Etheriest Role-Play

[ATTN: CLOSED]

Braedon is still in bed. He doesn't like mornings, never did. Looking over at his alarm clock, he realizes that he can't see the time. The alarm is busted. Did it in his sleep, once. He's definitely not a morning person. He picks up his phone, squinting his eyes against the bright glow from the screen. 7am.

Leaning over, he drops the phone on his chest and grabs the remote to his television and turns it on. It's on the news channel and the lovely, charismatic anchorwoman is already smiling and discussing the weather...no rain, it would seem. Just sunshine. Good.

"...and that's it for the weather, we'll take a quick break and up next when we return: Is Presedential Candidate Oliver Bastian an Etheriest as several of his competitors claim and is his sway over the polls caused by some mysterious ability? Or are these claims false and the charisma of his campaign really successfull from skill alone? We'll see you soon on Channel 11 News on--"

Switching the channel over to sports, he continues to lay there as his phone rings. He doesn't look at the screen to see who it is before he answers. "Bray."

"Braedon." He voice says, "Get out of bed. We have a staff meeting this afternoon in seven hours."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Braedon says, "Plenty of time."

"I know you, Braedon, you're just gonna sit around all day and--" She says.

"Yep. That's exactly what I'm gonna do. I don't hae to work today. It's my day off." Braedon says interrupting, "So I'm gonna relax, show up to your meeting, and then I'm gonna leave and relax some more. That's it. You aren't roping me into anything else."

"Braedon--"

He hangs up. That was Layla, the CETE secretary for Cynric. She sets up all of th Agent meetups, which is fantastic, except that she's also really annoying. This will probably be the fiftieth time he's hung up on the poor girl. Really, though, she's annoying.

Prologue/BG collab/How he was adopted :

Spoiler:

(ATTN : closed(though Open to phone convos))

-- Kyo's small appartment, near Delacroix university --

**Warning** Lots of food in this post... made me so hungry I had to go make myself something haha !

- 5 AM to 7 AM -

Kyo was under his blankets completely, sleeping tight on his side when the alarm clock started to ring. He mumbles and turn, trying to ignore the annoying sound. He finally slowly poke his head out slightly with his eyes glaring at the alarm clock. Moving like a snail toward the border of the bed, he finally gets closer to the alarm clock and slowly move his left arm toward the said thing to finally press on the button to stop it. Silence. It was so amazing, although falling back asleep was tempting, he still had to get up and make food. It was a matter of survival through the day for him to make a LOT of food. Although he didn't mind cooking, in fact he loved it... but mornings before school and work were hard.

Getting out of the blankets slowly, the cold air of his appartment quickly hit him as he always sleep in boxers, at least has been doing that since he was in an appartment. He forgot to turn down the AC a bit yesterday, that was careless of him. He walked toward it and turned it down, grabbing a hoodie on his way there putting it on. Then he went toward the bathroom to do the morning hygiene routine. When he was done with that, he went back toward the kitchen and looked at a list of things he needed to cook for today.

He puts an apron on and start getting ingredients out, some of which he had started to prepare the night before to let in the fridge overnight for a richer taste. He started with stuff that took a while to cook like the meat in the oven, a rich vegetable soup on the stove with a base of tomato, roasted pepper and a few spices. He then started to prepare his own breakfast on the side which included whole bread bagel, smoked salmon with philadelphia cheese, a mountain of various fruits and steam cooked seasoned vegetables, crepes, eggs, ham and finally nuts. When done he placed his breakfast on his table and started to eat. He sometime got up to check on the soup and the tender meat he was making. When he was done eating what was warm, he continued eating what was cold while cutting more veggetables and fruits for the later lunches as well as breakfast for Jenia he would see this morning. He made one for Zorlias as well... though not for his dad... due to some reasons he was doing fewer meals for the old man.

He did japenese style omelet rolled in a way of sushi, but added some veggies in the middle and some seasoning. He added to the side of the omelet pieces a lot of fruits and more veggies, along with some less healthy, but very good things like a few slices of bacon and one breakfast sausage.

Taking a picture of the meal with his phone, he sent it to his sister Jenia with a smiley face followed by :[b]''Breakfast''

Jenia's response was immediate : "Can't wait! "

Kyo smiled and then continued his cooking marathon.

He placed in different containers what could be heated and what could not and then wrapped everything in a bag. He did the same for Zorlias. Kyo then took out the meat from the oven and tasted the soup to see how it was before adding more seasoning to it.

He turned his attention toward the juicy and tender beef, cutting slices of it and in two other containers, he placed in the meal for Zorlias and Jenia for lunch first and then added more veggies and a bit of mashed sweet potatoe he did the day before. Two tiny containers were containing a sauce which he also did the day before and he placed one in each set. On again seperated container meant for liquid, he filled those with the soup that was still really warm and let it cool down before closing them. Lastly he placed a tasty banana bread cake piece as a dessert for each of them. He then moved to prepare his own portion for lunch... which was a lot.

Taking out some onigiri(rice balls) from the day before to bring for snacks and prepare a pretty big portion of what he just made as well as some additional fruits for the day. He also had a frozen waterbottle and a non frozen one to do a trick of filling the frozen one with the normal one to make it super cold fast.

- 7 AM -

When he was done with everything he looked at the ridiculous amount of food to bring ''....''. Although he was used to it, he was always discouraged in the morning by it. He tried to tetris everything out so he would have less stuff to carry, his food was in a backpack and his sibling food two bags with cute instructions with the lunches on how many minutes to heat up stuff ect. At least his school stuff were all at school already, didn't have to worry about carrying that stuff as well.

(ATTN : Open)

He was finally heading out after rinsing the stuff he used quickly and making sure everything was closed. And of course dressing up and fixing his bed hair. Heading toward the Zorlias Corp.

-- Zorlias Corp --

First, he got to the receptionist and this one was used of seeing him. Placing the lunch gently on the counter he smiled and waved at her.

''Ah !! Kyo, how are you doing ? You want me to give this to your brother ?'' The girl asked.

He first answer with a thumb up and then nods while taking out his phone to write quickly.''He's probably still asleep, maybe, I don't want to disturb him.'' He wrote on his celphone for her. ''Breakfast and lunch in there.''He added.

''Oh my you so sweet, I'll make sure that he gets it ! '' The lady replied again taking hold to the bag and asking someone to deliver it to the boss right away.

He thanked the girl again with a text on his phone before heading out again toward the university to meet with Jenia.

-- Delacroix University --

(ATTN : Open, Jenia)

**Collab with leah7**

He went directly toward her office as he thought it was where she would be at this hour, it was about 7h30. Kyo knocked on her door and waited for an answer.

"Come on in." Jen says, looking up at the door as she puts her pen down.

Kyo heard his sister reply and opened the door gently, entering and then closing back the door. He smiled toward his sister as he got closer and took the bag up to leave it on a part of her desk. ''Breakfast and lunch in there.'' He wrote on his celphone and then showed it to her.

With a sweet smile, she tilts her head slightly as she rests her chin on her hand. "Thank you, Kyo. I've been so busy preparing for school starting up next week... I didn't have time to think about food."

He looked at her with a bit of a worried expression. ''Need some help ?...'' He asked with his celphone again. Kyo was working only a bit later so he could afford to help his sister a bit.

Jen laughs a little, "Ya just did, Kyo. Can't thank you enough for the delicious cooking."

He blush a bit and smile. ''Still... if there's something I can help you with school wise... don't hesitate to ask sis.'' He wrote on his celphone to show her again.

"I have a new applicant..." Jenia says hesitantly, "I could really use your input. He's from another country, so I can't easily get a background check..."

She slides a folder over to him across her desk after leafing through a stack of similar folders and pulling out for him to see.

Kyo listen to her problem and when handed over with a file he starts looking through it with a focused expression.

The student is fresh from high school and also comes from a rather renowned family line of politicians that are also known to be Etheriests. His application demonstrates that he is a trouble maker, or at least that he was in the recent past. His course scores are exemplary, he has five letters of recommendations from staff, but his ether ability information is entirely blank.

"His father is a wealthy man and... I've been all but commanded to give him entry. For Etheriest courses." Jenia says, clearly unhappy.

''I'd say, ask them to provide you with the etheriest power information. It's the least they can do. Also I'm sorry, but what a jerk.'' He wrote on his phone and showed her after reading.

"I've already requested it, but... They are putting pressure on daddy. I really don't want the CETE program to suffer because of my response."

