Raiha

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]The servants packed quietly and efficiently, Sahrai overseeing as usual while also watching Oima pack her own things as well. She didn't make a move to correct any of the servant's actions, as they performed them perfectly and efficiently. She smiled to herself. It was so pleasant to have competent servants working underneath her, as she served her own mistress. The Lady Miriel Livingston. A somewhat pleasant Mistress to be under. Very observant, and nearly impossible to fool. Sahrai was proud to be in her service, and although the Mistress could be slightly overweening, she was glad the lady didn't demand too much of her. Sahrai recieved her next set of orders and dressed appropriately. There would be travelling done. And a parade. Sahrai chose her slacks and jacket accordingly, slipping on the proper heels that wouldn't hurt her feet after hours of standing. She sighed to herself, but it was over quickly and was unheard. It wouldn't do.[/i] "Not at all...not in the least. Dearie me." [i]The slightly perturbed woman gathered up her things and let the servants load up the convoy. Then she waited patiently for her Mistress to join her. In the meantime, the male that had served Lady Livingston breakfast eventually joined Sahrai in the main hall. He had long brown hair, tied back in a ribbon, and clothes that befitted his station and caste. Sahrai gave him a once over, then nodded her approval.[/i] "You'll be fine." "Yes Mistress Sahrai." "And don't be nervous. We don't want anything to embarrass M'Lady." "No of course not." [i]His responses to her statements were mechanical at best and a trifle monotonous at worst. She didn't mind really, it was all he had been programed to do, and of course any other talk would be seditious. She wondered if he'd ever trusted anyone.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][FONT=Times New Roman][i]With a kittenish movement, Kell'Niele raised one shoulder and tossed her head, arching her delicately formed eyebrows.[/i] "I'm quite sure I don't know what's motivated our host, but I'd love to find out." "Come now, surely you can do better than that." [i]He looked at her patronizingly and she laughed, a soft lady-like sound.[/i] "Perhaps he wants to respond to the growing Wakanda threat. Or maybe he just wants to see which female is the most suited to being his next mate." [i]Alec laughed at that, clinking his glass with hers. She sipped quietly, running the tip of her finely shaped tongue across her teeth, letting him watch out of the corner of his eye. He leaned closer, his brow nearly touching hers.[/i] "I'm sure he's not the only one looking for a mate." "So forward.... But then again, you young men are always like that." [i]She smiled and let him come closer. Her fingers brushed his chest, and he noticed that her nails were painted silver to match her dress. They weren't pointed like some of his kind chose to do, but rounded off like seashells. He inhaled, noticing her perfume was as soft and gentle as her body, filling his senses with a thousand images of gardens, moonlight, and stars. She smiled knowingly and inhaled his own scent. Cologne, masculine, but not unpleasant. Her flesh rose slightly, and the color came and went in her cheeks.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][FONT=Times New Roman]A Day, Night, and Day [i]Saturn, helpless in the face of her depression, slumped to the floor, her tear-filled eyes going dead. She?d tried for so long to kill herself, but every time she slid the blade up her arms, no blood would flow for her. Eventually she gave up, and rose to her feet. She made her way, unsteadily, to the bathroom, and pulled herself to the sink. She plunged both arms deep under the faucet, an explosion of hot water that reminded her she wasn?t dead. When the wounds, if they could even be called wounds, had closed, she dried them off and wrapped them slowly, tape going around until the adhesive went from her wrist bone all the way to her elbow. Then, vastly unpleased, she went to the closet and pulled on a long sleeved shirt. She buttoned it slowly, her fingers slipping the black buttons through their holes without resistance, then walked over to the window and looked out. There was no smile on her face, as she had never had an excuse to smile. There must have been millions of people living their lives, out there in the crowded city. And here she was unable to end hers when she wanted to. She was a failure at everything. She was a failure at living. She was a failure at dying. And even a failure at killing herself. Pathetic. She knew. She didn?t bat an eyelash, and she didn?t even crack a faint smile at the irony. Instead she walked over to the closet and pulled on her black jeans. Walking away from the living area, she noticed her face in the mirror. The reflection showed a pale, slender woman, perhaps 20, maybe older, with long tousled auburn hair. She refused to comb it, but instead ran her fingers through it haphazardly, then slunk away from her reproachful stare to the kitchen to feed her body. No matter whom she met, she always felt the depression and sorrow of people rolling over her like a wave. She had stopped taking the pills months ago, and she knew the difference was minimal. Depressing. She felt the same fear she?d felt in thousands of other patients in the hospitals she?d been to. It was the greatest fear any depressed person could have. The fear that no matter how many pills the doctors prescribed her, no matter how much therapy; she could never be happy. So, succumbing to that feeling; she refused to take any sort of medicine they thought would fix her. It was liberating, in a way and definitely less expensive. She chose instead to spend the extra money on a fish. Instead of naming him, she chose a scientific designation and let him swim around the one-gallon tank. The betta looked at her through the plastic partition, and then resumed swimming around the bubbles at the surface. He had no strong feelings she could discern, and no raw