Nine Courts of Judgement

Ni hao! I'm Hsien-Ko, and this is my sister, Mei-Ling! We're looking for our mother's soul! Don't get in our way or I might have to hurt you! -Part of Citta Alveare- Apartment S-6 Can turn invisible for five minutes, three times per day Weapon: Wooden Claws Rank: Citizen

[tenrai-ha]

"I'm not a vampire..."

[gisua-blog]

[tenrai-ha]

"But I'm not an awful roommate...You can ask Rima!" Says the wizard who has had who knows how many roommates. Though if she were a horrible roommate, that would explain why she never met any of her Hive City roommates until now.

"Look, anyone who can turn someone into a toad in their sleep is not a good roommate in my book."

[tenrai-ha]

"You might think Halloween is all fun and games, but it's a pretty big deal in the demon world! In order to better protect yourself from the supernatural, just follow these easy steps:

Don't take any candy from demons you don't know. And if anyone tries to offer you something in return for your soul, just walk away.

If you meet anyone with a leather jacket, check for seams. If it doesn't have any seams, get out of there. The opposite goes for their face. Any seams there, just leave.

If a book starts talking to you, don't do what it says. Especially don't try and open it. Talking books are really annoying once you start reading them, and they never shut up.

Wizards make awful roommates. Do not let a wizard be your roommate.

Make sure all your relatives are properly buried, otherwise there's a really good chance they'll come back to haunt you. And if they nagged you when you were alive, it'll only be worse now. I would know.

Witches are usually pretty nice, but if they start making double entendres, just leave. You're not going to have an orgy, you're probably going to be put into a cauldron.

In fact, just stay away from anyone who makes double entrendres in general. They're probably a monster in disguise, or they're gonna sell you something haunted, or they're going to eat you, or something. Better safe than sorry.

"Alright, that's all I can think of. Just remember that the demons and spirits and Darkstalkers are especially strong on All Hallows' Eve, so try not to tick them off.

"If you want to pay me back or this helpful service announcement, just go ahead and sen some candy to apartment S-6. But nothing with nuts in it, bleh. Happy Halloween!"

[tenrai-ha]

taomaster replied to your post: "Don’t dress up as a ghost for this Halloween....

"Oh are ghosts not sufficiently spooky, cherie?"

"That's not what I said! We're super spooky, I'm probably one of the spookiest people in the city!"

[taomaster]

moving day! || ca closed/hsien-ko

[taomaster]

Just some stuff, yeah right! The box wasn’t even that large, yet Hsien-Ko and Mei Ling had managed to pack it to the brim with items that clearly seemed to be more dense than they looked. Still, Waka was determined to help his cherie out, and he simply took a deep breath in, and hoisted the box onto one shoulder. His knees buckled, but his expression didn’t change. He was going to do this. 

It was a bit of a challenge, but he managed to start walking again. They would take the train and he could put the box down and all would be well. His steps were a bit wobbly, but soon enough he got into a rhythm, and turned his head to Hsien-Ko as she spoke.

“Oh, you have ground rules? Let’s hear them, cherie.”

His expression grew a little worried as she mentioned explosives. He didn’t really mind when she was leaving and coming back to the apartment, but the idea of explosives lying around wasn’t very promising.

“C-Cherie, somehow I don’t think you should have explosives just…anywhere. I can be careful, but what of our other roommates? You certainly don’t want to get into trouble with them.”

[tenrai-ha]

He was really struggling with that box. It was kind of sad, in a way. Hsien-Ko really wanted to just ignore it, but Waka was getting a little more pathetic every second, like a dog sitting out in the rain waiting for its master to return. Except it was a man, and Hsien-Ko was pretty sure he wanted to make out with her. He would carry that box up a flight of stairs if it meant he could kiss her.

Maybe she'd indulge him when they got there.

"Well, for starters you shouldn't touch any of my things, just in case. And be sure to knock when you come in my room, otherwise I might accidentally attack you. It's a reflexive thing, you know? And I don't want to kill you on accident or anything..."

She couldn't think of many rules, actually. Although she really wanted to add something like 'don't hit on me,' though Hsien-Ko had her doubts as to how well that one would stick. Oh well. As long as he wasn't as annoying as Lord Raptor, she couldn't complain.

