Path of Truth

## Characters

Sasha Sokolov

Appearance: Sasha is tall, muscular, and slim. Her eyes are a beautiful minty green, and black hair. Her eyes can appear baby blue in some lighting. She wears either a black and white suit or a long black dress for formal wear, and for casual attire, she wears a black tank top or sleeveless turtleneck (both crop tops) and a skirt or shorts.

Personality: She is aloof and sassy, but very sweet to those she knows. She is very protective of Toki.

Backstory: Sasha was raised with her siblings, Lucy and Sage. They were homeless, and didn't have much food. One day, a certain event left Lucy and Sasha separated from their brother. Toki offered Sasha home, but Lucy refused. The pair were only in their teens, and they needed a home. Sasha decided to go with Toki, in hopes she would one day see her sister again.

Toki Olsen

Appearance: Toki is short and slim, with fluffy black hair that's greying. He has dark skin and vitiligo, very visibly on his hands, half of his mouth. He has sage green eyes. Toki's attire is either a suit or vest, black and white. He wears white socks and gloves.

Personality: he is blunt, rude, but oddly social. He is quick to speak about his opinions.

Backstory: Toki was raised in a household of six, and was seriously neglected. Running away when he was 16 was the best decision he had made. He became friends with a woman by the name Spider. They were best friends, until Spider's untimely death. He has now become a recruiter of good men and women. And he has a cat, Caleb. An entertainer, he hopes that he can make up for any mistakes he's made in the past and has since adopted a daughter, Sasha .

Machiavelli (Machi) Ricci

Appearance: Machi has fluffy grey hair and green eyes. He has a red complexion. For formal attire, he wears a grey vest and a white undershirt, with a cream-colored bowtie. However, he usually is seen in a grey sweater and white sweatpants.

Personality: he is kind and affectionate, but forgives too quickly- and has the idea others do as well.

Backstory: he's not sure who saved who. He had met a young cat, who he took in. When he was invited to a party with Toki and his adopted daughter, Sasha, he was allowed to bring his cat, Heather, to the party. Toki and Machi's cats got along, and Toki hired Machi. While Machi sometimes yells, he is a good man, and a great addition to Toki's crew.

Oliver Reiner Sokolov

Appearance: Oliver has pale skin and brown hair. He has a few white strands hair. His eyes are a golden hazel, and very large for his face. He usually wears t-shirts or sweaters, white and gold. He wears sweatpants and sneakers. Sometimes he wears tattered jeans.

Personality: a very sweet boy, but strong- and VERY unaware of that. Unaware of everything, really.

Backstory: he was adopted by Sasha at the age of 7, due to unfortunate circumstances that led his mother, Jaiden, to only keep two of her children. This did not hurt him though. He has became very attached to his new family.

Jaiden Levin

Appearance: Jaiden has dark tan skin and amber eyes. She has long black hair that is bleached at the end. For formal wear, she has a short red blouse and buckle shoes. Usually she wears a pair of skirt overalls and a yellow t-shirt and brown sneakers.

Personality: Jaiden is kind but sonewhat bossy, and she takes pride in that. She can be a little bit of a clean freak, and tries to get her children to be the same.

Backstory: Jaiden was raised as an only child, seperated from her father. She took her mother's maiden name, and she still has not met her father. When she was 16, she became had with Sara, a a year later Oliver, then Cory and Duck. She was unable to take care of all of them, and Cory was given to a farming family and Oliver was adopted by Sasha.

Sara Levin

Appearance: Sara is tall and broad. She has fluffy black hair that falls mid-back. She has pale skin and amber eyes. Usually she wears a black cardigan over a white tank top and white sweat pants, with white converse. For formal wear, she wears a black leather jacket and white button-up shirt.

Personality: Sara is aloof and sassy, often very playful, often pulling stupid pranks.

Backstory: Sara was born when Jaiden was only 16. Sara was her most behaved child, and didn't mind helping out. She missed Cory and Oli when they were sent away and values her time with her mother and sister.

Duck(us) Levin

Appearance: Duck is small and thin, with tan skin and black hair with white streaks.

Personality: Duck is hyper and excitable, often accompanying Sara in her little pranks.

Backstory: Duck was born with Cory when Jaiden was 18, and was very attached to her brother and was very sad when he left. However, she loves Sara and loves her more than anything.

Cory Levin

Appearance: Cory is an average height with short black hair. He has blue-green eyes and pale skin. He wears overalls and a red flannell with brown boots, but for formal wear he has a black and grey suit and loafers.

Personality: Cory is sweet snd affectionate but very easily scared. He was very close to Duck and Jaiden.