emotions. Blessed by his presence, or lack thereof, she sat down at the kitchen counter, propping her head up with one elbow, and turning a page in her favorite novel. The thoughts in her head tried to focus, but the only thoughts she could keep for sure were,[/i] ?Nothing ever changes, no reason to keep going, but still no reason to kill myself, if only for the knowledge that it wouldn?t work no matter how hard I try.? [i]As far as she knew, no intelligent being would license her for a gun, and she didn?t use kitchen knives big enough to cause any damage as she now understood. Saturn always cut her nails short and refused to buy any sort of switchblade, pepper spray, or club. There was no point after all. How could she manage? She didn?t even know how to use a gun. Doctors had told her there was no way to escape her ?abilities,? and she might as well get used to it. Well, according to Saturn?s very accurate calendar, it?d been 26 years and no progress. Empathy. The bane of her existence, and the reason she was giving up hope. The nights were as bad as the days. She showered in blisteringly hot water despite the already warm temperature, then dried herself and dressed in her nightgown. The evenings in Guangzhou were so hot, she didn?t even need to wear one, but she decided it was better to err on the side of modesty, then to forget and open the window or door to someone and give them the show of their life. Thus attired, she crawled into bed with the same book from before, pointing the lamp on her end table at the novel in her hands. She sighed and turned another page, her eyes tracking the fine print. Later, she marked her place with a hairpin, then set it down, turned off the light and grasped her pillow to her chest and slept. Her dreams were neither cheerful, nor encouraging. She dreamed of horrible deeds, done by appallingly wicked people, children being maimed and raped, then killed. Her thoughts were disorganized, and her empathy, drawing on everyone in her building, fueled the nightmares she resigned herself to every night. If others could?ve seen what Saturn did, their anguish and grief would drive them mad. Sadly, she had experienced it so often throughout her life, it was merely an irritation, and it wasn?t enough to wake her up in a cold sweat. That usually happened before a crime wave swept the city, and then dissipated after. To the outside, and untrained eye, Saturn slept peacefully. She turned and slept on one side, then the other, clutching a king size pillow, the blankets draped across her slender figure. Then, eventually, she woke up. The sun was chinning itself on the skyscrapers outside her window, when she rose languidly from her bed, folded up the sheets, and replaced her pillows. She stripped off her nightgown, and then went to her closet to pull on more of the same dark clothing she always wore. She sighed and pulled back her hair, catching it up in a strip of black ribbon. A knock on her door gave her a start. Most of her patrons communicated with her through the computer at her desk. She walked to the door, curious, but not bouncing up and down with excitement. A tall stranger with stubble on his chin and dusty clothing was looking down at her, probably wondering if she was a real person and not just a strange dream. Her eyes slanted upwards, cold and still, with very little spark in them, nothing to give away her feelings, if there were any. He stared into her eyes and she stared back, feeling his emotions surge and change as he viewed her. Saturn felt his smile before she saw it. He was radiating pleasure at finding the right person, and at the same time, thinking to himself that she was rather pretty. She blushed and the man excused himself.[/i] ?I?m sorry ma?am, I forgot myself. May I come in?? [i]She looked at him as if he was crazy. What on earth could he mean by that? The confused woman stepped aside and let a perfect stranger enter her apartment. She shut the door behind him and bade him to sit. He did, and she watched him warily. There was no real fear, besides, what could he possibly do to her anyway? She was no babe in the woods, no idiot girl. Not anymore she wasn?t. Instead she sat at her kitchen table and gazed at him steadily through light brown eyes.[/i] ?You must be Saturn.? [i]He held out a hand, introducing himself. She took it and shook it with a strong grip.[/i] ?I am she.? [i]Thus affirmed, he reached into his jacket, then paused and asked,[/i] ?Mind if I smoke?? [i]His eyebrows rose slightly as he asked the question. She reached into her shirt and brought out a silver Zippo lighter. The man withdrew two cigarettes from a case, handing one to her and putting the other in his mouth. She lit both and they sat in silence, letting the smoke curl upwards towards her low ceiling. He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her. It was printed on heavy stock, the writing in English, and completely legible, if the words didn?t make a great deal of sense to her. It read: ?Legionnaires, Heroes for Hire.? She looked up from flicking away the ashes on her cigarette, her own eyebrows rising.[/i] ?Why are you giving me this?? ?I represent the Legionnaires. We fight against the injustices of the world, and through an anonymous source we heard about you. Saturn. We could use someone like you in our organization.? ?Someone like me?? [i]Her voice trailed off quietly, then returned,[/i] ?You could use someone that?s so completely depressed she never leaves her apartment and shuns contact with other humans.? [i]Her disbelief was amusing to the man, but he caught himself.[/i] ?You?re an empath. That?s a useful skill.? ?Granted. But still. Why do I want to do this besides out of the goodness of my?heart?? [i]She took a drag from her cigarette, and then stubbed it out onto the ashtray in the center of the table.[/i] ?Well, there isn?t much other reason, besides a monetary income to match or quite possibly top what you?re earning now.? ?I don?t kill people. Is that a problem?? [i]He started. Here was a different sort of woman. Didn?t kill?people?