A Welcome Party

[Hallow]

Hallow felt himself shoved through the large entrance to the Asylum, a black bag over his head to prevent him from getting any escape ideas. But there was no point, it was impossible to escape...and he could see anyways. He could see the shadows, make out the shapes and forms around him with his penetrating, dead eyes. He could hear screams around him, deep screams, laughter, and prison gossip. This was a strange place after all, like a miniature city. Suddenly he found himself shoved into a large hallway with the bag pulled off his head, though the handcuffs were still on.

There were many other prisoners around him, other members of his new group of captives. All were awaiting to be sorted into their cells to see if they started out as well behaved students, or degenerate, primitive beasts. It was all the same. It was always a prison. He took the moment to look around at some of the cells. e found a group of cell doors that were heavily fortified, thick metal. One door was bent outward, covered on claw marks and holes. He bent down to take a closer look.

[Raisa ana'Marianna]

((Yeah yeah I'm RPing without my profile being done... oh well. Sorry for jumping the gun V))

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Raisa had been watching the newcomer, her cat-like eyes cutting through the darkness with ease. She saw the tension in the boy's face, and the determination to hide it. Raisa gave him credit for that, at least, but past that she gained to respect for him. She never did for anyone.

"There's a nasty little mountain of a man in there who will claw your eyes out before you see his face. But if you have no desire to retain your sight, then by all means...." She waved a hand nonchalently at the door. Raisa was sprawled on the top bunk of her cell, her head resting on her hands, one leg draped over the side, her tail swinging carelessly. One cat ear swiveled in the direction of a new set of screams, though her unblinking eyes remained motionlessly assessing the newcomer. Her cell had long since had its door removed; she had no supernatural powers, and was not a threat as long as there was distance between herself and whomever it was she chose to harm at the moment. Instead, her wings were pierced, heavy shackles ensnaring their bones and chaining her to the walls of her prison.

[Hallow]

"Its not the claw marks I'm worried about, its the bullet holes" He said, hearing the woman's remarks as he continued to examine the door. They weren't from normal bullets, they were energy based....and powerful. He wondered if the creature in there was even still alive? But what importance was it to him? This was a prison....everyone was on there own in survival here. He itched as his cuffs, and finally as he stopped caring about "being a good boy", he allowed his flesh to turn to shadow, smiling as the cuffs fell off. Returning back to normal, his shadow wings folded under a black jacket, he flexed his wrists, glad to get feeling back in them. Finally, he turned to the woman who had given him the strange...warning.

"I see that you don't seem to be on good terms with the guards.....those are some pretty thick shackles you have...." He commented, assessing how far the prison had gone to confining her. It was nothing to bad, but obviously she was not one of the ones who cooperated, because if she was she would not been in such a barren cell with shackles. He was curious as to how long he could go before he would be in shackles. "My name is Hallow. And don't worry, I already know plenty about this place....my mother was a prisoner here." He said plainly, gazing around at other cell doors before returning his eyes to the woman.

[Raisa ana'Marianna]

Raisa's tail flicked irritably, her ears flattening against her head at the mention of her shackles. It wasn't as if the chains were her idea of a fashion statement - she'd had no say in the matter. It wasn't exactly polite for him to comment on them. "Sorry to hear about mother dearest," she said tersely, extended several claws and inspecting them without interest. "And while, as your infallible observational skills have pointed out, I am confined to this little room, there are others here to whom you won't be out of swatting range if you continue such blatant commentary on their ill begotten fate. It's a rather touchy topic for most of us. For example, I much prefer restraints to shackles. Makes me feel like less of a beast."

She slid off her bed in one fluid, water-smooth movement, the only sound that of her chains rattling together. She ruffled the feathers of her wings indignantly a them, smoothing them against her back. "Try to make friends in a place like this, or at least acquaintances who won't slit your throat in your sleep. It will do you well." Raisa walked to the end of her chains, standing with a sly grace in her doorway and extending a hand. "My name is Raisa ana'Marianna. And, you are...?"

