Size difference is off, Loch is actually half a foot taller than Stal in dragon form--

OMG THIS LOOKS SO GOOD AHHHHHHHHHH

I love the lighting hnnn

Who's turn is it? x'D

Thanks!

I think we finished everything we needed to do last night, so we can jump to morning now.
I'll write the first post just to show where my charas are, then maybe you can show Euterpe waking up or something, if you want. XD

I plan for Pyre to wander off and discover the portal, then maybe Loch leaves her work at the cafe to go find him after hearing that he's missing.

Ok sounds good!
hehe portal

The day after the Plague's concert was cool, damp and overcast. A light drizzle of rain was falling over the city, but life continued on as normal. Most of the Plague members were asleep, having worn themselves out the night before, but Loch had been forced to get up for the morning shift at the local cafe, Brown Rabbit.

Hurrying down the street, she ducked inside the warm cafe interior and immediately set to work cleaning the tables and taking customers' orders. //Wish I could sleep in like everyone else...// she grumbled. Some of the other band members had part-time jobs too, but not in the morning like hers.

(Omg she was drunk too, poor Loch)

(Haha yep, not a fun morning for her.

Loch: *wakes up* Dammit I have to go to work today and it's rAiNiNg aNd I hAvE a HeAdAcHe why does the world hate me)

Euterpe awoke with a sore head. She hadn't remember the events that occured the night before but was nevertheless puzzled.

Stretching her neck she looked around drearly. As her eyes followed till she found Shepherd by the wind knocked out on the sofa, Marco tight in his arms.
(I imagine Dianne is probably going to come in and scold her lol)

(That exactly how i feel after staying up till 5am and there's a gosh dang exam x'D
UGHHH WORK NOOO I WANT TO SLEEP)

(DoN't StAy Up TiLL 5am tHaT's NoT gOoD)

Meanwhile somewhere in the Streets of Caelum the young duo of thieves strolled casually. Althea proceeded catiuosly, trying her best not to draw attention to herself while her partner froliced around happily with a bag of sweet potato fries in his mouth.

( ILL FIX IT I SWEAR
eventually

did you know being tired is almost equivilant to being drunk?
Because judgment is like the first thing to go w h o o ps )

( Should I wait for xeno or should Eu just sneakk out again? x'D )

(We'll probably have to wait for Xeno before doing too much)

In his apartment, Pyre had just gotten up and was absentmindedly stirring a bowl of cornflakes in orange juice (which he had apparently mistaken for milk). He was tired, but it didn't matter; the band had nothing important to do today, instead taking time to recover from their latest gig.

//Maybe I'll walk over to Loch's place and we can hang out,// he thought brightly, completely forgetting that Loch had work today.

(Dang you type too fast. XD
I feel like we should wait for Xeno before progressing too much, yeah.)

(Hmm I wonder what the Althea squad are up to)

( Pyre you sweet man, poor Loch probably isn't in a mood.

Ahh I think I pretty slow with typing at times jhjyfj

my sister is freakishly fast though. she knows keyboard method >:0

and oooo oki x'D

(probably the usual stuff of robbing their local McDonald's

Den love sweet potatoes, though I don't think McDonald's has them as fries x'D

(I'm on my DS right now so I feel like I can't type fast enough to keep up with anyone. XD

Hmmm Mcdonald's... I prefer KFC.)

(OOf yea that'll do it x'D

awe man, is it sad that i've never been to a KFC in my life?
I don't remember going ever at least x'D )

(They have good chicken nuggets. :D)

( Do you want to interact with Althea and Den while we wait for Xeno?
She did cause a stir, maybe Mason spots her and invites her for tea x'D

(I was thinking of doing something like that, the werewolves are probably asleep because they're up all night, but Mason usually gets up early. XD)

(I'll shoot Mason over to them for a bit.)

(:eyes:)

@Alk

Mason was already up and about, on his way down the street to visit a local cafe for his morning tea. He was reading a newspaper as he walked.

A flash of red hair caught his attention, and he looked up from his paper to see a short girl and a small dragon walking along in front of him. They seemed to be trying not to draw attention. //They match the descriptions of the pair who fought with my packmates,// he mused. //Could it be them? I don't think they're a threat to us, but they may be worth watching... They ARE thieves, and unlike us, they probably steal for selfish, greedy reasons...//

He cleared his throat. 'Excuse me.'

