Ad Mortem

[Mordecai]

Home. The word annoyed Tavvy. When he heard the word home, he thought of his family’s home he lived in before his parents sent him away to London. He thought of how the smell of his favourite beef stew would fill the kitchen when his mother made it. He saw the faces of his mother and father, bound to one another in some almost magical way. Home meant sanctuary, as common and taken for granted as the sun rising in the morning. Looking around London, basked in a dusty late afternoon light of a sun already half sunken into the horizon, the young blonde, a man by the name of Tavarius Petrove, knew this was not a place he’d ever come to know as home. But for what is was worth, the city was lovely, especially in a twilight cloak-- glimmering in the moisture of rainfall. It always rained in the early evening, soft and slow, as if the ever-present clouds were shaking off the day. What had started off as a nigh mist at the beginning of his stroll only fifteen minutes prior had transformed into proper, Thoroughbred drops of rain.


The rain didn’t seem to deter him though as he continued through it, letting the droplets of cool water slide down his cheek bones and off the tip of his nose. His pointless amble led him along the path that connected the city of London to the Thames River. A fog rolled in from the dark waters, making the steamboats that passed by to appear ghostly. Their sails were all furled up for the night, but they continued to drift along with a sleepy purpose. Only the pennants on their topmasts were allowed to fly free and snap in the cool, autumn wind. A crackle in the air drew Tavarius's gaze away from the waterfront and away from his reverie of what home used to mean.


Tavvy took these nightly walks often. They were a chance for him to get away from the place his Uncle Olympus so affectionately referred to as ‘home,’ and clear his head away from the dingy confines of the small home. The house was small as it was, but made worse by the fact that the front two rooms were reserved for his Uncle’s feigned metal working business. The business was a false front, of course, to hide the more sinister happenings harboured in the house from the police, but that didn’t change the simple matter that Tavvy felt cramped in the small space. To say it was frustrating being cooped up all day, everyday, was about as accurate as saying an angry bear was unfriendly; however, there seemed to be something mentally chiropractic about his nightly strolls alongside the Thames.


There then came a crash and trees nearby swayed as the light, evening drizzle transformed again into a genuine storm. Tavvy nearly leaped from his skin at the snap of thunder, but forced his body to remain steady. Lifting his head, a distasteful expression pulled at the corners of his face. Oh, sure, he might have been able to convince the weather to stop its onslaught of rain, but it seemed unfair to play with Mother Nature in such ways just for the sake of salvaging a stroll. He would have started to make his way back to Uncle Olympus’ house once more had a man’s scream—loud and near—not suddenly rose from the depths of the nearby park before being cut off abruptly. He stopped short to stare out in the direction, but with the sun now completely consumed by the horizon and the park never having been outfitted with lamps, the night remained a dangerous wilderness that Tavvy’s sharp eyes couldn’t discern. He cursed under his breath, contemplating for a moment whether to just leave the entire matter alone and forget the scream entirely, but his curiosity plucked away at him until they wore what little resistance he had away.


Tavvy made his way down the foot of the path that led away from the Thames and into the park. It was early enough that there were still a handful of pedestrians in the park, probably making their way to or from work, but all their hustle and bustle was momentarily suspended as they stared out in the same direction towards what appeared to be a young woman. Tavarius couldn’t make her out very well, aside from a fuzzy outline of her shape, but she did appear to be the focal point of the onlookers’ attentions. Between rumbles of thunder, there did seem to be some mutters of surprise, but the noise hit his ears as nothing but gibberish, and he couldn’t make sense of why a small crowd had gathered to stare.


Tavvy was torn between curiosity and the certainty that he was better off not knowing. A cold sweat trickled between his shoulder blades. But he remained stationary, unable to convince his feet to start moving again as he shoved his hands deep into his coat pocket and continued to watch the scene as it unfolded—curious as to what exactly was going on. While London may never be home in a typical sense, it did certainly prove to be more entertaining.


Whatever was happening, it probably wasn’t good. The busy people of London rarely interrupted the flow of their day to bother with affairs that didn’t concern them. Now immensely interested, but annoyed with the rain, Tavvy casually lifted his right hand from his pocket and gave a small wave of his hand. It was a small gesture that would have gone unnoticed by most people; however, to any other Acerbus, it was quite clear he was subtly manipulating his powers. With a last cry of thunder, the rain immediately ceased under Tavvy’s rather boorish demand, but the sky remained black and bruised-- as if threatening to start another downpour as soon as Tavvy turned his back.


If nothing else, at least he could see a bit better now that it wasn't raining.

 

[TheDragonMoon]

Will this miserable world ever change? Alexandra had been thinking this thought quite frequently in the past week. Now, surrounded by people and being in the center of attention, she was feeling a little more inspired, along with being drunk off her feet. Her day had been particularly terrible today; she was hungry, dirty, and unhappy. She had tried to gather more people to form a better underground community, but they laughed her off and found her as some weak girl. No money was earned (or stolen!) today. A deep pit of loneliness was growing inside her. After nothing positive happening, she drank a couple bottles to drown out her sorrows and numb out the pain. She wandered down the crowded wet streets of London and into a park to cause some trouble. Just a moment ago she had yelled out for attention and gathered some people around her. It wasn't like they were doing much anyhow, just living out their banal lives as usual. Was she the only person that was actually living? Feeling frustrated at the pointless and shitiness of the her life, she took a deep breath and out felt a surge of her elemental energy flow through her. The few people that she had grabbed their attention of were about to move on, so she had to do something. Quick.


She started, "Okay, listen up everybody. Do you really think that our society is alright now? That everything is just fine? That owning people is acceptable? Wake up and look around you! The world is going down, down, down, and I seem to be the only one that can accept it."


More people turned their heads. She realized that the rain was going to damper her powers, but she knew that she could manage to pull off something. She stumbled on the slick and cobbled pathway. A few people snickered and whispered about her being homeless; perhaps a drunk too. The rain ran down her flushed cheeks. All the fancy clothing, ships, and food in the big city made her sick to her stomach. When her people were starving, they were eating until they were sick and throwing away food at whim. She felt repulsed as she sensed their judging stares on her. Unsure of what exactly to do, she turned around and saw that she was right in front of an extremely luxurious jewelry vendor that appeared to be closed. Perfect.


"Maybe if I took something-ing away from all you people, you would be-e-e more concerned of what was going on," Alexandra slurred.


A couple men yelled out from the crowd, commenting how she should lug her drunk ass back home and cover herself up. Well, even if she was drunk, she was going to do something. She knew deep down inside that this was incredibly reckless and that she should probably stop with what she is doing right now or face the awful consequences later on. A little voice inside her head was telling her to back off, but the alcohol gave her courage and hotheadedness to do what she was about to do. Alexandra summoned a small fireball in the palms of her hand. Now, everybody's attention was grabbed. Even the busiest people paused their daily routine to observe this peculiar lady that was summoning fire. Alexandra was feeling proud of herself to gather this many people.


