chance given correct? I'll behave to the best I can." He stated while looking at his brother and shrugging a bit "We could just rip out his tongue...wait you mean without the blood shed uhh we can give him something to numb his mouth like the tarragon leave." The man offered while thinking back (googling) plants that he first tried. Revealing one from his coat pocket he showed it to the genderless leader with a mischievous smile "Of course he can still talk but he'd be a blabbering fool...doesn't change much." He said while hearing a scuff from his brother who's eyes were focused on the newcomer "Great..another commoner this place is doomed. Hopefully the Duke will notice the potential I give and allow me to lead." Reginald stated receiving a punch in the stomach causing him to gag a bit and his knees to buckle. The older brother sighed a bit looking at the new person "Ignore him he's hopelessly lost in his own little world. Umbra is the leader talk to him if you have any questions about joining." Augustus stated with a blank face while shoving the leaf into his brother's mouth closing the man's nose and covering his mouth forcing the man to chew the leaf laughing a bit.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra turned looked at Reginald and gave a shallow smile which did little to hide the mischief behind their eyes "that should shut him up until business with the Duke is concluded. Keep a short leash on the whelp if you can Augustus, the last thing we need is the Duke getting offended by a blabbering idiot" Umbra shot Reginald a glance that dared him to stand back up, it was a cold glance. Umbra curtsied to the group before making their way back to the main room, only shouting "make sure you're all in the main hall in five minutes, and no more fighting. I'll break out the training swords if I have to and trust me, I'll make sure you feel it for days." as they walked.

Upon entering the main hall they saw a fresh face and smiled, offering another curtsy "welcome to the Hunter's Guild, I'm the leader here. Folks call me Umbra." They offered their hand out for a handshake and smiled "I was just telling the other recruits that the Duke is going to be here in a few minutes so even though you don't know anyone yet just be on your best behaviour until he has gone and then we'll get you properly settled in"

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Both Natasha and Annabeth both looked at each other and sighed. This was going to be...painful. For Annabeth more so than Natasha. So, before following after Umbra, the two held hands as they made their way to the entrance. It was so Natasha could hold the bad tempered girl back from going to attack if the Duke offended her...and he would definitely offend her. All men offended her just by existing.
But before that, Natasha was all smiles at the new girl. “Hello! Are you also going to become a Hunter! Awesome! My name is Natasha and this is Amberlynn! We are so going to become the best of friends!” She rambled, waving her free hand in greeting.
‘Another girl? I am definitely pleased with that. Hello.’ Annabeth signed with a soft but pleased smile.

 

[Veil]

Upon entering she heard someone groan about 'another commoner'. Turning toward the sound, she was about to say something, when the speaker was punched in the stomach by another man. This caused her lips to curl up in a smile as a soft giggle of amusement escaped. As the one who'd done the punching spoke, she straighten up, a more serious expression on her face. "Where can I fi-" She cut herself off as a 2 more girls walked in. Offering the speaker a warm smile, she reached to shake hands with her. With such an enthusiastic greeting, how could she not smile? "Hey, I'm Paige." She opened her mouth to say more, but, silenced herself as a another person entered the room and introduced themselves as Umbra. Sticking out a hand to meet his, she spoke in a respectful manner at first then her tone turned to one of surprise. "Good to meet you. I'm Paige and I wish to join. The Duke? Here?" She hadn't expected a royal to actually be there. She fiddled with her staff, a bit nervously. "I've never met a royal."

