Raiha

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Oh d-d-d-d-d-dear dear me. I believe Lady Bavaria's in for a terribly awfully tragic awakening. Because if the whole family had only been annoyed with her before, there's no doubt that they all now loathe her with the passion of a thousand burning suns. In all honesty, I can't imagine a single Almagest potentially forgiving her for this utter lack of manners and propriety. See Macey never liked Dame Grimalkin, but she never would've publicly humiliated her. So now then. How to deal with the haughty bitch in ways that don't involve axes, guns, pits of fire, and barrels full of tar and sacks full of feathers.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Eiyaga examined the burning cigarette, and slewed around to give him a look, the towel wrapped loosely around her waist. Her hair hung in twisted strands across her eyes and down her back, dripping water occasionally on the cigarette with a hiss and a puff of steam. She took a final drag, and then extinguished it on her kneecap, watching the flesh knit itself back together almost instantly.[/i] "You know that's fuckin' sick right?" "Not half as sick as you." [i]She gave him a glare through her one good eye, the honey gold sparking and snapping like fire. He stood and turned back towards his bedroom, when something hit him from behind and knocked him forward onto the bed. Eiyaga. She had abandoned the towel and blood for virtually attacking him in his own house. Before he could voice a hoarse 'Fuck off you crazy bitch!' she already had his lower lip between her teeth. And her legs were already wrapped around his hips so he could hardly move, her hands ripping away his shirt, exposing bare skin.[/i] "You should stop me before something irreversible happens." "Now why would I do somethin' stupid like that?" [i]Her eye blazed, and she sank her fingers into his chest, ripping as if peeling him open, sharp claw marks forming across his chest. They shredded across his nipples, and even as he gasped in pain, she placed her palms flat over them and absorbed the wounds onto her own body. He felt a ripple of cold, that contrasted oddly to her body, which was pouring off heat like a furnace. Her hair had already dried and was pouring down her back. Angry nail marks formed over her chest, that welled blood, then sealed shut again. Eiyaga writhed against him, as if she'd gone mad, one hand ripping off his trousers like they'd offended her somehow. She rubbed her breasts against his chest, her tongue snaking down his throat, to the side of his neck, completely out of control. Eiyaga had gotten off his pants, and was grinding against him like she was at a strip club, only the strippers weren't always this naked. Or believable.[/i] "The fuck's wrong with you?" "Want to....have to..." [i]She was panting now, her voice tapering off to a moan of very real need. He put one hand on her shoulder, she was shaking and quivering as if with a fever. The other he used to feel her, confirming the little she'd managed to say before she'd gone completely incoherent. In heat would've been a good word to describe her, but by then she'd already forced him into her and the discussion was over. Sure it was practically assault, but Eiyaga couldn't stop herself any more than Dani could talk her out of it. Besides that, she fucked like an animal, all pure passion and desire. No hesitation, it was as if she hadn't heard him protesting.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Crime. We export, we import, it comes in hot, or cold, and sometimes bottled. We're also famous for being the place where people come to when they have warrants in nearby cities. Shy and I joked about this when I first moved here. We're also famous for gangs, predominantly Latino and black. Once we were called "A City On The Move" but now I guess we still are. If you count movement towards inane poverty and crime. Our main export is crystal meth. Our main import is crack for some reason. I haven't figured out why. Maybe it tastes better? Who knows. But that's where I live. Also famous for the college, but that's like an island of vague sanity in a sea of filth.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I weaved my way through the seething masses and made it to the kitchen where I saw Sunfall putting the finishing touches on a dessert that looked suspiciously like jello. And I, having a long standing hatred of the stuff, steered clear and went instead to the fridge and found Shy’s cheesecake safe and sound. He came rushing up in a panic.[/i] “Don’t Touch It!” [i]I jerked back like he’d stung me and he swept over, cuddling it to his chest. If he could’ve been crooning, “My precious,” I’m pretty sure he would’ve. And so instead I turned over to where there was pie. Revelation, looking very cute in a sultry little kimono, held up a slice and Petie clanked over in appropriate time period armor and took up a plate. He wandered off, the clink of plate mail echoing in the halls. I shook my head like a wet dog, hopefully to clear it, and went for a bowl of rice sitting out innocently enough. In between bites, I saw Kam wander outside, talking to himself, and looked out the other to see Sandy approaching us. Fortunately, he saw someone setting up something wrong in the garden and instantly veered off to go reprimand them. Everyone in the kitchen breathed a collective sigh of relief and Shy set down his cheesecake with a certain amount of happiness. Ozymandius Jones appeared in the robes of an Imperial advisor and I handed her a slice of pie with good cheer, and smashed another in Allamorph’s face, just for good measure. Vicky eyed the mess and started whacking him with a mop. Punctuating her words with smacks.