A Shadow Heart's Day Off

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte awoke to the tap-tap-tapping of something at the window. She woke up slowly, staring at the light streaming into her window, and the telltale face of the cat. The all-black cat stared at her curiously. ...She'd overslept a little, a bit tired from her mission and the... aftermath. She wasn't very talented at remaining social, and found it more taxing than the mission.

The cat was a stray, one Fayte fed nearly every day. She'd slept in past her normal time though, and now the black cat was miffed that Fayte was late. She rose from the bed, moving to open the window and let the cat in. Instead, however, the cat rose its tail. Turning, it leapt from the windowsill. Hmm, apparently it was more mad than she thought.

Fayte did her normal morning routine, getting dressed in practical clothes. One could never tell the next fight was, or if a mission would be assigned immediately. She left and locked her dorm room, wandering down the hallway. She passed only a few other members - she was one of the early risers of the dark guild Shadow Heart. Shadow Heart, home of infamous thieves and murderers. Those who resisted the council from the shadows, and did whatever it took to further their own goals. ...Which was why her other life would likely be surprising to anyone else in Crocus.

Fayte left the guild, instead taking a walk in a nearby park. Sitting down a bench, she opened a small bag she'd brought with her. Inside was a pack of bird seed. A few birds were already staring from nearby branches, waiting for the food to be tossed. Tossing a few seeds, Fayte waited patiently. She didn't even need to be patient. The birds were practically tame now thanks to her influence; this was a ritual she'd done nearly every day for the past eight months. Greedily the birds flocked around the seeds, slowly getting closer and closer to Fayte, prepared to beg. She watched them without any emotion, staring as they devoured the seed. Reaching for another handful, she tossed them in spurts - rationing it and slowly inching the birds closer and closer to her. It was almost like a game of sorts, seeing how close she could get the birds to her feet... Well, it had started that way. The birds needed little convincing now that Fayte had been feeding them for so long, although they still were wary of others.

[Atrum Furea]

Atrum groaned as he stretched out his spine, this visit was exactly the opposite of what he expected.  A letter from his brother telling him to come to the capital led him to this city and his current plight.  Lost inside the depth of this monster the residents referred to as their home town, he had not only not been able to find the meeting place but also had managed to remain lost wondering the city for the entire last day up to this minute.  Luckily he had the foresight to pack enough food to last him much longer and the trip back.  

Still despite the admittedly lovely morning and pleasant helpful people around, the outstanding issue was that he was indeed still lost.  His brother while incredibly intelligent gave directions like he was trying to kill you.  He described landmarks with incredibly vague descriptions, the meeting place was supposed to be the square surrounded by four square structures with pointy tips.  How was Atrum supposed to know what that referred to?  There could be any number of parks like that in a city this large, he had found four that matched what he thought was purposely vague directions.  This was starting to put a damper on his day and it had only begun.

"The only option available to me is to continue in this case.  I suppose I shall punch him in the face when I eventually met him again."  He said to himself standing up from the bench he had situated himself upon,  It was time to go searching for Ater's meeting spot again.  Maybe he could find someone to make sense of this thing, the only other thing he could think that might help is that he made a note of the meeting place being particularly more airy than Atrum would expect.  Whatever that meant, hopefully someone who actually lived here could help him if not he'd just find a nice place to wait for his older brother.  He Looked about for the first time in a while letting himself take in his surroundings proper, he was in a city park one of the places where the flora and fauna resided alongside the cities human residents.  It was a rather pleasant place the air smelt good and- "Huh, maybe this is the Meeting place?"  He mused aloud stretching his neck out to get a better view than his already enormous seven foot frame gave him.   There was not many people in this park, that made sense it was early morning and many people had work to do.  That's when he spotted someone who drew his attention, a tall woman giving off a rather dominant feeling.  Normally he'd chalk it up to the surprising types of people he had found since moving to Fiore but something else made him sit there a second before moving on.  He sighed this would bother him until he talked to her, might as well get it over with and be prepared to apologize when he inevitably bothered her.  He walked over and took off her hat placing it on his chest and gave the woman a soft smile.  

"Excuse me Madame, might I take a moment of your time to ask for directions?"  He said in his standard polite and pleasant tone.  No telling what reaction he was going to get, not that he was worried. he was sure he could take whatever came his way.  That's how he lived anyways.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte was still feeding the birds, when footsteps approached. Instantly the birds scattered, flying away frantically from the newcomer. Their uneaten seed still lay on the path, a few stray feathers the only indication of their past presence. Fayte's hand froze mid-way in the air. They... were gone... Slowly her head turned to face the newcomer. He had spoken. Was he speaking... to her? She stared silently. The man was tall – she could tell he was much taller than her, even though she was sitting. Her initial reaction was to tell him 'no.' He had just interrupted the birds, after all. She wondered if he thought it was worth it. No, he probably had no idea how rude he was to her avian friends.

But it was already done and over with. She supposed that the sooner she helped him, the sooner he'd leave. “...What do you need?” Fayte finally asked after an uncomfortable amount of silence had passed. Her expression and tone were completely blank. She released the fist full of seeds in her hand, the seeds pattering and falling uselessly on the road. The birds could eat them later. Finally her raised hand returned to her lap. They were in a park, so Fayte didn't understand where this man was trying to go. Parks were designed to be explored.

[Atrum Furea]

Atrum saw her reaction and felt a pang of guilt, while her expression appeared to stay the same her body language told him he had disturbed her in some way.  He figured the best thing to do was to simply get his directions and leave, unfortunately his brother made that more of an complicated matter than it needed to be.  He pulled the slip of paper bearing the note from his brother out of his pocket and unfolded it giving it a cursory glance before returning his gaze back to the woman's face.  

"I am looking for the location described in this letter, however it is too vague for someone who is new to this town to be able to decipher it.  I was hoping you might possess a better grasp on the cities layout than myself."  He stated feeling incredibly uncomfortable suddenly, the air between the woman and himself was... off putting to say the least.  "The letter describes a square, which I assume to be a town square or something similar surrounded by four square like structures, most likely pillars of some sort or statues that are pointed at the top."  Oh wow, even saying that aloud sounded pretty moronic.  He didn't like the way he sounded saying that aloud, why couldn't he had met the idiot at the entrance of the town or something?  "Unfortunately I have found about four places that match that already, I am at a lost searching for the location."   He normally did not like asking for help but the letter said it was urgent and Ater did not use words carelessly.  Hopefully he could push past whatever was currently bothering him and find the place before the sun went down.  He kept the soft smile up it made him feel a bit more at ease.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte listened to the man's plight. The same stray cat from earlier hopped onto the bench. It offered Atrum a single glance, before settling its yellow-eyed gaze on Fayte. Unblinkingly it continued to stare at her, remaining just out of arm's reach. Fayte pretended not to notice, instead focusing on Atrum. Silently she accepted the paper. She doubted she would be able to help him... The letter in question had been scrawled out hastily. Before she could take a closer look, the cat approached coyly. It rubbed its chin against her hand. ...It was actually quite cute, and she was trying hard not to react. Her left hand released the paper hesitantly, almost going to pet the cat... before freezing uncertainly. Her eyes darted between the cat and paper. Even though this man wasn't one of her companions, Fayte instinctively wanted to hide her preference. She knew someone with her appearance wouldn't be expected to like animals. This stray in particular was a friend of hers, one she'd silently named Nyanko. The cat, however, seemed to have no such qualms of showing affection. It continued rubbing against her frozen hand, as if petting itself. Apparently it had forgiven her for Fayte's earlier transgression.