"I told you, chances are really good I won't leave them around. And they probably wouldn't even be lit if I did, so what's the problem? Bombs don't just go off on their own, you know. And I'm sure our roommates will understand, people are really reasonable if you explain the dangers. For instance, the danger of making a Chinese ghost mad." Hsien-Ko gave a little chuckle, though there was a mischievous quality to it.

She glanced over her shoulder again, eyebrow raised. "Are you sure you're okay, Waka? You sound like you're gonna collapse. Here, just let me..." Hsien-Ko moved towards the man, arms outstretched. But instead of going for the box, she bent over, and scooped Waka up into her arms.

"Okay, point the way," she said, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

[tenrai-ha]

"Don't dress up as a ghost for this Halloween. We're a culture, not a costume."

[powpowsbestie-deactivated201707]

“Dark and… Edgy? I can assure you I’m not going through a phase like that. That’s more Laura Kinney’s thing.”

Well, the other had a point. In such a large place there were bound to be a few bad apples. But Illyana was quite in tune with those possessing evil hearts. Not just bad people, but those that were completely and utterly evil.. The ones these people have been referring to as homonculi seemed to fit into that category quite well. As did the one in the white suit.

“Hsien-Ko. An interesting name. My name is Illyana Rasputina. I am a member of the X-men. Well a different X-men. It’s a very long story and I doubt anyone wants to sit through it.”

[tenrai-ha]

Those names were a little familiar. "Laura Kinney? You mean X-23? And you know the X-men? Like Wolverine and Storm? Hey, I know them! We've fought together before! They're a pretty nice bunch, even that Magneto guy, you know?"

Instantly, a smile went up on her face. "Well, anyone who's friends with them must be a pretty nice person! And if you're an X-man, that must mean you're one of the good ones, right? So there's nothing to worry about!"

She smelled like demon, though. But Hsien-Ko had met enough Darkstalkers to know better than to judge a book by its cover. Most of them were very nice, but others... not so much.

[tenrai-ha]

antiangelslayer

"No offense taken. I would recommend my brother to women looking for fun. It’d be better for him to deal with those kind of women than I. You weren’t originally born a Jiang Shi, so your opinion is not questioning.”

He reached for the ward on her hat.

"Does your sister share your views as well? You two are twin, yes?"

"Yeah, fair enough, You don't really seem like the type to be interested in that kind of stuff, honestly. Not that that's a bad thing, just a little... dull, I guess. But hey, whatever floats your boat."

She shrugged, not really sure how else to put it. Vergil was a a very intense and determined man, but he was also terribly straight-laced, and exceedingly boring.

"Besides, I've been dead for way longer than I was alive, so it's hard to remember what it was like sometimes."

Her eyes followed Vergil's hand, but Mei-Ling was the only one who said anything. "Please don't touch," she said, face forming in an instant. "But to answer your question, no, I don't share my sister's tastes. Personally, I would prefer a much more clam and collected-"

"She means she's boring too."

[powpowsbestie-deactivated201707]

“I suppose I’ve just learned not to put too much faith in others, regardless of their appearance. That and I’m rather talented at sensing dark hearts. I can assure you that quite a few of these people are bad news. Now then, who might you be?”

[tenrai-ha]

"Eh, you'll grow out of it. Everyone has their dark and edgy teen years, and then you become and adult and try not to think about it anymore. Though I'm sure you're right about some of these people. When you gather so many people into one spot, there's bound to be a few bad apples.

"I'm not one of them, though. You can just call me Hsien-Ko. So who're you, then?"

[powpowsbestie-deactivated201707]

“I can’t help but feel that the majority of newcomers to this city are nothing short of evil, maniacal monsters doomed to rot in the lowest pits of hell.”

[tenrai-ha]

"Hey, sometimes those guys are pretty nice once you get to know them! Can't judge a book by its cover."

[antiangelslayer-deactivated2014]

Is your brother single? I'm asking for... a friend.

"It’s pleasant seeing you again, Hsien Ko. For a friend, huh? If I had to guess, I would say yes. I don’t see him as the type to be tied down. I haven’t spoken to him recently.”

[antiangelslayer-deactivated2014]

"Usually, no. As of recently, yes. It’s complicated. Since coming here I’ve realized that demons, with white hair in particular, are eligible bachelors. Is that how you- excuse me, your friend see my brother?”