Backstory: Cory was born when Jaiden was 18, alongside Duck. They were best friends. Cory often would choose to stay by Jaiden's side instead of playing rough with his siblings. When he was forced to leave, he took a long time to warm up to his new family. However, he's made sure to cherish the time he had and may have in the future with Duck.

Reece(s) Morgan

Appearance: Reese has vitiligo and hazel eyes. She is slightly overweight and round. She has dark ginger hair. She wears a dark orange sweater and black leggings.

Personality: Reeces is kind and affectionate, but is very skidish. She isn't huge fans of Jax's adopted children, but will tolerate them. (She prefers Freyja, but she'd never admit!)

Backstory: while she lived a relatively normal life, she once tripped over, breaking most of her ribs, but other than that, she lives a normal life with her good friend, Jax.

Jaxon Jones

Appearance: Jax has dark olive skin and brown eyes. He is missing 4 teeth and has his left sleeve pinned up, as he's missing that arm. His black hair is bristly and short. He is a sheriff, and wears his uniform to all formal events. Casually speaking, he often wears a camo bandana and a beige collared shirt with his pin. He wears dark brown jeans and brown loafers.

Personality: Jax is friendly to animals and adults, but not a big fan of kids. He only was convinced by Reeces to adopt kids. Jax is often getting into things, and can be seen as impatient.

Backstory: Jax lived a relatively normal life, until he was diagnosed with oral cancer. He lost his four bottom front teeth. He often moved houses, and finally settled after 3 years. He met Reeces and they became friends.

Freyja Berg

Appearance: Freyja is slim and tall and has tan skin. She has heterochromia brown and blue, with a small brown strip in her blue eye. Her hair is straight and cut in a pixie. It is black with some white strands, said white strands are curly. For formal wear she wears a tattered vest, marbled with black, grey, and white. Her pants are cropped black jeans. Usually she wears a ripped black and white flannel and stained white shorts. She wears white converse. She is often mistook to be a boy.

Personality: Freyja is destructive and excitable. She's known to tackle and fight people just for fun. However, she can also be very sweet.

Backstory: Freyja and her sister we born in a foster home, and lived there for 7 years, before Jax eventually adopted them.

Lilja Berg

Appearance: Lilja is large and stubby, with a round face. Her eyes are brown. She has tan skin and wavy, fluffy black hair. She wears a pair of square framed glasses and flower earrings that display a lily. For formal wear, she has a short sleeveless black and white frayed dress. Her shoes are white sneakers. Her casual attire consists of a black sleeveless blouse and muddy white shorts. She wears tattered and dirty white Converse.

Personality: Lilja is sweet and affectionate, but very rambunctious and a bit uncontrollable. She is very caring and loud.

Backstory: Lilja and her sister we born in a foster home, and lived there for 7 years, before Jax eventually adopted them.

Spider White

Appearance: Spider was slim and tall, with pale skin. Her hair was ginger. She wore very revealing clothes, crop tops and skirts especially. Her eyes were a jade green.

Personality: while kind and loving around those she knows, Spider was very rude and sharp. She didn't like to have fun, just make a living and survive.

Backstory:

Tarot

Appearance: Tarot has vitiligo straight down her face, and her paler parts are red and have an orange tint. Her hair is the same, splitting half n half, brown and ginger. Her eyes are a bright amber. She wears a long cloth dress and no shoes or socks. Later she wears either a black suit with an orange tulip in the pocket or a orange sweater with black sweatpants and white sneakers. She is often accompanied by a tortishell cat.

Personality: bright, lazy, and easily excited are the perfect words to describe Tarot. She often is unaware however, which doesn't go well in most situations.

Backstory: Tarot is leader of the Feline faction, and she lived a rather harmonious life, until someone accidentally trapped her spirit in a statue, which was broken and buried due to the belief that Tarot had cursed it and the creator of the statue.

## Chapter One - The Statue

Sasha leaned down in the dirt. "Hey Machi! Check this out!"

The broad shouldered man shuffled over.

"Check this out!" Sasha grabbed a large rock, that was carved in the shape of a head. The neck was broken off.

"Yeah, amazing, cool, can we please go home now?" Machi asked, slightly annoyed. "It's really hot out right now."

"Nah. I wanna find the rest of this!" Sasha dug into the ground with her hands, smiling. "Get me that bucket that's in the back, please."

Machi nodded, going to their red pickup truck to grab the bucket. He came back and sat it down.

"So why exactly do you wanna find it?" Machi asked.

"Why do you have to be so nosy? I just wanna. Also, look at how they did the eyes! I think those might be rubies!" Sasha said, amazed by the statue.

Machi shook his head. "I doubt that..."

\*\*\*

Sasha was digging in the dirt for at least half an hour, and the statue was still surprisingly intact.

"Machi! I need your help with lifting up the bucket!"

