The Chosen

"There's nothing wrong with being gay, ya know," Vera said, gently pressing her finger against Cyrus' nails to check their dryness, "Unless, of course, that bomb of yours is located up your..."

She paused and looked around, blinking a few times, "Where'd Vivien go?"

You've gotta be kidding me.

Her voice was irritated, if not flat. "Vivien Valentine. Know what you remind me of? A lost puppy. Quit following me." She was already in an off mood due to everything that had happened, and she didn't feel like dealing with a Romeo who probably did this to every girl he saw. She picked up her pace and reached Vera's door, opening it without asking.

"Back!" she declared loudly, though stopped. She walked in just as Vera made her comment about the bomb. She would have backed out slowly if not for Ash.

"Oh! There she is!" Vera said excitedly. She jumped up to greet her, made it halfway across the room, and then turned around and grabbed Cyrus' hand. She put his nails on display and asked, "See? Doesn't he look so pretty?"

"You missed so much! Cyrus is a bomb, not THE bomb but A bomb, we talked about homosexuality and..." Vera trailed off, "Actually, that's about it. Oh and he doesn't wanna talk about his feelings. You know how guys are," She said, waving her hand as if brushing it off, "They're always all, 'I wanna put my wee-wee in your mouth,' and you ask, 'Well do you love me?' And then they get all, 'I'll love you if you put my wee-wee in your mouth!' And then you smack them across the face and castrate them cause they're jerks."

She then patted Cyrus on the head, "He's a minor so he knows he doesn't have a chance with me but if he tries it on you, you tell him that I told you..." She then looked at Cyrus, "Well actually, he's right here so I'll just say it," She wagged her finger at him and said, "You break her heart and I'll break your head! And the one on your shoulders too!"

She then seemed to do a one eighty with her attitude and smiled innocently at Vivien, "So, how did it go?"

"Ge! I don't wanna put my wee-wee in anyone's mouth!" Cyrus said. He was freaked out about what Vera said about everything. She was crazy.

"Vivien, I do NOT want to put my wee-wee in your mouth!" That felt weird to say.

She turned crimson red. "...NEW SUBJECT. Nice...nice nails, Cyrus! Y-you still need to do mine, Vera!" What had she meant, 'feelings'? Considering she'd told Link who her crush was, that made this even more weird.

If that was possible.

Maybe it would even be too much for Ash.

Alzack got to his feet and sighed, feeling a tad weaker.

Emily grinned at Raize, waving her sword at him threateningly, saming, "come at me!"

Link shook his head at his cousin's silliness, lying back on the grass to look up at the sky and try and find odd shapes.

David got a glass of water, and sat down, watching the fight. He hoped that they would be done soon, as he really wanted to test something out...

Vera had a mischievous smile spread across her face. It was too easy! They were just too cute and she couldn't resist teasing them just a little before getting down to business.

"Okie dokie, whatever you say Vivien," She shrugged and then patted a seat on the blanket, "C'mere and I'll do your nails! What did Alex want? Was he rude? He's usually not rude, usually that's Miles' job but I mean, Alex can be a bit overbearing if ya don't know him. Plus he sees you guys as expendable," Vera paused and looked between the two teens, "No offense. I think you guys are great. I mean, how many boys will let you paint their nails? Not many, that's for sure! That gives you a point in my book. And the fact that you," Vera looked pointedly at Vivien, "Aren't turning into a blubbering mess is a big plus too. I hate it when people cry. Their makeup runs and they look more like a KISS member than a human being. I mean, well, they're humans too but you know what I mean. I mean, maybe we haven't hit the blubbering stage yet. Maybe you're still in denial. There's still hope though! I'm pretty sure we need a bunch of you guys to get the Core going again," Vera babbled on and on, "But I swear if I hear you crying in the middle of the night I'll throw my pillow at you. And then I'll get up and get my pillow and go back to bed."

Vera inhaled deeply, her breath having been used up from all the talking.

She laughed, though spoke more under her breath. "Might have to do that a few times, then..." Then louder, "And he wanted me to fix that guy's suit...Janko, I think he called him. And he just walked away after I was in the kitchen. But really, I don't give a damn about him." She noticed the change in her own down and toned it down to keep the anger out. "And thanks, I guess. Definitely...haven't meant anyone like you, that's for sure."

