The Altered.

Umiko- "Oh..you don't have to do that.." She says quietly. "I mean, thank you.." She says in a louder tone. She's shy knowing she will be walking alone with Hyde. She starts messing with her hair in nervousness and starts to walk towards her house slowly, waiting for Hyde to follow. "I don't think Uzagi would like this very much... But he's only being helpful right?...Because his sister and I are becoming friends?...right?" She thinks to herself.

Ludwig- "Well, I suppose this is when I will take my leave as well." He smiles and says his goodbyes to the group before heading off before the others. His expression turns to nothingness as he walks away.

Kasumi- "Goodbye Umiko. Goodbye Ludwig. I will see you all tomorrow at school. If we run into each other here we can all walk to school again." She bows and makes off toward the house.

Hyde- "See ya later Ludwig. I'll be home soon Kasumi." He says as he turns to walk with Umiko. "So Umiko, do you like our classes? I think it is a good group of students. No one has really stood out to me as a trouble maker. I think you and Kasumi will be good friends. You both already like to study." He laughs and tries to loosen up a little because he notices that Umiko is a little tense. "Hm she looked cute twirling her hair like that." He thinks to himself and starts thinking about if he likes her. "I guess she likes me enough if we are walking home together alone on the first day of school. Wait should I be thinking into this already?" He starts racing through his head almost not paying attention to Umiko as she talks.

Umiko- "Yes, I like my classes so far. We don't have too many students to one room so that's nice." They both start speaking to one another more and more casually as the conversation goes on. They both come up to Umiko's house and A tall figure begins to come into site. He resembles Umiko a lot as he stands against the house with his arms crossed. He has an intense gaze in his eyes as he just looks at Hyde the entire way as they approach the house. Umiko's brows lower along with her smile, her walking slows to a stop a little ways away from her house and the man waiting for her. "Um... I have to go now." She says as she bows to Hyde in gratitude. "Thank you very much for walking me home Hyde. Please tell Kasumi that I really enjoyed talking with her today and meeting both of you.." She speaks a little hurried and looks nervous, her eyes shifting back and forth.

Uzagi- Waits for a while but decides to walks over. He doesn't uncross his arms nor turn his eyes away from Hyde. "Who's this?" He speaks with a deep tone which could be mistaken for anger. He looks Hyde up and down then looks down at Umiko. "How was your first day?" He asks.

Umiko- Closes her eyes for a moment tightly and scrunches her face, not wanting to hear that voice. She turns a little and fake smiles at her brother before answering. "Um.. Uzagi this is Hyde my classmate, Hyde this is my brother Uzagi." She tries to speak politely. She is nervous knowing her brother is a bit over protective of her, even though it isn't wanted or necessary most of the time. She begins twirling her hair again, a nervous habit of hers.

Hyde- Gets an uneasy feeling as Uzagi approaches and the way he talks to Umiko. He does not like it but doesn't show it yet as he does not think it is his place yet to do anything. "It is nice to meet you Uzagi. Me and my sister are in Umiko's homeroom and classes. I thought I would walk Umiko home since it is a longer walk out this way... Well Umiko I will tell my sister you enjoyed your conversation. We will see you tomorrow. Have a nice evening. Have a nice evening Uzagi." He bows to the two of them and turns his back to walk away before Uzagi really has a chance to say anything to him.
He thinks to himself. "I don't trust him. I don't like him. Maybe if I get a little closer to Umiko I will talk with her about him." He walks home to have dinner with Kasumi.