[Hallow]

Hallow smirked and shook his head with a quiet chuckle. How strange life was going to be here....each captive was so different, and had their idea of what life should be like here, how each person should act. From his view, a prison was a prison no matter what they named it in the end, and he had no intention of giving the humans what they were looking for. His mother was here before, and he knew well that should would never have given in to them Neither would he. But he had to be smart about it. It would be easy to get killed here after all....and no one had ever escaped yet. Which meant his mother was either alive here, or her dead body was somewhere hidden. "Oh, I was unaware I was talking to a servant, a slave. I believed I was talked to a captured being. Restraints imply they are for your own good....shackles imply that it is for the human's own well-being..." He retorted, unable to hold back the statement. He did not hate all humans, but any form of human here was by all means cruel and deserved death. He would not act like them, he would not be human, learn their history, any of it. If he had to become a "beast" in shackles to do that, he would.

He sighed and frowned. Perhaps she was right that it was best to atleast have a few friends in this hell hole of a place. "Sorry, but I have never been very obedient around the Black Rose Corp. As far as I am concerned I will give them as much trouble as I can before my life ends. And, as it seems by your...confinement, you once tried to do the same..." He said, trying to assume a more friendly tone. He shook her outstretched hand with his own cold, lifeless one before folding his hands behind his back, quick to hide his clawed fingers from any observers. "I am Hallow Deorcnes. I expect it wont be long till im in one of these thick metal cells..." he noted with some humor, imaging what horror he could cause before they managed to get him in there.

[Raisa ana'Marianna]

Claws extended from Raisa's fingertips as he spoke so demeaningly of her, and she slashed out at his shirt sleeve when he released her hand, leaving razor-thin cuts across the fabric. "You would do well not to anger any of us here, Hallow," she said with a snarl, fangs flashing. "Especially those of us who are rather favored by the other residents here. It has never ended well for a newcomer to mistreat me, and you will be no exception." Her tail whipped behind her and she glared at him menacingly.

After a moment, she sighed shortly and pivoted sharply, her birdish character showing through. She flitted to her desk and perched lightly on its edge, her feet crossed and dangling in front of her. Raisa cocked her head to one side, face blank, large eyes assessing Hallow. "You know, I was only trying to be a sort of welcoming party. My cell is at the very front for a reason - most people... take to me quickly, my presence makes them feel more at ease here. But if you'd rather shirk off quite possibly the only resident who is willing to put in time for a total and probably worthless stranger, then be my guest."

[Hallow]

She was fast, he would give her that, but he didn't even flinch as he watched his shirt get torn to peaces. He was used to it....a natural reaction both because of his own attitude, and his origin. He sighed and flattened out the tattered fabric, before giving up. He removed his black jacket, so that he could then remove the ruined shirt, revealing his lifeless, yet flawless flesh and shadowy, ghost wings. No one had ever guessed his race yet, and he loved it....mainly because he wasn't even sure of everything that was in him. So far in his life he had only pinpointed 3 different races that made him up, yet something told him there was something deeper. Throwing the black jacket back on to cover his wings, he peered back at Raisa with his silver eyes. "If you believe I am to fear death, and pain, and torture here then you are wrong. I am already, and have been for awhile, dead" he noted, taking a closer look at his removed shirt, pondering what he could do with it. "And I am not about to join a caste system, which seems so meaningless considering the life I am about to have."

He started ripping the shirt into long, thin peaces, hanging each over his arm as he did so. He was reluctant to tear the shirt apart, he did love the color silver so much, but it's original purpose was gone now. It could serve other purposes. "A welcome party? It is not in my nature to take to anyone really, aside from demons. Solace makes me feel at ease, and I believe I will not be at ease for a long, long time. Putting in time for me is useless. As soon as I discover the fate of my mother, I intend to be the first one to escape this place" he was unsure if his last statement was a bluff or not. He certainly did not want to live here, but as far as he had learned of this place in his years before coming here, it was quite frankly impossible to escape, no matter what skills and powers you had.

[Raisa ana'Marianna]

Raisa's nose crinkled in slight disgust as he spoke. He was missing the point - as men always did - that she was trying to make. Dead or not, his life could become a living hell here if he angered the wrong people. She thought briefly about correcting his statement, but decided he could learn on his own. She would have been nice to him if he'd returned the favor, but now he'd have to fend for himself without any of her little pearls of wisdom for maintaining any happiness in this dungeon.

