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"Oh Yeah I have a staff, I almost forgot about that." Sobble reveals a staff with golden ends and red in the middle. "This can be for whenever we can train Calico." Sobble stops running and sits down on a field of flowers.

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Mei froze at the abrupt interruption by Cath, causing her to look over, slightly shocked. Well well well, glad someone finally joined the conversation. Quite bold, wasn't it? Everyone in the room was bickering, each of them having the power to kill the other, then there was the... Inventor? Was that what Cath was? Anyways, that didn't matter right now. What did matter was the situation at hand. Her horribly thought-out plan didn't work, as she expected, and everyone was onto her now. She had to hand it to Cath though, she really knew how to get everyone's attention. Mei had a little bit of respect for her now, enough to make her actually listen. "Heyyy... Don't talk about Cerberus like that..." She muttered under her breath after the comment. Yeah, sure, the dog had already shed quite a bit in someone else's house, but still...

She retreated back to the shadows once again, only for a moment before reappearing back in her chair, one leg over another and her arms crossed. While she was away, she checked on her wound and found that it had mostly been healed, only a really nasty scar remained.

Well... As much as she wanted to leave and avoid this boring, awkward conversation, staying here was her best choice. A demon was after her, and she had the feeling there was another. Besides... Who knows what else was out there? Mei almost shuddered at a certain thought, hoping that she wouldn't encounter it if she ever left this godforsaken building. She continued to listen though, watching as another unfamiliar person walked through the door. Abyss and Cath seemed to welcome her like they knew her, but things seemed a bit rough. Ooh, this could get good...

"Lilac, and we all know that's not your real name, you are not a demon. But what are you? You show up in the middle of nowhere and claim to be an innocent passerby-er. But you have had recent contact with demons, as is evidenced by your injury, which you are decidedly overplaying. Explain. Now."

Alright, that was a bit blunt, but she might as well. Mei didn't see why she couldn't tell them a basic outline of her, it wasn't like it could be used against her. If she had family, they would've died centuries ago, and her only chains were this dog and... Nah, she should've forgotten about that long ago. Now... should she play the whole "fate" card like the demon from yesterday, as a small way to get back at him? He might not be listening, but it sure as hell would be funny.

"You wanna know more about me, don't you?" Mei laughed a little while she readjusted herself, propping her head to the side as she began to think. "Let's see here..." She began to hum, humming the same tune she always did to fill the silence. What was that song anyway? Why was she so obsessed with it?

No, no quit it. Digging into your past only made you more vulnerable, it's best to just move on.

Right... "Well, to start, don't just assume that's not my name! How insensitive..." She began to pout, looking over at Neo who had uncovered that secret in the first place. "I could say the same to you, Neo! Anyways..." Mei paused, exclusively for the drama. She took pride in how expressive she was, even if others didn't think she wasn't doing a good job. Her words alone were enough to kill a few people, and she would shove that fact in those who thought so negatively of said words in their faces if she could. Alas, she never had the chance to do so, not even now.

"From the moment I was born, fate had its eyes on me like a hawk, whether I liked it or not. Wo is me, I guess." Oh god it was already getting cheesy, and she had hardly even started... "I'm not a demon per se, but I was always treated as such in my small little town. I practiced a bit of dark magic here and there, went a little overboard, yadayadayada, and now I'm pretty much what everyone says I am. An 'oh so scawwy demon', if you will." That... was probably the worst explanation she could've given, but oh well. Of course, she left out the times when she tore down her entire hometown, massacring hundreds, spreading chaos and terror everywhere she went, all that fun stuff. She also took care not to go into detail, and especially not give her name. "Oh, and I kinda escaped from Hell, guess that makes me a little demon after all!" Mai giggled, swinging her legs back and forth as she spoke. "Hehe, guess that's it for me! You'll have to do a bit of digging if you wanna get the juicy stuff~"

"Now... Who's the pretty little newcomer?"