"Pardon my language, but holy shit! That is an Acerbus," a man cried out.


"What is she going to do? This is going to be interesting," another person exclaimed.


"She would make a nice slave for me and my family!"


"Somebody get the guards!"


The amount of adrenaline that was pumping through her veins made her feel like she was high. Her soul thrived on this feeling; the feeling of chaos. She dully noticed that the rain came to a stop. Was that a water Accerbus magic that she could detect? She shrugged it off and stared at the jewelry vendor that she was planning on blasting to bits. A few brave souls tried to take her down, but Alexandra merely waved her fire in their faces and they backed off. Guards would be coming soon. She needed to wrap this up quicker that she would have liked to.


Pumping more energy into her fireballs, she yelled, "Wake up you fools! You are blinded by luxury and greed. I'm going to burn it all down and maybe then you'll realize that you're all fucked up in the head."


Although she was brave, her heart was beating a million miles a minute. She had never done anything this brash before. Putting all her spirit into it, she hurled two massive fireballs at the fancy looking thing. People did their best to shield their faces as tiny bits of glass went everywhere. Heat radiated from the inferno that the cart now was. People stood back; shocked out of their minds. The flames crackled as pieces of metal, wood, and other debris went into it. She smiled manically. Of course, her burning down that cart wouldn't change much, but she was just glad to see one of their precious shops burn to the ground. Then, as if a switch got turned on, everybody begun to move to try to fix the situation. The city guards were starting to surround the area, people were bringing water using a fancy device to prevent the flames from spreading, and a couple rough looking people were preventing her escape. Oh god. What had she done? Even through her drunkenness she realized that she had dug quite the hole for herself. She was surrounded by people on all her sides. Looks like it would be a good time to start planning her escape.


Channeling the remnants of her elemental energy, she started to do her escape move that her old revolutionary buddies had shown her before. This wasn't the smartest idea on her part, as it was the end of the month, she had just used a decent chunk of her elemental energy on the fireballs, and the move took a skillful concordance with her energy to preform. By the time she was done summoning a little bit of her flames that she would use to slip away, guards had her pinned down. People were jeering at her. The world around her blurred. There must be some way to escape. She would find someway to do so. She always did. Only this time would be a little more tricky.

 

[Mordecai]

Tavarius watched the scene unfold before him with a disinterested look on his face. The woman was definitely an Acerbus, there was not arguing that small detail, and he had seen the type many times before. They were powerful creatures, but often burned themselves out quickly by doing stupid acts such as this. Still, her demonstration was an impressive one, and the way she yielded her powers was enough to cause the sullen young man to perk up and blink the droplets of water away from his eyelashes. His Uncles’ underground movement was always looking to acquire new, robust Acerbus, and the young woman, demonstrating her fire control, seemed to fit the bill. He normally would have walked away from such folly, but instead dug his hands into his coat pockets and watched.


The episode transpired just as he might have imagined. It began with people in wonder, but quickly pigeonholed in to a desperate struggle of guards pirred against the fire Acerbus. He considered his options. It seemed most logical to him to forget all about her, to leave her behind to fight for her self, yet something pulled at the corners of his sympathy and kept him locked in place. She fought desperately to escape, but she had used most of elemental energy on the display, it would seem. Mentally, he was determined to leave the poor girl alone to her fate, but before he managed to convince his soul to follow his mind’s logic, Tavvy found himself trotting forward, bursting through the crowd as he made his way up to the guards subduing the poor Acerbus like she was some kind of wild animal.


Tavarius had always been ascribed the trait of being too giving, too helpful, too kind. It was these traits that Uncle Olympus had tried to train out of him by beating him down and showing him how cruel of a place the world really could be. But there was a tenderness in the young man that wouldn’t be so easily bettered. All it meant was that there was still some hope in him—that the reality of being an Acerbus hadn’t kicked him down to a point where he couldn’t, or wasn’t willing, to get up again.


“Yes, hello, hi-“ be breathed out to the guards, pushing through the crowd of onlookers and feigning being winded, as if he had just jogged from some great distance.


“This is my Acerbus. She’s a slave,” he waved dismissively, still pretending to be catching his breath, “She’s a bit disobedient, as I’m sure you might have noticed---“ Tavvy ran a nervous hand through his hair, pushing the golden locks from his face. Even with the rain being stopped, there was still moisture in the air that clung to his face and shone dully in the fiery light. “I left the liquour cabinet unlocked by accident while my wife and I went out for supper and, well, you can see what she did. Made a mess of the entire house, too! My wife is back home hollering up a storm, but, anyways—where are my manners? My name is Robert. Robert S. Lee, and that hooligan is my Acerbus, her name—her name is-er—Julia. Yes, Julia,” Tavarius lied with a charming grin, extended a hand that was awkwardly taken and shaken by one of the guards attending the situation.


“If you kind, hardworking guards would please be willing to release her into my custody, I would be happy to pay for any damages she has caused. I know it’s typical for you to arrest and imprison Acerbus under such circumstances, but would you be willing to make an exception this evening? My wife has already been through enough for one day. She’d be so upset to lose her prized servant,” Tavarius coughed a little, still unsure as to his motives for saving the girl, but it felt right in his gut. Of course, his choice of actions was a risky one and it was entirely possible that the guards wouldn’t believe him or be willing to release her. If his Uncle had taught him anything, it was to not make such foolish decisions—yet here he was, putting himself square in the middle of the city’s guards and a known Acerbus. Had his Uncle Olympus known exactly what he was doing, he probably would have had a conniption—but Uncle Olympus wasn’t there and the only thing on Tavvy’s mind was lending a helping hand to an Acerbus in need.


For, if nothing else, the Acerbus really only had each other in this hostile existence, and if they weren’t even willing to help out their own kind, how would they ever be able to claim their freedom from the humans? Luckily, they looked humanoid enough that without intense study, they could easily pass as being human. After all, they were a breed that once was human.

 

[TheDragonMoon]

Harshly, the guards shoved her face down on the wet ground as they tried to put their special Acerbus handcuffs on her that would keep her subdued. She heard the gears whir as one guard tried to configure them properly. If they got those on it would be a lot harder to escape. She started to try to use her physical strength to throw them off of her, but it was hopeless for poor drunk Alexandra. Realizing that she would have to go with the flow for at least the time being, she relaxed her muscles and tried to clear her head. As she lay there, she saw that for whatever reason the crowd was parting. Just as the guards were going to put on the handcuffs, a cute looking man with wet, messy, hair emerged from all the people that were milling about and walked over to the guards. He appeared to be out of breath as he talked. What was he doing? She closed her eyes; exhausted from not having recharged her power in a while and the recent events that had occurred.


