Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii - OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort
​

With the sudden burst in activity, Maria was happy to no longer find herself at the center of attention. Dani and Adrian sounded like they had plans to go surfing. Maria was not so sure that was something she wanted to take part in... Though she wondered why they were so keen on that. Had they even been to a beach before? Well Dani was from Seattle wasn't she? Still, that sounded a bit too much for what was her first time in a swimsuit, she actually was from a landlocked area and her time on Dall Island was her second time to the Sea in any true capacity than transit.

Then there was the other group that was growing, she could not place any of the participants in that group at all, having had zero interactions with them. Though strictly speaking she did know the one the boisterous man with heterochromia and bright red hair was declaring her the most beautiful in the world. Well, more of knew of her, she was a Meister that also had access to the labs, but the work both did was vastly different from the other, they had neither cause nor reason to speak to the other. Still, she wasn't sure what she thought of that redhead, she would just hate to be the center of attention just like that and would have left the room.

Turning her attention back to Ark, it seemed he wanted her to explore the island, or some of it in what she was wearing. Frowning at that, she would at least consider it. "We'll see... I might at least for today. But I think I'll-" Before she could finish the others were exchanging numbers or looking at that tall redhead. Was there something they knew that she didn't? She had no means to get soul perception after all, but maybe the realms of Magic had some forms of detection spells. "Something wrong?"


Interactions: Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper

April 21st - Doll Visit​

In Aki’s new home there was much to see and explore, well wasn’t behind doors at least as. There was a basement, Fend had an alright room on the 2nd floor that was big enough for both of them, there was the commons cafeteria, the dining room and of course the Lobby, below that was a basement that had a very secured door a tornado shelter and a largely empty wine cellar that had a few kegs, but mostly a lot of shipping crates that were sealed shut, or open with raw materials in them, chiefly nails and wood, or curiously bags of sawdust in a corner with an exit.

It was then that Aki would see something strange, while there was a vending machine in the basement, it was pretty rare to see someone going down there, much less two, a woman in blue and another with a cloak, from the wisps of hair it seemed both were blondes.

As Aki stepped down the stairs, she caught the tail-end of the ghostly apparitions heading down to the basement. They almost looked like twins with an eerie air about them, similar to one movie she had seen since coming here. The movie wasn’t as scary as others made it out to be, but it did involve two evil twin spirits and, in Aki fashion, she decided to follow them based on this assumption.

She creeped along the wall, sticking to corners as she watched the figures proceed further down, stepping with utmost care so as to not alert them.

With her steps stealthy and Quiet, it was not as if the one watching her was trained in any regards to sense another, the pair carry on, heading to the wine storage, where the cloaked one grabbed a crate as the one in blue waved her hands, in but a short brief moment the two would be facing from where Aki had came, her stealth discovered. Potentially at least.

As the pair traveled, Aki creeped from corner to corner. She sneaked up to the wine storage door and peered within. It seemed the smaller one was giving orders to the other. Even if they were killer spirits, she should be nicer to her sister, or so Aki thought. Despicable.

When the pair suddenly turned, Aki ducked under the door, hugging the wall so that they will hopefully just walk by her with the door acting as a barrier.

True to Aki’s expectations the two girls seemed to not notice her on the way back, though the one in the dress did stop to peer around, maybe feeling something was off before waving her hand forward, the two figures when for the closed and locked room

After the coast was clear, Aki continued to stalk the two, shadowing them as they made their way towards the room. What suspect activities lie within, she wondered. Perhaps it was where the unburied bodies of the restless spirits remained. Perhaps it was a ritual site. Aki was determined to find out.

Inside from what she could see, following them as the locks opened and gears whirled was a dark and gloomy room, that seemed to carry a strong scent of wood and steel, dim glows of light and to the side what seemed to be some body parts, though without blood, laying atop a table as the pair headed inside.

As they entered, Aki’s suspicions seemed to be confirmed by the body parts, though unsurprisingly given her background that didn’t seem to phase her. The odd thing was that the limbs lacked blood yet were simultaneously in pristine condition. Perhaps they were preserved in some way.

“I knew it!” Aki declared, attacking, or more accurately, glomping the smaller of the two giving the commands. “If I can’t accidentally shoot the walls then you definitely can’t have a ritual site in your room!” She said, grabbing hold of Maria in a sort of bear hug, as much as the smaller girl could anyway.

”What!?” with the grab and hold, Maria stands still, a hand darting for one of her blades at first before she pauses. ”Ritual site? This is my workshop.” With a wave of her hand the tall doll behind her drops it’s cargo and lays a pair of segmented hands upon Aki’s shoulders.

”I am a doll maker and Sorceress.”

“Workshop… of limbs!?” Aki retorted in shock. A flesh sorceress, did such a thing even exist? Like a necromancer. The girl pried one hand away as the other arm kept Maria in a hug, pointing two fingers back at the other grasping her shoulders. “And tell your sister to behave! I’m a Demon Weapon and can make any part of my body my barrel!” She warned confidently.

”Limbs? Hmm, that is correct, but I craft more than that. You can go inside if you like… Also don’t shoot my darling, she is my greatest creation till now.” It was hard to move, but Maria was not just yet afraid of the girl, though she was getting nervous, this was a terrible situation to be in. Though her words may or may not have helped.

“There’s more?!” Aki asked, astonished, deadpanning a bit at the woman’s plea. “...Darling…” What kind of messed up family dynamic was this, Aki wondered. “Creation…?” Looking up at the doll’s face overhead, it seemed stagnant and stiff. Aki’s hand lost the mock gun posture and reached up to touch its face, running her fingers along the side and then tapping it with her knuckles. “...That’s not flesh. How did you even make her skin this hard?”

”Skin? How perverse. It’s wood.”

Aki stared blankly for a few moments. “...You turned your sister into wood…?”

”...What?” This girl wasn’t too bright was she. "Just walk me inside and hopefully all will become clear…no need for bloodshed.”

“...Alright, but I’m watching you…” Aki warned suspiciously, however given the differing sizes of them, Aki keeping hold of Maria was practically voluntary on the part of the so-called hostage.

With that, Maria walked her inside, there were a number of work tables, saws, lumber, a pile of weapons, magic crystals, a dog sized spider with blue skin, various work lights, a living section, dolls in various states of assembly, and points of articulation, fabric, clothing, raw metal, even a forge that seemed to be powered with Magitech or Magic. ”I ponder moving out of here into a bigger location for easier production.”

As they entered into the main workshop, Aki looked around in wonder. Instantly her demeanor changed from tiny threat to bewildered child as she left Maria’s side and zipped around the room to examine all its intricacies, pausing at each device, material, half-assembled doll. “Whoa~ It’s like an entire factory! You made all these? Oh!” Stopping at that, she honed in on the spider, sliding into a prone position in front of the creature. “You have a pet! He’s so cute~! She?”

“I’m not sure actually, though they cannot reproduce I think… I’ll need to ask Rand…” Maria for her part seemed pleased with this girl liking her creations, Dani was still afraid of this room, and Nadia wasn’t given to staying long, though Nadia’s room was much more enjoyable. Still, who was this one? Not even minding the hostage taking, this girl could stay as long as she liked. ”Ah, would you like some shortbread cookies?”

With that offer, Aki zipped from the spider to Maria, eyes beaming. “Yes please! Oh, sorry I thought you two were evil spirits or something!” She said, though she didn’t sound all that guilty. “You really make all this stuff? And how do they move? Are they robots? Magic?”

”Of course I made them all and many other things aside, furniture, plushies, all that you have already seen, and though it offended my sensibilities, I’ve built hot air balloons… Though I had help with the last one.”

Going over to her cupboard she gets a plate and sets out a few cookies, then reaches up for a couple tea cups. ”Ah yes, It's Magic, I am Maria Myer, the Marionette. Though more and more I’ve been using some magitech theories, the one behind you has an energy storage, so I need not remain connected to my dear Alisia but so often.” with a wave of her hand wires connect to the doll as it goes back to its task of bringing the crate back in. ”Though I am of the fate project, my pull of magic is that of creation, which has an oad to order. Meaning it would be an interesting situation where I was branded Evil. What is your name?”

“That’s so cool! I can’t really make anything except food,” Aki replied, immediately honing in on the cookies and helping herself. Humming happily as she bit into a couple. “Oh, I’m in Fate too! Aki Kiyoko. I have a Volatile Soul,” She stated blatantly. “What’s wrong with hot air balloons? That sounds pretty cool to make one.”

"They were ugly, thrown together with materials, not even tested, an invention of necessity rather than purpose. If it's worth doing, then the form should be worthy of function. Maria said, pouring some tea for the two of them, and sitting the cups and tea down upon her table. ”A volatile Soul, did they find a partner for you?

“Ah, so that’s why you make your dolls look so pretty,” Aki mused as took another bite from the cookie. “Oh, yeah! She lives here too! You’d like Feng. She’s got a berserker wavelength. We’re still working on how to work in conjunction though. How long have you been here for?”

“Hmm… Three years in the DWMA, in the program since the 2nd wave. And I’m not sure, I may have seen her before, if she lives here I’ll likely see her sooner or later…yes, I simply must.” With that the young sorceress nodded her head. ”Is there something you would like for me to make for you Aki?”

“You will, we just moved in here together. I just got put into the program,” Aki added on, picking up one of the teacups to sip from it before Maria’s question. Thinking on it, it was a broad question, which made it difficult for Aki’s 1,000 mile-per-hour mind to hone in on something specific. “Uh… I dunno off the top of my head. What could you make for me?” Essentially, what were the limits was her question.

Looking at the girl, she pondered how to answer that question. ”Well, a plushie or something simple you could use, made out of materials, anything from a dress to a knife, I can make much larger things such as furniture or sculptures… Ah, I could carve you something out of wood on the small side, but anything bigger I have to charge. Or I give as a surprise for your birthday if you wish to be friends… But I can just tell you if it’s doable.”

“Hm… Oh!” Coming up with an idea, Aki dug in her pocket and pulled out a small wallet. From inside, she produced what appeared to be an old, folded polaroid photo. There wasn’t much that could be discerned from the background, though some disheveled buildings could be seen and it was in the evening. The focus of the photo was a woman with blue hair, much like Aki’s, glancing in the direction of the photographer with her face partially concealed by posture. What was clear was the sleeve the woman had, tattooed from shoulder to hand with the most striking illustration being a red Japanese samurai oni mask on the back of the woman’s hand. “Do you think you could make a mask like this?”

“Hmm…” Studying the photo and the Tattoo, she wondered who this woman was. If it was her mother then she most definitely got her looks from the father. ”I have little experience with such, but it should be within my capabilities, though I would ask for you to return in a couple of hours, unless you wished to stay here the whole time.”

“Can I?!” Aki beamed at the other. She had no knowledge of any of these things, so to watch how it would be made was interesting to the girl. “I won’t bug you, promise!”

“This will be rather loud, but the basement is well insulated, given I will be metal working. What your mother has there is called a Men-yoroi or Menpo, a style of Mask for the Samurai of Japan. This one seems to be in the style of an Oni… while it has the big nose of a Tengu, the fangs make it clear what it is… One of the few interesting artforms in the world of weapons. It is good you are here, I can measure it for your face, but ah, don’t wear it for protection, iron plate is rather poorly suited to defense, more so plate this thin, but ah… Now to Mold you..” With that Maria retrieved some molding clay and walked right up to the girl, rolling it into small strands that she would put along the chin, nasal passages and cheeks, provided she allowed it.

“Yep! Mama has a bunch of cool tattoos. Her back is covered in them too,” Aki explained. “I don’t want it for protection. Just… cause it’s hers,” She added further, looking with interest as the other approached her with some clay. “So do I just–Oh.” And the clay was applied, making it difficult for her to speak, though she tried her best nonetheless to sit still.

Taking the measurements, Maria stared at her for a brief while, removing the outlining mold, she pauses as if searching for words. ”Seemingly I get my crafting nature from my birth mother, though the woman who I see as my mother encouraged it as well.” With those words the impassive doll faced girl set about firing up her magical forge, and pulled out three sheets of Iron plate, rather thin and light of weight, she decides to go another route, Aki wasn’t going to be wearing this for protection after all. Stainless steel sheeting would be better than a historically accurate museum piece. It was something of both a shortcut and a better standing design. It was not forging from pure ore, so much as shaping and bending existing steel to shape. As she recalled the Menpo was a two piece design technically, with the nose piece being able to split off from the mask.

Setting about cutting, shaping, visualizing, the small arms of Maria were surprisingly toned as she whacked, slammed and beated upon the steel plate with fire and steel, CLANG CLANG CLANG! ”You’re a weapon, aren’t you? What of your mother, what brought you here?”

“Ooh. To be honest, I don’t know much about witch stuff,” Aki admitted as she watched the woman’s process with vested interest. To her question, the girl gave a couple brief nods. “Yep! Beretta 92 FS Inox! It comes from my dads side apparently,” She stated with pride. “Mama’s a really badass mercenary! I was her weapon for a while in China, then I went freelancing and ended up in South America when the DWMA picked me up. And then… uh…” Tapping her index fingers together, the girl averted her gaze sheepishly. “I kinda messed up and hurt my partner’s hand… I have a Volatile Soul, so I’m here to help me learn how to control it… What about you? You said you have two moms?”

“One.” Maria said simply as she held the piece of metal out, making sure she had the fangs just right.”My birth mother and father were killed when I was around four or five, there is very little I remember about it, flashes and lingering memories. Tick tock, so goes the clock. It was done by the DWMA, though my parents were lost to madness and nearly caused a hotspot, so I do not fault the DWMA, because I’m of the madness of Order, I was not overtaken by the Madness of Chaos and was given a life that has not been so bad. Or so I’ve been told is the Theory.”

”As to why I am here, I was so attached to my creations that rather than have it destroyed, my dearest Alicia, I abandoned my team. I also…do not know how to act around people, not well at least, it is like even now, I am making this so we can be friends. Or so I was told to do by my Master, who I see as my Mother. Though, you should value what you have now, which I’m sure you don’t want to hear from me.”

“Oh…” Aki deflated a bit at that, though the other didn’t seem to speak with any sadness. Still, that was sad, and the girl appeared somewhat lonely, or sounded like it. Even Aki had her mom at least, or so she thought. Then there was the issue of friends. After a moment of pause, Aki approached the other and placed a hand on the dollmaker’s head, caressing it softly side to side as Feng had opted to do to her. “You don’t need to make this to be my friend silly, or anything. I’d be your friend if you made me anything or not.”

Maria briefly freezes up at the touch, those words meant a lot to her, they really did. Though she would outlive Aki, most of her friends really, by centuries, she had spent so long in near isolation with only one person, that she feared ultimately, being alone in the truest sense of the world. Making such gifts was her hope that they would remain. ”Thank you… Just think of this as a housewarming gift.”

And just like that she went back to work, driven in her convictions to make Aki something she could join. While Maria did not speak of such, she could never understand people, but she could understand to an extent what they had done. Aki was a tool to those around her, minus maybe this Feng character, but that remained to be seen.

