Powerpuff Girls V.2 IC thread.

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

It took tFab a little longer than usual to reach the mall as his car was still back at the hotel and he never relied on his sense of familiarity whenever driving there.

"I really should stop relying on that GPS so much and I sure hope they haven't impounded it or something. I'd really hate to get a new one. I'll make sure to swing by the hotel on my way back to the apartment building and pick it up."

After finally reaching the large shopping mall and opting to remain in human form to lessen suspicion, he entered the building and easily found the food court. Wonderful food smells bombarded his nose from all directions, but he had to force himself to focus on the task at hand. Get this thing settled with Ignatius, then he could eat.

It didn't take him too long to notice that the area around one particular individual was completely devoid of people, just like what Of A Thousand had said, so tFab figured this must be the right guy. Being careful not to draw too much attention to himself, tFab slowly approached the figure and quickly discovered that the air around him was thick and heavy, like a large blanket had been put over him. The sudden transition caught tFab by surprise and he gasped for air, but soon forced his breathing to remain steady. Going over in his mind what Of A Thousand had said to him about this man, tFab remembered that he was armed. After mentally preparing himself for a possible confrontation, he continued his slow approach.

[Iris]

-Ignatius-

As he looked to the busy outside world that was Megaville city, Ignatius coulnd't help but envy those who were oblivious to the corruption that was plaguing them. The evil that was stalking the innocent souls and the dark demise that awaited the unfortunate. The strands of fate and destiny's call had brought him here and he knew, that were he walks destruction and anarchy is surely followig him.

He would've continued to brood if it wasn't for someone entering his visage, he barely turned his eyes to see into the glass reflection to observe who had the will and strength to avoid the effects of his aura. Through the reflection he could make out a human figure but then, appearences are always decieving.
Slowly he brought one had off the table and moved it, obscuring it from view almost as if he were reaching for something...

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

tFab thought that the whole situation was strange, but he had to give the guy credit for his aura. It had to be nice keeping unwanted and nosy people away from you like that. At least people who were relatively normal and were not superhumans or demons such as tFab. He still had to be wary though; he had no idea what kind of firepower this Ignatius had on him or even if it was bullet-based.

"Great, just what I need. To be shot at by a plasma gun or something," he mumbled.

The closer he got to the man, the heavier the air around tFab got and each step felt more difficult than the last. He barely registered what Ignatius was suddenly doing with one of his hands, but it looked like he was reaching for a weapon. tFab unconsciously flexed his fingers and prepared for a fight.

[Iris]

-Ignatius-

Without looking directly at the aproaching figure Ignatius made a slight movement of the hand under the table and dismissed his aura. What ever the stranger wanted it must be important enough to endure his exile.

He brought his hand back from under the table and then continued to look out into the busy city, his eyes were still hidden under the hood. As tFab drew closer Ignatius sighed with a strange finality before he spoke, "What is it that you want stranger, there are plenty of free seats." It was neither a question or a statement, rather a reflection of his own annoyance and distrust.

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

tFab was less than three feet from the table when he felt the aura being lifted from the air around him. The effect was so sudden that he inadvertently stumbled forward, but caught himself before he might have crashed into the table and the man sitting at it.

"Whoa... Um, yeah..."

The man then spoke to him in a voice filled with annoyance and distrust, but that didn't faze tFab in the slightest. He was used to dealing with people with that kind of an initial impression and not just recently either. The fact that the man wasn't even looking at him didn't bother tFab either.

"I am here on the behalf of an aquaintance of mine by the name of Of A Thousand. He claims that you hunt for his rival for unknown reasons and that you refer to yourself as "The Relentless" and "forged". Not to be too blunt with you, but I have a pretty strong feeling that you know what I'm talking about. Of A Thousand wants to know why you pursue this individual and what your involvement in the grand scheme of things is."

[Iris]

-Ignatius-

The man gritted his teeth and slowly began to stand up, "If you are an 'aquaintance' of that twisted, manipulative, two-face bastard then I suggest you say your part quickly or I promise you I'll send you straight to hell."
The air became hostile and the windows behind Ignatius slowly began to crack, slowly the first small crack spread to the others quickly until they began to converge creating a disturbing set of wings.

