School House Rumble, Part 1: Arcadia, school of Old

[The Dog]

Work's been kicking my ass lately, so I only managed to finish one of these.

http://fc57.deviantart.com/fs38/i/2008/349/6/7/SHR___Midterms_by_GrampaGen.jpg

unfortunately i didn't realize the bookshelf was crooked until I scanned it in :frown:

...well, try and spot your character!

If you can't, I probably haven't drawn them yet

or I've forgotten what they look like...:redface:

Why is Selma so sad in that picture? Did she just hit the 'down' side of her "bipolar"ness?

Kind of wish it'd been taken during her up side. She's much nicer looking when she's happy.

[Miburohunter929]

*Selma smirks as she wraps an arm around Xellos' neck and pulls him close, whispering something to him*

Natalie:... I don't like where this is going.

*Xellos smirks as well as both turn to Natalie*

Natalie: Yes?

Selma: Well, I simply gave Xellos an idea, and he's rather fond of it.

Natalie: Which is?

Xellos: Me and Selma will date each other AND you.

Natalie: A love triangle?

Xellos: Pretty much.

Natalie:... That's actually a good idea.

Selma: Great!

Natalie: Now we can work on your emotional problems without any unnecessary baggage!

Xellos: *mumbled*And we start by having your parents killed.

Natalie/Selma: What?

Xellos: Nothing.


Problem solved! :D


Maybe it's just me, and I know Xellos isn't /that/ much of a bastard, but If Falcon had pulled that during the storyline, I'm not entirely sure I'd call PIS or character assassination.

...Hell, I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't like the twist. >.>

But man, I'd love to hear him explain it, assuming he dosnt get set on fire and turned into goo at the same time. :P

[The Dog]

Maybe it's just me, and I know Xellos isn't /that/ much of a bastard, but If Falcon had pulled that during the storyline, I'm not entirely sure I'd call PIS or character assassination.

...Hell, I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't like the twist. >.>

But man, I'd love to hear him explain it, assuming he dosnt get set on fire and turned into goo at the same time. :P

He actually did...

OK, it was against villain Maxwell Bernadotte. And it wasn't an assassination as much as it was sending a small personal army to destroy the guy's neighborhood with bombs and mechs and footsoldiers....

But still, my point stands.

[Miburohunter929]

Why is Selma so sad in that picture? Did she just hit the 'down' side of her "bipolar"ness?

Kind of wish it'd been taken during her up side. She's much nicer looking when she's happy.

Know what we need?

An awesome epic, manly pic.

No females.

Dean should be arm wrestling Kekowa and Janos, All star superman style, at the same time.

Janos should be tossing darts with his free hand, and Kekowa on the phone with his peeps.


.....Actually, Kekowa should be arm-wrestling Janos and Levi, since they were always fighting.

Dean should be challenging Levi to a pose off, being well aware of his inner..posicioty?

Whatever.

Sirus and Juilen should be playing tag with Ramus.

Ramus always wins.

Forte and Xellos are busy seeing who can prank other people with magic better.

Xellos is freezing Kekowas phone.

Toss in Xing and Henry glaring at Daichis statue, and you've got epicness.

Man, I am awesome.

[Eternal Torment]

GrampaGen, you are an awesome artist.

You must defeat all of the other artists in North America and claim the title of "Best in the West"! :biggrin:

[FalconX2000]

Maybe it's just me, and I know Xellos isn't /that/ much of a bastard, but If Falcon had pulled that during the storyline, I'm not entirely sure I'd call PIS or character assassination.

...Hell, I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't like the twist. >.>

But man, I'd love to hear him explain it, assuming he dosnt get set on fire and turned into goo at the same time. :P

I'd already explained on more than one occasion that, through Xellos's logic lens, he would have no problem with Selma and Natalie getting it on. His 'objective' is a loving romantic relationship with Natalie (getting it on would likely be part of the package). Sex with other people in itself was not necessarily a problem, though he might interpret it as a symtom under the wrong circumstances.

So while I had no plans to suggest what Dog did, Xellos would probably give the idea serious consideration.

[GrampaGen]

You know what I hate about coming up with character designs?

Shoes. Fucking shoes.

When you envision a character, the first thing that comes to mind is a face. Perhaps a costume. All the awesome stuff like muscles, armor, capes, and cloaks, yeah.

Then you hit the feet and...blah!

...why am I necroing this thread again?

...oh yeah.

Happy belated birthday/early Christmas Cleric. Have a full color Hilda!

http://fc89.deviantart.com/fs38/f/2008/356/3/5/SHR___Hilda_by_GrampaGen.jpg

[Eternal Torment]

You know what I hate about coming up with character designs?

Shoes. Fucking shoes.

When you envision a character, the first thing that comes to mind is a face. Perhaps a costume. All the awesome stuff like muscles, armor, capes, and cloaks, yeah.

Then you hit the feet and...blah!

...why am I necroing this thread again?

...oh yeah.

Happy belated birthday/early Christmas Cleric. Have a full color Hilda!

http://fc89.deviantart.com/fs38/f/2008/356/3/5/SHR___Hilda_by_GrampaGen.jpg

"Best in the West", GG. Take the title for yourself! :biggrin:

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

You know what I hate about coming up with character designs?

Shoes. Fucking shoes.

When you envision a character, the first thing that comes to mind is a face. Perhaps a costume. All the awesome stuff like muscles, armor, capes, and cloaks, yeah.

Then you hit the feet and...blah!

...why am I necroing this thread again?

...oh yeah.

Happy belated birthday/early Christmas Cleric. Have a full color Hilda!

http://fc89.deviantart.com/fs38/f/2008/356/3/5/SHR___Hilda_by_GrampaGen.jpg




Thanks man. :smile:


She looks great.

[FalconX2000]

Xellos stood in a spacious apartment, looking out a full length window to the city beyond. He spun his staff back and forth, deploying and deactivating it at random. From any other man it could be called fiddling. Such a mundane tic was beyond him however, or so he’d like to think. No, he told himself, this is a concentration exercise.

His cloak hung on a rack by the door, the jumpsuit he wore revealing a thin, slight frame, almost delicate if not for the faint suggestion of whipcord like flesh beneath. The city spread out before his eyes, vehicles like lines of firefly ants. He brooded on the matter at hand.

As it stood, the situation between him, Natalie and Selma was not necessarily untenable, but it was certainly counter-productive. The competition, if it could be called that, between himself and the latter girl was stretching the former thin. Both of them wanted time alone with her and the result ate up unseemly portions of the her schedule. Natalie deserved to have a life. In the back of his mind, in words he could not quite put together, he dreaded the thought that Natalie would not simply reject them, but grow to tire of them. And yet both he and the blonde kept up their pace, wary that any inch they gave would be swallowed by the other. The whole thing was absurd.

Of course, Natalie was not blameless either. She was responsible for how she used her own time. Nonetheless, that was the wrong frame of mind to be in. The situation worried him and he needed to do begin exploratory steps now. That was why he had called them both over to for a discussion by the fireplace, though he had told neither of them why, or that the other would be coming as well. A knock travelled through the door. He took a breath to steady himself, then walked over to answer it.

[GrampaGen]

Xellos stood in a spacious apartment, looking out a full length window to the city beyond. He spun his staff back and forth, deploying and deactivating it at random. From any other man it could be called fiddling. Such a mundane tic was beyond him however, or so he’d like to think. No, he told himself, this is a concentration exercise.

His cloak hung on a rack by the door, the jumpsuit he wore revealing a thin, slight frame, almost delicate if not for the faint suggestion of whipcord like flesh beneath. The city spread out before his eyes, vehicles like lines of firefly ants. He brooded on the matter at hand.

As it stood, the situation between him, Natalie and Selma was not necessarily untenable, but it was certainly counter-productive. The competition, if it could be called that, between himself and the latter girl was stretching the former thin. Both of them wanted time alone with her and the result ate up unseemly portions of the her schedule. Natalie deserved to have a life. In the back of his mind, in words he could not quite put together, he dreaded the thought that Natalie would not simply reject them, but grow to tire of them. And yet both he and the blonde kept up their pace, wary that any inch they gave would be swallowed by the other. The whole thing was absurd.

Of course, Natalie was not blameless either. She was responsible for how she used her own time. Nonetheless, that was the wrong frame of mind to be in. The situation worried him and he needed to do begin exploratory steps now. That was why he had called them both over to for a discussion by the fireplace, though he had told neither of them why, or that the other would be coming as well. A knock travelled through the door. He took a breath to steady himself, then walked over to answer it.

Whispering lights from the fire danced with the shadows in the room. The flickering illumination revealed what was immediate on the surface of the furnishings, and further obscured more still beneath and behind. The bolder the brilliance culled forth greater hidden obstructions.

It would come to some small alarm on Xellos' part that as lazily as the fire fed on its fuel, pieces of it seemed to float beyond the ornately furnished guard that kept its tongues at bay. A spark at first, then cinders gradually followed it in an aerial dusting. In mere seconds it seemed that the space before the fireplace came alive with fiery whisps.

Then before cause for alarm could fully manifest, in a dull flash the sight faded, the air stilled, and the fire resumed its silence.

"Guten-nacht. It's been a long time..."

[FalconX2000]

Whispering lights from the fire danced with the shadows in the room. The flickering illumination revealed what was immediate on the surface of the furnishings, and further obscured more still beneath and behind. The bolder the brilliance culled forth greater hidden obstructions.

It would come to some small alarm on Xellos' part that as lazily as the fire fed on its fuel, pieces of it seemed to float beyond the ornately furnished guard that kept its tongues at bay. A spark at first, then cinders gradually followed it in an aerial dusting. In mere seconds it seemed that the space before the fireplace came alive with fiery whisps.

Then before cause for alarm could fully manifest, in a dull flash the sight faded, the air stilled, and the fire resumed its silence.

"Guten-nacht. It's been a long time..."

OOC: A long time? Dammit. O well, I think we can say Xellos withdrew for a while to brainstorm the situation.

BTC:

Natalie greeted Xellos in darkness, for the mage had thoroughly caked the firewood in ice. An awkward silence permeated for a moment, before a snap of fingers reignited the flames. He cleared his throat, trying to regain some dignity; a futile exercise in the short term.

"Hi Nat." his expression softened, a small lop-sided smile creeping making itself seen on his lips. Now what was he supposed to do? Ah yes. He stepped forward and embraced her, taking care to dip his head below the brim of her hat. A few moments later, he pulled back slightly, "I hope you've had time to catch up on other parts of your life. I was worried we were...that is me and Selma, getting a little suffocating."

[GrampaGen]

OOC: A long time? Dammit. O well, I think we can say Xellos withdrew for a while to brainstorm the situation.


OOC: I was assuming this took place some time after the end. Outside of school, Natalie still had some stuff to take care of, so she was probably globetrotting for a few weeks before the summons.

[FalconX2000]

OOC: I was assuming this took place some time after the end. Outside of school, Natalie still had some stuff to take care of, so she was probably globetrotting for a few weeks before the summons.

Ah. We were starting on slightly different wavelengths. Nevermind, that sounds fine.:smile:

[GrampaGen]

Natalie greeted Xellos in darkness, for the mage had thoroughly caked the firewood in ice. An awkward silence permeated for a moment, before a snap of fingers reignited the flames. He cleared his throat, trying to regain some dignity; a futile exercise in the short term.

"Hi Nat." his expression softened, a small lop-sided smile creeping making itself seen on his lips. Now what was he supposed to do? Ah yes. He stepped forward and embraced her, taking care to dip his head below the brim of her hat. A few moments later, he pulled back slightly, "I hope you've had time to catch up on other parts of your life. I was worried we were...that is me and Selma, getting a little suffocating."

OOC: Been holding off waiting for Dog to show up. Ah well.

IC:
Natalie returned the hug gently, smiling pleasantly. With a short sigh, she removed her hat and lay Levi's old yueyachan against the wall, whereupon she sunk into the closest seat.

"Ja...there were some things I had to take care of," she replied, with a tint of sorrow in her voice as she slumped in.

Absently, she produced a red stone from her pocket and began rolling it gingerly between her fingers, looking into it with a nostalgic pang.

"But what do you mean, suffocating," she queried,"I've never thought anything of that sort, Xellos."

[GrampaGen]

Had Dean not been more then ten feet away from the massive speakers, errupting music with all the fury of an errupting he might, in theory, have heard the calling of his comrade.
.
However, the sound errupting from them with such monstrous intensity, the vibrations could be felt within every fiber of his being, the sound itself was at the very limit of the human pain threshold his eardrums nearing their breaking point, threatening to render even one as mighty as himself deaf.

Had that not been the case, however....

He would have been far to preoccupied keeping his eyes on the arrows which rapidly entered and exited the screen, as he frantically moved his body to the corresponding arrows on the dance pad to respond.

The arrows were numerous, and unstoppable. They had no mercy for the Nevadian warrior, moving with the swiftness of a well oiled machine, caring only to see him defeated.

Destroyed.

But Dean Gatlain was resolute, his will one of red hot fire. He would stop, he could not stop.

They would step up onto the screen to oppose him, and get swiftly dispatched in a display of dancing prowess and sheer athletism the world had never seen

It was Dean Gatlains finest hour. Sweat glistened from his furrowed brow, his muscles buldging with such fury it seemed as if they would burst from his body, he moved like the God of the Dance given human form!

His eyes were the very picture of concentration, staring at the massive screen with such intensity, a weaker Game would have broken down like a scared little bitch.

However, this game was no ordinary game. It was, quite simply--evil incarnate.

Forged in the steels of hell, powered by the souls of the damned, created for one purpose-- The very thing it hungered for.

Conquest. To see the enemy fallen before it, to hear their pitiful laminations, as it mercillessly critiqued them. It loved to see them fail, it enjoyed to watch them Squirm, it *needed* to see them cry

It had feasted upon the shattered ego of a thousand men, engouring itself upon their broken pride, become stronger, more power, more...musical.


Dean himself had barely walken away intact, his mind plauged by doubt after his soul crushing defeat.

It was the first time he had ever failed. He had shamed himself, and his ancestors.

But this was in the past. He was Arrogant and unprepared for the furious might of Dance Dance Revolution.

However, time is a warriors tool, and this time, he would put it end to it, one way or another.

No....He would put an end to it by emerging victorious!

But the forces of the evil machine were great, and numerous.

For every arrow successfully touched by Dean Gatlain, two more would take their place.

The arrows began flying from every possible angle, dissapearing almost as suddenly as they arrived, a blur of motion to anyone who attempt to look upon the screen.

But Dean Gatlain was undaunted, ten times the man he was when they last met---

But how long could he maintain?

OOC: Gen, you may not post yet!

This is the draft! I'm more likely to stop being lazy if I put it here. >.>

Some day, Miburo...some day...

[Yun Lao]

The gentle wind brushed across the valley, the green grass flowing like an emerald sea. The sun's descent towards the horizon colored the heavens in twilight, leaving the two figures who faced the other near silhouettes. Although brothers, they were like night and day, what one brother lacked, the other possessed. The first stood straight and proud, his back towards the setting sun like the figure of a legend. He was garbed in the finest apparel, possessing long blonde hair that resembled gold and eyes blue enough to make sapphires appear dull in comparison. The other's shoulders were slightly hunched, his flesh as pale as porcelain. His long black hair was like a veil of ink, obscuring much of his face save for one blood red eye. Blacken leather clothed him, saved for his white gloves.