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

He was looking around for something to tie to Reggie to keep his mouth shut when the girls came in but he ignored them since were more focused on the newest member eventually he just sighed a bit and grabbed the sheath of Reginald's spear lifting him up "You don't want to. Meeting someone who is royal is like meeting this little mister priss ten times in the same day." The man stated receiving daggers from his brother "Woth who you've tolkeng tee" The male managed to mumble out looking shocked at the words that left his mouth eventually resulting to mumbling trying to form a proper sentence. Which gave him a blank stare from the man who only started laughing messing up the boy's hair "Oh man I could get use to him talking like he's learning to speak again!" Augustus stated while looking at the girl "Best thing to do with someone royal pretend you care what they're saying and just smile. Of course I have a genuine smile cause I'm just imagining punching them...don't tell them that." He said before thinking a bit "Oh fuck it tell them gives me somethin' to do." Before throwing Reginald against the wall and rubbing the hand used to hold the sheath looking at everyone else and gave a small shrug.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra messed with their skirt and shirt before the doors boomed open, within seconds the room was filled with guards. Shortly after a small, fat figure walked into the room. He wore a velvet doublet with what looked to be silk pants, on his head was a crown made from ivory. Umbra sighed to themselves and straightened their back, within seconds the Duke was in front of them eyeing them up the same way a wolf in the wild would eye up a mate. Umbra physically shuddered as the Duke looked away for a moment, in all the times they had met the Duke they had always presented themselves as feminine, mostly because it was easier to talk to the Duke and also because the Duke always seemed to underestimate anyone with a feminine demeanor.

Umbra motioned for the other Hunters to stand in a line. "So then. These are the new recruits? I have to say, normally they should be standing to attention but then again you do take in all the street urchins. You're more like a mother than a proud Night Hunter" the Duke scoffed, slapping a fat hand on Umbra's backside. Umbra bit back a growl of anger and smiled begrudgingly "They're not common street urchins. They're more behaved than the last lot you sent to me and I'd wager they'd last a lot longer too" they sneered. The Duke whipped around on his heels "you watch your damn tongue you harlot! My nephew was with that last lot and you got them killed! If it weren't for you my brother and I would still be talking and the risk of civil war wouldn't be so damned high! I always said the Hunters shouldn't be led by some woman! It needs a man to lead it"

Umbra shot a look at the Duke "My fault? Last I checked your nephew and his goons jumped me in the wards. They broke my arm and most of my ribs and left me with this" Umbra pushed their hair from their face and showed the Duke their scar "If the Demons hadn't got them I surely would have. Make sure the next heir your brother sends my way is much more civil and he won't have to worry about anything going wrong." For a second the Duke looked like he was going to explode but instead he slumped his shoulders "fair point. My brother was never one for teaching manners, and last I heard he was planning on sending the little shit to the front lines anyway. Guess he could only tolerate so much disrespect to his name before he took action himself"

The conversation eventually shifted from politics and blame to the new Hunters. The Duke took his time eyeing up the recruits "all right one by one tell me your names, familial lineage and why you want to be Hunters. Umbra and I may not get along a lot of the time but I do like to make sure that the Night Hunter Guild has talented individuals so I know my city is in the best hands" The Duke once again slapped Umbra's backside as he paced around the group like a shark circling bait.

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

He held back a laugh after seeing the Duke and stood in line holding his brother up by the sheath only getting harder to hold hearing that his brother's child was in the lot killed by the demon. Maybe that was hard to think but he couldn't help find it hilarious wondering what the kid was thinking as he seen the demon tear apart his comrades probably missing his silk bed and servants was what Augustus had to guess. Once the Duke gave orders to state their names his lost the smile and realized that his brother wouldn't be able to speak properly he looked at Umbra for any sort of hint of how to handle Reginald and eventually just decided to wing it as usual "My name is Augustus Raqual son of Henry and Catherine Raqual first son and disowned to live on the streets. I want to be a hunter for a simple reason." The man stated hating having to state his parent's name and trying his hardest to not get sarcastic with the man. Not once breaking eye contact with the short man which was hard having to look down at him was a real pain "I just want to kill demons." He added while looking at his brother "Me nema as..." Reginald was trying to speak getting cut off by his brother as Augustus tightened the grip on the sheath "This is Reginald Raqual second child of Henry and Catherine Raqual." The eldest brother quickly stated which caused Reggie to scoff a bit and look down at the floor knowing he's completely helpless in this situation. (I don't really care what view the Duke has of their parents or what their positions are so take creative freedom with that if you want)

