Fantasy Headhunters IC

[Tapfic]

Gin
Interactions:
Valerie FireMaiden
Jet ScatheAriiasqDrayceon

Mentioned:
Amethyst ScatheAriiasqDrayceon
Ren Gao
Domic Lucius Cypher
"Should...should one of us tell him that's not a good idea?"

Gin may have jumped a bit at the voice- just a bit. Enough for his hand to falter and let go of his jacket collar. Luckily enough one of the snakes bit into the cloth; tugging it up for the rest to hide behind.

"It's alright—as long as they don't pull out any of my feathers."

Jet answered before Gin had a chance to utter a word. Which was good; because he hadn't been planning on doing so either way.
But despite the man's sorry efforts to avoid it, violet eyes met shocking blue- and damnit Jet was looking at him.
Uhhh.

He paused. Had he been a phone this might have been the dial-up noise rinnging in his brain instead of coherent thoughts.

Winnie had clearly decided to favor the demon, as she didnt bother finding Gin the roster until their papers were sorted.

Oh fuck; now Amethyst was here too-
Maybe. They didn't. Recognize him.
...Sure, Gin could run with that pathetic hope.

“You know what? I didn’t even want to pat you. I was just being nice!”

Oh thank the gods for a distraction. Or, well- more specifically thank you overly dramatic demon person.

“Matter of fact, I didn’t want to pat-“ said demon person made a pronounced gesture towards Gin , and the woman he stood next to “-any of you!”

" Ah, well thats too bad- sorry to offend you; or not-or what ever it was I did,"

Gin spoke hurriedly; Winnie had finnaly gotten the Quest roster for him to sign- and with hurried hands he picked the first one on the list.

Something about an Aquarium? Someone named Domic had already signed, but as long as he didn't recognize the name everything was fine.

Gin didnt pay attention as the dramatic demon hinted with hamfists that they wanted presents; as soon as his name was on the sheet and Winnie had accepted it back he was as good as gone. Speedwalking his break towards the front entrance before any more familiar faces found him.

 

[Cello.]

Nivara Kaida
Interactions: Tapfic (Rumi/FRANK) Gao (Ren) Knight boi (Gregory and Kaito) ScatheAriiasqDrayceon (Amethyst) Lucius Cypher (Kirk) Huntertabbysandshark3 (Margate)
Location: Main Hall
Mood: OH MY GOD PEOPLE!!
​

The white haired guy didnt answer her. That was rude! Its not polite to ignore others GREGORY! NO MATTER HOW HIGH OF A RANK YOU ARE! She would be keeping this in mind, not to ignore him but to never offer him shiny rocks. HA TAKE THAT! BET YOUR FEELINGS ARE HURT NOW! Wait that was mean of herself to think that-

Everyone deserved shiny rocks so she would be nice for that reason, plus she got over something in two seconds anyways. She brushed a hand through her wild hair and stored her questions in the back of her mind, save them for someone else who might know what a ‘ma’am’ was.

“One of the most?”

She bopped her head up and down, but by the next sentence that came out of Rens mouth made her smile falter. Oh she didnt want to offend anyone! Gosh darn it- she did something wrong again. “Im super sorry- I didnt mean to offend you in any way but nothing is wrong with you! You are perfect the way you are-”

He said something about ‘blondes’. She just tilted her head and blinked at him slowly, with a quiet whisper of, “whats a blonde?” He called her a couple things, which didnt make her falter, she has been called worse. Maybe he was just having a bad day so she would lighten it up! “Thanks! I am very blue! Extra blue! Sea blue! Turk-of-the-moist too! But do not feel bad about robbing me! They were a gift! I have plenty more! I shall become your friend instead of an anemone.”

He had turned around and stomped off, perhaps another time then!

Someone else had joined the line, he looked really cool! She waved excitedly to them and smiled, revealing her teeth. His name was Kirk. It fit him well! The pretty haired person, who she realized wanted to go by Frank was now speaking. “Ok you can be the best Frank! Wait you are the best Frank already! I support you! Nice name!”

Then Frank said something else about not eating humans or her fellow people, Nivara glanced out the corner of her eye. Would she even be able to eat half of them? Probably not. Not like she would anyways because mat is gross! It made her stomach churn and even the thought of eating it. Something curled around her feet, pulling her attention off the demon and to it. She bent down and cocked her head to the side, a bright gleam in her eye and she touched it (well really only touching her own skin). “Hello. What are you? Where did you come from?” She whispered before standing back up with the next question. Best to be respectful!

She just wanted a job! What better than to do it where she can spin pokey sticks and be herself. She listened quietly (maybe for the first time since she had been there) to what each person said, taking parts of it and seeing if she could put it into her own reasons. They had really good reasons too besides maybe the kid beside her, he seemed really human. And in a place of monsters might not be the best place for him. Thats ok! Maybe the rule was now just added so he would feel more welcome! Good job agency!!

All these reasons made Nivara question if they would get the job and not her- she had nothing to really offer but another mouth to feed and house. But she was already in love with the building and people, she didnt want to go. She couldnt go! Which is why her answer needed to be the bestest of the best! Someone else entered the room a bit further away but talking to frank- aka the frankster as Nivara would now call them.

A smile on her face as she heard the name, a type of stone. One that Nivara found quite a bit in her caves and was one of her favorites. A new best friend!! And a sassy one at that! She found a rough cut Amethyst in her satchel and because she was told not to move, she just tossed it over to her. “Here catch! For you! You have a pretty name and you are very pretty! You are now my friend!”

Then it was finally Nivaras turn to go! Oh how great her answer would be! She flicked her tail and wiggled a little bit with a bright smile. “I wanted a job where I could be myself. And to spin pokey sticks. Ones with three pokes if I can! I can spin it really really fast and I can do the thing where- where someone jumps out of a bush and yells ‘BOO!’ very very loudly and then poke them with a pokey stick till they fall over! Plus im great with people! I love people and other beings! Always want to help others ya!” She nodded confidently with possibly the biggest grin on her face yet. She was sure to get the job after telling them about her mighty stick spinning.

“I can also totally do really great makeup and disguises.”

 

[BittyBobcat]

"Attaboy!" His ears flicked backward as if the shout had hit them with physical force. What wouldn't he do to be cursing the short length of hearing enhancement spells again—

His hand was in his hair.

He might as well have put a gun to his head.

Gray drew backward a centimeter. Not enough to lose the contact—he was freezing up too quick for that—but a slight jolt like a dog already at the end of its lead trying to pull further. The illusion wasn't complete, though. Any dog worth his salt would bare their teeth at that; Gray's mouth shut in a tightlipped attempt at a neutral expression that ended up more of a guarded glare with the wide-eyed way his gaze followed his hand.

It was only after he watched the hand drift back to its place that he unstiffened enough to sidestep away from Arcadius, tail once again poofed up like a bristle-brush.

If Gray hadn't been busy thinking about how pathetic it was that his heartbeat was refusing to slow, he might've heard Lan's comment about a baker's dozen of dicks. The fact that it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest and run away (which was more or less what he wanted to do at the moment as well) made that a bit of an impossibility. He still managed to catch the tail-end of the angel's little speech, though, and—company that he was still sidling away from aside—he had to admit, that was certainly the least ridiculous quest he saw on the board last time he checked.

A sudden camera flash left him squinting in his slow-but-still-going retreat. Frustration rekindled (even if just to mask the ever-increasing sense of dread), Gray cast another narrow-eyed glare and wordlessly began walking toward the main hall, doing his best to give the demon a wide berth. He didn't so much as turn to check if the two were following, instead resolving to let his ears twist to listen and stop around the corner if they didn't.

 

[Tapfic]

Lan
Interactions:
Arcadius ( Klown )
Gray ( BittyBobcat )

Mentioned:

Jet and Amethyst ( ScatheAriiasqDrayceon )
Ren ( Gao )

“Don’t sweat it, angel. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Lan narrowed his eyes at the demon in front of him; far from trusting the other's definition of "good behavior". His suspicions were immediately rewarded with the click of Arc's camera- what a pleasant photo that had to have been; one happy dumbass and two scowling faces in the background.
Well- actually, Gray's face wasn't quite twisted into a scowl. Instead his eyes widened in an expression Lan couldn't quite pin an emotion to, and then a glare.