[/i] ?Well what do you do?? [i]He seemed confused and perhaps a little let down. Saturn gave him a penetrating stare, then spoke.[/i] ?I manipulate people into committing suicide. It?s fairly easy, but I?ve never had to do it consistently.? [i]The man laughed at this and folded his arms across his chest.[/i] ?We?d be happy to have you with us. Saturn.? [i]She raised an eyebrow at this and then a half smile formed on her perfect lips. He smiled back. Then she pocketed the card and exhaled slowly.[/i] ?Fine then.?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid]So much drama, and I'm not even up for posting for the Red Team yet. Thrilling I say...just thrilling. While I'm not a huge fan of the strict posting order, I agree that the posts will be better thought out and worth the wait. Secondly, I'm rather glad there is an order, and that the order is currently what it is. I'm barely able to use the computer now, seeing as how the apartment I'm moving into tomorrow isn't even set up for internet yet. My grandmother's internet here is a measly 28K, so you can imagine how many minutes it took for this page to load. I could eat, use the bathroom, shower, and come back to find it still loading. I am curious though about the thread ratings. I noticed that the Red Team had a very low rating, while another Team had M-SVL. I'm mildly disturbed by that, seeing as how the Red Team is the one currently killing small children. Anyway, I'm just curious why they're so different, and what purpose could be served by having them as such.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[font=timesnewroman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Kell'Niele sipped from her crystal cut goblet delicately, her eyes roving the entire room. Several other vampires present watched her with equally calm and quiet looks. The servants were unobtrusive, unless of course you were excited by the bare flesh of mere humans. The female Nosferatu might've been one of the oldest in attendance, but that did nothing to detract from her willowy beauty. She smiled over the rim of her glass, watching one vampire in particular. Alec. Old like her, but perhaps not quite as old. She watched him through long lashes, her snakelike pupils dilating with her excitement. She watched him pay a social grace to a servant, then contented herself with observing him move. He was graceful, and she was interested. Even so, he wasn't watching her in the same way. Perhaps it was a ploy, perhaps it didn't matter, but she decided inwardly, that she would not lower herself as to speak to him first. Kell'Niele was from an old school. Women were chased by men, and not the other way around. Then again, she found herself being watched by others as well. She supposed it was the evening gown, although it could've been the way the pale skin of her face was framed by the long auburn hair. Her smile showed one fang. Unlike the younger vampires, she was unable to hide the tell tale giveaway that marked her as one of the darkest creatures on earth. Finally, Alec stood and made his way over to where she sat. She pretended indifference, but looked up just the same. It didn't do to insult her own kind, particularly if they were worthy of her attention.[/i] "Kell'Niele?" "Yes...Alec?" "You look bored." "Why do you assume I am bored?" "Perhaps it's the way you occasionally sigh when you look around the room. And also...perhaps...it's in the way you've fixed your gaze on me and nobody else." "Perhaps I'm merely besotted." [i]She smiled at him playfully, tipping her glass up towards him slightly. He looked down, his eyes making direct contact with her own blood red ones.[/i][/COLOR] ***Hannah, your post, to be frank, is not very good. You seem to have a strong aversion to checking your spelling, using proper grammar, and other such niceties. If you could be so kind as to write longer posts as well, that would be a drastic improvement.***[/font]

[FONT=Times New Roman][color=darkorchid][i]Oima woke her with a light tapping on the door. She sprang awake almost instantly, kicking back the covers and practically leaping out of bed and into her clothes. Slide on the pants, slap on the lotion, slip into the heels, button down blouse and we're good to go. Her feet hit the ground running, dragging a comb through her hair as she ran. As she hastened down the hall she noticed the sun was barely chinning itself on the horizon, and yet she was up and at it again. A day's work in the service of a Mistress began early and ended late with a mid day nap and an afternoon break. Other than that it was nose to the grindstone and no two ways about it. Besides. Without her? Who would manage the male servants? Such a thing was vastly beneath the Mistress. Sahrai Myung knew she was indespensible. Her Mistress, an illustrious leader and a brilliant politician, would be hard pressed to find another overseer with the same sort of organizational skills and tremendous capacity for excellent planning. Her Mistress was already awake and stirring. The breakfast she had always had these many years was already on its way to her room. Sahrai walked in quietly, followed by the young male servant, holding the tray loaded with fruit, tea, milk, and eggs. Sahrai walked over to open the windows and the drapes covering the lady's bed. Her Mistress was sitting up with her lamp on, reading what looked like a newspaper. Sahrai did not pry, but instead went to the closet and pulled out a suit for the day.[/i] "Good Morning M'lady, you're looking well." [i]The male bobbed his head as well and echoed her greeting. the Mistress waved her hand at him and he set the tray down at the foot of her bed and beat a heasty retreat towards the door. Sahrai picked it up and placed it in her lap when she gave the signal.[/i] "What's on my list of things to do today then Sahrai?" "Let me check here..." [i]She referred to the copious notes she had taken throughout the week. Being a Friday, she had a great deal of final business to wrap up, and meetings to attend. She read off the laundry list of assignments, quickly, quietly, and in the same calm voice she had always used.