[/i] “Get. Out. Of. The. Kitchen! You’ll get pie everywhere!” “Augh! Gerroff you crazy goat infested beast woman!” “BEAST WOMAN?!” [i]Her shrieks bounced off the walls and across the courtyard. Incoherent screams followed this, as she began to dole out the punishment more, snatching Ikillion’s spear from his hands and using that instead. I blinked several times, wondering if we’d find him staked out on the lawn, with puncture wounds up the wazoo. Now there’s a visual for you.[/i] “I wonder if she’s only happy when she’s putting on the hurting.” [i]Indifference had slithered in through a side door I hadn’t noticed, and began peeling a star fruit over the sink. Digitalboy came in after her and just as I was reaching for a cudgel to let the daylight into his skull I had a better idea. Premonition was lurking in the hall anyway. I snatched them both by the ears, ignoring their yelps and pointless attempts to escape, and headed towards where James was reclining on a mound of cushions the size of very large dogs. I gave him a little bow and threw the others down where they were immediately menaced by an annoyed looking Heaven’s Cloud and a cheerful Aryanna.[/i] “Now then, what’s all this? Have they been mangling pies in the kitchen?” “Ah...none of that. Yet. But I was wondering if you’d like a little entertainment instead.” “Such as?” [i]Here he gestured with a wave of perfectly manicured fingers. I leaned over and whispered into Boo’s ear, who had appeared in a puff of secret vanishing ninja smoke. Only I’m sure it wasn’t really ninja smoke because we were in China, and not in- Oh nevermind. He stood up after a whispered sidebar and drew his rather floppy, no pun intended, sword and whacked both Premonition and Digitalboy with the flat sides.[/i] “Raiha proposes a “mostly dead” death match with the winner to receive his life as a reward and the loser to be locked in a room with Sandy and screaming fangirls for 15 hours.” “Now if that isn’t motivation, I don’t know what is.” [i]Rachmaninoff was leaning against a pillar, and smirking. James gave one of those official, majestic nods, and gave the signal. Instantly, servants began moving furniture around the courtyard, setting up what could only be described as a pit. Don’t ask me how they managed to dig a 10 foot hole in the middle of the courtyard in under ten minutes, but they did. And fenced it off with ribbons and ropes. Everyone took up seats, with Desbreko turning a quick profit with bets and odds.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Aaryanna'][COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Oh? Do tell. Hehe. Victoria Ann is always up for getting into mischief. Even if she's usually well behaved, she's at that age to just naturally get into trouble. :p Believe me Crystia and I have some fun stuff planned for the Head Master of Chaos once things get moving along. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]When you say fun stuff, do you mean the kind of fun stuff Macey has in store for Lady Bavaria? I mean after she's enlisted Alecia's help in potionism...that is...cough... Nevermind.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]So far so good, I figure it'll be fun trying to come up with an insane solution to an insane problem. And yes, incase nobody had figured it out, Macey is going to be on the market for a marriage. We have several candidates in mind, but I figure the family should feel free to announce their suggestions to her on a regular basis. Lady Catharine and her would have some discussions on it obviously, but if siblings, aunts, uncles, have opinions to express, I figure they should hop right to it.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[RIGHT][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/maceyellen-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/marieevangeline-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gadgetgerrault2avatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/IMG][/RIGHT] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Macey and her sister had cloistered themselves in their shared suite like the pair of alchemists they were. And their desks had been set up together and were now one gigantic desk, strewn with papers, books, pencils, pens, and all tomes available to them on the subjects they'd have to familiarize themselves with. Macey was reclining in one of her chairs, flicking a pen between her fingers idly, tinkering with the camera her brother had lent to her. Eva was reading a very old codex on the subject of interest, and the servants had been instructed to bring up their meals in a steady stream, with tea every two hours or so.[/i] "It says here that what we're going to attempt is theoretically possible... It'll just take awhile." "Well assuming it can be done before we all die of old age, who cares" [i]Eva snickered and went back to her work, making notes in the margins. On a sudden whim, Macey stood and set down the camera, her tests with it going nowhere quickly. Instead she walked directly across the hall where she'd set up Gadget and her former husband. Inwardly she wondered if it was the best idea, as the gossips were sure to never stop their blathering, but quite frankly, it didn't matter in the end. Provided Vincent treated her treasure right, she didn't care what people said. And when she knocked on the door, Gadget opened it cautiously, a worried look on his face.