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Grimm Nights [IC | PG-16 | Started | NA]

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Once upon a time...

Four simple words that take you into a world of the unimaginable. Those words bring you into your favorite stories of brave knights, beautiful damsels...and terrifying monsters...

How the knights and brave heroes would rescue the fairest of maidens from the dark and evil clutches of the monsters that held them captive. But...could these stories, these tales...could they be false?

What if...the monsters that we shunned in our favorite stories...what if they were truly the heroes? What if they were the ones to save humanity or the fair damsels from danger?

A strange possibility this would be...but it shows a new door...one that you need only say four simple words to journey through:

Once upon a time...

Opening


Three years ago - Farway

Prologue

The sounds of the two of them running and the whipping winds within the forest could be heard around them, but over the sounds of this...the faint sounds of shouting could be heard. He knew the sounds...a mob, bloodthirsty and awaiting the chance to finally get rid of this horrid beast…

“Alexandre...Alexandre...I can’t continue.”

The young man, whom had two horns protruding out from his brown hair stopped suddenly, looking at the young woman who’s hand he held. Alexandre Roi looked puzzled, trying to catch his breath some. “I-Isabella...what are you saying? M-Maurice is holding them off...he told us to run...”

“I-I’ll slow you down...Jaeger or not, you have your limits.” Isabella explained, looking away from Alexandre, who now began to hold both her hands. “You have to flee Farway without me...Vincent won’t harm me. It’s you he’s truly after.”

Damn you...damn you to hell, Vincent Dion… Alexandre thought, cursing the human who was hunting him. He sighed greatly, before beginning to gently squeeze Isabella’s hands. “...promise me you’ll stay safe.”

“I shall, so long as you promise me the same.”

Alexandre nodded, releasing her hands before reaching in his pockets and handing the young woman two objects: a key and an old hand mirror. “I took these on the way out...I want you to have them.” he began, first handing the key over. “Maurice told me...it was the Roi’s duty to care for the roses here in the castle’s secret garden. Vincent is an imbecile...he won’t find it, as long as you have this key. Please take care of them in my stead...” Finally, Alexandre handed over the mirror. “...a family heirloom. It’s a special mirror...just say what you want to see...and you’ll see it. It’s...a way to look back...”

Isabella took these things humbly, bringing both close to her heart. “Very well. I’ll hold onto these for you, Alexandre...”

“Farewell, Isabella Candice...” Alexandre said, slowly turning away from the young woman, rushing forward to leave Farway and it’s border.

“...farewell, Alexandre Roi...” Isabella choked out, trying to be strong as she too ran off, in the opposite direction back towards Farway.

Neither one saw the other’s tears, save for Isabella who used the mirror to see the Beast one last time...


Present day - Tower of Babel

Rise and Shine

Alexandre shot awake from that memory dream sequence, hearing the usual sounds of the “alarm” that A.R.C.H. had set in place for a good portion of it’s workers. Unfortunately, his hearing was a bit sharper than a human’s...so this actually hurt him a lot, as it was another morning that he found himself rolling right off his bed and clutching his ears.

...I swear...to god...Jekyll just loves torturing someone like me at this point, doesn’t he…? Alexandre thought, muttering as he slowly got up once the alarm had subsided. And from once there was the blaring sound of whatever that alarm was, a voice was heard.

“Good morning. This is Professor Eric Jekyll. I request that A.R.C.H.’s little group of Jaegers that we’ve procured please meet in the briefing room.”

The horned young man sighed, rolling his eyes slightly. Another debriefing and meeting, but this was the third one this week. And who knows how many they’ve had as he just recently arrived here not too long ago, while the others, they’ve probably been there much longer. He was the newbie, so he would be odd man...er...Jaeger out. However, the briefings before were individual, this one now...it sounded like the Professor wanted everyone there.

Maybe this time he’s actually got something for us… Alexandre thought, getting himself dressed and ready, already walking out of his room. Then again, "us" was relative...this would be the first time he'd actually SEE any of the others.


OOC:

Spoiler

Welcome one and all, to Grimm Nights! We’ve finally made it and guess what, it’s finally time for this to kick off!!

Bit of information for you on this, yes you all have already been established in A.R.C.H. by Prof. Jekyll, so at this point you’ve already been drafted and given an ultimatum by him. Now, just HOW that happened, well I’ll let you describe that and possibly show it in flashback. Note that you’ve been here for roughly a month, or half in some cases. The most recent Jaeger to be selected by Jekyll is Alexandre, so please keep this in mind. If you need Jekyll’s assistance and dialogue for that, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Further, all you need to do is get to the briefing/conference room as instructed. Will there be interaction between characters happening, that’s up to you, but I would strongly encourage it. After all, this will be the first time any of you have met one another. Prof. Jekyll and A.R.C.H. have given you each individual briefings prior, but today, the whole gang gets together. So don’t try and force an interaction/familiarity when you don’t know a person.

With that all said, once again: Welcome to Grimm Nights!

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A new day was dawning! With everything that had happened, what with meeting Professor Jekyll, being recruited into A.R.C.H. to help fight the good fight, and all the things leading up to that moment... it was strange to think that just a month ago she was still doing odd jobs that were still willing to pay a Jaeger for her services. And how had the good Professor recruited her again? Simple. Lucine was a mercenary, so when he told her the sheer size of the paycheck she could cash in upon completing this - her greatest contract - she signed up immediately, gold in her eyes and a bright future in her mind. Honestly, she would have just as easily done it for free if she believed in the Professor's idea enough. But still, joining this team to fight an ancient evil... it felt kind of like she was some storybook hero, didn't it?

Lucine tried to picture the aftermath of that. Little kids on the street playing pretend, where one gets to be her and the others are the Fahlyn she beat up.

...they're just too cute! Wait, that's not even the problem here! After getting herself dressed, Lucine started in the direction of the conference room. Along the way, she continued to ponder the implications of that scenario she'd pictured. I shouldn't be encouraging kids to beat each other up! But, I guess... kids will be kids, right? I would play rough with other kids all the time, too. If they didn't pretend to be me, they'd pretend to be someone else who also beat up the bad guys anyway. So I should be flattered if anything! Yeah! I'll have to make sure not to get a bad reputation during this adventure. I wouldn't want them to have a bad role model.

Right. Even if I'm going to help save the world, that doesn't mean I get to be a bad person while I'm doing it. I should keep doing good things for people like always and behave myself, and that should be good enough! I wonder if it would make Jaeger children feel any less insecure about being Jaegers? Maybe? I hope so. I'll have a positive impact on the world, and that's great. The money's pretty good too. I bet I could buy my own fishing boat with that kind of money...

...

...

...and so I'm forced to conclude that the best side dish for shark meat is something salty.

Wait, when did she get here? She was supposed to go to the conference room, so why was she in the kitchen? It must have been all that thinking about sharks. Well, while she was here... a quick meal didn't hurt, right? Lucine tied her hair back to avoid any getting in any of the food, and did some looking around. She wasn't the only one here, either. She'd have to grab something quick and be on her way. Something like... those bread rolls on an unattended counter! It technically wasn't stealing, right? Surely whatever else was being cooked in here was meant for the team Professor Jekyll had put together, so taking these wouldn't do anyone any harm.

Lucine grabbed the rolls, and just as suddenly as she'd realized where she was, Lucine left the kitchen.

Because of this detour, Lucine was the last of the Jaegers to arrive. With half of one of the bread rolls in her hand and crumbs from the remains of the other on her cheek, Lucine waved to the others assembled in the conference room, happily apologizing "Sorry I'm late! I got a bit lost on the way here." Lucine had never met these people before. They'd never met her. It was probably a good idea to introduce herself!

"My name is Lucine. It's nice to meet all of you!"

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The air was cold as night fell over the city, the rain lightly pouring from the sky. Everyone in the small village in Setsu was locked in their houses, afraid that another bandit attack would ravage the small village. Unbeknownst to them, however, they would never be bothered by the bandits again, all thanks to the stranger walking in the rain. The cloak covering his body was well worn, covered in signs of clumsy patch jobs. He might need a new one soon, but he knew he didn't have the money to get one, not when food was more important.

He found the tavern and entered quietly, the establishment empty, likely from the nonexistent threat of bandits. However, there was a man behind the counter, probably here to appease the bandits when they came. The stranger wasn't sure if he would be confused as such a bandit, but there was a surefire way to make sure he wasn't. He reached into his cloak, pulling out the last of his coin. He would have to find some sort of odd job to get his funds back up.

Of course, if he forced people to pay him for helping them, he would never have to worry about money again, but... that wasn't what he was here for. He wasn't someone that was worth showering with praises or money, which is why he didn't even tell the village he had saved them. They would find out when a brave soul ventured into the forest and find nothing but ashes at the old bandit fortress.

Placing the coins on the counter, he sat down in one of the seats, and soon he had a modest meal and a mug of alcohol placed in front of him. The stranger dug into the plate. He had to say, Setsu cooking was much more modest than back at his home country, but it still was delicious never the less. He took a swig of alcohol. He had hoped maybe this time when he took a drink he'd feel the burning sensation in his mouth and going down his throat. Perhaps this time his inhibitions would be released and he'd feel something.

Nothing.

The stranger looked down at his mug, looking at the contents and sighing to himself. Even the simple pleasure of alcohol didn't reach him any more. He reached back some and adjusted the cloak he wore, getting ready to leave.
 
"You know... it's rude to just leave." a voice said on the stranger's left side. The quiet man turned  as the gentleman began to pour him another drink. "Especially when you're being offered a drink. I must say, you are a difficult man to locate... Sieg of Epoch."

Sieg looked blankly at the man, processing what he said. How long had it been since someone called him by his name? How did he even know his name? "... Who are you?" He asked, watching the man pour the drink.
 
"Professor Eric Jekyll." he said with confidence, adjusting his glasses slightly. "I don't expect you to know me, but I do know quite a bit about you, Sieg. Befell a dragon and then bathed within its blood. A daring feat for one such as yourself."
 
Sieg snorted a little. "It wasn't as grand as you claim," He sighed as he took a drink. "Still, for you to find me all the way in Setsu... Well, you must either be a big fan or desperate for something,"

"Oh but of course it wasn't..." Eric adjusted his glasses again, a glare appearing across them. "...but that's what you want them to know..." A swift silence was met between them before he continued. "I want you, Sieg of Epoch, to join me and my organization. We specialize in keeping Grimm safe. And someone of your 'artificial' abilities could be needed."
 
"Keeping Grimm safe?" Sieg asked, his own eyes narrowing. "What, are you planning on taking on the other dragons? Lemme tell you from experience, don't. Can't guarantee anyone will survive, even with a supposed 'Dragon Slayer' helping you,"
 
"Perhaps, but perhaps you think too lightly of us." Eric only laughed. "But you think too small, or rather, only focused on just dragons. We are visionaries... we look towards the future, planning to keep Grimm safe no matter what sacrifices are made..." he stopped, giving Sieg quite the death glare.
 
Sieg paused, mulling over what he was told. "So, this isn't some fool's errand. You want to protect all of Grimm?" He looked down at his glass. "... That's quite a lofty goal... One I have to admit holds some appeal,"
 
"Indeed." Eric nodded, adjusting his glasses once more. "I figured someone of your nature would think so. So, do we have an accord, Sieg of Epoch?"


That was two years ago. Slowly but surely, the professor built up A.R.C.H., gaining new members and solving more and more problems. Sieg, however, hadn't actually met any of the new blood. He was often sent on months long missions, taking out things ranging from out bandit camps, to things like large monsters. It wasn't the safest of jobs, nor did it give him glory, but he didn't wish for either of those things. It was a honest living, and it kept him fed. 