Later that night
Ludwig's Home

Ludwig- Opens the door to his home, a maid greets him in surprise."You are awfully late Sir, did something happen?" She asks in concern. "I started to worry that I would need to contact your parents." She keeps talking as he removes his shoes and loosens his tie. "No, I'm just fine. I went into town today is all." He says with little to no emotion behind his words. He continues past her and begins to walk up the staircase. "Sir? ...Wouldn't you like dinner?" She asks. "No. I've already eaten." He states bluntly without stopping. He reaches his room and goes inside, locking the door behind him. He stands in front of the door for a moment with an irritated look on his face. He pulls out his cell phone and looks at it, the time reads 11:27PM, he places it on his desk. He then sits at his desk and types in Kasumi Alastor's name. Not much comes up but he clicks through what he finds then he runs across a picture of her family with her father and brothers in it, Sebastian catches his gaze, he's seen this person before but where and when? He begins thinking to himself then a memory comes up. This person hangs around the studio with other bad seeds. He turns his computer off and picks his phone up again this time dialing someone's number. The person on the other line answers. "Yes, do you have time? Meet me at the usual spot." He says without hesitation before hanging up. He stands and heads for the door. He walks down and is immediately greeted by the maid once again. "Oh Sir! Did you change your mind on di-..." She starts speaking but He just walks right past her, walking out of the house without a word. He closes the door behind him. He gets into his car and drives off. He soon arrives to his destination, it is dark, he is parked under a bridge. He gets out of his car and see's a shadow emerge. "I'm glad you came, Kane." He says in a cold tone, walking towards the figure. "I need some information, the usual pay." His face not showing any sign of emotion.

Kane- Left Sebastian and traveled to see Ludwig under the bridge. "Alright Ludwig. What do you want? What do you want to know? I'm not agreeing to the usual pay until I know what it is that I'm doing." Trying to come across a little more tough than in the past. Kane is starting to live even more tight than he is use to because of an uncertain future after leaving school. He knows he needs to make a better name for himself or start getting more jobs then just the standard things he works for Ludwig.

Ludwig- Has his arms crossed, leaning against his car. He looks to the side pondering on how to work his statement. "I'd want information on the Alastor family." He states bluntly. He turns his gaze to Kane "And I don't want anything false or made up. Tell me about the whole family, any small details as well.. Don't leave things out. I know you're with Sebastian often... I don't care if he is a friend of yours I still want to know his details as well. If you can't do it then I can go to someone else. ...You aren't the only buzzard I have." His gaze grows even colder as he tried to push Kane back down a peg or two. "I'll make you a deal bird... You become my eyes and ears of the family from now on aside from the information you give me and I will double your pay. That sounds more than fair to me." He continues.

Kane- Tries his best not to flinch. He knows he is playing chicken with Ludwig. "I can give you everything on the Alastors. I'll even find you hospital documents on their dead mother. But lets not kid ourselves here Ludwig. I know you can't have too many others besides me, you might not even have anyone else right now. I know you can't risk yourself to the professionals in this town. I know your family too Ludwig. I'm your best and safest accomplish here. I'll tell you what. I'll accept the double pay, but I want you to also pass my name along to anyone else in your little circle. I need more work. However, you will always be my number one customer." He stands firm trying not to budge or crumble under the pressure. This is the first time Kane has tried to directly extort someone. He continues to match Ludwig and his cold gaze. Kane is now leaning back to the concrete pylon of the bridge. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an obscure object and beings chewing on it waiting for Ludwig's next move.

Ludwig- He waits a while, looking down as he thinks before responding. He looks back up at Kane and something very odd occurs, he gives Kane a smirking smile, something he has never done before. "Alright Kane, I do need you after all. I guess I can be nice this once and accept the deal. You are frightening with that death gaze after all." He says to Kane in almost a toying tone almost mocking in a way. Kane knows he doesn't exactly mean what he says but he did agree to the deal. "You know which number to contact me by when you get more information... Oh and Kane, if you ever find yourself in trouble I'm not a bail out got it? Do not mention my name to anyone."He states harshly. Ludwig and Kane have dealt with another multiple times before but they have never really laid out any rules for one another, Ludwig thought this would be the perfect time to do so. "Now, what can you tell me on the Alastor's right now?" He asks.

Kane- Has a great inner relief that he accomplished his first real professional extortion even if he knew Ludwig wouldn't play too hard. "Well I haven't gotten to deep into the family yet, but what I can say is that Sebastian seems to be slowly losing it. He seems more hotheaded and self-centered then normal. Kasumi skipped a grade so that she can go to school with her brother Hyde. Speaking of Hyde there is something odd going on with him as well. He is acting a little different but it will take some time to find out what the cause is. But the most damaging piece of information that I have is the father is only a shell of a man. Sebastian is always complaining about him and how he just sits in his chair reading medical books, and old love notes from his wife. Give me some time and I'll have more solid information."
Kane stands up. He looks at Ludwig and nods his head knowing that Ludwig let him get away with something. He cracks a crooked smile turns his back to Ludwig and begins walking into the dark. "Have me my money soon. I'll do you know good if I get caught stealing food and get put in jail. I'll contact you with information or if I need additional resources to get a portion of the job done." Kane fades into the dark forest.

