==========> Introduce the Prophetic Ten

He jumped up, crawling backwards as quickly as he could. Tears streamed down his face, leaving tracks in the grime.

"W-w-w-what was that for?!" he sobbed, hiding his red face in his huge hands. Harley stared at Leatrix with horror.

"That wasn't very nice!" she exclaimed, surprised.

Leatrix laughed to herself.

"Oh, wow! This guy's the coolest!" She exclaimed. "Can I keep him?"

Euphraxia grabbed the shorter girl by her ponytail and shoved her behind her. "You, you stay back there." She snapped, finally losing her temper. "And YOU!" She grabbed Jasper by the neck. "You stand up and you come with us and stop crying for God's sake you are a grown man larger than myself!!"

Jasper cried even harder, closing his eyes. Maybe, if he shut his eyes tightly enough, all the stupid bad people would go away.

"I-I'm sorry!!" he blubbered helplessly. "I always s-s-sleep here after w-work and I didn't think anyone minded!" Snot and tears streamed down his face, an extremely pathetic visage.

Euphraxia shoved him towards the group, causing Bane to have to catch the poor fellow. He wasn't actually expecting her to exhibit that much strength, actually. Now he was kind of scared of her.

"Let's. Go." She said through her gritted teeth. "Now."

"B-b-b-but my job!!" he weeped incoherently, shaking his head and curling into a fetal position.

Before Euphraxia lost it again, Isare let her aside from the group, grabbing Harley as he did this. "Comfort her." He told Harley.

Bane knelt down so he could be on eye level with Jasper.

"Hey, buddy, come on, it's okay. I've got plenty of money! You can get a job from me while we travel, how 'bout that?" He patted Jasper on the back, grinning at him.

Harley's face turned bright red, though she couldn't shake the sense of fear that seemed to follow Isare like a cloud.

"S-s-sure," she muttered, nervously takign Euphraxia's hands in her own. "It's um...it's going to be okay, I guess. It looks like he's coming with us, so you don't have to worry no more..." She smiled weakly; she really had no idea what to say.

Tef sighed deeply, giving Bane a look of disgust.

"All you can think of is acquiring servants? Have you any real-world experience, sir? You don't just force random people into servitude--it's an elitist habit, and bad manners besides."

Jasper just curled up into a tighter--still large--ball, shaking with sobs. He just wanted them all to go away and leave him alone underneath his tree.

Isare stepped away from them, but he looked highly amused as he rejoined the group.

Euphraxia was close to tears. "I just...need a break." She said, adjusting her cape. "I'm sorry. I'll apologize in a few minutes..."

"N-no, that's not what I meant!" Bane replied immediately. "I'm just trying to make him feel better! Did I do something wrong again...?"

"Everyone gets mad sometime," sad Harley, still blushing. "Ya just have to know how to say you're sorry, is all--Ma boxes my ears all the time, but it doesn't mean she hates me or nothin'." She smiled innocently, genuinely hoping that anecdote would help.

"As much as this may be news to you, servitude is rarely something that makes anyone but the master happy," Tef replied to Bane, a small trace of satisfaction in his voice; he knew his words were getting to him. "You should apologize, not only to him but to all of us--this is a party of equals." Plus one capable person, he added silently.

Jasper just cried and cried and cried, his howls somehow getting past his large hands. The trees nearby shook with the sound. All in all, he was probably the least helpful person there.

She nodded. "...I was not expecting this group to be so unruly. I apologize." Euphraxia tried to smile again, but she was very tired. "We should rest after this."

"I-I'm sorry..." Bane mumbled, feeling his face flush red. He hadn't meant to be do something wrong. He just didn't know what else to do in social situations. "I-I just..."

Finally, Leatrix cut in again, grabbing Jasper and hoisting him up off the ground onto his feet. "Would you knock it off already, you little whiny piece of shit?!" She shook him, for good measure. "Can you stop crying so we can start moving again, already? I will knock you out if you don't stop crying!"

Harley nodded encouragingly.

"Yeah, everyone's prolly just tired...this is big new, this quest-thingy. Everyone prolly just needs to sleep on it." She turned toward the others, frowning slightly.

"Heya, big guy!" she called to Bane. "Just pick him up--we have to find a place for all of us to rest, I think!"

Jasper didn't finish crying for the rest of the night, but by that time no one cared. At around one am, he got up, grabbed a glass of water, then finally went to sleep. Everyone's ears were thankful.

-x-

Euphraxia had never ever before been in this district of town. Actually, she didn't even know it existed until just now. It was dark and kind of scary...All the women on the street kept eying her as if she were a hunk of meat. It as unsettling and she wanted to hurry and find the man soon.