*As the Doctress awakes she would yawn, her black imp tail swishing, her robotic arm powering up she would walk into her lab, putting on her coat, she would make some tea, sipping it, awaiting today’s orders*

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To his credit, Aster listens in silence. He actually almost takes pity on the other demon. This new life was most definitely daunting, but still, was it really his problem that Belphi had allowed himself to sleep for that long? "You Intelligent types are strange. There is nothing you need to know other than the current situation." He spreads his arms out and lets out a crazed laugh. "Fate has extended our hunting grounds and gifted us with prey that is feistier in the Living World compared to Hell. What else is there to know?" Aster asks. "You are overthinking things friend, just take some time to enjoy this moment." He suddenly stops. The bunker was in sight. "We are here."
...
"Tch, with all due respect, is your family history really that important right now?" Nox asks. "I can piece enough together, something happened between you three. As long as you don't make it a problem we can worry about it later." How hypocritical of her, she was about to fight Abyss for doing something as small as inadvertently challenging her. She had no place, but was too tired to care. The heavy combination of walking all day and eating a good meal was quickly wearing her down.

She focuses on Liliac. Frowning at her story. It certainly lined up with what she has seen. She didn't even seem too surprised when she revealed that she escaped from Hell. In a world filled with demons and someone with powers- her escaping Hell was the least surprising thing she heard since she arrived.

This girl, if she escaped from Hell then she would be of good use to them. Maybe she could give them critical information that'll allow them to end this war for good. It was unlikely that Liliac would give information like this up. Nox was seconds away from slaughtering her just moments ago, Liliac had every reason to avoid helping her. Still, she had to try. "So how did you get here then? And how do the demons get here?" Nox asks.

*Grimm would sip her tea, getting a message, opening her communicator, her Undead Raven Artur on her shoulder, she would sigh* “ Welp Artur, we have field work today, hope you are exited to stream h your wings” *She would say, her black horns Artur would turn to, nuzzling affectionately*

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"Yes, well thank the goddess that there are still intelligent types so that you baboons don't run headfirst into your deaths." Belphi sighed, ruffling his hair to keep it disheveled. Eyeing the base wearily, a silly thought entered his brain and really, who was he to deny himself some fun. If anyone back in Hell heard about it, they would probably bust a kidney laughing their sides off, but hey. It would be funny.

"Hey Aster," Trying to conceal his shaking shoulders, Belphi gently taped Aster's shoulder. "Tag, you're it." Sticking his bifurcated tongue out almost childishly, he hiked the bait up on his back before taking off running into the forest. He was loud and noisy, purposefully crashing and running into trees, boots crunching under fallen twigs and breaths coming out ragged. It was so easy to draw attention to himself, bundling the exhaustion and bone deep tiredness around his shoulders like a familiar blanket. His foot struck out and slammed against a sturdy trunk of a poor unfortunate tree, making the wood shudder and groan while Belphi let out his own blood curdling scream to start their hunt.

Stumbling out of the woods, bruised and a little bloody, Belphi gasped for breath as he quickly approached the bunker. Slamming his fists against the door, Blehpi looked behind him as terror rose up in his throat. "Help, is anyone there?! Please help her! M-my friend, we- I-Someone, please!"

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*Grimm would be floating her way through the forest, taking notes on most insects she found, since Hell was too hot for insects, she would jar them before Artur could have at them, letting him have the ones she already had, she would sigh, hearing the bloodcurdling scream she would flip around confused, looking for the source*

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"Alright Calico, time for some training. You have your claws while I have my staff. Let's battle." Sobble and Calico initiate in a battle. Sobble swings his staff towards Calico but Calico uses a substitute technique.

"First of all, don't refer to me as 'the pretty little newcomer'. I'm capable in my own right, and I won't hesitate to show it. My name is Athena, and I'm pretty sure you all will know something about me. Maybe apart from Lilac." She didn't want to give too much away. Besides, if they wanted to know anything, they could just ask. And she didn't trust Lilac enough to talk more about herself openly anyways. "And if anyone could give me a briefing on the current situation that would be very helpful."

