SunfallE

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Celestia had thought that Sub-Commander Drace was ruthless in battle, based on what she had learned in regards to his behavior in battle in sector seven. But even that paled to what Jared had done in sector eight. At first she had thought that what she was hearing was incorrect, how could he be responsible for ordering the deaths of millions of civilians? It wasn't until later that she learned it was as a result of him ordering the destruction of a transport system that ran above the cities. It was done to stop the movement of troops in the area, but the structure had crushed millions on the surface when it had collapsed. Though if what she had heard was correct, even though they were outnumbered, the New Alliance had used tactics to take out a number of the transports heading for the surface, prompting the retaliation. In the end, she just didn't understand it, why they hadn't surrendered when it was clear they could not win. It was pointless to think about it, after all, they had resisted the invasion on Earth, even though that too had been pointless, or so it had seemed. After all, the resistance had never given up and now the Versilan Empire was at war with itself. Something that though it pained her since the death toll was incomprehensible, she silently approved of the attempt to restore personal liberty to the oppressed races. "[B]Still worrying over what happened?[/B]" Jason asked her out of nowhere, startling her out of her line of thinking, she looked over to see him watching her. "[B]Yes. As much as I want the New Alliance to win, I can't help but think it's not worth the cost.[/B]" She looked back at her terminal and all the programs that were open since her and Jason were finishing with installing the newly written update system for the fleet. "[B]Well so long as you don't give anyone grief like you did last time...[/B]" Celestia just smiled sadly in return. There was no danger of that. It was one thing to deal with Drace, but to have to deal with Jared? Just seeing him a few weeks ago had been more than enough to silence her more verbal objections. That brief meeting had only served to remind her of just how unpleasant things had been when they had first been captured by the Versilans. Even now, just the thought of having to deal with Jared... She shuddered slightly at the thought and then turned back to her work after Jason took her hand in his briefly as if to reassure her before letting go and turning back to his share of the work. At this rate they would be done before the fleet was finished with reestablishing Versilan rule in sector eight. Something that Kenath had been pleased with. It was a good thing that she had quit being distracted by news of what had happened since at that moment footsteps behind her told her that someone was coming her way. And Kenath was never amused when he found her essentially spacing instead of working. "[B]How close are you to being finished?[/B]" It was, as she expected it to be, Kenath. "[B]We're doing the final checks now sir.[/B]" She turned to look up at him. "[B]Unless we run into some glitches, it should be done within the next day or two.[/B]" "[B]Good, once you're done I want you to start on the program I've sent to your terminal. You're to analyze it and see if there is a means to improve what it does.[/B]" Puzzled, Celestia turned back to her terminal and checked the messages and then upon locating it she opened up the program, her eyes going wide when she realized what it was.[I] He can't possibly expect...? I can't do this![/I] She felt herself start to tremble slightly, something that Jason was quick to notice as he had leaned over to take a look. "[B]You want us to help you do that?[/B]" He said with disbelief. "[B]I don't see a problem. It's your job to work on whatever assignment is given to you.[/B]" Kenath fixed both of them with a glare. "[B]It is not your place to question the work given to you.[/B]" "[B]Of course not.[/B]" Celestia said bitterly. "[B]We're suppose to just be good little mindless slaves and keep helping you maintain our enslavement.[/B]" "[B]Celestia![/B]" Jason tried to warn her, to get her to back down, even though he agreed with her. He didn't want to improve a program that was obviously designed to catch a spy in the fleet. Something that he and Celestia had kept to themselves since they already knew about it in the form of the hack to the system Celestia had discovered a while ago. "[B]And here I thought the two of you were finally going to settle down and behave.[/B]" Kenath said icily only to be interrupted by Jason. "[B]Of course we are sir,[/B]" He said quickly. "[B]We'll be ready to start on it as soon as we finish the fleet update system.[/B]" "[B]You had better.[/B]" Kenath gave him a measuring glance before he turned and went back to his own terminal, though his look told Jason that he wasn't going to forget what Celestia had just said. "[B]I can't do it Jason[/B]," Celestia said once Kenath was out of hearing range. "[B]I can't help them catch a member of the New Alliance.