Even as she thought that, the cat acted faster than she expected. Fayte had let her guard down. Mischievously Nyanko bit paper, jumping down almost instantly in one fluid motion. The letter forcefully yanked out of Fayte's remaining hand. At first she didn't react, not really realizing what was happening. Nyanko darted through Atrum's legs, continuing to dash until it gained a fair distance between the two. "Nyanko..." The name slipped in Fayte's surprise, rising to her feet. Was this some kind of game? Or retribution from earlier? "Give it back," she ordered, as if the cat could actually understand her.

Nyanko paused, turning to look back at the two. Its tail twitched as if considering Fayte's command, yellow eyes practically demonic. Then abruptly, it turned and continued its dash. Fayte broke out into a run after it. "I'm sorry I'll get it back!" She called behind to the stranger. After all, if she had remembered to feed the cat earlier this morning, none of this would have happened. Fayte was convinced the cat was doing this intentionally to get back at her.

[Atrum Furea]

Atrum was an observant person, it came from years of watching ones opponents for signs of weakness.  It had always been one of his greatest weapons in a fight, but right now he found himself wishing he wasn't noticing all these tiny details.  The woman's mannerisms were in stark contrast to her aura and it was driving him mad, she didn't seem to be faking them either which only mad it worse.  Was she really as strong as he felt she was or was he simply reading her wrong?  Her mere presence had thrown him for a loop but he was more curious than out right baffled.  She wasn't the only person he had met that gave off this feeling, but those kind of people had a story behind it.  He mentally shook himself, he wasn't used to thinking so much.  He preferred to operate off of instinct, he was probably over thinking it.  He relied on feeling out people and reading them to understand them better.  It was most likely he was simply over reacting to what he felt was strange and unusual.  Unfortunately for him before he could calm himself fully with this line of thought a black cat had jumped up to the woman he was asking for help.  He blinked confused as the cat showered her with more affection than he saw from most cats, and then suddenly took the letter from her and ran off with it.  

"What the...?"  He started before the realization hit him in full, that cat had just taken the letter his brother had sent him.  Atrum turned suddenly and stared at the cat his body tensing for a chase.  Cats, why was it always cats?  He couldn't catch it outright.  Even with his extended stride distance the little feline was simply too fast for him.  Not that he wasn't going to give chase anyways, he didn't give up just because of a small issue like that.  If he could match it's speed he'd have to find another way to catch it.  That's when the woman stood up and talked to the little feline thief.  Did she own it?  He could've sworn he heard her call it by name so either it was her pet or her friend, either way he wasn't prepared for her to suddenly sprint off after it.  He found himself grinning, his fanged maw making his entertained smile more sinister than it was.  This was much better actually, he didn't have to think anymore he was much more comfortable like this.  He rushed off after the two he wasn't about to sit here and let her chase the cat by herself.  "Do not apologize, let us focus on getting the letter back."  He responded the grin returning to his signature soft smile.  'This little one might lead us all over town, this should be fun.'  He thought to himself, the hunt was on!

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte was fast, but the feline thief was a fast one too. If she really wanted to catch it, Fayte could have used a spell to make her faster... but that would require her partial takeover form, which would reveal her magic. As far as Crocus was concerned, she was just an average citizen. So Fayte continued the chase without any enhancements, relying solely on her physical talents. Vaguely she realized the man from earlier was following behind her. He needed that letter, after all. They had to get it back.

Nyanko dashed willy-nilly through the park, all the while keeping its mouth tightly around the paper. Fayte plunged into the shrubbery recklessly. A few twigs and leaves stuck to her long hair, but she would not be swayed. She would catch Nyanko.

The cat darted between the park's railings, squeezing its way out into the main part of town. Fayte launched at the rails fearlessly, hoisting herself easily over the bars to continue chasing the cat. Past the rails which marked the end of the park, the rest of Crocus sprawled before them. The morning had progressed and the town was coming alive. The city had imposingly tall buildings, and plenty of hard-to-reach places for a cat to run through. Nyanko darted through people's legs as if such a path guaranteed itself to be most efficient. People gasped in surprise as the cat brushed through legs, barely keeping their balance. Only to be roughly shoved apart by Fayte as she continued desperately to keep the cat in view. A few yelled out curses and accusations at her, but nothing could slow her down from chasing that cat.

Nyanko darted off into an alley. One of the buildings, even in this back alleyway, was decorated strangely. Colorful suns with strange faces adorned the building. There was a small hole at the building's outside. Fayte lunged at the cat, but was moments too late. Nyanko wormed its way into the hole, Fayte's hand just barely grazing its tail. Fayte's eyes narrowed... but she wouldn't give up yet. She dashed around to the building's front side. It was a bar... the Bar Sun, to be exact. She knew it was one of the more popular locations in town, but had yet to visit herself. The painted suns all over the building were a dead giveaway of their location. Her hand wrapped around the doorknob, twisting it unsuccessfully. It rattled; locked. The hour was still too early for a bar to be open.

Desperately Fayte banged against the door. Two knocks. Four knocks. Eight knocks. Twelve. Finally the door opened, a rather annoyed looking man staring questionably at Fayte. "What d'ya want, lady?! This place is closed!" He spoke very loudly.

"I must get inside," Fayte insisted, staring at the man.

He remained unintimidated. "I jus' said, the place is closed!" He shouted this time.

"No, you don't understand. I'm not here to order, and I won't be long. Let me in," Fayte continued, voice still flat, although she was breathing a little heavier from all the running. Clearly negotiating wasn't exactly her strong point...

[Atrum Furea]

Atrum was silently cursing the fact that he didn't have a spell that made him faster, his war Flame magic didn't lend itself to non-lethal take downs either.  He'd just have to follow the woman he had managed to drag into this mess as best he could, he could run at full tilt longer than anyone he knew so that helped.  Atrum was more entertained than anything despite his silent complaints, chasing something down like this was almost always a blast.  He couldn't wait to see what this little feline thief had in store for it's two pursuers.  