[/i] "Right. Let's get to it then." "Of course Ma'am."[/color][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid]Name: Kell'Niele Gender: Female Race: Nosferatu [Old Vampire] Position: So far, waiting to be swung either way Abilities: God-like swiftness and agility. Appearance: See attachment. Very pale skin, dark red hair, demonic eyes, dark red/brown hair. As for clothing, she generally conceals most of her flesh in cloaks, gowns, and other form fitting style outfits. She's rather modest, so don't expect her to parade around naked for just anyone. Personality: Cool and calm, generally sweet and gentle to her prey, but able to succumb to fits of horrific and destructive rage. She isn't angered by much, and will be quick to forgive, just not to forget. Character Snippets: [i]Kell'Niele, oldest of old, made her way down the path, senses turned into high gear. Her eyes flickered slightly. Anyone who cared to notice would see that she was not only a vampire, a Nosferatu in fact, but a very beautiful woman. Her figure was slender, her flesh pale, and her eyes. Her demon eyes. They were red, with black slits for pupils, and surrounded by long lashes. She closed her eyes just a bit, and let her other senses take over. She smelled the earth, changing from dusk to complete darkness. Her ears pricked. The sound of human footsteps on grass reached her. She smiled and removed the hood of her gown. The human was a girl child. A sweet little thing, so alone, so very...alone. Kell'Niele approached like a breath of air. They were both quiet, regarding each other. The girl looked up into the red eyes of the vampire and reached out her hands.[/i] "Are you going to take me far away? It's dark. I'm frightened." [i]The vampire smiled gently, exposing slightly fanged teeth. Her voice was a brush of oil on ice.[/i] "Don't be afraid of the dark. It's not the dark that will hurt you." [i]Her eyes sparkled playfully, and the little girl was gathered up into her arms. With almost maternal hands, Kell'Niele swept the wispy blonde hair from her face and neck, exposing the pulsing arteries. She whispered a sweet nothing into the girl's ear, then sent a cool rushing darkness into her mind, then sank her teeth into her neck. There was absolutely no resistance. The child's mind was wiped as clean as a slate. Nothing left, and no life either. Kell'Niele cradled the dying child in her arms, rocking back and forth slowly. Then she closed the girl's eyes, and laid her down underneath the trees.[/i] "Sleep well." [i]The vampire, strengthened by fresh human blood, turned, drawing her hood up again. Then she ran, faster than any human ever could, leaping over obstacles, clearing fences, her feet barely brushing the ground. To the human eye, one would see merely a dark shadow darting out of sight as quickly as one noticed it. To a Vampire, one woudl smile, seeing another of their kind filled with the power only blood could bring.[/i][/COLOR] ***Just a thought; to improve the overall quality of your posts demonchild, you could run a quick spell check and catch little errors here and there. Don't think I'm picking on you thought, everyone should do it! Sometimes, people think you're smarter than you really are. God knows I depend on it.***[/font]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid]Name: Sahrai Myung Gender: Female Age: 26 Personality: Calm, quiet, efficient, and the picture of innocence. Sahrai, her name taken and mildly altered from Sarai/Sarah of Genesis, is picturesque, and friendly. She's a very good servant, organized, and an expert at running households and ordering servants around without wasted effort. Appearance: Favors linen suits, slacks, nice jackets, and open toed sandals. Skin is a pale cream color, eyes dark brown, hair black, figure slender, height moderate. Obviously Asian, with some European influences, if her curving chest and ample hips are to be believed. Servant: As chief of staff in a woman's house, Sahrai has her own personal assistant, an equally quiet and efficient woman named Oima. She lives one room for Sahrai and does some of her laundry as well as fetches her meals and other personals. Character Snippit: [i]They say that once, men ruled the world, and women followed behind. They say that...but they don't say it for long. Sahrai thought mildly, while folding her clothes absentmindedly. It never really occurred to her what it would be like that way, but she knew that she wasn't made to be a race horse. In the language of her lady, there were work horses and there were plow horses. Plow horses were slow, steady, dependable, and most often, subordinate. It was the race horse that shot straight up the line of power and made a name for herself... And she was no race horse. Oh no. She was a servant. A faithful woman, under the command of a high ranked Mistress. And she liked it that way. She never wanted more, never wanted less.[/i] "But I wouldn't mind to see what it could be like. Just once." [i]She smiled and continued, corner to corner, line up the seams and fold neatly, press down, and put it away. Her life didn't get much more exciting. Same thing every day. Run household, make sure bills are paid, ensure Mistress's comfort, then rest in the afternoon, serve the dinner to her and whichever guests arrive, then close up for the night. It was a simple life to her anyway. The servants were highly specialized, and she had to be flexible. It was nice. She didn't get paid much, but what would she do with money anyway?[/i] "Really. What could I do with money?" [i]A trait brought on by working alone too often, Sahrai talked to herself, aloud, and about anything at all. The servants didn't notice. They had enough on their mind. And she was usually together enough to avoid doing it in front of her lady. Ah yes. There was always her lady to look out for. Such was the life of a subordinate like her.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT] BTW: It's snippet, not snippit, at least according to my spell check.

