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Family

Janice Az'es - RIP 28
Janice, in her youth, was from a wealthy house within Cerberus. But not just defined by her lineage, she made great strides in the Cipher Division of Cerberus. Some of her work hold place on the shelves in the libraries, notably for work in charms.

She met Kap discussing theories in the libraries, and as their discussions became more fervent, their respect for each other grew and inevitably blossomed into a loving relationship.They had been caught mayhaps one too many times in the library together doing a little more than studying.

Emmie; Emmaline Az'es; was the product on their passion. Their pride and joy that only brought them closer together.

Emmaline Az'es - RIP 9
Emmie was a bright you girl for her age, which meant that she knew exactly how far she could take things, or otherwise she was curious enough to find out. Many times the two of them had their hands full juggling their responsibilities as parents to take proper care of her.

She made a lot of friends and became well known to many of the guards for sticking her nose where it didn't belong. She had made other friends as well, notably Ling, and Auntie Vera!

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Experiment 74

"Experiment 74 on the dimensional rift. We have found a subject that can withstand the strain of the experiments. After testing, she was capable of causing shifts along the breach. Today we will be attempting to pull open a window to view the other side. Photographic equipment will be used to preserve the image for further studies." He was writing the words as he mumbled them out loud to himself. A bad habit of his.

They had built a confidential facility around a rift that had cracked open in the core of Cerberus. Of all of the people they could have picked, it was him leading the fray. Walls were set up practically overnight, hiding it, and soundproofing the area. It had been two months since then. Grueling studies. Lost sleep. Pressure. Confidentiality that had him hiding the fact from his family. And he had to become an expert in a field that no one knew much about outside of theories.

A new phenomena that Cerberus demanded knowledge on. Which meant a lot of hazzy early mornings or late nights delivering study after study to the top. After all, they didn't know if this breach could have been dangerous to them, or a tool for them.

He looked up at the crack that just hovered there. He swore it was pulsing. It looked more vivid than it had the first day he'd seen it. Like a wound, it was getting infected. They didn't have the luxury of time. Everyone knew that. He knew that.

"Morning, Kappa Kap!" A friendly voice chimed. He smiled, looking up at the subject.

"Viv. Hey… you feeling better, today? You looked worn out after yesterday."

"Right as rain!" No. He could see it. The strain was getting to her. She had circles under her eyes.

"You slept?"

"You bet!" Fucking liar had her pants blazing in fire.


He pointed his pen out to the table of food. "Eat. Rest. Proper rest. We'll start in a bit. Alright?"

She looked a little ashamed as she was caught, nodding to him. "Understood." She was off and he took a deep sigh, looking bad down at his notes. Maybe it was time they looked into a secondary subject. Being the only one, they were bound to work her to death.

The time came. The camera was set up and adjusted. It was the highest quality model Cerberus could afford, still the pictures left something to be desired. Not as good as your own eyes, but it was still something permanent.

First, there was a test to breach the seal by a centimeter. Then more. And then he heard a clatter. His eyes drew back, as did a few others. He looked cautiously around her desk until he found her, hiding under the desk. "... How did you get in here…?" He looked pale, reaching down and grabbing her daughter, ushering her to the door. "Where's your mother? Seriously, the guard just let you slip in here?" He was panicking. He lost his cool head.

"Mommy said to bring you lunch! I see you come here a lot, so I knew you were in here! They wouldn't let me in, so I made a way!" She chimed with a big grin of pride on her face.

"Jesus," he hissed and dropped to his knees, turning her to look at him. "What were you thinking? Emmie, that’s now okay. When someone blocks an entrance, that means it's dangerous! You should never sneak into someplace like that!" And… she started crying. Shit… great parenting, Kap. “Well, you're here now. Go back to mom. And tell her I'll be home late. Alright?"

She sniffled, "you're always home late. When do we get to play again?"

If that didn't just break his heart. He sank in on himself, petting her cheek. "Soon. Soon. I promise. We're working on something really important, here. I just need you to hold on a little longer for me, okay? Now, go tell mom. And no sneaking in again. Got it?"

"Okay…" though she was sluggish leaving. He gave the guards one hell of a mean look as she left. They'd be getting shit for this slip up. If she could slip in, then who else could?

He went back to the experiment. "Sorry about that. Keep going." They got to three inches, and the camera went wild, taking snapshot, after snapshot. He was peering around it, but all he could see was inky darkness. "Need more light…"

They did just that, grabbing a torch and having someone hold it up as she continued to hold the crack open for them. He could see something, taking pictures of what looked like hills? Bumpy. Mounds of something. But the light seemed to have disrupted something. He stirred from his thoughts as he thought he saw those mounds shift.