The problem was most craftsmen did not take care of their tools. It’s why cheap hammer sets are sold every holiday and birthday. The time would pass rather swiftly as Maria finished the first and second half, then Lacquered, though she did something curious with the Lacquer, one that differed from the image significantly, while there were red highlights, the majority of the mask was made blue. That woman in the image was off to Maria, she was nothing worth emulating compared to this sweet girl. Of that she was sure. In ten minutes it would be dried enough to hand over, as she wipes dirty hands upon a white table bound apron. Once that time was up, she simply handed the mask over. ”I decided this belongs to you.”

As Maria turns the mask over to Aki, she takes it carefully and examines it with a smile. It was her mother’s mask, but in a style more of her own. More than just a way of remembering her mother, it was something that could represent herself as well. Without warning, Aki leaps toward Maria and wraps her arms around her neck in a tight hug. “I love it! You’re the best Maria!”

”I’ll have to introduce you and Feng to some of the others unless you meet them yourselves. But ah, that may not be for a little while, I’m honestly well behind on building my equipment and training aside, but this was a nice distraction. Please visit again anytime.” With that Maria waited for when Aki was ready to leave but gave her a spoken tour of the small workshop, explaining what it was she did and how.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Hawaii Resort
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"Demon Chimera hmm..." Elly hummed in response to Midori's warnings. "Take a breather, love. You're the one who fancies red, not me."

Whatever she thought internally, externally, she spoke nonchalantly, hence the the subtle accusation of jealousy for her staring. Internally though, it was mildly concerning. Elly knew Midori wasn't apart of the upper echelon of the Hoshi, but even so he was quite strong. For him to decree the Chimera as stronger, no ifs, ands, or buts, meant that it was no exaggeration. More than that, though, was the distrust.

Everyone here was a screw-up, so to speak. That, or incredibly untrustworthy. She was here for just that reason, and though the two got off to a rocky start, Midori had seemed to long since start to enjoy her company and Elly dared say the feeling was mutual. Yet, there was more distrust with the red head. Then again, Elly had her wiles that were likely more appealing to him than anything the Chimera could come up with. Yet still there had to be something more.

"I see a big'ol contradiction. His soul is the messiest, tidiest soul I've ever seen," She answered, turning her attention back to the menu in front of her. "I wasn't planning to go over and introduce myself, but is there any particular reason you're worried about him? Aside from power, that is. We have an ice giant, a berserker, a couple Volatile Souls, and Murderous Wavelength with a newfound scorpion tail that melts things, a Werewolf... Hurting people isn't that special in and of itself in this company."

Sir Les Paul

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Evangeline
Hawaii Resort
Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper ​

Eva had been people watching for a short bit of time. She set her now fully inflated tube next to her and immediately set to taking a few sips from her drink. There were tons of people all about, some she knew and many she had never met before. Looking over to Sara she smiled, taking another few sips from her drink. Setting it down she turned to the bartender "Could I have another one?" Eva asked.

Zosar approaching took her mostly off guard. She hadn't been looking in his direction as he approached. "Hey! No sweat, this place is pretty big. As for drinks uhhhhhhh…" Eva looked down at her glass and tilted her head. "Its uhm… fruity." Eva responded. Then she felt a pull nearby, something alluring and before she could put a finger on it the source revealed itself.

Eyes darting over to the newcomer Eva looked him over. It seems he knew Zosar… far better than Eva would have expected. Was his actual name Straugg? That was an interesting last name. It seems this new guy was entirely focused on Zosar. Her new drink arrived, taking it in her hand she put the straw in her mouth just as Chimera changed his focus. Watching him compliment Sara she couldn't help but internally giggle. That changed however when he refocused on her.

His eyes were something, two different colors much like Zosar. Eva froze up like a deer caught in a set of headlights. She listened as he introduced himself, her drink raised and straw still in her mouth. At last Eva began to slowly drink from her glass. She was about to say something when he made a move. She wasn't used to this sort of attention. It was a rarity for Eva to be wearing anything but somewhat baggy clothing.

Her slow draw on the straw suddenly picked up as she pulled strongly, a sudden sucking noise as she finished the drink. Lowering it she stared at him for a long moment. She didn’t really know what to say, but the awkward silence began to pile up on her. “Cool.” was all she could manage to say.

Internal alarms went off as she tried to keep herself from blushing like a ripe tomato. It didn’t last long as she began to blush. Thinking of something else to say, Eva quickly turned towards the bartender “Another please.” she stammered out before returning her focus to Chimera. The only thing she could bring herself to do was smile. While Eva’s soul remained relatively calm, Sara could pick up on the fact that Eva was very anxious but also somewhat amused and unsure. By this point, two drinks down in a relatively short time Eva was starting to feel decently tipsy.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Noah Wiley​

Date: September 9, 2067
Location: OUTRIGGER, Kāʻanapali Beach Resort, Hawaii
Interactions: Gauss, Arkayis, Annika, Wes, Gav
Mentions: Kenneth, Zosar, Sara, Eva, Feng
Sir Les Paul Peckinou Mook-LandStrider Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun

Noah was dancing his attention between his partners and that of Annika and Wes. He had heard someone yelling about grabbing liquor, but that’s not what he wanted right now. He really just wanted to see Gav again, and it was rather disappointing he was gone on mission.

Arkayis didn’t sound too enthused in being here, and even less so about the amount of people here.

Then, he heard a familiar voice behind him. It made him jump, his eyes widening and his phone jumping out his hand. He quickly snatched it in the air and looked over his shoulder to see-

“Gav…!” The amount of joy on his face to see his boyfriend again - after believing he wouldn’t be here - was the most amount of joy he had expressed in a long time. The surprise was a pleasant one. If he wasn’t trying to be cool, he’d have gotten up and jumped him with a hug, but he was with his partners and a couple friends. It would be not very cool of him to act like a girl with a high school crush.

“And hey, I am. Just missin’ ya. Ya didn’t say anythin’ ‘bout bein’ here for a mission…” He said in defiance, playfully pouting and sounding mock offended before turning that into a smirk. “Wanna join us? Oh. That’s Gauss and Arkayis, and they are Annika and Wes.” He said, introducing each person and pointing at them with his thumb when he went over each.

That was when he noticed something flash in his peripherals and looked over to see the familiar wolf ears of his former meister, her weapon, Zosar, and-

“Who’s the redhead over there?” He got a strange feeling from the man, but he didn’t know why. He had barely any training in soul perception, if any, but whoever this guy was had made his hair stand on the back of his neck, and he rubbed the back of his neck to calm it.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: September 9, 2067
Location: OUTRIGGER, Kāʻanapali Beach Resort, Hawaii
Interactions: Adrian, Dani, Maria, Ark
Mentions: Zosar, Kenneth, Feng
Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper

Raph smiled as Ark complimented him, his cheeks turning rather pink but they faded pretty quickly. Hearing about projects though, Raph’s eyes widened and he was all on board. What was even better was that Dani didn’t seem too upset with his arrival, and seemed to warm up with his continued existence. Perfect!

And surfing?

“Ohh, I don’t mind surfing. Was gonna try it out back before the whole thing in the UK, but… yeah.” Awkward ending, considering the last time he was in the UK was during the MIBVI crisis. He spoke up again though to avoid leaving it on an awkward note. “But I might need help.” He chuckled sheepishly, finding it rather embarrassing to even ask for it, and his pride began to stir uncomfortably in his chest, and he winced as he rubbed it with a disdainful scowl flashing across his features for but a moment

Of course, Ark had to talk about Maria being in her swimsuit again, but at least he was trying to be a nice friend and definitely trying to just get her to wear that more often so he can watch her, pervert.

Someone yelling about drinks had pulled his attention away for a moment, and he was tempted to go over there, but he decided to wait and see who else would come over.

It was then that Ark found someone familiar, and he looked over to see what he was talking about. He only recognized Sara, wearing that same ribbon and skull piercing on her ear that Maria fixed for her. When Dani asked Ark who he was staring at, he at first thought it was Zosar, but he noticed the redhead there, and he tilted his head in confusion. “Uh… Who’s he? I swore I’ve heard of him before…” Raph had a rather large circle back then who would gossip about all the bad kids. Even then, there were a lot of bad eggs, with Raph being one of them, which was why he wanted to know of these bad eggs for one reason: to avoid them.

He didn’t want to get caught up in this guy’s shizz either, so he stayed put.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Sara Middleton​

Date: September 9, 2067
Location: OUTRIGGER, Kāʻanapali Beach Resort, Hawaii
Interactions: Eva, Zosar, Kenneth
Mentions: Feng, Aki
Sir Les Paul Mook-LandStrider The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

After letting Eva have the inflatable tube, Sara was busy sampling some of the drinks, already getting rather tipsy. She had drank more than Eva did at this point, and due to her werewolf physiology, she had to drink more in order to get a buzz, but it’ll go away pretty soon.

Granted, she was a horrendous lightweight, so when Zosar appeared, she just about squealed. “Zosar!” She hopped off and went to tackle Zosar with a hug, her tail becoming nothing but a blur as she turned on her olfactory soul sense to smell those sweet bloodied flowers of his soul. “I was so worriieeed.” She pulled away with rosy cheeks and sparkles in her yellow eyes, her gaze fighting to stay up at Zosar’s face and not look at his muscles. “Hey, hey, I had some blue drink, and…. I lost track of how much I drank already, but I like the mimosa drinks the best!”

The sound of someone wanting others to join them for drinks had her looking over to see Aki and Feng. She was tempted to walk over and drag Eva and Zosar with her.

Then, her nose picked up on another scent. One that overpowered Zosar’s scent. It smelled something like calming incense - similar to Noah’s - and had a powerful potency behind all the scents of his soul like Zosar’s Volatile Wavelength. He smelled super sweet, and Sara wouldn’t mind smelling it every day. She turned off her olfactory soul sense though, as he grew closer it also grew too powerful for her to smell anything else. It was a shame, anyway.

Straugg… Oh, that was Zosar’s identity he talked about having back then, wasn’t it?

His voice was super calm-inducing, and Sara wondered if he was using his healing wavelength-

Wait… Volatile and Healing? How could he have both at the same time???

On top of that, he seemed rather familiar.

While it wasn’t unheard of, as she had a weapon partner who had two wavelengths, they were similar enough for there to be a slight overlap. This one however were two completely separate pieces.

Him having heterochromia was pretty cool though, but she got a bit spoiled with that already with Midori and Zosar also having heterochromia. He called her persistent canine features charming, and she smiled politely. “Why, thank you.”

That was when he honed in on Eva, and Sara noticed he wasn’t being deceitful the entire time from Eva’s eyes, who were now staring at him all bug-eyed. Brushing her arm against hers, she established a slight connection to feel her emotional turmoil, but found she wasn’t just anxious, just unsure and… Very flustered.

Well, that last part was pretty easily seen, and Sara laughed. “I think you surprised my tipsy partner, Greek Sculpture.” She gave Kenneth a friendly nickname based on his physique. “She’s not normally hit on quite that smooth.” She chuckled, wrapping an arm around Eva’s neck to pull her in with Sara. “Just give her some time and she’ll open up, and oh! You have a similar soul to my former weapon partner and this awesome guy.” She reached for Zosar, trying to wrap her arm around his neck to pull him in. The force she did that with was unmeasured though, as it was clear from a slight tinge in her breath that she was quite tipsy.

But the huge smile became a more inquisitive one soon after. “So, how did you get two wavelengths like that? Aren’t people supposed to have one?” He was quite interesting indeed. But in this proximity - if Zosar was willing to be pulled into her friendly embrace - he could tell her anything without Kenneth knowing, considering how sensitive her ears were.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar | Outrigger Resort, Hawaii

“Zosar!”​

Sara landed that hug with quite the impact, the very thing he had anticipated which already had his footing shifted to not get bowled over when she landed. It was easy to forget despite her size, she could take out anyone here with ease on pure natural strength alone.

Returning the hug with a chuckle he replied in a teasing tone, “Somebody’s happy to see me.” He wondered what she would have been like if he had just appeared on the same plane as her if they’d never met up earlier after his return to the city.

It wasn’t hard to miss that faint hint, that light dose of desire in her. Without soul perception things were vague for him to detect but there were certain emotions he’d learned to pick up on without. Hostility / Aggression was number one on that list. Number two, was attraction and its various forms.

He could tell when they broke off that her eyes had gone down then up.

His warm smile didn’t change despite the amusement he felt at knowing she was trying not to look.

“Mimosas and something Fruity huh?” he replied. Sounds like his journey around the place had given them plenty of time to get something in their system, and given Sara’s altered biology, the weregirl was bound to have had more than the normal quantity for a human.

With Eva though it was trying to guess just what she had. A cocktail? Something mixed with juice maybe or flavored syrup? Some other combination? Only way to tell would be to taste--

Then his whole body tensed instantly. Just like it had when he’d sensed Aki.

Aki had been one thing, but two? Two?! Two other Volatile Souls in the same place. His eyes wide with excitement, Sara and Eva became priority two, priority one was--

Was…

Wait, wait hold on- something wasn’t right here…

Soul Perception switched on. And as Kenny came into visual view Zosar had the latest surprise of his life hit him as he stared at the man’s soul.

His jaw dropped and gaze became fixed.

If he were still a spy, he’d have been breaking all the training he’d been given before making the trip to enter DWMA, and that would be to never show one’s true thoughts; verbally or physically.

From what he could mostly tell, Kenny’s soul was nothing like Az’s Bonded Soul, this was entirely different. Two souls in one body, he wasn’t sure what to make of it exactly.

So many darker thoughts flickered through his mind in an instant, before they were quelled by the simple fact it ultimately did not matter if whoever this tall, fit young man was, was here.

And through it all, he kept his expression from showing any sign of the confliction he actually felt. He remained looking shocked, looking completely absorbed at the specimen heading their way, body language matching it as he’d stepped a little away from both Eva and Sara to see, despite now feeling confused and slightly disturbed, curious and a growing desire to know more.

Meeting Aki had been eye opening. It allowed him to see what he could have been like if he allowed his soul to be free, wild, untamed like she did with little control put in it, even with the training he doubted that aspect of her would ever change.

Ultimately it had confirmed his suspicion. A Weapon with his Soul would have it somewhat easier than a Meister.

In hindsight now, that shouldn’t have been a surprise.

Aki didn’t need to spend years training mind and body to get good enough to even use an ounce of Wavelength for even minor feats of Amplification. She hadn’t had to learn how hard it was his first time resonating with Markus, the only one who had been brave enough to offer being his partner out of a list of other options from the growing members of the Enlighteners. She hadn’t had to learn what it felt like to always feel like you were always bottling up, always in tight clothes or shoes that didn’t fit right or felt weird but you had to deal with because it simply had to be--

Kenny however, the more he observed, was nothing like either of Aki or he.

Though he had the Volatile nature within, he also possessed that Healing wavelength from the other soul, of which he thought of Noah. Not to mention he could sense, simply by comparing Aki’s presence a distance away to him, that his soul held a slightly stronger presence.

He could only assume that meant the Volatile Soul trait was still active despite being linked to this other soul and its healing wavelength.

Two souls, in one. How strange. What a sight to behold though.

And he wasn’t just observing the souls either.

As strange as it was, it was also quite impressive. Not Kenny’s body, that was nice too. What was impressive was the Chimera had found a balance between the tango of his dual soul traits, and was exercising it even as he moved much like how he exercised his suppression at all times. They were similar in very different ways.

