Insanity Returns.

[Darius]

The ship slid silently and slowly into the port, coming to a gentle stop as the bow nudged the wall. No light illuminated the deck, or any of the portholes, and signs of age and battle scarred many of the surfaces. A few of the dock workers looked at the image before them briefly, before ignoring it, some gentle push on their psyche making them forget what they had seen, and rendered the ship invisible to their conscious mind now as their gaze slid blankly over the surface.

Slowly, one of the bulkheads opened, a terrible screech of rust and metal piercing through the night, ignored by those close by, and deigned to be from a more mundane source by those further away. Something moved within the darkness beyond, slowly becoming clearer as it stepped out from the bowels of the vessel. Covered in a hooded trench coat, black in colour, along with matching combat trousers and boots, the face was covered by a gasmask, lens tinted blue, glowing with some unknown power from within.  Tink, tink, tink was the only sound which came from the figure, that of the various knives covering the form tapping against one and other.

Reaching the edge, it stepped off without hesitation, falling the distance without concerning, only to land and continue walking as though nothing had happened. Walking unseen by the workers around him, he reached the edge of the port, looking out towards the city itself, cocking his head to one side as though listening, no sound coming at all now.

"We should burn it all down..." The voice came from no where, as if carried by the wind, causing the figure to shake it's head. "I told you, you'll get your fill of what you call fun in due time. However, we agreed, we need this place, it's the only place to ever accept us. And you know you will get more chances with these than without them." The words were never spoken aloud, though the figure heard them all the same, waiting silently for a reply.

"I know, I know, but it was worth a try, and I've been so bored on that ship. But as you wish, we made an agreement, and I'll stick to it...Darius."


Stepping forwards, he felt a psychic shudder run through the city now, those in the know, and those with latent psychic powers, sensing the return of him, a small smile coming to his face underneath the mask.

[Taz]

"Got enough weapons on ya mister" Sitting in a odd crossed position on the side of the port, close to the water then then port itself, no reflection showed within the water's surface. The massive scythe being the only weapon that would be showed on his form more so cause it was the only one he really used, this guy was powerful, even he could feel that, the way he spoke reminded him of another that he had crossed paths with a while back.

Straightening up and now stood with light footing on the very edge of the port, resting the hands behind his head, usually his eyes would be blue to match the odd colouring of his hair but not this form, this was red, allowing most to think other then what he really was, a little trick he'd been forced to play for now anyway, watching the man and wondering what the other had planned, this place was getting more and more interesting the longer he stayed.

[Darius]

He didn't turn to look at the male, though he did cock his head to the side, listening to what the male had said, before his shoulders begain to rise and fall, a silent laugh due to his damaged vocal cords. "he think's we need these weapons, how cute..." The voice echoing through Darius' mind, the figure slowly turning towards the other now, eyes scanning and analysing the male first.

Moment's later, his mind did a quick psychic scan, and sensing nothing which hinted at an attack to him, he allowed himself a respite to talk, the first conversation he had partaken in for months, and the first in the city he had grown to call home once in even longer.

The words he spoke never came from his mouth, but rather his own thought's made into that which could be perceived, and whilst they entered the others mind, it was no form of telepathy, but rather as a voice that had gone unheard till it reached his ears. " Now now, can one ever have to many weapons, eh? Though truth be told, I don't need any of them, I just prefer to not show what I can actually do. But you can't really talk eh mate? That scythe is pretty big, compensating for something?"

His tone held a hint of teasing at the end, and gave the impression of a smile, a trick he had learnt so those could get an image of his facial expression if he desired, the real thing hidden away beneath the mask.

[Taz]

Gave a very slight tilt of his head, it was an odd way of speaking but it was amusing none the less, a small smile showed, it was no way real but it did hold a slight sign of his true sider rather then the usual child like manner he played. "Not in the slightest but one can never be to careful with all the fangs around this place, it's a wonder no one has opened an amusement park for em" He had no clue what this man was able to do which kept his guard a lot higher then usual, no doubt knowing the man could take him with ease if he tried, there was no use in even trying to fight this guy but he was interested in the strange vibe he gave off more then fighting the man.

"Ya got a name, most call me Taz" It was an old nickname and not many knew how he got it but there was a reason behind it just like there was a reason for the weapon he carried, a small few clicks of his fingers was heard, something he did when he had nothing better to do, he had a feeling this guy was hiding a lot more then he let on and had to be taken a lot more carefully then the coven master.