No. That would mean… no…

"Close it." Everyone looked confused, "I said close it!"

Viv did as asked. But, it didn't manage to finish before a dark clawed hand lashed out, snatching the torch that had been blinding the creatures, taking it and the man's arm with it. His body was pressed against the crack, shoulder jolting about as he screamed bloody murder, flailing as the rest of them helplessly watched on in horror. What? Was that?

He dropped to the ground, gurgling out guttural cries of anguish. His arm was gone, and blood coated the floors. "CLOSE IT." But it wrenched open instead, a daemon before them, stretching its wings wide in an imposing gesture. Immediately a fireball crashed into it, sending it screeching back into the darkness it came from. But just a moment after another one came barreling through and launched at the staff. "This way! OUT! GET OUT! VIV, CLOSE IT!"

Another managed to squirm its way through as she focused on sealing the crack. The daemon's leg was caught on its way, sending it flat to the ground before her. It screeched, clawing into the floor and writhing as its limb bent, and broke, and squeezed until it severed with a satisfying pop.

It latched onto Viv for revenge, wrenching her down by yanking her feet out from under her. All he heard were her screams as blood sprayed across the walls and ceiling. Kap tried to shove everyone out to the door, but there weren’t many left. He burst the door open in a panic, stopping face to face with his wife. “Janice… what are you doing here…?" He looked petrified. No… no no no no this…

She hadn’t heard the carnage. Soundproof. She didn’t know. "Kap. What did you do to upset Emmie? She cried all the way home! And what are you doing here? And what’s gotten all over you?" She charged forward, and Kap desperately blocked her path. Another scream from behind him. All of this was delaying their escape!

"I'll tell you later! Just run!" The guards clued in, pushing past Kap to fend off the daemons. One for one, they rushed both daemons with swords and magic, and he watched in hope, and then horror. One guard managed to slice the head of the wounded daemon on the floor, but the other guard didn't stand a chance. He was run through with his own sword.

And now that daemon was looking at them. "Run… RUN!" He howled the words, grabbing his wife and daughter and dragging them with him if he had to. But they left a sea of blood in their wake. Everyone behind them was picked apart one by one. He tried vines. Impeding its path. Every vine was sliced through or missed its target. He was too scared to manage. Then he felt a tug from his wife.

"No, mommy!" The squeal from Emmie had him suddenly picking her up and burying Emmie’s face behind him as he turned. No, she wouldn’t see. But now he had to. The sickening crack haunted him. He couldn't get to her in time. He didn't have a prayer. Not as she was broken and torn apart.

Something in him broke.

He broke.

But he still had one thing left carrying his feet. The only string on the puppet dragging it along. Emmie.

Kap sprinted, gasping and heaving out from labored lungs. He swore he was running for ages before he felt a weight crash into his back. This was it. The end.

He hit the ground, body surrounding Emmie with every inch he could muster, arms and legs and head covering her. She was crying.

And then she wasn't.

He felt the hot breath as the daemon bent over the two of them. He heard a laugh from its breath. He was terrified, gasping for gulps of air. Slowly he turned to look up at it. And… he felt it. Hot. Wet. Turning cold.

Emmie was getting so cold. He looked down, seeing the claws that made it past his limbs and right through her. "Emmie?" Her name squeaked out of him. He looked at her face. Cold. Blanching. Gaping. And she was losing the battle.

There were so many things he was sure he could do, but in the moment everything felt lost. He felt lost. He couldn't even see her last moments behind the wall of tears that filled his vision.

It was hazy after that. He remembered there was a fight. The guard. The daemon. But he also remembered that it didn't matter how that happened. Because they were all dead now. Everyone was dead.

Why wasn't he dead?

"Emmie," he croaked out again, choking on a sob and curling around her cold body, slowly rocking the two of them.

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Locales

Scooper Dooper A small ice cream shop he and his family frequented. The family knows the ownership well. Going in, you find a quaint little shop with standing room. Though, there is outdoor seating to supplement. Kap's favorite is Rocky Road.

Chianti's An Italian restaurant he frequents. They make their own pasta fresh, and everything is quality. He tends to get freebies and deals there from a sympathetic wait staff. He's always been partial to the bolognese.

Book Ends A local book shop he used to go to often to support them. He likes small businesses, and it's important to help keep little places afloat. A sweet girl named Momi works there part time. The owner will look for rare books for him to purchase from time to time.