Vistra Mauve's Story

Coffee. Vistra needed coffee. A gallon would be good, piled on with enough whipped cream and chocolate to make any kid get a sugar rush just by looking at it. Follow that with a nice blueberry muffin and a fluffy bed to fall into and Vistra would be set.

Unfortunately Vistra didn't have a fluffy bed. She didn't have a bed at all. And if she wanted to save enough money for emergencies and food Vistra could only afford a small black coffee and a vending machines breakfast bar. Not very good tasting, but it was better than nothing.

Yesterday had been very long. A worried both had come to her, clinging tightly to the child in her arms. Apparently they had been involved in a hit and run, and the poor girls arm was badly broken. They were recently homeless and couldn't afford a doctors visit. It had taken Vistra a few good hours to heal the little girl enough. It was a bad break, and took lots of blood to completely heal. Vistra ended up having to take many breaks, else she'd pass out from blood loss.

Eventually the girl was good enough to go home. Her arm would be sore, sure, but it wasn't broken anymore. The mother cried, and hugging Vitra close as she could without staining her dress with blood. Vistra had to turn down the money she was offered, telling the family to buy themselves some food.

The moment the happy pair left Vistra threw herself to her makeshift bed, a pile of dirty blankets on a sheet of cardboard. Normally it took Vitra an hour or so to get to bed on the hard cold ground, but healing the girl had taken a lot out of her, and she fell alseep within seconds.

It was well past noon when Vistra woke. Her stomach growled, her arms hurt and she was very cold. So, she found herself buying her black coffee from a vender on the street, and chewing a stiff breakfast bar. Once she finished the last of her meal Vistra tossed her trash away and stretched. It had been nearly a month since her last encounter with a demon and she was getting worried. She hoped they weren't planning anything big.

The park, she decided, would be a good place to plan her next course of action. It wasn't far off from where she was, and it was warming up outside. She tugged at her sleeves as she walked. Since discovering her power she couldn't wear anything but long sleeves. People would stare at her scars and give her looks of pity. She just couldn't handle it. Why her power couldn't heal the cuts she had to give herself, she didn't know.

At least when she got to the park her favorite bench was open. She sat down, enjoying the beeeze and watching a few ducks swim by in the not far off lake. Prehaps the demons had given up on her? She doubted it, but what did it hurt to hope? Still, that thought wouldn't stop Vistra from enjoying herself when she had time. From her backpack Vistra brought out her bible with a grin. Something to say pass the time.

She opened to a random page and began to mutter under her breath. 'But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.'

Three knocks, and then silence.

When there was no response, a young woman in a plain t-shirt and jeans barged into the room and immediately started choking on the cigarette smoke that filled it. Squinting as her eyes scanned for the room's occupant, she covered her mouth with her sleeve as she began talking.

"Jesus! Would you stop smoking inside? You have a window right there!"

"You came in here on your own, pal." Rianne pointed her cigarette at the girl, tapping the end of it with her finger. "I don't remember inviting you in." With that, she set it back against her lips as she kept her gaze on her. "So? What is it?"

"Never. Mind." The girl muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, waving smoke out of her face as she slammed the door shut behind her. Rianne shrugged and turned up her music player even louder - loud to the point where she almost didn't hear her phone go off.

Snatching it from the desk by her bed, she flipped through her messages to see that a certain principal had left her a text.

[Principal: lol sister wanna go beat up a girl and drag her back here thx bye]

Below the text was a name, place, and description. Rianne flipped her phone shut and rolled her eyes, pocketing it and grabbing the rest of her things, cigarette still in her mouth. She opened the window and leaped out with a second's hesitation - as she descended, golden wings flared out from behind her and she secured a safe landing about three stories below. They vanished in a glowing cascade of light, and then she dropped her cigarette onto the pavement. Taking a quick second to stomp it out, she flipped her phone open again and followed the coordinates to a park. . .

Vistra was tired, but rather happy at how her day was going. She was well rested, her hunger satisfied, and her Bible gave her a sense of comfort. Perhaps today would be a relaxing one.

Or....not. A high pitched scream, one that made Vistra's toes curl rang out. She snapped her book shut and looked up. A horned demon, one with long curved claws slashed at a swing set and nearly decapitated a child who was playing there. Stuffing her Bible away, and bringing out her trusty pocket knife Vistra stood. Yes whatever thing had given her powers didn't seem to give her anything very offensive, but she couldn't stand and watch a child be attacked because of her.

She cut deep into her arm, bringing a trickle of blood out. It ran down her hand as she rushed forward. The demon snapped it's scaly head towards her and screamed. The child thankfully ran off, his mother screaming the whole time. Vistra hoped they didn't call the police.

Focusing Vistra locked eyes with the monster. It lunged, and she hardly had time to jump back. Biting her bottom lip Vistra slashed forward with her knife, sending her blood flowing after it. It spread across the demons wounds and it cried out, though didn't seem any worse for wear.

'Why can't you leave me alone!' She shouted, slashing again at it. 'What did I do to deserve this!?'

Unfazed by the tiny slashes, the demon suddenly realized that its prey seemed to be no real threat. Letting out a vicious snarl, its claw reared back to shred her to bits when a single, glowing chain bolted toward it from behind, wrapping tightly around its throat. Before it could make a noise, the chain sent it prone on the ground and then rapidly dragged it backwards 60 feet.

On the other end of the chain was Rianne, who promptly grabbed the lesser demon by the face and then slammed it into the ground. There was a golden shockwave erupting at the point of impact, and when the light faded there was only a stain on the ground where its head used to be. The gloved hand that she'd used to crush it with had a shimmering glow around it, which faded once she dusted it off.

In her other hand was her phone, which she'd been half-looking at the entire time. Her eyes shifted from Vistra back to her screen a couple of times before deciding that this was the one. She sent a quick text back to Illusion.

[Rianne: i got her. coming back back soon]

She flipped it shut and pocketed her phone, giving a nonchalant wave to the would-be devil's seed. "Alright, kid, let's go. If you've got questions, you can ask 'em later."

Vistra's mouth hung open. 'Wha....What?' This woman, her saviour didn't seem to bat an eyelash whilst killing the thing. She beckoned Vistra forward in a rather calm tone.

'Wait.' She said, struggling to her feet and ignoring the woman's request. Vistra definitely did not trust her, even if she had saved her life. 'Where do you want to take me? A-and what's going on!? Do you know why those things are chasing me?!'

"Where do I want to take you?" Rianne echoed, scratching her head as she thought up an appropriate response. "Somewhere safer than here, I guess. Anyway, that's all I'm going to answer for now; either you follow me nice and quiet or I pull you around like a sled dog." She flicked her wrist up and the chain that she'd used to drag the demon rose into the air like a snake. "I'll leave that up to you, 'cause I don't really care which way we do this."

Vistra always thought of herself as a nice person. She tried not to lie, cheat or steal. Always was kind to strangers and obeyed laws best she could. But this was too much even for her. 'Uh, no? I'm not going with you. For all I know you could be part of whatever sends those things after me!'

She crossed her arms and gave a firm nod. There was no way she'd agree to this. It was too crazy, and everything was unknown. 'Thank you for saving me, but I really don't feel comfortable following you. Sorry.'

"Alright, option two it is," Rianne said. With a quick gesture of her hand, five more chains rose from the earth - now there were six. Without wasting any more time, she mentally commanded them to bind the girl, the chains suddenly leaping up to wrap around her.

Vistra shrieked, the attack coming completely unexpected. She kicked her legs as best she could and glared at the stranger. 'This,' She grunted, 'isn't very nice.'

"Well, I'm a lot nicer than this guy, I'll tell you that much," she shrugged in response, kicking the dead demon over.

'Debatable.' She muttered. 'Fine! Take me to your leader, or whatever.

Rianne didn't respond. Instead, she took hold the end of one of the chains and set her sights back toward the WDL base. Wings of light spread across her back and before they could even fully reach out, they swung downwards and the two were suddenly high up in the air. The first rooftop landing was a little messy because she wasn't used to having a dead weight in tow, but she managed to hold onto her balance and momentum to get another running start into a leap. The run was actually even faster than the leap itself, as generating bursts of speed was one of the qualities that the wings possessed.

She made it back to the base in no time, and it wasn't through the front door. She caught a handful of curious gazes on her way to the auditorium, but it was hard to blame them when she was pulling along a person on a leash. Multiple leashes. The doors were already open it looked like so she shoved Vistra inside. As she did so, the chains around her unraveled smoothly before disappearing into thin air.

"Everyone's already here, huh?" she commented, squinting as she surveyed the demon child crew. "And some new faces." Her eye briefly met with Rick's before moving toward the center of the auditorium again. That wasn't one of the new faces. She turned around and made toward one of the walls, taking a seat on the floor with an arm resting over her propped knee. "Alright, kid, feel free to run your mouth."

-

The whole way there Vistra had her eyes shut tight, and screamed bloody murder in the girl's ear. Never did she think she'd be afraid of heights, but now she wasn't so sure. While merely seconds passed it still felt like hours until Vistra was free of her chains. She landed not so graceful on the floor, bumping her elbow as she did so. Rubbing her bruised spot she looked up, curious at so many new faces.

She blinked, then smiled. 'Um....Hi?'

"I am Rick Brackwall. Pleased to meet you JoJo."

JoJo smiled at the man he now knew was named Rick, although slightly after his expression shifted ever so slightly, being just a tiny bit concerned by the expanded reply he was given.

"So I can only imagine the explanations thus far have been quite scarce as you've only just arrived. You must have many questions, especially regarding the events leading you here."

If Rick knew he'd not been told absolutely anything, then that seemed to be a common practice. "C'mon, guys, you can't just kidnap a guy and then not explain anything to him." He noted the saber on Rick's waist as the older man spoke- was he left handed by any chance. It was odd to see a saber on the right- or perhaps he'd intentionally put it there to show that he was less threatening? Either way, JoJo was a tad perturbed that people were allowed to carry weapons around freely. He'd seen them on his way here, too, longswords and maces and pistols- every person seemed to have some sort of weapon on their hip, and JoJo was a little worried.

"I suspect the auditorium's purpose is to acquaint our newer members to this little corner of the world we call home. Until such a time however I'd be glad to answer any questions to the best of my knowledge. Any question, anything at all, I'll happily address."

JoJo's eyes snapped back up to Rick as he finished speaking- he was obviously prepared to answer any of the many questions JoJo had to throw his way, but as he opened his mouth, JoJo's train of thought changed as he was distracted.

The doors to the Auditorium practically exploded open as an ashen-haired girl burst into the room. JoJo turned to look up at her, eyebrow raised before his eyes widened. Her face was pale, almost like porcelain, framed by even paler hair. He watched, something in the back of his mind beginning to register as he noticed those familiar violet eyes. His mouth opened in shock before the girl began to cry, and with a cheerful cry of "Onii-chan!", she barreled into him, knocking him onto the floor as she hugged him like her life depended on it. "Onii-chan...", Vesper's soft voice brought him back to his childhood. Before he'd been taken by his uncle, before he'd been out on the street. The days when he'd met Dawn, and even further back than that. He was still in shock as he reached up and wrapped an arm around the girl idly, smiling happily. "JoJo... It's really you."

He briefly wondered how she'd known he was coming- in fact, how Rick also knew to be here was a mystery to him as well. Although, he figured a certain lolita had planned this. JoJo smiled, closing his eyes. "My lords, I never thought I'd see you again, lil' Sis." JoJo grinned, getting a little teary-eyed himself. He looked up at the moderately surprised Rick, offering him a sheepish grin as he went to speak, but Rick beat him to it. "I have a feeling you'll fit in just fine." JoJo let out a bit of a chuckle, idly stroking his hand through Vesper's hair subconsciously- just like he used to do when he'd read her stories in the library.

