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<\|description\|>-The Missing Students- Ikeru Mineri \| Chousuke Makoto \| Natsuhime Hanami \| Nakano Reiji \| Daijirou Kudan Ikeru Mineri was a first-year who went missing. Previously having lived alone, not much is known about her family. She was an active participant in the Choir Club, having an enchanting voice best suited for classical songs. That said, she often hopped from club to club helping out whenever members were short. Those that knew her noted that she was a charming if a little airheaded girl who cherished her friendships. Chousuke Makoto was a second-year who went missing. A cheerful, soft-spoken young man who was always open to help others, his family used to own a bakery in town. After his disappearance, the bakery closed down when they decided to move away from Kyoto. He was a popular member of the school's Cooking Club and was said to be able to cook and bake better than even most adults. He wished to travel the world to sample foreign cuisine. Natsuhime Hanami was a second-year who went missing. A popular and kind-hearted girl, Hanami would have been the current student council president. She believed heavily in doing her part as a member of society and strode to help everyone in her power. She treasured her friends dearly, though she was just as likely to strike up a conversation with any stranger. Her mother is desperate to find her to gain some closure. Nakano Reiji was a third-year who went missing. Known throughout Kyoto for his skill in kendo, he has practiced since he was young and placed in several championships. While he kept mostly to himself, it was obvious that his talent extended to nearly everything he tried. He was always open to challengers and loved participating in matches. He doted on his younger sister, balancing a good work-home life and ensuring the house was always taken care of. Daijirou Kudan was a first-year who went missing. A boisterous kid infamous among the staff, it was clear he had issues with authority and following rules. Still, he behaved long enough to participate in basketball, being good enough to be placed as a starter despite being a first-year. He was attached to his friends due to a lonely home life; despite being the son of Daijirou Ken, a councilman, it was obvious he was neglected and acted out for attention. --- School Related NPCS --- Faculty Momoji Aya Class 2-A Teacher Suzuki Keiko Class 3-B Teacher Wada Fujitaka Principal Taniguchi Honda Vice Principal Students Yamamoto Kenta 3rd Year \| Valecditorian Ichinose Kaede 2nd Year \| Queen Bee Maeda Takeshi 3rd Year \| Queen Bee BF Yoshizawa Banri 3rd Year \| #thuglife Watanabe Junko 2nd Year \| Queen Bee BFF Nakagawa Chika 2nd Year \| Queen Bee BFF #2 Mizuame Rin - "Linda" 3rd Year \| Cooking Club Leader Maeda Kaito 2nd Year \| Cooking Club Maeda Ichigo Middle Schooler Sanada Yukimura 3rd Year \| Kendo Club Captain Kogoro Anzu 3rd Year \| Archery Club Captain --- Townspeople --- Kinoshita Sora 1st Year \| Student Council Secretary \| Photography Club Natsuhime Himawari A middle school student and younger sister of Natsuhime Hanami. The loss of her sister has caused Himawari to become reclusive despite her previously cheery demeanor. Her mother, Natsuhime Haruka, is currently searching for a tutor to help her keep up with her studies. Kogoro Ichiro A private investigator hired by Natsuhime Haruka to find her missing daughter. He has often butted heads with the Kyoto Police, finding it difficult to believe their incompetence in the missing students' case. Yamazaki Sadakuno A detective working for the Kyoto Police who had been previously assigned to the missing students' case. After months of nothing, he has deduced that the students caused the arson and accidentally killed themselves after finding no evidence of foul play. Yamada Taro A convenience store owner who speaks very little. He mostly cares that the job gets done and will hire just about anyone. That being said, he's quick to correct disrespect and doesn't tolerate violence. Rumor has it that he is a former gang member, although it's disagreed which gang he was a part of. ---</s> <\|message\|>-The Missing Students- --- --- Hoshino Noriaki was the actual worst. Caught between an exasperated sigh and the urge to yell, Sakuya bit down on her tongue so hard that she was sure she was going to accidentally cut it off any second now. He was definitely trying to get to her. That part wasn't worrying, though; what worried her was that it was working! Maybe it was because she was so used to getting insults hurled at her about her father, her appearance, her personality--she had to admit, no one really used the middle school crush equivalent, and she didn't really know how to handle it. "Crush?" Himawari looked up at Sakuya. "Does that mean you like each other?" The sweet girl was innocent in all this, but she didn't appreciate the comment. Inhaling sharply, Sakuya forced a grin as she tugged Himawari's arm, signaling for them to get going. "Hoshino is just making a really, really, really unfunny joke, Himawari," Sakuya replied, keeping in mind that he was walking ahead of them. Annoying, but she was sure that they would split off sooner than later. Himawari pondered over Sakuya's words but didn't make any further comment. Sakuya leapt at the opportunity to ask how her day was instead, all too happy to hear literally anything else. As their conversation continued, however, she noticed that Hoshino was still in front of them. Truly, God had a wicked sense of humor if he just so happened to live in the same direction as the Natsuhime household. Unfortunately, Himawari seemed to notice, too. "It looks like we're following Hoshino-san, doesn't it?" She asked. "Maybe he's your neighbor," Sakuya tried not to react too much, but she was obviously unamused. "Then we should walk together," Himawari suddenly dropped the gem of a line. "What do you think, Hoshino-san?" --- --- Anzu studied Yori's expression, thinking for a moment. Ultimately, whatever concerns she had seemed to have been put to rest; once again, with vigor, she picked up the paperwork with confidence. While she was aware that it wasn't a guarantee of their success, she hoped that Nakano would see the facts objectively. It wouldn't do to get overly emotional, but if she would at least hear them out, then there was a chance. She just hoped Yori's support would help more than harm. With that in mind, Anzu led the way to the Student Council Room. Once the pair entered, they were greeted to the scene between the two council members and one third year student--but no sign of Nakano herself. Shoot, even the treasurer wasn't here. "Excuse me," Anzu frowned as she looked around. "I was hoping to talk to Nakano about the Archery Club." "She wasn't feeling well, so she left for the day," Oka stated. --- @psych0pomp --- Hinari Daigo was a good kid. Unfortunately for him, Linda was not nearly as kind. While her nervousness around Ueno evaporated as she revealed her intentions, her eagle eyes were already locked on their potential new member. Kaito could see it from a mile away, letting out a quiet sigh as he joined the group. "I'm sorry for the disturbance. My reaction was a little over-the-top," He admitted, tapping his cheek. "But I was so sure I had it right this time..." Linda waved Kaito's concerns away, all too happy to cater to Ueno. "Oh, of course. I almost forgot you were good friends with Makoto-kun," She stated, understanding. "I don't know if you remember Kinoshita Kaito, but he was here last year, too. Mori Genki-kun just joined us, and our newest member is Hinari Daigo-kun." She radiated joy, her previous meek self a memory by now. --- Symphony@Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo ---</s> <\|message\|>HOSHINO NORIAKI HOSHINO NORIAKI \| \| \| \| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E --- April 11th 2018 L O C A T I O N --- Residential Kyoto T A G S --- \| Noriaki's parting shot had been made significantly less cutting by an act of fate—he could hear the idle chatting of the two girls he had left behind trailing behind him for the better part of the journey. No matter which turn he made or street he walked, they seemed to continue following along behind him. He had to catch himself from thinking accusatory thoughts towards the president, overly pushy as she was, but he doubted she would bring a sniffling middle schooler on whatever self-imposed quest she had to live up to her fore-bearer's memory. Which meant that the Natsuhime household was more than likely near his own place of residence. The teen had hoped, very briefly, that the duo wouldn't address the unfortunate happenstance, and he would be free from them for the day. Hell, his legs were a lot longer, and he was probably in better shape. If he just sped up a little bit, then inevitably he would outpace them entirely. Unfortunately, the younger of the two decided to squash those plans with an innocuous request. He had half a mind to deny her outright and save himself the trouble. However, he couldn't help but recall the melancholy look on her face as he stopped. With the tumultuous nature of his prior few days, the last thing he needed on his mind was the guilt of causing a child to cry. Not that he expected his absence to inspire such dramatics. "Well, we've all but been walking together so far. What could making it official hurt?" He asked, turning to face them with his best impression of a smile given the circumstances. \|</s> <\|message\|>HINARI DAIGO April 11th - After School --- Who has a soft spot for a club they aren't even in? Who randomly asks about members of a club that they're not in?! This visionless villainess really was here for him! Why else would she ask such a weird question? Daigo stood motionless as Linda ratted him and Genki out, both utterly stunned by her candidness and completely unsure of how to proceed. No, it wasn't Linda's fault; that seemed an innocent question. She couldn't have possibly known those words hid the fangs of a vicious predator waiting to pounce on misbehaved students who dared trespass in haunted gymnasiums. Maybe he'd at least get lucky and she'd simply haul Genki away without much thought to him. He should probably just remain really still. Or, no, stay quiet, she wasn't a dinosaur. Did dinosaurs actually sense movement or was that a movie thing? Wait, no, if he was suddenly quiet after being noisy earlier, he'd look suspicious - he needed to talk more! But what was he supposed to talk about? The redhead lifted his gaze from the floor, pupils blown out in abject horror. He didn't have time to decide. "H-hello," He awkwardly greeted the girl at the door, though he quickly scampered off toward Kaito before she could respond, in hopes he'd appear distracted and unworth focusing on. She was likely sent up with Genki's name in mind; that would be her priority. Hopefully the dastardly lawbreaker Hinari Daigo would slip her mind, since he was probably assigned for someone else to track down. Wait, that meant he'd have to dodge another council member later! And then he'd have to do it again tomorrow! "So! Uh. I don't know much about pastries. What'd'you think you did wrong?" Daigo questioned with a fake cheeriness in his voice as he leaned on the counter next to Kaito's discarded dessert. His fingers clenched the edge of the countertop harder than any reasonable person should've been, but that was the only way the fidgety boy could think to keep himself from drumming out an anxious rhythm that might catch Ueno's ear. Not that it helped much - Daigo was bad at sitting still under the best circumstances; once he was nervous, all he could think about was a way to burn off that pent up energy. Quite frankly, he was so distracted by the electricity swimming in his veins that he'd forgotten why he was even so intent on stillness in the first place. He kept his gaze focused on Kaito, though his feigned smile grew less enthusiastic with each passing moment, until eventually the boy caved and started shifting his leg side to side at an agitatingly fast pace. The relief was both instant and written all across his face, though quickly replaced by a bashful frown as Daigo refocused on the other second year in front of him. If Kaito was talking, Daigo didn't process any of it, and it only now occurred to him how pointless that entire discomforting ordeal had been. Plus he definitely looked like a weirdo in front of his new maybe-clubmate. So that was always nice. --- Orgasmo@Obscene Symphony</s>	<\|message\|>-The Missing Students- Sakuya was less than pleased at the agreement, albeit she did her best to keep her face neutral. Himawari, on the other hand, was happy with Noriaki's response, releasing Sakuya's hand and sprinting forward to catch up with him. She had to crane her neck a little to look up at him, her eyes examining his face. Part of Sakuya wondered if the girl had just let her wishful thinking take over, especially since Hoshino didn't really resemble her brother at all. Judging by Himawari's expression, she came to the same conclusion. But she went from inspective to curious, and soon enough, she seemed over her previous tears. "I think walking together is a lot better," She agreed with his statement. "For some reason, everyone I used to walk together to school with wanted to walk on their own. They said it was something the other students did, but I don't like it. We're all going to school, why can't it be together?" She didn't seem to expect a response, simply voicing her displeasure with her classmates before deciding to be a little more direct. "If we live near each other, how come I've never seen you before, Hoshino-senpai?" She outright asked. "Mama knows everyone from the neighborhood. Do you know my Mama?" </s>
<\|description\|>-The Missing Students- Ikeru Mineri \| Chousuke Makoto \| Natsuhime Hanami \| Nakano Reiji \| Daijirou Kudan Ikeru Mineri was a first-year who went missing. Previously having lived alone, not much is known about her family. She was an active participant in the Choir Club, having an enchanting voice best suited for classical songs. That said, she often hopped from club to club helping out whenever members were short. Those that knew her noted that she was a charming if a little airheaded girl who cherished her friendships. Chousuke Makoto was a second-year who went missing. A cheerful, soft-spoken young man who was always open to help others, his family used to own a bakery in town. After his disappearance, the bakery closed down when they decided to move away from Kyoto. He was a popular member of the school's Cooking Club and was said to be able to cook and bake better than even most adults. He wished to travel the world to sample foreign cuisine. Natsuhime Hanami was a second-year who went missing. A popular and kind-hearted girl, Hanami would have been the current student council president. She believed heavily in doing her part as a member of society and strode to help everyone in her power. She treasured her friends dearly, though she was just as likely to strike up a conversation with any stranger. Her mother is desperate to find her to gain some closure. Nakano Reiji was a third-year who went missing. Known throughout Kyoto for his skill in kendo, he has practiced since he was young and placed in several championships. While he kept mostly to himself, it was obvious that his talent extended to nearly everything he tried. He was always open to challengers and loved participating in matches. He doted on his younger sister, balancing a good work-home life and ensuring the house was always taken care of. Daijirou Kudan was a first-year who went missing. A boisterous kid infamous among the staff, it was clear he had issues with authority and following rules. Still, he behaved long enough to participate in basketball, being good enough to be placed as a starter despite being a first-year. He was attached to his friends due to a lonely home life; despite being the son of Daijirou Ken, a councilman, it was obvious he was neglected and acted out for attention. --- School Related NPCS --- Faculty Momoji Aya Class 2-A Teacher Suzuki Keiko Class 3-B Teacher Wada Fujitaka Principal Taniguchi Honda Vice Principal Students Yamamoto Kenta 3rd Year \| Valecditorian Ichinose Kaede 2nd Year \| Queen Bee Maeda Takeshi 3rd Year \| Queen Bee BF Yoshizawa Banri 3rd Year \| #thuglife Watanabe Junko 2nd Year \| Queen Bee BFF Nakagawa Chika 2nd Year \| Queen Bee BFF #2 Mizuame Rin - "Linda" 3rd Year \| Cooking Club Leader Maeda Kaito 2nd Year \| Cooking Club Maeda Ichigo Middle Schooler Sanada Yukimura 3rd Year \| Kendo Club Captain Kogoro Anzu 3rd Year \| Archery Club Captain --- Townspeople --- Kinoshita Sora 1st Year \| Student Council Secretary \| Photography Club Natsuhime Himawari A middle school student and younger sister of Natsuhime Hanami. The loss of her sister has caused Himawari to become reclusive despite her previously cheery demeanor. Her mother, Natsuhime Haruka, is currently searching for a tutor to help her keep up with her studies. Kogoro Ichiro A private investigator hired by Natsuhime Haruka to find her missing daughter. He has often butted heads with the Kyoto Police, finding it difficult to believe their incompetence in the missing students' case. Yamazaki Sadakuno A detective working for the Kyoto Police who had been previously assigned to the missing students' case. After months of nothing, he has deduced that the students caused the arson and accidentally killed themselves after finding no evidence of foul play. Yamada Taro A convenience store owner who speaks very little. He mostly cares that the job gets done and will hire just about anyone. That being said, he's quick to correct disrespect and doesn't tolerate violence. Rumor has it that he is a former gang member, although it's disagreed which gang he was a part of. ---</s> <\|message\|>HINARI DAIGO April 13th - Afternoon --- Daigo's head was swimming as Ueno recapped her story; none of this felt real. Which, if the past week was anything to go off of, meant it was absolutely, without a doubt, real. Worse, it made the stakes that much higher. Not only did he have to worry about some shadow monster eating him while he gallivanted around the mirror world on the whims of some butterfly, there was also a chance it could decide to burn down the restaurant and kill him in his sleep. And it would kill him - Ueno was crazy if she thought her friends were anything but Shadow food right now. It was a small comfort they had a veteran of supernatural combat to consult in place of a demon cat with questionable motives, at least. At her mention of Mineri's address, the redhead shot to his feet in alarm, "Akai- that's the house! The one that William was in!" Not that he had any idea what that meant, but it had to be important somehow. Probably. Maybe the appearance of her dead friend was a clue for her to find the - what was it? Linen Room? Or... that blue door had been a portal to the afterlife and William was some jailor of the damned waiting to collect on their souls in the fine print. Suddenly very conscious of the gravity of the situation, Daigo nervously fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he thought. If she couldn't remember what started those fires, they could easily find themselves repeating it. The price for a breach of contract was apparently memories, but Ueno clearly remembered plenty about the Other Side, so that couldn't have been it. Maybe the demon lady sealed her out because she'd survived the fire thing somehow. Ugh, speculation hurt his head and nothing made sense anyway. Better to just keep with the plan until William gave them another cryptic piece of nothing to ponder over. "Don't worry about it, we'll probably figure it all out when we're inside. The Shadow pulled everyone touching me in too last week, so if one of us drags you in... it should work the same, right?" Conjuring a veneer of false courage, the diminutive boy approached the mirror. It crumpled almost immediately. Even with his posturing, the reflection that stared back at him didn't look very confident or heroic; just a scrawny little kid made even smaller by timid posture and glasses that were too big for his face. A bout of lightheadedness pulsed dully across the back of his skull. These people were so composed and here he was, the same coward he was when that damn hand had grabbed him, ready to collapse and cry at the first hint of adversity but too afraid of becoming a burden to follow through. So what did his contract with Khepri mean? "Ueno-senpai," He mumbled soberly as he searched for the words he could assign to his worries, "What- What's the point of all this? Persona. What is it?" --- @Lord Orgasmo@Obscene Symphony</s> <\|message\|>HOSHINO NORIAKI HOSHINO NORIAKI \| \| \| \| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E --- April 13th 2018 L O C A T I O N --- Hinotori Highschool T A G S --- @Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo@Obscene Symphony \| It was difficult to discern whether the torrent of words that came pouring from Ueno was an information dump or a form of therapy for the girl. It was somewhat ironic; Noriaki had done all he could to avoid other Persona users, at least until his hand had been forced, and yet his senior seemed to find some level of catharsis in having other contract holders to talk with. If all she said was true—and he had little reason to doubt it, considering their similarly bizarre circumstances—then he couldn't fault her for it too much. She had shouldered the burden for far longer than he had, in addition to losing her friends to the Other Side and its unknowable machinations. The last member remaining member of the previous batch. Pushing aside the implication of their own disposable nature, the teen found himself no less stir crazy as the recounting of events began to work its way to a conclusion. He had, over the last week, pieced together some of what she had to tell them. Her explanation helped fill in gaps here and there, although none were of any comfort to him. Not least among those uncomfortable revelations was reveal of the ground zero of this entire supernatural affair; Daigo had quickly confirmed to their senpai that the house in question had been the one they had visited a few nights prior, and the burned out ruin that had been his initiation point into the world of Persona even earlier than that. As much as he didn't want a bunch of random classmates buzzing around his house every time William decided to humor them, there was no avoiding it now. "Would it make you feel better or worse if I told you the place that I ran into that girl looked exactly like a stage? Or that her sudden appearance as a cat came the day after William told me the 'previous denizen' had escaped? I don't exactly know who your friend was, or what she looked like, but I reckon she might know a little more about Mineri-san than just her whereabouts. Might wanna ask her yourself, if she decides to sniff us out today." He found himself once again eying the doorway to the locker room after his contribution. "Actually, it's pretty weird that she hasn't shown up yet. I swore I saw her earlier, which should have keyed me in on something happening today. Always figured it was the black cats that brought bad luck, but here we are." \|</s>	<\|message\|>-The Missing Students- As if on cue, the blonde cat in question slinked through the door, letting out a small mewl of disapproval as the door hit her. Despite the rudeness, she sauntered into the locker room without any hesitation. Following the sounds of the conversation, she rounded the corner until her eyes landed on the blue butterfly. Lowering herself to the ground, she made an impressive leap onto the sink. The butterfly let out another glow, sinking into the mirror as it emitted a blue light. Jumping in after the butterfly, Mira chased the butterfly down the short corridor, coming to a halt near a pair of doors that looked very much like the ones that led to the gym. One door was continuously swinging open and closed, as if the hinge was loose, though as she touched it, both doors swung open. At first glance, one could easily mistake it for being back in the school as the wide area before them resembled the gym. On a second glance, however, several things were off. The variety of stairs on the walls leading to other rooms differed, and a various number of silhouettes ran around the room. A whistle was blown on occasion, basketballs were thrown in sync into the hoops. Upon closer inspection, the silhouettes were exhausted, their limbs shaking as they ran and jumped and did their best to keep up. Above everything was a balcony overlooking it all with a figure watching over the scene. As soon as Mira looked at him, however, he turned and left through the door. "Is this the school...?" Mira frowned, crossing her arms. </s>
<\|description\|>HINARI DAIGO 陽也醍醐 5'6"/167 cm \| 125 lbs/56 kg \| 16 \| 2nd Year \| Male ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡＬＩＴＹ Eager to please but sometimes a little too overbearing to actually make it happen, Daigo is boisterous and energetic in the same way an annoying little brother would be. He's hardly someone his peers would consider a genius - don't need booksmarts to run a restaurant, he claims - but he's infectiously cheery and tries his hardest to make sure everyone is having a good time. Even if he's crossed the line from lively and spirited to irritating as hell at the moment and doesn't realize he's the problem. Still, Daigo makes it a point to always be smiles and laughter, even when the smile is forced and his eyes are unfocused and dim rather than lively and vibrant. Not to say such a facade is a common facet of his features - usually his personality is genuine, but occasionally he'll overhear someone talking about money and his posture will sink for just a moment, or mention of the family business he formerly bragged about with pride and animated gestures will elicit only a noncommittal hum or halfhearted commentary. A subtle anxiety underlies a lot of his moods as of recent times, and while the boy had always been hesitant to express outward negativity, he now pointedly avoids any kind of introspective or 'deep' talk that he wouldn't usually shy away from. He's fine. Everything's fine. It'll all work out. ＡＲＣＡＮＡ The Sun ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡ Khepri - Egyptian solar deity representing the rising sun, creation, and renewal. ＳＫＩＬＬＳ Kouha (Light Bless damage to one foe) Lunge (Light Physical damage to one foe) Rakukaja (Increase one ally's Defense) ＴＲＡＮＳＦＯＲＭＡＴＩＯＮ Daigo dons a suit of old-timey samurai lamellar, colored similarly to his Persona and stylized vaguely to resemble an insectoid carapace. His already vibrant hair gains highlights that glitter in a brilliant array of colors like the sky at sunset; fiery oranges, yellows, reds, even purples and blues at times. These streaks are normally unnoticeable but quickly become apparent during movement or a strong breeze when Daigo's hair shifts and catches the light. ＷＥＡＰＯＮ Naginata ＨＩＳＴＯＲＹ The Hinaris are, as Daigo will proudly boast, owners of a kaiseki diner that dates all the way back to the Edo Period. He grew up helping out in the kitchen and, once he was old enough, serving customers. It was a fulfilling existence, even from a child's perspective, and when Daigo's grandfather retired and passed ownership of the restaurant to his father, the boy was eager to throw himself into the family business with the knowledge it would likely one day be his. The dream was far less glamorous in practice. With the change came a decline in customers - perhaps the old clientele was no longer interested in a diner that wasn't run by Daigo's grandfather, perhaps the modernization of Kyoto simply left the old place behind. The Hinaris continued as they had for generations, chalking the situation up to a string of bad luck that would soon be over. Apparently the business' woes weren't as secret as the family thought, as Daigo returned from school one day to find his parents meeting with a pair of sharply dressed businessmen. They wanted to buy the restaurant for a particularly nice sum, as it was located primely in the middle of their company's new urban development project. They could take the money, start the family business over in a new area, reinvent their brand, be set for life, et cetera, et cetera. While Daigo's mother was open to consideration given their recent monetary losses, his father, naturally, would have none of it. Kaiseki Hinari would stay right where it was until the sun engulfed the Earth and maybe beyond that if he had anything to say about it. After that, new development conveniently sprang up in a way that left Kaiseki Hinari out of the way from a pedestrian's standpoint and somewhat inconvenient to reach in lieu of much more accessible dining. Already on hard times, it took only a few short months to reduce the restaurant to toeing the line of closure when traditional means of attracting customers were suddenly no longer viable. Too stubborn to change the diner's business model or advertising strategy but too prideful to sell, Daigo's father seemed determined to go down with his ship; whether his family starved in the process or not. For what it was worth, Daigo agreed with him - in part, at least. He loved that restaurant; selling the business now so it could be torn down by scheming rats or worse, letting said vermin whore out the Kaiseki Hinari name for their own profit, was unacceptable. Still, his suggestions on modernizing the business fell on deaf ears. The fact that he'd convinced his father to sully the restaurant's proud traditions and begin selling - heaven forbid - mere lunch bentos was practically a miracle. Unfortunately, problems beget more problems. As it often did, heightened stress and the threat of poverty turned the trivial quirks of any family that would usually be glossed over into glaring issues ready to tear the household apart in arguments and irritability. Debts were mounting, tensions in the family were high over whether to sell or not, his mother was threatening divorce over his father's stubbornness; Daigo's life was set on a downward spiral straight to the ass-end of misery with no exit in sight. He had no options but to push it all down into the depths of his psyche, put on a smile, and greet the ever-slowing trickle of customers like he always would. ＭＩＳＣ Always fidgeting, sometimes to others' annoyance. Poster child for restless leg syndrome. Not a guy you wanna sit next to on a wobbly bench. Taptaptap.</s> <\|message\|>-The Missing Students- --- --- God, why did everything with this guy feel like pulling teeth? Sakuya supposed she could give him the bare amount of credit for not just walking away or ignoring her, but if he wasn't interested in talking, then why did he bother replying? No, why was she bothering when she expected exactly this? Letting out a sigh, Sakuya rubbed her temple. No, she was much too stubborn to just walk away. She could do this. Establishing a kohai-senpai relationship wasn't that hard. She just needed to be friendly and upbeat, just like Natsuhime-san was. Although she had no idea how the girl had the energy to be so positive every single moment of every single day. Still, it wouldn't kill Sakuya to be a little friendly. With that in mind, Sakuya dropped her hand, frowning at Noriaki. "I apologize for the inconvenience. I felt that we started off on the wrong foot yesterday, and hoped to rectify it," She humbled herself first and foremost, wanting to show her sincerity. "If you don't have the time, that's fine. I can always try again tomorrow." --- --- The amount of tension in the Cooking Club was suffocating the second Genki crossed the border into the room. While there were only Kaito and Linda inside, it was obvious that the source of said tension was the oven in front of them. Neither one acknowledged Genki's words, instead, their entire focus was on Kaito. With trembling hands, he cautiously lifted up a tray of what looked like tiny cups, placing them down gingerly onto the nearby table. He quickly removed his gloves and tossed them over his shoulder, kneeling down to inspect them. Linda opened her mouth, though Kaito raised his hand. Whipping out a fork, he nervously poked the pastry. Time seemed to stop for just a moment, though he let out a small sigh of relief. However, said relief was premature, as the pastry deflated and collapsed into itself. The two were completely silent, the fork falling from Kaito's hand and onto the floor. Kaito fell to his knees, both hands gripping his head. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screeched dramatically. "Well, that's unfortunate," Linda giggled, and the tension in the room evaporated. She looked back at Genki, flashing a smile. "We've seen better days." "I did everything to perfection," Kaito muttered, ratting his hair. "It was those egg whites, wasn't it...?!" Linda patted his head sympathetically. "Determination tempers the sword of your character, my student," She told him cheerfully as he broke into tears. "And hey, soufflé is hard to make! This was a good first try!" --- Orgasmo ---</s> <\|message\|>HOSHINO NORIAKI HOSHINO NORIAKI \| \| \| \| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E --- April 11th 2018 L O C A T I O N --- Hinotori Highschool T A G S --- \| It took a great deal of willpower on Noriaki's part not to scowl. She had sought him out after yesterday, when she decided to all but threaten him and his chance at a new start, and she had the nerve to sigh at him? She had nobody to blame for this situation but her own ego. He didn't doubt that her appearance now was just an excuse to start things all over again, seeing as though he had rebuffed her little power move and gotten the last word in the day prior. It would almost be respectable, if she didn't try disguising her intentions in that honor student act. The previous urge to blow her off and go about his day almost won out when she opened her mouth again and started speaking in the faux apologies. But she pointed out something he already knew—if he didn't humor her, she would just keep showing up again and again, so it was best to suffer through her presence now for peace later. "You already went through the trouble of coming all this way and delaying me," he pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning up against the wall, "So say what you need to say. If you make a habit of coming to my classroom every day, people will start talking." \|</s>	<\|message\|>HINARI DAIGO April 11th - After School --- Daigo spent most of his day in a daze, slumped over his desk with his head barely propped up enough to see the board. The only indication he was even awake was the anxious rhythm his foot ceaselessly tapped into the floor, and even that might not've convinced a skeptic he wasn't simply a very fidgety sleeper. It wasn't too unreasonable to pretend the day prior had simply been a bad dream; he'd passed out the moment he got home and woke up around four AM with only a hazy recollection of giant beetles and William giving him more cryptic instructions- but that was fine because it was all a giant delusion and William and Mira didn't exist. Just to be on the safe side, he wasn't keen on talking to anyone that could challenge these conclusions. Hoshino, thankfully, made a beeline for the door as soon as they were dismissed and he didn't see where Mori had gone off to, but that still left Sasaki - wait, he didn't know that short girl's name, she told it to him in a dream. The redhead decided he couldn't stay here regardless. Or walk home. He could run into one of them on the way; he was pretty sure Hoshino lived near him based on their expedition on the first day. He needed an alibi, or a reason to walk in the complete opposite direction of his house. Wait, what if Sa- mystery girl or Mori lived that way? Cooking Club sounded safe. He swore he heard the council was considering disbanding the club for lack of members anyway; Daigo would certainly get some peace and quiet there. He lifted his head for a furtive look around the room for any approaching heads of green hair, then rushed out the door with panicked haste. The sight of Hoshino lingering just outside the doorway was enough to make him almost trip, but he bolted off before anyone had a chance to comment on it. Especially Hoshino, he could easily use poking fun at the nerd almost falling as an excuse to duck the president - jeez, was she going to come by every day? Didn't matter. No time to think right now. Just Cooking Club. No thoughts, head empty. At least until he got upstairs and heard the award-winning scream from inside the room he'd intended to enter. Hopefully no one dropped a knife on their foot or something. No, that sounded more like the anguished cry of a man that had dropped his ice cream cone. He hesitated before his approach, though the lack of panicked noises from inside the room at least reassured him he wouldn't walk in on some gruesome injury. "Is this the Cooking Club or the Drama Club?" Daigo deadpanned as he shuffled into the room, only to jump in surprise and whack his side into the doorframe when he noticed the other student in the doorway was one of the only three people on the entire campus he needed to avoid right now. Whatever prey animal instinct had screamed at him to run was drowned out by the new throbbing in his arm, and the orange-haired teen settled for wincing in place as he accepted his fate. "Ow." No, it'd be fine; the persona thing was all a dream anyway. The real Genki definitely didn't get sucked into a mirror with him yesterday. Nope. Huh, that was a new experience. Usually he didn't prefer the real version of a boy to the one in his dreams. --- Orgasmo</s>
<\|description\|>ᛏᛟᚱᛒᛃᛟᚱᚾ ᚢᚨᚱᚷ [ BASICS ] --- [ NAME ] Torbjørn (Tor) Varg [ AGE ] 24 [ GENDER ] Male [ COMMUNICATOR OF ] Baldur [ MYTHOLOGY OF BALDR (BALDUR) ] Baldur is the son of Odin and Frigg. One night he had a nightmare in which he foresaw his own death. When his mother, Frigg, dreamt the same dream, the gods decided to act. Determined to forestall her son's death, Frigg approached all things living and inert within creation, making them promise never to harm her son. Loki, the trickster god, heard of Baldur's immunity to harm and found it displeasing. Taking the form of a woman, Loki managed to get Frigg to concede that she had not demanded the oath from a humble sprig of mistletoe. Loki then fashioned a spear made of mistletoe. Knowing that the other gods were hurling spears at Baldur to test his immunity, Loki handed Hodr, Baldur's blind brother, the spear made of mistletoe. Hodr then hurled the spear and mortally wounded Baldur. Mythopedia --- [ APPEARANCE ] --- [ PHYSIQUE ] Tor is gifted athletically. His shoulders are broad and his limbs are slightly longer than average for his height. Outside of a strong physical appearance, he has two other remarkable features: a jagged scar on his right forearm (a lasting reminder of an attack by a large canine) and a tattoo of Ægishjálmr, or the Helm of Awe, centered on his back between the shoulder blades and approximately 8" in diameter. He has icy blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a gravelly voice. [ HEIGHT / WEIGHT ] 5'8" // ~150lbs --- [ PERSONALITY ] --- [ PERSONALITY DESCRIPTION ] Tor is a man of few words. He mainly keeps to himself and can be rather brooding at times. In a nutshell, his personality is that of someone who is an ISTJ: ISTJs don't make many assumptions, preferring instead to analyze their surroundings, check their facts and arrive at practical courses of action. ISTJ personalities are no-nonsense, and when they've made a decision, they will relay the facts necessary to achieve their goal, expecting others to grasp the situation immediately and take action. ISTJs have little tolerance for indecisiveness, but lose patience even more quickly if their chosen course is challenged with impractical theories, especially if they ignore key details – if challenges becomes time-consuming debates, ISTJs can become noticeably angry as deadlines tick nearer. That being said, if approached with a problem Tor will analyze it objectively and carry out the solution in a steadfast manner. He is able to approach most situations with a level head. Throw someone inexperienced, or, well, just plain stupid into the mix and Tor won't be afraid to go his own way. Being a man of few words, he cannot stand loquacious company. Idle chatter is something that has always irritated him. Unless you have something meaningful to say, it's best to keep it to yourself. But, this can be said about him… just when you think you know how he will react, he will surprise you. You think he might not care when in reality he cares deeply. [ LIKES / DISLIKES ] Likes: * Travel * Protecting anyone in need (Not always necessarily helping anyone in need, if that makes sense.) Dislikes: * Feeling out of control * Manipulation --- [ BIOGRAPHY ] --- [ PLACE OF ORIGIN ] Bergen, Norway [ BIO ] Tor is no exception when it comes to the tragic background story… so, let's begin. Tor's mother and father were happily married the first few years of his life. Something changed in his mother, however, and so ended his happy childhood. His mother decided that she did not want to be tied down to a family, unable to do what she wanted at any given moment. Without so much as a hug or a kiss goodbye, mother packed one small suitcase and walked out of their lives forever. Many years went by and being motherless was just part of life. At about the age of sixteen was when Tor and his father immigrated to America. For the next four years Tor's father would sporadically open up and date women, however, none of them worked out. Eventually his father's health began to deteriorate, which Tor would learn was the result of how much his father's heart ached all these years. Upon graduating from high school, Tor immediately entered the workforce to help support his father who could not work anymore and is now mute. A few years passed while he attempted to help his father obtain disability and during this time, he had a strange dream. A man who looked a lot like himself appeared and informed Tor that he was chosen to be his 'communicator.' It all seemed bizarre. In fact, when he awoke he had shaken the feeling and forgotten most of it. Later that day, while at work he was in an accident… an accident that should have killed him. Other than being knocked unconscious for a period, he was unscathed and returned home that night. As soon as Tor entered the front door he wanted to tell his father what happened. As he was removing his jacket, his father, whom was sitting in his usual spot in the living room, spoke. He spoke. The voice was foreign. Tor hadn't heard that voice in years. Suddenly his story about what happened at work wasn't important at all. His father told Tor about his mother that abandoned them, eyes unfocused and with a voice that was faraway. The news was shocking to say the least. What he learned was that his mother was a very well-known socialite. His father followed her life through the newspapers and now through social media. All these years he was always hopeful that she would return to them. He didn't care if she apologized or not. He just wanted her to come back home. Then, he fell silent once again. Twenty some years had gone by without an ounce of hate or resentment toward his mother. As soon as silence filled the room, Tor's heart filled with rage and bitterness. For all the hate and resentment that wasn't there, it was revealed that it had been there all along. He knew this woman… he had seen her face in magazines and television. She was always smiling and throwing herself over men from all over the world. An image of this famous woman burned itself into Tor's mind—an image of her smiling and carefree, nonetheless. He and his father struggled to pay rent from month to month, eating spam and other canned food while she adorned her neck with priceless jewelry. He truly hated this woman with every ounce of his body. [ REASON FOR CHOICE ] Baldur saw himself in Torbjørn, not only because of their similar appearance, but because of their equal hatred for their mothers… which Baldur foresaw in a dream of his own. His serious reasons for choice are nothing more than those factors. On the other hand, the not so serious reasons are because Baldur finds humor in Tor's surname and the fact that Torbjørn goes by Tor (Thor). --- [ POWERS ] --- * Invulnerability, except mistletoe. This power can be called upon for a very short amount of time (maybe 10-15 minutes) and about once every couple of days. Perhaps with time it could be used once a day but still for a short amount of time. * Unable to feel pain… or much of anything else, including pleasure. This too can only be called upon for short lengths of time; however, because it does not include invulnerability, it can be used once a day. * Enhanced strength—This enhanced strength is nothing Herculean. Large amounts of adrenaline triggers this power. Right now it grants him the strength of two adult men. * Light manipulation (Perhaps something that can be learned in the future.) [ RELICS / FAMILIARS ] Updated after Tor's first IC post: Smooth stone with the Sol rune chiseled into it. Its powers are unknown at this time. [ INVOCATION ] Tor is unable to invoke Baldur on command. Baldur instead chooses when to materialize through Tor. Because of their uncanny resemblance to each other, the only way to know when Baldur is acting through Tor is by the appearance of his numerous runic tattoos. Invocation will leave Tor without any strength for a long period. [ OTHER INTERESTS / SKILLS ] wip --- [ MISC. ] --- [ BIRTHDAY / SIGN ] October 22 nd // Libra [ FAVORITES / LEAST FAVORITES ] A bit fearful of canines (Only close confidants or keen observers know this.) [ SEXUAL PREFERENCE ] Het // Not seeking at this time</s> <\|message\|>AKENO KUDO Akeno Kudo Easy to say that something should be killed, when you weren't the one doing the killing. Akeno brought the sword down, its point piercing through the throat of the giant snake as easily as lowering it into water. There was hardly any resistance at all. In one quick motion she swiped the sword down the length of the snake's body, opening up a long gash in its underbelly; several feet long and already starting to seep blood. A single swing of the sword was enough to shake the blood from the blade and she sheathed it again as she turned away from the body of the serpent she had just slain. She pointedly didn't look at it again as she locked eyes with the newcomer who had emphatically declared that she should kill it. "Okay, let's get going then." She was just a college student a month ago. @Hitman</s> <\|message\|>ᛏᛟᚱᛒᛃᛟᚱᚾ ᚢᚨᚱᚷ --- Upon the evocation of the torch rune, a welcomed warmth grew from within Torbjørn's body and radiated out to his toes and fingertips. The below zero temperature was suddenly much more bearable. After turning around to the sound of another voice (an external one), he could only stare for a moment. He was a bit speechless after experiencing such an otherworldly sensation. A raven was perched upon the man's shoulder. Its jet black feathers had a silky and sharp look about them. It cocked its head from side to side as the words "The son, the sun" formed from only what Tor could assume was its ability to manipulate airflow, much like a parrot. "Den ravnen," he managed to mutter, wide-eyed. Tor ever so slightly shook his head as if to snap out of a trance, then made eye contact with the other Norwegian. Right away he noticed what appeared to be a rune tattooed over the man's left eye. Despite being of Norwegian descent and growing up in Norway, Tor had forgotten most of what he learned about runes from grade school. To him the value of learning them was purely of historical value; however, he had a feeling that they were going to become much more important. From the little did he remember, he thought that the tattooed rune could be Ansuz. "Unnskyld… I'm Torbjørn." He did his best to smile amicably, though it ended up just looking awkward. He never was much of a smiler. "Thanks for the, uh, stave, I think it was?" Curious, he glanced at the meager winter attire that the other Norwegian was wearing. "Ah, you are a true Norwegian!" he joked and added, "Is that why Odin chose you, friend? I must admit that I was beginning to think that I had lost my mind—that my missing Norway had manifested itself as a voice claiming to be that of Baldr. Yet, here I am." His attempt at a friendly smile faded. A look of doubt replaced it. "You are real-" He paused. "Right? Not a figment of my imagination?" Tor took a few tepid steps closer to Odin's Communicator, unsure if he was going to disappear like a hallucination.</s> <\|message\|>𝕸𝖆𝖟𝖔𝖗𝖓 𝕹𝖆𝖛𝖆𝖗𝖎 --- Mazorn was positively giddy. "I'm half Canadian. He did meet me in our ancestral home, while I was hiking. As for why he chose me, he mentioned something about 'repairing past mistakes' of which I have theories on but until I see him and kick his behind, I won't have figured out." He moved closer, motioning the other man to continue through the cave. "I'm as real as they come, I'm afraid." He patted the other man's shoulder. "Ysmir's beard you're nearly frozen... Hmm.." He slammed Gungnir into the ground, the spear brightening slightly as it stood as he let go of the shaft. Reaching up to the tip, mazorn grimaced as he drew a bit of blood from his hand and motioned for Torbjørn's arm. "Uruz Raidho Gebo. I give you a measure of my strength for the road ahead. That should keep you." He picked up his spear again before continuing forward. Himinn leapt off his shoulder and aligted on a rock nearby. The bird scanned the area, as if seeing something the others couldn't. Use to it by now Mazorn kept walking. If the raven had something to say, he would let them know. "So, what part of the homeland are you from, friend? Or is it son. Gods this whole thing is weird. Odin barely explained it and just told me that I would be hunted and needed to ready myself. Did Lord Baldr let you know of anything? My sight of the palace is being blocked since it's got some sort of barrier on it, but I think I saw the Bifrost." Using the light from his spear's evoked rune, Mazorn checked the corners they passed by. He had gone spelunking a few times before, but it wasn't something he did regularly.</s>	<\|message\|>ᛏᛟᚱᛒᛃᛟᚱᚾ ᚢᚨᚱᚷ A refreshing sweep of vitality rushed through Torbjørn. For being the other man's first journey to this so-called Palace of Communicators, of which he still wasn't sure was sane of him to think, he had quite a grasp on something supernatural. The image of the stone that Baldr had gifted to Tor flashed in his mind's eye. Would he have the ability to manipulate the power of the runes as the other man did? "Mmm, a good question. I'd like to think friend, ja? I was born and raised in Bergen; and, if I had to guess, I think it would be fair to assume that you are from the Oslo region based on your dialekt." Fairly certain that the other man wasn't a threat, a more trusting tone could be heard in Tor's voice. As they cautiously trekked through the cave, Tor glanced over to Odin's Communicator. "Tell me, Mazorn—you asked if Baldr had let me know anything—out of curiosity, has Odin been chatty? Baldr visited me for the first time and the last time a few days ago. Either he is not the talkative type or he is testing me." The raven continued to act as a scout as it glided from rock to rock as they walked. As they squeezed through a tight corridor a large wrapped bundle caught his eye. The wraps were falling off of it in places and some sort of viscous liquid oozed out of it. Then, a voice carried through the darkness but a short distance away: "Okay, let's get going then." Quietly Tor turned to look at his new travel companion. His eyes motioned to the voice as if to ask him if he thought they should go investigate.</s>
<\|description\|>Seyrun Riviathan Height: 164cm \| Weight: ??? \| Age: 17 Appearance: Regular Transformed Description: A mysterious transfer student from a faraway country who goes at a high-class all-girls academy. She has a gallant personality and a charming air about her that makes her the ideal Prince Charming out to steal your heart and your books. Grimoire: • Title: Arc d'Lupin ~Legend of the Phantom Thief~ • Description: A grimoire containing the exploits of a daring thief who could steal anything. The stories of his deeds as he fooled mages and detectives alike are thrilling but the ending is vague for there's always more treasure to get over yonder. • Abilities: Arc d'Lupin's powers are all about being a suave, skillful thief who can succeed by their wits alone. Seyrun's applications involve summoning cards to attack, opening locks, disappearing in plain sight, etc. Most interestingly, she can create mercury constructs, shaping them in a variety of ways but being especially fond of using them as chains and mirror to help with her thievery tricks. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan — Episode 1: Midnight Harlequinade — Intermission 1: Guilty Hearts — Episode 1: Heavy Metal Waltz</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Another late-autumn day was coming to an end, bathing the streets of Mizukino in rays of madder red sunlight filtered through the shadows cast by the nearby mountains. A cold wind blew by, embracing all it touched in its gentle caress, and the people slowly returned to their homes. By all accounts, it should be the beginning of a night like any other. Nevertheless, some threatened the peace the Mizukino usually enjoyed... "Quick, collect the energy you can while we have time!" A creature that looked like a living jack-in-the-box shouted to its minions, who looked like small puppets made entirely out of shadows, in a shrill voice as they run around a small office building. All of the workers still left inside were unconscious, perhaps because of the faint translucent aura that enveloped it, a barrier to cut it away from the outside world, visible only for those who had any measure of magical power. As they were commanded, the shadows went around the building, looming over the collapsed workers, draining some kind of energy visible as strands of colored light from them. The process seemed to be going slowly, but who could tell what would happen if they were left to their own devices? "I can, of course. That's precisely why the Pageless can't be allowed to do as they wish!" The Noble Scheherazade said as he observed from the other side of the road. He had already called the protectors of Mizukino City, the ones he entrusted with the Grimoires that he recovered so far. "Please, come quickly everyone. I have a strange feeling this isn't like the other times..." Hopefully, they wouldn't take much longer to arrive, every second counted when it came to the Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "And... shoot!" The sound of glass shattering was accompanied by one of the puppets being flung like a ragdoll away from its victim. A magical arrow had made its was through the window, pinning the creature against the wall, before several more rainbow-hued projectiles followed after. Some were still caught by surprise, others managed to dodge now that they knew what was coming. Once the trick no longer worked, a young girl leapt in through her newly-made opening, bow drawn at the enemy. Her "Pageless! How dare you torment these people!" she shouted. "No matter how many times you appear, I will not let evil go unpunished! The magical archer Robin will be your opponent today!" Robin fired off the glowing arrow inside her bow and proceeded to leap on top of one of the cubicles' walls. It was a delicate balance to keep, doubly so while wearing heels. Still, Robin stood atop its thin edge without even a hint of unstable footing. On the other side of the room was her current nemesis, a jack-in-the-box who clearly outranked the other mooks. "Are you the boss of these fiends? If so, then prepare for your judgement!" Robin drew back the string of her bow again, her magical power gathering, then fired off her shot. Given the distance she was at, on top of her loudly announcing her presence, it was unlikely to hit. But it didn't need to; Robin had already achieved her goal. All eyes were on her now. 'Everyone... I'm counting on you!'</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira "You got it, Robin!"With Robin distracting the Pageless Momo took the opportunity to even the numbers a little bit. While she still wished that she could summon her dogs in any order she wanted Akamaru should be able to handle the weaker monsters. She opened her Grimoire and in less than a second the relatively large white Akamaru appeared out of nowhere. "You know what to do." Momo wasn't gonna lie. Of her three summons Kiba was her favorite, bigger and stronger than Akamaru but easier to control than Cerberus, still any fight that ended before she was forced to release her second dog was a good one. The dog did indeed know what to do and ignoring the Jack-in-the-box went after some of the smaller shadowy Pageless, after its Master had gotten on its back of course. Akamaru caught one of the shadows in its jaws, allowing Momo to punch it without being able to run. Unfortunately it still had one free arm and could and did punch back even using its claws to draw a little bit of Momo's blood but it wasn't a serious injury.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The wizard awakens from her afternoon nap, the call of her bed failing as she hears a familiar telepathic voice echoing in her mind. Officially called to action the teen would transform in a dramatic flurry and make way to the disturbance, eyeing the barrier from afar. On her handy staff, she would reach the invaded building, legs crossed as she observed Robin and Momo enter through a broken hole in the building. From the air, Ayaka would dismount her staff and grab it with her left hand, and then aim it towards the building. Silent in her casting the crystal of her staff would begin to glow a dim purple, a magical circle forming at its end and drew itself to completion, and once it finished a wave of magical energy surged from the crystal and towards the building. A sigh followed afterword and Ayaka remounted her staff, eyes glowing as an aftereffect of her spell but now she could see the inner workings of the building and those inside. "We need to separate the unconscious civilians from the Pageless..." Ayaka would say to her teammates telepathically with a tired voice as she hovered only a few feet away from the office building. Quietly observing as she watches out for any strange misdeeds during the course of the battle, preparing an assortment of spells if the situation were to turn sideways.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Studying. Yuri was an expert at studying and keeping up with his grades despite the fact that he was called away most nights to stop Pageless. Tonight seemed different. He sat down in front of his desk, his pen in his right hand. Slowly he looked from the textbook to the notepad as his hand moved over the page leaving behind beautiful cursive trails of ink. He was halfway down the page when he heard the voice of Scheherazade. Scheherazade was like the guardian of the group. He'd formed the group and showed them how to use their gifts, but training was always necessary to learn and master the gifts bestowed on them. Scheherazade helped in so many ways and Yuri was always thankful that he was chosen. It was always perplexing, as Scheherazade had told him, the Grimoire normally sought out females. He was the first and only male of the group and he didn't take it lightly. He placed the pen neatly against the notepad and looked over at the Grimoire that hovered slightly on the nightstand. He could hear every word Scheherazade spoke to them. He remembered the first time it happened. It had freaked him out beyond belief and he hadn't slept for two days after, but now it was normal, now he was used to it and stood swiftly to his feet. Pageless were vile creatures, attempting to consume the lifeforce of humans for their own personal gains. One could only wonder if it was for something far more sinister than they initially thought. Yuri closed the textbook and moved elegantly over to the Grimoire. He made sure no one saw him before he touched it and allowed its power to overcome him. In an instant, he had transformed. His hair blew against the wind as he transformed into a swarm of butterflies, leaving through the crack in the window. By the time he'd arrived, he could see the action had started. Robin, the nickname given to Kotone Yuzu, was firing arrows into the building Scheherazade had cloaked in a protective barrier. The Pageless could be seen and his teammates were already on it. Momo and her beloved canine were attacking Pageless, but one was able to claw her cheek. The swarm of butterflies swooped into the building knocking the Pageless claw away from Momo's face, one purple butterfly remaining on her cheek as if to kiss it softly. Momo would feel a sudden rush of energy and her power would increase. The remaining butterfly began to form into Yuri beside an unconscious human. Yuri checked the human's vitals. They were weak, but still alive. "Let's get you out of here shall we?" Anyone know the closest exit? Yuri barely managed to dodge the claw of a Pageless as he rolled to the left blasting the creature with a beautiful purple beam. "Trust me, you don't want to make me mad," Yuri said as he blasted another Pageless.</s>	<\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Curse you, humans!" The Jack-in-the-box spat out as first Robin, and then more and more of Mizukino's protectors filtered into the scene. It showed little to no regard with its underlings, swiping one of the shadowy puppets with its clawed hand and using it as a shield to block Robin's judgment strike. When the puppet fulfilled its purpose, the Jack-in-the-box summarily tossed it at Robin. "What are you waiting for? Get them!" Even as it commanded the other Pageless to press the attack against the magical girls, the Jack-in-the-box slashed its claws through the air, sending vacuum blades flying in Ayaka's direction. Naturally, the move toppled some of the nearby cubicles, covering its escape route. The only signs of it taking a move would be a door swinging back and forth on its own and the clacking noises the Jack-in-the-box made as it hopped its way up the staircase with deceptive agility. </s>
<\|description\|>Seyrun Riviathan Height: 164cm \| Weight: ??? \| Age: 17 Appearance: Regular Transformed Description: A mysterious transfer student from a faraway country who goes at a high-class all-girls academy. She has a gallant personality and a charming air about her that makes her the ideal Prince Charming out to steal your heart and your books. Grimoire: • Title: Arc d'Lupin ~Legend of the Phantom Thief~ • Description: A grimoire containing the exploits of a daring thief who could steal anything. The stories of his deeds as he fooled mages and detectives alike are thrilling but the ending is vague for there's always more treasure to get over yonder. • Abilities: Arc d'Lupin's powers are all about being a suave, skillful thief who can succeed by their wits alone. Seyrun's applications involve summoning cards to attack, opening locks, disappearing in plain sight, etc. Most interestingly, she can create mercury constructs, shaping them in a variety of ways but being especially fond of using them as chains and mirror to help with her thievery tricks. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this? Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu. While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s>	<\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan True to Seyrun's advice, the following night began with heavy rain pouring down from the leaden clouds over Mizukino's sky. That, however, wouldn't dissuade the Pageless from their efforts to gather the life force of innocent humans. "Quickly, gather what you can before those humans come after us! We don't have time to waste," The seeming leader of the group of Pageless that were attacking the workers of a construction site ordered its minions to speed up the collection of energy before Mizukino's protectors arrive at the scene. As was expected of him, Scheherazade noticed the attack and moved to the place before calling the club members. He observed the situation from atop a light pole outside the barrier that isolated the site from the normal space as the winds and rain splashed against the partially exposed steel skeleton. "Please come quickly everyone. At least I can assure you I'm not feeling the Darkkeepers' presence tonight. All I can say is that I hope they won't come out tonight, but these Pageless seem a little more powerful than the ones from the other day," Scheherazade said, hoping his words wouldn't be unanswered. </s>
<\|description\|>小刀禰夕朱 (Kotone Yuzu) Age: 15 Appearance: Normal (Source), Transformed (Source unknown) Description: When there's evil afoot, her confident showmanship steals the show! When there's not, our heroine is modest and kind to everyone she meets! This quiet beauty has admirers from all over, yet none can get close enough to unravel the mysteries of her heart... Grimoire: • Title: Noble Robin • Description: The story of an archer highwayman who's chance meeting with a princess causes him to forgo his old ways. In pursuit of her love, he enters into an archery contest to show off his skills. The princess is swooned, but the two can never be together. In order for them to live happily ever after, Robin steals the treasures of her evil family together with his old friends. He scatters the new-found wealth to the peasantry before he and the princess elope into the woods. • Abilities: Robin was a master archer, able to hit his mark no matter how far or narrow the target. Yuzu gets a bow and deadeye skills to match, conjuring magical arrows to fire off at the enemy. Robin was quick on his feet and now so is Yuzu, able to fire off volleys of arrows during any daring stunt without losing the slightest bit of accuracy.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan — Episode 1: Midnight Harlequinade — Intermission 1: Guilty Hearts — Episode 1: Heavy Metal Waltz</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Another late-autumn day was coming to an end, bathing the streets of Mizukino in rays of madder red sunlight filtered through the shadows cast by the nearby mountains. A cold wind blew by, embracing all it touched in its gentle caress, and the people slowly returned to their homes. By all accounts, it should be the beginning of a night like any other. Nevertheless, some threatened the peace the Mizukino usually enjoyed... "Quick, collect the energy you can while we have time!" A creature that looked like a living jack-in-the-box shouted to its minions, who looked like small puppets made entirely out of shadows, in a shrill voice as they run around a small office building. All of the workers still left inside were unconscious, perhaps because of the faint translucent aura that enveloped it, a barrier to cut it away from the outside world, visible only for those who had any measure of magical power. As they were commanded, the shadows went around the building, looming over the collapsed workers, draining some kind of energy visible as strands of colored light from them. The process seemed to be going slowly, but who could tell what would happen if they were left to their own devices? "I can, of course. That's precisely why the Pageless can't be allowed to do as they wish!" The Noble Scheherazade said as he observed from the other side of the road. He had already called the protectors of Mizukino City, the ones he entrusted with the Grimoires that he recovered so far. "Please, come quickly everyone. I have a strange feeling this isn't like the other times..." Hopefully, they wouldn't take much longer to arrive, every second counted when it came to the Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "And... shoot!" The sound of glass shattering was accompanied by one of the puppets being flung like a ragdoll away from its victim. A magical arrow had made its was through the window, pinning the creature against the wall, before several more rainbow-hued projectiles followed after. Some were still caught by surprise, others managed to dodge now that they knew what was coming. Once the trick no longer worked, a young girl leapt in through her newly-made opening, bow drawn at the enemy. Her "Pageless! How dare you torment these people!" she shouted. "No matter how many times you appear, I will not let evil go unpunished! The magical archer Robin will be your opponent today!" Robin fired off the glowing arrow inside her bow and proceeded to leap on top of one of the cubicles' walls. It was a delicate balance to keep, doubly so while wearing heels. Still, Robin stood atop its thin edge without even a hint of unstable footing. On the other side of the room was her current nemesis, a jack-in-the-box who clearly outranked the other mooks. "Are you the boss of these fiends? If so, then prepare for your judgement!" Robin drew back the string of her bow again, her magical power gathering, then fired off her shot. Given the distance she was at, on top of her loudly announcing her presence, it was unlikely to hit. But it didn't need to; Robin had already achieved her goal. All eyes were on her now. 'Everyone... I'm counting on you!'</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira "You got it, Robin!"With Robin distracting the Pageless Momo took the opportunity to even the numbers a little bit. While she still wished that she could summon her dogs in any order she wanted Akamaru should be able to handle the weaker monsters. She opened her Grimoire and in less than a second the relatively large white Akamaru appeared out of nowhere. "You know what to do." Momo wasn't gonna lie. Of her three summons Kiba was her favorite, bigger and stronger than Akamaru but easier to control than Cerberus, still any fight that ended before she was forced to release her second dog was a good one. The dog did indeed know what to do and ignoring the Jack-in-the-box went after some of the smaller shadowy Pageless, after its Master had gotten on its back of course. Akamaru caught one of the shadows in its jaws, allowing Momo to punch it without being able to run. Unfortunately it still had one free arm and could and did punch back even using its claws to draw a little bit of Momo's blood but it wasn't a serious injury.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The wizard awakens from her afternoon nap, the call of her bed failing as she hears a familiar telepathic voice echoing in her mind. Officially called to action the teen would transform in a dramatic flurry and make way to the disturbance, eyeing the barrier from afar. On her handy staff, she would reach the invaded building, legs crossed as she observed Robin and Momo enter through a broken hole in the building. From the air, Ayaka would dismount her staff and grab it with her left hand, and then aim it towards the building. Silent in her casting the crystal of her staff would begin to glow a dim purple, a magical circle forming at its end and drew itself to completion, and once it finished a wave of magical energy surged from the crystal and towards the building. A sigh followed afterword and Ayaka remounted her staff, eyes glowing as an aftereffect of her spell but now she could see the inner workings of the building and those inside. "We need to separate the unconscious civilians from the Pageless..." Ayaka would say to her teammates telepathically with a tired voice as she hovered only a few feet away from the office building. Quietly observing as she watches out for any strange misdeeds during the course of the battle, preparing an assortment of spells if the situation were to turn sideways.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Studying. Yuri was an expert at studying and keeping up with his grades despite the fact that he was called away most nights to stop Pageless. Tonight seemed different. He sat down in front of his desk, his pen in his right hand. Slowly he looked from the textbook to the notepad as his hand moved over the page leaving behind beautiful cursive trails of ink. He was halfway down the page when he heard the voice of Scheherazade. Scheherazade was like the guardian of the group. He'd formed the group and showed them how to use their gifts, but training was always necessary to learn and master the gifts bestowed on them. Scheherazade helped in so many ways and Yuri was always thankful that he was chosen. It was always perplexing, as Scheherazade had told him, the Grimoire normally sought out females. He was the first and only male of the group and he didn't take it lightly. He placed the pen neatly against the notepad and looked over at the Grimoire that hovered slightly on the nightstand. He could hear every word Scheherazade spoke to them. He remembered the first time it happened. It had freaked him out beyond belief and he hadn't slept for two days after, but now it was normal, now he was used to it and stood swiftly to his feet. Pageless were vile creatures, attempting to consume the lifeforce of humans for their own personal gains. One could only wonder if it was for something far more sinister than they initially thought. Yuri closed the textbook and moved elegantly over to the Grimoire. He made sure no one saw him before he touched it and allowed its power to overcome him. In an instant, he had transformed. His hair blew against the wind as he transformed into a swarm of butterflies, leaving through the crack in the window. By the time he'd arrived, he could see the action had started. Robin, the nickname given to Kotone Yuzu, was firing arrows into the building Scheherazade had cloaked in a protective barrier. The Pageless could be seen and his teammates were already on it. Momo and her beloved canine were attacking Pageless, but one was able to claw her cheek. The swarm of butterflies swooped into the building knocking the Pageless claw away from Momo's face, one purple butterfly remaining on her cheek as if to kiss it softly. Momo would feel a sudden rush of energy and her power would increase. The remaining butterfly began to form into Yuri beside an unconscious human. Yuri checked the human's vitals. They were weak, but still alive. "Let's get you out of here shall we?" Anyone know the closest exit? Yuri barely managed to dodge the claw of a Pageless as he rolled to the left blasting the creature with a beautiful purple beam. "Trust me, you don't want to make me mad," Yuri said as he blasted another Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Curse you, humans!" The Jack-in-the-box spat out as first Robin, and then more and more of Mizukino's protectors filtered into the scene. It showed little to no regard with its underlings, swiping one of the shadowy puppets with its clawed hand and using it as a shield to block Robin's judgment strike. When the puppet fulfilled its purpose, the Jack-in-the-box summarily tossed it at Robin. "What are you waiting for? Get them!" Even as it commanded the other Pageless to press the attack against the magical girls, the Jack-in-the-box slashed its claws through the air, sending vacuum blades flying in Ayaka's direction. Naturally, the move toppled some of the nearby cubicles, covering its escape route. The only signs of it taking a move would be a door swinging back and forth on its own and the clacking noises the Jack-in-the-box made as it hopped its way up the staircase with deceptive agility. ---</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira For a second Momo was surprised by the rush of energy she felt until she spotted Yuri. "Thanks for that!" While the power up wasn't as useful in her case as it would be for the others she was grateful for it and she and Akamura dispatched the Pageless. With that done she wanted to head back in the fray but was stopped by what Ayaka said. Momo briefly considered sending the giant dog off on it's own but decided against it. Without her needing to say a word Akamaru knew what his mistress wanted him to do and began running towards the closest worker. Just as the dog picked the guy up by the collar of his clothes one of the Pageless took advantage that with his mout full he had one less way to attack and delivered a nasty gash with it's claw to Akamura's side which if he had been a normal dog would no doubt bleed pretty bad, of course he wasn't a normal dog and wasn't actually hurt. Still not wanting to risk the civilian getting hurt Momo flipped the page of her Grimoire and the horse sized dog got replaced with what looked a larger, more aggressive two headed version of itself. Kiba disdainfully threw the guy on his back before literally biting the head off of the Pageless. Momo could feel he wanted to fight more but she was able to control him enough to look for the next civilian to save.</s>	<\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 Robin jumped from her perch when the boss monster countered, the cubicle underneath crumpling from the impact of the corpse. "Using your own allies as a shield... how dare you!" she called out after it, but couldn't pursue due to the follow-up attack. Robin looked around, scanning for both Yuri and Momoe. "Flare, Monarch! You two make sure the civilians are safe. I'm going after that villain!" Robin got up from her crouching position and hopped from one collapsed piece of furniture to the other, quickly identifying and shooting down any shadowy creatures blocking her path. It didn't take her long to reach the stairwell, briefly catching a glimpse of the jack-in-the-box fleeing upwards. 'Ayaka! The target is moving up the building! I'm giving chase; try to intercept while I lure him out to the next floor!' Robin telepathically gave the message to her teammate while she chased after their quarry. "I won't let you get away!" Robin shouted as she fired off arrows during her sprint. The magical projectiles weren't aimed straight at the monster, rather, she was shooting at the ground in front of it. By cutting off its escape route, Robin wanted to force the monster into the perfect spot for Ayaka's ambush.</s>
<\|description\|>小刀禰夕朱 (Kotone Yuzu) Age: 15 Appearance: Normal (Source), Transformed (Source unknown) Description: When there's evil afoot, her confident showmanship steals the show! When there's not, our heroine is modest and kind to everyone she meets! This quiet beauty has admirers from all over, yet none can get close enough to unravel the mysteries of her heart... Grimoire: • Title: Noble Robin • Description: The story of an archer highwayman who's chance meeting with a princess causes him to forgo his old ways. In pursuit of her love, he enters into an archery contest to show off his skills. The princess is swooned, but the two can never be together. In order for them to live happily ever after, Robin steals the treasures of her evil family together with his old friends. He scatters the new-found wealth to the peasantry before he and the princess elope into the woods. • Abilities: Robin was a master archer, able to hit his mark no matter how far or narrow the target. Yuzu gets a bow and deadeye skills to match, conjuring magical arrows to fire off at the enemy. Robin was quick on his feet and now so is Yuzu, able to fire off volleys of arrows during any daring stunt without losing the slightest bit of accuracy.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan --- Despite the grim circumstances, everything went well in the aftermath of the encounter with the Darkkeepers. The life force was returned its rightful owners, the worst they would feel is the symptoms of a mild cold for a few days, even the one that had his soul pilfered by the Harlequin's assault would be goo to go in no more than a week. On the other hand, things weren't so simple between the defenders of the world's peace. Scheherazade refused to comment on the issue after the battle. He promised to explain everything on the next day when the girls assembled the following day in their school's library. Even though his feline countenance betrayed no emotion, it was clear that he was perturbed by the events that happened and needed some time to sort out his thoughts. ※ The Following Afternoon, at the School's Library Club ※ "I'm sorry everyone. I guess I owe you all some explanations after what happened yesterday," Scheherazade said as he perched atop a windowsill bathed in the sunset's fiery hues. The wind waving the trees behind him in a vivid dance of light and shadows that looked almost as if it popped out of a Monet or Van Gogh. "The Darkkeepers... I never expected to see them in this world. Maybe, after all, that I lost, I became a fool. How could I not see it coming again? In all the worlds conquered by darkness, the Darkkeepers are always there," Scheherazade said in a voice bitter with guilt. "Just like you, I also asked them to help me in m fight against the Dark Empress. But... time and time again, I failed as their guide, and as a result of my failings, they became corrupted by the darkness they fought against. And now, the help her conquer other words..." "It's really all my fault for not telling you before that such a thing could happen. I understand if you don't want to work with me anymore. But if there's anything I can do, let me know. I absolutely can't fail this time. This world is so blessed with the Princess touch. Stories became a part of your soul like in no other world I ever saw. I don't know what will happen if it were to fall in the hands of the Empress," Scheherazade said, pepping up a little as he explained everything he had to say. One could almost feel the weight of the silence as he waited for a reply from the club members. But, before any of them could answer, a knock on their club room's door shook away the still atmosphere. "Excuse me. Is this the Library Volunteer Club's room? I've come to return a book and can't find the librarian anywhere, would any of you be able to check it out for me?" The blue-haired girl said with a crystal-clear voice as she clutched a copy of a Cinderella pop-up book close to her chest. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Fractured, but Still Whole He didn't know how long he'd been down, or when they'd left. Opening his eyes slowly he felt pain wash over him like he'd been hit by a freight. Everything hurt as he moved his body to stand. He felt it, the disconnect. His arm was dislocated, possibly broken. He would need to access it later. That was no ordinary power, that power came from a dark source, a powerful source. In his current state, he had no hope of defeating someone with that much strength. Realizing that his staff was not in his hand, he looked around and saw it sticking out of the adjacent wall. Approaching slowly, his hand reached out, fingers curling around the staff. Pulling, he freed the staff from the stubborn wall and twirled it a few times. His senses were returning when he looked around the room. Merlin. Where was she? Arm limp to the side, his eyes landed on Merlin. She was off in the distance outside of the building. The staff vanished, returning to the crystal on his necklace. The carnival crew had long gone and the humans had awakened and remembered nothing of what happened. They all seemed to think they'd fallen asleep or something in a field across from the building they worked at. It was the normal response for someone who had their life force sapped. With one quick push, he popped his arm back into place and groaned loudly as more pain washed over him. His hand trembled slightly and it was at that moment he noticed the bruising on his hand. Leaving the scene, he tried to ask questions and get some sort of answer from Scheherazade, but the guide who was like a big brother to them ignored his questions. He ignored any question from either of them and when it was time to part ways, Yuri had more questions than he wanted to have. That night he couldn't sleep thinking of the battle and the outcome. Thinking of Scheherazade and his secrecy. What was he doing this for? Saving people and protecting the world and for what? The people you trust are the ones who keep secrets from you. It hurt. He felt as if he'd been betrayed and as he sat in his bed twiddling his thumbs, he closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow. That morning, bruised and aching, Yuri got out of bed and felt pain in his arm. He didn't think it was broken, but his parents rushed him to the doctor where he received treatment. He had a hairline fracture, and he had to wear a sling. Unsure about everything that he once stood proudly for, Yuri went about the day silent. Doubt had somehow wedged its way into his mind. How could he protect anyone when there was a foe out there that was capable of such destruction? How could he trust someone when they kept secrets? Most of the day was filled with his classes, but he didn't speak to anyone from the team. He stayed focused on his classwork until the meeting in the school library. They were the members of the Library Club, and whenever they met it was to discuss with Scheherazade future missions or important stuff regarding the team. This time, the meeting was odd. Yuri wasn't the first one there. Yuzu was already there and he sat down without saying a word to anyone. He crossed his legs and touched his injured arm. He listened to Scheherazade as he addressed them all when everyone had arrived. Yuri listened but pretended not to, and when Scheherazade had finished, Yuri turned to look at him. Before he could speak, a knock came at the door and Yuri sighed. The girl wanted to return a book, but couldn't find the librarian. She was probably off in the teacher's lounge again drinking copious amounts of coffee. "You know there is a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there," he said taking a step forward, "but no worries, I can help. I'm Yuri by the way. Your name?" Although he wanted to yell at Scheherazade and let him have a piece of his mind, this girl showing up helped him take his mind off of everything.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The blow happened in seconds, the first floor of the building was completely demolished and so were Yuri and Ayaka. The forms and shields that had passively generated along the wizard's body rapidly broke until her physical body was all that was left. Luckily her magic had unmerged from Yuri's staff and returned to her body instantly reconstructing the shields placed. But it was already too late, the damage had been done, and a set of bruises had occurred over her midsection and knees. The breath ripped from her lungs and she curled over debris regaining her constitution. The mission was a success but their mentor, their benefactor, Scheherazade had failed to warn them of an incoming attack. From their surprise, during the mission, it was apparent that the cat knew more than they were letting on and due to their choice of keeping that knowledge a secret, we paid the price. Ayaka understood the moment she honed her abilities for the fight of the greater good that she would need all the knowledge to prepare to protect the world and the lack of... caused this. She didn't bother to continue thinking on it but instead tended to the civilians on the far side of the now fading damage barrier. Eventually, the block would return to normal as if no battle had occurred and now it was Ayaka's job to place the citizens back into their correct spots. Mass Amnesia, Mass Hysteria, or Mass Insomnia. The latter would be used to explain what had occurred in order to protect their secret and once the job was done-- Night came, the darkkeepers had escaped but luckily the civilians were safe. That was all that mattered, but now an incoming threat was possible-- no. Imminent threat was coming. Sleeping came to Ayaka easily though she was muddled with visions, dreaming of her theories of the world but also the scorpion girl that had attacked her. She would remember her face, planning to instantly assault if she were to ever see the stranger again. But for now, Ayaka let her dreams simply be dreams. And the morning would come, as usual, the routine of the day-and-night cycle still the same as it was before as the teen got ready for her normal day at school. It came like a blur, classes slept through but homework and quizzes turned in and resulted in passing grades. The gift of Merlin was an aid in her knowledge but it was just a tool, Ayaka was smart before she was a wizard. But now with magic, she could study in her dreams, think at a faster rate than a normal person would. It drained all her ability to try in school and now she was just waiting for another battle, for another day to help. Finally, the meeting between the "magicals" as Ayaka personally called it. An explanation given by Scheherazade, the cat stood on a windowsill, and once the group had gathered they begun to speak. Ayaka had wondered if the answer was going to be satisfactory but it wasn't. It was a mistake and an extremely faulty one. If the group had known prior, maybe Merlin could've predicted or calculated this event. Maybe if the darkkeepers no matter how unlikely their arrival we all could've been prepared against their assault. But no. Ayaka stood straight from the wall she leaned against in the corner of the room and before she could speak she acknowledged a girl that had asked for help. A sigh escaped from her breath, mouth closed as she waited for the girl to leave before speaking again.</s>	<\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 Yuzu opened the door to the school's library, finding herself being the second on-scene after Scheherazade. It wasn't a surprise to find the familiar sitting there; after all, he didn't have any classes to worry about like Yuzu and the others. Yuzu didn't sit down quite yet, though. She wanted to wait and greet the others as they arrived... and there was still an awkward silence between her and Scheherazade. Yuzu greeted Yuri, then Ayaka when the two arrived shortly after she had. Just one more needed to join them now. "Ah, Kanata!" Yuzu said as the youngest and newest among them joined in the meeting room. Kanata hadn't been on the team for long; in truth, yesterday was meant to be her first mission. "Right... yesterday..." Yuzu thought to herself. She felt her mind wander back to the day before. --- "I won't let you get away!" Robin's bow was drawn at Harlequin, the jester making her escape with the new grimoire in hand. She had a clean shot; all Robin needed to do was take it. The arena around her, however, was crumbling. If Robin took the shot, she'd have endanger Kanata. Stop the escape or save her friend; Robin didn't have any time to think about what the right decision to make was. snap Kanata's rope had snapped. She'd gone into freefall. "Watch out!" Robin shouted and, just barely, managed to catch the younger girl. Carrying her like a groom would their bride, Robin gave Kanata a reassuring smile. Forgoing the use of codenames, as the enemy had already fled, Robin- no, Yuzu had asked "Are you alright, Kanata?" Kanata nodded her head and let out a quick "Mhm," before following it up with "What about the others?" With the reassurance she was okay, Yuzu let Kanata down onto her feet. "Don't worry. Yuri and Ayaka are tough. Let's go check up on them," Yuzu told Kanata and grabbed her hand, positively pulling her along back downstairs to meet up with the rest of the team. --- Thinking back, Yuzu didn't regret her choice of saving Kanata. Even if it meant letting the enemy go, her friends were more important. Maybe that's why Yuzu, unbeknownst to herself, gave the other girl a soft, reassuring smile. 'It's okay,' that smile said, something Yuzu didn't have the chance to tell her the day prior. Not that many words could've been exchanged in the moment either, with Scheherazade not waiting long after everyone's arrival to explain his mysterious silence on matters. Those two girls- the Darkkeepers- were under his guidance once. Now, however, they were corrupted by the forces they fought against. And even after the explanation was finished did the party not get a moment's rest. An older girl approached the group, asking about returning a book. Yuri sprang up as the first to answer, but... "You know there's a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there, but no worries. What's your name?" "Y-Yuri, that's a little..." Yuzu tried to interrupt, but she couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence with "crude" or even "unrefined". Yuzu was quite a bit more timid when she wasn't busy fighting monsters. While Yuri was a boy, his straightforwardness was still a bit... out of place. "I'm actually the, um, club president. Checking books in and out when the librarian isn't here is actually my task... err, I'll go get the list!" Yuzu did as she said she would, gone for only about a minute as she searched for pen and paper. When she returned, Yuzu diligently compared the name of the book in the mysterious girl's arms to the ones on the list. "Let's see... It's this one, right?" Yuzu pointed at the spot she was looking at with her pen. Yuzu tried saying the name written down aloud, but it was clearly a foreign name. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. "The one under the name, um... Leviathan See-run?"</s>
<\|description\|>小刀禰夕朱 (Kotone Yuzu) Age: 15 Appearance: Normal (Source), Transformed (Source unknown) Description: When there's evil afoot, her confident showmanship steals the show! When there's not, our heroine is modest and kind to everyone she meets! This quiet beauty has admirers from all over, yet none can get close enough to unravel the mysteries of her heart... Grimoire: • Title: Noble Robin • Description: The story of an archer highwayman who's chance meeting with a princess causes him to forgo his old ways. In pursuit of her love, he enters into an archery contest to show off his skills. The princess is swooned, but the two can never be together. In order for them to live happily ever after, Robin steals the treasures of her evil family together with his old friends. He scatters the new-found wealth to the peasantry before he and the princess elope into the woods. • Abilities: Robin was a master archer, able to hit his mark no matter how far or narrow the target. Yuzu gets a bow and deadeye skills to match, conjuring magical arrows to fire off at the enemy. Robin was quick on his feet and now so is Yuzu, able to fire off volleys of arrows during any daring stunt without losing the slightest bit of accuracy.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan True to Seyrun's advice, the following night began with heavy rain pouring down from the leaden clouds over Mizukino's sky. That, however, wouldn't dissuade the Pageless from their efforts to gather the life force of innocent humans. "Quickly, gather what you can before those humans come after us! We don't have time to waste," The seeming leader of the group of Pageless that were attacking the workers of a construction site ordered its minions to speed up the collection of energy before Mizukino's protectors arrive at the scene. As was expected of him, Scheherazade noticed the attack and moved to the place before calling the club members. He observed the situation from atop a light pole outside the barrier that isolated the site from the normal space as the winds and rain splashed against the partially exposed steel skeleton. "Please come quickly everyone. At least I can assure you I'm not feeling the Darkkeepers' presence tonight. All I can say is that I hope they won't come out tonight, but these Pageless seem a little more powerful than the ones from the other day," Scheherazade said, hoping his words wouldn't be unanswered. ---</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki Whether it was raining or shining, justice never slept. At least, not until after 9 PM on a school night. Scheherazade's call would be quickly answered, with Kanata arriving on the scene as quickly as she could get there, hopefully being one of the first to arrive to make up for her tardiness last time. This time, she'd get to show off to her upperclassmen, and prove that she's more than just the snack girl. From the entrance of the barrier the rabbit-eared heroine emerged, transformed and ready for a fight. Her hammer was slung over her shoulder, and a white umbrella shielded her from the rain pounding the construction site. "Hup!" she would say after twirling her hammer and bopping it against the ground, leaving a tiny white circle that popped up and blew up to the vague shape of a ball with rabbit-like ears. With beady, bean-like pink eyes the bunlet made of pure magical mochi would stare up at its creator, before the hammer slammed into its side, launching it with great force at a Pageless that was occupied with gathering life force. The rabbit soared with a blank expression through the air, another white circle planted on it from the golf swing Kanata had delivered unto it. That white circle would shrink into the body of the mochi rabbit, the construct suddenly doubling in size, a bit more life in its eyes as it angrily stared down the Pageless before colliding with it. It didn't hurt the Pageless at all, but the sheer force of the mochi rabbit was enough to knock it away from the construction worker it had been praying upon. "Okay, okay, you can do this Kanata, cool introduction time..." the girl said, slapping her cheeks before pointing at the most stand-out of the Pageless. "The jig is up, Pageless! You're not going to hurt anyone anymore! Not if Magical Girl Boundless has anything to say about it!" Kanata said, chest swelling with pride before she resumed golf-swinging rabbit mochi at the Pageless. ...It was almost hilariously harmless, but any of the mochi rabbits that formed would jump at the Pageless, again and again.</s>	<\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Well said, Boundless!" As the mochi rabbits spaced the small fry away from the construction workers, flashes of light would follow soon after in pursuit. Before the Pageless had the time to recover from the recoil they'd already been pierced by a particular magical girl's arrows. Robin stood dramatically on top of a nearby building, the rain crashing down around her. After she'd announced her presence with the initial volley, Robin jumped off and twirled in the air to land next to Kanata. "Shadows are cast by the light that shines beside them... wherever you pageless threaten our peace, we will be there to protect it!" Robin looked around, trying to find Yuri and Ayaka. 'Please leave the smaller ones to me and Kanata. Ayaka, Yuri- try to corner their leader!' She drew her bow back and took aim again. The rain was obscuring her vision, but the bright mochi rabbits sticking to the Pageless made for an excellent target to aim at. This way, even if their shadowy figures were obscured by the downpour, Robin could still use her ally's power to make up for that weakness.</s>
<\|description\|>Ayaka Meru Height : 174cm \| Weight: 140lb \| Age: 16 Appearance: Transformed In Ayaka's transformed appearance she sports the same exact outfit from the reference but without the headband and glasses. Her physical appearance stays primarily the same as well but her hair has lengthened to her back and a long amethyst-colored ribbon holds half of her hair up. Description: A lackluster and lazy student, Ayaka is brazen as she is broad. Open with her opinions but simply too lazy to tell them. Sleep and the lack of is her prime enemy and attacks her anytime throughout the day. But the few occasions when she is focused or awake, she's either serious, often cold, or ready to win any sort of battle. Determination may not align with Ayaka often but when she hones on one thing, in any situation-- she will get the last say. Grimoire: • Title: Merlin's Prophecies • Description: A tale of an old wizard and his exploits. Known for his patience and wise guidance, he has fought off dragons and aided a king to rise for their nation. Well known for his magical gifts, Merlin is an exotic sorcerer who helps from the shadows. • Abilities: The Prophecies of Merlin grants Ayaka the ability to conjure a staff of which she mainly uses to aid her teammates from afar casting shields and healing injuries. But can also cast heavy-hitting elemental magicks, although, in exchange for destruction, she must wait patiently to thread her more offensive spells together via runes, magical circles, or a sacrifice of an object. Misc: Sidhe Staff Instead of a white crystal and a smaller dangling crystal both are purple.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Another late-autumn day was coming to an end, bathing the streets of Mizukino in rays of madder red sunlight filtered through the shadows cast by the nearby mountains. A cold wind blew by, embracing all it touched in its gentle caress, and the people slowly returned to their homes. By all accounts, it should be the beginning of a night like any other. Nevertheless, some threatened the peace the Mizukino usually enjoyed... "Quick, collect the energy you can while we have time!" A creature that looked like a living jack-in-the-box shouted to its minions, who looked like small puppets made entirely out of shadows, in a shrill voice as they run around a small office building. All of the workers still left inside were unconscious, perhaps because of the faint translucent aura that enveloped it, a barrier to cut it away from the outside world, visible only for those who had any measure of magical power. As they were commanded, the shadows went around the building, looming over the collapsed workers, draining some kind of energy visible as strands of colored light from them. The process seemed to be going slowly, but who could tell what would happen if they were left to their own devices? "I can, of course. That's precisely why the Pageless can't be allowed to do as they wish!" The Noble Scheherazade said as he observed from the other side of the road. He had already called the protectors of Mizukino City, the ones he entrusted with the Grimoires that he recovered so far. "Please, come quickly everyone. I have a strange feeling this isn't like the other times..." Hopefully, they wouldn't take much longer to arrive, every second counted when it came to the Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "And... shoot!" The sound of glass shattering was accompanied by one of the puppets being flung like a ragdoll away from its victim. A magical arrow had made its was through the window, pinning the creature against the wall, before several more rainbow-hued projectiles followed after. Some were still caught by surprise, others managed to dodge now that they knew what was coming. Once the trick no longer worked, a young girl leapt in through her newly-made opening, bow drawn at the enemy. Her "Pageless! How dare you torment these people!" she shouted. "No matter how many times you appear, I will not let evil go unpunished! The magical archer Robin will be your opponent today!" Robin fired off the glowing arrow inside her bow and proceeded to leap on top of one of the cubicles' walls. It was a delicate balance to keep, doubly so while wearing heels. Still, Robin stood atop its thin edge without even a hint of unstable footing. On the other side of the room was her current nemesis, a jack-in-the-box who clearly outranked the other mooks. "Are you the boss of these fiends? If so, then prepare for your judgement!" Robin drew back the string of her bow again, her magical power gathering, then fired off her shot. Given the distance she was at, on top of her loudly announcing her presence, it was unlikely to hit. But it didn't need to; Robin had already achieved her goal. All eyes were on her now. 'Everyone... I'm counting on you!'</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira "You got it, Robin!"With Robin distracting the Pageless Momo took the opportunity to even the numbers a little bit. While she still wished that she could summon her dogs in any order she wanted Akamaru should be able to handle the weaker monsters. She opened her Grimoire and in less than a second the relatively large white Akamaru appeared out of nowhere. "You know what to do." Momo wasn't gonna lie. Of her three summons Kiba was her favorite, bigger and stronger than Akamaru but easier to control than Cerberus, still any fight that ended before she was forced to release her second dog was a good one. The dog did indeed know what to do and ignoring the Jack-in-the-box went after some of the smaller shadowy Pageless, after its Master had gotten on its back of course. Akamaru caught one of the shadows in its jaws, allowing Momo to punch it without being able to run. Unfortunately it still had one free arm and could and did punch back even using its claws to draw a little bit of Momo's blood but it wasn't a serious injury.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The wizard awakens from her afternoon nap, the call of her bed failing as she hears a familiar telepathic voice echoing in her mind. Officially called to action the teen would transform in a dramatic flurry and make way to the disturbance, eyeing the barrier from afar. On her handy staff, she would reach the invaded building, legs crossed as she observed Robin and Momo enter through a broken hole in the building. From the air, Ayaka would dismount her staff and grab it with her left hand, and then aim it towards the building. Silent in her casting the crystal of her staff would begin to glow a dim purple, a magical circle forming at its end and drew itself to completion, and once it finished a wave of magical energy surged from the crystal and towards the building. A sigh followed afterword and Ayaka remounted her staff, eyes glowing as an aftereffect of her spell but now she could see the inner workings of the building and those inside. "We need to separate the unconscious civilians from the Pageless..." Ayaka would say to her teammates telepathically with a tired voice as she hovered only a few feet away from the office building. Quietly observing as she watches out for any strange misdeeds during the course of the battle, preparing an assortment of spells if the situation were to turn sideways.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Studying. Yuri was an expert at studying and keeping up with his grades despite the fact that he was called away most nights to stop Pageless. Tonight seemed different. He sat down in front of his desk, his pen in his right hand. Slowly he looked from the textbook to the notepad as his hand moved over the page leaving behind beautiful cursive trails of ink. He was halfway down the page when he heard the voice of Scheherazade. Scheherazade was like the guardian of the group. He'd formed the group and showed them how to use their gifts, but training was always necessary to learn and master the gifts bestowed on them. Scheherazade helped in so many ways and Yuri was always thankful that he was chosen. It was always perplexing, as Scheherazade had told him, the Grimoire normally sought out females. He was the first and only male of the group and he didn't take it lightly. He placed the pen neatly against the notepad and looked over at the Grimoire that hovered slightly on the nightstand. He could hear every word Scheherazade spoke to them. He remembered the first time it happened. It had freaked him out beyond belief and he hadn't slept for two days after, but now it was normal, now he was used to it and stood swiftly to his feet. Pageless were vile creatures, attempting to consume the lifeforce of humans for their own personal gains. One could only wonder if it was for something far more sinister than they initially thought. Yuri closed the textbook and moved elegantly over to the Grimoire. He made sure no one saw him before he touched it and allowed its power to overcome him. In an instant, he had transformed. His hair blew against the wind as he transformed into a swarm of butterflies, leaving through the crack in the window. By the time he'd arrived, he could see the action had started. Robin, the nickname given to Kotone Yuzu, was firing arrows into the building Scheherazade had cloaked in a protective barrier. The Pageless could be seen and his teammates were already on it. Momo and her beloved canine were attacking Pageless, but one was able to claw her cheek. The swarm of butterflies swooped into the building knocking the Pageless claw away from Momo's face, one purple butterfly remaining on her cheek as if to kiss it softly. Momo would feel a sudden rush of energy and her power would increase. The remaining butterfly began to form into Yuri beside an unconscious human. Yuri checked the human's vitals. They were weak, but still alive. "Let's get you out of here shall we?" Anyone know the closest exit? Yuri barely managed to dodge the claw of a Pageless as he rolled to the left blasting the creature with a beautiful purple beam. "Trust me, you don't want to make me mad," Yuri said as he blasted another Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Curse you, humans!" The Jack-in-the-box spat out as first Robin, and then more and more of Mizukino's protectors filtered into the scene. It showed little to no regard with its underlings, swiping one of the shadowy puppets with its clawed hand and using it as a shield to block Robin's judgment strike. When the puppet fulfilled its purpose, the Jack-in-the-box summarily tossed it at Robin. "What are you waiting for? Get them!" Even as it commanded the other Pageless to press the attack against the magical girls, the Jack-in-the-box slashed its claws through the air, sending vacuum blades flying in Ayaka's direction. Naturally, the move toppled some of the nearby cubicles, covering its escape route. The only signs of it taking a move would be a door swinging back and forth on its own and the clacking noises the Jack-in-the-box made as it hopped its way up the staircase with deceptive agility. ---</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira For a second Momo was surprised by the rush of energy she felt until she spotted Yuri. "Thanks for that!" While the power up wasn't as useful in her case as it would be for the others she was grateful for it and she and Akamura dispatched the Pageless. With that done she wanted to head back in the fray but was stopped by what Ayaka said. Momo briefly considered sending the giant dog off on it's own but decided against it. Without her needing to say a word Akamaru knew what his mistress wanted him to do and began running towards the closest worker. Just as the dog picked the guy up by the collar of his clothes one of the Pageless took advantage that with his mout full he had one less way to attack and delivered a nasty gash with it's claw to Akamura's side which if he had been a normal dog would no doubt bleed pretty bad, of course he wasn't a normal dog and wasn't actually hurt. Still not wanting to risk the civilian getting hurt Momo flipped the page of her Grimoire and the horse sized dog got replaced with what looked a larger, more aggressive two headed version of itself. Kiba disdainfully threw the guy on his back before literally biting the head off of the Pageless. Momo could feel he wanted to fight more but she was able to control him enough to look for the next civilian to save.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 Robin jumped from her perch when the boss monster countered, the cubicle underneath crumpling from the impact of the corpse. "Using your own allies as a shield... how dare you!" she called out after it, but couldn't pursue due to the follow-up attack. Robin looked around, scanning for both Yuri and Momoe. "Flare, Monarch! You two make sure the civilians are safe. I'm going after that villain!" Robin got up from her crouching position and hopped from one collapsed piece of furniture to the other, quickly identifying and shooting down any shadowy creatures blocking her path. It didn't take her long to reach the stairwell, briefly catching a glimpse of the jack-in-the-box fleeing upwards. 'Ayaka! The target is moving up the building! I'm giving chase; try to intercept while I lure him out to the next floor!' Robin telepathically gave the message to her teammate while she chased after their quarry. "I won't let you get away!" Robin shouted as she fired off arrows during her sprint. The magical projectiles weren't aimed straight at the monster, rather, she was shooting at the ground in front of it. By cutting off its escape route, Robin wanted to force the monster into the perfect spot for Ayaka's ambush.</s>	<\|message\|>Ayaka Meru From outside the office building, Ayaka watched intently as the battle pursued. Her attention being caught by the magical flurry of butterflies making their way inside. Her brow lifted in interest as she observed, though suddenly the Jack-In-The-Box released blades of air that rushed from within the building to the outside. Almost instantly did she raise her hand to form a barrier, her glance focusing on the box's escape as the wind-blades dissipated along her shield. The boss or the commander of the pageless began its escape and she watched Robin follow its path. Preparing for additional aid, the wizard would grab a selenite crystal from her pocket. As she sat on the staff she would begin chanting a spell under her mouth, the crystal being enveloped with white light. Eventually its form would dematerialize and shift into a ball and as it changed it would shoot into the building and rush itself towards Robin. It hovered and followed the archer, granting Robin sight over the majority of the building. If Robin were to focus on her surroundings she would be able to see the full capacity of the building along with any magical disturbances hidden from plain sight. I have to help defend against the Pageless! Use my sight spell to shoot the Box through the floors! Ayaka says exclusively to Robin, she prepares another assortment of spells. This time manifesting small orbs around herself, creating a dozen of purple-colored creations as she pointed to the building. The group of orbs would zip past her and go inside. Their form would shift into needle-like shapes dashing towards the Pageless and impaling them to give cover for Momo and Yuri.</s>
<\|description\|>Ayaka Meru Height : 174cm \| Weight: 140lb \| Age: 16 Appearance: Transformed In Ayaka's transformed appearance she sports the same exact outfit from the reference but without the headband and glasses. Her physical appearance stays primarily the same as well but her hair has lengthened to her back and a long amethyst-colored ribbon holds half of her hair up. Description: A lackluster and lazy student, Ayaka is brazen as she is broad. Open with her opinions but simply too lazy to tell them. Sleep and the lack of is her prime enemy and attacks her anytime throughout the day. But the few occasions when she is focused or awake, she's either serious, often cold, or ready to win any sort of battle. Determination may not align with Ayaka often but when she hones on one thing, in any situation-- she will get the last say. Grimoire: • Title: Merlin's Prophecies • Description: A tale of an old wizard and his exploits. Known for his patience and wise guidance, he has fought off dragons and aided a king to rise for their nation. Well known for his magical gifts, Merlin is an exotic sorcerer who helps from the shadows. • Abilities: The Prophecies of Merlin grants Ayaka the ability to conjure a staff of which she mainly uses to aid her teammates from afar casting shields and healing injuries. But can also cast heavy-hitting elemental magicks, although, in exchange for destruction, she must wait patiently to thread her more offensive spells together via runes, magical circles, or a sacrifice of an object. Misc: Sidhe Staff Instead of a white crystal and a smaller dangling crystal both are purple.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan The jester had a growing smirk on her face as she heard Robin agree with her. However, that didn't last long. As soon as the blue-haired magical girl's speech turned on its heels, the clown's self-satisfied smile warped into a disgusted frown. "Well, that's a way to ruin the mood," she said in a voice that barely contained her urge to puke at the cookie-cutter heroic drivel. Even so, Robin jumping back and firing at the jester's feet was answered with the jester doing a dodge roll, or rather a cartwheel, to get out of the projectile's path. In the middle of her movement, she let her clubs go, throwing them at Robin's feet, kicking up a dust cloud to distract the archer. It was then that her eyes set on one of the many motes of life force making its way to the unconscious workers. "I found ya~" she said in a sing-song voice. From her position up above the roof, Kanata would be able to see a sadistic smile stamped on the jester's face as she trust a fist inside the glowy orb and... dug around for something. "Oh, come on, I wouldn't think your enthusiasm would be stinguished so fast. Anyway, I'm done here, so we can get going while we are on top," Harlequin—or better yet, Harly—answered when her 'partner' landed beside her. Just as she did so, she pulled her hand back from the light orb with a book—no, a Grimoire—now in her grasp. "The Giant's Beanstalk, huh? That's gonna be fun to mess with~" she said in a pleased voice. A moment later, the whole circus illusion began to crumble and disappear as suddenly as it came. "Annnnd that's it for the night! Thank you for your patronage and until next time, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Harly said before disappearing along with her partner in a puff of smoke and confetti. ---</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan --- Despite the grim circumstances, everything went well in the aftermath of the encounter with the Darkkeepers. The life force was returned its rightful owners, the worst they would feel is the symptoms of a mild cold for a few days, even the one that had his soul pilfered by the Harlequin's assault would be goo to go in no more than a week. On the other hand, things weren't so simple between the defenders of the world's peace. Scheherazade refused to comment on the issue after the battle. He promised to explain everything on the next day when the girls assembled the following day in their school's library. Even though his feline countenance betrayed no emotion, it was clear that he was perturbed by the events that happened and needed some time to sort out his thoughts. ※ The Following Afternoon, at the School's Library Club ※ "I'm sorry everyone. I guess I owe you all some explanations after what happened yesterday," Scheherazade said as he perched atop a windowsill bathed in the sunset's fiery hues. The wind waving the trees behind him in a vivid dance of light and shadows that looked almost as if it popped out of a Monet or Van Gogh. "The Darkkeepers... I never expected to see them in this world. Maybe, after all, that I lost, I became a fool. How could I not see it coming again? In all the worlds conquered by darkness, the Darkkeepers are always there," Scheherazade said in a voice bitter with guilt. "Just like you, I also asked them to help me in m fight against the Dark Empress. But... time and time again, I failed as their guide, and as a result of my failings, they became corrupted by the darkness they fought against. And now, the help her conquer other words..." "It's really all my fault for not telling you before that such a thing could happen. I understand if you don't want to work with me anymore. But if there's anything I can do, let me know. I absolutely can't fail this time. This world is so blessed with the Princess touch. Stories became a part of your soul like in no other world I ever saw. I don't know what will happen if it were to fall in the hands of the Empress," Scheherazade said, pepping up a little as he explained everything he had to say. One could almost feel the weight of the silence as he waited for a reply from the club members. But, before any of them could answer, a knock on their club room's door shook away the still atmosphere. "Excuse me. Is this the Library Volunteer Club's room? I've come to return a book and can't find the librarian anywhere, would any of you be able to check it out for me?" The blue-haired girl said with a crystal-clear voice as she clutched a copy of a Cinderella pop-up book close to her chest. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Fractured, but Still Whole He didn't know how long he'd been down, or when they'd left. Opening his eyes slowly he felt pain wash over him like he'd been hit by a freight. Everything hurt as he moved his body to stand. He felt it, the disconnect. His arm was dislocated, possibly broken. He would need to access it later. That was no ordinary power, that power came from a dark source, a powerful source. In his current state, he had no hope of defeating someone with that much strength. Realizing that his staff was not in his hand, he looked around and saw it sticking out of the adjacent wall. Approaching slowly, his hand reached out, fingers curling around the staff. Pulling, he freed the staff from the stubborn wall and twirled it a few times. His senses were returning when he looked around the room. Merlin. Where was she? Arm limp to the side, his eyes landed on Merlin. She was off in the distance outside of the building. The staff vanished, returning to the crystal on his necklace. The carnival crew had long gone and the humans had awakened and remembered nothing of what happened. They all seemed to think they'd fallen asleep or something in a field across from the building they worked at. It was the normal response for someone who had their life force sapped. With one quick push, he popped his arm back into place and groaned loudly as more pain washed over him. His hand trembled slightly and it was at that moment he noticed the bruising on his hand. Leaving the scene, he tried to ask questions and get some sort of answer from Scheherazade, but the guide who was like a big brother to them ignored his questions. He ignored any question from either of them and when it was time to part ways, Yuri had more questions than he wanted to have. That night he couldn't sleep thinking of the battle and the outcome. Thinking of Scheherazade and his secrecy. What was he doing this for? Saving people and protecting the world and for what? The people you trust are the ones who keep secrets from you. It hurt. He felt as if he'd been betrayed and as he sat in his bed twiddling his thumbs, he closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow. That morning, bruised and aching, Yuri got out of bed and felt pain in his arm. He didn't think it was broken, but his parents rushed him to the doctor where he received treatment. He had a hairline fracture, and he had to wear a sling. Unsure about everything that he once stood proudly for, Yuri went about the day silent. Doubt had somehow wedged its way into his mind. How could he protect anyone when there was a foe out there that was capable of such destruction? How could he trust someone when they kept secrets? Most of the day was filled with his classes, but he didn't speak to anyone from the team. He stayed focused on his classwork until the meeting in the school library. They were the members of the Library Club, and whenever they met it was to discuss with Scheherazade future missions or important stuff regarding the team. This time, the meeting was odd. Yuri wasn't the first one there. Yuzu was already there and he sat down without saying a word to anyone. He crossed his legs and touched his injured arm. He listened to Scheherazade as he addressed them all when everyone had arrived. Yuri listened but pretended not to, and when Scheherazade had finished, Yuri turned to look at him. Before he could speak, a knock came at the door and Yuri sighed. The girl wanted to return a book, but couldn't find the librarian. She was probably off in the teacher's lounge again drinking copious amounts of coffee. "You know there is a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there," he said taking a step forward, "but no worries, I can help. I'm Yuri by the way. Your name?" Although he wanted to yell at Scheherazade and let him have a piece of his mind, this girl showing up helped him take his mind off of everything.</s>	<\|message\|>Ayaka Meru The blow happened in seconds, the first floor of the building was completely demolished and so were Yuri and Ayaka. The forms and shields that had passively generated along the wizard's body rapidly broke until her physical body was all that was left. Luckily her magic had unmerged from Yuri's staff and returned to her body instantly reconstructing the shields placed. But it was already too late, the damage had been done, and a set of bruises had occurred over her midsection and knees. The breath ripped from her lungs and she curled over debris regaining her constitution. The mission was a success but their mentor, their benefactor, Scheherazade had failed to warn them of an incoming attack. From their surprise, during the mission, it was apparent that the cat knew more than they were letting on and due to their choice of keeping that knowledge a secret, we paid the price. Ayaka understood the moment she honed her abilities for the fight of the greater good that she would need all the knowledge to prepare to protect the world and the lack of... caused this. She didn't bother to continue thinking on it but instead tended to the civilians on the far side of the now fading damage barrier. Eventually, the block would return to normal as if no battle had occurred and now it was Ayaka's job to place the citizens back into their correct spots. Mass Amnesia, Mass Hysteria, or Mass Insomnia. The latter would be used to explain what had occurred in order to protect their secret and once the job was done-- Night came, the darkkeepers had escaped but luckily the civilians were safe. That was all that mattered, but now an incoming threat was possible-- no. Imminent threat was coming. Sleeping came to Ayaka easily though she was muddled with visions, dreaming of her theories of the world but also the scorpion girl that had attacked her. She would remember her face, planning to instantly assault if she were to ever see the stranger again. But for now, Ayaka let her dreams simply be dreams. And the morning would come, as usual, the routine of the day-and-night cycle still the same as it was before as the teen got ready for her normal day at school. It came like a blur, classes slept through but homework and quizzes turned in and resulted in passing grades. The gift of Merlin was an aid in her knowledge but it was just a tool, Ayaka was smart before she was a wizard. But now with magic, she could study in her dreams, think at a faster rate than a normal person would. It drained all her ability to try in school and now she was just waiting for another battle, for another day to help. Finally, the meeting between the "magicals" as Ayaka personally called it. An explanation given by Scheherazade, the cat stood on a windowsill, and once the group had gathered they begun to speak. Ayaka had wondered if the answer was going to be satisfactory but it wasn't. It was a mistake and an extremely faulty one. If the group had known prior, maybe Merlin could've predicted or calculated this event. Maybe if the darkkeepers no matter how unlikely their arrival we all could've been prepared against their assault. But no. Ayaka stood straight from the wall she leaned against in the corner of the room and before she could speak she acknowledged a girl that had asked for help. A sigh escaped from her breath, mouth closed as she waited for the girl to leave before speaking again.</s>
<\|description\|>Ayaka Meru Height : 174cm \| Weight: 140lb \| Age: 16 Appearance: Transformed In Ayaka's transformed appearance she sports the same exact outfit from the reference but without the headband and glasses. Her physical appearance stays primarily the same as well but her hair has lengthened to her back and a long amethyst-colored ribbon holds half of her hair up. Description: A lackluster and lazy student, Ayaka is brazen as she is broad. Open with her opinions but simply too lazy to tell them. Sleep and the lack of is her prime enemy and attacks her anytime throughout the day. But the few occasions when she is focused or awake, she's either serious, often cold, or ready to win any sort of battle. Determination may not align with Ayaka often but when she hones on one thing, in any situation-- she will get the last say. Grimoire: • Title: Merlin's Prophecies • Description: A tale of an old wizard and his exploits. Known for his patience and wise guidance, he has fought off dragons and aided a king to rise for their nation. Well known for his magical gifts, Merlin is an exotic sorcerer who helps from the shadows. • Abilities: The Prophecies of Merlin grants Ayaka the ability to conjure a staff of which she mainly uses to aid her teammates from afar casting shields and healing injuries. But can also cast heavy-hitting elemental magicks, although, in exchange for destruction, she must wait patiently to thread her more offensive spells together via runes, magical circles, or a sacrifice of an object. Misc: Sidhe Staff Instead of a white crystal and a smaller dangling crystal both are purple.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this? Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu. While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s>	<\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Nickname: Monarch/Butterfly Ninja Age: 16 Appearance: Yuri wears a beautiful necklace at all times, even outside of his transformation. Description: A charismatic young boy who just so happens to be the first and only male student allowed at a prestigious all-girls school as some sort of initiative headed by the Headmaster of the Academy. Not much is known about this student other than his loyalty is unwavering and his bright spirit is immensely contagious. Grimoire: • Title: The Butterfly Ninja [Mulan/The Princess and the Frog] • Description: A beautiful Wuxia tale of a heroic prince who harnessed the power of his ancestors, in the form of arcane magic, to defeat an evil overlord who threatened to bring an end to peace among the kingdoms. • Abilities: Much like the prince from the story, Yuri's magic/voodoo takes the form of beautiful spectral butterflies. He can sprout beautiful iridescent wings that allow him to fly. He can transform into a swarm of colorful butterflies if harmed suddenly to escape, or as means to travel quickly. He can even open portals to "summon" creatures to do his bidding or travel great distances. The spectral butterflies can do great and marvelous things. They can be used to either shield, enhance, or destroy. The extent of this magic solely depends on the willpower of the caster. He's also able to move like a ninja and is a brilliant martial artist. He can scale buildings like an insect. A list of current butterfly colors and their effects is listed below. Blue Butterflies - Protection and Absorption. They can be used as shields against negative energy and oncoming attacks. The more powerful the negative energy and attack, the more taxing on Yuri's body. If not careful it can weaken him severely. Black Butterflies - Voodoo Enchantments. The only sinister part of his arsenal and most powerful. The full extent of these butterflies is unknown and they resemble skeletal butterflies with black smoke trails. Yuri's aura darkens when he channels this power. Prolonged usage can potentially have negative consequences. Purple Butterflies - Offensive Spells and Counters. Either used in a swarm-like beam to cause damage, or used in larger forms to decimate. Yuri can attach a purple butterfly to an ally and enhance their abilities. He cannot enhance his own abilities. Weapon: The Luna Moth Staff has four different modes (Yuri will uncover them as the story progresses) and can switch between these different modes in the blink of an eye. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a sentient wizard staff that allows Yuri to channel his arcana and utilize his martial skills to an extent. It is a beautiful magic staff with crystals that hang on unbreakable diamond tendrils that retract and grow near limitless. The crystals are shaped like luna moth and possess sharp edges, able to slice through rock. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a deadly sentient rainbow scythe. In this mode, Yuri is able to move more offensively in battle. The blade on the scythe is strong enough to slice through lesser metals and maintains the dangling crystals from Magic Mode. Yuri is able to wield the scythe masterfully and can throw the scythe, like a deadly boomerang, catching it when it returns. It will only answer to Yuri and will not allow another to touch it. From the blade, sickle energy can be release from a distance. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a long crystalline blade able to slice through medium-grade metals and puncture steel. The crystals that once dangled are not replaced by a beautiful butterfly on the guard, and one single tendril that dangles from the handle of the sword. That one crystal has the same abilities as the ones in Magic Mode, and Reaper Mode. Yuri becomes a deadly swordsman for intense close combat. When the blade absorbs dark energy, it purifies it and increases the strength of its cutting edge. Though very lightweight, the sword is unbreakable. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the final form of a long arch-mage staff. In this mode the power is evident, the mastery is clear. There is no mistaking the journey it took to unlock this mode. The staff loses the ability to shift back to the Magic Mode, as all abilities from the magic mode are transferred, but it maintains the ability to shift to Reaper and Blade Mode in the blink of an eye. The staff is one of legend, said to have been bestowed to an Arch-Mage by a god. There is much to unlock within the Master Mode. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan The jester had a growing smirk on her face as she heard Robin agree with her. However, that didn't last long. As soon as the blue-haired magical girl's speech turned on its heels, the clown's self-satisfied smile warped into a disgusted frown. "Well, that's a way to ruin the mood," she said in a voice that barely contained her urge to puke at the cookie-cutter heroic drivel. Even so, Robin jumping back and firing at the jester's feet was answered with the jester doing a dodge roll, or rather a cartwheel, to get out of the projectile's path. In the middle of her movement, she let her clubs go, throwing them at Robin's feet, kicking up a dust cloud to distract the archer. It was then that her eyes set on one of the many motes of life force making its way to the unconscious workers. "I found ya~" she said in a sing-song voice. From her position up above the roof, Kanata would be able to see a sadistic smile stamped on the jester's face as she trust a fist inside the glowy orb and... dug around for something. "Oh, come on, I wouldn't think your enthusiasm would be stinguished so fast. Anyway, I'm done here, so we can get going while we are on top," Harlequin—or better yet, Harly—answered when her 'partner' landed beside her. Just as she did so, she pulled her hand back from the light orb with a book—no, a Grimoire—now in her grasp. "The Giant's Beanstalk, huh? That's gonna be fun to mess with~" she said in a pleased voice. A moment later, the whole circus illusion began to crumble and disappear as suddenly as it came. "Annnnd that's it for the night! Thank you for your patronage and until next time, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Harly said before disappearing along with her partner in a puff of smoke and confetti. ---</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan --- Despite the grim circumstances, everything went well in the aftermath of the encounter with the Darkkeepers. The life force was returned its rightful owners, the worst they would feel is the symptoms of a mild cold for a few days, even the one that had his soul pilfered by the Harlequin's assault would be goo to go in no more than a week. On the other hand, things weren't so simple between the defenders of the world's peace. Scheherazade refused to comment on the issue after the battle. He promised to explain everything on the next day when the girls assembled the following day in their school's library. Even though his feline countenance betrayed no emotion, it was clear that he was perturbed by the events that happened and needed some time to sort out his thoughts. ※ The Following Afternoon, at the School's Library Club ※ "I'm sorry everyone. I guess I owe you all some explanations after what happened yesterday," Scheherazade said as he perched atop a windowsill bathed in the sunset's fiery hues. The wind waving the trees behind him in a vivid dance of light and shadows that looked almost as if it popped out of a Monet or Van Gogh. "The Darkkeepers... I never expected to see them in this world. Maybe, after all, that I lost, I became a fool. How could I not see it coming again? In all the worlds conquered by darkness, the Darkkeepers are always there," Scheherazade said in a voice bitter with guilt. "Just like you, I also asked them to help me in m fight against the Dark Empress. But... time and time again, I failed as their guide, and as a result of my failings, they became corrupted by the darkness they fought against. And now, the help her conquer other words..." "It's really all my fault for not telling you before that such a thing could happen. I understand if you don't want to work with me anymore. But if there's anything I can do, let me know. I absolutely can't fail this time. This world is so blessed with the Princess touch. Stories became a part of your soul like in no other world I ever saw. I don't know what will happen if it were to fall in the hands of the Empress," Scheherazade said, pepping up a little as he explained everything he had to say. One could almost feel the weight of the silence as he waited for a reply from the club members. But, before any of them could answer, a knock on their club room's door shook away the still atmosphere. "Excuse me. Is this the Library Volunteer Club's room? I've come to return a book and can't find the librarian anywhere, would any of you be able to check it out for me?" The blue-haired girl said with a crystal-clear voice as she clutched a copy of a Cinderella pop-up book close to her chest. ---</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Fractured, but Still Whole He didn't know how long he'd been down, or when they'd left. Opening his eyes slowly he felt pain wash over him like he'd been hit by a freight. Everything hurt as he moved his body to stand. He felt it, the disconnect. His arm was dislocated, possibly broken. He would need to access it later. That was no ordinary power, that power came from a dark source, a powerful source. In his current state, he had no hope of defeating someone with that much strength. Realizing that his staff was not in his hand, he looked around and saw it sticking out of the adjacent wall. Approaching slowly, his hand reached out, fingers curling around the staff. Pulling, he freed the staff from the stubborn wall and twirled it a few times. His senses were returning when he looked around the room. Merlin. Where was she? Arm limp to the side, his eyes landed on Merlin. She was off in the distance outside of the building. The staff vanished, returning to the crystal on his necklace. The carnival crew had long gone and the humans had awakened and remembered nothing of what happened. They all seemed to think they'd fallen asleep or something in a field across from the building they worked at. It was the normal response for someone who had their life force sapped. With one quick push, he popped his arm back into place and groaned loudly as more pain washed over him. His hand trembled slightly and it was at that moment he noticed the bruising on his hand. Leaving the scene, he tried to ask questions and get some sort of answer from Scheherazade, but the guide who was like a big brother to them ignored his questions. He ignored any question from either of them and when it was time to part ways, Yuri had more questions than he wanted to have. That night he couldn't sleep thinking of the battle and the outcome. Thinking of Scheherazade and his secrecy. What was he doing this for? Saving people and protecting the world and for what? The people you trust are the ones who keep secrets from you. It hurt. He felt as if he'd been betrayed and as he sat in his bed twiddling his thumbs, he closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow. That morning, bruised and aching, Yuri got out of bed and felt pain in his arm. He didn't think it was broken, but his parents rushed him to the doctor where he received treatment. He had a hairline fracture, and he had to wear a sling. Unsure about everything that he once stood proudly for, Yuri went about the day silent. Doubt had somehow wedged its way into his mind. How could he protect anyone when there was a foe out there that was capable of such destruction? How could he trust someone when they kept secrets? Most of the day was filled with his classes, but he didn't speak to anyone from the team. He stayed focused on his classwork until the meeting in the school library. They were the members of the Library Club, and whenever they met it was to discuss with Scheherazade future missions or important stuff regarding the team. This time, the meeting was odd. Yuri wasn't the first one there. Yuzu was already there and he sat down without saying a word to anyone. He crossed his legs and touched his injured arm. He listened to Scheherazade as he addressed them all when everyone had arrived. Yuri listened but pretended not to, and when Scheherazade had finished, Yuri turned to look at him. Before he could speak, a knock came at the door and Yuri sighed. The girl wanted to return a book, but couldn't find the librarian. She was probably off in the teacher's lounge again drinking copious amounts of coffee. "You know there is a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there," he said taking a step forward, "but no worries, I can help. I'm Yuri by the way. Your name?" Although he wanted to yell at Scheherazade and let him have a piece of his mind, this girl showing up helped him take his mind off of everything.</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Nickname: Monarch/Butterfly Ninja Age: 16 Appearance: Yuri wears a beautiful necklace at all times, even outside of his transformation. Description: A charismatic young boy who just so happens to be the first and only male student allowed at a prestigious all-girls school as some sort of initiative headed by the Headmaster of the Academy. Not much is known about this student other than his loyalty is unwavering and his bright spirit is immensely contagious. Grimoire: • Title: The Butterfly Ninja [Mulan/The Princess and the Frog] • Description: A beautiful Wuxia tale of a heroic prince who harnessed the power of his ancestors, in the form of arcane magic, to defeat an evil overlord who threatened to bring an end to peace among the kingdoms. • Abilities: Much like the prince from the story, Yuri's magic/voodoo takes the form of beautiful spectral butterflies. He can sprout beautiful iridescent wings that allow him to fly. He can transform into a swarm of colorful butterflies if harmed suddenly to escape, or as means to travel quickly. He can even open portals to "summon" creatures to do his bidding or travel great distances. The spectral butterflies can do great and marvelous things. They can be used to either shield, enhance, or destroy. The extent of this magic solely depends on the willpower of the caster. He's also able to move like a ninja and is a brilliant martial artist. He can scale buildings like an insect. A list of current butterfly colors and their effects is listed below. Blue Butterflies - Protection and Absorption. They can be used as shields against negative energy and oncoming attacks. The more powerful the negative energy and attack, the more taxing on Yuri's body. If not careful it can weaken him severely. Black Butterflies - Voodoo Enchantments. The only sinister part of his arsenal and most powerful. The full extent of these butterflies is unknown and they resemble skeletal butterflies with black smoke trails. Yuri's aura darkens when he channels this power. Prolonged usage can potentially have negative consequences. Purple Butterflies - Offensive Spells and Counters. Either used in a swarm-like beam to cause damage, or used in larger forms to decimate. Yuri can attach a purple butterfly to an ally and enhance their abilities. He cannot enhance his own abilities. Weapon: The Luna Moth Staff has four different modes (Yuri will uncover them as the story progresses) and can switch between these different modes in the blink of an eye. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a sentient wizard staff that allows Yuri to channel his arcana and utilize his martial skills to an extent. It is a beautiful magic staff with crystals that hang on unbreakable diamond tendrils that retract and grow near limitless. The crystals are shaped like luna moth and possess sharp edges, able to slice through rock. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a deadly sentient rainbow scythe. In this mode, Yuri is able to move more offensively in battle. The blade on the scythe is strong enough to slice through lesser metals and maintains the dangling crystals from Magic Mode. Yuri is able to wield the scythe masterfully and can throw the scythe, like a deadly boomerang, catching it when it returns. It will only answer to Yuri and will not allow another to touch it. From the blade, sickle energy can be release from a distance. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a long crystalline blade able to slice through medium-grade metals and puncture steel. The crystals that once dangled are not replaced by a beautiful butterfly on the guard, and one single tendril that dangles from the handle of the sword. That one crystal has the same abilities as the ones in Magic Mode, and Reaper Mode. Yuri becomes a deadly swordsman for intense close combat. When the blade absorbs dark energy, it purifies it and increases the strength of its cutting edge. Though very lightweight, the sword is unbreakable. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the final form of a long arch-mage staff. In this mode the power is evident, the mastery is clear. There is no mistaking the journey it took to unlock this mode. The staff loses the ability to shift back to the Magic Mode, as all abilities from the magic mode are transferred, but it maintains the ability to shift to Reaper and Blade Mode in the blink of an eye. The staff is one of legend, said to have been bestowed to an Arch-Mage by a god. There is much to unlock within the Master Mode. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 Yuzu opened the door to the school's library, finding herself being the second on-scene after Scheherazade. It wasn't a surprise to find the familiar sitting there; after all, he didn't have any classes to worry about like Yuzu and the others. Yuzu didn't sit down quite yet, though. She wanted to wait and greet the others as they arrived... and there was still an awkward silence between her and Scheherazade. Yuzu greeted Yuri, then Ayaka when the two arrived shortly after she had. Just one more needed to join them now. "Ah, Kanata!" Yuzu said as the youngest and newest among them joined in the meeting room. Kanata hadn't been on the team for long; in truth, yesterday was meant to be her first mission. "Right... yesterday..." Yuzu thought to herself. She felt her mind wander back to the day before. --- "I won't let you get away!" Robin's bow was drawn at Harlequin, the jester making her escape with the new grimoire in hand. She had a clean shot; all Robin needed to do was take it. The arena around her, however, was crumbling. If Robin took the shot, she'd have endanger Kanata. Stop the escape or save her friend; Robin didn't have any time to think about what the right decision to make was. snap Kanata's rope had snapped. She'd gone into freefall. "Watch out!" Robin shouted and, just barely, managed to catch the younger girl. Carrying her like a groom would their bride, Robin gave Kanata a reassuring smile. Forgoing the use of codenames, as the enemy had already fled, Robin- no, Yuzu had asked "Are you alright, Kanata?" Kanata nodded her head and let out a quick "Mhm," before following it up with "What about the others?" With the reassurance she was okay, Yuzu let Kanata down onto her feet. "Don't worry. Yuri and Ayaka are tough. Let's go check up on them," Yuzu told Kanata and grabbed her hand, positively pulling her along back downstairs to meet up with the rest of the team. --- Thinking back, Yuzu didn't regret her choice of saving Kanata. Even if it meant letting the enemy go, her friends were more important. Maybe that's why Yuzu, unbeknownst to herself, gave the other girl a soft, reassuring smile. 'It's okay,' that smile said, something Yuzu didn't have the chance to tell her the day prior. Not that many words could've been exchanged in the moment either, with Scheherazade not waiting long after everyone's arrival to explain his mysterious silence on matters. Those two girls- the Darkkeepers- were under his guidance once. Now, however, they were corrupted by the forces they fought against. And even after the explanation was finished did the party not get a moment's rest. An older girl approached the group, asking about returning a book. Yuri sprang up as the first to answer, but... "You know there's a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there, but no worries. What's your name?" "Y-Yuri, that's a little..." Yuzu tried to interrupt, but she couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence with "crude" or even "unrefined". Yuzu was quite a bit more timid when she wasn't busy fighting monsters. While Yuri was a boy, his straightforwardness was still a bit... out of place. "I'm actually the, um, club president. Checking books in and out when the librarian isn't here is actually my task... err, I'll go get the list!" Yuzu did as she said she would, gone for only about a minute as she searched for pen and paper. When she returned, Yuzu diligently compared the name of the book in the mysterious girl's arms to the ones on the list. "Let's see... It's this one, right?" Yuzu pointed at the spot she was looking at with her pen. Yuzu tried saying the name written down aloud, but it was clearly a foreign name. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. "The one under the name, um... Leviathan See-run?"</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki The Sorrow of Being Unharmed There was a long stretch of time wherein Kanata found herself tossing and turning the night after her first real night of being a Pagekeeper. ...She failed. Badly. In fact, she didn't even get to fail, since she showed up so late that she couldn't help anyone. So late that she was just a burden to be rescued, despite not being injured. So late that... She expected to be yelled at. ...But Scheherazade didn't. In fact, nobody really did. Being at least on-time for the club meeting, Kanata was panting, having sprinted the entire way to get there from the middle school building. When she heard her name be spoken by Yuzu, she expected a scolding but instead got a warm smile that reminded her that she had friends here. Even if it was largely her first real experience as a Pagekeeper, she felt like...she could trust them. Especially since as it stood, her senpais had way more experience than she had. When it came time for the mysterious black cat that commanded them spoke, Kanata couldn't help but feel sad for the poor thing. Even if it hadn't filled them in on the existence of the Dark Keepers, Kanata hadn't assumed that evil people could have grimoires in their hearts. After all, stories were things you read to go to faraway places, experience newfound things, and dream things as childishly as you wanted without being reprimanded. The idea that someone could just come and muddy the concept, twist the hearts of people and make them fight with the Pageless was so... ...Horrible, really. Clenching her fists that were balled on her lap, the youngest girl of the group looked around. Yuri was badly hurt in that last fight, bad enough to need a sling, and Ayaka wasn't looking whole and hearty herself. In fact, both seemed hurt deeply by the lack of information. The general air of the room was heavy, but a stranger arrived just in time to make the awkward group of high schoolers do something. Kinda. Seeing as the situation at the door was being handled by Yuri and Yuzu, Kanata would scoot over to Ayaka's corner. Not-so-stealthily, the bunny-powered girl would carry a multi-layered box behind her and stand beside Ayaka. Clearing her throat, Kanata would finally say: "Um...Meru-Senpai...I felt bad about what happened yesterday, so I brought everyone these. Would you like one," she said, revealing her quintuple-level food box, having enough food for each member, as well as Scheherazade. Each of the bento boxes contained a small assortment of snacks, including miniature fruit salads, macarons, rice balls with various fillings, and melon-bread, all of which begged the question of just how Kanata had either the time or the money to make and bring FIVE of these boxes to school. The box for their feline commander was a tad less-heavy on the sweets, as it instead had sardines over rice, shredded chicken, and an omelet filled with leafy greens for fiber. The sardines and rice were in the shape of a grimoire. Kanata hadn't included actual cat food, since she kind of assumed opening a can of wet find and telling their boss "Bon Appétit" was in bad form. Kanata froze for a moment, eyes going blank as she asked: "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this? Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu. While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda. ---</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Nickname: Monarch/Butterfly Ninja Age: 16 Appearance: Yuri wears a beautiful necklace at all times, even outside of his transformation. Description: A charismatic young boy who just so happens to be the first and only male student allowed at a prestigious all-girls school as some sort of initiative headed by the Headmaster of the Academy. Not much is known about this student other than his loyalty is unwavering and his bright spirit is immensely contagious. Grimoire: • Title: The Butterfly Ninja [Mulan/The Princess and the Frog] • Description: A beautiful Wuxia tale of a heroic prince who harnessed the power of his ancestors, in the form of arcane magic, to defeat an evil overlord who threatened to bring an end to peace among the kingdoms. • Abilities: Much like the prince from the story, Yuri's magic/voodoo takes the form of beautiful spectral butterflies. He can sprout beautiful iridescent wings that allow him to fly. He can transform into a swarm of colorful butterflies if harmed suddenly to escape, or as means to travel quickly. He can even open portals to "summon" creatures to do his bidding or travel great distances. The spectral butterflies can do great and marvelous things. They can be used to either shield, enhance, or destroy. The extent of this magic solely depends on the willpower of the caster. He's also able to move like a ninja and is a brilliant martial artist. He can scale buildings like an insect. A list of current butterfly colors and their effects is listed below. Blue Butterflies - Protection and Absorption. They can be used as shields against negative energy and oncoming attacks. The more powerful the negative energy and attack, the more taxing on Yuri's body. If not careful it can weaken him severely. Black Butterflies - Voodoo Enchantments. The only sinister part of his arsenal and most powerful. The full extent of these butterflies is unknown and they resemble skeletal butterflies with black smoke trails. Yuri's aura darkens when he channels this power. Prolonged usage can potentially have negative consequences. Purple Butterflies - Offensive Spells and Counters. Either used in a swarm-like beam to cause damage, or used in larger forms to decimate. Yuri can attach a purple butterfly to an ally and enhance their abilities. He cannot enhance his own abilities. Weapon: The Luna Moth Staff has four different modes (Yuri will uncover them as the story progresses) and can switch between these different modes in the blink of an eye. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a sentient wizard staff that allows Yuri to channel his arcana and utilize his martial skills to an extent. It is a beautiful magic staff with crystals that hang on unbreakable diamond tendrils that retract and grow near limitless. The crystals are shaped like luna moth and possess sharp edges, able to slice through rock. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a deadly sentient rainbow scythe. In this mode, Yuri is able to move more offensively in battle. The blade on the scythe is strong enough to slice through lesser metals and maintains the dangling crystals from Magic Mode. Yuri is able to wield the scythe masterfully and can throw the scythe, like a deadly boomerang, catching it when it returns. It will only answer to Yuri and will not allow another to touch it. From the blade, sickle energy can be release from a distance. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a long crystalline blade able to slice through medium-grade metals and puncture steel. The crystals that once dangled are not replaced by a beautiful butterfly on the guard, and one single tendril that dangles from the handle of the sword. That one crystal has the same abilities as the ones in Magic Mode, and Reaper Mode. Yuri becomes a deadly swordsman for intense close combat. When the blade absorbs dark energy, it purifies it and increases the strength of its cutting edge. Though very lightweight, the sword is unbreakable. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the final form of a long arch-mage staff. In this mode the power is evident, the mastery is clear. There is no mistaking the journey it took to unlock this mode. The staff loses the ability to shift back to the Magic Mode, as all abilities from the magic mode are transferred, but it maintains the ability to shift to Reaper and Blade Mode in the blink of an eye. The staff is one of legend, said to have been bestowed to an Arch-Mage by a god. There is much to unlock within the Master Mode. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan True to Seyrun's advice, the following night began with heavy rain pouring down from the leaden clouds over Mizukino's sky. That, however, wouldn't dissuade the Pageless from their efforts to gather the life force of innocent humans. "Quickly, gather what you can before those humans come after us! We don't have time to waste," The seeming leader of the group of Pageless that were attacking the workers of a construction site ordered its minions to speed up the collection of energy before Mizukino's protectors arrive at the scene. As was expected of him, Scheherazade noticed the attack and moved to the place before calling the club members. He observed the situation from atop a light pole outside the barrier that isolated the site from the normal space as the winds and rain splashed against the partially exposed steel skeleton. "Please come quickly everyone. At least I can assure you I'm not feeling the Darkkeepers' presence tonight. All I can say is that I hope they won't come out tonight, but these Pageless seem a little more powerful than the ones from the other day," Scheherazade said, hoping his words wouldn't be unanswered. ---</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki Whether it was raining or shining, justice never slept. At least, not until after 9 PM on a school night. Scheherazade's call would be quickly answered, with Kanata arriving on the scene as quickly as she could get there, hopefully being one of the first to arrive to make up for her tardiness last time. This time, she'd get to show off to her upperclassmen, and prove that she's more than just the snack girl. From the entrance of the barrier the rabbit-eared heroine emerged, transformed and ready for a fight. Her hammer was slung over her shoulder, and a white umbrella shielded her from the rain pounding the construction site. "Hup!" she would say after twirling her hammer and bopping it against the ground, leaving a tiny white circle that popped up and blew up to the vague shape of a ball with rabbit-like ears. With beady, bean-like pink eyes the bunlet made of pure magical mochi would stare up at its creator, before the hammer slammed into its side, launching it with great force at a Pageless that was occupied with gathering life force. The rabbit soared with a blank expression through the air, another white circle planted on it from the golf swing Kanata had delivered unto it. That white circle would shrink into the body of the mochi rabbit, the construct suddenly doubling in size, a bit more life in its eyes as it angrily stared down the Pageless before colliding with it. It didn't hurt the Pageless at all, but the sheer force of the mochi rabbit was enough to knock it away from the construction worker it had been praying upon. "Okay, okay, you can do this Kanata, cool introduction time..." the girl said, slapping her cheeks before pointing at the most stand-out of the Pageless. "The jig is up, Pageless! You're not going to hurt anyone anymore! Not if Magical Girl Boundless has anything to say about it!" Kanata said, chest swelling with pride before she resumed golf-swinging rabbit mochi at the Pageless. ...It was almost hilariously harmless, but any of the mochi rabbits that formed would jump at the Pageless, again and again.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Well said, Boundless!" As the mochi rabbits spaced the small fry away from the construction workers, flashes of light would follow soon after in pursuit. Before the Pageless had the time to recover from the recoil they'd already been pierced by a particular magical girl's arrows. Robin stood dramatically on top of a nearby building, the rain crashing down around her. After she'd announced her presence with the initial volley, Robin jumped off and twirled in the air to land next to Kanata. "Shadows are cast by the light that shines beside them... wherever you pageless threaten our peace, we will be there to protect it!" Robin looked around, trying to find Yuri and Ayaka. 'Please leave the smaller ones to me and Kanata. Ayaka, Yuri- try to corner their leader!' She drew her bow back and took aim again. The rain was obscuring her vision, but the bright mochi rabbits sticking to the Pageless made for an excellent target to aim at. This way, even if their shadowy figures were obscured by the downpour, Robin could still use her ally's power to make up for that weakness.</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Darkness Creeps In: The Shadows of Voodoo "What's wrong, Scheherazade? Couldn't do it on your own? As expendable as we are you should be the first in line to stop the Pageless," Yuri said. Yuri's voice was present before his form was but in a swirl of what looked to be dark smoke, Yuri appeared his staff in his hand. His aura felt different if anyone took notice, and his eyes held a sense of danger to them they once did not. Black butterflies fluttered around him like bees to their queen. Yuri shot a dark glare in Scheherazade's direction and simply smirked. Kanata and Yuzu were already present, but in his mind, he just wanted to find the leader and get rid of them. His attention fell on what looked to be the leader of the Pageless this time around. They always changed, always different, and always a sight that would repulse any normal human. "Don't worry, we will do your dirty work for you." Yuri looked to Kanata and Yuzu before speaking again. "You waste time talking, do what needs to be done." Yuri dashed forward, moving like a ninja towards his target. Pageless minions would get in his way, but with his agility, he was able to maneuver around them until he came to the leader who was surrounded by minions. "What's the rush?" Yuri said as he cracked his neck before tightening his grip on his staff. Yuri slammed the staff into the ground. "Aren't you tired of taking orders? Tired of getting in the way? Come, I shall give you rest." The staff's crystals darkened, nearly pitch black and from the staff, numerous black butterflies fluttered forth, but they didn't destroy anything. The pageless tried to swat them away, but when one was destroyed, another took its place and once the butterfly landed on a pageless, they seemed to freeze in place before suddenly twisting and contorting as if in agony, and suddenly they all began turning towards the Pageless Leader. "Drink with me," Yuri said, his voice deceivingly melodic as he sliced his hand, blood pooling in his palm before dripping on the staff. This amplified the control he had on the pageless minions who started to march, claws extended, towards their old leader. A few of the black butterflies accidentally landed on nearby humans whose souls had already been snatched by the pageless and they too twisted and contorted like zombies rising from the dead taking steps towards the target. Yuri's attention was on the Pageless Leader and he wasn't paying attention to the humans he'd ensnared.</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Nickname: Monarch/Butterfly Ninja Age: 16 Appearance: Yuri wears a beautiful necklace at all times, even outside of his transformation. Description: A charismatic young boy who just so happens to be the first and only male student allowed at a prestigious all-girls school as some sort of initiative headed by the Headmaster of the Academy. Not much is known about this student other than his loyalty is unwavering and his bright spirit is immensely contagious. Grimoire: • Title: The Butterfly Ninja [Mulan/The Princess and the Frog] • Description: A beautiful Wuxia tale of a heroic prince who harnessed the power of his ancestors, in the form of arcane magic, to defeat an evil overlord who threatened to bring an end to peace among the kingdoms. • Abilities: Much like the prince from the story, Yuri's magic/voodoo takes the form of beautiful spectral butterflies. He can sprout beautiful iridescent wings that allow him to fly. He can transform into a swarm of colorful butterflies if harmed suddenly to escape, or as means to travel quickly. He can even open portals to "summon" creatures to do his bidding or travel great distances. The spectral butterflies can do great and marvelous things. They can be used to either shield, enhance, or destroy. The extent of this magic solely depends on the willpower of the caster. He's also able to move like a ninja and is a brilliant martial artist. He can scale buildings like an insect. A list of current butterfly colors and their effects is listed below. Blue Butterflies - Protection and Absorption. They can be used as shields against negative energy and oncoming attacks. The more powerful the negative energy and attack, the more taxing on Yuri's body. If not careful it can weaken him severely. Black Butterflies - Voodoo Enchantments. The only sinister part of his arsenal and most powerful. The full extent of these butterflies is unknown and they resemble skeletal butterflies with black smoke trails. Yuri's aura darkens when he channels this power. Prolonged usage can potentially have negative consequences. Purple Butterflies - Offensive Spells and Counters. Either used in a swarm-like beam to cause damage, or used in larger forms to decimate. Yuri can attach a purple butterfly to an ally and enhance their abilities. He cannot enhance his own abilities. Weapon: The Luna Moth Staff has four different modes (Yuri will uncover them as the story progresses) and can switch between these different modes in the blink of an eye. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a sentient wizard staff that allows Yuri to channel his arcana and utilize his martial skills to an extent. It is a beautiful magic staff with crystals that hang on unbreakable diamond tendrils that retract and grow near limitless. The crystals are shaped like luna moth and possess sharp edges, able to slice through rock. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a deadly sentient rainbow scythe. In this mode, Yuri is able to move more offensively in battle. The blade on the scythe is strong enough to slice through lesser metals and maintains the dangling crystals from Magic Mode. Yuri is able to wield the scythe masterfully and can throw the scythe, like a deadly boomerang, catching it when it returns. It will only answer to Yuri and will not allow another to touch it. From the blade, sickle energy can be release from a distance. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a long crystalline blade able to slice through medium-grade metals and puncture steel. The crystals that once dangled are not replaced by a beautiful butterfly on the guard, and one single tendril that dangles from the handle of the sword. That one crystal has the same abilities as the ones in Magic Mode, and Reaper Mode. Yuri becomes a deadly swordsman for intense close combat. When the blade absorbs dark energy, it purifies it and increases the strength of its cutting edge. Though very lightweight, the sword is unbreakable. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the final form of a long arch-mage staff. In this mode the power is evident, the mastery is clear. There is no mistaking the journey it took to unlock this mode. The staff loses the ability to shift back to the Magic Mode, as all abilities from the magic mode are transferred, but it maintains the ability to shift to Reaper and Blade Mode in the blink of an eye. The staff is one of legend, said to have been bestowed to an Arch-Mage by a god. There is much to unlock within the Master Mode. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 One, two, three- each time a Pageless was knocked back from the mochi, Robin's arrow pierced through them shortly after. The mission was going smoothly, but then Yuri made his entrance. Immediately apparent was that there was something very, very wrong with Yuri today. The aura oozing around him- it wasn't the usual warmth of his grimoire. It was cold, heartless and empty, much like the Pageless they were fighting. Even worse; Yuri was going on a rampage. And he was not helping the situation. "Monarch, slow down!" Robin shouted towards her ally, but it fell on deaf ears. The Pageless, the humans, his teammates- everything in front of Yuri was just a nuisance. Robin had to watch as he started to turn the Pageless on her master. In fact, he was getting in the way of Robin's arrows. She tried to warn him: "I said- stop that!" she said, but then her voice started to trail off. "You'll get yourself... hurt..." Robin's mind went blank for just a moment as she witnessed Yuri's butterflies take a hold of normal people and possess them. "Y-Yuri!" she yelled, completely disregarding his codename. "Stop that, Yuri! You're hurting those people-!" she yelled in vain. The boy wasn't listening. A new threat emerged and started sweeping aside Yuri's troops. Robin's legs moved on their own. Those humans would be unable to run in their zombie'd state and Robin knew this. She had to save them, in some way, no matter what. Strategy, tactics and her team be damned- she needed to save those people! "Watch out!" she yelled as she managed to tackle one, and only one human out of the way. She'd be much, much too late to save another. What's even worse is that Yuzu's tackle, though it got the human to safety (and seemed to have dispelled Yuri's curse), had caused Robin to lay prone. Her mind was panicked, flustered. Spread across her knees, she aimed her bow upwards at the giant's hand. Robin focused, as hard as she could, to gather as much magical energy as possible into her arrow. "Please... please work!" she desperately begged, firing off a much larger-than-usual projectile, but it seemed far from enough to stop the hand from crashing down.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki Things were going well! At least, at first. Robin's timing couldn't have been better, and then Yuri came to help too... Yuri... Was... ...What was he doing? Those black butterflies felt...off. Really off. Menacing even, even to the inexperienced Boundless as she watched, the Pageless turned against one another like puppets on strings. Soon, the humans that were being drained would rise as well, shambling after their leader without concern for their well-being. It was...scary, honestly. Enough so that the rabbit-ears upon her head drooped, and she found herself unable to move. Was this what Yuri's powers were like all the time? And things just kept getting worse and worse as a GARGANTUAN Pageless showed up, only visible for a moment in the pitch dark stormy night after a bolt of lightning light the area up. "S-Scheherazade..." Kanata stammered, feeling her legs get weak. "I'm scared..." she confessed, clutching the little red pendant around her neck that housed her grimoire. Then, she saw Robin dash ahead of her to tackle a civilian out of the way. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING AROUND?" A small voice inside of Kanata screamed out, her eyes going wide again. "This isn't like..." "This isn't like last time. I can do this. I can-" Kanata let out a shrill whistle with her fingers pressed to her lips, the rabbit mochi that had been advancing on the Pageless instead pausing, before bouncing against one another and the Pageless quickly to get out of the way of the arm's strike. "I can save everyone"! In that realization, the rain seemed to stop falling from Kanata's perspective. In that realization, her legs would finally move to the fullest. For the briefest of moments, Kanata seemingly vanished in the rain, a clear line of water falling in a delayed fashion, displaced by her going as fast as she possibly could. Her grimoire's enhancements on her physical speed were pushed to their absolute limits as she put herself between the Pageless and the civilians. Wordlessly, she would strike the civilians in the chest once each with her hammer, sending them flying back out of danger, and safely landing on the re-positioned mochi-rabbits, new smaller rabbits forming from the blow she dealt to their chests. Save for the one that Robin saved, every single civilian would be saved, and the mochi rabbits on their back and chests would connect together, forming a large, sticky mochi net that kept everyone grounded. Even if they were mindless zombies now, at least they couldn't hurt themselves. Kanata would run as fast as she could, but she had a feeling that she wouldn't make it in time to save herself. Aside from that, the Pageless behind her were no doubt going to start attacking her again, now that she was by herself. Running once more as fast as she could as she felt the air be displaced by the gargantuan Pageless titan, she would cry out one thing, in hopes of reaching their friend who was lost in himself. "YURI! OPEN YOUR EYES!"</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Whispers of Darkness: Shadows of Fear So what if they perish, it is not your fault, it is theirs. They got in the way of true power. They are my friends, they are my allies. They can't perish. Why not? Mere casualties for the greater good. Now they've placed themselves in harm's way just to stop you from achieving greatness. Stop it! Just stop it. You've had your fun now save them. You and your conscience. Always ruining a fun time, but the titan's essence is mine when this is over. === Voices. Again with the voices. The internal conflict was evident as everything happened. Yuri's form oozed black miasma. Things had gotten out of hand. The mindless pageless minions were about to remove their leader from existence when a new threat emerged. Of course, there was another obstacle, things were never this easy for anyone in life. The new threat revealed itself as a large titan pageless standing at a spectacular 16 feet high. Yuri's eyes had lifted to catch a glimpse of the creature's head before its massive fist crushed the pageless under his control. It was odd that a smirk formed on Yuri's face as he watched it happen. He didn't move an inch as the fist hammered away, removing any threat towards the Pageless Leader. Lightning streaked across the bosom of the clouds and thunder roared mightily. The flash of light from the lightning illuminated the construction site and revealed the monster's fist as it raised once more. Yuri's attention darted to Robin who was in the path of the great fist. To make matters worse, Boundless had entered the fray to protect the humans he controlled. The monster's strength was remarkable. "Such power," Yuri muttered the smirk still present on his flawless face. As the black butterflies were destroyed, the dark essence flowed into the black crystals that hung from the staff still planted in the ground. Yuri's bleeding hand hovered over the staff. His eyes landed on Boundless as she yelled for him to open his eyes. His eyes were open, yet he was still blind to the chaos he was causing. As the titan's fist came crashing down, there was no mistaking the darkness that poured into the area like a thick fog. The crystals vibrated, creating a harmonious sound that filled the air. Drop after drop of Yuri's blood fed the staff as black skeletal wings sprouted from the ground and surrounded Robin and Boundless just as the great fist smashed into the barrier, the dark energy absorbing into the sinister wings. The resulting shockwave sent dust and debris in all directions, but the humans were safe. As the dust cleared, Yuri was on one knee defiant against the titan. His eyes locked with the beast's and his hand gripped the staff. His nose bled as he lifted slowly off the ground his vision blurry. He stopped when he was face to face with the titan. Bring it to its knees. Destroy it. Show them true darkness. DESTROY THEM! The voices in his head would not stop. They demanded as if Yuri were a puppet of their own. "BOW TO ME!" Yuri said. Black butterflies fluttered around him as thunder filled the sky with noise. He twirled the staff and burst into a swarm of butterflies. He began to spin, forming into a drill set to pierce through the titan like a cannonball through a wall.</s>
<\|description\|>Kanata Mizuki Age: 14 Appearance: Art by tori on Pixiv. Art by tori on Pixiv. Description: The moon rabbit hops onto the scene, primed and ready to beat evil back before lunchtime! Or Dinnertime! Or whatever meal comes next, really. This perpetually peckish girl is a foodie at heart, and loves nothing more than sharing good food with good friends after a hard day spent dispensing justice. Grimoire: • Title: The Moon Rabbit • Description: On the moon there sits a rabbit, continually pounding away at soft mochi for the Gods. This grimoire details the daily life of that rabbit, as well as the friends that come to visit it on its home. Some say that the sweets this rabbit created were enough to heal the hearts and bodies of men and Gods alike. • Abilities: Now you're a rabbit too!: By using this grimoire, Kanata gains the exaggerated powers of a rabbit. Sensitive ears, faster feet, and higher jumps, all of which make her more mobile than any human on earth. Moon Hammer: A long pounding kine that resembles one used to pound rice or mochi, only much larger, made of grey stone, and with a glowing ball in the shape of a full moon at the other end of the handle. Upon making contact with an object or person, a ball of mochi will form that will quickly form into a Mochi Rabbit. These Mochi Rabbits are little helpers that resemble snow rabbits and bounce around on the ground. These constructs feel little pain and have the consistency of dough, making them spongy and resistant to physical attacks. Its also difficult to get out of one if you get stuck, but they are mostly harmless on their own, incapable of doing anything save for bouncing around and sticking to objects or people. They can also combine together, becoming one very big, squishy, sticky, harmless being. Misc: Kanata is an amazing cook, and is often packing snacks for herself and others.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki The Sorrow of Being Unharmed There was a long stretch of time wherein Kanata found herself tossing and turning the night after her first real night of being a Pagekeeper. ...She failed. Badly. In fact, she didn't even get to fail, since she showed up so late that she couldn't help anyone. So late that she was just a burden to be rescued, despite not being injured. So late that... She expected to be yelled at. ...But Scheherazade didn't. In fact, nobody really did. Being at least on-time for the club meeting, Kanata was panting, having sprinted the entire way to get there from the middle school building. When she heard her name be spoken by Yuzu, she expected a scolding but instead got a warm smile that reminded her that she had friends here. Even if it was largely her first real experience as a Pagekeeper, she felt like...she could trust them. Especially since as it stood, her senpais had way more experience than she had. When it came time for the mysterious black cat that commanded them spoke, Kanata couldn't help but feel sad for the poor thing. Even if it hadn't filled them in on the existence of the Dark Keepers, Kanata hadn't assumed that evil people could have grimoires in their hearts. After all, stories were things you read to go to faraway places, experience newfound things, and dream things as childishly as you wanted without being reprimanded. The idea that someone could just come and muddy the concept, twist the hearts of people and make them fight with the Pageless was so... ...Horrible, really. Clenching her fists that were balled on her lap, the youngest girl of the group looked around. Yuri was badly hurt in that last fight, bad enough to need a sling, and Ayaka wasn't looking whole and hearty herself. In fact, both seemed hurt deeply by the lack of information. The general air of the room was heavy, but a stranger arrived just in time to make the awkward group of high schoolers do something. Kinda. Seeing as the situation at the door was being handled by Yuri and Yuzu, Kanata would scoot over to Ayaka's corner. Not-so-stealthily, the bunny-powered girl would carry a multi-layered box behind her and stand beside Ayaka. Clearing her throat, Kanata would finally say: "Um...Meru-Senpai...I felt bad about what happened yesterday, so I brought everyone these. Would you like one," she said, revealing her quintuple-level food box, having enough food for each member, as well as Scheherazade. Each of the bento boxes contained a small assortment of snacks, including miniature fruit salads, macarons, rice balls with various fillings, and melon-bread, all of which begged the question of just how Kanata had either the time or the money to make and bring FIVE of these boxes to school. The box for their feline commander was a tad less-heavy on the sweets, as it instead had sardines over rice, shredded chicken, and an omelet filled with leafy greens for fiber. The sardines and rice were in the shape of a grimoire. Kanata hadn't included actual cat food, since she kind of assumed opening a can of wet find and telling their boss "Bon Appétit" was in bad form. Kanata froze for a moment, eyes going blank as she asked: "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this? Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu. While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s>	<\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s>
<\|description\|>Kanata Mizuki Age: 14 Appearance: Art by tori on Pixiv. Art by tori on Pixiv. Description: The moon rabbit hops onto the scene, primed and ready to beat evil back before lunchtime! Or Dinnertime! Or whatever meal comes next, really. This perpetually peckish girl is a foodie at heart, and loves nothing more than sharing good food with good friends after a hard day spent dispensing justice. Grimoire: • Title: The Moon Rabbit • Description: On the moon there sits a rabbit, continually pounding away at soft mochi for the Gods. This grimoire details the daily life of that rabbit, as well as the friends that come to visit it on its home. Some say that the sweets this rabbit created were enough to heal the hearts and bodies of men and Gods alike. • Abilities: Now you're a rabbit too!: By using this grimoire, Kanata gains the exaggerated powers of a rabbit. Sensitive ears, faster feet, and higher jumps, all of which make her more mobile than any human on earth. Moon Hammer: A long pounding kine that resembles one used to pound rice or mochi, only much larger, made of grey stone, and with a glowing ball in the shape of a full moon at the other end of the handle. Upon making contact with an object or person, a ball of mochi will form that will quickly form into a Mochi Rabbit. These Mochi Rabbits are little helpers that resemble snow rabbits and bounce around on the ground. These constructs feel little pain and have the consistency of dough, making them spongy and resistant to physical attacks. Its also difficult to get out of one if you get stuck, but they are mostly harmless on their own, incapable of doing anything save for bouncing around and sticking to objects or people. They can also combine together, becoming one very big, squishy, sticky, harmless being. Misc: Kanata is an amazing cook, and is often packing snacks for herself and others.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan True to Seyrun's advice, the following night began with heavy rain pouring down from the leaden clouds over Mizukino's sky. That, however, wouldn't dissuade the Pageless from their efforts to gather the life force of innocent humans. "Quickly, gather what you can before those humans come after us! We don't have time to waste," The seeming leader of the group of Pageless that were attacking the workers of a construction site ordered its minions to speed up the collection of energy before Mizukino's protectors arrive at the scene. As was expected of him, Scheherazade noticed the attack and moved to the place before calling the club members. He observed the situation from atop a light pole outside the barrier that isolated the site from the normal space as the winds and rain splashed against the partially exposed steel skeleton. "Please come quickly everyone. At least I can assure you I'm not feeling the Darkkeepers' presence tonight. All I can say is that I hope they won't come out tonight, but these Pageless seem a little more powerful than the ones from the other day," Scheherazade said, hoping his words wouldn't be unanswered. ---</s>	<\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki Whether it was raining or shining, justice never slept. At least, not until after 9 PM on a school night. Scheherazade's call would be quickly answered, with Kanata arriving on the scene as quickly as she could get there, hopefully being one of the first to arrive to make up for her tardiness last time. This time, she'd get to show off to her upperclassmen, and prove that she's more than just the snack girl. From the entrance of the barrier the rabbit-eared heroine emerged, transformed and ready for a fight. Her hammer was slung over her shoulder, and a white umbrella shielded her from the rain pounding the construction site. "Hup!" she would say after twirling her hammer and bopping it against the ground, leaving a tiny white circle that popped up and blew up to the vague shape of a ball with rabbit-like ears. With beady, bean-like pink eyes the bunlet made of pure magical mochi would stare up at its creator, before the hammer slammed into its side, launching it with great force at a Pageless that was occupied with gathering life force. The rabbit soared with a blank expression through the air, another white circle planted on it from the golf swing Kanata had delivered unto it. That white circle would shrink into the body of the mochi rabbit, the construct suddenly doubling in size, a bit more life in its eyes as it angrily stared down the Pageless before colliding with it. It didn't hurt the Pageless at all, but the sheer force of the mochi rabbit was enough to knock it away from the construction worker it had been praying upon. "Okay, okay, you can do this Kanata, cool introduction time..." the girl said, slapping her cheeks before pointing at the most stand-out of the Pageless. "The jig is up, Pageless! You're not going to hurt anyone anymore! Not if Magical Girl Boundless has anything to say about it!" Kanata said, chest swelling with pride before she resumed golf-swinging rabbit mochi at the Pageless. ...It was almost hilariously harmless, but any of the mochi rabbits that formed would jump at the Pageless, again and again.</s>
<\|description\|>Jeremiah Beltrán Carlos Age: 29 ID Number: MP-1834-JC Nationality: Multiple: Spain, United Kingdom Appearance: Subject is a Hispanic male, measuring 169 cm and weighing 76 kg as of [VOID]. Subject has curled brown hair down to the temples, brown eyes, and above-average musculature and strength compared to other individuals of similar age and physical sex. A red heart shape wrapped in green thorned vines is tattooed on subject's left upper arm, the vines specifically obscuring the heart across its horizontal center line. A knife is tattooed on to the right forearm, drawn to suggest it is piercing the flesh, complete with blood spilling on to and around the blade. The Spanish text "Bomba de Gasolina" (translating to English as "Petrol Pump" or "Gasoline Pump") is tattooed in Impact font on the abdomen in two separate lines; two black arrows point from either side of the word "Gasolina" toward subject's genitalia. Subject wears standard male clothing set. Background: Subject was born on the 8th of December, [VOID] in Ibiza Town on the Spanish island of Ibiza. At age 1, subject's family moved to the United Kingdom, taking residence in central London for work-related reasons. Subject received average education and accommodation throughout early life, but is noted to have been involved in gang activity as young as fifteen, and did not pursue education beyond A-levels, instead becoming further involved with the Hispanic gang [VOID] (see Acquisition). Anomalous Containment Staff were made aware of the subject on [VOID] due to inter-gang violence against [VOID] (see Acquisition). Subject was apprehended shortly thereafter, putting up relatively little resistance due to [VOID], and initially contained as a Blue security threat, but was reassessed as a Purple security threat after [VOID] (see Addendum 1). Aggression against staff has notably increased since then, and subject refuses to clarify when they first became aware of anomalous properties. Powers: Auto-Liquefaction \|\| Subject is able to discorporate their body into an increasingly liquidous mass, described as a sensation of "melting". Subject can fully discorporate into a flexible gel-like state over the course of forty five seconds, and into a water-like state over the course of ninety seconds, with selective control over which portions of the body discorporate first if desired; subject experiences no apparent pain or harm from this process, and can reverse the discorporation at will, reverting to standard appearance over the same timeframes as described above. Subject loses muscular control as liquefaction increases, being notably impaired whilst partially molten and unable to move when fully liquefied, but retains sensory input and becomes increasingly able to alter form regardless of bodily structure at greater levels of discorporation. Greater discorporation also results in greater resilience to kinetic force, and small physical injuries can be erased through a process of partial dissolution and reformation, though severe injuries such as extensive burns and substantial head or neck trauma remain potentially life-threatening. Privileges: * Dresser, inside face oriented toward camera * Pull-up bar, bolted into floor next to dresser Researcher Notes:: Jeremiah shows reasonable affinity for both staff and fellow subjects, interacting well and displaying his regenerative qualities when asked to. He is prone to sudden outbursts of anger or frustration when certain topics are brought up, however; I would like to request a list of triggers to be documented for these outbursts, to ensure smoother interactions in future. He also shows a degree of sexual motivation, asking several times if fellow subjects could be allowed to visit his cell for sexual intercourse. To date, all such requests have been denied. -Researcher Wilde Prior research notes regarding the subject are to be considered null as of [VOID] (see Addendum 1). Update pending further examination. -Researcher Keyes Subject is noteworthy for being highly non-cooperative with staff, frequently refusing to participate in testing except under duress, and often citing desire to escape Facility B. Subject is also prone to sudden bursts of aggression with little apparent provocation, though they are aware that they lack the ability to significantly harm any staff members without risking injury and disciplining. Consequently, subject's privileges are highly restricted, and should be thoroughly examined for potential escape risks before being allowed. Subject is relatively amenable toward other subjects, though occasionally directs aggression toward them as well. -Researcher Keyes</s> <\|message\|>Eliana Morais FY-1387-EM A vast, open field, seemingly endless with no chance of providing any form of cover. No trees, no man-made structures...nothing. That's what Eliana was up against. That, and the terrifying creature in close pursuit. To make matters worse, she didn't get any faster with each step, but quite the contrary, rather. The distance was slowly closing between her and her tormentor, regardless of how fast she attempted to run. Her mind was practically screaming at her to go faster, but her legs weren't obeying such orders. It was frustrating to say the least. That's what she felt: frustration and fear. An odd combination, really. During a lapse of judgement, Eliana decided to look back behind her. That mistake proved to be fatal when she clumsily missed a step and unceremoniously fell down to the ground. The landing hurt a bit, but it wasn't anything to complain about. Her pursuer, however, was just about to change that. In a last ditch attempt to save herself, Eliana raised her arms in front of her as if that would somehow protect her. She then saw the creature leap in the air screeching and moments before it landed on her, Eliana woke up startled and covered in sweat. She blinked her eyes for a moment, realizing that she was in the safety of her room. No creature in sight. Well, not in the form she had just experienced. The alarm was annoying enough to make her get up and out of bed. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head, and then she waited. However, some time passed and she was still waiting. Slightly confused, Eliana approached the door and noticed it was unlocked. She pushed it ever so slowly and peered down the hall in one direction. O que está acontecendo? she thought to herself, not having the slightest clue where anyone was or why her door was unlocked. She then took a step forward, placing herself in the hall with her back against the wall. Maybe they were running late?</s> <\|message\|>Samuel J Tavares Sam had been laying in bed awake for a few minutes before the alarm went off. After all his years spent here he had gotten very used to the routine. Now that the alarm had gone off the usual security detail would come to escort him to breakfast. Not that he would ever try anything, Samuel had accepted long ago this was his new life. Much like how one may come to terms with a loved one slowly dying of a terminal illness and being bedridden. They may not be dead yet, but one could reasonably accept that they'll never return to who they were to make life easier. In that same way Samuel accepted he would forever be a prisoner, doing the same thing for the rest of his life. But today was different, because Sam did not hear the usual footfall of his escort team. In fact, he didn't hear anything at all. He got out of bed and looked at the security camera, it was off. "Um, hello?" Walking over to his door he found it had opened as it always had, but this time he was alone. What was maybe more concerning than the guards not showing up was he couldn't see any of the other red prisoners in their cells. "Maybe they all just got up before the alarm and left?" It sounded ridiculous even as the words came out of his mouth. Sam wasn't sure if he was the only one left in the facility, or if he was then why he was the only one left behind. There was only one way to find out though. He pushed his door open, on alert in case any of the security systems decided they were still working. But there was nothing, only more silence. His first stop was yellow block since it was the closest to red. He walked down the hallway slowly, checking cells as he passed. "Hello? Anyone here?" He called out and walked, his right hand was covered in a him layer of frost, ready to attack with his cryokinesis should anything threaten him.</s> <\|message\|>Eliana Morais FY-1387-EM No, the guards were most certainly not running late. With their numbers, someone should have been there by now. Something was going on, and Eliana wanted to get to the bottom of it. This curious nature of hers had landed her in hot water before, but she didn't care. This wasn't something she should be taking lightly. That much was made evident when she heard a male voice from the direction of the red wing. "Hello? Anyone here?" He sounded inquisitive, and on the same level of confused as she was. That complicated things a bit. Wasn't anyone else around over there? Eliana peered in through some doors, but she only saw empty rooms with not a soul in them. It seemed as if no one else was here neither. Her heart started beating a little faster. Being left behind was not a good thing in certain cases, and that odd feeling in the back of her throat was not reassuring at all. Eliana neared the corner and stood still, holding her breath. She listened to the man's footsteps as they grew closer, momentarily wondering whether or not to rush him and take him by surprise. But she realized that to even entertain the thought was terribly foolish. Who knew how he'd react, and what advantage he had over her. It was then Eliana decided to slowly walk out of the corner, her hands on either side of her chest as to not startle him. She would either be greeted or she'd be attacked, and she was obviously hoping for the former.</s>	<\|message\|>Jeremiah Beltrán Carlos Wha- oh, shit, somebody else was here. Which, actually, that really was it, huh? No other guards... and so far as he could tell, nobody else had come out of their cells yet beside him and this other guy. With a hoodie. Lucky fucker probably had a television in his room too. Not that that mattered right now, but... 'Ay, hermano,' he called out, heading over to the guy. Did he recognise him? Twig like this guy, he'd probably remember seeing him around. 'You just get up too? 'Cause, uh, I'm pretty sure the guards need to get their arses in gear, yeah? Folla perezoso. Hah. That was a joke, but uh...' He gestured around as if to say "noone else is laughing", because obviously they couldn't if they weren't there. If a joke falls flat in prison, does anybody laugh at it? 'The hell you doin', anyway?' he asked. 'You look like shit, like you ain't slept in ages- have you slept in ages, mate? Or have you been on drugs for months or something?' Shit, looking at him now... he could have been. He didn't know if the guards used tranqs on inmates regularly, even if he knew what it was like to get shut down every so often, but this guy sure did look like he was coming down from something narcotic.</s>