“Something to commemorate this esteemed partnership!”

Lan's eyes turned from contemplating what was going on with Mr.Fuck's face, back to Arc.
Did no one ever tell this guy to ask before taking pictures of strangers ( ignore the fact Lan wasn't really a stranger anymore, or else this whole argument didn't really work and he did not want to think of a new one)? No. Obviously not- because this is the second time Lan's visage had been captured by the little lens today, and not once did he give any sort of permission. Lan knows he did not because he would not. Such an action would be wholly out of character for the angel.
Unless asked nicely.
Maybe.

“Oh yeah, this is definitely going up on the wall.”

Not if the little man snatched it first. Along with the initial catalyst photo for this unfortunate situation. He just had to wait until Arc took the offending paper out of his back pocket- and also stopped fucking floating long enough for Lan to reach him.

“Alright, let’s go!”

You know what? Yes. Yes they should do that right now. Before Arcadius managed to piss him off anymore.
In fact; Gray had already started walking to the quest board- what a plan.

“Oh, should we assign ourselves secret roles? I call dibs on being the sexy young reporter. Mittens here looks like he could be the overworked and exhausted detective. And Feathers…is our adorably feisty chihuahua guard dog.”

" Chihuahua... " Those were. The little angry dogs that the surface folks had. Right. Lan had seen them in such classic human media as Legally Blonde , and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde.

Hey- wait a fuckin moment.

No, he wouldn't take the bait. He was calm- collected- his brows did NOT knit together in irritation. His nose did NOT wrinkle into a sneer.
He was going to ignore the comment and get this whole thing over with.
...If only Lan's temper would allow him such a mercy.

Alas, Lan's teeth grit, and his hands clenched; as they normally did when he was about to go off on a tangential lecture.

" How about I'm the guy that commits aggravated assault on the sexy young reporter- for being an entire. Floating. Ass with a camera. Just an ass. No head. No skull. No damn brain and none of the common sense to ask before stealing a snap of someone's face. You know- like every other button happy bitch with a camera has the common courtesy to do- " Ignore the fact that was not true, please.
" And why the fuck would I let you keep that photo either? Incase the little newt that skitters around the cavern where your brain is supposed to be and whispers bullshit into the crevice's of your conscious forgot - you owe me the first one once this stupid quest is over. Dick head. "

Lan had to contemplate with a sour glare weather the poorly attempted "headlock" from earlier was enough to warrant a punch. Sadly the answer was no.
Instead Arc could receive something halfway between an elbow and a nudge to his side before Lan stalked off after Gray, not waiting for Arc to reply and continue the bickering.
He didn't wait for Arcadius to follow him either; passing the catman in the hall and rounding on the edge of the front desk. And-

Holy fucking shit.
Lan could hardly see through the cluster of gargantuan feathers and bodies that were far too tall. Had he not escaped this fate when he fell to the surface? Apparently not.
In fact this was most defiantly worse; not even the average angel's wings would scrape the fucking ceiling while folded.

" Why- " Lan muttered. Why did the bitch have to sit on the fucking desk? Like a douchebag? He didn't finish the thought out loud though, he had been given enough empty brain fucker-y dealing with Arcadius, he wasn't about to open the can of worms that was interacting with an airship.

Instead Lan stalked his way past- slotting himself next to some person with pretty hair, who was making a face at the licensing paperwork.

" Kid, can I get the quest roster real quick," after a second of thought, he tacked on a muttered " Please. "
The angel lowered his volume to speak to Winnie. The girl had quite obviously been busy staring absently at the moderately struggling demon beside him, but with a small shake of her head, as though snapping back into reality; she gathered the roster from the underside of the desk and handed it to Lan.

 

[Klown]

ARCADIUS
Location: Front Desk
With: Gray [ BittyBobcat ] , Lan [ Tapfic ] , Ren [ Gao ] , Jet and Amethyst [ ScatheAriiasqDrayceon ]

Lan’s words blasted with the turbulence of a hurricane, ripping apart foundations, roofs, and anything lacking grip. It was a whipping sensation, thorned at the tip to leave a lasting impression. It astounded Arcadius as much as it unbalanced him. If not perfectly rehearsed in the art of masking, Lan might have caught a glimpse of something wavering at the corner of his lips, or the miniscule twitch of his lids as if catching himself from squinting.

The demon, then, follows with what he does best: puppeteer a smile so forced that it became second nature and laugh in the line of fire. “So, you do think I’m se—umph!” A decisive jab to his side clogs the words in his throat, Arcadius coughing as if they’d formed a ticklish lump there. A husky combination of something between a laugh and a grunt sputter from his lips. “Can’t have any fun here, jeez.” He sighs wryly and joins his two tickets to an escape from boredom.

Arcadius is fiddling with his camera when he comes to view, but it’s not as if he doesn’t sense it. Sense him. Like a smell so subtle it lingers in the back of his throat. The slight spice of cinnamon apple. His body welcomes it like an old friend, and when Arcadius’ eyes latch onto the source like he’s been searching for it in the last millennia, it’s alarming how quickly everything melts at the sight of him.

“Ren.” The name steals every ounce of air left in his body, a ghost of memories and recognition. A doll between the greedy hands of arguing children. One of yearning and another of retreat. A side of him that wishes to savor the name one more time, while the other insists it a stain on delicate cloth.

A devastating, boiling wave crashes into him and floods every nook and cranny. In an instant, he’s lost to a whirlpool of old—but never lost—passions. A craving so aching that it would take the gouging of his heart for it to be eased, not stopped.

“The darling prince himself.” An unreadable smile curls onto Arcadius’ lips, a battlefield of fondness, guilt, and confusion. Ren hadn’t exactly changed since the last time they’d seen each other. Perhaps that’s what was making things so difficult. Arcadius’ body all too willing to bend to the other’s every demand and sink into that comfortable affection they once exchanged. It took every ounce of sense in him to not utter the words: My darling prince.

As the world and the people around them all fade back into the scene, Arcadius forces his gaze away from Ren to exchange brief greetings with them all. Translating hello’s through the arbitrary language of eyes. “Who’s the party for?” He snorts, floating further into the hall to take a peak at the apparent group interview happening not far from where the other half of the group gathered, where Lan took charge of asking for the mission.

 

[Gao]

Funai Ren
Interactions: Tapfic (Lan), BittyBobcat (Gray/Kitty), Klown (Arc)

After the heartless attack by Jet, Ren wasn’t ready to go and meet his other pets. He’d been crushed. Ruined! Never to feel joy again! Shall he lay on the floor and weep? Curl into the corner with his back to everyone till some gifts appear? The possibilities were endless-

Shiny.

Shiny. Shiny. Shiny.

With a passing thought that maybe he should try biting it, a golden disk was floating at eye-level. With a happy wiggle to the tail he turned to face the present, moth to a lamp. It must be for him? A gift, so soon? Of course, he hummed, understandable. Already he must be collecting secret admirers, being so great and perfect and all.

Yes. So perfect.

Oblivious of the small owner to this so-called-halo, Ren’s greedy little paws were already reaching out to claim the gift.

Alas, he’d only grazed the glowy item when interrupted, stopping the robbery short. A familiar voice had evaporated all desire, eyes fading like a dying candle and hands slowly retreating from the disc. Perhaps if Ren didn’t look, the haunting would wane and fade into the background. He wouldn’t have to confront what, or specifically who, was lingering just out of view.

With reluctance, curiosity got the better of him.

The image of what should’ve remained a ghost burned Ren’s retinas. An attack of honey eyes and scarlet skin and lips that had the audacity to speak his name. Fresh recognition of features that were better left forgotten under layers of dust and time.

Arcadius.

A chilly silence from Ren festered with undefined emotion. When faced with danger, fight or flee were two viable options, and both had strong appeal. Being with someone who ran at a temperature so high, it should’ve been foreseeable that he’d be burned. Fire was a destructive element, ripping through houses and relationships alike. To careen into the warmth he knew Arc radiated would be homely, if only it wasn’t so deprived of humanity.

Yeah. Ren was still salty about it.