(I don't think I ever mentioned this, but Mason has a pretty low opinion of what he calls 'real thieves' - i.e. the ones who steal for their own benefit, instead of so that they can give stuff to poor people like his pack does. XD)

Althea ignored the man and continued walking, but no doubt she still tensed when he called to her.

Den on the other hand perked his ears swiftly and approached the man with a sweet smile. Well a smile with a big in his mouth though a smile nontheless.
"What's the trouble?" He asked a little excited. "You got any biscuits? I'll trade you for some fries!"

Reeeeeee

I am late. :/

@Alk

Mason looked down at Den for a moment, then tossed his newspaper aside. It landed in a rain puddle and began to swiftly soak up water. The headline on the front read 'Werewolf Robberies Spread Through EC; Four Manors Raided'.

'I have a question for you,' he said to Den, skipping all attempts at a greeting. 'You're clearly young. Do you understand exactly what your friend over there is doing?'

(Heeeey Xeno!)

(Xeno hewwo!)

(Hello there. I’ll write something rn. )

@Rad
Den glanced over at Althea then back at Mason. Before speaking he dropped his bag of fries on the table and started to munch on them.
"Yes, walking, she doesn't like stopping to chat with strangers."

:D

@Alk

'I can see that,' said Mason dryly. He glanced at Althea as well, noting the girl's reluctance to acknowledge him, and the fact that she would seemingly rather leave her accomplice behind than stop to talk.

He tried to explain himself. 'I meant, are you aware that your friend is a thief and a criminal? She steals from others for her own personal gain?'

(Althea likes to use Den as a distraction for anyone who draws attention to her. :'D )

(Aww nooo
Don't take advantage of Den, he's too pure for this world)

Den tilted his head. "I suppose, she doesn't put it like that though."
"But you didn't answer my question, biscuit for fries?" He said not seeming to care about what he had just said about Althea.

(Rip Althea lol )

(she has him trained, poor baby >:0 )

{Stella walks through the front door of The Serpent's Tomb, sighing and grumbling about talentless hacks. Without much thought, she walks to her office in the back.

Dianne was on her way to work, once again taking the long, scenic route. She's not very concerned with getting to work on time, as she's the boss.}

@Alk

'Thank you. But I'll pass; I'm not particularly fond of sweet potato,' Mason replied, leaning back slightly to avoid inhaling the smell coming from the bag of fries. 'I heard that you and your friend got into a fight with some werewolves recently. I hope you're both alright?' he asked solicitously, hoping to get onto the subject of why Althea and Den had been in the tunnels that day.

//Were they really attempting to gain access to our hideout, or were they merely using the tunnels as so many other criminals do?//

@Xeno
Euterpe makes her way down stairs mumbling a bit about her headache. "What a horried past few days it's been" She growled to herself.

@Rad

Den's smile faded, he had started to come to not like this person of character. //Althea said to be wary of people who are too nosey.// He thought while frowning. //He knows about that,, man the police have cameras everywhere, HOW DO WE GO ON MISSIONS NOW?//
Like a child he grabbed his bag and looked guilty before flapping his wings sending small gust towards Mason.
Althea was already out of sight but now Den was running down the street with the bag shaking and crunchng in his mouth.

@Alk
{Stella walks out, having heard Euterpe.}

Stella: "Good morning, boozehound!"

{She says mischievously.}

Stella: "How are you feeling?"

@Alk

Mason jumped slightly and took a step back, before watching as the small dragon ran off down the sidewalk and disappeared from sight. //Suspicious,// he mused. //How does someone so young and seemingly innocent come into a life of thievery? He wouldn't answer my question, which gives us even more reason to be wary of them... Perhaps they really are planning to break into our lair.//

Lost in thought, he briefly contemplated following Den to interrogate the pair, but quickly decided he didn't want to cause a scene in broad daylight. He continued down the street towards the cafe. //If I encounter them by the moonlight, maybe then I'll find out what they're up to.//

@Xeno
Euterpe gave Stella a less than pleasant response. "Like tree hit my head. I'm going for a walk to find that weird lady, I don't remember what happened last night and I'm not bugging Shepherd." she growled.

