Nox Durante

[Nox]

Just Another Dead Monster

2039

"Nox!" Aurora shouted. "Come on, I gotta pee before we go.  Get outta the bathroom!  Uncle Jake ain't gonna like us being late cause you can't get your hair perfect!"  Aurora kicked the door.  "Come on, Mom said you have to stop taking so long." Aurora sighed. "Dad's coming!"

The door popped open and Aurora laughed as she pushed through and slammed the door on his ass.  "Bitch!"  Nox shouted.

Aurora laughed. "Slut!"

Nox rolled his eyes as he ran his fingers through his hair to finish combing it. "That's a low blow."

Aurora came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth. "Come on!" She pushed him out of the way and he grabbed her arms and they tumbled to the floor.

"Jerk!" Aurora laughed, "You made me swallow."

"You should be pretty good at that." Nox said with a laugh.

"You are so gross."  Aurora said pushing off and getting off the floor and hurrying through the rest of her morning ritual.  "You get ready like a girl."

Nox laughed. "I only do it to piss you off."  He said as he grabbed his bag.  They were going to spend the weekend with Uncle Jake.  Their mother and father were going on a second honeymoon.  Or at least that's what they were calling staying in the hotel for the next three days without kids around.  They'd be fucking like rabbits like always and Nox was more than happy to be gone. 

Aurora not so much.  Not that she liked listening to the bunny humping, she didn't like spending time with Uncle Jake, his words of wisdom bugged her to hell and back and he didn't really care if she believed him or not.  Nox enjoyed the acceptance, even if it came with some right ripe bullshit. Bullshit was better than the shit his father slung at him.

---

Uncle Jake hadn't even been waiting.  He was late.  He was always late.  It was one of the most annoying things about him. 

Aurora called him on it.  "You're late."

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early.  He arrives precisely when he means to." Uncle Jake quoted.

The three of them squashed into Uncle Jake's truck. Aurora got stuck in the middle which meant she pushed Nox into the door so my ass was wedged between the seat and the door most of the time as she sprawled out to sleep.  Uncle Jake blasted old pop culture music from early 1990s.  Nox drowned the crooning of his songs with his own.  Uncle Jake was never about conversation.  He wasn't there to enforce family issues, or help remedy them.  The only reason Nox and Aurora were there because their parents needed a break from their life -- which included the annoying teenage kids.

And like all adventures with Uncle Jake, their parents wouldn't approve of what he did with them.

They knew they were going on a hunt.  They knew they would have to kill.  When they reached a gated community in the middle of the night was that they were hear to kill a god. A god, and his family.

Uncle Jake bribed the guard at the entrance.  And they drove right through.  The license plates would be switched out the moment they left town and were away from all the cameras.  It was stupid to go in with Uncle Jake's truck but maybe he'd invested in some sort of electronic camo for the truck despite his aversion to technology he did use it when it was useful. 
And that would be mega useful.  Beats stealing a car and ditching it later.  So much work just to get away from a kill with minimal cleaner effort.  That shit was expensive, or so Nox were learning.  Their dad didn't exactly like forking money over so they stuck to the woods.

But Uncle Jake, he liked the challenge of the city.  And he took every opportunity afforded him to teach both of them.  He had no kids of his own to pass down his legacy, so he taught their dad, and now he was teaching them.  Nox was grateful.  And he accepted the lessons.

The house was dark.  "Alright kid.  You come with me, sweetheart, can you use that new fangled doohickey of yours to cut the cameras so me and your brother can do what needs doing and you can keep those pretty little hands of yours clean?"

Aurora nodded. "Yeah.  And this isn't a new fangled anything.  Sage has something so much cooler."

"Sage this.  Sage that.  I'd tell you to go find a fucking room, but you did that already."

Aurora hauled off and hit Nox across the head with her elbow.  "Bastard."

Nox grinned at his sister.  "You know he just wanted in your pants.  Still spies on you through that thing.  Specially when you watch porn."

The color on Aurora's face almost matched the color of her shirt.  Nox wasn't sure if it was anger or embarrassment, probably both.  But he didn't give a fucking shit.