The marble that seized Ren’s expression held nothing tender or inviting, glacial and indifferent. It was the detested smile and darling prince remark that confirmed one thing, a twitch, a burst of bitter familiarity, and a fracture to the unfeeling façade;

All he wanted to do was take Arc between his teeth and shake like a wild dog.

The soft glow that had been washed out by their arrival was suddenly visible again as his eyes blazed and narrowed with unresolved hatred. If Arc had decided to set down a chess piece, Ren titled his head to the side with fraud innocence, then Ren was going to swipe the whole board off the table.

“Do I know you?”

He was a mature adult, able to communicate and handle things with grace. With the passing of time, wounds could heal and he could be civil. Brush spite aside and–

“Oh! I remember now.” Ren gave a confident nod, propping a hand to his hip.

“Aaron!” Never mind being civil. This was war! Stomp the chess-board into the ground! Cruel, nasty little Arc would regret the day he ever found himself inside this agency.

“Or… Or Arnold? No no, he was taller.” Brows scrunched with confusion, his eyes flicked back and forth over the fire demon’s face in search of the right name. “Are you Argo? Archie? Asmodeus?” With no luck, he winced and dropped his voice in volume. “What one are you?”

A tail and a pair of ears was a good distraction. Ren didn’t know much about birds other than wings. He did, however, recognize cats. Or the features of them, at least. Eyes becoming round and staring intently at the scruffy individual was when Ren realised he’d located another one.

A pet. This must be another that Rumi had bestowed to him.

To fetch one of Jet’s abandoned pieces of downy feather would require scrambling over the desk to retrieve them, and the fluffy… wings?- right next to him were far more convenient. Belonging to a short person that Ren hadn’t noticed till now, he was certain they wouldn’t mind. Sharing is caring.

A hand reached to the appendages, giving a tug on the small wing to get their attention.

“Give me a feather,” he demanded of Lan. “I want to play with the kitty.”

 

[Tapfic]

Rumi
Interactions:
Kirk ( Lucius Cypher )
Nivara ( Cello.
Margate ( Huntertabbysandshark3 )
Jet ( ScatheAriiasqDrayceon )
Kaito ( Knight boi )

"Rumi, Did you just sell me? Not even for a corn-chip. I've been betrayed."

" It's not selling if there's no price tag, babe," Rumi waved softly to the man sitting across the hall- as she witnessed what would have surely been an annoying case of workplace harassment if this had been the human realm; and the Lycanthrope guild had anything resembling an HR department (other than a eight foot tall dog mom that would put bad Lancers in the time out corner for being mean. ) As it stood, Jet's newfound problem was none of Rumi's concern.

She waited patiently as each of the interviewees gave their two cents. Well, more like half a cent in the kid's case- not much of a talker evidently- though the expression he made was certainly amusing. The contents of his words? More confusing than anything.
Notably, no one was lying. That meant no one was going to attempt eating anyone. That was good.

" Well, If you want to get technical- it really isn't cannibalism when you're a different species," Rumi clicked her pen once as she spoke to the...zombie perhaps? Though they lacked the discoloration that dead flesh often brought with it.
With a contemplative hum, the demon produced what appeared to be a small clip board from behind her- previously stashed away in the thick tendrils of her hair. What else could have been in that dense waterfall of meticulously conditioned keratin? Well, at least three more pens. Mostly.

" So, it seems you're all fine, other than the mental health issues I'll bet. Maybe look into a licensed therapist," she said, glancing at Kirk.

" The front desk is," Rumi glanced back at the station- she would have winced had she been capable of anything other than a slightly strained smile.
" A bit swamped; but I have spare forms here. "

With the short explanation- Rumi handed out the slips of paper. Each just the same as the ones Winnie held at her own desk.

Now, sweet witness- make no mistake; had she the opportunity the demon of deals would have most certainly tampered with the wording until every member of the agency signed away their favors to her collection. She did not do that here. Onley because Rika would probably get pissed if she tried.

She waited until each form had been taken; handing out the appropriate pens- and tapping her own against her chin.
There was business she needed to take care of in Fantasia still, if no conflicts of interest arose she might as well tote the agency babies along with her and get paid for that one mission.

 

[Klown]

ARCADIUS
Location: Front Desk
With: Gray [ BittyBobcat ] , Lan [ Tapfic ] , Ren [ Gao ] , Jet and Amethyst [ ScatheAriiasqDrayceon ]

Ren’s cleverness left a hollowed void with much to be desired, but his strike was precise. He’d stuck Arcadius beneath a magnifying glass and pinched the slightest hint of a loose string between tweezers and pulled. Shredding him loose yet curling him tighter all the same. A glorious display in all its insult, and Arcadius felt nothing but deserving.

Aaron, Arnold, Argo, etc. A venomous retort edged his tongue. Balancing itself just along the crumbling border and teetering towards and away from his lips. He swallowed it whole behind a widening grin, thinking, for just a second, that he’s more masochistic than he’s ever admitted to. His quips won’t shine under the same light as before. Ren’s negation of Arc’s existence was enough proof of that.

Arcadius’ intention was simple: let the bitterness run its course as he knew it would. Stand on the tracks with the train’s howling whistle startling the birds from their trees. Get hit; then either get up or die. The demon knew tragic ends with the ease of reciting the alphabet, and while his relationship with Ren had met a tragic end, Arcadius’ feelings have yet to hit that wall.

One tragedy he wouldn’t fall into the clutches of, however, was fear. Not for a second time. He watched with a knowing look at Ren’s eyes lock on Gray’s cat features, and then on the angel’s wings. His eyes follow the incubus’ entitled grip into Lan’s white feathers, demanding for them like he demands all things. How utterly frustrating and insufferably adorable.

“Ah,” Arcadius floats over Ren’s head and grabs his hands, unfurling his fingers from Lan’s wings and pulling them above his head. “Sorry handsome, but those two are mine until further notice.” He tilts his head, Cheshire cat grin blatant on his features. “And I’m feeling a bit selfish today.” Nothing of ill-intent, only light-hearted jest. He cocks his brows challengingly and releases Ren’s hands before his own begin to crave a touch he’s no longer allowed to have.

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Jet and Amethyst :
Main hall
Interactions: Gray (mostly), Arc, Ren, Margate
Mentions: Gin, Valerie, Lan,

Jet's ears flicked in what could have been translated in mild discomfort as the easy smoothness of his feathers was awkwardly interrupted by fidgeting fingers. It felt akin to someone trying to pet his human disguise's hair backward, but worse as the shafts of the feathers pulled at the dark skin they were attached to. But he bore with it; the little demon wasn't doing all that much harm that Jet couldn't fix with a little preening, and by the time he answered the vampire, he was far more concerned with diligently squashing the coil of cold that rose up his throat now that he had space to breathe. Just as it always did when his mind stilled for too long.

Gin could wait. He'd made the rest of them wait seven years, after all. Gin could wait just like the rest of them had waited for him to come back. He beat back the cold that rode on his breath with the relief of seeing Amethyst awake—healthy. He'd take his blessings where he could find them, and for now, that came in the form of harsh words and grey wings. He leaned against her just a bit—just enough that she pushed back with a huff and the snap of teeth near his ear. Should he have been more awake, he was sure it'd be worse, but for now, wonderfully, his body was on autopilot. Too exhausted for emotions—and quite possibly a little high off of whatever was in his pain medicine.

Of course, the pleasant hum of distracted emotions could only last so long, as he unfolded the wing nearest to the desk to make room for the short, feathered—were those wings—kid who requested the quest roster. That wasn't a problem; there were probably some D-class missions lying about somewhere. The problem was the black ears directly behind the kid, which prompted his ignorance of the entire situation as he quite abruptly remembered what he'd been told to look out for. Or, rather, more specifically, who.

"Gray," the name left his mouth before he'd managed to think about what he was doing, mind filled with the briefest flash of what could be according to the mounting anxiety that flattened his crest and had him folding his wings. "Where do you think you're going, Kit?"

His voice wasn't quite warning... but it wasn't quite pleased, either, holding a very distinct rumble that rolled like distant thunder. Quite the show coming from Mr. Stitches-and-splints. Jet crossed his arms, eyes flicking down to the commotion from beside.