[/B]" Jason just sighed and grasped her hand in his, "[B]I know, just let me take care of it okay?[/B]" He ignored her pained expression and turned back to his work. After all, like he had said before, he knew what would happen if he didn't and besides, even if he improved the program for Kenath, there was no guarantee that it would actually work or find the exploit they were aware of. He certainly wasn't going to program it to look for something like that.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]And time for several days of silly festivities! Plus it seems that Fonty's already wanting out so he can head back home! Though we all know it's for the booze not the more comfortable surroundings. :p Anyway, I took the liberty of having Chaos be out for the event, so it's a full deal for the entire city! Unless someone objects, in which case I'll edit my post and take that bit out. Also, the visit to the center with Harrison and Victoria Ann is before they arrived at Rosengard. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alecialeanna-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alexanderedward-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/fauntleroy-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Alecia had thought that she would be more tired but instead she had woken up feeling surprisingly rested for a change. After taking both Harrison and Victoria Ann to the hospital to check on Daedalus, who though still asleep, was doing in Alecia's opinion as well as could be expected. In her professional opinion, she believed that given time he would actually recover. It was a matter of small things she could see, things that if he were not responding to treatment, would not have happened. In the end it had made it easier for her to tell the children he would get better and actually mean it. Which was good since children were often quick to pick up on when you were not sincere. Fauntleroy had been easier since he had of course been awake and already complaining about being released, trying to explain that he would recover quicker in the comfort of his own bed. But Alecia had known it was more likely the comfort of being able to order the servants to bring him something to drink. Though she said nothing in front of the children since Victoria Ann was practically bouncing off the walls over seeing him doing so much better. Something that had Fauntleroy smiling even though he was less than thrilled at the prospect of being required to stay in the Eshe Rehema Medical Center while he recovered. "[B]I don't suppose I could convince you to put in a good word to get them to let me go?[/B]" Fauntleroy said once Alexander was gone to arrange for a carriage to take Harrison and Victoria Ann to Rosengard. "[B]Certainly not.[/B]" Alecia said with a wry grin. "[B]The bullet may be gone and you may be responding well to treatment, but it's far to soon for you to be heading home. You need to rest Uncle.[/B]" "[B]But my own bed is far more comfortable than this place.[/B]" He indicated the small hospital bed that he was currently lying on. Alecia just laughed and moved to give him a kiss on the cheek. "[B]It's not your bed that you miss Uncle.[/B]" She chided when she pulled back. "[B]I'll be back later today to see how you are doing so you behave alright?[/B]" "[B]We'll see.[/B]" Fauntleroy said with a wink, causing to Alecia to laugh again before she went to find Alexander who would be finished with the children by now. And sure enough he was as she found him heading back to find her. "[B]There you are.[/B]" He smiled upon seeing her. "[B]What would you like to do today?[/B]" Alecia knew what he was referring to, both of them on account of Leonhart's wake and the current Chimaera Cup festivities had the next couple of days off, just as Chaos was closed for the event as well as most if not all families would be taking part in the festivities that were set up all over High Czenoble. "[B]I don't know.[/B]" Alecia finally said. Her and Alexander had discussed what they wanted to do, but that had been before the wake and the others had gotten hurt. She smiled sadly since even Alexander seemed oddly out of sorts since the events surrounding the attempt to destroy Rosengard and everyone inside. "[B]Do you think our spot would be free?[/B]" She took his arm in hers as they headed for the entrance to the center. Alecia didn't have to explain what she meant, after all Alexander knew what she was referring to. It was a slightly isolated spot in one of the many parks in the city. The very spot where he had finally proposed to her. "[B]Why don't we find out?[/B]" He let go to open the door leading out and then took it again as they headed for the train station. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Satori'][FONT="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]I'll be back. Later. With the idea in a more fleshed out manner.