JoJo had been quite intent on finding a way out of this crazy place, but suddenly, reunited with his little sister after so long, the idea became much less appealing to him. He'd find his phone and tell Dawn, but maybe staying here would be better. Although, there was still some guilt that gnawed at him. Dawn would've returned home to a trashed apartment and possibly police, and he had no way to contact her. Even though he missed Vesper so dearly and was ecstatic to see her again, he'd at least need to get in contact with Dawn. Which begged the question- why did they take his phone, in any case? JoJo felt a little bit of dread creep up his spine as he felt unseen eyes on him, nervously looking around to see if-

"So, public romping and voyeurism is accepted here? Nice."

JoJo looked over at the next person to arrive- who wasn't tackling him, luckily. However..
His eyes met the golden globes of a person he'd honestly never expected to see in his life. Truthfully, JoJo had worried that Caius was already long dead in some dark alleyway after getting sucker punched and then shot in the face. His eyes widened once again as the situation hit him; he'd reunited with two people from his past within the last five minutes. What the hell was going on? He barely noticed Rick interacting with the tall Caius, and the man himself seemed just as shocked as he was.

"Wait... Is that... you punk? JoJo?!"
JoJo's face returned to that sheepish grin again as he lifted his arm off of Vesper, giving Caius a wave. "Yo, uh, well, this is weird, right? Good to see you're still kickin', though." He turned as he heard Rick speak, looking up at him from his position on the floor as Rick adjusted his stance to meet JoJo's gaze. "Well, you certainly have made a lot of friends over the years, haven't you?" JoJo's sheepish grin grew wider as he gave Rick a thumbs up. "Apparently so. Although I didn't expect to see these two within five minutes of each other- especially in a place where everyone seems a bit unhinged. Carrying around weapons is a little bit worrying in my eyes, ha ha.." JoJo briefly eyed the blade Rick had on his waist, before looking up again.

The door to the Auditorium had opened, and a somewhat ruffled looking girl dressed like an emo biker stood in the doorway. He watched as she eyed everyone there, then focused on Vesper on top of him. She huffed and quite rudely waltzed up and grabbed the collar of Vesper's dress, yanking her off of JoJo and stepping between them. He would've thanked the girl if he hadn't tuned into the words coming out of her mouth and immediately groaned in his head. “I hate to break up whatever touching reunion this is, but I didn’t come here to watch some shitty drama.”

He knew that they'd get along swimmingly. As she looked back down at him, he slowly stood up once more. He brushed himself off, before looking up as the angry girl looked over in Rick's direction and gave the amazing idea that they needed answers. He agreed with her point- although his desire for answers was a bit more personal than hers. He went to open his mouth before a girl was suddenly tossed onto the floor before him, with another older woman moving over to a nearby wall and sitting against it. "Alright, kid, feel free to run your mouth." JoJo had no idea what she meant, until he took another look at the girl on the floor.

"Um....Hi?"

A smug giggle from behind him made JoJo turn around, coming almost face-to-face with Illusion. He staggered backwards as the vampire gave him a quaint wave before speaking again. "What a way to introduce the poor girl to the academy, Rianne. Couldn't you have been a tad more.. elegant?" She smirked at the 'Sister', then turned back to the others. "I do believe that that time for answers has arrived." JoJo turned, and spotted that loli girl from earlier sitting on the edge of the stage in the auditorium. Anyone facing that direction would've noticed the air shattering silently before bursting apart- like a mirror being broken- and Illusion appearing from said cracks. To say the least it would've been awfully unnerving.

The small girl coughed, surveying the room with a smug smirk. "Feel free to sit down. This is a doozy. Also, a warning. Caius and JoJo are already aware, but any violence will be retaliated with further violence and intense verbal abuse." Illusion's grin was sly, however it turned surprisingly warm and kind as she coughed once more. "Ahem. Welcome to the audtiorium where three of you had a heart attack and a flashback to the past, and the other two of you are just bewildered. One is more bewildered than the other- but only because the second is choosing to be a female doggo instead." She winked noticeably at Ash. "In any case, I'm going to give you a very quick rundown before we begin your formal introduction to this academy. Rick here is a senior to you all, so I'd suggest treating him with respect and courtesy unless such things are toxic to you in which case you're free to instead tone down your rudeness."

Illusion perked up for a moment, looking over to the wings of the stage and giving an audibly dissatisfied groan alongside a grimace. "Rude."
She resumed her speech, her usual demeanour was gone, replaced by a monotone and boring voice and eyes that were essentially dead. "This is your place of residence from this day forth, where you shall be required to attend classes on magic, combat and the usage of useful devices such as vehicles, coffee machines and magic seals. You will be staying here for the rest of your lives and your every need will be attended to due to your unusual circumstances. We hope you enjoy your stay at the Warriors of Divine Light's Exorcist Academy and live long and prosper."

Illusion promptly tore the paper in her hand in half, tossing it aside. Her eyes glowed ever so subtly as she stood up and dropped down onto their levels. "Now that the formality is out of the way, I'd like to welcome you to the first time you've all been together in one place, Satanspawn." She surveyed the group, crossing her arms. "Long story short is that you're all half-demon children of the Devil destined to cause the destruction of the world. You were brought here to prevent that." Illusion shrugged. "Unless any of you still don't believe that supernatural beings exist? I'd happily show you otherwise."

After a few moments, Illusion froze up a little. She turned her head towards the back of the stage, where a tall man was slowly walking. His footsteps echoed loudly throughout the auditorium. His eye was trained on her, and as he reached the edge of the stage, he stopped and crossed his arms. His eyes drilled into her, and Illusion made sure to look out towards the doorway, smiling despite the drop of sweat that decided to crawl down her face. "Ahh, I forgot you were there. Haha, hi Arthur."

Arthur remained silent, and the others in the room would sense an intensely powerful aura emanating from the older man. His clothes were bursting with muscles, but it was his eyes that did it. They were stony and cold- no wonder Illusion was getting a tad nervous. Arthur sighed hard, making Illusion jump a little. "Leave before I change my mind." Illusion spun, saluted, and fell into a mirror crack and vanished. Arthur eyed the children one by one, his very gaze making them one hundred percent certain that he was someone they shouldn't antagonise even slightly. "My name is Arthur Evangelion. Those of you that don't know me, I am the leader of the Warriors of Divine Light. You are now my personal students. Illusion is also your superior. I expect you to do well here despite the blood in your veins. In a day you will be heading the an area nearby to participate in a special training camp. Rick, having done this trial before, will be designated leader. Respect him. I expect results." His gaze shifted to Rick, softening only slightly. "I trust you will provide said results. I have no more words for you. A letter will be distributed later if you want more information."

Arthur paused, then spoke again. He touched the sword at his hip, the lights in the room suddenly began to flicker. Arthur closed his eyes, then slowly drew the blade from its sheath. The lights in the room blazed brightly, almost burning those gathered as the blade was held out before them, glistening brightly- godly so- in the light. Electricity crackled from the lights above, and Arthur was suddenly the most intimidating thing on the planet. He loomed over them, eye glowing white with power as he seemed to double in size. The light grew brighter as he grew taller, his eye moving to each child in turn.

"Unchecked, you are a threat to the entire human race. If you flee, if you run. If you vanish, we will hunt you. We will find you. And we will kill you. And trust me, we can kill you."" As the last words left his mouth, the lights in the room all exploded, his blade returning to its position at his hip, and everything returned to normal. Arthur's intimidating aura was still there, but he wasn't terrifying like he was a few seconds ago.

"Good day." With that, he strode back into the wings of the auditorium.

A few moments later, a relieved sigh came from behind the children. Illusion sat next to Rick, arms crossed. "That man is absolutely terrifying, I swear. If looks could kill, we'd have died before he even set foot in here." She stood up, uncrossing her arms and smiling at the group. "Well, for now, let's return to our dorms, shall we? By the way, if you have any questions, feel free to ask- Arthur prefers not to waste words when he has me to blab for hours for him!" Illusion grinned, tilting her head slightly as she awaited any questions directed at her. She was a tiny bit more pale than usual. Obviously, even she was worried about Arthur's power.

---

---

Smiling, the girl exited the shop. She covered her eyes and looked up at the sun, grumbling as it burned her skin softly. She reached into her pockets and pulled out her sunglasses, unfolding them and placing them on her head in one smooth motion as she looked around. With a soft sigh from her silky lips, the blonde began her trek to the nearest alleyway. With a smile, the girl arrived. However, her smile vanished as she noticed that the alley wasn't unoccupied.

Her red eyes peered out from behind her sunglasses as she let out a sigh. Her lips curled into a pout as she slowly reached up and took off her sunglasses, placing them in her pocket once more. The men looked over at her, hands on their weapons as they approached her. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed two more men- one standing at the edge of the alley to keep guard while the others did their work. She let out a discontented sigh, before closing her eyes. A small smirk crossed her features, and the men realised that she'd willingly walked straight into their ambush.

Seconds later, the girl strode from the alleyway, completely untouched. She walked down the road a little, then hailed a taxi before hopping inside and leaving the area. A few moments later, a man groaned in annoyance as his dog stopped in front of the alley and began to urinate on the wall. The man sighed and went to lecture the pet before something caught his eye.

There, in the alley, lay approximately 6 men.
All were dead.
And all had a hole straight through their hearts.

================================

================================

"Do you honestly think
that something I resisted
for so long will be accepted
without resistance, come on
be realistic. This world is
not of sweets and honey."

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██At this moment, Caius had every reason to just hightailed it. There was that man-woman, he's referring to Illusion at this point, and then, this punk. He was even dragged to some place that said to be Rome, so basically he had thrown on the other side of world. That was just perfect for him to think he was in some crazy institution. The only thing that prevented him to just leave was the condition of the kids. That male trap mentioned the orphanage. It was enough for him to be very cautious and he didn't want to do anything too reckless, but then again, thinking too much was never his forte. His head was already hurting from this confusion.

Because of the bizarre events surrounding him right now, he really didn't notice the one he had dubbed as rule-kisser asking him who he was. He was instead waiting solidly on the confirmation from that punk if he was that stupid brat some years ago. Unlucky for him, that punk in his memories and this guy in front of him was the same. He was really close to facepalming himself right now. That's when he gazed at the other guy present who commented about JoJo having a lot of friends that included him. All right, he would need to correct that. "Hey." He called out to the two-eyed color kid, now that he took enough time to look. "That." He pointed at JoJo and then to himself. "And me are no friends."

After that, there was another newcomer. A girl who was contrasting in color to the one he had identified with a pretty butt. She's more direct in her show of annoyance by manhandling the other girl away from JoJo. As for him, he was cleaning his ear with his little finger. This place is crazy.

Anyway, the rocker emo chick from the looks of it demanded answers. He would like that as well, but before anything else. Someone else came, a pair of females. Really, what is it with girls popping around. It's not like he wasn't enjoying it, but being a minority in terms of gender, doesn't sit well with him. The older woman said something about running mouth, so he looked at the girl who was deposited like some luggage. This one was much younger just looked at them and had unimpressive introduction. He could only sigh at that. This was getting too old too quickly for him. He was about just a few seconds away from bolting out. He'll just deal with kids in his own way, but before he could take another step, the baby disaster in disguise appeared.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue as a reaction and Illusion as she introduced herself before spoke. She even bragged about her taking him down a peg. That was a fuckin' lucky shot. Next time would be very different as he simply crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Hmph." Anyways, she then introduced that rule-kisser as Rick. He looked at the two-eyed kid from the sides. No wonder, the guy had that kind of impression. That one had been here longer than most of them apparently. He also noticed the sword hanging by the waist. He's not scared of a toothpick, but it also meant this nerdy-looking guy can at least fight.

Setting that aside for now, he continued listening to Illusion. She was still insisting he was some hell spawn along with the rest. At the same time, his eyes narrowed. The end product of what that Thumbelina said was, he and the others were their personal hamsters for a more common use term, prisoners. That really doesn't sit well with him at all. She then said about not believing in the supernatural of whatever. "I don't believe you. You're clearly crazy from where I stand with all these stupid mumbo jumbo." He was not going to fall to this freak show. It was probably some elaborate shit-show and he won't take part in it.

