The smell of dawn beganto grip the city, as the light began to fill the gaps in the broken down house. Water dripped through the cracks and bulges in the once fine dinning room, as the Shadows began to form and pull from the walls. The basic outline of a man followed quickly by the change in tones, arms pushed from the liquid shadows as it split to form legs. Dark colours turned to subtle tones, as the man leaned on the table his features formed the face.
Standing by the rotting table the tanned skin formed, dark brown eyes studied the room the order had been called. Soon others of his kind would follow, the world neaded order once more to keep there world masked. Loose fitting cargo trousers and a white vest, tattoos formed along his eyes like ink crawling under his skin. Shoulder length hair changed so many times, until he decided to keep the orginal idea.

Light now began to fill the room, the fresh scent of spring rain dripped onto him from the ceiling. As he watched the sun wake the city, he couldn't help wonder what a normal life once was. Now they were forever protecting Humanity, incase they ever got close enough to think about the reality of there own minds. Plunging them into wars or killing those who dared to think out loud, it wasn't all like this they had saved an equal amount. Balance was key to there world, remove one and add another the world went on regardless.

The rays of light of the dawning sun played gently through the pattering rain, the patterns of drizzles darting through the dimly lit room. The shadows hung as oblique streaks in the misty air, trying to survive the very source that gives them life yet at her rising bids them off. The streaks of shadows appeared to shift, as if though from a pool of darkness a form arose, blending together the intruding light and retreating dusk. Lightly he stepped through the growing pools of water scattered on the earthen floor of the dilapidated house, his long coat flowing out behind him, tying him still the flickering shadows behind him. Long, black tendrils flapped and wrapped about his face, a snow-white orb with piercing blue eyes and a long prominent nose peering out from behind the lengthy hair. A smile curled about blue-pale lips, a chill accompanying his appearance as though he was himself frozen in time.

”It's been a long time...” Devante's voice lingered in the space between the two old acquaintances, although their history was much more sordid to illicit anything less than blood-brothers, it was always business and their pairing generally spelled a sense of urgency. Devante cracked his neck, a long, throaty sigh slipping over his frosty lips. Rarely did he venture into the corporeal world, his duty just served hidden deep within the night; the Shadows were the middlemen after all, that delicate balance, that gray area between right and wrong, good and bad, justice and inequity. A calling of the old alliances was clearly an indication of a rift along the spheres, in the very least. Devante extended a leather glad gloved hand over the table towards the opposing figure. ”Good to see you again, brother and friend...”

Meanwhile, in a not-so-far-away town, Alaras was playing his guitar and singing for some local children, losing himself in their smiles and laughter. Though he may be involved in the darkest of all professions, he still had hope that one day, his organization would be obsolete. He stayed out of the Shadows when not working. After all, he couldn't bring hope to a hopeless world if he stayed there all the time...

In the dawns early light, the rays of the sun filtered in through the breaks in the houses wood. The old run down building's room was bathed in the early light, enough to allow moderate sight between anyone who would show up. The dawn brought about the turning of the human world as it was known. Things were set in motion that beings of humanity could not understand, or hope to even stop. For too long the shadow beings were needed to create the harmony to humans, but it seemed that no matter how many times that they had to step in, that humans found a way to destroy the work of the shadow beings. Now once more, the shadow's began to bend with the arrival of the enforcers of justice and order. Human's need a push in the right direction whenever they started their wars and death was spread across the world. There was no hope for them to even control their governments without the shadows to protect them. But that was the life of the woman who was standing outside of the broken and run down house. Her back was against a tree that provided the shadow that she had morphed from. Iris had never liked staying in one place for too long, and traveled the human world extensively, finding out just how much humans were capable of evil.

In her times around the world, humans were capable of evil at any time. They were nothing but animals with brains, undeserving of such a gift. It only proved to disturb even the balance of nature. It is not rare to find animals killing each of their kind, but humans took such a concept to a whole new level. They would kill thousands of their own kind each and every day. It disgusted an eternal being such as herself while she stood, supported by her left leg while her right leg was placed against the tree for balance and her arms were crossed across her chest. If someone looked upon Iris, they would say that she was living in old japanese times. The whole right side of her body was covered with arc-like tattoos. For garments, Iris had dawned a long red dress kimono with red lining fabrics that few japanese women would wear since it showed off much of her chest and ribs. It was kept around her waist by a red sash. Her chest was covered by a simple tie around top that was tied around her neck and back, the principle was the same to cover her lower regions with a simple red undergarment. Her feet was protected by nothing but thin black sandles. Following her left arm forearm and left lower calf are red bands. Her hair was in a simple style with two long brown bangs on the front of her face and the rest tied into a ponytail that flowed around behind her.