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=darkorchid][b]Code Name / Call Sign[/b]: Saturn [b]Gender[/b]: Female [b]Location[/b]: Guangzhou, People's Republic of China [b]Age[/b]: 26 [b]Personal Appearance[/b]: see attachment. Wears black, either denim or leather, favoring skin covering outfits. Eyes are a honey gold, skin remains pale, and hair tousled, not styled, and light brown. [b]Personality/Behavior[/b]: Cool and calm, but only as a side effect from being severely depressed. As a rule, she is never happy, almost never smiles, and always has a melancholy expression on her face. [b]Personal History[/b]: Born in America, and buffeted around as her father and mother moved as their jobs required them. She survived grade school, middle school, and high school, then was accepted at a state university. However, she can't remember ever being happy, much less not depressed. Her parents were too busy to notice while she was growing up, but in general, that was just as good. She could be as sad as she wanted without having them try and cheer her up or get her real help. Once she was out of college, she spent a great deal of time checking herself in and out of the hospital for clinical depression, being put on different medications and seeing different doctors. Now that she's grown, so to speak, she's grown less dependent on drugs and doctors, and more interested in staying as normal as possible. She has a job at home that involves commissions for other people and doesn't involve intimate contact with anyone. Comforting, of course, because Saturn becomes more depressed when she's around people. This is something she's learned to live with, but has been, so far, unable to successfully control. [b]Special Skills or Abilities[/b]: Empathy. This encompasses the ability to sense and feel very keenly, the emotions of people around her. More of a curse than an ability, she can experience people's feelings as strongly as she would her own, giving her an edge in any conversation or confrontation. Because she knows what those around her are feeling, she can easily manipulate their emotions, although, at times, she feels too depressed to do so. [b]Player?s Availability[/b]: Nightly; or at least every other night. [b]Rating[/b]: M-SVL [/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid]Name: Laine Valerie Edmonds Age: 21 Appearence: see attatchment, wears black, leather or denim, most often, and can't be talked into doing much with her hair. Her skin is slightly tanned, eyes a honey gold, and hair light brown. She never liked jewelry, but keeps two titanium studs in her ears. Abilities: Empathy, some would see as more of a curse than an ability. She can sense the emotions of the people within a mile of wherever she happens to be. For the record, her empathic abilities include sensing people's feelings and experiencing them as strongly as she would her own. This so called "ability," has always made her susceptible to severe depression, and she is constantly fighting off the numerous feelings threatening to overwhelm her senses.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[font=times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Swearing and spitting alternately, Lanni fell out of her pod, catching herself before a face plant and pushing herself up onto her elbows. She hacked up another glob of gel and shook her hair, gel flying in all directions. Then she dragged herself to lockers, made a weak fist, and punched the pannel. Once it popped open, she forced herself to take the pills without gagging, and straightened herself up, looking over at the captain. Her voice was raspy, as one might imagine, but she still managed to raise one hand.[/i] "Captain." [i]He nodded, then watched as another pod drained and yet another crew member was reintroduced to gravity. Lanni straightened, testing her legs, then, finding that they were working again, walked slightly unsteadily towards the showers. Moving with distaste and general disgust, she cranked the water on and stripped off all her clothes. The Captain glanced in her direction, then looked back at his crew. Lanni spat into the drain, running her tongue over her teeth to make sure all the gel was gone from her mouth. Then, while the water was still running cold, she stepped in and turned her face towards the faucet. Cold. Rushing all over her skin. Washing away the gel, making her clean again. Lannie leaned forward, resting on her elbows, propped up against the wall. She closed her eyes and sighed, relishing the feeling coming back into her limbs.[/i][/COLOR][/font]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=MediumTurquoise]While I agree that Pitbulls have a bad reputation. Think of why they were bred. To fight bulls. And other large animals. So it stands to reason they'd be aggressive. Granted, if raised from a puppy in a loving home with little children that aren't pulling its tail and harassing it, Pits can be very good pets. But generally, most people that have bulldogs have no idea what the hell they're doing. And they're lax about discipline and don't weed out bad habits when they show up. I'm not saying all Pits are destined to bite humans, I'm just saying they're pre-disposed to do it. Or they were abused and neglected and were otherwise treated badly by their owners. I saw a miniature doberman puppy running around outside today. Dad pulled over and I got out of our van and tried to get it close enough so I could read its tag. Instead it snarled at me and bolted. I followed it at a distance to see if it was going home or looking to get hit by one of the many trucks that drive around my housing area. It eventually went home and the owner gave me a dirty look. I politely asked him to restrain his dog, since it was running in the main road and could've been hit. He told me to, and I quote: "***** off." So...I can assume he's a bad owner and shouldn't be trusted to keep anything as a pet. He obviously doesn't know the city laws about restraining dogs and probably doesn't even know that his dog was trying to get into someone's garbage can. Idiot people...