THE FOODINING BEGINS! (Rook)

[Raron]

Dimitri grumbled under his breath as he walked. He hated this. He hated having to be forced to leave the warmth and comfort of his armory for this silly reason. This old fashion nonsense. This out of date requirements of what should be a by-gone age. As if in response to his thoughts his stomached roared again. He stopped in his steps and glared at his torso and pointed at himself.
"This is my body, not yours. I am in charge. Not you... understand."
Grumbbbleeee.
He sighed loudly and got into line. It was after seven so the mess hall was mostly empty. Most of the angels were out and about or climbing into bed. Dimitri had been in the middle of trying to organize his new tools when his stomach put it's two cents in. After a while the staff had shoved him out the door and told him not to return until he was full. He understood... he was a little too dedicated... sometimes he forgot minor things. Like eating, or getting his shots, or bathing. To prevent him from passing out, going crazy...er... and stinking up the place his staff kept an eye on him to make sure he did at least the minimum requirements for good health. They had not been impressed by his efforts to do away with eating by pureeing energy bars... he supposed putting on the lid on the blender first might have helped.
He looked at the menu for a bit trying to think on matter of what to get, what to eat, what was worth putting in his body.
He hated these hard choices... why couldn't it be easier like choosing what type of weapon a angel needed or what type of scope was needed on a rifle.

[Rook]

Rook took a wary look at his spoon, the way someone looks at a fight before it approaches. Well, he was certainly conflicted, a part of him was starving and a warring part thought the concept of food sickening at the moment. This was how he usually felt after a successful mission, and usually the sickened one gave in, but....well, he had promised his daughter he'd put on more weight, and god, if this salt-coated soup wasn't the place to start.... but staring at it he felt his stomach turn as he had to look away, twirling the spoon in enormous claws and instead taking a drink from his bottle of brandy.

I'll ...get a bite later he promised himself Blue Moose, two whole packages of donuts. I swear.

He looked up and was almost startled by the odd variety of colors and shapes that made up Dimitri, but soon he recongized him and his heart beat slowed. He could tell that the artillery chief, whom many fondly referred to as a "crackpot" went through pains to decide what boring thing he was going to have to shove down his throat so he could continue with his day.

Guns guns guns guns..

Rook smiled to himself, he could sympathize, though he knew about as much about guns as he knew about fine home furnishings.

He hesitated, after all, he had nothing against Dimitri, but he was a little ...um.....well, loud, and Rook was not exactly in a chatty mood at the moment.
Ah well...

"Do you want my soup" ? he offered looking across the table at the other, more colorful hybrid "Can't even start it", and it'll save you the trouble of staring at that menu any longer".

It was deathly cold outside, freezing rain pouring down mercilessly, treating the entire city like an enourmous storm drain, Rook could hear it's beating on the roof.

Another sip, like many things, drinking on the job was frowned upon, but he would like to see anyone dare to tell an ArcAngel to remain completely sober while they did their work, the warm liquid jump started his heart beating in his chest and he felt the ice on his fur begin to melt off a bit as he warmed up.

[Raron]

Dimitri's toothy maw split into a grin as he took up the bowl of soup in that was now in front of him.
"Sweet! I don't have to waste more time on a meaningless decision."
With a grin he set to eat... after a false start of trying to eat it with a fork. As he spooned into into his mouth he started blinking at the furre across from him. As if trying to remember him... suddenly his eyes opened wide in recognition of how he was sitting across from.
"Obb!..."
He swallowed and tried again without a mouthful of soup.
"Ohh! You are that guy! With the things! The one who is taking care of Betty. Simple girl. Six shooter, low calibur on request, blue hue, hollow points rounds and piercer rounds. Never uses my specility rounds... ever..."
He stuck out his lower lip in a fake pout.
"You really should try some of my creations. She will like them alot."
He grinned at the thought and continued blinking as if trying to remember something else. The eyes opened in that same face of recognition.
"That is right, your name is Rook isn't it?"

[Vespa]

The meeting had been over for not much more then a few minutes and already Aidith was straggling for something to occupy herself with. While it not being a true struggle for it only took a matter of moments it was still something she wrestled with periodically throughout the day. Swiftly her mind settled on a quick check up on the rest of the facility. Though it's not entirely her job she occasionally took it upon herself to make sure all was well and running smoothly within the ranks of the Hour Glass guild.