"Have you come to stop me?" The bright one asked, breaking the silence between the two. A faint chuckle resonated from the dark one, who replied, "No, for I doubt anything could persuade you, now. No, my dear brother, I have merely come to watch this moment. The moment in which the white knight turns to the darkness." Now it was the other's turn to chuckle, "I shall return to the light one day, but for now I must do this."

"Do you think they will be so forgiving and make you their hero again then?"

"When they have seen the results, they will."

The dark brother began to laugh softly, "The audience is fickle, dear brother. By the time you return, they might already have a new hero. Are you certain you are ready to give up such a prestigious role?"

"Are you thinking about taking my place? To go from the shadows to the light?" The other asked, prompting a cackle from the dark one. The bright one smirked, "That's right...you hold no allegiances to anyone other than yourself. You would burn Arcadia to the ground once you grew tired of it, wouldn't you, Lunarius?"

Lunarius's cackle slowly ceased before the black clad one replied, "Indeed, dear brother. It seems that our roles were destined even before the days our beloved mother carried us in her womb. She most certainly saw this when she named us. Solarius, the hero who whose honor shines even more brightly than the sun, I, the dark watcher of the shadows, always watching and waiting for my time, and even dear Terraius, so sickly that he resembles nothing more than a malnourished plant in the desert, surviving but nothing else."

Ending his little speech, Lunarius extended a white gloved hand towards his brother, "Well then, its time for our hero to embrace the night. We don't want to keep your audience waiting, do we?"

Solarius, despite his determination and confidence, for just a moment, found himself hesitant to take his brother's hand, but such a moment was small indeed, as his hand took that white glove...

"Welcome...to the darkness... "

[Froggy]

So in the end.the historyof Ramus Navila was that of a quiet one. He felt no need to abandon his martial arts training.but also, felt noneed to fight injustice after defeating the greatest criminal in the cosmos....Grinthorn. He decided to become a mailman of sorts....a kung fu mailman. An odd profession but in his words. "AjobisajobamIright?amIright?

what happened to Shun after they married? Oh she took to the same job as her husband, finding his enthusiasm for such an odd profession nice. Oh of course they still sparred.even after the children......at least, tahts what the text say

-excerptf rom Ramus Navila V, of Navila colony

[Miburohunter929]

OOC: Fucking. Epic. :biggrin:

IC:
Where the hell is that guy..., Janos thought to himself, if I were Gatlain, and I had ass-all to do...

A low rumbling seemed to shake the block as he thought this over. He would have blamed this on the bass of passing vehicles, but it was in the middle of the week in a pretty quiet corner of Reno; almost ten hours too early for the city to spring alive. Moreso, the beat wasn't consistent, it was rather rattling.

Kind of like an earthshake.

...the elephant in the room...

The Lion captain followed these small tremors into a sea of dimness supported by the glow of fluorescent lights. A wash of electronic noise and video jingles filled the air across a number of cabinets and 36" sceen setups, sparsely populated by a youth with nothing to do. In the middle of it all, Janos would find his mark.

"...yo, Gatlain..." he spoke out, against the flow of the speakers that blasted beside a flurry of arrows. It would be a pain to catch his attention like this

"...need to...talk....bout Gray"

"...said I...your boy, Jon!"

OOC: I know how to salvage this, and make it up to Gen in one fell swoop!

IC:

Had Dean not been more then ten feet away from the massive speakers, errupting music with all the fury of an errupting he might, in theory, have heard the calling of his comrade.


However, the sound errupting from them with such monstrous intensity, the vibrations could be felt within every fiber of his being, the sound itself was at the very limit of the human pain threshold, his eardrums nearing their breaking point, threatening to render even one as mighty as himself deaf.

Had that not been the case, however....

He would have been far to preoccupied keeping his eyes on the arrows which rapidly entered and exited the screen, as he frantically moved his body to the corresponding arrows on the dance pad to respond.

The arrows were numerous, and unstoppable. They had no mercy for the Nevadian warrior, moving with the swiftness of a well oiled machine, caring only to see him defeated.

Destroyed.

Shamed, as many a man before him, and likely, many a man after him would be, The Victory of Dance Dance Revolution as resolute, nay, as absolute as it had been in the years before this day.

To defeat this machine, aft thought invincible, unbeatable, would be tantamount to defeating Syn himself.

No....Perhaps, this was more difficult then even that task.

Then again, perhaps not. Winning the battle with Syn was thought impossible, and if history had taught Dean Gatlain anything, it was that he had the power, through sheer bravado, sheer gusto, sheer force of will, to make anything possible.

And it was because of this indisputable truth, that Dean Gatlain was resolute, his will one of red hot fire, unquenchable by even the most intimidating of foes. He would stop, he could not stop.


The arrows would step up onto the screen to oppose him, and get swiftly dispatched in a display of dancing prowess and sheer athletism the world had never seen.

Truly, those fortunate enough to watch Dean enter battle with this beast of a machine were truly lucky. And they knew it, there chanting and howling growing for every masterful manuever made by to avoid his defeat, to purse his victory, to stave of this.. Diablolical Dance Revolution.

It was Dean Gatlains finest hour. Sweat glistened from his furrowed brow, his muscles buldging with such fury it seemed as if they would burst from his body, he moved like the God of the Dance given human form!

His eyes were the very picture of concentration, staring at the massive screen with such intensity, a weaker Game would have broken down like a scared little bitch, exploding into a million fragments, coins raining from the heavens in celebration of the will of Dean Gatlain trumping a foolish machine that dared to oppose him.

However, this game was no ordinary game. It was, quite simply--evil incarnate.

Forged in the steels of hell, powered by the souls of the damned, created for one purpose-- The very thing it hungered for.

Conquest.

To see the enemy fallen before it, to hear their pitiful laminations, as it mercillessly critiqued them.

To tell them they were wrong, that they missed an arrow, that they were inadaquate.

That they Sucked

It loved to see them fail, it enjoyed to watch them Squirm, desperately attempting to defy the fate they were guaranteed.

Were the machine a sentient being, it would have grown curious over the years. It would have wondered why man insisted on putting itself against something beyond it's understanding, beyond it's ability.

It would have grown amused at it's own prowess. For every man that swifty step fowards, and was dissmissed even swifter, another man took it's place.

It would have grown annoyed, wondering how many ants must it crush, until they finally accepted their lot in lot?

But eventually, it would have grown to love what it was made to do, what it was born to do, what it was programmed to do, which leads us to this story.

It had feasted upon the shattered ego of a thousand men, engouring itself upon their broken pride, become stronger, more power, more...musical.

Dean himself had barely walken away intact, his mind plauged by doubt after his soul crushing defeat.

It was the first time he had ever failed. He had shamed himself, and his ancestors, and desperately prayed that one day he would have the skill, the power, the sheer intestinal fortitude to correct that mistake.

Some even speculated that his defeat, and his subsequent desire to win, was what brought him to Arcadia, so that he would be prepared to destroy the most powerful of enemies.

So that he might destroy this foul creature, the way it had destroyed him.

But this was in the past. He was Arrogant and unprepared for the furious might of Dance Dance Revolution.

However, time is a warriors tool, and this time, he would put it end to it, one way or another. He was wiser, faster, stronger, and had achived a greater level of perfection, thought impossible, by even he.

Win or lose, he would end it here, oh yes.

No....He would put an end to it by emerging victorious!

But the forces of the evil machine were great, and numerous.

For every arrow successfully touched by Dean Gatlain, two more would take their place. Then four, then six, then eight.

The arrows began flying from every possible angle, dissapearing almost as suddenly as they arrived, a blur of motion to anyone who attempt to look upon the screen.

But Dean Gatlain was undaunted, ten times the man he was when they last met---

But how long could he maintain this?

Diabolical Revolution had no intrest in finding out. Suddenly, in a move that not even the greatest Scion of Old Nevada could forsee, something...unexpected...began to occur.

The dance pad began to expand, forcing the crowd back, and even the lesser, weaker games, as the dance pad grew five, ten, thirty, nearly fifty feet in both width and length, the distance between arrows so great, so far, so wide ordinary man would be able to meet the challenge.

This "Arcade" became less a collection of games, less of a building, and more of an arena, where the man did battle against machine, and the very enviroment.

This was a new world, and it was very, very, hostile towards Dean Gatlain.

As the crowd looked on in confusion, suddenly, something that no one, least of all Dean Gatlain, saw coming.

The music stopped, and with it the chanting and confused mummurs of the crowd, the beeping of lesser machines, and as far as any one man could tell, the world.

All that remained was silence.

Atleast until Dean Gatlain spoke up.

"The hell?" Dean muttered under his breath, sweat dripping from his chizzled jaw, a confused grin on his face.

"I win? And here I thought things were gonna get harder." He said, looking towards the other side of the arena, towards his mortal enemy.

Just as suddenly as the the music had stopped, the arena had turned dark, nothing but the blinding light of the machine, and the errie glow of the dance panels of the floor illuminating the floor.

Dean Gatlain got the annoying--and frighting--feeling that he had won nothing, but pain.

The Diablocial Revolution agreed.

"PREPARE YOURSELF. TWO MINUTES TO ARMEGEDDON. " was all it said.

Dean Gatlain had no idea what "Armegeddon" the Machine was describing, but he knew one things.

"Aww, fuck me." was all that he said with a weary sigh.

He was about to get fucked up.

[GrampaGen]

The music stopped, and with it the chanting and confused mummurs of the crowd, the beeping of lesser machines, and as far as any one man could tell, the world.

All that remained was silence.

Atleast until Dean Gatlain spoke up.

"The hell?" Dean muttered under his breath, sweat dripping from his chizzled jaw, a confused grin on his face.

"I win? And here I thought things were gonna get harder." He said, looking towards the other side of the arena, towards his mortal enemy.

Just as suddenly as the the music had stopped, the arena had turned dark, nothing but the blinding light of the machine, and the errie glow of the dance panels of the floor illuminating the floor.

Dean Gatlain got the annoying--and frighting--feeling that he had won nothing, but pain.

The Diablocial Revolution agreed.

"PREPARE YOURSELF. TWO MINUTES TO ARMEGEDDON. " was all it said.

Dean Gatlain had no idea what "Armegeddon" the Machine was describing, but he knew one things.

"Aww, fuck me." was all that he said with a weary sigh.

He was about to get fucked up.

"Gatlain! Hey!"

Janos continued to call out among the bustle and noise of the crowd. This had been a very hectic day, and all this frantic buzz, shining lights, and throbbing music had been pushing his patience. Finally, here was his lead to the culprit among the Wolves, and he was wasting his day on stupid games.

To say nothing that beside the murmur of the stupefied crowd, the machine and premises were without sounds or music, and he had been right behind Dean, trying to get his attention for about a minute.

The Lion Captain had enough of this. He had a mission to do, and time was running out. Shoving his way through the crowd, he stepped up to the right side of the machine.

"For fuck's sake, what will it take to get your head out of your goddamn-"

"Hey!"

Suddenly he felt a grip on his shoulder; feathery, limp-wristed and thin-fingered, yet adamant in its intent. Janos turned around to confront this annoyance.

"Get back in line, asshole! What kind of dick interrupts an Armageddon dance-off?"

'bout my height...built like a twig...not worth my time.

He stared the kid - probably just another student on vacation - straight in the eye, hoping to burn the message across, complimented with a mild grimace in teh corner of his mouth. He then turned his attention back to Dean, when he felt that noodley grip again.

"I got two tokens on the console, dipshit! WAIT YOUR TUR-"

Spinning about face, he grabbed his wrist, and jerked him forward. Before the kid could react, a dull snap could be heard as Janos slunk in and bashed an elbow into his ribcage. Silence, then, and nothing more.

Grumbling something foul under his breath, Janos then took up the tokens and dropped them into the slot. Two chimes rang out, and then the sound of a needle off the record.

If you won't turn around, then maybe if I shut you down at your own game...

"DOUBLE-TIME! STEP UP TO THE BEAT OF RAGNOROK! YOU READY?!"

"...wait, what?"

Too late. The music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xSA9SGK6RU&feature=related) had already started. The arrows would approach soon, and he could only wonder what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time.

[Tami]

The saga continues...are their any survivours? :smile:

[FalconX2000]

OOC: Been holding off waiting for Dog to show up. Ah well.

IC:
Natalie returned the hug gently, smiling pleasantly. With a short sigh, she removed her hat and lay Levi's old yueyachan against the wall, whereupon she sunk into the closest seat.

"Ja...there were some things I had to take care of," she replied, with a tint of sorrow in her voice as she slumped in.

Absently, she produced a red stone from her pocket and began rolling it gingerly between her fingers, looking into it with a nostalgic pang.

"But what do you mean, suffocating," she queried,"I've never thought anything of that sort, Xellos."


"That might be a bit strong a word," Xellos acknowledged, "but I'd rather discuss this once our other guest has arrived."

He walked to a nearby counter and brought over a tray with a decanter and 3 earthenware mugs, "would you like a drink? It's honey lemon."

[FalconX2000]

This dance off is so awesome.:biggrin:

[The Dog]

Selma sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she paced nervously before the building Xellos resided in. She knew he wanted to talk about the girl they both loved, knowing it was necessary but was afraid too.

Having spent time with Samuel and other members of the Knights Templar, as well as taking the proper medication, helped her get her emotional imbalance under control. But she was terrified that the possibility of seeing the person who brought such soaringly positive and crushingly negative emotions out of her might override the control she achieved. Especially should her feeling not be reciprocated by the German witch.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a slow sigh as she thought 'Samuel-sensei was right, I need to do this. Otherwise I'll never be able to truly get control of those emotions.'

Entering the building, she walked up the stairs, and stood before the door. After taking a few moments to steel herself, she knocked on the door, fiddling with the bottle cap ring on her finger as she waited for Xellos to answer.

[FalconX2000]

Selma sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she paced nervously before the building Natalie resided in. She wanted to see the girl again, but at the same time was afraid too.

Having spent time with Samuel and other members of the Knights Templar, as well as taking the proper medication, helped her get her emotional imbalance under control. But she was terrified that seeing the person who brought such strong positive and negative emotions out of her might override the control she achieved.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a slow sigh as she thought 'Samuel-sensei was right, I need to do this. Otherwise I'll never be able to truly get control of those emotions.'

Entering the building, she walked up the stairs, and stood before the door. After taking a few moments to steel herself, she knocked on the door, fiddling with the bottle cap ring on her finger as she waited for Natalie to answer.


That was why he had called them both over to for a discussion by the fireplace, though he had told neither of them why, or that the other would be coming as well.


Read my first post dammit!:biggrin:

[Kevin M.]

What is going on here?

[The Dog]

Read my first post dammit!:biggrin:

Editted for great justice!:tongue:

[FalconX2000]

What is going on here?

Xellos, Natalie and Selma romantic closure.

[FalconX2000]

OOC: Since GG hadn't yet responded to my post and Dog came in, I did a little retconning. I'll save the post I put earlier for once both Selma and Nat are settled in, replacing it with one about getting drinks.

Also, Dog, do you remember the conversation Xellos had with Selma when Ghost ghosted her for you? I do believe it was the last big conversation they had before I dropped out.


Selma sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she paced nervously before the building Xellos resided in. She knew he wanted to talk about the girl they both loved, knowing it was necessary but was afraid too.

Having spent time with Samuel and other members of the Knights Templar, as well as taking the proper medication, helped her get her emotional imbalance under control. But she was terrified that the possibility of seeing the person who brought such soaringly positive and crushingly negative emotions out of her might override the control she achieved. Especially should her feeling not be reciprocated by the German witch.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a slow sigh as she thought 'Samuel-sensei was right, I need to do this. Otherwise I'll never be able to truly get control of those emotions.'