[/i] "Do you really think you can help me Macey?" "I really do. With my sister's help, we're going to do everything we can for you. I'm so sorry things turned out this way, and I promise you I'll do whatever I can." [i]Gadget bobbed his head once, afraid to believe her, but knowing he had very little choice in the matter. He stepped aside, and admitted her, Vincent sitting at the writing desk nearby. Macey turned to Gadget.[/i] "Could you please go see Eva in our room? She wants to run a few tests on you. Don't worry, they'll be painless." "Well...if you say so." [i]He left, shutting the door behind him, and Macey pulled a chair over to where Vincent was. He looked up from his papers with a carefully arranged expression on his face, and Macey folded her hands in her lap.[/i] "I want to tell you, I deeply regret how my work has affected people thus far." "...You don't have to lie to me to reassure me you'll help Gadget." "It's not that at all. I should've known what the contract would've entailed before I took it." [i]At this Macey stood, pacing restlessly before the fireplace, her hands still clasped tightly in front of her. Vincent watched her walk back and forth until he felt like screaming at her to simply sit still.[/i] "I don't know what's wrong with me, but ever since our divorce, I've felt an irrational obsession with getting something right. But I've even failed at this." "I-" [i]At that, Macey abruptly sat down again, her expression drawn, face paling. She looked across the way at the darkening twilight outside, and then back to Vincent. His expression had softened already, seeing Macey's true distress with what she'd caused. And he somehow couldn't hold it against her.[/i] "You'll find a solution. I have faith in your abilities." "That means something then. Maybe I need an anchor, someone to keep me from throwing myself headlong into this sort of thing." "A husband?" [i]Macey jerked her head up to look at him like she'd been slapped. She'd never considered asking Vincent's advice on the topic before, but now that she considered it, what could be so bad with that idea? Her smile became rather wry, and he saw a playful look sparking in her glance.[/i] "Why not?" "Why not indeed."[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]This time, I slept for what seemed like years. Alone, quiet, warm and safe. I knew my children were in a similar state, resting silently all the while. When I woke, I was alone in an empty chamber. I breathed slowly, then sat up. I Listened, focusing my hearing, and discovered that not only was the ship not moving, it wasn?t even on. I leapt from the pod and ran down the hall towards the bridge. It was empty, no Andrew at the pilot?s seat, no Vicky nearby with him. I looked out the window and saw brilliant flashes of blue and green. Earth. "We're home!" Leaping out the open exit, I ran out into the field where we?d landed, close to the home built over the one I?d ruined so many months ago. Gavin was in the garden with the twins, the kits mewling and circling around them. Eriju was napping on the roof, sprawled out like any self-satisfied cat. Iki was playing a game of chess with my father, and I looked to see Neil and Sikal flying high overhead, both clearly healed. I felt like I?d been hit on the head. Connor popped into existence next to me and leaned over my shoulder.[/i] ?Finally you?re awake, the others wanted to wake up, but your father said it was better to let you ride it out.? ?No trace of pursuit?? ?None, but Andrew and Vicky are going to go on scouting missions with me once a month.? [i]I smiled and walked towards my children, Sevara squealing once she saw me and clambering over her brother to get to me. I swept her up in my arms and cuddled her to my shoulder. Gavin stood and walked over, Billy still clinging to his leg. He put his arms around my waist and kissed my cheeks. I leaned against him and turned to see my mother walking through the door with a cake, Leila holding up the other end. My eyes began to tear up, but I shook them away with an irritated gesture. It didn?t matter now. We were home. We were safe. And my children were close to me. We sat. We ate. And the men kept on eating. They were still eating when me, Vicky, Eriju, and the other women trundled back into the house. The kits followed us, Billy stubbornly staying outside with the men. I sat down on the familiar couch, noticing the small changes that had been made to my home over time. Sevara immediately made tracks for the area that had been set up for her to play in and I leaned against the cushions. Leila turned to me with a smile, a coverlet in her hand.[/i] ?We made this for your bed. Now that you?re home, I know that your husband will be on you, ready to make even more children.? ?I don?t know...shouldn?t these grow up a bit first?? ?Bah, like he?ll give you a choice.? [i]My mother waved her hand dismissively and Leila snorted into a lace kerchief. True to their words, in the late evening, when everyone had gone home; Iki and Eriju were sleeping at my parent?s house, my husband appeared. I?d just cajoled the twins to bed, and collapsed into the bathtub, enjoying real water again. And there I stayed for more than an hour, warming up the bath water every time it began to show signs of cooling off. Gavin slipped in next to me and planted a line of kisses from my cheek to my chest, and I put my arms around his neck. Might as well let him. I mean what could possibly happen? Sella was gone, Morrigan was gone.[/i] "I love you Raiha." "And I you. Always have." [i]Everyone had come home in one way or another.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]First of all, it's conceited, and second of all.... I hate cats. I'm thinking that Naps isn't quite the villain I'm searching for.