1. Threads (Southan)

[Weaver]

Pathos' busy streets grew less congested as night began to fall over the metropolis. A stray breeze wove its way through the towering buildings, barely stirring the hot, thick air. A metallic taste worked its way into everyone's mouth, the taste of spent lightning. To those sensitive to such matters, it was clear that a storm was brewing.



The tension of the atmosphere was starting to affect people, making them more grouchy. Even the normally jovial atmosphere of the Dragon Fire Inn and Tavern was tense, though service was still with a smile. The crowd was thick and getting more so as people began to gather indoors to avoid the brewing storm.

[Weaver]

Miki cowered in the corner of the room. She had wondered into the room when it was empty, and had fallen asleep. She awoke to find the room filled to the brim with people. She was on the verge of tears and all she could do was wait it out until all of the strangers left the room. She was powerless.

[Weaver]

Yama sits with his back to the wall, a hood pulled over his face, making it almost impossible to see what he looks like, but pulls out what looks to be a whet stone and slowly starts to sharpen his claws, ignorning the people around, he thinks to himself, 'Sssssmellsssss like a ssssstormsss brewing.'

[Weaver]

Glancing over to Misami as they came into the tavern crowded with people, "Well it seems that everyone is trying to find cover for this coming storm... its like nothing ive ever felt before."

As he began moving though the tavern he sees glints of jewels flickering about in the lights and trinkets hanging from the clothing of people each one catching his eye. 'Damn... and it had to be in such a place as now i start to find these things... if Misami sees me eying them ill be in a world of trouble.'

Slowly he looks back trying to hide in an innocent glance to Misami, "So where shall we sit?"

[Weaver]

Misami cast an efficient eye over the crowded pub. The only table that had any room at it was a table by the wall with a hooded figure sharpening his claws with a whet stone. She pointed to it before giving Shiki a knowing glance.

"How about there?"

[Weaver]

Receiving the all knowing glance that she gave him, he looked down for a second before she told him about the table. "Well i guess we could try to sit there... but the guy is sharpening what looks to be his claws there... but it looks to be the only one here so not bad to try. Looks could be somewhat deceiving he could be ~friendly~ i guess."

Slowly making his way through the bar, being careful of where his hands were, he made his way to the table. "Do you mind if me and another person accompany you here at the table?" asking in as nice voice as he could.

[Weaver]

Without even looking up from his claws, Yama says, "SSSSssure, jusssst leave me to my busssinesss." As he speaks, what looks to be a snake tongue pops out from underneath the hood, and dissapears just as quickly as it appeared.

[Weaver]

Looking at the person as he accepted to allow them to both sit down, he catches the glimpse of the tongue flit from beneath the hat. 'That's a tad different than anything I’ve seen... but he does seem somewhat friendly.'

As he makes his way back to Misami, "Well he has allowed us to sit there. He just asks that we don’t bother him from what he’s doing."

As he makes his way back along with Misami, he pulls out the chair for her so she can sit.

Looking back to the guy with the snake tongue, "Thanks for allowing us here..." thinking to himself 'well he didn’t give a name... and its kinda odd not knowing it to thank him right.'

"Do you have a name we can call you?"

[Weaver]

As the people sit down, he sits his whet stone on the table, which looks like it's been dipped in something very corrosive, since it gives off a very unpleasant smell and has several small holes in it, Yama then looks straight at the two who sit, clearly showing his face to the two, showing off some very snake-like features. His eyes, cold like a cobra’s in the moments before the strike. He then says, "They call me Yama. Now, what do I call you?", picking up his whet stone and continues sharpening his claws.

[Weaver]

"I'm Misami and this is Shiki," Misami said, a genuine smile on her face. She avoided looking too closely at his eyes, though, focusing on the bridge of his nose instead.

[Weaver]

Titania walked in through the front door as a cold burst of air whips around her. She smells like wet cat. When she is fully in the tavern she shakes her hair that comes to about her mid back, her sapphire blue eyes shining in the semi-light of the tavern. She stays close to the wall staying away from the crush of people as much as she can.

[Weaver]

Miki whipped her blurry eyes towards the woman who just walked in the door. Her ears were laid back against her skull and she whimpered. Minute by minute, the room got fuller, with less and less of a chance of it clearing up.

[Weaver]

Still pressed to the wall, Titania made her way around the room. Before she realized it, she was falling to the ground. She had tripped over something. Looking at it, she realized that it was another nekomimi that happened to be freaking at the moment. "H-h-hi, how are you? Are you okay?" she started rambling, freaking out herself for one she does not like hurting people and for two she does not like people, or BUNNIES for that matter.

[Weaver]

"Aahh-" Miki cut off the scream in her throat. "Don't touch me!" She squeaks backing further into the corner with her ears pressed flat. "Don't come any closer to me!" She says slightly louder.

[Weaver]

Titania’s ears popped out of her head and her tail out of her lower back as she starts to change. Her ears were that of a cat and had black and white stripes. The same went for her tail. "Sorry! So, SO sorry!" The nekomimi started to back away slowly.

[Weaver]

Miki cowered in the corner, pressed to the wall shivering and convulsing slightly as the woman backed away. Her eyes were wide and her pupils were dilated to the point that you couldn't see her irises.

[Weaver]

Tears run down her face as she is thrown into a flashback of her parents’ murder when she was seven. She started to shake and shiver uncontrollable. With no warning, she completely shifted into a two and a half foot white Bengal tiger.

[Weaver]

Yama looked up from his sharpening and pointed a sharp finger past Shiki and Misami and said, "Well, that'ssssss a new one, a friend of yoursssss?"

[Weaver]

Watching where he is pointing one of his claws, as it was directed behind him. "Nope, not one that I know..." '...but I bet that fur would fetch a nice price.'

Looking back to Misami as he stood up, "Anyone you know?"

[Weaver]

Misami stood as well, trying to see over the other patrons that had begun to stand as well, all trying to get a better look. She spared a moment to internally curse her shortness as she balanced carefully on tip-toes with one hand on Shiki's shoulder to see through a gap in the growing crowd. Her brow scrunched slightly before she shook her head.

"Not that I recognize in that form," she said. Then she started to weave her way across the room towards the shivering tiger. Her vows to her Order clearly meant that she needed to help if she could.

[Weaver]

Miki yelped in a high pitch. "Noooooooooooo," she cried, her eyes still wide as people started to walk towards the woman, and in turn her. "No stay away..." She moaned sobbing.

Titania shivered harder, her cat cries filling the air of the tavern. She laid down. A look of pure fear crossed the cat’s features.

[Weaver]

Watching as the crowd started to gather around the two, as they were cowering in their respective corners every so more as each person gathered around.

Shiki somewhat forcibly began moving everyone trying to get up to them back in an attempt get the crowd away and back to normal so the pair could try to regain some of their composure. "Everyone, let them be, the crowd is just making them act even more frightened. So go back to what you were doing before."

As he started to thin out the crowd some, he motioned to Misami, "You might want to talk to them... my appearance might make things a little worse than what it would with you."

Misami squatted down in between the two cowering nekomimi. Her entire manner spoke of calmness and openness. She held her hands out, one in each direction, palms up. She wore no visible weapons on her person, helping with the image of peacefulness.

"Shh," she soothed. "It's all right. It's gonna be alright. You just need to calm down. Focus on your breathing...just your breathing...nothing else is important...just in...and out....just in....and out."

Miki backed as far into her corner as humanly possible. "Please..." She whimpered. "Just stay away." Miki moaned tears still flowing.

Titania looked up. She did as told. She slowly shifts into her human form again lying the naked as her clothes fell off in one piece because they are customized to her shifting. She stayed there, tears still rolling down her cheeks.

[Weaver]

Watching the scene unfold, Yama puts up his whet stone, puts it in his pocket, lowers his head, making his way through the crowd, he gets to Shiki, and says, in a rather curious tone, "What happened?"