The "sigh" as it was, was more of an unhappy hum that buzzed in his chest and had the vaguely-glowing vents at his collar fluttering open and closed. "Is there a problem, or might we all resume our days and cease crowding the front?"

Bold words from Jet, but at the very least, he was far enough away that he could be considered unobtrusive without not being in reach in case something indescribably horrible happened.

Amethyst's voice from beside him had him flattening his ears. She always did have a little trouble controlling her volume. "Hey, Grey-scaly-and-an-insult-to-personal-space-and-consent, calm down before you give the rest of us the urge to shut you up, ourselves. Some of us just woke up with a hella hangover."

 

[BittyBobcat]

Gray's ears perked a bit as he entered the main hall. Crowded. His ears twitched. There was something intoxicating about disappearing into a crowd. Like a fish diving into a school, hidden between shadows of fins and teeth, he could swim through the collective indifference in relative safety, worrying about nothing but falling into the rhythm of constant, flowing movement. It was breathing in full waters after a trip across the deeper abysses of the ocean, and even now that the scattered mutters and shouts ripped at his ears, he found himself drifting toward it with a longing ease.

Of course, this wasn't the type of crowd he could fade into. He knew he needed to tell one of the higher ranks where he was going eventually, but the closer he got to leaving before actually doing that, the easier it would be to simply announce his exit and vanish. Until then, he remained a minnow slipping past circling sharks, hoping they'd go for the tuna first.

Warily staying out of the path of strangers' footsteps, his tail curled close to his torso as he trailed behind Lan. He watched Arcadius out of the corner of his eye, catching what was undoubtedly a smile, but too complicated to be readable. Something about a "darling prince." Whatever was going on between him and what turned out to be yet another demon with no concept of personal space, Gray would be staying out of it (or so, that's what he thought to himself as his ears turned to listen to the conversation—it couldn't hurt to be aware).

Lucky for him that he did, because it gave him enough warning to take a step back the instant he heard the words "play with the kitty." He was already opening his mouth to utter some iteration of 'not today, Satan' when 'Aaron' broke in. The fact that he was defending them from Grabby Hands McGee did little to keep Gray from shooting yet another of his signature glares his way, but he kept his mouth shut. Any escape from being treated like a pet was a welcome one.

"Where do you think you're going, Kit?"

Speaking of which...

"On a mission," he said simply, not so much as turning to look in Jet's direction. "I'm accompanied," His tail flicked in a short gesture at his two acquaintances too curt to display anything but a hint of frustration. "So you can rest assured knowing someone else is dealing with me."

 

[Tapfic]

Lan
Interactions:
Ren ( Gao )
Arcadius ( Klown )

Mentioned:
Gray ( BittyBobcat )
Jet ( ScatheAriiasqDrayceon )

Lan signed the slip for all three of them- which was probably technically not allowed, but hey; that was the agency's problem. Not Lan's.

With a decisive nod the angel looked up to see a hand- sneaking its way towards the little halo that bobbed with every movement he made.

" What do you-" think you're doing- he would have said, pulling away from the grabbing hands above him. The remark was however cut short by Arcadius's greeting.

“Ren.”

There was some feeling to that. What kind? Well, as previously demonstrated- Lan was not the most perceptive angel in the sky. In fact; he wasn't even in the sky.
But he could guess klepto fuck was named Ren ( because Arc literally just called them that )- and Arcadius knew them?
...It couldn't be because they were both demons right? That would be insane. There is no way all demons had been acquainted with one another.
Right?

Yeah, no- that was probably not it.

“The darling prince himself.”

His brows furrowed in newfound confusion.

The bitch was royalty???
Lan's head turned back to the entitled demon who had made a grab at his halo. His eyes narrowed in both annoyance and assessment as the other struggled to remember Arcadius's name.
Well, if he was a prince- that would explain the entitlement and general bitch-prick aura.

“What one are you?” The prince asked Arcadius after offering up a few rejected options, his voice lowered in volume ever so slightly.

Narrowed eyes switched between the two demons having some sort of- thing- above him. It was hard to understand what the thing actually was when Arcadius's expression was- like that (the same, but slightly different; in a way Lan was not equipped to understand ) but it was most certainly a thing. Of some sorts.

Lan did, however know the previous question from the demon prince should not have pissed him off as much as it did.

" ...That one's Arcadius; you could have fuckin asked him before cycling through names like a damn phonebook, genius- "

The angel supplied, oh so graciously.
But It didn't seem like grabby even wanted a name in the first place! Hardly a moment later a hand had closed around one of Lan's wings and tugged. What in the fuck was wrong with these people? Too many touchy hands; not enough " hey- do you mind if I enter your personal space and put my dubiously clean hands on you? ". Where the fuck did these surface dick-slits even get their manners?

“Give me a feather, I want to play with the kitty.”

"...And why don't you yank out a lock of your hair, your majesty. "
Lan replied dryly, but quickly. Just as Arcadius clasped the offending blueblood's hand in his own and untangled gloved fingers from white feathers.

“Sorry handsome, but those two are mine until further notice, and I’m feeling a bit selfish today.”

Despite the begrudging thankfulness Lan had for a lack of stranger hands in his feathers, his face scrunched.
Now Arc decided he wanted to fight the catboy too? This guy might even rival Lan in the rivalry department! Though... He guessed that would explain the comments from earlier.

With his appendages now free from invasive hands , Lan crawled onto the desk like some sort of pissed off lizard; scampering across it and ducking behind. A soldier in the trenches, separating himself from gunfire of grabby demons.
After a moment his halo- and then his eyes peaked over the desk. Squinting as darting pupils looked between the four others ( yes; desk douche who had started talking to Gray was included. No one who used desks as chairs could be trusted. )

" I swear to whatever eavesdropping god bitch is listening right now; I am going to get this dumbass mission started before the sun sets; and the next person who causes a distraction will get fuckin bit , no I'm not joking. So think very very fuckin hard before causing further wing grabby, cat throw-y, no-brain shenanigans; because I bite hard and I'm not afraid of drawing blood."

He huffed and stood straight; smoothing ruffled feathers down with one hand again, and setting the roster down on the desk for Winnie. Despite the fact he was standing next to her now. He may have gotten a bit turned around in his hissy fit.

 

[Gao]

Funai Ren
Interactions: Tapfic (Lan), Klown (Arc), ScatheAriiasqDrayceon (Jet)

Arc offered no response, only a silent grin that instilled a feeling of victory into the incubus.

" ...That one's Arcadius; you could have fuckin asked him before cycling through names like a damn phonebook, genius- "

Ren flinched at the sudden voice from below, looking ready to assault the spooky speaker before realising- oh.

A child.

A child with wings.

Probably shouldn’t hit them, even if their abrupt presence was enough to send a skittish Ren a few inches into the air. Who in their right mind sneaks up on people like that? Ignorant that the angel had been there the entire time, below eye-level, at least they offered the convenient opportunity for feathers. More useful than correcting Aaron.

“I don’t own a phonebook.” He responded in an ominous whisper, eyes narrowing in desire of information. “They are… valuable?” Must be a mortal item, with all their apple-mac-book-pad objects. Or, Ren’s upbringing was incredibly sheltered from what is considered general knowledge, something he’d be willing to deny till out of breath and blue in the face.

To secure a feather was a simple plan. Demand. He’d approached it with a lot more manners than usual; plucking out one or two without permission would’ve been a very viable option. The extent of his thoughtfulness ended there, not ripping out what he wanted, and instead directly ordering. So polite.

"...And why don't you yank out a lock of your hair, your majesty. "

Aside from Arc’s darling prince bullshit, Ren could grow fond of these newly found names. Sweetheart and majesty had a certain ring to them, even if he wasn’t catching on to their sly usage. Majesty aside, it wasn’t a direct no, but to be rejected of what he’d demanded was an invisible strike to the face. His mouth fell open, then pulled up into a pout. How heinous of this small-winged creature to deny him. He was the baby manager!

“So, you hate me?” Another subtle tug at the wing, pupils expanding into sad black dinner plates. Ready to shed crocodile tears. “You want me to run away and get mugged and die?” How this fed into not being able to tickle the cat with a feather was unknown. Ren owned a short list of plays, drama and violence.