Entering the building, she walked up the stairs, and stood before the door. After taking a few moments to steel herself, she knocked on the door, fiddling with the bottle cap ring on her finger as she waited for Xellos to answer.

After a moment, the door opened. A butler stood behind it, proud, lean and uppity. He had an aquiline nose that drew attention away from his receding hairline.

"Ah, Miss St Johns. You have been expected." he stepped aside, "do come in."

As Selma entered, he introduced himself, "Shackleford, at your service. Shall I take your coat?"

OOC: GG's character from the Galaxy Hotel. Xellos was impressed enough to hire him.:biggrin:

[The Dog]

OOC: Since GG hadn't yet responded to my post and Dog came in, I did a little retconning. I'll save the post I put earlier for once both Selma and Nat are settled in, replacing it with one about getting drinks.

Also, Dog, do you remember the conversation Xellos had with Selma when Ghost ghosted her for you? I do believe it was the last big conversation they had before I dropped out.

OOC: .... No, I don't.:redface:


After a moment, the door opened. A butler stood behind it, proud, lean and uppity. He had an aquiline nose that drew attention away from his receding hairline.

"Ah, Miss St Johns. You have been expected." he stepped aside, "do come in."

As Selma entered, he introduced himself, "Shackleford, at your service. Shall I take your coat?"

"That's OK, Shackleford. I'll be keeping it, if that's alright with you." Selma said.

[GrampaGen]

"That might be a bit strong a word," Xellos acknowledged, "but I'd rather discuss this once our other guest has arrived."

He walked to a nearby counter and brought over a tray with a decanter and 3 earthenware mugs, "would you like a drink? It's honey lemon."

"...so you've called her in too, ja?"

A soft sigh left Natalie, her eyes gently lowered in their gaze for a moment. So much had happened over the last year, calamitous struggles climaxing with the ending of the universe. Strife bound the members of Dragon Dorm close together.

Yet for some, it would seem that wasn't the sole reason. It had been a point Natalie had been hesitant to engage for some time, resigning herself to the battle against the shadowy forces instead. How ironic that peace would bring with it a lingering sort of dread.

"I think I'll take one, danke..."

[GrampaGen]

"Gatlain! Hey!"

Janos continued to call out among the bustle and noise of the crowd. This had been a very hectic day, and all this frantic buzz, shining lights, and throbbing music had been pushing his patience. Finally, here was his lead to the culprit among the Wolves, and he was wasting his day on stupid games.

To say nothing that beside the murmur of the stupefied crowd, the machine and premises were without sounds or music, and he had been right behind Dean, trying to get his attention for about a minute.

The Lion Captain had enough of this. He had a mission to do, and time was running out. Shoving his way through the crowd, he stepped up to the right side of the machine.

"For fuck's sake, what will it take to get your head out of your goddamn-"

"Hey!"

Suddenly he felt a grip on his shoulder; feathery, limp-wristed and thin-fingered, yet adamant in its intent. Janos turned around to confront this annoyance.

"Get back in line, asshole! What kind of dick interrupts an Armageddon dance-off?"

'bout my height...built like a twig...not worth my time.

He stared the kid - probably just another student on vacation - straight in the eye, hoping to burn the message across, complimented with a mild grimace in teh corner of his mouth. He then turned his attention back to Dean, when he felt that noodley grip again.

"I got two tokens on the console, dipshit! WAIT YOUR TUR-"

Spinning about face, he grabbed his wrist, and jerked him forward. Before the kid could react, a dull snap could be heard as Janos slunk in and bashed an elbow into his ribcage. Silence, then, and nothing more.

Grumbling something foul under his breath, Janos then took up the tokens and dropped them into the slot. Two chimes rang out, and then the sound of a needle off the record.

If you won't turn around, then maybe if I shut you down at your own game...

"DOUBLE-TIME! STEP UP TO THE BEAT OF RAGNOROK! YOU READY?!"

"...wait, what?"

Too late. The music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xSA9SGK6RU&feature=related) had already started. The arrows would approach soon, and he could only wonder what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time.

Also, MIBUROOOOO~!!!!! :mad:

[Miburohunter929]

Also, MIBUROOOOO~!!!!! :mad:

Silence you!

I had a characeter sheet to work on!

Believe it or not, dispite my peerless writing skills, and my divine improvosiational powa, I occasionally have to contemplate!
:biggrin:

[GrampaGen]

Silence you!

I had a characeter sheet to work on!

Believe it or not, dispite my peerless writing skills, and my divine improvosiational powa, I occasionally have to contemplate!
:biggrin:

blargh, Jon will probably fight Janos at the end of the second RPG at this rate :tongue:

[Miburohunter929]

blargh, Jon will probably fight Janos at the end of the second RPG at this rate :tongue:

Just think of Jon as the Boss behind the Bosses boss. XD

Wait....Lilith....Syn....Grinthorn......

Boss behind the bosses bosses, boss?

Whatever. >.>

If it's any consolation, I actually finished the Bio--Well, except the clothing part.

I /suck/ at clothing.

My expertise is at discarding them, you see :smile:

[FalconX2000]

OOC: .... No, I don't.:redface:



"That's OK, Shackleford. I'll be keeping it, if that's alright with you." Selma said.

*gasp* It took me over an hour to re-refind it. Dammit. My starting point was a thousand pages off.


Having left Natalie's side, Selma was out looking for Xellos. Her heart was pounding in her chest; the feeling of hollowness was long gone now. She felt excited and terrified at the same time.

Calm down. Calm down. Just tell him what you need to tell him and try not to break down crying or something. You can do this, Selma. You'll feel better once you get it done. ...I hope.

"Xellos?" She called. "Xellos?"


A shadow detatched itself from its' companions and appeared behind Selma. A blood red glint shone from one eye, its voice deep and ominous, if delibrately a tad overboard,

"you called?"


"Gah!" Selma made a small jump in surprise before whirling around with an angered look on her face. "Not funny!"


"Certainly not to the victim, apparently."

Xellos smiled smugly, then gestured to a bench,

"sit down, we'll talk."

[FalconX2000]

And continuing...


I can tell you're not going to make this easy on me, Selma thought bitterly.

She sat down on the bench and drew a deep breaht. "Well, I'll get right to the point," she said. "I'm here to apologise."


Xellos opened his mouth to make light of it, letting it hang uncertainly as he took in the situation, then closed it,

Slightly more serious, he continued,

"for what?"


"For saying you'd take Natalie away from me because you're rich and good looking and all that," Selma mumbled. "I... I think that was probably unfair of me."


Xellos grinned,

"Oh, but I do plan to. It was a fair assessment of my tangible advantages. You were just being whiny about it."



She sighed. "I've been doing a bit of soul searching today. Well, that and Rhia and Tamiko were kind enough to drill some sense into my head. I've come to realise a lot of scary things I didn't want to admit earlier. But I've decided to face my fears now. So here goes."

She looked at Xellos with a burning blush on her face. "The truth is, I've been big, selfish dummkopf. I thought that if I could just make Natalie love me, that would make both of us happy. Even worse, I was never brave enough to put her feelings before mine. That's why I never really deserved her, I think."

"But you... you just want her to be happy. I think I always knew that, and that's what scared me so much. Not your money, or your looks or your charm, but knowing that maybe you deserved her love more then I did."

She fell silent. Trying to calm her wildly beating heart, she looked at him with all the courage and determination she could muster.

Please don't make fun of me. I won't be able to take that. Please, oh please oh please...


Xellos remained silent. This was unusually deep for Selma. It didn't sound the same as all those unconvincing times she'd been firing herself up with a flame that he was sure would die out within hours.

This actually looked sustainable.

He nodded, understanding.

[The Dog]

"...so you've called her in too, ja?"

A soft sigh left Natalie, her eyes gently lowered in their gaze for a moment. So much had happened over the last year, calamitous struggles climaxing with the ending of the universe. Strife bound the members of Dragon Dorm close together.

Yet for some, it would seem that wasn't the sole reason. It had been a point Natalie had been hesitant to engage for some time, resigning herself to the battle against the shadowy forces instead. How ironic that peace would bring with it a lingering sort of dread.

"I think I'll take one, danke..."

Nodding to the butler and entering the room, Selma heard Natalie's voice before she had seen her. What had once been merely a hard thing to do had quickly escalated to a near-insurmountable task.

Her mind quickly began working to figure out Xellos' angle, knowing he had to have some reason for asking her over along with Natalie.

'Whatever your planning Xellos, it had better be a damn good one.' Selma thought with an inward sigh. She'd already begun mentally chanting the mantra she learned to help keep her emotions under check in situations like this...

Of course, she'd never had to test it under such strenuous conditions before.

'But there's a first time for everything, I guess.' she thought before entering the room, looking to Xellos, keeping her eyes off of the girl she cared for so out of fear that her emotions would go out of control like they had before.

"Xellos. Natalie, it's a pleasure to see you both again." Selma greeted with a bow, though still not looking to Natalie as she asked Xellos "So, I take it you have a reason behind this meeting between the three of us?"

[FalconX2000]

And finally....


Selma drew a sigh of relief. So far so good.

"But don't get me wrong," she added with a small grin, "this doesn't mean I've given up on her. In fact, I'm more determined the ever! I'll keep fighting and never give up, because now I know that's the only way I can hope to win Natalie's heart."

She held her hand out to him. "What do you say, rival? Sounds fair?"



Xellos shook it,

"life is rarely fair in the way most people think of the term. I'm glad you're feeling better though."

he wagged a finger,

"about the never give up part, if Natalie ends up deciding to give her heart to me, I don't mind you having an intimate friendship with her, but start trying to steal her away and I'll give you a bonk on the head."


"If Natalie picks you in the end, I hope I'll be strong enough to accept it," Selma said, her smile wavering only for a heartbeat. "But no matter what, she'll always be my friend. Always."


"that said, may the best lover win."


Selma nodded. "Agreed."


Xellos thought for a moment,

"I'm hungry. Wanna grab a hot dog?"


"Yeah," Selma said and smiled. She felt her eyes burning, but was determined not to cry. "Yeah, I'd like that."

[FalconX2000]

Nodding to the butler and entering the room, Selma heard Natalie's voice before she had seen her. What had once been merely a hard thing to do had quickly escalated to a near-insurmountable task.

Her mind quickly began working to figure out Xellos' angle, knowing he had to have some reason for asking her over along with Natalie.

'Whatever your planning Xellos, it had better be a damn good one.' Selma thought with an inward sigh. She'd already begun mentally chanting the mantra she learned to help keep her emotions under check in situations like this...

Of course, she'd never had to test it under such strenuous conditions before.

'But there's a first time for everything, I guess.' she thought before entering the room, looking to Xellos, keeping her eyes off of the girl she cared for so out of fear that her emotions would go out of control like they had before.

"Xellos. Natalie, it's a pleasure to see you both again." Selma greeted with a bow, though still not looking to Natalie as she asked Xellos "So, I take it you have a reason behind this meeting between the three of us?"

Xellos nodded, "that I do. Please though, make yourself comfortable before we begin."

[The Dog]

Xellos nodded, "that I do. Please though, make yourself comfortable before we begin."

Taking a seat, Selma sighed as she held her hands in her lap. There she began nervously fiddling with the bottle cap ring on her finger, looking to Xellos as she asked "Now, forgive my impoliteness, but please tell us of your reason for this small reunion."

[FalconX2000]

Taking a seat, Selma sighed as she held her hands in her lap. There she began nervously fiddling with the bottle cap ring on her finger, looking to Xellos as she asked "Now, forgive my impoliteness, but please tell us of your reason for this small reunion."

Xellos sat on the sofa, leaning on the arm rest for a moment to admire the way the firelight played along Natalie's features. He almost asked her about the stone, but decided to file it away for later, "I love you, Natalie." Xellos spoke, his voice softer than usual, "Selma does too. And I think such feeling resides within you as well. As it is now, Selma and I have grown to be friends. We do, however, keep vying for your time."

He shifted in his seat to face her directly, "It is difficult even under normal circumstances to nurture and sustain truly healthy romantic relationships with more than one person; none of us are normal. Even if you say you have never felt that way, how many times can you say you have done something or gone somewhere with one of us through your initiation? We pursue you, and I believe we all enjoy the time we spend together, but have you ever actually asked one of us out?"

"You're a smart girl, Nat. You know how to manage your time. But I dread the day you find yourself thinking of spending romantic time with me...with either of us...as just another one of those things you have to do." His posture sagged slightly, the certainty so much a part of him evaporating.

[Froggy]

OOC: elloss should employ Ramus

as his mailman

[GrampaGen]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled romantic closure for an iota of violence

http://fc75.deviantart.com/fs38/f/2008/365/5/0/SHR___Daichi_vs_Mei_Ling_by_GrampaGen.jpg

Daichi Yamada vs Mei Ling, Captain of Wolf Dorm!

[KamenRaida]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled romantic closure for an iota of violence

~snip~

Daichi Yamada vs Mei Ling, Captain of Wolf Dorm!

:eek:

Daaaamn, that is some fine fucking art!

Give yourself a pat on the back, GG! :smile:

[The Dog]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled romantic closure for an iota of violence

-snip-

Daichi Yamada vs Mei Ling, Captain of Wolf Dorm!

Very nice. Now, to badly paraphrase some famous guy: "Give me romance, or give me a non-depressed Selma pic!"

[GrampaGen]

Very nice. Now, to badly paraphrase some famous guy: "Give me romance, or give me a non-depressed Selma pic!"

Well Falcon's not here atm...and I'm feeling kind of burnt out right now...

sooo for the time being, I'll make a tab of stuff to draw.

A burnt out lightbulb is what's preventing the usual sketchbook work, so I'd have to tablet it out.

So yeah, let's make a list? :biggrin:

[Siriel]

Well Falcon's not here atm...and I'm feeling kind of burnt out right now...

sooo for the time being, I'll make a tab of stuff to draw.

A burnt out lightbulb is what's preventing the usual sketchbook work, so I'd have to tablet it out.

So yeah, let's make a list? :biggrin:

Julien exploding Kuan!:cool:

[GrampaGen]

Julien exploding Kuan!:cool:

Sure.

Keep in mind these will take a while...that and I'll have to dig up Kuan's bio, or come up with a design on the spot.

[Froggy]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled romantic closure for an iota of violence

http://fc75.deviantart.com/fs38/f/2008/365/5/0/SHR___Daichi_vs_Mei_Ling_by_GrampaGen.jpg

Daichi Yamada vs Mei Ling, Captain of Wolf Dorm!
SHR>KOF

Sure.

Keep in mind these will take a while...that and I'll have to dig up Kuan's bio, or come up with a design on the spot.
Ramus pantsing JOSE!

?

[The Dog]

Well Falcon's not here atm...and I'm feeling kind of burnt out right now...

sooo for the time being, I'll make a tab of stuff to draw.

A burnt out lightbulb is what's preventing the usual sketchbook work, so I'd have to tablet it out.

So yeah, let's make a list? :biggrin:

Very well... All I really want is a recent pic of Selma not being depressed. She does do "not depressed". Like... snarky.

She does snarky. And ocassionally happy.

But mostly snarky. So much snark, like she's got PMS and sleep deprived. Even facing the Children of Oberon threatening not only her life, but the lives of her classmates can stop the snark.

But since snark only looks good on Dr. Gregory House, let's go with a happy Selma pic.