[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid]So there I was walking to the bus stop to be bused to my "inner urban" high school. A huge husky looking dog was standing between me and the street, preventing me getting to the bus stop. It growled at me when I made a move, and it refused to let me slide past him. It looked unkept, collarless, unkind, and very hungry. It barked when I slowly raised my hands over my head and told it in a deep voice to go away. It backed up, tail between its legs. I took a step forward and it lunged. I'm going to thank my thick jeans, backpack, and reflexes. I backed into someone's mail box, hurt my back, and nearly fainted. It backed up though, probably afraid I'd hit it when I slowly removed my backpack and contemplated throwing my books at it. Just then, earning my thanks and gratitude, my neighbor pulled up in her Ford truck. I climbed in when she motioned me to do it and she gunned the motor and got me to the bus stop. The dog was never seen again. She said she'd never seen it around and I said I was glad it wasn't foaming at the mouth. So I leave strays alone. They commonly leave me alone. Most pigeons hit our windows and die. So I have to go out there and bag them twice to prevent the spread of West Nile Virus. I live in the county where people died from it after all. And we don't have dogs much on the street I live on today because the neighbors have this thing called locking gates. And big guns. And Harley motorcycles. Any dogs they keep are dangerous to the layman and therefore must be properly restrained at all times. I've seen rotts walking their masters around the parks we have here. And pitbulls and other dogs that are all usually in the news for mauling some child. So yeah. No cats either, thank you dogs. And I've never seen stray fish except for the goldfish in my mom's pond that showed up one day. I suppose if I lived in the country I'd get more strays. But I don't think it's a good idea to do anything but call animal control, which I've had to do too often. I've never had worse experiences than the one above. You see, I like dogs and I wrestle with my pastor's rotts on the floor all the time. The slober is great. And so are the gentle bites that raise welts but don't hurt. All the "big brave" guys that visit him are usually hiding upstairs when the dogs are let in the house. Bwahahahaha! GIRL POWER![/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid]I don't think that kid is going to last long in the public school system. Ah well, I hope he's an easy baby to raise and homeschool because god knows he'll never live it down if it gets out of the family and his birth certificate is ever released to girlfriends, or rather, potential girlfriends...[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=darkorchid]Name: Cali'i Age: Created by the Maker of the Universe, unaffected by time. Alignment: Unaffiliated at the moment but with a natural tendency towards heaven. Biography: Cali'i is a standard Earth Angel. She has no great and magnificent power, no legions to command, or powerful weapons to exercise control over. Instead she is small and insignificant, and therefore alive. Sent to earth to be a blessing to mortals, she aids and comforts them subtly, whispering encouragements, and strengthening those who would serve her Maker. However, in the grand scheme of things she has no great interest in who conquers and is conquered. Her mission hasn't changed for the centuries she's been on the planet. Whoever is the new power will not affect her so long as the people continue to believe. She's been aware of recent demon activity, but when they see her, they usually scoff. They have no idea what sort of power she has, and to be honest, neither does she. She's aware that the penitent pray, and that those prayers give her strength. But it's never occurred to her to do more than what she was originally sent to Earth to do. Weapons: One sword, light, flexible, and unremarkable. Abilities: Energy infused into her body by the prayer of the penitent, The ability to hide and reveal wings suitable and indeed used for flight, likewise the ability to change her clothing at will. Empathic, able to sense emotions, feelings, strong thoughts, but otherwise unable to see the future. This ability goes for humans as well as the immortal, demon or angel. Physical Description: Slender, slight, brown hair, brown eyes, bright skin, halo, wings, the works. The wings have an 18 foot wingspan, tip to tip, and are comprised of what looks like feathers. However they are insubstantial and can easily melt into nothing if separated from her body by force or her will. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Lanni Byer was one of the first to strip down to skin tight clothing and wait to enter stasis. Nothing modest about her. Years of training had taught her as much. She stood to attention by her pod while she waited for the Captain to speak. She had been early. Almost before the Captain himself had reported. If there was anything she knew about serving, she knew that her commanding officer would appreciate it if she weren't late. And since she didn't like to be the last in a room, even if she was on time, she was usually the first. And now she waited ever so patiently for everyone else, the greenies included, to strip and get ready to sleep. Inwardly, she was wondering how many of them knew what they were getting into. Outwardly she could've been a piece of garden statuary. Motionless, legs spread shoulder width apart, hands clasped behind the back one in the other, head up, eyes straight forward. Even so, she could see the people on either side. She appreciated the fact that her vision worked that way, although she wouldn't have minded being able to see two different images at once. The Captain made his announcement, she sighed inwardly. 