Glancing back as Yama comes up near him, "Well heck if i know what’s going on, it seems that this one over here laying out naked is a shape-shifter of tiger descent being she was the white tiger a moment ago and now here. However this one in the corner... that's a whole other mystery. "

Stepping back as Misami is trying to get the two their nerves back, he invites Yama back to the table so she could try to get them back some of their lost nerves.

[Weaver]

Only acknowledging Shiki and Yama's conversation in the back of her mind, Misami smiled gently at the calm woman before turning to look over her shoulders at the gathered crowd. A few had obeyed Shiki's command and had gone back to what they were doing before the ruckus had begun, drawing their comrades with them. Most, on the other hand, were still gathered in a loose semi-circle about ten feet away from the trio. A few of these gawkers were openly leering at the now nude nekomimi.

Misami preceded to give each of these rude persons her best imitation of Mother Doshi's "you're-misbehaving-and-you-know-it" glare. One by one, they each looked away. Some even flushed before doing so, clearly ashamed of their own actions. Satisfied, she turned back to the panicking pair, a calm look once more gracing her features.

"Good...um...you might wanna get dress there, sweetie," she gently told the white tiger morph before focusing on the little nekomimi trying to press herself into the corner, wishing she had listened to Mother's lectures on hysteria more closely. She tried again to soothe the fearful girl, hoping to make her voice as hypnotic as possible. "Shh, it's all right ...it's all right ...no one's going to come closer ....just focus on your breathing ...breathe in ....and out ...in ...and out. The fear is not important. Your breathing is. Focus on your breathing. In ...and out ...in ...and out."

Titania starts getting dressed, cracking her neck as she gets up. she looks at the other neko 'So it wasn't me. Okay.' She knew that her clothes would not be ripped she had them made to handle her shifting.

Miki continued to cower in the corner, shaking uncontrollably. She just shook her head.

As the tiger nekomimi dressed, the gathered crowd moved back towards their seats. Noise levels rose again as people began to talk about what they had seen. Seeing that the little one wasn't going to calm down anytime soon, Misami pointed the tiger morph in the direction that Shiki took Yama, hoping that the skittish neko took the hint before focusing all her attention on the frightened kitten in the corner.

[Weaver]

Yama, not wanting to draw any attention to himself, walked back to the table, sat in the same spot as before, pulled out his whet stone, and went back to sharpening his claws, thinking to himself, 'Hmm, hang around a bar, and the weirdessssst thingssss happen, musssst be my luck.'

Walking back to the table where he met Yama, and holding the seat for Misami as she was working with the two others, "Well... some of the weirdest of all things comes in and freaks out by walking into a bar. Been one hell of an off day, hasn't it, Yama?"

'Shame though.... Misami probably would have looked good in a tiger coat... oh well, there could be another time to find one.'

Yama didn't even look up from his sharpening, and said, "Sssso, I take it you two are an item then? Besssssidessss, what would you two be doing out here anywayssssss?"

Looking a little in a shock as Shiki said that, "Well we kinda would be considered that, she saved my life when we met." as he scratched the scar on the center of his face, "As for what we are doing here... currently we are housing up until this storm-sensation flows past... but after it is done... don't know exactly where we will travel to."

As he watches around the bar he sees all the patrons sitting back down, and everything starts to resume back to normal, before the spectacle happened.

Titania finished getting dressed and looked at the nice lady. Upon seeing her pointing towards her group, she nodded slightly and started heading that way. "Hi, I'm Titania Maris but you can call me Titania. She told me to come over here." She smiled a semi-genuine smile.

Yama, now using the whetstone on a pair of very nasty looking fangs, stopped, and without looking up said, " I'm Yama." Then he went back his sharpening.

Looking back and forth between the two as Yama sharpened his teeth, and the newcomer's introduction, "I'm Shiki." as the wolf demon said to her, trying not to frighten her more than she had been already.

"Well hello there," she said bouncing on the balls of her feet. "So how goes it?" She smiled a big bright smile trying to be kind of friendly.

"Well with everything calming down again, its goin’ pretty good... but not liking much of this feeling of the impending storm feeling that’s outside... not the best time to be outside I can say."

Looking back to see how Misami was doing with the other nekomimi that was in the corner, seeing that she was handling it decent enough, Shiki looked back towards Yama, "So what all is bringing you to this area, Yama. You look like you could have a tale or two to tell."

Yama's eyes looked up from sharpening and said, "Maybe, but at the moment, it'sssssss not my place to ssssspeak ill of the dead."

Looking a little confused at what Yama had said, "Speaking ill of the dead... why would you need to do that?" Thinking of why he would say something to that, 'We'll probably need to change the subject about....'

Yama then turned to Titania and says, "Sssssso, how did you end up here?" As he spoke, his snake-like tongue popped out and disappeared.

"I walked!” Titania laughed. “But no, I’m hunting something. It’s been moving fast and I think it might be part of my family." She looked around. "I was pointed towards this bar. I don’t know why." She looked around, wondering how the other female neko was doing.

[Weaver]

Meanwhile across the crowded tavern, Misami was working on getting the little nekomimi to calm down and possibly even come out of the corner she was huddled into.

"It's alright, little one," she soothed, rocking forward slightly on her feet. "No one's going to hurt you."

"Lies. It's always the same lies before the rope and the blindfold come," Miki said, her eyes wide as she was still shoved in the corner.

Misami held her hands up, displaying them clearly for the other neko to see. She managed to keep her expression softly concerned even as she began to seethe at the hint that someone had so mistreated the catgirl.

"No rope, no blindfold," she pointed out.

"Promise?" She asked her voice shaking.

"Promise," Misami said, her voice ringing with sincerity.

"Okay..." Miki whispered as she unfolded from the corner towards the woman.

Misami held out her hand to the calmed nekomimi. "I'm Misami, by the way."

"Misami...don't leave me here alone with all these people? Please?" She asked her eyes full of fear again.

"I'm not going to do that if you don't want me to, little one," Misami soothed. "Come meet a friend of mine?"

Miki nodded slowly then stopped. "No rope?"

"No rope," she promised.

"Alright." Miki nodded and followed Misami closely clinging to her hand.

[Weaver]

Looking across the room, Yama sawthat Misami had calmed down the other one, and was heading their way. Yama put his head down and says, "Lookssss like Missssami got the other one to calm down."

Hearing Yama say that Misami was able to get the other one calmed down, 'Well that’s a relief... now things should be able to calm down and be back to normal....'

As he looks up he heard the footsteps of Misami behind him, without looking around "So I take it you were able to handle the other one just fine?"

"Yes, and I would like you to meet her," Misami started to say before realizing that she didn't have the little one's name. She blushed when she wondered how she was going to get out of this pickle. "This is...I actually haven't gotten her name yet..." She patted the hand clutching her own with her free hand. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Miki." She said peaking around Misami's shoulder.

"Shiki, I would like you to meet Miki," Misami said, tugging the younger neko out from behind her gently.

Trying to look around to see who she was talking about, and watching the corner of her shoulder seeing another set of ears and eyes pop over them, "So I take it you’re Miki then. Well my name's Shiki. I’ll try not to run you off with how I look." He let out a small laugh, remembering how she was tucked away in the corner being afraid of others and Misami pulling her into the crowd of people.


"Well I’m ready for a drink... anything you want, Misami?" as he gets up, somewhat towering over Misami, he begins to head over to the bartender to get a drink.

"The usual would do fine," she replied as she snagged a free chair that had been pushed up against the wall near their table and pulled it closer. She flashed him a smile as he left to get their drinks. "So this is Miki," she told the other two occupants of the table.

Yama puts his whetstone up, and says, "I'm called Yama."

"I'm Titania Maris but you can call me Titania," she said, still bouncing on the balls of her feet happily and smiling brightly.

"H-hi." Miki said quietly as she sat down. She seemed tensed, as if ready to run at all times.

"Please to meet you, Titania," Misami said as she took the chair between Miki's and the chair Shiki had been sitting in. She looked around the table. Then she asked pleasantly, "So, what did I miss?"

