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*click*

You get it working yet?

....I think? ....I see a red light, so I'm guessing that means I figured out how to turn it on. ...Okay, we can start now.

Finally...

Oh, hush. Okay, let's start off with your name.

Lyn.

And that's the only name you go by?

Yes, but...Well, it isn't my birth name. Not exactly, at least.

So what's your birth name?

Lyndis. I didn't know my family name back then, so I just got used to never having one.

But you know it now, right?

Yeah. Mercutio. Seein' as I was born out of wedlock, I'd get my ma's name instead of my da's. ...Not that I'd call either of them that.

So tell me about your parents. What do you know of them?

Of them as people? Not much. I wasn't raised by them. My mother was the matron of the Mercutio family. My father's the chief of the Oni.

So who were you raised by, if not your parents?

A clan of nomadic humans. They were traders, and took me in after my mother left me on a bag of flour. From what I've heard from them, I couldn't have been more than a week old, if that.

Arg, I forgot something.

Again?

*sigh* Yeah. I forgot to have you describe yourself.

Heh. Well, that's easy enough. I've got blue skin and short orange hair. My eyes are red. I'm female, cause I know this is audio only. *chuckle* I've got a four-foot long tail that is bare for the most part, and furred at the last half a foot. I'm about 5'8" tall. My weight's none of your business, though I know I'm heavier than I look.

Which isn't surprisingly, really.

Yeah, that's only because you know how strong I can be, though. Anyhow, I've got a vine tattoo that goes all over my body. Makes sort of tribal patterns if you don't look really closely at it. Oh, and I have horns sprouting out of my forehead. There's one about each eye, and they're about two inches in length. They used to be shorter.

When did they grow?

Not too long ago. I figure we'll get around to that soon enough.

Right. Let's see, where were we.... Ah. So the traders that took you in, how did they treat you?

Sorta...well, they tolerated me, at least. I can't say that they truly loved me, but they did care for me. They protected me when outsiders tried to kill me, and made sure that I stayed healthy. I was always making trouble, though, so I can't say that I blame them. I'd cause a fuss because I looked so different from the rest, and I healed faster than anyone else. I fell a LOT. Usually out of trees. I climbed trees all the time before my tail grew in.

Before your tail grew in?

Yeah. That happened around my thirteenth birthday. I was...sent to get some water from the river around nightfall. While I was there...I...heard people in the camp screaming. I dropped the bucket in the river and ran back to see why, cause we weren't anywhere near a town, so it should have been quiet... *clears throat*

You don't have to go on, if you want...

No, it's alright. When I got back to the camp, it was chaotic. The headwoman grabbed me and pushed me under a wagon and told me to stay put, so I did... I....There was a man there. He was really tall, and... and he was standing in the middle of an area that was crackling with lightning.

In the middle of the lightning? Wow. Brave guy.

I guess. I was just terrified of him. See, lightning scares me a fair bit, even now. Back then, it could set me into a panic attack. It didn't help any that the lightning was striking around him at my clan. I didn't see any of the bolts hit anyone, though.

Can you calm down for a moment and describe the man for me?

Yeah...He...had gray skin. A light gray, not like the color my skin turns to when I've been in the sun a fair bit. He had black hair, and it was only partially slicked back. It was covering up one of his eyes, so I could only see the one that had a scar going over it. I don't exactly remember his eye color, but I know he was wearing a long, black sleeveless coat, and some thin armor underneath. He had a sword in his hand, and that's where most of the blood that was splattered all over him came from.

Most?

When he caught the headwoman, he stabbed the sword into the ground while he interrogated her. She was the last one. When she didn't give him the answer he wanted, he... *shaky breath* He used his hand to pull out her heart. Then he dropped it onto the ground and stepped on it.

Oh my...

Yeah...It was while he was picking his sword up that he spotted me. It turns out he'd actually been looking for me...He'd found out that I existed from my mother, whom he'd killed just a few months prior. He'd spent years tracking her down. I wasn't even well hidden.

So what did he do?

To me? Well, he talked a bit, gloating as he told me I deserved to at least know why I was going to be killed. When he actually went to do the deed, I knocked his sword out of his hand. He got pretty upset, and grabbed for me. I climbed up onto his back, which got him even angrier. *slight, wavery chuckle*

I bet. So he wasn't expecting a thirteen year old to be able to evade him when the rest of your clan didn't?

Not at all. He expected my grabbing his head and breaking his neck even less.

....Oh....

Yeah. *deep breath in* So after that, there was only one cart that was undamaged, and only a couple of horses that hadn't been able to run off like the rest. I salvaged what I could and left, after I'd buried them all. His sword was gone, but I found a dagger where his body had been. I kept that.

A dagger?

Yeah, a little dagger that was more handle than blade. 'Course, it wasn't until a good while longer that I found out that that was what the man had turned into. And by that time, I was barely able to travel because I was in so much pain.