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]Good. ^_~[quote name='Satori'][FONT="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Til then I'm taking a step back. Yes?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]I would say that's an excellent idea actually. From what I've seen in this thread it's a clear indication of how hard it can be to convey what you have in mind correctly. Trust me I know. It's one thing to sit there and think.. this would be fun to do... and yet another to go to someone else and clearly explain what you want or have in mind. To give you an idea I sent my initial sign up sheet for Silver One to Sandy and he sent it back after pointing out all the glaring contradictions and potential things that could turn others off to it. It was quite harsh and yet supremely useful for improving the concept. In the end misunderstandings are on some level unavoidable and yet they are really useful to help you see where you went wrong or to determine if there isn't an audience for what you have in mind. Or to even help you improve upon the idea, making it better. I would like to give you one bit of advice though and that is to not take it personal or to get upset. I've dealt with a few arguments or rather disagreements in my own rpg and though they weren't serious, they did show me how important is is to not take it personally. Especially when it was nothing more than a difference in opinion as to what people like to see happen. Plus, you're almost always going to find mistakes or that you forgot to clarify something and it's easy to immediately feel stupid that you forgot to include the information upfront. I know I still feel silly when someone asks for clarification and I'm like [[SIZE="1"]insert Homer Simpson duh here[/SIZE]] because it was crystal clear in my mind, but obviously the other person can't read my mind. So I'd chalk this one up to a learning experience that will better help you create an rpg in the sense that [I]yes you know what you'd like to try[/I] and that [I]yes I need a better format to present my idea more clearly[/I]. ^_~[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I use it, and if anything, even if what was said wasn't really funny, it's a good indicator that I'm at least finding the conversation amusing on some level. If something really makes me laugh, I tend to use something else though, like haha, or hehe. For the most part I don't really think about it. :p[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]When I'm not currently dating I tend to notice if someone has a wedding ring or not. Especially if it's someone who's cute since I prefer to not make a fool of myself by getting to friendly with someone who is already married. Plus around here, once you're out of high school it's like expected that you get married quickly so before long people noticed that you don't have one. As if it's a crime to not be married. :rolleyes: Ironically I actually have a plain gold wedding band. Not because I've ever been married, but because depending on where I was working when I was a truck driver, it was easier to simply wear a band so others would assume you were taken and leave you alone. Otherwise... I'd get all sorts of offers all the time. XP I still did depending on what state I was in, but wearing that ring helped to keep it down to a minimum.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Sakura'][COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="1"]Hm....I suppose I'll delete my post and save it for the actual day >

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Oh dear... that game... it's addicting! I just love all the moves for attacking one's opponent! XP It's just to totally funny!:catgirl: And since I utterly slaughtered my opponent I just have to post it. [CENTER][IMG]http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/5461/slaughtervj8.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Now I just need to play it on the hard mode and then the multiplayer mode! Hehe![/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Forget AIM and trying reading the thread and the post by James where he mentions that Vincent talks to Gustave the same night of the Wake:[quote] 'Well, I will be in town in two days'[/quote]So even I was thinking it was going to be later, so perhaps this should be say spectator events? The less showy races before the grand final in two day where the final winners compete? It would be more fun if it was say a three day affair for all of High Czenoble and Gustave is only showing up for the final day of the event. [B]EDIT:[/B] To make it easier, here's the post in question: [URL="http://www.otakuboards.com/showpost.php?p=803347&postcount=156"][U]POST[/U][/URL][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Rachmaninoff'] Also, while I'm here, thanks a lot Beth for implying that Williams is willing to use torture to get what he wants out of Darren. >_< Though I suppose since he messed him up in the first installment I shouldn't be surprised by that. XP[/QUOTE]You're welcome! :p