Happy Birthday

[joseph]

Joseph sat up quickly in his bed, woken from a dream by his alarm. In his dream, he had been flying with someone, though he couldn't see their face. The other person began falling from the sky just as his alarm sounded. He sighed and stood up from his bed, going over to pick up his clothes which had been flung carelessly onto the floor the night before. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he paused for a moment, realising just how much he had changed in the few months he had been aboard Michael's ship. For a start, he was much more toned than he had been, no longer some skinny teenager. He had cut his hair shorter as it kept getting in his way when looking down the sight of a gun, something he would never have considered before joining the fight against the Daemons and their human servants.

As he turned around, he noticed that his alarm had gone off long after it should have: it now being mid afternoon, when he usually set it for much earlier. He shrugged it off, thinking it to merely be Pendant playing some form of joke on him. There wasn't much to do today that he knew of, at least nothing that Michael had mentioned to him. So, now clothed, he set off to the main communal area of the ship where he had left his laptop.

The door slid open, and he was greeted by the smiling faces of his comrades: Michael, Sarah, Chris, and the three Immortals who had tagged along - Isaan, Devante and Thomas. A banner hung above them all with "Happy Birthday!" written upon it. For a moment he was puzzled, then rememebered that today was indeed his 16th birthday. Scratching the back of his head, he smiled shyly and blushed.

"Guys...you shouldn't have.." he murmured as he stepped into the room. Just then, an alarm sounded throughout the ship and Pendant's familiar voice chimed in over the intercom,
"Intruder detected. Strange, considering we're in the upper atmosphere...oh well, your problem now, biologicals!"

They didn't have to look very far, as the intruder came right up behind Joseph and stopped suddenly. The man looked like he had seen better days, his clothing torn and several scars and fresh cuts adorning his features. It was instantly apparent that this man was no human, his four wings giving away his Immortality. He gave Isaan a long look, the slightest hint of fear in his eyes as he gazed upon the God of Chaos, before he looked down at Joseph, who had pulled out his sidearm and now held the Desert Eagle right at the intruder's chest. The intruder looked down at Joseph and placed a hand over the gun's barrel.

"Don't shoot." he said, it sounding more like a command than a request.

[Brett]

Michael stood bolt upright and withdrew his baretta, aiming at the intruder with every intention to fire if he didn't explain quickly, when he told them not to shoot Michael kept the weapon raised and pointed at the immortal. He waited for Isaan to say that he was already, because naturally the elder god would know if this man could be trusted, unfortunately for their unwanted guest Isaan said nothing. Michael stepped around the table and moved closer, the weapon still raised but not firing at the man, Faey he presumed by the appearance of the wings.

"Speak quickly," he said, that was definitely a command rather than a request.

Chris had stood up and also had his weapon raised at the intruder, he didn't falter especially with his boyfriend so near the intruder and the intruder having a grip on his weapon, that could easily see him disarmed and taken down. Four wings meant the immortal was higher rank than Joseph, but even if they hadn't been he knew so little of being a Faey himself that it was unlikely he'd win the fight if it came to one. "I zhought zhe elder god fixed us with shields to keep 'is kind away from us."

"I said they'd not let anyone pass who I considered a threat," Isaan replied indignantly, downing his glass of scotch in one go and letting out a breath of approval at the sharp taste, though compared to immortal liqour this stuff might as well be fruit juice. His eyes fell upon the immortal, he said nothing but nodded at the man as if he was allowing him to do something, just this one thing. One last thing.

[sarah]

Sarah sat with her feet up against a half decorated desk leaning back against a chair with her sunglasses pushed down over her emerald eyes. Her tanned fingers gripped a cup of coffee in one hand and in the other a bottle of whisky swirled brown froth absently onto the floor. She'd been having a drinking contest with Jeremy who had nestled against her chest passed out cold before Joseph had really even stepped foot into the room. One big explosion of a penguin out of a bazooka with streamers and a slurred hug was all that he'd got from the two before they'd both indulged in high-jacking wheelie chairs and racing across the ship, finally settling against one of the desks.