When he said that she was his slave, her eyes snapped wide open again. Wait, what was this? Alexandra, in her past couple years, was use to people just turning their backs or encouraging her demise –– even among Acerbus. After she left her beloved community that fell into chaos and despair, she had bad luck with trying to convince anybody to help her form any kind of rebellion. There seemed to be a recent and disturbing trend of Acerbus just giving up hope and being cynical about any sort of positive change. The rebellious people were thought more of a fool that could never change the world than anything else. Well, that was here experience anyhow. The authorities had gotten more vigilant and harsher than she was a child. In the end, no matter what, Alexandra was going to keep fighting. Maybe this man felt the same we she did.


As he continued to talk, the guards appeared to be become more relaxed. Alexandra had a strong feeling that this guy must be an Acerbus, but she couldn’t tell what type he could possibly be. Things seemed to be a lot more optimistic for Alexandra as “Robert” greeted himself and kindly asked the guards to release her into his custody. When the gentleman that decided to help her for whatever reason wrapped up his explanation, Alexandra held her breath for the their responses.


A few of them looked at each other, and then the one with scars all over his face, along with short brown hair replied gruffly, “Oh really? That’s just great then. I was wondering what we were going to do with this drunk and ugly girl. I suppose that you can have her.”


“Just make sure that she doesn’t cause anymore trouble. We would hate it if she was accidentally injured in the midst of all the chaos she causes,” another guard chimed in.


The guard that had her pinned down and was trying to configure the big, metal, handcuff released her and then pushed Alexandra to the blond-haired man. Alexandra stumbled a little bit and almost fell down at his feet. She winced and tried to steady herself better.


“We’ll just clean up the mess ourselves, so don’t worry about the damages, but next time please watch your slave a little more closely. If something like this happens again, you’ll be fined heavily and never see this girl again. You probably will never get the chance to have another slave in your lifetime if that happens. This is your only and final warning,” he said.


With that, the remaining people that were still watching slowly dispersed and the guards looked over the damaged shop. Alexandra breathed a huge sigh of relief. Looks like they had to work a long day and were willing to let her go pretty easily. She stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say to him now. She had no clue why he was doing this in the first place.


Since that the guards were still close by, she said, “Sorry Robert. I just couldn’t help myself. I realize what I have done is very bad and I swear that I won’t ever do such a thing again. I’m a tad bit cold and wet, so may we go home now?”

 

[Mordecai]

Tavarius’ maintained his repose, trying to not give the officers any excuse to disbelieve his story, regardless of how the adrenaline poured through his veins and his heart beat so fast he could hear it pounding in his ears. Though luckily, his placid exterior did not betray the uneasiness he felt. Good luck seemed to be in favour of the Acerbus though, for the guards seemed to visibly relax, if not a bit hesitantly at first, but the more he spoke, the less tense the atmosphere became. In fact, things seemed to be going better than he first thought they would and without much time spent making a decision, the officers handed the Acerbus over to him without question, and pardoned him of a fine. Not that Tavvy, or Robert rather, would have paid the fine anyways, for the man didn’t actually exist, but that wasn’t here nor there.


“Ah, yes, thank you very much,” Tavarius offered the gentlemen a warm, sincere smile, though it seemed a bit forced, “I take your warning very seriously and I promise you that I shall keep a better eye on her from here on out, I don’t want to cause our fine guards such as yourselves any more trouble, I assure you,” he said rather whimsically, glancing down to the fire Acerbus with a firm expression. With her now shoved it his direction, he could finally make out her features for the first time. She looked a bit rough around the edges, to say the least, the sort of roughness that ran deeper than just being under the influence of alcohol. It was the scar across her nose that Tavvy noticed first, followed by the loveliness of her brunette hair, highlighted only by the last of the flames she had set. Committing her face to his memory, Tavarius glanced away and fleetingly over the guards, but they had already seemed to forgotten about 'Robert' and his Acerbus.


Instead, they were busying themselves with cleaning up the mess she had left behind as quickly as possible. Much like the young woman in front of him, they looked tired and wet, too worn from a long shift to be concerned with anything but getting themselves home as soon as physically possible. Tavarius took this opportunity to press his palm in-between her shoulder blades and give her a firm nudge in a direction away from the incident. It was best for them not to linger around too long, in case someone recognised her, or even worse—recognise him. Lady luck may have been flirting with him for the evening, but he wasn't about to press his luck with her, either.


“My name isn’t Robert, it’s Tavarius,” he replied to her apology once they were out of earshot and safely in the blanket of night, disguised mostly from passersby. Whether she chose to follow him or go off on her own, that was really none of his business nor concern, though a part of him did deeply crave for her to follow along. There wasn’t an Acerbus in the world that Tavarius had met who didn’t yearn for their political deliverance, but few were afraid to actually stand against their repression. They were afraid of defeat, of humans, of the guards, of everything. As such, The Revived Wolves movement were in desperate need of more robust Acerbus like her, even with her lack of good judgement.


He paused his stride a moment, shoving his hands back in his pockets as he realized he was probably not giving off a very welcoming impression to her, even if he had just helped her out of a sticky situation. Tavvy had never been known as being a particularly warm and loveable sort of individual, though he turned back to her and offered the best half-smile he could muster, which wasn’t very impressive. For Tavvy, it was a kind gesture. “I’m a water Acerbus and if you’re serious about what you were saying during your little… demonstration… I may have an opportunity for you.”

 

[TheDragonMoon]

The man who saved her from getting in a whole load of trouble, directed her away from the scene and through the park. In the distance, she saw plumes of smoke rise up from one of the huge industrial factories that was in the grand city of London. As they walked away from the scene of the crime, the guard's voices faded and only a few people were around them in this quaint park. Just some random passersby probably wouldn’t bother them now. Alexandra was feeling a little better now, but was still stumbling every once in awhile, along with a generally feeling of unbalanceness. Once she had that chance to be somewhere safe again, she was definitely going to recharge her powers. It was a tough life being an Acerbus.


When the man apparently thought they were free to talk without people harassing them, he apologized to her and told her his real name. Tavarius. It reminded Alexandra of a friend that she had a long time back, when she was just starting to do illegal activities and such. That was strangely comforting to her. They continued to walk towards the end of the park, until they reached a lamp post that was a around twenty feet from one of the entrances to the park. There wasn’t really anybody at all around at this end of the park. He stopped his fast pace there and turned around to look her in the eye with a smile and told her of an “opportunity” for somebody of her powers.