Kyo suddenly had a face shift to one of annoyance. ''And what are they doing exactly for that ?'' He asked with his phone again.

''The Dictator of Jai Yeoung has pretty much said that I am to accept, no questions asked. And I asked. " Jenia replies," so I think I could... Accept and then have a certain clever guy stalk him for me. "

''I guess this could be the only option, but still who does he think he is.'' He answered on his phone and showed her a bit angry that some jerk was doing what they wanted jut because they had money. Then again... He knew people like that too in his past. He takes a deep breath to calm down and change topic. ''You should eat sis, will help you relax a bit.''

Taking the food tray in hand, she readies herself to chow down more food than her stomach can handle, "You got it. Coming over tonight for tea?"

''Sure. I have a small work shift at CETE, but then I'm free.''

Jenia already has a mouthful pf food by the time he is finished typing, but she jumps up from her seat in joy with a muffled "yay" as food escapes while she moves around the desk to squeeze the air out of his adorableness.

He was surprised by her sudden yeah and didn't have much of a time to write anything as his sister moved quickly around her desk to hug him so tightly that it was almost suffocating. Yet he still liked the hug and he hugued her back. Kyo also let out a very small laugh thinking back of his sister face while she got to him with her mouth full. She looked serious, but she could be such a dork, he loved her.

"You laughing at me?" She asks after a bug swallow. She returns to her seat with a pretend pouting face.

''I'm sorry, your face was funny is all... forgive me... please ?...''He wrote with his phone and showed her, with a sweet smile.

"I forgive you. I got food!" She says happily, but then her expression changes as she shoves more food into her mouth, "Butwh I gotpt papuwak to do."

He smiled wide, trying hard not to laugh again. ''Alright, I'll leave you to it then. I'll see you later.''He wrote to her with his phone.

"See ya laterrrr." Jenia sings before shoveling more food down.

Kyo smiled and placed his phone back in his pocket and walked out. I was now almost 8h, guess he would go toward CETE to leave his big ''lunchbox'' there and go for some training before his shift. He then received a text from Zorlias that said thank you for the food and that it was delicious. Kyo smiled.

[ATTN: OPEN]

Zorlias, seated at his desk during such an early hour, as Raelyn holds up two different suits in her hands above her head. Next to her, a clothing trolley sits with various suits and outfits of other styles and the girl is rather patient as she lets him look over the two options that she most highly recommends.

Although these two that she has selected aren't quite within his personal tastes, he knows that she knows best. After all, she was the best candidate for the Director of Advertising, and if anyone could give the best results with their consumers, it's Raelyn. She's very good at her job and has demonstrated a clear level of professionalism and a rather handy intuition for predicting what the consumers really want from the Face of the company.

He looks from one suit to the other, but he's really uncertain. He pushes his glasses up higher onto the bridge of his nose as he focuses on the two suits and his indecision summons a sigh from the rather impatient employee. He doesn't blame her, though. She knows he probably will just ask her to pick, in the end. She already picked out his other two modeling outfits, anyway, so why not the business suit, as well?

"Take this navy grey." Raelyn finally says, "It'll go well with your darker eyes."

"Okay." He says, nodding his approval of her decision, "And where are we doing the shoot? Please tell me it will be indoors, this time."

"You looked great in those field pictures, Boss." Raelyn says as she puts the other suits away and leaves the chosen suit on a hook on the wall near the desk. "The cover photo chosen was the one where you were laying out on that grassy field looking all contemplative and it was just so sexy. Showed your intellect, too."

Zorlias shrugs, clearly unimpressed. "I'm not an outdoors kind of man. I'd rather be away from the sun. You'd think they'd at least portray my true self."

"Your consumers don't want your true self, Zorlias." Raelyn says, shaking her head, "They want the hot guy that's above their league, yet so charming and kind to all, regardless of his riches. They want the boy genius that's so lonely in his open scenery so that they can swoon for you with aching hearts and open minds filled with dirty daydreams."

Zorlias looks up at Raelyn as she chatters on. The woman has her eyes up into the ceiling with a hand held out, reaching into the open above her head in a dramatic way as she expressed the feelings of what his "fans" and "consumers" should want from him. They're all deranged. He just stares at her blankly, clearly unimpressed with what they want. And obviously displeased. However, he says nothing and just stares.

As Raelyn notices his staring, she quickly clears her throat and puts the files that were in her arms down onto his desk as her phone rang. She pulled her phone up and answered immediately, pretending that she hadn't just summoned the stony glare.

Raelyn says, "This is Raelyn, Zorlias Corporation Liason. How can I help you today? Yes, Mr. Delacroix will be ready for the photo shoot this afternoon and preparations have already been made for transportation. Of course, any photographer is fine, so long as he or she is within our top ten choices for referrals. Yes, only those we approved in the portfolio reviews. I'll tell him. Yes. Yes, of course. No problem, you have a lovely day! Bye-bye."

Hanging up, she pockets the cell phone in her white pants suit with light grey pin stripes and then picks up the files that were in her arms once more. She opens up her datebook and writes down the confirmation for the photo shoot timing and location. Then, without any other words, she simply walks out as if she had already said her goodbyes to Zorlias.

[ATTN: Open]

Imani rolled over in bed, blearily opening her eyes to see sunlight filtering in through the window across the room. Man, she hadn't slept this well in ages. Usually when her alarm woke her up for work she'd storm out of bed angry at having to be awake; but today she just felt so pleasantly drowsy. How long did she have left til her alarm went off...?

She reached for her clock and tilted it towards her to look at the time. "Shit!" she swore out loud, dropping her clock. 8:45, fifteen minutes before she was supposed to be in at work. No wonder she felt so damn well rested.

Imani shot out of bed and grabbed the first clothes she saw in her closet. No time for a shower or breakfast, just time to hastily brush her teeth and pull on her shoes before she ran out of her apartment and down to the street.

She lived within walking distance of Zorlias Corp, 20 minutes away on a normal day - she'd have to run to make it. And make it she did, bursting through the doors at 9:01, tired and out of breath but triumphant. Imani pumped her fist in the air as she made her way through the building down to her lab. One day she might get fired - but today would not be that day.

[ATTN: Brannagh]

Krissa arrives at the office early, as usual. Cynric, unfortunately, is sitting on top of her desk. Just waiting. Staring. It would seem that Bran is also making her way towards the desks, as hers is right across from Kris's. Luckily for Kris, Cynric is looking at Krissa and is sitting on her desk, rather than Bran's. Swallowing her dread, she continues to advance to her public working space.

Cynric, smiling as always, holds out a rose for her to take. She takes it, breaks in two, and drops it to the floor immediately. With a hurt expression, Rick brings his hand up over his chest where his heart is located as he dramatically indicates how heartbroken she has made him become.

Simply staring at him, she waits for him to get to the point. He winks at her and she resists the urge to punch him. She doesn't really have time for this, and frankly, it is way too early in the morning for his...crap.

"Darlin', you wound me." He says.

"Your face wounds me. Every day." Krissa replies coldly. "What do you want?"

Ricky laughs, "I just wanted to see your files on the Reegus Case. I was asked to report in on the evidence against the defendant before the case goes to trial."

"Ricky? All work and no play?" Kris says doubtfully, "I don't believe that. What else do you want?"

"I want you to bear my children." He says, smirking, "My little ones are all grown up, so I need some more."

Kris looks over at Bran. "Your first job for the day is to get this oaf off of my desk. Thanks."

With that, she walks away to get some water.

I sighed inwardly as I'd seen him get on the desk, saying nothing and hoping that I wouldn't be asked--nope, not happening. So, I gave him my best Hyde stare. That's what I called it, anyway. Best explanation was that the expression was normal, but off in a way that people found offputting. Especially if you stared at them. I had to fight the urge to smirk as I could tell he could feel my eyes on him. This wasn't our first dance, as the saying went. I think.

Ricky pulls away from the desk, pulling out another rose and placing it on Bran's desk. "Don't worry, sweet cheeks. I got one for you, too."

With that, the man simply walks away, ignoring her glare. The moment he is gone, Kris returns to her desk and begins to pull out the paperwork on her latest case. She's got to get it all finished by the end of the day and, knowing the procedures so well by now, she knows it will take a couple of hours to finish.

"I got to finish this paperwork, so I'll be doing that until noon or so." Kris says, "You can help or you can patrol. Just whatever you want to do."

