[PapaHerman leads you into a large, circular stone room. High above, you can see chimes, like on a grandfather clock. And higher still, the... erm... actual clock. But below that on the ground is an altar, the size of a queen- sized bed. It sits in the middle of a purple pentagram.] * Ten looks around. "Like, this place is huge!" [Liadan beeps. "Yeah. Pick me up."] Sorry! It's jus that I'm usually the one who needs to be carried! * Ten reaches down and picks up her body and holds it in her arms. [Thomas Jensen makes his way over to the altar. "Come here, and lie down."] Kay! * Ten walks over to the altar and puts Liadan onto it before crawling on herself. She stops somewhere near the middle and rolls onto her back. "Like, now whatcha gonna do?" ["I will attempt to reconstruct your souls. You might have noticed, but you haven't completely swapped souls. Bits and pieces of you remain in your bodies. Stray memories, instinctual knowledge, and the like."] ["This shouldn't be painful, if all goes well. But it may be discomforting."] Yahuh! I know whatcha mean! And, like I'm ready! [HermanPater begins chanting much like Herman does whenever he does the funky magic stuff, and the pentagram glows brightly.] * Ten makes note to find out what that language is some day and waits. "Like, I hope this isn't gonna take too long or you're totally going to be doing this all night!" [Ten feels all woozy, like she's being lifted right out of the real world and into a dream. A bunch of images flash through her head all at once, all of them from Liadan's memories, but there's so many that she just gets a headache and can't pick anything out.] Uuggh. [Except for one. Liadan is with Mitsuji, in a room not unlike your group's office. She looks very confused. "Mitsuji, are you serious?"] [Mitsuji nods. "Definitely. Hiyoko wa... IS our friend. We've got to try to help her."] [Liadan looks down. "But this is... I'm not sure-"] [Mitsuji cuts her off. "Liadan, please. You were good friends with her. I know this won't be easy, but please... for her sake, will you come with us?"] [Liadan looks hesitant, then nods. "Alright. I'll do it, Mitsuji."] [Then the image fades, and Ten suddenly feels... short.] [Liadan sits up. "Hey! I'm me again!" She flexes her fingers.] * Ten runs a system check to sort out the world. [Liadan hops to her feet. "All right! I feel like I could take on the world!" She throws a few punches and kicks at the air, then turns her head towards Thomas. "Hey, thanks."] [Thomas nods. "Send in the next two, if you would."] * Ten stands up. "And I'm me again! It's awesome! Let's go show everybody else! And, like, thanks so much!" [Liadan nodnods and scoops Ten up, practically bounding towards the door.] Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! [Beyond the door is a large, circular stone room. High above, you can see chimes, like on a grandfather clock. And higher still, the... erm... actual clock. But below that on the ground is an altar, the size of a queen-sized bed. It sits in the middle of a purple pentagram.] [Dante walks forwards at a quick pace, nodding to Thomas. "What do we have to do?"] * Ashley follows. [Hermannotosa gestures to the altar. "Both of you, get on. I'll begin the ritual immediately."] [Dante looks at the altar, looks at Ashley, looks back, and sighs, then gets on.] Don't you get uppity with me. I used your sexy for good and not evil! * Ashley gets on the altar. (HA.) (Can't stop laughing.) [HermanPater begins chanting much like Herman does whenever he does the funky magic stuff, and the pentagram glows brightly.] [Ashley feels woozy, like he's being lifted right out of the real world and into a dream. A bunch of images flash through his head all at once, all of them from Dante's memories, but there's so many that he just gets a headache and can't pick anything out.] [Except for one. It has Dante sitting in the dark, illuminated only by candles lit at the five corners of the pentagram on the floor that he's in.] [Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. Dante gets up and moves over to answer it, flicking on a light switch as he does; the room looks like a large apartment.] [Behind the door is a very handsome man with shoulder-length white hair. He wears a loose black shirt, black slacks, black boots, and a black cape. And his eyes are red pupils on a black surface.] [Dante looks him over for an instant, then turns and heads back into the room. "I knew you'd show up eventually."] (It's Gambit!) (Oh snap) [He starts forward. "Dante, I-" But Dante holds up a hand. "Save it. I already know why you're here, and I know what you want. The answer is 'no.'"] [The man throws up his hands pleadingly. "Dante, you don't know what you're doing. This world... you humans doom