Their quarry ran into the brush, an attempt to slow down the two that were hot on it's tail.  The woman dove after it unfazed by it's tactics, Atrum put his hand on his hat to keep it in place as he bore through after the two.  His current allies' charge giving him more room to rush through, his shirt was damage having been caught and torn in several places.  The damage was slight enough that he didn't care, It could wait until later he told himself trying to keep up his pace.  He couldn't lose them, not after he made the decision to keep going, he wouldn't allow himself to do so.

Nyanko lead them out out the park and toward the city part of of the capital, he had to vault over the railings to keep up with them, as he did he suddenly felt a strange sense of foreboding.that danced on the edge of his perception.  His smile lessened a bit as he remembered this feeling, he was in for trouble soon though exactly what type he couldn't even begin to guess at.  That's when he noticed they had entered the main part of town, this cat was determined to lose them it seemed.  The buildings were tall they reminded him of the trees from his homeland, really old and really tall.  He stopped running and squeezed his hands in frustration, while the cat and the young woman had gotten through the people he had managed to lose sight of them the instant the crowds closed up after them.  He looked about to see if there was an alternate route he could take but he was losing ground fast.

"Blazing Hells..."  He chuckled looking about getting an idea to form in his head, he need to save time to make up for what he lost.  "And the most simple way to achieve that is to do this."  He said running towards a building and putting his foot halfway up the wall and pushing off of it to catch a lower hanging ledge of the building opposite from it.  "If I can not see them from the ground then getting a better vantage point is the logical answer."  He said feeling a bit smug as he hauled himself up on top of one of the smaller buildings.  This was much better he was sure he could spot them from up here, in fact he had just managed to catch them ducking into an alley way if he booked it he might be able to catch up.  He jumped down not having a proper way to get through from the building he had chosen and rushed as quickly as he could through the crowd.  When he finally caught up he was treated to a strange sight.  The woman he had enlisted to help him was being shouted at by some man who instantly irk Atrum from inside a building covered in painted suns.  Atrum walked over feeling pretty ticked, he was still smiling but the soft expression didn't reach his eyes.  "Sir,"  Atrum started his eyes narrowing down to a glare.  "I must ask that you not shout at her."  He said simply, he had a hard time controlling himself when angry like this but at the moment he couldn't find it in him to give a damn.  This woman had gone out of her way to help him he would be damned if he let her get pushed around by some random guy in a weird sun covered building.

[Fayte Scarlett]

"Not you too!" The man seemed even more exasperated by Atrum's entrance and defense for Fayte. "Look, you don't even know what happened. She just... pounded on my door and then demanded that she enter, even though we're closed..." He continued to rant.

Out of the corner of her eye, Fayte saw movement above. She looked up. At the top of the strange building, Nyanko had hopped out of a window, and now stood on roof's tiling. Fayte tensed, staring up at the cat. In response, the cat froze, as if aware of her gaze. Nyanko looked down at its two pursuers. The letter was still noticeably in its mouth. So focused was she on the cat, that Fayte failed to even recognize Atrum's re-appearance, or listen to the man's continued complaints.

Nimbly the cat ran to the side, jumping across to another roof. Immediately Fayte resumed pursuit of the thief. The man was still mid-sentence talking to her, but she failed to hear any of his words, including his angry exclamations when she simply ran away. Chasing the cat had just become far more difficult. It hopped from rooftop to rooftop as if it had a particular destination in mind. From below, Fayte was having trouble watching the cat's progress, and watching where she was going at the same time. Instead of zig-zagging around crazily, the cat continued more or less in a straight line... which meant Fayte was strangely enough able to keep up with it.

They cleared the more populated section of town, the people gradually becoming less and less. Noticeably in the near distance, exactly where Nyanko seemed to be going, was the arena for the Grand Magic Games. No such events were scheduled in the immediate future, and as such, the surrounding area was completely deserted. Nyanko hopped down from its high position. With one last burst of speed, it crossed the bridge to the arena, worming its way through the open front door.

Fayte was just a few steps behind. But she paused before the arena's entrance, catching her breath. And thinking. The situation seemed a little odd for it all to be a coincidence. It was like Nyanko had been leading them here, and Fayte was fairly certain this door shouldn't be open. In the end, she supposed it didn't matter. She still had to get that letter back. Opening the door father, Fayte stepped inside.

The arena stands were completely empty. Fayte walked through the main entrance, silently taking in the scene. In the arena circle was a solitary figure: a young man with a top hat, suit, and cape. Nyanko padded quietly up to the man, stopping within arm's reach. He reached down, taking the letter from Nyanko's mouth. As if the cat had been offering it to him.

So it wasn't a coincidence. Fayte was convinced Nyanko must have acted under that man's influence. She stopped a few feet away from the man and cat, simply waiting. He rose slowly, grinning smugly at her. "So we finally meet again," he said haughtily. "I'll finally have my chance at revenge."

Fayte stopped, no expression gracing her face. She didn't recognize this man. Who was he? She was terrible at remembering people, unless they left an impression her. Perhaps he was from one of her missions. Maybe someone she'd fought in the past, or the family member of one of her targets. If that was the case... if he revealed her true identity as a Shadow Heart member... Fayte would have no choice but to kill him, and any witnesses. That included the man she'd originally been trying to help.

"...Do I know you?" She said slowly, remaining passive. His next answer would decide her course of action.

"Y-you don't remember me?!" He was clearly wounded by her response. "You rejected me just a few days ago! Said we were in totally different leagues, in front of all my friends!"

She didn't remember this man. Didn't remember being asked out, or saying something like that. But apparently, his issue with her wasn't as serious as she originally thought.  "....Oh," she acknowledged simply.

"'Oh'?!" He repeated incredulously. "That's it? That's all you have to say?! Listen, you better apologize, or else... We're in my turf now, and I'd hate to see anything happen."

"You... used Nyanko... for something like this?" Fayte asked, tensing again. They were technically having a conversation, but it was like the two were on completely different wavelengths. "What terrible magic... You must promise to never do it again..."

[Atrum Furea]

"Sir, I do not care if she was unreasonable.  You do not, shout at a lady."  Atrum said sternly as if he was educating a child, interrupting the mans rant the smile on his face never leaving.  He looked down upon the flustered man clearly annoyed with his behavior the smile on his face strained.  This was wasting time and he was starting to lose his patience, but the man was a civilian and therefore off his list of people to punch.  He wasn't an enemy yet.

"But we're closed!"  He continued before Atrum shook his head, this man was infuriatingly stubborn about keeping people out until he opened.  Atrum resisted groaning at the man in boredom as he continued his rant.  