<\|description\|>戦後翼 P E R S O N A L D E T A I L S Age - 20 Gender - Male, to the dismay of some Occupation - Blacksmith's apprentice - P E R S O N A L I T Y Sweet-natured Despite his profession, comparing Tsubasa to mochi is wholly accurate. Soft, gentle, and all-around sweet, he often goes out of his way to help people whenever he can. There isn't really any rhyme or reason to it, with some often questioning his motives, but his sincerity often wins out. Passionate Whenever there is a hammer in his hands, Tsubasa feels alive. While he doesn't have many interests, the few he does have is a surefire way to get him excited. He puts his soul into all his creations, often gushing on their beauty and taking pride in his talent. Withdrawn Despite the above, Tsubasa tends to hold people at a distance, always willing to extend kindness to anyone but finding it difficult to accept any on his own. He remains polite but doesn't like to talk too much about himself personally. It doesn't take too much to know he has issues with his family, but otherwise, he outright refuses to speak on it. S K I L L S E T Smithery Tsubasa's number one talent lies in his apprenticeship under his uncle. Despite initially having worked with him as a punishment, he ended up growing to love the craft and developing genuine talent with it. He follows the rules strictly in order to both avoid hurting anyone and to make sure he doesn't waste resources. Athelticism Swinging around a hammer and working with intense heat requires Tsubasa to keep himself in tip-top shape. Charisma There are few people in the village that Tsubasa hasn't won over; he gets along with anyone and everyone with ease. \| Physical Description The one thing most notable about Sengo Tsubasa is his beauty. While tall, he sports fair skin that looks softer than silk. His jet-black locks contrast his skin, tumbling over his shoulders and reaches his waist. He often pulls it up with a red ribbon, though it isn't uncommon for him to keep it loose. His amethyst-hued eyes often seem like they're looking through you, his features soft and his smile always gentle. Character Conceptualization Tsubasa is a young man who dreams of creating a forbidden weapon. Some years ago when he was learning signs from the Signkeeper, he stumbled into her collection of books and accidentally knocked over a pile. In his haste in putting them away, one was opened, revealing a page that had caught his interest: a colorful image of a man clad in metal wielding a weapon. He didn't even look at the rest of the book, entranced by the man and his strange equipment. Despite knowing it was wrong, he tore the page out of the book and took it with him, obsessing over it for some time. One day, he managed to get the materials to make his first attempt at replicating the weapon. While his success varied, he was inevitably caught by his master. Instead of getting in trouble, however, he was strictly told that he should never attempt to do such a thing ever again and was only saved from being outed because no one else had seen it. Ashes had been thrown onto his obsession, quelling it for the most part. Other Information * His secondary hobby is flower pressing. * For some reason, Signkeeper Tomo doesn't seem to like him. He hasn't the foggiest clue as to why, either. * He is always happy to run errands for others. This is often exploited. Known Signs: Heat and Water signs for smithery; tried wind once for fun but doesn't really have an interest in magic \|</s> <\|message\|>Tsurugamine Yuki Tags: @webboysurf --- The dark-haired woman breathed a faint sigh of relief as Kenichi managed to haul himself to his feet. He seemed to be alright, despite what looked to have been a rather nasty fall. Lending her shoulder and a hand, she allowed herself to serve as a makeshift support until he was fully upright and balanced again, then gingerly handed over his crutch once he had the space and the footing to properly make use of it. Hearing his answer, she breathed a faint, somewhat disappointed sigh. A cat, was it? There were quite a few bakeneko who liked to frolic around the hillside near the shrine, enticed by the food offerings she frequently left for them. Unfortunately, they didn't always respect good manners when there wasn't someone around who could keep them in line, and ever since her mentor had passed away, they'd grown quite ornery and sometimes even downright mean. While the agreement between the townsfolk and the youkai of the valley still stood - or at least, still should have stood - they tended to play some rather cruel jokes on villagers when nobody else was watching. "I'm terribly sorry. I'll properly scold them for you," She lowered her head, giving a series of brisk, rather embarrassed bows. After all, if she was more like a proper shrine maiden, proper enough to earn their respect, then surely he wouldn't have been inconvenienced or hurt in such a manner. Seeing as he already seemed quite exhausted from the climb up the stairs from the village, she didn't have the heart to refuse him. But at the same time, she also couldn't give any hint of the missive she'd recieved. If there was anyone's discretion that she could trust absolutely, it was the doctor's, but nevertheless it wouldn't do to go sowing panic until she knew more about what was happening. She'd let him rest for a few minutes, then make some excuse and go see elder Takamori. Surely, he would know what the meaning of this message was, and what needed to be done. So, putting on an only slightly forced smile, she nodded and motioned through the gates for him to follow. "Of course, it's no trouble at all. Though, I'm afraid that I don't have any tea or hospitality prepared for you at the moment. I wasn't expecting visitors this early... If I might ask, what brings you all the way up here, Masaki-sensei?" Inwardly, she shriveled up a bit. She really hoped she wasn't being too icy or unwelcoming, but with such a heavy burden weighing on her mind, she couldn't quite keep her anxiety from slipping into her voice and demeanor. Normally, she'd have been glad to have a guest - or at least, to have Masaki-sensei visit. He was a tremendously kind person, and no matter how often she tried to repay him, she still felt like she owed him for his gentleness and generosity. That being the case, she needed to show a better face here! It wouldn't do at all to slight him when he was going out of his way to visit her. Ah, if only she'd had a little more time, or if it wasn't today, or... And so, another small worry was added to Oyuki's growing collection.</s> <\|message\|>戦後翼 --- Tsubasa's stare was just a touch blank as Keiko spoke. What did she mean people didn't pay attention to her? He swore he often heard her name uttered every once in a while. Not in a positive way, mind you, but--oh, was that what she meant? It was a shame, he always thought they were a little harsh on her, but her pranks never did go over too well. It couldn't be helped; the village preferred its peace and day-by-day happenings to go on unimpeded, and Keiko was less than inclined to follow the rules. He supposed he should try to assure her. To him, she always seemed a little lonely, and he was more than happy to enjoy her company. Even now as she watched him and tugged on her kimono--what was she doing? There was no hiding the gaze that followed her finger, albeit he did remember his second blunder as he immediately jerked his head back up as she spoke. See them? See...them. Here? Now? No, she couldn't possibly mean that. As rambunctious as she was, she was still a lady. He was hot, tired, sweaty, and--and here, in view of anyone, it was shameless! Why in the world had he jumped to such conclusions? His interpretation was just clouded. Tsubasa wasn't sure why his throat was suddenly so dry, nor did he know why his eyes immediately snapped to attention at the movement of the kimono. He should say something. He should stop this. He should do a lot more than watch as the material revealed more and more of pale, soft-looking flesh. He'd be lying if he said his conscience wasn't screaming at him to say something as it got lower and lower until something sprang forth and--a pair of oranges came out. "Wha..." It was barely a whisper but the confusion was plain on his face, albeit he did manage to catch the orange thrown at him. The warmth certainly didn't help things and he nearly dropped the fruit as that thought crossed his mind, his face already flushed with color as he tried to compose himself. Keiko was teasing him! And she got him good this time, goodness, he hadn't been this embarrassed in some time. Said embarrassment turned to humor as Tsubasa couldn't help but laugh at himself. "Ah...thank you," He got that much out as he bit at the skin, pulling it away until the sweet scent filled the air. A welcome distraction, especially as the sweet taste cleared his mind. "They really came in well," He added. "If you have a surplus, you should take them to the market. You'll sell out for sure."</s> <\|message\|>Seimei Keiko SEIMEI KEIKO tags - @Hero --- "You're welcome." Keiko couldn't help but grin just a little devilishly as she watched Tsubasa try and shift the subject from her would-be seduction to the fruit before the two of them. It was almost kind of cute, how flustered a little bit of teasing had gotten him. She had expected him to be more resistant to such things—half the village's girls gave him doe eyes—but it seemed as though she had been wrong in her assessment. She hefted up the other orange as he peeled away at his own, digging her fingers into the smooth flesh to peel away the rind until the soft flesh within was revealed. "Bold of you to assume people would want to buy from me. I'm pretty sure half the village still thinks I'm some kind of yokai. Certainly wish I was, maybe I'd start getting offerings instead of rude gossip," She retorted, pulling a wedge from the fruit and popping it into her mouth, "Still, maybe I'll give it a try. It would piss old man Moriyama off something severe if people started buying their fruit from me instead of him." She kicked her legs back and forth with just a little more force, chewing the juicy piece of citrus thoughtfully as her eyes danced from here to there, taking in the sights of the forge. It seemed Tsubasa had been rather busy despite the earliness of the morning. She was almost jealous of that, as absolutely bizarre as it sounded. He had plenty of matters to attend to, so he didn't have to deal with such consuming boredom all day like she did. Of course, he probably had an actual life to lead outside the forge, so maybe it was unfair to compare their situations, but acknowledging that didn't make her doldrums any easier to deal with. "You get an awful lot of work during festival, season, huh?" She asked, to make idle conversation, "I would think people have better things to worry about than... fencing? During a time of celebration."</s>	<\|message\|>戦後翼 Tsubasa couldn't help but frown at Keiko's statement. She said it so nonchalantly, too. He supposed it was something she had gotten used to long ago; unfortunately, their village didn't look kindly to outsiders. He remembered being more curious than anything, never really understanding the hesitation coming from the adults. But it wasn't any of his business. Her statement on considering selling did bring a smile to his face as the thought danced around his mind. Moriyama was pretty competitive. At the mention of the fence, he had fruit in his mouth as he looked at it. He chewed faster, licking his lips as he moved over to the already finished pieces. "Tetsu says there's always work to be done. Though this time, some animals have been getting into the crops and that can't really wait," He explained. "I guess the wooden fences kept getting knocked down, so reinforcing them should do the trick!" He dropped his gaze to what he was working on when she came in, wondering if she wanted to know about that, too. "This one's a table, though," He said. "Takamori said he needed something sturdier than others, so there that is." Taking the chance to gobble up the rest of the orange, he let out a sigh of happiness. "Delicious," He commented happily, pushing himself away from the bench. "How about you, Kei-chan? Are you looking forward to the festival?"</s>
<\|description\|>戦後翼 P E R S O N A L D E T A I L S Age - 20 Gender - Male, to the dismay of some Occupation - Blacksmith's apprentice - P E R S O N A L I T Y Sweet-natured Despite his profession, comparing Tsubasa to mochi is wholly accurate. Soft, gentle, and all-around sweet, he often goes out of his way to help people whenever he can. There isn't really any rhyme or reason to it, with some often questioning his motives, but his sincerity often wins out. Passionate Whenever there is a hammer in his hands, Tsubasa feels alive. While he doesn't have many interests, the few he does have is a surefire way to get him excited. He puts his soul into all his creations, often gushing on their beauty and taking pride in his talent. Withdrawn Despite the above, Tsubasa tends to hold people at a distance, always willing to extend kindness to anyone but finding it difficult to accept any on his own. He remains polite but doesn't like to talk too much about himself personally. It doesn't take too much to know he has issues with his family, but otherwise, he outright refuses to speak on it. S K I L L S E T Smithery Tsubasa's number one talent lies in his apprenticeship under his uncle. Despite initially having worked with him as a punishment, he ended up growing to love the craft and developing genuine talent with it. He follows the rules strictly in order to both avoid hurting anyone and to make sure he doesn't waste resources. Athelticism Swinging around a hammer and working with intense heat requires Tsubasa to keep himself in tip-top shape. Charisma There are few people in the village that Tsubasa hasn't won over; he gets along with anyone and everyone with ease. \| Physical Description The one thing most notable about Sengo Tsubasa is his beauty. While tall, he sports fair skin that looks softer than silk. His jet-black locks contrast his skin, tumbling over his shoulders and reaches his waist. He often pulls it up with a red ribbon, though it isn't uncommon for him to keep it loose. His amethyst-hued eyes often seem like they're looking through you, his features soft and his smile always gentle. Character Conceptualization Tsubasa is a young man who dreams of creating a forbidden weapon. Some years ago when he was learning signs from the Signkeeper, he stumbled into her collection of books and accidentally knocked over a pile. In his haste in putting them away, one was opened, revealing a page that had caught his interest: a colorful image of a man clad in metal wielding a weapon. He didn't even look at the rest of the book, entranced by the man and his strange equipment. Despite knowing it was wrong, he tore the page out of the book and took it with him, obsessing over it for some time. One day, he managed to get the materials to make his first attempt at replicating the weapon. While his success varied, he was inevitably caught by his master. Instead of getting in trouble, however, he was strictly told that he should never attempt to do such a thing ever again and was only saved from being outed because no one else had seen it. Ashes had been thrown onto his obsession, quelling it for the most part. Other Information * His secondary hobby is flower pressing. * For some reason, Signkeeper Tomo doesn't seem to like him. He hasn't the foggiest clue as to why, either. * He is always happy to run errands for others. This is often exploited. Known Signs: Heat and Water signs for smithery; tried wind once for fun but doesn't really have an interest in magic \|</s> <\|message\|>Seimei Keiko SEIMEI KEIKO tags - @Hero --- "You're welcome." Keiko couldn't help but grin just a little devilishly as she watched Tsubasa try and shift the subject from her would-be seduction to the fruit before the two of them. It was almost kind of cute, how flustered a little bit of teasing had gotten him. She had expected him to be more resistant to such things—half the village's girls gave him doe eyes—but it seemed as though she had been wrong in her assessment. She hefted up the other orange as he peeled away at his own, digging her fingers into the smooth flesh to peel away the rind until the soft flesh within was revealed. "Bold of you to assume people would want to buy from me. I'm pretty sure half the village still thinks I'm some kind of yokai. Certainly wish I was, maybe I'd start getting offerings instead of rude gossip," She retorted, pulling a wedge from the fruit and popping it into her mouth, "Still, maybe I'll give it a try. It would piss old man Moriyama off something severe if people started buying their fruit from me instead of him." She kicked her legs back and forth with just a little more force, chewing the juicy piece of citrus thoughtfully as her eyes danced from here to there, taking in the sights of the forge. It seemed Tsubasa had been rather busy despite the earliness of the morning. She was almost jealous of that, as absolutely bizarre as it sounded. He had plenty of matters to attend to, so he didn't have to deal with such consuming boredom all day like she did. Of course, he probably had an actual life to lead outside the forge, so maybe it was unfair to compare their situations, but acknowledging that didn't make her doldrums any easier to deal with. "You get an awful lot of work during festival, season, huh?" She asked, to make idle conversation, "I would think people have better things to worry about than... fencing? During a time of celebration."</s> <\|message\|>戦後翼 --- Tsubasa couldn't help but frown at Keiko's statement. She said it so nonchalantly, too. He supposed it was something she had gotten used to long ago; unfortunately, their village didn't look kindly to outsiders. He remembered being more curious than anything, never really understanding the hesitation coming from the adults. But it wasn't any of his business. Her statement on considering selling did bring a smile to his face as the thought danced around his mind. Moriyama was pretty competitive. At the mention of the fence, he had fruit in his mouth as he looked at it. He chewed faster, licking his lips as he moved over to the already finished pieces. "Tetsu says there's always work to be done. Though this time, some animals have been getting into the crops and that can't really wait," He explained. "I guess the wooden fences kept getting knocked down, so reinforcing them should do the trick!" He dropped his gaze to what he was working on when she came in, wondering if she wanted to know about that, too. "This one's a table, though," He said. "Takamori said he needed something sturdier than others, so there that is." Taking the chance to gobble up the rest of the orange, he let out a sigh of happiness. "Delicious," He commented happily, pushing himself away from the bench. "How about you, Kei-chan? Are you looking forward to the festival?"</s> <\|message\|>Masaki Kenichi. Tags: @Feyblue --- Kenichi held in a sigh as Oyuki bowed to him, apologizing profusely. While a small part of Kenichi's mind was pleased at the thought of the local yokai being scolded, he wasn't sure how to feel about the overtly formal apology. More than that, from the tone and emphasis in her apology, it didn't take long for the apprentice to realize that she was taking personal responsibility for such a simple fall. Kenichi parted his lips to protest verbally, but he found no words to form. He wasn't sure how to reassure her. As he clutched at words, she spoke once more. He gave a small smile at her offer to let him rest. "No, no... I could not ask of more hospitality than a spot to sit a moment." The doctor's apprentice took a small step forward up the steps, his heart thumping from the recent excitement and physical exertion. His thoughts fell on her words as he continued trying to craft a coherent response. Something was nagging at the corner of his mind, but that could wait. "As for my business... um... medicine. I... brewed more than I anticipated. It is designed to help alleviate symptoms of a cold or sore throat, and would do best when mixed with some tea and honey. This should remain fresh for use for about a month or so." As Kenichi's mind focused on the medicine, he felt his social anxiety slip away for a moment. His words flowed like a river, and he spoke with the same confidence he had with any patients he treated. He felt his left hand rise and fall naturally as he gestured with his words. For a brief moment, Kenichi had begun walking up the steps with surprising ease. He showed no sign of pain or discomfort as his mind was focused on explaining the medicine. He stopped as his words did, and reached into his satchel to quickly produce a small vial. He held it out in Oyuki's direction for a moment. "With all of the work you do for the village, I thought you might be in most need of a dose if you awoke with a sore throat. It would buy you time before..." The realization hit him like an axe striking a tree. That tone in her voice had finally registered as something being wrong. It was a sort of timid and rehearsed politeness that a young man with more self-awareness would have recognized all too well. Kenichi had instinctively pulled the vial back towards himself for a moment as he tried to find some way to acknowledge this development, before realizing he hadn't even finished whatever thought he had before. Kenichi's eyes turned upwards towards the hill as he spoke more to the general air than to Oyuki. "I have caught you at a bad time. Of course..." Kenichi turned his gaze back towards Oyuki for a moment, before holding out the vial once again whilst bowing. "My apologies, Lady Oyuki. I did not think of how busy you must be. I do not wish to take up more of your time, and hope you do not take offense at my refusal of your hospitality. I would not dream of interfering with your duties here."</s> <\|message\|>Seimei Keiko SEIMEI KEIKO tags - @Hero --- "Of course there's always work to be done—the only other smith in the village is a lush." Keiko responded in her usual matter-of-factly manner, regardless of how uncouth it was to insult a man while dallying on his property. It wasn't like the old man was around to defend himself, if he could even manage it at such an early, hangover laden hour. As she greedily deposited the last few wedges of her orange into her mouth, the girl dismounted from the workbench she had claimed as a seat, making her way over to the table Tsubasa had apparently just finished before her unexpected arrival. She poked at it with a toe, as if to test the strength of the structure with such a minimal use of force. "Wonder what the old man is doing that requires such a sturdy table. Or who, I guess. Never know with old lechers," She mused conspiratorially as she chewed, although she couldn't quite follow that train of thought too far, as her musings were interrupted by Tsubasa inflicting a wound of his own upon her pride. An unknowing redress for her teasing, perhaps. She swallowed down the remnants of her carefully cultivated treat before peering up at the taller male. "Nope. I never do. I never have anyone to go with, so I usually spend most of the festival back at the tower, waiting for it to end so everything goes back to normal," Despite the sorrowful tale she told, she remained indifferent as ever in tone and expression, "I'm not even sure what people get up to for most of it, if I'm honest. I guess it must be pretty enjoyable—but I wouldn't know." She made just a few steps forward, pushing herself up onto her very tiptoes in order to get more on level with Tsubasa. Only then did the slightest glimpse of mischief start to shine through her big brown eyes. "Unless that was your way of asking whether or not I'd be interested in going to the festival with you. Is that why you ask? Did you want to take me? Huh? Did you? Did you really?"</s>	<\|message\|>戦後翼 Huh, now that Keiko mentioned it, Tsubasa supposed he never did see her around whenever the festivities popped up. He always assumed that she was busy or that there was work to be done; he remembered the many, many times that Tetsu would suddenly unload a bunch of last-minute orders on him, and sometimes that resulted in him missing out on a majority of the fun. She seemed entirely indifferent to it, the complete opposite of his own lament anytime he'd been so caught up in his work that it was too late to do anything meaningful. At the very least she didn't linger on the subject for too long, though he wasn't expecting her next comment. The barrage of questions caught him a little off guard, eyes widening just a touch as she even went so far as to approach him. Wait, why didn't he consider asking her? Clearly that was the way to go! It was a good idea, he could wrap up what he was doing and they'd be on their way in no time! But even as the thought crossed his mind, he scratched the back of his head with a small frown on his face. "Um, no, that wasn't why, but--well, actually, I would like to go with you. If you'll have me, of course," He dropped his hand as he spoke, deciding he would get that out of the way. "We can go see everyone's hard work, get something to eat, enjoy the shows that get put on, and of course the main attraction." He paused for a moment. "...But I mean, even if I wasn't around, there's nothing wrong with going on your own, too. I've had to do it a few times myself. You're still a part of the village, and that means you get to have as much fun as everyone else, too, you know."</s>
<\|description\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico \| \| \| \| \| ______________ AGE: 26 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: OCTOBER 10, 1944 ______________ FAITH: CATHOLIC ______________ NATIONALITY: ITALY ______________ \| PERSONALITY ______________ Outwardly, Alistair appears to be a kindly young priest who treats everyone he meets with dignity, respect, and a smile on his face. He is wise, understanding, and surprisingly knowledgeable about the ways of the world. He appreciates art, music, and the little things. Above all else, he is a pious man who has dedicated his life to serving the Lord. Inwardly, Alistair harbors a deep resentment for demons and the unrepentant and can be particularly cold or angry towards them. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and believes that ridding the world of these undesirables would be better for everyone. To him, being denied salvation is a small price to pay for the opportunity to save the world, and he'd readily give it up again if he had to. He's also fiercely protective, and perhaps even a little possessive when it comes to those he truly cares about. Paradoxically, Alistair will die for a cause he truly believes in without hesitation yet is simultaneously not yet ready to die. After all, there is so much more work left to do. EQUIPMENT ______________ - Ceremonial Longsword: A holy relic, dating back to the First Crusade, this steel longsword has an edge forged from sanctified silver. Gilded with gold and jewels, this weapon was meant to be used to anoint members of an ancient order of holy knights, rather than be used in true combat. Although heavy and unwieldy, it feels light and fast in the hands of the Ordained. Its edge is dull when used against the innocent, while unrepentant sinners find it sharp-- enemies of the Lord cannot even bear to be in the blade's presence, finding the sword to cut supernaturally deep. Alistair keeps the blade in its scabbard, only ever pulling it free if he knows he must purify. - Holy Bible: A heavy-set grimoire, containing the Word of God. Alistair has each page committed to memory, but he finds the presence of the tome comforting. He can also recite scripture and verses directly from the Bible, causing many demons to recoil in pain. Weaker demons may burn away, though stronger ones may merely be weakened by such acts. - Reliquary: A leather satchel containing holy symbols, scripture, and other objects that are anathema to demons. Supplies include, but are not limited to: vials of holy water, silver crucifixes, a ritual dagger, a jeweled grail, notes on religious rituals, images depicting the Lord, his Son, the Virgin Mary, and various other Saints, wooden stakes, blessed nails, a hammer, a set of candles, and of course, bread and wine. CAPACITY ______________ Despite his thin, seemingly frail physique, Alistair is deceptively tough, his physical and mental fortitude impressive even among other exorcists. He was shown to have a prodigious talent for the arts of battle. He leverages this training to great effect during combat, combining his talent and training together. Fast, strong, and tough, the man is a dangerous combatant in close quarters. When wielding the holy sword, Alistair uses traditional techniques from Fiore dei Liberi, a form of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) that revolves around the use of a longsword. When fighting without his blade, he uses a street-boxing style, honed through a turbulent youth in the streets of post-war Rome. If pushed, the man isn't afraid to fight dirty, having learned a long time ago that if there are lives on the line, then no technique is too dishonorable. In addition, the man knows the entirety of the Bible, the Old and New Testament having been committed to memory. If he encounters a situation where his blade will do him no good, he always has the Gospel and the Scriptures to fall back upon. When even that is tested, he taps into reserves of willpower and determination rarely ever seen, except in men with nothing to lose, but everything to gain.</s> <\|message\|>Jin Dak-Ho (진 닥-호) \| \| \| \| \| --- --- \| Jin's compatriots seemed to be doing well from the little glimpses he could ascertain through his periphery. There also seemed to be another female priest who joined them. While sustaining some injury, everyone seemed alive and have dispatched a number of the satanists. While the Korean priest would rather it end with their lives in-tact, reality was cruel. He needed to focus. He cleared his mind and decided to focus on the dual-wielding satanist in-front of him. The satanist seemed more incensed and dangerous after Jin's failed plea. His movements were more reckless; larger openings were more present but his strikes became more deadly as a result. It was as if he wanted to take someone down with him- A suicidal gambit of sorts. Jin held his tonfa aloft, in a defensive reverse stance. The satanists leap at him with a diving, stabbing motion. In response, the scarred priest sidestepped but the dual-wielding satanist flipped and reversed his grip and slashed at his chest. The wound was shallow, because of his light armour and Jin preemptively diving backwards as the stroke dug into his chest. The newly-formed wound still bled, however. It became more and more unlikely that he'd be able to finish the battle without either risking his life or killing the Satanist. Both options equally horrible for the mild-mannered priest. The Satanist didn't give him time to formulate any sort of tactic either. He consistently swung as he pushed Jin backwards, the priest had to steady his footing whilst deflecting attacks. Each strike came sequentially and never from the same angle. A diagonal swing with a horizontal swing. A strike that came from opposite sides, an upwards and downwards strike in tandem. Such strikes were employed by his enemy. Metallic clinks resounded in the room as blows and exchanges ended neutrally or in the favour of the dual-wielder. One seemed to be going for killing strokes while the other seemed to want to avoid doing so, forming a sort of odd stalemate as both danced through the dining room. A slash coming from two sides was blocked with his grip, a sabaton sunk into Jin's stomach right after. Another upwards stroke followed quickly before Jin could even register he was kicked. The priest was no slouch in the endurance department, the kick not seeming to faze him in the slightest, as he sidestepped the attack. He switched his left baton into a normal grip and, with as much force as he could muster, bludgeoned the Satanist's shoulder. A sickening crunch could be heard as the dual-wielder yelped in pain. A sword flew to his face. The stroke would've found itself in his eye if not for his animalistic reflexes. He turned his head just enough for it to miss his head, instead it embedded itself into his cheek as it sailed by. He turned his head in the direction of the stroke to minimize the damage but it didn't help much. With a quick hop backwards, blood dripped onto the once pristine floors. Jin clutched his cheek as it began bleeding profusely. The pain was nearly mind-numbing; his brain in over-drive due to the pain but he pushed through it with not so much as a yowl. Part of the reason why he was hit was because he didn't expect the Satanist to be able to also ignore his shoulders cracking into pieces and still counter-attack. It was an unexpected variable, was it the 'faith' in their mission that gave them such endurance? It was nearly as fervent as the priest's own. The side of his cut mouth pulsed in pain, as he pressed onto it to stave off the bleeding. Both combatants stared at each other; one's hand was unusable as it hung downwards, arm all but useless with a shattered shoulder. The other had to use every ounce of sheer will-power to not succumb to the pain. Jin also had to drop one of his batons to place pressure on his cheek. It was clear with their ragged breathing and weaker postures that the fight was nearing its end. Even still, both seemed to be looking for openings to end the fight once and for all. With Jim's condition, someone would need to step in to break stalemate in place.</s> <\|message\|>XIAO YU HUA 晓羽化 Yu --- The priest had a moment to breathe with the armor out of the picture. He was a little shaken, knowing very well that he could have been the one to fall had the smoke wavered. There was a sense of relief to be had… but it escaped him much too quickly. The battle was far from over. Whip ready and tensions high, careful eyes darted between his team. There were no words-- only dead bodies, and the underlying stench of iron mingling with smoke. This unnerved him, but he was at ease to find his allies were managing. Mother Eka as expected made short work of her cultists, with the help of Dhzon, who then made his way to Alistair's side. Already, more corpses littered the floor. Yu spotted one in particular by the blond priest's feet, helmet having rolled off to reveal a missing left eye, along with a pained expression. The whip-handler grimaced. Please, don't look at me like that. As if on cue, a head rolled across the floor, stopping in time to cast an empty glance at him. One frantic kick and curse later, it was out of the priest's sight. More humans were dead, but not because of him, at least. It was a sickening thought, but God's work still needed to be done… it just couldn't be by his own hands. It was then, with the air heavy as it was, that something changed. At the door, a woman appeared-- a sister, or so it seemed. Both her posture and the sound of her voice made him question that notion, as they made him nervous in a way he couldn't properly explain. For a moment Yu stood there, speechless, making no effort to hide his disdain. Had their circumstances been different, he would have even scolded her for carrying the nun's garb in such a provocative way-- intentional or not. Still, aside from her sudden appearance and alarmingly lax demeanor, the priest felt that something else was off about her. Her presence brought along what seemed like a lightness in the air; or rather, the reek of demon applying itself elsewhere. The frown on his face only deepened as he wondered whether that was a good thing. Deep howls erupted from the hallway behind her, and upon sensing her oncoming demise, pushed himself to move. Surely, he'd be damned if he allowed a church official to die under God's watch. Lord, I only ask that you help me now. Yu ran to grab the woman's arm, pulling her behind him as metal swung back through the air. With her out of the way, Jiuzai cracked forward a great distance, steel napping around the first creature's neck. Sizzles were heard as spikes dug into flesh, the stench of burning rot filling the air. The beast thrashed in the whip's hallowed grasp, and even with both hands, proved to be a struggle to apprehend. However, it blocked the doorway, leaving no room for the demons before it to enter. Sweat formed at the hilt in Yu's effort to grip tighter, silently praying for the smoke to work faster. Frustration growing increasingly evident, he shot a glance to the woman at his side. "Who told you to arrive here alone! Do you not understand how dangerous--" A pained grunt stopped him mid-complaint. "Brother Jin!" His head snapped to his senior, whose face spilled blood. What was he doing? Clearly, he needed help. However, Yu's heart quickened at the thought of releasing the whip, knowing it was the only thing keeping the beasts at the door. The holy smoke needed more time to work, while Brother Alistair and Dzhon still had two cultists left. The sister stood behind him, suspicious, but harmless thus far. "If I let go now, it will mean trouble for all of us," Yu hurriedly explained through gritted teeth, suppressing the tremble in his voice. "Please, if you can, go and assist our brothers..." Something clicked. It was then that he realized why the smoke seemed ineffective, and why their opponents only fought harder than earlier. The window was broken during his struggle... all the fresh air pooled in, and precious smoke leaked out. Frantic, he called out across the room. "Mother Ekaterine! I can't hold them for much longer!"</s>	<\|message\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE Alistair continued his spinning dance of death, twirling and whirling as steel sang its bloody tune. He managed to catch the injured cultist in a downward diagonal swing, the heretic too injured to properly evade. Even as the blade was blunted by the armor plating, it kept its supernatural edge. He cleaved downwards until the blade stopped moving, before kicking the lifeless body away, barely managing to face his other opponents in time. Before he could return to the fray, however, the tense atmosphere seemed to shift... becoming more oppressive and pervasive. A lull in the battle now becoming evident, Alistair threw a glance at the door and spotted a new arrival. She was a beautiful woman about his age, with a strange demeanor to her, wholly unsuited to sisterhood. And yet, here she was. First the priest, and now this woman... Alistair elected to push those thoughts out of his mind, and focus on the battle before him. Against multiple opponents, he couldn't get distracted, or he'd lose his head. As he tangled with the three of them, the Russian priest from a while ago had sprang into action, quickly dispatching of one of the heretic swordsmen, leaving two more. The Vatican priest said nothing, only opting to give his companion a thankful look. Two-on-two were far better odds than three-on-one, after all. As Dhzon tangled with one of the cultists, Alistair swung at his own opponent as the cultist attacked, and causing them to lock blades with one another. Now that the numbers were even, he didn't have to worry about being constantly on the defensive-- a sword bind like this was no longer a potential death sentence, but instead an opportunity to deal some damage. Contrary to popular belief, when it came to HEMA, you didn't need to be fast or strong when wielding a blade. Weapons were the great equalizer that allowed even the lowliest peasant to fell a mighty knight if they hit the right spot. Instead, techniques were extremely reliant upon the user's skill and form. It was certainly possible for Alistair to overpower his opponent's strength with his own, but there was no finesse in that-- there were proper techniques to perform when swords bind, and he was more than willing to execute them. As they locked blades, Alistair moved to gain the three advantages: the true edge, the forte upon the debole, and the crossing. To finish, however, the Vatican priest performed a crossline step, moving his sword around his opponent's. The man pivoted using a compass motion, and thrust his blade through the opponent's side. With a bit of effort, the priest cut deeper and deeper until he reached bone, and then tore the blade away with a yell of exertion. With his opponents defeated, the priest gave his fellow swordsman a nod.</s>
<\|description\|>Stavrophore Ekaterine Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico \| \| \| \| \| ______________ AGE: 45 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: January 10, 1925 ______________ FAITH: Eastern Orthodox ______________ NATIONALITY: Soviet, from the Georgian SSR ______________ \| PERSONALITY ______________ A veteran of the war against the Nazis as well as the one against devils Ekaterine is well-versed in battling sin. Her days in the Red Army instilled a total lack of fear that bordered on irrational recklessness that was later tempered by her time fighting demons across the Soviet Union and United States. In her mind there is neither room for hesitation nor impatience, she takes in the situation and makes the call before sticking through it until the end. The Lord's work is a calling of the utmost importance and any time wasted on overreactions or inactions is an affront to His name. Her devotion to Heaven is what keeps Ekaterine going after a life of loss and betrayal. Made bitter by the early loss of her parents and the harsh treatment she received from her aunt and uncle the senseless violence she witnessed in the Great Patriotic War nearly broke her, left a wandering wreck who quiet literally stumbled into monastery life. Even now after being forced to flee to the U.S during the anti-religious purges of the 60s Mother Ekaterine's faith is what keeps her from spiraling into a dark place. She sees her work hunting the Serpent's minions as her way of giving back to the Lord for saving her life. Just as she takes pride (in a sense anyway) in her duties mentoring the younger sisters or feeding the poor so to does she feel good during the hunt. While a lust for the blood of man would certainly be cause for troubled self-reflection she sees no fault in enjoying herself when driving the demons out of the kingdoms of man. Prone to making promises of great violence against her enemy in Russian, Georgian and English Ekaterine does her best to make good on each and every one of them. Height ______________ 6'3" EQUIPMENT ______________ -Ithaca 37: Five shells of twelve gauge absolution, a venerable weapon that serves a blessed purpose. Mother Ekaterine's trench gun and attached bayonet were custom made and consecrated for the purpose of demon hunting. -Stechkin APS:A personal weapon smuggled over during her flight from the USSR. Most people would be unable to handle the recoil from this blessed machine pistol without its optional stock but Ekaterine's strength of belief (as well as well strength of body) gives her the discipline required to wield it. -Holy Oils: A bit of the Oil of Catechumens used in baptisms, some soap and good old gasoline mixed together in glass bottles to be lit and thrown. The result is a blessed blaze that sticks to demons and melts them where they stand. When asked about the propriety of such a weapon the Stavrophore holds that if the Father above took issue then he would surely show her a better way. -SN-46 "Steel Bib":When Satan told the Lord Christ to throw himself from the top of the temple Christ rebuked him by saying "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.'" Likewise Ekaterine relies on not just faith but solid steel worn under her cassock to guard her body from the enemy. Soviet machine work was combined with Christian blessings to forge armor that can withstand bullets, blades and blood magic. Up to a point anyway. -Duty Bag:A veshmeshok filled with everything a demon hunter on the go might need. A copy of the Scripture, icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary, a change of clothes, money, and snacks as well as spare ammo, oils, salts, consecrated iron filings and a Makarov pistol that once belonged to her abbess back in the Soviet Union. CAPACITY ______________ Already a trained soldier before entering the Church's demon hunters Eketerine is a skilled gunslinger, fitting considering that she works in the land of the gangster and cowboy. She excels at meeting the enemy in close quarters and blasting them back to Hell with her shotgun and pistol or simply spilling their infernal guts with a twist of her bayonet. Her work as a farmhand set the ground for building a great physical strength that, while hidden by nun's outfit, enables her to sprint with her gear and crush the skulls of the damned beneath her boots. Her spiritual strength on the other hand is what keeps her going. No matter how bad things get, no matter how much misery and sin she has to wallow through, she just keeps going. After going through the killing fields of the Eurasian steppes without God's light, how can she allow herself to break against the mere denizens of Hell with Him guiding her aim?</s> <\|message\|>XIAO YU HUA 晓羽化 Yu --- Both the priests took only a few minutes to finish off the remaining five creatures. This chase proved a couple of things to Yu: that the Korean priest was more than capable despite his first time in the state, and that Mother Ekaterine and Father Alistair had only gotten better since the last time they met. In the hands of a capable team, he allowed himself a moment to breathe and think of other things. The remaining ashes from the censer were packed into a small pouch - they would be useful. More than anything else, when the time came, he hoped to rely only on this little sack of powder. But whenever he wished for this, the outcome always ended in more blood and bodies to dispose of. He was completely familiar with the passage of death, but unfortunately, still struggled with hardening his heart. After the smoke dispersed, he scrunched his nose as the scent of rust rode through the air. Why did demons and mortals' blood have to smell the same? A quiet sigh floated down from the car's roof as the mansion soon came into view. The pastor followed suit as the four exited first. From the looks of the manor, it was well-kept and in pristine condition. The residence towered over them and seemed overly dressed, almost as if trying to compensate for something. And yet, even though he knew about the kind of humans that lived here, it was clear to him that he would not resonate well with this mission - by the grace of God or not. Immediately after, the pastor adjusted his collar and aligned himself. The thought was quickly dismissed. Never mind, this was just another mission. With this, Yu turned away and listened to the driver. The man's battered arm caught his attention, and Yu felt like he had woken up a second time. A force of habit had him reach for ointment but was soon told not to worry. Just what kind of experience shaped the strength of this man? In the past, his medical care was greeted with screams from even the most battle-hardened figures. With a glance and tinge of concern, the pastor gave the rest of the three a once-over for any sign of injuries. They seemed perfectly fine (save for being soaked in blood) and for that, Yu was glad. At the doorknob's unwillingness to be handled, Mother Ekaterine wasted no time in getting the door open with a swift kick. Upon heading inside the priest looked around from behind the group with his eyebrows knit together. Evidence of the owner's tendency to overindulge was laid bare at every turn they took. Everything that littered the halls they walked through looked to be able to feed about twenty small villages, should monetary value be considered. Yu could not care any less for such superficial displays of importance, but it was truly such a waste in the end. A lot of things would be going to waste tonight, but it would be for the best. "Priest Yu, you earlier you referred to me as Sunbae. Were you familiar with Korean terms?" The priest in question was caught off-guard by Jin's attempt at idle chatter. Instead of simply nodding in response, he tried to return Jin's smile with a small one of his own. "I learned while I was deployed in Korea that it is important to address your seniors in this way." During that time, he had caught wind of another charity worker. A Korean citizen who happened to be involved in the same line of work as him. It was rather strange, considering Christianity was not fully recognized in the region yet. After Yu left, the man's name stuck with him. There were a few times he found himself wondering about how that exorcist was doing. Who knew he'd turn up here? There must have been a good reason for him to attend to the Lord's work with no peers to turn to. Then again, he could also say the same for the rest of the group tonight. "Please Father Yu, address me more casually... Jin is alright. We're all equal in the eyes of the Lord, after all." Yu politely nodded in return; the sentiment easily understood. A kind man. At the end of their exchange, the four found themselves by the door. The group listened as the calm and gentle piano notes served to heighten the heaviness of the air. Backed by irony and a sense of foreboding, the contrast created an unsettling atmosphere. His body tensed in response to Jin's question, as though urging him to answer in accordance to it. The pastor calmly rejected the impulse as his hand gripped the small bag of ash and moved closer to the door. Face solemn, he stood facing the group. "...from this point on, should any of you get hurt, or need assistance, call for me immediately." The pastor hoped to himself that they wouldn't need to resort to that. Slowly, he unfastened Jiuzai with one hand and readied the ash with the other.</s> <\|message\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE --- The Castillan household was in remarkably good shape, which was contrary to the initial information given to them. Still, even as rain fell all around them, and even as the night sky was as dark as ever, the mansion almost seemed welcoming. Almost. Temptations like these were not uncommon amongst Satanists and their ilk. Having fallen prey to their earthly desires, they do not have much in the way of... modesty. Still, even as an agent of the faith, Alistair couldn't help but appreciate the aesthetic beauty of the place. He was certain that before these Satanists had arrived, this place was even more beautiful than what stands before him now. The priest opened the car door, shards of glass and drops of blood falling loose from their position. Alistair let out a deep sigh and took a moment to dust himself off, before turning to Mother Ekaterine. "Four rounds left." He presented the gun to her, grip first. "...It's an excellent weapon. Thank you for entrusting me with it." Alistair walked over to the Chevelle's trunk and retrieved the longsword that had been bequeathed onto him by the Vatican. Despite its gaudiness, it was a fine weapon that was excellently balanced. Although this was not a holy weapon used by the Saints, this sanctified nameless blade was still more than enough to dispatch the enemies of the Lord. The priest then turned to the others, who were discussing the plan once more. He had already committed the plan to memory, but it was good to get a refresher. Jin was also given a map, depicting blueprints of the mansion's layout. It would come in handy, in case the plan goes awry. "You have our thanks, Signore." Alistair said, tipping his hat. "If all goes well, we'll be finished come sunrise..." There was a pregnant silence in the air. He did not have to give the driver instructions in case they had failed. The standard operating procedure meant that the ferryman was to drive back to base and call for an immediate Purification of the household. The nuclear option, so to speak. Even so, however, Alistair had nothing but the utmost faith that the Lord would show them the right path. As the four priests walked through the house and sauntered up to the door, the sound of music could be heard. "Nocturne op.9 No.2." Alistair commented. "One of Chopin's most famous pieces-- a beautiful rendition of that song." The man then shook his head. "It seems our quarry has some... refinement when it comes to their choice of music." He looked towards the door a faint smirk on his face. "...At least the last thing they'll hear is something pleasant before they're sent to be with the Being they love so very much." Resting the longsword against his arm like one would with a rifle, the priest gave the rest of the group a nod. Whatever lay beyond that door would not compare to four of the Lord's exorcists.</s>	<\|message\|>Stavrophore Ekaterine The fight ended as abruptly as it began, the devils shredded by lead and mulched under car tires as they deserved. The sights, the sounds the sheer rush of adrenaline always lifted Ekaterine's spirits and this time was no different. She hummed to her herself as the car pulled up to the Castillian mansion, fingers working shells into her shotgun to replace the ones she had spent. Three blasts fired meant that she had fifty-seven more to go. Would it be enough to see her through this next test? Perhaps it would and perhaps it wouldn't. There were still her pistol, bottles and boots after that, each a more than serviceable weapon against Hell's legions. Father Alistair returned the Abbess's Makarov and Ekaterine took it with a smile, nodding as he complimented the weapon. "You used it well. It might be worth looking into acquiring a firearm of your own, I'm sure the Holy See has something it's arsenal." There was no way the Papal Guards still only used halberds right? The plan was simple enough, no different from the house-to-house fighting she had taken part in during the battle for Stalingrad. Go in, shoot every last monster they found and then leave to lick their wounds and let someone else handle the cleanup. The CIA spooks and FBI men in black were cold-hearted imperialists but at least they had the budget for burn crews. It felt to the Mother to deal with the door and she did in her usual no nonsense way. Alien geometry and intricate ivory carvings meant little when one could simply kick it in. The interior of the structure was almost baffling in its ostentatiousness, thick rugs and ornate furniture that would have been unthinkable to a girl growing up on a Georgian farm. There had been some truth then to the Soviet's propaganda if Americans could live fill their homes with so much useless stuff while their countrymen starved. The song being played had a name but whatever it was passed through one ear and out the other. It was information totally superfluous to the work at the hand. They were at the door to the dining room and whoever or whatever was inside it needed to die. Ekaterine took her shotgun in hand and kicked in yet another door.</s>
<\|description\|>Stavrophore Ekaterine Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico \| \| \| \| \| ______________ AGE: 45 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: January 10, 1925 ______________ FAITH: Eastern Orthodox ______________ NATIONALITY: Soviet, from the Georgian SSR ______________ \| PERSONALITY ______________ A veteran of the war against the Nazis as well as the one against devils Ekaterine is well-versed in battling sin. Her days in the Red Army instilled a total lack of fear that bordered on irrational recklessness that was later tempered by her time fighting demons across the Soviet Union and United States. In her mind there is neither room for hesitation nor impatience, she takes in the situation and makes the call before sticking through it until the end. The Lord's work is a calling of the utmost importance and any time wasted on overreactions or inactions is an affront to His name. Her devotion to Heaven is what keeps Ekaterine going after a life of loss and betrayal. Made bitter by the early loss of her parents and the harsh treatment she received from her aunt and uncle the senseless violence she witnessed in the Great Patriotic War nearly broke her, left a wandering wreck who quiet literally stumbled into monastery life. Even now after being forced to flee to the U.S during the anti-religious purges of the 60s Mother Ekaterine's faith is what keeps her from spiraling into a dark place. She sees her work hunting the Serpent's minions as her way of giving back to the Lord for saving her life. Just as she takes pride (in a sense anyway) in her duties mentoring the younger sisters or feeding the poor so to does she feel good during the hunt. While a lust for the blood of man would certainly be cause for troubled self-reflection she sees no fault in enjoying herself when driving the demons out of the kingdoms of man. Prone to making promises of great violence against her enemy in Russian, Georgian and English Ekaterine does her best to make good on each and every one of them. Height ______________ 6'3" EQUIPMENT ______________ -Ithaca 37: Five shells of twelve gauge absolution, a venerable weapon that serves a blessed purpose. Mother Ekaterine's trench gun and attached bayonet were custom made and consecrated for the purpose of demon hunting. -Stechkin APS:A personal weapon smuggled over during her flight from the USSR. Most people would be unable to handle the recoil from this blessed machine pistol without its optional stock but Ekaterine's strength of belief (as well as well strength of body) gives her the discipline required to wield it. -Holy Oils: A bit of the Oil of Catechumens used in baptisms, some soap and good old gasoline mixed together in glass bottles to be lit and thrown. The result is a blessed blaze that sticks to demons and melts them where they stand. When asked about the propriety of such a weapon the Stavrophore holds that if the Father above took issue then he would surely show her a better way. -SN-46 "Steel Bib":When Satan told the Lord Christ to throw himself from the top of the temple Christ rebuked him by saying "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.'" Likewise Ekaterine relies on not just faith but solid steel worn under her cassock to guard her body from the enemy. Soviet machine work was combined with Christian blessings to forge armor that can withstand bullets, blades and blood magic. Up to a point anyway. -Duty Bag:A veshmeshok filled with everything a demon hunter on the go might need. A copy of the Scripture, icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary, a change of clothes, money, and snacks as well as spare ammo, oils, salts, consecrated iron filings and a Makarov pistol that once belonged to her abbess back in the Soviet Union. CAPACITY ______________ Already a trained soldier before entering the Church's demon hunters Eketerine is a skilled gunslinger, fitting considering that she works in the land of the gangster and cowboy. She excels at meeting the enemy in close quarters and blasting them back to Hell with her shotgun and pistol or simply spilling their infernal guts with a twist of her bayonet. Her work as a farmhand set the ground for building a great physical strength that, while hidden by nun's outfit, enables her to sprint with her gear and crush the skulls of the damned beneath her boots. Her spiritual strength on the other hand is what keeps her going. No matter how bad things get, no matter how much misery and sin she has to wallow through, she just keeps going. After going through the killing fields of the Eurasian steppes without God's light, how can she allow herself to break against the mere denizens of Hell with Him guiding her aim?</s> <\|message\|>XIAO YU HUA 晓羽化 Yu --- The priest had a moment to breathe with the armor out of the picture. He was a little shaken, knowing very well that he could have been the one to fall had the smoke wavered. There was a sense of relief to be had… but it escaped him much too quickly. The battle was far from over. Whip ready and tensions high, careful eyes darted between his team. There were no words-- only dead bodies, and the underlying stench of iron mingling with smoke. This unnerved him, but he was at ease to find his allies were managing. Mother Eka as expected made short work of her cultists, with the help of Dhzon, who then made his way to Alistair's side. Already, more corpses littered the floor. Yu spotted one in particular by the blond priest's feet, helmet having rolled off to reveal a missing left eye, along with a pained expression. The whip-handler grimaced. Please, don't look at me like that. As if on cue, a head rolled across the floor, stopping in time to cast an empty glance at him. One frantic kick and curse later, it was out of the priest's sight. More humans were dead, but not because of him, at least. It was a sickening thought, but God's work still needed to be done… it just couldn't be by his own hands. It was then, with the air heavy as it was, that something changed. At the door, a woman appeared-- a sister, or so it seemed. Both her posture and the sound of her voice made him question that notion, as they made him nervous in a way he couldn't properly explain. For a moment Yu stood there, speechless, making no effort to hide his disdain. Had their circumstances been different, he would have even scolded her for carrying the nun's garb in such a provocative way-- intentional or not. Still, aside from her sudden appearance and alarmingly lax demeanor, the priest felt that something else was off about her. Her presence brought along what seemed like a lightness in the air; or rather, the reek of demon applying itself elsewhere. The frown on his face only deepened as he wondered whether that was a good thing. Deep howls erupted from the hallway behind her, and upon sensing her oncoming demise, pushed himself to move. Surely, he'd be damned if he allowed a church official to die under God's watch. Lord, I only ask that you help me now. Yu ran to grab the woman's arm, pulling her behind him as metal swung back through the air. With her out of the way, Jiuzai cracked forward a great distance, steel napping around the first creature's neck. Sizzles were heard as spikes dug into flesh, the stench of burning rot filling the air. The beast thrashed in the whip's hallowed grasp, and even with both hands, proved to be a struggle to apprehend. However, it blocked the doorway, leaving no room for the demons before it to enter. Sweat formed at the hilt in Yu's effort to grip tighter, silently praying for the smoke to work faster. Frustration growing increasingly evident, he shot a glance to the woman at his side. "Who told you to arrive here alone! Do you not understand how dangerous--" A pained grunt stopped him mid-complaint. "Brother Jin!" His head snapped to his senior, whose face spilled blood. What was he doing? Clearly, he needed help. However, Yu's heart quickened at the thought of releasing the whip, knowing it was the only thing keeping the beasts at the door. The holy smoke needed more time to work, while Brother Alistair and Dzhon still had two cultists left. The sister stood behind him, suspicious, but harmless thus far. "If I let go now, it will mean trouble for all of us," Yu hurriedly explained through gritted teeth, suppressing the tremble in his voice. "Please, if you can, go and assist our brothers..." Something clicked. It was then that he realized why the smoke seemed ineffective, and why their opponents only fought harder than earlier. The window was broken during his struggle... all the fresh air pooled in, and precious smoke leaked out. Frantic, he called out across the room. "Mother Ekaterine! I can't hold them for much longer!"</s> <\|message\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE --- Alistair continued his spinning dance of death, twirling and whirling as steel sang its bloody tune. He managed to catch the injured cultist in a downward diagonal swing, the heretic too injured to properly evade. Even as the blade was blunted by the armor plating, it kept its supernatural edge. He cleaved downwards until the blade stopped moving, before kicking the lifeless body away, barely managing to face his other opponents in time. Before he could return to the fray, however, the tense atmosphere seemed to shift... becoming more oppressive and pervasive. A lull in the battle now becoming evident, Alistair threw a glance at the door and spotted a new arrival. She was a beautiful woman about his age, with a strange demeanor to her, wholly unsuited to sisterhood. And yet, here she was. First the priest, and now this woman... Alistair elected to push those thoughts out of his mind, and focus on the battle before him. Against multiple opponents, he couldn't get distracted, or he'd lose his head. As he tangled with the three of them, the Russian priest from a while ago had sprang into action, quickly dispatching of one of the heretic swordsmen, leaving two more. The Vatican priest said nothing, only opting to give his companion a thankful look. Two-on-two were far better odds than three-on-one, after all. As Dhzon tangled with one of the cultists, Alistair swung at his own opponent as the cultist attacked, and causing them to lock blades with one another. Now that the numbers were even, he didn't have to worry about being constantly on the defensive-- a sword bind like this was no longer a potential death sentence, but instead an opportunity to deal some damage. Contrary to popular belief, when it came to HEMA, you didn't need to be fast or strong when wielding a blade. Weapons were the great equalizer that allowed even the lowliest peasant to fell a mighty knight if they hit the right spot. Instead, techniques were extremely reliant upon the user's skill and form. It was certainly possible for Alistair to overpower his opponent's strength with his own, but there was no finesse in that-- there were proper techniques to perform when swords bind, and he was more than willing to execute them. As they locked blades, Alistair moved to gain the three advantages: the true edge, the forte upon the debole, and the crossing. To finish, however, the Vatican priest performed a crossline step, moving his sword around his opponent's. The man pivoted using a compass motion, and thrust his blade through the opponent's side. With a bit of effort, the priest cut deeper and deeper until he reached bone, and then tore the blade away with a yell of exertion. With his opponents defeated, the priest gave his fellow swordsman a nod.</s>	<\|message\|>Stavrophore Ekaterine What a strange, strange turn of events they had walked into! Not the cultists of course, Ekaterine had long since stopped seeing Lucifer's foot soldiers as anything more than vermin to be snuffed out. They uninteresting in the same way that an infestation of cockroaches provoked digust instead of curiosity. The cultists and their animated armor set were simply blights that required a good scourging. It was a simple matter to spear them, to blast their filthy flesh from cursed bones while her comrades defenestrated some and hacked the others to bits. That was all good and righteous, the way things ought to have been. But what made her uncomfortable was the appearance of the two strangers. One a fool and the other merely mysterious, the man wielding officer's pistols and the woman an MP5. Ekaterine spared them a glance even as she looked for her next target, narrowed eyes betraying a certain motherly disapproval. Outward appearances marked the Russian as guilty of Samson's pride while the woman with her painted lips and sensual tone was perhaps a Delilah of sorts in terms of impropriety if not plans of sabotage. But there was no time for a Biblical lecture. Someone had let slip the dogs of war and she could hear them coming, hateful creatures baying for the blood of those who would stand against evil. The good pastor called for help and it was her duty to answer it. Hundreds of pounds of blessed steel over faith-backed muscled slammed into the first dog before it could clamp its jaws around a limb. And while her shotgun tore an ugly gash through the beast it wasn't enough for a kill. The others were on her before she could work the action, holy cannon torn from her grasp as they swarmed her. Three sets of teeth dug into the limbs unprotected by her chestplate, staining their teeth with her blood. Whatever foul liquid served as her saliva burned badly, like hellfire injected directly into her muscles, but the pain was drowned by hate. When Ekaterine shouted it was not a cry for help but a warning of what was to come. With the shotgun tossed to the side she fell back on her APS, dumping twenty rounds of 9x18mm ammo in under a second. The injured dog was simply shredded, leaving the madwoman free to pummel the skull of another with knuckles and pistol butt. Ekaterine shrieked and screamed all the while, deaf to all but the sound of a skull plate snapping under her fists as she fought to keep from being mauled. "Bleed and die! Bleed and die! Bleed and DIE!"</s>
<\|description\|>ALMA MARÍA OLINA XIOMARA MENDEZ Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico \| \| \| \| \| ______________ AGE: 27 ______________ HEIGHT: 5'5" ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: NOV - 1 - 1943 ______________ FAITH: EASTERN ORTHODOXY ______________ NATIONALITY: MEXICO ______________ \| PERSONALITY ______________ "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves." While Alma María does not quite live up to the 'harmless as a dove' descriptor, she is indeed as wise and as cunning as a serpent and makes no effort to pretend anything otherwise. She is not without her kindness, and in fact is often more understanding and forgiving perhaps than one would expect, but what is most noticeable about her -and perhaps what most rubs the more pious the wrong way- is that dark and wily nature of hers which gives off such an exotic and mysterious impression. Then again, they might also dislike her dark, languid eyes which peer so knowingly from beneath even darker, thick eyelashes; her luscious red lips which seem so often to smile as though at some private joke; and the overall inexplicable sensuousness of her otherwise quite modest appearance. Her unconventional methods for exorcism might also play a factor in that. In general, she is well regarded in her home church and community due to her kindness an strength of character. She exudes a level of confidence and reliablity which leads people of the community to seek her out for help despite her strangeness, and she willingly does so despite any of their flaws or ways of life. She is less well regarded by the religious higher-ups, such that they do not tend to speak of her much. Regardless, her effectiveness is undeniable. EQUIPMENT ______________ -Blessed and scripture inscribed Navaja-style war scythe -Heckler & Koch MP5 with scripture inscribed ammunition -Dual Trejo pistols with scripture inscribe ammunition -Scripture inscribed Navaja knife (3in) -Rosary -Sealing rings -Standard satchel of additional ammunition, salt, silver and iron shavings, and holy water CAPACITY ______________ Her experiences with farming the land and interacting with cartels has made her strong and sturdy enough to use her melee weapons effectively, although her main focus is in agility. Alma María is of a lean build, and moves with both speed and grace that are almost uncanny. Possibly more result of her experiences with the cartels. What truly sets her apart from other exorcists, however, is the fact that she is a medium. For whatever reason her body seems to be particularly appealing as a target for possession, and she makes use of this trait by inciting demons to possess her before sealing them away.</s> <\|message\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE --- Alistair couldn't help but let out a sigh as diplomacy failed. He had a feeling the Satanist wouldn't give up that easily, but with the option of mercy off the table, only punishment remained. And punishment, he'd deliver. The very thought of it put a dark grin on his face. Still, the exorcist couldn't help but lift an eyebrow in curiosity as another man entered the room. Judging by his choice of clothing, he must've been an exorcist that had investigated the mansion on his own. A commendable effort, if a little reckless. The Vatican Priest had little time to think on this, however, as the Satanist in front of him vanished into thin air-- a product of unholy magic. With Ryan Chambers gone, several other cultists teleported into the room. Armed and armored, these Satanists seemed well-equipped to face the group of Exorcists. Even so, Alistair felt no fear in his heart. How could any man have fear, knowing that God is beside him, and allies watch his back? No, instead, he felt grim anticipation for the task before him. A cold bloodlust-- one he hoped to sate in the battle to come. The priest counted ten Satanists, plus the armored figure playing the piano. He had little time to strategize as five swordsmen moved to face him-- Alistair would just have to trust that his allies could handle the rest. The warriors before him didn't seem like amateurs with the sword; their posture clean, their tactics sound, and numbers superior. As they surrounded and isolated him from the rest of the team, Alistair found himself with his back to the table. He threw a quick glance at the feast behind him, before turning to his opponents. They circled and waited for his approach-- in a one-on-five situation, they held the advantage, after all. "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground--because out of it were you taken." The priest said, resting the false edge of his blade atop his right shoulder, in a standard woman's guard. "For dust you are--" He put weight on his front leg and leaned forward-- a low, aggressive stance. "--and to dust you shall return." They did not reply with words, but with steel. One of the bolder Satanists swung his blade in a downward cut, but Alistair took a step forward and brought his longsword up in a window guard to deflect the attack. The opponent's sword now knocked aside, the priest moved from defense to offense, his own blade cutting through the air, like a ribbon twirling in the wind. Much to the Satanist's surprise, the blessed blade found its mark, leaving a deep cut on the side of his neck. The dark protective magic of his armor was nullified in the presence of a holy relic, leaving only physical protection. Even so, armor at the neck and joints were the weakest-- something Alistair knew well. The wound was not immediately fatal, but had the Satanist been wearing anything except plate, he would have lost more than just an artery. As the man stumbled back, the other armored cultists moved to support their ally, but the exorcist was not done. Moving from a forward thrust into a long guard, Alistair pivoted, moving to the left as he swung his blade in wide, flowing arcs to force them to either move out of the way, or to take the hit. The key to fighting multiple opponents at once was to always be moving-- to always be on the offensive. To pressure your opponents, and never give them a chance to tighten the noose. There was no time to think, strategize, or fight defensively-- and so the best tactic was to deprive your opponents of their ability to do the same. Like a raging storm, the exorcist was a veritable whirlwind of blood and steel, his movements causing the blessed smoke around him to move in turn. Slowed and weakened by Yu's alchemical concoction, the opponents were wary of Alistair's blade, for they knew that a single solid cut could be the end of them. The sounds of battle raged all around, and not just from him. Even now, the man knew his allies were fighting just as hard as he was. He would not be left behind. Alistair locked blades with one of his opponents, sparks flying as blessed silver met cursed iron. The priest twisted his wrist, gaining an advantage with the true edge of his blade, before positioning his sword's forte against the opposing sword's debole. He then gained a final advantage by putting his sword over the opponent's sword-- with three advantages over none, the cultist had no way to defend. Seizing the momentum, Alistair switched into a two-horned guard and rushed forward, crashing into his opponent's helm with a thrust that sought to end a life. There was a sickening crunch as the tip of the blessed longsword pierced through the faceplate and into the Satanist's left eye. The exorcist continued pushing until the sword ruptured the skull, and the brain matter beneath, before quickly pulling the sword out to face his other opponents. ...not quickly enough, however. His instincts shouting at him to move, Alistair switched into a reverse woman's guard and yielded to the attack that came from behind him. The attack slid down the length of his sword and protected his back from a potentially fatal injury, but left his front completely exposed. The Satanist before him seized the opportunity and made a forward thrust aimed at the exorcist's heart. Thinking quickly, the man twisted in place before hopping to his left once more, pivoting to face the opponent behind him while dodging the attack. Try as he might, however, he could not completely evade the heartseeking strike, the blade instead finding purchase on his right side, leaving a nasty cut under his sword arm. Clenching his teeth and fighting through the pain, Alistair reoriented himself, swinging in wide arcs once more to threaten his opponents as he quickly took stock of the situation. Of the five enemies before him, one was dead, and another was injured, but not quite defeated. This time, thankfully, they were all in front of him, so while he no longer had to worry about surprise attacks (provided his allies were doing their jobs), he still had a long way to go. And yet, he smiled, even as crimson began to bloom from his beneath his cassock. "Is that your best?" He spat out, venom dripping in his voice. "Disappointing." He let his words for a bit, but before they could get a response in, Alistair dove once more into the breach.</s> <\|message\|>Dzhon Piter Nabokov @Smike Dzhon Piter Nabokov Dzhon looked around at the other exorcists, he felt a small twinge of anger when he was called an idiot. However, he hid it well with a smile on his face. He assumed they were with the order judging from their varying outfits. His gaze looked over towards the lone cultist surrounded by the others, Pulling out his pistol ready to kill the lone cultist, but he disappeared before he could pull the trigger. He was really hoping he could kill another cultist. As soon as the lone cultist disappeared, groups of armored cultists teleported into the dining room. "Chert." He cursed under his breath as the cultists were coming closer towards the group. He knew his bullets would not do much, however with his falchion he could stab through the gaps in their armor. Running over towards the shotgun welding cultiss that were attacking the slavic woman. Grabbing the shotgun from one of the fallen cultists. "Groovy." Helping her by cutting down the other armored cultist. Stabbing into the openings of his armor. Being chased by another cultists around the room. Using his martial art skills kicking him in the head, rolling onto the ground towards the table. Standing on the table with the cultist getting on the table with him. Dhzon throws the shotgun at him, making the cultist drop his weapon and catch it. Stabbing him in the thigh before picking up the shotgun. Aiming the shotgun point-blank to the head of the cultist, pulling the trigger finding enjoyment watching him crap his suit of armor. "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." His voice seemed to echo throughout the room. The Russian man uses the butt of the shotgun to block the incoming attack, using his machete to hack off the arms the cultists he was currently fighting. "Need a hand." Laughing while kicking a severed hand towards another cultist near him.</s>	<\|message\|>ALMA MARÍA OLINA XIOMARA MENDEZ In the midst of the chaos, there came a sudden lull. Something in the air seemed to change, as though the demonic energies were shifting, flowing toward the open doorway behind Alistair as though their attentions were being drawn there. Something new was approaching. The slow, rhythmic sound of heels clicking against the floor echoed down the hall as a silhouette strode toward the room, backed by silver light of the lobby. Even in the darkness, it was clear from the shape and walk that the figure was woman. There was a certain sort of sashay in how she moved. A brazen confidence, yet a comfortable casualness to it. And as she stepped into dining room it quickly became clear that these traits were true of her entire demeanor. She was not tall, by any means, yet her presence was considerable and difficult to miss. Dark, wavy hair hung about her shoulders and over one of her equally dark, languid eyes, but the other stared out at the crowd from beneath lowered eyelashes as if to size up each individual for who might be found the most interesting. A knowing sort of smile was fixed upon her lips, lips so red that their colour was unmistakable even in the moonlight. Almost everything about her appearance was pleasurable and exotic were it not for the most peculiar contrast of her demure nun attire, complete with a hair veil and a cross at her throat. "So this is where the party is." The strange woman said in a voice as warm and as sultry as the rest of her would suggest. Just a bit in her throat, and just a bit nasally, but far from unpleasantly so. "And here I only expected to find one exorcist~" \|</s>
<\|description\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th Nickname: Ambrose Age: 34 Race: Half Tabaxi Description: Ambrosius is tall, standing at an impressive six feet and five inches. His hair is a light brown, appearing almost orange in the sunlight, and his eyes are a bright and curious blue. His frame is lightly muscled, but nothing extremely impressive. Personality: Ambrosius is stealthy, coy, and mischievous, and it seeps into everything he says and does. He much prefers to avoid tackling things directly, preferring to use misdirection or dance his way around issues, finding more clever ways to solve problems. Unfortunately that, combined with his innate curiosity, gets him into more trouble than he can often handle. He's constantly sticking his nose into anything that catches his attention, but because of this, along with his father's tutelage, he's just as knowledgeable as he is smart. Perhaps his greatest weakness is his need for companionship. This, in conjunction with his ego, leads to self-isolation, and loneliness. Despite enjoying his time on his own, he's been on his own for far too long, and is crying out for some sort of companionship. Bio: Ambrosius Tallvalor is the only product of his parent's union, and as such, found himself being incredibly spoiled. Being Half-Tabaxi, he did not retain the longer lived lives of his father's parentage, something that weighed heavily on his father, and ultimately caused a rift to grow between his parents. Despite this, his father would go out of his way to make sure his son was well prepared, training him in all sorts of things. Eventually, the constant doting of his parents, and their own arguing, got to be too much for Ambrose, and he decided he had to strike out on his own, for his own sanity. Unfortunately, his parents did not take the news well. His mother burst into tears, while his father made no attempt to hide his feelings of anger and betrayal, and much preferred to kick him out. Either way, Ambrose got what he wanted, he was free, free to travel the world and do anything he wanted to. Or so he thought. The road was long and arduous, and he had no idea where to go nor a coin to his name. He resorted to stealing, initially sticking to stealing from local drunks or other, less honorable thieves, but crime is a slippery slope, and soon he found himself stealing from travelers and honest salesmen. Eventually, he had a reputation as "THE Cat Burgular", and it didn't take long before he stole from the wrong person. What he thought was just a caravan turned out to be far more than that: the caravan belonged to a duke, and when he learned that his merchandise had been stolen, he used his political weight to convince the city of Kessa to send a few soldiers after him. At first, the confrontation went well for Ambrose. He danced his way around the soldiers, making good use of his cat like agility and magic. He did not kill them, but he was not above injuring them, taking them out of commission as swiftly as he could. Unfortunately, he overestimated himself and underestimated one of the soldiers, a steel-eyed red head. He hadn't expected a human to hit so hard, none of the others had! IT was this fight that would lead to his capture and imprisonment. But with the attack on Kressa, he might have finally found a chance to escape, and perhaps he could find the human who captured him again.... Skills and Abilities: Ambrosius is stealthy and agile. He's talented at hiding his presence and blending into his surroundings, leaving no trace of his presence if he can help it. He's fast as well, ridiculously fast, and it is these two traits that make up his preferred method of combat. Get in, attack, and get out. It might take longer, but that's fine with him. It's the result that matters. He's capable of a variety of magics as well, such as healing (something he's also knowledgeable in) and offensive cantrips and spells, though he's still somewhat of a novice when it comes to that.</s> <\|message\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th Ambrosius had always been capable of escaping from jail, he had just made the decision not to. The cell was cramped and small and not nearly as hygienic as he preferred, but he'd be darned if it wasn't somewhat cozy. The guards made for some decent conversation and he could tell a story or two and they would laugh their asses off. They were enthralled with the tales of his escapades, and it made him feel appreciated, validated even. If he had wanted to escape, he could get out of his cell, sure. But then the guards would be forced to come after him and that could get messy. He didn't like that. As far as he was concerned, the guards were his friends. But even that was not the true reason Ambrosius stayed in his cell, or at least it was only part of it. The woman who had captured him had also captured his attention. She didn't come through often, as she was a soldier first, not a guard, not military police, but she did make occasional visits to the guards, who were likely her friends or seniors in some sense. He could always smell her before he saw her, and usually he could hear her before he caught her scent. She was loud, foul mouthed, and, in his opinion, a little dim. But that was what intrigued, and infuriated, him. How did he get caught by someone so...dumb? So stupid? She was a muscle-headed warrior, and he was a clever and cunning thief. It was embarrassing, to say the least. He'd tried to talk to the red-headed soldier a few times, but often their conversations would end up with him insulting her, and either she wouldn't get it, which would piss him off, or she would get pissed off and unfurl a hurricane of obscenities that offended not only his ears, but Ambrosius the third, second and first's as well. Then she would ignore him for the rest of her visit, and to be honest, he would do the same. In any case, he always tried to talk to her, to get to know her, and it almost always failed, usually thanks to either one of them, in whole or part. Still, the days were peaceful and entertaining, though he knew a trial was looming, and it would likely end up in his execution. He was laying on his bed, contemplating what to do when the screams began. At first, he thought he might be hearing a murder. Then he knew that wasn't quite it. He was hearing mass murder. What was a single scream became tens of screams, then hundreds. Then, the temperature dropped. He went from being quite warm to shaking in seconds. It had to be magic, he knew this instantly. Something was going on out there, and it did not sound good. "Guards!" Ambrosius cried out as he jumped to his feet, but there was no need for him to call for his captors. One of them, a young guard by the name of Asmond, was already at the cell door, keys shaking as he struggled to unlock it. "What's going on? What are you doing?" "Orders, Ambrose. We gotta let free all the non-violent offenders..." Asmond's voice was shaky, a far cry from his usual confident tone. Even his body language was seeping with fear. "W-we're under attack. Mages of Brila...they're killing everyone." As he finished his weak explanation, he finally finished unlocking the door. "Brila?!" Ambrose never liked Brila. The land was cold, and so were its people. They were rude, crass, and violent, with nasty tempers and a strongest will survive mentality. The only reasons most kingdoms tolerated them was because they were indeed formidable, but also because they had settled the raiding Skjöldung tribes, by genocide of course. "Mages too? That explains the cold...lets get out of here, eh?" Ambrosius grabbed Asmond's hand as he exited his cell, pulling the young man along with him. "Don't be alarmed. I liked all of ya, so I'm going to do my best to keep you alive." He could tell his words had an immediate effect. He could feel Asmond's hand close tightly around his own, and the young man's pace increased. The two exited the jail, and were greeted by the sight of blood, ice, and snow. Immediately, Asmond puked, and Ambrosius frowned. The bodies of men, women, and even children lay scattered along the roads. He could see the crowd of people not too far from him running, fleeing from just a few people. The mages, obviously. The frost and ice exuding from their bodies as they attacked the civilians made it obvious, despite their casual dressings. They probably snuck into the city by way of disguise. He could tell this was organized. They weren't just killing indiscriminately. No, they were herding the people. "Bolt! Bolt!" Once again, he heard her before he saw her. The red-headed muscle girl was running with a speed that made him raise his eyebrows in shock. Even more to his surprise, he saw her avoid an attack that she couldn't have seen coming before hand. He had no idea why he was surprised anymore; she was a monster, obviously. "She's good." He muttered, watching her kill the mage. "Look Asmond, it's our monster friend," He turned to the guard, grinning, "Let's go-" "She's gonna die!" The young man screeched. Ambrose turned around, a scowl encroaching on his previous grin as he saw a mage approach her. Of course, she was tired. He'd been so impressed with her display of skill that he didn't realize she might have had no energy left. For all he knew, she came running from the other side of town. He let go of Asmond's hand and bolted forward, hoping to stop the mage's attack. But he wasn't going to make it in time. Instead, thinking on his feet, he grabbed the shield of a fallen guard, and hurled it with all his might, hoping it would make it in time. And for the most part, it did. The shield took the brunt of the ice magic, becoming encased in ice as it was sent flying a distance from the red-head and the mage. Unfortunately, some of the frost did hit the girl in her side. "I'm coming!" Ambrosius called out as he continued running towards the two, sparks crackling and dancing between and around his finger tips. He thrust his hand forward, casting a bolt of lightning at the mage. The light was blinding, but the speed of the energy was insurmountable. It hit the mage with such force that he was sent flying. The smell of scorched cotton and flesh his Ambrosius's nose instantly, causing him to wrinkle his nose, but even that couldn't stop the smirk on his face. "Well, looks like you owe me one, muscle girl." He spoke as he approached her. "I just saved your life."</s> <\|message\|>Rahne Sinclaire "What..." Rahne was surprised by the timely intervention, so much so that she forgot about the pain in her torso. She didn't reply for a few moments, her eyes lingering on the smoldering mage's body. That was close, too close. She had been running so hard, and for so long, that she didn't have the energy to respond. She was barely able to kill the first one. "Thank ye, I woulda-" Her speech was stopped in its tracks the moment her eyes laid upon her rescuer. "Oi...you..." Whatever gratitude she was about to exhibit disappeared. "What's a bastard like ye doin' out in the streets? Ye' takin' advantage of all'a this to break free?" She couldn't really blame him, the Brilans would likely execute everyone, prisoners included. "Ye' best not be lookin' ta' loot anything! IF ye' do, I'm gonna be comin' after ya myself, once these c**ts are taken care off." She tried to pull her sword free from the body of the mage, and managed to do so, but not without struggle. "If ye' know what's good for ya, you'd get yer' scabby arse outta here now."</s>	<\|message\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th "Hey, this bastard here just saved your life," Ambrosius returned her attitude in kind, a mocking smirk on his face, "Those c***s, as you put it, almost killed you just now, did they not? If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be either frozen or dead, so how about a little gratitude, huh?" It wasn't like he needed it, and for the most part, he was just poking fun at her. It was funny, he was used to seeing her riled up, but usually it was at him and his antics. He liked to poke fun at her, teasing her for her rather...lacking intelligence, or grabbing at her for fun, just to get a reaction. But seeing how frustrated and angry she was right now was different. If looks could kill, the hardened glare she wore on her face this moment would be more than enough to massacre the invading Brila forces. Her anger this time, was very genuine, and very directed, and he was glad it wasn't at him. Not that he was scared or anything. "Y'know what, forget the gratitude. I just didn't want to see you die yet, is all. I wasn't going to stay in that prison, and when Asmond here let me out, he was so scared I knew I had to escort him out, keep him safe, you know? He's like a scarred little kitten!" He held a hand to his chest, a mock look of concern on his face. "He's so new, and so young." "It's true," Asmond nodded his head very quickly, his eyes skittering back and forth as he looked for any other mages, "So can we keep doing that? Can we leave now? I don't wanna die." "See? You can hear it in his voice." Ambrosius tried not to laugh at how scared the lad was, and immediately felt bad for wanting to. He was terrified! It wasn't funny! But what was funny was how this frightened rabbit decided to become a city guard, let alone actually made it. Didn't you have to have a certain amount of guts for that anymore, or had that changed? "I'm just doing my part. Now lets get out of here. I guess I can save you too." He extended a hand to Rahne, his all-to-common smirk plain to see. His hope was, they could get out of here alive, and with Rahne, it would be easier for the three of them to escape. Not to mention she looked exhausted and half dead. If they left her, she'd die, and he wasn't quite ready for her to die, yet. She was far too entertaining for that.</s>
<\|description\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th Nickname: Ambrose Age: 34 Race: Half Tabaxi Description: Ambrosius is tall, standing at an impressive six feet and five inches. His hair is a light brown, appearing almost orange in the sunlight, and his eyes are a bright and curious blue. His frame is lightly muscled, but nothing extremely impressive. Personality: Ambrosius is stealthy, coy, and mischievous, and it seeps into everything he says and does. He much prefers to avoid tackling things directly, preferring to use misdirection or dance his way around issues, finding more clever ways to solve problems. Unfortunately that, combined with his innate curiosity, gets him into more trouble than he can often handle. He's constantly sticking his nose into anything that catches his attention, but because of this, along with his father's tutelage, he's just as knowledgeable as he is smart. Perhaps his greatest weakness is his need for companionship. This, in conjunction with his ego, leads to self-isolation, and loneliness. Despite enjoying his time on his own, he's been on his own for far too long, and is crying out for some sort of companionship. Bio: Ambrosius Tallvalor is the only product of his parent's union, and as such, found himself being incredibly spoiled. Being Half-Tabaxi, he did not retain the longer lived lives of his father's parentage, something that weighed heavily on his father, and ultimately caused a rift to grow between his parents. Despite this, his father would go out of his way to make sure his son was well prepared, training him in all sorts of things. Eventually, the constant doting of his parents, and their own arguing, got to be too much for Ambrose, and he decided he had to strike out on his own, for his own sanity. Unfortunately, his parents did not take the news well. His mother burst into tears, while his father made no attempt to hide his feelings of anger and betrayal, and much preferred to kick him out. Either way, Ambrose got what he wanted, he was free, free to travel the world and do anything he wanted to. Or so he thought. The road was long and arduous, and he had no idea where to go nor a coin to his name. He resorted to stealing, initially sticking to stealing from local drunks or other, less honorable thieves, but crime is a slippery slope, and soon he found himself stealing from travelers and honest salesmen. Eventually, he had a reputation as "THE Cat Burgular", and it didn't take long before he stole from the wrong person. What he thought was just a caravan turned out to be far more than that: the caravan belonged to a duke, and when he learned that his merchandise had been stolen, he used his political weight to convince the city of Kessa to send a few soldiers after him. At first, the confrontation went well for Ambrose. He danced his way around the soldiers, making good use of his cat like agility and magic. He did not kill them, but he was not above injuring them, taking them out of commission as swiftly as he could. Unfortunately, he overestimated himself and underestimated one of the soldiers, a steel-eyed red head. He hadn't expected a human to hit so hard, none of the others had! IT was this fight that would lead to his capture and imprisonment. But with the attack on Kressa, he might have finally found a chance to escape, and perhaps he could find the human who captured him again.... Skills and Abilities: Ambrosius is stealthy and agile. He's talented at hiding his presence and blending into his surroundings, leaving no trace of his presence if he can help it. He's fast as well, ridiculously fast, and it is these two traits that make up his preferred method of combat. Get in, attack, and get out. It might take longer, but that's fine with him. It's the result that matters. He's capable of a variety of magics as well, such as healing (something he's also knowledgeable in) and offensive cantrips and spells, though he's still somewhat of a novice when it comes to that.</s> <\|message\|>Rahne Sinclaire "What..." Rahne was surprised by the timely intervention, so much so that she forgot about the pain in her torso. She didn't reply for a few moments, her eyes lingering on the smoldering mage's body. That was close, too close. She had been running so hard, and for so long, that she didn't have the energy to respond. She was barely able to kill the first one. "Thank ye, I woulda-" Her speech was stopped in its tracks the moment her eyes laid upon her rescuer. "Oi...you..." Whatever gratitude she was about to exhibit disappeared. "What's a bastard like ye doin' out in the streets? Ye' takin' advantage of all'a this to break free?" She couldn't really blame him, the Brilans would likely execute everyone, prisoners included. "Ye' best not be lookin' ta' loot anything! IF ye' do, I'm gonna be comin' after ya myself, once these cts are taken care off." She tried to pull her sword free from the body of the mage, and managed to do so, but not without struggle. "If ye' know what's good for ya, you'd get yer' scabby arse outta here now."</s> <\|message\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th "Hey, this bastard here just saved your life," Ambrosius returned her attitude in kind, a mocking smirk on his face, "Those cs, as you put it, almost killed you just now, did they not? If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be either frozen or dead, so how about a little gratitude, huh?" It wasn't like he needed it, and for the most part, he was just poking fun at her. It was funny, he was used to seeing her riled up, but usually it was at him and his antics. He liked to poke fun at her, teasing her for her rather...lacking intelligence, or grabbing at her for fun, just to get a reaction. But seeing how frustrated and angry she was right now was different. If looks could kill, the hardened glare she wore on her face this moment would be more than enough to massacre the invading Brila forces. Her anger this time, was very genuine, and very directed, and he was glad it wasn't at him. Not that he was scared or anything. "Y'know what, forget the gratitude. I just didn't want to see you die yet, is all. I wasn't going to stay in that prison, and when Asmond here let me out, he was so scared I knew I had to escort him out, keep him safe, you know? He's like a scarred little kitten!" He held a hand to his chest, a mock look of concern on his face. "He's so new, and so young." "It's true," Asmond nodded his head very quickly, his eyes skittering back and forth as he looked for any other mages, "So can we keep doing that? Can we leave now? I don't wanna die." "See? You can hear it in his voice." Ambrosius tried not to laugh at how scared the lad was, and immediately felt bad for wanting to. He was terrified! It wasn't funny! But what was funny was how this frightened rabbit decided to become a city guard, let alone actually made it. Didn't you have to have a certain amount of guts for that anymore, or had that changed? "I'm just doing my part. Now lets get out of here. I guess I can save you too." He extended a hand to Rahne, his all-to-common smirk plain to see. His hope was, they could get out of here alive, and with Rahne, it would be easier for the three of them to escape. Not to mention she looked exhausted and half dead. If they left her, she'd die, and he wasn't quite ready for her to die, yet. She was far too entertaining for that.</s> <\|message\|>Rahne Sinclaire Rahne glared at his hand, silent except for her heavy breathing, which had begun to calm down as Ambrosius spoke. No longer was she gasping and wheezing for air, and the burning in her lungs had dulled to a light irritation. She took her time before answering the Taboxi, and not because she was unsure, but because she was angry, and she didn't want to be, at least not towards him. He did nothing wrong, it was the entire f**ing situation that had pissed her off. The dead civilians, the snow and ice, the chilling air. All of it was making her angry enough that her skin was fighting off the cold with ease. But it would do her no good to be angry with her savior, however frustrating he was, and Asmond, the rookie. They weren't responsible, and were victims as well, in a way. "Okay," Rahne spoke as she finally took Ambrosius's hand, clasping his wrist as she stood up, with his assistance. "I'll ignore yer' smart ass, but I ain't comin' with ye." She could see the shock on both of their faces when she spoke, especially Asmond's. "I took an oath to protect this city and I damn well am intendin' to see it through! Even if it kills me!" She yanked her sword free of the mage's body, using her foot to push the body down as she pulled her weapon out. The blood had already become cold and frosted, refusing to run down her blade like it should have. "I can't leave all these people here, all the rest of my men...ye two are just civillians, so it wouldn't be right of me to keep ye here. Ah'll help you two leave and that's it. I'm staying here to fight." She was firm in her words, and her eyes were steeled. It didn't matter if she died, it only mattered if she tried. And she intended to.</s>	<\|message\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th Ambriosus was stunned, not just by the conviction in her words but the determined glint in her eye. It was frightening, and almost infuriating. She wasn't going to save anyone, not by herself, and he wasn't going to help her. He didn't want to, nor would he be able to. She was resigning herself to a death based purely on honor and a sense of obligation to some oath she took, and it was...admirable. Infuriating, but admirable. "Wow. Inspiring. Absolutely moronic, but inspiring!" He clapped his hands slowly, giving her the most condescending look her could. And then he sighed. He knew he couldn't change her mind, so he wouldn't try. "If you want to die, fine. Your funeral." "Take us to the exit, and then you can go." He rubbed the nape of his neck, a rather annoyed expression on his face. "Go and die for whatever stupid reason, but get us out of here." He didn't have time to try and talk sense into her. If she wanted to die a dumbass, so be it. But he and the newbie were going to get out of here. "Don't worry, when we get out of this death trap, we'll make sure to tell other kingdoms, so they know where to find your body." He mocked her, but he meant it. This was the type of thing others needed a warning about, lest it happen to them as well. Asmond nodded his head in agreement. "M-my uncle...he's in servitude to a duke. He's got the connections to get the message out fast. Nothin' but a few day's ride from here." "Perfect!" Ambrosius slapped the man on his bag, losing his attitude. "Finally, something smart was said, from someone other than myself!" He performed a mock bow in Rahne's direction, his hand on his chest and the other extended outwards. "Lead the way, lady-thing."</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Hyunjin Paris Sex: Male Age: 22 Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity: Bisexual/Cis-Male Relationship: He's in the beginning stages of a relationship with Remington Darius McClure, aka Remy and cares about him a lot since they started "talking". Appearance: Yuri is Blasian. He is half Asian, half African, and grew up in New Orleans. His father is Creole and his mother Korean. He speaks English, Korean, Swahili, and some Spanish. His mother has a lineage as an Asian Witch and his father delved into African Spirituality and Voodoo. Arcana and Voodoo run in Yuri's blood. He's a descendant of Marie Laveau. > Spiritual Senses: Yuri's eyes can see the soul/spirit of the living and the dead. He can locate someone by their spirit/soul. > Impartation: A unique gift, the power to impart (bestow) temporary life into something lifeless or bestow life back into what was once dead. This is dangerous. Small creatures will cause his nose to bleed and dizziness; however, if he brings back the soul of someone who has died he will pass out and it will completely drain his mana. He will feel completely drained for a few days. > Spiritual Connection: Connecting to the spirit realm is easy for Yuri, and communicating with spirits trapped on the plane of the living is something that comes naturally to him. He helps guide lost souls to their final resting place; however, he also has the ability to trap souls in this plane and control them, twist them into something dark and sinister or fill them with light and benevolence. > Teleportation: Yuri is able to teleport various distances as long as he can see the destination. > Voodoo: Quite literally, Yuri descends from the greatest, and possibly most powerful, voodoo queen that ever existed. Yuri's bloodline contains great power and as such he is a practitioner of the art and knows how to tap into the power. Yuri is a walking voodoo doll. Wounds heal quickly. Anyone who he sets his focus on can become a victim to his power. Any damage taken by Yuri is bestowed upon a chosen target as long as Yuri maintains eye contact. The greater the damage, the more draining to his spiritual energy, and if he doesn't have enough spiritual energy, the wound created will stay. He can also channel the power of voodoo in which the iris of his eyes turns white. Voodoo dolls, hexes, etc are all at his exposal. > Necromancy: Necromancy gives Yuri authority over death, those who have died, and those things void of life. His command is unwavering and unobjectionable. What he commands of them, they obey. It allows him to use necrotic energy that decays whatever it touches. > One w/ Water: Yuri can create, shape, and manipulate water, inorganic compound with liquid, gas (steam, water vapor), and solid (ice) states, including changing them from one state to others. > Arcana Within - Yuri is able to tap into the raw arcane power that flows throughout the universe. Very few warlocks/witches/mages can do this, as it is a very rare gift. The immense vein of magic grants him unbelievable power and allows him to channel it into various forms. This allows him to take the form of beautiful insects, the Luna Moth being his favorite, and grant him abilities against wards, spells, hexes, etc but he has a deep understanding of the magical world and how to use the primal arcane power to enhance his abilities. Whenever he uses his power, he is like a beacon to those seeking his energy. This gift comes from his mother's side. > Descendant of a God: On his father's side he descends from the greatest voodoo queen in history, but on his mother's side, he is a descendant of a deity, Gameunjang-aegi, the goddess of luck and fate. In his veins runs the power of fate, the divine power. He does not know how to wield this power or knows that it exists, but it is immensely straining on his body and grants him power beyond mortal belief until he passes out from the strain. Every witch/warlock is taught spells at a young age if they are a part of a coven. Yuri learned from his mother before she died the usual common spells like moving things from place to place, levitating, fixing what's broken, etc; however, there are more immense, deadlier spells that require more, and those he learned through in-depth study. Yuri is still learning, as there is so much to learn. Spells, hexes, etc, take a toll on the body, mind, and spirit. Spells are available in Grimoires that most casters possess, but for intense spells, a list is compiled... Summoning --NEUTRAL-- - Cerberus Come Forth: A blood offering is required to bring forth the demon dog, guard of hell's gates, Cerberus. The three-headed beast is immune to fire and immensely strong. Control over the beast takes great focus. The caster must speak the incantation, "Hell's gates will miss its guardian, bring forth the one who guards it." - The Undead Army: It takes either one very powerful voodoo master or at least four voodoo priests with one leading to summon an army of undead. In size, we are talking an entire graveyard size army. While summoning the army of undead, the voodoo priest is absent from the battlefield and is usually held up in a secret place because, during the ceremony, he is completely vulnerable to anyone who is able to locate him. It requires a great deal of concentration and because of this, voodoo priests go into a trance-like state. They can be knocked out of this state if someone powerful enough causes a magical surge that breaks the connection and severs the ties. - Summoning a God: (Summoning Deities require a contract with said Deity) - Marassa Jumeaux: Summoning this deity brings forth twins, three twins, who will protect Yuri and someone he chooses from harm. They will grant Yuri divine power but can only be maintained for 15 minutes. The twins will not allow any magic to harm Yuri and if there are any hexes or negative spells on Yuri, they are rebounded back to the original caster times three. -Damballa: Summoning this deity will cause any nearby dark spirits/souls and negative energy to instantly convert into positive energy. Dark spirits and souls caught in the presence of Damballa are quickly washed in beautiful light and become whole again. Demons cannot be in the presence of Damballa for they are banished or die. Damballa enhances Yuri's powers to near god-like levels but only for a short time, a max of 20 minutes. Damballa can only be summoned once, and if summoned twice, the caster's life force is drained. - The Great Serpent: Yuri can summon an Imoogi that will protect him at all cost. Over the years, Yuri has summoned the creature to build an unbreakable relationship. The creature can channel three elements. Water, Lightning, and Fire. When summoned a thunderstorm appears. The Immogi will obey only Yuri and will protect him at all cost. If killed, it will return to its plane of existence, but it cannot be permanently destroyed or reborn. Yuri discovered that the Immogi's name is Saiph. The beast is about 100 meters long. Protection --DEFENSIVE-- - Heaven's Wings: A simple spell that allows Yuri to protect someone from negative influences. The spell must be spoken and the target or something belonging to the target must be in the caster's possession for the protection spell to work. When activated, the spell will surround the target in a protective barrier that extends a foot out from them and prevents harm. Speaking the words " - Death's Hand: A very powerful spell that only lasts for one hour. It requires a blood sacrifice and the energy of three voodoo priests/priestesses to work. The blood of the target must be poured into the middle of the voodoo circle. The three voodoo priest/priestesses must chant the necessary words and the victim will be protected from death for ONE hour. Because of the potency of this spell, it cannot be repeated on the same person more than twice. - Monarch's Blessing: By touching someone and speaking the words "Liber Spiritus" the target's abilities will be enhanced for a short duration. The caster cannot bestow this enhancement on themselves, only on someone else. It does not require any sacrifice, merely mana to cast. - Celestial Entanglement: By calling to the gods and deities in the pantheon, the caster can draw from them celestial protection on a person of their choice, but it comes with a price. The caster must fulfill a request from the deity they illicit the prayer to and be willing and able to do what needs to be done. Magistrate --OFFENSIVE-- - Shadow Master: Moving like smoke, creating shadows at a whim, this particular spell grants the user the ability to leap through shadows and use a miasma like smoke to cloak and/or decimate an opponent as the miasma is toxic that is produced. No spell need be spoken, but an understanding of the magic need be knowledgable to the caster. - Energy Spells: The caster can utilize a form of magic that involves energy, ranging from pure raw energy to more exotic types of energy, allowing for harnessing their magical energies and/or mystical control of their aspects. With this casters will be able to perform a variety of magical spells and feats that manipulate energy. - The Power of Physical Force: The caster can create, shape, and manipulate physical forces, including gravity, kinetic energy, tension, pressure, friction, thrust, lift, drag, inertia, torque, g-forces, magnetism, acceleration, mass, weight, etc., Newton's Third Law, changing the direction of either of the two forces or making a magnitude of one stronger or lower than the other. - The Beauty of Sound: The caster is able to perform a legendary form of magic that allows the caster to cast magical spells and feats through manipulating sound itself to a certain degree. The caster can create, shape, and manipulate sound, a periodic disturbance of a medium (air, ground, water, etc) that radiates outward linearly in the form of a pressure wave. The effect of these waves upon the ear is perceived as sound. From the point of view of physics, the sound is considered to be the waves of vibratory motion themselves, whether or not they are heard by the human ear. The caster can mimic, intensify, hush, and distort, as well warp, strengthen, echo, speed up, and slow down sound, using it as a powerful physical force and high-speed movement. At low frequencies, sound can be potentially fatal to living beings by causing internal damage, while high frequencies cannot be heard by normal humans but can be used for sonar-like effects. Since sound vibrations can travel through the air, ground, water, and any form of medium, defense by using physical barriers are difficult. The vibrations can also affect at a molecular level. - The Prison of Reflections: The caster can create, shape, and manipulate reflections, by controlling and/or using mirrors and/or reflecting surfaces that can be used to reflect/redirect attacks. Casters can turn the reflections into real objects/beings, turn mirrors and reflections into prisons, storage-places or dimensions of their own use, manipulate space inside reflections, and so on.</s> <\|message\|>Ivy Natasha Virmire "Well," Ivy said with a shrug, "this isn't the first time Miss Muir has tried something like this. She's got a reserve of souls she's stolen over the years and uses those to maintain her mortal form. As for the Grail, I know it's somewhere in Avalon, with a bunch of old gods watching over it. Probably Celtic, but I'm not as familiar with those stories."</s> <\|message\|>Reginald BlackWell Suddenly, the Hill Top would erupt in violence. Gun shots were fired at the property, missing any students, but they were currently running for cover against the hail of bullets. Various cars had driven up to the property of Blackwell's mansion and then, men dressed in black left their vehicles and continued this vicious assault. To compound matters, after the large group of dozens arrived, the Hill Top was swallowed into another dimension, temporarily, and odd, demonic creatures began to congregate on the Estate Grounds. Tall, ghoulish albino creatures, similar to the appearance of "Slender Man', also wearing the "men in black" apparel, they seemed to have no weapon on their person, but they had murderous intent.</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Hyunjin Paris All Hell Breaks Loose There was no time to prepare, no time to react and the only thing that they could do was seek cover. The bullets ripped through the wards that protected the mansion and struck various items in the house. Yuri moved to a window and announced loudly that they were under attack. Screams of panic filled the air as those students who were unfamiliar with this sort of thing rushed to hide behind any form of barrier they could. Yuri looked to the older students, the stronger students and nodded as he made sure they were getting the other students to safety. One stray bullet ripped through Yuri's shoulder, knocking him back and to the ground, but the onslaught wasn't over. The bullets stopped and what felt like microwaves surging over them made Yuri get to his feet as quickly as possible. He clutched his injured shoulder and approached the window once more. This time the assailants had no weapons. They were somewhere he didn't recognize, and what looked to be tall slender albino ghouls began to encroach on their location. Yuri groaned as he knew the bullet had gone straight through his body and he was losing blood by the minute, but his mind quickly settled on Remy. The sigils he had put in place would keep Remy safe. The bullets would strike the window and wall but never break through. The only thing that would alert Remy would be the sound of the bullets striking but never piercing. "Lithy and you," Yuri said pointing at Adam, "get the kids to safety. I'm going to go check on Remy." Just as he turned to rush off, one of the slender creatures burst through the window and tackled him to the ground. Yuri felt it's teeth rip into his shoulder and he yelled out before his eyes shifted into a dangerous white. His hand slammed against the creature's chest and within seconds the creature was writhing on the floor in pain until it's head began to expand. The exploding head sent fluid and matter in all direction. Yuri stood to his feet, his eyes showing no emotion. His face void of any sign of pain from the bullet and bite. Yuri slammed his foot into the ground and just as another creature burst through the window, Yuri's palm thrust forward and a sigil of destruction blasted the two creatures, completely eradicating them leaving nothing but piles of smoldering bones. Yuri's divine movements looked as if he were practicing some form of martial arts with his arms lunging into various spots in the air, but when he clasped his hands together, a beaitufl spell circle appeared before everyone. Subsequently a much larger spell circle would envelope the mansion. The spell circle slammed against the door with what looked to be a timer ticking away. It was only temporary. The creatures came, touching the window and doors only to be repelled with great force. Yuri's eyes returned to their normal light brown and without warning he collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from the open wounds. He coughed and more blood coated the once clean floor. His body shook slightly from the trauma. The spell circle would keep them safe for a moment, but when it faded they would have to figure something out.</s>
<\|description\|>Soul Soul Sex: Male Age: Unknown Personality: Soul can appear quite aloof. Often he ponders things such as the nature of life and existence. He is ever inquisitive, often curious about many things. Like a child, once he learned to ask questions, he never learned to stop. But he is also naive and can become easily confused by complex concepts, especially in regards to emotional things. Often able to repeat many philosophies, but often he lacks a deeper understanding of them. Appearance: --- Obfuscation: while not invisibility, his presence is masked. While using this some one's mind refuses to see him, smell him, or even hear him. Even masking his thoughts and emotions. Although there are limits, as people will ignore a whisper if he were to shout, they suddenly become aware of him. He can also extend this ability to other things and people, but the more he needs the cover, the more he has to focus on it and the more draining it can become. It also only affects things that have a will or mind that can be fooled. Shadow Walk: He can use shadows as doorways and between them at will. Celerity: He can enhance his speed and reaction time, his very perception of time slows down, and he can react at blinding speeds for short bursts. Heightened sense: His sense of hearing, sight, smell, and even taste are of an extremely heightened level. He can notice the slightest detail, pick up the faintest scents and hear the softest whisper. He can even smell and track trails of magic, hear the spells' calls, and even find the cracks and weak points in barriers. Might: He can increase his physical strength, making him much stronger. Call of the Shadow: He can pull shadows to himself and envelop himself in them and meld into them. Illusion: He can Create and cast illusions of sight and sound. While not physical, he can make nearly any image and alter entire buildings, inside and out. Transformation: By focusing his mana on himself, he is able to re-shape feathers and re-sculpt his body, though this takes time as he has to sit down and physically sculpt his new look. Though things like hair and eye color can be rather simple. Self-Healing: While meditating He can heal his body with magic, even regrow limbs though that takes much more time and requires him to burn more mana --- Short Bio: Soul had a rather precarious beginning. He has neither childhood nor a parent. He is as he has always been. He was made to serve a purpose, to act as a key to the Eldritch realm of the void. Born of neither life nor death, he is akin to a flesh golem. But also more. He is walking Paradox, he is, and he is not. A Life without a soul. But he was more aware than they thought he would be. Though before they could complete the rituals to unlock the gateway of the void, they were found out. Soon coming under assault, the cult was rooted out and destroyed. But the question of what to do with him arose. He had a will, and he had a life...he had at least a part of a soul. But more, he had potential. The mages that found him decided that he would be trained to use his abilities and use the innate manna within him. Though he had trouble casting magic, he excelled at anything he could channel into and through himself, and they only taught him limited spells. Focusing on only Shadow and Illusion. But they also taught him how to fight with nearly every weapon they could. Skills on infiltration. Seeing his innate ability to hide, even from magic. Many barriers even would let him walk through as they ignored him. He spent years in training, honing him to be the ultimate weapon. At first, he never questioned anything. The only life he knew was the life he had, and it was only half a life at that. Years passed, people came, people went. Some came back old, others he never saw again. It wasn't until someone finally asked him...if he wanted to live as a weapon. It was a simple question...one anyone would consider...but one he never had. He started to ask more questions. Like, why did he kill? Who were they? The more questions he asked. The more agitated people became towards him. The more curious he became, the more he started acting of his own will. Growing distrustful of those who told him they would take care of him, he started to listing closer to when they thought he could not hear. And heard the question of putting him down. Though he didn't let anything like that go further. When next they checked on him, he was gone. Though now that he had freedom, he had no idea what to do. So he wandered, and soon he was asked the 2nd greatest question of his life: what is your name? The half soul was the only thing anyone had ever referred to him as. That or the Gateway. Giving it much thought, He decided he would call himself Soul. And with that, he wandered once more.</s> <\|message\|>Soul Sat watching the ritual happening before him. He found the use of blood as a power source interesting, he even wondered if that is how his own magic worked. After all, while he could easily control the flow of magic in his own body he had trouble pushing forcing it out as the others seemed to do. Though also others seemed to radiate magic, while his own flowed through his veins. If she could use blood to perform magic, he also wondered what she could do with his own magic-infused blood. He believed it was something worth exploring if he was to be of more use to those around him. As time drifted on and he sat there in his own mind, he neither fidgeted nor moved. Almost looking like a statue as he kept that neutral appearance on his face. Soon though Ivy was back into their world and speaking to them. Though, she spoke in a way that confused Him. The context of the words was lost on him, and some of them he didn't quite know. Ignorance was no the bliss people kept saying it was. But the boy who seemed to have two scents made the most sense to him, not the two scents part, that kind of confused him, but a mission. A mission was a concept he understood. "I agree...having a course of action is desirable," he stated. "We must find this Grail with holes...but why do we need to Harm Ivy with plates...I do not see how hurting her with plates helps in any way. No matter how glorious said plates maybe...also why must they be plates for the use of Sushi?" He wasn't fully sure what sushi was, but he did know it was some kind of food made from fish.</s> <\|message\|>Ivy Natasha Virmire "Well," Ivy said with a shrug, "this isn't the first time Miss Muir has tried something like this. She's got a reserve of souls she's stolen over the years and uses those to maintain her mortal form. As for the Grail, I know it's somewhere in Avalon, with a bunch of old gods watching over it. Probably Celtic, but I'm not as familiar with those stories."</s> <\|message\|>Reginald BlackWell Suddenly, the Hill Top would erupt in violence. Gun shots were fired at the property, missing any students, but they were currently running for cover against the hail of bullets. Various cars had driven up to the property of Blackwell's mansion and then, men dressed in black left their vehicles and continued this vicious assault. To compound matters, after the large group of dozens arrived, the Hill Top was swallowed into another dimension, temporarily, and odd, demonic creatures began to congregate on the Estate Grounds. Tall, ghoulish albino creatures, similar to the appearance of "Slender Man', also wearing the "men in black" apparel, they seemed to have no weapon on their person, but they had murderous intent.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Hyunjin Paris All Hell Breaks Loose There was no time to prepare, no time to react and the only thing that they could do was seek cover. The bullets ripped through the wards that protected the mansion and struck various items in the house. Yuri moved to a window and announced loudly that they were under attack. Screams of panic filled the air as those students who were unfamiliar with this sort of thing rushed to hide behind any form of barrier they could. Yuri looked to the older students, the stronger students and nodded as he made sure they were getting the other students to safety. One stray bullet ripped through Yuri's shoulder, knocking him back and to the ground, but the onslaught wasn't over. The bullets stopped and what felt like microwaves surging over them made Yuri get to his feet as quickly as possible. He clutched his injured shoulder and approached the window once more. This time the assailants had no weapons. They were somewhere he didn't recognize, and what looked to be tall slender albino ghouls began to encroach on their location. Yuri groaned as he knew the bullet had gone straight through his body and he was losing blood by the minute, but his mind quickly settled on Remy. The sigils he had put in place would keep Remy safe. The bullets would strike the window and wall but never break through. The only thing that would alert Remy would be the sound of the bullets striking but never piercing. "Lithy and you," Yuri said pointing at Adam, "get the kids to safety. I'm going to go check on Remy." Just as he turned to rush off, one of the slender creatures burst through the window and tackled him to the ground. Yuri felt it's teeth rip into his shoulder and he yelled out before his eyes shifted into a dangerous white. His hand slammed against the creature's chest and within seconds the creature was writhing on the floor in pain until it's head began to expand. The exploding head sent fluid and matter in all direction. Yuri stood to his feet, his eyes showing no emotion. His face void of any sign of pain from the bullet and bite. Yuri slammed his foot into the ground and just as another creature burst through the window, Yuri's palm thrust forward and a sigil of destruction blasted the two creatures, completely eradicating them leaving nothing but piles of smoldering bones. Yuri's divine movements looked as if he were practicing some form of martial arts with his arms lunging into various spots in the air, but when he clasped his hands together, a beaitufl spell circle appeared before everyone. Subsequently a much larger spell circle would envelope the mansion. The spell circle slammed against the door with what looked to be a timer ticking away. It was only temporary. The creatures came, touching the window and doors only to be repelled with great force. Yuri's eyes returned to their normal light brown and without warning he collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from the open wounds. He coughed and more blood coated the once clean floor. His body shook slightly from the trauma. The spell circle would keep them safe for a moment, but when it faded they would have to figure something out.</s>	<\|message\|>Soul As Soul was still confused about what they were talking about the first of the bullets came flying through the wall. He could feel a shift as the world around them changed. His first instinct was to kill, to slaughter his opposition No that voice was faint in the back of his mind. Suddenly that creature was attacking the boy with two scents, but another window came crashing as another monster came Leaping towards the group Protect them!, that voice whispered to him. As that monster lept towards them, he lept after it. As it got closer he spun, lifting up his leg as it collided with the face of that monster, the force of that kick caved in its face, its body crumpled as it reversed directions and was sent flying back out that window to skip along the ground outside. These monsters at least for now seemed mostly physically bassed. More were coming in, leaping in the next came after him. Its movements were slow, at least to soul they were, it came in with a knarled maw with rows of teeth. Before it could register though, it had crumpled down as Soul punched it, he Grabbed its head under his arm. He Tensed, with a squeeze and a jerk there was a crutch and pop. For good measure Soul walked forward bending it back and pulling ripping its head from its shoulder. As another was about to come in. It suddenly screamed and was hurling back that field launching it out. He could hear screams, the scratching of claws...he could smell blood. "more have entered the building. We must gather ourselves and prepare a counterattack." his voice was flat and calm as ever. Though his veins had a slight magical glow to them. His already athletic and toned build seemed slightly more pronounced as magic flowed through him. "I can only heal myself if any can heal others attend to him." he said as he walked over to his bag. He pulled it open, pulling out a set of swords he pulled back the belt, snapping it around his waist so they were on either side of his waist. He pulled out a large hunting knife as well. Reaching behind himself as it hooked onto his jeans. "Who will accompany me?" he asked looking to the group</s>
<\|description\|>Nuri Tajra * Age: 24 * Gender: Female * Race: Human * Rank: 6 of Swords * Appearance: A beautiful woman with bronze skin, dark brown eyes, and neck-length hair usually swept over to one side underneath a hood. Nuri has an athletic, muscular build, standing at about 5'10. Casually she wears clothes reminiscent of her southern, desert-dwelling culture, showing plenty of skin while still being practical. She has plenty of pouches and straps, even her casual clothing having leather armor on it. She's also often seen with her companion Eagle, Talun. The mark of Reon resides on her left hip, underneath where her shortsword sheathe is. On the other hip is a tattoo of three names in a script foreign to Estival. Her armor is made of form-fitting steel and red cloth. It's stylized, perhaps overtly so for more conservative tastes, but still effective and well balanced, allowing for full range of movement. As well as being plenty intimidating, as when she uses her Divine Solar Fire the red plume trailing behind her helmet is enchanted to ignite itself. * Personality: A rambunctious young fighter with a penchant for getting into a little too much trouble considering her occupation. Not exactly the picture of piousness, Nuri is fun-loving and charismatic. She's an empathetic and sociable person, who enjoys meeting new people and making friends. Outgoing, extroverted, yet down to earth and humble. She has a good sense of humor, often attempting to crack wise, and is able to poke fun at herself. Nuri has a very laid back, live and let live mentality. Nuri enjoys good drinks and good times. Nuri takes good care of her weapons and armor, if nothing else. When alone, she practices playing her lute or refining her artistic skills. Caring for Talun, a free-spirited Eagle that shows up whenever he wants, is also something she enjoys. He is not her pet, but rather a wandering companion. Usually he is close by and drops in to say hello at his pleasure. Occasionally, he'll join her on hunting trips or bring her caught rabbits. Don't let appearances decieve you, though, Nuri is as fiercely devout as any paladin of Reon. Undead will recieve her final mercy, and necromancers will be allowed one chance, and once chance only. Due to her past, slavers in particular will have a hard time escaping punishment. But when it comes to metting out justice and performing her clerical duties, Nuri is very by the book. Her duty is the one thing she takes very seriously. Slackers don't have a place among the Reonite elite. When it comes to battle, Nuri is brave yet practical, and goal-oriented with excellent leadership qualities. Usually she's able to bring the best out of her fellow adventurers both on and off the field. Nuri is a shameless thrillseeker, and wouldn't be throwing herself headlong into the most dangerous situations if she didn't get at least a kick out of it. After all, its right there in the name. "Adventurer." Not "Solemn Duty-er." If someone is in this profession and isn't having a good time, they need to re-evaluate their life choices, if you ask her. * Brief Backstory: Nuri was born in the deserts to the south, in a prosperous oasis and river city. Her mother and father loved her very much and, when Nuri wasn't in school or working, they encouraged her interests. Physical activity, playing music, learning how to draw, and learning how to fly. For a good portion of her youth Nuri was convinced she would build the worlds first flying machine. It never came to pass, but this interest transitioned into that of birds of prey. She and her brother would often go out and explore. When Nuri was 12, she and her family's home was attacked, and they were kidnapped by slavers. For three long years she toiled and suffered. One by one, she lost her family members until she was all alone. At her lowest point, she moved a while away from her captors knowing that when they found her she would be punished for trying to escape. She looked up at the sun and hoped to die from heat stroke. When she opened her eyes next, a paladin of Reon, gleaming and brilliant, towered over her. It was on that day her captors were destroyed, and it was on that day she found her freedom once again. To her there was no other option- she wanted to be a paladin. Never would she allow an injustice such as the one that came upon her befall another family. Thus she began to train. At first she was stoic, serious, hardened. She threw herself into her training to cope with her grief. But overtime she began to open up and become her fun loving self again, as her scars, physical and mental, began to heal. Her career as a paladin was a few years long, but her old wanderlust began to creep back in. Perhaps the Church is more forgiving of her antics because of her past. But she didn't want to embarass them too much either way, so she struck out and joined the Adventurers Guild to start really having some fun, do some good, and make some cash along the way. What would she do with the cash? Not sure. Keep her stuff maintained and probably give the rest away to the needy. * Equipment: Burning Longsword: Her signature weapon. Sleek, elegant, refined, infinitely lethal. Two handed, this perfectly balanced, finely made weapon can be used to great effect. On its steel are divine symbols of the sun. As if Reon herself has blessed the blade, it ignites and becomes searing hot. Hot enough to slice through steel and monsterous flesh alike. Undead particularly crumble to ash by merely standing too close. Stalwart Armor: Enchanted, well made armor of a Reonite Paladin. When hit hard enough it sparks, releasing heat and exploding outward. It's incredibly resilient, designed to tank blows when Nuri decided not to defend herself and just keep attacking. It's extremely well balanced, its weight distributed nearly perfectly among her strong body. Shortsword: A curved shortsword of more obviously southern design. A curved blade for when things get dire. * Skills: Master of the Longsword: Nuri is well-trained and well-experienced with her longsword. She has a particularly fast and offensive style. Moreover, Nuri uses ever inch of the weapon, not just the blade. She's mastered unorthodox techniques, such as grabbing the blade with one hand to guide thrusts with more power and accuracy. Sometimes she grabs the blade by both hands and swings the handle around like a hammer, allowing crushing strikes. Pommel strikes, jabs, the Longsword's versatility is on full display when wielded by Nuri. It makes her strikes all the more unpredictable. Hand to Hand: When push literally comes to shove, Nuri is no slouch. She is a master of hand to hand combat, able to restrain, strike, and incapacitate her enemies even without a sword. While out of her armor she is an agile fighter and grappler, and while it in she is more than capable of bowling her enemies over or delivering devastating wrestling moves. Courage: Nuri's mind and spirit are bolstered by heavenly resolve. She is immune to fear and heavily resistant to mind control or other mind altering effects. This courage is infectious, and her allies will be granted resistance aswell. Especially if they are closely bonded with her personally. Flameburst: Nuri gains a burst of offensive speed, leaving a trail of fire in her wake. She can even use this to run up and launch off walls. She can also use this while suffering great falls to reduce fall damage. Finally she can just run straight into someones knees to knock them over. She can even use this ability in mid-air. She can do this about three times, roughly every hour. Or every time she rests for a short while and catches her breathe. She can do it more than that but it puts strain on her body. The most she's ever done without taking a break is 6 under safe, practiced conditions. Tactical: Nuri is a tactical thinker and works well with a team, trying to account for her and her teammates strengths and weaknesses in order to achieve the most optimal outcome. Charismatic: Nuri is great with people, able to persuade, decieve, and even occasionally seduce to get what she wants in order to avoid direct conflict or just find things out. Nuri is a people person and she's easily trustable. Animal Handling: Nuri is good with animals, especially her companion Eagle Talun.</s> <\|message\|>Corinne Julienne Delphine de Tiffauges Corinne and Liliane Was this stone wall always here and someone had built a monastery underground or had the entire construction been sealed in stone at some point? Well... Liliane couldn't say that it mattered too much, it wasn't likely whoever or whatever could bring that much rock to bear was going to do so again whilst they were exploring the place. Both gods and ancient archmages had better things to do with their time. Corinne, for her part, was determined to prove that she would be useful and already chanting a surprisingly complicated spell, which first let up the gems on her staff but then migrated the pair of lights to above her, casting a warm, pleasing glow close to, but not quite, unlike sunlight. Something definitely better for seeing what they were doing than firelight, that was for sure. @Darner@Crimson Paladin@Zoey Boey@Pyromania99</s> <\|message\|>Nefrena Iseueret ~Neffy~ --- Perhaps it was because Nem built their temples underground, Neffy herself found nothing out of the ordinary about the structure being potentially built as such. The thought did cross her mind that the Juyuem don't normally build things like this, but her thoughts soon turned to undead and the potential bad things that might be living in some abandoned, underground temple. And of course, this made the Nem stick to the back of the group initially. "...dark..." Neffy inhaled slightly. Well, Corrine set about creating some sort of mage light but Neffy couldn't help but to want the darkness. Better cover, less chance of being seen. She could see more or less...well enough. All she had to do was listen and make certain she wasn't going to bump into anything. "...should I scout ahead for anything?" Neffy questioned the group quietly.</s> <\|message\|>Léon Reverdin Léon Reverdin I really should remember to ask more questions about a job before accepting, because I did not anticipate this, Léon thought as he gazed through his helmet at the rock wall before him. From the job description, Léon had assumed that it meant they'd be be excavating around old stonework jutting out of the ground deep in the woods. As he looked at the cliff face, it dawned upon him just how inaccurate his impression of this job had been. Instead, the monastery had somehow ended up completely underground, something quite bewildering to Léon. He didn't think that the church would build a holy place underground where it'd be cut off from the sun and moon, so how did something like this end up down there? Perhaps a sinking foundation and centuries upon centuries worth of built-up forest detritus could push the ruin underground, but would it really sink so far as to be accessed by a hole in a rock wall? If this was from Orodrunn's time, it may very well have been magic that buried this place. If the entire monastery was buried in a cavern, this meant it and the relics with could be much more well-preserved than if it had been half-buried on the surface, but it also meant a lot more dangers. Aside from the risk of cave-ins, there was always a chance that some left-over vestige of Orodrunn's evil could have survived within. Léon couldn't help but feel reluctant to enter the cave. "If you want to lead the way, I'm fine with that," he replied to Neffy, "But it might be best if you don't get too far from the rest of the group, we don't know what's in there and we certainly don't want anyone to get separated in there." As a healer, Léon believed that prevention was the best medicine, but as a rather cautious adventurer, however, he was appreciative that someone else was willing to go first into that ominous cave. "Now, I don't know how much all of you know about the background history of this place," he spoke to the rest of the group, "So for those of you who don't know, here's some background about this place. Long, long ago, Orodrunn was a divine servant of the Dark Lord Hidroroth. When his master was slain, Orodrunn took up the mantle of Dark Lord, rallied the remnants of Hidroroth's forces, and began his own dark crusade sought to subjugate the world and all who lived within it. Nations stood united against him, but his divine power was far too great to be stopped by mere mortal armies. When all seemed lost, the twin goddesses intervened, empowering their champion, the knight now known as Saint Lilianna, with the strength to shatter Orodrunn's black sword and strike him down. It was some time during this conflict that this monastery was lost. If it's been underground all this time, that'd explain why it took so long for it to be rediscovered." "As for what's inside, I can't be sure," he continued. "It might be empty, inhabited by nothing more than spiders and bats, but I suppose there's always some possibility that some remnant of Orodrunn's evil from that time might survived within. I'd humbly suggest that we tread with care." @Raineh Daze@Darner@Pyromania99@Zoey Boey</s>	<\|message\|>Nuri Tajra "That's right," Nuri had said alongside Leon, to assuade the fears of her companions. "Undead are no issue. I eat zombies for breakfast." "I'll go retrieve my armor and get suited. Let's get this show on the road." --- Nuri was fully decked out in her Paladin armor. Red fabric and grey steel, a crimson plume trailing behind her helm. She had pulled up the visor of her helm, so her face was fully visible. At her side was a sheathed long sword. As the group approached the sunken cathedral she had gotten ontop of it, climbed all around, kicking at loose rocks. "Looks like we're going underground." Nuri said with a shrug. She squinted up at the sky. Distantly, an eagle circled. That was Talun, following, for now. He came and went as he pleased. Nuri approached the entrance of the cavern as Leon told his story about the lore of this place. She glanced over at Neffy and smiled. "That's very brave. But I think it's best we stick together, for now. Come- I'll lead the way." The Reonite indicated for Corinne to stay in the middle of the pack where she'd be safest, and everyone could make use of her light. In her mind, there was no reason to be sneaky, here. They were heading into an abandoned church. Looters would be scared off, zombies could be destroyed, and beasts would probably already have smelled them coming. Sending in a couple of tiny little fairies alone, in the dark, only seemed like a bad idea. For Nuri's part, she unsheathed her elegant, lethal longsword. She ran a hand along it, like it was tinder and her palm was flint. With a quick sparking motion, the sword began to emit a warm glow. With that the Paladin began to head inside the dark cave.</s>
<\|description\|>Nuri Tajra * Age: 24 * Gender: Female * Race: Human * Rank: 6 of Swords * Appearance: A beautiful woman with bronze skin, dark brown eyes, and neck-length hair usually swept over to one side underneath a hood. Nuri has an athletic, muscular build, standing at about 5'10. Casually she wears clothes reminiscent of her southern, desert-dwelling culture, showing plenty of skin while still being practical. She has plenty of pouches and straps, even her casual clothing having leather armor on it. She's also often seen with her companion Eagle, Talun. The mark of Reon resides on her left hip, underneath where her shortsword sheathe is. On the other hip is a tattoo of three names in a script foreign to Estival. Her armor is made of form-fitting steel and red cloth. It's stylized, perhaps overtly so for more conservative tastes, but still effective and well balanced, allowing for full range of movement. As well as being plenty intimidating, as when she uses her Divine Solar Fire the red plume trailing behind her helmet is enchanted to ignite itself. * Personality: A rambunctious young fighter with a penchant for getting into a little too much trouble considering her occupation. Not exactly the picture of piousness, Nuri is fun-loving and charismatic. She's an empathetic and sociable person, who enjoys meeting new people and making friends. Outgoing, extroverted, yet down to earth and humble. She has a good sense of humor, often attempting to crack wise, and is able to poke fun at herself. Nuri has a very laid back, live and let live mentality. Nuri enjoys good drinks and good times. Nuri takes good care of her weapons and armor, if nothing else. When alone, she practices playing her lute or refining her artistic skills. Caring for Talun, a free-spirited Eagle that shows up whenever he wants, is also something she enjoys. He is not her pet, but rather a wandering companion. Usually he is close by and drops in to say hello at his pleasure. Occasionally, he'll join her on hunting trips or bring her caught rabbits. Don't let appearances decieve you, though, Nuri is as fiercely devout as any paladin of Reon. Undead will recieve her final mercy, and necromancers will be allowed one chance, and once chance only. Due to her past, slavers in particular will have a hard time escaping punishment. But when it comes to metting out justice and performing her clerical duties, Nuri is very by the book. Her duty is the one thing she takes very seriously. Slackers don't have a place among the Reonite elite. When it comes to battle, Nuri is brave yet practical, and goal-oriented with excellent leadership qualities. Usually she's able to bring the best out of her fellow adventurers both on and off the field. Nuri is a shameless thrillseeker, and wouldn't be throwing herself headlong into the most dangerous situations if she didn't get at least a kick out of it. After all, its right there in the name. "Adventurer." Not "Solemn Duty-er." If someone is in this profession and isn't having a good time, they need to re-evaluate their life choices, if you ask her. * Brief Backstory: Nuri was born in the deserts to the south, in a prosperous oasis and river city. Her mother and father loved her very much and, when Nuri wasn't in school or working, they encouraged her interests. Physical activity, playing music, learning how to draw, and learning how to fly. For a good portion of her youth Nuri was convinced she would build the worlds first flying machine. It never came to pass, but this interest transitioned into that of birds of prey. She and her brother would often go out and explore. When Nuri was 12, she and her family's home was attacked, and they were kidnapped by slavers. For three long years she toiled and suffered. One by one, she lost her family members until she was all alone. At her lowest point, she moved a while away from her captors knowing that when they found her she would be punished for trying to escape. She looked up at the sun and hoped to die from heat stroke. When she opened her eyes next, a paladin of Reon, gleaming and brilliant, towered over her. It was on that day her captors were destroyed, and it was on that day she found her freedom once again. To her there was no other option- she wanted to be a paladin. Never would she allow an injustice such as the one that came upon her befall another family. Thus she began to train. At first she was stoic, serious, hardened. She threw herself into her training to cope with her grief. But overtime she began to open up and become her fun loving self again, as her scars, physical and mental, began to heal. Her career as a paladin was a few years long, but her old wanderlust began to creep back in. Perhaps the Church is more forgiving of her antics because of her past. But she didn't want to embarass them too much either way, so she struck out and joined the Adventurers Guild to start really having some fun, do some good, and make some cash along the way. What would she do with the cash? Not sure. Keep her stuff maintained and probably give the rest away to the needy. * Equipment: Burning Longsword: Her signature weapon. Sleek, elegant, refined, infinitely lethal. Two handed, this perfectly balanced, finely made weapon can be used to great effect. On its steel are divine symbols of the sun. As if Reon herself has blessed the blade, it ignites and becomes searing hot. Hot enough to slice through steel and monsterous flesh alike. Undead particularly crumble to ash by merely standing too close. Stalwart Armor: Enchanted, well made armor of a Reonite Paladin. When hit hard enough it sparks, releasing heat and exploding outward. It's incredibly resilient, designed to tank blows when Nuri decided not to defend herself and just keep attacking. It's extremely well balanced, its weight distributed nearly perfectly among her strong body. Shortsword: A curved shortsword of more obviously southern design. A curved blade for when things get dire. * Skills: Master of the Longsword: Nuri is well-trained and well-experienced with her longsword. She has a particularly fast and offensive style. Moreover, Nuri uses ever inch of the weapon, not just the blade. She's mastered unorthodox techniques, such as grabbing the blade with one hand to guide thrusts with more power and accuracy. Sometimes she grabs the blade by both hands and swings the handle around like a hammer, allowing crushing strikes. Pommel strikes, jabs, the Longsword's versatility is on full display when wielded by Nuri. It makes her strikes all the more unpredictable. Hand to Hand: When push literally comes to shove, Nuri is no slouch. She is a master of hand to hand combat, able to restrain, strike, and incapacitate her enemies even without a sword. While out of her armor she is an agile fighter and grappler, and while it in she is more than capable of bowling her enemies over or delivering devastating wrestling moves. Courage: Nuri's mind and spirit are bolstered by heavenly resolve. She is immune to fear and heavily resistant to mind control or other mind altering effects. This courage is infectious, and her allies will be granted resistance aswell. Especially if they are closely bonded with her personally. Flameburst: Nuri gains a burst of offensive speed, leaving a trail of fire in her wake. She can even use this to run up and launch off walls. She can also use this while suffering great falls to reduce fall damage. Finally she can just run straight into someones knees to knock them over. She can even use this ability in mid-air. She can do this about three times, roughly every hour. Or every time she rests for a short while and catches her breathe. She can do it more than that but it puts strain on her body. The most she's ever done without taking a break is 6 under safe, practiced conditions. Tactical: Nuri is a tactical thinker and works well with a team, trying to account for her and her teammates strengths and weaknesses in order to achieve the most optimal outcome. Charismatic: Nuri is great with people, able to persuade, decieve, and even occasionally seduce to get what she wants in order to avoid direct conflict or just find things out. Nuri is a people person and she's easily trustable. Animal Handling: Nuri is good with animals, especially her companion Eagle Talun.</s> <\|message\|>Nefrena Iseueret Neffy --- If it was possible for her to spare a moment to berate Trina for flying off, she would have. Instead though, she'd have to contend with the goblins running towards them! She'd briefly wonder why they seemingly had been running this way. Were they running from something? Or had it just been happenstance that they were leaving when they were entering? She hadn't seen any scouts or the like that would have alerted them... "Trina! Careful! Go-Go...Green skins!" She'd shout to her fairy friend and the others present. Neffy would immediately draw her sword. "Surrounding us!" Oh dear oh dear oh dear she wasn't suited to fighting directly like this. Why was she in the front again? Oh right, that Fairy. She was really going to scold her after this. The Nem would make a movement to channel magic through her blade, lining the edge of it with a fast current of water before doing as she had done before and launching a watery blade at the goblins, not wanting to get too close. If she could find a way to slip through while the others were engaged, though...she'd just have to look for an opening.</s> <\|message\|>Corinne Julienne Delphine de Tiffauges At the sound of advancing feet... and not bones, feet, Liliane's ears perked up, both daggers being drawn effortlessly in one hand as the other went to the satchel. Goblins, goblins... ah, there, one of the more painful necrotising toxins. Goblins weren't exactly the bravest, and extra agonising wounds were sure to send them scurrying even if she missed some sort of lethal blow. With their medical skill, there was a good chance infection would catch up too, even if they fled the entire area. The dark oil seeped lethargically onto the blades and then, as if caught in a rush, seemed to be sucked out of the vial and into a thin film. Of course, she couldn't just recklessly dance through them, administering injuries left and right. That would leave Corinne exposed. But one of the encircling goblins, getting too close for the Hundi's liking, found just how fast the short girl could dart forwards and backwards, a long, burning slice down one of its arms. Predictably, chattering in its horrible tongue, that one scarpered--whether to the back of the crowd or entirely, she didn't care. Goblins elicited none of the fear in the mage that undead did. Nervous apprehension, certainly, but already she was levelling the staff right towards their myst, scintillating light gathering as her chant built up...</s> <\|message\|>Léon Reverdin Léon Reverdin Léon took a step back as the goblins poured into view. He was slightly relieved that they were facing a mundane foe rather than something unnatural or supernatural, but goblins could still pose a serious threat in large numbers and in confined spaces. This wouldn't be the time he had fought their kind, but he had never done it on their own turf before. On the other hand, this was his turf as well. And he wasn't going to let these monsters desecrate this place any further. From their movements, it looked like the goblins wanted to swarm them and make use of their superior numbers. Léon wasn't going to let that happen, and was determined to disrupt these little fiends before they could get into position. The cleric drew his scepter and began to channel Mayon's power. Mayon, Goddess of the Moon, lend me the power to strike down those that desecrate your holy place, he silently prayed before unleashing his spell. A torrent of water shot out from the front of the cleric's scepter, aimed at the goblins emerging from the darkness. It wouldn't kill the goblins, but it would likely strike with enough force to knock them off their feet and prevent them from supporting their fellows in the battle, thus keeping the group from having to fight too many of them at once. It might make fire magic a bit less effective on them, but surely neither Nuri nor Corrine would risk setting this place on fire.</s>	<\|message\|>Nuri Tajra Nuri caught 'Chatters' in her hand and destroyed him, finally putting the poor skeleton to rest. It was important to not let evil sentience like that fester. Nuri regarded Lilliane. "Mmm. No such thing as consecrated ground, though it is a helpful myth. A place is only as holy as the worship that goes with in. Without people, churches are just empty boxes." She gestured around. "Thus, a skeleton problem." The paladin said. At least, this was her belief. Nuri wasn't sure how much she bought into 'holy ground' and 'holy relics', not really. Absolutely, she could appreciate the artisanship, but she doubted the Goddesses really cared about mortal trinkets. That wasn't what mattered. The short people went ahead to scout, and, from what she heard, were immediately discovered by goblins. Or at least, they discovered each other at the same time. Now the squishier members of the group were upfront. Nuri still wasn't sure exactly what the point of his strategy was. Coins were supposed to go around the flanks, or at least report back with numbers. So far they only wanted to simply walk forward until they encounter enemies. Nuri could do that. Anyone could do that. "Goblins." Nuri held the handle of her sword in one hand, and the blade of it in the other as she jogged quickly forward to meet the borderline sapient life-forms in combat. Goblins were more like a dangerous pest than a race of people. Though sometimes Nuri wondered if one could be raised as a pet, or even a companion. The thought was both amusing and heart warming. Unfortunately, no such peace-makings would be avaliable today, the goblins were hungry. Nuri advanced past her teammates. They were either light or slower than she was. Casting or preparing to cast ranged water spells. Corinne began to dance in and out of their range. This meant it was Nuri's time to step up and be the frontline her teammates could operate around. All of their support would be for nought if the goblins simply swarmed them all at once. "All right, let's dance, you little bastards." The knight approached them all, levelling her sword at the nearest goblins defensively. When one neared too close, she sliced off its arm with a swift strike. At the same time, she took a step forward, reversing her grip and forcing yet more of the goblings back. Sweeping her sword at their neck height, she intended to ward them off and attact their attention, focusing on parrying their strikes and letting hampered blows glance off her armor.</s>
<\|description\|>Jennifer Harrick Image Age: 27 Gender: Female Height: 5'5 Weight: 8st 3lbs Ethnicity: Black British Sexual Orientation: Lesbian Religion: None Occupation: Secondary School Teacher Ability: Shapeshifting In theory, Jennifer can turn into anything she likes. In practice, it's a bit trickier. While she can change what she's made of and how it's arranged, she can't create more matter, so if she wanted to be a giant, she'd be a hollow one. Outside of a few one-offs she hasn't managed to repeat, she can turn her whole body into a single materiel and reshape that, or go back to her human form. Background: Jennifer wouldn't describe her life as anything particularly special. Born and raised in London in a flat that used to be a council estate, she went to school, then to a university that used to be a college, worked at Tesco in between and eventually got a job teaching science at her former secondary school. Being black wasn't a big deal either. Her parents had been born in England (Though their parents were from the West Indies and Caribbean), and the racist groups had by-and-large moved on to targeting Eastern-Europeans. She got teased far more for wanting to kiss girls, and other than being stopped-and-searched by the police more often than average, she wouldn't have thought her race made a big difference. Sure it was there, but it's London. Even the minorities have massive numbers. The first time it really mattered, it probably saved her life. Jennifer had picked quite possibly the worst place to be when the storm happened - On a plane somewhere between New York and Las Vegas. She'd been looking forward to the holiday, watching an in-flight movie when the emergency lights came on. The flight attendants asked everyone to secure their seatbelts, there was talk of turbulence and an emergency landing, the rain hammered the windows as the plane shook and lurched, and then everything went white. Looking back, Jennifer decided her powers must have activated and saved her. If the energy storm is what caused them, then being at the centre of one would have switched them on, right? Maybe she turned into air and was blown about? It's not like she remembers anything about what came next. Just delerious impressions and dizzy sequences that just as easily might have been a dream. She remembers waking up in what she would later realise was probably a tent-hospital set up at one of the storm sites, panicking at something and fleeing. She dreamed she was a cactus, but maybe it wasn't a dream and she'd been photosynthesizing and preserving water? When she could think clearly again, Jennifer had found her way to SanFran with only a ragged sheet. She tried to get help from a cop, who drew his gun and yelled at her to stay back, then fired. Jennifer thought she was dead, closing her eyes and screaming. She felt the bullets hit, thought she must be blocking out the pain, but a few seconds passed and it still didn't arrive. When she opened her eyes, the cop fired again. This time she saw the bullets ricochet off her metal body. Both people fled from each other in opposite directions, at some point Jennifer realised she was flesh-and-blood again. She hid in the storm-ruins, which had already been picked clean but were private enough for her to practice in, and eventually find some things to wear. A few days later, she was confident and, if not presentable, at least a lot moreso than she had been. Now she just had to somehow get home with no money, no ID, no passport, no idea if they'd even let her on a plane...</s> <\|message\|>Amalia Mendoza Amalia sat on her old brown rolling chair in front of her white sewing machine. The needle had just broken inside of the denim jacket which Amalia had been trying to sew for what felt like ages now. Her sewing machine was not quite powerful enough to get through the beautiful, but thick, blue fabric. "Why does denim have to be in style right now?" She felt defeated, a feeling she was becoming all too familiar with. The one bedroom apartment had every light on, with every window open. This nice apartment in San Francisco cost her more than half of her monthly income the remaining amount always went to fabric and rarely food or other necessities. Amalia was living the starving artist life, even before the energy storm which, despite the new abilities she possessed, made her even more desperate for anything to be less of a struggle. She just wanted life to be simple again, happy. Amalia could draw herself a new needle for her sewing machine, the needles were getting stronger and stronger as she manifested them off the white sketchbook. In return with each drawing she felt herself growing. Often she wondered if she wasn't doing enough with her power. What more could she do? Could she cause as much pain and destruction as others with new abilities? The more Amalia thought about the bigger things she could do one day the more she wanted to scream. Overwhelmed. Scared. She felt it all, she just wanted a simple life. Yet she was here in this one bedroom apartment, away from both her New York and Philippines home with looming despair hanging over her. One would think Amalia wouldn't turn on the news, however, she turned on her phone to listen to the President's broadcast. "A blood test, huh? So they can track us? Or will they throw us away as soon as they know?" Amalia wondered out loud, "What freedoms could they be taking from us?" Amalia flipped through a few more videos on her phone. She was trying to steer away from radicals, like the Benny Stein or Reaper. Both of them leaned so far right or so far left that it made Amalia's head spin. There were few things she truly enjoyed right now. Amalia had very few close friends in the city, but she always enjoyed the company of the few she had, in particular Simon Hart. The other thing that made the days less dreadful and filled with anxiety was giving back to those who lost everything in the storm. Amalia found that her new power could be used for some good, which should earn her bonus points with the purging of the enhanced humans came, right? Amalia pushed off her rolling chair and walked over to a second table in her living room which had her sketch books and ideas on it. She started drawing all kinds of food items. Burgers, fries, salad, cupcakes, and her personal favorite, danishes. When she first discovered that she could save money by drawing food the food items she drew up were god awful. They were real, the right size, and the right color when she manifested them, but they tasted worse then cardboard, flavored with pepper. After a lot of practice, and gaining a few pounds she swore she would work off, the food had become exceptional. Amalia wished she could feed more FEMA camps and homeless shelters in San Fran and more often, but making enough food for one camp already took a toll on her. She could already feel the migraine coming and if she wasn't careful the eternal nosebleed would start. (At least she called it eternal, really it just lasted longer than she would like). After she finished up drawing enough food she grabbed some containers that she drew up the previous day along with some bags and headed out the door. Amalia did not have a car but did have a cute smile that would catch her neighbors attention, Dallyn, who did have a car. Yes, she was using him. The idea of having a single, down on her luck, lonely girl like Amalia in his bed was enough to make him drop anything he was doing and help her. She had wished Dallyn would help out of the goodness of his heart, but, beggars can't be choosers, now can they? With a knock on the door and smile to Dallyn he drove her right outside of the city to a FEMA camp. This was the first time Amalia had been out to this particular camp so nobody really knew her or what she was doing. When she first showed up at the other camps people took her food with caution and ate small bites, worried that she was someone trying to eliminate the population or potential enhanced humans. However after making small talk and showing a bit of kindness they usually warmed up to her. Amalia started passing out the food to the people at the camp. She saw a cute little girl with wide green eyes staring up at her and her heart melted. She remembered how her cousins and her used to up to her grandmother waiting to be served delicious baked treats, fresh from the oven, after school. Amalia felt a bit of a bitter sweet emotion run through her as she made sure the little girl walked away with her own personal favorite, the danish.</s> <\|message\|>Simon Adam Hart San Francisco, California - Dark Ideas (Psychic Readings & Enlightenment) Money meant a lot to Simon Hart. It was the difference between his childhood and where he stood now. Of course, many had tried to have him believe things like "money isn't everything" or "you should find joy in what you do and money will follow". He mostly attributed these teachings to bullshit. Simon Hart had seen what it was like to be poor in San Francisco, hell, he'd lived it and there was no joy to be found in crawling through the slums to afford a sandwich at the corner store. Money was everything and if he intended to stay on top of the game, he'd need to keep his audience. The problem with Simon Hart was that he couldn't ever just... stay on one venture. It had started with petty theft (which had quickly grown boring) and it had escalated into dealings with money launderers. He didn't consider himself a criminal, not really, just someone very familiar with criminals. Sure, he'd hacked a few things, transferred a couple hundred dollars into his own accounts, lobster-trapped a few ATM cards- sure, but he wasn't a criminal. Personally he thought that "criminal" was a very dirty word to describe someone with. He liked to consider himself an... entrepreneur. He was constantly scheming and planning and cooking up new ideas all in the pursuit of gaining money. He was good at it too, absolutely fucking great at it. It wasn't criminal to have a talent, was it? It wasn't criminal to be good at something. After his divorce with Erin, he had fallen into a slump, a dark, dark pit where he had thought he was doomed to stay. She had moved on, started dating some blond guy and taken their cat and he was just stuck. He had remained stuck for nearly four months and it had taken a lot of work on the behalf of Amalia Mendoza to even get him moving again. Once he did start moving though, he'd fallen into his latest scheme and that was Dark Ideas. Dark Ideas was nothing special, a shitty little storefront he'd purchased on a whim but he'd turned it into a home of sorts. A ridiculous, terrible little home. The bulk of his business was rich, old white ladies and edgy people with tattoos. He kind of liked it that way. He didn't know if he would stick to this gig forever but for now it was amusing. Mostly it was amusing how people just ate up whatever faux-prophetic nonsense he spat. He had gotten pretty good at cold-reading but it was still no exact science, every so often he'd fumble a name or a guess and he'd spend the next few minutes trying to recover his image. Sometimes people would cut the session short and demand a refund when he fumbled, sometimes they'd threaten him. He was learning to roll with the punches (sometimes literally). Between running his business and counting his money, he hardly had time to worry about what was going on around the city. Heroes and angry government officials, it's not my business. He thought, watching the broadcast on his phone. There was always down time at Dark Ideas, quiet intervals where he could gather his thoughts or catch up with the news. More and more of this hate-mongering, on both sides. He thought grimly, deciding to stop while he was ahead. "Dangerous" this, "dangerous" that, if I could actually read the future then I'd be rolling in it. Wonder if one of those bastards is looking for a job.</s>	<\|message\|>Jennifer Harrick An hour or so after Amalia saw the cute little girl leave, she sees her return. This time she's holding hands with Jennifer, leading a group of kids. "OK kids, line up nicely, no pushing now. Liam, do I have to make you stand at the back? Remember to say please and thank you." she calls out to the class, keeping the kids as orderly as any group of kids expecting treats can be. Only when the whole class has something does she take a salad for herself, eating quickly but taking time to properly enjoy each large mouthful. "Oh my god, this is amazing. I don't think I've had a lettuce that crunches since this whole mess started. Seriously, thank you, you're the best." she tells Amalia, shaking her hand and standing nearby to chat while watching the class and sometimes interrupting the conversation to deal with some rough play or nip an argument in the bud.</s>
<\|description\|>Devan Joseph Flores So I'm swinging like a fist fight, concrete colored basement, alright, alright. Let's keep this clean, as clean as you like. It probably won't get easier, just easier to hide. \| All this time I've been lied to. You're always in between, I go too far. You know I got the anger of a burning sun, say hold up just a minute, don't burn me now. AGE 28 GENDER Male APPEARANCE 5'7" - 145 lbs - Brown Hair - Blue Eyes Devan is built compact and short, he only stands in around five foot seven inches although he looks a bit shorter upon first glance. His build is wiry with muscle and he is very lean, he can easily be compared to a dancer in frame. He has broad shoulders and a broad chest although this is somewhat due to how compact his muscular distribution is. His skin tone is olive and spotted with dark freckles that are evenly scattered across his body. His fingertips are usually blackened with rot, his nails are almost always cracked. He tends to keep his hands wrapped in gauze as a result of this. His hair is often kept just a bit too long and it tends to be somewhat messy. He almost never seems to keep his hair brushed and as a result it winds up hanging across his forehead and nose. He has a pretty face with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline, his eyes are heavy-lidded and a very light blue in shade. He has a full mouth that's often down-turned and somewhat somber. ETHNICITY Latino SEXUAL ORIENTATION Bisexual RELIGION Agnostic OCCUPATION EMT ABILITY Necrosis Inducement: The ability to cause the rapid decay of organic matter, this ability has little effect on inorganic matter and has the unfortunate side effect of backfiring on Devan's own skin. BACKSTORY Devan was born the youngest of three children to a frankly somewhat impoverished family, his mother was quite kind and doting while his father was distant and sometimes hard to get along with. He grew up strong and he grew up smart, a hard-working young man with a desire to help people or... at least be involved in helping people. While his problems with his father sometimes held him back or made him reluctant to pursue certain things, he managed to push on despite this. It could be said that Devan was angry in some ways, that he tended to lash out at people he cared about but it couldn't be said that he wasn't trying. Whatever internal crisis he was dealing with as a result of his shaky upbringing came second to his pursuit of a career where he was hands-on with those around him. He was a good fit for his chosen path as an EMT, taking to it with ease and helping provide for his mother and siblings. Things looked fine until the Energy Storm swept through the United States, it was quite worrisome when he was struck ill. It was even more worrisome when his powers began to develop, surprising him with the cruelty of what they could reap.</s> <\|message\|>Simon Adam Hart San Francisco, California - Dark Ideas (Psychic Readings & Enlightenment) Money meant a lot to Simon Hart. It was the difference between his childhood and where he stood now. Of course, many had tried to have him believe things like "money isn't everything" or "you should find joy in what you do and money will follow". He mostly attributed these teachings to bullshit. Simon Hart had seen what it was like to be poor in San Francisco, hell, he'd lived it and there was no joy to be found in crawling through the slums to afford a sandwich at the corner store. Money was everything and if he intended to stay on top of the game, he'd need to keep his audience. The problem with Simon Hart was that he couldn't ever just... stay on one venture. It had started with petty theft (which had quickly grown boring) and it had escalated into dealings with money launderers. He didn't consider himself a criminal, not really, just someone very familiar with criminals. Sure, he'd hacked a few things, transferred a couple hundred dollars into his own accounts, lobster-trapped a few ATM cards- sure, but he wasn't a criminal. Personally he thought that "criminal" was a very dirty word to describe someone with. He liked to consider himself an... entrepreneur. He was constantly scheming and planning and cooking up new ideas all in the pursuit of gaining money. He was good at it too, absolutely fucking great at it. It wasn't criminal to have a talent, was it? It wasn't criminal to be good at something. After his divorce with Erin, he had fallen into a slump, a dark, dark pit where he had thought he was doomed to stay. She had moved on, started dating some blond guy and taken their cat and he was just stuck. He had remained stuck for nearly four months and it had taken a lot of work on the behalf of Amalia Mendoza to even get him moving again. Once he did start moving though, he'd fallen into his latest scheme and that was Dark Ideas. Dark Ideas was nothing special, a shitty little storefront he'd purchased on a whim but he'd turned it into a home of sorts. A ridiculous, terrible little home. The bulk of his business was rich, old white ladies and edgy people with tattoos. He kind of liked it that way. He didn't know if he would stick to this gig forever but for now it was amusing. Mostly it was amusing how people just ate up whatever faux-prophetic nonsense he spat. He had gotten pretty good at cold-reading but it was still no exact science, every so often he'd fumble a name or a guess and he'd spend the next few minutes trying to recover his image. Sometimes people would cut the session short and demand a refund when he fumbled, sometimes they'd threaten him. He was learning to roll with the punches (sometimes literally). Between running his business and counting his money, he hardly had time to worry about what was going on around the city. Heroes and angry government officials, it's not my business. He thought, watching the broadcast on his phone. There was always down time at Dark Ideas, quiet intervals where he could gather his thoughts or catch up with the news. More and more of this hate-mongering, on both sides. He thought grimly, deciding to stop while he was ahead. "Dangerous" this, "dangerous" that, if I could actually read the future then I'd be rolling in it. Wonder if one of those bastards is looking for a job.</s> <\|message\|>Jennifer Harrick An hour or so after Amalia saw the cute little girl leave, she sees her return. This time she's holding hands with Jennifer, leading a group of kids. "OK kids, line up nicely, no pushing now. Liam, do I have to make you stand at the back? Remember to say please and thank you." she calls out to the class, keeping the kids as orderly as any group of kids expecting treats can be. Only when the whole class has something does she take a salad for herself, eating quickly but taking time to properly enjoy each large mouthful. "Oh my god, this is amazing. I don't think I've had a lettuce that crunches since this whole mess started. Seriously, thank you, you're the best." she tells Amalia, shaking her hand and standing nearby to chat while watching the class and sometimes interrupting the conversation to deal with some rough play or nip an argument in the bud.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis "Lady Luck" Ben'Ghazad "Jackpot! AGAIN! Unbelievable!" followed by the sounds of dozen slot machines ringing and indistinct shouts of glee from the would winners. Little did they knew what actually happened. Minutes later casino workers and guards stepped in to calm the crowds that gathered and kindly ask them to leave the casino while they figure out the issue with the machinery. Of course, they couldn't. Nothing was wrong with them, it was just luck. Pure luck that everything matched at the same time. Or in Alexis's case, bad luck. It wasn't the first time she played at this casino and it wasn't the first time her powers backfired on her. She meant only to increase her luck tenfold but instead, she increased it for everyone around her just for a few seconds. Enough to make everyone a would-be winner. Sooner or later, someone figures out what these "accident" happen only when she's in the room and she gets banned. Most people simply believing luck is just being a fairytale and with no evidence that she's using powers, it made her hard to catch but easy to be called a cheater of sorts. Hours later, Alexis was in her apartment counting the night's winnings. A bit over 2000$ in cash. A weak night for her but ever since she got her powers, she was living better than ever. No more house sharing, no more drunk idiots that need their asses kicked, no more squatting. Soon after she got her powers and understood what they were she went on to make money at the biggest casino Vegas had. She made a quarter million by the time she was asked to enjoy the rest of the night at a different casino. Everyone can win at the casino but in the end, the house will always wins. Not against her. Turning on the TV, she sees the President's speech and only uttered one word : " F*CK! ". That meant one thing for her. Soon casino's would have the blood test to be done mandatory before going in. She'd be thrown out before even setting foot inside. As she was thinking about the speech, a few notifications on her phone broke her concentration. Looking at them, she received an update on the Reaper. Alexis has been following him on all social media (under fake names) since he came out. A Super that advocates rebellion against the government. While not interested in the ideology behind him, she knew one thing for sure. At one point, the government will crackdown on everyone with powers due to people like the Reaper. People like Alexis would be hard to be targeted as they're powers aren't obvious and then you add to the mix those with a bit of training, those that are streewise. People exactly not like her sister. She stopped and stared at the TV screen and realized that it was the first time since Nafisa's and her 18th birthday that she even remotely thought about her family. What if Nafisa got powers as well? What if she's going to go submit herself to the goverment? She always followed the rules, she always followed whatever mom and dad said. That line of thinking got her remembering all the fights, all the scoldings, all the speeches that her dad made telling her to be more like Nafisa. Everything that made her promise to never return home but with the threat of the blood tests and the idea that Nafisa might be an Altered Human...she made her mind. Doing the one thing she promised never to do. Go back home. Back to San Francisco.</s>	<\|message\|>Devan Joseph Flores San Francisco, California - Cafe "...I think a better name is Enhanced, because that's what we are. We are great, we are powerful, we are ultimate!" Well, he's not wrong, is he? He watched the broadcast with an ear bud in, brow furrowed over his phone. What Reaper was doing was risky, dangerous, absolutely suicidal but he kind of understood it. Sometimes it took someone kind of suicidal to get a point across, an impassioned speech here and there was nothing compared to what people without powers were doing to them. He didn't agree with all of Reaper's points, which was often the problem with radicals, but he agreed with most of his points. They weren't Altered, they were better. "...soon all who are like me will hear my call & together America shall fall." He took a sip of his coffee, shaking his head and clicking out of the video. He had been lucky, compared to some others. No one had suspected him of gaining a power which suited him fine because he preferred to keep his head down. He had never had any grandiose desire to be a hero, there was little part of Devan that genuinely cared to save anyone. He liked to monitor people, watch them closely, but that was more out of a desire for control than a desire to see them thrive. The tragedy in Chicago had very little effect over him personally, although, unlike Reaper, he would not say he preferred that more death had come of it. No, he thought as he scrolled through Twitter, looking at the shock and alarm over the broadcast. There's something to be said about subtlety. Reaper was not subtle in any way but his continued ability to conceal his identity. That was the other issue Devan had with him but these were things that could easily be rectified. Too bad he didn't know the guy. He wasn't even sure that he would want to know him, seemed like a lot of trouble. More trouble than it was worth. However, if there were an uprising of the Enhanced, he wasn't going to sit aside idly while they struck. Another sip of his coffee and he could feel the tips of his fingers burning. He exhaled through his nose and adjusted the bandages on his hands. However, maybe being "Advanced" wasn't all it was cracked up to be.</s>
<\|description\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Dolly Rceznik - iris Natalie "NatJack" Jackson - soybean Dr. Preston Nichols - coffee - Head of the Neurological Research Division at Companion Biotech John Jacob - host of American Morning Joseph Anderson Dr. Lakshmi Gupta - Founding Director of Companion Biotech Linda Grunewald Candace Smith Libby Willis</s> <\|message\|>Ryker Burke [ --- "I um, I'm fine, really... " Dani stammered quietly. Ryker blinked, so it was her that he heard a moment ago. He glanced over to her mother "Oh, just a case of heat exhaustion. A little bit of water and some shade and she'll be right as rain," He glanced back at Dani, he had seen...felt... heat exhaustion before. It wasn't that. It was something else. If she could speak to him telepathically...could she feel his pain as well from the shock? He didn't push the issue for the moment, but smiled. "She's a little shy around strangers," nodding. "Anyways... my name is Fauna and this is Danielle, William, Destiny, and Abagail. Say hello to the nice gentleman, kids." He smiled at each one with a friendly smile and nodded. However he was noticing how Dani was seeming even more nervous while looking at Sacha. He patted his dog's head with a simple command. "Sitt" While it was easy to understand he said sit, but he said it in an odd accent. Sascha immediately sat down next to him. "And who do we have the pleasure of meeting?" Before he could answer he heard Destiny suddenly shout out as she moved forward towards Sascha if she could pet the dog. Another lad came up as well asking if he could pet Sacha as well. With Destiny pouting and saying she wanted to pet her first he scratched the side of his head...She looked the same age as Everly, but slightly immature in comparison. He smiled and said "You don't have to ask me. You have to ask Sascha." He crouched down next to his dog and said, You have to offer her a handshake first. If she does shake your hand, you can pet her." He glanced at the boy who asked as well. Same with you. As soon as Destiny would offer her hand, Sascha would immediately place her paw in it. He smiled and looked up to the mother and stood back up "My name is Ryker Burke. It's a pleasure to meet you all. This is my Partner Sascha. Well Miss Fauna, I'm assuming you are the eldest sister?" He said with a charming smile, "If you do require any help, just let me know, I can cool anything down with a simple touch.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Parking Lot --> Cabin Pavilion --> Conference Hall In the near distance, an exceptionally regular-looking Honda kicked up a cloud of dust and gravel as it careened into the parking lot and came to rest in probably not an actual parking space. A 30ish man with short ash brown hair and a short beard hopped out and grabbed his backpack. After a couple minutes of power-walking, he reached the small group of people gathered between the lot and the cabins. "Hey!" Joseph called out with a smile and a wave as he approached. "I'm surprised so many people actually came! Isn't this exciting? I hope a lot of people with powers show up!" Almost in the same breath, the man looked at his watch and gasped. "Oh man, it starts in ten minutes! Looks like I'll have to use my SUPER SPEED! See ya later!" With that, Joseph took off running - his pace fairly impressive but still quite human. He sprinted all the way to the cabins' central pavilion before he had to lean against a wooden column and gasp for breath, garnering a mildly confused look from the check-in volunteer. Beyond that point lay another gravelly path that wound through the woods for a couple minutes before abruptly opening up toward the large conference hall, full of the modern amenities and technology any semi-camper would want. Anyone else without super speed might want to get going. Flame@LuckyBlackCat@Bai Suzhen@GreysonEA@LostButterfly92@Martian@Heartfillia</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n @Martian Destiny's little blue eyes lit up, and she flashed a toothy grin. [B]"Hi Sascha, I'm Destiny. You have such pretty fur--can I pet you?"[b] the little girl asked genuinely. She offered one small, dainty hand. The dog almost seemed to smile back as she put her paw in the girl's hand. Destiny grinned ear to ear and pat the dog along her side and back for a moment, then embraced her in a hug for a few seconds. "You're so soft, Sascha!" Dani stiffened, worried for her sister, but finally breathed when the girl let go and backed away without incident. "Thank you for letting me pet you!" The man then introduced himself as Ryker, again. Her mother laughed a bit drunkenly. Her faced flushed probably with both embarrassment and infatuation. "Haha, that's right, you introduced yourself just a minute ago! I'm such a goldfish." Fauna brushed her blond hair and smiled. William made a face in disgust. "I'm actually the mother-had kids young..." she trailed off, putting each hand on William and Destiny's shoulders, with a bittersweet smile. Ryker offered to help out with his powers, a cooling power of some kind. Fauna raised her brow and smiled, tilting her head. The younger children made sounds in awe. Abagail shuggled"Is that true? Hm, what do you think, Dani?" her mother asked. Dani smiled nervously and shook her head. "Oh, un I'm okay, but thank you." It seemed either he didn't recognize her, or perhaps he figured she wasn't ready to reveal her secret. Dani breathed in relief. Suddenly a man came running by, pretty quick for a man. He quickly announced that the conference began in ten minutes. Fauna checked her watch. "Oh! How time flies when you're making friends. Care to sit with us at the conference, Ryker?" Fauna asked, nudging her children along toward the conference hall. "Yes, sit with us! Sit with us mister Burke!" the younger ones eagerly agreed with her, looking back and nearly jumping with excitement as they went along. Abagail absently played with her music player, and Dani gave him an approving nod and smile before following after her family.</s> <\|message\|>Kael O'Conner Kael Lily looked eagerly up at her brother. It was not every day that the supers of America met. Lily had developed her powers quite recently, when the family discovered she could float on water, like her namesake, the lily pad. Since both children got their powers less than a week ago Kael's parents were a little nervous to send them off on their own. Of course, after Kael promised nothing bad would happen to his sister, and flashed them a grin with his Venus-flytrap-esque teeth, they allowed him to go. Once their parents had dropped Lily off he made her promise she wouldn't leave. Of course that promise was broken as soon as she saw the dog. Chasing after her Kael slammed into a woman checking her purse. As he apologized he noticed the ram's horns sticking out of her head. After weaving through person after person Kael finally found lily, talking to a man who he didn't know. "Hey, Lily we better-" He began. Suddenly the man started looking around franticly before settling his eyes on Kael. "You must be her brother?" The man asked. "Yes I'm Kael, this is Lily, and we're leaving." Kael said hurriedly. "I'm Leon!" He called out as Kael, pulling his sisters arm disappeared into the crowd. "Don't talk to strangers, Lily." "He's not a stranger, he has a dog!" "Just because he has a dog doesn't mean we've met him before." Kael explained. "We have now." Lily argued. "Come on, let's head over there." Kael said pointing to the entrance of the conference hall. "We'll take a second to talk." "About what?" "Stranger danger." Kale muttered.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo shouldered his bag again, once Conner had finished pouring over his tattoos, and took a quick stock check of everyone. Ryker had disappeared a little way away with a younger family; the two younger children besotted with Sascha and honestly? He couldn't blame them. Another guy wandered over to the group, seemingly drawn in by the dog. Ryker was going to be the belle of the ball with Sascha on his arm like this. He quirked an eyebrow as a car pulled up in a cloud of dust, a guy hopping out and heading towards the two little groups at a speed. Alonzo watched the weird exchange before the man took off sprinting; fast but still obviously human. He made a mental note to sit as far away from that one as possible. "I mean I think that guy needs more help than anyone here can give him." He snorted to Mara, shaking his head slightly as he watched him lean against a tree, gasping for breath. "You both coming?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder as he started to make his way down the path, towards the check in desk. @Crimson Flame</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @LostButterfly92 @Zanavy @GreysonEA Watching the dog accept the child's handshake and hug, Mara gave a near smile, if a twitch of the lips counted. Sascha reminded her of a childhood family dog she'd known, Alfie, ever-affectionate in contrast to most humans. Pets were the truest friends. At least Sascha's owner, Ryker, didn't seem too bad... As long as he was offering to help out of concern, instead of showing off. Mara wanted to believe the former, but she knew a certain two do-gooders who showed a different side behind closed doors. An overenthusiastic shout drew her attention from the scene. Another guy waved and grinned, bragging about super speed before sprinting down the path at an entirely mundane pace. Mara rolled her eyes, nodding at Alonzo's comment. Ok, she knew what it was like to desperately want a power, but did that guy have to make an ass of himself over it? "Yep. All I have to say is, be careful what you wish for," she murmured. No sooner were the words out than she inwardly cringed. Had she just let on how much she'd wanted what others had? What a vulnerable little sap she'd been? Not exactly something she wanted to open up about, especially to total strangers. "Anyway, yeah." She hurried after the tattooed guy. "Let's go."</s>	<\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Conference Building 10:00 AM The doors of the conference building opened up into a spacious, blissfully air-conditioned hallway. An abundance of signs with large arrows directed conference-goers to the right room. A couple workers briefly checked the guests' tickets before welcoming them in. "Because the meeting is starting in a couple minutes," one volunteer explained, "I'm afraid we are unable to test for the plant-powers discount at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience, and please check back in with us after the meeting if this applies to you." The volunteers also handed each person a small packet containing useful information like a map, phone numbers to call in case of problems, and the itinerary for the weekend. The schedule seemed a little disjointed, like it was made by different people. For example, one time slot gave conference-goers a choice between "Panel Discussion: Correlational or Causal Links Between Animal Essenced People and Mental Illness and Learning Disabilities, and Implications for Plant Essenced People" or "Scavenger Hunt / Water Balloon Fight." Of course, anyone could say no to both options at any time and have some free time. But is that what people paid to come here for? The actual meeting room was mostly full by the time the group arrived, nearing its recommended capacity of 150 people. It appeared the front rows mostly contained scientists and other professional-looking people, while the more casually dressed people congregated toward the middle. Most of the empty seats were in the back rows - not the best for seeing and hearing the stage, but good for people-watching the whole crowd. Less than a minute after everyone got settled, the lights dimmed slightly and two people walked onto the stage. One a serious middle-aged woman, the other a tall man with dark brown hair. "Good morning," the woman began, "and welcome to the SHARP Summit. My name is Dr. Lakshmi Gupta, Founding Director, and with me is Dr. Preston Nichols. All of us at Companion Biotech are pleased and humbled by the interest shown by people of all walks of life to gather here in unity and discuss..." The director continued a dry speech for several minutes about "mutually beneficial relationships," "the company vision," "growing a better world," and other such vaguely inspiring messages about the conference's goal of bringing differing groups together for open discussion. A small round of obligatory applause followed as Dr. Gupta handed off the mic. "Thank you, Dr. Gupta," Dr. Nichols spoke. "Now, I know you're all eager to get started with all the events we have arranged. There are just a few things we need to go over first. I'll try to make it fast..." The researcher continued a dry speech for several minutes about rules, interjected by a few jokes which received polite amounts of brief laughter. Most of it was general, self-explanatory things. Always use the buddy system, especially when you go into the woods. Quiet time is 11 pm. No slurs against Plant-Essenced people, Animal-Essenced people, or Non-Essenced people will be permitted in any context except when necessary to discuss their impact during discussions. No reckless use of superpowers. Y'know, the usual. "Alright," Dr. Nichols continued, "now it's time for all of you to play a part here. Let's have everyone find their cabin and introduce themselves. Tell everyone your name, where you're from, what your Essence is if you have one, and a fun fact about yourself. If we have time at the end, we'll have someone from each cabin come up and talk about a few of of the most interesting things you heard." Dr. Nichols vaguely pointed to areas of the room where each cabin was supposed to gather. Then he walked toward the Cabin 10 group.</s>
