Kingdom of Rain

**Hey dream, i hope you realize this is gonna be incredibly complex, and it will take a lot of work to keep it going forward, instead of spiraling off into half a dozen pointless side-paths... just a thought, but on to the post, by the way Pie, try putting some kinda of identification on your dialog, its hard to tell who's saying what**

Orsonn:

"Who are you?!" Orson whispers to him, dragging him across the street into the shadow of a tavern. "What do you want?"

"Cool it, I'm on your side." said Ilum

"I don't think so... you look like one of their pets... what do you know about the Rain-Makers?" asks Orsonn

"I know that their experiment are screwing with nature, and that they need to be stopped."

"Meet me tomorrow at the Red Moon Inn" he says quickly, looking around, "Come alone, alone bring whatever information you have."

"When you get to the inn, go to the In-keep, and ask for Dyvin, he'll know what you're looking for."

"But--" asks Ilum

"Tomorrow. Until then, you don't know me," and with that, he seems to fade into the crowd.

Cassandra glared at the man, "I'll help you...how much are you willing to pay. I don't do nothin' for cheap and I sure in hells name won't make an acception for you, even if a crinimal is on the loose."

She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a long drag, "So, please tell me...what is it that you need me to do?" her eyes studied him, trailing from head to toe and back up, "And why exactly do you need to catch this...so called crinimal? And lastely...it's rude not to give your name in return..." she threw the cigarette to the ground followed by her foot landing on it, twisting it she began to shake uncontrollably.

Name: Elizabeth (people call her Missy)
Age: 15
Description of appearance: Long Blond hair that stops right at her waist, piercing blue eyes, slightly tanned skin, kind of tall for her age, slender yet athletic. She likes to wear her hair in a ponytail and sports regular attire. Well, regular for a teenager.
Magical status: She can control her powers...kind of. When she's angry is the time that she can control her powers the least.
Character background: Her mother can do magic, but her father is just a normal being. She's one of the best tumblers on her cheer leading squad outside of school (and she is the best flyer). She can be stuck up at times, but she's really sweet once you get to know her. Don't be fooled by her beauty and the fact that she's a cheer leader, she's extremely smart and dedicated to her studies.
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((Missy))

I straightened my uniform as I skipped down the stairs of my house. My mother was standing beside the door, impatiently waiting for my arrival. She was tapping her foot and staring at her watch.

I grabbed my bag from my mom's hand and smiled at her. "What's the rush?" My mother just glared at me. We've had a history of being late to competitions.

"Okay, okay," I said, "Hurry up before we are late." She just sighed as we walked through the door. Despite the chilled air, I trotted quickly over to our red mini-van and jumped in, my mom at my heels.

Once inside and buckled, my mom drove off towards the designated spot of the competition. I rummaged through my bag to find my red ribbon and tied it around my ponytail. I overlooked my uniform once more. The purple, black, gold, and white skirt was perfectly ironed. The crop top of the same colors was of the same perfection, except for the red word "Dynasty" across my chest. Some lint was covering the D.

"Lint roller?" my mom asked as she passed it back to me.

I smiled and replied, "You read my mind." Thanks to my mom's insanely fast driving, we arrived there just in time. We rushed inside, me and my mother pausing in the front lobby.

"Good luck, Missy," My mother said and kissed my forehead.

"Bye Mom!" I called as I was rushed to the stage. Unfortunately our team was first.

A booming voice thundered from the speaker, "Please welcome, Cheer Dynasty!"

A loud roar of applause was heard in the front of the stage as we spirited on. The routine seemed to almost go in fast forward. My tumbling flawless, yet it seemed rushed, I was barely in the air for the stunts, and the dance motions, though performed our best, seemed sloppy in my eyes. Once the routine came to a stop and the music ceased, all we could do was wait for the results, which was always dragged out too long.

((Echo Bryce))

"Mama Jones? Anyone home? Hellloooo!"

Shuffling emitted from the back of the Red Moon Inn. A stout woman appeared from the threshold behind the bar. She looked very much like the cliched bartender; rough face, dirty clothing, she looked like she'd seen better days. Her tawny hair was pulled back by a dark bandanna.

"Quit yer yelling will ya?"