Igantius turned his head and body so that he could speak 'man-to-man' with the person whom had disturbed his peace. Although he wasn't taller than tFab he was no less imposing, for a human anyway. "I will humour you as I can see your just the messenger, Yes I am The Relentless for as my namesake I am relentless in my pursuit of the demonic, of those who feast upon the innocent." His anger was only barely in check now, with his right hand he gripped onto the table trying to calm the storm that was rage, "And yes I am Hell-Forged."

Some people had began to notice the conversation but seemed oblivious to the cracking windows.
The table's edge began to groan under the stress Ignatius was putting it under, "Now I suggest you talk before I lose whatever's left of my sanity and decide to start a bloodbath." The table edge broke suddenly causing several people to fall from their chairs in shock. He aggressively slammed the shard into the table leaving it impaled on the surface.

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

tFab unconsciously snorted at the comment about being possibly sent to Hell. He had been put through his own personal hells before and by being a cat demon that could manipulate fire anyway, he wasn't really concerned. He did have to roll his eyes at the insults directed at Of A Thousand even though they were mentioned first. It seemed that whomever he met was always throwing insults or bad remarks at other people he knew of, primarily within Ignatius' little circle of related and unrelated 'acquaintances', so he had just about thrown his sense of trust and friendship out the window.

The man continued with an explanation of who he was and tFab raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'pursuing the demonic who feast upon the innocent'. Reflecting upon his own life, tFab had to admit that what he had done to some people at the request of Bell when he would ultimately work for her was by no means kind or moral, but they weren't all necessarily innocent either. Especially that mob boss who had ties to the fashion industry and also conducted human trafficking and prostitution on the side. He got what was coming to him. What a crazy fucking day that was. At least tFab was paid double than normal for his efforts.

The guy was crushing the table with his hand, obviously trying to keep his anger in check at being called out and having his peace disturbed, and tFab thought that it would snap in half at any second. He didn't have to wait very long as the edge snapped off and was suddenly impaled into the table's surface. tFab really didn't want to prolong this conversation or incur the wrath of this 'Ignatius' any further, so he got right to the point.

"As I already said earlier, I am here on the behalf of Of A Thousand. He and I had a long, detailed conversation about his master and how he, she, or whoever it is watches over the inhabitants of this world and primarily this city. He told me the story of 'Ignatius'; an individual who suffered a horrible fate by having his body, mind, and spirit separated. He then told me that you are of the utmost importance and that I would find you here, at this shopping mall and at this location, so that we both can understand why you hunt for his rival, the one who had altered the past. He claims that you hunt his rival for unknown reasons and that even though his master no longer has any interest in you, you are still vital in the 'great game', which is likely to be some huge master plan to end the world or something, or perhaps drastically change it. We would also both like to know what your role is in the so-called 'great game'."

[Iris]

-Ignatius-

The man began to laugh, even through his anger. The sound was an ugly,cold and boarderline heartless, several people now looked nervously towards the conversation. "You speak of a past that no longer exsists, of a man whose life was a plaything for your associate... oh did he forget to mention that? That it was he who suggested to his master to damn his mind, body and soul? Did he also mention that his own reason to serve his master is to play on ambition, hope as he calls it. To play a hero into a daring rescue while he himself set-up to damsel in distress?

Of a Thousand may have a code of honor and a sense of morality but never forget his master;Tzeentch and his brothers have one goal. To allow their twisted dimension to 'join' that of another allowing countless souls to be eternally damned regardless if they are innocent or sinfull, so that they can feast on them until the end of days."

The cracks on the windows behind Ignatius began to disappear as he regained his temper, "Who ever the past Ignatius was is dead and buried in the sands of time, me, I am something beyond understanding" He looked up for the first time revealing his eyes, they burned a strange white while his iris appeared to be filled with glowing white runes. "What should not be seen by mortal eyes, shall scar them for all eternity and haunt their every waking moment in an ever-lasting nightmare. My purpose is simple; I seek absoulte oblivion."

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

The sudden laugh was a little surprising, but tFab kept his position and his cool.

"I'm pretty sure he mentioned that. I don't think I need to explain every little detail, but whatever."