Yama looked to Misami and said, "Nothing too ssssspectacular." Again, grabbing his whetstone and sharpening his claws.

[Weaver]

Misami opened her mouth to reply only to be interrupted by Titania giving a jaw splitting yawn. Her eyes watered from the force of it. The energetic nekomimi stopped bouncing long enough to stretch.

"I'm sorry," she said, "But I'm suddenly getting really sleepy. I'm going to go see about getting a room for the night. Bye, y'all. It was nice to meet you."

And with that the little chit bounced off toward the lone barmaid weaving her way through the crowd. More than just the three sets of eyes at Yama's table watched her go. A man from a table three tables over watched her talking to the barmaid and then disappear up a flight of stairs at the back of the main room, ignoring his companions. Across the room, hidden from mundane view, another watched as well before turning his attention back towards the table. The lone girl could wait.

"Well, that was...unexpected," Misami said, looking back at Yama and Miki.

As Yama sees her leave to get a room, Yama looks the rest at the table and says, "Well, I don't know about the ressst of you, but I'm not ready to turn in yet."

"I'd um, rather be someplace with less people...?" Miki asked shyly.

"Well, we can't leave the table until Shiki comes back, but..." Misami let the words trail off, looking around the large room that was crowded with people. Most taverns had game rooms in the back, but she wasn't seeing a hallway that would lead towards one immediately. Then she spotted it. A small hallway to the left of the stairway that Titania had disappeared up. People were coming in and out of it. Maybe it would have less people than the main room. She reached over and patted Miki's hand. "Maybe when he gets back, we can check out the back rooms."

"Um, Ok." Miki nodded. "I'm sorry if this is too much trouble."

Yama simply says, "SSSSure, why not? Bessssides, anything better than waiting for the sssstorm anywayssss."

"See? No problem--most of the taverns I've been in use those back rooms as game rooms, so there might be something going on in them already, but it wouldn't hurt to look." Misami looked around the room again and spotted Shiki coming back through the crowd.

About ready to return from the bar-table after waiting a lengthy time for him to make the drinks, be began his way back to the table, only to see Titania skipping about going upstairs.

'What is her problem now? She was waiting with the others at the table a little ago. Oh well now that I finally got the drinks made right time to head back.'

Weaving through the crowd of people that seemed to flood into the bar fending for shelter from the coming weather he makes his way about halfway to the table and sees Misami looking around at the bar.

Glancing to Misami as he arrived at the table handing her the drink, "Sorry, i didn't think it would take that long for them to make the drinks." as he looks at the table, "So any idea what’s going on? Titania just skipped past me and flew upstairs."

"She said she was tired and then went to bed," Misami explained as she took her drink from Shiki. "We were just discussing the possibility of checking out the back rooms. What do you say?"

Looking back at the back of the bar area where the room would be, "I guess it would be ok, gives us something to do to pass the time."

"Okay, then, let's go exploring," Misami said, getting up from the table and starting to lead the way through the crowd towards the hallway she had spotted.

"W-Wait!" Miki clung to the back of Misami’s shirt, skittering away from the edges where people sat.

Misami slowed down slightly and took Miki's hand. "Don't worry, little one, I won't leave you behind."

Yama, pulls his hood up, pockets his whetstone, and proceeds to follow the rest of the group into the back room.

Looking around as they all were packing up and getting ready to make their way to the back room, Shiki takes the drink and finishes his off in a short time. As he begins to follow the others to the back of the bar where Misami was leading them Shiki took a look around the bar seeing the people filter in and out of the bar.

"Well let’s make our way back there and we can see what there is to play in there."

[Weaver]

The back hallway was crowded near the main room but quickly thinned out. The small group eventually found an empty room towards the very back. The room was smaller than the other rooms they had seen on their way, but was free of people, probably because of its small size. In the room was table similar to the one they had just left and a large billiards table. Against one wall was a case containing cues. There was a triangle with colored balls in it centered on the pool table.

"Well, what do you know? Billiards!" Misami announced as they entered the room. She grinned up at Shiki. "Should I beat you again?"

"Heh... not my fault the only way you won even with all your balls on the table was me sinking the eight ball in the wrong pocket."

Grinning as he pulled out a couple cues, "But if you wish to have a rematch, I’ll play."

"Excuses, excuses--but I'll take the rematch if Yama doesn't want to play you first."

Seeing that Shiki and Misami have some history with this, Yama says, "I'm good, I'll take winner." With that, he walks to one of the walls, leans on it, and watches.

Miki watched with a smile. She pulled a chair up and sat on it pulling her legs under her knees. "I'll just watch."

"Well i would then say, ladies first, so you can do the break Misami." Handing her the cue ball and racking the other balls up on the table. "Well your break Misami, don’t miss." giving a little laugh as he said it.

"Okay," she said, taking a cue and placing the cue ball on the table. Carefully, she took aim. The pink tip of her tongue poked out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. And then she stroked the shaft forward and hit the little white ball which skittered off, striking the lined up balls, scattering them across the table. She winked at Shiki. "Your turn."

Watching her take the time to hit the cue, and her actually managing to hit the others enough to scatter them, "Hey good job... you actually hit them this time. Better then the entire miss you did on the last game."

As he looks over the table to see the different shots, he lines up one of the striped balls to the pocket and takes aim. Reeling back the cue he takes the shot to knock the 15 ball into the corner pocket, and watches the ball fall into the pocket.

"Well one less on the table."

As he lines up the next shot, he takes aim at the 12 ball hiding behind the 1 ball. Pulling back the cue and aiming at the lower corner to give the ball a backspin, he shoots the ball, but it banks and misses the pocket just barely.

"Well i guess it would be your turn now Misami."

Misami took aim on another ball. The tip of her tongue made another appearance. She hit the cue ball. It sped across the table hitting a green ball into a corner pocket and teetered on the edge of following it for a moment. She watched it, hardly daring to breath. Shiki had certainly not lost count from the last time they played. She didn't need it falling...

The ball moved the remaining millimeter and fell into the hole.

Watching as she took aim, and shot at the 6 ball overhanging the pocket. "Well well... trying to go for the easy shots huh... "and as the ball fell into the pocket "well seems you can at least get that one in... but there goes the cue ball right behind it."

As he walks over to the table from the chair he was sitting in, he reaches into the ball carrier where the cue ball fell into, pulls it out, laying it on the table to line up with several shots.

Aiming into the frey of balls spread on the table he begins to knock them into the pockets one by one, all that was remaining after the streak of pocketing balls was the 16 and the last ball, the 8 ball.

"Misami.. this is somewhat resembling what the last game looked like... most of yours still on the table and im down once again to the last two."

As he begins to take aim at the 16 ball, he looks for the opening to shoot. Finding the corner pocket as the best one to place it in, he takes aim. Making the cue strike against the cue ball it sounded like a shot going off, the ball ricochets between the pocket walls and ends with it hanging on the edge of the pocket with the cue remaining in the center of the table.

"Well that kinda sucks..." as he reaches behind his head and scratches his neck, "I guess its your turn again Misami."

Misami took aim for a shot that should hit several sending the lot of them into various holes. She leaned over the table, hunching a little like a cat about to pounce on a mouse. The tip of her pink tongue made yet another appearance. She took the shot. The cue ball hit one ball which hit another which hit another in turn. Then one ball hit one of Shiki's balls, chasing it into a hole. She closed her eyes not watching as the sounds of balls hitting each other faded.

Watching as she started to sink in a couple balls off the table, and her final shot ended up taking in his one last remaining ball off the table leaving him with only the 8 ball left.

"Well Misami that was a good run you had going on, but you helped me out on that last shot... hope you get the last remaining balls of yours off the table, else it will be my turn and all i have on there now is the final one..."

As he looks back through the bar door he gets the attention of one of the waitresses and gets a drink from them knowing she would take her time trying to get in a couple shots without missing.

As he lounges back into the chair enjoying the time he would be able to relax in, he watches Misami stare at the table trying to think of which one would be able to get a better chance of pocketing.