"I'm going." He turned his back and was about to take a step to leave, but that was then he felt an overwhelmingly strong presence. It made the hair at the back of his neck stand and with the timely words of Illusion giving a name to it, Arthur. He looked over his shoulder and saw a man who seemed to be carved from a mountain. This made him taking a step towards the exit rather hard as the man called Arthur spoke. He turned around to face the newcomer. As it would appear, that stone-faced geezer was the leader of the band group Illusion told him about earlier. The guy even said that they were his students. As if he needed some strange man to tell him what he should do or not, he really had enough of those type of guys.

The Arthur guy finished up, but not before demonstrating that intense presence. Caius looked at the lights as it blinked. The special effects team was really doing their job well. It was really top notch and once he felt eyes on him. He met it without hesitation. They were the eyes of that Arthur. Right now, he could feel every sense in his body to tell him to run. That never happened before and that made him confused as he could feel the sense of cold water being thrown at him. His eyes narrowed as he made fists with his hands. He knew that his body wanted to tremble, but hell he would allow that to happen. That's why his nails dug deep into his skin. Letting pain overcome that implicated fear on him, he won't cave in. He also didn't avert his eyes as Arthur delivered his threat.

When the guy was gone, it was like the heavy atmosphere dispersed. Caius finally released his hands from its clenched form as blood slowly dripped down to the floor. He then glanced at Illusion who smiled like everything was on cue. He clicked his tongue again in irritation. "Questions, then tell me. Where is the fuckin' exit?" He shook his head and those golden eyes that were radiant like the blazing sun gazed intensely at Illusion. "I don't want to be a part of this shitty production. Find yourself another child of the devil or whatever." He stretched his neck as if in preparation of things getting rough. "Capisce ?" Yeah, he was not going to believe in those make-believe stories. He's no idiot.

---

[O.R.I.N]

It was around that time that set up against one wall, an intercom speaker flared into life, a short electronic tone accompanied by a voice that didn't sound like it came from a person.It was off. Metallic-sounding. It sounded like a recording through autotune or pitch correction, something that might have possible...had it not started out addressing Caius' demand to leave.

"A notice that if you attempt to leave without the permission of an officer, I'm authorised to initiate a lockdown sequence on the building, and you can all camp out there until your friend cools his jets."

A brief pause.
"More generally, let me introduce myself to all of you.
I am O.R.I.N, the WDL's network maintenance system.
I can see virtually everything that goes on in the facility and I have complete control of the security technology in all the complex's buildings.
I have no need to consider what you want.
I also have no need to be scared of reprisals for not considering what you want.
I thought I would remind you of that while you think over how you're going to react. Do choose carefully as you only get one chance to give a first impression, and triggering the blast doors is a very bad way to make a name for yourself.
ORIN out."

Somewhere within the core of the base, a figure leaned her forehead against her palms and sighed deeply.

The training was not exactly off to a good start.

Still even without advanced trend-plotting functions and algorithms she could have seen it coming. That was what happened when you pulled in untrained brats and expected them to take some kind of responsibility for their own nature.

People were, for the most part, a very irritating and complicated variable that made getting things done far more difficult than it needed to be. That was even without factoring in abilities and what these... individuals were going to attract by being present.

If it were up to her they would not be doing this at all.
Of course, no decisions of great importance were up to her.

The task of ORIN was to make sure things that other people decided to do would work out.

And that task would, if necessary, see her using the WDL security system on their newest recruits.

The figure, an angular-looking woman dressed in dark grey, sat back in the high-backed chair an action that disturbed several cables that rose up from her shoulders to disappear somewhere into sockets up in the ceiling. She'd needed to correct some problems with the wireless network, something that needed a form of direct connection, and fluctuations in the general power supply had required she establish the link via cable in order to charge the facility's internal batteries in case of any more flickers.

Just as well. If she was going to remotely go toe to toe with some angry new arrival then it would be embarrassing to have the power cut out.

It meant ORIN was stuck in the network core for a while, but that was not a problem. The WDL's network had plenty of things to keep her busy.

By her estimate, she had about five seconds to wait for a response. Not a lot of time for an ordinary person.
But time was relative.

A human only perceived seconds as the shortest amount of useful time because a human body was slow and unwieldy and needed more time to accomplish anything of note. A computer could make thousands of calculations in the space of a second. Her time spent waiting to see how people might respond to her introduction gave ORIN ample time to check the battery levels, run a ping check on the wireless network, examine each of the facility's external cameras for any kind of unwanted activity, and try to settle on some demeaning nicknames for some of the new recruit... though she decided that she might wait on the last one in order to settle on what she thought would be the most cutting.

It was with those things set that the woman snapped back to the previous camera and re-opened the sound feed.
If nothing else was going to come of this questionable venture, she could at least get a bit of sport out of it.

Ashley “Ash” “Soot” Clade

Despite Ash attempting to take some semblance of command, it seemed her request was to be interrupted as another pair of girls made an entrance. With little hesitation and zero ceremony, the first of the two -an older looking lady with an eerily similar expression of annoyance to Ashley - dumped the second girl to the floor before striding to the corner to sit, making some offhand and grouchy comments about them. For some reason, Ash couldn’t help but smirk at the attitude of the woman, and didn’t even have a quip to comment on her.

”Um....Hi?”

Ash turned her gaze down to the other one on the floor, distracted momentarily with the pathetic looking kid. Seeing as she’d stopped just in front of her, Ash squatted down, extending her hand out to help get her off the floor. “Hey loser, try not to look so pathetic on the first day.” Hauling the younger teen to her feet, Ash appraised her appearance a bit, noting the numerous scars running along her arms. Those weren’t the kind of things healthy people had, and so Ash scratched the back of her head and turned away. Perhaps she should’ve cut that one a bit more slack.

Her thoughts on the matter were interrupted as an annoyingly familiar sing-song voice filtered in, Ash spinning to locate the source, distracted enough that Vesper was able to simply slip past her to stand with JoJo. Watching the mystical light show, Ash quickly realised that explained how the tiny girl got into bed with her. Folding her arms, she listened to the speech without interrupting. They were getting the answers she wanted, so she wasn’t about to start something now. Taking note that her ‘kindred-spirit’ in the corner was known as Rianne, as well as the look Illusion gave her regarding how violence and antisocial behaviour was tolerated, Ash simply snorted a bit, keeping her arms folded. Being called a doggo was mildly amusing though.

So, the nerd boy in a suit was Rick? Geez, poor guy. She didn’t even have to try to think of an insult to name him with a name like Richard. Still, that dweeb was going to be their instructor? He didn’t look like much. Well, she was going to enjoy making a loser like him regret taking the position. If he wanted her respect, he was going to have to earn it. Until then, she’d make sure to make his life a bit of a living hell. Smiling again, Ash looked forward to making that whiny baby tear his hair out in frustration.

"This is your place of residence from this day forth, where you shall be required to attend classes on magic, combat and the usage of useful devices such as vehicles, coffee machines and magic seals. You will be staying here for the rest of your lives and your every need will be attended to due to your unusual circumstances. We hope you enjoy your stay at the Warriors of Divine Light's Exorcist Academy and live long and prosper." Illusion elaborated, Ash pausing to take it all in. Combat classes? Magic? Well, they were in for a rude awakening when Ash prominently displayed that she couldn’t do a thing other than order around a motorbike. Looking over the rest of the sorry crew, none of them looked particularly special. She thought that they were all half-demon children? Somehow, Ash felt they were all going to be pretty unspectacular. Then again… Reminded of that bloody man that had attacked her, Ash unintentionally shivered a bit. Maybe looks could be deceiving. Demons didn’t have to look like monsters to be one.

"I don't believe you. You're clearly crazy from where I stand with all these stupid mumbo jumbo." The tall boy spoke up, and Ash eye rolled a bit, looking to him in disdain. Really? After all this he still couldn’t accept that maybe there were some things they didn’t understand? Granted, Ash had probably had a much more horrific induction to the WDL, but that Illusion chick was more than enough proof that there were supernatural forces afoot. Still, someone else would likely show him just how stupid he really was.

Just as Ash was thinking that, that someone decided to make their presence known. Ash was a pretty tough girl. Say what you want about her attitude, but she had a glare that could make people wither in moments. The fact that this man managed to shatter that demeanour with just his presence was impressive to say the least, as Ash took a cautious step back. There was certainly something intimidating about the head of the WDL, and that was before he’d even opened his mouth or blown up the lights with nothing but the act of barely drawing his sword. Still, Ash had a reputation as a bad-ass to keep. She wasn’t about to let him intimidate her. Much.

“He doesn’t look that tough…” Ash whispered leaning down towards Vistra. She looked impressionable enough for Ash to manipulate somewhat. With that said, she sat back up, before the big lughead started making another big deal and throwing another tantrum. Honestly, what was he, a two year old? Ash didn’t like this place any more than he did, but she at least had the common sense to realise they were stuck here. She was actually about to say something about his ignorance before jumping slightly as another new almost electronic voice came out behind them. Ash looked around a little confused until her eyes settled on the speaker and camera in the corner of the room, affixing it with a bit of a glare. So they were being monitored by some defence system. Wonderful.

“You hear that dumbass? You’re stuck here - like me - like it or not. If you can look past your own stupid, selfish needs for one second, maybe you could see that this isn’t some dumb joke. ” Striding up towards Caius, Ash was happy to get into his face with a sneer, condescendingly speaking to him like he was some child. “Believe me, if I had a choice I’d go back to my normal life without all you losers in a heartbeat, but I’m stuck with all of you, and you’re stuck with me. We don’t have to get along, but it looks like we’re gonna have a job to do, so we may as well shut up and play along for now.” Stepping back away from Caius, Ash turned to the rest of the group, tossing her hair a couple of times as it got tangled.

“I’m Ash, by the way. May as well get these introductions out of the way.”

Vistra smiled at the girl who helped her up. At least someone here was civilized. 'Thank you. And, um, I'll try?' When the older girl turned away in an uncomfortable manner Vistra tilted her head. Nothing seemed normal here. Before she could do anything else but state there was a new face in the room. He was a rather imposing man and Vistra couldn't help but step back. She was no coward, but man that dude could snap her in half.

He began his speech and in turn left Vitra gawking. He confirmed what the strange girl had said. Her. Vistra Mauve. Daughter of a priest and extremely religious girl was the daughter of The Devil? When faced with something so shocking Vistra did the only thing she could think of.

She laughed.

Doubled over, clutching at her stomach and hardly able to breath Vistra was a sight to behold. It wasn't like she didn't believe him. It made sense. Those things that chased her for so long couldn't be anything but demons. It all fell into place and Vistra wasn't sure if she felt relief at knowing or simply more fear.

By the time Vistra calmed herself the girl that helped her before was muttering down at her. She had missed the boys tantrum because of her laughing fit, but she could relate to how he feels. Still, she smiled again at the girl and flicked a tear from her eye.

The older girl then went about introducing herself. Ash seemed nice enough, though her language left a bitter taste in her mouth. Maybe Vistra could help her with that.

Before she had her own chance to say hello the women who kidnapped her spoke up. Now Vistra always thought of herself as the bigger person, and her father taught her that if she didn't have anything to say, say nothing at all. So once Rianne finished her terse introduction Vistra simply nodded and stepped forward.

'Hello. I'm Vistra. It's nice to meet you all, even with all this going on.' She smiled at each of them in turn. 'And I suppose this would make us half-siblings? I've always wanted an older brother and sister.'

Rick Brackwall

Rick had turned and stood at attention as was formally expected as soon as he had arrived. He stood before the demonstration of power from the esteemed leader of the WDL, ever still despite all things considered. The lights had become so bright however that he had to shield his eyes, bringing a hand up to provide shelter to them without necessarily obscuring his view of Arthur. Only when the lights burst did his hand waver slightly, his will to not falter before Arthur strong enough to hold his composure during the event.