Please.:wink:

[Siriel]

Sure.

Keep in mind these will take a while...that and I'll have to dig up Kuan's bio, or come up with a design on the spot.

No digging required!


Name: Kuan

Gender: Male

Nationality: Chinese

Age: 16

Height: 5"5'

Weight: 155 lbs.

Clothes:

Physical Appearance:

Style: Chi Based Swordplay

Form: Fights using his unique combination of a dao saber and jian straight sword

History: Along with Sung and Wu, Kuan was one of the many orphans who were raised within the Shaolin Temple. Having grown up and trained alongside Wei Levi, the four of them were the best of friends, though when Levi left the temple, Kuan began to harbor a grudge to their wayward friend. Determined to prove to Levi that his journey to develop his ultimate fighting style was pointless, Kuan devoted all of his time to his training.

Personality: Kuan is usually cold for a Shaolin monk, usually serious and stern, he is the one to keep the others in line should they stray from their duties. Despite his hard nature, he does care about his friends.

Weapon(s): Kuan possesses a dao saber and jian straight sword which he uses at the same time during combat.

Special Techniques: Unlike many, Kuan doesn't believe in naming his techniques, finding it a waste of time. Most of his chi attacks come in the form of long distance arcs of energy launched with a swing of either sword.

Asura's Enlightenment - Much like Levi, Kuan has found his own form of enlightenment, however Kuan's comes in the form of brief visions of his opponent's future attacks. However, these visions only emerge during the heat of combat and he often has no control of when they happen.

Stats:
Strength: 8
Speed: 21
Intelligence: 5
Agility: 5
Durability: 15
Stamina: 5
Weapons Mastery/Fighting Skill: 5
Ki/Chi: 10
Magic: 0

[GrampaGen]

No digging required!

...you've been prepping for this moment, haven't you :wink:

Hmm...need some sort of physical description if you can dig that up?

[Siriel]

...you've been prepping for this moment, haven't you :wink:

Hmm...need some sort of physical description if you can dig that up?

Cleric's unbelievably clear description was this:


Jericho nodded as a monk stepped into the Ring, across from Julien. He wore two swords on his person, and looked to be about 16 or so. He bowed to Julien.


"My name is Kuan. May you fight well."

And I'm not kidding or anything, that's Kuan's introduction.

[GrampaGen]

Cleric's unbelievably clear description was this:



And I'm not kidding or anything, that's Kuan's introduction.

Sweet crap...okay, either Yun will swing by with some clarification, or I'll figure something out

[GrampaGen]

Queue for drawing stuff for SHR

1. Selma
2. Julien vs Kuan
3. Ramus pantsing Jose

...with 2 and 3 come

2a. design for Kuan
3a. design for Jose.

[Siriel]

In case it's needed, the scene:


Julien's face distorted from the pain, and he almost fell on his knees.

He proceeded to push his hand deeper, concentrating on it.

"Sorry, but... I cannot lose."

He then released a Reppuken, inside Kuan, hoping it would make him become unconscious, or at least too weak to fight.



IC: Kuan's side bulged, then exploded outward, showering Julien with blood. Kuan twisted his baldes once more, sending searing pain through Julien, before he let go of his weapons, stumbled back, clutching at his gaping side, and then passed out.

[GrampaGen]

In case it's needed, the scene:

...man I'm going to have to go on a Berserk and Hokuto bender again.

Thanks, I'll give it a shot

[FalconX2000]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled romantic closure for an iota of violence

-snip-

Daichi Yamada vs Mei Ling, Captain of Wolf Dorm!

I always found it hard to picture Daichi as a blonde haired guy.

Your dedication to SHR Art is remarkable, GG.:biggrin:

[GrampaGen]

I always found it hard to picture Daichi as a blonde haired guy.

Your dedication to SHR Art is remarkable, GG.:biggrin:

Well, he had different forms according to his progression with his style. In the last arc his hair went back to black IIRC.

And thanks. It's a colorful universe to draw :smile:

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

Badass colored art, GG.


Look's fantastic. :smile:

[Yun Lao]

Sweet crap...okay, either Yun will swing by with some clarification, or I'll figure something out

*Swings by*

Like Levi, Kuan is a cheongsam wearing, while his is a dust blue. His pants are tan and he wears a navy sash around his waist, as well as a the same colored bandanna around his head. Besides that he has short hair and carries his jian horizontally at the back of his waist with the hilt pointing to his right while his dao is sheathed diagonally up across his back with the hilt sticking up his left shoulder.

[Froggy]

Cleric Jose looks like that one guy from dynasty warriors?

[GrampaGen]

Submitting tentative character designs for creator approval

Kuan

http://fc92.deviantart.com/fs41/f/2009/004/a/4/SHR___Kuan_by_GrampaGen.jpg

Jose Carlos

http://fc37.deviantart.com/fs40/f/2009/004/e/9/SHR___Jose_by_GrampaGen.jpg

[Yun Lao]

Submitting tentative character designs for creator approval

Kuan

http://fc92.deviantart.com/fs41/f/2009/004/a/4/SHR___Kuan_by_GrampaGen.jpg

Awesome, that's pretty much how I pictured him.

[GrampaGen]

Awesome, that's pretty much how I pictured him.

...wow, really? Thanks, Yun.

Anything I can add or tweak for you?

[Yun Lao]

...wow, really? Thanks, Yun.

Anything I can add or tweak for you?

Nothing that I can really see, although if you do ever draw him again from a side view or whatever, to give the bandanna some long ends.

[The Dog]

Are we ever gonna get a resolution the Xellos/Natalie/Selma triangle? Because I'm curious on how it ends, and it does need some closure.

[GrampaGen]

Are we ever gonna get a resolution the Xellos/Natalie/Selma triangle? Because I'm curious on how it ends, and it does need some closure.

...who had the last post on that? :redface:

[The Dog]

...who had the last post on that? :redface:

Falcon posted last, speaking to your character. So I believe its your turn, because Selma talking would just be interrupting and rude.

[Miburohunter929]

Hmm....

They say Victory Goes to Those With Courage...

Who had the most courage in Dragon Dorm?

Also: If the SHR Cast got assigned to a manga individually, where do you think they'd end up?

[GrampaGen]

Xellos sat on the sofa, leaning on the arm rest for a moment to admire the way the firelight played along Natalie's features. He almost asked her about the stone, but decided to file it away for later, "I love you, Natalie." Xellos spoke, his voice softer than usual, "Selma does too. And I think such feeling resides within you as well. As it is now, Selma and I have grown to be friends. We do, however, keep vying for your time."

Natalie sipped at her mug slowly, the sweet tang and boldness of the steeped tea lending her strength as she looked across, first at Selma, then at Xellos as she follwoed his words.

Of course it would be this matter again, she thought to herself quietly.

Tucking away the red stone, she began to feel some minor tinge of guilt for having left to her tasks. Yet what was done was done. Curtly, she nodded as she waited for Xellos to continue.



He shifted in his seat to face her directly, "It is difficult even under normal circumstances to nurture and sustain truly healthy romantic relationships with more than one person; none of us are normal. Even if you say you have never felt that way, how many times can you say you have done something or gone somewhere with one of us through your initiation? We pursue you, and I believe we all enjoy the time we spend together, but have you ever actually asked one of us out?"

"Nein, I never have. For that, I am sorry, but there were a number of more pressing matters at hand," she answered, somewhat hastily in tone.



"You're a smart girl, Nat. You know how to manage your time. But I dread the day you find yourself thinking of spending romantic time with me...with either of us...as just another one of those things you have to do." His posture sagged slightly, the certainty so much a part of him evaporating.

"Exactly what do you mean by that," she asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

[KamenRaida]

Submitting tentative character designs for creator approval

Jose Carlos

~snip~



Hmm, I'd say the general look is there, though Jose has a slightly more feminine figure to him.

Otherwise, excellent job. :smile:

[GrampaGen]

Hmm....

They say Victory Goes to Those With Courage...

Who had the most courage in Dragon Dorm?

Also: If the SHR Cast got assigned to a manga individually, where do you think they'd end up?

Jano-

...oh right, Dragon Dorm. =P

hum...loathe to mention my characters, so probably Tamiko or Levi.

As for solo titles, I suppose Kekowa would go though single fatherhood. All the excitement of diaper changes, burping, and teaching baby Daichi to speak!

[GrampaGen]

Hmm, I'd say the general look is there, though Jose has a slightly more feminine figure to him.

Otherwise, excellent job. :smile:

Ah, more androgynous, gotcha.

...I think I have a psychological limiter on that, but I'll see what I can do :tongue:

But for now, anything else I can tweak or change? hair, clothing, etc?

[Miburohunter929]

Natalie is such a pimp.

It's grown to the point she's all like "God, I wish these hoes would stay up off me."

I suppose it's for the best that Kekowa didn't lead the Harem, or else he'd be by doing it with everyone.

...You know, somehow the idea of Kekowa getting everyone saved Kagura and Tamiko pregnant is awesomely luzly.

Keko'd become a fulltime hero, just to make Child Support on time.

[FalconX2000]

Natalie sipped at her mug slowly, the sweet tang and boldness of the steeped tea lending her strength as she looked across, first at Selma, then at Xellos as she follwoed his words.

Of course it would be this matter again, she thought to herself quietly.

Tucking away the red stone, she began to feel some minor tinge of guilt for having left to her tasks. Yet what was done was done. Curtly, she nodded as she waited for Xellos to continue.



"Nein, I never have. For that, I am sorry, but there were a number of more pressing matters at hand," she answered, somewhat hastily in tone.



"Exactly what do you mean by that," she asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

Xellos sighed in a mixture of exasperation and relief, "If you have this much trouble comprehending it, then I am glad. My fears are not real right now."

He paused a moment, "think on this for a moment then. Have you ever poured your time and energy into something, then felt burnt out afterwards? And even if not, do you foresee this," he gestured in a circular manner to indicate all present, "continuing forever?"

[KamenRaida]

Ah, more androgynous, gotcha.

...I think I have a psychological limiter on that, but I'll see what I can do :tongue:

But for now, anything else I can tweak or change? hair, clothing, etc?

Naw, the clothing's and hair's fine. :smile:

[GrampaGen]

Xellos sighed in a mixture of exasperation and relief, "If you have this much trouble comprehending it, then I am glad. My fears and reality are not convergent as yet."

"I'm not having trouble comprehending the situation, I only wanted come clarification, ja?" Natalie replied, then added," you seem particularly tense tonight."



He paused a moment, "think on this for a moment then. Have you ever poured your time and energy into something, then felt burnt out afterwards? And even if not, do you foresee this," he gestured in a circular manner to indicate all present, "continuing forever?"

"Of course. That is only part of life, after all. And you both know that I will always have time for my friends, for good or ill...but Selma, I would like to know, what are your thoughts on this?"

[FalconX2000]

"I'm not having trouble comprehending the situation, I only wanted come clarification, ja?" Natalie replied, then added," you seem particularly tense tonight."



"Of course. That is only part of life, after all. And you both know that I will always have time for my friends, for good or ill...but Selma, I would like to know, what are your thoughts on this?"

Spending eternity in the courtship phase is a part of life? Xellos was increasingly puzzled whether it was Natalie's naiivite or her own brand of wisdom.

A paranoid voice in the back of his mind hissed that she was just playing him like a puppet. The rest of his mind cut its tongue out.

[The Dog]

"I'm not having trouble comprehending the situation, I only wanted come clarification, ja?" Natalie replied, then added," you seem particularly tense tonight."

"Of course. That is only part of life, after all. And you both know that I will always have time for my friends, for good or ill...but Selma, I would like to know, what are your thoughts on this?"

Selma sighed as she knew that she'd be pulled into the conversation sooner or later. But that didn't mean she was at all ready for it, and decided to just be truthful with her friends, no matter what came to pass.

"I can see where Xellos is coming from Natalie. He is afraid that with the two of us vying for your attention, that you will grow weary of us smothering you in an attempt to gain an inch toward your heart."

"I've had a lot of time to think about it, and... and I've realized that even if I can't have your love, I would be lost if I didn't have your friendship, which is what I was afraid of. I haven't had many close friends in my life, and I was afraid that if you didn't love me, that I would lose you forever, even if only as a friend. And if I hadn't gotten the help I needed, its most likely that my attempts to keep you close would be what ended up driving you away."

"And I'm certain that in his own way, Xellos feels the same way, though without all the emotional problems I seem to have gathered in life, most brought on myself."

Sighing, Selma finished by saying "I think that's why he's brought the three of us together, hopefully to work through this, so that niether of us have to lose you due to our own overzealous efforts to court you, even if its only as a friend."

[FalconX2000]

Natalie sipped at her mug slowly, the sweet tang and boldness of the steeped tea lending her strength as she looked across, first at Selma, then at Xellos as she follwoed his words.

Of course it would be this matter again, she thought to herself quietly.

Tucking away the red stone, she began to feel some minor tinge of guilt for having left to her tasks. Yet what was done was done. Curtly, she nodded as she waited for Xellos to continue.



"Nein, I never have. For that, I am sorry, but there were a number of more pressing matters at hand," she answered, somewhat hastily in tone.



"Exactly what do you mean by that," she asked, a puzzled expression on her face.


OOC: Aha! Inspiration has struck again! However, it'll wait for 2 things. GG's response and my own trip out to run some errands. Cya.:biggrin:

[GrampaGen]

Selma sighed as she knew that she'd be pulled into the conversation sooner or later. But that didn't mean she was at all ready for it, and decided to just be truthful with her friends, no matter what came to pass.

"I can see where Xellos is coming from Natalie. He is afraid that with the two of us vying for your attention, that you will grow weary of us smothering you in an attempt to gain an inch toward your heart."

"I've had a lot of time to think about it, and... and I've realized that even if I can't have your love, I would be lost if I didn't have your friendship, which is what I was afraid of. I haven't had many close friends in my life, and I was afraid that if you didn't love me, that I would lose you forever, even if only as a friend. And if I hadn't gotten the help I needed, its most likely that my attempts to keep you close would be what ended up driving you away."

A soft laugh escaped Natalie's lips as she reflected on this.

"...a little over a year," she mused with a sad sort of chuckle, as she lay down further into her seat,"Time flies by so quickly."

So many memories dotted their experiences, from that first day on the boat to the final clash against Grinthorn. With every threat that they seemed to encounter, the situation with friends wanting more was an ever prevalent one that Natalie had struggled to downplay and be impartial to.



"And I'm certain that in his own way, Xellos feels the same way, though without all the emotional problems I seem to have gathered in life, most brought on myself."

Sighing, Selma finished by saying "I think that's why he's brought the three of us together, hopefully to work through this, so that niether of us have to lose you due to our own overzealous efforts to court you, even if its only as a friend."

"Of course. I will always be there for you two, and I..."

Stopping abruptly, Natalie nodded, and was silent for a moment.

"...do you remember Sirius Savage?"

[The Dog]

"Of course. I will always be there for you two, and I..."

Stopping abruptly, Natalie nodded, and was silent for a moment.

"...do you remember Sirius Savage?"

Selma nodded as she said "Of course, time always flies when you're having fun..."

She chuckled as she continued "Or getting thrown from one dangerous situation to the next, facing monsters, extra dimensional scourges, and who knows what else because noone else can."

She then grew sober as she nodded again and answered "Yeah. He was a nice, quiet guy. Brother was something of a jerk and an egomaniac, but very strong psychically, I'll have to give him that."

