The Forsaken Art

Jessie sat, on her small things of blankets by the fire. She couldn't`t sleep but the fire felt warm and comforting. She had left her mom a note, hanging on a mirror, and had ran off with the railroad. She wondered how long her moms business would take this time and if she`d ever see the note. They had moved in the cover of the night, and taken the ferry to Napples. Thankfully some of the Ferry workers are core friendly. they had came into the contacts house through the back door.. making sure no one saw them come in. From what Jessie could tell the contact was a writer, she had seen some papers and pens strewn around while, they were eating there milk and bread for the night. jessie looked around, at the people who had came with the railroad and sighed, as she glanced at the stair well that would led up stairs, where the contact would be at the furthest end in her bedroom. In the morning they would be taking a train to Rome, and being put into a safe house if all went well. Normally they move at night, but they had to move with the Czars death.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Carl had taken her down to see his contact in Napples, and had set things u, Carl had walked Zelchys home and now slept in bed, after making sure he had everything ready for the new railroaders coming his way in the morning.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep.

She moaned and turned over onto her other side. Just a few more minutes... she was just going to enjoy the rest she got. It was so relaxing, the fluffiness of her pillows and the softness of the bed, the sound of running water and the slightly warm air. Jaide's eyes snapped open.

Running water?

She looked down and realized she was no longer in CORE. Gasping, she scrambled to get out of the bed. She looked down and noticed she was wearing a very light white nightdress. It plunged low to show a bit of cleavage and had no sleeves. The dress reached the lower middle of her thighs. Jaide growled and pulled at it. By trying to make it reach farther, she wound up showing more of her chest. Angrily, she kicked at a dresser and shouted, demanding to know where her clothes were.

As she tilted her head back, she noticed a fine blue mist on the ceiling. It swayed back and forth. It seemed to notice Jaide watching it and boldly began to descend towards her.

Her shade whispered in reverence, Magic...

Jaide looked at the mist curiously, reaching up to touch it. It shuddered and then disappeared. Furrowing her brow, she looked around the room for it.

Her eyes landed on the bed and she screamed, jumping backwards.

"Cress!!" She exclaimed. She manipulated the shadows and suddenly they shot up her, covering her skin in darkness.

-=-=-=-=-

Asinoir groaned and opened his eyes. He instantly felt the pull towards the blue mist hovering above him. There was a sort of recognition between the two of them, even if he only caught a small glimpse.

"Magic," He said as if he was greeting a human being. The blue mist swirled around before flying upwards. Asinoir rubbed at his head and exited his room, looking for his wife.

Jessie woke up expecting to see Dustin the paper boy who had taken her to the railroad putting out the fire, as the others eat a meager breakfast of milk and bread, with the contact before boarding a crowded train to Rome. Jessie though excited to see the world, and meet Core and make a difference was not excited to waking up to as small worthless breakfast and being shoved out onto the lowest class car of a train first thing in the morning, and then smuggled to a safe house while making sure no one tried to kill them. She slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see the side of the brick and motor fire place. Yet instead she saw a blue mist swirling around a ceiling. This cause every being in Jessie`s body to shoot awake. She instinctively shot up, in bed and saw that her cloths had changed. She was wearing a betufil red dress, that didn`t mind revealing a little cleavage. She let out a loud gasp, she loved red dresses but never got the chance to wear them. She got up and twirled around a little bit feeling the dress move around her legs. She stopped in front of a mirror and moved her hand to touch her wet white hair. It was as if she had showered and washed the die out, the shower back at home never worked, and see knew there was no showering in the contacts house, then something dawned on her. In a panic she rushed around the room looking for her bag and daggers but they weren`t anywhere to be found.
.................................................................................................................................................

Carl woke up, and saw a blue mist moving around the ceiling, "Magic." Whispered Agrongouis the dragon spirit that Carl harbored with in. Carl woke up and found a fresh thing of ale by his bedside.