Anyway... I've updated the first post with a bit on the branch of the government known as Special Investigations [[SIZE="1"]excellent idea btw Kathy[/SIZE]] And I'm quite sure that Kreid is less than thrilled to see Tarika Zaidin. ^_~ Also, in addition to the bit on Special Investigations I've added a section called Sector Snapshots. indifference using a picture to represent sector eight reminded me of how a handful of pictures were used for the first installment so I updated with links to each picture and included brief descriptions of what the pictures are. The Versilan Empire has a huge range of different architecture and technology on account of the ten factions that form the High Council being secretive about technological advances before they formed the Council to begin with. It's also a result of enslaving other races and incorporating their technology into their own. Anyway, like in the first installment, the option to use pictures to represent stuff like that is still open to everyone. If anything else is used I'll simply add it to the list.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="1234"]But I feel like the rebirth of the paper makes it need a new feature... not sure what though.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]Funny you should mention that... Anyway, I'm ready to help out again and it brings up the question of did you still want to use the same idea you had for banner links for the short articles? In other words, this: [CENTER] [/CENTER] Personally, I think that if you did, it would be fun to start a thread and see what members came up with since you could specify a format that leaves a space empty for someone to simply add the text for the title of the article in question. So you wouldn't need new banners made for every edition.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I tend to get it for tests or important events coming up since I worry that I'm going to mess things up somehow. But usually I just prepare as best I can and it usually works itself out. Now what really gets me the most for feeling impending doom... well it's usually when I know someone is doing something utterly foolish and stupid, something that will have extremely negative fallout once things get out of hand. I hate the feeling of sitting to the side and not being able to do a damn thing to stop it, or rather getting ignored since usually the person in question knows that what they are doing is stupid, foolish and beyond idiotic. I hate waiting only to later find out that things did go wrong and that they've screwed themselves and others over in the process. It's only happened a few times to some of my closest friends, but I've still hated it each and every time since you can't force others to realize that they are being phenomenally stupid. Anyway... I get over it for the simple reason that once someone avoids me or their other friends since they don't want to hear that they're being a fool... it usually results in the friendship being over as well. Since they usually crash and burn and then turn around and make new friends instead of coming back and owning up to being a total idiot. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Shy'][size=1]Isn't Catherine at the hospital watching over Fonty? -Shy[/size][/QUOTE]James indicate that Catherine came back to Rosengard and I made the same comment in my post to tie into that as well. Anyway... If I got Harrison wrong, just let me know Crystia and I'll fix it. Also, though I didn't really say, the implication is that Harriet and the others are still at the medical center so they took the children home with them since it's unlikely they'd return to Rosengard that night. Oh and I put both of the injured family members in the same medical center and had Alecia kick everyone out of their rooms for the night. Though that does leave things open for some interesting conversations or people sneaking back into their rooms. And since I wasn't sure if Daedalus is suppose to recover or not, I only indicated that he was responding well. Fonty on the other hand is not allowed to die. :p[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/victoriaann-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/harrison-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alecialeanna-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alexanderedward-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Alecia was beyond tired as her and Alexander finally made their way home with Victoria Ann and Harrison in tow. The whole evening seemed like nothing more than a horrible nightmare in spite of all that had happened. First the incident with Bavaria, then Fauntleroy being shot and then Daedalus being injured while defusing the bomb. She hadn't even realized how late it was getting until Alexander had finally shown up at the medical center, looking worn and out of sorts. The whole affair hadn't been helped by the overly hostile air between some of the family members and the Deacons, something that even though