Ludwig- "A shell of a man huh? That could be useful." He thinks to himself as Kane talks, his arms still crossed. He listens to Kane carefully as he speaks. Kane is worth nothing to him but the information he possesses, and can gather, is. Although he hears everything he doesn't respond but Kane knows he agrees. He watches him walk away and a grin grows upon his face, he stands there for a while before getting into his car and driving off.

Kane- Walking through the forest. "I think it is time I do a little fact finding on Ludwig and his family. It is always a good idea to have information on the man who pays you. I can't get trapped. I know Ludwig would find someone else in a heartbeat if he could. I'm sure he won't let that be a weakness for more than a week.... I'm already close to the Alastors. As long as I play this right I can siphon a little of the funds I'll use on them and redirect it toward gaining information on Ludwig. It will be slow and methodical to cover tracks and not let him find me. I honestly don't have that large of a window. I guess he would catch on to the siphon in 3 or 4 months. I'll gather what I can in the next two months then stop. I'll need another plan after that. I need to stay one step ahead and right now I'm in the driver seat. It won't be for long if I get sloppy." He continues to think to himself and psych himself up for his next big steps.

__

Early Morning
Homeroom

All of the students have greeted one another and taken their seats to settle in for the day. Nothing out of the ordinary happens as homeroom comes and goes. The second period teacher arrives, switching out with the homeroom, to continue the day. Class has been underway for about an hour now with the teacher giving her lecture and students jotting notes. The teacher hears a knock at the door, she looks over and puts her lesson book down before walking over to the door and letting the guests in, students at peak curiosity. "Oh Principal Sir, I didn't expect you here. What do I owe this visit?" She says politely and then looks down at the student who is with him. "My! Who is this pretty young lady?" She asks once again with a large smile, greeting the girl warmly.

Nadine- As she and the principle are walking to class after her parents dropped her off with a note because they all slept in. "Oh man, my first day of school and I'm late. What are the others going to think of me. I'll have to walk in there with everyone looking at me." They reach the door and the teacher answers. "Hello Ma'am, I am Nadine Ashburrow and we just moved here. I apologize for missing yesterday and being late." Nadine says with a forced smile. After taking her seat she glimpses around the classroom without trying to be too obvious. But everyone is looking at her already anyway. "Oh boy do I feel embarrassed.... Ummm wait. Wait." She looks around the room again. "They are all different.... I'm the only girl!" She thinks to herself. She starts thinking about all the different features she sees on everyone. She feel uncomfortable but wants to be friends with everyone. "I hope I get along with everyone."

The rest of the morning goes as normal as it could.

Teacher-"Aw, that's alright dear! Don't worry about a thing! You can take that open seat open seat right there in the front." She says to Nadine with a smile then goes back to teaching the lesson.

Ludwig- Watches Nadine come in, he is stumped for a moment as he stares at her without turning his head. "Is this the human girl that was supposed to be here?" He thinks to himself remembering overhearing his maids talk about a human family that was moving to town a couple of days ago. "Living here wont be easy for someone like her... I'd rather not get involved." He continues his thought then goes back to working on his notes.

Rend- Doesn't even notice anyone come in, she is just sleeping at her desk as usual.

Ick- "Woah hey! Who is that?!" He says out loud then is scolded by the teacher. "Hah... Sorry Teach.." He says then looks up at Nadine and tries to wave at her with a friendly yet goofy smile.

Umiko- "She's part of the Ashburrow family! They are the ones who bought the Inn from the Tadashi family.. I wonder if she needs any help at the Inn...?" She thinks while looking at Nadine, not thinking too much of her being human even though it was extremely rare in their small town.