Wafting sharply down the corridors she made it to the cafeteria. It wasn't too far from where she had ended up wandering herself due to her paining stomach motivating her subconscious to the area. She slowed herself as she walked through the room and along the tables. Her ears alert and her eyes watching everything. If someone managed to recognize her they'd probably snap and sharpen up their behavior. Not necessary by any means but the frigid air about her could not be endured by some.

She wasn't looking for anything specific, mainly present as a deterrent more than anything. Her eye caught someone she might remember. She couldn't put her finger on it, this hybrid was familiar and something told her he was vaguely significant. Unfortunately nothing came to mind ironically enough. She slowly paced just past the older man at the table. Her eyes glaring, only flicking to the strange hybrid he sat with for a moment, and determined to remember that face. It was only slightly suspicious the way her pacing seemed to circle him. It wasn't long before she gave up on looking inconspicuous and stopped just behind the eel half breed.

Her nose lowered and her eyes pinned him to his seat as her hand raised to tap at her cheek. She knew this man, she just knew she knew him and there was no way she wasn't going to remember one way or another. Luckily enough the little one blurted a name. Rook, Regulus Anthony Rook, Archangel and Apprentice Overseer. Her brain worked like a filing cabinet and with one word it pulled up just about every piece of information the Guild had on paper regarding Rook. A small smile broke the corner of her lip, all she needed was a name.

[Rook]

Rook blinked and was suprised by a burst of guilt he felt at Dimitri's analysis of his gun use. He had no idea why, he diddn't give a shit about range-weapons, but his pride flared up, obviously it hated being bad at anything and protested the idea.

He opened his mouth to reply but quickly closed it again. His ears flicked, then stood straight up. He could tell someone was watching him before they ever got into his line of sight...and by the smell....

No, no, they almost never went into the cafeteria....but apparently...

Rook looked up from his seat at the Elk who appeared behind Dimitri with eloquence, he could tell she was a Seraphim, it was always obvious in the details.

For a moment his mind panicked, as it did at times, searching for words, any words and then the right one came to his mind. He had not met this one personally but he recognized her.

"Seraph " he said with a small nod. Glancing at Dimitri and then back to her, feeling his neck grow hot, but outwardly he showed no sign of nervousness.

Seraph was not only the name of the rank, but also an honorific.

[Raron]

Dimitri had not noticed the elk, had not noticed her aura of quiet power, he confidence... and when Rook said her title he finally noticed the gaze on the back of his neck and turned his head around so he was facing behind him... the long flexible neck of the eel coming into play nicely. He blinked at her for a while with the same blank stare he had given Rook. His mind was connecting rank to importance... it took a moment and then his grin returned as he raised his spoon free hand and smiled.
"Hullo Seraph!"
There was no fear, no intimidation received. Dimitri was the best at what he did and knew that is all the bosses cared for. No one did things out of line in his section, no one stole or did side businesses. It was one of the most honest sections in the guild... due to the fact that while he was small anyone found breaking the laws that Dimitri laid down quickly found the two plus two only equaled one thing when it came to hands... pain. He jealously guarded the weapons and no one... NO ONE took weapons from the armory without his authorization. He ran a tight ship so what did he have to fear...
Besides fear was not something in his brain to give matters such as this. He was not brave, just... specialized.
"I am ... CLUSTER SHELLS!"
Dimitri's head popped foward to look at Rook and then back at the Seraph. The joy on his face was obvious as if what he was saying was the most fastinating this ever. That everyone should know where he was going with this. He whipped a pencil out of his pocket and rubber it on the table... he blinked a few times as nothing happened and then stuck the pencil in his mouth and chewed it sharper.
"CLUSTER SHELLS! I don't know why I did not think about this a long time ago."
He began to sketch with one hand while one of his feet reached down into a pocket and took out a second pencil and chewed it to a point. He used it and began to write out a chemical equation. From time to time the spoon would zoom to his mouth and soup would vanish.
"It is so simple! You see~"
And as with all things that begin with the phrase "It is so simple" it turned out to be VERY complex. Words like velocity, impact, starting. Phrases like Terminal Velocity, Point of No Return, Mass of Target. All these were spun into the air by the over excited furre. He talked with the excitedness of a child who just got a brand new toy and is telling a friend all about it in detail. With no doubt they will be fastinated and be able to follow the conversation.
Finally he looked up from the table and looked at the two.
"You see?"