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"Aw man, using techniques huh? I gave you my powers so I can do other stuff like that heh." Sobble uses a cloning technique and Calico counters with a smoke bomb.

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How entertaining! Aster was tempted to chase after Belphi. But he had to remind himself that Belphi had to first get them to open the door, so he would have to stand back a bit. Also, he would have to play fair, afterall Belphi was running with extra weight on his back... So he would give the other demon a five second head start.

"Five... Four... Three... Two... one!" Aster's voice got darker and darker with each number he counted. On one he shot forward, and wow was the other demon quick! Aster found an odd wave of childlike enjoyment on being able to chase the other demon. He nearly forgot that this was supposed to be a hunting strategy. He slows down, buying the other demon more time. The moment the door was opened, they could easily force their way in.
...
Nox was about to answer Athena until she heard a knock on the door. She was tempted to ignore it, but the urgency of it made her stand up. She moves towards it, but suddenly pauses at the hallway in front of the door.

For some reason, her chest hurt. It was almost as if the scar was tearing itself open. Nox manages to swallow down a pained scream but holds onto the wall for support. She desperately tried to catch her breath. What is happening to me? The feeling slowly passes and Nox is back on her feet, although feeling slightly dizzy now.

She opens the door and glances at the unfamiliar duo with an almost glazed look in her eyes. "What's happening?" She shakes her head to clear it and places a hand onto the hilt of her dagger. "What's wrong?" She asks far more forcefully. "Who are you and how did you find us?" There didn't seem to be much urgency in her voice, despite the situation on hand.

"We can stop now Calico, man you are strong."

---

Mei decided not to answer the question for now, as she was going to be interrupted by Athena anyways. "Tch, alright, little miss princess..." She jerked her head back and forth after every word to exaggerate them, but the childish nature of the gesture didn't really do much for her. Mei's arms were still crossed, and she decided that she would just sit back and relax, occasionally looking over at Cerberus in disappointment. She was still obsessed with him, constantly worrying about it. God, it was such a pathetic thing to do, but she couldn't help it.

Athena wasn't exactly wrong though, Mei could honestly care less about someone who didn't show an interesting side to them yet, and she didn't want to know. All the kid showed was that she was sassy and "capable", even though she looked no older than 16 or something. What the hell was a kid doing in a body suit? It wasn't that she was underestimating Athena, Mei had done a thing or two when she was much younger, but Mei had given her daily limit of mental praise, and she wasn't gonna see this brat all that positively.

Before Mei could say a word, knocks and pleas were coming from the other side of the door. Today was such a weird day, and this house was certainly a weird place. Her first choice was to just do nothing, since there was supposedly someone dangerous on the other side -demons perhaps?- and she didn't want to deal with that. Nox on the other hand had a different idea. Before Mei could stop her, the door was open and 2 demons stood on the other side. She could just tell who they were from the way it reeked out of them. One of them... Dammit, it was that b***ard again... Ugh, could this day get anymore complicated? She was tiiiired, she wanted to just go back to that bed and sleep, was that too much to ask for

Athena hissed at what she had been called, but then the door opened. And it definitely wasn't friendly passerbys standing there. Making her sword appear again, she leapt up and got into a battle stance. Why was it that all the trouble decided to come to this house? And why didn't everyone else have a shred of caution in them? Didn't they know that you shouldn't go opening doors without checking first? This day was getting crazier by the second.

