The Ivory Press [Central Circuit News]

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  [] no need to apologize. I just hope you feel a bit better. Keep warm and hydrated!

Sen let out a soft chuckle as he carefully set the gem down, its glow lingering in the corner of his vision. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in how much it intrigued the other. "It is something." he murmured, his voice a bit distant as he let his fingers trace the edges of the gem, even though he didn't yet fully understand its nature. "Rest assured, it wouldn't be doing any of those things." he continued, his confidence carrying the weight of someone who had always relied on luck to get him out of tight spots. But truth be told, he still needed to dig deeper into its origins.

When Emily's rolled up paper found its way toward him, he couldn't hold back a small laugh. "Well, it's nice to know my near death experiences would be worth something." he quipped, eyes flicking to her for a moment before returning to his journal. He flipped through the pages, looking for the brief notes he'd made about the gem, scribbled hastily while gathering information from locals familiar with the ruins.

Emily’s words about his unyielding luck made him smile lightly, though it was tempered with the bittersweet memory of a dear friend and how often he had pushed luck to its limit. "I just gotta use all my luck until it runs out." he said, shrugging nonchalantly as he reached for a nearby glass of water. Nothing in his journeys was easy, but for Sen, that was part of the thrill. He never seemed to fret over the dangers that came with his expeditions. His eyes then sparkled mischievously at the thought of Bible's reaction. "But until then, I’ll make sure to give Bible a run for his money." he added playfully. It was always a game with him, finding ways to make his reports as entertaining as they were informative.

As he looked back up at Emily, his eyes shifted toward the stack of papers on her desk, curiosity piqued. "What have you been busy with, huh?" he asked. "Looks like you’ve got enough to keep you occupied." Sen made a small. The thought of being buried in paperwork was enough to make him squirm.

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  The air thickened, suffocating me as the weight of my sister’s absence clawed at my insides. I could almost hear her voice, mocking me from the shadows where I couldn’t reach. The parchment Emily shoved into my hand felt like a chain, one I couldn't break—one that anchored me to this moment.
A minute. Maybe less. Damn it.

I couldn’t concentrate. Where are they? The missing creatures. The cold fingers of urgency were digging deeper into my chest. But there was something else. A scent. A foreign smell, sharp and metallic, tickling the back of my throat. My head snapped up, pulse quickening. There was someone else—someone at the door. Not just a guard or passerby. This felt wrong.
Emily’s frantic voice cut through the haze, her words distant, as if a lifetime away.
“Dawn. Come on. We got to go. Or at least get you out of here.”

She wasn’t wrong. There was no time. I glanced over at the nearest desk. Dark wood, empty. My eyes darted around, desperate. The pressure in my chest built, suffocating.
Then, I saw it. The corner of a shadow—the desk tucked far away, stacked high with piles of unread paper.
Bible’s desk.

No time to think. I moved faster than thought, my body hitting the cold floor, slipping beneath the desk like a shadow in the night.
I could hear the sound of Emily’s footsteps—her breath shallow. The faint echo of the barrier’s breach still lingered in the air. But now, it was all about survival. Quiet, stealth. My eyes narrowed as they locked onto a piece of parchment sticking out from under a pile. I snatched it faster than I could blink.

It was a lead. Not just a lead—something more. It burned through me like fire.
A soft creak from the door.
Too close.

I froze, my pulse hammering in my ears. The door clicked closed with a finality that echoed through the room. I didn’t need to see the figure walking in to know who it was. The distinct scent of Solar Celestial—a purity that made my skin prickle—filled the air. Bible was here.
He stopped just behind Emily’s desk. Too close.
I dared not breathe.
“Emily,” his voice was calm, detached. “You're working rather late… What were you doing here... after hours?”

My heart skipped, and in the silence, the only thing I could hear was the soft rustle of paper, the inevitable question hanging in the air, and the crushing weight of everything I had to lose.

@♦ Sen Mitsuji (My apologies. i was out sick with allergies.)