 

[Noodle Time]

The Duke looked at the brothers and scoffed "Raqual eh? Let's hope you haven't inherited their pompous natures. I'm sorry if this offends but I always found the Raquals to be rather...arrogant, they peer down their noses at everyone, it's nice to see you're the apple that rolled far from the tree. As for your brother was he dropped as a child? He seems to struggle with words. No matter as long as he can fight Demons I don't care" Umbra looked at Augustus and Reginald and sighed as the Duke approved of them. Umbra had been to many social events, usually just as a security measure for the high class but they had never even met the Requals, and for the Duke to say they were pompous and arrogant was like the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Amberlynn hated the man the moment her eyes settled on the tiny pig. He was plumper than anyone she had ever met, meaning over fed without a care for the people who struggled everyday just to make sure their children didn’t starve. And his attitude towards them just inflated her anger all the more. Of course, she completely agreed with how he described the boys, but just hearing it come out of his mouth made it sound wrong. She felt herself about to take a step forward but was stopped by Natasha. The girl was already stopping her, which meant that things were already going to get worse....great.
She heard Augustus introduce himself and then Reginald as the brat could no longer speak for himself thanks to his older brother. And then the Duke basically himself out while trying to make their family look bad, which almost made her punch the lights out of his ‘holier than thou’ eyes, but was once again stopped by Natasha. Blessed be that girl. Then she let go of her hands, which signaled that Amberlynn was going to have to introduce herself, but she could only think that it would have been better for Natasha to do it since she would be giving the general, more accepted summary. But before that, it was Natasha, and Amberlynn could tell she was nervous. Not many people knew, or at least Amberlynn didn’t think many people knew, what the girl was worrying about, and she could only hope this Duke was not one of them. Because if he was, his fat ass would be on the ground before he could say anything stupid.
Once she was finished, Amberlynn began signing. ‘My name is Amberlynn Summers, daughter of Edmund and Kathrine Summers. Though you don’t deserve to even speak their names as they are a hundred times the people you could ever be. How you even came into power is a nightmare that you would call a miracle that should be undone. You do nothing but look down on those that need the help of the wealth that you use to stuff even more unneeded food down your throat and flaunt it to others just to make yourselves look better. I hope that civil war does break out, because then we could be rid of your entire lineage. And, of course, I would be more than happy to be the one to drain the blood into the earth you taint with every step you take; filling the air that will no longer be wasted by the lungs that allow you to breathe with the smell that signals your demise.
‘But, of course, that is not my reason for joining. I was told by my parents to become one to keep an eye on whatever it is that the Hunters procure. But, Natasha will tell you that I just wanted to slay the demons around us to dwindle their population.’ She indicated that last part to her translator, and Natasha did, in fact, summarize her tirade by just using the actual parts that were needed: Her name, her parents, and the reason of her coming here...or, at least, the reason Amberlynn wanted her to say. And then, just in case he was bright enough to question why what Natasha said was a lot shorter than what was signed, she added: “She has a lot of love for her family, and I don’t think you want to hear me repeat a daughter’s love.”

Natasha was already hating this. She had squeezed Amberlynn’s hand on more than one occasion already. This Duke was not someone the girl would let live if they were just two random passerby’s. And that was what she was mainly focused on until she distantly heard the Duke say that he wanted to know their names, families, and reason for joining. And she was panicked. It wasn’t like her family was among the nobles, but they were known around town for a varied of different reasons....but maybe it was only the townspeople that knew them? She could only hope. “Hello! I’m Natasha Carson, youngest child of Christopher Carson. And I want to become a Hunter for the betterment of the people’s lives.” She announced, never breaking her practiced smile. She was, however, gripping her hands behind her back to ground herself. She refused to show weakness now!... It also helped that the Duke looked like an over dressed marshmallow.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra watched the Hunters introducing themselves and allowed themself a breath of relief. The Duke had always been judgmental of the Hunters even if they were the only ones brave enough to step outside the wards at night. Umbra saw a guard eyeing them up and motioned to their sword which instantly deterred the guard. They watched as another guard whispered to their partner and had to stifle a grunt of anger as they glared at Umbra with disgust in their eyes, it was always the same when people realised they were neither gender but Umbra had grown accustomed to it. They shifted their feet slightly and sighed "I guess I should introduce myself fully as well to the Hunters. My name is Umbra Tano, heir to the Tano fortune and last of the original Night Hunters" they curtsied and caught the Duke eyeing them up again, the Duke had always assumed Umbra had been female and they had never seen fit to correct him on his mistake, they had threatened to break his hand once or twice for slapping their backside but the Duke had never taken them seriously, Umbra knew that even if the Duke named them leader of the Guild, there was only so far they could push their luck