[Vespa]

She watched the wheels turn in their heads as they quickly connected stimulus to information. There was always a slight thrill in seeing the somber panic in the eyes of those under her charge and at the same time she hated it being that she wish everyone to see each other on equal terms but without authority there is chaos. Her hands fell to hold each other at her front as she gently bowed her head to the most dubious introduction and watched the strange creature scribble excitedly. She kept her smile for a second more as it perked and showed off it's personal findings. “Quite charming...” she hadn't a clue what this creature was on about but she had a fairly good inkling it wasn't telling her it's name. Interactions with a fellow Seraph with ADD has given her at least some clue how to detect and handle such a distracted situation.

Her attention shifted slightly as she looked back to Rook. “And it is a pleasure to finally meet you ArchAngel Regulus Rook. I hope all is well ... with the both of you.” She could be sure Rook was paying attention but whether the other was truly lost in his own world or not she wasn't one to abandon etiquette.

She nodded to them both. “Please, do not let me interrupt your meal.” She needn't really say it for the small eel with a false name had already moved headlong into his soup.

[Rook]

"That's alright I haven't had much of an appetite lately".

He laughed inwardly but that nut sure as hell does. I should hire him to consume all my food for me to get my daughter off my ass.

Rook's hand twitched in a desperate desire to start clawing at his own skull in a desperate attempt to quell the headache he could already feel blooming on the bridge of his snout. Yes, it hadn't taken long for Dimitri's ...problem to come into play even if Rook had momentarily distracted him with food, he had to maintain his patience however, the other man meant well, and he was good at what he did.

He observed the Elk carefully, he had not met her before, and considered an unobtrusive way to ask for her name. Well, I'm not exactly known for social grace. Thank God I hadn't met her before and just forgot. Seraphs tended to stress him out, he'd had less than savory dealings in the past, they usually did not quite take to the way he did things, but since he was so efficient they tolerated and even commended him.

He was rather like Dimitri on that front...

However he did not, he offered a small smile, which was nice enough, though it did not quite reach his eyes.

"That is my name, just Rook please if you don't mind" he said, dressing both of them " Forgive me, I haven't learned yours

[Raron]

Dimitri blinked and nodded as he looked over the plans, from time to time erasing something and rewriting.
"Names are very importent things nowadays. They give an object or person a dimension beyond what we can see, they give even the unliving an identity and maybe even a purpose."
He sipped on his spoon and then began
"With a purpose maybe they can even find meaning. With meaning mayhaps contentment lies. But many would claim that contentment lies in your interaction with others, helping to create their joys, their happiness. Others say contentment lies within what you create, what you carve out of this world with your own bare hands. But identity is central to all this. For without knowing who or what we are how could anyone be content?"
He began to absentmindedly chew on his spoon. The clinking sound filling the room as he scratched his pencil on the table again and then blinked at it as if seeing it for the first time. He took his spoon out of his mouth and banged it hard on the table.
"Now that is a problem."
He looked to the table and then to the door.
"... How am I gonna bring this back with me?..."
He scratched his head. Of the emotions on his face contentment was nowhere to be seen.

[Vespa]

Well that was a bit of a relief. While not the most eloquent, Rook could manage the facade of a gentleman. That was slightly more then she had expected from the some what infamous angel. This is good and she was so pleased as to smile just the faintest bit. This encounter so far would be very beneficial to the Angle's personal relations higher up in the Guild.

Aidith was even pleased to find a small bit of truth in the theory of great genius sputtering forth from the excited creature. She was almost tantalized by having a great intellectual conversation on the greater meaning of things as simple as a name but dear God was that sound it unbearable. She seemed pleased enough for the majority of the conversation but the grinding of tooth and metal sent her whirling toward an agitated state which, while not the worst among the Seraphs, it definitely isn't a good thing by any means for the small hybrid creature. Her ears laid back and she took a bit of a breath attempting to maintain control.

