Bas needed to change. The suit was nice but wrinkled and dirty- sleep sweating in it did that kind of thing- and he wanted fresh clothes. And a shower.

As they walked down the sidewalk back to Kallisti's to get his car, he said "Listen. You mind if we swing by my place so I can get changed?"


She was game. They passed the street corner where char still showed on the street. He shrugged sheepishly and looked at her with an embarressed grin. "So, uh, I guess I had some trouble last night. Nice of you to help me out."


She was funny. Always ready with a quip. He felt comfortable around her. Pissed him off, though, that he'd done that thing with the fire. And with the whip. He needed to hang out with Nox again. Get some practice with this stuff. Training or whatever.

He laughed to himself at the image of them sparring like at Gracie's but using the power instead. Actually, it was a kind of cool idea. Start up some kind of club or something for people like them, to learn and stuff.

"Hey, so I can't see stuff you do and you can't see the stuff that I do. But you think that you could describe it? Cuz I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just thinking it'd be good if some of us..."
he waggled his eyebrow at her "special folk could kinda help each other out. Pyotr'd be up for it, I'm sure. And I have another buddy who's got some cool tricks up his sleeve that'd probably join. You game?"

Continued from Seeking Control

Calvin awoke in The Dream in the forests outside of Moscow. Calvin ran through the woods, the emotions still swirling in his head, but feeling better since he met with Jensen and Giovanni. The Dream wouldn't grant him much rest, but probably more so than the restless sleep he was getting before.

Nightmares. Calvin haven't been that disturbed by them in a long time. These one had been vivid - almost real. Calvin came into the Dream because of them. Maybe he could hide here until his emotions became more stable. Then he would get some real sleep.

The dream seemed different - darker somehow than he remembered. The trees seemed to reach for him. The branches seemed like claws reaching to grab onto him and afflict pain. The dream was a reflection of his own emotions, so he ran and focused on his breathing. He heard somewhere that physical activity could calm, and it helped push back the darkness a bit. He was unable to completely banish the swirling emotions in his head however.

He felt a familiar presence approach. Dawn Wind was coming and he was agitated. Calvin expected anger, but only felt agitation from the old wolf. Dawn Wind sent him images in rapid secession. Calvin could only discern one thing.

"Danger"


Calvin sent him confusion, unaware of what the wolf was talking about. He knew the dream was dangerous, but the way the wolf circled him made Calvin think there was something else. Wolves would circle their prey, but Dawn Wind wasn't doing that. His eyes were focused away from Calvin deeper into the woods - an alpha wolf protecting a pup.

More images and Calvin caught more of them this time. "Danger. Leave. It hunts you."


Something was hunting him?

"It brought you here. It hunts you."


Suddenly Calvin felt afraid. The darkness returned and the trees reached for him again. Calvin's breathing quickened at the fear.

"Star Gazer - focus! No fear. It has found us. Follow."


Calvin followed Dawn Wind to a clearing. "It's following. Leave now before...No...it's too late."


Dawn Wind froze and growled. It was too late. Whatever was hunting him had found him. Calvin felt more wolves approaching. Despite the instructions, given the way Dawn Wind was acting. Calvin was unable to banish his fear.


Edited by Calvin, Nov 20 2014, 04:49 PM.

Continued from Some Monsters Are Human

Aria called Lucas, it was a short call, she'd sent him her coordinates, she hoped he would hurry, they could freeze out here. The snow had started falling again. Mya clung to Aria for support and warmth, the girls shook from the cold and the entire situation. Her emotions were everywhere, relief was paramount, but there was still fear, Aria couldn't blame the girl one bit. She'd been there for god knows how long. Aria almost inquired, but the wounds were still too fresh. There was going to be scars, physically and emotionally. Aria could only hope that this girl would recover.

Standing still did little for their health, but Mya didn't seem to want to go anywhere, didn't want to walk, or move, she wanted to huddle in silence and Aria let her, she wanted to walk to to move, to do anything to stay warm. The clothes were disgusting, the smell and feel against her skin made her skin crawl. She wanted out of them, into clean clothes, into a hot bath. That sounded luxurious.