"These people know me." He muttered as he left the room to figure out where he was.

Trent awoke in a start. His dreams had been filled with nightmares, death, screams of terror. He felt his heart pump rapidly, and wiped the sweat from from his forehead. Just then, he noticed his surroundings. His armor was gone, replaced by a red cloth shirt, and jeans. "What the..." He looked around.

All he saw was white, the floors, the walls, the ceiling, everything but his clothes, and the furniture. His face contorted into a scowl, closer examining the ceiling, and noticing a faint blue mist. "That must be... Magic..."

He quickly jumped out of the bed, looking around for his armor, weapons, and supplies. He found no trace of it. He let his anger boil for a while, and then finally shouted out.

"Where the hell is my stuff?!"

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

Ryuga slowly woke, leaning forward, and looking at his surroundings. He saw white , and his clothes where replaced with the same clothing as Trent had received. It seemed he had been abducted, and sent here against his will. He saw a blue mist from the corner of his eye, and nodded. "Magic... That's about right... Of all the times I've been abducted... This is the weirdest..." He silently said to himself.

Jack's head was swimming in his usual dreams. One minute he was a child, playing with a knight, the next, the shadow coming towards him from the sky, the next, his blade at the throat of someone he thought he could trust with his life...

His eyes flicked open, and he looked up. To his shock, he realised that he was somewhere else. This wasnt where he had fallen asleep, he was sure of it. And as he looked down, he noticed that the clothes that Jaide had given him seemed to fit just fine now.

He paused for a moment, trying to think about what was going on. Until finally, he spoke.




"How much did i drink last night?"

Zelcys woke up in a slight daze but immediately realized the bed and surroundings were foreign. They didn't smell of her.

She launched out of the bed and hissed at the empty room before looking up, seeing a blue mist for a moment. She swiped a paw at it and it seemed to leave her, "If that's Magic then... it's fucking perverted, doing things to a naked girl as she sleeps..." She moved to the door and opened it in time to hear a muffled scream of a name she recognized.

She smiled, "Well well..." She purred softly, closing the door and walking down the corridor and pausing part way down, turning in time to see Asinoir leave a room. her ears flicked and and she harrumphed, "What's a git like him doing here?" She muttered to herself.

Crest awoke to the sound of a woman yelling. "What?" He noticed he was no longer in his kitchen. Instead he was laying in a soft bed in a large outdoor oasis. He climbe out of bed and stood. His manaflayer was nowhere to be found. "I guess I'll just use my fists." However try as he might, he could not ball his hands up. "FUCK IT! I'LL JUST SLAP A BITCH!" Then he realized where the yelling was coming from.

Standing next to the door was a wide-eyed and half-naked Jaide. She was wearing a very revealing white dress and made some some poor attempts to cover herself. He picked up a blanket and handed it to her. "Yo. Uh.... have any idea where the hell we are?"

Sylas moaned softly as he awoke, a headache pounding in his mind. As he lifted himself up his wing brushed against something fleshy... it sure as hell didn't feel like someone he knew. His gaze turned lazily to one side and his eyes widened.

He didn't have a hangover yet he was in a strange bed with a woman he'd never seen before. he glanced up and frowned at the retreating blue mist, "Very funny, Magic..." He said quietly before turning to get a better look at the woman he'd woken up next to, trying to figure out whether he actually knew her or not.

After a moment, Jack got up, and walked over to the door. Opening it and stepping outside.

Jaide growled as her shadows faltered in Cress' presence. Damn paladins. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around herself, a little bit in a better mood because she was decent again.

He asked her a question she didn't know an answer to, not really. The sound of running water reached her ears and she walked over to a window, pulling back a hospital white curtain. She blinked a few times, a thick fog filling the air and making it difficult to see. There was a sort of warmth coming from the window as she put her finger against the glass.

She was quiet for a few moments before her shade nearly screamed at her in glee, HOT SPRINGS!