As Arthur bid them good day and left the auditorium Rick was still mildly robbed of words, not just from the display of power but from the revelation that he was to serve as this groups leader, at least for the challenge ahead. He wanted to volunteer to help guide the newer members through so as to ease their transition and smoothly bring them up to speed. Never did he suspect that instead he would be nominated for the task by the head of the WDL himself. Having his seniority recognized by the highest authority in the organization was quite the honor.


Of course that also meant that the responsibility was greater in turn. Arthur expected results and Rick had every intention to deliver them. However...

"I don't want to be a part of this shitty production. Find yourself another child of the devil or whatever."

This was going to be easier said than done given the belligerence a few of them were already displaying. He was about to speak but the situation seemed to roll away from him over a very short but active period of time.

"A notice that if you attempt to leave without the permission of an officer, I'm authorised to initiate a lockdown sequence on the building, and you can all camp out there until your friend cools his jets."

It seemed his new comrade's antics had drawn the attention of ORIN. If she decided to they were not going to be going anywhere which would make his job of introducing all the newcomers to the WDL significantly harder. She proceeded to introduce themselves as well as make some points, albeit in a rather threatening manner.


Next up of course was Ash, confronting Caius on his actions.

“You hear that dumbass? You’re stuck here - like me - like it or not. If you can look past your own stupid, selfish needs for one second, maybe you could see that this isn’t some dumb joke. ”

She proceeded to march up to Caius's face, trying no doubt to stare him down.

“Believe me, if I had a choice I’d go back to my normal life without all you losers in a heartbeat, but I’m stuck with all of you, and you’re stuck with me. We don’t have to get along, but it looks like we’re gonna have a job to do, so we may as well shut up and play along for now.”


He appreciated her task oriented sentiment however arguing with her comrade was only going to create division when what he needed was to better bring them together. He needed teamwork, not corporal punishment and belittlement.

"Okay, I think I've heard enough."

Rick had the composure not to put a palm to his face but was certainly struck with the urge to.

"Hey, loser." She directly addressed Ash "You sure as hell don't have to get along with me, but you're gonna want to get along with everyone else, so you can start by dropping that attitude before I beat the snot out of you. Don't waste my time, don't waste Rick's time, and don't waste the WDL's time. We need you all to cooperate. You know what doesn't entail? Acting like some playground bully because your insecurities keep you awake at night. 'Shut up and play along for now,' don't give me that crap. No one's ever worked properly as a team with a mindset like that, so why don't you get your head out of your fucking ass."


At last there was a moment to interject. Rick took the opportunity to get some words in lest the arguing spread and infect the fellow children's morales.

"Thank you Rianne."

He started, smiling largely to hide his cringe at the sharpness of her words. It was good that she was assisting him with the situation however her strong wording was in definite need for refinement. Choosing to let what was said thus far to sink in for Caius and Ash Rick opted instead to turn towards the other remaining children, all no less valuable than the other at this point.

"Hello. I'm Vistra. It's nice to meet you all, even with all this going on. And I suppose this would make us half-siblings? I've always wanted an older brother and sister."

Vistra greeted them all. She certainly was a strange one, reactions being atypical to his expectations but her demeanor was quite welcome.

"It is good to meet you Vistra. It is indeed true that we are siblings by blood. I welcome the opportunity to better relate now that we're all brought together."


He looked over, addressing the other non-argumentative members generally.

"At this point however we are united not only by blood but also by circumstance. I understand the situations that you all arrived under were less than ideal but with your cooperation that will change."

He maintained a fair tone of seriousness, giving their arrival the respect it deserves.

"As they say, A rocky start is simply the beginning of a thrilling hike."

He smiled more, interjecting some levity while lightening up so as to create a less intense atmosphere.

"Come now everyone. Whilst Illusion and our esteemed leader Arthur have given you all some explanation regarding our role in the WDL I suspect you are all full of questions still yet to be answered. It is my express pleasure to satisfy any curiosity and I'll be seeing to it that you are optimally comfortable and informed. Follow me to the projector room and afterwords I'll help guide you all to your respective dormitory rooms. If anyone's interested after that I'll still be available to give a tour of this establishment."

Smoothly he turned, gesturing for them to follow him out the door. As he stepped through he threw open both of the double doors in a grand gesture, unveiling the city of Rome in it's full glory to all stepping through.


Sometimes a bit of theatrics could be more powerful than technology and even magic at times. Rick certainly hoped it could keep their interest on him as opposed to just fighting each other like a wild pack of dogs.

| Jonathan Black/JoJo |

JoJo watched somewhat blankly as Illusion gave her speech, having ignored Caius' remark beforehand. He had something a bit more important to focus on than Caius being rude. Demon kids again, huh? Well, JoJo somehow doubted that. After all, his father was a bit busy with his new family now, and- JoJo winced, reaching up to rub the side of his head before shaking it, looking back up at Illusion. He raised an eyebrow; before his headache hit, Illusion was on stage alone, but now she standing right before himself and the others, looking them all over, although still speaking. He looked over to Vesper who'd moved to his side, before looking back to the vampire principal as she continued on. Illusion shrugged. "Unless any of you still don't believe that supernatural beings exist? I'd happily show you otherwise."

"What the everloving fuckles is going on here.." was the only thing JoJo had come out of his mouth. He knew that obviously something was going on- first there was that crazy spider woman, and then a lolita vampire had slammed him into a wall. He looked over at Illusion, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. She couldn't have been that bad, though, she gave him food when he was starving, after all. Remembering her previous reminder of her 'retaliation', JoJo had enough sense to keep his trap shut. Sure, he'd never expected to see anything aside from humans on this planet, but he had a fairly open mind- and no normal little girl could float or toss him around a room.

However, there was someone who didn't quite share his ability to not speak. His good old friend Caius, in fact. With a simple "I'm going." the man turned and began to leave the room. However, he stopped in his tracks right after. Jonathan turned towards the stage, only to spot possibly the most intimidating person he'd ever seen briskly walking across it. Even the vampire in front of him seemed nervous, and she turned around slowly to the man as he stood at the edge of the stage, glaring daggers at her. "Ahh, I forgot you were there. Haha, hi Arthur." With that, Illusion vanished into a.. thing. JoJo totally had to learn that move one day. His attention returned to the man, who gave them a painfully obvious ultimatum- and also marked Rick as their superior. Jonathan didn't really mind, since Rick seemed like an alright guy, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

As Arthur began to showcase his power, and Jonathan wondered how much it would hurt to be smacked by that sword Arthur wielded. JoJo tensed up just like he did when the spider woman attacked him, and he grit his teeth. Sure, Arthur was absolutely terrifying, but JoJo wouldn't be stupid enough to fight him- Jonathan would rather use his head than his fists, even during a fight. And Arthur didn't exactly look like a guy he could get away with using anything else on.

".. Kill us? The hell have we done..? Is being born that bad?" He muttered to himself once Arthur had left, and he briefly looked over at Vistra, worried slightly at her sudden outburst of giggles and making sure she was okay. He turned back and let out a heavy sigh, visibly relaxing only slightly. He needed to find a phone and, well, do something- but then again, if he called Dawn, she might try to come get him or something. He couldn't exactly have the shorty come here and get whooped by Arthur or Illusion or whoever else was here- or imprisoned or whatever they did to people that tried to trespass here. Jonathan imagined it wasn't nice, whatever it was. He was zoned out to the point that he didn't even notice Illusion reappearing. His previous idea was the find a phone, but that idea was gone. Firstly because he'd seen Vesper again and leaving her wasn't exactly a huge priority for him- but mostly now he was just worried that he'd drag his poor housemate into something over her head. Both of their heads, honestly.

"Fucking.. fuck. The hell am I supposed to do?" Jonathan turned around, before groaning audibly as he heard Caius once again speak. He looked over at Vesper, checking on her, before he looked over at Caius. Illusion had apparently given them a chance for questions, and Caius was the first to respond. "Questions, then tell me. Where is the fuckin' exit?" JoJo groaned. "Really, dude?" Continuing his rant, he began to get ready for a fight from what JoJo saw. At this moment, he also noticed Caius' hands being bloody. Was he that intimidated by Arthur that he had to squeeze his fists that hard? Someone like Caius was scared of Arthur? "Well, fuck me, right? I thought that guy was fearless." In fact, thinking back on it, JoJo realised that the people who seemed the toughest of the group had reacted the most- Rick and Vesper barely even flinched, or didn't flinch at all.

He let out a sigh, about to call out to Caius before he jumped a little as the intercom on the wall crackled to life. Apparently there was a sentient being in control of the facility's surveillance system, and she didn't sound very, if at all, happy. Her name was ORIN, which probably stood for.. uh.. something. Probably. However, with her threat on the table, JoJo was quite honestly expecting things to start looking up.

He was so wrong.

“You hear that dumbass? You’re stuck here - like me - like it or not. If you can look past your own stupid, selfish needs for one second, maybe you could see that this isn’t some dumb joke.” The black-haired girl had practically waltzed up to Caius, immediately getting in his face and mouthing off at him. “Believe me, if I had a choice I’d go back to my normal life without all you losers in a heartbeat, but I’m stuck with all of you, and you’re stuck with me. We don’t have to get along, but it looks like we’re gonna have a job to do, so we may as well shut up and play along for now.”

Jonathan almost went and slammed his face into the nearest wall. He was nice, but he had his limits. They were literally just threatened with imprisonment if they caused anything, and here we had this girl immediately going and causing something. JoJo watched somewhat intently, though, as she'd walked right into Caius' range- and from what he remembered, that was not a good place to be. However, he was immediately a bit more relieved when she stepped away from him, turning to the rest of the group with a hair flip. How angsty. “I’m Ash, by the way. May as well get these introductions out of the way.”

JoJo began to wonder if being cut off was going to be a thing around here when, as when he went to introduce himself, the girl at the side of the room cut in. He was cut off. Again. It was definitely a thing. All pretense of niceties was lost within five seconds of her opening her mouth. She pointed directly at Ash after catching everyone's attention with two claps, kind of like a teacher getting their students attention. He'd expected something from her, but was just a little irked when it seemed that she, too, was intent on starting something. He glanced over at Rick, their designated leader, and wondered how he'd manage a group like this. JoJo actually felt sorry for him.

"Hey, loser." What an opening line- she was obviously trying to be the most friendly person in the room. Wall-girl stared directly at the black-haired girl, whom Jonathan now knew was named Ash. "You sure as hell don't have to get along with me, but you're gonna want to get along with everyone else, so you can start by dropping that attitude before I beat the snot out of you. Don't waste my time, don't waste Rick's time, and don't waste the WDL's time." JoJo raised an eyebrow. So she was also a member of the WDL? But aside from appearing out of basically nowhere, she seemed completely different to the two other staff members he'd met. Maybe she was some sort of instructor? Or, considering there was plenty people carrying around weapons that probably also had tongues as sharp as said weapons, she was just a regular mook that was dragged into attending with the girl from before? Whoever she was, she'd taken the mood in the room from slightly not bad back to oh god territory- he figured that Ash would have some very choice words for her right after.

Rianne put out her lit cigarette, and JoJo wondered if it was usual for someone to smoke for five seconds before stopping. Maybe there was a no smoking rule? "Name's Rianne, by the way. There's my introduction." He nodded slightly. Well, that's.. 7 new names he'd learned today. All up, he knew Vesper, Caius, Rick, Ash, Rianne, Arthur and.. Illusion? Couldn't be her actual name, right? Nah, JoJo decided, surely not.

JoJo was snapped out of his thoughts as the girl that giggled a bit too hard introduced herself. 'Hello. I'm Vistra. It's nice to meet you all, even with all this going on.' When she smiled at him, her smiled back- no need to be rude, especially in such absolutely ridiculous circumstances- I mean, a guy had just blown the lights by waving around a sword. That was absolutely insane. 'And I suppose this would make us half-siblings? I've always wanted an older brother and sister.' JoJo chuckled softly, "I s'pose it would." He spoke up, loud enough for everyone to head. "Name's Jonathan, JoJo for short. Pleasure to meet you all." 8 names he knew, now. He was going to offer his hand for her to shake before Rick, sensing the hostility between a certain trio in the room, took action.

