Living Room(#4317R)
The small foyer by the front door opens into the main room of the house, which
has apparently been designated as a den. Quite good-sized, it's about 20'x30',
leaving plenty of room for the bookcases, table, desks, and chairs that litter
the place.
     The bookcases alone are probably the most notable feature. While most places
have paintings hanging from the wall, with the large bookcases occupying the wall
space, there's little room left for portraits. Only the west wall, with its large
picture window, is free of the items. A cursory inspection reveals a mix between
scholarly texts (books on physics and archaeology, encyclopedias, etc.) and
frivolous items (comic books, graphic novels, etc.)
     Everything else is sadly pedestrian, really. Just rather generic (if
comfortable) furniture, although the wide-screen TV is a nice touch. Two doors on
the north wall lead to the bedroom and his laboratory, respectively, while doors
on the east wall lead to the garage and cellar. The kitchen, adjacent to the
living room, is rather undersized for the house, but contains all the essential
appliances.
[Exits   : Back (Y)ard, (O)ut the front door, (C)ellar, (B)edroom, and (La)b ]
[Things  : None ]

>In a page-pose to you, Vincent knocks.
>You page-pose, "Ryan shouts back, "It's open!"" to Vincent
>Vincent steps in from the yard.
>Vincent steps inside. He's careful to close the door behind him before turning
around to see just where Ryan's voice came from.
>Ryan was fixing himself a sandwich. Whoo-hoo! Balogna!
>Vincent waits for Ryan to finish, then. Far be it for him to interrupt a man's
dinner with a paltry concern... better to wait while he's in the middle of it so
he can choke on the news. n.- Juuuust kidding.
>You don't have to wait long anyway, he downs the thing before you're five steps
into the house. He turns to you, and mentions through a mouthful of sandwich,
"Hey *munch* *gulp* Whassup?"
>Vincent nods briefly. "I have a concern." he's calm about it, but something in
him's making an air of reluctance in the telling of just what this concern is.
>Ryan raises his eyebrow as he takes a seat. "Oh?"
>Vincent moves closer, "Yes. Something of my nature that I believe you are not
aware of." he pauses, trying to find the best way to phrase it all. And then. . .
"You recall the corpse of the demon rat I obtained for you?" You know, that
mangled, bitten one? c.c
>Ryan mmm-hmms as he peers at you...
>Vincent inhales slowly, "I was the one that caused the injuries. And not while I
was myself."
>Ryan blinks, and glances at that claw of yours. He rubs the back of his neck,
and comments, "Guess you're tougher'n I first thought..."
>Cloud has arrived.
>Vincent notices the look at the claw. He shakes his head, "I was not myself." he
repeats, "I have... another shape. One that I take when I lose control of my
rage." he sighs slightly, "I am afraid that it would prove a trouble if we do go
to the Nova Pandemonium."
>Ryan hrmms, and rubs his chin. "Kinda like a Lycanthrope?"
>Cloud knocks at the door quietly.
>Ryan shouts rudely, "S'open!"
>Cloud enters, then. Sheesh.
>Vincent frowns slightly, yet nods, "Yes." he affirms.
>Ryan ponders this. "Might be a problem... if we're trying to be sneaky at
least... Oh, hiyah Cloud"
>Cloud says, "Good evening."
>Vincent stands, by his very posture having already told the story he'd come to
tell Ryan. He's got that stiff as a statue look around him, though it's slowly
relaxing again. "Good evening." he says after Cloud does.
>Ryan thinks to himself, "Of course, in a combat situation, it'd be less of a
problem. Still make hell out of the logistics, though..."
>Cloud looks briefly towards Vincent, a questioning look on his face.
>Vincent turns his attention to Ryan, "Should I be able to stay out of combat, it
should not pose much of a problem. What would be a concern is to whether or not
the atmosphere of the place would affect my change... if it occured."
>Ryan hrmms. "I wouldn't know, without lots of analysis... anything made at this
point would be a guess at best."
>Cloud says, "... I take it you told him, Vincent" in a low voice.
>Vincent nods slightly to Cloud, still a little bit... uncomfortable over just
hearing Ryan say 'analysis'. Reminds him that he might be the one being
anaylized... even if that's not what Ryan meant.
>Ryan doesn't feel like asking for a blood sample if you tore that rat up
barehanded, thankyouverymuch.
>Cloud looks towards Ryan. "... So... ah..."
>Ryan shakes his head. "This doesn't change the plan, though. We're intending to
avoid being discovered anyway... and I have a feeling that Vincent going berserk
on us is the least of our worries if we are found out."
>Vincent falls moodily silent. Well, he's listening, and he'll comment on matters
if needed. Like now, "Iria mentioned the space will be limited in what can be
brought. Has any plans been made in that regard?"
>Cloud says, "... Tifa is willing to take your place, Vincent, if you have
trouble."
>Ryan shakes his head. "Currently, the plan is for you, me, and Cloud to go.
Rachel and Eden will have to be left out... I don't want them coming along
without their equipment. ... Unfortunately, I haven't told them this yet..." He
glances to the side.
>Cloud looks at Ryan, then nods.
>Vincent sighs, "I will do it. I merely wished to warn you of a problem not of my
choosing."
>Ryan nods. "It shouldn't be a problem... assuming there is some sort of factor
there, I doubt it'd take effect instantly. If there even is one."
>Cloud frowns. "It can be pretty quick..."
>Ryan rubs his chin. "Any first-hand accounts on either of your ends?"
>Ryan waits for a response from either of you. Considering most of your dialogue
consists of '...', this may be a while.
>Vincent starts slightly. Of course he has... oh, "Not precisly." he answers, "I
have not had the opportunity to test the theory while I was there." he sounds
sarcastic... as if he'd have really -wanted- to test it in the way he would have
been able to.
>Cloud asks, "... What theory?"
>Ryan elaborates for Cloud, "That the... atmosphere? of Nova Pandemonium may...
negatively affect Vincent's transformations." He's met several were-critters
before, so he has no trouble with Vincent saying that. He figured him more for a
Vampire, but... eh.
>Cloud says, "How so?"
>Ryan shrugs. "Don't know without further experimentation. And something tells me
Vincent would be opposed to that." He looks at him.
>Cloud asks, "But... what makes you think..." He pauses, then looks at Vincent.
"That time you went to the Pandaemonium... what happened?"
>Vincent gives Ryan a steady look. Buuuut he doesn't say he would be opposed to
it if -really- asked. To Cloud he says, "Nothing happened.  But I was also in no
danger of changing... nor was I there for very long."
>Ryan scratches the side of his head. "I suspect... there's nothing inherent to
the place that would have an effect. The Demons are probably just all born crazy,
and as for Foil going batty... if he has, it probably has something to do with
his current state, and his captivity."
>Cloud frowns. "I was there, and there wasn't any problems..."
>Vincent sighs, "Very well. Then I will merely hope that things go as planned."
>Ryan nods. "Oh, I'm sure we won't be THAT lucky. I'd be more concerned about
making the right choices when we eventually screw up, eh? That's more
important..." He smirks.
>Cloud nods quietly.
>Vincent hmns, "Then to that." he says simply, changing the directions of his
hopes with those words. "What other matters need to be discussed?"
>Ryan scratches his side. "Anyway, there's not much we can do about it. If
something happens, we'll deal with it. No biggie." He hmms. "I'm planning on
bringing some weapons with us, just in case. My blaster, those grenades... that
shouldn't add too much mass to the flight, and it'd give us an advantage if we
get into a fight."
>Cloud asks, "... I have materia and the new sword. Vincent, did you need
Materia?"
>Vincent blinks. There he'd been, dazing off again, "I.. yes. Whatever you wish
to sell."
>Cloud says, "Sell? I thought you wanted to get some."
>Vincent hmns, shaking his head once again, to clear matters, "Yes... I am sorry,
but I misunderstood."
>Ryan rubs the back of his neck. "Well, get prepared, we will be leaving in
(insert X digits here) hours. Assuming we don't run into Maruah first..."
>Cloud nods quietly. (OOC: If I have to, I'll borrow what Tifa had. x.x)
>Cloud asks, "Has anyone seen Maruah since?"
>Ryan shakes his head. "Not to my knowledge. I've informed Lyrae, though."
>Ryan says, "And Eden and Rachel already know to be on the watch."
>Cloud nods. "How about the metal demons?"
>Ryan rubs his chin. "No sign of activity there, either."   . o O ( That Iria
girl mentioned Harken visited that Vega guy a few times... might be worth looking
into. No time for it now, though. )
>Cloud is having similar thoughts, and must find this Vega sometimes.
>Ryan knows where Vega lives. Of course, you'd never ask...
>Ryan raps his fingers on the table. "Anything else we need to worry about
beforehand?"
>Cloud says, "... What about Harken?"
>Ryan hrmms. "Most likely... we'll be running into her again. Maruah said she
gave Foil to her, after all..."
>Cloud frowns. "All right."
>Ryan says, "Of course, we've both held our own against her alone (dunno how
Vincent'd hold up, but...), in a three-on-one battle we'd probably be okay.
Probably."
>Cloud shakes his head. "If you were to try to fight her in close... we all can't
do that."
>Ryan smirks. "Why do you think I'm bringing the blaster?" He chuckles a moment,
then asks, "How are you at hand to hand? Vincent'd probably stick to his gun...
am I right?... but that sword of yours has a wide arc."
>Cloud hmmms. "I do well enough. In-close, I'd use the hilt."
>Ryan nods. "Good enough."
>Cloud says, "But we might need to work on a plan of attack so we don't trip over
each other."
>Ryan hmms, pondering that a bit. "Well, if it comes down to a fight, the last
thing we want is a drawn-out battle. That's why I'm bringing the weaponry. Lob a
grenade or two at her; it'd probably slow her down a bit, if not seriously injure
her. Even if she did get through the blast intact, it'd be comparatively easy to
take her down afterwards."
>Vincent speaks up, "And Cloud should take a back position. Shooting around him
would be difficult."
>Cloud frowns. "So this would mean I'd need my materia."
>Ryan hrmms, and nods. "Vincent would be better suited at the beginning of the
fight, to soften her up... Cloud amd me would take her out at close range. I
immoblize her, and Cloud does the damage." He ponders a moment. "We'll check for
the materia while we're up there, too. Probably in the same location..."
>Vincent shakes his head, "Harken carries it on her person, as far as I know."
>Ryan hrmms. "That would make it difficult, then. It's a secondary objective at
best, though."
>Cloud nods. "Has she shown that she know how to use materia?"
>Ryan says, "Not to my knowledge, but it's a possibility. All the more reason to
lob artillery at her right away, before we get down 'n dirty."
>Cloud says, "We'll have to get the materia from her then."
>Vincent almost stays silent. And yet, "She knows.. but she does not have the
complete means. She has no weapons or armor that have been fitted with slots for
the materia."
>Cloud says, "... she has my old sword, though."
>Ryan says, "Except Cloud's. But she seems to prefer her own."
>Vincent nods, "Then she has choosen not to make use of it."
>Cloud says, "So either she has the materia with her, or she has it on the
sword."
>Ryan shakes his head. "She might just be carrying 'em around in her pocket,
y'know? Don't be making assumptions without evidence. And I repeat... it's still
a secondary objective."
>Ryan exhales. "Okay... what's the inside of this place like? I'm assuming Foil
is being held in Harken's 'quarters'... wherever that is."
>Vincent chuckles softly, "I do not know." he says after a moment, "I was only in
Harken's chambers at the time." Helluva time to be saying that... isn't it?
>Ryan sweatdrops. "Great..." He ponders a moment. "Someone remind me to bring a
camera, so we can get a record of this place. Help us map it out later."
>Cloud says, "Good idea." He pauses, then adds, "And I've only been to the main
room and the dungeon."
>Ryan hmms. "Better than nothing, at least."
>Cloud nods quietly. "Anything else we need?"
>Ryan shakes his head. "I don't think so, just as long as we all know what our
objectives are. Rescue Foil. On a secondary level, get intelligence on the place,
and recover Cloud's items."
>Cloud nods.
>Vincent nods, "Ryan? Are you going to mention this to Rachel and Eden before or
after the task is done?"
>Ryan nods in reply. "As soon as I can get a hold of 'em. I was planning on
giving Eden a call after we finished up here."
>Cloud nods. "Very well. I'll see you lter."
>Ryan mmm-hmms.
>Vincent looks ready to leave as well, but he hesitates, not wishing to just go
when he might soon be returning, anyway... hmn.
>Ryan stands up. "I'm just gonna head over to the church. Had trouble getting
through before, so..." He thumbs towards the kitchen. "You can hang around if you
like, help yourself to a snack or something. Probably better if finished up
everything you need to do back home, though."
>Vincent nods slightly, "I have what I need." He does, too... what he needs he
keeps on his person... as much as he can carry. Can't be too careful, after all.
>Vincent then settles in to wait. c.c
>Ryan slips out. Have fun chatting with Cloud.
>o
You step out the front door.