<\|description\|>Mara Harrington Appearance: Gender: Female Age: 22 Occupation: Cafe waitress/assistant Plant Essence: Lemon tree Superpower: Mara's plant affinity, oddly enough, granted her electric powers. This is because lemons are high in electrolytes, and can be used as simple batteries. Since she's at a low level right now, she can only produce a weak charge, and she doesn't have great control; when she's particularly angry or afraid, she tends to spark accidentally. With practice, she'll be able to produce electricity at a higher voltage, and gain better control over it. While shocks from external sources don't injure her, they do disrupt and weaken her power for a short time. Personality: As you'd expect, Mara is more than a little sour. She's long since given up trying to please people, and doesn't suffer idiots well, responding with a glare and a snarky comment. She particularly dislikes people who brag about their abilities, and who act like they're better than others. Grouchy as she is, that isn't to say she lacks energy. If something needs to be done, it's best to do it oneself. That and, instead of dwelling on problems, she prefers to either fix them or keep distracted. She advises others to do the same, albeit in a heavy handed way. Although she claims to look out for herself first and foremost, on occasion her actions prove otherwise. If someone's being picked on, she won't just sit by. Anyone who can get past her cynical exterior will have a loyal friend, although her protectiveness can prove a good or bad thing depending who you ask. Unknown to most, she has a soft spot for animals, and a passion for gardening. One of the few times she's completely relaxed is when she's tending to plants, especially fruit ones. History: The youngest of three siblings, Mara was the only one who never developed an animal affinity. From a young age, her sister could breathe underwater like a fish, and her brother could grow bird wings at will. Mara did everything she could to connect with animals, from feeding birds to befriending stray cats, but years went by with no sign of her manifesting an ability. Envying the praise her siblings received, she tried to earn the same appreciation, to no avail. She'd sell lemonade in the summer, homemade thanks to the family's fruit trees. She'd bake goods using homegrown produce. Yet, surrounded by talent as she was, it wasn't enough. It didn't help that her siblings bullied her relentlessly, and her parents didn't do a great deal about it. Eventually, she stopped trying to please others, since her efforts didn't work. Better to focus that effort on herself, and on living beings besides humans. Not just animals, but plants, since they couldn't judge at all. The fruit she harvested seemed like a thank you for caring for the trees and shrubs, which was more than what she got from anyone else. She remained the only one seemngly not destined for greatness. Her brother went on to work in search and rescue, and her sister found a calling in marine conservation. Mara, meanwhile, struggled after moving out, and ended up with a low paying job in a cafe. At least it was a change from family life, but the inevitable reunions were stressful at the best of times. It was during one such gathering that Mara's essence finally manifested. An argument broke out over dinner. Mara tried to rein in her anger to keep things from escalating, but they did, in an even worse way than she expected. Sparks flew around her, literally. The next thing she knew, a fire was spreading through the dining room. Luckily everyone got out in time, and the emergency services put out the fire before it could do extensive damage. Still, it wasn't exactly how Mara envisioned gaining a power, or what her family had hoped for. Especially as it wasn't an animal essence. At first it seemed like an electric eel affinity, but there were hints that it wasn't. One was that her power wasn't necessarily touch-based. The other was, as well as the smell of ozone, using it left a distinctive zesty scent. It reminded her of a dream she'd had two weeks prior, that she'd brushed off as random wackiness - one where she'd watched lightning strike the ground, and a lemon tree spring up from the spot where it had hit. Considering her brother and sister had reported dreams hinting at their powers, was this just a coincidence? The event Mara yearned for her entire life has left her in a difficult situation. Since plant essences were unheard of until now, she must turn to others like her for help. The problem being, any further control lapses won't mesh well with people who can summon vines, branches, and other flammable vegetation... Miscellaneous: She's only known about her power for a month and a half.</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n A cool breeze blew by, carrying with it a tiny, glowing seed. It swirled and danced on the air, finally settling in a few strands of Dani's golden locks. I was...shocked? But I'm ok... , a mysterious voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Dani stopped in her tracks, heart racing and wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights. Her mother stumbled but held tight to Dani, using her to keep balance. Dani just stood there, unblinking, with her heart pounding. Her mother put her cool hand to the girl's clammy forehead and felt her cheek and face. "Honey, what's wrong? Are you feeling faint again? Don't be frightened, I'm right here," she soothed, stoking her daughter's long hair. Dani was hardly listening. She stared blankly ahead, lost in thought. Di-did he hear me? Was... was that him answering back? Dani wondered frantically. Never had she heard such a deep voice come from a dandelion messenger. They were usually celestial. Angelic. The dandelions must have contacted him on her behalf. But then, did that mean her mind was no longer sacred? Could she trust the dandelions with her thoughts and feelings and secrets? What if she accidentally hurt someone by thinking something she would never say out loud, or what if people found discovered her power... The next thing she knew, a man with that same deep voice was speaking right in front of her, asking if she was okay. It seemed her hunch was right. She looked him in his amber eyes and at his scarred face for only just a moment before looking away with an embarrassed smile and reddening cheeks. "I um, I'm fine, really... " Dani stammered quietly. It was bad enough to be speaking with somebody she didn't know, and worse that he might figure out she has powers. Dani looked down at the dog by his side to distract herself and avoid accidentally sharing her thoughts, but the dog only made her feel more anxious. Good doggy..good doggy...good doggy... Dani repeated in her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearing her mind. "Oh, just a case of heat exhaustion. A little bit of water and some shade and she'll be right as rain," Dani's mother answered for her, patting her on the shoulder. Feeling a little more calm, Dani nodded and drank from her plastic bottle water to help support her mother's explanation, while avoiding eye contact. "She's a little shy around strangers," her mom explained, leaning in to whisper toward the brown-eyed man, before wobbling back upright. "Anyways... my name is Fauna and this is Danielle, William, Destiny, and Abagail. Say hello to the nice gentleman, kids." Fauna said with a friendly smile, pointing to each child in turn. Abagail crossed her arms and mumbled 'hello', William nodded and said 'hey'. Destiny gave him an energetic wave, 'hi' and a big grin, glancing to and from the man and his dog, but more interested in the dog. Fauna nodded approvingly. "And who do we have the pleasure of meeting?" she asked. "Can I pet your dog? Can I please?" Destiny suddenly blurted out, reaching for the animal. Danielle grabbed for her sister's shirt sleeve, trying to stop her, but the girl slipped from her grasp.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Nice to meet you both." Alonzo nodded with a slight smile, waving away the concern of his hand. He stepped back a little to give Ryker some space, and to also get out of the worst of the lavender cloud. He knew the smell would cling to his hair and clothes for hours now. Not that it was a bad smell; he just wasn't a fan of the old lady images it brought to mind. "Teething problems, bit of a weird sensation to get used to. Nothing major though." He gave him another brief smile before Conner was in front of him again, hand on his arm. This guy was definitely the touchy-feeley type, but Alonzo didn't mind too much. He'd had worse. He grinned brightly at the mention of his tattoo. They were his absolute pride and joy. "I designed this one. Well, adapted it from a painting I did a few years ago. I regretted selling it so much that I redrew it in tattoo form. One of my friends actually tattooed it though, he lives in the south. This one," He held out his other arm, adorned with runes and a compass. "My grandma designed for me before she passed. She was very spiritual. All of the runes mean something different." He smiled a little sadly but didn't dwell. "I have more on my back and my shoulders. One on each thigh too. I've spent way too much money on these already, but I still have some space so still room for more."</s> <\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur watched as Muriel walked away, heading toward a gathering of people talking. For a second Arthur thought he saw a bolt of electricity and was bewildered, before remembering that he was at a conference for people with powers. As Arthur wondered what other powers would be on display here, a scent of lavender blew down on the summer wind. Arthur wondered where it was coming from as the smell was quite strong and he didn't see any lavender plants. Deciding that it must be a part of a power, Arthur decided to head over to where it was coming from. As Arthur walked across the grass, he found that the smell was emanating from two attractive man talking. One had the whole surfer dude thing going on, while the other was covered in tattoos. While not usually Arthur's type, there was something alluring about the tattooed man, something besides the pleasant smell. Seeing that they were deep in conversation, the tattooed man seemingly showing off his ink, Arthur decided not to barge in just because they both were attractive. He turned away, hoping to find someone else to talk to, only to spot one of the cutest dogs he had ever seen in his life. Arthur always had a soft spot for dogs, his neighbours growing up having one and his landlady letting him walk hers. On autopilot, Arthur approached the dog, ready to pet it. But a little girl got there first, pleading with her own puppy dog eyes to pet the dog. Arthur abruptly stopped, almost running into the family surrounding the dog. Taking a moment to refocus on what he was doing, Arthur finally saw the dog's owner. He too was attractive, and Arthur wondered if plant essences could turn you hot. Arthur slowly walked up to the dog and its owner, "Do you mind if I pet your dog?" Arthur then turned to the little girl, "But you could totally go first. I mean this dog is cute enough to wait in line to pet. Right?" Arthur then felt a little awkward, thinking that this mom must be asking who this strange man was and why was he talking to her kid. Arthur's cheeks started to turn slightly red as he worried about being weird with this dog, his attractive owner, and this family he was engaging with. @Heartfillia</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n @Martian "Where's your manners!" Mother Fauna scolded. Dani couldn't bear to see what would happen next. She closed her eyes and covered her face with the back of her hand, expecting the worse. A moment pased, and rather than hearing growling and screaming she heard a new voice. Dani snuck a peek and saw a slightly older boy with dark hair and glasses casually approaching, wishing to pat the dog as well. "Hey! I wanted to pet her!" Dani's little sister protested, stopping in her tracks. She slid down onto her hands and knees in the gravel, stopping just about a foot short of the dog, dirtying her legs and yellow dress in the process. She was pouting and looking longingly at the dog in its eyes. Dani's heart raced, worrying that the dog would pounce at any moment. The new boy then offered to let Destiny go first, appeasing the young child. She raised her chin up with a smug grin on her face, but she stayed in the dirt this time seeming to wait for permission...</s>	<\|message\|>Mara Harrington Well, at least Ryker now seemed pretty unfazed, compared to his initial reaction. Still, knowing she owed him a new jacket didn't make Mara feel much less guilty. A charred sleeve was much more minor than burned skin, but she still felt the need to make up for it, and her budget probably wouldn't stretch that far. "Yeah, and hopefully they'll actually help us with that learning," she muttered, with a glance towards the pavillion. The suspicion that this summit would consist more of talking than anything productive hadn't gone away. With all these people gathering, she needed something that would take her mind off of such thoughts. Her gaze settled on the big fluffy German shepherd, Sascha, and her expression softened. An undeniably cute dog, and she could see why the little girl and the guy with glasses were so eager to pet her. Mara inched forward, but stopped. No, it wouldn't be worth it. What if she hurt the dog? Or one of the people nearby? Besides, Sascha probably wouldn't take too kindly to someone who'd shocked her owner. Keeping a safe distance as she watched, Mara hoped the cute scene would calm her enough that she wouldn't cause any more problems.</s>
<\|description\|>Mara Harrington Appearance: Gender: Female Age: 22 Occupation: Cafe waitress/assistant Plant Essence: Lemon tree Superpower: Mara's plant affinity, oddly enough, granted her electric powers. This is because lemons are high in electrolytes, and can be used as simple batteries. Since she's at a low level right now, she can only produce a weak charge, and she doesn't have great control; when she's particularly angry or afraid, she tends to spark accidentally. With practice, she'll be able to produce electricity at a higher voltage, and gain better control over it. While shocks from external sources don't injure her, they do disrupt and weaken her power for a short time. Personality: As you'd expect, Mara is more than a little sour. She's long since given up trying to please people, and doesn't suffer idiots well, responding with a glare and a snarky comment. She particularly dislikes people who brag about their abilities, and who act like they're better than others. Grouchy as she is, that isn't to say she lacks energy. If something needs to be done, it's best to do it oneself. That and, instead of dwelling on problems, she prefers to either fix them or keep distracted. She advises others to do the same, albeit in a heavy handed way. Although she claims to look out for herself first and foremost, on occasion her actions prove otherwise. If someone's being picked on, she won't just sit by. Anyone who can get past her cynical exterior will have a loyal friend, although her protectiveness can prove a good or bad thing depending who you ask. Unknown to most, she has a soft spot for animals, and a passion for gardening. One of the few times she's completely relaxed is when she's tending to plants, especially fruit ones. History: The youngest of three siblings, Mara was the only one who never developed an animal affinity. From a young age, her sister could breathe underwater like a fish, and her brother could grow bird wings at will. Mara did everything she could to connect with animals, from feeding birds to befriending stray cats, but years went by with no sign of her manifesting an ability. Envying the praise her siblings received, she tried to earn the same appreciation, to no avail. She'd sell lemonade in the summer, homemade thanks to the family's fruit trees. She'd bake goods using homegrown produce. Yet, surrounded by talent as she was, it wasn't enough. It didn't help that her siblings bullied her relentlessly, and her parents didn't do a great deal about it. Eventually, she stopped trying to please others, since her efforts didn't work. Better to focus that effort on herself, and on living beings besides humans. Not just animals, but plants, since they couldn't judge at all. The fruit she harvested seemed like a thank you for caring for the trees and shrubs, which was more than what she got from anyone else. She remained the only one seemngly not destined for greatness. Her brother went on to work in search and rescue, and her sister found a calling in marine conservation. Mara, meanwhile, struggled after moving out, and ended up with a low paying job in a cafe. At least it was a change from family life, but the inevitable reunions were stressful at the best of times. It was during one such gathering that Mara's essence finally manifested. An argument broke out over dinner. Mara tried to rein in her anger to keep things from escalating, but they did, in an even worse way than she expected. Sparks flew around her, literally. The next thing she knew, a fire was spreading through the dining room. Luckily everyone got out in time, and the emergency services put out the fire before it could do extensive damage. Still, it wasn't exactly how Mara envisioned gaining a power, or what her family had hoped for. Especially as it wasn't an animal essence. At first it seemed like an electric eel affinity, but there were hints that it wasn't. One was that her power wasn't necessarily touch-based. The other was, as well as the smell of ozone, using it left a distinctive zesty scent. It reminded her of a dream she'd had two weeks prior, that she'd brushed off as random wackiness - one where she'd watched lightning strike the ground, and a lemon tree spring up from the spot where it had hit. Considering her brother and sister had reported dreams hinting at their powers, was this just a coincidence? The event Mara yearned for her entire life has left her in a difficult situation. Since plant essences were unheard of until now, she must turn to others like her for help. The problem being, any further control lapses won't mesh well with people who can summon vines, branches, and other flammable vegetation... Miscellaneous: She's only known about her power for a month and a half.</s> <\|message\|>Conner Waters After Conner finally got his money, it was time for their hiking and zip lining adventure. He had to admit, Conner was more excited about the zipline part of this excursion, but eh it was fine. It would make the ziplining that much more fun once he got there. Then, something unexpected happened. A guy shoved a microphone in his face. There was another dude with a giant camera behind him. "Hello there! What is your name? What are you looking forward to at this conference?" Conner smirked. "Name's Conner Waters. I'm looking forward to learning about these awesome new powers I got." He did his usual trick of manipulating the water in his bottle. "Btw, if my parents and sister are watching this, well… SURPRISE! LOOK AT ME NOW GUYS! I'M NOT THE PERFECT CHILD YOU WANT, AND I NEVER WILL BE! I HAVE SUPERPOWERS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?" Then he flipped off his family on camera.</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington "Isn't it obvious?!" The superhumanly amplified voice was the first thing Mara heard when she re-entered the pavilion, after having tried and failed to find Felicia. She flinched and stared. The discussion wasn't due to start quite yet, but in the middle of the gathering stood a wild-haired woman shouting to anyone who'd listen - not that they had a choice. "For all the ills of the modern age, a select few of us are still in tune with the natural world. So Mother Earth has called us to end the scourges of technology and civilization! Rise up, my fellow chosen ones, and let's abandon the cities for the woodlands, where we can live carefree, peaceful lives in harmony with nature's paradise once again!" She spread out her feet, raising her fist in a superhero-like pose, tendrils - no, roots - trailing from her limbs. Oh. Of course, mandragora essence, Mara thought, considering the folkloric connotations. If she'd guessed right, that'd explain the shrieking. And while respect for nature was by no means a bad thing... Peaceful? Either the speech-giver had never seen a wildlife documentary, or she had to be saying all this ironically. "I, for one, will start with this!" The shrieker flung her cell phone at a wall, where it smashed, shards clattering to the floor. "Liberate yourselves, blessed ones!" Several people, including Mara, slowly backed away. Hiking suddenly didn't seem so bad an idea. If this loudmouth didn't get kicked out, it was clear nobody else would get a word in edgeways. Mara sighed and hurried back out into the clearing, just in time to catch the end of the announcement. She sprinted over to the hiking group, slowing her pace to a leisurely traipse once she caught up, thankful for the quiet as they headed down the tree-lined trail. Ziplining was still a no-no, but at least a walk and some fresh air could prove relaxing... "Hello, America!" Or not. At the sight of a camera crew of all things, Mara startled. Sparks crackled at the tops of her gloves. Her stomach dropped, and she grimaced, eyes flicking from side to side as she drew back. She hadn't zapped anyone or anything, to her relief, but what if she'd drawn the crew's attention? Being on TV would be nothing short of a nightmare. Hoping they'd keep focusing on Conner despite his attitude, or even because of it, she edged further and further away. She should have stayed at the discussion after all.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Hiking Trail Mara's 'accident' happened plenty of distance away from the cameras and went unnoticed by most of the crew. The surly thin woman standing behind the cameraman startled a bit as the sparks caught her eye. She looked at Mara with widened eyes for just a second. Then she averted her gaze, acting natural, letting the situation pass without a big hullabaloo. The cameraman did his work well, following the stream of water as it floated through the air, catching John's amazed expression and Conner's proud one. The reporter's trained smile faltered just a bit as Conner decided to start going all Rebellious Teen on the air. Ever the professional, the cameraman predicted Conner's subsequent gesture and only half a second of the bird appeared in the corner of the screen as the camera panned back to John. "Well there you have it," John said with a bright smile. "A spirited bunch at the conference. We'll be back with you soon!" The instant the camera cut, John's plastic smile dropped. He rubbed his eyes as he addressed Conner. "I guess you're probably not mature enough to care, kid, but this is one of the first impressions the world will have of plant essences. For your own sake, maybe think about not making that impression so... abrasive in the future." John rubbed his temples and turned away, looking ten years older without his well-trained TV personality pizazz. "Candy," he grumbled. "Go get my smokes." The thin woman in the background took a breath and braced herself. "You said they were 'only for emergencies,'" Candace replied in a bored tone. "Your future self would not say this is an emergency." "My future self can kiss my ass this one time," John practically barked. "Go get just one cigarette, Candygirl. I won't. Ask. Again." Candace fought the urge to roll her eyes. Both of them knew that statement was a lie. Before she could reply, a bearded man with a bandaged hand took an exaggerated inhale awkwardly close to the tense conversation. "You smell delightful," the bearded man addressed Candace with a smile. "I can tell with my dog powers." Candace froze for a second, pondering. "Fine, I'll get your smokes," Candace muttered, starting back down the path toward the cabins. At least it would be a nice break from these obnoxious men. Joseph continued sniffing around, trying to find the source of another delightful smell. He hadn't pinpointed Mara yet but was getting dangerously close. NatJack continued hovering around the area. She eventually worked up the nerve to reunite with Conner. "Uh... hah," the redhead spoke. She looked away. All this time working up the nerve to converse with one of the people who had cool functioning powers, and she didn't even know what to say. "...So, uh, how long'd it take ya to learn howta do that?" @Crimson Flame</s>	<\|message\|>Mara Harrington When the camera cut, Mara gave a huge sigh of relief. Shuffling back in the line, she glared at the camera crew and the volunteers. The staff could have said this would happen, instead of springing it on everyone like that. "Never a dull moment," she muttered to nobody in particular. That trend showed no sign of stopping. The bearded guy from earlier clearly hadn't learned his lesson, sniffing at a woman in the crew, trying to impress her with his claim of dog powers. Predictably, the first thing the woman did was make a swift exit. Mara groaned, wondering what essence the guy would try - and inevitably fail - to convince everyone he had next. She took another step back as he started heading her way, no doubt picking up on the smell of lemon. He hadn't found the source just yet, but it would only be a matter of time until he did, and Mara grimaced at the thought of being on the receiving end of that terrible flirting attempt. Before it could happen, she faced him, glowering. "Funny. Didn't you have ivy powers a few minutes ago?" No sooner had she said it than childhood memories surfaced, accompanied by a spike of guilt. Stumbling around a dark room, convincing herself she had feline night vision. Sneaking to retrieve toys her siblings had stolen from her, wishing she had the cunning of a fox. That hope, followed by disappointment, whenever she dreamed of an animal. Sure, she'd been a kid back then, but maybe she wasn't one to judge.</s>
<\|description\|>Conner Waters Appearance: Conner is tall and lean, standing at exactly six feet tall. He has slender well defined swimmers body that he is very happy to show off. He spends plenty of time out in the sun, and thus has a lightly tanned skin complexion. He has a boyish heart shaped face, with big brown eyes, and a small nose. He keeps his brunette hair spiked up in the front, a style he thinks is cool. He can most often be seen with a grin on his face. As for clothing, even though Conner comes from a wealthy family, he doesn't dress the part. He wears simple T-shirts and jeans all the time. He also likes to wear tight fitting tank tops to show off his physique at times. When it's cold out, he'll wear a light blue hoodie. Footwear consists of a reliable pair of blue and white sneakers, or sandals. He dresses for comfort more than for fashion. He does like the color blue, and incorporates that into his wardrobe. Gender: Male Age: 18 Occupation: Surfer/Surf Shop Employee Plant Essence: Seaweed Superpower(s): Conner has control over water. At the moment, he can only move small amounts of water, and can't pull moisture from the air. Only control existing sources of water. He can splash people in the face with water from a water fountain. With time, his powers will grow. Personality: Conner is a spontaneous and outgoing young man. He likes to have fun. His favorite activities are surfing, swimming, playing video games, and reading comic books. He enjoys socializing with others and being the center of attention. He is an handshaking, touching kind of guy. He openly expresses affection through hugs, holding hands, as well as stroking and grabbing shoulders. He particularly likes flirting with attractive guys. He makes friends easily, and will happily chat up strangers if they interest him somehow. He enjoys social situations, and believes that everyone else would too. He's likely to convince people who he perceives as being lonely to come along with things like 'come on, you'll enjoy it!' or 'you don't know what you're missing!' While he does need to spend time alone once in a while, he gets bored if he does it too long. He values all his relationships, and will happily stick with anyone he considers a friend. He can often be found with a smile on his face, even during stressful situations. He often makes jokes, when the situation is tense to lift people's spirits. He may tease others in a 'playful' way, and expect them not to 'take it so seriously.' He does feel bad if somebody does actually get their feelings hurt by what he says. Sometimes his attempts at humor are read as him not taking the situation seriously. While he does joke around a lot, he is capable of getting things done. He just doesn't feel the need to be so dour about it. He often suggests that others not be so serious. Conner enjoys showing off his skills for others in order to get praise. He is prone to bragging about the things he is good at. He does it in a 'look at this awesome thing I can do!' way, rather than an 'I'm better than you.' way. He likes to live in the moment rather than dwelling on the past. This means Conner is not the best when it comes to organization, or planning. Due to his lack of planning ahead, it makes him impulsive, and he tends to jump into things without a second thought. He gets bored when he is not sufficiently stimulated, and will complain about being bored. He is also not the most tidy person. He does clean up his mess after the fact if it's pointed out to him, but he has trouble avoiding making a mess in the first place. Growing up a member of a rich family that has high standards, and a seemingly perfect older sister has given him a number of insecurites. He's always worried about not being good enough, and that he doesn't belong anywhere. He feels like he has something to prove. He wants to have a purpose in life. He tries to hide his worries behind a mask of cheerfulness, but they're always there. It manifests as envy torwards others he thinks are better than him. History: Conner grew up in an upscale area. Comner was the youngest son of the wealthy and prominent Waters family. His parents were quite strict, and they had high standards for their kids. Conner had an older sister named Arianna, and she was the the apple of the family's eye, at least it appeared that way to Conner. She was beautiful, talented, intelligent, and it felt like she could do no wrong. To him, it always seemed like anything he could do she could do better. In his teenage years, Conner gave up trying to live up to the high standards set by his sister. He only did just well enough in school to get by, and spent a lot of time slacking off. He would often act up in class, and get himself into trouble. There were days where he would cut class to go to the beach and surf. Surfing was one of his favorite activities. It was definitely something Arianna wouldn't do. He enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline high of catching a big wave. That, and he also flirting with the hot guys in swimsuits on the beach. He continued coasting through life trying to have as much fun as possible. Even though his grades weren't the best, he was rather popular with other students, and had a few close friends. His parents wished he would put more effort into his studies, and better represent his family name, but Conner didn't really care to try. His sister was obviously the shining star of the family, so why did they need him for? He managed to graduate with just good enough grades to pass. He continues working as an Employee at a local surf shop, and isn't sure if he wants to go to college or for that matter, what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Conner discovered his powers while surfing, naturally. He was able to move water when he was paddling out to sea. He had superpowers. He read about people having them, but never in his life did he think he'd get them too. That was something Arianna didn't have. If she did, she didn't tell anyone about them. While these powers are awesome for sure, but besides getting people wet, there wasn't much he could do with them right now. So he kept them a secret until he had a better handle on what they could do. Miscellaneous: He's gay!</s> <\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur cursed his luck as he sat in the conference's medical building. An hour back he had the smart idea of walking through the woods for a little bit just to see how dense they were. Less than five minutes into his excursion, Arthur tripped on a root and fell down. While initially just embarrassed, Arthur had more to worry about when he realized he had fallen into a poison ivy plant. Arthur recognized it from many lectures of his parents telling him to avoid it. By the time Arthur made it back to the conference, his skin had already begun to itch. Arthur tried powering through it, as he didn't want to miss the keynote speech. But closer to the time of the speech, Arthur's arms and legs had turned red. He tried his best not to itch, but the compulsion was too strong. As Arthur itched he thought of how poison ivy would be a really evil power to have. Fed up with this, Arthur approached one of the staff walking about, "You wouldn't happen to have something to help with poison ivy?" The staff stared at his red skin, "Yeah, you should probably go see the medical staff. Their building is just down there." Arthur looked where she was pointing and did indeed see a white building that said medical. Arthur thanked the staff before running toward the medical building. The uncomfortable feeling of the rash prompted Arthur to run, and then throw open the door. "Wow. Slow down man," said the medical staff standing in the centre of the room, "What do you need?" "Some help with this," Arthur replied as he raised his red arms toward the staff. "What? I told them not to have you guys hike through that trail. It's all poison ivy." "Actually this wasn't a hike. I just kind of wandered into the woods and fell into the ivy," Arthur replied sheepishly. "Well. OK," the staff was a little surprised, "Let's see if I can help you out." The medical staff proceeded to apply some kind of lotion that calmed down the itchiness. It even helped a little with the redness. "That should do it. If you need anything else then come on back here," the medical staff stated. Arthur nodded before leaving and heading to the hall. He arrived just in time to see the end of the icebreaker activity. The people of cabin five were just splitting up for their activities. Arthur looked at his brochure and saw hiking was an option. Arthur considered doing that as he did like hiking and he was pretty sure he couldn't get double poison ivy. His attention was then drawn to the quickly forming line of people to show off their powers for a refund. Arthur decided to enter the line as saving money was always good. The only problem would be showing off his powers. Arthur motioned for a staff member to come over so he could ask them a question, "Hey what do I do if my essence only does something at night?" "I don't know man. I don't work for the BioTech guys, just the building they're renting. My guess is to wait in line and ask when it's your turn. Whenever that will be." "Thanks," Arthur replied as the man walked away. Arthur gazed at how long the line was and sighed. Maybe by the time he reached the front it would be night and he could transform. But at least he didn't have to itch anymore.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabins - Central Pavilion Joseph Anderson was so immersed in brainstorming, he failed to notice his surroundings and had to be nudged whenever the line moved up. He wasn't quite satisfied by his plan when his turn came, but it would have to do. "Hello, and welcome to the SHARP summit," the worker in the blue name tag said in a cheerful customer service voice. "Please show your ticket and step over there to demonstrate your essence." The man pointed to an open field a relatively safe distance away from all the people in line. "Actually," Joseph began, "my essence is ivy. I'm an expert climber! But, you see, there's nothing to climb on over there. You could take my word for it, or I could climb on this pavilion." The worker's smile sagged a bit, already looking tired well before noon. "Alright," the volunteer decided, "but we'll have to move everyone away, for safety reasons." As the grumbling line was forced to move back into more of an abstract squiggle, Joseph rubbed his hands and stretched his legs, firing himself up. When the worker nodded, the bearded man leaped onto one of the wooden beams with gusto, hoisting himself up as fast as he could. He shimmied up to the roof with impressive speed. Well, impressive for a regular human. The volunteer pursed his lips, not really sure how to judge this ivy man. "Alright, you can come down now. I'll talk with my superiors and let you know their answer soon." "Okay!" Joseph shouted down, beginning to slide back down the pole. "When my refund's ready, just call me on- ACK!" The bearded man was interrupted by a large splinter sticking into his right palm. The man lost his grip and flailed for a moment before landing hard but on his feet. The shaken man stood frozen for a second. Then he put his hands up and posed like a gymnast landing an expert trick. "I also have extra ivy resilience! Ow..."</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @GreysonEA @Emeth Taking another look over the brochure, Mara sighed. While she needed answers, philosophical theories would be no substitute for cold hard facts. Probably the best option though - ziplining would be fun and all, but the slightest panic from her could ruin everyone's day. Bracing herself for the upcoming drudgery, she shuffled from the room, towards the line of people queuing to display their powers. She gave a nervous tug at her gloves - she'd be able to manage a small spark without hurting anyone, but she'd still want to keep a safe distance. Her eyes flicked around the area, settling on someone who'd spoken up earlier. The dark-haired woman who'd introduced herself as Felicia, also heading towards the queue with Ryker and his dog in tow. Overhearing Alonzo's question about another zapping incident, Mara huffed and rolled her eyes. "So, about what you said earlier," she said, approaching Felicia. Best to skip small talk and get to the point. "You say you cater to essenced people, so... Would you happen to know how to mesh day-to-day life with electric powers? They're not exactly a great mix." The only thing she could think to do was put rubber sheeting all over her apartment. Which would mean she needed the money even more, but maybe a landlady could help with practical matters. She whirled round at a yelp from the pavilion. A guy who'd had the oh-so-bright idea to climb to the top flailed before falling. Mara gasped, but luckily the guy landed on his feet, trying to save face with a showy pose. It looked like only his ego was hurt. Ok, and maybe his hand and feet. Mara turned her blank stare from the show-off guy to Alonzo. "Well, there's your chance."</s> <\|message\|>Felicia Vespa Felicia turned to face the lemon-scented girl—clearly a young lady with a lot of spunk. At least, Felicia was not used to being casually approached like that. Her mind blanked for a moment as Mara put her on the spot, mentioning that she catered to plant-essenced people. In actual truth, she didn't, and learning how to cater to such people was merely a pretense for coming to this summit, that she had come up with in the spur of the moment. Now, however, she found herself needing to prove her worth to this new community of people with much more diverse traits and abilities. "Electric plant essence... That's not something I'd have expected," she said, truthfully. "It shouldn't be an impossible situation. I'd probably consult fire safety experts for advice on accommodations... and perhaps some electricians. If the power could be harnessed for energy, perhaps I could make a deal with the tenant and the power company to offset the cost of those accommodations by lowering the electric bill," she offered. I don't know if that's actually possible, though... she thought to herself, hoping she didn't sound like she was talking out of her ass.</s>	<\|message\|>Conner Waters Conner stood in line waiting for a long time. Mostly because the line was filled with scammers pretending to have an essence in order to get their refund. They were busted quickly, but it definitely made this line move slow. Finally, it was Conner's turn. "Finally! Look, I'm the real deal. Watch this!" He opened the water bottle he was carrying, and wave his hand over it, pulling out the water that was inside. He waved his hand around, levitating the water around the room. Then, he managed to successfully put the water back into the bottle. He need to drink that water later. "I didn't splash anyone this time. Ha!" He threw a fist in the air. "I think I might be a seaweed essence. I've been having dreams about being underwater surrounded by seaweed… I think that's what that means. Anyway, when do I get my monies?"</s>
<\|description\|>Conner Waters Appearance: Conner is tall and lean, standing at exactly six feet tall. He has slender well defined swimmers body that he is very happy to show off. He spends plenty of time out in the sun, and thus has a lightly tanned skin complexion. He has a boyish heart shaped face, with big brown eyes, and a small nose. He keeps his brunette hair spiked up in the front, a style he thinks is cool. He can most often be seen with a grin on his face. As for clothing, even though Conner comes from a wealthy family, he doesn't dress the part. He wears simple T-shirts and jeans all the time. He also likes to wear tight fitting tank tops to show off his physique at times. When it's cold out, he'll wear a light blue hoodie. Footwear consists of a reliable pair of blue and white sneakers, or sandals. He dresses for comfort more than for fashion. He does like the color blue, and incorporates that into his wardrobe. Gender: Male Age: 18 Occupation: Surfer/Surf Shop Employee Plant Essence: Seaweed Superpower(s): Conner has control over water. At the moment, he can only move small amounts of water, and can't pull moisture from the air. Only control existing sources of water. He can splash people in the face with water from a water fountain. With time, his powers will grow. Personality: Conner is a spontaneous and outgoing young man. He likes to have fun. His favorite activities are surfing, swimming, playing video games, and reading comic books. He enjoys socializing with others and being the center of attention. He is an handshaking, touching kind of guy. He openly expresses affection through hugs, holding hands, as well as stroking and grabbing shoulders. He particularly likes flirting with attractive guys. He makes friends easily, and will happily chat up strangers if they interest him somehow. He enjoys social situations, and believes that everyone else would too. He's likely to convince people who he perceives as being lonely to come along with things like 'come on, you'll enjoy it!' or 'you don't know what you're missing!' While he does need to spend time alone once in a while, he gets bored if he does it too long. He values all his relationships, and will happily stick with anyone he considers a friend. He can often be found with a smile on his face, even during stressful situations. He often makes jokes, when the situation is tense to lift people's spirits. He may tease others in a 'playful' way, and expect them not to 'take it so seriously.' He does feel bad if somebody does actually get their feelings hurt by what he says. Sometimes his attempts at humor are read as him not taking the situation seriously. While he does joke around a lot, he is capable of getting things done. He just doesn't feel the need to be so dour about it. He often suggests that others not be so serious. Conner enjoys showing off his skills for others in order to get praise. He is prone to bragging about the things he is good at. He does it in a 'look at this awesome thing I can do!' way, rather than an 'I'm better than you.' way. He likes to live in the moment rather than dwelling on the past. This means Conner is not the best when it comes to organization, or planning. Due to his lack of planning ahead, it makes him impulsive, and he tends to jump into things without a second thought. He gets bored when he is not sufficiently stimulated, and will complain about being bored. He is also not the most tidy person. He does clean up his mess after the fact if it's pointed out to him, but he has trouble avoiding making a mess in the first place. Growing up a member of a rich family that has high standards, and a seemingly perfect older sister has given him a number of insecurites. He's always worried about not being good enough, and that he doesn't belong anywhere. He feels like he has something to prove. He wants to have a purpose in life. He tries to hide his worries behind a mask of cheerfulness, but they're always there. It manifests as envy torwards others he thinks are better than him. History: Conner grew up in an upscale area. Comner was the youngest son of the wealthy and prominent Waters family. His parents were quite strict, and they had high standards for their kids. Conner had an older sister named Arianna, and she was the the apple of the family's eye, at least it appeared that way to Conner. She was beautiful, talented, intelligent, and it felt like she could do no wrong. To him, it always seemed like anything he could do she could do better. In his teenage years, Conner gave up trying to live up to the high standards set by his sister. He only did just well enough in school to get by, and spent a lot of time slacking off. He would often act up in class, and get himself into trouble. There were days where he would cut class to go to the beach and surf. Surfing was one of his favorite activities. It was definitely something Arianna wouldn't do. He enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline high of catching a big wave. That, and he also flirting with the hot guys in swimsuits on the beach. He continued coasting through life trying to have as much fun as possible. Even though his grades weren't the best, he was rather popular with other students, and had a few close friends. His parents wished he would put more effort into his studies, and better represent his family name, but Conner didn't really care to try. His sister was obviously the shining star of the family, so why did they need him for? He managed to graduate with just good enough grades to pass. He continues working as an Employee at a local surf shop, and isn't sure if he wants to go to college or for that matter, what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Conner discovered his powers while surfing, naturally. He was able to move water when he was paddling out to sea. He had superpowers. He read about people having them, but never in his life did he think he'd get them too. That was something Arianna didn't have. If she did, she didn't tell anyone about them. While these powers are awesome for sure, but besides getting people wet, there wasn't much he could do with them right now. So he kept them a secret until he had a better handle on what they could do. Miscellaneous: He's gay!</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabins - Central Pavilion The volunteer gazed skeptically at the glob of water leaving Conner's bottle. His expression turned to neutral and finally impressed as the liquid levitated with control around the room and back into the water bottle. He thought for a moment and then nodded toward Conner, handing him an earned refund and a special sticker to put on his event program. A few minutes later, the tired volunteer seemed less impressed by Mara's display. He narrowed his eyes and considered for a moment. "An... electric lemon essence, you say?... would qualify for a refund. To ensure fairness toward all participants, you'll have to consent to a thorough pat-down to check for well-known items such as tasers or-" "Ahh, you're doing a good job," a clear voice interrupted. The volunteer stiffened as Dr. Nichols, dressed in the most outdoorsy clothing possible to still maybe get away with calling it business casual, propped an elbow on the man's shoulder. "Way to hold down the fort. You give yourself a break, I can take it from here." The volunteer still looked a little peeved about the researcher's display of boisterous friendliness. But he wasn't about to argue about a break. As the skeptical volunteer walked away, Dr. Nichols turned to Mara and handed her the plant essence refund and sticker. "I wish some of the unessenced would get over their jealousy enough to realize that every essenced person is a benefit to humanity as a whole," Dr. Nichols commented more quietly with an understanding smile. "Electric powers, for example. If even one out of a thousand people had well-developed electric powers, we could greatly cut down the use of fossil fuels! Have you met any other plant-essenced people here? I have several events to run, but I would love to find a little time on the side to group together and talk." Flame @LuckyBlackCat</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @Emeth Mara pressed her lips together, but nodded. Tasers weren't exactly known for channeling electricity through people's fingers. Or smelling of lemon. This guy was clearly looking for any excuse to withold refunds, not that she'd expected anything different. That expectation was turned on its head as an official-looking figure approached, taking over from the volunteer. A much friendlier attitude wasn't all he presented - to Mara's surprise, he handed out a sticker and a wad of cash. For a few moments, Mara was speechless. Well, that was quite the upturn of events. "Thanks, I was starting to doubt I'd see a cent of that." Tucking the money into her wallet, she rolled her eyes in the direction of the volunteer who trudged away. Ok, so maybe her judgement of him was a little unfair. An unessenced person sick of people rubbing their talents in their face - That sounded rather familiar. As much as she'd envied her siblings, and as badly as they'd treated her, they did benefit humanity. She couldn't deny that. "Yeah. Though it sure would help if some weren't so quick to flaunt it at every possible opportunity." She thought of Conner, and the water splash. "And yep, it'd be nice to make something useful of this." Useful. She hadn't imagined that word could describe anything she did. Could that change? Producing clean energy would be a better line of work than waitressing, depending how well the people involved were treated. "As for other plant essenced people," she continued, "Turns out there are a fair few here, despite all the time-wasters we've had in the queue." Speaking of, she wasn't about to hold up the rest of the line. "Well, I'd better let things move along, but I guess a chat later wouldn't hurt." Whether it would help was another matter, but at least there was a chance. She wondered if the researcher had met any other electricity users. If so, would he have any advice about electric powers? Heading away, she cringed, gloved hands in her jeans pockets. As someone who preferred to get things done herself, the thought of asking for help didn't sit well with her, but she had no choice. Right now, she needed to find Felicia, to further discuss matters.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Central Pavilion --> Hiking Trail 10:45 a.m. Dr. Nichols frowned as he glanced between his watch and the couple in front of him. "I'm sorry, we don't have enough time now for a whole cup- excuse me-" The researcher left with an apologetic look and stood on top of a wooden table. "May I have everyone's attention please?" Dr. Nichols shouted from his perch. "A few things before we start our hiking and zip line excursion. Don't forget that this is a wild forest. We will be staying on the marked paths. Leaving the paths could result in you getting lost or hurt, and that would be a big bummer. If you need to leave for any reason, use the buddy system and take the main paths. Remember to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. And most importantly, have fun!" With that, the man hopped down from the bench. He and one of the blue-tagged volunteers began leading the conference-goers over to the trail, while two other volunteers stayed behind to bring up the rear. The group soon passed the signpost that marked an entrance to the main trail. Almost immediately, the trail was surrounded by tall thin trees, casting shadows on the ground and the faces of the campers. The path itself was covered in dusty gravel, which petered out into a section of bare damp earth as the group scaled down a small hill. The gravel returned as the path kept alternating between levels of civilization and wilderness. The trail was wide enough for about three people to walk together, though sometimes it narrowed through winding areas. "Hello, America!" a strong masculine voice cut through the quiet wilderness. "This is John Jacob at the long-awaited SHARP conference. We are on a hike through these beautiful woods at the Cypress View Retreat Center. Let's see if we can find some interesting people to talk to. Who knows, we might even meet some plant-essenced people today!" The peppy talk show host smiled brightly as he just about shoved his big microphone in one of the hiker's faces. A few meters behind John stood a big man with an almost equally big camera and a thin young woman who looked annoyed. A few hikers gave the camera crew a weird look before politely walking around the impromptu set. "Hello there!" John Jacob addressed the random hiker. "What is your name? What are you looking forward to at this conference?" Further back in the line, NatJack averted her eyes from the camera crew, decidedly NOT wanting to be any part of that. The redhead kept to herself, though she sent some thoughtful glances Connor's way from time to time. Flame @Emeth @GreysonEA @LuckyBlackCat</s>	<\|message\|>Conner Waters After Conner finally got his money, it was time for their hiking and zip lining adventure. He had to admit, Conner was more excited about the zipline part of this excursion, but eh it was fine. It would make the ziplining that much more fun once he got there. Then, something unexpected happened. A guy shoved a microphone in his face. There was another dude with a giant camera behind him. "Hello there! What is your name? What are you looking forward to at this conference?" Conner smirked. "Name's Conner Waters. I'm looking forward to learning about these awesome new powers I got." He did his usual trick of manipulating the water in his bottle. "Btw, if my parents and sister are watching this, well… SURPRISE! LOOK AT ME NOW GUYS! I'M NOT THE PERFECT CHILD YOU WANT, AND I NEVER WILL BE! I HAVE SUPERPOWERS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?" Then he flipped off his family on camera.</s>
<\|description\|>Conner Waters Appearance: Conner is tall and lean, standing at exactly six feet tall. He has slender well defined swimmers body that he is very happy to show off. He spends plenty of time out in the sun, and thus has a lightly tanned skin complexion. He has a boyish heart shaped face, with big brown eyes, and a small nose. He keeps his brunette hair spiked up in the front, a style he thinks is cool. He can most often be seen with a grin on his face. As for clothing, even though Conner comes from a wealthy family, he doesn't dress the part. He wears simple T-shirts and jeans all the time. He also likes to wear tight fitting tank tops to show off his physique at times. When it's cold out, he'll wear a light blue hoodie. Footwear consists of a reliable pair of blue and white sneakers, or sandals. He dresses for comfort more than for fashion. He does like the color blue, and incorporates that into his wardrobe. Gender: Male Age: 18 Occupation: Surfer/Surf Shop Employee Plant Essence: Seaweed Superpower(s): Conner has control over water. At the moment, he can only move small amounts of water, and can't pull moisture from the air. Only control existing sources of water. He can splash people in the face with water from a water fountain. With time, his powers will grow. Personality: Conner is a spontaneous and outgoing young man. He likes to have fun. His favorite activities are surfing, swimming, playing video games, and reading comic books. He enjoys socializing with others and being the center of attention. He is an handshaking, touching kind of guy. He openly expresses affection through hugs, holding hands, as well as stroking and grabbing shoulders. He particularly likes flirting with attractive guys. He makes friends easily, and will happily chat up strangers if they interest him somehow. He enjoys social situations, and believes that everyone else would too. He's likely to convince people who he perceives as being lonely to come along with things like 'come on, you'll enjoy it!' or 'you don't know what you're missing!' While he does need to spend time alone once in a while, he gets bored if he does it too long. He values all his relationships, and will happily stick with anyone he considers a friend. He can often be found with a smile on his face, even during stressful situations. He often makes jokes, when the situation is tense to lift people's spirits. He may tease others in a 'playful' way, and expect them not to 'take it so seriously.' He does feel bad if somebody does actually get their feelings hurt by what he says. Sometimes his attempts at humor are read as him not taking the situation seriously. While he does joke around a lot, he is capable of getting things done. He just doesn't feel the need to be so dour about it. He often suggests that others not be so serious. Conner enjoys showing off his skills for others in order to get praise. He is prone to bragging about the things he is good at. He does it in a 'look at this awesome thing I can do!' way, rather than an 'I'm better than you.' way. He likes to live in the moment rather than dwelling on the past. This means Conner is not the best when it comes to organization, or planning. Due to his lack of planning ahead, it makes him impulsive, and he tends to jump into things without a second thought. He gets bored when he is not sufficiently stimulated, and will complain about being bored. He is also not the most tidy person. He does clean up his mess after the fact if it's pointed out to him, but he has trouble avoiding making a mess in the first place. Growing up a member of a rich family that has high standards, and a seemingly perfect older sister has given him a number of insecurites. He's always worried about not being good enough, and that he doesn't belong anywhere. He feels like he has something to prove. He wants to have a purpose in life. He tries to hide his worries behind a mask of cheerfulness, but they're always there. It manifests as envy torwards others he thinks are better than him. History: Conner grew up in an upscale area. Comner was the youngest son of the wealthy and prominent Waters family. His parents were quite strict, and they had high standards for their kids. Conner had an older sister named Arianna, and she was the the apple of the family's eye, at least it appeared that way to Conner. She was beautiful, talented, intelligent, and it felt like she could do no wrong. To him, it always seemed like anything he could do she could do better. In his teenage years, Conner gave up trying to live up to the high standards set by his sister. He only did just well enough in school to get by, and spent a lot of time slacking off. He would often act up in class, and get himself into trouble. There were days where he would cut class to go to the beach and surf. Surfing was one of his favorite activities. It was definitely something Arianna wouldn't do. He enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline high of catching a big wave. That, and he also flirting with the hot guys in swimsuits on the beach. He continued coasting through life trying to have as much fun as possible. Even though his grades weren't the best, he was rather popular with other students, and had a few close friends. His parents wished he would put more effort into his studies, and better represent his family name, but Conner didn't really care to try. His sister was obviously the shining star of the family, so why did they need him for? He managed to graduate with just good enough grades to pass. He continues working as an Employee at a local surf shop, and isn't sure if he wants to go to college or for that matter, what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Conner discovered his powers while surfing, naturally. He was able to move water when he was paddling out to sea. He had superpowers. He read about people having them, but never in his life did he think he'd get them too. That was something Arianna didn't have. If she did, she didn't tell anyone about them. While these powers are awesome for sure, but besides getting people wet, there wasn't much he could do with them right now. So he kept them a secret until he had a better handle on what they could do. Miscellaneous: He's gay!</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington "Isn't it obvious?!" The superhumanly amplified voice was the first thing Mara heard when she re-entered the pavilion, after having tried and failed to find Felicia. She flinched and stared. The discussion wasn't due to start quite yet, but in the middle of the gathering stood a wild-haired woman shouting to anyone who'd listen - not that they had a choice. "For all the ills of the modern age, a select few of us are still in tune with the natural world. So Mother Earth has called us to end the scourges of technology and civilization! Rise up, my fellow chosen ones, and let's abandon the cities for the woodlands, where we can live carefree, peaceful lives in harmony with nature's paradise once again!" She spread out her feet, raising her fist in a superhero-like pose, tendrils - no, roots - trailing from her limbs. Oh. Of course, mandragora essence, Mara thought, considering the folkloric connotations. If she'd guessed right, that'd explain the shrieking. And while respect for nature was by no means a bad thing... Peaceful? Either the speech-giver had never seen a wildlife documentary, or she had to be saying all this ironically. "I, for one, will start with this!" The shrieker flung her cell phone at a wall, where it smashed, shards clattering to the floor. "Liberate yourselves, blessed ones!" Several people, including Mara, slowly backed away. Hiking suddenly didn't seem so bad an idea. If this loudmouth didn't get kicked out, it was clear nobody else would get a word in edgeways. Mara sighed and hurried back out into the clearing, just in time to catch the end of the announcement. She sprinted over to the hiking group, slowing her pace to a leisurely traipse once she caught up, thankful for the quiet as they headed down the tree-lined trail. Ziplining was still a no-no, but at least a walk and some fresh air could prove relaxing... "Hello, America!" Or not. At the sight of a camera crew of all things, Mara startled. Sparks crackled at the tops of her gloves. Her stomach dropped, and she grimaced, eyes flicking from side to side as she drew back. She hadn't zapped anyone or anything, to her relief, but what if she'd drawn the crew's attention? Being on TV would be nothing short of a nightmare. Hoping they'd keep focusing on Conner despite his attitude, or even because of it, she edged further and further away. She should have stayed at the discussion after all.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Hiking Trail Mara's 'accident' happened plenty of distance away from the cameras and went unnoticed by most of the crew. The surly thin woman standing behind the cameraman startled a bit as the sparks caught her eye. She looked at Mara with widened eyes for just a second. Then she averted her gaze, acting natural, letting the situation pass without a big hullabaloo. The cameraman did his work well, following the stream of water as it floated through the air, catching John's amazed expression and Conner's proud one. The reporter's trained smile faltered just a bit as Conner decided to start going all Rebellious Teen on the air. Ever the professional, the cameraman predicted Conner's subsequent gesture and only half a second of the bird appeared in the corner of the screen as the camera panned back to John. "Well there you have it," John said with a bright smile. "A spirited bunch at the conference. We'll be back with you soon!" The instant the camera cut, John's plastic smile dropped. He rubbed his eyes as he addressed Conner. "I guess you're probably not mature enough to care, kid, but this is one of the first impressions the world will have of plant essences. For your own sake, maybe think about not making that impression so... abrasive in the future." John rubbed his temples and turned away, looking ten years older without his well-trained TV personality pizazz. "Candy," he grumbled. "Go get my smokes." The thin woman in the background took a breath and braced herself. "You said they were 'only for emergencies,'" Candace replied in a bored tone. "Your future self would not say this is an emergency." "My future self can kiss my ass this one time," John practically barked. "Go get just one cigarette, Candygirl. I won't. Ask. Again." Candace fought the urge to roll her eyes. Both of them knew that statement was a lie. Before she could reply, a bearded man with a bandaged hand took an exaggerated inhale awkwardly close to the tense conversation. "You smell delightful," the bearded man addressed Candace with a smile. "I can tell with my dog powers." Candace froze for a second, pondering. "Fine, I'll get your smokes," Candace muttered, starting back down the path toward the cabins. At least it would be a nice break from these obnoxious men. Joseph continued sniffing around, trying to find the source of another delightful smell. He hadn't pinpointed Mara yet but was getting dangerously close. NatJack continued hovering around the area. She eventually worked up the nerve to reunite with Conner. "Uh... hah," the redhead spoke. She looked away. All this time working up the nerve to converse with one of the people who had cool functioning powers, and she didn't even know what to say. "...So, uh, how long'd it take ya to learn howta do that?" @Crimson Flame</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington When the camera cut, Mara gave a huge sigh of relief. Shuffling back in the line, she glared at the camera crew and the volunteers. The staff could have said this would happen, instead of springing it on everyone like that. "Never a dull moment," she muttered to nobody in particular. That trend showed no sign of stopping. The bearded guy from earlier clearly hadn't learned his lesson, sniffing at a woman in the crew, trying to impress her with his claim of dog powers. Predictably, the first thing the woman did was make a swift exit. Mara groaned, wondering what essence the guy would try - and inevitably fail - to convince everyone he had next. She took another step back as he started heading her way, no doubt picking up on the smell of lemon. He hadn't found the source just yet, but it would only be a matter of time until he did, and Mara grimaced at the thought of being on the receiving end of that terrible flirting attempt. Before it could happen, she faced him, glowering. "Funny. Didn't you have ivy powers a few minutes ago?" No sooner had she said it than childhood memories surfaced, accompanied by a spike of guilt. Stumbling around a dark room, convincing herself she had feline night vision. Sneaking to retrieve toys her siblings had stolen from her, wishing she had the cunning of a fox. That hope, followed by disappointment, whenever she dreamed of an animal. Sure, she'd been a kid back then, but maybe she wasn't one to judge.</s>	<\|message\|>Conner Waters When the newsman scolded him, all Conner could do was mock him. "For your own sake, maybe think about not making that impression so abrasive in the future." Conner did not hide his disdain with an eyeroll. "Dude, you need to chill. We are human beings. Not aliens. We just… happen to get cool powers out of it." Then he made his poor beleaguered assistant fetch him some cigarettes. This guy was clearly a jerk. Then NatJack approached him, and asked him how he learned to do that, and Conner grinned. "Ah yeah. It wasn't easy. I watched a lot of cartoons, read some comic books, and copied what they did. I'm still not that good though. I can't do anything bigger than this damn water bottle. One day I'll be able to summon my own sick waves to ride. That'll be sweet." Then he looked back at the newsguy smoking a cigarette. "Speaking of sweet… Watch this." And he used his powers to throw some water at the man's head. "Like I said, you need to chill. Hope the water helps bro!"</s>
<\|description\|>Arthur Luna Appearance: Arthur is quite small, both in height and build. Standing at 5'5'' and weighing 130 lbs, Arthur is something of a shrimp. This isn't helped by his total lack of toned muscles, with his torso being completely flat and his arms and legs being small and stringy. Arthur's skin is a pale white as he tends to avoid the sun. Arthur's oval like face is covered in long black hair that goes all the way down to his neck. He also wears a pair of black glasses over his hazel eyes. Arthur tends to dress eclectically as he doesn't subscribe to any one style. As such he can been seen often in a variety of colours, fabrics, and other styles of dress. Usually multiple shirts are worn at once and a sweater as well most times. Arthur tends to prefer long pants rather than shorts, as well as running shoes instead of dress shoes. Arthur has also been experimenting with gender non-confirming clothes, mostly keeping to feminine colours and styles of shirt at this time. Gender: Male Age: 20 Occupation: Receptionist/Hobbyist Podcaster Plant Essence: Ipomoea alba aka Moonflower Superpower(s): Moonflower is a species of flower that blooms at night and closes back up during the day. In relation to this Arthur now possesses an involuntary transformation during the night. Currently this causes Arthur to become even more pale in skin pigment, for him to grow an inch in height, and possess heightened speed, strength, and reflexes. Once it becomes day again Arthur loses the enhanced abilities and returns to his default body. In the future Arthur will get taller when he transforms, with maybe even more visual changes, and his enhanced abilities would increase to a superhuman level. Personality: At first glance Arthur seems to be the quiet guy, mostly falling into the background in most situations. However, if you get to know him he begins to bloom, revealing a very passionate and talkative individual. Once a conversation begins with Arthur it tends to go on for a long time as he sometimes doesn't know when to stop. Coming out of a sheltered past, Arthur is always trying to experience new things. To that end he associates with a varied type of people. He has also been experimenting with his sexuality, but currently does not want to use a label. He has also gotten into many fandoms, which has helped him meet new people, and given him a lot of references to use in conversation. Arthur also has a tendency to help out others in need. This could be as simple as buying groceries for the struggling single mother next door, to helping a friend get sober. Arthur also would like to think that he would defend someone in a fight, but he questions this with his current physique, leaving that up to the realm of superhero stories. History: Born in a small town of which his mother was mayor, Arthur had a sheltered childhood. Arthur was the middle child of three, and was quite often expected by his parents to both follow in the footsteps of his older brother and be a good example for his younger sister. For the first few years Arthur did as his parents asked, only engaging with others they approved of. But as Arthur got older it became harder for his parents to control him. It was at the age of eight that first saw someone with animal powers. In his small town no one had powers, and the adults didn't talk about it, so mention of powers was restricted to stories traded by the children. Because of this Arthur was sceptical of their existence. But that was changed when he saw a man who had just been kicked out of the town's only bar, launch into the air and fly away on wings that appeared out of nowhere. Arthur decided to keep this sighting from his parents, figuring it would just get him into trouble. Wanting to learn more about the animal powers, Arthur turned to the public library for information. Going on the public computer, Arthur looked up all he had wanted to know, wondering if he could give himself powers, maybe get rid of his nearsightedness and sensitivity to light. Noticing what Arthur was searching, the librarian approached him, offering his assistance. Arthur accepted, quickly learning that the librarian was different that the other adults in town. Arthur would spend a lot more time over the years at the library, looking up topics that he wouldn't dare search on the computer at home. His view of the world began to expand, as he started new hobbies like rollerskating, playing board games, and working at the town's community garden. It was quickly becoming apparent to Arthur's parents that he was a free spirit, so they worked to corral him in. As Arthur's brother left for college in the city, his parents encouraged him to follow suit. Arthur said he would think about it. When Arthur finally graduated from his local high school, the issue of college was raised again. Arthur declared that he too would move to the city, but unlike his brother he would take a year long break to discover himself before applying. This made his parents irate, but Arthur's brother was more of the mind that at least he is planning to go to college. Thus he helped Arthur moved to the city. Once Arthur made it to the city he quickly became a part of the community. He made friends with the other tenants in his apartment complex, he found a local gaming group, and found a new community garden to work at. Job hunting did not go well initially, but after two months Arthur got a position as a receptionist at a doctor's office. Things were going well, so well that Arthur pushed back attending college by another year. In the mean time he started a podcast with a few of his friends, hoping to make it big. Arthur's family's patience was quickly running thin, eventually running out when Arthur postponed another time. His parents stopped talking to him, his brother questioned if he had any intention of going to school, while his sister just did what her parents said and didn't speak to him. This sent Arthur into a bit of a spiral. He began to question all of his choices, hoping that he was making the right ones. It was a few weeks later when Arthur was working in the community garden by himself around twilight. He had just finished watering the vegetables and was sitting down on a bucket, watching the moonflowers. Arthur had always liked watching them bloom as the night came. However this time, something else changed beside the flowers. Arthur felt a slight pressure as it seemed liked his body was getting taller. The feeling ended just as the moonflowers finished blooming. As Arthur got up to leave the garden, he noticed that his skin was paler than usual. Not thinking much of it, Arthur began to jog back to his apartment. Without thinking, he immediately began sprinting, making it back home in record time. He then went to bed, and when he woke up the next day, found that his skin had gone back to normal. For the next few nights Arthur would notice the skin pigment change, the increased height, and stronger physical abilities. After a week Arthur began to question what was happening to his body at night. At first he considered that he might have animal powers, but he couldn't think of an animal that would match his powers. So he went into researching animals in his free time, trying to see if that could answer his question. Miscellaneous: Arthur is queer, but is still figuring things out and as such isn't using labels yet. Arthur has been sensitive to sunlight since he was a child, causing him to prefer to remain indoors. He also tends to revamp his wardrobe every few months, as he loves buying a lot from thrift stores. Arthur also hosts a podcast with two friends. What the topic of the podcast is, I currently don't know. I welcome any suggestions.</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Saturday, June 19, 2021 This time Danielle sat in the front passenger seat with the window rolled down as she and her mother weaved back and forth down a long gravel road. Hee younger siblings napped, snowing softly, while her sister listened to her music. They were surrounded on either side by what felt like jungle. There were towering trees with twisting vines and giant leaves so dense you could hardly see a foot in. There were colorful birds, hanging snakes, and skittering lizards. The air was thick with heat and humidity, causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead. The girl closed her eyes and leaned her head out the window, welcoming the breeze. Her heart was anxious, racing. She breathed in a heavy breath. Almost a month had passed since Danielle and her family moved to Florida, but it all felt so strange. She felt like an alien on a distant planet, lightyears away from the forest and meadows she had called home, and its inhabitants were not taking kindly to her. Danielle was not alone, however; the dandelions had come with her and she came to see them as her friends. They were like little fairies or sprites that whispered hopes, dreams, and words of encouragement in her ears (and some gossip from time to time). Somestimes, when she was alone, Dani would whisper back. Dani had almost given up hope of attending the conference when just last night, Dani's mother purchased last minute tickets after a big fight with the boyfriend. She had taken a few punches and needed to 'get away'. It was bittersweet. Dani couldn't help feeling like it was her fault, but she just knew she had to be there. The dandelions had told her so. Danielle breathed out, letting her troubles get taken away on the breeze. Soon they came upon a clearing, where probably one hundred cars parked haphazardly on unmarked ground. Danielle's mom pulled crookedly into a spot, easily taking up two cars worth of space. "We're here! Everybody get out and get your bags," Mom said cheerily as she shut of the engine. She turned around and smiled with a tiredly with puffy eyes, gently shaking the two younger ones awake. A few grumbles and protests later, and the family was making their way toward their campsite, as they had opted for less expensive or inclusive tickets. There were people of all different kinds gathered around, chatting up or heading to the motel or cabins. Some looked like academics, some looked extraordinary with mutations or exhibited powers, and others seemed to just be average Joes looking for a good time. Dani closed her eyes as she walked, listening for whispers... Yuck, what is that smell? I want an essence of my own... I wish I had powers! I hope I meet a cute guy today... I want a power just like my dad...! Oh, if only I could live here... I wish I never got this stupid power! When is this thing going to start? Uh, I hate bugs! I never should have come here... Danielle was startled by a high-pitched whistle and crackling followed by shouting and shrieking of nearby onlookers, causing herself to let out a little 'eep!' and hide behind her backpack. "Awesome!" William exclaimed while making a fist. "Yeah, cool!" Destiny echoed. Even Abagail seemed somewhat interested in the commotion. "Come along kids, it's not polite to stare. Mind your business," their mother admonished, pulling the younger ones along by their hands while they protested. Abagail shrugged and followed after them. Dani, on the other hand, lingered, captivated by the arcs of electricity and scent of lemon zest in the air...</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Oh I wouldn't hold your breath." Alonzo chuckled softly, giving the girl a sharp grin at the snobs comment. Alonzo wasn't one to entertain those with more money than they necessarily deserved for long. Him and his grandmother had struggled and scraped for all they had; those born into money or just expected things tended to grate on his nerves. He made brief eye contact with the man who had appeared from behind, giving him a small nod in return before his attention was snatched away by an arm around his shoulders. He blinked for a moment; he really needed to keep a closer eye on people. The guy moved fast. His cheeks turned pink at the compliment and ducked out of the arm around his shoulders, giving Conner a sheepish smile. "Alonzo. Alonzo Solandis." He introduced himself, the sharp whistle making him wince and flinch slightly although that wasn't the worst reaction from their little group. He didn't see much besides the arc of electricity and the resulting large burn on the newcomer's arm. "Christ, that's some powerful stuff He muttered, shoving his bag in Conner's direction before hurrying over to the other guy. "I can help with that, give me your arm?" He offered out a hand, giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabin 7 At some point during Kerri's display of body horror, Libby got spooked and left the room. The rafflesia-essenced woman was left alone to rip off her blooms and stew for a couple minutes. Then the blonde tentatively peeked her head around the wall again. "Are you okay?" Libby ventured. She blushed slightly at the dumb question. The girl's skin was bubbling like a pancake a minute ago, even in a context with superpowers that didn't look very okay. "Uh... need anything before the conference starts?" She probably should've left the leave-me-alone-I'm-emo girl alone. She stayed on the balls of her feet, prepared to run if the angry woman attacked her with whatever nightmare power that was. But at least Libby had to check back to make sure the woman wasn't actively dying or anything.</s>	<\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur chuckled softly at the reply of the strange woman sitting on the picnic table. Groovy. The only person he had heard that from none ironically was an older woman in his apartment building, one who had been a flower child back in the day. Yet this lady in front of Arthur was clearly way younger that, so he wondered why she was using such terms. He thought that it might be a hipster thing. As she continued to speak, Arthur began to wonder if she knew where she was, "You know this is a scientific conference, right? I don't think they'll be sticking anyone with needles randomly, if you were worrying about that. As for harmonious thoughts, I'm not sure." Arthur paused, before laughing, "I mean do you think we should try and commune with the plant essences? I have no idea how that would work, but you seem like the kind of person who could get that started." Arthur was serious in what he said. This whole plant power thing had been nothing but a mystery since it started a few weeks back. Up until hearing about this conference, Arthur never had a notion that plant essences could be a thing. Yet he did change at night, same time as the flowers changed. So maybe a strange hippie lady leading some kind of meditation would allow him to gleam some information. It was worth a try. "My name is Arthur," he said as he extended his hand, "And would it be too forward if you yourself have a plant essence power?" Arthur was under the assumption that most anyone here that didn't look like a scientific type was probably someone with powers or knew someone with powers. Arthur himself at been keeping his power secret to those around him, but was warming up to the idea of being open with others with plant essences. Perhaps having some sort of community would make this life change easier for Arthur. Suzhen</s>
<\|description\|>D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Appearance: Danielle is rather plain and average looking, never one to stand out in a crowd. She is not ugly, but "pretty" at best. Her hair is grown out long and is a strange blond that almost appears almost green in poor lighting, but golden in sunlight. Her skin is pale and somewhat translucent, making injuries and blemishes more apparent. Her eyes are hazel, some parts more gold and other parts more green in appearance. She has a small rump and chest, and slightly round belly. She usually wears plain, modest, but feminine clothes, particularly in natural shades of white, yellow, green, blue, and brown. Her hair is either worn down or tied in a loose braid. She rarely accessorizes, but if she does she wears natural gemstone jewelry or real flowers. Her hair and clothes are often covered in dandelion seeds. Gender: Female Age: 18 Occupation: Student, 12th Grade Plant Essence: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Superpower(s): Dandelion Whispers: With the use of magic or science we don't understand, Danielle can subconsciously send and receive messages through dandelion seeds. These messages can manifest as voices, images, dreams, or other sensations such as scents and tastes. - Dandelion seeds naturally gravitate toward Danielle from other sources or toward its recipient if sent by her. She does not and cannot control them consciously. - Dandelions seeds may pick up any thought or feeling (not just the ones directed at them) but they seem to gravitate toward people with strong emotions. - Dandelion messages are strongest/clearest if in direct contact with its source/recipient, but simply being near it is enough to recieve/emit its signal. - Like carrier pigeons, it takes time for seeds to find their recipients. - Simply being within 2 ft of somebody is enough for a seed to emit or receive a signal. - The power seems to have an effect up to a 2 mile radius around Danielle. -Messages usually only capture a sentence or two, or a vision/dream up to around 30 seconds long. - If a dandelion message sender is willing and intentional, Dani can tell who the message came from. If the message sender is unwitting and/or unwilling, Dani can receive a message but can't tell who it came from. - Danielle does not make or produce dandelion seeds. She must either carry some with her or rely on those found in her environment. Light as Air: Danille can make herself light as a dandelion seed, yet maintain her mass. This makes is possible to leap to great heights and almost fly as she floats on a breeze. Solar Power: Danielle's powers seem to be fueled by light from the sun and moon. She is strongest on sunny days and moonlit nights. During the winter and stretches of cloudy weather, she feels weaker. Personality: Danielle is a dreamer, always with her head in the clouds and a wish in her heart. She enjoys reading, painting, drawing, and just being in nature, stargazing, and cloud watching. Dani adores animals and could watch them for hours, but is afraid to touch or play with them. When interacting with other people, Dani is soft-spoken and polite. She is never one to raise her hand or voice. She is a good listener but never has much to say--or rather has trouble finding words. She dislikes small-talk and avoids social interaction, especially conflict. She is always the first to back down from a fight or argument. Despite her social avoidance, she still needs friendship or she will suffer from loneliness. History: Danielle's parents divorced while she was very young and she never got to know her own father. She grew up with her mother and three siblings in a trailer park, always afraid. Her mother was loving and gentle, but she fell for the kind of men who would get drunk and beat her and her children. Her family was poor, and so Danielle was bullied at her small town New Hampshire school for being "trash." Home was no better because she was tormented by her mother's abusive boyfriend. She would run away to the woods and hide for hours to escape the yelling, crashing, and thudding back home. On her 17th birthday, after an especially bad day, Danielle found herself clutching a dandelion, crying a waterfall as she blew the fluffy white seeds away. She wished for a new life and for powers like she had heard and read so much about, so that she could make a difference in her family and others' lives. Around a month later, Danielle began to have strange, vivid dreams, all involving dandelions. The dandelion seeds would tickle her face and gather around in swarms and lift her into the sky and heard toward the sunset, echoing her voice and wishes as they carried her away on a warm breeze toward the sound of crashing ocean waves. It was only just a week ago Danille learned that she and her family would be moving to the boyfriend's hometown in Florida. She would be leaving the only place she ever called home, her friends (if she could even call them that) and the forest she had grown so fond of. Now, like in her dreams, she will make her way toward the sunset and a new life... Family: Fauna Dallon (mother, 37) - a wonderful and caring mother when sober. Irrational and irresponsible when not. She is a codependent woman. She married Daniel Dallon, her high school sweetheart in a shotgun wedding and and broke his heart only two years later. Daniel Dallon (father, 44) - a man who worked too hard and too much. Lost his family as a consequence. Abagail Dallon (eldest sister, 19) William Harrison (mother's boyfriend, 38)- charming, humorous man by day. Abusive alcoholic by night. William Harrison Jr. (half-brother, 11) Destiny Harrison (half-sister, 10) Miscellaneous: Speech color- Khaki Zodiac- Pisces Sexuality- Heterosexual, but not ready for or interested in romance yet.</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington Flame @GreysonEA @Heartfillia Another, much more level-headed guy piped up, pointing out that the conference hall was their best bet. Mara snorted. "That figures." With another glance around, she lowered her tone. "Let's hope we're not dealing with a bunch of snobs with more money than sense." She wasn't doing a whole lot for the mood, but they couldn't hope for too much. That said, any support was better than none, even if said support figures would probably look down their noses at them. "I'll be over in a moment," she said as the softspoken guy shifted his position. "Just gotta take some electrical safety measures." Pulling at her gloves again, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, but the lingering smell of smoke and citrus didn't help matters. Instead, it brought back memories of that day, and a pang of guilt along with them. The property damage her parents were dealing with wouldn't be quick, cheap or easy to fix. And if the fire had been worse, if everyone hadn't gotten out in time... It didn't bear thinking about. Ok, she couldn't exactly blame the BioTech staff for keeping their distance. Shuddering, she edged away from the charred grass. Just as she did, a sudden sharp whistle sounded right behind her. She jumped and whirled round. Sparks crackled, all the more erratic from the water, as another arc shot from her forearm and struck the guy who'd whistled. "Fuck!" Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening at the burn mark on his arm. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?" So much for electrical safety measures.</s> <\|message\|>Conner Waters June 19, 2021 Cypress View Retreat Conner couldn't help but think this woman was a grouch. Sure, he did get her wet, but that was an accident! No one was hurt or anything. They had gotten superpowers, and were basically on vacation, and they had gotten cool superpowers, and all she could do was complain. He figured anyone willing to fork over the cash to come here would have been excited about this development. She asked about the Bio-Tech people, and Conner blinked. "The who now?" It took a second for Conner to put it together. "Oh, right. The science peeps. Uh... nope haven't seen em." Then a tall boy came out, and pointed in the direction of where the science people could be found. Conner was particularly concerned about that though. He approached the other guy, and put an arm around his shoulders. "Hello, I was hoping I'd meet a cute guy today. Guess I got lucky. Names Conner." Then Conner heard a whistle, and saw a dog run past him. The woman freaked out, and she accidentally shocked the guy who whistled. Another handsome dude, even if he did seem older than Conner. This day was getting better already! "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready." @Heartfillia@GreysonEA</s>	<\|message\|>D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Saturday, June 19, 2021 This time Danielle sat in the front passenger seat with the window rolled down as she and her mother weaved back and forth down a long gravel road. Hee younger siblings napped, snowing softly, while her sister listened to her music. They were surrounded on either side by what felt like jungle. There were towering trees with twisting vines and giant leaves so dense you could hardly see a foot in. There were colorful birds, hanging snakes, and skittering lizards. The air was thick with heat and humidity, causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead. The girl closed her eyes and leaned her head out the window, welcoming the breeze. Her heart was anxious, racing. She breathed in a heavy breath. Almost a month had passed since Danielle and her family moved to Florida, but it all felt so strange. She felt like an alien on a distant planet, lightyears away from the forest and meadows she had called home, and its inhabitants were not taking kindly to her. Danielle was not alone, however; the dandelions had come with her and she came to see them as her friends. They were like little fairies or sprites that whispered hopes, dreams, and words of encouragement in her ears (and some gossip from time to time). Somestimes, when she was alone, Dani would whisper back. Dani had almost given up hope of attending the conference when just last night, Dani's mother purchased last minute tickets after a big fight with the boyfriend. She had taken a few punches and needed to 'get away'. It was bittersweet. Dani couldn't help feeling like it was her fault, but she just knew she had to be there. The dandelions had told her so. Danielle breathed out, letting her troubles get taken away on the breeze. Soon they came upon a clearing, where probably one hundred cars parked haphazardly on unmarked ground. Danielle's mom pulled crookedly into a spot, easily taking up two cars worth of space. "We're here! Everybody get out and get your bags," Mom said cheerily as she shut of the engine. She turned around and smiled with a tiredly with puffy eyes, gently shaking the two younger ones awake. A few grumbles and protests later, and the family was making their way toward their campsite, as they had opted for less expensive or inclusive tickets. There were people of all different kinds gathered around, chatting up or heading to the motel or cabins. Some looked like academics, some looked extraordinary with mutations or exhibited powers, and others seemed to just be average Joes looking for a good time. Dani closed her eyes as she walked, listening for whispers... Yuck, what is that smell? I want an essence of my own... I wish I had powers! I hope I meet a cute guy today... I want a power just like my dad...! Oh, if only I could live here... I wish I never got this stupid power! When is this thing going to start? Uh, I hate bugs! I never should have come here... Danielle was startled by a high-pitched whistle and crackling followed by shouting and shrieking of nearby onlookers, causing herself to let out a little 'eep!' and hide behind her backpack. "Awesome!" William exclaimed while making a fist. "Yeah, cool!" Destiny echoed. Even Abagail seemed somewhat interested in the commotion. "Come along kids, it's not polite to stare. Mind your business," their mother admonished, pulling the younger ones along by their hands while they protested. Abagail shrugged and followed after them. Dani, on the other hand, lingered, captivated by the arcs of electricity and scent of lemon zest in the air...</s>
<\|description\|>D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Appearance: Danielle is rather plain and average looking, never one to stand out in a crowd. She is not ugly, but "pretty" at best. Her hair is grown out long and is a strange blond that almost appears almost green in poor lighting, but golden in sunlight. Her skin is pale and somewhat translucent, making injuries and blemishes more apparent. Her eyes are hazel, some parts more gold and other parts more green in appearance. She has a small rump and chest, and slightly round belly. She usually wears plain, modest, but feminine clothes, particularly in natural shades of white, yellow, green, blue, and brown. Her hair is either worn down or tied in a loose braid. She rarely accessorizes, but if she does she wears natural gemstone jewelry or real flowers. Her hair and clothes are often covered in dandelion seeds. Gender: Female Age: 18 Occupation: Student, 12th Grade Plant Essence: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Superpower(s): Dandelion Whispers: With the use of magic or science we don't understand, Danielle can subconsciously send and receive messages through dandelion seeds. These messages can manifest as voices, images, dreams, or other sensations such as scents and tastes. - Dandelion seeds naturally gravitate toward Danielle from other sources or toward its recipient if sent by her. She does not and cannot control them consciously. - Dandelions seeds may pick up any thought or feeling (not just the ones directed at them) but they seem to gravitate toward people with strong emotions. - Dandelion messages are strongest/clearest if in direct contact with its source/recipient, but simply being near it is enough to recieve/emit its signal. - Like carrier pigeons, it takes time for seeds to find their recipients. - Simply being within 2 ft of somebody is enough for a seed to emit or receive a signal. - The power seems to have an effect up to a 2 mile radius around Danielle. -Messages usually only capture a sentence or two, or a vision/dream up to around 30 seconds long. - If a dandelion message sender is willing and intentional, Dani can tell who the message came from. If the message sender is unwitting and/or unwilling, Dani can receive a message but can't tell who it came from. - Danielle does not make or produce dandelion seeds. She must either carry some with her or rely on those found in her environment. Light as Air: Danille can make herself light as a dandelion seed, yet maintain her mass. This makes is possible to leap to great heights and almost fly as she floats on a breeze. Solar Power: Danielle's powers seem to be fueled by light from the sun and moon. She is strongest on sunny days and moonlit nights. During the winter and stretches of cloudy weather, she feels weaker. Personality: Danielle is a dreamer, always with her head in the clouds and a wish in her heart. She enjoys reading, painting, drawing, and just being in nature, stargazing, and cloud watching. Dani adores animals and could watch them for hours, but is afraid to touch or play with them. When interacting with other people, Dani is soft-spoken and polite. She is never one to raise her hand or voice. She is a good listener but never has much to say--or rather has trouble finding words. She dislikes small-talk and avoids social interaction, especially conflict. She is always the first to back down from a fight or argument. Despite her social avoidance, she still needs friendship or she will suffer from loneliness. History: Danielle's parents divorced while she was very young and she never got to know her own father. She grew up with her mother and three siblings in a trailer park, always afraid. Her mother was loving and gentle, but she fell for the kind of men who would get drunk and beat her and her children. Her family was poor, and so Danielle was bullied at her small town New Hampshire school for being "trash." Home was no better because she was tormented by her mother's abusive boyfriend. She would run away to the woods and hide for hours to escape the yelling, crashing, and thudding back home. On her 17th birthday, after an especially bad day, Danielle found herself clutching a dandelion, crying a waterfall as she blew the fluffy white seeds away. She wished for a new life and for powers like she had heard and read so much about, so that she could make a difference in her family and others' lives. Around a month later, Danielle began to have strange, vivid dreams, all involving dandelions. The dandelion seeds would tickle her face and gather around in swarms and lift her into the sky and heard toward the sunset, echoing her voice and wishes as they carried her away on a warm breeze toward the sound of crashing ocean waves. It was only just a week ago Danille learned that she and her family would be moving to the boyfriend's hometown in Florida. She would be leaving the only place she ever called home, her friends (if she could even call them that) and the forest she had grown so fond of. Now, like in her dreams, she will make her way toward the sunset and a new life... Family: Fauna Dallon (mother, 37) - a wonderful and caring mother when sober. Irrational and irresponsible when not. She is a codependent woman. She married Daniel Dallon, her high school sweetheart in a shotgun wedding and and broke his heart only two years later. Daniel Dallon (father, 44) - a man who worked too hard and too much. Lost his family as a consequence. Abagail Dallon (eldest sister, 19) William Harrison (mother's boyfriend, 38)- charming, humorous man by day. Abusive alcoholic by night. William Harrison Jr. (half-brother, 11) Destiny Harrison (half-sister, 10) Miscellaneous: Speech color- Khaki Zodiac- Pisces Sexuality- Heterosexual, but not ready for or interested in romance yet.</s> <\|message\|>Muriel Shropshire "Call me Mur'" she replies, keeping her cards close to her chest for now. "And you'd be right, but I'm going to wait and see exactly what the men in white coats are up to before I give too much away." The crack of a miniature lightning bolt interrupts Muriel, and she turns her head, thinks for a moment, then slides off the table. "Then again, I may be able to help that girl a little. That's worth the G-Men learning some secrets." She walks over to the crowd starting to form around Mara with a wave and a smile. "Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." She isn't actually sure if her rubber essence will make her immune to the electricity. She also isn't sure if she has fifty bucks. Well, if she's wrong, maybe Mara will accept a joint or two instead... @LuckyBlackCat</s> <\|message\|>Ryker Burke --- --- Ryker muscles suddenly stiffened for a few seconds when he felt the electrical surge hit his arms. He didn't cry out in pain as one would expect. But he groaned through his teeth as he closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment. His memories flashed before him. The smell of burn flesh... the soreness from the beatings...the searing pain of that jumper cable connected to a 12 volt Battery. The screams of his brothers being tortured. He could even hear himself saying his Rank, Name and ID over and over. "Sergeant Ryker Burke, 1013758492!" Each time being asked an incomprehensible question, and shock for not answering to the torturers liking. His left hand began to shake slightly. He shook his head a moment later to physically rid the thought from his head, and tightened his left hand into a fist. He looked over at the shorter blond, who had her hands over her mouth. A look of terror in her eyes as she looked at his arm. He looked down to see a hole in his jacket, a fresh black burn mark on his arm. Honestly he felt it only slightly. It wasn't as bad as he remembered. It was only then he seemed to warp back into the present, hearing almost everyone at once. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?" "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready." "I can help with that, give me your arm?" Sascha suddenly pushed herself between her legs, Sensing his confusion. Ready to protect him with his order. He quickly reached down and placed a hand on her head to calm her. He hesitated for a moment before offering his arm to the guy with a nod of accepting his help, Looking to the blonde who shocked him he then said, to both her and the one who offered to help. "Its fine, It doesn't hurt that much...I'm used to it." He said realizing afterwards that would be a very awkward thing to be used to. "It my fault. He added quickly with a smile... "I didn't mean to scare you with the Whistle..." He was pulled away as the odd girl in a bikini and shirt suddenly appeared. Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." What the hell, who asks for that kinda thing? He wondered, as he felt Sascha move her head closer to the new person sniffing. But she didn't move from between his legs.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, tattoos exposed, and pushed his glasses further up his nose before taking the guy's arm gently in his hand. He felt the fluttering of nerves in his stomach but took a deep breath to try and calm them as much as he could. He had an actual use now, no chance to mess this one up. His eyebrows furrowed with concentration, fingers of his other hand flexing as they tingled. "Sure did a number on this but it could be worse. No one's at fault though, just wrong place, wrong time. Nothing for anyone to kick themselves over." As he spoke, the burn started to slowly fade. The burn was large enough to leave a faint scar, and he hadn't got a proper handle on this new power enough to make it disappear completely, but it would fade quicker than usual and was definitely better than if it had been untreated. "S'alright though, look? Gone... more or less." He gave him another brief smile and stepped away, flexing the tingling from his fingers; the newer scent of lavender far overpowering the lemon from before. "She's cute, what's her name? Alonzo asked curiously, eyeing up the cause of the whole fiasco. "And yours, actually?" He added quickly, cursing his lack of manners. His grandmother would have his head if she could hear him.</s>	<\|message\|>D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Something went wrong. Terribly wrong. One moment Dani was watching lightning dance, the next second somebody got struck. A line of dandelions lit up like Christmas lights before promptly disintegrating as Dani shrieked and fell to her knees and crumpled to the ground in pain. The would around her faded out, and Dani became somebody else--a young man in a mysterious room that smelled of burning flesh. Her new body was beaten and bruised, and felt like it had been for days. But even worse than they pain was the tortured screams of seemingly familiar voices. A vague pressed a live wire to her arm, sending a second surge of pain through her body... Danielle awoke screaming and disoriented. Who was she? Where was she? She groped at her arms and face. "Dani? Dani?" somebody asked, hovering over her with breath that reeked of alcohol. Her mother, Dani realized. She was herself again, and the pain was gone "Are you okay, Dani?" William asked with big eyes. "You scared me! Don't do that again, Dani!" Destiny chastised with a wrinkled forehead and pouty lips. "Just get up already!" Abagail muttered. With her mother's help, Danielle sat up slowly. William handed her a bottle of water and she took it gratefully. After a few gulps she put the cap back on. Her mother pat her back. "There, there. Take it easy. We think you might have had heat stroke. You were hallucinating. Let's get you out of the sun," she soothed, rubbing her daughter's back. Danielle felt like throwing up. "Oh-okay..." Dani answered weakly. She took her mother's hand and shakily returned to her feet. Her mom put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and began leading her toward their cabin. As they continued past the group she was watching previously, the girl settled on a man in his late twenties with a well-behaved working dog between his legs. She looked at the man's arms and face and found scars, many of them deep. With all these details, and her gut feelings, somehow she just knew he was the one the vision had came from. What happened to you? Dani asked the universe with tears running down her cheeks. He looked like such a good guy, and he didn't deserve whatever happened to him. The girl sniffled, wiped her tears away and continued into cabin '2'. Unbeknownst to her, the universe listens, and a nearby dandelion seed carried her question heavily to the man known as Ryker Burke.</s>
<\|description\|>Alonzo Solandis Appearance: Alonzo is fairly tall and lanky giving him a permanently teenager look. He looks as though he never really grew into his limbs, and can be slightly clumsy at times. He does keep himself fit, but isn't all too much to look at until you catch sight of his tattoos. He's turned himself into a living canvas - with art inked into most available space. His forearms are near completely covered - the left with runes and a compass done in blackwork, and the right a stormy sea, hiding a kraken under the waves. More tattoos trail up over his shoulders and back, but those he doesn't show off unless asked. He has bleach blond hair, cropped close at the sides and longer on the top that he claims as natural, but his dark brows and the peroxide on his bathroom cabinet say otherwise. He has piercing blue eyes, that are occasionally obscured behind a pair of large, round glasses. He has a single piercing in his tongue, but not many people realise. He can usually be seen dressed in comfortable hoodies, sweaters and jeans - usually in shades of blue and beige. Gender: Male Age: 20 Occupation: Artist Plant Essence: Lavender Superpower(s): Alonzo has a healing aura about him. He can heal minor wounds with a well-spoken word. He's tried this power on most scrapes, scratches, even a stomach ache or two - but he can't figure how to make it work for himself. He can also calm situations by speaking, although this doesn't work as well as he often hopes - he'd much rather no one get hurt in the first place. Personality: Alonzo is incredibly soft spoken. He is rarely confrontational and is kind to a fault. He sees the best in people even when they don't necessarily deserve it - this causes him to become a bit of a pushover in certain situations and is often walked over in arguments. He is polite and civil a majority of the time, and isn't quick to anger. He can be somewhat snarky and scathing when comfortable with people, or when talking to himself and so one can often hear him swearing softly under his breath when he thinks no one can hear him. He can also be self-deprecating at times, not trusting himself or his own skills and abilities. History: Alonzo grew up with his grandmother in a quiet part of town and to most he was a pretty unassuming and inoffensive kid - but he was his grandmothers world. His parents wanted nothing to do with him when he was born so he was handed over to his closest relative. His grandmother was a pagan, and taught him all she knew about herbs and spices and what they could do for him if he set his intentions right. She passed on her love of cooking and Alonzo tried to incorporate what he'd learnt - setting intentions in his cookies and sigils into his bread. When she passed away, Alonzo was untethered. Lost and without direction. He threw himself into his passions, often disappearing for weeks at a time and barely speaking to anyone. He discovered his powers in the months after his grandmothers death; he was on his way to the art store when he watched a small child slip and fall in front of him. He rushed over and was greeted by teary eyes, with grazed knees and sore palms from the pavement. He murmured his sympathies, brain whirring with how to find the little boys mother when the tears stopped, palms lost their redness and the grazes all but disappeared; leaving behind a smudge of dirt and the faint smell of lavender. The encounter stuck with him for weeks afterwards and no research could be found. His first thought was maybe animal essence but it didn't match up to anything he could find online about animals that could heal themselves. And it still didn't explain the lavender. He kept it quiet until the broadcast on tv. He stood in his living room with painting forgotten on his easel, listening quietly before making a beeline for his laptop and his grandmothers notebook. He flipped the page open to lavender, one he knew all too well but had never thought to check before. He bought the conference ticket with money he made from selling a few of his paintings, finally freeing up some space in his spare room and jittery with anticipation for meeting others like him. Miscellaneous: Solandis means 'delicate flower' in Old English! He's also super queer but doesn't shout it from the rooftops.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Oh I wouldn't hold your breath." Alonzo chuckled softly, giving the girl a sharp grin at the snobs comment. Alonzo wasn't one to entertain those with more money than they necessarily deserved for long. Him and his grandmother had struggled and scraped for all they had; those born into money or just expected things tended to grate on his nerves. He made brief eye contact with the man who had appeared from behind, giving him a small nod in return before his attention was snatched away by an arm around his shoulders. He blinked for a moment; he really needed to keep a closer eye on people. The guy moved fast. His cheeks turned pink at the compliment and ducked out of the arm around his shoulders, giving Conner a sheepish smile. "Alonzo. Alonzo Solandis." He introduced himself, the sharp whistle making him wince and flinch slightly although that wasn't the worst reaction from their little group. He didn't see much besides the arc of electricity and the resulting large burn on the newcomer's arm. "Christ, that's some powerful stuff He muttered, shoving his bag in Conner's direction before hurrying over to the other guy. "I can help with that, give me your arm?" He offered out a hand, giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabin 7 At some point during Kerri's display of body horror, Libby got spooked and left the room. The rafflesia-essenced woman was left alone to rip off her blooms and stew for a couple minutes. Then the blonde tentatively peeked her head around the wall again. "Are you okay?" Libby ventured. She blushed slightly at the dumb question. The girl's skin was bubbling like a pancake a minute ago, even in a context with superpowers that didn't look very okay. "Uh... need anything before the conference starts?" She probably should've left the leave-me-alone-I'm-emo girl alone. She stayed on the balls of her feet, prepared to run if the angry woman attacked her with whatever nightmare power that was. But at least Libby had to check back to make sure the woman wasn't actively dying or anything.</s> <\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur chuckled softly at the reply of the strange woman sitting on the picnic table. Groovy. The only person he had heard that from none ironically was an older woman in his apartment building, one who had been a flower child back in the day. Yet this lady in front of Arthur was clearly way younger that, so he wondered why she was using such terms. He thought that it might be a hipster thing. As she continued to speak, Arthur began to wonder if she knew where she was, "You know this is a scientific conference, right? I don't think they'll be sticking anyone with needles randomly, if you were worrying about that. As for harmonious thoughts, I'm not sure." Arthur paused, before laughing, "I mean do you think we should try and commune with the plant essences? I have no idea how that would work, but you seem like the kind of person who could get that started." Arthur was serious in what he said. This whole plant power thing had been nothing but a mystery since it started a few weeks back. Up until hearing about this conference, Arthur never had a notion that plant essences could be a thing. Yet he did change at night, same time as the flowers changed. So maybe a strange hippie lady leading some kind of meditation would allow him to gleam some information. It was worth a try. "My name is Arthur," he said as he extended his hand, "And would it be too forward if you yourself have a plant essence power?" Arthur was under the assumption that most anyone here that didn't look like a scientific type was probably someone with powers or knew someone with powers. Arthur himself at been keeping his power secret to those around him, but was warming up to the idea of being open with others with plant essences. Perhaps having some sort of community would make this life change easier for Arthur. Suzhen</s> <\|message\|>Muriel Shropshire "Call me Mur'" she replies, keeping her cards close to her chest for now. "And you'd be right, but I'm going to wait and see exactly what the men in white coats are up to before I give too much away." The crack of a miniature lightning bolt interrupts Muriel, and she turns her head, thinks for a moment, then slides off the table. "Then again, I may be able to help that girl a little. That's worth the G-Men learning some secrets." She walks over to the crowd starting to form around Mara with a wave and a smile. "Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." She isn't actually sure if her rubber essence will make her immune to the electricity. She also isn't sure if she has fifty bucks. Well, if she's wrong, maybe Mara will accept a joint or two instead... @LuckyBlackCat</s> <\|message\|>Ryker Burke --- --- Ryker muscles suddenly stiffened for a few seconds when he felt the electrical surge hit his arms. He didn't cry out in pain as one would expect. But he groaned through his teeth as he closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment. His memories flashed before him. The smell of burn flesh... the soreness from the beatings...the searing pain of that jumper cable connected to a 12 volt Battery. The screams of his brothers being tortured. He could even hear himself saying his Rank, Name and ID over and over. "Sergeant Ryker Burke, 1013758492!" Each time being asked an incomprehensible question, and shock for not answering to the torturers liking. His left hand began to shake slightly. He shook his head a moment later to physically rid the thought from his head, and tightened his left hand into a fist. He looked over at the shorter blond, who had her hands over her mouth. A look of terror in her eyes as she looked at his arm. He looked down to see a hole in his jacket, a fresh black burn mark on his arm. Honestly he felt it only slightly. It wasn't as bad as he remembered. It was only then he seemed to warp back into the present, hearing almost everyone at once. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?" "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready." "I can help with that, give me your arm?" Sascha suddenly pushed herself between her legs, Sensing his confusion. Ready to protect him with his order. He quickly reached down and placed a hand on her head to calm her. He hesitated for a moment before offering his arm to the guy with a nod of accepting his help, Looking to the blonde who shocked him he then said, to both her and the one who offered to help. "Its fine, It doesn't hurt that much...I'm used to it." He said realizing afterwards that would be a very awkward thing to be used to. "It my fault. He added quickly with a smile... "I didn't mean to scare you with the Whistle..." He was pulled away as the odd girl in a bikini and shirt suddenly appeared. Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." What the hell, who asks for that kinda thing? He wondered, as he felt Sascha move her head closer to the new person sniffing. But she didn't move from between his legs.</s>	<\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, tattoos exposed, and pushed his glasses further up his nose before taking the guy's arm gently in his hand. He felt the fluttering of nerves in his stomach but took a deep breath to try and calm them as much as he could. He had an actual use now, no chance to mess this one up. His eyebrows furrowed with concentration, fingers of his other hand flexing as they tingled. "Sure did a number on this but it could be worse. No one's at fault though, just wrong place, wrong time. Nothing for anyone to kick themselves over." As he spoke, the burn started to slowly fade. The burn was large enough to leave a faint scar, and he hadn't got a proper handle on this new power enough to make it disappear completely, but it would fade quicker than usual and was definitely better than if it had been untreated. "S'alright though, look? Gone... more or less." He gave him another brief smile and stepped away, flexing the tingling from his fingers; the newer scent of lavender far overpowering the lemon from before. "She's cute, what's her name? Alonzo asked curiously, eyeing up the cause of the whole fiasco. "And yours, actually?" He added quickly, cursing his lack of manners. His grandmother would have his head if she could hear him.</s>
<\|description\|>Alonzo Solandis Appearance: Alonzo is fairly tall and lanky giving him a permanently teenager look. He looks as though he never really grew into his limbs, and can be slightly clumsy at times. He does keep himself fit, but isn't all too much to look at until you catch sight of his tattoos. He's turned himself into a living canvas - with art inked into most available space. His forearms are near completely covered - the left with runes and a compass done in blackwork, and the right a stormy sea, hiding a kraken under the waves. More tattoos trail up over his shoulders and back, but those he doesn't show off unless asked. He has bleach blond hair, cropped close at the sides and longer on the top that he claims as natural, but his dark brows and the peroxide on his bathroom cabinet say otherwise. He has piercing blue eyes, that are occasionally obscured behind a pair of large, round glasses. He has a single piercing in his tongue, but not many people realise. He can usually be seen dressed in comfortable hoodies, sweaters and jeans - usually in shades of blue and beige. Gender: Male Age: 20 Occupation: Artist Plant Essence: Lavender Superpower(s): Alonzo has a healing aura about him. He can heal minor wounds with a well-spoken word. He's tried this power on most scrapes, scratches, even a stomach ache or two - but he can't figure how to make it work for himself. He can also calm situations by speaking, although this doesn't work as well as he often hopes - he'd much rather no one get hurt in the first place. Personality: Alonzo is incredibly soft spoken. He is rarely confrontational and is kind to a fault. He sees the best in people even when they don't necessarily deserve it - this causes him to become a bit of a pushover in certain situations and is often walked over in arguments. He is polite and civil a majority of the time, and isn't quick to anger. He can be somewhat snarky and scathing when comfortable with people, or when talking to himself and so one can often hear him swearing softly under his breath when he thinks no one can hear him. He can also be self-deprecating at times, not trusting himself or his own skills and abilities. History: Alonzo grew up with his grandmother in a quiet part of town and to most he was a pretty unassuming and inoffensive kid - but he was his grandmothers world. His parents wanted nothing to do with him when he was born so he was handed over to his closest relative. His grandmother was a pagan, and taught him all she knew about herbs and spices and what they could do for him if he set his intentions right. She passed on her love of cooking and Alonzo tried to incorporate what he'd learnt - setting intentions in his cookies and sigils into his bread. When she passed away, Alonzo was untethered. Lost and without direction. He threw himself into his passions, often disappearing for weeks at a time and barely speaking to anyone. He discovered his powers in the months after his grandmothers death; he was on his way to the art store when he watched a small child slip and fall in front of him. He rushed over and was greeted by teary eyes, with grazed knees and sore palms from the pavement. He murmured his sympathies, brain whirring with how to find the little boys mother when the tears stopped, palms lost their redness and the grazes all but disappeared; leaving behind a smudge of dirt and the faint smell of lavender. The encounter stuck with him for weeks afterwards and no research could be found. His first thought was maybe animal essence but it didn't match up to anything he could find online about animals that could heal themselves. And it still didn't explain the lavender. He kept it quiet until the broadcast on tv. He stood in his living room with painting forgotten on his easel, listening quietly before making a beeline for his laptop and his grandmothers notebook. He flipped the page open to lavender, one he knew all too well but had never thought to check before. He bought the conference ticket with money he made from selling a few of his paintings, finally freeing up some space in his spare room and jittery with anticipation for meeting others like him. Miscellaneous: Solandis means 'delicate flower' in Old English! He's also super queer but doesn't shout it from the rooftops.</s> <\|message\|>Conner Waters June 19, 2021 Cypress View Retreat Alonzo blushed, and escaped Conner's grip, and introduced. Conner smirked. That was not a rejection? Did he actually have a chance with this guy? Who knows. There was still plenty of weekend left. Alonzo threw his bag in his direction ran over to the other guy's side. Conner couldn't exactly blame him... He was handsome and had a cute dog to boot. Alonzo rolled up his sleeves, exposing the tattoos on his arms, which Conner did not expect. This guy seemed like the shy quiet type, and not really the type to have a whole sleeve tattoos. Then he worked his magic, and healed the guy's arm. Conner picked up Alonzo's bag, and strode over to him. "Nice! But dude, we have got to talk about this awesome ink!" He took Alonzo's right arm with a tattoo of the sea, with a Kraken beneath the waves. "Who did it?"</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @GreysonEA @Bai Suzhen @LostButterfly92 The man's reaction was worse than Mara had feared. Instead of yelping or recoiling, he spaced out for a few seconds. Mara's stomach clenched as she noticed the trembling of his left hand, the traces of scars on his arms and face. Had she just triggered a bad memory? As if the whole situation wasn't already shitty enough, in the distance, a scream rose up. She stared over at the teen hunched on the ground, people gathering around her. Great, she'd all too likely set off someone's phobia of lightning. It was only when a dog pushed between the guy's legs, poised to guard him, that he snapped back into the present. Although he tried to reassure her it was ok, Mara bit her lip. Used to it? So she had gone and reminded him of something unpleasant. Judging by his reaction, he wasn't used to shocks in the same way that electricians and engineers were. "It wasn't your fault," she replied. If only she'd damn well pulled herself together, this wouldn't have happened. "Not like you could've known." Before he could answer, the woman with flowers in her hair approached, with an odd request. Mara raised an eyebrow. Give her a zap? While both damp and on edge? Yeeeeah, what could possibly go wrong? Even if this girl had an essence that could lessen the effect, it would still be a risky move. "Ehh, I'm going to guess you want to keep your fingers in working order." She folded her arms. "So I'll pass. What was it you wanted to check though?" As much as she needed the money, to help cover the cost of repairs to her parents' home, it wouldn't be worth it, at least not until she dried off and calmed down. She glanced at the wounded man again, proof of why it wouldn't. The tattooed blond had stepped in, the wound fading at his touch. Not completely, but enough that it wouldn't get infected or leave major scarring. Mara gave a sigh of relief. Ok, lucky there was a healer around. His essence was obvious - the distinctive scent of lavender overrode the smoke and lemon smells. Of course, that still left the issue of the guy's mental state, as the concern in the approaching teen's eyes made clear. The same girl who'd panicked just now. The burn may have been healed, but that didn't change the fact that electricity freaked out at least two people here.</s> <\|message\|>Ryker Burke --- --- Ryker reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a stick of gum, expertly unwraping it with one hand and sticking in his mouth, calming the slight anxiety that popped up from the memory. He looked away towards the girl who screamed out when he was shocked. Now that his mind was catching up with him. She was up now, moving towards them. And She was looking towards him with a tear rolling down her cheek. Suddenly a voice popped into his head, asking what happened to him. It sounded like someone was whispering directly into his ear, but no one around him asked it. The voice was different from the two next to him now. His head cocked as he thought. I was...shocked? clearly confused by who said it, and clearly connecting it with what just happened. But I'm ok. He quickly added...not knowing if he would even be answered. The scent of Lavender overpowering the lemon and even peppermint that was always escaping his lips. He had to admit it was an extremely useful power. He didn't mind one bit that it left a scar. Just another among the many on his arm. He smiled, "Thank you. I hope I didn't cause you too much discomfort." He said, while indicating his fingers. "This here is Sascha..." He paused for a second before realizing he was asking for his name, not if Sascha was hers. "I'm Ryker Burke... it's a pleasure to meet you all." He looked to blond girl and smiled confidently. "No harm done, Well some harm....My favorite jacket now has a charred hole in it. Though I barely felt it. We are all learning so I don't blame you one bit... Excuse me..." He said with a chuckle. He then looked to the girl and moved over to her and her mother. Sascha moving out from his legs and standing right by his side looking up at him. "Excuse me, are you ok?" He asked with genuine concern. Then looked the mother,"What happened? Is there anything I can do to help?"</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n A cool breeze blew by, carrying with it a tiny, glowing seed. It swirled and danced on the air, finally settling in a few strands of Dani's golden locks. I was...shocked? But I'm ok... , a mysterious voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Dani stopped in her tracks, heart racing and wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights. Her mother stumbled but held tight to Dani, using her to keep balance. Dani just stood there, unblinking, with her heart pounding. Her mother put her cool hand to the girl's clammy forehead and felt her cheek and face. "Honey, what's wrong? Are you feeling faint again? Don't be frightened, I'm right here," she soothed, stoking her daughter's long hair. Dani was hardly listening. She stared blankly ahead, lost in thought. Di-did he hear me? Was... was that him answering back? Dani wondered frantically. Never had she heard such a deep voice come from a dandelion messenger. They were usually celestial. Angelic. The dandelions must have contacted him on her behalf. But then, did that mean her mind was no longer sacred? Could she trust the dandelions with her thoughts and feelings and secrets? What if she accidentally hurt someone by thinking something she would never say out loud, or what if people found discovered her power... The next thing she knew, a man with that same deep voice was speaking right in front of her, asking if she was okay. It seemed her hunch was right. She looked him in his amber eyes and at his scarred face for only just a moment before looking away with an embarrassed smile and reddening cheeks. "I um, I'm fine, really... " Dani stammered quietly. It was bad enough to be speaking with somebody she didn't know, and worse that he might figure out she has powers. Dani looked down at the dog by his side to distract herself and avoid accidentally sharing her thoughts, but the dog only made her feel more anxious. Good doggy..good doggy...good doggy... Dani repeated in her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearing her mind. "Oh, just a case of heat exhaustion. A little bit of water and some shade and she'll be right as rain," Dani's mother answered for her, patting her on the shoulder. Feeling a little more calm, Dani nodded and drank from her plastic bottle water to help support her mother's explanation, while avoiding eye contact. "She's a little shy around strangers," her mom explained, leaning in to whisper toward the brown-eyed man, before wobbling back upright. "Anyways... my name is Fauna and this is Danielle, William, Destiny, and Abagail. Say hello to the nice gentleman, kids." Fauna said with a friendly smile, pointing to each child in turn. Abagail crossed her arms and mumbled 'hello', William nodded and said 'hey'. Destiny gave him an energetic wave, 'hi' and a big grin, glancing to and from the man and his dog, but more interested in the dog. Fauna nodded approvingly. "And who do we have the pleasure of meeting?" she asked. "Can I pet your dog? Can I please?" Destiny suddenly blurted out, reaching for the animal. Danielle grabbed for her sister's shirt sleeve, trying to stop her, but the girl slipped from her grasp.</s>	<\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Nice to meet you both." Alonzo nodded with a slight smile, waving away the concern of his hand. He stepped back a little to give Ryker some space, and to also get out of the worst of the lavender cloud. He knew the smell would cling to his hair and clothes for hours now. Not that it was a bad smell; he just wasn't a fan of the old lady images it brought to mind. "Teething problems, bit of a weird sensation to get used to. Nothing major though." He gave him another brief smile before Conner was in front of him again, hand on his arm. This guy was definitely the touchy-feeley type, but Alonzo didn't mind too much. He'd had worse. He grinned brightly at the mention of his tattoo. They were his absolute pride and joy. "I designed this one. Well, adapted it from a painting I did a few years ago. I regretted selling it so much that I redrew it in tattoo form. One of my friends actually tattooed it though, he lives in the south. This one," He held out his other arm, adorned with runes and a compass. "My grandma designed for me before she passed. She was very spiritual. All of the runes mean something different." He smiled a little sadly but didn't dwell. "I have more on my back and my shoulders. One on each thigh too. I've spent way too much money on these already, but I still have some space so still room for more."</s>
<\|description\|>Alonzo Solandis Appearance: Alonzo is fairly tall and lanky giving him a permanently teenager look. He looks as though he never really grew into his limbs, and can be slightly clumsy at times. He does keep himself fit, but isn't all too much to look at until you catch sight of his tattoos. He's turned himself into a living canvas - with art inked into most available space. His forearms are near completely covered - the left with runes and a compass done in blackwork, and the right a stormy sea, hiding a kraken under the waves. More tattoos trail up over his shoulders and back, but those he doesn't show off unless asked. He has bleach blond hair, cropped close at the sides and longer on the top that he claims as natural, but his dark brows and the peroxide on his bathroom cabinet say otherwise. He has piercing blue eyes, that are occasionally obscured behind a pair of large, round glasses. He has a single piercing in his tongue, but not many people realise. He can usually be seen dressed in comfortable hoodies, sweaters and jeans - usually in shades of blue and beige. Gender: Male Age: 20 Occupation: Artist Plant Essence: Lavender Superpower(s): Alonzo has a healing aura about him. He can heal minor wounds with a well-spoken word. He's tried this power on most scrapes, scratches, even a stomach ache or two - but he can't figure how to make it work for himself. He can also calm situations by speaking, although this doesn't work as well as he often hopes - he'd much rather no one get hurt in the first place. Personality: Alonzo is incredibly soft spoken. He is rarely confrontational and is kind to a fault. He sees the best in people even when they don't necessarily deserve it - this causes him to become a bit of a pushover in certain situations and is often walked over in arguments. He is polite and civil a majority of the time, and isn't quick to anger. He can be somewhat snarky and scathing when comfortable with people, or when talking to himself and so one can often hear him swearing softly under his breath when he thinks no one can hear him. He can also be self-deprecating at times, not trusting himself or his own skills and abilities. History: Alonzo grew up with his grandmother in a quiet part of town and to most he was a pretty unassuming and inoffensive kid - but he was his grandmothers world. His parents wanted nothing to do with him when he was born so he was handed over to his closest relative. His grandmother was a pagan, and taught him all she knew about herbs and spices and what they could do for him if he set his intentions right. She passed on her love of cooking and Alonzo tried to incorporate what he'd learnt - setting intentions in his cookies and sigils into his bread. When she passed away, Alonzo was untethered. Lost and without direction. He threw himself into his passions, often disappearing for weeks at a time and barely speaking to anyone. He discovered his powers in the months after his grandmothers death; he was on his way to the art store when he watched a small child slip and fall in front of him. He rushed over and was greeted by teary eyes, with grazed knees and sore palms from the pavement. He murmured his sympathies, brain whirring with how to find the little boys mother when the tears stopped, palms lost their redness and the grazes all but disappeared; leaving behind a smudge of dirt and the faint smell of lavender. The encounter stuck with him for weeks afterwards and no research could be found. His first thought was maybe animal essence but it didn't match up to anything he could find online about animals that could heal themselves. And it still didn't explain the lavender. He kept it quiet until the broadcast on tv. He stood in his living room with painting forgotten on his easel, listening quietly before making a beeline for his laptop and his grandmothers notebook. He flipped the page open to lavender, one he knew all too well but had never thought to check before. He bought the conference ticket with money he made from selling a few of his paintings, finally freeing up some space in his spare room and jittery with anticipation for meeting others like him. Miscellaneous: Solandis means 'delicate flower' in Old English! He's also super queer but doesn't shout it from the rooftops.</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington As Mara stepped into the vast hall, the air conditioning provided some relief. Hot weather didn't do much for an already irritable mood. Just as she'd expected, though, a volunteer explained that the test for refund eligibility wasn't possible just yet. Mara resisted the urge to huff. Of course. There'd probably be some excuse later on too. Taking one of the few empty seats at the back, she read over the itinerary and frowned. Either it was full of misprints, or someone had gone and put different activities in the same timeslots. Activities that looked rather less than helpful, to boot. Water balloon fight? She gave a hollow laugh. While Conner would undoubtedly love it, it was safe to say that was out of the question for her. Which left the panel discussion. She could only hope it wouldn't be as condescending as she suspected. It wasn't long before the conference started. A generic pseudo-inspirational speech, a rundown of self-evident rules... Well, so far it was meeting her expectations. Good thing she kept those expectations low. What she hadn't been prepared for, however, was the group activity. Stifling a groan, she traipsed towards the "2" sign, beside which a small group gathered. Public speaking was not her forte. Putting up with people who jumped at the chance to talk about themselves, even less so. Her gaze drifted to her scuffed boots, and she shuffled back from the group for their own safety as her heart began to thud. Right now she felt like that awkward kid in school again, with nothing interesting to say. Someone else piped up - Dani, even less at ease by the look of it. The nervousness, and the longing for an essence, were things Mara could relate to all too well. As people scoffed at Dani's words, Mara found herself glaring at them. Yeah it was none of her business, and she knew she was likely asking for trouble, but for some reason she couldn't help it. One by one, Dani's family went next, Abby having the right idea. Once her 'speech' was over, Mara breathed deeply and looked up. The longer she waited, the tauter her nerves stretched, and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Best to get this over with. Plus, she'd freaked Dani out earlier. The least she could do was help make her more comfortable. "Mara. Lived in Florida my entire life. Plant essence, namely lemon..." God it sounded even weirded spoken out loud. "In other words, electricity. Don't ask. As for fun facts, I, uh..." Scrambling for a remotely interesting fact, she struggled to keep looking at the crowd and not at the floor. No, she was NOT going to act like that insecure kid she'd once been. She had to keep her defenses up. "Does not really being one for fun facts count? But if it's a must, I've always liked lemon flavoured stuff... I guess this explains it." Whew, just like that it was done. Now able to relax somewhat, Mara waited for the next person to speak up.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Flame @GreysonEA Next to Conner in the Cabin 5 group stood a young woman with loosely waved red hair pulled up in a casual ponytail. With a large, broad frame adorned with equal parts fat and muscle, she wouldn't look too out of place wrestling a bear. She seemed to pay more attention to the two men with plant essences. "Uhh, hah," the woman drawled, shifting a little uncomfortably as her turn came. "Ah'm Natalie Jackson, but most folks call me NatJack. Ah live in Mississipi, but ah have an aunt around here so it wasn't too hard ta get here. Uh... Ah think Ah have a soybean essence? Well, Ah had the wahld dream lahk they say the essenced folks do, an' Ah ain't never had any'a that soy stuff before, so whah would mah brain think'a that on its own? But Ah don't know what mah powers are yet." NatJack took a breath like she was about to add something else, but a hesitant expression came to her face and she paused for a couple seconds before continuing. "Ah love grillin' and fishin', and ah've won a couple competitions. For fishin', at least." --- @LuckyBlackCat "Hello, everyone," a 40-something woman in the Cabin 2 group said with a dreamy wave. The chunky bracelets on her wrists clinked lightly as she continued gesturing throughout her introduction. "I'm Dolly. It's so nice to meet you all. I live near Orlando. I have been blessed with the iris essence." Dolly gestured to a delicate yellow flower in her hair. She pulled back some smooth black strands to show that the flower appeared to be rooted to her scalp. "I can plant temporary flowers on other people, too. Would anyone like one?" "Me! Me! I want one!" Destiny cried eagerly, jumping with enthusiasm and clenched fists in anticipation. Fauna chuckled and put her hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her down. "That sounds lovely, dear, but do remember to use your indoor voice and say 'please'," she reminded her daughter quietly, with a smile and a pat. Destiny stopped jumping and raised her hand instead. "Please! Please choose me!" The girl begged, quieter now, but still beaming with excitement. "Alright," Dolly chuckled. "You may go first, since you asked so politely. Though there's plenty to go around." At this, she glanced toward Mara for a moment before returning her attention to Destiny. "This might itch for just a bit..." Dolly parted the young girl's hair and touched her scalp near the back of her ear. As advertised, Destiny would feel an itching sensation for a few seconds, almost like ant or mosquito bites. Then, a thin stem emerged and quickly bloomed into a beautiful purple flower. The medium-sized accessory for Dolly looked comically, but cutely, big on a small child. "Purple stands for wisdom," Dolly addressed Destiny. "You must be pretty wise for your age!" "I am! I have the best grades in my class," Destiny boasted with a proud grin on her face and her hands on her hips. People in the crowd stared and gasped in awe. Even Abagail raised a brow and looked the girl's way. "How do I look, Momma?" Destiny asked, scratching a bit at the roots that now covered her head. "You look beautiful, dear. Like a fairytale princess!" Fauna answered enthusiastically. "Ooh! Thank you, mom. And thank you, miss Dolly!" Destiny said with a grateful curtsey, smile, and bob of her flower before returning to her mother's side. "You're very welcome," Dolly responded. "It should last for about eight hours. Then it will wilt and fall off painlessly on its own." Dolly shrugged with a wistful smile. "It's not a 'save the world' sort of power, but it's a nice opportunity to add a little more beauty to the world." "Oh dear... I've hogged the spotlight, haven't I? I'll make my fun fact quick. I'm a vegan and an advocate for animal rights. But not like PETA or anything, they're terrible."</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @LostButterfly92 As remarkable as some essences were, Mara didn't want to appear too impressed. She wasn't going to give anyone that satisfaction. However, when Dolly spoke up and showed everyone the flower growing from her head, Mara's eyes widened. Not just from fascination, but wariness. Great, so people would be walking around Cabin 2 with large, flammable flowers rooted to their skin. Even more incentive to get these electrical problems under control. "Gonna have to pass," she replied to Dolly's offer. For all her love of plants and gardening, she'd had to get rid of her houseplants after a few close calls. Having one attached to her skin wouldn't be the smartest idea. "It'd be a shame to fry it." Shuffling back and pulling up her rubber gloves, she watched Dolly demonstrate her essence on Destiny. Petals unfurled behind the child's ear, spreading into a huge purple flower. Apparently the colour wasn't random, as Dolly explained it stood for wisdom. "Huh... Not bad, I've gotta say," Mara admitted. Sure, it may not be a superhero power, but if the colour thing was accurate, it would be useful for figuring out people's traits and skills. Dolly would make a good teacher or therapist, if she wasn't one already. It was certainly better than her own essence. And thankfully, Dolly wasn't the type to go on and on about it, wrapping up her introduction quickly. Considering her and Dani, maybe the people in Cabin 2 wouldn't be so bad after all. Which still left the issue of the flowers. Arms folded, Mara inched further away from Dolly and Destiny. If it came across as rude, so be it.</s>	<\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo gave Connor a brief smile before he started speaking. At least he wasn't going to be alone stuck with complete strangers - although they had only known each other a matter of hours. He half listened as Connor spoke, eyes flicking around the group to gauge the reactions of everyone else as he announced his sexuality to everyone. He had more nerve than Alonzo did. His eyes drifted to the young woman next in the circle, who seemed to be paying the pair of them more attention than anyone else in the cabin. He offered her a hesitant, but genuine, smile. Alonzo wasn't about to admit that he was slightly intimidated; Natalie, as she introduced herself, was only slightly taller than he was but looked as though she could snap him like a twig without a second thought. "Soybeans?" He murmured, trying to rack his brain for anything related to soybeans but all he could think of was soy milk - and he had no idea how that could translate itself into a power. "Maybe your dream had some sort of clue as to what your powers could be? Or maybe even how to kickstart them?" He asked; his curiosity piqued.</s>
<\|description\|>Ryker Burke Appearance: Ryker stands at about 5'10" with Brown hair and Amber eyes. His body is athletic and muscular, as he must be to do his job. He has a few scars that could be seen on his arms and face, but many more on his body and back. The way he carries himself it's clear he was a soldier. Gender:Male Age: 28 Occupation: Detective Plant Essence: Peppermint Superpower: Ryker has the ability to cool anything he touches, and can make it so cold it can freeze as if he dipped the object in liquid Nitrogen. He currently can't control his ability, which really comes from his fingertips. So he wears gloves to block it so he doesn't accidentally freeze someone. The air around him always seems a few degrees cooler, and his skin is cold to the touch as if he was standing out in a blizzard for too long, this causes his skin to be a bit numb...and because of this he has a higher tolerance to pain. This is also bad, because while he may brush it off as a small thing, or not even realize how bad it is... until he suddenly gets woozy from blood loss. His breath is cold as well, and sometimes you can see a puff of his breath if he was standing in a freezer even if it's 100 degrees out. With practice he would be able to control it without worrying about gloves, how cold it gets, and how far it can expand. As of now, it's about a three foot radius from the point he touches that can freeze. It's also nice touch he smells like peppermint every time he uses it. Personality: Ryker is a very intelligent and observant person. Who is quick to pick up something with what seems like little effort. However despite his natural athleticism and smarts he believes in working hard for what you want. There are many hours of training and learning when people are not watching. He is kind, and respectful, with the habit to address everyone as Sir and Ma'am. He is quick to make friends, and is always willing to help complete strangers. As if they were close friends. He has a mischievous side to him as well, often joking around even while working. He also is known to always have gum on him, specifically peppermint. In his pockets, car, desk, home. While really odd, it became a joke for everyone that knew him. He claims it's just something he picked up while in the military to deal with stress. While fighting though, he seems like a completely different person. History: Ryker grew up in a Military/police home. So it's clear where he got his strong sense of morals from. However he wasn't always like that. He was a little cheeky rambunctious kid who always got into trouble all the way through his teens. But he got his act together just before joining the military. He excelled while there, making three close friends that became his brothers after a small conflict turned bad for them. The short story, which is all he would say always if asked. They were captured and tortured, for a few weeks before managing to escape. No matter how many times, he won't go into details. After the military the four stayed in touch, he became uncles to their children, despite not being related by blood. He also joined the police force and became a K-9 officer. Where he and his partner Sascha, did really well for five years, somehow managing to be a part of some big busts during that time. One of them, almost killing his Partner. While she managed to live, she was retired from the force and he decided to become a detective after that, not wanting another dog. A few months later, he found out one of his brothers was killed in a car wreck, along with his wife. Their 10 year daughter, Everly was also in the wreck, but managed to live. He took a few months off to take care of his brother's funeral and arrangements, he also took custody of Everly, as he was named the GodFather in their wills. About three months ago, when he came back to work, his fellow officers pranked him by filling his desk with hundreds of packets of gum, as well as placing a large Peppermint plant in a pot on his desk. After all the joking was done, he decided to keep it in his office. It was after that he started to have strange dreams of peppermint plants freezing over by themselves. Over the next week he Catch himself looking at Peppermint plant for no reason at all thinking about the dream. That it would just stick with him. He felt a sudden surge of cold surrounding his chest. Then slowly spread throughout him. He didn't think much of it, as he got up and left, he didn't see his chair's arms were cracked and frozen. Miscellaneous: -always has a pack of gum, but not always chewing gum. -Sascha usually follows him around everywhere.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Oh I wouldn't hold your breath." Alonzo chuckled softly, giving the girl a sharp grin at the snobs comment. Alonzo wasn't one to entertain those with more money than they necessarily deserved for long. Him and his grandmother had struggled and scraped for all they had; those born into money or just expected things tended to grate on his nerves. He made brief eye contact with the man who had appeared from behind, giving him a small nod in return before his attention was snatched away by an arm around his shoulders. He blinked for a moment; he really needed to keep a closer eye on people. The guy moved fast. His cheeks turned pink at the compliment and ducked out of the arm around his shoulders, giving Conner a sheepish smile. "Alonzo. Alonzo Solandis." He introduced himself, the sharp whistle making him wince and flinch slightly although that wasn't the worst reaction from their little group. He didn't see much besides the arc of electricity and the resulting large burn on the newcomer's arm. "Christ, that's some powerful stuff He muttered, shoving his bag in Conner's direction before hurrying over to the other guy. "I can help with that, give me your arm?" He offered out a hand, giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabin 7 At some point during Kerri's display of body horror, Libby got spooked and left the room. The rafflesia-essenced woman was left alone to rip off her blooms and stew for a couple minutes. Then the blonde tentatively peeked her head around the wall again. "Are you okay?" Libby ventured. She blushed slightly at the dumb question. The girl's skin was bubbling like a pancake a minute ago, even in a context with superpowers that didn't look very okay. "Uh... need anything before the conference starts?" She probably should've left the leave-me-alone-I'm-emo girl alone. She stayed on the balls of her feet, prepared to run if the angry woman attacked her with whatever nightmare power that was. But at least Libby had to check back to make sure the woman wasn't actively dying or anything.</s> <\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur chuckled softly at the reply of the strange woman sitting on the picnic table. Groovy. The only person he had heard that from none ironically was an older woman in his apartment building, one who had been a flower child back in the day. Yet this lady in front of Arthur was clearly way younger that, so he wondered why she was using such terms. He thought that it might be a hipster thing. As she continued to speak, Arthur began to wonder if she knew where she was, "You know this is a scientific conference, right? I don't think they'll be sticking anyone with needles randomly, if you were worrying about that. As for harmonious thoughts, I'm not sure." Arthur paused, before laughing, "I mean do you think we should try and commune with the plant essences? I have no idea how that would work, but you seem like the kind of person who could get that started." Arthur was serious in what he said. This whole plant power thing had been nothing but a mystery since it started a few weeks back. Up until hearing about this conference, Arthur never had a notion that plant essences could be a thing. Yet he did change at night, same time as the flowers changed. So maybe a strange hippie lady leading some kind of meditation would allow him to gleam some information. It was worth a try. "My name is Arthur," he said as he extended his hand, "And would it be too forward if you yourself have a plant essence power?" Arthur was under the assumption that most anyone here that didn't look like a scientific type was probably someone with powers or knew someone with powers. Arthur himself at been keeping his power secret to those around him, but was warming up to the idea of being open with others with plant essences. Perhaps having some sort of community would make this life change easier for Arthur. Suzhen</s> <\|message\|>Muriel Shropshire "Call me Mur'" she replies, keeping her cards close to her chest for now. "And you'd be right, but I'm going to wait and see exactly what the men in white coats are up to before I give too much away." The crack of a miniature lightning bolt interrupts Muriel, and she turns her head, thinks for a moment, then slides off the table. "Then again, I may be able to help that girl a little. That's worth the G-Men learning some secrets." She walks over to the crowd starting to form around Mara with a wave and a smile. "Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." She isn't actually sure if her rubber essence will make her immune to the electricity. She also isn't sure if she has fifty bucks. Well, if she's wrong, maybe Mara will accept a joint or two instead... @LuckyBlackCat</s>	<\|message\|>Ryker Burke Ryker muscles suddenly stiffened for a few seconds when he felt the electrical surge hit his arms. He didn't cry out in pain as one would expect. But he groaned through his teeth as he closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment. His memories flashed before him. The smell of burn flesh... the soreness from the beatings...the searing pain of that jumper cable connected to a 12 volt Battery. The screams of his brothers being tortured. He could even hear himself saying his Rank, Name and ID over and over. "Sergeant Ryker Burke, 1013758492!" Each time being asked an incomprehensible question, and shock for not answering to the torturers liking. His left hand began to shake slightly. He shook his head a moment later to physically rid the thought from his head, and tightened his left hand into a fist. He looked over at the shorter blond, who had her hands over her mouth. A look of terror in her eyes as she looked at his arm. He looked down to see a hole in his jacket, a fresh black burn mark on his arm. Honestly he felt it only slightly. It wasn't as bad as he remembered. It was only then he seemed to warp back into the present, hearing almost everyone at once. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?" "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready." "I can help with that, give me your arm?" Sascha suddenly pushed herself between her legs, Sensing his confusion. Ready to protect him with his order. He quickly reached down and placed a hand on her head to calm her. He hesitated for a moment before offering his arm to the guy with a nod of accepting his help, Looking to the blonde who shocked him he then said, to both her and the one who offered to help. "Its fine, It doesn't hurt that much...I'm used to it." He said realizing afterwards that would be a very awkward thing to be used to. "It my fault. He added quickly with a smile... "I didn't mean to scare you with the Whistle..." He was pulled away as the odd girl in a bikini and shirt suddenly appeared. Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." What the hell, who asks for that kinda thing? He wondered, as he felt Sascha move her head closer to the new person sniffing. But she didn't move from between his legs.</s>
<\|description\|>Ryker Burke Appearance: Ryker stands at about 5'10" with Brown hair and Amber eyes. His body is athletic and muscular, as he must be to do his job. He has a few scars that could be seen on his arms and face, but many more on his body and back. The way he carries himself it's clear he was a soldier. Gender:Male Age: 28 Occupation: Detective Plant Essence: Peppermint Superpower: Ryker has the ability to cool anything he touches, and can make it so cold it can freeze as if he dipped the object in liquid Nitrogen. He currently can't control his ability, which really comes from his fingertips. So he wears gloves to block it so he doesn't accidentally freeze someone. The air around him always seems a few degrees cooler, and his skin is cold to the touch as if he was standing out in a blizzard for too long, this causes his skin to be a bit numb...and because of this he has a higher tolerance to pain. This is also bad, because while he may brush it off as a small thing, or not even realize how bad it is... until he suddenly gets woozy from blood loss. His breath is cold as well, and sometimes you can see a puff of his breath if he was standing in a freezer even if it's 100 degrees out. With practice he would be able to control it without worrying about gloves, how cold it gets, and how far it can expand. As of now, it's about a three foot radius from the point he touches that can freeze. It's also nice touch he smells like peppermint every time he uses it. Personality: Ryker is a very intelligent and observant person. Who is quick to pick up something with what seems like little effort. However despite his natural athleticism and smarts he believes in working hard for what you want. There are many hours of training and learning when people are not watching. He is kind, and respectful, with the habit to address everyone as Sir and Ma'am. He is quick to make friends, and is always willing to help complete strangers. As if they were close friends. He has a mischievous side to him as well, often joking around even while working. He also is known to always have gum on him, specifically peppermint. In his pockets, car, desk, home. While really odd, it became a joke for everyone that knew him. He claims it's just something he picked up while in the military to deal with stress. While fighting though, he seems like a completely different person. History: Ryker grew up in a Military/police home. So it's clear where he got his strong sense of morals from. However he wasn't always like that. He was a little cheeky rambunctious kid who always got into trouble all the way through his teens. But he got his act together just before joining the military. He excelled while there, making three close friends that became his brothers after a small conflict turned bad for them. The short story, which is all he would say always if asked. They were captured and tortured, for a few weeks before managing to escape. No matter how many times, he won't go into details. After the military the four stayed in touch, he became uncles to their children, despite not being related by blood. He also joined the police force and became a K-9 officer. Where he and his partner Sascha, did really well for five years, somehow managing to be a part of some big busts during that time. One of them, almost killing his Partner. While she managed to live, she was retired from the force and he decided to become a detective after that, not wanting another dog. A few months later, he found out one of his brothers was killed in a car wreck, along with his wife. Their 10 year daughter, Everly was also in the wreck, but managed to live. He took a few months off to take care of his brother's funeral and arrangements, he also took custody of Everly, as he was named the GodFather in their wills. About three months ago, when he came back to work, his fellow officers pranked him by filling his desk with hundreds of packets of gum, as well as placing a large Peppermint plant in a pot on his desk. After all the joking was done, he decided to keep it in his office. It was after that he started to have strange dreams of peppermint plants freezing over by themselves. Over the next week he Catch himself looking at Peppermint plant for no reason at all thinking about the dream. That it would just stick with him. He felt a sudden surge of cold surrounding his chest. Then slowly spread throughout him. He didn't think much of it, as he got up and left, he didn't see his chair's arms were cracked and frozen. Miscellaneous: -always has a pack of gum, but not always chewing gum. -Sascha usually follows him around everywhere.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, tattoos exposed, and pushed his glasses further up his nose before taking the guy's arm gently in his hand. He felt the fluttering of nerves in his stomach but took a deep breath to try and calm them as much as he could. He had an actual use now, no chance to mess this one up. His eyebrows furrowed with concentration, fingers of his other hand flexing as they tingled. "Sure did a number on this but it could be worse. No one's at fault though, just wrong place, wrong time. Nothing for anyone to kick themselves over." As he spoke, the burn started to slowly fade. The burn was large enough to leave a faint scar, and he hadn't got a proper handle on this new power enough to make it disappear completely, but it would fade quicker than usual and was definitely better than if it had been untreated. "S'alright though, look? Gone... more or less." He gave him another brief smile and stepped away, flexing the tingling from his fingers; the newer scent of lavender far overpowering the lemon from before. "She's cute, what's her name? Alonzo asked curiously, eyeing up the cause of the whole fiasco. "And yours, actually?" He added quickly, cursing his lack of manners. His grandmother would have his head if she could hear him.</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Something went wrong. Terribly wrong. One moment Dani was watching lightning dance, the next second somebody got struck. A line of dandelions lit up like Christmas lights before promptly disintegrating as Dani shrieked and fell to her knees and crumpled to the ground in pain. The would around her faded out, and Dani became somebody else--a young man in a mysterious room that smelled of burning flesh. Her new body was beaten and bruised, and felt like it had been for days. But even worse than they pain was the tortured screams of seemingly familiar voices. A vague pressed a live wire to her arm, sending a second surge of pain through her body... Danielle awoke screaming and disoriented. Who was she? Where was she? She groped at her arms and face. "Dani? Dani?" somebody asked, hovering over her with breath that reeked of alcohol. Her mother, Dani realized. She was herself again, and the pain was gone "Are you okay, Dani?" William asked with big eyes. "You scared me! Don't do that again, Dani!" Destiny chastised with a wrinkled forehead and pouty lips. "Just get up already!" Abagail muttered. With her mother's help, Danielle sat up slowly. William handed her a bottle of water and she took it gratefully. After a few gulps she put the cap back on. Her mother pat her back. "There, there. Take it easy. We think you might have had heat stroke. You were hallucinating. Let's get you out of the sun," she soothed, rubbing her daughter's back. Danielle felt like throwing up. "Oh-okay..." Dani answered weakly. She took her mother's hand and shakily returned to her feet. Her mom put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and began leading her toward their cabin. As they continued past the group she was watching previously, the girl settled on a man in his late twenties with a well-behaved working dog between his legs. She looked at the man's arms and face and found scars, many of them deep. With all these details, and her gut feelings, somehow she just knew he was the one the vision had came from. What happened to you? Dani asked the universe with tears running down her cheeks. He looked like such a good guy, and he didn't deserve whatever happened to him. The girl sniffled, wiped her tears away and continued into cabin '2'. Unbeknownst to her, the universe listens, and a nearby dandelion seed carried her question heavily to the man known as Ryker Burke.</s> <\|message\|>Conner Waters June 19, 2021 Cypress View Retreat Alonzo blushed, and escaped Conner's grip, and introduced. Conner smirked. That was not a rejection? Did he actually have a chance with this guy? Who knows. There was still plenty of weekend left. Alonzo threw his bag in his direction ran over to the other guy's side. Conner couldn't exactly blame him... He was handsome and had a cute dog to boot. Alonzo rolled up his sleeves, exposing the tattoos on his arms, which Conner did not expect. This guy seemed like the shy quiet type, and not really the type to have a whole sleeve tattoos. Then he worked his magic, and healed the guy's arm. Conner picked up Alonzo's bag, and strode over to him. "Nice! But dude, we have got to talk about this awesome ink!" He took Alonzo's right arm with a tattoo of the sea, with a Kraken beneath the waves. "Who did it?"</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @GreysonEA @Bai Suzhen @LostButterfly92 The man's reaction was worse than Mara had feared. Instead of yelping or recoiling, he spaced out for a few seconds. Mara's stomach clenched as she noticed the trembling of his left hand, the traces of scars on his arms and face. Had she just triggered a bad memory? As if the whole situation wasn't already shitty enough, in the distance, a scream rose up. She stared over at the teen hunched on the ground, people gathering around her. Great, she'd all too likely set off someone's phobia of lightning. It was only when a dog pushed between the guy's legs, poised to guard him, that he snapped back into the present. Although he tried to reassure her it was ok, Mara bit her lip. Used to it? So she had gone and reminded him of something unpleasant. Judging by his reaction, he wasn't used to shocks in the same way that electricians and engineers were. "It wasn't your fault," she replied. If only she'd damn well pulled herself together, this wouldn't have happened. "Not like you could've known." Before he could answer, the woman with flowers in her hair approached, with an odd request. Mara raised an eyebrow. Give her a zap? While both damp and on edge? Yeeeeah, what could possibly go wrong? Even if this girl had an essence that could lessen the effect, it would still be a risky move. "Ehh, I'm going to guess you want to keep your fingers in working order." She folded her arms. "So I'll pass. What was it you wanted to check though?" As much as she needed the money, to help cover the cost of repairs to her parents' home, it wouldn't be worth it, at least not until she dried off and calmed down. She glanced at the wounded man again, proof of why it wouldn't. The tattooed blond had stepped in, the wound fading at his touch. Not completely, but enough that it wouldn't get infected or leave major scarring. Mara gave a sigh of relief. Ok, lucky there was a healer around. His essence was obvious - the distinctive scent of lavender overrode the smoke and lemon smells. Of course, that still left the issue of the guy's mental state, as the concern in the approaching teen's eyes made clear. The same girl who'd panicked just now. The burn may have been healed, but that didn't change the fact that electricity freaked out at least two people here.</s>	<\|message\|>Ryker Burke Ryker reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a stick of gum, expertly unwraping it with one hand and sticking in his mouth, calming the slight anxiety that popped up from the memory. He looked away towards the girl who screamed out when he was shocked. Now that his mind was catching up with him. She was up now, moving towards them. And She was looking towards him with a tear rolling down her cheek. Suddenly a voice popped into his head, asking what happened to him. It sounded like someone was whispering directly into his ear, but no one around him asked it. The voice was different from the two next to him now. His head cocked as he thought. I was...shocked? clearly confused by who said it, and clearly connecting it with what just happened. But I'm ok. He quickly added...not knowing if he would even be answered. The scent of Lavender overpowering the lemon and even peppermint that was always escaping his lips. He had to admit it was an extremely useful power. He didn't mind one bit that it left a scar. Just another among the many on his arm. He smiled, "Thank you. I hope I didn't cause you too much discomfort." He said, while indicating his fingers. "This here is Sascha..." He paused for a second before realizing he was asking for his name, not if Sascha was hers. "I'm Ryker Burke... it's a pleasure to meet you all." He looked to blond girl and smiled confidently. "No harm done, Well some harm....My favorite jacket now has a charred hole in it. Though I barely felt it. We are all learning so I don't blame you one bit... Excuse me..." He said with a chuckle. He then looked to the girl and moved over to her and her mother. Sascha moving out from his legs and standing right by his side looking up at him. "Excuse me, are you ok?" He asked with genuine concern. Then looked the mother,"What happened? Is there anything I can do to help?"</s>
<\|description\|>Felicia Vespa Gender: Female Age: 24 Occupation: Landlady Plant Essence: Robinia pseudoacacia - Black Locust Superpower: "Natural Defenses" Rose's Thorns: It's said that every rose has its thorns, and Felicia's thorns mean business. They can grow from shoots that extend out from inside her sleeves or up from the ground to create a hedge around her, then quickly retreat. They vary in size, from that of small daggers to a size small enough to pick locks. Current Mastery: Can make a set of "grass knuckles," or snag an ankle with an underground shoot. Toxic Love: Everything Felicia produces is toxic. Shoots, wood, bark, thorns, leaves, flowers, fruit and all. Even her bodily fluids are poisonous. The range of symptoms include anorexia, depression, incontinence, abdominal pain, weakness, paralysis, and cardiac arrhythmia. They are debilitating, but very rarely lethal. Current Mastery: Can't control which symptoms manifest. Doesn't actually know this power exists, as its effects are still too weak. Exposure might give you butterflies, but won't send you to the hospital. Yet. Mother's Resentment: Felicia is tough—unnaturally so. Certainly, her own poisonous fluids do not harm her, but her body will also toughen up in response to trauma. Punching her is as effective as punching a tree. Literally, her skin takes on the texture of bark and the hardness of wood. She punches above her weight as well. Her strength increases while in direct sunlight, but rapidly depreciates in the shade. Current Mastery: The effects of her decade-old smoking habit have begun to reverse themselves. A natural night owl, Felicia hasn't yet made the connection between this and occasional exposure to sun. Personality— You know her type. An ill-tempered woman who communicates primarily in short phrases of three-to-four letter words, the most polite of which sounds an awful lot like "your rent is due." But in the Smoky Mountains area of eastern Tennessee, Felicia is known as "that quiet biker girl who drives the old ladies to the grocery store." It's true—behind a layer of toxic levels of sass and "intolerance of other people's B.S." hides a dependable soul who only shows her soft side to those she deigns to be too pure, vulnerable, or naive to take advantage of her kindness. If she sees trouble, she'll put on her best Karen act and become an even bigger source of trouble, hiding her intentions behind a veil of narcissism. She puts her entrepreneurial skills to good use, capitalizing on opportunities only someone like her could. History— Felicia comes from a rich family, which with the benefit of hindsight, she would describe as "a family of well-adjusted psychopaths, with a worthless Wall Street Baby at its head." The family matriarch, Felicia's mother Rosa, was particularly vicious towards her for not fitting in with the rest of the lawyers, doctors, and politicians—all of which were, at least at home, devoutly Catholic. As for Felicia, it's as the song on the radio goes: she'd lost faith in science, the holy Trinity, and the people on TV, including those aforementioned politicians. Over time, she developed a hair-trigger sensor for all manner of abuser language, gaslighting, and mind games, and is deeply skeptical of everyone and everything that evokes it. So, when one day Felicia just up and vanished with the money she was supposedly going to use for college tuition, no one batted an eye, except perhaps to gather in some half-baked prayer that she wouldn't do anything to embarrass the family. Rather than going to a university, she packed her bags and just told her driver to take her as far away as possible, as fast as possible, avoiding any major cities along the way. After an entire day spent in a car, she woke up from her nap and asked where she was, which was Knoxville, TN. She decided that was good enough, and started looking for opportunities to grow some new roots in the area. After a few months, she found a mark: a gated community of retirees who were unwilling to leave, even though the place was floundering under incompetent management. She bought it, hired new staff, and improved the living conditions of her new clientele, earning her a lot of respect in the small community in Sevierville, which she then moved to. It seemed her new life would run smoothly, until one day she suddenly started having horrible nightmares, wherein she'd find herself being buried alive in a pit of snakes, which would bite at her hands and not let go. When she woke up, she'd find unexplainable puncture wounds on her hands, with no sign of snakes anywhere. Not on or near her, her bed, bedroom, house, or even, as her gardener assured her, her property. Dare she resort to calling a priest? Hardly. She simply dealt with the disturbingly mysterious malady, until one day, it happened while she was awake. While reaching for her coffee, she felt a sharp pain, which at first she thought was simply due to her missing the handle on her mug and bumping it with her thumb, but after looking, she saw that her hand was nowhere near her mug. Instead, grasping the mug was a ring of vines covered in thorns, one of which was puncturing her thumb. After reeling her hand back, spilling coffee on it and burning it, the thorns retreated into her arm, like some kind of Spider-Man special effect. What. But, Spider-Man... maybe she was on to something. Animal-based superpowers were a thing, apparently. Nobody else in her family had them, but she could simply be the first. Nothing strange about that, but as for what kind of animal it could be... unless it was snakes? Ugh. Why'd it have to be snakes? Regardless, she'd have to master this new power at least a little before she'd feel comfortable leaving the house again, so she did just that for as long as she could get away with lying to her employees and clients about her newly found passion for quilting—and she was going to be self-taught, mind you. Finally, the day of the Miami researcher's fateful discovery came. Felicia missed the broadcast on American Morning—being a night owl—but she caught the articles and memes afterward, and she knew she'd have to go to the summit. Even if all she got was a bunch of lies from talking heads in suits, knowing what lies they'd cooked up this time would itself be useful, or so she'd convinced herself. It's not as though she had many opportunities to gather information about this. Still, there was no way she would be so forthcoming as to show off her powers for a mere Benny. She certainly wasn't in the market for an Avengers-style cast of characters to add to her contacts. This was strictly... reconnaissance. Right. Miscellaneous— Bisexual. Her name means "Successful Wasp." Plant Facts: * The "Rose's Thorns" picture is actually the Honey Locust tree. The Black Locust's thorns come in much smaller pairs, at the base of the leaves. * It's speculated that the Honey Locust's massive thorns evolved to deter prehistoric mammals. They aren't very useful as a defense against small animals. Thus, Felicia shows her soft side to small animals, and people who remind her of small animals. * The Black Locust is actually toxic, with the exact effects described in Felicia's "Toxic Love" ability. In reality, horses are most vulnerable to its poison, as they tend to eat the shoots and chew its bark. Human cases of Black Locust poisoning are rare and unremarkable. * The Black Locust can tolerate poor quality or disrupted soil, and even the pollution of big cities—but not the shade. Its wood is also among the most durable in the US. This was used as the inspiration for her "Mother's Resentment" ability, which increases her tolerance of poisons and general hardiness, while in direct sunlight. * The Black Locust succeeds by colonizing poor soil early, growing with weed-like speed to shade out its competition. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots then allow other species that it gets along with to move in. This inspired her entrepreneurial sense, occupation as a landlord, and design as a front-line fighter. * Pseudoacacia means "false acacia," so Felicia's personality is a little two-faced. * The Black Locust is both native and very desirable in some areas of the US, but is considered invasive in others. Make of that what you will.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabins - Central Pavilion Joseph Anderson was so immersed in brainstorming, he failed to notice his surroundings and had to be nudged whenever the line moved up. He wasn't quite satisfied by his plan when his turn came, but it would have to do. "Hello, and welcome to the SHARP summit," the worker in the blue name tag said in a cheerful customer service voice. "Please show your ticket and step over there to demonstrate your essence." The man pointed to an open field a relatively safe distance away from all the people in line. "Actually," Joseph began, "my essence is ivy. I'm an expert climber! But, you see, there's nothing to climb on over there. You could take my word for it, or I could climb on this pavilion." The worker's smile sagged a bit, already looking tired well before noon. "Alright," the volunteer decided, "but we'll have to move everyone away, for safety reasons." As the grumbling line was forced to move back into more of an abstract squiggle, Joseph rubbed his hands and stretched his legs, firing himself up. When the worker nodded, the bearded man leaped onto one of the wooden beams with gusto, hoisting himself up as fast as he could. He shimmied up to the roof with impressive speed. Well, impressive for a regular human. The volunteer pursed his lips, not really sure how to judge this ivy man. "Alright, you can come down now. I'll talk with my superiors and let you know their answer soon." "Okay!" Joseph shouted down, beginning to slide back down the pole. "When my refund's ready, just call me on- ACK!" The bearded man was interrupted by a large splinter sticking into his right palm. The man lost his grip and flailed for a moment before landing hard but on his feet. The shaken man stood frozen for a second. Then he put his hands up and posed like a gymnast landing an expert trick. "I also have extra ivy resilience! Ow..."</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @GreysonEA @Emeth Taking another look over the brochure, Mara sighed. While she needed answers, philosophical theories would be no substitute for cold hard facts. Probably the best option though - ziplining would be fun and all, but the slightest panic from her could ruin everyone's day. Bracing herself for the upcoming drudgery, she shuffled from the room, towards the line of people queuing to display their powers. She gave a nervous tug at her gloves - she'd be able to manage a small spark without hurting anyone, but she'd still want to keep a safe distance. Her eyes flicked around the area, settling on someone who'd spoken up earlier. The dark-haired woman who'd introduced herself as Felicia, also heading towards the queue with Ryker and his dog in tow. Overhearing Alonzo's question about another zapping incident, Mara huffed and rolled her eyes. "So, about what you said earlier," she said, approaching Felicia. Best to skip small talk and get to the point. "You say you cater to essenced people, so... Would you happen to know how to mesh day-to-day life with electric powers? They're not exactly a great mix." The only thing she could think to do was put rubber sheeting all over her apartment. Which would mean she needed the money even more, but maybe a landlady could help with practical matters. She whirled round at a yelp from the pavilion. A guy who'd had the oh-so-bright idea to climb to the top flailed before falling. Mara gasped, but luckily the guy landed on his feet, trying to save face with a showy pose. It looked like only his ego was hurt. Ok, and maybe his hand and feet. Mara turned her blank stare from the show-off guy to Alonzo. "Well, there's your chance."</s>	<\|message\|>Felicia Vespa Felicia turned to face the lemon-scented girl—clearly a young lady with a lot of spunk. At least, Felicia was not used to being casually approached like that. Her mind blanked for a moment as Mara put her on the spot, mentioning that she catered to plant-essenced people. In actual truth, she didn't, and learning how to cater to such people was merely a pretense for coming to this summit, that she had come up with in the spur of the moment. Now, however, she found herself needing to prove her worth to this new community of people with much more diverse traits and abilities. "Electric plant essence... That's not something I'd have expected," she said, truthfully. "It shouldn't be an impossible situation. I'd probably consult fire safety experts for advice on accommodations... and perhaps some electricians. If the power could be harnessed for energy, perhaps I could make a deal with the tenant and the power company to offset the cost of those accommodations by lowering the electric bill," she offered. I don't know if that's actually possible, though... she thought to herself, hoping she didn't sound like she was talking out of her ass.</s>
<\|description\|>Derrick Errance * Age: 21 * Gender: Male * Appearance: "Nope, not here." * Personality: Preferring to take a more methodical approach to problems, Derrick tends to sit back and observe before acting whenever possible. He is rather reserved when it comes to dealing with people and tends to be rather blunt, which can occasionally come off as standoffish or rude to those not used to dealing with him. With that said, he cares quite a lot about those close to him, often prioritizing their health and well-being over his own (and occasionally even those of others). Interpersonal relationships aside, though, Derrick is intensely curious about the wider world, and has a non-insignificant number of documents and books scrounged up from traveling around in his room. This has given him a surprising amount of knowledge that one might not expect for someone with his upbringing, and maybe even less so someone of his profession. With that said, his own curiosity may rarely override his tendency towards analysis, which... May or may not be a good thing. * Brief Backstory: Derrick was born to a young Embrian woman in the midst of the war; he never knew who his father was, but the bitter look on his mother's face whenever he had asked gave the young child more than enough reason to stop asking eventually. The town where he would have grown up—Kalan—had been razed to the ground by the invading Alvadians, which left a young Derrick next to no time to be a child. He spent much of his childhood away from the ruins that were slowly being rebuilt; few of the survivors (if any) wanted to have anything to do with him, and though the village had since begun to be rebuilt, Derrick had been left with little else besides his mother and the clothes on his back. As the war finally drew to a close, Derrick found that the gap between himself and the rest of the townsfolk had only widened. More than a few seemed to dislike him—for what, though, he could only wonder. His mother seemed to receive only pity where he found scorn, but the fact that she continued to give him her affection despite all of this only further question his place here. If it was any solace, though, the young boy found a few books to keep to himself, hidden away from judging eyes in the safety of his home Things changed, however, when a wanderer passed through the region. Most of the other townsfolk seemed to pay him no heed, but the young Derrick could not help but be intrigued by the odd-looking case he kept with him. When he collapsed on the side of the road, it was Derrick who acted out to help, if only out of sheer curiosity; though his mother disapproved of the wanderer's presence, she could not well refuse the earnest (if not somewhat self-serving) desire of her son to help. Said wanderer, as Derrick would soon learn, was a man by the name of Arden. He introduced himself (however hesitantly) as a researcher from Alvad to the young boy. He explained that he had escaped from his home country once his heart could not in good faith help the war any longer, and that he had taken his equipment with him to assure that he could prevent it from continuing further in what little way he could. Though Derrick's mother seemed less than pleased with that sort of information, the young boy, curious about what that equipment was and about the only other person who treated him with something other than disdain, begged for him to stay—at least, for a while. He wanted to learn, and if nobody else would teach him, then a stranger and a refugee could at least help bridge that gap. Eventually, if only through sheer perseverance, Derrick succeeded. Arden had initially been less than receptive to the idea (he would have liked to have sought asylum with what he had and left as soon as he could have), but a few days of rest was probably for the best, given that he had collapsed on the road. Those days soon began to extend, though, as he learned of Derrick's aptitude for knowledge. Days turned to weeks, weeks into months; before long, Arden had become more than just a stranger to Derrick; he was a teacher, someone to look up to who he had never had before. But those days soon came to an end; news of a group of hunters seeking him eventually met Arden's ears, and the researcher knew that what time he had left was fleeting. To the young man who had insisted on keeping him around, though, the researcher gave unto him one thing before leaving: the Air Grid, the tool that Derrick had been so curious about until now. There was no guarantee that his work would make it out, and given that it was him they were after, losing the Grid for all the goodwill he had been shown was not much of a loss. Arden leaving meant that Derrick was once again left with just his mother, who would continue to work herself to the bone trying to make ends meet. Meeting the researcher had changed Derrick, though, and the young man found himself working to try and understand what it was that had been left in his hands. He succeeded eventually, if only through sheer force of will; understanding everything. Having been long since aware of his status as a pariah, Derrick chose to leave Kalan and pursue work elsewhere once he came of age. A single letter to his mother was all he had left behind as he travelled to the border, and the young man eventually found himself employed as a mercenary at Wild Rose. Even if he didn't have any direct combat experience, the group accepted him so long as he was willing to put in the effort—something he was more than willing to do. * Skills: Rather than being specialized for combat like many of his peers, Derrick has placed more of his effort into making sure that everything remains running smoothly. In other words, things like gear maintenance and medical work are a part of his usual activities. As a result of using the Air Grid, Derrick is also uncannily apt at multitasking, leaving him able to flick between multiple jobs at once without losing track of himself in the process. * Abilities: Derrick's spells mostly focus around supporting and reinforcing his allies, mitigating the damage they take and keeping them alive enough to continue fighting. The method for doing so—the Air Grid—allows him to use Cure and Protect where it might prove dangerous for most other medics, though it may take up his concentration in the process. He can also cast Ruin with the Grid, but as it is not optimized for offensive spells, doing so may put unnecessary strain upon its equipment. The number of Conduits from the Grid that he uses to cast spells also affects their output; while a Cure may be cast with one, for example, two would be optimal; similarly, while he could cast it with two Conduits, three would be optimal for a Protect. + Limit Break — Aegis of Heaven: Derrick overclocks the Air Grid, pushing it beyond its usual capabilities to create a massive barrier in front of him. This barrier is able to protect him as well as anyone behind him, and is able to deflect or absorb an absurd amount of damage before faltering. This ability is not without drawbacks, though; the barrier is incredibly taxing upon the Grid, and the heat damage that they sustain can outright put Conduits out of commission if not damaging the mechanisms within. * Equipment: + Air Grid: A prototype tool 'relieved' from Alvad in the years prior to their collapse. The Grid itself consists of five 'Conduits', prism-like structures with a refined Lumo core at their center. Each Conduit is able to fly about according to it's user's commands independent of any physical command, and unlike most other magitech objects, does not need to be refueled with Lumium to function. Conduits can also be used to cast spells—a function that would have in theory made Alvadian combatants all the more problematic should the project have reached fruition. With that said, the Grid itself is not without faults; in exchange for not requiring Lumium to function, each Conduit requires a near-constant stream of mana when in use, and that amount only increases when used to cast spells (hence the term 'Conduit'). Despite the high barrier of entry to being able to use the Air Grid, its versatility and maneuverability allows Derrick and any of his allies a lot more breathing room in the heat of battle. The Air Grid can, in theory, be upgraded, and the Conduits increased in efficiency and power; that would, however, require finding someone who could create the components necessary to do so. Derrick himself understands the fundamentals of how the Grid works and has learned to use it effectively (enough) in the decade or so to be able to maintain and repair it, but the possibility of him screwing something up in the process has given him enough pause to at least find someone who has more 'professional' experience before attempting anything.</s> <\|message\|>Derrick Errance As soon as the first volley of bullets had been fired, Derrick trained his gaze on the remaining mecha. It was easy enough to tell that they had refocused their barrels away from Freyja, and it seemed that his companion had noticed likewise. "Switching!" he shouted out, the Conduits near Freyja quickly abandoning their barrier before flying over towards Cadenza. There were a scant few moments before the bullets would begin to fire, if their retargeting was to be believed... But if he wasn't able to ward off the shots aimed at the mercenary, then all he could do was try and recover the damage afterwards. Shaking his head, Derrick quickly poked his head out from behind his current piece of cover before aiming his two remaining Conduits at one of the further machina. A single Ruin would ideally be enough to offset the barrel should he fail to stop the damage in time, but in this case, it was likely better to cover as many bases as he could. @Wayward@Pyromania99</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Aaagh!" Cadenza made a primal, rallying growl. Small though her success was, any momentum was good momentum. The mech staggered and toppled under its own weight, and fighter backed two sizeable steps to avoid being caught under it herself. In the proceeding instance, the expected shift in direction came to be. Cadenza found herself set on by the sights of the turrets of both the crippled machine and its remaining cohorts. It wasn't really much of a surprise; they were basic models, programmed to focus on threats as they presented themselves. As the barrel of her recent quarry spun around to take aim at her, she listed slightly, in counter direction to its rotation. Drawing back towards the mecha, she reached, taking hold of gun. Heaving another brutish grunt, she manhandled the turret in one-eighty, directing the business end of the weapon toward the next mech in line; she would use the felled walker's weapon against its packmate.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The scout drones were simply not equipped to deal with such a focused counteroffensive. The drone that was targeted by Freyja was caught seconds before it opened fire, the darkness-coated sword slicing through its armor like butter and cleaving it neatly in half, sparks flying as both portions of the machine toppled to the side and caught fire. The remaining drone was unable to pierce the barriers put ahead of its guns, though upon realizing this they seemed to begin adjusting its positioning in a bid to get around the shields. Unfortunately for the automaton, this put it directly in the path of the weaponry of its disabled fellow as Cadenza wrenched the cannon out of place, and the hail of bullets shred through its armor and tore delicate systems apart, a small explosion erupting from the drone as it crumpled backwards. The only remaining drone was crippled in the pugilistic girl's hands, functioning leg whirring helplessly. @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "YEAH!" Bullets from the still-upright mecha flew, but helplessly stopped upon colliding with the barrier that had been placed between it and Cadenza. In almost the same instance, the rounds from the turret she had commandeered rained forth as the shield dispelled. The walker had little defense against the firepower of its own kind; the bullets from Cadenza's manhandled weapon ripped through its plating with almost no resistance. "GET SOME!" she bragged, though this was mostly drowned out by the sound of the machine gun fire. Showing, albeit too late, a sign of restraint against targeting an ally, the automaton that the pugilist had muscled struggled to right itself and train its weapon back onto her. Its fate, however, was already being sealed. No sooner than it's volley concluded, Cadenza pulled up against the barrel of the gun. While the turreted artillery had a 360 rotation along a horizontal plane, the nature of the weapon rendered it unable to do the same along its vertical plane. The tension of Cadenza's pull on the barrel was joined swiftly by a set of fist strikes against the mounting apparatus that attached the canon to its swiveling base. It was the proverbial breaking of a stick over one's knee; the mecha would, in theory, be left active, but effectively crippled and disarmed, left to rot away as time and nature played out against it... unless, of course, one of Cadenza's teammates saw fit to put it out of its misery.</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja gave a small sigh of relief as the last of the scouts went down. They hadn't seemed to have sustained any real injuries today so, that could count for something. Derrick really pulled through for them with his protections. "Alright, that's taken care of." She hefted her sword over her shoulder and started to walk towards the inside of the complex. "We just need to keep moving carefully. We have no idea if there are any other leftovers from the empire here. Or... Other undesirables." She took a look back to her companions. "I'll take point. I've taken my fair share of bullet wounds before, I'm sure it won't be the last." The Dark Knight mentioned with a rather unconcerned look on her face before she headed off, keeping an eye out for her surroundings and her teammates.</s>	<\|message\|>Derrick Errance Once the last turret had been disabled, Derrick pushed himself back his feet before dusting himself off, the Conduits all returning back to his side without any further fanfare. The make of the machines were nothing particularly special, and though he might have wished to go bring them back for salvageable components, the three of them had a job that they came here to do. Anything extra could wait for the return trip. "No injuries, then?" he asked, glancing at the two at his side before looking back towards the facility. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that someone was expecting us. But by all means, lead the way." His job was to keep everyone in combat-ready condition, so there was no reason for him to be part of the vanguard on this team. If they got flanked, then it was the least he could do to block and stall for time as the other two moved to adjust—at least, that was how he saw things.</s>