@Rad/Xeno

After Den had caught up to his friend he began to explain the situation. Though Althea quickly hushed him and just said they'd discuss it later.

(I'm just imagining that the last thing Euterpe remembers is Loch being like
'Here drink this it's fun :))')

(Yea, she is not happy x'D )

{Stella makes no attempt to stop Euterpe.}

Stella: "K, bye! Let me know if you maul her when you find her!"

(Omg Stella x'D
I love her)

Euterpe gave one more angry snort before leaving the bar. Like a lion stalking for prey, she began to scan the streets for Loch.
(she a m g r e y )

(Hmm how is she going to find her?
Maybe Eu heard that she works in a cafe and is just going to go search the nearest cafe for her? XD)

( Yea Eu did not think to ask, I was wondering that x'D
She's just mad lol.
I should of probably made her do that, would it be funny if she walks back to the serpent's tomb so she can ask Stella that? )

(Yeah, imagine her walking out angrily and then coming back a minute later to ask where she's meant to be going. XD)

(Wait, does Stella even know?)

(Idk lol )

(we'll find out)

@Xeno
Euterpe now realizing she had know idea where they young dragoness swiftly backs up towards the Serpent's tomb. Slightly embarrased she asks while poking her head through the door. "Uh hey do you know where that dragon lady is...?"

(Loch did once mention that she works in the cafe while she was in the Serpent's Tomb, so I'm sure /somebody/ knows. XD)

(You could just say that Stella overheard her saying which cafe she works in, to make things easier)

(True true)

@Alk

{Stella looks to Euterpe, smirking.}

Stella: "She's in a cafe named Brown Rabbit. She works there. Actually, I could walk you there, if you want. I doubt my boss would be happy with me if I let you get lost."

(Nobody trusts Euterpe to be outside alone anymore. XD
And for good reason)

(XD)

@Xeno
"Alright." Euterpe said though a bit reluctant.

(She needs to be monitored that girl pff )

@Alk

{Stella smiles and walks out the door with Euterpe.}

Stella: "Ok, follow me."

{She startss to lead the way, humming musically to herself.}

@Xeno
Euterpe follows behind a little less angrily now, though she still seemed to be in a foul mood.

@Alk

{Stella leads Euterpe through the streets until they reach the Brown Rabbit. She stands aside, opening the door for Euterpe.}

Stella: "Vengeful ladies first."

After finishing his breakfast, Pyre left his apartment and began to head in the general direction of Loch's house. He had a car, but decided not to use it today, opting to walk in the light rain instead.

At one point, he passed the mouth of an alleyway. An alleyway that he walked past almost every day. But something was different about it this time. As he walked by, he heard a strange sound coming from it - a sort of hissing, sucking sound, unlike anything he'd heard before. It was accompanied by a smell like ash.

//What IS that...?//

@Rad/Xeno

As Stella holds the door for her Euterpe swallows and enters. The atmosphere seemed pretty cozy, and spent a good time staring at things around the cafe before remembering what she came there for in the first place.

@Alk

Loch had barely started her shift, and was busy wiping off dirty tables and carrying coffee to people. Apparently, she worked as a waitress. When the door opened, she glanced up, expecting another customer and instead seeing Euterpe.

'Oh, hey!' she said cheerfully, throwing down her cleaning cloth and walking over. 'What are you doing here?' Her expression changed, showing a hint of guilt. 'Uh, sorry about last night. I didn't /know/ your alcohol tolerance was that bad. Heheh.'

@Alk/Rad
{Stella just stands to the side, observing with a "cat that ate the canary" expression.}

@Xeno/Rad
Euterpe shot Loch a dark glare. "Oh that bad huh yea. I don't even remember what I did and where I was! Now everyone's watching me like I'm some strange maniac! What did you do?" She snarled.

(Loch: Srry bruh lol
Euterpe: *redacted screaming* )

@Alk

'Ehh...' Loch rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. 'Look, it was nothing terrible!' she said, in an attempt to defend herself. 'All I did was let you drink alcohol! You agreed to it. I didn't /make/ you do anything.'