Machi sighed, walking over to Sasha to help her. The two got in the car.

"I swear, if Toki and Oli started rehearsing without us..."

"I'm sure it's fine, Mach-Mach, Oli barely knows anything too, it won't be very productive," Sasha explained, buckling her seat.

The two drove home. Toki sat out in the shade, eating some yogurt. Oli was in the grass, looking for four-leaf clovers.

"Oli! Come here!" Machi called. Oli continued to pick at the grass. "Oliver!"

Oli jumped, racing over to them. "Yeah?"

Machi sighed, "help us, please."

Oli grumbled, helping them pick up the very heavy bucket. "So you guys could carry it earlier but not now? What's so important about it anyway?"

"Oli, drop the attitude," Sasha snapped. "There's a possibility that the statue we found-"

"That's broken into pieces?"

"Oliver...."

"Continue-"

"This statue could be very expensive. Who knows!" Sasha looked ecstatic.

As the neared the door, Toki got up to stretch. Then he sat down, and with a sigh said: "I love my life."

Oli grumbled, letting down of the bucket to open the door. Toki smirked at them, continuing to snack on his yogurt. The group marched in. Oli fell down on the couch, Toki's cat jumped, letting out a hiss. Machi 's cat meowed at him, staring at Oli's hair. Machi's cat, Heather, jumped onto Oli's head.

"Ahh! What the-" Oli frantically tried to get her off him, screaming.

"You scream like a girl," Sasha chuckled. Machi broke out wheezing, smirking.

\*\*\*

Sasha sat in her room, gluing the statue together with resin. "Alright buddy...almost done....I'll attach the head later." She walked out to the living room, as Oli messes with Machi as he desperately tried to sleep on the couch.

"Hey, Sasha! Come get dinner!" Toki called. She strutted over, taking a plate of steak.

"Thanks, Tok-tok!" Sasha smiled, blowing him a kiss.

Toki grumbled. "Oli! Stop bothering Machi and get your dinner!"

"Coming!" Oliver said, before he gave Machi a quick wet willy. "Hehehehehehe...."

Oli, Toki, and Sasha sat at the table, eating dinner. Sasha's phone vibrated in her pocket.

"Hm. Oli, your mom's calling. You wanna talk to her?" Sasha cocked her head.

Oli nodded, taking Sasha's phone. "Hey mom.." Sasha didn't listen to anything he or Jaiden said. She just ate her food.

"If anyone needs me, I'm in my room." Sasha stood by Oli. Oli hung up, handing Sasha's phone back to her. "Thanks." She walked into her room.

The statue stood, nearly completed.

"Okay baby. Let's do this." Sasha put on her gloves, spreading a reasonable amount of epoxy resin on the statue's neck. Sasha fixed the head into the neck, smiling.

Now that the statue was completed, it was around 5'6" tall, and maybe 18 inches wide. Suddenly, a bright light formed in the room.

Sasha was surprised. "A-am I hallucinating!?"

As the light and the kicked up dust faded, someone came into view. It was a woman with dark skin, with patches of lighter skin. Her hair was long, mid-back. It was a dark brown on one side and ginger on the other. The woman wore a robe. She looked confused and scared.

"Who are you!?"

## Chapter Two - The Countryside

Freyja snuggled into her bed, covering her face with her pillow.

"Freyja! Share the blanket!" Her sister, Lilja, whined.

"Oh shut up," Freyja huffed, getting out of the bed and stretching.

"Gosh you two are lazy," Reeces grumbled, taking the blanket. "It's 6:30. You slept the whole day. You have to help Jax clean up the house now."

"Why can't you do it!?" Freyja asked.

"I have things to do. I have to finish my work," Reeces smiled, watching Freyja and Lilja shuffle out of bed.

"By work she means smoke 5 cigarettes and mail a single paper," Jax shouted from the other room.

Freyja groaned, getting up and walking up to Jax.

"Freyja, you can sweep the floor, Lilja, do the dishes. Be careful because some of those are very expensive," Jax instructed. Freyja nodded, slumping over to the broom and sweeping up the dust into a pile.

Lilja kept dropping dishes, which made a lot of noise. She'd turn on the water, only for it to spurt out forward into her face.

"I wanna live in the city, where your water comes from a reliable source and your sink isn't so old that it does that," Freyja huffed.

"Good luck, Frey-frey," Lilja answered.

"Oh shush." Freyja continued to sweep, and when she was done she sat down on the couch. "So have you found any leads on your new case, Jaxie?"

"Nope. Nothing yet. But remember Freyja, I just started this one, so it's gonna take a bit." Jax smiled, writing down notes on his computer.

"We ought to treat you two soon," Reeces yawned. She walked outside with her cane, leaving Jax, Freyja, and Lilja alone.