Raising an eyebrow she asked "Why do you ask? I haven't really seen much of him since the end of school."

[GrampaGen]

Selma nodded as she said "Of course, time always flies when you're having fun..."

She chuckled as she continued "Or getting thrown from one dangerous situation to the next, facing monsters, extra dimensional scourges, and who knows what else because noone else can."

She then grew sober as she nodded again and answered "Yeah. He was a nice, quiet guy. Brother was something of a jerk and an egomaniac, but very strong psychically, I'll have to give him that."

Raising an eyebrow she asked "Why do you ask? I haven't really seen much of him since the end of school."

Natalie steadied herself. Xellos and Selma had been honest and clear with her on their side of the situation.

"I didn't let anybody know about this, except for Rhia. You see...he was the first boy I ever kissed."

Laying her head propped up on her palm, her smile flattened.

"Of course, things are never only just as they appear to be, ja? It turns out it meant much more to him than that. He wanted an answer too, and, just like now, I hesitated too long. It was safe, maybe just convenient for me, but it destroyed him. It was so bad that Henry had to cleanse his mind of that memory because he said it was so painful to be on the verge and not to know."

Sweeping her hand before her eyes, Natalie fought back the sting of tears.

"...that's one of the places I went in the last month, to visit him and see how he was doing..."

[FalconX2000]

Natalie steadied herself. Xellos and Selma had been honest and clear with her on their side of the situation.

"I didn't let anybody know about this, except for Rhia. You see...he was the first boy I ever kissed."

Laying her head propped up on her palm, her smile flattened.

"Of course, things are never only just as they appear to be, ja? It turns out it meant much more to him than that. He wanted an answer too, and, just like now, I hesitated too long. It was safe, maybe just convenient for me, but it destroyed him. It was so bad that Henry had to cleanse his mind of that memory because he said it was so painful to be on the verge and not to know."

Sweeping her hand before her eyes, Natalie fought back the sting of tears.

"...that's one of the places I went in the last month, to visit him and see how he was doing..."

OOC: I'm back for a little while! *Must resist urge to just plonk the inspiration* Wait dammit! Half the art is the timing! I kinda remember writing about this before, but for the love of me I can't remember if Natalie told him about it. I'll just assume yes.

BTC:

Xellos nodded, his eyes lowered. He had known about it, but still had trouble comprehending the notion to erase memories. They were valuable information. Even if they were archived or giving him problems, as some nightmares annoyingly did, they were nonetheless a part of him. He had liked Sirius, but...that was so callous of him.

He produced the handkerchief he had proferred so often during Arcadia's more relatively controlled times, he placed it in her hand, squeezing it briefly in empathy.

"How was he?"

[GrampaGen]

OOC: I'm back for a little while! *Must resist urge to just plonk the inspiration* Wait dammit! Half the art is the timing! I kinda remember writing about this before, but for the love of me I can't remember if Natalie told him about it. I'll just assume yes.

BTC:

Xellos nodded, his eyes lowered. He had known about it, but still had trouble comprehending the notion to erase memories. They were valuable information. Even if they were archived or giving him problems, as some nightmares annoyingly did, they were nonetheless a part of him. He had liked Sirius, but...that was so callous of him.

He produced the handkerchief he had proferred so often during Arcadia's more relatively controlled times, he placed it in her hand, squeezing it briefly in empathy.

"How was he?"

"As blissfully unaware, since the encounter with Lilith last year. With some urging, I managed to convince Henry to let me into his mind to..."

She fumbled with her hand to try and conjur up the right word.

"...repair, what had been done to him. It's not an easy process, but Henry had been somewhat mild in what he did to him. But when he remembered, do you know what he said to me...?"

A strange sort of smile followed the abrupt sniffles that became known as she paused.

"He said that he knew, all along, what was going on, that I was leading him, Xellos, Selma, Kekowa and Daichi on! He said that I felt it was some sort of stupid game, letting others' hearts bleed out and only keeping my distance because of greed, for friends, for protection," she sputtered,"Real friends don't do that to each other, he said, and they don't dig up the past to reopen old wounds."

"Then he told me he was better off not knowing, and he never wanted to see me again~!"

Natalies eyes reddened with tears, the cool of the handkercheif swiftly lost as she struggled to contain her emotions.

"So if you think I don't understand, well, I do, ja?! I don't want to do this anymore! To anybody!"

[The Dog]

"As blissfully unaware, since the encounter with Lilith last year. With some urging, I managed to convince Henry to let me into his mind to..."

She fumbled with her hand to try and conjur up the right word.

"...repair, what had been done to him. It's not an easy process, but Henry had been somewhat mild in what he did to him. But when he remembered, do you know what he said to me...?"

A strange sort of smile followed the abrupt sniffles that became known as she paused.

"He said that he knew, all along, what was going on, that I was leading him, Xellos, Selma, Kekowa and Daichi on! He said that I felt it was some sort of stupid game, letting others' hearts bleed out and only keeping my distance because of greed, for friends, for protection," she sputtered,"Real friends don't do that to each other, he said, and they don't dig up the past to reopen old wounds."

"Then he told me he was better off not knowing, and he never wanted to see me again~!"

Natalies eyes reddened with tears, the cool of the handkercheif swiftly lost as she struggled to contain her emotions.

"So if you think I don't understand, well, I do, ja?! I don't want to do this anymore! To anybody!"

Selma frowned as she stood from her seat and moved over to Natalie.

Kneeling before her, the blonde pulled the witch into a hug and whispered "Don't worry Natalie, niether of us believe you to be pulling us along, or using us at all. In fact, if anything, we're worried what we might be doing to you."

"I've come to the decision that whatever you decide, I'll accept. Even if it only means that we stay friends, I will enjoy having that. Because you've already done so much for me without asking for anything in return, and put up with my worst that I know you aren't leading me around."

Holding Natalie before her, Selma smiled and said "Now please give me a smile Natalie, because I can't bare to see you cry or upset. Besides, I believe I do enough of that for the three of us."

[FalconX2000]

"As blissfully unaware, since the encounter with Lilith last year. With some urging, I managed to convince Henry to let me into his mind to..."

She fumbled with her hand to try and conjur up the right word.

"...repair, what had been done to him. It's not an easy process, but Henry had been somewhat mild in what he did to him. But when he remembered, do you know what he said to me...?"

A strange sort of smile followed the abrupt sniffles that became known as she paused.

"He said that he knew, all along, what was going on, that I was leading him, Xellos, Selma, Kekowa and Daichi on! He said that I felt it was some sort of stupid game, letting others' hearts bleed out and only keeping my distance because of greed, for friends, for protection," she sputtered,"Real friends don't do that to each other, he said, and they don't dig up the past to reopen old wounds."

"Then he told me he was better off not knowing, and he never wanted to see me again~!"

Natalies eyes reddened with tears, the cool of the handkercheif swiftly lost as she struggled to contain her emotions.

"So if you think I don't understand, well, I do, ja?! I don't want to do this anymore! To anybody!"

"Natalie," Xello's voice was soft, somehow contriving to be both tentative and firm, "you did not do that. You did not choose for Sirius to think that or do that. You are you. The problems you would take on if you were responsible for how everyone reacted to you, or to their idea of you, defy comprehension. He made his choice. Selma made a choice to better herself, alot of it for you." he looked at the blonde girl in mixed approval, "I certainly make my own choices."

He moved to perch himself on the arm of the sofa as he continued, feet on the coffee table, "truth to tell, while I reject Sirius's accusation, it was not without comprehensible reason. You delibrately select neutral words, refer to us simply as friends when that is but a portion of the truth. Is the relationship between me and you no different than between you and Rhia? Or Dean? Or Ramus? Of course it's different, but you see the hurt of love, you take on the burden that is not yours to bear, and then you become afraid. Afraid to hurt. Afraid to offend. Afraid to show favour or be anything but a graceful sheet upon which we project our emotions!"

"And yet..." he hesitated, "I remember the time we spend together. I remember the smell of your hair, the feel of your head on my shoulder...and it all melts away. All the stupid thoughts, all the uncertainty and insecurity that breeds with want, it all goes away. And I feel warm."

"Love hurts. It will hurt again. Like all other emotions, weaker though those may be, it's how we handle it, how we see it." He clasped his hands around hers, "we love you Natalie. But for yourself as much as us. Say you love us. And not hide behind 'the love of friendship'. You know what I mean. Do you love me? Do you love Selma?"

[GrampaGen]

"Natalie," Xello's voice was soft, somehow contriving to be both tentative and firm, "you did not do that. You did not choose for Sirius to think that or do that. You are you. The problems you would take on if you were responsible for how everyone reacted to you, or to their idea of you, defy comprehension. He made his choice. Selma made a choice to better herself, alot of it for you." he looked at the blonde girl in mixed approval, "I certainly make my own choices."

He moved to perch himself on the arm of the sofa as he continued, feet on the coffee table, "truth to tell, while I reject Sirius's accusation, it was not without comprehensible reason. You delibrately select neutral words, refer to us simply as friends when that is but a portion of the truth. Is the relationship between me and you no different than between you and Rhia? Or Dean? Or Ramus? Of course it's different, but you see the hurt of love, you take on the burden that is not yours to bear, and then you become afraid. Afraid to hurt. Afraid to offend. Afraid to show favour or be anything but a graceful sheet upon which we project our emotions!"

Natalie started up, and burned a wide eyed gaze into Xellos for a moment, then turned and started toward the wall, propping herself facing away from him and Selma for the moment.

"I know that!," she exclaimed, frustrated," I-I know that now. Mein Gott, you don't have to patronize me like that! It doesn't get any clearer than-"

She stopped, ran her fingers through the tears on her face, and swallowed that quivering lump in her throat.

"...sorry," she said, collectedly,"Look, I understand. And ja, I was afraid of exactly what happened. Twice. But it's not just about being a-a receptacle for the pining affection of so many."

Raising her hand, she conjured some magic and teleported her mug off the table and into her hand, whereupon she hastily drank the rest of the hot lemon tea in earnest.

"You should know most of all that emotion is a fickle thing. You try to hide it, but I can read it in your eyes, Xellos. Trying to distance yourself for the sake of your rationality, because why? Because people aren't always stable, rational entities, ja?"

Natalie looked at a clock hanging to the side. Before she knew it, another hour had passed. She would have to be off again soon.

"People lash out for little reasons, what about major ones? I didn't want to hurt anybody, but least of all did I ever want to make an enemy out of anyone I trusted and held dear...but enough of this. Nein, no more."



"And yet..." he hesitated, "I remember the time we spend together. I remember the smell of your hair, the feel of your head on my shoulder...and it all melts away. All the stupid thoughts, all the uncertainty and insecurity that breeds with want, it all goes away. And I feel warm."

"Love hurts. It will hurt again. Like all other emotions, weaker though those may be, it's how we handle it, how we see it." He clasped his hands around hers, "we love you Natalie. But for yourself as much as us. Say you love us. And not hide behind 'the love of friendship'. You know what I mean. Do you love me? Do you love Selma?"

Massaging her temples between trembling fingers, slowly trying to regain equilibrium in her mind, quelling the crawling feeling in her heart, Natalie replaced her hat. Wrapping her hands around the Monk's Spade given to her so long ago by Levi as a sign of his confidence, she sighed gently. She had come so far, and her friends had been so patient.

"...things will be different no matter how I answer. I've made my decision a while ago, I was just never ready to say it," she said slowly, "Now, promise me, the two of you; are you ready to hear it?"

[FalconX2000]

Natalie started up, and burned a wide eyed gaze into Xellos for a moment, then turned and started toward the wall, propping herself facing away from him and Selma for the moment.

"I know that!," she exclaimed, frustrated," I-I know that now. Mein Gott, you don't have to patronize me like that! It doesn't get any clearer than-"

She stopped, ran her fingers through the tears on her face, and swallowed that quivering lump in her throat.

"...sorry," she said, collectedly,"Look, I understand. And ja, I was afraid of exactly what happened. Twice. But it's not just about being a-a receptacle for the pining affection of so many."

Raising her hand, she conjured some magic and teleported her mug off the table and into her hand, whereupon she hastily drank the rest of the hot lemon tea in earnest.

"You should know most of all that emotion is a fickle thing. You try to hide it, but I can read it in your eyes, Xellos. Trying to distance yourself for the sake of your rationality, because why? Because people aren't always stable, rational entities, ja?"

Natalie looked at a clock hanging to the side. Before she knew it, another hour had passed. She would have to be off again soon.

OOC:
A year of not seeing either one of them and she only has slightly over an hour to spare? What a sad affair.:tongue:

BTC:
Xellos said nothing, but his face acknowledged the truth of her words.


"People lash out for little reasons, what about major ones? I didn't want to hurt anybody, but least of all did I ever want to make an enemy out of anyone I trusted and held dear...but enough of this. Nein, no more."

Massaging her temples between trembling fingers, slowly trying to regain equilibrium in her mind, quelling the crawling feeling in her heart, Natalie replaced her hat. Wrapping her hands around the Monk's Spade given to her so long ago by Levi as a sign of his confidence, she sighed gently. She had come so far, and her friends had been so patient.

"...things will be different no matter how I answer. I've made my decision a while ago, I was just never ready to say it," she said slowly, "Now, promise me, the two of you; are you ready to hear it?"

"A part of me will never be ready." Xellos admitted. Then a smirk crossed his face again, as it so often did when he played with a strong hand, "still, since I went to the trouble of creating this meeting, let's do it my way, shall we?" He scooted over to sit on the coffee table and leaned in, his confidence in sharp contrast to the sharp headiness being under pressure tended to bring him. He extended both palms. In his left, a blue card sat. In his right, a red.

"It's time to make a choice. But not the one you think. We are all fine adults, and it appears none of us will be taking in any unnecessary pain as a result of being stretched. Especially not you particularly. That settles the first objective of this meeting. The second objective depends on you. If you choose the blue card, we'll continue as we were. This shouldn't need to be rushed. Things happen when they feel right, not before. Maybe it will be a year before you decide. Maybe 5 years. Maybe a decade. We all enjoy the time we spend together. Well...even when it's not enjoyable, it's meaningful and rewarding. We'll take it slow from here and see where it leads us."

"If you choose the red card, you make a decision here. Do you want to have a serious romantic relationship with Selma? With me? All three of us together? By God, neither of us? If you truly believe you want to finalise this, then pick it up."

He closed both palms, "but first of all, meditate a moment. You are calm now, but you are not at peace. I don't want you to say something you'll regret. Take as long as you want. I mean it." With that, he refilled her cup, raised his own to her in a silent toast, and walked to the shadows by the window once again. Partly to hide the shaking in his knees.

OOC: The cards! They are significant! O.o

[The Dog]

Selma sighed as she moved from kneeling to sitting, hugging a knee to her chest.

'Seems I've been ignored.' she thought with a hint of a smirk, which faded as she listened to the two talk. Listening to Xellos' proposition, she nodded as she said "Yeah, take all the time you need Natalie, I'll calmly await your decision."

"Just remember what I told you, that no matter what you choose, you'll always and forever be my friend."

She smirked as she added "Maybe after all this is done, I'll join you on your adventures, regardless of your decision. I've been wanting to see more of the world, and I think you'd like the company of a good friend."

[GrampaGen]

OOC:
A year of not seeing either one of them and she only has slightly over an hour to spare? What a sad affair.:tongue:

OOC: Actually it's more like a little over a month. Besides, it's not like the world is going to save itself! There are no breaks for Natalie Schroeder :wink:


Selma sighed as she moved from kneeling to sitting, hugging a knee to her chest.

