The Forsaken Art

Roy had just woken up. He re-adjusted his back as he got up. Where was he? If the room itself didn't throw him off, the heat and humidity in the air did. As soon as his head was clear, it was apparent that he was in in a new area! Was he teleported or kidnapped somewhere? What exactly was going on?

The panic only got worse as Roy realized that Jaide was still at the base. Hurredly, he glanced out the windows. It seemed as if they were in a... hot spring? What? Who was devious enough of an assailant to send them to a hot spring of all places....... It certainly didn't work in thier favor since there would be an absense of weapons visible....

Ok, calm down. Find a way to blend in, see if Jaide's here, and fight your way out if things get too bad. The good thing was that if this was a public area, there would be a few fellow Men of 1,000 Mask walking around in disguise. He might even be able to recognize one or two of them. They often hung around places like this. Drunken men plus distracting women usually made for some great information, and information is power.

In a nearby drawr, he found a pair of shorts. Thankfully, it wasn't one of those types of hot springs.... At least, it didn't seem to be. After changing cloathes, he casually walked out the door. Just act casual. You belong here. Now where did Jaide run off to?

Jessie followed the cat girl, to her room. As she followed her she asked for her name, while giving her own.

"Jessie?" Zelcys repeated then smiled, "It's a nice name!" She said as she closed the door to the room, "My name is Zelcys Milan." She then turned, her demeanour as her gaze returned to the kid darkened, "Now show me the registration coin." She suddenly said coldly.

Watching as the girl that had been there with the guy leave, she totally forgets about the guy that was in front of her, and waits a little before following her, and after a few seconds slips into her cat shape. A fluffy white kitten, with seven claws on rather larger-than-normal paws, a fluffy white tail, large ears, the tips tufted and colored black. Her eyes were the same as before, oddly colored, the right sapphire blue, the left silver with green speckles. Under her right eye were three black dots, and around her neck was a blue ribbon with a bell attached to it.

She follows the girl, easily winding through tables and chairs that the other girl had to walk around. And then another person shows up, another person like herself, her appearance just as cat-like as her own. The girl asks about a mirror and introduces herself as Jessie, and the other Zelcys. They then head off together, and once more, Shee-Mei follows.

When they reach a room, Shee-Mei enters with them, and letting out a cute little "Mew!" Pads forward, rubbing against Zelcys's legs, purring. "Me-ow!" She mews again, arching her back against Zelcys's leg, her tail curling slightly.


This is her in kitten form ^ Only she is pure white, her eyes are different colors, she's a lot fluffier, and she is wearing a blue ribbon with a bell on it, the ribbon is tied in a bow in the back of the neck, but though the ears are the same as the picture

Zelcys pauses and looked down at the kitten and smiles softly, running a paw between it's ears, "Hello there~" She coos softly, "I'm sorry I don't have time to play with you right now..." She then looked back to Jessie, standing back up straight, "Well? The coin?" The softness in her voice lost once more.

Purring that adorable little rattly purr that kittens make as Zelcys patted her between her ears, she cocks her head slightly, her huge eyes looking up sadly at the woman. Padding over to the window, she jumps up into the sill, and sits down, her tail wrapping around her back paws. Lifting her front paw, she begins to clean herself, not paying attention one bit to the other two in the room, though she was still purring loudly.

Jaide frowned, "I don't have anyone named Zeclcys," And then the cogs in her brain started to turn. She jumped backwards as if his touch burned her, "YOU?!" She hissed, suddenly wishing she had her weapons on her. "You ask me for help to assassinate the Czar because of some power trip you had?!"

"This had nothing to do with CORE, or what was good for mages, for mankind," She seethed, her anger palpable. She felt betrayed, used, and like a fool. Her shade was graciously quiet as she continued to yell at him, "This was about stroking your ego. I can't..." Jaide stopped, then threw up her hands, "AGHH! And I am NOT weak," She added, pushing a finger against his chest.

"I wasnt talking about you. I know perfecyly well what your capable of. I meant what I said about helping mages. Why else would I ask to come to Rome?" He was angry now, barely able to keep from yelling back. "Youre trying to fight from the outside, but imagine what you could do from the inside."