The woman had a well sculpted body, fitting for her job amoungst the humans. Human males would consider her a perfect female figure with creamy white skin that was soft to the touch. They would also say that Iris had smooth sinewy muscle that were perfectly shaped to give her an hour glass figure. Up towards her face, Iris has a gentle curved nose. She has hard set eyes with long brown eye lashes. If someone looked in those eyes, they would notice that they hold contempt for the human world. The ruby orbs also have a burning fire within them, highlighting a hidden passion for something unknown within her mind. Maybe it was cleaning up all the evil from the world, or maybe it was because she wanted something. She could never tell if someone ever cared to ask, or even if they knew that much information about her. All in all, in the human world she would be a perfect female specimen with deep and lucious curvers, beautiful red eyes, and not to mention how she flaunts her body.

Iris kicked off of the tree and began to walk towards the run down house, her wide hips swaying while she made her way through th dawn towards the house. The old wood's paint was peeling, depriving itself from the wall. Iris' hand pushed against the front door. The paint chipped and flaked when her hand rubbed gently along the wood. The door itself was covered with holes where termites or some other insect ate its way through. iris would refuse to open the door the normal human way because the knob was covered with rust, and just looking at the rough and bumpy exterior was something that she would refuse to even touch. Her right hand rose in front of her right chest. The air around her began to move and shift as her dark powers began to bend the fabrics of reality. With such power, she molded her psychic powers around the rusted henges and snapped them in two so that the door fell forward, revealing the empty and dark interior with the dawn's light. She stepped inside and began to search for her colleagues.

The call was uttered, the message sent, those who heard it, were to gather. A location was set.
Heeding the call himself, he made his way through the shadows. He loved the feeling, or at least, this had been his first impression after being freed of now forgotten human constraints, this was the impression still with him at present. It had been a while, more than a long while since he took human form to be accurate.

Emerging into the dining room, he suddenly realized he didn't pick a wall, and forces would soon take it's grip to pull him down. A momentary lapse of judgment. From the ceiling shadows started to coalesce into one dark pool, like water, gravity was pulling it down to earth. One drop easily holding a man or two, fell to the floor, with that, the shadowy ceiling was at rest once more. As the drop splashed onto the floor, a man stood at it's spot. Shaking from head to feet, as if to dry himself off like a dog, doing away with unneeded shadows. Black boots, jeans, t-shirt. Simple and low key, as not to draw too much attention to himself.

He looked around the dining room, smiled, knowing his company. He grabbed some shades from his back pocket and put them on.


Good morning.

Taking the hand and shaking it firmly, these two old warriors stood cutting there image in time. There were others gathering around them, the shadows still rippled with there arrival. After all as the elder here he had to know the shadow realm and it's feel, each one pushed through the boundries of form.

Devante we meet again, nothing good ever comes of such meetings.

He allowed a brief chuckle as another entered the room, respect seemed to be lacking in the newer recruits to there campaign. Something he would have to try a show to these others, the choice was never his to make.You simply got the best for the task, at least the goal would be achieved despite the usual cross word or minor skirmish.

Turning he looked at the other man, he had no idea of his skill but at least he could form to exist here. A few of the older missions had been performed at night, there were times when a daylight operation could proove more useful. But the times of removing presidents, kings and queens had long since past now the threat lay at the hands of science.

Good Morning, and you would be?

Again like so many times before the shadows began to quiver, the murky mass born from light whimpered in birth pains as slowly a figure began to emerge from deep within the darkness. As a pale skin armed reached out from the realms of shadows the world itself struggled to keep it out, long tendrils of filmy ooze wrapping around the limb and desperately tried to pull the entity back in to itself. But he would not relent; he struggled and pushed, clawed his way through the wall between worlds that refused him passage. His arms broke free, and like a man climbing out of a hole in the ice he began to pull himself up, the long shadow arms still trying to pull him back inside. Soon his head and shoulders emerged from the soup of darkness and he gasped the air of the human world and filled his lungs in one deep breath, oh how he had missed this realm, oh how he had missed to be something tangible again. Inch by inch of slender, pale skinned body pulled itself free and wrestled with the shadows until Ludwig had finally freed himself from the realm that he and his ilk called their home.

For a moment he just stood there, frozen in the moment, soaking up the experience of being a solid creature once again, to be locked in to a form. He would never understand the human wish to transcend this state of being, to reach further then this, to have skin that feels, to have lungs to fill with all these wonderful scents, eyes that see and can appreciate it all, to hear the sounds of the world as it shifts and turns around. A deep sigh left Ludwig’s lips and he ran a hand through his short cropped ragged grey hair and a smile slowly crawled over his black lips. “Dress me…” he ordered and the shadows that had struggled so to keep him out of this world wrapped themselves around him, solidifying and forming themselves in to cloths, just like they had done to form his flesh and bones. When they where done the tall, thin figure stood there dressed in a skin tight suit of thick leather, straps, belts and buckles keeping the odd garment closed like a seal around his slender form. His feet and legs where cowered by tall riding boots and his arms by long, fingerless gloves. And then, not because he needed it, or because he would be cold, but because he loved the sensations of this world and wished to live through as many as he could before he was banished back in to the shadows, he willed a long white coat of fur with a thick black trim around himself.