 

[Veil]

Paige stood in line beside Natasha, left hand griping her staff, right hand down at her side. The second the Duke came into view, she knew she didn't like him. The less time he was there with them, the better. She held herself back from saying or doing anything stupid while the others were addressed and gave the Duke their answers. She cracked a smile as the Duke asked if Reginald had been dropped as a child. She quickly regained her composure and took on a more business like expression. Blue eyes focused on the royal, she took her turn to speak. "I am Paige Thomas. Youngest child of David and Lynn Thomas." She took a breath before finishing, her voice taking on a harsher tone and her eyes narrowing. "And I want the demons gone. I want to destroy them. I want them to suffer." She wanted to add how demons had killed most of her friends all of what was left of her family, but then thought better of it. Once finished speaking, her expression slowly grew less harsh.

 

[Noodle Time]

The Duke nodded and finished pacing. He looked to one of his guards and nodded, a moment later the guard walked forward holding a large chest "your monthly allowance. I added more this time since your last bunch failed. We'll call it a grievance bonus" the Duke smiled but there was no sincerity behind it.

Umbra just sighed "you're not going to get me to try and find you rare wards again right? These kids need a lot of training before I even take them out on an expedition to find combat wards, I'm not going to risk their lives looking for rare wards only to give them to you to lock away in your library." Umbra locked eyes with the Duke who once again looked ready to explode but again he relaxed and nodded "well it was worth a try. Keep the extra money, maybe buy some classes on etiquette and manners before the next time I'm here. Until next time then. Hopefully by then these whelps will have something to show for their time here because right now they look like a ragtag gang of misfifs." the Duke laughed as he left the building, a few seconds lated the guards followed him leaving the Hunters in peace once more. Umbra sat on top of the chest and smiled "you all did so well. Thank you, I know he isn't the best person in the world but his money is what keeps us going. I need a bath however, once I've counted all this and written it in the ledgers I'll have our maids run you all some baths, each room has it's own bathroom so don't worry. The doors lock too so you'll have privacy. Augustus I'll send for some extra clothes for you, it looks like it's been a while since you've had new clothes so I'll treat you." Umbra smiled as they lifted the chest "oh and I'll make us a meal later, give us a chance to bond and all that." They smiled again as they placed the chest on the table they had sat at in the main hall and opened it.

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

It was hard to hold back the laughter that was scratching its way out when it was mentioned of Reginald being dropped on his head of course the younger brother tried protesting which only made the accusation more realistic. After hearing everyone else's introductions he was honestly surprised to not see Amberlynn try anything against the Duke but he was curious what was mentioned especially based on the reaction given by her translator so once the Duke had left being just as rude as when he arrived the boy finally sighed dropping his brother "Fuck I hate him." He breathed out while cracking his knuckles and looking over at Umbra than down at himself "What's wrong with my clothes?" He asked confused while looking at everyone's outfits than his own tattered clothing from countless fights of stabbings or escaping the higher ups after stealing food "Riiiight..nevermind still keeping the jacket and gloves though cause it makes mistake baby upset." Augustus stated with a grin on his face pointing to his brother who tried speaking again "I swar I'm gong ta kell yau" The younger brother said trying to talk slowly and trying to regain the feeling of his tongue again.