Misami lined up her shot after circling the table a few times. The cue ball hit a ball, bouncing off and heading towards a table wall. The ball wheeled away towards a pocket, but the cue ball kept going, straight towards the 8 ball. Misami watched it going, silently willing it to stop. It didn't listen.

The balls collided with a final crack. The cue ball finally obeyed, halting its movement. The black ball rolled serenely to the pocket. It dropped in with hardly any sound. Misami sighed before turning back to Shiki and grinning at him.

"Well, looks like you win again...good game, though," she said, still smiling at him. "I hit the balls every shot this time."

Watching as she lined up for a shot, interested in how this would end up, he leaned forward some.

As the balls collided and went across the table keeping an eye on the cue ball as it careened across from bank to bank, he saw it was heading for the 8 ball which was a hares breath from a pocket.

'Well this isnt going to turn out well for her.'

Watching as the 8 ball plopped into the pocket he pulled out a little booklet from his pocket, flipping though some of the pages he finally stopped to scratch in a mark. "Well from the count it seems like that would make it 5 wins at billiards against your one win."

Getting up to the table he places his hand on her shoulder, "But you did very good this time Misami, you made several good shots." as he says smiling to her.

She just grinned at him, not minding in the least that she lost again. It had been him, after all, that had taught her how to play.

[Weaver]

As Yama watches Misami and Shiki finish up, he looks up and says, "Sssso, I guessss that meansss it'ssss you and me SSShiki."

"Yep I would guess it is so." As Shiki stands up and hands a cue stick to Yama, he goes over to the pockets and grabs the balls from them and begins to rack them up in the triangle frame.

"Well since i won the last round I’ll let you go first."

As he finishes setting up the rack and sets the balls in place on the table, he walks over and hands off the cue ball to Yama, "Well here ya go, and good luck."

After handing it to him, Shiki takes a sit on the chair, pulling it closer to the table to see how Yama fares in the game, while pulling out his booklet, below Misami's name he jots down Yama's name to keep records on the games he’s played against him.

As Yama takes the cue stick and cue ball from Shiki and walks over to the other side of the table. He puts the cue ball on the table, and as he begins to line up the first shot, his tongue darts in and out, and Yama looks out back into the bar. 'Hmmm, that sssmell, why doessss it ssseem sssso familiar?'

She walks up to the bar and orders some cider. As she receives her drink from the bartender, she starts walking towards the smell of cat, and the smell of the lady who helped her calm down earlier. Walking up to the people she had met, she looks at all of them and smiles speaking as she lightly nodded to Misami "I couldn't sleep."

"Titania," Misami greeted the tiger morph with a smile from her seat between Miki and Shiki. "Welcome back. Sorry you couldn't sleep. Yama was starting to play Shiki in billiards--it's a really fun game."

As Yama sees Titania come back from downstairs, he goes back to lining up his shot, as he hits the cue ball, it hits the point of the formation, and the balls scatter on the table, with the cue ball very close to the far corner pocket. Yama looks to Shiki and says, "You're up."

Silently watching how Yama was moving around the table, the stance he made when lining up the shot and as the balls were hit began to study the layout of the table.

'Well he made them all scatter across the table, but nothing went in...' as he looked at the corners of the table, '...and seemed he didn’t leave much of a shot for me either, interesting.'

Grabbing the cue stick from the railing he set it against as he had waited, Shiki went to the corner of the table where the cue ball was resting, looking for a shot he glared at the balls surrounding it and the possibilities of what could be made.

"Well this will be interesting." as he lined up a shot at the pack of balls nearest to the cue, he let loose a crack-shot into them, scattering them far across the table ricocheting them into multiple other balls. Hearing a couple of 'plunks' as the balls began to fall into the pockets he began walking around them seeing what was made.

"Well seems that I’ve made a couple stripes in, but in the process also sunk in the cue ball. So you’ll be solid colors and its your shot now." as he hands the cue ball over to Yama.

As Yama picks up the cue stick, he begins to see what the best course of action would be. 'SSSo, ssssolidssss, huh?' He thinks to himself as he lines up a shot, just before the cue connects with the ball, he slightly moves the stick, giving the ball a spin, it misses the striped ball in front, curves around it, and bumps a solid color ball into a pocket.

After walking down to the cue ball, he catches a whiff of something or someone. As he lines up the shot, he aims the cue ball and it bounces off the table and lands at Shiki's feet. Yama walks over to him, picks up the ball, and says, "Looks like you’re up." Yama's eyes then shift back to the bar.

[Weaver]

Misami grinned, watching the game. Seeing Yama hit the ball hard enough to bounce it off the table, her grin grows as she remembers doing the exact same thing in her second game with Shiki. Then a shadowy figure showed up in the doorway. She turned to get a better look at who had come into their room, mildly worried about Miki panicking again with the introduction of yet another stranger.



The first thing that she noted about him was that he was obviously human. He was just as obviously a fellow traveler taking shelter from the impending storm. His sharp brown eyes looked around the room briefly before settling on Titania with a lecherous look in them. He smiled at her, ignoring everyone else in the room.

"Hey, beautiful," he said to the tiger. "Are you going to be busy tonight?"

Titania smiled back and raises an eyebrow. "Depends handsome who are you and why are you asking?" She licked her lips acting as seductively as she could. Just wanting him to lay a hand on her so she can start a fight.

"The name's Brutus and I think we both know what I want," Brutus said with a grin. He took a few steps into the room, closer towards his target.

Her smile gets bigger knowing that the fight she wanted was coming up fast." No I think I need a little enlightenment. I'm still a little dark on some subjects." She bats her long eyelashes. She bends over playing with her boots giving him a great shot up her skirt, smirking slightly.

Brutus' grin grew wider as he got a nice shot. He crossed the room smoothly, assured of his welcome. The others in room just watched. Miki cringed farther back in her chair as the strange man came closer and Misami placed a reassuring hand on the girl's arm. Brutus got close enough to touch and placed a possessive hand on the tiger morph's well-formed rump.

"So tight," he said with a marveling tone.

She turned so fast that in the midst of turning knocks him over and shifts to tiger form. She landed on top of him with one paw on each side of his head. She hisses in his face. Then she scratched his nose with her longest fang and watching him bleed.

[Weaver]

Watching the pool game, and seeing the newcomer waltz into the room, he doesn’t pay much attention at the beginning not knowing who he is or what he’s doing, so he continues watching the pool game as Yama takes some shots.

As the talking between them continues and seems to be going more towards him trying to be provocative. As he keeps waltzing as he enters the room closing in on Titania, he just hears a thud and a low growl from the tiger form as she stands on his chest having clawed his face.

'Well I guess that would be deserving of him, if she didn’t want him near... hell if he does it again, I’ll help her out.'

"Seems, stranger, she doesn’t want you here... best bet to leave soon."

Watching the newcomer get pawed by Titania, turns and smiles, he thinks to himself, 'A chance to tesssst out my ressssearch.' He keeps an eye on them, 'If thingsss go sssouth, I may have to help,' he thinks with a smile on his face.

[Weaver]

Just then two more people came to the door of the little game room.

  

It was a man and a woman. The woman had the pointed ears of an elf, but otherwise looked human. She also had brown hair pull tightly back into a knot on the back of her head. The man had spiky auburn hair and was wearing a mask. They entered the room as if they were looking for something.

“Have anyone here seen a man--Brutus!” The woman started speaking as she looked around the room and cut herself off as she spotted the pair on the ground. She didn't hesitate before rushing towards Titania and Brutus, pulling a dagger out of seemingly nowhere as she went. The man just stared at the pair from behind his mask.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anatoli rolls Swiftness.
15+ 2 Swiftness + 4 Speed Demon = 21

Melvin rolls Swiftness.
16 + 2 Swiftness + 4 Speed Demon = 22

Brutus rolls Swiftness.
4 + 4 Swiftness + 4 Speed Demon = 12

Misami rolls Swiftness.
13 + 2 Swiftness = 15
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Titania looked up quickly hearing someone jumping up hoping to make it out of the way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Titania rolls Swiftness.
~ 14 +4 Swiftness +4 Speed Demon= 22
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the other people entered into the room, and began yapping still trying to concentrate on the pool game, when one of them bumped into him messing up his shot.