<\|description\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] Age: 25 Gender: Female Appearance: 'Sup? Personality: If there was a poster child for "hot-headedness" Cadenza would be a strong contender for the title. With a mind that runs at miles a minute, Cadenza comes across brash and impulsive, jumping into the fray with little to no evident forethought or planning. Though most of the time her "fight first, talk later" ideology seems to work itself out to the best results, it has a propensity to create backlashes amid more delicate situations. In the heat of conflict and combat, she follows quick-thinking, improvisational style, and generally has the wits and psychological fortitude to engage multiple opponents up close. She can be short-fused, easily rallied to action as one seeking conflict might be. If one can restrain her physically, talking her down becomes a manageable task. But, if she is allowed gain momentum, the prospect of pulling her back into a docile becomes significantly more unlikely. Once engaged into a the midst of an altercation, Cadenza is unlikely to back away unless she either emerges victorious or is rendered incapacitated… or worse. Though her physical appearance may be less than impressive to the naked eye, her raw vitality and fiery disposition tend to make up any lost ground, and then some. She abounds with an excess of pride and self-confidence, which, when she's on the up and up, provides her a formidable advantage. Yet, as with many good things, too much can be problematic. Her confidence has a glass-canon element, being handily shattered in the moments during which real adversity and defeat hits. As such, it often takes Cadenza a longer period to psychologically recover when an endeavor doesn't pan out in her favor. Brief Backstory: Cadenza grew up close to the hostilities between Embria and the Alvadian Empire, specifically at the Embria-Alvad border, where the coalition of resistance fighters from Imperial lands and the standing armies of Embria centered the command for its counter-offensives. Her father, Solo D'Concerta, was among the ranks of the resistance, and reasonably respected among the Embrians and resistance fighters that knew him; such was his reputation that the Embrian military honorarily bestowed upon him the rank of Sergeant. Cadenza lived with her father within a militant community, which the residents of simply referred to as "The Compound." In her time there, Cadenza absorbed much of the combatant lifestyle. Whether through her father, other residents, or the occasional drifter, she developed a knack and a passion for fighting that just about only someone raised by fighters could have. As a youth, she would play war games with other children on The Compound; as a teenager, she would tag along with her father to observe military training exercises. The war came to an end just as Cadenza began arranging to join her father in the war efforts, getting so far as to equip herself with weapons and armaments. Disappointed in the missed opportunity, she argued with her father, until, after a course of nearly a month, she relented to his directive to return home and assist the rebuilding effort. During the following five years, Cadenza spent much of the daylight hours playing the role of homemaker, repairing both the house she and her father had once lived in and those in the surrounding community. By night, however, she found a stand-in for her itch for fighting in the form of an underground combat ring, within which she competed in (often excessively violent) matches against both young adults with similar backgrounds to herself and younger ex-militants looking to feed their conditioned proclivity for bloodshed. In a fashion not unlike her father, she garnered the respect of the ring, being dubbed by her innermost circle as "Donna Toro." Solo was rarely home, having dedicated his post-war life to mercenary work with the goal of ensuring stability as the newly formed Republic of Alvad established itself. His visits home were brief, and Cadenza often saw him only once or twice: as he arrived, and just before he departed. He knew nothing of Cadenza's double life. However, nearly five years into the post-war era, Cadenza received troubling news: her father had been mortally wounded by Imperial sympathizers while in the line of his mercenary duties. Distraught and angered, Cadenza caught the first transport she could to her father's station. Her itinerary was short, simple, and sweet: paying her last respects, taking up her father's mantle, and exercises hard justice on those responsible for putting her father on his deathbed. Skills: Cadenza is a survivalist to the extent that she has conditioned herself to perform optimally for extend periods of time off between sustenance; she go longer than the average person between eating or drinking water. Her true forte, however, is in her aptitude for combat, particularly at close range. She's dexterous, strong, and resilient, particularly when faced with physical assaults; intensive magical onslaughts prove to be a significant adversity, as do ranged assaults if she cannot quickly close the gap. Abilities: Cadenza has tapped into her inner vitality to bolster a baseline of enhanced physical performance. Her developed magical prowess revolves around spells that further draw upon her fighting spirit. "Haste" improves aspects of her speed of mobility; "Gain" increases her attack strength. She is further able to impart her spirit and will unto those around her through "Cheer." Limit: Battle Cry – Vicious Strike; an instantaneous, and short-lived outflux of strength and speed propels Cadenza with ludicrous speed towards an unfortunate adversary. The resulting blow is enough to cause fatal damage to weaker foes, typically defeating them in a single hit; when used against near-human sized enemies, the impact may also be enough to ripple and cause minor residual damage to others nearby with no discrimination between friend and foe. Pushing her body this far results in need for either a period of recovery, or an urgent application of healing magic from an ally (whichever comes first). Equipment: Impact Bracers – Designed and manufactured in the years following the war, Impact Bracers are a line of hand weapons for those that like to let their fists do the talking. Inspired by Gunblades that rose into popularity during wartime, Impact Bracers implement the same concept into the form of an adorned armament. The design is that of a pair of armored gauntlets that cover from the hands in their entirety to halfway along the forearms. Engineered within the palms of the gauntlets are mechanisms activated by way of clenching of the fists that that release a light to moderate kinetic vibration that resonates through the surfaces struck by the gauntlets, amplifying concussive force. Cadenza's present armaments consists of a pair of Standard Impact Bracers, which function as described. A more advanced model has recently hit the market though: the Type-M, which include Magitech conduits that channel energy from pre-loaded Lumo Crystals through Impact Bracers, enabling the added effect of spell-like effect to be implemented. Cadenza presently longs to bring in enough of an income to invest in a pair of Type-M Impact Bracers.</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Finally, something reared it's ugly head. A robotic scout. She had seen plenty of them in her time fighting. That said, these things were rather cheap. She wondered if they were old units that never saw action back in the day or reprogrammed for use later. Well, these things were rather fragile as far as a Dark Knight was concerned. Their weapons could be a bit on the dangerous side but, well, she's fought worse. Derrick had made the suggestion to clear these and move on. That seemed a good idea to her and she had thought the same of course. His barrier around her was helpful against the firepower of these robots. Before they started opening fire, she charged at them. Her sword moved from on her shoulder to down towards the ground. She carried the lower stance of her sword as she closed the distance until she was just about on top of the first one. She then jumped up and a small film of darkness covered the outside of her sword as she raised it high up, using just her left hand the bring it towards the robot. One good hit would be more than enough to destroy one of these things. At least, for the type of weapon she had.</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Heh? Suit yourself then." Cadenza scoffed towards Freyja's response; that one seemed to be something of a stick in the mud. "We all gotta have a way to cut loose after a hard day's work though." She chuckled heartily. "Don't worry," she added, "I'll show that I'm worth the gil you offered out there... Whoa!" She shrugged her shoulder with a quick, aggressive jerk as a hand set down on it from behind. Cassidy walked by; a charmer. "Damn right I can," she said. "I can manage myself just fine." She smirked in return to his suave demeanor. "After the payday we'll have, I can certain take a chance at the card table. Just don't pull any fast one's on me." "We're coming in for a landing!" The pilot's voice called from the front of the ship. A bright-eyed Cadenza strode closer to the bay door at the craft's rear, situating herself next to Freyja. She was a brawler, after all; she wouldn't get much accomplished sitting behind the line. A moment or two of turbulence was followed by the rocking sensation of the aircraft setting upon the ground. The fighter bumped her fists together and broke into a tooth-bearing grin as the door opened. Serious as the situation may have been, she saw no point in not having fun. Freyja was the first to deboard the Blue Lily. Cadenza followed next to her and practically at her heels. As if on cue, a foursome of mechanaloids emerged from out of the accumulating brush and industrial rubble. The grin on Cadenza's face turned to a grimace just as quickly as the machines had arrived. It was an old Imperial scout mecha. One such model had been set upon the Compound Cadenza had lived on during the war. The base was still being fortified at the time, so even such a light weapon had been able to cause significant harm; a handful of deaths and more than enough wounds to go around. "This time, it's different," she spat towards the cold machinery. She took a fighting stance. In a subtle flash, her spirit surged, and not even a second after, she was off at Haste speed. As Freyja trained her blade onto the first of the four, Cadenza beelined slightly out toward the side, intent upon the last one in the line up. As she closed the gap between herself and the mech, she pulled her right hand back to ready for a strike. She wasn't entirely sure if she could do much damage to the machine's body, but the legs... she threw her punch. The material of her Impact Bracer's rang against the left leg of the mecha. In the instance that her fist connected, she quickly clenched her fist. The gauntlet in turn clicked softly, her adorned weaponry amplifying the kinetic impact against the metallic limb.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The bullets fired by the scout mechs pinged off the barrier created by Derrick, scattering to the sides harmlessly as others careened past the barrier and missed their target entirely. The drones were not created for the purpose of raw power. Rather, the intent of their creation had always been lightweight combatants who were capable of exploration and attack. When encountering a barrier like this, there was little they could do to break through it quickly. There was a shearing sound as Freyja's sword bit through solid metal and tore its way cleanly through the first of the machine's inner workings, devastating its functions and leaving both haves of the drone toppling to either side, smoke and sparks rising from its innards. The machine struck by Cadenza let out a low-pitched whine as the joint of one of its legs bent backwards from the blow of her fist, metal twisting and tearing from the blow. It slid backwards on its wheels before toppling sideways, though its weaponry swiftly trained on the pugilist and prepared to open fire! The other two machines seemed to figure out that their attacks had no impact on Freyja, and instead began to train on Cadenza instead... @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja immediately turned to the other scout mechs as her blade cut through the first. Cadenza was going to have a whole heap of trouble soon if nothing happened. She stretched her right arm and shot a bolt of Dark magic out at the furthest of the two undamaged mechs while she barked out orders, "Adjust barrier recipient!" She hoped that even as small the impact of that attack might have, it might throw off the machine's aim. She wasn't sure if Derrick could do such a thing, but she had hope. The ex-Alvadian gripped her weapon and charged the nearest scout mech, intending to tear through that one as cleanly as she had the last one. As Freyja neared the third machine, her blade one again gained the coating of darkness it had before as she swung her weapon with the goal of bisecting the scout. Hopefully, Cadenza or Cassidy would be able to take care of the other two while she managed this one.</s> <\|message\|>Derrick Errance As soon as the first volley of bullets had been fired, Derrick trained his gaze on the remaining mecha. It was easy enough to tell that they had refocused their barrels away from Freyja, and it seemed that his companion had noticed likewise. "Switching!" he shouted out, the Conduits near Freyja quickly abandoning their barrier before flying over towards Cadenza. There were a scant few moments before the bullets would begin to fire, if their retargeting was to be believed... But if he wasn't able to ward off the shots aimed at the mercenary, then all he could do was try and recover the damage afterwards. Shaking his head, Derrick quickly poked his head out from behind his current piece of cover before aiming his two remaining Conduits at one of the further machina. A single Ruin would ideally be enough to offset the barrel should he fail to stop the damage in time, but in this case, it was likely better to cover as many bases as he could. @Wayward@Pyromania99</s>	<\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Aaagh!" Cadenza made a primal, rallying growl. Small though her success was, any momentum was good momentum. The mech staggered and toppled under its own weight, and fighter backed two sizeable steps to avoid being caught under it herself. In the proceeding instance, the expected shift in direction came to be. Cadenza found herself set on by the sights of the turrets of both the crippled machine and its remaining cohorts. It wasn't really much of a surprise; they were basic models, programmed to focus on threats as they presented themselves. As the barrel of her recent quarry spun around to take aim at her, she listed slightly, in counter direction to its rotation. Drawing back towards the mecha, she reached, taking hold of gun. Heaving another brutish grunt, she manhandled the turret in one-eighty, directing the business end of the weapon toward the next mech in line; she would use the felled walker's weapon against its packmate.</s>
<\|description\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] Age: 25 Gender: Female Appearance: 'Sup? Personality: If there was a poster child for "hot-headedness" Cadenza would be a strong contender for the title. With a mind that runs at miles a minute, Cadenza comes across brash and impulsive, jumping into the fray with little to no evident forethought or planning. Though most of the time her "fight first, talk later" ideology seems to work itself out to the best results, it has a propensity to create backlashes amid more delicate situations. In the heat of conflict and combat, she follows quick-thinking, improvisational style, and generally has the wits and psychological fortitude to engage multiple opponents up close. She can be short-fused, easily rallied to action as one seeking conflict might be. If one can restrain her physically, talking her down becomes a manageable task. But, if she is allowed gain momentum, the prospect of pulling her back into a docile becomes significantly more unlikely. Once engaged into a the midst of an altercation, Cadenza is unlikely to back away unless she either emerges victorious or is rendered incapacitated… or worse. Though her physical appearance may be less than impressive to the naked eye, her raw vitality and fiery disposition tend to make up any lost ground, and then some. She abounds with an excess of pride and self-confidence, which, when she's on the up and up, provides her a formidable advantage. Yet, as with many good things, too much can be problematic. Her confidence has a glass-canon element, being handily shattered in the moments during which real adversity and defeat hits. As such, it often takes Cadenza a longer period to psychologically recover when an endeavor doesn't pan out in her favor. Brief Backstory: Cadenza grew up close to the hostilities between Embria and the Alvadian Empire, specifically at the Embria-Alvad border, where the coalition of resistance fighters from Imperial lands and the standing armies of Embria centered the command for its counter-offensives. Her father, Solo D'Concerta, was among the ranks of the resistance, and reasonably respected among the Embrians and resistance fighters that knew him; such was his reputation that the Embrian military honorarily bestowed upon him the rank of Sergeant. Cadenza lived with her father within a militant community, which the residents of simply referred to as "The Compound." In her time there, Cadenza absorbed much of the combatant lifestyle. Whether through her father, other residents, or the occasional drifter, she developed a knack and a passion for fighting that just about only someone raised by fighters could have. As a youth, she would play war games with other children on The Compound; as a teenager, she would tag along with her father to observe military training exercises. The war came to an end just as Cadenza began arranging to join her father in the war efforts, getting so far as to equip herself with weapons and armaments. Disappointed in the missed opportunity, she argued with her father, until, after a course of nearly a month, she relented to his directive to return home and assist the rebuilding effort. During the following five years, Cadenza spent much of the daylight hours playing the role of homemaker, repairing both the house she and her father had once lived in and those in the surrounding community. By night, however, she found a stand-in for her itch for fighting in the form of an underground combat ring, within which she competed in (often excessively violent) matches against both young adults with similar backgrounds to herself and younger ex-militants looking to feed their conditioned proclivity for bloodshed. In a fashion not unlike her father, she garnered the respect of the ring, being dubbed by her innermost circle as "Donna Toro." Solo was rarely home, having dedicated his post-war life to mercenary work with the goal of ensuring stability as the newly formed Republic of Alvad established itself. His visits home were brief, and Cadenza often saw him only once or twice: as he arrived, and just before he departed. He knew nothing of Cadenza's double life. However, nearly five years into the post-war era, Cadenza received troubling news: her father had been mortally wounded by Imperial sympathizers while in the line of his mercenary duties. Distraught and angered, Cadenza caught the first transport she could to her father's station. Her itinerary was short, simple, and sweet: paying her last respects, taking up her father's mantle, and exercises hard justice on those responsible for putting her father on his deathbed. Skills: Cadenza is a survivalist to the extent that she has conditioned herself to perform optimally for extend periods of time off between sustenance; she go longer than the average person between eating or drinking water. Her true forte, however, is in her aptitude for combat, particularly at close range. She's dexterous, strong, and resilient, particularly when faced with physical assaults; intensive magical onslaughts prove to be a significant adversity, as do ranged assaults if she cannot quickly close the gap. Abilities: Cadenza has tapped into her inner vitality to bolster a baseline of enhanced physical performance. Her developed magical prowess revolves around spells that further draw upon her fighting spirit. "Haste" improves aspects of her speed of mobility; "Gain" increases her attack strength. She is further able to impart her spirit and will unto those around her through "Cheer." Limit: Battle Cry – Vicious Strike; an instantaneous, and short-lived outflux of strength and speed propels Cadenza with ludicrous speed towards an unfortunate adversary. The resulting blow is enough to cause fatal damage to weaker foes, typically defeating them in a single hit; when used against near-human sized enemies, the impact may also be enough to ripple and cause minor residual damage to others nearby with no discrimination between friend and foe. Pushing her body this far results in need for either a period of recovery, or an urgent application of healing magic from an ally (whichever comes first). Equipment: Impact Bracers – Designed and manufactured in the years following the war, Impact Bracers are a line of hand weapons for those that like to let their fists do the talking. Inspired by Gunblades that rose into popularity during wartime, Impact Bracers implement the same concept into the form of an adorned armament. The design is that of a pair of armored gauntlets that cover from the hands in their entirety to halfway along the forearms. Engineered within the palms of the gauntlets are mechanisms activated by way of clenching of the fists that that release a light to moderate kinetic vibration that resonates through the surfaces struck by the gauntlets, amplifying concussive force. Cadenza's present armaments consists of a pair of Standard Impact Bracers, which function as described. A more advanced model has recently hit the market though: the Type-M, which include Magitech conduits that channel energy from pre-loaded Lumo Crystals through Impact Bracers, enabling the added effect of spell-like effect to be implemented. Cadenza presently longs to bring in enough of an income to invest in a pair of Type-M Impact Bracers.</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Aaagh!" Cadenza made a primal, rallying growl. Small though her success was, any momentum was good momentum. The mech staggered and toppled under its own weight, and fighter backed two sizeable steps to avoid being caught under it herself. In the proceeding instance, the expected shift in direction came to be. Cadenza found herself set on by the sights of the turrets of both the crippled machine and its remaining cohorts. It wasn't really much of a surprise; they were basic models, programmed to focus on threats as they presented themselves. As the barrel of her recent quarry spun around to take aim at her, she listed slightly, in counter direction to its rotation. Drawing back towards the mecha, she reached, taking hold of gun. Heaving another brutish grunt, she manhandled the turret in one-eighty, directing the business end of the weapon toward the next mech in line; she would use the felled walker's weapon against its packmate.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The scout drones were simply not equipped to deal with such a focused counteroffensive. The drone that was targeted by Freyja was caught seconds before it opened fire, the darkness-coated sword slicing through its armor like butter and cleaving it neatly in half, sparks flying as both portions of the machine toppled to the side and caught fire. The remaining drone was unable to pierce the barriers put ahead of its guns, though upon realizing this they seemed to begin adjusting its positioning in a bid to get around the shields. Unfortunately for the automaton, this put it directly in the path of the weaponry of its disabled fellow as Cadenza wrenched the cannon out of place, and the hail of bullets shred through its armor and tore delicate systems apart, a small explosion erupting from the drone as it crumpled backwards. The only remaining drone was crippled in the pugilistic girl's hands, functioning leg whirring helplessly. @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "YEAH!" Bullets from the still-upright mecha flew, but helplessly stopped upon colliding with the barrier that had been placed between it and Cadenza. In almost the same instance, the rounds from the turret she had commandeered rained forth as the shield dispelled. The walker had little defense against the firepower of its own kind; the bullets from Cadenza's manhandled weapon ripped through its plating with almost no resistance. "GET SOME!" she bragged, though this was mostly drowned out by the sound of the machine gun fire. Showing, albeit too late, a sign of restraint against targeting an ally, the automaton that the pugilist had muscled struggled to right itself and train its weapon back onto her. Its fate, however, was already being sealed. No sooner than it's volley concluded, Cadenza pulled up against the barrel of the gun. While the turreted artillery had a 360 rotation along a horizontal plane, the nature of the weapon rendered it unable to do the same along its vertical plane. The tension of Cadenza's pull on the barrel was joined swiftly by a set of fist strikes against the mounting apparatus that attached the canon to its swiveling base. It was the proverbial breaking of a stick over one's knee; the mecha would, in theory, be left active, but effectively crippled and disarmed, left to rot away as time and nature played out against it... unless, of course, one of Cadenza's teammates saw fit to put it out of its misery.</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja gave a small sigh of relief as the last of the scouts went down. They hadn't seemed to have sustained any real injuries today so, that could count for something. Derrick really pulled through for them with his protections. "Alright, that's taken care of." She hefted her sword over her shoulder and started to walk towards the inside of the complex. "We just need to keep moving carefully. We have no idea if there are any other leftovers from the empire here. Or... Other undesirables." She took a look back to her companions. "I'll take point. I've taken my fair share of bullet wounds before, I'm sure it won't be the last." The Dark Knight mentioned with a rather unconcerned look on her face before she headed off, keeping an eye out for her surroundings and her teammates.</s> <\|message\|>Derrick Errance Once the last turret had been disabled, Derrick pushed himself back his feet before dusting himself off, the Conduits all returning back to his side without any further fanfare. The make of the machines were nothing particularly special, and though he might have wished to go bring them back for salvageable components, the three of them had a job that they came here to do. Anything extra could wait for the return trip. "No injuries, then?" he asked, glancing at the two at his side before looking back towards the facility. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that someone was expecting us. But by all means, lead the way." His job was to keep everyone in combat-ready condition, so there was no reason for him to be part of the vanguard on this team. If they got flanked, then it was the least he could do to block and stall for time as the other two moved to adjust—at least, that was how he saw things.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie With the sound of bending steel and tearing metal, the drone's cannon was torn loose from its body. Now the machine was left helpless, letting out whirring noises as various mechanisms inside of the device worked but were unable to achieve anything of note. If one did not know any better, they would likely have described the machine as looking almost crestfallen at its predicament. But it was unlikely it possessed the programming to experience such emotions. With that, each of the drones had either been disabled or destroyed. The way ahead towards the facility was clear, or at least seemed as such for the moment. Approaching the facility, however, would tell a somewhat different story. There did not appear to be any other enemies on the immediate path to the lab, but rather there were the remains of at least six more scout drones. They lay, smoking, blown apart into pieces. Some were still quite hot, meaning whatever had done this couldn't have done it very long ago. There were a few scorch marks on the ground, as well, though they were less notable then the sizzling remains of the drones. Still, there appeared to be little else in the way of progress... for now. @Pyromania99@PKMNB0Y</s>	<\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] With less than a sweat broken in the process, Cadenza pulled the last drone's cannon from its mount, and retreated several feet as it jerked as though attempting to buck her off. She, as she surmised her comrades did too, sighed, savoring their moment of triumph before they would continue onward. She watched curiously as the drone's unarmed swivel spun around to no avail; if not for her disdain for the machine, she might have almost found it comical in its helplessness. She let out a grunt, and shrugged her shoulders dismissively, and peered towards the path ahead of them. "I'm guessing these probably aren't the only relics of the Empire still stalking around here," she said, moreso to herself, but loud enough to be heard by her companions. She looked down at the old cannon, its mount frayed from where she had ripped it from its owner. "Useless," she remarked, her tone hinting at the thought of holding onto the firearm for later use. The Empire, forward thinking as they were, had designed the turrets with triggering mechanisms located within the drones; without it, the weapon couldn't be used if detached. In theory, a part could be rigged to bypass that, but it would take more time and effort than she cared to invest while on a job. Half-frustrated, she lobbed the gun into the nearby brush, and continued moving. As the group advanced, she would assume position at the front of their formation; she was, after all, useless from a distance.</s>
<\|description\|>Freyja Dämmerung Age: 25 Gender: Female Appearance: Freyja is consistently described as a solemn beauty for the consistent serious look on her face and for her rather good looks. She has a fairly nicely shaped body as well as some lightly toned muscles that came as a result of her continued training routine that has since been reduced since the end of the war. Personality: If one were to meet Freyja on the streets, they would have nothing to complain about her manners. Despite her strained face, she's a rather kind woman that's willing to help others, so long as it doesn't take her too far off her task at hand. She hardly ever smiles but this is more of her attempting to hold her emotions back, a habit that she had worked to get over from her time in the Imperial military. Hardly ever, doesn't mean never, however. There are quite a few times where she'll give a small smile to a joke or gratitude from others. Inside, however, she's a broken person. The war strained her mental state and she never really fully recovered. At night, it wasn't uncommon to hear sad noises coming from her room though this has since seemingly stopped. Guilt sits inside her from the war and it never left. Rather, sometimes she goes out to the streets and meets those who lost loved ones and internally she blames herself. But she doesn't show it. Not much. Sometimes, she shows a small, pained face. Brief Backstory: Freyja was raised in the Alvadian Empire. Her family was a military one and she was quickly placed into the military at a young age starting as a foot soldier though she was quickly promoted, most likely due to her family, into a special unit called the Dark Knights. They were a group of warriors that specialized in dark magics and powerful weapons. The magic they used were used to steal the life force from enemies and sacrifice one's own physical well-being to increase their own strength. And that's when she got thrown into the war. The Dark Knights were used as shock troops, typically clashing into lines that were already engaged from the sides or in ambushes and casualties were not uncommon. They were used fairly often, though… Soon, they were pulled off the front lines for reasons undefined. The entire unit was pulled back to a base and told they were to be guarding the base because there was a suspected surprise attack incoming in the next month. During her time there, Freyja had multiple duties. Helping with supplies, delivering messages between commanders and the most concerning was guard duty for the lab. As the month carried on her duties turned more and more towards guard duty for this lab. This was more and more concerning. Until finally, one day she noticed something during her duty. She was stationed in the internal section of the lab and noticed something… Odd. A scientist was pushing a rather large cart around. It was black colored, rather deep and had a tarp fastened over it. The odd thing was that she was sure there was a human finger poking out from under the tarp. And it twitched. A few days later, during her guard duty, she was handed an envelope by what she assumed was a leading scientist. "Deliver this to the commander." She was trusted to deliver a confidential message and Freyja assumed this was because of her family. Regardless, she started to walk towards the Command Room. Her concerns were filling her to the point where she decided she needed to open it. The details inside were… More than concerning. It incited a need to escape. "Our research on the Dark Knights is progressing less than we would like, but the results we do have are quite good. We've had to release a few more samples than we would like. In the near future, I would likely need more volunteers. We should talk today. " She gathered her weapon, a few supplies and some other things. And went to the gate. She told them that she was ordered to patrol around for Embrian scouts. They believed her and she ran. Not long after, the Empire was in hot pursuit of her. The chase led on for days with many close calls. She fought a few enemies where she could, when she needed, but she was far too outnumbered to do much more than run. Then, when she was basically at the end of her ropes and cornered, she was saved. A small detachment of Embrian soldiers flanked a number of her pursuers, cutting down the Alvadian pursuers that resisted. The leader, Sevard Kellson,spared her to question why she was being chased. Despite not trusting them, she told everything. What happened at the base, why she was on the run… Who she is. They took her in as a prisoner. Truthfully, being a prisoner with the Embrians was still a better experience than being experimented on by her own country. She understood that soldiers had a duty to their country, but was being experimented on by their country part of their duty? Sevard took the time to talk to her every day. Particularly how she felt about her country. And day by day, she was feeling more negative towards it. She, of course, loved the people. But… Those in charge? Those that ran those inhumane experiments that she didn't even know the extent of beyond the blatant disregard of human life? No. Not at all. "Let me fight for you." She asked. "I have nothing else but to fight for my people. I can never return, but I can fight for the Embrian army." Sevard was obviously skeptical at first but he could see the passion in her eyes. He agreed and she joined the Embrian army despite the reservation of many in the upper echelons of the Embrian army. Regardless, she proved her loyalty to Embria, or perhaps, Sevard himself. She found herself relegating herself to the position of Sevard's personal bodyguard. Eventually, the war came to an end. Freyja wanted to retire from fighting as did Sevard. As she had no place in Embria, she took a job as a maid for Sevard to give her one. The people that knew of her supposed origins were wary of her and she did her best not to face them. The two of them lived this peaceful life for four and a half years… And then, Sevard disappeared. She searched and searched but… There was no sign. She had no money herself and had to abandon the house they lived in and needed to find a job. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, she knew how to fight and decided to join a mercenary group, Wild Rose… Skills: As a maid, Freyja has taken to being a master of household skills. Cleaning and cooking are the things she's refined over the last five years. She also knows how to set up camp and hunt, though her aim has diminished since she was a soldier. Abilities: As a Dark Knight, her combat abilities focus mostly on empowered weapon attacks, draining attacks and dark magic. Her weapon strikes can be weaker, but drain life force or magical energy from enemies, called Siphoning Strikes. Alternatively, she can make her strikes stronger by allowing the darkness to drain her own life force to empower her weapon, known as Souleater. And finally, she can use her magical energy to use minor magic attacks made from the Darkness. The weakest of which, and all she seems to be able to use now is Ruin. * Limit Break - Dark Ruination: The strongest ability of the Dark Knights only usable by some now. It was a devastating ability used by some of the most trained Dark Knights in the war, though most of the Dark Knights have been phased out in some way or another. When used, Freyja slashes an enemy with her weapon and it slices an opening full of dark energy. Quickly, the energy festers and then explodes out from the cut. Equipment: Freyja has put together a new set of armor which is sleek and maneuverable. It gives decent protection from the environment and monster attacks. Her weapon of choice is the very same Magitech Greatsword she used all throughout the war. It's also a reminder to her of the lives she has taken.</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Yet another Alvadian research lab it would seem. This would not be the first one she had ransacked and certainly not the last one either. Freyja had been sitting ready with her weapon resting on the floor in front of her and pondering her current situation in more depth. She had mixed feelings. There was a part of her that hoped that the facility they were headed to was the one that she made her great escape from... But... Well, that didn't seem likely. Which also made her glad. She wasn't sure if she had it in her to visit again. Not yet, at least. She wanted to stop thinking on that. Rather, her attention turned to her comrades. Other members of Wild Rose. First, there was Derrick. He seemed level-headed enough and a magic user of sorts. Well, if she had to guess. He didn't have the feel of a warrior about him. Of course, she had yet to talk to him in depth yet but she had to trust her gut. Then there was Cadenza. By the limited interaction, Freyja came to assume her a hot-headed individual. Cocky even. If she understands her own limits at least, that much is fine. Really, she worried about the woman's reliability because of her attitude. Well, she had found that she worried about anyone's reliability since the war ended so that didn't speak much of Cadenza in Freyja's mind. Rather, the one that she was more... concerned might be too strong a word. Regardless, it was Cassidy. He was a bit of a smooth talker. She was somewhat skeptical of him in general. Perhaps it was jut her but he was a small bit shady to her. Something seemed off, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Still, one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Something that the Alvadian Freyja understood far too well. For now, she would put any preconceptions about these people to the back until she had more knowledge about them. She figured most of them probably didn't trust her either. She wouldn't blame them if they knew she was an Alvadian or even if they knew she fights like an old Alvadian Dark Knight. As the woman put her thoughts behind her, she grabbed the handle of her weapon and stood. She allowed the compacted weapon to release to its full size to inspect it once before they had to head out. It was like a ritual for her, looking it over for scratches, fractures and other things that might be faulty to a weapon. Well, that was part of the good thing about Alvadian Magitek, even years later it was in near perfect shape. At least, the ones designed to be good. That was when the pilot announced that they would be touching down at the zone soon. "I suppose it's time then. We dance again, Alvad." She mentioned to herself before placing her compacted weapon in a specially crafted sheath on her back. With a sigh, Freyja turned and headed for the disembark ramp. Once there, Cadenza mentioned something about shit hitting the fan and pounding shots down. Well. She certainly was cocky in the way she said it. Freyja eyed her for a couple of seconds and shaking her head lightly. "So long as you keep the drinks relegated to when we're not on a mission." She just assumed that Cadenza was more than happy to take care of herself. As was she, for that part. Perhaps she would need to keep an eye on Derrick or Cassidy, or perhaps not. That was to tell at the moment. "I, for one, don't plan to join you on that, Cadenza." Freyja added, ready to get to work. Perhaps searching the lab would give her some time to not think about the things that haunted her.</s> <\|message\|>Cassidy Eno-Royal "Caseno Royal" "Hey, thought I'd let you know we're just a few minutes from our destination!". A voice exclaims over a loudspeaker. A man with medium length hair sits in a sleek trench coat, shuffling a deck of cards in between his hands. "50..51..52.." A glow shines from every card that the man touches as he counts each one with a very particular awareness of each card in his hand. As the voice comes over the loudspeaker, the man stops shuffling his cards, and stands to his feet, revealing a compact Bo-Staff. "Perfect timing." Cassidy whispers to himself, as he stashes his cards in a pouch on his belt, and places one hand on his Bo-Staff, as to make sure he is battle ready. Walking at a steady pace toward the doorway, Cassidy sizes up his soon to be comrades. No stranger to reading people in a quick manner at the card table, Cassidy can make a quick judgement about his fellow Mercs. Body language says more than words, most of the time. Nonetheless, Cassidy is focused on other things - his payout. All he has to do is make it through this mission, and he'll likely never see these kids again. Though he realizes he has seen, or heard of, at least a couple of these kids before now. Cassidy speaks in a soft tone as he approaches Freyja "Ah..I've heard about you. It'll be interesting to see what you have to offer out there.". Cassidy winks at Freyja as he continues walking. Passing by the others, there's mention of shots at the bar. "Hey kid, how about you put a couple shots in the pot of my card table when we get out of here? You look like you can handle yourself.". Cassidy places a hand on Cadenza's shoulder as he strolls past. As Cassidy reaches the opening of the doorway, he stops to turn to his comrades. "Who wants to place bets on what waits for us outside this airship? Cassidy let's a slight grin cross his face as he surveys the room..</s> <\|message\|>Eurie "We're coming in for a landing!" A slight tremor ran through the Blue Lily as it began to descend. From this distance, it was possible to see their destination. A somewhat imposing but degraded structure, resembling multiple boxes stacked upon one another with a taller rectangular tower extending from the top, it possessed a utilitarian look common in Alvadian research facilities. Of course, due to five years of abandonment, it was adorned with vegetation and rust. But otherwise it seemed mostly intact, at least from this distance, though the fencing around it certainly wasn't. With a steady humming sound as its propellers slowed, the Blue Lily lowered towards the ground. Going by the position of rubble, structures, and plants, this was one of the clearest spots to land in the area. "I'll be waiting to pick you up," the pilot added, "Try not to get hurt too badly out there, okay? Transporting the injured always makes me nervous." The rear of the airship slowly opened. The path to the complex seemed relatively clear at the moment, but that didn't mean that it was. @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s>	<\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung "Back at yet another Alvadian lab." Freyja mentioned to herself as she ignored Cassidy and disembarked from the ship. She couldn't count the number of Alvadian facilities she had visited in her time both as a sword for hire and soldier. There was always dangers lurking in these places. Rogue experiments, bandits, monsters... It was never a question of if there was danger but more a question of what it was. As she touched the earth and let the dirt, debris and rubble crunch beneath her boot, the woman grabbed the handle of her weapon and unsheathed it, allowing the mechanisms to put the sword to full length. It was only a few seconds that the mechanisms took, but sometimes those few seconds were the most precious. She didn't really pay much heed to those behind her as she scanned her surroundings for anything suspicious.</s>
<\|description\|>Freyja Dämmerung Age: 25 Gender: Female Appearance: Freyja is consistently described as a solemn beauty for the consistent serious look on her face and for her rather good looks. She has a fairly nicely shaped body as well as some lightly toned muscles that came as a result of her continued training routine that has since been reduced since the end of the war. Personality: If one were to meet Freyja on the streets, they would have nothing to complain about her manners. Despite her strained face, she's a rather kind woman that's willing to help others, so long as it doesn't take her too far off her task at hand. She hardly ever smiles but this is more of her attempting to hold her emotions back, a habit that she had worked to get over from her time in the Imperial military. Hardly ever, doesn't mean never, however. There are quite a few times where she'll give a small smile to a joke or gratitude from others. Inside, however, she's a broken person. The war strained her mental state and she never really fully recovered. At night, it wasn't uncommon to hear sad noises coming from her room though this has since seemingly stopped. Guilt sits inside her from the war and it never left. Rather, sometimes she goes out to the streets and meets those who lost loved ones and internally she blames herself. But she doesn't show it. Not much. Sometimes, she shows a small, pained face. Brief Backstory: Freyja was raised in the Alvadian Empire. Her family was a military one and she was quickly placed into the military at a young age starting as a foot soldier though she was quickly promoted, most likely due to her family, into a special unit called the Dark Knights. They were a group of warriors that specialized in dark magics and powerful weapons. The magic they used were used to steal the life force from enemies and sacrifice one's own physical well-being to increase their own strength. And that's when she got thrown into the war. The Dark Knights were used as shock troops, typically clashing into lines that were already engaged from the sides or in ambushes and casualties were not uncommon. They were used fairly often, though… Soon, they were pulled off the front lines for reasons undefined. The entire unit was pulled back to a base and told they were to be guarding the base because there was a suspected surprise attack incoming in the next month. During her time there, Freyja had multiple duties. Helping with supplies, delivering messages between commanders and the most concerning was guard duty for the lab. As the month carried on her duties turned more and more towards guard duty for this lab. This was more and more concerning. Until finally, one day she noticed something during her duty. She was stationed in the internal section of the lab and noticed something… Odd. A scientist was pushing a rather large cart around. It was black colored, rather deep and had a tarp fastened over it. The odd thing was that she was sure there was a human finger poking out from under the tarp. And it twitched. A few days later, during her guard duty, she was handed an envelope by what she assumed was a leading scientist. "Deliver this to the commander." She was trusted to deliver a confidential message and Freyja assumed this was because of her family. Regardless, she started to walk towards the Command Room. Her concerns were filling her to the point where she decided she needed to open it. The details inside were… More than concerning. It incited a need to escape. "Our research on the Dark Knights is progressing less than we would like, but the results we do have are quite good. We've had to release a few more samples than we would like. In the near future, I would likely need more volunteers. We should talk today. " She gathered her weapon, a few supplies and some other things. And went to the gate. She told them that she was ordered to patrol around for Embrian scouts. They believed her and she ran. Not long after, the Empire was in hot pursuit of her. The chase led on for days with many close calls. She fought a few enemies where she could, when she needed, but she was far too outnumbered to do much more than run. Then, when she was basically at the end of her ropes and cornered, she was saved. A small detachment of Embrian soldiers flanked a number of her pursuers, cutting down the Alvadian pursuers that resisted. The leader, Sevard Kellson,spared her to question why she was being chased. Despite not trusting them, she told everything. What happened at the base, why she was on the run… Who she is. They took her in as a prisoner. Truthfully, being a prisoner with the Embrians was still a better experience than being experimented on by her own country. She understood that soldiers had a duty to their country, but was being experimented on by their country part of their duty? Sevard took the time to talk to her every day. Particularly how she felt about her country. And day by day, she was feeling more negative towards it. She, of course, loved the people. But… Those in charge? Those that ran those inhumane experiments that she didn't even know the extent of beyond the blatant disregard of human life? No. Not at all. "Let me fight for you." She asked. "I have nothing else but to fight for my people. I can never return, but I can fight for the Embrian army." Sevard was obviously skeptical at first but he could see the passion in her eyes. He agreed and she joined the Embrian army despite the reservation of many in the upper echelons of the Embrian army. Regardless, she proved her loyalty to Embria, or perhaps, Sevard himself. She found herself relegating herself to the position of Sevard's personal bodyguard. Eventually, the war came to an end. Freyja wanted to retire from fighting as did Sevard. As she had no place in Embria, she took a job as a maid for Sevard to give her one. The people that knew of her supposed origins were wary of her and she did her best not to face them. The two of them lived this peaceful life for four and a half years… And then, Sevard disappeared. She searched and searched but… There was no sign. She had no money herself and had to abandon the house they lived in and needed to find a job. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, she knew how to fight and decided to join a mercenary group, Wild Rose… Skills: As a maid, Freyja has taken to being a master of household skills. Cleaning and cooking are the things she's refined over the last five years. She also knows how to set up camp and hunt, though her aim has diminished since she was a soldier. Abilities: As a Dark Knight, her combat abilities focus mostly on empowered weapon attacks, draining attacks and dark magic. Her weapon strikes can be weaker, but drain life force or magical energy from enemies, called Siphoning Strikes. Alternatively, she can make her strikes stronger by allowing the darkness to drain her own life force to empower her weapon, known as Souleater. And finally, she can use her magical energy to use minor magic attacks made from the Darkness. The weakest of which, and all she seems to be able to use now is Ruin. * Limit Break - Dark Ruination: The strongest ability of the Dark Knights only usable by some now. It was a devastating ability used by some of the most trained Dark Knights in the war, though most of the Dark Knights have been phased out in some way or another. When used, Freyja slashes an enemy with her weapon and it slices an opening full of dark energy. Quickly, the energy festers and then explodes out from the cut. Equipment: Freyja has put together a new set of armor which is sleek and maneuverable. It gives decent protection from the environment and monster attacks. Her weapon of choice is the very same Magitech Greatsword she used all throughout the war. It's also a reminder to her of the lives she has taken.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The bullets fired by the scout mechs pinged off the barrier created by Derrick, scattering to the sides harmlessly as others careened past the barrier and missed their target entirely. The drones were not created for the purpose of raw power. Rather, the intent of their creation had always been lightweight combatants who were capable of exploration and attack. When encountering a barrier like this, there was little they could do to break through it quickly. There was a shearing sound as Freyja's sword bit through solid metal and tore its way cleanly through the first of the machine's inner workings, devastating its functions and leaving both haves of the drone toppling to either side, smoke and sparks rising from its innards. The machine struck by Cadenza let out a low-pitched whine as the joint of one of its legs bent backwards from the blow of her fist, metal twisting and tearing from the blow. It slid backwards on its wheels before toppling sideways, though its weaponry swiftly trained on the pugilist and prepared to open fire! The other two machines seemed to figure out that their attacks had no impact on Freyja, and instead began to train on Cadenza instead... @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja immediately turned to the other scout mechs as her blade cut through the first. Cadenza was going to have a whole heap of trouble soon if nothing happened. She stretched her right arm and shot a bolt of Dark magic out at the furthest of the two undamaged mechs while she barked out orders, "Adjust barrier recipient!" She hoped that even as small the impact of that attack might have, it might throw off the machine's aim. She wasn't sure if Derrick could do such a thing, but she had hope. The ex-Alvadian gripped her weapon and charged the nearest scout mech, intending to tear through that one as cleanly as she had the last one. As Freyja neared the third machine, her blade one again gained the coating of darkness it had before as she swung her weapon with the goal of bisecting the scout. Hopefully, Cadenza or Cassidy would be able to take care of the other two while she managed this one.</s> <\|message\|>Derrick Errance As soon as the first volley of bullets had been fired, Derrick trained his gaze on the remaining mecha. It was easy enough to tell that they had refocused their barrels away from Freyja, and it seemed that his companion had noticed likewise. "Switching!" he shouted out, the Conduits near Freyja quickly abandoning their barrier before flying over towards Cadenza. There were a scant few moments before the bullets would begin to fire, if their retargeting was to be believed... But if he wasn't able to ward off the shots aimed at the mercenary, then all he could do was try and recover the damage afterwards. Shaking his head, Derrick quickly poked his head out from behind his current piece of cover before aiming his two remaining Conduits at one of the further machina. A single Ruin would ideally be enough to offset the barrel should he fail to stop the damage in time, but in this case, it was likely better to cover as many bases as he could. @Wayward@Pyromania99</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Aaagh!" Cadenza made a primal, rallying growl. Small though her success was, any momentum was good momentum. The mech staggered and toppled under its own weight, and fighter backed two sizeable steps to avoid being caught under it herself. In the proceeding instance, the expected shift in direction came to be. Cadenza found herself set on by the sights of the turrets of both the crippled machine and its remaining cohorts. It wasn't really much of a surprise; they were basic models, programmed to focus on threats as they presented themselves. As the barrel of her recent quarry spun around to take aim at her, she listed slightly, in counter direction to its rotation. Drawing back towards the mecha, she reached, taking hold of gun. Heaving another brutish grunt, she manhandled the turret in one-eighty, directing the business end of the weapon toward the next mech in line; she would use the felled walker's weapon against its packmate.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The scout drones were simply not equipped to deal with such a focused counteroffensive. The drone that was targeted by Freyja was caught seconds before it opened fire, the darkness-coated sword slicing through its armor like butter and cleaving it neatly in half, sparks flying as both portions of the machine toppled to the side and caught fire. The remaining drone was unable to pierce the barriers put ahead of its guns, though upon realizing this they seemed to begin adjusting its positioning in a bid to get around the shields. Unfortunately for the automaton, this put it directly in the path of the weaponry of its disabled fellow as Cadenza wrenched the cannon out of place, and the hail of bullets shred through its armor and tore delicate systems apart, a small explosion erupting from the drone as it crumpled backwards. The only remaining drone was crippled in the pugilistic girl's hands, functioning leg whirring helplessly. @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "YEAH!" Bullets from the still-upright mecha flew, but helplessly stopped upon colliding with the barrier that had been placed between it and Cadenza. In almost the same instance, the rounds from the turret she had commandeered rained forth as the shield dispelled. The walker had little defense against the firepower of its own kind; the bullets from Cadenza's manhandled weapon ripped through its plating with almost no resistance. "GET SOME!" she bragged, though this was mostly drowned out by the sound of the machine gun fire. Showing, albeit too late, a sign of restraint against targeting an ally, the automaton that the pugilist had muscled struggled to right itself and train its weapon back onto her. Its fate, however, was already being sealed. No sooner than it's volley concluded, Cadenza pulled up against the barrel of the gun. While the turreted artillery had a 360 rotation along a horizontal plane, the nature of the weapon rendered it unable to do the same along its vertical plane. The tension of Cadenza's pull on the barrel was joined swiftly by a set of fist strikes against the mounting apparatus that attached the canon to its swiveling base. It was the proverbial breaking of a stick over one's knee; the mecha would, in theory, be left active, but effectively crippled and disarmed, left to rot away as time and nature played out against it... unless, of course, one of Cadenza's teammates saw fit to put it out of its misery.</s>	<\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja gave a small sigh of relief as the last of the scouts went down. They hadn't seemed to have sustained any real injuries today so, that could count for something. Derrick really pulled through for them with his protections. "Alright, that's taken care of." She hefted her sword over her shoulder and started to walk towards the inside of the complex. "We just need to keep moving carefully. We have no idea if there are any other leftovers from the empire here. Or... Other undesirables." She took a look back to her companions. "I'll take point. I've taken my fair share of bullet wounds before, I'm sure it won't be the last." The Dark Knight mentioned with a rather unconcerned look on her face before she headed off, keeping an eye out for her surroundings and her teammates.</s>
<\|description\|>Dura Mor Age: 32 Gender Identity: Female Sexual Preference: Pansexual Species: Orc Appearance: Dura stands a little over 6 feet tall, possessing a lean yet still muscular build. Her green hair often stays in a permanent loose low ponytail with only the longer back bits pulled into it and the shorter bangs and top part is parted to the side with her characteristic red streak through it. She also choses to keep one side shaved. She also sports a medal bar/spike through the bridge of her nose. Her upper torso is covered in what appears to be rather deep scars though they were very clearly intentional in a less than common form of scar tattooing. Dura also has a scar through her right eyebrow, it is clear this was from a former injury rather than the same "tattooing" process as her upper torso. Her deep brown eyes almost appear a dark shade of red at times. Height/Weight: 6'1" 172lbs Agent of the OMR: Despite her tough appearance Dura is an OMR field medic and a rather good one at that. Biography: Dura was born into a small orc tribe located in Southern Belarus near the Poland and Ukrainian borders. The small tribe mostly remained solitary, living of the land and practicing there own culture. It was here that she spent a majority of her younger years. However as she entered her teen years she became curious of the world outside of her home and decided it was time to take a "spiritual journey" as she explained it to her tribe elders. In reality it was less of a "spiritual" journey and more of a "knowledgeable" journey. There was so much she wanted to learn and see and she couldn't do it while living with her tribe. So with her mind settled she headed out into a world she knew very little about in search of an unknown knowledge. It very quickly became clear to the young Orc that travel was going to be difficult if she did not have the fund to do so. As a result she took up odd jobs in each town she visited. After several years of this she ended up taking an odd job cleaning a local clinic. It was here she discovered her fascination with the ability to send people off better than she arrived. However once again funds become an issue. After a while of trying to save one of her co-workers suggested she join an armed force and this is exactly what she did. Managing to have enough intelligence to secure herself in some field medic training after basics. From there her love for her job only grew. Several years later Dura was a pretty established field medic, being able to do her job as effectively as many of her higher-ups, one of whom agreed to pass on the few pieces of magical knowledge they had. This is where Dura began to train to use the magic she can today. By the time she was 27, armed with her knowledge, she was recommended to be transferred into the OMR where she has been happily working since. Likes:* Food oh boy does she love food * Friends and family, her friends are her family * Sitting alone in silence, not all the time but she does enjoy her "me time" * A good book Dislikes:* People who talk down to her or her friends * Bigots, aka people who see and think she is some big dumb brute and treat her as such. * When people try to "share" her food * Being interrupted when she is enjoying her quiet time Reason to be chosen for the mission: As one of the best Field Medics the organization has it seemed a good idea to recruit her for the mission in case they sustained any casualties. All weapons and equipment must be registered: * Several Field Medic pouches containing mostly anti-biotics, syringes, bandages, medical tape, scalpels, and various other small medical supplies * An OMR issued Firearm * Dagger Magical Abilities:* Stone Skin: Dura can magically harden her skin to the toughness of stone this is used mostly as a short term defensive spell however she can deliver some pretty sturdy punches while like this as well. * Minor Healing: This only allows her to rabidly close up smaller wounds or stop the spread of infection though at a great cost to her own physical energy and thus she choses not to rely on this skill unless absolutely nessecary. Skills:* Adaptability: Dura can analyze a situation and adapt accordingly in any medical manor she needs * Durable: She can take quite a beating and come out decently okay. Because of this she thinks it's funny to call herself "Dura the Durable", the nickname hasn't stuck. * Hand-to-Hand Combat: Dura is rather skilled with her hands in more than being able to quickly repair a person's body, she is also a very capable close range, hand to hand fighter. Miscellaneous Facts:* Dura, when not on duty enjoys heavy drinking, she can drink most people under the table and will happily do so. * Due to most of her education being career based she isn't the most intelligent when it come to non-medical topics.</s> <\|message\|>Xaviron "Avi" Mosley -Vancouver- Avi's flight had been delayed by an hour, as there was a bad storm over the Rockies. He had been sitting in the Vancouver International Airport for a while now and was getting quite bored. He had come back to his hometown to visit his parents, as he hadn't seen them in two years. They were aware that he worked for the OMR, but didn't exactly no what his job was. Truth be told he had been undercover in Mexico for the past two years, trying to expose a group trafficking in banned magical ingredients. While it had been a long case, it did end in the arrest of most of the group's leaders. Yet, even after doing such a good job with his previous assignment, the OMR already had need of Avi again. It had only been a week and a half of free time for Avi before he was contacted again. Avi leaned back in his chair, looking over the brief fax he had been sent. He was needed in Germany, in regards to stopping weapons smuggling. The mission was in his usual wheel house, plus he was fluent in German, as it was one of the first languages he mastered in high school. What was different this time is that he would be working with a full team on this assignment. Usually the only person Avi had to keep in contact with was his handler. Avi wondered about who he would be working with, as he knew the OMR employed all kinds of people, with representation from almost every species. Avi thought it would be cool if he could work with a deity, as he had never actually met one. Avi was considering getting a frozen yogurt cup, when the PA system announced that his flight was now boarding. Avi placed the fax back into his carry on bag and started to walk toward the boarding area. The flight to Frankfurt would apparently take about ten and a half hours, time Avi could make use of. He had considered either bringing a book to read or to practise up on his German, but he was really mentally tired after his time in Mexico, so he decided to use that time to sleep. -Frankfurt- Avi awoke at about an hour out from his destination. For a second he forgot where he was, reaching for the wand hidden in his jacket. Another second later, he remembered what was happening. He let go of the wand, technically an item he wasn't allowed to bring on a plane, the illusory invisibility spell still active. The spell in question was strong enough that no one during his previous assignment even knew he had a wand on him. Avi was always taking a risk by bringing his wand on his person, but he always felt more secure knowing it was there. By the time the plane landed, Avi had drank some sugary cola and was now fully awake. He disembarked the plane and made his way over to baggage handling. Avi had packed light, all of his clothes contained in his carry on. What he did grab was a sealed briefcase that housed his knife and gun. As an OMR agent he was allowed to bring it on a plane, but it had to stay in the cargo bay sealed. Avi picked up the brief case and headed over to the front of the airport. Waiting there was an Elf in a suit with a sign that read: Xaviron Mosley. Avi walked over to the man, remembering his cover story that he was an appraiser of magical items from Canada. As Avi approached the Elf he gave him a quick nod, the Elf recognizing who he was. Avi was led outside the airport to a small black car, one without any OMR markings. As Avi entered the car, the Elf turned to him, speaking in English, "Coffee?" Avi waved his hand, "No, can't stand the stuff." "Alright then," the Elf said, taking a sip of the coffee instead. The Elven chauffeur drove from the airport into the heart of downtown Frankfurt, the radio playing some German pop the Elf sung along to. Soon Avi could see the OMR office, a tall building he had previously only seen in files. The Elf drove right up to the front of the building, still singing in German. Without saying anything, Avi got out of the car, which promptly drove away, presumably to pick someone else up. Avi entered the building. Waiting in the front was a Dwarf dressed in a turtleneck and sport jacket. "Good day sir, how can I help you?" he asked in German. Avi replied quickly, his German not at all rusty, "I am an OMR agent, here for a briefing." Pulling out his ID, Avi let the Dwarf scan it before being signalled that he could go deeper into the building. Avi made his way up the stairs, pulling the fax out of his bag to recheck what room he was supposed to go to. Upon confirming the room number, Avi began a brisk stride to get to it. The delay on his flight, mixed with the sudden abruptness of leaving Vancouver, meant that there was a good chance that he would be late for the meeting. Upon finding the room, Avi heard talking coming from within. With the faintest of movements, Avi nudged the door open, slinking his way inside, hopefully unnoticed. Inside was a menagerie of different races, but what caught Avi's eye was a woman taking off her clothes. Avi had heard that Europeans were more liberal but this was taking it a bit far. But Avi quickly saw the point as she revealed that she had gears and mechanisms for a body. Avi had heard rumours that the OMR had artificial beings, but he never thought that they would be so life like. The robot, or Amanda she called herself, began to explain her origins. Avi was a little bit shocked that the OMR had been making artificial beings for nearly his whole time alive. And apparently they had rights? It was a lot to take in, even for a Canadian, as she made her joke about Americans expecting a robot apocalypse. The next person to speak was named Ross, apparently having served during the Shattering. Avi was always amazed whenever he met a survivor of that battle as he had heard the stories of soldiers dying by the thousands to take out the Abomination. Seemingly echoing Avi's thoughts about the Shattering was a Dwarf who wondered why this mission would require such a legendary warrior. Rather then dwell on why people like Amanda and Ross would be needed on the team, Avi decided to introduce himself to them, "Xaviron Mosley. Illusions, appraisal, and intelligence. First time on a team like this." He had decided to speak in English, as even though they were in Germany, he was unsure if everyone present was fluent.</s> <\|message\|>Micheal Crane aka pîhtokahânapiwiýin Micheal Crane Micheal had gotten some directions from a well meaning OMR agent in the foyer. He'd waited of course for the others who arrived just right ahead of him to enter first. And he's standing at the rear of the group slightly to the left, his duffle bag over his shoulder. He smiles, "Good medicine." The reveal though is astonishing, "A living machine." Micheal's eyes wide as he observes. The initial shock broken when standing up from behind a drape Whiskeyjack mutters, "Damn! new reason to a hard life. She's all hard." Micheal growls, "I swear. I will bind you if I have too." He then turns to the rest, "My apologies. I have a trio of hitchhikers with me. usually I'd charge gas money but I came by plane." He turns to the grinning god with a stern look, "How did you get in here anyway?" Whiskeyjack grins, "There's a door, and it's not my fault if no one is paying attention to the guy in the headdress." He shrugs and gives a really good impression of the cheshire cat right then. And all Micheal can do is shrug in apology. "But seriously, that incredible eh? And the rest of us. Quite a crew here. Makes you wonder what's we're all going to be able to bring to the table." He idly begins to flip his tomahawk in hand, almost casual in it's movements, "Hello everyone." He finally finishes with, a big grin on his face. He's about to ask for information on what is going to happen when his gaze fell on Ullross or Ross. His eyes narrowed, and gleamed. Staring right at a tall dark formless mass hovering about him. He'd seen free spirits that could walk and move and interact. He'd seen gods not quite ready to manifest. And he'd faced dark spirits, malicious and angry. But this thing hovering over Ross, is something else. For a moment he grips the handle of his tomahawk tightly, then reigns in his reactions, not a good time to react. He gulps then looks about, regaining his composure, "Micheal Crane, pîhtokahânapiwiýin among the Shamans of Canada and the United States. Don't expect me to speak much German. It's a pleasure to meet you all."</s>	<\|message\|>Dura Mor Dura waited patiently for the others to arrive. She knew the basics of pretty much everyone on the team from the files she had plucked but seeing them all in person was a different thing all together. She wasn't too shocked by the reveal of the android but still the question entered her mind, though she didn't vocalize it. The concern however was plastered on her face for a split second and gone before anyone who wasn't looking at her noticed. "How the hell am I supposed to patch up an android in the field? Hope we have a stellar mechanic. I do not know the first thing about sentient robot bodies." Dura's attention went to the others who introduced themselves. She recognized the man who introduced himself as Ross. He had come to her some time ago to see if she could help with his sleep issues and though that wasn't really her area of expertise she had been able to recommend a few things to try out. After a few others introduced themselves Dura cleared her throat to do the same. "Dura Mor, I will be your licensed Field Medic for this mission. Served in the German armed forces for several years before being recommended to join the OMR ranks about a year after The Shattering. Served on one of the many ships during the battle as a medic. Your health is my concern." Her voice was loud and thick with a German accent. She attempted to sound more formal than she usually was. She knew she looked more like she was here for muscle than anything else, after all her rough exterior didn't exactly scream delicate medical knowledge. She spent a lot of time observing the others. She tried not to judge anyone based on appearance but from what she had seen so far many of them seemed less fighters and more espionage or specialist types. So maybe the mission would be less head on and more information gathering. If that was the case that would make her life pretty easy. Maybe she wouldn't have to worry too much about severe wounds.</s>
<\|description\|>Xaviron "Avi" Mosley Age: 33 Species: Half-Elf Gender Identity: Cis Male Sexual Preference: Bisexual Agent of the OMR?: Yes. Avi is one of the OMR's undercover operatives. He goes wherever he is assigned. Reason to be chosen for the mission: Avi was specifically chosen for this mission because of his illusion abilities and language proficiencies, which will allow him to blend in while undercover. Appearance: Avi is a slender individual, hiding the strength that he has within. With pale skin, black hair, and grey-blue eyes, Avi would seem like most northern dwelling humans. However, his pointed ears would betray the fact that he has elven blood. Besides his features, Avi dresses quite drab, with a lot of black, greys, and navy blues. He tends to wear long shirts, jacket, pants, and boots. However, when undercover he will wear whatever is needed to blend in, which could mean all varieties of colour and design. Height: 5'10'' Weight: 154 lbs Likes: - Magical Studies - Frozen Yogurt - Linguistics - Punk Music - Horror Movies Dislikes: - Country Music - Criminals - Philosophy Discussions - Fanaticism - Coffee Biography: Avi was born in Vancouver, Canada, the son of an elven mage and a human police officer. Avi's father was an elf obsessed with the past, naming his son Xaviron after an ancient elven hero. His mother however disliked the name, instead calling him a shortened version, Avi. Growing up, Avi didn't see any other half breed children, as the various races were segregated in different parts of the town. But Avi would eventually make friends with someone of another race, Viktor, a very small Orc. For most of his childhood, Avi would be friends with Viktor, though they would be viewed as strange for being a half-breed and a Orcish runt. As Avi got older he was forced by his father to begin magical studies. While initially not into it, Avi would find that he had a knack for it, particularly illusions. By the time Avi started high school, he began to drift apart from Viktor. Avi began to throw himself into his magical studies, while Viktor began to finally bulk up, becoming an athlete. Avi ended up graduating high school with honours. After the graduation ceremony, Avi's father gifted him his ancestor's wand, allegedly taken from a branch of the world tree Yggdrasil. Avi wholeheartedly accepted the gift, but he would then surprise his father by choosing to join the police force rather than magic university. Based on his skills, Avi was soon accepted into the ranks of the Royal Canadian Mountain Police. Avi would serve the RCMP in a small town north of Vancouver for five years. After that he was stationed back in Vancouver, during the height of the panic of the Abomination coming. Within a few months of being back in Vancouver, riots began to break out as people were scared and demanding answers. Avi and his partner were sent to break up one such riot. Avi wasn't prepared for the chaos of it all, quickly losing his partner in the crowd. When he did find him a few minutes later, he was beating up an Orc. Avi quickly realized that it was Viktor, and jumped in, acting on instinct. Avi pulled his partner off Viktor, then punched him in the face, knocking him out. Following this incident there was an enquiry into Avi's actions. Because of his partner's actions in the situation, Avi was not charged with any crime, but was dishonourably discharged from the RCMP. Avi would flounder for a bit, not knowing what to do with his life. Eventually he decided to try and get back into magic, taking classes at a college. It was during this period that the united fleet destroyed the Abomination. Like most of the world, Avi cheered on this great victory. But back with the school, it was becoming apparent that Avi was already beyond the skill level of what they were teaching. Upon graduating college, Avi would quickly get scooped up by the OMR. Given a great job offer, because of his magical aptitude and previous law enforcement experience, Ari would become a junior agent. After a year with the OMR, Avi would become an undercover agent, using body illusions to sneak into organizations. Recently, Avi had just finished a long two year undercover mission in Mexico, only to be immediately assigned to the operation in Germany. Weapons/Equipment: - Ancestral Wand: Given to Avi by his father, this wand is allegedly made from a branch of the world tree Yggdrasil. Regardless of origin, this wand is useful in focusing on spells that Avi is less familiar with, acting as a focal point. - Elven Knife: A small knife used in elven martial arts. Avi always has it on hand. - Hand Gun: A standard issue OMR hand gun. Depending on the mission Avi could either have it on him, in his car, or back at a safe house. Magical Abilities: - Illusion Magic: Avi's primary focus in magical pursuits. Avi is quite good at changing his appearance to perfectly mimic any other humanoid. The actual spell takes a few minutes to cast, and can last upward to a day before the spell must be recast. Avi can also create minor illusions to confuse or mislead enemies. These happen instantly, but can only last a few minutes. - Combat Spells: Avi knows quite a few combat spells. These include a stunning spell, a push back spell, a psionic blast, and a blinding spell. Avi is more comfortable casting these with his wand, as it allows for greater accuracy and bigger effect. Miscellaneous Facts: Avi is a polyglot, speaking ten languages. These include English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese, Congolese, and Hebrew. Avi is also a skilled runner, having been on his school's track and field team.</s> <\|message\|>Micheal Crane aka pîhtokahânapiwiýin Micheal Crane Micheal hums, "So Dura and Astfiridur are off on another adventure. Leaving us here to rock out? Well we can manage with what we have right?" He looks around and smiles. He gives a sniff, "Okay so we need a proper summoning huh? I'm kinda tapped, and summoning isn't exactly my shtick." He gives another sniff. And redraws his pipe, "Well, it's all I got the energy for." He takes a few steps out, while repacking the bowl of his pipe. And with a flick of a match he lights the pipe, taking a few pulls to get the magical herb going, and kneels to carve an indigenous summoning rune into the ground, "Let's see." Giving a hum he finally begins, "Ancestors, Spirits, Oymantou, hear me. I seek a comrade. Ulross Vallath. I seek his presense, help me bring him to us. Ancestors, Spirits, Oymantou, help me. I give this sacred pipe and it's smoke to all of you. Help me bring Ulross to us." He kneels beside the rune and begins to pray in his mother tongue of Cree. Sending out steadying urging and wishes for Ulross to come to them in their time of need. The shaman maybe tired from the ritual he had performed but he does his best to send out a summons for Ulross to join them.</s> <\|message\|>Ullross "Ross" Vallath Ullross "Ross" Vallath The android seemed to be able to discern what the significance of the outbuildings with a quick check then she was off again. This made the man wonder why they were even here as it seems that other than magic she could very easily take care of most things on this mission. Hmm perhaps her being a bit showy is nice though, if the enemy is watching and sees that she is more capable than the rest of us might focus their efforts in neutralizing her. His line of thought was broken when he heard someone call out his name. Ross groaned and shook his head, these people did not act like the others he had been tasked with recently almost light hearted compared to what he was in earlier. Perhaps he could still salvage a few things from this outing and at least have a little fun. Ross began rummaging through more boxes of rations finding a couple he liked and stuffing them away in his jacket before setting his eyes on some crystals that looked interesting. None of the things in this building were noteworthy and soon he felt himself being drawn back towards the main building by some mystical means. Guessing that the team was waiting for him the large man made his way back to the main building where the others have gathered. Some still seemed to be inspecting a wall but otherwise seemed like they had finished their inspection. "Are we ready to go?" A straight forward question while he pulled out one of the rations with smoked fish so he could snack on it while he waited to see what the next step was.</s>	<\|message\|>Xaviron "Avi" Mosley -A Few Hours Back- Avi had remained quite for most of the briefing, unsure of if he even needed to say anything. This was his first time working in a group for the OMR. But he was sure that he could handle it. Toward the end of the briefing, the same dwarf in a turtleneck from earlier poked his head through the doorway. Avi glanced over at him as he motioned for him to come into the hallway. As silently as he could, Avi made his way out of the room. He followed the dwarf down the hallway, eventually stopping in front of a small office. "There's an urgent call for you Agent Mosley," the dwarf stated. "May I ask who it is?" Avi asked as he entered the office. "An Agent Brock I believe." Avi sighed as he picked up the phone. Agent Theodore Brock was one of the higher ranking OMR agents in North America, and had been his handler on his undercover mission in Mexico. He had made his distaste for Avi's handling of the mission quite public. "Xaviron Mosley here." "Mosley, I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time?" Brock asked. "Well. I was in a briefing, so-" "Fine I'll keep it brief. Romero is dead." Avi felt a pang in his chest. Luca Romero was a fellow OMR agent working the Mexico mission with Avi. While the mission had technically been a success, it had ended in a shootout, where Romero had taken several bullets. He had been quickly airlifted to a hospital in Texas. "How did he die?" Avi asked with the faintest of a quiver in his voice. "Infection," Brock answered, "They didn't clean out one of the holes good enough so it got infected. Then it spread damn quickly." Avi was silent. "Well I thought you should know," Brock said, his voice cold, "Maybe this mission you won't fuck up your fellow agents." "Goodbye Agent Brock," Avi replied quickly. Avi slammed the phone down, while yelling fuck. Once he was done he glanced over at the dwarf in the hall who had heard his scream and seemed bewildered. Avi didn't save anything as he left the office. He made his way back to the briefing room only to discover that his new team had already left. Avi then proceeded back to the main office. The receptionist let him know that his team were investigating a warehouse stocked with weapons. Avi wasn't in the greatest of moods and decided that he wasn't needed in the field now. Instead he decided to look over the case files, as research always seemed to calm him down. So he requested the pertinent files and sat down at a small desk, going over everything once more. -Now- Avi set the final file down while sighing. He gave a glance at the clock on the wall and saw that several hours had elapsed. The time taken to research had indeed calmed him down, so he figured now was the time to rejoin his team. If they asked where he had been he could always say that phone call had taken much longer than it actually did. It was a lie, but Avi was good at lying. It helped make him a good undercover agent. Avi stood up and turned to the receptionist, "Could you perhaps arrange a driver to pick me up?" The receptionist nodded and within ten minutes, Avi was outside and getting into an unmarked black car. To his surprise, it was the same elven driver from earlier today. He asked Avi where he was headed, to which Avi supplied the address of the warehouse. The drive there was uneventful, save when the radio played Rock Me Amadeus, to which Avi tapped along to the song with his fingers. A few minutes after the song finished, the driver pulled up to the building. Avi got out and immediately took out his wand. While he was pretty sure it was a safe situation, Avi knew that there were always dangers involved with working for the OMR. Upon entering the building, Avi spotted Amanda the android. He was just in ear shot as she described the transport manifest and the nearby house. Also possible bad guys meant Avi was not wrong to have his wand at the ready. As the rest of the team gathered, Avi made his presence known, "My apologies. A very pressing matter had come up at the office that required my presence. But it would seem I arrived at the correct time. If everyone is prepared then I'll accompany you all to the location on the manifest."</s>
<\|description\|>Morgana Faith Age: 26 Gender Identity: Female Sexual Preference: Heterosexual Species: Human Appearance: Morgana is a little on the short side and has a slim build, making her rather petite overall. She is not very physically, meaning there is not much muscle on her frame, especially on her arms which are notably thin. Her skin is pale, a result of spending too much time in the labs and not enough time outside. Her eyes are a vivid green in colour and her hair is a deep black that reaches all the way down her back. Morgana doesn't do anything to style her hair or to keep it under control, so it tends to stick out wildly the further down it goes. She has large eyes set in a round face, with a small nose and a smaller mouth that is almost permanently set in a smirk. Morgana is not one to wear much make-up or wear jewellery, but she tries to take care of her skin and it is blemish free as a result. Her clothing is often smart casual clothing that doesn't bare much skin, consisting mostly of blouses and skirts, stockings and tall, heeled boots; all in black or dark colours. She likes to wear long coats both at and outside of work; when at work this will be a lab coat, outside of the labs she will substitute it with something of equal length. She will also, on special occasions, wear a tall and wide brimmed witch's hat. Because it irks people. Height/Weight: 5' 3"/121lbs Agent of the OMR: Morgana is a researcher in the OMR Department of Heretical Studies Biography: Born in northern England, Morgana is the only daughter of Angelica Faith, the current head of family whose roots run deep in the British magical community. The Faith family one of the few who can trace an unbroken line of practitioners all the way back before the witch hunts that consumed Europe hundreds of years ago; this, along with being connected to most other magical families through blood or marriage, gives then a certain level of prestige even though they have declined in wealth and power in the last century. As the next in line to take over the Faith family, Morgana began her tutelage at a young age so that she could begin to inherit all of the knowledge that her family had gained over their long history. Hopes for her were high in the beginning; she was intelligent, diligent, appeared to have good reserves of mana and showed an aptitude for the kind of thinking that was necessary for a witch to be successful. However, the longer Morgana studied magic, particularly the brand of magic her family was versed in, the more she began to ask a single question. Why? Why did things works the way they did, why did this have to be done that way? Why did willow make for a better magical conduit for women, while ash worked better for men? Why did the age of the material matter? Why do magical circles have to be drawn in chalk and not ink? Why did the phase of the moon affect the effectiveness of certain rituals? It all seems so arbitrary and nonsensical. The more questions she asked the more she found the answers unsatisfactory and the more she found the teaching of her mother and her aunts… restrictive. So she asked herself another why; if they didn't know the answers or if they weren't willing to entertain her questions, why was she learning from them? By the time she was a teenager, Morgana was fully into her rebellious phase. She had long ago stopped asking for answers and instead looked for her own, conducting her own research and her own experiments to figure out the answers to questions that made others uncomfortable. She drifted further and further away from the superstitious leanings of her family and extended her knowledge into all kinds of new areas. The Faith family was obviously not very happy with their scion pulling away from them in such a blatant manner, even more so when she actually found some success with her experiments; the way in which she sought to question, break down and even prove wrong the magic they had spent centuries developing was not just offensive to them it was… heretical. By the time Morgana was eighteen she was ready to leave home and her family was more than happy to see her leave. She left home to attend university in London, studying both ritualism and occultism while keeping up her own private research and after several years graduated at the top of her classes. After graduation she was scouted by the OMR and was asked to become a researcher in their Department of Heretical Studies, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek name for a department dedicated to improving the organisations knowledge of how magic truly functioned. The name appealed to her, as did the promise of research grants and the freedom to dictate her own projects should she advance in the organisation. Since joining the organisation Morgana has been the co-author on many research papers that have helped to disprove old notions of how magic worked, particularly in the areas involving external factors such as wands, staffs and ritualistic tools. She always makes sure to send her mother a copy of each paper she is involved in, when they are released to the public. Reason to be chosen for the mission: As an expert on defensive wards and apotropaic magic, it is expected that Morgana will provide extra protection for the team during their investigation. It is also hoped that her expertise as a researcher will also come in useful. All weapons and equipment must be registered: There isn't a single piece of clothing Morgana wears that isn't imbued with some kind of ward, apotropaic defence or magic circle. Some of these are passive until triggered, others are weak effects that she feeds mana constantly, while yet more are larger and require conscious activation to have any effect. Aside from this her equipment is fairly standard, though it does include many small items such as chalk, balls of twine and so on that are less common. Magical Abilities: Morgana has a broad knowledge base and has dabbled in many different areas of magic, but her expertise mostly lies in the areas of ritualism and magic circles. She is capable of creating and conducting rituals to achieve a variety of effects from scrying, warding, healing, sealing, protection and so on; Morgana's research has led her to be able to do a lot, but the trade-off is that she cannot do anything as well as someone who focuses on a single thing. Depth has been traded for width. Her magic circles meanwhile, essentially small rituals themselves, act as pre-determined spells which can be activated automatically; a magic circle is etched onto an item, whether it be carved into stone or simply drawn on a piece of paper, with a pattern designed to mimic the effect or a specific spell. When mana is pushed through this circle the spell in question is cast, without a conscious effort on the caster's part to shape the spell. This allows for faster casting than normal without the caster needing to even think about the spell itself, but the need for the circles to be created beforehand means that she is locked into whatever she thought to prepare ahead of time. Morgana is not a combat agent and her ability to perform magic under pressure is low. Should she not have the right tool for the job prepared ahead of time, she is at a disadvantage. Miscellaneous Information: Morgana has been credited with assisting in the research and writing of the following papers; * The Effects of Perceived vs Actual Properties of Conduits on Casting Efficiency * An Experiment on the use of Blood as a Reagent in Rituals: How the Perception of Costs Paid Affects Results Given * How The Shattering Changed Lunar-centric Occultism: An Analysis on the Long Term Effects of Reality Changing Events * An Analysis on the Perception of Age and its Effects on Magic * A History of Apotropaic Practices in Europe: An Analysis on the Effects of Persecution in Shaping Magical Communities</s> <\|message\|>Micheal Crane aka pîhtokahânapiwiýin pîhtokahânapiwiýin, The Shaman Micheal pushed off the table he's leaning on and grabs Whiskeyjack by the back of the neck as he dances by. Leaning in to look the god in the eyes, "Stop...for now. Later you can be silly but we need to get serious." The young-looking god pouts a little and nods, going to sit on a couch for now. And yes he does very much sulk and pout where he sits. Micheal walks up closer to watch the presentation. He hums softly, one of his hands pressed to his cheek as he watches and listens. He hums. Weapons shipments...illegal weapons shipments. Sure not good juju, but why would the OMR...all the groups getting these weapons and ultimate Mr. X. "How cliche..." He said outloud, not realizing he did so. And casually reached out and smacked Whiskeyjacks hand as the god tried to reach out from behind Micheal to play with the projector. A second later Micheal did the same thing for Raven who reached a slightly feathered hand over too. And then a THIRD time when Manabozho did the same thing. Micheal shook his head, "I have a trio of kids following me..." To which Manabozho grumped out, "Hey!" Micheal nods, "Well I'll do my best to help out. Not sure what my skill set will help with." He grins, "But I'll help." He shrugs and nods, "So what next then?"</s> <\|message\|>Dura Mor Dura Mor Dura remained in her spot leaned against the back wall and just observed the interactions of the group. She had a habit of observing before truly interacting. It was generally so she could get a feel for the people she was going to be working with. As she was doing this she had pulled a snack out of her pocket. Dura almost always had food of some sort on her. The red head was certainly a ball of energy just watching her made Dura a little bit tired. Sure, she herself was a generally energetic individual, but the sheer amount of talking the clearly younger female did was enough to make one's head spin. The rest of the group were all interesting in there own ways. All seeming to have a variety of skill sets and back grounds. Some of which had more magical backgrounds than others. As a few people started getting into a conversation about magic and dragons and who knows what else Dura ended up spacing out. Most, if not all things involving magic went over her head and even when people tried to explain it to her she was confused. She learned by doing things and so it was hard for her to grasp some concepts. So she spaced out, the groups chatter turning to background noise until the Android started roll call, something she nearly missed as she only tuned in when she heard her own name called. Then the mission details were given. Dura had a hard time focusing back in though she felt she had gotten the just of it. She was a little confused as to why she had been recruited if they had the girl who could create portals but she supposed having a medic on stand-by who knew the details of the mission was useful. The less that needed to be asked when treating someone the faster the treatment could happen. When one of the males, she had failed to catch his name commented on how Mr. X was a cliché name Dura nodded in agreement. Sure it made sense since this man was an X factor in this situation but she couldn't help but think it was silly. Regardless she nodded along to the presentation as if she was understanding it all. When the lights came back on she squinted a little not expecting it. And then the Android mentioned a warehouse with weapons. Dura figured this would be there first job and so, she mentally prepared herself for the worst case but hopped for the best.</s>	<\|message\|>Morgana Faith Morgana had to admit that she had been rather curious was all of this was about, before this meeting. Although summoned, she had been purposefully kept in the dark regarding the details of this assignment aside from being told that it would involve fieldwork and a trip to Germany; it wouldn't be the first time, the OMR did enjoy keeping its secrets at times. She had thought it would be some kind of new project; something cutting edge and top secret, given the lack of details, or perhaps something anomalous had been found and they needed her expertise. Finding out that instead she was to assist in what was essentially a criminal investigation was… disappointing. Her remit was that of research, not investigation and although they both might be concerned with the matter of finding answers they had little in common with each other in practice. There was little use she could see for her skills here, which meant this whole endeavour was going to be a waste of her valuable time. The mundane and non-magical nature of the crimes in question only made things worse; arms shipments and terrorist cells were no concern of hers. The only point of interest in this whole thing was the possible use of teleportation magic to transport the illicit materials. Long distance teleportation was always a tricky prospect, though not impossible, and the difficulty only increased with the amount of matter being transported and the distances involved; if they were using such methods to move their shipments around then that suggested the group had someone particularly talented in the use of teleportation rituals, a being of immense magical power in their employ, or something else entirely. Any one of which would be interesting. It was a bare thread, but one she'd have to cling to for now. "Aside from the teleportation spell, are there any other cases of them using magic?"</s>
<\|description\|>Emmaline Von Morganstern Human \| 23 \| Female Appearance Of medium height with bright yellow blonde hair Emmaline is the picture of Andrean womanhood. Statuesque, with pale blue eyes and a dimpled smile, she has an open face which gives the onlooker the impression that she hasn't a brain in her head. Personality Emmaline is friendly and lighthearted, so long as that suits her. The somewhat flighty exterior conceals her deep self absorbtion and hedonistic self indulgence. She is clever and inciteful but fundamentally too lazy to put in the work that would allow her to capitalize on her (well concealed) virtues. Background * Swindler * Acolyte * Middle class, though she passes herself off as upper class. Emmaline's father was a potter and her mother a milliner. They raised their pretty daughter with the hopes of marrying her into the lower aristocracy, so she does have a smattering of class. History (Optional) Raised to make an advantageous marriage Emmaline rebelled against her parent's early on and fled to the dangerous streets of the city. Once there she rapidly fell in with underworld element. She worked as a dancer and actress before being taken under the wing of a notorious con-artist who used her charms to pull confidence scams and to case the homes of rich admirers. During one of these cons Emmaline became involved with a particularly debauched nobleman who dabbled in black magic. Believing it to be a bunch of simple tricks and nonsense Emmaline went ahead with the con. It was a red flag when she found herself naked and tied in an arcane circle, but it was rather too late at that point. The nobleman, the Black Count, wanted to use Emmaline as a sacrifice in a ritual. She was drugged with wine infused with dark magics, and as she struggled to get free, watching the knife come down a voice sounded in her head. Emmaline had never heard of Zagonath the Whisperer, but when he spoke to her she used the words he provided, striking her captor dead. Unfortunately Zagonath was less forth coming on how to escape from her bonds, and she was still bound up when the guards broke down the door and arrested everyone in the house. Despite her protestation of innocence, the Temple Court found that Emmaline had been touched by dark magic. It was also clear that it had been involuntary, and after weeks of debate a compromise was struck. Rather than being burned she sent into exile with nothing but the clothes on her back. Actually they had to provide the clothes, but the metaphor stands. Reason for Exile Passing false coins, petty theft, fraud, prostitution, consorting with ye olde powers of darkness. Motivation Safety. Emmaline is fundamentally fearful and seeking some kind of sanctuary. Through her own foolishness she dabbled in dark powers that she doesn't understand or know how to control. Having spent her entire life in Andraad, she now finds herself in exile and alone. Capabilities Attributes Combat * * * Intelligence * Literacy * * Charisma * Charm * Deception * Seduction Health * * * Faculties * * * Agility * Pick pocket * Sneak * Mysticism 4/4] --- Sorcery.... Equipment You will leave this blank, since you are a prisoner. * * * Money For simplicity's sake, we're doing 3 types of coinage. Royals (Gold), Lordlings (Silver), and Commons (Copper). They each measure 20 of the previous coinage. 20 Lordlings makes a Royal and 20 Commons makes a Lordling. You have no money as of yet. Languages You know one language. If you added Linguistics as a stat, you can speak an extra language beyond your native tongue. --- Character Relationships Your characters have only known one another for the week it has taken to move your wagon through the Inner Kingdoms, with only a marginal time to speak. This is where you put your initial thoughts of each character, and you edit these as their opinions change. This also includes the Merc NPC. Faeril Skywatcher Grumpy Scary Dwarf - Seems willing to wait till the earth cracks open before making a decision Reyvadin Ismirala Vaegir Some kind of a ranger, seems alot like the nobles who used to cheat on their wives while whining about their honor Lorcan Lorcan can turn into a tree. Like literally a tree. Migi BlackbarrowI like Migi, she is small and adoreable and has more balls than any of the men combined Radek GrantonRadek messed up my spell, but I didn't get killed so that was a good thing</s> <\|message\|>Emmaline Von Morganstern Emmaline took a bottle of grain liquor and poured some of it into the bowl of water Beren had brought, then she took a drink herself and set the clay bottle down. She took a length of clean cloth and dipped it into the now pungent water and began to sponge at Beren's wounds. "Don't worry, I used to be a priestess," Emmaline lied glibly as she carefully worked the char and mess out of the wound with the stinging cloth. She certainly had never been any such thing, but she had stitched up enough people after bar fights, climbing accidents and other such mishaps that she had some idea how to manage the business. "We really should salve it, if you have anything, otherwise it will weep everywhere until it crusts over," Emmaline expounded. "I was going to ask you about this deposed Sultana, but I feel like that might be a little overshadowed by the fact that the inn was attacked by some kind of ravening half demon... I thought we might talk about that," she said a twinge acidly, pressing a little harder than was necessary to scrub the wound clean. "I mean its a nice inn, but off all the inns in the city those things come here?" she arched an eyebrow in question Deception - 6 Not really a priestess</s> <\|message\|>Character Information Beren squared his jaw, but otherwise he didn't show any discomfort as she helped him. Well, this was a bit familiar for him, but he was glad for the help. Lack of sleep and injuries made him a bit more weary and a bit less wary. Not in a drunken way, say, but definitely less scrupulous. He looked to take her confession as a former priestess without doubting her. Then again, he also had no reason to think she would lie. His burns were not too hazardous, but it was plain to see how they would take some time to heal. "Thank you. I have some salve in my room. I can run it on tonight," he told her, taking a long drink from his jug. A small trickle of water escaped his lips and slid down his strong neck, the long droplet making a turn at every indention of muscle down his torso. He put the jug down, turning and listening attentively as pondered her question about the Sultana. He flinched when she pressed into the wound, looking at her with a perplexed smile. "You're right, it's strange, but it wasn't 'cause of me." He chuckled, not realizing she had likely added pressure through an absent mind. After another wince, the pain died down again. "Whatever it was, it used to be a man. And after I killed it...it smelled like one. Except for his arm. It stunk of sulfur and rot." She began sliding the bandage over his wound, and when he tried to help she gently but firmly kept his hands down. "I think it had something to do with the calamity. The thing that hit the forest north of here." He admitted, and then glanced behind him to make sure there was no chance of others listening in. His voice was soft. "I saw what was in it... I know the stench of hell. The calamity brought it and whatever attacked reeked like it." He shrugged his muscular shoulders. "As for the Sultana, I'm not big into gossip. Like any high borne thrown out of their home, she probably has six others, or she's looking to take the city back somehow. If she's still alive, at least. You might be able to find out more in the slums, but I wouldn't go in there without someone to watch your back." He ran his hand over the bandage, feeling a dull ache but otherwise finding he felt better. "I can go with you if you want." He offered.</s> <\|message\|>Reyvadin Ismirala Vaegir Apparently Reyvadin missed quite a bit last night. While he was awoken by Faeril's shouting, by the time Reyvadin was roused to fight the battle was already over. Something or someone had attacked someone last night. Details were blurry. Everything happened in a very short amount of time, with no one really knowing what happened. Frankly Reyvadin thought it was just a botched burglary. Someone tried to break into a room of a drunk patron and got his ass handed to him. But apparently there was something bigger going on. The inn was shut down and there was some talk of demons? Heresy, is what Reyvadin thought, but then again he wasn't there to see what had happened. Entering the room, he sees Emmaline talking to some man. His wounds looked like burns: from what he caught up so far, this demon used hellfire against one of the residents. So maybe this wasn't purely heresy. There was a barmaid who told tales of of some massacre that happened nearby. Could this possibly be related? Surely no one was just going to dismiss the presence of a bunch of corpses within city limits. He decided to grab some breakfast and join Raddek at a table. "So... Sounds like a lot happened last night. I was too late to participate myself, but from what I do know you were there for the entire event. So what happened?" Reyvadin asked as he ate the breakfast served to him.</s> <\|message\|>Faeril Skywatcher "What happened? I'll tell you what happened while you were sleeping the night away. Some fucking monster kicked in the door to the room next to where the women were staying, and then proceeded to try to murder everyone it saw. Then the shirtless guy punched it to death in the middle of the streets. I don't know who was sleeping in the room, or if they're still alive. We're fortunate to be alive ourselves, given that it looked like a fucking nightmare given life and seemed to take quite the beating." Faeril made his way towards the table with the two of them, crossbow still at hand. He looked even grumpier than normal, having not gone back to sleep after fighting the demon, then soothing the owner of the inn, and then settling down with his crossbow and his paranoia to keep him company. He didn't know where the demon came from, but he wasn't willing to bet that the bouncer to the inn had killed it or that there were not any others coming behind it to finish the job. So he had waited quietly in his room for any sound that would indicate someone was coming for them again. It was a quiet night, much to Faeril's relief. Still, it did nothing to improve his mood or temperment. He spoke between bites of the food, grunting in thanks at Isolde. "Now, apparently, there's a string of mauled corpses that conviently lead to us. That just happens to be showing up the same night a demon tries to kill us. I'm not one for coincidences personally, so I think we should figure out who was in that room and why they were being attacked by that disgusting thing." Looking around, he spotted Beren and Emmaline. He didn't know what the shirtless man's name was, but that wasn't particularly important as he yelled across the tavern. "Bouncer! Who was in the room that that thing attacked first? And are they still breathing?"</s>	<\|message\|>Emmaline Von Morganstern Emmaline finished the bandage and tied it off in a surprisingly neat knot. She drumbed her fingers on Beren's arm oblivious to the fact his arm was wounded. There had been a fair amount of talk about the clamity, but it seemed unlikely that they simply attacked the inn at random. Still, if Beren and the rest of them were determined to play innocent a direct approach wasn't likely to work. "I'll feel much safer with an obviously injured bodyguard," Emmaline said but her heart really wasn't in it. "I'll bet that at the very least a Sultana in exile has some gold put by," Emmaline mused. The idea of gold briefly made her drift off into a pleasant fantasy of clinking metal. The snap of Beren's fingers infront of her face brought her back to reality. "What is the worst thing that could happen if we asked around," Emmaline pondered. Probably rather alot, given the Sultana was presumably on the run but Emmaline's eyes were clouded with the idea of gold. At the very least they might get some info about what was going on in the city. "Lets give it a try!"</s>
<\|description\|>Jaina aka Jai Ra'sheek \| 30 \| Female Appearance Standing at 5'1, Jaina is a rather small individual, even among those of her own tribe. She has a lithe yet strong body, honed from years of living on the go with her mercenary rag tag family. Her skin is olive toned, sprinkled with light freckles from being out in the sun more often than not. Her long black hair has a brownish sheen under the light, once again from continuously being under the desert sun. Her face is surprisingly scarless, sporting dark brown eyes resting beneath long dark eyebrows, a straight thin nose and full dark lips. Most noticeable on her, however, is the tattooed lotus on her forehead. Often mistaken from far to be henna, it is a permanent mark on her otherwise flawless visage. Personality At first glance, one would see a serious and perhaps unapproachable looking sort of person, which would come as no surprised since Jaina grew up as a mercenary who had to keep her wits about and look at strangers with narrowed eyes, not just for her own survival but those she was taking gold from to protect. Some may call her a rather paranoid individual, but she likes to describe herself as cautious and careful, unwilling to stray too far from the line unless she is forced to. She is quite tough and hardworking; once she is given a mission or an objective of any sort and has agreed to complete it, she will make sure to get the job done. If there are hurdles in the way, her stubbornness will not allow her to quit; she will find some other way to complete her tasks. That being said, money is not always the motivator for the Ra'sheek mercenary. While she likes being paid, she has a conscience of what is morally right and wrong, and there are some lines she will not cross, no matter the amount of gold. Once a person actually takes time to get to know her however, Jaina is actually a friendly individual who enjoys stories and jokes as much as the next person. Still a quiet sort, she is more a listener than talker, though surprising people with the occasional dry humour. When she grows to like a person, she finds herself to be rather loyal and protective of them, and will stop at no end to keep them safe from any sort of harm, be it physical or mental. Background * Mercenary * Fighter * Lowborn/ Mercenary's daughter History (Optional) Reason for Exile Jaina had been hired by a rather influential and wealthy businessman, Haider Sherjihan, to protect him and his wares while he and his caravan travelled North to sell their exotic wares. What should have been an easy journey with only the usual dangers became much more when one of Haider's son decided this was the right time to stage a coup. Haider wasn't too well liked among his own, known for being strict and stingy with his family and even more so with those who worked for him. It was not hard to believe someone would wish to overthrow him and take over his business empire. Jaina however was not swayed by the money; their inner politics weren't her affairs and she simply wished to be paid the amount that had been promised to her at the end of the journey. There was no contest when it was the entire caravan versus two people. Jaina was a skilled fighter, but there was no way she could take on over ten people and keep the businessman alive and well. In the end, she was able to escape with her life, continuing her way back to the city. It wasn't long before she was accused of murdering Haider, and overnight she left, leaving behind her family, not wishing for them to be blamed and targeted because of her. Word spread that if she returned she was to be killed on sight, and those who aided her would suffer severe consequences. News however travels fast, and soon enough Jaina found herself once more being accused of a murder she hadn't actually committed. Since there was no actual proof of what had happened, it was decided that she would not be jailed or executed, but she was however banished from staying in the North. Motivation Jaina can't go back to her family nor can she stay in the north, not unless she wants to lose her life or the ones of people she actually cares about. Knowing only the life of a mercenary, there isn't much else she can think of perusing now with options closing off to her because of a false accusation. At least with like minded people, she knows where she stands. Capabilities Attributes Combat * One handed sword * Dual Wielding (2) * Intelligence * Literacy * Bestiary * Charisma * * * Health * Stamina * * Faculties * Intuition * Resolve * Agility * Stealth * Run * Mysticism [0/1] --- Equipment * * * Money 0 Languages Aradian --- Character Relationships Character Name Character Name Character Name Character Name Character Name</s> <\|message\|>Jaina aka Jai If Jaina had been by herself, she would have probably continued her way through the city and not really given much of a care about some random men being held outside. After all, who knew what people actually were? Thieves, murderers, rapists, all of the above- there were enough of those in the world; she had dealt with many of the like. However, in the two days she had spent with this group, while perhaps not the most ideal company, she knew they were the sort that were probably good to have on ones side during trying times like these. Besides, she was quite sure these guards didn't really care much about what they were, just what they had on them. Greedy bastards, though as a runway mercenary with a mark on her head, she wasn't one to judge too much. Still, it was an annoyance that people from her group were stuck being bullied. It didn't seem as if Lorcan's words made much of a difference to the guards, and while she could certainly give credit that he tried, it wasn't surprising to her that it had been in vain. Truth be told, if she'd had a silver or two she would have flung it at them and let them be happy. However, runaway prisoners didn't normally carry much in the way of coins, and she certainly hadn't had the time to procure any in the two days she'd been free. She sighed softly, hearing what the blond woman had to say. Her ploy could work, that was for sure, though if it backfired, the guards would probably think the Lady had goods on her that they could take in lieu of coin. For the time being, Jaina would simply observe. There was nothing she could do without further agitating the situations, and if luck was on their side, Emmaline's lie would be sufficient for the unfortunate ones in their group to move forward. And if not... well, they would worry about that then, she supposed. She'd bet there were plenty of ways to sneak in if someone how an imaginative and creative mind. Perhaps she would help as well?</s> <\|message\|>Character Information Had it been less turbulent times, the sentries might have asked for papers and credentials. Even the lowest born aristocrat had an emblem or proof of identification in heraldric papers. But the crowd was burgeoning, and Emmaline carried herself with an imperious air, cleverly utilizing every asset of her body to seem peerless in their presence. The other members of the group played along perfectly, with the notable absence of Reyvadin who seemed to be missing for a minute. Still, while apparently aristocratic, to the guards it was clear Emmaline was not above a petty baroness, if even that. Raddek sped the process along to keep them from asking too many questions, barking at the men to grant them their names double time. Five were taken; Holton, Borgund, Kurt, Rogelo, and Anthonie. "My lady, you and your...guards clearly have not been in the region long." The one called Kurt said, eyeing Lorcan for a moment and snorting derisively. "Orders are orders, and had you not been highborn we would have had to execute them without bias. As it stands, the city council has far larger concerns that us, even without the calamity. My advice, stay safe and keep your purse with you. Some men here only speak the language of money, if you get my meaning." Raddek elbowed past the other men with purpose, though Emmaline and perhaps another observer would see he cocked his eyebrow at the guardsman's statement. He bowed before her, his eyes now level with hers and moving erratically to indicate they should make haste out of the gateway. "Your retainers are waiting, my lady." He told her, and with that he stepped forward and lead the group deeper into the street, making sure to find a nice corner where the refugees and citizenry were not packed so thickly. Judging by the short, stout tower that cast a shadow across their crew of miscreants, they were beside a miller or a storage building of some kind. Once everyone was gathered, Raddek crossed his thick arms and gave one last look down the street for good measure before he felt safe enough to speak. In the shadows, his iron eyes were grim. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm going to get a drink and to find somewhere to sleep. Luckily I know someone that might help ease the price on something like that. Migi, me, and anyone else who wants to follow are going to the Ubrico Soldati. It's only a few miles southwest of here, close to the docks. It's fairly cheap for being in one of the smaller areas of the city, and if my friend is still there we can probably manage. Everyone else, do your thing. Just take care. Varone is still probably one of the wonders of the coast, but it's fallen on hard times so watch your purse and your necks. Let's all meet at the Ubrico tonight anyhow." Not one to mince words, Raddek merely gave a nod and started moving back up the street from whence they had come, Migi and whoever else was going in tow. --- 1 hour later... Despite the steady flow of fleeing civilians and countryside immigrants, the city of Varone proved to be as cosmopolitan as its reputation gave. Most of the buildings were made of stone or marble, and there were not two streets without some great work of art or statue on display amidst fountains or lavish trees. Carriages of rare Mulgrave Wood weren't uncommon, horses cantering past the group in perfect step. Canals crisscrossed along the streets nearly every mile, patrolled by guardsmen in rafts or the odd rich citizen in longboats of their own. Some couples wanting a romantic day on the town rented out smaller crafts, snogging in the back of the boats as local oarsmen tilled them about. Most were content with staying in the larger channels between the three great 'islands' that made up Varone, but some traversed the smaller canals and slipped under the bridges, ignoring those on the street. They passed a few taverns and breweries, including the Blackmoon Dive, one of the more raunchy locations west of the palace that would have likely suited them had they been able to get in. Raddek informed them you either had to be in league with one of the thieves guilds or be willing to pay a pretty penny to enter. Across another bridge and down a lane that led into a concrete jungle of tunnels and walkways beneath a guildhouse for the Brewer's guild, they stepped out into another street and found themselves right in front of a stone alehouse and inn, its front consisting of four archways that led to a patio where people could drink and feast outside without fear or rain. Raddek had enough of trekking outside, so he moved in. Inside, the establishment seemed clean and well ordered. Serving maids and manservants in aprons, tan tops and striped loose trousers gave calls in Dre Costan and served food and drink with the swiftness of professionals. In the center of the dining area was a large rock of obsidian, and two rusty cutlasses were stuck fast in it, crisscrossing due to their curved blades. Next to the rock, recently emptied bottles were placed there in what looked to be some strange ritual or contest. Various men and women were being served, including a few very odd people. A tanned, sumptuous woman with dangerous eyes and dark jewelry drank a bottle greedily as a rotund Andredian sobbed into a bowl of porridge three tables away, comforted by a perhaps not fully-human lass with unruly red hair. A cloaked figure ate quietly in the back, two tables from two men in matching robes speaking quietly over their hardly-touched dinners. Scattered among them were either well dressed citizens in fine satins, silks, and linens, a table deep in a tense card game; or hard men armed with daggers and swords, sporting at least three different brooches with varying marks signifying different mercenary companies. "Get a table, I'll be back." Raddek told those that followed him, and he stepped past the counter into the back kitchen as if he owned the place.</s>	<\|message\|>Jaina aka Jai Well, that was nice. It seemed that Emmaline's ploy had worked well enough for the guards. Jaina was satisfied that she wouldn't need to find another group that didn't want her in chains anytime soon. It would be good to stay around sharp minded people, if only to get out of trouble easily. Running away felt tedious, and she had no coin. Even as muddled thoughts swam about in her mind, she followed along with the rest of the group, dark eyes taking in their surroundings. She had to admit it was actually not a bad looking place at all, and perhaps it did make sense that the guards would be picky about whom they allowed in; troublemakers did tend to make... trouble. It would be a shame to have something happen here as well from simply being negligent. She'd bet money that they already had their share of miscreants and hardly needed more. Well... she would bet if she had some money on her. Alas. "I'll accompany you," Jaina decided after hearing what Raddek had to say. Hopefully they didn't charge for water at the Ubrico Solidati. In any case, she wanted someplace to sit for a bit and simply listen in on others. If nothing else, she could probably exchange her amulet for food, drink and a place to sleep. Sentimental attachment was something to set aside when you weren't sure where you'd be getting your next meal. She sighed. She really didn't like being without gold... --- Jaina would say she was a well traveled sort, but the fact was that she was well traveled in the desert lands and certainly nowhere like... here. Though her face kept her usual composed expression, her eyes were flitting to and fro as she walked with the group, taking in the beautiful buildings, the canals, actual boats in a city. It almost felt as if people were carefree here... perhaps there would be a chance to find a job where she could be hired as a mercenary? She followed after Raddek, pausing slightly when the man spoke up. "Sure," she replied, turning to see if she could find a free table. Normally she would have found someplace in the corner, but since this was a new city, she preferred sitting someplace she could actually hear as well as observe. Pulling a chair at an empty table near some of the fancier looking folks, she raised a hand when she saw a maid nearby. "Just some water for now," she instructed the pretty serving girl, giving her a brief smile before looking away, her eyes training between the men playing cards to the fellows with the weapons. Perception - 7</s>
<\|description\|>AnnaBeth Species: Human appearance/Escaped "special child" of Lilith Age: 23 Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Being one of Lilith earliest experiments, AnnaBeth is drawn to the other special children, like Sam. She always seems to end up near them, and now...specially Sam Winchester. Bio: In 1983, there was a contest in Hell. Who could present Lucifer with the ultimate vessel? Lilith proposed all women, being she was the original First Lady, and the first woman to rebel. Azazel was more equitable with his choices, making sure they covered all spectrums. Ultimately Azazel won, picking Sam Winchester (among other poor souls) as the Boy King...the ruler of demons, vessel of Lucifer and bringer of the end of days. But where did that leave the others? Well, in AnnaBeths case, both forgotten and hunted. It has never been mentioned to her, that she might be special. However, she has these dreams...awful dreams about a man, about the end. With her powers stifled, much like Sam's, she simply heard voices. But if she's angry, the wrath of hell will rain down on the individual in her sights. Weapons: None really. But hey...can she have your gun? No, really. You should give her your gun.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean smiled softly, still fighting a lump in his throat as Mika reassured him. He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles as they walked back toward the house. He couldn't justify in his mind why she didn't just run away from him. In his mind, the things he had done in Hell were unforgivable at best, and at worst, he definitely didn't deserve to leave the pit. "Let's go see what my brother has brought home…", he muttered with a smirk, finding exactly what he was afraid of when they stepped into the room. The tension and panic made him raise both his eyebrows, holding Mika's hand a bit tighter as he looked between the people in the room, "Yeah um…is everything okay with you guys? Sam? You good?" He asked his brother if he was okay knowing he most likely wasn't, but he wanted Sam to know that now that they were back together, he had his back, if anything crazy was going on. Cason Cason frowned at Esme still shooting him down every time he decided to shoot his shot and flirt with her. He stepped over close to her as the others discussed what was going on. Most of the information they were churning out, were things he had heard through the grapevine anyway. So, none of it really surprised him. However, when Annabeth skidded into the room, a familiar smell flooded his senses, and he turned to her. Before he could go over and shake her for being an idiot, Sam was there, checking her over. "What the hell did you do?", he asked, the tone of his voice portraying the full devastation he was feeling at seeing her eyes magically back, while she smelled like literal Hell. His eyes turned black, as the smell was no longer something he could just get past and growled. Annabeth Annabeth stared at Sam, surprised and thankful to see his face again, as he checked her over. She let him, almost smirking, until she realized that the look on his face and everyone else's faces was not that of happiness, but worry or fear. "Um…that's hard to explain.", she whispered, her large blue eyes staring up at Sam, begging him not to test her ability to keep a secret. She knew that with him, she would fail miserably. When Cason asked her what she had done, she closed her newly repaired eyes and looked down at her feet, which caused him to sigh in another show of his devastation, throwing his hands up and then bending as if he couldn't breath, placing his hands on his knees. "Listen…I didn't know what else to do!", she pleaded with the entire room, barely acknowledging that Dean and Mika were back in the room, until Cason spoke up again. "She made a deal…with a demon…", he gasped, feeling sick, "After all this time. Why didn't you come get me? I have half a dozen dogs out there. They could have ripped Alastair to shreds…" "You did what?!", Dean erupted, causing Annabeth to jump, her hand instinctively coming to Sam's arm as she forced her eyes closed again, "You made a deal with Alastair?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" "HE WAS GOING TO KILL SAM!", she finally snapped, knocking the wind out of Dean's lungs with her sudden outburst of frustration, and causing him to clutch his chest as she gripped Sam's wrist, "He was going to kill Sam. I didn't have a choice…"</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling As Esme leaned against the wall, she continued listening to what they discussed in the room. When she heard they had also dealt with an angel, she closed her eyes tighter. So, that's what was trying to contact Dean. she thought to herself. She sighed heavily at the thought of more than one angel being around them. So, they knew of two angels at the moment. How many more would they come in contact with? She was pulled from the thought when she was hit by a wave of emotion, it caused her to gasp and hold her chest as pain flooded it. She opened her eyes just as Sam's shocked voice rang into the room. Esme's eyes followed him to the kitchen where Annabeth stood. Esme's eyes widened in shock as she saw she had eyes. "How in the hell?" she whispered. She cut her eyes over at Cason as he spoke to Annabeth. Not only could she hear his emotion she could feel it too. She pushed herself off the wall and stepped forward as Annabeth started to explain. She saw Dean and Mika enter the room, but her eyes didn't leave Annabeth. When Cason took it upon himself to announce what she had done. "You what?!" she got out at the same time Dean spoke. She closed her eyes as more pain took her over, now spreading to her head. She opened her eyes just as Dean finished speaking, and Annabeth snapped. Annabeth's sudden outburst of frustration hit her hard. Esme gasped and tightened her grip on her chest before falling to her knees. She had the wind knocked from her lungs. She had never felt such a powerful wave of emotion before. She used one hand to hold herself up. She felt sick and shaky. She looked up at Annabeth, pain clearly visible on her face as she fought for air. "We could……. Have still…..Helped" she gasped. "We're in….. This together." Esme curled in on herself as the pain spread more.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, SAM AND NATALIA Mika's justification for not just giving up on Dean was purely because she had sworn ever since she came clean to him to who she was that she would never walk out on him again. She wasn't going to just up and leave him no matter and whatever terrible things either of them did, she would be by his side. Sure, it was a serious shock to her to hear what he did and how he liked doing it, but she couldn't say she wouldn't have done or felt the same way if she was in his shoes. Hells, she probably wouldn't even lasted as long as he did and that in her eyes was admirable that he held out for as long as he did alone. She also fully believed that despite everything, he could be redeemed for what he did, that it wasn't his fault. Not only that, she loved him with all her heart and soul and after he did everything to not give up on her, even when she drove him near damn insane making him believe she was someone else and was infact dead, he kept persuing for the truth and to get her back. So the least she could was the same damn thing for him whether he thought he deserved it or not. "Lets" she replied, before she walked inside with him and saw the scenes before them both. She felt like they had been gone for five minutes and all shit broke. She let him hold her hand a bit tighter when he saw the sight before him as well, knowing he was only going to get instantly about Sam despite everything that was going on. She was just massively confused, they told them that Annabeth didn't have her eyes, but here she was standing in front of them all with her eyes very much intact. "I'm fine, but confused!" Sam replied to his brother, wanting to ask him if he was okay as he recognised when his brother had been crying but he knew this wasn't the time nor the place to do so, not to mention he was solely focused on Annabeth right now. He glanced back at Cason as he also asked Annabeth what happened and how it happened, when she started to say how it was difficult to explain, "Try me" he replied to her, not wanting the simple 'difficult to explain' excuse to be her only answer. That wasn't good enough for him, but it seemed to took Cason to figure it out for him to get the answers he was asking her. Ontop of that, Cason gave a name to the demon responsible, a demon name that he didn't recognise but looking at Dean and how he was reacting, it was evident that he did recognise the name. As Dean reacted the way he did, Mika also felt shocked to hear Alistair's name said not once, but twice in a space of five minutes. Alistair was here!? If she had known, she would have loved to have the opportunity to go after the son of a bitch that tortured and turned Dean into a torturer, even if it would prove the stupidest idea known to man. She found herself feeling shocked at the outburst of Annabeth's. It made her step back slightly in surprise but not ocne did she let go of Dean's hand to give him that moral support he clearly so needed. Natalia also found herself being frozen to the spot she was standing in when Annabeth admitted she got her eyes back from a demon named Alistair and if she didn't, he would have killed Sam. This information froze her in her tracks, but she also felt incredibly angry that Annabeth could have fallen for such a callous trick by a demon. She was beginning to wonder if believing demons was a common trait for the girl. "I can't believe you would believe a bloody demon over that!? Don't you get it? They'll say anything to get you to do what they want you to!" she couldn't help but scold the girl. It was then she saw the state of Esme, and it was becoming evidently clearer to her that Esme was a natural empath. Looking back at Annabeth, she waved her arm in the direction of Esme, "She's right, we could have helped! Dean, Mika and Bobby haven't been slaving away trying to find answers just for you to go and make deals with a bloody demon!" she sighed exasperated. She had to pinch the bridge of her nose to make herself calm down and not punch the nearest thing. She was so incredibly done with demons twisting people's arms to get what they wanted. She herself was a victim of such a manipulative action so it always rubbed her wrong way when she saw others fall for the same game. Sam, as much as he was touched by the fact everyone was so quick to jump to his defence in a round about manner, he did think they had a point but he also had to question if they would have done things all that differently if they were in Annabeth's shoes. "Anna I'm glad you got your eyes back and you took the deal trying to do the right thing to save me, but they do have some valid points. Making deals like that, so abruptly never ends well for anyone. Esme is right, we could have found another way, or at least a way to do it together so you didn't get tied to Alistair through a deal" he told her, alot more calm than how the others were talking to her. "I think everyone needs to calm down" he then said, looking at everyone in the room and seeing more and more how the name was affecting Dean, which got him thinking, how did he know this demon?</s>	<\|message\|>AnnaBeth Cason, Dean and Annabeth Annabeth took a deep breath, gasping for air after the outburst as the entire room seemed to be scolding her for something she didn't even know she had the choice to say 'no' to. She closed her eyes, letting their voices wash over her, to get the brunt of it off their chests as she stood still. Cason, on the other hand, crumpled to the floor beside Esme, pulling her to him and rubbing her back to try and get the worst of the shockwave out of her system, before a question burned his mind. He let Natalia scold her, as Annabeth seemed to respect her, and he hoped maybe she could pressure some answers out of her. But when no answers came, and Annabeth stayed silent after Sam finished speaking, he decided to ask the burning question. "What did it cost?", he asked her. His voice exasperated and heartbroken. She didn't answer him at first, only keeping her eyes closed, "Tell me! What did it cost…your soul?" "I have to…", she started, opening her eyes and peering up at Sam before letting out a small sigh of panic. Dean had gathered himself by then, standing up straight and glaring at her. He didn't want to hear what was coming next, but he almost knew the answer. "I have to go with him. He gave me 24 hours.", she whispered. Cason's gasp and groan pierced the near silence in the room as he ducked his head again, "He threatened horrible things. There was nothing any of you could do. Sam would have just broken into pieces in front of all of you, if I had said no. This wasn't a 'go get the others and see what they can find' situation. He didn't even explain why he needed me, only that my choices were stay here…and Sam dies horrifically. Or I go with him, and you're all safe, as long as you don't come after me." She looked over at Natalia, her eyes heartbroken and red, "I didn't make a deal for my eyes. That was just his first good faith payment or something. I made the deal because he could have snapped his fingers at any second…and blown any of you to pieces." Dean cleared his throat, "She's probably right. Alastair is someone I have heard of, recently…and lets just say he's Lilith without the moral compass. If she says he would have killed you, Sam…he would have, in a heartbeat. He's creative, too." Annabeth sighed with relief that Dean understood her motives, if nothing else. She looked up at Sam, knowing that this news wouldn't be what he wanted to hear, and brushed his hair behind his left ear, "You can't come after me. You hardly know me, right? This way…you guys won't have me to worry about. I'll be his problem. And if I get the chance to run, I'll run." Bobby took a deep breath, now that everyone was starting to simmer down and held his hand up, as if he was in class, "We can use my vault, to buy us time, but I can't guarantee he won't come and kill all of us anyway. If we protect Sam and the girl, maybe we can find a way to kill Alastair?" Dean raised his eyebrows, holding a hand out toward Bobby to see if the others agreed with him, as he did.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Aurelia Ruby There was something about possessing a body that had already been so close to death that just made it feel... nastier. She allowed herself to be consumed by the hot water for as long as she felt necessary to get all of the surface grime off at least. She sighed, she wasn't sure how long she'd been in the shower, but she knew it had been a while. She got out and wrapped her hair up and dried herself before getting dressed. She could hear the conversation, faintly, going on between Sam and whoever had been at the door. She couldn't make out what was being said, but she knew they were still talking. This caused her to roll her eyes. People really just needed to leave them be. There was still too much to do! She started brushing out her hair and started the hairdryer. She wasn't about to look unpresentable when she got out of the bathroom, especially if this person hadn't left yet. This was getting annoying. She had heard the talks of Dean being save from Hell, but the likelihood of it just didn't seem high. Especially given who she had been hearing it from. And if that were the case, he would be none too happy to know what she and Sam had been doing this whole time he was gone. Sure, once she found him again, she knew Sam had been trying his hardest to get Dean back, but that was the thing with deals. You got your time and then your soul belonged to Hell. Something she knew all too well. She turned off the hairdryer and soon her phone rang. She looked at the name and raised a brow before answering it. "Hello?" she asked. "You're going to have to watch your back. One of Azazel's old pets showed her face again, and I know how you and this one were." the voice on the other end said. "Who are you talking about?" she asked, sitting on the closed toilet. "Aurelia. She's finally resurfaced, and one can only imagine why. Just watch your back." they said. There was a click before Ruby stared at the phone. That wasn't good. Aurelia knew her affiliations almost better than anyone, but she also knew that Aurelia was a tricky sort. No one knew her better than Azazel and Meg. With Azazel dead and Meg in the wind it was hard to know what would make her come out of hiding. She sighed, and decided perhaps it was time to get out of the bathroom. She could only delay so long. "That was-" she began, but she saw the man at the door. "Guessing not the pizza then. Oh well." Something about this one didn't feel right either... She shrugged a bit and took her dirty clothes and placed them with her other things before sitting down. She wouldn't interject in the conversation until she felt Sam wanted her too. It was usually best if she stayed quiet and played the part of the 'hook-up.' And that was her intention, plus now she had other things to worry about.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) SAM WINCHESTER Sam listened to benjamin as he explained a brief history of when demons had been after him and what level demons were after him. He had to admit inside he was rather impressed that this psychic knew his levels of demons which told him he truly did know what he was talking about and that he wasn't newbie psychic who was way out of their league. He found it interesting also that the demons seemed to get lower in class as the attacks went on instead of higher which seemed rather unusual to him but if that was the case then it would be pretty easy to get them off this guy's back in theory. He noted Ruby's entrance from the bathroom and how she walked to the bed to stay out of the way but no doubt eaves drop. Something he wasn't so sure was the best idea right now, whilst smirking at her remark about Benjamin not being the pizza delivery "sadly not" he replied. He then turned back to Benjamin "astaroth? Never heard of them" he replied, but his curiousity was indeed piqued so much so that he walked over to his laptop and booted it up to do a search for said demon. NATALIA WINCHESTER Natalia listened to what the girl was explaining and wondered who the hell knew of her link to the brothers and more importantly who the hell these people were. She was taking a risk saying she was their half sister as it was but she needed to know more, especially as she dumped the bombshell about Dean on her. "Bobby is a family friend,that's all you need to know" she told her as Annabeth walked inside with Natalia noting she didn't get caught in the hidden devils trap under the doormat. Okay, so this girl wasn't a demon that was one thing she didn't have to worry about. Yet the moment Cason walked in and got stopped by it she knew instantly why he was so hesitant to be sticking around. She instantly pulled out her handgun and took the safety off, aiming it right at the man. "You're hanging around with a bloody demon?!" she questioned, raising her voice probably a little more than she should have. "Are you insane?!" she asked again, looking at Annabeth only briefly befor elooking back at Cason. MIKA CHAMBERS Mika hated that Dean was shouting at them and clearly hurting his throat in the process. The course sound coming out of his mouth didn't go amiss on her and she instantly went to the fridge and grabbed him a bottle of cold water, handing it to him. She let Bobby answer the questions that Dean was asking, before continuing to hear what Dean said about the area where he was buried. "Things haven't been the same since you've been gone, I don't know whats going on it seems something is coming. But I'm sure Bobby could explain better than I can, I pretty much gave up hunting when I knew we couldn't bring you back." she admitted to him. "But we'll find Sam and Natalia, I promise" she reassured him, sitting next to him on the couch. "I'm so glad you're back though" she added.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth AnnaBeth and Cason Annabeth's eyes were the size of saucers, staring at Cason. She didn't understand why he couldn't move. But he seemed to know why, and was extremely angry. Her fear and shock turned into nervous tears as Natalia snapped at her. Her body flinched before she narrowed her teary eyes, causing a tear to fall, "A what? Demon?! Demons are real?" "Kitten…listen. I can explain.", Cason calmly muttered, holding a hand out in front of both women, mostly to try and keep Natalia for throwing anything at him…or as the Winchesters seemed to be keen to do, stab him, "Stay back!" Annabeth positioned herself almost behind Natalia as Cason spoke, terrified of the man she had been dating for the past two years. —— Dean Winchester Dean took the water from Mika, cracking it open and nearly drinking the entire bottle in one long gulp. Sighing in relief, he placed a hand over his eyes, "He must have made a deal. Whatever dug me up or rode me out…it's nothing good." He glanced up at Mika, taking in all of her features. Good terms…bad terms. He was good to see her, "I'm glad to be back. But, don't get too excited. Look at this." He then unbuttoned his sleeve, and pulled his arm from his shirt, showing Bobby and Mika the handprint left on his upper arm. This caused Bobby to stand from his chair, his eyes wide, "What the hell?" "Exactly. What do you think we're looking at here?" Bobby brushed his fingers across the scared tissue, and shook his head, "I have no idea. That seems like a good question for Sam." "Wait…Nat's not with Sam? Do we know where she is?", Dean asked, glancing from Mika to Bobby. Bobby simply shook his head, "Great. Two needles in two different piles of needles. I'll activate Sam's GPS." Dean sat down behind Bobby's desk carefully, his body still sore from the walking. He noticed all the empty bottles lying around and raised an eyebrow, "Hey guys? What's up with the liquor store?" When Bobby didn't answer him, he shifted his gaze to Mika.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin Benjamin, getting ready to fight, has a serious, focused look on his face as he glares at Ruby. "Sam, look out, it's one of them!" He points at Ruby. "Get rid of it, before it attacks!" Benjamin thought he had sensed something, and he did. It was Ruby. This demon was not especially very powerful, but for her rank, she was. Benjamin couldn't have known that Ruby was not just reliant on her powers but her skill and competency in fighting. As his voice rose in seriousness, he was getting ready to attack with serious telekinetic force. If he had to fight here, he might accidentally destroy the hotel room.</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Natalia saw how Annabeth was reacting and was beginning to question if the girl was either a really good liar at pretending to not know that demons existed, or if she was really being genuine. It was also really difficult to not just shoot at Cason for the sake of it before stabbing him and sending him back to Hell. She let Annabeth stand behind her, something now telling her that the fear in ANnabeth was indeed real and there was no way she could be faking this. As Cason told them to stay back she narrowed her eyes at him, "You don't get to tell us what to do!" she sneered at him. "Why is a demon just hanging around this girl anyway?! ANd why are you two after Sam!?" She demanded again. "Has he hurt you?" she asked Annabeth, not ever imagining that a demon could be dating the girl and actually have genuine feelings for her. In her expertise it was never real and always a ruse and now here they were asking to find where her half brother was and who Bobby was? nah, that wasn't going to fly with Natalia easily and if Cason wanted out of the devil's trap then he'd have to seriously convince her he wasn't there to kill her brother. MIKA CHAMBERS Mika was glad that Dean gladly took the water bottle and noted how he drank it almost completely in one hit, telling her he was in need of hydration and probably food a lot more than they could probably imagine. The moment he said about checking something out that was on him, she turned herself to face him more and looked with curiosity before gasping at the scar tissue hand print that was right across his upper arm and almost curling over his shoulder. Bobby's words said exactly what he was thinking, whilst being unable to touch and check the scar herself. If it was Sam that got him out of Hell then she too wanted to know who he made the deal with and who the owner of the handprint was. Before she could comment on it, Dean seemed to change the subject onto Nat and how she wasn't with Sam, to which she also shook her head "no, they were for a while but then got separated" she explained. She sighed and went to lean back into the couch when Dean spotted the many beer bottles scattered absolutely everywhere, everywhere she left them. The glance at her after Bobby refused to answer made Mika give Bobby the look of 'you traitor' before looking back at Dean, "Don't give me those judgy eyes Dean. I didn't handle losing you well alright? Grief doesn't crazy things to people and you're hardly ever the saint of sober life" she told him.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme closed her eyes and took in a slow breath at Cason's answer. She had grown tired of his smartass remarks and smug attitude. The way he acted as if they couldn't do anything to him because he had the answers they needed was infuriating. The more he spoke, the more she wanted to punch him in the face. She opened her eyes just as it happened. Dean had punched Cason square in the nose. It was as if he had read her mind and it was a beautiful site to see even if Cason did laugh about it. As she looked down at Cason, she saw Bobby rise to his feet in response to Dean's tone out of the corner of her eye. Then Mika pulled Dean away from Carson so he wouldn't go after him again. After a few more words, Natalia and Sam were now moving in on Cason. His vagueness on everything made her want to kick him in the face at that moment, which she easily could have. She couldn't help but give a nod at Natalia's and Sam's words. She wholeheartedly agreed with them. When AnnaBeth broke her silence with yelling, Esme nearly jumped out of her skin and backed away from Carson as he coughed. She backed up even more when the mirror above them cracked. Esme looked at AnnaBeth as the others were trying to calm her down. But it didn't seem to be working. She was playing right into Carson's words. She didn't know what to do. This was one situation she had never found herself in. She closed her eyes tight and balled her fists even tighter. She was about to lose it, until things finally calmed down a bit. She opened her eyes as AnnaBeth talked calmly to Dean and Sam. Her eyes shifted to Cason as he spoke once more, then disappeared with a snap of his fingers. "You've got to be kidding me." she said in almost a growl. This was getting to be a bit too much for her, her head felt like it was spinning. She staggered away and rested against the wall behind her. "I'm sure it won't be the last time we see him." she almost whispered, mostly to herself. She grabbed her head and looked over at AnnaBeth, who was now clinging to Sam.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin "Well, if Cason is the only real threat we have to worry about, it doesn't look like he can stop all of us." "A powerful psychic, demon blooded Humans and hunters aren't anything to scoff at." "So um, what's the plan now?" "Cason's probably gonna tell his boss about everything now." "Oh, and Annabeth, I could sense the demon blood. Hence, why I accused you of being a demon." Benjamin seemed a little distracted. "So, Lilith. This Lilith demon, Lucifer's right hand. . . erm, woman?" His mind wandered. "I'm not an idiot but I'm only an amateur hunter. I don't have a lot of experience tracking down, trapping and killing demons." Closing his eyes, Benjamin gets a headache and puts hand to his temple, before staggering to the ground. Managing "Dean. . ." "Mister Winchester. . ."</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) NATALIA, SAM AND MIKA Sam could feel symapthy and empathy for Annabeth, no matter how much he felt he had changed emotionally since he lost Dean in those four months. "I am...was..I don't really know to be honest. I've not had visions for a while" he replied to Annabeth but he did know that if he drank demon blood, particularly from Ruby then he could exorcise demons with his mind like her, but he wasn't going to go into that just yet with his brother, sister and someone who he practically considered a sister-in-law even though Mika wasn't, he was close enough to her to see her as such. He looked over at Cason when he just had to interrupt what they were talking about, him deciding that he was going to leave this confrontation to Annabeth and not insert himself, like Cason felt was necessary. He got taken aback ever so slightly when Annabeth eventually walked back to him and held onto his arm for protection, but he got what she was doing and didn't try to shake her off or the sort. What he did find utterly curious was it seemed that Cason was clearly getting genuinely emotional over it all and before they could stop him, he let himself out of the room. Natalia was about to go stop Cason from possibly doing something stupid, not knowing if he was going to teleport or make an attack move, but it was too late. He was gone and Dean was beyond pissed off about it. "Don't yell at her Dean, the girl didn't even know the guy was a demon until just before we left for here today. It's not like any of us a 101 manual for every single demon in the universe is it?" she told him back, knowing that no matter how angry they were over everything and how few answers they had gotten, directing their anger onto Annabeth was not the route to take. She sighed wondering what the hell to do now, when Benjamin spoke up with his thoughts out loud to them all and she found herself shrugging. "Well our family still need answers for what brought Dean back from Hell, Something tells me Cason won't be running off to any bosses. He's a smartass, snarky son of a bitch but there's definitely more to him than just being a demon lacky to someone else." she remarked. Mika nodded at everyting that was being said by everyone. She didn't believe for a moment that it'd be the last time they'd see Cason, she also didn't think he was the type to be a blind dumb lacky for someone else. he had too much snark to be that kind of demon in his eyes, but whatever angle he was playing she couldn't figure out just yet. She tried to keep Dean calm in her own way by walking up to him and attempted to slowly and softly remove his gun from his hand for everyone's sake. What she wasn't expecting was Benjamin to suddenly hold his head and ask for Dean. "I think what we need to do, is have Dean and Sam talk in private and us lot sort out everything else and try and see what's happening with this guy-" she said, gesturing at Benjamin. "I agree, I need to speak to my brother...alone" Sam agreed, before glancing down at Annabeth, "You can stay with Nat and Mika. They're trustworthy" he told her softly. He would have added Esme but quite frankly he personally still didn't know who she truly was, only Dean did and Dean hadn't acknowledged their past yet.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin looked at Dean. . . "Mister Winchester." He whispered, as the vision flooded his mind. He shifted uncomfortable on his feet as he saw something he couldn't understand. "Why do you have wings?" "This vision feels like I'm on some kind of drug." "I need to sit down." Disoriented, he sat down on a bed.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester/Annabeth Dean calmed, relaxing his shoulders and allowing Mika to take his gun. He sighed loudly, pointing a finger at Annabeth as if to tell her something else. However, as he relaxed, he saw how terrified she was, and if he knew his brother…Sam was now her savior as long as she was scared and showing humanity. He dropped his hand to his side, and turned to Mika and Nat. "I agree. I'm sure my brother has some questions. I have a hell of a lot of questions…", Dean started, before Benjamin interjected again causing Dean to narrow his eyes, "Wings? What like a dragon or something? I mean…" He laughed, tongue between his teeth and glanced at Mika, before letting his face fall, "Why don't you get some rest, buddy…I'll give you one of our cards and you can go grab you a room. See if these visions are stress or something." AnnaBeth gripped Sams arm a little harder as he spoke to her about going with Mika and Natalia. She could feel his heart beating through the veins in his arm, and it was hard and fast. She narrowed her eyes in confusion at the irregular heartbeat and released him. "Where will you be?", she asked him. The severe anxiety she felt, leaving with what seemed to be two regular humans when she was beside someone that seemed to understand her was immense. She changed her stance to let her eyes wander to Mika and Natalia, and the angry man…Dean, "I'll go with them, but I don't want to be alone with him, your brother."</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, NATALIA AND SAM Mika couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when Benjamin started muttering about what he was seeing in his vision, wondering what the hells he was on about. Wings? On Dean? That was to her the most obsurd thing she had ever heard. If it was her benjamin was tlaking about she sort of could see it, but with Dean she couldn't at all. She didn't know if said vision was to be about the future or what, but it was certainly curious even if they didn't have a moment free to truly think about it. As Dean glacned at her with a smirk after his dragon or something comment, she couldn't help but match his smirk before letting it disappear from her her face and return the seriousness of the situation at hand. "Dean's right, get some rest in a room that won't have one or several of us constantly chatting and disturbing you. Like he said, it could just be stress related or something" she suggested. Sam felt Annabeth's grip get tighter which made him turn properly to face her and place his free hand ontop of hers to try and relax her and calm her down, sensing that she was getting severely anxious, something that he knew if either of the girls could understand, it would be Natalia in particular, but both would be able to sympathise with Annabeth. "It'll be okay I promise. You've already met Nat and as much as she acts all hard, she's a softie really and Mika is like another sister to me. You can trust them both, I promise. I won't let you be left alone with Dean. I'll just be in this room but on the other side of the wall there in the other half of the room." he explained to her, gesturing exactly where he would be. When she said that she would go with the girls, he nodded and gave her reassuring smile. "You'll be safe with them both and I'll be right back" he said once more before gently peeling her hand off of his arm. "He's right, you can trust us" Natalia replied walking up to Annabeth, "And if you ever get scared by Deano there we'll put him in his place. If he listens to anyone it'll be Mika. You've seen for yourself how much he calms down when she's there" Natalia smirked kindly, trying to make some smart ass quip to try and lighten the mood. She then looked at Esme "You wanna hang around here with us or what? I'm aware I probably interrupted you're moment of break back in Sioux Falls" she commented, partly feeling bad for that.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Bobby and Dean "Alright, then. I'll go and get some stuff together. We're gonna need lots of supplies if we're gonna summon…well…everything.", Bobby clapped his hands and slapped Dean on the shoulder. He then turned to leave, before stopping, just before the wall, "And Sam…be careful. Demons might know something, but they may not be ready to talk. No groups, if you can help it." Bobby then walked to the door and exited. Dean turned to Sam, shrugging his shoulders, "I guess I'll just…stay here and babysit? I'm not sick. I'm not weak. I'm alive and well." ——— Annabeth Annabeth nodded, taking a deep breath, taking in what Natalia was telling her. Demons were something they apparently had in common. Who would have thought? Demons. She held her hands, almost linking their fingers as she grounded herself. She was alive and this was real. Taking another deep breath, she nodded again, "My dreams…well…the voices started when I turned twenty-three. No warning or anything. I started hearing the um…demons talking about Hell and Dean. I brushed it off at first as just stress, but they got worse. My hands would get hot. My brain would feel like it was melting." She closed her eyes and sighed, "But the visions hadn't started until I met Sam. Until then, they just wanted me to find him…but never said why."</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme rested her hands on her lap after Mika shook her hand. Then the question she had been waiting for left Mika's lips. A small smile came to her lips as she leaned back in the chair. "I met Dean back when we were teenagers." she replied. She was about to go more in depth about it, but AnnaBeth seemed to have spaced out with a vision. Esme stayed quiet as AnnaBeth spoke. She felt sorry for the girl and wished she could do more to comfort her. She watched as Natalia comforted her and could relate to what she had been through. She continued to listen as AnnaBeth spoke about how she didn't get vision, just voices that spoke to her about things. What Natalia and AnnaBeth spoke about was quite surprising to her. She had never heard of such things happening to people. "I'll also help you in any way I can." she said, giving AnnaBeth a warm smile. She knew all too well how it was to be alone with no help, and wish you had someone around that could help.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) NATALIA, SAM AND MIKA Sam wasn't surprised that Bobby would want to get whatever he could get his hands on to summon whatever yanked his brother out of Hell. He let Bobby leave after explaining the gameplan would be and nodded back, "Always am Bobby" he replied back with a typical 'Sam' smile. He then turned back to Dean as he said about staying put which made him smirk. "Oh come on Dean, like you'd complain being surrounded by women so soon after coming back. You got your sister, your girl and whoever that Esme is that you seem to remember." he replied to him, before getting a mischievious smile on his lips, "Hope Meeko don't get too jealous" he teased, before making a swift exit back into the main part of the room. Natalia listened to Annabeth, feeling thankful that because she opened up to her, that Annabeth felt she could open up to her back and explain when all this began. She found it curious that the voices started happening when she was twenty three years ago, swearing that similar for Sam also, but she didn't need to say any of that just yet. "How curious" she replied to her after she was done talking. "Seems like we need to find out why we all needed to meet. It's definitely not a coincidence that you were brought to me first. Don't worry, we'll figure this out" she told her reassuringly. Whilst the boys were talking behind the wall, Mika was busy listening to what Esme had to say about when she met Dean, making her raise an eyebrow in a curious manner. Sure, there were many days where she herself didn't allow herself to be on the same case as Dean, especially in the beginning as she was mostly hiding in Bobby's attic and training to be a hunter in secret whilst pretending to be dead in the hopes that Dean would just move on from their childhood friendship, but it never happened and now they were adults, she was glad he didn't give up on her. She still wasn't particularly proud of making him think she was a woman called Kenzi, but at the time she still swears that it was necessary. "Oh right" she simply said as they got well and truly distracted by Annabeth's situation. "I'll do all I can to help also" she said lastly to Annabeth after Natalia opened up to the woman and Esme also offered her help. She was surprised that Natalia opened up so easily, she was usually more closed off than even herself, which for those who knew Mika and Natalia, knew how telling that was. It was soon after they spoke to Annabeth that she noticed Bobby and Sam exiting the room, seeing that finally their little private chat was well and truly over.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean cocked his head to the side, giving a 'makes sense' look to Sam, "Yeah…you're right. A little estrogen might be a welcome break considering how much time I spend cooped up with you asshats, usually." Smiling at his own joke, his smile fell when Sam walked away from him. Sighing and rolling his eyes, he stepped out around the wall, himself. He clapped his hands together loudly, "So, what's the plan for you ladies? If I'm hanging around, let's do something…" He yawned loudly, suddenly remembering he hadn't slept, other than in the car. Shaking his head roughly after the yawn, and smirked at the ladies. ————- Annabeth nodded at all the women offering their help. Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she released Natalia's hands. She thought about the fact that the voices and visions had brought them all together, and something about it seemed as fishy as what Natalia was making it out to be. When Mika offered her assistance as well, Annabeth sighed, "I think…I think I want to rest, but I feel like there is something I should be doing to be honest." As Sam exited the other room, she turned on her heel, stepping up in front of him before he could reach the door, "…so you're leaving. Um. I can come with you. If it's the d-demon stuff, and I can't even believe I'm saying that out loud, apparently I'm pretty useful. I'm not sure when or how, or what makes it work. But I can help." She rambled off quickly and then took a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme continued to listen to AnnaBeth talk, glad to see that she was relaxing and began warming up to them all. She too thought it was strange that all of them somehow met up all at once, and thought it couldn't be a coincidence. Then again, she hadn't seen or talked to Dean in years. So, could she really be a part of this whole thing? Or did she happen to be at the right place at the right time? As she sat there, the thoughts spun around in her mind. She just barely saw Bobby come from behind the wall and leave out of the corner of her eye. Then Sam followed a short time later, but the thoughts kept swimming around in her mind even when AnnaBeth stopped Sam from leaving the room. It wasn't until Dean came from behind the wall and clapped did Esme get pulled from her thoughts with a jump. The sunned loud sound had caught her off guard, but she couldn't help the small smirk that came to her lips at his words and his sudden yawn. He hadn't changed a bit since they last met. A reply to his question quickly popped into head, but she wondered if she should actually say it or not. She still didn't know everyone here that well, and the same went for them, but she really couldn't help herself from wanting to say it. Her smirk grew bigger as her eyes finally looked up and found Dean. "Well…." she said, then looked around the room. "Yeah, there's enough of us." she continued after a moment. "We could always play spin the bottle." she finished, her smirk really showing now. It was clear she was trying to lighten the atmosphere a bit more. Her smirk soon turned into a big smile, with her tongue slightly poking out from between her teeth, followed with a laugh. Even if she was making a joke, she knew that Dean could possibly keep it going and agree and say he wanted to play.</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) NATALIA, MIKA AND SAM Natalia and Mika both listened as Annabeth spoke and noticably calmed down a bit more as Natalia held her hands to calm the woman. Both were glad that she was starting to trust them all, at least enough to open up a little bit and let them touch her, unlike the last time Natalia tried to put her hand on her arm and she got shrugged off very abruptly. There was a lot of progress there in such a short amount of time which was very reassuring to the both of them. Both looked up as Sam exited the room and Annabeth went to him to point out he was leaving. Sam just smirked and rolled his eyes at his brother's comeback before he exited the room, he was half expecting out of them all, it to be Annabeth to say something as she really didn't want him to leave. He nodded at her assumption and gave a small smile, "I am, I need to find some information from anywhere I can about who brought Dean back" he explained, just before she offered to come with him, which made him look at the girls and Dean before down at her, "uhh..." he began to say, scratching the back of his neck as he pondered if it was a good idea or not. "Alright, but only because I've seen you can look after yourself, but if I say stay back, please do?" he replied. With it decided that Annabeth was going to go with Sam and by the sound of Dean's clap of his hands and asking about what to do, Mika looked at him and smiled, sensing he was staying behind just for the time being. She was about to suggest something when Esme beat her to it and suggested spin the bottle. It made her smirk whilst thinking 'oh here we go...a suggestion that Dean won't say no to, this could go south reaaaaaal quick'. "Sure, I'm down if the rest of you are" she replied, looking at Nat and Dean mostly. "I mean.. if it's a truth or dare based spin the bottle then sure, not my usual go to activity with my brother but what the heck" Natalia said with a shrug.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Poe Ryan Poe shifted his weight from one foot to the other, feeling weird about just letting Sam Winchester leave the parking lot with the girl he had with him. She fit the description. "It's nice to meet you Benjamin." Poe stopped at Benjamin mentioning his psychic powers and smiled brightly. He then gave a laugh from deep in his chest, "Oh that's great! A Winchester, a fugitive, a psychic, and let me guess, a gaggle of women surrounding Dean Winchester." He shook his head as he chuckled and placed a hand on his Jeep, trying to make a decision on whether to follow the younger Winchester or to tackle the hotel room.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA AND NATALIA Mika tried to believe Natalia that it was just Dean being nice to someone he used to know as a kid and was getting used to seeing them again after so long, but after she had gone four months without him, grieved him for all that time she couldn't help but get suspicious and have that twang of jealousy creep into her heart and mind. She knew deep down she didn't have to worry about Dean being unfaithful, they had quite literally gone through hell and highwater to find each other again and stick together. They grew up together, but becuase she lost him twice due to one reason or another, she was terrified when someone else came on the scene. She knew there were times when he slept around when she was technically out of his life, pretending to be someone else, and that jealousy all began there. She didn't blame him for it before because he thought she was Kenzi, the cousin of herself, but now there was no excuse in her mind. Suddenly Dean and Esme both ended up in full view of herself and Natalia and Natalia instantly winced whilst thinking 'oh shit...' before looking at Mika, seeing her almost go red and green all at the same time. Hearing what they were saying together didn't even help either and Natalia knew that Mika's mind instantly was going to 'she's one of those girls he slept with'. "Meeko...don't...it's nothing, remember it's nothing. He came back to you, don't do anything ra----" she started to warn when Mika ignored her completely and lost her shit before she could even finish her sentence. "you've got to be bloody kidding me!? Are you serious right now!? You lied about how you know her! She one of those bed notches you had!?" Mika practically screamed at the two of them, mostly at Dean before storming off, her hands visibly shaking, opening the hotel room door and slamming it behind her before leaning against the hallway wall and desperately trying to not burst into tears. SAM WINCHESTER Sam decided with his free hand to quickly send a text to Ruby to meet them at the diner opposite the hotel, figuring that if anyone was as good a palce to start asking questions, it was with Ruby, he did though still listen to everything that Annabeth was saying, as he grabbed her hand after their hands brushed together. "it's okay i get it. I didn't know what was happening to me for the longest time as well, Dean was scared of me for a while, we got into many a fight over it before he had my back every which turn. It's perfectly normal to have the feelings and thoughts you have and we'll get you your answers" he told her. "But what you can do is essentially you can exorcise the demons from their bodies and send them back to Hell" he told her as he headed to the diner across with the street with her.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean smiled down at Esme's hair, kissing the top of her head one more time before pulling away from her. He pulled his arm up in front of her face, and lowered his sleeve to show his wrist. The bracelet she had left with him, a simple string wire bracelet, still around his wrist. "It made it to hell and back, apparently…", he laughed, just before Mika stormed into the area, causing him to instinctively jump and push Esme behind him. His free left hand resting against the small of her back behind him, while his right hand came up to try and fend off Mika's potential rage. Hell, he was tempted to try and put furniture between them. "Jesus Christ Mika! It's been years…I…Mika…son of a bitch…", he stammered at Mika as she screamed. He froze a bit as she stormed off, not knowing whether he should follow her or not. Turning back to Esme, he searched her eyes for a bit of forgiveness. "I'll be back…", he whispered, kissing her forehead for more forgiveness before running to the door as it slammed in his face, causing him to flinch. He flung the door open, stepping out into the hall with a huff, finding Mika there. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he stood in front of her, "You wanna tell me what the hell happened back there?" Annabeth Annabeth held his hand tightly as they walked across the street, watching him text someone. She was curious, but didn't ask questions, as she didn't know his contacts or how they could help. Her eyes went a bit wide when he mentioned the demons and what she could do to them. "I can do what?", she asked, thinking back to Cason and the black smoke. She raised her free hand to stare at her palm in awe, now knowing what the heat was, and why. Sighing, she stepped up to the door of the diner and reached for the door handle. Ruby Ruby looked down at her phone, rolling her eyes as she sat in the near empty diner. It was closed, but a few people still lurked, none of them demons. Her interest was piqued as Sam and a mystery blonde approached the door. Her eyes turning black at the sight of the girl, she groaned, "Dammit, Sam…"</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme couldn't help smiling when Dean kissed the top of her head again before he pulled away. As he did, she released him, letting her arms fall to her side. She watched as he lifted his arm and pulled his sleeve down to reveal the wire bracelet on his wrist. Her smile grew when she saw it. "Who would have thought….." she said with a laugh before Mika stormed in, cutting her off. She jumped in surprise just as Dean pushed her behind him protectively and kept a hand on her back, which she wasn't expecting. It was a strange feeling having someone protect her from another. She couldn't see Mika from behind Dean, but she could hear the rage in her tone, which caused her to wince. Notches? She thought. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was getting at. She thinks Dean and I…… she trailed off in her thought. She was about to speak out, but Dean had tried talking to Mika before she could. She winced again as he stammered as Mika screamed at him. She remembered earlier how Mika stuck close to Dean and seemed to calm him when no one else could. She had thought little of it at the time, but now she couldn't deny it. There was definitely something between them and she had apparently stirred up some jealousy in Mika. She felt terrible now. She didn't want to come between anyone and mess anything up between them. That was the last thing she wanted. She took in a breath when Mika stormed off. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath. When Dean turned to face her, her face and eyes held a soft look. "It's alright. Go after her." she told him softly. Esme's eyes closed when he kissed her forehead, then opened as he ran for the door. She flinched just as he did when the door slammed in face. Once he was out the door, she walked over to a chair, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she went, before she sat down. She placed her elbows on her knees, then put her face in her hands and sighed heavily. She now wondered if she should stay or leave. Would her being there put too much stress on things?</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Under any other circumstances she would have jumped in to stop the argument between Dean and Mika, but it wasn't exactly the first time this sort of thing had happened between the two of them. She also knew better than to get in Mika's way when she had it in her head Dean was being anything but faithful to her. SHe winced as Mika accused Esme, someone they didn't even know of being just another otch on Dean's bedpost, a bedpost they didn't have any claim to as they rarely remained at Bobby's. Yet the way Dean was being with Esme did come across as suspicious, that much she did have to admit, so as much as she didn't agree with Mika adding 2 and 2 and coming up with 5, she could see why she would have done that. Even she flinched as Mika had slammed the door shut in Dean's face before turning her attention to Esme and seeing how much Mika's behaviour had clearly hurt the woman. "Word of advice?" she began saying, "Ignore Mika. She's touchy at the best of times and this isn't the first time they've argued, not about women necessarily, but yeah...it's what they do. They hash it out and instantly make up again." she explained. "It's got nothing to do with you. Their history is complicated to say the least. When you would have met Dean, Mika was presumed dead. He knew her as Kenzi at that point. I don't know the full story even now, but I've been told enough. Basically they've lost each other a few times and have done all they could to find each other again. You're not the first person to give him something either. So seeing Dean be that close and affectionate to you? It'll trigger Mika's insecurity." she finished explaining hoping it would be of some reassurance to the woman. MIKA CHAMBERS She ignored the fact she could hear the door open and Dean exiting the room to follow her before she looked at his steel toed boots in front of her which just made her look up at him. "I could ask you the same damn thing. What's with all the affectionate touching with her?" she asked him, anger in her dark brown almost black eyes but not only anger, but also hurt and pain. "I JUST got you back in my life Dean and then suddenly I see you all over her, is this some kind twisted way of paying me back for what I did as Kenzi?" she added, tears threatening to spill from her bottom eyelids. SAM WINCHESTER Sam smiled softly as Annabeth tried to comprehend what he just said she could do with her mind, whilst keeping her safe beside him as they headed across the street and to the doors to the diner, where he saw Ruby already there waiting for them through the glass windows. He gave her the look to get rid of the black eyes before he entered the diner with Annabeth and over to Ruby. "Thanks for coming back" he said to Ruby finally.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Cason, Dean and Annabeth Annabeth took a deep breath, gasping for air after the outburst as the entire room seemed to be scolding her for something she didn't even know she had the choice to say 'no' to. She closed her eyes, letting their voices wash over her, to get the brunt of it off their chests as she stood still. Cason, on the other hand, crumpled to the floor beside Esme, pulling her to him and rubbing her back to try and get the worst of the shockwave out of her system, before a question burned his mind. He let Natalia scold her, as Annabeth seemed to respect her, and he hoped maybe she could pressure some answers out of her. But when no answers came, and Annabeth stayed silent after Sam finished speaking, he decided to ask the burning question. "What did it cost?", he asked her. His voice exasperated and heartbroken. She didn't answer him at first, only keeping her eyes closed, "Tell me! What did it cost…your soul?" "I have to…", she started, opening her eyes and peering up at Sam before letting out a small sigh of panic. Dean had gathered himself by then, standing up straight and glaring at her. He didn't want to hear what was coming next, but he almost knew the answer. "I have to go with him. He gave me 24 hours.", she whispered. Cason's gasp and groan pierced the near silence in the room as he ducked his head again, "He threatened horrible things. There was nothing any of you could do. Sam would have just broken into pieces in front of all of you, if I had said no. This wasn't a 'go get the others and see what they can find' situation. He didn't even explain why he needed me, only that my choices were stay here…and Sam dies horrifically. Or I go with him, and you're all safe, as long as you don't come after me." She looked over at Natalia, her eyes heartbroken and red, "I didn't make a deal for my eyes. That was just his first good faith payment or something. I made the deal because he could have snapped his fingers at any second…and blown any of you to pieces." Dean cleared his throat, "She's probably right. Alastair is someone I have heard of, recently…and lets just say he's Lilith without the moral compass. If she says he would have killed you, Sam…he would have, in a heartbeat. He's creative, too." Annabeth sighed with relief that Dean understood her motives, if nothing else. She looked up at Sam, knowing that this news wouldn't be what he wanted to hear, and brushed his hair behind his left ear, "You can't come after me. You hardly know me, right? This way…you guys won't have me to worry about. I'll be his problem. And if I get the chance to run, I'll run." Bobby took a deep breath, now that everyone was starting to simmer down and held his hand up, as if he was in class, "We can use my vault, to buy us time, but I can't guarantee he won't come and kill all of us anyway. If we protect Sam and the girl, maybe we can find a way to kill Alastair?" Dean raised his eyebrows, holding a hand out toward Bobby to see if the others agreed with him, as he did.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme remained curled in on herself as Cason came to her aide. She didn't have the strength to even try to push him away when he pulled her to him. She could hardly breathe, her chest was on fire, and she was shaking badly from all the emotions that surrounded her in the room. She clutched her chest and tried to take in slow deep breaths and let them out as she listened to everyone talk. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Esme struggled to lift her head to look at Annabeth as she continued to explain what she had to do. Annabeth felt she had to make the deal to keep Sam alive, and even feared this demon would kill them. If she had the air, she would have sighed at the thoughts swimming in her mind. When Dean cleared his throat, she looked at him. His words surprised her. She couldn't help but wonder how he'd known of such a demon. Her attention went back to Annabeth as she spoke to Sam. She closed her eyes tight when she said he could go after and they wouldn't have to worry about her. Those words hit her hard. She didn't like just letting her go off to fend for herself against a demon, even if it was to keep them alive. At Bobby's voice, Esme opened her eyes and listened to his plan. She had to admit; it sounded better than Annabeth going off with this Alastair. When she saw Dean agree with Bobby, she fought to pull herself away from Cason and sat with her legs under her. She didn't attempt to stand, even though she wanted to. She knew she would just collapse back to the floor. So, she stayed sitting and silently nodded in agreement to use Bobby's vault to protect Sam and Annabeth. She ran a shaky hand through her hair to get it out of her face, then looked around the room to see who else agreed with the plan.</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, SAM AND NATALIA All three of them couldn't believe what they were hearing. Natalia didn't want to scold Annabeth but she just felt the need to after everything the girl had just gone through, she felt like she needed protecting on a bordering on overprotective scale. She didn't want to think of Annabeth as the selfish type to just make a demon deal for her eyes, but until it was explained why it was made, it was all she could possibly think of. Hells, it was the only thing it was coming across. Now Natalia was not the sentimental type in the slightest, she wasn't one to feel like she needed to protect anyone and everyone that came across their group or grow attached to the person she had to save. Victims were just a job that needed sorting out to her, but Annabeth seemed to get under skin as she clearly did with Sam as well. She didn't understand it personally, but was wondering if it was because Sam was attached to the girl and seemed to recognise her from somewhere else or some moment in his past, when she wasn't in his life herself. When Annabeth explained what Alistair wanted to do to Sam, Nat clenched her fists tightly closed by her sides. She may be the newest in the great scheme of things Winchester, but both of them were her weakness, especially Sam. If how she treated Dean's death and going to Hell badly, it didn't take much to imagine how badly she would take Sam dying. "son of a..." she muttered under her breath, teeth gritted tightly closed, almost grinding them together. They all listened as Dean confirmed that Alistair was a demon that would fulfill his threats and enjoy doing so more to the point. Sam wanted to know how Dean knew this demon, but his mind was racing over how to protect Annabeth at the same time, making it very difficult to fully comprehend and prioritise his thoughts into some kind logical order to make some kind comment. He looked at her when she brushed his hair behind his ear, bringing those memories of their childhood meeting back to the foreground of his mind yet again. "Anna....I can't let you go out there and be in danger" he told her. "Not again..." he mumbled under his breath, loud enough for only her to hear him. Mika stayed beside Dean, in the hopes that her being close to him would be of some kind of calming influence but with his anger practically radiating off of him, she was beginning to feel pretty much useless in helping him in any manner. She watched how Annabeth was with Sam and vise versa making her get assumptions that Sam had met this girl before, still not realising she was the kid they found Sam had run away with into a cabin in the woods in Minnesota. Natalia walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, "Anna, you have never been a problem. Don't ever think that" she told the girl a lot calmer than when she scolded her. She also couldn't help but make the odd glance over at Esme and Cason to see how they were handling the news that Annabeth just dropped on them all, before looking at Bobby as he gave an idea and nodded. "It could work, I'm all for it. We can't let Alistair just have her so easily" she commented, Mika also nodding her agreement. "I'm in agreement also. It's worth a shot surely" Mika replied. Sam had to think it through for a brief moment before nodding his agreement as well. "I agree too" he spoke out.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Cason Cason sighed, pushing some of Esme's hair out of her face for her as he adjusted to sit himself on the floor near her. He knew that the plan to hide Annabeth and Sam would only be a temporary bandaid solution. If they were lucky, the Angels would come and take him, or harm him, and forget Anna was there. On the other hand, the angels could come, get in, and kill her. "I agree, for now. But we need to try and find a plan B. The odds of the angels coming for him are decent. The odds of the angels showing up and only dealing with Alastair are slim. They'll most likely come for Anna, and we'll all be collateral, all but Sam.", he explained, as he stared around at all of them. He turned to Dean, who was surprisingly willing to listen to him, "We are going to have to make her untouchable, somehow…" Dean Winchester Dean watched his brother with Anna, his brain recognizing the girl from her mannerisms, the way she looked with Sam and just the general vibe they had toward each other. But even hearing her name, the full memory of her being with them was so faded, he couldn't bring it up fully in his mind. But seeing how committed Sam was to her safety, he couldn't help but find himself rooting for her. She seemed to just be naive, or potentially brainwashed. Something was off about her situation, and it was something he could probably get out of Alastair, if he could get him alone. He turned to the Demon on the floor, before the others had a chance to chime in on the idea. He nodded to him, turning to everyone in the room as they declared their support for locking them in a vault. However, he had to wonder if the vault was out in the barn. "And Bobby, just where is this vault?", he asked Bobby, now satisfied that they could at least buy some time. "It's in the basement. Duh. You think I would live in a house without some protection? I had a weekend off, and I built a panic room. C'mon. I'll show ya.", Bobby said proudly, strolling past all of them to head downstairs. Dean allowed everyone to finish calming, stepping toward the basement stairs. Annabeth Anna gave Sam a sad smile, feeling as though she wouldn't have much of a choice, regardless what they decided to do. She let her hand fall from the side of his face, down to his hand, her much smaller fingers linking with his as the familiarity of the current stance mesmerizing her brain. "I'll stay and try. That's all we can do.", she muttered back to him, not truly believing it, but wanting Sam to. As Nat approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, she simply nodded. She was feeling the self sacrifice angle would be best, and she silently wished that she had just gone with him straight away, and none of this would be an issue. She could have just disappeared, and none of them would have known what happened. Cut and dry. "I can bring two of my dogs in from outside. Yeah, Dean. I know.", Cason started, glancing over at Dean as he spoke and seeing how scared he looked, "They won't hurt you, unless I ask them to." "And what about Angels?", Annabeth asked, looking up at Sam with a bit of fear in her eyes. She was much more worried about the Angels than the demons. She started walking toward the basement stairs with the others, holding Sam's hand tightly. Bobby was already at the bottom of the stairs, and had opened the giant iron door to the vault, causing Dean's eyes to turn into saucers as he saw the door, "Bobby. You're awesome!" Cason turned his head to pull Esme's face toward him, so he could look her over. He was happy to see that she wasn't injured from the energy blast, only emotionally tired, and looked like she had been through Hell again. He felt slightly helpless as he scanned her eyes. He wanted her to hide in the vault, too, even if he couldn't get to her, or at least to sleep somewhere where his dogs could keep watch under her window. He decided to strike up conversation to try and get her to smile, but also to check on her, "So what's going on with you? It seems like you're just sucking up all the negative in the room, or something. Being around this group, that'll be pretty much a full time job..." He smirked, dropping his hand to pick up hers, seeing if he could transfer some of his 'chill' into her, only for her, it wouldn't cost her anything, like so many of his clients.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme was pretty much out of it by now. She hardly noticed when Cason moved hair from her face, she just barely took in what he said to the others. She dipped her head and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself from the massive amount of emotions to hit her all at once, not to mention the blast that came from Annabeth. When that hit her it was excruciating. It had felt as if her chest was going to burst. She could just make out them talking about the vault and where it was, giving a small smirk at how Bobby answered Dean. When Cason mentioned bringing in his dogs, she thought about it and almost jumped at the thought that came to mind. He didn't mean Hellhounds, did he? She pushed the thought from her mind for the moment and concentrated on her breathing, trying to keep it slow and steady. She heard several sets of footsteps leave the room to check out the vault, and she knew Cason was still at her side. Esme opened her eyes when he pulled her face towards his. She watched him as he looked her over. It was still weird to her having a demon worry about her wellbeing. By the way he was giving her, she knew she must look pretty rough. Possibly worse than she did at the hotel. At his words, she looked away and closed her eyes. "Ha, so you noticed that?" she asked tiredly, with a smirk. She opened her eyes again and looked at a book that happened to be on the floor. "I'm starting to realize that as well." She sighed heavily and shook her head gently. "They're going to be the death of me, not some monster or angel." she mumbled in the same tired tone as he picked up her hand. She shifted to the side and moved her legs out from under her. She stretched her left one out and bent her right. Esme then leaned forward, crossing her free arm over her knee and rested her chin on her arm. It was then she fully realized that he had her hand. She looked down at their hands, then at him with a raised brow. "Have you figured out my secret?"</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, SAM AND NATALIA When Dean asked where Bobby's vault was, Mika couldn't help but smirk, wondering how long it would take him to actually ask that question. Due to this being her home as well, she knew of the vault and was there when he built it over one weekend, despite it almost feeling like months as it felt endless. She remembered how she would complain from the noise only for her to be called an utter hypocrite by her Uncle which she thought was fair enough, but it didn't stp her complaining when she was trying to either study or read in general and all she could hear was him banging, weilding and scraping who knows what as he built the damn thing. She walked with Dean, letting go of his hand so they could all go downstairs one by one as the staircase really wasn't wide enough to walk side by side with anyone. She let him go first as for him, Nat and Sam it was more of a momentous moment than it was for her. She watched as Dean's eyes went wide and his mouth practically dropped to the floor before declaring Bobby was awesome, making her smile smugly that her uncle managed to get such a reaction from Dean. "Told you he'd react like that when he finally saw it" she told Bobby, "Surprised it's taken him this long though" she added cheekily. Natalia walked down behind Mika after giving Annabeth a pat on the shoulder to not only sign to her that she was sorry for scolding her (she was awful at apologies), but she also was rooting for the two of them and to take their time before coming downstairs. She thought over what Cason said about having his hellhounds look out for them both, and like Dean, she wasn't entirely comfortable with that news. Dean may have been the one ripped to shreds by the hellhound, but those memories of seeing it completely destroyed her emotionally. By the time she got downstairs, she looked impressed and walked over, stepping inside when the door to the vault opened and looked around, "Damn Bobby! This place is fully kitted out and everything!" she beamed, until her brain at a delayed moment, realised what Mika said, looking at Dean then at Mika and Bobby again. "Did she just....?" she began asking, pointing her thumb in Mika's direction whilst aiming the start of her question toward Dean. Looking back at Mika, she saw the woman start to laugh and nod. "Yes, I knew all about this vault" Mika confirmed. "We'll figure the Angels out, just like everything else" Sam tried reassuring Annabeth, not wanting her to be afraid over them even though he was partly afraid of them himself, especially after he witnessed their power for himself. "For now, lets try and keep us both safe and figure something out, even if we let go we have to have some kind plan in motion as well" he told her, before walking behind her downstairs and seeing the vault himself. "This is impressive Bobby" he remarked with a smile.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester and Bobby Singer Bobby smirked and shrugged his shoulders as Dean complimented him on the vault that he had built for his own safety, if he was honest. He shifted his eyes to Mika with a proud smile on his face as he stepped into the vault with Dean, allowing him to look around the place. "Mika's pretty familiar with the place. It's got solid iron walls, coated in salted holy water. Devils traps on the floors. There's warding for just about any thing that we've ever known how to ward against, other than angels. Even the ventilation is a devils trap. From 10 am to about 7 pm, the entire room is a devils trap, due to the shadow." He explained his handy work excitedly, pointing around at various things as he described them, "And there's enough food, water and medical supplies in here to last a few months at least." He turned back to Dean who was still smiling brightly, as Natalia stepped into the room as well, seeming excited. For a second, Bobby forgot the reason he had needed to show them the vault/panic room in the first place, as he watched the 'kids' he loved freak out over something HE did. Then it struck him that they were on a time schedule, "I figure we can bring one of the mattresses down, if needed, or a bunch of blankets and pillows. I don't figure many of us are gonna be sleeping in the next day or so." Dean nodded to him, his smile fading just a bit as he thought of Sam being essentially locked in a cage, waiting for the worst. He ran his finger along the salt crusted walls as Sam stepped into the room and made his comment. "Yeah, well…this is your home for the next 24 hours.", he responded to his brother, giving him a cheeky smile as Bobby patted Sam on the shoulder, "Let's get started on the prep, I guess. Like Bobby said, this sleepover party is going to need a bunch of blankets, some beer, some food, and maybe something for you guys to do…" Annabeth Annabeth smiled softly at Natalia as she passed, appreciating the small gesture of good faith and kindness. She realized at that moment that the understanding of what she had done was slowly sinking in for everyone, which caused her shoulders to not be quite as tight. She glanced up at Sam, listening to him explain that they would figure out the angels. She gave him a sad smile, almost telling him with her eyes that what he was saying wasn't possible. But she couldn't help go along with his optimism, nodding to him as he at least admitted that this might not work. She sighed, before they turned to go down stairs, "As long as you're realistic, Sam…this might not work. I need you to prepare yourself for that." She kept hold of his hand, walking down to the vault and stopping at the door, releasing him as they arrived, so he could join Dean and Bobby inside. She peered around the room, noticing how blank it all was, but after listening to everyone talk about the protective properties of the room, she felt instantly safer. As Dean spoke about a sleepover, she couldn't help laugh quietly, and look down at the floor. "Sam doesn't strike me as the sleepover type…", she spoke up, catching Dean's attention as she did so. For the first time, since they had met, Dean smiled at her. He was amused, and cut his eyes to Sam, and then back to her. "You have no idea. Sammy used to LOVE sleepovers. Little pillow forts and flashlight stories. Oh the works…", he told her brightly, stepping over to slap Sam on the chest as he finished, and Annabeth laughed. Cason Cason kept his hands on Esme's arms as she adjusted herself, sliding them back down to her hands as she got comfortable and asked if he had figured out her secret. He nodded with a small frown, before turning up the corners of his lips into a sad smile. "Yeah. You could say that. Believe it or not…when I was human, I was a bit of an empath. Being around people like Dean, for example would have put me out for days at a time.", he muttered, as he concentrated a bit of heat into her hands, "To answer the burning question of how I went to Hell, way back in 1785…I sold my soul, like most, to a demon. When talks of revolution started in New York, I was just a 30 year old drunk." He turned her hands over, happy to see that their hands were a bit connected, as he worked what little magic he had cared to remember, in terms of helping people. "I met this guy in a pub. He was spouting off about helping with freeing the colonies, but he needed payment. I was too drunk to really know what I was doing, and I signed up. The looks on the faces, when a handful of drunk grown men kissed the stranger…phew. I became one of the fighters on the front line, right along side Alexander Hamilton and the other big dogs.", he smirked, "All was well, the war was won…and then my time came up, and what was it all for? I assume that the nature of why, lead to me being a piss poor demon with a flicker of a soul." He gave a small laugh, pulling his hands from hers. He placed her hands gently on her lap and pulled his legs up to wrap his arms around them in front of her. "But yes. I know you're an empath.", he admitted. He then sighed, as he readied himself to tell her his plans for her, in the next 24 hours, "I um…I would like for you to be guarded. I know how most of the people in this house feel about Hellhounds, but my girls answer to me. They would never hurt you. They won't even come near you, if you would rather they stay away. But I would be a lot less distracted when the demons show up, if you were safe with the dogs."