Time passed, Aria wished it would fly but it was slow and painful and there was nothing to do but wait.

Headlights approached, Aria could feel two people inside, one careful, the other was a mass of emotions, picking one was hard. She could only hope it was Lucas, but the other person she had no idea what to expect. She hoped they would just drive by.

The chill Moscow winter air was refreshing, although he doubted few who weren't born there thought the same. There weren't many who were willing to brave the early morning chill. Hell, most would have considered the hour to still be night time, and call declarations of it being any part of the morning to be heresy. But Hood had never been much of a late sleeper.

At 0300hrs, the pedestrian trails along the River Moskva were all but empty. The few people he passed as he sprinted the trail were the homeless, getting an early start on checking garbage cans for recyclable bottles or whatever odd patterns that made up their failed lives. He didn't hate the homeless or poor of course, he just didn't see them with much respect. They had tried at life, and for one reason or another, had failed. He might do something to help them from time to time, but he never expected much of them in return. A cheap pair of eyes to be paid off to watch something, but even then, unreliable at best.

He wore an elevation training mask, a somewhat sinister looking black thing that covered his mouth and nose. It restricted how much air he could draw with each breath, and included a hard-mount for his Landwarriors, which he wore to be able to see clearly on the less illuminated stretches of the run down trails.

While the ashphalt was cracked and broken in places, the snow had at least been cleared. Hood lived on the side of Moscow not seen in the tourism brochures, the part that the glory and splendor of the CCD hadn't quite reached yet, although even there it was obvious that change was coming. Old Soviet-era buildings were gone in places, ready to be replaced by modern architecture. In some empty lots sat loads of pipes and wire, guarded by fences and cameras, awaiting the spring thaw for work crews to resume their efforts to modernize the region's infrastructure.

Mr Volodya Fyodorov, of Krasnyy Medved Security Solutions, had finally gotten the information Hood had wanted. They had met a half hour ago, all cliche clandestine cover-of-darkness stuff, and the file now sat in the squat backpack Hood wore strapped to his back, which also housed a Camelbak hydration pack. He'd perused it briefly, then sent Volodya off with honest assurance that the man's family was safe from Hood's hand. He had no interest in the man once the information had been handed over; he had bigger fish to fry, after all.

The contract for the failed hit on Mr Talanov (or himself, or Spectra Lynn) had come from a small tech company. One for which a quick search through his Landwarriors had turned up little of interest. It wasn't a shell company, no false front or means to hide the movement of cash. It was a real company, but he had little doubt that the one who had ordered the attack was the one who signed the paychecks of the tech company's board of directors.

Someone a step or three above Mr Talanov. And there weren't many steps up from him. With the information Volodya had provided Hood, he was one step closer to figuring out who the idiot was that had ordered that ridiculous attack. It was down right insulting that they would think four KMSS 'specialists' were going to be a match for him. Whoever had been that stupid needed to be reminded how to play the game.

An alert flashed in one corner of his glasses, and a deft flick of the eye opened the message. A brief police incident report; a hit-and-run between two vehicles. A one Mr Volodya Fyodorov's car had been struck on the drivers side by a large vehicle that had fled the scene. Mr Fyodorov had been killed on impact. Initial reports indicated that there had been no witnesses or cameras near the scene.

Hopefully for Volodya's family, he had a good life insurance policy. Of course, KMSS was having trouble with their insurance provider after the deaths of four of their employees. Or ex-employees, so it would probably take a while for the man's widow and family to see their money. Insurance companies were such snakes.

Hood's run eventually brought him back to his place of residence, closer to 0500hrs. The fresh, thin layer of snow was undisturbed, and he slowed to a walk and finally pulled the mask from his face. A few long, slow breaths to help steady his breathing (and to adjust to the unfiltered chill morning air), and he went straight to the garage and pulled a stiff bristled broom, which was put to use to brush away the fresh snow.