As the man went on though, tFab began to rethink his previous response.

"Okay...some of those things I never knew...or forgot. Hmmm..."

He had to smile at one revelation though. He was getting names from this guy and names were good. They could be the keys that unlock even more potentially important information and tFab needed all the answers he could get. Even though some of them were turning out to be very frightening.

"So, what exactly do you seek to destroy? And why is everything occuring here? What makes this city such a damned hotspot for activity?"

[Iris]

-Ignatius-

The fool smiled, a sign of his ignorance or perhaps he smiled because he was truly in leagues with Of A Thousand and his dark master either way it was not a good reaction. "I shall humour you, the reason to why this is all happening here is because while countless evils roam this world and in other worlds, it only takes one blind and hopeless soul to stumble upon a source of demonic power and in desperation they call out to it, thus forever selling their soul and suffer eternal slavery."

He paused to look outside again, "Perhaps that's why all this has occured, I cannot confirm this though as the first Ignatius who came here knew the true reason. I myself simply came here to hunt down my prey. And as to your question to what I seek to destroy, I shall not answer for in this moment you are my enemy. Why should I trust an associate of those whom wish the destruction and slavery of mankind? Give me reason to doubt this distrust, I am a fair man and shall not judge at once but if you are truly allied with my enemy then prepare to join them in nether, just I have done with countless others; I shall banish you from this realm."

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

tFab didn't really know what to think now. On one hand, he was getting information, valuable information. On the other hand, he could be putting everyone's lives at risk all because he was trusting the wrong people. He absolutely hated being played for a fool and used as a tool and that seemed to be happening a lot lately. He briefly thought about just turning around and leaving; never coming back and facing this guy again and breaking his ties with Of A Thousand at the same time. He needed to forge his own way through this twisted world.

"A lot a strange people and events around here and I'm stuck in the middle of it. I've had just about enough of this shit and I'm calling it quits. I refuse to be played for a fool and I don't want to see the destruction and slavery of mankind. For the past few days or weeks or whatever, I've been fed lies that I've taken to be truths and it's slowly becoming a reality that I can't for the life of me tell them apart."

tFab's anger suddenly got the better of him and he balled his fists as he flared up, flames erupting from his hands and licking at his clothes. With some effort, he managed to get his emotions under control and the fire died down.

"Sorry about that... If you want a reason to doubt this mistrust, I'll do anything to learn the absolute truth. I'm done with the games, riddles, and other bullshit. I'm looking to protect my own future and the future of others and I'll do it by any means necessary. If you are the one who can provide me with that absolute truth, then I will pledge my allegiance to you and break all ties with Of A Thousand."

[Iris]

-Ignatius-

"Reality is a fickle thing, friend, for it is build on current events... the current truth if you will. Look at the times of Galileo, were it not back in those day the reality that the universe spun around the earth? I cannot say what is absolute truth for I am not all knowing, those who are use that knowledge to further their own goals regardless of others." Ignatius began to speak in a calm voice once tFab finished, "There are times when I must create a false reality, a time when I must lie to further my own goals, I must not be an inspiration to the people...."

He sighed and the glow in his eyes vanished revealing a set of youthful brown eyes, "I'll relax for now and try to get you up to speed since neither of us are sure of the other. We've been mutually been had by more or less the same bastard so may as well make a baseline or ground work for an alliance." His manner of speaking had changed into one that was less formal and archaic, "Sorry if my speeches grate the ears, it's an after effect when I'm using my 'powers'. Also comes in handy when I need someone's attention."

He stretched his arms and cracked his neck, "So let's start with what we both need to know, why am I after Of A Thousand and his buddies. I specialize in hunting down the demonic, no need to get fearful by the way I'm not after every demon I come across, I'm just after ones that have been killing innocent people and the like. The reason to why I do it is because it's my job, I'm kinda the.... reluctant warden of one the many Hells. Not my ideal career choice but I got voulenteered. So that covers the why.