"We are not customers my good sir.  We are not here to intrude upon your business, the lady was trying to retrieve a cat that had manage to enter this buildin-"  He blinked as suddenly the woman who had taken to helping him had suddenly run off again.  "What in the blazing?"  He asked as she ran off again, he shook his head and turned back to the man.  "The point is try and be more polite next time good sir."  He said before turning to chase after her, this was starting to irk him.  This situation was starting to feel less like an entertaining distraction and more like a tiresome chore.  Once again they were back to running through the streets, forcing Atrum to follow as closely as he could to keep up with the woman.   He was much better when he could just punch the problem or talk at it, this was more or less the exact opposite of a good time for him.  He was definitely not a runner, a hunter maybe, a fighter definitely but not a runner.

He chased the cat and woman around for what seemed to him to be ages, when he finally noticed the amount of people around them began to shrink.  He stopped suddenly, taking in the sights he had been lead to.  A giant colosseum expanding up into the sky far above Atrum's head daunting in size and scope.  To him something of this size was simply something that didn't happen, but looking at this thing he felt at home.  At peace, he felt his heart beating faster than normal and he knew he was excited.  His ruminations were uncalled for this was truly going to be an enjoyable day.  "My elder brother when were you going to tell me about this?"  He asked himself as he lowered his head and ran in after the woman and the cat.  He would have time to admire this place later, when he had retrieved his letter and apologized to the woman for inconveniencing her like this.  He entered the building, expecting to see her still chasing Nyanko around.  What he got was a ways different than the sight he was expecting, some man with horrendous fashion sense was talking to the woman.  What he had to say Atrum did not hear nor care for, all he knew was that this man held his letter.  His property.

Atrum walked up towards the others keeping a quiet and reserved demeanor as he observed them.  He was trying to stay out of their conversation, the woman seemed lost in thought for some reason.  He figured that she was going to handle this herself, especially since their conversation didn't seem all that important.  If he heard correctly the man was rejected and seemed to be trying to get her to acknowledge him in some way.  Petty, insignificant issues born of insecurity, Atrum avoided people like the man before them.  It was difficult to keep himself from assaulting them, he would simply have to wait until they had finished their business.   He was in the middle of becoming comfortable and confident when the atmosphere in the area suddenly changed.  What had happened?  He had only stopped paying attention for a second, but suddenly he felt a sense of foreboding again.  The woman had suddenly gained a much more imposing presence, she was registering on his battle sense.  He blinked and put his hand upon his hat as if a wind was trying to blow it off his head.  He felt his soft smile spread into a smirk, the other man was probably not feeling the change in atmosphere.  He found himself ready to laugh.

'Rejoice!'  He thought to himself. 'For truly Terrible things are about  to happen.'

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte's fist tightened slowly. The man had the letter in his hand, given by her feline friend Nyanko. She was absolutely convinced Nyanko would never associate with such an odious man; yes, he certainly must have used some kind of foul magic to bewitch the cat. When Atrum arrived... his presence reminded her. She shouldn't let herself be distracted. They had come here for a very specific reason, and Fayte was determined to succeed... regardless of the consequences.

“That letter... belongs to this man here,” Fayte said. “If you have a quarrel with me... there is no need to involve others. Please give us the letter...” She asked nicely, but there was a thin edge to her voice. Already she was restraining herself from attacking – but she had to at least give him a chance of redemption. Even though she didn't remember him... he seemed like someone she didn't like.

The man in the top hat frowned. “All you have to do is apologize, and this letter is yours!”

Fayte had enough of this idiotic man's ramblings. In a flash of white light, black wings grew from her back. Her hands became more claw-like, fingernails becoming long and sharp. Out were any ideals of keeping her magic hidden... This issue was more important to deal with. “I do not... play these kinds of games. Now hand the letter and cat over... and I shall spare you.”

The man visibly jumped back in surprise at Fayte's transformation. It took him an additional few seconds to register what she said. Wait... the cat? He looked down at the black cat, who sat idly next to his shoe. The letter was still in his hand, which he tucked neatly away in his pocket. “Just because you have some fancy magic... doesn't mean you can order me around!”

Fayte decided that negotiations had failed. “Fine... Have it your way.” She dashed towards Mr. Top Hat. Either she'd steal the letter in the ensuing conflict... or she'd beat him up until he handed it over. During her charge, the man took out a small baton. A magical light glowed from it; was it some kind of holder weapon..?!

Nyanko jumped, its tail becoming incredibly bushy. Its yellow eyes were wide as if spooked by something. Looking around frantically, the cat settled on the man with the top hat. Hissing, the cat backed away, before turning around and dashing completely. Now that the letter was in possession of Mr. Top Hat, there was no need to chase Nyanko. But they had other problems to deal with anyway.

From the side of the arena, a gate opened. An ominous growl sounded from within... before a lion pounced from the darkness. Hastily Fayte skidded to a stop, the lion now between herself and her quarry. “It's not too late you know, you can still say sorry~” The man hummed, clearly thinking he had the upper hand.

“So that thing he has... it controls animals,” Fayte stared hatefully through the lion to the man. It certainly made sense why Nyanko had been acting so strangely, and then leading them around town. All for this man's ambitions. “It is... not acceptable...” She said it quietly though, so that only Atrum could hear. “It seems you've become involved in one of my problems... I regret dragging you into this, but there's no need for you to get hurt on my behalf. I must fight to get your letter back and destroy that terrible holder item...” And without hurting any of the animals under his influence... She didn't know if the stranger she'd been trying to help was even capable of fighting.

[Atrum Furea]

Were they still talking? Atrum was a soft spoken person normally but this was starting to try his patience. Did he already say that? Atrum blinked a sudden feeling of deja vu hitting him hard. He frowned and looked towards the two talking to each other he could feel it negotiations were breaking down. He figured a fight was going to break out at some point, to him it was just a matter of when. He cracked his knuckles preparing for the inevitable when the feeling hit him again. That sickening sense of foreboding was coming in waves that increased in tempo every time they came. He found himself feeling more and more paranoid with each instance of dread. He didn't show it much outwardly, the same faint smile was still ever present but he did seem a bit more twitchy than normal. Looking around the general area, he desperately wished for something to take his mind off of the the feeling he was getting without a focus he was driving himself mad. He needed something to focus himself, he needed- He pulled his hat down over his eyes reflexively when a surprising white light shone from the woman. Atrum looked up and saw she had become more bird like in appearance. He whistled aloud and his smile became a bit brighter.