"Enough!" Uncle Jake said quietly.  "We are here to do a job not air our dirty laundry."

They both sat up straight and nodded. "Yes sir," in unison as if they had been trained to do just that.  And in a way they had. 

Aurora got to work and shut down the security cameras. "That's going to alert the cops, so you need to be quick."

"Response time is shoddy at best.  They'll call the house, then the cops and that'll take them 10 minutes to get here.  Already timed it."  Uncle Jake rattled off as he stepped out of the truck and drew his knife. 

Nox took a deep breathe and followed suit, drawing his own knife -- the one Uncle Jake gave him and he followed after his mentor.

Breaking and entering was all part of the job.  Uncle Jake made Nox do it.  He'd been practicing, but not nearly as much as the rest -- his dad didn't exactly like it when he practiced the things Uncle Jake taught him.  But he knew that it was a skill they needed to know so he never balked hard only often.

The door clicked open and there was already movement in the house.  Uncle Jake moved in first and caught the man with the baseball bat as he walked past him from the kitchen on their left.  He slit his throat with practiced ease.  Which wasn't easy at all if you asked Nox -- not that he'd actually slit a man's throat like that.

They moved through the house and cleared each room systematically until the first floor was clear.  They moved upstairs.  Uncle Jake leading the way and stepping on the squeaky stair first.  Nox smirked as he followed -- even expert hunters make mistakes.

At the top of the stairs Uncle Jake flagged Nox to go the opposite direction, as he checked the master bedroom from what Nox could tell from the open door.  Nox went down the hall to the end.  Probably his first mistake, at least the first one that mattered in all of that night.

He pushed opened the door and found a teenage boy with a bat about to take his head off.  But Nox had been ready and ducked in time and manuevered in the same moment behind the boy and pushed his knife through the ribs and into his heart.  A quick twist and the boy dropped and the knife slipped free. 

The blade was covered in blood, the floor was starting to stain red and Nox finished clearing the room and moving back down the hall.  A scream from the master bedroom brought a boy who was only slightly older than Nox out of his room.  He looked like shit, his shirt was covered in sweat, he'd been in pain.  That was their god.

He waved his hands in front of him like some sort of wizard.  He gasped as fire spread between his fingers.  The god was looking at Uncle Jake, he didn't see Nox behind him.  Before the fire left the boys hands Nox had the blade pressed into his skull right through the ear like Uncle Jake said. 

Uncle Jake nodded with a bright smile on his face. "No hesitation.  Good lad.  Now let's clean up our mess."

Cleaning up meant burning the place down.  It would look like an accident, until the autopsy, if they did one.  Which they usually did, and by then they'd be long gone, and hopefully no one would catch on.  But that was for the Atharim lawyers and goons in the places that mattered to deal with.  Uncle Jake would report the kill and they'd do the rest.  Proof didn't matter -- just another dead monster in their books.  That's all they cared about.  That's all any good hunter cared about.

[Nox]

Cold Hard Justice

2042

His father had been dead two weeks.  Life went on. He and Aurora were at each other's throats.  It wasn't grief that tore at them.  Nox didn't care his father was dead.  He didn't want to become like him.  Didn't want to take the cowards way out -- dying in a pool of your own vomit. Great fucking way to die.

Aurora didn't want to hunt.  Said they didn't have to.  What else were they going to do?  They'd been trained from nearly birth to do this fucking job.  What else was there?  She said anything -- anything at all.  Isn't there something you'd like to do, she asked him. 

He wanted to hunt.  That's what he wanted to do.

And when she refused to go after the possible dreyken attacks he went without her.  It'd been two days of tracking and hunting alone.  It was nice.  Quiet.  He didn't have a nagging blond following him around.  But he didn't have the other half of his heart -- the one that cared about things, the one that kept him from doing stupid shit.  He didn't have Aurora in his ear taunting him and making him smile.  It'd been two days he hadn't heard her voice jabbing at him for some look he gave a guy, or the lack of acknowledgement when that woman checked out his ass.  He noticed.  Just didn't care.

Nox was finally on the bastards trail and all he could think about was his sister.  Two fucking days and he was already missing her.  He'd call her after he killed the dreyken. 