</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme lifted her head from her arm and sat when Cason took her hands again and watched as his frown became a sad smile at her question. As he spoke, her eyebrows went up a little, that's not something she expected to hear from him. Hearing he was a bit of an empath when he was human was strange for her to hear. She was about to say something when she felt the heat in her hands, but he started talking again, so she listened. As he turned her hands over, she looked down at them. She could feel the little magic he was working, so she let him continue. Any other time, she would have pulled her hands away, but she could clearly see how much he was trying to help her. She looked back up at him as he spoke again, going into a story about his past. Never would she have thought he would reveal his past to her or how he became a demon. When he finished, she had no words to respond with as he laughed and put her hands in her lap. What was it about her that made him reveal that part of himself to her, other than helping Annabeth? She was pulled from the thought when he made himself comfortable in front of her. Esme pulled both of her legs up and crossed her arms over her knees, then rested her chin on her arms as he confirmed he knew she was an empath. At his sigh, she knew he was preparing himself to say something. As soon as he told her he wanted her to be guarded, she closed her eyes. She should have known that was going to come up. Esme remained quiet to hear him out. She tensed up when he mentioned the hellhounds. Hellhounds were one thing she had never planned to come in contact with. She was well aware of the stories revolving around them. She sighed heavily as he finished, opening her eyes to look at him. "If I refuse. I'm assuming you'd say you'd like me to join Sam and Annabeth in the vault." she stated. She looked away and to the book on the floor she had been looking at before. She rolled the options around in her mind. She didn't much like either option, but she didn't want to be locked in the vault feeling like a prisoner. She felt bad for wanting to go with hellhounds, knowing how Dean and the others felt about them, but she really didn't want to go into the vault. "Fine." she sighed. "I'll go with the dogs. I just don't like the fact I can't see them." She turned her gaze back to him. "Knowing there's something there watching me I can't see is a bit unsettling."</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, SAM AND NATALIA As Bobby looked esctatic over the face that the others were showing interest and excitement over the iron vault and how much work Bobby put into it, Mika smiled also giving Bobby simply a nod of knowing that this was how they were going to react. As Bobby stepped forward to step inside and do the full break down of what the vault consisted of, she simple just stepped up to the door and stayed outside of it as she looked in, watching Natalia and Dean with curiosity as they touched the kit, the walls and looked upwards at the skylight. She stepped out the way as Sam made it downstairs and wanted to step inside to check it out for himself, to which she let him go inside and then Annabeth following on behind him. He gave her the look of 'you not coming in?' and she just simply shook her head. "This isn't anything new to me Sam" she replied, seeing no need to step inside. Nodding at her words, SAm thought nothing out of character with her answer, thinking it just made sense that if she lived here then sure, she would have known about the vault and probably would have seen every inch of it more times than she deemed necessary. Mika and Natalia both started sniggering at the sleepover comment from Dean towards his brother, Nat shoving her hands into her jeans pockets casually, "trust you to make it sound like a sleepover" she remarked under her breath as he replied to Annabeth's comment at not seeing Sam as the sleepover type. "Dean's right, he was always for it when we were kids. Though Dean didn't exactly object to them either. I can tell you many times he used to hide under my bed to hide from my dad" Mika smirked, feeling more than happy to tell those embarrassing stories infront of Bobby, Sam and Natalia for amusing Annabeth. "Wait...Dean...that one right there was scared of your dad?!" Natalia asked, shoving her hand in the direction of Dean this time, eyebrows raising high into her forehead in surprise. "Oh yeah!" Mika chuckled. "But those stories can be for another time." she added. Sam smirked remembering the night Dean ran all the way back to him and John panting for dear life because of Papa Chambers. He then found himself glancing down at his chest as Dean slapped him there before looking up. "Okay, so...you still keep the blankets in the same Bobby or are they elsewhere?" Sam asked, not sure he liked the idea of being down here but it was a good option to keep Annabeth and himself safe overnight, whilst they tried to come up with some plan. If they could stop Annabeth going, then maybe they could do something to know where she would be the entire time and use it to get to Alistair and get Annabeth back again. Natalia eventually stepped out of the vault again and stood near Mika.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme had listened to Dean's voice as she tried to calm her down, him calling her baby girl replayed in her thoughts. She remembered him holding her like this and stroking hair whenever she would have moments of painful reflection. After she had calmed and he took her face in his hands and rolled his head against her forehead, she looked into his face as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Alright, sounds like a plan." she whispered as he pulled back. She watched him as he pulled her arms from around him, which she didn't fight, then wrapped her left arm around his. As they walked, she held onto his arm, almost leaning into him for comfort. __________ When they reached the house, she almost sighed at the same time Dean did. Like Dean, she was waiting for Mika to pop out and ambush Dean, or even her, from the night's events as they walked into the house. She looked around the house, only seeing Bobby and Natalia inside. She relaxed a bit, realizing Mika wasn't inside the house, but wondered where she was. After Dean asked his questions, she followed his gaze and saw Mika pass by the window in the kitchen. She couldn't help but wonder about her, since she left them a while ago. She looked at Natalia, seeing the disappointment in her eyes, and listened to her words. They hit her hard. Even though Dean had told her that this was on him, she still felt like she played a major part in all of it. If she hadn't followed Natalia from the hotel she met her in and showed up at the motel where they had all met up, none of this would have happened. She would still be on the road on her own, thinking Dean was dead, but they would be fine and Mika wouldn't have to worry about her coming between her and Dean. She sighed inwardly at the thought as it played out in her mind.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester Dean clenched his jaw at his sister's smartass remark. He deserved it and he knew he did, but that didn't make it any easier to hear from Nat of all people. He glanced down at her face and glared at her, "You don't have to tell me that. I've been with her to some degree for the last fifteen years. I know her better than anyone…I need to talk to her. I can convince her to…" Bobby sighed and sat his glass roughly on the coffee table, standing from the chair, and stepping up to Dean menacingly, "You let her have her space. If…and that's an if…she decides to talk to you, that's her choice. It's not like you've never been a stupid dickhead before, like this, Dean." Dean flinched at Bobby's words, watching his father figure's eyes as he tore into him. His eyes turned from Bobby's face to the window of the kitchen, seeing Mika and Cason both standing there, "No." "What the hell do you mean, no?", Bobby snapped. "I mean no, Bobby. Things are good, with us. Things have been good! I'm not going to sit back like the rest of you and let whatever this thing is win! Whatever this is, it ends tonight…", Dean snapped back at Bobby, staring him down for a brief second and then stepping away from him to stomp through the kitchen. "Dean…", Bobby called after him, before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, "And around and around we go…" Dean stepped up to the back door, opening it and stepping through the light weight metal, standing in front of Mika. Tears almost immediately pricked the corners of his eyes as he watched her face, "Talk to me…please?" Cason Cason stood close to Mika's back as she turned to him. He nodded his head quickly, knowing that she was right. Dean was incredibly good at reading people. The nervous pit in his stomach knew that there was a really good chance that he would find out either way. As Dean came through the back door, Cason's breath stopped in his chest, taking all of his will power to not let his eyes turn black from the panic in his chest. There was the man who was likely going to kill him, brutally. The great torturer of Hell, Dean Winchester…great… He raised his eyes to the window, and stared at Esme, just standing there. She was so beautiful. And that's when the guilty feeling in his stomach felt different. It tasted different. He had poured his heart out to the poor girl, and now, he was complicating her life even more. Cason almost wanted to tell her the truth, but as close as she was to Dean, it was a horrible idea. But he needed to touch her. He pushed carefully past Mika, and then around Dean's back and stepped through the door of the house. Closing the gap between himself and Esme, he reached out and carefully picked one of her hands up, kissing her knuckles. "I heard what happened…", he whispered, glancing up to meet her eyes. Annabeth Anna smiled against his lips as they kissed each other. The familiar urgency was exciting, and although he was taller, he was just Sam. Feeling his hands pulling her close to him, she sighed and pushed slightly against his chest, to turn him back toward the small bed in the room. It wasn't the most glamorous space for them to rekindle what the had lost so many years ago as teenagers, but at the same time, neither was their last meeting place. At least the panic room had less dust and more security. As he lifted her, she hopped up a bit and wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands coming up to tangle in his hair as she kissed him a bit rougher, biting at his bottom lip As she pulled away from the kiss briefly, his lip tightly between her teeth, she whispered, "Sit down." Anna knew that the others could walk in on them, but from the sounds of the conversations up stairs, they were definitely occupied. Right now, they could just be. She didn't know if it was the demon blood spurring her on, but she felt incredibly bold, in that moment.</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nat could tell that her words hit hard with Dean and she was glad of it. He didn't have to like the words, they weren't said to be liked, they were said to drill home the severity of his actions. She listened to his words, finding that due to the amount of time he had been with Mika albeit, on and off, then he should know even more that his actions were completely and utterly wrong. THat by now he shouldn't even be thinking of kissing another woman. But that was her opinion. She looked up when Bobby stood up and went over to Dean, seeing the highly protective uncle figure coming out for the first time in a very long time. It took a lot for Bobby to stand by his niece in Natalia's opinion so when Bobby did get like this with Dean she knew even more so how out of line Dean was. She even gave a discreet flinch at him calling Dean a dickhead whilst reminding him this wasn't the first time he had been as such to Mika. Yet Dean cut Bobby off back, and practically yelled at him back, whilst also bringing her into it. "Now hang on!" she spoke up pissed that he was accusing them of sitting around and doing nothing to find a solution to this shitshow, but it was no use, she couldn't even finish her sentence as Dean stormed off to the kitchen door to go outside to Mika. She sighed shaking her head. "you got that right" she commented, taking another swig of her drink before herself another one. She couldn't even look at Esme in the room either, even though the girl wasn't fully to blame and was unfortunately dragged into the middle of this, but she did think Esme had to take some of the blame as she should have shoved Dean off of her, not returned the kiss. It wasn't like she didn't know Dean was with Mika after all.... MIKA CHAMBERS She was about to chicken out and not go through the kitchen door when the door suddenly opened before she could turn on her heels and came face to face with Dean...her Dean. She felt she could barely look at him, she didn't know how to look at him. She was hurting greatly, and to top it all off, she was feeling now great guilt for what she did even if it was technically against her own will. Turning on her heels, she looked away from Dean and took a few steps back toward her car, anything to try and get some distance between them after Cason made a swift exit away from the two of them and into the house over to Esme. "What do you want me to say? Because last I checked it's you that has a hell of a lot to explain!" she said to him, trying her hardest not to cry out of frustration. She was so done with crying, it had caused her face to hurt. "If you think I'm gonna apologise for punching you, think again." she told him, turning to look back at him after she said her words. "you ALWAYS do this to me! You LIED to me Dean! You told me there was NOTHING between you two! That there was no history between you and she was one person you never slept with. How can I believe anything you tell me right now!?" she ranted, the tears now falling down her face. "Why can't you just be happy with knowing I love you!?" she asked, putting emphasis on the word 'I'. Even though she had just slept with Cason, she felt so much betrayal from Dean, even though she knew in her heart he was the only one she could ever see herself with for her entire life. He was the one she wanted to grow old with if they were ever to be that lucky. HE was the one she wanted to be an official member of her family, she didn't believe marriage as such (despite being a hopeless romantic) but she would marry Dean at the drop of a hat. She had told Bobby that plenty of times over the years. Reaching her car again she kicked her tire hard, not caring that it would hurt her more than it would the car. In her state she'd gladly punch her hand through the window if it would fix things. But she loved her car too much to actually break a window. She then sat on the trunk, putting her head in her hands, still not realising Cason's jacket was on the back seat. She had improved on herself so much in these last few years with Dean which was a big reason why they had been so good with each other for so long, now she was beginning to think it was all for nought. Maybe he didn't think she was good enough for him. Was he lying about loving her? Did he wish he never had come back to her? Was she just someone to use as he didn't have Esme? So much was running through her head, so much she hoped she was wrong in thinking. SAM WINCHESTER Sam found himself smiling into the kiss as she guided him backwards toward the makeshift bed in the vault. Flashes of the memory of them making out in the cabin on the couch coming back to his mind in rapid succession. He held her firmly in place as she wrapped her legs around him, as a soft noise came out of his mouth when she bit his bottom lip and tangled her hands into his hair. He smiled with his eyes as she ordered him to sit down, "bossy as ever I see" he whispered to her teasingly, doing as he was told and sat down whilst making sure to be careful so Annabeth didn't fall in the process. The makeshift bed creaked under his weight, telling him it wasn't a new one of Bobby's but he didn't care for that at the moment, he just hoped that it didn't make too much noise as things rapidly got heated between them. For Sam he didn't know if it was the fact they were truly alone again after so many years that was spurring him on or if it was the fact that there was a risk of one of the others coming down and catching them that spurred him on, but either way he was welcoming it. It was a rush he hadn't truly felt since Jessica. He kissed her once more roughly and hungrily as he then pulled off the clean top she had only just put on then held her close to him once again...</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS AND NATALIA WINCHESTER The moment Mika and Natalia saw him look at Mika as the three important words came out of Mika's mouth, both thought that this might just be the beginning of them all getting through to him. This was so much worse than when Dean and Mika broke up for three years after he beat the living crap out of Ethan all those years ago, and Mika knew it. This verison of Dean was utterly terrifying but she refused to just up and leave him out of her own fear for him, she had to show him that she was with him, even if she became unfaithful thanks to a damn Angel meddling. Natalia however could feel Dean tightening his grip round the knife which wasn't giving her hope that he would actually let it go but she had to keep trying, she couldn't give up on her brother. She took note of how much Cason was shivering and flinching under Dean's weight and despite all the bravado moments ago, it was clear to Natalia that he was truly shit scared of the man above him. They both heard Esme also pleading with him to stop and not to go down this road, but the moment Dean glared at Mika.... actually glared at her with his nose bleeding it threw them off guard just enough to make Dean shrug Natalia off of him roughly, making her stumble backwards and onto her ass, failing to get the knife out of his hands. Mika's eyes went wide in fright at the glare Dean gave her. He had never glared at her in that way before, he had never scared her to her core in quite this way before and she didn't know how to react other than slowly and shakily letting go of the sides of his face. "please Dean...come back to me" she mumbled, implying about how he wasn't like himself right now. The moment he lifted his hand with the knife, she went even wider eyed and before she could stop him, before any of them could stop him, he brought the knife and smashed it into the floor with great force that caused the knife to still shake in the floor. THe sound it made made Mika and Natalia flinch before he got up and stormed off, ignoring every single one of them. Natalia scrambled back onto her feet, dusting herself down and beginning to head after Dean, pausing beside Esme just long enough to put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "I've got this." she told her then gave Bobby a simple nod toward Mika whilst glancing at him then headed outside to where she knew Dean would be. Mika didn't know what to do, she felt like thanks to Cupid she really messed things up this time. She was on the ground, her legs bent off to the side, shaking and hugging herself. She couldn't look at Cason on the floor or anyone else in the room as the look Dean gave her still burned into her eyes, haunting her very soul. She couldn't speak or do anything except cry and hug herself. SAM WINCHESTER Everything felt so peaceful down in the vault when he was laying with Annabeth when it all kicked off upstairs, making him gently move Annabeth off of him and for him to sit upright, tilting his head to look up out of instinct. "What the hell...?" he muttered in disbelief as he recognised all the voices that were screaming. Dean was pissed because of something and something he could only imagine that was major which made him wish he could get out of the vault to try and calm his brother down. He could hear his sister and Bobby pleading with Dean loudly to stop and when he heard the word 'killing' come into the equation his eyes went wide. He got dressed quickly in the hopes that someone would come downstairs and let him out to go after his brother or at least come down to let him know what the hell was going on. He hated that all he could do was listen to the whole storm blow up above him and not do anything to try and help. If he had known that Dean had Ruby's knife to Cason's throat he woiuld have been able to overpower Dean and grab the knife from him. As the shouting finished, he quickly went over and grabbed his phone, texting Bobby, "Bobby what the hell is going on!?" clicking send, he sighed running his hand through his hair.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester Dean shrugged everyone off, stomping off the porch and onto the gravel. He had barely noticed the pain in his nose, as the blood began to dry in the night air, his face a mess. However, as he heard Natalia's footsteps behind him, he knew exactly who was following him, just by her step. He couldn't believe that Mika would be able to be seduced by someone she barely even knew. At least with Esme, they had a past. They were in love at one point. It made sense that she would be his weakness, considering the lack of closure in their relationship. Cason was a demon. He was a demon that she barely knew, and Dean only knew in passing, but the guy knew a lot about all of them. The odds that he was fully effected by Cupid was hard for Dean to wrap his head around. He still felt like killing him. Just turning around and marching back into the house, and plunging a knife into his heart. But for some reason, everyone in the house was protecting Cason, which just made the rage bubble up in his stomach even more. Climbing up onto the trunk of the Impala, he sat panting, and didn't turn to Natalia. "Go back to the house, Nat…", he said simply, as he stopped short of his Impala, just standing beside it, trying to take deep breaths to calm down from the rage that was still flooding his body, "Now…" Cason and Bobby Singer Cason sat up, his body still shaking as Bobby approached him and wrenched his body from the ground, with a slap to his back. Bobby was thankful that Cason was still alive, considering he was the only person in the house who really seemed to know what to do about Angels. He felt his phone vibrate against his side, and quickly pulled it with a hand still on Cason's shoulder. He flipped it open, tapping Cason and pointing to the couch, which Cason took as instruction and sat. "I'll be down in a second…" He turned from Cason, "You gonna heal?" Cason simply nodded, and Bobby nodded back, walking toward the stairs of the basement. He approached the door, and turned the heavy wheel, before wrenching the door open. "So this is where you have been the whole time your brother has been losing his damn mind. What's she doing uncuffed?!", he asked Sam, looking over he and Anna, who was still sitting on the floor, a blanket up around her chest. Sarah and Violet, hearing Esme screaming, reacted, wanting to protect her and their dad from a possible explosion. Running across the yard, they entered the house, snarling and fighting with each other as they tried to enter at the same time. Eventually, they managed to squeeze past each other, with Sarah hopping up, placing both her paws on Esmes chest to knock her back onto the floor, then placing her body weight against Esmes legs. Violet ran over to the couch, seeing that Esme was cared for and jumped onto the cushion, curling up on Cason's side, her head on his lap, as if to tell them both to calm down…</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) The fact that Dean just knew it was her before he even turned round wasn't of much surprise to her. She may be the newest member of the family in some ways but she had still been around them long enough to have her tells in the ways she walked and such for them to tell when it was her and when it was something/someone else. She knew he was hurting from what happened, but she always knew that him being alone right now wasn't entirely the best idea. She watched him as he walked toward his impala and was about to go sit ontop of it when he told her to go back inside, then sat on his trunk. "No" she said back to him a lot softer than she had previously spoken to him this evening. She continued walking up to him and sat next to him on his car. "I'm not going anywhere" she added. "What did they actually do together to make you hulk out like this?" she asked him, keeping her tone softer and more sympathetic towards him. "She does love you Dean, if Cupid wasn't involved she never would have hurt you" she told him, fully believing it as she had seen for herself how good they were. She had only seen the odd little squabble from them since she's been around, but they were always good. Truth was, as much as what he did disappointed her, she was worried for her big brother. "But if you don't wanna talk, we can just sit here in silence too, whatever works for you. But I am worried about you bro, I really am" she sighed, looking in front of her as she spoke the entire time, her hands interlocked together casually on her legs. She just wanted to help, she didn't want to see her family fall apart around her. She's seen one family of hers fall apart, she didn't want to see this one do the same. MIKA CHAMBERS Mika couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't be around everyone that was left in the room as she was aware of Bobby taking his phone out and instructing Cason to go take a seat on the couch whilst he dealt with whatever it was that pulled his attention away from the situation up here in the main room. The moment Bobby went downstairs, she stood up off the floor and gave Cason an apologetic look. "I-I'm sorry...he found your jacket in my car..." she mumbled to him before making a sharp beeline for the stairs and ran upstairs to her room, skipping every other step as she did so. In her room, she closed the door, not wanting to even look at Esme, Cason or even attempt to go outside to Dean. She figured being alone in her room was the best place to be as she walked over to her bed, climbed onto it and sat there and sobbed. "Cupid you're such an asshole, I believed you were good....for years I believed in you....now I see you're just another asshole spiritual being" she cried out quietly, even though she had no idea if CUpid was even hovering around still or not. She just had to get the words of her system. Little did she know that she was going to be the victim to his antics yet again any minute now. SAM WINCHESTER WHen Bobby walked down the stairs Sam sighed as he heard the familiar heavy footsteps coming down to the vault. He walked toward the vault door as he waited for Bobby to open it. With it soon open he sighed with relief as Bobby seemed unscathed which then got him worried about what the fight was about. He looked over at Annabeth then back at Bobby. "I had to so I could help get her cleaned up off the demon blood that she was soaked in and she could change. But she's better Bobby, trust me. She won't run" he reassured him as best as he could. "More importantly what went on up there!? Why could we hear Dean and Cason and everyone else shouting like banshees?" he asked, not wanting Bobby to change the subject too much.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling When Cason moved to Esme's side and grabbed her hand she thought little of it, she didn't even look in his direction. She mostly played it off as his instincts kicking in as she kept her focus on Castiel. She stayed quiet as Castiel spoke to them, but mostly to Dean, taking in and processing everything she heard come from his mouth and also Dean's. Esme was surprised by what she was hearing, but not quite as surprised as she thought she should be. It was just something that came with the job of being a hunter, which made it hard for things to really surprise her about certain aspects of cases. After everything she had witnessed in her time as a hunter, thinks that revolved around the supernatural were almost nothing, but there were things about humans that would surprise her to no end. It was a little funny to her on how that worked. When Castiel's attention when to Cason and Annabeth, Esme grew tense at his words to Dean. She stood straighter and moved slightly so that stood in a spot that she shielded Cason and Annabeth both, even if Sam and Natalia were protecting Annabeth as well, her eyes narrowed. But it seemed her action was for not for Cason disappeared with a pop, leaving her standing there on her own. So she moved a little more, so she was closer to Natalia, Sam, and Annabeth with a small sigh. She wasn't going to let her be smited by Castiel, she had been helpful and had done nothing against them. "You will do no such thing." she stated firmly almost at the same time Natalia and Sam spoke. Esme knew she wasn't a match against an angel, but she wasn't going to let Castiel just up and kill her without a fight. She also knew that their words were more than likely falling on deaf ears, since Castiel only seemed to listen to what Dean had to say. Her gaze shifted more to Dean, waiting for him to say something to stop Castiel from doing anything. When he did, a wave of slight relief washed over her. Esme continued to watch Dean and listen to what he said to Castiel. Her fists clenched as she stood there, her eyes dropping for a moment as she heard Annabeth speak, then went back to Dean and Castiel. At Castiel's words and powering down, she relaxed slightly and moved back to her original spot. She placed her palms on the table and leaned into them, her gaze dropping to the table as Castiel continued to speak to Dean. Her gaze lefted slightly at the mention of Annabeth having a deeper connection with Lilith than Sam, this was new news to her. Esme kept silent though, just leaning against the table and taking it all in. Her fingers gripped at the table, her nails slightly digging into its surface as she felt Dean's anger rise and Annabeth's nervousness rise. Her eyes closed tightly as Dean snapped at Sam, but was relived when he didn't continue on. Now was not the time for that discussion. They needed to focus on what they needed to do for the seals to remain unbroken. Opening her eyes, she lifted her gaze as Dean took the note from Castiel's hand. When Dean looked around at them after looking at the note and saying it sounded easy, she pushed herself upright and gave a small smile and a nod, letting him know she had his back on this. When Bobby came over, she watched his actions. She too was wondering about the question he asked Castiel. They needed more information before going out to take care of it. She watched Bobby walk to the fridge and pull out three beers for himself, Dean, and Castiel. At Bobby's works, she nodded in agreement. It was definitely going to be that, no doubt about it. Esme watched Dean take the beers from Bobby and open Castiel's before handing it to him. Her gaze fell on Castiel, watching him as he inspected the beer before taking a sip and thanked Dean. She lifted an eyebrow when he then downed the entire beer and spoke. Spending time with this guy was definitely going to be a challenge for her. He was strange and one of the driest people she had met. She pushed that aside as he continued to talk and then answered Bobby's question, his words causing her to cross her arms over her chest. Of course, he didn't have any more information for them. That's how it always seemed to work out, but at least he could tell them a little more. Esme turned her head to Natalia when she spoke to her about helping her grab the beers from the garage, noting the tone she used. "Umm, sure. I can give you a hand." she replied. She then walked around the table and met up with Natalia and walked out into the garage with her and seeing Cason standing there smoking next to Dean's Impala. Esme saw her nod of acknowledgment to Cason before Natalia turned to her and spoke. She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when Cason spoke up and turned her gaze in his direction. "I agree with you on that." she replied with a sigh. "No, he didn't tell us where they are, but gave us, or rather Dean, a location to go to." Esme turned her attention back to Natalia, the look on her face slightly troubled. "Honestly…... I don't have any idea if we can stop it from being broken or not, but can we really stand by and not try?" she asked her. The thought of just sitting back and letting it happen hadn't crossed her mind. She felt the need to go there and at least give it her all to try and stop the seal from being broken. She knew it could be a long shot and that one of them could possibly be killed or seriously injured in the process, but she still had to try, even if that person was her that ended up seriously injured or dead. Esme then looked Natalia fully in the face to read her and see what she could be thinking.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean rolled his eyes at Castiel's long winded response to Bobby's words and his own. But as the words washed over him, he narrowed his eyes, realizing that Castiel was literally telling him that the entirety of the situation they were fighting was because he was resurrected. The self hatred that Dean fought with every day began to bubble up, and the fear that he was better off dead took over as he swallowed and stared at Castiel's face as he continued. Dean frowned a bit deeper as Castiel explained that the angels would obliterate the town they were headed to, if they failed to save the seal, "Now hold on a second…". It was power they had never dealt with before, and a concept that Dean couldn't sit back and let happen. They had to stop this seal, no matter what it took, or thousands of people were going to die. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, but when he opened them, Castiel was gone, "Don't give me time to respond, you dick!" Dean screamed the words up at the ceiling, slamming a fist on the table in front of him. He glanced around the room at everyone, trying to keep his cool, but he was terrified. Now, the angels were giving them make or break tasks, and it was something that he couldn't fathom without stress. "Well, I guess we had better try, right?", he turned his eyes to Mika and shrugged. He shot a glance toward his brother, momentarily remembering that Castiel had said something about Annabeth's demon blood activities, "And on the way, me and Sammy are going to have a conversation..."</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS AND SAM WINCHESTER As Castiel went into the long winded answer to such a simple question, both Mika and Sam listened and found their minds being blown over everything that was being said to them. It was such a lot to take in and both of them looked at Dean briefly when Castiel kept reiterating how this was all because he was ressurected. That was a bombshell that no one deserved to hear and both of them knew in that second that Dean would only blame himself for everything once again. Mika particularly coiuld read Dean like a open book and knew what he was thinking. She had those thoughts of being better off dead far too often over the years that she just knew when Dean was having those exact thoughts. It broke her heart to know that what Castiel was telling him was having this effect on the love of her life and what surprised her even more was that she was glad that Esme wasn't in the room at this moment as her empath ability would have been in overdrive very rapidly. She couldn't believe she was thinking it but low and behold she was. Like Mika, Sam also could tell that Dean was far from okay with hearing the information but he couldn't tell exactly what going through his head like Mika could because he didn't know about what happened in Hell, unlike Mika who did know. When Castiel said how if they failed the Angels would literally nuke the whole town, that was news that didn't sit well with either of them, the look of disapproval, anger and shock all evident in their faces to everyone in the room. There was no way either of them woiuld just let a town be nuked if they failed to keep the seal that raised Samhain got broken. They'd rather have their own lives on the line than have a town full of innocent people get hurt or killed. Then Castiel left in a blink of an eye before they could drill anything else out of the Angel. Mika flicnhed ever so slightly when Dean slammed his fits on the table she was sat at, looking up at him and placing a hand ontop of his to try and give him some comfort and silently letting him know that they will succeed in doing this, or at least do their damnest to make it succeed. Sam saw the look he got from his brother and he couldn't help but sigh when Dean declared that they were going to be having a long chat on the way to the location. He nodded his agreement to have the chat, even though he knew Annabeth probably wouldn't want to travel with anyone else, even if it would be safer if she rode with Mika whilst the chat happened. "Anna can ride with me whilsrt you have the chat" Mika told Sam, giving Annabeth a glance behind Sam to say 'trust me, you won't wanna be in the car with them during their chats'. NATALIA WINCHESTER In the garage with Esme and Cason, she began rummaging in the outside storage, pulling out quite a few beers, putting them on the work desk nearest to Esme as she did so and Cason spoke up about her question to Esme. She sighed when Cason answered a question meant for Esme but let it slide this time. They did however have bigger issues to deal with than people answering questions not meant for them. She nodded at what Esme was saying, agreeing wholly that they couldn't just let a town be at risk with Samhain roaming the Earth if they didn't try to stop it. Her face showing how she was thinking what Esme was saying. "I agree with you, theres no way I'd feel comfortable with letting that seal break and a town be victims to who knows what as Samhain walks the damn Earth" she replied. She then looked at Cason, "yeah that's exactly what I said before you ask" she said before he could even repeat what she said as if he misheard her. "Castiel gave Dean a location of a town where the next seal is to break. Said we have to stop it from happening or Samhain gets risen again" she told him, sighing again. She opened three of the bottles of beer whilst the three of them were outside and handed one to Esme then one to Cason, deciding that they seriously did need it, even if she was about to drive. "Guess we should bring in these bottles to everyone else and see what else was mentioned" she then said to Esme.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA,NATALIA AND SAM Ever since Lillith's hellhounds took Dean as the due payment for bringing Sam back, Mika was a wreck emotionally which made her a complete livewire when it came to hunting. Her and Sam did all they could for two months to try and bring Dean back, tried making deals, killing anything that got in their way and didn't give them answers that they either liked or needed and sent far too many demons to Hell out of pure spite. Mika had lost Dean once because of the wendigo attack almost damn well killing her and going into hiding as Bobby brought her up, she wasn't prepared to just lose him yet again. Yet no matter what tactic they used, nothing worked and they had to begrudgingly accept that he was gone. A brother, a partner, a friend. Sam soon went off on his own, leaving not only Mika alone with Bobby, but ignored every bit of contact with them completely and didn't even acknowledge his half sister Natalia either. Mika became lost and kept hunting when she could, even though it didn't quelch any of the pain she felt, if she ever felt anything at all. If she was too numb feeling she remained in her bedroom and didn't leave for days at a time, stacks of plates regularly always piling up with uneaten food, but always there was empty beer bottles. She always told Dean that she would come back to and for him, and now here she was on the other side of that promise. The side where she was probably feeling everything that Dean felt as a teenager when she was proposed dead, and then pretended she wasn't her every time they bumped into each other on hunts. She was certain she would never get over his death. Natalia on the other hand was still hopeful that Dean would somehow return. She may only be the half sister that only came into their lives a couple of years ago, but that didn't mean she didn't care about the boys. She refused to give up and although it wasn't always the first thing she did, she did still keep an eye on what Sam was doing and check in with Bobby about Mika to see how she was coping. She remained on the road, similar to Sam except she wasn't sleeping around in hotels like Sam was. Alongside picking up any hints or clues to trying to bring Dean back, she got on with her life as a hunter. Right now she was in a hotel just outside of Sioux Falls, fully intending on just sleeping in after a night of hunting vampires. Sam was also in a hotel albeit different to Natalia and not nearly as close to Bobby's as Natalia was, with a dark haired woman. He didn't particularly care for the woman but she was company when he craved it and that was just fine for him. He had changed so much from Dean's passing and as much as he liked Mika and Natalia, he couldn't deal with being round them any longer. Mika's grief got too much to handle when he was dealing with his own and Natalia in his eyes just couldn't understand what either of them were feeling being only the half sibling. His grief made him blinkered and hardened in his soul, distancing himself for his own sanity.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin, Mika, Natalia and Sam The witch was unsure how he was going to react to all the attempts on his life ever since the death of Azazel. Knocking on the door, he decided he was going to just meet up with Sam and the others as an "ordinary" psychic. He gave the door three hard knocks on the door. "Please open the door. I'm looking for someone named Sam? He's dropped something on the ground out here." The voice had a British accent of a young man. The man would get ready for a fight if he needed to. As he understood it through his clairvoyance, Sam and Dean had both been through intense traumatic experiences. Benjamin was ready to defend himself, but he was hoping to just ask some questions. Get Sam's trust and then help him re unite with his brother, and aid the two in getting rid of the threat on his life.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean walked for what seemed like a million miles in the hot sun. He finally reached what looked like an abandoned gas station, breaking his way inside in search of water, food, money, anything helpful. He found all of these things, while running around, as well as a newspaper. Holding the newspaper in front of him, he stared at the date, "September?" "I've been gone four months...", he thought, taking a bite from a protein bar he had just swiped. Shrugging his shoulders, he stepped behind the cash register and popped it open. As he dug the money out of the register, the TV behind him clicked on. He turned and carefully pressed the power button. It turned back on, along with the radio, the sound getting louder at every second. Realizing he wasn't alone, he began casing the joint. Salt, he needed salt. Finding the salt, he popped the top and began spreading it on every window...just as they blew out in his face. The buzz was deafening. His eardrums felt as if they were melting, and just as fast as it came on...it disappeared. ----------- AnnaBeth "I found it.", Annabeth shouted, signalling Cason to come and look at her laptop. She had found the gas station the mysterious man in her dreams had entered. "So, what's your plan? You've never actually chased one of these visions, and now? The voices said this dude was dangerous. They told you to go find this...Sam...Winchester guy." Cason paced while holding a piece of paper, names and images scribbled across it. "I have a hunch. What if this guy knows something about my visions? What if the visions are happening because of him? Shouldn't I at least check him out? He dug himself out of the ground. I would say that sounds interesting." "Interesting?" Cason asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This isn't interesting. This is scary. He DUG HIMSELF OUT OF THE GROUND!" "Yes!" Annabeth shouted back, "And we're going to find him." She snatched her car keys off the counter, snatched the paper from Cason's hand and ran for the door. As he heard the engine of her old truck rev, he rolled his eyes and punched the air. "Dammit!"</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme had somehow found herself in Illinois after taking on a Shapeshifter the day before and ghosts the day before that and early this morning. Now exhausted and sleep deprived, all she wanted to do was find a place off the highway she could pull over and have a small nap. Sleep deprivation had somehow blocked her from seeing exactly where she was in Illinois, but what she knew was that this road seemed to go on forever with little in sight. After what seemed like hours of fighting sleep and slapping her face to stay away, something had finally popped up in the distance. "Finally." she groaned. She looked down at her gas gage briefly. She still had a quarter of a tank of gas, so she didn't really have to worry too much about that if this place ended up not being a gas station. As she got closer, she slowed down to get a good look at the building. "Geeze, is this place even going?" she questioned, looking at the small building with blown out windows. With a bit of reluctance, she drove on ahead, not really trusting the place. A little way up the road, she found a place to stop that looked a bit more promising, even if it was still on the side of the road but could still get a suitable distance between the road and her car. Parking as far as she could from the road's edge, she cracked a couple of windows and locked the doors, then made herself comfortable in the front seat for a catnap.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) SAM WINCHESTER Sam heard the knock on his hotel door and wondered who it was as it couldn't have been the pizza delivery he ordered for himself as it was far too soon for that. Then he heard a young sounding British accent come through the door asking for him in particular making him raise an eyebrow in curiosity. He shoved a shirt on and went to the door, making sure he had his handgun in the back of his jeans waistband just incase knowing very few people would come searching for him and use his real name unless they either friend or foe and he certainly hadn't been in touch with any family or friends lately. He then opened the door cautious and stood in the doorway looking at the young looking guy standing on the outside. "Whose asking?" he asked, looking around the area to make sure the guy was alone and it wasn't some kind of ambush from something that went bump in the night or another demon. MIKA CHAMEBRS Mika had finally decided to get out of her room and walk down the creaky stairs of the Bobby Singer household, heading straight to the kitchen without even greeting her uncle in the process. She headed for the fridge and pulled out some food that she was finally agreeing to eat and stepped outside to get some fresh air. From where she was, she could see her own '66 chevrolet impala parked, gaining a little bit of dirt and in need of a wash despite not having been used for long periods of time. She refused to use the car due to it always reminding her of Dean's own '67 model that Sam had comodeered. She had spent too many days wishing that a sign would just come out of nowhere to say Dean didn't really end up dying and going to Hell and this was all just a weird horrible nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Sam "Sam, is it." "I'm a Psychic, not a pizza delivery boy, sorry. I decided to lie just so I could get a foot in the door." "I need your help. My life is in danger." He then stated honestly. "Demons. Demons are everywhere I go, and they just keep coming." Benjamin stated. "I came alone, I promise."</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth AnnaBeth and Cason "They, um…they didn't explain much. The voices. They just said names, and your address. They knew you, or at least your connection with these men. Who is Bobby Singer?", Annabeth asked, stepping inside the room and looking around. She believed that the people she was looking for were not here, but who was this woman? Just as she started to ask how the woman knew Sam and Dean Winchester, Cason groaned. "Son of a bitch…", he whispered, standing on a small rug in front of the door. He pushed forward with his body, attempting to take a step, but realized he was trapped, "I knew it. I told you we should have left!" Annabeth narrowed her eyes, confused, "Cason. Come sit down." "I can't…", he muttered through clenched teeth, sneering at Natalia. Annabeth had no idea he was a demon, but that goose was probably cooked now. —— Dean Winchester "He what? And you let him go?!", he almost yelled at the two of them, before holding a hand over his sore throat. He had screamed for hours in that box. His throat was destroyed from the stress. "What choice did I have? He was dead set on it. He left not too long after we buried you.", Bobby retorted, unpacking the weapons he had stashed away in his pants, onto the wooden desk in front of him. "Why did you bury me, anyway?" "Sam said you'd need a body to come back to when he got you home, somehow. That's all he said.", Bobby muttered, his face somber. "Great. Just great. And now here I am…", Dean ran a hand down his face, sitting on the couch by the window, "Whatever this is…it's some bad mojo. You should have seen the gravesite. Guys, it looked like a nuke went off. And the force I felt…"</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme had managed to make it through the door and down the hall that led to her room while lugging her bag with her. After reaching her room and opening the door, she dropped her bag on the floor and unzipped a pocket and rummaged through it. She pulled out a permanent marker and knelt by the rug that was in front of the door. She flipped it over and drew a devil's trap on its underside before flipping it back over. Once that was done, she rose to her feet, grabbed her bag, and headed to the bed. She tossed the bag on the end of the bed, setting her gun next to it, then headed to the bathroom for a much needed shower. It wasn't until she looked into the mirror she noticed just how bad she looked and why she got such a strange look from the man at the front desk. She laughed it off as she went and turned on the water. She had to admit that the water pressure wasn't bad, despite how the place looked. Once the water temperature was just right, she stripped and stepped in. Once she felt clean, she got out and made herself presentable. Esme walked over to the center of the bed, relaxed and feeling even more exhausted. She fell face first on the bed and passed out.</s> <\|message\|>Aurelia Ruby There was something about possessing a body that had already been so close to death that just made it feel... nastier. She allowed herself to be consumed by the hot water for as long as she felt necessary to get all of the surface grime off at least. She sighed, she wasn't sure how long she'd been in the shower, but she knew it had been a while. She got out and wrapped her hair up and dried herself before getting dressed. She could hear the conversation, faintly, going on between Sam and whoever had been at the door. She couldn't make out what was being said, but she knew they were still talking. This caused her to roll her eyes. People really just needed to leave them be. There was still too much to do! She started brushing out her hair and started the hairdryer. She wasn't about to look unpresentable when she got out of the bathroom, especially if this person hadn't left yet. This was getting annoying. She had heard the talks of Dean being save from Hell, but the likelihood of it just didn't seem high. Especially given who she had been hearing it from. And if that were the case, he would be none too happy to know what she and Sam had been doing this whole time he was gone. Sure, once she found him again, she knew Sam had been trying his hardest to get Dean back, but that was the thing with deals. You got your time and then your soul belonged to Hell. Something she knew all too well. She turned off the hairdryer and soon her phone rang. She looked at the name and raised a brow before answering it. "Hello?" she asked. "You're going to have to watch your back. One of Azazel's old pets showed her face again, and I know how you and this one were." the voice on the other end said. "Who are you talking about?" she asked, sitting on the closed toilet. "Aurelia. She's finally resurfaced, and one can only imagine why. Just watch your back." they said. There was a click before Ruby stared at the phone. That wasn't good. Aurelia knew her affiliations almost better than anyone, but she also knew that Aurelia was a tricky sort. No one knew her better than Azazel and Meg. With Azazel dead and Meg in the wind it was hard to know what would make her come out of hiding. She sighed, and decided perhaps it was time to get out of the bathroom. She could only delay so long. "That was-" she began, but she saw the man at the door. "Guessing not the pizza then. Oh well." Something about this one didn't feel right either... She shrugged a bit and took her dirty clothes and placed them with her other things before sitting down. She wouldn't interject in the conversation until she felt Sam wanted her too. It was usually best if she stayed quiet and played the part of the 'hook-up.' And that was her intention, plus now she had other things to worry about.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) SAM WINCHESTER Sam listened to benjamin as he explained a brief history of when demons had been after him and what level demons were after him. He had to admit inside he was rather impressed that this psychic knew his levels of demons which told him he truly did know what he was talking about and that he wasn't newbie psychic who was way out of their league. He found it interesting also that the demons seemed to get lower in class as the attacks went on instead of higher which seemed rather unusual to him but if that was the case then it would be pretty easy to get them off this guy's back in theory. He noted Ruby's entrance from the bathroom and how she walked to the bed to stay out of the way but no doubt eaves drop. Something he wasn't so sure was the best idea right now, whilst smirking at her remark about Benjamin not being the pizza delivery "sadly not" he replied. He then turned back to Benjamin "astaroth? Never heard of them" he replied, but his curiousity was indeed piqued so much so that he walked over to his laptop and booted it up to do a search for said demon. NATALIA WINCHESTER Natalia listened to what the girl was explaining and wondered who the hell knew of her link to the brothers and more importantly who the hell these people were. She was taking a risk saying she was their half sister as it was but she needed to know more, especially as she dumped the bombshell about Dean on her. "Bobby is a family friend,that's all you need to know" she told her as Annabeth walked inside with Natalia noting she didn't get caught in the hidden devils trap under the doormat. Okay, so this girl wasn't a demon that was one thing she didn't have to worry about. Yet the moment Cason walked in and got stopped by it she knew instantly why he was so hesitant to be sticking around. She instantly pulled out her handgun and took the safety off, aiming it right at the man. "You're hanging around with a bloody demon?!" she questioned, raising her voice probably a little more than she should have. "Are you insane?!" she asked again, looking at Annabeth only briefly befor elooking back at Cason. MIKA CHAMBERS Mika hated that Dean was shouting at them and clearly hurting his throat in the process. The course sound coming out of his mouth didn't go amiss on her and she instantly went to the fridge and grabbed him a bottle of cold water, handing it to him. She let Bobby answer the questions that Dean was asking, before continuing to hear what Dean said about the area where he was buried. "Things haven't been the same since you've been gone, I don't know whats going on it seems something is coming. But I'm sure Bobby could explain better than I can, I pretty much gave up hunting when I knew we couldn't bring you back." she admitted to him. "But we'll find Sam and Natalia, I promise" she reassured him, sitting next to him on the couch. "I'm so glad you're back though" she added.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth AnnaBeth and Cason Annabeth's eyes were the size of saucers, staring at Cason. She didn't understand why he couldn't move. But he seemed to know why, and was extremely angry. Her fear and shock turned into nervous tears as Natalia snapped at her. Her body flinched before she narrowed her teary eyes, causing a tear to fall, "A what? Demon?! Demons are real?" "Kitten…listen. I can explain.", Cason calmly muttered, holding a hand out in front of both women, mostly to try and keep Natalia for throwing anything at him…or as the Winchesters seemed to be keen to do, stab him, "Stay back!" Annabeth positioned herself almost behind Natalia as Cason spoke, terrified of the man she had been dating for the past two years. —— Dean Winchester Dean took the water from Mika, cracking it open and nearly drinking the entire bottle in one long gulp. Sighing in relief, he placed a hand over his eyes, "He must have made a deal. Whatever dug me up or rode me out…it's nothing good." He glanced up at Mika, taking in all of her features. Good terms…bad terms. He was good to see her, "I'm glad to be back. But, don't get too excited. Look at this." He then unbuttoned his sleeve, and pulled his arm from his shirt, showing Bobby and Mika the handprint left on his upper arm. This caused Bobby to stand from his chair, his eyes wide, "What the hell?" "Exactly. What do you think we're looking at here?" Bobby brushed his fingers across the scared tissue, and shook his head, "I have no idea. That seems like a good question for Sam." "Wait…Nat's not with Sam? Do we know where she is?", Dean asked, glancing from Mika to Bobby. Bobby simply shook his head, "Great. Two needles in two different piles of needles. I'll activate Sam's GPS." Dean sat down behind Bobby's desk carefully, his body still sore from the walking. He noticed all the empty bottles lying around and raised an eyebrow, "Hey guys? What's up with the liquor store?" When Bobby didn't answer him, he shifted his gaze to Mika.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin Benjamin, getting ready to fight, has a serious, focused look on his face as he glares at Ruby. "Sam, look out, it's one of them!" He points at Ruby. "Get rid of it, before it attacks!" Benjamin thought he had sensed something, and he did. It was Ruby. This demon was not especially very powerful, but for her rank, she was. Benjamin couldn't have known that Ruby was not just reliant on her powers but her skill and competency in fighting. As his voice rose in seriousness, he was getting ready to attack with serious telekinetic force. If he had to fight here, he might accidentally destroy the hotel room.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>Samael Dean Winchester Dean nodded to Mika, stepping over to her and reaching for her hand, squeezing it tightly for a second before releasing her and looking around at all the sigils on the walls. He turned his face to Bobby, "What do we need to do, to finish all this…?" Bobby simply shrugged, and pointed at a bowl that set atop an old work bench, "Blood. Hair. You choose. But we gotta get moving…" Dean nodded, and pulled his knife, knowing that blood magic was a lot more powerful than a simple strand of hair. He quickly walked over to the work bench, seeing that Bobby had already laid out the greatest hits of weapon choices they had. He gently picked up Ruby's knife and stared at it for a few seconds, before Bobby cleared his throat. "Yeah. I got it…", Dean whispered, squeezing the blade in his palm and slicing it over the bowl with a growl. He hated cutting his hands, but at least they healed quickly. He let the blood soak the herbs and pieces of bone that Bobby had assembled in the bowl, and then quickly wrapped his hand in a bandana he pulled from his back pocket. "Well. Here goes nothin'. You ready?", Bobby asked, clicking his tongue at Mika and tossing her a sawed off shotgun. He picked up his own rifle as Dean leaned into a fighting stance with Ruby's knife. "As ready as I'm gonna be…", Dean muttered. Bobby began speaking clearly in Latin, running his finger along the page of a book he had propped up on the table. As he finished the short passage of Latin, he looked up at the ceiling, picking up a match. He struck the match against the table, and dropped it into the bowl. Nothing. "…Did it work?", Dean asked, his eyes wide as he looked around the room. Everything was silent. Bobby simply shrugged at him, before the building began to rumble and the roof planks began to rise and fall loudly. The electricity came in and out, and Dean stood, the knife out in front of him as the front door to the barn began to rumble. Samael and Cason Cason groaned loudly as his back slammed into the window and then the ground below the window. That was unexpected. Groaning, he sat up, snapped his fingers and appeared back in the room, even if it was the last place he wanted to be with an angel. He raised his hand, ready to slap it on his little drawing, while glaring at Benjamin. Samael laughed grimly at Sam, "How noble of you…you have no idea what I am. I mean, how could you? Your kind, at least in this world, haven't laid eyes on my kind, that you can remember…" As the witch showed up, Samael raised both his eyebrows, amazed by what was standing in front of him, "A witch. How…interesting. Darling, I hope you don't think that your 'magic' is anything I'm particularly fearful of. I have dealt with your kind before. A mild annoyance, but, I'll deal." Samael simply snapped his fingers, and pointed at a nearby chair, causing Benjamin to sit in it. "Move…and I'll tear your forcefield to shreds and burn your heart from inside your chest. I have business. Particular business." He turned to the others in the room, seeing Esme seeming nervous and almost in pain, as well as Natalia who was being snarky toward him. He waved his hand, "If everyone can just calm themselves down…that would be lovely." He pressed Natalia, Esme and Sam's arms to their sides and sighed, "Better. Now…to business." With his right hand, he reached down, touching Annabeth's forehead gently. Watching her intently, he smiled when her eyes shot open and she let out a loud gasp, as her neck repaired itself. She looked up at him with wide eyes, and he smiled back at her, as if he was her savior. "There's my girl…", he whispered, rubbing the side of her face gently. He looked up at Sam, his eyes turning to an intense glare as he did so, "Take a look at the man who got you killed, love. Give him a good…hard…look. I want you to know, all of this is his fault. I'm sorry." Annabeth cut her eyes to Sam, where he stood bound and her eyes begged him to help her, "Sam? Sam what's going on?" Still staring at Sam, he ran a finger down her chest, her skin searing as he did so, causing a loud scream to leave her throat. As she screamed, every piece of glass in the room shattered. Samael shielded his vessels eyes and stared down at her. "Wow!", he laughed maniacally, doing the action again, which caused part of the ceiling to crack. Another caused the air around them to become hot. Samael continued laughing, but quickly realized that her skin being removed was not causing her enough harm, "And that is disappointing. You should be nearly dead by now, darling. A lowlife demon was able to snap your neck and I…can't simply torture you without you bringing this entire building down around all of us. I don't know if my brothers would appreciate not being able to kill the young Sam Winchester themselves. So, unfortunately…" Sighing, he rolled his eyes, glared at Sam one more time, and pressed his palm to her forehead. Her eyes, nostrils, and mouth lighting up a bright orange, and her skin burned brightly. Cason recognized what was happening, the light leaving her face shocking him out of his trance of shock and horror at her being sliced on. His hands were shaking as he scooted over to the table and slapped his hand against the sigil. A bright blinding light pierced every corner of the room as the angel screamed and disappeared, not even having time to make anymore remarks. Annabeth continued to sob, her hands coming up to grip her face, and shield her eyes in agony as she laid on the bed, curling up into a ball. She didn't even notice that she was bleeding badly from the missing skin on her chest, her eyes. She couldn't see… Her skin was still scorching hot to the touch and the glow was toning down.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) SAM AND NATALIA WINCHESTER Sam looked at Samael as he spoke to him with such an air of arrogance that if it was a punch it would have floored him easily but luckily for him it wasn't a punch and was just pure arrogance, arrogance that reminded him of what Demons had. Yet there was no way this guy was a demon, not if what he said was actually true anyway. With Benjamin's words making Samael turn his attention to him, SAm wondered if this would be an opening to get the upper hand but things were still moving far too quickly. How was this guy keeping the upper hand!? It made no sense to him, he just wanted to grieve Annabeth or find another way of bringing her back but he couldn't do anything in peace it seemed. He felt like if it wasn't for Ruby sending him to the damn school none of this would have happened and Annabeth would still be alive. He looked at the girls seeing how much Natalia wanted to go into fight mode, shaking his head at her discreetly to signal not to do anything brash but she just couldn't just stand back and watch. Especially when this Samael guy was being an incredibly smug son of a bitch. "Oh you son of a----" she sneered and was just about rush at him to punch him in his face when she felt her arms get binded to her sides, with no hope of being able to lift them. She hated that she could do nothing but watch on with everyone else as Annabeth suddenly got ressurected with just a touch of Samael's finger to her forehead. Sam couldn't believe what he was witnessing, seeing Annabeth come back to life with a gasp and eyes shooting wide open. He looked between Annabeth and Samael as he tried to process what was going on, whilst he glared back at Samael not approving of being blamed for her death. It wasn't his fault, was it? He didn't know if he should be blaming himself as this was now two epople blaming him. "I don't know Annabeth, but I'm trying to help you, I am" he said to her, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks once more, feeling utterly helpless. He just wanted to get to her but he couldn't, completely stuck and bound to the place where he stood, as he struggled to fight against the invisible bind on his arms at his sides. As the torture began on Annabeth, Sam screamed and begged Samael to stop hurting her as he fought against the binds more but couldn't break free. He tried to shield himself by squatting down on the ground and tilting his head forward to try and protect his head, as did Natalia as the glass and ceiling began to crack and shatter around them from Annabeth's power. As Samael paused his torture to speak to Annabeth and mentioned about demons, Natalia looked toward her brother wide eyed and then proceeded with the look of 'we need to talk if we survive this' which Sam tried to ignore. He knew his sister wouldn't let this drop if they got through this. When it wouldn't just stop Sam kept shouting and begging the angel to stop torturing Annabeth, tears flowing down his cheeks like waterfalls, his body starting to shake in fear and anger of not being in control whatsoever. He hated seeing and hearing her sob feeling so useless right now, especially when the light started to escape her but it was when Cason slammed his hand on the wall and the blinding flashing white light filled the room, did he and Natalia then shield their eyes by looking down at the ground and closing their eyes tightly shut. When the light disappeared, they felt the release on their arms and sighed with relief that they were even alive still. Sam ran to Annabeth's side, wanting to go and touch her but something told him not to, "Annabeth??" he questioned, his tone already asking for his vocal chords to ask if she was okay. "What the hells was that?" Natalia asked, looking primarily at Cason and Benjamin as it seemed they both knew what Samael was.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee "That was a corrupt Angel, Samael." "He wants to kill Sam and Dean or something. I wasn't sure. I got the vision to get here as soon as I can, since I didn't know if Samael would just kill you all." "Unfortunately, he had more power than even I could imagine. I was powerless to stop him once I got his attention." Benjamin looked nervous, hoping they wouldn't ask him about him being a witch.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS With Castiel now gone and Bobby waking up first, Mika was out but when Dean skidded across the room and grabbed ahold of her and she started to stir awake as she heard his voice pierce through the thin veil of unconsciousness and consciousness combined. As she woke up she groaned a bit, instinctively lifting her free hand up to her head, to feel Dean's hand there already and looked at him as he requested. "Urgh...what the hell was that?" she grumbled as she then hugged him, grateful that she was still very much alive and more importantly Dean was still alive and okay. She didn't even complain when he pressed his hand lightly on her forehead on the cut that had appeared, figuring that she must have hit her head on either the table or the shotgun, but judging by how the shotgun was laying on the ground, she guessed it was that she smacked as she went down. She then looked over at Bobby and sighing with relief seeing that he too was okay and not hurt. If she lost her only family member she never would have come back from that kind of grief. She had known for a long time that if she lost Bobby, she would go so far down the grief road that she was damn certain nothing would bring her back. "Everyone else okay?" she asked them both. SAM WINCHESTER Sam was glad that she let him try and clean her up a bit, whilst also glad that she was now calming down and not causing anymore damage to this hotel. As he finished doing what he could, he threw the ripped piece of cloth from his shirt into the nearby bin and looked up also having heard Cason's footsteps coming from the bathroom. He listened to his words and as much as he would love to disagree with him just on principle of him being a demon that was clearly posessive over Annabeth, he knew he couldn't disagree. The guy made a very valid point, the hotel looked worse for wear and if they stayed any longer he was convinced they might be blamed for the damages, which in a way he wouldn't blame the owners for doing as it was kind of their fault. "I agree we need to move on from this hotel. Before we either get kicked out or charged for the damages or have the feds on our case because we look like a right dodgy group." Sam replied before giving it a think about how many rooms they would possibly need for everyone. His thoughts were broken up by Annabeth whispering to him about wanting to travel with him in his car and nodded, "You can, dont worry" he told her back quietly then looked up at everyone in the room. "I do think we should bunk up with someone, no one should be left alone in this situation. I recommend Nat be with Esme in one room, Annabeth can share with me as she requested it, benjamin, if you're coming along I'd suggest you share with Cason unless Cason insists on bunking with myself and Annabeth, so that's three rooms possibly. Then get a fourth for Dean and Mika. If Bobby stays around which I doubt he's the only one I trust to be alone." he explained, throwing out a rough idea to see what the others thought.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling As Cason washed his hands, Esme leaned her head back against the wall but made sure she could still monitor him. When he finished and turned to her with a grin, she raised an eyebrow. As he spoke, she listened and studied him. He appeared to be truthful. But then again, she was pretty much a human lie detector. She almost laughed when he told her to consider him in her debt. A demon in the debt of a hunter, now that was something. That could either be a good thing or a bad thing because who knows when it could go bad and bite you in the ass. Esme looked at him with her brow still raised as he tried to prove that he was serious. All she could do at this moment was let it play out and see where it went. When Cason poked his head out the door and held his hands up as if she would fall, she couldn't help but roll her eyes a bit. She sighed heavily at his words to the others. She pushed herself off the wall and stumbled a bit. "I said I'm fine!" she snapped at Cason. Though the quick movement was a bad idea, her vision blurred, and she became light-headed. "Hellfire." she mumbled, as she reached for something to grab a hold of. She could feel nothing close and soon felt herself falling towards the tile floor.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean nodded at Mika, as he looked her over, running his thumb lightly around the outside of her head wound. He was concerned about it, but it didn't seem to need stitches. He brought her face to meet his eye line, by holding her cheeks to look her over, and make sure her eyes were reacting fine as he muttered, "We're fine. Are you okay?" "I'm good!", Bobby yelled from across the room, brushing dust and grime off the front of his shirt and pants. He looked around at the warding, and then at Dean, who seemed to be the only one not knocked out by whatever the hell that thing was, "If you got any good information, now would be the time to spill it." Dean shook his head lightly, "I need to confirm what the guy said before then…Why don't we pack up and head back to your place. We can figure it out there, where we have plenty of booze and a safety net." Bobby couldn't help but agree, staring down at his niece with worried eyes, "You doin' alright? I mean…are you good to ride, kid?" Cason As Esme snapped at him about being fine, he rolled his eyes as well, seeing that she was becoming more pale by the second. He listened to Sam's plan and shook his head lightly, "I don't sleep. So, I think I'll hang out between rooms. I can just walk around, or I can hang out with anyone who can't sleep. I don't want you….alone. And I don't want her without…" Cason stopped his sentence, as he was speaking about Esme when she fell. He reached his arms out, catching her, and gently lowering to the ground with her. He did his best to make sure he took most of the fall, and groaned. "…without someone to watch her. I owe her a debt for trying to save Annabeth. None of you could understand what that means." He pushed Esme's hair out of her face, and quickly vanished with her. After settling her in a room, near St. Louis, Missouri, he pulled out his phone and texted Sam's number on a phone he had lifted from Bobby Singer's car. 1113 Sycamore Drive Arnold, Missouri —-Already checked in, Samuel. Annabeth Annabeth gave a relieved smile, leaning her head against Sam as he spoke, listening to his voice vibrating his chest. She honestly didn't care where everyone else went, but she didn't trust him to be alone, and she didn't feel safe alone…especially now that her eyes were gone. She also had her powers to deal with, and try to figure out, and Sam seemed the least afraid of her. He was the one who treated her most like a human. And she was starting to have tiny flashes of a past life, where they were together as teenagers, but it felt brief. He was a lot more angry, in her visions. He was more stressed, but just as gentle and kind. The thought made her smile against his chest. "What about the angels? What do we do to stay away from them?", she asked honestly. She thought about her powers and then Cason disappeared, his absence something she could feel, after being with him for so many months, "I guess we'll just have to hope for the best…" Her words came out almost as a chuckle, as she scooted back from Sam, wanting to try her legs so they could get out of there. She swung her legs over the bed beside him, and stood carefully. "This is going to take getting used to, the whole…no eyes thing."</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee "Keep those glasses with you. Repeated long time use will allow you to eventually see shapes, colors and general locations of where everything is without having to wear them." Benjamin stated. "I regret not having the power to save you. That angel has a very ominous name, it's only fitting that he is so evil." "Annabeth, I could perhaps hide you from them and give you a place to rest, once we get to wherever we're going." He offered with a sign of regret in his voice.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Cason Cason smiled, pleased that she agreed to take his hand. He pulled her to his side as she stood, seeing the nervousness on her face, "I promise…I'm not going to let them hurt you." He spoke the words with a serious look on his face, reaching a hand up to quickly brush his thumb down her chin in an attempt to elicit a smile. He then turned to the front door, bringing her along with him as he turned the door knob, and swung the door open. Sarah quickly turned her head, and peeked around the door facing as they approached. She stood about a half a foot below Cason's eye level, her smoky hair whipping around as the chilly night air washed over them. "Hey, darlin'.", Cason almost cooed to her as he stepped over the threshold of the door, and onto the small porch. She backed up as he pulled Esme through the doorway with him, bringing her in front of Sarah. Her appearance was akin to a Doberman Pinscher, made of smoke and glowing red eyes as she pulled her lips back to show her teeth, "This is Esme. I know…she's a human. But you need to protect her, at all cost. No matter what you see. No matter where I go. You watch her." Sarah turned her gaze to Esme, stepping forward with a small thud and bowing her head. Cason didn't stop his orders as she did so, bringing his hand to her snout, "And anything that tries to get into this house, or near her, that doesn't smell like I do…destroy." Sarah growled, almost excited at the permission to kill something. She kept her bowed stance in front of Esme, as Cason reached down for Esme's hand. He yanked her forward, placing her hand amongst the wisping smoke atop Sarah's head, allowing her to pet the hellhound, something humans never were allowed to do, or they would be torn to shreds. "She can't hurt you now, even if she wanted to. Even the guy I stole her from, as a puppy, has no say, here."</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Cason's words didn't bring Esme much comfort. She didn't give a smile at his attempt. She followed him to the front door, her eyes trained on it as he opened it and swung it open. She saw Sarah peek around the door as they approached. Esme's eyes went wide at her size. Her eyes didn't leave Sarah as Cason spoke sweetly to her as they walked out onto the porch and in front of Sarah. Esme took in Sarah's appearance, noticing how much she looked like a Doberman that was made of tendrils of smoke. The most startling thing about her was her red eyes, followed by the showing of her teeth. Esme took a few steps back at the action as Cason spoke to Sarah. She couldn't lie to herself or hid it from her face. The hellhound that stood before her absolutely terrified the hell out of her. She froze as Sarah turned her red eyes on her and stepped forward and bowed. She listened to what Cason told Sarah as he placed a hand on her nose. Sarah's growl sent a shiver down her spine. Esme gave a yelp as Cason grabbed her hand and yanked her forward to Sarah, only to set her hand on Sarah's head as she closed her eyes tightly. She felt that her hand was on something solid, but she dared not open her eyes even at Cason's words. Was her hand truly resting on top of a hellhound's head? Was she still standing on Bobby's porch? Or was her mind playing tricks on her? Esme barely opened an eye to peek at her surroundings and Sarah in front of her, her hand was in fact resting on her head. "Holy hellfire!" she said in barely a whisper that was shaky. Esme finally opened her eyes fully and looked at Sarah, still not believing she was actually standing in front of a hellhound and had her hand on its head. This is stupidly crazy. she thought. Sarah still had her terrified, but she was slowly gaining control of herself and gaining color back to her face.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Cason Cason smiled at Esme's reaction to touching Sarah's head. Sarah groaned in appreciation of her new friend, nuzzling her smoky head into Esme's hand. Violet, almost seeming jealous of the attention her sister was getting and strolled over, herself, offering herself to Esme without a prompt, which caused Cason to smile wider. "While it will be these two who follow you around, any hellhound on this property knows the rules…", he explained, patting his best girl on the back as she nuzzled Esme and sat on her rump in front of her. "If you need private time, tell them. They can understand you, for the most part. They will just sit outside whatever door you're behind. No salt lines, unless they are inside, or they can't protect you…", he explained, "And they can't come near the vault. So, I would stay away from it, as well. Other than that, they're yours until you decide to give them up. I think you'll find it relaxing, once you get used to it." He looked out over the foggy junkyard, seeing the other hellhounds around the perimeter, patiently waiting for the worst to come. He could feel it in the wind that the demons were probably not going to play by the rules, but why would they? It wasn't Alastair's style. He heard the others entering the living room, as they stood with the door open, Bobby grumbling a bit about him wasting the air conditioning, despite the cool air coming through the door. "We should probably see what the plan is, yeah?", he said to her finally, nodding toward the open door.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme calmed a bit more when Sarah nuzzled her hand with a sound that sounded like appreciation. Esme then rubbed Sarah's head, then looked over at Violet as she came over. She couldn't help but smile a bit as Violet looked a bit jealous of the attention Sarah was getting. Esme slowly lifted her other hand and placed it on Violet's head and rubbed it. This was one of the craziest things she had done in her life, and she had done some crazy things in her life. When Cason spoke, Esme turned her head to look at him. Esme nodded to show she understood, then turned back to the two hounds in front of her as she was nuzzled by one. Esme rubbed their heads and patted the sides of their necks as Cason continued to explain everything she needed to know. She knew well that she wouldn't be able to use salt lines unless absolutely necessary, but she was glad he mentioned the vault. She knew nothing about it except that it was there, since she didn't go down with the other when Bobby had shown them. "Relaxing?" she repeated in a questioning tone. "Maybe." she said, looking over at him. She followed his gaze, looking out over the junkyard, taking in the fog and other hounds that roamed the grounds. If and when anything comes, they would be sure to hear with so many hounds around the house. Esme looked back at Sarah and Violet. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes. Even with the extra protection, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about this whole situation, but they couldn't let Annabeth go without a fight. She knew well that this all could end terribly. They could be killed or seriously injured from all that was coming their way. She sighed again as she heard Bobby grumble about wasting the air conditioning. She then nodded to Cason as she opened her eyes. "Yeah, we should. I don't want to be left in the dark on any of this." she mumbled. She looked at Sarah and Violet as she gave them both a good pat, a small smile coming to her. "Thank you." she whispered softly to them both. "I don't see a problem with one of you coming in. I don't think there is room for both of you in the living room. Just try not to make yourself known. We don't want to freak out the others." she continued in a soft whisper. Esme then turned to head back inside with the others.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA AND NATALIA Seeing Dean almost grumble in disapproval at her quip about how Dean used to like sleepovers also made Mika smirk smugly that she got one over on him for once. It made a change from playful jabs being made at her and she very rarely got one over on him, so when she did, she revelled in it and she noticed that Natalia and Sam noticed it also as she smirks on their lips. This was also her way of backing Sam up from the jabs, just like she always used to. As Dean said about getting the blankets and sleeping bags, she decided she would help him if it came to it, by remaining out of the way of the cast iron door and letting him. She didn't notice it, but being this close was making her skin feel rather warm under her clothing but she thought nothing of it, just assuming it was because there was no real air conditioning in this basement of Bobby's. She watched as Natalia stepped out behind Dean and then started walking toward the steps with her. "Can't believe you didn't say anything about this being down here" she quietly told Mika, "None of you asked" Mika quipped back with a smirk and light snigger. "Touche" Nat replied before looking back again as it was dicussed about the two of them helping come up with defence plans. SAM With the jesting done and over with, he looked back down at Annabeth as she walked back to him after studying every inch of the vault. He smiled at her at first but then she spoke so seriously and quietly, his smiel faded a little, not knowing where this was going but knew they did indeed need to talk. He wanted to tell her that he remembered her from when they were kids, remind her of that one brief meeting that night, but it seemed she needed to get what she had to say off her chest first. The words that came out of her mouth did not sit well with him at all, and he shook his head lightly but he knew she was right, he would have to let her go if they were to get any kind of advance on Alistair, but he didn't like the idea. "I don't wanna let you go again...but...but I know I have to" he mumbled back to her. "We have met before Anna...in Minnesota, in some grubby motel parking lot. We ran to a cabin in the adjacent woods and my brother and Mika came after us. Just know I have never forgiven myself for letting you run off that night and if I fail you again by getting you hurt because I agree to letting you go with AListair? I won't forgive myself for that either" he explained to her, placing his forehead to hers.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Knocking on the door, the witch noticed that he could sense the presence of someone very experienced and skilled as a hunter. Benjamin politely gave just three more raps on the door and would wait for Bobby to answer. "I'm a friend of the Winchesters." He stated. "Name's Benjamin, I fell asleep in the car." "Sorry!" He stated, as he was embarrassed. Sioux Falls was beautiful this time of year, he thought to himself.</s>
<\|description\|>Samael Species: Angel Age: ageless - as old as Castiel Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Tasked with ensuring that the abomination attached to Sam Winchester is eliminated, swiftly. Bio: Samael is a soldier, first and foremost. His no-nonsense and no quarter policies have made him an icon amongst the garrison he leads in heaven. He fought alongside Uriel and Castiel until his number was drawn to eliminate threats on Earth, similar to Castiel's own tasks. However, while Castiel is tasked with making sure plans are acted out according to the book, Samael is tasked with eliminating the Second. Liliths Second is a viable host to Lucifer (although not his true vessel, like Sam), a potential barrier between the younger Winchester brother and his purpose of releasing Lucifer, and must be killed. She has been shielded by her demon boyfriend's attempts to keep her from Lilith, but has not been warded against Angels. It's most unfortunate that she has once again come into the path of Sam Winchester...most unfortunate indeed. They might have told him to try and save her soul, but that's not his business. His business is getting the task done, by all means necessary. The Winchesters are gnats. They can be swatted, and if God wants to bring them back for their roles, that's his business. He has his orders. Weapons: Angel Blade His own grace - can smite demons and humans as well as heal them. He can also teleport, thanks to his wings, and can time travel.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme didn't miss Mika's nod of thanks to her and gave a small smile in return. She sighed inwardly as she finished pulling out what they needed for Dean. She could still feel the tension between them but was happy she acknowledged her help. She was about to walk away from the table to tidy up the room a bit when Mika suggested she wrap Dean's left hand. "Alright." she said with a small smile. Esme grabbed some gauze and alcohol wipes before walking over to Dean's left side. She listened as he spoke and sighed. She didn't blame him for being worried about this whole thing. The last bit of what he said made her look up, even if it was directed at Mika. But she could relate to the statement even if she didn't have words to express it at that moment. Esme set the gauze on the arm of the chair and opened one packet, letting the paper hit the floor, then carefully pulled out the wipe and unfolded it. "This may sting a bit." she said as she gently took his wrist. She then carefully cleaned the cuts on his hand with the wipe, just barely catching what Natalia had said. Her eyes never looked up from her job. She then used the other for good measure. She tossed the wipes on the table before grabbing the gauze from the arm of the chair. Esme then carefully wrapped the gauze around his hand, being mindful to not wrap it too tight. When she had finished, she released his wrist and took a step back and looked over at Natalia. "I can hang back with you here." she told her. "You don't need a large group going with you to summon this thing." she said, looking back at Dean. "With Mika going, that should be plenty. Plus, it'll give you one less person to worry about." she continued. "Though, I won't lie. I'm worried about the three of you going to confront whatever this is."</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA AND NATALIA Mika knew that Dean would pick up on the fact she was letting Esme help her out and would take it as a start to her apologising to the woman for her earlier behaviour. That assumption was proven right when she noticed Dean smile breifly at her to which she returned and smiled back. She didn't fully agree with him flexing his hands but she let him do it anyway, understanding that it was just to make sure he could feel his hands. Though she did wish he would have a bit more faith in her handiwork than that. She had patched him plenty of times before after all, just as he had for her. With Esme finally coming over and helping her as they both listened to Dean admit he was worried about what they were about to get themselves into. She like Esme, understood why he was so worried, it was something they hadn't ever come across before and like he said, there was never anything given to them like this without some kind of price to come biting them back in the ass later on. She did the same routine as Esme did with Dean's right hand before leaning back in her chair when she done to stretch ehr back out for a split second. She listened to Esme give her two cents and Natalia's before she decided to speak up, "hey...we got this. We've made it through some pretty rough times, I've had worse I'm sure, can't think of any right now but you catch my drift." she replied to them all, which was half a lie as she could think of one incident....her miraculous survival from a wendigo attack. Natalia smiled as she rolled her eyes at Mika's comment to Dean and Esme, wondering when that fake cocky smart ass side of Mika would show up, she was tempted to say something about her childhood survival but decided against it, instead focusing on Esme deciding to stay behind with her to which she nodded in agreement. "Fine by me and I'm worried too but Brother you got this. We're Winchesters remember, we don't go down easy. Whatever is messing with you like this should learn to regret their actions" she told Dean. It may not have been the normal thing to say a sibling but it was her way of saying she had faith in him, Bobby and Mika to get answers and that he would be alright. It was also her way of showing some kind of sister affection without showing stereotypical affection. SAM WINCHESTER Seeing her groan and move on the ground, Sam sighed with relief that she was still alive and okay. He nodded at her words, and welcomed her coming to help him when she got grabbed and thrown again making him go wide eyed, "Annabeth!" he called out, struggling more to get out of his bonds. He did not want to lose yet another person on his watch, he wouldn't be able to handle another loss. Seeing her get up yet again and run over to him, he found her stubbornness strangely familiar, was it because they had met before at some stage he had forgotten about? Or was it because it was similar to his sister's and Mika's stubborn personality? He couldn't work it out initially but now wasn't the time to try and figure that out. He looked at her right in the eyes as she came over, her suddenly sweeping of his hair behind his ear and touch on his cheek felt like a massive brick wall had just been blown down as he suddenly remembered.....Anna. The girl from his teenage years, the girl he briefly ran off with to a cabin in the woods ooposite the motel that Dean and Mika were in, when Mika wasn't...well...herself. Now it made sense! Why her name rang a bell in his head, why her stubbornness felt so familiar...it was the same as when she begged him to run with her. "Anna..." he breathed in a whisper toward her, showing he wasn't upset with her in the slightest, just worried about her well being and shock that she was somehow back in his life. He was convinced that when she went missing that night after leaving him, Dean and Mika that she was dead, that the vampires had killed her. He snapped out of his thoughts when she went and untied his hands, making it easier for him to slip his hands out of the ropes. Yet his eyes suddenly spotted the demon walking in grinning like the cheshire cat as he looked like all his christmases had come at once. He got up off the chair as Annabeth tried to exorcise the demon with her hands and mind, but it just failed and then something came about that he was hoping never would....the demon got the upper hand and he witnessed him just snap Annabeth's neck like it was nothing but a twig. "ANNABETH!!" He screamed, tears filling up in his eyes as he saw her lifeless body on the ground. He had just found her alive and somehow been reunited with her and now he had lost her...again. This couldn't be happening, he can't be losing more people so soon after just getting Dean back. He couldn't take it anymore, he didn't even care that the demon was seeing him cry for the girl. Soon enough he looked back at the demon and narrowed his tear filled eyes in anger at him. "You son of a bitch" he sneered, using the back of his wrist to wipe his tears away. He held up his hand and focused with all his might to do everything Ruby had taught him and send this bastard back to Hell once and for all.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean shook his head at Esme, but also agreed with her through his eyes, "I think you would do fine, with us. If this thing was something we knew about, I would trust you in action in a heartbeat. But…I don't want weaknesses around us. My weakness, not yours. Mika is a weakness for me, but I also know that if I say run, she'll run…or at least…I think…" He frowned a bit, wincing at them messing with his hands. This was going to be fun, fighting whatever the hell this thing was with no feeling in his hands. Dean smiled warmly at Natalia, not even realizing how much he had needed her around, until she was around. His time in Hell was very vivid in his head, and the demons had used plenty of threats toward her to torment him, before realizing it wouldn't break him. But, seeing her alive did set his heart aflame. "I mean. You're not wrong…", he muttered at her, raising his eyebrows. She was right about one thing. The Winchesters were damn hard to kill. There wasn't much they couldn't do together, and most everything in the universe seemed to know it. He pulled his hands away from the girls as they finished up, and stood, trying not to knock either of them over as he reached for his jacket. "Welp. There's no time like now to die, right? Twenty four hours out of the hole, and we're already on the chopping block again…Winchesters.", he laughed slightly, before shoving his gun back into his pants and stepping across the room toward the door. He waited there for Mika, and turned to the other girls, "You girls stay safe. Lock the doors…don't answer for anyone you don't know. You know the drill…" He gave the dad speech with a faux serious face, waving his hands around. Annabeth Annabeth lay on the dirty floor, her eyes open and glassy…lifeless as they stared at Sam. Her soul had left her body, and was now bouncing around between heaven and nothingness. The demon felt fulfilled as he stared at how she had folded up on the ground from the fall. His eyes then widened as Sam stepped forward and held his arm out in a rage, "Now hold on…you can't…" He began to gag, his body shaking and his eyes bulging as he stared at Sam. Black smoke began to slowly erupt from him throat and fall with sparks onto his feet and the ground below. "…It's a myth!!!", he screamed before the smoke sped up, and finally left his throat completely, causing his dead meat suit to crumble on the floor with a thud. Another demon that was merely in the room, waiting to subdue Sam if needed began to scream at the ceiling, the black smoke from his throat flying into an air vent as he panicked and ran away from Sam Winchester. Staring at Annabeth's body, and the body of his boss, the final demon had just stepped into the room, and also smoked out loudly.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee At Dean's Grave At this point there was yellow tape around the area, the police were gone and no one else was around quite at the moment investigating. Benjamin was going to touch the grave to use for his psychic abilities to determine what his visions meant. As he touched the grave with his hand, he felt the presence of some strange divine being behind him. He turned around as the visions flooded his mind, this time, he needn't worry about being distracted by them, as he sensed danger from the mysterious spirit. "Oh, the name I'm getting from you, is Samael." "That . . . is really interesting. You feel like an angel, yet the name you carry is sometimes attributed to the Devil." "Care to explain sir?"</s>	<\|message\|>Samael Samael rolled his eyes, while sitting in an office chair in Heaven. A prayer was coming into his mind as he sat there. He was tempted to simply smite the psychic by showing his true form, but instead, he communicated back with an air of sarcasm to his voice. "What humans and prophets have attributed my name to, means nothing to me. I am an angel, although not as soft as some of my brothers...", he muttered, rubbing his brow, before his eyes widened at the life force of his target fleeing. The girl was dead. Screaming, he stood and turned the massive glass table with a huff, before smiting a young angel next to him with a thought and a growl. He then disappeared from the room, with a flutter of wings.</s>
<\|description\|>Cason Smith Species: Demon Age: unknown Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Tasked with hunting down and killing the remaining special children, all but the Boy King, whom he worships. Bio: Cason was a rather boring guy, when he was human. At 30, he sold his soul for honor. He wanted to be a class A soldier, the best there ever was. But what good is honor, if you never live to see it play out? After 10 years, the demon came to him with her hounds. Her hellhounds ripped him apart, leaving his remains scattered about his cabin. In hell, he was a good soldier, being allowed to leave the racks after only five years. Some may have called him weak. No, in Cason's mind, it was an opportunity for glory. Make the best of your situation, right? Word spread about the special children. All corners of hell wanted a piece of the pie. And when it failed for Lilith? She came looking for her brightest and most talented soldiers to hunt down her failures, hiding them from Lucifer. Now, only one remains. She may seem innocent, but you would be wrong to underestimate her. With his devotion to Sam Winchesters destiny, he will stop at nothing to make sure the boy isn't challenged...no matter who he has to go through first. But the girl is beautiful. It's almost hard to kill her. No. It's his job...but...does she even know? Shut up. He's a demon! He's a warrior! There's no room for sentimental bullshit here. But...is this guilt he's feeling? Weapons: Himself - teleportation, ability to change bodies at will, super strength and can only be killed by the Colt or Ruby's knife. Can also be exorcised. Ability to control hellhounds.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester Dean's eyes went wide with a mixture of anger and surprise at how quickly Mika exploded. He opened his mouth to speak after her first set of words, but quickly closed it as she continued. "I deserved that…", he whispered, when the punch to his face was mentioned. He was honestly surprised she hadn't hit him harder, or kept hitting him, considering this wasn't the first time she had witnessed a scene like that. He flinched as she continued, saying the words that he had worried she would say, bringing up their past, and how dishonest he could be when he was stressed. "Mika…", he started, flinching again at her final words, and pushing off the back step of the house to follow her, "MIKA! Stop walking. You're not a saint either, you know! I only met her because…" He didn't want to bring up their last big breakup, as closed the gap between the house and her car, slowing to a creeping pace as he caught up with her and watched her climb up onto the trunk. He stepped up to her, refusing to give her space this time, as he needed her to hear him out. Placing his hands on both sides of her face to lift her eyes to him, he nearly growled, but softened his voice as best he could. "Let me explain what's going on. Alright? I'll tell you everything, but you have to listen…to me…and try to relax.", he said to her, carefully. He pressed his forehead to hers, nuzzling his nose against hers as he started to hum their song, just breathing with her through the humming. Cupid had nothing to do with this one. It was just Dean, trying to save what little of a relationship they had been able to keep up, over the years. As he finished the humming, his lips coming up to kiss her forehead, hoping that she was calm enough to speak to him, he narrowed his eyes. Dean's eyes had fallen on Cason's jacket draped over the back of the passenger seat, through the back window, which was still fogged around the corners. "That's not mine…", he muttered against her forehead, before taking a step back from her, just studying her face, "Mika that's not mine. I recognize that jacket…" Cason Cason threw his hands up as Esme pulled her hands from him and stepped away. He wanted to follow her, but knew that if he did, it might just start the singing back up, which none of them could handle, at this point. So, he did what he knew how to do. He sat down on the couch beside Natalia, and took the bottle of whiskey from the table in front of her, "Bobby?" Bobby didn't even need him to say anything, he picked up another glass from beside his desk and tossed it to Cason who caught it skillfully, and poured himself a glass of whiskey, "Here's to everyone's fucked up little relationships, and cupid, am I right?" "You're still thinking it's cupid?", Bobby asked as if Cason was insane. But Cason nodded, convinced, and Bobby's eyebrows fell, "So how do we get rid of him?" "We don't. The only thing we could feasibly do is to blast him back to heaven, and get him out of our hair, but who knows for how long?", Cason replied, taking a drink of his whiskey with a quivering hand. "You seem on edge, boy…", Bobby sighed, watching the demon in front of him shake like a leaf about something on his mind. But Cason didn't answer, only stared at the wall, as if he was waiting for something to happen. Annabeth Anna giggled into the kiss at his words, her giggle only growing a bit louder at the sound the bed made as he sat. She straddled Sam's waist, leaning back to let him remove her shirt, before her hands came up under the hem of his, making quick work of it over his broad shoulders and head. She tossed it to the side and pressed their bare chests together, sinking into his kiss. Her fingers coming back up to tangle in his hair, her heart began to beat hard enough that it was visible through he vein on her neck, the overwhelm causing a small and happy sigh to leave her nose as they finally made up for all the lost time… ——- Laying on the pile of blankets Dean had brought down for them earlier in the night, Anna leaned up, still panting a bit from the 'exercise' and traced circles on Sam's bare chest, "Wow…" She giggled at the only word that she could come up with in her mind and leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips with a bright smile. She felt almost normal, in that moment. The demon blood was likely reeking havoc on her system, but it had caused a perfect moment with Sam, that ended up causing a few bruises and scrapes, but was a long time coming. She just watched his face, safe with her, wrapped up in what seemed like a sea of blankets, and content. The image almost made her wonder if there could be happiness in this cycle of torture she had been in, down the road. Hopefully, with Sam.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS The moment Dean said she wasn't a Saint either, she paused for the tiniest of seconds before shhe had made her way onto the top of her trunk. She was so desperate to say 'how dare you?' to him as he tried to bring up their past, to bring up Ethan...the only other person she had in her life who was a constant...until she got him killed. That was far too a raw line to be dredging up and she used all her will power to not say something even more hurtful back. Through her hands on her head she could see his legs standing right in front of her, refusing to give her space, even though that's what she wanted from him. She flinched slightly as he grabbed the sides of her face and made her look at him as he spoke up and agreed to tell her everything. She didn't know if she would believe it or not but sighed as he nuzzled her nose, humming their song, a song that no one knew was theirs. It caused a lump in her throat to appear as she unwillingly calmed a little bit hearing it, tears falling down her face and onto his. She could feel that this was purely him, not some outside source making him do this. She tried to not fall for it but failed miserably. His hope in calming her enough to talk, working. She closed her eyes tightly shut as he kissed her forehead but then came a comment she was initially confused about, making her look behind her and saw Cason's jacket. The realisation of what Dean was going on about hitting her like a ton of bricks as she slowly looked back at him terrified of what she was about to confess to him. "Dean I...." she started stammering, her dear of how he was going to react evident in her eyes and tone. "whatever is doing this to us... G...got to me a...agin." she kept stammering. "one moment I'm singing, n...next thing.. I.. I'm screwing Cason..." she admitted hesitantly. "Dean I'm so sorry. We had no control over ourselves..."she said to him, trying to keep him with her. Her apology completely heartfelt. She was absolutely terrified of his reaction and desperately trying to keep talking to keep him where they were so he didn't go after Cason, even if she knew deep down it was completely useless. She couldn't stop Dean going after Ethan all those years ago, so there was no way she was going to be able to stop him now. NATALIA WINCHESTER Natalia found herself glancing between Cason and Bobby a couple of times as she witnessed Esme just pull away from him and go outside to get away from absolutely everyone. She actually didn't blame the woman for needing space, it seemed to be becoming a common trait in the group tonight. She watched as he came to sit with her on the couch and grabbed for the whiskey to which Bobby entertained him eith by throwing the glass at him. She had to admit, Cason did look absolutely petrified. Something was definitely up with him and she wanted to know. Yet it seemed she wasn't the only one noticing it as Bobby seemed to be bringing it as well. Cason's shaking like a leaf totally distracting her from the fact that Cason was adamant it was Cupid making them all do these stupid relationship wrecking moves. "Cason, what's going on?" she asked looking at him after he didn't answer Bobby. SAM WINCHESTER Catching his breath as they laid there together, Sam smiled to himself before chuckling at how Anna could onlysay'wow' to what they just did. He stroked her shoulder as they laid there together with his fingertips before looking down and kissing her back sweetly. Like her, he felt like this a moment of normality whilst being completely oblivious to everything going on upstairs. "that's one word for it" he finally replied after pulling away from the sweet kiss. He watched her face back as he continued to lightly stroke her shoulder and down her bicep. He was aware of the scratches and bruises they had put on each other and just remembering how they inflicted them on each other made him smile to himself. "I'm so glad you're back with me Anna" he told her softly.</s>	<\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester and Cason Dean closed his eyes, and sighed, stepping back from her with his jaw clenched as she confirmed what he was half afraid was the answer. He ran his right hand slowly down his face, trying to wipe away the rage that was filling his chest at that moment, "He's a demon. Things don't affect him the same way they would you…" He muttered the words slowly, not looking at her as he thought over his next move. He had felt so guilty about everything that had happened over the course of the night, only to come home to this. He couldn't even cry about it. He just huffed in the cool night air, and thought over his options. "He's a demon, Mika. He's a…", he shook his head, pulling Ruby's knife slowly from the back of his pants, twisting it to hold in his palm, blade down at his side. The light caught the metal blade and glinted as he started his way back up to the house, not caring if Mika followed him, at that moment. Cason shook his head at Natalia's question, still staring at the wall as he finished his drink and sat the glass on the table, "Dean Winchester is going to kill me, tonight." As if on cue, Dean opened the back door and stepped into the kitchen, his eyes burning as soon as he caught Cason in his sights. Cason sighed again and held up his hands, standing from the couch to step back from Dean's burning glare. "Dean…don't do anything stupid…", Bobby said softly, seeing the knife in his hand, "Dean!" Like a pouncing animal, Dean punched Cason in the face, knocking him to the ground. He drug him toward him, dropping the knife on the ground next to him as he straddled Cason's body, holding him up by his shirt, and wailing on him. "Dean stop! Whatever this is about, we can talk about it! There are Hellhounds outside, you idiot!", Bobby screamed at him, trying to find an angle to grab Dean and pull him off Cason. But Dean never flinched, just landing punch after punch against Cason's face. He pulled Cason's face up to his, "You knew what you were doing…I let you in. I never said anything about you being a demon. I trusted you. And now this…" Cason head butted Dean in the nose, causing the larger man to fall back on his ass against the floor, with a groan as Cason stood to his feet and squared up. "Get up. Get up! If I'm going to die like this…I'm going out on a high. Blaze of glory, baby!", Cason laughed almost maniacally, as he realized Dean's emotions had made him tired. But Dean stood, spearing Cason's torso with his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Before Dean could throw a punch with his control over Cason, he was flipped onto his back, Cason's fist connecting with his sore cheek, and then gripping his jaw, Cason slammed Dean's face against the floor once…twice…and three times, which subdued him enough for Cason to stand, wiping his mouth as he stood over Dean's groaning frame. Dean groaned roughly, trying to shake the ringing from his ears as his fingers slowly creeped his hand over toward the knife. Grasping it, he drove it into Cason's ankle, taking the demon off his feet. He then straddled him again, panting as he ignored his now bloody nose. He rested the knife against Cason's throat, driving the blade into his skin with bright orange sparks. "Do it. Coward...", Cason seethed at him, his eyes jet black as he leaned his head back to give Dean better access to his throat, "You took from me...I took from you...finish it, between us." "Dean stop!", Bobby screamed, his hand coming to grip the back of Dean's neck tightly, "Stop…No one is dying in this house tonight."</s>
<\|description\|>Cason Smith Species: Demon Age: unknown Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Tasked with hunting down and killing the remaining special children, all but the Boy King, whom he worships. Bio: Cason was a rather boring guy, when he was human. At 30, he sold his soul for honor. He wanted to be a class A soldier, the best there ever was. But what good is honor, if you never live to see it play out? After 10 years, the demon came to him with her hounds. Her hellhounds ripped him apart, leaving his remains scattered about his cabin. In hell, he was a good soldier, being allowed to leave the racks after only five years. Some may have called him weak. No, in Cason's mind, it was an opportunity for glory. Make the best of your situation, right? Word spread about the special children. All corners of hell wanted a piece of the pie. And when it failed for Lilith? She came looking for her brightest and most talented soldiers to hunt down her failures, hiding them from Lucifer. Now, only one remains. She may seem innocent, but you would be wrong to underestimate her. With his devotion to Sam Winchesters destiny, he will stop at nothing to make sure the boy isn't challenged...no matter who he has to go through first. But the girl is beautiful. It's almost hard to kill her. No. It's his job...but...does she even know? Shut up. He's a demon! He's a warrior! There's no room for sentimental bullshit here. But...is this guilt he's feeling? Weapons: Himself - teleportation, ability to change bodies at will, super strength and can only be killed by the Colt or Ruby's knife. Can also be exorcised. Ability to control hellhounds.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme watched Duke as he reacted to the news of Sarah being a Hellhound. Her grip on Sarah tightened a little when she saw Duke's eyes go wide, scoot away from her, and then spoke. Yes, she knew he'd more than likely flip out over the news, but that didn't mean it wouldn't affect her any. She inwardly cringed as she listened to his words and saw the concern in his very wide eyes, then nodded softly at what he was saying. She scanned his face as he stared between her and Sarah, wishing at that moment she could read his thoughts on what she had told him, and also wished she could reach out and help him through this. Though she knew this was something he was going to have to work out on his own, she couldn't make him okay with having a Hellhound around if he wasn't. When he stopped scooting back, she watched him intently, then realized what he was doing. He was waiting for Sarah to attack him as most would do, and she couldn't blame him for expecting it to happen. Her eyes never left Duke as he waited for Sarah to jump up and attack him, but when he realized she wasn't going to and was loving on her, it was easy to spot. When he spoke, she lifted her head slightly from Sarah's and listened to him, then gave a small nod before she had tried to lean back against the headboard and failed. When Duke quickly scooted closer from her hiss in pain, she quietly sighed at the same time he did and listened to him once more, giving a weak smile at his chuckle. It wasn't hard to see how shaky he was knowing there was a Hellhound lying in the bed with them, but she hoped that her being between them would calm him a bit. She lifted her head from Sarah's and was about to answer his questions when he reached out and brushed his fingers down her cheek, her eyes closing briefly at his show of acceptance and her smile growing a little. She could see just how hard he was trying to keep himself together, and it made her feel for him. Esme hadn't taken the news of the Hellhounds being around that calmly either when Cason first brought them around. In fact, it terrified her having them around at first. Then, oddly enough, she came to enjoy having them around and lost most of her fear of them. Releasing Sarah's head after giving her cheek a scratch, Esme focused on Duke as she reached over and took one of his hands in hers. As she did, Sarah rested her head gently on Esme's lap and softly nuzzled into her stomach. Esme held Duke's hand a moment before she started to answer his questions. "Yes, she listens to me, but I haven't asked her to do too much." she started softly. "I once asked her to keep Cason away from me so I could get some sleep. Even though I was asleep, I could actually hear her growl at him for getting too close to the bed as I slept." she told him, holding back a small laugh at the memory. "Then when she jumped up on the bed, I only gave her a look, letting her know you weren't to be harmed." She looked over at Sarah briefly and met Duke's gaze once more. "Yes, she's just laying there. Somehow, she and I have formed a bond, but I'm not sure if the bond would last if Cason were to remove the mark he gave me so I could see Hellhounds." Her gaze dropped to their hands, then fell on the black mark on her hand with a sigh as she ran her thumb over his hand. Cason could easily come and take the mark off her hand if he wanted to, and she'd only be able to hear the Hounds. "I know this was a bomb to hit you with and I'm sorry for that, but I didn't want to keep it from you with Cason bringing her into the room and then leaving her. If you're not comfortable with her being so close, I can have her move somewhere else. Or if you're uncomfortable with her being in here, I can have her go somewhere else." As if on cue, Sarah lifted her head from Esme's lap, gently nuzzled her cheek, and slipped off the bed to lie on the floor on Esme's side of the bed. Esme turned her head and watched Sarah with a small smile. "Thank you, Sarah. We'll just have to do things slowly." she spoke warmly to her before she turned her gaze back to their hands. "The others aren't thrilled I've allowed her to stay so close. So, I can understand if you feel the same way." Esme lifted her head and looked back at Duke, now feeling his fear with Sarah on the floor. Her features were soft as she met his gaze once again. "But yes, I'm okay, just a little sore in some places." she said, bringing her other arm and hand to rest across her stomach and side. "There is something else I think you should know, but I'm a little afraid to tell you right now. I think I should wait until you've calmed down about finding out what Sarah is. I don't want to throw too much at you all at once." With that being said, she took in a breath and slowly let it out as she tried to once again lay back against the headboard, wincing and gripping her side when the pain shot through her side and stomach.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS, NATALIA AND SAM WINCHESTER Mika knew she had to step in with reason when Dean gave Natalia the all too familiar gesture to say 'please don't' and she was glad that she did speak up as although it meant he glared at her, she knew deep down he couldn't argue with the logic and common sense of the plan. She also knew that Dean was only being like this because he cared about Natalia a lot more than he ever let on, and vise versa. She didn't particularly enjoy going with a decision that was against Dean's ideas and decisions, but sometimes she knew it was completely justified to do so. So when he did finally back down and agree that the plan to have Nat and Anna go with Cason to one side of the graveyard, and them the other, she let the tension relax from her shoulders that she didn't even realise she was holding. She agreed though that if Cason so much as got a single strand of either of their hairs out of place, he had to suffer some kind of consequences, no matter who it was that dished it out. It was Anna's reply to Dean though that made her raise her eyebrows in surprise, having not expected such a cut and dry remark from the woman. "Then it's settled" she commented, before smirking at Natalia asking Anna if she would be her date for the halloween party thinking how it so typical of Natalia to turn a serious and almost argumentative situation into something comical even for the briefest of moments. The fact that Annabeth could respond to it with ease made Mika see that the woman was going to truly fit in with their group just fine if she could give as good as she got. "Well I'd rather your date be my sister than Cason" Sam commented, shaking his head at how Natalia and Anna were being with each other. "I'll look after her well big bro" Nat told Sam, giving him a playful punch in the arm that had no weight behind it in the slightest but that didn't stop Sam pretending that it hurt his bicep by giving it a rub and scrunching his face up. "I guess I'll head to my room and get ready, gotta get out of this dumb suit and into something more appropriate for a party. Gotta look good for my date" she smirked jokingly, giving Anna a wink as she headed to Dean's room door. "Oh my god, stop!" Sam complained with a playful edge. He then looked at Dean and Mika, "Guess I'll do the same unless you need to discuss anything else? The bones we've both found are from what I can tell infant bones which just makes me cringe all the more...but unfortunately makes sense" he commented to his brother and Mika. "Sick bastards, infant bones? That's just beyond wrong" Mika said with disgust as Nat slipped out of the room and headed to her own room, where she walked down a few doors, opened her door and got inside, locking the door behind her. The idea that some witch would think 'oh let's just burn an infant child for my spells' really did not sit well with Mika, the thought made her internally shudder with disgust. Nat wasted no time in kicking her heels off, letting them fly across the ground as she walked to her bag to pull out some more comfortable clothing. "hmm...what to wear....ah who the hell am I kidding, I swear the same old shit every time" she commented to herself as she pulled out a pair of her bootcut jeans, a tshirt and overshirt.</s>	<\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester and Anna Dean rolled his eyes at everyone being so playful, while he still grappled with his annoyance with taking a demon with them at all. He raised a hand and waved it at all of them, except Mika, "Alright. Get the hell out of my room so we can get dressed. We'll catch up in a few. An Nat? This is a business trip. It's not a frat party for you to…do whatever you do at a party. Got it? You too Sammy." Anna was too busy laughing at Nat's messing with Sam to really be bothered by Dean acting like a father. She stepped close to Sam as Nat stepped out of the room, and shot Nat a wink as she exited. She snarled her nose at the same time that Dean did, but Dean gave a little shudder about the infant bones. Anna was realizing that she had even less of a reason to like witches, if they were all into killing babies or digging them up to use their bones. Shaking the thought from her head, she looked up at Sam, and trailed her hand down to grab his. She shook her hair over her shoulder and leaned up on her tiptoes togged closer to his face, "I'm going to get dressed. I'm definitely not wearing heels to a graveyard. A broken ankle isn't high on my list of things I am excited about, tonight. I'll see you in a minute?" She asked the question with a slight smile, leaning up a bit further to press a tight kiss to his lips, before she let his hand go, and walked to the door. Dean raised his eyebrows and glanced at Mika, before glancing back to Sam, "Pretty casual with the PDA after what…a day of knowing each other again? Some things never change, I guess.", he teased, before turning to his bag. As Nat stepped into her room, and kicked off her heels, Cason watched her patiently from the table that sat in the front corner of the room. He had already gotten himself dressed in a casual suit, with no tie and shiny Chelsea boots. His hair was carefully placed on the top of his head, and he smelled extra nice, as if he was taking out a first date somewhere in the city. "I think you look stunning in the 'same old shit'.", his voice suddenly rang out in the room, smooth and calm as he smiled widely at her, showing every one of his too white teeth. He lifted a glass of whiskey he had poured himself from the bottle he brought as a gift, and took a drink, "And don't mind me. I'm just here to drink away my troubles, and give you a ride…since this is a date, and all. I heard everything." Duke Duke listened carefully as Esme explained that Sarah was essentially just a large and invisible guard dog. From the sounds of it, as long as Esme could see Sarah, she could control her, and Sarah didn't seem to mind. Duke took a deep breath, and scanned Esme's face, before glancing down to where Sarah laid. He nodded slowly and glanced down at his and Esme's hands, scanning over the mark on her hand. Somehow he hadn't noticed the mark before, but now, he couldn't take his eyes off it. Some sort of demonic branding that could make her see Hellhounds? Sounded like a hunter's dream. "Don't be sorry. It's…it is a shock. I'm not going to lie. She seems big, and I know what Hellhounds can do to a person, you know? And most Hellhounds aren't pets. I haven't known many demons that kept them. I mean…I don't go around hangin' out with demons very often anyway, but apparently the Winchesters are doin' in now. So maybe I'm behind on the times." He chuckled nervously, after his nervous ramble about Sarah. But as Sarah stood from the bed and climbed on to the floor, Duke felt the bed rise with the loss of her weight. He still shivered a bit, as the last of his adrenaline rush, at the revelation began to fade. As Esme turned back to him, he rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand and took a deep breath as she spoke, "It's…unusual. But if she makes you feel better, who am I to ask her to leave. Just…keep her on her leash, if that's a thing." He moved quickly as she mentioned that she had something else to tell him. He wrapped an arm around the middle of her back, helping her lay back against the headboard. It killed him that she was so injured, despite everything that seemed to be coming up about her life. He wanted to know everything about what her life had been since she had left. Every single thing. But she seemed genuinely worried he would run off if she told him anything more, "Sweetheart…I don't think you could tell me anything heavier than what's been laid on me tonight. I'm gonna need a stiff drink, an IOU for that kiss from earlier, and pizza, but you can lay it on me."</s>
<\|description\|>Cason Smith Species: Demon Age: unknown Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Tasked with hunting down and killing the remaining special children, all but the Boy King, whom he worships. Bio: Cason was a rather boring guy, when he was human. At 30, he sold his soul for honor. He wanted to be a class A soldier, the best there ever was. But what good is honor, if you never live to see it play out? After 10 years, the demon came to him with her hounds. Her hellhounds ripped him apart, leaving his remains scattered about his cabin. In hell, he was a good soldier, being allowed to leave the racks after only five years. Some may have called him weak. No, in Cason's mind, it was an opportunity for glory. Make the best of your situation, right? Word spread about the special children. All corners of hell wanted a piece of the pie. And when it failed for Lilith? She came looking for her brightest and most talented soldiers to hunt down her failures, hiding them from Lucifer. Now, only one remains. She may seem innocent, but you would be wrong to underestimate her. With his devotion to Sam Winchesters destiny, he will stop at nothing to make sure the boy isn't challenged...no matter who he has to go through first. But the girl is beautiful. It's almost hard to kill her. No. It's his job...but...does she even know? Shut up. He's a demon! He's a warrior! There's no room for sentimental bullshit here. But...is this guilt he's feeling? Weapons: Himself - teleportation, ability to change bodies at will, super strength and can only be killed by the Colt or Ruby's knife. Can also be exorcised. Ability to control hellhounds.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) NATALIA Dean's feigning of innocence didn't wash over Natalia in the slightest. She just gave an unimpressed look to show him she didn't believe him at all that he 'didn't know what she was talking about'. She folded her arms across her chest to show him this was not going to be dropped and he may as well just come out with it before they butt heads all over again. It was quite the sight to see her almost mimic her brother's stance, showing there was no denying she was his sister, but unlike Dean, she didn't unfold her arms when he finally caved and began saying a load of questions at her. The moment he sarcastically called Cason 'Saint Demon' she narrowed her eyes at him and it seemed to be enough as he seemed to back down on that remark and try and word his question better, but it didn't get any better. He essentially asked her if she was already sleeping with him, making her scoff in disbelief that he'd think that low of her. She started opening her mouth to speak but Cason suddenly appeared behind her, making Dean let her know this conversation was far from over. Sighing, she finally unfolded her arms and gave Dean a nod. "Cason I'm alright, if you know where Anna is please tell Sam, I've got some more discussing to do with my brother" she told him, shooting him a quick glance but then looked straight back at Dean, her tone showing she was not happy with Dean still and she had some very strong words to say to him. She wasn't going to hold things back any more and instead of bottling everything up and keeping people out of her thoughts and opinions, she was going to start being open with them. SAM AND MIKA Mika and Sam were both ready to pounce between the two siblings the moment Dean started to ask his questions. Questions that Sam found valid and he himself was thinking even if he would have asked them in a slightly more tactful manner. He knew Nat was still in a very much delicate state and any wrongfully worded question to her could make her flip out on them all over again if they weren't careful. It seemed to him and to Mika, that Dean didn't share the same thought process. Then came the very blunt question of 'are you shagging him?' even if Dean didn't outright ask it in that manner and Mika instantly started to walk toward the two of them when Cason's re-appearance made her pause her walking and see just how close Cason had put himself to Nat. She gently shook her head at Dean to silently say 'be careful Dean', especially as she didn't appreciate getting brought into the earlier questions, but could understand why he did. To try and break up the silence, Sam cleared his throat and stepped forward to Cason, noticing the piece of paper in his hands. "Is that her location?" he asked him, gesturing to the paper in Cason's hand, wanting answers to Natalia's situation but also wanting Anna's location even more so.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme As Esme lay on the bed, with her arms still over her face, she listened to Duke come into the room and shut the door behind him. When he didn't immediately come over to the bed, she grew a bit worried but still couldn't bring herself to look over at him. When she heard his boots hit the floor and his hat land on the dresser, she figured he was getting dressed and would maybe walk back out giving her space when he was done. She wouldn't have thought anything of it if that was what he would have done, but he didn't. He stood at the end of the bed, she could feel his presence there and heard his deep breath to calm his nerves. She had made him nervous to come near her after everything that happened outside. Concentrating, to push past the shield Sarah caused, she could feel his nervousness, and it made her sick to her stomach. She didn't want him to ever be nervous to approach her after one of her little episodes, which she hadn't had in some time. She wanted to hide away from him more than ever now. She then felt the mattress dip as Duke crawled onto the mattress, then all the way up until he was next to her. It was strange witnessing him be so careful as if he was afraid she would go off on him again. She didn't have it in her to go off on him again, and she was still kicking herself for going about it the way she did. When he took hold of her wrist, her heart sped up. The gentleness of his touch started to break her out of her makeshift walls. She didn't fight against him when he pulled her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles after he spoke. Duke's light teasing and making sure she could feel his smile, caused an ever-so-slight smile to tug at the corners of her mouth. With him acting like this, she was finding it difficult to keep up her shield. Plus, it wasn't him that needed to apologize, it was her. She was the one that needed to apologize to him for her actions outside. Calling her Sweet Pea was what did her in, she could no longer lay there without looking at him, especially with how sweet and gentle he was being. Esme slowly pulled her arm from her face to see he was reaching for her other hand. Without thinking, she placed her hand within his, then looked up at him. She then forced herself to sit up and looked into his blue eyes, so she could talk to him, her eyes shifting between his as she looked at him. "Duke, I'm s…." she dropped her head and looked at their hands. "I'm sorry for the way I acted out there." She then lifted her head to look at him, then looked over at his hat on the dresser. "In less than an hour, I became a completely different person. I blew on you over the bounty hunter idea. Then when I went and talked to Cason, I used blackmail to get him to help us find Anna." She then dropped her head and shook it with a heavy sigh. "That's not me. I don't blackmail those that have helped me or are a part of the group I'm in." she rambled to him. "I'm honestly surprised you're even here next to me after I bit your head off. I've been a real bitch this morning."</s>	<\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Dean watched the way Nat handled Cason and even tilted his head to the side in amusement at the way that Cason simply nodded, almost like a puppy in Dean's eyes, and pushed past both her and Dean. "Isn't that cute?", Dean muttered without even realizing it. He quickly looked down at Nat's face, and shot her a cheeky smile, before wiping it from his face completely. She would kill him before she would give him the satisfaction of insulting Cason, at the moment. "So, he seems to listen to you. That's nice. My question would be, why?", he asked, scanning Nat's face. He knew she was probably going to blow up on him. She would probably find every reason in the world to defend Cason, and honestly? He was tempted to give the guy benefit of the doubt, if his story was true. Cason Cason met Sam halfway, after leaving Nat, albeit reluctantly. As soon as the taller man stepped in front of him, he held the paper out in front of him and nodded, "Yeah. She was exactly where I figured she would be. She's a creature of habit, which is good for you, bad for her, I guess." Cason let Sam take the piece of paper and sighed, scratching his neck awkwardly to decide how to even talk to Sam as anything other than some random human, or at the least, the awkward new boyfriend of his ex. It wasn't as if he hadn't noticed Sam hovering here and there in the background, at Stanford. Or like Sam didn't pop up and come across Anna in coffee shops, where Cason would have to distract her to keep her from getting too close to him…for reasons. "I have to warn you. She's not alone.", he started, before holding his hands up to let Sam know he would explain, "I don't know if you remember Max. Short little guy with a bit of a droopy lip, dreamy blue eyes…had a bit of a crush on Anna before I met her. Well, she's staying at his place. He's a good kid. I don't recommend, if your plan is to bring her home, that you hurt him. Just trust me on that." Cason stepped over to the railing of the motel sidewalk, and leaned against it, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter, before lighting up. Now that Nat was all but demanding he stick around, even looking at the others was awkward. Duke Duke was relieved as the smile appeared from nowhere on Esme's lips, and when she pulled her other hand down, he dropped his shoulders with relief, a bright and familiar smile flooding over his face. But that smile faded after a moment, as she started to apologize. He gripped her hands a bit tighter and started to argue with her, but he knew that arguing, while trying to get his own apology in was probably not the best move. What surprised him was her explanation for her apology. Not only had she lost it on him but apparently she had all but bullied Cason into leaving, which was successful, so he didn't see harm. But he also knew Esme well enough to know that she was very VERY sensitive to manipulation. "So, you stop with that…first off.", he corrected her about him being there with her, "And as far as the blow up at me? You've blown up at me before. At least this time, I was being dumb…" His accent shined as he reached out and tilted her chin with one of his fingers, a smile spreading over his face again, "It takes a hell of a lot more than snappin' my head off, over bounty hunter drama for me to just run off. You know that. At least you didn't hit me, this time. No stitches…no foul." Duke pinched her chin gently, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip, while watching the contact intently, "I just assumed you were hungry. You always did turn into some other not so human kind of creature when you were hungry. Hangry…", he teased, before flashing his pearly white smile again.</s>
<\|description\|>Annabelle (Anna) Lockhart Personal Quote: "Well someone's gotta keep all these hungry mouths fed." Gender: Female Race: Caucasian Nationality: French-American Age: 24 Occupation: Camp cook Faction: With the McCullen rainwater gang for about 3 years, after she escaped from a rival gang "Bannon's Boys" alternatively known as "Bannon's Midnight Express Gang" on account of the fact that they were most famous for train robbings at night. Family: Antony Lockhart-Father-Ranch hand-Deceased (died of an illness) Sarah Lockhart-Mother-N/A-Deceased (died giving birth to Annabelle) Also know and Dick Head to the rest of the gang as the horse has a bit on an attitude toward anyone that is not Annabelle Equipment: Sharps Rifle, Volcanic Pistol, various cooking supplies (pots, pans, seasonings, the works) Skills: Cookin and Sharp shootin Personality: Perhaps a little too blunt for most people's liking. She isn't afraid to say what she thinks which sometimes leads to getting into various arguments with other gang members. She is however, fearisly loyal to the gang that basically brought her broken spirit back to life. She views the people within the gang as family and will go through Hevan and Hell for them if she needs to. Other than her blunt manor of speaking she is a rather kind individual however, making sure everyone is taken care of. Likes: Good food, good friends/family and a good time Dislikes: Betrayal, Boredom, Bannon's Boys, the Rival Gang she was originally with (Unintentional alliteration XD) Backstory (optional): Annabelle Lockhart was born to Jack and Molly Lockhart. Her father was a simple farm hand and her mother a seamstress. They lived a peaceful life. The family wasn't well off however they survived. Her mother even found time to teach Anna to read and write. As a child she ran around with her father's boss's son a lot. There parents were convinced the two children were smitten with each other. As much as two children could be. Eventually, when the two were just entering there teen year, the boy fell ill. He never recovered. Shortly after his death when she was 13 Anna began finding ways to rebel, one such way ended up being befriending the not so law abiding teens in the nearby town. One such teen was named Victor Bannon. Annabelle and Victor became quite close in the two years the pair had known each other so when an outlaw gang happened upon Victor it seemed a no-brainer for Anna to go with him. This would turn out to be Anna's first mistake. For three years Anna followed Victor around falling in love with him along the way, oblivious to the red flags the boy started to exhibit. It started small, however by the time she was 18 Victor had managed to take over the gang from the previous leader, turning it into Bannon's Boys. Many of the older members had either been killed or run out of the gang at this point. It was here that Victor became more violent. Even toward Anna. Of course at first she made excuses, it was her fault, he was stressed, whatever she could to excuse his behavior. She was in love after all, and at some point he had felt the same way toward her. Over the years things got worse and Anna realized that Victor was not the man she fell in love with. He had changed, but she felt it was too late. Anna spent 3 years being beaten by not only the man she once loved, but his men as well. Slowly growing to hate the people she once called family. Eventually she found a way out, stealing a horse nobody paid much attention to, the Shire she now calls Delta, and taking off. She was a shell of her old self when Elijah and his gang found her beaten and hungry on the side of the road. It was a wonder the group didn't think she was already dead. But they took her in and helped her get her life back. For this she is eternally grateful. When she was well enough she had taken over cooking for the gang. She felt like she was paying back the gang by doing this. And it gave her something to focus on, as well as taking care of Delta. The horse was in poor condition when she had stolen him and fled, but now they are both strong and healthy and looking out of Bannon's Boys, they want there revenge. She tends to keep most of her past to herself not really wanting to relive most of it. The rest of the gang simply know that she ran away from Bannon's Boys about 3 years ago and hate the members of the gang more than anything else on the planet, often going out of her way to kill one or two of them if given the chance. She now lives as the McCullen gang's cook and occasional sharp shooter if they need that.</s> <\|message\|>Peter "Pete" Tailor (adopted name, as Dietrich Schneider was hard for people to say.) When invited, Pete was all too happy to saddle up Kaiser and join everyone on their trip into town. He even shrugged as Ben gave him a slight ribbing, though he decided to keep his retort about how no amount of beauty sleep would do Ben any favors to himself. Kaiser stayed still while Pete set him up with saddle and bit. After a quick once over of his saddlebags, Pete slung his rifle over his shoulder and mounted his horse. When the call went out to get going, Pete gently touched his spurs to Kaiser to get him going. Pete liked to ride a few yards ahead of the wagon whenever they went out like this. There was something about a view of open country and big blue sky that made him glad to be alive. Not that he didn't like spending time with his fellow gang members, especially Annabelle. Annabelle Lockhart. He had been casually flirting with her for some time, but he had zero clue if this was even serious. Was she even interested? Maybe she was already spoken for? Either way, he decided to ask Ben about it later. Pete knew that he had much more experience with women. As he enjoyed the gorgeous vista laid out before the gang, Pete heard a loud pop, far in the distance. He thought he was imagining things at first, but soon the sound was followed by many, many more. "Boss." he said, turning back towards Elijah. "Sounds like gunfire." Pete was already bringing his rifle off his shoulder. "Want me to check it out?"</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin 'Ben' Masters There was trouble in the air. Ben could smell it on the wind as trouble was the keyword to trigger his senses. He narrowed his eyes and looked back over his shoulder towards the sounds. Those were definitely gunshots. He had heard plenty during his life as an outlaw to mistake it for anything else but that. A gunfight. Another gang that had ran into a posse of lawmen? The shots were too many to be those of hunters. Suddenly he remembered that some of the gang had gone out to hunt and had not returned when Ben and the others had left for McKinley, one of them being John Blackthorne. Damn. Damn. DAMN! "Check if your guns are loaded, ladies." He said as he took his rifle from his lap and cocked the lever. He was sitting shotgun next to Gus who was driving the wagon and he shifted on his seat with every shot that rang. He felt torn to what he should do. He was aching to go and take a look but Elijah had said that he had to keep an eye on the women. He cursed once again but louder this time. His eyes went to Kira while he wondered if she was thinking what he was thinking or rather feared. They had barely left camp and now this. If he had known the day would start like that... Finally he made up his mind and jumped down from the wagon, gritting his teeth. His blood was pumping in his veins and he could feel the pounding of his heart in anticipation for what was going to come. "Miss Blackthorne! Let me borrow yer horse for a moment and get into the wagon. No complainin'. Jus' do what I say!" He held out his hand to help her down as quick as she was able to. "Miss Annabelle! You take my place next to Gus! Keep the wagon going but do not rush. I'm sure even you can manage that Gus. I'll be back soon."</s>	<\|message\|>Annabelle (Anna) Lockhart Most of the gang was now headed toward town. It was a great relief to Annabelle as she needed to get into some sort of civilization for a breath of normal. Or as normal as her life could get. Though she was a little annoyed that Ben had somehow managed to take the shotgun spot. But she didn't let that annoyance show instead she reminded Gus that Delta needed a firm hand. The horse was as stubborn as they came toward anyone but Anna, this was only because she had rescued the big brute when she fled her old gang. Or rather, they had rescued each other. Anna never would have made it out of there if it wasn't for Delta and the same went for the horse. She was lost in thought when the sound of gunshots entered her ears. It was an unmistakable sound, one she had been around long enough to know it from any distance. She looked toward Ben and then to Pete both who seemed ready to make a move. Though Ben seemed more in thought than the other male. Eventually he seemed to have come to a decision, telling Anna to take his spot on the wagon, which she easily slid into as soon as the seat was available but not before reaching to grab her own rifle, just in case the trouble made it to them. "Be careful Mister Masters we don't need anyone else gettin hurt if it can be helped. That goes to you too Mister Tailor, be safe!" She called the last bit to Pete who was a little ahead of them. "The rest of us will keep headin to town, join us afterward if you can." She looked to make sure everyone was situated before motioning to Gus to keep them moving. Hopefully whatever was happening wasn't too much trouble for them. She would hate to have to pack up and move so soon after getting here. It would be a huge pain especially after only just unpacking.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin 'Ben' Masters youtube.com/watch?v=56mHjE4WTI4&ab_ch… Gender: Male Age: 26 Race: Caucasian Nationality: American Occupation: Stable boy, street kid Faction: Been with the McCullen-Rainwater gang since his 15 Family: Father Robert Masters former rancher (Died during the Civil War), Mother Eliza Baker (Died of illness), no other family that he knows of. Horse: Equipment: A colt SAA with black handle, an Evans Repeating Rifle, bowie knife, bed roll, red scarf, black gambler hat, buttoned leather vest, gray saddle pants and leather brown boots with spurs. Skills: Gang gave him much of his 'education'. Horseback riding: Knows his way around horses since he was a child. Explosives: Knows enough to understand how to blow open a safe or where to place them for maximum effect. Guns: Taught himself how to shoot at first, learned the rest when he was in the gang. Personality: You can without a doubt call him ruthless and cold-blooded and has no problem shooting somebody. Always takes what he wants and doesn't take no for an answer. Fiercely loyal to the gang. Does not drink alcohol because, as he says, you never know when you have to pick up your guns. Likes/Dislikes: Likes: Honesty, money, women and the occasional killing of somebody. Dislikes: Betrayal and the law. Backstory: Born somewhere in the state of Texas in 1861, while the country was engulfed in a terrible civil war in which his father lost his life. Benjamin knew only his father from the stories his mother told him and the picture she had of him. His mother, Eliza, struggled to make ends meet and more often than not, men who represented the bank came knocking. When his mother died after weeks of being ill, Benjamin was eight at the time, the bank confiscated the house and he was sent to an orphanage. It was there that he learned to fight. Older boys were constantly bullying and beating him without ever receiving punishment. He felt miserable yet he always tried to stand up for himself even if it meant he would receive even more beatings. One day, when he was eleven, he got into a fight and it ended with the other boy dying. It had been an accident, the boy had fallen badly hitting his head and did not get up anymore. Benjamin strangely did not feel any remorse, since it had been one of the older boys who had been bullying him ever since he had arrived in the orphanage. After it had happened, he ran away and hid in barns or sheds knowing they were searching for him. Eventually he got on board of a train, where he snuck into cattle wagon. He did not know after how many stops they found him but the rancher, who owned the cattle, decided to take him in and made him into a stable boy. The foreman of the ranch however did not like Benjamin one bit and treated him harshly and with disdain. Benjamin decided not to let it bother him too much and his life at the ranch was better than it had been the last years. Until he got accused of stealing. The law was send and they did not believe him when he told them he didn't do what he was accused of. When the officers of the law found the things tucked away amongst his belongings, they also found out that he was a runaway from the orphanage and that a boy had died because of him. Only by sheer luck he managed to escape the law, stole a horse and ran as fast and far as he could. The years that followed had not been better for him, years where he did everything to survive. He sold the horse and bought a gun, he started to steal and rob people. At times he even got paid to kill someone. He never stayed in one place too long, to keep evading the law. It was a hard life and there were times where he almost gave up on it. Then he was found by Elijah Rainwater and his life changed once more.</s> <\|message\|>Kira Blackthorne With each passing second Kira was agonizingly awaiting her husband's return, silently not saying a single word. She was unknowing of just what her beloved had gone through, still she was unaware of what she would soon be in for when he would be returning to her. She knew that he was a broken man but knew that she was also a forgiving woman when it came to a few things here and there. She waited in the carriage, looking down at her hands and soon she saw her beloved horse swiftly galloping by. "Feather! .. come here girl!" She called out to her beloved companion, the horse turning sharply and running toward her, slowing down and soon stopping in it's tracks. She shook her head from one side to the other as if she were sayig the word "no" neighing and huffing through her wide nostrils, pawing at the ground with her right hoof and alerting her owner that she was unsettled and nervous from all of what had happened. "What is it girl .. what happened back there?" Kira asked softly, gently, delicately, seeming to ask as if the majestic animal could speak of her language which was of course impossible. Kira stroked her snout gently up and down the middle of it, letting her beloved Feather know that she was there for her and the gang as well, also letting her know that this was a safe place and harm was not allowed. It was now a distant thing. Kira guided Feather to the carriage and stood there, waiting for further orders from the orders of the leader of the gang. She wanted to mount her graceful steed and ride her to the Hunting Cabin to find her husband but she was unable to because she was under strict orders because of being restricted to going into town only. She sighed sadly, wanting to ride to figure out as to where her husband was. She felt as though something awful had happened and it had her heart beating fast and her soul wanting to find out what exactly happened there. With each passing minute the timer ticked down on her sanity that her husband was not returning to the camp. SO far it was one and a half days but to her it felt like an eternity. She needed to hold him, to touch him and know that everything was as it should have been. Many would probably call her crazy, insane, paranoid, clingy, worried but she was just being her natural self. She missed John. She was clingy but she loved each moment of it. She loved his warm touch, she loved being a witness to his smile, she knew that she was a cause of it as he was of hers. She wanted to give him space but she always wanted to be a reason for his proudness.</s> <\|message\|>Hannah Faye Bennet Hannah Bennett Location: Town of McKinley, Saloon The perfect silence of the saloon had been broken. A gaggle of well-to-do Gents and a tag along lady fluttered into the empty halls, a cloud of sound with them. With a sigh, Hannah reaches over to get her husband's hat off the counter and flops it on her head, pulling the brim down. Oh she knew that voice all right. It was Mathias Quinn. She and her husband had bought horses from him a few years back and even sold one of their brood mares to him in return. They weren't exactly competition, but Hannah had always worried that the horse man would turn cow man once he found out how much more money running cattle was... of course, her husband had said that it was too dirty of a job for a clean man like Mr. Quinn. A bar stool not too far from herself rumbled softly against the floor as it was moved and out of the corner of her eye, Hannah could see a lady next to her. A proper one at that, although she seemed a bit... off. Peering over her mug of coffee as subtly as she could, Hannah gave the woman a look over. She had gathered from the conversation that she was likely the wife of Mr. Quinn, the rumors not unknown to Hannah... except this hide away girl was hardly what Hannah would have guessed. Town ladies, of course, had made her out to be a monster as they were all jealous of her quiet wedding to one of the most successful men in the area. "Mornin'" Hannah offered with a forced smile, her eyes suddenly catching the bruises on her wrists. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Her husband had been a rough man, but never with her... it sadly was not uncommon, but it was not highly acceptable either, for a man to beat his wife. Hopefully there was a better story than what was running through Hannah's mind. "Are y'all traveling through town? I don't recognize yer face..." she asked softly, trying not to be to presumptuous, although she was fairly certain she was correct in who it was that sat next to her.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin 'Ben' Masters With the gun fight over and the ground being littered with dead bodies, there was only one thing left to do for Ben and that was searching the dead for any and all kind of things that could be useful. So far he had found a few rounds of bullets, a letter to some girl with added picture (she looked mighty fine!), a pack of cigarettes and a finely crafted silver pocket watch, which he quickly stashed away in the pocket of his vest. All in all some fine prizes after a job well done. He heard Elijah's voice while he was checking on a sound coming from a nearby body who seemed to be not so dead. Without turning his head and without keeping his eyes from the wounded man he answered Elijah. "Sure thing, boss!" The wounded man grunted in pain and raised his eyes towards Ben, who knelt down beside him with a grin, in fear. "Yer bein' awfully rude, interrupting the boss. Hush." He placed his hand over the mouth of the man and took his knife out of the leather sheath on his belt. "Hush now." He said again as the man started to struggle, realizing what was going to happen to him. A few moments later the struggling was over, the light from his eyes had faded and Ben had watched it happen. He pulled the knife out of the chest of the now dead man and wiped the blade on his clothes. "I'm done here anyways." He said to Elijah as he got up and walked towards John. "Ya sure you'll be able to ride in yer condition there, John?" He pointed out the wound on his side. "Yer not lookin' too good. Let's pray those hicks in McKinley have a good doctor in town with at least a small notion on how to treat bullet wounds." Feather had run off, probably finding its mistress, leaving Ben without a horse so he decided to take the one from Jamie instead. The boy had no need of it anymore anyway. Nasty business and a bloody shame but such was life. One moment your running around enjoying life and the next your six feet under. Ben sighed as he got on the horse, patting the neck of the animal. They rode off, Ben slightly behind John, keeping a close eye on him. "Ya know, I can hold the reins for ya if its too hard to hold them." He said teasing John. It could earn him a punch to the face later but Ben did not care. As he had expected the wagon was not at the place where he had left them, certain they had made it to town already. Maybe that would be a good thing because if they had arrived all together, the women and both Ben and a wounded John, it would have drawn unwanted attention to everyone. Even know it would for Ben and John but at least the women would have nothing to worry about. Perhaps Ben could say it was a hunting accident or a bandit attack, which was not far from the truth, leaving the part they were a rival gang of course. I hope the womenfolk did not run into trouble while we were gone</s>
<\|description\|>Peter "Pete" Tailor (adopted name, as Dietrich Schneider was hard for people to say.) Personal Quote: "Just because we're in a bad situation doesn't mean we can't make a buck off it." Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Nationality: German-American Age: 26 Occupation: Soldier turned small time outlaw. Faction: McCullen-Rainwater Gang Family: Pete doesn't remember much about his family other than his name, as they died shortly after crossing the Atlantic to begin their new lives in America. What he does remember was his father, Fredrich, was a wounded veteran of the Prussian army. It was only a by a miracle that Pete survived the sickness that killed his parents and younger sister. Horse: Kaiser Equipment: Remington Rolling Block Rifle, Colt SAA Peacemaker, Sawed Off shotgun (usually kept on Kaiser's saddle) and a tomahawk. He also usually keeps a knife in his boot for emergencies. His uniform is long gone, but kept as many of the standard issue equipment as he felt was necessary. Skills: Thanks to a minor stint in the Army, Pete learned how to shoot, ride and fight by professionals. One of his unit's Indian scouts, Joseph Running Water, even taught him how to use and throw a tomahawk. He also still remembers enough German to hold a conversation with any native speaker, though most wouldn't know it by his lack of an accent. Personality: Pete is usually very courteous and polite to his fellow gang members. To him, they represent the family that he always wanted but never found. He is generally quiet around strangers, and is more than happy to let his fellows do most of the talking. When the bullets start flying, however, Pete stays calm and professional, focused on getting the job done as quickly and painlessly as possible. Likes/Dislikes: Pete enjoys playing Blackjack with his fellow gang members when he's at the camp, with occasional bouts of trying to flirt with Annabelle. The rest of the time, he likes taking Kaiser on long rides to see the sights and maybe hunt some game. If there is one thing that Pete cannot stand, however, it's large bodies of water. He has no clue how to swim and doesn't really want to learn. Backstory (optional): After the death of his parents, Peter turned to petty crime to survive on the streets of New York. After many years of stealing, getting into fights and just scraping by, Pete enlisted in the American Army and was shipped out to the middle of nowhere. It was a dull posting, with not much to do but drink and harass the locals. Eventually, discipline broke down and many of Pete's fellow soldiers mutinied and turned outlaw. Pete rode with them for a while before linking up with the McCullen-Rainwater gang.</s> <\|message\|>Kira Blackthorne With each passing second Kira was agonizingly awaiting her husband's return, silently not saying a single word. She was unknowing of just what her beloved had gone through, still she was unaware of what she would soon be in for when he would be returning to her. She knew that he was a broken man but knew that she was also a forgiving woman when it came to a few things here and there. She waited in the carriage, looking down at her hands and soon she saw her beloved horse swiftly galloping by. "Feather! .. come here girl!" She called out to her beloved companion, the horse turning sharply and running toward her, slowing down and soon stopping in it's tracks. She shook her head from one side to the other as if she were sayig the word "no" neighing and huffing through her wide nostrils, pawing at the ground with her right hoof and alerting her owner that she was unsettled and nervous from all of what had happened. "What is it girl .. what happened back there?" Kira asked softly, gently, delicately, seeming to ask as if the majestic animal could speak of her language which was of course impossible. Kira stroked her snout gently up and down the middle of it, letting her beloved Feather know that she was there for her and the gang as well, also letting her know that this was a safe place and harm was not allowed. It was now a distant thing. Kira guided Feather to the carriage and stood there, waiting for further orders from the orders of the leader of the gang. She wanted to mount her graceful steed and ride her to the Hunting Cabin to find her husband but she was unable to because she was under strict orders because of being restricted to going into town only. She sighed sadly, wanting to ride to figure out as to where her husband was. She felt as though something awful had happened and it had her heart beating fast and her soul wanting to find out what exactly happened there. With each passing minute the timer ticked down on her sanity that her husband was not returning to the camp. SO far it was one and a half days but to her it felt like an eternity. She needed to hold him, to touch him and know that everything was as it should have been. Many would probably call her crazy, insane, paranoid, clingy, worried but she was just being her natural self. She missed John. She was clingy but she loved each moment of it. She loved his warm touch, she loved being a witness to his smile, she knew that she was a cause of it as he was of hers. She wanted to give him space but she always wanted to be a reason for his proudness.</s> <\|message\|>Hannah Faye Bennet Hannah Bennett Location: Town of McKinley, Saloon The perfect silence of the saloon had been broken. A gaggle of well-to-do Gents and a tag along lady fluttered into the empty halls, a cloud of sound with them. With a sigh, Hannah reaches over to get her husband's hat off the counter and flops it on her head, pulling the brim down. Oh she knew that voice all right. It was Mathias Quinn. She and her husband had bought horses from him a few years back and even sold one of their brood mares to him in return. They weren't exactly competition, but Hannah had always worried that the horse man would turn cow man once he found out how much more money running cattle was... of course, her husband had said that it was too dirty of a job for a clean man like Mr. Quinn. A bar stool not too far from herself rumbled softly against the floor as it was moved and out of the corner of her eye, Hannah could see a lady next to her. A proper one at that, although she seemed a bit... off. Peering over her mug of coffee as subtly as she could, Hannah gave the woman a look over. She had gathered from the conversation that she was likely the wife of Mr. Quinn, the rumors not unknown to Hannah... except this hide away girl was hardly what Hannah would have guessed. Town ladies, of course, had made her out to be a monster as they were all jealous of her quiet wedding to one of the most successful men in the area. "Mornin'" Hannah offered with a forced smile, her eyes suddenly catching the bruises on her wrists. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Her husband had been a rough man, but never with her... it sadly was not uncommon, but it was not highly acceptable either, for a man to beat his wife. Hopefully there was a better story than what was running through Hannah's mind. "Are y'all traveling through town? I don't recognize yer face..." she asked softly, trying not to be to presumptuous, although she was fairly certain she was correct in who it was that sat next to her.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin 'Ben' Masters With the gun fight over and the ground being littered with dead bodies, there was only one thing left to do for Ben and that was searching the dead for any and all kind of things that could be useful. So far he had found a few rounds of bullets, a letter to some girl with added picture (she looked mighty fine!), a pack of cigarettes and a finely crafted silver pocket watch, which he quickly stashed away in the pocket of his vest. All in all some fine prizes after a job well done. He heard Elijah's voice while he was checking on a sound coming from a nearby body who seemed to be not so dead. Without turning his head and without keeping his eyes from the wounded man he answered Elijah. "Sure thing, boss!" The wounded man grunted in pain and raised his eyes towards Ben, who knelt down beside him with a grin, in fear. "Yer bein' awfully rude, interrupting the boss. Hush." He placed his hand over the mouth of the man and took his knife out of the leather sheath on his belt. "Hush now." He said again as the man started to struggle, realizing what was going to happen to him. A few moments later the struggling was over, the light from his eyes had faded and Ben had watched it happen. He pulled the knife out of the chest of the now dead man and wiped the blade on his clothes. "I'm done here anyways." He said to Elijah as he got up and walked towards John. "Ya sure you'll be able to ride in yer condition there, John?" He pointed out the wound on his side. "Yer not lookin' too good. Let's pray those hicks in McKinley have a good doctor in town with at least a small notion on how to treat bullet wounds." Feather had run off, probably finding its mistress, leaving Ben without a horse so he decided to take the one from Jamie instead. The boy had no need of it anymore anyway. Nasty business and a bloody shame but such was life. One moment your running around enjoying life and the next your six feet under. Ben sighed as he got on the horse, patting the neck of the animal. They rode off, Ben slightly behind John, keeping a close eye on him. "Ya know, I can hold the reins for ya if its too hard to hold them." He said teasing John. It could earn him a punch to the face later but Ben did not care. As he had expected the wagon was not at the place where he had left them, certain they had made it to town already. Maybe that would be a good thing because if they had arrived all together, the women and both Ben and a wounded John, it would have drawn unwanted attention to everyone. Even know it would for Ben and John but at least the women would have nothing to worry about. Perhaps Ben could say it was a hunting accident or a bandit attack, which was not far from the truth, leaving the part they were a rival gang of course. I hope the womenfolk did not run into trouble while we were gone</s>	<\|message\|>Peter "Pete" Tailor (adopted name, as Dietrich Schneider was hard for people to say.) Pete Tailor counted at least four more dead men from his rifle, and maybe one or two others who would probably die soon without a doctor. Not every shot was a hit, but he felt proud of his work. Once again, he had justified to the gang why they kept him around. Pete got down from his perch to return to his horse, blowing into the breach of his rifle. He'd have to clean it properly later, but this would do for now. Once his gear was put back on Kaiser, he made his way down to the spot where the rest of the gang had been. His first reaction was to check the pockets of some of the men they killed, but once he saw poor Jamie, he could only stop and stare. "Shit..." was all he could say while wiping the sweat from his brow. When Elijah gave him orders to help bury the poor kid, he simply nodded and pulled his army issue entrenching tool from Kaiser. Digging the grave didn't take very long, and he helped Seth place Jamie's body inside. "I didn't know Jamie well." said Pete, taking off his hat in reference. "But he I knew he was a good man and a good brother." He offered the shovel to Seth in case he wanted to do the honors. Either way, he knew he was going to buy poor Seth a beer or three once they got to town.</s>
<\|description\|>Mus Rattanson - nickname 'Bumface' age: 19 occupation: shepherd description: hair color: dark brown (see eyebrows) eye color: deep brown skin color: fair, lightly tanned Mus is a bear of a young man. And he sure reminds you of one; of an overweight, chained up dancing bear. Regardless of his bulk, Mus Rattanson misses the confidence to stand up proud and claim space for himself. Usually he tiptoes, dances and fidgets about nervously. In a culture where abundant facial hair is seen as a sign of power and masculinity, Mus lacks even the smallest shimmer of a moustache or beard. He get's teased with that daily and the taunting nickname 'Bumface' has stuck to him like droppings to a sheep's curly-haired behind. The youngster is timid and soft spoken. His voice higher than you'd expect from a man of his size. To make matters worse, it has the most annoying tendency to shoot up a couple of octaves when emotions, nervousness or fear take over. Usually Bumface...errr....Mus wears a warm woolen shirt beneath a sheepskin coat, trousers or a kilt (depending on the season) and sturdy leather boots. Around his waist a belt hangs, with a footlong knife and a pouch with the necessities of a shepherd. He owns a battle axe, but through lack of courage, use and maintenance it has dulled and is starting to rust. temperament: Mus is self conscious and timid. He tends to shrink into the background as he doesn't like too much attention. Surprisingly, for a man of his size, he's really good at lingering in the shadows. Mus is most content when he can spend his day in the meadows with his herd. When Mus has a bad hair day, his tendency to take off and hide away becomes an urging he can't ignore. Luckily these off-days are rare. When people leave him be, he is most content. If one takes the time to sit and talk to Mus, one will discover that the babyface hides a solid set of brains. Yes, Mus is pretty smart and - if you get him started - well spoken and chatty. If you really want to discover who Mus Rattanson is, you have to earn his trust. A hard feat. With a history of harassment, Mus has learned to protect himself behind a thick thorn ring. abilities: Talents:* hiding in the shadows * gaining trust with innocents (sheep, children...) * raising a herd of sheep * using a knife and sling * surviving in the wild Mus sucks at:* standing up for himself * swinging an axe * talking to girls * gaining respect from his peers and elders precious belongings:* a small but healthy herd of sheep of 3 rams, 14 ewes * his grandma's old chainmail shirt, slightly to small for him, except at his chest where it is too wide (well kept, oiled and hidden away in a coffer) * a helmet with curled rams horns * a small wardrobe: 1 good and 1 worn woolen pair of trousers, 1 kilt, 2 worn woolen shirts, a pair of sturdy leather boots, a heavy sheepskin coat, a knitted, woolen bonnet background: Rattanson and Rattansdaughter is a prominent name in the clan. It is an old family of warriors which traces it's lineage back several hundreds of years. Usually the members of the Rattan family are wiry, sturdy people, with a slight tendency for backstabbing. Although people whisper that Mus must be the product of an extramarital escapade, none dare say it out loud. Nobody in his or her right mind would accuse Rattan Rattanson's fallen wife of such a thing! Still, most do agree that Mus is an apple who fell mighty far from the proverbial tree. His father is, as was Mus' mother, an exemplary Viking warrior, with a terrible temper. Rattan prefers bashing to bantering, marching to strolling and war cries to the soft bleating of sheep. Night and day, I say you, night and day. With not much in common, any true relationship between the two is pretty much non-existent. Mus has few friends. Only when it is the annual misfit unite evening - which seems to occur more often of late - Mus finds an uncomfortable sense of camaraderie and acceptance. If you ask him bluntly, Mus Rattanson will admit that he considers his herd to be his family and friends. This is expressed in a fierce loyalty between them. dragon: I have ideas, but they haven't quite crystallized yet.</s> <\|message\|>Singrid Ulfsdóttir Singrid Singrid had fought desperately to be able push back the attacking enemy however it was in vain, the clan was forced to retreat. Many had not made it out alive she was a lucky one, but only because one of the other warriors forcefully pulled her way from the battle field. She had spent the last week, since arriving here, cleaning and fixing up the place she called her home. Deciding, since there was extra space, to move out from the family that raised her and live on her own. It had been something she had been planning to do anyway. Seeing as she had hit the age where finding out what happened to her old clan was at the top of her to-do-list. Though with the recent attack on the clan she now called family and friends she was getting the sense that this happened to her own clan many years prior. She also assumed that her clan had not been as lucky and probably hadn't made a grand escape. This thought irritated her, and she chucked the last of the debris out the door only for it to hit a random dragon that have been seated outside watching her. The dragon snarled at the red head to which she seemed to snarl back. "Well if you weren't in the way maybe you wouldn't have gotten hit." It seemed all Singrid ever did was get irritated at the curious beasts around her. Sure the dragons fascinated her, however their own curiosity caused them to get in her way. Just the other day she had been training with her axe and had nearly taken one out that got to close. This of course ended in the hot headed female yelling at the beast to get out of the way. She had been angry for a solid week and had done her best to keep busy and not yell at every one around her.</s> <\|message\|>Freyhild Grimsdottir "No! NO! Shoo, shoo," Freyhild waved her wooden spoon in the direction of two baby Nadders that had come back again to sniff around the big pot of stew. She was trying to cut some more carrots to add to the stew but couldn't even finish that without having to run to protect the steaming pot frequently. "Go away, you dumb beasts," she mumbled, knowing that it is meaningless. They either didn't understand or just chose to ignore her. "Here is your water," a child brought a bucket from the well. Freyhild was cooking outside today, under a makeshift shelter that threatened to collapse any minute, especially as more dragons were sitting on it, peeking curiously. "Thank you, Halfdan," she replied to the boy, but he ignored her just as the dragons did. "Aww, look at those, aren't they the cutest!" Freyhild turned around only to see that the Nadders returned, one now hovering right above the pot, waving its wings rapidly. Halfdan was softly nudging the other one, giggling playfully. The dragon fought back, bumping his head against the boy's stomach, knocking him to the ground. Soon they were rolling in the dirt, consumed by their pretended fight, squeaks and giggles coming from that pile of arms, legs and wings. "STOP IT!" They were too close to the pot, it seemed like they were going to tip it over any second. The wooden spoon came down a couple of times, hitting random limbs entangled on the ground. The dragon waved his wings flying out of her range, hissing angrily. "Go play somewhere else," she told the boy, trying to stay calm. Normally she would threaten to talk to his parents, but she knew all too well that he probably didn't have any. Too many adults died fighting, too many orphans now wandered around the new village. "Go tell the builders that the stew is ready, they can take a break to come and eat. Grab a bowl for yourself as well. And you," she turned to the dragon still hovering over the pot. "If you come any closer to that stew, I swear to Odin that I will just chop you up and throw you right in!" She wouldn't do that as it was against Hog Morsan's orders, but the dragon didn't have to know that.</s> <\|message\|>Erik Erikson The pounding of hammer on an anvil in a steady beat had already been heard from before the rooster had crowed. To Erik it always sounded like music. The fire in his forge was burning hot and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and arms. He had woken early that day, earlier than normally, because he had a lot of work to do still. Orders to fill. Ever since they had gotten to this new place they would call their home, there had been enough things to do. They needed nails to rebuild, hammers needed to be repaired, shovel blades forged and new hinges for the new doors. At least he had not been lacking the materials to do so and both smelter and forge had looked intact when they had arrived near a week ago, though the walls had to be rebuild but that was not something new. The place had been a real mess. What had happened here, Erik did not dwell on that topic long, his mind occupied with more important matters. The roof of the house adjacent to the forge, the obvious choice for Erik to call his home, had collapsed on top of the previous owner and it had taken quite a few days before the rubble had been cleared out. Especially because of those pesky creatures he had to shoo away every now and then. One of them had even dared to eat the ores he needed for smithing. Both him and the dragon had roared loudly at each other but the only thing that had happened was that more dragons had come to look what was going on. After staring at Erik for some time, their eyes locked, the dragon had flown off with a last growl and had left the blacksmith alone. For now. Erik grabbed a tong and put the nail he had just made with the rest. After all this was done perhaps he could finally make some swords or axes once more but for now he had to be happy with making whatever the clan needed from him. So much work still to do and so little time. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, got on his feet and stretched his back with a groan. His stomach rumbled and his throat felt dry and longed for a mug of mead and some food. But could he leave his forge unattended? He shrugged and sighed. Working on an empty stomach is never a good idea so he went to look if he could find something to quiet his hunger.</s>	<\|message\|>Mus Rattanson - nickname 'Bumface' "Stew, steeewww, stew, stew, stew!", Halfdan yelled as he ran throught the settlement. As he ran, he collected kids and some of the smaller dragons in his wake. His vigor and loudness attracted them to him, like Vikings to an easy plunder. The other children took over Halfdan's chant and the dragons added flapping wings and chirps and squeaks to the hullabaloo. As this morning parade passed the homes of clanspeople heads popped out of doorways and windows. The racket easily drowned out the sounds of hammers, saws and other diy-sounds. There was no ignoring it. Halfdan was doing a great job getting everyone's attention. People wiped off the sweat and the dust and stepped out in the meagre sunshine. People knew. They knew that, whenever there was a great pot of stew of offer, it would most certainly be parked at Freyhild Grimsdottir's. And it would be good. Freyhild knew her way around a cooking fire, pot and ladle. As yelling Halfdan and his loud entourage went one way, a much calmer procession went the other way. A small chinking and tinkling of bowls and spoons joyfully making their way up to Freyhild's house. Soon, the whole of the village assembled at Grimsdottir's cooking fire. Everyone was cheerfully chatting away at each other, as they sniffed up the promise of a full belly. Hog Morsan looked around with guarded relief. She'd feared that her clan would never smile again, after the massacre by the Romans. They'd lost so much; parents, grandparents, children, confidence, innocence, even sanity. But now, here, this place seemed to have some healing effect on the Hjarn Knackars, despite it's obvious violent past. This place seemed to have been cleansed, albeit violently. It, like her clan, was ready for a fresh start. As she pondered this, she smiled at Freyhild, showing her appreciation of Grimsdottir's initiative. She, also, had lost so much. A small tear escaped Hog Morsan's eye as she thought of Thorsten and Kjot. Attracted to her mood, a small dragon - she didn't know what kind - curled up in her lap. 'And then there are the dragons', Morsan thought. She was convinced that they too, had a healing effect on her fellow clanspeople. They were curious, playful and surprising. How cute they might be, especially the smaller species and younger specimens, Hog Morsan understood that these were wild creatures. It made her wonder what awaited them here. 'Ah well...' Practical as ever, Hog Morsan shook her head lightly, to clear her head. The small creature on her lap scampered off, as she rose and walked over to Freyhild. As she came to stand next to her, Old Morsan laid her wrinkled hand on Freyhild's arm. "Smells good, hon'", she said. "You've worked a miracle again". Grinning she waved about at the assembled clan. "You did this. Do you feel the lightness, you've created here?" Peering deep into those stormy grey eyes, Hog Morsan added: "Thank you Frey'".</s>