they were at the medical center couldn't seem to be left behind. It had finally reached the point where Alecia had snapped again and ordered everyone out of the rooms where both Fauntleroy and Daedalus were being kept. Overriding any objections on the grounds that the patients health and much needed rest was more important. It was actually a policy that the centers were considering adopting, a window at night were visitors were not allowed in order to ensure that patients could rest without being disturbed by visitors. It wasn't like they couldn't wait in one of the many waiting rooms until later. Catherine had decided earlier to head back to Rosengard and since Alecia was uncertain as to whether or not she would return to the medical center that night, she took both Victoria Ann and Harrison who had spent his time there saying next to nothing and took them both home with her and Alexander. She looked over and smiled at Alexander who was carrying Victoria Ann in a piggy back fashion since she had fallen asleep earlier. It didn't take her long to open the door to their home and take both of the children to one of the lower guest rooms. Alexander set Victoria Ann down on the bed in the first guest room before steering Harrison towards the next room. Once they were gone Alecia turned to Victoria who was half awake after being put down. "[B]Alecia?[/B]" She said sleepily as Alecia helped her out of her outfit and pull on a nightgown. "[B]Is everyone going to be okay?[/B]" She closed her eyes as Alecia finished by tucking her in under the covers. "[B]Yes, everyone is going to be alright.[/B]" Alecia said kindly. "[B]Now get some sleep, we'll go and visit them tomorrow morning alright?[/B]" "[B]Okay.[/B]" Victoria Ann mumbled before drifting off. Alecia left the room, turning the lights out before she closed the door and headed towards the other room where Alexander was seeing to Harrison. She was almost there when Alexander exited the room. "[B]I think you should talk to him.[/B]" He said. "[B]I'm concerned that he's so quiet and withdrawn. Harrison is behaving as if he's in shock.[/B]" "[B]He probably is,[/B]" Alecia said softly. "[B]Why don't you go and take a moment to let the housekeeper know that we have additional guests while I check on him.[/B]" She smiled when Alexander agreed and left to do just that. Alecia waited until he was gone to knock softly on the door where Harrison was, after getting no reply she finally opened it a bit to see that he was curled up on his side, staring at the wall. "[B]Harrison, may I come in?[/B]" But other than to look at her briefly he said nothing. She took the initiative, closing the door behind her and then taking a seat on the bed next to Harrison who sat up when she approached. "[B]Can't sleep?[/B]" She asked not really expecting much of an answer. "[B]There's no need to worry so much. Your father was responding well to the treatments. I believe that he's going to recover just fine.[/B]" "[B]It's my fault.[/B]" His voice was barely audible as he looked down at his hands, refusing to look at Alecia. "[B]Harrison... Of course it's not your fault.[/B]" Alecia tried to reassure him, but Harrison just hunched over and moved to get back under the covers, refusing to meet her gaze. Alecia didn't let him, grabbing him and pulling him into a tight hug, ignoring his struggles until he finally stopped. "[B]Yes it is, he got hurt protecting me from the blast.[/B]" He finally said, his voice choking on the memory. "[B]If I hadn't been there he wouldn't have gotten hurt.[/B]" "[B]Harrison,[/B]" Alecia said as she held him tighter while he shook with the effort to not cry. "[B]The only one at fault is the person who placed the bomb there in the first place, never forget that.[/B]" But Harrison did not answer her causing Alecia to choke a bit herself as she realized just how much he was blaming himself for what happened. She made a mental note to herself to talk to Harriet the first chance she got. If anyone could help Harrison understand it would be her. Even if he had been foolish by attempting to go back and help his father, it didn't change the fact that in the end, the person who had shot Fauntleroy and placed the bomb to begin with, was responsible. Alecia didn't know how long she simply held him until he finally stopped shaking and Alexander returned to help her tuck him back into bed as he had finally fallen asleep. [I]What a mess.[/I] She thought as she turned the lights out and closed the door. She leaned into Alexander who put his arm around her shoulders as they made for their own bedroom, though she wondered if she'd be able to get any sleep. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]William couldn't help but smile over how things had gone with Valencia, even if she was a pirate, she was still a valuable source of not only information but for obtaining hard to get merchandise. After all, where else could he have gone to acquire the crystals needed for powering a flagship? Such a thing was heavily guarded and next to impossible to get on the black market. For one thing, they were too damn expensive for most if not all of the population. And why bother when often one could get the cheaper crystals and simply set things up to accommodate that? Flagships were the exception, the sheer stress involved in maintaining power under normal conditions as well as battle made having the more pure crystals a necessity. It was part of why Daniel had probably been so upset, he of all people would understand just how difficult replacing the crystals would have been. If not for Valencia, it might not have happened and the[I] Liberator[/I] would have been left in the position of being forced to stay at a lower running capacity. In the end, handing over the program Valencia wanted was a small price to pay. Now as William headed for sector nine with the two High Council members on board, he wondered how Kiva's mission was coming along. By now it was likely that she had seized the relay station in sector four and was finishing her preparations to capture Darren Anderson. He had no doubt that she would succeed, few agents were as reliable as Kiva was. The only problem was going to be getting Darren to cooperate since William doubted he would willingly do as asked, to sort the data so they could get their hands on what was sent. Especially if he realized that he was the one who had hacked his clearance shortly before Earth had been invaded, putting him in a restricted sector and thus in the position of being forced to work for the military or be executed. No he was certain that Darren was unlikely to even give him the time of day let alone cooperate. He had been planning on using the offer of giving both Darren and his sister sanctuary from the High Council since he was aware of how much Darren wished to be free of being required to work for them. But the ship he had sent to pick Kerstin up had run into trouble and he had not been able to find another one to get there before the fleet would arrive. With all contact in sector eight lost it was likely that she had been freed by the Imperial fleet that had been heading there. Williams sighed just a tiny bit at what he suspected he was going to have to do. He didn't like it, but he'd do it just the same. They couldn't afford to lose the war, there was too much riding on it. Williams preferred to avoid using the same methods that the High Council was willing to use and for the most part he was able to keep to that. But if the truth drugs did not work, he would have no choice. Even though things were going well enough, the balance of power was still on the side of the High Council. Even his demonstration that he could do more by disabling the shipyards had been dismissed. The promise by the government in the area to break free if he did so was ignored. It still disrupted the Empire, but it was suppose to end with that sector breaking off and it was a bitter disappointment that it had not happened. Still, the war was far from over and no matter how things looked, William would never give up. They had come too far for that. After all, he had not expected to see things progress to this point in his life time. He turned his attention back to the report he had been reading in regards to their next move once the [I]Liberator[/I] was repaired.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]For anyone else who wears contacts and glasses on and off, have you ever gone to push up your glasses subconsciously while wearing the lenses ? I seem to do that a lot. Heh. :animeswea[/SIZE][/QUOTE]>_> Yes, I've done that when I have contacts in and it's always a bit of a [I]what the hell[/I] moment when I smack my face with my finger since I'm not wearing glasses at the moment. I at least seem to be pretty good at not losing my glasses though. Now as for forgetting things, the one I seem to do the most is setting a book I'm reading down and then not remembering where I put the damn thing. It's annoying as all get out, especially when it's a book I'm really enjoying. lol [/FONT][/COLOR]

Lucia didn't know what had just happened, but she knew an opening when she saw one and like Aeru, she had jumped on the opportunity to finish what Adrian and Astera had started, finishing off the Count before he could somehow recover. But even after they finished him off and then moved Adrian over until he was resting against the closet wall, Astera still perched on his shoulder, it was clear that Adrian was in no condition to respond to any questions. Other than to offer Astera a tiny smile he paid no attention to either Aeru or her, resting his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. She looked over at Aeru, but from her expression it was clear that she had no idea what they had just done either. Lucia looked back to Adrian and Astera who was simply sitting there, saying nothing as she watched the two of them and then the others who had rushed over to make sure they were okay. "What happened Astera? What did the two of you do?" Astera just gave her a look as if