Roy searched around for Jaide, looking through everyone's face at the hot spring. Wherever Jenna was, she'd be safe... but the head of CORE had more priority. Jenna was always the better fighter out of the two of them anyways, dispite how much he hated to admit it. Then, he noticed Jaide talking with the new Czar. The two of them seemed to start out calm but even without hearing them, Roy could tell how angry they suddenly became at one another. One way or another, he had to have a word with the new Czar.... It was vital for thier plan.

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Jenna began to wake up again. She wasn't sure why, but something about her felt different.... She struggled to see straight, just glad she didn't go rogue. Her strength finally starting to return. Sylas was still right next to her, as he had always been. "You're pretty into me, aren't you?" Jenna asked, in a supprisingly weak voice.

Unknown to her, her wings had finished develouping while she was passed out. While they were crudely shaped, they had formed a membrane and could possibly fly....

Jack couldnt help feel a little disappointed when the others left. He enjoyed having people to talk to, even if he had made a fool of himself in doing so.

He whistled a sad song to himself for a few minutes, before finally getting up.

Heck with it. He would find something to do. And if he found Jaide or any of the other CORE members, then great.

Sylas smiled, Jenna's returning consciousness causing his tail to arc up and his wings to unfold slightly glad she's not, as her mother called it, 'magic'd herself out' to the point she wasn't going to wake.

"Well. I'm not going to just leave you here when I'm likely the only one here who's part Naelashi. Not that I'm saying other men aren't chivalrous but, better safe than sorry, right?" He chuckled, leaning forward slightly to give her a kindly four-armed hug, "Plus... you're not wrong either..." He added, shyly, while blushing.

Jaide stared him down. Her unbiased hate of all Paladins made it harder to hear his words and to trust him. Finally, after a few minutes of loaded silence, she removed her finger from his chest.

She crossed her arms, "Don't think you're off the hook, Czar," She said, emphasizing the last word as if it disgusted her to say so, "I'm doing this for CORE, not for you," She continued, "If you can make the world better for my people, then fine. But I need all the information now. I won't be blindsided again."

Wondering slightly if she should leave the two alone, she stands up and jumps to the floor lightly, stretching when she gets all four paws on the ground. She was torn between wanting to stay with the cat-lady, and exploring, but after a few moments, her curiosity got the better of her and she leaves the room, but before doing so she moves forward, pulling the little name tag off of her ribbon that was around her neck and placing it at the feet of the cat-lady, mewing.

With this, she leaves the room, her tiny little tail waving high in the air as she wanders along, the little bell jingling with each step. Not long after she leaves that room, she comes across another set of people, though they looked as if they were arguing about something. Something about the Czar and and an organization called CORE.

Sitting down so that they could see her, she stares up at them, her head tilted slightly, wide discolored eyes gazing at them curiously. "Nya?" She meows, all the while tipping her head from one side to the other, her eyes never leaving them.

Spoiler:

Jaide paused in her interrogation of Cress when she heard a gentle jingle. She titled her head curiously and followed the sound. Her heart melted and her face softened when she saw the kitten.

"Awwww!" Jaide cooed, "Aren't you just so cute?" She asked rhetorically. She bent over and picked the kitten up, scratching between her ears. She didn't notice any identification tags on the kitten and frowned. Where did she come from?

Still petting the little feline, she asked and looked around, "Where'd you come from, kitty?"

Purring loudly as she was picked up, she curls up against the lady's chest, kneading her tiny little paws against her skin. She looks up at her with bright eyes, and meows. "Meow?" She purrs even louder than before, closing her eyes in content as she is patted between her rather larger than normal ears.

She jumps down, and notices a vase of flowers nearby, standing on a small table. Jumping up onto it, she dabs her paw into the water, and carefully, writes out 'I am Shee-Mei. I am alone. I do not know where I am from...' She then jumps back up into the lady's arms, purring as loudly as ever, the look on her face as if she was smiling at her.

Settling down for a nap in the woman's arms, she looks over at the other person that was there, and before she falls asleep however, she stares intently into the persons eyes, and to her, it would feel as if this little ball of fur was reading her soul. But, after a few moments, Shee-Mei drops her gaze and curls back up against the woman's body.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Jaide repeated as the kitten kneaded on her chest, "Those are attached, y'know." Just then, the kitten leapt from her arms, wrote a message in spilt water, and jumped back to her arms. Jaide could only stare, wide eyed. The kitten quickly fell back asleep and Jaide looked down, confusion and shock written all over her face.