With that, she begins her work for two hours until her phone rings. Looking at who it is, she groans audibly before answering.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ATTN: Kyo, Bran]

A few hours have passed and, as much as he is enjoying his time off, he's incredibly bored. Braedon usually does more during his free time, but he's read all of the books that he owns and beaten all of the video games that he owns. Plus, he has no friends. Eventually, a trip out into town seems like a good idea.

After going out and getting a bite to eat, buying five books and a single video game, Braedon is content. He's got enough to last him for the rest of the day and then some. Checking his phone, he sees that it's only 10:30am. Not too bad. He's heading home when he find it.

A dead body. Charred beyond recognition. Burned up in an alleyway near the main street. He frowns, wishing that he didn't have to run into this shit when he's off duty. The last thing he wants to think about when he's not at work is work. Or death. Shit.

He lifts his phone up and goes through his contacts until he finds Kris. With a quick click of a button on his screen, it begins to dial. He waits for her to answer, but his gaze moves all about him to make sure that no one else has yet seen the body. He doesn't need civilians mucking up the damn crime scene.

"What, Bray?" Kris asks from the other end of the phone.

"I got a dead body." Braedon says.

"You threatening more fucking assistants, Bray?" Kris replies, "I told you not to be an ass-"

Braedon interrupts, "No, dumbass. It's a fucking dead body. Here in the streets on Cainfere Street. I just found it here in edge of the alley as I was passing. Looks like somebody was burned."

"...oh. Okay. I'll get Bran and we'll be on our way." Kris says.

Braedon nods his head, even though she can't see it. "I'll be here."

He hangs up and then goes to speed dial 4. Kyo. Braedon just waits for him to answer as he continues to guard his surroundings. What a shitty day. When he gets home, all he's gonna think about is crispy here, instead of his damn books or games.

Kyo had been on patrol for some time, but not very long yet and he received a call. He saw the number and felt a bit annoyed. He told the guy to text him before. He sigh before answering and then answers. ''Mm?'' is the only sound that comes out of his mouth as he wait for the guy to start speaking.

"Sorry for not texting, but I gotta be quick." Braedon says. "I just found a dead body. I got Kris on it, but I need you to follow up with them and keep me in the loop. I'm gonna text you the location, so...just--just come as soon as you can, okay?"

Kyo gasp a bit in surprise about the dead body and then just reply a ''MmMm.'' On a serious tone to say he'll be there.

With that, Braedon hangs up and begins to text the location to his partner. He looks about impatiently and then just decides to sit. It's awkward to sit right next to an alleyway like this. A few people give him an odd look. Holding his shopping bags in hand, he simply hopes that Kyo will get here first.

[Attn: Open]

Virsago spent most of the morning asleep, as he had enjoyed sleeping in for the whole summer. He didn't crawl out of bed until 11am, finally feeling rested enough to take on the day's duties. After freshening up, he took a stroll to his favorite restaurant, or rather his only restaurant that he enjoyed visiting. With earbuds deployed, Virsago ignored the pitiful world around him. The busy streets were but a mere backdrop, a fleeting distraction that called the young man's attention every so and so. At every crosswalk, Virsago meandered through without much care for oncoming traffic. Drivers are usually good at avoiding pedestrians, even if it means waiting until the last minute for them to react.

Virsago wanted nothing more than to be in his employer's observatory;he'd sleep there if he were allowed. Every sluggish step, Virsago imagined what the sky would look like if the sun suddenly took a vacation. He'd probably see some constellations normally blotted out by the sunlight, although...the city's light pollution has that job secured for the night as well. Virsago's expression soured just thinking about all the things people are missing because their city's lights work too well. And worst of all, everyone is completely fine with that. Of course, seeing in the dark is important, but what's some dimmer light's going to cause? Virsago stopped meddling in his thoughts at that point.

Virsago quietly listened to his tunes until he arrived at a small, independent fast food restaurant that happened to serve the world's best french toast. He politely ordered his favorite meal, wearing a delicate little smile that told a little, but not too much. The custodian smiled in return, although it certainly looked just about as fake as Virsago's. 5 minutes later and Virsago picked up his french toast at the front counter. Sitting in his usual corner, he indulged himself to the sounds of the latest pop album released.

{Attn: Open}
Sophie finishes setting the props up. She looks up as Claire arrives. She is the makeup artist and wardrobe person. She knows exactly how people should look. Most models bring their own staff, however she is there for those who don’t. “Good morning Claire.” She calls out as she sets up her computer.

“Oh good morning Sophie, did you watch the game last night? My boyfriend did an excellent job.” Claire breezes by her. She is wearing a flowery perfume. Oh and she is dating the quarterback of the football team. Although it is very hush hush now since he is famous.

“Yeah for a change, but it is only preseason.” Sophie sticks out her tongue at her. She digs out the card from her camera and sticks it into her computer. Torrino doesn’t care if she does some personal work as long as everything is ready.

“You look just like my little sister when you do that.” Claire comes over. “Ohh someone was taking more pictures, can I see?” She backs off slightly when Sophie glares at her. “Sorry forgot personal space.”

Sophie didn’t get a chance to answer as Torrino rushes in. “Good morning ladies, oh Sophie, I love the expression on the girl’s face.” He will not admit it, but she is a phenom at catching candid photos. He knows she could be making a mine working for others. Photography is such a competitive business, and she does seem happy working for him. “We are expecting Angela any time, although she likes to be a little late. Thank you for getting everything set up Sophie.”

“You are welcome. I hear we are expecting Mr. Delacroix later. I cannot wait to tell my dad and brother that I actually met him. They do some work with his company.” Sophie watches the pictures load.

Angela enters and makes a bee line to Claire. “I am going to need your help. There was a party last night and I have the worst bags under my eyes.”

Sophie looks at Torrino and rolls her eyes. They wait for her to get ready to get the shoot started. Angela is cooperative at least. Once she is seated, Sophie goes to the lamps to adjust them. She is used to using stools for everything, so she is not tripped up. After that is finished she goes to Torrino’s side as he takes the pictures. She makes minor adjustments with the lighting and props.

The actual shoot does not take long, but Torrino likes to get some proofs to show to his clients. So after the pictures were taken, Sophie gets them set up on the iPad for him. Torrino schmoozes with Angela doing what he does best. She brings the Pad to him and he sits down with her. Sophie takes down the props and gets out Mr. Delacroix’s dossier.

Leslie is right he is a handsome man. She would love to see him in a candid setting. Maybe with a smile on his face. This is probably going to be a more serious setting for a photoshoot so she begins to get the props set up. The lighting will need to be softer as well.

“I marked the ones that she wants, so you can do your magic. First go and have some lunch. Or work on your pictures.” Torrino sets the iPad on the table. “Just be back for the next appointment.”

[ATTN: Closed]

"I got up at 6:00, went to the bathroom and got myself cleaned up as usual, got some breakfast, got dressed, and finished up in the bathroom, just like I always do. It takes a lot to look this good you know."

"Right..... You know I don't believe that for a second. You probably just rolled out of bed 5 minutes ago! Your hair doesn't look fixed! That's more like.... lucky bedhead or something!"

"Oh Sis, sis, sis.... (sigh)... It disapoints me to hear you actually believe that story you just made up. You don't have to get it ALL right ALL the time. It really does take work to do this and it is truly coincidence that every day since we moved out of Mom and Dad's place we just tend to walk out almost simultaneously every day. Besides, you know I have to see my cartoons with breakfast!"

"You have a TV by your bed! PLUS a DVR! You probably just watch them half asleep at this point or record them for later anyway! Admit it, Kilder! This is just another one of your pranks like always! Normally I'm OK with something as harmless as this, but come on dude! It's been over 6 months of this! It's getting annoying! You must have some kind of monitor in there telling you EXACTLY when I walk out the door!"

"It's just our twin link, like I've said so many times... It wounds me that you would think this of me Sis. It really does--"

"Can it, Kilder! Quit spewing that crap! Just... (heavy sigh) ...please stop. Really. Not that I don't mind having to see you everyday or your pranks, but to me? Can't you find someone better to mess with than me? I'm the one who helped you in the first place, even with the pranking, and this is how I'm repaid? And seriously, if you have no one better to target than your sister, that is really sad. You're losing your edge, man, you really are."

"Listen, Piper," Kilder said, no longer with the sarcastic inflection but instead a much more sincere, serious tone, "Honestly, you're one of the few people I don't target. I can see how much this upsets you, and I really don't want to be the one putting you through agony like this. I promise you I am not doing anything to spy on your door or any stupid prank like that. You've seen what I do. This is below me. If there's anyone who's trust I couldn't afford to lose, it would be yours, and I wouldn't ruin that over a stupid prank."