In one sense, she was glad that the classic combination of a caged songbird and innocent kitten charm was failing to take effect on him; it was rather tiring to have people fawning on her all the time. In another sense, though, she was offended. He said he was attracted to demons. She was a demon. Mostly. She ignored the human part, at least. It didn't make her any less of a demon. Just shortened her lifespan. And took away her demonic powers. And made her weaker than the other prisoners. But aside from that, she ignored it.

Raisa eyes the strips of fabric somewhat hypnotically, her feline cravings getting the better of her for just a moment. She began to twirl the ends of her feathered hair between her fingers to stop herself from snatching a strip and running away with it, purring all the while. Her toes kneaded the air beneath them anxiously. "So... mother? You have family here?" She said, shaking herself back to her senses. "Why bother? Family does not guarantee love or loyalty. If you have not seen her in a long time, then I wouldn't waste the time or effort on it. She's probably moved on. They always do." She would know.

[Hallow]

The strips of fabric had become very thin now, and he had many hanging from his arm. He grabbed each one in turn and straight it out, made sure each one was relatively even, and organized as he thought up a use for these strands of string-fabric. There many things he could do with it, such as bind his wings, tie a weight to the end as a weapon, or a form of light protection from getting cuts that could easily become infected, something that was of great worry for him. He did quite a bit to ensure that he never got any form of infection or disease, but that would be very difficult here in such a....dirty facility. It would be atleast good time-consuming project finding ways to avoid infection.

Raisa's remark on his mother was angering, but not un-warrented considering their game of exchanging hate. It was almost getting to the point that it was just a mere form of entertainment than anything. He didn't have books anymore to make himself entertained. "My family has a strong sense of loyalty to each other, even in things we do against each other. My mother never moved on after she killed her husband, so who's to say she forgot about me? She is likely dead, but her clues will still be here." he said absentmindedly, more concentrated on his strips of fabric. He finally decided on an idea, though told himself he could always come up with a better one later. He divided the strips in half, then made two very long strands out of the many strips of fabric. Each one he wrapped around his wrist and hands several times over, to prevent cuts and provide cushion from infection. He often used his hands to fight, so it was currently the wisest decision possible. "So long as I have not given up on my life outside of this place, I will never do anything to have a life here. No one seems to understand that..." he finally commented, which was probably the true thing driving him. He would discover the fate of his mother, the first prisoner to be here, and then escape. Beyond that he did not care what happened.

[Raisa ana'Marianna]

At last, the boy had said something mildly interesting. She wasn't yet sure whether or not is was worth remembering it, though. It didn't seem to be of any immediate value to her. Still, she contemplated his statement for a moment, shifting her wings absently behind her. "You're right, no one here would understand that." She said after some time. "But can you blame them? They have no life outside these walls, so how could they understand your want to be rid of them? They have nothing with which to relate your feelings, nothing to empathize with." Her mind flooded with images of prancing through meadows, soaring through clouds, resting in treetops. The shackled on her wings felt suddenly heavier than usual. "That is something about you I can understand, at least." Raisa caught herself weakening and resurrected her imperious poise. "Not the family thing, though. There is no such thing as family to me. Only blood lines. The rest of it is nonsense that some fools choose to believe in."

"So if you're than keen on getting out of here, I'll help you. One less creature down here means one less pricker in my feathers for me." She slid her desk chair out front under her with her foot from her perch on the desk, implying for him to sit. "If you're going to get your way around here, you've come to the master."

"Now whether you like it or not, there is a class system. The sooner you accept that, the easier your life will be. Accept right now that you're also at the very bottom. No one here cares about your powers or your escapades outside these walls. We've all had our share of adventures, and they're what got us in here in the first place. So ability won't gain you status. Likability will. If you prove you're one of us, newbie, you'll move up. But if you throw your lot in with them" her eyes darted venomously to the human guards, "just to get on their good side and earn privileges, you'll stay right where you are now, even after new arrivals show up. For example, I am at the top of the food chain. Royalty, you could say. And yet, I am a powerless demon. I scratch as humans. I do the exact opposite of what I'm told. And every resident here knows they can trust me with their life. Get to my place, you can get favors left and right from the more powerful residents here - and you may find that extremely useful when it comes time for you to plot your escape."