A woman's scream from a nearby alley drew Nox in that direction.  He expected to find the long daggers dripping the woman dry before diving in with its long tongue to drink, but instead he found two men tearing at the clothes of a prone woman.  She was pretty, had curves for days, and was wearing next to nothing but instead of just pushing up her skimpy ass skirt they were tearing at her clothes like animals. 

Nox shouted. "Get away from her."

He looked around for cameras.  He'd been avoiding them all night as he skulked through the city streets -- just like Uncle Jake taught them.  The men darted down the alley and Nox chased after. 

One went one way down the alley and the other down a shorter path to a gated yard just beyond.  Nox followed the latter and trapped the guy between him and the ten foot fence with barbed wire circling the top.  He wasn't going anywhere.

"Seems like you are having a bad night."

The man rushed him.  Nox let him.  He pulled the knife from his belt and sliced at the neck when he drew near.  Nox used the knife three more times as if a dreyken had slashed at the body with a singular blade.  It wasn't a common MO of their kind, usually three slashes in one direction, then the other, but sometimes they toyed with their victims, kept them alive, bleed them slowly.  Usually only after taking them to their lair, but the authorities don't really know that. 

The guy stared at him as he bleed out.  Nox watched with a cold distance, he imagined if that had been his sister.  If Aurora was the one these thugs had been attempting to defile.  This was better than they deserved.  The only regret Nox had was that he couldn't kill the other one.  Fucking bastards!

Nox called Aurora as soon as he was away from the now cold dead body. "We need to leave."  He didn't explain.  Didn't add words before hanging up.  He'd explain it all later when he had her safely away from this fucking shit.

[Nox]

An Unseen Sketch for Kallisti written and sung by Nox.  He didn't choreography anything before trashing his only copy.

---

First sketch: Show starts out in greek garb at a party with Dionysus sitting on a grass knoll with wine in hand and women and men dancing around with innuendo abound.

Second sketch: A guy with his back to the crowd turns around with a ukulele  and starts strumming and singing while the party continues on oblivious to his monologue.

Nox starts singing. Lyric on screen with stage notes in italics

Hey guys
I'm not much of a singer. His voice intentionally cracks
You see that guy over there
the one with the curly brown hair? spot moves to one of the actors on stage
He's the love of my life,
and I'm gonna make him my wife.
Hey I'm rhymin over 'ere with a brooklyn accent and an laughter light above his head blinking
But I'll start over

Nox clears his throat.

Hey guys
I'm not much of a singer. His voice intentionally cracks
You see that guy over there
the one with curly brown hair?
I want to marry him,
be a father to his children.
Have a house
with a white picket fence.
Two point five children,
not sure how that's possible
But it's the American dream.


Hey guys
I'm not much  of a singer His voice intentionally cracks
much more a dancer.

Third sketch: He dances with others on stage, shares a stage kiss with someone on stage

But I fucked up.
Did something stupid.
So very stupid.
And I wrecked our life.

Hey guys
I'm not much of a singer. His voice intentionally cracks
But I wanted to apologize
with words and no puppy dog eyes.
Cause that's not fair points to images of cute dogs on the screen behind him

I'm so sorry.  So very sorry.
I should have stood up
before I fucked it all up.
I should have walked away
before it went astray.
But I didn't. in his normal voice[\i]
Forth sketch: goes over to the actor on stage
I'm so sorry.  So very sorry.
I just want a second chance
to prove that I'm worthy of
calling you the one I love.
Please forgive me.
I get down on one knee
and ask 'will you please marry me?'
Result may vary to the audience as a side bar
Hey guys
I'm not much of a singer. His voice intentionally cracks
But you see the guy right there
The one with the curly brown hair?
He's the love of my life
And he's going to make me his wife
Hey were ryhmin 'ere the cast shouts and scene goes black

[Nox]

Angel Persona (Coming Soon)

[Nox]

2045

• Choices - Finds out he can channel and essentially breaks his block (no memory of block) with Giovanni & Oriena
  
