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Taken a little aback by the persons lack of gratitude, or rather, her vicious nature, Seij smiled. "So, you're a fighter, or rather a lone wolf. By your actions you have just told me that you hate being around people, especially people like them, Transcendants." Seij said, not knowing that he was a Transcendant too.

Seij got up from his position on the ground. "If that is the case, that you hate being around people, then I will leave." Seij said, taking a slight bow towards the woman before starting to walk away. Turning his head to the girl he said, "I'm Seij. It was nice meeting you." he said, aiming the comment at the girl, even though it would probably be accepted as a statement to the three people there.

Well, now that is over with. Seij thought, as he started walking along the path again, still within earshot of the three people he had just met.

((158= 1 TXP point.))

Nitebyss remained standing against the nearby tree as first the brown haired man, then the man named "Seij", walked out of the secluded bushes. He was about to follow, when the transormation started. Almost against his will, his eyes locked onto the girl's shoulders as she doubled over. Heh, I told her that this way would be more painful... But I suppose it might make it a little easier for her to make it through the later transformations.

As the girl went unconcious, Nitebyss took out a pen and paper from his many pockets and wrote a small note, folding it and slipping it into the girl's normal palm. It read:

To Whom It May Concern (That's You),
If you are wondering what's going on and would like to get off your pedistole and lower yourself enough to talk to a transcendant, you can give me a call.
Sincerely,
Nitebyss Kalean

At the bottom of the page was a cell phone number as well.

With one last look at the girl's new "arms", he followed his "comrades" out to the rest of the park. Noticing the black coated man sitting against a tree nearby, he walked over, waving softly. "The name's Nitebyss Kalean. I hope I'm not interrupting, but I was curious. You said you're a transcendant, no? Well, what I was wondering is what ability you have. Obviously it's not visible, like my own, which is why it peaks my interest."

((248=2 TXP))

((O_O Sorreh, guess there was a glitch in the word counter I was using... I think I have it figured out though, so it shouldn't happen again. Thanks for the heads up Illicit.))

Nitebyss took the hand and gave a hearty handshake, a small smile crossing his face even as his free hand twitched and pushed up his sunglasses. "For someone who's not sure whether he's a transcendant or not, you sure play the part. I suppose you could have the power, but I'd have to see it to be sure, which is a little to much to ask. As for the girl... She made her decision, we have to respect it, even if it turns out to be a bad decision. I left a note for her, so she'll be able to find me if she needs help. If not, then I guess she'll have to figure it out herself."

((123= 1 TXP))

{[*twitch* I got carried away there... 900 words (exactly 900...weird). If you have any sanity at all, you'll scroll down and read only the last few paragraphs.}}

Iris eyes flitted open, but the rest of her stayed completely still while she took an inventory of herself and her surroundings. The men, it seemed, had listened when she yelled for them to leave. I shall have to, she resolved still unmoving, Find them again sometime and try to apologise for whatever it was I said.

She stared hard at the grass, trying to remember what had happened. It was not her usual goal to yell at people like that. Perhaps screech in joy, but not to yell as if she wanted them dead. She remembered tearing at her shoulders and the distinct impression that something was horribly, horribly wrong with her. Then there had been the yelling, and after that? Nothing.

"Well," she muttered, head still on the ground, "This is probably not good." she paused for a moment. "It's also not very comfortable at all..." She pulled herself off the ground, stunned to find that she was actually unusually sore. "What the ell did I do?" she asked the trees, rotating her neck to try and remove the cricks. It felt like she'd been trying to run for a hundred, hundred miles. Not a very comfortable feeling.

She arched backwards, then, trying to straighten out her spine. Sitting bent over like that god knows how long had led to some uncomfortable cramps. She laced her fingers together and pulled her arms back over her head into a precarious but well practiced balance as a few of the vertebrae in her back snapped audibly into place. Her upper arms brushed against something else, then.

She fell, hard. There was a moment of dizziness as the memories her mind had been trying valiantly to push away and repress forced themselves onto her. "...I'm... I'm one of...them." She forced a few strained, hysteric laugh. "Well, that explains the fainting doesn't it?" She took a deep breath and twisted her head around to try to stare at the back of her shoulder.

There they were. Arms. Two random little extra arms. Her eye twitched as she stared at them. They weren't even humanoid arms. They were deformed, freakish things. From the shoulder to the wrist they looked fine, but... From the wrist down, things got wierd. Her new thumbs were nearly nonexistant and she only had three new fingers, all of which were unnervingly long and attached to an equally enlongated palm. The new bones even felt unusually stiff and immobile. She could bend them, but it took an unusual force to do so with any accuracy, or to move a single finger separately.