That was where the similarities ended immediately though.

As he observed and others caught up in the wave of Kenny’s presence either also taking a passing glance or guffawing stare when he walked by- Zosar noted other traits.

One in which Nadia held herself. Ice Blood, two souls- technically what? Eleven? With the strength of the Volatile and the support of a Healing Wavelength-- Talk about winning the lottery.

It did make him wonder though how things would have been if he and Noah had been partners.

"You're a hard man to keep up with, mister Straugg,"

Using that to make it seem like he was still more shocked than just blatantly observing the much taller redhead, Zosar blinked sharply as Kenny came to a stop at his destination. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t noticed it, but the effect of stumbling backwards in surprise at his height added in the sense of how caught off guard he might have been, like an awkward teenager that had been approached by the most popular kid in school they never dreamed would talk to them, he heard:

"Or, do you go by Zosar in full now?" In that same abnormally calming voice.

If he had been straight, Kenny talking alone would have made him bi now but that was a bit of dramatization on his part.

The logical side of his brain however screamed at him, that this effect Kenny’s voice alone was having on him, wasn’t normal. The sense of ease and his own slight sense of appreciation for his physique were all there but still- he shouldn’t allow that to get to his head.

Was it the Healing wavelength at play?

If Noah ever got this good, Gav would likely have more enemies.

Mister Straugg caught himself on his trailing foot as he maintained that respectable distance his faked stumble had added to. Like a switch, after clearing his throat with a cough into his fist, as if to banish the awkwardness he dispelled the game of shock he had continued.

“I go by Zosar now” he replied calmly in turn, not an ounce of irritation or annoyance in the reply.

Would have said more, if he hadn’t felt like cutting Kenny off as he addressed Eva and Sara, would be quite rude when he had no immediate reason to.

And what a way with words he had.

Instead of letting Sara reach for him, he took a step towards her as she spoke and seeing what she was aiming to do, stopped it-- stopped it carefully though so as to avoid a social scandal. He didn’t sidestep or ignore her arm, he took her hand. Snatched it up like a snake did prey, did it in a smooth motion, gentle as his fingers delicately took her hand to guide it away from the path it would have been headed to instead be steady as he moved in.

“You spoil me with compliments a bit too much ma sucré” French, for ‘my sweet’. Though when he said it, it was done casually with an appreciate smile as he went to stand behind both girls.

With a glance and a passing wink at Kenny as he did, Zosar followed his movements with: “Angel here” a nickname Eva would recall he had used for her a few times in the past, “shines when she’s flustered doesn’t she? That’s a thing I love about her. And I do agree she does dazzle, doesn’t she?” He gave Eva’s shoulder an affectionate pat. “Ma Sucre however,” turning his attention to Sara, “that’s French for ‘Sweet’, delicacies or delights” queueing her in on what he had been saying. “As my nickname for her implies, you’ll find her company to be just as wonderful. These two make quite the heavenly pair, especially as company.” In a sense that was true. Reconnecting with someone that didn’t outright hate him for his double identity or the mystery of what he came here to even do, was a relief he had not known he wanted.

And Sara, she already had his respect being the only one of anyone that bothered to get answers from Midori and meet him while he was locked away underground.

His left hand moved to Sara’s left shoulder blade, while his right went to Eva’s right. It was a smooth transition that they might not have even immediately noticed till his hand was resting right there.

“My friend makes an interesting point on your wavelengths Ken,” his voice dropping to become almost playful in sound, “you carry quite the presence, but before we go into that topic, may I go into my own?” question poised with some degree of politeness.

The answer was he wouldn't wait though.

Moving his hand up to Sara’s shoulder and giving it a gentle tap, “This beautiful werewolf, is Sara.” Zosar continued, voice above each person's ear, “And this scarlet lily is Eva.” The same light tap touching Eva’s shoulder.

Standing fully to his height, no longer leaning in as he had to speak while addressing the two and Kenny, his smile became a grin. “Nice to meet you, Ken. Now that introductions are out of the way, care to tell us a bit about yourself since you seem to know something about me?”

Mentions: Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Peckinou Shotgunpenguin

Interactions:: Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Kenneth Russo​

"Chimera"​

Species Human
Partner Sylas Kallis
Rank Fate Agent

Location OUTRIGGER Resort, Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Mission A Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride
Status Interested

​

Tags: Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Peckinou

"Moins.. est plus," <Less.. is more.> Chimera replied, specifically to Zosar. His cadence had increased, his pitch raised, and his language quickly transitioned to French, knowing that was the origin of the pet names Zosar used.

"Avec mille mots," <With a thousand words> he went on, "de mille manières," <in a million ways>, he continued, pausing briefly for dramatic effect between his phrases, "Pourrions'ous appele les pétales dun Cœillet beau. <could we call the petals of a carnation beautiful>"

"Mots, comme le soleil, <Words, like the sun>" he smiled softly, raising his eyebrows with intrigue towards Zosar.

"Fera flétrir nos belles fleurs," <Can cause our beautiful flowers to wilt>," he warned, "sils sont trop dur." <if they are too harsh>

Kenneth wasn't particularly competitive when it came to the girls. He interpreted the behavior of Zosar to be almost possessive, defensive even. He had seen it before; in fact, it was not all that uncommon. Now, if Zosar had wanted to spar, that might have brought out a spark of interest. As it currently stood, he mostly just found the reaction a combination of unfortunate and off-putting.

"Perhaps neither of your friends desired an introduction, Zosar..." Kenneth commented, pointing out a simple, but true fact. Kenny hadn't technically introduced himself to Sara or Zosar directly, and neither Sara or Eva responded with any type of introduction themselves. As Kenny saw it, Zosar boldly provided their names--regardless of the flowery language surrounding them--without their direct consent. Worse off, Eva clearly was flustered. The choice really should have theirs, not his.

"Bold assumption to take that decision from them; perhaps I am so unsettling that neither wished for me to know their name," he went on, offering a gentle shrug, then pulling his hand to the back of his head to rub it. He was almost certain that wasn't true, but it could have been. More so, the exposure to that calming effect had an adverse effect here. While these accusations might normally have brought one to the defense of Zosar, the presence of this man was so calming that it mitigated that micro-aggression. This was one of the dangers of Chimera. He could weaponize his wavelength in ways that weren't what one would call common.

"You see, it would make sense; I do happen to be a freak of nature, after all," he went on, taking jabs at himself and letting out a short chuckle.

"My nickname isn't just for the stage... I am in fact a chimera. I have two separate sets of DNA inside me; I likely absorbed my twin in the womb," he explained, becoming more serious and lowering his tone as he did so. "And, as a sound soul dwells within a sound body and a sound mind," he went on in a half sing-song tone, "this body of mine has affected my soul. My soul is a patchwork of two trying to exist in one body."

"Whiiiiich," he said, making a quick transition, "is why I bothered to introduce myself. I obviously have a Volatile Soul, as do you."

Those eyebrows of his raised again. "It's a been a struggle. There plenty of us in this program, which is proof of it. If you think about it, it make sense. I guess I just wanted to reach out to the others with them and see how they deal with it," he explained.

He then chuckled again and those eyes of his darted back over to Sara, then Eva, then back to Zosar. "So, as attractive as these two are--and I do implore neither of them to take this with any offense--you, Zosar, are my primary interest here," he admitted, doing so in such a way that he delicately tried to avoid hurting the feelings of either Sara or Eva.

"Not that I would mind also getting to know either of them," he added, only further trying to avoid upsetting either. "After all, a flower has more to appreciate than its petals--no matter how vibrant or delightful," he said, never once missing the chance to continue his smooth operations.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii - OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort​

With all that was happening, the giant seemed to be drawing more attention to himself and off puttingly speaking in French. Gazing at him with soul perception Nadia earmarked him as a likely source of trouble before the hour, never mind the day was done. A soul that may have been blue of ice, but one that was also fragmented and rife with chaos. He may have not been evil, but much like Aki and Zosar, dangerous in their own unique ways. Those ways died to their very souls. But his was another matter.

Turning away from the situation with this Kenny fellow, she hoped it would not follow them, but Aki would be the next target, if not herself and Feng. Or maybe, just maybe he would wander off elsewhere. Joining the drink table, she took the screwdriver and sat by Aki and Feng. "You know, I hope the speech starts, still a drink won't hurt, but ah, don't drink the tea, unless you don't want to get in the water at all." Nadia said, joining the other two.