Echo grinned sheepishly and looked around the empty bar. It looked like Mama Jones had already cleaned it. "Sorry Mama. Do you have any food left over?"

Mama grinned and wiped her hands off on her shirt. "Sorry hun, all out. Mr. Jones made just enough. Busy night. You want a room?"

Smiling, Echo nodded. "Can Boreas stay?"

The big wolfhound batted his tail back and forth. Mama peered down at him and smiled, "Sure I guess so."

She reached into her pocket and produced a key. "Room four. There's hot water in there too."

Echo smiled radiantly and snapped at Boreas. He clicked his way up the stairs. "Thank you Mama."

She grunted a reply. Mama never responded well to thanks. Echo, still smiling went up to her room to turn in.

Johanna:

Johanna was tired, so tired. It had been an effort to crawl from her bed that morning, the rain falling on her face through the open skylight. She had groaned, realising she had forgotten to close it in her exhaustion. She had spent the night working out plans for the city, and had only a few hours of sleep. After a quick breakfast, she grabbed her trench coat and wondered out into city. She walked fast, not quite sure where she was going, just enjoying the hustle and bustle of mid-afternoon crowds.

She slipped down the first side road she came to, stopping suddenly when she saw a young girl unsheathe a knife. She watched them with curious eyes, the man who had been held up by the girl talking hurriedly. Jo hoped nothing resulted from this, frowning, and watched as the girl put it back down. She stepped out of the sunlight, into the shadows that the walls cast, and watched with raised eyebrows.

**Hey HC, you posted as daytime, but if you had read Charlie II post you would see that it's nighttime, at least where Cassandra and Charles are.**

Bella

I continued to watch in complete silence, hoping they wouldn't notice me. Just in case, I checked my sheaths again, making sure each dagger was in place.

The movement caused a small amount of noise, and the girl looked up, right at me. I blended into the shadows as quickly as I could, hoping not to be seen. She murmured smoething to the man, and he looked up as well.

I held my breath.

Damien Marsh

He hadn't been waiting long when he heard people moving around in the street behind him. He forced himself not to attempt some kind of concealing spell - there was no doubt in his mind that he would mess it up, and if trying to conceal himself didn't make him look suspicious enough, messing it up would.

Damien could be certain of at least two people in the alley from the conversation going on behind him, and had a feeling there was another one or two around somewhere. His grip shifted on the hilt of his rapier for a moment, if it came to a fight, he'd have to be as fast as he could be.

But no, he thought, Four people, only two certain? This has to be a set-up. He released the sword, though he kept one hand close to it, ready to draw in an instant. Then he turned and began making his way back down the alley - towards the voices. Trying to walk away would attract far more attention, though no doubt his attire would do the same.

He stopped, seeing that one of the speakers, a young girl, was staring straight at a patch of shadow. No...that's a little darker than it should be. Almost as if Josefina was hiding in the estate, waiting for me to show up. He had learned long ago to see through shadow-blending spells, it had been a necessity to get around his older sister's pranks. He moved no further than where he was, well aware of the possible suspicion his lack of movement could cast on him, but at the same time, curious at how this would play out. After all, whoever was hiding in those shadows couldn't be affiliated with the detective and the girl.

Alyssa

They've talked for almost ten minutes now and appear to have reached a decision: they're walking away, towards a building, or rather they're hurrying but stealthily. The man has much more experience in this than Cassandra but if I hadn't followed them for so long, I'd think them your average passer bys. I don't want to follow them; I'd much rather head home and have a nice hot chocolate with cream before going to bed. The choice isn't mine to make.

For a moment, I lose sight of the man and am forced to concentrate on Cassandra who has slowed and is approaching an entrance to the building... or perhaps an exit? What are they up to? Then I catch a glimpse of the man again, his body pressed tight against the wall as he edges closer to where the girl is now slouched, seemingly in a drunken stupor. A distraction then? At least initially but who is this trap intended for?

The minutes tick by and I study my watch closely as ten minutes evolves into fifteen and cigarette after cigarette is smoked by Cassandra. I check my watch and the man across the street does the same. Both of us are waiting. The difference is that I know how long I have to wait: just another half an hour.