Wincing, she rubbed at her temple and looked at Cress, "I guess it's a hot springs? What the hell are you doing here? Why the heck am I here?" She asked, a few questions rambling off in her mind. She patted herself down, "And where the fuck are my weapons?" She marched over to the dresser and opened up every drawer. They were filled with clothes but nothing metallic and sharp, much to her chagrin.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Asinoir saw a cat woman walk by that seemed vaguely familiar. He figured there was something strange going on. It felt so similar... like there was a peace that washed over him. He didn't trust it. He wanted to do something, anything, but he was so relaxed it was nigh impossible. He decided to try to find his family and ensure their safety first. He had a feeling, though, that they would be just fine in this anti-violence environment.

"YOU!" Screamed someone from behind him, making him jump. He turned around and his jaw dropped at the sight of three very familiar figures. The chubbiest had her meaty finger pointed towards him and he took a precautionary step backwards.

"I wememberr you!" She shouted again, wagging that fat digit as she stalked towards him, "PG! Wememberr keep all acts PG!"

Asinoir sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "I'm a married man, lady. I can touch my wife if I want to. Besides, you don't have much power around here. You should know that already," He said, flashing them a charming grin, "If people want to fuck, they'll fuck."

Screeching as if the swear word burned their ears, the three women plopped their hands over their ears, turning bright red in either rage or embarrassment. Asinoir wasn't sure.

"I keep one eye open on you!" Swore the one. Shaking his head, he watched with skepticism as they walked away, sure to run into another unsuspecting member. The question that rang out in his mind was, "Who the heck paid for all this?"

Ret awoke alone and knew the cause in an instant, "Could've asked, Magic..." She whispered reverently, "But I'll not question your judgement..." She then turned towards the door and, forgoing clothes for her spirit form as she walked out. A soft smile as she remembered the scents of the hot springs was soon broken by the very voices she hated to hear.

Seeing one of them approached to try and warn her about something she just said, "Shut the fuck up Eujars before I blow your goddamn head off. I hear a peep from my kids about either of you bothering them and you're dead, got it fuckface?" She then walked past the diminutive woman and straight towards her husband, from behind, wrapping her arms around his Torso and grinning, "Where where you when I woke up, honey~?"

Lauren however opened her eyes, seeing something different but really didn't care... her night was plagued by nightmares of the previous day and she just rolled over in her barely awake stupor, her left arm brushing past James' fur as she also curled up, emitting a small murr as she tried to get back to sleep.

"I guess you don't know how hot springs work. They don't allow weapons here. It takes away from the atmosphere." He walked over to the door and wrenched it open. Immediately Cress was hit by a blast of hot air... and another, more peculiar sensation. He felt something tugging him towards Jaide. He was mesmerized by what he saw.

Her clung to her back, along with the blanket. Ever curve and detail was outlined by the thin fabric. It stirred something inside him he hadn't really felt before. "I... uhh... ummm.." He stammered for a bit, hoping she hadn't noticed him staring. He rushed into the other room where the sensation got stronger.

"It's a private one. Whoever set this up is rich as fuck." He looked at her through the window. "If you.. uhh... maybe wanna get in, I won't look." He slipped down into the water, hoping to hide his embarassment.

Jaide blinked confusedly at Cress' strange reaction. She walked over towards where he went, to the private hot springs, and immediately felt the blanket stifling her. It was humid and hot and the blanket was too warm. Jaide looked between Cress and the hot springs, confused by his erratic behavior. For a guy trained to be cool in any situation, he sure was acting... funny.

He got into the hot springs but Jaide couldn't find it within her to follow. She did, however, step into the room without actually getting into the hot spring. She noticed how he was automatically at ease and, once again, became flustered by that.

"I don't think I'll be getting in right now..." She said, fidgeting with the blanket. It was way too hot in here. "I need to figure out what happened to my people. Plus, I'm wearing white," She said, smirking at him. She turned around and sent him a wink, "You're getting a bit ahead of yourself, Sir Paladin."