By the time he finished, the thin layer of sweat he had built up was already freezing, and he finally made his way inside. There was more work to be done. He had to find out who owned METZAVED Solutions. And who owned whoever the hell owned that guy. He really did hate the civilian sector sometimes.

Enrique woke up feeling sore. Mercedes kept coming back. Not that he minded. She was quite fun, but the constant activity was taking it's toll. The hunt a couple of days ago hadn't helped either. He stood up and stretched, Mercedes had already left for work. She had woken him up to say goodbye. He still wasn't sure what they had. Both of them seemed content to keep their relationship undefined.

He walked downstairs in his boxers. There really was no reason to get dressed. He opened his fridge looking for a drink, preferably something with caffeine. He could have coffee, but wasn't in the mood. He wanted a Coke. Unfortunately, he was out.

So he went to his bar, grabbed a glass and filled it. It was mid-morning, so the bar wasn't open. He sipped his Coke and checked his mail. There was nothing but bills in the bar's mailbox, but in the Atharim mailbox - one he kept for Atharim correspondence - he found a single letter.

Ricky open the letter and read it, leaning on the bar. His eyes grew wide as he did. There was no way. They were small now - one that size couldn't exist anymore. Usually they were more like exterminations rather than hunts.

Ricky smiled. This would be a unique challenge. Jacinda was still around too and would probably enjoy it as well. He went downstairs and knocked on her door without realizing that he hadn't even gotten dressed yet.

Elias spent the day exploring. Or that was what he told Tony and the guys. He was really looking to be alone, and in Tony's house, that was nearly impossible. He liked everyone well enough, even Claire, although she rubbed him the wrong way. The why of it bothered him, though, more than she herself did. Perhaps she was so different from the girls he knew in Kenab.

At one point he had been caught up in tourism, though. He had been standing on the banks of the Moscow River, downstream from where the shadow darted beneath the ice. His uncle's Wallet had revealed nothing new since then, but he checked it constantly none the less.

Standing on the riverside, he realized the Kremlin stood at his back. The structure was unlike anything he'd ever seen before in Utah or New Zealand. He tried to imagine Russians building the walls. Kings and Tsars ruling from behind the fortress perimeter. Impressive, but not so enticing as to draw him inside. He had his look and was satisfied.

Thus he ended the afternoon near some Market seemingly plucked from a children's book. He thought about sending some trinket or another back to his family in Kenab, but in the end, bought nothing.

((Closed Topic))

Emily's was glad to be back in Moscow. The press conference had gone really well and she finally had time to just relax. Everyone back at the office knew their jobs and she had told them she wasn't going to hold their hands - she trusted their judgement. After that, she said she was going out of town for a couple of weeks. She needed it. Most of her board understood. It was difficult to explain to her sisters that she needed some time alone, but after awhile they understood. She promised them a Spring Break vacation together.

Her plane arrived at about 6:00 PM and Emily went to her hotel right away. She had spent a few days working on her sleep schedule so she could just enjoy her time in Moscow. She had eaten on the plane and was excited to spend some time looking around. She felt as if she had made some friends when she was here last - Asha and Ayden at least. She didn't know what to think of the guy Sebastian. They hadn't really gotten to spend a lot of time together.

Emily pulled out her Wallet and found Ayden's contact information. They had decided to do something when she came back, so Emily sent her a message.

"Hi Ayden, it's Emily. I'm in Moscow for a couple of weeks. You up for doing something. If so, where should I meet you?"


Emily went down to the hotel lobby to await Ayden's reply. She left it to Ayden's judgement on where to go. She knew Moscow better, but from the lobby she could get a cab to take her where she needed to go.

(closed rp)

Having Lucas to help had helped Aria cope a little better with the desires she longed for, that pulled at her nearly every time she went out of her apartment, sometimes being home didn't help either. It was only with Lucas that she felt like nothing could hurt her. Now alone and doing her Atharim duty the darkness was all that much closer. The hunger for pain hung just out of sight as Aria filled through her wallet looking for odd occurrences that would indicate monster. Going to Mass had helped, but still she didn't enjoy the thought that she'd not had her sins forgiven. The world was getting heavier, yet she had more control over her ability since meeting Dane, and even more after meeting Lucas, but it still weighed heavy.