End of Second Period, Lunch Bell

Umiko- Stands quickly and goes over to Nadine. "Um, hello." She says a little quietly getting shy at the last minute. "My...name is Umiko." She bows quickly. "You're family are the ones who bought the Inn right? I used to help the last owners around every now and then... I was wondering if you needed any help there yet? ...Um, do you want to have lunch with Kasumi and I? We could talk about it then?" She laughs a little. "I'm sorry, you barely got here and I'm asking you so many questions already." She says and puts her hands together to ask for forgiveness. "Please forgive me." She smiles with her eyebrows turned down, she has a slightly embarrassed expression on her face.

Nadine- Giving a truly happy smile at Umiko. "Oh thank goodness I already made a friend." She thinks to herself and goes in for a standard hug rather than giving the bow. "Why yes we would love help at the Inn! You could help us out with the lay of the land. I'll talk to my parents about it. I'm guessing you would want to get paid something right? How much did you make before? Oh look at me talking about money and work never mind that I'll talk to my parents and we can have you come over. I have to say that I was a little nervous first coming here." Kasumi approaches the group.

Kasumi- "Hello Umiko. Hello Nadine, I believe you said that was your name correct? I am Kasumi Alastor. Do you two want to start heading for lunch?"

Nadine- Smiles at Kasumi and goes in to hug her as well. Kasumi is taken aback but doesn't fight her. "I would love to join you guys for lunch. I was just talking with Umiko here and I was saying that I was nervous because I was the only girl in the class and I thought I might not fit in. But what where you going to say Umiko I'm sorry that I cut you off there. I just asked you some questions." Nadine says all of this but in a completely innocent way. She has never been around any Altered before. She looks back to Umiko and waits for her to give an answer.

Kasumi- With a confused look on her face and feeling a little hurt. "I am sorry Nadine. I think I am a little confused. I am a girl too, and so is Umiko." She says to Nadine but not in a mean way.

Nadine- Turns bright red and chokes up on her answer. "Ahh.. oh.. umm... I didn't mean it like that... Well you are all different. I'm just normal..... I mean not normal haha." She forces a laugh and a smile. "I mean I really like the way you all look. I think it is really neat. I wanted to ask questions but I thought it was rude so soon. Truthfully I've never seen anyone else like you guys before in my life." She hangs her head, her face still feels like it is on fire with embarrassment.

Kasumi- Looks at Umiko and smiles trying to hold back a laugh. She hopes Umiko picks up on her subliminal message to answer Nadine and comfort her.


Hyde- In the mean time Hyde gets up and turns around. He sees Rend is still asleep on her desk. He knocks on her desk again like the day before. "Hey there sleepy am I suppose to be your personal alarm clock. Will you at lest be join us this time for lunch?" He smiles and waits for Rend to stir.

Umiko- Her eyes widen a bit as she is hugged, not expecting someone she barely know's to hug her like that. She is fine with it thought, even though she thinks it a little strange. "Oh yes, that would be wonderful! I will give you my number at the lunch table!" She says with a smile, feeling proud of herself for asking and happy that Nadine seems to be very nice. She smiles at Kasumi as she comes over. Also taken aback by Nadine's comment, she looks over at Kasumi and gives her a smile as well, letting her know she understand what she means. "Oh no no! It's alright! To be honest I wanted to ask you questions as well! And I'm sure I'm not the only one! It's really rare for there to be Humans here and one has never attended the school before." She says in a comforting way as they make it to the Lunchroom. "Lets sit here." She says to the girls and they sit together.

Rend- Grumbles and groans before lifting her head, her hair stuck to her face and eyes barely open. "MmmmMMmm!" She exclaims at Hyde. "Did I ever ask you to wake meeee!? God..." She says but is barely understandable. She sits up and takes her hood down, pushing her hair out of her face. "What do you want?!" She barks at him in an annoyed tone.

Ludwig- Comes over to the girls table with his lunch. He smiles at Kasumi and motions to the seat across from her. "May I sit there?" He asks.

Kasumi- "Yes you can sit there. This is Nadine Ashburrow. I'm sure you saw her come in the classroom this morning. Nadine this is Ludwig Elderic."