** Walk cut **

Odin Avenue [500]
Some of the homes here, unlinke those to the west, appear to have been erected in
rather recent years.  Though larger than their elder counterparts, and containing
more modern accomidations, they are no less stylish and do not detract from the
appearance of their neighbours.  The contrast might even be considered healthy. 
Immediately to the east, a turn north and south and estates with large mansions
bordering it on the eastern edge of the walk mark the end of Odin Avenue.  Also,
to your south here, through some wrought iron gating..is quite oviously a
cemetary.  It isn't spooky as you think one should be..far from it..it seems a
peaceful, sunny area to be laid to rest.
[Exits   : (C)emetary, (Ch)urch, (E)ast, and (W)est ]
[Players : Jill ]
[Things  : None ]

>Jill waves.
>Ryan blinks, catching you out of the corner of his eye as he walks towards the
church. "Hmm? Oh, heyah..."
>Jill says, "Hi, how have you been."
>Ryan nods and smiles. "Good, good! Comparatively." Only one monster attack this
week!
>Jill says, "That's good to hear, I was just wandering around and sort of heading
for the park..."
>Ryan hmms, and nods. "I was gonna go chat with someone, myself." He points
towards the church. "Nice running into you."
>Jill says, "Oh yeah, nice seeing you again." She waves.
>Ryan zips off, not trying to be rude, but he's planning on assaulting a massive
space fortress. Happens all the time around here. Yup. *cough*
>Jill leaves east.
>ch
You push the twin doors open, stepping into the old building.

Odin Street Church: Sanctuary
The tall stained glass windows of the old building flood the room with a soft
light.  Your ears hear every creak and bend as you step across the old wooden
floor.  This once joyous place of worship has recently been cleaned, refurbished,
and remodeled into a fine place to live and still worship as at the front of the
room is the Sacred Statue of the Holy Mother.  The floors are dust free, the pews
are in straight lines, and even some of the old wood has been removed and
replaced.  Electric lights hanging overhead hum with energy, though rarely are
they used to conserve energy, instead most of the light provided by the candles
located around the room. Should it be necessary that the light provided by the
candles isn't enough, more oft than not, there is a small white generator located
in the corner to provide more than enough electricity.  A portion of the wooden
floor is still broken away, revealing a patch of wild flowers growing in the
center of the room.  It's a cute little addition to the quaint atmosphere.
From the clock on the wall, you can see that it is: 12:39 AM
The room's not so crowded at the moment.
[Exits   : (E)ast, (S)ide door, (B)ack room, and (O)ut ]
[Players : Lucky(Pup), and Angel(Pup) ]
[Things  : None ]

>Lucky barks diligently.
>Ryan walks in from the street, rubbing the back of his neck. He peers down at
the dog. "Oh, hiyah... um... Lucy? Something like that." He glances around the
room   . o O ( Angel's here, that probably means Eden is too. )
Lucky makes an odd growling noise. Lucky! It's Lucky! ...stupid human. x.x;;
>Ryan has met Lucky, what, twice!? Go away   >.<
>Lucky ^n.n^
>Ryan walks over to the side room, after giving Angel a glance.   . o O ( Really
is an odd name, now that I think about it. )
>s
You open the door, stepping into the next room.

** Walk cut **

Odin Street Church: Hallway - West
As you enter,  you notice that you stand on the balcony overlooking the west
corner hall, supported on beams halfway into the room below so that one can jump
over the railing to the ground. The hallway extends from the balcony and goes all
the way around the room, continuing to the east. At the end of the hall is Eden's
room, while Kim and Lyrae share another room near that. A stained glass window
has the image of Mary upon it while on the two other sides a window looks out
onto the cemetary and the opposite side of the church, where a small garden is
being grown, respectively. The rafters are a bit higher and wide, but sturdy
enough to hold a person's weight. The source of light, when no sunlight comes in
from the windows, is a large glass chandelier that hangs over the center of the
room. At the far side of the balcony, by the bathroom, there are three boxes,
which hold blankets and towels.
From the clock on the wall, you can see that it is: 12:43 AM
[Exits   : (Le)ft, (R)ight, (K)im and Lyrae's Room, (B)athroom, (E)den's Room,
and (D)own ladder ]
[Things  : None ]

>You page-pose, "Ryan knocks on the door" to Eden
>In a page-pose to you, Eden opens the door. (OOCly, just come in)
>e
You step into Eden's room.

Eden's Room
This room is nicely decorated, with a pale green wallpaper pasted on the walls
and a soft dark green rug covering the floor.  There is an oak desk in the corner
of the room by the door, while in the adjacent corner is a comfortable couch with
a light material covering it.  Directly against the wall in front of the door is
a twin bed.  A large window on the west wall looks outside to the cemetary, and
there are a few more chairs scattered around the room.
From the clock on the wall, you can see that it is: 12:45 AM
[Exits   : (O)ut ]
[Players : Kigou(Pup), and Eden ]
[Things  : Flute Case[Unlocked] ]

>Kigou straightens up, having been leaning against the wall by the door, he
blinks, then bows slightly at Ryan's arrival.  "Evening, Ryan-san."
>Ryan steps in. "There's been a change of plan. Have you heard about Maruah yet,
Eden...?"
>Ryan nods to Kigou
>Derek pages, "Your phone rings.." to you.
>Eden says, "Hello, Ryan....no, I haven't. What happened?"
>Ryan blinks as his phone rings   O.o;    . o O ( Now what...? )
>You page-pose, "Ryan lets it ring a bit. How excruciating!" to Derek
>Ryan shakes his head. "We can't use her to get to Nova Pandemonium. I'll go into
the details later." He fumbles around his pocket for the phone, while continuing,
"We've lined up a spaceship, but it's not big enough to carry mecha..."
>In a page-pose to you, Derek mutters to himself..
>Ryan finally answers the phone. "This better be important."
>You page-pose, "Ryan answers on like the fifth ring. "This better be
important."" to Derek
>Eden nods, falling silent as Ryan speaks on the phone.
>Kigou blinks, curiously.  "What's going on?"
>Ryan asides to Eden as he listens to the person on the other end. "I'm sorry to
say, this makes me want to suggest that you stay here, instead of coming with
us."
>Derek pages, "Dammit, you took your good old time. You know those damn rats you
were talking about? Well, there's some....thing..floating in the square and it
has about 20 of them with it.." to you.
>Ryan blinks suddenly as he hears something over the phone. "WHAT!? I'll be there
ASAP with backup, capisce?" He hangs up and says to Eden, "Of all the times to...
Eden, please, suit up now... apparently those demon rats are invading Town
Square!"
>You page, ""WHAT!? I'll be there ASAP with backup, capisce?" He then hangs up."
to Derek.
>Ryan certainly has a way with words, doesn't he? In a rather rude fashion, he
stumbles backwards, and dashes out the door. Sheesh...
>o
You step out of the room.

** Walk cut **

City Square
Welcome to the middle of the sleepy (yeah, right), humble mountain city of
Midgaard.  The peaks that surround the somewhat smallish sprawl of constructions
about you appear a vibrant, cool purple at this distance..capped with off-white
snow at the tops.  Although the town itself recieves little precipitation from
being sheltered by this atol of sheer rock, a cold wind does comb and filter its
way through..providing a brisk, though arid, atmosphere.
  On the southwestern pointing end of town, a small, manmade pass in the mountain
valley allows for easy access from the bustling world outside.  To your north and
west are the commercial districts..manufacturing, shipping, and selling various
consumable goods.  In the east, to the 'horizon', appear to be homes of various
architectural influences..the more wealthy of said houses bordering a small
alpine lake and park.  To the south, the middle-class homes continue, thinning
out just before the open gap to the highway beyond.
  As for where you stand..it is the Midgaard City Square..Several government
offices and the larger buildings can be found on the sides of the slightly
misnomered elliptical, cobblestoned intersection.  No actual automobile traffic
passes here, being routed through the side streets..this is a strictly pedestrian
and bicycle zone.  A large, granite fountain with a statue of Odin atop it towers
nearly two stories prominantly in the center.  There are also benches about for
taking a quiet repose from the hustle of daily life.
[Exits   : (C)ity Hospital, City (H)all, (T)ransit Station, (S)outh, (N)orth,
(W)est, (E)ast, and (F)ountain ]
[Players : Hino_Rei, Skuld, Derek, Demon Rat(Pup), and Alhazad ]
[Sleepers: Dark Crescent(Pup), and Cierra(Pup) ]
[Things  : Rammstein Lyrics, MPI Voting Box, and Ye Olde Message Boarde [IC!] ]