[Hallow]

Hallow laughed, a deep, sinister laugh as his eyes lighted up with blood-lust. Oh this was going to be a strange life indeed, but atleast he wasn't the only one with some fight left in him. Infact, he had plenty of fight. And no matter how badly they hurt him, it would never go away. He wanted to be what haunted these guards in their dreams. If he could accomplish that, then maybe escaping could be a possibility. But, he would need many people on his side to escape. Why? Because the only way he had found to escape was quite literally destroying the place from the inside out. "I understand that you know everything about the inside of this place, but I know all about the outside. Quite frankly, it is impossible for just one person to escape. The walls, yes, can be passed. The security system can be tricked, the guards killed. But that's all just for show. Black Rose has something surrounding this island keeping us in. To escape....you have to get everyone to escape...at the same time" he said with a smirk. Chaos in a place that depended on order seemed the only way to beat this mysterious security system keeping them in. He still did not know what it was, but he did have his theories.

"And as for the class system....I guess it won't be too much of a problem to against the guards. I mean, I was so hoping to play cards with them, but if you insist so..." he said, obvious sarcasm in his voice as mere humor more than anything. It seemed he would have to do some more plotting with this girl....she did know here stuff and could fill in the areas he had not researched. And, if he was to start an uprising, she seemed to be the key. So, to talk with her, he would need a nearby cell in this ward of heavy confinement...only one way to do what. "I'll be right back, it is getting so boring you know? And I do love the look of this cell right next to yours..." he riddled, sadistic humor hinting at his coming actions. He dropped his black jacket near Raisa and extended his shadowy wings to full length. In a few, speedy strides he had his claws around the neck of a guard. "I am so very thirsty....may I have a drink?" he said in as scary a tone as he could muster, obviously putting up a facade. He was not truly this primitive and in need of blood....it was just fun, as he positioned his fangs near the neck of the guard.

[Raisa ana'Marianna]

Raisa was slightly put out by Hallow's lack of interest in her. Riddling or not, he had essentially called her boring - a faux pas he would not soon recover from. She folded her arms and twittered to the opposite edge of the desk, ignoring him. The only thought she spared to him was of his jacket as she contemplated shredding that one, too.

But the second she glimpsed what he was doing to the guard, her eyes widened in alarm. She literally flew from the desk in a desperate attempt to reach him, pull him away from the guard, stop the madness. The human inside of her forbade any harm to come to her kin, regardless of what evils the demon side's serpentine tongue whispered just beside it.

In less than a second, Raisa had flew to the length of her chains, barely taking a step past her cell borders. The shackles yanked painfully on her wings, hyperextending them and forcing her to stop. Still, she struggled against the restraints, wings beating and tail lashing. "STOP it Hallow, you have to stop!" She screamed. "Leave the human alone, you can't hurt them!" Raisa flailed futilely against the chains, feathers tearing from her wings. "Let him go, let him go! You'll ruin everything, let him go!"

This was the other reason she was kept at the front. All creatures immediately fell for her charm and unwillingly committed themselves to acting only for her will, and this included when she asked them to leave the humans alone. Her miniscule human heritage would not allow her to see any harm come to humankind, no matter what the circumstances. In addition to riot control, she was their safety net. Their toy puppet. Their pet.

[Hallow]

Hallow heard Raisa starting screaming and yelling at him, begging him to stop. Yet something in him made him only want to go further at hearing this, to be even scarier, deadly. It started becoming less of a facade, and more of a cynical act of vengeance. His mind, it seemed, had lost ever last strand of civility it had left in being dragged here, and now all that was left was the beast down under, the true nightmare. It wasn't the first time this had happened, other creatures had gone under such deprived mental states, but never this fast. The normal quiet, and stoic, and contained Hallow was now ready to fight with every inch of his being, his original goal to be put in a heavy metal cell, forgotten.

Raisa's yelling attracted more guards, as they came running to Hallow and the frightened, pale guard who was about to have his neck bitten. One came out of no-where and like an expert line backer, wrapped around Hallow and slammed him to the ground. But as they fell, Hallow shifted into a shadow and went through the mans body, maneuvering behind him and putting him in a choke hold as he held a clawed finger to his throat. Demonic laughs escaped him as he threatened to cut the man, only to be pulled away by another guard. He fought back and tripped the man, leering over him as he was ready to pounce down. Then a blast rang out as a bolt of energy shot at Hallow, leaving a hole in his shoulder like a bullet wound, and his body racing with pain. He quickly fell, and sleep washed over him as his body went limp. He seemed so calm and peaceful now, no more cynical tirade going on, nothing bothering his fragile mind.