Now the how is a story I'd rather save up until we are out of the public eye." He pointed a thumb behind his shoulder to the terrified crowd, "So the short version, I got sent to that Hell because my world was experimenting with dimensional gateways but I assume they gave up on that now. Anyway, twenty people came in and only three came out, two went batshit insane and the last one commited suicide from what I've gathered. Now one of those crazies is Quintin or now known as 'Gur-Gul....' argh, that damned soul leech. I've no clue what happened to the other guy because I stayed in that dimension to keep the gate open, fat help that did in retrospec.

I'll let this sink in for a moment, I'm sure you've been bombarded with this crap all week."

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

tFab was getting tired of standing, so he swiped a chair from a nearby table and sat down. He listened intently to what this Ignatius had to say, even though he's heard these spiels in one form or another many, many times. Slowly, Ignatius was calming himself down and tFab was doing the same, albeit with some difficulty. He was still a bit riled up from his outburst and he knew that events usually went to Hell when he got really mad.

"No, I'm not fearful at all that you hunt down the demonic. I have done so as well, although not nearly as much as you might have."

tFab knew he was no saint. He killed many innocent people before in his life, but he had no personal vendetta against them. They had just been unfortunate enough to get in his way or were caught in the crossfire. The explanation then shifted to dimensional gateways and how experiments were performed with them with drastic results. None of it sounded too comforting.

"So, where is Quintin or 'Gur-Gul' now? Is he of any significant importance?"

[Iris]

-Ignatius-

"It's not Gur-Gul, it's just that his demonic name is nigh unpronouncable... He's the one going around using my good name and, well, dragging it in the mud." Ignatius moaned, "And I haven't been that active... I'm, what, physically 23 so that means I've been hunting demons for 3 standard cycles. Time doesn't really matter in that dimension so I don't count my time there... if I did I'd likely go insane again." He paused looking somewhat shamed, "The things that I saw... they're not meant for mortal eyes, I can't allow those memories to interfere so I've had to repress most of it."

He shook off those feelings, "It's why I refer to myself as Hell-forged, born on the mortal plain and then reforged on the fields of hell, during my insanity I.... No I'd rather not go down that road again, even thinking about it may cause my inner beserker to come undone." As he spoke his eyes gave off a feint glow again before fading, "I keep my sides seperate, like the other Ignatius in that sense though they are merely facades... If I was all three at once I'd likely become something similiar to Of A Thousand...

No matter, what of you? How is it that you must play to the tune set by my foe?"

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

tFab just sat and listened, something that he prided himself on, while Ignatius explained a few things about his past. They were unimportant to the cat demon, but he couldn't just get up and leave. tFab didn't know what would happen if he was rude so he decided not to chance it. Talk soon went back to Of A Thousand and tFab was asked a peculiar question, at least to him.

"You mean, why did I side myself with him? Well, up until now, he sounded so convincing, as did everyone else I've been in contact with, except people I know really well."

His thoughts briefly turned to Bell and Butch, both of whom he hadn't seen in a long time; Butch being longer than Bell by a few days. Or was it weeks? tFab didn't know anymore.

"The next chance that I get, I'm going to find out everything I can about the month, day, year, and time. I hate losing my bearings like that."

"I honestly don't know who to trust in this crazy city. Of A Thousand seems to have just turned out to be like everyone else I've met like him - someone who twists the facts and truths to screw with others. Well, I've had it. I'm tired of being played for a fool, but you've heard this rant from me already. No need to repeat myself."

Annoyed and disgusted, tFab drummed his fingers on the table. It was high time he got some real answers.

[Kat]

Buttercup

Buttercup watched the exchange , silently fuming. She was stressed out enough as it was and she didn't need to waste her time worrying over this reckless, inconsiderate moron.

Clenching her fists at her sister, Buttercup turned on her heel and stalked out the door without a word.

She didn't need the father of her child to be someone who could go on and blow himself up without any thought for the future of his son or daughter!

Buttercup looked up, surprised to find herself in her apartment already, sitting on her bed with the door shut and locked and Bruce on her lap, purring soothingly. She sighed and laid on her back, placing a hand softly on her belly.