>Al'Hazad says, "Like I said, I'm looking to take these boys on the road. Some
people have flea circuses, but to me that speaks of a lack of vision."
>Rei blinks, (I just know I missed something here...)
>Ryan dashes in from the west, apparently having been made aware that something's
going on around here. Seeing good ol' Al confirms that. "...!"
>l al
Alhazad
He hovers a foot off the ground and makes no pretense at humanity. Alhazad's
alien appearance is augmented by an intangible sense of the horrifying, making
the association between himself and all things demonic an easy one to assume.
A massive, jeweled golden mask with flaring and decidedly bladelike protrusions
serves to indicate where his head is supposed to be, and a narrow slit reveals a
single, ominous point of light amidst the darkness: his eye. His body would be
low to the ground if he were actually standing. Beneath the resplendent robes
covering him, his shape is suggestive of a quadriped. The tips of two sets of
ghastly claws peek out from under the hem of his robe.
His pristine vestements conform very loosely to his shape, leaving much
(mercifully) to the imagination. Each shoulder rises in a peak, decorated by a
band of red and tipped with green. Down his back, vertical bands of red and green
alternate, giving way to white down his sides. The hem of his garment is banded
in red and accented by green triangles which mesh together to give the impression
of teeth. The only other part of him to be revealed by his attire is a segmented
and scorpionlike tail, the bladed tip of which arches over his back.
Carrying:
Al's tummy[Unlocked]