By this point, several of the customers and Loch's coworkers were eyeing the pair curiously.

Dolorus: //Hey, Stella, if they start to fight, you're going to have to break them up.//

{Stella ignores Dolorus, watching the pair with interest.}

@Rad/Xeno
"Oh yeah? Well if I had known you were going to suggest something as bad as self intoxication I wouldn't of even indulged in checking the bar out in the first place. You're just like that stupid gnome." She said almost sounding betrayed.

(Man the gnome is just a random thing I made up on spot but now I need to like, write a backstory with it x'D

Iswearshehasmorethanjustthegnomeinherbgthoughhgchch)

@Alk

'Gnome? What's /that/ supposed to mean?' Loch exclaimed in a mildly offended tone of voice. 'Look, I just wanted to help you loosen up a bit. You never seem happy or relaxed. I thought alcohol might help. And it /did!/ Just for a while, you actually enjoyed yourself!'

(I was wondering. XD)

@Rad/Xeno
"Well don't!" Yelled Euterpe. "It's not your buisiness on whether or not I'm relaxed! You and your weird sense of fun needs to stay away!" She growled and turned to leave. Though before that she said one more thing. "You better not involve Shepherd in things like that." She said darkly, almost as if it was a warning.

(I'm thinking maybe a similar incident happened with the gnome, except the gnome wanted to kill her rip. )

@Alk

Loch flushed slightly, not happy about being yelled at by a fluffy dragon in front of her colleagues. That was probably why her next words came out harsher than intended. 'Sure thing, buddy. Just go and be miserable like you always are. I'm surprised Shepherd even wants you around, you're no fun at all.'

(I might head off soon, I'll have to leave the computer soon and I don't feel like trying to access this room on my DS. XD
We can continue a little through the week if you want.)

(Alrighty!
and hehe foreshadowing a fight scene between the two? Hehe)

(I do kinda wanna see them fight
With Loch in dragon form
Fluffy dragon VS scaly dragon)

(That would be fun, I wonder if we want to initiate it here though? )

(Maybe not in the cafe? XD
These two have shown that they don't get along, so I'm sure they'll have plenty of opportunities to fight.)

(Yeaaaah they can fight once ppl get sucked up x'D )

(OK I'm gonna leave this room now, I'll reply to stuff the next time I'm on a computer.)

@Rad/Xeno

It took all that she could to not go back and attempt strangling Loch. Instead of resorting to violence and causing even more of a scene she just stalked out of the cafe not even waiting for Stella to catch up.

(gotcha we'll continue portal adventure tomorrow )

{Stella walks after Euterpe, stopping momentarily to say something to Loch.}

Stella: "Bye Loch! Btw, you guys are going to schedule to come back to the Tomb soon, so practice! Don't embarrass yourself in front of hundreds of adoring fans!!!"

{With that, she leaves.}

Loch watched the pair leave, resisting the urge to go after them and rip a few of Euterpe's feathers out. //Stupid, high-and-mighty, arrogant little...// The thought trailed off as her boss approached her from across the room.

'What was that all about? Are you all right?'

Loch let out her breath. 'Yeah, it's all good. Sorry for the disturbance.' She went back to cleaning, not even registering the buzz that came from her phone in her pocket.

Unknown to her, she had a new text message from Pyre. It read: <hey i found this weird portal thing next 2 South EC Avenue, come n see!>

(At some point Loch's gonna get a text from Stal saying
'Uhh we don't know where Pyre is'
And then she's going to be really guilty because she didn't stop him going into the portal :') )

(I sorta feel bad for Loch atm, x'D
Poor girl gets yelled at by TWO people them looses Pyre lmao x'D
How should we start the portal thing now?
Portals just appear all over Caelum)

(There could be multiple portals! So if you want somebody to end up in Beyond, just have them stumble across one. Though let's try not to have a dozen different portals around the city. XD

The portals look sorta like big swirling vortexes that hover just above the ground, usually purple or black in colour.
They make a weird hissing noise like Pyre described, and if you get really close they can sorta... drag you in.