As Pendant chimed over the droning music Sarah bolted up right swerving her whisky over towards the intruder sloppily only managing to allow the drink to fall down her arm. Meanwhile Devante whom had been spending the majority of the time at the back of the room talking to his top hat, had somehow managed to wind his way un-noticed behind the intruder, his top hat resting upon his crown with his shades lowering down the bridge of his pallid nose. Raising a gloved hand a wand for blowing bubbles wound be presented, silently leaning forwards his inhale the only audible part of his actions he would blow the liquid creating a pack of bubbles which would all directly float to the back of the intruders neck. In his trait swift movements Devante's top hat would be lifted from his crown as he steps back into the shadows of the room, his butter eyes glowing like that of a cat.

[thomas]

As was becoming his trademark, Thomas had sat a little apart from the rest of the congregation, upon a small stool polishing his crossbow. In all honesty, he didn't care for the gathering, not because of Joseph- quite the opposite, he was actually rather fond of the boy, especially when compared to the likes of Michael- rather he had long since stopped placing value on birthdays. They had been a rather depressing occasion in his youth and hadn't grown any more exciting in the passing of years. In the end though, he had reached the conclusion that it would likely be one of the last celebrations for quite some time and it would be impolite to Joseph for him not to be present. Besides, with Chris likely to spend more time than he at the festivities, he hoped this would be the perfect chance for him to sneak a look at his computers. The young man had been very reluctant for him to start examining the motherboards for some reason, and sadly Pendant was out of the question unless he could disable it's voice somehow...

But of course, his plan never saw fruition. They rarely did aboard Michael's ship. His weapon was primed and ready before Pendant finished speaking, and trained on the stranger's heart a fraction of a second before the others. He kept the sights focused with a grip steadied by years of practice, but was careful to pay attention to both Michael and Isaan.

[joseph]

The old Faey removed his hand from Joseph's firearm, perhaps noticing that the others saw this as a threatening gesture. Joseph himself merely tightened his grip on the powerful handgun and stood indignantly between the immortal and his comrades. He was safe in the knowledge that should the intruder try anything, Isaan would likely stop the unnamed trespasser before any harm came to the boy.

The old immortal sighed and looked into Joseph's bright, emerald eyes. "Seventeen years ago, I met a woman on Earth unlike anyone I'd ever met. I was, and..well, still am, on the run from Dragos Midnight, so I was taking refuge on Earth as it was probably the last place they would think to look for me...things weren't like what they are now back then, few Immortals even knew of this planet's existence." he paused for a moment, looking around the room to gauge their reactions.

"Michael told you to speak quickly," Joseph spat, raising his gun higher so that he was now aiming right between the Faey's eyes.

"Yes..well, this woman and I fell in love, and we had a son. We called him Tristan, but..I see your mother must have changed your name after I had to leave..I don't blame her." as he spoke, he was looking only at Joseph, which meant that he was obviously talking directly to the boy, ignoring the others gathered there. Joseph looked puzzled, his grip on his Desert Eagle loosening slightly.

"Wh..what are you talking about?" he stammered, knowing what the response would be before the words had left his lips. He just didn't quite believe..no, couldn't believe, without any hard evidence, that he was the son of this man: a criminal on the run from Dragos Midnight, who, in Joseph's mind, had taken advantage of his mother somehow..it couldn't be true.

The old Faey laughed slightly, more to himself than at the boy's reaction to his little story. "Well..if you don't believe me, how do you explain those?" He pointed with his index and middle finger of his right hand, indicating just above Joseph's shoulders where, without Joseph realising it, two wings had appeared: the same autumn colours in them as the intruder's. Joseph looked at where the Immortal had pointed and went pale, his eyes widening in shock as he stumbled to the side, his wings flapping wildly and knocking over everything in their path.

[Brett]

Michael's weapon arm relaxed slightly, if Isaan wasn't reacting badly to the presence of the man then he was almost certain he wasn't a threat, or wasn't there for a fight at the very least. The stranger made a mistake though, mentioning he was on the run from Dragos Midnight made Michael's weapon come back up and lock on him, any immortals who'd done something bad enough to be on the run from the immortal inquisitors were always a threat unless Isaan outright said otherwise - which he wouldn't for this Faey regardless of his relation to Joseph.