She narrowed her eyes at the gleaming hem, the rhythmic pulse within casting a flickering red light across the polished floor. Emily moved her hair over her shoulder as she leaned down to get a better look. She reached out--not to touch, but to hover her fingers just above the gem's surface, feeling the unnatural warmth radiating from it. "I think.....this could definitely be something." Her voiced edged with both amusement and calculation, "However, Bible may demand to know whether it's going to explode, curse the office, or hatch into something." Her red eye flicked back to Sen's face before pointing a rolled up latest paper at him. "He may scold at you about the automaton, but," She grins with him, "The fund of the trinket nearly getting you killed may be worth telling in the paper."

Emily crossed her arms as she leaned against the nearby desk, still intrigued by the gem. "You have an infuriating habit of making it look easy, you know that." She wasn't sure how this man does it. Despite what the words may seems, she meant with a blend of serious inquiry and warmth, acknowledging just how impossible it was to keep Sen from chasing the thrill of discovery. "Luck and fate must have a soft spot for you. A bit of a reckless journalist who does his job quite well." She complimented as she straighten up, brushing the invisible dust from her sleeve before flashing a small knowing smile. "I do think Bible will be impressed. He'll complained first and probably demand a full report. Then maybe yell about expenses of the trip. But he does love a good story." Her eyes gleamed with amusement tapping the top of his desk. "And you, Sen, always come back with the best one."

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  “Uhuh…” Sen answered absently, swiftly jotting down notes in his journal. He barely registered the other's voice until she was right at his desk. Glancing up, his signature smile lit up his face at the sight of her inquisitive expression, her question striking just the right chord of curiosity. “Gather?” he echoed, leaning back in his chair with a casual air. He reached into the deep pocket of his long coat, his movements deliberate, as though savoring the moment. With a flourish, he produced a hand sized, white, egg shaped gem, its surface faintly glowing with an eerie red pulse, like a heartbeat.

“Grabbed this beauty on my way out of the ruins. Before they collapsed, of course.” he added with a wink, his grin widening. He conveniently left out the part where he’d been seconds away from being flattened by falling debris, or how he’d had to dive through a crumbling archway, clutching the gem for dear life. No need to concern the female with those minor details. “What do you think?” he asked, holding the gem up so the pulsing light reflected off the glossy flooring. “Think Bible will be impressed, or will he just demand to know why I didn’t bring back the automaton too?” He asked with a playful tone, while his eyes admired the gem like the first time he laid eyes on it.

@♦ Sen Mitsuji The loud bang was nothing new to Emily as she stayed by her desk, eyes looking up at the human. Shaking her head, she continue to write down what Bible had asked her to do. Being his assistant was supposed to be easy but how can it be when one is so particular about getting him evidence. The dipped feather scribbled down the rest of her thoughts from this morning's meeting before she stood up and stretch, watching the human once more, this time interacting with the other workers.

"Near death experience?" Emily asked out loud making her way over to his desk, her heels clicking against the glossed flooring. "You were gone because you went on a near death experience with pirates?" Maybe the human had a better grasp of this job than she did. Getting paid to travel. That does sound much better. "I do hope you got more that just this one article, Sen. Bible may be expecting more that just a recap of your journey. What else were you able to gather?"

@❦ Kim Hyo-jong ¥✔ She grins at him, holding his hand in hers. "I know you didn't. Maybe this is just me also being reckless and needing a reason to see more than just working and..." Emily nudges her shoulder against his, "for me to stop being nosy like you called me on multiple occasions, publicly." She recalled all the small banters whenever people had gathered in the tavern. "Oh, a full time Pain in your . That sounds like a fun challenge."

Emily looked at her coworker's desk contemplating on where to start. Taeyeon did write the columns therefore she should know more about the disappearing or at least have some interviews or observations from others. "Let's see what you." She sat down flipping through piles of parchments, glancing over the scribbled ink. Only one was useful but even the comment back from Bible was showing that it was not on his radar too much just yet. "Damn him and always needing every evidence ." She folded the parchment before freezing in her spot.

"."