Can you wait until I show Pyre entering the portal before any of your charas find one? Just so that I can describe the hellscape he finds himself in. XD)

(Yes! Could they appear in houses? Lol)

(I don't see any reason why not. XD)

Pyre stood in the alleyway, staring at the black vortex a few feet away.

His phone was in his hand, from texting Loch a minute ago, but she hadn't responded and he was getting far too curious to wait for her. //I'll just take a quick look. No harm done, right?//

He cautiously approached the vortex, hearing the noise from it increase. The closer he got, the more it felt like the thing was trying to pull him in. However, it did not occur to him that this might be a bad idea.

//Just a quick look...//

He stretched out a hand towards the vortex - and then a powerful force dragged him forwards, like a surge of gravity, and he found the familiar sounds and smells of the Caelum streets vanishing as he was slammed down on what felt like dry, brittle earth.

He lay there in shock for a moment before slowly pushing himself upright. A smell like ash and decay filled the air, making him wince as he stood up. But the scent was nothing compared to the landscape that surrounded him. He wasn't in Caelum anymore, that much was certain.

(Running out of space, will continue in separate comment...)

He was standing on a vast plain of dead earth, devoid of even the smallest trees or bushes. In the distance, jagged black mountains decorated the horizon. The sky was filled with grey clouds illuminated by a massive, orange, glowing thing that vaguely reminded him of an aurora. A sharp, bitter-tasting wind blew against him, ruffling his hair.

Pyre swallowed. All of a sudden, he realised that /maybe/ going through the portal without waiting for Loch was a really bad idea.

He took a step back, but the portal wasn't there anymore. It had closed the instant he'd been pulled through, leaving him alone on this hellish plain.

//Oh dear.//

(Ahhh I want to continue but family is over so may start my comments later today x'D )

(That's OK!
Depending on how late it is my time, I may not reply until tomorrow.
Though I may write some more for Pyre, I plan for Bad Stuff(tm) to happen to him.)

(I'm thinking if Euterpe falls in, Stella's falling in with her, and if Athea and Dianne actually do meet, they'll go in together.)

(Either of those pairs could be interesting. >:) )

(I'm here! Bgg du HD fhffg dry

I think Dianne and Althea should work!

I was gonna throw Shep and Marco there as well to make Eu's day worse. X'D

@Xeno
Euterpe continued on towards the Serpent's Tomb without a word. At the moment she didn't feel like speaking to anyone, and Loch's word did sting a little. Not like she was much better.
-
As she arrived inside she sat at one of the tables and began to mope. There was a slight sound of hissing coming from the upstairs though she never bothered to notice it.
-
-
///
-
-
While back on the streets of Caelum the duo of Theives had stopped at a rather large Mansion. Though they made sure not get too near to it.
Den then whispered quietly "What are we doing here?"
-
"Scouting, we're not actually going to take a place like this. It's too wide known and it'd draw unwanted attention on us. But what I don't get is why the werewolves would. Considering hiw sloppy they are with infiltration."

(I WANT TO KEEP MY RETURN SPACES OK)

(This room is dying on me. DX I'll write stuff a bit later when I'm on the computer.)

(Alrighty!)

Pyre tried to decide what to do. This place was weird, and cold, and the air smelled wrong. He didn't want to be here. Where was the way out?

A clicking sound behind him caught his attention, and he spun around to see a glossy black scorpion. Except that this scorpion was twelve feet long, with massive pincers and a deadly-looking stinger arching over its back. For a long moment, they just stared at each other.

Then Pyre took off running like a startled rabbit.

A scuttling noise indicated that the monster was in hot pursuit. //Shift, shift...// he thought frantically, trying to turn himself into an animal that could run faster. But sadly, shifting had never been his strong suit. Before he could manage it, the scorpion struck out, its jagged pincer closing over his arm and momentarily lifting him into the air.

It took a colossal effort, but Pyre managed to free himself, dropping to the ground, ignoring the slight pain of impact. Breathing hard, he darted away towards the foot of a mountain. To his utter relief, he found a cave too small for the scorpion to enter. Diving inside, he concealed himself in the darkness, hunched over and panting.