Interactions: EmperorsChosen

~~~~

May 12th Digging up the Past - Nadia and Dani
​

May 12th;

A few weeks after the escapades in Russia, the vacation in Moscow and a tenuous time helping Dani come to terms with the fresh wounds of a 2nd loss of her brother, it was Nadia’s time to ask for Dani’s help, or rather her company, it was a long ride to Reno and back and she was going to confront at least three of her problems, if not possibly more, or rather ghosts from yesterday, the hits that she got in late April were for sure, She had found some of those from the old Camp, three of them were for sure hits. She had asked some days prior for Dani to come with her, as while she was strong, she had no idea what she would find, and given her way with words, she did not want to make the situation worse.

So here she stood with a Rental Car, waiting on her angsty partner, though that was better than when she was depressed. No, if anything, this was for the best. “Dani, you got everything you need for a day trip?”

“Yeah,” Dani replied, wearing a tank top, shorts, and sneakers and carrying with her a small backpack of various items. “Where’s this? Reno?” The girl by now wasn’t so much over the incident in Russia but was at least talking to others and coping appropriately, and she wasn’t in so much grief that she didn’t recognize how difficult this was for Nadia. The other had helped her many times, and Dani certainly would do the same to her.

“Yes, it should be a couple hours, we may stay in the city, overnight, depends how it all goes, if we end up staying some time, I’m not sure if we want to get home in the middle of the night, but we’ll discuss that when it is time. Are you sure you want to do this? No, you are here and that is good enough for me, my sister.” With that Nadia motioned for the other to get in as she did likewise. ”I plan to do all the driving, but do you know how to do so? I normally do all of this or someone else does.”

“Damn right I am,” Dani remarked, giving the other a soft squeeze on the shoulder, similar to Nadia frequently did to her. Tossing her backpack in the back of the car, she got in the passenger seat and paused at Nadia’s question. “...Do I know…? Yes.” As she buckled the seatbelt in, she expanded on that. “I have a license… it’s just… suspended because of the madness shit…”

”Then I drive. Though seeing your Road rage may be amusing. Either way lets go. Fortunately the ones I’ve found, the first on the list, is easy to find. Runs a restaurant, we’ll start there.”

“I-I’m not that bad anymore...” Dani said, slinking into her seat slightly from embarrassment. “So… Do you have an idea of what we should expect? I was kinda picturing a bunch of little ‘yous’, but I don’t think you could tolerate running a restaurant when some asshat starts making a scene.”
”No, no idea, though it is ran by Pavel Kozlov, he was always the most joyful of the bunch… Other than that, Dimitri Novikov is in Death City, but his trail goes cold past a point, and Sergey Pushkin is also in Reno, or was, a criminal report. So we start with Pavel.” Nadia said, taking the drivers seat and turning the ignition. “We’ll be there in no time…Or so I would say, it takes about two hours to reach Reno. I wonder if the camps are still there…”

“Makes sense…” Dani mused, though she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. She was more of here to support Nadia, knowing the other girl was probably worried about how things would go as well even if she didn’t show it. “I would think the camps would’ve been diminished by now, with people being moved into actual homes.”

”Yes. It’s been a few years too, most people would have returned home to rebuild. Most, but then again neither of us ever returned back. Some may not care, others will feel bitter. Any music you would like? Otherwise I will play what I want to hear.”

“Yeah but we went to a home. Camps like that were a thing mainly cause of the massive influx of refugees from the pandemic,” Dani commented before shrugging. “You mean your high culture classical music?” She asked with a hint of smartass to the tone.

”Russian Opera is the height of European Civilization you ingrate, hmph.” Nadia says in response. ”We’ll be driving for two hours, it can be in silence, you can play with one of your game things, a little of both of our musics mixed around, or whatever else.”

“Uh huh,” Dani continued, in a way, trying to keep the others mind off things. “So, when we can’t understand what the hell our opera singers are saying, is it the same for you in Russian?” She asked with a small smirk. “It’s fine, I don’t mind it.”

“Cultural Philistine, it is mostly music, no singing…. Let's just get this over with, we’ll take turns with listening to things.” With that the ride was was more or less a mix of silence, small talk, music Nadia put on and music that Dani put on in turn, and two hours and some minutes later they were out front of a Restaurant named, Taste of Russia, it wasn’t open yet however, with travel time and getting here it was 9am, it did not open till 11. It was a rather modest building, like any other restaurant, though an American Flag and the Russian Tricolor was hung off of flag poles and there was a caricature of a Russian Man with a Jolly face plasted on the outside, likely the inside as well was full of Slavic looking art or decor with a drive through window at the back of the location for order pickups rather than placing an order. Overall, it seemed well traveled enough and not lacking in business.

”Do we want to wait or ask the locals where he might live?” Nadia asked of Dani in short reply.

“Well… seems like it’s doing pretty good,” Dani observed before giving a slight shrug. “We could, but would anyone be likely to know or tell us? Might be better to wait. Or we could knock. There could be people inside just prepping for opening.”

”Well, can’t hurt to try, but I don’t think you need two hours to get things ready, but maybe I’m wrong.” As fortune would have it, Nadia went to the back rather than the front door, there was a car around besides their own, maybe they would be lucky. Knocking on the door it was the sound of a disgruntled man with a Russian accent called out with a muffled voice that answered soon after in response as locks turned. “Read the sign! 11am! This had better be an early delivery!” Opening the door, he looked almost exactly like the man on the sign, somewhat heavy weight, he had deep laugh and smile lines, likely a joyful fellow, Nadia couldn’t much fault him for not being pleased at having his work disturbed by an unannounced guest.

Looking over the two girls, his face took on a puzzled look, the haircolor, sheer height and the head ribbon led to the shorter man’s eyes widening as his face broke out into a smile. “<By Death and God… Nadia?>” Getting a nod in return and the simple words of ”<Da, you seem well Pavel.>” Laughing in turn, he grabbed Nadia by her Right hand and shook it, then noticing Dani, Pavel steps to the side, clearing the way for both. “It’s a bit early, but for you two I can make an exception, please come in, we have much to talk about I’m sure. Still, I rather you call next time, I must really get on the phone, but ah, who is the young lady?... Well, not like either of us are old, though with so much work and so few hands I might as well be!”

Following Nadia around back, she waited next to and a bit behind the other. This was her day after all. When the man came to the door and began speaking Russian, Dani took that as a good sign. She wasn’t conversational, but over the time they had been together, Dani had picked up some and knew more than she could speak.

“Dani, I work with Nadia,” She introduced, holding a hand out to shake as well. “Nadia says you’re the happy one.”

“That so? Haha, I guess that is true… Ah more so the last few years than not.” Ushering them inside, leading them to a booth, Pavel sits

”Hmm… So, what happened to you all after…”

“After you left? We all died obviously. I will not lie, it was not easy with you gone, it was very touch and go, but, no one fucked with us… You did a number on those Central American pricks… You might not have killed them, but you damn near crippled them for months, did cripple them. I was sure you went to prison, but then I up and see you as a hero of the DWMA for events not so long ago, were others, but you I knew at once, those eyes, the height, hair color, and more so that headdress of your mother. I’m glad it turned out this way, but there are a few things you should know, but ah! Please stay there for a bit. I must call Nina! She has to see this, haha! We got married, you know, well, you know now.”

“Sounds like Nadia,” Dani mused, mainly referring to the cripplings. “Nina one of the old group too?”

”Sasha, Pavel, Dimitri, Artyom, Nina, Nataylia, Tanya, Sergey, Boris.” She says in simple order. “We all are orphans from Vladivostok, most of the kids had a parent, the lucky ones had two to watch over them. Hundreds of Thousands of people lay stiff, well no, some of them are ash, some obliterated into dust… Still, so many did not make it and I for whatever reason took charge of our small group.”

Pavel for his part soon returns with some glasses and a bottle of Vodka, without a label, this would either be very good or very bad. With the shots poured, Nadia found it to be good enough. ”So, how are the rest? I seen some information on Sergey and Dimitri but the trails went cold, did you keep up with the rest?”

A part of him was happy, yet another disappointed, or angry, still he didn’t seem to linger on it. “Like I said, it was hard, we all lived though. Though, what took you so long to do this? You were always so strong, yet, Nadia you try to carry too much, or expect us all to keep up. I understand why you did what you did, likely as you had no choice, and I wouldn’t want to return to the camps. Honestly it was a great day when they were bulldozed and set on fire.”

”...I…” It was actually very unusual, to see Nadia hesitate, while she would never go counter to her own decisions, to doubt or to question them, being with Dani at least had shown her she was not fully right in the why.

”Honestly, I took the wrong lessons from that day, I believed the best way to keep you all safe was to keep you removed from me. I shall always attract violence, I am a weapon, and always was. If others are not strong enough to run with me, they are better off never running at all. I also hurt my previous partner, smart assed bastard he was aside, it is thanks to this girl and what I have endured with her in the DWMA that I’ve come to see, as was the case when you seen me playing hero, that those with strength should also use it to lift up others. Some of them at least. It has been a few years. While I consider my decision the correct one, I simply did not want to face this till now. Till April. Had I not helped those people then, it would likely have been several more years. So what happened to the rest?”

Listening to her answer, Pavel sighed a bit. “That very much is like you. You were never much given to the council of others, but then again, it's not like we ever offered it. If anything we depended on you to decide everything, to do everything, to give the orders, to show us how to get food, to bring us to battle, we were comrades, but there was never no doubt who ruled… and who were just content to Obey. As to the rest, Nina I married obviously, she and I have a son, Nikolai, he’s two, she helps with the Restaurant. We both became American Citizens. Too much happened, this is home now.”

“Sasha, Artyom, Nataylia, Tanya, they all returned to Russia, Artyom is back to rebuild Vladivostok, Sasha plays with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Violinist, bit of a story how we got him the violin. Tanya I’ve not heard much out of, last we heard she was in Volgograd, who knows what shes up to. Boris returned home and enlisted in the Army, he works as an interpreter and intelligence officer in GRU. So he’s not doing too bad, and English studies paid off. Dimitiri however, I’m surprised you’ve not met. He’s in the DWMA afterall.”

”What?” Nadia seemed a bit shocked about that and confused. ”What in the hell do you mean he’s in the DWMA, Pavel…”
At Nadia’s hesitation, Dani gave her a soft rub of the shoulder as the two spoke, opting to stay relatively quiet. Thankfully, it sounded as if most everyone in Nadia’s old group was doing well, which probably was a relief to the other. Though at the revelation of Dimitri, Dani had much the same reaction. “Wait, fuckin’ really?”

“Well, knowing where you were wasn’t too hard, or rather what you went on to do, the where, none of us knew that. It wasn’t until you started making a name for yourself just recently that even I knew. But yes, he is Pilot in the Airborne Division, though I guess you two really wouldn’t have a reason or chance to rub shoulders together. Plus he’s only been in for three years I figure.” Pavel says in response, nodding at Dani in kind.

”I see, I’ll need to correct that, but a Pilot, I knew he always had his head in the clouds, but thats taking it too far. So what of Sergey?”

With that Pavel’s sunny demeanor seemed to sour as he looked down at the drink bottle, pouring each of them a 2nd shot, before capping it. “Sergey, well so you know, it’s not like we all keep that together, we all have our own lives and paths, but Sergey, his path went very wrong. You would be better off not talking to him. He’s most bitter about what happened, soon after that he joined the Russian Mafia elements in the US. He was arrested last year while here in Reno, he didn’t come visit me, for that I am thankful, but he was smuggling Cocaine and firearms from what I saw in the news. Went to visit him shortly after he was booked, took a plea deal to avoid a trial. While most of us are more or less together, he’s not.”

Pausing to reflect on that, she could have very easily ended up like him, if not worse, just what other crimes had he gotten into? ”He’s being held near Reno then?”

“FCI El Reno, yes…” Pavel said in short reply.

Dani frowned at that, more so the latter, glancing over to Nadia. She didn’t know Sergey or the type of person he was, but hearing he basically left the group and became a criminal probably wasn’t what she was hoping to hear.

“Well enough of that for now.” Pavel said quickly. “Would you two like to stay a little and tell your story, I’ll even make lunch for you, on the house. Nina should be here soon enough.” He offers.

To which Nadia purses her lips a bit. “Well, what’s on the menu? Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to not pick caviar. Though I do thing for old times' sake I will check up on him and try to find Dimitri.”

With that Nadia and Dani were both soon handed menus, it seemed various dishes, unsurprisingly native to Russia were on the menu. None of which was exactly cheap but were restaurant priced, though a little high end. After about an hour the group would have lunch, though Pavel’s participation was cut short as Nina talked to the pair, much like Pavel she didn’t hold a grudge against Nadia but asked for her to at least call them every so often or come to visit, with what tales she was allowed to share, the two seemed to know there was more about Dani and Nadia than they let on, more so with this FATE program, but knowing better than to prod, they instead took what conversation they could have and took care to fix Dani some of the meat stuffed Pelmeni she seemed to like to bring home for later.

It was in the closing minutes as they left that Nadia reached her decision to contact the Prison, which was only a 30-minute drive away, it seemed Sergey Pushkin did not get many visitors, or hardly any, thus having his allotment still allowed. The question was if he would be willing to meet them. And to the surprise of Nadia, he seemed to agree.

Being led to the visitor center in the Mid Sec wing of the prison, a face to face physical meeting was not allowed, rather Sergey was kept behind a screen with a table and a chair, and on the other side it was much the same for them. This was seemingly more used for appeals and communication with lawyers and their clients, affording more privacy and slightly more comfort than the standard visitor center.

“Well, well, well.” “<The Devil returns.>” Eyeing up Dani, he did laugh, not a joyous laugh, but one filled with contempt. “<So, Amazon, is this your woman? I always knew you were a degenerate, but I figured that was towards your Daddy issues.>” A supervising guard slammed his baton into the back wall with a harsh echo, otherwise he seemed uninterested in the conversation till now.

“Prisoner Puskin, English only!” It seemed the prison liked keeping tabs on the conversations being held.

“The same ones you totally don’t have?” Dani remarked regarding the daddy issues bit, a phrase she only knew from one of Nadia’s remarkings about Gauss. However, afterward she glanced to Nadia and leaned back in her seat. This was supposed to be Nadia’s day to catch up. Even if this one would be a prick, Nadia should be able to get whatever she needed off her chest.

“I see you did fall a bit Sergey. But mind your mouth, mention my father again and-”

“You’ll do nothing. Ha, Hero. Lest not till I’m out of here, which is in eight more years.” Sergey said, then looked at Dani in kind, crossing his arms, the man’s face and arms were tattooed, his head bald and truthfully Nadia could not even tell who he once was. “And shut your mouth yelping mutt, given you are in this FATE thing, what was your fuck up huh? Missing family too? Putting the two orphans together?”

”You always were a bit of a punk Sergey, I had to deck you a time or two, but who in the hell even are you now?”

“Thats right Nadia, I did change. I did what needed to be done, but you, you are the same as always, even before they named you, you are just the same.”

“Did what you needed to get your ass in jail,” Dani remarked with a scoff. Her eyes narrowed slightly into a glare, but it would’ve been not very long ago that the woman reacted far more violently to his goadings.

Nadia too had suffered a bit at the hands of that, and the goadings of Gauss not so long ago, so even for her this was within her tolerance levels, but still, she had questions to ask.

”And what pray tell was I?”

“I’m in jail because I am backing my brothers in the group, something you know nothing about. And as to you, just a tall freak of a woman that is cold as ice. You will never be loyal to anyone but yourself. That little girl thinks she’s top shit because you are here. But I know you. You will run as you constantly did from Vladivostok to here. The media fawns over those you saved, but all I saw was you leading them from one danger to another.” With that he leaned forward and smiled. “You’ll run from her one day too.”

“Then where the fuck are they now, huh?” Dani posed with an irritated scoff. “Nadia gave enough of a fuck to come back, to track you all down, to visit you here, which doesn’t sound all that common from what the guards said. Some brothers you decided to shave off 8 years for.” His threats were rather meaningless to her. Even if she was a full Demon Weapon and required a meister, she was still a Two-star previously, and the man was stuck behind bars. He was no threat, just venting his anger.

”Is that really what you think? That I just abandoned you all? I had two choices, stay at the Black Star Dojo, under their supervision, or to go to Prison. And it was for the best I did. I won’t say my choices are perfect, or that I am without faults. And I won’t say I… have never been wrong, but what's done is done. Sergey, make the most of your time here, I won’t be after you, but if you keep rolling with your new “family”, then you will likely end up dead some time or another. I am sorry to an extent, but honestly? You decided this.”

“Don’t you down talk me like that fat fuck Pavel. You have no right.” With that he slammed his fists into the table and screamed, “<You think you’ve changed, that people need you! No one does! You and your fuck’n bitch go be heroes somewhere else!>”

With that the guard wraps his baton around the neck of Sergey and pulls him kicking and screaming out of the room, while another guard tapped on the table with his own baton. “Ya’ll don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” He said with a strong Southern US accent, and a smile.

Watching him get dragged out, Dani let out a slow sigh and placed a hand on Nadia’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go.”

With that, Nadia offered not much of anything, she simply got up and left, with a shake of her head, she felt the touch of Dani, and found it a bit ironic that she was doing what she normally did for her. After a few minutes they were cleared past the security door, given what items they brought in and the double steel doors slammed shut behind them. Leaving them alone, minus for the gate guard in the distance.