Were you sick?

No. My tail was starting to grow, and I was worrying about a couple of knobs that were growing above my eyebrows, just under my hairline.

Ah, so that was when your tail and horns started to grow in.

Yeah. Before that, I looked like a dark elf kid with red eyes and orange hair. By the time I got to the nearest city, I needed to wear a coat to hide my tail, and a hat to hide my half-inch-long horns.

What did you do after your clan was killed?

A lot of things. I'm not too proud about most of them. I stole a bit, but I wasn't too good at that. I found out that I was better at buying things from people and selling them at a higher price, so I did that, buying stuff off of thieves. When I was around fourteen, I found that I could lift someone twice my height off of the ground. Soon after that, I started to...play...with how to inflict pain on someone without them dying.

So you were well embedded in the black market?

*chuckle* Yeah, that's a...polite way to put it. I had to travel still, to keep from getting caught. I was in Aekea for a while. Dref Dur was a haven for me, too. I made a lot of connections there, and they didn't bother me after the fifteenth time someone showed up dead.

F-fifteenth?

It's better if you don't ask.

Right. Well, what led you away from all that?

Heh. That, actually, was thanks to Tamaki. I found him, or he found me, in an alleyway in Dref Dur. He couldn't fly then, so he scared the...tar out of me when he emerged from a pile of garbage. A bronze teapot moving on its own will startle anyone, I swear. I tried to shoo him away, but he kept following me around. After a few days, I started to feel responsible for the little bugger, and polished him up while waiting for someone with decent goods to come by. A week after that, and I snarled at someone who wanted to buy him. I got attached to the little guy pretty fast, considering how I was back then.

It sure sounds like it. Where'd you go from there?

Durem. On the airship back to the mainland, I did a lot of thinking. By the time I got there, I'd decided to go legit. I sold my cart and horse, and the rest of my stolen goods. I wandered around trying to look for a job. I have to admit, it was hard. Thieves kept coming up to me trying to sell me their goods, and I had to turn them away. After a while, I figured out that it was cause of the brand of cigarette that I smoked, so I quit that. Only reason I didn't start it up again once the first cravings hit was because of Tamaki. I don't even rightly remember when I named him.

But it sounds like you're really fond of him.

I am. He got me turned around. If I hadn't found him, I'd probably either be in jail or dead at this point.

So once you quit smoking, were you able to find a job?

Yeah. I got taken in by a group of builders. They taught me how to build things right, so they don't fall down again. *chuckle* I learned more than just that, though. I learned how to go about dealing with people properly. By the time I left them, the guys told me that I'd changed a lot, and all of it for the better. ...Told me they'd miss me, too. I could lift a beam up by myself that would take four of the guys to lift.

Awww. Do you miss them?

On occasion. None of them were really friends with me, and I was always looking over my shoulder. I left because I saw a few too familiar faces around the construction sites.

And those familiar faces being unfriendly ones, I take it?

Yep. Some old rivals, some that I knew were informants.

I see. What did you do after you left the construction crew?

*laughs* I found myself a job at a university, of all places.

Really?

Yeah. I started off as a janitor for a research lab, and then ended up as an actual researcher.

Was that when you met Fel?

Yeah. When I first met her, I was...well, I didn't want anything to do with people for most of the day. She broke me out of that pretty fast. And taught me that I really shouldn't drink alcohol. We were both lucky that I snapped on someone that was actually causing a problem. Not that I remember it.

So you're a lightweight? *slight chuckle*

'Lightweight' is an understatement. Especially back then. After a month of being in Fel's company, I was a good deal more comfortable around her. And by then, I'd been promoted from janitor to assistant researcher. *chuckle* I'm still convinced it was because I was the only one in the facility with common sense.

Hah. That's always good. So what did you do there?

Too many things, and I'd rather not remember because of all the horrific failures.

...Alright. Did you make any friends there?

I made one. A guy named Mordicai flirted at me a lot. He had a prosthetic arm, and was always coming by the lab that I was working in to see what I was up to. His was a lot quieter, seeing as he worked with plants. ....No, I take that back. They had their own share of explosions.

Oh? Did you ever introduce him to Fel?

Never. *laughs* I liked the guy, but I didn't want to tumble him. If I'd introduced him to Fel, I would have had him shoved at me. For all she and I were in bed together often, she was really insistent on getting me with guys.

Oh? How old were you around this time, again?

*sighs* I think I was eighteen or nineteen. I found Tamaki while I was seventeen. So Fel's actually a little older than me. I think.

Right, because you don't know your birthday. When did you leave this job?

It was a mix of things, really. I was starting to see familiar faces around campus, and things were really getting crazy in the labs. I was involved in an incident where Mordi's prosthetic arm broke. The stupid thing was supposed to be unbreakable, but....it broke.