• A Friendly Little Spar - with Sebastian & Pyotr
  
• Rollin' - with Sebastian, Pyotr and Alex
  
• The Good Fight - practice and fought with the One power, strength increased by 1, also found out he was Atharim and who his mystery girl is.  - with Aria, Sebastian and Pyotr
  
• Part of the Team, Officially - became officially part of the Atharim - with Aria & Regus
  
• Getting out - used the OP in a fight with a thug - with Asha, & Elias
  
• Helping Hands - with Asha, Elias, Aria and Lucas
  
• Wanna Be Startin' Something - met up with his sister, sparred with the OP, tied off his first weave in a minor panic attack - with Sebastian, Pytor & Aurora
  
• Long Conversations - had a long conversation with Aria about their future work together - with Aria
  
• Dedication - with ALL the Atharim
  
• Making it Official - getting his tattoo at Lucas' shop, trying to make friends with him
  
• Discovering New Toys - worked with the OP to fight off fatigue and started working on his direction flash bang weave. - with Lucas
  
• Flying Solo - with Connor, Ayden & Tommy (PI)
  
• Home Sweet Home - with Aria (and Lucas)
  
• To the Lap of Luxury - with Deigo (and Aurora)
  
• Fear of Falling - with Aria & Lucas
  
• Solutions - with Emily
  
• Exploring the Datsan - with Lucas, Aria and Ascendancy (saw Ascendancy wielding multiple weaves)
  
• Lucky Getaway - with Lucas (started trying to use multiple weaves)
  

[Nox]

~2046

• Preparations - with Ayden, Yoshimura, Connor & Aria (unknowingly used multiple weaves at the same time)
  
• Finding Aurora - with Connor, Ayden, Aria & Aurora(Deigo)
  
• The Last Straw with Dorian, Ivan & Aria
  
• Into The Fire - with Ivan (teaching Ivan)
  
• US of A Reunion Tour - alone
  
• The Pain of Loss - with Thalia in the Dreamworld (acceptance of his loss and shedding of most of the guilt)
  
• Last Stop - with Enrique and Dane - Playing with the OP with Dane (beginning of intuitive nature of earth per his god reincarnation)
  
• Text Message Missions - with Elyse (over text messages)
  
• Which is More Dangerous - With Dane and Cain (lots of using of the OP)
  
• It's a Date - with Elyse (more OP usage - upping strength 19)
  
• Little Brother's Roommate - picked up after Sage and Cain talked to pick up Cain for the errands and hopefully a means of getting the software
  
• Aurora wrote back.
  
• Of Monsters and Magic - with Elias, Asha and Cain - changing Aria's locks so Dane doesn't have easy access - another fight with Elias
  
• I've been sick - with Cruz (Dorian), Rachel (Emily), and Cain - stopped to see Ascendancy's spectacle and help out Cruz - helped break Cain's block and showed him and Cruz a few things
  
• Broken - with Sage, Elyse and Dorian (Cruz) Nox develops trip wires and an early warning system with the OP
  
• Miscellaneous Errands - with Elyse (and various NPCs)
  
• Aria's friend - with Elyse and Manix - saw a healing weave for the first time
  
• Miscellaneous Errands - with Elyse (and various NPCs) picked up Nova
  
• Remembering a Friend - with Pyotr, Yuri and Roman (NPC) - showing off in the OP - Meets Kali
  
• Nightmares? - with Elyse
  
• Another Emergency - with Sage & Morven - started the earth wall around Dorian's estate
  
• Consequences - channeling multiple weaves while playing dodgeball - beginnings of Nox's basement playground - with Sage & Elyse (and Aria)
  
• Sold Out! - Methos concert - trudging up old memories, killed a monster 'in public' - with Jay (and Sage, Methos & Dorian)
  
• You're a Wizard! telling Jay he can channel, a little playing with the OP and confusing the hell out of himself with his actions - with Jay, Sage,
  
• Elyse and Dorian
  
• The Right Thing to Do - to the CCDPD to turn himself in for Dorian
  
• Hunting Atharim - registered for the magic registry helping ivan with his questions
  
• Fortifications - the start of dealing with Atharim problem (+2 Strength for all the work on the fortifications) - with Dorian and Ivan - mastery of a complex weave (directional flash bang bomb he's been working on for a long time)
  
• Spilled drinks - master skill level multiple different weaves used with aria and npcs (after dane/aria/marcus) - registered for Atharim registry and  found alone by the Atharim
  
• Lost time aftermath of the Atharim attack on his life
  
• Rerouted relocated to someplace unknown (with Marcus and Jay) after the explosion the Ascendancy decides upon mercy and lets Nox go with two orders one to take care of aria and the other to not make anymore trouble.
  