Alexandra looked at him. She stared him up and down for a moment. He had a tough look his eyes, she would give him that, but was he actually talking about rebellion? Understandably, Alexandra worried that this was some trap that was setting up for his personally gain. Since the man did save her from getting her ass whopped by some guards, she decided to just trust him for now and see where this would lead her. Besides, what did she have to lose at this point? Things could only possibly get better, in her eyes. If he was talking about what she was hoping she was talking about and wasn’t a private hunter, things could actually change with the help of her.


“Hmm… I think I might be willing to help with this ‘opportunity’ that you’re talking about, if it is what I’m thinking of. Oh, and it’s always nice to meet another Acerbus in this twisted world. I don’t really mind that your element is water. I’m not that kind of person. Just, well, don’t shove too much water in my face or something.”


She paused, then greeted herself and gave him a polite smile, “My name is Alexandra by the way. Long time rebellious woman and as you saw before, fire Acerbus. And just to let you know, I will probably need to recharge my powers soon. It’s been awhile and the incident that recently occurred was kind of taxing.”


As long as this guy didn’t betray her and didn’t treat her as a weak female, she had a feeling that thing could work out quite well between them. She was itching for a chance to cause some more chaos and strive for a better society. A sure of hope pervaded her body. She wouldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. If she was going to be recruited for a rebellion, she was going to give it her all.

 

[Mordecai]

The air in the city of London felt dirty, both on his skin and in his lungs. The smell of the river was suddenly enough to burn uncomfortably in his nostrils, a disgusting mix of fish carcass and dirty water that he had failed to realize earlier, it would seem. Tavvy couldn’t help but crinkle his nose in response, though his eyes remained firmly fixed on the young woman who had introduced herself as Alexandra. Tavarius was vaguely aware of many of the Acerbus in the area, whether or not he had met them before, but Alexandra was one who had managed to fly under his radar until now. How she had managed that with her spitfire personality, he’d never know, but he was glad to have found her.


“This isn’t something we should talk about here where anyone can hear us. It’s a sensitive matter,” he clicked his tongue, deciding that furthering the conversation so out in the open wouldn’t be of interest to either of them. Still, she seemed interested in what he had to say and that was enough to bring a pleasant smile to face. “It’s probably what you’re thinking of, but if you’re interested in learning more, you should come with me.” It was getting late, but Uncle Olympus was the type who never slept. The Revived Wolves were a dying breed, and they could use any new drop of blood they could find—thus, Olympus was never vexed to see a possible recruit, no matter the hour they showed up at his ramshackle door. Olympus was an aged and weathered Metal Acerbus with a keen eye for rebellion. As both the founder and president of the Revived Wolves, he functioned as the operator of affairs-- sending out his soldiers, as he called them, across the nation in an attempt to stir up renewed conflict between the humans and the Acerbus.


“I don’t mine fire, either,” he shrugged lamely as he fell in step alongside of her, shoving his hands deep in his coat pockets like normal, “I won’t throw water in your face so long as you don’t throw fire in mine,” he chuckled softly, offering a half-grin. There had been many fire Acerbus with whom Tavarius was not on friendly terms with for that very reason. While fire and water Acerbus could mix and be amicable, it was a rare occurrence as there was some deep-seated, historical issues between the two ethnic groups. But Tavarius was always odd in that he loved being around fire. Growing up, he’d spend hours basking in front of his Uncle’s wood burning stove, sprawled out across the floor like a sunbathing cat. He had to be more conscious of things like dehydration, but he loved feeling the warm flicker of heat across his skin. It was just downright unnatural for a water Acerbus to like fire his Uncle would always say, but Tavarius recognized its pleasures from an early age. And if he hadn’t been born a water, fire was the only other element he would have been O.K. with being.


Tavarius’ stomach began to rumble uncomfortably as he lead them down the path towards the Revived Wolves’ headquarters. It was a small, stone townhouse smack-dab in the centre of the city. While small and old, there was something warm about the place. Whether it was the front door that had been cracked open with a door jam, or the benevolent gold light spilling out of the windows from in-between the curtains, there was just something homely about the entire building. As they drew closer, Tavarius paused a moment, slowing his stride. “I know this looks like I’m leading you into a trap, but I can assure you I’m not. If you have any reservations or fears, than this… movement is not for you.”


“We can feed you, clothe you, and give you a place to rest, but this isn’t just a hobby,” he smiled his first genuine content smile and made his way to the door. If Alexandra decided to run now, he wouldn’t blame her nor chase after her.


The inside of the house was just as warm and friendly as the outside. The walls were a cheery brown-grey with a fire roaring in the fireplace, complete with a plump tabby cat lounging in front of the flames. It was the type of home one would expect to always have a fresh vase of flowers on the dining room table, subsequently, it did—blood red poppies nestled in a vase that added a delightful smell of vanilla to the room.


“Tav—is that you?” Uncle Olympus’ voice boomed from another end of the house. While he couldn’t be seen, it was easy to imagine that he was a large man—his voice frightening and arousing at the same time.

 

[TheDragonMoon]

The man shifted uncomfortably as she talked. He didn’t like that she was taking the risk of discussing Acerbus matters out in the open, which was probably smart if Alexandra thought about what she was saying, but she was still buzzed and didn’t really care what she did at this point. They continued to walk and he said a few words along the way. From all the time that she has know him thus far, he seemed a little closed off from the world, yet he was kind and caring at the same time. He didn’t look and act like an usual hunter that she had ever seen, so she grew more confident that she was in the clear and he wasn’t leading her to a torturous demise or servitude. Well, that could be her optimism and her stupid bravery talking, but she was hopeful. She really did want a new friend too.


It was a little bit of a walk to get to this mysterious place it seemed. They walked more and more towards the center of the city. She wondered why there would be a secret rebellion place out in the middle of a crowded area, but she didn’t question him at the time. Alexandra did hope that they did have a good coverup. The bitter taste of the air made her have to cough from every once in a while. There was always pollution no matter where you went in England. It was just all the worst in London, where a huge chunk of England’s factories lay. Alexandra thought back to the place where her parent’s had worked. It was a few miles from here wasn’t it? No, it must have been further away. She missed them desperately; so bad it made her soul freeze up. Her eyes watered, and Alexandra wasn’t so sure if it was just from the terrible pollution in the air.


A cat with a metal tail bounced across the small stone path that they were walking on. Alexandra gave a small sad smile, then looked up, noticed that Tavarius had stopped at a modest stone house that was squashed between a couple ratty houses that looked fairly suspect. The house did have a feeling of desperation to her, yet at the same time it gave off a certain vibe that gave her warmth. At least Tavarius admitted that it did look suspicious. Alexandra did not feel very afraid, though. Maybe it was the cute smile that the guy had, or that she already did something that wasn’t to smart today; either way she was just going to go with the flow and only chicken out if something that truly singled her that trouble was on the way.