[Darius]

He grinned again now beneath the mask, amused and slightly impressed by the male, as many in this city seemed to forget what was actually here, and of those few that didn't, not many assumed they had to protect their selves from them. " Aye, it seems that instead of overcompensating, you compensated in a way that allows you, if not an advantage, equal ground with the fangs as you call them." He turned to face the man now, hands held out to his sides to show he wasn't going for any weapons, though he knew the man would still be on his guard, though against what he wasn't sure.

" I wonder if he knows that unlike those he has dealt with before, we are an entirely different class?" The voice whispered through his head, though Darius chose to ignore it. He had only moments ago set foot on the land again, and had no desire to fight. Yet. And the male had given him no reason to think of him as an enemy.

"As for an amusement park, give it time, Ajax is probably just waiting for the planning permission. And Taz eh? Like the tasmanian devil? Let me guess, your fighting style involves spins using that scythe eh?" He fell silent again for a moment, contemplating how to word his next sentence. " As for my name? That's a tricky one. At the moment though you can call me Darius, though at other times it won't be me. You'll get the hang of it if your around me enough though." He fell silent now, watching the male still, an odd vibe coming from the other, something similar, yet different, which intrigued him.

[Taz]

"I'm guessing ya got more then one in that head of yours, wouldn't be the first one I've met with that" He grinned more, no one but this man had got that little make up with the devil and himself. He was more impressed now by the man. "Darius, interesting name, but I thank ya for something, I finally know his name but I will still call him his nickname, suits him more, all bark and no bite ya know" He did not move in the slightest now but his eyes always watching the other for any sign of movement, he did not feel the man was on guard to attack which was a welcome relief.

"Ya the first to know the fighting style I use without having gone against me, I'm impressed, though something tells me this is the more kinder version of yourself and the hell inside your head, like you I hold another personality to my child like one you see now however I'm not to sure it's the same as your own, least we will see I am sure" He allowing his guard to lower more, he didn't suit being to pent up for long. "Sorry I couldn't meet ya in my real body though"

[Darius]

Nodding, he laughed silently again at Taz's words about Ajax, before he spoke again, his voice slightly more serious now " You say some brave things Taz, but take heed on this. Ajax, or at least the Ajax I knew before I was ... let's say busy for now, is humourous. But trust me, he has a bite, and not always his own. And my name is interesting? How so?" He was generally curious about this, his past having meant he had never even questioned his own name before, and he now wondered what the other male thought on it.

Hearing what Taz said about his mental state though, he felt Fury push at him, his voice shouting in his head " Oh let me show him how much we are different Darius,it's been so long!" Shaking his head against his other self, he did something he hadn't for a while, and pushed him down, before he spoke some more " Aye, there are more than me in my head, and as for how much kinder I am, trust me, that may not be the case. I just have more self control than the others. Well, some of them anyways." Sighing he shook his head again, unable to think of a better way to explain what he meant, and instead moving the conversation away from the topic " Well once you said your name was Taz, and looking at the scythe, it came apparent. I knew someone once with a similar style, though with a different weapon, however it was a life time ago when I knew him. As for their being more than one you? It makes sense you have more than your own body. And only a fool meets those they do not know in a place like this in a state where they could be ended permanently. Though at this moment i have no cause, or wish, to do that to you."

[Taz]

Listened to what the man said, he nodded ever so slightly. "I'm a shadow clone, Ya friend has the real me in cell in the bottom of the coven, something about him taking offence to me being sent here to scout for the upcoming hunters" Shrugging slightly, he knew better the underestimate someone cause they held self control, more so with such odd flow of energies to them. "We all have our reasons to walk this world, mind just happened to be my job so I can continue ta walk this earth if ya catch my drift" He didn't really enjoy his job most of the time but it was kill or be killed in his line of work.

He tilted his head slightly with a faint grin. "Everyone has bite to them, one way or another and ya suit ya name cause it seems to suit the strange smell and aura you hold, no offence but to me ya smell like ya just stepped out of a gas chamber filled with corpses" Waving a hand before his face with a light grin, he was just messing with the man.

[Darius]

This time his mind sent forth a mental laugh, though their were many intermingled with each other, slowly falling silent one by one as he looked back at the male " You know, the way you described my 'smell' is actually quite accurate. Quite a few times in my life I have been the only person to emerge out of places which contained many others. It's odd to find someone who seems to of picked up on that though."