yourselves, following a divine plan. A PLAN! You fool yourselves into thinking you have free will, but in fact, all of your pain and suffering has been calculated from the start! Why do you stand against me?"] [Dante turns about, facing the man. "Your words are futile. You'll turn earth into a battleground, using what humans you can and destroying any who stand against you. But I won't let that happen. We're going to stop Asmodeus tomorrow before your plan can come to fruition, Lucifer."] [The man clenches a fist. "Damn. What do you want?! Name your price."] ["There's nothing you can give me, Lucifer."] ["Not even your soul? You realize what will happen when you die? Making all of these pacts with demons won't get you into Heaven."] ["I'm not afraid of anything you can do to me."] ["Not to you. But what about your adoptive mother?"] [Dante's expression doesn't change, but an air of anger can practically be felt. Lucifer evidently feels it too, because he smiles. "She's in the same predicament you are. But I CAN free you both..."] [Dante clenches his teeth. "Get out. Now."] [And then the image fades, and Ashley is back in his own body!] (Am I as tired as I was, or did that change with the body?) ( That changed. ) * Ashley brightens. "Bloody trippy, mate, but sheer aces. I feel like a new fae." [Dante sits up, rubbing his head. "I feel... tired."] (POKE HIM WITH THE CANE.) [Thomas says, "Call in the next two when you leave."] * Ashley pokes Dante in the arm. "Chin up, lad. You've got a hot date!" * Ashley grins and strides out of the room! [Dante gets up. "Don't remind me." He follows without staggering too much.] [Beyond the door is a large, circular stone room. High above, you can see chimes, like on a grandfather clock. And higher still, the... erm... actual clock. But below that on the ground is an altar, the size of a queen-sized bed. It sits in the middle of a purple pentagram.] [Thomas Jensen, also there, gestures at the altar. "Lie down."] * Alys does so. "Wow, this is a creepy set-up." [Xuan lies down next to Alys.] [Thomas nods. He starts to chant in a funky Herman-esque language.] (Anglo-Saxon is where it's at.) * Alys resists the urge to chatter, since babbling and magic probably don't go along so well together. [Alys feels all woozy, like she's being lifted right out of the real world and into a dream. A bunch of images flash through her head all at once, all of them from Xuan's memories, but there's so many that she just gets a headache and can't pick anything out.] [Except for one. It looks like a grove in a bamboo forest. Xuan is hiding behind a cluster of trees, spying on Mitsuji. He's sitting on a bench in a grove with another girl: She's relatively pretty, with short brown hair and brown eyes, Asian in appearance. They're laughing and generally having a good time.] [A MANLY voice behind Xuan says, "Hey, what's with that face? A girl like you shouldn't look so sad." Xuan turns around and, surprise surprise, Justinius is behind her.] ( Byt the way, their lips don't match their words, so this memory must be dubbed. ) [Justinius beams. Xuan glares at him, but he grins wider. "That's better. You're cute when you're angry. Sadness just doesn't suit you."] [Xuan turns around in a huff. "Who says I'm sad? I'm not sad."] ["You looked sad." Justinius steps up a bit and stares at Mitsuji and the other girl. "Does it bother you, that Mitsuji and Hiyoko like each other?"] [Xuan shakes her head. "No, of course not!" Then she pauses. And sighs, "Maybe a little... I like Hiyoko. I do. But..."] [Justinius shifts his gaze to Xuan. "I know. You're the big sister, always there for your little brother. But now he's the one who has to protect someone else, and you're feeling like he doesn't need you anymore. Am I right?"] [Xuan looks down but doesn't say anything. Justinius puts a hand on her shoulder. "Everyone grows up eventually, Xuan. You can't protect him forever."] [She sighs. "I know.... But..."] [He grins. "Don't worry. You'll always be important to him. You don't have to worry about that. But now you should start focusing on yourself more. Find a boyfriend, maybe? I happen to know a handsome stud who's available."] [Xuan kicks him in the shin. Then the vision ends, and Alys is Alys again!] * Alys winces and looks over at Xuan. "Um... did you... see anything? Um." [Xuan nods. "I no tell if you no tell."] * Alys looks worried. "Er... I don't know what you could have... yeah, sure. Okay." She hugs Xuan before leaving the room. [Xuan smiles and hugs back, then follows.] [Beyond the door is a large, circular stone room. High above, you can see chimes, like on a grandfather clock. And higher still, the... erm... actual clock. But below that on the ground is an altar, the size of a queen-sized bed. It sits in