Nadine- After sharing numbers with Umiko and sitting down with her lunch she looks up at Ludwig feeling a little embarrassed at Kasumi's introduction. "Hello Ludwig." She feels a little overwhelmed with all the students around her. She can feel everyone staring at her and she feels very quite and uncomfortable. She tries to make herself small and does not talk much.

Kane- Walking through the hallways not hiding as much because of the money he is now earning. He spots the group all sitting at the table. "ahh. This is a perfect chance for me." He thinks to himself. He goes to the table and sits down at the end of the group away from Ludwig. "Hello everyone. Hi Kasumi. I'm not sure if you remember me but I'm Sebastian's friend. I'm Kane. I didn't see anyone else in the lunchroom to sit with so I hope it is alright that I joined you all." Kane plays off knowing Ludwig and he doesn't even really acknowledge him yet at the table.

Kasumi- Looks at Kane knowing exactly who he is. She does not want to start a scene in the middle of the school though. She does not really like Kane because she believes that he is the reason for Sebastian to be acting the way he is and disappearing. She has not yet given him a chance or knows him well. "Yes hello Kane. You can join us. This is Umiko Isondae, Ludwig Elderic, and Nadine Ashburrow. Everyone this is Kane Maxwell." She introduces him with a flat tone in her voice.

Kane- Smiles to everyone and goes about eating his lunch minding his own business unless someone talks to him or speaks up around him for him to join in.

Hyde- Still hanging back in the room with Rend. "Wow. I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought you would want to get something to eat is all. I know school is boring. I don't sleep because I tend to make noise when I sleep like snoring or yawning. I pass the time looking out the window and trying to be warm from the sun coming through. But anyway. I wanted to know if you would join us for lunch today?" He smiles and is honestly trying to make friends with her. Giving off a vibe of he won't leave her alone until she goes with him.

Ludwig- He bows his head slightly to say thank you to Kasumi and to greet Nadine politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you Nadine." He says as he sits down. He smiles at Kasumi. "Will your brother be joining us today?" He asks and begins to eat his lunch. He has a Bento Box lunch that looks very well organized and expensive. His face drops, and he picks up his drink and takes a drink trying to hide his displeased expression as he looks over at Kane with his eyes only. He doesn't want to lead on to anyone that he knows Kane. He places his drink down and barely bows his head as he is introduced, looking up at Kane with his eyes only as his head is bowed. He gives Kane a cold glare but no one else notices.

Umiko- Turns her attention to the new person at the table for a moment as they are introduced. She bows her head politely and smiles at Kane, not judging him immediately because she doesn't know him. "Hello Kane, It's nice to meet you." She says in a polite tone then goes back to her conversation with Nadine.

Ick- Comes over loudly, with big, flat footsteps. "Heeeeey! Ludwig!" He says waving at him, he sits beside Ludwig and looks at the group. He spots Nadine. "Woah hey! You're that girl from class! Hey girlie! I gotta know! What are you mixed with?!" He asks bluntly with no regard of feeling but not being rude intentionally. He has a dumb smile planted on his face.

Ludwig- Very displeased now. "This is getting very annoying..." He thinks to himself as he watches the scenes unfold in front of him.

Rend- She just stares at him for a good fifteen seconds after he is finished talking with the most blank expression on her face. "I don't remember asking for your life's story..." She says bluntly before getting up and shoving her hands in her pockets and walking to the door like she does every other day. Trying to shrug him off. "What is his deal...? Why does he keep trying to talk to me?!" She thinks.

Nadine- She tries to brighten up when she meets Ick, but finds it very hard in the environment since she is not ready for it yet. She still has her head down a little "Hi, yeah I am the new girl... I'm not mixed. I'm normal." She speaks in a downward inflection. She tries to avoid being talked to again.

Kane- Almost dies trying to hold in the laughter after watching Ick approach Ludwig. "Oh man hahahaha. I'm never going to see Ludwig in the same light ever again hahahaha." He thinks to himself as he tries with all his might not to spit out his drink all over the table.