Still, he was informed today was the day that he would meet the others that Eric had gathered. He would have to work in a team now. Would they know of him and his supposed feats? He hoped not. Could he even work with a team? He had never tried before, but he was going to be thrust into this with no prep. He only hoped he would do a good job.

The morning alarm didn't annoy him, after two years, it was something one got used to. He got out of bed, getting ready for the day. He paused before leaving however, and looked at his trusty cloak. He didn't need it. He was going to be part of this team, they needed to know what he was.

But...

Quickly, he threw on the cloak, covering his whole body and headed to the meeting room. It seemed that he was the first one there. He took his seat and quietly waited. Time to see what sort of people Eric managed to gather.

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FrogKing by inkescher

    A sound. A sound that meant it was time to wake up and face a brand new day of fun and games but there was something else today an announcement. Robin vaguely understood that his glorious presence had been requested in the briefing room.

    "So it's finally time!" He thought, his mind working at a crawling pace to wake up.

    As he literally drifted into consciousness, his body rising just above the mattress he'd been so generously provided, his yawns were stifled by the gag in his mouth, also generously provided. He glided over to his selection of outfits unsure of what to choose for today because of course clothing is just as important as choosing the right form to take and today was Robins chance to find a lovely new skin to slip into. Finally deciding on a formal blue tux he'd worn at one of his many weddings that was about three sizes to big he headed off, tipping his hat to the various employee's along the way.

    "This will be a wonderful day!" he decided, not content to the silent stroll his 'vocal restraint' forced on him but still wanting to play along for now. "The last time I got to play . . . I can't even remember when it was."

    Sifting through his memories Robin found a lovely young girl, no older than fourteen, and the name he'd taken from her. He also remembered what that name had cost him. Somehow they'd been prepared. Somehow they'd known he was coming. Somehow they'd caught him and thrown him in a filthy cage.

    A pink dress, that's what he'd been wearing that day. "P-please! I  wanna go home, I want my mommy and daddy!" His inflection was perfect, his expression heartbreaking, and yet no one heeded his cries. they simply continued preparing to search the wood for the very same young girl that was crying in a prison cell.

   That's when he showed up. The man approached Robin's cell with a look of satisfaction on his face. He examined the young girl, adjusting those glasses as if they actually might fall off his face. Robin was awestruck, he was the perfect thing to get out of his cage with.

    "A-are you gonna bring me back home?" He sniffled, drawing back to appear cautious of the man.

    "Not quite." That smirk, it was gorgeous, Robin wanted it. "I've come to offer a way out. As soon as they find her you'll be executed, now, I'd hate to see all that potential you have go to waste so I've worked out a little deal. I'll take you away from here, you get to live and nobody will ever be bothered by your antics again."

    Robin frowned, this game wasn't fun anymore. He returned to his own form, tearing at the seams of the now ill fitting dress. "I see. It would be an utter delight if you'd escort me then, but I feel we ought to get to know each other first." Robin extended his hand in a manner that could be seen as an offer to shake or a request to be handed something. "You may call me Prince Tricky Oberon, could I get you're name by chance?"

    Of course the man, whom he later found out was Eric Jekyll, had refused to say but that only made Robin want him more. When he'd arrived at A.R.C.H. he'd found it a bit cozier but not much different from the cell he'd been in before, he had a strict curfew, his food was delivered to him, he couldn't leave his room unless given permission, and of course there was the gag. It was definitely better than the alternative but it was dreadfully boring all the same.

    Robin was broken from his train of thought when a girl walked into the briefing room. he couldn't remember when he'd gotten there but he had all the same, gently floating just above his chair in a room of astonishing shapes to steal. He looked around and wondered what it would take for him to get each and every one of them only to be interrupted yet again by that same girl.

    "
My name is Lucine. It's nice to meet all of you!"

    "Not much I suppose." Robin grinned ear to ear behind his gag. "This will be so much fun!"

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Elsie had spent the night dreaming of clear skies and gentle breezes. Because that was what happened when you had a raven familiar. If it wasn’t a dream with ominous and foreboding portents of the future, it was a dream about flying. Corbin, of course, had the same dream, and if Elsie rotated her little subconscious point of view a little to the left, she could even see him soaring alongside her.

When the wake-up alarm went off, of course, everything came crashing back. Not literally, of course -- they always managed to wake up just before impact -- but they simultaneously snapped awake. Elsie even lifted herself straight out of bed and Corbin nearly fluttered right off of his perch. Still, Corbin at least managed to be chipper. “Good morning, Elsie! You want to, uh, you want to come down from there?”

“Guh,” Elsie said. What was good about mornings? Corbin- sure, ravens weren’t traditionally creatures of the night, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t too. They called the witching hour the witching hour for a reason, after all, and that wasn’t because the sun was in the sky when it happened. Still, she complied, lowering herself back down into her bed before sitting up and, you know, actually opening up her eyes. “Good morning, Corbin.”

Elsie’s waking-up process post-those initial moments was a little more involved than that, though it had much less that was worth recounting. That was the thing about routines -- the point of them was that they weren’t special. Corbin went through the process of preening himself while Elsie washed up and that was all that really needed to be said about that. The most involved moment was when they argued just how much she needed that little extra glamour.

“You’re fine,” Corbin said.

“I mean, obviously I’m fine, Corbin. That’s not the problem,” Elsie said. “But Jekyll said, ‘Jaegers’. As in plural. A plurality of jaegers. And if we’re meeting new people today, I need something that inspires that little extra awe, you know?”

Could ravens roll their eyes? Elsie wasn’t sure if they actually could, but occasionally out of the corner of her eye, she’d spot something from Corbin that looked not unlike an eye roll and then was one of those times.

“Do you think they were recruited like us? Or were they ‘recruited’?” Elsie mimed the extra quotes while cycling through potential options, finally settling on one that made her look just like herself, only, you know, better. A classic choice, if she did say so herself, and a good first impression.

“There was a rigorous application process, I’m sure. With only one or two flashes of violence,” Corbin said.

“Mm. Well, nobody we can’t handle,” Elsie said. “Not like we can’t handle just about anybody. Shoulder or broom handle?”

“Shoulder today, I think.”

Elsie offered her shoulder to her familiar and Corbin hopped right up her arm to perch right next to her face. She did a little twirl and a pose in the mirror, then nodded, confirming for the final time that everything was just so, and, with broomstick in hand, finally headed off. Inwardly, Elsie hoped Jekyll was serving breakfast at this announcement meeting, or at the very least, she didn’t want to show up at the kitchen later and find out somebody had poached all the rolls.

When Elsie reached the conference room door, she paused, not quite sure what to do. Or rather, she knew she had to cross the threshold, but she wasn't quite sure how to do it. How she should do it. She pondered aloud, “I was thinking some smoke leaking through the bottom crack and then the door creaks open to our silhouette and I say-”

Corbin quickly cut her off. “If I remember correctly, the last time you tried pyro we both agreed to never do pyro for our introduction again. And yes -- I see that look -- smoke still counts as pyro.”

Elsie pouted, though even she knew it wasn't a serious pout. “Alright, classic plan B then, huh?”

“Or you could open the door like a normal -”

But Corbin's protests came too late. She conjured up a little extra wind for dramatic effect and aimed her heel right beneath the doorknob…

...whereupon she bounced right off and collapsed in a heap, the door still stubbornly closed. “I think it’s a pull door, actually,” Corbin said. “It’d be hazardous otherwise, right? Plus, I mean, the hinges are on this side.”

Elsie so wished that she could smite her own familiar. She wondered if she’d also feel the pain or if he’d just broadcast his feelings to her of being in eternal torment. It would certainly be a step up from either two steps away from busting a gut laughing or a simple smug superiority. She settled for a “Hmph,” and readied herself for another go, this time throwing back the door and using the wind to carry it into the wall with as loud a BANG! as she could manage.

“Tremble, mortals! You are in the presence of an avatar of Hecate herself. Gaze in awe at her majesty! She, one-hundred-and-eighth -”

Elsie opened her eyes to an almost empty room. “Oh,” she said. Then, to Corbin, she said, “Do you think maybe you could tell me next time? You know I work better with a better audience. There’s barely enough people here to call it a crowd.”

Ravens couldn't shrug either, but Elsie was pretty sure she felt the essence of one coming from her shoulder. “You seemed pretty into it, and I didn't want to spoil your fun.”

Elsie suddenly realized that they’d probably heard her first attempt as well. She felt a blush on her cheeks but soldiered on anyway, even if soldiering on meant hurriedly walking over to a chair and sitting down. Corbin, for his part, hopped down off her shoulder and onto the table.

Elsie manged an, “It’s nice to meet you all,” and that was that.

Edited by radio414

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A deep sigh. A groan of frustration. How many miserably boring days had she spent here already Catriona thought to herself. She lay in her bed provided for her, tossing herself about every few minutes as if hoping to pull some form of entertainment out of the air. But there was nothing to be found here. Ever since that man, Jekyll he had called himself, had abducted her she'd had next to nothing to do. Agreeing to his deal seemed the fastest way to get back to the open air and yet here she'd been for weeks now. There was only so much a girl could take before acting out. She had settled on a position for the time being. Her stomach was on top of the mattress, legs in the air and kicking about, arms up and holding her head in a slightly raised position. Her ears and tail twitched about as she imagined what she might first do when she got out.

"I think I know just the thing..." Catriona mused aloud to no one but herself. Thoughts came rushing back to her last night of freedom.


It had been a night like any other. The King of the Cats had meandered into another small town, her beauty immediately attracting attention before her more animal-like traits changed the context of it. Having eyes trained on her was nothing new. She dressed to encourage it after all. She felt nothing off then when a particular set of eyes took special notice of her. It made no initial move and so neither did she. Catriona's movements were always whimsical in nature. The main place she wanted to go was the local tavern, ever a goldmine for one such as her.

Things started as they always did. Her entrance to the small establishment drew attention then disgust. But it was clear that at least for some, her being a Jaeger did little to subdue the raw sensuality of it all. Those who looked longest were the easiest starting points. She went and stood near one man who never once took his gaze off her while ordering a drink. The bartender started to raise an objection before the man she had her eyes on assured him it was okay.

"Aren't you the gentleman." Catriona teased as she sat beside him.

"No reason to deny spirits to a willing customer is all." the man returned, though unconvinced of his own words.

"Awfully dogmatic of you.." she replied, a smile curving the edge of her mouth every so slightly. Saying the dog word even as simply parts of other words always sent a shiver running down her spine. The movement of which the man seemed to notice. She wanted him to take in the image of her body. As her drink arrived the two continued to exchange small talk but what mattered to her was his gaze and where it went. She could tell she was slowly reeling him in. As tension continued to build she waited for the perfect moment to speak of love. Nothing so noble as a prolonged devoted relationship of course. No, she only ever had raw passion in mind when she spoke of it. Simply hearing the word wrapped the man around her finger and as she stood and teased him off to follow her the man escorted her to his home nearby. Catriona had experienced it all too many times before but the prospect of a new partner always had her excited. She had begun undressing when all at once the excitement stopped. Something had struck her neck. She reached and felt a dart which she grasped and removed. Already she could feel her sight wavering and her consciousness slipping.

"You..." she hissed at her would-be lover who seemed afraid of her now. She turned behind to see the outline of another man. One when she next awoke she would learn to be Jekyll.


"I'll go get him back." Catriona continued airing some of her thoughts to herself. Upon being informed of where she was and what A.R.C.H. was she was also informed she had been set up. Apparently her methods were well known and the man she had attempted to seduce had actually been paid off to assist in her capture at her most vulnerable. She had to applaud the effort really. It was so unlike her to get taken for a ride that it was almost refreshing. So she had agreed to humor Jekyll for outplaying her so thoroughly with the expectation of being released soon. All that said she still wanted to go back to that village and pay her dearly beloved another visit and claim her dues. Thankfully, the dear doctor's voice soon sounded calling for her and the others to gather together.