• Deflating the Ruse - Getting Sage's help to find Aria and confront Sage.
  
• Promises, Promises - Nox confronts Aria and meets Jaxen and they get attacked by a mob of homeless people
  
• Dressed to the Nines - getting ready for the ball with Sage and Cruz
  
• The Grand Ball - with lots of people.  Nox bumps into Ryker, sees Jay again, meets Jensen, dances with Vena, helps kill an Ijiraq, is almost killed by another Ijiraq, goes head to head with Ascendancy and lives (again, phew!) and goes home with some new failures.
  
• New Players in the Pattern - comes home to find Sage with Aiden who is seeking help in the OP
  
• Cabaret & Candy - Nox goes to a Cabaret at Jaxen's prompting and finds some a girl(thalia) with drawings of his worst nightmares - (Note: Does not recognize her from his dreams prior)
  
• Walking a New Path - Nox helps Ivan understand the power (+1 power for teaching for the umteenth time - between Ivan, Aiden and Cruz)
  
• Pass the Mic - a drink with Ivan, meets Sara, and sees a mechanic garden sage and cruz might light
  
• Paranoia Abounds - Nox meets with Yun, finds out Dorian betrayed him and meets Liv
  
• Et tu, Brute? - Nox begins the process of leaving Dorian's estate and finds his friends are on his side, but goes it alone to 'get better'.
  
• Painted Dreams - Nox meets back up with Thal and realizes she's been in his dreams
  
• Astral Dreams - Nox and Thalia go clubbing and meets Carmen
  
• A New Life - Nox gets a home and a job and flirts with Raffe
  
• A Little Head Clearing - Nox works on his routine, shows off with a little food prep and flirts with Raffe
  
• Infidels - Meets with Ascendancy becomes and official consultant with Domovoi
  
• The Deep End - Meets up with Dorian, Ivan and Lih to hunt monsters in the tunnels
  
• Table for one - Nox puts on his first show
  
• The Brutal Reality - Nox/Ivan/Lih go hunting and looking for Alistair Pavlo
  
• What I Wouldn't Give - Nox wakes up in the hospital and chats with Sterling and Raffe visits him
  
• Convergence - a convergence of threads - meeting Sterling, Kali greets Nox and all hell breaks lose when the Atharim attack, fleeing into the underworld.
  
• Safe for Now - Nox/Raffe/Sterling flee into the underground and stumble upon Nova and some monsters, Nox sends them away with a new dark power.  Once top side they go to Kallisti to help Sterling and have *that* talk.
  
• Before the Storm - minor 'house cleaning of threads' for Nox and interactions with Raffe before he goes off to see the Ascendancy and the Atharim.
  
• A Mountain of Information - Nox goes to speak wth some one in Ascendancy's office and ends up talking to Ascendancy himself.  Leaves with the offer of a new arm, and hunting with the Ascendancy as a plan.
  
• Getting Attention - Nox leaves a trail for the Atharim to find, Nox almost kills Jer as the remains of the parasites try to control him. Raffe channels and Nox panics.
  
• Interlude II - Nox texts Thal back
  
• A Solivagant Soul - Nox and Thal have a conversation to kill time.
  
• From Ashes -  Nox meets Allan, and Morven heals him for his new arm application
  
• Convincing Confessions? - Nox has a heart to heart with Raffe about his feelings (wow....I know)
  
• This is Me - Nox and Raffe go to Li's Dojo and Nox relearns to use his arm and the power with the darkness
  
• What Comes Before - Nox and Raffe talk...?
  