//...What now?//

A while after Euterpe and Stella left the cafe, Loch had mostly forced herself to forget about them. After all, she didn't need this horrible day to get any worse. Humming cheerfully to herself, she continued cleaning the tables.

And then her phone rang. Everyone looked at her. 'Sorry,' she muttered to no-one in particular, pulling the offending object out of her pocket and going outside to answer it.

'What do you want? I'm kind of busy.'

'It's me,' said Stal's voice. 'And this is important. None of have a clue where Pyre is.'

Loch frowned. 'What do you mean? Why don't you just call him?'

'I have. He's not picking up. And you know it's unusual for him to not answer his phone. Look, can you just leave work and help us find him? I've got a bad feeling about this.'

Loch heaved out a long sigh. 'Yeah. Just let me tell my boss - who's definitely going to fire me - and then I'll be right over.' She hung up without saying goodbye.

//So, this day IS going to get worse.//

(After Althea and Dianne leave maybe Den freaks out and goes back to find Mason/Runs into him? )

( @Alk - Sure! :D I want to use Mason more haha.)

(:eyes emoji: )

@Alk
{Walking in, Stella pays no mind to Euterpe's foul mood.}

Dolorus: //Wait, do you hear that?//

Stella: "Not this again..."

{She grumbles}

Dolorus: //It sounds like hissing.//

@Alk

{As Den and Althea scoped out the mansion, Dianne walks by, as she's on her way to work. She looks at them quizzically as she passes}

Dianne: //Huh, wierd....Wait that girl, she looks familiar...//

@Xeno

"Doesn't Shepherd need to be up by now? Since he basically works here?" Euterpe asks though with a bit of sass.

While Althea explained to Den the situation not far off from where they were was the same sound of hissing. Althea though ignored it at first and began to draw shapes in some nearby dirt to help visualize her explanation to Den.

Though he was much to pay attention and soon cut her off with. "Hey what's that?" And nudged his head in the direction of the dark alleyway.

Althea spat and readied herself defensively. "If it's one of those bloody mutts, I'm gonna."

(No it killed my

(AHHHHHH.

@Alk

Stella: “No, he works in the evening. By that logic, you shouldn’t be here at all, because you don’t even contribute.“

{She replies with equal sass.}

@Xeno
"Whatever, wasn't my idea to stay." She scowled, though not so loudly this time.

Not wanting to continue the conversation she went on and headed up stairs to check on Shepherd. Though to her surprise he wasn't there and neither was the dog.
There was a loud hissing before but now it seemed to have stopped. "Stella Shepherd and the dog are gone..."

(Is Dianne gonna follow Althea btw? She about to enter the portal hehe.)

(Yes)

@Alk

{Dianne looked away fr the pair to the dark alley, hearing the hissing.}

Dianne: //What the hell is that?//

@Alk

Stella: “What do you mean, they’re gone? What, did they jump out the window too?”

{She then follows Euterpe upstairs to investigate.}

After his morning tea, Mason had gone out onto the streets again. Something very strange was happening today. There was... a feeling of subtle wrongness hanging in the air, not helped by the fact that several of his packmates had been missing since last night. They weren't answering to either phone calls or wolf howls, and he didn't know where they were.

//I wonder if those two troublemakers have anything to do with these... disturbances,// he mused as he wandered down a street. Though it seemed unlikely. They were nothing more than children. //Regardless, it's undeniable that something odd is happening today.//

(I'm just leaving him wandering around so Den can run into him later. XD)

Meanwhile, Loch had managed to convince her boss to let her leave early and was hurrying down the street to Stal's house. Upon reaching it, she found Stal, Gray and Arc standing on the curb outside, all looking frustrated and worried.

'You're here? Finally,' Stal grumbled.

'Are you all gonna explain what's going on? All I know is that Pyre is 'missing'.'

It was Arc who answered. 'Apparently he's not the only person who disappeared in the last few hours. I've heard talk that at least a dozen people in EC have gone missing, and a few from other districts. We're worried about Pyre. It's not like him to just... vanish.'

After a bit of talk, the band decided to split into two groups to look for Pyre. Loch and Stal walked off to search the more local streets and shops, while Arc and Gray took Gray's car and drove off to search further afield.