Dani didn’t say anything, knowing that likely Nadia didn’t want to speak after that. The amazon wasn’t the touchy-feely sort, but Dani knew that sort of a reaction wasn’t easy for Nadia to deal with. She would speak when she had something to say. Until then, Dani wouldn’t pressure her.

”Doubt is poisonous to a leader and his or her men. While Gauss trusts consensus, I give objectives and trust, try to trust in the abilities of those under me, to do the assignment given. Had I stayed, would he have gone so far, or would I have been the one behind those bars? Still, I’m going to call in to the DWMA and see if they can arrange a conversation or call with Dimitri when we are back. One good meeting, and one very bad. Will I be two for one and which way? Let’s just get out of here. Maybe snack on your gift.”

“Don’t start doing that now…” Dani said with a sigh. “You weren’t around, but he still had everyone else in the gang who didn’t go that route. You think Pavel wouldn’t have given him a job? Or that the others just bailed on him?” Nadia’s absence wasn’t why he ended up like that. “Yeah… Let’s go see Dimitri.”

“No. I don’t think I saved him from anything or would have. That's the difference, the only certainty in life is uncertainty. All we can do is make our choices and follow the ship. I don’t think I’ll check back on Sergey for a while, if at all, but I do think we should come back to see Pavel and Nina, I’ll pay for the meal the next time.”

“We should,” Dani agreed. She hoped that Sergey would come to his senses eventually, but he would have to get over that anger first.

The ride back was as uneventful as the ride in, with the brief amount of time needed for Sergey, and the three hours spent with Pavel and Nina, a total of five hours and thirty minutes had passed. If anything special could be noted it was Nadia using her phone on speaker to set up a meeting with Dimitri Novikov, Pavel’s information was correct, he was DWMA pilot. And he was based at Death City, attached to the 11th Air Combat Transport Wing. Or in layman's terms a transport helicopter pilot that also carried support weapons for quick insertions and exfiltrations in hostile territory. And at other times it was just a battle bus with door gunners, depended on the mission and type. Nadia herself had only been aboard them a few times, but at least once communications were passed around, his flight commander was all too happy to arrange the meeting, though she got the feeling that wasn’t the case. Returning to the DWMA proper, or rather the airfields on the outskirts of the city, it was roughly 4pm, a tiring trip but a quick one.

Then they were eventually led to a hanger where a gaunt faced man with a pair of shades on sat at a folding table, with a styrofoam cup with what was either Tea or Coffee judging by the steam. Most of the flight crew and mechanics had left, with the man watching the two women as they were brought in. His reply was clip and precise, curiously he didn’t have an accent at all, as he removed the shades, pale blue eyes that had dark bags under them and a hint of wildness measured with seeing beyond them. Nadia had little doubt, this was Dimitri Novikov, his eyes were rather unique, tired eyes that were not totally grounded in sanity but tempered in fire and flame. “Semyonov… and…” Pausing as if to reflect on something another, he speaks again soon thereafter, putting his shades back on, a thin smile broke across his face, briefly. “...Ethalyn. What can I do for the two of you?”

”Well, I was looking for you, Novikov, and wondered why you never did, for me. We work next door afterall.” Nadia said, staring at the shades donned man.

Raising a brow, that was a strange opening to someone you hadn’t seen in years. “Uh… what she said. I’m just a tag-along.”

“I got a bird to get up in the air, and around here they call me, Zephyr. And the answer to that is the same as you when I go “And why didn’t you look for me? Or us.”...” With that a pause followed before he carried on. “We moved on, you moved on. And to be honest when I first came here, I did think about tracking you down when I chanced upon that name, but you were already a Meister bouncing around, DWMA hires child soldiers, but not child pilots. So I’ve only been doing this three years now?” Pausing to think on that, he nodded his head. “Yes, three years now.”

”...” Opening her mouth to say something, Nadia shook her head and took a seat at the folding table in another cheap folding chair. ”I can’t say anything to that, other than you are right, but recent events had me wanting to see how things went.”

“I talk to Pavel from time to time, Boris tried to enlist me as a spy, needless to say don’t talk to him now. Nina goes along with Pavel. The rest though? No, I saw a big blue sky and that's what I’ve always wanted to see, and like I said, at first I wanted to talk to you, but how you turned out, frankly, I’d sooner stick my hand in a rotor. Though, you, judging by what happened last month, have started to get out of that. Back how you were, but refined. Either way, I went from that to just wanting to be a pilot that gets men and women in to do the job and back home alive from it. I like my stick. So, it's not that I don’t like you, or that I do. But with all the years and what we've been through, it’s a blank slate.”

A blank slate is better than what the hell Sergey was, or so Dani thought. “She’s less rotor-ish now,” She said, taking a seat after Nadia did.

Listening to the replies of the two Nadia pursed her lips a bit and sighed. ”I would make the same choices again but, it was foolish of me to try pulling it all alone, to always test for what was worthy or strong… Still though, not apologizing for Soul Forcing Klaus into a floor. But was I really that bad?”

“You did try to fight me when we first met as a test,” Dani commented, giving her a knowing look albeit one that lacked animosity. “And now, you do ask for help.”

Chuckling at that, the Pilot picked up his cup of coffee and stood up. “I wasn’t kidding about having a bird to get into the air. Flight leaves in ninety minutes, which sounds like a long time, but it isn’t. Checklists eat up 45 of that. You two can come back here, say, day after tomorrow. For now though, I need you ladies to leave my hangar, who knows though you may have me for your pilot next time.”

“Sure, er… Zephyr…” Dani said with a light shrug, looking to Nadia as she stood up. “That went well.”

“I’ll hold you to that. But yeah we’ll get out of here.” With that Nadia walked away as mechanical noises could be heard from the hangar, the two went their own ways, now was to return the rental car. ”So… It was something, what about you?”

“Hm? Whaddaya mean?” Dani asked in response to her question.

”Nothing then, just wanted to know what you felt about all this, unless something major happens I plan to have you as my weapon for years to come, so you’ll be seeing some of them.” She offered as an explanation.

“I don’t have any problems with any of them. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m glad everything mostly went well,” Dani answered. “Seems nice, though they’re pretty different. Makes me wonder how you wrangled them all in the first place.”

”Two of the three said why, size, strength and clear orders. Though one learned to act without that and the other just retreated from it.” With that Nadia stretched and yawned. ”Let's get out of here, I want to rest in my room, and I’m sure you can find something to do. And I think they all just wanted someone to stand against that uncertainty.”

“Yeah… Don’t push yourself,” Dani said, giving her another soft rub on the shoulder. “I’m a knock away.”

 

[Sir Les Paul]

The low hum typical of speaker systems filled the air a few moments before the actual announcement was made. A host, or so it seemed, had asked everyone to take a seat for Kai Wagner, some type of high-ranking individual within the business side of the hotel. By this time, many of the earlier dishes and drinks had already been served, and it was made clear this would be just a short blurb before the entirety of the group was allowed into the infinite possibilities of a Hawaiian vacation.

Everyone had a chance to take a seat and there were plenty. The pleasantries would just have to wait. Conversations could be resumed later and the hosts of this fine event were finally ready to steal their small slice of time.

Hawaii was warm. It was no secret. It was pleasant, slightly humid, fairly warm, but pleasant. Most of the staff wore semi-formal vests and attire, but given the environment, they definitely looked appropriate in uniform. It was air conditioned in the hotel regardless. The gentlemen that arrived on stage, introduced as the apparently-important Kai Wagner referenced earlier, managed to look even less formal than the regular staff. He was relaxed, relatively casual, and nowhere near as flashy as one might expect someone from the corporate side of things to be.

"Alright, everybody, thank you for coming," Kai said, speaking into the microphone without actually touching it as the host had. In fact, his distance from the mic was enough to make his voice slightly quieter than the host, though he didn't seem to care. He was almost aloof on stage, hands in his pockets, hips canted slightly, a general lack of enthusiasm in his tone. Not that he was negative, more so that he lacked the energy of the host on the mic.

"A few things. I'll keep this short; public speaking isn't normally my thing, but this is a somewhat personal request," he explained, his tone carrying the same casual overtone as the rest of his demeanor. "My family, the families of many board members, shareholders, and even prestigious guests... believe in the cause of the F.A.T.E. Program," he went on. He then let out a short sigh, cutting it out upon realizing how unprofessional it was.

"We like to live on Hawaiian time... the world often goes too fast, and we miss out on the little moments that make it special. Some folks very close to us share this laissez-faire attitude, and it's not always appreciated," he explained, stiffening up some if only to try and make his presentation more formal. "Some may be among your ranks; your friends, comrades, partners, even. Some of you were hailed as heroes months ago during the tragedy at Death City; and, then, acting quickly is exactly what you had to do. When it came down to the wire, you stepped up. Because the program exists, it also allowed those very dear to us a chance to step up and prove they could keep the pace when the situation demanded it," he went on, not so subtly admitting the nepotism that existed here in why the hotel was so supportive.

"In addition to hosting you in general, our CEO is also personally hosting a Lūʻau tomorrow evening into the night. This was not an agreed upon amenity from the DWMA, but a gift from us. No expenses spared. Live music, fire dancing, fresh squid, chicken, fish, locally bred pigs, produce of all kinds, lei--just about everything you could envision and a bit more. Essentially, it's a big party paid for by us and meant for you," he told them, describing the event with some of the traditional aspects of it, but lazily just explaining it for what it really was: an expensive, themed party.

"This all begins at six-ish PM tomorrow. Show up if you want. The catering won't quite be as complete as the resort, but there will be plenty of food," he said, though he trailed off, looking down.

A cough. An obviously fake one.

He then quickly added, "Code-for-bring-your-own-beer."

The host shot a glare over at Kai, but said nothing. Liquor was intended to be withheld to cut down on chances of any conflicts or friction, but that was just tossed aside. Kai didn't stick to script.

"That was... supposed to be the end of my speech, but I have something else to say," Kai announced, perking up for the first time since he started this speech.

"I think you all embody the idea of doing things in your own time in your way. Uh, eh... I'm in a room full of people whose life stories would probably better fit the Hollywood than a beach vacation and I got no real place acting like I have any idea that I know what that's like. I prefer it that way. A quiet, simple life..."

"...obviously, chances are that most of you aren't interested in that. I don't know why everyone is here or what struggles you all have, but I do know this: you can succeed even if you do it a bit slower. You never know the value of a moment until its gone, so don't let the world bully you into missing the important ones."

Kai cleared his throat, then just stared into the audience for a moment. He ended his speech with a simple, final comment, "I guess that's it. Have fun. Try not to break things. Pray my uncle doesn't rage at me too hard for ad libbing that last part."

With that, he stepped away from the mic and the low hum of the speaker system cut off. The floor was once again theirs.

RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen Peckinou Shotgunpenguin​

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location OUTRIGGER Resort, Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Mission A Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride!
Status Relaxed

​

Tags: The Regal Rper Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen Peckinou Shotgunpenguin

Gauss scoffed, transitioning it into a chuckle.

"Rich man's breeding grounds?" Gauss asked, though clearly rhetorical. His attitude was still aloof and relaxed. His tone made his jovial nature fairly clear.

"Brother, you live at the Lush Coffin--right below me..." he added, offering a slight shake to his head at how ironic the complaint Noah made was.

He then sighed, realizing Arkayis was quite right about their situation.

"Won't lie, even I didn't realize how big this program was... " he said, trailing off the comment Arkayis made. "If you think about it, I guess it makes sense... MIBVI caused plenty of issues a generation ago and international agents have to come to the main branch," he went on, explaining the logic behind it.

"It's kind'a like a century back after World War II. One big global event had a huge impact on the mindset of the generation that followed. After the war, there was a huge surge in the population--hence why they were called Baby Boomers. Hell, it was such a big paradigm they divided it up into two sets," he said, though really just spewing some facts at this point. He wasn't terribly interested in what was going on.

And, yes, he was well aware that some red-headed fella with an absurd soul was over there fucking with Zosar, Sara, and Eva. He assumed Noah would check in on that at some point. Declaring Eva the most attractive girl in the room wasn't... as crazy as he would admit. Sure, she wasn't his type, but she had that shy-but-built appeal that was all the rage. If anything, it almost sparked the old side of himself. He wanted to buy the man a beer and hit the town with him.

But then, that was probably an unwise idea. Gauss was trying to reign himself in. A friendship that might become a mutually bad influence was likely a bad idea. Besides, it was probably best for the sake of his progress and the sanity of his therapist to continue processing his foray with Bella and the new interest in Annika.

Most people in the room might have seen Kenny, have their interest piqued, or see him as a threat... Gauss wrote him off entirely. This was his time to relax and he wasn't about to stick his nose anywhere near that mess. He might, at best, try to make peace with Zosar, but he wasn't doing jack shit until that whole situation diffused. Given his own reputation, he assumed that a visit from this guy followed directly by himself wouldn't bode well. Patience was a virtue.

Then the speech was delivered. Gauss didn't know too much about the hierarchy of this resort. He knew that name, though. Wagner. The CEO had the same last name. Chances are, Kai was the product of some type of corporate nepotism. Whatever message he was intended to deliver was likely due to some odd ties with the program itself. Maybe it had a Wagner in it? Who knew. It was a mystery that Gauss cared about enough to go bugging Midori to check the records.

The Lūʻau seemed interesting enough. The comments that Kai made about going their own pace, Hawaiian time, and their appreciation were lost on Gauss. But, that final comment, about not knowing the value of a moment... that rang true. Gauss so often looked back on his childhood when his family was closer with fondness. Now, those moments seemed like they happened in a whole different lifetime and impossible to recreate. It struck him with a touch of melancholy. It likely wasn't what Kai intended to do, but it did happen.

For a brief moment, he reflected back on his conversation with Nadia. Was this the emotion she wanted to escape? He doubted the moments in her life were as pleasant as his own, but there had to be a few she missed. Even if not, her mindset gave her an inherent immunity to the sullen thoughts Gauss had now. Not that they ruined his mood, but more so a moment of self-assessment. He let his past haunt him in plenty of ways. He didn't doubt she perceived that entire speech quite differently.

Gav butting in didn't merit much of a response from Gauss. It was short-lived anyway. He elected not to touch that given he still wasn't sure how it affected the dynamic with Arky. He might have gotten closer to the Scythe, but the bridge there was definitely stronger with Noah. Best not tread on it.

Annika, on the other hand, always merited a response from Gauss. "Forgive Noah, he's chasing his new boyfriend..." Gauss commented, mostly taking note of how Noah quickly bolted as soon as Wes arrived.

"The Magitech that goes into making flights smoother certainly is nice... you can't even feel the flight," Gauss responded, answering her question. "I do miss the rough and tumble of smaller private planes... I really should get a pilot's license. I already float on a disc, flying in a plane might be useful..." he added.

He then turned a side eye and a smirk over to Annika. "Besides, what's the point of a ride without a little turbulence?" he asked coyly.

"I think Arky has the right idea... this place is crowded. The Lūʻau tomorrow is fine with me, but tonight, I'd rather just carve out a little place in the resort with a few less people and enjoy some silence, booze, and a few snacks..." Gauss said aloud, immediately following the speech. In truth, he wanted some time not to be such a downer. Part of it, too, was how hard he had been pressing himself. After he finished his classes, the training only became more intense. Try and try as he might, he couldn't quite yet get simultaneous resonance with Noah and Arky, nor could he quite reach Wavelength-Enhanced Resonance. It felt like inching closer only to look up and see what felt like a mile-long gap.

The playboy wanted a little R&R.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Adrian Hackney​

"The Maiden"​

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location OUTRIGGER Resort, Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Mission A Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride
Status Nervous

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper Merciless Medic

Adrian input his number into the phone for whatever reason. He wasn't sure how important it was given how it had apparently been months since they all interacted, but it couldn't hurt. Besides, he didn't really say no to Dani.

While one might think that Adrian would be the over-protective boyfriend of Dani with something to say about this Mage that she was so negative over, but that wasn't necessarily true. For her sake as much as his own, he tried not to feed too much into his inherent anger or angst. His self-control had improved greatly with the Calm Mind training, but also some relationship he advice he had gotten from an unlikely source. They both struggled with some of the same issues; it wouldn't only help to be a rock for the other when they had their personal moments of weakness.

Adrian reached his hand out to Dani's and gently rested his fingers on hers. A simple, delicate gesture. It wasn't possessive, like Zosar might have been with the new Chimera guy in town. Instead, it was genuine. An effort at reassurance. A more tender moment from the previously mad Iron Maiden.

"I would love to see how well Nadia fares trying to surf," Adrian commented, trying to shift the direction of the conversation slightly. "She's taller... higher center of gravity would make it a bit tougher; and, I doubt she got much experience surfing in Russia," he added, half-serious, half-jokingly.