He assured that she would be cared for, then he made he was to the door confidently. Alexandra hesitated for a split second and then started towards the entrance. The place radiated warmth and was almost begging for her to follow his lead. Tavarius appeared more relaxed as he walked into the cozy room that had a roaring flame in the hearth. Alexandra, unsure of what to do with herself, she sat awkwardly sat herself down onto the sofa that was facing the fireplace. She had to admit that it was all very welcoming, but were they really serious about being a rebellion movement? It all seemed too nice, compared to what she was use to. She leaned back, exhausted from the long day and almost dozed off until she heard a loud voice that almost made her jump out of her skin.


She practically leapt out of the chair; she of course wanted to make the best first impression as possible. Alexandra wanted to make it know that she was anything but some lazy slacker. It didn’t matter if she was about to fall over, she would stand up tall and show that she wasn’t the weak type. The voice sounded like a bulky and muscular man. For a second, she wondered if it would be too late to run or not, when he appeared into the room with a small, yet welcoming smile on his face. His was huge, no doubt about that, but he didn’t quite dominate the whole room. Alexandra gave a smile in return and made sure that she was standing up as straight as possible.


“Well, um, hello there. Tavarius brought me here, saying that he had quite an opportunity for me. You see, I had caused quite the commotion today in the park and he decided to pick me up. I’m willing to do whatever what it takes to make sure a change happens in this world before it’s my time to go.”


She paused for a moment and remembered she needed to introduce herself, “Oh! And I’m Alexandra by the way. I hope our future is bright together.”


The air smelled of copper and iron around this man. She noticed that he had a couple scars along his arms and didn’t look like he was afraid of pain. A good man to have on your side.

 

[Mordecai]

{ooc: Again, sorry about the delay. Things have mostly returned to normal, so my postings should be more regular again.}


The fire crackled happily in the stove, putting out enough heat into the small space to begin drying out his clothes from the rain. Tavvy didn’t hate fire, as most would have assumed of a water Acerbus, and he found the feeling of warmth pulsating through his cold skin to be quite pleasant, especially as he peeled off his wet jacket and tossed it over the backrest of a dining room chair to dry out. The bright orange tabby cat flicked an ear in Tavvy’s direction, but made no other sign of noticing the pair entering, It was only when Uncle Olympus arrived did the sassy orange cat roll on to its back and swat its paws lazily out towards the big hulk of a man, a soft mewl escaping its mouth as it wiggled on its back, just begging for attention.


Uncle Olympus paused once, squatting down to give the feline a soft pat on the belly, before he returned to his full height and closed the distance between him and the young woman. If him and Tavvy really were related, it was hard to imagine how. Tavarius was a refined man with gentle features and a slender build, where Olympus was a hulking tank of a man. His hands were those that were familiar with hard work, charred and burned from working with hot metals all day, everyday. While he may be a metal Acerbus, immune to the sensation of hot metals running through his fingers, his skin was still prone to the occasional heat induced damage. He jutted a firm hand out in Alexandra’s direction while his puffy gray eyebrows knitted into a glare that studied Alexandra’s every feature. Like Tavarius, he was unfamiliar with her, which was both exciting and off-putting at the same time. Up close, it was easy to tell that he had once been a handsome man: a strong jaw, broad shoulders, and the same delightfully blue eyes that were tucked into heavy lids and a nestle of wrinkles.


“I’m Olympus, the president of the Revived Wolves, ‘tis my pleasure to meetchya,” he replied to her introduction, his voice a throaty growl, “’Ny friend of Tavvy is a frienda’ mine,” he turned away from her as he spoke, slapping Tavarius across the shoulders with a heavy hand in greeting, before going to stoke the fire. Electricity was bountiful and cheap these days, as was modern heating systems, but Olympus loved his good ol’ fashion fire stove and used it year around to cook and heat the small neo-modern space. The furniture was all a bit old in style, but was functional and well maintained. As clutter as the space was—with every available counter top strewn in literature and papers—it was clearly well taken care of.


“Now, I don’t know much ‘bout ya, but Tavvy has always had a good sense a character and if he says you’re alright, then well—whom I ta argue?” Olympus cleared his throat as he dropped a log on the flame, his eyes gleaming in the flickering light of the flames. “We’re a small movement, just tryin’ to recruit right now,” he explained, though he doubted she needed any further understanding. The Acerbus were scared—too scared to want to try and revolt, so stirring up a rebel movement was becoming increasingly difficult, as most Acerbus shunned the very idea. The few members the small group had were sent all across the nation to scout for any possible Acerbus willing to join in arms. Tavarius and Uncle Olympus were the only two left in London, though it had been planned for Tavarius to leave for Scotland in a few days time. They had been so wrapped up in just convincing Acerbus to take a stand that they hadn’t really taken the time to consider how they were going to go about actually mutinying, but those were all just details.


“We get lotsa folk who think they’re interested in a revolt, but few are actually interested,” Olympus continued, scooping up the orange tabby into his arms and turning his gaze back to Alexandra, “But they get too scared a when they realize what is actually involved. Ya wanna join a revolt, kid? Fine, but prove it. Ya can go North with Tavvy in two days to recruit. It’ll be dangerous, you’ll be hunted by Tartarus, n’ you’ll probably die. Still interested, lass? If so, you’ll be taken the train ta Glasgow, Scotland. I hear there are some free Acerbus up that way. Maybe you two could tap into ‘em.”


Normally, Olympus didn’t just trust whatever mouse one of his men dragged in from the street, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and there was no better way to test someone’s value like a test by fire.

 

[TheDragonMoon]

(OOC: Yeah, it’s fine, just as long as you keep me updated/notified on what’s going on.)


The man seemed like somebody that would intimidate most people very easily, especially when he glared right into her eyes. But of course, Alexandra continued to stand up straight without a note of fear and didn’t quaver. She hoped that he would also be the kind that was gruff, yet kind. “Revived Wolves” was a name that she had never heard before in her life, but then again, what did you expect from an underground movement and being in a world where most Acerbus are too afraid to even spread a single word about changing things. Alexandra listened to the rest of what the man had to say with her semi-damp clothing. The heat from the stove felt good on her skin and gave her some more strength, energy, to keep her staying upright.


So, this man wanted her to prove that she wasn’t the type of person that wouldn’t give up on a moment’s notice. She was fine with doing the test if that meant that she could actually be apart of a rebellion movement. Sure, it annoyed her somewhat to have to prove herself through some stupid test, but she was mature enough to push that aside and realize that it was necessary. She wondered if there were more members besides the two men that were standing right in front of her. Olympus did say that they were just recruiting so it could be that it was just them. It didn’t really matter to her one way or another.


After thinking about the test for a moments, she sighed and flopped herself back on the coach. Screw standing up and looking strong or whatever. At this point, Alexandra was beyond exhausted. Even the fire burning strongly in the stove didn’t really have much of an effect on her at this point. The only sound in the room was of the brightly colored cat purring as Olympus stroked her orange fur and the crackle of the flames.