>Al'Hazad is just waiting for the pizza to get here. [  n   ]
>Rei is hiding around a corner on the east side of the square watching things
descretely
>( One of the rats trots forward to bat absently at Al'hazad's robe. )
>Derek looks back as Ryan runs in and smiles, "Perfect..I like speedy delivery.."
>Ryan needs a quick OOC update on the situation, if'n you don't mind   n.n;
>Al'Hazad swivels in place to stare at Ryan. "Okay, fork 'em over. The boys want
pizza and they want it yesterday."
>Al'Hazad (OOC) showed up with his posse of demon rats and -somebody- decided
they were here to make trouble and called in backup. Like it's -his- fault you
groundhuggers are so goshdarn aggressive. [  9   ]
>Ryan blinks as Al'Hazad turns to face him. "Huh? Wha? PIZZA!?"
>Derek (OOC) told Al he was ordering pizza when he called you, Ryan..
>Demon Rat says, "(OOC) Al'hazad, twenty to thirty alternately bored,
self-amused, or playing demon rats, and a little glowy light hovering above Al's
head. Think that's it."
>Al'Hazad dips once to nod. "Yes. Pizza. Now."
>Derek sweatdrops, "Uhm...nevermind, Ryan."
>Rei is watching hidden..(well unless you count that rat that saw her.)  In case
she needs to perform a quick henshin. ^_^;
>Ryan sweatdrops, and peers at Al'Hazad. Ignoring the demon rats for just a
moment, he asks incredulously, "... Pizza?"
op swats Derek
>Al'Hazad sighs loudly. "It's an -easy- word. I didn't even invent it..."
>Al'Hazad tilts his masked head to one side. "Or did I?"
>Derek looks at Skuld for a moment, "Skuld.."
>Rei o.o
>Skuld says, "What?..."
>Derek mumbles, "These  are  .....  of  .....  .....  demons  ..  ..  I  ..... 
.....  let  .....  .....  something  .." to Skuld.
>Ryan erms, and looks around the square. "These... thingies, yours, Alhazad?"
Apparently he remembers you from the last time he saw you, a few months back. You
DO tend to stick out in a crowd, though.
>Skuld swallows and nods up at Derek.
>( One of the rats growls at Ryan. Maybe it resents being called a 'thingy'. Or
maybe it's too stupid for that, and just doesn't like him. )
>Al'Hazad says, "Yeah. They're going to be the cast of my latest production
provided we can get the costumes and props we need."
>Kigou arrives from the east.
>Al'Hazad says, "I'm going for authentic, or I'd make something up myself."
>Angel arrives from the east.
>Al'Hazad . o O ( Memo to self: Must get one of those keen 'director' beanies to
wear on my head. )
>Ryan goes into a defensive posture. "Oh, then you're the one who dropped those
things in the water, right?"
>Derek comments to Ryan, "He wants to dress them up in indian costumes.."
>Angel flies rapidly in from above, swooping downward toward the square and
looking around it.
>Al'Hazad nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! Neat, weren't they?"
>Kigou runs in, holding an oversized ninja star in one hand.  The weapon is a bit
dull and tarnished from neglect, but still useable.
>Rei o.o; (Eh?)
>Al'Hazad says, "Your wildlife is much more entertaining with me around to liven
'em up a bit."
>Ryan glances at Derek. "Indian... costumes?" He comments, only slightly
sarcastic, "Wouldn't he need cowboy costumes, too?" Looking up to Al'Hazad,
"Y'know, when the department of public works finds out, you're gonna be in BIG
trouble!"
>Al'Hazad says, "What're they gonna do, slap me with a lawsuit? Hel-LO? I don't
think so."
>Al'Hazad asks, "I'll just file for bankruptcy or something. Isn't that how it
works? Or is that only in your board games?"
>Skuld hides behind Derek still, not wanting to take her eyes off the rats.  SHe
wants to know where they are every second
>Ryan flails his hands wildly. He can't just let 'em run around town, but he's
not about to start a fight where he's quite blatantly outnumbered   O.o;   "But
why rats?"
>Kigou comes to a hault when he spots the rat.  He blinks, then quickly rakes his
fingers through his hair . o O ( ... those guys look as ugly as Shake. o_o; )
>Al'Hazad says, "Because they're -talented-! Guido, show 'em that thing you do!"
He addresses one of his 'boyz' and points a claw.
>Demon Rat snarls again. Why NOT rats?
>Derek keeps his eyes on the crowd. Apparently numbers don't seem to bother him
at the moment..
>Ryan . o O ( Great... this guy looks ever nastier'n Harken... AND he has his
pets... )
>Reno has arrived.
>The rat in question lowers his head to gnaw at the base of his tail. Presto!
>Ryan sweatdrops.
>Rei o.o;
>Elena has arrived.
>Al'Hazad a-HEMS. "Never mind, Guido. Nunzio, do your tapdance thing. Y'know,
like I showed you."
>Angel seems not to be overly concerned with numbers. She drops almost vertically
from the sky on the nearest rat, thrusting down with the point of her spear.
>Ryan sweatdrops again   . o O ( Okay, maybe they're not exactly an IMMEDIATE
threat... but they're still deadly... )
>Rei (Ewww.  Scewered rat.)
>'Nunzio' blinks at Al'hazad, and goes back to sleep. However, one of the other
rats, who's been eyeing Derek since he arrived, snarls and leaps forward,
snapping its teeth closed a few feet from the man. It's not seriously attacking,
but it's a clear rodently warning to back off.
>Rei o.o!
>Ryan is ready to kick rodentia ass! That, and he has his blaster set on
'liquify', if need be. But he's not about to do anything with Uncle Al looming up
there   9.9
>Skuld screams, thinking they're about to get eaten as she closes her eyes,
grabbing onto Derek's shirt. >.Demon Rat scrambles away from Eden's blade; the machine clears a large patch of
ratless pavement as the creatures scatter.
>Kigou glances at Angel as he sees her attack commence.  He nods, then turns to
face the large grouping of mutated rodents.  . o O ( I'm glad one of THOSE guys
didn't get into my abdominal cavity. )  He hrmphs, then swings his arm forward,
flinging the giant throwing star at a group of three rats.
>Derek doesn't flinch. He just narrows his eyes at the rat, "I wouldn't try it if
I were you, Mickey.." -_-
>Reno strolls in quietly, and has a looks at the Square in general. . o O (
....Okay, here's something you don't see every day. Aw...here it goes... ) He
pauses a moment.
>Demon Rat growls at Derek, but slinks back to its fellows, as it didn't get any
backup. It's stupid, not suicidal.
>Elena is behind Reno, muttering something about the suspicions in being once
again heading for the bar... hel-lo... she stops behind Reno, peering over his
shoulder at the sight. o.-
>Hey!  That Ryan guy beats up on defensless rodents!  Get revenge for your
brethen, mutant rats!  Go get 'em! ^_^
>Al'Hazad clears his 'throat' rather loudly, a sound like a chalkboard against
pavement. "TIME OUT!! Where do you monkeys get off trying to eighty-six my
crewlike this? Everybody just STOP, right now!" His single eye blazes with menace
as he sweeps the crowd with his gaze.
>The rats likewise scatter away from Kigou's star. They're just following Uncle
Al around. They have no intention of getting smacked.
>Ryan hears the clatter of weaponry in the background, causing him to look over
his shoulder, and also leaving him nicely wide open for any attacks. Whee. And I
still think cowboy suits would be better. I mean, get cute little hats, and...
>Al'Hazad will get hats for the parakeets. The rats are just supposed to be
indians.
>Kigou blinks, then catches his weapon as it swings back to him.
>Skuld opens her eyes as she finds out she's not rat food.
>The rats, at least, pause to pay attention to Alhazad. Sixty pairs of red
eyes--well, sixty-one (there were a few mistakes)--swivel to regard him.
>Reno brushes a bit of bang from his vision, as if that would correct the view
before him, as if the rats might disappear, being all the connotations of one
rogue bang attempting to fool him. Seeing the demon rats are still there.
He...hmmns. "Elena, tell me I'm hallucinating."
>Angel sweeps back up, nearly brushing the ground, and hovers for a moment,
looking back to Al'Hazad.
>Derek stays between Skuld and the rats, just a little bit tense at the moment .
o O ( C'mon...just try something.. )
>Al'Hazad ahems. He likes the sound, so he does it again. "Very good. Cookies for
all of you. Now, would anybody like to explain themselves in regard to what
prompted them to viciously assault my innocent little buddies here? Hmmm? Would
they? Hmm? Hmm? Thought so. Speak up..form a line."
>Ryan . o O ( Why does this stuff always seem to happen around here? Why can't
the villains invade Denver or Omaha or something? )
>'Cause you're -here-, Ryan. It's all you.
>Al'Hazad isn't a villain, he's an ARTISTE!! You phillistines!! [   -   ]
>Rei o O (This is the weirdest stand off I've ever seen.)
>Pink arrives from the north.
>Ryan raises his hand. "Oooh! Oooh! Me first!"   . o O ( And why are all these
Demons bonkers? )
>Elena shakes her head, "N..no. You aren't, Reno." she replies to the man
questioning her. "There really are... several... large rats." she leans forward
to whisper urgently, "What are we supposed to do?!"
>Al'Hazad dips his head once to acknowledge Ryan. "Go ahead. Tell the class why
you're behaving like an animal."
>( One of the rats sees Pink. It promptly falls over in a dead faint. It's
drooling, though, and it looks fairly happy. )
>Al'Hazad fehs. "Somebody wake up Agamemmnon."
>Pink o.o
>Skuld says, "Derek I'm scared..."
>Pink's ears perk up. o O ( Rats? ) She steps a bit closer into the city center,
eesing along the sidewalk.
>Ryan smiles winsomely. Be afraid. "Well, lets see... you're little friends here
have attacked my allies, caused pretty nice property damage, and other fun stuff.
That, and they're abominations in the face of nature?" All said with a sincere
smile (sorta).   ^_^
>Not just any rats, Pink. Twenty or thirty large mutated metal rats. n.n
>Derek reaches up to push a strand of hair away from his right eye, "You're safe,
Skuld..trust me.."
>Al'Hazad says, "Blah! Screw nature!  Besides, your friends have attacked my
friends too but I don't hold it against you personally."
>Pink . o O ( Mmm! Twice the meat, and half the wait! o.o
With..yummy..hard...metalic..shells...damn.. )
>Hey! All the rats did was dig up the corpses in the cemetery. They cleared a lot
of space for new graves, really. And...well, there were the pipes, but those are
easy to replace. And the hedges. A few.
>Reno scratches the back of his head. "...Simple. 'Way I see it, we let Pied
Piper over there do his business, unless they happen to come our way."
>Al'Hazad says, "As for nature, I have yet to see anything I can't improve on."
Yeah, if people are going to recycle, let's get serious!
>Ryan mmm-hmms. "I don't think nature asked for help."   o.=
>Skuld says, "Okay..." tightening her grip on Derek's shirt.
>Al'Hazad asks, "It never does. My work is never appreciated. This case in point,
hmm?"
>Angel looks over to Reno an Elena for a moment, then Pink, then back up to
Al'Hazad.
>Ryan is still in a defensive stance, mind you. Being eaten alive but hungry
voracious mutant demon rats is never a nice way to end an evening.
>Rei is content to just hide and watch until she's needed.
>Kigou walks over to an empty bench nearby the commotion and takes a seat.  He's
not taking anymore drastic measures if no actual threat arises.
>Elena nods, then hesitantly asks Reno, "Does that mean... we go back and inform
Tseng of these things?" she gives the rats a calculated look of distaste.
>Ryan of course, tries to be the center of attention. And is upsatged by Al, the
big meanie!   ;.;
>Skuld looks up at Al'Hazad
>Al'Hazad sighs after a moment, the sound conveying a small measure of
contentment. "Well..it seems we're all behaving ourselves. That's good to see.
Has anyone here ever considered a life in show business? I see some potential
thespians in the audience this evening...."
>Ryan hmmphs, and crosses his arms. "Sorry, not lucrative enough."
>Rei o.o
>Skuld asks, "Why are you walking all these things around?"
>Pink crawls a bit closer.. o.o deciding to duck behind a pole or two, her ears
perked, her attention drawn to the little fast food packages runn'n around. Not
exactly wanting to get to close, they could be dangerous, or too far, they could
be delicious n.n
>Reno shakes his head, his shades trying desperately to stay perched atop his
forehead. "No, I don't feel any particular need to just yet, no..."
>Al'Hazad says, "Feh. I wasn't talking to -you-. You've got all the acting talent
of a rotten avocado, Ryan."
>Ryan makes rude gestures at Al'Hazad. This is referred to as 'tempting fate'.