She sensed his presence inside of what appeared to be a tavern. It was decorated lavishly in different pinks and purples and looked quite feminine. She, and the rest of the group, entered. Euphraxia had not been expecting to see a bar full of just men when she walked in. Completely confused, she hesitated.

"So, as I was saying, molasses, you wanna go back to my place~?" Nyx waggled his eyebrows suggestively to the man he sat next to. Oh Gosh was the man he sat next to a beauty. A real score, if he could bed him. He grinned, showing his perfectly straight teeth. Well, except his abnormally sharp canines. He just hoped no one notices those. "Well, how about it...?"

Suddenly, the bar grew silent. Nyx turned to look at the door, where a large group of people stood. Everyone looked out of place, and there was something that screamed in the back of his head. They didn't belong here.

In a matter of seconds, panic ensued. Men were flocking to the back door of the bar, attempting to trample each other in an effort to leave. Obviously, they thought that it was the government coming to crack down on them. However, Nyx was not so sure. While most of the people appeared to be a noble of some sort, not everyone looked so well off. He leaned back in his chair, the only calm person in a bar of fleeing gay men.

As the scene unfolded, Euphraxia just looked confused. Why was everyone running? She didn't understand...

"U-uhm, excuse me..." She began awkwardly. "Are you Nyx?"

Suddenly, Nyx didn't feel so confident in his ability to distinguish between government and non. "Who wants to know?" He asked, trying to sound suave. He succeeded, for the most part.

"You have a royal summons."

"A court order?!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"No!" Euphraxia nearly screamed. "No, no! Please don't run! It's not a court order!"

The dark skinned man paused. "Oh. What is it?"

"A journey summons." She replied calmly. "The kingdom needs you for a mission."

Nyx rose an eyebrow. "The kingdom knows I exist and they aren't trying to kill me? Wow. Color me shocked." He looked pleased, for some reason Euphraxia was incredibly unawares of.

"Well, hey, I'm Nyx, then." He grinned, reaching out to shake her hand. "If you ever need some help in the romance department you should come see me."

He flirtatiously licked his lips, winking at her.

Tef scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"We need your body, but not in that way. It's a quest--all of us have been summoned." He gestured to the others. "Now are you in, or are you in?"

Jasper whimpered, hiding behind his hands. He didn't want the new scary person to look at him; everyone in this group looked at him too much.

Nyx snorted.

"For having fabulous pink hair, you sure seem like the spoilsport of the group." He laughed, placing his hands on his rather dainty waist. "Well, whatever. What the hell? I might as well join you guys. You guys seem like a bunch of fun."

He wrinkled his nose, showing he was obviously being facetious. "If you all turn out to be wet blankets, I'm gonna ditch you, though. I have better pursuits to, well, pursue."

He sauntered into the group and found himself surrounded by men who were taller than him; namely Jasper and Bane. Characteristically, he groped both their behinds. "Hey, fellas, what's going on back here."

Bane jumped and squeezed himself behind Tef, for protection. He was more than a little disturbed. He had been very suspicious about this bar, but now he was just kind of scared.

Tef glared at Bane.

"What are you hiding behind me for?" he demanded. "You honestly can't protect yourself from a common pervert? And here I was thinking you were a great warrior." His sarcasm was very subtle, but horribly cruel--this was how people mistook him as a nice person.

Jasper, of course, began to cry. He tried stepping away from Nyx, but in the process practically tripped into his arms.

"I think you grabbed my butt by mistake!!" he exclaimed loudly.

Bane just smiled sheepishly, unable to really speak his current emotions, which were a horribly muddled mess.

Meanwhile, Nyx resorted to grabbing Jasper's butt with both hands.

"Mm, you know, for being a sissy you have a nice ass."

-x-

Fenrir sat happily in his tree, eating some stolen cheese and grapes. He didn't particularly like the combination, but it made him feel fancy. He took a swig of his cheap wine to wash it down; man, he was cool.

He flinched as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps and voices; who interrupting his solitude now? He scrambled higher into the tree, hoping to see them before they saw him. To his dismay, the group was huge, with more than one large man; escape from this situation would be tricky. He climbed lower again, trying to formulate a plan as he moved.

Tef sighed loudly, shaking his head.

"Are you sure he's around here? We've been walking for hours, 'Madam Seer'...and sir, would you kindly stop hovering behind me?" He glared pointedly at Bane, placing his hands on his hips. "I can feel your breath on my neck."

Mariette rolled her eyes as she watched, keeping close to Isare.