she were stupid. "Adrian weakened the Count making it possible for the two of you to finish him." "That's not what I mean...." Lucia started to say but Astera cut her off. "Then what do you mean?? Astera replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes that told Lucia she was not going to tell her what had just happened. "How did you and Adrian manage to move so quickly?" A lopsided grin was flashed in her direction. "Oh that's easy! You're slow!" "Forget it Lucia, all that matters is the Count has been dealt with." Alex pulled back when Lucia whirled and shot an irritated glance in his direction before reaching up briefly to touch Ruby when she settled on her right shoulder, as if reassuring herself that she was okay. "Come on Lucia, let's check on the little vampire girl." Ruby interjected, attempting to break off the argument that was bound to come. After all, she knew better than anyone how much Lucia hated not knowing what was going on. "Fine." Lucia said shortly, heading over to the other side of the room where Nall was still sitting next to her, he nodded at her and then took off to join Alex once she got there. "I guess we should wake her up." Lucia sent the tiniest of jolts into her, causing the little girl to stir and open her eyes, looking around with a dazed expression, seemingly unaware of where she was. That's right, she'll be disorientated for a moment now that the bond between her and the Count has been broken. "Now what do we do?" Lucia straightened up and turned to see that Alex had come back over, along with Nall. "It's simple, we wait for Adrian to recover and then leave, once we take care of the other vampires as well." Alex looked down at the little girl. "Yeah, I guess. I mean technically they're already dead." He looked less than thrilled at the thought. Lucia just sighed inwardly as she was more interested in figuring out what the hell had happened than in dealing with the vampires. She pulled out her communicator, but the data she had gotten made no sense at all and somehow she doubted that Adrian was going to tell her what had happened. She tucked her communicator back into her tunic and turned her attention back to where Adrian and Astera were resting.

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Ugh. Are they still doing that? Taking advantage of the fact that a student isn't attending BYU to cheat them of their deposit? Obviously it's been a while, but I made the same mistake your buddy did by choosing BYU approved housing and had them do the same thing to me as well since I was a UVSC student at the time. And like him, I never made the mistake of choosing an apartment complex that was firmly associated with BYU again, being ripped off once was more than enough. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that headache anymore, even though it was a long time ago. XP For something more recent? Those stupid fees for paying for services online. The driver's license office presents it as a fantastic way to save you time and money, when I know that it doesn't cost them $5 to process a check or a credit card. It's just a rip off to tack on more fees. I'm close enough that the drive to their office is cheaper, even with the high cost of gas. And failing that one can simply using a stamp and mail it which is a lot less too.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]This is what I have up on my screen at the moment. [URL="http://sunfalle.deviantart.com/art/Norris-Geyser-Basin-Overlook-68023409"][U]Yellowstone[/U][/URL] I'm thinking of making a new wallpaper for my computer since this one has been up for a while. I just haven't decided which picture to play with yet. I have so many from Yellowstone National Park as well as the parks here in Utah that I'd love to use so picking just one is proving to be harder than I thought it would be. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Ya, [COLOR="DarkRed"]Sunfall[/COLOR]! Your turn, milady. :animesmil I wanna git this thing done an' tie up all the loose ends so's we can figure where else we wanna go. (Assuming we still all want to go somewhere afterwards. I'm up for burgers.) I also really want to get at my next post, but I have to wait 'til you guys finish off ole' mistah vampire so I know how to lead into it. So, I wouldn't be all pushy and what except that I can't actually write anything yet. :p[/FONT][/QUOTE]I know. XP I keep having other things come up. Plus, I have half a post written and the damn thing refuses to cooperate. >_< It's annoying really, that Count refusing to fit into what I have planned for him! [B]EDIT:[/B] And it's up. XP As you can see the Count just refuses to die! Bah![/FONT][/COLOR]