Dani asked Ark a question, but the speech commenced before he could answer. Whoever that new guy was, he had a soul that even Adrian with his relatively poor perception could feel. It was intense. Not entirely unlike Zosar, but much... more profound. Almost a whole different, yet more bold flavor. Adrian didn't really pay him any mind; he was hitting on two girls that he didn't care about. The only one he did was already right next to him.

The speech itself basically was another invitation to a party. Not necessarily his thing, but he wasn't against it. Wherever the others wanted to go, he would--as long as he got to surf at some point. It Adrian did let out a mischievous chuckle at the idea of this guy going off script. He didn't know what to make of the message Kai had given them. He wasn't really sure how the idea of going slower than others was meant to be a compliment, but it seemed to somehow be. The real entertainment value came from his final lines. Even if Adrian couldn't quite grasp the point made, he definitely got the humor in not wanting chewed out.

Then after, he elected to wait to see how the conversation unfolded. He just wanted to go surf. Spend time with Dani. Everything else was a bit of a distraction 'til then.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Midori☆Hoshi​

"Dark Star"​

Species Death Golem
Partner Eloise Keegan
Rank Two-Star

Location OUTRIGGER Resort, Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Mission A Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride
Status More annoyed

​

Tags: EmperorsChosen

Midori tossed Elly a sideways glance. He wasn't terribly pleased by how she downplayed Kenny, but then he had learned to be more patient.

"It's... not just raw power; though, that is part of it," Midori explained, his tone only slightly exasperated.

"I shouldn't really disclose information about other agents, but I probably shouldn't keep secrets from my partner..." he mused, sighing slightly as he did. He would yet again admit defeat here.

Midori reached out to gently grasp the arm of Elly as to establish their telekinetic link. If he was going to spill the beans, at least he could do it securely. Besides, if she knew of the danger, there were few better people to have an eye on him than her.

'He's a manipulative bastard. He has souls and two faces, to sum it up. One ugly, one handsome; one volatile, one healing. He was a rising star, just like Ao was... and he let it get to his head,' Midori explained, 'drank too much, popped too many pills. He can use two weapons, but only two; like a limited Utility Meister. He was talented and powerful; his healing wavelength gives him a lot of control over his volatile wavelength, so he gets most of the benefits with few of the drawbacks.'

'Thing is, no matter how powerful or skilled you are, you're gonna fuck up eventually. When he did, he blamed everyone around him, and it only kept getting worse. He used to beat his partners and threaten his teammates until one big blow up when he eventually hospitalized a teammate before a mission even began,' he told her, still solely through that link of theirs, 'and, it happened another time before he was taken out of the DWMA entirely. He was a good liar, conned his way through plenty of evals. Except in that last instance, he alone beat down his entire squad, left them for dead, and reported them as MIA. They were found, he tried. I've tried to tell you about the Paean Program, but it's really hard to explain the chaos of a living island... not sure what happened there, but apparently, he faced off with a Plague Doctor and was the only survivor. I didn't buy it then and still don't. I thought he'd be charged, court martialed--something.'

"But no, my sweet, here he is, playing games already..." Midori finally said aloud, removing his hand from the arm of Elly. Not that they weren't accustomed to touch, more so that affection had its place and right now was the time for blunt communication.

"Rumor was, he was so close to madness on that island that he would've been a Corrupted Soul had he any other wavelength... then again, rumor was it twenty agents to take him down before they could get him calm," Midori said, now just throwing out a wistful, almost facetious tone. "Never know what's rumor and what's fact..." he tacked on.

The speech came, the speech went. Midori didn't know right off-hand, but he was pretty sure some cousin of the Wagners was in the program. This all was likely a publicity stunt of some kind, or at least a directed effort to congratulate them. He wouldn't bitch about a high-end party. His time in California years prior gave him plenty of experience with Lūʻau-themed events. The better ones had fantastic food. He wasn't against the idea of going.

He didn't like the rest of the speech, though. It was against some of his core principles. Some of the core Hoshi principles. They started their training young, trained intensely, and virtually never stopped. Effort was the name of the game. Hawaiian time was the complete opposite of what he valued, and because of that, the rest of the speech didn't resonate with him. Midori was set back after he lost Ao. In fact, he died, too. His set back wasn't due to his own pace. It was due to one nefarious mother fucker that needed stomped out of the world.

He should've felt more about missing those important moments. He did still miss Ao. Things were going great with Elly, but she was no Ao. Then again, he--as he was now--had never actually met Ao. She was just a memory from another life permanently ingrained in his memory. A part of his soul he could never process or get past. Perhaps that why he didn't allow himself to dwell on or think too hard about the speech. It was true: you never knew the value of a moment until its passed. But, what about a moment you never technically even lived?

"Seems like that's over..." Midori said, breaking the silence after the speech.

"Any plans? I wouldn't mind seeing you sway in a grass skirt, but I wouldn't mind seeing you sway in just about anything," he asked, switching over to that more flirtatious side of things as he tried to return them to the status quo. He didn't want to spend this entire vacation soured by knowing Kenny wasn't in prison or salty over Ao still.

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Wes Kraven
OUTRIGGER Resort, Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii

Mentions:

Interactions: Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Mook-LandStrider Merciless Medic Peckinou
​

Wes listened with half an ear as the group talked about their respective trips, idly munching on his snack. He agreed that the flight had been boring, but then again what else was there to do? He welcomed the chance to grab some sleep, especially in the roomy first-class seating he was treated to. Wes had flown a couple of times in his life, and one of the worsts parts was having to be shoved up against some stranger who didn’t respect his claim to his leg room. So, being able to not only spread his legs as much as he wanted, but also recline back in his chair? Well, that was jus-

Wes paused mid thought, meal-bar hanging loosely in his mouth as lidded eyes snapped open. The cacophony of souls, and even the souls of the others seated at the table, were suddenly drowned out by a single, overwhelming presence. They weren’t blocked out entirely, he could still pick up the brief erratic beats of Arky’s wavelength as well as Annika’s sudden shifts, but they sounded as if they were muted and far away despite being no more than a few inches from him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as his eyes searched for the source of the sound, head turning from side to side until he finally found the source.

The source of the overwhelming sound was coming from a red headed man a few tables away. Wes didn’t recognize him, but to be fair almost everyone here was a stranger to him outside of a few exceptions. The sound was perfect in every definition, instruments played in complete synchronization that tickled the ears, powerful beats sent shivers down his spine, and that driving melody had his heart pumping. Wes shook his head, turning his attention back to the table and trying to ignore the overwhelming sound. It was difficult however, and ever once in a while he would quickly glance over his shoulder at the man, to confirm that he was indeed still the source of the sound.

It was after one of these glances that he turned back to the table to find they had gained another member. He offered the newcomer, Gav apparently, a small nod as Noah introduced him to the group. He was glad that Noah also seemed curious about the red-headed man, which meant that Wes wouldn’t have to be the one to ask about it. He leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table and propping his head up on his fist, waiting for someone else to answer. Unfortunately, it looked like the answer would have to wait, as the low hum of a microphone came to life. A well dressed, if slightly laid-back man approached the microphone. The speech itself was rather short, and no sooner did the man step away from the mic did the chatter of the room return.

“Taking it slow, huh?” Wes couldn’t help the small sigh that blew out his nose as he tore off another chunk of his meal bar. Normally, he would have been completely behind the idea of taking things nice and easy, it was practically how he lived. But recently there were some things that he felt annoyed at their rather slow pace, one of those being his therapy sessions.

He was getting better, or at least that’s what his therapist kept trying to assure him during their sessions. But there were times where he doubted if he was making any progress at all. He expected some sort of big moment, some revelation that would hit him and make everything better. His therapist laughed when he mentioned it, although it was more a laugh of amusement than any malice. “Just one small step, every day. It may not seem like a lot, but if you keep taking those steps, eventually you’ll end up where you want to be.” At least, that’s what Dr. Arc had told him.

Still, Wes had to appreciate that the last bit of the speech seemed to come more from the heart than from some pre-written note-card. He thought it fit the casual nature of the room, considering that most of the agents in the room, his partner included, looked like they were going to hit the beach as soon as this event was over. As for him, maybe he’d head back to his room and see what the deal was with that smart TV, or see exactly how luxurious his bed was. Of course, this all hinged on Annika not trying to drag him along somewhere, which meant he needed to find something to distract her.

His attention shifted to Gauss as he spoke, a spark of an idea forming in his head as the dark-haired man suggested a quiet night in. “Sounds like fun. You interested Annika? Take some time to catch up with your friends.” He asked his ginger haired partner, lazily tilting his head to the side.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii - OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort
​

As the new young man started to give his speech, Maria found attention off of herself, and thankfully Adrian in the before and after was taken with Dani, to add into this effect, enough so to actually listened to the man. He started off saying public speaking was not his thing, something about important people that overseen all of this. Politics of the human world were almost bad as the witch realm. And that's what all of this was, politics at some core level wasn't it?

Then her mind drifted off, only being pulled back in with the mention of laissez faire, what did an economic policy that bordered on Anarchy have to do with her? Yet another amusing antic from human history, she thought to herself. He had also mentioned something to do with time, how quickly it went. For one as short lived as he, that was likely true, and in spite of being told the contrary, Maria did wonder how those around her would feel, as they aged and looked upon her, stopped in time. She, provided no one killed her, would live to see a chunk of human history pass, would play as much or as little of a role in that as she wished.

Ultimately, it seemed the CEO was showing up and an event, based upon a word she never heard of before was to take place. Rather quickly it was clear it was a party. Did she want to go to a party with so many people? No, this was different from a birthday party, wasn't it? The speech then went on into bringing your own alcohol, which after the nightclub event, Maria was not so eager to do again, taking Dani away to dance with her again. Or rather, Dani went to get her.

Then there were his values on life. A quiet and simple life. Unfortunately, time stood still for no man. Simply going with the flow is the same as doing nothing at all. One cannot improve upon the situation called life with idleness. As to doing things in her own time and way, since she arrived in the program she had always been forced to do the will and request of another. With that thought she decided to pick up some sort of gift for him, or to get materials from here to make it herself, some part of Hawaii, given he could not be here. Though to make the most of her time moments as he put it. Unfortunately, she would be condemned to have memories lost in melancholy, for that reason she had started crafting plushie dolls of her friends, matches of those she had given, or those she had given something to in general, so that she would not forget them, even long from now when all others had, and the names wore away from the headstones.

That line of reasoning put her in an awkward position... If I go, then I will be overwhelmed and uncomfortable, but if I don't then that is less of memories with them... I don't like having my hand forced yet again... However, if I do not go, some of the others may try finding or keeping me company and miss out on it... I must decide what to do, and if it is not to go, I must do so in a way where they cannot easily find or follow me. Unlike them, I do not think my life story is all that interesting.

With the speech finally finished Maria turned to look at the rest, tilting her head as she overheard Adrian, "She might hit you for that, you know. Still... I think I'll wander around or join you all... I should have brought my broom, flying would be so much faster, with a birds eye view."

Interactions: Sir Les Paul (Adrian) EmperorsChosen (Dani) The Regal Rper (Ark)

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Evangeline
The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic​

Eva looked at Zosar as he began to speak up. He began pretty strongly, adding to the unease she was beginning to feel in the moment. She was unsure how she felt about what he was saying. In a way she knew he was trying to be sincere, but at the same time Eva sorta felt like a piece of meat being shown. It lowkey made her feel like she was being pimped out, perhaps had it been a different situation she would have felt differently.

She was then introduced, making her frown slightly. She would rather have made that decision herself. While she was flattered that someone was strongly making a move on her she wasn't overly thrilled it was happening amongst such a large group of people. Her introverted traits started to shine through. She did fine until a spotlight had been put on her. It was then that Chimera spoke about what she was feeling internally, somewhat changing the view she held over him. Turning her eyes back towards him her internal judgment began to shift.

"You assume correctly." Eva said to Chimera. Looking at Zosar she frowned "I would rather have had the choice to introduce myself." she continued on. Head turning back to Chimera she nodded "You really were sorta aggressive, I uhm… don't do well with attention and large groups." Eva admitted.

At Chimera's admittance that Zosar was his true target Eva visibly relaxed, though was still somewhat worked up. Her eyes darted around a few times before her eyes rested on the chain around Zosar's neck. Sara could pick up on the slight change in Eva, the signs of Eva's need to take and give away.

She then heard the thrum of a speaker followed by an announcement and sat down, her eyes leaving Zosar. She listened to what had been said, thinking about the party. She reflected on the April fools day parade and shivered. "I uhm… that party sounds cool." Her eyes flashed that eerie beautiful blue showing her deceit.

She didn't try to correct herself, those who knew the signs knew she was uneasy about it. "Just thinking back to april." She finally explained. Grabbing the floaty she stood up "I am going to go swimming for the first time in ages. Hopefully, I won't drown." she joked towards the end.

Turning quickly Eva reached out and gave Zosar a hug. The hug ended up lasting a few moments before she pulled back and smiled. "Its alright about earlier, you meant it in a good way. It's just… kinda sounded weird. Thats all." She finished before walking away and towards the beach. Zosar may not notice it right away, but his necklace was missing.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Feng Long - Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii - OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort​

With time for little else once Nadia came for the drink, Feng seemed ready to speak with her, having had some moments to speak with her previously, along with a few others here, she was all too happy to sit and listen as a Kai Wagner was brought up on stage. A curious name, not that she had much room to talk with her own last name being Dragon. Still, he was nice enough, though starting off about the investors was both unsurprising as it was annoying. Not so long ago she would have been overseeing a shakedown of a few of them.

He then brought up how Hawaiian life was, the laissez-faire of it all, some praise for the events in April, though that being fresh in the public memory wasn't surprising. Keeping pace with the situation and taking life one step at a time. In some regard she was like this, in others she was far removed, her daily training was something she could never go lax with, even here she would still train. She found comfort in it, purpose, a means to silence her rage that could boil over, always hidden by a smile. Unfortunately, by birth alone she could not have such a free life, for much around her was akin to a glass house.

It seemed the Boss would be greeting them later. Well, not her boss, but the headman behind all of this, and a Lu'au would be held for them, not that she much knew what that was. Her cultural understanding was almost purely Chinese and what she seen of America in New York or of the French and Dutch. Though the later two were even more brief and she was largely limited to the China Town's in both. In the case of the US, most of her time in the US wasn't even strictly the US, so much as Death City and it's surroundings. Then there was the issue of Paean Island... Something she never spoke much of, cared to speak much of, or would speak much of. She was much more fortunate than the rest. Something to offer up the next time she prayed to her ancestors or invoked the name of Guan Yu.

Still, it seemed it was a party with some shows, music and food. The music she could pass on, there was very few she liked outside of what she was familiar with, though maybe she could bring out her violin and put on a show herself. The food sounded nice, though she wasn't so sure on bringing your own drinks, alcohol with some of them here would be a bad mix. She would have to help keep an eye on things, especially Aki. While the two were bound by choice in blood in the same way as she was once in the Triads, and she rather enjoyed her company, Aki, as shown just now with the drinks had a bad lack of street smarts, or common sense as some would say. Still, this could be a good opportunity for Aki to learn a few of those. And what sort of big sister doesn't watch out for the little?

Still, Feng herself actively looked forward to it. As to stories of life, hers would make for a great action flick or crime drama. Even with kung-fu in the mix, she also had the looks to be a star. Smiling at that, she remained silent, the smile faded.

<"Some of 'em have straight up horror stories, guess mine wasn't all that fun, still, would be neat having a cameo with martial arts stars out of China."> The man seemed to like the easy life, and he was right, most of those here weren't interested. They wouldn't be here still if they were, that or they were stupid. Valuing moments she could understand, but there was no call for going as far as some may want. Such was life with discipline.

Other than that, he just asked them to not break things. With the speech now done, she turns her attention to the two other girls seated with her. "So, once we finish these drinks or hand em off, what do we all plan or want to do?"


Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Aki)

Nadia Semyonov - Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii - OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort​

And so, the main event begins... Or, ah, a prelude. Nadia thought to herself as the designated messenger, Kai Wagner, either her had an interesting family history, or he was adopted into it. The fact he was likely related to the man doing all of this was a small matter, generational wealth had been a thing for centuries. Faulting them for that was as stupid as it was futile, the wealth would change hands, but it would not spread. The fact he said public speaking was not his thing made Nadia close her eys for the fact she was rolling them, such was often the words of a bureaucrat about to go into a lengthy speech. Hopefully she would be wrong as he went on by the guests here, shareholders, members and family of the board, all the usual suspects.

Even that she did not begrudge, it was to be expected and it was not like running and paying for this event came cheap. And she wasn't about to make a scene over this, though, she was not happy the event was happening on a bloody Island.

His next part of the speech was equal parts rebuttal, weak and pleasing to her in some regard. She didn't much care for how these islander's lived, Duty required constant vigilance, especially when on vacation, with nearly all of FATE being in this room. Afterall, April Fool's Day had clearly painted a fool out of those that assumed it all to be safe. She would not be making that mistake again. But how the Hawaiians lived held nothing much to her. Nor did his laissez-faire viewpoint. For one that had a leadership role and had to contend with the mistakes and challenges posed by others, she did not have the luxury of just allowing them to do whatever. As it went on, she brought the screwdriver up to her lips, taking a swallow, only pausing with his offer of praise to all of the heroes of that day. While it could get tedious, it was nice at other times to receive such praise, though she was self aware enough to know she wasn't the only hero of that day.

Next on the Agenda seemed to be a big party with the normal tourist trap events. While Nadia would make an appearance for appearance's sake alone, she would also leave at the first opportunity. Her idea of a good time wasn't sitting around, drinking beer around a fire, while jungle island music played with a bunch of strangers all around her. If anything, staying up on the roof or some such, reading a book, or in her hotel room, listening to music sounded much better. Still, having real food did beat what was on the hotel menu. Buying Vodka would likely be a pain, given this was an island, they would be anywhere from an extra 50-100% the price as on the Mainland. It seemed to not be starting till 6pm tomorrow in any case. She would have to wander the island herself for some decent food today it seemed... Or even better, a grocery store and just make her own. If she was smart with what she bought very little, if any cooking would be needed.

Doing things on her own time and way is what she had been doing, even now, or so she would think, though she had to admit that had changed, most could not match her pace. And while he seemed to have a better understanding than Gauss did of the situation of many. Though the idea of turning her own story into a movie was insulting, to those who died and to those that still yet lived. And it was unfortunately a situation not unique to herself. Still the more Kai went on, the more she found the need to keep up her public mask. His words lit a simmering anger, one that was quickly stilled in icy resolve. Though unknown to Gauss, Nadia did have good memories of her family, she loved them very much, even now, and those memories were something she kept close. She did not wish to run from them, and she was not against making new ones, she was just selective in who, how and where.

His last request was to not break things and then to hum before wondering off, with the words of Feng pulling Nadia from her thoughts, she takes another swallow of the drink she claimed. "I do not know, I might wander into the town or city around here, look for something that isn't bar crawler food. It is nice of them to do this, but ah, let us see how the natives live, da? Otherwise, I think I will sunbathe, on the hotel roof, or in the high up sand. If I do any swimming it will be in the pool, others can embrace the depths of the Sea.... Still my ears have started to burn, means someone is talking about you, or so I was told."

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Aki)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Aki Kiyoko - Hawaii Resort
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

"Hi Nadia!" While perhaps a bit surprising, Aki had taken a liking to Nadia in the brief time they interacted, though it didn't appear to be a mutual feeling. Perhaps it was because the ice giant's temperament was familiar to the girl, or because the woman was basically an air conditioner. "Huh? Why would it stop me from swimming?"

Confused by what the woman said, Aki tilted her head curiously before the speech began. Sitting down, Aki chose from the batch of drinks a chocolate frappuccino of some sort and sipped on it idly as the man spoke. She didn't dwell too much on the sentiments exhibited by the speaker, more so the festivities and food. Just like when she first came to the States with the DWMA, this was a new place with a whole bunch of new things and people to see. She was certainly going to take advantage of "Hawaiian Time" as well as the water, food, and events.

"Food, music, fire dancing--whatever that is--I definitely wanna go tomorrow!" Aki cheered before looking to Nadia who answered Feng's question. Again, what the woman said drew curiosity. It was a bit strange to go to an island and instead of swimming in the ocean, opting for the pool. "You're not gonna swim in the ocean? You can swim in a pool anywhere, can't you?" She asked, sipping on the straw to her coffee drink while staring at Nadia expectantly.

RedArmyShogun

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Hawaii Resort
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Elly flashed a sly grin. "Oh come now, you know I wouldn't tell a soul~," She chimed, though whether that was a joke or serious was hard to tell given her tone. However, the woman was quite particular with intel, and she wasn't likely to run through a place with a megaphone blurting everything out, so it was likely safe to tell her.

When he compromised, Elly chuckled a bit in amusement before the telekinetic link was established. 'Oh, you don't say,' She said with clear sarcasm. His soul in and of itself was two-faced. That wasn't exactly vital intel. Though, everything else was. Elly partly wondered if Midori was exaggerating or letting some bias affect what he was saying. Lashing out a couple of times was one thing, but purposefully attempting to kill off his team and framing them as MIA was quite a transgression. In Elly's case, she may have taken a life and lied, however she never directly attacked the DWMA or its personnel. Her group even worked with the DWMA back when the outbreak was at its peak, so while untrustworthy in some regards, she was still a proven asset and not an outright detriment.

Was the chimera really so beneficial to outweigh the costs and risks? Or was Kidd simply that merciful?

Perhaps it was still hypocritical coming from her.

'Plague Doctors... Antivu?' Elly questioned with a raised brow. 'So, if he's so terrible and dangerous, why is he not in an asylum or cell per your presumption?'

Unfortunately, that line of conversation was interrupted by the speech. Elly idly sipped on her drink as she listened on. She couldn't say she very much agreed with the prospect of Hawaiian time, being a bit of a busy-body herself. Though, in her time here she had learned to enjoy some brief moments of respite. One couldn't say she had learned to let her guard down, but one could say Elly knew how to stop and breathe. She could at least agree with remembering the past. It was quite close to her chest, but she did reminisce about her parents even if she neglected to share that much at all.

"Hmm..." Pondering on that, Elly's lips lingered on the edge of the glass before she became concerned with Midori. "I'm sure you wouldn't... Maybe I'll give you a show tomorrow. We'll see if you behave yourself until then," She said with a smirk. "Otherwise... no specific plans. I did want to sunbathe at one point with a nice book and take a walk through the scenery."

Sir Les Paul

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Kenneth Russo​

"Chimera"​

Species Human
Partner Sylas Kallis
Rank Fate Agent

Location OUTRIGGER Resort, Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Mission A Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride
Status Interested

​

Tags: EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun

Once the speech had concluded, Kenny didn't intend on revisiting Zosar for some time. While he wouldn't minded had either of his companions shown any interest beyond his superficial greeting, neither did. It seemed the real star between the two was quite shy regardless, so it would have taken her quite some time to warm up anyway. In that case, he had found that fewer, more intermittent meetings established a better rapport than simply sticking at it. But then, all that thought was on the premise he even wanted to pursue that. He wasn't keen on any of that; at least, not yet. He had his own personal ambitions that came before anyone trying to tie his attention down.

It didn't escape his attention that Eva did, in fact, agree with some of the points he made about Zosar being so forthright with their introduction. That insight was useful.

His attention was no longer on his previous excursion. Instead, it was one of the other individuals that shared his Soul Type that was on his radar.

And, yet again, it was nigh-impossible to miss him. It wasn't as if anything he did inherently drew attention, more so, it was just the curse of his existence. Perhaps he could have learned suppression like Zosar to make it less apparently, and in fact, he did possess that skill to some degree. However, it had the larger caveat of affecting his raw power far more. It was a greater detriment to him given he could use more of his wavelength, so suppressing it came at a large cost. It meant he had to be a spiritual signal flare wherever he went, or risk taking a large hit to his capabilities.

"I must admit, the aversion to the Ocean is slightly odd," Kenny chimed in, piggybacking off the comment Aki made about swimming.

"Our kind historically came from great lines of sailors, you know," he pointed out, making a factual reference to the known history of those with Ice Blood. Most were, in fact, powerful, long-lived pirates. One might associated a Berserker with the Vikings and those of Nordic descent, but Ice Blood was actually far more common. If Nadia possessed it, somewhere down her line, there must have been someone from that original group of Jorguun.

"Do excuse me," he said, shifting his tone and his entrance into the conversation. "Allow me to introduce myself. Kenneth Russo, though you can call me Kenny," he said, being more clear and blunt this go around than he was with the first group. Of course, this situation was slightly less dynamic, but it was nonetheless a minefield if navigated poorly.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Gav | Outrigger Resort, Hawaii

There was a time he’d never thought he’d get a more genuine smile like this again.

It was beautiful in a way that wasn't defined by looks but the feeling it gave him to see it in Noah. The minor hint of embarrassment and trying not to make a scene even more adorable.

In a lot of ways it reminded him of the Fairhair, the way the eyes lighted up at his approach was just like Agnes.


They shared few similarities but had commons that mattered. Ass was one. Bashfulness when he was actually trying, and when provoked, unafraid of speaking their fill, though the key difference being Noah had a way with words he found endearing.

Rubbing Noah’s shoulder’s affectionately he beamed at him.

The thought rattled in his head not to let things end like it had with her.

That dance had ended with a stomp of the embers before any flame could really ignite, and it had only been because at the time neither of them had truly been ready. FATE was PAEAN’s successor in every way and his interactions with Noah so far and others under his charge, had given him the opportunity to see that in full effect.

Back then he hadn’t been sure if the reason they never worked out was because they’d both been at their worst, while trying to be their best when that kindled interest had ignited not long after returning to Death City.

Back then he’d also still been in denial of his own interest in women too.

Seeing Noah's joy at his surprise visit really was just a reminder to him to never let that sort of hatred fuel him in the way it had again. Make him blind to himself, but also make him fall into being irritated at things that, had he more patience and understanding then, he really should’ve known he shouldn’t have had at all.

"I wanted to surprise you," came the response to the question and pout, challenged by his smug mug.

As Noah introduced each of his friends, Gav gave each a nod in turn, but paused at Arkayis, noticing the eye and instead gave him a wink in return.

Listening to Gauss’ exchange with his other partner for a moment, Gav's attention shifted to the presence of Kenny's soul. Like being swatted with a wet towel his eyebrows went up and his eyes widened in surprise before he turned to see him.

An immediate frown shaped his face and his only reply was: "What shit luck did I bring with me today?"

Honestly he was surprised. He hadn't seen him in so long since PAEAN he had assumed maybe he left DWMA. There'd been no word of him.and he had actually looked, much like he’d looked for Adra after, but Kenny had simply left after failing PAEAN, hadn't left any notes as to where he was going or for how long, and out of everyone he had met in that program he had been one of the worst.

Yet, him being here in this program didn't put Gav in a state of calm. It rather left him more alert than relaxed as he had been moments before.

Agnes in essence might have pushed to her own self-destruction or that of the destruction of those not able to see ahead who followed her with her ambition and vision but she never stepped into abuse and had self-awareness to rein herself back.


If Kenny had gone on some long soul searching vacation and come back more mellowed out, with what he could see from appearance alone as he engaged the trio, then good for him.

Didn't mean he was about to just believe Kenny had completely changed in three short years. Getting out of PAEAN was a mark they had worked hard to be better.

Graduating PAEAN didn’t mean the demons that chased them to it were gone. It only meant they had conquered them to become less destructive to a point they weren’t major liabilities anymore, and could at least perform their functions without becoming major problems..

All he could do really was sigh while watching the distant exchange between Kenny, the girls, and Zosar. "Got my work cut out for me." He muttered inaudibly as the speakers hummed to life.

Turning his attention to listening to the speech, there was only one thing Gav honed in on, the line “You never know the value of a moment until its gone, so don't let the world bully you into missing the important ones."

The line made him almost laugh. It filled him with a sense of nostalgia, reminding him of something Chidori, his original master had said.

That amusing quote, Never let the actions of others dictate your self worth, brought him out of his reminiscing into the present.

Recalling Kenny’s strong presence, he cleared his throat, stepping back a little from Noah’s seat. "Word of caution to all of you," he said once the speech was over and a few had gotten a word in, "be wary of him. As nice as that presence might have been for those of you who felt it, Kenny’s got more shades to him from when I knew him”, in the period of time he’d known him. “Keep it in mind, don’t let it color the view though if he wants to talk or vice versa.” that last line more from experience, having lived the last three years of his old perceptions still following him even now.

Tapping Noah to get his attention Gav leaned down quickly as if to say something, and then without a word planted a peck on his lips before rising back to his full stand. Uncaring that there were others, or even Noah’s partners were there, he did it blatantly as a sign of affection and then turned his attention back to Kenny who Zosar was engaging again.

"I'll catch up with you in a bit Noah." His tone was now more tame, soft but not morose. "It was good meeting the rest of you, maybe I’ll see you around later when I’m not busy.” Then to Noah he said, “Have fun bae. I’ll catch up with you later.”

And then giving Noah's shoulder a squeeze, Gav moved off to attend to a distant group further away from the redheaded Chimera. Yet the further he got away from that calm and soothing presence that he could feel like the touch of a breeze against the skin, the more unpleasant he felt within.

The more it made him think. Even as he interacted with another table, shared greetings, engaged in minor small talk, and then moved on to another.

It was odd in a sense, to feel this way about Kenny, of all people.

Hindsight really was 20/20.

When he’d entered DWMA he’d been ahead of most of his peers, he hadn’t risen like a star as Kenny had, but he was one of the top and that was why he’d chosen to face off against opponents above his rank or greater than him in skill, like Black☆Star’s granddaughter, Solara or Yumi☆Hoshi, Akane’s granddaughter. And just like Kenny, the demons had won, he’d started spiraling because of his ego the only difference was he hadn’t taken addictions to cope and lashed out at his peers, dumping all blame on them. He had gotten the reverse; tongue lashings from noble peerage, and the satisfaction of lashing out on his enemies during missions in a destructive manner to the endangerment of his environment and fellow agents.

Midori might not have liked him, and Gav couldn’t say he’d ever go drinking with the guy, but seeing him here and now, as he was presently, he felt a kindred soul in a way he could not explain.

Phoenix standards were manipulative as hell but that was with any Wiccan House. He recalled watching mock duels between his mother and her sisters and how they would do it to display who was stronger, not just in power but in strategy and wit, asserting dominance over each other in their little games, but when it was someone like him born into the family, the approach changed. Luckily by then his mother was different.

The Treaty, Second Witch Hunt and Asura’s rising had changed her, more than earning her title as House Leader had, enough to not be as much a bitch as Iris’ mother with time with his father enhancing those changes.

Kenny had abused his teammates in the past, ridden the high rush of success and done some pretty awful things to cover up his faults, try and shift blame; Gav could never ignore that, but he knew himself well enough to know that he wasn’t a saint.

He wondered what sort of demons Kenny had had to overcome to turn out the way he was now.

He could never forget the shock that hit him when his success to a Two Star saw consistent declines. Never would forget the burning anger in his chest that would hit him whenever he got criticism for not being good enough to get past One Star ‘at his age’, as if he were always on some sort of ticking timer, running out of time with every passing day.

He knew where Kenny would go next. And when he looked he was right.

The question again was, what had he done to change? It was a burning question now, initially he was going to avoid him completely, not even engage. Now? He found himself compelled to see if it was all an act.

Midori wanted nothing to do with him, Gav however, felt that habit of his taking hold. The desire to test the waters, except now it wasn’t ego driving him to do it or some delusion to prove himself Kenny’s superior. It was a genuine sense of curiosity, and a sincere desire to see if the man really had changed at his core.

If Kenny had changed, it would be a welcome. They’d hardly interacted much in PAEAN but the times they had he’d seen enough. Had he let go of his ideals?

For himself, he had to put his anger aside.

Being friends with Rand had been a step in the right direction, where before he would have spat in the path he walked just for looking at him funny or making some rude comment about his nature.