Piper wanted to believe him, and he really didn't look like he was lying. She looked down sadly with a look of heavy though on her face. It had been a difficult year so far. At work, even as fast as some of her experiments had progressed, it seemed like they still couldn't go fast enough. They were still behind in product testing. When you have to promise as much as a company like Zorlias Corp does, this is just inevitable. You have to make big promises. Even if you have a talent for something, it doesn't make product R and D go any faster if you only have a year to test all potential variables on products like this. Some were just too dangerous to release to the public as fast as they wanted them to. Shareholders apparently don't understand safety. They don't understand anything really, save for money. And it doesn't help that Zorlias himself, while still supportive of her work, seemed far less impressed with her lately. He was starting to take her for granted--she could tell. And she let it happen too. She knew the stakes, she could tell the stress her boss was under. There was nothing to do about it though. She worked hard at it, and she loved doing it, but that was all she was capable of. She hated it, but she couldn't solve everything.

"Piper!" Kilder spoke out. "We're going to be late if we don't leave for work now! And you have a longer trip! we've been standing here for 15 minutes already!"

Piper panicked and quickly ran down the stairs. She didn't realize how long they had been there at all. She had to get to the bus fast!

"Sis," Kilder caught her by the shoulder for a moment, "Don't worry, it'll get better.. Now go! Quickly!"

She smiled a bit and took off.

"Skate!" he shouted to her, activating his friction and focusing it to her feet. She started going more rapidly and luckily, didn't fall off balance. A this point she had become more accustomed to skating on concrete. She was actually pretty good at it.

"And so begins my day as well," Kilder thought, walking away with a smile on his face. It wasn't too far to her bus stop, so he went ahead and broke concentration. By the time it wore off, she would be pretty close and she was used to the power wearing off. She had helped him train that power after all.

With about 10 minutes left to get there, he leisurely skated towards the school, which was only a few blocks away.

"Oh what fun might I have today," he thought to himself as he walked up to the school.

DELACROIX UNIVERSITY 7:05 AM [ATTN: OPEN]

"Hmm. Well look at that," he said to himself, looking down at his phone, "I must have wasted a little too much time after all. 5 minutes late. Well, as long as I'm in my office before they notice, it shouldn't matter too much..."

"Maybe I'll just take an alternate route..." he thought, smiling mischievously whilst placing his hand on his chin.

Since they would see him entering the school if he took the main entrance, he would just take the scenic route into the building. His office was on the 3rd floor, and the break room was on the 2nd, so he could even stop for coffee on the way up.

"Gecko power time! Gecko powers activate!" he thought to himself as he focused and increased the friction in his hands. He approached the side of the building and looked around to be sure no one was around and quickly spider-climbed up the wall. "Peek into the break room window. Good, empty as expected!" he hopped in and grabbed a cup of coffee. Where a normal person would have just walked back to their office at this point, Kilder once again jumped out the window onto the wall and climbed with one hand holding his coffee up the wall to his office window, which he had requested to be on this side of the building with good reason. This wasn't the first time he had done this, after all.

He jumped into the window, miraculously not spilling his coffee, and popped into his chair.

It was a good thing they were allowed to keep the office windows open around here. It would have been a lot harder otherwise. Though they did wonder who kept on opening the one in the break room in the morning.

Just as he had sat down, the receptionist burst through his office door. "Mr. Arturas! I was just looking for you! Did you get in a bit late, by chance?"

"Nah, you must have just missed me dear, just got back from the break room. Needed some coffee after my morning workout and had to sort through a few things on my desk first..."

"Hmm. That's odd I just looked in the break room... Surprised I didn't at least meet you on the way..." she said, looking down at his very messy desk covered in clearly unsorted paper. "This doesn't look very in order, Mr. Arturas.."

"You should have seen it beforehand!" Kilder replied with a laugh, "Between the school and CETE I have soooo much paperwork coming at me, why, I'm frankly not sure how I keep it looking even this good!"

Not knowing Kilder too well, the receptionist wasn't sure how true this was, but then, she was still fairly new and this wasn't really important.

"Anyway. What did I come to tell you?... Oh! Yes! I believe Ms. Delacroix would like to see you in her office in a little while."

"Oh, yeah? I don't guess you know the details? That's probably for the best. Important classified nature of things that go on here and such. Might you be a dear and tell her I'll be up in a few? Got a little bit more paper work to go through first. As long as it isn't too urgent that is. Such a busy woman and all that jazz."

"Uh, sure... Mr. Arturas... I have to head back up there anyway..." She said shyly, wondering just what the hell he was talking about. The people in this place were definitely hard to follow for her at times. Like they all knew something she wasn't supposed to know. Even when she thought maybe it was all a joke, Mr. Arturas assured her otherwise somehow. With the way he acted around her, she was kind of afraid to ask. He seemed to be caught in some sort of crazy conspiracy, and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

"And hey," Kilder said as she was about to walk out. "Watch yourself out there... The less I say the safer you are. Just.. be careful. It's a big school..."

A bit frightened, she hurriedly stepped out the door.

"She's such a cute little thing when she's scared of nothing," Kilder laughs to himself.

See post on later

[ATTN: CLOSED, Kilder & Jenia at the University] (8am)

Kilder puts his arm on his desk and gently and carefully...rakes all the paperwork off and into the floor.

"Guess I'd better go to that meeting, now that my desk is clean."

As Kilder walks out the door, he notices the giant stacks of paper that is now sticking out from under his desk and he kicks it back under it from view.

"That outta do." Kilder says.

Kilder takes one step out the door and starts sliding across the hallway without moving another leg muscle. Seeing the office door, he kicks off the wall and into the door. Jenia looks up from the noise to see Kilder sliding through with a smug look on his face.

"Why, aren't you looking lovely today, Ms. Jenia. How can I be of service?" Kilder asks.

Looking quite the opposite of amused, she points to the chair on the other side of her desk as she throws out a food box that once held the meal that Kyo had just given her not too long ago. She waits quietly and seriously for him to sit down before she utters a word.

Kilder walks around the chair and plops into it as his face changes into a more alert and serious expression, "Why such a serious face--is something wrong? You're not usually this intolerant of me."

Jenia sighs, "You and I are about to have a meeting with a...."friend." I will be offering him your services and you will refuse. Please?"

When she says "friend," her fingers go up to gesture quotation marks in the air. She clearly doesn't think of much of the man, because her tone sounds like there is some sort of contempt or disgust towards him while he is mentioned.

"Hmmm...interesting." He says, his smile returning--this time more of a mischievous smile crossing his face as he strokes his chin. "That's more what I like to hear. For a second, I thought you were actually mad at me for something. So who is this guy?"

Jenia rolls her chair closer into her desk as she looks up at the doorway nervously. Since no one is yet there and their visitor has yet to arrive, she takes it upon herself to reply. "It's Mayor Amden."

"Mayor Amden? All the way from Simarynn City? That's like hours away. Why would he request my help in particular and second and more importantly, why do you think I wouldn't refuse this guy? That would be like working for the enemy and I'd never betray you."

Jenia smiles at this last, happy to hear him say something so kind, "I promised I wouldn't tell you beforehand. When he gets here, you'll learn what he wants...but, I promised him that I'd get him in a room with you, so I'll keep my word."

"Okay, a room? That'll cost him extra. Also, I'm not interested in selling him my entire body for this. Joking aside, um...is it going to be a meeting between just the two of us or are you going to be there, as well?"

Jenia laughs at the joke, shaking her head. When he asks if she'll be there, she nods her head, opening up the top right desk drawer and pulling out a piece of candy and shoving it in her mouth. Then, she pulls out another and offers it to him.

"I hope that's watermelon flavored. Nah, I'll take whatever. Thanks. By the way, do you want me to throw this empty tray of food away for you? It's been sitting on this desk this entire time and I don't like things coming between us."

As the last words are spoken, Jenia chokes on her candy. She puts her hand to her throat, coughing and patting her chest until her eyes water from the pain in her neck.

Kilder quickly puts his hand to her throat and helps it move down with his magic. Feeling his magic at her neck, she clears her throat from the relief and thanks him.

Laughing, she says, "You know you're not supposed to make me laugh when I'm eating. Take your damn candy."

"Sorry, not my intention." Kilder says.

Hearing footsteps coming down the hallway, she looks up to see someone walking up in the distance. She hands the candy to Kilder before pointing him back to the chair on the other side of her desk as she waits for the man to come closer. Finally, Mayor Amden makes his entrance.