[tenrai-ha]

"You're kidding. Don't get me wrong, you and Dante share your good looks, but you're kind of... just a little... extremely abrasive. It's a personality thing, you know? But I don't know if I'm the best girl to answer that kind of question. Demons, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, that's all pretty normal stuff for me.

"Plus he's hot, so..."

[gardeningnostic]

canine urges -- CA OPEN

and once again, the canine infused witch found herself within the oasis-esque expansion of the city; sector six. vivid emerald hues fluttered shut as olfactory organ calmly inhaled the fresh alpine scents surrounding her. it felt good to be back in the sixth sector amongst the blooming flora encircling her within the minuscule garden she came across. 

the witch sat amongst the flowers upon a petite bench with pristine radar erected and pointing straight towards the clear blue sky, twitching every now and again with each unfamiliar noise. with a contented sigh, the space girl slunk deeper into the bench, green eyes darting around curiously as that dorky grin remained fixated permanently upon her lips.

and then it happened.

a few familiar coos echoed within the canine girl’s sensitive ears, causing her skull to snap in the direction of the offending noise; pigeons. there were fucking pigeons eating some random shit near her plants. it didnt take long for the girl to leap upon her glamorous ruby red flats and turn to face the avians. a low growl rumbled in the girl’s throat as her usually silky black tresses stood completely on end as a dog’s hackles would raise. and then, she took off, running in their direction barking like a disgruntled rottweiler. 

"WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!!"

in other words, GET OUT OF HERE.

[tenrai-ha]

It was much easier to appreciate Sector oo6 now that she wasn't living in a box.  Before, the nature was constant, inescapable. It was always all around her, and while it was pleasant enough, she couldn't get away from it. Even in the box, the smells and winds managed to poke through, reminding Hsien-Ko that, yes, she lived in a cardboard box. Still.

But things were better now. She could take in small doses of Sector oo6's bountiful nature and then go back to her room to sleep whenever things got too nature-y. And then when her roommates got annoying, she could go outside and enjoy the trees and flowers and animals and whatever else happened to be in Sector oo6. There was a nice balance to things.

But it was far from peaceful, especially given the city's inhabitants. Like when the world's saddest-looking werewolf ran right past Hsien-Ko. No snout, no fur, no long claws, just ears and a tail. Maybe it was just a girl in costume.

Hsien-Ko followed, hopping along at an unhurried pace. Eventually she caught up to the girl, who was barking at a flock of birds. More like a dog than a wolf, but still...

Her hands emerged from her sleeves, touching at the girl's ears to verify their authenticity. "Huh, guess I was wrong," she said, shrugging. "They're real. I thought you were just a really confused human, but I guess you're not! So what, are you like, half-werewolf or something? Because I've heard of cat-people, but not dog-people. Not the most intimidating werewolf though, your ears are actually kind of soft..."

She trailed off, still touching the ears. It was surprisingly pleasant.

[tenrai-ha]

"He's no Thor, but I'll take what I can get."

[antiangelslayer-deactivated2014]

Is your brother single? I'm asking for... a friend.

"It’s pleasant seeing you again, Hsien Ko. For a friend, huh? If I had to guess, I would say yes. I don’t see him as the type to be tied down. I haven’t spoken to him recently.”

[tenrai-ha]

"Eheheheheh...!"

"I mean, yeah, yeah, same to you. And thanks, I'll let them know. I bet you never have problems like that, huh Vergil?"

[mindlessloyalty-deactivated2013]

City of the Dead [event/open/intro]

[mindlessloyalty-deactivated2013]

[The little zombie’s head tilted, confusion written all over her face. She wasn’t exactly the best at hiding her emotion. Or very good at all. Or even average.]

"There is only one jiang-shi though… Where is the sister? Is she inside you?" [Granted, anyone would be confused by the way that Hsien-Ko explained that. Probably.]

[Now the question of whether or not she was in the city arrived. In order to answer this question, Yoshika would have to know that she was, in fact, in a city that was not part of her home world. Which she didn’t, thanks to that rotting brain that was causing the other jiang-shi so much trouble in the first place.]

"Yes, yes! Master is always near when Yoshika is! Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do anything." […That sort of count as an introduction, right? Yoshika had like half a brain, give her a break.]

[tenrai-ha]

"No, she's not inside me, that'd be weird. Well, I mean, she's sort of here, she's always here, but not like that. My sister's right here," said Hsien-Ko, tapping at the paper tag again. "C'mon Mei-Ling, don't leave me hanging here."