<\|description\|>Freyhild Grimsdottir age: 38 occupation: weaver description: Hair color - red Eye color - grey Freyhild does not look her age, although you could find small wrinkles around her eyes and one or two silver hairs on her head, if you dared to take a closer look. She is tall and skinny, with almost freakishly long fingers. She has a few scars here and there, but nothing visible at first sight. Her long forearms are covered by intricate rune tattoos. temperament: All bad things that happened to her have left her bitter and sarcastic. On the inside, she is just sad and lonely, but hides it behind a mask of irony and bickering. She can be kind and pleasant occasionally around the people she trusts, but earning that trust is hard. abilities: Talents: * skilled weaver * great at cooking * moderate archer * good singer (but rarely sings anymore) * awesome at smacking people on their heads with a long wooden spoon Blunders: * actually fighting with weapons (wooden spoons excluded) * making friends * keeping friends * 'people skills' in general precious belongings: * her husband's and son's arm rings * leather bag with a bunch of ceramic flasks containing precious dyes * a long wooden spoon background: Freyhild and her husband Kjotve lived a happy life, just like all the other Vikings in the village. Kjotve was a raider, and a very good one, always returning from the raids with great spoils and riches and unharmed (mostly). Freyhild was a renowned weaver, her beautiful fabrics sold at a great price on markets in the neighborhooding villages. She even employed a couple of younglings to help her around her workshop, especially with creating yarn during the flax harvest and sheep shedding seasons. They only had one son, but Thorsten turned out nicely. Strong and skillful after his father, handsome after his mother, he made them both happy. When the attack on the village came, Thorsten and Kjotve were in the first line of defense. None of them made it. Freyhild couldn't even give them a proper Viking burial as she and the rest of the clan had to flee to save their lives. dragon: A Razorwhip named Silverwing - an older female who has lost her eggs in an earthquake following a volcano erruption. She is still devastated from the loss, being angry and lashing out at other dragons or humans. Normally, she is very smart and playful around the people she trusts, but as with all Razorwhips, their trust is hard to come by.</s> <\|message\|>Singrid Ulfsdóttir Singrid Singrid had fought desperately to be able push back the attacking enemy however it was in vain, the clan was forced to retreat. Many had not made it out alive she was a lucky one, but only because one of the other warriors forcefully pulled her way from the battle field. She had spent the last week, since arriving here, cleaning and fixing up the place she called her home. Deciding, since there was extra space, to move out from the family that raised her and live on her own. It had been something she had been planning to do anyway. Seeing as she had hit the age where finding out what happened to her old clan was at the top of her to-do-list. Though with the recent attack on the clan she now called family and friends she was getting the sense that this happened to her own clan many years prior. She also assumed that her clan had not been as lucky and probably hadn't made a grand escape. This thought irritated her, and she chucked the last of the debris out the door only for it to hit a random dragon that have been seated outside watching her. The dragon snarled at the red head to which she seemed to snarl back. "Well if you weren't in the way maybe you wouldn't have gotten hit." It seemed all Singrid ever did was get irritated at the curious beasts around her. Sure the dragons fascinated her, however their own curiosity caused them to get in her way. Just the other day she had been training with her axe and had nearly taken one out that got to close. This of course ended in the hot headed female yelling at the beast to get out of the way. She had been angry for a solid week and had done her best to keep busy and not yell at every one around her.</s> <\|message\|>Freyhild Grimsdottir "No! NO! Shoo, shoo," Freyhild waved her wooden spoon in the direction of two baby Nadders that had come back again to sniff around the big pot of stew. She was trying to cut some more carrots to add to the stew but couldn't even finish that without having to run to protect the steaming pot frequently. "Go away, you dumb beasts," she mumbled, knowing that it is meaningless. They either didn't understand or just chose to ignore her. "Here is your water," a child brought a bucket from the well. Freyhild was cooking outside today, under a makeshift shelter that threatened to collapse any minute, especially as more dragons were sitting on it, peeking curiously. "Thank you, Halfdan," she replied to the boy, but he ignored her just as the dragons did. "Aww, look at those, aren't they the cutest!" Freyhild turned around only to see that the Nadders returned, one now hovering right above the pot, waving its wings rapidly. Halfdan was softly nudging the other one, giggling playfully. The dragon fought back, bumping his head against the boy's stomach, knocking him to the ground. Soon they were rolling in the dirt, consumed by their pretended fight, squeaks and giggles coming from that pile of arms, legs and wings. "STOP IT!" They were too close to the pot, it seemed like they were going to tip it over any second. The wooden spoon came down a couple of times, hitting random limbs entangled on the ground. The dragon waved his wings flying out of her range, hissing angrily. "Go play somewhere else," she told the boy, trying to stay calm. Normally she would threaten to talk to his parents, but she knew all too well that he probably didn't have any. Too many adults died fighting, too many orphans now wandered around the new village. "Go tell the builders that the stew is ready, they can take a break to come and eat. Grab a bowl for yourself as well. And you," she turned to the dragon still hovering over the pot. "If you come any closer to that stew, I swear to Odin that I will just chop you up and throw you right in!" She wouldn't do that as it was against Hog Morsan's orders, but the dragon didn't have to know that.</s> <\|message\|>Erik Erikson The pounding of hammer on an anvil in a steady beat had already been heard from before the rooster had crowed. To Erik it always sounded like music. The fire in his forge was burning hot and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and arms. He had woken early that day, earlier than normally, because he had a lot of work to do still. Orders to fill. Ever since they had gotten to this new place they would call their home, there had been enough things to do. They needed nails to rebuild, hammers needed to be repaired, shovel blades forged and new hinges for the new doors. At least he had not been lacking the materials to do so and both smelter and forge had looked intact when they had arrived near a week ago, though the walls had to be rebuild but that was not something new. The place had been a real mess. What had happened here, Erik did not dwell on that topic long, his mind occupied with more important matters. The roof of the house adjacent to the forge, the obvious choice for Erik to call his home, had collapsed on top of the previous owner and it had taken quite a few days before the rubble had been cleared out. Especially because of those pesky creatures he had to shoo away every now and then. One of them had even dared to eat the ores he needed for smithing. Both him and the dragon had roared loudly at each other but the only thing that had happened was that more dragons had come to look what was going on. After staring at Erik for some time, their eyes locked, the dragon had flown off with a last growl and had left the blacksmith alone. For now. Erik grabbed a tong and put the nail he had just made with the rest. After all this was done perhaps he could finally make some swords or axes once more but for now he had to be happy with making whatever the clan needed from him. So much work still to do and so little time. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, got on his feet and stretched his back with a groan. His stomach rumbled and his throat felt dry and longed for a mug of mead and some food. But could he leave his forge unattended? He shrugged and sighed. Working on an empty stomach is never a good idea so he went to look if he could find something to quiet his hunger.</s> <\|message\|>Mus Rattanson - nickname 'Bumface' "Stew, steeewww, stew, stew, stew!", Halfdan yelled as he ran throught the settlement. As he ran, he collected kids and some of the smaller dragons in his wake. His vigor and loudness attracted them to him, like Vikings to an easy plunder. The other children took over Halfdan's chant and the dragons added flapping wings and chirps and squeaks to the hullabaloo. As this morning parade passed the homes of clanspeople heads popped out of doorways and windows. The racket easily drowned out the sounds of hammers, saws and other diy-sounds. There was no ignoring it. Halfdan was doing a great job getting everyone's attention. People wiped off the sweat and the dust and stepped out in the meagre sunshine. People knew. They knew that, whenever there was a great pot of stew of offer, it would most certainly be parked at Freyhild Grimsdottir's. And it would be good. Freyhild knew her way around a cooking fire, pot and ladle. As yelling Halfdan and his loud entourage went one way, a much calmer procession went the other way. A small chinking and tinkling of bowls and spoons joyfully making their way up to Freyhild's house. Soon, the whole of the village assembled at Grimsdottir's cooking fire. Everyone was cheerfully chatting away at each other, as they sniffed up the promise of a full belly. Hog Morsan looked around with guarded relief. She'd feared that her clan would never smile again, after the massacre by the Romans. They'd lost so much; parents, grandparents, children, confidence, innocence, even sanity. But now, here, this place seemed to have some healing effect on the Hjarn Knackars, despite it's obvious violent past. This place seemed to have been cleansed, albeit violently. It, like her clan, was ready for a fresh start. As she pondered this, she smiled at Freyhild, showing her appreciation of Grimsdottir's initiative. She, also, had lost so much. A small tear escaped Hog Morsan's eye as she thought of Thorsten and Kjot. Attracted to her mood, a small dragon - she didn't know what kind - curled up in her lap. 'And then there are the dragons', Morsan thought. She was convinced that they too, had a healing effect on her fellow clanspeople. They were curious, playful and surprising. How cute they might be, especially the smaller species and younger specimens, Hog Morsan understood that these were wild creatures. It made her wonder what awaited them here. 'Ah well...' Practical as ever, Hog Morsan shook her head lightly, to clear her head. The small creature on her lap scampered off, as she rose and walked over to Freyhild. As she came to stand next to her, Old Morsan laid her wrinkled hand on Freyhild's arm. "Smells good, hon'", she said. "You've worked a miracle again". Grinning she waved about at the assembled clan. "You did this. Do you feel the lightness, you've created here?" Peering deep into those stormy grey eyes, Hog Morsan added: "Thank you Frey'".</s>	<\|message\|>Freyhild Grimsdottir As the village gathered, Freyhild could finally take a moment to sit down and rest, watching them from afar. They were a small village, all the faces were at least familiar. That way she could see that every group that stood there, eating and chatting, had people missing. Family members, friends, fellow craftsmen. She liked how the village held together, the builders worked not on just their own houses, but helped anyone who needed to; Freyhild had no idea how she would get her roof and holes in the walls fixed on her own. Kjotve always took care of that kind of thing. She chased away a memory of him swinging his hammer, singing a worn-out song in an incredibly lousy tone. She didn't want to think about his smile now. The dragons seemed to be omnipresent, sniffing around empty bowls, stealing a bite or two out of those still full, carelessly set aside by their owners. It was surprising how quickly the people got used to them being around. Freyhild wondered what the dragons would do if the attackers followed them here. Would they fight and protect them? Or would they just disappear and wait who would win, coming back later to sniff around their bowls? Dark thoughts for such a nice day. Freyhild frowned, she found out it helped her to fight the tears off. When Hog Morsan came to talk to her, Freyhild bowed her head in respect. "Thank you, but it is just a stew. It can hardly be called a miracle. The people are working hard, I figured they needed a proper hot meal to keep their strength." But it was satisfying to look at. "It would have been done a lot faster if it weren't for all these damn dragons getting in the way," she grumbled.</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "FRIENDSHIP CAN COME FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 was not a nurse droid. They were not programmed to babysit dying Jedi. They were programmed for protocol procedures and of course covering fire if necessary. It has been a few times in their long tenure of working with Jedi. This was frustrating, sitting behind hoping that Commander Raynor didn't die. He was unconscious. Humans were fragile beings too. The all-clear wasn't coming. The mission wasn't being completed. The droid factory was still pumping out enemies. Enough time had passed that it should have. Something had gone sideways. MZ-33 turned to the Commander who lay unconscious. She considered the course of action that needed to be done. The mission needed to be finished and she had been ordered to take care of the Commander by her Jedi. If she could sigh she would have. Instead, she reached out and slapped the Commander. Commander. I need you conscious for this. We are ride or die Repulic boy. Get up. I'll carry you and you keep cover on me. We will get this mission completed."</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake The last thing Raynor remembered was the mine field. His old master, General Mozh, had told him to take a squad and scout ahead. He still only had the rank of Commander - he hadn't yet been promoted to the rank of General, even though he had passed his trials and became a Jedi Knight over a year ago. It bothered him, as he felt like Master Mozh was holding him back - but he pretended that it didn't. Jedi were supposed to be beyond those things. They weren't supposed to be attached - even in the heat of war, they were supposed to find strength in calm and serenity, never passion or anger. It was what he struggled with the most. Most Jedi in his lineage did - they traced back to Revan, the Prodigal Knight, the woman who brought the galaxy to its knees and came back from almost certain death. The next thing he knew, he was being slapped awake by... a protocol droid? Raynor frowned, reaching out through the Force but feeling no one nearby. "Droid, what happened? Where's General Mozh? Or Commander Firtick?" His eyes darted around the room - he was in the medical bay. There was a bacta tank nearby that looked like it had been recently used - his mind was piecing it together. He must have been injured by the mines, placed in the tank, and... left with some protocol droid?</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "Ah, well after your incident I was told to tend to you while they continued the mission. However, it is past the time when they should have completed it by almost thirty minutes. The mission must be completed." MZ-33 was like a hound dog with a scent. Determined to make sure the Republic survived. "I do not know what has happened to the General or Commander Firtick. I can only assume they have failed their mission." She didn't seem pleased with not knowing the answer. "Do you believe you could walk? If not I shall carry you." At least Commander Raynor was awake. MZ-33 had been a little concerned that he might not wake up. The damage to him from the mines had been...extensive. Not that MZ-33 had any medical programming. Something she thought funny after all this time. Not a single Jedi she had worked with over the two-hundred odd years had bothered with it, and Avar Kriss hadn't seen the point all those years ago.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "I can walk!" Raynor protested a little too quickly, his eyes slightly wide in shock. He'd never heard a droid be so... brutal and candid like this before. They were usually programmed to be either devoid of personality or overly apologetic. He had to wonder how old the thing was. Droids tended to get a little weird if they went on too long without a memory wipe. Had this been the droid General Mozh had acquired, the one she jokingly told Raynor was his replacement went his time as a padawan concluded? He swung his feet off of the bed, spotting a fresh set of clothes sat aside for him, as well as his comm link and lightsaber. Raynor quickly got dressed, glad to no longer be in his underwear in front of the droid, and he clipped his lightsaber onto his belt. His entire body felt incredibly sore, and his left arm hurt to move, but he didn't care. What the droid had said to him when he first woke up resonated with him - ride or die for the Republic. "What's your designation and capabilities?" Raynor asked. "No offense, but a protocol droid won't do much against battle droids."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 watched Raynor as he walked making sure he was not lying about his capability. "I am MZ-33. I am a protocol droid. However, I do have blaster integration." MZ-33 lifted her arm and out of it popped the blaster that had been built into it. If the droid could smile it quite probably would have been as they spoke. "I was designed to work with a Jedi." This was said with a bit of old sadness. Grief long inscribed into the circuits of the droid. MZ-33 didn't get into detail. The way her sentence clipped made it clear she didn't want to talk about it. That probably was another sign that MZ-33 was not your average droid. Desire and grief carried so clearly in her tone. "I was designed to assist in diplomatic matters...and escaping from diplomatic matters that went wrong." Again there was a grin in her voice. "You are prepared then?" She paused giving Commander Raynor time to respond, then turned and started out of the room.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "Emzie, nice to meet you. I'm Commander Blake - but call me Raynor," he said, introducing him even though he knew without a doubt that Emzie already knew his name. He raised an eyebrow, hearing that a protocol droid could use blasters. It wasn't the weirdest thing to hear, but it was definitely strange, especially considering that all of their enemies that they thought were droids. If droids were sentient and had souls, he figured that would have been a little bit weird for Emzie. The next thing was particularly interesting - designed to work with Jedi? Designed by who? He'd never heard of a droid like that before. "Let me recap - you're a protocol droid who can shoot blasters, rolls with the Jedi, and was designed to escape hostile situations?" he summarized. He looked more impressed than confused. "Who built you? And why aren't you, no offense, working with the clankers? I'd've thought droid engineers would be making bank with the Separatists." He rolled his head from side to side, cracking his neck. Some Jedi liked to meditate before a mission. Raynor just liked to hear bones go pop in his body. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ready," he answered, following the droid.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 tilted their head as Raynor introduced himself. He had called them Emzie, that was new. She liked it. Then Raynor launched into a series of questions. None of them about the mission. She tilted her head and his mention of 'making bank'. MZ-33 wasn't motivated by credits. "Your recap is correct. I tend to keep the blaster under wraps and use it when I am most needed." In the heat of a battle sometimes one extra blaster could turn the tides. "As for working for the Separatists. I am not motivated by credits. I was built by Lothal Logistics Limited." Her answer while technically correct, was certainly not the answer he was looking for. "I was built using the RQ protocol droid frame."</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor was beginning to like Emzie - they had a lot of personality, for a droid. He also noticed a certain bit of candor that he appreciated. He didn't want anyone keeping secrets. He hit the button to lower the ramp of the shift, allowing him and Emzie to walk on off, hitting the planetary surface. From what he remembered, it wasn't too far to get to the location by speeder - by foot would take some more time, but they didn't really have a better option. It'd at least give him a chance to think up a plan and then relay it to the droid. "What are you motivated by then?" Raynor asked. "In my experience, the droids with personalities tend to go a little rogue. Are you trying to save the General?" He then paused, closing his eyes and concentrating. He had a force bond with his Master, but he could not feel her. Either she was dead or his vision was being clouded by the dark side. He didn't tell the droid what he had felt - or more of, hadn't felt - as he began the long walk to their destination. "I'll come up with a plan, by the way, so no need to get your circuits going."</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I have an FV50 motivator chip. A rather state-of-the-art replacement that was made recently." MZ-33 said completely seriously, which made it extremely difficult to tell if MZ-33 was making a joke or not. As they exited the ship and stood on the planet's surface, MZ-33 was looking around. Her blaster reintegrated seamlessly into her arm. It was impossible to tell that the arm even opened. "Saving the General would be a priority but is secondary after completing the mission." MZ-33 said in response to Raynor's second question. "This mission is critical for their success." She pointed upward, indicating the battle that must be either beginning to be waged or already started. They were already behind schedule. "As for going rogue, I assure you I will not betray you or the cause of the Republic. A hint of their age became evident in the way she said Republic. It was not the current battle they were necessarily claiming loyalty to, but a much older idea.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor didn't pick up on the hint towards Emzie's age - he had never really met an ancient droid before, and it wasn't like he gave droids much thought beyond the most efficient strokes of a lightsaber to cut them into pieces. He knew that droids were an inevitable part of life, but it was still a little strange for his partner on this mission to be a droid, when they'd likely be facing Separatist droids in battle. They had to destroy the droid factory in order to keep the forces mobilizing on the station from being overrun. They didn't have much time left either - Emzie was right about that. "Great, I feel a thousand percent better," Raynor muttered. His mind was running. He was training in the way of the Jedi Guardian - a natural fit given that the Jedi Order were heavily involved in the Clone Wars. He didn't have the infiltration skills of a Jedi Sentinel, or the negotiation knack of a Jedi Consular. "How are you with explosives?" he asked Emzie. "There's got to be a primary power source at the factory we can target, between the two of us I can clear the way, and you can rig it to blow."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I am pleased you feel better." MZ-33 said taking Raynor's comment seriously. "I do not know how to use explosives. It is not in my programming. However, if you instruct me on what needs to be done I can follow the steps." MZ-33 said matter of factly. A blue glow appeared showing the map of the droid facility. MZ-33 pointed to a room on it. "This is the primary power reactor room." A path lit up. "This was the planned path for the attack." There was a preganate pause and then MZ-33 said. "If we follow that path we are more likely to find resistance. It would be best to use whatever distraction the original team made to our advantage." It also would be less likely for them to find any survivors if there were ones to be found, but MZ-33 didn't say that. She wanted to see what Raynor's decision was without drawing the conclusions for him. It was a test. Raynor could chose the more dangerous path that could lead to a higher chance of failure, capture or death. Or the safer path that was more likely to succeed. The harder path would also give them a chance to potentially save people. Neither was the correct answer, but MZ-33 knew which one her first master would have chosen. "If you require other assistance let me know." It was a vague offer. Truthfully not very helpful considering how little Raynor knew about the droid's capabilities. If protocol droids blueprints were one thing someone had spilled oil over the blueprints that made MZ-33, and hadn't bothered to clean it up.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor paused, before shrugging slightly. "Yeah, guess it would've been a bit alarming for a protocol droid to know how to rig a detonator," Raynor joked. He was slightly amused with himself. He never had been a huge fan of droids before, but Emzie was remarkably human. Their sense of humor was beginning to endear itself to him too. He fell silent though as Emzie brought up the map, his eyebrows furrowing as he studied it. He had been raised in the Jedi Order his entire life, taught that they must preserve the peace, that all life was sacred. Yet for the duration of the Clone Wars, he had been a soldier in a war. He knew that the Jedi way wasn't always the way that won battles. And while other Jedi may have scoffed and chaffed at such thoughts, they were comfortable to Raynor... largely because he was already in violation of the Jedi Code. He had a wife. A lovely Twi'lek with gorgeous green skin and brilliant eyes, more stunning and radiant than anything he had ever seen in the galaxy. There were things worth defying the Jedi Council for. Sparky was one of them. But could he give up hope that his former master, the General, was still alive? That the clones who had fought so bravely were lost? But if they failed, what about the lives of those fighting up in the skies above them? And those in the Republic who depended on the Jedi and the GAR? A sort of morose calm came over him. He could feel it through the Force. "Is there a secondary route to the core?" he asked Emzie.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie saw the decision be made. It was a hard one. And they respected Raynor for it. "Yes. It was not chosen as the original path because it goes past a guard station. If they are distracted enough we should experience minimum resistance." The route on the map changed. Flicking to a new path with a red mark where the guard station was. There was no guarantee it would work. The whole mission was a Hail Mary in a war of Hail Mary's. This wasn't unusual for Emzie. They trusted the Jedi on those types of missions more than they would trust a non-Jedi. The Force gave the Jedi an advantage. "There is also a route that requires passing through ducting." The map changed again. "This was not chosen because Clones would not fit."</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor nodded, taking in the path near the guard station. His master was dead. He couldn't deny the part of him screaming to destroy every last droid and Separatist to take vengeance on her behalf. But this was bigger than either of them - and he knew his master would have consoled him that she was part of the Force now. The best way to honor her and ensure her sacrifice had not been in vain would be to complete the mission - to help turn the tides of the battle happening up on the space station orbiting the planet. "I'm not chubby, but I'm also pretty much the same size as a clone, so that way won't work," Raynor told Emzie. "Guard station seems like our best call. It's direct and any droids that come near, I can handle." "Anything else to be aware of?" Raynor asked, hesitating for a moment. He knew that Emzie couldn't feel things through the Force as he did. "... My master and the others... They're gone," he then said quietly, his eyes shining with pain that he was struggling to allow himself to feel. The Jedi Council always preached serenity, not passion - that they could only find strength through peace and harmony, not rage and vengeance. Emotions had to be identified, understood, and then allowed to fade away. He didn't know how to do that though. All he could do was channel his grief into the task at hand.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid If Emzie believed Raynor they showed no sign either way. Though, Emzie had traveled with enough Jedi to know that Raynor was telling the truth. There were of course powerful ways to cover the Force signature of someone, but it would be nearly impossible on this scale. Emzie trusted that Raynor was correct. That left her without a master. She considered this and put it aside. The mission was to come first. Then she decide what to do. "I do not know of anything else you should be aware of." Emzie said in response to his question. "Our time is short though." They looked up to the sky their internal chronometer telling them that even if they were successful it was very likely it was too late for it to matter. Emzie started walking.</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake "May the Force be with us, then," Raynor bade, walking alongside the droid. His master's legacy felt heavy upon his shoulders. If they failed, then their sacrifice would have been for nothing. They were one with the Force now, he knew that was what the Jedi taught, yet Raynor couldn't sense them anymore. He couldn't feel his old master, even in the cosmic force. Tears dropped from his eyes despite himself and Raynor didn't wipe them away. He didn't want to admit that he was struggling to remain objective and focused, to harness serenity rather than passion, calm rather than rage, acceptance rather than grief. Some time later, they arrived at the factory. The droid construction factory. It was the key to the fight in the skies above the planet. It was the key to freeing Ringo Vinda from separatist control. Already outside of the factory, bodies of clones and droids alike littered the ground, showing clear signs of blaster fire. Raynor didn't dare try to pick out a familiar set of armor and he did everything he could to actively not look for the robes of a Jedi. "Which way?" he asked Emzie, crouching behind the rubble of what had been a droid tanker.</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie stood near Raynor. They pointed in the direction they needed to head. If they noticed Ryanor's tears they said nothing about it. "The door we want is that way just over 70 meters. It will be past a collection of pipes. The door is locked by an electronic keypad. I can bypass it." There were corpses littering the ground between them and their destination. Emzie showed little reaction. But started moving. They went quickly toward the door, stopping at it and pulling a wire from themself before inserting it into a small plug on the keypad. It took a moment and during that time Emzie seemed unconcerned with anything that was happening around them. It appeared as if they completely trusted Raynor to deal with any threat.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor followed Emzie's finger (finger?) in the direction they pointed, doing his best to sweep his eyes past the corpses. He couldn't do anything for them now - they were one with the Force. All he could do was honor their memory and complete this mission - to protect the Republic and the billions relying on the Jedi Order to stop the Separatist threat. "Emzie, can you scan for life signs? This place... It's clouded in the Dark Side." He wasn't too prideful to admit that his mind was disturbed here. The afterglow of death emanated into the Force, making it difficult for him to sense if there were any living beings here. He was a Jedi Guardian of course, not as skilled in the Force as say a Sentinel or a Consular, his primary talents lying in combat. They reached the door - just past the piping as Emzie had said. And suddenly, a deep feeling of distrust and suspicion burst inside of Raynor. He paused. "There's something here, I think - not droids, but..." his voice trailed off, as Raynor closed his eyes, trying to focus on what it was that he was sensing - what was lurking around, using the darkness of this slaughter to conceal themselves from his sight. The door then glided open with a puff of air, as Emzie successfully unlocked it. The hallway was shrouded in smoke, likely from some sort of damaged coolant or whatnot, and sparks of electricity from exposed wiring brought the occasional flashes of light. Something was at the end of the hallway - a figure, difficult to make out whether it was a droid or something alive. There was then the sound of something heavy rolling on the ground, as three destroyer droids popped up in front of them, their shields going live as they opened fire on Raynor and Emzie!</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I do not read any life signs." Emzie said as they finished opening the door. Inside the building, it seemed that someone was coming to intercept them. Emzie was certain that whoever this was they were still a droid. Dashing forward their path was blocked by the three destroyer droids. Their plan failed. However, not one to be deterred easily, Emzie released their blaster from its hidden compartment and shot at the figure behind the destroyer droids. The shot wasn't clean, but it still hit the figure. Maybe, Emzie thought, this would give a distraction for Raynor allowing the Jedi to join the fight with an upper hand. It would only work this once. Emzie had started them.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor was startled for a moment - it had to be a droid, right? But a sickening feeling in his stomach told him that something was very wrong here - that there was some grave imbalance in the Force. If it was a machine they were facing, it was somehow... The thought vanished, as Raynor's instincts took over. His lightsaber ignited - a glowing shade of blue, the weapon of a Jedi Guardian. He spun his blade through the air, deflecting the blasts back at their source. Emzie had hit the figure from behind the droids, and the destroyer droids had their shields up, continuing to send blast after blast. While he didn't consciously think it, Raynor knew the two main weaknesses of destroyer droids - their shields did not stop stationary/extremely slow objects, and they were blind from behind. Ordinarily when working with a Jedi, Raynor wouldn't need to tell them the plan - they would sort of feeling it, coming to work together in harmony. He didn't know if Emzie knew what he was going to do. But there was no time to stop. Whatever the thing was behind the destroyers, it was wrong. He just had to hope that Emzie had grenades or something on them, something to help them kill the destroyers. Raynor force jumped over the destroyers, landing down behind them. He slashed his lightsaber from up high, the figure he was attacking still mostly in shadows, expecting to be able to slice the thing in half - But instead, his blue blade met a scarlet red. "What are you?!"</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie had been working for Jedi for a long time. They had passed through several hands. This was not the first droid they had seen wielding a lightsaber, but it never spelled good things. "This appears to be an IG-110." Emzie said almost automatically. They did not go into detail. Emzie did not have gernades. If they could breathe they'd sigh. No wonder this mission was going sideways. The IG-110 was designed to destroy Jedi. This mission had been compromised. The Jedi had been expected. So now they needed to do something unexpected. They turned to the bodies nearby and searched quickly, not finding anything of use in the first body. Time ticked by and Emzie could measure it by the seconds. The second was just as useless. Very well. The bodies would not supply anything useful. They would have to do something else. They dropped to their knee and instead took shots at the lightsaber-wielding droid. Their shots were good and clear, but the other was faster.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor knew it was probably a bad idea to argue/quip in the middle of a fight, as he blocked blow after blow of the lightsaber strikes, scarlet clashing against brilliant blue. But he couldn't resist. "This can't be a double-one-oh - it's... it's like it's alive, Emzie!" Raynor shouted. He had been using the Perseverance Lightsaber Form, as it was ideal for deflecting blaster shots (i.e., the fire from the Destroyer Droids), but it was especially weak against a single opponent. Raynor was losing ground, being forced closer and closer to the Destroyer Droids. He switched his stance, switching his form into the Aggression Form - ideal for a single opponent, but horrible when it came to blaster fire. The sound of lightsaber hitting lightsaber filled the air, a continuous symphony of CRACKS from energy colliding with energy. The two Destroyer Droids kept their focus on Emzie, sending near endless volleys of blaster-fire at the droid, until suddenly the fire stopped. It was a stroke of luck, but the droids guns seemed to have jammed, at least for the moment.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie was confused now. The droid had no life sign how could it be alive. "There are no life signs." Emzie reassured. They were not certain what Raynor was sensing. Maybe the situation had gotten to the young man. Now was not the time to dwell on that though. Emzie set about trying to take care of the thankfully currently broken destroyers. "I do not have the means to take out these droids." They announced. A tinge of annoyance in their voice. "I can only continue to distract them." It was fortunate that the droids didn't have the best aim and Emzie had been programmed for evasive maniviours, and their chassis was surprisingly resilient. Something Avar Kriss had specifically requested when Emzie had been designed. There was something Emzie thought of. A weakness near the point of origin for the shield. However, again they lacked the tools to deal with it. Checking a third body gave nothing that could help and Emzie wondered if the bodies had already been stripped but left behind. They kept that thought to themselves, or they would have if the follow-up thought did not occur to them. "I fear we were anticipated." Emzie did not like that. This mission was too critical. They raised their blaster at the strange droid and shot, missing widely. There wasn't time for failure. It was already too late.</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake "It's definitely alive, you must have a screw loose or something!" Raynor shouted back, perhaps a bit more angrily than he should have. He knew what the Force was telling him - whatever thing he was fighting, it wasn't a machine - not in the way that droids like Emzie were or 110 units were. It wasn't an ordinary form of sentient life either, but it was alive nonetheless, and Raynor couldn't explain it. He continued to fight, blade hitting blade. He pressed forward, attempting to back the creature into a corner - he swung, going for decapitating blows, but there was no gap in its defenses. Raynor's frustration was mounting, especially with Emzie explaining that they weren't capable of taking out the Destroyers (Raynor knew it wasn't reasonable to expect them to do that, but still, he would've liked some help, rather than everything falling on him). But his frustration worked to enhance his power, allowing Raynor to thrust his lightsaber blade forward, skewering the odd creature and sending it limp - just a brief opening in their defenses had allowed his victory. Raynor was panting, dripping with sweat. He stabbed his lightsaber into one of the shields of the Destroyer's, breaking the shield with just one blow in a stroke of luck. "There, now you can handle one."</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "Oi, Captain I Only Have A Blaster, catch," Raynor called out. He picked up the red lightsaber of the strange robotic creature, and tossed the unlit blade to Emzie. He imagined that the droid likely had programming in how to handle a sword, given that it seemed to be proficient enough with a blaster - and if not, well, Raynor just didn't want to hear more complaining about a poor choice in weapon. Besides, holding onto the strange being's lightsaber was probably for the best - it might contain clues as to what it was they had just faced. One of the Jedi Masters might recognize the blade's craftsmanship. "At least these clankers don't have shields," Raynor commented, as they came upon a group of seven basic battle droids at the guard station. Raynor held out his hand, and one of the droids suddenly flew through the glass of the guard station, shattering it and creating a gigantic opening. Raynor then smirked slightly, throwing the flying droid to the side, where it hit the ground. "Oww!" the droid complained, still functioning.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I am not a captain." Emzie said seriously. They didn't have a rank since they were a droid. As they were distracted with their response, they did not catch. Instead, the lightsaber flew past them and landed a few meters away. Emzie picked it up and stored it. "I also do not have the programing to use a lightsaber." There was no need to mention Emzie wasn't force-sensitive; that was obvious by the simple fact that they were a droid. Or maybe now it wasn't as obvious of a fact. Emzie removed their blaster. The point Raynor had made was true. These droids did not have shields. So Emzie's blaster would work against them. They fired one shot at a droid, hitting it, and while it survived that first blast, the next two went a little wide, missing the droid Emzie had been aiming at. Emzie did not seem pleased. If they were capable of frowning, they would be.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- "You also don't seem to have much of a sense of humor," Raynor noted. Droids often were a little stiff, especially ones that were frequently wiped, as they didn't have as much time to develop personality quirks. But Raynor had a feeling that this was likely as quirky as Emzie would ever get - that this was the droid's natural and true personality. It could be fun to mess with Emzie for a while, but eventually, it'd grow old. He mentally shook himself. Focus. Clear your mind. Raynor's lightsaber arced through the air, slicing one of the droids in half. Another droid fired off a shot at the same time though, a cosmic stroke of misfortune, and the blaster fire hit Raynor in the right arm. He winced, only barely healed from the injuries that had landed him in the bacta tank in the first place. "Dammit," Raynor cursed.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie thought they were very funny, actually. It wasn't their fault the Jedi didn't understand their sense of humor. However, now was not the time to try to get into a comedic battle. There were droids in the way of their goal. Something Emzie was getting rather desperate to get to. Therefore, they chose not to continue the conversation but instead focus on the fight. Their first shot missed by a mile. Their second shot grazed their target. But the third destroyed the droid. That was two down out of seven. There were still five more that needed to be taken out for them to be able to move on. Those five droids fired off their own shots. Most went wide. But two shots hit home. One barely grazing Raynor, singeing off some hair, the other hitting Emzie doing damage to their chassis. But not penetrating through their specialized plate. If a second blast hit the same spot before it cooled, Emzie would be at risk of significant damage.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Raynor didn't like how many near misses he was experiencing - he could feel the heat of the blaster fire as it singed off some of his hair. He was a Jedi - he was supposed to be better at this, droids ought to be child's play. Shame mixed into the frustration he had already been feeling, and he reached out with the Force, shoving a hand forward as he attempted to stun the droid assaulting him. Ideally, sparks would've flown from his hands and hit the droid, disabling it. But the Force eluded him. The droid opened fire, and would've hit Raynor dead on, had he not redirected the blow with his lightsaber. The returned blast destroyed the droid on impact. There were four more droids left and each breath was beginning to feel a little more agonizing than the last. Raynor tried not to focus on the pain, attempting to leave his mind clear, to be in harmony with the universe - and he summoned the Force, calling upon it as he used it to push all of the droids back. Three of them crumpled, their frames sparking. One was left and fired off a shot, missing both Raynor and Emzie. "We're - wasting - time," Raynor said through gritted teeth.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie agreed with Raynor. They were wasting time. However, they couldn't do much without taking out the droids blocking their way first. With only one left, though, things were looking up. They shot at the droid, each shot going wild. Only one shot had gotten hit the droid, but it didn't do any damage. Thankfully, the return shot from the droid was just as useless. It grazed Emzie but did no damage. "I am not designed for prolonged combat." This was frustrating.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Raynor lunged forward somewhat recklessly with his blade, hoping to cleanly slice through the droid and end this conflict. His body felt like every nerve ending was on fire, screaming at him to take a beat, to catch his breath, to rest. But there wasn't time. And his body wasn't his own. He was a Jedi, he served the Republic, and he would die serving the Republic if that was what it took. His wild swing was a wild miss, and it left him open and vulnerable, as the droid shot him in the side. Raynor clutched his side, wheezing. The droid fired off another shot and it missed him, going wide. It might've been stupid, and it was a technique that Raynor had not even tried to study properly, but he threw his blade at the droid. The Force must've been with him in that moment though, as the blade skewered the droid and it crumpled to the ground, useless. Raynor staggered to the side, leaning against the hallway, the hand clutching the blaster wound damp with blood. "You - lead," he choked out, holding out a shaking hand to recall his lightsaber to him. "We ride or die for the Republic."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie started to lead. They followed the map that they had of the factory. A small light indicated to them where they needed to go -the power source of the factory. The rest of the way was clear. They had met quite a bit of resistance, but Emzie still felt it might not be appropriate. There was of course the strange droid with the lightsaber. The lightsaber that Emzie now carried. They had never carried one for more than a moment in all of their 'life'. Emzie stopped in front of a door painted red with several numbers painted in black. "Through this door will be the power source of the factory. The mission is to destroy that. The space battle currently happening above this planet would end faster without the swarm of droids that were being made and being shipped right out into the fight.</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. It was taking all of Raynor's focus to not just focus on the bloody wound in his side. He had to use the Force, reach out with his senses, determine if the way ahead was clear. The battle raging above the planet's surface depended on them. It didn't matter if they lived or died, all that mattered was if they could destroy the power core of this factory. In the shape he was in, Raynor didn't know if he'd be able to escape the factory in time if he destroyed the core, resulting in a violent explosion. "Do you know how to disable the core, Emzie?" Raynor asked, even though each word physically hurt to form. He reached ahead with his senses, trying to determine if he detected any lifeforms up ahead. He didn't feel any. There could be droids though. That was one of the pesky things about the clankers - they were slippery when it came to the Force. He could throw them around with the Force all day, but feeling their souls, their presence? It was almost impossible for him. He knew other Jedi were better at it, but he wasn't. Especially not now. He took another breath, bracing himself, before flinging the door open with the Force. His muscles were tensed, ready for a fight, and... The room was empty of droids. "Emzie, I don't like this..." he muttered warily. "It should be guarded, right?"</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie started to lead. They followed the map that they had of the factory. A small light indicated to them where they needed to go -the power source of the factory. The rest of the way was clear. They had met quite a bit of resistance, but Emzie still felt it might not be appropriate. There was of course the strange droid with the lightsaber. The lightsaber that Emzie now carried. They had never carried one for more than a moment in all of their 'life'. Emzie stopped in front of a door painted red with several numbers painted in black. "Through this door will be the power source of the factory. The mission is to destroy that. The space battle currently happening above this planet would end faster without the swarm of droids that were being made and being shipped right out into the fight.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. It was taking all of Raynor's focus to not just focus on the bloody wound in his side. He had to use the Force, reach out with his senses, determine if the way ahead was clear. The battle raging above the planet's surface depended on them. It didn't matter if they lived or died, all that mattered was if they could destroy the power core of this factory. In the shape he was in, Raynor didn't know if he'd be able to escape the factory in time if he destroyed the core, resulting in a violent explosion. "Do you know how to disable the core, Emzie?" Raynor asked, even though each word physically hurt to form. He reached ahead with his senses, trying to determine if he detected any lifeforms up ahead. He didn't feel any. There could be droids though. That was one of the pesky things about the clankers - they were slippery when it came to the Force. He could throw them around with the Force all day, but feeling their souls, their presence? It was almost impossible for him. He knew other Jedi were better at it, but he wasn't. Especially not now. He took another breath, bracing himself, before flinging the door open with the Force. His muscles were tensed, ready for a fight, and... The room was empty of droids. "Emzie, I don't like this..." he muttered warily. "It should be guarded, right?"</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie looked around the room. They were tempted to fire a shot and see if it would bring out potential enemies. This was called 'scarring out the rats'. They did not though. Instead, they turned to face Raynor. "You are correct. This place should be guarded. There is a chance all the guards left and were caught by the original mission. We should continue. Can you place the charges? Or give me instructions on how to do it myself." The question seemed to be checking on Raynor's health, without asking directly. It was clear Emzie was distressed about Raynor's health but was too focused on the mission.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- "Right, the charges," Raynor muttered. He should have known that. He hated that he hadn't known that. The wear and tear on his body and mind was beginning to show. He turned, seeing that Emzie had the charges on them. Raynor knew more or less how they functioned - they were standard issue, the sort used on all jobs like these. But a relatively new design for the Grand Army of the Republic - an older droid might not know how they worked. "I can do it," Raynor assured Emzie, reaching out with a shaking hand and grabbing the bag of charges. He started towards the core, only to stumble and fall to the ground, the bag of charges spilling out around him. Then, the last line of defense of this droid factory showed itself. It came up from the ground, a horrific and noxious gas. Raynor's vision immediately began to blur. He cursed under his breath. Some Jedi were able to hold their breath for extended periods of time, calling on the Force... but he had already called on the Force so much. And the gas started to sting. Emzie would register that this gas was a chemical warfare weapon used by the Separatists to take out organic matter, whereas droids and whatnot would remain unharmed. "Place... the... charges..." Raynor choked out, before he lost consciousness.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- If Emzie was capable of blinking they would be. Staring at the no unconscious body of Raynor. Quickly they went over priorities in their mind. A decision was made. Emzie dragged Raynor out of the room and back into the hallway, checking for more droids. Emzie knew the basics of first aid. This was not a scrape. But they figured fresh air would be good. They also had no idea how to set the charges. Raynor could not. They could not. But they had the spare lightsaber that Raynor had removed from the not-a-droid-droid. Fine. Brute force it would be. Emzie returned to the room. Turned on the lightsaber and started dragging it through the machines. It was not easy. The parts that Emzie figured would be the best to destroy the system was hard to reach. She had no desire to throw the weapon. The weapon was also hard to manipulate. Some of the machines stopped working. But Emzie assessed the situation and knew it would not be enough. And Raynor needed to be returned to the Bacta tank. The mission. Was it already too late? There had to be something to stop the factory. A self-destruct. But it wouldn't be here, which meant they would have to find it. Get to it. And survive the whole thing. They picked up the bag of spilled charges and placed it back in their storage compartment, where they also placed the now turned-off lightsaber. Emzie left the room pulling up the map. Picked up Raynor again and started following a new path.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Raynor remained unconscious, unaware of the looming threats surrounding them. In his dream space, he saw something terrible. It was himself, violently disfigured, clinging to life on a distant moon. His Jedi robes were in tatters, his lightsaber gone, and his eyes... they were filled with pure hatred. Raynor watched like a distant observer, unable to do anything, as this version of himself clung to life through the power of the dark side. It was gathering around him more and more with each passing moment, swirling darkness that threatened to devour him and everything it touched... "No, no, no..." Raynor murmured in his sleep. "Not...me..." As Emzie moved along their new path, they would find more signs of the destruction wrought earlier. One hallway was littered with the bodies of Republic soldiers and droids alike, making it almost impossible to navigate. At the end of the hallway, two bodies in particular would stand out. One was the body of Jedi Master Sevrina Mozh - a Bothan woman. And the other was the body of Commander Firtick, CT-4827. Commander Firtick was still breathing.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie mourned the loss of another Jedi. They paused at the breathing body of one of the clones. Someone was alive. Emzie gently placed Ryanor on the ground again and moved to Commander Firtick's side. They checked and found a few wounds, and one on his head explaining why he was unconscious. It took a bit of work but Emzie was able to bring the Commander to consciousness. "Be gentle Commander, but I need your assistance. Commander Raynor has lost consciousness due to some gas. We are unable to complete the original mission. The secondary option of the self-destruct is the best option we have." What had already been almost a suicide attack was now likely to be the only option. But the Republic needed them. Commander Firtick seemed to be concussed but at least he could stand. They must hurry. Emzie lifted Raynor back up and continued following the path. Expecting Firtick to follow.</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake Commander Firtick 28 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Commander Firtick was not unaccustomed to loss. Nor were they unfamiliar with the idea that they might die on any of these missions. To lay down their life for the good of the Republic was a high honor; but to continue to serve her would be an even greater one. Their head was pounding and they reached up, feeling the site of the wound tenderly. They felt dried blood crunching underneath their fingers - one of the clankers must've gotten them good, but not good enough. They were still in this fight. "Sorry, what's your designation?" Firtick asked the droid. "My memory's a bit hazy, you'll have to forgive me," Firtick apologized. It must've been the head wound. They could remember bits and flashes - the droids coming upon them seemingly out of nowhere, the General going down... but the specifics, such as how they had gotten there, and what the backup plan needed them to do exactly were escaping them at the moment. "But the self destruct option... We won't all get clear. Take me to the designated point, and then I want you to clear out with Commander Blake. And that's an order, trooper."</s>
<\|description\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Recolor i.pinimg.com/236x/bf/0b/45/bf0b453982… --- --- MZ-33 --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Emziee Age: Dates back to the High Republic, estimated age is 230 (+/-5 Years) Home Planet: Lothal Species: Droid Gender: Feminine Droid (she/they) Class: Expert Droid Languages: Droidspeak, Galactic basic, Protocol Droid --- --- Appearance Height: 1.85 Meters Weight: 75 Kilograms Build: RQ Unit frame Eye Color: White Skin Tone: Blue, gold and grey Brief Description: MZ-33 was commissioned by Avar Kriss, using the RQ frame. The primary chassis is blue with the arms colored gold. Grey is used as highlights. Avar Kriss chose the chassis because of the flexibility it had versus some of the other frames available. --- --- Psychology Caring * Overbearing * Dutiful * Critical * Sympathetic * Pompous Personality:MZ-33 is a motherly droid. Tending to push for greatness out of those she has decided is her person. She wants to make sure social faux pas are avoided while also making sure the person eats their meals and gets the necessary sleep to function. Quite often she will be demanding about a schedule being maintained. She sees free time as the time to prepare for future dangers, though recognizes that the people she has served have needed leisure activities as well. Those she allows begrudgingly. For all the mothering she does it has made her fiercely protective. Having gained the programming to fight, despite what a protocol droid should normally have, she uses that to her advantage. She is often underestimated and allows people to believe her to be just an old doddering protocol droid that is easily past her prime. She appreciates the ability to "fly under the radar" and prefers to only fight when it is most dire. However, MZ-33 is no pacifist. She has seen the rise and fall of too many societies, and the damage those can do to innocents. Having lived so long and seen so much MZ-33 has gained an obnoxious pompous and self-important attitude. This is especially apparent when MZ-33 believes a situation should be handled a certain way. She is sometimes correct but also has been known to be wrong. Though she wouldn't admit to that even privately. Sexuality: N/A Relationship Status: N/A Alignment: Neutral Good Fears: * Failing at Raynor's last directive * Having her memories deleted * Being shut down for good Likes: * Schedules * Being on time * Children * Sunrises * Telling stories (be they true or made up) * Answering questions to the letter but not the spirit. Dislikes: * Crass behavior/people * When her person doesn't listen to her good advice * People who believe Droids are less than "human" * Improper grammar (intentionally) * * --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use (Class): 1 * Demolitions: * Stealth: * Awareness (Class): 3 * Persuade: 1 * Repair (Class): 1 * Security (class): 1 * Treat Injury: 1 Feats: * Droid Upgrade Class I * Blaster Integration * Logic Upgrade * Droid Interface * Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber) * Evasion * Toughness * Weapon Proficiency (Blaster Pistol) Powers: * N/A Lightsaber Forms: * The Determination Form, also known as Shii-Cho or Form I Medical Issues/Injuries: * Old? * Possessions: * Raynor's lightsaber * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: MZ-33 was originally purchased by Avar Kriss. They were support for the Jedi as she dealt with the "Legacy Run" explosion. From Avar Kriss MZ-33 passed hands among the Jedi, always working with them to keep the balance as both a protocol droid and a motherly presence when needed. Hundreds of years passed like that giving MZ-33 a vast look at history as it unfolded around her. She took the fall of the High Republic hard and in part wishes she could restore the Galaxy to the glory of her early years. In more recent history MZ-33 joined with the Jedi Raynor. Together they fought and sued for peace during the Clone Wars. He programmed her how to wield a lightsaber, an unusual ability among droids and unheard of for protocol droids. Saying that "You will be underestimated, use that to your advantage". When Raynor was killed during order-66 he asked MZ-33 to protect his family and gave MZ-33 his lightsaber. Shortly after she was shut down and stored, possibly with the intention of changing her programming it was never followed through. A poor choice by the Empire as MZ-33's data banks could have supplied a wealth of information. Zarina found MZ-33 and reactivated her. She has served Zari since then. Deciding even before she realized who Zari was that this would be her person. MZ-33 searched for what happened to Jedi Raynor's family and when they realized that Zari was his long-lost daughter it set into the stone of her programming to protect her at whatever the cost. Imperial Record: Known associate of Jedi, --- --- Extras Character Quote: "We're ride or die for the Republic boy." Theme Song: youtu.be/ySzrJ4GRF7s Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "FRIENDSHIP CAN COME FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 was not a nurse droid. They were not programmed to babysit dying Jedi. They were programmed for protocol procedures and of course covering fire if necessary. It has been a few times in their long tenure of working with Jedi. This was frustrating, sitting behind hoping that Commander Raynor didn't die. He was unconscious. Humans were fragile beings too. The all-clear wasn't coming. The mission wasn't being completed. The droid factory was still pumping out enemies. Enough time had passed that it should have. Something had gone sideways. MZ-33 turned to the Commander who lay unconscious. She considered the course of action that needed to be done. The mission needed to be finished and she had been ordered to take care of the Commander by her Jedi. If she could sigh she would have. Instead, she reached out and slapped the Commander. Commander. I need you conscious for this. We are ride or die Repulic boy. Get up. I'll carry you and you keep cover on me. We will get this mission completed."</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake The last thing Raynor remembered was the mine field. His old master, General Mozh, had told him to take a squad and scout ahead. He still only had the rank of Commander - he hadn't yet been promoted to the rank of General, even though he had passed his trials and became a Jedi Knight over a year ago. It bothered him, as he felt like Master Mozh was holding him back - but he pretended that it didn't. Jedi were supposed to be beyond those things. They weren't supposed to be attached - even in the heat of war, they were supposed to find strength in calm and serenity, never passion or anger. It was what he struggled with the most. Most Jedi in his lineage did - they traced back to Revan, the Prodigal Knight, the woman who brought the galaxy to its knees and came back from almost certain death. The next thing he knew, he was being slapped awake by... a protocol droid? Raynor frowned, reaching out through the Force but feeling no one nearby. "Droid, what happened? Where's General Mozh? Or Commander Firtick?" His eyes darted around the room - he was in the medical bay. There was a bacta tank nearby that looked like it had been recently used - his mind was piecing it together. He must have been injured by the mines, placed in the tank, and... left with some protocol droid?</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "Ah, well after your incident I was told to tend to you while they continued the mission. However, it is past the time when they should have completed it by almost thirty minutes. The mission must be completed." MZ-33 was like a hound dog with a scent. Determined to make sure the Republic survived. "I do not know what has happened to the General or Commander Firtick. I can only assume they have failed their mission." She didn't seem pleased with not knowing the answer. "Do you believe you could walk? If not I shall carry you." At least Commander Raynor was awake. MZ-33 had been a little concerned that he might not wake up. The damage to him from the mines had been...extensive. Not that MZ-33 had any medical programming. Something she thought funny after all this time. Not a single Jedi she had worked with over the two-hundred odd years had bothered with it, and Avar Kriss hadn't seen the point all those years ago.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "I can walk!" Raynor protested a little too quickly, his eyes slightly wide in shock. He'd never heard a droid be so... brutal and candid like this before. They were usually programmed to be either devoid of personality or overly apologetic. He had to wonder how old the thing was. Droids tended to get a little weird if they went on too long without a memory wipe. Had this been the droid General Mozh had acquired, the one she jokingly told Raynor was his replacement went his time as a padawan concluded? He swung his feet off of the bed, spotting a fresh set of clothes sat aside for him, as well as his comm link and lightsaber. Raynor quickly got dressed, glad to no longer be in his underwear in front of the droid, and he clipped his lightsaber onto his belt. His entire body felt incredibly sore, and his left arm hurt to move, but he didn't care. What the droid had said to him when he first woke up resonated with him - ride or die for the Republic. "What's your designation and capabilities?" Raynor asked. "No offense, but a protocol droid won't do much against battle droids."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 watched Raynor as he walked making sure he was not lying about his capability. "I am MZ-33. I am a protocol droid. However, I do have blaster integration." MZ-33 lifted her arm and out of it popped the blaster that had been built into it. If the droid could smile it quite probably would have been as they spoke. "I was designed to work with a Jedi." This was said with a bit of old sadness. Grief long inscribed into the circuits of the droid. MZ-33 didn't get into detail. The way her sentence clipped made it clear she didn't want to talk about it. That probably was another sign that MZ-33 was not your average droid. Desire and grief carried so clearly in her tone. "I was designed to assist in diplomatic matters...and escaping from diplomatic matters that went wrong." Again there was a grin in her voice. "You are prepared then?" She paused giving Commander Raynor time to respond, then turned and started out of the room.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "Emzie, nice to meet you. I'm Commander Blake - but call me Raynor," he said, introducing him even though he knew without a doubt that Emzie already knew his name. He raised an eyebrow, hearing that a protocol droid could use blasters. It wasn't the weirdest thing to hear, but it was definitely strange, especially considering that all of their enemies that they thought were droids. If droids were sentient and had souls, he figured that would have been a little bit weird for Emzie. The next thing was particularly interesting - designed to work with Jedi? Designed by who? He'd never heard of a droid like that before. "Let me recap - you're a protocol droid who can shoot blasters, rolls with the Jedi, and was designed to escape hostile situations?" he summarized. He looked more impressed than confused. "Who built you? And why aren't you, no offense, working with the clankers? I'd've thought droid engineers would be making bank with the Separatists." He rolled his head from side to side, cracking his neck. Some Jedi liked to meditate before a mission. Raynor just liked to hear bones go pop in his body. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ready," he answered, following the droid.</s>	<\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 tilted their head as Raynor introduced himself. He had called them Emzie, that was new. She liked it. Then Raynor launched into a series of questions. None of them about the mission. She tilted her head and his mention of 'making bank'. MZ-33 wasn't motivated by credits. "Your recap is correct. I tend to keep the blaster under wraps and use it when I am most needed." In the heat of a battle sometimes one extra blaster could turn the tides. "As for working for the Separatists. I am not motivated by credits. I was built by Lothal Logistics Limited." Her answer while technically correct, was certainly not the answer he was looking for. "I was built using the RQ protocol droid frame."</s>
<\|description\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Recolor i.pinimg.com/236x/bf/0b/45/bf0b453982… --- --- MZ-33 --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Emziee Age: Dates back to the High Republic, estimated age is 230 (+/-5 Years) Home Planet: Lothal Species: Droid Gender: Feminine Droid (she/they) Class: Expert Droid Languages: Droidspeak, Galactic basic, Protocol Droid --- --- Appearance Height: 1.85 Meters Weight: 75 Kilograms Build: RQ Unit frame Eye Color: White Skin Tone: Blue, gold and grey Brief Description: MZ-33 was commissioned by Avar Kriss, using the RQ frame. The primary chassis is blue with the arms colored gold. Grey is used as highlights. Avar Kriss chose the chassis because of the flexibility it had versus some of the other frames available. --- --- Psychology Caring * Overbearing * Dutiful * Critical * Sympathetic * Pompous Personality:MZ-33 is a motherly droid. Tending to push for greatness out of those she has decided is her person. She wants to make sure social faux pas are avoided while also making sure the person eats their meals and gets the necessary sleep to function. Quite often she will be demanding about a schedule being maintained. She sees free time as the time to prepare for future dangers, though recognizes that the people she has served have needed leisure activities as well. Those she allows begrudgingly. For all the mothering she does it has made her fiercely protective. Having gained the programming to fight, despite what a protocol droid should normally have, she uses that to her advantage. She is often underestimated and allows people to believe her to be just an old doddering protocol droid that is easily past her prime. She appreciates the ability to "fly under the radar" and prefers to only fight when it is most dire. However, MZ-33 is no pacifist. She has seen the rise and fall of too many societies, and the damage those can do to innocents. Having lived so long and seen so much MZ-33 has gained an obnoxious pompous and self-important attitude. This is especially apparent when MZ-33 believes a situation should be handled a certain way. She is sometimes correct but also has been known to be wrong. Though she wouldn't admit to that even privately. Sexuality: N/A Relationship Status: N/A Alignment: Neutral Good Fears: * Failing at Raynor's last directive * Having her memories deleted * Being shut down for good Likes: * Schedules * Being on time * Children * Sunrises * Telling stories (be they true or made up) * Answering questions to the letter but not the spirit. Dislikes: * Crass behavior/people * When her person doesn't listen to her good advice * People who believe Droids are less than "human" * Improper grammar (intentionally) * * --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use (Class): 1 * Demolitions: * Stealth: * Awareness (Class): 3 * Persuade: 1 * Repair (Class): 1 * Security (class): 1 * Treat Injury: 1 Feats: * Droid Upgrade Class I * Blaster Integration * Logic Upgrade * Droid Interface * Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber) * Evasion * Toughness * Weapon Proficiency (Blaster Pistol) Powers: * N/A Lightsaber Forms: * The Determination Form, also known as Shii-Cho or Form I Medical Issues/Injuries: * Old? * Possessions: * Raynor's lightsaber * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: MZ-33 was originally purchased by Avar Kriss. They were support for the Jedi as she dealt with the "Legacy Run" explosion. From Avar Kriss MZ-33 passed hands among the Jedi, always working with them to keep the balance as both a protocol droid and a motherly presence when needed. Hundreds of years passed like that giving MZ-33 a vast look at history as it unfolded around her. She took the fall of the High Republic hard and in part wishes she could restore the Galaxy to the glory of her early years. In more recent history MZ-33 joined with the Jedi Raynor. Together they fought and sued for peace during the Clone Wars. He programmed her how to wield a lightsaber, an unusual ability among droids and unheard of for protocol droids. Saying that "You will be underestimated, use that to your advantage". When Raynor was killed during order-66 he asked MZ-33 to protect his family and gave MZ-33 his lightsaber. Shortly after she was shut down and stored, possibly with the intention of changing her programming it was never followed through. A poor choice by the Empire as MZ-33's data banks could have supplied a wealth of information. Zarina found MZ-33 and reactivated her. She has served Zari since then. Deciding even before she realized who Zari was that this would be her person. MZ-33 searched for what happened to Jedi Raynor's family and when they realized that Zari was his long-lost daughter it set into the stone of her programming to protect her at whatever the cost. Imperial Record: Known associate of Jedi, --- --- Extras Character Quote: "We're ride or die for the Republic boy." Theme Song: youtu.be/ySzrJ4GRF7s Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I have an FV50 motivator chip. A rather state-of-the-art replacement that was made recently." MZ-33 said completely seriously, which made it extremely difficult to tell if MZ-33 was making a joke or not. As they exited the ship and stood on the planet's surface, MZ-33 was looking around. Her blaster reintegrated seamlessly into her arm. It was impossible to tell that the arm even opened. "Saving the General would be a priority but is secondary after completing the mission." MZ-33 said in response to Raynor's second question. "This mission is critical for their success." She pointed upward, indicating the battle that must be either beginning to be waged or already started. They were already behind schedule. "As for going rogue, I assure you I will not betray you or the cause of the Republic. A hint of their age became evident in the way she said Republic. It was not the current battle they were necessarily claiming loyalty to, but a much older idea.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor didn't pick up on the hint towards Emzie's age - he had never really met an ancient droid before, and it wasn't like he gave droids much thought beyond the most efficient strokes of a lightsaber to cut them into pieces. He knew that droids were an inevitable part of life, but it was still a little strange for his partner on this mission to be a droid, when they'd likely be facing Separatist droids in battle. They had to destroy the droid factory in order to keep the forces mobilizing on the station from being overrun. They didn't have much time left either - Emzie was right about that. "Great, I feel a thousand percent better," Raynor muttered. His mind was running. He was training in the way of the Jedi Guardian - a natural fit given that the Jedi Order were heavily involved in the Clone Wars. He didn't have the infiltration skills of a Jedi Sentinel, or the negotiation knack of a Jedi Consular. "How are you with explosives?" he asked Emzie. "There's got to be a primary power source at the factory we can target, between the two of us I can clear the way, and you can rig it to blow."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I am pleased you feel better." MZ-33 said taking Raynor's comment seriously. "I do not know how to use explosives. It is not in my programming. However, if you instruct me on what needs to be done I can follow the steps." MZ-33 said matter of factly. A blue glow appeared showing the map of the droid facility. MZ-33 pointed to a room on it. "This is the primary power reactor room." A path lit up. "This was the planned path for the attack." There was a preganate pause and then MZ-33 said. "If we follow that path we are more likely to find resistance. It would be best to use whatever distraction the original team made to our advantage." It also would be less likely for them to find any survivors if there were ones to be found, but MZ-33 didn't say that. She wanted to see what Raynor's decision was without drawing the conclusions for him. It was a test. Raynor could chose the more dangerous path that could lead to a higher chance of failure, capture or death. Or the safer path that was more likely to succeed. The harder path would also give them a chance to potentially save people. Neither was the correct answer, but MZ-33 knew which one her first master would have chosen. "If you require other assistance let me know." It was a vague offer. Truthfully not very helpful considering how little Raynor knew about the droid's capabilities. If protocol droids blueprints were one thing someone had spilled oil over the blueprints that made MZ-33, and hadn't bothered to clean it up.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor paused, before shrugging slightly. "Yeah, guess it would've been a bit alarming for a protocol droid to know how to rig a detonator," Raynor joked. He was slightly amused with himself. He never had been a huge fan of droids before, but Emzie was remarkably human. Their sense of humor was beginning to endear itself to him too. He fell silent though as Emzie brought up the map, his eyebrows furrowing as he studied it. He had been raised in the Jedi Order his entire life, taught that they must preserve the peace, that all life was sacred. Yet for the duration of the Clone Wars, he had been a soldier in a war. He knew that the Jedi way wasn't always the way that won battles. And while other Jedi may have scoffed and chaffed at such thoughts, they were comfortable to Raynor... largely because he was already in violation of the Jedi Code. He had a wife. A lovely Twi'lek with gorgeous green skin and brilliant eyes, more stunning and radiant than anything he had ever seen in the galaxy. There were things worth defying the Jedi Council for. Sparky was one of them. But could he give up hope that his former master, the General, was still alive? That the clones who had fought so bravely were lost? But if they failed, what about the lives of those fighting up in the skies above them? And those in the Republic who depended on the Jedi and the GAR? A sort of morose calm came over him. He could feel it through the Force. "Is there a secondary route to the core?" he asked Emzie.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie saw the decision be made. It was a hard one. And they respected Raynor for it. "Yes. It was not chosen as the original path because it goes past a guard station. If they are distracted enough we should experience minimum resistance." The route on the map changed. Flicking to a new path with a red mark where the guard station was. There was no guarantee it would work. The whole mission was a Hail Mary in a war of Hail Mary's. This wasn't unusual for Emzie. They trusted the Jedi on those types of missions more than they would trust a non-Jedi. The Force gave the Jedi an advantage. "There is also a route that requires passing through ducting." The map changed again. "This was not chosen because Clones would not fit."</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor nodded, taking in the path near the guard station. His master was dead. He couldn't deny the part of him screaming to destroy every last droid and Separatist to take vengeance on her behalf. But this was bigger than either of them - and he knew his master would have consoled him that she was part of the Force now. The best way to honor her and ensure her sacrifice had not been in vain would be to complete the mission - to help turn the tides of the battle happening up on the space station orbiting the planet. "I'm not chubby, but I'm also pretty much the same size as a clone, so that way won't work," Raynor told Emzie. "Guard station seems like our best call. It's direct and any droids that come near, I can handle." "Anything else to be aware of?" Raynor asked, hesitating for a moment. He knew that Emzie couldn't feel things through the Force as he did. "... My master and the others... They're gone," he then said quietly, his eyes shining with pain that he was struggling to allow himself to feel. The Jedi Council always preached serenity, not passion - that they could only find strength through peace and harmony, not rage and vengeance. Emotions had to be identified, understood, and then allowed to fade away. He didn't know how to do that though. All he could do was channel his grief into the task at hand.</s>	<\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid If Emzie believed Raynor they showed no sign either way. Though, Emzie had traveled with enough Jedi to know that Raynor was telling the truth. There were of course powerful ways to cover the Force signature of someone, but it would be nearly impossible on this scale. Emzie trusted that Raynor was correct. That left her without a master. She considered this and put it aside. The mission was to come first. Then she decide what to do. "I do not know of anything else you should be aware of." Emzie said in response to his question. "Our time is short though." They looked up to the sky their internal chronometer telling them that even if they were successful it was very likely it was too late for it to matter. Emzie started walking.</s>
<\|description\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Recolor i.pinimg.com/236x/bf/0b/45/bf0b453982… --- --- MZ-33 --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Emziee Age: Dates back to the High Republic, estimated age is 230 (+/-5 Years) Home Planet: Lothal Species: Droid Gender: Feminine Droid (she/they) Class: Expert Droid Languages: Droidspeak, Galactic basic, Protocol Droid --- --- Appearance Height: 1.85 Meters Weight: 75 Kilograms Build: RQ Unit frame Eye Color: White Skin Tone: Blue, gold and grey Brief Description: MZ-33 was commissioned by Avar Kriss, using the RQ frame. The primary chassis is blue with the arms colored gold. Grey is used as highlights. Avar Kriss chose the chassis because of the flexibility it had versus some of the other frames available. --- --- Psychology Caring * Overbearing * Dutiful * Critical * Sympathetic * Pompous Personality:MZ-33 is a motherly droid. Tending to push for greatness out of those she has decided is her person. She wants to make sure social faux pas are avoided while also making sure the person eats their meals and gets the necessary sleep to function. Quite often she will be demanding about a schedule being maintained. She sees free time as the time to prepare for future dangers, though recognizes that the people she has served have needed leisure activities as well. Those she allows begrudgingly. For all the mothering she does it has made her fiercely protective. Having gained the programming to fight, despite what a protocol droid should normally have, she uses that to her advantage. She is often underestimated and allows people to believe her to be just an old doddering protocol droid that is easily past her prime. She appreciates the ability to "fly under the radar" and prefers to only fight when it is most dire. However, MZ-33 is no pacifist. She has seen the rise and fall of too many societies, and the damage those can do to innocents. Having lived so long and seen so much MZ-33 has gained an obnoxious pompous and self-important attitude. This is especially apparent when MZ-33 believes a situation should be handled a certain way. She is sometimes correct but also has been known to be wrong. Though she wouldn't admit to that even privately. Sexuality: N/A Relationship Status: N/A Alignment: Neutral Good Fears: * Failing at Raynor's last directive * Having her memories deleted * Being shut down for good Likes: * Schedules * Being on time * Children * Sunrises * Telling stories (be they true or made up) * Answering questions to the letter but not the spirit. Dislikes: * Crass behavior/people * When her person doesn't listen to her good advice * People who believe Droids are less than "human" * Improper grammar (intentionally) * * --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use (Class): 1 * Demolitions: * Stealth: * Awareness (Class): 3 * Persuade: 1 * Repair (Class): 1 * Security (class): 1 * Treat Injury: 1 Feats: * Droid Upgrade Class I * Blaster Integration * Logic Upgrade * Droid Interface * Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber) * Evasion * Toughness * Weapon Proficiency (Blaster Pistol) Powers: * N/A Lightsaber Forms: * The Determination Form, also known as Shii-Cho or Form I Medical Issues/Injuries: * Old? * Possessions: * Raynor's lightsaber * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: MZ-33 was originally purchased by Avar Kriss. They were support for the Jedi as she dealt with the "Legacy Run" explosion. From Avar Kriss MZ-33 passed hands among the Jedi, always working with them to keep the balance as both a protocol droid and a motherly presence when needed. Hundreds of years passed like that giving MZ-33 a vast look at history as it unfolded around her. She took the fall of the High Republic hard and in part wishes she could restore the Galaxy to the glory of her early years. In more recent history MZ-33 joined with the Jedi Raynor. Together they fought and sued for peace during the Clone Wars. He programmed her how to wield a lightsaber, an unusual ability among droids and unheard of for protocol droids. Saying that "You will be underestimated, use that to your advantage". When Raynor was killed during order-66 he asked MZ-33 to protect his family and gave MZ-33 his lightsaber. Shortly after she was shut down and stored, possibly with the intention of changing her programming it was never followed through. A poor choice by the Empire as MZ-33's data banks could have supplied a wealth of information. Zarina found MZ-33 and reactivated her. She has served Zari since then. Deciding even before she realized who Zari was that this would be her person. MZ-33 searched for what happened to Jedi Raynor's family and when they realized that Zari was his long-lost daughter it set into the stone of her programming to protect her at whatever the cost. Imperial Record: Known associate of Jedi, --- --- Extras Character Quote: "We're ride or die for the Republic boy." Theme Song: youtu.be/ySzrJ4GRF7s Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie stood near Raynor. They pointed in the direction they needed to head. If they noticed Ryanor's tears they said nothing about it. "The door we want is that way just over 70 meters. It will be past a collection of pipes. The door is locked by an electronic keypad. I can bypass it." There were corpses littering the ground between them and their destination. Emzie showed little reaction. But started moving. They went quickly toward the door, stopping at it and pulling a wire from themself before inserting it into a small plug on the keypad. It took a moment and during that time Emzie seemed unconcerned with anything that was happening around them. It appeared as if they completely trusted Raynor to deal with any threat.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor followed Emzie's finger (finger?) in the direction they pointed, doing his best to sweep his eyes past the corpses. He couldn't do anything for them now - they were one with the Force. All he could do was honor their memory and complete this mission - to protect the Republic and the billions relying on the Jedi Order to stop the Separatist threat. "Emzie, can you scan for life signs? This place... It's clouded in the Dark Side." He wasn't too prideful to admit that his mind was disturbed here. The afterglow of death emanated into the Force, making it difficult for him to sense if there were any living beings here. He was a Jedi Guardian of course, not as skilled in the Force as say a Sentinel or a Consular, his primary talents lying in combat. They reached the door - just past the piping as Emzie had said. And suddenly, a deep feeling of distrust and suspicion burst inside of Raynor. He paused. "There's something here, I think - not droids, but..." his voice trailed off, as Raynor closed his eyes, trying to focus on what it was that he was sensing - what was lurking around, using the darkness of this slaughter to conceal themselves from his sight. The door then glided open with a puff of air, as Emzie successfully unlocked it. The hallway was shrouded in smoke, likely from some sort of damaged coolant or whatnot, and sparks of electricity from exposed wiring brought the occasional flashes of light. Something was at the end of the hallway - a figure, difficult to make out whether it was a droid or something alive. There was then the sound of something heavy rolling on the ground, as three destroyer droids popped up in front of them, their shields going live as they opened fire on Raynor and Emzie!</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I do not read any life signs." Emzie said as they finished opening the door. Inside the building, it seemed that someone was coming to intercept them. Emzie was certain that whoever this was they were still a droid. Dashing forward their path was blocked by the three destroyer droids. Their plan failed. However, not one to be deterred easily, Emzie released their blaster from its hidden compartment and shot at the figure behind the destroyer droids. The shot wasn't clean, but it still hit the figure. Maybe, Emzie thought, this would give a distraction for Raynor allowing the Jedi to join the fight with an upper hand. It would only work this once. Emzie had started them.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor was startled for a moment - it had to be a droid, right? But a sickening feeling in his stomach told him that something was very wrong here - that there was some grave imbalance in the Force. If it was a machine they were facing, it was somehow... The thought vanished, as Raynor's instincts took over. His lightsaber ignited - a glowing shade of blue, the weapon of a Jedi Guardian. He spun his blade through the air, deflecting the blasts back at their source. Emzie had hit the figure from behind the droids, and the destroyer droids had their shields up, continuing to send blast after blast. While he didn't consciously think it, Raynor knew the two main weaknesses of destroyer droids - their shields did not stop stationary/extremely slow objects, and they were blind from behind. Ordinarily when working with a Jedi, Raynor wouldn't need to tell them the plan - they would sort of feeling it, coming to work together in harmony. He didn't know if Emzie knew what he was going to do. But there was no time to stop. Whatever the thing was behind the destroyers, it was wrong. He just had to hope that Emzie had grenades or something on them, something to help them kill the destroyers. Raynor force jumped over the destroyers, landing down behind them. He slashed his lightsaber from up high, the figure he was attacking still mostly in shadows, expecting to be able to slice the thing in half - But instead, his blue blade met a scarlet red. "What are you?!"</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie had been working for Jedi for a long time. They had passed through several hands. This was not the first droid they had seen wielding a lightsaber, but it never spelled good things. "This appears to be an IG-110." Emzie said almost automatically. They did not go into detail. Emzie did not have gernades. If they could breathe they'd sigh. No wonder this mission was going sideways. The IG-110 was designed to destroy Jedi. This mission had been compromised. The Jedi had been expected. So now they needed to do something unexpected. They turned to the bodies nearby and searched quickly, not finding anything of use in the first body. Time ticked by and Emzie could measure it by the seconds. The second was just as useless. Very well. The bodies would not supply anything useful. They would have to do something else. They dropped to their knee and instead took shots at the lightsaber-wielding droid. Their shots were good and clear, but the other was faster.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor knew it was probably a bad idea to argue/quip in the middle of a fight, as he blocked blow after blow of the lightsaber strikes, scarlet clashing against brilliant blue. But he couldn't resist. "This can't be a double-one-oh - it's... it's like it's alive, Emzie!" Raynor shouted. He had been using the Perseverance Lightsaber Form, as it was ideal for deflecting blaster shots (i.e., the fire from the Destroyer Droids), but it was especially weak against a single opponent. Raynor was losing ground, being forced closer and closer to the Destroyer Droids. He switched his stance, switching his form into the Aggression Form - ideal for a single opponent, but horrible when it came to blaster fire. The sound of lightsaber hitting lightsaber filled the air, a continuous symphony of CRACKS from energy colliding with energy. The two Destroyer Droids kept their focus on Emzie, sending near endless volleys of blaster-fire at the droid, until suddenly the fire stopped. It was a stroke of luck, but the droids guns seemed to have jammed, at least for the moment.</s>	<\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie was confused now. The droid had no life sign how could it be alive. "There are no life signs." Emzie reassured. They were not certain what Raynor was sensing. Maybe the situation had gotten to the young man. Now was not the time to dwell on that though. Emzie set about trying to take care of the thankfully currently broken destroyers. "I do not have the means to take out these droids." They announced. A tinge of annoyance in their voice. "I can only continue to distract them." It was fortunate that the droids didn't have the best aim and Emzie had been programmed for evasive maniviours, and their chassis was surprisingly resilient. Something Avar Kriss had specifically requested when Emzie had been designed. There was something Emzie thought of. A weakness near the point of origin for the shield. However, again they lacked the tools to deal with it. Checking a third body gave nothing that could help and Emzie wondered if the bodies had already been stripped but left behind. They kept that thought to themselves, or they would have if the follow-up thought did not occur to them. "I fear we were anticipated." Emzie did not like that. This mission was too critical. They raised their blaster at the strange droid and shot, missing widely. There wasn't time for failure. It was already too late.</s>
<\|description\|>Adrastos My'nar Lord of the Tower Age: Unknown, but appears to be late middle aged for an elf. Race: Elf Physical Description: Andrastos is a tall, lean elf with sharp grey eyes that easily make you feel as though he can read your thoughts, much like looking into the face of hawk. His features are always intense and stern, but never harsh enough to display any sort of emotion. His long, brown hair is always kept in a mix of braids and ornate gold bands, with his thick beard done in the same fashion. His clothes usually made of simple, light materials with ornate embroidery along the collar and arms. In the colder months and areas, he dones himself with heavy leather gear that looks more like light armor than clothing and a fur-lined cloak. Title/Rank: Lord of the Tower Personality: Serious, intense, and calculating. Character History: There are very few elves who remember when Lord Adrastos was named Lord of the Tower, and even fewer that remember him as a child. His past is shrouded in mystery to non-elves, for even most elves refuse to mention it if they do know the tales. His rule is well respected by all of Evolin, thus why there was very little complaint about no other Tower Elves being named when the last few passed into the afterlife. In recent history, whispers of Lord Adrastos frequenting the Northern King (their oldest enemy) has caused some stir, and now some guild-masters move to have the council remove Lord Adrastos from his seat of power... for many of them profit from the constant war in the borderlands. (If you are going to play an elf with more knowledge about Andrastos, please PM me for details). Regional History: *This will be completed when we have elf players. I want to give people a chance to create their own history and weave it into the Regional History.* --- Sifora Dalgaard Princess of the North Age: 17 Race: Human (North) Physical Description: Sifora has skin as pale as the snow of the North and blue eyes like the glacier lake that gives life to all the North. Like all of her kin before her, Sifora has raven black hair that is straight even when wind-tattered. Standing at an average height, Sifora despite an athletic frame, seems quite frail amongst the northerners, who are a tall, stocky breed of humans. Title/Rank: Princess of the North (and heir to the crown) Personality: Confident (almost to a fault), passionate, stubborn, and perceptive. Character History: First born of King Jassard and Queen Emalia (Princess of the South and aunt to the current King of the South), Sifora disappointed many... except that of her parents. They were proud of their daughter, despite the kingdom wishing for a male heir. Like most royal children, she was well versed in everything from logic, history, to art and music. Throughout her early years, the Queen conceived and lost many pregnancies, some of which nearly took the southern woman's life.... and then, when Sifora was five, the Queen did finally die in the throws of early labor, leaving a small, damaged boy in her place. Shayden, Sifora's brother, was weakly and always two steps from death's door. The kingdom grieved over the loss of the queen, praising her for bringing King Jassard a son into the world even if it cost her her life. Little did that know that the damage would never be undone... for the young lad would never speak... would never comprehend beyond that of a toddler... and would never be able to rule. As the children grew older, King Jassard worked hard to ensure that no one questioned his daughter as his heir, having her even train with his closest General, Lord Erik Olofsson, a quite man from the furthest reaches of the North where the sunlight hid for a good part of the year. A rather weak fighter, Sifora made up for her shortcomings with her speed and her passion. She would never make it on the battle field, but could defend herself well enough to survive a surprise attack. Taking to the bow rather than the sword, the young Princess filled her time as a young teen studying war and tactics, instead of needle point and dance. Out of fear that the traditionalists, a group of High Lords who did not like the King naming his daughter heir, Sifora was hidden away from society and surrounded her by only his most trusted men and advisors... and of course, her brother. Closed in the black stone halls of the Castle, Sifora grew protective of her inner circle; her father, her brother, and Lord Erik. Anyone outside of this circle was held at arms length, which grew to be a huge challenge when her father fell ill just after her seventeenth birthday. As her father's health quickly declines, it is apparent that she must leave the walls around her and garner favor of the Council of Lords... before her father's last breath. Regional History: There is very little history of note for the North. When looking as far back as one can in the historical scrolls, the Northers have been fighting to protect their Ice-Diamond mines from the Elves (who claim they were stolen from them) and trading off weapons and furs to the South. There are rumors that the southern King, King Jassard's nephew, has been plotting against his uncle after he turned down an offer of a marriage between Princess Sifora and himself. Some even say the King had offered his daughter to the elf Lord instead, to further anger the southern King. All are unconfirmed rumors, but have permeated enough of polite gossip that they are stated as if fact. With King Jassard's health is in quick decline and his end inevitable, the Council of the High Lords are starting to show their colors... either by aligning themselves behind the Princess, or by otherwise plotting. --- NPCs Erik Olofsson General of the North AGE: 58 NOTES: Is of noble birth but does not hold lands (his older brother does). He has no kids and has been at the King's side since a young lad. The two have ridden into battle many... many times. He is stoic... and is built like a bear. Shaydon Dalgaard Prince of the North AGE: 12 NOTES: Has mental deficiencies due to complications at birth. Does not talk and only comprehends like a young toddler. Has a natural connection with animals and is scared of anything loud. Sybilla Rior Nomad; White Tent Clan AGE: Appears to be mid 20s NOTES: More to come.</s> <\|message\|>Adrastos My'nar Characters: Various Erikson household NPCs Location: The North--Erikson Mansion The half melted snow of summer slowly began to glitter in the twilight on the grounds of the Erikson Mansion. The twilight was too bright for the nocturnal critters to scurry about and the daytime life had still not crawled from their various homes. Only the soft bubbling of the property's stream gave the cool morning any sign of life. Inside those dark stone walls, however, the flow of life hardly ever ceased. Below the main floors in a massive kitchen, a never ending flock of men and women fluttered about day and night. The High Lord and his family, like most of the council Lords, had never known hunger... especially those in which owned Ice Diamond mines. "-well I don' know how they do et in tha capital, but givin' the poor cook less than a days notice-" Grumbled a rather large, round woman began, her red face glistening in the candle light with the efforts of rolling out the dough. She gave the dough a rather aggressive punch before continuing. "-it just don't seem right..." A tired looking man with a well trimmed beard and a tunic of leather stood next to the baker's table, a sigh escaping his lips that were pressed into a thin line. "I understand, Tilda... but this is her royal highness, not some common lady calling upon Lord Erikson and his family. This could very well set up the Lord for success...... or failure." "No need to get dramatic, Valcore." She grunted, flashing a half smile at the Steward. "I will get breakfast going an' then sit down withcha to plan out a few meal options for Lady Erikson to choose...." Tilda's smoky voice trailed off along with her grass green eyes towards where a rather buxom girl covered in flour stood, peering down the main hall expectantly. "POPPY!" The cook barked. The poor girl spun around. "Ma'am?!" "If my tarts end up flat because yer daydreaming after that Erikson bastard again, I am going to beat you until your ears bleed!" Tilda roared, holding up the rolling pin, a cloud of flour filling the room from the sudden upward movement. "Yes, ma'am." Poppy muttered softly, jumping back to her place. "Come now, Tilda..." Valcore chided, picking up the opened missive from the capital from the table. "What else are bastards good for anyway, if not sending all the scullery maids into girlish fits and lustful daydreams, hmm?" And with that, the man headed to go prepare for his master to awake to the news that the future Queen and her entourage would arrive at the Erikson Mansion in less than a day.</s> <\|message\|>Viktor Eriksen Viktor was always fond of waking up in the early hours of morning. There was a small sense of superiority in it, something small and meaningless to boost his ego, just the simple knowledge that his lazy brothers and useless sisters couldn't even manage to do that. Anyhow, the feeling didn't last long- he caught a glimpse of his window, and the twilight that struggled to be seen. His room was halfway underground, a compromise reached by his father and the Lady of the House. Viktor sleeping anywhere near her children's chambers would be a grave insult that would not be tolerated, and Viktor sleeping below the manor with the staff was an insult to Lord Erikson's blood. An easy answer was found: a tiny, damp, freezing room between two sets of stairs: halfway below ground, halfway up. He hated it, and smiled at the horrible little window like it was the most beautiful sight in the whole North. Feet on the cold, stone ground, he got up and dressed himself, in blue and silver. He looked back at the sight on the old mirror that decorated his walls. Appearance would be the only luxury a bastard like him held onto. Thin, and long, and with his limbs too slender and lanky, he would never look like a proper Northern brute, but he could do something even better, he could look expensive, regal. Who would look at someone like him and think him a product of unholiness? He smiled at his own reflection, a smile that everybody hated. Long legs carrying him down the stairs, Viktor adjusted his gloves as his feet stepped onto the main hall, his long, dark mane of hair slicked back. He liked to start the day by seeing how much he could aggravate the staff. This wasn't entirely malicious, as he preferred them eons better than the brats he shared part of his blood with, but being a nuisance always put him in the right mood. Besides, he was the only member of the family who would step into the kitchen out of his own free will, he must take advantage of that as much as he can. "Quite the commotion, at an hour like this." Viktor walked in, smile big and white and irreverent across his face "You mustn't tell me you let the hounds eat Ola's special sweets again." This had, in fact, happened once, and had been entirely his doing.</s>	<\|message\|>Adrastos My'nar Characters: Various Erikson household NPCs Location: The North--Erikson Mansion Tilda huffed, her face never lifting from the baker's bench as The Bastard joined the mix. "If ya came ta get beat with tha broom, dearie, then keep on talkin'. Ta-day just may put ol' Tilda in the grave..." She muttered, not her usually jolly self. Normally she would happy swap smart ass remarks with the boy, but this morning she was a woman on a mission. "Go ask yer da 'bout our special-" "-it's the Princess Sifora!" Poppy blurted from the stove, having nearly wet herself with excitement when Viktor had entered the room. The fat cook stopped a moment to send a sharp look at the girl. Oh if only looks could kill! Pressing her lips into a thin line, Tilda's face fell back to the bench. "Hand me that sack, boy. If yer gunna be a distraction to the girls in here, yer gunna be of some help." She barked pointing to the cloth sack full of flour that was on the far end of the bench near where Viktor stood. Then, slowly, a grin crossed her face. "An' if ya go an' feed these sweets ta the 'ounds... I will walk ya up by the ear to yer father meself and let ya explain why it is the High Council no longer has a seat for any Erikson...." Her words were playful, but there was a tone of seriousness to them today. The short, freckled faced Poppy let out a fearful gasp. "OH, please, don' hurt 'im, Tilda... I will take 'is lashes fer 'im!" She began to babble, dropping the wooden spoon into the pot she had been stirring. "STUPID GIRL!" Tilda roared. "Get back ta yer work or else ya will be gettin' some lashin's of yer own."</s>
<\|description\|>Viktor Eriksen Age:19 Race: Human, Northener Physical Description: Very tall, slender young man, with sharp features everywhere. Thin and not very physically skilled, unlike most of his Northern peers, with long legs to carry his body. Dark, silky hair, going down to his chin, skin pale as the snow, and icy gray eyes. Cheekbones sharp enough to cut through metal, and a bit of a shark-like smile that makes people nervous just at it's sight. A purposeful off-putting presence. Title/Rank: No title, bastard of a Northern High Lord Personality: With a flair for dramatics and an incessant need to go out of his way to antagonize his peers, Viktor was never very well-liked for his personality. He was a bastard, in the literal sense, but many would describe him as that in every sense. The way he saw it, he had two choices growing up: he could bow his head down in respect when the Lady and the family berated him, waiting for the acceptance that would never come, or he could take advantage of the fact that it was far too late to get rid of him. Quick-witted and with a borderline sadistic enjoyment of watching people get uncomfortable, upset, or downright furious. Going out of his way to ruin somebody's day quickly became his favorite activity. With an unwavering sense of self-preservation, Viktor carefully built the walls surrounding him. He could be funny and entertaining, and even superficially charming, when the situation required it, or he could be downright cruel. He's a bit lazy, having grown with some comfort, but gets easily obsessed and determined when a goal is set on his mind. Naturally mistrustful of all people, he has never allowed a single soul to get too close. Extremely dedicated to the few things he loves and has passion for, like politics, archery, and the history of the kingdoms. Character History: Viktor was considered lucky for the fact that he wasn't left out to die in the cold of the North, as bastards often do. His father was a man of means and influence, a High Lord, part of the council that had the king's ear. His mother was nobody, and therefore neither was he. This alone was enough reason to let Viktor out to die, and yet, that wasn't the case. His father took him home, to his lavish castle in the capital, announcing to his wife and his 3 legitimate children that there was another member to this family. Not killing him was the very last kindness Lord Eriksen ever showed Viktor. After that, all his father gave him were cold looks and cruel, distant words. Viktor could count on one hand how many times he saw him a year. Viktor grew up in the Eriksen estate alongside his father's family, but all of them made sure he always knew he was not family. Lady Niekene hated him most. He had barely learned how to properly walk and talk, and she still found every reason she could to punish him, humiliate him, to thoroughly remind him he was an outsider and a mistake. She shared this notion with her children, who disliked Viktor's existence just as much- Lucio, Marius and Ola treated him like a pest, like a limp, sickly dog who sneaked in their home during a snowstorm. He wasn't allowed to sleep in the same chambers as the members of the Eriksen family, no, Lady Niekene would never approve of it: Viktor slept in the smallest room as the castle, a floor above the underground lodgings of the staff. Viktor was different from them, he knew soon enough, in every possible manner- Lucio and Marius were strong and courageous, they had a love for fighting and brawling, were loud and impulsive and took any chance they had to start a fight and leave people bleeding. Viktor was scrawny, despite towering over both of them in height, he knew he would never beat anybody in a physical confrontational. He was a negation with a sword, something his father quickly recognized and berated him for. But this undeniable inability to fit in, that in his early, formative years, he saw as a curse from the Gods for his unholy birth, would become his first act of rebellion. No, he was not strong, or gifted in the arts of battle, but he was smart, very smart. At the age of 9, his tutor would approach his father with the information that Viktor possessed an 'extraordinary mind'- not only he had a remarkable memory, being able to remember any passage from any book after just one glance at it, he had an undeniable talent for strategy, logic. That was the very first time his father, or anyone for that matter, looked at him like he had any value. Lord Eriksen invested in that, this child he risked his reputation for simply had to be useful for something- he hired the finest tutors of the North to sharpen and curate the boy's mind, directing it especially to the noble art of war. He also made a particularly pleasant discovery: while Viktor was more likely to decapitate himself with a sword than put up a good fight, he was fairly skilled with a bow and arrow. Viktor, who once was so jealous of Marius for how applauded he was for playing with wooden swords, realized, in a glorious moment of clarity, why this was: they were idiots. The three of them, all his legitimate heirs, though they looked noble and princely enough, what they had in appearances and charm, they lacked in intelligence. And Viktor finally realized he had the upper hand. It was a turning point for him, who no longer had to cower to the rest of the family. It was far too late for anybody to get rid of him, and he used it to his advantage. He had observed everyone in the castle all his life, he knew what made them tick, what made them angry, and he took every chance he had to do so, antagonizing his half-siblings became his joy in life. Convincing Ola that the visiting Lord from the South was in love with her ad wanted to wed her, or constantly sabotaging Marius' armor. He once made Marius genuinely believe he was being haunted by an ancient elven princess, and the only way to make it stop was to lock himself in a cabinet, naked, covered head to toe in cheap wine for a week. That was one of the happiest weeks of Viktor's life, especially because he completely got away with it. It made all of them despise him even more, but what could they do? Viktor knew acceptance would never come, he might as well enjoy himself. At 15, he became a sort of advisor for his father. Not officially, he was a boy, a bastard at that, but he earned his father's ear with his silver tongue and his brilliant mind. His father still had no love for him, he knew that much, but Viktor had moved on from wanting to be loved to wanting something much bigger: wanting to be invaluable, irreplaceable- and he was on his way there.</s> <\|message\|>Adrastos My'nar Characters: Various Erikson household NPCs Location: The North--Erikson Mansion The half melted snow of summer slowly began to glitter in the twilight on the grounds of the Erikson Mansion. The twilight was too bright for the nocturnal critters to scurry about and the daytime life had still not crawled from their various homes. Only the soft bubbling of the property's stream gave the cool morning any sign of life. Inside those dark stone walls, however, the flow of life hardly ever ceased. Below the main floors in a massive kitchen, a never ending flock of men and women fluttered about day and night. The High Lord and his family, like most of the council Lords, had never known hunger... especially those in which owned Ice Diamond mines. "-well I don' know how they do et in tha capital, but givin' the poor cook less than a days notice-" Grumbled a rather large, round woman began, her red face glistening in the candle light with the efforts of rolling out the dough. She gave the dough a rather aggressive punch before continuing. "-it just don't seem right..." A tired looking man with a well trimmed beard and a tunic of leather stood next to the baker's table, a sigh escaping his lips that were pressed into a thin line. "I understand, Tilda... but this is her royal highness, not some common lady calling upon Lord Erikson and his family. This could very well set up the Lord for success...... or failure." "No need to get dramatic, Valcore." She grunted, flashing a half smile at the Steward. "I will get breakfast going an' then sit down withcha to plan out a few meal options for Lady Erikson to choose...." Tilda's smoky voice trailed off along with her grass green eyes towards where a rather buxom girl covered in flour stood, peering down the main hall expectantly. "POPPY!" The cook barked. The poor girl spun around. "Ma'am?!" "If my tarts end up flat because yer daydreaming after that Erikson bastard again, I am going to beat you until your ears bleed!" Tilda roared, holding up the rolling pin, a cloud of flour filling the room from the sudden upward movement. "Yes, ma'am." Poppy muttered softly, jumping back to her place. "Come now, Tilda..." Valcore chided, picking up the opened missive from the capital from the table. "What else are bastards good for anyway, if not sending all the scullery maids into girlish fits and lustful daydreams, hmm?" And with that, the man headed to go prepare for his master to awake to the news that the future Queen and her entourage would arrive at the Erikson Mansion in less than a day.</s> <\|message\|>Viktor Eriksen Viktor was always fond of waking up in the early hours of morning. There was a small sense of superiority in it, something small and meaningless to boost his ego, just the simple knowledge that his lazy brothers and useless sisters couldn't even manage to do that. Anyhow, the feeling didn't last long- he caught a glimpse of his window, and the twilight that struggled to be seen. His room was halfway underground, a compromise reached by his father and the Lady of the House. Viktor sleeping anywhere near her children's chambers would be a grave insult that would not be tolerated, and Viktor sleeping below the manor with the staff was an insult to Lord Erikson's blood. An easy answer was found: a tiny, damp, freezing room between two sets of stairs: halfway below ground, halfway up. He hated it, and smiled at the horrible little window like it was the most beautiful sight in the whole North. Feet on the cold, stone ground, he got up and dressed himself, in blue and silver. He looked back at the sight on the old mirror that decorated his walls. Appearance would be the only luxury a bastard like him held onto. Thin, and long, and with his limbs too slender and lanky, he would never look like a proper Northern brute, but he could do something even better, he could look expensive, regal. Who would look at someone like him and think him a product of unholiness? He smiled at his own reflection, a smile that everybody hated. Long legs carrying him down the stairs, Viktor adjusted his gloves as his feet stepped onto the main hall, his long, dark mane of hair slicked back. He liked to start the day by seeing how much he could aggravate the staff. This wasn't entirely malicious, as he preferred them eons better than the brats he shared part of his blood with, but being a nuisance always put him in the right mood. Besides, he was the only member of the family who would step into the kitchen out of his own free will, he must take advantage of that as much as he can. "Quite the commotion, at an hour like this." Viktor walked in, smile big and white and irreverent across his face "You mustn't tell me you let the hounds eat Ola's special sweets again." This had, in fact, happened once, and had been entirely his doing.</s> <\|message\|>Adrastos My'nar Characters: Various Erikson household NPCs Location: The North--Erikson Mansion Tilda huffed, her face never lifting from the baker's bench as The Bastard joined the mix. "If ya came ta get beat with tha broom, dearie, then keep on talkin'. Ta-day just may put ol' Tilda in the grave..." She muttered, not her usually jolly self. Normally she would happy swap smart ass remarks with the boy, but this morning she was a woman on a mission. "Go ask yer da 'bout our special-" "-it's the Princess Sifora!" Poppy blurted from the stove, having nearly wet herself with excitement when Viktor had entered the room. The fat cook stopped a moment to send a sharp look at the girl. Oh if only looks could kill! Pressing her lips into a thin line, Tilda's face fell back to the bench. "Hand me that sack, boy. If yer gunna be a distraction to the girls in here, yer gunna be of some help." She barked pointing to the cloth sack full of flour that was on the far end of the bench near where Viktor stood. Then, slowly, a grin crossed her face. "An' if ya go an' feed these sweets ta the 'ounds... I will walk ya up by the ear to yer father meself and let ya explain why it is the High Council no longer has a seat for any Erikson...." Her words were playful, but there was a tone of seriousness to them today. The short, freckled faced Poppy let out a fearful gasp. "OH, please, don' hurt 'im, Tilda... I will take 'is lashes fer 'im!" She began to babble, dropping the wooden spoon into the pot she had been stirring. "STUPID GIRL!" Tilda roared. "Get back ta yer work or else ya will be gettin' some lashin's of yer own."</s>	<\|message\|>Viktor Eriksen Viktor leaned against the counter, making no move to be useful and, in fact, actively standing in the way of the people trying to work. That's what she gets for ordering him around, now he was dead-set on making things even more difficult, whatever these things may be. "Oh, don't you worry, you must know by now that old Tilda is all bark. What's a fat cook to do? Sit on me until I'm squished to death?" The young bastard smiled between Poppy and Tilda. His mean words were as sure to come as the sun was sure to rise, other's aggravation seemed to be Viktor's fuel for waking up in the morning. Still, despite all he says to her, it was obvious the insults didn't translate in how he actually felt about the cook- if he truly had any distaste for old Tilda, all he had to do was put in a word with his father and have her thrown out. He hadn't done anything like that after all these years, hence why he stood in the kitchen exchanging barbed words with her. "Poppy, my dear," He turned his gaze to the freckled lass, using the words he knew would distract her most from the task at hand "What is it you said about the Princess?" Poppy appeared to be the only girl in the whole North stupid enough to prefer a boney thing like him than the likes of his brothers. Of course, he never did anything about, she'd be much luckier throwing herself at Marius or Lucio, they'd have her in no time. But he had his uses for her, seeing as the best source of information is the one that is eager to give it all up.</s>
<\|description\|>Yukihiro Naoki Age: 17 Occupation: Second Year High Schooler at Zenshin Private High Appearance: His jacket is an Iori Shopping Center brand one and the Japanese kanji writing on his is hood and back spell out "Iori Shopping Center" Personality: Good-natured, and overall friendly, he often acts overly blunt with people and causes trouble. He has a habit of happily saying "Imagine it!", with a smile on his face. He is an optimist who believes nothing can be achieved through idleness and has an almost disgust for those who take inaction when they want something, although he rarely shows it. He also has a tendency to daydream and often uses those daydreams to draw up inspiration for gunpla. Background: Naoki was born and raised in the heart of Shibuya, raised by his grandfather who was a former architect and instilled a love for building into Naoki at a young age. Born into a moderately wealthy family, he lives in one of the apartment complexes on the top floor. At a young age, Naoki would meet his childhood friend when moving into the center, this friend would introduce him to the world of gunpla building. Years later his love of gunpla has given him 3 goals in life; to one day create his "Ideal" gunpla, to participate in a "Battlogue", and to become the next Meijin Kawaguchi. If anyone decides to do an in-depth research into Naoki they'd learn that 3 years ago he was a part of Team Domino, last year's current runner-ups, and former Nationals Champion, although he was under the stage name Aznable at the time and wore a costume as Char Aznable. This fact is rarely known these days. Stats: - Battle sense: 2 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 4 Other Skills: - Proficient Builder, Naoki has a lot of experience with building and even has access to a 3D printer that he creates custom parts with. - Versatile Pilot, Naoki has piloted a number of gunpla and can very comfortably pilot most gunpla regardless of type. - Excellent Spatial Visualization, Naoki is proficient at mentally visualizing opponents movements and is able to keep track of enemies in his blind spots as well as figure out positioning through sensor data alone.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku A chance to buy a new model for only 500 yen was simply too good to pass up. That was Riku's mindset when he showed up at the Arcade Shop on Sunday morning. He made sure he was there at 10 on the dot, wanting to avoid finding out that the model he was interested in had already sold out. But thanks to his plan, Riku got exactly the model that had caught his eye, a Leo. Immediately after the purchase was made, the first thing Riku had done was write something on the box using a marker: KRB-8. He'd been wanting an excuse to start up a new line of builds, and this event was as good as it got. Also, this was the first model from After Colony that he would get to work with, so that was also quite an appeal for him. He sat down at a table, noticing a building lesson was going on a couple tables away. Riku instead chose to ignore that lesson altogether, putting in some earbuds and blasting some music out of them to drown out all the distractions. For the next three hours, he was in the zone. He was focused entirely on the Leo he was putting together, and even though the model was unpainted as of yet, he could already see some potential paint jobs for the Gunpla in his own mind's eye. Although Riku was indeed a student of Zenshin Private High, he wasn't wearing any kind of uniform. Why would he? It was Sunday, there was no school, and frankly he hated wearing those ugly white blazers. Even on school days, Riku was rebellious enough not to actually wear the blazer, but instead just tie the thing around his waist. Rules said he had to wear it, but they didn't mention anything about how he had to wear it. But for today, he was dressed in a much more preferable wardrobe consisting of a black t-shirt worn under a sleeveless leather cutoff jacket sporting a white boa collar. In addition to that he sported black pants, biker boots and a pair of fingerless leather gloves. "Hmm... better to leave that part for now until I decide how I wanna upgrade it later..." muttered the builder to himself. From what he knew about this model, Leos were capable of a wide variety of specializations and for the moment Riku hadn't yet decided what to do with his. Such versatility was the thing that drew him to this model, the sheer number of variants he could come up with for it being the main appeal for him concerning the Leo. For now, Riku paused from his building in order to access something on his phone. It was file labeled "Build Catalogue" that he opened up, setting the pone on the table and allowing to project a holographic viewing of the items listed within. He cycled through the Catalogue, looking over his past builds from the very first all the way to most recent. He was looking at what kind of specializations he had already done, so that he could deliberately focus on building a new type of build for the Leo. He noticed a lot melee focused and flying focused builds, but not a lot of builds focused on firepower. He smirked, knowing exactly what he wanted to do with the Leo now.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun "Yoshu Arcade, check!" Jun Takamaki, crossed off the words 'Yoshu Arcade' from his notepad. Above those words, was about half a dozen other names from other arcades already crossed off. Unsatisfied with the amount, Jun dumped the notepad into his pocket and let the door slam on the arcade he was leaving. As the door was closing, what could be seen from where Jun left, was the inside of the arcade. There, several faces of young boys of various ages could be seen with defeated expressions. All of them with their eyes either cast down at their beaten Gunpla or at the back of the one responsible who was leaving out the door, Jun. "The rumors were right, that Shark kid really did come here to take everyone on after all....He's crazy, how could he have that much stamina after so many consecutive battles?" "I don't know what was worse, losing to him or having to listen to him brag about us losing to him," "No, the worst part was definitely the fact that he told us to make sure no girls were allowed..." The group of boys talked amongst themselves about the wild blue-haired youth who had competitively ransacked their arcade. That boy, named Jun, was now grinning to himself while looking at the list of defeated arcade centers. As he was walking down the sidewalk, he couldn't help but speak to himself, "Ah ah, come oooon what am I so proud of myself for? This is nothing new, it's only natural that a Once in A Century Genius like me would become this skilled in any endeavor he puts his mind to." he chuckled, reeling in his own satisfaction. The stupid grin on his face grew larger. "Well, I guess I should give myself a pat on the back every once in a while, right? Hm Hm haha HAHHAHA!!" Eventually he couldn't kkep himself from laughing out loud. The odd scene drew disturbed glances from the people walking by him. Of course that didn't stop him from laughing to himself, but something at the corner of his eye did. It was inside a Gunpla shop and the conclusion of a battle had drew quite the commotion. From what he could gather, the blond-haired guy with the calm demeanor had just laid a thrashing on a trio of enemies, both with the Gunpla and in real life. "Wow, that guy's got some moves for someone who isn't a Genius like me," Jun boasted to himself after watching that boy leave the shop. The stranger had walked past Jun without any recognition of his existence, which Jun found insulting. So he glanced down at the boy's phone and only noticed a calendar with the note; 'Takemori Arcade, 1:00 & 2:00'. It was a rude thing to just look at someone else's phone screen but this was Jun, who cared very little about that sort of thing. Having his curiosity piqued, Jun entered the Gunpla shop the stranger had left and went up to the three losers who had been defeated. "Hey, what's the deal with that guy, and what's up at Takamori Arcade?" he bluntly asked the three delinquents as they were recovering. It looked like they wanted to resist answering out of their sense of pride, but of course that had been recently crushed, so one of them gave in and answered, "That's the Reaper, Kai Asakura, he's a jerk that goes around destroying other's Gunpla with just some jank builds.... As for Takamori Arcade, I think there's a Tournament going on there today." Jun pondered to himself for a moment at those words, "Kai Asakura,....I've heard that name before, but where...?" After thinking for a moment, Jun shook his head and grinned. "Whatever! What matters is that fate has set up another challenge for the Once In A Century Genius, Jun Takamaki, to overcome! Takamori Arcade! That's my next conquest!"</s>	<\|message\|>Yukihiro Naoki Naoki sat in his chair waiting, the newly made graze in his hand as he began to use a very thin marker to add detailing to it, as he mindlessly did the work he began to think of the other gunplas he's made today for the demonstrations. His mind began to wander to a battlefield... The fuzzy silhouette of a graze appears in view, its back turned as it turns to him, its arms and back larger and more robust. The graze unholsters its axe and began winding back, before finally swinging down with tremendous for- "Hey Nao, how's the crowd treating you?" a deep voice said behind Naoki, jolting him back to reality. He turns around to see an arms crossed man, probably in his late 30s, with short green hair and wearing an apron that says Takemori on it, similar to Naoki's. "The kids are doing just fine, I think anyway. They're all able to keep up with my demo and almost all finish making their models before the lesson ends." He says looking over at the other tables where those who hadn't finished moved their gunpla to finish on their own. "What about you, Shinrai? How're sales going?" The now named Takemori Shinrai smirked with a thumbs up. "I can proudly say that almost all of the Zaku II and Leo gunplas are sold out, with only a couple left of each, and we were able to sell two-thirds of our Grazes." Naoki nodded at this. "By the way, that one guy is here, he came in while you were setting up for presentations. I think he bought a Leo this time." Naoki perked up with interest before looking over at the tables and spotting Riku in the back of the room, far away from any of the kids or others in general. Sometime during the last year or so Riku had started to appear at the arcade, and whether it was by fate or by sheer horrible luck, Naoki had never seen Riku actually battle. Once when Naoki had to leave for a family event, Riku appeared at the arcade and headed straight for the battle tables. When Naoki arrived for his afternoon shift, Riku would walk out of the arcade having finished a fight. Naoki had naturally become curious about this tough-looking guy who would only be in the same room when building or buying a gunpla. That, mixed with the random whispers at school that he'd heard of the guy, had made Naoki curious. Was he skilled or an amateur? Was he a close range fighter or long? Did he like After Colony? Or did he just want a cheap build? However the current question on his mind was, "Do you think he'll be signing up for the tournament?" "Hmmm, hard to tell. Only really exchanged a couple of pleasantries. Tell you what, I'll ask him and let you know after I put up the signup sheet." Shinrai said holding up the piece of paper, "Which reminds me, did you want to participate?" Naoki flashed a smile and thumbs up, "Yep," He said with an emphasis on the p. "I'll be using the demo models." Shinrai raised an eyebrow. "You realize that's going to be an uphill battle right?" "Neh it'll be fine, I'm just here for fun after all! Win or lose it'll be fine." He replied while waving him off. Shinrai sighed, "Well, no skin off my back." He said, writing Naoki's name on the top before heading off to post it at the front counter. Soon after, the tables in front of him began to fill, with the front rows being filled with young children and their parents while a couple of lone teenagers and even a pair of adults sat in the back. This lesson was much smaller than the previous ones since it was the last of the day. "Well then!" He said with a clap to get the rooms attention. "Good afternoon everyone! Let us begin the final Beginners Building Event of the day. First things first we need to make sure everyone has what they need, besides the gunplas of course! At each of your stations you should have a pair of cutters along with sandpaper and ", Naoki began to ramble on, starting the lesson while looking over the crowd. --- In the back of the arcade, posted up next to the arcades gunpla store on the wall was the signup sheet with 20 slots, with 1 name already written in. At the top of the signup sheet had the following, Free For All Takemori Locals Tournament Rules: - In total, 2 Free for All Elimination Rounds, 1 DeathMatch. - 1st and 2nd round: 20 person free for all lasting 20 minutes each. - 3rd round: If 2 or more pilots are still standing, the 2 with the highest kill count will battle 1-on-1. - Mobile Suits Only. --- posting the sheet to the wall, Shinrai walked up to Rikus' table, trying to appear in his line of sight so as not to spook the young boy. Looking down at the boy's workstation he could see the finishing touches of the Leo the boy was making. Shinrai cleared his throat trying to get the boys attention, first quietly but then again much louder when he realized the boy had headphones in. Once he got the teens attention he asked, "Hey kid, uh .. Riku was it? Are you interested in signing up for the tournament? It's usually first come first serve but since you've been here all day I thought I'd give you a heads up before the list fills up." He said before heading back over to the store counter next to the signup sheet, keeping an eye of interest to see if the teen would follow him to join the tournament.</s>
<\|description\|>Yukihiro Naoki Age: 17 Occupation: Second Year High Schooler at Zenshin Private High Appearance: His jacket is an Iori Shopping Center brand one and the Japanese kanji writing on his is hood and back spell out "Iori Shopping Center" Personality: Good-natured, and overall friendly, he often acts overly blunt with people and causes trouble. He has a habit of happily saying "Imagine it!", with a smile on his face. He is an optimist who believes nothing can be achieved through idleness and has an almost disgust for those who take inaction when they want something, although he rarely shows it. He also has a tendency to daydream and often uses those daydreams to draw up inspiration for gunpla. Background: Naoki was born and raised in the heart of Shibuya, raised by his grandfather who was a former architect and instilled a love for building into Naoki at a young age. Born into a moderately wealthy family, he lives in one of the apartment complexes on the top floor. At a young age, Naoki would meet his childhood friend when moving into the center, this friend would introduce him to the world of gunpla building. Years later his love of gunpla has given him 3 goals in life; to one day create his "Ideal" gunpla, to participate in a "Battlogue", and to become the next Meijin Kawaguchi. If anyone decides to do an in-depth research into Naoki they'd learn that 3 years ago he was a part of Team Domino, last year's current runner-ups, and former Nationals Champion, although he was under the stage name Aznable at the time and wore a costume as Char Aznable. This fact is rarely known these days. Stats: - Battle sense: 2 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 4 Other Skills: - Proficient Builder, Naoki has a lot of experience with building and even has access to a 3D printer that he creates custom parts with. - Versatile Pilot, Naoki has piloted a number of gunpla and can very comfortably pilot most gunpla regardless of type. - Excellent Spatial Visualization, Naoki is proficient at mentally visualizing opponents movements and is able to keep track of enemies in his blind spots as well as figure out positioning through sensor data alone.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku Lion A full blown cavern, complete with waterfall and underground lake? Not quite what Riku had expected. Still, this would actually work out in his favor. The Metal Angel not only excelled in close range fighting, but even more so in enclosed places like this. It wasn't hard for him to decide that this place would end up being the Queen Mansa's tomb. Speaking of which, he saw the water of the lake bubble with activity as something rose up out of it. It was her. The Metal Angel appeared to stare down the Queen Mansa with unflinching resolve. On his way to this location, Riku had once again brandished the DODS Rifle that his Gunpla now held in its hand. And then he heard the pilot speak again over the intercom channels. "Heh heh heh, my my boy. I didn't think you'd be so brazen." In response, music began playing from Riku's intercom system. Not over his earbuds, but on his speakers so that she would hear the song as well. Just as music could soothe a savage beast, the right kind of song could also strike fear into the heart of an opponent, "Don't blame me," Riku said over the comms, "you're the one who targeted me first. So you've only got yourself to blame for what happens next!" and without even a hint of warning, he fired off a shot from the DODS Rifle, aimed past the Queen Mansa at the cavern walls above. He intended to use another rock slide tactic. However, Riku suspected this woman wouldn't fall prey to a rock slide as easily as Seo had in Round 1. But even if she avoided getting collapsed on, the same would likely not be said for her funnels. And really, that was Riku's aim anyway. As long as they were destroyed by the rocks or sufficiently distracted by shooting at them, it'd give Riku the opening he needed to close the distance. And close the distance, he did. Instantly, after the shot was fired, the Metal Angel dropped the rifle onto the ground and boosted full speed directly at the Queen Mansa. While the normal AGE-1 Titus model was known for being a bit on the slow side, the same was not true of the Metal Angel. In building it, Riku had used a combination of using slightly less armor pieces and increased energy output to allow it to move faster than it's official counterpart from the anime could. Riku's first move was to try and catch the Mansa in a frontal grappling hold. Assuming the grab was successful, Riku would activate the beam lariats. Upon this, disc-shaped beam weapons ignited around the Metal Angel's forearms. Normally these could be used for a powerful close-line charge. But for this scenario, they were being used to create a grappling hold capable of causing devastating damage to an enemy Gunpla's body simply by having the Metal squeeze its arms inward while the beams were ignited. It didn't need to last very long. In fact Riku expected the Queen Mansa could and would break free in mere moments. But those moments were all Riku would need. As the brunt of the beam damage would be against the Queen Mansa's tail binder, hopefully rendering it unable to deploy any more funnels. "Apparently you weren't watching what happened to the last guy who tried to fight me in terrain like this." Riku said. He was referring to Table B, when he completely crippled Seo's Alvaaron while piloting a mere Leo.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Lion Blade sighed and said," I wasn't patronizing you I was actually giving you a compliment." He looks around and sighed. He looks at the girl acrossed from her and gave her a thumbs up in a compliment and a sign of respect. He then focused back at the match. He moved the wing zero up and out of the water. The little damage he took from that crash unaffecting any of the systems and the wing. He said," alright who's next he turned the wing zero into neo-bird mode and flew off at high speeds.</s> <\|message\|>Kai Asakura Unfortunately for Hamada, Kai did keep track of him, after all he was laying down suppressive fire, meaning he was keeping track of him even though the rock slide because of his sense stat being four though he couldn't stop his enemy from going into the cave due to the aforementioned rock slide. The Taisen stepped down infront of the stone barricade. Kai pulled out a Panzerfaust and a Cracker and then tossed the Panzerfaust into the air, the threw the cracker into the stone pile blasting the cave open again, but Kai didn't go in. Kai caught the Panzerfaust and fired the one use rocket into the cave and then detonated it from afar with a shot from his beam rifle. The cave started to rumble as rather than going in and possibly being ambushed or wasting energy and time, the Gunpla fighter instead decided to try and literally bury his opponent again this time using cave in, though rumbling didn't just happen at the cave, but at multiple areas, Hamada's random barrage of mortar fire would have caused areas to have become destabilized, with Kai giving the last push to causing a chain reaction, he went back to the air and towards a different area.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun Lion Jun was disappointed to find that his blaster wasn't having the effect he hopped it would. Therefor he was surprised to see the Graze slip through his charge and attack from his side. Jun didn't break, instead he continued with his forward movement to evade the axe slash. However there was still a slight cut made across the Miracle's arm from the blow. "Tch! Yeah, I put it together! What's it to you!? Anything's possible for someone like me!" Jun shouted at hos opponent in frustration. The two of them were dueling with a series of strikes from their respective melee weapons. At the same time, Jun couldn't help but think to himself, 'What's with this guy... He's strong like Kai, but different. It feels like I'm fighting against the wind..' After sliding his Zamber off the axe, Jun used the front guard at the handle of his blade to hit the axe at it's flat side to throw off the Graze's aim. Once in that position, Jun would try to take advantage of the opening to launching a mighty spinning slash at the Graze's head. Jun would carrying that momentum ahead once he passed by the Graze and swing back around during the rotation to quickly combine both his Zamber and Blaster together to form a more highly powered Beam Rifle to fire at his foe. "Does this pack enough fire power for ya!?"</s>	<\|message\|>Yukihiro Naoki As music filled the open channel, Koga Kyo smiled. "Aren't you confident!!" She said as Rikus' blast hit its mark above her. As the rumble fell, her funnels all grouped above her before spinning, "Funnel, Blooming Rose Formation!!" The funnels all shot upwards before rotating in a circles and slowly shot outwards, destroying the rumble above and causing damage to the rest of the caves ceilings. Koga Kyo chuckled a bit to herself. So, this was Leo from the last round. Previously, Koga had been watching from a hidden area in the canyons, her funnels giving her a view of all potential opponents. Although there was no rule against switching between rounds, she wondered why he didn't use this new gunpla last round to score points. "Oi, smart strategy, but remember," She said as her funnel lasers had reached the ceiling above Riku, "The same trick works both ways sweetie!!" She finished as rocks and rumble began to fall all around the caves, the Queen Mansa beginning to float upwards towards the hole in the ceiling as she also shot a couple blasts towards the Metal angels general direction as the Metal Angel dropped its blaster and closed the distance. Koga Kyo turned right as the Metal Angel tanked a few blasts before grabbing onto the Mansas Binder. The beam lariat shot out of the Metal Angel, ripping her binder to shreds as she detached it, firing a shot at the binder to blow it up and create distance as she escaped the cave. "Smart move switching to close range, but this is over!" She yelled as her funnels came back to her, 7 staying out with nowhere to go as the wasted the rest of their energy causing destruction in the caves. --- Hamada breathed a large sigh of relief as his Buster finally stopped its thrusters, and landed on its feet. "I escaped. Now I j-" But he was cut off, as the stone barricade behind him burst open from Kais cracker. "Ah SHIT!!!" He yelled as his gundam immediately pressed against the wall. Maybe he was far enough away that the light wouldn't reach? Maybe he was out of sensor range? A missile fired through the cave and Hamada held his breath in, this cave was pretty straight, if he was lucky the missile would go straight and miss him. And it did, and he was happy …. But just as he was about to celebrate, not pressing against the wall anymore, a laser pierces his shoulder, before detonating the missile that just passed him and causing him to take serious damage, falling over. The whole cave began to shake as rumble began to slowly fall around him. "NO NO NO, MOVE BUSTER MOVE!!!" He yelled in frustration as the blue lights around him turned red. "Dammit, I didn't even." As Kai flew into the air, he realized his battle had moved him to around the center of the arena. From his vantage in the air, and using the long range cameras, Kai was able to identify 2 other suits. The first appeared to be a large black mobile suit currently flying out of a hole in the earth, firing downwards at something. The other was what looked like a white transformable type gunpla flying into the air above the ocean area. --- And as if their eyes actually met, Blade caught sight of the Red Zaku flying above the mountains. Flying through the air, Blade could see his gunplas condition was still pretty good despite his sudden dive, although through his camera he could see the Red Zaku still looked fine as well. The Zero System, however, he would still need a few moments before he could use again. Far Below, the battle between Jun and Naoki intensified as their weapons clashed. At Juns confirmation of building his gunpla, Naokis smile grew. So, the shark wasn't just instinct and talent. Naoki could tell from the Gunplas design. It wasn't a critique on performance, or power, or even strength. Naoki could tell the Gunpla was born from its creators heart and it shined because of it. And thats what excited Naoki. As they continued, Jun side stepped and got a clean hit onto his gunplas head, destroying his main camera. As he lost visuals, Naoki took a deep breath, his mind going into overdrive as his eyes flickered to the information the system was giving him. Radar said he was passing him, but now he stopped and suddenly turned back on his heel. The image of the Captain Miracle turning around and combining his Zamber and Blaster flashed, its powerful beam firing at the Graze and piercing its left side. A moment before the blast, Naoki detached his Grazes left arm and threw it towards the beam, "Does this pack enough fire power for ya!?" He heard as the blast destroyed the arm, before grazing the Grazes left side, causing serious damage as his Graze lost power, falling into the ocean. "Damn, even though I could imagine the attack, I couldn't respond. Heh heh, still though." He said as his Graze began to sink, the pressure of the ocean began to affect the Gunpla. "It was fun, Mr. Genius." He said through the open channel, remembering Juns entrance from earlier. The Graze reached the bottom, before exploding in an underwater pink cloud that signified Naokis defeat. "I really wanna fight you again, full power." He said to himself as the blue around him turned red.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku It was tough to ignore the "Shark's" entrance. His loud and obnoxious arrogance made it downright impossible to miss it. And yet, all it managed to elicit from Riku was a quick eye roll. In his experience, it was always the smallest dogs who barked the loudest. So for all he cared, that's all this so-called Shark was: a small dog desperately trying to convince the rest of the world that he was bigger than he actually was. A pity they didn't wind up on the same table for round 1, else Riku could have went for an early elimination to put the blowhard in his place. Nah, instead he wound up on the other table, with Seo of all people. He remembered the counselor suggesting to him that he join the Gunpla Club as a way to learn the ropes, but one look at these assholes was all Riku needed to turn around and walk away without even so much as an attempt to talk to them. Arrogance like the Shark's was one thing, guys like that just wanted to be in the spotlight. But arrogance like Seo's? That was a beast of another color, the kind of superiority complex that made Riku's blood boil just thinking about it. Guys like him and his little club were the kind that were in the most need of a rude awakening. Riku took a glance down at his Leo, briefly considering using the real Gunpla he'd brought along with him to step out onto the table and subject Seo to a much-deserved beatdown. But then, he smiled... another idea formed in his mind. One that would let him test the Leo and - if he played his cards right - knock that Seo bastard off his high horse. Riku took his place on the table, registered his base and docked the Leo. The Plavsky particles flowed around him as his immediate vicinity darkened, "...Launch!" and with that, his Leo launched and he quickly and quietly positioned himself within what appeared to be the dilapidated ruins of a military base. His Leo's urban camo would serve it well here, and he could power down his energy output and possibly pass himself off as just another part of the ruined base. He ducked his gunpla inside of a nearby Mobile Suit hanger and put it in a kneeling position so that it would appear offline to the untrained eye. All that was left was scan for Seo's signal and - once locked on - he could begin his plan.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Blake walking through the mall reading mentally for the tournament. He heard about it on the fliers around town so he thought he could put to the test his gundam wing zero. He walked into the building looking around once after signing up he was still hyping himself up as he looked at everyone that was there. He thought to himself,'dam lots of people,' Once the tournament started having everyone seated at Plavsky Particle Tables and such Blake took his seat quickly as he readied himself and put wing on the platform and took his position. He didn't really talk to anyone else he simply was there to try for the tournament and was ready for it. He looked around as he flew the battle feild looking for his opponent. He was ready for a fight.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun Jun had been tinkering with his Captain Miracle on a table. He was currently making sure all of the Gunpla's weapons were in check. In his head he was already visualizing defeating the other competitors and claiming his victory. Ensured of his victory, Jun stood up triumphantly once the announcement of the start of the tournament sounded. "A Battle Royale, that's just perfect for me! I knew coming here would be the right move!", Everyone around him was heading to their positions for their respective group battles. Before heading towards his own station, Jun noticed a familiar face. Asakura Kai, who he had indirectly learned of the tournament from, was seated at a table. Wanting to show appreciation in his own special way, he made that his destination. As he approached, he saw there was someone else standing nearby. @Crimson Lion "You're another challenger? You're a nice guy helping those beginners like that. Here's a word of advice, stay away from this bad boy if you want to last long," Jun held up his 'Captain Miracle' for the stranger to see before turning his attention back at the person he came here for. "As for you, Asakura Kai, or 'Reaper' or whatever you wanna go by! I can tell you're strong, but that's gonna be put to the test once you fight someone like me, whose super strong! No, ultra strong! No, super mega ultra strong!! So don't go disappointing me. It may not be a perfect nickname, but they're not wrong when they call me 'Shark'!" With a fire in his eyes and a grin to match, Jun made his intentions clear. Having said all he needed and not wanting to waste any further time, the boy made a line straight for his battle station. Once there, Jun placed his Gunpla onto the table and the Plavsky Particles surrounded him. He was now inside his mobile suit, which was stationed inside a hanger. "Takamaki Jun, Crossbones Gundam: Captain Miracle, launching!" with that, he hurled out of the hangar full speed. The scenery was one half coast and one half ocean. Yet he didn't make his way near the surface, instead he headed up high in the sky for all to notice him. That made him an easy target but that high altitude also allowed him to get a good view of any other competitors down below. "Let the challenge begin!"</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura Kai wiped the sweet of his bow as he inspected his handy work that he somehow managed finished up within the set amount of time. The Gunpla before him was simply a snap build with nothing original about, but it was better than his other attempt to say the least, mostly in part to Naoki's lesson, as he was about to stand up he was suddenly shouted at by a random loudmouth kid who was clearly challenging him, to which he had one question before walking off. "So, who the fuck was that guy?" Kai asked himself he was used getting challenged to fights, he just legitimately didn't know who this Shark was, he did the equivalent of living under a rock in the Gunpla community. "Well if he's strong, he's strong. If he can't back up his talk he's just going to get his ass kicked. That's all there is to it." The Gunpla fighter shrugged not really caring more than that as he walked over to the tournament floor. "Coastal terrain, looks like lucks on my side for this one." Coastal terrain meant that beam weaponry that most suits tended to rely on would be taking a hit. Beam weapons were naturally worse underwater and sand could cause malfunctions in the complicated mechanisms of beam weapons. As his Zaku only used physical weapons including a Bazooka, his weapons wouldn't be nearly at a disadvantage than other especially since most suits which tended to rely on beam weapon for their ranged options. Kai set his Gunpla and base. "Kai Asakura, Char's Zaku Orgin, launching." The Red Zaku flew out from the hanger, before slowly lowering himself to the sandy surface careful not to kick up a dust cloud which could give away his position. "I should watch the coastline, at this terrain that's the easiest place to hide and set an ambush." The Gunpla fighter noted to himself proceeded with fight with great caution.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Blake turned around and said," there you are! Get over here." He then launched the winged gundam forward with his own beam saber he blocked the others beam attack to and looked at the other gunpla. He chuckled a bit as he kicked the other back and he flew back a few feet. He smiled and thought to himself,' good a battle, alright wing zero let's do this.' Blake said," that was your brother? Interesting didn't even know what hit him." He looks at the other gunpla he just floating there, he pointed his beam saber at him and said," you think your a match for me and wing zero? Come on then!" He then launched forward, pulling out his second beam saber as he got closer to the only astray left on the field.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku Lion The moment Riku was through the canyon entrance, he slowed his Gunpla and double checked his energy levels. Just under 80%, which he had to guess was a bit more than where Seo was at due to going directly from one engagement to another without taking any time to recharge. That combined with entering combat in a zone his Gunpla would have a disadvantage in would hopefully be his undoing by the end of this. Statistically speaking, the Alvaaron was technically a superior machine compared to the Leo - especially thanks to it's anti-beam coating and GN Field effectively rendering the Leo's Beam Cannons next to useless against it. So Riku needed to play his cards right. Luckily, he knew the Alvaaron's GN Field needed to consume particle energy reserves in order to be deployed. So if Riku could force Seo to burn enough of his energy reserves, that would at least nullify or reduce the effectiveness of the GN Field. As for the coating, well, there wasn't much Riku could do about that, but thankfully all his other weapons were ballistic rather than beam type, so that could serve as a workaround. After turning his Leo around to face the entrance he had just come through, Riku could see Seo's Alvaaron approaching fast. Like before, his next maneuver required timing. Unlike before, he'd potentially face a severe punish if he got this wrong. He readied the missile pods mounted on his Leo's legs, but didn't fire them until just as the Avaaron would make it through the entrance. However, Riku wasn't aiming for the Alvaaron - at least not directly. No, he had locked into the canyon walls on either side. His shot would hopefully trigger a rock slide directly over Seo as he made his entrance. Unfortunately Riku didn't have time to watch the aftermath of his attack unfold. Instead he redirected power to the thrusters and once again made his way deeper into the canyon.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun Lion @Shiyonichi There Jun was, the thrill of battle rushing through his body as he faced off against three foes. Then a certain someone in a Red Zaku interrupted his fun. They even had the guts to take a shot at himself. However, watching the assailant make its entrance and attacks brought Jun enough time to react with a move of his own. The Captain Miracle removed the easily accessible Buster Gun from it's side and activated it's thrusters. The Gunpla slid across the surface in a half-circle around the Zaku, evading the machine gun fire at a hair's breath. "Those moves,....Kai Asakura! Hey don't get in the way, I had them just where I wanted!" Jun stated angrily, he had thought back on Kai's battle that he had seen earlier this morning and thought they were familiar. "Dammit, now they're gonna get away! This is all your fault!" he looked at one of his monitors and caught sight of the three GN-Xs and the Graze leaving the scene. Jun clenched his teeth in frustration, he was caught between wanting to take down Kai and taking on the group that was escaping. Without waiting, the Captain Miracle charged forward, weaving left and right in it's pursuit as it fired it's blaster multiple times at the Red Zaku. At the same time he was readying the Zamber in his other hand to slash at Kai once he closed the distance. "Well, the best solution is to just take you down first and then get rid of them afterwards! Yeah!! That's definitely the best challenge to take on!!"</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura Kai turned as the Crossbone made it half circle to prevent it from flanking him. In a contrast to Jun energetic movement dodged the beam shots with the minimal amount of movements weaving through the beam barrage by moving an inch to the right or left allowing it to pass by hit in a narrow miss as he did a tight zigzag forwards, as he seemed to have intended to finish this in melee battle as he put his machine gun back and seemed to reach for his heat hawk... Only that was a feint. The Zaku suddenly kicked the ground sending a wave of wet sand fly at Jun to blind him, using the opening the Zaku flicked his shoulder putting the Bazooka at it's side and detaching a Bazooka clip from the shoulder shield which went fly upwards before being caught by the other hand of the Zaku which quickly put it into place in a single smooth motion, turning the usual four second reload into a second and a half. The Red Zaku jumped up to create space to fire the Bazooka at Jun. Then using the recoil and the Zaku thrusters to boost himself further upward to get to a vantage point for a juicier target, the retreating G-NXs, they were currently dragging their injured comrade away meaning they were closer and clustered together and they were also slowed down and now where focusing on Naoki who went to chase them down. Kai grabbed on to the Bazooka with both arms to stabilize his shot before firing, with full intent to finish them off.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku Lion A full blown cavern, complete with waterfall and underground lake? Not quite what Riku had expected. Still, this would actually work out in his favor. The Metal Angel not only excelled in close range fighting, but even more so in enclosed places like this. It wasn't hard for him to decide that this place would end up being the Queen Mansa's tomb. Speaking of which, he saw the water of the lake bubble with activity as something rose up out of it. It was her. The Metal Angel appeared to stare down the Queen Mansa with unflinching resolve. On his way to this location, Riku had once again brandished the DODS Rifle that his Gunpla now held in its hand. And then he heard the pilot speak again over the intercom channels. "Heh heh heh, my my boy. I didn't think you'd be so brazen." In response, music began playing from Riku's intercom system. Not over his earbuds, but on his speakers so that she would hear the song as well. Just as music could soothe a savage beast, the right kind of song could also strike fear into the heart of an opponent, "Don't blame me," Riku said over the comms, "you're the one who targeted me first. So you've only got yourself to blame for what happens next!" and without even a hint of warning, he fired off a shot from the DODS Rifle, aimed past the Queen Mansa at the cavern walls above. He intended to use another rock slide tactic. However, Riku suspected this woman wouldn't fall prey to a rock slide as easily as Seo had in Round 1. But even if she avoided getting collapsed on, the same would likely not be said for her funnels. And really, that was Riku's aim anyway. As long as they were destroyed by the rocks or sufficiently distracted by shooting at them, it'd give Riku the opening he needed to close the distance. And close the distance, he did. Instantly, after the shot was fired, the Metal Angel dropped the rifle onto the ground and boosted full speed directly at the Queen Mansa. While the normal AGE-1 Titus model was known for being a bit on the slow side, the same was not true of the Metal Angel. In building it, Riku had used a combination of using slightly less armor pieces and increased energy output to allow it to move faster than it's official counterpart from the anime could. Riku's first move was to try and catch the Mansa in a frontal grappling hold. Assuming the grab was successful, Riku would activate the beam lariats. Upon this, disc-shaped beam weapons ignited around the Metal Angel's forearms. Normally these could be used for a powerful close-line charge. But for this scenario, they were being used to create a grappling hold capable of causing devastating damage to an enemy Gunpla's body simply by having the Metal squeeze its arms inward while the beams were ignited. It didn't need to last very long. In fact Riku expected the Queen Mansa could and would break free in mere moments. But those moments were all Riku would need. As the brunt of the beam damage would be against the Queen Mansa's tail binder, hopefully rendering it unable to deploy any more funnels. "Apparently you weren't watching what happened to the last guy who tried to fight me in terrain like this." Riku said. He was referring to Table B, when he completely crippled Seo's Alvaaron while piloting a mere Leo.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Lion Blade sighed and said," I wasn't patronizing you I was actually giving you a compliment." He looks around and sighed. He looks at the girl acrossed from her and gave her a thumbs up in a compliment and a sign of respect. He then focused back at the match. He moved the wing zero up and out of the water. The little damage he took from that crash unaffecting any of the systems and the wing. He said," alright who's next he turned the wing zero into neo-bird mode and flew off at high speeds.</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura Unfortunately for Hamada, Kai did keep track of him, after all he was laying down suppressive fire, meaning he was keeping track of him even though the rock slide because of his sense stat being four though he couldn't stop his enemy from going into the cave due to the aforementioned rock slide. The Taisen stepped down infront of the stone barricade. Kai pulled out a Panzerfaust and a Cracker and then tossed the Panzerfaust into the air, the threw the cracker into the stone pile blasting the cave open again, but Kai didn't go in. Kai caught the Panzerfaust and fired the one use rocket into the cave and then detonated it from afar with a shot from his beam rifle. The cave started to rumble as rather than going in and possibly being ambushed or wasting energy and time, the Gunpla fighter instead decided to try and literally bury his opponent again this time using cave in, though rumbling didn't just happen at the cave, but at multiple areas, Hamada's random barrage of mortar fire would have caused areas to have become destabilized, with Kai giving the last push to causing a chain reaction, he went back to the air and towards a different area.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Blade quickly put away his twin buster rifles away and pulled out both his beam sword in both hands he said," this is fun." He laughs as he striked at the person infront of him and began to an intense offensive do back his enemy up. Blade simple moving quickly now since he doesn't has the weight of the shield holding him back.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun @Shiyonichi Happy, but not totally satisfied with the blow he had dealt to the the Wing Zero, Jun continued his assault. He used the Beam Zamber in his Miracle's other hand to lock blades with his foe. As the sparks flew between them, the boy noticed the disappearance of the Red Zaku. "Dammit, is that bastard Kai trying to escape from me!?" he cursed in annoyance, however that momentary distraction had allowed the Wing Zero's beam saber to singe into the collar of Jun's Captain Miracle. "I can't underestimate this punk either! Only a few minutes left..." Jun regained his focus after the sudden damage. Because the Miracle was only using one hand to hold off against the Wing Zero, it meant that Jun was losing in the struggle. So he tried to used the momentum of his opponent against him by boosting to the left side of Wing Zero and using the opportunity to unleash a flurry of shots with his Buster Gun.</s> <\|message\|>Yukihiro Naoki The blond haired Koga Kyo sighed as the hologram around her disappeared and she turned to enter the audience. The ending fight of that match was intense, fiery, dare she say even passionate as the boy charged and destroyed her gunpla. This was truly what she loved about the game! But … sadly she had failed in her mission and was unable to win in the tournament. And without a tournament win she wouldn't be able to enter regionals. "Things are really not going as planned." She muttered before she was stopped by the sound of her opponents voice. "Hey!" he called out as she turned, "Thanks for the fight, you were great out there. Battle me again sometime, won't you?" Her glum thoughts were replaced with the thought of another hot blooded battle. "Heh, maybe I'll see you at a bigger tournament, Sweetie." She said with an exaggeration, before walking away into the crowd. Naoki, who had approached Riku, was alittle taken aback when he started mentioning the rules before realizing he was still wearing his employee apron. Did … he not recognize me from school? Then again we're not in any shared classes so it makes sense. "Ah no no nothing like that." Naoki said with a chuckle. "Actually I'd like to talk to you about something if you wouldn't mind. We're still missing a few people for this conversation however, but they'll be done with their business soon." Naoki said as he led Riku to the sidelines and motioned to the monitor showing the 3 combatants Kai, Blade, and Jun. "Speaking of which, what do you think of the three left?" He asked the platinum haired boy. --- Kai successfully escapes the battle and dives into the ocean, letting the other two gunpla duke it out. Now escaping both of the gunplas sensors range, Kai now has the chance to both recharge his particles quickly since he wasn't using any flight and plan out his next move as he floats among the wreckage of previous battles as something catches his eye. --- @KenjuGuy As Blade changed the battle to close combat, Blade charged at Jun, lightly damaging the Captain Miracle in its side with a thrust and nic its shoulder with a slash before Jun began parrying the rest of its attacks. Jun, realizing a direct sword fight would be disadvantageous, blocks an attack and uses the momentum to maneuver to Blade's side. Once there he fires a flurry of shots, one of which hits the Wing Zeros left wing.</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura Kai grinned as he prepared his next attack... Kai's Theme The Taisen surfaced from the ocean, as Kai took a deep breath before opening his eyes as the mismatched Zaku's monoeye flashed in synchronization, as he activated his trump card. The Zaku held it's shield, and unknown to the others, there was something different about his shield. The Gunpla fighter threw the shield like a discus, his new arms helping better handle Kai's "Trump Card." The shield flew at great speed towards the two... only it wasn't going to hit either of them going between them and hitting the air... Before Kai aimed at it with his Dobergun. 'Sniping a moving target isn't just pointing and firing, you have to predict the path that the target will move and the angle at it be.' "Thanks, Kaguya." Kai said, as he recalled his old teammate's lesson on her specialty and the lesson that she had taught him before shooting his shield like a clay pigeon... and then a utterly massive explosion covered the skies. What Kai had found was the Graze's axe and embedded it into the bottom of the shield along with his own axe and bent the handles to create a makeshift rack to hold crackers while he placed and bent the handles of his Panzerfaust to better support it and add more firepower. Kai had put every single explosives he had into this, a grand total of 5 Crackers and 3 Panzerfaust, creating a crude discus of death. The resulting explosion was quite possibly the biggest the local had seen so far, the resulting blast wave being large enough to ripple the sea where Kai was standing and Kai made sure that both Jun and Blade were near it when it detonated. Kai drew his beam saber, not quite activating it, but preparing to charge in if the explosion hadn't quite finished the job.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Blade sighed and laughed a bit and said," yea sure ." Blade stood up and stretched, " but give me a moment there's someone I want to talk to." He took off running to find the girl, his wibg gundam in hand.@Crimson Lion</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku Lion Riku could only blink in silence. Team? Him? The outcome of the battle wasn't even on his mind anymore. Did Naoki really want him on his team? He supposed this was inevitable on some level. WARS format required teams in order to make it work. It wasn't hard to see that the old ways of battling solo in a royale or in a duel against another Gunpla was slowly being phased out. Today's tournament was one of the only opportunities Riku had had to compete in some form for this reason. He wasn't one to just invite himself onto someone else's team, and until now, no one had ever approached him. WARS format... with opportunities to design everything from Mobile Armors to Warships. No way I can pass this up. His gaze shifted down to the broken Gunpla in his hand. That was something else he needed to mull over. With its present specs, the Metal Angel wasn't performing like he'd hoped it would. He'd already effectively decided it needed to have some of its armor slimmed down in order increase mobility, but it was also possible Riku would have to look into using a different model as the base for the build. He believed the beam spikes still made for an effective close range combat option, but the Titus was clearly too slow and clunky for his purposes. At this point, Riku had brandished his phone. On it he was browsing for information on various suits from various series, hoping to find one that might better match the movement capability he was looking for. And that was when he saw it. It was a clip from a series he hadn't watched yet, and the machines there were moving in ways unlike anything he'd seen elsewhere. He looked up the series in question, discovering it used the Gundam elements and placed them in a fighting tournament rather than outright war. And then, in one of the clips, he saw one of the Gundams detach its shoulder armor pieces and reattached them to its fists, converting them into reinforced punching weapons. In addition to that it discarded the chest plate of its armor entirely, overall becoming much faster and more agile as a result. But it was the emphasis on boxing that really sold Riku on this machine. "That's it!" he said to himself, not realizing he was speaking aloud, "I need that machine." he could already visualize a few ideas in his head. The question was, did the Gunpla Shop here at the arcade have any of that Gunpla in stock? Hopefully so, because Riku had already made up his mind. The model that would serve as the new base for Metal Angel... was that one: The Gundam Maxter. "I'll be in the Gunpla store. Need to pick something up." he told Naoki suddenly before rushing off without another word. He returned to the Gunpla store and began his search.</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura The battle would be over with Kai's gambit, as both of his opponents would crash down and erupt into fireballs indicating his victory. The holographic cockpit would dissolve into particles as the shouts of the crowd and the announcer would fill the air, though he barely acknowledged it, he had won without taking a single direct hit and even finished off two opponents with one attack all while using a hastily built and repaired Gunpla, to some this would have been the highlight of their Gunpla career, but to Kai it wasn't enough. He felt he was stagnant. He had to settle a score, but he couldn't settle it alone. The current format prevented him from entering alone, but he didn't find a group that was skilled enough or had the right character to get to the point he needed. His thought were interrupted by Takemori. "Here ya are." Kai handed over his Gunpla Base, more than a dozen other wins would be recorded within it. "Why hell not, a I've got nothing else to lose." Kai would walk away after taking back his Gunpla Base, but not towards Naoki. Kai approach Seo's group... and completely ignore Seo himself, instead turning to Hachiyama. The Gunpla Fighter would put his fist into his palm before giving him a traditional martial arts bow. "I hope we can fight again." Without waiting for a response Kai turned on his heels and gave a slight wave. He said nothing to any of his other opponents, not to Kishimoto, not to Hamada, not to Blade, or even Jun he simply walked to Naoki and Riku. "So, I'm willing to hear ya out." Kai said to Naoki. "So what do ya want?" Lion</s>

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<\|description\|>-The Missing Students- Ikeru Mineri \| Chousuke Makoto \| Natsuhime Hanami \| Nakano Reiji \| Daijirou Kudan Ikeru Mineri was a first-year who went missing. Previously having lived alone, not much is known about her family. She was an active participant in the Choir Club, having an enchanting voice best suited for classical songs. That said, she often hopped from club to club helping out whenever members were short. Those that knew her noted that she was a charming if a little airheaded girl who cherished her friendships. Chousuke Makoto was a second-year who went missing. A cheerful, soft-spoken young man who was always open to help others, his family used to own a bakery in town. After his disappearance, the bakery closed down when they decided to move away from Kyoto. He was a popular member of the school's Cooking Club and was said to be able to cook and bake better than even most adults. He wished to travel the world to sample foreign cuisine. Natsuhime Hanami was a second-year who went missing. A popular and kind-hearted girl, Hanami would have been the current student council president. She believed heavily in doing her part as a member of society and strode to help everyone in her power. She treasured her friends dearly, though she was just as likely to strike up a conversation with any stranger. Her mother is desperate to find her to gain some closure. Nakano Reiji was a third-year who went missing. Known throughout Kyoto for his skill in kendo, he has practiced since he was young and placed in several championships. While he kept mostly to himself, it was obvious that his talent extended to nearly everything he tried. He was always open to challengers and loved participating in matches. He doted on his younger sister, balancing a good work-home life and ensuring the house was always taken care of. Daijirou Kudan was a first-year who went missing. A boisterous kid infamous among the staff, it was clear he had issues with authority and following rules. Still, he behaved long enough to participate in basketball, being good enough to be placed as a starter despite being a first-year. He was attached to his friends due to a lonely home life; despite being the son of Daijirou Ken, a councilman, it was obvious he was neglected and acted out for attention. --- School Related NPCS --- Faculty Momoji Aya Class 2-A Teacher Suzuki Keiko Class 3-B Teacher Wada Fujitaka Principal Taniguchi Honda Vice Principal Students Yamamoto Kenta 3rd Year \| Valecditorian Ichinose Kaede 2nd Year \| Queen Bee Maeda Takeshi 3rd Year \| Queen Bee BF Yoshizawa Banri 3rd Year \| #thuglife Watanabe Junko 2nd Year \| Queen Bee BFF Nakagawa Chika 2nd Year \| Queen Bee BFF #2 Mizuame Rin - "Linda" 3rd Year \| Cooking Club Leader Maeda Kaito 2nd Year \| Cooking Club Maeda Ichigo Middle Schooler Sanada Yukimura 3rd Year \| Kendo Club Captain Kogoro Anzu 3rd Year \| Archery Club Captain --- Townspeople --- Kinoshita Sora 1st Year \| Student Council Secretary \| Photography Club Natsuhime Himawari A middle school student and younger sister of Natsuhime Hanami. The loss of her sister has caused Himawari to become reclusive despite her previously cheery demeanor. Her mother, Natsuhime Haruka, is currently searching for a tutor to help her keep up with her studies. Kogoro Ichiro A private investigator hired by Natsuhime Haruka to find her missing daughter. He has often butted heads with the Kyoto Police, finding it difficult to believe their incompetence in the missing students' case. Yamazaki Sadakuno A detective working for the Kyoto Police who had been previously assigned to the missing students' case. After months of nothing, he has deduced that the students caused the arson and accidentally killed themselves after finding no evidence of foul play. Yamada Taro A convenience store owner who speaks very little. He mostly cares that the job gets done and will hire just about anyone. That being said, he's quick to correct disrespect and doesn't tolerate violence. Rumor has it that he is a former gang member, although it's disagreed which gang he was a part of. ---</s> <\|message\|>-The Missing Students- --- --- Hoshino Noriaki was the actual worst. Caught between an exasperated sigh and the urge to yell, Sakuya bit down on her tongue so hard that she was sure she was going to accidentally cut it off any second now. He was definitely trying to get to her. That part wasn't worrying, though; what worried her was that it was working! Maybe it was because she was so used to getting insults hurled at her about her father, her appearance, her personality--she had to admit, no one really used the middle school crush equivalent, and she didn't really know how to handle it. "Crush?" Himawari looked up at Sakuya. "Does that mean you like each other?" The sweet girl was innocent in all this, but she didn't appreciate the comment. Inhaling sharply, Sakuya forced a grin as she tugged Himawari's arm, signaling for them to get going. "Hoshino is just making a really, really, really unfunny joke, Himawari," Sakuya replied, keeping in mind that he was walking ahead of them. Annoying, but she was sure that they would split off sooner than later. Himawari pondered over Sakuya's words but didn't make any further comment. Sakuya leapt at the opportunity to ask how her day was instead, all too happy to hear literally anything else. As their conversation continued, however, she noticed that Hoshino was still in front of them. Truly, God had a wicked sense of humor if he just so happened to live in the same direction as the Natsuhime household. Unfortunately, Himawari seemed to notice, too. "It looks like we're following Hoshino-san, doesn't it?" She asked. "Maybe he's your neighbor," Sakuya tried not to react too much, but she was obviously unamused. "Then we should walk together," Himawari suddenly dropped the gem of a line. "What do you think, Hoshino-san?" --- --- Anzu studied Yori's expression, thinking for a moment. Ultimately, whatever concerns she had seemed to have been put to rest; once again, with vigor, she picked up the paperwork with confidence. While she was aware that it wasn't a guarantee of their success, she hoped that Nakano would see the facts objectively. It wouldn't do to get overly emotional, but if she would at least hear them out, then there was a chance. She just hoped Yori's support would help more than harm. With that in mind, Anzu led the way to the Student Council Room. Once the pair entered, they were greeted to the scene between the two council members and one third year student--but no sign of Nakano herself. Shoot, even the treasurer wasn't here. "Excuse me," Anzu frowned as she looked around. "I was hoping to talk to Nakano about the Archery Club." "She wasn't feeling well, so she left for the day," Oka stated. --- @psych0pomp --- Hinari Daigo was a good kid. Unfortunately for him, Linda was not nearly as kind. While her nervousness around Ueno evaporated as she revealed her intentions, her eagle eyes were already locked on their potential new member. Kaito could see it from a mile away, letting out a quiet sigh as he joined the group. "I'm sorry for the disturbance. My reaction was a little over-the-top," He admitted, tapping his cheek. "But I was so sure I had it right this time..." Linda waved Kaito's concerns away, all too happy to cater to Ueno. "Oh, of course. I almost forgot you were good friends with Makoto-kun," She stated, understanding. "I don't know if you remember Kinoshita Kaito, but he was here last year, too. Mori Genki-kun just joined us, and our newest member is Hinari Daigo-kun." She radiated joy, her previous meek self a memory by now. --- Symphony@Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo ---</s> <\|message\|>HOSHINO NORIAKI HOSHINO NORIAKI \| \| \| \| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E --- April 11th 2018 L O C A T I O N --- Residential Kyoto T A G S --- \| Noriaki's parting shot had been made significantly less cutting by an act of fate—he could hear the idle chatting of the two girls he had left behind trailing behind him for the better part of the journey. No matter which turn he made or street he walked, they seemed to continue following along behind him. He had to catch himself from thinking accusatory thoughts towards the president, overly pushy as she was, but he doubted she would bring a sniffling middle schooler on whatever self-imposed quest she had to live up to her fore-bearer's memory. Which meant that the Natsuhime household was more than likely near his own place of residence. The teen had hoped, very briefly, that the duo wouldn't address the unfortunate happenstance, and he would be free from them for the day. Hell, his legs were a lot longer, and he was probably in better shape. If he just sped up a little bit, then inevitably he would outpace them entirely. Unfortunately, the younger of the two decided to squash those plans with an innocuous request. He had half a mind to deny her outright and save himself the trouble. However, he couldn't help but recall the melancholy look on her face as he stopped. With the tumultuous nature of his prior few days, the last thing he needed on his mind was the guilt of causing a child to cry. Not that he expected his absence to inspire such dramatics. "Well, we've all but been walking together so far. What could making it official hurt?" He asked, turning to face them with his best impression of a smile given the circumstances. \|</s> <\|message\|>HINARI DAIGO April 11th - After School --- Who has a soft spot for a club they aren't even in? Who randomly asks about members of a club that they're not in?! This visionless villainess really was here for him! Why else would she ask such a weird question? Daigo stood motionless as Linda ratted him and Genki out, both utterly stunned by her candidness and completely unsure of how to proceed. No, it wasn't Linda's fault; that seemed an innocent question. She couldn't have possibly known those words hid the fangs of a vicious predator waiting to pounce on misbehaved students who dared trespass in haunted gymnasiums. Maybe he'd at least get lucky and she'd simply haul Genki away without much thought to him. He should probably just remain really still. Or, no, stay quiet, she wasn't a dinosaur. Did dinosaurs actually sense movement or was that a movie thing? Wait, no, if he was suddenly quiet after being noisy earlier, he'd look suspicious - he needed to talk more! But what was he supposed to talk about? The redhead lifted his gaze from the floor, pupils blown out in abject horror. He didn't have time to decide. "H-hello," He awkwardly greeted the girl at the door, though he quickly scampered off toward Kaito before she could respond, in hopes he'd appear distracted and unworth focusing on. She was likely sent up with Genki's name in mind; that would be her priority. Hopefully the dastardly lawbreaker Hinari Daigo would slip her mind, since he was probably assigned for someone else to track down. Wait, that meant he'd have to dodge another council member later! And then he'd have to do it again tomorrow! "So! Uh. I don't know much about pastries. What'd'you think you did wrong?" Daigo questioned with a fake cheeriness in his voice as he leaned on the counter next to Kaito's discarded dessert. His fingers clenched the edge of the countertop harder than any reasonable person should've been, but that was the only way the fidgety boy could think to keep himself from drumming out an anxious rhythm that might catch Ueno's ear. Not that it helped much - Daigo was bad at sitting still under the best circumstances; once he was nervous, all he could think about was a way to burn off that pent up energy. Quite frankly, he was so distracted by the electricity swimming in his veins that he'd forgotten why he was even so intent on stillness in the first place. He kept his gaze focused on Kaito, though his feigned smile grew less enthusiastic with each passing moment, until eventually the boy caved and started shifting his leg side to side at an agitatingly fast pace. The relief was both instant and written all across his face, though quickly replaced by a bashful frown as Daigo refocused on the other second year in front of him. If Kaito was talking, Daigo didn't process any of it, and it only now occurred to him how pointless that entire discomforting ordeal had been. Plus he definitely looked like a weirdo in front of his new maybe-clubmate. So that was always nice. --- Orgasmo@Obscene Symphony</s>	<\|message\|>-The Missing Students- Sakuya was less than pleased at the agreement, albeit she did her best to keep her face neutral. Himawari, on the other hand, was happy with Noriaki's response, releasing Sakuya's hand and sprinting forward to catch up with him. She had to crane her neck a little to look up at him, her eyes examining his face. Part of Sakuya wondered if the girl had just let her wishful thinking take over, especially since Hoshino didn't really resemble her brother at all. Judging by Himawari's expression, she came to the same conclusion. But she went from inspective to curious, and soon enough, she seemed over her previous tears. "I think walking together is a lot better," She agreed with his statement. "For some reason, everyone I used to walk together to school with wanted to walk on their own. They said it was something the other students did, but I don't like it. We're all going to school, why can't it be together?" She didn't seem to expect a response, simply voicing her displeasure with her classmates before deciding to be a little more direct. "If we live near each other, how come I've never seen you before, Hoshino-senpai?" She outright asked. "Mama knows everyone from the neighborhood. Do you know my Mama?" </s>
<\|description\|>-The Missing Students- Ikeru Mineri \| Chousuke Makoto \| Natsuhime Hanami \| Nakano Reiji \| Daijirou Kudan Ikeru Mineri was a first-year who went missing. Previously having lived alone, not much is known about her family. She was an active participant in the Choir Club, having an enchanting voice best suited for classical songs. That said, she often hopped from club to club helping out whenever members were short. Those that knew her noted that she was a charming if a little airheaded girl who cherished her friendships. Chousuke Makoto was a second-year who went missing. A cheerful, soft-spoken young man who was always open to help others, his family used to own a bakery in town. After his disappearance, the bakery closed down when they decided to move away from Kyoto. He was a popular member of the school's Cooking Club and was said to be able to cook and bake better than even most adults. He wished to travel the world to sample foreign cuisine. Natsuhime Hanami was a second-year who went missing. A popular and kind-hearted girl, Hanami would have been the current student council president. She believed heavily in doing her part as a member of society and strode to help everyone in her power. She treasured her friends dearly, though she was just as likely to strike up a conversation with any stranger. Her mother is desperate to find her to gain some closure. Nakano Reiji was a third-year who went missing. Known throughout Kyoto for his skill in kendo, he has practiced since he was young and placed in several championships. While he kept mostly to himself, it was obvious that his talent extended to nearly everything he tried. He was always open to challengers and loved participating in matches. He doted on his younger sister, balancing a good work-home life and ensuring the house was always taken care of. Daijirou Kudan was a first-year who went missing. A boisterous kid infamous among the staff, it was clear he had issues with authority and following rules. Still, he behaved long enough to participate in basketball, being good enough to be placed as a starter despite being a first-year. He was attached to his friends due to a lonely home life; despite being the son of Daijirou Ken, a councilman, it was obvious he was neglected and acted out for attention. --- School Related NPCS --- Faculty Momoji Aya Class 2-A Teacher Suzuki Keiko Class 3-B Teacher Wada Fujitaka Principal Taniguchi Honda Vice Principal Students Yamamoto Kenta 3rd Year \| Valecditorian Ichinose Kaede 2nd Year \| Queen Bee Maeda Takeshi 3rd Year \| Queen Bee BF Yoshizawa Banri 3rd Year \| #thuglife Watanabe Junko 2nd Year \| Queen Bee BFF Nakagawa Chika 2nd Year \| Queen Bee BFF #2 Mizuame Rin - "Linda" 3rd Year \| Cooking Club Leader Maeda Kaito 2nd Year \| Cooking Club Maeda Ichigo Middle Schooler Sanada Yukimura 3rd Year \| Kendo Club Captain Kogoro Anzu 3rd Year \| Archery Club Captain --- Townspeople --- Kinoshita Sora 1st Year \| Student Council Secretary \| Photography Club Natsuhime Himawari A middle school student and younger sister of Natsuhime Hanami. The loss of her sister has caused Himawari to become reclusive despite her previously cheery demeanor. Her mother, Natsuhime Haruka, is currently searching for a tutor to help her keep up with her studies. Kogoro Ichiro A private investigator hired by Natsuhime Haruka to find her missing daughter. He has often butted heads with the Kyoto Police, finding it difficult to believe their incompetence in the missing students' case. Yamazaki Sadakuno A detective working for the Kyoto Police who had been previously assigned to the missing students' case. After months of nothing, he has deduced that the students caused the arson and accidentally killed themselves after finding no evidence of foul play. Yamada Taro A convenience store owner who speaks very little. He mostly cares that the job gets done and will hire just about anyone. That being said, he's quick to correct disrespect and doesn't tolerate violence. Rumor has it that he is a former gang member, although it's disagreed which gang he was a part of. ---</s> <\|message\|>HINARI DAIGO April 13th - Afternoon --- Daigo's head was swimming as Ueno recapped her story; none of this felt real. Which, if the past week was anything to go off of, meant it was absolutely, without a doubt, real. Worse, it made the stakes that much higher. Not only did he have to worry about some shadow monster eating him while he gallivanted around the mirror world on the whims of some butterfly, there was also a chance it could decide to burn down the restaurant and kill him in his sleep. And it would kill him - Ueno was crazy if she thought her friends were anything but Shadow food right now. It was a small comfort they had a veteran of supernatural combat to consult in place of a demon cat with questionable motives, at least. At her mention of Mineri's address, the redhead shot to his feet in alarm, "Akai- that's the house! The one that William was in!" Not that he had any idea what that meant, but it had to be important somehow. Probably. Maybe the appearance of her dead friend was a clue for her to find the - what was it? Linen Room? Or... that blue door had been a portal to the afterlife and William was some jailor of the damned waiting to collect on their souls in the fine print. Suddenly very conscious of the gravity of the situation, Daigo nervously fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he thought. If she couldn't remember what started those fires, they could easily find themselves repeating it. The price for a breach of contract was apparently memories, but Ueno clearly remembered plenty about the Other Side, so that couldn't have been it. Maybe the demon lady sealed her out because she'd survived the fire thing somehow. Ugh, speculation hurt his head and nothing made sense anyway. Better to just keep with the plan until William gave them another cryptic piece of nothing to ponder over. "Don't worry about it, we'll probably figure it all out when we're inside. The Shadow pulled everyone touching me in too last week, so if one of us drags you in... it should work the same, right?" Conjuring a veneer of false courage, the diminutive boy approached the mirror. It crumpled almost immediately. Even with his posturing, the reflection that stared back at him didn't look very confident or heroic; just a scrawny little kid made even smaller by timid posture and glasses that were too big for his face. A bout of lightheadedness pulsed dully across the back of his skull. These people were so composed and here he was, the same coward he was when that damn hand had grabbed him, ready to collapse and cry at the first hint of adversity but too afraid of becoming a burden to follow through. So what did his contract with Khepri mean? "Ueno-senpai," He mumbled soberly as he searched for the words he could assign to his worries, "What- What's the point of all this? Persona. What is it?" --- @Lord Orgasmo@Obscene Symphony</s> <\|message\|>HOSHINO NORIAKI HOSHINO NORIAKI \| \| \| \| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E --- April 13th 2018 L O C A T I O N --- Hinotori Highschool T A G S --- @Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo@Obscene Symphony \| It was difficult to discern whether the torrent of words that came pouring from Ueno was an information dump or a form of therapy for the girl. It was somewhat ironic; Noriaki had done all he could to avoid other Persona users, at least until his hand had been forced, and yet his senior seemed to find some level of catharsis in having other contract holders to talk with. If all she said was true—and he had little reason to doubt it, considering their similarly bizarre circumstances—then he couldn't fault her for it too much. She had shouldered the burden for far longer than he had, in addition to losing her friends to the Other Side and its unknowable machinations. The last member remaining member of the previous batch. Pushing aside the implication of their own disposable nature, the teen found himself no less stir crazy as the recounting of events began to work its way to a conclusion. He had, over the last week, pieced together some of what she had to tell them. Her explanation helped fill in gaps here and there, although none were of any comfort to him. Not least among those uncomfortable revelations was reveal of the ground zero of this entire supernatural affair; Daigo had quickly confirmed to their senpai that the house in question had been the one they had visited a few nights prior, and the burned out ruin that had been his initiation point into the world of Persona even earlier than that. As much as he didn't want a bunch of random classmates buzzing around his house every time William decided to humor them, there was no avoiding it now. "Would it make you feel better or worse if I told you the place that I ran into that girl looked exactly like a stage? Or that her sudden appearance as a cat came the day after William told me the 'previous denizen' had escaped? I don't exactly know who your friend was, or what she looked like, but I reckon she might know a little more about Mineri-san than just her whereabouts. Might wanna ask her yourself, if she decides to sniff us out today." He found himself once again eying the doorway to the locker room after his contribution. "Actually, it's pretty weird that she hasn't shown up yet. I swore I saw her earlier, which should have keyed me in on something happening today. Always figured it was the black cats that brought bad luck, but here we are." \|</s>	<\|message\|>-The Missing Students- As if on cue, the blonde cat in question slinked through the door, letting out a small mewl of disapproval as the door hit her. Despite the rudeness, she sauntered into the locker room without any hesitation. Following the sounds of the conversation, she rounded the corner until her eyes landed on the blue butterfly. Lowering herself to the ground, she made an impressive leap onto the sink. The butterfly let out another glow, sinking into the mirror as it emitted a blue light. Jumping in after the butterfly, Mira chased the butterfly down the short corridor, coming to a halt near a pair of doors that looked very much like the ones that led to the gym. One door was continuously swinging open and closed, as if the hinge was loose, though as she touched it, both doors swung open. At first glance, one could easily mistake it for being back in the school as the wide area before them resembled the gym. On a second glance, however, several things were off. The variety of stairs on the walls leading to other rooms differed, and a various number of silhouettes ran around the room. A whistle was blown on occasion, basketballs were thrown in sync into the hoops. Upon closer inspection, the silhouettes were exhausted, their limbs shaking as they ran and jumped and did their best to keep up. Above everything was a balcony overlooking it all with a figure watching over the scene. As soon as Mira looked at him, however, he turned and left through the door. "Is this the school...?" Mira frowned, crossing her arms. </s>
<\|description\|>HINARI DAIGO 陽也醍醐 5'6"/167 cm \| 125 lbs/56 kg \| 16 \| 2nd Year \| Male ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡＬＩＴＹ Eager to please but sometimes a little too overbearing to actually make it happen, Daigo is boisterous and energetic in the same way an annoying little brother would be. He's hardly someone his peers would consider a genius - don't need booksmarts to run a restaurant, he claims - but he's infectiously cheery and tries his hardest to make sure everyone is having a good time. Even if he's crossed the line from lively and spirited to irritating as hell at the moment and doesn't realize he's the problem. Still, Daigo makes it a point to always be smiles and laughter, even when the smile is forced and his eyes are unfocused and dim rather than lively and vibrant. Not to say such a facade is a common facet of his features - usually his personality is genuine, but occasionally he'll overhear someone talking about money and his posture will sink for just a moment, or mention of the family business he formerly bragged about with pride and animated gestures will elicit only a noncommittal hum or halfhearted commentary. A subtle anxiety underlies a lot of his moods as of recent times, and while the boy had always been hesitant to express outward negativity, he now pointedly avoids any kind of introspective or 'deep' talk that he wouldn't usually shy away from. He's fine. Everything's fine. It'll all work out. ＡＲＣＡＮＡ The Sun ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡ Khepri - Egyptian solar deity representing the rising sun, creation, and renewal. ＳＫＩＬＬＳ Kouha (Light Bless damage to one foe) Lunge (Light Physical damage to one foe) Rakukaja (Increase one ally's Defense) ＴＲＡＮＳＦＯＲＭＡＴＩＯＮ Daigo dons a suit of old-timey samurai lamellar, colored similarly to his Persona and stylized vaguely to resemble an insectoid carapace. His already vibrant hair gains highlights that glitter in a brilliant array of colors like the sky at sunset; fiery oranges, yellows, reds, even purples and blues at times. These streaks are normally unnoticeable but quickly become apparent during movement or a strong breeze when Daigo's hair shifts and catches the light. ＷＥＡＰＯＮ Naginata ＨＩＳＴＯＲＹ The Hinaris are, as Daigo will proudly boast, owners of a kaiseki diner that dates all the way back to the Edo Period. He grew up helping out in the kitchen and, once he was old enough, serving customers. It was a fulfilling existence, even from a child's perspective, and when Daigo's grandfather retired and passed ownership of the restaurant to his father, the boy was eager to throw himself into the family business with the knowledge it would likely one day be his. The dream was far less glamorous in practice. With the change came a decline in customers - perhaps the old clientele was no longer interested in a diner that wasn't run by Daigo's grandfather, perhaps the modernization of Kyoto simply left the old place behind. The Hinaris continued as they had for generations, chalking the situation up to a string of bad luck that would soon be over. Apparently the business' woes weren't as secret as the family thought, as Daigo returned from school one day to find his parents meeting with a pair of sharply dressed businessmen. They wanted to buy the restaurant for a particularly nice sum, as it was located primely in the middle of their company's new urban development project. They could take the money, start the family business over in a new area, reinvent their brand, be set for life, et cetera, et cetera. While Daigo's mother was open to consideration given their recent monetary losses, his father, naturally, would have none of it. Kaiseki Hinari would stay right where it was until the sun engulfed the Earth and maybe beyond that if he had anything to say about it. After that, new development conveniently sprang up in a way that left Kaiseki Hinari out of the way from a pedestrian's standpoint and somewhat inconvenient to reach in lieu of much more accessible dining. Already on hard times, it took only a few short months to reduce the restaurant to toeing the line of closure when traditional means of attracting customers were suddenly no longer viable. Too stubborn to change the diner's business model or advertising strategy but too prideful to sell, Daigo's father seemed determined to go down with his ship; whether his family starved in the process or not. For what it was worth, Daigo agreed with him - in part, at least. He loved that restaurant; selling the business now so it could be torn down by scheming rats or worse, letting said vermin whore out the Kaiseki Hinari name for their own profit, was unacceptable. Still, his suggestions on modernizing the business fell on deaf ears. The fact that he'd convinced his father to sully the restaurant's proud traditions and begin selling - heaven forbid - mere lunch bentos was practically a miracle. Unfortunately, problems beget more problems. As it often did, heightened stress and the threat of poverty turned the trivial quirks of any family that would usually be glossed over into glaring issues ready to tear the household apart in arguments and irritability. Debts were mounting, tensions in the family were high over whether to sell or not, his mother was threatening divorce over his father's stubbornness; Daigo's life was set on a downward spiral straight to the ass-end of misery with no exit in sight. He had no options but to push it all down into the depths of his psyche, put on a smile, and greet the ever-slowing trickle of customers like he always would. ＭＩＳＣ Always fidgeting, sometimes to others' annoyance. Poster child for restless leg syndrome. Not a guy you wanna sit next to on a wobbly bench. Taptaptap.</s> <\|message\|>-The Missing Students- --- --- God, why did everything with this guy feel like pulling teeth? Sakuya supposed she could give him the bare amount of credit for not just walking away or ignoring her, but if he wasn't interested in talking, then why did he bother replying? No, why was she bothering when she expected exactly this? Letting out a sigh, Sakuya rubbed her temple. No, she was much too stubborn to just walk away. She could do this. Establishing a kohai-senpai relationship wasn't that hard. She just needed to be friendly and upbeat, just like Natsuhime-san was. Although she had no idea how the girl had the energy to be so positive every single moment of every single day. Still, it wouldn't kill Sakuya to be a little friendly. With that in mind, Sakuya dropped her hand, frowning at Noriaki. "I apologize for the inconvenience. I felt that we started off on the wrong foot yesterday, and hoped to rectify it," She humbled herself first and foremost, wanting to show her sincerity. "If you don't have the time, that's fine. I can always try again tomorrow." --- --- The amount of tension in the Cooking Club was suffocating the second Genki crossed the border into the room. While there were only Kaito and Linda inside, it was obvious that the source of said tension was the oven in front of them. Neither one acknowledged Genki's words, instead, their entire focus was on Kaito. With trembling hands, he cautiously lifted up a tray of what looked like tiny cups, placing them down gingerly onto the nearby table. He quickly removed his gloves and tossed them over his shoulder, kneeling down to inspect them. Linda opened her mouth, though Kaito raised his hand. Whipping out a fork, he nervously poked the pastry. Time seemed to stop for just a moment, though he let out a small sigh of relief. However, said relief was premature, as the pastry deflated and collapsed into itself. The two were completely silent, the fork falling from Kaito's hand and onto the floor. Kaito fell to his knees, both hands gripping his head. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screeched dramatically. "Well, that's unfortunate," Linda giggled, and the tension in the room evaporated. She looked back at Genki, flashing a smile. "We've seen better days." "I did everything to perfection," Kaito muttered, ratting his hair. "It was those egg whites, wasn't it...?!" Linda patted his head sympathetically. "Determination tempers the sword of your character, my student," She told him cheerfully as he broke into tears. "And hey, soufflé is hard to make! This was a good first try!" --- Orgasmo ---</s> <\|message\|>HOSHINO NORIAKI HOSHINO NORIAKI \| \| \| \| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E --- April 11th 2018 L O C A T I O N --- Hinotori Highschool T A G S --- \| It took a great deal of willpower on Noriaki's part not to scowl. She had sought him out after yesterday, when she decided to all but threaten him and his chance at a new start, and she had the nerve to sigh at him? She had nobody to blame for this situation but her own ego. He didn't doubt that her appearance now was just an excuse to start things all over again, seeing as though he had rebuffed her little power move and gotten the last word in the day prior. It would almost be respectable, if she didn't try disguising her intentions in that honor student act. The previous urge to blow her off and go about his day almost won out when she opened her mouth again and started speaking in the faux apologies. But she pointed out something he already knew—if he didn't humor her, she would just keep showing up again and again, so it was best to suffer through her presence now for peace later. "You already went through the trouble of coming all this way and delaying me," he pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning up against the wall, "So say what you need to say. If you make a habit of coming to my classroom every day, people will start talking." \|</s>	<\|message\|>HINARI DAIGO April 11th - After School --- Daigo spent most of his day in a daze, slumped over his desk with his head barely propped up enough to see the board. The only indication he was even awake was the anxious rhythm his foot ceaselessly tapped into the floor, and even that might not've convinced a skeptic he wasn't simply a very fidgety sleeper. It wasn't too unreasonable to pretend the day prior had simply been a bad dream; he'd passed out the moment he got home and woke up around four AM with only a hazy recollection of giant beetles and William giving him more cryptic instructions- but that was fine because it was all a giant delusion and William and Mira didn't exist. Just to be on the safe side, he wasn't keen on talking to anyone that could challenge these conclusions. Hoshino, thankfully, made a beeline for the door as soon as they were dismissed and he didn't see where Mori had gone off to, but that still left Sasaki - wait, he didn't know that short girl's name, she told it to him in a dream. The redhead decided he couldn't stay here regardless. Or walk home. He could run into one of them on the way; he was pretty sure Hoshino lived near him based on their expedition on the first day. He needed an alibi, or a reason to walk in the complete opposite direction of his house. Wait, what if Sa- mystery girl or Mori lived that way? Cooking Club sounded safe. He swore he heard the council was considering disbanding the club for lack of members anyway; Daigo would certainly get some peace and quiet there. He lifted his head for a furtive look around the room for any approaching heads of green hair, then rushed out the door with panicked haste. The sight of Hoshino lingering just outside the doorway was enough to make him almost trip, but he bolted off before anyone had a chance to comment on it. Especially Hoshino, he could easily use poking fun at the nerd almost falling as an excuse to duck the president - jeez, was she going to come by every day? Didn't matter. No time to think right now. Just Cooking Club. No thoughts, head empty. At least until he got upstairs and heard the award-winning scream from inside the room he'd intended to enter. Hopefully no one dropped a knife on their foot or something. No, that sounded more like the anguished cry of a man that had dropped his ice cream cone. He hesitated before his approach, though the lack of panicked noises from inside the room at least reassured him he wouldn't walk in on some gruesome injury. "Is this the Cooking Club or the Drama Club?" Daigo deadpanned as he shuffled into the room, only to jump in surprise and whack his side into the doorframe when he noticed the other student in the doorway was one of the only three people on the entire campus he needed to avoid right now. Whatever prey animal instinct had screamed at him to run was drowned out by the new throbbing in his arm, and the orange-haired teen settled for wincing in place as he accepted his fate. "Ow." No, it'd be fine; the persona thing was all a dream anyway. The real Genki definitely didn't get sucked into a mirror with him yesterday. Nope. Huh, that was a new experience. Usually he didn't prefer the real version of a boy to the one in his dreams. --- Orgasmo</s>