Kilder slides back in his rolling chair across the desk with his hands folded behind his head as he leans back. "So why am I in here?"

Mayor Admen walks in at six feet in height with broad shoulders and a lean build. His suit is white and his hair is an icy blue. His eyes are also an icy blue, very reflective and vibrant. He sits in another chair that is placed on the other side of Jenia's desk and smiles politely in greeting.

"Ms. Delacroix. Mr. Arturas." The Mayor says, "A pleasure."

"Sup?" Kilder asks as Jenia brings up her fingers against her temples, as if to quell an oncoming headache. She's clearly pained by his casual behavior, but she's most certainly not surprised to see it.

"Ms. Delacroix, I did warn you of my...companion. Would it be okay for her to visit with us?" The Mayor asks respectfully, "Once we make sure everyone is comfortable we can get started."

Kilder shoots her an inquisitive glance, as if asking the question along with him. Jenia pretends not to notice him as she nods her head, "Yes, she can come in. No problem."

The Mayor speaks with a raised voice, his face turned towards the door, "Errette, come."

In stalks a giant Panther--and by giant, Jenia's eyes widen as she realizes it's the size of a small horse! When a panther was mentioned, she expected...a normal sized one, of course. Not this. She almost wants to jump up in anxiety, but she forces it down as she forces a smile on her face.

"She's beautiful." Jenia says.

"When did we become a petting zoo?" Kilder mumbles under his breath.

Jenia hears Kilder say something under his breath, but she doesn't hear him clearly enough to pick up what he said. However, as he finishes his words, the big cat looks directly at him as it sits on its hind legs and then yawns. It's somewhat eerie to be stared at by the large creature, so Jenia is secretly happy that it isn't looking at her, instead.

Mayor Amden smiles, "Excellent. Now we can be underway. Mr. Arturas, I called Ms. Delacroix a few weeks ago and inquired about her most trusted staff members. She tells me that you are her most trusted employee, by far. That must be a good feeling to know that, hmmm?"

Kilder, looking away from his staring contest with the Panther for a moment, replies "Why, yes. That is quite the honor. And as her most trusted employee, what is it, exactly, that I may do for you?"

The Mayor nods his head with approval, "Straight to the point, Mr. Arturas, quite right. I am in need of an Etheriest outside of my Academy to do a job for me. However, it's rather risky and could pull you away from your job for a while. Do you think you could help me?"

"Well, not to sound like a braggart, Sir, but seeing as you did search me out, I am fairly certain that I could help. However, I would actually prefer to know what it was that I would be doing before accepting, if you don't mind."

The Mayor frowns, "I'm afraid that is Classified. I cannot tell you unless you agree to the job. It's Staccato Adacemy business, specifically."

"Then I'm afraid, Sir, that I will have to decline." Kilder answers, "While I understand why you wish to keep your business practices a secret, I do hope that you understand why I can't just go and accept a job in which I don't know what I'll be doing. It's too much of a risk on my behalf. Getting myself into a contract and risking going against my own moral boundaries, you see. However, if there's any other way that I can help you that we can talk about, then well...I guess we'll talk. Sorry to disappoint you."

There is no doubt that the Mayor is disappointed from his expression at Kilder's response. He leans back in his chair as Kilder explains himself, a half frown on his face as he brings a single hand out to the panther to pet her. As Kilder finishes talking, the Mayor looks down at the Panther for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"A shame, but I do understand." The Mayor admits, "However, I will ask a different favor, then."

Jenia narrows her eyes, suspiciously. He never mentioned the desire to ask anything else of either of them and did say he would be completely understanding, should Kilder refuse. What else could he possibly ask for from someone with Kilder's specific abilities?

"Errette here is my dear friend and companion and I have known her since I was a child." Mayor Admen says, staring at her with fondness, "She is very special to me. However, she's also cramped up and tired from all of the travels that I've had to do and really needs a break."

Now, his gaze shifts from the panther to Kilder, his frown switching into a smile as he reminisces of his time with the animal, "It would mean a great deal if you would allow her the pleasure of your company for a time. I need someone to look after her until I return. She's well domesticated, I assure you."

Kilder looks down at the panther as if it were crazy, then to the Mayor as if he were crazy, then to Jenia as if this whole thing were crazy. He repeats this motion about three times before speaking. Jenia is very obviously surprised, as well as confused.

"Will this be a dinner date?" He asks uncertainly. "May I ask why you'd bring her all this way just to have me, of all people, watch her? I mean, I get that you want something else, since I refused the first request, but this is your backup request?"

Jenia facepalms. She's partially embarrassed, partially confused, and mostly intrigued. What in the world would he want to leave the panther here for? If it's tired, can't he just...rest a while before traveling again? Kilder's face twists from one of fear to one of deep thought for a moment, then after a moment of silence, his face twists into a grin.

"May I have a little while to think about this, actually? Or do you require me to decide this instant?" Kilder continues.

The Mayor laughs, "Goodness, no. I travel regularly and I always take her everywhere I go--she doesn't like to be alone and I do believe that she cares about me just as much. However, I must travel into some lands that she doesn't particularly like...so I know she's rather stay here...but, I can only leave her with someone trustworthy and if Ms. Delacroix swears by your trustworthiness, then I shall take her word for it. However, if you need to think it over, I'll be in Coldrion for the next ten hours."

"That should be plenty of time, thanks." Kilder says, "She is a very lovely cat, by the way."

Mayor Amden looks pleased, "Excellent, thank you so much. Just have Ms. Delacroix give me a call and you wish to take care of her during my absence, I'll send her to you with a list of care instructions so that you'll know what to expect and how to look after her."

When Kilder compliments the cat, the panther almost purrs a deep throaty purr as she then stands up on all four legs and walks over to him. Stopping just before his chair, the panther sits on its hind legs again and simply continues to stare intensely at him with her golden eyes.

"Well, if I do accept, I know what we're going to be doing," Kilder says to the cat, "You think you're so good at staring now..."

Mayor Amden stands up from his chair, chuckling a little at Kilder's statement. With an amused expression, he walks around the desk to Jenia and takes her hand to kiss the back of it in a polite farewell.

"A pleasure seeing you again, Ms. Delacroix. You truly are a woman of your word." Mayor Amden says, "Thank you."

Kilder rolls his eyes as Jenia smiles, trying not to laugh at his reaction. She forces her attention on the Mayor instead of her childhood friend, "Anytime, Mayor, of course. Thank you for stopping by while you are in town."

With that, the man says his farewells to Kilder and then takes his leave. The Panther, standing up slowly, finally exits as well, several seconds after her companion. However, she takes a moment to stare at Kilder and then at Jenia before exiting and Jenia feels a chill down her spine as it looks at her with its big eyes. Talk about strange.

Kilder points his two fingers at his eyes and then pivots the two fingers at the cat's eyes as it returns its gaze to him, saying "Next time..."

Finally, Jenia slumps down in relief when they are gone, although mostly relieved by the absent of the rather large creature that took up most of the space in her office. She's never felt so cluttered before. In fact, the last time she felt that claustrophobic, it was in Kilder's horrible office...she'll never make the mistake of going in there again.

"Well, they're quite the charmers, aren't they?" Kilder says.

"Yeah," Jenia replies, uncomfortable, "That last part was unexpected...are you going to watch over the giant Panther of the death gaze?"

"Well, actually, the reason I held back was because I felt like I should probably talk it over with you, first."

"Uhhh...." Jenia shrugs, "This one's on you, Kilder. I'm not certain it could really do any harm to look after a simple animal. It will get us in good standing with another political figure if he owes us a favor and if you do a good job and don't kill the poor creature, we'll all end up happy."

"Oh, come on, I wouldn't kill it. I'm not actually that much of a clutz. I'm guessing, though, that you know what the first request was. Care to share why I should turn it down? It seemed like it might have been a good chance to spy on our competition."

Jenia groans, "He basically wanted you to spy. On his Academies. I didn't get the specifics, but he knows you can climb walls and shi--stuff. Apparently, he suspects both Staccato and Crescendo Academy are either going rouge or have rouge factions in them. Either way, you'd have to go in as a student...and that means you'd be gone for a real good time and you'd be under their ridiculous training regimens. Have you seen how they train?!"

"Saw a few videos on the internet. Besides, I had such a good lesson plan set up for this year and I'd hate to see it go to waste. Seriously, those kids are really in for a treat this year. And you'd miss me too much."