A ringing went off as chills ran down her back. "Dawnald." she quickly try to put the paper back in place before going back into her boss' office. "I got one, but we gotta go." Her gazed locked towards the front of the building. They probably have approximately less than 3 minutes before whoever just broke her barrier speel makes their way up to the Press level. "Someone's here.....outside in the front trying to get in."

What was the penalty for breaking and entering her job. No, what would Dawn go through if they get caught? So many thoughts ran through her mind. Who was here this late at night beside Bible? Her boss can't possibly be here tonight of all night, right? "Dawn. Come on. We got to go. Or at least get you out of here." She shove the folded parchment into his hand. "We have less than 3 minutes before he get's up here."

[OPEN ]

The door to the press burst open with a loud bang, startling the clerks and writers hunched over their desks. In strode Sen, his boots leaving trails of dirt and soot across the polished floors. His coat was torn in places, his hair windswept and matted with grime, and the faint scent of smoke and sea salt clung to him. “Miss me?” he called out, grinning ear to ear, holding his battered leather journal high above his head like a trophy. Without waiting for a response, he marched over to his desk, sending a precarious stack of papers flying as he slammed the journal onto its surface.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” Sen declared, leaning dramatically on the edge of the desk, “I present to you the tale of The Skyspire Ruins! Complete with pirates, an airship chase, and an absolutely terrifying automaton guardian.” He waggled his eyebrows for effect, the excitement in his voice infectious. One of the editor, an older man with spectacles perched at the edge of his nose, peeked out from his office. “Mitsuji, for the love of all things inked, take a bath before you ruin the office!” Sen waved him off, plopping into his chair and flipping open the journal, his grin never faltering. “Bath later. Right now, the world needs to hear about my near death escapades and how I totally or probably saved civilization. Or something close to it.” He shrugged before scribbling furiously, dirt smudging the pages as he muttered to himself, already reliving the wild adventure in his head.

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  The mist outside the carriage was thicker tonight, curling like a living thing around the wheels, muffling the sound of the world beyond. The distant glow of the Ivory Press sign flickered through the fog, barely enough to guide me forward. The air felt… wrong. A tension I couldn’t quite name clung to the atmosphere, heavy with the weight of unspoken words.
Emily sat across from me, eyes as red as her mood, like a flicker of wildfire in the dark. "Dawnald," she said, using that name that only she dared. "Thank you for putting up with me. Let's find your sister, even if it means... possibly losing my job." She laughed softly, a glimmer of defiance in the sound. Her hand brushed mine, casual like we weren’t on the edge of something dangerous.
My fingers tightened around hers before I realized what I was doing. I hadn’t asked her to risk anything for me. But she had. And here we were. "I didn’t ask you to lose your job, Em," I muttered, my voice a low growl, "but if you do, I'll make sure you’re employed as a full-time pain in my ."
She shot me a look, half-exasperated, half-amused, before quickly casting the barrier spell. Her red eyes flickered, and the familiar hum of magic crackled through the air. It would shield us from unwanted company, but only for so long.
I stepped out into the dimly lit hallway of the Ivory Press, trying not to let the cold gnaw at me. The walls closed in as we moved deeper into the heart of the building, the air thick with dust and the faint scent of ink. "One hour," Emily warned, her voice low and purposeful. "Everything has to look untouched."
I nodded, but my mind was already racing, tracing the potential paths of this search. "Got it," I said, teeth gritted as I scanned the cluttered office space ahead.
But then it hit me like a punch to the gut.
Thirty minutes.
Thirty minutes left.
"," I hissed, frustration boiling over. My hands slammed against the desk in frustration. I don’t have time for this.

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@❦ Kim Hyo-jong ¥✔ The red of her eyes darkened at his questions. "Oh, I dont know. Maybe I'm just thinking out loud, Dawnald." She smack his arms. "It's not a bad idea if it meant information on your sister...and other missing people." She recalls the her boss and a fae prince talking bout a missing brother.

She looked out the carriage as it led them to her workplace. Emily couldn't believe that she's breaking in. All the what it's came to mind but it's not like she couldn't find another job if she gets fired right? She had many talents that she accumulated over her life. it. It was for her friend. She needs to find the only other person that is the closest to family for her and Dawn.