"That does it... I’ve ignored you long enough, but you just had to mess me up. For that you’re going to pay."

With his hands sparking he snapped the cue stick in half letting out a growl, one of which Misami would have know before, he wouldn’t stop until his target was dead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Swiftness Roll - 9

9 Roll + 7 God Speed + 4 Swiftness = 20 total
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing that more people had shown up, one wielding a dagger, and seeing Shiki's reaction, Yama says, "Don't sssay we didn't warn you." A violent hiss come from Yama, claws poised, bearing a nasty set of fangs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Yama rolls Swiftness check ; result = 1
~ 1 + 7 God Speed + 2 Swiftness = 10 Total

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miki squeaked and darted from her chair to the corner behind her. The nervous nekomimi curled into a ball, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Misami rose from her seat to try to reason with the upset woman, but seeing Shiki preparing to join the fray, decided to settle for placing herself between the weaker Miki and the combatants.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Combat Order:
Titania (22 [4 S])
Melvin (22 [2 S])
Anatoli (21)
Shiki (20)
Misami (15)
Brutus (12)
Yama (10)
Miki (n/a)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Weaver]

Titania stood there back in human form fully naked. She kicks one of her guns up and catches it. Pointing it at the lady thinking ’I should not hurt her.’ She aims for the dagger hoping to God to shoot it out of her hand. She shots.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ x +12 Attack +10 Handgun +1 Upgrade +4 Gunslinger = 25 + 12 = 37 (must meet/beat or be slain)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"Anatoli! Watch out!" the woman's companion shouted as he rushed forward to defend her, deliberately placing himself between Anatoli and the raging wolf-man with the broken pool cue. "You will not hurt her," he vowed, pulling out his own weapon.



Meanwhile, Anatoli flinched as her dagger was shot out of her hand. It only lasted a moment before she pulled two daggers to replace the one that now rested in the floor. She threw one at the naked nekomimi and closed to attack with the other, pulling another one to replace the one she threw as she went.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melvin attacks Shiki with Fists of Nunchaku 1.
14 + 8 Attack + 4 Nunchaku + 4 Strong Attack (-4 Defense) = 30

Melvin attacks Shiki with Fists of Nunchaku 2.
7 + 8 Attack + 4 Nunchaku + 4 Strong Attack (-4 Defense) = 23

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anatoli defends against Handgun.
12 + 6 Defense + 4 Medium Armor + 1 Toughen Armor - 4 Defense = 19 (loses dagger)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anatoli activates Enhance Weapons.

Anatoli attacks Titania with Dagger 1.
4 + 10 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Dagger (via Hornet Style) + 1 Spring Armor - 2 Medium Armor + 4 Strong Attack (-4 Defense) + 4 Enhance Weapons = 29

Anatoli attacks Titania with Dagger 2.
5 + 10 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Dagger (via Hornet Style) + 1 Spring Armor - 2 Medium Armor + 4 Strong Attack (-4 Defense) + 4 Enhance Weapons = 30
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the person hopped in between him, pulling out his weapon, Shiki defended himself, although a little late. Though to him it seemed as the blow wasn’t as bad as it had to seem at first.

"Well then, if I can’t harm her... then I’ll have to go through you then wont I?"

As he bared his fangs which had torn through countless victims before along with his claws, the greenish crackle of energy snapping between each finger as he leapt towards the defender.

~~~

Shiki Defends against Nunchaku #1 ( 30 )

6 Defense + 4 Fighter + 1 Vestment + 1 Sixth Sense + 3 Roll = 15 ( Fail )
~~~Tough As Nails Check ( 6 Def + 4 Fighter + 1 Vestment + 1 Sixth Sense + 18 Roll = 30 Success)

~~~Damage halved (15/2) = 7 hp

Shiki Defends against Nunchaku #2 ( 23 )
6 Defense + 4 Fighter + 1 Vestment + 1 Sixth Sense + 15 Roll = 27 ( Success )
~~~Tough as Nails ( N/A )


Shiki Attacks Melvin Claw #1
14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 4 Enhance Weapons + 6 Roll = 38 Total

Contingency Eldritch Attack
22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 19 Roll = 49 Total

Shiki Atatcks Melvin Claw #2
14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 4 Enhance Weapons + 4 Roll = 36 Total

Contingency Eldritch Attack
22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 5 Roll = 35 Total

Shiki Attacks Melvin Claw #3
14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 4 Enhance Weapons + 8 Roll = 40 Total

Contingency Eldritch Attack
22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 19 Roll = 49 Total

Shiki Attacks Melvin Bite #1
14 Attack + 6 Bite + 4 Enhance Weapons + 9 Roll = 33 Total

Current HP total ( 9 / 16 )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Misami took no actions except to back closer to Miki. She knew better than to get in Shiki’s way when he got like this. It would be better to just fix things after he got it out of his system. He could be so reckless sometimes. Just the same, she prepared to jump in if it proved that she needed to help.

Seeing his companion being attacked, Brutus scrabbled to his feet and pulled his great sword from his back. Just as reckless as Misami would accuse Shiki of being, he charged the wolf demon with a battle cry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami activates Animate Shadow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brutus activates Enhance Weapons.

Brutus attacks Shiki with Great Sword.
8 + 8 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Swordmaster + 6 Great Sword + 2 Razor Edge + 1 Spring Armor - 2 Medium Armor + 4 Dervish Dance + 6 Strong Attack (-4 Defense x 1.5 Greatrazor) + 4 Enhance Weapons = 45
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing the fight go on, Yama decides to have some fun of his own, seeing one attack Shiki with the Great sword, Yama attacks with a flurry of claws and teeth!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yama attacks Brutus with Claw 1
~ Attack check result = 8
~ ~ 8 + Attack 10 + Claws 6 + 4 Fighter Path + 4 Spell Sword +4 Enhance Weapons -1 Hide Armor = 35 total
~ ~ ~Combines with Poison Attack
~ ~ ~ ~ Magic check result = 13
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 13 + 22 Magic +4 Sadist +4 Spell Sword +4 Blast Mage -1 Hide Armor = 46 total (Make Resistance Check, or lose 2 HP per Round)

Yama attacks Brutus with Claw 2
~ Attack check result = 5
~ ~ 5 + Attack 10 + Claws 6 + 4 Fighter Path + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Enhance Weapons -1 Hide Armor = 32 total
~ ~ ~Combines with Poison Attack
~ ~ ~ ~ Magic check result = 10
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 10 + 22 Magic +4 Sadist +4 Spell Sword +4 Blast Mage -1 Hide Armor = 43 total (Make Resistance Check, or lose 2 HP per Round)

Yama attacks Brutus with Bite
~ Attack check result = 6
~ ~ 6 + Attack 10 + Bite 6 = 22 total
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Weaver]

She defends herself against both attacks and then shots her in the shoulder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Titania defends against flying knife.
~ x +4 Defense +6 Light Armor (+4 Fighter) +2 Shield = 12 + 20 = 32

Titania defends against close attack.
~ x +4 Defense +6 Light Armor (+4 Fighter) +2 Shield = 12 + 20 = 32

Titania uses Handgun on Anatoli.
~ x +12 Attack +10 Handgun +1 Upgrade +4 Gunslinger = 25 + 16= 41 (must meet/beat or be slain)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melvin dropped under Shiki's assault, still crackling with the energy that the wolf demon used on him. The woman he had been protecting from Shiki didn't fare much better, taking a straight shot to the heart, dying instantly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melvin defends against Claw.
10 + 6 Defense = 16 [38-16=22 hps] [-6hp]

Melvin resists Eldritch Attack.
5 + 13 Resistance = 18 [49-18=31 hp] [-37 hp]

Melvin defends against Claw.
7 + 6 Defense = 13 [dead]

Melvin resists Eldritch Attack.
5 + 13 Resistance = 18 [dead]

Melvin defends against Claw.
1 + 6 Defense = 7 [dead]

Melvin resists Eldritch Attack.
3 + 13 Resistance = 16 [dead]

Melvin defends against Bite.
18 + 6 Defense = 24 [dead]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anatoli defends against Handgun.
x + 6 Defense + 4 Medium Armor + 1 Toughen Armor = 11 + roll (no chance--dead)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watching as the limbs went flying from each tear, and the neck ripped open from the bite, as he started to stand looking over to the one who was his intended target, fall flat to the floor as the bullet flew through her chest,

'Well damn...I took a little too long on this guy...'