<\|description\|>ᛏᛟᚱᛒᛃᛟᚱᚾ ᚢᚨᚱᚷ [ BASICS ] --- [ NAME ] Torbjørn (Tor) Varg [ AGE ] 24 [ GENDER ] Male [ COMMUNICATOR OF ] Baldur [ MYTHOLOGY OF BALDR (BALDUR) ] Baldur is the son of Odin and Frigg. One night he had a nightmare in which he foresaw his own death. When his mother, Frigg, dreamt the same dream, the gods decided to act. Determined to forestall her son's death, Frigg approached all things living and inert within creation, making them promise never to harm her son. Loki, the trickster god, heard of Baldur's immunity to harm and found it displeasing. Taking the form of a woman, Loki managed to get Frigg to concede that she had not demanded the oath from a humble sprig of mistletoe. Loki then fashioned a spear made of mistletoe. Knowing that the other gods were hurling spears at Baldur to test his immunity, Loki handed Hodr, Baldur's blind brother, the spear made of mistletoe. Hodr then hurled the spear and mortally wounded Baldur. Mythopedia --- [ APPEARANCE ] --- [ PHYSIQUE ] Tor is gifted athletically. His shoulders are broad and his limbs are slightly longer than average for his height. Outside of a strong physical appearance, he has two other remarkable features: a jagged scar on his right forearm (a lasting reminder of an attack by a large canine) and a tattoo of Ægishjálmr, or the Helm of Awe, centered on his back between the shoulder blades and approximately 8" in diameter. He has icy blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a gravelly voice. [ HEIGHT / WEIGHT ] 5'8" // ~150lbs --- [ PERSONALITY ] --- [ PERSONALITY DESCRIPTION ] Tor is a man of few words. He mainly keeps to himself and can be rather brooding at times. In a nutshell, his personality is that of someone who is an ISTJ: ISTJs don't make many assumptions, preferring instead to analyze their surroundings, check their facts and arrive at practical courses of action. ISTJ personalities are no-nonsense, and when they've made a decision, they will relay the facts necessary to achieve their goal, expecting others to grasp the situation immediately and take action. ISTJs have little tolerance for indecisiveness, but lose patience even more quickly if their chosen course is challenged with impractical theories, especially if they ignore key details – if challenges becomes time-consuming debates, ISTJs can become noticeably angry as deadlines tick nearer. That being said, if approached with a problem Tor will analyze it objectively and carry out the solution in a steadfast manner. He is able to approach most situations with a level head. Throw someone inexperienced, or, well, just plain stupid into the mix and Tor won't be afraid to go his own way. Being a man of few words, he cannot stand loquacious company. Idle chatter is something that has always irritated him. Unless you have something meaningful to say, it's best to keep it to yourself. But, this can be said about him… just when you think you know how he will react, he will surprise you. You think he might not care when in reality he cares deeply. [ LIKES / DISLIKES ] Likes: * Travel * Protecting anyone in need (Not always necessarily helping anyone in need, if that makes sense.) Dislikes: * Feeling out of control * Manipulation --- [ BIOGRAPHY ] --- [ PLACE OF ORIGIN ] Bergen, Norway [ BIO ] Tor is no exception when it comes to the tragic background story… so, let's begin. Tor's mother and father were happily married the first few years of his life. Something changed in his mother, however, and so ended his happy childhood. His mother decided that she did not want to be tied down to a family, unable to do what she wanted at any given moment. Without so much as a hug or a kiss goodbye, mother packed one small suitcase and walked out of their lives forever. Many years went by and being motherless was just part of life. At about the age of sixteen was when Tor and his father immigrated to America. For the next four years Tor's father would sporadically open up and date women, however, none of them worked out. Eventually his father's health began to deteriorate, which Tor would learn was the result of how much his father's heart ached all these years. Upon graduating from high school, Tor immediately entered the workforce to help support his father who could not work anymore and is now mute. A few years passed while he attempted to help his father obtain disability and during this time, he had a strange dream. A man who looked a lot like himself appeared and informed Tor that he was chosen to be his 'communicator.' It all seemed bizarre. In fact, when he awoke he had shaken the feeling and forgotten most of it. Later that day, while at work he was in an accident… an accident that should have killed him. Other than being knocked unconscious for a period, he was unscathed and returned home that night. As soon as Tor entered the front door he wanted to tell his father what happened. As he was removing his jacket, his father, whom was sitting in his usual spot in the living room, spoke. He spoke. The voice was foreign. Tor hadn't heard that voice in years. Suddenly his story about what happened at work wasn't important at all. His father told Tor about his mother that abandoned them, eyes unfocused and with a voice that was faraway. The news was shocking to say the least. What he learned was that his mother was a very well-known socialite. His father followed her life through the newspapers and now through social media. All these years he was always hopeful that she would return to them. He didn't care if she apologized or not. He just wanted her to come back home. Then, he fell silent once again. Twenty some years had gone by without an ounce of hate or resentment toward his mother. As soon as silence filled the room, Tor's heart filled with rage and bitterness. For all the hate and resentment that wasn't there, it was revealed that it had been there all along. He knew this woman… he had seen her face in magazines and television. She was always smiling and throwing herself over men from all over the world. An image of this famous woman burned itself into Tor's mind—an image of her smiling and carefree, nonetheless. He and his father struggled to pay rent from month to month, eating spam and other canned food while she adorned her neck with priceless jewelry. He truly hated this woman with every ounce of his body. [ REASON FOR CHOICE ] Baldur saw himself in Torbjørn, not only because of their similar appearance, but because of their equal hatred for their mothers… which Baldur foresaw in a dream of his own. His serious reasons for choice are nothing more than those factors. On the other hand, the not so serious reasons are because Baldur finds humor in Tor's surname and the fact that Torbjørn goes by Tor (Thor). --- [ POWERS ] --- * Invulnerability, except mistletoe. This power can be called upon for a very short amount of time (maybe 10-15 minutes) and about once every couple of days. Perhaps with time it could be used once a day but still for a short amount of time. * Unable to feel pain… or much of anything else, including pleasure. This too can only be called upon for short lengths of time; however, because it does not include invulnerability, it can be used once a day. * Enhanced strength—This enhanced strength is nothing Herculean. Large amounts of adrenaline triggers this power. Right now it grants him the strength of two adult men. * Light manipulation (Perhaps something that can be learned in the future.) [ RELICS / FAMILIARS ] Updated after Tor's first IC post: Smooth stone with the Sol rune chiseled into it. Its powers are unknown at this time. [ INVOCATION ] Tor is unable to invoke Baldur on command. Baldur instead chooses when to materialize through Tor. Because of their uncanny resemblance to each other, the only way to know when Baldur is acting through Tor is by the appearance of his numerous runic tattoos. Invocation will leave Tor without any strength for a long period. [ OTHER INTERESTS / SKILLS ] wip --- [ MISC. ] --- [ BIRTHDAY / SIGN ] October 22 nd // Libra [ FAVORITES / LEAST FAVORITES ] A bit fearful of canines (Only close confidants or keen observers know this.) [ SEXUAL PREFERENCE ] Het // Not seeking at this time</s> <\|message\|>AKENO KUDO Akeno Kudo Easy to say that something should be killed, when you weren't the one doing the killing. Akeno brought the sword down, its point piercing through the throat of the giant snake as easily as lowering it into water. There was hardly any resistance at all. In one quick motion she swiped the sword down the length of the snake's body, opening up a long gash in its underbelly; several feet long and already starting to seep blood. A single swing of the sword was enough to shake the blood from the blade and she sheathed it again as she turned away from the body of the serpent she had just slain. She pointedly didn't look at it again as she locked eyes with the newcomer who had emphatically declared that she should kill it. "Okay, let's get going then." She was just a college student a month ago. @Hitman</s> <\|message\|>ᛏᛟᚱᛒᛃᛟᚱᚾ ᚢᚨᚱᚷ --- Upon the evocation of the torch rune, a welcomed warmth grew from within Torbjørn's body and radiated out to his toes and fingertips. The below zero temperature was suddenly much more bearable. After turning around to the sound of another voice (an external one), he could only stare for a moment. He was a bit speechless after experiencing such an otherworldly sensation. A raven was perched upon the man's shoulder. Its jet black feathers had a silky and sharp look about them. It cocked its head from side to side as the words "The son, the sun" formed from only what Tor could assume was its ability to manipulate airflow, much like a parrot. "Den ravnen," he managed to mutter, wide-eyed. Tor ever so slightly shook his head as if to snap out of a trance, then made eye contact with the other Norwegian. Right away he noticed what appeared to be a rune tattooed over the man's left eye. Despite being of Norwegian descent and growing up in Norway, Tor had forgotten most of what he learned about runes from grade school. To him the value of learning them was purely of historical value; however, he had a feeling that they were going to become much more important. From the little did he remember, he thought that the tattooed rune could be Ansuz. "Unnskyld… I'm Torbjørn." He did his best to smile amicably, though it ended up just looking awkward. He never was much of a smiler. "Thanks for the, uh, stave, I think it was?" Curious, he glanced at the meager winter attire that the other Norwegian was wearing. "Ah, you are a true Norwegian!" he joked and added, "Is that why Odin chose you, friend? I must admit that I was beginning to think that I had lost my mind—that my missing Norway had manifested itself as a voice claiming to be that of Baldr. Yet, here I am." His attempt at a friendly smile faded. A look of doubt replaced it. "You are real-" He paused. "Right? Not a figment of my imagination?" Tor took a few tepid steps closer to Odin's Communicator, unsure if he was going to disappear like a hallucination.</s> <\|message\|>𝕸𝖆𝖟𝖔𝖗𝖓 𝕹𝖆𝖛𝖆𝖗𝖎 --- Mazorn was positively giddy. "I'm half Canadian. He did meet me in our ancestral home, while I was hiking. As for why he chose me, he mentioned something about 'repairing past mistakes' of which I have theories on but until I see him and kick his behind, I won't have figured out." He moved closer, motioning the other man to continue through the cave. "I'm as real as they come, I'm afraid." He patted the other man's shoulder. "Ysmir's beard you're nearly frozen... Hmm.." He slammed Gungnir into the ground, the spear brightening slightly as it stood as he let go of the shaft. Reaching up to the tip, mazorn grimaced as he drew a bit of blood from his hand and motioned for Torbjørn's arm. "Uruz Raidho Gebo. I give you a measure of my strength for the road ahead. That should keep you." He picked up his spear again before continuing forward. Himinn leapt off his shoulder and aligted on a rock nearby. The bird scanned the area, as if seeing something the others couldn't. Use to it by now Mazorn kept walking. If the raven had something to say, he would let them know. "So, what part of the homeland are you from, friend? Or is it son. Gods this whole thing is weird. Odin barely explained it and just told me that I would be hunted and needed to ready myself. Did Lord Baldr let you know of anything? My sight of the palace is being blocked since it's got some sort of barrier on it, but I think I saw the Bifrost." Using the light from his spear's evoked rune, Mazorn checked the corners they passed by. He had gone spelunking a few times before, but it wasn't something he did regularly.</s>	<\|message\|>ᛏᛟᚱᛒᛃᛟᚱᚾ ᚢᚨᚱᚷ A refreshing sweep of vitality rushed through Torbjørn. For being the other man's first journey to this so-called Palace of Communicators, of which he still wasn't sure was sane of him to think, he had quite a grasp on something supernatural. The image of the stone that Baldr had gifted to Tor flashed in his mind's eye. Would he have the ability to manipulate the power of the runes as the other man did? "Mmm, a good question. I'd like to think friend, ja? I was born and raised in Bergen; and, if I had to guess, I think it would be fair to assume that you are from the Oslo region based on your dialekt." Fairly certain that the other man wasn't a threat, a more trusting tone could be heard in Tor's voice. As they cautiously trekked through the cave, Tor glanced over to Odin's Communicator. "Tell me, Mazorn—you asked if Baldr had let me know anything—out of curiosity, has Odin been chatty? Baldr visited me for the first time and the last time a few days ago. Either he is not the talkative type or he is testing me." The raven continued to act as a scout as it glided from rock to rock as they walked. As they squeezed through a tight corridor a large wrapped bundle caught his eye. The wraps were falling off of it in places and some sort of viscous liquid oozed out of it. Then, a voice carried through the darkness but a short distance away: "Okay, let's get going then." Quietly Tor turned to look at his new travel companion. His eyes motioned to the voice as if to ask him if he thought they should go investigate.</s>
<\|description\|>Seyrun Riviathan Height: 164cm \| Weight: ??? \| Age: 17 Appearance: Regular Transformed Description: A mysterious transfer student from a faraway country who goes at a high-class all-girls academy. She has a gallant personality and a charming air about her that makes her the ideal Prince Charming out to steal your heart and your books. Grimoire: • Title: Arc d'Lupin ~Legend of the Phantom Thief~ • Description: A grimoire containing the exploits of a daring thief who could steal anything. The stories of his deeds as he fooled mages and detectives alike are thrilling but the ending is vague for there's always more treasure to get over yonder. • Abilities: Arc d'Lupin's powers are all about being a suave, skillful thief who can succeed by their wits alone. Seyrun's applications involve summoning cards to attack, opening locks, disappearing in plain sight, etc. Most interestingly, she can create mercury constructs, shaping them in a variety of ways but being especially fond of using them as chains and mirror to help with her thievery tricks. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan — Episode 1: Midnight Harlequinade — Intermission 1: Guilty Hearts — Episode 1: Heavy Metal Waltz</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Another late-autumn day was coming to an end, bathing the streets of Mizukino in rays of madder red sunlight filtered through the shadows cast by the nearby mountains. A cold wind blew by, embracing all it touched in its gentle caress, and the people slowly returned to their homes. By all accounts, it should be the beginning of a night like any other. Nevertheless, some threatened the peace the Mizukino usually enjoyed... "Quick, collect the energy you can while we have time!" A creature that looked like a living jack-in-the-box shouted to its minions, who looked like small puppets made entirely out of shadows, in a shrill voice as they run around a small office building. All of the workers still left inside were unconscious, perhaps because of the faint translucent aura that enveloped it, a barrier to cut it away from the outside world, visible only for those who had any measure of magical power. As they were commanded, the shadows went around the building, looming over the collapsed workers, draining some kind of energy visible as strands of colored light from them. The process seemed to be going slowly, but who could tell what would happen if they were left to their own devices? "I can, of course. That's precisely why the Pageless can't be allowed to do as they wish!" The Noble Scheherazade said as he observed from the other side of the road. He had already called the protectors of Mizukino City, the ones he entrusted with the Grimoires that he recovered so far. "Please, come quickly everyone. I have a strange feeling this isn't like the other times..." Hopefully, they wouldn't take much longer to arrive, every second counted when it came to the Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "And... shoot!" The sound of glass shattering was accompanied by one of the puppets being flung like a ragdoll away from its victim. A magical arrow had made its was through the window, pinning the creature against the wall, before several more rainbow-hued projectiles followed after. Some were still caught by surprise, others managed to dodge now that they knew what was coming. Once the trick no longer worked, a young girl leapt in through her newly-made opening, bow drawn at the enemy. Her "Pageless! How dare you torment these people!" she shouted. "No matter how many times you appear, I will not let evil go unpunished! The magical archer Robin will be your opponent today!" Robin fired off the glowing arrow inside her bow and proceeded to leap on top of one of the cubicles' walls. It was a delicate balance to keep, doubly so while wearing heels. Still, Robin stood atop its thin edge without even a hint of unstable footing. On the other side of the room was her current nemesis, a jack-in-the-box who clearly outranked the other mooks. "Are you the boss of these fiends? If so, then prepare for your judgement!" Robin drew back the string of her bow again, her magical power gathering, then fired off her shot. Given the distance she was at, on top of her loudly announcing her presence, it was unlikely to hit. But it didn't need to; Robin had already achieved her goal. All eyes were on her now. 'Everyone... I'm counting on you!'</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira "You got it, Robin!"With Robin distracting the Pageless Momo took the opportunity to even the numbers a little bit. While she still wished that she could summon her dogs in any order she wanted Akamaru should be able to handle the weaker monsters. She opened her Grimoire and in less than a second the relatively large white Akamaru appeared out of nowhere. "You know what to do." Momo wasn't gonna lie. Of her three summons Kiba was her favorite, bigger and stronger than Akamaru but easier to control than Cerberus, still any fight that ended before she was forced to release her second dog was a good one. The dog did indeed know what to do and ignoring the Jack-in-the-box went after some of the smaller shadowy Pageless, after its Master had gotten on its back of course. Akamaru caught one of the shadows in its jaws, allowing Momo to punch it without being able to run. Unfortunately it still had one free arm and could and did punch back even using its claws to draw a little bit of Momo's blood but it wasn't a serious injury.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The wizard awakens from her afternoon nap, the call of her bed failing as she hears a familiar telepathic voice echoing in her mind. Officially called to action the teen would transform in a dramatic flurry and make way to the disturbance, eyeing the barrier from afar. On her handy staff, she would reach the invaded building, legs crossed as she observed Robin and Momo enter through a broken hole in the building. From the air, Ayaka would dismount her staff and grab it with her left hand, and then aim it towards the building. Silent in her casting the crystal of her staff would begin to glow a dim purple, a magical circle forming at its end and drew itself to completion, and once it finished a wave of magical energy surged from the crystal and towards the building. A sigh followed afterword and Ayaka remounted her staff, eyes glowing as an aftereffect of her spell but now she could see the inner workings of the building and those inside. "We need to separate the unconscious civilians from the Pageless..." Ayaka would say to her teammates telepathically with a tired voice as she hovered only a few feet away from the office building. Quietly observing as she watches out for any strange misdeeds during the course of the battle, preparing an assortment of spells if the situation were to turn sideways.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Studying. Yuri was an expert at studying and keeping up with his grades despite the fact that he was called away most nights to stop Pageless. Tonight seemed different. He sat down in front of his desk, his pen in his right hand. Slowly he looked from the textbook to the notepad as his hand moved over the page leaving behind beautiful cursive trails of ink. He was halfway down the page when he heard the voice of Scheherazade. Scheherazade was like the guardian of the group. He'd formed the group and showed them how to use their gifts, but training was always necessary to learn and master the gifts bestowed on them. Scheherazade helped in so many ways and Yuri was always thankful that he was chosen. It was always perplexing, as Scheherazade had told him, the Grimoire normally sought out females. He was the first and only male of the group and he didn't take it lightly. He placed the pen neatly against the notepad and looked over at the Grimoire that hovered slightly on the nightstand. He could hear every word Scheherazade spoke to them. He remembered the first time it happened. It had freaked him out beyond belief and he hadn't slept for two days after, but now it was normal, now he was used to it and stood swiftly to his feet. Pageless were vile creatures, attempting to consume the lifeforce of humans for their own personal gains. One could only wonder if it was for something far more sinister than they initially thought. Yuri closed the textbook and moved elegantly over to the Grimoire. He made sure no one saw him before he touched it and allowed its power to overcome him. In an instant, he had transformed. His hair blew against the wind as he transformed into a swarm of butterflies, leaving through the crack in the window. By the time he'd arrived, he could see the action had started. Robin, the nickname given to Kotone Yuzu, was firing arrows into the building Scheherazade had cloaked in a protective barrier. The Pageless could be seen and his teammates were already on it. Momo and her beloved canine were attacking Pageless, but one was able to claw her cheek. The swarm of butterflies swooped into the building knocking the Pageless claw away from Momo's face, one purple butterfly remaining on her cheek as if to kiss it softly. Momo would feel a sudden rush of energy and her power would increase. The remaining butterfly began to form into Yuri beside an unconscious human. Yuri checked the human's vitals. They were weak, but still alive. "Let's get you out of here shall we?" Anyone know the closest exit? Yuri barely managed to dodge the claw of a Pageless as he rolled to the left blasting the creature with a beautiful purple beam. "Trust me, you don't want to make me mad," Yuri said as he blasted another Pageless.</s>	<\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Curse you, humans!" The Jack-in-the-box spat out as first Robin, and then more and more of Mizukino's protectors filtered into the scene. It showed little to no regard with its underlings, swiping one of the shadowy puppets with its clawed hand and using it as a shield to block Robin's judgment strike. When the puppet fulfilled its purpose, the Jack-in-the-box summarily tossed it at Robin. "What are you waiting for? Get them!" Even as it commanded the other Pageless to press the attack against the magical girls, the Jack-in-the-box slashed its claws through the air, sending vacuum blades flying in Ayaka's direction. Naturally, the move toppled some of the nearby cubicles, covering its escape route. The only signs of it taking a move would be a door swinging back and forth on its own and the clacking noises the Jack-in-the-box made as it hopped its way up the staircase with deceptive agility. </s>
<\|description\|>Seyrun Riviathan Height: 164cm \| Weight: ??? \| Age: 17 Appearance: Regular Transformed Description: A mysterious transfer student from a faraway country who goes at a high-class all-girls academy. She has a gallant personality and a charming air about her that makes her the ideal Prince Charming out to steal your heart and your books. Grimoire: • Title: Arc d'Lupin ~Legend of the Phantom Thief~ • Description: A grimoire containing the exploits of a daring thief who could steal anything. The stories of his deeds as he fooled mages and detectives alike are thrilling but the ending is vague for there's always more treasure to get over yonder. • Abilities: Arc d'Lupin's powers are all about being a suave, skillful thief who can succeed by their wits alone. Seyrun's applications involve summoning cards to attack, opening locks, disappearing in plain sight, etc. Most interestingly, she can create mercury constructs, shaping them in a variety of ways but being especially fond of using them as chains and mirror to help with her thievery tricks. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this? Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu. While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s>	<\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan True to Seyrun's advice, the following night began with heavy rain pouring down from the leaden clouds over Mizukino's sky. That, however, wouldn't dissuade the Pageless from their efforts to gather the life force of innocent humans. "Quickly, gather what you can before those humans come after us! We don't have time to waste," The seeming leader of the group of Pageless that were attacking the workers of a construction site ordered its minions to speed up the collection of energy before Mizukino's protectors arrive at the scene. As was expected of him, Scheherazade noticed the attack and moved to the place before calling the club members. He observed the situation from atop a light pole outside the barrier that isolated the site from the normal space as the winds and rain splashed against the partially exposed steel skeleton. "Please come quickly everyone. At least I can assure you I'm not feeling the Darkkeepers' presence tonight. All I can say is that I hope they won't come out tonight, but these Pageless seem a little more powerful than the ones from the other day," Scheherazade said, hoping his words wouldn't be unanswered. </s>
<\|description\|>小刀禰夕朱 (Kotone Yuzu) Age: 15 Appearance: Normal (Source), Transformed (Source unknown) Description: When there's evil afoot, her confident showmanship steals the show! When there's not, our heroine is modest and kind to everyone she meets! This quiet beauty has admirers from all over, yet none can get close enough to unravel the mysteries of her heart... Grimoire: • Title: Noble Robin • Description: The story of an archer highwayman who's chance meeting with a princess causes him to forgo his old ways. In pursuit of her love, he enters into an archery contest to show off his skills. The princess is swooned, but the two can never be together. In order for them to live happily ever after, Robin steals the treasures of her evil family together with his old friends. He scatters the new-found wealth to the peasantry before he and the princess elope into the woods. • Abilities: Robin was a master archer, able to hit his mark no matter how far or narrow the target. Yuzu gets a bow and deadeye skills to match, conjuring magical arrows to fire off at the enemy. Robin was quick on his feet and now so is Yuzu, able to fire off volleys of arrows during any daring stunt without losing the slightest bit of accuracy.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan — Episode 1: Midnight Harlequinade — Intermission 1: Guilty Hearts — Episode 1: Heavy Metal Waltz</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Another late-autumn day was coming to an end, bathing the streets of Mizukino in rays of madder red sunlight filtered through the shadows cast by the nearby mountains. A cold wind blew by, embracing all it touched in its gentle caress, and the people slowly returned to their homes. By all accounts, it should be the beginning of a night like any other. Nevertheless, some threatened the peace the Mizukino usually enjoyed... "Quick, collect the energy you can while we have time!" A creature that looked like a living jack-in-the-box shouted to its minions, who looked like small puppets made entirely out of shadows, in a shrill voice as they run around a small office building. All of the workers still left inside were unconscious, perhaps because of the faint translucent aura that enveloped it, a barrier to cut it away from the outside world, visible only for those who had any measure of magical power. As they were commanded, the shadows went around the building, looming over the collapsed workers, draining some kind of energy visible as strands of colored light from them. The process seemed to be going slowly, but who could tell what would happen if they were left to their own devices? "I can, of course. That's precisely why the Pageless can't be allowed to do as they wish!" The Noble Scheherazade said as he observed from the other side of the road. He had already called the protectors of Mizukino City, the ones he entrusted with the Grimoires that he recovered so far. "Please, come quickly everyone. I have a strange feeling this isn't like the other times..." Hopefully, they wouldn't take much longer to arrive, every second counted when it came to the Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "And... shoot!" The sound of glass shattering was accompanied by one of the puppets being flung like a ragdoll away from its victim. A magical arrow had made its was through the window, pinning the creature against the wall, before several more rainbow-hued projectiles followed after. Some were still caught by surprise, others managed to dodge now that they knew what was coming. Once the trick no longer worked, a young girl leapt in through her newly-made opening, bow drawn at the enemy. Her "Pageless! How dare you torment these people!" she shouted. "No matter how many times you appear, I will not let evil go unpunished! The magical archer Robin will be your opponent today!" Robin fired off the glowing arrow inside her bow and proceeded to leap on top of one of the cubicles' walls. It was a delicate balance to keep, doubly so while wearing heels. Still, Robin stood atop its thin edge without even a hint of unstable footing. On the other side of the room was her current nemesis, a jack-in-the-box who clearly outranked the other mooks. "Are you the boss of these fiends? If so, then prepare for your judgement!" Robin drew back the string of her bow again, her magical power gathering, then fired off her shot. Given the distance she was at, on top of her loudly announcing her presence, it was unlikely to hit. But it didn't need to; Robin had already achieved her goal. All eyes were on her now. 'Everyone... I'm counting on you!'</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira "You got it, Robin!"With Robin distracting the Pageless Momo took the opportunity to even the numbers a little bit. While she still wished that she could summon her dogs in any order she wanted Akamaru should be able to handle the weaker monsters. She opened her Grimoire and in less than a second the relatively large white Akamaru appeared out of nowhere. "You know what to do." Momo wasn't gonna lie. Of her three summons Kiba was her favorite, bigger and stronger than Akamaru but easier to control than Cerberus, still any fight that ended before she was forced to release her second dog was a good one. The dog did indeed know what to do and ignoring the Jack-in-the-box went after some of the smaller shadowy Pageless, after its Master had gotten on its back of course. Akamaru caught one of the shadows in its jaws, allowing Momo to punch it without being able to run. Unfortunately it still had one free arm and could and did punch back even using its claws to draw a little bit of Momo's blood but it wasn't a serious injury.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The wizard awakens from her afternoon nap, the call of her bed failing as she hears a familiar telepathic voice echoing in her mind. Officially called to action the teen would transform in a dramatic flurry and make way to the disturbance, eyeing the barrier from afar. On her handy staff, she would reach the invaded building, legs crossed as she observed Robin and Momo enter through a broken hole in the building. From the air, Ayaka would dismount her staff and grab it with her left hand, and then aim it towards the building. Silent in her casting the crystal of her staff would begin to glow a dim purple, a magical circle forming at its end and drew itself to completion, and once it finished a wave of magical energy surged from the crystal and towards the building. A sigh followed afterword and Ayaka remounted her staff, eyes glowing as an aftereffect of her spell but now she could see the inner workings of the building and those inside. "We need to separate the unconscious civilians from the Pageless..." Ayaka would say to her teammates telepathically with a tired voice as she hovered only a few feet away from the office building. Quietly observing as she watches out for any strange misdeeds during the course of the battle, preparing an assortment of spells if the situation were to turn sideways.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Studying. Yuri was an expert at studying and keeping up with his grades despite the fact that he was called away most nights to stop Pageless. Tonight seemed different. He sat down in front of his desk, his pen in his right hand. Slowly he looked from the textbook to the notepad as his hand moved over the page leaving behind beautiful cursive trails of ink. He was halfway down the page when he heard the voice of Scheherazade. Scheherazade was like the guardian of the group. He'd formed the group and showed them how to use their gifts, but training was always necessary to learn and master the gifts bestowed on them. Scheherazade helped in so many ways and Yuri was always thankful that he was chosen. It was always perplexing, as Scheherazade had told him, the Grimoire normally sought out females. He was the first and only male of the group and he didn't take it lightly. He placed the pen neatly against the notepad and looked over at the Grimoire that hovered slightly on the nightstand. He could hear every word Scheherazade spoke to them. He remembered the first time it happened. It had freaked him out beyond belief and he hadn't slept for two days after, but now it was normal, now he was used to it and stood swiftly to his feet. Pageless were vile creatures, attempting to consume the lifeforce of humans for their own personal gains. One could only wonder if it was for something far more sinister than they initially thought. Yuri closed the textbook and moved elegantly over to the Grimoire. He made sure no one saw him before he touched it and allowed its power to overcome him. In an instant, he had transformed. His hair blew against the wind as he transformed into a swarm of butterflies, leaving through the crack in the window. By the time he'd arrived, he could see the action had started. Robin, the nickname given to Kotone Yuzu, was firing arrows into the building Scheherazade had cloaked in a protective barrier. The Pageless could be seen and his teammates were already on it. Momo and her beloved canine were attacking Pageless, but one was able to claw her cheek. The swarm of butterflies swooped into the building knocking the Pageless claw away from Momo's face, one purple butterfly remaining on her cheek as if to kiss it softly. Momo would feel a sudden rush of energy and her power would increase. The remaining butterfly began to form into Yuri beside an unconscious human. Yuri checked the human's vitals. They were weak, but still alive. "Let's get you out of here shall we?" Anyone know the closest exit? Yuri barely managed to dodge the claw of a Pageless as he rolled to the left blasting the creature with a beautiful purple beam. "Trust me, you don't want to make me mad," Yuri said as he blasted another Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Curse you, humans!" The Jack-in-the-box spat out as first Robin, and then more and more of Mizukino's protectors filtered into the scene. It showed little to no regard with its underlings, swiping one of the shadowy puppets with its clawed hand and using it as a shield to block Robin's judgment strike. When the puppet fulfilled its purpose, the Jack-in-the-box summarily tossed it at Robin. "What are you waiting for? Get them!" Even as it commanded the other Pageless to press the attack against the magical girls, the Jack-in-the-box slashed its claws through the air, sending vacuum blades flying in Ayaka's direction. Naturally, the move toppled some of the nearby cubicles, covering its escape route. The only signs of it taking a move would be a door swinging back and forth on its own and the clacking noises the Jack-in-the-box made as it hopped its way up the staircase with deceptive agility. ---</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira For a second Momo was surprised by the rush of energy she felt until she spotted Yuri. "Thanks for that!" While the power up wasn't as useful in her case as it would be for the others she was grateful for it and she and Akamura dispatched the Pageless. With that done she wanted to head back in the fray but was stopped by what Ayaka said. Momo briefly considered sending the giant dog off on it's own but decided against it. Without her needing to say a word Akamaru knew what his mistress wanted him to do and began running towards the closest worker. Just as the dog picked the guy up by the collar of his clothes one of the Pageless took advantage that with his mout full he had one less way to attack and delivered a nasty gash with it's claw to Akamura's side which if he had been a normal dog would no doubt bleed pretty bad, of course he wasn't a normal dog and wasn't actually hurt. Still not wanting to risk the civilian getting hurt Momo flipped the page of her Grimoire and the horse sized dog got replaced with what looked a larger, more aggressive two headed version of itself. Kiba disdainfully threw the guy on his back before literally biting the head off of the Pageless. Momo could feel he wanted to fight more but she was able to control him enough to look for the next civilian to save.</s>	<\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 Robin jumped from her perch when the boss monster countered, the cubicle underneath crumpling from the impact of the corpse. "Using your own allies as a shield... how dare you!" she called out after it, but couldn't pursue due to the follow-up attack. Robin looked around, scanning for both Yuri and Momoe. "Flare, Monarch! You two make sure the civilians are safe. I'm going after that villain!" Robin got up from her crouching position and hopped from one collapsed piece of furniture to the other, quickly identifying and shooting down any shadowy creatures blocking her path. It didn't take her long to reach the stairwell, briefly catching a glimpse of the jack-in-the-box fleeing upwards. 'Ayaka! The target is moving up the building! I'm giving chase; try to intercept while I lure him out to the next floor!' Robin telepathically gave the message to her teammate while she chased after their quarry. "I won't let you get away!" Robin shouted as she fired off arrows during her sprint. The magical projectiles weren't aimed straight at the monster, rather, she was shooting at the ground in front of it. By cutting off its escape route, Robin wanted to force the monster into the perfect spot for Ayaka's ambush.</s>
<\|description\|>小刀禰夕朱 (Kotone Yuzu) Age: 15 Appearance: Normal (Source), Transformed (Source unknown) Description: When there's evil afoot, her confident showmanship steals the show! When there's not, our heroine is modest and kind to everyone she meets! This quiet beauty has admirers from all over, yet none can get close enough to unravel the mysteries of her heart... Grimoire: • Title: Noble Robin • Description: The story of an archer highwayman who's chance meeting with a princess causes him to forgo his old ways. In pursuit of her love, he enters into an archery contest to show off his skills. The princess is swooned, but the two can never be together. In order for them to live happily ever after, Robin steals the treasures of her evil family together with his old friends. He scatters the new-found wealth to the peasantry before he and the princess elope into the woods. • Abilities: Robin was a master archer, able to hit his mark no matter how far or narrow the target. Yuzu gets a bow and deadeye skills to match, conjuring magical arrows to fire off at the enemy. Robin was quick on his feet and now so is Yuzu, able to fire off volleys of arrows during any daring stunt without losing the slightest bit of accuracy.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan --- Despite the grim circumstances, everything went well in the aftermath of the encounter with the Darkkeepers. The life force was returned its rightful owners, the worst they would feel is the symptoms of a mild cold for a few days, even the one that had his soul pilfered by the Harlequin's assault would be goo to go in no more than a week. On the other hand, things weren't so simple between the defenders of the world's peace. Scheherazade refused to comment on the issue after the battle. He promised to explain everything on the next day when the girls assembled the following day in their school's library. Even though his feline countenance betrayed no emotion, it was clear that he was perturbed by the events that happened and needed some time to sort out his thoughts. ※ The Following Afternoon, at the School's Library Club ※ "I'm sorry everyone. I guess I owe you all some explanations after what happened yesterday," Scheherazade said as he perched atop a windowsill bathed in the sunset's fiery hues. The wind waving the trees behind him in a vivid dance of light and shadows that looked almost as if it popped out of a Monet or Van Gogh. "The Darkkeepers... I never expected to see them in this world. Maybe, after all, that I lost, I became a fool. How could I not see it coming again? In all the worlds conquered by darkness, the Darkkeepers are always there," Scheherazade said in a voice bitter with guilt. "Just like you, I also asked them to help me in m fight against the Dark Empress. But... time and time again, I failed as their guide, and as a result of my failings, they became corrupted by the darkness they fought against. And now, the help her conquer other words..." "It's really all my fault for not telling you before that such a thing could happen. I understand if you don't want to work with me anymore. But if there's anything I can do, let me know. I absolutely can't fail this time. This world is so blessed with the Princess touch. Stories became a part of your soul like in no other world I ever saw. I don't know what will happen if it were to fall in the hands of the Empress," Scheherazade said, pepping up a little as he explained everything he had to say. One could almost feel the weight of the silence as he waited for a reply from the club members. But, before any of them could answer, a knock on their club room's door shook away the still atmosphere. "Excuse me. Is this the Library Volunteer Club's room? I've come to return a book and can't find the librarian anywhere, would any of you be able to check it out for me?" The blue-haired girl said with a crystal-clear voice as she clutched a copy of a Cinderella pop-up book close to her chest. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Fractured, but Still Whole He didn't know how long he'd been down, or when they'd left. Opening his eyes slowly he felt pain wash over him like he'd been hit by a freight. Everything hurt as he moved his body to stand. He felt it, the disconnect. His arm was dislocated, possibly broken. He would need to access it later. That was no ordinary power, that power came from a dark source, a powerful source. In his current state, he had no hope of defeating someone with that much strength. Realizing that his staff was not in his hand, he looked around and saw it sticking out of the adjacent wall. Approaching slowly, his hand reached out, fingers curling around the staff. Pulling, he freed the staff from the stubborn wall and twirled it a few times. His senses were returning when he looked around the room. Merlin. Where was she? Arm limp to the side, his eyes landed on Merlin. She was off in the distance outside of the building. The staff vanished, returning to the crystal on his necklace. The carnival crew had long gone and the humans had awakened and remembered nothing of what happened. They all seemed to think they'd fallen asleep or something in a field across from the building they worked at. It was the normal response for someone who had their life force sapped. With one quick push, he popped his arm back into place and groaned loudly as more pain washed over him. His hand trembled slightly and it was at that moment he noticed the bruising on his hand. Leaving the scene, he tried to ask questions and get some sort of answer from Scheherazade, but the guide who was like a big brother to them ignored his questions. He ignored any question from either of them and when it was time to part ways, Yuri had more questions than he wanted to have. That night he couldn't sleep thinking of the battle and the outcome. Thinking of Scheherazade and his secrecy. What was he doing this for? Saving people and protecting the world and for what? The people you trust are the ones who keep secrets from you. It hurt. He felt as if he'd been betrayed and as he sat in his bed twiddling his thumbs, he closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow. That morning, bruised and aching, Yuri got out of bed and felt pain in his arm. He didn't think it was broken, but his parents rushed him to the doctor where he received treatment. He had a hairline fracture, and he had to wear a sling. Unsure about everything that he once stood proudly for, Yuri went about the day silent. Doubt had somehow wedged its way into his mind. How could he protect anyone when there was a foe out there that was capable of such destruction? How could he trust someone when they kept secrets? Most of the day was filled with his classes, but he didn't speak to anyone from the team. He stayed focused on his classwork until the meeting in the school library. They were the members of the Library Club, and whenever they met it was to discuss with Scheherazade future missions or important stuff regarding the team. This time, the meeting was odd. Yuri wasn't the first one there. Yuzu was already there and he sat down without saying a word to anyone. He crossed his legs and touched his injured arm. He listened to Scheherazade as he addressed them all when everyone had arrived. Yuri listened but pretended not to, and when Scheherazade had finished, Yuri turned to look at him. Before he could speak, a knock came at the door and Yuri sighed. The girl wanted to return a book, but couldn't find the librarian. She was probably off in the teacher's lounge again drinking copious amounts of coffee. "You know there is a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there," he said taking a step forward, "but no worries, I can help. I'm Yuri by the way. Your name?" Although he wanted to yell at Scheherazade and let him have a piece of his mind, this girl showing up helped him take his mind off of everything.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The blow happened in seconds, the first floor of the building was completely demolished and so were Yuri and Ayaka. The forms and shields that had passively generated along the wizard's body rapidly broke until her physical body was all that was left. Luckily her magic had unmerged from Yuri's staff and returned to her body instantly reconstructing the shields placed. But it was already too late, the damage had been done, and a set of bruises had occurred over her midsection and knees. The breath ripped from her lungs and she curled over debris regaining her constitution. The mission was a success but their mentor, their benefactor, Scheherazade had failed to warn them of an incoming attack. From their surprise, during the mission, it was apparent that the cat knew more than they were letting on and due to their choice of keeping that knowledge a secret, we paid the price. Ayaka understood the moment she honed her abilities for the fight of the greater good that she would need all the knowledge to prepare to protect the world and the lack of... caused this. She didn't bother to continue thinking on it but instead tended to the civilians on the far side of the now fading damage barrier. Eventually, the block would return to normal as if no battle had occurred and now it was Ayaka's job to place the citizens back into their correct spots. Mass Amnesia, Mass Hysteria, or Mass Insomnia. The latter would be used to explain what had occurred in order to protect their secret and once the job was done-- Night came, the darkkeepers had escaped but luckily the civilians were safe. That was all that mattered, but now an incoming threat was possible-- no. Imminent threat was coming. Sleeping came to Ayaka easily though she was muddled with visions, dreaming of her theories of the world but also the scorpion girl that had attacked her. She would remember her face, planning to instantly assault if she were to ever see the stranger again. But for now, Ayaka let her dreams simply be dreams. And the morning would come, as usual, the routine of the day-and-night cycle still the same as it was before as the teen got ready for her normal day at school. It came like a blur, classes slept through but homework and quizzes turned in and resulted in passing grades. The gift of Merlin was an aid in her knowledge but it was just a tool, Ayaka was smart before she was a wizard. But now with magic, she could study in her dreams, think at a faster rate than a normal person would. It drained all her ability to try in school and now she was just waiting for another battle, for another day to help. Finally, the meeting between the "magicals" as Ayaka personally called it. An explanation given by Scheherazade, the cat stood on a windowsill, and once the group had gathered they begun to speak. Ayaka had wondered if the answer was going to be satisfactory but it wasn't. It was a mistake and an extremely faulty one. If the group had known prior, maybe Merlin could've predicted or calculated this event. Maybe if the darkkeepers no matter how unlikely their arrival we all could've been prepared against their assault. But no. Ayaka stood straight from the wall she leaned against in the corner of the room and before she could speak she acknowledged a girl that had asked for help. A sigh escaped from her breath, mouth closed as she waited for the girl to leave before speaking again.</s>	<\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 Yuzu opened the door to the school's library, finding herself being the second on-scene after Scheherazade. It wasn't a surprise to find the familiar sitting there; after all, he didn't have any classes to worry about like Yuzu and the others. Yuzu didn't sit down quite yet, though. She wanted to wait and greet the others as they arrived... and there was still an awkward silence between her and Scheherazade. Yuzu greeted Yuri, then Ayaka when the two arrived shortly after she had. Just one more needed to join them now. "Ah, Kanata!" Yuzu said as the youngest and newest among them joined in the meeting room. Kanata hadn't been on the team for long; in truth, yesterday was meant to be her first mission. "Right... yesterday..." Yuzu thought to herself. She felt her mind wander back to the day before. --- "I won't let you get away!" Robin's bow was drawn at Harlequin, the jester making her escape with the new grimoire in hand. She had a clean shot; all Robin needed to do was take it. The arena around her, however, was crumbling. If Robin took the shot, she'd have endanger Kanata. Stop the escape or save her friend; Robin didn't have any time to think about what the right decision to make was. snap Kanata's rope had snapped. She'd gone into freefall. "Watch out!" Robin shouted and, just barely, managed to catch the younger girl. Carrying her like a groom would their bride, Robin gave Kanata a reassuring smile. Forgoing the use of codenames, as the enemy had already fled, Robin- no, Yuzu had asked "Are you alright, Kanata?" Kanata nodded her head and let out a quick "Mhm," before following it up with "What about the others?" With the reassurance she was okay, Yuzu let Kanata down onto her feet. "Don't worry. Yuri and Ayaka are tough. Let's go check up on them," Yuzu told Kanata and grabbed her hand, positively pulling her along back downstairs to meet up with the rest of the team. --- Thinking back, Yuzu didn't regret her choice of saving Kanata. Even if it meant letting the enemy go, her friends were more important. Maybe that's why Yuzu, unbeknownst to herself, gave the other girl a soft, reassuring smile. 'It's okay,' that smile said, something Yuzu didn't have the chance to tell her the day prior. Not that many words could've been exchanged in the moment either, with Scheherazade not waiting long after everyone's arrival to explain his mysterious silence on matters. Those two girls- the Darkkeepers- were under his guidance once. Now, however, they were corrupted by the forces they fought against. And even after the explanation was finished did the party not get a moment's rest. An older girl approached the group, asking about returning a book. Yuri sprang up as the first to answer, but... "You know there's a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there, but no worries. What's your name?" "Y-Yuri, that's a little..." Yuzu tried to interrupt, but she couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence with "crude" or even "unrefined". Yuzu was quite a bit more timid when she wasn't busy fighting monsters. While Yuri was a boy, his straightforwardness was still a bit... out of place. "I'm actually the, um, club president. Checking books in and out when the librarian isn't here is actually my task... err, I'll go get the list!" Yuzu did as she said she would, gone for only about a minute as she searched for pen and paper. When she returned, Yuzu diligently compared the name of the book in the mysterious girl's arms to the ones on the list. "Let's see... It's this one, right?" Yuzu pointed at the spot she was looking at with her pen. Yuzu tried saying the name written down aloud, but it was clearly a foreign name. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. "The one under the name, um... Leviathan See-run?"</s>
<\|description\|>小刀禰夕朱 (Kotone Yuzu) Age: 15 Appearance: Normal (Source), Transformed (Source unknown) Description: When there's evil afoot, her confident showmanship steals the show! When there's not, our heroine is modest and kind to everyone she meets! This quiet beauty has admirers from all over, yet none can get close enough to unravel the mysteries of her heart... Grimoire: • Title: Noble Robin • Description: The story of an archer highwayman who's chance meeting with a princess causes him to forgo his old ways. In pursuit of her love, he enters into an archery contest to show off his skills. The princess is swooned, but the two can never be together. In order for them to live happily ever after, Robin steals the treasures of her evil family together with his old friends. He scatters the new-found wealth to the peasantry before he and the princess elope into the woods. • Abilities: Robin was a master archer, able to hit his mark no matter how far or narrow the target. Yuzu gets a bow and deadeye skills to match, conjuring magical arrows to fire off at the enemy. Robin was quick on his feet and now so is Yuzu, able to fire off volleys of arrows during any daring stunt without losing the slightest bit of accuracy.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan True to Seyrun's advice, the following night began with heavy rain pouring down from the leaden clouds over Mizukino's sky. That, however, wouldn't dissuade the Pageless from their efforts to gather the life force of innocent humans. "Quickly, gather what you can before those humans come after us! We don't have time to waste," The seeming leader of the group of Pageless that were attacking the workers of a construction site ordered its minions to speed up the collection of energy before Mizukino's protectors arrive at the scene. As was expected of him, Scheherazade noticed the attack and moved to the place before calling the club members. He observed the situation from atop a light pole outside the barrier that isolated the site from the normal space as the winds and rain splashed against the partially exposed steel skeleton. "Please come quickly everyone. At least I can assure you I'm not feeling the Darkkeepers' presence tonight. All I can say is that I hope they won't come out tonight, but these Pageless seem a little more powerful than the ones from the other day," Scheherazade said, hoping his words wouldn't be unanswered. ---</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki Whether it was raining or shining, justice never slept. At least, not until after 9 PM on a school night. Scheherazade's call would be quickly answered, with Kanata arriving on the scene as quickly as she could get there, hopefully being one of the first to arrive to make up for her tardiness last time. This time, she'd get to show off to her upperclassmen, and prove that she's more than just the snack girl. From the entrance of the barrier the rabbit-eared heroine emerged, transformed and ready for a fight. Her hammer was slung over her shoulder, and a white umbrella shielded her from the rain pounding the construction site. "Hup!" she would say after twirling her hammer and bopping it against the ground, leaving a tiny white circle that popped up and blew up to the vague shape of a ball with rabbit-like ears. With beady, bean-like pink eyes the bunlet made of pure magical mochi would stare up at its creator, before the hammer slammed into its side, launching it with great force at a Pageless that was occupied with gathering life force. The rabbit soared with a blank expression through the air, another white circle planted on it from the golf swing Kanata had delivered unto it. That white circle would shrink into the body of the mochi rabbit, the construct suddenly doubling in size, a bit more life in its eyes as it angrily stared down the Pageless before colliding with it. It didn't hurt the Pageless at all, but the sheer force of the mochi rabbit was enough to knock it away from the construction worker it had been praying upon. "Okay, okay, you can do this Kanata, cool introduction time..." the girl said, slapping her cheeks before pointing at the most stand-out of the Pageless. "The jig is up, Pageless! You're not going to hurt anyone anymore! Not if Magical Girl Boundless has anything to say about it!" Kanata said, chest swelling with pride before she resumed golf-swinging rabbit mochi at the Pageless. ...It was almost hilariously harmless, but any of the mochi rabbits that formed would jump at the Pageless, again and again.</s>	<\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Well said, Boundless!" As the mochi rabbits spaced the small fry away from the construction workers, flashes of light would follow soon after in pursuit. Before the Pageless had the time to recover from the recoil they'd already been pierced by a particular magical girl's arrows. Robin stood dramatically on top of a nearby building, the rain crashing down around her. After she'd announced her presence with the initial volley, Robin jumped off and twirled in the air to land next to Kanata. "Shadows are cast by the light that shines beside them... wherever you pageless threaten our peace, we will be there to protect it!" Robin looked around, trying to find Yuri and Ayaka. 'Please leave the smaller ones to me and Kanata. Ayaka, Yuri- try to corner their leader!' She drew her bow back and took aim again. The rain was obscuring her vision, but the bright mochi rabbits sticking to the Pageless made for an excellent target to aim at. This way, even if their shadowy figures were obscured by the downpour, Robin could still use her ally's power to make up for that weakness.</s>
<\|description\|>Ayaka Meru Height : 174cm \| Weight: 140lb \| Age: 16 Appearance: Transformed In Ayaka's transformed appearance she sports the same exact outfit from the reference but without the headband and glasses. Her physical appearance stays primarily the same as well but her hair has lengthened to her back and a long amethyst-colored ribbon holds half of her hair up. Description: A lackluster and lazy student, Ayaka is brazen as she is broad. Open with her opinions but simply too lazy to tell them. Sleep and the lack of is her prime enemy and attacks her anytime throughout the day. But the few occasions when she is focused or awake, she's either serious, often cold, or ready to win any sort of battle. Determination may not align with Ayaka often but when she hones on one thing, in any situation-- she will get the last say. Grimoire: • Title: Merlin's Prophecies • Description: A tale of an old wizard and his exploits. Known for his patience and wise guidance, he has fought off dragons and aided a king to rise for their nation. Well known for his magical gifts, Merlin is an exotic sorcerer who helps from the shadows. • Abilities: The Prophecies of Merlin grants Ayaka the ability to conjure a staff of which she mainly uses to aid her teammates from afar casting shields and healing injuries. But can also cast heavy-hitting elemental magicks, although, in exchange for destruction, she must wait patiently to thread her more offensive spells together via runes, magical circles, or a sacrifice of an object. Misc: Sidhe Staff Instead of a white crystal and a smaller dangling crystal both are purple.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Another late-autumn day was coming to an end, bathing the streets of Mizukino in rays of madder red sunlight filtered through the shadows cast by the nearby mountains. A cold wind blew by, embracing all it touched in its gentle caress, and the people slowly returned to their homes. By all accounts, it should be the beginning of a night like any other. Nevertheless, some threatened the peace the Mizukino usually enjoyed... "Quick, collect the energy you can while we have time!" A creature that looked like a living jack-in-the-box shouted to its minions, who looked like small puppets made entirely out of shadows, in a shrill voice as they run around a small office building. All of the workers still left inside were unconscious, perhaps because of the faint translucent aura that enveloped it, a barrier to cut it away from the outside world, visible only for those who had any measure of magical power. As they were commanded, the shadows went around the building, looming over the collapsed workers, draining some kind of energy visible as strands of colored light from them. The process seemed to be going slowly, but who could tell what would happen if they were left to their own devices? "I can, of course. That's precisely why the Pageless can't be allowed to do as they wish!" The Noble Scheherazade said as he observed from the other side of the road. He had already called the protectors of Mizukino City, the ones he entrusted with the Grimoires that he recovered so far. "Please, come quickly everyone. I have a strange feeling this isn't like the other times..." Hopefully, they wouldn't take much longer to arrive, every second counted when it came to the Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "And... shoot!" The sound of glass shattering was accompanied by one of the puppets being flung like a ragdoll away from its victim. A magical arrow had made its was through the window, pinning the creature against the wall, before several more rainbow-hued projectiles followed after. Some were still caught by surprise, others managed to dodge now that they knew what was coming. Once the trick no longer worked, a young girl leapt in through her newly-made opening, bow drawn at the enemy. Her "Pageless! How dare you torment these people!" she shouted. "No matter how many times you appear, I will not let evil go unpunished! The magical archer Robin will be your opponent today!" Robin fired off the glowing arrow inside her bow and proceeded to leap on top of one of the cubicles' walls. It was a delicate balance to keep, doubly so while wearing heels. Still, Robin stood atop its thin edge without even a hint of unstable footing. On the other side of the room was her current nemesis, a jack-in-the-box who clearly outranked the other mooks. "Are you the boss of these fiends? If so, then prepare for your judgement!" Robin drew back the string of her bow again, her magical power gathering, then fired off her shot. Given the distance she was at, on top of her loudly announcing her presence, it was unlikely to hit. But it didn't need to; Robin had already achieved her goal. All eyes were on her now. 'Everyone... I'm counting on you!'</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira "You got it, Robin!"With Robin distracting the Pageless Momo took the opportunity to even the numbers a little bit. While she still wished that she could summon her dogs in any order she wanted Akamaru should be able to handle the weaker monsters. She opened her Grimoire and in less than a second the relatively large white Akamaru appeared out of nowhere. "You know what to do." Momo wasn't gonna lie. Of her three summons Kiba was her favorite, bigger and stronger than Akamaru but easier to control than Cerberus, still any fight that ended before she was forced to release her second dog was a good one. The dog did indeed know what to do and ignoring the Jack-in-the-box went after some of the smaller shadowy Pageless, after its Master had gotten on its back of course. Akamaru caught one of the shadows in its jaws, allowing Momo to punch it without being able to run. Unfortunately it still had one free arm and could and did punch back even using its claws to draw a little bit of Momo's blood but it wasn't a serious injury.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The wizard awakens from her afternoon nap, the call of her bed failing as she hears a familiar telepathic voice echoing in her mind. Officially called to action the teen would transform in a dramatic flurry and make way to the disturbance, eyeing the barrier from afar. On her handy staff, she would reach the invaded building, legs crossed as she observed Robin and Momo enter through a broken hole in the building. From the air, Ayaka would dismount her staff and grab it with her left hand, and then aim it towards the building. Silent in her casting the crystal of her staff would begin to glow a dim purple, a magical circle forming at its end and drew itself to completion, and once it finished a wave of magical energy surged from the crystal and towards the building. A sigh followed afterword and Ayaka remounted her staff, eyes glowing as an aftereffect of her spell but now she could see the inner workings of the building and those inside. "We need to separate the unconscious civilians from the Pageless..." Ayaka would say to her teammates telepathically with a tired voice as she hovered only a few feet away from the office building. Quietly observing as she watches out for any strange misdeeds during the course of the battle, preparing an assortment of spells if the situation were to turn sideways.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Studying. Yuri was an expert at studying and keeping up with his grades despite the fact that he was called away most nights to stop Pageless. Tonight seemed different. He sat down in front of his desk, his pen in his right hand. Slowly he looked from the textbook to the notepad as his hand moved over the page leaving behind beautiful cursive trails of ink. He was halfway down the page when he heard the voice of Scheherazade. Scheherazade was like the guardian of the group. He'd formed the group and showed them how to use their gifts, but training was always necessary to learn and master the gifts bestowed on them. Scheherazade helped in so many ways and Yuri was always thankful that he was chosen. It was always perplexing, as Scheherazade had told him, the Grimoire normally sought out females. He was the first and only male of the group and he didn't take it lightly. He placed the pen neatly against the notepad and looked over at the Grimoire that hovered slightly on the nightstand. He could hear every word Scheherazade spoke to them. He remembered the first time it happened. It had freaked him out beyond belief and he hadn't slept for two days after, but now it was normal, now he was used to it and stood swiftly to his feet. Pageless were vile creatures, attempting to consume the lifeforce of humans for their own personal gains. One could only wonder if it was for something far more sinister than they initially thought. Yuri closed the textbook and moved elegantly over to the Grimoire. He made sure no one saw him before he touched it and allowed its power to overcome him. In an instant, he had transformed. His hair blew against the wind as he transformed into a swarm of butterflies, leaving through the crack in the window. By the time he'd arrived, he could see the action had started. Robin, the nickname given to Kotone Yuzu, was firing arrows into the building Scheherazade had cloaked in a protective barrier. The Pageless could be seen and his teammates were already on it. Momo and her beloved canine were attacking Pageless, but one was able to claw her cheek. The swarm of butterflies swooped into the building knocking the Pageless claw away from Momo's face, one purple butterfly remaining on her cheek as if to kiss it softly. Momo would feel a sudden rush of energy and her power would increase. The remaining butterfly began to form into Yuri beside an unconscious human. Yuri checked the human's vitals. They were weak, but still alive. "Let's get you out of here shall we?" Anyone know the closest exit? Yuri barely managed to dodge the claw of a Pageless as he rolled to the left blasting the creature with a beautiful purple beam. "Trust me, you don't want to make me mad," Yuri said as he blasted another Pageless.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Curse you, humans!" The Jack-in-the-box spat out as first Robin, and then more and more of Mizukino's protectors filtered into the scene. It showed little to no regard with its underlings, swiping one of the shadowy puppets with its clawed hand and using it as a shield to block Robin's judgment strike. When the puppet fulfilled its purpose, the Jack-in-the-box summarily tossed it at Robin. "What are you waiting for? Get them!" Even as it commanded the other Pageless to press the attack against the magical girls, the Jack-in-the-box slashed its claws through the air, sending vacuum blades flying in Ayaka's direction. Naturally, the move toppled some of the nearby cubicles, covering its escape route. The only signs of it taking a move would be a door swinging back and forth on its own and the clacking noises the Jack-in-the-box made as it hopped its way up the staircase with deceptive agility. ---</s> <\|message\|>Momo Hanabira For a second Momo was surprised by the rush of energy she felt until she spotted Yuri. "Thanks for that!" While the power up wasn't as useful in her case as it would be for the others she was grateful for it and she and Akamura dispatched the Pageless. With that done she wanted to head back in the fray but was stopped by what Ayaka said. Momo briefly considered sending the giant dog off on it's own but decided against it. Without her needing to say a word Akamaru knew what his mistress wanted him to do and began running towards the closest worker. Just as the dog picked the guy up by the collar of his clothes one of the Pageless took advantage that with his mout full he had one less way to attack and delivered a nasty gash with it's claw to Akamura's side which if he had been a normal dog would no doubt bleed pretty bad, of course he wasn't a normal dog and wasn't actually hurt. Still not wanting to risk the civilian getting hurt Momo flipped the page of her Grimoire and the horse sized dog got replaced with what looked a larger, more aggressive two headed version of itself. Kiba disdainfully threw the guy on his back before literally biting the head off of the Pageless. Momo could feel he wanted to fight more but she was able to control him enough to look for the next civilian to save.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 Robin jumped from her perch when the boss monster countered, the cubicle underneath crumpling from the impact of the corpse. "Using your own allies as a shield... how dare you!" she called out after it, but couldn't pursue due to the follow-up attack. Robin looked around, scanning for both Yuri and Momoe. "Flare, Monarch! You two make sure the civilians are safe. I'm going after that villain!" Robin got up from her crouching position and hopped from one collapsed piece of furniture to the other, quickly identifying and shooting down any shadowy creatures blocking her path. It didn't take her long to reach the stairwell, briefly catching a glimpse of the jack-in-the-box fleeing upwards. 'Ayaka! The target is moving up the building! I'm giving chase; try to intercept while I lure him out to the next floor!' Robin telepathically gave the message to her teammate while she chased after their quarry. "I won't let you get away!" Robin shouted as she fired off arrows during her sprint. The magical projectiles weren't aimed straight at the monster, rather, she was shooting at the ground in front of it. By cutting off its escape route, Robin wanted to force the monster into the perfect spot for Ayaka's ambush.</s>	<\|message\|>Ayaka Meru From outside the office building, Ayaka watched intently as the battle pursued. Her attention being caught by the magical flurry of butterflies making their way inside. Her brow lifted in interest as she observed, though suddenly the Jack-In-The-Box released blades of air that rushed from within the building to the outside. Almost instantly did she raise her hand to form a barrier, her glance focusing on the box's escape as the wind-blades dissipated along her shield. The boss or the commander of the pageless began its escape and she watched Robin follow its path. Preparing for additional aid, the wizard would grab a selenite crystal from her pocket. As she sat on the staff she would begin chanting a spell under her mouth, the crystal being enveloped with white light. Eventually its form would dematerialize and shift into a ball and as it changed it would shoot into the building and rush itself towards Robin. It hovered and followed the archer, granting Robin sight over the majority of the building. If Robin were to focus on her surroundings she would be able to see the full capacity of the building along with any magical disturbances hidden from plain sight. I have to help defend against the Pageless! Use my sight spell to shoot the Box through the floors! Ayaka says exclusively to Robin, she prepares another assortment of spells. This time manifesting small orbs around herself, creating a dozen of purple-colored creations as she pointed to the building. The group of orbs would zip past her and go inside. Their form would shift into needle-like shapes dashing towards the Pageless and impaling them to give cover for Momo and Yuri.</s>
<\|description\|>Ayaka Meru Height : 174cm \| Weight: 140lb \| Age: 16 Appearance: Transformed In Ayaka's transformed appearance she sports the same exact outfit from the reference but without the headband and glasses. Her physical appearance stays primarily the same as well but her hair has lengthened to her back and a long amethyst-colored ribbon holds half of her hair up. Description: A lackluster and lazy student, Ayaka is brazen as she is broad. Open with her opinions but simply too lazy to tell them. Sleep and the lack of is her prime enemy and attacks her anytime throughout the day. But the few occasions when she is focused or awake, she's either serious, often cold, or ready to win any sort of battle. Determination may not align with Ayaka often but when she hones on one thing, in any situation-- she will get the last say. Grimoire: • Title: Merlin's Prophecies • Description: A tale of an old wizard and his exploits. Known for his patience and wise guidance, he has fought off dragons and aided a king to rise for their nation. Well known for his magical gifts, Merlin is an exotic sorcerer who helps from the shadows. • Abilities: The Prophecies of Merlin grants Ayaka the ability to conjure a staff of which she mainly uses to aid her teammates from afar casting shields and healing injuries. But can also cast heavy-hitting elemental magicks, although, in exchange for destruction, she must wait patiently to thread her more offensive spells together via runes, magical circles, or a sacrifice of an object. Misc: Sidhe Staff Instead of a white crystal and a smaller dangling crystal both are purple.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan The jester had a growing smirk on her face as she heard Robin agree with her. However, that didn't last long. As soon as the blue-haired magical girl's speech turned on its heels, the clown's self-satisfied smile warped into a disgusted frown. "Well, that's a way to ruin the mood," she said in a voice that barely contained her urge to puke at the cookie-cutter heroic drivel. Even so, Robin jumping back and firing at the jester's feet was answered with the jester doing a dodge roll, or rather a cartwheel, to get out of the projectile's path. In the middle of her movement, she let her clubs go, throwing them at Robin's feet, kicking up a dust cloud to distract the archer. It was then that her eyes set on one of the many motes of life force making its way to the unconscious workers. "I found ya~" she said in a sing-song voice. From her position up above the roof, Kanata would be able to see a sadistic smile stamped on the jester's face as she trust a fist inside the glowy orb and... dug around for something. "Oh, come on, I wouldn't think your enthusiasm would be stinguished so fast. Anyway, I'm done here, so we can get going while we are on top," Harlequin—or better yet, Harly—answered when her 'partner' landed beside her. Just as she did so, she pulled her hand back from the light orb with a book—no, a Grimoire—now in her grasp. "The Giant's Beanstalk, huh? That's gonna be fun to mess with~" she said in a pleased voice. A moment later, the whole circus illusion began to crumble and disappear as suddenly as it came. "Annnnd that's it for the night! Thank you for your patronage and until next time, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Harly said before disappearing along with her partner in a puff of smoke and confetti. ---</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan --- Despite the grim circumstances, everything went well in the aftermath of the encounter with the Darkkeepers. The life force was returned its rightful owners, the worst they would feel is the symptoms of a mild cold for a few days, even the one that had his soul pilfered by the Harlequin's assault would be goo to go in no more than a week. On the other hand, things weren't so simple between the defenders of the world's peace. Scheherazade refused to comment on the issue after the battle. He promised to explain everything on the next day when the girls assembled the following day in their school's library. Even though his feline countenance betrayed no emotion, it was clear that he was perturbed by the events that happened and needed some time to sort out his thoughts. ※ The Following Afternoon, at the School's Library Club ※ "I'm sorry everyone. I guess I owe you all some explanations after what happened yesterday," Scheherazade said as he perched atop a windowsill bathed in the sunset's fiery hues. The wind waving the trees behind him in a vivid dance of light and shadows that looked almost as if it popped out of a Monet or Van Gogh. "The Darkkeepers... I never expected to see them in this world. Maybe, after all, that I lost, I became a fool. How could I not see it coming again? In all the worlds conquered by darkness, the Darkkeepers are always there," Scheherazade said in a voice bitter with guilt. "Just like you, I also asked them to help me in m fight against the Dark Empress. But... time and time again, I failed as their guide, and as a result of my failings, they became corrupted by the darkness they fought against. And now, the help her conquer other words..." "It's really all my fault for not telling you before that such a thing could happen. I understand if you don't want to work with me anymore. But if there's anything I can do, let me know. I absolutely can't fail this time. This world is so blessed with the Princess touch. Stories became a part of your soul like in no other world I ever saw. I don't know what will happen if it were to fall in the hands of the Empress," Scheherazade said, pepping up a little as he explained everything he had to say. One could almost feel the weight of the silence as he waited for a reply from the club members. But, before any of them could answer, a knock on their club room's door shook away the still atmosphere. "Excuse me. Is this the Library Volunteer Club's room? I've come to return a book and can't find the librarian anywhere, would any of you be able to check it out for me?" The blue-haired girl said with a crystal-clear voice as she clutched a copy of a Cinderella pop-up book close to her chest. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Fractured, but Still Whole He didn't know how long he'd been down, or when they'd left. Opening his eyes slowly he felt pain wash over him like he'd been hit by a freight. Everything hurt as he moved his body to stand. He felt it, the disconnect. His arm was dislocated, possibly broken. He would need to access it later. That was no ordinary power, that power came from a dark source, a powerful source. In his current state, he had no hope of defeating someone with that much strength. Realizing that his staff was not in his hand, he looked around and saw it sticking out of the adjacent wall. Approaching slowly, his hand reached out, fingers curling around the staff. Pulling, he freed the staff from the stubborn wall and twirled it a few times. His senses were returning when he looked around the room. Merlin. Where was she? Arm limp to the side, his eyes landed on Merlin. She was off in the distance outside of the building. The staff vanished, returning to the crystal on his necklace. The carnival crew had long gone and the humans had awakened and remembered nothing of what happened. They all seemed to think they'd fallen asleep or something in a field across from the building they worked at. It was the normal response for someone who had their life force sapped. With one quick push, he popped his arm back into place and groaned loudly as more pain washed over him. His hand trembled slightly and it was at that moment he noticed the bruising on his hand. Leaving the scene, he tried to ask questions and get some sort of answer from Scheherazade, but the guide who was like a big brother to them ignored his questions. He ignored any question from either of them and when it was time to part ways, Yuri had more questions than he wanted to have. That night he couldn't sleep thinking of the battle and the outcome. Thinking of Scheherazade and his secrecy. What was he doing this for? Saving people and protecting the world and for what? The people you trust are the ones who keep secrets from you. It hurt. He felt as if he'd been betrayed and as he sat in his bed twiddling his thumbs, he closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow. That morning, bruised and aching, Yuri got out of bed and felt pain in his arm. He didn't think it was broken, but his parents rushed him to the doctor where he received treatment. He had a hairline fracture, and he had to wear a sling. Unsure about everything that he once stood proudly for, Yuri went about the day silent. Doubt had somehow wedged its way into his mind. How could he protect anyone when there was a foe out there that was capable of such destruction? How could he trust someone when they kept secrets? Most of the day was filled with his classes, but he didn't speak to anyone from the team. He stayed focused on his classwork until the meeting in the school library. They were the members of the Library Club, and whenever they met it was to discuss with Scheherazade future missions or important stuff regarding the team. This time, the meeting was odd. Yuri wasn't the first one there. Yuzu was already there and he sat down without saying a word to anyone. He crossed his legs and touched his injured arm. He listened to Scheherazade as he addressed them all when everyone had arrived. Yuri listened but pretended not to, and when Scheherazade had finished, Yuri turned to look at him. Before he could speak, a knock came at the door and Yuri sighed. The girl wanted to return a book, but couldn't find the librarian. She was probably off in the teacher's lounge again drinking copious amounts of coffee. "You know there is a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there," he said taking a step forward, "but no worries, I can help. I'm Yuri by the way. Your name?" Although he wanted to yell at Scheherazade and let him have a piece of his mind, this girl showing up helped him take his mind off of everything.</s>	<\|message\|>Ayaka Meru The blow happened in seconds, the first floor of the building was completely demolished and so were Yuri and Ayaka. The forms and shields that had passively generated along the wizard's body rapidly broke until her physical body was all that was left. Luckily her magic had unmerged from Yuri's staff and returned to her body instantly reconstructing the shields placed. But it was already too late, the damage had been done, and a set of bruises had occurred over her midsection and knees. The breath ripped from her lungs and she curled over debris regaining her constitution. The mission was a success but their mentor, their benefactor, Scheherazade had failed to warn them of an incoming attack. From their surprise, during the mission, it was apparent that the cat knew more than they were letting on and due to their choice of keeping that knowledge a secret, we paid the price. Ayaka understood the moment she honed her abilities for the fight of the greater good that she would need all the knowledge to prepare to protect the world and the lack of... caused this. She didn't bother to continue thinking on it but instead tended to the civilians on the far side of the now fading damage barrier. Eventually, the block would return to normal as if no battle had occurred and now it was Ayaka's job to place the citizens back into their correct spots. Mass Amnesia, Mass Hysteria, or Mass Insomnia. The latter would be used to explain what had occurred in order to protect their secret and once the job was done-- Night came, the darkkeepers had escaped but luckily the civilians were safe. That was all that mattered, but now an incoming threat was possible-- no. Imminent threat was coming. Sleeping came to Ayaka easily though she was muddled with visions, dreaming of her theories of the world but also the scorpion girl that had attacked her. She would remember her face, planning to instantly assault if she were to ever see the stranger again. But for now, Ayaka let her dreams simply be dreams. And the morning would come, as usual, the routine of the day-and-night cycle still the same as it was before as the teen got ready for her normal day at school. It came like a blur, classes slept through but homework and quizzes turned in and resulted in passing grades. The gift of Merlin was an aid in her knowledge but it was just a tool, Ayaka was smart before she was a wizard. But now with magic, she could study in her dreams, think at a faster rate than a normal person would. It drained all her ability to try in school and now she was just waiting for another battle, for another day to help. Finally, the meeting between the "magicals" as Ayaka personally called it. An explanation given by Scheherazade, the cat stood on a windowsill, and once the group had gathered they begun to speak. Ayaka had wondered if the answer was going to be satisfactory but it wasn't. It was a mistake and an extremely faulty one. If the group had known prior, maybe Merlin could've predicted or calculated this event. Maybe if the darkkeepers no matter how unlikely their arrival we all could've been prepared against their assault. But no. Ayaka stood straight from the wall she leaned against in the corner of the room and before she could speak she acknowledged a girl that had asked for help. A sigh escaped from her breath, mouth closed as she waited for the girl to leave before speaking again.</s>
<\|description\|>Ayaka Meru Height : 174cm \| Weight: 140lb \| Age: 16 Appearance: Transformed In Ayaka's transformed appearance she sports the same exact outfit from the reference but without the headband and glasses. Her physical appearance stays primarily the same as well but her hair has lengthened to her back and a long amethyst-colored ribbon holds half of her hair up. Description: A lackluster and lazy student, Ayaka is brazen as she is broad. Open with her opinions but simply too lazy to tell them. Sleep and the lack of is her prime enemy and attacks her anytime throughout the day. But the few occasions when she is focused or awake, she's either serious, often cold, or ready to win any sort of battle. Determination may not align with Ayaka often but when she hones on one thing, in any situation-- she will get the last say. Grimoire: • Title: Merlin's Prophecies • Description: A tale of an old wizard and his exploits. Known for his patience and wise guidance, he has fought off dragons and aided a king to rise for their nation. Well known for his magical gifts, Merlin is an exotic sorcerer who helps from the shadows. • Abilities: The Prophecies of Merlin grants Ayaka the ability to conjure a staff of which she mainly uses to aid her teammates from afar casting shields and healing injuries. But can also cast heavy-hitting elemental magicks, although, in exchange for destruction, she must wait patiently to thread her more offensive spells together via runes, magical circles, or a sacrifice of an object. Misc: Sidhe Staff Instead of a white crystal and a smaller dangling crystal both are purple.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this? Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu. While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s>	<\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Nickname: Monarch/Butterfly Ninja Age: 16 Appearance: Yuri wears a beautiful necklace at all times, even outside of his transformation. Description: A charismatic young boy who just so happens to be the first and only male student allowed at a prestigious all-girls school as some sort of initiative headed by the Headmaster of the Academy. Not much is known about this student other than his loyalty is unwavering and his bright spirit is immensely contagious. Grimoire: • Title: The Butterfly Ninja [Mulan/The Princess and the Frog] • Description: A beautiful Wuxia tale of a heroic prince who harnessed the power of his ancestors, in the form of arcane magic, to defeat an evil overlord who threatened to bring an end to peace among the kingdoms. • Abilities: Much like the prince from the story, Yuri's magic/voodoo takes the form of beautiful spectral butterflies. He can sprout beautiful iridescent wings that allow him to fly. He can transform into a swarm of colorful butterflies if harmed suddenly to escape, or as means to travel quickly. He can even open portals to "summon" creatures to do his bidding or travel great distances. The spectral butterflies can do great and marvelous things. They can be used to either shield, enhance, or destroy. The extent of this magic solely depends on the willpower of the caster. He's also able to move like a ninja and is a brilliant martial artist. He can scale buildings like an insect. A list of current butterfly colors and their effects is listed below. Blue Butterflies - Protection and Absorption. They can be used as shields against negative energy and oncoming attacks. The more powerful the negative energy and attack, the more taxing on Yuri's body. If not careful it can weaken him severely. Black Butterflies - Voodoo Enchantments. The only sinister part of his arsenal and most powerful. The full extent of these butterflies is unknown and they resemble skeletal butterflies with black smoke trails. Yuri's aura darkens when he channels this power. Prolonged usage can potentially have negative consequences. Purple Butterflies - Offensive Spells and Counters. Either used in a swarm-like beam to cause damage, or used in larger forms to decimate. Yuri can attach a purple butterfly to an ally and enhance their abilities. He cannot enhance his own abilities. Weapon: The Luna Moth Staff has four different modes (Yuri will uncover them as the story progresses) and can switch between these different modes in the blink of an eye. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a sentient wizard staff that allows Yuri to channel his arcana and utilize his martial skills to an extent. It is a beautiful magic staff with crystals that hang on unbreakable diamond tendrils that retract and grow near limitless. The crystals are shaped like luna moth and possess sharp edges, able to slice through rock. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a deadly sentient rainbow scythe. In this mode, Yuri is able to move more offensively in battle. The blade on the scythe is strong enough to slice through lesser metals and maintains the dangling crystals from Magic Mode. Yuri is able to wield the scythe masterfully and can throw the scythe, like a deadly boomerang, catching it when it returns. It will only answer to Yuri and will not allow another to touch it. From the blade, sickle energy can be release from a distance. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a long crystalline blade able to slice through medium-grade metals and puncture steel. The crystals that once dangled are not replaced by a beautiful butterfly on the guard, and one single tendril that dangles from the handle of the sword. That one crystal has the same abilities as the ones in Magic Mode, and Reaper Mode. Yuri becomes a deadly swordsman for intense close combat. When the blade absorbs dark energy, it purifies it and increases the strength of its cutting edge. Though very lightweight, the sword is unbreakable. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the final form of a long arch-mage staff. In this mode the power is evident, the mastery is clear. There is no mistaking the journey it took to unlock this mode. The staff loses the ability to shift back to the Magic Mode, as all abilities from the magic mode are transferred, but it maintains the ability to shift to Reaper and Blade Mode in the blink of an eye. The staff is one of legend, said to have been bestowed to an Arch-Mage by a god. There is much to unlock within the Master Mode. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan The jester had a growing smirk on her face as she heard Robin agree with her. However, that didn't last long. As soon as the blue-haired magical girl's speech turned on its heels, the clown's self-satisfied smile warped into a disgusted frown. "Well, that's a way to ruin the mood," she said in a voice that barely contained her urge to puke at the cookie-cutter heroic drivel. Even so, Robin jumping back and firing at the jester's feet was answered with the jester doing a dodge roll, or rather a cartwheel, to get out of the projectile's path. In the middle of her movement, she let her clubs go, throwing them at Robin's feet, kicking up a dust cloud to distract the archer. It was then that her eyes set on one of the many motes of life force making its way to the unconscious workers. "I found ya~" she said in a sing-song voice. From her position up above the roof, Kanata would be able to see a sadistic smile stamped on the jester's face as she trust a fist inside the glowy orb and... dug around for something. "Oh, come on, I wouldn't think your enthusiasm would be stinguished so fast. Anyway, I'm done here, so we can get going while we are on top," Harlequin—or better yet, Harly—answered when her 'partner' landed beside her. Just as she did so, she pulled her hand back from the light orb with a book—no, a Grimoire—now in her grasp. "The Giant's Beanstalk, huh? That's gonna be fun to mess with~" she said in a pleased voice. A moment later, the whole circus illusion began to crumble and disappear as suddenly as it came. "Annnnd that's it for the night! Thank you for your patronage and until next time, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Harly said before disappearing along with her partner in a puff of smoke and confetti. ---</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan --- Despite the grim circumstances, everything went well in the aftermath of the encounter with the Darkkeepers. The life force was returned its rightful owners, the worst they would feel is the symptoms of a mild cold for a few days, even the one that had his soul pilfered by the Harlequin's assault would be goo to go in no more than a week. On the other hand, things weren't so simple between the defenders of the world's peace. Scheherazade refused to comment on the issue after the battle. He promised to explain everything on the next day when the girls assembled the following day in their school's library. Even though his feline countenance betrayed no emotion, it was clear that he was perturbed by the events that happened and needed some time to sort out his thoughts. ※ The Following Afternoon, at the School's Library Club ※ "I'm sorry everyone. I guess I owe you all some explanations after what happened yesterday," Scheherazade said as he perched atop a windowsill bathed in the sunset's fiery hues. The wind waving the trees behind him in a vivid dance of light and shadows that looked almost as if it popped out of a Monet or Van Gogh. "The Darkkeepers... I never expected to see them in this world. Maybe, after all, that I lost, I became a fool. How could I not see it coming again? In all the worlds conquered by darkness, the Darkkeepers are always there," Scheherazade said in a voice bitter with guilt. "Just like you, I also asked them to help me in m fight against the Dark Empress. But... time and time again, I failed as their guide, and as a result of my failings, they became corrupted by the darkness they fought against. And now, the help her conquer other words..." "It's really all my fault for not telling you before that such a thing could happen. I understand if you don't want to work with me anymore. But if there's anything I can do, let me know. I absolutely can't fail this time. This world is so blessed with the Princess touch. Stories became a part of your soul like in no other world I ever saw. I don't know what will happen if it were to fall in the hands of the Empress," Scheherazade said, pepping up a little as he explained everything he had to say. One could almost feel the weight of the silence as he waited for a reply from the club members. But, before any of them could answer, a knock on their club room's door shook away the still atmosphere. "Excuse me. Is this the Library Volunteer Club's room? I've come to return a book and can't find the librarian anywhere, would any of you be able to check it out for me?" The blue-haired girl said with a crystal-clear voice as she clutched a copy of a Cinderella pop-up book close to her chest. ---</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Fractured, but Still Whole He didn't know how long he'd been down, or when they'd left. Opening his eyes slowly he felt pain wash over him like he'd been hit by a freight. Everything hurt as he moved his body to stand. He felt it, the disconnect. His arm was dislocated, possibly broken. He would need to access it later. That was no ordinary power, that power came from a dark source, a powerful source. In his current state, he had no hope of defeating someone with that much strength. Realizing that his staff was not in his hand, he looked around and saw it sticking out of the adjacent wall. Approaching slowly, his hand reached out, fingers curling around the staff. Pulling, he freed the staff from the stubborn wall and twirled it a few times. His senses were returning when he looked around the room. Merlin. Where was she? Arm limp to the side, his eyes landed on Merlin. She was off in the distance outside of the building. The staff vanished, returning to the crystal on his necklace. The carnival crew had long gone and the humans had awakened and remembered nothing of what happened. They all seemed to think they'd fallen asleep or something in a field across from the building they worked at. It was the normal response for someone who had their life force sapped. With one quick push, he popped his arm back into place and groaned loudly as more pain washed over him. His hand trembled slightly and it was at that moment he noticed the bruising on his hand. Leaving the scene, he tried to ask questions and get some sort of answer from Scheherazade, but the guide who was like a big brother to them ignored his questions. He ignored any question from either of them and when it was time to part ways, Yuri had more questions than he wanted to have. That night he couldn't sleep thinking of the battle and the outcome. Thinking of Scheherazade and his secrecy. What was he doing this for? Saving people and protecting the world and for what? The people you trust are the ones who keep secrets from you. It hurt. He felt as if he'd been betrayed and as he sat in his bed twiddling his thumbs, he closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow. That morning, bruised and aching, Yuri got out of bed and felt pain in his arm. He didn't think it was broken, but his parents rushed him to the doctor where he received treatment. He had a hairline fracture, and he had to wear a sling. Unsure about everything that he once stood proudly for, Yuri went about the day silent. Doubt had somehow wedged its way into his mind. How could he protect anyone when there was a foe out there that was capable of such destruction? How could he trust someone when they kept secrets? Most of the day was filled with his classes, but he didn't speak to anyone from the team. He stayed focused on his classwork until the meeting in the school library. They were the members of the Library Club, and whenever they met it was to discuss with Scheherazade future missions or important stuff regarding the team. This time, the meeting was odd. Yuri wasn't the first one there. Yuzu was already there and he sat down without saying a word to anyone. He crossed his legs and touched his injured arm. He listened to Scheherazade as he addressed them all when everyone had arrived. Yuri listened but pretended not to, and when Scheherazade had finished, Yuri turned to look at him. Before he could speak, a knock came at the door and Yuri sighed. The girl wanted to return a book, but couldn't find the librarian. She was probably off in the teacher's lounge again drinking copious amounts of coffee. "You know there is a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there," he said taking a step forward, "but no worries, I can help. I'm Yuri by the way. Your name?" Although he wanted to yell at Scheherazade and let him have a piece of his mind, this girl showing up helped him take his mind off of everything.</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Nickname: Monarch/Butterfly Ninja Age: 16 Appearance: Yuri wears a beautiful necklace at all times, even outside of his transformation. Description: A charismatic young boy who just so happens to be the first and only male student allowed at a prestigious all-girls school as some sort of initiative headed by the Headmaster of the Academy. Not much is known about this student other than his loyalty is unwavering and his bright spirit is immensely contagious. Grimoire: • Title: The Butterfly Ninja [Mulan/The Princess and the Frog] • Description: A beautiful Wuxia tale of a heroic prince who harnessed the power of his ancestors, in the form of arcane magic, to defeat an evil overlord who threatened to bring an end to peace among the kingdoms. • Abilities: Much like the prince from the story, Yuri's magic/voodoo takes the form of beautiful spectral butterflies. He can sprout beautiful iridescent wings that allow him to fly. He can transform into a swarm of colorful butterflies if harmed suddenly to escape, or as means to travel quickly. He can even open portals to "summon" creatures to do his bidding or travel great distances. The spectral butterflies can do great and marvelous things. They can be used to either shield, enhance, or destroy. The extent of this magic solely depends on the willpower of the caster. He's also able to move like a ninja and is a brilliant martial artist. He can scale buildings like an insect. A list of current butterfly colors and their effects is listed below. Blue Butterflies - Protection and Absorption. They can be used as shields against negative energy and oncoming attacks. The more powerful the negative energy and attack, the more taxing on Yuri's body. If not careful it can weaken him severely. Black Butterflies - Voodoo Enchantments. The only sinister part of his arsenal and most powerful. The full extent of these butterflies is unknown and they resemble skeletal butterflies with black smoke trails. Yuri's aura darkens when he channels this power. Prolonged usage can potentially have negative consequences. Purple Butterflies - Offensive Spells and Counters. Either used in a swarm-like beam to cause damage, or used in larger forms to decimate. Yuri can attach a purple butterfly to an ally and enhance their abilities. He cannot enhance his own abilities. Weapon: The Luna Moth Staff has four different modes (Yuri will uncover them as the story progresses) and can switch between these different modes in the blink of an eye. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a sentient wizard staff that allows Yuri to channel his arcana and utilize his martial skills to an extent. It is a beautiful magic staff with crystals that hang on unbreakable diamond tendrils that retract and grow near limitless. The crystals are shaped like luna moth and possess sharp edges, able to slice through rock. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a deadly sentient rainbow scythe. In this mode, Yuri is able to move more offensively in battle. The blade on the scythe is strong enough to slice through lesser metals and maintains the dangling crystals from Magic Mode. Yuri is able to wield the scythe masterfully and can throw the scythe, like a deadly boomerang, catching it when it returns. It will only answer to Yuri and will not allow another to touch it. From the blade, sickle energy can be release from a distance. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a long crystalline blade able to slice through medium-grade metals and puncture steel. The crystals that once dangled are not replaced by a beautiful butterfly on the guard, and one single tendril that dangles from the handle of the sword. That one crystal has the same abilities as the ones in Magic Mode, and Reaper Mode. Yuri becomes a deadly swordsman for intense close combat. When the blade absorbs dark energy, it purifies it and increases the strength of its cutting edge. Though very lightweight, the sword is unbreakable. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the final form of a long arch-mage staff. In this mode the power is evident, the mastery is clear. There is no mistaking the journey it took to unlock this mode. The staff loses the ability to shift back to the Magic Mode, as all abilities from the magic mode are transferred, but it maintains the ability to shift to Reaper and Blade Mode in the blink of an eye. The staff is one of legend, said to have been bestowed to an Arch-Mage by a god. There is much to unlock within the Master Mode. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 Yuzu opened the door to the school's library, finding herself being the second on-scene after Scheherazade. It wasn't a surprise to find the familiar sitting there; after all, he didn't have any classes to worry about like Yuzu and the others. Yuzu didn't sit down quite yet, though. She wanted to wait and greet the others as they arrived... and there was still an awkward silence between her and Scheherazade. Yuzu greeted Yuri, then Ayaka when the two arrived shortly after she had. Just one more needed to join them now. "Ah, Kanata!" Yuzu said as the youngest and newest among them joined in the meeting room. Kanata hadn't been on the team for long; in truth, yesterday was meant to be her first mission. "Right... yesterday..." Yuzu thought to herself. She felt her mind wander back to the day before. --- "I won't let you get away!" Robin's bow was drawn at Harlequin, the jester making her escape with the new grimoire in hand. She had a clean shot; all Robin needed to do was take it. The arena around her, however, was crumbling. If Robin took the shot, she'd have endanger Kanata. Stop the escape or save her friend; Robin didn't have any time to think about what the right decision to make was. snap Kanata's rope had snapped. She'd gone into freefall. "Watch out!" Robin shouted and, just barely, managed to catch the younger girl. Carrying her like a groom would their bride, Robin gave Kanata a reassuring smile. Forgoing the use of codenames, as the enemy had already fled, Robin- no, Yuzu had asked "Are you alright, Kanata?" Kanata nodded her head and let out a quick "Mhm," before following it up with "What about the others?" With the reassurance she was okay, Yuzu let Kanata down onto her feet. "Don't worry. Yuri and Ayaka are tough. Let's go check up on them," Yuzu told Kanata and grabbed her hand, positively pulling her along back downstairs to meet up with the rest of the team. --- Thinking back, Yuzu didn't regret her choice of saving Kanata. Even if it meant letting the enemy go, her friends were more important. Maybe that's why Yuzu, unbeknownst to herself, gave the other girl a soft, reassuring smile. 'It's okay,' that smile said, something Yuzu didn't have the chance to tell her the day prior. Not that many words could've been exchanged in the moment either, with Scheherazade not waiting long after everyone's arrival to explain his mysterious silence on matters. Those two girls- the Darkkeepers- were under his guidance once. Now, however, they were corrupted by the forces they fought against. And even after the explanation was finished did the party not get a moment's rest. An older girl approached the group, asking about returning a book. Yuri sprang up as the first to answer, but... "You know there's a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there, but no worries. What's your name?" "Y-Yuri, that's a little..." Yuzu tried to interrupt, but she couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence with "crude" or even "unrefined". Yuzu was quite a bit more timid when she wasn't busy fighting monsters. While Yuri was a boy, his straightforwardness was still a bit... out of place. "I'm actually the, um, club president. Checking books in and out when the librarian isn't here is actually my task... err, I'll go get the list!" Yuzu did as she said she would, gone for only about a minute as she searched for pen and paper. When she returned, Yuzu diligently compared the name of the book in the mysterious girl's arms to the ones on the list. "Let's see... It's this one, right?" Yuzu pointed at the spot she was looking at with her pen. Yuzu tried saying the name written down aloud, but it was clearly a foreign name. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. "The one under the name, um... Leviathan See-run?"</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki The Sorrow of Being Unharmed There was a long stretch of time wherein Kanata found herself tossing and turning the night after her first real night of being a Pagekeeper. ...She failed. Badly. In fact, she didn't even get to fail, since she showed up so late that she couldn't help anyone. So late that she was just a burden to be rescued, despite not being injured. So late that... She expected to be yelled at. ...But Scheherazade didn't. In fact, nobody really did. Being at least on-time for the club meeting, Kanata was panting, having sprinted the entire way to get there from the middle school building. When she heard her name be spoken by Yuzu, she expected a scolding but instead got a warm smile that reminded her that she had friends here. Even if it was largely her first real experience as a Pagekeeper, she felt like...she could trust them. Especially since as it stood, her senpais had way more experience than she had. When it came time for the mysterious black cat that commanded them spoke, Kanata couldn't help but feel sad for the poor thing. Even if it hadn't filled them in on the existence of the Dark Keepers, Kanata hadn't assumed that evil people could have grimoires in their hearts. After all, stories were things you read to go to faraway places, experience newfound things, and dream things as childishly as you wanted without being reprimanded. The idea that someone could just come and muddy the concept, twist the hearts of people and make them fight with the Pageless was so... ...Horrible, really. Clenching her fists that were balled on her lap, the youngest girl of the group looked around. Yuri was badly hurt in that last fight, bad enough to need a sling, and Ayaka wasn't looking whole and hearty herself. In fact, both seemed hurt deeply by the lack of information. The general air of the room was heavy, but a stranger arrived just in time to make the awkward group of high schoolers do something. Kinda. Seeing as the situation at the door was being handled by Yuri and Yuzu, Kanata would scoot over to Ayaka's corner. Not-so-stealthily, the bunny-powered girl would carry a multi-layered box behind her and stand beside Ayaka. Clearing her throat, Kanata would finally say: "Um...Meru-Senpai...I felt bad about what happened yesterday, so I brought everyone these. Would you like one," she said, revealing her quintuple-level food box, having enough food for each member, as well as Scheherazade. Each of the bento boxes contained a small assortment of snacks, including miniature fruit salads, macarons, rice balls with various fillings, and melon-bread, all of which begged the question of just how Kanata had either the time or the money to make and bring FIVE of these boxes to school. The box for their feline commander was a tad less-heavy on the sweets, as it instead had sardines over rice, shredded chicken, and an omelet filled with leafy greens for fiber. The sardines and rice were in the shape of a grimoire. Kanata hadn't included actual cat food, since she kind of assumed opening a can of wet find and telling their boss "Bon Appétit" was in bad form. Kanata froze for a moment, eyes going blank as she asked: "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this? Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu. While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda. ---</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Nickname: Monarch/Butterfly Ninja Age: 16 Appearance: Yuri wears a beautiful necklace at all times, even outside of his transformation. Description: A charismatic young boy who just so happens to be the first and only male student allowed at a prestigious all-girls school as some sort of initiative headed by the Headmaster of the Academy. Not much is known about this student other than his loyalty is unwavering and his bright spirit is immensely contagious. Grimoire: • Title: The Butterfly Ninja [Mulan/The Princess and the Frog] • Description: A beautiful Wuxia tale of a heroic prince who harnessed the power of his ancestors, in the form of arcane magic, to defeat an evil overlord who threatened to bring an end to peace among the kingdoms. • Abilities: Much like the prince from the story, Yuri's magic/voodoo takes the form of beautiful spectral butterflies. He can sprout beautiful iridescent wings that allow him to fly. He can transform into a swarm of colorful butterflies if harmed suddenly to escape, or as means to travel quickly. He can even open portals to "summon" creatures to do his bidding or travel great distances. The spectral butterflies can do great and marvelous things. They can be used to either shield, enhance, or destroy. The extent of this magic solely depends on the willpower of the caster. He's also able to move like a ninja and is a brilliant martial artist. He can scale buildings like an insect. A list of current butterfly colors and their effects is listed below. Blue Butterflies - Protection and Absorption. They can be used as shields against negative energy and oncoming attacks. The more powerful the negative energy and attack, the more taxing on Yuri's body. If not careful it can weaken him severely. Black Butterflies - Voodoo Enchantments. The only sinister part of his arsenal and most powerful. The full extent of these butterflies is unknown and they resemble skeletal butterflies with black smoke trails. Yuri's aura darkens when he channels this power. Prolonged usage can potentially have negative consequences. Purple Butterflies - Offensive Spells and Counters. Either used in a swarm-like beam to cause damage, or used in larger forms to decimate. Yuri can attach a purple butterfly to an ally and enhance their abilities. He cannot enhance his own abilities. Weapon: The Luna Moth Staff has four different modes (Yuri will uncover them as the story progresses) and can switch between these different modes in the blink of an eye. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a sentient wizard staff that allows Yuri to channel his arcana and utilize his martial skills to an extent. It is a beautiful magic staff with crystals that hang on unbreakable diamond tendrils that retract and grow near limitless. The crystals are shaped like luna moth and possess sharp edges, able to slice through rock. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a deadly sentient rainbow scythe. In this mode, Yuri is able to move more offensively in battle. The blade on the scythe is strong enough to slice through lesser metals and maintains the dangling crystals from Magic Mode. Yuri is able to wield the scythe masterfully and can throw the scythe, like a deadly boomerang, catching it when it returns. It will only answer to Yuri and will not allow another to touch it. From the blade, sickle energy can be release from a distance. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a long crystalline blade able to slice through medium-grade metals and puncture steel. The crystals that once dangled are not replaced by a beautiful butterfly on the guard, and one single tendril that dangles from the handle of the sword. That one crystal has the same abilities as the ones in Magic Mode, and Reaper Mode. Yuri becomes a deadly swordsman for intense close combat. When the blade absorbs dark energy, it purifies it and increases the strength of its cutting edge. Though very lightweight, the sword is unbreakable. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the final form of a long arch-mage staff. In this mode the power is evident, the mastery is clear. There is no mistaking the journey it took to unlock this mode. The staff loses the ability to shift back to the Magic Mode, as all abilities from the magic mode are transferred, but it maintains the ability to shift to Reaper and Blade Mode in the blink of an eye. The staff is one of legend, said to have been bestowed to an Arch-Mage by a god. There is much to unlock within the Master Mode. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan True to Seyrun's advice, the following night began with heavy rain pouring down from the leaden clouds over Mizukino's sky. That, however, wouldn't dissuade the Pageless from their efforts to gather the life force of innocent humans. "Quickly, gather what you can before those humans come after us! We don't have time to waste," The seeming leader of the group of Pageless that were attacking the workers of a construction site ordered its minions to speed up the collection of energy before Mizukino's protectors arrive at the scene. As was expected of him, Scheherazade noticed the attack and moved to the place before calling the club members. He observed the situation from atop a light pole outside the barrier that isolated the site from the normal space as the winds and rain splashed against the partially exposed steel skeleton. "Please come quickly everyone. At least I can assure you I'm not feeling the Darkkeepers' presence tonight. All I can say is that I hope they won't come out tonight, but these Pageless seem a little more powerful than the ones from the other day," Scheherazade said, hoping his words wouldn't be unanswered. ---</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki Whether it was raining or shining, justice never slept. At least, not until after 9 PM on a school night. Scheherazade's call would be quickly answered, with Kanata arriving on the scene as quickly as she could get there, hopefully being one of the first to arrive to make up for her tardiness last time. This time, she'd get to show off to her upperclassmen, and prove that she's more than just the snack girl. From the entrance of the barrier the rabbit-eared heroine emerged, transformed and ready for a fight. Her hammer was slung over her shoulder, and a white umbrella shielded her from the rain pounding the construction site. "Hup!" she would say after twirling her hammer and bopping it against the ground, leaving a tiny white circle that popped up and blew up to the vague shape of a ball with rabbit-like ears. With beady, bean-like pink eyes the bunlet made of pure magical mochi would stare up at its creator, before the hammer slammed into its side, launching it with great force at a Pageless that was occupied with gathering life force. The rabbit soared with a blank expression through the air, another white circle planted on it from the golf swing Kanata had delivered unto it. That white circle would shrink into the body of the mochi rabbit, the construct suddenly doubling in size, a bit more life in its eyes as it angrily stared down the Pageless before colliding with it. It didn't hurt the Pageless at all, but the sheer force of the mochi rabbit was enough to knock it away from the construction worker it had been praying upon. "Okay, okay, you can do this Kanata, cool introduction time..." the girl said, slapping her cheeks before pointing at the most stand-out of the Pageless. "The jig is up, Pageless! You're not going to hurt anyone anymore! Not if Magical Girl Boundless has anything to say about it!" Kanata said, chest swelling with pride before she resumed golf-swinging rabbit mochi at the Pageless. ...It was almost hilariously harmless, but any of the mochi rabbits that formed would jump at the Pageless, again and again.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Well said, Boundless!" As the mochi rabbits spaced the small fry away from the construction workers, flashes of light would follow soon after in pursuit. Before the Pageless had the time to recover from the recoil they'd already been pierced by a particular magical girl's arrows. Robin stood dramatically on top of a nearby building, the rain crashing down around her. After she'd announced her presence with the initial volley, Robin jumped off and twirled in the air to land next to Kanata. "Shadows are cast by the light that shines beside them... wherever you pageless threaten our peace, we will be there to protect it!" Robin looked around, trying to find Yuri and Ayaka. 'Please leave the smaller ones to me and Kanata. Ayaka, Yuri- try to corner their leader!' She drew her bow back and took aim again. The rain was obscuring her vision, but the bright mochi rabbits sticking to the Pageless made for an excellent target to aim at. This way, even if their shadowy figures were obscured by the downpour, Robin could still use her ally's power to make up for that weakness.</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Darkness Creeps In: The Shadows of Voodoo "What's wrong, Scheherazade? Couldn't do it on your own? As expendable as we are you should be the first in line to stop the Pageless," Yuri said. Yuri's voice was present before his form was but in a swirl of what looked to be dark smoke, Yuri appeared his staff in his hand. His aura felt different if anyone took notice, and his eyes held a sense of danger to them they once did not. Black butterflies fluttered around him like bees to their queen. Yuri shot a dark glare in Scheherazade's direction and simply smirked. Kanata and Yuzu were already present, but in his mind, he just wanted to find the leader and get rid of them. His attention fell on what looked to be the leader of the Pageless this time around. They always changed, always different, and always a sight that would repulse any normal human. "Don't worry, we will do your dirty work for you." Yuri looked to Kanata and Yuzu before speaking again. "You waste time talking, do what needs to be done." Yuri dashed forward, moving like a ninja towards his target. Pageless minions would get in his way, but with his agility, he was able to maneuver around them until he came to the leader who was surrounded by minions. "What's the rush?" Yuri said as he cracked his neck before tightening his grip on his staff. Yuri slammed the staff into the ground. "Aren't you tired of taking orders? Tired of getting in the way? Come, I shall give you rest." The staff's crystals darkened, nearly pitch black and from the staff, numerous black butterflies fluttered forth, but they didn't destroy anything. The pageless tried to swat them away, but when one was destroyed, another took its place and once the butterfly landed on a pageless, they seemed to freeze in place before suddenly twisting and contorting as if in agony, and suddenly they all began turning towards the Pageless Leader. "Drink with me," Yuri said, his voice deceivingly melodic as he sliced his hand, blood pooling in his palm before dripping on the staff. This amplified the control he had on the pageless minions who started to march, claws extended, towards their old leader. A few of the black butterflies accidentally landed on nearby humans whose souls had already been snatched by the pageless and they too twisted and contorted like zombies rising from the dead taking steps towards the target. Yuri's attention was on the Pageless Leader and he wasn't paying attention to the humans he'd ensnared.</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Nickname: Monarch/Butterfly Ninja Age: 16 Appearance: Yuri wears a beautiful necklace at all times, even outside of his transformation. Description: A charismatic young boy who just so happens to be the first and only male student allowed at a prestigious all-girls school as some sort of initiative headed by the Headmaster of the Academy. Not much is known about this student other than his loyalty is unwavering and his bright spirit is immensely contagious. Grimoire: • Title: The Butterfly Ninja [Mulan/The Princess and the Frog] • Description: A beautiful Wuxia tale of a heroic prince who harnessed the power of his ancestors, in the form of arcane magic, to defeat an evil overlord who threatened to bring an end to peace among the kingdoms. • Abilities: Much like the prince from the story, Yuri's magic/voodoo takes the form of beautiful spectral butterflies. He can sprout beautiful iridescent wings that allow him to fly. He can transform into a swarm of colorful butterflies if harmed suddenly to escape, or as means to travel quickly. He can even open portals to "summon" creatures to do his bidding or travel great distances. The spectral butterflies can do great and marvelous things. They can be used to either shield, enhance, or destroy. The extent of this magic solely depends on the willpower of the caster. He's also able to move like a ninja and is a brilliant martial artist. He can scale buildings like an insect. A list of current butterfly colors and their effects is listed below. Blue Butterflies - Protection and Absorption. They can be used as shields against negative energy and oncoming attacks. The more powerful the negative energy and attack, the more taxing on Yuri's body. If not careful it can weaken him severely. Black Butterflies - Voodoo Enchantments. The only sinister part of his arsenal and most powerful. The full extent of these butterflies is unknown and they resemble skeletal butterflies with black smoke trails. Yuri's aura darkens when he channels this power. Prolonged usage can potentially have negative consequences. Purple Butterflies - Offensive Spells and Counters. Either used in a swarm-like beam to cause damage, or used in larger forms to decimate. Yuri can attach a purple butterfly to an ally and enhance their abilities. He cannot enhance his own abilities. Weapon: The Luna Moth Staff has four different modes (Yuri will uncover them as the story progresses) and can switch between these different modes in the blink of an eye. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a sentient wizard staff that allows Yuri to channel his arcana and utilize his martial skills to an extent. It is a beautiful magic staff with crystals that hang on unbreakable diamond tendrils that retract and grow near limitless. The crystals are shaped like luna moth and possess sharp edges, able to slice through rock. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a deadly sentient rainbow scythe. In this mode, Yuri is able to move more offensively in battle. The blade on the scythe is strong enough to slice through lesser metals and maintains the dangling crystals from Magic Mode. Yuri is able to wield the scythe masterfully and can throw the scythe, like a deadly boomerang, catching it when it returns. It will only answer to Yuri and will not allow another to touch it. From the blade, sickle energy can be release from a distance. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the form of a long crystalline blade able to slice through medium-grade metals and puncture steel. The crystals that once dangled are not replaced by a beautiful butterfly on the guard, and one single tendril that dangles from the handle of the sword. That one crystal has the same abilities as the ones in Magic Mode, and Reaper Mode. Yuri becomes a deadly swordsman for intense close combat. When the blade absorbs dark energy, it purifies it and increases the strength of its cutting edge. Though very lightweight, the sword is unbreakable. - The Luna Moth Staff takes the final form of a long arch-mage staff. In this mode the power is evident, the mastery is clear. There is no mistaking the journey it took to unlock this mode. The staff loses the ability to shift back to the Magic Mode, as all abilities from the magic mode are transferred, but it maintains the ability to shift to Reaper and Blade Mode in the blink of an eye. The staff is one of legend, said to have been bestowed to an Arch-Mage by a god. There is much to unlock within the Master Mode. Misc:</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 One, two, three- each time a Pageless was knocked back from the mochi, Robin's arrow pierced through them shortly after. The mission was going smoothly, but then Yuri made his entrance. Immediately apparent was that there was something very, very wrong with Yuri today. The aura oozing around him- it wasn't the usual warmth of his grimoire. It was cold, heartless and empty, much like the Pageless they were fighting. Even worse; Yuri was going on a rampage. And he was not helping the situation. "Monarch, slow down!" Robin shouted towards her ally, but it fell on deaf ears. The Pageless, the humans, his teammates- everything in front of Yuri was just a nuisance. Robin had to watch as he started to turn the Pageless on her master. In fact, he was getting in the way of Robin's arrows. She tried to warn him: "I said- stop that!" she said, but then her voice started to trail off. "You'll get yourself... hurt..." Robin's mind went blank for just a moment as she witnessed Yuri's butterflies take a hold of normal people and possess them. "Y-Yuri!" she yelled, completely disregarding his codename. "Stop that, Yuri! You're hurting those people-!" she yelled in vain. The boy wasn't listening. A new threat emerged and started sweeping aside Yuri's troops. Robin's legs moved on their own. Those humans would be unable to run in their zombie'd state and Robin knew this. She had to save them, in some way, no matter what. Strategy, tactics and her team be damned- she needed to save those people! "Watch out!" she yelled as she managed to tackle one, and only one human out of the way. She'd be much, much too late to save another. What's even worse is that Yuzu's tackle, though it got the human to safety (and seemed to have dispelled Yuri's curse), had caused Robin to lay prone. Her mind was panicked, flustered. Spread across her knees, she aimed her bow upwards at the giant's hand. Robin focused, as hard as she could, to gather as much magical energy as possible into her arrow. "Please... please work!" she desperately begged, firing off a much larger-than-usual projectile, but it seemed far from enough to stop the hand from crashing down.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki Things were going well! At least, at first. Robin's timing couldn't have been better, and then Yuri came to help too... Yuri... Was... ...What was he doing? Those black butterflies felt...off. Really off. Menacing even, even to the inexperienced Boundless as she watched, the Pageless turned against one another like puppets on strings. Soon, the humans that were being drained would rise as well, shambling after their leader without concern for their well-being. It was...scary, honestly. Enough so that the rabbit-ears upon her head drooped, and she found herself unable to move. Was this what Yuri's powers were like all the time? And things just kept getting worse and worse as a GARGANTUAN Pageless showed up, only visible for a moment in the pitch dark stormy night after a bolt of lightning light the area up. "S-Scheherazade..." Kanata stammered, feeling her legs get weak. "I'm scared..." she confessed, clutching the little red pendant around her neck that housed her grimoire. Then, she saw Robin dash ahead of her to tackle a civilian out of the way. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING AROUND?" A small voice inside of Kanata screamed out, her eyes going wide again. "This isn't like..." "This isn't like last time. I can do this. I can-" Kanata let out a shrill whistle with her fingers pressed to her lips, the rabbit mochi that had been advancing on the Pageless instead pausing, before bouncing against one another and the Pageless quickly to get out of the way of the arm's strike. "I can save everyone"! In that realization, the rain seemed to stop falling from Kanata's perspective. In that realization, her legs would finally move to the fullest. For the briefest of moments, Kanata seemingly vanished in the rain, a clear line of water falling in a delayed fashion, displaced by her going as fast as she possibly could. Her grimoire's enhancements on her physical speed were pushed to their absolute limits as she put herself between the Pageless and the civilians. Wordlessly, she would strike the civilians in the chest once each with her hammer, sending them flying back out of danger, and safely landing on the re-positioned mochi-rabbits, new smaller rabbits forming from the blow she dealt to their chests. Save for the one that Robin saved, every single civilian would be saved, and the mochi rabbits on their back and chests would connect together, forming a large, sticky mochi net that kept everyone grounded. Even if they were mindless zombies now, at least they couldn't hurt themselves. Kanata would run as fast as she could, but she had a feeling that she wouldn't make it in time to save herself. Aside from that, the Pageless behind her were no doubt going to start attacking her again, now that she was by herself. Running once more as fast as she could as she felt the air be displaced by the gargantuan Pageless titan, she would cry out one thing, in hopes of reaching their friend who was lost in himself. "YURI! OPEN YOUR EYES!"</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow Whispers of Darkness: Shadows of Fear So what if they perish, it is not your fault, it is theirs. They got in the way of true power. They are my friends, they are my allies. They can't perish. Why not? Mere casualties for the greater good. Now they've placed themselves in harm's way just to stop you from achieving greatness. Stop it! Just stop it. You've had your fun now save them. You and your conscience. Always ruining a fun time, but the titan's essence is mine when this is over. === Voices. Again with the voices. The internal conflict was evident as everything happened. Yuri's form oozed black miasma. Things had gotten out of hand. The mindless pageless minions were about to remove their leader from existence when a new threat emerged. Of course, there was another obstacle, things were never this easy for anyone in life. The new threat revealed itself as a large titan pageless standing at a spectacular 16 feet high. Yuri's eyes had lifted to catch a glimpse of the creature's head before its massive fist crushed the pageless under his control. It was odd that a smirk formed on Yuri's face as he watched it happen. He didn't move an inch as the fist hammered away, removing any threat towards the Pageless Leader. Lightning streaked across the bosom of the clouds and thunder roared mightily. The flash of light from the lightning illuminated the construction site and revealed the monster's fist as it raised once more. Yuri's attention darted to Robin who was in the path of the great fist. To make matters worse, Boundless had entered the fray to protect the humans he controlled. The monster's strength was remarkable. "Such power," Yuri muttered the smirk still present on his flawless face. As the black butterflies were destroyed, the dark essence flowed into the black crystals that hung from the staff still planted in the ground. Yuri's bleeding hand hovered over the staff. His eyes landed on Boundless as she yelled for him to open his eyes. His eyes were open, yet he was still blind to the chaos he was causing. As the titan's fist came crashing down, there was no mistaking the darkness that poured into the area like a thick fog. The crystals vibrated, creating a harmonious sound that filled the air. Drop after drop of Yuri's blood fed the staff as black skeletal wings sprouted from the ground and surrounded Robin and Boundless just as the great fist smashed into the barrier, the dark energy absorbing into the sinister wings. The resulting shockwave sent dust and debris in all directions, but the humans were safe. As the dust cleared, Yuri was on one knee defiant against the titan. His eyes locked with the beast's and his hand gripped the staff. His nose bled as he lifted slowly off the ground his vision blurry. He stopped when he was face to face with the titan. Bring it to its knees. Destroy it. Show them true darkness. DESTROY THEM! The voices in his head would not stop. They demanded as if Yuri were a puppet of their own. "BOW TO ME!" Yuri said. Black butterflies fluttered around him as thunder filled the sky with noise. He twirled the staff and burst into a swarm of butterflies. He began to spin, forming into a drill set to pierce through the titan like a cannonball through a wall.</s>
<\|description\|>Kanata Mizuki Age: 14 Appearance: Art by tori on Pixiv. Art by tori on Pixiv. Description: The moon rabbit hops onto the scene, primed and ready to beat evil back before lunchtime! Or Dinnertime! Or whatever meal comes next, really. This perpetually peckish girl is a foodie at heart, and loves nothing more than sharing good food with good friends after a hard day spent dispensing justice. Grimoire: • Title: The Moon Rabbit • Description: On the moon there sits a rabbit, continually pounding away at soft mochi for the Gods. This grimoire details the daily life of that rabbit, as well as the friends that come to visit it on its home. Some say that the sweets this rabbit created were enough to heal the hearts and bodies of men and Gods alike. • Abilities: Now you're a rabbit too!: By using this grimoire, Kanata gains the exaggerated powers of a rabbit. Sensitive ears, faster feet, and higher jumps, all of which make her more mobile than any human on earth. Moon Hammer: A long pounding kine that resembles one used to pound rice or mochi, only much larger, made of grey stone, and with a glowing ball in the shape of a full moon at the other end of the handle. Upon making contact with an object or person, a ball of mochi will form that will quickly form into a Mochi Rabbit. These Mochi Rabbits are little helpers that resemble snow rabbits and bounce around on the ground. These constructs feel little pain and have the consistency of dough, making them spongy and resistant to physical attacks. Its also difficult to get out of one if you get stuck, but they are mostly harmless on their own, incapable of doing anything save for bouncing around and sticking to objects or people. They can also combine together, becoming one very big, squishy, sticky, harmless being. Misc: Kanata is an amazing cook, and is often packing snacks for herself and others.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki The Sorrow of Being Unharmed There was a long stretch of time wherein Kanata found herself tossing and turning the night after her first real night of being a Pagekeeper. ...She failed. Badly. In fact, she didn't even get to fail, since she showed up so late that she couldn't help anyone. So late that she was just a burden to be rescued, despite not being injured. So late that... She expected to be yelled at. ...But Scheherazade didn't. In fact, nobody really did. Being at least on-time for the club meeting, Kanata was panting, having sprinted the entire way to get there from the middle school building. When she heard her name be spoken by Yuzu, she expected a scolding but instead got a warm smile that reminded her that she had friends here. Even if it was largely her first real experience as a Pagekeeper, she felt like...she could trust them. Especially since as it stood, her senpais had way more experience than she had. When it came time for the mysterious black cat that commanded them spoke, Kanata couldn't help but feel sad for the poor thing. Even if it hadn't filled them in on the existence of the Dark Keepers, Kanata hadn't assumed that evil people could have grimoires in their hearts. After all, stories were things you read to go to faraway places, experience newfound things, and dream things as childishly as you wanted without being reprimanded. The idea that someone could just come and muddy the concept, twist the hearts of people and make them fight with the Pageless was so... ...Horrible, really. Clenching her fists that were balled on her lap, the youngest girl of the group looked around. Yuri was badly hurt in that last fight, bad enough to need a sling, and Ayaka wasn't looking whole and hearty herself. In fact, both seemed hurt deeply by the lack of information. The general air of the room was heavy, but a stranger arrived just in time to make the awkward group of high schoolers do something. Kinda. Seeing as the situation at the door was being handled by Yuri and Yuzu, Kanata would scoot over to Ayaka's corner. Not-so-stealthily, the bunny-powered girl would carry a multi-layered box behind her and stand beside Ayaka. Clearing her throat, Kanata would finally say: "Um...Meru-Senpai...I felt bad about what happened yesterday, so I brought everyone these. Would you like one," she said, revealing her quintuple-level food box, having enough food for each member, as well as Scheherazade. Each of the bento boxes contained a small assortment of snacks, including miniature fruit salads, macarons, rice balls with various fillings, and melon-bread, all of which begged the question of just how Kanata had either the time or the money to make and bring FIVE of these boxes to school. The box for their feline commander was a tad less-heavy on the sweets, as it instead had sardines over rice, shredded chicken, and an omelet filled with leafy greens for fiber. The sardines and rice were in the shape of a grimoire. Kanata hadn't included actual cat food, since she kind of assumed opening a can of wet find and telling their boss "Bon Appétit" was in bad form. Kanata froze for a moment, eyes going blank as she asked: "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this? Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu. While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda. ---</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s>	<\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s>
<\|description\|>Kanata Mizuki Age: 14 Appearance: Art by tori on Pixiv. Art by tori on Pixiv. Description: The moon rabbit hops onto the scene, primed and ready to beat evil back before lunchtime! Or Dinnertime! Or whatever meal comes next, really. This perpetually peckish girl is a foodie at heart, and loves nothing more than sharing good food with good friends after a hard day spent dispensing justice. Grimoire: • Title: The Moon Rabbit • Description: On the moon there sits a rabbit, continually pounding away at soft mochi for the Gods. This grimoire details the daily life of that rabbit, as well as the friends that come to visit it on its home. Some say that the sweets this rabbit created were enough to heal the hearts and bodies of men and Gods alike. • Abilities: Now you're a rabbit too!: By using this grimoire, Kanata gains the exaggerated powers of a rabbit. Sensitive ears, faster feet, and higher jumps, all of which make her more mobile than any human on earth. Moon Hammer: A long pounding kine that resembles one used to pound rice or mochi, only much larger, made of grey stone, and with a glowing ball in the shape of a full moon at the other end of the handle. Upon making contact with an object or person, a ball of mochi will form that will quickly form into a Mochi Rabbit. These Mochi Rabbits are little helpers that resemble snow rabbits and bounce around on the ground. These constructs feel little pain and have the consistency of dough, making them spongy and resistant to physical attacks. Its also difficult to get out of one if you get stuck, but they are mostly harmless on their own, incapable of doing anything save for bouncing around and sticking to objects or people. They can also combine together, becoming one very big, squishy, sticky, harmless being. Misc: Kanata is an amazing cook, and is often packing snacks for herself and others.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Angyl Harrow The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On... As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata. Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why. If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary. Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy. "Fooba. " The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes. "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?" "No. But I do not care. Please give me food. " Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.</s> <\|message\|>小刀禰夕朱 "Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself. "The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction. "It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth. "If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something." "Ah- Yuri?" Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!" With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out." Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.</s> <\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what? "Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages. Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all. "Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan "Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave. Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers. "By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices. ※ ※ ※ "I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away. The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened? --- Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate</s> <\|message\|>Ayaka Meru Ayaka Meru --- Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask. After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly. "So. In review of the situation-- " Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it. "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet. When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. " "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. " Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.</s> <\|message\|>Seyrun Riviathan True to Seyrun's advice, the following night began with heavy rain pouring down from the leaden clouds over Mizukino's sky. That, however, wouldn't dissuade the Pageless from their efforts to gather the life force of innocent humans. "Quickly, gather what you can before those humans come after us! We don't have time to waste," The seeming leader of the group of Pageless that were attacking the workers of a construction site ordered its minions to speed up the collection of energy before Mizukino's protectors arrive at the scene. As was expected of him, Scheherazade noticed the attack and moved to the place before calling the club members. He observed the situation from atop a light pole outside the barrier that isolated the site from the normal space as the winds and rain splashed against the partially exposed steel skeleton. "Please come quickly everyone. At least I can assure you I'm not feeling the Darkkeepers' presence tonight. All I can say is that I hope they won't come out tonight, but these Pageless seem a little more powerful than the ones from the other day," Scheherazade said, hoping his words wouldn't be unanswered. ---</s>	<\|message\|>Kanata Mizuki Whether it was raining or shining, justice never slept. At least, not until after 9 PM on a school night. Scheherazade's call would be quickly answered, with Kanata arriving on the scene as quickly as she could get there, hopefully being one of the first to arrive to make up for her tardiness last time. This time, she'd get to show off to her upperclassmen, and prove that she's more than just the snack girl. From the entrance of the barrier the rabbit-eared heroine emerged, transformed and ready for a fight. Her hammer was slung over her shoulder, and a white umbrella shielded her from the rain pounding the construction site. "Hup!" she would say after twirling her hammer and bopping it against the ground, leaving a tiny white circle that popped up and blew up to the vague shape of a ball with rabbit-like ears. With beady, bean-like pink eyes the bunlet made of pure magical mochi would stare up at its creator, before the hammer slammed into its side, launching it with great force at a Pageless that was occupied with gathering life force. The rabbit soared with a blank expression through the air, another white circle planted on it from the golf swing Kanata had delivered unto it. That white circle would shrink into the body of the mochi rabbit, the construct suddenly doubling in size, a bit more life in its eyes as it angrily stared down the Pageless before colliding with it. It didn't hurt the Pageless at all, but the sheer force of the mochi rabbit was enough to knock it away from the construction worker it had been praying upon. "Okay, okay, you can do this Kanata, cool introduction time..." the girl said, slapping her cheeks before pointing at the most stand-out of the Pageless. "The jig is up, Pageless! You're not going to hurt anyone anymore! Not if Magical Girl Boundless has anything to say about it!" Kanata said, chest swelling with pride before she resumed golf-swinging rabbit mochi at the Pageless. ...It was almost hilariously harmless, but any of the mochi rabbits that formed would jump at the Pageless, again and again.</s>
<\|description\|>Jeremiah Beltrán Carlos Age: 29 ID Number: MP-1834-JC Nationality: Multiple: Spain, United Kingdom Appearance: Subject is a Hispanic male, measuring 169 cm and weighing 76 kg as of [VOID]. Subject has curled brown hair down to the temples, brown eyes, and above-average musculature and strength compared to other individuals of similar age and physical sex. A red heart shape wrapped in green thorned vines is tattooed on subject's left upper arm, the vines specifically obscuring the heart across its horizontal center line. A knife is tattooed on to the right forearm, drawn to suggest it is piercing the flesh, complete with blood spilling on to and around the blade. The Spanish text "Bomba de Gasolina" (translating to English as "Petrol Pump" or "Gasoline Pump") is tattooed in Impact font on the abdomen in two separate lines; two black arrows point from either side of the word "Gasolina" toward subject's genitalia. Subject wears standard male clothing set. Background: Subject was born on the 8th of December, [VOID] in Ibiza Town on the Spanish island of Ibiza. At age 1, subject's family moved to the United Kingdom, taking residence in central London for work-related reasons. Subject received average education and accommodation throughout early life, but is noted to have been involved in gang activity as young as fifteen, and did not pursue education beyond A-levels, instead becoming further involved with the Hispanic gang [VOID] (see Acquisition). Anomalous Containment Staff were made aware of the subject on [VOID] due to inter-gang violence against [VOID] (see Acquisition). Subject was apprehended shortly thereafter, putting up relatively little resistance due to [VOID], and initially contained as a Blue security threat, but was reassessed as a Purple security threat after [VOID] (see Addendum 1). Aggression against staff has notably increased since then, and subject refuses to clarify when they first became aware of anomalous properties. Powers: Auto-Liquefaction \|\| Subject is able to discorporate their body into an increasingly liquidous mass, described as a sensation of "melting". Subject can fully discorporate into a flexible gel-like state over the course of forty five seconds, and into a water-like state over the course of ninety seconds, with selective control over which portions of the body discorporate first if desired; subject experiences no apparent pain or harm from this process, and can reverse the discorporation at will, reverting to standard appearance over the same timeframes as described above. Subject loses muscular control as liquefaction increases, being notably impaired whilst partially molten and unable to move when fully liquefied, but retains sensory input and becomes increasingly able to alter form regardless of bodily structure at greater levels of discorporation. Greater discorporation also results in greater resilience to kinetic force, and small physical injuries can be erased through a process of partial dissolution and reformation, though severe injuries such as extensive burns and substantial head or neck trauma remain potentially life-threatening. Privileges: * Dresser, inside face oriented toward camera * Pull-up bar, bolted into floor next to dresser Researcher Notes:: Jeremiah shows reasonable affinity for both staff and fellow subjects, interacting well and displaying his regenerative qualities when asked to. He is prone to sudden outbursts of anger or frustration when certain topics are brought up, however; I would like to request a list of triggers to be documented for these outbursts, to ensure smoother interactions in future. He also shows a degree of sexual motivation, asking several times if fellow subjects could be allowed to visit his cell for sexual intercourse. To date, all such requests have been denied. -Researcher Wilde Prior research notes regarding the subject are to be considered null as of [VOID] (see Addendum 1). Update pending further examination. -Researcher Keyes Subject is noteworthy for being highly non-cooperative with staff, frequently refusing to participate in testing except under duress, and often citing desire to escape Facility B. Subject is also prone to sudden bursts of aggression with little apparent provocation, though they are aware that they lack the ability to significantly harm any staff members without risking injury and disciplining. Consequently, subject's privileges are highly restricted, and should be thoroughly examined for potential escape risks before being allowed. Subject is relatively amenable toward other subjects, though occasionally directs aggression toward them as well. -Researcher Keyes</s> <\|message\|>Eliana Morais FY-1387-EM A vast, open field, seemingly endless with no chance of providing any form of cover. No trees, no man-made structures...nothing. That's what Eliana was up against. That, and the terrifying creature in close pursuit. To make matters worse, she didn't get any faster with each step, but quite the contrary, rather. The distance was slowly closing between her and her tormentor, regardless of how fast she attempted to run. Her mind was practically screaming at her to go faster, but her legs weren't obeying such orders. It was frustrating to say the least. That's what she felt: frustration and fear. An odd combination, really. During a lapse of judgement, Eliana decided to look back behind her. That mistake proved to be fatal when she clumsily missed a step and unceremoniously fell down to the ground. The landing hurt a bit, but it wasn't anything to complain about. Her pursuer, however, was just about to change that. In a last ditch attempt to save herself, Eliana raised her arms in front of her as if that would somehow protect her. She then saw the creature leap in the air screeching and moments before it landed on her, Eliana woke up startled and covered in sweat. She blinked her eyes for a moment, realizing that she was in the safety of her room. No creature in sight. Well, not in the form she had just experienced. The alarm was annoying enough to make her get up and out of bed. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head, and then she waited. However, some time passed and she was still waiting. Slightly confused, Eliana approached the door and noticed it was unlocked. She pushed it ever so slowly and peered down the hall in one direction. O que está acontecendo? she thought to herself, not having the slightest clue where anyone was or why her door was unlocked. She then took a step forward, placing herself in the hall with her back against the wall. Maybe they were running late?</s> <\|message\|>Samuel J Tavares Sam had been laying in bed awake for a few minutes before the alarm went off. After all his years spent here he had gotten very used to the routine. Now that the alarm had gone off the usual security detail would come to escort him to breakfast. Not that he would ever try anything, Samuel had accepted long ago this was his new life. Much like how one may come to terms with a loved one slowly dying of a terminal illness and being bedridden. They may not be dead yet, but one could reasonably accept that they'll never return to who they were to make life easier. In that same way Samuel accepted he would forever be a prisoner, doing the same thing for the rest of his life. But today was different, because Sam did not hear the usual footfall of his escort team. In fact, he didn't hear anything at all. He got out of bed and looked at the security camera, it was off. "Um, hello?" Walking over to his door he found it had opened as it always had, but this time he was alone. What was maybe more concerning than the guards not showing up was he couldn't see any of the other red prisoners in their cells. "Maybe they all just got up before the alarm and left?" It sounded ridiculous even as the words came out of his mouth. Sam wasn't sure if he was the only one left in the facility, or if he was then why he was the only one left behind. There was only one way to find out though. He pushed his door open, on alert in case any of the security systems decided they were still working. But there was nothing, only more silence. His first stop was yellow block since it was the closest to red. He walked down the hallway slowly, checking cells as he passed. "Hello? Anyone here?" He called out and walked, his right hand was covered in a him layer of frost, ready to attack with his cryokinesis should anything threaten him.</s> <\|message\|>Eliana Morais FY-1387-EM No, the guards were most certainly not running late. With their numbers, someone should have been there by now. Something was going on, and Eliana wanted to get to the bottom of it. This curious nature of hers had landed her in hot water before, but she didn't care. This wasn't something she should be taking lightly. That much was made evident when she heard a male voice from the direction of the red wing. "Hello? Anyone here?" He sounded inquisitive, and on the same level of confused as she was. That complicated things a bit. Wasn't anyone else around over there? Eliana peered in through some doors, but she only saw empty rooms with not a soul in them. It seemed as if no one else was here neither. Her heart started beating a little faster. Being left behind was not a good thing in certain cases, and that odd feeling in the back of her throat was not reassuring at all. Eliana neared the corner and stood still, holding her breath. She listened to the man's footsteps as they grew closer, momentarily wondering whether or not to rush him and take him by surprise. But she realized that to even entertain the thought was terribly foolish. Who knew how he'd react, and what advantage he had over her. It was then Eliana decided to slowly walk out of the corner, her hands on either side of her chest as to not startle him. She would either be greeted or she'd be attacked, and she was obviously hoping for the former.</s>	<\|message\|>Jeremiah Beltrán Carlos Wha- oh, shit, somebody else was here. Which, actually, that really was it, huh? No other guards... and so far as he could tell, nobody else had come out of their cells yet beside him and this other guy. With a hoodie. Lucky fucker probably had a television in his room too. Not that that mattered right now, but... 'Ay, hermano,' he called out, heading over to the guy. Did he recognise him? Twig like this guy, he'd probably remember seeing him around. 'You just get up too? 'Cause, uh, I'm pretty sure the guards need to get their arses in gear, yeah? Folla perezoso. Hah. That was a joke, but uh...' He gestured around as if to say "noone else is laughing", because obviously they couldn't if they weren't there. If a joke falls flat in prison, does anybody laugh at it? 'The hell you doin', anyway?' he asked. 'You look like shit, like you ain't slept in ages- have you slept in ages, mate? Or have you been on drugs for months or something?' Shit, looking at him now... he could have been. He didn't know if the guards used tranqs on inmates regularly, even if he knew what it was like to get shut down every so often, but this guy sure did look like he was coming down from something narcotic.</s>
<\|description\|>戦後翼 P E R S O N A L D E T A I L S Age - 20 Gender - Male, to the dismay of some Occupation - Blacksmith's apprentice - P E R S O N A L I T Y Sweet-natured Despite his profession, comparing Tsubasa to mochi is wholly accurate. Soft, gentle, and all-around sweet, he often goes out of his way to help people whenever he can. There isn't really any rhyme or reason to it, with some often questioning his motives, but his sincerity often wins out. Passionate Whenever there is a hammer in his hands, Tsubasa feels alive. While he doesn't have many interests, the few he does have is a surefire way to get him excited. He puts his soul into all his creations, often gushing on their beauty and taking pride in his talent. Withdrawn Despite the above, Tsubasa tends to hold people at a distance, always willing to extend kindness to anyone but finding it difficult to accept any on his own. He remains polite but doesn't like to talk too much about himself personally. It doesn't take too much to know he has issues with his family, but otherwise, he outright refuses to speak on it. S K I L L S E T Smithery Tsubasa's number one talent lies in his apprenticeship under his uncle. Despite initially having worked with him as a punishment, he ended up growing to love the craft and developing genuine talent with it. He follows the rules strictly in order to both avoid hurting anyone and to make sure he doesn't waste resources. Athelticism Swinging around a hammer and working with intense heat requires Tsubasa to keep himself in tip-top shape. Charisma There are few people in the village that Tsubasa hasn't won over; he gets along with anyone and everyone with ease. \| Physical Description The one thing most notable about Sengo Tsubasa is his beauty. While tall, he sports fair skin that looks softer than silk. His jet-black locks contrast his skin, tumbling over his shoulders and reaches his waist. He often pulls it up with a red ribbon, though it isn't uncommon for him to keep it loose. His amethyst-hued eyes often seem like they're looking through you, his features soft and his smile always gentle. Character Conceptualization Tsubasa is a young man who dreams of creating a forbidden weapon. Some years ago when he was learning signs from the Signkeeper, he stumbled into her collection of books and accidentally knocked over a pile. In his haste in putting them away, one was opened, revealing a page that had caught his interest: a colorful image of a man clad in metal wielding a weapon. He didn't even look at the rest of the book, entranced by the man and his strange equipment. Despite knowing it was wrong, he tore the page out of the book and took it with him, obsessing over it for some time. One day, he managed to get the materials to make his first attempt at replicating the weapon. While his success varied, he was inevitably caught by his master. Instead of getting in trouble, however, he was strictly told that he should never attempt to do such a thing ever again and was only saved from being outed because no one else had seen it. Ashes had been thrown onto his obsession, quelling it for the most part. Other Information * His secondary hobby is flower pressing. * For some reason, Signkeeper Tomo doesn't seem to like him. He hasn't the foggiest clue as to why, either. * He is always happy to run errands for others. This is often exploited. Known Signs: Heat and Water signs for smithery; tried wind once for fun but doesn't really have an interest in magic \|</s> <\|message\|>Tsurugamine Yuki Tags: @webboysurf --- The dark-haired woman breathed a faint sigh of relief as Kenichi managed to haul himself to his feet. He seemed to be alright, despite what looked to have been a rather nasty fall. Lending her shoulder and a hand, she allowed herself to serve as a makeshift support until he was fully upright and balanced again, then gingerly handed over his crutch once he had the space and the footing to properly make use of it. Hearing his answer, she breathed a faint, somewhat disappointed sigh. A cat, was it? There were quite a few bakeneko who liked to frolic around the hillside near the shrine, enticed by the food offerings she frequently left for them. Unfortunately, they didn't always respect good manners when there wasn't someone around who could keep them in line, and ever since her mentor had passed away, they'd grown quite ornery and sometimes even downright mean. While the agreement between the townsfolk and the youkai of the valley still stood - or at least, still should have stood - they tended to play some rather cruel jokes on villagers when nobody else was watching. "I'm terribly sorry. I'll properly scold them for you," She lowered her head, giving a series of brisk, rather embarrassed bows. After all, if she was more like a proper shrine maiden, proper enough to earn their respect, then surely he wouldn't have been inconvenienced or hurt in such a manner. Seeing as he already seemed quite exhausted from the climb up the stairs from the village, she didn't have the heart to refuse him. But at the same time, she also couldn't give any hint of the missive she'd recieved. If there was anyone's discretion that she could trust absolutely, it was the doctor's, but nevertheless it wouldn't do to go sowing panic until she knew more about what was happening. She'd let him rest for a few minutes, then make some excuse and go see elder Takamori. Surely, he would know what the meaning of this message was, and what needed to be done. So, putting on an only slightly forced smile, she nodded and motioned through the gates for him to follow. "Of course, it's no trouble at all. Though, I'm afraid that I don't have any tea or hospitality prepared for you at the moment. I wasn't expecting visitors this early... If I might ask, what brings you all the way up here, Masaki-sensei?" Inwardly, she shriveled up a bit. She really hoped she wasn't being too icy or unwelcoming, but with such a heavy burden weighing on her mind, she couldn't quite keep her anxiety from slipping into her voice and demeanor. Normally, she'd have been glad to have a guest - or at least, to have Masaki-sensei visit. He was a tremendously kind person, and no matter how often she tried to repay him, she still felt like she owed him for his gentleness and generosity. That being the case, she needed to show a better face here! It wouldn't do at all to slight him when he was going out of his way to visit her. Ah, if only she'd had a little more time, or if it wasn't today, or... And so, another small worry was added to Oyuki's growing collection.</s> <\|message\|>戦後翼 --- Tsubasa's stare was just a touch blank as Keiko spoke. What did she mean people didn't pay attention to her? He swore he often heard her name uttered every once in a while. Not in a positive way, mind you, but--oh, was that what she meant? It was a shame, he always thought they were a little harsh on her, but her pranks never did go over too well. It couldn't be helped; the village preferred its peace and day-by-day happenings to go on unimpeded, and Keiko was less than inclined to follow the rules. He supposed he should try to assure her. To him, she always seemed a little lonely, and he was more than happy to enjoy her company. Even now as she watched him and tugged on her kimono--what was she doing? There was no hiding the gaze that followed her finger, albeit he did remember his second blunder as he immediately jerked his head back up as she spoke. See them? See...them. Here? Now? No, she couldn't possibly mean that. As rambunctious as she was, she was still a lady. He was hot, tired, sweaty, and--and here, in view of anyone, it was shameless! Why in the world had he jumped to such conclusions? His interpretation was just clouded. Tsubasa wasn't sure why his throat was suddenly so dry, nor did he know why his eyes immediately snapped to attention at the movement of the kimono. He should say something. He should stop this. He should do a lot more than watch as the material revealed more and more of pale, soft-looking flesh. He'd be lying if he said his conscience wasn't screaming at him to say something as it got lower and lower until something sprang forth and--a pair of oranges came out. "Wha..." It was barely a whisper but the confusion was plain on his face, albeit he did manage to catch the orange thrown at him. The warmth certainly didn't help things and he nearly dropped the fruit as that thought crossed his mind, his face already flushed with color as he tried to compose himself. Keiko was teasing him! And she got him good this time, goodness, he hadn't been this embarrassed in some time. Said embarrassment turned to humor as Tsubasa couldn't help but laugh at himself. "Ah...thank you," He got that much out as he bit at the skin, pulling it away until the sweet scent filled the air. A welcome distraction, especially as the sweet taste cleared his mind. "They really came in well," He added. "If you have a surplus, you should take them to the market. You'll sell out for sure."</s> <\|message\|>Seimei Keiko SEIMEI KEIKO tags - @Hero --- "You're welcome." Keiko couldn't help but grin just a little devilishly as she watched Tsubasa try and shift the subject from her would-be seduction to the fruit before the two of them. It was almost kind of cute, how flustered a little bit of teasing had gotten him. She had expected him to be more resistant to such things—half the village's girls gave him doe eyes—but it seemed as though she had been wrong in her assessment. She hefted up the other orange as he peeled away at his own, digging her fingers into the smooth flesh to peel away the rind until the soft flesh within was revealed. "Bold of you to assume people would want to buy from me. I'm pretty sure half the village still thinks I'm some kind of yokai. Certainly wish I was, maybe I'd start getting offerings instead of rude gossip," She retorted, pulling a wedge from the fruit and popping it into her mouth, "Still, maybe I'll give it a try. It would piss old man Moriyama off something severe if people started buying their fruit from me instead of him." She kicked her legs back and forth with just a little more force, chewing the juicy piece of citrus thoughtfully as her eyes danced from here to there, taking in the sights of the forge. It seemed Tsubasa had been rather busy despite the earliness of the morning. She was almost jealous of that, as absolutely bizarre as it sounded. He had plenty of matters to attend to, so he didn't have to deal with such consuming boredom all day like she did. Of course, he probably had an actual life to lead outside the forge, so maybe it was unfair to compare their situations, but acknowledging that didn't make her doldrums any easier to deal with. "You get an awful lot of work during festival, season, huh?" She asked, to make idle conversation, "I would think people have better things to worry about than... fencing? During a time of celebration."</s>	<\|message\|>戦後翼 Tsubasa couldn't help but frown at Keiko's statement. She said it so nonchalantly, too. He supposed it was something she had gotten used to long ago; unfortunately, their village didn't look kindly to outsiders. He remembered being more curious than anything, never really understanding the hesitation coming from the adults. But it wasn't any of his business. Her statement on considering selling did bring a smile to his face as the thought danced around his mind. Moriyama was pretty competitive. At the mention of the fence, he had fruit in his mouth as he looked at it. He chewed faster, licking his lips as he moved over to the already finished pieces. "Tetsu says there's always work to be done. Though this time, some animals have been getting into the crops and that can't really wait," He explained. "I guess the wooden fences kept getting knocked down, so reinforcing them should do the trick!" He dropped his gaze to what he was working on when she came in, wondering if she wanted to know about that, too. "This one's a table, though," He said. "Takamori said he needed something sturdier than others, so there that is." Taking the chance to gobble up the rest of the orange, he let out a sigh of happiness. "Delicious," He commented happily, pushing himself away from the bench. "How about you, Kei-chan? Are you looking forward to the festival?"</s>
<\|description\|>戦後翼 P E R S O N A L D E T A I L S Age - 20 Gender - Male, to the dismay of some Occupation - Blacksmith's apprentice - P E R S O N A L I T Y Sweet-natured Despite his profession, comparing Tsubasa to mochi is wholly accurate. Soft, gentle, and all-around sweet, he often goes out of his way to help people whenever he can. There isn't really any rhyme or reason to it, with some often questioning his motives, but his sincerity often wins out. Passionate Whenever there is a hammer in his hands, Tsubasa feels alive. While he doesn't have many interests, the few he does have is a surefire way to get him excited. He puts his soul into all his creations, often gushing on their beauty and taking pride in his talent. Withdrawn Despite the above, Tsubasa tends to hold people at a distance, always willing to extend kindness to anyone but finding it difficult to accept any on his own. He remains polite but doesn't like to talk too much about himself personally. It doesn't take too much to know he has issues with his family, but otherwise, he outright refuses to speak on it. S K I L L S E T Smithery Tsubasa's number one talent lies in his apprenticeship under his uncle. Despite initially having worked with him as a punishment, he ended up growing to love the craft and developing genuine talent with it. He follows the rules strictly in order to both avoid hurting anyone and to make sure he doesn't waste resources. Athelticism Swinging around a hammer and working with intense heat requires Tsubasa to keep himself in tip-top shape. Charisma There are few people in the village that Tsubasa hasn't won over; he gets along with anyone and everyone with ease. \| Physical Description The one thing most notable about Sengo Tsubasa is his beauty. While tall, he sports fair skin that looks softer than silk. His jet-black locks contrast his skin, tumbling over his shoulders and reaches his waist. He often pulls it up with a red ribbon, though it isn't uncommon for him to keep it loose. His amethyst-hued eyes often seem like they're looking through you, his features soft and his smile always gentle. Character Conceptualization Tsubasa is a young man who dreams of creating a forbidden weapon. Some years ago when he was learning signs from the Signkeeper, he stumbled into her collection of books and accidentally knocked over a pile. In his haste in putting them away, one was opened, revealing a page that had caught his interest: a colorful image of a man clad in metal wielding a weapon. He didn't even look at the rest of the book, entranced by the man and his strange equipment. Despite knowing it was wrong, he tore the page out of the book and took it with him, obsessing over it for some time. One day, he managed to get the materials to make his first attempt at replicating the weapon. While his success varied, he was inevitably caught by his master. Instead of getting in trouble, however, he was strictly told that he should never attempt to do such a thing ever again and was only saved from being outed because no one else had seen it. Ashes had been thrown onto his obsession, quelling it for the most part. Other Information * His secondary hobby is flower pressing. * For some reason, Signkeeper Tomo doesn't seem to like him. He hasn't the foggiest clue as to why, either. * He is always happy to run errands for others. This is often exploited. Known Signs: Heat and Water signs for smithery; tried wind once for fun but doesn't really have an interest in magic \|</s> <\|message\|>Seimei Keiko SEIMEI KEIKO tags - @Hero --- "You're welcome." Keiko couldn't help but grin just a little devilishly as she watched Tsubasa try and shift the subject from her would-be seduction to the fruit before the two of them. It was almost kind of cute, how flustered a little bit of teasing had gotten him. She had expected him to be more resistant to such things—half the village's girls gave him doe eyes—but it seemed as though she had been wrong in her assessment. She hefted up the other orange as he peeled away at his own, digging her fingers into the smooth flesh to peel away the rind until the soft flesh within was revealed. "Bold of you to assume people would want to buy from me. I'm pretty sure half the village still thinks I'm some kind of yokai. Certainly wish I was, maybe I'd start getting offerings instead of rude gossip," She retorted, pulling a wedge from the fruit and popping it into her mouth, "Still, maybe I'll give it a try. It would piss old man Moriyama off something severe if people started buying their fruit from me instead of him." She kicked her legs back and forth with just a little more force, chewing the juicy piece of citrus thoughtfully as her eyes danced from here to there, taking in the sights of the forge. It seemed Tsubasa had been rather busy despite the earliness of the morning. She was almost jealous of that, as absolutely bizarre as it sounded. He had plenty of matters to attend to, so he didn't have to deal with such consuming boredom all day like she did. Of course, he probably had an actual life to lead outside the forge, so maybe it was unfair to compare their situations, but acknowledging that didn't make her doldrums any easier to deal with. "You get an awful lot of work during festival, season, huh?" She asked, to make idle conversation, "I would think people have better things to worry about than... fencing? During a time of celebration."</s> <\|message\|>戦後翼 --- Tsubasa couldn't help but frown at Keiko's statement. She said it so nonchalantly, too. He supposed it was something she had gotten used to long ago; unfortunately, their village didn't look kindly to outsiders. He remembered being more curious than anything, never really understanding the hesitation coming from the adults. But it wasn't any of his business. Her statement on considering selling did bring a smile to his face as the thought danced around his mind. Moriyama was pretty competitive. At the mention of the fence, he had fruit in his mouth as he looked at it. He chewed faster, licking his lips as he moved over to the already finished pieces. "Tetsu says there's always work to be done. Though this time, some animals have been getting into the crops and that can't really wait," He explained. "I guess the wooden fences kept getting knocked down, so reinforcing them should do the trick!" He dropped his gaze to what he was working on when she came in, wondering if she wanted to know about that, too. "This one's a table, though," He said. "Takamori said he needed something sturdier than others, so there that is." Taking the chance to gobble up the rest of the orange, he let out a sigh of happiness. "Delicious," He commented happily, pushing himself away from the bench. "How about you, Kei-chan? Are you looking forward to the festival?"</s> <\|message\|>Masaki Kenichi. Tags: @Feyblue --- Kenichi held in a sigh as Oyuki bowed to him, apologizing profusely. While a small part of Kenichi's mind was pleased at the thought of the local yokai being scolded, he wasn't sure how to feel about the overtly formal apology. More than that, from the tone and emphasis in her apology, it didn't take long for the apprentice to realize that she was taking personal responsibility for such a simple fall. Kenichi parted his lips to protest verbally, but he found no words to form. He wasn't sure how to reassure her. As he clutched at words, she spoke once more. He gave a small smile at her offer to let him rest. "No, no... I could not ask of more hospitality than a spot to sit a moment." The doctor's apprentice took a small step forward up the steps, his heart thumping from the recent excitement and physical exertion. His thoughts fell on her words as he continued trying to craft a coherent response. Something was nagging at the corner of his mind, but that could wait. "As for my business... um... medicine. I... brewed more than I anticipated. It is designed to help alleviate symptoms of a cold or sore throat, and would do best when mixed with some tea and honey. This should remain fresh for use for about a month or so." As Kenichi's mind focused on the medicine, he felt his social anxiety slip away for a moment. His words flowed like a river, and he spoke with the same confidence he had with any patients he treated. He felt his left hand rise and fall naturally as he gestured with his words. For a brief moment, Kenichi had begun walking up the steps with surprising ease. He showed no sign of pain or discomfort as his mind was focused on explaining the medicine. He stopped as his words did, and reached into his satchel to quickly produce a small vial. He held it out in Oyuki's direction for a moment. "With all of the work you do for the village, I thought you might be in most need of a dose if you awoke with a sore throat. It would buy you time before..." The realization hit him like an axe striking a tree. That tone in her voice had finally registered as something being wrong. It was a sort of timid and rehearsed politeness that a young man with more self-awareness would have recognized all too well. Kenichi had instinctively pulled the vial back towards himself for a moment as he tried to find some way to acknowledge this development, before realizing he hadn't even finished whatever thought he had before. Kenichi's eyes turned upwards towards the hill as he spoke more to the general air than to Oyuki. "I have caught you at a bad time. Of course..." Kenichi turned his gaze back towards Oyuki for a moment, before holding out the vial once again whilst bowing. "My apologies, Lady Oyuki. I did not think of how busy you must be. I do not wish to take up more of your time, and hope you do not take offense at my refusal of your hospitality. I would not dream of interfering with your duties here."</s> <\|message\|>Seimei Keiko SEIMEI KEIKO tags - @Hero --- "Of course there's always work to be done—the only other smith in the village is a lush." Keiko responded in her usual matter-of-factly manner, regardless of how uncouth it was to insult a man while dallying on his property. It wasn't like the old man was around to defend himself, if he could even manage it at such an early, hangover laden hour. As she greedily deposited the last few wedges of her orange into her mouth, the girl dismounted from the workbench she had claimed as a seat, making her way over to the table Tsubasa had apparently just finished before her unexpected arrival. She poked at it with a toe, as if to test the strength of the structure with such a minimal use of force. "Wonder what the old man is doing that requires such a sturdy table. Or who, I guess. Never know with old lechers," She mused conspiratorially as she chewed, although she couldn't quite follow that train of thought too far, as her musings were interrupted by Tsubasa inflicting a wound of his own upon her pride. An unknowing redress for her teasing, perhaps. She swallowed down the remnants of her carefully cultivated treat before peering up at the taller male. "Nope. I never do. I never have anyone to go with, so I usually spend most of the festival back at the tower, waiting for it to end so everything goes back to normal," Despite the sorrowful tale she told, she remained indifferent as ever in tone and expression, "I'm not even sure what people get up to for most of it, if I'm honest. I guess it must be pretty enjoyable—but I wouldn't know." She made just a few steps forward, pushing herself up onto her very tiptoes in order to get more on level with Tsubasa. Only then did the slightest glimpse of mischief start to shine through her big brown eyes. "Unless that was your way of asking whether or not I'd be interested in going to the festival with you. Is that why you ask? Did you want to take me? Huh? Did you? Did you really?"</s>	<\|message\|>戦後翼 Huh, now that Keiko mentioned it, Tsubasa supposed he never did see her around whenever the festivities popped up. He always assumed that she was busy or that there was work to be done; he remembered the many, many times that Tetsu would suddenly unload a bunch of last-minute orders on him, and sometimes that resulted in him missing out on a majority of the fun. She seemed entirely indifferent to it, the complete opposite of his own lament anytime he'd been so caught up in his work that it was too late to do anything meaningful. At the very least she didn't linger on the subject for too long, though he wasn't expecting her next comment. The barrage of questions caught him a little off guard, eyes widening just a touch as she even went so far as to approach him. Wait, why didn't he consider asking her? Clearly that was the way to go! It was a good idea, he could wrap up what he was doing and they'd be on their way in no time! But even as the thought crossed his mind, he scratched the back of his head with a small frown on his face. "Um, no, that wasn't why, but--well, actually, I would like to go with you. If you'll have me, of course," He dropped his hand as he spoke, deciding he would get that out of the way. "We can go see everyone's hard work, get something to eat, enjoy the shows that get put on, and of course the main attraction." He paused for a moment. "...But I mean, even if I wasn't around, there's nothing wrong with going on your own, too. I've had to do it a few times myself. You're still a part of the village, and that means you get to have as much fun as everyone else, too, you know."</s>
<\|description\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico \| \| \| \| \| ______________ AGE: 26 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: OCTOBER 10, 1944 ______________ FAITH: CATHOLIC ______________ NATIONALITY: ITALY ______________ \| PERSONALITY ______________ Outwardly, Alistair appears to be a kindly young priest who treats everyone he meets with dignity, respect, and a smile on his face. He is wise, understanding, and surprisingly knowledgeable about the ways of the world. He appreciates art, music, and the little things. Above all else, he is a pious man who has dedicated his life to serving the Lord. Inwardly, Alistair harbors a deep resentment for demons and the unrepentant and can be particularly cold or angry towards them. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and believes that ridding the world of these undesirables would be better for everyone. To him, being denied salvation is a small price to pay for the opportunity to save the world, and he'd readily give it up again if he had to. He's also fiercely protective, and perhaps even a little possessive when it comes to those he truly cares about. Paradoxically, Alistair will die for a cause he truly believes in without hesitation yet is simultaneously not yet ready to die. After all, there is so much more work left to do. EQUIPMENT ______________ - Ceremonial Longsword: A holy relic, dating back to the First Crusade, this steel longsword has an edge forged from sanctified silver. Gilded with gold and jewels, this weapon was meant to be used to anoint members of an ancient order of holy knights, rather than be used in true combat. Although heavy and unwieldy, it feels light and fast in the hands of the Ordained. Its edge is dull when used against the innocent, while unrepentant sinners find it sharp-- enemies of the Lord cannot even bear to be in the blade's presence, finding the sword to cut supernaturally deep. Alistair keeps the blade in its scabbard, only ever pulling it free if he knows he must purify. - Holy Bible: A heavy-set grimoire, containing the Word of God. Alistair has each page committed to memory, but he finds the presence of the tome comforting. He can also recite scripture and verses directly from the Bible, causing many demons to recoil in pain. Weaker demons may burn away, though stronger ones may merely be weakened by such acts. - Reliquary: A leather satchel containing holy symbols, scripture, and other objects that are anathema to demons. Supplies include, but are not limited to: vials of holy water, silver crucifixes, a ritual dagger, a jeweled grail, notes on religious rituals, images depicting the Lord, his Son, the Virgin Mary, and various other Saints, wooden stakes, blessed nails, a hammer, a set of candles, and of course, bread and wine. CAPACITY ______________ Despite his thin, seemingly frail physique, Alistair is deceptively tough, his physical and mental fortitude impressive even among other exorcists. He was shown to have a prodigious talent for the arts of battle. He leverages this training to great effect during combat, combining his talent and training together. Fast, strong, and tough, the man is a dangerous combatant in close quarters. When wielding the holy sword, Alistair uses traditional techniques from Fiore dei Liberi, a form of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) that revolves around the use of a longsword. When fighting without his blade, he uses a street-boxing style, honed through a turbulent youth in the streets of post-war Rome. If pushed, the man isn't afraid to fight dirty, having learned a long time ago that if there are lives on the line, then no technique is too dishonorable. In addition, the man knows the entirety of the Bible, the Old and New Testament having been committed to memory. If he encounters a situation where his blade will do him no good, he always has the Gospel and the Scriptures to fall back upon. When even that is tested, he taps into reserves of willpower and determination rarely ever seen, except in men with nothing to lose, but everything to gain.</s> <\|message\|>Jin Dak-Ho (진 닥-호) \| \| \| \| \| --- --- \| Jin's compatriots seemed to be doing well from the little glimpses he could ascertain through his periphery. There also seemed to be another female priest who joined them. While sustaining some injury, everyone seemed alive and have dispatched a number of the satanists. While the Korean priest would rather it end with their lives in-tact, reality was cruel. He needed to focus. He cleared his mind and decided to focus on the dual-wielding satanist in-front of him. The satanist seemed more incensed and dangerous after Jin's failed plea. His movements were more reckless; larger openings were more present but his strikes became more deadly as a result. It was as if he wanted to take someone down with him- A suicidal gambit of sorts. Jin held his tonfa aloft, in a defensive reverse stance. The satanists leap at him with a diving, stabbing motion. In response, the scarred priest sidestepped but the dual-wielding satanist flipped and reversed his grip and slashed at his chest. The wound was shallow, because of his light armour and Jin preemptively diving backwards as the stroke dug into his chest. The newly-formed wound still bled, however. It became more and more unlikely that he'd be able to finish the battle without either risking his life or killing the Satanist. Both options equally horrible for the mild-mannered priest. The Satanist didn't give him time to formulate any sort of tactic either. He consistently swung as he pushed Jin backwards, the priest had to steady his footing whilst deflecting attacks. Each strike came sequentially and never from the same angle. A diagonal swing with a horizontal swing. A strike that came from opposite sides, an upwards and downwards strike in tandem. Such strikes were employed by his enemy. Metallic clinks resounded in the room as blows and exchanges ended neutrally or in the favour of the dual-wielder. One seemed to be going for killing strokes while the other seemed to want to avoid doing so, forming a sort of odd stalemate as both danced through the dining room. A slash coming from two sides was blocked with his grip, a sabaton sunk into Jin's stomach right after. Another upwards stroke followed quickly before Jin could even register he was kicked. The priest was no slouch in the endurance department, the kick not seeming to faze him in the slightest, as he sidestepped the attack. He switched his left baton into a normal grip and, with as much force as he could muster, bludgeoned the Satanist's shoulder. A sickening crunch could be heard as the dual-wielder yelped in pain. A sword flew to his face. The stroke would've found itself in his eye if not for his animalistic reflexes. He turned his head just enough for it to miss his head, instead it embedded itself into his cheek as it sailed by. He turned his head in the direction of the stroke to minimize the damage but it didn't help much. With a quick hop backwards, blood dripped onto the once pristine floors. Jin clutched his cheek as it began bleeding profusely. The pain was nearly mind-numbing; his brain in over-drive due to the pain but he pushed through it with not so much as a yowl. Part of the reason why he was hit was because he didn't expect the Satanist to be able to also ignore his shoulders cracking into pieces and still counter-attack. It was an unexpected variable, was it the 'faith' in their mission that gave them such endurance? It was nearly as fervent as the priest's own. The side of his cut mouth pulsed in pain, as he pressed onto it to stave off the bleeding. Both combatants stared at each other; one's hand was unusable as it hung downwards, arm all but useless with a shattered shoulder. The other had to use every ounce of sheer will-power to not succumb to the pain. Jin also had to drop one of his batons to place pressure on his cheek. It was clear with their ragged breathing and weaker postures that the fight was nearing its end. Even still, both seemed to be looking for openings to end the fight once and for all. With Jim's condition, someone would need to step in to break stalemate in place.</s> <\|message\|>XIAO YU HUA 晓羽化 Yu --- The priest had a moment to breathe with the armor out of the picture. He was a little shaken, knowing very well that he could have been the one to fall had the smoke wavered. There was a sense of relief to be had… but it escaped him much too quickly. The battle was far from over. Whip ready and tensions high, careful eyes darted between his team. There were no words-- only dead bodies, and the underlying stench of iron mingling with smoke. This unnerved him, but he was at ease to find his allies were managing. Mother Eka as expected made short work of her cultists, with the help of Dhzon, who then made his way to Alistair's side. Already, more corpses littered the floor. Yu spotted one in particular by the blond priest's feet, helmet having rolled off to reveal a missing left eye, along with a pained expression. The whip-handler grimaced. Please, don't look at me like that. As if on cue, a head rolled across the floor, stopping in time to cast an empty glance at him. One frantic kick and curse later, it was out of the priest's sight. More humans were dead, but not because of him, at least. It was a sickening thought, but God's work still needed to be done… it just couldn't be by his own hands. It was then, with the air heavy as it was, that something changed. At the door, a woman appeared-- a sister, or so it seemed. Both her posture and the sound of her voice made him question that notion, as they made him nervous in a way he couldn't properly explain. For a moment Yu stood there, speechless, making no effort to hide his disdain. Had their circumstances been different, he would have even scolded her for carrying the nun's garb in such a provocative way-- intentional or not. Still, aside from her sudden appearance and alarmingly lax demeanor, the priest felt that something else was off about her. Her presence brought along what seemed like a lightness in the air; or rather, the reek of demon applying itself elsewhere. The frown on his face only deepened as he wondered whether that was a good thing. Deep howls erupted from the hallway behind her, and upon sensing her oncoming demise, pushed himself to move. Surely, he'd be damned if he allowed a church official to die under God's watch. Lord, I only ask that you help me now. Yu ran to grab the woman's arm, pulling her behind him as metal swung back through the air. With her out of the way, Jiuzai cracked forward a great distance, steel napping around the first creature's neck. Sizzles were heard as spikes dug into flesh, the stench of burning rot filling the air. The beast thrashed in the whip's hallowed grasp, and even with both hands, proved to be a struggle to apprehend. However, it blocked the doorway, leaving no room for the demons before it to enter. Sweat formed at the hilt in Yu's effort to grip tighter, silently praying for the smoke to work faster. Frustration growing increasingly evident, he shot a glance to the woman at his side. "Who told you to arrive here alone! Do you not understand how dangerous--" A pained grunt stopped him mid-complaint. "Brother Jin!" His head snapped to his senior, whose face spilled blood. What was he doing? Clearly, he needed help. However, Yu's heart quickened at the thought of releasing the whip, knowing it was the only thing keeping the beasts at the door. The holy smoke needed more time to work, while Brother Alistair and Dzhon still had two cultists left. The sister stood behind him, suspicious, but harmless thus far. "If I let go now, it will mean trouble for all of us," Yu hurriedly explained through gritted teeth, suppressing the tremble in his voice. "Please, if you can, go and assist our brothers..." Something clicked. It was then that he realized why the smoke seemed ineffective, and why their opponents only fought harder than earlier. The window was broken during his struggle... all the fresh air pooled in, and precious smoke leaked out. Frantic, he called out across the room. "Mother Ekaterine! I can't hold them for much longer!"</s>	<\|message\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE Alistair continued his spinning dance of death, twirling and whirling as steel sang its bloody tune. He managed to catch the injured cultist in a downward diagonal swing, the heretic too injured to properly evade. Even as the blade was blunted by the armor plating, it kept its supernatural edge. He cleaved downwards until the blade stopped moving, before kicking the lifeless body away, barely managing to face his other opponents in time. Before he could return to the fray, however, the tense atmosphere seemed to shift... becoming more oppressive and pervasive. A lull in the battle now becoming evident, Alistair threw a glance at the door and spotted a new arrival. She was a beautiful woman about his age, with a strange demeanor to her, wholly unsuited to sisterhood. And yet, here she was. First the priest, and now this woman... Alistair elected to push those thoughts out of his mind, and focus on the battle before him. Against multiple opponents, he couldn't get distracted, or he'd lose his head. As he tangled with the three of them, the Russian priest from a while ago had sprang into action, quickly dispatching of one of the heretic swordsmen, leaving two more. The Vatican priest said nothing, only opting to give his companion a thankful look. Two-on-two were far better odds than three-on-one, after all. As Dhzon tangled with one of the cultists, Alistair swung at his own opponent as the cultist attacked, and causing them to lock blades with one another. Now that the numbers were even, he didn't have to worry about being constantly on the defensive-- a sword bind like this was no longer a potential death sentence, but instead an opportunity to deal some damage. Contrary to popular belief, when it came to HEMA, you didn't need to be fast or strong when wielding a blade. Weapons were the great equalizer that allowed even the lowliest peasant to fell a mighty knight if they hit the right spot. Instead, techniques were extremely reliant upon the user's skill and form. It was certainly possible for Alistair to overpower his opponent's strength with his own, but there was no finesse in that-- there were proper techniques to perform when swords bind, and he was more than willing to execute them. As they locked blades, Alistair moved to gain the three advantages: the true edge, the forte upon the debole, and the crossing. To finish, however, the Vatican priest performed a crossline step, moving his sword around his opponent's. The man pivoted using a compass motion, and thrust his blade through the opponent's side. With a bit of effort, the priest cut deeper and deeper until he reached bone, and then tore the blade away with a yell of exertion. With his opponents defeated, the priest gave his fellow swordsman a nod.</s>