• Into the Darkness - Nox, the Ascendancy, Jay, Marcus and Allan head into the tunnels to kill the hoard.  Jer, Zef and Grymm join them, the Atharim arrive just as a fight with the hoard starts.  Atharim flee with their lives -- barely.  Asecndancy et all head back up, Jay and Nox go one to finish the mission (upped strength)
  
• Going Deeper - Nox and Jay finish the mission and complicate Nox's life even more with a harrowing escape (maxed out strength)
  
• Falling - Afterman of a harrowing escape.
  
• Reacclimating Conversation with Elyse. "break up" text sent to Jay and the fallout of his telling Raffe about what happened with Jay in the tunnels
  
• Forward -- Nox deals with leaving after Raffe needs time
  
• Don't Belong Here - Nox confronts his own darkness and fights in the cages of Almaz
  
• Going through the Motions - Nox gets ready for the show -- new look
  
• Calling Thalia, finally - conversation with thal
  
• What Not to Do  - Nox puts on a Persephone/Hades skit that drew a viral crowd including Atharim and famous rockstars
  
• Kitsugi - Nox deals with his actions over a week without Raffe and finally is able to talk (meets Morgan and Makenzie)
  
• Nightmares Reimiagined - Nox meets the sandman and Mara in the dream but won't remember it
  
• I'm so fucked up! - Nox calls Thal to catch up
  
• Connections, Money and Secrets - Nox meets up with Oriena at the Almaz, fights a horded gorilla and leaves with Ori
  
• Motel Nowhere - Nox and Oriena come to an agreement and have mutally beneficial sex.
  
• Birthday Plans - Nox celebrates the first birthday without Aurora by killing an Atharim and making a deal with them before sitting on her grave for the night.
  
• I'll be back - Nox leaves on an Atharim assassin of channelers trip but before he leaves a note with Raffe.
  
• A London Reality - Nox meets Hayden and rectifies his own screw up when trying to kill a channeler, vows to learn how to hide weaves.
  
• Runaway Train - Nox thwarts a robbery, assassinates the diplomat that he was sent to kill with an inverted weave he learned how to do before, vows to practice more
  
• Chinese Warlord - Nox kills the warlord again with an inverted weave after much more practice
  
• Taming the Beast - Nox practices more inverting, tends his plants and tries to control the beast inside.  Assassinates a chinese govermentment official for both the ascendancy and the atharim
  
• Not This Time - The atharim send him after a girl, he refuses and takes a plane back to her with the intent of introducing her to either Ori or the Ascendancy he doesn't know yet
  
• Home Sweet Home - Nox takes a tour of his new place Sage bought. Nox finds out a little about what Sage has been doing in his name.
  
• Never Too Late - Nox is kidnapped by Ashton and tortured by the Blackthorns.  Destroying the Blackthorn mansion in a fiery inferno with the help of Oriena, Nox is in need of healing which Sage send in the guise of Jensen James.
  
• Literal Nightmares - Nox follows a nightmare to a girl in the psych ward of the Guardian. Meets and 'frees' Mara with Sage and Ashton's help.
  
• Feed the Horde - Nox drops off a 'boom-box-over-the-head' gesture at Raffe's door and then meets up with Oriena.
  
• House Party - Nox and Oriean go to his place to find a party already started. Lily is born and the two pregnant mothers pass. Nox gets his next mission from Ascendancy's people
  
• The Morning After - Nox meets his new house mates, falls in love with Lily, meets Liam Haart and finally gets to interat with Seven.
  
• A Day Off - Anna texts Nox about Cade
  
• They Found Me - While at the airport Nox receives a call from Connor (and Ayden)
  
• I Hate Flying - Nox and Sage wait in the airport for their flight and for Ryker to show up.
  
• Round and Round We Go - Nox, Ryker and Sage land in the US
  
• Tony's Famous Pizzaria - Nox meets with Connor and the assassings take out the President and VP before Nox and Ryker can 'catch' them.
  
• 'Ware the White Rabbit Sage engineers a means of obtaining a new arm for Nox, injects him with Nano bot (ooc: start of the horde dying)
  
• Planning the Hunt Nox and Elyse plan to Hunt her father.
  