25 minutes of watching people try to get out of their clothes? The Captain stalked past her and did not turn to look at her. She didn't look at him once he had passed her range of vision, and she didn't flick her eyes at him. That was usually a good way to get an angry angry officer in your face. Shouting obscenities. And he was usually superior. Which meant there was no throwing things at him. Plugging him. Kicking him below the belt. Damn. But all in all, Lanni wasn't upset. She was just happy to be getting out of her current situation. The one that haunted her when she wasn't on the job. The parts about her family, what was left of it anyway. Now that she would be off the planet, they wouldn't bother her. At least she hoped they wouldn't find a way to bother her. She figured, if she didn't think about them too much, they probably wouldn't cause any trouble for her.[/i][/COLOR] [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid]I don't think Dixie Normus is a bad name. If she's from the south, it's supposed to be a common name. And Normus is a rather generic last name. I called someone with the last name Normus today. ....as I was at work calling more corporations that mostly didn't want to hear from me. Anyway. No strange names today, thank goodness. I just know that I'll get more. Odds are, with more than 1,000 names to call through, I'll run across another one. Today though, I had to call Sparky's. I was wondering who Sparky was when I got the answering machine and I heard clown music and an overly happy voice say: "Hi kids! This is Sparky the clown! I'm not in right now but if you leave a message I can get back to you within 24 hours. HAHAHA!"[/COLOR][/FONT]

[QUOTE=Generic NPC #3]Besides, Aryan doesn't necessarily have to refer to the interpretation the Nazi's took from that weird, psychic lady. Before that it mostly referred to Indo-European people and even older groups of people who would in turn refer to themselves as Aryan. I know people don't use that today thanks to what has happened last century, but it's possible it's reference is from that and thus not really related to the whole Nazi regime thing... still the similar sounds remain lol.[/QUOTE] [FONT=Times New Roman] [COLOR=DarkOrchid]I suppose I shouldn't have mentioned the good Senator. Ah well, back to names. I have no desire to see another political debate break out. Seeing as how, as a conservative, I'm badly outmatched. But really. Even if the person in question is referring to the ancient Aryan people... They must realize that their name incites a great deal of mental and historical baggage. A simple letter or two changed in in the name might just make the whole thing sound better[/COLOR][/FONT]

Dang. Oh well. Lore is my new Mistress. *does rituals and all* Oh Mistress, how may I serve you? Although, just for my sake, I'm sure the historical and potentially offensive potential of a name such as [Name Removed] remain unmatched. Take the Deomcratic Leader of the Senate's comparison of U.S. Troops to Nazis. We'll never be free of that sort of stigma. Ah well. I don't envy him.

So there I was, working for my company, "HR [Human Resources] and Sales and Demand," doing what I do, which is essentially telemarketing to corporations that should want my product. It's my first day on the job, I'm on 4 hours of sleep, and it's getting later in the day. I have about 100 spreadsheets of about 20 names each of companies to call. So naturally I see a lot of names of owners and the like. At the time I was in the B section, which was about five pages long, and I'm running down the list, calling, saying the exact same thing over and over: "Hello this is D'Ann with Sales and Demand. My client is updating his lists and would like to know if your company would be interested in fulfillment marketing, which is better advertising through mailing campaigns. If you're interested I can send you some information." And from there I'm either rejected, which is, no lie, 98% of the time. Or I get to send them information and get paid if they like it. So looking at the list I see the next company and the name of the owner. [Name Removed] Think about it. [Name Removed]. What exactly does that entail? How on earth did she get that name? Is it her maiden name? Is it her married name? Is she German? Is she a Nazi? Is she crazy?!! Thinking all these thoughts, I had to call her number and talk to her. Mercifully I was dumped into her voice mail, so I left a fainthearted message, working very hard at not ending it with a rousing and very patriotic: "Heil der Führer!" ........but seriously... She's a real person who says her name in her voice mail and also happens to work at and quite possibly own American Home Mortage company. If she is the owner she probably has a name plate on her desk. Oh god the implications.... How it would alienate any Jewish people seeking to get a mortgage on their house... Disturbe the populace... Have you ever run into equally disturbing or just plan unfortunate last names? If anyone has a name that can top mine, I shall bow to them and be their willing slave. Edit: It turns out [Name Removed] is a man. But who would know? "A" usually ending a name denotes female. And secondly, automated voices on answering machines can be very misleading. Run a search for his last name if you think I'm making this all up btw.

