Forum Thread

*Time skip to the next day*

Athena was up way before most others, of course. Today would be a busy day. First thing on her to-do list? Go get her sword back. She knew the vague location of Chrono's hideout. He was one of those she preferred to stay away from, so she hadn't gone snooping around that area. Well, there's always a first time.

Arriving at his 'home', she found him sleeping on a wooden bench. It couldn't really be called a shelter, more of a few pieces of furniture piled under a half broken roof. Her sword was lying next to him. How disrespectful. Sneaking around him, she grabbed her sword. Normally, she'd be pointing it at his neck and threatening to chop his head off should he do something like that again, but with his portal abilities, it was smarter to just leave.

Ace woke up from his rest which he goes out and finally decided to train his ability

---

Kendo's wry, lazy smirk only got wider as he got up, brushing the dust off his jacket. The chill lessened as he sipped from the tea.

"Cold. Though that may just be me."

He laughed.

"I was attracted here by a powerful presence. The scent of shadows. That was you, I presume."

Kendo sipped once more from the cup. He seemed calm, almost relaxed, though not quite. It was clear as day that he was on his guard. To any person not skilled in analyzing human behavior, he seemed as relaxed as he could be, his posture slouched, leaning back in his chair. The things that gave him away were subtle but impossible not to notice if you tried. The slight chill hanging around in the air, the frost creeping onto his hands, the slight twitch of his fingers. He smiled. The frost was creeping onto his neck, his dark skin slowly turning a slight shade of blue, like ice.

"No matter how I got here. I came because I wish to recruit you, Ms. Hathor."

---

He catched the blade and a wound has scratched

"Ughhh that nightmare saved me"

He takes his bandage and put it on his finger to prevent leaking blood

"Don't ever do it again , it actually hurts... And obviously you want your sword right?"

He escaped by using his portal ability

But forgots the sword to bring

Who escapes and forgets their most valuable item? She hadn't planned on killing him anyways. Why did everyone think that she was here for murder? Anyways, things had played out in her favor and now she had her sword back. Swinging it against a rock, she made sure that it was actually her weapon, not a decoy. Task one, done. Now, onto the preparations for her heist tonght.

After he escaped he falls off and accidently transported near from kendo

He hids on the hulls of sand while having a nausea effect for using too much portals

"I need to get out here..."

He closed his eyes for minutes to prevent hallucinations

"welp i guess im done i'll try looking for other peoples" Ace stopped training and start going to travel

---

Athena headed towards the swath of forest on the edge of the Smith's territory. It was the only proper forest left in the Ruins. It fed off a river, also the only proper river left. It was dubbed 'The Haunted Forest', because it was overgrown and actually natural, which led most to believe it was haunted. A stupid belief, but everyone went along with it. The myths were probably the only thing protecting it. But already, the Smith's were discussing their plans of cutting it down for wood, and if they went through with the process, it would be gone within a few months. The section of the river which ran through the forest was protected as well, but the other parts of the river weren't so lucky. Already, the water level was gradually receding, the river getting dirtier.

Athena always came here before a caper. Why? Well, she didn't want anyone recognizing her, and The Lady in Red was known as a elegant, well dressed, young lady. So she had to clean up. And taking a dip in the river was the perfect way to do so. It was also one of the only chances she had to practice her swimming. Making sure there was no one around, she took her clothes off and set them on a nearby rock, then jumped into the water. She expanded her wings to their full size, enjoying the feeling of fresh, clean water. After all the dirt and grime she'd accumulated for the past month was washed away, she climbed out, and lay on the grass to dry off. The forest really wasn't scary at all, if you took the time to enjoy it. The grass was green, there birds sung, it was paradise compared to the bleak, gray city.

Putting her clothes back on, Athena stretched her wings. They needed to dry for a bit longer before she could fly. Might as well just appreciate nature for a while longer. Nature that could soon be taken away. Not many people knew what the forest was truly like, and they supported the Smith's idea to chop it down. As much as she was a highly skilled thief and possible assassin, she couldn't do much against the high tech weapons and genetically enhanced army the Smiths owned. There didn't seem to be much hope left for the last remnants of nature.