"Well it's about time!" she yelled as she darted to her feet. The cat woman quickly placed her shawl over her head and situated her sash about her arms and back before running off. It was only upon arriving in the conference room that she realized what the words spoken had meant. He had spoken of a group of Jaegers. Others like her. Another long sigh sounded as she reluctantly entered the room. Others had arrived before her and would trickle in as time passed. No doubt they too were bored out of their minds so there was little reason to dawdle. It was quite a varied group but then Jaeger came in all sorts of shapes and sizes just as humans did. Some of the other girls introduced themselves to the group while the men present either remained silent or in one case seemed incapable of speaking due to a gag in place. It was likely less fun than she was initially imagining. It still bothered her to even be here among so many other Jaeger but that seemed like little reason to refrain from playing her usual games. Lucine in particular seemed particularly worth teasing.

"My, my aren't you all just adorable!" Catriona said, layering as much sugar into her words as she could while approaching Lucine. "I didn't think Jekyll would be one to keep pets. Are you house broken yet little pup?" she continued while looking down what she could on the tall but still shorter than her wolf girl.

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He was swimming. The bluish-green water stretched around him on all sides, serene in its stillness, undisturbed by nearby beings. It was just him and the water. Letting himself sink down into the bottom of the lake, the boy stretched out his arms and trailed his fingers through the silt, watching the puffs of dirt obscure the view around him with idle boredom.

This is verra relaxin', he thought. Boot still, there's somethin'...missing. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, he just knew that something was. Some nagging feeling that told him he was forgetting something very important.

Or...someone?

At that, the memories came back, flooding through him like a wave. Of a girl...a betrayal...and a slaughter.

"Morning, sleepy head...time to get up."

The boy shook and thrashed, throwing up clouds of silt in the process. He had killed her...but he had no choice...but he had still done so. Bah mah oon hand did mah lady love die, he thought, gazing down at his palm. "Weel, actually mah teeth," he said out loud, and touched a finger to one of his teeth gently, feeling the rounded edge of a perfectly normal, human tooth. Except he wasn't human, but a Jaeger.

"I said it's time to get up! Rise and shine!"

"Boot ah'll be a hero," he mumbled, nodding. "Doesnae matter if ah'm human or Jaeger then."

"It's a whole new day full of opportunities and possibilities."

Smiling, the boy gazed upward, where he could see the blue of the sky, hazy though it was from his view at the bottom of the loch. He still felt like he was forgetting something, but at least--

"I said...WAKE UP!"

The boy jolted up with a splashing sound, arms flailing. "Huh?! Wha-wha-wha?!" His elbows crashed into something hard, sending a shudder through his entire body. Whimpering, he held his arm and glanced around. The wooden walls, the mirror hanging over the sink to the side, and the copper-colored bathtub he was lying in and had just knocked his arm against, complete with water...all of it took a minute for him to register and remember. "Oh aye...ah'm no in the loch nae more. Ah'm part of A.R.C.H. noo."

"You! Touch that snooze button and I'll rip off your..."

"Ooch, crivens!" the boy jumped again, slapping a hand on his face and blinking when it came away wet. Well, he had been lying in the bathtub after all. At first, it was because it was water, and as a kelpie, he was used to sleeping while submerged, but he'd found another use for it in the month or so he'd been here. Tha' piece o' shite alarm isnae nearly so lood un'erwater as 'tis above water. Still, he knew what it meant. It was the beginning of another day here at the Tower of Babel, another chance for him to prove himself as a hero.

Sitting up and unplugging the drain, the boy stepped out of the tub, ignoring his slight shivering as the air met his skin. He would dry off soon enough. They never kept it quite humid enough in the tower for his liking. He quickly approached his dresser, mouth quirked into a helpless smile as he scanned the clothes in front of him. It had been seven years now, and he still wasn't quite sure what to think of this "clothing" thing that human beings were so set on. Then again, he had spent most of his life without needing to wear much of anything.

But heroes needed clothing, he knew that much by now. After all, there was that one fairytale of the foolish emperor who had worn no clothing at all, and was humiliated by the crowd. He couldn't let himself be another emperor.

After choosing some suitable accoutrements, the boy finished preparing for the day and stepped out of his room, glass of water in hand in case he felt thirsty, and feeling refreshed and ready to face whatever awaited him. Up until he remembered exactly what awaited him. Hadn't that Professor Jekyll said something about meeting up? With other Jaegers? Gulping, the boy half turned around to go back inside, but stopped. "No..." he shook his head. "A hero doesnae bolt, e'en if he's scurred." He slapped his cheeks. "Righ', Lachlan, ye can do this. They're just Jaegers." He just had to hope that none of them would...touch him. Or meet his eyes. But that's what his glasses were for, even if they made him look like a right speccy.

So Lachlan arrived at the briefing room, and found out that he was one of the first few there. Not the first one, though. That honor went to a tall man wrapped up in a cloak for some reason, even though he was indoors. "Are ye cauld?" Realizing he said that out loud, the boy flushed and shuffled his feet. He didn't think it was that chilly in here, but since the other had to be some sort of Jaeger...maybe he was a Jaeger that didn't like the cold. Like a springtime or plant Jaeger, though he didn't really look the part of either.

Taking a seat off to the side, where hopefully nobody would accidentally bump into him and cause...well, accidents, Lachlan hunched in on himself and said nothing. Ah could say somethin', boot ah dinnae ken whit tae e'en talk aboot. Weel, 'side from the cauld, ah guess. It really was best for everybody if he just kept his gob shut, or he was likely to put his foot into it.

Except, it turned out he wasn't the only socially awkward eejit here. While the man in the tuxedo seemed rather put-together aside from--was that a gag? Ach, well maybe there was something wrong with him too. And then there was that woman with the big black bird--jackdaw maybe? Or a rook?--who arrived in a literal bang. Or rather, two of them, though he wasn't sure why she had been banging on the door to begin with. Next was the weird cat lady, and then another cat lady. Who had somehow managed to get lost on the way here. Lost. Hoo does tha' e'en happen?

As the others introduced themselves, Lachlan began to realize that, far from blending in, his silence might just make him stand out instead. Which wasn't good. That wasn't at all what he was going for. He needed to say something, and fast. "Guid mornin', ah'm, I mean I'm L--" Wait. Did he hear that right? Pup? As in dog? The second cat lady was actually a dog?! Oh gads, a dog? Nae, Lachlan, keep yer cool, he comforted himself. Jus' 'cause she said dawg doesnae mean tha' lassie's a dawg. She could be a cat 'stead. Cats're pure class, soo they are. Still, for the time being, he'd keep his distance from the maybe-a-dog-woman. Just in case.

Aye, right, he needed to continue talking, now didn't he? "Uhh...it's guid, no it's good, er, nice to meet you all. Yes, nice to meet you." There, that was enough right? Aside from his brief stumble through the phrasing. He wasn't overly quiet nor overly talkative. Just the perfect balance of normality and regular person to leave alone and not stare into their eyes or accidentally touch. With this, he could relax.

Letting out a sigh, the boy sunk down in his seat. Talking to people, no, actually just people in general, were difficult. The road to being a hero armed with both weapon and wit was a long one indeed.

Edited by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

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"Is it that time already?" 

Lopt sat up as he heard the gentle melody at the beginning of the alarm. As always, it would be quickly followed by what the shifter could only describe as the sounds of Helheim itself. Every morning, the same routine. At least he didn't have to wake up to that dreadful noise, unlike the others. Well, maybe they also rarely slept. Or never slept. All the same, his heart went out to whoever had to endure that cruel joke.

Slithering out of bed, his lower half was revealed to be that of a snake as he stretched, shifting back to more humanoid legs. Kicking them a little as if to get used to wearing shoes, he looked himself over, shifting a simple suit onto his body. Nothing too fancy, but enough to make him look like a well-off merchant or so. Fashion changed so much over time, so he had to keep up with looks if he wanted to blend in.

But blending in alone was too ordinary. You still had to stand out a bit if you wanted to enjoy life, no? He turned his right hand into a mirror so that he could see the top of his head, adjusting the ears just so, before turning his hand back to normal with a whistle. Perfect. Though, wouldn't it be rather boring if he simply arrived on time? What was that phrase that had come into vogue fairly recently... "Fashionably late"? Yes, that would be it. He would be fashionably late. After all, he was here of his own accord. Why did he need to show up when he was told to?

-----

"My, my, we have quite the group, don't we? However did he keep us all separated for so long?"

Lopt made his presence known as he entered the room, speaking with a slightly posh accent. While he was mostly giving lip service, there was quite a diversity. Another sharply dressed man with a gag who floated above his seat, a large being in a cloak, a short girl and a raven, a shy boy with a thick accent, another boy with horns, and a pair of animal jaeger. By the looks of it... A cat and a wolf? What a curious pairing that was. Maybe he would start with them. But first...

"I am Lopt Solbjorg. I imagine that few, if any of you, have introduced yourselves yet out of fear... So allow me to be the first to extend a hand of camaraderie."

As Lopt bowed with a pleasant smile on his face, he was barely suppressing the urge to laugh. What a farce. He had no problems making partnerships as needed, but did these people expect to become true allies? Friends? No, humans and Jaeger alike were too given to backstabbing for their own personal gain. However, it seemed like fun to play along, if not lead the notion by the nose, for now.

"I was recruited a few months back by our dear benefactor, and I'm quite looking forward to learning whatever it is we've been gathered for." He continued before taking a seat next to Lucine, extending a hand to her for a shake, like a good dog. "Nice to meet you. As well as you, Miss Cat."

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It was early in the morning, as Wada stood at the outskirts of his forest. He leaned forward on his giant mallet, taking in the view of the orange sky lighting up the valley. He could see the old cottage that he once called his home off in the distance - to think, it wasn't all that long ago that he was there chasing the odd mouse that appeared. Sometimes he thought about going back there, but he knew his future was out in the world. He had lives to protect, and that would be difficult to do in the middle of nowhere. He let out a sigh, leaning more into the mallet. He had just learned about his new home, and it hurt to leave it behind just as soon as he had left his old home. But he remembered what that Jekyll fellow told him. "You know, that mallet of yours is a sign. A sign of your destiny." His words rang in Wada's head, the boy grinning as he turned towards the sun. This was his destiny.

He stood up straight, tossing his hammer on his shoulder with some effort. Today was the day he was suppose to go to A.R.C.H. Truth be told, he was nervous. He hadn't really talked to many people or Jaeger alike, and one of those persons he beat up. "Well, it's like 'pa always said - there ain't no time like the present." He said,  taking his first steps forwards, before sliding down the hill. The future was now.

 


 

Wada was nervous, almost as nervous as he was on the day he left home. Apparently, he had not been the only one recruited by Mr. Jekyll. On one hand, it was rather exciting to be part of a team like this, but it was also nerve wrecking. He wasn't even sure if the others would know who he was - what if the humans got angry at him for being a Peach Fae? The other fairies had warned him about humans, but Mr. Jekyl seemed nice. He remembered the big ugly red man that had attacked his forest, however, and his doubts came creeping back. "Cmon Wada, snap out of it!" He said, shaking his head. "Everythin's gon be fine." He told himself, taking a deep breath. "Everythin's gon be fine..."