He looked over as Rick spoke, listening to him. Apparently, Rick had been here for a while, so it was probably best for him to be listening to his senior. "At this point however we are united not only by blood but also by circumstance. I understand the situations that you all arrived under were less than ideal but with your cooperation that will change." JoJo nodded in agreement- even though he wanted to, he couldn't just walk out of here. He'd resigned himself to being stuck here for the time being. Honestly, he really just wanted to tell Dawn he wasn't dead- Rick would definitely know where there was a phone. He probably had one, even, and Jonathan knew Dawn's number by heart.

Tuning back into Rick's speech from his thoughts, he grimaced slightly. "As they say, A rocky start is simply the beginning of a thrilling hike." A thrilling hike doesn't usually start with getting your feet messed up, that's for sure. There's only a certain amount of rockiness that you can go through. Also, JoJo thought to himself, who even says that?

"Come now everyone. Whilst Illusion and our esteemed leader Arthur have given you all some explanation regarding our role in the WDL I suspect you are all full of questions still yet to be answered. It is my express pleasure to satisfy any curiosity and I'll be seeing to it that you are optimally comfortable and informed." JoJo looked up as soon as Rick mentioned a tour- he could finally find a damn phone! But something else caught him, and that was Rick's offer to answer their questions on Illusion's behalf. Rick at this point seemed a tad cardboard, like he was forcing his pleasant demeanour. 'Express pleasure'? 'Optimally comfortable'? Something seemed ever so off about it, although JoJo pinned that down to his nerves and his circumstances. He perked up a little, however, as Rick continued. "Follow me to the projector room and afterwords I'll help guide you all to your respective dormitory rooms. If anyone's interested after that I'll still be available to give a tour of this establishment."

He crossed his arms, surveying everyone else in the room, before he stepped forward. He looked over at Rick, then gave him a nod as he began to follow him. He watched, and couldn't help but smirk as Rick threw open the doors so fancily- "Man, this seems like a slow-motion intro moments at the beginning of an anime, I swear.." He muttered under his breath. He looked back as he walked, wanting to make sure Vesper was following.

---

---

| Illusion |

Illusion sat in her chair, a sly smirk sliding across her features as Caius questioned her. Not particularly invested in the events before her, she tuned out once the female doggo got in Caius' face, and then tuned back in when Rianne jumped in as well. She sighed, looking up at the nearest security camera and giving it a 'what the hell are we doing here' type of shrug. Her eyes flickered over to Rick, and she narrowed them slightly. "Shouldn't ya be doin' somethin', leader?" she thought, and was pleasantly surprised when Rick did, in fact, do his duty. As Rick did do something- albeit while apparently ignoring the three hostile satanspawns right in front of him, and Illusion sighed. Arthur had put them all on edge, and the two lovely firecrackers they'd gotten didn't seem to make anything easier. However, she had a much darker goal in her mind. She'd offered to prove anyone who didn't believe that those of supernatural origin existed wrong, and her eyes smoothly settled on Caius.

Waiting until everyone else had left the room or was leaving, Illusion cleared her throat. "Oi, Caius, my friendo. There's somethin' I wanna speak with ya about. Privately." She glanced over at Rick, a look that made it obvious that she meant for the others to move along and leave her alone with Caius. Waiting patiently, the young vampire smiled, before idly starting to read what seemed to be a newspaper. When they were alone, she looked up at Caius; "So, ya read the news lately?"

---

---

A pair of binoculars scoured the WDL grounds. The barrier barely did its job of preventing sight into the compound, and a sigh left the lips of the observer. "Lax defences.." They then groaned, cracking their neck before resuming their searching. For a moment, their binoculars caught sight of Rick shoving the Auditorium doors open all cool-like. A slightly chuckle left their lips. "Wait a.. Oh, so that's them, then." A pause, before the binoculars moved around the facility. The observer's sight landed on an open window in one of the buildings on the grounds of the WDL's Exorcist Academy. Zooming in a little, the observer caught a glimpse of a rather pretty woman adjusting their blouse near an open window. They zoomed in a bit more, a sly snicker leaving their lips. "Ho ho hoh, this is a great view.." The girl in the window finished doing up their blouse, and moved away. A sad sigh left the observer's lips as they moved their binoculars around again, this time finding their last target. A young man was suddenly accosted by another- attacked with a full rubbish bin, in fact. The observer snickered, watching the young Exorcist seemingly apologise to the man he'd just covered with trash.

Putting away their binoculars, they slowly stood up. Their gear weighed a bit heavy on their back, but they were here for business, after all.

---

---

The girl stretched as she exited the cab, smiling as it pulled away and she gave it a cheerful wave. Smiling and humming to herself happily, she began the short trek towards the guardpost that prevented her from entering the WDL's facilities. Well, it would have if she wasn't registered as a student. Her lips curled into a sly smile, and she half-walked half-skipped up to the guardpost, pass in hand if they had any questions.

Of course, like all men, the only question they had for her was 'Will you love me?', and her answer was always the same.

Ashley “Ash” “Soot” Clade

"Okay, I think I've heard enough." Ash turned towards the source speaking, eying up the woman that had dragged the teen girl in amongst chains. For some reason, her expression and the dual set of claps irked her, though it did surprise her slightly to see a pointed finger aimed squarely at her.

"Hey, loser."

Immediately, Ash’s expression soured. She was not a loser, that was her line about every other person in the room. Even if Ash could respect a no-bullshit approach to things, she was still the alpha bitch in this room (Illusion didn’t count, she wasn’t human), so no matter how tough this woman was, she wasn’t going to accept any pretence that Rianne was better than her. She didn’t expect her and Ash to get along? Good. Heck, she wanted a fight, she’d get one soon enough. Ashley had been trying to be somewhat cordial, but then this tramp had to go and insult her and what she thought was a perfectly reasonable set of requests of the group. Ash thought to interject, but she was bigger than that. For now. Watching the woman take a cigarette, another annoyance to the biker, she thought perhaps the woman was done.

But no. She couldn’t leave good enough alone.

“…Acting like some playground bully because your insecurities keep you awake at night. 'Shut up and play along for now,' don't give me that crap. No one's ever worked properly as a team with a mindset like that, so why don't you get your head out of your fucking ass." Rianne continued, punctuating her comments by crushing her cigarette and sharing her name. Not that Ash hadn’t pegged this bitch’s name from the beginning. Still, she could feel it. Her blood boiling, but not just in irritation. In some respects, she enjoyed a good fight. It would do her good to let loose some of this pent up frustration.

“Rianne, huh?” Ash started simply, unfolding her arms and placing them on her hips. “ Shame such a nice name belongs to a bitch. That’s some mouth you got there for a holy woman. You’d think an old dog like you would’ve learned some manners by this point, but I guess you’re just scared that there might be a new girl in town who’s not afraid of your crap. If I’m the schoolyard bully, then you’re the dipshit that stayed back several years and runs the playground just ‘cuz they think they’re bigger and better.” Ash remained where she was, not making an effort to approach Rianne. Vaguely, she could hear some niceties being exchanged by the other children, but she didn’t care. Even Caius had been forgotten in this moment. This girl had challenged her, and Ash wasn’t about to take it without some sort of counterattack.

“You want me to get along with these dumbasses? They’re gonna have to earn it. Just like you. Sure, I get it, you’re a disgruntled badass cause you’re stuck here fighting demons since you’re too ugly to find yourself a man, and too stupid to move up the ranks to something worthwhile, but hey, maybe if you dedicate yourself you can be Arthur’s lapdog.” Ash shrugged with a smug expression, raising her hands into the air as she looked away. Seemed the rest of the group was leaving. Pivoting slightly, she began wandering away, calling over her shoulder.

“I get why you’re scared though - You’re gonna be old news Rianne. With us new devil-spawns being trained up, you’re gonna be obsolete before long. Get used to seeing my ass, cause you’re gonna be eating my dust for years to come. Your days are numbered.” Ash waved over her shoulder as she strode away with Rick and the others, praying that her final cool move would work. To her immense and smug glee, right on cue, her motorbike pulled up beside her, allowing Ash to climb on easily as it began to ride away, idly coasting behind the group and leaving Caius, Rianne and Illusion behind. But not before one last quip. “Later Pot. Try not to get too worked up, can’t be good for your heart with that shit in you.”

---

Sitting calmly in class, oblivious to the events occurring outside the room, was a single bright young exorcist doing his best to take notes on the material in class. He was still pretty low on the totem pole, barely more than a recruit at his lower 3rd class rank, but he knew that if he applied himself and worked hard, that would change. It didn’t matter that he’d been here a few months and hadn’t progressed. Or that he hadn’t gone on field duty at all. It didn’t even matter that he kept getting cleaning duty. The important thing was that he was here - The WDL - The place where he could truly put his skills as an exorcist to the test, and help fight off the demon threat.

Of course… It wasn’t exactly how he expected it to be. Granted, his ideas about glory and fighting off demons and what have you may have been exaggerated to begin with, but… Well, even as far as a school went, he’d had higher expectations. He wasn’t expecting to be popular by any means but… Well, he thought he’d have made SOME friends at the school. But no. He was a laughing stock. A joke. I mean, he enjoyed making people happy, but it still hurt. Just because he tripped when introducing himself to the class, some people thought he was incapable. It didn’t help he was constantly just cleaning, never on a mission… I mean, he’d prove himself eventually, but when were the brass going to take him seriously? Maybe he’d have to go speak with M-…Ms. Hallows and see about it.

When class ended, Kane inevitably got lumped with staying back and cleaning the room. It didn’t take him long – the students weren't particularly messy, and he was well practiced in it by now. Lumping the last of the garbage into the bin, Kane cautiously carried it in front of him, but he couldn’t really see. Sliding the class door open with his foot, he stepped out, though his second step caught on the lip of the door. The results were as expected.

“WahaHOAHH!” Kane went sprawling forward with a soft thud, tossing the bin flying forwards. In a mess of banana peels, paper, dust and other items, the poor teenager that had been standing outside the door was quickly pelted with the rubbish, culminating in the bin landing over his head with a soft ‘thunk’. Kane swallowed nervously as he got up, quickly moving to help the guy. “I’m so sorry! That was a total accident, I’m such a klutz! Here, let me help you clean off, uh…”

================================

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"I really hate to admit
that I need to concede on
some things, but it doesn't
mean that I would just take
it as it is, but I know I have
to, so I won't be weak."

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██If there was gauge to determine how much Caius was bursting in confusion which relates to his temper, it would be bursting and just a step away before it exploded. He is truly the definition of stubbornness and even if everything he had been seeing is truly contradictory to what he believes. He would not be swayed and because he relays on emotions more, the resentment building inside of him due to the people and environment, simply blocks his willingness to view things openly. Actually, it's just pure immature hardheadedness that makes him resistant to everything that's being said even if, deep inside he could see logical points. Still, his temper triumphs over it.

Well, this was briefly rerouted when a voice reminiscent of those virtual assistants in the latest gadgets echoed through the building. Apparently, it replied to his demand. His eyes narrowed further inciting his displeasure. This ORIN character or whatever it calls itself was also have the keys to grate on his nerves. It was pinning the fault of a lock-down on him if he ever so prance out of here at his violation. Adding to that, it sounded like wacko job of big brother who sees everything and so on. "Tch! The fuck should I care about some piece of shit." His words had the lace of venom and his irritation as more confusing things keep piling up on him.

Then, this piss poor imitation of a biker chick from Addams family approached her as if she's worth even equal to dirt. He gritted his teeth and literally snarled at the girl. "Listen her you stick of a t-" He was unable to continue his retort when the sound clapping intervened along the lines. He growled for the interruption, but didn't say anything as he decided to ignore the two.