She looked over at Cyrus quickly before at the ground. If he hadn't told her what he had, she probably WOULD be freaking out. More than she already was internally, anyway. She just hoped Hannibal would be able to play his part.

~

Raize smiled a little. "I appreciate the bravado, but that's not the point of this. You," he pointed his blade at her, "are going to attack me first. If I feel like you've got the hang of it, I'll switch from defense to offense and spar with you. But first I need to make sure you can swing a blade right and all that nice stuff. So, c'mon." He shifted his sword to a defensive position and got ready to block some blows. He was at least expecting her to have some power behind that energy.

~

"Maybe you should just sit down," Skyla sighed. "You tired yourself out, anyway. Might as well take a break."

"Yea, you're probably right…" Alzack sat and laid back on the grassy floor, gazing into the sky.

Emily only put on a more determined look, her smile not dropping for a second.

"Alright!" she said, gripping the slender blade in a one handed style, "here I go!"

With that, she advanced forward, swinging from the right, turning her body with the blow, letting her momentum carry her and the blade.

Link watched as Emily attacked, smiling to himself at his cousin's determination and going back to his cloud gazing.

Janko looked to the girl with out a word. He sat there for a full minute without say anything, then stood and walked over to her. He turned his back to the girl and knelt down. A small hatch opened on the back of his suit, exposing a small shard of dimly glowing rock. "I'm sure you know what to do."

She slowly made her way to Link, "So um.... What's up?" she said laughing slightly, "Kinda a dumb question, but it works!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ash let the girl go, because he didn't want to be a pain in the ass already, he just remained out the door though. He busted out laughing. He left after that and he was still laughing, he let out a yawn-sigh. And headed for his room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Few Weeks Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Raize looked over the group before him. It'd been one hell of a time training them, but in the end, he was pleased with all of them--definitely less worried than he was the first day he'd met them, if worried at all.

But that didn't mean they could let their guard down.

"Alright, obviously we can't hold this off any more. You all have control of your powers, and Skyla and I have taught you best we could about swordplay and whatever else it was you asked about. We're going to open a gateway back to the palace, but...You all need to understand something. I know it sounds grim. But there IS the chance you could die. But--that's why we've been training. In the end, those guys are no different than you--maybe a bit grumpier, but you're just as strong as they are. Also, remember Skyla and I , as well as a few others, will be there by your side. Don't be afraid, and don't back down."

He looked at each of them and folded his hands behind his back. "I doubt they will be expecting an attack now, so we may have surprise on our side. Just don't get careless. Are you all ready?"

~


Vivien stood by a glass-panned window, overlooking the city below. It was odd how she was a prisoner in what should have been her home. She'd been thinking about it a lot lately, but with each day that passed, it weighed more heavily on her. She felt like...she should be able to take care of herself--the people; the Core. Guilty, too. If she hadn't been caught, maybe the others could have prepared better. She was thankful she'd at least had Cyrus there over the week, though.

Cyrus.

She wondered where he was? I small frown pulled her lips down. She turned away from the window and let her eyes wander around. She hadn't really seen him that much that day, actually...

~

Miles smirked and crept closer to Vera. She scared easily sometimes--he was hoping this was one of those times. He was feeling a lot better since his rib had started healing, and that meant he could go back to his old tricks. Though maybe his more playful ones, since he was in a good mood.

Once he got close enough, he grabbed her, lifting her into the air and 'rawring' before spinning her into a circle. But after the twirl, he didn't let her down--just smirked at her.

"Miles is back!" he declared. "No broken bones here!"

Over the weeks, Hannibal had secretly trained Cyrus in hand-to-hand combat and swordplay. At night, of course, when everyone was asleep. Cyrus still walked with a limp and the cane. It appeared that his leg would never heal, scarred.

During the past weeks, Cyrus had lost his optimism and was now almost as serious as Hannibal. Seemed that hanging out with the old man rubbed into him.

They were currently in Hannibal's room, talking.

"I've been secretly going back to the others relaying info. Not much, though. But they plan to attack very soon now, so be prepared. You should go find Vivien and tell her," Hannibal said.

"Alright," Cyrus said. He exited the room and walked down the hall. He found Vivien in a room near a window. He walked over to her.

"How's it goin'?" he asked, "Hannibal said that the others are planning an attack soon. We have to be ready."