Wada entered the room, seeing he was the last one to come in, as someone was in the middle of introducing themselves. A rather posh sounding fellow by the name of Lopt, who seemed nice enough. He noticed that there were some people, but they had some animals parts on them. Wada froze for a second - were the two of them hunters? He knew the humans liked to hunt, but he never thought they'd wear their prey like clothing - let alone their ears. But it looked like the parts were coming off of them... maybe they were part beast!? "Woah..." He said, before realizing that he had been staring at the two for a bit too long. "A-Ah! I should introduce m'self!" He said, placing his hammer on the ground and leaning on it. "The name's Wada. That Jekyl fella brought me here to join A.R.C.H. and protect people!" He said, taking a look around the room. He wasn't sure what else to say so, awkwardly, he took the nearest empty seat.

Edited by REP

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Alexandre found his way, after asking a few of the members of A.R.C.H. for directions, to the conference room. Even though he'd been there too many times in his solo debriefings, this floating fortress was so large that he'd always find a way to get turned around. Then again, he was always getting distracted by things...namely inanimate objects...which that was a whole different problem in itself.

A sad problem I happen to have...talking to inanimate objects... I wonder, did anyone else in my lineage happen to have the same problem? Alexandre thought, walking into the conference room and sitting down when he could. While quite a few individuals began to file into the conference room, his mind brought back to his remembrance the day not too long ago...when Jekyll entered his life.


One week prior - Outskirts of a town within the Kingdom of Setsu

...it couldn't be true...but unfortunately, it was. According to hearsay and rumors that a good portion of travelers gave within the town, Alexandre heard two things: the first, that a terrible winter had plagued Farway and it had apparently been going on for three years. And the second...the Fahlyn had returned. Fahlyn were something that Alexandre knew only in stories that Maurice would tell, namely of his ancestor.

Bottom line that he remembered, was these were an ancient evil, formless and destructive, that once roamed Grimm and that were banished by warriors...one of which being his ancestor. The fact that it had been so many years until now and these things returned from being awoken or something...it quite literally frightened Alexandre...not for him of course...but because of Isabella and her safety.

A choice was made. He'd return to Farway, no matter what Vincent threatened. Be him the ruler of the kingdom or not...he would save the one he loved.

Unfortunately...

This moment presently he was surrounded. By the smell, they were humans...and unlike the ones in Farway, these humans had "torches" that didn't fade with the strong winds. Alexandre waited there in the middle of this circle, until someone stepped forward. The smell he got off of him was...a human...but also a Jaeger? This man came forward, adjusting his glasses.

"Alexandre Roi..."

"...how do you know my name?"

"I know a great many things about you, my dear Beast." the man spoke so casually. "How you were supposed to be a hidden Jaeger within Farway, thusly keeping the lineage of the Rose of Farway family...the Roi in power. Unfortunately, unlike your ancestors and your family in general...those horns of yours give you away all too easy. And of course, even with you and your caretaker...Maurice, trying to hide them, all it took was little party to expose you."

Alexandre began to glare at the man, slowly brandishing his claws. "...I don't know who you are, or how you know anything about me. However, I would ask that you back away right now, if you value your life."

"Oh my dear Beast, you think you could kill me?" the man asked, giving a slight smirk. "Believe me when I say: a great deal of those types of threats have come my way...within a daily basis at this point. You aren't the first to try and call for my life on your claws...and I will say this...you won't be the last." With not much of another word, he snapped his fingers and what Alexandre felt next was a series of darts being shot at him, causing him to drop to his knees. "Had to make sure these doses were a bit stronger than the last batch. After all, we wouldn't need you to go berserk and release the beast so to speak...ahahaha."

"W-What...do you..."

"Want? Well, what I want is cooperation. You help me with these issues around Grimm...the Fahlyn. My team at A.R.C.H. is currently preparing to fight these things, but it wouldn't hurt to add another individual to help. After all: it's either you help, or you die." the man adjusted his glasses one last time, watching Alexandre lose consciousness.


Alexandre finally snapped back to the current time, seeing a good portion of Jaegers now just saying hello and introducing themselves to one another. A wolf woman by the name of Lucine, a strange malnourished young man floating above a chair, a tall man in a cloak, a woman with a crow, a quite cat-like woman, a young man with some charm to him from the looks of it, a rabbit man that introduced himself as Lopt, and then of course, a young man by the name of Wada.

This was a motley crew for sure, but then again, this whole operation seemed to be something similar so he supposed that was the case. Alexandre, at this point, finally stood up from where he was sitting and began to speak.

Alright Alexandre...just be respectful, just like Maurice taught. "Good morning. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, for I was stuck in thought." Alexandre began, taking a slight bow. "I am Alexandre Roi of Farway...a pleasure to meet you all."

"Oh good, the new recruit is playing nice. Isn't that precious." a voice entered the room as Eric Jekyll made his way to the front of the room. "Such a delightful sight. Oh, but please, don't stop on my account. I'm still in the process of getting things ready. Please, continue as you were."

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More and more people filed in after her. The conference room still wasn’t, like, full full but it was certainly filling up with a number of interesting characters. Rabbits and cats and wolves (oh my!) and all that. With so many new faces since she’d crashed the door the first time, Elsie almost wondered if she was supposed to introduce herself a second-

Corbin beat her to the punch. “No, you aren’t,” he said.

“I’m not?”

Corbin shook his head (at least ravens could do that). “Look, you’re the one that said first impressions today were important, and you already messed that one up. If you ask me, now you’ve got to just focus on the next opportunity. How’re you going to impress people who already think you’re a ditz?”

Elsie gasped and put a hand on her chest like she’d just been stabbed in the heart. “Rude! Alright, Mister Know-It-All, if we’re past first impressions, what are yours of everyone here?”

Corbin cawed a distinct caw that Elsie immediately recognized as a self-satisfied “I was right, you were wrong, and I’m glad we agree on that” (which immediately earned another tongue-sticking from Elsie) and started moving around the table in a mix of steps, hops, and flutters, only pausing when he was in front of someone’s seat, whereupon he just sort of paused and gave that person a once-over. He didn’t even say anything, instead broadcasting his feelings to Elsie, a decision that she sort of appreciated? Like she didn’t want him blabbing all about how the guy with the gag was probably not in Jekyll’s “trustworthy” book or how the quiet human was unlike any other Corbin had seen (if he was human in the first place), but on the other hand, she also wasn’t sure if having a raven hop up to you and just, you know, stare at you for a bit was the best look for her.

But! The decision had been made and it wasn’t like Elsie was about to give Corbin any more satisfaction by calling him back early. So while she kept a monitor on Corbin’s general mood, she also started thinking about what they were even called together to do. Like, she could handle just about anything herself, right? And Jekyll could probably handle the rest if he wanted to, so why all of them together? Just to save time, maybe? Like, they’d all have just the one meeting and they’d be split up -

Her thoughts were interrupted by Corbin’s, which had shifted wildly from a natural curiosity to… what was that, a mix of greed and lust? She focused back on the room and saw him frozen in place staring at a bespectacled man across the table from her. The pieces started falling into place; she’d felt that feeling from him before.

Corbin was feeling that instinctive raven feeling of want. After all, you could make a raven familiar, but that didn’t mean the raven part wasn’t still there. It was marbles, mostly, or gemstones that she needed for a particularly intensive ritual, but anything with a particular glint that caught his eye could be a problem.

Glasses, for instance.

“Hey!” Elsie said as she dove onto the table after her raven. In one fell swoop she managed to scoop him back up into her arms, and one quick snap of her fingers later and she was spritzing him with water. “Stop it!”

Corbin’s caw this time was a much more annoyed one. “Hey! Hey! Alright! I get it!” He squirmed in Elsie’s hand, trying to get free, but she didn’t let up until he’d stopped and his mood had been reduced to one of resignation.

“Back on the shoulder with you,” Elsie said, and Corbin complied, though he reacted with glee when water started dripping onto Elsie’s shoulder.

She tried to play it off with a smile. “You’re going to have to forgive him,” Elsie said to the man with the glasses. She took a seat closer to him. “He’s been getting better about shiny things, but sometimes he just slips, you know? Sorry about that.”

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    Robin sat comfortably, legs crossed and hands neatly folded in his lap, while more and more of the lovely little group flowed in, occasionally tilting his head to look at his future prizes. A woman with a black bird of indeterminate species, he never really was a bird person much to loud; a cat eared one whom, based on her little comments towards that Lucine girl, would be quite the plaything; an absolutely infatuating boy in glasses he'd have to keep his eye on; an equally well dressed man with rabbit ears apparently named Lopt, he and Lucine would be the most difficult due to their introductions unfortunately; and a nervous fellow who'd been just a word or two off from ceasing to be named Wada.

    His attention was once again snatched by an introduction from the group and again by the appearance of the kind and courteous Jekyll. "Such a delightful sight. Oh, but please, don't stop on my account. I'm still in the process of getting things ready. Please, continue as you were."

    A light gleamed in his eyes. Though Jekyll clearly hadn't been addressing him Robin took his words as the so called 'permission' he was told he needed to remove his mouth piece. Rising up from his spot and standing as straight as possible Robin delicately removed the strap holding the thick chunk of wood in it's place and began stretching his jaw out for what was most likely the first time in weeks before throwing the hated contraption across the room while the girl with the bird spoke to the one in glasses.

    Hoping to garner more attention for himself Robin bobbed his way over to the Alexandre fellow and bowed just as he'd been taught. "Greetings, Alexandre Roi of Farway, you may call me Prince Tricky Oberon, son of William Oberonson, son of The Urking Oberon, and King of Frogs. It's a delight." He straightened his jacket and removed his hat before facing the rest of the Jaegers. "As for the rest it's lovely to meet you all as well, and forgive me if my memory is failing already, but I'm certain it will be all the more lovely once I get your names." Robin flashed a warm and welcoming grin, the kind that said 'Oh, of course you can trust me, I'm clearly a gentleman', and floated in place waiting for his deceptively simple ruse to take effect.

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As yet more others arrived and settled in, Lachlan grew increasingly uncomfortable. The more people that trickled in, the less space there was to move around in. The less space there was...well, that just meant it was more likely that he'd end up accidentally touching somebody. Thus causing some sort of accident. Panicking slightly, he hunched his shoulders further, hoping to minimize the amount of room he took up himself.

Still, he did listen in on the other conversations going on around him. One man, by the name of Lowpit Saulbeeoorg--or something like that. He had never been very canny with remembering names and their pronunciations--had made an interesting point. How had they stayed separated for so long? He'd only been here for a couple months, but surely some of the others had to have been here longer? Not that it really mattered in the end. However they'd been kept apart, they were together now, much to his displeasure.

There was a boy--or young man--named Wada, apparently, and the main thing that stood out about him was the giant mallet he wielded like it was a stick instead of a hammer. Aye tha' reminds me...ah left mah harpuin n'mah ruim. Wis ah supposed t'bring it? Well, he couldn't go back now, so if there was any fighting to be had, then he was just out of luck. Or, well, not really, actually, but he was out of luck if he wanted to fight square and humanlike.

Lachlan could count yan, tyan, tethera--no, he had to use the Sassenach words of one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine. An intimidatingly large number. An' ah hoop nae mair. Soon after, one of the Jaegers stood up, drawing all eyes to his figure. He looked a little younger than the others, but he stood like he was older. There was a confidence to his posture that Lachlan...lacked, for lack of a better word. While that was easily the most intriguing aspect to him, there were also the large, curved horns on his head to consider as well. Unlike most of the others, he had been silent the whole time, expression distant and brooding. If'n only ah could pull aff a look li'ah'. Ah'm fair certain na'body would tooch me. Tha' other laddie is doin' a fine craic a'it tae, he thought, glancing at the probably-weak-to-cold Jaeger, still wrapped up tightly in his cloak.

"Good morning. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, for I was stuck in thought," the horned man began, taking a slight bow. "I am Alexandre Roi of Farway...a pleasure to meet you all."

Weel ain't he aw polite n' stuff, Lachlan thought, impressed. Ah thought ah'd learnt hoo tae act 'round humans, boot if'n ah didnae ken different, ah'd thought he wis human tae.