>Al'Hazad swivels to meet Skuld's eyes with his...eye. "Because they're cute and
fuzzy and they only want to be loved. Is that so wrong?"
>Angel finally seetles on watching the rats, seeing as they were her reason for
coming.
>Skuld says, "But they're scary.."
>Derek snorts, "Cute?!?"
>Rei o.o (Rats?)
>( One of the rats, as though to illustrate Al'hazad's point, trots toward Skuld
hopefully. )
>Ryan sweatdrops. "Er, yes. Cute. Mmm-hmm. So, lemme just double check this...
you contaminated the water supply, to make these 'cute' little buggers, just
because?"
>Derek steps between that rat and Skuld, eyes narrowing in a sort of warning
>Al'Hazad swivels so he can nod directly to Ryan. "Yes. Just because. Like I'd
waste an ulterior motive on something like this. Bah!"
>Al'Hazad says, "I've only got a jarful left, y'see."
>Elena shakes her head, "I just can't believe this..." she tugs on Reno's sleeve,
"We should be doing -something-!"
>Ryan nods. "Juuuuuusssst checking." Well, at least his theory was correct.
>Kigou watches Al'Hazard, in utter disbelief.  "... is this guy serious?" o_o;
>Skuld mmns! moving behind Derek more, but still peeking at the rat o.o
>Ryan mentions, a slight sarcastic tone to his voice, "You DO know that these
things make really poor actors?"
>Skuld says, "G...Good mousie...."
>Al'Hazad sighs and nods. "Of course they do. But it's funny as hell trying to
teach them the Charleston."
>Demon Rat skitters a bit closer to Skuld. It suqeaks experimentally.
>Skuld *gulps*
>Pink o.o
>Skuld pulls out a small cup of ice cream.
>Rei o.o
>Kigou lets out a sigh of relief.  He's pretty confident that nothing will be
going on. o_o;  . o O ( You know... they *are* kinda cute... in that metallic,
monstrous sort of way... )
>Ryan says dryly, "Actually, I think having them perform the 'HMS Pinafore' would
be FAR more entertaining." What's Ryan doing? Humoring the Demon so the
noncombatants can get out of Dodge. Too bad they're still hanging around...
>Al'Hazad calls from over what passes for his shoulder. "Vincenzo, do the
Charleston."
>Skuld says, "Want some...food?  It's not cheese, b-but it's...it's dairy..."
>Pink . o O ( Wow! Someone taught that couch how to float ^.^ And gave it a
kawaii mask to talk through! )
>Derek glares at the rat, "Hey..try anything funny and you're going to have one
hell of a headache.."
>Angel watches the rat near Skuld warily from afar.
>Skuld shakeshakes the capped cup in front of herseslf so the rat can see it.
>Reno looks at Elena, "Well, what are we supposed to do? Go out there, start
killing things blindly, not only making ourselves look bad, but also causing more
confusion than there already is, or we also go back to Shinra, and start a big
thing about rats, bring back a platoon of soldiers, to an empty square, or waste
manpower and resources fighting rats, when these guys could easily take care of
them themselves, and no doubt getting in trouble with Tseng AND Rufus? ...That's
called being a fool..."
>'Vincenzo' actually appears to take a couple of awkward side-steps at Al'hazad's
command. Or maybe it's just getting out of the way of one of its fellows, who
just snapped at it. Still.. it -looks- kind of like the Charleston.
>Skuld says, "It's vanilla....yummy yummy...."
>Skuld's rat sniffs at the cup experimentally, then sneezes.
>Skuld meeps! at the sneeze, pulling her hand back quickly
>Elena ohs, "Well... you have a point, then." She supposes.  "Sorry, Reno." she
clams up, blushing a little in embarassment.
>Ryan rubs his chin, and mentions, "Hey, Al, lets make a deal..."
>Derek asks, "Skuld..be careful, please?"
>Al'Hazad says, "You're going to sign Agamemmnon on an underwear ad deal? I
maintain that he's a natural for it."
>Skuld throws the cup past the rat, "G-Go fetch."
>Skuld's rat whines, and looks at her hopefully. At the throw, it scurries after
the cup, snatches it instants before a fellow rat can do so. A single gulp, and
the ice cream disappears, can and all.
>Ryan opens his mouth to reply to that, but sweatdrops first. "Er, um, no. I was
going to offer you something if you took your 'theater troupe' out of here."
>Kigou has left.
>Al'Hazad says, "Like...what? I've still got to get the little buggers
outfitted."
>Skuld *gulps* o.o;
>Agamemmnon, meanwhile, finally comes around. Probably because Vincenzo was
chewing on his tail.
>Ryan says, a maniacal squint in his eye. "A device that can predict the future!"
He plans to offer Al a magic 8-ball. Yes, he's insulting your intelligence.
>Al'Hazad hoverhoverhovers closer. "Eeeeh..no. I don't like it. It's laughing at
me, Ryan. Make it stop."
>Reno nods at Elena. "It's all right. You'll learn....eventually..." His shades
give up the fight and start sliding down hisforehea,d but he catches them and
readjusts them quickly. "Don't worry, if they decide to get rowdy and come this
way...we'll take 'em out. No big deal." he waves a hand dissmissingly at the
rats.
>Angel stares at Ryan. . o O ( Isn't that a toy? )
>Derek glances at Ryan and Al and sweatdrops o_o;
>Skuld's rat trots back to her, and sits up on its hind legs. This makes it about
her height, or taller, but it's clearly begging.
>Skuld says, "You..w-want more? o.o"
>Ryan shrugs. "Suit yourself. But it's a one-time-good-deal."
>Al'Hazad (OOC) thinks the 8-ball is laughing at him. "Can you prove that it
isn't? Huh? Huh? Can you? Huh?"
>Derek looks back at the rat, more than a little puzzled O_o
>Skuld's rat whines.
>Al'Hazad (OOC) thinks he can teach his rats to perform 'Annie Get Your Gun'.
>He's got a whole heap o' delusions. He keeps 'em in a shoebox under his bed. It
scares away all the foot-grabbing monsters and vampire dust bunnies.
>Skuld pulls out another ice cream cup
>Skuld says, "C-catch." tossing it into the air towards the rat.
>Ryan uses his perogative as a character from a mostly-comedic book to pull said
Magic 8-ball out from item space. "Behold! Still believe it's a bad idea?"
>Pink (OOC) sugois. o.o
>Ryan (OOC) has just been ovverun with angst around here lately   ;.;
>Rei o.o?
>Al'Hazad (OOC) doesn't know the meaning of the word! "If it makes you cry,
vivisect it! [   n  ]V"
>Al'Hazad asks, "Got any candy?"
>Demon Rat is good at this game! It snatches the cup from mid-air, and munches
again. Most of its fellows don't seem interested in this, but Skuld's apparently
got a friend. Kind of. As long as she doesn't run out of ice cream...
>Skuld smiles nervously.
>Skuld says, "G-Good boy."
>Derek says, "Skuld..that only encourages it.."
>Ryan blinks. "Er... candy?"  o_o   He fumbles through his pockets, finally
pulling out a half-empty container of tic-tacs. Orange, even.
>Angel watches patiently, and leaves Ryan to the diplomacy.
>Al'Hazad makes a -swipe- for the tic-tacs as his eye glows brightly! [    *   ]
>Skuld says, "Sorry..."
>Derek . o O ( Cripes, all I wanted was to go see about a new sword.. )
>Demon Rat will be climbing on the table, next. Just you watch. For now, it
whines again at Skuld. More?
>Ryan blinks as he is now tac-less. He doesn't even want to try to identify the
appendage that took them   O.o;
>Elena takes a few deep breaths. Yes, she's quite nervous. All her training's
yelling at her to do something about this situation. But Reno's saying it's all
right not to act. And well, even if he is a sloppy dresser... he is the more
experienced one. The resulting mental confusion keeps her blissfully unmoving,
for now.
>Al'Hazad has the container grasped in his claw, and now ponders the means by
which he's going to get them into his mouth...especially since even -he- can't
remember precisely where that is these days.
>Aw, just shove 'em in some orifice or another   c.c;
>Ryan asks meekly, "Well? Is it a deal?"
>Skuld looks at the rat, then up at Derek.
>Al'Hazad hmmms out loud and finally looks to Ryan again. "Okay, now what was
this about giving me things to make me clear my acting troupe out?"
>Skuld says, "...more?" pulling out another cup.
>Ryan sweatdrops. "This.... *Magic 8-Ball* (said in cool action-hero voice) in
exchange for you clearing your cast outta here."
>Derek sighs and just keeps his attention on the rats..
>Rei o_O
>Al'Hazad points. "I don't like it. It's laughing at me. Can't you hear that?
It's even making funny faces whenever you aren't looking..."
>Ryan . o O ( Dear God this is actually working   o.o   I think )
>Demon Rat whines again, and lowers itself back onto all fours to trot forward in
an attempt to nudge Skuld's ankles.
>Al'Hazad arches his tail up over his back and says, "I've got one word, Ryan.
Pull..."
>Ryan looks down at the 8-Ball. "Stop laughing, you stupid 8-Ball!"   . o O ( ...
Ryan, what are you doing? )
>Derek sweatdrops, it seems stupidity IS contaigious.. >_>;
>Demon Rat (OOC) snerks at Ryan. We've gotta keep you away from angst,
boy--you're hysterical.
>Rei o_O (Yup.  This is definatly the weirdest stand off I have -ever- seen.)
>From somewhere around the general vicinity of Al's tail, an ominous purple light
begins to build and the characteristic whine of something hellanasty powering up
can be heard.
>Rei blinks
>Al'Hazad says, "I SAID 'PULL', RETARD!!!" [   -   ]
>Derek blinks, "Ryan.." o_o;
>Ryan peers at Al'Hazad. "THAT old gag, eh?" He sighs.   . o O ( Don't like the
looks of THAT )   He meeps. "Yessir..."   *TUG*
>Reno is quite happy, apparently, with not acting on the idea of doing something
about big rats. (OOC: ..I wonder what mischief Elena gets into when none of the
other Turks are around? o_o;...) He..LOOKS at Ryan... and..pauses..for a
moment...
>Elena says, "(OOC) Hey! o_o"
>Al'Hazad sighs, and makes a futile attempt to swat himself in the face.
"No......" he groans miserably.
>Derek says, "He wants you to throw it in the air, Tabbot.."
>Skuld blinks at the rat nudging at her ankle.
>Skuld says, "O..okay, okay..."
>Ryan rubs the back of his neck, "OH! Like a skeet shoot..."
>Skuld holds the cup out over the rat's head.
>Ryan lobs the 8-Ball a good 15 feet up   9.9
>Derek turns and stares coldly at the rat next to Skuld..
>Demon Rat tilts its head back and opens its jaws, unmindful of Derek's glare.
Ice cream! Skuld is faced with a wide-open mouth possessed of a rather
vicious-looking set of teeth.
>Rei o.o! (Eeek!)
>Al'Hazad aims his blade-tail at the 8-ball and tracks its movement for a second
or so before unleashing a beam of blinding lavender death upon the hapless
artifact. It becomes...vapor.
>Skuld says, "Aaa..." backing up, not taking to all those teeth well.
>Ryan applauds   9.9;
>Al'Hazad swivels to fix his attention upon 'Skuld's rat' and bellows, "Franco!!!
Behave!!"
>Pink wows o.o; . o O ( Hmm. Metal rats, and floating couches that shoot UV rays
outa their tails.. I must follow this... )
>Pink . o O ( Maybe I can get 'em to sit in Bolt-sama's living room ^.^ We need a
new couch, anyway. )
>Ryan crosses his arms. "You zapped the 8-Ball. Now will you take your buddies
out of here? I mean, they're CHARMING and all, but..."
>Skuld drops the cup on the ground.
>Ryan looks at the demon rats. Not housepet material   o.o;
>Angel is hovering a short distance abov the square, spear in hand, watching the
rats warily. Just your typical demonic hardsuit.
>Al'Hazad asks, "Do you have any gum?"
>Rei o.o (eh?)
>'Franco' whimpers, but remains as he is. He wants ice cream! Disappointed--here
it gave Skuld a nice wide open mouth to deposit 99 cents...er, the cup...inside,
it lowers its head to snuffle at the cup before devouring this, too.
>Ryan replies, "Gum...? Cinnamon work?"
>Al'Hazad ooohs. "Cinnamon! My favorite! Just for that I won't collect you all
for samples. Hand it over, prettyboy." He holds out his empty paw, still
clutching the tic-tacs in his other one.
>Derek looks up at Al'Hazad, "Yeah, right.."
>Ryan pulls out a quite old stick of cinnamon gum. it's a bit crunchy, but it'll
get chewy in your mouth. He hands it over   o.=;    . o O ( I was saving that for
ME... )
>Al'Hazad seizes upon an idea. "Everyone give me candy. Right now. Then I'll let
you go."
>Al'Hazad likes it crunchy. [   n  ]
>Angel says, "..."
>Pink says, "..."
>Derek says, "If I had any, I wouldn't..so I guess you're out of luck.."
>Skuld says, "..."
>Rei hides behind the corner.  She doesn't have any candy. ^_^;
>Skuld holds her empty hand out towards the rat...
>Al'Hazad points idly with his tail at Skuld. "She's free to go. The rest of you
better come up with some candy pronto."
>Ryan throws his hands up in the air, shouting, "HEY, I did MY part!"
>Al'Hazad nods happily. "Yes, Ryan can go too."