She exited the hot spring and dropped the blanket on the bed. She tried to fix the dress but it was to no avail. She opened up a few drawers and found a baggy t-shirt, obviously meant for the larger Cress. She shrugged and put it over her head. She looked ridiculous with the baggy t-shirt and the short length dress but she figured that would be better than the alternative.

-=-=-=-=-

Asinoir smiled down at his wife, hugging her back as if she was his lifeline. "I love it when you're aggressive," He said with a grin, "Do you remember the last time we were somewhere here?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. "As soon as we find the kids, I'm going to want an encore."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

James woke up with a start as something brushed next to him. He turned and nearly jumped out of his skin seeing both his sister and himself in their Mana Spirit forms. She tried to go back to sleep but something was off. They definitely weren't in CORE anymore. Gently, he shook her and tried to wake her up, "Lauren," He whispered, "You need to get up. C'mon sis."

Ret giggled, "I'm a little hungry, Asi~" She said, kissing his neck as one of her hands ran down his side, "Knowing them if they're in trouble we'll hear of it in an instant~"

Lauren murmured and shifted... then the alien surroundings hit her, "What the-!?" She exclaimed in surprise, "Wh-where are we!?

Cress watched Jaide through the small opening of the doorway. He couldn't help but look at her glorious behind. He sighed and closed his eyes, attempting some sort of state of relaxation. When he couldn't even do that, he pulled himself out of the spring and walked back into the room. "I never said with your clothes." He whispered, leaning in close. He could feel the love drugs taking over his body as he reached out to stroke back her hair, then brushed his hand against her forearm. "So lovely..." He whispered under his breath then stepped back towards the door.

Jenna slowly woke up. Oddly enough, she didn't even remember getting into bed after spending the entire night practicing the new technique. Too bad it didn't work.... Something seemed a bit odd, but she didn't care. The sheet felt good against her bare skin. Nice and slightly warm, unlike the light magic she normally wore. A slight squeak escaped her as she tried to pull the cover over herself a little better, but something seemed to be weighing down the other end.

Wait, where was she? Jenna completely woke up with a gasp as she rolled off the bed as fast as she could, taking the sheet with her! In her supprise, she couldn't focus on making an outfit and instead just covered herself with the blanket and backed herself up against the wall. "What the fuc- who the heck are you!?!?"

The man who was in the bed with her was- actually, not that bad looking from what she could see. Jenna turned her head a little, realizing what must have happened. "If you drugged me for sex, you've picked the wrong person to mess with mister!"

Jack walked around the building, bewilderment on his face.
"Er...hello? Anyone here? Jaide? Aldron? Amanda? Shapeshifter people?"

Jaide would, in the future, refer to this moment as a momentary lapse in judgment due to shock. When Cress approached her, Jaide's entire being became very aware of where he was and the fact he was a man and she was, indeed, a woman. His fingers stroked back her hair and she just barely ignored the urge to lean into his hand. As those fingers trailed downward and rested on her arm, a pleasurable shiver wracked over her body. She felt so different, so feminine. It was nice to be recognized for being a woman rather than a fighter. To have callous hands caressing her smooth skin. To be desired.

She didn't realize she had closed her eyes until he stepped away and she snapped them open. A blush worked its way up to her cheeks and she found it impossible to meet his eyes. There was something in the air messing with her brain, she was sure of it. There was no other reason she could possibly just have the reaction she did. She couldn't even form a coherent sentence before she ran towards the exit door, wrenching it open with a force she didn't know she had, and ran barefooted out into the hall. She slammed it behind her and leaned against a wall, her breath coming in short pants.

What the hell was that?!

"Anyone... here... Jaide?" Jaide heard a familiar voice and her knees nearly buckled in relief. She ran towards the source of the sound and nearly collided with Jack. Uncharacteristically, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Jack! You're okay! You're here!" She said. She seemed to realize what she was doing and furrowed her brow, letting go of him. What the heck was wrong with her?