“That sounds fine to me. I’ve never been to Scotland or any place really besides London, so yay traveling. I’m sure that recruiting for your movement will be a piece of cake with me around to help you,” Alexandra said in response.


Yeah, it probably won’t be a piece of cake, but she wanted to sound as confident as possible. She had recruited a couple a long time ago for that one community but that was it. Even if it was going to be hard, she would do her best and perceive with her test/mission until the end. Since she was going along with Tavarius it shouldn’t be impossible to get at least one or two people, seeing how he managed to get her to come here. With her courage and hard work alongside Tavarius’ determination, she was sure they could achieve something good.


With all that being said and it was determined that she was willing to do the test, Alexandra sunk back into the tattered leather sofa even more and almostly instantly dozed off. She felt bad about just falling asleep without saying anything else, yet she was too drained and drunk to do anything else besides sleep at this point. She knew subconsciously that when she woke up tomorrow she would have to make sure to get her ceremony done and over with before she went on her exciting mission. Alexandra dozed soundly through the night and part of the next day until she was woken up by Tabarius with a firm shake on her shoulder.


(OOC: I’m fine if you do a time skip to the train or whatever. Sorry for a somewhat short response; I didn’t really know much of else to write about. )

 

[Mordecai]

{ooc: I jumped just a touch. I just wanted to give you one more opportunity to add anything you wanted to add.}


The morning came faster than Tavvy would have cared to admit. It was a dark morning, so grey and quiet, it felt as if the sun had never really risen at all. The skies had picked up raining again long after he had gone to bed, and the rain still persisted, soft and slow, drumming against the windows like the pitter-patter of small fingers. Tavarius had woken up before the sun and ran a damp hand through his hair to tame the locks before splashing some cold water on his face to try and convince his brain that it didn’t need anymore sleep. There was a certain exhaustion that had been hammered into his otherwise prepossessing features. Something minuet, but easily noticed, like the way his mouth had been turned into an indifferent frown or the dark circles that were painted just below his lower eyelids. He went through his morning sluggishly, his body not responding to the demands his mind put on it with any haste he would have liked, but two hours after waking up, he was cleaned up, dressed, and had packed a small leather satchel of things they would need to get them to Scotland.


He had packed a few changes of clothes for himself, though he didn’t have anything he could offer to Alexandra. At some point, they’d have to stop and buy her a change of clothes, seeing as it didn’t appear she had a whole lot of belongings on her person. He did, however, have a spare coat he could lend her on account of the rain. While he could stop it, if he felt so inclined, he decided it would be best to save what remaining energy he had for more important things than turning off the downpour. The train station was only a few blocks down the road, and they’d have plenty of hours to dry out between London and Edinburgh.


“Hey,” Tavvy said with a tired voice in-between two stifled yawns, giving Alexandra’s shoulder a firm shake. “Let’s get going. The faster we can get to the train, the better,” he didn’t want to admit that the reason he was dragging Alexandra out of the house at an unseemly ten past six in the morning was because he was hoping to avoid running into Uncle Olympus. While he adored the man, Olympus was always one with a love of tradition and the last thing Tavvy wanted to survive through was a three-hour induction ceremony of Alexandra into the Revived Wolves. There was just better ways to be spending their time and the sooner they left, the less likely they were to run into Olympus. It was probably a rude thing for a nephew to do, but Tavarius’ weekly patience limit had already been spent and it was only Tuesday.


“I have a jacket if you need it,” he offered it out to her if she was so inclined to take it. It was older, and probably much too big for her as it had once been his, but it was warm, leather, and would keep her dry in the rain. He had also loaded the pockets with a few quid and a pocketknife. It wasn’t a lot of money nor was the blade the nicest one on the planet, but it was all that Tavarius had on hand that he could sacrifice, and he felt like she deserved something to call her own.


Once she was up and ready to go, he slipped out quietly through the front door, leading her down the streets that were mostly devoid of people. At this hour of the day, people were just beginning to stir. Homes were brightly illuminated to show that people were up and moving around, but few had actually reached the streets yet. Tavarius had always enjoyed this time of day. Droplets of rain collected on his face and hair as he tugged his jacket tighter around him, arriving promptly at the train station by a quarter to seven. He paid for their tickets and continued on, never once saving a glance back to Alexandra until they were under the glass ceiling of the station, staring down at the iron horse puffing away at coal and rumbling as it waited to depart towards Scotland.


“That’s our train,” he explained, shifting a hazel-eyed glance back at the young woman, “Ready?”

 

[TheDragonMoon]

When Tavarius woke her up this early in the morning, needless to say, Alexandra wasn’t the most pleased about it. She had just been having the most pleasant dream about her and her family spending time together, only to have it broken apart when she woke up. Plus, she was hungover as hell. She grumbled and opened her eyes. The fire still faintly crackled across from her, and the cute cat was sprawled out on a chair next to her. What was strange about the house was how old-fashioned it was, except for perhaps some of the metal gadgets that were around, maybe created by Olympus himself. In a way, it was a nice change from how everybody else lived.


Tavarius told her that there was no time to waste, that they should be getting on the train as soon as possible. Why the big rush, she wondered. It was early in the morning and it definitely seemed to her that they had plenty of time to spare. As he fiddled around with a few various things, Alexandra gingerly tried to get herself to wake up and be lively. The drizzly and cloudy day helped her massive headache to some extent at least. From the activities yesterday, her clothes were fairly filthy, but she didn’t have any spare clothing with or any belongings at all really. She looked like total crap and she knew it, she just hoped that she would be able to get on the train without being questioned why she looked like she had just been run over a few times. Knowing that Tavarius must be impatient as hell, she got up from the sagging couch and begun to get herself ready for the long day ahead.


About fifteen minutes later, Alexandra tugged her hand through her hand one last and walked back down the hallway to meet back up with Tavarius. He was waiting with a semi-impatient look on his face, and of course all ready to go. As they walked out the door, he offered her his light brown jacket, which she decided to take graciously. It was nice that he was looking after her. He looked the door behind them, and then off they went into the crazy, twisting, rainy world of London. A water and fire elemental working together to make a rebellion, what else could happen in the soon future?


Tavarius nearly sprinted through the barely populated streets of London. Alexandra wondered if he was hiding something from Olympus, he was running so much. She did recognize that they were heading in the direction of the train station, so that eased off any suspicions that she had deep down. Even though Alexandra wasn’t the biggest fan of water and rain, the cold drops did nurse her headache to some extent. The rain bounced off the jacket as they went by various turns down cobbled streets swiftly; left, right, right, left. At last, the sounds of steam engines working overtime and people running off and on the trains filled the air. She breathed in deeply and smelled the sweet, smoky smell of coal – a smell that anybody living in a city was quite familiar with. Tavarius pushed through the people to get up to the large metal train. Only then did he look back and see if she was still with him.