He just wanted to leave now and find the kids, if what that psycho Illusion said that they are alive and safe. But, he did glare at that sissy-looking girl who introduced herself as Vistra and had the gall to say that they are siblings. "Don't screw with me. We ain't family or even siblings. So, shut it!" His agitation was clear and because of it, he was venting it out in different ways. He then also glared at Rick who seemed to agree on that statement and to the punk JoJo. There was no way he would even think about becoming anything with these freaks. That was not even registering to him at all. He just needs to get out of here quick. That's what's being prioritized in his head.

In terms of what Rick was saying, he really didn't care that's why he didn't listen at all. Instead, he looked away from the group and the warning from ORIN didn't even cause any worry over him as he looked around to see where he could slip away and escape this circus of crazy. The opportunity soon appeared as the others began to leave the building. He could use that get away and when he was about to, but that voice which grated on his ears prevented him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Illusion. "We're not friends." He retorted as he glared at the little fry of violence. Despite his temper, he did notice that he was left alone with Illusion soon enough. Then, his gaze fell on that newspaper. It was odd in every aspect to him. "What do you want?"

Illusion, with a small smirk on her face, lazily looked up in Caius’ direction. “I asked you if you’ve read the news lately, rude boy. Have you?” Lifting up her slender hand, she beckoned Caius over as her grin slowly vanished.Caius was really having doubts whether to approach, but his curiosity won over. "...What is it?" His tone returned to a normal range, but it was still filled with a controlled level of annoyance. He walked towards Illusion, but made sure there was a notable distance in case this man-child do something again. That grin was enough sign for him that something was up and he really wasn’t keen about throwing caution out the window right now. "So, what’s interesting about it, huh?"

Illusion turned to the page before her, chuckling. “Just a little bit here. ‘An orphanage was attacked a few nights ago; several children, the matron murdered, and the rest of the children were missing along with one of the staff that worked there by the name of..’ Well.. ‘Caius Grady’, in fact.” Hearing those words, Caius stiffened notably. The events of that night rolled inside his head as his hands were once again clenched into fists. He didn’t even mind the fact that he might make his hands bleed which had already stopped earlier.

Illusion looked over at Caius once more. “According to this newspaper there was no animal found on the scene, yet there were several bodies. What do you think of this oh so wonderful development, Mister Grady?” Illusion gazed right into his eyes, her expression dead serious. "... No animal…?" That was the question that echoed in his head as the image of that violent beast appeared in his head. "That’s impossible!" He loudly retorted in confusion while shaking his head in disbelief. "There was that…. Bear… Dog…. Beast!" He then met Illusion’s gaze as a rather useless, but plausible idea entered his thoughts. "You.. What did you do!?" It was not impossible from his opinion. He was attacked then, he was taken there and then that news…. Everything was confusing… The only person who could do something about it was this person, this Illusion.

“That what? It’s called a werewolf- lycanthrope. Whatever.” Illusion spoke in a monotone voice. “We did nothing. If we had’ve done something, why would we have taken your lovely orphans into our protection?” Caius somehow eased up due to Illusion’s anti-climactic tone. He bit his lower lip in obvious frustration as he wasn’t able to speak anything more. Illusion continued reading from the paper, “It seems to have been an attack by an animal, however, nothing at the scene could be linked to any type of animal native to the region. A search was launched, but no results were found aside from a large tooth buried in the throat of a young girl, a human canine.” Illusion paused. “See, the thing about werewolves is that when a piece of them is torn out, it returns to its human form.” She shrugged. “But since werewolves obviously don’t exist, why was there a human tooth in poor Sophie’s neck, Caius? Can you tell me?”

The memory of Sophie reaching out to him made him lowered his head as the scene made him shake his head in resistance. "....That’s impossible… Impossible..." Yes, he was resisting what was being said to him as he took a step back. "It was a huge animal…. Human? That’s impossible..." He tried to connect the dots, but he was never the type to handle such complicated processes. That’s why all he could was just a simple and rather low-level comprehension. "It must be a human in a costume… That’s it!" He pointed at Illusion as his eyes of gold lit with approval of that solution, but still, doubt swimmed behind it. All of that due to the fact he had grabbed hold of that beast… he felt that claw… It wasn’t human… "It’s a deranged human!"

“So you killed a man? Ripped a man in two in front of all of those innocent people? You murdered a man? Or are you just clutching onto your beliefs that it wasn’t a monster when you know that it was. What kind of man is that big? That strong? What kind of man growls at you and looks like a wolf? What kind of man eats little children?” Those words accosted him like daggers and each stabbed him true. Killing someone, it was not something he would lose sleep over. In his life, the idea of killing had never been an issue, more like he was prepared for that instance especially with the darkness of his life in the underground world. What actually pierced him was that his beliefs were being torn at the very seams. It’s like his impenetrable rock was being drilled into pieces, slowly, but surely.

Illusion shrugged.“But if you still want to ignore the obvious lycan in front of you, I have another proposal for you. Caius Grady, if there was no werewolf to kill those children, and no man was found at the crime scene; that means that you ate and killed those children with your own hands, doesn’t it? So tell me, Caius. Do werewolves exist, or..” She paused, tossing the paper aside and staring at him as she stood up, looking right into his eyes, “Are you a heartless, child-butchering cannibal, Caius Grady?” His hand that pointed accusingly at Illusion quivered for a moment, as he lowered it. Then, "Hell no! I won’t ever hurt those kids! No!" He stated angrily and with a clear sincerity that would have been usually hidden with his rough words. His eyes also glowed with that harsh determination. "It’s… not a hu---..." He didn’t continue his words as he held his head and shook it in frustration. "SHIT! What the fuck is happening…?"

Illusion sighed. “What’s happening is exactly what happened to everyone else here. Your regular life was suddenly torn apart because you were introduced to something that wasn’t human. You’re just being awfully stubborn about it.” Illusion shrugged. “If you didn’t hurt those children, and there was no animal, where does that leave you, Caius? There was a werewolf and you know it, don’t you?”

At this point, the resistance that Caius had was blown away. His shoulders lowered and his eyes on the ground as well. "I..." He clammed up as he took a deep breath and calmed himself. The memories of the night and what happened to him here played again, but this time, things were being put into perspective. "Hey..." His voice had lost it edge of irritation, somehow it was calm, something unfamiliar to those who have observed him earlier. "That monster… that.. Werewolf is dead, right?" He was still not looking at her as he asked that question as if for confirmation.

Illusion, her face softening, nodded. “Yes. You quite literally tore it in half, saving the rest of the children in the room. You also took quite the beating ”, she motioned to his stomach, “but in the end, you were quite the hero, Caius.” The word hero made him flinched. He should feel a sense of pride normally, but the faces of the Matron, the dead children, and Sophie haunted his eyes. Plus, he was definitely not the hero type. Still, he looked up and saw that expression which was usually only given to him by the Matron. She smiled warmly at him- not her usual fake warm smile, but an actually genuine one.

She put her hands behind her back, looking over at the podium she’d stood on before. “I’m sure those kids are all grateful to you. They now have a place to live, a place to grow up, and most importantly they have their lives.” She turned back to Caius, slowly floating up to pat his head. This time, he didn’t say anything and just allowed that gesture. “I’ll take you to see them later on, okay? For now you should head to the projector room with the others. I know this is all difficult and new for you, but the more you learn the better you can protect the children, right?” Illusion dropped to the floor, grinning. “Now go, I’ll make sure that the orphans- well, not orphans anymore- are taken care of while you’re away.” She looked at him again. “Is there anything else before you go?”

He was quiet for a while before releasing a big sigh and then looked at the ceiling. It was at that position he spoke once more. "I’ll hold you to what you say." Caius was not completely trusting Illusion, but that was normal, isn’t it? He was still wary and cautious, but right now… What can he really do? Apparently, everything around him is against to his desire to leave. Plus, he is worried about the kids remembering their horror when they saw what he did. His strength… that was abnormal. He needed to understand and these people can either give that or manipulate him, but he was willing to gamble. He was always risking it anyway out the streets. What was the difference here, right? "Keep those brats safe. Anyway, I’ll learn what am I here, right?" This time, he finally looked back at her.

Illusion nodded. “Yes, you will. You’ll learn lots of things. You’ll learn more about the world than any other place could teach you. I’ll keep those children safe- I give you my word, but I expect you to grow strong enough that one day I don’t need to protect them. I’m sure they’d much rather be watched over by their big brother Caius than a tiny lolita like me.” She chuckled softly. Caius didn’t mind the chuckle. He was still hesitant with the whole supernatural thing going on, but he wasn’t that closed off anymore. "That’s obvious." He noted on his part. “Get moving, Caius. Today is introductions, tomorrow is boot camp. Oh,” she motioned towards the doorway, “Please try to get along with them. In a battle, they might have your back when you need it. I know you prefer to fight alone, but you have a family now. Don’t let that opportunity go to waste, are we clear?” He looked away from Illusion. "I can’t promise about getting along with them." The idea of JoJo, that halloween-themed girl along with the others of having sort of a bond with him was really far off in his assessment. Even the word family, it’s foreign to him at the moment. "....But, I’ll tolerate them." He shrugged his shoulders. "So, which way is this projection room?"

Illusion, her smile suddenly turning sly, giggled. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I can get you there in just a moment, however, you might hate me for this.” She shoved Caius, her small frame making it somewhat comedic as this tiny girl, with one finger, sent him falling onto his rear. This was without doubt made him shock, but instead of meeting with the floor, he fell through one of Illusion’s crazy broken glass-looking portals, landing on the floor in a room with a projector being the most prominent feature. "Eh?" It might have been weak response, but his eyes were as big as a fish caught out water. His surroundings suddenly shifted as he looked around in a hurry. This... is... impossible... "How... It's... Huh?" He felt eyes on him as he looked up and saw a hole that he has the common sense to know shouldn't exist. But, it was there with Illusion smiling as she leaned through it. “Just wait here for a while, the others will show up in a moment. Don’t break anything~” With that, the girl slid back through the hole, gave him a curt wave, and it closed up in front of him. By the time it was done, it was as if the hole had never existed at all.

Actually, Caius blinked a couple of times after that. Then, rubbed his eyes as he looked at the ceiling which was normal looking. "I'm not crazy... Nope... not crazy." He muttered that to himself while shaking his head. "The fuck... I guess I need get used to this... I need a drink... Badly." Just like that, he stood from the floor and sighed, the biggest he had ever done in his life.

---

Rick Brackwall

With all things said and done what was important was that they were on their way with him. He looked back to ensure that they were still following and didn't start wondering off for whatever reason. All five of them were following behind well enough. That was all what mattered, little else was of concern in regards to that. He did wonder what Illusion had in mind for Caius. Hopefully she'll help him along to the projector room or brief him separately. It would be time consuming doing a whole briefing for a single missing brethren.

He unclipped his clipboard from his belt as he walked, carrying under his arm as he lead them from the auditorium. Past guards and through the scenic architecture that was WDL's Rome. Soon they approached the building that was their destination: The Academy in all it's grandeur. Well, perhaps it wasn't the most flowing and beautiful structure within the compound but it was suitably nice.

"I welcome you one and all to WDL's very own academy!" He gestured to the building with a fancy flourish of the hand. "It may not look inherently special but there's not a place better suited to preparing one for any situation one may encounter." He'd of extrapolated on the nature of these 'Encounters' however they would need to understand the existence of demons as a whole first and such a change in their reality was bound not to be received smoothly.


Through the front doors and up the stairs to the right Rick led them to the second floor and down the hall. It was the room just past classroom 101 that was two classrooms in length. Opening the door he revealed the room in full. It was a fairly nice room, long fluorescent lights just waiting to cast their bright white light at the touch of a button. The was a long grey oval desk in the middle of the room surrounded with office chairs. At the side of the room closest to the entrance was a projector mounted on a trolley. At the other end of the room was a white board, a large roll up screen attached at the top.

With a flick Rick turned on the lights, illuminating the placid room. The walls were bare and white, the carpet a neutral grey color. It looked very much like the type of room that would be at home in an office building. What didn't belong in an office building however was Caius who was standing over on the far side of the room looking mostly confused.