Jenia blushes, as she had almost admitted just that. He'd have probably been gone for at least a semester and that would have meant a lot less fun at the University for her. Although she sometimes thinks that he's closer to Zorlias than he is to her, she really does care about him a lot and would hate to have to wait so long to visit with him.

"Anyway," Jenia says abruptly, "Thanks for helping me and for saying no."

"No problem. I hate killing people, anyway." Kilder says, "Think I'm gonna keep the cat, after all. Seems nice enough and think of all of the tricks I could teach it..."

Kilder looks upwards, as if looking into another realm of traps and tricks and doom. Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head and resists the urge to facepalm again. Of all the people the Mayor had to ask for help...

"Okay, well...get out. We got classes in a week." Jenia finally says, "I expect that office to look good by the time classes start. You hear me?"

"Well, I have tried making it look bad before. You sure you don't just wanna hang for a while? You don't have to kick me out, c'mon."

"You just don't want to clean your office," Jenia replies smugly, crossing her arms over her chest as she leans back in her office chair.

Kilder gets up out of the chair and throws his hands up above his head as he walks out the door, "Some just don't understand the genius of my organization system...but don't worry, I forgive you for kicking me out. See ya, lovely."

Jenia facepalms again, but her blushing is happily concealed from his as he is walking away. That man is going to be the death of her someday...perhaps, even, the destruction of the entire campus. Time will tell.

[Attn: Open]

It is just past 8:40am when Cade Amden finally leaves the Delacroix University and makes his way across the City with a slow walk. It's about a thirty minute walk to the Hotel, which is quite healthy for the day's exercise. However, he'll probably have to walk again in the evening...he still has so much to do. Oh, well.
Hungry, he decides that it's time for some breakfast. As he finishes a short scone that he has in his hands from a quick stop, he has walked about twenty minutes when he almost--quite literally--runs into a man coming out of a restaurant.
From around the corner, a large, black jaguar comes into view, stalking up behind Cade and sitting next to him on its hind legs. Cade brings down his right hand and pets the animal on the head once.

Virsago stepped out of the restaurant with a full stomach. He was now prepared for the day's duties. That is, until a nitwit glued to his phone walked straight into him. Virsago always knew people were so damn attached to their devices. He was ready to shoot the man with a deathly glare when what appeared to be a panther made itself cozy next to the fellow. The animal must be a pet, but one so exotic is a rare sight to see.
Unable to tear his eyes away from the magnificent creature, Virsago replied with a subtle impatience: "Just watch where you're going, okay?"

"Oh, yes, of course. I've put my phone away," Cade says sheepishly, but he holds out his hand in order to offer a more polite apology, "I'm Cade Amden. Just call me Cade. I really am sorry for the--"

"BROTHER OH MY GOD, FINALLY." A young girl at the age of around sixteen in appearance comes bouncing up with wide eyes, skipping and jumping in joy. Suddenly, the air becomes suddenly much more cold as the blue-haired lady comes up and practically jumps Cade with excitement. "Dude, I'm so lost in this place! You never told me that Coldrion is soo cooooool!"

The large cat moves around the young girl, completely unfazed and disinterested in the young girl altogether. Instead, her gaze remains on Virsago, so she walks up to him smoothly and sniffs at him with her golden eyes remaining on him with a feline-like intrigue.

"Woah, Emma, relax, won't you? I'm trying to talk with this man, here." Cade says, laughing a little, "Ohh, look. It looks like Errette likes you, Sir."

The girl named Emma stops her jumping and suddenly notices the man for the first time as she pays attention to the panther's interest. Tilting her head to the side, she looks at Errette and asks, "Do you like him?"

"Shouldn't you be touring the City?" Cade asks, changing the subject, "I've got work to do all day, you know that."

Virsago jumped when a loud shrill filled the air. He was already annoyed by one human, now another one reared its insufferable head. Oddly, Virsago felt the air around him become suddenly cooler as the girl approached. Perhaps this was an etherist with some kind of frost ability.
The large cat stole Virsago's attention as it drew closer to his legs. Ignoring the two people, Virsago keeled down to offer the cat a pet on the head. He didn't quite hear what the man and his sister was talking about, but it didn't matter. He's never been so close to a wild beast of nature. A sparkle was apparent in his eyes as he observed every detail of the panther's complexion.

The large cat accepted his touch, purring deeply as the two siblings continue talking nonchalantly, the young girl bickering about wanting his attention and how he should be giving her a guide during their visit. However, Cade insists on continuing his business before they have any tourist fun.

Finally, Cade smiles mischievously as he looks down at Virsago. "Errette, do you like him?"

The cat simply looks up at Cade and purrs and he knows just what that means. Pleased with himself and his brilliant idea, "You, Sir. how would you like to make a lot of money? Like...a lot. I'll pay you to give my sister here a tour of the City."

Emma gasps, scowling at her brother, clearly displeased. She is about to say something, but he cuts her off and for some reason, oddly enough, the large black jaguar looks amused, somehow.

"Welp, great! I'll have Emma pay you when the deed is done, so treat her well!" Cade says, turning and sprinting off. He whistles and the large cat leaves Virsago and Emma alone together, so the young girl looks up at the stranger and pouts and then stares at him awkwardly.

She laughs nervously, "Excellent brother skills...leaving his sis with a stranger...."

Did this man just abandon me with his sister...? And the panther....he could've at least left the panther... Virsago watched the individual flee the scene. At his speed, Virsago could never keep up. He silently cursed himself to go to the gym, but he knew he most likely won't. At Emma's comment, Virsago gave the girl a miserable scowl. Why? He thought. Why me?

"You don't have a map? Or a phone?" He asked.

"Cade says I can't have a phone until I'm eighteen." Emma replies, but she holds out her hand, "I'm Emma. And you are, Mr. Guide?"

Virsago held out his own hand, a little confused that he offered a handshake so openly. "I'm Virsago, and I'm going to get you a map." He would then pull up his own phone to search for the nearest tourist location he could drop the girl off. He was sure she could handle herself.

"Woah, woah!" The girl says, putting up her hands, "You can't just leave a sixteen year old girl on her own in a big, bad city! You've been charged as my protector--and if you just drop me off with a map somewhere, you don't get paid."

With that, the girl moves forward and clings on tightly to his arm, looking up at him with googly eyes and trying to appear as adorable as she is physically able. Then, she says: "Virsago...the herrooo of young maidens everywhere!"

"Ha! What're you gonna pay me? Tw-" In mid-speech, Virsago was interrupted by Emma's attempt at weeding into his heart. He tried pushing the girl away, deliberately looking away from her gaze. He grumbled under his breath, trying to ignore the girl's teasing jabs.

As he pushes her away, she pouts, crossing her arms over the chest and then she tries to look as hurt and as heartbroken as she is capable, "My family is rich, Mister Virsago. Really rich. Money is the game, here. Besides, can you really say no to a cute face like this?"

Virsago rolled his eyes at the girl's crocodile tears. As if she was the first person to have their heart broken. His disgruntled face remained unchanged throughout her blabbering. "If your family is so rich, how about you pay me 50 dollars now, then I'll take you on your silly tour."

She puts her hands up on her hips, an eyebrow raised as her blue pigtails bounce with the defiant motion. "How do I know you won't take my fifty and run, eh? "

She's about so say something more, but then an icecream parlor opens up across the street and she squeals with a high-pitched tone of glee. Grabbing Virsago's hand, she tugs him as she runs for it with her excitement and is quick to pull out her wallet. "ICECREAM! Do ya want one, Virsago?"

Virsago hoped the girl was as naiive as she let on, but she was smarter than he gave her credit for. Caught off balance by the girl's sudden tug, Virsago had no choice but to run after her, lest he end up with a face full of dirt. "No, I don't want one!" he insisted.

After purchasing two icecream cones, she places one in his hand that isn't being held hostage. Both are apparently pistachio flavored and she winks at him a she begins to nom on hers. "Where do you want to start....hmmm....I'm thinking we could go by the University! My bro just came from there, but I haven't seen it, yet."

The girl begins to tug on him as she walks, but continues rambling to herself, "Let me tell you, I hear this school here is soft. Not that I can really compare it to Staccato Academy, because I've only just started there...my Etheriest power manifested pretty late just a few weeks ago, soo....I'm so sorry if you get cold around me! I'm really not any good at controlling it. You're kind of cute, by the way."

Virsago delicately tapped into his etherist power to increase his body temperature while melting the icecream cone in-hand. Within a matter of seconds, the icecream became a liquid trail on the ground.