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]So Hillary squeaked by under the wire despite what the polls say. And this is where I trot out my VAST...or not so vast knowledge on the way polls work. Essentially she beat Obama with both her gigantic New Hampshire machine and the weather. The right people voted for Obama but they simply didn't turn out en masse. In short, Hillary got the geezer, the looser, and the stupid vote. Everyone uninformed and generally retarded voted for her. She must be so proud... But as far as McCain goes, the state of New Hampshire was essentially built for him to win in. He hadn't been campaigning hard in Iowa, but he'd been working New Hampshire like- and that's where I cut myself off before I use a totally inappropriate barnyard metaphor.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I came around to the feeling of several little kits licking my ears and cheeks. The world spun around me when I opened my eyes, so I shut them again. Then I heard the sound of Sevara gurgling happily and realized that she?d clambered up onto my feet and was playing with my toes. I willed myself to open my eyes and sat up. What I saw was a scene of total decimation. Any grass that had been in the field was gone. Any semblance of life was totally obliterated, unless you counted the battle stricken warriors scattered across the ground. I noticed my husband had fallen near me, his arm thrown across my hips. Eriju and Iki were curled up together, both appearing to be sleeping naturally. Andrew was sporting a vicious slice down his cheek, but he looked alive as well, if totally passed out. Vicky was sitting up, looking coherent, her eyes back to their normal shade, and her hair floating around her shoulders in an unremarkable shade of brown. Neil and Sikal were both totally incoherent, both in what looked and felt exactly like space comas. I pulled Sevara to my lap while Billy crawled towards the figure he knew was his father. I cuddled my daughter to my chest and the ferals mewled and milled around me in a whirl of long ears and longer tails.[/i] ?Well we?ve made it little ones. It?s almost time for us to go home.? [i]Sevara mewled at me and I stroked her fuzzy baby hair with shaking fingers. The sound of Gavin moaning made me turn my head and he sat up slowly, looking like he had the worst hangover of his life. I smiled up at him, and he smiled back at me, even as I realized that he was missing his left eye. The flesh had already scabbed over, but it was still a shock. He saw the look on my face and shrugged his shoulders carelessly.[/i] ?It?s a small price to pay, to know Morrigan?s dead and gone.? ?I think it makes you look tough.? [i]He dragged himself towards me and kissed my hands, my cheeks, my lips, and I sighed softly. Mattheus was gone, William gone, and Warlock too. But the rest of us were still living. And we?d keep it that way no matter what. I rose to my feet, reaching out with my thoughts to find everyone in more or less stable condition. And bit by bit, the others came to. Sikal we had to load into a pod, but he?d turn out alright. Andrew turned the ship towards Earth. And I felt the knots that?d been tying myself up in my stomach since the day my children had been taken slowly start to untangle themselves. Eriju and Iki decided to join us for the ride home, since their planet was pretty much obliterated anyway. And while we knew that someday they?d return, it wouldn?t be so bad to have them around for awhile. Besides that, I?d gotten used to their presence. Before I was put down into stasis, I walked onto the bridge, and found Andrew alone, staring into the endless dark void of space. I sat down next to him, Sevara clinging to my leg.[/i] ?Thanks for bringing us out here.? ?No worries. I?d never had let you all go without me anyway.? ?...glory hog.? [i]Vicky found me, and dragged me firmly to the pods. Sikal was nearby, in traction. During the fight it turns out he?d suffered serious internal injuries, just as Neil had. Only unlike Neil, he hadn?t spent a lifetime scorning doctors and modern medicine alike. That and he was in a coma and unable to protest. I surrendered myself willingly to the science and curled up and slept the deep sleep of warmth and quiet. And in that state, I could feel my father?s presence, growing closer all the time.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]While it's nice people can find a candidate to be excited about, I'm really more interested in their positions on the issues. And since everyone knows I'm a disgusting redneck knuckle dragging throwback crazy gun toting psychotic conservative... Let me just say that while I dislike Hillary and Obama both, it's not because of gender or race but because I think they're both howling socialists. And I'm hard pressed to find a solid record for ANY candidate that I can really get behind, much less a single on with positions that I actually like on issues. But since Ronald Reagan and Nixon are both no longer in the land of the living, I think I'll spend the rest of this election feeling enormously unfulfilled. No candidate running actually succeeds in making my nipples hard.