While this would be an odd sight, someone who was left behind somehow making it to a room they weren't even aware of before them, to Rick this was just to be expected of Illusion. Her magic certainly benefited her efficiency plenty though her mannerisms were a tad chaotic. After these many years the strange was simply commonplace.

"All of you may feel free to take a seat. I'll get the projector set up." He offered the others as he went over to the projector, hardly even batting an eye at the befuddled Caius. Setting down his clip board the observant would spot that the paper slides it kept a hold of were all completely blank.


After a few moments of moving panels and inserting slides Rick finally had the projector set up.

"Alright! If you are all settled let the briefing begin!"

With that announcement he hit the lights and took his place by the projector. It spat forth an image not of a blank slide as was previously noted by the more aware but instead a cover marked with the WDL insignia. With that up Rick cleared his throat, prepared to speak at length.

"The WDL, the Warriors of Divine Light, are a martial institution established to protect the human population from non-standard threats on a global scale. All of you on some level have had experiences with threats known to the WDL prior to your arrival here."


The slides simply seemed to switch over on their own accord to the next one in the order. It was an image of the exact type of demon that attacked Jonathan, a Tsuchigumo as the title of the slide states.

"At first it might seem surreal."

The slides changed over again. This time it was an image of what seemed to be a man kneeling within a demonic diagram, candles set at strategic points in the circular drawing. In the man's hand was a knife which which he appeared to be cutting open his own arm, the blood flowing not down but up from the wound. The title of this slide was Hemomancy.

"It may make you question things you never doubted before."

The screens flipped to the next slide. It was an illustration of each phase in a werewolf's transformation, starting from man to feral half-canine beast in order of left to right. The title to this document was The Transformation From Man to Werewolf.

"It may make you even question your own sanity."

Flipping again to the next slide was a compilation image of all three illustrations, arranged in a triangle.

"There is truth in what you witnessed. It is what we all share. It is why we are here now."

Striding up next to the screen the images were projected onto Rick stepped into view. His posture was open and he still wore a pleasant if calm smile, speaking in a pleasant tone albeit with the slightest Italian accent simply due to spending a fair amount of time learning in Rome.


"Now, you've been given a brief rundown by our principle, the esteemed Miss Illusion, but I feel as though it didn't satisfy the amount of knowledge you require in order to wholly accept a responsibility that's been thrust upon you without warning or consent. Know that like you all I too arrived here no differently."

While it was definitely dark and difficult to see anything beyond the image put forth by the projector the keen of eye might spot a piece of paper reaching up with a corner and hitting the power switch on the projector. Just as the projector shut down, plunging the room into darkness, Rick hit the light switch on his side of the room, igniting the fluorescent lights and immersing the room in their plain white light.

"I am here simply to help you make the most of your time and efforts. For everyone's sake."

He looked over the group, meeting eyes with each member he could before addressing them as a whole.

"Of course you've humored me in listening to my rambling. I imagine you have questions of your own you need addressed. Starting with..."

He briefly held his hand out, considering who he should take questions from first. He briefly considered letting them speak their questions but wasn't quite yet certain that they wouldn't start trying to talk over each other in a muddled mess of confusion. His hand fell to the person he was to address, directing everyone's attentions to Jonathan.

"JoJo, our good friend of many. Any questions or concerns in need of addressing?"

“Well, there they are.”

Word had travelled quickly throughout the base of the Children’s arrival- spread through emails, texts, passing remarks and conversation. Six out of seven! It wouldn’t be long before all would be gathered within the heart of the base, introduced to one another, made to unlock their birthrights and become proper soldiers. There were some who were nervous about the whole thing. The WDL had been founded to rid the world of the inhuman, and now they were taking a full set of apocalyptic halfbreeds into their arms? It wasn’t right.

Of course, that was only some. Just as many fell throughout the spectrum, with a few landing on the far opposite. Excited, rather than wary.

Madison was one of those few.

Settled in the neighboring room of the projector’s, the staff lounge, they- “they” being himself and his companion- were able to watch the meeting through a small two-way mirror that connected the two spaces. Useful for observers who didn’t quite want to show their faces in a meeting or the like, although such an occurrence tended to be rare. They were waiting there simply because it was the easiest way to watch without interrupting the meeting.

And because the place was rather comfortable, admittedly. The wallpaper was a muted blue, the floors a polished walnut. Madison had set a pot of tea to boil some time ago on a communal hot plate, and from a nearby radio came the wan voice of Sinatra’s “My Way.”

“Look at how close Ms. Himemiya is to Mr. Black,” Madison said. One hand was tucked beneath his chin, the other resting upon the tabletop before him. As he gazed into the dark hall before them, he took a moment to smooth out the front of his dress- Madison had taken the day off for the occasion, made obvious by the soft evening orange of the researcher’s sundress. “It looks like some of them are getting along well already. Marvelous.” The comment was made in complete sincerity- the smile on his lips was enough of an indication of that. Stretching his shoulders, Madison sat up in a more proper position, watching Rick’s presentation with interest. The pin on his arm glinted with the movement.

“And it seems that Mr. Brackwall’s taking his leadership well. I’m glad. Given how many entered all at once, I’m sure that this will be especially overwhelming. For everyone, really.”

His hand brushed upon the briefings placed upon the desk, as if in emphasis of his point. In their crisp manilla folders, there was little indication of their contents, aside from the stamp on the front labelled “BRIEFING” in fresh ink.

“Hopefully they’ll take all of this alright, and- oh!” Madison suddenly rose, head turning towards the kettle. “I think that the tea is ready. Would you like some, Candice? It’s chai, if you don’t mind.”

Rick Brackwall

A full list of questions to be sure, but that was to be expected. Rick simply stood, not at all stirred by any of Jonathan's requests. While it was certainly a lot of information to impart Rick figured he had the means to keep the flow of the conversation on his terms.

"Those are some very good questions JoJo. I'm glad you asked." He calmly reached into a pocket in his coat, pulling out a slick touch-screen cellphone. "The nearest phone is mine."

Walking up right next to Jonathan he placed the phone right in front of him. "Feel free to settle your personal affairs while I take some other questions. Please try to keep your call limited to letting family members, roommates and former employers know you are fine and not to be returning."


With that said he stepped back, looking back over to the group as a whole. "Do not worry, your personal belongings will be collected and delivered to your rooms at the earliest opportunity."

Granting that hopefully comforting piece of knowledge he brought a single hand up to his chin, thinking well on who to address next. He considered Caius but since he just picked JoJo he didn't want the girls to feel as though they were being segregated in the picking order. With that said as Ash had a habit of not really listening his information in the first place he considered the fact that giving her a second opportunity to ask questions he likely answered the first time he welcomed her would be helpful. After her the rest of the questions period would fly past with veritable ease, save Caius perhaps.

"Firstly, to answer a couple of JoJo's questions yes we do get paid. Every member of the WDL earns an hourly salary plus bounty sums tied into what we like to call Hunts. These hunts are, put simply enough, missions assigned to members of the order to eliminate notably dangerous members of the supernatural population. Members higher up in the order get higher salaries and are in line to take more difficult Hunts in exchange for proportionately larger bounties."


He strode back to the projector, hands behind his back. "You all may have noted that nearly all members are armed at all times. This is no coincidence, after all we are a martial institution. Just as any militant organization we have cause to believe we may be attacked at any time. Given the exceptional nature of our opposition there is a significant emphasis on security at all times. With thanks to the strong hearts and minds of the good people in charge of the security for WDL we have the freedom to learn and grow in this hostile world."

Finishing off those two questions he extended his hand over to Ash, inviting her into the conversation.

"As I understand you've probably heard much of what I have to say Ash. Any questions to add or shall I continue with another?"

Rick Brackwall

“Where’s the catering?”

Ash was behaving herself rather well, joking aside. She didn't seem able to concentrate too well but it couldn't be helped.

”But seriously? Maybe later, Dick.”

"Anytime, Ash."


A short but suitable reply to her request. Having a one on one conversation with Ash later was no issue for him. If it meant she'd trust him more later the time invested would definitely pay off.

Lacing his fingers together he pushed his palms outward, stretching his fingers out with a small set of crackles. Unlacing his fingers he brought his right hand down to his side and the left out to point at Vistra.

"How about yourself Vistra? Any questions or concerns you wish to have addressed?"


Calm, casual, inviting, all those were things Rick exuded in his performance. It felt as natural to in as it was made to appear but that was all simply due to practice and conditioning. He could stand before a crowd of millions and break no less a sweat than he was here.

When the time came and all those millions would be demons on the ramparts he'd need that composure to cast the most taxing spells he'd of learned.

After being snapped at by Caius Vistra hung her head, and stuck to the back of the crowd. She didn't mean to upset him. Though, she supposed that he was a little upset due to the events they all had dealt with today. Hopefully later on she could patch up her not so great first impression.

She trailed after the group and gazed around her new home as she did so. New home. Huh. It definitely wasn't her father's house, but much better than living under a bridge. If they gave her a room, she hoped they'd let her spruce it up a bit. Her old room in Canada was rather small, but crowded in a warm way.

Caius was in the room they entered and Vistra made a point to avoid him. She sat down, and crossed her legs. The fact that Rick was going to explain everything to them made her feel alot better about everything. He even let them ask questions, making Vistra think of one of her old teachers. Rick was a bit like that.

Jojo went first, making good points. She eyed the phone. It had been a year since she talked to her father. If she was going to learn how to take care of herself here maybe her father would be safe. She missed him more than anything.

Ash, the girl who was the first to speak to Vistra went next. She leaned forward, waiting for whatever important question that would be asked. Instead she found herself smothering laughter down at her quip and the response Rick gave. At least it wasn't boring here.

Rick pointed to her next and she wasn't left caught off guard. 'Umm,' She absentmindedly scratched at on of the many scars on her arm. 'Well I'd like to call my father after Jojo is finished. And, will he be safe? Can I go visit him? Or can he visit me?'

Rick Brackwall

"Well I'd like to call my father after Jojo is finished. And, will he be safe? Can I go visit him? Or can he visit me?"

Rick nodded, considering his response for a moment. As her hand seemed to be absently pushing a sleeve up his eyes were drawn down momentarily to spot what appeared to be a small number of scars present on her arm, at least the surface of the arm which he could see right then.

While many would simply assume she would inflict self harm out of personal issues his degree of experience was far wider, his mind more explorative as a result. While there was many possibilities for him to ponder he could deduct without forming any unrealistic assumptions that a power of hers drew on her blood in order to function. Self harming just seemed out of character given her apparent nature. That is not to say of course there couldn't of been something deeper to her than what meets the eye. That were more than a few layers to himself after all.


"Excellent question Vistra! I can assure you that your father is under WDL surveillance and protection. There is nearly nothing we at WDL take more seriously than the safety of the families of those serving in our order. In addition there are specified days for family members to visit WDL grounds. Here-"

With a motion of his hand the stack of blank slides leap to his hand, sitting snugly in his grip. On one side of each sheet was a schedule for each of them, his very own schedule to be exact. It contained all the times for their classes along with their upcoming commitments and events pertinent to all members such as the family days Vistra was just asking about.

Taking a corner of each paper with his off hand Rick absentmindedly tossed a schedule in each of their directions, the sheet flying with keen precision and landing directly before each and every one of them.


"A schedule for you all to review at your own leisure. Hopefully it should help provide some more answers for you all."
He addressed the group generally.

Last but by no means the least headache was Caius. Rick simply looked over, his demeanor only a little more serious if only to show that he was taking Caius seriously whilst still remaining pleasantly calm. He wasn't taking Caius any more serious than anyone else mind you but it was just that: A show.

"Caius, anything on your mind?"

================================

================================

"Questions? I have a lot
but, I'm not and idiot to just
listen to all the answers given
after all, nothing is easily shared
especially the truth that cut like
a dull knife in ragged pain."