Just as he was turning towards Misami, as he was about to give a grin, he saw the look on her face turn to a look of panic as Brutus plunged his sword down on him, and everything went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Defending against Great Sword ( 45 )

6 Defense + 4 Fighter + 1 Sixth Sense + 1 Vestment + 9 Roll = 21 ( Failed ) ( 45 - 21 = 24 Hp)

HP count -14 / 16

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Misami screamed once, a cry full of panic and sorrow, as she saw her lover fall before the human's sword. Then all the sorrow within her turned to rage, reddening her vision. Her hands curled slightly as her nails lengthened to claws. She launched herself at the brute, with only one intention in her mind.

Only to be thwarted when her prey fell before she could reach him from Yama's poison, leaving her poised to attack with adrenaline pumping through her system but without a valid target. She froze, glaring at Brutus' dead body before letting out another loud growl. Her hands curled into tight fists, her sharp claws digging into her palms. The energy she had gathered to attack the swordsman with rippled around her as she struggled to regain her composure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami attacks Brutus using Fists of Claws 1.
14 + 10 Attack + 4 Claws + 1 Spring Armor + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword - 2 Small Size = 21 +14 = 35
~~~~Autocombines with Reverse Polarity!
~~~~~ 6 + 22 Magic + 0 Reverse Polarity + 1 Spring Armor + 4 Blast Mage + 4 Spell Sword = 31 + 6 = 37

Misami attacks Brutus using Fists of Claws 2.
15 + 10 Attack + 4 Claws + 1 Spring Armor + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword - 2 Small Size = 21 + 15 = 36
~~~~Autocombines with Reverse Polarity!
~~~~~ 4 + 22 Magic + 0 Reverse Polarity + 1 Spring Armor + 4 Blast Mage + 4 Spell Sword = 31 + 4 = 35

Misami attacks Brutus using Fists of Claws 3.
2 + 10 Attack + 4 Claws + 1 Spring Armor + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword - 2 Small Size = 21 + 2 = 23
~~~~Autocombines with Reverse Polarity!
~~~~~ 7 + 22 Magic + 0 Reverse Polarity + 1 Spring Armor + 4 Blast Mage + 4 Spell Sword = 31 + 7 = 38

Misami attacks Brutus using Fists of Claws 4.
7 + 10 Attack + 4 Claws + 1 Spring Armor + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword - 2 Small Size = 21 + 7 = 28
~~~~Autocombines with Reverse Polarity!
~~~~~ 17 + 22 Magic + 0 Reverse Polarity + 1 Spring Armor + 4 Blast Mage + 4 Spell Sword = 31 + 17 = 48

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brutus defends against Claw 1.
19 + 6 Defense + 4 Medium Armor + 1 Toughen Armor - 4 Defense = 26 [35-26 = 9 hp] 3/12

Brutus resists Poison Attack.
1 + 3 Resistance = 4 [damage/2 Absorb Magic] [46-4=42/2=21 hps] [-18/12 hps]

DEAD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Weaver]

As Yama sees his poison at work with the first swipe, he smiles as he says, "Feel the sting of Death." When the man falls, Yama then takes out his whet stone, sharpens one claw, and cuts a small mark in his arm, letting the blood drip onto his claw. Yama then lets the drop fall onto his whet stone. He begins to sharpen his claws, paying special attention to the blood drop, almost to the point of study.

Slowly, the red tint faded from Misami's vision. Unfortunately, the lack of rage let the sorrow back in. She said Shiki's name once, stumbling over bodies to get to him. She fell to her knees beside him and pulled his head into her lap. She rocked back and forth, summoning healing energy as she did so. She sniffled quietly, but refused to cry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami uses Resurrection on Shiki. [1 of 2 turns]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Yama turns, he sees that Shiki isn't getting back up, and Yama says, "I take it thisssss happensss often with you two?"

Seeing Shiki's wounds close, the distraught thoughts faded. As he began to stir, relief flooded her system. She pulled him up and peppered his face with kisses. Then suddenly she pushed him away and started beating on his chest with almost useless blows.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again! Dying is not an option for you--Do you hear me? Not! An! Option!"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami finishes Resurrecting Shiki [2 of 2 turns].

Misami suffers -3 hps. [9/12 hp]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the vision slowly comes into focus after seeing Misami's terror struck face before being knocked out, the room started to come into focus and as he looked up seeing Misami holding his head in her lap, he looked at her and grinned a little before being kissed by her.

As she finished kissing him, and she started pounding on his chest saying for him not to die again, playfully faking that each one she hit him with hurt, he placed his hand behind his head and gave an apologetic look to her,

"Sorry about that dear... he did catch me off guard. Though I'm glad you were here to bring me back." as he moved next to her and placed an arm around her and gave her a hug and kissed her before he released her.

As he looked around the rest of the room, "Is everyone else ok?"

Yama said, "Well, I'd sssssay they've ssseen better dayssss." Pointing to the three people sprawled out on the ground.

"We really ought to bring them back," Misami commented, not sounding too happy about it. Her vows to her Order were something she wouldn't betray however. The Order house that raised her had seen enough betrayal in the last few years. She pushed the thought of the night the House was burned to the ground out of her mind and focused on the task at hand.

She laid one hand on the center of her chest and restored the lifeforce that bringing Shiki back had drained from her. Then she turned towards Titania to heal her, having seen her take a few hits from Anatoli before the woman went down.

But Titania had disappeared and so had all her belongings. The girl must have used the moments that they were distracted by Misami raising Shiki to slip away undetected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami heals self.
11 (Magic/2) + 4 Healer = +15 points [12/12 hps]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Weaver]

"I’m not one to oppose you helping others, but first I say we remove anything that they would try to use against us from their grasp... being their weapons. That way they would have to show some appreciation for you bringing them back, and as payment they would leave what they attacked us with behind."

As he started getting up, still a little dazed from the wound still fresh in his nerves, he goes around picking up the weapons strewn about from the attackers, after getting the last one he plunges them into the floor with strength that even some of the brawny humans would have a hard time budging them loose.

'Though the one that had killed me... I don’t think will have much time to actually live after being brought back... I think he might have to visit the afterlife a time or two... either by my hands or more than likely Misami's.'

"Well I think their weapons are secured... if you wish to bring them back, you can start. I’ll guard when each one regains their consciousness." as he looks off to the floor with the guy that had the great sword, "Though I would think he should be the last one to be brought back... we might have a few choice words for him."

Yama walks over to where Shiki drove the weapons into the ground and stood in front of them, sharpening his claws. "Ready when you are." He says to Misami.

"Okay, I think I'm going to start with the woman--Anatoli, I think the first guy who attacked Shiki called her..."

Misami crossed to the fallen woman and knelt beside her still form. With more formal procedure than she showed with Shiki, Misami summoned the necessary energy to force life back into the dead body.