"Oh dear...my icecream melted...What horrible...horrible luck has befallen me..." Of course, the girl was an Etheriest...that made shit cold. Virsago was tempted to open the tap and show the girl some real control, although he had to fight to prevent flames from bursting out of his hands.

"Aawwww!" She says sadly, looking back at his icecream. However, she knows her body is still making it cold, so she has no doubt this his power is what melted it. "Geez, I'd have eaten, it too! You didn't have to use your--"

With that, her eyes widen, then she shuts up. She's not supposed to reveal that she knows that he's a flame user, or he'll ask how she knows and that could end badly. Instead, she coughs rather loudly and taps her chest, dropping the icecream cone that she had been eating.

"Welp, guess neither of us needed that stuff!" She says with a shrug, "It's obvious you don't want nothing to do with me, so I'll leave ya be."

She lets go of his hand quickly and moves to walk away from Virsago as quickly as she can. He's proabably a Keltan....man, she never knew that Keltans were all big jerks. Oh, well. She'll find a better guide around here somewhere.

Virsago's hearing perked when the girl cut herself off. Even weirder, she feigned a cough dropped her icecream without a thought. This sudden change of pace led Virsago to believe something was up, and and damn girl was trying to get away before he realized. Virsago walked after her, briskly walking just to catch up. "What about that tour? Won't you be lost without your bro?"

Ah, holy beans on toast! She thinks as she squeaks, jumping as he catches up. With wide eyes, she looks at him and then says quickly, "What? You don't like me, I'm not gonna force ya."

She's looking at him with mild nervousness and fear, insanely wondering if the guy can somehow read her mind, even though she know he can't. Paranoid, still, she gasps and then points just behind him over his shoulder at two people, a couple, holding hands and talking to each other as they swing their hands between them.

"Look at the adorable lovers!" She says, a grin on her face, "Oh, I just love people. They are all so sweet and good and cuddly and fun!"

Virsago grinned, watching the fear build in the girl's eyes. For a moment, Virsago wondered if he was just spooking a teenager for no reason, but seeing such a feeble attempt to distract him only strengthened his resolve. Just as the girl pointed behind him, Virsago grabbed her arm, holding it with a solid grip.

"I believe there's something you're not telling me. If you could please inform me as to why you're here. I would be ever so grateful."

Suddenly, he grabs her and speaks with a tone that sounds so threatening that her eyes widen and water up. She struggles not to cry as the skin just under where he touched her suddenly turns a deep blue and ice forms along her arm under his grip. When she's afraid, her power tends to act out, thanks to her lack of control.

Great, now he knows I'm weak, She thinks to herself, trying not to cry still, I can't believe he left me with this psycho. She starts to breath heavily, trying not to panic. After all, they are in public, so...he can't hurt her, right? Still, one tear escapes and rolls down her cheek and she hates herself.

"I--I just needed a tour. I told you that already." She says, confused and scared.

"Just tell me the truth and I'll let you go. Why are you here?" Virsago spoke in a calmer, yet more direct manner. He noticed ice crystals forming on her arm, so he radiated a little heat, hoping he wouldn't burn the girl's skin.

"You stopped yourself from saying something; something you're trying to hide. Now I wanna hear it."

Virsago wasn't sure where this burst of bravado came from, either his ether ability, or the girl's apparent weakness, but he wouldn't let go of it. He couldn't go soft after committing so much. He'd have to preserve his pride one way or another.

After he explains what he wants, the confusion fades as she understands what she has to tell him. Her voice going quiet, she says, "I know you're a Flame User. Now let me go. Please. My brother knows, too, so if you kill me with your power, he'll know it was you and he'll hunt you down."

She notices that the ice on her arm begins to melt and she feels relief..until she realizes that it's his hand that's doing it. She's a little more nervous, now, but so far, he doesn't seem to want to hurt her--after all, if he did, he probably would have, by now. Sniffling, she wipes her face with her free hand and tries to pull away just a little.

After the girl's explanation, Virsago's expression softened. He released the girl's arm, shutting of his power as he does so. Now, however, he had more questions than earlier. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he eyed the girl while she wiped her tears. "How did you know I'm a Flame User?"

Dread fills up in her stomach as she realizes that her brother is going to kill her for this. However, now that the dude has calmed down, she's at least relieved that he isn't crazy pyscho killer.

Finally, she looks down at her feet and says..."Promise to keep it a secret?"

Kneeling down to the girl's eye level, Virsago gazed with hard, yet earnest eyes. "Promise."

With a sigh, she leans in and whispers in his ear, "Errette told me."

She then pulls away with big eyes and talks a little more with a hushed voice. "She's smart, like you and me, and she can speak to me in my mind and--and she's an Etheriest, too! And...and if you don't believe me, I can prove it to you later, when I get back to her and my brother."

Puzzled, Virsago listened on, trying to link the name "Errette" to anyone he knew. Nobody came to mind. Virsago pressed for more information."Is she your mother?"

Facepalming, she realizes she never told him her name. She hopes he doesn't think she's crazy. "No! The panther! The black panther that was with us."

"Are you serious?" Virsago's mouth hanged open in confusion. He honestly couldn't tell if the girl was misinforming him or if she genuinely believed a panther could talk.

"Y-Yes!" She says, nodding her head vigorously, "I can prove it! Stay with me until tonight with my bro gets back and I swear I will! I swear I'm not crazy!"

She suddenly realizes that her voice was raising and she mentally forces herself to quieten down as she adds, "She'll talk to you, too."

"If you say so." Virsago stood upright, unsure what to make of the girl's words, but this might be his best chance at learning more about his ability. He looked around, wondering where to go while waiting.

"Okay...well, let's just...walk around and uh..." She's still a little shaky, but she's feeling better to be sure, "I wanna cool my nerves."

With that, she starts walking about, not fully paying attention to where she's going. They travel about and actually find themselves in different places as she talks and chatters about various topics, jumping from subject to subject and revealing more about herself as she does so.

It comes to be obvious that Emma is painfully optimistic--about everyone and every thing. About life. She's super cheery and talks about her parents a lot. She's had a great life. She even tells the story about what happened when her powers first manifested. Scary, but also funny, considering she basically turned herself into a human-shaped icicle.


------------------
[ATTN: Brannagh, Kyo]

Eventually, it comes time for lunch as they reach 11:30 am and she suddenly realizes that she's rather famished. She's about to talk about food, but then she smells it. Her eyes dart up to some flashing lights and she turns the corner and sees some police taped up around soem kind of crime scene--but there are fire trucks everywhere....

"Wooaah, did somebody die here?" Emma asks curiously, getting closer to the tape.

She finally notices some people wearing CETE uniforms standing about near the edge, eating lunch out of some lunch boxes. A woman holds out her own box to young looking boy that looks quite battered and scarred up, a little. She tilts her head as she listens in. It's rather easy, since the people aren't too far off.

"Here, Kyo. Have some of my lunch. When we get back to the precinct, we'll all get some real food." One of the women says.

Firemen are walking about and talking to each other, but she isn't really paying attention to that. Instead, she just focuses on the the officers nearby, hoping to overhear if somebody died or not. She's really just curious.

OK to delete =)

Attention: open

It’s seven in the morning and Jim hears his alarm go off. He sighs as he turns over after he hits the snooze button. He is notorious for doing this. He wakes up sometime later and looks at the clock. Two hours had passed and for some reason his alarm hadn’t gone off. Great, Professor Clemmons would probably be calling him in the next few minutes. He was supposed to have met her in the lab at eight that morning. He was surprised she hadn’t already called.

He heard the phone ringing in the other room and sighed. He rolls out of his bed naked and put a towel around his waist to keep from showing the world his junk. He grabs the phone and walks to the bathroom. “Morning.”

“Jim, where are you? Are you alright? After the way you were talking last night I thought you had done what you said you were going to do. I was going to call the police and have them do a house check on you.” The female said.

“Don’t worry Professor; it was just another bad night. It happens.” Jim said.

“When will you be here?” The professor asked.

“Give me some time to get ready and I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Jim said.

“See you in an hour.” Diane said.

Jim started the shower and looked at his face. He had a crush on the professor, but he kept it straightly as a profession with her. She was still though one of his only friends and he could confide to her about the depression that he was going though. At least someone listened to him. He shaves and then steps into the shower after tossing the towel.

A few minutes later, a fresh clean Jim steps out of the shower. He looks at the clock and gets ready. He grabs his phone and wallet and leaves his apartment.