>Reno raises a brow at Al'Hazad. "...Let us..go?" He comments idly, wondering why
that seems to imply people are being held hostage. It all begins to come together
in his head.
>Ryan peers at Al. "Those tic-tacs better count for at least one of them."   o.=
>Al'Hazad shakes his head. "Nuh-uh. These aren't part of any deal. You gave them
too me free of obligation." What a shrewd bidnessman Al is! [   n   ]
>Angel says in its mechanically filtered voice, "I don't have candy."
>Derek exclaims, "Sorry, last time I checked, you didn't own the street, so...
Seeya!"
>Ryan hmmphs, and crosses his arms   >.<    "Cheater."
>Derek quickly picks up Skuld and hurries off..
>Al'Hazad isn't keeping anyone from leaving, oddly enough.
>Skuld says, "Aaa!" getting snatched up, and quite shocked as she wasn't
expecting it.
>Ryan is concerned with making sure the rats get taken away, actually...
>Ryan taps his foot, and asks, "And your actors?"
>Derek runs past Rei on his way up the street, staying away from all of the
rats..
>Derek leaves east.
>Derek leaves, with Skuld following behind him. 
>( One of the rats follows Skuld. The ice cream rat, of course. One down,
twenty-nine to go, right? On the other hand, Skuld's gonna find quite a critter
begging at her doorstep from now on. )
>Rei blinks as they run past and follows.
>Hino_Rei leaves east.
>Al'Hazad exclaims, "Franc~o!"
>Pink crouches low ^>.<^ . o O ( I'm gunna make that couch land! It's mine! I
always wanted a talking couch..)
>Ryan . o O ( I can't believe this actually worked   o.=   Ryan, you're a genius!
  *pats back* )
>Angel looks questioningly to Ryan. This just makes _no_ sense.....
>Al'Hazad says, "They have to give me candy too."
>Al'Hazad glares down at his gathered masses. "Fork it over, boys. Candy. Now."
>Ryan shouts out, "Hey, rats! You heard the ma... erm, you are a man, right? You
heard the man, get him candy!"
>Reno..raises a brow, "...This guy is a...lunatic."
>And damn proud of it!
>Pink suddenly sprints out from the great all concealing shadow of the light
pole, bolting on bare feet slapping pavement towards Al'Hazad. ^O.O^
>Ryan is trying to outwit Al'Hazad! This is doomed to failure, as Al is witless!
>Al'Hazad is too busy trying to extort candy from his rat companions to notice
Pink at the moment.
>Al'Hazad has no use for wits. People with wits do angsty things. Ignorance is
bliss, but stupidity's a friggin' party!!
>Angel would laugh helplessly...if she had a sense of humor. She would
boggle...if she had eyes. Mecha can't even sweatdrop....so she is just helpless
to this.
>Ryan rubs his temples   . o O ( Maybe I should hit up the local Qwikie mart for
some snickers bars... )   >.<
>Reno watches Pink bolt, instantly spotting anything trying to move that fast. He
then comments again, quietly. "Okay, another lunatic running towards that other
lunatic over there...how pleasant." He shakes his head sadly.
>Pink sprints across, and springs itnto the air with enough of an arch to make
landing on Al'Hazad's back, or skid across the ground on missing. x.x;
>Al'Hazad decides to restate his demands in case everyone's forgotten them. He's
about to anyway. "CANDY!!"
>Ryan blinks and looks up as Pink does something REALLY stupid   O.o;
>Al'Hazad has a...cat girl...on his back. His single eye blinks once as he
puzzles this out. He swivels around in a circle as though that'll help him spot
the perpetrator and then shrugs his body once in resignation, utterly failing to
dislodge her from his blind spot.
>Angel is distracted enough not to even notice Pink until she is almost upon
Al'Hazad. Much too late, she jets forward to intercept.
>Pink clings on for dear life as the floating couch swivles around. Starting to
get dizzy. ^@.@^
>Ryan tugs at his hair. "What are you DOING!?" Whether he's asking Pink or
Al'Hazad is up for debate
>Al'Hazad POINTS his tail at Angel, his eye burning with conviction. "Give me
candy," he commands in an agitated voice. Pink's gonna be fine where she is.
>Pink blinkblinks. o.o; Clinging. Well, it kinda sorta seemed like a good idea at
first..maybe she'd been sniffing too many mutant rats?
>Angel stops uncertainly a distance from the two, hovering in place with her fans
a subdued roar. "I don't have candy."
>Ryan facepalms   . o O ( Darn it, I had that Demon all buttered up, too! Even
after he stole my tic-tacs! )
>Al'Hazad wiggles himself in growing anger. "Well then go -get- some candy. Now!
Or I'll burn you off the map."
>Pink beams ^^ She's in a safe place, now. He can blow up his own back, ne?
>Ryan waggles his index finger at Al. "HEY! Play nice with your friends!"
>Al'Hazad could, if he -really- wanted to.
>Al'Hazad says, "It's not my friend. It won't give me candy...."
>Ryan has played the game, Al's back is not the safest place to be sitting.
"Well, sheesh, can't you make an exception just this once...?"
>Angel thinks for a moment on this, and honestly can't think of a reason to
refuse. "What kind of candy do you want?"
>Pink scritches Al's back lightly. ^>.<^ Actually, clawing, and trying not to
slip off.
>A couple of the rats eye Pink, and seem to be considering jumping her. That's
their Uncle Al, after all.
>Al'Hazad swivels slowly around to study his mutant rat compadres. "Y'know what,
you guys haven't come up with much in the way of candy either...." He trains his
tailblade on the whole squiggly lot of 'em and unleashes angry purple light and
annoying sound effects at them. Like this one: ZOTT!!!. "SONSABITCHES!! I SAID I
WANTED CANDY! YOU'LL NEVER WORK IN THIS TOWN AGAIN!!!"
>Pink o.o
>Pink . o O ( Maybe this isn't so safe.. )
>Ryan takes a few steps back. Maybe tormenting happy fun ball is not the way to
go. Not that that stops Ryan. "Yeah! That's it! Teach those actors a lesson!"  .
o O ( Maybe he'll kill 'em all for me...! )
>Pink scooches forward to whisper into the back of Al's head. ^=.=^
>Angel hovers patiently. If the rats' director attacks them, what complaint does
she have? And it saves her from having to shop at this hour.
>The rats, save Franco, become ratly history. Most of them. Perhaps ten scramble
off into the shadows, hissing with anger and fear. They really aren't quite sure
how to react to this. Others are vaporized instantly. One or two, caught by the
edge of the beam, are left head-less or leg-less, and thrash about on the ground,
squealing eerily.
>Ryan nearly shows all of you what he had for lunch    @.o;
>Al'Hazad sighs loudly. "I guess I'll have to stick with the roaches..." Steam
rises from the shiny sword that serves him in the capacity of a tail as he hangs
his head and swivels in a half-circle.
>Angel doesn't wwatch the rats's demise.
>Ryan . o O ( ... I am SO glad I am not with the Sanitation Department. )
>Pink o_o
>Mamoru walks in from the south.
>Mamoru arrives, with Sailor_Pluto following behind. 
>Al'Hazad perks up at a voice that seems to come from directly behind him
(Because it does). "Huh? What's that about a couch?" Pink's whispering at him,
and since he can't see her he has to assume she's a new imaginary friend.
>Mamoru walks in, Setsuna on his arm.
>Ryan looks around. Any of those demon rats still intact?
>Pink clears her throat, and whispers some more. ^o.o^;
>Al'Hazad puts this new invisible acquaintance on hold long enough to deliver his
imperative to Angel. "Jawbreakers. LOTS of jawbreakers."
>Reno is just sort of.....squinting, at the madmen
>Mamoru says, "Maybe somewhere else, Setsuna. O o;"
>Al'Hazad asks, "AND FISH! Give me fish!" He pauses for a moment and then tilts
his head to one side. "Fish? Why do I want fish?"
>Sailor Pluto nods, "Yes..  Let's keep going..."
>...women...heyl, they're all mad, abosolutely daffy o_o;
>Pink erks ^n.n^;
>Angel hovers above the ground, watching Al'Hazad. At that, she turns, and flies
out of the square.
>Angel leaves east.
>Al'Hazad asks, "Give me fish because they're yummy and I..er...Since when do I
like fish?"
>Ryan shrugs at Al   o_o
>Pink ^o.o^ ^u.u^
>Usagi has arrived.
>Mamoru leaves north.
>Mamoru leaves, with Sailor_Pluto following behind him. 
>Al'Hazad asks, "Ryan, do I like fish?"
>Bolt arrives from the north.
>Usagi-chan sighs to herself, coming around the corner... seeing Mamoru and
Setsuna take off north. "Nani... Mamo-chan! Mamo-chan! MATTE YO!"
>Ryan scratches his head. "If they're dipped in batter and fried, yes."  u.u  
o.O
>Usagi leaves north.
>A few are left, Ryan--ten or so.
>The remaining rats are clearing out fast, though. The ones who can walk.
>Pink beams ^^ Hanging atop Alhazad's back.
>Al'Hazad points his tail at the newcomer. "You there. Do you have candy?"
>Al'Hazad adds as an afterthought after grumbling to his imaginary friend, "..or
fish?" Pink's pretending to be his conscience or something.
>Ryan whips out his blaster. It's set on 'liquify'. Nobody look directly at the
muzzle, okay, or you'll be a bit dazzled. Luckily the human crowd seems to be
clearing it up, so he lets it rip. *K-ZOT*
>Pink ^n.n^;
>Reno pokes Elena a bit as the rats leave, "See?"
>Pink . o O ( Woohoo! )
>Whoa, Spanky. Where's that there blaster pointed?
>Ryan . o O ( Darn it, i was saving this battery for Harken! )
>Bolt opens his mouth. This is too... weird for him. Really. Candy? No. But...
he's spotted Pink on Al'Hazad's back. "No..." he finally answers.
>Ryan is sweeping it at the escaping rats. I doubt they're running towards the
newcomers, but yes, Ryan will be causing obscene amounts of property damage
>Al'Hazad won't hold it against him. Ryan gave Al candy, so he's off the hook for
tonight.
>Ryan really wanted those tic-tacs, too   ;.;
>Angel arrives from the east.
>Al'Hazad says, "We want fish." He hoverhovers up to Bolt, attempting to stare
the man down with his single red eye.
>Al'Hazad says, "Don't ask me -why- we want fish, but we do."
>Ryan . o O ( Did I get all of 'em?   o.= )
>Elena coughs, clearing her throat, "Yes... I see. Of course." she just blinks,
then indicates Ryan, "What about that man, Reno? Shouldn't we...?"
>Pink looms over AlHazad's shoulder,"Because they're yummy. o.o And..oh. ^^ Hi,
Boly-sama."
>Ryan . o O ( And at least I missed city hall   n.n; )
>Pink says, "Bolt. o.o"
>Angel roars back into the square, a convenience store shopping bag in hand.
>A couple more of the rats eat hot flaming death. So does a streetlight. A couple
of them got away, though.
>Al'Hazad turns so swiftly that it threatens to dislodge Pink from his back, but
only threatens. He faces Angel and ahems softly. "So," he begins, "you have
conceded to my demands. Good. Place the goodies on the street where I can see
them."
>Pink squeeks, flattening back down against Al'Hazad's back, clinging for safety
once more, her tail sort of...drifting behind. ^.^;
>Angel withdraws a plastic bin of Atomic Fireballs, the kind they are sold
individually from. Also, there is a box of frozen breaded fish filets. She lands
and sets them on the street before leaping back up.
>Reno eyes Ryan, and thinks out loud. "Well..that bad shot IS causing property
damage..." he seems to be gauging how much trouble he'd get in if Rufus found out
about this.
>Pink sniffs the air. o.o *.*
>Ryan can afford it   ^_^   He hopes   o_o   Um... none of you saw me here, got
it?
>Al'Hazad nods slowly, mumbling his approval as he inspects the tribute left for
him. "HellifIknow why I need fish all of a sudden..."
>Bolt moves to the side as Alhazad gets a bit distracted by Angel's arrival. Time
to retrieve Pink. If that's possible. Right now he's trying to get out of Al's
line of sight so he can indicate for Pink to jump. So he can catch her, you know.
>Pink whispers to Al'Hazad, noticed Bolt before, but the prospect of getting
herself some food has just about sapped up her attention. That animal need to eat
fish, and all. ^n.n^ A weakness of curse.
>Ryan slings his weapon back over his shoulder, and mumbles to himself, "Darn it,
some of 'em got loose...!"
>Demon Rat (OOC) hangs around to watch the insanity OOC, but all the rats have
long since fled or died. Well, one's still squirming over there, but it's on its
last leg. (Except it has no legs left)
>Pink doesn't want to leave the food couch juuuuust yet, apparently..
>Al'Hazad exclaims, "Ah!" as though he's been granted a startling revelation.
"Because my back cat is hungry! My.,...what?" He swivels sharply, a full 360
degrees. He does it again, and ends up facing the fish and fireballs. "Uh...Is
there something on my back, guys?"
>Ryan shrugs at Al'Hazad   ^_^
>Pink squeeks. ^n.n^;
>Ryan winks. "Just that stylish robe thingy." Maybe he's getting WAY to into