The world was a horrid place. The news was dreary and dark and almost always filled with death. Aria would prefer not to read the news, go on living as if it didn't exist, but sadly it did and she had to scan it. Father Stone was pressing her for reports. She had none to give him that he was happy with. She'd reported on her research thus far into Ascendancy, but with no action taken, even though she'd sought out Michael Vellas and didn't find him, he still wasn't happy. Aria knew she'd have to make a more risky move, but she didn't exactly know what yet.

And meeting Nox had also made things a bit more complicated. He was a godling, a talented hunter, and he used his ability to further the cause, but if anyone knew, they'd probably both be dead.

A recent murder popped up on her wallet, Aria didn't see anything overly supernatural about it. But when she looked at the connected stories it was a mass string of missing girls found dead, beaten, raped and butchered, ironically the media called this serial killer "The Butcher". Her wallet was probably her most useful tool since coming to Moscow, she pulled out the general locations of each of the kills and mapped them. It was what the CCDP would do, and they'd probably have that area already watched, but what they didn't have was a Sentient, or Furia, who could follow the creature to its lair. It could be human, but it could be rougarou, or something even worse.

If she were at HQ she could pull up more detailed records, but she didn't want to step foot in the basement of the mansion tonight. She wanted to hunt. And this looked like a good place to hunt as any. It was on the outskirts of the city. Quiet and less likely to be found. It was likely they would be holed up in some run down building or something, but not every monster liked to the dark depths of things.

Aria took the metro to the area. She hated the metro even late at night, at night was worse than the crowds during the day, the creeps that thought they could come up to you smelled of alcohol or were just plain creeps. Tonight was no different. A creep came up to her and put his dirty arm around her shoulders. Aria wanted to put her dagger through his heart, but she took a deep breath and pushed his arm away trying very hard to not give in to the hunger. He resisted and he pulled her closer with some crude remark that Aria couldn't hear through the desire to hurt him, to make him stop touching her. Aria turned with her dagger in her hand the moment she did. She pressed it against his most prized body part and looked up at him. The violence clearly written on her face. "Get away, or you'll lose more than your hand."


He backed off with some guttural words, thankfully the metro stopped at Aria's final destination. Aria glanced around only on other person was in the car. He seemed surprised. And also angry. It was like he was filled with cold rage. Aria didn't like the way he felt any better than the creep. She hated the metro at night!

Aria put the dagger back under her coat, the sword on the opposite hip flashed into view before she hugged the opening closed again to get off the metro. Aria extended her sense to the extreme limits. It was difficult to maintain, but with the area less populated it was much easier, less people to deal with. Though it still was a challenge. It had been a long time since she'd hunted outside the city.

About me:

Lawrence Monday is an investigative journalist for the fringe news source, MondayMargin.net
.

Monday attended American University School of Journalism. Her first job was for a community events source in Washington, DC, but within a year, she was landing coveted news stories covering the White House. Following the 2040 Presidential election, Monday suddenly left DC in lieu of an online career for Vulpes Net. She left the carrier less than a year later to embark on her own brand of news.

Born in 2015, Monday is a native of Chicago. Her favorite food is deep dish pizza and she has a pet goldfish named Fred.


Biography:

"Everyone has a story, it's my job to tell it."

As a little girl she was accused of tattling, having a big mouth, and being too bossy. True, she did have a big voice, but while Lawrence was outspoken, she was also a champion of causes. She took care of other kids too shy to take care of themselves, but she took a sort of justice-delivered-thrill in bullying the bullies. It made her feel like a superhero shield from a movie. It was that same fulfillment that led her to journalism to start with.