As the human stirred, she took quick stock of her surroundings. Instead of acting reasonably, she drew another dagger from seemingly nowhere and immediately attacked the healer who had brought her back just moments before. Misami barely managed to jump back in time to avoid being sliced open.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami uses Resurrection on Anatoli. [-3 hp] [9/12]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anatoli attacks Misami with Dagger 1.
13 + 10 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Dagger (via Hornet Style) + 1 Spring Armor - 2 Medium Armor + 4 Strong Attack (-4 Defense) = 21 + 13 = 34

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami defends against Dagger.
20 + 4 Defense + 6 Sixth Sense + 4 Spring Armor (Fighter) = 14 + 20 = 34

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing that Misami started to heal the bodies, the first one being the woman... and noticing that once she regained consciousness she tried to attack Misami,

"Oh hell now you’ve done and pissed me off before, Anatoli... and now you’re trying to attack Misami, the one who brought you back... Enjoy your one way ticket to hell bitch! No one does that and comes back to life EVER."

As he leaps over to the downed woman, his claws not only glowing the energetic green, but now pulsing with an aura of pure evil intent to send the person to hell.

~~~~~~

Shiki attacks with claws #1
~14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 5 Roll = 33 Total
~~Eldritch attack
~~~22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 19 Roll = 49 Total
~~~~Combined with Death Attack
~~~~~22 Magic +13 Roll = 35 ( Must match or beat, Assassin Path completed )

Shiki attacks with claws #2
~14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 14 Roll = 42 Total
~~Eldritch attack
~~~22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 17 Roll = 47 Total
~~~~Combined with Death Attack
~~~~~22 Magic + 3 Roll = 25 ( Must match or beat, Assassin Path completed )

Shiki attacks with claws #3
~14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 4 Roll = 32 Total
~~Eldritch attack
~~~22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 12 Roll = 42 Total
~~~~Combined with Death Attack
~~~~~22 Magic + 18 Roll = 40 ( Must match or beat, Assassin Path completed )

Shiki attacks with Bite #1
14 Attack + 6 Bite + 19 Roll = 39 Total
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The human woman tried to defend herself, but died from the negatively charged blow. The other blows fell on her redeceased body. Misami stayed back out of the way, shaken from having her patient attack her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anatoli defends against Claw 1.
17 + 6 Defense + 4 Medium Armor + 1 Toughen Armor - 4 Defense [prone] = 24

Anatoli resists Eldritch Attack.
1 + 3 Resistance = 4

Anatoli resists Death Attack.
2 + 3 Resistance = 3 + roll [no immunity, dead]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yama, seeing the woman's reaction and Shiki's response, Yama sighs and says, "Guessss sssshe didn't learn." Yama then walks over to the masked man and begins to search him for any weapons.

Although Yama did a thorough search of the masked monk, he did not find any more weapons on or about the man. Misami used the time to stand up and crossed over to stand behind Yama. As she passed Shiki, she paused and touched his arm. Standing on tip-toe, she managed to plant a kiss on the underside of his chin.

"Thank you," she whispered towards his ear before continuing over to the deceased man and his Nyoka searcher. "Maybe I should have started with this guy instead?"

"Well as long as he doesn't try to attack you he'll be fine... else..." looking back to the female who was still crackling with eldritch energy, "... he will end up like that."

Glancing over to Yama as he was finishing his searching, and gave the all clear of weaponry, Shiki grabbed the nunchucks the guy had before. Walking up to the unconscious person, and pounded the hilts of them into the ground beside the man’s neck with the chain holding him down.

"This time I think this would count as a little insurance for him... best to take some precaution against him. Wouldn't you two agree, it’s not harsh... and its not letting him entirely free... just yet."

As Yama sees Shiki turn nunchucks into a neck brace, Yama says, "If anything elssssse, I could ussssse an old Nyokan method to loosssen hisss tongue." Yama then pulls out what looks to be a small green pill. "A chance to ussssse one would help with my ressssearch." He says with a smile on his face.

Misami didn't say anything about Shiki's idea of life insurance for the man she was about to resurrect and just nodded her assent to Shiki. Anatoli's attack had shaken her more than she was letting show. The young journeyman healer had never had a patient attack her before now. To be perfectly honest, she was kind of relieved that the man couldn't really attack when he regained consciousness.

Once again, she knelt besides a dead body and forced life back into it, temporarily draining her own in the process. As the masked man stirred, his limbs twitching reflexively, she scooted away...just in case. The man went to sit up and hit the chain of his nunchaku. He let out a choking noise and fell back the two inches he had moved. Misami gathered a bunch of restorative energy and touched herself, restoring what she had lost in resurrecting people. Melvin let out a groan and opened his eyes to look around him. His sky blue eyes landed on Shiki's glowering face as the giant wolf demon stood over him.

"You!" he growled and tried to launch himself upright. He hit the chain and fell backwards again. There was a loud thud as his head hit the wooden floor. "You had better leave Anatoli alone, you--you--you monster!" Misami let out a low growl before she could stop herself and moved back into the monk's field of vision.

"Don't call him that!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami resurrects Melvin. [-3 HP = 6/12]

Misami heals herself.
11 (Magic/2) + 4 Healer = +15 points [12/12]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giving a low growl as he began calling Shiki a monster, "Listen here you pest, currently your life is in 'our' hands... " as he glanced to Misami and Yama, "... you better shut the hell up, and be grateful you were brought back to life.

“You can begin thanking her... " motioning over to Misami as she was recovering from the resurrection.

"Though if you wish to be dead again... " as he begins to charge up a pulse of black eldritch energy in his right hand "... that can also be arranged. Now the choice is yours..."

Melvin settled for glaring at the wolf demon, not even sparing the equally angry nekomimi a glance.

"Go on--prove yourself a monster and attack an unarmed and trapped man! What did you do to Anatoli, demon?!"

Replying with a grin to his face, "Well you aren't unarmed... yet, as for your lady friend... she’s elsewhere right now. She was also brought back to life and didn't show respect for her bringing back."

As he gets up and begins to walk over to the corpse of Anatoli, he picks up one of the daggers she had owned, walking back over to the guy, Shiki holds the blade by the tip and holds it in front of him. "Though this was one of her daggers she left here."

As he held the dagger in front on him, he looked back to Melvin, "Now do you want to give thanks for being brought back or shall we leave you here as you were before."

Seeing one of Anatoli's copious amount of daggers dangling from Shiki's hand, Melvin tried sitting up again, choking himself in the process. He called out the woman's name in anguish, his eyes closing. Then his eyes snapped opened and locked onto Shiki again. Then they darted to where Misami was crouched on his other side and back to Shiki. He let out another growl as he brought both his hands up and grabbed hold of the nunchaku that was holding him down. He yanked them free, splintering the floor in the process.

In one fluid motion, he was on his feet again. He briefly attacked Shiki before foolishly turning his back on the wolf demon and taking on the healer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melvin attacks Shiki with Fists of Nunchaku 1.
6 + 8 Attack + 4 Nunchaku + 4 Strong Attack (-4 Defense) = 16 + 6 = 22

Melvin attacks Misami with Fists of Nunchaku 2.
7 + 8 Attack + 4 Nunchaku + 4 Strong Attack (-4 Defense) = 16 + 7 = 23

Melvin attacks Misami with Fists of Nunchaku 3.
14 + 8 Attack + 4 Nunchaku + 4 Strong Attack (-4 Defense) = 16 + 14 = 30
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing the guy try fighting again, came to somewhat no surprise, the fact he was able to pull out the nunchucks from the floor caught him a little off guard, 'Well that's a first... I’ve not met a person able to pull something like that in a good long time.'