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Heaven's Cloud'][color=indigo]On the right? That makes me like the Jesus of the Otaku Boards! I think I would be a horrible Jesus, I would keep all the loaves and fishes for me, run away from lepers, and pretty much instantly renounce my beliefs when the powers that be threaten me with crucifixion. On the plus side, I?d use the water to wine trick all the time. [/color][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]That'd be an awesome party trick. "And for my next act...ANVILS!" But seriously folks, if you'd like to input suggestions for where the bunch of loonies also known as OB members should be teleported next, or if you'd like any particular plot devices let me know. Also if you want a mascot, now's your chance to let me know so I can promptly throw all of your suggestions into a fire.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Filthy mongrels. They must be crushed with the brute military forces of the nobility! Or something like that.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Sometimes I wonder if the world's already made it towards entrophy and we all just have ridiculously high standards. But seriously, tragedy is terrible, even if it lends itself well to the big dark gothy creature known otherwise as Gifts and Curses.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]So I bought Rogue Galaxy on a whim back when Gamestop still liked me. And it was amazing. I beat the game several times over. I did sidequests, but not the Insectrons [because it was too much like ugly Pokemon], and generally made myself useful. I got the bikinis for the women because let's face it, when you have a choice between covering skin and showing it... ALWAYS SHOW. I think making the costumes change was a good move, as well as the general combat. The two weapons keep it from being repetitive, and the sheer volume of weapons possible with all the combinations make it totally worthwhile. And addictive as Premium crack cocaine. Good work Level 5.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well for starters, I guess it'd help if I knew what I WAS talking about. This is where you explain it to me.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[RIGHT][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/maceyellen-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/ladybavariaavatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gadgetgerrault2avatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/marieevangeline-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/RIGHT] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Macey was just walking towards the main hall, congratulating herself on thus far avoiding Lady Bavaria when the woman herself swept around a corner and into view. For some reason she was perfectly alone, and Macey couldn't have been more annoyed. Perhaps it was divine retribution, but Macey kept a frosty smile on her face and extended a gloved hand, loathe to let Lady Bavaria see her cower in fear. The woman in question took it with a dainty, limp hand, her smile simpering and as false as pyrite.[/i] "Lady Bavaria, how pleasant to see you." "And you Macey Ellen. It's so lovely to see you out and about after that terrible situation with that Achard." "Naturally. I couldn't stay isolated forever." [i]The two ladies eyed each other, both unwilling to break eye contact, blue clashing against black. Macey's teeth were grinding almost audibly, but she let her eyes convey her true emotions; loathing, disgust, disdain.[/i] "Well you never had much sense, letting go of a handsome creature like Vincent." [i]Lady Bavaria would never know how close she came to a terrible accident, when Vincent rushed up the stairs to find Macey engaged in a staring contest with the new heir to Leonhart's fortune. He looked at the pair of them, neither having noticed him yet. Vincent stepped carefully behind Macey, and reached out to tap her on the shoulder. Instantly, she whirled around, her hand nearly held out defensively across her sides.[/i] "Oh, Vincent, is there something you needed from me?" "Lady Bavaria. Macey, if you could come down to the garden with me for a few moments." "But of course." [i]Vincent nodded in Bavaria's direction, and took Macey's arm, whisking her off towards where Gadget was last seen. Just as they were making their way towards the gate, Eva came bustling up in a flurry of skirts and gave Macey a meaningful look, her expression glossing over Vincent entirely.[/i] "Can we talk now Ella?" "Now isn't the best time. Tonight would be better. After that bitch is gone from our home." "...right... See you then." [i]Evva walked off, looking mildly confused, but not questioning her twin further. As they hurried along, Macey kept her expression neutral, waiting until she was alone to express her frustrations and rages against that...cow. Once they reached the fountain, Gadget nearly began to babble in fear, and Macey quickly grabbed for his hand and pulled her with him around the back of the house towards her lab. Vincent hovered behind like a shadow, unwilling to leave Macey and Gadget alone while he was still in trouble.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Malkav']Does anyone else want to interact with Bavaria at Rosengard? I kinda wanted to post her leaving with Jack and Agron to return home. So let me know something before I post.[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]If by [b]interact[/b] you mean [b]set her hair on fire[/b] or [b]stick pins in her dress hem[/b] then naturally. Otherwise I say get the bitch out before a servant accidentally spills tray of tea across her front.