Did anyone try to get you to stay?

No one got the chance. I didn't make any indication that I was thinking of leaving. I just packed up, mailed my resignation in to the lab, and left a note for Fel. Thinking back on it, that probably was the worst way to go about it.

Ooh, maybe it was. I can't imagine that any of them were prepared for you to suddenly disappear. What did you do afterwards?

I wandered a bit. Went back to Durem, and got a job in the library, repairing old books. I liked it, actually. I was away from people, and with books.

So you like to read?

I love to read. *chuckles* Ever since I'd learned how to, back with the clan, I'd read every book I could get my hands on, no matter whether it was someone else's or not.

Hah. I know that feeling. How long were you at each of these jobs?

I did construction for half a year. Spent a month while trying to find another job. I was at the lab for a little over a year, which was the longest I'd ever spent in one spot.

So you were probably a little restless by the time you left it, huh?

Yeah. After I left, I didn't have a job for about another year, but I had enough money set aside to survive. I had the library job for all of a month, though. *chuckle*

Haha. So what's your current job?

Well, I actually have two jobs now, and have for quite a while. I hunt Animated, and demons, when there's the need.

I see. That's quite a step up from your previous problems.

Yeah. I think I've finally settled into my niche. Not that it's been easy.

I understand. So when did you get your tattoos?

Just before I got the library job. Devin helped me out a lot. He's...actually grown to be like an older brother to me. *laugh* I sorta gave him carte blanch on the tattoo design. I do like how it came out, though.

It's a very attractive design. How's your life now?

Pretty good. After I met Dante and the crew, things started to sink in that I wasn't as alone as I thought. I'd never met another hybrid before, even though I'm still the only one I know that isn't part human.

I know of Dante, but who are the others?

Well, there's Tess. She's short, fiery, and has more spunk than she knows what to do with. Her da was an incubus, I believe. Then there's my roommate, Aurion. He's more trouble than he's worth at times. Tess keeps trying to convince us to date.

*laugh* Sure sounds like trouble. What's sharing an apartment with Aurion like?

It's a pain. He'll clean up the public spaces, but he has a tendency to leave comic books scattered all over the place. His room's a mess, but I don't go in there. Oh, and I've never seen a bite of food last a week in the apartment. Even the preserved stuff.

I see. So you've indicated a bit about your unique trait. Just how much weight can you lift?

I'm not sure about the exact number, but...I can lift a mid-sized car up off the ground completely. I'll have a sore back for a while, though, from the strain. Picking up an iron bench is a fun trick to scare off anyone who bothers to flirt, though.

I imagine. Is there anyone else that you interact with on a regular basis?

Well, there's Lady, who I'll take jobs from. *laugh* She's a tough woman. It took all my skill to get her to agree to only taking fifty percent of the take from the jobs I get from her. Then there's Lucian. He's....odd.

How so?

Well...He was an enemy once. There was a point in time where I wanted nothing more than to slaughter him, as slowly and painfully as possible. Then he got stabbed in the back and joined us to kill the one that had done so.

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend?'

Exactly. After about a year, I'd gotten used to him. I'll still give him a hard time every once in a while, but that's just because he's a friend.

So he was your enemy. What exactly is he?

Full demon, as far as I can tell. He's even more closed-mouthed on his past than I am on mine.

I see. Hm....I think we've run out of serious topics.

It seems so. *chuckle*

Ah, no, wait. I should get information on your father's side.

On the Oni? Hm. Well, I suppose so. I get more than just strength from my demon side, after all.

Oh?

Yeah. I can speak Japanese fluently, and read runes as clearly as if they were English.

How are the two connected? One's Japanese culture, and the other is Norse.

Oni and trolls are the same species. Kinda. My da, Jotunn, has a norse name, but he's well and truly an Oni, so...

So it's not that far of a jump. You mentioned before I got the tape going that you can do some magic?

Not magic. Alchemy. I get it from my mother's side. It's part of why I was able to survive for so long with a job.

That's awfully handy.

It is. I sorta stopped practicing for a while after getting the hunting jobs, so I gotta see just how rusty I am.

Okay, now I think that's all the serious questions. Favorite color?

Red. Especially the shade my eyes are.

They are awfully bright. Favorite food?

Onigiri. I love rice balls. Especially if they have pulled pork in the middle.

Favorite music style?

Jazz.

Favorite season?

Spring.

Least favorite season?

I hate winter.

Why?

I get weak during winter. My healing rate drops to the rate of a normal dark elf, and I can't lift nearly as much as normal.

Sounds a bit dangerous for you.

It is. That's why I tend to not go out much during winter.

Favorite flower?

Azalea.

Hm....Can't think of any more questions. I'd say we're done.

Great. Time for me to go see what mess Tama's made for me to pick up.

*chuckle* He's like a child, eh?

Yep.

*click*