A small flame gathered around his index and middle finger on his left hand and he strode forwards to engage the obvious enemy when a lion of all things moved in the way. Both he and the woman stopped their advance him more out of surprise than anything, he waved her left hand back and forth killing the flames that were growing there. This was unexpected but not really much more than an inconvenience with the two of them there was little their prey could do to get away from both of them. He was about to simply charge the lion when the woman spoke to him. She was angry and apologetic, but her words made Atrum understand the position they were in. His holder magic let him control the local fauna. That lion was not a willing part of this conflict, that was a shame he was looking forwards to going at it with a beast like that. He sighed unable to hide the disappointment he felt, he felt cheated out of a real fight. Though fighting without hurting a lion would be an interesting trade off.

"Madame, If I come to harm in the upcoming struggle then it is either because I made a mistake or my opponent was better than me. In either case the injury is deserved. More importantly is that you obviously care for the animals he has under his control." He responded so naught but the woman could hear him. "Since they are innocent I shall do my best to avoid harming them. This puts me at a slight disadvantage since my magic is not really suited for not fatal combat. I'll take the lion you should go for the holder item." He said simply, walking towards the large cat. The man with the top hat laughed at him.

"Throwing you life away? Such a shame." He said obviously feeling confident that atrum was just some thug and couldn't take on a lion. Atrum had fought worse and won, the hard part would be taking the lion without hurting it. This would be fun, he thought as the lion charged him claw ready to rend him apart. Atrum reated quickly ducking under the lions arms and wrapping his own around it's body just under the arms. He was literally holding the beast up as it tried to claw and bite him unable to to either from the awkward position it had been caught in.

"I apologize, but this might sting a tad bit." He said twisting suddenly flipping the lion over onto the ground. He couldn't keep the limber creature pinned for long, but he was sure as hell going to try. This would be easier if he could just attack it, but innocents are innocents.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte was contemplating how to best tackle the lion, when Atrum stepped in and did it for her. Silently she listened and watched. She couldn't deny what he said... animals were very important to her. They were raw bundles of living energy, a life with no other purpose save swimming in the flow of fate. This was the reason why she wanted to protect them.

"...Thank you..." Fayte was truly grateful. She continued on ahead while Atrum took care of the lion. She hoped he would stick to his word and go easy on the lion... she didn't know what kind of magic he had, and he had already seen her partial form. It was a bit unfair... and Fayte really didn't want to show what other tricks she had. Today's ally... could easily become tomorrow's enemy.

Mr. Top Hat was distracted with Atrum fighting the lion. He laughed hysterically as the Fairy Tail wizard fought the lion, only to abruptly cut short when Atrum flipped the lion over. She was upon him before he could continue the manipulation. Her long claws swiped multiple times at him. With surprising nimbleness, the man actually managed to keep up, dodging each strike. He looked alarmed, but his skill was surprisingly good. Fayte thought that perhaps he was better than she'd given him credit for...

He waved his baton and a ring of fire appeared between himself and Fayte. Maybe if she was daring she would've jumped through, but she skidded to a halt instead. It wasn't a risk she wanted to take right now. Unfortunately, that gave her opponent an extra second of breathing room. With a more complicated set of baton motions, another growl sounded behind one of the arena gates. Another predator cat leapt into the arena, this one a tiger.

Great... more big cats. Fayte hesitated, before resuming pursuit of Mr. Top Hat. If she could just break his holder weapon... just a few moments was all she needed, and the fight would be over...

[Atrum Furea]

Atrum snarled angrily as the lion struggled to escape his grip, the beast was more limber than he was.  He was losing his grip on the struggling feline, and he needed to keep the beast off of the woman so she could defeat that top hat guy.   The Lion swung itself free from his grip, bringing itself to it's feet preparing to fight again.  Atum growled and reached for the feline again trying to get his grip back on the large cat, but it dodged his hands.  That's When Atrum noticed the tiger that had entered the arena, he couldn't take both of them on without hurting them.  When it came to fighting he wouldn't put his skills behind anyone, and while he would not claim the same for his magical prowess he was certain that he should be able to handle this situation somehow.  Atrum grabbed the lion by the tail before it could retreat out of his range bringing it's full attention back onto him.  He smiled as the lion charged him once again he brought his left hand back and pointed it at Mr. Top hat as soon as the flames appeared on his hand.  Their enemy was in for a surprise or at least Atrum thought, his timing had been off and the lion rammed into him before he could get his spell off.  He hit the ground hard the lion biting down hard on his right arm.  That caught him by surprise and the pain hit him hard causing him to 'drop' his spell.

Atrum was too busy dealing the the lion and the pain to hear the cracking sound of thunder from the sky.  Too preoccupied to notice the draining of his magic power as it happened.  Atrum's spell struck behind Mr. Top hat spreading flames in it's immediate area, and impacting with enough force to knock anyone too close to it off their feet.  It was a dramatic affair a lighting bolt raining from a clear sky to violently explode inside the arena.  Even as distracted as he was Atrum didn't miss when the spell hit ground, Mr. Top hat definitely noticed it as well.  It was a tad bit difficult to ignore a lighting bolt that threw you to the ground and almost lit you on fire.   Honestly Atrum was simply planning on sending his spell flying past the guys face scare him into hesitating for a second but beggars can't be choosers, at the very least he was glad no one got hit directly by the spell.  The thing that bother him other than the lion that was currently eating his arm was how did the spell come from the sky?

[Fayte Scarlett]

Mr. Top Hat was busy avoiding Fayte, and completely failed to notice the collection of magical energy forming above his head. Until he heard the thunderclap. He looked up in surprise, just in time to see the fire race down from the heavens and consume him. He cried out, falling to the ground from the tremendous impact. His top hat grew ablaze, other flames singing his formal attire, charring his clothes. Tossing the hat aside hastily, he was halfway to his feet when Fayte caught up to him. She had been rocked by the attack as well, being a bit close to Mr. Top Hat, but had merely been staggered and hadn't taken the same damage he had. She slammed her foot into his chin, knocking him back down on the ground painfully. Mr. Top Hat's hat finally stopped flaming, but judging from his white eyes and the drool running down his chin, he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. She reached down to the baton, before snapping it cleanly in half.

The lion that had been gnawing on Atrum's arm released him, pulling back sharply. It stared at Atrum in fear, growling as it backed away. Without the Magician's Holder item, it seemed the beast was less inclined to fight Atrum. It continued slowly to back away, glaring threateningly at Atrum... when it had gained enough distance, it turned on its heels and fled back to the section of the arena, where it had originally appeared. The tiger as well, snapped out of its threatening stance, and seemed much more alarmed than angry. It dashed away, fleeing to the arena cage.

Fayte bent down to her opponent again, who was still steaming from Atrum's last attack. Her hand felt for the front pocket in his shirt, taking out the folded piece of paper. "Oh..." She realized, holding it up simply so that Atrum could see. The letter wasn't quite the perfect rectangle it had once been. After all their work... only the very center remained in tact, the rest singed from the earlier fire. She flipped it open gingerly, careful not to break it any farther. The directions were pretty much illegible now; too much of the text had been lost.