'Seems I've been ignored.' she thought with a hint of a smirk, which faded as she listened to the two talk. Listening to Xellos' proposition, she nodded as she said "Yeah, take all the time you need Natalie, I'll calmly await your decision."


OOC: She hasn't been ignored but all the same she hasn't been saying quite as much...

Anyways, this shall be concluded...later. When the both of you are present :tongue:

[Miburohunter929]

OOC: Actually it's more like a little over a month. Besides, it's not like the world is going to save itself! There are no breaks for Natalie Schroeder :wink:



OOC: She hasn't been ignored but all the same she hasn't been saying quite as much...

Anyways, this shall be concluded...later. When the both of you are present :tongue:

Natalie should just vaporize them, and be done with it.

Go help Kekowa raise Daichi or something.

That reminds me, I nominate Kekowa as the Bravest charater in SHR.

You know I'm technically right.

..Wait...Does Kekowa Hasegowa even know fear? >.>

[FalconX2000]

Natalie should just vaporize them, and be done with it.

Until post #44591, I'd have put money on Natalie rejecting both Xellos and Selma.

Though maybe that's just my paranoia speaking after pouring so many hours into this RPG romance.

[Tami]

Until post #44591, I'd have put money on Natalie rejecting both Xellos and Selma.

Though maybe that's just my paranoia speaking after pouring so many hours into this RPG romance.

If Natalie had talked this over with Tamiko, I'm sure she would have questioned Natalie's indeciveness. Maybe Falcon's right.

[The Dog]

OOC: She hasn't been ignored but all the same she hasn't been saying quite as much...

Anyways, this shall be concluded...later. When the both of you are present :tongue:

OOC: He's here. I'm here. You're here. Time to end this before we get too involved in the new SHR thread and can't put any more time to it.

Which I fear will cause Falcon and me to go insane, due to to the time and energy we've put into this... So, please help us end the madness GrampaGen, you are our only hope.

[GrampaGen]

Xellos said nothing, but his face acknowledged the truth of her words.

"A part of me will never be ready." Xellos admitted. Then a smirk crossed his face again, as it so often did when he played with a strong hand, "still, since I went to the trouble of creating this meeting, let's do it my way, shall we?" He scooted over to sit on the coffee table and leaned in, his confidence in sharp contrast to the sharp headiness being under pressure tended to bring him. He extended both palms. In his left, a blue card sat. In his right, a red.

"It's time to make a choice. But not the one you think. We are all fine adults, and it appears none of us will be taking in any unnecessary pain as a result of being stretched. Especially not you particularly. That settles the first objective of this meeting. The second objective depends on you. If you choose the blue card, we'll continue as we were. This shouldn't need to be rushed. Things happen when they feel right, not before. Maybe it will be a year before you decide. Maybe 5 years. Maybe a decade. We all enjoy the time we spend together. Well...even when it's not enjoyable, it's meaningful and rewarding. We'll take it slow from here and see where it leads us."

"If you choose the red card, you make a decision here. Do you want to have a serious romantic relationship with Selma? With me? All three of us together? By God, neither of us? If you truly believe you want to finalise this, then pick it up."

He closed both palms, "but first of all, meditate a moment. You are calm now, but you are not at peace. I don't want you to say something you'll regret. Take as long as you want. I mean it." With that, he refilled her cup, raised his own to her in a silent toast, and walked to the shadows by the window once again. Partly to hide the shaking in his knees.

OOC: The cards! They are significant! O.o

Natalie fumbled in her speech for a moment, trying to find words to respond with. After a moment of being flustered, she let out a laugh, and stretched her lips into a wide smile.

"You never forget a detail, always going on and on with specificity and secondary measures" she sighed as she reached towards his left hand.

Grasping Xellos mildly by the wrist, she brought it forward, revealing the blue card. Then, slowly, she clasped her hands upon his fingers over it.

"We're all sixteen now. I think it's safe to say we don't have to play anymore games," she said.

A radiant light then ebbed through her hands, and she removed from Xellos a second red card.

"And you need to listen better, dummkopf," she chuckled, "after all, relationships are based on trust, ja?"

[FalconX2000]

Natalie fumbled in her speech for a moment, trying to find words to respond with. After a moment of being flustered, she let out a laugh, and stretched her lips into a wide smile.

"You never forget a detail, always going on and on with specificity and secondary measures" she sighed as she reached towards his left hand.

Grasping Xellos mildly by the wrist, she brought it forward, revealing the blue card. Then, slowly, she clasped her hands upon his fingers over it.

"We're all sixteen now. I think it's safe to say we don't have to play anymore games," she said.

A radiant light then ebbed through her hands, and she removed from Xellos a second red card.

"And you need to listen better, dummkopf," she chuckled, "after all, relationships are based on trust, ja?"

"All healthy ones." Xellos smiled back, a glint in his eye.

[The Dog]

"All healthy ones." Xellos smiled back, a glint in his eye.

Selma sighed, a smile on her face as she said "Well, I guess that takes the both of us out of the running Xellos. Let's take a dignified leave while Natalie's healthy relationship shows up."

[FalconX2000]

Selma sighed, a smile on her face as she said "Well, I guess that takes the both of us out of the running Xellos. Let's take a dignified leave while Natalie's healthy relationship shows up."

"Right you are Selma." He raised his voice, "Shackleford!"

"Yes sir?" He appeared with barely a moment gone by.

"Pack our bags. It's for health."

"Sir?" a note of befuddlement entered his voice.

[GrampaGen]

"All healthy ones." Xellos smiled back, a glint in his eye.


Selma sighed, a smile on her face as she said "Well, I guess that takes the both of us out of the running Xellos. Let's take a dignified leave while Natalie's healthy relationship shows up."

Natalie returned the card to Xellos and started back to the middle of the room.

"Now then, I need to make up for your long year," she sighed,"this won't be easy for me either. It's a big step, but..."

She paused, again, sagging her shoulders as her lips froze against her tongue. Her heart raced, rushing heat up to a head swarming with thoughts.

Complications. Worry. Doubt.

Ach, dein Gottin...

All of the weight of her spirit left her, as the witch whirled around, her hat flying off of her head into the sofa as her monk's spade fell with a thud onto the carpet.

And for the first time ever, Xellos Raveneye would throw his logic to the wind when Natalie's lips met his with a tender embrace.

[The Dog]

"Right you are Selma." He raised his voice, "Shackleford!"

"Yes sir?" He appeared with barely a moment gone by.

"Pack our bags. It's for health."

"Sir?" a note of befuddlement entered his voice.

Selma explained with a smile "He means that Natalie has a healthy relationship coming soon, and it wouldn't do well to have us two unhealthy relationships hanging around her during their time together."

"So please pack our bags so Natalie can get on with her healthy relationship without us albatrosses weighing her down."

[The Dog]

Natalie returned the card to Xellos and started back to the middle of the room.

"Now then, I need to make up for your long year," she sighed,"this won't be easy for me either. It's a big step, but..."

She paused, again, sagging her shoulders as her lips froze against her tongue. Her heart raced, rushing heat up to a head swarming with thoughts.

Complications. Worry. Doubt.

Ach, dein Gottin...

All of the weight of her spirit left her, as the witch whirled around, her hat flying off of her head into the sofa as her monk's spade fell with a thud onto the carpet.

And for the first time ever, Xellos Raveneye would throw his logic to the wind when Natalie's lips met his with a tender embrace.

Selma watched as the girl she loved kissed Xellos, and sighed. She could feel her heart shattering into so many pieces inside her chest, like a stained glass window being struck by a rock.

However, along with that feeling of loss came a second, stranger feeling.

Relief.

It felt as if a great weight slid off her shoulders even as her heart ached at not being the one to feel Natalie's lips on her. Like some great unknown had been solved, unlocking the chains that weighed her down, falling to the ground with a thud only she could hear.

Smiling, she turned to Shackleford and said "Best make that one bag. It seems her healthy relationship has already arrived without my knowing."

[FalconX2000]

Natalie returned the card to Xellos and started back to the middle of the room.

"Now then, I need to make up for your long year," she sighed,"this won't be easy for me either. It's a big step, but..."

She paused, again, sagging her shoulders as her lips froze against her tongue. Her heart raced, rushing heat up to a head swarming with thoughts.

Complications. Worry. Doubt.

Ach, dein Gottin...

All of the weight of her spirit left her, as the witch whirled around, her hat flying off of her head into the sofa as her monk's spade fell with a thud onto the carpet.

And for the first time ever, Xellos Raveneye would throw his logic to the wind when Natalie's lips met his with a tender embrace.

That and everything else really. His consciousness had little say in the matter, a whirlwind of sensation and emotion overwhelming his senses like a heavenly tsunami. He barely registered his hands pulling her closer, one on the small of her back and the other burying itself her hair, as he returned the kiss with everything he had.

[The Dog]

That and everything else really. His consciousness had little say in the matter, a whirlwind of sensation and emotion overwhelming his senses like a heavenly tsunami. He barely registered his hands pulling her closer, one on the small of her back and the other burying itself her hair, as he returned the kiss with everything he had.

"Well, now I'm just being a perv." Selma thought as she drew her coat closer to herself. She'd had a feeling that she'd be the one leaving sooner, so was glad she chose to keep her jacket.

Turning to Shackleford, she reached into a pocket and pulled out two envelopes, one addressed to Xellos, the other Natalie. Quickly pulling the note from Natalie's envelope, she scribbled a quick P.S. and returned it to its envelope.

Nodding to Shackleford, she held them out and said "Please make sure they get these when they done sucking face."

[GrampaGen]

That and everything else really. His consciousness had little say in the matter, a whirlwind of sensation and emotion overwhelming his senses like a heavenly tsunami. He barely registered his hands pulling her closer, one on the small of her back and the other burying itself her hair, as he returned the kiss with everything he had.

OOC: Air Supply (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoRHItsmsVE) =P

IC:

The moment's embrace seemed to shut out everything else, as time slowed down around Natalie, her arms slung around Xellos' shoulders. All the apprehension flickered away, the walls of things only half-real broke down, as all the feelings finally made their way to the surface. After a while, she broke the embrace, her breath racing to catch up with her heart as she looked into the depths of his lavender eyes.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long..." she said, eyes moist from the emotion as she leaned forward to kiss him again.


Selma watched as the girl she loved kissed Xellos, and sighed. She could feel her heart shattering into so many pieces inside her chest, like a stained glass window being struck by a rock.

However, along with that feeling of loss came a second, stranger feeling.

Relief.

It felt as if a great weight slid off her shoulders even as her heart ached at not being the one to feel Natalie's lips on her. Like some great unknown had been solved, unlocking the chains that weighed her down, falling to the ground with a thud only she could hear.

Smiling, she turned to Shackleford and said "Best make that one bag. It seems her healthy relationship has already arrived without my knowing."

"Selma, wait..."

After the second kiss, her head swooned, but she would not forget her other friend, though love makes some things exclusive.

"I..."

Many things change with such bold declarations. What feelings rise for some dash hope for others. To continue in such a fashion would be rude, and only the more painful for one with a sense of longing. Still, the night seemed to move by faster than ever, and who knows when the next time she would see her friends as she remembered them would be?

"You don't have to, I mean...," Natalie sputtered, a strange expression on her face, moistened eyes and a quivering smile,"...dankeschoen, mein freund...without you..."

Words failed her yet again. Reaching forward, she took Selma about the neck, leaned in forward, and kissed her lightly on the far cheek.

"...I know it's not fair...but you were always my best, ja?"

[The Dog]

Words failed her yet again. Reaching forward, she took Selma about the neck, leaned in forward, and kissed her lightly on the far cheek.

"...I know it's not fair...but you were always my best, ja?"

"Do-don't, ple-please do-don't. I-I ca-can't..." Selma said, pushing Natalie away as she spoke.

"I mean, how could I possible hope to match Xellos. He's rich, famous, and charming. Why would you want to be with an emotional broken girl with all the charm of a kicked puppy when you have him? Hell, if I was straight, I'd have gone after him instead."

"Of course, I somehow always knew you would chose Xellos, which is why I'd written a note to both of you. That way I could get down my thoughts without emotions getting in the way, and silently slip out while you were kissing each other."

"So, here you go. Make sure that Xellos gets his." Selma said, handing the envelopes to her.

Turning to the door she said "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to leave before I break down and cause a scene, making you lovebirds feel bad about me."

[GrampaGen]

"Do-don't, ple-please do-don't. I-I ca-can't..." Selma said, pushing Natalie away as she spoke.

"I mean, how could I possible hope to match Xellos. He's rich, famous, and charming. Why would you want to be with an emotional broken girl with all the charm of a kicked puppy when you have him? Hell, if I was straight, I'd have gone after him instead."

"Of course, I somehow always knew you would chose Xellos, which is why I'd written a note to both of you. That way I could get down my thoughts without emotions getting in the way, and silently slip out while you were kissing each other."

"So, here you go. Make sure that Xellos gets his." Selma said, handing the envelopes to her.

Turning to the door she said "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to leave before I break down and cause a scene, making you lovebirds feel bad about me."

Stunned, Natalie stepped back as she watched her friend make off. Helplessly, all she could do was wave goodbye, and sigh quietly, knowing that this was the worst of it.

You've become stronger than you were last time...Selma, I hope you know that you are better than this...

Closing the door gently, Natalie stared at the floor with her back to it for a moment before she turned her attention again to Xellos.

"Mein Gott...what an evening," she sighed,"but...ah, nein..."

[FalconX2000]

Stunned, Natalie stepped back as she watched her friend make off. Helplessly, all she could do was wave goodbye, and sigh quietly, knowing that this was the worst of it.

You've become stronger than you were last time...Selma, I hope you know that you are better than this...

Closing the door gently, Natalie stared at the floor with her back to it for a moment before she turned her attention again to Xellos.

"Mein Gott...what an evening," she sighed,"but...ah, nein..."

"Nobody glances at the clock unless they want...or need to be somewhere else." Xellos nodded, his face much more relaxed than usual, "what's on your mind?"

[GrampaGen]

"Nobody glances at the clock unless they want...or need to be somewhere else." Xellos nodded, his face much more relaxed than usual, "what's on your mind?"

"I actually need to be somewhere very soon," she said, looking at him with eyes somewhat downcast,"Ah...I had no idea tonight would end on something like this, ja? But it's something very important, and I don't know how long I'll be gone..."

[FalconX2000]

"I actually need to be somewhere very soon," she said, looking at him with eyes somewhat downcast,"Ah...I had no idea tonight would end on something like this, ja? But it's something very important, and I don't know how long I'll be gone..."

"May I join you?" he gave her a lop sided grin, "I'll likely be a big distraction either way. Might as well have the useful parts too."

[The Dog]

Stunned, Natalie stepped back as she watched her friend make off. Helplessly, all she could do was wave goodbye, and sigh quietly, knowing that this was the worst of it.

You've become stronger than you were last time...Selma, I hope you know that you are better than this...

Closing the door gently, Natalie stared at the floor with her back to it for a moment before she turned her attention again to Xellos.

"Mein Gott...what an evening," she sighed,"but...ah, nein..."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Selma took off like a shot. Anyone paying attention might feel a soft breeze and maybe a blur passing by.

Said blur didn't stop moving until it had entered a building, the door slamming shut behind her. Back against the wooden object, Selma began sobbing, clutching her hands to her chest.