"Oh good, the new recruit is playing nice. Isn't that precious." the sudden appearance of the professor caused Lachlan to jump in his seat. "Such a delightful sight. Oh, but please, don't stop on my account. I'm still in the process of getting things ready. Please, continue as you were."

There were a few things that Lachlan wanted to say to that. Such as, how could they possibly continue as they were in front of this intimidating man? Or, that this Alexandre, this humanlike Jaeger, was their newest recruit? Did that mean he had to call them his senior Jaegers? Still, Lachlan couldn't fathom the idea. The other didn't look the sort to call anybody his senior. Ach, nae mair o' this haverin', he thought, shaking his head. Such idle thoughts could wait for when he was alone, and out of the way of danger. The danger being, of course, the possibility of him accidentally touching one of them. Or, the Queen of Elphame forbid, his glasses slipping--

"Ach!" Lachlan yelped, his thoughts scattering into the winds as that large black bird--probably a crow, now that he was looking at it from a very close-up angle--divebombed him. There was something peculiar about its eyes. They held a glint of intelligence--which made sense, since thinking about it, he had heard it talk earlier--and something else he couldn't identify. In despair, he squinted his eyes shut, praying for a miracle.

“Hey!” he heard a thump followed by frantic wingbeats, and then a soft sort of noise, like water spraying through the air. An odd sound indeed, as there was no water to be found, unless it came from the glass of water to his side, which was fortunately still upright. “Stop it!”

Feeling his glasses still on his face, Lachlan opened his eyes gingerly, blinking and widening them to full mast at seeing not only were they still perched on his nose, but the crow had been subdued by its, or his or her owner, scooped up like a babe in her arms.

The crow cawed. “Hey! Hey! Alright! I get it!” It squirmed in the woman's hand, but eventually stopped struggling to lie there in resignation. Eventually it moved back to its former position on her shoulder, dripping water on it in the process.

Tha' looks magic, Lachlan thought. Ah'd li'ah' tae. Water on mahsel soonds righ' magic the noo. It hadn't been that long ago he'd been soaking in his tub, but in his opinion, one could never be too damp or drenched. That thought in mind, he lifted the glass of water beside him and took a drink.

The woman, who he just now noticed had two differently colored eyes, smiled at him. “You’re going to have to forgive him,” she said, taking a seat closer to him. Immediately prompting Lachlan to cringe back slightly. Not that he had anything against this person yet, actually she seemed really nice--and pretty--but he just couldn't take any sort of risk of an accident occurring. “He’s been getting better about shiny things, but sometimes he just slips, you know? Sorry about that.”

"Shiny things? Oh aye!" the man nodded in realization. He didn't actually see what his glasses looked like most of the time, them being on his face, so he sort of...forgot what they were made of. So long as it wasn't silver--his necklace didn't count--or iron, it didn't matter to him. Though actually, it didn't really matter with those metals either unless they were used to stab him. Or maybe that had less to do with what they were made of and more to do with the stabbing bit. Anyway, in this case, the material of his glasses did seem to matter. "Ah-I forgot about that. I mean, no harm done, right? I messed up too...sorry." he apologized. While he wanted her to go away and not sit so close to him, he also knew that that wasn't something he could just say. Well, he could say it, but then she might get mad and take a wallap at him or try to hold his neck like she'd held her bird. She didn't look the sort, but appearances were deceiving, after all. So no, that was out. Which meant he'd probably have to talk. An' ah'm nae guid a'it neither.

Wracking his brain for something to think about, Lachlan listened to the polished man with the gag in his mouth speak to the general room, with quite the polite cadence to his speech as well. Seems a'body 'ere but me can talk aw fancy-like. Pure skill tha' is. If oonly ah could tae--haud t'door. Ah forgot summat important. Something essential to the art of conversation. Manners. He turned back to the redhead...or maybe pinkhead in this case, though that sounded like it could be an insult too. "Och, sorry, I forgot to--well I should thank you for that. I mean, I do thank you. You know. For what you just did. Thank you," he finished lamely. "I hope you can forgive me for forgetting, well, I remembered just now, so there's that, but..." Jus' haud yer wheesht, Lachlan. Yer makin' it e'en worse. "Anyway, thank you." He glanced down, reddening with embarrassment. A few seconds passed as the heat died down from his face before he looked back up, though he still refused to maintain eye contact, looking slightly below her eyes and to the side...just in case.

Gathering his courage like the hero he was supposed to be one day, the man started to speak again, "I'm Lachlan, but umm, if that's too hard, you can just call me Lach. It's easier, usually. At least, that's what people say, I'm not quite sure if that's true or not...no! I'm not doubting them; it's probably true. And, sorry, I'm really bad with names, not that that's any excuse really, but it kind of is, though, well, I'm very sorry because I forgot, but what was your name again?" Actually, now that he thought about it, did she give her name earlier? Maybe not. Even if she had, he wasn't surprised he had forgotten it already. He really wasn't good at remembering human things like that. Lachlan glanced at the crow on her shoulder nervously. "And, uhh, what was his...or her, I don't judge, not that there's anything to judge, but umm yeah, or maybe it's an it? Oh wait, that's rude isn't it? Oh crivens, I should just ask you, shouldn't I? I'm so sorry. I'm not used to talking birds, you see. Not that I'm trying to excuse myself or say you're in the wrong. But, well, I'm getting off track. What is your name, good sir, madam, or uhh, crow? Bird?"

He was really bungling this, wasn't he?

Edited by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

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lucine.png

"My, my aren't you all just adorable! I didn't think Jekyll would be one to keep pets. Are you house broken yet little pup?"

Pup? Pup? Now, Lucine was fine with a lot of pet names. It was something she'd gotten used to as a Jaeger with her particular qualities. But a pup she most certainly wasn't! She was once, but those days were far gone. She was a hardened and fully independent wolf who had managed to make a living for herself in the mercenary business. And to be called that by a cat of all things! How insulting! "I am not a pup," Lucine huffed. "And I bet when I was, I was way cuter than you were as a kitten. I'm a fully grown woman who can take care of herself, thank you very much."

"Nice to meet you. As well as you, Miss Cat."

"Er, likewise." Now this guy on the other hand, was much more agreeable. At least on the first impression. For some reason, Lucine had a feeling that she'd get along just fine with this bunny-eared man. As Lucine shook this Lopt guy's hand, the others seemed to start introducing themselves. Or rather, others had already been introducing themselves by the time Lucine got here, but one got up from his seat to follow in the trend.

"Good morning. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, for I was stuck in thought. I am Alexandre Roi of Farway...a pleasure to meet you all."

If Lucine was still eating the bread rolls she'd taken earlier, she'd probably start choking on one right about now. Roi!? As in, that Roi!? Lucine's mind suddenly raced, trying to figure out how to handle this.

He's like, actually actual royalty! Farway royalty! I've worked with some nobles here and there before, but never with the royal family! There was that coup and all, not that I was in Farway at the time... but still! Am I supposed to treat him like a prince!? Or like my equal since his family was taken out of the throne? Why, of all the families in Grimm, did we have to get a Roi in this group!?

While Lucine panicked over how to address His Highness, somebody else spoke up.

"I'm Lachlan, but umm, if that's too hard, you can just call me Lach. It's easier, usually. At least, that's what people say, I'm not quite sure if that's true or not...no! I'm not doubting them; it's probably true. And, sorry, I'm really bad with names, not that that's any excuse really, but it kind of is, though, well, I'm very sorry because I forgot, but what was your name again?"

You're a life-saver, Lachlan!

And while everyone was introducing themselves... this was a perfect time for a bit of payback.

"And what about you?" Lucine asked, turning to the cat girl who had so perfectly hit a sour spot not long ago. "Should we call you Fluffy or something? Do you need a collar with a fish-shaped name tag on it?"

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Not a pup. Of course she wasn't. She was a big strong girl this Lucine. Catriona couldn't help but giggle at the clear display of frustration as the wolf girl asserted she was a cuter pup than Catriona was a kitten. She couldn't have asked for a much better reaction. She could already tell this was going to be a fun ride picking on the touchy puppy but there was a lot going on in the room. Other Jaegers were arriving, introducing themselves or otherwise speaking among themselves. Alexandre's as well as Lopt's introductions made much less impact on her than what followed shortly after. Her eyes departed from their joviality as a fire of irritation took hold as they set their focus on Jekyll. Even after all this, all the weeks of boredom, the man still wasn't entirely prepared to get them on out of here. The nerve of some men. It would be one thing if she could play with him more often but he rarely directly approached her during her stay past these briefings.

The moment of disgust passed as a boy named Lachlan introduced himself to the group. A real ball of nerves this one seemed to be. Catriona could already tell that a simple breeze might knock him over let alone her usual teasing. But thankfully the blessed lad had given her everything she needed. Lucine had no intention of simply refuting the word pup and calling herself cute. No she intended to fire back. The poor fool.

"You'll have to do a few things before you get to put a collar on me." she began, leaning in toward Lucine while holding a arm across her chest to accentuate certain features of her body. None of this was made any better by her wardrobe of course. But it didn't matter to Catriona, she loved how uncomfortable she could make some people. "But if you put in the work, you can call me an-y-thing-you-like." she nearly whispered in a jokingly seductive tone, emphasizing each syllable of her last few words. To cap it off she shot the wolf girl a wink before giggling to herself some more. But she wasn't done, oh no. She raised a finger to her lips while closing the eye she'd winked earlier. The ear on the same side lowered some to add to her playful posture.

"Most settle on 'Mommy' after a while. I'm sure you'll come around too puppy dog."

Still no sign of her name. In truth, Catriona had no intention of revealing it to any of them present. Friendship with other Jaeger held little of her interest. Only Jekyll truly had her attention in this room as yet.

Edited by Doggo

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“Sorry,” the man with the glasses said, which kind of threw Elsie for a loop? Like, what did he have to be sorry for? It was her familiar that caused the actual problem, and she had just said sorry to him. Saying sorry and then getting sorry back, did he expect another sorry? Was this an infinite loop of sorries? He did cover it by thanking her for saving him, though, which Elsie appreciated immensely. Like, of course he should say thanks. She saved him, after all. Plus, the fact she had already accepted fault, that was almost praise-worthy enough in itself. She didn’t have to say sorry for her familiar -- he could have been made to apologize for himself -- but she did it anyway. Hecate bless her, she did it anyway.

“It’s alright,” Elsie said. “I really need to start- He really needs to remember to behave himself sometimes. All I did was what any self-respecting witch with a rowdy familiar would do.” She blew the top of the finger she’d used to spritz Corbin, which had the unintended side-effect of blowing a few drops of water on her conversation partner. “Oh. Oops! Uh, I know it’s magic, but it’s still just water. Should dry up in, like, thirty seconds tops.”

There were a bunch of other things the man seemed to be half-thanking Elsie for and half-apologizing for, some of which Elsie could follow along with, most of which she could not. He did, though, eventually provide something that Elsie could call him besides “the man” or “the man with the glasses.” “Lachlan,” Elsie said, repeating the name -- albeit poorly -- back at him. “Laaaachlan.” She was probably too guttural; the “ch” seemed to get stuck in her throat, but she mentally applauded herself for at least trying. “Lach. Lachlan. I mean, I guess it’s one less syllable, right? That’s probably why people say it’s easier, huh?”

“It's nice to meet you, Lachlan,” Corbin said (and he managed to say the name perfectly, of course). “And yes, I’m sorry too. I don’t know what came over me.”

Another call for names went out in the room, spearheaded by someone who, well, it sounded like they had a longer epitaph than even Elsie had. “Tricky Oberon,” they called themselves with their list of titles swiftly following. Between that and Lach’s curiosity, it made Elsie wonder if she’d actually introduced herself properly. Corbin had already dissuaded her from trying again, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t- like, Lachlan had provided another name, right?