[TheTimeSweeper]

~Bell~

Bell was no more than a few feet from the door where she presumed the explosion had come from when Buttercup quickly walked out of the room and stalked to her own apartment. Bell slowly blinked as she landed gently on the floor and stared after the black-haired Puff. What was that all about? Something to do with the explosion? Maybe, but one thing was for certain. Buttercup had changed, mostly in appearance since Bell had remembered, but there was something else, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

It had appeared that in her haste to head back to her apartment, Buttercup didn't see Bell and it was clear she was wide awake. Bell pondered this for a moment. Should she go knock on the door and get her questions answered or should she wait for Bubbles to show up? She didn't have all day to wait around, but then again, maybe she did. She was following her own rules now and she wanted Bubbles to come to her. With this decision made and her hands clasped behind her back, she slowly walked to Buttercup's door and lightly knocked on its wooden surface.

[Wolfy]

Arken

Arken watched Buttercup leave the room as his similar-looking companion summoned up a bottle of amber liquid from apparently out of nowhere. He was about to open the bottle when Arken turned to him and said "I should probably go after her. I'm not sure why she's upset but I don't think I should leave it as is."

"Well, shit." said the other man. "Oh fine, do as you must. I'll just stay here."

Arken nodded silently and rushed out of the apartment. As he turned down the hall to Buttercup's apartment, figuring that's where she would have gone, he suddenly stopped dead. There was somebody already at Buttercup's door, a girl he didn't recognize. Arken backed himself up against the wall, hoping not to draw attention to himself.

Meanwhile, back at Arken's apartment, another man sat on the floor with a bottle of liquor in his hand and a disgruntled look on his face.

"I find it odd that I wouldn't be welcoming time alone after being stuck inside a different body for so long" he mused. "Perhaps it's just boring without anyone else here.

He decided to spend his time thinking. He didn't remember much about the events of long ago. He wasn't sure where he'd come from or if he was part of this Arken fellow all along. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to remember the past now. He decided to try anyway. However, for all his thought, he could only come up with one thing.

"To hell with this," he exclaimed, opening his bottle. "I need a drink."

[TrickyLA]

Bubbles and Brat

Bubbles had been moving about quickly, still deciding whether or not a conversation with Bell or confronting her dark haired sister was what she wanted to do. She had no doubt in her ability to evade her pursuer for as long as she desired, but she didn't want to carry on like that forever lest she somehow allow her companions to be discovered.

As she was contemplating her options, she hear a loud explosion and a large burst in power level followed by the feeling of Buttercup on the move.

"The fuck..."

She muttered quietly, narrowing her eyes before taking off in the direction Buttercup was going. As she sped on, she noticed the auras of two other beings. Bell and another.

"Damn..."

She didn't much care for dealing with those two, so she quickly changed directions, looking for a more scenic route.

~

Brat snapped awake suddenly, feeling a sharp pain forcing her back into consciousness. The usually understanding blonde narrowed her dark blue eyes dangerously as a low hiss escaped her throat.

"WHO THE FUCK DID THAT!? DO YOU FUCKING KNOW WHO YOU'RE FUCKING WITH!?"

She practically screamed, looking around wildly for the culprit so that she could exact her revenge. Her eyes landed on the distressed Berserk, and she suddenly softened. Her killing intent died down to nothing, a frown marring her face as rubbed her eyes.

"B-Berserk?"

Her eyes widened when she finally took in what she was seeing. Her sister, still asleep, appeared distressed. She was clawing at her face and this scared Brat deeply.

"Oh no! Stop that! Stop! Stop!"

She was at her side in an instant, trying to restrain her sister.

She's bleeding! Oh no...no what's happening!?

"Wake up!"

~

Bubbles had decided to go out of the building entirely, following Buttercup's energy signature to a window. Quietly, she peered inside and noticed her sister.

Perfect

Now she could get answers and hopefully not run into anyone else. Suppressing her energy, she quietly creeped in through the window.

[Kat]

Buttercup

Buttercup had been staring at the ceiling for a relatively short time when she heard knocking on the door. Thinking it was Arken - or even worse, both Arkens - she ignored it, getting up to make herself some tea. As she passed the window, she felt a presence slide in behind her.

Buttercup whirled around to confront the intruder, coming face-to-face with her sister.

"Bubbles?!" she gaped, backing away slightly. She curtailed her surprise quickly though, and regained her composure enough to turn around to hide her slightly pregnant frame. Her dark ponytail swished as she headed into the kitchen to continue on her original mission of making tea.