the middle of a purple pentagram.] [Thomas Jensen gestures at the altar. "Lie down."] Both of us? ["Yes."] * Khalil heads for the altar, still leading Justinius. Like a sheep to the slaughter. Ah Ha. [Justinius gets on the altar. "Well, whatever. As long as I get my manliness back."] * Khalil eyes Justinius for that. "I assure you that women do not enjoy your type of brashness." ["Meh. Let's just get this over with."] Right. * Khalil goes to the altar. [Thomas starts chanting in that language Herman uses.] [Khalil feels woozy, like he's being lifted right out of the real world and into a dream. A bunch of images flash through his head all at once, all of them from Justinius's memories, but there's so many that he just gets a headache and can't pick anything out.] (Woman, woman, extra busty woman, woman with a great ass, woman with a low cut dress....) [Except for one. Justinius is sitting on the edge of a stone dock, fishing. He's in large city that appears to have suffered some heavy damage: all around him buildings are being knocked down or rebuilt.] [A man walks up behind Justinius. He's blond, tall, and wearing silk pants and a white, sleeveless open jacket - no shirt underneath. He wears a large turban with a big red jewel in the center.] [He stands there for a bit, then steps forward and sits down near Justinius. "So.... did you change your mind yet?"] [He shakes his head. "Sorry, Fred... or should I call you Constantine now?"] [The other man shakes his head. "Call me whatever you like. I'm still in your debt."] [Justinius shakes his head. "Nah, none of that debt crap. I did what I had to do. Same as everyone else who fought for this new country."] ["A country that wants you to be its leader."] [Justinius smiles. "Fred, I'm a general, not a politician. We both know you're the better man for the job. You'll make a good emperor. Just think, the first in over a century! ... well, except that Japanese guy. And he don't count."] [Fred shakes his head. "Jus... Carl, can't I convince you to stay? If not lead the country, be my aide. Please."] [He shakes his head. "No. And it's Justinius, my liege Emperor Constantine. If you're going to create a new country, you have to start now."] [The emperor sighs. "Alright. But if you ever change your mind or need anything...."] [Justinius grins. "Don't worry, I'll hit you up for money, wine and women."] [They laugh, and the image fades, and Khalil is back.] [Justinius sits up and looks himself over. He grins, gets to his feet, and flexes. "Alright! I've got my muscles back!"] * Khalil raises up slightly and puts his hands in front of them, looking around at both sides of them. * Khalil then eyes Justinius. "...wait. I have plenty of muscle." * Khalil puts his hands on the edge of the altar and tries to spring slightly off it, just to test whether he still feels comfortable in his own body or not. [Justinius is already heading for the door. "Yeah, yeah. I gotta go show off my bod to the lady-types."] * Khalil snorts and turns to Thomas, putting his hands together and bowing deep in respect. "I am grateful. May Allah bring peace between you and your family. [Thomas snorts. "Call in the next two, while you're out there."] Yes. I will. Thank you. * Khalil heads out shortly after. [He nods. "God bless you."] (...I find that deeply ironic, considering the nature of Khalil's curse. ^_^;) (Achew!) [Beyond the door is a large, circular stone room. High above, you can see chimes, like on a grandfather clock. And higher still, the... erm... actual clock. But below that on the ground is an altar, the size of a queen-sized bed. It sits in the middle of a purple pentagram.] [Thomas Jensen gestures to the altar. "Lie down."] * Lukas walks in. "Very 'King of the Damned'. You do your own SFX?" * Lukas heads over to the altar, sarcastic irreverence or not, to climb up upon it. [He gives Lukas a Look.] [Mitsuji gets on.] * Lukas shrugs helplessly, but with a smirk. "Okay, of course you do all your own SFX." He lays back. [Thomas chants!] [Lukas feels woozy, like he's being lifted right out of the real world and into a dream. A bunch of images flash through his head all at once, all of them from Mitsuji's memories, but there's so many that he just gets a headache and can't pick anything out.] [Except for one. Mitsuji on top of a building, staring up at a starry sky. Hiyoko, the girl from the Apocalypse book, comes up behind and taps him on the shoulder. "Can't sleep?"] [Mitsuji glances back at her. "How can I? We might not be returning tomorrow."] [Hiyoko takes a seat next to him. "Don't say that. We'll be fine, you'll see. We escaped from Moloch, didn't we?"] ["Yeah, but we didn't try to fight him."] [Hiyoko smiles. "Have faith. We'll beat Asmodeus, and all go out for pizza and have