And with Arc’s foul little fingers prying him away from the soft wings, Ren would resolve to the latter. The itch to snatch the flying Elmo by the neck and wring him out like a wet cloth was ever present. Upper lip curling back in preparation to bite or spit-

“I’ll kill y-”
“Sorry handsome,-”

Ren blinked, tail giving an attentive twitch.

Who said anything about biting or spitting or killing? No need to be hasty. Ren was an advocate for freedom of speech. To silence the truth would be a breach of rights, and who was he to oppress such a factual compliment? Absolutely nobody.

The bared teeth and hostility eased, travelling back into smug, but at least docile, territory. Too absorbed in having his ego petted to pay much attention to the rest of what Arc had said. He’d been called handsome. The H word. Yes, he would’ve coiled a strand of hair around a finger if his hands were available, yes he was.

Only once freed did he notice the flattery had distracted from the real issue here; Arc especially was not allowed to touch or compliment him.

His brow came down in a glare and he pointed a finger at the tip of Arc’s nose.

"No," he snapped, like reprimanding a misbehaving puppy. “You will not speak to me. Or look at me. Or even breathe near me.” A very red, floating, annoying, puppy. “Otherwise I’ll come up there,” off the ground, “and snap you like a lawn chair.”

With a flurry of childish swats in warning to retain hands at a distance, Ren finished his deterrent: “And keep those mitts off!” Like pressing fingers against the smooth glass of a jewellery display, those grubby red prints would dirty the merchandise.

Hypocritical on Ren’s part, as only moments before he’d been grabbing at Lan like there was no tomorrow. And speaking of which, the angel had scrambled over the desk out of view. Birdy’s voice interjected, pulling Ren’s wrath elsewhere.

“Is there a problem, or might we all resume our days and cease crowding the front?"

“Oh, there’s a problem all right,” Ren was seething, turning to face Jet under riled hair, resembling a storm-cloud. “The evil tomato works here!” Figures, finally landing a new job and having to exist in Aarons presence. Life was unfair! The majesty deserved better than this!

“-the next person who causes a distraction will get fuckin bit , no I'm not joking. So think very very fuckin hard before causing further wing grabby, cat throw-y, no-brain shenanigans; because I bite hard and I'm not afraid of drawing blood."

Ren’s mouth opened to bicker, before closing in realisation that he didn’t actually have anything to argue about. He did, however, mumble a quiet and very defensive;

“Wasn’t me.” He would never do anything wrong. “I didn’t grabby.”

 

[Klown]

ARCADIUS
Location: Front Desk
With: Gray [ BittyBobcat ] , Lan [ Tapfic ] , Ren [ Gao ] , Jet and Amethyst [ ScatheAriiasqDrayceon ]

The hostile creases carved into the sharp edges of Ren’s face melted like ice to hot air. Harsh lines ease into smooth curves, heralding a calmer, complacent demon. It filled Arcadius’ chest with a traitorous warmth not of his own making. It steamed at the familiarity of Ren’s reaction and the guilt of having taken advantage of a weakness he’d learned intimately during their time as lovers. Volatile as they were, the changes in Ren’s mood were easy to tame through the initial whiplash. As if eager to provide an example of Arcadius’ conclusion, the seething glare returns to Ren’s features in a matter of three blinks.

Arcadius holds his hands up as if caught at gunpoint, leaving a generous space of air between their bodies per Ren’s wishes.

“The evil tomato works here!” The line pulled an earnest laugh from Arcadius. His attention falls on the two larger feathered folk who watched the group with a scrutinizing eye, offers them a two-fingered salute, then lands on his feet beside Gray as Lan loses his temper from the other side of the desk.

Tilting his body to lean into Gray’s space, their shoulders bumping together, Arcadius whispers; “That’s the second bite threat I received today. Want to bet I can make it four by the end of the day?” He turns his head and grins up at the other, tail wiggling with anticipation.

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Jet and Amethyst:
Main hall
Interactions: Gray, Arc, Ren, Lan
Mentions:

Jet hummed, pupils narrowing into thin lines very briefly before he adjusted them back so he could see. Then he looked to the two Gray had come in with, one of his brows slowly rising higher and higher in what seemed to be amusement, of all things. "With these two?"

Aside from the... what he was now reconsidering might just be a very short befeathered man—who had just threatened to bite people, and Gray, himself, the only other one was a demon who seemed quite occupied with the other demon who'd claimed him as a pet. The little feathered one ducked behind the desk not a breath after Jet decided. Ignoring the bickering, he gathered the length of his legs under himself and pushed off the desk, wings creating a none-too-subtle rush of air as they moved.

He looked a lot taller standing up.

And right on time, the phone in the inside pocket of his suit coat buzzed. It was almost perfectly in time with the two demons separating, and the responding whine from the one named Ren. It would have been amusing if Jet didn't have things to do, today.

All at once, with not even a moment's warning, all twenty-three feet of inky black feathers snapped open, cleaving the air between the two demons and hitting the opposite wall while remaining half-folded. Every one of his feathers hit the ground, and the wrist of his wing remained far above Jet's head. The chimera glanced behind himself at the three who had wanted to go on a mission, huffing quietly. "If you're gonna go, go. I don't think one of your members is all too pleased about all of the dawdling."

He clicked his teeth. "And in any case, now is not the time. Others need their licenses, and the reception hall isn't the best place to be working out your personal disputes."

And just as he finished, he just caught Amethyst's "Awww, little birdie got impatient did he? Gonna bite me, lil' chick?"

 

[FireMaiden]

Valerie De'Rune
Location: Lycanthrope Hall - Quest Board/Front Desk
Interaction: ScatheAriiasqDrayceon (Jet) Gao (Ren) Klown (Arc)
Mentioned: Tapfic (Gin/Lan) BittyBobcat (Gray)
A lot happened very quickly. The gorgon net to her seemed to be...worried about something, but Val wasn't able to catch what caused it as the dragon man spoke to her. The vampire apperantly hadn't been as quiet as she intended. "Wouldn't asking be more polite though?" Val spoke up, not noticing the gorgon slipping away as she spoke. The vampire would watch the demon...man? She was fairly certain he was a man, a very pretty man, though sometimes it was a little hard to be certain. Anyway, she would watch him, shifting a bit out of his way as he was finally given the required paperwork from Winnie. Only after he made a scene about not wanting to pet Jet. Which caused Val to furrow her brows a bit. The demon was one of those types huh? Val would say it should have been expected, but she really did try not to judge anyone. It wasn't her place. Maybe he was just disappointed or embarrassed and wanted to try and make light of the situation? Who knew. Anyway, at about the same time, another group approached the front desk on the other side of Val.

At this point, it was...almost too much. Her ears were starting to ring, and given Val wasn't exactly talking to anyone directly, she lifted one foot off the ground before kicking off with the other. The suddenly feeling of weightlessness lifted the young vampire up off the ground and into the air where she would hover above the crowd. It wasn't much quieter up there, but it was a little less crowded. And gave her a great view of the the fight going that started after the two demon's recognized each other. There was a lot of tension in the air, any weak willed person would have vacated the vicinity to avoid the fallout. Or...well, as Val watched, her brows furrowed. These two obviously knew each other, but Val was getting some mixed feelings from them both. Val genuinely couldn't tell of they hated each other or not. Even Randall was interested, crawling out from her pocket to sit on her hand to watch.

The show would be interrupted though after a few minutes of arguing, with an angel boy and cat being roped into it as well. The dragon man finally stood from the counter and extended his wing..or wings, one landing between the demons. Val floated down a bit closer to the ground, looking over each side of the wing. "So...were you guys going to start making out or punch each other?" The vampire asked, tilting her head a bit to one side. Either way, it was probably a good thing that Jet stepped in to separate them.

 

[BittyBobcat]

Gray
Main Hall - Arcadius ( Klown ), Jet ( ScatheAriiasqDrayceon ), Val ( FireMaiden )

For a split second, Gray let himself hold onto his last shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, they'd still have some chance of getting out of the agency in a timely fashion.