Samuel stood from his seat and walked over. He knew what had happened, and it saddened him to see breaking like this. Sitting before her, he pulled her against his chest, rubbing her back as he murmured "Shhh, it'll be OK. It hurts now, but you'll feel better, I promise. Shhh."

After several minutes with the only sound being that of Selma's sobbing, she quieted down and chuckled softly.

"What's wrong?" Samuel asked, and Selma answered "I feel like such an ass now."

"You're not." Samuel replied, Selma nodding into his chest as she said "But I am. I finally stood up to my parents, was disowned because of it, throwing away everything I've ever know. Any sense of family, safety, and truly belonging to a family."

"And it was all for the love of someone who didn't feel the same for me. If that doesn't make me an ass, nothing does."

Samual nodded and said "Selma, you would have had to do so sooner or later, or else you'd live your whole life a lie. Besides, you didn't throw away all sense of safety or family. You've still got me."

Selma nodded and said "I know, I know... But it still hurts, you know."

"Having your heart broken should hurt. It just means you're alive and feeling. Besides, you'll find someone else." Samuel replied, Selma answering "You didn't."

"That was by choice. My heart is still mending, but it will eventually heal and I will love again. Now you can either wallow in self pity or pick yourself up and look for someone who will love you like you love them. It won't be Natalie, but there will be someone." Samuel said.

"I-I-I know... I just wish Natalie could love me." Selma said, adding "Though I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, considering I wrote them both letters congradulating them about their relationship."

"Yeah, you asked me to help you write it." Samuel said, Selma chuckling as she said "Right... I guess I'm being stupid if I'm upset over something I knew would come to pass."

"That's not true. Remember, you may know you're going to be stabbed, but it still hurt all the same." Samuel said, Selma nodding as she said "Sam... Dad, could you just hold me for a while?"

Samuel smiled, feeling his heart swell at being called Dad, and nodded as he said "Of course. Take as much time as you need, I'll be here for you."

[GrampaGen]

"May I join you?" he gave her a lop sided grin, "I'll likely be a big distraction either way. Might as well have the useful parts too."

She smiled faintly as she took his hand. Then she shook her head.

"Sorry...but it's something I promised to do by myself, ja?" she said softly, but the urgency of the matter was evident in her tone,"it will require my immediate attention...maybe for a month, maybe for some time to come, I don't know."

Leaning forward, she fell her head into his shoulder. Always a familiar, comfortable spot, as she breathed deeply.

"I know you've been waiting so long already...but can I ask you to wait a little longer?"

[FalconX2000]

She smiled faintly as she took his hand. Then she shook her head.

"Sorry...but it's something I promised to do by myself, ja?" she said softly, but the urgency of the matter was evident in her tone,"it will require my immediate attention...maybe for a month, maybe for some time to come, I don't know."

Leaning forward, she fell her head into his shoulder. Always a familiar, comfortable spot, as she breathed deeply.

"I know you've been waiting so long already...but can I ask you to wait a little longer?"

"Till my bones crumble to dust," he promised, "qualifier on immortality. Can you tell me what it is at least? Where you're going?"

[GrampaGen]

"Till my bones crumble to dust," he promised, "qualifier on immortality. Can you tell me what it is at least? Where you're going?"

"I'm going to Quebec," she said,"As for what I have to do there..."

Grasping one of the red cards, she placed a runic enchantment into it; one not unlike the symbol Ilsa had etched into her hat.

"I'll tell you about it as I go, ja?"

Leaning forward, she kissed Xellos once more, quickly, before she head to the window.

"Oh, and Selma wanted you to have this," she said, producing the handwritten envelope and passing it to him.

She stared outside the hotel, the bright lights of the city stretching far out to the skyline as the cold winter wind blew outside. Natalie paused as she looked over the expanse, but the Zeitgeist Sister, First Rank, knew she was needed elsewhere.

"Wait for me..."

[FalconX2000]

"I'm going to Quebec," she said,"As for what I have to do there..."

Grasping one of the red cards, she placed a runic enchantment into it; one not unlike the symbol Ilsa had etched into her hat.

"I'll tell you about it as I go, ja?"

Leaning forward, she kissed Xellos once more, quickly, before she head to the window.

"Oh, and Selma wanted you to have this," she said, producing the handwritten envelope and passing it to him.

She stared outside the hotel, the bright lights of the city stretching far out to the skyline as the cold winter wind blew outside. Natalie paused as she looked over the expanse, but the Zeitgeist Sister, First Rank, knew she was needed elsewhere.

"Wait for me..."

I guess I'll have to find a new keycard for the champaigne cabinet. He tought as he clasped it.

"Here," he handed her a device, "it's a satellite phone. Pretty user friendly. In case magic ever gives out. You stay alive, ok?"

[The Dog]

When the envelopes were opened by their respective recipients, each recieved a note.

Dear Natalie,

If you're reading this, then it means you chose Xellos over me. I guess I knew you would chose him over me in the end, which explains why I took the time to write a note. I don't know why, but a part of my heart hoped that I would be proven wrong once in my life, and be allowed happiness I seem to be constantly denied.

But it was not meant to be, it seems. Once more I have been left heartbroken by fate, not meant to find love... But let's not dwell on that. It's why I wrote instead of speaking to you in person, which would have caused me to break down and make you feel horrible, something I never want to do.

I want to tell you that I've finally stood up to my parents, and told them I'm a lesbian. They yelled, screamed, threatened, and eventually disowned me, just like I expected.

Even though it seems you don't reciprocate my feelings, your love helped me do so. But don't worry, Samuel-sensei has taken me in.

I really do wish I was the one you loved, because you've helped me far more than anyone else besides Samuel-sensei. I guess that's what fueled my love for you, considering that's a rare experience for me.

I wish you and Xellos all the happiness in the world, and know that you will always be my best friend.

With all my Eternal Love,
Selma St. Johns, Knight Templar in Training

P.S. When you are ready to begin your adventures, please come and find me. My deal has not been rescended, and even though it hurts, you're my best friend, and I want to help you.




Dear Xellos,

First off, I want to congratulate you and Natalie on our relationship. Even though we both love her, I guess she loves you more. I hope the both of you the best and all the happiness in the world...

But let me tell you this. If I find out that you've hurt her in any way, I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish! That is not a threat, it is a promise, I assure you. You can try to run, you can try to hide, but nothing and noone will save you from me. She means the world to me, and I refuse to allow anyone to hurt her, especially you.

So let's hope you don't do anything stupid like that. OK?

Now, as I was saying, I wish you both all the happiness in the world, and please treat her right. I want you to know that I wish we could have been closer and friendlier, but being in a romantic struggle kind of makes that hard to do.

I wish you the best of luck in your life and your health. But do remember what I wrote, Raveneye. I meant every word of it.

Your Friend,
Selma St. Johns, Knight Templar in Training




OOC: Great GG, thanks to you Selma's story ends on a downer, notes nonwithstanding. Poor girl ends up broken and crying, just like it began.

[GrampaGen]

I guess I'll have to find a new keycard for the champaigne cabinet. He tought as he clasped it.

"Here," he handed her a device, "it's a satellite phone. Pretty user friendly. In case magic ever gives out. You stay alive, ok?"

Natalie smiled. With a gesture, she opened a fold in space, and placed it within inside the Das Klosett dimension with a number of other precious things.

"...I don't have any pockets," she snickered.

She nodded her goodbyes once, then without warning leapt from the window. With a flash, she summoned the Guardian Battra, and on the great moth's back she started on her way north.

[Siriel]

Meanwhile, in Montréal, a young man stood in the middle of a park.

Wearing a white shirt and black pants, he hardly appeared special, and the people who were there, be it to meet someone or to walk their dogs hardly paid any attention to him.

A more careful onlooker might have noticed that those people never came whitin ten feet of him, as if they subconsciously knew that something was different, but there was no such people around.

Neglectingly, he removed his cap, allowing his blond hair to shine in the sun.

Ironically, what those who truly knew him would have found surprising wasn't the fact that he was alone in the middle of a park, nor the fact that he wasn't sweating at all despite the heat. Rather, they would have been most surprised by his casual outfit.

Sighing, he put his cap back on his head, and put his hand in his pocket, casually leaning backward, looking up at the sun.

"...Well, you should arrive soon. Time is running, there is so much to learn, and so little time left..."

And perhaps, had there been anyone close enough, they would have noticed that his left arm was shining ever so slightly under the sun.

[GrampaGen]

OOC: Great GG, thanks to you Selma's story ends on a downer, notes nonwithstanding. Poor girl ends up broken and crying, just like it began.

OOC: However, now she can finally grow and be strong and become her own person. It's not a downer ending, but a new beginning :biggrin:

[Tami]

When the envelopes were opened by their respective recipients, each recieved a note.

Dear Natalie,

If you're reading this, then it means you chose Xellos over me. I guess I knew you would chose him over me in the end, which explains why I took the time to write a note. I don't know why, but a part of my heart hoped that I would be proven wrong once in my life, and be allowed happiness I seem to be constantly denied.

But it was not meant to be, it seems. Once more I have been left heartbroken by fate, not meant to find love... But let's not dwell on that. It's why I wrote instead of speaking to you in person, which would have caused me to break down and make you feel horrible, something I never want to do.

I want to tell you that I've finally stood up to my parents, and told them I'm a lesbian. They yelled, screamed, threatened, and eventually disowned me, just like I expected.

Even though it seems you don't reciprocate my feelings, your love helped me do so. But don't worry, Samuel-sensei has taken me in.

I really do wish I was the one you loved, because you've helped me far more than anyone else besides Samuel-sensei. I guess that's what fueled my love for you, considering that's a rare experience for me.

I wish you and Xellos all the happiness in the world, and know that you will always be my best friend.

With all my Eternal Love,
Selma St. Johns, Knight Templar in Training

P.S. When you are ready to begin your adventures, please come and find me. My deal has not been rescended, and even though it hurts, you're my best friend, and I want to help you.




Dear Xellos,

First off, I want to congratulate you and Natalie on our relationship. Even though we both love her, I guess she loves you more. I hope the both of you the best and all the happiness in the world...

But let me tell you this. If I find out that you've hurt her in any way, I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish! That is not a threat, it is a promise, I assure you. You can try to run, you can try to hide, but nothing and noone will save you from me. She means the world to me, and I refuse to allow anyone to hurt her, especially you.

So let's hope you don't do anything stupid like that. OK?

Now, as I was saying, I wish you both all the happiness in the world, and please treat her right. I want you to know that I wish we could have been closer and friendlier, but being in a romantic struggle kind of makes that hard to do.

I wish you the best of luck in your life and your health. But do remember what I wrote, Raveneye. I meant every word of it.

Your Friend,
Selma St. Johns, Knight Templar in Training




OOC: Great GG, thanks to you Selma's story ends on a downer, notes nonwithstanding. Poor girl ends up broken and crying, just like it began.

OOC: Nice story, interesting resolution to the love triangle.

I wish there was someway to help her, but I guess Selma is going to have to figure it out on her own. Just remeber, Tamiko is her friend as well, and if Selma ever needs anything, she knows who to contact. :smile:

I just wanted to give Selma some hope, and hope her life turns out well dispite this setback.

[GrampaGen]

Meanwhile, in Montréal, a young man stood in the middle of a park.

Wearing a white shirt and black pants, he hardly appeared special, and the people who were there, be it to meet someone or to walk their dogs hardly paid any attention to him.

A more careful onlooker might have noticed that those people never came whitin ten feet of him, as if they subconsciously knew that something was different, but there was no such people around.

Neglectingly, he removed his cap, allowing his blond hair to shine in the sun.

Ironically, what those who truly knew him would have found surprising wasn't the fact that he was alone in the middle of a park, nor the fact that he wasn't sweating at all despite the heat. Rather, they would have been most surprised by his casual outfit.

Sighing, he put his cap back on his head, and put his hand in his pocket, casually leaning backward, looking up at the sun.

"...Well, you should arrive soon. Time is running, there is so much to learn, and so little time left..."

And perhaps, had there been anyone close enough, they would have noticed that his left arm was shining ever so slightly under the sun.

Portalsatz!

A brief breeze seemed to sweep though the park for a lingering moment. In a blink, nothing seemed different on the onset. Then a voice made itself known behind the youth.

"Well...here's where you told me it all began," Natalie said,"nut oh! You're looking worse than only a month ago..."

Quiet drifted between the two of them, and she looked over his astral body, silenced by what she saw.

"Ja...well, then, I don't know how much time we have, but we will see this through to the end, Julien. Show me what you need to know, ja?"

[FalconX2000]

Natalie smiled. With a gesture, she opened a fold in space, and placed it within inside the Das Klosett dimension with a number of other precious things.

"...I don't have any pockets," she snickered.

She nodded her goodbyes once, then without warning leapt from the window. With a flash, she summoned the Guardian Battra, and on the great moth's back she started on her way north.

Xellos watched from the window till Natalie was but a distant speck in the night sky. Casually, he took out another cell phone and selected a pre-saved number. The phone rang twice before the receiver picked up.

'Thanatos.'

'Yes sir?'

'Lets stage some training exercises in north-east USA. Have the submarine carrier move to reinforce our interests there. And I want blanket satellite surveillence of Quebec. I know we don't have that many agents there, but tell those you trust to look out for a Witch.'

'I'll get on it. You sound...rather happy. So I take it nothing's wrong in the region?'

'No, no. Nothing that I know of. I'll explain tomorrow."

"Right sir. Will that be all?"

"Yeah. Good night."

He ended the call. Then he did something he'd never done before. He broke into spontaneous dance. It looked rather silly compared to the measured movements he knew, but somehow he just didn't care, his mind preoccupied quite happily with memories of orange hair and a honey lemon tongue.

[Siriel]

Portalsatz!

A brief breeze seemed to sweep though the park for a lingering moment. In a blink, nothing seemed different on the onset. Then a voice made itself known behind the youth.

"Well...here's where you told me it all began," Natalie said,"nut oh! You're looking worse than only a month ago..."

Quiet drifted between the two of them, and she looked over his astral body, silenced by what she saw.

"Ja...well, then, I don't know how much time we have, but we will see this through to the end, Julien. Show me what you need to know, ja?"

Closing his eyes, he smiled. Genuily, calmly.

"I've already begun."

He turned around, and walked over to her.

"I want to learn...the world, why does it continue? Is there something more than what I have seen? Something that makes it worth it?"

He looked at her in the eyes.

"That's why I needed help. That is why I asked if you would care to help me this one time."

He took a deep breath, and took his left arm out, when so close to him, it was obvious, from the shoulder to the beginning of the wrist, it was reflecting the sun. Not enough to be noticed at a casual glance, but enough to be seen.

"Before I burn...This isn't what I can show you to teach me, Natalie. This about what you can show me to learn."

[The Dog]

OOC: However, now she can finally grow and be strong and become her own person. It's not a downer ending, but a new beginning :biggrin:

OOC: Well, that'll be in the future. And we won't be seeing Selma again, so as far as we know, it's a downer ending... Unless we do a future epilogue, possibly at the reunion. Where Selma has become a full member of the Knights Templar, become her own person, and has a (possibly GrampaGen or Falcon-played) girlfriend or wife or whatever.

Selma: Natalie, read the note!

Not now.

Selma: But I worked hard on it! And I managed not to cry on it or make myself look too emotionally unstable.

Alright... Could you have Natalie's reaction so she'll stop complaining.


OOC: Nice story, interesting resolution to the love triangle.