Hyde- Still smiling. "Yeah that's cool. Stare at me then run off through the door while insulting me. That's awesome. Exactly how I want to be treated." He says as Rend makes her way to the door. Just before she turns out of the door he says louder for her to her. "THAT'S SARCASM!" He decides to follow Rend from a distance and get to know her a little more. "I'm not giving up. I don't know what it is but I'm starting to kind of like her a little more. There is something about her." He thinks to himself as he makes his way out of the classroom to follow Rend.

Umiko- Sees that Nadine is feeling a little overwhelmed. "Um... hey Nadine! I want to show you something!" She says as she gets up, grabbing Nadine's hand and pulling her away from the group in a hurry. "We will be right back!" She says quickly and hurries outside with Nadine. She looks over at her and smiles with a little worry on her face. "Are you okay Nadine? They can be a little much huh?" She says with a nice and caring tone. "Don't worry we can take a breather out here! Plus it feels nice outside today right?" She continues to smile as she talks to Nadine.

Erebus- Sitting under a tree where he normally does for the lunch period, he never eats. He hears someone coming outside and he glances up. He catches a glimpse of Nadine, then double takes back to her, staring at her now but no one notices. "What...? Is she...human?" He thinks to himself in shock, he hasn't seen a human since he was one last this was a very big shock to him. He can't stop himself from staring at her even though he might get caught.

Ludwig- About to burst with anger, he stands and looks at Kasumi. "Would you like to join me." He states vaguely, mainly just trying to get away from Ick and Kane.

Ick- "Aw hey no way! I just got here! Why is everyone leavin'?!" He complains.

Ludwig- "I forgot I promised Kasumi something. It's nothing to concern yourself with." He says, not even turning an eye to ick. "Just agree Kasumi..." He thinks to himself, looking right at her, waiting for her response.

Rend- Rolls her eyes as she hears Hyde complain behind her back. She continues in her way without stopping. She makes her way to the lunch room and goes straight to the vending machine, punching in her numbers before grabbing out a bag of chips. She then proceeds to go outside and sits at a picnic table, rips open her bag of chips, and rests her chin in her hand while eating her chips staring blankly into nothingness.

Nadine- Before she notices what's going on she is outside with Umiko. "Thank you Umiko. It was a little stuffy in there." She doesn't want others to think she is not doing well. She hates it when people feel bad for her. "It is a very nice day out. I like this school and town. Thank you again Umiko." She is still a little frazzled by the cafeteria.

Kasumi- Is a little put off by Ludwig asking her to follow him. "I am sorry Ludwig, but it would be rude to leave the table while others are eating. I will stay here for the time being. Plus you have not promised me anything. That seems like an odd thing to say." She looks at Ludwig with a displeased but confused face. She looks back at the group of students. "Even though this isn't the greatest group. Sigh." She thinks to herself. She continues on her lunch and has small conversations with the others.

Hyde- Following Rend through the school and goes outside from a different door. He sees the new girl with Umiko and catches a glimpse of another student off in the distance under a tree. He keeps his distance as well looking between Umiko and Rend. "Well this is interesting. Both of them here. Gosh they are both really pretty but in their own special way." Hyde starts to day dream about Umiko and Rend.

Umiko- She smiles and nods. "It's no problem at all! Lets sit here for a bit." She smiles and they go over to a picnic table to sit, slightly close to Erebus, but the haven't noticed him yet.

Ludwig- Still standing, he looks at her for a moment. The anger is too much for him now, he is furious with all that is going on and now Kasumi wont even take a hint. He leaves without saying anything more, his expression isn't good and he isn't able to hide it at the moment.

Ick- "Awww come on Ludwig! Where ya goin'?" He says as they watch him leave. He shrugs. "Ah! Oh well! He can be a party pooper all he wants! I can entertain you Kasumi! " He says smiling over at her with a goofy grin.

Kasumi- "Why did he act like that? That seems so out of place for him. He threw a little tantrum that things weren't really going his way. He seemed so put together in class.... Well something might be going on that I don't know about. I won't look into it much." She thinks to herself after Ludwig left. She looks to Ick, who isn't her favorite person to begin with. "Alright just give him a chance." She thinks. "I do not need to be entertained but thank you Ichabod. I take it that you and Ludwig are old friends?" She asks of Ick trying to give him a chance.