-=-=-=-=-=-

Asinoir licked his lips in anticipation, "They'll probably call us to clean up the mess they made," He said, his voice thick with lust, "C'mon, Princess, let's sate that appetite of yours."

-=-=-=-=-=-

James was looking around, trying to answer his sister's question. He looked down and realized he was in a pair of flannel pajamas with a white t-shirt over top of his chiseled chest. He jumped from the bed and looked around for a weapon of any kind he could use. Deciding the lamp in the room looked good enough, he grabbed it and stood in front of the bed, "I don't know..." Was his small reply, staring at the door as if it were going to turn into a monster, "But I'll find out. You wanna come with or did you wanna stay here?" Silently, he wished she would come with. He couldn't protect her if he wasn't around her.

"What the..."
Jack's face did a surprisingly accurate impression of a tomato as Jaide hugged him. For some reason, he was tempted to hug her back, but managed to stop himself.

"What the hell was that?"

"Um...hi." he said. "im glad to see you...i mean, its good to see you...erm...i meant, you look...er...how are you?" he finished.

What on earth was wrong with him?

Apparently being tongue tied was in the air as well.

"I'm hor--" Jaide stopped herself, her eyes going wide. What was about to come out of her mouth?! "I mean, I'm a little freaked out. I woke up and I was here. I'm guessing that's what happened to you? I saw a blue mist... and then..." Jaide rambled, shaking her head, "It doesn't matter, we need to find the others and figure out why we're here and how the heck to get out of here..."

"There's something seriously wrong with this place," and with me she mentally added.

Sylas tilted his head and sighed, "I hope this is a ruse..." He muttered before saying, "My name is Sylas Cumaltim and I have no idea how I got here either." He said, "For all I know we could have been pulled into a living deck of cards and force to become farmers skilled with a sword!" Then he looked around, "Then again... that's highly unlikely."

He shrugged, "Now that I've said my name, my I know the name of the beauty cureently wrapped up in sheets?"

Jack nodded. And without thinking, in a move he would later swear blind was to reassure her, put his hand on her shoulder.
"You sound worried. Calm down, then we can decide what to do. We wernt far from one another, maybe the others are near too."

Jaide nodded, absentmindedly putting her hand over his on her shoulder. She seemed to have realized this and looked down, blinked a few times, and then jumped backwards. She broke the contact and frowned, realizing how warm his hand was and now her shoulder was cold. She pitifully resisted the urge to smack herself. It had to be that time of the month or something. It just had to be!

"I don't have any weapons," She said suddenly, changing the subject and changing her train of thought, "We should stay together though. If we get separated there's no way to contact each other," She said, starting to walk down the hall.

"Jack..." Her voice was small, lacking the confidence she had before, "I saw Cress here. The Paladin. There may be others from the New Republic. We should keep to ourselves as much as we can," And maybe I'll be lucky enough to not run into him and get all weak-kneeed and girly...

Jack blushed again, but managed to compose himself this time.
He nodded at the sticking together part, but when he heard the paladin's name his eyes narrowed. He said nothing about it though.
"Ok. Where should we go?"

Jenna finally got a good look at the man. He seemed to have four arms, wings, and a tail? How the heck did that happen? Was he a shapeshifter as well? For a moment, she wanted to try and make wings... then she remembered what was going on!

She held the sheet around her with one arm, for good measure, and tried to form a degger with the other! And yet, it didn't work. She tried again and again, but couldn't create a weapon. Did this man have a Manaflayer? If so, then she wouldn't be able to form an outfit with light magic, either.... Just who was this guy?

"I'm Jenna...." She blurted out, unsure exactly how to react. A calming feeling came over her as she examined the intresting person that thought she was beautiful. Tilting her head to the side slightly before literally shaking herself out of the sensation. "You didn't, well, do anything... did you? While we were in the bed together, I mean."