But what did other people call her? There weren’t that many people who knew her outside her coven and one of them was in the room still setting something up. “I guess when I was younger my sisters called me Ellie,” she said. “Um, it only changes a letter, not a whole syllable like yours so I don’t know if that’s easier or anything, though. They also called me E., but I think that was only when they were mad at me? Like, ‘You’re in trouble now, Miss E.!’” She shook her fist in mimed anger.

“I guess you all can use either of those if you’d rather.” Elsie addressed the room with that statement, seeing as some of them were already reacting to Lach’s introduction. “I don’t- I won’t mind. As for this troublemaker --” she gestured to her shoulder “-- yeah, you wanna introduce yourself?”

Elsie held her hand up and Corbin hopped out to it. “I’m going to start with your assumptions, Lachlan,” he said. “It’s alright, you didn’t mean anything by it, you didn’t know, but you were only one for two and I just wanted to clear them up. You’re right, I am a male raven, but I am a raven.”

It was Elsie’s turn to roll her eyes at her familiar as he continued. “The difference is small, yes, but it’s there. It’s like if you said El here was a wizard instead of a witch.” Corbin turned to Elsie. “They’re kind of the same, right?”

“They’re not the same.”

“They’re not the same,” Corbin said as he hopped back to face Lach. “Crows, jackdaws, rooks, magpies, ravens -- there’re a bunch of us -- we’re all the same family of bird, but we’re still different birds. And we’re- I’m, at least, proud of that distinction. Again, it’s alright. It sounds like you’ve never talked to a raven before, but it matters to me, you know?”

He extended a wing out to Lach. “Sorry again. For earlier and for all that. And hey, to help prove there’s no grudge or anything, you can call me Cory if you want.”

Elsie raised her eyebrows. “Really? You never let me call you Cory.”

“You’ve never wanted to call me Cory,” Corbin said as he fluttered back to Elsie’s shoulder. “But Lachlan has the option now, if he so chooses.”

Edited by radio414

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Sieg wasn't alone for long.  The first person in was someone with a gag over their mouth. Would they be some sort of hideous creature with rows of teeth behind that gag? He wasn't sure what he'd have to do against it if it did turn on them, but he figured going for the neck would be the first thing to do... assuming it wasn't some sort of creature that could survive with its head detached.

Next was a man about his age. When he walked in, Sieg noticed that he seemed really nervous. The dragon cursed warrior could relate. He hated crowds just as much as the next guy, maybe even more. Still, he seemed a bit skittish... but even despite all that, he called out to Sieg.

"Are ye cauld?" The boy's concern was touching. It even made Sieg smile a little. It helped the boy's accent was funny, yet not unpleasant to listen to.

"No, not cold. Just don't like showing my face," He admitted. Images of the looks people would give him when they saw him flashed in his mind. He had to remind himself he was among Jaegers, but... he wasn't a Jaeger either. He was a freak of nature, one beyond the boundaries of human and Jaeger, beyond human and monster.

At the very least, it seemed that despite the Jaeger's powers, he didn't mean any harm. He was hiding in the corner, trying to stay out of sight. Sieg wished he was that small... like he used to be.

Next was... someone who looked surprisingly human. It was a young girl with a... crow? Raven? He wasn't really good at distinguishing those two birds apart from each other. Was she a Jaeger? She seemed... very human. Was her humanity a cover for a monstrous form? Perhaps not... the bird was talking. Maybe it was the Jaeger and she was just its host? Was it a parasite? The girl seemed innocent enough though. Perhaps they were not a problem. Their excited entrance at least gave him the impression they wanted to help.

The next one to walk in was trouble. Sieg didn't need to hear a single word out of her. No woman with those kind of looks and dressed that kind of way could be anything but trouble. Sieg found it hard to keep his eyes off of her, but it wasn't some sort of magic. Was she supposed to be some sort of succubus? Those cat ears helped in that erotic appeal, as much as Sieg hated to admit it, even to himself. Sieg remembered how many people back home seemed to like the idea of a catgirl... and it seemed he was in a position most of them would kill for. Joy. In the end, however, it wasn't his problem though, as it? Someone like him didn't deserve to be with someone, so he wouldn't be tricked by her wiles.

Next was some sort of wolf girl. She seemed... cute enough. Maybe because of the kind of Jaeger she was, but Sieg didn't feel as on edge about her as he did about the others. She reminded him of a puppy, excited to be there. Sure, wolves were dangerous but... she seemed far too innocent for that. And of course the first thing that happened was that the cat and dog starting bickering. He should have expected that from Jaegers, but it seemed he had set his expectations far too high.

The next person... oh the next person. They set him on edge. Like no one ever before had. He seemed harmless enough, a frail bunny boy, but... something about him just screamed to Sieg that he shouldn't trust him. Why did he felt this way? Yes, he didn't trust any of this people, but for some reason, this man just made his heart clench, a feeling of mistrust just filled Sieg's body. But why? Under his cloak, Sieg's hand snaked up to the center of his chest, where his second heart suddenly refused to beat. It had never done this before... did the dragon in him not trust that Jaeger? What was his own mistrust and what was this monster's?

He took a deep breath, one that might have been too loud, but that was okay. The air entered his lungs and the heart started beating again, slightly easing his nerves. There was no reason to be that on edge right now... he needed to keep a clear head to make sure none would attempt to backstab him.

The next person seemed... normal enough? He really had no clue how this normal looking person was supposed to be a Jaeger? Maybe Eric did find a human that could help after all. That would be nice to have a normal person to help ground them in this freak show. He knew he wasn't that lucky, however.

Finally, the apparent 'newest member' spoke up. "Good morning. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, for I was stuck in thought." The horned boy bowed. "I am Alexandre Roi of Farway...a pleasure to meet you all." So was he some sort of bull Jaeger? He seemed to be of a higher class... unusual for a Jaeger.

"Oh good, the new recruit is playing nice. Isn't that precious." And there he was. Dr. Jekyll walked into the room, his usual 'charms' overflowing. "Such a delightful sight. Oh, but please, don't stop on my account. I'm still in the process of getting things ready. Please, continue as you were."

The first one to talk was the one with a gag on his mouth, which when taken off revealed a rather normal mouth. He bowed "Greetings, Alexandre Roi of Farway, you may call me Prince Tricky Oberon, son of William Oberonson, son of The Urking Oberon, and King of Frogs. It's a delight." He straightened his jacket and removed his hat before facing the rest of the Jaegers. "As for the rest it's lovely to meet you all as well, and forgive me if my memory is failing already, but I'm certain it will be all the more lovely once I get your names."

Some of the people gave their names, like the young man Lachlan, or the woman Ellie and her now identified raven Cory. Although that seemed not everyone was playing along. He certainly didn't see a reason to give his, so he didn't fault them

"And what about you?" Lucine asked, turning to the cat girl who had so perfectly hit a sour spot not long ago. "Should we call you Fluffy or something? Do you need a collar with a fish-shaped name tag on it?"

"You'll have to do a few things before you get to put a collar on me. But if you put in the work, you can call me an-y-thing-you-like. Most settle on 'Mommy' after a while. I'm sure you'll come around too puppy dog."

Oh no. It was getting weird. At least there were no kids that needed their innocent ears protected. Things went from nice to uncomfortable in less than five minutes. Had to be some sort of record. Frankly, he wanted to get outta here. At least he had the perfect excuse.

"Eric, if you aren't ready yet, then I'm going to get some breakfast," Sieg suddenly spoke up, standing as he did. "We both know among my many faults, one of my biggest is an inability to properly listen on an empty stomach," That was a side effect from being mutated from a dragon. He never had such a big appetite when he was human. "Does anyone else want breakfast? I'll bring some food back with me if so," he asked as he went to the door. "If you want something specific though, it might be better if you get it yourself. I'm no cook,"

Perfect escape plan.

Edited by Are You Okay?

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Lopt nodded at Jekyll as he entered. Not much sense in trying to play with him, all things considered. Too single-minded. However, the puppy managed to take his hand in a shake. Perfect. Not like the cat throwing herself onto Lucine. Lopt wasn't sure if she was trying to seduce her, tease her, or a combination thereof... But it was a bit bold, wasn't it?

While watching the display with a chuckle here or there, more people introduced themselves. The well-dressed chap and the boy lost in thought. Not the most stand out, but at least someone else had an idea of how to dress. Overall, they seemed boring, though. Time may tell otherwise, but first impressions were hard to shake.

Lopt intended to turn to the person nearest him, maybe "get to know" someone else. But the sudden breath from the other side caught his attention. The bundled man seemed to be the source, prompting Lopt to stare right back. Did he know something? No, of course not. No one had known his identity in more years than he could count. And this man was quite suspect himself. Then again, wasn't everyone gathered there, himself included?

"My my, Mr. Cloak... what a scary aura." Lopt leaned forward with his elbows on the table, chin resting on his palms. "Is there any harm in sticking around to get to know your fellow Jaeger?"

 

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Wada's eyes lit up as Jekyll entered the room, before glancing towards the others. He must have recruited all of these, just like he had recruited him. His attention was brought back to the wolf and cat, who were still at it. He still wasn't sure what was with them and, now that he thought about it, Lopt had rabbit ears. And, while he didn't look like a frog, Oberon said they were the king of them. Wada wondered why there were so many animal people, as he watched the crow... speak? "Woah!" Wada said, leaning in towards the bird. "I didn't know birds could talk!" He said, placing his hand on his chin. "I wonder why the ones in the forest didn't say nothin'..." He shook his head, turning towards Elsie and Corbin. "Can I..."

His attention was brought to Seig, who had gotten up and offered to bring food. "Ooh, me!" Wada said, waving his hand. "I'm starving!" He said with a short laugh. "Anything is fine - s'long as it taste good!"

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"Greetings, Alexandre Roi of Farway, you may call me Prince Tricky Oberon, son of William Oberonson, son of The Urking Oberon, and King of Frogs. It's a delight."

Alexandre was puzzled by this strange young man who called himself Prince Tricky Oberon, someone who he hadn't heard of prior. Then again, a good portion of this lot was completely foreign to him. Then again, another prince among the group, that there shocked him quite a bit. He only nodded respectfully, before moving to sit back down...until he smelt something in the air. It was a distinguished scent...it smelt like his kind, a Jaeger...but then again, like human. Almost similar to the same scent he was introduced to by Jekyll.

...so there's another like him? he thought, looking around the room to see what would possibly qualify for that. At this time, the cloaked figure began to stand up and leave.

"Eric, if you aren't ready yet, then I'm going to get some breakfast. We both know among my many faults, one of my biggest is an inability to properly listen on an empty stomach. Does anyone else want breakfast? I'll bring some food back with me if so, if you want something specific though, it might be better if you get it yourself. I'm no cook."

"Ah my dear Dragon Slayer." Eric said, now standing upright from putting a few things together. He adjusted his glasses smugly and snapped his fingers. "Whether it's true this time, or whether this was your excuse to escape my debriefing, I took the liberty in being prepared. One must be prepared for any and every scenario, am I wrong?" At this moment, a few A.R.C.H. employees entered the room, wheeling serving carts filled to the brim with an assortment of food that would tickle the palette of any and everyone. "With that in mind, Dragon Slayer, kindly return to your seat."