A verterinarian might have been able to recognise the similarities to a bird's wing given human form. Iris, however, could not.

She sat on the ground for another moment, wishing silently that it would open up and a chasm would swallow her whole. Nothing happened. "This is wonderful. I'm a freak, even as far as freaks go!" She couldn't force herself to feel any sort of joy from this development, no matter how she tried. "Ugh. This is awful. Awful!" Her mind stumbled onto another dilemma. Her apartment building didn't allow transcendant tennants. They didn't even allow Transcendants into the building at all. Life, it seemed, was not on her side today. Well, at least I know what was wrong with my shoulders...

It was about this time that she noticed a small piece of paper on the ground. She unfolded it gently and read the words. "Wonderful. Just peachy. First I sprout those...things... then I scream at anyone who offers help, now I can't even go home, and they think that I've put myself on a bloody pedistal!" as she spoke the words went from the whispering tone she'd been using to a louder, more reasonable volume. "I hate life. Hate. Hate. Hate!

"Haven't got time to wander around here, though, have I?" she asked to no one, her mind immediately realigning itself. She'd needed a few minutes to get over the shock, and she'd had them. Now was the time to begin planning.

"Alright. No home, a hundred bucks to my name, and those freaksih things on my back. What to do..." The obvious answer was to try and get herself to a transcendant haven, but there were only three and they weren't exactly nearby. Her second, much more reasonable, option was to find a sympathiser and go from there. "Well... I've got a phone number."

Finally she stood up again and untied the windbreaker from her waist. She folded the new arms against her back, surprised by how unusually simple it was to get them to move like that when so much as flexing the new fingers had been so hard to do, and covered herself with the thin coat. It wasn't much, but as long as she kept moving, chances were no one was going to pelt her with rocks or something equally dangerous to her health.

So, she strode out from the little grove and intended to run until she found a quarter or two and a pay phone. She was stopped in her tracks, however, and left gawking at two of the three men who she'd screamed at. She blinked rapidly a few times before her mind kicked back into gear.

"Well, hell." she muttered, "That was too easy." She stared pointedly at the men and walked towards them, trying valiantly to come up with some sort of begging apology.

She failed miserably.

"Er...Hi..."

Nitebyss smiled inwardly as he turned and saw the girl walking up to them. After she mumbled the hello, the inward smile turned outward, and he barely fought back a chuckle. "It's understandable that she forgot Shrian, after all... She's new at this." He pulled his sunglasses down the slightest bit, the bright red of his eyes just showing over the lenses.

"I suppose that taking Shrian's offer would be the best idea for you... I have my house, but Shrian here probably is more used to being hospitable, though, you are both welcome at any time. You do still have my number, right?" He smiled happily as he noticed the piece of paper in her hand, his glasses slipping a little farther down his nose, showing almost all of his eyes without him even noticing it in the dim twilight.

((147= 1 TXP))

[[Last post for a while...I'll be back later tonight...]]

Shrian smirked, lowering his offered hand. "Well, wait her a minute while I get my wakizashi then. Sheesh, you could have at least brought it with you..." he said jokingly, winking at her. He brushed passed her, slipping into the woods once again. He walked slowly to the spot where he'd layed his wakizashi in front of the woman, noting the blood that stained the grass with a grimace.

Thrusting the short blade back into the back of his belt, he walked back out to the other two, noting the half-sun that was believe the trees. "I'd suggest we get moving some time soon. We can save pleasantries for later, but I think the teens are on the prowl..." he remarked witha dry laugh, guesturing to a young couple walking hand-in-hand. "Cute, aren't they?"

"And of course I'd let you stay." he said calmly, answering her a little late. "I don't blame you for yelling, I can't say I'd have done anything different." He smiled warmly again, moving to his tree to retrieve his book. He stretched back, sighing as the sun vanished over the treetops at his angle.

Blinking away a slight tiredness, Shrian walked back to the path, beckoning the two of them to follow. "My place isn't too far, and now that it's dark, people won't be able to see you clearly." he said kindly, trying not to act as if she was too noticeable. In truth, the two lumps on her back would draw attention in daylight, but at this hour, her back looked normal in the fading light. "You can stay as long as you'd like, both of you can." he said with a smile, glad to actually have met someone again.

In reality, it'd been a long, long time since he'd had people in his apartment. The number of Transcendants around was thinning, due to various reasons, and Shrian really didn't have many friends to speak of. As much as he tried not to complain, he didn't like being alone. It was his deepest fear, something he'd do anything to avoid.

[[347 = 3 TXP]]