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]For a moment it seemed as though all was lost, and then Kuja fell in a horrible death, screaming and flailing, pierced through with Sephiroth?s sword. The lawyers, seeing their glorious(?) leader fallen threw up their arms in surrender, not that anybody noticed. I saw Athena gleefully bludgeoning one to death with her aegis, and Vicky pumping another few full of lead against the garden wall. Carnage and mayhem reigned supreme, while I sat idly on the front porch, picking my nails and cracking my neck. Nearby, Indifference was coolly dispatching any lawyers that popped up over the hedge with her blowgun, and I could hear Rachmaninoff practicing the cello in the drawing room through the open window. Ah peace and quiet. With the occasional casualty.[/i] ?It?s so peaceful today. Want some cake honey?? [i]I looked up and saw Sunfall leaning over an oaken stave, a platter of freshly cut strawberry cake in her hand. [/i] ?Oooooh, I?d love some!? [i]I took a bite and rolled my eyes back in pleasure. But when I opened them, we were no longer in the Roaring Twenties. We were in a Chinese Imperial setting. I blinked several times to ensure this wasn?t just a strawberry cake induced hallucination, and stood up. Feeling very out of place, I went up into the house that had become a palace and was directed to my room by Digitalboy in a tunic. His hair was braided for some reason, and at this point I decided that while I was most likely going insane, at least I was in a place I recognized. Once in my room, I changed into the dress that fit the time period, buttoning the sides and flouncing out the skirt. A garter belt full of throwing knives completed the ensemble, and I went downstairs to discover that the pies and cakes had survived the time warp and were in fact still relatively unscathed. Shy, looking fetching in traditional Chinese dress was bending over the cheesecake with a frosting bag, adding little rosettes around the edge. Sunfall was fanning herself while reclining in one of the low kitchen tables, sipping a cup of tea. And Revelation and Vicky were both sitting in the foyer, letting their underlings do their nails. Ikillion was buffing Revelation?s toes, looking very smart in a coat and trousers, and Allamorph, miraculously healed from his multiple knife wounds was massaging Vicky?s feet.[/i] ?It?s so nice to see the boys doing what they were meant to do...? ?Service women?? [i]Petie leaned over, a spear in one hand, sticking his head through the front door. I looked up and saluted him with one of my knives.[/i] ?That?s it!? '[i]I walked into the main courtyard and found it strung with paper lanterns, James reigning supreme over the entire place, Charles standing to his left and Heaven?s Cloud to his right. Desbreko was sitting opposite him, with fangirls clustered around him, fanboys waving large paper fans in his direction. Servants rushed back and forth, setting up pavilions in the backyard and stringing garlands of fresh flowers around the pillars. Apparently James was now Emperor James, and Desbreko was Chief Adviser Desbreko. Nearby, Aryanna was billowing around in silk robes with her beloved puppy, who for some reason was now a Chinese breed. I wondered inwardly if the fish tank in Ken?s room was now full of catfish instead of African cichlids.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]Oh yeah, I haven't really followed the detail of this campaign, so I really have no idea who would be well suited as running mates. I just remember that Edwards attacked Kerry quite a bit in the last election and then turned around and became his buddy later on. It's just part of political life. [/font][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I don't think you really know though, the extent of how vengeful and vindictive Hillary Clinton is. She holds grudges like no other candidate I've ever seen. I think you're underestimating the extent of her pride. But even so, I don't think that she'd ever deign to serve 'under' Obama as a Vice President. Richards would definitely be the one though. And as for Obama being a Muslim. I listen to conservative radio and I've never heard the host call Obama a Muslim. He might talk about Obama's ties to Muslim activists, or complain about his stance on the issues, but I've never heard 'Obama says he's a Christian, but he's really a MUSLIM!" floated as a theory. Then again, it's libertarian radio, and they cover the full spectrum of candidates. An interesting point, would be that Hillary's gone through about 10 different political slogans for her floundering campaign. Here's some of the best. Or worst. ?Big Challenges, Real Solutions: Time to Pick a President.? "EXPERIENCE CHANGE WITH HILLARY ... THE EXPERIENCE TO CHANGE YOUR EXPERIENCE!" ?...renew[ing] the promise of America.? ?In to Win.? ?Working for Change, Working for You.?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Eiyaga Meya wasn't unused to people recoiling to her presence, much less first hand watching of her ...gift. But who cares? She was still interested of course. He smelled different from the average human, and he didn't act the same. He didn't have the same smell of death hovering over him. Most humans either clung to her, or were repulsed by her. This dark gothy creature was an unknown quantity to her. And as such, she was curious. So she tailed him carefully, loosing track of him once he entered an apartment complex. Eiyaga entered slowly, stepping quietly to the point where she could hardly be heard. But the first thing she smelled was death. A vicious murderer had already escaped the complex, the blood tracks led away towards a back exit of some kind. So she followed her nose. It was cloying, sickly sweet, like a perfume gone bad. And Eiyaga could follow it like a bloodhound. The door was ajar, so she quietly slipped inside and found the living room a gruesome scene. A dead woman, obviously pregnant, with her stomach slashed open and blood seeping down the walls. It was like a scene from Amityville Horror.