Just as she calmed herself and believed it a good time to introduce herself, dear God he lost it! The spoon smacked the table and startled the poor elk. Her body heaved upward and she glared at the small creature. If there's anything one could do to irritate this Seraph it would definitely be to catch her off guard and spook her. All hopes of a pleasing little visit to the Mess Hall and enjoying some calm intellectual conversation was destroyed at that moment. The little creature was intolerable. But Aidith would endure with the urge to snatch the spoon from the creature and clobber him over the head with it.

Clearing her throat her mind quickly devised a way to perhaps quiet the creature and help him in his unfortunate situation while at the same end relieving herself of a nuisance-- with any luck. “Perhaps with a camera, Sir, you could simply take a picture of it.” She knew whatever idea was rolling in his head it was probably a dramatically bad idea and something she didn't want to be in the middle of.

[Rook]

what you create, what you carve out into the world with your bare hands

Rook glanced down at his hands for a moment, they were too big, scratch-hands, as his his grandfather would have said had Rook ever known him. They started knobby at the knuckles and became longer, the place where the fingers stopped the the claws began was untraceable, he just seemed to fade away into those tapered blades which stuck out, even in normalcy, at least six inches.

Not too bad for normal claws, but Rook never thought they looked normal, even though they had done such a good job hiding their malevolence, except for a very faint strange light in dark places.

Rook always thought they-look like their asleep.

...what have I carved lately, with my bare hands?

Rook shivered, and took a sip of his brandy, but thankfully the other too were probably too preoccupied to notice. If Rook had been watching he might not have been able to stifle his laughter, both at Dimitri's sudden lapse into irritation again and Aidith's bewildered prissiness.

What's got your skirt in a twist, doll? he could imagine himself saying that, while lightly touching her bottom and at the same moment SLAP! just like in a cartoon.

Maybe twenty years ago, pops, but not no more.

Besides. he thought thinking of a tiger lounged on his couch. Girls are so last year.

Now he couldn't keep the wide smile off his face, how did his thoughts laspse from chilling to inane so suddenly?

Struggling to maintain composure, he observed the graceful elk, she was pretty, but beyond that even he couldn't see much, she reminded him of a little statue he had seen once in the plaza, is she young for a Seraphim? I can't find that look on her, it must be there though. If I could look like her when I become one, it would not be bad, she still has the piece of mind left to be annoyed at the spazziest person ever created but....

He suddenly spoke up, out of his daydreaming.

"I can help with that".

He got up and sort of shuffled out behind Dimitri, leaning over the other more exotic hybrid and examining the plans he had drawn in an odd calculatory way, the older wolverine looked for a moment like somebody's grandfather inspecting a crossword puzzle.

Tongue-in-cheek,
He held out his hand, the tip of his claw glittering, he could hear a brief humming sound which seemed to settle like an impossibly small insect in your ears. It was both quiet and oddly droning at the same time. It was like the heartbeat of a small animal.

He waited patiently for Dimitri's permission, a slow smirk developing along his rough furry chin as he glanced at Aidith with a raised eyebrow.

[Raron]

Dimitri listened to the suggestion of the seraph and waved one of his feet dismissively.
"If I just take a picture then where is the core of the plans?, the heart of it?... nah... it's very soul? You must take consideration of things such as this when creating the ladies or else they shall surely be most peeved."
He nodded as if this was on par with his wisdom of names.
"When one of my ladies gets peeved it is a very bad scene for all involved and calls for some industrial strength cleaner."
Sticking his tongue out in distaste he retracted it when Rook held up his claws.
"I can help with that."
Dimitri looked at the furre's claws, then at the table top and a grin spread over his face before he gave Rook four thumbs up while wagging his tail.
"Now THAT is some sound thinking my fine furry friend!"

[Vespa]

The Arch Angle piped up and offered a hand. His wording had her believe he might have a camera of some sort but alas it was not so. Her moment of relief was only soon followed by a foreboding discomfort and tempered with what blubbering nonsense fell out of the eel monkeys mouth. The small, still nameless halfbreed, waved her off with a cacophony of ill combined words. He had managed wisdom apparently beyond his capacity and this was nothing more then mindless dribble and a cunning distraction, keeping her from making any protest.