[COLOR=MediumTurquoise]E-mail? I am the divine slave of Microsoft Entourage. But I'm on a Mac. Don't ask me to explain how that works, but the point is, I wasn't affected by any sort of virus. The blistering irony though, is that poor Queen Asuka's newly acquired virus sent me about ten IMs with ten links. I closed all of them down, but out of curiosity clicked one, just to see if my computer could read it for a change. It couldn't, cause it was a .exe file. The poitn is, I love my iMac. It's so sexy! The weird thing is lately I've been getting IMs from the aol team saying to send an IM back to them with the number "1" to log me out of my sn which is somehow...logged in from another location? Weird.[/COLOR]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid]Name: Lanni Byer Age: 29 Gender: Female Assignment: Security Detail Personality: The only good way to describe Lanni is as a live wire. She's fiery, passionate, quick tempered, and quick witted. She'll take offense as soon as there's an oppertunity, and break the legs of anyone that stops her from getting her satisfaction. Appearance: Fair skin, slender build, no taller than 5'6". Also in posession of black eyes, dark brown hair, and enough muscle mass to explain her current position. Typically, she wears her uniform, form following function, but when she isn't in uniform, she dresses casually, or doesn't bother with clothes at all. Short Bio: Lanni was born to be a security officer. She's the type who takes no nonsense off of anyone, and that sort of attitude has rocketed her through the ranks while she was in the military. Her superiors noticed her after a few battles she was in and marked her for this current mission accordingly. However, the reason she has been so successful is that she's never looked back, much less stopped to consider where her actions were leading her. She's from a dysfunctional family, and basically grew up on her own, but without that sort of raising, or lack thereof, she would've never become the tough as nails officer she is today. So, in short, don't mess with her, stay on her good side, and please, do not deprive her of her guns.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Saturnine felt a slow, heavy tide rising inside her. It swarmed up through her body as she ran, eminating from every finger until she could hrdly control herself. She jumped up and everyone within the blast radius heard the sound of one girl venting her horrible rage in one lung splitting shriek. Feathers, white as driven snow, poured out of her scapulae, spreading wider than the sky, covering the ground in darkness. Several soldiers whipped around to face the new threat, only to see a blinding flash of light and glowing blue eyes before the great darkness. She raised one hand over her head and began to whisper, words so soft and loud all at once that everyone around could hear.[/i] "By the Light of the Sun, May the Faceless God, Be the one to Judge." [i]She brought both hands down, one drawing the sword, the other collecting energy in one fist. A soldier leapt up to face her, only to be cleaved in two. The blade of Lattinae sliced through him like butter, silver and amethyst and cold iron, driving away the creatures of darkness and evil. As she fought, she formed the words of an old prayer, a battle song, guiding her hands, giving her strength as she warded off the hellish nightmares that had killed one already, and so many others. While she fought, she spoke the words of a prayer out loud, the Crest of Empowerment glowing across her skin, giving aid and comfort to her friends, and searing the minds of her enemies.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Saturnine turned and hugged him around the chest, leaning her head against his chest. Her pale blonde hair glistened wetly in the moonlight, suffusing her body with a pale glow. His hands rested on her crests, his fingers tracing the bizarre lines twisting around her back and spine.[/i] "You are so beautiful." [i]Saturnine looked up at Roland, her blue eyes changing slightly in starlight to become silver. She smiled slightly, but didn't say anything. Instead she kissed his throat and rested her hands on his shoulders. He kissed her forehead in return and watched her rest against him, her eyes closing slowly.[/i] "Thank you." "...of course." [i]After a time, he lifed her gently and pulled her out of the water and dried her body off. She had fallen asleep in his arms, and he dressed her once more in her tunic, chain mail, and belt. Then he dressed himself and laid her head down, wrapping her warmly in her cloak. He looked up at the sky once more, surveying the lay of the planets, stars, and celetial bodies. When he looked down again, he watched Saturnine stir slowly in her sleep. She sighed and turned over, her arms over her head.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Rubble covered the ground, there was nothing left. Nothing but them. Their clothing was completely ruined, hanging from their bodies by threads. Tsuke looked around again, finding nothing at all. The light around them looked bizarre, unnatural, wavering. The heat. It sucked the moisture straight from their bodies. Liang felt that they were standing in a place removed from the rest of the world. She knew from what she had learned that they were in another climate, created by the atomic bomb. She gripped Tsuke's hand even though their palms and fingers were bathed in sweat. It was unavoidable. Eventually the sweat dripped into their eyes and blinded them. Liang ripped off her remaining clothing and dried her face and forehead. She couldn't handle it for much longer. She felt as though her skin was literally blistering and peeling away from her body. Thousands of lives extinguished in mere seconds, and they were left to fester on and on. When she spoke, her voice was a breathy whisper, her throat so parched she couldn't say more.[/i] "We're going to bake to death, nevermind the radiation." "....any survivors?" "Nobody here. We're at Ground Zero Tsuke." [i]His voice was low, even though he was in slightly better condition than her. She cleared her throat and tried to form saliva in her mouth but nothing happened. Tsuke looked around quizically.[/i] ".....why are we still here though? What purpose can it serve?" "You know what they say." "No. What do they say?" "If you can't take the heat, stay outta hell." [i]Tsuke managed a wry smile. The two kept walking over the rubble, looking for anything that would show them a way out of this intense agony.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]