At her sister's insistence, Mei-Ling finally opened her eyes. The characters on the ward paper vanished, replaced with a small, simple face. "Yes, yes, I'm here. I don't see why it was entirely necessary, though." The tag sighed before glancing down at the other jiangshi with a smile on her face. "She's very cute though. Almost like a child who's lost their mother. Which is why we'll definitely help her, right Hsien-Ko?"

Since when was Mei-Ling so eager to help? Hsien-Ko only shrugged as Yoshika finally dropped her name, albeit accidentally. "Ah, gotcha, kinda a mindlink sorta thing... Telepathy? I dunno, I just fight stuff, Mei-Ling's the one who knows all the technical terms."

"Probably just some kind of magic that brought her to life and under their control. I don't know if it's actually controlled by distance, but such a thing wouldn't be too out of the ordin-"

"Okay! Let's go find your master, Yoshika!" said Hsien-Ko, pumping a fist into the air. Mei-Ling rolled her eyes before vanishing, her face replaced by Chinese characters once more. "She's somewhere nearby, right? So we'll just keep looking 'till we find her." With that, Hsien-Ko held her arms out and began to hop in a random direction. Maybe the sight of a pair of girls hopping around the streets would be unusual, even for Hive City.

[taomaster]

moving day! || ca closed/hsien-ko

[taomaster]

If Waka were any more excited, he’d be shaking. Well in fact, he was shaking, it just wasn’t visible. He hoped. There was just something about the fact that Hsien-Ko would be living with him now that made him absolutely elated. Perhaps he would finally be able to find out why that odd sense of deja vu nagged at him everytime he looked at her.

Finally, she showed up, later than they’d agreed to meet, but Waka would’ve waited for her until sundown, and then some. It seemed as though Waka had managed to get the wrong meeting spot somehow.

“Oh? You weren’t living here? Then…where? I just assumed, cherie. But no matter! You are here now!”

“Nonsense! I could never let a madamoiselle like you carry such a heavy box. Please cherie, allow me to help you with that.”

Waka smiled as he first made sure that his sword and flute were safely in their place at his hip. Then, he walked closer to Hsien-ko and took the box from her hands, only to find his arms waver as the sudden weight of the box nearly brought him to the floor. Waka’s strength really lied in his magic power—he was agile, but he wasn’t very strong. The struggle was visible in his expression.

“Ch-Cherie, what do you even have in here? Rocks?”

[tenrai-ha]

All Waka knew was that she didn't have an apartment, so Hsien-Ko couldn't blame him for thinking she was in one of the Districts. That was where most of the people without apartments ended up, and come to think of it, maybe she should've applied for a spot in there instead of sleeping in a cramped cardboard box with her sister.

"Well, no big deal. So long as you're here, right? And it doesn't matter, since we'll be moving anyways!" A smile touched at her lips, in spite of herself. The jiangshi didn't especially care for Waka, but having a place to live sounded very nice at this point. Unlike Waka, she wasn't concerned about finding out why he was so familiar or anything like that, she just wanted a place to stay. If she happened to discover the reason, it would be nice, but she wasn't in a rush. Certainly, he wasn't a Darkstalker or a Dark Hunter or anything like that

Her eyebrows raised as Waka insisted, just as she thought he would. "Well, if you're sure..." she said, surrendering the box to him. Almost immediately, his back dipped and his arms tensed, the struggle obvious. Maybe she'd packed too much...

"Uh, no it's just some stuff of mine and Mei-Ling's... Are you sure you got it? I mean, I can carry it, I'm way stronger than a normal human." Despite her words, she made no move to take the box back, fully expecting Waka to willingly shoulder the burden all the way back to the apartment.

Immediately, she launched into the next subject, either anticipating Waka's answer or not wanting to hear it. "Anyways, if we're going to be living together, I want to get a few things straight. For starters, I usually sleep during the day and go out to do things at night. So I don't want you all freaking out if I'm gone or sleeping at weird times, okay? And if I accidentally leave anything lying around, which I usually don't do but I might, you probably shouldn't touch it in case it's explosive."

She paused to scratch at her head with wooden claws, lips pursing. "Are you getting all this? Maybe we should just to go the apartment before you fall over."