[/i] "You poor girl." [i]She entered the room very slowly, kneeling in the pools of blood, letting the dead girl's head rest in her lap. Eiyaga leaned down and kissed the girl's lips, letting the cold enter her own body, feeling out with her thoughts. First the unborn child, then the woman herself. Multiple slashes and head wounds appeared all over Eiyaga's body, and blood began to run down her cheeks. Gasping and reeling with the agony, Eiyaga jerked herself away as quickly as she could, letting the newly returned girl shudder and shiver in the new cold. Frost had iced over the windows, and Eiyaga knew from experience that every building in the immediate vicinity was now ten degrees colder.[/i] "Why did it have to be a pregnant girl..." [i]Stumbling down the hall, leaving tracks of blood from her boots, she opened the door nearest to her and pulled it open with some difficulty. The murdered girl's wrists had been slashed. Leaving it open, she found the bathroom, staggering slightly, and turned on the hot water. Eiyaga began pulling off her clothes as quickly as was possible, but the cuts in her skin were burning like crazy and making it hard for her to move. Soon enough they were off, and she was standing under a waterfall of steam and agony. In the bedroom, Dani's eyes snapped open. He heard the shower, and tried to raise his hand from his cheek, but one of his rings had frozen against it.[/i] "What ...the...fuck?" [i]He opened the bathroom door from his room and blinked several times. The curtains were smeared with blood, and bloody clothes littered the floor, with boots tossed up against the sink. Cautiously, he pulled aside the shower curtain and found himself staring into Eiyaga's face. Barely healed slashes and lacerations covered her naked body, and the first impression he got was the illusion of a girl crying blood. Only it wasn't an illusion. Eiyaga's face was streaked with red, some from her forehead and some trickling down from the corners of her eyes. When she spoke her voice sounded a shade deeper and thicker than he remembered.[/i] "I thought I smelled you here... Sorry I got blood everywhere." "Where...the hell did it all come from?" "Next door's murder victim. I healed her, but it was a little messy. And you forgot to lock your front door." "Well shit. What was it, a chainsaw massacre?" "Just a simple hacky slashy maim-a-thon. With an infanticide as a bonus. So I might look like a spectre of death for awhile." [i]With that matter of fact statement, she turned her face back towards the stream of water and lathered up her face with his soap, totally unconcerned about the stream of dull pink water washing down the drain.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]...I thought Democrats were Communists... Hah! Well seeing as how I'm declined to state, and can't vote in the primaries anyway... I am going to sit pretty and wait for them to be over. Party functions bore me anyway. Then I'll start caring. But if you want to know my opinion, and I KNOW you do, let me put it this way. Guiliani is sunk mostly because he's lived his life as a New Yorker and thus will most likely fail miserably in the sense that there is so much dirt on him just waiting to smeared. Huckabee might look good now but I don't see him winning the election in general. He's like a leader for the Democratic Christian left, and basically doesn't stand for a single conservative principle I believe in. Romney perhaps is the one candidate that I'm not totally down on. Ron Paul doesn't have a chance and don't I know it. Hillary won't make it now that the media's finally found a different candidate they can advance their agenda through. Obama's their man now, and he won't make them swallow crap sandwich after crap sandwich. On the other hand, Hillary has sold her soul to the devil, so she might be able to play the 'Comeback Kid' card. God forbid. Then again while I don't live and die with any particular party and to quote Hilary out of context: "My hopes and dreams are not invested in the office of the American president." In fact, I don't even live or die with one party or the other. My hopes and dreams are invested in Wells Fargo. But in response to James, the pair can not, and WILL not get along. Obama's up 41% and that's 13 points over Hillary.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]The pies all laid themselves out on the cooling racks, and I began crimping the slightly toasty edges of my own with a certain amount of pride. Gorgeous these were. And Shy was doing a victory dance around his cheesecake, which he had placed directly in the center of the round kitchen table. At the window, I saw two fugitives from justice and undoubtedly pie thieves jump up. They perched on the sill like vultures, Jeremiah and John both reached out for the pies, but just when they were within their grasp, disaster [for them] struck. Vicky and I both swirled aside our skirts and revealed tommy guns from our garter belts. Don?t ask me how they were hiding there, they just were. A spray of machine gun fire and down they went, falling backwards into the garden where Dagger promptly ran them over with the lawnmower. Some people have it tough. I set down the still smoking gun and brushed my hair out of my eyes. Sunfall eyed it with some suspicion.