Lucia was more than satisfied with the results of using Ruby's and Nall's own skills to enhance their own. It was far from perfect, but it had put the fight back on more equal ground. Something that clearly annoyed the Count as his expression had gone from being amused to cold and more serious. Though it was still a bit ridiculous that even with the three of them he was still managing to hold his own. It was as if he had uncanny knack of dodging the waves of blue fire sent his way, shifting to the side at the last possible moment to avoid the swing of their scythes while simultaneously sending short bursts of the dark energy at them with whatever hand was currently not being used to block an attack. Lucia had been caught twice in a blast and tossed head over heels, requiring either Aeru or Adrian to step in and keep him from damaging her like he had Alex. Even with their help, she glanced briefly at Ruby and Nall who were still over by Alex and the others. We're still struggling to win this. She looked back in time to see Adrian, with one of his scythes held sideways, slam it into the Count's chest. Quicker than she would have thought possible he had already launched a wave of fire into him, sending him into the closest wall with a sickening crunch. Another flash of movement and the other scythe had pinned him to the wall by virtue of being rammed though his left shoulder. "Now Aeru!" Lucia called out as she moved in to assist Adrian in finishing the Count off, her scythe held high as she swung down with all of her strength to take his head off, her eyes meeting his. For the briefest of seconds she saw a maniacally gleam in them and then a giant invisible hand slammed into the three Shinigami, sending them all flying. Lucia felt something give when she hit the ground and pain ran up her right side when she quickly got back up. Aeru was still down and Adrian was clearly unaffected, having recovered enough to simply land on his feet. To her surprise the Count was still standing by the wall, the scythe that had been pinning him in place back in Adrian's hands. "It's not over yet." He said coldly as he opened up his right hand to summon a ball of dark energy. It split into three and then shot off to different points in the walls surrounding them. What is he doing? She didn't have to wonder long as shadows began to form and then step free of the walls, turning into three undead skeletons, with glowing red eyes, filled with hatred. Just how many creatures does he have under his command? "Let's see how you do now shall we?" The Count grinned maliciously. "That won't help you!" Aeru snarled as she moved to take one out only to have her scythe hit a wall of the dark energy when the creature raised it's hand to block her, sending her flying backwards. With a flip in mid-air she twisted and landed on her feet close to Lucia.

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]What I find interesting about Wal-Mart is that if faced with a free market that really paid workers instead of being able to take advantage of countries that can pay less, well it's pretty obvious that they wouldn't be able to offer those low prices at all. lol Anyway... I've heard both from friends and in general. People who it was a positive experience and people who had a totally negative experience working for them. I do shop there, but often I go to Macey's instead. The prices are close enough that it's worth it to avoid the mess at the Wal-Mart here. XP Ironically I worked indirectly for Wal-Mart when I was driving a Semi. I wasn't working directly for them, but I did through the company I was with, working out of one of their distribution centers. As a truck driver, it was steady, reliable work since they always needed goods delivered. I must have spent over a year all over the west coast delivering frozen and fresh goods to different Wal-Mart stores. It was a good job since they did all the loading and unloading, all you had to do was take it to the location.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Shy'][size=1]Poor Fonty. Is there a potionist in the house? Also, if Sandy could just post I'd love to move on to the next day. I have the 'Wanted' poster ready and everything! -Shy[/size][/QUOTE]Is the potionist even going to be alive to help Fonty? :p I mean it sounds like everyone is going to be in a lot of trouble if someone doesn't do something and quick. *wonders what the words on the scrap of paper are for*[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Well, I hope it's your Internet. o_O I mean seriously, that's kind of freaky sounding. All I can say is it's not doing it for me and I've never heard of that happening either. Maybe Des knows of something that might cause that. Other than that I can't help you.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Excellent work everyone. ^_~ Just a quick update on one of our players. BKstyles was recently promoted at his job and as a result of extra training and responsibilities along with school... it has left him with no time for posting, or rather in a timely manner. So for now he is withdrawing and his characters will become NPC's. It shouldn't have an effect on the story since I've gone ahead and altered the objectives of those of you who would have been working with BKstyles. Anyway, if there are any questions, just let me know. :catgirl:[/FONT][/COLOR]