"Would you like some tea?" Buttercup asked her sister coldly.

[TrickyLA]

Bubbles

Bubbles couldn't help but grin at her sister's reaction, though the expression didn't last very long. She found herself nodding to the other with a small shrug before making herself at home on the teen's couch. She watched what she could of her sister silently, her eyes narrowed as she tried to analyze the situation. There was something different about Buttercup, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Yes, I'd enjoy some tea. Thank you very much."

[TheTimeSweeper]

~Bell~

Bell was getting annoyed now and, as tame as it was compared to her anger, it was still not something to mess with. She felt that Bubbles was on the move again and getting closer by the second which is what she wanted, but the shouting coming from down the hall was stressing her. Narrowing her eyes, she raised a palm to the direction of the noise and charged some energy. She let it build for a few seconds before letting her palm drop, the energy dissipating. It wasn't worth blowing a hole through a wall. Maybe they were making so much noise because...eh, who knows what.

Seeing as how her knocks went unnoticed, she was about to knock again more forcefully when she heard Buttercup say the name "Bubbles". This, coupled with her intuition, led Bell to believe that Bubbles had somehow bypassed her and was now in Buttercup's apartment.

"Perfect. If only Blossom was here then it would save me the trouble of asking her the same question I'll be asking her sisters."

She grinned and knocked harder on the door, her other hand charging energy in case she had to force her way in.

[Iris]

-Ignatius-

"Time is short, though inconsequential to our foes we have little time to properly discuss at such an unwholesome place." Ignatius began stiffly, "The Parasite plans to sacrifice countless souls through various means but to do so openly would bring suspicion to his goals thus he deals in secrecy and deception. Each soul he claims is contained inside a talisman of sorts, bound by foul magics these items will surely bring ruin to us all... However as they in the boundaries of this reality, they fragile and therefore can be destroyed."

He took a good look at the man across from him, knowing perhaps what felt like an eternity had passed before recieving goals that are in reach and not of fiction, "All we have to do is find them and destroy them by any means. I do believe that they are kept by the parasite's allies and other abnormalities but they shouldn't pose much threat to us. And perhaps we might extract some vengeance upon those whom have crossed us."

A brief hint of annoyance swept his face as he finished, "We do require allies, I know there are nine of these trinkets that may already hold power but we alone cannot hope to destory them all before more souls are lost. Knowest any whom can aid us? And are they trust worthy?"

[TheTimeSweeper]

-tFabikcalcer-

tFab let his annoyance sweep over him and calmed down while he listened to Ignatius speak. It was oddly comforting just sitting and listening to someone else speak, even though tFab barely understood most of what was said to him. He had been encountering so many strange people lately that it was difficult for him to filter what was valuable and truthful and what was a bunch of bullshit.

"Parasites and talismans... Reminds me of Dungeons and Dragons or something... Anyway, yes, I will help you destroy these items. And exacting some vengeance would be very nice." He cracked his knuckles to prove his interest. "And as far as allies go, I know of three off the top of my head that could help us, but only two of them I consider to be trustworthy. The third one...well, I still don't really know what to make of her and if I asked her for aid, she would probably laugh and try to punch me through a wall or something..."

[Wolfy]

Arken

Arken noticed that the girl was gathering energy, and his eyes widened at the realization.

Damn, I definitely can't let her fire off any blasts here. That wouldn't end well for anyone involved, he though.

Arken figured that there was only way to fix the situation, and that was to try and distract her. He didn't like the idea, but what choice did he have? After he made up his mind, he ran up to the girl with lightning speed and grabbed hold of her arm.

"Let's just calm down a second." Arken said calmly. "There's no need to release any of your energy here. And why, might I ask, are you trying to blow a hole in Buttercup's apartment door anyway?"

[TheTimeSweeper]

~Bell~

When no one was coming to the door after her second knock attempt, Bell figured it was time to use her energy blast. However, before she could reduce the door to splinters, she suddenly felt a strong grip on her arm. Her concentration lapsed and she turned blinking to whoever or whatever had stopped her. Standing next to her was a man she didn't know and the question he asked her made her blink again.