Jim heads out to the university where he worked at for the professor. She was a nice lady who loved to build weapons or other things and he knew she had been working on an item that was supposed to cut off the ability of an etheriest. It was still in the beginning stages but if it worked, during certain events they could use it to stop someone who was trying to ruin an event. Hopefully it would be used for good.

He watches the people as he walks through town. He didn’t watch anyone in particular but always did wonder what their story was. He stops for coffee for the professor and gets himself a tea. He never could stand the taste of it, and often times if he did drink it, he would throw it up. He then makes his way into the college grounds. His phone rings and he doesn’t recognize the number so he let it go to voice mail. If it was important they would leave a voice mail.

“What took you so long? Other than your obvious sleep in.” Diane said.

“I got you coffee; now take it and shut up.” Jim said with a smirk.

“Thanks for the coffee. Now, let’s get to work.” Diane said.

They proceed to begin the day.

(ATTN : Crime Scene)

**This is a collab between Leah7, me, Venom, Vye Avis.**

**Also sorry for the double post, I just happened to be the one to save the post ;D**

- Crime Scene/11h30~12h -

If I'd noticed anything about city-dwellers, it was their curiosity and need to record everything. It was conversely matched by the same need their officials had for secrecy. My people weren't a secretive lot--at least, not in general. I just watched it all silently, eating the snack I'd brought with me: a homemade protein bar. Better than the processed shit I'd seen them try and push on me.

Virsago lazily let the day pass as he walked around the city with his little package. He tried his best to ignore the girl's ramblings but her voice took on a harrowing dull noise that he couldn't escape. He thought of taking a detour to a small bookstore where he could spend the rest of their time together reading the latest nature magazines. That would surely bore the girl out of her mind. His thoughts were interrupted by the commotion of a gathering crowd, bumbling around what appeared to be a crime scene. Virsago had a strage curiosity, drawn in like the other witnesses trying to sneak a peek. He found Kyo doing his normal business, but he didn't bother calling out to him. It would be most rude to interrupt the police on duty.

Kris is bored, but it doesn't take long for the lead fireman, Riticker, and another man to walk towards her and her small little lunch group. She finishes her meal, putting it away in the car before they reach this side of the scene and waits patiently. The second man with him has a green hate and shirt with matching green tree logos on them. Must be some kind of park ranger that Bran called. She'll have to commend her for that later.

Riticker finally makes it over and introduces the man next to him, who then holds out his hand to Kris in a polite greeting. Kris decides to take it.

"Agent Nguyen, this is David Keats," Riticker says, "Park Ranger out on the edge of the city."

"Pleasure to meet you, Keats," Kris says, "What do you two have for me?"

Kris looks past the two men towards the Coroner, Agent Brandt, who's finally taking the body from the scene and into his truck. He's been talking to his assistant this entire time and every time she tried to get anything from him, he's refused to say anything. Sighing from annoyance, she returns her gaze back to Riticker as he starts talking. He seems a bit confused as he scratches the back of his neck with uncertainty.

"No ignition point, no fuel source, and nothing's been...officially burned. There's a lot here that should have caught fire that didn't." Riticker says, "Aside from the ground and a bit of the concrete on the walls...my official guess is some kind of Etheriest."

An Etheriest of fire that didn't burn the entire surroundings? Either this person is really, insanely good, or...really, really out of control of their abilities. But the former is far more likely and plausible, which isn't good. Kris crosses her arms across her chest and then looks over to the park ranger, saying nothing. As if on cue, he gives his own report.

"Probably some kind of large dog...maybe a wolf? No experience with wolves, but the tracks don't match right. Soot doesn't really leave clean footprints--" He began.

"Yeah, how big we talkin'?" Kris asks, interrupting.

Keats continues, "German Shephard in build, abouts. It probably smelled the body and came in hoping for dinner afer your guy died. The pics of the body are definitely definitive of bite marks from the dog, but I can't really see that it got much to eat. Probably a stray somewhere abouts in the City."

"...alright, Keats. Riticker." Kris says, "Thanks. You guys can go."

The two men say their farewells to Bran and Kyo with nods before turning to walk away. Kris looks at Bran sternly and begins to give orders. "Bran. Get Lynn to re-build the crime scene and figure out where our attacker moved. Make sure to give her the bags we collected for analysis, as well. Kyo, I need you to stay on Brandt's ass until he gives me something. Get the base information about the victim from him as soon as you can so we can start narrowing down possible victims.

Emma looks over at Virsago with big eyes after listening in a bit. She can barely hear most of the conversation, but she could tell one thing--a fire was involved. Someone probably burned to death--what a shame. She looks over at Virsago and asks him loudly, "Welp, you are a fire user--do you know how to tell if someone was crisped by a fire user or by a regular fire?"

Kris, hearing the girl's comments, looks over at the two to see the face of whom she is talking to. A fire user in the onlooker crowd, eh? Now, what a coincidence. However, the question is a good one and she can't help but wonder if the Etheriest will have an answer for her. So, she approaches with interest, cautiously slow. If she can get input from a fire Ethreiest, she'll do it from the proper channels--but she will need to know if it's possible, first.

"That's a good question. Sir," Kris asks Virsago, "If I pull in a fire Etheriest, will he or she be able to differentiate the damage between natural fire burns and Etheriest fire burns?"

As Kyo was closer to the crowd, he did see his friend among them, but said nothing. After some time, Kris asked him to check after the agent Brant and see if he would reveal any information. He moved to the said agent and waited next to him patiently.

I gave a quick nod and set about getting Kris' orders done. In the first days of watching crime scenes, I watched everything and found how they "rebuilt" it fascinating. While I still did, I couldn't focus as the details of this were troubling. I'd need to get in touch with the local branch of Keltans in this region. They'd need to know.

I listened, but something didn't sit right with me about this. Sure, they were small dog prints (from my perspective), but...fire "dogs" weren't really heard of. I had a hunch this was still a Keltan matter.

With Virsago's vision, he was able to see the scorch marks left at the scene. A little feeling of guilt crept up his back even though he knew nothing of what happened. He imagined one of the officers suddenly turning around, somehow cognizant that he was a flame user. But of course, that was just Virsago's imagination getting out of hand. That is, until Emma opened her big, obnoxious hole and brought the cops right to them. Virsago took a very deep breath as he fought to control his anger. It was as if an angel of misfortune decided Virsago would get special treatment today. He tried playing cool, acting as if he had nothing to hide. The last thing he wanted was to be pinned with the suspect label.

"Well, uh...An experienced Etheriest could probably tell, but I'm only a level 3 user, as far as I know. Although, some Etheriests' fire can burn hotter than your average flame. It all depends on the surrounding evidence, I guess...

"Uh-huh." Kris says, nodding her head, "Thanks. I'll have to find me a fire Etheriest, then."

Then, Kris turns to walk away, heading towards her car. Now she can get out of this shithole, take a real lunch hour, and maybe get some answers when she gets back. Time will tell.

The coroner still said nothing and seemed like he was about to leave, but he approached him and wrote quickly on his phone.''May I perhaps accompany you or get a call to get the results of your analysis later ? We'll need all the info we can have to resolve this issue.''

"It'll be a while--come back in an hour, Kyo." Brandt says, looking past him towards Kris with an exhausted expression, "That woman has no patience...anyway, you can still ride with us back, though, if you need a ride."

''Actually, seeing how Kris seems to be storming out of the place... I'd gladly accept, I need to go eat my lunch.'' Kyo wrote as an answer toward the man. ''I'll take that hour to eat and come to your lab after to see where you're at.'' He added.

Open. Time 1133

Jim holds his hand out to touch the metal box that is the current prototype for  the professor's work. All of a sudden the room they are in begins to shake and Jim falls into the floor after loosing his balance. He puts his hand on his head and rubs it. "Damn it, Professor...was that your machine there? I though you were working on a neutralizer, not a weapon to make earth quakes." He said with one eye closed.

Diane had placed herself under the desktop thinking there had been an earth quake as well. "That wasn't my neutralizer; I don't think that was an earth quake either. Come on, lets get out of this building and make sure everything is alright." She said.

They make their way out of her office and leave the building. There's a car driving away from the scene and part of the office building looks like it's been torn down.

"Was it an earthquake, or an etheriest's ability?" Jim said.

"I don't know, but someone needs to sound the alarm, I pray no one is in that rubble." Diane said as they began to make their way over. "Be careful, you don't want to get hurt in this mess." She said.