She was popular in high school. Her larger than life smile cheered for the football team and her dynamic personality made it hard to dislike her. She still stuck up for others, even those outside their clique. But Lawrence didn't care. She did what she wanted and never let opinions hold sway over her. She wasn't entirely noble, however. There was a fearless, wild streak in her that couldn't turn down a dare, allow curfews to hedge her social life, or let reality shake her dreams.

Chicago was a city of disreputable past. Even in the 2030's, People still told stories of the golden era of power, mystery, and crime otherwise known as the decades of the mob. Their descendants still ran things: drugs and porn mostly. But they were sad shadows of their former, fascinating selves. Lawrence dreamed of a film noir kind of life, and Chicago only gave her a taste of it. Washington, DC was her calling.

Her first semester at American University took place during the tense 2036 Presidential Election. The country was rife with misinformation and the campus buzzed with gossip. More importantly, she saw the potential for telling the real story for the first time in her life. She knew then and there, that mainstream media was not in her future. She wanted to tell the stories off the visible edge; those lingering in the margins that nobody else knew unless they were directly involved.

DC was the big leagues, and Lawrence knew exactly what she wanted. The problem was execution. She drooled over opportunities to make a name for herself, but in their world, street-cred was everything. They said she had to earn her chance, but she wasn't satisfied; her first job was lame, but it paid the bills and kept her close to the Hill.

She soon got her wish.

She'd graduated college only a few months before, and while the leaves were turning in autumn, the political climate was near boiling point in the district. In a coincidental turn of events, she met the unspoken leader of the democratic party, Congressman Perry Caldera. She recognized him, of course, the handsome, curly haired Senator from Pennsylvania. She also recognized a second Senator, Luna Castro's car dropping him off on the side of the road. Interesting, given that the former was the Senate Majority Leader and latter the most recent Vice-President.

Lawrence, fresh from a boring work party, hid in the shadows, shocked out of her mind to discover the scandalous affair between the republican (married) Senator and her (also married) political rival. Oh how the tides had turned. Lawrence had the goods for blackmail on her hands, but as she also valued her life, she decided to not use it but only in desperate need. A few anonymous contacts later, and she was gladly exchanging damning evidence for the chance to field a few, inconspicuous-seeming stories for the democratic party. Her community event reports highlighted individuals in the wrong place at the wrong time, PAC contributors attempting to fly under the radar, and company executives engaging nontraditional "charities". She laid the strings and the kittens gave chase, but they were all a means to an end. Once she had the cred to cover the White House, her strategies took on a whole new target. Soon, her ally in the Senate became her enemy, and naively, she underestimated his vengeance.

Given the stakes she'd been manipulating during the campaign, she wasn't surprised when strange things started happening, but they still frightened her. Her email account freaked out. Her home computer was hacked and wiped. Her Wallet short-circuited. A few too many unwelcome faces showed up on the subway, her coffee shop, her mailbox. Lawrence grew desperate. She used the blackmail she should have destroyed six months before, panicked. Rather than turning the two Senators against each other, they came for her head. She gambled and they called her bluff. She fled DC with only one suitcase of her belongings. A short time later, she took a position at Vulpes Net, but when her baggage revealed itself, she was asked to leave on less than friendly terms.

Feeling the US was too uncertain, she turned to the wider world stage. The president was dead and Senators Castro and Caldera lost re-election. Dawson seemed to have a cool head on his shoulders, but the DC landscape was shifting. Lawrence was ready to build her own brand for the rest of the world, and she set out to make her mark abroad.


Rebirth:

Lawrence (Laurie) is an old soul. As a channeler, her soul shifts from Wilder to Learner. Her surname, Monday, is a derivative of Mundi, from the Old Norse Mundr, meaning protector. Fitting, when given the opportunity, she always chooses the Green Ajah.

Alignment:

Chaotic good

Maghreb Arabe Press, Morocco national news agency
Author: Yasmine Chastain

In a shocking and unexpected release, the private security company known as Legion Premiere has released footage of the fighting on the outskirts of Mecca, considered the birth place of the violent fighting that has rocked Dominance V in recent weeks.