"Someone will be a couple by the end of the week," she muttered under her breath.

Euphraxia frowned deeply.

"I'm sorry." She said, circling the tree. "I just...they should be here."

Bane took a few steps back. "Oh, sorry...I didn't know I was standing close." Actually, he had been trying to figure out if Tef's hair is natural or not.

"Just because I have pink hair does not mean I am a woman you can sexually harass," said Tef, misinterpreting Bane's gaze. "Treat me as an equal or kindly leave me alone--I have no need to become well-acquainted with filth."

Harley grabbed for Euphraxia's hand again, hoping it was allowed.

"I'm sure they'll turn up--you've been right all these times before," she said brightly.

Fenrir, hearing the stirrings of what sounded like an argument, climbed even lower on his tree. He leaned down, trying to hear them better. One of the people caught his eye; a girl with cropped pink hair arguing with a large man. He licked his lips; he'd totally tap that. He considered dropping down from the tree, trying to judge the distance to the ground.

"No, no!" Bane waved his hands. "No, I just...uh...I know you're not a woman. Besides! I would never sexually harass a woman!"

Euphraxia gladly took Harley's hand. "Yes, he must be around here somewhere. Perhaps we should just wait?"

Meanwhile, Nyx creeped on Jasper. He groped his butt, then snuck behind the nearest person; which was Mariette. Jasper would not suspect him, nope.

"But you'd sexually harass a man?" scoffed Tef, shaking his head. "What sexism."

Harley nodded.

"Yeah, we can all jsut rest by the tree for a while--then maybe everyone'll stop arguing and the person will show up."

From his perch in his tree, Fenrir swore under his breath; they were staying, he had heard that much. He hunkered down and took another miserable bite of his cheese; perhaps there was a way around this? The girl with small tits began speaking again, and he stopped chewing to listen.

"It's getting dark, too--maybe we could sleep here?" she asked. Fenrir wanted to strangle her almost as much as he wanted to have sex with her, but he restrained himself on both accounts. Now was a time to be inconspicuous.

Meanwhile, Jasper jumped and turned around. When his eyes landed on Mariette, he began to sniffle and his eyes watered.

"W-w-why would you do that?! Why are all of you people perverts--does everyone have to touch my butt? My butt is not for touching!"

From his place in the tree, Fenrir licked his lips; maybe coming down wouldn't be so bad if they were all really horny.

Mariette rolled her eyes at Jasper, scoffing.

"Why would I place my hand on your backside? I'd rather caress poison oak--you are boring and a crybaby, a useless accessory in our quest. I've no clue why they summoned you, of all people." She opened the book she had been browsing through and began to read again, obviously irritated.

Jasper's tears began to flow freely over his cheeks.

"I-if I'm so useless, why couldn't you people just leave me alone?!" Mariette, already re-absorbed in her book, remained silent. This only made Jasper cry more.

Euphraxia nodded. "I don't have any qualms with sleeping here. Even if we just rest here, that's good."

Bane frowned deeply. "B-but that's not...what I meant..." He tried to explain. "I wouldn't do that to anyone!"

Nyx snickered to himself, but Leatrix chastised him. "You're terrible, at least take responsibility for your actions." She said, flicking her hair behind his shoulders. Nyx scoffed at her, causing her to hit him in the shoulder. Instead of trying to kill one another, Leatrix just glared at him and walked away, sneaking up behind Tef. She wanted to touch his hair...

"Mariette, how tactless of you." Isare chastised openly, smiling to Jasper. "Dear boy, would you like something to eat?"

Tef barely noticed Leatrix, so focused was he on antagonizing Bane. For some reason, he couldn't seem to stop.

"So I'm no one, now? Big sir noble is too good to acknowledge a mage, is that it?"

Mariette rolled her eyes at Isare.

"I don't enjoy wasting my time," she replied simply before looking back at her book. It was a better response than Jasper offered; he just crouched to the ground, covered his face, and bawled.

"N-no..." Bane tried to explain, but before he could he noticed Leatrix. He almost said something, but she urged him to be quiet. Frankly, he didn't think getting on her bad side was a good thing.

Quietly, Leatrix gently touched Tef's hair.

"Jasper, dear." Isare cooed lovingly. "Come here, I'll give you some candy~~"

Tef jumped, spinning around.

"Excuse me!" he exclaimed, somehow managing to look more surprised than pissed. "My friend and I were in the middle of a conversation--I would appreciate if you didn't interrupt."

Jasper waddled backwards, away from Isare.

"S-s-s-stay away!!" he exclaimed, crying. "You're just a really s-scary person who wants to t-t-touch my butt!"