The assassin of the shadow realm was now reborn and properly dressed, and thus ready to face his brothers and sisters. He saw two that he recognised already, old faces in an old place, all so familiar it bored him already. In long strides he approached them, the sole of his boots clicking loudly against the hard wood floor. Ludwig prepared to speak up, but caught himself as he saw them already engaged in conversation. As an assassin he was nothing but a tool and in this realm that was all he was, a tool for the eldest to wield as they saw fit. So while waiting for his time, he fell down on one knee and bowed his head as low as he could and shuddered as the sensation of the muscles in his neck stretched to their limit and a soft ache spread through his shoulders and radiated down his back.

”Oh to feel again…this will be a nice stay…

As he finished up his last song for the day, Alaras felt the shadows call to him. Why'd I ever get involved in this? There has to be another way! He went to where the shadows sent him, after sending the children to their homes, and awaited further instructions.

The summons just came like the ones before. The call that would pull her from her world and thrust her into a place that was, for all of her abilities there, harsh and alien. There were times that she resented being pushed into that place to help those foolish creatures who could never even help themselves. It was her duty and one that she shared with so many others to make sure that the humans followed their chosen path. More than once she had wondered why this was the way that things had to be and why they were the ones that had to do it. She knew that many of the others actually liked their time here, but she had yet to find anything that would recommend an extended personal stay.

Very, very slowly the shadows near the back of the house start to shift. Almost reluctantly, they begin to pool in the corner by what had once been a back porch, if that was what you would call the crumbling appendage. The first rays of the sun are radiating from the opposite side of the house from where she has been working up the motivation to coalesce into the form that she uses when here. The more the sun pushes, the more shadows there will be for her to use for this. The form finally pulls itself from the shimmering, undulating mass that she has drawn together. She steps forward and stretches her arms above her head before swinging them down to her sides. She flexes her fingers and wiggles her toes. She reaches into the shadows and draws a out a few more to clothe herself, knowing that it would be frowned upon by whatever elders happen to be involved in this if she were to appear naked. She fashions a long, silky green skirt that flows around the slippers that now adorn her feet. The tunic that she creates has comfortable flowing sleeves and a warm creamy color. Now that she is properly attired she heads up the decaying steps and catches a hint of her reflection in a leftover shard glass that had been a window in a previous time. Her eyes are such a light color of crystal blue that they almost seem transparent, looking closer you can see a darker ring that almost seems to keep the shifting, liquid color from running out. Her straight hair falls in a thick sheet across her shoulders to obscure the outline of her chest. Earthy sable, firey red, shiny bronze, and blazing copper all highlight hair that seems made up of several different shades of spun gold. The color of it shifts slightly as she moves and brings to mind the way light trickles throught the leaves in the middle of the forest and dances on the ground.

The house that had been chosen for the collecting of the group was one that had probably been standing since her last visit. The weathered and weakening wood, the chipped and peeling paint all suggested that this was another spot that the humans had wrestled from the arms of the planet only to abandon later. Everything that people had constructed here was rotting and dying. The fence that cut this plot of off from the surrounding area was in utter disrepair. The house was a leaking ruin, she could hear the drops of water as they dripped through cracks in the upper floor. The area that might have been a small garden in the rear of the house as well as the surrounding grass was at least trying to reclaim its territory. It would be several more years before that job was finished.

Sighing to herself she wanders in through the back of the house to the room where she is to meet the team for this trip. She glances around the corner to see several people have already arrived. She notices that they have come in all shapes, sizes and styles of dress. Smiling a bit, she walks into the room and looks at each of them. She hoping that she will be able to pick out the elder and introduce herself. As usual, luck is not on her side so she simply introduces herself.

"Hello. I'm Alexa..." she says as she waits for things to get started.

Quin knew he never was the best of the bunch. He knew when to speak, when to listen, but most of all, when not to say anything at all. So, he kept it short and to the point.

I'm Quin.

He reached out his hand, nervously looking around, as if waiting for someone to shake it.

He always tried to be as low key as possible, though his big physique didn't help at all in this matter. Quin wasn't freakishly tall or muscular or anything, there was just something about him that made him seem huge. His mild and docile demeanor made this seem to be somewhat of a contrast.

Although he knew he could've molded this fleshly body, he never would, except in dire situations. It was how he knew himself as a human, not as he would've wanted himself to be. He didn't dare to sit down, afraid to break something.

Alexa looks toward the voice that has just spoken. Her eyes come to rest in the middle of a massive chest and continue to lift until they come to a face. She hears his name and is momentarily stunned by the massive size of this individual. She blinks a couple of times and steps gingerly against a wall, just to stay out the way.

She knows that as they assemble and introductions are made, each person's role should become apparent. She prefers to stay in the background because nothing about her abilities has to put her in the forefront. She all but melts back into the shadows in the room, waiting for the meeting to get underway.