Diverting her eyes to Dawn, she watched him for a bit. It was his sister who brought her into their life. They were always the more extroverted one compared to Dawn. "Dawn, I..." She knows she can be a bother to him. "Thank you for putting up with me. Let's find your sister, even if it means...possibly loosing my job." She jokingly mentioned before patting his hands.

Standing outside the doors to Ivory Press, Emily quickly mumbles the barrier spell that will trigger if anyone else comes in as she guided them towards the office. "1 hour. And everything must looked as if it wasn't touch before we leave. Got it?" She let her red orbs light up her Boss' office for him as she looked at her desk and the reporters desks.

@♅ Choi Dongwook Emily felt a shift in No Man's Land energy letting her know either someone trying to find something about this land or someone has stepped foot on it breaking her healing bond. With a hand to the land, she opened a portal to that energy shift only to be surprised to see the Ivory press office with her boss' back to her. Stepping through the portal, Em took note of how late it is. "Boss man. Why are you still here?" Patting his shoulder, she stepped forward to get a better look at his mess on the desk. "Ah....yeah. You won't find much on it." She leaned against the side of the desk looking at him with whatever visible light her orbs added in his office. Thankful for the red orbs, the fire kitsune side put much needed lighting compare to her smoky black ones.

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  I rattle the giant cube of ice in my glass coat in demon whiskey loaded with two ethereal boosters and throw it back. A satisfying sigh alleviates my lips, and I set the glass down and then return to my scrolls, accompanied by the large stack of papers on my desk. The office was empty as staff members had gone home long ago, and I'd sat in this dark- office for what felt like hours. The continuous research on the origins of this so-called No Man's Land is nowhere to be found in the history of Heleo. Perhaps the text was long forgotten and burned for all I knew. Frustration plagued me as I brought two aggravated fingers to my forehead and massaged my temples. "This be a lot easier if I had some in help. A bread crumb or something."

(PAYROLL DONE!)

@♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ Its south of Cenral across the sea. /She explained to him. Something that she just learned without having to take her portal like she had the first time./ Its not in the best condition but its healing and getting better than when i first set foot on it.
/listening to her boss, Emily can see that he really wasnt trying to come off the way he did. But then again, maybe it was just that she didn't want people to doubt her since it already seems like the council was not sure how she will do already. his suggestion brought her attention back to him before grinning at how this might work/
Yes...oh my god. That would be better for now. If i have my boss who's definitely know more and can guide me, i can totally show them that I can rule this No Man's Land and see it grow.
Hybrids will be a safe space and trive. Just watch. /she was super determined now./
So what do you say Boss, Wanna be a part of my team....wait...its Advisor. Would you like to be my awesome advisor for now? It'll be fun.

@♦ Kim Yerim @♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ <you have been paid for the month of Jan. Sorry that it took so long. Thank you for being active in your job and paying citizen tax. ~love, Emily>

@♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ *nods and walks into your office and closed the door as she went inside*
*sits on the chair in front of your desk*
why, yes, sir. i did struggled at first but i got used to the pressure whenever you give me new reports for the newspapers.
*smiles widely*

@♦ Kim Yerim /I motion with my index finger to join me in my office./
Please close the door behind you.
Take a seat. /I did the same making myself comfortable behind my desk./
Do you like working here, Yerim?

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  /I watched you with great skepticism embedded in my gaze. I exhaled a long breath, merely listening to you and seeing your sudden burst of passion./ No man's Land? Where on Heleo is that? /I paused at my question, thinking over all the archives branded into my brain regarding Heleo's geography. In the end, I can only think of the old Ruin south Pythian Desert./ Listen, I’m sorry II'my have come off across a bit.
/paused, trying to choose my words tactfully./
Insensitive, and I don’t feel that it's appropriate for me to meddle in the affairs of other worlds, but if you go up there and face that council alone. /I hesitated, unfortunately not seeing any other way to properly prepare you for what awaits you. They will eat you up alive, and some possibly literally. If you want, I will temporarily host as your advisor until you find someone your trust thats more suited for, you know.
Hybrid needs, it would be immoral for me to be biased against your people, and I don’t wish for you to meet a grizzly demise.
/I gave you a sincere stare./

@♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ Well....I see how you feel about this matter. /She crosses her arms, his words only making her want to do better for the hybrids/ you listen, all I know is you talking to me and then me appearing with the other royals and then I'm suddenly a princess of Hybrids of the No Man's Land. The land choose me. So there's gotta be a reason why I was allowed.
/She holds her hands up/ I mean no disrespect though. I'm just saying, a new age is com...
/Frowning at the comment bout her needing a whole entire class/ god damn it. I literally thought I was done studying when I was in the human realm. /Sighs disappointedly/ if I know someone, I wouldn't be asking for advice, boss.

@♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ yes!
*muttered softly as she looked at him before straightened up when he wants something to discuss with her*
yes sir? what is it?

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  /I blink a few times, literally gobsmacked./
Thats impossible there is no Hybrid Ruler? They've only been known as nomads for years. Hybrids of no territory origin, who would the Royal Council ever allow it? Th-They, allowed you to be there?
/I asked moreso to myself than so to you./
An advisor? You would need a whole entire class on Royal politics, let alone an advisor. /Looks at you for a moment, then a doubtful expression takes place./ You do know someone that specializes in politics and Hybrid studies, right?

@♦ Kim Yerim Excellent,
/I snapped the paper shut and then placed it on you're desk./
Give it one more pass through and I'll have Emily ready to print them tomorrow.
/I began to walk away, then paused, then my heels once more./
Oh, there is one more matter I would like to discuss with you.

@♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ /folding her hands neatly in front of her, Emily tapped her fingers together letting the big boss finish his question before smiling and repeating herself once more but in so to convince herself at this news as well/
I poofed into the royal council and found out.....I'm a princess. /She popped her hands up as if it's some sort of celebration/
Ohhh speaking of which....you know anyone that can be an advisor for me. Apparently being a royal means I need an advisor. It was weird being the o my one who had no idea what's going on and having no one to be my second.

@♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ *looks at him and nodded*
yes boss, i made the entire article about the festival with the neutrality of it. no biased content have added.
*smiles widely*

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  /A perplexed brow lifted as I patiently shoved my hands in my pockets. The moment you appeared once more, a title wave of questions came to the forefront of my mind./
I'm so what in Cain and Abel hell did you bloody say?

@♦ Kim Yerim /A skeptical brow lifted./
Do I even dare ask what type of mortal shenanigans you were up to
that caused a disruption in your sleeping partner?
/Looks over the two pages/
These contain content material from the receive Festival, yes?
/reads over the articles./

@♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ I thought my job was to assist you with things around the office??? I didn't think it also involve me finding you sto----
/one moment she was in front of her boss and the next she poof into thin air, summoned into the Royal Court before reappearing back in front of him, fixing her out of place hair/
Well....that was different. Sorry boss. Got called for some kind of council duties.....apparently I'm a princess of some sort. but yes....I guess I can try harder to be of some help.

@♅ Choi Dongwook ￥✔ *she scratches her head and looked at her boss*
s-sorry, i didn't sleep last night because--
*yawns before continuing*
i finished the two articles you gave to me boss.
*walks back to her cubicle and picks up the two folders with her finished articles*
here boss! it's finished!

@♦ Kim Yerim /Annoyance plastered arouse in my features, bringing my fingers to the bridge of my nose./
Miss Kim, I know you’re new to the big city, and you would love nothing more than to get paid for less than mediocre work performance. But please, if you are going to sleep, do it somewhere other than on the clock. /I cleared my throat and adjusted my necktie./
Have you gotten those two articles done for me? The following paper is due to go out soon.

@⚜ ♕ Emily Mei  /Looks down at the pen and paper that have fallen into my lap. An annoyed scoff leaves my lips before I dust my tie off and focus my eyes on you./ Miss Mei, please, if your going to do magic, at least be scaled and selfless enough to share your gifts with this company. It’ll at least give me a reason to want to keep you around. /Glances at you./ Have you received any new tip-offs as of late?