It may have been effective if her ears didn't catch that buzz over the menagerie of voice of the mess hall. She stepped back from the increasing threat of the two and with that step her face bent to a distasteful grimace just for a moment. First it was a spoon and now this noise, this intangible almost undetectable noise. Her ears flicked before pressing against her head trying to suppress the unnecessary noise. Looking to what she believed the source of the sound she caught the roguish deviance of Rook's glance. This tipped her off to his position, precariously bent over the table with a now less-than-harmless claw poised and in position.

Terrible luck. The innately armed furre had devised a plan mid ground; not as potentially hazardous as she had originally believed, but far more destructive then she had hoped. She dared not take a step closer and return herself to her original position but lent forward to contest the situation. “I must disagree with this, Rook.” She paused, hinting at varying levels of discomfort. Not only to his insistence on not using titles but the fact that the two of them could possibly agree on such a terrible plan. “I cannot condone such behavior, least of all in the presence of a superior officer.” Desperately she tried with words but this scenario did not lend itself to much negotiation. Those who use force do not succumb easily to words but words were just about all she had to fight with. Needless to say, as short as their foresight may be, in the end her words would most likely win.

[Rook]

"Trust me, Miss Seraph, it's much more than it seems to be" he said with a kind of droll patience, his whiskers twitching, it was as if he had barely heard her, Rook was usually very careful, even anxious around Seraphim, but he had mapped her out pretty well already, and also, his claws...

They had grown at least four inches even in this small span of moments, they had some kind of...odd numbing affect on his thoughts, at least ones concerned with such frivolities as permissions and rankings. His troubled stare had gone icily calm, and his smirk disappeared, and all of this happened very fast, but without much notice, like the growing of a plant.

He stared down at the technical drawing, tilting his head slightly , his ears pushing forward like an alert dog's, his gray eyes widened a bit and he there was a soft scratching sound as he traced lightly over one of the thick lines of the drawing with the claw of his first finger, not hard enough to even smudge the ink.

His thick arms abstracted some of the view of what he was doing, but one this was clear, his claws were very long now, and inside their hard, deceptively realistic shells, the wires were now glowing brightly, a pale white light.

He appeared like someone who was daydreaming, and then he closed his eyes, and his knuckles clenched, his claws began to move very quickly on their own, his head bowed slightly.The humming sound had gotten louder, but this again, happened very fast, there were no scratching sounds as his hand moved.

He stood still for a bit, then his eyes snapped open, and he slowly lifted himself out of his chair, walking across the cafeteria, and coming back with a folded napkin.

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his pen and stared closely at the paper, and began to draw.

In all of two minuites he copied exactly what had been on the table, every stray line, sketched over and erased piece, every angle, every corner and smudge, and all the labels.

His ears flattened back into their original position,and he shook his head, as if clearing it.

He paused, and slowly the feeling came back into his face. He handed the drawing to Dimitri, it was an exact copy.

He looked over at the table, frowning at the single stray scratch mark, he shook his head in disgust. "Dammit. The older I get the worse at that I become."

[Raron]

Dimitri held the napkin in his hand and grinned. It was a grin of vigor and hope, or wonder and glory. A zealot's grin worshiping to the high god of armorments. In other words his usual expression when he had made a break through.
"Of COURSE! The napkins... that would have been much better to draw on then the tables. And yet this still has the purity of the hand drawn on it."
He slapped his free hand on the table while his eyes shot around the room searching.
"I wonder if there is the stuff in here for a prototype of the..."
For once, just once common sense made a pass and actually touched the brain of the chief armorer.
"No... setting off a cluster shell in the caf would probably be a bad thing... not to mention it would be really easy for them to figure out it was me this time."
He rubbed the fur atop his head as his eyes searched the room again and landed on the elk.
"Not to mention a Seraph is here... I don't think you would be willing to look the other way while I... Didn't think so ma'am. I will do it in the armory. The staff has been looking for a new project to get into. The last one... hasn't been working out so well. I figured sonic shells would be a good idea but we are still having teething problems of the sonic effecting the user as well as the target."
He shook his head sadly.