He put his arm over her shoulders and gazed out the window, "Beautiful, isn't it? And to think, if we succeed, you'll become the queen. And I'll be the royal adviser. That is, unless Hannibal takes back that position. It's all going to turn out fine, though, I'm certain of it."

Vera squeaked. Not like a hamster or a chipmunk, but more like an angry bird that just had a meal taken away. Which, basically, had just happened. She was getting ready to go to the kitchen and make herself some breakfast. That is, until some assailant came and tackled her from behind, swinging her around in an attempt to dizzy and confuse her, and growled menacingly. In her panic, she heard some sort of voice that sounded oddly familiar but it wasn't something she dwelled on for long.

Her little fists bunched up and she started swinging behind her as she was still in the air. She hit anything her hands could reach. Stomach, ribs, thigh, and groin. Without proper protection, none of them were... well... protected.

She paused. Wait a second. She was pretty sure this was vaguely familiar...

"Miles!" She suddenly exclaimed after being put down. She turned around and hugged him tightly, "I'd say I'm sorry for hitting you but really, you shouldn't sneak up on people! I kept saying, 'One day you're going to get hit in the face' but no one ever believes me! Well, I guess I didn't get your face but I definitely got some other sensitive areas," Vera let him go of her hug, "Are you hungry?" She asked randomly.

Link and Emily listened to Raize as he talked. Link wore the same longsword on her back from the day Raize had started her training, along with a bright yellow sundress, rumpled a little by the strap across her abdomen and shoulder, her hair in a braid that fell down her back, a few flowers added here and there. Link wore blue jeans, sneakers, a white t-shirt and his lucky leather jacket, having made a trip to his grandparents house as a training exercise in stealth. He had left a note, telling that he and Emily were alright, and explaining to the best of his ability about the disappearance of his bow. His fox ears twitched every once in awhile, and his tail waved back and forth casually. His hair had recently been shaved, cropped short to his head, and he had developed a beard, mostly to annoy his cousin who said it made him look too rugged and feral. He scratched at it now, wondering what would become of their group after all this was over.

She bit her lips, leaning against him. She'd been nervous about the inevitable fight, but hearing the news it was about to happen made her even more anxious. Besides...There were a few of these members she'd actually started to like. Especially Vera. Yeah, she was over the top and somewhat random, but Vivien thought she was hilarious. The first few days had been difficult, but...

"Do you think...we should tell Vera?" she asked him. She moved her head from his shoulder so she could look up at him. "She doesn't seem like she's completely on board with all of this, if you know what I mean...And man, don't even talk about that. I hope Hannibal does help me with that stuff, because I'm having issues picturing myself being someone capable of leading."

~

With a T-T face, Miles patted her back. "Shudda heeded your warning. But I was just so happy to be able to move around again." He stepped away and rubbed some of the places she'd potentially bruised. But before he could say he was fine, his stomach growled.

"...Guess I am," he laughed.

(*too lazy to put in OOC: I'll respond for Raize once some of the others reply first)

"Well," Cyrus said, "as the future Royal Adviser, I should answer that question, but I don't know. She does seem that way. We should probably talk with Hannibal about that, he has been a Royal Adviser a lot longer than I have been."

Alzack sat by looking on at the group he housed and looked up into the sky into a soft daydream.

Vera grinned sheepishly up at Miles, "I'm glad you're feeling better though. You walked like Hannibal for a while!" Vera said, hunching over and hobbling mockingly. She giggled and then started walking normally. Well, her version of normal.

They made their way into the kitchen and she stopped suddenly. She looked around for listening ears and her face turned very serious, "It's been a while since we required without asking the two kids. You think Alex is going to do... something? Anything? I'm boooooored!"

Ash chuckled, "Hey there sleeping beauty! How are ya' feeling?" he said with a grin.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cel smiled, "So, are we going to attack?"

Link smiled at Celestine as she spoke, turning and saying, "appears that way. Me, I can't wait to bash that bastard with the scythe who killed Savir and his sisters by crushing the cafe."

Emily on the other hand was distracted with a butterfly, and she gently began to sing, a tuneless sort of melody, just for the sake of using her voice.

Janko stepped knocked and stepped into the room where Cyrus and Vivien stood. His newly updated suit gleemed black with an evil intent. "Milady, I have been asked by Lord Alexander to escort you to the dining hall." In truth there was no such order, he had just been wanting to keep spend a bit of time with her. She was after all the only reason he was still useful.