Over ten hours of video feed assembled from the Landwarrior cameras of some of the nearly two hundred private security operators that died during the daring rescue operation that saw hundreds of CCD civilians and soldiers escape the chaotic fighting in the city of Jedah was released at 8 AM, Morocco time.

The CEO of Legion Premiere, Jacques Danjou, is the youngest CEO of any private security company currently in operation, and has held the position with the full backing of the company's myriad investors for only five years. The company has until recently entertained contracts solely in Africa, and in light of the recent losses in Dominance V and the ongoing strife in Sierra Leone, will not be seen setting foot outside the continent any time soon. Until the incident in DV, Mr Danjou was seen as a business savvy and charismatic leader who, in the minds of many, could do no wrong, but it is yet to be seen what sort of difficulty the company will face in his recent bold decisions.

A statement by Mr Danjou was released alongside the graphic footage, a portion of which is quoted here;

"Too often do the horrors and injustices of the world get ignored by those of more 'enlightened' societies. Far removed from events seen on the evening news, reports of the deaths of dozens, even hundreds, are briefly lamented then forgotten by the end of the commercial break. It is time for this to end.

"I have chosen to make the final recordings of my men open to the public. The sanitized images and stories told on the news rarely scratch the surface of what truly transpires, or more often only tells one side, to achieve a political agenda, or to make the most money possible.

"Few sitting in their homes, at work, in their favorite coffee shop, that hear my words truly know what it is that I sent my men to their deaths for, or why they were willing to go. It was not for money, or foolish pride. All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. A quote many of you have likely heard throughout your lives, thrown out by those seeking to motivate their listeners to vote against their rivals in elections, or to donate money to a cause.

"No man, who is not inflamed by vain-glory into enthusiasm, can flatter himself that his single, unsupported, desultory, unsystematic endeavours are of power to defeat the subtle designs and united Cabals of ambitious citizens. When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. Edmund Burke, an Anglo-Irish author and statesman of the mid-18th century.

"Until such time as the member-states of the African Union step forward. Until such time that the citizens of the countless failed-states of Africa seek to act in their own common interests. The men of Legion Premiere shall do all in our power to hold the line. That children may go to school and not fear the rifle. That families may attend church or temple or mosque or synagogue without fear of violence or reprisal. That families may live without knowing the loss of loved ones to needless conflict and hate.

"Many of you already assume I speak towards some unseen political goal. And to you, I have nothing to say. I need not prove myself or the motivations of the men under my command. Past and future action shall speak for that. My men are of strong spirit and stronger resolve, and I trust every last one of them with my life, that they share my dream of a day that no child of Africa need carry a gun. A day when men such as myself and my men are no longer needed.

"This is a dream that cannot be achieved alone. Organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, the Red Cross/Red Crescent, and many other NGOs are in desperate need of qualified volunteers and donations, such as the generous and prompt financial support by organizations such as Shale Industries, in the name of the recently passed parents of current CEO, Emily Shale. And for those of you who are bold enough, the Legion's doors are always open."


Copies of Mr Danjou's statement and the combat footage from Dominance V were released simultaneously on dozens of news feeds and public forums world wide, and have already garnished thousands of views and much buzz-feed. Some countries have already banned any viewing of the footage, often siting it as 'too graphic' in nature, although much debate on various forums seem to argue against that reasoning, as the footage is heavily edited by the Legion Premiere public relations department.

Highlights of the footage include the apparent rescue of hostages and CCD civilians that were caught in the fighting, including a daring raid on an all-boys post-secondary education center in Jedah, and a mall and hospital near the city's center. Footage also shows the little understood final stand on the outskirts of the city's main airport, where most of the civilian and CCD soldiers were airlifted to safety.

Many conspiracy theorists and those in support of the ongoing debate over recent declarations of 'magic' by United States news icon Nicholas Trano, site what appears to be some sort of sustained artillery barrage, as proof of Mr Trano's announcement as a modern-day magician.

Edited by Jacques, Nov 8 2014, 04:52 PM.