"That's none of your business," she calmly replied, wrenching her arm free. "My presence here at this building is between me and Buttercup alone. And Bubbles, if she ever decides to show up."

Before turning back to the door, she gave the man a good once-over. Something was familiar to her about him. It wasn't his facial features or the way he dressed; it was something more...mysterious.

"I can sense some kind of power coming from you. You're that somebody that blocked me out of your room. I knew that Buttercup was in there with you, but you sealed your door to prevent anyone from entering."

Bell smirked at Arken and crossed her arms.

"Tell me. Are you protecting her for some reason? Because I can assure you that I do not want to do her any harm. I just want to ask her a question. If you don't want me to barge right into her room in order to do so, then maybe you'd rather do it?"

[Kat]

Buttercup and Berserk

Buttercup moved with precise motions, quietly restraining her agitation with Arken and her anger at her sister. Opening and closing cupboards rather harshly, she quickly removed two mugs and set the on the counter as she turned on the heat on the small cooktop stove.

As she filled her kettle with water, she asked the obvious question. "So... What do you want?"



Berserk whimpered in her sleep, grabbing her hair in her fists and curling into the fetal position.

The voice in her head kept droning in and out of her hearing, and her body felt like it was on fire, refusing to change the way it did things.

She faintly heard a different voice, one that seemed familiar, and instead of trying to prolong the agony of obeying this sometimes-but-not-always-in-and-out voice, Berserk strained to hear the one that she almost recognized.

[TrickyLA]

Bubbles and Brat

Bubbles watched her sister, a little amused at the unnecessary force she was putting into things. Well, only for a little while anyway. What she was here for was something that took up a lot of her thoughts, she didn't have time for amusement.

Still, the blonde put on an innocent smile and blinked at Buttercup. "Why....can't I just visit you because I miss you?" She asked sweetly, sneering a little bit. "You are my favorite sister after all."

~~~

Brat's lip quivered a bit as she continued trying to restrain her distressed sister. It was a little easier, something having calmed her temporarily, so she gently untangled the red-head's fingers from her hair.

"Shh....It's alright Berserk....I'm here....Calm down..." She murmured, squeezing her sister's hand gently and moving a bit of unruly hair from her scratched face. "Wake up.....please wake up....."

[Wolfy]

Arken

Arken raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms as well.

"No," he replied. "I'd rather not disturb her just because you have questions."

Arken heaved a sigh. He was more worn out now than he had ever been. In light of having a body to himself, all he wanted to do was relax before taking the plunge into parenthood. He cursed his luck. When he could be having drinks with his darker counterpart (which by now, Arken figured, had already probably made his way through half the bottles he owned by now), he instead gets a Buttercup that's angry at him and now this strange girl that nearly blew apart a perfectly good apartment door.

"Look," he told the girl wearily. "Buttercup hasn't been in the best mood lately. Now I'm not about to ask you to abandon your quest for answers, but what I am about to ask is that you wait a little while longer before you confront her."

He paused for a moment to lean up against the wall. "I don't know who you are or what your relationship with Buttercup is and I suppose that doesn't really matter to me," he continued. "All I know is that there have been a bit too many shenanigans around here lately and I'd like to be sure that Buttercup is feeling well before she gets involved in any more of them. You say you mean her no harm but I can't be absolutely sure that everything will turn out well now can I?"

[TheTimeSweeper]

~Bell~

Bell frowned at the man and huffed slightly. He was blatantly impeding her efforts to talk to Buttercup and that was just making her more annoyed by the second. Just who the hell was this guy? More than a friend? A bodyguard, perhaps?

"Yeah, sure. As if Buttercup would really need a bodyguard," she thought.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, refusing to make eye contact. She was in no mood to deal with someone like him right now.

"For all I know, with his way of sealing that door earlier, he could be a damned wizard or something. Stranger things have happened around here. All I know is that I'm not cocky. I'll hang around and study him for a while; see if I can pick up on any more details."

Bell shifted her weight and turned back to Arken.

"Alright, fine. I'll wait for her to feel better. However, I'm not going to stick around here all day. Do you know when Buttercup will be ready for questioning? I'm on a bit of a schedule."