Nyanko hopped down from one of the bleachers, re-entering the arena. It watched them carefully from a distance, much more aloof now without the influence of the magician. Fayte's eyes darted towards the cat; yes, this was much more the Nyanko she knew. But she returned her attention to Atrum, walking closer to him. "Are you... injured?" She wondered, although with her tone, it seemed more like she asked out of formality than any real concern. She offered the half-burnt letter back to the original owner. Her wings began to disappear, melting away into nothingness. Her hands as well, became much more human-like, instead of the claw-like fingers that had been holding the letter just a moment prior. He had shown magic too..... Fayte guessed that he was from a guild of some kind, likely a legitimate one. Strange how fate had brought them together.

She was... glad... though. He had gone out of his way to not hurt the animals... even when they had attacked him. It wasn't every day someone would literally risk their limbs for the life of predator cats. And without him... she doubted she would have faired as well against Mr. Top Hat, at least not without hurting the cats.

[Atrum Furea]

'To be entirely fair, this was your fault.'

The thought hung in Atrum's mind as looked at his injury,  the one he had allowed to happen by failing to time his attack properly.  If he were more attentive, less brash any number of things couldn've allowed him to pull that maneuver off without sustaining damag as he had done.  Ultimately he had failed himself, there was no point in dwelling on it.  Moving on was a better idea, learn from this mistake, grow from it.  Despite the fact the faint smile still rested on his face it was fairly obvious he was frustrated with something.  Freed from the Lion's weight he sat up and looked around, the lions retreat meant they won.  

He was greeted by the sight of Fatye bending down over their opponent, retrieve what he assumed was his letter from the man's pocket.  Atrum felt his smile lessen as he saw the remains of his brothers message, he had totally ruined it rendering it useless to them.  The War Flame mage was just barely containing himself, he resisted the urge to curse and snarl and just overall throw a tantrum at the situation.  Instead he unbuttoned his shirt and reached for the gauze he kept on him so he could wrap up the lion bites he had suffered,in the process revealing the scars his clothing normally hid. He didn't try to hide them as they did not bother him he was more preoccupied with fixing his arm. Unfortunately he wasn't thinking perfectly straight but he knew he had to clean the wounds before wrapping them up.  

"I am fine Madame, I simply made a mistake and am currently paying for it."  Atrum placed his hand over the wound a small flame running over the open wounds, cleansing his cat bites with purifying fire.  He grimaced as he purposely burned himself, he had done this before but it didn't make it any easier.  "Thank you for asking, it is pleasant to hear."  He said stopping the small spell and grabbing the gauze again, wrapping it around his wounded right arm.  He was too displeased with himself to noticed Fayte's tone, but now that he had taken care of himself he was calming down.  Thinking about it he had done what he set out to do, got his letter back.  He reached out and took the charred remains of his letter and took a lingering look at it before pushing it into his shirt pocket, taking an extra moment to button it back up once again removing the guild tattoo on his chest from sight.  The giant pushed himself to his feet and flexed his injured arm slightly to see how handicapped he was due to the injuries.  He smiled at Fayte and gave her a small bow, removing his hat in a show of respect.  "I apologize this trouble is at least partially my fault..."  Atrum stopped and looked up at her and the smile fading to a unusual blank expression followed by one of pure confusion.  "This is going to sound strange, but was there not three of us?"  He asked, putting his hat back on his head and feeling that strange sense of foreboding for what must've been the hundredth time.  'This is weird.'  He thought to himself quietly.

"I could have sworn, there was someone else following us..."

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte watched, her eyes riveted to Atrum's arm and the wounds he had sustained. The scars registered; she understood that this was a man who had seen much combat. Like her. A veteran from another side. Although Fayte was not very adept at reading others' reactions, she could tell he was frustrated over something. Atrum disinfected the wound with fire, she watched him inflict himself bravely but it was clearly a painful option. He was treating the wounds that he had sustained on her ideal's behalf. As Atrum started to wrap his arm, Fayte bent down. Forcefully took the bandages, taking over the treatment. She wrapped his arm silently, perhaps in this way she might show her gratitude.

When they finished, Fayte took a few steps back and let Atrum rise to his feet. At his apology and bow, Fayte just shook her head. It was not his fault... he had done nothing wrong. She didn't understand what he was apologizing for. "Three of us...." Fayte instantly tensed at his words. Her fists curled, her senses becoming more alert. She listened intently for the sound of another; for any sort of pursuer. For she had many enemies, and many would-be enemies. The scuffle with Mr. Top Hat had been short. But it could easily lead into something much more serious.

Fayte wanted to help Atrum find his destination... she wanted to show him her gratitude... but if they were being followed.... "I have many enemies... perhaps it is best we part ways for now." She suggested. She had not even gotten the man's name... she had not given her name... but she knew... that even with her poor social skills... she would not forget this person. "I do not wish to see you hurt on my account again..."

[Atrum Furea]

Atrum was not expecting her to insist upon treating his wound, his people viewed their bodies as their own responsibility their wounds their own faults.  However he was not in the frozen wastes of the northern continent, he was in Fiore a realm that was ravaged by war not a place that would thrive in the carnage like his old home.  He was grateful that she saw fit to assist him, even more grateful that she decided to tend to his wounds.  To extend a hand to assist another was a kindness that his people did not expect, 'Give freely but expect nothing' was the saying that taught his kind charity and resilience.  More aligned with his expectations was her reaction to his statement, the way she tensed was obvious to those who were trained in battle as something similar.  She was truly no stranger to combat then, though he couldn't understand her desire to split up in this situation.  Faced with an unknown possibly an enemy she wished to distance herself from others?  To Atrum this spoke of someone who for some reason was more comfortable alone, though the idea of leaving a potential ally behind when facing a potential enemy still confused him.  Still if she insisted.

"If you must depart, I shall not stop you.  I can tell when I can not convince a person to deviate from their chosen path."  Atrum gave the woman a pleasant smile, despite his frustrations he had enjoyed this small adventure all the same and he owed her for that as well he supposed.  "This was a pleasant distraction, I thank you for-"  Atrum stopped, tensing as the figure behind Fayte registered in his head for the first time since it appeared.  His mind went into over drive, trying to gain as much information without revealing that he knew it was there as possible.  It was male and stood at six feet about even with the young woman, he wore dark clothing hard to tell from the positioning exactly behind Fayte but he was- he was-  what was he?  Atrum blinked unsure of what he was thinking he did not relax for the strange sense of foreboding was still strong.  He glanced about looking for the source but found nothing, he could not see the source.