this...
>Al'Hazad waves a paw dismissively at Ryan. "That's okay, I don't expect -you- to
know anything. You're a boob."
>Ryan crosses his arms, and comments, "You aren't my friend anymore."  o.=
>Angel says, "I'm not sure what's supposed to be there....."
>Pink giggles ^^ "That's not a boob, this is a..oh.. o.o;"
>Al'Hazad says, "Good. Then I'll need more candy from you in order to let you
live."
>Ryan . o O ( ... I'll take a nice... long... shower after this, and then,
hopefully, I'll wake up. )
>Ryan gives a thumbs up to Al. "Friend... compadre... comrade...!"
>Al'Hazad fehs. "Thought so." He shifts his body in a way that suggests smug
self-satisfaction (provided that isn't redundant...and to hell with it if it is!
^_^).
>Ryan isn't a coward. He just has a high sense of self-preservation!
>That, and he's allergic to disintegrations   o_o;
>Reno shakes his head after a bit of a decision. "If he starts shooting again,
but at us...maybe, but until then, let these fools take care of it. *shakes his
head sadly* No, I think it might just ruin our image, getting involved with THIS
particular bunch of morons, for OR against, any of 'em..We're Turks."
>He's a coward. Buuuut, he's a coward who carries orange tictacs.
>Bolt edges closer... closer... "Pink..." he hisses out, hoping on hope that
it'll carry up to the young cat girl. A gesture is added as well. A 'come down
from there!' one.
>Ryan . o O ( At least he didn't ask for a hug   c.c; )
>Al'Hazad exclaims, "Oh! This just in! We want bolts too!"
>Pink whispers some more into Al'Hazad's ear area. o O ( It's just like shopping!
)
>Al'Hazad exclaims, "Lots!"
>Pink ^.^
>Al'Hazad swivels to face the two Turks who've gone miraculously unmolested the
whole time. "Give me bolts, candy, and fish. Or die painfully."
>Pink returns Bolt's gesture with a thumb up :D She heard what she wanted to
hear.
>Pink . o O ( How selfish of me, I'd know that 'don't forget me!' gesture
anywhere. ^.^ )
>Ryan rubs the back of his neck   . o O ( Okay. The demon rats are gone. But now
what the hell do i do with this guy? )
>Reno...blinks. "...Um, no. Have none, I'm afraid."
>Al'Hazad shrugs. "Okay. Then you're both going to have to come with me, I'm
afraid."
>Pink clutches a bit more...then whispers some >.<
>Reno is silent for a moment, wondering exactly why he is talking with a
man...with a nekochan on his back. Oh yeah, he threatened to kill us. "...I don't
think so."
>Ryan . o O ( And is that stupid (if well-endowed) girl still up there?   o_o; )
>Elena tenses, "Reno, I -told- you we shoulda done something earlier!" she glares
at the man before turning her attention back to Al'Hazad, "No way!" she's
reaching under her coat.... juuust in case.
>Al'Hazad asks, "According to the voice in my head, the redhead is kinda cute. I
like the blonde myself. Anyway, I don't think my new imaginary friend would like
me anymore if I killed you, so I'm just going to take you both home with me and
run a few experiments. 'kay?"
>Pink ^.^ . o O ( Yeeha!  Come to mama! )
>Ryan erks. While Ryan would've liked to gone without a fight, he can't let
people get kidnapped. It's in the hero code!   o.o    And he's been slacking
lately...
>Al'Hazad says, "You can come too, Ryan. You're a wuss now, but after I got
through with you, Harken would have more fun kicking your butt."
>Pink . o O ( Why didn't I get a couch before? )
>Ryan peers. "Hey! I kicked Harken's butt first! So... so there!"
>Al'Hazad exclaims, "In fact, why don't you all come? I'll have to do some
re-sizing and totally scrap the blocking I had written out, but I bet -you- folks
could act better than my rats!"
>Ryan wonders if he can get a shortcut to Nova Pandemonium. I mean, he WAS just
gonna storm the place anyway. Wait, he needs a way back   o.o;
>Let it be written that the rats --the ones that are left-- are offended!
>Angel stiffens, then rises up further into the air, readying her spear. . o O (
So it is going to be... )
>Pink mumbles,"But they probably don't taste as good.."
>Reno reaches into the wrinkled jacket of his. "I'm sorry, but we
have...engagements we might miss if you did that, so, I'm going to need to tell
you to continue on with harassing the other people before myself and my collegue
are forced to make you."
>Ryan crosses his arms. "I refuse to work under these conditions."  u.u
>Ryan is not going to be undr Al'Hazad's direction. He always messes up the
musical numbers!
>Elena indeed pulls out a small, compact metal orb... oh, no. That's a grenade. 
Her finger's trigger happily near the pin... be warned.
>Pink . o O ( I dunno.. with a few blankets, and some pillows, he may look kinda
nice. o.o As long as he doesn't vaporize the guests. )
>Pink scooches up to get a look at Al's face area >.> . o O( Make that, aloooota
pillows. )
>Al'Hazad takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly...or those are the sounds he
makes anyway. "Alright. We're going to do this nice and orderly-like. Everybody
line up and we'll march back home."
>Ryan smiles up at Al. "Hey, no need to kidnap everyone. I mean, think of the
cost of lodging! We're horrible guests... clean out your fridge... clog the
sink..."
>Bolt calls again, a little more demanding, "Pink, get down from there!"
>Al'Hazad says, "Who said anything about kidnapping. You all volunteered."
>Ryan peers at Al. "I never signed anything."
>Pink meeps at the voice, looking about her shoulder to pout at Bolt ;.;
>Angel says, "We aren't leaving with you."
>Al'Hazad turns his head toward Pink and blinks his single eye in surprise. "Are
you the one who wanted fish?"
>Pink eeps, turning the other way, back to Al. She bobs her head. ^^;
>Reno shakes his head, "What that one over there said. Don't think so."
>Al'Hazad chortles softly, a sound that echoes inside his mask. "Awww. You're
kinda cute. Wanna come home with me and be experimented on? It won't hurt at all,
'cos I'm a nice demon. I'll even share my candy."
>Ryan grumps, "It was my candy to begin with."
>Al'Hazad fixes Ryan with his eye and offers to sweeten the deal with, "I'll
share -my- tictacs."
>Bolt takes a deep breath, "Please..." crap. Al'Hazad noticed her. He strides in
closer, nodding to the giant demon, "I'll take her, please."
>Ryan is SO close to kicking your butt. If he could find it    o.=
>Pink giggles ^.^; "...A..ano..." she glances back at Bolt again, as if to ask if
it's okay. n.n; Like a kid ask'n it's mom if it's okay if she goes to play with
the wierdo down the street. The one who likes to play with guns. o.o And cut up
the neighbor hood animals.
>Al'Hazad doesn't even know where it is.
>Angel doesn't reply....replying seems only to cause trouble these days....
>Ryan doesn't really feel like being experimented on. He likes his limbs.
>Pink whispers o.o "Ano...Bolt-sama...? Do you want me to get down, now..? I
think I can get us some good eat'ns. n.n"
>Bolt shakes his head, "No, Pink. You can't go with him. It's far too dangerous."
he's nervous, obviously. Who wouldn't be? Be he's doing a really good job of
covering it up. "Yes, come down, please."
>Al'Hazad swivels to face Bolt, and manages not to seem the least bit
antagonistic.
>Ryan isn't nervous. He's infuriated! MY tic-tacs!
>Pink awwws.. ;.;
>Al'Hazad says, "Dangerous? It's perfectly safe! I'm the best there is at what I
do."
>Ryan has faced cosmic terrors before, anyway. And when will people figure out
that when idiot Ryan delays the demon, you're supposed to run?   u.u
>Pink slowly begins to crawl down from her perch, regretfully...
>WereGerbil arrives from the north.
>Bolt grins. Just a little, "Yes, that's what people say about me. I still find
it dangerous though." he says to Al'Hazad. Then to Pink, he says, "Come on... we
can go to get your usual food, if you want it."
>Angel's job here at present is making sure the soft targets don't get in
trouble. This includes Ryan.
>WereGerbil sniffsniffs about, looking for food in the background somewhere.
>Ryan isn't a soft target. Not completely. He is a
street-fighter-eque-cool-action-hero-wanna-be kinda guy, after all   u.u
>Elena slowly sticks the grenade back into whereever it is she keeps the darned
things. She glances at Reno, seeking advice. c.c
>Pink steps down from Al, gazing down at her feet sadly, her tail tip drifting
against the ground. She mutters a response to Bolt,"...Hai.." Awww...
>Ryan peers at Al'Hazad. "Do you have cable? If you don't have cable, I'm not
coming."   o.=
>Al'Hazad asks, "Coming where? Are we going somewhere?"
>Ryan sweatdrops. "Going? I tought you were headed home, after firing your
actors."
>Pink gets a bright idea,"Ne! Bolt-sama, my new friend can come with us to
dinner. ^.^"
>Pink waves at Al,"We're going to get dinner. ^n.n^"
>Al'Hazad waves back. "Okay. Be good. Don't forget to write, okay?"
>Pink blinks o.o "You're coming with us, aren't  you?"
>Reno is not one to dole out advaice at the moment. His hand HAS been removed
from his jacke,t and he's sscratching the back of his head oddly, as if trying to
mak out just what kind of freaks ARE these people...
>Ryan would be worried about his sanity, but luckily, hanging around Gina has got
rid of most of -that-. "Enjoy yourselves!"  n.n
>Angel is a big confused metal freak....and quie normal beside some others here.
@.@
>Al'Hazad shakes his head. "I can't. I've got to round up my roach brigade to see
if they've mastered the fox-trot yet."
>Ryan mmm-hmms   . o O ( Note to self: bring Raid. )
>Pink drats,"Ah, well.."
>Al'Hazad reaches down to snatch up his atomic fireballs and then scans the area
for any rat survivors. "Nunzio? Vincenzo? Guido? Bruno? Margaret?"
>Ryan steps back. Things seem to be settling down, and Al's about to exit. Job
well done, ryan    *pats back*
>WereGerbil sneaks over to one of the corpses, assuming there are more than one,
and begins to gnaw at the remains.
>Bolt attempts to get Pink's attention, "Ready to head out?" he asks her, keeping
an eye on the demon overhead.
>HELL with that. The ratly survivors aren't getting -near- Al for a while. He
roasted their cousins!
>Pink looks back towards Bolt. ^o.o^
>They're terribly metallic, WereGerbil. Don't chip a tooth.
>Pink . o O ( Wooo..forget the red head, white-head! er..ugh..that's gross x.x )
>WereGerbil chips about a dozen teeth and decides perhaps there HAS to be
something more tender about-- perhaps Pink, who looks rather scrumptious from
this angle.
>Al'Hazad blips out quietly, save for a dementedly smug chortle.
>A globe of brilliant whiteness engulfs Alhazad and then slowly shrinks away into
nothing, collapsing in on itself and taking him with it.
>Alhazad has left.
>Bolt is standing right next to Pink, weregerbil... and he -eats- the metal
harder that what the rats are made of. Hence, there's an aura of 'don't mess with
me' around him. n.n
>Ryan glances at Angel, and says, calmly, "What the **** was THAT all about?"
>Angel hovers slowly down to ground as Alhazad departs, looking as supremely
confused as a faceless hardsuit possibly can. Perhaps more so. Her wings fold
behind her.
>Ryan tugs at his hair. "At least Al'Hazad fled, and most of the rats are
dead..."
>Reno looks also, helplessly befuddled. "...Elena."
>Angel says, "I.....don't know. But the rats are gone?" She doesn't actually
_look_ where the rats were, mind.
>Pink side steps a bit, dissapearing against Bolt's form. o.o "Ano..maybe it is
best to go now..."
>WereGerbil gets the impression that maybe there's nothing here for him. Oh
well.. maybe he can catch something in the sewers, or the junkyard.
>Elena gulps in a few larges breaths of air, "...Reno..Let's get going to that
bar, okay?"
>Ryan notes that they're either dead, or they ran off, last I checked. He looks
up at the mecha, and asks, "Gimme a ride back? Your place, my place, really
doesn't matter at this point..."
>WereGerbil leaves east.
>Angel says, "Okay...." She reaches out to Ryan.
>Reno nods slightly, for once agreeing with the rookie. "*outlet of
breath*...Yeah."  . o O ( I am determined to rid myself of THIS particular memory
o_o )
>You fall in line behind Angel. 
>Bolt nods, "As you wish. Let's get out of here." he turns to leave, only waiting
for Pink to follow.
>Pink falls in line behind Bolt. 
>Angel wraps her arms around Ryan to support him, then leaps up, wings spreading
and fans engaging.
>Ryan has taken worse flights. Delta third class... ugh.
>Angel flies off.
>Bolt leaves north.
>Bolt leaves, with Pink following behind him. 
>Angel leaves east.
>Angel leaves, with you following after. 