She nodded in response, ready to get this trip going. Tavarius gave her small, curt smile in return, then walked over to the the beast of a train and got on with Alexandra close behind him. The train was already filled with various different people – men, women, and children.Alexandra tugged at Tavarius to get him to come with her to the upper section of the train. Of course, as she climbed the solid metal stairs, she went towards the back, as any sensible Acerbus that was in hiding would do. A stout man turned around and glared at her, just as she sat down with Tavarius. She vehemently glared at him right back. Was she going to have to get in another fight already? The rain didn’t completely solve her nasty hangover, after all. She was still in a fairly pissy mood. To her and most likely Tavarius’ relief too, he turned around and decided to mind his own business.


The conductor came on by, pestering people to show her their tickets at once. Tavarius showed the lady their tickets with no problem at all. She did gave a second look at Alexandra and her clothing, but then walked off in a huff. After that, the train started warming up and then chugging along. The city streamed on by in a relaxing blur and Alexandra relaxed in the red seat. Every few minutes it seemed, the same man from earlier would turn around and look back at them. Alexandra shifted in her seat nervously the seventh time he had done it. Something must be up. She put her hands in her pockets, then noticing that the lump that was in her coat pocket was a pocketknife. Well, at least somebody had thought ahead. Alexandra tried to examine the man who kept looking at them. Chubby, brown hair, and weird looking marks on his face, almost like burn marks, but not quite. A bad vibe rang throughout her body as she saw him move his arm to get something.


With her hand on the knife Alexandra whispered to Tavarius, “I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I think that man might be a hunter. He keeps looking back at us, as you must’ve noticed.”


Alexandra looked out at the window, seeing the rolling hills and the sheep that peacefully grazed on them. Why did there have to be any more conflict? All she wanted to do was to sit back, enjoy the ride, and wait for her hangover to be done with.

 

[Mordecai]

Boarding the train was a fairly straightforward process. No one really seemed to notice them, and in fact, no one had any reason to. They looked like two stoic individuals traveling as companions and while they might have seemed quiet or given off a peculiar aura, there was nothing that anyone with an untrained eye could put a finger on and say what exactly was off about them. People maneuvering through the train station, however, seemed much to busy being wrapped up in their own affairs to pay them any mind at all.


For an Acerbus, there was nothing more pleasant than simply being ignored by the general populous. They looked human—from their hair, to their face, all the way down to the tips of their toes, but they had their ticks that a keen eye could pick out. Bounty hunters existed all across the globe to hunt the Acerbus down, mostly from profit, but also out of disgust for the breed. Tavarius had his fair share of run ins with them in the past, too. A few times, he hadn’t though he was going to get away. Luckily for him, however, he had never been captured nor forced into slavery. There was not a single part of him that wasn’t interested in Alexandra’s story, but decided it impolite to ask. He was sure there would be a time and place to discuss such things in the future. They would start in Edinburgh, but if things went well, there were hundreds of other larger cities they could hit along their travels.


He also wanted to ask how her hangover was going along, but again, he kept his mouth shut like a trap. She gave him a gentle nudge and they made their way to the back of the train. It smelled of musky perfume and burning tobacco, though no one, from what he could see, was smoking. Settling into his seat next to his new companion, Tavarius offered the conduct their tickets when asked.


Thick clouds of simple steam rolled past the window as the train lurched and groaned out as it began to roll across the tracks—slowly at first, but quickly picking up power. Tavvy busied himself with looking out the window, though never failing to glance back and around them every so often. Never one to rest in public, Tavarius managed to keep a quasi-serene look plastered across his face, though it did appear to be quite forced.


Alexandra’s voice purred into his ears, confirming his own sinking suspicion. His head read back a little, letting his hair tumble across his forehead as he passed once casual glance back to the gentleman, who was built more like a freight train than a man. He was thick around the centre with meaty hands and wisps of brown hair on top of his head. What caught Tavarius’ attention the most was the markings on his face. They seemed familiar, though he couldn’t quite place them. Humming to himself, he closed his eyes and settled back into his seat. Even if the man was a hunter, he wasn’t likely to bother them while on the train. No, it’d be too dangerous going up against two Acerbus in a train full of innocent bystanders. With any logic, he’d wait and follow them off the train.


Then again, they could just both be jumping to conclusions. He may just have been a man with a stern face and an unfortunate accident in his past.


“I think you may be right,” Tavarius replied in a low voice, forcing his eyes open just a crack to glance over to her, “There isn’t anything we can do on the train. We’ll just have to keep watch until we arrive in Edinburgh. Thoughts?” he asked of her, wanting to get her opinion on the matter. After all, it wasn’t just a matter of I anymore, but we. He had a teammate now and whether he liked it or not, they were going to have to work together if they were ever going to survive.

 

[TheDragonMoon]

It was nice that Tavarius wanted to be cautious and wait it out, but Alexandra really wanted to move and slap his face so he may never look at her again with his ghoulish, leery, and watchful eyes. Her throbbing headache made her want to take down anybody that was disturbing her. A partnership was going to be full of compromises, so she may as well start now. Plus, if she started to threaten the man or something of the nature, it very well may lead to a similar situation she was in just yesterday, which she definitely did not have the energy for. So, she just sat back in her seat and realized that there was nothing to be done.


“Well, I suppose there isn’t anything we can do about this peculiar man without disturbing the entire train, so I suppose you’re right. Let’s just both look out for each other and we should be fine until we arrive to Edinburgh. I mean, it goes both ways. We can’t just randomly attack him without drawing attention to ourselves, and he won’t be able to attack us either on that same principle. But,” Alexandra said to her partner in a hushed voice, “I’m worried what’s going to happen when the train stops. Then, he might be able to cut us off from people, and end up snagging us. Well, if he is even a hunter in the first place.”


She looked up at the man again, but he was turned away from her and Tavarius, seemingly preoccupied with the person next to him. Like Tavarius had suggested, and what she realized, there was nothing to do but wait it out. Alexandra prayed that the train would hurry up and the ride would go by in a flash. She really hoped so.


Finally, after what seemed like an eternity and a half, the train let out a huge sigh and rush of steam, signaling that they had arrived. On the ride there, Alexandra tried to make some conversation with Tavarius, but she kept worrying if she was saying the wrong thing or if she was too awkward. She always worried about stupid stuff like that when she was talking with people she didn’t really know too well, especially men. He seemed to Alexandra that he enjoyed or at least tolerated talking to her, but of course, she wasn’t in his head. She was so busy worrying about how socially competent she was, that she barely took note of anything the possible hunter was doing. From what she could tell, he didn’t do much more the whole ride besides glance at them a few more times. She only hoped that Tavarius payed more attention to the man then she did. Otherwise, it was a fairly decent ride, watching the sites go by as the train gently chugged along.