a good time after."] [There's a short silence, then Mitsuji asks, "Hiyoko?"] [She gazes at him as he continues. "I... I know I'm not strong, but I'll do everything I can to protect you. I... I just wanted you to know that."] [The vision ends, and Lukas is Lukas again!] * Lukas groans slightly, trying to sit up. "Oog." [Mitsuji sits up. "Is that it?" He flexes his fingers and tries standing.] * Lukas sits up and stands off the altar, if he can, then looks over to Mitsuji. "What'd you see?" [He meets Lukas's gaze. "Something about you." He glances at Thomas, then back. "Something you probably want kept secret."] * Lukas mms a little, then lets a slight smile come on his face. "Things are like that, yeah." Beat. "Did the girl end up okay?" [He frowns. "No." He looks down a minute, then turns and walks out.] * Lukas nods a little, saying after him, "Sorry, man." He follows. [Beyond the door is a large, circular stone room. High above, you can see chimes, like on a grandfather clock. And higher still, the... erm... actual clock. But below that on the ground is an altar, the size of a queen-sized bed. It sits in the middle of a purple pentagram.] [Thomas gestures to it. "Get on."] * Togo lays on one side. "Any particular alignment, or just next to each other?" ( Neutral Good.) ["Howver you like. Just make it quick. It's already after 2:00 a.m.] * Togo just tries to make himself vaguely comfortable while leaving Mariah plenty of room on the altar. Personal space and all. [Mariah does similar.] [Thomas begins chanting!] [Togo feels woozy, like he's being lifted right out of the real world and into a dream. A bunch of images flash through his head all at once, all of them from Mariah's memories, but there's so many that he just gets a headache and can't pick anything out.] [Except for one. A rather younger looking Mariah is naked in a tube filled with a green liquid, in a laboratory. Several scientists are doing various things at various stations, and one of the walls is a glass pane that looks on into a much larger room.] [A man comes in from a side door. He's Asian in appearance, wearing a grey suit and tie. He's got long black hair, tied into a ponytail, and a pair of glasses.] [One of the scientists, a short man with spiky black hair and thick glasses, looks over to him as he arrives. "Ahh, Mr. Lau."] ["Doctor Shibamura." Lau nods. "How goes the experiment?"] ["We're just about to test the new batch now," The doctor explains, pointing to the wall. "You've come at the right time."] [Lau nods and follows him over to the center of the viewing glass. "Perfect. Let's see what these Et'Ada can do."] [A large, brown monster the size of an elephant is released in the room. "Juggernaut released," Shibamura says. "Now to add the Et'Ada."] [A shudder opens, and three women who look exactly like Mariah step out. Immediately, they start chanting spells and throwing magic at the monster. This only enrages it, though. It charges over to them and, long story short, turns them into a bloody mess.] [A headless torso splatters on the wall directly in front of Lau. His expression doesn't change at all. "I'm disappointed in the results, doctor."] ["Er... yes... It seems their physical prowess needs some improving as well as their magic...."] [Lau turns around, taking a few steps towards the tube holding Mariah. "We went through a lot of trouble to get this specimen. I don't want to see our effort wasted. Understand me, Akira?"] [The scientist bows. "Yes, Mr. Lau. Don't worry, I have an idea to improve the next results. I'll simply need to ... er... extract more of the base material..."] [Lau nods. "Fine. Do what you have to to make it work."] [Shibamura gestures at some of the other scientists, who instantly rush over to various machines, throwing levers and turning knobs. Inside the tube, Mariah shudders, her face screwed up in pain.] [Lau watches her for a long moment, then asks, "Doctor?"] ["Yes?"] ["Turn it up more."] [Then the image fades, and Togo is Togo again!] ... Jesus fuck, Mariah. [Mariah covers her eyes with her palms. "Jesus fuck, Togo."] ... ah. So you got the flashback thing too? [She nods, removing her palms and blinking as though to make sure her eyes are still there.] The Asahara raid, right? [She nods. "I'm sorry."] Same back at you. We never found any Asahara test subjects alive... now I understand why. How the hell're you sane after that? ["It's kind of a long story."] [Thomas Jensen clears his throat. "Not to interrupt, but it's late. Call in my son and Sarah, if you would."] * Togo nods at Thomas, and gets up. "I can imagine. Didn't think I coulda wanna kill those fuckers any more than I already did... but I do." *heads towards the door* [Mariah gets up and follows. "I'll tell you all about it