** Walk cut **

Front Yard(#4335R)
You look around the front yard... both the mailbox and a plaque near the front
declare this to be 407 Thor Boulevard, and the home of Ryan Tabbot. It's a rather
respectable dwelling in its own right, a single-story ranch-style home. You can't
quite tell from here, but you suspect it has at least four main rooms. It's
rather bland in appearance, the only real architectural achievement being a
slight asymmetry in the design; the room to the right of the front door extends a
good ten feet further into the yard then the one on the left. The house is
painted a rather drab beige, but it fits the unassuming style.
     About the only thing that marks this house as something out of the ordinary
is the numbar of antennae attached to the roof, from radio, to DSS, to various
types that probably aren't immediately recognizable.
     As for the yard itself, it's exceedingly large for this part of town,
perhaps being almost a half-acre in size, although some of that is in the back
yard. The grass is well-kept through an automatic sprinkler system, and two large
oak trees stand on either side of the concrete path that leads from the sidewalk
to the front door.
     A short (2' high) stone wall separates the house, and its yard, from the
street and neighboring dwellings. A taller wall (almost 6') segregates the back
yard from the front, perhaps to provide a measure of privacy.
[Exits   : (In)side, and (O)utside ]
[Players : Angel(Pup) ]
[Things  : None ]

>Angel arrives, with Ryan following behind. 
>Angel lands just before your house.
>Angel stops leading you. 
>Angel sets you down, and steps back.
>Ryan hops down with a sigh. "Hey... um... mind coming inside? Still have to
explain what was going on before that little... um... incident."
>Eden steps lightly down and out of Angel, and the suit's chest closes up behind
her, seeming almost to flow together like some kind of unearthly living tissue.
>Eden has arrived.
>Ryan walks inside, leaving the door open for you
>in
You unlock the door, and walk inside.
Living Room(#4317R)
The small foyer by the front door opens into the main room of the house, which
has apparently been designated as a den. Quite good-sized, it's about 20'x30',
leaving plenty of room for the bookcases, table, desks, and chairs that litter
the place.
     The bookcases alone are probably the most notable feature. While most places
have paintings hanging from the wall, with the large bookcases occupying the wall
space, there's little room left for portraits. Only the west wall, with its large
picture window, is free of the items. A cursory inspection reveals a mix between
scholarly texts (books on physics and archaeology, encyclopedias, etc.) and
frivolous items (comic books, graphic novels, etc.)
     Everything else is sadly pedestrian, really. Just rather generic (if
comfortable) furniture, although the wide-screen TV is a nice touch. Two doors on
the north wall lead to the bedroom and his laboratory, respectively, while doors
on the east wall lead to the garage and cellar. The kitchen, adjacent to the
living room, is rather undersized for the house, but contains all the essential
appliances.
[Exits   : Back (Y)ard, (O)ut the front door, (C)ellar, (B)edroom, and (La)b ]
[Things  : None ]

>Eden steps in from the yard.
>Ryan asks, to make conversation, "Want something to eat while you're here?"
>Eden follows you in, brushing her hair simply back over her shoulders as she
does so. Odd how good it looks after being caught up all that time inside....how
_did_ all that hair fit in that helmet, anyway? In any case, Eden shakes her
head, looking a bit pale. "No, thank you."
>Ryan nods, and gets to the point. He does walk into the kitchen to grab himself
a beer as he speaks, though. "Maruah popped in again a few nights back. She
appeared to have Foil, but from her actions, and her threats, I'm not sure if she
did or not... Even if she was in possession of Foil... or Foil was in possession
of her...Foil could be considered dangerously unstable."
>Eden nods slightly. "What does that mean?"
>Ryan rubs the back of his neck. "It means... that we can't trust Maruah, not for
the moment. Either an insane Foil is in control of her, or she was discovered
during the rescue attempt, and is being controlled by one of the Quarter
Knights." He opens the can, and ponders this a moment. "That... thingy in Town
Square was Al'Hazad, one of the Quarter Knights, like Harken."
>l eden
Eden
This girl stands off to one side of the gathering, demurely, not 
quite timidly. She is young, no more than 17 or 18, and stands some 
157cm(5'2"). Her hair, which falls thick and straight down her back 
almost to her knees, is light brown and her distant, guarded eyes are 
the blue of faded denim. She has a certain presence,  an aura almost, 
an impression of helplessness and of stricken innocence. She watches 
what is happening around her, looks at the people nearby, but she keeps 
a distance from it all, whether physical or metaphorical, seeming 
always the outsider.
   Eden is currently wearing only a kind of bodysuit, snowy white and 
barely opaque. It fits her like a second skin, covering her completely 
from the middle of the neck down and clearly outlining her slim but 
well-curved figure. While the suit is mostly featureless, closer 
examination shows small leads and metallic-looking patches on its neck, 
and on the wrists, perhaps plugs of some kind.
Carrying:
Gold Bracelet

>Eden nods slightly, and frowns uncomfortably. "Are they all so....."
>Ryan shakes his head. "Crazy? No idea. Harken is comparatively sane... if
homicidal."
>Eden nods. "Okay...."
>Eden asks softly, "What should we do, then?"
>Ryan takes a sip of the beer, and plops himself down on the couch. "My current
suspicion is that Foil is still being held captive. We're still going to attempt
a rescue, using a conventional ship Vincent has managed to line up. At this
point, there's only room for three passengers, and little extra cargo - like your
mecha. So... the current plan is for me, Cloud, and Vincent to go."
>Eden nods slightly, though looking less than certain of it. "You are better
equipped."
>Ryan hmms, and nods. "I trust the pilot... sorta... but I don't want to see
either you or Rachel in the line of fire unarmed. At least I'm one of the
strongest hand-to-hand combatants on earth." Well, so he thinks. Be he certainly
ranks up there.
>Eden says, "I can fight without Angel." It isn't really an objection, but has
the feel of a correction to it. "Rachel can as well."
>Ryan nods. "I know that... but against an oppent that's probably equivalent to
that suit of yours?"
>Eden shakes her head to that. "I won't dispute that. But we are not as unable to
defend ourselves as you imply."
>Ryan sighs. "I'm not saying that, y'know? I'm just saying, in this situation,
it'd be better for you two to stay here. Don't take it as an insult, 'k?" He
takes a long swig. "And I want someone groundside in case we get caught..." He
smirks. "Not that we will, of course."
>Eden says, "Be careful."
>Ryan chuckles. "I don't exactly feel like dying, myself, so I plan to be."
>Eden nods to that, and smiles a little.. "Okay."
>Ryan sweatdrops. "I just hope I don't run into THAT guy again."   O.o;
>Eden says, "He was....frightening."
>Ryan rubs the back of his neck. "At least I managed to keep him calmed down. A
bit unstable though... I'd hate to see what he could do in combat." He mood
darkens a little. "And apparently he's the one who contaminated the water
supply."
>Eden nods. "What has happened with that?"
>Ryan shakes his head. "We're still trying to figure out a way to get rid of it.
Vincent was given a device that cleanses it, in a limited area, but I'm not
willing to take it apart."
>Eden asks softly, "Can't the bacteria be filtered?"
>Ryan shakes his head. "it works to an extent, but the things chew through normal
filters. They aren't bacteria in the normal sense."
>Eden asks softly, "What kills them?"
>Ryan says, "Cold, for one thing, but boiling doesn't work. Really harsh
chemicals... but we can't dump a million gallons of bleach in the reservoir."
>Eden asks softly, "Do they reproduce?"
>Ryan says, "Fortunately, they don't seem to. There's a LOT of 'em to go around,
though. Judging by Al'Hazad's... capriciousness, it was probably a weekened
experiment, or something."
>Eden nods. "So water is safe if it is frozen?"
>Ryan nods. "In theory. I'm not sure if they have any effect if dead, though...
but it's probably safe."
>Eden nods. "Maybe we should find a way to do that."
>Ryan hmms. "Yeah, but the entire water system? Even lakes and brooks outside of
town...? Maybe with magic, but it'd be difficult. Let alone the cost of burst
pipes."
>Eden says, "Freezing what is safe to will at the least lessen the problem,
correct? And there are many here that can use magic."
>Ryan nods. "True, true... it's worth looking into, certainly."
>Eden nods. "I can do some, at least, for water to be used at the church."
>Ryan hmms. "You have the ice spell of yours, right? Saw that a few nights back,
when that... demon thing attacked." He takes another long swig of his beer, and
sets the empty can aside. ".."
>Eden smiles. "Yes. It works."
>Ryan, changing the topic a little, "How does it work, anyway? Never tried magic
myself."
>Eden asks softly, "How do you do it, you mean?"
>Ryan nods. "Yeah, something like that. Do you wave your hands or chant or
something? It fatiguing or anything?"
>Eden says, "I meditate, in a way, to contact it....then it is simple...there's a
small ritual that was suggested to me that helped, but I'm not sure if it is
important to the effect or only to  aid in concentration. And it is tiring, yes."
>Ryan hmms. "Remind to pick up one of those things sometime. If I could combine
magic with my intellect and my superior strength and skill, I'd be unstoppable!"
The maniacal grin on his face makes you wonder whether he's actually serious or
not...
>Eden looks slightly questioning at that, but seems to take it at face value. "It
would make you more formidible, at least?"
>Ryan nods. "Something like that, yeah."   ^_^
>Eden says, "It worked better than I had expected it to....." She trails off,
then says, "I felt very strange buying that candy."
>Ryan raises an eyebrow. "Probably not as strange as the guy who sold it to you."
>Eden says, "I think he liked that, actually."
>Ryan chuckles. "If you walked up to the counter wearing that, he probably did."
>Eden says, "I did."
>Ryan chuckles again, and winks. "Probably made his whole night."
>Eden nods, smiling a little. "At least someone was happy tonight."
>Ryan smiles in return. "I'm having a good time right now, myself. Comparatively,
at least."
>Eden says, "That doesn't take very much."
>Ryan raises an eyebrow, and hmmphs. "What? Can't a guy enjoy the company of a
beautiful lady?"
>Eden says, "Of course you can. But that was still unpleasant."
>Ryan rubs the back of his neck. "I'm probably just getting jaded. Stuff like
that happens around here all the time. And it wasn't all that bad... Al'Hazad may
be a lunatic, but nobody got hurt, right? That's all that matters."
>Eden nods. "Right....." She folds her hands in her lap, looking a bit comforted
by that.
>Ryan sighs. "Well... I'm heading off to sleep. Hang here tonight if you like, or
head back... shouldn't be any more major crises tonight, I hope."
>Eden says, "I think I'll go back." She rises. "Good night, Ryan."
>Ryan nods. "See you tomorrow. We're planning on flying out in the evening...
I'll try to see you and Rachel before then."
>Eden says, "I'll see you soon, then."
>Ryan nods, and heads off to his bedroom (and his player, off to sleep)
>be
You step into the bedroom.

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/harbor/3252/logs/Ryan

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