"Uh... Kitty? Er... Shee-Mei?" Jaide asked. Tilting her head, she wasn't sure if she should wake the cat or not but she was a little confused. And scared. She moved from side to side, shifting uncomfortably.

"Uh... what just happened?"

Purring still, Shee-Mei looks up at her with half-closed eyes. "Nya?" She meows sleepily, purring loudly, blinking her eyes slowly. Shee-Mei could sense that she had slightly frightened the girl, and that made her a little sad. Wondering how the girl would react if she turned into her human form, she gazes deeply into the other girls' eyes, tilting her head slightly.

"Meeoooww...." Curling up even more against her, Shee-Mei decides not to change into a human just yet, purring even louder than before, her little tail flipping softly back and forth. She wanted to just enjoy the warmth of being held by the girl, and maybe take a little nap.

Cress watched Jaide and the cat, a smile crossing his face. "I'm kind of hungry. Why dont we go get something to eat? There's really not mudh you don't know..."

As if to answer the other person's question about getting food, Shee-Mei's little kitten belly let out a hungry little gurgle. Startled at the sound, she looks around the room, trying to find the source of the disturbance. Once more her stomach grumbles, and Shee-Mei eyes her belly, batting at it, as if trying to stop it from making such weird noises.

Looking at the man, and then up at the lady, she lets out a hungry little cry. She hadn't eaten in a while now, and she was famished. "Meooooowww...." She cried, but didn't want to move from her comfortable spot against the woman's chest.

Jaide blinked at Cress. Seriously? A cat just wrote out a message in water and the guy is thinking about food? She would have face palmed if it weren't for the also hungry kitten in her arms. She supposed Cress was a guy so it excused his brains or lack thereof. And a Paladin. Can't forget that.

"You... what? Food? Now? But... agh, forget it, let's go," Jaide agreed, heading out of the room. This was some weird... thing. First she wakes up here half dressed and without weapons, then Cress gets all "Oh yeah, by the way, I'm the Czar," there's an abnormal cat just sleeping away soundly in her arms...

Jaide huffed. Well, it seemed like the powers that be had a fun time confusing her. She followed her stomach and went down a flight of stairs. Immediately her mouth watered as her nose was assaulted by a variety of good-smelling foods. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably. When was the last time she'd eaten?

She licked her lips expectantly but paused. She looked down at the kitten, "Um, what do you eat? Milk? Mice? Cereal?"

A smile crossed Jenna's face as his arms embraced her. The feeling of his bare body against her- wait.... Oh gosh, they were in bed together! The shapeshifter pushed away and quickly summoned all the magic she could to form a red bikini. "What the heck am I doing?!" She shouted, unsure how to react. "I can't be naked in bed with a guy, and yet you somehow managed it and the hot spring and...."

Maybe it was the magical drain messing with her mind, but Jenna started to cry a little.

"Nya?" She was finally going to get some food! Her stomach rumbles again, and she bats at it. When the lady asks what she ate, she meows loudly, squeezing her eyes shut, and opening her mouth as if she was smiling. Jumping onto a table that was nearby, she sits down on her haunches, and looks up at the girl.

Using her claws to write in the wood, she answers the girls question. It does not matter...milk or cream please? When she was finished writing out her message she gazes up at the two, her huge eyes barely blinking. Tilting her head back and forth, from side to side, she purrs, though if one listened closely, it would sound as if she was humming something.

Sylas blinked then moved to wipe the tears from her eyes, "Hey, hey... calm down," He said softly, "Tell you what. Why don't I just get something on and we head down to get some food, alright? It'll give you some time to get your thoughts in order."

After wandering around for a few minutes, Jack came across some sort of resturant type place. He walked in, and got a sandwich, noticing Jaide and the paladin, as well as a small cat that Jaide was holding.
He walked over.
"You finished that meeting?" he asked. "And who might this be?" he said, referring to the cat.

Carl was sucking down Ale by the bottle humming right along, without a care in the world. Until he saw something out of the corner of his eyes. A rather attractive Brazilian lady with a large booty, who was holding a cute little kitten. He picked up his jug, and walked over to her making sure no New Republic office or paladin saw. He walked up to her, now nocting a new person standing in front of her, and placing a hand on his shoulder, while mouthing to Jadie. "Core or Republic?"