sometime."] * Togo opens the door. "I'll be all ears." *forces a grin* "Ladies first?" [Mariah chuckles, and goes out first.] [Pentagram, altar, yadda yadda.] (Ha. Cheater.) [Thomas waits wordlessly.] * Herman eyes her father as she steps in. She walks carefully, making sure she doesn't step on the pentagram. [Sarah follows, doing similar. Her face is still red.] [Thomas yawns. "It's late, you know."] Yeah. Lie or sit? ["Lie. Hold hands if you like. It'll make the transposition easier."] ( And wear this tuxedo. Now, slip this ring onto her finger... ) * Herman nods, not arguing. She props the staff against the altar, then climbs on and offers a hand to Sarah. (Snerk.) [Sarah takes it, gently climbing onto the altar.] ["I'm sure I don't need to tell you about the discomfort you may feel," Thomas says. Then he starts the chant.] * Herman doesn't respond. She closes her eyes and waits. [The woozy thing happens, Herman gets a lot of memories but can only make out one. One.] [Herman sees a memory of a room! It's a nice room, with a nice carpet, wooden walls, a tall window with a drapery, a fireplace, good furniture...] [There's also a teenaged Sarah Fallsworth. She's in the middle of the room. A beaker is lying on the floor, it's liquid seeping into the nice carpet. A wand is also on the floor. And a notebook. But Sarah doesn't try to clean up. Mainly because she can't; Her boobs have swelled to the size of motorcycle's sidecars, keeping her from going anywhere or doing anything. She can't even reach the floor.] [A woman enters the room. She's a pretty woman, with long blond hair, wearing a deep red robe. Her hand covers her mouth in shock, and then her expression quickly turns to anger. "Sarah Fallsworth! What on earth did you do to yourself?!"] ["I didn't mean to..." Sarah says quietly, but the woman cuts her off, chanting a quick spell that quickly shrinks the oversized monstrosities to their normal size. A few more spells, and the room cleans itself up.] ["Unbelievable," the elder woman throws her hands in the air. "Unbelievable! I cannot believe you would try to use magic for such a vain purpose! What is wrong with you?!"] [Sarah says nothing. She looks like she wants to, but she's too ashamed. The woman continues. "Magic should not be used for vanity. Least of all for the lewdness the spell you were trying to do provokes. What do you think we are, fey? No. We're Fallsworths. Your father is directly descended from Rasputin. And you are, too. Act your age, young lady."] ["But mom," Sarah explains futily, "The other sorceresses at the school told me I'd never get a boyfriend with my chest being so small. I only wanted to-"] [The woman stops. "'Boyfriend?'"] [She steps towards Sarah angrily. "Boyfriend? You needn't worry about THAT, Sarah. A Fallsworth should not mingle with the hedge mages in that school anyhow."] [Sarah searches for something to say, but again her mother beats her to it. "In fact, your father Ivan and I have already arranged for you to be married. Your fiancée is Richter Abulafia, a descendant of the great Abraham Abulafia. The wedding shall take place next year. But before that, there are some spells for you to learn so you don't disappoint our family at the reception."] [Sarah looks stunned. "What?"] ["Don't look so surprised, dear. You've known long ago that this was the plan."] ["But... I don't even know him."] ["Yes, well, there will be plenty of time for that once you're married."] [The image fades, and Herman is Herman again!] * Herman blinks his eyes open. Yes, his. He vaguely realizes he's using the "wrong" hand to hold Sarah's, and gives it a tentative squeeze. * Herman turns his head to look at which body she's inhabiting. [Sarah sits up slowly, then turns to look at Herman (they've got the right bodies). "Are you alright?"] * Herman lets out a breath, sitting up himself. He shakes his head, then runs a hand through his hair - Sarah's probably been lax on spiking it. "Yeah. Did you see...?" [Sarah nods slowly. "I did... Did you see anything from my past?"] Yeah. * Herman glances at his father, then slides off the altar before offering Sarah a hand down. What a gentleman; he must be gay. [Sarah nods. She gulps, then asks, "What?"] [She accepts all lady-like 'n' stuff.] I won't tell anyone else. We can talk about what we saw once we're out of this tower. [She nods.] * Herman helps Sarah down easily. He grins a little. "'S nice being tall again." And then the grin's gone in an instant and he looks at his dad again. "Thanks." [He nods. "You're welcome."] [He looks tired. Probably 'cause it's 3:00 a.m.] * Herman drops Sarah's hand. "C'mon, we'd better get out of his hair. Think about what I asked about earlier, okay Dad?" [He nods tiredly. All that magic is draining too, you know.] [End!]