Once the food was made available, the group of misfits would be able to grab a bite to eat at their heart's content. At the same time, a few rustlings of paper would be heard from Eric before the sounds of him clearing his throat. "Good morning. As you may have noticed, today's daily briefing is quite different. Today is the day where you will be meeting your new teammates. Take note of how everyone looks and acts, because starting today...you are going to be working together for better or worse." He paused, before pointing to Alexandre, who was currently chowing down on a turkey leg. "Our newest recruit, Alexandre Roi, is the final member we have. And yes, to answer the one question you have: that is correct. Alexandre here is the heir to the throne of Farway. Unfortunately, unlike his predecessors before him, the fact that he's a Jaeger is much more obvious than theirs." he paused, pointing at his own head, referring to the horns.

...of course he would bring that up...

"Nevertheless, he's currently in exile due to his life being at risk." Eric continued, seeing Alexandre at this point slinking down where he sat. "Now, with that out of the way, allow me to give you a full notion of why you've been put together: the Fahlyn." He had the lights dim for a moment, a projector firing up as an image appeared behind him, though the image was blurry and somewhat distorted...but what could be seen was something that was generally dark and formless...something that might've even struck fear into the group. "This is the first image my organization has received of these creatures. Formless, spirit-esque...these creatures are the true monsters of this world, a plague that has descended upon us once more. This was taken about a year or two ago, roughly near the location of Wilhelm. And unfortunately, Wilhelm, from what my scouting parties have said...is almost no more."

Eric paused, before turning the lights back on. "Not many know about these creatures roaming around Grimm again, alas, as communications with other kingdoms is quite rough. Not many wish to advance into the age of science and some wish not to delve into the supernatural of the arcane. That is why A.R.C.H. exists. We are the ones to keep the peace on Grimm...we've been formed to remove the cancer that is the Fahlyn." A pause came from him, as he exhaled. "Now, I have an assignment for you lot, but before I present it...please, I know you have quite a number of questions for me. Ask and I will answer them to the best of my abilities."


OOC

Spoiler

Breakfast is on Jekyll this morning!

Now, while enjoying this bountiful breakfast, the professor has given you quite a bit of information to digest. Further, he also gives an explanation (a short one anyway) of the Fahlyn for the group in general as well as how things are currently in this world of Grimm. But I know good and well you have questions further: here's where you can ask whatever question you want to the professor and within my next host post, they shall be answered.

 

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lucine.png

"You'll have to do a few things before you get to put a collar on me. But if you put in the work, you can call me an-y-thing-you-like. Most settle on 'Mommy' after a while. I'm sure you'll come around too puppy dog."

"Thanks, but I'm not interested in bedding with a cat." This girl... it sounded rich coming from Lucine of all people, but there was a point where one could be too bold or upfront. Before much more could come of that exchange though, the guy with the cloak - had he introduced himself? - said that he was going to get breakfast. And that anyone who wanted anything should say so. Lucine was ready to ask him to bring her bacon or sausage or something similar, but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary. The good Dr. Jekyll was ready to serve everyone breakfast anyway, as it turned out!

Lucine tried not to look at the plate where the bread rolls would have been, what with some of them very obviously having gone missing before the cart arrived here.

"Now, with that out of the way, allow me to give you a full notion of why you've been put together: the Fahlyn."

Mmhm. I know a thing or two about them. More than she would have liked, in fact...


3 years ago, rural Wilhelm...

There were plenty of sounds Lucine didn't like. Children crying. Buildings burning. Screams of fear or desperation. Stuff like that. It wasn't very often Lucine had to hear all three of those at the same time. These... well, these whatever they were. Lucine didn't know what they were really, and she didn't have time to care right now. But they were most certainly, without a doubt, the cause of all those terrible noises, not to mention their own snarls and chittering that didn't sound like they belonged on any creature of this world. When somebody warned this quiet little town these monsters were coming, everyone got ready to stand their ground. Now, mere minutes later, they were trying to get as many people the hell out of town as possible.

This kind of scene was one part of her job that came up very rarely, but also one she could never get used to.

Just follow the screams, me. She wasn't sure for what reason she was out of breath anymore. Was it having to fight these creatures? Carrying the injured to a safe place they could be evacuated? Just the heat from the town burning to the ground around her? Lucine wiped the sweat off her forehead before kicking in the door to a tavern. Just last night, she'd been drinking beer here, laughing it up with anyone willing to listene to a drunk and tired Jaeger. She hadn't seen any of the patrons she'd talked to during all that today.

As Lucine followed her ears to where she definitely heard someone that was certainly not one of these monsters, she remained wary of the building around her. This thing was fixing to collapse at any moment, so time was of the essence here. And when she finally found the next evacuee...


"Now, I have an assignment for you lot, but before I present it...please, I know you have quite a number of questions for me. Ask and I will answer them to the best of my abilities."

Right. This was now. Not then. If these were the target, then Lucine was all the more eager to get started. To make sure nobody anywhere else would suffer like the people in that town. But before they got started, breakfast. Lucine assembled a very meat-heavy plate for herself, with bacon, sausage, and eggs. After sitting back down to start eating, she looked up at the picture of the Fahlyn. It didn't look like the ones she'd seen in Wilhelm. Guess they don't all look the same. Lucine wasn't sure if it was better or worse that way.

"I have a question, Doctor," Lucine said, after taking down a couple strips of bacon. "You said most of Wilhelm. Does that mean there are still survivors?"

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"My my, Mr. Cloak... what a scary aura." Lopt leaned forward with his elbows on the table, chin resting on his palms. "Is there any harm in sticking around to get to know your fellow Jaeger?" Sieg's grip on the door knob suddenly tightened, the mutant gritting his teeth.

"Don't get it wrong. I'm not a Jaeger," Sieg kept his voice even, even if he was irritated. Honestly, even being a Jaeger would be even a lot more acceptable than what he had become.

"Ooh, me!" The one that might be human said, waving his hand. "I'm starving!" He said with a short laugh. "Anything is fine - s'long as it taste good!" Sieg just gave him a thumbs up, but before he could leave...

"Ah my dear Dragon Slayer." Dr. Jekyll stood up. Of course he'd pick now to actually do something. "Whether it's true this time, or whether this was your excuse to escape my debriefing, I took the liberty in being prepared. One must be prepared for any and every scenario, am I wrong?" At this moment, a few A.R.C.H. employees entered the room, wheeling serving carts filled to the brim with an assortment of food. At least he did something right, even if this was the wrong time to do it. "With that in mind, Dragon Slayer, kindly return to your seat."

"Damn you Eric," Sieg internally cursed, headed back to his seat, moving it to be closer to the table. He took a plate and started to stack it almost comically high with food, making sure to have plenty of meats and eggs on his plate. He went to eat before he realized... his cloak was still on. eating with it on risked getting it dirty, and frankly, he was sure that the people who took care of his clothes were looking for any reason to burn the old thing. He wouldn't give them any excuse to do so. Still, de-cloaking around the others wasn't something he wanted to do, but he figured it had to happen sooner or later.

He quickly took the cloak off, folding it up and placing it neatly on the back of his chair before plopping back down in his seat, brushing some of his white hair out of his face. He quickly placed his hands in front of him, muttering a quick prayer under his breath before digging in. The food was better than usual, at the very least. He listened to Jekyll's words as he eat, already nearly halfway done with his tower of food by the time Jekyll finished.

The Fahlyn, was it? He had traveled quite a bit and hadn't seen any, nor did he hear about any such creatures. Maybe they were hiding? That implied a sort of intelligence though, and that was concerning.

"Now, I have an assignment for you lot, but before I present it...please, I know you have quite a number of questions for me. Ask and I will answer them to the best of my abilities."

"I have a question, Doctor," Lucine said, after taking down a couple strips of bacon. "You said most of Wilhelm. Does that mean there are still survivors?"

"I have a question to," Sieg commented, biting into an apple. Something didn't feel right... he had to fish for some info. "Do you think that's there's a lot of them, or that there's only a few, but they're very powerful?" He was sure that only three people in this room could wipe out a colony of them, even without him. So why did Jekyll get so many people?

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Lachlan tried his best to ignore the others talking in the background, he really did. But it was difficult, especially with what they were talking about. Collars? Nicknames? Mommy? He'd met a few Jaegers in his time but none so off as these people. He could only thank his lucky stars he wasn't part of that conversation. No, instead he was talking to a woman and her talking bird. ...Is'it a'better?

“It’s alright,” the lady said. “I really need to start- He really needs to remember to behave himself sometimes. All I did was what any self-respecting witch with a rowdy familiar would do.” She blew the top of the finger she’d used to spritz Corbin, blowing a few drops of water on Lachlan in the process. “Oh. Oops! Uh, I know it’s magic, but it’s still just water. Should dry up in, like, thirty seconds tops.”

"Oh, no, that's fine," the man muttered, still looking down at his hands. "The water actually feels pretty, umm, good, because well, I'm water-attuned, you could say?" Or maybe that was wrong? "Or maybe you could say, I have a water affinity? No, that sounds weird. Anyway, I, uhh, like water. Yeah." It came out a little more awkward than he liked, but it got the point across.

After gathering his courage and introducing himself--and it seemed he was a little louder than he thought, going by how the others were reacting. Did he just break an awkward silence? It felt like it, anyway--the pink-haired woman replied. “Lachlan,” she said, though the way she was saying it was a little...off. But she wasn't the first person to say it wrong, and wouldn't be the last either. “Laaaachlan. Lach. Lachlan. I mean, I guess it’s one less syllable, right? That’s probably why people say it’s easier, huh?”

"Ah...heheh, probably. Yeah, I think that's probably why. Not that I'm saying it is the reason, just that, you know. I think it might be too."

“It's nice to meet you, Lachlan. And yes, I’m sorry too. I don’t know what came over me.”

Of course, somehow the talking bird could speak his name better than the actual human--no, Jaeger, in front of him. This day was just getting stranger and stranger. "Och, no worries, no worries," he replied. "Nobody was hurt, at least I don't think anybody was hurt, so I think it's fine. Or, well, unless you two don't think it was fine, then it might...um, not be?" Wait, if things weren't fine, then didn't that mean that, well, things weren't fine? And he'd just gone and made things awkward, didn't he? He sat there stiffly, trying to think of something to say to--well, wait, he didn't even know her name, did he? No, he didn't. Well, that was just bad of him. He needed to ask her--wait, didn't he just ask her?

As if reading his mind--was she a mind reader--the woman started to speak, “I guess when I was younger my sisters called me Ellie. Um, it only changes a letter, not a whole syllable like yours so I don’t know if that’s easier or anything, though. They also called me E., but I think that was only when they were mad at me? Like, ‘You’re in trouble now, Miss E.!’” She shook her fist in mimed anger.

Lachlan blinked, before holding back a snort. Ah'm nae sure how ah find this'a funny a'tis. Boot ah do. His eyes lit up in mirth. "Och, ahem, I see," he coughed. "Aye--I mean, yes, well, I doubt I'll be calling you Miss E. Getting mad is, well, it's a lot of work and stress, and you don't seem the type to make people mad anyway. Or, maybe I'm, uhh, amusing, no assuming too much?" Now he was even tripping over his tongue? "Well, anyway, nice to meet you, Miss Eellie." He repeated the name a couple times for good measure. She did it with his, so it wouldn't be that weird, right? He had some trouble with the E at first--the way she said it sounded more like an eh, and he wanted to say ee--but he thought he got the hang of it at the end with "Miss Ellie." While he did so, the woman was busy addressing the room, gesturing to her shoulder where her crow was perched. Holding out her hand, the bird hopped out to it.

“I’m going to start with your assumptions, Lachlan,” he said. “It’s alright, you didn’t mean anything by it, you didn’t know, but you were only one for two and I just wanted to clear them up. You’re right, I am a male raven, but I am a raven.” Ellie rolled her eyes as he continued. “The difference is small, yes, but it’s there. It’s like if you said El here was a wizard instead of a witch.”

Was that another thing people could call her? El? But no, she didn't say that it was, so it was probably just something her cr--raven could call her.