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra looked at the group once more and sighed "you might hate him but he's right. You're all going to need a lot of training before I even let you step foot outside the city walls. You're all going to have to learn to work as a team, even Reginald." Umbra looked Reginald in the eyes "and you will fall in line lest you wish to incur my wrath. I know moves that can disable limbs for months and I will forcefully make you sit on the sidelines if I have to. I'm not losing any more Hunters to poor teamwork or overconfidence."

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

‘Excuse me?’ Amberlynn started signing, looking pissed. ‘Are you saying I’m at the level of these incompetent men? That my years of training and hardship were for nothing? Were you given your role of leader for your pretty looks when you decide to be feminine instead of abilities?’ And she would have continued if Natasha hadn’t grabbed her hands instead.
“That isn’t what they are saying Amber.” Natasha signed, her expression and smile both soft. “You have to remember that they have already lost a whole group, so they probably just want to be extra sure before we are allowed to do anything.”
Amberlynn let out a huff before crossing her arms and giving a slight nod to show she understood. But that didn’t mean she was happy about it. “It might also be a good idea to figure out how to actually work with the boys instead of trying to figure out the most painful of ways to kill them slowly?” The kinder girl suggested, and the pure hatred and repulsion at the mere thought of what she was suggesting made Natasha laugh.
Natasha then looked over at the brothers with a giant smile. “I’m looking forward to working with everyone starting today! And to becoming the bestest of friends this town has ever seen!” She cheered, completely ignoring the look of unamusement of her already friend’s face behind her. And before the three could comment on anything, (or attempt to, in Reginald’s case) she turned to Umbra with the brightest smile yet. “I hope we get along well too Sir!”

 

[Noodle Time]

Umbra's eyes grew cold and when they spoke their words carried no emotion "I was given the role of leader when I slaughtered my own family for feeding travelers to the Demons. The Duke's men found me a month later hiding in a ward circle. I'd almost gone feral. I'd survived more nights outside a city than anyone else and I was tasked with training others to survive. If you don't like it by all means leave. I don't have time for children here and if you want to act like one then go do it elsewhere." Their gaze swept around the room "If you cannot keep up with training I will not accomodate extra time to teach you it again. You will either adapt and learn or be left behind. So you make the choice now. You either suck it up and learn or you leave." Their eyes remained cold as they turned back to the chest and filled up small leather pouches with equal amounts of coin. They threw them in a heap at the group's feet "Am I clear on that?"

 

[Kuromi_Jiro]

The eldest brother watched the sudden change in Umbra's mood which caused him to glance at the mute girl wondering what she signed to make the leader so mad out of the blue even he didn't get that mad over nothing..never mind yes he did. Besides the point he shrugged a bit "Ain't gonna hear a word out of me..unless its a threat on this guy but just call it brotherly love." Augustus stated while punching his brother's arm maybe a little to hard to make it seem playful and caused the younger one to rub his arm shooting daggers at him "I den't lave yao." The man stated with hatred starting to slowly starting to gain feeling back in his tongue again. Eventually just scoffing and crossing his arms "As yao wesh I'll jast weit ta take my reghtful place es laedar avan tha Duke woll be praud." Reginald stated proudly but it didn't last as Augustus busted up laughing eventually holding his stomach not stopping "Holy this leaf is amazing. Natasha since you use a bow you got good eyes right? You should totally keep a look out for the leaves it'll be amazing." The brother said while wiping tears away from his eyes which caused Reginald to punch him in the face trying to hide the pain he felt in his hand after it made contact.