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██The sound of nearby footsteps, door opening and the room brightening, Caius knew that the others had arrived as he gave them a briefest of glances. He was actually in the middle of re-configuring his thoughts when they came, so they caught with a mixture of disgruntlement and confusion as his expression while scratching the back of his head. It's good no one pointed out his presence before them. That's because he was trying really hard not to recoil into the thinking that what's happening is impossible. But, really it was hard to do so.

Anyways, he took a seat even before the nerdy boy said so. That's because he still needed a few seconds to straighten himself and to prevent himself from directly rejecting everything happening around him. Once he had reclaimed his casual place, that was the only moment he was able to hear what the rule-kisser was saying or even took noticed that the lights were once again due to the projector being used. And what met his sights was the picture about of a man transforming into that beast. he had fought... the thing they call werewolf.

The guy was right about questioning his sanity, but there was no way he was crazy It was them who were. Anyway, he needed to have tolerance and so he did. The freak show was soon over and like some kind of two-bit class, a question and answer portion was thrown as the room brightened again. The first one on the plate was certainly not his friend, JoJo. His questions were reasonable enough and somehow made his head ache a bit as he massaged the bridge of his nose. It was mentioned about paper moving.... or spider monster attacking... The rest he could careless. "Tolerate. Open mind, Caius." That was his mantra and was actually for a very long time.

The answers that two-color eyed boy were actually in his ear and out next on the other. Well, he doesn't have any personal affairs that need any call or does he have anyone to call. He doesn't have any stuff that can be said as personal belongings. He already have everything he needed currently on his person. Then, the talks of hunts or everyone carrying weapons never interested him so, he zoned out and thought of other things. It didn't even registered to him when the Wednesday wanna-be was next on the list or that the girl who deemed all of them as siblings was called. The paper continuing his supposedly schedule also went unnoticed. He was off to his own world. The only time he was retrieved from that was when he heard his name. "Huh?"

He did not even hide the fact he wasn't listening as those golden eyes looked at the one who called him with a haze and a clear show of disinterest. There was a notable amount of silence as Caius really had no idea what was expected of him, when mental bells rang in his head. That's right, questions. "Oh. questions." He muttered to himself. Actually, there were a lot because his head was still swimming on many issues he has no idea about from the very beginning. There were questions like... Will his body change? Will he turn into something like that werewolf? Are there others like him, like them out there? What the fuck do they really want from him? From them? Will they ever let him go? Why was this happening NOW!? There were other questions, but those were some that echoed strongly inside of him.

But, he chose not to say it because he has no confidence that the guy would even answer it. He just has this feeling it won't be that easy and he hated it when his questions are like glossed over. You just answer it or you don't know. That's why he didn't bother. Still, he did have a very important concern. It took the top spot against the other questions inside of him. "Just one thing." He raised his index finger in the air to make a point. "I need a drink. Where's the bar?" This part, he was dead serious and wasn't joking at all. He really needs a drink to null his headaches and also to make himself stop from thinking. He hated using his brain for such annoying things. Just like that, his golden eyes cleared from that glaze of uncertainty. It was time for him to have a serious conversation with his good friend alcohol.

---

As Candice spoke, Madison had risen from his spot at the table and began to pace about the little kitchen space that the lounge offered, grabbing a pair of mugs, switching the hot plate off, pouring himself and his coworker tea from the kettle. Free from its confines, the scent of chai spread throughout the room, filling it with its mild spice.

“They must be quite close, then, if they met each other before we brought them together,” Madison noted. “After all, I’ve never seen Ms. Himemiya so comfortable with someone.” There was a soft plink as he set the mugs upon the tray, and drew a gallon of milk from the fridge. This went into a separate pitcher, which was set between the tea. After a moment of thought, Madison added a small dish of sugar and honey, then set the tray and its contents carefully upon the table.

“And while I’m sure that neither of you need it, if either you or Rick needs any assistance with the others, I would be more than happy to lend a hand. I’ve been hoping to ask the newcomers if I could take a few samples from them, but that most likely won’t make for the best first impression.” He laughed, gently, adding a bit of milk and honey into his cup and stirring it.

Madison did not speak for a bit, concentrated on the chai. It wasn’t anything fancy- just a few packs of the stuff he had bought on a trip outside the WDL- but it was still good by his standards. If he was honest with himself, Madison wasn’t too fond of the tea that was shipped into the base. Off-brand, with a taste that was more akin to syrup than anything else. He was hardly a tea connoisseur, but he still made an effort to stay as far away from the base’s supply as possible.

Yes. This was far preferable, in his opinion. Madison threw in a pinch of sugar, then brought the mug to his lips.

“It won’t be immediate, that’s for certain.” His eyes had turned back to the window, where a few of the children had begun asking questions. He gave a small chuckle as one of them asked about a bar- Madison knew that urge quite well, himself- but for the most part, he simply watched. “My family has always been here, of course, but it seems like a few of them are a different case. They’re leaving behind everything for a life they didn’t even know existed before today. Hopefully they’ll get as fond of the place as we are.” Another swig of the tea, followed by a faint sigh.

At Candice’s observation, Madison gave a short blink in surprise, before smiling brightly at the woman. “You noticed?” He asked. “I bought it a few weeks ago, and it was just lying in my closet up until now. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion, and, well. Now seemed as good of a time as any.” He laughed, gently, brushing a few stray locks of hair back into place.

“Your outfit is quite lovely, by the way. The necklace is a nice touch.”

He lifted the mug, inhaling the steam deeply.

“I can’t wait until we can go out and meet them.”

JoJo picked up the phone, grinning at Rick in appreciation as he began to dial the number he knew by heart. He pulled the phone to his ear, moving to the back corner of the room away from the others for at least a tiny bit of privacy. He waited anxiously as the phone rang, half concentrating on it and half concentrating on Rick and the others. It rang and rang, and he swore under his breath. As the call ended, he hung up before trying again. Hopefully Dawn would realise who it was and would pick up this time.

No deal. JoJo sighed hard as he tried for the third time, this time deciding to leave a voice message. "Hey Dawn, it's JoJo. I was just calling to tell you that I'm fine and that I, uh, probably won't see you for.. a while? Some crazy stuff happened that you wouldn't believe, heh. Anyway, hope you and Iggy are doing well. Don't break my console or I'll kill you. Uh, bye. Don't call this number back. That'd be.. That'd be really awkward." JoJo ended the call, the voicemail being sent to his friend as he walked over to Vistra, hanging her the phone, before moving back over to his seat at the table.

He tuned back into the conversation in time for Caius' question- but also for JoJo to realise his most important question had been answered. The paper in the room seemed almost unnatural, although somehow Rick was also quite unnatural himself. JoJo still had that bitter taste in his mouth, and he'd also wondered how Rick had known exactly what type of crazy monster to conveniently pull up. Maybe they had files documenting their lives here? JoJo grumbled to himself, wondering just what was being hidden from them. Honestly, if these guys were the types to constantly be hiding things, JoJo was going to book a flight back to the US as soon as possible- and he'd totally drag Vesper along too. Sure, he wanted to spend time with his new family and all, but they weren't exactly JoJo's focus at the moment. Although, if it came to it, JoJo would gladly bring them along for the ride outta here as well.

"This place has a weird feeling to it. Although.. I'm sure it's just Rick trying to make us feel more at home or something. Maybe he's actually a super antisocial person and is just forcing it? I'm not letting him weasel out of my paper question, though, not a chance in hell. If there's magical spider girls, there's magical humans, too. Or paper demons.

But are we really safer here?"

---

'I've provided what you asked at the location specified.
I very much look forward to seeing what you have to show me.

- :)'

Within a few moments of the button being pressed, Leviathan's phone would vibrate in his hand as a reply was delivered.

Leviathan's phone lit up as a message was received;

"In five minutes the package will be acquired.
Please be at the location to witness retrieval.
The men that will restrain you will mean no harm and will leave when the package is out of sight.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Tor."

As promised, Leviathan only had to wait for five minutes until, right in front of Helena, two black vans pulled to the curb. A man, a blade at his waist, exited the car. He walked up to Helena, crouching down before her. He looked her right in the eyes, and spoke. "Helena Kingsley. We're here to take you someplace safe." He lifted a small container from his pocket as she focused on his face, spraying her with it. The concoction in the container was potent, and the girl would've dropped her phone as she fell. The man grabbed her, hoisting her up onto his shoulder as he began carrying her to the back of the van.

If Leviathan had agreed to the instructions, he'd be accosted by two men who grabbed his arms and pushed him to his knees, a third pointing a gun at his head. Helena would be 'accidentally' turned on the man's shoulder, allowing her to see Leviathan through half-closed eyelids as he did what any good father would do. However, for poor Hel, the back doors of the van would quickly shut behind her.

A man sat beside her, keeping a close eye on her as she lay on the floor and the van drove away. The men restraining Leviathan would let him go, nodding briefly and muttering apologies under their breaths before getting into the second van and taking off.

---

A little while away from the group in the auditorium and just down the road from where Kane, Rianne and Yohan were, an Exorcist clutched his head. The flashbacks kept haunting him, day and night, but still that was no reason for him to have antagonised them like that. Lately, he felt as if something was pulling at him; plucking at his insides and making his blood boil for absolutely no reason at all. He slammed his fist into the wall, grunting angrily as he stormed away. The meeting wouldn't wait- his flashbacks could. "I swear to God." He began to walk again, idly noticing a cat wandering down the opposite side of the road as him. He glared, and the cat seemed to glare back before running around into a nearby alleyway. He sighed hard, shaking his head. "Animals." He straightened up, shaking his head to clear it as he resumed his march to the building in the center of the WDL complex at full speed.

Rick Brackwall

"I need a drink. Where's the bar?"

Walking past Caius Rick simply gestured to the paper before him. It now had an address written near the bottom. It was a pub that was fairly popular among a number of the third class exorcists. Decent wings apparently, although Rick would never know as such an establishment was of no interest to him.

"It's on your schedule sheet."

He simply informed him as he passed by on his way to the doorway. As he opened the door he turned to address the group, standing in the exit as he did.


"With your questions answered I feel it's only appropriate to show you all to where you will be staying. After you are settled into your living quarters I will provide a tour for any who wish to learn their way around the WDL grounds and afterwords lunch for those who've yet to eat. Since it's your first day here I'll handle the bill, naturally."

He stepped through, allowing passage for the rest of them as he waited on the other side.

"Oh and Vistra-" He motioned to her from beyond the doorway. "Once you are finished your call do please remember to return my phone to me."

The woman standing behind Illusion lacked much of a presence- especially in the face of the principal’s...eccentricity. It wasn’t that she was small in stature- although that was most likely a contributing factor- but the conservativeness in which she dressed herself. Dark colors, hardly a hint of skin showing, the rim of her hat tipped at such an angle that it hid her face. The only thing particularly eye-catching was the locket around her neck, which winked in the overhead lights above, and the apparent lack of surprise on her face as Ilusion began her introductions.

It seemed that, in what time that Dawn had been inside the base, she had already gotten to witness one of Illusion’s demonstrations. That, or she was attempting to manage a level of politeness in the face of an authority figure. Either way, the only real sign of expression was the purse of her lips as she listened, the tension rooted in her shoulders, and, as Jojo stepped forth, a widening of the eyes. Dawn didn’t speak immediately, however- it was only until Illusion had left that the formal stiffness melted away. A slight, relieved smile touched her face.

“Hey, Jojo.”

She lifted a hand, grasping the necklace around her throat.

“Sorry for not picking up. Was talking to the principal- it’s a long story- but, uh. You aren’t hurt or anything, right? I got your message, and then I got home and the apartment was a wreck…” Dawn shifted, wrapping the links tightly about her fingers.

“But you seem okay. That’s good.”

Her gaze moved away, suddenly, as if properly noticing the others filing behind him for the first time. Dawn smiled again, albeit a tad more sheepish than before. She extended a free hand towards the closest of the strangers- Rick- and stepped closer.

“Oh. Um. Hello. Sorry, I didn’t, um. I was Jojo's roomate, back home. I'm Dawn Memoli, but Principal Illusion already told you all that.”