Hearing the male speak about his body being held, and the reason why, caused a slight flash of anger within him, though it lasted only a moment, and more due to his own time in the past of being hunted for various reason. " You say Ajax has you held in a cell? That's interesting. I get the idea that you don't like the fact you were here for this reason though. You thought about talking to Ajax and making some kind of deal? I can guarantee he will treat ya fairly, and probably not force you to do anything against your wishes. Also, for the record, he's not my master. I used to follow him, and will again if he allows me back into the coven, but I have no master."

As the man spoke about everyone walking the earth for his own reason though, he laughed again " Aye, everyone does walk the earth for their own reason. However there are a rare few of us, like me, who walk it for no reason at all, at least none that we know of. However, at times, I think I walk it for two reasons. One to watch the world burn. Second, to burn the world's of my enemies." The lens of the gasmask flashed briefly as he finished speaking, a smile on his face again, having forgot for a while that even someone as lost as him sometimes had a purpose.

[Taz]

"You hold your own purpose, to some it may not make sense and make others very worried to be around you in case ya flip a switch, me however, I walk it cause I would much rather walk it then be lost to the world of the nothingness again, ya right, I don't like my job but if I don't do it, it's my head and I'd much keep it right where it is. I'm human but what they did to me makes ya wonder what I really am anymore, I hate em and I hate the world but I need to live in it, I can't go back to nothingness, I refuse it so I do what I do to remain where someone if only one knows I exists"

It was odd to even be talking so much to anyone, usually he just watched and refused to speak of his past but the other held a sense of like himself, which allowed him to actually show he was not as alone as he thought he was, there were others he was kind to but it was usually to get what he needed to keep existing in one way or another. "personally I hold nothing against the fangman and know he's tryin' to save the place he holds dear but I'm trying to save myself as well, I refuse to no longer exists"

[Darius]

Listening to what the male said, he shook his head at various comments, and nodded at others, feeling the faint edges of pain within the man's words. He stood, silent and motionless for a moment, before he began to speak again. " I know what you mean Taz, everyone does walk their own paths, but some of us don't understand what that path is, what it means or where it leads to. Instead, we focus on an aspect, and follow that, rather than acknowledging that we are capable of more than what we perceive."

Reaching slowly now, he removed one of his blades, which he began to twirl around his fingers, watching the other before he continued to speak. " First of all, relax, the knife is to help me cope with what I'm about to talk about, consider it a coping device. Now, from what you've said, someone has experimented on you at some point, hence why you felt like you didn't exist. I know what that's like, I grew up in a lab, used as an experiment. I won't got into more details, but your not alone in that."

"Why are you trying to help this mortal Darius? It's unlike ussssss...." The word's echoed through his head, though again he ignored them, feeling the truth behind his other self's words, knowing that even though he owed his existence to those that experimented on him, pain was due to them more, something Fury himself disliked when inflicted upon him.

" However, have you contemplated this Taz. With your knowledge on hunter's, you could be an asset here? And through that you can make sure you never cease to exist? Ajax and the others would make sure of that. You would have somewhere you could call home, people to call comrades, people who could protect you?" He fell silent again, curious as to why he was expressing so much, and as to why he was trying to help the male, his usual aime anything but what was leaving his mouth. However, part of him seemed to feel that he could help the other man, before he became as damaged as Darius himself.

[Deleted]

Sam left the ship after everyone else had disembarked since she was a stow away, her red curls bouncing as she hop-scotched her way towards the bridge leading down onto land. Along the way she pulled Bunny from one of the crates where she had stuck him during their journey. The bear had struggled against the ropes and ripped up many of his stitches. With delicate lace gloves she plucked him free and dangled him from an ear, his chest bleeding out onto the planks while Sam kept him away from her body so as not to ruin her black dress with the red ribbon sash and bows. She swayed to a sound only she could hear, the sound of the ocean and waves crashing against each other drowning out everything else. Including the people unloading the rest of the cargo. Down the bridge and onto the boardwalk, finally settling Bunny down. Her finger twirled in the air as the stuffed animal flopped onto its belly, then rolled over and gained its footing.

A dark spirit flew out from beneath the ocean waves and the water sloshed angrily but sam ignored it and then began to twirl, her arms open wide as she swayed and swooned to the music of her choosing. The radio station in her head always flipping through others without her wanting it to. For now she left her arms spread wide and continued forward, not noticing that there were men up ahead. Someone with a mask, someone she had been seeking but had lost hope of ever finding and another younger one, with a scythe on his back.

The music continued to play, Bunny lifted from the ground as he tried to keep up on short and bloody stubby legs while Sam sung and danced her way along, minding her own madness in this world of the living. It was as if she were waltzing with the stuffed animal, his fluff sticking out and looking much like guts turned to mulch, hanging out heinously.