 

[Yuu Vee Rays]

Both Amberlynn and Natasha's eyes widened at Umbra's outburst of calm and cold anger. But not because they got angry. It was because he responded to the conversation they had in signs. That meant that they could understand Amberlynn the whole time; just refusing to acknowledge her directly. It was unheard of, at least for the girls, to meet someone who could understand sign language. And to the degree that they could understand her at the speed she was going? It was impressive, to say the least. But the shock washed away into anger at the remark that held the insult of her being a child. Amberlynn stepped forward, a cold, unfeeling glare directed at the leader of the Hunters. She completely stepped over the bags of money, ignoring them in her fury.
'A child, huh? You don't even know me, and you call me a child?' Amberlynn seemed to scoff, though not a sound came from her throat. 'I don't care what you've been through, cause guess what: You aren't the only one who's seen Hell and survived. You aren't the only one who could be doing something better with their time. You think you've had it rough? Oh, look at me! I deserve the pity of everyone around me because I had to kill my own family because it was for the betterment of our race! Look at me! Feel my sorrow and despair! Recognize me! I'm a badass, so don't mess with me!' Amberlynn's face seemed to follow along with the mocking words she signed before returning to the cold glare it had shortly abandoned. 'God, grow up. You're how old and you're flaunting that around like it's a damn badge of honor.' Another soundless scoff. 'I don't care that you are leader. And I don't care how you got that title. The thing I care about is that some idiot who thinks that gender is something you can choose to have, or not have, is looking down on my abilities as a warrior. As a fighter.
'The little tricks and cons that you may know don't scare me. They are just pressure points and pressure. They are nothing special and anyone could do it if given the proper training and the will. So unless you have an actual strength besides your experience outside the wards and those little tricks you threaten us with, then I'd say we're pretty evenly matched and that you let the title of Leader get to your head.' Amberlynn gave a silent huff, her anger clear on her face. And she was pretty proud of her little rant...until it dawned on her what she had 'said' toward the end. Her eyes widened as she looked over at Natasha...and what she saw broke her resolve.

Natasha was watching the whole exchange, knowing she couldn't hold Amberlynn back now that she was riled up. So she just stood closer to Augustus, his brother, and Paige listening to them. She would even translate for them if they wanted her to. She even laughed at what Augustus wanted her to do, though her eyes never left Amberlynn's fast moving hands. It was definitely a shock that someone other than the two girls knew the language, but the fact that they hadn't said anything about it until now? She hadn't seen that coming. Guess that meant it wasn't just a language for the two of them anymore. "I couldn't do that Gus!" She giggled, the laughter and joy clear on her face despite the scene in front of them. "I'm trying to befriend him, not make him my enemy." She added with another laugh.
But that laugh soon died down as Amberlynn continued. Those were some...hurtful words. And it didn't apply just to Umbra, and Amberlynn knew that.... Was that how she really felt? Her face was a heart broken mess when Amberlynn turned to look at Natasha with a stunned, regretful look. And Natasha couldn't fix her expression as quickly as she had wanted, even if it was faster than most people. She waved her hands in front of her with her usual, bright smile that seemed like she didn't have a care in the world. "Oh, don't give me that look Amber! I know you didn't mean it! Just focus on working things out with Umbra so we can all start getting along! Alright?" She asked, no evidence of the grim expression she wore before. For those who didn't know her, it probably would have looked like a trick of the eye. And, as if her energy never wavered, she turned to look at Reginald, her eyes turning to his hand. "Are you alright? That was quite a hit! Do you need any ice?" She asked, unabashedly taking his hand to look it over.

 

[Veil]

Paige observed the others for a moment, listening to all that was being said. She had no clue what Amberlynn had signed, but whatever it was, sure angered Umbra. She found herself holding her breath as Umbra spoke. She definitely didn't want to make him angrier. She didn't like the idea of having to train so much before going out, and certainly hated the thought of being put on the sidelines. But she understood. A whole group had been lost and Umbra was going to do what it took to keep it from happening again. Her blue eyes focused on Reginald as he attempted to speak again. Just how long would the effects of that leaf take to go away? She was about to ask if he needed ice for where he got hit, but Natasha beat her to it. Her gaze moved downward as Umbra tossed the leather pouches down. She lifted her eyes to look at Umbra. "I'm with you 100%" she said, dead serious.