The one who made the shot stepped forward from a corner, his face blank and emotionless as he holstered his energy rifle on his back, a new weapon that he had been commissioned by Black Rose to test out. "Put this one in the electric cell right there. My grandfather took care of his mother, and I know well that they needed to be in....special accommodations. It will keep him out of your way...." He spoke in a southern drawl. The guards responded to their Captain, Jack, and quickly dragged Hallow's body into the cell adjacent to Raisa's. It was full of bleached white, concrete walls lined with metal and circuitry underneath, with a large metal door with just barely a window to look through. They positioned his body on the plastic bed and then quickly left just as he started waking up, flipping a switch as the door locked. A generator could be heard kicking on as the floor, walls, ceiling, and door suddenly filled with high-voltage electricity...the one thing that could stop him from simply walking through the walls.

"Oh man this headache...I think I blacked out for a bit, what in the hell happened? Last I remember I was talking to that woman who shredded my good shirt..." he said, holding his throbbing head and the bloodless wound on his shoulder.

[Raisa ana'Marianna]

Raisa watching the scene unfold and cried out with something between a primal hiss and a shrill chirp, flying back from the commotion. Her flighty bird instincts went into overdrive trying to get her as far away as possible, her wings beating furiously and air currents buffeting the room and the group outside. Finally her claws sank into the top of the wooden bedpost, where she perched half-bird half-cat on the tiny platform. The tawny wings unfurled around her shoulders and wrapped her frame in a kind of feathery cocoon, secluding her from the world outside her cell. She heard the bangs and shouts from behind her feathered wall, and cringed with every one.

Day turned to night through her window, and as the sun set and the moon rose, she slowly began to uncurl her wings. At first, only two glassy green eyes glowed through their darkness, peering at the boy in the bed not twenty feet from her. The night shift took over the guard outside, though not many were placed on her end of the corridor. The beast was locked in one cage, and their personal hybrid alarm system would alert them to any other trouble.

Hallow spoke, and Raisa's ears pitched forward towards his voice. It was different. her feline hearing picked up the lack of low-pitched notes her human ears couldn't detect. Something had changed in him. The fur on her tail pricked up.

"You..." She began in a warbling songbird voice, her wings unfolding slightly more and she leaned forward over the bedpost. "You went crazy, that's what happened! What did I tell you, what did I tell you about pulling stupid stunts like that?! Now it'll take me a month at least to convince everyone here that you belong in a mental institute instead of this prison!" She'd regained confidence again, and her tone was tinged with a growl. Still, her bird self was afraid of him, as it was of anything that caused harm. "What exactly was that all about?"

[Hallow]

Hallow could here the detest in Raisa's voice, and despite his lack of memory of what exactly had happened, he was pretty sure he knew the general idea of what had gone down. She had reason to be angry, for he probly had done something reckless. But he would be unable to help himself, for, he was truely a bit mentally unstable. He was bi-polar, and coupled with his powers yeilded a dangerous combination. He eyed the floor, wondering exactly how powerful the electric current was. Sighing, he touched a finger to it.

A loud scream blasted out of him as he instantly drew back his hand, all the muscles in his arms constricting. The tip of his finger was mildly singed, and his body racked with pain. It was alot of electricity, ALOT. They had gone to all lengths to ensure he would not escape this cell. He curled up on his plastic bed and stared at the ceiling, avoiding the gaze of Raisa. "You aren't the first to claim I belong in a mental institute" he said with a weak laugh. His mind was divided, but he still knew most of his goals and morals weren't wrong. He just often implemented them in the wrong way. "It's....complicated. I don't hate all humans...just Black Rose. There is a primitive instinct in me that says that if I can do something to harm Black Rose, I will, and I just so happen to have some primitive sides to me..." he said, not caring if she listened or not. To him this was a war, and people trying to tell him act civil in this "war" was pointless.