Then the new demon opened his mouth and promptly ripped that hope out of his hands, tore it to pieces, and set it on fire for good measure. A stern reminder from the universe to never let his faith in the efficiency of people get too high. Why he needed such a reminder was beyond him—his 'glass half-empty' outlook had long since been cemented—but that's what he got for not trying to rush this sooner, he supposed.

Gray watched the spat in silence, face wearing an expression all too similar to a cat glowering at a particularly tall set of drawers it had just failed to climb. His tail, ever the traitor to his practiced neutrality, flicked impatiently at the tip. Not that it made much difference; he was so busy holding back a snort at the evil tomato comment that he failed to sidle out of the way of Arcadius as their shoulders knocked together.

His scowl only grew.

“That’s the second bite threat I received today. Want to bet I can make it four by the end of the day?”

"Third," he bit back, taking a step as far from Arcadius as the desk at his side would allow (which, regretfully, was scarcely a foot, if that). "And I have no doubt that you can and will receive far more by the end of the day."

"With these two?"

"Yes, these two." The statement ended with a rumbling 'rrrrr' that was barely audible with all the other hubbub in the room. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave—unless you halfwits are putting in yet another restriction?" He hissed it like a question, but the fact that he was already turning to leave was enough to show how little he actually cared about the answer.

"If you're gonna go, go. I don't think one of your members is all too pleased about all of the dawdling."

"Thank you, now can we please—"

"So...were you guys going to start making out or punch each other?"

"Don't know, don't care," he answered for them as he stomped—well, with how light-footed he'd been since being cursed, more like 'irately padded'—up to Jet's wing. "You were the one to mention letting us get going, Big Bird. Any chance you could move first?" He made an open-handed gesture to the rest of the now-blocked hall in a motion that was equal parts pleasing and jerkily frustrated.

 

[Tapfic]

Lan
Interactions/Mentions:
Ren ( Gao )
Arcadius ( Klown )
Jet + Amethyst ( ScatheAriiasqDrayceon )
Gray ( BittyBobcat )
Val ( FireMaiden )

"Wasn’t me. I didn’t grabby.”

Lan's teeth grit at the remark, he glared past the desk to the long haired demon on the other side. Ever so unfortunatly, just as his mouth opened for a retort; desk dick removed himself from the desk. Becoming simply "dick".

The little angel stared with wide eyes and knit brows as they stood- and then kept standing. Growing in time with Lan's mounting annoyance.

Why did surface fuckers have to be so damn vertical. was the ground really so dangerous that they had to grow like damn giants to survive?

And then the wing snapped open. Hitting the other side of the building and becoming an impromptu wall. Lan felt the feathers on his own back ruffle as the other spread theirs. Sure, they could have whatever wings they wanted- Lan didn't care. He was fine.
At least, he would have been If they werent so damn show-off-y about it.
He sneered at the tall bitch as they began talking to Gray. Something something regulations or what the fuck ever.

"So...were you guys going to start making out or punch each other?"
A pale person Lan hadn't noticed before spoke up, and Lan's eyes narrowed in their direction- and then darted between the new demon, and where Arc would have been standing had the wing not blocked him from view.

" Where the fuck did you get the first impression from?" Red bitch was very clearly trying to pick fights. It was obvious from the annoying way he went about doing everything- exept getting the other demon's hands out of Lan's wings. That wasn't annoying; but it was also an outlier in the study and would not be counted.

And then another voice piped up. Grating on already overworked nerves like a pair of sand paper slippers.

"Awww, little birdie got impatient did he? Gonna bite me, lil' chick?"
Yeah.
Okay. That was it.

Lan took a deep breath, in-and out. Calming his temper, and relaxing his expression as he took a few steps toward the other wingged person in the vacinity.

" Yes, I am actually."
What kind of man was he if not one of his word? He had given plenty of warning. This whole thing was on them now. And so were his teeth.

Lan lunged, one knee coming over the desk to allow him better reach. Two gloved hands shot out; grasping their arm, yanking it closer- and then he chomped down. Hard.

Not letting go until he felt, some sort of... burning in his mouth.

With a jolt Lan let go, pulling back so fast he stumbled where he had forgotten the desk ended.

" What the fuck?" He tried to ask- but his voice came out hoarse and quiet. Purple collected at the edge of his lip.

 

[Gao]

Funai Ren
Interactions & Mentions: ScatheAriiasqDrayceon (Jet) + FireMaiden (Valerie + Randall) + Tapfic (Lan/wee fluffy one) + BittyBobcat (Gray/cat)

A wall of feathers burst out, carving the space and dividing Ren from the possibility of violence. Hackles lowering, Ren slowly looked over and up at Jet, eyes wide and confused and still in prime position to pounce.

“You isolate me?” He could not believe it. “Isolate me like sick zoo animal?!” After a tense silence of staring up– Ren didn’t realise how tall his pet bird actually was jesus christ what the fuck– “You are caring for me,” came the demon’s calmer conclusion. The bird was protecting his owner. That’s definitely what happened. Anything about ‘-the reception hall isn't the best place to be working out your personal disputes’ was quickly forgotten by this beautiful act of loyalty.

“For if this… big soft wing…” he gave a long, awkward, distracted pat to the divider, “did not save me from that brute, I would’ve been attacked.” Ren sniffed, leaning forward and hiding his face into the feathers with a heartbroken cry, “the savage!”

"So...were you guys going to start making out or punch each other?"

Like flipping a switch, Ren’s melodrama ended. The demon turned so sharply he almost got whiplash, an unsettling jolt like that of a malfunctioned carnival ride. Fingers that had once been gently holding onto the wing, tensed and dug instinctively; a feline latching stubbornly to its moving blankets. No doubt it wouldn’t achieve any damage to Jet, but to have anything clinging so intensely had to be uncomfortable.

Ren was inattentive to his own behaviour, preoccupied asserting this new pale individual.

“Making out?!” He hissed, the incubus thought his hatred would be almost tangible. Perhaps he was not glaring enough.

"Don't know, don't care," from the cat.
“Where the fuck did you get the first impression from?" from the wee fluffy one.

Others had their input, the angel sharing the exact sentiment strewn across Ren’s face. Confusion, some horror, and a slow change to… scepticism.

“...Why?” Ren asked suspiciously, fingers finally releasing the wing as he took a direct sidestep towards the vampire. “How much are you offering?” A hand extended up for payment, making a greedy (and very grabby) ‘give’ motion. “I’ll do both for the right price.”

Business! That fruit farm would be his in no time.

And not only would that fruit farm be his, but his amber gaze soon shifted and landed on a rat. Supposedly belonging to the floating brunette. Not for long! His tail had begun to brush back and forth along the ground, before it slowly raised and coiled around Val’s ankle. Menacing. Could even be taken as passive aggressive, a threat to try and float away.

“Can I…” little tug, “can I have it?”

As if expecting to be handed a bowl of porridge, both his hands were held out, waiting for the rat. His newest pet.

 

[Tapfic]

Timeskip for; Nivara, Kirk, and Rumi​

Rumi
Interactions:
Nivara ( Cello. )
Kirk ( Lucius Cypher )

The registration process had gone relatively well; aside from some unexpected illiteracy. But hey, that's just what happened when basic schooling wasn't required by law, Rumi supposed.
She had even managed to snag two of the poor saps to drag with her to Fantasia- a wonderful development. She could make them carry so many shopping bags- not to mention pick up the majority of the mission's actual work load. Just as an agency baby should.

" Have either of you ever ridden the train? " She asked with a lazy smile and half open eyes. Most monsters hadn't- they still weren't all too common despite how useful they were. Only built to connect the inner territories to the outer, more modern cities.
The demon hummed her question as she walked, stepping over the occasional pothole or stray stone in the poorly kept road to the station- it wasn't too far; maybe three hours walking- and then a three hour ride to the city itself.

The party carried down the road leaving Timber, deeper into the dense forests of the Den of Wolves. As they continued further the sky all but vanished under the thick overhang of leaves, only a stray spot of sunshine left to dapple the dilapidated road. Winter chill hung in the air like a ghost with no sunlight to exercise it.