There was a short exchange as they figured out whether a wizard was the same thing as a witch--which, it wasn't. That sounded like another thing Lachlan would have to remember. He wasn't very familiar with witches or magic-users in general, but he was rightfully wary of anybody that could forcibly turn him into a toad--though wouldn't he be able to shift back? Or no, perhaps the magic that kept him ensorcelled would also prevent him from shifting back. Like turning him into an actual toad, instead of a kelpie shapeshifted in the form of a toad. Though it'd been quite a while since he'd been anything but human, or well, human-shaped, so even if he kept his powers of shapeshifting, he might not be able to get back to normal. Which meant, he had to be doubly careful to make sure he didn't accidentally call Ellie a wizard, or a wizard a witch. Except he had no way to tell the two apart, so how was he supposed to do that?

As he panicked, the raven hopped back to face him. “Crows, jackdaws, rooks, magpies, ravens -- there’re a bunch of us -- we’re all the same family of bird, but we’re still different birds. And we’re- I’m, at least, proud of that distinction. Again, it’s alright. It sounds like you’ve never talked to a raven before, but it matters to me, you know?”

Wait, did this mean he had juts gone and offended this witch's bird? Oh, crivens, he was really a bungler, wasn't he? No matter what, he somehow managed to offend somebody. It really was a talent--

The raven extended a wing out to Lach. “Sorry again. For earlier and for all that. And hey, to help prove there’s no grudge or anything, you can call me Cory if you want.”

Ellie raised her eyebrows. “Really? You never let me call you Cory.”

“You’ve never wanted to call me Cory,” the raven said as he fluttered back to her shoulder. “But Lachlan has the option now, if he so chooses.”

Oh. Oh, this bird was so nice. Even after he'd gone and offended him, he still forgave him, and even said sorry. Lachlan felt his eyes begin to tear up. Sae generous. Ach, from noo on, ah'll ne'er treat a raven wi' unkindness in mah life. "Oh, you're very kind, Sir Cory. Too kind. I'm so sorry I called you a crow. And uhh, a jackdaw, and a rook, well, I was calling you that in my head, because I didn't know, not for sure, and uhh, I mean, now I know. You're a raven. Sorry, I should've known. Ravens are bigger, right? And, uhh, your beaks are different? Maybe? Sorry. I'm, uhh, not that familiar with birds."

Now, ask him to identify different varieties of freshwater fish, and, well, he could spy a corkwing wrasse from a cuckoo wrasse and even say whether it was going to spawn or not. He had studied humans to a similar extent back when he had thought of them as dinner, but now, he was studying them for a whole different reason. Because he wanted to be a hero right out of those human fairytales. Whit would mah family say if'n they could keek a'me the noo? Da would pro'lly gaun his dinger o'er it. He smiled slightly through his still teared up eyes.

--

After Lachlan had calmed down from his burst of emotion, things began to move quickly. The one Jaeger with a cloak wrapped around his body--apparently he didn't like showing his face--volunteered to get some food. Then that boy--or was he a man--with the hammer started getting close to Cory, and with that, a little too close to Lachlan too for comfort. It was bad enough he had one person--two people if he counted the raven--near him, but now there was another one. Thankfully, the hammer man--he'd called himself Wa-something--leaned away after the mention of food, raising his hand eagerly. Close or not, he seemed a good sort.

Actually, maybe this wouldn't be so bad--oh, nope, never mind. Lachlan had forgotten about the others, such as the cat lady and the dog lady. The others, at least, seemed the all right sort. Or at least, they were better at this talking thing than he was.

Before the cloaked man could grab food, however Professor Eric, who Lachlan had temporarily forgotten about, stopped the other. Lachlan wasn't sure how he'd forgotten about him, but, well, he'd gotten a little distracted. Also, wait, had he just called the other Dragon Slayer? As in, a slayer of dragons, one right out from the legends of old? Lachlan turned, starry-eyed, to the man, but before he could say anything, the food came.

Lachlan made sure to grab any fish if he saw them, as well as more water to refill his glass. He sighed. Fish and chips really were the best. Partway through, he noted that the dragon slayer had taken off his cloak, which startled him--no, surprised him. After all, he looked pretty strange, what with that large glowing tattoo going up from his chest to his face. Feeling some of his old doubts return, Lachlan couldn't help but wonder if maybe the professor was wrong and he wasn't a dragon slayer, but was some other freaky Jaeger instead. But no, that was unlikely. From what he'd gathered, the professor wasn't the type to make those sorts of mistakes.

Not long after the meal started, Professor Eric began to discuss the whole point of the meeting. Which, as announced earlier, was to meet the others. It seemed they would be working together, and, well, Lachlan had mixed feelings on that, most of them bad. It would be nice to work with Sir Cory and his nice familiar--ahem, Lady Ellie, and her familiar Cory. And maybe that Prince Roobin and Lowpit fellow, and the man with the hammer didn't seem so bad either, but the others seemed a little...intimidating.

It turned out there were two princes here, though. Not just that Roobin person, but also this Auxandur Roi. Apparently he was the heir to Farway, which, admittedly, was all and together a faraway place to Lachlan. He had been on his way to Farway, though, before he met the professor. Still, he'd thought the royalty there was human, unless he was getting something wrong. But no, from the way the professor was talking, they had only appeared human, but weren't actually. And now the heir was in exile, which sounded pretty sad.

The lecture moved on to the topic of the Fahlyn, shadowy beings that even Lachlan, in his travels, had never seen, though he thought he might've heard something of them before from one of the villagers he had saved from bandits. At the time he had thought the man daft in the head, but perhaps he had been telling the truth all along. Lachlan shivered. Something about them just didn't strike him right. Well, he would have to see a whole lot more of them going by what the professor was saying. "That is why A.R.C.H. exists. We are the ones to keep the peace on Grimm...we've been formed to remove the cancer that is the Fahlyn."

The professor finished by requesting they come forth with any questions. And immediately, a couple people did. The wolf woman and the tattooed dragon slayer. While both were very good questions, there was another question they could've asked. One Lachlan would probably have to request at this rate. Clearing his throat hesitantly, the man spoke up. "Professor Eric? I was hoping you could answer, well, I know you probably can, I'm not doubting your knowledge. I just mean, umm, well if you would, there you go, if you would answer my question, err, sir. I was wondering, exactly how are we supposed to be taking care of these Fahlyn? Are they just like how we fight humans or Jaeger, or is there, uhh, something more? Unless I missed that in the lecture, sorry." He looked down. "I'm not the best at, y'know, or well maybe you don't, not to say you don't know a lot, but well, you might not be able to read my mind. Anyway, I'm not the best at, uhh, remembering things. So, sorry..." he trailed off into a mumble.

Edited by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

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    Robin returned to his seat annoyed. Nearly everyone had said their name but none had said the full thing in response to his request. Either these jaegers knew what he was up to or his typical method wasn't effective in a room full of interesting people. He hoped it was the latter.

    Eric, always one step ahead of course, had brought in a food cart to stop the cloaked one from leaving while he began his little lecture. Robin half listened while he filled up a plate with a little bit of everything and began sampling the wide variety of dishes in every combination he could think of, meats with cheese, cheeses with bread, breads with butter, butter with meats, etc., unable to decide what flavors he was really looking for. Once the good doctor had finished the questions came in. Lucine asked if there were survivors in Wilhelm, Robin found that adorable; the cloaked fellow who turned out to be rather captivating had asked how many there might be, a reasonable but pointless question to him; but the boy with glasses seemed to have some sense to him.

    "Indeed, how is it you intend this lot to defeat the Fahlyn exactly dear doctor?" Robin finished off whatever it was he'd been absent-mindedly gnawing on, something salty it seemed, and gave a kind smirk to the one called Lachlan "I must commend you my boy, while we all are surely thinking the same thing you seem to be the one brave enough to ask." he looked again at the picture Jekyll had provided, a formless dark mist. Not something Robin was confident in his ability to charm into submission. "So then Eric, if I may rephrase, what is your plan? While I'm no expert like you may be it appears these beasts can't very well be clawed or scratched at which unfortunately disables a few of our little club and I doubt they have either names of their own or loved ones that do." Robin promptly returned to his meal, more or less ignoring whatever answer he'd be given. "Intrigue" he thought "The mystery of what I'd meant will surely worm it's way into their minds until they've no choice but to ask. And of course there's the added bonus of the good doctor possibly giving me the answer I'd prefer."

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Aaaaand there Lachan went apologizing again, though at least this time maybe he had an actual reason for it? Like, it was for different things. New things. Some of them she hadn’t even known she’d been slighted -- Lachlan was apologizing for thinking Corbin was a rook or a jackdaw and how was she supposed to get angry about that? She wasn’t a mind reader. Not without the requisite spell, at least.

What was clear to Elsie was that Corbin’s words had affected Lachlan to the point of overwhelming his emotions. That was a little weird. “I think I broke him,” Corbin said into Elsie’s ear where Lachlan couldn’t hear him. Elsie shushed him anyway.

“The important thing- the important thing about birds, at least,” Elsie said, “is that they remember stuff like this. And they’ll let you know when they’re not happy with you, too. This one --” she gestured at her shoulder again “-- he likes you, it seems. And they’ll remember that too. We’ll certainly remember that.”

Whatever other conversation they might have had was cut short by the commotion at the other end of the room. From what Elsie could pick up, it started when someone called someone else “Mommy?” Or wanted to someone to call them “Mommy?” Elsie tried not to laugh. Like that -- her calling and her being called -- would ever happen. Thankfully, Jekyll put a stop to that right there with the actual reason they were all together. But first:

Breakfast! It was a veritable cornucopia of foods. Some -- most, even -- were too rich for Elsie’s taste, like basically anything with at the end involving syrup or sweetened dough, but that didn’t mean those weren’t a feast for the eyes. And it wasn’t like there weren’t a bunch of things she could eat, like the eggs or any of the greens or a roll- oh, they were out of rolls it seemed (why even bring out the extra plate?). Corbin, though, he hopped about wherever he pleased, taking nips at the various scraps left behind before hopping off somewhere else.

It was also ample time to take in her fellow jaegers around the table. She’d been paying so much attention to just Lachlan, all she really had otherwise were names and faces. And some of them, like the cat woman, or the man with the cloak (wait, did Jekyll really call him “dragon slayer?” Elsie wasn’t even sure she could do that), Elsie didn’t even have that. Still, she took the opportunity finally started attaching the names she had heard to faces. The rest, well, the rest would come in time.

Jekyll, meanwhile, had started his presentation. When the image of the Fahlyn came on the screen, Elsie’s eyes immediately snapped to it. Not because she recognized it (who would?), but because of the opposite. It was so… unnatural, and as someone who’d spent so much of her life in nature, well, how could she not stare at it? It was just an image, she knew that, but she still felt like she had to be ready in case it started to not be one. It had that energy to it. And when the lights came back up, the wall where the image had been suddenly did too.

It took Jekyll opening the floor for questions to finally break the spell. “Are there still survivors?” someone (Lucine?) asked. That was a good question. Elsie was about to ask a follow-up when someone else spoke up.

“Are there a lot, or just a few powerful ones?” the man with the cloak asked. That was a good question too! Maybe she should-

“How are we supposed to be taking care of these?” Lachlan asked. Well-

“What is your plan?”

Okay, all of that, but, like, now that she was fifth down, her question felt a little less important. She still dutifully raised her hand and asked it: “Is it just the populated areas?” she said. “Kind of like, uh, Lucine -- Lucine, right? -- like she said, could survivors escape into the woods or wilderness?” It was a selfish question; it wouldn’t be her coven out there, but she was still a little worried about her kin. If she had that sort of reaction to just the image of a fahlyn, what would those who’d seen one in person, how would they react?

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