As he attacked Shiki and ran around to try attacking Misami, just like Anatoli did, "You damn pathetic human... you will now see Anatoli in hell... right where I sent her for doing the same thing your doing now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shiki Resists Attack
6 Defense + 1 Vestment + 1 Sixth Sense + 4 Fighter + 11 Roll = 23 (Success)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiki attacks with claws #1
~14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 18 Roll = 46 Total
~~Eldritch attack
~~~22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 14 Roll = 44 Total

Shiki attacks with claws #2
~14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 19 Roll = 47 Total
~~Eldritch attack
~~~22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 17 Roll = 47 Total

Shiki attacks with claws #3
~14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 1 Roll = 29 Total
~~Eldritch attack
~~~22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 12 Roll = 42 Total

Shiki attacks with claws #4
~14 Attack + 4 Fighter + 4 Spell Sword + 6 Claws + 1 Roll = 29 Total
~~Eldritch attack
~~~22 Magic + 4 Spell Sword + 4 Eldritch Attack + 18 Roll = 48 Total
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Weaver]

Misami scrambled backwards from the advancing monk, dodging his erratic blows. Just when he was getting ready to swing his weapon again, Shiki's retaliation hit him, causing Melvin to regain his previous less-than-alive state. Misami just looked at Shiki, her eyes wide from her surprise. After a few moments of silence, she said, her voice small in the room.

"I don't think I want to bring any of them back any more...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Misami defends against Nunchaku 2.
17 + 4 Defense + 6 Sixth Sense + 4 Spring Armor (Fighter) = 14 + 17 = 31 [-0 hp]

Misami defends against Nunchaku 3.
20 + 4 Defense + 6 Sixth Sense + 4 Spring Armor (Fighter) = 14 + 20 = 34 [-0 hp]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melvin defends against Claw 1.
16 + 6 Defense + 1 Reinforced Gi +1 Toughen Shield + 5 Sixth Sense -4 Defense = 9 + 16 = 25 [46-25= -21 HP] [-5/16]

Melvin resists Eldritch Attack.
7 + 13 Resistance = 13 + 20 [damage/2 via absorb magic] = 33 [44+33 = -11 hp] [-16/16]

DEAD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing Shiki's attack, Yama slips the pill back, and says, "Well, I wouldn't blame you there Missssami." Yama then says, "I believe it would be a good idea to leave, ssssso'sssss not to bring any attention to thisss messss."

Going over to Misami, shaken as she was from being attacked twice by people she had revived, he places a hand on her shoulder to try to help relax her from the events, "I would have to agree with Yama on this, we probably don’t want to be here when people arrive back here and see this..."

Looking around to see how all else everyone was faring, and only seeing that Yama, Misami, himself and the three people were left in here, "Well I guess this is something that should speed up our departure... seems the others have already moved out of here."

Misami nodded and stood up. She hugged Shiki, more to reassure herself than any other reason. Then her ears pricked towards the corner behind the table, farthest away from the area of combat, as a small whimper made its way out of it. Misami looked over her shoulder towards the corner as a head with a pair of cat ears on it popped up over the table.

"D-d-don't leave m-me!" Miki said, her eyes focused on Misami. "Not with them!"

Surprised that Miki was still in the room when all the battles were going on, and with her nature he’s seen, she didn’t try running off.

"Don’t worry, we won’t leave you here, but we do need to get out of here and in a timely manner." as he looked to Misami, "You talked with her a lot so you would be the best to walk out with her than either of us. So I’ll move the bodies out of the way while you two move out, and I’ll catch up shortly."

As he finished up, he lurched over and grabbed the body of Melvin a dark aura appeared around him, as two dark figures appeared beside him looking much like Shiki himself, they walked over and grabbed the other two bodies.

Looking back to Misami, "I’ll be outside shortly..." as he finished off he seemingly vanished into the shadows along with the bodies.

Misami held out her hand to the younger nekomimi. Miki darted around the table to take the hand, gripping it tightly. Misami began to lead the way to the door. Carefully, they made their way through the crowd in the main part of the tavern, which seemed to have only grown thicker since they had left the main room. Concerned with how Miki was holding up, whether Yama was following or not, and worrying about what trouble Shiki could get into in the short time they were separated, Misami failed to notice the interested look that followed her form as she crossed the room.

She breathed a sigh of relief when they managed to get out of the inn without anyone stopping them to ask questions. She walked about a block away before ducking into an alleyway to wait for Shiki.

After seeing Misami and Miki leave, Yama decided to follow them out, staying far enough behind not to arouse suspicion. making his way through the increased crowd, he catches a glimpse of Misami and Miki heading out the door, Yama follows.

As he picked up the bodies dashing from shadow to shadow, he started to catch a glimpse of the city’s landfill area, 'Well that should be a decent place for them... they probably find bodies dumped in the fill more often than one would want to.'

As he made the way there, the shadow selves took the bodies in and dumped them beside Brutus,

'Well now that's done, need to make way back to Misami... she’s probably wondering what I’m doing now.'

As he begins his trip back through the shadows, he makes it to the side street of the bar, and begins looking for Misami. Wandering around for about a minute, he finally catches the scent of Misami and begins to follow it down the street leading to the nearby alley.

As Yama gets out from the inn, he thinks to himself, 'Hmm, which way?' Yama then begins to dart his tongue out, he catches the scent of Misami and Miki, and begins to follow it, after about a block, he follows the scent to an alleyway, and Yama says, "Looksssss like we're here but SSSShiki."

Watching how everyone was walking around, he began to get a stronger scent of Misami from nearby alleyway and then he started to pick up on Miki's and Yama's scent too, 'Well seems everyone made it out of there alright...'

As he rounded the corner to the alleyways, he glanced up and saw Misami. Walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her in a hug, "Well I guess we all made it out of there alright... " looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping the conversation, "... the three I left up near the outskirts of town. In a place where it is going to be a little rough finding them."

As he looks up to the group, "So anyone have an idea on where to go to next?"

[Weaver]

"We could go to the local Order house. The Order of Osayin is always willing to take in travelers, especially since I'm with you. If memory serves me right, the Pathos Order house is near the center of the city. We're near the docks now...so we should go...." Misami looked around, getting her bearings. She tried to remember the path they had taken through the winding city streets since getting off the ship. She pursed her lips as she contemplated the direction. Finally, she pointed east. "...that direction."

Yama says, "SSSSure, why not? Better than sssstanding out here."

"Well might as well be making it that way then, we have to get through all the traffic of the people here in the outskirts and then its worse in the middle of most towns..."

Thunder echoed in the distance, making Miki jump and reminding the group of the impending storm gathering in the distance. Without further hesitation, Misami began to lead the way through the group, one arm around Shiki's waist. Miki still held tight to Misami's other hand, unwilling to let go and risk being lost in the bustling metropolis. Yama trailed causally behind the trio. None of them spared the Dragon Fire Inn and Tavern another glance. Thus they missed the small cloaked form that left the inn the same time they abandoned their alley and promptly disappeared into the shadows cast by the lights of the tavern.

A wind began to weed its way through the buildings, stirring the hot, thick air with ominous intent. Lightning flashed in the distance. Not long after another roll of thunder sounded. The storm was growing closer. It was only a matter of time before it broke.

Only time would tell if it would bring good or ill to the city and our party.

---

Adventure Results:

Miki:
~Bar Fight: +500
~Dedication to an Emotion: +200
~Kitten in the Corner: +100
~ ~Total Earned: +800
~ ~ ~New Exp. Total: 800/2400

Misami:
~Bar Fight: +500
~Should Have Listened to that Lecture...: +200
~Protective Healer: +100
~Bound by Vows: +200
~ ~Total Earned: +1000
~ ~ ~New Exp. Total: 1000/2400

Shiki:
~Bar Fight: +500
~Winning by Default: +200
~One Way Ticket to Hell: +100
~And You Can Join Her: +100
~Cleaning Up the Mess: +100
~Draw: +100
~ ~Total Earned: +1100
~ ~ ~New Exp. Total: 1100/2400

Titania:
~Bar Fight: +500
~Listening to the Healer: +200
~Nudist: +100
~ ~Total Earned: +800
~ ~ ~New Exp. Total: 800/2400

Yama:
~Bar Fight: +500
~Blessed Be the Snake's Tongue: +200
~Smart Play (Mum on Killing Brutus): +100
~Polite to the Dead: +100
~Perfect Pill for the Job: +100
~Draw: +100
~ ~Total Earned: +1100
~ ~ ~New Exp. Total: 1100/2400

---

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