Though Atrum could not see him a man stood at the entrance of the arena, dressed in dark practical clothing the man held a soft smile upon his face.  He looked similar to Atrum though smaller indeed, and was not as well built the man held the same confident gaze of the giant.  The man clapped his hands together dusting them off, confident the two would notice him soon.  He would not be able to hide from them much longer anyways they were getting used to his magic.  It was time to greet them, he had enjoyed watching the show long enough anyways.  

"Well if you are definitely leaving, allow me to thank you for guiding my younger brother around the town.  I am in your debt."

[Fayte Scarlett]

If an enemy was really after Fayte, that enemy could also expose her identity to Atrum... Although he and Fayte had worked together in terms of a cat and a letter, that hardly made them friends. They had carried certain responsibilities and helped each other along the way, but they were still only temporary allies. The scales of fate could easily tip, and they could become enemies in a matter of seconds. Such was the life of a Shadow Heart member. Yet if possible, Fayte would avoid dragging the innocent into trouble - but only if it was somewhat convenient.

Fayte was about to turn her back on Atrum, when he froze mid-sentence. What was it, their mystery pursuer? She turned around slowly, feeling the presence of someone behind her. In the entrance of the arena, she spotted him. Fayte blinked. She had no idea how he had managed to get there without her noticing sooner. Was it some kind of magic? Surely someone like him would have been easy to pinpoint. Already Fayte was running a mental checklist, thinking of possible escape routes, tactics, battle scenarios if it came to that. The thoughts died as soon as the man spoke.

His younger brother... Fayte looked to Atrum, then back to the man, noticing the family resemblance. "I see..." The tension left her. This man was not an enemy. Yet even as she spoke the words, already she did not understand. Had he been following them? Or... she looked around. A circular place with four large pillars. "Is this... your meeting place?" She wondered, although she wasn't sure the answer mattered. Either way, "..You've managed to find your goal after all." She turned back to Atrum. It had been an unusual adventure, but apparently fate had chosen to be kind to this stranger. At least now the letter's charred remains could rest in peace.

[Atrum Furea]

Atrum was not pleased by his brother's theatrics, but mostly he was ashamed he did not recognize the feeling of his magic.  In trying to adapt to Fiore as his new home he had allowed himself to become complacent and allowed himself to forget the feeling of his brothers particular brand of magic.  He glared at his brother annoyed at his behavior, it was out of character for him to shadow people just to watch the trouble they got themselves into.  Ater was a more mature and thoughtful man something like this was too whimsical and in the heat of the moment.  Still this feeling was certainly his magic, and that was what bothered him.  Why hadn't he recognized it earlier?

"I thank you for your help madame, you have helped me immensely."  Atrum grinned in Fayte's direction thanking her one last time before returning his attention to his brother.  Well to be honest he wasn't sure himself but that wasn't her problem, she had her own problems if he had heard her correctly.  He offered his brother his hand in greeting expecting him to grab his arm just past the wrist as was custom.  The man in front of the giant took his hand instead, that's fair they were trying to adapt after all.  There was nothing too suspicious because of this yet, right?  He smiled as he shook the other mans hand, well there was one wway to figure out for sure if he was just being paranoid or not.  "It has been a long time, I have not seen Nieman in ages."  Atrum stated simply, watching the others eyes searching for recognition.  

"I'm sure he's fine, brother."  Was the response, causing Atrum to give the man across from him a wide shark toothed grin.  His eyes were closed but his expression certainly held malice.  Atrum was certain that this person wasn't his brother.  He gripped the imposter's hand tightly and jerked it towards him dragging the imposter towards his fist.

"He must be if you have failed so spectacularly to pose as him."  Atrum growled smashing his fist into the person throwing him back.  He instantly regretted the violent movement as he felt the weariness from combating the predator cats still affecting him.  He pushed it from his mind he could still keep going as long as he had a target to focus on.  Well he definitely had that, he cracked his knuckles reading himself for a brawl.  "Well then, tell me where my brother is and I might not have to rip the information from you."  

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte passively watched the scene play out. Atrum was certainly the thankful type, even though Fayte had done very little. It was pure coincidence that they met with his brother here, of all places. She waited for the two of them to exchange pleasantries, expecting that they would depart soon. Fayte herself was in no particular rush to be anywhere today, and she supposed it was courteous to at least stay until a proper goodbye was given. Kin... huh. The family which was bound by blood. She had wondered in the past what it was like to possess such a relationship. She wondered if anything could compare to her relationship with Master Xian Fei... how a blood relationship would have affected them.

But it seemed not all was well. Fayte had sensed no danger, yet abruptly, Atrum slammed his fist into his brother's face. He accused him of not being his brother. Fayte wondered what kind of trouble this man before her was involved with... if a foe had disguised himself as another person, Atrum must have strong enemies indeed. Not strong enough to outwit him, however. Normally Fayte would have little reason to get involved with such a matter... and even with the stranger's help in dealing with the predator cats.... Fayte was wondering if she should help or not. The situation seemed complicated, and she was unsure how much she should commit herself too.

But wait... Fayte remembered a particular posting she'd seen in her guild hall. It was... a bounty listing for a dark guild member. Not a Shadow Heart dark guild member, but one of their smaller rival groups. A shapeshifter had been morphing into others and turning them against each other... ranging from the Magic Council to other Shadow Heart members. A wanted criminal, wanted by groups both on the side of the law and against it... if this was truly the same person... Perhaps Fayte would get involved after all.

"...Why?" Fayte wondered. The wings spawned to her back again, clawed hands returning. She was ready to jump into the fight at a moment's notice. "What point is there to pretending to be this man's brother...?" She wanted to know. This man next to her... he was strong. Perhaps there was more to him than she originally thought. Perhaps he had enemies of the most dangerous kind... and that could make him important in its own right.

[Atrum Furea]

The imposter chuckled seeming almost amused at being discovered so quickly, he had not fallen to his feet which was a testament to the man's durability.  Atrum's punches usually brought most to the ground, and this man looked more annoyed with the giants sudden attack rather than hurt.  That set off some alarm bells in his head, this man was showing almost no sign of damage at all.  Still the man didn't seem unwilling to speak, in fact quite the opposite.

"You appear to have me at a disadvantage my friends, but if it is information you require than I suppose I stand to lose nothing from a small exercise in expository reminiscence."  He started suddenly mimicking Ater's speech patterns, that was creepy this man could perfectly copy his looks and and some of his ticks. "My name is Simon Jate, and impersonation just happens to be my forte."  He paused for a second looking proud of himself before continuing his story. "Ahh, But you wanted to know where your brother is, and why I happen to be impersonating the man.  That, of course is easy enough, he's still in his danky little lab refused to leave even when threatened.  Your brother is one stubborn idiot, though I assume that is a trait you two are rather proud of considering your behavior.  As to why I've taken up his form young lady..."   He broke eye contack with Atrum and looked over at Fayte  eyeing her breifly before giving a short approving whistle.  "Information is power and it's not often a man is not only discovered to be a changer of shapes but also kidnapped as well.  Ahhh the never ending shame!"  Blazing hells this guy loved the sound of his voice, Atrum was already sick of listening to him however his answers only really raised more questions.