Unfortunately, the man is tired of waiting and he whispers a few words to the girl before entering the building and she shuffles across to cover the exit more efficiently. Time to move. I cross the street casually and Cassandra looks surprised to see me.

"I aint done nothing," she says vehemently. Secretly I'm quite fond of the girl: she's a fighter but her clear disrespect of human life, particularly her own disgusts me. I've took my part in a fair few black deals but I've never took a life.

"Move aside," I reply. "And my advice to you is to be gone by the time I've dealt with your friend and whoever he's meeting." I take my stun gun out of its holster.

I'm gonna have to drop out. I've got too much on my plate to be a regular contributor.

Kennedy is up for grabs.

(Sorry!)

~Lily

Karman Mayfield

It was night. The food court was brightly lit and smelled of mould, creeping through from the cracks in the walls. Karman sat by the corner, her chin resting on her hands. She watched the workers behind the counter of a fast food outlet, processing the orders and handing out their dinners. They were careful not to slip on the floor as they found their seats.

Karman fished out her cell phone from her cargo pants. Her thumb danced the buttons.

“You here yet?”

She stared at the time on her screen. 7:15pm. He was fifteen minutes late. She opened up the games section and started playing. It was to make her seem self-occupied so that her dark eyes won’t meet the vague stares of shoppers. She straightened herself on the couch as she fought the boss of the stage, fought against the awkwardness that she felt of the possibility of her friend not turning up.

Bjorn as a friend was unreliable. She couldn’t help but think that her friendship with him was nothing more than a common interest in video games.

Opposite the food court was an internet café, its neon lights flashing “Midcity Café”. Inside, a weekly LAN tournament was taking place. She had been to overnight LAN parties with Bjorn and his mates before, though their skills were superior to hers. She was deemed a noob at times from Bjorn and his mates, showing little regard that she simply plays for fun, the excitement that she gets when she is doing something that doesn’t occur often in the city.

“Sup,” said a deep voice.

Karman turned to Bjorn, keeping a fixed expression on her face. He was dressed in a leather jacket and jeans. His hair was a dirty brown like hers, only messier. His skin was a pale white, but ruined by the redness of his pimples and facial hair.

Without time for a greeting, she got up and handed to Bjorn a memory stick.

“The copy of today’s footage is in there,” she said, “we still got some filming to finish.”

Bjorn grabbed it from Karman.

“That’s it?”

“It’s been raining for the last two weeks, Bjorn. We've only managed to get some filming done for that scene today.”

“Oh aye? I only just got back today.”

“I know,” Karman said dryly.

“By the way, me and my mates are gonna overnight again tomorrow. Wanna come?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Bjorn asked.

“I’m going to be out of the city,” Karman explained, walking for the automatic doors.

“Pssh what a wuss oi. You know that you are gonna lose your friends if you keep on acting like this.”

Gordan

I smiled from the back of the audience. The cheer leading was going well. Though I was only here for a guest lecture, I still enjoy watching these events, they always make me feel good about the school, as opposed to the anger I sometimes have towards the students for their lack of interest.
As Cheer Dynasty was called onto the stage I noticed some of the campus directors walking towards me and groan. Their faces were hard set, and they moved quickly.

I smile graciously as they approach, "Good Evening, what can I do for you gentlemen?"
The main director stepped forward, "We understand that you have been taking some extra classes out of school time."
My eyes flash, "Yes."
He looked uneasily towards the others, "Are you being payed for them?"
I hate money, I always have, it never solved any of the world's problems, and it only makes people greedy, "No."
He sighed, "Mr Josegh, I'm afraid I can't allow you to continue with these tutorials. They have to stop. We make money, and giving some people free education means that we don't get them in here, and we need the revenue."
I look at him as nicely as I can, "sir, surely what I choose to do with my time is entirely my own choice."
His polite look was turning dark, "not at the expense of this institute."
"why not?"
He blustered, unable to find words to reply, "Because...because...well...because you just can't."
"Again I ask, why not?"
He frowned at me, and stopped trying to explain. his voice stern he answered, "You will stop these lessons or we wll take it up in the courts."
His threat shocked me. As he and his companions left, I stared at their backs, unable to understand why they would take such drastic action over something so small.
"Mr Josegh?"
One of my student approached me, a girl who was in the cheer leading squad.
"Yes, Elizabeth?"
She frowned at the departing directors, "What was that about?"
I turned to look straight at her, "They don't want me giving extra tutorial any more."
Her eyes widened, "you're not going to stop are you? We just started on..."
"No, Elizabeth, i'm not going to stop, but you must not tell people that we are going to continue."
She nodded, "Yes, of course."
I smiled back at her, "good. Remember, tomorrow at 7:00?"
"Yes, Mr Josegh"
as she wlaked away, I smile at her. that's a promising girl, and I'm not going to give up on her.