I wish there was someway to help her, but I guess Selma is going to have to figure it out on her own. Just remeber, Tamiko is her friend as well, and if Selma ever needs anything, she knows who to contact. :smile:

I just wanted to give Selma some hope, and hope her life turns out well dispite this setback.

OOC: Well, that's nice of you to say. We may have to have Selma meet up with Tamiko and talk about it. Help the healing and regrowing process.

[GrampaGen]

Finally managed to replace my burnt out lamp.

Here's a bit of campus life for all those whose characters I missed the first time around.

http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs41/i/2009/017/1/5/SHR___Campus_Life_by_GrampaGen.jpg

Flex-off; Dean and Kekowa

Midair spar: Julien and Mumyou

Laughing and smirking: Alexia (Ike) and Henry

Racing and driveby fry-toss: Ramus and Sirius

Stuck in the middle: Chin and Kado

Had a hard time remembering what the Arcadian castke itself looked like though...

[GrampaGen]

Queue for drawing stuff

1. Selma *working*
2. Julien vs Kuan
3. Ramus pantsing Jose

...with 2 and 3 came

2a. design for Kuan *done*
3a. design for Jose *done*

4. Shamra/Ilsa with Maarjaara

5. Stuff for Iron Twister

-----
Any requests for drawings that might be finished in a week or two (or more...), just ask :smile:

[Froggy]

the picture made me :biggrin:

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

Finally managed to replace my burnt out lamp.

Here's a bit of campus life for all those whose characters I missed the first time around.

http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs41/i/2009/017/1/5/SHR___Campus_Life_by_GrampaGen.jpg

Flex-off; Dean and Kekowa

Midair spar: Julien and Mumyou

Laughing and smirking: Alexia (Ike) and Henry

Racing and driveby fry-toss: Ramus and Sirius

Stuck in the middle: Chin and Kado

Had a hard time remembering what the Arcadian castke itself looked like though...


That picture is awesome, GG.


Just, awesome. :smile:

[Siriel]

Awesome.:smile:

Julien: "Die, you replacement goldfish, die!"

[GrampaGen]

Thanks guys :smile:

...I didn't forget anyone from Dragon Dorm, did I?

[GrampaGen]

"Gatlain! Hey!"

Janos continued to call out among the bustle and noise of the crowd. This had been a very hectic day, and all this frantic buzz, shining lights, and throbbing music had been pushing his patience. Finally, here was his lead to the culprit among the Wolves, and he was wasting his day on stupid games.

To say nothing that beside the murmur of the stupefied crowd, the machine and premises were without sounds or music, and he had been right behind Dean, trying to get his attention for about a minute.

The Lion Captain had enough of this. He had a mission to do, and time was running out. Shoving his way through the crowd, he stepped up to the right side of the machine.

"For fuck's sake, what will it take to get your head out of your goddamn-"

"Hey!"

Suddenly he felt a grip on his shoulder; feathery, limp-wristed and thin-fingered, yet adamant in its intent. Janos turned around to confront this annoyance.

"Get back in line, asshole! What kind of dick interrupts an Armageddon dance-off?"

'bout my height...built like a twig...not worth my time.

He stared the kid - probably just another student on vacation - straight in the eye, hoping to burn the message across, complimented with a mild grimace in teh corner of his mouth. He then turned his attention back to Dean, when he felt that noodley grip again.

"I got two tokens on the console, dipshit! WAIT YOUR TUR-"

Spinning about face, he grabbed his wrist, and jerked him forward. Before the kid could react, a dull snap could be heard as Janos slunk in and bashed an elbow into his ribcage. Silence, then, and nothing more.

Grumbling something foul under his breath, Janos then took up the tokens and dropped them into the slot. Two chimes rang out, and then the sound of a needle off the record.

If you won't turn around, then maybe if I shut you down at your own game...

"DOUBLE-TIME! STEP UP TO THE BEAT OF RAGNOROK! YOU READY?!"

"...wait, what?"

Too late. The music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xSA9SGK6RU&feature=related) had already started. The arrows would approach soon, and he could only wonder what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time.

Someday we'll finish this...

[Miburohunter929]

"Gatlain! Hey!"

Janos continued to call out among the bustle and noise of the crowd. This had been a very hectic day, and all this frantic buzz, shining lights, and throbbing music had been pushing his patience. Finally, here was his lead to the culprit among the Wolves, and he was wasting his day on stupid games.

To say nothing that beside the murmur of the stupefied crowd, the machine and premises were without sounds or music, and he had been right behind Dean, trying to get his attention for about a minute.

The Lion Captain had enough of this. He had a mission to do, and time was running out. Shoving his way through the crowd, he stepped up to the right side of the machine.

"For fuck's sake, what will it take to get your head out of your goddamn-"

"Hey!"

Suddenly he felt a grip on his shoulder; feathery, limp-wristed and thin-fingered, yet adamant in its intent. Janos turned around to confront this annoyance.

"Get back in line, asshole! What kind of dick interrupts an Armageddon dance-off?"

'bout my height...built like a twig...not worth my time.

He stared the kid - probably just another student on vacation - straight in the eye, hoping to burn the message across, complimented with a mild grimace in teh corner of his mouth. He then turned his attention back to Dean, when he felt that noodley grip again.

"I got two tokens on the console, dipshit! WAIT YOUR TUR-"

Spinning about face, he grabbed his wrist, and jerked him forward. Before the kid could react, a dull snap could be heard as Janos slunk in and bashed an elbow into his ribcage. Silence, then, and nothing more.

Grumbling something foul under his breath, Janos then took up the tokens and dropped them into the slot. Two chimes rang out, and then the sound of a needle off the record.

If you won't turn around, then maybe if I shut you down at your own game...

"DOUBLE-TIME! STEP UP TO THE BEAT OF RAGNOROK! YOU READY?!"

"...wait, what?"

Too late. The music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xSA9SGK6RU&feature=related) had already started. The arrows would approach soon, and he could only wonder what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time.

OOC:

IT WILL BE DONE!

I'm gonna try something a bit different, and see if *that's* why I've been so lazy.

IC:

"Huh?" Was the sound made by a surprised, and somehwhat indignant, Dean Gatlain.

Who the hell would dare interfere in such an epic contest between man and machine, to challange the Lord of the Dance (Dance Revolution)? Surely, no one in this town thought their skills could compare with HIM, did they?

His name was legend in the halls of not just Nevada's finest Arcades, but arcades the world over! His prowess was both beautiful, and terrifying to behold.

Did some random dumbass really just decide to to interfere in the middle of such madness?

What fool would be so....foolish, so naive, so overconfident as to--

"...Hey...Don't I know you?!" Dean shouted to the new comer, eyes squinted and a finger pointed in his direction, as he attempted to recall where he had seen the face.

"Do I owe you money?!"

As he engaged in this--Most likely one sided-- conversation the countdown to the Diabolical Dance Revolution had begun, and it being a kind, a polite machine, calmly boomed out it's intent over the speakers.

"10-I'm gonna crush you."

"9-I'm gonna bust you"

"8-I'm gonna break you."

"7-I'm gonna rape you."

[GrampaGen]

OOC:
"Huh?" Was the sound made by a surprised, and somehwhat indignant, Dean Gatlain.

Who the hell would dare interfere in such an epic contest between man and machine, to challange the Lord of the Dance (Dance Revolution)? Surely, no one in this town thought their skills could compare with HIM, did they?

His name was legend in the halls of not just Nevada's finest Arcades, but arcades the world over! His prowess was both beautiful, and terrifying to behold.

Did some random dumbass really just decide to to interfere in the middle of such madness?

What fool would be so....foolish, so naive, so overconfident as to--

"...Hey...Don't I know you?!" Dean shouted to the new comer, eyes squinted and a finger pointed in his direction, as he attempted to recall where he had seen the face.

"Do I owe you money?!"


Janos faced the Nevadian beside him, craning his head down to look him in the eye. His own gaze, smouldering with the frustration and urgency of the mission which had cut across nearly two weeks, seemed as though they would burst from the tension his temples pumped into them.

Were the bass and sounds of the crowd not awash in the air, the cracking of the knuckles in his shuddering fists would have

"What the hell, Gatlain," he shouted with as much patience he could muster, "I TOLD YOU! I'm looking for JON! GREY!"



As he engaged in this--Most likely one sided-- conversation the countdown to the Diabolical Dance Revolution had begun, and it being a kind, a polite machine, calmly boomed out it's intent over the speakers.

"Do you have any idea what's going on out there? What happens when you let four superpowered students out into the population to fuck around?! And he's one of your boys, he could come for you next! WHAT ARE YOU DOING PLAYING VIDEO GAMES ANYWAYS?! YOU SHOULD BE TRAINING TO-"




"10-I'm gonna crush you."

"9-I'm gonna bust you"

"8-I'm gonna break you."

"7-I'm gonna rape you."

6 - take your soul

5 - burn it in lye

4 - it's the beat from Hell

3 - MARK

2 - SET

1 - DIE

0 - time to skull-fuck a new groove~!

As a hush settled over the arcade as the beat wound down, Janos' rant continued.

"...AND I'VE WASTED TOO MUCH GODDAMN TIME, COME TOO FUCKING FAR TO JUST LET THIS SLIDE! AND I FIND YOU'RE PLAYING SOME 12 YEAR OLD GIRL'S GAME WITH THIS ASS-GARBAGE MUSIC SO YOU CAN BE CHAMPION OF FRESHMAN YEAR?!?! GOD! DAMMIT! GATLAIN! IF I HAVE TO SKIP THROUGH THIS SUGAR COATED RAINBOW GARBAGE TO TAKE YOU DOWN...!"

Bringing his fist down on the support bar behind him, with a swift downward blow Janos shattered it like the plastic-on-metal it was.

"...no fucking way...," he grumbled as he stood in position, legs shoulder width apart.

[Yun Lao]

Even with its sequel going, did you really think the original SHR would die!?

Not if I have anything to say about it! [Translation: "I'm just doing this out of boredom."]

Drake Vargas may be awesome, but the BADASS CAPTAIN GLORY has not ended yet. It is time to unveil a post-SHR side story.

I call it...

Wei Levi vs the Zodiac Masters

Coming Soon.

[KamenRaida]

Will it have Yao--- fanservice?

[Gladiaria_Alata]

Thanks guys :smile:

...I didn't forget anyone from Dragon Dorm, did I?

Yes.

You did. :tongue:

But I am not too bothered.

[Yun Lao]

Will it have Yao--- fanservice?

Depends on how sexy I feel like making Levi.

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

Yes.

You did. :tongue:

But I am not too bothered.

How's it going, Glads?

[GrampaGen]

Yes.

You did. :tongue:

But I am not too bothered.

Kagura's picking a book off the shelf in the library one

...hey! Get back to RPing Ruby before I accidentally fuck up her story! 0o;

[Gladiaria_Alata]

How's it going, Glads?

Trying to get over jetlag, so somewhat annoyingly, but I still live.


Kagura's picking a book off the shelf in the library one

...hey! Get back to RPing Ruby before I accidentally fuck up her story! 0o;

....Link? *puppy-dog eyes*

Wha-buh? ....You've been ghosting her? o_O

That was very unxpected, but thank you. :eek:

[Miburohunter929]

Holy shit, Gen Replied?

Awesome.

Time for me to respond, and casually have Dean leave due to Kagura calling him.

Bet you didn't see that twist coming!

[GrampaGen]

Trying to get over jetlag, so somewhat annoyingly, but I still live.



....Link? *puppy-dog eyes*

Wha-buh? ....You've been ghosting her? o_O

That was very unxpected, but thank you. :eek:

http://grampagen.deviantart.com/art/SHR-Midterms-106383940

And uh...not so much 'ghosting' so much as 'keeping the character warm'.

While you were gone, she blew up Edan, got her heart force-choked, and bought some caramel corn.

...that's about it, really. I haven't been on that often either XD

[GrampaGen]

Holy shit, Gen Replied?

Awesome.

Time for me to respond, and casually have Dean leave due to Kagura calling him.

Bet you didn't see that twist coming!

...out the window you go, bitch. :mad:

[Gladiaria_Alata]

http://grampagen.deviantart.com/art/SHR-Midterms-106383940

And uh...not so much 'ghosting' so much as 'keeping the character warm'.

While you were gone, she blew up Edan, got her heart force-choked, and bought some caramel corn.

...that's about it, really. I haven't been on that often either XD

I don't have a clue how to continue with her though. ^^;;

[Miburohunter929]

...out the window you go, bitch. :mad:

Hey, Janos will do fine in his battle against Optimus Rhyme!

[Tami]

OT: Hi! What's new?

[Yun Lao]

OT: Hi! What's new?

Either I provided the spark for this thread's resurrection, or everyone else was too lazy to find it for a while.

[Tami]

Either I provided the spark for this thread's resurrection, or everyone else was too lazy to find it for a while.

Oops! Didn't realize it was the wrong thread. :redface:

[Yun Lao]

In Tokyo, there is a tale of a family of demons that dwell within the city. Their dark powers induce fear and confusion upon any they encounter. They show no mercy, no remorse, and even the Yakuza and police fear to deal with them.

Recently, however, a new tale has emerged concerning them. It is said that a Buddhist monk from China has managed to subdue the demonic family...

---

The morning sunlight beamed through the windows, yet their light was unable to waken the sleeping one. An hour passed before the electronic shriek of the alarm clock did what the sun could not. Long black hair obscured the sleeper's face as the person rose to sitting position. A few moments passed before a hand brushed aside the dark longs.

"...it's too early for school...." Tomoe whined.

A soft chuckle diverted her foggy gaze to to her doorway. Clad in a pale green cheongsam, Wei Levi's chuckle ended with a smile. "Your mother sent me to make sure you were awake this time."

A dark blush came across her features before she threw herself under her blankets, "You shouldn't see me like this, Levi-sama!"

He raised a brow; she was a very strange one. Recalling that she had once attempted to have sex with him in front of a crowd, he had previously believed that she had no real shame. He was corrected.

Another chuckle rose from him before he replied, "Well then, get dressed so I can see you." With that, he closed the door behind him.

----

"It seems an outsider has stolen the secrets of two of our clans." A young man in a suit announced, his gaze focused on ten monitors displaying ten faces. "No doubt he will probably attempt to steal the secrets from the remaining ten, which is why I called you."

He turned in his seat, taking hold of a manilla folder. "I have sent you each one of these. In it you'll find information regarding this thief." Withdrawing a photo, he revealed it to the ten. "This is our enemy, Wei Levi."

[Yun Lao]

Several hours had passed since he had sent out the notice to the others, yet his only guest came in the form of a school girl who busted opened the doors, took a seat at the table while propping her feet up on it. Her dyed blond hair was enough for him to know who it is. "The others have been informed."

The girl looked at him before asking, "Anyone shown up yet?"

"I have received word that two are already here; Horse was already in the country when I notified him and Rabbit has just arrived in the country from Seoul...although apparently, he's decided to sleep off his jet-lag at the airport's lobby."

"Is some little punk like him worth our time?" She asked, annoyance in her tone.

"Although unique, his technique overshadows in problems he may possess in personality." Dragon replied, a cool smile on his lips. "Shall we send Horse to test our enemy?"

Tiger simply got up from her seat, "Whatever, just tell me when it's my turn."

"Oh? What makes you think he'll last long enough?"

She turned, a knowing glare aimed at him, "Don't be such a dumbass! If this guy managed to get both Seiryu and Byakko's secret techniques, it's doubtful he'll be some weak ass pansy."

With that, she stormed out, leaving Dragon alone once more.