"I need you to be more specific than-"  Atrum suddenly found himself being shushed by his own captive as the man brought a finger up to silence him before he could finish.  He looked about as if making sure no one else but those two could hear him and gave a slight giggle when he looked back at them.

"Shuuush big man, you're never truly alone in Fiore.  Besides this is not my first ride, i'm a good agent but I'm no miracle worker.  Not even I can claim to have never been caught."  He snickered openly earning him a fanged grin from atrum, as if the giant was contemplating eating him.  "Woah, woah, hold on there big guy, Like I said I know how these things work I've given you a taste of what I know if you want more you'll have to give me incentive.  Which where I come from means torture, but you're a good guy right?  You're in a right and proper guild; traveling about helping people and rightin' wrongs aint' cha?  So let's try this you put me down and the girl can make sure I don't try and run before I give you what you want that sound fair?"  It was in this moment that Atrum got a good read on the man.

He was dangerous.  

The Giant inwardly groaned knowing that whatever came next was going to be unpleasant in some way, and this little imposter was going to be the cause of it.  He didn't consider himself good at interrogation, but if this was how the conversation was going to continue he might have to just roll up his sleeves and 'ask him politely'.  "Well?"  Simon asked sounding not the least bit perturbed by his situation.  "You or your Lady friend have any objections or do we have a deal?"

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte continued to watch silently. The man's manner of speaking was similar to Atrum's, his voice, Fayte could only assume matched Atrum's brother. The newcomer did seem rather proud of himself... and very certain that Atrum wouldn't smash his face in. So her mysterious friend was a 'good guy, in a right and proper guild; traveling about helping people'... as their foe put it. That could certainly explain why he had enemies. Even the official guilds made foes...

The name Simon Jate did not sound familiar... but Fayte still suspected him as the one that Shadow Heart wanted. Alive, preferably. As the man had just said, information is power. Someone like him would know much. His method of persuasion was absolutely despicable; holding Atrum accountable for morals that Simon himself lacked. It was also a dare. He'd said it himself: he needed incentive, and that usually meant torture. "I... am not a 'good guy'," Fayte moved, coming to stand closer to Atrum. Her gaze was blank. He had challenged them, and so she would answer his challenge. "There's no reason to believe what he says." In fact, she suspected he had some trick up his sleeve, prepared for whenever Atrum released him. "He said himself: he wants 'incentive'. If your guild prevents you from handling this man, then please allow me in your stead. Tell me your questions, and I can meet with you outside the coliseum to deliver your answers," she offered, mainly in case Atrum was against hearing the screams of their opponent. Fayte did not particularly love violence, but neither did she hate it. It was a means to an end. It was a very useful means to an end. And here this impostor thought he was 'safe', able to make some deal like he had any kind of power. She was already wondering how many of his fingers would break before he started talking.

Yes, Fayte had a very different idea for Simon's self-proposed 'deal'. She was certain her method would be far more reliable and safer than simply letting the man walk free. Besides... she would eventually need to turn him over to Shadow Heart. Even if Atrum got an inkling to Fayte's true nature, she doubted he would attack her right now. Not with the life of his brother in the balance, when she was a potential ally... anything else to him right now would only slow down his time to reach his brother.

[Atrum Furea]

"How intimidating, she's serious big guy you sure you want to be in her company?  A good guy like you shouldn't be associating with a villain like her." Simon giggled clenching his fist as he watched the woman stare him down. "Of course she's right you know.  There's no real reason to trust me.  A former shape changer changed into what you see before you.  You seemed almost convinced I was your brother earlier, I suppose I have him to thank for that."  Simon was acting as though he held all the cards, confident in his victory.  Atrum almost felt a scowl coming but he resisted the urge and simply gave his signature smile instead and gave a small nod to Fayte.

"Madame, I am not squeamish when it comes to violence, but I do find torture distasteful.  I can already see that simple conversation shall not give us the information we are seeking.  I shall remain nearby...I do not trust this...creature."  Atrum almost growled, something about Simon seemed inhuman to him and it was clear that Atrum was not comfortable around their captive.  "I am trusting you madame."  Atrum had no reason to believe that this woman who had helped him was a bad person, however she no longer gave Atrum the impression of a relatively good natured person either.  Still he did not feel that she meant him any harm, he felt the urge to trust her.  He would give her dominion over their captive, Atrum did not turn from the two as he back off to find a vantage point in the collosseum.  He did not trust Simon at all and felt that he should be able to react if he pulled anything.

"Well now, The big guy seems to like you.  Make a good impression on him did you?  Well now the strong do gather together don't they?"  Simon chuckled as he watched the giant go to find a place to keep watch.  "But enough talk of petty friendships, where will we begin?  Peeling of skin? crushing of bones?Oh, oh, I know the thousand cuts is a favorite of those from dark guilds is  it not?  Or has that gone out of style lately?  It has been a while since I've been in a torture room.  This should be interesting, if not informing don't you agree?"  

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte was also beginning to grow annoyed of this Simon... mainly because he talked... and talked... and talked. In truth Fayte had been unsure if Atrum would accept her offer or not. If he was one of those upstanding citizen types, her offer would never fly... even if it was the most efficient way possible. But Atrum's brother's life was on the line... so maybe he was allowing more than normal. Fayte gripped the man tightly as Atrum handed him off to her. Wordlessly she accepted his trust. For now, she preferred to keep Simon alive... even without Atrum's watchful presence. He could be useful in the future. Fayte didn't trust Simon either... And was unamused by his babble.

"I ask the questions here," Fayte said darkly. Deftly she slammed him to the ground, face first into the dirt. She twisted his arms behind his back, a common tactic to reduce an enemy's strength, and half sat on top of him. Fayte had no idea if this man possessed more than just simple shape shifting properties... Perhaps he was even confident that they couldn't hurt him. But even if that was the case, there was only one way to find out. Before even asking the first question, she twisted one of his fingers back, waiting for the inevitable snap.

"Now then, the man you are mimicking - where is he?" She demanded, starting with Atrum's own question. They didn't know where Ater was to begin with. Simon had said he was 'in his lab', but since Fayte and Atrum didn't know where that was... they would still need a specific place to go to. And judging from his tale... Fayte had a feeling this man wasn't just working alone. Unless Simon had killed Ater already, he wouldn't just leave him alone in his home.

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