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream

But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once
The way you did once upon a dream..."


Still trapped in the haunting melody of her own voice, Sam twirled and rammed face first right into the male with the mask, who had his back turned to her. The spell broken sent the spirit wailing like a banshee towards the shore; released from its cage in Hell, no longer having to pay for its sins and ready to cause more havoc. Instead of apologizing though, Sam rubbed at her nose and Bunny pulled a scalpel from his stomach, advancing menacingly on the boot of the man who had injured his mistress.

[Darius]

He felt the impact upon his back, hid mind sensing the presence moments before the impact, resulting in his form not shifting. Rolling his neck for a moment, he shrugged at Taz, hearing a voice call out in his mind as he began to turn round.

"How dare this impudent whelp walk into us. We should teach them some manners! We should burn them! Show them what it means to walk into..Sam?" The voice inside his head fell silent as his own voice pushed out in a psychic projection, astonished to see the girl in front of him. Reaching out slowly, he brushed the hair from her face gently, before lifting the teddy bear gently, making sure she retained her grip on it, to study it, before he finally let go.

Stepping back slightly, he glanced over his shoulder to the male behind him " Taz, you may wanna step back a little, I'm not sure how this could go." Looking back at Redd Sam now, he tilted his head to the side, studying the changes in her, both physically and mentally, both his physical and metaphysical senses examining her.

He doubted she would hurt him, but he stayed on guard anyways, curious if the girl would remember him after he disappeared so suddenly, wondering if she would even believe the reason why. He made no move however, and took no more actions towards interaction, instead waiting to see what she would do herself, knowing that with this person, either one could set off various changes in the other, the majority of which would not be pleasant for those in the area.

[Taz]

Noted the words, he knew it, like him he had been played with, he did not mind the knife, knowing like him he did the same thing when needing to calm, he leaped back and slid to a stop, the odd woman gave off a strange aura, more stranger then Darius, following the man's advice to step back and watched the woman carefully as he straightened up, slipping his hands into his pockets, his head tilted to the right ever so slightly, not to sure what to make of the woman just yet but stayed back as Darius requested of him, working over the man's last words before the woman showed, he turned slightly so he was looking upwards for a few moments, closing his eyes, debating, yet his guard was higher, much higher then it had been around Darius when they had first met.

He knew staying here would be dangerous, not just to himself but to those who he was meeting but he also did not wish to return to the cage in the lab again, he hated it more then anything, always kept in the cage, docile and chained up unless on missions, it was his only freedom which is why he usually dragged his missions out so much, he craved the freedom. Snapping his attention back to the two. "I take it ya know her Darius?"

[Deleted]

Sam's fingers twitched as they folded the edges of her dress and then smoothed them out over the petticoats. Her stockings had been caught in a nail and ripped, the butterfly pattern ruined which made her quite upset. She didn't seem to notice or flinch when he touched at her hair and pulled it out of the way of her face, fingers flexing and breath coming quickly. So many voices spinning around in her head, the dead became a swarm of hornets and pricked against her skin, they clawed at her from the ocean and beneath the waters moaned their quiet song turned thunderous in her ears. Then they did the unthinkable and pulled on Bunny, which had her lunging forward and slapping the hand that gripped him away with a ferocious swipe. The Bunny was pulled against her body, and sharp emerald eyes turned upwards, the defiant face contorted in rage.

"DON'T TOUCH BUNNY! Presumed my heart, that it was slain... then I took his... not to give back again... Mine."

Gaze focused on Darius now, the mask seeming to trigger some form of recognition from the otherwise insane girl. The sands began to shift closer to the shore, pronouncing the girl's outburst as a chasm opened and from its parted lips the fingers turned to bones rose out, pulling from it bodies whose teeth clack, clack, clacked. Entranced by the soul of the corrupted one before her, Sam took a step forward and reached out to touch at Darius's mask when the voice of the other male interrupted and broke the spell.

Turning quickly she bared her teeth at him and advanced, with water sloshing angrily and spilling about their feet. The sound of groaning wood echoed the angry tide, but it had a deeper more animalistic tone to it. The smell of rotten fish and decaying flesh overcame the sent of salt and from the angry waves, parting in the presence of the monster came a tentacle with half its rubbery flesh missing, moving on once sinewy muscle kept limp though strong through the soul that powered it. It towered over them all, but it was obvious that this squid's tentacle had one purpose. To sweep the interfering creature, posing a threat to her and Darius.

"Under the sea... Under the sea.. that's where he'll be.. down where it's wetter... for all eternity..."