[/i] ?The smell of gunsmoke is everywhere now. Someone go get an air freshener!? ?What, so everything can smell like Pine Fresh next?? [i]Our voices waxed indignant until Shy consoled our feelings both with a plate of petit fours. Just as things were beginning to become vaguely normal again; Allamorph had been dragged to the infirmary, Desbreko had set himself up in the yard?s gazebo, and Charles had set up a podium from which to pontificate for hours on end; disaster struck. I had my head stuck in the freezer, looking for that elusive turkey carcass when Aryanna and her dog ran into the room with a look of panic on her face.[/i] ?Kuja?s here! And he?s brought lawyers!? ?...Kuja. And lawyers Laywers from...?? [i]Kam raised an eyebrow, reaching for his nail bat. I picked up the machinegun and headed for the foyer without another word, inwardly congratulating myself on my ability to run in heels. I threw open the front door to find the garden party a scene of mild chaos. Kuja himself had taken over Charles?s podium, no doubt after a deathmatch, and Petie was nearby beheading rather badly dressed lawyers with every swing. I blinked a few times. Hobo lawyers. Pie bandits. And Kuja returned from Digital Purgatory. It had to be a bad dream. It was the only logical explanation. I pinched myself repeatedly, but nothing happened besides pain. Shrugging, I raised my machine gun and opened fire, mowing down a wave of vagabond lawyers with it, chortling all the while. Next to me, Revelation was flinging daggers, all of them finding their targets with some defying gravity as they did so.[/i] ?Ladies? If you don?t mind, I have to do a little lawyer extermination.? [i]Behind us I heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar and turned to see Sephiroth himself. I instinctively gave him space, and he walked down towards the battle with unhurried steps, his massively long sword trailing behind him. Creepy. He hadn?t been seen here in how long?[/i] ?Oh forever pretty much.? [i]Next to me, Charles had appeared looking none the worse for wear, perhaps a little singed at the edges, but still capable of wielding a sawed off shotgun. Shy appeared at the edge of the fighting, bashing everyone in range with his umbrella. It was like a bad DC comic that got knocked up with a meth addict. And it was all too much for some OB members, who ran screaming for the tall grass.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]The Ferals swung in after me, one after the other. Eriju swung her arm down, energy coursing through it, and slashed Morrigan?s face diagonally from left to right. Blood gouted from the wounds, and Iki swung down in the opposite direction, opening them further. Both darted out of range when both twins kicked out in formation, using the team tactics that had been drilled into them endlessly. Morrigan?s retaliation knocked everyone back, an exhalation of pure force and pressure. I drew a hand across my chest, unlocking the last chain of thoughts and landed in the field looking very much like an Ifrit. The grass began to burn around me, the smoke cloying, clotting, gathering in swirling eddies.[/i] "You'll never...take anyone else's children again. [i]On all fours, I charged, splaying my claws as I leapt, falling forward onto Morrigan?s face, thrashing her with every movement. My tail lashed back and forth, helping me keep my balance. My eyes threw off a dull black light, which seemed to burn Morrigan every time she took a good look at me, which wasn?t often granted. And just as I reached back for a final blow, she reached up with one claw and jerked my body away, throwing me down the entire length of her body; which was pretty substantial. I landed like a cat, only to be smacked down hard, my head spinning.[/i] ?Don?t you touch her!? [i]I lifted my head at my husband?s voice, only to have it lashed once with a tentacle that must have come from Morrigan. My sense of direction was completely gone, I felt myself choking on my own blood. Eriju tells me that I looked dead, tossed on my side, with open wounds from Morrigan?s claws. All I knew was that I felt like I?d been dipped in liquid pain, then hung out to dry and beaten with a rug swatter. Through eyes that saw things very blearily, I watched my husband?s hair change from brown to gold, and his body snap and shudder with the change. He attacked, and from there I couldn?t remember a single thing. When I woke up, Eriju was crouched over me, her tail jerking back and forth angrily, and an experimental lash of my tongue across my teeth told me I was in humanoid shape again. She leaned down towards my ear and whispered in a brush of whiskers and purring.[/i] ?Gavin?s got her on the ropes now, but it?s only a matter of time before something else happens or she keeps on cheating.? ?What a bitch. Is it bad? Do I have all my limbs?? ?Uh, mostly. But the bad news is that one of the twins has been struck down. Sikal?s gone all shiny and gold too.? [i]With a little help, I sat up, rubbing my arms until they stopped throbbing. I saw Gavin and Neil standing back to back, both focusing what looked like a gigantic ki attack. Sikal was standing close by, his hands on their shoulders, presumably channeling and focusing their energy. Iki and Connor were blocking Morrigan?s multiple attacks, which seemed to be coming from everywhere. I guess having the innate ability to slow down time and sense everything around you in every direction comes in handy. Morrigan herself was already bleeding from dozens of wounds, bright orange blood that covered everything around her. I rose up on shaky feet, throwing out my arms to steady myself, and blinked several times to clear my vision. I took one step forward, and then the world seemed to turn upside down. A sound of rushing power, the roars of Super Saiya-jins, and then nothing at all.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]