" Fun factoid, show your new little license, " Saying this, Rumi flashed her own card- red with gold lettering, the lycanthrope insignia stamped squarely on its face " Next time you're buying your ticket and you can get half off of the fair. "
That was true, unfortunately train tickets were still far to expensive (they really weren't) for Rumi to actually pay for one, let alone three.
These babies were lucky the owner of the station owed the demon of deals a few favors, or she might have made them pay for themselves.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

Barely a day into the clan and Kirk was already in a mission. It was a fairly simple job as far as he could tell, they were basically just going to accompany Rumi to Fantasia for a shopping trip. This wasn't even busy work, it was just a chore. Internally Kirk was annoyed. He figured he would be given some basic jobs, but this was barely a step above being an intern. But he kept his mouth shut, knowing that this was simply the price he had to pay being the new blood to the organization. He's been through this before: a lot of pointless errands to test and see how far the seniors can push him around. If he played his cards right he'll be able to get out of this by getting chummy with the bosses, as well as showing that he does have more talent than merely being a golfer.

So after filling out his paper work and putting his excess equipment in his room, Kirk would gear up for a casual outing. Which despite being casual, he was still quite armed, albeit more subtly. His pistol and knife was easy enough to hide on him that short of being naked, he'll always have it with him. For his shotgun though, it took him only a few minutes to make adjustments to it so it's easier to smuggle. A shorten barrel and a pistol grip, removing the scope and sticking with plain iron-sights, as well as specially designed magazines meant to be quick and compact, and Kirk can easily smuggle his shotgun inside of his jacket. While he obviously hopes nothing goes wrong, he's nonetheless prepared for anything. Hearing that they were going to some fey area, Kirk made sure to pact cold iron bullets. Normally forging cold iron was difficult due to the finicky nature of the stuff, but it was far easier for Kirk to stuff cold iron scraps into shotgun shells. Plus even if their enemies aren't particularly weak against the stuff, it'll still hurt.

But there were other preparations Kirk needed to make aside from his weapons. There was a matter of his look as well. He was all too aware of his appearance being quite horrific, at least as far as humans go. Oh sure, there are plenty of creatures out there with far scarier faces, but most of them could pass off as a pretty human if they wanted to. Kirk was just naturally an ugly human, so it was important for him to make up for his butter face with some good threads. Though he'll keep his signature jacket since that's where he keeps all of his gear, he dresses up a bit more fashionably elsewhere, changing out from his rugged boots and winter clothes into some nice shoes, a pair of leather pants, and a simple yet sharp collared shirt that was a sort of business casual. To top it off, a nice hat, different from his fur-lined one that helps keep his head warm. The hat helps gives his head some shape since he lacked hair and hasn't brought any wigs yet. Keeps attention off his bald wrinkly head. Once he was dressed up Kirk gave himself a few spritz of cologne and headed out to meet Rumi and Nivara.

"Aye I have. Twice. Had to stand both times but fortunately it was a pretty short trip. A bit annoying the second time though since it was jammed packed. Or is this one of those fancier trains with the cabins and such? Never been in one of those." Kirk had been in a metro train once, when he was younger and with his old clan. They had frequent interactions with the modern world so Kirk was familiar with their contraptions. That being said he's never been there long enough to call himself a regular, he simply has some experience and applies them to what feels familiar. Even so, there were many things that Kirk didn't know. For example getting discounts of train tickets. Most of the time he never bothered, either going on foot or finding a cheaper way to travel. Usually it involved sneaking into a caravan without anyone knowing he was there. "Nice. I'll keep that in mind boss. Anything else out business cards can get for us? Maybe a discount for take-out?"

Rumi Tapfic
Nivara Cello.

 

[Klown]

ARCADIUS
Location: Front Desk
With: Gray [ BittyBobcat ] , Lan [ Tapfic ] , Ren [ Gao ] , Jet and Amethyst [ ScatheAriiasqDrayceon ] , Valery [ FireMaiden ]

Gray didn’t seem to grasp the spirit of making bets, but Arcadius was content enough to have tallied another uncanny threat for the day and settled with that. As a wall of feathers rises between them, mystifying by their sheer imposition, the voices on the other side lend themselves to fragmented whisps in the back of his head. His neck arches back. A low, astounded whistle wizzes past his lips while his wide, iris-void eyes gawp at the behemoth claiming most of the space. It took him a second—and a few words—to realize that he was talking.

“Aye, chief.” He affirms to nothing he heard, and as Gray continues his bitter routine of hating existence and all that came with it, Arcadius tilts towards the sound of a voice ridiculing Lan. ‘Lil’ Birdie’ and ‘Lil’ Chick’. Who else could it be?

He thought he might have seen something crack in that moment. Like a curtain collapsing from a snapped rope, or the pressure behind a door finally throwing it open to unleash whatever aggressions lay festering. What he assumed for Lan’s attempts at calming himself—more theatrical than anything, if you asked him—was simply the calm before the storm. A calculation, probably, that barely lasted an instant before the feral thing was latched onto the heckler’s arm with vicious teeth.

Arcadius flinched at the sight, face twisted in a grimace that was both sides disgusted and amused. When Lan falters off the side of the desk, it tugs Arcadius’ body along with it as if connected by tightened string. The demon catches himself in time to pause, smother whatever evident concern tried clawing its way out of his stomach, and then floated over to Lan, laughing.

“I hope they gave you your rabies shot.” He snorted, above the angel’s head from behind. Careful red fingers find purchase on either side of the other’s jaw and tilts his face upward in one, smooth motion. His gaze drifts along Lan’s face until gathering at the purple tucked between the corners of his lips. Arcadius’ nose scrunches at the bitter-sweet scent coming from Lan’s mouth. “Dude, your breath stinks.” He chortles and parts from him, seemingly finished with his observation.

He swiftly follows the wall of the hall and curls into the kitchen, seizing a glass and a small hand towel. When he returns, he holds the glass of water in front of Lan’s face. “Rinse.” Simple and concise with a hint of urgency he hoped would be ignored. Then he tosses the damp hand towel to Lan’s victim and gestures to her bitten arm. “To wipe the blood off. From the nibble.” He didn’t know who it would be more of an insult to, but there was clear lighthearted mockery etched into his small, crooked smile.

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Jet and Amethyst:
Main hall
Interactions: Gray, Arc, Ren, Lan
Mentions: Val

Jet blinked long and slow as Gray went off on what he'd describe as a "temper tantrum", expression almost completely unbothered right down to the smoothed feathers of his crest. He would have thought they'd have taken another door, what with how busy the hall was, but to each their own, he supposed. With one tantrum, however, more were sure to follow, and unfortunately for Jet, tuning out Ren wasn't the best of options at the moment.

He turned his head to look as his feathers were shifted, the downy-coated heat preservers fluffing up without his intention or permission, and all-but hiding Ren entirely. The contours on the back of his neck were on end in such a way that he couldn't resist the urge to reach back and flatten them with a hand in a motion that almost seemed annoyed.

Little demon dramas now over in favor of replying to the vampire, Jet was quickly distracted by Amethyst poking at the befeathered maybe-child-maybe-adult behind him, and the resulting crack of teeth through skin.

No one was screaming, and he caught the amused snort of the purple instigator, so he assumed it was the short one that was biting, confirmed by the raspy expletive.

See, this is why Jet tried to stay asleep.

"Hot damn, kid. You're lucky I'm not a quarter as poisonous as my sister!" The laughter in her voice was apparent... as well as just a little spite—but she didn't seem to acknowledge the latter, grinning with long, purple-tipped teeth at... Lan, was it?

With a single, quick motion, he'd tucked the one extended wing back to his side (without hitting anyone, though someone might have been grazed; he wasn't sure), and turned around, ears flattening. "Out," he rumbled, blue meeting purple as he looked toward Amethyst. "Go check on our siblings."

It wasn't said harshly—a little flat, maybe, definitely unamused, but not unfriendly.

He did, however, want Amethyst away from Lan, as it appeared he was susceptible to her verbal raking. The mental note about keeping them away from each other would have to find space on his imaginary bulletin board somewhere.

Right next to the post-it note about talking to her about not hazing and/or harassing the newcomers.