His focus finally straighted as a line

He silently escapes and ran away but mading it with footprints

He uses his portals but it's corrupted again

So he had no choice to dip in and go to a random dimensions

She watched the psychoicepath in front of her carefully. "Join... what exactly?"

Hathor was curious enough, and drank her tea, nonchalantly. She got the feeling that this was going to be one of those highly politicized meetings where everything said had double and triple meanings.

She reached for her tarot deck, and idly began shuffling it.

---

Felix wakes up and remembers the accident from yesterday, he gets up and starts messing around with the stuff he found to see what he could make. A bit later he makes a small little robot body but doesn't have the stuff to make it actually work so he just leaves it on his desk for later when he finds the right parts. He teleports out of his home and goes to his favorite area in the ruins, the "Haunted Forest" and goes to the river he sits on the edge and just watches the water.

---

Kendo's smile was wry, his tea freezing over.

"Well, I have a plan. A plan to.. change a few things around here."

He noticed the tea froze over. With a sigh, he put the cup down.

"This place... it's a bit... lackadaisical, don't you think, Ms. Hathor?"

He ran a hand through his brown hair, his other hand tapping a rhythm on the table.

"This place needs some basic laws and manners, don't you think? Murder, Theft, etc, etc, all run rampant here. I wish to... change it."

---

The sun was setting outside. About time... Getting up, she shook the last few droplets of water off her wings and headed home. She wasn't particularly worried, she'd pulled off many heists like this before. Unless something unexpected happened... In which case could get her killed. Well, she played with death a lot, so this wasn't exactly something new.

Hearing a slight thump, she turned and spotted a boy sitting on the edge of the water. He hadn't noticed her yet, or at least didn't show any indication that he had. He seemed to be enjoying nature. She did have some time to spare. Walking up soundlessly, she tapped him on his shoulder.

"Hmm..." She thought about it. "Well, as someone who has both thieved and murdered, I'd agree that there's problems in our world..."

Hathor slowly shuffled the cards again, itching to do reading of the newcomer. She had a feeling she would learn a lot about both him and the future that way.

"Why, Mr. Neo, you have intrigued me. Whatever were you thinking?"

---

Kendo flinched at his name.

"That's not my name. It's. Kendo. get it right, please."

He regained his composure, letting out a long sigh.

"I wish to restore government to this lawless city. I have a few prime candidates who could help me in my endeavors. You just happened to be one of them."

He took a deck of cards out of his pocket. He shuffled the deck calmly.

"To create a strong system of law and order, you must first have the rulers."

He plucked two cards from the deck. A queen and a king. He slid it across the table to Hathor.

"Then... There are the enforcers."

He plucked two cards out of the deck. An Ace and A Jack.

"The... there's the one willing to bring change."

One last card. The Joker.

"All the components are in place. Let us just set it in motion."

---

Hmm, Hathor could have sworn he gave off "Neo" vibes, but never mind. That reaction was interesting.

"I am deeply sorry, Mr. Kendo. Now, which part would I play in your grand scheme?" She studied the five playing cards intently. Hers were better.

She poured him some more tea, raising an eyebrow at him. Perhaps this one would remain unfrozen.

---

"Grand scheme? Hardly. This is not some sort of carefully crafted plan that has been in the works for years. I only returned to this city yesterday."

He gladly accepted the tea. He sipped from the cup.

"My apologies about the tea. I find it hard to control my chill sometimes."

He grinned, his scarlet eyes glinting in amusement.

---

"Well then. Enlighten me anyway. I like to know... what exactly I'm getting myself into."

Hathor smiled, the light not quite reaching her eyes. She lifted the cards next to her.

"Would you like a reading, Mr. Kendo? After all, they are my specialty."

---

Felix feels a tap on his shoulder he turns around and sees a girl behind him he asks "Hi do you need something?"

---

"Not particularly. Do you come here often?" He was quite different from most city folks, who would draw their weapons and try to kill her if she sneaked up on them.