Forgiving his mother and two of his elder siblings had been a major part of that change also. It had chased away the demons that sometimes had him dreaming such dark but satisfying visions of righteous vengeance upon family and noble peers that had looked down on him since he was nothing but a 'flightless Phoenix'.

There were times though, just like this, where he wondered if he actually had let it all go though. If he ever would. Or if he’d fooled himself into thinking he had for his own sake, and so that he wouldn’t go down the path of slaughtering his whole House, and all the others just like them.

An exhale left him, and Gav shifted his mind from the thoughts to the atmosphere.

Kenny was engaging the table

It was time to move in.

The old him would have flexed his spiritual presence, amped it up to make himself more noticeable, grab attention- but he didn’t do that here. Feng would’ve hated that.

Back then, they didn’t get along in the slightest just like him and Midori, but time saw changes. Besides there was no point, not when Kenny’s presence was like a blanket and Aki’s was like an explosion of fireworks. He wouldn’t compare, and frankly he had no reason to put on a redundant show. He no longer needed to make a show of things to justify his strength or worth.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t make an entrance just to test Kenny’s nature at heart.

“And I’m Gav!” Gav added at the end of Kenny’s line, cheery and rather sudden with a firm pat on the redhead giant’s back as he appeared on the right side, almost out of nowhere. “But, two of you already knew that.” His snicker with the sticking out tongue, and ditzy look, a sign of playfulness that at least Aki and Feng should have been used to from their interactions. “Kenny,” another firm pat on the back in greeting, “It’s good to see you again man! Couldn’t help myself, been so long y’know!”

It would have been a clear sign of failing to read the room, like running into an old unwanted friend you thought you were done with who suddenly timed the worst moment to appear and eat up your attention. To them, it looked like Gav hadn’t been paying attention when he introduced himself but he had read it quite perfectly. He had heard Kenny’s introduction, this was just one of those traits people didn’t like about him or most found annoying. The part where he didn’t care about common social customs not to impose your presence when it was not asked or invited, when he knew perfectly well when to time those.

In a way, this was a test.

If Kenny had changed at all, he’d handle this with grace, instead of displaying the common temper they both used to share.

“Soo, you’re of Iceblood descent also hmm?” He said, picking up where Kenny had been probing. “It’s quite a pleasure to meet you!” He said with an outstretched hand in Nadia’s direction, and a warm, white-toothed smile to accompany the calloused, faintly scarred hand that beckoned for hers. “Never really met a lot of your kin, charmed to meet such a strong willed soul as yours.”

Mentions: Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider

Interactions:: Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Peckinou Shotgunpenguin

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Feng Long - Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii - OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort​

Watching the interactions between Aki and Nadia, Feng knew Nadia wasn't so bad. She was by no means a paragon of virtue and happiness, but she was a bit away from what she was, given what she had heard up till now. Though the woman was still a bit prickly, that was for sure. And not something Feng felt needed to change. Though she had a bit too much Yin in some regard. She was pleasant enough to talk to, the same with Elly, and both had seemed to apricate her skill with the violin.

It was the new arrivals and to some extent Aki, that she had to worry about. Not the two men were problems, at least not yet. But that Aki would likely attempt using Kenny as a climbing post. That was chiefly how she got to know Nadia. Moving to lay a hand on Aki's right shoulder, Feng smiled simply as she looked at the drinks and answered the why. "That Long Island Tea would make someone tipsy if not outright drunk in some cases. Swimming in either condition would be tempting the fates. Or were you asking about something else?"

Turning her attention to the two males, she knew both and did not know for sure how the three years had changed them, at least in the case of Kenneth, he, much like herself was not passed up from Paean and she knew more than a little about him. Had he really changed or was this all but an act? If it was, it was a mostly good one. Then there was Gav, who had passed through the program and was now a Mentor.

Feng could not fault her own lack of graduation, given how late of an addition she was to the program, however, she could not say she was fully happy with the situation, it showed a lack of trust. Still, maybe situations had changed. She would not be rude to him for existences sake alone.

"Kenny, Gav, it's been awhile, hasn't it? Enjoying the trip? Care for a drink?"

Interactions: See Below

Nadia Semyonov - Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii - OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort​

For her part, Nadia was slightly annoyed with Aki, then the stranger with the unique soul, more like souls, had shown up, and given she was seated, this would have been one of the few occasions where she had to look up, even had she been standing. Still, she recalled the oddity of his soul, and from this close it was even more obvious, distinct, it clashed with how he presented himself, though it seemed yet another was peering into her own soul.

Not that she could or would say much about it, she was doing the same after all. But still, two now had inquired to her not wanting to enter the water. Pride and Honor clashed as for a long while she said nothing. Telling them why, that was out of the question, only a small handful of people knew this and as far as she knew, only one of them was even in this building. That being Dani. However, it was a common enough of a fear, even if the reason was not to be shared. But would sharing it make her look weak? It so far had not impacted any of her missions, chiefly as ones that required ship travel, she would pass up. Now may be a good time to confront this fear, but not around all these people.

If she really thought about it, it was not the water she feared, but rather the helplessness and loss of the situation. That was something she could not show, for it would be exploited and used against her. The lingering feeling of that day, of those days... It was no matter, not here, not now. She could fight now and fight well.

"And yet, enough people don't go swimming in the ocean that it is affordable to have an onsite pool, that is well kept." She said of Aki, before finally accepting the hand of Gav, giving it a shake after switching hands to hold her drink.

"Indeed, it seems both of us are... However, I give myself an exception on being a great sailor. My strong Soul wasn't it? Yes, my soul, is a subtype of his and my distant ancestors, that of the Giant's Shade or Vanguards Heart. My ancestors were not great Sailors so much as the tip of the spear once the sailor's made landfall, warriors blood. I may go into the ocean while here, but it will be at my own choosing, who wants to be hit by saltwater waves anyways?" Releasing the hand of gave, she looked at the two, going back to her drink.

"So. What brings the two of you here?"

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Aki) Sir Les Paul (Kenny) The Regal Rper (Gav)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Aki Kiyoko - Hawaii Resort
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

"Hm?" Hearing the voice coming from behind her, Aki turned her head back to look straight up at the newcomer. He added onto what she said and introduced himself as Kenny. Apparently he was someone Feng knew. Though, that wasn't what stuck with her.

The man was gigantic, like a tree. He was even taller than Nadia, which made sense if he also had ice blood in him. Before Feng could even lay her hand, the girl was out of her seat, circling Kenny like an energetic shark. However, rather than merely circling him, she began scaling him, somehow and in quick fashion, ending up with her body propped up off the shoulder Gav wasn't adjacent to.

"Wow, you're even bigger that Nadia! You're a giant too?! Super cool!" She questioned with interest before turning her attention briefly to other newcomer. "Hi Gav!" She greeted in friendly fashion, as if she wasn't using a person as a jungle gym. Likewise, she seemed to process Feng's statement on a delay as well.

"It's booze? Eugh, why call it tea then?" Aki questioned, apparently slightly irked they would fool her into taking alcohol by such a dishonest name. Aki was by all means a lightweight, but regardless, she didn't find alcoholic beverages to be all that appetizing. Even in mixed drinks where there was only a hint of alcohol, she would rather just drink something that lacked that bitter, burning aftertaste.

As for Nadia's statement, Aki hummed in response. "I guess that's true," She admitted, tilting her head slightly in thought. "Waves are fun though, just don't drink it or get it in your eyes."

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Outrigger Resort, Hawaii | Rings: 1/1

He shook his head in reply to Dani’s question then said to Raphael in particular “I honestly have no clue, and no I don’t know him but…” he couldn’t even explain why he had such a peculiar reaction to the redheat Iceblood. It wasn’t like he knew anything about him to feel so apprehensive but at the same time it was just a gut instinct that had him so tense.

“...Never mind” he decided with the speakers purring to life. “It’s probably nothing” he replied to Dani with a final cursory glance at Kenny. Taking his phone back at last, both numbers were saved.

The speech itself was honestly different than what he had anticipated. The Wagner name wasn’t one he was too familiar with but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that if they were hosting all of this then it was because someone in the family or close to it was in the program. Overall the parts the Sorcerer favored more out of the speech was the concept of being able to take things at your own pace.

The concept, to him, was nice.

He wished it was that easy though. Even if FATE had expanded and seen some better improvement on a larger scale, it didn’t change the overbearing fact that the affiliates of his family, still did not approve of his presence in the program. To them, it was more the case of the sooner he was out, the faster they could forget he was ever part of it in the first place. His recent achievements with the group on Dall Island aside, what mattered to them more was that he finished this program, got over his ‘nerves’ and was back to his senses without the excuse of needing to recuperate in this pet project of the DWMA Head.

It was easy to think that just because he didn’t immediately display the symptoms, he was cured, had ‘gotten over his nerves’ and all of those feelings: the guilt, the shame, the lack of confidence, they were in his head- his Aunt Nix had said, temporary effects of having almost died in combat that would be cured with time.

And with his time in FATE so far, he certainly had seen improvements. His faltering confidence wasn’t as bad as it had been the year before, he’d been handling his anxiety and stress symptoms better, there’d been one moment where during the cave in he had nearly buckled, snapped- but he’d maintained control where before he would have allowed it to take full control instead. All of this was a steady process, and to that point he agreed entirely with Kai Wagner’s statement. They all could go at their own time, they all would make progress at their own pace.

He just wished his Aunts, his cousins, the members of other Houses in touch with them, even his own mother to some degree, didn’t feel like he had to get out of this program quickly for the simple act of saving face for the House as a whole.

FATE in the realm wasn't viewed any better than it was by most people here. Sure, it had seen an influx- but most of the Realm itself? Likely didn’t care. It was really a means to an end to prevent mages under their guidance and influence from making them look bad by caving to their ‘issues’. The Realm didn’t need more Hedge Witches or Outlaws, Rogues or troublemakers adding to the millennia long biases generated through historic actions and so the program was only viewed as a means to prevent that very outcome- but did that warrant respect?

With his experience, not unless you brought something worthwhile, as he and the others had on their return from Dall Island.

He wondered if Rand had to endure this type of stuff when he’d been in the predecessor of FATE. As the direct grandson of Maba, he must have faced the same kind of scrutiny with the biggest benefits being his elder sister’s favoritism and Maba considering him one of her own favorite descendants.

It made him frown thinking about that. More with displeasure than any form of sadness.

His Aunt Noir, out of all his Aunts, had been more lenient than he would have expected, but even her leniency had limits. On the trip here, she’d actually wished him a good time, and then her younger sister Wanda, had crassly suggested he relieve some stress with some of the locals while he was there- maybe to help loosen up his overwound nerves.

It had been said in her usual mannerisms of prodding jest, with a hint of sultry humor- but he knew his Aunt Wanda well enough to know she was suggesting he look for some quick fix that might make him feel back to his old self again and not a sensitive explosive.

He wiped the frown off his face with the speech over however, and his attention shifted to the redhead giant and another individual who was also eyeing the Chimera as he made his way to Aki, Feng, and whom he presumed was Nadia’s shared table.

Listening to Maria share her thoughts on what she might do, it occurred to Ark quite frankly, if he did pursue an invested interest in her, if he even had a chance considering his awareness of her closeness to Rand, his Aunts, his cousins, their social circles, like him, would scrutinize her too.

And though it was unlikely they could stop him, it was very likely they would not hesitate to share their considerations of his tastes, as much as they had tried to groom his tastes through the occasional Wiccan gatherings, hosted events or social parties.

Wagner’s speech resonated with him on a personal level, but at the same time it brought out deeper thoughts about his extended family he honestly would rather have not propped up now and in the moment.

Downing his freezing drink and savoring the stinging pain of a near brain freeze with a wince, Ark, shivered- made a sound and a face to match his discontent at the frozen treat, and then rubbed his temple with an ungloved hand- something he now had become more aware of than he had moments prior to the speech.

“Ugh” he shook his head, “bad idea…Well then I guess I’ll begin by seeing what this island has to offer outside of surfing” He decided as he rose from his seat.

Mentions: n/a

Interactions:: Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Kenneth Russo​

"Chimera"​

Species Human
Partner Sylas Kallis
Rank Fate Agent

Location OUTRIGGER Resort, Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Mission A Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride
Status Interested

​

Tags: Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Peckinou The Regal Rper

In all his time in the DWMA, Kenny couldn't say another agent had literally climbed on top of him. That was, until now. He wasn't particularly opposed nor did he possess a personal bubble to be busted here. It was certainly a surprise, but not the type he would cause a fuss over.

What Aki hadn't accounted for, if she was even aware, was the interaction that occurred when two volatile souls came into contact. Her hand simply touching his skin was enough for their two volatile souls to collide, and in doing so, open up a world of friction. Fortunately for Aki, Kenny was both a talented Meister that could keep his own wavelength under control and possessed a Healing Wavelength to further round over the rough edges between their spiritual forms. Not that he could completely eliminate it, but he could turn the rough rejection that would have occurred should she have tried the same stunt with Zosar into little more than a weak jolt, most comparable to the lowest setting of a TENS machine when in use.

Kenny didn't immediately respond to answer anyone. He was more focused on Aki. Not only on climbing, but her Soul. With her in direct contact, it allowed him a direct insight to her soul--and his senses were sharp. Unlike himself and Zosar, her Volatile Soul affected her mind more so than her body. In his ongoing experience, he had found that those with their soul type typically had it bleed over into their mind, body, or a bit of both to a lesser extent. Zosar with his heterochromia seemed to have more physical alterations. Given the abnormal nature of Kenny, it was hard for him to determine a damn thing about himself. But, Aki was clearly on the opposite end of the spectrum. It was an interesting insight, something for him to consider. Especially given it didn't seem Aki had any odd characteristics normally found with those that possessed their soul type.

Odd colored eyes, physical asymmetries, different hair colors, speech impediments, spiky hair that never seemed to obey--none it was so present with her. That bubbly personality of hers must have been a direct result.

Kenny was complacent just learning this. He wondered too if this meant that she would have an easier time controlling her soul if she could just focus. Furthermore, he wondered if there were some drugs that could calm her down that would further aid that. With some, it helped a lot. With others, like perhaps Zosar, it did next to nothing.

As for the climbing, Kenny did find it somewhat endearing. Like a child, if anything. This was only something he would play into further.

What he did next had two distinct effects. He had to amplify himself for this next feat, or at least do so to make sure he did it safely. Because of that increased strength and endurance, he was able to further hoist Aki up into the air, allowing her to stand on his hand as if she were a cheerleader doing a routine, and keep her balanced so long as she at least remained reasonable capable of such. For a moment, it would have led to Aki being able to tower over anyone as Kenny himself towered over everyone else regardless.

The second was that for the first time, the entire group would have got a glimpse at what power lied behind his Volatile Soul. Even releasing just that slight amount of wavelength for amplification was enough to energize the atmosphere, creating a type of pressure. It wasn't severe or imposing, but something that was typically only seen with the elites or the absurdly powerful. Lord Kidd, Samuel Smith with his Mighty Soul, or those that had trained incredibly hard in their lives, like Starwulf, Stein, Herakles, Anya, or even Sunder when using Reiko. More so, this release of his wavelength was jagged and haphazard. Not as severe as someone like Zosar, but along the same lines. Only someone like Zosar or those that had worked with him would be familiar with this, as Zosar too could emit this type of off-putting aura, though only in smaller quantities as he could only control so much. Kenny didn't seem to have those limitations.

Kenny couldn't help but be a beacon in the darkness with his soul, but there was a secondary effect here even he didn't know about. Volatile Souls would interact, and it wasn't exclusive to just rejection. Zosar off in the distance could feel the influx of energy with it being not unlike downing a massive energy drink or finishing off full cigarette in just a few seconds. Aki was bound for even more. Her naturally bubbly and energetic personality only be exacerbated with the flood of sympathetic energy, with Kenny none the wiser.

Kenny had to focus on balancing Aki, meaning his following answers weren't quite as targeted or direct as normal. While he didn't struggle, he lost that normal smooth allure to his tone for the moment. "I like to meet others with a Volatile Soul," Kenny explained, "our souls may be all the same, but how it affects us varies a lot. I like to see if anyone else can cope in different ways... 'cause I can't do the whole suppression thing, which is the most common way."