As the conversation unfolded, both Chris and Michael exchanged looks, keeping their weapons on their 'guest'. The wings now appearing on Joseph's back was the least on their worries, besides the fact he was turned out to be a Faey explained a few things about the boy, questions that needed answers but to the pair who were used to working with immortals didn't matter - at least not in terms of how much they'd continue to trust and care for Joseph.

"Zhey look good on you," Chris said, giving Joseph a small shrug, his eyes only leaving Joseph's father briefly.

Isaan remained in his chair, legs crossed and glass of scotch in hand. His eyes didn't particularly look in any direction, mostly focused only on his glass while he took sips. When he didn't lift his head to look at the proceedings, his eyes moved from Joseph to his father and then hardened. It wasn't spoken, but it was a fair certainty the old Faey wouldn't be leaving the meeting alive, it was just bad luck that the elder god and former leader of Dragos Midnight had been present.

Quietly Isaan turned his eyes away again and finished his drink, he'd wait for the conversation to end before he did anything, let Joseph make up his mind about the man but in his own experience it never went well when an immortal returned to meet the child they'd abandoned with their mortal mother. He'd already been through that three times himself in the stupidity and arrogance of his youth.

[saraneth]

The spectacle of Joseph's wings took the alcohol venom away from the juvenile woman cupping the vacant auburn glass in her right hand. An exasperated sigh exuberates from her parted lips tasting the bile of drink settling into her stomach, thinning her lips into a secluded smile the woman would get up and walk over to Michael with her arms folded across her chest. "Looks like our little caterpillar's blossomed." Placing a tanned hand upon the raised weapon of Michael's she'd gently press it down glancing with her immaculate emerald eyes transferring a singular look that would speak words as if telekinesis was not something rare and immortal, but natural. The rough pores of females digits curl around the males hand, a feeling that had been sourly missed between the couple over the passing rises and falls of suns and moons. Indeed the pair had lost much of their time together what with things falling around them and time thrusting trials before the team as a whole, as a result they had suffered perhaps the worst of it. It was not as if Sarah did not regret it but a divide had wedged between them enough for just a simple placement of her hand against his own was enough to cause an uncomfortable adjustment for the female. Shifting her gaze around the room she'd quickly snap her hand back and leave the room to head towards her quarters, silence muting her lips once again.

In the murky corners of the room the sheen of butter yellow eyes flickered at the little attention directed towards the strangest of creatures. Crumbling to the floor Devante whimpers hugging his top hat close to his chest whispering into the well kept fabric. In his usual regal mannerisms Devante sweeps himself to his feet and drapes across the table in front of his Grandfather, resting his chin on both hands as his long legs sway back and forth. The top hat now resting upon the matted crown of coal black casted a shadow across the beautiful yellow eyes, hauling a monocle from his inner coat pocket Devante presses it to his right eye. The glass tints a dark hue appearing much more like that of sunglasses and in-between pallid lips a long pipe sits puffing out bubbles as the male comments idly "It's like being at the 3-D picture reels, electrifying!"

[thomas]

It had taken a fair amount of effort for Thomas to lower his crossbow; even now it remained loaded and ready to fire at a twitch of his finger. Something about the stranger unsettled him and left him deeply tense. It wasn't that he was a criminal (He didn't yet understand this "Dragos" well enough to make judgement on that) nor even that he was yet another immortal he didn't understand. Rather, the man's relationship with Joseph was raising questions about his own parentage that He had never considered. Of course, now was not the time to think on that. All he was sure of was that if it were him in Joseph's position, the stranger would quickly be bleeding from new wounds.

However, that alone was not what was angering him. He was not aware that only lesser immortals such as himself risked producing strigoi with mortals, and in his mind it was sheer luck that this man had not caused the same damage as he had with his son.The fact that he had abandoned Joseph's mother seemed to make it worse.

Though he forced himself to not intervene, his fury would be obvious to whoever glanced his way; without him realising, his tattered, demonic looking wings had appeared behind him.