Ick- "Well yeah I guess you could say that! My family has lived next to his since like forever.. haha! Ludwig and I are great buddies!" He continues to eat while he talks, smiling all the while. They continue lunch.

__

After school. The Inn.

Nadine- "Hey Dad, I have a question for you. Umm I met this girl at school today, Umiko, and she worked here previously for the old owners. She offered to come by and help out again. What do you think?" She says to her Dad. She knows that he will probably say yes without much thought.

Mr. Ashburrow- Without much thought into it he quickly responds. "Absolutely! If we get one of the locals to work for us we might be able to get better deals at the shops in town. Plus she will be likely to spread the word around town that we are open and an awesome place to visit!" He is very excited at the prospect of having Umiko work for them. He knows that she will easily bring in more money then he will need to pay her.

Nadine- "Thanks Dad! I'll call her right now. I'll say she can come by on the weekend for a meet and greet!"

Mr. Ashburrow- "You know Nadine, if you make more friends you should ask them to come by and help out around here. I am really backed up here and with you in school it will be too much for just me and your mother. Of course we could do something for them. Maybe pay them or have a cook out or do something for everyone. Let me know what you think sweetheart." He is really only thinking about getting the Inn up and running quickly.

Nadine- "Sounds great Dad. I'll call Umiko and talk to her about doing something like that this weekend." She runs off to her room to call Umiko.

"Hi Umiko! Great news! I talked to my Dad and he wants to work here starting this weekend! We were also talking some about maybe getting more students to come by and help out around the Inn. We could have a little party for everyone as a thank you. What do you think? Do you think Kasumi and her brother would come by?" Nadine is very excited and cannot hold it back in her voice.

Umiko- "That sounds wonderful Nadine, thank you!" She says in excitement with Nadine. She has been around the Inn since she was little. "I think the others would love that! It's not often that everyone can take some time off to just relax and have fun all together like that! I will tell Kasumi to invite whoever she wants in our group okay? And I will ask my brother if he will come help too! This will be fun!" She says while smiling, happy to have made friends so early in the year. "I can't wait to see the Inn up and running again! The people of this town really love the Inn. It's really the only place people can go to feel like they are getting away you know?" She continues.

Nadine- Very happy and giddy that people will be coming over by the weekend. "This sounds great. I'll tell my Dad to do a BBQ! I think everyone will love it!" They continue to talk to each other about the day, the school, classes, and other students. They eventually hang up the phone and call it a night.

Weekend. At the Inn.

Umiko- The only one there other than the Ashburrow's. She is outside helping Nadine set up while they wait on the others. "Thanks so much for having me over Mr. Ashburrow. I really love seeing how the Inn is coming a long." She says to him politely with a smile on her face. "When do you think the others will get here Nadine?" She looks over to her. "My brother said he would be a little late because of his training classes but he's going to come!" She smiles more.

Mr. Ashburrow- "No no! I should be thanking you! This is going to be great. I think if we really put our minds to it we could be done and get the Inn running!" Stops to think to himself. "I think me and you need to talk about what you were paid while you were here."

Nadine- "I can't wait to meet your brother! This is very exciting. I think the others...." She is interrupted by the Alastors arriving.

Kasumi- "Hello Nadine. I am sorry we are a little late. I was trying to get my brother moving." She says as she smoothly suggests that Sebastian was being hard.

Hyde- Stretching and yawning getting ready to lift boxes all day. "Hey well we are here now so lets get to work! I invited Rend from our class, but I don't really remember what she said... Actually I think she kind of did not answer me while answering me. So she may or may not be coming! HA!" He starts grabbing boxes without really knowing where anything is being moved yet.

Sebastian- "I hope Kane shows up soon. At least I'll have someone to talk to while I'm doing this. I can't believe I got roped into this by my sister." He thinks to himself while having a scowl on his face. Clears his throat a little. "Hello Nadine, is there something I can get started on?"

Nadine- Looking around at the boxes and Hyde already getting things without instruction. "Alright everyone listen up! We need to move all of these boxes to the storage room. These boxes to the laundry. And these boxes to the front hall.... You can get started on which ever you would like Sebastian." She smiles and grabs his arm pulling him toward the boxes for the hallway.