My eyes widened at the sight of a gun, swiftly I slipped behind her, holding my pocket knife to her neck, "No one tells me to move aside...now tell me..what exactly do you have to do with him?"

Moving a hand around I disarmed her of the gun, "One more thing...don't pull weapons on me when I haven't done anything, now answer my question," I took her gun and put it into a hidden pocket inside my jacket.

Letting her go I leaned against the brick wall and pulled out another smoke, shifting my eyes from side to side to make sure no one was coming. Glancing back at the girl I glared as I awaited her answer.

Isabella

I became aware that this girl was dangerous vary quickly. I wasn't in the position to interfere just yet, but I wanted to be prepared for things to get worse.

Silently, I crossed from the roof I was on to the roof of the opposite building, so I had a better viewpoint of what was happening. The women who had lost her weapon and had a knife to her neck noticed me - I saw her eyes flicker briefly. So did someone else who was watching, but I ignored him.

I crouched low on the roof, a dagger in one hand, ready to save this women if it became necessary.

Did I know what i was getting myself into?

Not a clue.

BloodSunset: I'd appreciate it if you read my posts thoroughly - your character already knows mine through a history of being arrested by her and please remember that she's a highly trained guard and not easy to disarm.

Alyssa

I don't mind letting Cassandra have the stun gun though I make a vague mental note to have it retrieved later and I know I'm wasting time but a part of me keeps thinking that so long as I stay here, none of the building's inhabitants are getting past me. And I still have my other weapons.

Sometimes it's best to take a friendly approach to a situation and to give the suspects the benefit of the doubt. It helps that I know Cassandra and she's never struck me as a big time criminal but rather a very down to earth sort of girl.

"I don't suppose you remember me?" I ask casually. She frowns and glares then gives me another long, intense look.

"I've met a lot of people," Cassandra claims and then she frowns more deeply, though this time in concentration as she looks above my head where the rain slides away from me.

"You was drunk most times," I prompt.

"I'm mostly drunk," she replies cleverly and I smile at that.

"You could get done for high theft taking a guard's issue weapon like that," I add. She doesn't smile but there's a flicker of recognition just behind her left eye. She takes the gun out of her pocket and examines it closely.

"Is this that stun gun you used on me then?" Cassandra asks. I try to think quick because of course it is but I'd forgotten about that incident. I'd only been trying to stop her killing herself of course...

"Yes," I reply.

"At least you're honest," she grunts and I smile again. If she only knew just how dishonest I could be! "Okay, I don't want you sticking nothin' on me though you'd never catch me but it's only a stun gun so I don't mind you having it back if... if you answer my question first." I think hard, recalling her question and shrug.

"It's my job to follow suspicious people and apprehend criminals. This all looks pretty suspicious to me." I wait, wondering if she will return my gun. I check my watch. Twenty minutes left.

Ilum stood atop a roof top, eyeing a window across the way. He sighed deeply before moving down the fire escape and jumping to the one agecent him. He looked in the window just enough to get a pick and there was no one there. Like a shadow he slipped in and looked around. Simple, yet not as grity as he had thought. Just as he was about to sit down a figure appeared at one of the door ways.

"I don't much like visits from strangers. Especially ones like you."

Ilum turned expressionless, the motion toward the window, but she stopped him, "Wait, aren't you here to rob me, steal food, anything?"

"No, just looking for a nights sleep."

"Freeloader?"

"No, I have cash, just best not to be seen. I leave the money where the owner can find it."

"I think your lieing, but it looks to me like you're alright." The girl walked out into the light, "My names Echo and this is my dog Boreas."

Ilum gave a slight bow, "Ilum."

(You can go from here Lupe )