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Belphi was about to knock on the door again when it suddenly opened up from under his hands and he nearly pitched forward, stumbling into the door frame. The moment he did so, everyone in the room was struck with a sense of... tiredness. Not too bad, just a realization that they probably hadn't rested in a good few days. But it was insignificant when the occupants of the room realized who-or what was at their door. His eyes were swimming with pain and hysteria, glasses rim broken with only small shards of the original glass hanging on for dear life exposing his red eyes. Even his horns, normally not very worthy of note, was scuffed and chipped in places. This was in all the ways that mattered a demon who was, for lack of a better word, pathetic. "Please, you have to help my friend. We- I was stupid. I thought they wouldn't chase me b-but." Gently sliding Lorelei off his back and cradling her gently, Belphi gazed up at the gathered cockroaches. One, two, three, four... four little pests all gathered around. "Please... you have to help her. I-i don't care if you kill me afterwards but you have to help Lori. She's a human, like you and I'll do anything if you can save her." His voice cracked as he choked on the last few words, hands trembling as he held the delirious still body. If he strained his ears, Belphi could hear Aster stalking towards the house and he let himself shed a few tears for their impending doom.

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"Let's lie on the ground and let the grass swallow us up."

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The others may not be impacted by Belphi's spell, but Nox most certainly was feeling the effects. She could feel herself drifting off, only to snap back into action moments later. She had to lean onto the doorframe now and found that she was struggling to force her body to comply with her actions. Already, she could feel her hand itching to rest by her side instead of wrapping around the hilt of the dagger. Sleep? Oh how wonderful it would feel to go into a nice... Deep... Sleep.

"What?" Nox's voice was slurred which startled her enough to snap out of the spell, at least for a few moments. "Are you serious? You? A demon? Wanting to help that girl?" She laughs at how outrageous it sounded and frowns at the woman in the demon's arms. She was unmistakably human, that part was true. If that was the case, she needed their help.

-So why don't you do anything?

-Why can't you do anything?

-It's just like before...

Again, Nox snaps out of it. She glances over Belphi's shoulders, towards a figure that was slowly approaching the doors. He had a huge toothed smile on an unnaturally shaped jaw. He raises a finger to his mouth, mockingly shushing the woman. Does he think that I am scared?

-Am I scared?

-Attack! You are under attack!

-Sleep...

-MOVE!

The final thought startled her awake. She leapt into action, regretfully shutting the door with as much force as her tired mind was willing to give. Which likely wasn't enough. I'm sorry. She couldn't save the girl, she hoped that she would one day be forgiven.

One step, two steps. The urge to fall asleep weakened the further away she got from the injured demon, but it still slowed her down. "Everyone! Run! Fight!... Do something!" She shouts. She finds that she has to squint just too focus, but fortunately, she had gotten the words out and managed to grab ahold of both daggers. Here we go.

Ok, this was getting way worse. First Nox opens the door, then she closes it on some people who supposedly need help. Yes, there was a demon, and demons weren't to be trusted, but Athena couldn't suppress the urge to help. Especially after that other demon appeared. If the first demon was telling the truth, the second definitely wasn't here to chat. Throwing open the door and slamming it behind her, she leapt out, sword in hand, and charged at the second demon. Right, bad idea. One she would probably regret later. Why did heroism always have to jump in at the wrong times?

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"Phew, Calico you are a literal ninja cat now. Hope your enjoying life to the fullest."

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Belphi stared slack-jawed at the door that bodily pushed him out of the house, rattling right in front of his nose. Well that wasn't expected at all, and he whipped his head around to see what could have possibly tipped them off that there was something off when Aster's leering face from the shadows stared right back at him. "Holy f-" The screech that ripped itself from his throat wasn't an act in any way shape or form, the shock of seeing his accomplice so close stopped his pounding heart before it began making its escape from his chest. Perhaps it was a good thing as right at the moment the door he had been leaning against was thrown open again and one of the silly little humans leapt out to face Aster. Well, Belphi certainly wasn't going to waste this opportunity and turned tail to run into the house. Reaching out a hand, he did brush against the cockroach's back, a wave of exhaustion crashing into Athena's body.

Fleeing into the house, he let tears fall from his eyes as he looked at the humans. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry I didn't mean to I swear I didn't mean to." He wailed, pleading for them to believe him. "Please, just take Lori, I can lure the other demon away. I know you don't trust me but please just save her and I'll leave."

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