Amethyst stuck her tongue out, but turned with a "Fine, fine, I'll make sure they hear about how grumpy you are without taking your nap." On her way out, she nearly ran into Arc, who she accepted the towel from with a grin and the promise of "he'll hurt a lot more than I will."

And as soon as she rounded the corner, Jet puffed a short, built-up breath that his respiratory system barely allowed. "Honey helps." There was a moment where he seemed like he wanted to say more, but instead, he slipped his phone out of his inner suit pocket, raised a brow at the screen, then promptly started walking toward the doors of the agency, ribs positively screaming their protest at his standing upright the entire way.

Nothing he could say or do would calm the situation down, so he didn't, instead directing his brain to think about the rift and his current (too long) list of errands instead of... everything else.

 

[Tapfic]

​

Lan
Interactions/Mentions:
Arc ( Klown )
Jet + Amethyst ( ScatheAriiasqDrayceon )
Ren ( Gao )
Val ( FireMaiden )
Artemis ( Cello. )

Lan felt the burn sink further into his throat with every sorry attempt to swallow it down, until he opened his mouth to deliver what would have been a truly scathing reply to Toxic waste bitch. A truly scathing reply did not escape his throat however, in fact- what came out was barely a croak of defiance. A raspy breath, turned hiss when the poison stung him.

Oh no.
Oh no no no.
The pain in his throat had rendered him speechless, and the very fact itself made him want to scream. Stuck in an unending loop of wanting to complain about the fact he could not, physically complain.
Instead he could only look on as Arcadius laughed and drifted towards him, face switching through the five stages of grief at an incredible pace- except when the list hit "acceptance" he just jumped back up to "anger".

“I hope they gave you your rabies shot,” the angel pursed his lips. He may not have known what rabies was, but he knew a bitch when he saw one. Which he did. Right then- as careful fingers cradled the sides of his jaw, tilting his head upwards in one gentle motion. Lan had to wonder what it was about these demons that made them ignore the invisible bounds of personal space that most people could manage to respect. The harsh red dusted Lan's cheeks seemed to linger from his anger, faded to subtle pink as the fury calmed- but annoyance stayed.

“Dude, your breath stinks.”
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you , fuck you , fuck you, fuck you- Lan chanted the phrase silently, but all he could do to express the sentiment to the other was flip him a pathetic bird until the demon parted. Sad.

It was a good thing Dick had shooed Toxic away before any more damage could be done, because with Red Bitch gone Lan had gone back to glaring daggers in her direction. He hardly noticed Arc return at all until Amethyst had rounded the corner, and was out of sight.
“Rinse,” Arc had instructed while Lan was ignoring him, now with Toxic gone his glare and shoulders relaxed (ever so slightly).
A glance between the offered drink and Arcadius's stupid face- once- then twice- and then three times before he accepted with hesitant hands.

It was fine, it was just water. It was just-
Lan took a sip, swishing it around his mouth before spitting it back into the cup. Soft purple tints now staining the liquid.

"Honey helps."
Dick offered, before checking his phone.
But. Lan was vegetarian, he couldn't eat bee juice.

Time skip for: Jet, Lan, Arcadius, Gray, Ren , Artemis, and Val
​

The sun was warm as they traveled through Timber. Nicely cobbled roads and a dense collection of landmarks made the trip tolerable - if not somewhat pleasant compared to other less fortunate travelers' situations.

Lan hung near the back of the party as they headed for The Gate- why so many more fucks had decided to join the previously three man group; he did not know. He also did not know if the extra company was for the better or worse.
On one hand, his goal of not being alone on a mission with Arcadius had been realized. On the other...
Actually, with a glance towards Ren- it was most certainly for the worst.

They were barely out of the city of Timber when the border of the Valley became visible- and with it, the large stone building that housed the guarded gates.

As they grew closer, the building grew larger; until it's shadow fell on them- its imposing height obscuring the blue winter sky with white marble columns. Behind it the deep crevice that housed the valley of fire stretched. Above them white clouds gathered at the base of the floating Isle of Angels.

Lan spared a moment to glare upwards- to the lowest island. Something that was gone too quickly to recognize flickered in his eye before he yanked his gaze away, back to the House of the Rift gates.

The inside was quiet, empty, and hollow. The building itself seemed to not be a building at all; just one circular wall inclosing a garden. Hundreds of empty mirror frames dotted the landscape- some shiny and cared for, others overtaken by vines. Nothing stirred- save for the occasional rustle of a hedge.
Off in the corner, a tall man with a lion's tail and ears was taking a nap in a folding chair.

Lan did not know much about the rift gates, but he was aware that these ones were supposed to be guarded by a sphinx names Emrie. The same one that was snoozing his life away in neon pink plastic chair. Maybe if they were guarded a bit better Headhunter agencies wouldn't have to spend so much fucking time tracking down rouge monsters in the human realm. Stupid lazy prick.

Unfortunately, Lan could not tell him his opinion out loud. He just had to settle for a short march up to the Sphinx- so he could stomp down on his lazily waving tail.

Emrie woke with a start, enough so that he fell out of the chair and onto his ass. Sputtering what might have been a question. Lan lifted his foot off of the poor thing and stepped away.

Feline eyes darted between Lan and the rest of the party, brows knit more in confusion than pain- until his eyes widened with realization.

" Oh- fell asleep, my bad," he apologized, but didn't move to stand up.
" Yall' doing Lancer stuff ? Also someone get this guy-" Emrie gestured to Lan " he looks like he fuckin' bites."

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

As it was, Jet had been near the front. He walked fast—for obvious reasons—and had been the first to leave. Granted, the man himself was almost completely sure he was asleep and had just been to the rift often enough that he could navigate there without paying attention, but that was neither here, nor there. In any case, Jet was far more concerned about dying of heat-exhaustion before he even got to the rift, which, while an exaggeration, was at least a little related to the fact that Jet was borderline overheating and his ribs were dying.

Idly, he wondered if the license was going to break them more or less.

As the shadow of the gate's wall fell over them, Jet's eyes opened lazily, and he picked up the pace a little. He could hear Emrie's breathing—sedate and most definitely asleep—and that gave him pause.

It was his job to guard the gate.

However, it was also his job to take care of himself, and that included sleep.

In the time it took for Jet to blink—the world tinting light blue around him—Lan had made that decision for him, harshly stepping on Emrie's tail. A phantom spark of sympathetic pain lanced up Jet's own back in response, prompting a wince, and a "Lan—"

As Emrie sputtered awake, Jet fluffed his wings, the feathers shuddering together with a surprising amount of noise as they raised and laid back down in more comfortable positions. But then he turned back to the rift, and, with a fair amount of purpose, simply started walking toward it, throwing a quick "They are, but I'm not, and he does, in fact, bite—" over his shoulder at the guard's question.

 

[BittyBobcat]

Gray
Rift Gate - Lan and Emris ( Tapfic )

To Gray's chagrin, not only did it take them quite a while longer to get going, but they also gathered even more people. Low as the bar was, none of them seemed to be any better company than the two he was already dealing with. In fact, some were significantly worse, he thought with a glance toward the demon who wanted to 'play with the kitty'.

Well, at least the scenery was nice... creepy overgrown mirrors aside.

Usually you were supposed to talk to someone before heading through a rift, but he couldn't see a single person aside from a sphinx napping in a hot-pink folding chair—
Oh.
It was starting to seem like hiring irresponsible employees was a chronic problem for agencies in the area.

Shrugging the thought off (it wasn't as if he was in a place to complain about it), he took one step toward the guardian to wake him up before being interrupted by Lan taking the liberty of doing it himself by promptly trying to flatten the guy's tail. What a terrific first impression to the person who all of their careers depended on.

"I'd imagine that there's friendlier ways to wake someone up," Gray grumbled, tail curling up off the floor and hopefully out of the range of any more errant footstomps as he stepped between Lan and the sphinx. "My apologies for the jackass, he has no understanding of personal space." Something that a good half of the people in their group seemed to share. "We're here from Lycanthrope." He grabbed his wallet, muscle memory guiding him to grab a faded green—no, wait. Wrong card. He shoved the half-slid out license back in before pulling out a red one and showing it to the sphinx.