• Not Looking for Little Red Riding Hood The Hunt for Peter Andersen
  
• Final Blow Nox takes down Vaia Plus and most of the horde
  
• Averting Disaster Sasha finds Nox and asks for help as Nox tries to shield him from drawing too much power Nox's power vanishes. Marta joins in on the fun.
  
• The Siren's Call Nox and Hayden talk about the lost power
  
• Fake It Nox and Ashton talk about a new playlist
  
• Coffee after an apointment Nox meets with Cade and goes after a dreken
  
• Aftermath Nox is healed after being hurt by a dreyken
  
• Second Chances Nox meets with Ana and Emily about his refugee project
  
• Chasing Emotions Nox goes after Lucio with Jared
  
• Seeking Refuge Nox goes home after hunting down Lucio
  
• What Now? Nox 'hooks' up with Ori
  
• Looking for a Fight Nox encounters Jay in a random meeting and sorta reconcile??
  
• Stolen Gifts Nox tells the Ascendancy about losing his gift.
  
• Itching for a Fight Nox and Elyse spar and Christmas trees are set up as Jared promises to help Nox with his problem
  
• Linking Experiments Linking is taught to the club and Nox is healed of the severing but the Horde is still there -- sorta.
  
• Important Discoveries Telling the Ascendancy about linking, the horde and how it was healed.
  
• Old Guiilts Helping Casey find her power and talk about dreams
  
• Reliquiae Eliot calls out Nox and asks for his help.
  
• Just Why Nox meets and helps Claude and Casey
  
• Praeceptor of the Reliquiae a meeting with the ascendancy about the new atharim, The ascendancy kills Nox's current handler and Nox and Jay reconnect -- sorta
  
• Need my Fix Nox meets Tatyana
  

[Nox]

2047

• Connections Nox has a fight with Hayden and goes seeking Oriena
  

[Nox]

The Overheard Argument

Taking stage was always calming. Even when his life was shit it meant that he was at least able to dance a little.

His mother wouldn't like that he was dancing in a burlesque -- taking off his clothes and totally in the moment for the sex appeal of it all. But she'd be glad he was dancing -- and did it well enough that he could get paid for it -- and that others paid him to help them. Not that they paid him exactly, but they came to him when they wanted help.

As he danced it was also the one time where memories came back. Today's session was no different.

He danced by firelight. His mother tapping her foot as he spun around. He couldn't be more than six or seven. The only time his father didn't really squawk when he danced. Though he could see him over his mother's shoulder. His frown was apparent.

His father didn't say anything while he could hear, no he waited until they'd gone to bed to bitch at his mother.

They fought about him a lot. And they thought it was quiet in the confines of the car, or in hushed whispers by the campfire.

"Bryan, he's so good at it. You can't make him stop."

"He's a boy. Not a fairy." Those were words his father uttered often. As if he were already defining his son before he even understood what the words meant.

"He is beautiful when he dances, Bryan. I've taught many students until now -- don't let him faulter. Don't make me watch it die."

"Boys are not beautiful." He growled. "I forbid it."

Nox had heard it all.  Aurora calmed him, curled around him and he cried silently into her embrace.

Their father found Nox crying. He hadn't asked why, only saw the end result and dragged him into the forest. "I'll give you something to cry about." Was the last thing Nox remembered before he threw the walls up.  He didn't want those memories.  Nox hated those memories.

His father had forbid dancing for all of a week. His mother found a dance -- a dance that taught young women how to fight. She choreographed her own sequences -- the things his father wanted him to learn, she slowed them down, made them her own and after a month. Nox and Aurora sparred beside the campfire. Nox finally bested his sister -- his father saw the merits of the practice. He begrudgingly let his mother teach him dance. But she didn't just teach the new combat techniques -- she taught the rest -- let Nox learn to rely on the grace of the dance. To feel the beauty in it all.

It was the rare and beautiful praise Nox remembered amidst the hatred of his father. Nox caried the beauty and grace through his life though few ever knew why or where it came from. He didn't understand it all himself. And if his father ever even thought it was more than his mother's teachings -- Nox was surprised to be a live.