People quickly filed out of the train. with Tavarius and Alexandra close behind, among the crowds. Alexandra made sure to keep a close eye on the man, but somehow, one moment she turned to somebody bumping against her, and he was nowhere to be seen. She shivered nervously. Feeling claustrophobic, she pushed her way through all the people, down the metal stairs again, and quickly exited the train, not even looking back to see if Tavarius was following her. All she wanted to do was get off the metal contraption and be out in the open. She breathed in the fresh, crisp air, as she let people walk past her.


She spotted Tavarius and when he got up to Alexandra she asked, “Where to next? Oh, and let's make sure that we don’t meet up with that guy again. I lost track of him, but I have a feeling that he’s close by.”

 

[Mordecai]

Tavvy listened to her concerns, though quickly noted the pointed nature in her voice. She was much more brass than he was, it would seem, though he could appreciate that in an individual. Still, it was a trait that often led to trouble, as the previous day’s events had proven. She brought up valuable points, but all they could do was speculate until they arrived in the station. If nothing else, Tavarius had more than enough energy left in him to scale an attack if needed, but he knew Alexandra was probably quite exhausted from the previous day still. “I understand your worry,” he finally mentioned once she had concluded. He, too, felt the same sense of dread building in his chest, aggravated by the knowledge that there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.


The train ride, however, was pleasant. Alexandra was sociable and he enjoyed their meaningless conversation about nothing of any importance. It gave them some normalcy he supposed, and make them look more human. Aside from the one gentleman, no one really paid them any mind at all. Even the attendant, who strolled by with refreshments and snacks for sale, didn’t pass them a second glance as she droned on through a long and boring shift at work. He gave the mysterious gentleman a quarter of his attention, occasionally passing a lazy look in his direction, but never once changed his expression. If he was a hunter, Tavarius didn’t want to give-away the fact that they were on to him. Hunters were dangerous creatures, but they were even more dangerous when they felt as though they were being ascertained. Lacing his fingers together across his left knee, he offered Alexandra a pleasant smile, talking in response when she did, but otherwise remaining quiet.


In due time, the train rolled into station and gave off a heavy puff of steam like it was sighing out of exasperation. Its whistle sounded and the doors were opened. Getting up, Tavarius followed her out of the train, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he kept a wary, blue-eyed gaze into the crowds around them, though, like her, he had also lost track of the man in the throngs of people. It wasn’t surprising though, seeing as the platform was buzzing with life. Trains were coming and departing, people walking in every which direction, all jostling together like blood cells in a vein. Bumping his shoulder up against Alexandra’s so not to lose her, he nudged her in the direction of the stairwell leading from the platform to the street.


“A friend of Olympus’s is in France for the next few weeks on… business,” he explained, deciding that saying business was a bit kinder to the public than saying something along the lines of ‘oh, he’s helping recruit an army of followers for a rebellion of the Acerbus’ because that just sounded crude. “He offered to let us stay in his flat in the meantime. That will give us some time to sit down, figure out what we’re going to do, get our energy up, and regroup a little,” he explained. While he was excited to be touring on this mission, they hadn’t a whole lot planned, and he figured they could use some time to sit down and hash things out if they were ever going to properly operate like a team.


He nodded once more when he heard her comment about having lost sight of the man, “As have I,” Tavvy agreed, “Come on, let’s get moving. Perhaps he’s lost us, as well,” though that seemed incredibly unlikely. Still, that didn’t stop him from heading off briskly in the direction of the flat he had visited once several months back.

 

[TheDragonMoon]

Alexandra nodded mutely to what Tavarius said, while at the same time trying to get out of the way of people exiting off the train. Without anything else to say, Tavarius strode off to presumingly the direction of the flat. Again, Tavarius seemed to know where he was going with great confidence, so she ended up following him without a word in objection. Alexandra couldn’t wait to relax for a little bit and regain her energy in this place that Tavarius had planned out for the both of them. Now that she knew what Olympus looked like, she could hardly wait to see a friend of his. What type of Acerbus he would be (she assumed he must be one). How they would get along. She better not make a fool out of herself when they first meet. She hated to leave a crummy first impression.


Alexandra kept looking behind her as they left the train station. It was mighty nerve-wracking that the man could pop out of any corner, any alleyway. But, the further they went away from the train station her fears dwindled down into nothingness. Seems like the man wouldn’t be bothering them anytime soon, but they of course still should keep their guard up. She knew Tavarius probably would be alert as ever and she would be too. Besides, there could always be other hunters and enemies around them just as they were walking down the streets. You never knew. Since it was late in the afternoon, people were all over the place, trying to get from their job back to their home. With the crowds, it would be difficult to spot the two lone Acerbus traveling along, even with a trained eye.


With that being said, there was hardly any concern with being tracked down as Tavarius swiftly pushed his way through milling people that reeked of sweat and oil. Even though this city was obviously less busy than London, pollution still filled the air and people were everywhere. It seems to Alexandra that the people were just everyday workers that got decent pay, had a few children, and had some joy in their lives. How nice it would be to just be a normal human that didn’t have to watch to their back every single second of their life. Perhaps in her next life she could be happy and carefree, but in this one, she had long given up on that ideal. A person bumped into her, stirring her from her thoughts. The cloaked person whispered a curt apology and then went on their way. Up ahead, she saw that Tavarius was in front of a small flat that was very much reminded her of the way Olympus’ house was, but less so. They were in the poorer part of town, with shady people hanging out in the shadows, and stray animals about. The house looked like it had stood there for a couple centuries and then some. At least there weren’t too many holes in the walls. Tavarius rapped his knuckles on the nearly broken door.


A skinny, middle-aged man swung up the door with a glint in his eye. When he saw Tavarius, his face lightened and he let out a greeting. Then, he turned his judging, blue eyes onto Alexandra.


Looking at him with a whisper of a smile, she introduced herself to him, “I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but I’m Alexandra: the soon-to-be member of this organization. Nice to meet another person that’s willing to be a part of this one way or another.”


He looked at her again, then grunted for the both of them to come in. The first thing that Alexandra noticed was that the place was fairly drafty as she walked in through the door. After that, she saw the stark contrast between this place and the way Olympus lived. There were no decorations of any kind, the air had a certain chill to it, and no warm fireplace to be seen. She shivered as she walked around aimlessly through the small living room. Alexandra supposed that it was at least better than sleeping outside.


“Thanks for letting us stay here, by the way. Just great. Well,” Alexandra announced, “if you don’t mind me, I’m going to recharge my elemental energy in the other room, so please don’t bother me. It’s been a long couple days.”