<\|description\|>Stavrophore Ekaterine Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico \| \| \| \| \| ______________ AGE: 45 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: January 10, 1925 ______________ FAITH: Eastern Orthodox ______________ NATIONALITY: Soviet, from the Georgian SSR ______________ \| PERSONALITY ______________ A veteran of the war against the Nazis as well as the one against devils Ekaterine is well-versed in battling sin. Her days in the Red Army instilled a total lack of fear that bordered on irrational recklessness that was later tempered by her time fighting demons across the Soviet Union and United States. In her mind there is neither room for hesitation nor impatience, she takes in the situation and makes the call before sticking through it until the end. The Lord's work is a calling of the utmost importance and any time wasted on overreactions or inactions is an affront to His name. Her devotion to Heaven is what keeps Ekaterine going after a life of loss and betrayal. Made bitter by the early loss of her parents and the harsh treatment she received from her aunt and uncle the senseless violence she witnessed in the Great Patriotic War nearly broke her, left a wandering wreck who quiet literally stumbled into monastery life. Even now after being forced to flee to the U.S during the anti-religious purges of the 60s Mother Ekaterine's faith is what keeps her from spiraling into a dark place. She sees her work hunting the Serpent's minions as her way of giving back to the Lord for saving her life. Just as she takes pride (in a sense anyway) in her duties mentoring the younger sisters or feeding the poor so to does she feel good during the hunt. While a lust for the blood of man would certainly be cause for troubled self-reflection she sees no fault in enjoying herself when driving the demons out of the kingdoms of man. Prone to making promises of great violence against her enemy in Russian, Georgian and English Ekaterine does her best to make good on each and every one of them. Height ______________ 6'3" EQUIPMENT ______________ -Ithaca 37: Five shells of twelve gauge absolution, a venerable weapon that serves a blessed purpose. Mother Ekaterine's trench gun and attached bayonet were custom made and consecrated for the purpose of demon hunting. -Stechkin APS:A personal weapon smuggled over during her flight from the USSR. Most people would be unable to handle the recoil from this blessed machine pistol without its optional stock but Ekaterine's strength of belief (as well as well strength of body) gives her the discipline required to wield it. -Holy Oils: A bit of the Oil of Catechumens used in baptisms, some soap and good old gasoline mixed together in glass bottles to be lit and thrown. The result is a blessed blaze that sticks to demons and melts them where they stand. When asked about the propriety of such a weapon the Stavrophore holds that if the Father above took issue then he would surely show her a better way. -SN-46 "Steel Bib":When Satan told the Lord Christ to throw himself from the top of the temple Christ rebuked him by saying "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.'" Likewise Ekaterine relies on not just faith but solid steel worn under her cassock to guard her body from the enemy. Soviet machine work was combined with Christian blessings to forge armor that can withstand bullets, blades and blood magic. Up to a point anyway. -Duty Bag:A veshmeshok filled with everything a demon hunter on the go might need. A copy of the Scripture, icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary, a change of clothes, money, and snacks as well as spare ammo, oils, salts, consecrated iron filings and a Makarov pistol that once belonged to her abbess back in the Soviet Union. CAPACITY ______________ Already a trained soldier before entering the Church's demon hunters Eketerine is a skilled gunslinger, fitting considering that she works in the land of the gangster and cowboy. She excels at meeting the enemy in close quarters and blasting them back to Hell with her shotgun and pistol or simply spilling their infernal guts with a twist of her bayonet. Her work as a farmhand set the ground for building a great physical strength that, while hidden by nun's outfit, enables her to sprint with her gear and crush the skulls of the damned beneath her boots. Her spiritual strength on the other hand is what keeps her going. No matter how bad things get, no matter how much misery and sin she has to wallow through, she just keeps going. After going through the killing fields of the Eurasian steppes without God's light, how can she allow herself to break against the mere denizens of Hell with Him guiding her aim?</s> <\|message\|>XIAO YU HUA 晓羽化 Yu --- Both the priests took only a few minutes to finish off the remaining five creatures. This chase proved a couple of things to Yu: that the Korean priest was more than capable despite his first time in the state, and that Mother Ekaterine and Father Alistair had only gotten better since the last time they met. In the hands of a capable team, he allowed himself a moment to breathe and think of other things. The remaining ashes from the censer were packed into a small pouch - they would be useful. More than anything else, when the time came, he hoped to rely only on this little sack of powder. But whenever he wished for this, the outcome always ended in more blood and bodies to dispose of. He was completely familiar with the passage of death, but unfortunately, still struggled with hardening his heart. After the smoke dispersed, he scrunched his nose as the scent of rust rode through the air. Why did demons and mortals' blood have to smell the same? A quiet sigh floated down from the car's roof as the mansion soon came into view. The pastor followed suit as the four exited first. From the looks of the manor, it was well-kept and in pristine condition. The residence towered over them and seemed overly dressed, almost as if trying to compensate for something. And yet, even though he knew about the kind of humans that lived here, it was clear to him that he would not resonate well with this mission - by the grace of God or not. Immediately after, the pastor adjusted his collar and aligned himself. The thought was quickly dismissed. Never mind, this was just another mission. With this, Yu turned away and listened to the driver. The man's battered arm caught his attention, and Yu felt like he had woken up a second time. A force of habit had him reach for ointment but was soon told not to worry. Just what kind of experience shaped the strength of this man? In the past, his medical care was greeted with screams from even the most battle-hardened figures. With a glance and tinge of concern, the pastor gave the rest of the three a once-over for any sign of injuries. They seemed perfectly fine (save for being soaked in blood) and for that, Yu was glad. At the doorknob's unwillingness to be handled, Mother Ekaterine wasted no time in getting the door open with a swift kick. Upon heading inside the priest looked around from behind the group with his eyebrows knit together. Evidence of the owner's tendency to overindulge was laid bare at every turn they took. Everything that littered the halls they walked through looked to be able to feed about twenty small villages, should monetary value be considered. Yu could not care any less for such superficial displays of importance, but it was truly such a waste in the end. A lot of things would be going to waste tonight, but it would be for the best. "Priest Yu, you earlier you referred to me as Sunbae. Were you familiar with Korean terms?" The priest in question was caught off-guard by Jin's attempt at idle chatter. Instead of simply nodding in response, he tried to return Jin's smile with a small one of his own. "I learned while I was deployed in Korea that it is important to address your seniors in this way." During that time, he had caught wind of another charity worker. A Korean citizen who happened to be involved in the same line of work as him. It was rather strange, considering Christianity was not fully recognized in the region yet. After Yu left, the man's name stuck with him. There were a few times he found himself wondering about how that exorcist was doing. Who knew he'd turn up here? There must have been a good reason for him to attend to the Lord's work with no peers to turn to. Then again, he could also say the same for the rest of the group tonight. "Please Father Yu, address me more casually... Jin is alright. We're all equal in the eyes of the Lord, after all." Yu politely nodded in return; the sentiment easily understood. A kind man. At the end of their exchange, the four found themselves by the door. The group listened as the calm and gentle piano notes served to heighten the heaviness of the air. Backed by irony and a sense of foreboding, the contrast created an unsettling atmosphere. His body tensed in response to Jin's question, as though urging him to answer in accordance to it. The pastor calmly rejected the impulse as his hand gripped the small bag of ash and moved closer to the door. Face solemn, he stood facing the group. "...from this point on, should any of you get hurt, or need assistance, call for me immediately." The pastor hoped to himself that they wouldn't need to resort to that. Slowly, he unfastened Jiuzai with one hand and readied the ash with the other.</s> <\|message\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE --- The Castillan household was in remarkably good shape, which was contrary to the initial information given to them. Still, even as rain fell all around them, and even as the night sky was as dark as ever, the mansion almost seemed welcoming. Almost. Temptations like these were not uncommon amongst Satanists and their ilk. Having fallen prey to their earthly desires, they do not have much in the way of... modesty. Still, even as an agent of the faith, Alistair couldn't help but appreciate the aesthetic beauty of the place. He was certain that before these Satanists had arrived, this place was even more beautiful than what stands before him now. The priest opened the car door, shards of glass and drops of blood falling loose from their position. Alistair let out a deep sigh and took a moment to dust himself off, before turning to Mother Ekaterine. "Four rounds left." He presented the gun to her, grip first. "...It's an excellent weapon. Thank you for entrusting me with it." Alistair walked over to the Chevelle's trunk and retrieved the longsword that had been bequeathed onto him by the Vatican. Despite its gaudiness, it was a fine weapon that was excellently balanced. Although this was not a holy weapon used by the Saints, this sanctified nameless blade was still more than enough to dispatch the enemies of the Lord. The priest then turned to the others, who were discussing the plan once more. He had already committed the plan to memory, but it was good to get a refresher. Jin was also given a map, depicting blueprints of the mansion's layout. It would come in handy, in case the plan goes awry. "You have our thanks, Signore." Alistair said, tipping his hat. "If all goes well, we'll be finished come sunrise..." There was a pregnant silence in the air. He did not have to give the driver instructions in case they had failed. The standard operating procedure meant that the ferryman was to drive back to base and call for an immediate Purification of the household. The nuclear option, so to speak. Even so, however, Alistair had nothing but the utmost faith that the Lord would show them the right path. As the four priests walked through the house and sauntered up to the door, the sound of music could be heard. "Nocturne op.9 No.2." Alistair commented. "One of Chopin's most famous pieces-- a beautiful rendition of that song." The man then shook his head. "It seems our quarry has some... refinement when it comes to their choice of music." He looked towards the door a faint smirk on his face. "...At least the last thing they'll hear is something pleasant before they're sent to be with the Being they love so very much." Resting the longsword against his arm like one would with a rifle, the priest gave the rest of the group a nod. Whatever lay beyond that door would not compare to four of the Lord's exorcists.</s>	<\|message\|>Stavrophore Ekaterine The fight ended as abruptly as it began, the devils shredded by lead and mulched under car tires as they deserved. The sights, the sounds the sheer rush of adrenaline always lifted Ekaterine's spirits and this time was no different. She hummed to her herself as the car pulled up to the Castillian mansion, fingers working shells into her shotgun to replace the ones she had spent. Three blasts fired meant that she had fifty-seven more to go. Would it be enough to see her through this next test? Perhaps it would and perhaps it wouldn't. There were still her pistol, bottles and boots after that, each a more than serviceable weapon against Hell's legions. Father Alistair returned the Abbess's Makarov and Ekaterine took it with a smile, nodding as he complimented the weapon. "You used it well. It might be worth looking into acquiring a firearm of your own, I'm sure the Holy See has something it's arsenal." There was no way the Papal Guards still only used halberds right? The plan was simple enough, no different from the house-to-house fighting she had taken part in during the battle for Stalingrad. Go in, shoot every last monster they found and then leave to lick their wounds and let someone else handle the cleanup. The CIA spooks and FBI men in black were cold-hearted imperialists but at least they had the budget for burn crews. It felt to the Mother to deal with the door and she did in her usual no nonsense way. Alien geometry and intricate ivory carvings meant little when one could simply kick it in. The interior of the structure was almost baffling in its ostentatiousness, thick rugs and ornate furniture that would have been unthinkable to a girl growing up on a Georgian farm. There had been some truth then to the Soviet's propaganda if Americans could live fill their homes with so much useless stuff while their countrymen starved. The song being played had a name but whatever it was passed through one ear and out the other. It was information totally superfluous to the work at the hand. They were at the door to the dining room and whoever or whatever was inside it needed to die. Ekaterine took her shotgun in hand and kicked in yet another door.</s>
<\|description\|>Stavrophore Ekaterine Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico \| \| \| \| \| ______________ AGE: 45 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: January 10, 1925 ______________ FAITH: Eastern Orthodox ______________ NATIONALITY: Soviet, from the Georgian SSR ______________ \| PERSONALITY ______________ A veteran of the war against the Nazis as well as the one against devils Ekaterine is well-versed in battling sin. Her days in the Red Army instilled a total lack of fear that bordered on irrational recklessness that was later tempered by her time fighting demons across the Soviet Union and United States. In her mind there is neither room for hesitation nor impatience, she takes in the situation and makes the call before sticking through it until the end. The Lord's work is a calling of the utmost importance and any time wasted on overreactions or inactions is an affront to His name. Her devotion to Heaven is what keeps Ekaterine going after a life of loss and betrayal. Made bitter by the early loss of her parents and the harsh treatment she received from her aunt and uncle the senseless violence she witnessed in the Great Patriotic War nearly broke her, left a wandering wreck who quiet literally stumbled into monastery life. Even now after being forced to flee to the U.S during the anti-religious purges of the 60s Mother Ekaterine's faith is what keeps her from spiraling into a dark place. She sees her work hunting the Serpent's minions as her way of giving back to the Lord for saving her life. Just as she takes pride (in a sense anyway) in her duties mentoring the younger sisters or feeding the poor so to does she feel good during the hunt. While a lust for the blood of man would certainly be cause for troubled self-reflection she sees no fault in enjoying herself when driving the demons out of the kingdoms of man. Prone to making promises of great violence against her enemy in Russian, Georgian and English Ekaterine does her best to make good on each and every one of them. Height ______________ 6'3" EQUIPMENT ______________ -Ithaca 37: Five shells of twelve gauge absolution, a venerable weapon that serves a blessed purpose. Mother Ekaterine's trench gun and attached bayonet were custom made and consecrated for the purpose of demon hunting. -Stechkin APS:A personal weapon smuggled over during her flight from the USSR. Most people would be unable to handle the recoil from this blessed machine pistol without its optional stock but Ekaterine's strength of belief (as well as well strength of body) gives her the discipline required to wield it. -Holy Oils: A bit of the Oil of Catechumens used in baptisms, some soap and good old gasoline mixed together in glass bottles to be lit and thrown. The result is a blessed blaze that sticks to demons and melts them where they stand. When asked about the propriety of such a weapon the Stavrophore holds that if the Father above took issue then he would surely show her a better way. -SN-46 "Steel Bib":When Satan told the Lord Christ to throw himself from the top of the temple Christ rebuked him by saying "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.'" Likewise Ekaterine relies on not just faith but solid steel worn under her cassock to guard her body from the enemy. Soviet machine work was combined with Christian blessings to forge armor that can withstand bullets, blades and blood magic. Up to a point anyway. -Duty Bag:A veshmeshok filled with everything a demon hunter on the go might need. A copy of the Scripture, icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary, a change of clothes, money, and snacks as well as spare ammo, oils, salts, consecrated iron filings and a Makarov pistol that once belonged to her abbess back in the Soviet Union. CAPACITY ______________ Already a trained soldier before entering the Church's demon hunters Eketerine is a skilled gunslinger, fitting considering that she works in the land of the gangster and cowboy. She excels at meeting the enemy in close quarters and blasting them back to Hell with her shotgun and pistol or simply spilling their infernal guts with a twist of her bayonet. Her work as a farmhand set the ground for building a great physical strength that, while hidden by nun's outfit, enables her to sprint with her gear and crush the skulls of the damned beneath her boots. Her spiritual strength on the other hand is what keeps her going. No matter how bad things get, no matter how much misery and sin she has to wallow through, she just keeps going. After going through the killing fields of the Eurasian steppes without God's light, how can she allow herself to break against the mere denizens of Hell with Him guiding her aim?</s> <\|message\|>XIAO YU HUA 晓羽化 Yu --- The priest had a moment to breathe with the armor out of the picture. He was a little shaken, knowing very well that he could have been the one to fall had the smoke wavered. There was a sense of relief to be had… but it escaped him much too quickly. The battle was far from over. Whip ready and tensions high, careful eyes darted between his team. There were no words-- only dead bodies, and the underlying stench of iron mingling with smoke. This unnerved him, but he was at ease to find his allies were managing. Mother Eka as expected made short work of her cultists, with the help of Dhzon, who then made his way to Alistair's side. Already, more corpses littered the floor. Yu spotted one in particular by the blond priest's feet, helmet having rolled off to reveal a missing left eye, along with a pained expression. The whip-handler grimaced. Please, don't look at me like that. As if on cue, a head rolled across the floor, stopping in time to cast an empty glance at him. One frantic kick and curse later, it was out of the priest's sight. More humans were dead, but not because of him, at least. It was a sickening thought, but God's work still needed to be done… it just couldn't be by his own hands. It was then, with the air heavy as it was, that something changed. At the door, a woman appeared-- a sister, or so it seemed. Both her posture and the sound of her voice made him question that notion, as they made him nervous in a way he couldn't properly explain. For a moment Yu stood there, speechless, making no effort to hide his disdain. Had their circumstances been different, he would have even scolded her for carrying the nun's garb in such a provocative way-- intentional or not. Still, aside from her sudden appearance and alarmingly lax demeanor, the priest felt that something else was off about her. Her presence brought along what seemed like a lightness in the air; or rather, the reek of demon applying itself elsewhere. The frown on his face only deepened as he wondered whether that was a good thing. Deep howls erupted from the hallway behind her, and upon sensing her oncoming demise, pushed himself to move. Surely, he'd be damned if he allowed a church official to die under God's watch. Lord, I only ask that you help me now. Yu ran to grab the woman's arm, pulling her behind him as metal swung back through the air. With her out of the way, Jiuzai cracked forward a great distance, steel napping around the first creature's neck. Sizzles were heard as spikes dug into flesh, the stench of burning rot filling the air. The beast thrashed in the whip's hallowed grasp, and even with both hands, proved to be a struggle to apprehend. However, it blocked the doorway, leaving no room for the demons before it to enter. Sweat formed at the hilt in Yu's effort to grip tighter, silently praying for the smoke to work faster. Frustration growing increasingly evident, he shot a glance to the woman at his side. "Who told you to arrive here alone! Do you not understand how dangerous--" A pained grunt stopped him mid-complaint. "Brother Jin!" His head snapped to his senior, whose face spilled blood. What was he doing? Clearly, he needed help. However, Yu's heart quickened at the thought of releasing the whip, knowing it was the only thing keeping the beasts at the door. The holy smoke needed more time to work, while Brother Alistair and Dzhon still had two cultists left. The sister stood behind him, suspicious, but harmless thus far. "If I let go now, it will mean trouble for all of us," Yu hurriedly explained through gritted teeth, suppressing the tremble in his voice. "Please, if you can, go and assist our brothers..." Something clicked. It was then that he realized why the smoke seemed ineffective, and why their opponents only fought harder than earlier. The window was broken during his struggle... all the fresh air pooled in, and precious smoke leaked out. Frantic, he called out across the room. "Mother Ekaterine! I can't hold them for much longer!"</s> <\|message\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE --- Alistair continued his spinning dance of death, twirling and whirling as steel sang its bloody tune. He managed to catch the injured cultist in a downward diagonal swing, the heretic too injured to properly evade. Even as the blade was blunted by the armor plating, it kept its supernatural edge. He cleaved downwards until the blade stopped moving, before kicking the lifeless body away, barely managing to face his other opponents in time. Before he could return to the fray, however, the tense atmosphere seemed to shift... becoming more oppressive and pervasive. A lull in the battle now becoming evident, Alistair threw a glance at the door and spotted a new arrival. She was a beautiful woman about his age, with a strange demeanor to her, wholly unsuited to sisterhood. And yet, here she was. First the priest, and now this woman... Alistair elected to push those thoughts out of his mind, and focus on the battle before him. Against multiple opponents, he couldn't get distracted, or he'd lose his head. As he tangled with the three of them, the Russian priest from a while ago had sprang into action, quickly dispatching of one of the heretic swordsmen, leaving two more. The Vatican priest said nothing, only opting to give his companion a thankful look. Two-on-two were far better odds than three-on-one, after all. As Dhzon tangled with one of the cultists, Alistair swung at his own opponent as the cultist attacked, and causing them to lock blades with one another. Now that the numbers were even, he didn't have to worry about being constantly on the defensive-- a sword bind like this was no longer a potential death sentence, but instead an opportunity to deal some damage. Contrary to popular belief, when it came to HEMA, you didn't need to be fast or strong when wielding a blade. Weapons were the great equalizer that allowed even the lowliest peasant to fell a mighty knight if they hit the right spot. Instead, techniques were extremely reliant upon the user's skill and form. It was certainly possible for Alistair to overpower his opponent's strength with his own, but there was no finesse in that-- there were proper techniques to perform when swords bind, and he was more than willing to execute them. As they locked blades, Alistair moved to gain the three advantages: the true edge, the forte upon the debole, and the crossing. To finish, however, the Vatican priest performed a crossline step, moving his sword around his opponent's. The man pivoted using a compass motion, and thrust his blade through the opponent's side. With a bit of effort, the priest cut deeper and deeper until he reached bone, and then tore the blade away with a yell of exertion. With his opponents defeated, the priest gave his fellow swordsman a nod.</s>	<\|message\|>Stavrophore Ekaterine What a strange, strange turn of events they had walked into! Not the cultists of course, Ekaterine had long since stopped seeing Lucifer's foot soldiers as anything more than vermin to be snuffed out. They uninteresting in the same way that an infestation of cockroaches provoked digust instead of curiosity. The cultists and their animated armor set were simply blights that required a good scourging. It was a simple matter to spear them, to blast their filthy flesh from cursed bones while her comrades defenestrated some and hacked the others to bits. That was all good and righteous, the way things ought to have been. But what made her uncomfortable was the appearance of the two strangers. One a fool and the other merely mysterious, the man wielding officer's pistols and the woman an MP5. Ekaterine spared them a glance even as she looked for her next target, narrowed eyes betraying a certain motherly disapproval. Outward appearances marked the Russian as guilty of Samson's pride while the woman with her painted lips and sensual tone was perhaps a Delilah of sorts in terms of impropriety if not plans of sabotage. But there was no time for a Biblical lecture. Someone had let slip the dogs of war and she could hear them coming, hateful creatures baying for the blood of those who would stand against evil. The good pastor called for help and it was her duty to answer it. Hundreds of pounds of blessed steel over faith-backed muscled slammed into the first dog before it could clamp its jaws around a limb. And while her shotgun tore an ugly gash through the beast it wasn't enough for a kill. The others were on her before she could work the action, holy cannon torn from her grasp as they swarmed her. Three sets of teeth dug into the limbs unprotected by her chestplate, staining their teeth with her blood. Whatever foul liquid served as her saliva burned badly, like hellfire injected directly into her muscles, but the pain was drowned by hate. When Ekaterine shouted it was not a cry for help but a warning of what was to come. With the shotgun tossed to the side she fell back on her APS, dumping twenty rounds of 9x18mm ammo in under a second. The injured dog was simply shredded, leaving the madwoman free to pummel the skull of another with knuckles and pistol butt. Ekaterine shrieked and screamed all the while, deaf to all but the sound of a skull plate snapping under her fists as she fought to keep from being mauled. "Bleed and die! Bleed and die! Bleed and DIE!"</s>
<\|description\|>ALMA MARÍA OLINA XIOMARA MENDEZ Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico \| \| \| \| \| ______________ AGE: 27 ______________ HEIGHT: 5'5" ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: NOV - 1 - 1943 ______________ FAITH: EASTERN ORTHODOXY ______________ NATIONALITY: MEXICO ______________ \| PERSONALITY ______________ "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves." While Alma María does not quite live up to the 'harmless as a dove' descriptor, she is indeed as wise and as cunning as a serpent and makes no effort to pretend anything otherwise. She is not without her kindness, and in fact is often more understanding and forgiving perhaps than one would expect, but what is most noticeable about her -and perhaps what most rubs the more pious the wrong way- is that dark and wily nature of hers which gives off such an exotic and mysterious impression. Then again, they might also dislike her dark, languid eyes which peer so knowingly from beneath even darker, thick eyelashes; her luscious red lips which seem so often to smile as though at some private joke; and the overall inexplicable sensuousness of her otherwise quite modest appearance. Her unconventional methods for exorcism might also play a factor in that. In general, she is well regarded in her home church and community due to her kindness an strength of character. She exudes a level of confidence and reliablity which leads people of the community to seek her out for help despite her strangeness, and she willingly does so despite any of their flaws or ways of life. She is less well regarded by the religious higher-ups, such that they do not tend to speak of her much. Regardless, her effectiveness is undeniable. EQUIPMENT ______________ -Blessed and scripture inscribed Navaja-style war scythe -Heckler & Koch MP5 with scripture inscribed ammunition -Dual Trejo pistols with scripture inscribe ammunition -Scripture inscribed Navaja knife (3in) -Rosary -Sealing rings -Standard satchel of additional ammunition, salt, silver and iron shavings, and holy water CAPACITY ______________ Her experiences with farming the land and interacting with cartels has made her strong and sturdy enough to use her melee weapons effectively, although her main focus is in agility. Alma María is of a lean build, and moves with both speed and grace that are almost uncanny. Possibly more result of her experiences with the cartels. What truly sets her apart from other exorcists, however, is the fact that she is a medium. For whatever reason her body seems to be particularly appealing as a target for possession, and she makes use of this trait by inciting demons to possess her before sealing them away.</s> <\|message\|>ALISTAIR ARDIZZONE --- Alistair couldn't help but let out a sigh as diplomacy failed. He had a feeling the Satanist wouldn't give up that easily, but with the option of mercy off the table, only punishment remained. And punishment, he'd deliver. The very thought of it put a dark grin on his face. Still, the exorcist couldn't help but lift an eyebrow in curiosity as another man entered the room. Judging by his choice of clothing, he must've been an exorcist that had investigated the mansion on his own. A commendable effort, if a little reckless. The Vatican Priest had little time to think on this, however, as the Satanist in front of him vanished into thin air-- a product of unholy magic. With Ryan Chambers gone, several other cultists teleported into the room. Armed and armored, these Satanists seemed well-equipped to face the group of Exorcists. Even so, Alistair felt no fear in his heart. How could any man have fear, knowing that God is beside him, and allies watch his back? No, instead, he felt grim anticipation for the task before him. A cold bloodlust-- one he hoped to sate in the battle to come. The priest counted ten Satanists, plus the armored figure playing the piano. He had little time to strategize as five swordsmen moved to face him-- Alistair would just have to trust that his allies could handle the rest. The warriors before him didn't seem like amateurs with the sword; their posture clean, their tactics sound, and numbers superior. As they surrounded and isolated him from the rest of the team, Alistair found himself with his back to the table. He threw a quick glance at the feast behind him, before turning to his opponents. They circled and waited for his approach-- in a one-on-five situation, they held the advantage, after all. "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground--because out of it were you taken." The priest said, resting the false edge of his blade atop his right shoulder, in a standard woman's guard. "For dust you are--" He put weight on his front leg and leaned forward-- a low, aggressive stance. "--and to dust you shall return." They did not reply with words, but with steel. One of the bolder Satanists swung his blade in a downward cut, but Alistair took a step forward and brought his longsword up in a window guard to deflect the attack. The opponent's sword now knocked aside, the priest moved from defense to offense, his own blade cutting through the air, like a ribbon twirling in the wind. Much to the Satanist's surprise, the blessed blade found its mark, leaving a deep cut on the side of his neck. The dark protective magic of his armor was nullified in the presence of a holy relic, leaving only physical protection. Even so, armor at the neck and joints were the weakest-- something Alistair knew well. The wound was not immediately fatal, but had the Satanist been wearing anything except plate, he would have lost more than just an artery. As the man stumbled back, the other armored cultists moved to support their ally, but the exorcist was not done. Moving from a forward thrust into a long guard, Alistair pivoted, moving to the left as he swung his blade in wide, flowing arcs to force them to either move out of the way, or to take the hit. The key to fighting multiple opponents at once was to always be moving-- to always be on the offensive. To pressure your opponents, and never give them a chance to tighten the noose. There was no time to think, strategize, or fight defensively-- and so the best tactic was to deprive your opponents of their ability to do the same. Like a raging storm, the exorcist was a veritable whirlwind of blood and steel, his movements causing the blessed smoke around him to move in turn. Slowed and weakened by Yu's alchemical concoction, the opponents were wary of Alistair's blade, for they knew that a single solid cut could be the end of them. The sounds of battle raged all around, and not just from him. Even now, the man knew his allies were fighting just as hard as he was. He would not be left behind. Alistair locked blades with one of his opponents, sparks flying as blessed silver met cursed iron. The priest twisted his wrist, gaining an advantage with the true edge of his blade, before positioning his sword's forte against the opposing sword's debole. He then gained a final advantage by putting his sword over the opponent's sword-- with three advantages over none, the cultist had no way to defend. Seizing the momentum, Alistair switched into a two-horned guard and rushed forward, crashing into his opponent's helm with a thrust that sought to end a life. There was a sickening crunch as the tip of the blessed longsword pierced through the faceplate and into the Satanist's left eye. The exorcist continued pushing until the sword ruptured the skull, and the brain matter beneath, before quickly pulling the sword out to face his other opponents. ...not quickly enough, however. His instincts shouting at him to move, Alistair switched into a reverse woman's guard and yielded to the attack that came from behind him. The attack slid down the length of his sword and protected his back from a potentially fatal injury, but left his front completely exposed. The Satanist before him seized the opportunity and made a forward thrust aimed at the exorcist's heart. Thinking quickly, the man twisted in place before hopping to his left once more, pivoting to face the opponent behind him while dodging the attack. Try as he might, however, he could not completely evade the heartseeking strike, the blade instead finding purchase on his right side, leaving a nasty cut under his sword arm. Clenching his teeth and fighting through the pain, Alistair reoriented himself, swinging in wide arcs once more to threaten his opponents as he quickly took stock of the situation. Of the five enemies before him, one was dead, and another was injured, but not quite defeated. This time, thankfully, they were all in front of him, so while he no longer had to worry about surprise attacks (provided his allies were doing their jobs), he still had a long way to go. And yet, he smiled, even as crimson began to bloom from his beneath his cassock. "Is that your best?" He spat out, venom dripping in his voice. "Disappointing." He let his words for a bit, but before they could get a response in, Alistair dove once more into the breach.</s> <\|message\|>Dzhon Piter Nabokov @Smike Dzhon Piter Nabokov Dzhon looked around at the other exorcists, he felt a small twinge of anger when he was called an idiot. However, he hid it well with a smile on his face. He assumed they were with the order judging from their varying outfits. His gaze looked over towards the lone cultist surrounded by the others, Pulling out his pistol ready to kill the lone cultist, but he disappeared before he could pull the trigger. He was really hoping he could kill another cultist. As soon as the lone cultist disappeared, groups of armored cultists teleported into the dining room. "Chert." He cursed under his breath as the cultists were coming closer towards the group. He knew his bullets would not do much, however with his falchion he could stab through the gaps in their armor. Running over towards the shotgun welding cultiss that were attacking the slavic woman. Grabbing the shotgun from one of the fallen cultists. "Groovy." Helping her by cutting down the other armored cultist. Stabbing into the openings of his armor. Being chased by another cultists around the room. Using his martial art skills kicking him in the head, rolling onto the ground towards the table. Standing on the table with the cultist getting on the table with him. Dhzon throws the shotgun at him, making the cultist drop his weapon and catch it. Stabbing him in the thigh before picking up the shotgun. Aiming the shotgun point-blank to the head of the cultist, pulling the trigger finding enjoyment watching him crap his suit of armor. "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." His voice seemed to echo throughout the room. The Russian man uses the butt of the shotgun to block the incoming attack, using his machete to hack off the arms the cultists he was currently fighting. "Need a hand." Laughing while kicking a severed hand towards another cultist near him.</s>	<\|message\|>ALMA MARÍA OLINA XIOMARA MENDEZ In the midst of the chaos, there came a sudden lull. Something in the air seemed to change, as though the demonic energies were shifting, flowing toward the open doorway behind Alistair as though their attentions were being drawn there. Something new was approaching. The slow, rhythmic sound of heels clicking against the floor echoed down the hall as a silhouette strode toward the room, backed by silver light of the lobby. Even in the darkness, it was clear from the shape and walk that the figure was woman. There was a certain sort of sashay in how she moved. A brazen confidence, yet a comfortable casualness to it. And as she stepped into dining room it quickly became clear that these traits were true of her entire demeanor. She was not tall, by any means, yet her presence was considerable and difficult to miss. Dark, wavy hair hung about her shoulders and over one of her equally dark, languid eyes, but the other stared out at the crowd from beneath lowered eyelashes as if to size up each individual for who might be found the most interesting. A knowing sort of smile was fixed upon her lips, lips so red that their colour was unmistakable even in the moonlight. Almost everything about her appearance was pleasurable and exotic were it not for the most peculiar contrast of her demure nun attire, complete with a hair veil and a cross at her throat. "So this is where the party is." The strange woman said in a voice as warm and as sultry as the rest of her would suggest. Just a bit in her throat, and just a bit nasally, but far from unpleasantly so. "And here I only expected to find one exorcist~" \|</s>
<\|description\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th Nickname: Ambrose Age: 34 Race: Half Tabaxi Description: Ambrosius is tall, standing at an impressive six feet and five inches. His hair is a light brown, appearing almost orange in the sunlight, and his eyes are a bright and curious blue. His frame is lightly muscled, but nothing extremely impressive. Personality: Ambrosius is stealthy, coy, and mischievous, and it seeps into everything he says and does. He much prefers to avoid tackling things directly, preferring to use misdirection or dance his way around issues, finding more clever ways to solve problems. Unfortunately that, combined with his innate curiosity, gets him into more trouble than he can often handle. He's constantly sticking his nose into anything that catches his attention, but because of this, along with his father's tutelage, he's just as knowledgeable as he is smart. Perhaps his greatest weakness is his need for companionship. This, in conjunction with his ego, leads to self-isolation, and loneliness. Despite enjoying his time on his own, he's been on his own for far too long, and is crying out for some sort of companionship. Bio: Ambrosius Tallvalor is the only product of his parent's union, and as such, found himself being incredibly spoiled. Being Half-Tabaxi, he did not retain the longer lived lives of his father's parentage, something that weighed heavily on his father, and ultimately caused a rift to grow between his parents. Despite this, his father would go out of his way to make sure his son was well prepared, training him in all sorts of things. Eventually, the constant doting of his parents, and their own arguing, got to be too much for Ambrose, and he decided he had to strike out on his own, for his own sanity. Unfortunately, his parents did not take the news well. His mother burst into tears, while his father made no attempt to hide his feelings of anger and betrayal, and much preferred to kick him out. Either way, Ambrose got what he wanted, he was free, free to travel the world and do anything he wanted to. Or so he thought. The road was long and arduous, and he had no idea where to go nor a coin to his name. He resorted to stealing, initially sticking to stealing from local drunks or other, less honorable thieves, but crime is a slippery slope, and soon he found himself stealing from travelers and honest salesmen. Eventually, he had a reputation as "THE Cat Burgular", and it didn't take long before he stole from the wrong person. What he thought was just a caravan turned out to be far more than that: the caravan belonged to a duke, and when he learned that his merchandise had been stolen, he used his political weight to convince the city of Kessa to send a few soldiers after him. At first, the confrontation went well for Ambrose. He danced his way around the soldiers, making good use of his cat like agility and magic. He did not kill them, but he was not above injuring them, taking them out of commission as swiftly as he could. Unfortunately, he overestimated himself and underestimated one of the soldiers, a steel-eyed red head. He hadn't expected a human to hit so hard, none of the others had! IT was this fight that would lead to his capture and imprisonment. But with the attack on Kressa, he might have finally found a chance to escape, and perhaps he could find the human who captured him again.... Skills and Abilities: Ambrosius is stealthy and agile. He's talented at hiding his presence and blending into his surroundings, leaving no trace of his presence if he can help it. He's fast as well, ridiculously fast, and it is these two traits that make up his preferred method of combat. Get in, attack, and get out. It might take longer, but that's fine with him. It's the result that matters. He's capable of a variety of magics as well, such as healing (something he's also knowledgeable in) and offensive cantrips and spells, though he's still somewhat of a novice when it comes to that.</s> <\|message\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th Ambrosius had always been capable of escaping from jail, he had just made the decision not to. The cell was cramped and small and not nearly as hygienic as he preferred, but he'd be darned if it wasn't somewhat cozy. The guards made for some decent conversation and he could tell a story or two and they would laugh their asses off. They were enthralled with the tales of his escapades, and it made him feel appreciated, validated even. If he had wanted to escape, he could get out of his cell, sure. But then the guards would be forced to come after him and that could get messy. He didn't like that. As far as he was concerned, the guards were his friends. But even that was not the true reason Ambrosius stayed in his cell, or at least it was only part of it. The woman who had captured him had also captured his attention. She didn't come through often, as she was a soldier first, not a guard, not military police, but she did make occasional visits to the guards, who were likely her friends or seniors in some sense. He could always smell her before he saw her, and usually he could hear her before he caught her scent. She was loud, foul mouthed, and, in his opinion, a little dim. But that was what intrigued, and infuriated, him. How did he get caught by someone so...dumb? So stupid? She was a muscle-headed warrior, and he was a clever and cunning thief. It was embarrassing, to say the least. He'd tried to talk to the red-headed soldier a few times, but often their conversations would end up with him insulting her, and either she wouldn't get it, which would piss him off, or she would get pissed off and unfurl a hurricane of obscenities that offended not only his ears, but Ambrosius the third, second and first's as well. Then she would ignore him for the rest of her visit, and to be honest, he would do the same. In any case, he always tried to talk to her, to get to know her, and it almost always failed, usually thanks to either one of them, in whole or part. Still, the days were peaceful and entertaining, though he knew a trial was looming, and it would likely end up in his execution. He was laying on his bed, contemplating what to do when the screams began. At first, he thought he might be hearing a murder. Then he knew that wasn't quite it. He was hearing mass murder. What was a single scream became tens of screams, then hundreds. Then, the temperature dropped. He went from being quite warm to shaking in seconds. It had to be magic, he knew this instantly. Something was going on out there, and it did not sound good. "Guards!" Ambrosius cried out as he jumped to his feet, but there was no need for him to call for his captors. One of them, a young guard by the name of Asmond, was already at the cell door, keys shaking as he struggled to unlock it. "What's going on? What are you doing?" "Orders, Ambrose. We gotta let free all the non-violent offenders..." Asmond's voice was shaky, a far cry from his usual confident tone. Even his body language was seeping with fear. "W-we're under attack. Mages of Brila...they're killing everyone." As he finished his weak explanation, he finally finished unlocking the door. "Brila?!" Ambrose never liked Brila. The land was cold, and so were its people. They were rude, crass, and violent, with nasty tempers and a strongest will survive mentality. The only reasons most kingdoms tolerated them was because they were indeed formidable, but also because they had settled the raiding Skjöldung tribes, by genocide of course. "Mages too? That explains the cold...lets get out of here, eh?" Ambrosius grabbed Asmond's hand as he exited his cell, pulling the young man along with him. "Don't be alarmed. I liked all of ya, so I'm going to do my best to keep you alive." He could tell his words had an immediate effect. He could feel Asmond's hand close tightly around his own, and the young man's pace increased. The two exited the jail, and were greeted by the sight of blood, ice, and snow. Immediately, Asmond puked, and Ambrosius frowned. The bodies of men, women, and even children lay scattered along the roads. He could see the crowd of people not too far from him running, fleeing from just a few people. The mages, obviously. The frost and ice exuding from their bodies as they attacked the civilians made it obvious, despite their casual dressings. They probably snuck into the city by way of disguise. He could tell this was organized. They weren't just killing indiscriminately. No, they were herding the people. "Bolt! Bolt!" Once again, he heard her before he saw her. The red-headed muscle girl was running with a speed that made him raise his eyebrows in shock. Even more to his surprise, he saw her avoid an attack that she couldn't have seen coming before hand. He had no idea why he was surprised anymore; she was a monster, obviously. "She's good." He muttered, watching her kill the mage. "Look Asmond, it's our monster friend," He turned to the guard, grinning, "Let's go-" "She's gonna die!" The young man screeched. Ambrose turned around, a scowl encroaching on his previous grin as he saw a mage approach her. Of course, she was tired. He'd been so impressed with her display of skill that he didn't realize she might have had no energy left. For all he knew, she came running from the other side of town. He let go of Asmond's hand and bolted forward, hoping to stop the mage's attack. But he wasn't going to make it in time. Instead, thinking on his feet, he grabbed the shield of a fallen guard, and hurled it with all his might, hoping it would make it in time. And for the most part, it did. The shield took the brunt of the ice magic, becoming encased in ice as it was sent flying a distance from the red-head and the mage. Unfortunately, some of the frost did hit the girl in her side. "I'm coming!" Ambrosius called out as he continued running towards the two, sparks crackling and dancing between and around his finger tips. He thrust his hand forward, casting a bolt of lightning at the mage. The light was blinding, but the speed of the energy was insurmountable. It hit the mage with such force that he was sent flying. The smell of scorched cotton and flesh his Ambrosius's nose instantly, causing him to wrinkle his nose, but even that couldn't stop the smirk on his face. "Well, looks like you owe me one, muscle girl." He spoke as he approached her. "I just saved your life."</s> <\|message\|>Rahne Sinclaire "What..." Rahne was surprised by the timely intervention, so much so that she forgot about the pain in her torso. She didn't reply for a few moments, her eyes lingering on the smoldering mage's body. That was close, too close. She had been running so hard, and for so long, that she didn't have the energy to respond. She was barely able to kill the first one. "Thank ye, I woulda-" Her speech was stopped in its tracks the moment her eyes laid upon her rescuer. "Oi...you..." Whatever gratitude she was about to exhibit disappeared. "What's a bastard like ye doin' out in the streets? Ye' takin' advantage of all'a this to break free?" She couldn't really blame him, the Brilans would likely execute everyone, prisoners included. "Ye' best not be lookin' ta' loot anything! IF ye' do, I'm gonna be comin' after ya myself, once these c**ts are taken care off." She tried to pull her sword free from the body of the mage, and managed to do so, but not without struggle. "If ye' know what's good for ya, you'd get yer' scabby arse outta here now."</s>	<\|message\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th "Hey, this bastard here just saved your life," Ambrosius returned her attitude in kind, a mocking smirk on his face, "Those c***s, as you put it, almost killed you just now, did they not? If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be either frozen or dead, so how about a little gratitude, huh?" It wasn't like he needed it, and for the most part, he was just poking fun at her. It was funny, he was used to seeing her riled up, but usually it was at him and his antics. He liked to poke fun at her, teasing her for her rather...lacking intelligence, or grabbing at her for fun, just to get a reaction. But seeing how frustrated and angry she was right now was different. If looks could kill, the hardened glare she wore on her face this moment would be more than enough to massacre the invading Brila forces. Her anger this time, was very genuine, and very directed, and he was glad it wasn't at him. Not that he was scared or anything. "Y'know what, forget the gratitude. I just didn't want to see you die yet, is all. I wasn't going to stay in that prison, and when Asmond here let me out, he was so scared I knew I had to escort him out, keep him safe, you know? He's like a scarred little kitten!" He held a hand to his chest, a mock look of concern on his face. "He's so new, and so young." "It's true," Asmond nodded his head very quickly, his eyes skittering back and forth as he looked for any other mages, "So can we keep doing that? Can we leave now? I don't wanna die." "See? You can hear it in his voice." Ambrosius tried not to laugh at how scared the lad was, and immediately felt bad for wanting to. He was terrified! It wasn't funny! But what was funny was how this frightened rabbit decided to become a city guard, let alone actually made it. Didn't you have to have a certain amount of guts for that anymore, or had that changed? "I'm just doing my part. Now lets get out of here. I guess I can save you too." He extended a hand to Rahne, his all-to-common smirk plain to see. His hope was, they could get out of here alive, and with Rahne, it would be easier for the three of them to escape. Not to mention she looked exhausted and half dead. If they left her, she'd die, and he wasn't quite ready for her to die, yet. She was far too entertaining for that.</s>
<\|description\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th Nickname: Ambrose Age: 34 Race: Half Tabaxi Description: Ambrosius is tall, standing at an impressive six feet and five inches. His hair is a light brown, appearing almost orange in the sunlight, and his eyes are a bright and curious blue. His frame is lightly muscled, but nothing extremely impressive. Personality: Ambrosius is stealthy, coy, and mischievous, and it seeps into everything he says and does. He much prefers to avoid tackling things directly, preferring to use misdirection or dance his way around issues, finding more clever ways to solve problems. Unfortunately that, combined with his innate curiosity, gets him into more trouble than he can often handle. He's constantly sticking his nose into anything that catches his attention, but because of this, along with his father's tutelage, he's just as knowledgeable as he is smart. Perhaps his greatest weakness is his need for companionship. This, in conjunction with his ego, leads to self-isolation, and loneliness. Despite enjoying his time on his own, he's been on his own for far too long, and is crying out for some sort of companionship. Bio: Ambrosius Tallvalor is the only product of his parent's union, and as such, found himself being incredibly spoiled. Being Half-Tabaxi, he did not retain the longer lived lives of his father's parentage, something that weighed heavily on his father, and ultimately caused a rift to grow between his parents. Despite this, his father would go out of his way to make sure his son was well prepared, training him in all sorts of things. Eventually, the constant doting of his parents, and their own arguing, got to be too much for Ambrose, and he decided he had to strike out on his own, for his own sanity. Unfortunately, his parents did not take the news well. His mother burst into tears, while his father made no attempt to hide his feelings of anger and betrayal, and much preferred to kick him out. Either way, Ambrose got what he wanted, he was free, free to travel the world and do anything he wanted to. Or so he thought. The road was long and arduous, and he had no idea where to go nor a coin to his name. He resorted to stealing, initially sticking to stealing from local drunks or other, less honorable thieves, but crime is a slippery slope, and soon he found himself stealing from travelers and honest salesmen. Eventually, he had a reputation as "THE Cat Burgular", and it didn't take long before he stole from the wrong person. What he thought was just a caravan turned out to be far more than that: the caravan belonged to a duke, and when he learned that his merchandise had been stolen, he used his political weight to convince the city of Kessa to send a few soldiers after him. At first, the confrontation went well for Ambrose. He danced his way around the soldiers, making good use of his cat like agility and magic. He did not kill them, but he was not above injuring them, taking them out of commission as swiftly as he could. Unfortunately, he overestimated himself and underestimated one of the soldiers, a steel-eyed red head. He hadn't expected a human to hit so hard, none of the others had! IT was this fight that would lead to his capture and imprisonment. But with the attack on Kressa, he might have finally found a chance to escape, and perhaps he could find the human who captured him again.... Skills and Abilities: Ambrosius is stealthy and agile. He's talented at hiding his presence and blending into his surroundings, leaving no trace of his presence if he can help it. He's fast as well, ridiculously fast, and it is these two traits that make up his preferred method of combat. Get in, attack, and get out. It might take longer, but that's fine with him. It's the result that matters. He's capable of a variety of magics as well, such as healing (something he's also knowledgeable in) and offensive cantrips and spells, though he's still somewhat of a novice when it comes to that.</s> <\|message\|>Rahne Sinclaire "What..." Rahne was surprised by the timely intervention, so much so that she forgot about the pain in her torso. She didn't reply for a few moments, her eyes lingering on the smoldering mage's body. That was close, too close. She had been running so hard, and for so long, that she didn't have the energy to respond. She was barely able to kill the first one. "Thank ye, I woulda-" Her speech was stopped in its tracks the moment her eyes laid upon her rescuer. "Oi...you..." Whatever gratitude she was about to exhibit disappeared. "What's a bastard like ye doin' out in the streets? Ye' takin' advantage of all'a this to break free?" She couldn't really blame him, the Brilans would likely execute everyone, prisoners included. "Ye' best not be lookin' ta' loot anything! IF ye' do, I'm gonna be comin' after ya myself, once these cts are taken care off." She tried to pull her sword free from the body of the mage, and managed to do so, but not without struggle. "If ye' know what's good for ya, you'd get yer' scabby arse outta here now."</s> <\|message\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th "Hey, this bastard here just saved your life," Ambrosius returned her attitude in kind, a mocking smirk on his face, "Those cs, as you put it, almost killed you just now, did they not? If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be either frozen or dead, so how about a little gratitude, huh?" It wasn't like he needed it, and for the most part, he was just poking fun at her. It was funny, he was used to seeing her riled up, but usually it was at him and his antics. He liked to poke fun at her, teasing her for her rather...lacking intelligence, or grabbing at her for fun, just to get a reaction. But seeing how frustrated and angry she was right now was different. If looks could kill, the hardened glare she wore on her face this moment would be more than enough to massacre the invading Brila forces. Her anger this time, was very genuine, and very directed, and he was glad it wasn't at him. Not that he was scared or anything. "Y'know what, forget the gratitude. I just didn't want to see you die yet, is all. I wasn't going to stay in that prison, and when Asmond here let me out, he was so scared I knew I had to escort him out, keep him safe, you know? He's like a scarred little kitten!" He held a hand to his chest, a mock look of concern on his face. "He's so new, and so young." "It's true," Asmond nodded his head very quickly, his eyes skittering back and forth as he looked for any other mages, "So can we keep doing that? Can we leave now? I don't wanna die." "See? You can hear it in his voice." Ambrosius tried not to laugh at how scared the lad was, and immediately felt bad for wanting to. He was terrified! It wasn't funny! But what was funny was how this frightened rabbit decided to become a city guard, let alone actually made it. Didn't you have to have a certain amount of guts for that anymore, or had that changed? "I'm just doing my part. Now lets get out of here. I guess I can save you too." He extended a hand to Rahne, his all-to-common smirk plain to see. His hope was, they could get out of here alive, and with Rahne, it would be easier for the three of them to escape. Not to mention she looked exhausted and half dead. If they left her, she'd die, and he wasn't quite ready for her to die, yet. She was far too entertaining for that.</s> <\|message\|>Rahne Sinclaire Rahne glared at his hand, silent except for her heavy breathing, which had begun to calm down as Ambrosius spoke. No longer was she gasping and wheezing for air, and the burning in her lungs had dulled to a light irritation. She took her time before answering the Taboxi, and not because she was unsure, but because she was angry, and she didn't want to be, at least not towards him. He did nothing wrong, it was the entire f**ing situation that had pissed her off. The dead civilians, the snow and ice, the chilling air. All of it was making her angry enough that her skin was fighting off the cold with ease. But it would do her no good to be angry with her savior, however frustrating he was, and Asmond, the rookie. They weren't responsible, and were victims as well, in a way. "Okay," Rahne spoke as she finally took Ambrosius's hand, clasping his wrist as she stood up, with his assistance. "I'll ignore yer' smart ass, but I ain't comin' with ye." She could see the shock on both of their faces when she spoke, especially Asmond's. "I took an oath to protect this city and I damn well am intendin' to see it through! Even if it kills me!" She yanked her sword free of the mage's body, using her foot to push the body down as she pulled her weapon out. The blood had already become cold and frosted, refusing to run down her blade like it should have. "I can't leave all these people here, all the rest of my men...ye two are just civillians, so it wouldn't be right of me to keep ye here. Ah'll help you two leave and that's it. I'm staying here to fight." She was firm in her words, and her eyes were steeled. It didn't matter if she died, it only mattered if she tried. And she intended to.</s>	<\|message\|>Ambrosius Tallvalor the 4th Ambriosus was stunned, not just by the conviction in her words but the determined glint in her eye. It was frightening, and almost infuriating. She wasn't going to save anyone, not by herself, and he wasn't going to help her. He didn't want to, nor would he be able to. She was resigning herself to a death based purely on honor and a sense of obligation to some oath she took, and it was...admirable. Infuriating, but admirable. "Wow. Inspiring. Absolutely moronic, but inspiring!" He clapped his hands slowly, giving her the most condescending look her could. And then he sighed. He knew he couldn't change her mind, so he wouldn't try. "If you want to die, fine. Your funeral." "Take us to the exit, and then you can go." He rubbed the nape of his neck, a rather annoyed expression on his face. "Go and die for whatever stupid reason, but get us out of here." He didn't have time to try and talk sense into her. If she wanted to die a dumbass, so be it. But he and the newbie were going to get out of here. "Don't worry, when we get out of this death trap, we'll make sure to tell other kingdoms, so they know where to find your body." He mocked her, but he meant it. This was the type of thing others needed a warning about, lest it happen to them as well. Asmond nodded his head in agreement. "M-my uncle...he's in servitude to a duke. He's got the connections to get the message out fast. Nothin' but a few day's ride from here." "Perfect!" Ambrosius slapped the man on his bag, losing his attitude. "Finally, something smart was said, from someone other than myself!" He performed a mock bow in Rahne's direction, his hand on his chest and the other extended outwards. "Lead the way, lady-thing."</s>
<\|description\|>Yuri Hyunjin Paris Sex: Male Age: 22 Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity: Bisexual/Cis-Male Relationship: He's in the beginning stages of a relationship with Remington Darius McClure, aka Remy and cares about him a lot since they started "talking". Appearance: Yuri is Blasian. He is half Asian, half African, and grew up in New Orleans. His father is Creole and his mother Korean. He speaks English, Korean, Swahili, and some Spanish. His mother has a lineage as an Asian Witch and his father delved into African Spirituality and Voodoo. Arcana and Voodoo run in Yuri's blood. He's a descendant of Marie Laveau. > Spiritual Senses: Yuri's eyes can see the soul/spirit of the living and the dead. He can locate someone by their spirit/soul. > Impartation: A unique gift, the power to impart (bestow) temporary life into something lifeless or bestow life back into what was once dead. This is dangerous. Small creatures will cause his nose to bleed and dizziness; however, if he brings back the soul of someone who has died he will pass out and it will completely drain his mana. He will feel completely drained for a few days. > Spiritual Connection: Connecting to the spirit realm is easy for Yuri, and communicating with spirits trapped on the plane of the living is something that comes naturally to him. He helps guide lost souls to their final resting place; however, he also has the ability to trap souls in this plane and control them, twist them into something dark and sinister or fill them with light and benevolence. > Teleportation: Yuri is able to teleport various distances as long as he can see the destination. > Voodoo: Quite literally, Yuri descends from the greatest, and possibly most powerful, voodoo queen that ever existed. Yuri's bloodline contains great power and as such he is a practitioner of the art and knows how to tap into the power. Yuri is a walking voodoo doll. Wounds heal quickly. Anyone who he sets his focus on can become a victim to his power. Any damage taken by Yuri is bestowed upon a chosen target as long as Yuri maintains eye contact. The greater the damage, the more draining to his spiritual energy, and if he doesn't have enough spiritual energy, the wound created will stay. He can also channel the power of voodoo in which the iris of his eyes turns white. Voodoo dolls, hexes, etc are all at his exposal. > Necromancy: Necromancy gives Yuri authority over death, those who have died, and those things void of life. His command is unwavering and unobjectionable. What he commands of them, they obey. It allows him to use necrotic energy that decays whatever it touches. > One w/ Water: Yuri can create, shape, and manipulate water, inorganic compound with liquid, gas (steam, water vapor), and solid (ice) states, including changing them from one state to others. > Arcana Within - Yuri is able to tap into the raw arcane power that flows throughout the universe. Very few warlocks/witches/mages can do this, as it is a very rare gift. The immense vein of magic grants him unbelievable power and allows him to channel it into various forms. This allows him to take the form of beautiful insects, the Luna Moth being his favorite, and grant him abilities against wards, spells, hexes, etc but he has a deep understanding of the magical world and how to use the primal arcane power to enhance his abilities. Whenever he uses his power, he is like a beacon to those seeking his energy. This gift comes from his mother's side. > Descendant of a God: On his father's side he descends from the greatest voodoo queen in history, but on his mother's side, he is a descendant of a deity, Gameunjang-aegi, the goddess of luck and fate. In his veins runs the power of fate, the divine power. He does not know how to wield this power or knows that it exists, but it is immensely straining on his body and grants him power beyond mortal belief until he passes out from the strain. Every witch/warlock is taught spells at a young age if they are a part of a coven. Yuri learned from his mother before she died the usual common spells like moving things from place to place, levitating, fixing what's broken, etc; however, there are more immense, deadlier spells that require more, and those he learned through in-depth study. Yuri is still learning, as there is so much to learn. Spells, hexes, etc, take a toll on the body, mind, and spirit. Spells are available in Grimoires that most casters possess, but for intense spells, a list is compiled... Summoning --NEUTRAL-- - Cerberus Come Forth: A blood offering is required to bring forth the demon dog, guard of hell's gates, Cerberus. The three-headed beast is immune to fire and immensely strong. Control over the beast takes great focus. The caster must speak the incantation, "Hell's gates will miss its guardian, bring forth the one who guards it." - The Undead Army: It takes either one very powerful voodoo master or at least four voodoo priests with one leading to summon an army of undead. In size, we are talking an entire graveyard size army. While summoning the army of undead, the voodoo priest is absent from the battlefield and is usually held up in a secret place because, during the ceremony, he is completely vulnerable to anyone who is able to locate him. It requires a great deal of concentration and because of this, voodoo priests go into a trance-like state. They can be knocked out of this state if someone powerful enough causes a magical surge that breaks the connection and severs the ties. - Summoning a God: (Summoning Deities require a contract with said Deity) - Marassa Jumeaux: Summoning this deity brings forth twins, three twins, who will protect Yuri and someone he chooses from harm. They will grant Yuri divine power but can only be maintained for 15 minutes. The twins will not allow any magic to harm Yuri and if there are any hexes or negative spells on Yuri, they are rebounded back to the original caster times three. -Damballa: Summoning this deity will cause any nearby dark spirits/souls and negative energy to instantly convert into positive energy. Dark spirits and souls caught in the presence of Damballa are quickly washed in beautiful light and become whole again. Demons cannot be in the presence of Damballa for they are banished or die. Damballa enhances Yuri's powers to near god-like levels but only for a short time, a max of 20 minutes. Damballa can only be summoned once, and if summoned twice, the caster's life force is drained. - The Great Serpent: Yuri can summon an Imoogi that will protect him at all cost. Over the years, Yuri has summoned the creature to build an unbreakable relationship. The creature can channel three elements. Water, Lightning, and Fire. When summoned a thunderstorm appears. The Immogi will obey only Yuri and will protect him at all cost. If killed, it will return to its plane of existence, but it cannot be permanently destroyed or reborn. Yuri discovered that the Immogi's name is Saiph. The beast is about 100 meters long. Protection --DEFENSIVE-- - Heaven's Wings: A simple spell that allows Yuri to protect someone from negative influences. The spell must be spoken and the target or something belonging to the target must be in the caster's possession for the protection spell to work. When activated, the spell will surround the target in a protective barrier that extends a foot out from them and prevents harm. Speaking the words " - Death's Hand: A very powerful spell that only lasts for one hour. It requires a blood sacrifice and the energy of three voodoo priests/priestesses to work. The blood of the target must be poured into the middle of the voodoo circle. The three voodoo priest/priestesses must chant the necessary words and the victim will be protected from death for ONE hour. Because of the potency of this spell, it cannot be repeated on the same person more than twice. - Monarch's Blessing: By touching someone and speaking the words "Liber Spiritus" the target's abilities will be enhanced for a short duration. The caster cannot bestow this enhancement on themselves, only on someone else. It does not require any sacrifice, merely mana to cast. - Celestial Entanglement: By calling to the gods and deities in the pantheon, the caster can draw from them celestial protection on a person of their choice, but it comes with a price. The caster must fulfill a request from the deity they illicit the prayer to and be willing and able to do what needs to be done. Magistrate --OFFENSIVE-- - Shadow Master: Moving like smoke, creating shadows at a whim, this particular spell grants the user the ability to leap through shadows and use a miasma like smoke to cloak and/or decimate an opponent as the miasma is toxic that is produced. No spell need be spoken, but an understanding of the magic need be knowledgable to the caster. - Energy Spells: The caster can utilize a form of magic that involves energy, ranging from pure raw energy to more exotic types of energy, allowing for harnessing their magical energies and/or mystical control of their aspects. With this casters will be able to perform a variety of magical spells and feats that manipulate energy. - The Power of Physical Force: The caster can create, shape, and manipulate physical forces, including gravity, kinetic energy, tension, pressure, friction, thrust, lift, drag, inertia, torque, g-forces, magnetism, acceleration, mass, weight, etc., Newton's Third Law, changing the direction of either of the two forces or making a magnitude of one stronger or lower than the other. - The Beauty of Sound: The caster is able to perform a legendary form of magic that allows the caster to cast magical spells and feats through manipulating sound itself to a certain degree. The caster can create, shape, and manipulate sound, a periodic disturbance of a medium (air, ground, water, etc) that radiates outward linearly in the form of a pressure wave. The effect of these waves upon the ear is perceived as sound. From the point of view of physics, the sound is considered to be the waves of vibratory motion themselves, whether or not they are heard by the human ear. The caster can mimic, intensify, hush, and distort, as well warp, strengthen, echo, speed up, and slow down sound, using it as a powerful physical force and high-speed movement. At low frequencies, sound can be potentially fatal to living beings by causing internal damage, while high frequencies cannot be heard by normal humans but can be used for sonar-like effects. Since sound vibrations can travel through the air, ground, water, and any form of medium, defense by using physical barriers are difficult. The vibrations can also affect at a molecular level. - The Prison of Reflections: The caster can create, shape, and manipulate reflections, by controlling and/or using mirrors and/or reflecting surfaces that can be used to reflect/redirect attacks. Casters can turn the reflections into real objects/beings, turn mirrors and reflections into prisons, storage-places or dimensions of their own use, manipulate space inside reflections, and so on.</s> <\|message\|>Ivy Natasha Virmire "Well," Ivy said with a shrug, "this isn't the first time Miss Muir has tried something like this. She's got a reserve of souls she's stolen over the years and uses those to maintain her mortal form. As for the Grail, I know it's somewhere in Avalon, with a bunch of old gods watching over it. Probably Celtic, but I'm not as familiar with those stories."</s> <\|message\|>Reginald BlackWell Suddenly, the Hill Top would erupt in violence. Gun shots were fired at the property, missing any students, but they were currently running for cover against the hail of bullets. Various cars had driven up to the property of Blackwell's mansion and then, men dressed in black left their vehicles and continued this vicious assault. To compound matters, after the large group of dozens arrived, the Hill Top was swallowed into another dimension, temporarily, and odd, demonic creatures began to congregate on the Estate Grounds. Tall, ghoulish albino creatures, similar to the appearance of "Slender Man', also wearing the "men in black" apparel, they seemed to have no weapon on their person, but they had murderous intent.</s>	<\|message\|>Yuri Hyunjin Paris All Hell Breaks Loose There was no time to prepare, no time to react and the only thing that they could do was seek cover. The bullets ripped through the wards that protected the mansion and struck various items in the house. Yuri moved to a window and announced loudly that they were under attack. Screams of panic filled the air as those students who were unfamiliar with this sort of thing rushed to hide behind any form of barrier they could. Yuri looked to the older students, the stronger students and nodded as he made sure they were getting the other students to safety. One stray bullet ripped through Yuri's shoulder, knocking him back and to the ground, but the onslaught wasn't over. The bullets stopped and what felt like microwaves surging over them made Yuri get to his feet as quickly as possible. He clutched his injured shoulder and approached the window once more. This time the assailants had no weapons. They were somewhere he didn't recognize, and what looked to be tall slender albino ghouls began to encroach on their location. Yuri groaned as he knew the bullet had gone straight through his body and he was losing blood by the minute, but his mind quickly settled on Remy. The sigils he had put in place would keep Remy safe. The bullets would strike the window and wall but never break through. The only thing that would alert Remy would be the sound of the bullets striking but never piercing. "Lithy and you," Yuri said pointing at Adam, "get the kids to safety. I'm going to go check on Remy." Just as he turned to rush off, one of the slender creatures burst through the window and tackled him to the ground. Yuri felt it's teeth rip into his shoulder and he yelled out before his eyes shifted into a dangerous white. His hand slammed against the creature's chest and within seconds the creature was writhing on the floor in pain until it's head began to expand. The exploding head sent fluid and matter in all direction. Yuri stood to his feet, his eyes showing no emotion. His face void of any sign of pain from the bullet and bite. Yuri slammed his foot into the ground and just as another creature burst through the window, Yuri's palm thrust forward and a sigil of destruction blasted the two creatures, completely eradicating them leaving nothing but piles of smoldering bones. Yuri's divine movements looked as if he were practicing some form of martial arts with his arms lunging into various spots in the air, but when he clasped his hands together, a beaitufl spell circle appeared before everyone. Subsequently a much larger spell circle would envelope the mansion. The spell circle slammed against the door with what looked to be a timer ticking away. It was only temporary. The creatures came, touching the window and doors only to be repelled with great force. Yuri's eyes returned to their normal light brown and without warning he collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from the open wounds. He coughed and more blood coated the once clean floor. His body shook slightly from the trauma. The spell circle would keep them safe for a moment, but when it faded they would have to figure something out.</s>
<\|description\|>Soul Soul Sex: Male Age: Unknown Personality: Soul can appear quite aloof. Often he ponders things such as the nature of life and existence. He is ever inquisitive, often curious about many things. Like a child, once he learned to ask questions, he never learned to stop. But he is also naive and can become easily confused by complex concepts, especially in regards to emotional things. Often able to repeat many philosophies, but often he lacks a deeper understanding of them. Appearance: --- Obfuscation: while not invisibility, his presence is masked. While using this some one's mind refuses to see him, smell him, or even hear him. Even masking his thoughts and emotions. Although there are limits, as people will ignore a whisper if he were to shout, they suddenly become aware of him. He can also extend this ability to other things and people, but the more he needs the cover, the more he has to focus on it and the more draining it can become. It also only affects things that have a will or mind that can be fooled. Shadow Walk: He can use shadows as doorways and between them at will. Celerity: He can enhance his speed and reaction time, his very perception of time slows down, and he can react at blinding speeds for short bursts. Heightened sense: His sense of hearing, sight, smell, and even taste are of an extremely heightened level. He can notice the slightest detail, pick up the faintest scents and hear the softest whisper. He can even smell and track trails of magic, hear the spells' calls, and even find the cracks and weak points in barriers. Might: He can increase his physical strength, making him much stronger. Call of the Shadow: He can pull shadows to himself and envelop himself in them and meld into them. Illusion: He can Create and cast illusions of sight and sound. While not physical, he can make nearly any image and alter entire buildings, inside and out. Transformation: By focusing his mana on himself, he is able to re-shape feathers and re-sculpt his body, though this takes time as he has to sit down and physically sculpt his new look. Though things like hair and eye color can be rather simple. Self-Healing: While meditating He can heal his body with magic, even regrow limbs though that takes much more time and requires him to burn more mana --- Short Bio: Soul had a rather precarious beginning. He has neither childhood nor a parent. He is as he has always been. He was made to serve a purpose, to act as a key to the Eldritch realm of the void. Born of neither life nor death, he is akin to a flesh golem. But also more. He is walking Paradox, he is, and he is not. A Life without a soul. But he was more aware than they thought he would be. Though before they could complete the rituals to unlock the gateway of the void, they were found out. Soon coming under assault, the cult was rooted out and destroyed. But the question of what to do with him arose. He had a will, and he had a life...he had at least a part of a soul. But more, he had potential. The mages that found him decided that he would be trained to use his abilities and use the innate manna within him. Though he had trouble casting magic, he excelled at anything he could channel into and through himself, and they only taught him limited spells. Focusing on only Shadow and Illusion. But they also taught him how to fight with nearly every weapon they could. Skills on infiltration. Seeing his innate ability to hide, even from magic. Many barriers even would let him walk through as they ignored him. He spent years in training, honing him to be the ultimate weapon. At first, he never questioned anything. The only life he knew was the life he had, and it was only half a life at that. Years passed, people came, people went. Some came back old, others he never saw again. It wasn't until someone finally asked him...if he wanted to live as a weapon. It was a simple question...one anyone would consider...but one he never had. He started to ask more questions. Like, why did he kill? Who were they? The more questions he asked. The more agitated people became towards him. The more curious he became, the more he started acting of his own will. Growing distrustful of those who told him they would take care of him, he started to listing closer to when they thought he could not hear. And heard the question of putting him down. Though he didn't let anything like that go further. When next they checked on him, he was gone. Though now that he had freedom, he had no idea what to do. So he wandered, and soon he was asked the 2nd greatest question of his life: what is your name? The half soul was the only thing anyone had ever referred to him as. That or the Gateway. Giving it much thought, He decided he would call himself Soul. And with that, he wandered once more.</s> <\|message\|>Soul Sat watching the ritual happening before him. He found the use of blood as a power source interesting, he even wondered if that is how his own magic worked. After all, while he could easily control the flow of magic in his own body he had trouble pushing forcing it out as the others seemed to do. Though also others seemed to radiate magic, while his own flowed through his veins. If she could use blood to perform magic, he also wondered what she could do with his own magic-infused blood. He believed it was something worth exploring if he was to be of more use to those around him. As time drifted on and he sat there in his own mind, he neither fidgeted nor moved. Almost looking like a statue as he kept that neutral appearance on his face. Soon though Ivy was back into their world and speaking to them. Though, she spoke in a way that confused Him. The context of the words was lost on him, and some of them he didn't quite know. Ignorance was no the bliss people kept saying it was. But the boy who seemed to have two scents made the most sense to him, not the two scents part, that kind of confused him, but a mission. A mission was a concept he understood. "I agree...having a course of action is desirable," he stated. "We must find this Grail with holes...but why do we need to Harm Ivy with plates...I do not see how hurting her with plates helps in any way. No matter how glorious said plates maybe...also why must they be plates for the use of Sushi?" He wasn't fully sure what sushi was, but he did know it was some kind of food made from fish.</s> <\|message\|>Ivy Natasha Virmire "Well," Ivy said with a shrug, "this isn't the first time Miss Muir has tried something like this. She's got a reserve of souls she's stolen over the years and uses those to maintain her mortal form. As for the Grail, I know it's somewhere in Avalon, with a bunch of old gods watching over it. Probably Celtic, but I'm not as familiar with those stories."</s> <\|message\|>Reginald BlackWell Suddenly, the Hill Top would erupt in violence. Gun shots were fired at the property, missing any students, but they were currently running for cover against the hail of bullets. Various cars had driven up to the property of Blackwell's mansion and then, men dressed in black left their vehicles and continued this vicious assault. To compound matters, after the large group of dozens arrived, the Hill Top was swallowed into another dimension, temporarily, and odd, demonic creatures began to congregate on the Estate Grounds. Tall, ghoulish albino creatures, similar to the appearance of "Slender Man', also wearing the "men in black" apparel, they seemed to have no weapon on their person, but they had murderous intent.</s> <\|message\|>Yuri Hyunjin Paris All Hell Breaks Loose There was no time to prepare, no time to react and the only thing that they could do was seek cover. The bullets ripped through the wards that protected the mansion and struck various items in the house. Yuri moved to a window and announced loudly that they were under attack. Screams of panic filled the air as those students who were unfamiliar with this sort of thing rushed to hide behind any form of barrier they could. Yuri looked to the older students, the stronger students and nodded as he made sure they were getting the other students to safety. One stray bullet ripped through Yuri's shoulder, knocking him back and to the ground, but the onslaught wasn't over. The bullets stopped and what felt like microwaves surging over them made Yuri get to his feet as quickly as possible. He clutched his injured shoulder and approached the window once more. This time the assailants had no weapons. They were somewhere he didn't recognize, and what looked to be tall slender albino ghouls began to encroach on their location. Yuri groaned as he knew the bullet had gone straight through his body and he was losing blood by the minute, but his mind quickly settled on Remy. The sigils he had put in place would keep Remy safe. The bullets would strike the window and wall but never break through. The only thing that would alert Remy would be the sound of the bullets striking but never piercing. "Lithy and you," Yuri said pointing at Adam, "get the kids to safety. I'm going to go check on Remy." Just as he turned to rush off, one of the slender creatures burst through the window and tackled him to the ground. Yuri felt it's teeth rip into his shoulder and he yelled out before his eyes shifted into a dangerous white. His hand slammed against the creature's chest and within seconds the creature was writhing on the floor in pain until it's head began to expand. The exploding head sent fluid and matter in all direction. Yuri stood to his feet, his eyes showing no emotion. His face void of any sign of pain from the bullet and bite. Yuri slammed his foot into the ground and just as another creature burst through the window, Yuri's palm thrust forward and a sigil of destruction blasted the two creatures, completely eradicating them leaving nothing but piles of smoldering bones. Yuri's divine movements looked as if he were practicing some form of martial arts with his arms lunging into various spots in the air, but when he clasped his hands together, a beaitufl spell circle appeared before everyone. Subsequently a much larger spell circle would envelope the mansion. The spell circle slammed against the door with what looked to be a timer ticking away. It was only temporary. The creatures came, touching the window and doors only to be repelled with great force. Yuri's eyes returned to their normal light brown and without warning he collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from the open wounds. He coughed and more blood coated the once clean floor. His body shook slightly from the trauma. The spell circle would keep them safe for a moment, but when it faded they would have to figure something out.</s>	<\|message\|>Soul As Soul was still confused about what they were talking about the first of the bullets came flying through the wall. He could feel a shift as the world around them changed. His first instinct was to kill, to slaughter his opposition No that voice was faint in the back of his mind. Suddenly that creature was attacking the boy with two scents, but another window came crashing as another monster came Leaping towards the group Protect them!, that voice whispered to him. As that monster lept towards them, he lept after it. As it got closer he spun, lifting up his leg as it collided with the face of that monster, the force of that kick caved in its face, its body crumpled as it reversed directions and was sent flying back out that window to skip along the ground outside. These monsters at least for now seemed mostly physically bassed. More were coming in, leaping in the next came after him. Its movements were slow, at least to soul they were, it came in with a knarled maw with rows of teeth. Before it could register though, it had crumpled down as Soul punched it, he Grabbed its head under his arm. He Tensed, with a squeeze and a jerk there was a crutch and pop. For good measure Soul walked forward bending it back and pulling ripping its head from its shoulder. As another was about to come in. It suddenly screamed and was hurling back that field launching it out. He could hear screams, the scratching of claws...he could smell blood. "more have entered the building. We must gather ourselves and prepare a counterattack." his voice was flat and calm as ever. Though his veins had a slight magical glow to them. His already athletic and toned build seemed slightly more pronounced as magic flowed through him. "I can only heal myself if any can heal others attend to him." he said as he walked over to his bag. He pulled it open, pulling out a set of swords he pulled back the belt, snapping it around his waist so they were on either side of his waist. He pulled out a large hunting knife as well. Reaching behind himself as it hooked onto his jeans. "Who will accompany me?" he asked looking to the group</s>
<\|description\|>Nuri Tajra * Age: 24 * Gender: Female * Race: Human * Rank: 6 of Swords * Appearance: A beautiful woman with bronze skin, dark brown eyes, and neck-length hair usually swept over to one side underneath a hood. Nuri has an athletic, muscular build, standing at about 5'10. Casually she wears clothes reminiscent of her southern, desert-dwelling culture, showing plenty of skin while still being practical. She has plenty of pouches and straps, even her casual clothing having leather armor on it. She's also often seen with her companion Eagle, Talun. The mark of Reon resides on her left hip, underneath where her shortsword sheathe is. On the other hip is a tattoo of three names in a script foreign to Estival. Her armor is made of form-fitting steel and red cloth. It's stylized, perhaps overtly so for more conservative tastes, but still effective and well balanced, allowing for full range of movement. As well as being plenty intimidating, as when she uses her Divine Solar Fire the red plume trailing behind her helmet is enchanted to ignite itself. * Personality: A rambunctious young fighter with a penchant for getting into a little too much trouble considering her occupation. Not exactly the picture of piousness, Nuri is fun-loving and charismatic. She's an empathetic and sociable person, who enjoys meeting new people and making friends. Outgoing, extroverted, yet down to earth and humble. She has a good sense of humor, often attempting to crack wise, and is able to poke fun at herself. Nuri has a very laid back, live and let live mentality. Nuri enjoys good drinks and good times. Nuri takes good care of her weapons and armor, if nothing else. When alone, she practices playing her lute or refining her artistic skills. Caring for Talun, a free-spirited Eagle that shows up whenever he wants, is also something she enjoys. He is not her pet, but rather a wandering companion. Usually he is close by and drops in to say hello at his pleasure. Occasionally, he'll join her on hunting trips or bring her caught rabbits. Don't let appearances decieve you, though, Nuri is as fiercely devout as any paladin of Reon. Undead will recieve her final mercy, and necromancers will be allowed one chance, and once chance only. Due to her past, slavers in particular will have a hard time escaping punishment. But when it comes to metting out justice and performing her clerical duties, Nuri is very by the book. Her duty is the one thing she takes very seriously. Slackers don't have a place among the Reonite elite. When it comes to battle, Nuri is brave yet practical, and goal-oriented with excellent leadership qualities. Usually she's able to bring the best out of her fellow adventurers both on and off the field. Nuri is a shameless thrillseeker, and wouldn't be throwing herself headlong into the most dangerous situations if she didn't get at least a kick out of it. After all, its right there in the name. "Adventurer." Not "Solemn Duty-er." If someone is in this profession and isn't having a good time, they need to re-evaluate their life choices, if you ask her. * Brief Backstory: Nuri was born in the deserts to the south, in a prosperous oasis and river city. Her mother and father loved her very much and, when Nuri wasn't in school or working, they encouraged her interests. Physical activity, playing music, learning how to draw, and learning how to fly. For a good portion of her youth Nuri was convinced she would build the worlds first flying machine. It never came to pass, but this interest transitioned into that of birds of prey. She and her brother would often go out and explore. When Nuri was 12, she and her family's home was attacked, and they were kidnapped by slavers. For three long years she toiled and suffered. One by one, she lost her family members until she was all alone. At her lowest point, she moved a while away from her captors knowing that when they found her she would be punished for trying to escape. She looked up at the sun and hoped to die from heat stroke. When she opened her eyes next, a paladin of Reon, gleaming and brilliant, towered over her. It was on that day her captors were destroyed, and it was on that day she found her freedom once again. To her there was no other option- she wanted to be a paladin. Never would she allow an injustice such as the one that came upon her befall another family. Thus she began to train. At first she was stoic, serious, hardened. She threw herself into her training to cope with her grief. But overtime she began to open up and become her fun loving self again, as her scars, physical and mental, began to heal. Her career as a paladin was a few years long, but her old wanderlust began to creep back in. Perhaps the Church is more forgiving of her antics because of her past. But she didn't want to embarass them too much either way, so she struck out and joined the Adventurers Guild to start really having some fun, do some good, and make some cash along the way. What would she do with the cash? Not sure. Keep her stuff maintained and probably give the rest away to the needy. * Equipment: Burning Longsword: Her signature weapon. Sleek, elegant, refined, infinitely lethal. Two handed, this perfectly balanced, finely made weapon can be used to great effect. On its steel are divine symbols of the sun. As if Reon herself has blessed the blade, it ignites and becomes searing hot. Hot enough to slice through steel and monsterous flesh alike. Undead particularly crumble to ash by merely standing too close. Stalwart Armor: Enchanted, well made armor of a Reonite Paladin. When hit hard enough it sparks, releasing heat and exploding outward. It's incredibly resilient, designed to tank blows when Nuri decided not to defend herself and just keep attacking. It's extremely well balanced, its weight distributed nearly perfectly among her strong body. Shortsword: A curved shortsword of more obviously southern design. A curved blade for when things get dire. * Skills: Master of the Longsword: Nuri is well-trained and well-experienced with her longsword. She has a particularly fast and offensive style. Moreover, Nuri uses ever inch of the weapon, not just the blade. She's mastered unorthodox techniques, such as grabbing the blade with one hand to guide thrusts with more power and accuracy. Sometimes she grabs the blade by both hands and swings the handle around like a hammer, allowing crushing strikes. Pommel strikes, jabs, the Longsword's versatility is on full display when wielded by Nuri. It makes her strikes all the more unpredictable. Hand to Hand: When push literally comes to shove, Nuri is no slouch. She is a master of hand to hand combat, able to restrain, strike, and incapacitate her enemies even without a sword. While out of her armor she is an agile fighter and grappler, and while it in she is more than capable of bowling her enemies over or delivering devastating wrestling moves. Courage: Nuri's mind and spirit are bolstered by heavenly resolve. She is immune to fear and heavily resistant to mind control or other mind altering effects. This courage is infectious, and her allies will be granted resistance aswell. Especially if they are closely bonded with her personally. Flameburst: Nuri gains a burst of offensive speed, leaving a trail of fire in her wake. She can even use this to run up and launch off walls. She can also use this while suffering great falls to reduce fall damage. Finally she can just run straight into someones knees to knock them over. She can even use this ability in mid-air. She can do this about three times, roughly every hour. Or every time she rests for a short while and catches her breathe. She can do it more than that but it puts strain on her body. The most she's ever done without taking a break is 6 under safe, practiced conditions. Tactical: Nuri is a tactical thinker and works well with a team, trying to account for her and her teammates strengths and weaknesses in order to achieve the most optimal outcome. Charismatic: Nuri is great with people, able to persuade, decieve, and even occasionally seduce to get what she wants in order to avoid direct conflict or just find things out. Nuri is a people person and she's easily trustable. Animal Handling: Nuri is good with animals, especially her companion Eagle Talun.</s> <\|message\|>Corinne Julienne Delphine de Tiffauges Corinne and Liliane Was this stone wall always here and someone had built a monastery underground or had the entire construction been sealed in stone at some point? Well... Liliane couldn't say that it mattered too much, it wasn't likely whoever or whatever could bring that much rock to bear was going to do so again whilst they were exploring the place. Both gods and ancient archmages had better things to do with their time. Corinne, for her part, was determined to prove that she would be useful and already chanting a surprisingly complicated spell, which first let up the gems on her staff but then migrated the pair of lights to above her, casting a warm, pleasing glow close to, but not quite, unlike sunlight. Something definitely better for seeing what they were doing than firelight, that was for sure. @Darner@Crimson Paladin@Zoey Boey@Pyromania99</s> <\|message\|>Nefrena Iseueret ~Neffy~ --- Perhaps it was because Nem built their temples underground, Neffy herself found nothing out of the ordinary about the structure being potentially built as such. The thought did cross her mind that the Juyuem don't normally build things like this, but her thoughts soon turned to undead and the potential bad things that might be living in some abandoned, underground temple. And of course, this made the Nem stick to the back of the group initially. "...dark..." Neffy inhaled slightly. Well, Corrine set about creating some sort of mage light but Neffy couldn't help but to want the darkness. Better cover, less chance of being seen. She could see more or less...well enough. All she had to do was listen and make certain she wasn't going to bump into anything. "...should I scout ahead for anything?" Neffy questioned the group quietly.</s> <\|message\|>Léon Reverdin Léon Reverdin I really should remember to ask more questions about a job before accepting, because I did not anticipate this, Léon thought as he gazed through his helmet at the rock wall before him. From the job description, Léon had assumed that it meant they'd be be excavating around old stonework jutting out of the ground deep in the woods. As he looked at the cliff face, it dawned upon him just how inaccurate his impression of this job had been. Instead, the monastery had somehow ended up completely underground, something quite bewildering to Léon. He didn't think that the church would build a holy place underground where it'd be cut off from the sun and moon, so how did something like this end up down there? Perhaps a sinking foundation and centuries upon centuries worth of built-up forest detritus could push the ruin underground, but would it really sink so far as to be accessed by a hole in a rock wall? If this was from Orodrunn's time, it may very well have been magic that buried this place. If the entire monastery was buried in a cavern, this meant it and the relics with could be much more well-preserved than if it had been half-buried on the surface, but it also meant a lot more dangers. Aside from the risk of cave-ins, there was always a chance that some left-over vestige of Orodrunn's evil could have survived within. Léon couldn't help but feel reluctant to enter the cave. "If you want to lead the way, I'm fine with that," he replied to Neffy, "But it might be best if you don't get too far from the rest of the group, we don't know what's in there and we certainly don't want anyone to get separated in there." As a healer, Léon believed that prevention was the best medicine, but as a rather cautious adventurer, however, he was appreciative that someone else was willing to go first into that ominous cave. "Now, I don't know how much all of you know about the background history of this place," he spoke to the rest of the group, "So for those of you who don't know, here's some background about this place. Long, long ago, Orodrunn was a divine servant of the Dark Lord Hidroroth. When his master was slain, Orodrunn took up the mantle of Dark Lord, rallied the remnants of Hidroroth's forces, and began his own dark crusade sought to subjugate the world and all who lived within it. Nations stood united against him, but his divine power was far too great to be stopped by mere mortal armies. When all seemed lost, the twin goddesses intervened, empowering their champion, the knight now known as Saint Lilianna, with the strength to shatter Orodrunn's black sword and strike him down. It was some time during this conflict that this monastery was lost. If it's been underground all this time, that'd explain why it took so long for it to be rediscovered." "As for what's inside, I can't be sure," he continued. "It might be empty, inhabited by nothing more than spiders and bats, but I suppose there's always some possibility that some remnant of Orodrunn's evil from that time might survived within. I'd humbly suggest that we tread with care." @Raineh Daze@Darner@Pyromania99@Zoey Boey</s>	<\|message\|>Nuri Tajra "That's right," Nuri had said alongside Leon, to assuade the fears of her companions. "Undead are no issue. I eat zombies for breakfast." "I'll go retrieve my armor and get suited. Let's get this show on the road." --- Nuri was fully decked out in her Paladin armor. Red fabric and grey steel, a crimson plume trailing behind her helm. She had pulled up the visor of her helm, so her face was fully visible. At her side was a sheathed long sword. As the group approached the sunken cathedral she had gotten ontop of it, climbed all around, kicking at loose rocks. "Looks like we're going underground." Nuri said with a shrug. She squinted up at the sky. Distantly, an eagle circled. That was Talun, following, for now. He came and went as he pleased. Nuri approached the entrance of the cavern as Leon told his story about the lore of this place. She glanced over at Neffy and smiled. "That's very brave. But I think it's best we stick together, for now. Come- I'll lead the way." The Reonite indicated for Corinne to stay in the middle of the pack where she'd be safest, and everyone could make use of her light. In her mind, there was no reason to be sneaky, here. They were heading into an abandoned church. Looters would be scared off, zombies could be destroyed, and beasts would probably already have smelled them coming. Sending in a couple of tiny little fairies alone, in the dark, only seemed like a bad idea. For Nuri's part, she unsheathed her elegant, lethal longsword. She ran a hand along it, like it was tinder and her palm was flint. With a quick sparking motion, the sword began to emit a warm glow. With that the Paladin began to head inside the dark cave.</s>
<\|description\|>Nuri Tajra * Age: 24 * Gender: Female * Race: Human * Rank: 6 of Swords * Appearance: A beautiful woman with bronze skin, dark brown eyes, and neck-length hair usually swept over to one side underneath a hood. Nuri has an athletic, muscular build, standing at about 5'10. Casually she wears clothes reminiscent of her southern, desert-dwelling culture, showing plenty of skin while still being practical. She has plenty of pouches and straps, even her casual clothing having leather armor on it. She's also often seen with her companion Eagle, Talun. The mark of Reon resides on her left hip, underneath where her shortsword sheathe is. On the other hip is a tattoo of three names in a script foreign to Estival. Her armor is made of form-fitting steel and red cloth. It's stylized, perhaps overtly so for more conservative tastes, but still effective and well balanced, allowing for full range of movement. As well as being plenty intimidating, as when she uses her Divine Solar Fire the red plume trailing behind her helmet is enchanted to ignite itself. * Personality: A rambunctious young fighter with a penchant for getting into a little too much trouble considering her occupation. Not exactly the picture of piousness, Nuri is fun-loving and charismatic. She's an empathetic and sociable person, who enjoys meeting new people and making friends. Outgoing, extroverted, yet down to earth and humble. She has a good sense of humor, often attempting to crack wise, and is able to poke fun at herself. Nuri has a very laid back, live and let live mentality. Nuri enjoys good drinks and good times. Nuri takes good care of her weapons and armor, if nothing else. When alone, she practices playing her lute or refining her artistic skills. Caring for Talun, a free-spirited Eagle that shows up whenever he wants, is also something she enjoys. He is not her pet, but rather a wandering companion. Usually he is close by and drops in to say hello at his pleasure. Occasionally, he'll join her on hunting trips or bring her caught rabbits. Don't let appearances decieve you, though, Nuri is as fiercely devout as any paladin of Reon. Undead will recieve her final mercy, and necromancers will be allowed one chance, and once chance only. Due to her past, slavers in particular will have a hard time escaping punishment. But when it comes to metting out justice and performing her clerical duties, Nuri is very by the book. Her duty is the one thing she takes very seriously. Slackers don't have a place among the Reonite elite. When it comes to battle, Nuri is brave yet practical, and goal-oriented with excellent leadership qualities. Usually she's able to bring the best out of her fellow adventurers both on and off the field. Nuri is a shameless thrillseeker, and wouldn't be throwing herself headlong into the most dangerous situations if she didn't get at least a kick out of it. After all, its right there in the name. "Adventurer." Not "Solemn Duty-er." If someone is in this profession and isn't having a good time, they need to re-evaluate their life choices, if you ask her. * Brief Backstory: Nuri was born in the deserts to the south, in a prosperous oasis and river city. Her mother and father loved her very much and, when Nuri wasn't in school or working, they encouraged her interests. Physical activity, playing music, learning how to draw, and learning how to fly. For a good portion of her youth Nuri was convinced she would build the worlds first flying machine. It never came to pass, but this interest transitioned into that of birds of prey. She and her brother would often go out and explore. When Nuri was 12, she and her family's home was attacked, and they were kidnapped by slavers. For three long years she toiled and suffered. One by one, she lost her family members until she was all alone. At her lowest point, she moved a while away from her captors knowing that when they found her she would be punished for trying to escape. She looked up at the sun and hoped to die from heat stroke. When she opened her eyes next, a paladin of Reon, gleaming and brilliant, towered over her. It was on that day her captors were destroyed, and it was on that day she found her freedom once again. To her there was no other option- she wanted to be a paladin. Never would she allow an injustice such as the one that came upon her befall another family. Thus she began to train. At first she was stoic, serious, hardened. She threw herself into her training to cope with her grief. But overtime she began to open up and become her fun loving self again, as her scars, physical and mental, began to heal. Her career as a paladin was a few years long, but her old wanderlust began to creep back in. Perhaps the Church is more forgiving of her antics because of her past. But she didn't want to embarass them too much either way, so she struck out and joined the Adventurers Guild to start really having some fun, do some good, and make some cash along the way. What would she do with the cash? Not sure. Keep her stuff maintained and probably give the rest away to the needy. * Equipment: Burning Longsword: Her signature weapon. Sleek, elegant, refined, infinitely lethal. Two handed, this perfectly balanced, finely made weapon can be used to great effect. On its steel are divine symbols of the sun. As if Reon herself has blessed the blade, it ignites and becomes searing hot. Hot enough to slice through steel and monsterous flesh alike. Undead particularly crumble to ash by merely standing too close. Stalwart Armor: Enchanted, well made armor of a Reonite Paladin. When hit hard enough it sparks, releasing heat and exploding outward. It's incredibly resilient, designed to tank blows when Nuri decided not to defend herself and just keep attacking. It's extremely well balanced, its weight distributed nearly perfectly among her strong body. Shortsword: A curved shortsword of more obviously southern design. A curved blade for when things get dire. * Skills: Master of the Longsword: Nuri is well-trained and well-experienced with her longsword. She has a particularly fast and offensive style. Moreover, Nuri uses ever inch of the weapon, not just the blade. She's mastered unorthodox techniques, such as grabbing the blade with one hand to guide thrusts with more power and accuracy. Sometimes she grabs the blade by both hands and swings the handle around like a hammer, allowing crushing strikes. Pommel strikes, jabs, the Longsword's versatility is on full display when wielded by Nuri. It makes her strikes all the more unpredictable. Hand to Hand: When push literally comes to shove, Nuri is no slouch. She is a master of hand to hand combat, able to restrain, strike, and incapacitate her enemies even without a sword. While out of her armor she is an agile fighter and grappler, and while it in she is more than capable of bowling her enemies over or delivering devastating wrestling moves. Courage: Nuri's mind and spirit are bolstered by heavenly resolve. She is immune to fear and heavily resistant to mind control or other mind altering effects. This courage is infectious, and her allies will be granted resistance aswell. Especially if they are closely bonded with her personally. Flameburst: Nuri gains a burst of offensive speed, leaving a trail of fire in her wake. She can even use this to run up and launch off walls. She can also use this while suffering great falls to reduce fall damage. Finally she can just run straight into someones knees to knock them over. She can even use this ability in mid-air. She can do this about three times, roughly every hour. Or every time she rests for a short while and catches her breathe. She can do it more than that but it puts strain on her body. The most she's ever done without taking a break is 6 under safe, practiced conditions. Tactical: Nuri is a tactical thinker and works well with a team, trying to account for her and her teammates strengths and weaknesses in order to achieve the most optimal outcome. Charismatic: Nuri is great with people, able to persuade, decieve, and even occasionally seduce to get what she wants in order to avoid direct conflict or just find things out. Nuri is a people person and she's easily trustable. Animal Handling: Nuri is good with animals, especially her companion Eagle Talun.</s> <\|message\|>Nefrena Iseueret Neffy --- If it was possible for her to spare a moment to berate Trina for flying off, she would have. Instead though, she'd have to contend with the goblins running towards them! She'd briefly wonder why they seemingly had been running this way. Were they running from something? Or had it just been happenstance that they were leaving when they were entering? She hadn't seen any scouts or the like that would have alerted them... "Trina! Careful! Go-Go...Green skins!" She'd shout to her fairy friend and the others present. Neffy would immediately draw her sword. "Surrounding us!" Oh dear oh dear oh dear she wasn't suited to fighting directly like this. Why was she in the front again? Oh right, that Fairy. She was really going to scold her after this. The Nem would make a movement to channel magic through her blade, lining the edge of it with a fast current of water before doing as she had done before and launching a watery blade at the goblins, not wanting to get too close. If she could find a way to slip through while the others were engaged, though...she'd just have to look for an opening.</s> <\|message\|>Corinne Julienne Delphine de Tiffauges At the sound of advancing feet... and not bones, feet, Liliane's ears perked up, both daggers being drawn effortlessly in one hand as the other went to the satchel. Goblins, goblins... ah, there, one of the more painful necrotising toxins. Goblins weren't exactly the bravest, and extra agonising wounds were sure to send them scurrying even if she missed some sort of lethal blow. With their medical skill, there was a good chance infection would catch up too, even if they fled the entire area. The dark oil seeped lethargically onto the blades and then, as if caught in a rush, seemed to be sucked out of the vial and into a thin film. Of course, she couldn't just recklessly dance through them, administering injuries left and right. That would leave Corinne exposed. But one of the encircling goblins, getting too close for the Hundi's liking, found just how fast the short girl could dart forwards and backwards, a long, burning slice down one of its arms. Predictably, chattering in its horrible tongue, that one scarpered--whether to the back of the crowd or entirely, she didn't care. Goblins elicited none of the fear in the mage that undead did. Nervous apprehension, certainly, but already she was levelling the staff right towards their myst, scintillating light gathering as her chant built up...</s> <\|message\|>Léon Reverdin Léon Reverdin Léon took a step back as the goblins poured into view. He was slightly relieved that they were facing a mundane foe rather than something unnatural or supernatural, but goblins could still pose a serious threat in large numbers and in confined spaces. This wouldn't be the time he had fought their kind, but he had never done it on their own turf before. On the other hand, this was his turf as well. And he wasn't going to let these monsters desecrate this place any further. From their movements, it looked like the goblins wanted to swarm them and make use of their superior numbers. Léon wasn't going to let that happen, and was determined to disrupt these little fiends before they could get into position. The cleric drew his scepter and began to channel Mayon's power. Mayon, Goddess of the Moon, lend me the power to strike down those that desecrate your holy place, he silently prayed before unleashing his spell. A torrent of water shot out from the front of the cleric's scepter, aimed at the goblins emerging from the darkness. It wouldn't kill the goblins, but it would likely strike with enough force to knock them off their feet and prevent them from supporting their fellows in the battle, thus keeping the group from having to fight too many of them at once. It might make fire magic a bit less effective on them, but surely neither Nuri nor Corrine would risk setting this place on fire.</s>	<\|message\|>Nuri Tajra Nuri caught 'Chatters' in her hand and destroyed him, finally putting the poor skeleton to rest. It was important to not let evil sentience like that fester. Nuri regarded Lilliane. "Mmm. No such thing as consecrated ground, though it is a helpful myth. A place is only as holy as the worship that goes with in. Without people, churches are just empty boxes." She gestured around. "Thus, a skeleton problem." The paladin said. At least, this was her belief. Nuri wasn't sure how much she bought into 'holy ground' and 'holy relics', not really. Absolutely, she could appreciate the artisanship, but she doubted the Goddesses really cared about mortal trinkets. That wasn't what mattered. The short people went ahead to scout, and, from what she heard, were immediately discovered by goblins. Or at least, they discovered each other at the same time. Now the squishier members of the group were upfront. Nuri still wasn't sure exactly what the point of his strategy was. Coins were supposed to go around the flanks, or at least report back with numbers. So far they only wanted to simply walk forward until they encounter enemies. Nuri could do that. Anyone could do that. "Goblins." Nuri held the handle of her sword in one hand, and the blade of it in the other as she jogged quickly forward to meet the borderline sapient life-forms in combat. Goblins were more like a dangerous pest than a race of people. Though sometimes Nuri wondered if one could be raised as a pet, or even a companion. The thought was both amusing and heart warming. Unfortunately, no such peace-makings would be avaliable today, the goblins were hungry. Nuri advanced past her teammates. They were either light or slower than she was. Casting or preparing to cast ranged water spells. Corinne began to dance in and out of their range. This meant it was Nuri's time to step up and be the frontline her teammates could operate around. All of their support would be for nought if the goblins simply swarmed them all at once. "All right, let's dance, you little bastards." The knight approached them all, levelling her sword at the nearest goblins defensively. When one neared too close, she sliced off its arm with a swift strike. At the same time, she took a step forward, reversing her grip and forcing yet more of the goblings back. Sweeping her sword at their neck height, she intended to ward them off and attact their attention, focusing on parrying their strikes and letting hampered blows glance off her armor.</s>
<\|description\|>Jennifer Harrick Image Age: 27 Gender: Female Height: 5'5 Weight: 8st 3lbs Ethnicity: Black British Sexual Orientation: Lesbian Religion: None Occupation: Secondary School Teacher Ability: Shapeshifting In theory, Jennifer can turn into anything she likes. In practice, it's a bit trickier. While she can change what she's made of and how it's arranged, she can't create more matter, so if she wanted to be a giant, she'd be a hollow one. Outside of a few one-offs she hasn't managed to repeat, she can turn her whole body into a single materiel and reshape that, or go back to her human form. Background: Jennifer wouldn't describe her life as anything particularly special. Born and raised in London in a flat that used to be a council estate, she went to school, then to a university that used to be a college, worked at Tesco in between and eventually got a job teaching science at her former secondary school. Being black wasn't a big deal either. Her parents had been born in England (Though their parents were from the West Indies and Caribbean), and the racist groups had by-and-large moved on to targeting Eastern-Europeans. She got teased far more for wanting to kiss girls, and other than being stopped-and-searched by the police more often than average, she wouldn't have thought her race made a big difference. Sure it was there, but it's London. Even the minorities have massive numbers. The first time it really mattered, it probably saved her life. Jennifer had picked quite possibly the worst place to be when the storm happened - On a plane somewhere between New York and Las Vegas. She'd been looking forward to the holiday, watching an in-flight movie when the emergency lights came on. The flight attendants asked everyone to secure their seatbelts, there was talk of turbulence and an emergency landing, the rain hammered the windows as the plane shook and lurched, and then everything went white. Looking back, Jennifer decided her powers must have activated and saved her. If the energy storm is what caused them, then being at the centre of one would have switched them on, right? Maybe she turned into air and was blown about? It's not like she remembers anything about what came next. Just delerious impressions and dizzy sequences that just as easily might have been a dream. She remembers waking up in what she would later realise was probably a tent-hospital set up at one of the storm sites, panicking at something and fleeing. She dreamed she was a cactus, but maybe it wasn't a dream and she'd been photosynthesizing and preserving water? When she could think clearly again, Jennifer had found her way to SanFran with only a ragged sheet. She tried to get help from a cop, who drew his gun and yelled at her to stay back, then fired. Jennifer thought she was dead, closing her eyes and screaming. She felt the bullets hit, thought she must be blocking out the pain, but a few seconds passed and it still didn't arrive. When she opened her eyes, the cop fired again. This time she saw the bullets ricochet off her metal body. Both people fled from each other in opposite directions, at some point Jennifer realised she was flesh-and-blood again. She hid in the storm-ruins, which had already been picked clean but were private enough for her to practice in, and eventually find some things to wear. A few days later, she was confident and, if not presentable, at least a lot moreso than she had been. Now she just had to somehow get home with no money, no ID, no passport, no idea if they'd even let her on a plane...</s> <\|message\|>Amalia Mendoza Amalia sat on her old brown rolling chair in front of her white sewing machine. The needle had just broken inside of the denim jacket which Amalia had been trying to sew for what felt like ages now. Her sewing machine was not quite powerful enough to get through the beautiful, but thick, blue fabric. "Why does denim have to be in style right now?" She felt defeated, a feeling she was becoming all too familiar with. The one bedroom apartment had every light on, with every window open. This nice apartment in San Francisco cost her more than half of her monthly income the remaining amount always went to fabric and rarely food or other necessities. Amalia was living the starving artist life, even before the energy storm which, despite the new abilities she possessed, made her even more desperate for anything to be less of a struggle. She just wanted life to be simple again, happy. Amalia could draw herself a new needle for her sewing machine, the needles were getting stronger and stronger as she manifested them off the white sketchbook. In return with each drawing she felt herself growing. Often she wondered if she wasn't doing enough with her power. What more could she do? Could she cause as much pain and destruction as others with new abilities? The more Amalia thought about the bigger things she could do one day the more she wanted to scream. Overwhelmed. Scared. She felt it all, she just wanted a simple life. Yet she was here in this one bedroom apartment, away from both her New York and Philippines home with looming despair hanging over her. One would think Amalia wouldn't turn on the news, however, she turned on her phone to listen to the President's broadcast. "A blood test, huh? So they can track us? Or will they throw us away as soon as they know?" Amalia wondered out loud, "What freedoms could they be taking from us?" Amalia flipped through a few more videos on her phone. She was trying to steer away from radicals, like the Benny Stein or Reaper. Both of them leaned so far right or so far left that it made Amalia's head spin. There were few things she truly enjoyed right now. Amalia had very few close friends in the city, but she always enjoyed the company of the few she had, in particular Simon Hart. The other thing that made the days less dreadful and filled with anxiety was giving back to those who lost everything in the storm. Amalia found that her new power could be used for some good, which should earn her bonus points with the purging of the enhanced humans came, right? Amalia pushed off her rolling chair and walked over to a second table in her living room which had her sketch books and ideas on it. She started drawing all kinds of food items. Burgers, fries, salad, cupcakes, and her personal favorite, danishes. When she first discovered that she could save money by drawing food the food items she drew up were god awful. They were real, the right size, and the right color when she manifested them, but they tasted worse then cardboard, flavored with pepper. After a lot of practice, and gaining a few pounds she swore she would work off, the food had become exceptional. Amalia wished she could feed more FEMA camps and homeless shelters in San Fran and more often, but making enough food for one camp already took a toll on her. She could already feel the migraine coming and if she wasn't careful the eternal nosebleed would start. (At least she called it eternal, really it just lasted longer than she would like). After she finished up drawing enough food she grabbed some containers that she drew up the previous day along with some bags and headed out the door. Amalia did not have a car but did have a cute smile that would catch her neighbors attention, Dallyn, who did have a car. Yes, she was using him. The idea of having a single, down on her luck, lonely girl like Amalia in his bed was enough to make him drop anything he was doing and help her. She had wished Dallyn would help out of the goodness of his heart, but, beggars can't be choosers, now can they? With a knock on the door and smile to Dallyn he drove her right outside of the city to a FEMA camp. This was the first time Amalia had been out to this particular camp so nobody really knew her or what she was doing. When she first showed up at the other camps people took her food with caution and ate small bites, worried that she was someone trying to eliminate the population or potential enhanced humans. However after making small talk and showing a bit of kindness they usually warmed up to her. Amalia started passing out the food to the people at the camp. She saw a cute little girl with wide green eyes staring up at her and her heart melted. She remembered how her cousins and her used to up to her grandmother waiting to be served delicious baked treats, fresh from the oven, after school. Amalia felt a bit of a bitter sweet emotion run through her as she made sure the little girl walked away with her own personal favorite, the danish.</s> <\|message\|>Simon Adam Hart San Francisco, California - Dark Ideas (Psychic Readings & Enlightenment) Money meant a lot to Simon Hart. It was the difference between his childhood and where he stood now. Of course, many had tried to have him believe things like "money isn't everything" or "you should find joy in what you do and money will follow". He mostly attributed these teachings to bullshit. Simon Hart had seen what it was like to be poor in San Francisco, hell, he'd lived it and there was no joy to be found in crawling through the slums to afford a sandwich at the corner store. Money was everything and if he intended to stay on top of the game, he'd need to keep his audience. The problem with Simon Hart was that he couldn't ever just... stay on one venture. It had started with petty theft (which had quickly grown boring) and it had escalated into dealings with money launderers. He didn't consider himself a criminal, not really, just someone very familiar with criminals. Sure, he'd hacked a few things, transferred a couple hundred dollars into his own accounts, lobster-trapped a few ATM cards- sure, but he wasn't a criminal. Personally he thought that "criminal" was a very dirty word to describe someone with. He liked to consider himself an... entrepreneur. He was constantly scheming and planning and cooking up new ideas all in the pursuit of gaining money. He was good at it too, absolutely fucking great at it. It wasn't criminal to have a talent, was it? It wasn't criminal to be good at something. After his divorce with Erin, he had fallen into a slump, a dark, dark pit where he had thought he was doomed to stay. She had moved on, started dating some blond guy and taken their cat and he was just stuck. He had remained stuck for nearly four months and it had taken a lot of work on the behalf of Amalia Mendoza to even get him moving again. Once he did start moving though, he'd fallen into his latest scheme and that was Dark Ideas. Dark Ideas was nothing special, a shitty little storefront he'd purchased on a whim but he'd turned it into a home of sorts. A ridiculous, terrible little home. The bulk of his business was rich, old white ladies and edgy people with tattoos. He kind of liked it that way. He didn't know if he would stick to this gig forever but for now it was amusing. Mostly it was amusing how people just ate up whatever faux-prophetic nonsense he spat. He had gotten pretty good at cold-reading but it was still no exact science, every so often he'd fumble a name or a guess and he'd spend the next few minutes trying to recover his image. Sometimes people would cut the session short and demand a refund when he fumbled, sometimes they'd threaten him. He was learning to roll with the punches (sometimes literally). Between running his business and counting his money, he hardly had time to worry about what was going on around the city. Heroes and angry government officials, it's not my business. He thought, watching the broadcast on his phone. There was always down time at Dark Ideas, quiet intervals where he could gather his thoughts or catch up with the news. More and more of this hate-mongering, on both sides. He thought grimly, deciding to stop while he was ahead. "Dangerous" this, "dangerous" that, if I could actually read the future then I'd be rolling in it. Wonder if one of those bastards is looking for a job.</s>	<\|message\|>Jennifer Harrick An hour or so after Amalia saw the cute little girl leave, she sees her return. This time she's holding hands with Jennifer, leading a group of kids. "OK kids, line up nicely, no pushing now. Liam, do I have to make you stand at the back? Remember to say please and thank you." she calls out to the class, keeping the kids as orderly as any group of kids expecting treats can be. Only when the whole class has something does she take a salad for herself, eating quickly but taking time to properly enjoy each large mouthful. "Oh my god, this is amazing. I don't think I've had a lettuce that crunches since this whole mess started. Seriously, thank you, you're the best." she tells Amalia, shaking her hand and standing nearby to chat while watching the class and sometimes interrupting the conversation to deal with some rough play or nip an argument in the bud.</s>
<\|description\|>Devan Joseph Flores So I'm swinging like a fist fight, concrete colored basement, alright, alright. Let's keep this clean, as clean as you like. It probably won't get easier, just easier to hide. \| All this time I've been lied to. You're always in between, I go too far. You know I got the anger of a burning sun, say hold up just a minute, don't burn me now. AGE 28 GENDER Male APPEARANCE 5'7" - 145 lbs - Brown Hair - Blue Eyes Devan is built compact and short, he only stands in around five foot seven inches although he looks a bit shorter upon first glance. His build is wiry with muscle and he is very lean, he can easily be compared to a dancer in frame. He has broad shoulders and a broad chest although this is somewhat due to how compact his muscular distribution is. His skin tone is olive and spotted with dark freckles that are evenly scattered across his body. His fingertips are usually blackened with rot, his nails are almost always cracked. He tends to keep his hands wrapped in gauze as a result of this. His hair is often kept just a bit too long and it tends to be somewhat messy. He almost never seems to keep his hair brushed and as a result it winds up hanging across his forehead and nose. He has a pretty face with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline, his eyes are heavy-lidded and a very light blue in shade. He has a full mouth that's often down-turned and somewhat somber. ETHNICITY Latino SEXUAL ORIENTATION Bisexual RELIGION Agnostic OCCUPATION EMT ABILITY Necrosis Inducement: The ability to cause the rapid decay of organic matter, this ability has little effect on inorganic matter and has the unfortunate side effect of backfiring on Devan's own skin. BACKSTORY Devan was born the youngest of three children to a frankly somewhat impoverished family, his mother was quite kind and doting while his father was distant and sometimes hard to get along with. He grew up strong and he grew up smart, a hard-working young man with a desire to help people or... at least be involved in helping people. While his problems with his father sometimes held him back or made him reluctant to pursue certain things, he managed to push on despite this. It could be said that Devan was angry in some ways, that he tended to lash out at people he cared about but it couldn't be said that he wasn't trying. Whatever internal crisis he was dealing with as a result of his shaky upbringing came second to his pursuit of a career where he was hands-on with those around him. He was a good fit for his chosen path as an EMT, taking to it with ease and helping provide for his mother and siblings. Things looked fine until the Energy Storm swept through the United States, it was quite worrisome when he was struck ill. It was even more worrisome when his powers began to develop, surprising him with the cruelty of what they could reap.</s> <\|message\|>Simon Adam Hart San Francisco, California - Dark Ideas (Psychic Readings & Enlightenment) Money meant a lot to Simon Hart. It was the difference between his childhood and where he stood now. Of course, many had tried to have him believe things like "money isn't everything" or "you should find joy in what you do and money will follow". He mostly attributed these teachings to bullshit. Simon Hart had seen what it was like to be poor in San Francisco, hell, he'd lived it and there was no joy to be found in crawling through the slums to afford a sandwich at the corner store. Money was everything and if he intended to stay on top of the game, he'd need to keep his audience. The problem with Simon Hart was that he couldn't ever just... stay on one venture. It had started with petty theft (which had quickly grown boring) and it had escalated into dealings with money launderers. He didn't consider himself a criminal, not really, just someone very familiar with criminals. Sure, he'd hacked a few things, transferred a couple hundred dollars into his own accounts, lobster-trapped a few ATM cards- sure, but he wasn't a criminal. Personally he thought that "criminal" was a very dirty word to describe someone with. He liked to consider himself an... entrepreneur. He was constantly scheming and planning and cooking up new ideas all in the pursuit of gaining money. He was good at it too, absolutely fucking great at it. It wasn't criminal to have a talent, was it? It wasn't criminal to be good at something. After his divorce with Erin, he had fallen into a slump, a dark, dark pit where he had thought he was doomed to stay. She had moved on, started dating some blond guy and taken their cat and he was just stuck. He had remained stuck for nearly four months and it had taken a lot of work on the behalf of Amalia Mendoza to even get him moving again. Once he did start moving though, he'd fallen into his latest scheme and that was Dark Ideas. Dark Ideas was nothing special, a shitty little storefront he'd purchased on a whim but he'd turned it into a home of sorts. A ridiculous, terrible little home. The bulk of his business was rich, old white ladies and edgy people with tattoos. He kind of liked it that way. He didn't know if he would stick to this gig forever but for now it was amusing. Mostly it was amusing how people just ate up whatever faux-prophetic nonsense he spat. He had gotten pretty good at cold-reading but it was still no exact science, every so often he'd fumble a name or a guess and he'd spend the next few minutes trying to recover his image. Sometimes people would cut the session short and demand a refund when he fumbled, sometimes they'd threaten him. He was learning to roll with the punches (sometimes literally). Between running his business and counting his money, he hardly had time to worry about what was going on around the city. Heroes and angry government officials, it's not my business. He thought, watching the broadcast on his phone. There was always down time at Dark Ideas, quiet intervals where he could gather his thoughts or catch up with the news. More and more of this hate-mongering, on both sides. He thought grimly, deciding to stop while he was ahead. "Dangerous" this, "dangerous" that, if I could actually read the future then I'd be rolling in it. Wonder if one of those bastards is looking for a job.</s> <\|message\|>Jennifer Harrick An hour or so after Amalia saw the cute little girl leave, she sees her return. This time she's holding hands with Jennifer, leading a group of kids. "OK kids, line up nicely, no pushing now. Liam, do I have to make you stand at the back? Remember to say please and thank you." she calls out to the class, keeping the kids as orderly as any group of kids expecting treats can be. Only when the whole class has something does she take a salad for herself, eating quickly but taking time to properly enjoy each large mouthful. "Oh my god, this is amazing. I don't think I've had a lettuce that crunches since this whole mess started. Seriously, thank you, you're the best." she tells Amalia, shaking her hand and standing nearby to chat while watching the class and sometimes interrupting the conversation to deal with some rough play or nip an argument in the bud.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis "Lady Luck" Ben'Ghazad "Jackpot! AGAIN! Unbelievable!" followed by the sounds of dozen slot machines ringing and indistinct shouts of glee from the would winners. Little did they knew what actually happened. Minutes later casino workers and guards stepped in to calm the crowds that gathered and kindly ask them to leave the casino while they figure out the issue with the machinery. Of course, they couldn't. Nothing was wrong with them, it was just luck. Pure luck that everything matched at the same time. Or in Alexis's case, bad luck. It wasn't the first time she played at this casino and it wasn't the first time her powers backfired on her. She meant only to increase her luck tenfold but instead, she increased it for everyone around her just for a few seconds. Enough to make everyone a would-be winner. Sooner or later, someone figures out what these "accident" happen only when she's in the room and she gets banned. Most people simply believing luck is just being a fairytale and with no evidence that she's using powers, it made her hard to catch but easy to be called a cheater of sorts. Hours later, Alexis was in her apartment counting the night's winnings. A bit over 2000$ in cash. A weak night for her but ever since she got her powers, she was living better than ever. No more house sharing, no more drunk idiots that need their asses kicked, no more squatting. Soon after she got her powers and understood what they were she went on to make money at the biggest casino Vegas had. She made a quarter million by the time she was asked to enjoy the rest of the night at a different casino. Everyone can win at the casino but in the end, the house will always wins. Not against her. Turning on the TV, she sees the President's speech and only uttered one word : " F*CK! ". That meant one thing for her. Soon casino's would have the blood test to be done mandatory before going in. She'd be thrown out before even setting foot inside. As she was thinking about the speech, a few notifications on her phone broke her concentration. Looking at them, she received an update on the Reaper. Alexis has been following him on all social media (under fake names) since he came out. A Super that advocates rebellion against the government. While not interested in the ideology behind him, she knew one thing for sure. At one point, the government will crackdown on everyone with powers due to people like the Reaper. People like Alexis would be hard to be targeted as they're powers aren't obvious and then you add to the mix those with a bit of training, those that are streewise. People exactly not like her sister. She stopped and stared at the TV screen and realized that it was the first time since Nafisa's and her 18th birthday that she even remotely thought about her family. What if Nafisa got powers as well? What if she's going to go submit herself to the goverment? She always followed the rules, she always followed whatever mom and dad said. That line of thinking got her remembering all the fights, all the scoldings, all the speeches that her dad made telling her to be more like Nafisa. Everything that made her promise to never return home but with the threat of the blood tests and the idea that Nafisa might be an Altered Human...she made her mind. Doing the one thing she promised never to do. Go back home. Back to San Francisco.</s>	<\|message\|>Devan Joseph Flores San Francisco, California - Cafe "...I think a better name is Enhanced, because that's what we are. We are great, we are powerful, we are ultimate!" Well, he's not wrong, is he? He watched the broadcast with an ear bud in, brow furrowed over his phone. What Reaper was doing was risky, dangerous, absolutely suicidal but he kind of understood it. Sometimes it took someone kind of suicidal to get a point across, an impassioned speech here and there was nothing compared to what people without powers were doing to them. He didn't agree with all of Reaper's points, which was often the problem with radicals, but he agreed with most of his points. They weren't Altered, they were better. "...soon all who are like me will hear my call & together America shall fall." He took a sip of his coffee, shaking his head and clicking out of the video. He had been lucky, compared to some others. No one had suspected him of gaining a power which suited him fine because he preferred to keep his head down. He had never had any grandiose desire to be a hero, there was little part of Devan that genuinely cared to save anyone. He liked to monitor people, watch them closely, but that was more out of a desire for control than a desire to see them thrive. The tragedy in Chicago had very little effect over him personally, although, unlike Reaper, he would not say he preferred that more death had come of it. No, he thought as he scrolled through Twitter, looking at the shock and alarm over the broadcast. There's something to be said about subtlety. Reaper was not subtle in any way but his continued ability to conceal his identity. That was the other issue Devan had with him but these were things that could easily be rectified. Too bad he didn't know the guy. He wasn't even sure that he would want to know him, seemed like a lot of trouble. More trouble than it was worth. However, if there were an uprising of the Enhanced, he wasn't going to sit aside idly while they struck. Another sip of his coffee and he could feel the tips of his fingers burning. He exhaled through his nose and adjusted the bandages on his hands. However, maybe being "Advanced" wasn't all it was cracked up to be.</s>
<\|description\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Dolly Rceznik - iris Natalie "NatJack" Jackson - soybean Dr. Preston Nichols - coffee - Head of the Neurological Research Division at Companion Biotech John Jacob - host of American Morning Joseph Anderson Dr. Lakshmi Gupta - Founding Director of Companion Biotech Linda Grunewald Candace Smith Libby Willis</s> <\|message\|>Ryker Burke [ --- "I um, I'm fine, really... " Dani stammered quietly. Ryker blinked, so it was her that he heard a moment ago. He glanced over to her mother "Oh, just a case of heat exhaustion. A little bit of water and some shade and she'll be right as rain," He glanced back at Dani, he had seen...felt... heat exhaustion before. It wasn't that. It was something else. If she could speak to him telepathically...could she feel his pain as well from the shock? He didn't push the issue for the moment, but smiled. "She's a little shy around strangers," nodding. "Anyways... my name is Fauna and this is Danielle, William, Destiny, and Abagail. Say hello to the nice gentleman, kids." He smiled at each one with a friendly smile and nodded. However he was noticing how Dani was seeming even more nervous while looking at Sacha. He patted his dog's head with a simple command. "Sitt" While it was easy to understand he said sit, but he said it in an odd accent. Sascha immediately sat down next to him. "And who do we have the pleasure of meeting?" Before he could answer he heard Destiny suddenly shout out as she moved forward towards Sascha if she could pet the dog. Another lad came up as well asking if he could pet Sacha as well. With Destiny pouting and saying she wanted to pet her first he scratched the side of his head...She looked the same age as Everly, but slightly immature in comparison. He smiled and said "You don't have to ask me. You have to ask Sascha." He crouched down next to his dog and said, You have to offer her a handshake first. If she does shake your hand, you can pet her." He glanced at the boy who asked as well. Same with you. As soon as Destiny would offer her hand, Sascha would immediately place her paw in it. He smiled and looked up to the mother and stood back up "My name is Ryker Burke. It's a pleasure to meet you all. This is my Partner Sascha. Well Miss Fauna, I'm assuming you are the eldest sister?" He said with a charming smile, "If you do require any help, just let me know, I can cool anything down with a simple touch.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Parking Lot --> Cabin Pavilion --> Conference Hall In the near distance, an exceptionally regular-looking Honda kicked up a cloud of dust and gravel as it careened into the parking lot and came to rest in probably not an actual parking space. A 30ish man with short ash brown hair and a short beard hopped out and grabbed his backpack. After a couple minutes of power-walking, he reached the small group of people gathered between the lot and the cabins. "Hey!" Joseph called out with a smile and a wave as he approached. "I'm surprised so many people actually came! Isn't this exciting? I hope a lot of people with powers show up!" Almost in the same breath, the man looked at his watch and gasped. "Oh man, it starts in ten minutes! Looks like I'll have to use my SUPER SPEED! See ya later!" With that, Joseph took off running - his pace fairly impressive but still quite human. He sprinted all the way to the cabins' central pavilion before he had to lean against a wooden column and gasp for breath, garnering a mildly confused look from the check-in volunteer. Beyond that point lay another gravelly path that wound through the woods for a couple minutes before abruptly opening up toward the large conference hall, full of the modern amenities and technology any semi-camper would want. Anyone else without super speed might want to get going. Flame@LuckyBlackCat@Bai Suzhen@GreysonEA@LostButterfly92@Martian@Heartfillia</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n @Martian Destiny's little blue eyes lit up, and she flashed a toothy grin. [B]"Hi Sascha, I'm Destiny. You have such pretty fur--can I pet you?"[b] the little girl asked genuinely. She offered one small, dainty hand. The dog almost seemed to smile back as she put her paw in the girl's hand. Destiny grinned ear to ear and pat the dog along her side and back for a moment, then embraced her in a hug for a few seconds. "You're so soft, Sascha!" Dani stiffened, worried for her sister, but finally breathed when the girl let go and backed away without incident. "Thank you for letting me pet you!" The man then introduced himself as Ryker, again. Her mother laughed a bit drunkenly. Her faced flushed probably with both embarrassment and infatuation. "Haha, that's right, you introduced yourself just a minute ago! I'm such a goldfish." Fauna brushed her blond hair and smiled. William made a face in disgust. "I'm actually the mother-had kids young..." she trailed off, putting each hand on William and Destiny's shoulders, with a bittersweet smile. Ryker offered to help out with his powers, a cooling power of some kind. Fauna raised her brow and smiled, tilting her head. The younger children made sounds in awe. Abagail shuggled"Is that true? Hm, what do you think, Dani?" her mother asked. Dani smiled nervously and shook her head. "Oh, un I'm okay, but thank you." It seemed either he didn't recognize her, or perhaps he figured she wasn't ready to reveal her secret. Dani breathed in relief. Suddenly a man came running by, pretty quick for a man. He quickly announced that the conference began in ten minutes. Fauna checked her watch. "Oh! How time flies when you're making friends. Care to sit with us at the conference, Ryker?" Fauna asked, nudging her children along toward the conference hall. "Yes, sit with us! Sit with us mister Burke!" the younger ones eagerly agreed with her, looking back and nearly jumping with excitement as they went along. Abagail absently played with her music player, and Dani gave him an approving nod and smile before following after her family.</s> <\|message\|>Kael O'Conner Kael Lily looked eagerly up at her brother. It was not every day that the supers of America met. Lily had developed her powers quite recently, when the family discovered she could float on water, like her namesake, the lily pad. Since both children got their powers less than a week ago Kael's parents were a little nervous to send them off on their own. Of course, after Kael promised nothing bad would happen to his sister, and flashed them a grin with his Venus-flytrap-esque teeth, they allowed him to go. Once their parents had dropped Lily off he made her promise she wouldn't leave. Of course that promise was broken as soon as she saw the dog. Chasing after her Kael slammed into a woman checking her purse. As he apologized he noticed the ram's horns sticking out of her head. After weaving through person after person Kael finally found lily, talking to a man who he didn't know. "Hey, Lily we better-" He began. Suddenly the man started looking around franticly before settling his eyes on Kael. "You must be her brother?" The man asked. "Yes I'm Kael, this is Lily, and we're leaving." Kael said hurriedly. "I'm Leon!" He called out as Kael, pulling his sisters arm disappeared into the crowd. "Don't talk to strangers, Lily." "He's not a stranger, he has a dog!" "Just because he has a dog doesn't mean we've met him before." Kael explained. "We have now." Lily argued. "Come on, let's head over there." Kael said pointing to the entrance of the conference hall. "We'll take a second to talk." "About what?" "Stranger danger." Kale muttered.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo shouldered his bag again, once Conner had finished pouring over his tattoos, and took a quick stock check of everyone. Ryker had disappeared a little way away with a younger family; the two younger children besotted with Sascha and honestly? He couldn't blame them. Another guy wandered over to the group, seemingly drawn in by the dog. Ryker was going to be the belle of the ball with Sascha on his arm like this. He quirked an eyebrow as a car pulled up in a cloud of dust, a guy hopping out and heading towards the two little groups at a speed. Alonzo watched the weird exchange before the man took off sprinting; fast but still obviously human. He made a mental note to sit as far away from that one as possible. "I mean I think that guy needs more help than anyone here can give him." He snorted to Mara, shaking his head slightly as he watched him lean against a tree, gasping for breath. "You both coming?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder as he started to make his way down the path, towards the check in desk. @Crimson Flame</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @LostButterfly92 @Zanavy @GreysonEA Watching the dog accept the child's handshake and hug, Mara gave a near smile, if a twitch of the lips counted. Sascha reminded her of a childhood family dog she'd known, Alfie, ever-affectionate in contrast to most humans. Pets were the truest friends. At least Sascha's owner, Ryker, didn't seem too bad... As long as he was offering to help out of concern, instead of showing off. Mara wanted to believe the former, but she knew a certain two do-gooders who showed a different side behind closed doors. An overenthusiastic shout drew her attention from the scene. Another guy waved and grinned, bragging about super speed before sprinting down the path at an entirely mundane pace. Mara rolled her eyes, nodding at Alonzo's comment. Ok, she knew what it was like to desperately want a power, but did that guy have to make an ass of himself over it? "Yep. All I have to say is, be careful what you wish for," she murmured. No sooner were the words out than she inwardly cringed. Had she just let on how much she'd wanted what others had? What a vulnerable little sap she'd been? Not exactly something she wanted to open up about, especially to total strangers. "Anyway, yeah." She hurried after the tattooed guy. "Let's go."</s>	<\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Conference Building 10:00 AM The doors of the conference building opened up into a spacious, blissfully air-conditioned hallway. An abundance of signs with large arrows directed conference-goers to the right room. A couple workers briefly checked the guests' tickets before welcoming them in. "Because the meeting is starting in a couple minutes," one volunteer explained, "I'm afraid we are unable to test for the plant-powers discount at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience, and please check back in with us after the meeting if this applies to you." The volunteers also handed each person a small packet containing useful information like a map, phone numbers to call in case of problems, and the itinerary for the weekend. The schedule seemed a little disjointed, like it was made by different people. For example, one time slot gave conference-goers a choice between "Panel Discussion: Correlational or Causal Links Between Animal Essenced People and Mental Illness and Learning Disabilities, and Implications for Plant Essenced People" or "Scavenger Hunt / Water Balloon Fight." Of course, anyone could say no to both options at any time and have some free time. But is that what people paid to come here for? The actual meeting room was mostly full by the time the group arrived, nearing its recommended capacity of 150 people. It appeared the front rows mostly contained scientists and other professional-looking people, while the more casually dressed people congregated toward the middle. Most of the empty seats were in the back rows - not the best for seeing and hearing the stage, but good for people-watching the whole crowd. Less than a minute after everyone got settled, the lights dimmed slightly and two people walked onto the stage. One a serious middle-aged woman, the other a tall man with dark brown hair. "Good morning," the woman began, "and welcome to the SHARP Summit. My name is Dr. Lakshmi Gupta, Founding Director, and with me is Dr. Preston Nichols. All of us at Companion Biotech are pleased and humbled by the interest shown by people of all walks of life to gather here in unity and discuss..." The director continued a dry speech for several minutes about "mutually beneficial relationships," "the company vision," "growing a better world," and other such vaguely inspiring messages about the conference's goal of bringing differing groups together for open discussion. A small round of obligatory applause followed as Dr. Gupta handed off the mic. "Thank you, Dr. Gupta," Dr. Nichols spoke. "Now, I know you're all eager to get started with all the events we have arranged. There are just a few things we need to go over first. I'll try to make it fast..." The researcher continued a dry speech for several minutes about rules, interjected by a few jokes which received polite amounts of brief laughter. Most of it was general, self-explanatory things. Always use the buddy system, especially when you go into the woods. Quiet time is 11 pm. No slurs against Plant-Essenced people, Animal-Essenced people, or Non-Essenced people will be permitted in any context except when necessary to discuss their impact during discussions. No reckless use of superpowers. Y'know, the usual. "Alright," Dr. Nichols continued, "now it's time for all of you to play a part here. Let's have everyone find their cabin and introduce themselves. Tell everyone your name, where you're from, what your Essence is if you have one, and a fun fact about yourself. If we have time at the end, we'll have someone from each cabin come up and talk about a few of of the most interesting things you heard." Dr. Nichols vaguely pointed to areas of the room where each cabin was supposed to gather. Then he walked toward the Cabin 10 group.</s>
<\|description\|>Mara Harrington Appearance: Gender: Female Age: 22 Occupation: Cafe waitress/assistant Plant Essence: Lemon tree Superpower: Mara's plant affinity, oddly enough, granted her electric powers. This is because lemons are high in electrolytes, and can be used as simple batteries. Since she's at a low level right now, she can only produce a weak charge, and she doesn't have great control; when she's particularly angry or afraid, she tends to spark accidentally. With practice, she'll be able to produce electricity at a higher voltage, and gain better control over it. While shocks from external sources don't injure her, they do disrupt and weaken her power for a short time. Personality: As you'd expect, Mara is more than a little sour. She's long since given up trying to please people, and doesn't suffer idiots well, responding with a glare and a snarky comment. She particularly dislikes people who brag about their abilities, and who act like they're better than others. Grouchy as she is, that isn't to say she lacks energy. If something needs to be done, it's best to do it oneself. That and, instead of dwelling on problems, she prefers to either fix them or keep distracted. She advises others to do the same, albeit in a heavy handed way. Although she claims to look out for herself first and foremost, on occasion her actions prove otherwise. If someone's being picked on, she won't just sit by. Anyone who can get past her cynical exterior will have a loyal friend, although her protectiveness can prove a good or bad thing depending who you ask. Unknown to most, she has a soft spot for animals, and a passion for gardening. One of the few times she's completely relaxed is when she's tending to plants, especially fruit ones. History: The youngest of three siblings, Mara was the only one who never developed an animal affinity. From a young age, her sister could breathe underwater like a fish, and her brother could grow bird wings at will. Mara did everything she could to connect with animals, from feeding birds to befriending stray cats, but years went by with no sign of her manifesting an ability. Envying the praise her siblings received, she tried to earn the same appreciation, to no avail. She'd sell lemonade in the summer, homemade thanks to the family's fruit trees. She'd bake goods using homegrown produce. Yet, surrounded by talent as she was, it wasn't enough. It didn't help that her siblings bullied her relentlessly, and her parents didn't do a great deal about it. Eventually, she stopped trying to please others, since her efforts didn't work. Better to focus that effort on herself, and on living beings besides humans. Not just animals, but plants, since they couldn't judge at all. The fruit she harvested seemed like a thank you for caring for the trees and shrubs, which was more than what she got from anyone else. She remained the only one seemngly not destined for greatness. Her brother went on to work in search and rescue, and her sister found a calling in marine conservation. Mara, meanwhile, struggled after moving out, and ended up with a low paying job in a cafe. At least it was a change from family life, but the inevitable reunions were stressful at the best of times. It was during one such gathering that Mara's essence finally manifested. An argument broke out over dinner. Mara tried to rein in her anger to keep things from escalating, but they did, in an even worse way than she expected. Sparks flew around her, literally. The next thing she knew, a fire was spreading through the dining room. Luckily everyone got out in time, and the emergency services put out the fire before it could do extensive damage. Still, it wasn't exactly how Mara envisioned gaining a power, or what her family had hoped for. Especially as it wasn't an animal essence. At first it seemed like an electric eel affinity, but there were hints that it wasn't. One was that her power wasn't necessarily touch-based. The other was, as well as the smell of ozone, using it left a distinctive zesty scent. It reminded her of a dream she'd had two weeks prior, that she'd brushed off as random wackiness - one where she'd watched lightning strike the ground, and a lemon tree spring up from the spot where it had hit. Considering her brother and sister had reported dreams hinting at their powers, was this just a coincidence? The event Mara yearned for her entire life has left her in a difficult situation. Since plant essences were unheard of until now, she must turn to others like her for help. The problem being, any further control lapses won't mesh well with people who can summon vines, branches, and other flammable vegetation... Miscellaneous: She's only known about her power for a month and a half.</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n A cool breeze blew by, carrying with it a tiny, glowing seed. It swirled and danced on the air, finally settling in a few strands of Dani's golden locks. I was...shocked? But I'm ok... , a mysterious voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Dani stopped in her tracks, heart racing and wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights. Her mother stumbled but held tight to Dani, using her to keep balance. Dani just stood there, unblinking, with her heart pounding. Her mother put her cool hand to the girl's clammy forehead and felt her cheek and face. "Honey, what's wrong? Are you feeling faint again? Don't be frightened, I'm right here," she soothed, stoking her daughter's long hair. Dani was hardly listening. She stared blankly ahead, lost in thought. Di-did he hear me? Was... was that him answering back? Dani wondered frantically. Never had she heard such a deep voice come from a dandelion messenger. They were usually celestial. Angelic. The dandelions must have contacted him on her behalf. But then, did that mean her mind was no longer sacred? Could she trust the dandelions with her thoughts and feelings and secrets? What if she accidentally hurt someone by thinking something she would never say out loud, or what if people found discovered her power... The next thing she knew, a man with that same deep voice was speaking right in front of her, asking if she was okay. It seemed her hunch was right. She looked him in his amber eyes and at his scarred face for only just a moment before looking away with an embarrassed smile and reddening cheeks. "I um, I'm fine, really... " Dani stammered quietly. It was bad enough to be speaking with somebody she didn't know, and worse that he might figure out she has powers. Dani looked down at the dog by his side to distract herself and avoid accidentally sharing her thoughts, but the dog only made her feel more anxious. Good doggy..good doggy...good doggy... Dani repeated in her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearing her mind. "Oh, just a case of heat exhaustion. A little bit of water and some shade and she'll be right as rain," Dani's mother answered for her, patting her on the shoulder. Feeling a little more calm, Dani nodded and drank from her plastic bottle water to help support her mother's explanation, while avoiding eye contact. "She's a little shy around strangers," her mom explained, leaning in to whisper toward the brown-eyed man, before wobbling back upright. "Anyways... my name is Fauna and this is Danielle, William, Destiny, and Abagail. Say hello to the nice gentleman, kids." Fauna said with a friendly smile, pointing to each child in turn. Abagail crossed her arms and mumbled 'hello', William nodded and said 'hey'. Destiny gave him an energetic wave, 'hi' and a big grin, glancing to and from the man and his dog, but more interested in the dog. Fauna nodded approvingly. "And who do we have the pleasure of meeting?" she asked. "Can I pet your dog? Can I please?" Destiny suddenly blurted out, reaching for the animal. Danielle grabbed for her sister's shirt sleeve, trying to stop her, but the girl slipped from her grasp.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Nice to meet you both." Alonzo nodded with a slight smile, waving away the concern of his hand. He stepped back a little to give Ryker some space, and to also get out of the worst of the lavender cloud. He knew the smell would cling to his hair and clothes for hours now. Not that it was a bad smell; he just wasn't a fan of the old lady images it brought to mind. "Teething problems, bit of a weird sensation to get used to. Nothing major though." He gave him another brief smile before Conner was in front of him again, hand on his arm. This guy was definitely the touchy-feeley type, but Alonzo didn't mind too much. He'd had worse. He grinned brightly at the mention of his tattoo. They were his absolute pride and joy. "I designed this one. Well, adapted it from a painting I did a few years ago. I regretted selling it so much that I redrew it in tattoo form. One of my friends actually tattooed it though, he lives in the south. This one," He held out his other arm, adorned with runes and a compass. "My grandma designed for me before she passed. She was very spiritual. All of the runes mean something different." He smiled a little sadly but didn't dwell. "I have more on my back and my shoulders. One on each thigh too. I've spent way too much money on these already, but I still have some space so still room for more."</s> <\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur watched as Muriel walked away, heading toward a gathering of people talking. For a second Arthur thought he saw a bolt of electricity and was bewildered, before remembering that he was at a conference for people with powers. As Arthur wondered what other powers would be on display here, a scent of lavender blew down on the summer wind. Arthur wondered where it was coming from as the smell was quite strong and he didn't see any lavender plants. Deciding that it must be a part of a power, Arthur decided to head over to where it was coming from. As Arthur walked across the grass, he found that the smell was emanating from two attractive man talking. One had the whole surfer dude thing going on, while the other was covered in tattoos. While not usually Arthur's type, there was something alluring about the tattooed man, something besides the pleasant smell. Seeing that they were deep in conversation, the tattooed man seemingly showing off his ink, Arthur decided not to barge in just because they both were attractive. He turned away, hoping to find someone else to talk to, only to spot one of the cutest dogs he had ever seen in his life. Arthur always had a soft spot for dogs, his neighbours growing up having one and his landlady letting him walk hers. On autopilot, Arthur approached the dog, ready to pet it. But a little girl got there first, pleading with her own puppy dog eyes to pet the dog. Arthur abruptly stopped, almost running into the family surrounding the dog. Taking a moment to refocus on what he was doing, Arthur finally saw the dog's owner. He too was attractive, and Arthur wondered if plant essences could turn you hot. Arthur slowly walked up to the dog and its owner, "Do you mind if I pet your dog?" Arthur then turned to the little girl, "But you could totally go first. I mean this dog is cute enough to wait in line to pet. Right?" Arthur then felt a little awkward, thinking that this mom must be asking who this strange man was and why was he talking to her kid. Arthur's cheeks started to turn slightly red as he worried about being weird with this dog, his attractive owner, and this family he was engaging with. @Heartfillia</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n @Martian "Where's your manners!" Mother Fauna scolded. Dani couldn't bear to see what would happen next. She closed her eyes and covered her face with the back of her hand, expecting the worse. A moment pased, and rather than hearing growling and screaming she heard a new voice. Dani snuck a peek and saw a slightly older boy with dark hair and glasses casually approaching, wishing to pat the dog as well. "Hey! I wanted to pet her!" Dani's little sister protested, stopping in her tracks. She slid down onto her hands and knees in the gravel, stopping just about a foot short of the dog, dirtying her legs and yellow dress in the process. She was pouting and looking longingly at the dog in its eyes. Dani's heart raced, worrying that the dog would pounce at any moment. The new boy then offered to let Destiny go first, appeasing the young child. She raised her chin up with a smug grin on her face, but she stayed in the dirt this time seeming to wait for permission...</s>	<\|message\|>Mara Harrington Well, at least Ryker now seemed pretty unfazed, compared to his initial reaction. Still, knowing she owed him a new jacket didn't make Mara feel much less guilty. A charred sleeve was much more minor than burned skin, but she still felt the need to make up for it, and her budget probably wouldn't stretch that far. "Yeah, and hopefully they'll actually help us with that learning," she muttered, with a glance towards the pavillion. The suspicion that this summit would consist more of talking than anything productive hadn't gone away. With all these people gathering, she needed something that would take her mind off of such thoughts. Her gaze settled on the big fluffy German shepherd, Sascha, and her expression softened. An undeniably cute dog, and she could see why the little girl and the guy with glasses were so eager to pet her. Mara inched forward, but stopped. No, it wouldn't be worth it. What if she hurt the dog? Or one of the people nearby? Besides, Sascha probably wouldn't take too kindly to someone who'd shocked her owner. Keeping a safe distance as she watched, Mara hoped the cute scene would calm her enough that she wouldn't cause any more problems.</s>
<\|description\|>Mara Harrington Appearance: Gender: Female Age: 22 Occupation: Cafe waitress/assistant Plant Essence: Lemon tree Superpower: Mara's plant affinity, oddly enough, granted her electric powers. This is because lemons are high in electrolytes, and can be used as simple batteries. Since she's at a low level right now, she can only produce a weak charge, and she doesn't have great control; when she's particularly angry or afraid, she tends to spark accidentally. With practice, she'll be able to produce electricity at a higher voltage, and gain better control over it. While shocks from external sources don't injure her, they do disrupt and weaken her power for a short time. Personality: As you'd expect, Mara is more than a little sour. She's long since given up trying to please people, and doesn't suffer idiots well, responding with a glare and a snarky comment. She particularly dislikes people who brag about their abilities, and who act like they're better than others. Grouchy as she is, that isn't to say she lacks energy. If something needs to be done, it's best to do it oneself. That and, instead of dwelling on problems, she prefers to either fix them or keep distracted. She advises others to do the same, albeit in a heavy handed way. Although she claims to look out for herself first and foremost, on occasion her actions prove otherwise. If someone's being picked on, she won't just sit by. Anyone who can get past her cynical exterior will have a loyal friend, although her protectiveness can prove a good or bad thing depending who you ask. Unknown to most, she has a soft spot for animals, and a passion for gardening. One of the few times she's completely relaxed is when she's tending to plants, especially fruit ones. History: The youngest of three siblings, Mara was the only one who never developed an animal affinity. From a young age, her sister could breathe underwater like a fish, and her brother could grow bird wings at will. Mara did everything she could to connect with animals, from feeding birds to befriending stray cats, but years went by with no sign of her manifesting an ability. Envying the praise her siblings received, she tried to earn the same appreciation, to no avail. She'd sell lemonade in the summer, homemade thanks to the family's fruit trees. She'd bake goods using homegrown produce. Yet, surrounded by talent as she was, it wasn't enough. It didn't help that her siblings bullied her relentlessly, and her parents didn't do a great deal about it. Eventually, she stopped trying to please others, since her efforts didn't work. Better to focus that effort on herself, and on living beings besides humans. Not just animals, but plants, since they couldn't judge at all. The fruit she harvested seemed like a thank you for caring for the trees and shrubs, which was more than what she got from anyone else. She remained the only one seemngly not destined for greatness. Her brother went on to work in search and rescue, and her sister found a calling in marine conservation. Mara, meanwhile, struggled after moving out, and ended up with a low paying job in a cafe. At least it was a change from family life, but the inevitable reunions were stressful at the best of times. It was during one such gathering that Mara's essence finally manifested. An argument broke out over dinner. Mara tried to rein in her anger to keep things from escalating, but they did, in an even worse way than she expected. Sparks flew around her, literally. The next thing she knew, a fire was spreading through the dining room. Luckily everyone got out in time, and the emergency services put out the fire before it could do extensive damage. Still, it wasn't exactly how Mara envisioned gaining a power, or what her family had hoped for. Especially as it wasn't an animal essence. At first it seemed like an electric eel affinity, but there were hints that it wasn't. One was that her power wasn't necessarily touch-based. The other was, as well as the smell of ozone, using it left a distinctive zesty scent. It reminded her of a dream she'd had two weeks prior, that she'd brushed off as random wackiness - one where she'd watched lightning strike the ground, and a lemon tree spring up from the spot where it had hit. Considering her brother and sister had reported dreams hinting at their powers, was this just a coincidence? The event Mara yearned for her entire life has left her in a difficult situation. Since plant essences were unheard of until now, she must turn to others like her for help. The problem being, any further control lapses won't mesh well with people who can summon vines, branches, and other flammable vegetation... Miscellaneous: She's only known about her power for a month and a half.</s> <\|message\|>Conner Waters After Conner finally got his money, it was time for their hiking and zip lining adventure. He had to admit, Conner was more excited about the zipline part of this excursion, but eh it was fine. It would make the ziplining that much more fun once he got there. Then, something unexpected happened. A guy shoved a microphone in his face. There was another dude with a giant camera behind him. "Hello there! What is your name? What are you looking forward to at this conference?" Conner smirked. "Name's Conner Waters. I'm looking forward to learning about these awesome new powers I got." He did his usual trick of manipulating the water in his bottle. "Btw, if my parents and sister are watching this, well… SURPRISE! LOOK AT ME NOW GUYS! I'M NOT THE PERFECT CHILD YOU WANT, AND I NEVER WILL BE! I HAVE SUPERPOWERS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?" Then he flipped off his family on camera.</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington "Isn't it obvious?!" The superhumanly amplified voice was the first thing Mara heard when she re-entered the pavilion, after having tried and failed to find Felicia. She flinched and stared. The discussion wasn't due to start quite yet, but in the middle of the gathering stood a wild-haired woman shouting to anyone who'd listen - not that they had a choice. "For all the ills of the modern age, a select few of us are still in tune with the natural world. So Mother Earth has called us to end the scourges of technology and civilization! Rise up, my fellow chosen ones, and let's abandon the cities for the woodlands, where we can live carefree, peaceful lives in harmony with nature's paradise once again!" She spread out her feet, raising her fist in a superhero-like pose, tendrils - no, roots - trailing from her limbs. Oh. Of course, mandragora essence, Mara thought, considering the folkloric connotations. If she'd guessed right, that'd explain the shrieking. And while respect for nature was by no means a bad thing... Peaceful? Either the speech-giver had never seen a wildlife documentary, or she had to be saying all this ironically. "I, for one, will start with this!" The shrieker flung her cell phone at a wall, where it smashed, shards clattering to the floor. "Liberate yourselves, blessed ones!" Several people, including Mara, slowly backed away. Hiking suddenly didn't seem so bad an idea. If this loudmouth didn't get kicked out, it was clear nobody else would get a word in edgeways. Mara sighed and hurried back out into the clearing, just in time to catch the end of the announcement. She sprinted over to the hiking group, slowing her pace to a leisurely traipse once she caught up, thankful for the quiet as they headed down the tree-lined trail. Ziplining was still a no-no, but at least a walk and some fresh air could prove relaxing... "Hello, America!" Or not. At the sight of a camera crew of all things, Mara startled. Sparks crackled at the tops of her gloves. Her stomach dropped, and she grimaced, eyes flicking from side to side as she drew back. She hadn't zapped anyone or anything, to her relief, but what if she'd drawn the crew's attention? Being on TV would be nothing short of a nightmare. Hoping they'd keep focusing on Conner despite his attitude, or even because of it, she edged further and further away. She should have stayed at the discussion after all.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Hiking Trail Mara's 'accident' happened plenty of distance away from the cameras and went unnoticed by most of the crew. The surly thin woman standing behind the cameraman startled a bit as the sparks caught her eye. She looked at Mara with widened eyes for just a second. Then she averted her gaze, acting natural, letting the situation pass without a big hullabaloo. The cameraman did his work well, following the stream of water as it floated through the air, catching John's amazed expression and Conner's proud one. The reporter's trained smile faltered just a bit as Conner decided to start going all Rebellious Teen on the air. Ever the professional, the cameraman predicted Conner's subsequent gesture and only half a second of the bird appeared in the corner of the screen as the camera panned back to John. "Well there you have it," John said with a bright smile. "A spirited bunch at the conference. We'll be back with you soon!" The instant the camera cut, John's plastic smile dropped. He rubbed his eyes as he addressed Conner. "I guess you're probably not mature enough to care, kid, but this is one of the first impressions the world will have of plant essences. For your own sake, maybe think about not making that impression so... abrasive in the future." John rubbed his temples and turned away, looking ten years older without his well-trained TV personality pizazz. "Candy," he grumbled. "Go get my smokes." The thin woman in the background took a breath and braced herself. "You said they were 'only for emergencies,'" Candace replied in a bored tone. "Your future self would not say this is an emergency." "My future self can kiss my ass this one time," John practically barked. "Go get just one cigarette, Candygirl. I won't. Ask. Again." Candace fought the urge to roll her eyes. Both of them knew that statement was a lie. Before she could reply, a bearded man with a bandaged hand took an exaggerated inhale awkwardly close to the tense conversation. "You smell delightful," the bearded man addressed Candace with a smile. "I can tell with my dog powers." Candace froze for a second, pondering. "Fine, I'll get your smokes," Candace muttered, starting back down the path toward the cabins. At least it would be a nice break from these obnoxious men. Joseph continued sniffing around, trying to find the source of another delightful smell. He hadn't pinpointed Mara yet but was getting dangerously close. NatJack continued hovering around the area. She eventually worked up the nerve to reunite with Conner. "Uh... hah," the redhead spoke. She looked away. All this time working up the nerve to converse with one of the people who had cool functioning powers, and she didn't even know what to say. "...So, uh, how long'd it take ya to learn howta do that?" @Crimson Flame</s>	<\|message\|>Mara Harrington When the camera cut, Mara gave a huge sigh of relief. Shuffling back in the line, she glared at the camera crew and the volunteers. The staff could have said this would happen, instead of springing it on everyone like that. "Never a dull moment," she muttered to nobody in particular. That trend showed no sign of stopping. The bearded guy from earlier clearly hadn't learned his lesson, sniffing at a woman in the crew, trying to impress her with his claim of dog powers. Predictably, the first thing the woman did was make a swift exit. Mara groaned, wondering what essence the guy would try - and inevitably fail - to convince everyone he had next. She took another step back as he started heading her way, no doubt picking up on the smell of lemon. He hadn't found the source just yet, but it would only be a matter of time until he did, and Mara grimaced at the thought of being on the receiving end of that terrible flirting attempt. Before it could happen, she faced him, glowering. "Funny. Didn't you have ivy powers a few minutes ago?" No sooner had she said it than childhood memories surfaced, accompanied by a spike of guilt. Stumbling around a dark room, convincing herself she had feline night vision. Sneaking to retrieve toys her siblings had stolen from her, wishing she had the cunning of a fox. That hope, followed by disappointment, whenever she dreamed of an animal. Sure, she'd been a kid back then, but maybe she wasn't one to judge.</s>
<\|description\|>Conner Waters Appearance: Conner is tall and lean, standing at exactly six feet tall. He has slender well defined swimmers body that he is very happy to show off. He spends plenty of time out in the sun, and thus has a lightly tanned skin complexion. He has a boyish heart shaped face, with big brown eyes, and a small nose. He keeps his brunette hair spiked up in the front, a style he thinks is cool. He can most often be seen with a grin on his face. As for clothing, even though Conner comes from a wealthy family, he doesn't dress the part. He wears simple T-shirts and jeans all the time. He also likes to wear tight fitting tank tops to show off his physique at times. When it's cold out, he'll wear a light blue hoodie. Footwear consists of a reliable pair of blue and white sneakers, or sandals. He dresses for comfort more than for fashion. He does like the color blue, and incorporates that into his wardrobe. Gender: Male Age: 18 Occupation: Surfer/Surf Shop Employee Plant Essence: Seaweed Superpower(s): Conner has control over water. At the moment, he can only move small amounts of water, and can't pull moisture from the air. Only control existing sources of water. He can splash people in the face with water from a water fountain. With time, his powers will grow. Personality: Conner is a spontaneous and outgoing young man. He likes to have fun. His favorite activities are surfing, swimming, playing video games, and reading comic books. He enjoys socializing with others and being the center of attention. He is an handshaking, touching kind of guy. He openly expresses affection through hugs, holding hands, as well as stroking and grabbing shoulders. He particularly likes flirting with attractive guys. He makes friends easily, and will happily chat up strangers if they interest him somehow. He enjoys social situations, and believes that everyone else would too. He's likely to convince people who he perceives as being lonely to come along with things like 'come on, you'll enjoy it!' or 'you don't know what you're missing!' While he does need to spend time alone once in a while, he gets bored if he does it too long. He values all his relationships, and will happily stick with anyone he considers a friend. He can often be found with a smile on his face, even during stressful situations. He often makes jokes, when the situation is tense to lift people's spirits. He may tease others in a 'playful' way, and expect them not to 'take it so seriously.' He does feel bad if somebody does actually get their feelings hurt by what he says. Sometimes his attempts at humor are read as him not taking the situation seriously. While he does joke around a lot, he is capable of getting things done. He just doesn't feel the need to be so dour about it. He often suggests that others not be so serious. Conner enjoys showing off his skills for others in order to get praise. He is prone to bragging about the things he is good at. He does it in a 'look at this awesome thing I can do!' way, rather than an 'I'm better than you.' way. He likes to live in the moment rather than dwelling on the past. This means Conner is not the best when it comes to organization, or planning. Due to his lack of planning ahead, it makes him impulsive, and he tends to jump into things without a second thought. He gets bored when he is not sufficiently stimulated, and will complain about being bored. He is also not the most tidy person. He does clean up his mess after the fact if it's pointed out to him, but he has trouble avoiding making a mess in the first place. Growing up a member of a rich family that has high standards, and a seemingly perfect older sister has given him a number of insecurites. He's always worried about not being good enough, and that he doesn't belong anywhere. He feels like he has something to prove. He wants to have a purpose in life. He tries to hide his worries behind a mask of cheerfulness, but they're always there. It manifests as envy torwards others he thinks are better than him. History: Conner grew up in an upscale area. Comner was the youngest son of the wealthy and prominent Waters family. His parents were quite strict, and they had high standards for their kids. Conner had an older sister named Arianna, and she was the the apple of the family's eye, at least it appeared that way to Conner. She was beautiful, talented, intelligent, and it felt like she could do no wrong. To him, it always seemed like anything he could do she could do better. In his teenage years, Conner gave up trying to live up to the high standards set by his sister. He only did just well enough in school to get by, and spent a lot of time slacking off. He would often act up in class, and get himself into trouble. There were days where he would cut class to go to the beach and surf. Surfing was one of his favorite activities. It was definitely something Arianna wouldn't do. He enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline high of catching a big wave. That, and he also flirting with the hot guys in swimsuits on the beach. He continued coasting through life trying to have as much fun as possible. Even though his grades weren't the best, he was rather popular with other students, and had a few close friends. His parents wished he would put more effort into his studies, and better represent his family name, but Conner didn't really care to try. His sister was obviously the shining star of the family, so why did they need him for? He managed to graduate with just good enough grades to pass. He continues working as an Employee at a local surf shop, and isn't sure if he wants to go to college or for that matter, what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Conner discovered his powers while surfing, naturally. He was able to move water when he was paddling out to sea. He had superpowers. He read about people having them, but never in his life did he think he'd get them too. That was something Arianna didn't have. If she did, she didn't tell anyone about them. While these powers are awesome for sure, but besides getting people wet, there wasn't much he could do with them right now. So he kept them a secret until he had a better handle on what they could do. Miscellaneous: He's gay!</s> <\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur cursed his luck as he sat in the conference's medical building. An hour back he had the smart idea of walking through the woods for a little bit just to see how dense they were. Less than five minutes into his excursion, Arthur tripped on a root and fell down. While initially just embarrassed, Arthur had more to worry about when he realized he had fallen into a poison ivy plant. Arthur recognized it from many lectures of his parents telling him to avoid it. By the time Arthur made it back to the conference, his skin had already begun to itch. Arthur tried powering through it, as he didn't want to miss the keynote speech. But closer to the time of the speech, Arthur's arms and legs had turned red. He tried his best not to itch, but the compulsion was too strong. As Arthur itched he thought of how poison ivy would be a really evil power to have. Fed up with this, Arthur approached one of the staff walking about, "You wouldn't happen to have something to help with poison ivy?" The staff stared at his red skin, "Yeah, you should probably go see the medical staff. Their building is just down there." Arthur looked where she was pointing and did indeed see a white building that said medical. Arthur thanked the staff before running toward the medical building. The uncomfortable feeling of the rash prompted Arthur to run, and then throw open the door. "Wow. Slow down man," said the medical staff standing in the centre of the room, "What do you need?" "Some help with this," Arthur replied as he raised his red arms toward the staff. "What? I told them not to have you guys hike through that trail. It's all poison ivy." "Actually this wasn't a hike. I just kind of wandered into the woods and fell into the ivy," Arthur replied sheepishly. "Well. OK," the staff was a little surprised, "Let's see if I can help you out." The medical staff proceeded to apply some kind of lotion that calmed down the itchiness. It even helped a little with the redness. "That should do it. If you need anything else then come on back here," the medical staff stated. Arthur nodded before leaving and heading to the hall. He arrived just in time to see the end of the icebreaker activity. The people of cabin five were just splitting up for their activities. Arthur looked at his brochure and saw hiking was an option. Arthur considered doing that as he did like hiking and he was pretty sure he couldn't get double poison ivy. His attention was then drawn to the quickly forming line of people to show off their powers for a refund. Arthur decided to enter the line as saving money was always good. The only problem would be showing off his powers. Arthur motioned for a staff member to come over so he could ask them a question, "Hey what do I do if my essence only does something at night?" "I don't know man. I don't work for the BioTech guys, just the building they're renting. My guess is to wait in line and ask when it's your turn. Whenever that will be." "Thanks," Arthur replied as the man walked away. Arthur gazed at how long the line was and sighed. Maybe by the time he reached the front it would be night and he could transform. But at least he didn't have to itch anymore.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabins - Central Pavilion Joseph Anderson was so immersed in brainstorming, he failed to notice his surroundings and had to be nudged whenever the line moved up. He wasn't quite satisfied by his plan when his turn came, but it would have to do. "Hello, and welcome to the SHARP summit," the worker in the blue name tag said in a cheerful customer service voice. "Please show your ticket and step over there to demonstrate your essence." The man pointed to an open field a relatively safe distance away from all the people in line. "Actually," Joseph began, "my essence is ivy. I'm an expert climber! But, you see, there's nothing to climb on over there. You could take my word for it, or I could climb on this pavilion." The worker's smile sagged a bit, already looking tired well before noon. "Alright," the volunteer decided, "but we'll have to move everyone away, for safety reasons." As the grumbling line was forced to move back into more of an abstract squiggle, Joseph rubbed his hands and stretched his legs, firing himself up. When the worker nodded, the bearded man leaped onto one of the wooden beams with gusto, hoisting himself up as fast as he could. He shimmied up to the roof with impressive speed. Well, impressive for a regular human. The volunteer pursed his lips, not really sure how to judge this ivy man. "Alright, you can come down now. I'll talk with my superiors and let you know their answer soon." "Okay!" Joseph shouted down, beginning to slide back down the pole. "When my refund's ready, just call me on- ACK!" The bearded man was interrupted by a large splinter sticking into his right palm. The man lost his grip and flailed for a moment before landing hard but on his feet. The shaken man stood frozen for a second. Then he put his hands up and posed like a gymnast landing an expert trick. "I also have extra ivy resilience! Ow..."</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @GreysonEA @Emeth Taking another look over the brochure, Mara sighed. While she needed answers, philosophical theories would be no substitute for cold hard facts. Probably the best option though - ziplining would be fun and all, but the slightest panic from her could ruin everyone's day. Bracing herself for the upcoming drudgery, she shuffled from the room, towards the line of people queuing to display their powers. She gave a nervous tug at her gloves - she'd be able to manage a small spark without hurting anyone, but she'd still want to keep a safe distance. Her eyes flicked around the area, settling on someone who'd spoken up earlier. The dark-haired woman who'd introduced herself as Felicia, also heading towards the queue with Ryker and his dog in tow. Overhearing Alonzo's question about another zapping incident, Mara huffed and rolled her eyes. "So, about what you said earlier," she said, approaching Felicia. Best to skip small talk and get to the point. "You say you cater to essenced people, so... Would you happen to know how to mesh day-to-day life with electric powers? They're not exactly a great mix." The only thing she could think to do was put rubber sheeting all over her apartment. Which would mean she needed the money even more, but maybe a landlady could help with practical matters. She whirled round at a yelp from the pavilion. A guy who'd had the oh-so-bright idea to climb to the top flailed before falling. Mara gasped, but luckily the guy landed on his feet, trying to save face with a showy pose. It looked like only his ego was hurt. Ok, and maybe his hand and feet. Mara turned her blank stare from the show-off guy to Alonzo. "Well, there's your chance."</s> <\|message\|>Felicia Vespa Felicia turned to face the lemon-scented girl—clearly a young lady with a lot of spunk. At least, Felicia was not used to being casually approached like that. Her mind blanked for a moment as Mara put her on the spot, mentioning that she catered to plant-essenced people. In actual truth, she didn't, and learning how to cater to such people was merely a pretense for coming to this summit, that she had come up with in the spur of the moment. Now, however, she found herself needing to prove her worth to this new community of people with much more diverse traits and abilities. "Electric plant essence... That's not something I'd have expected," she said, truthfully. "It shouldn't be an impossible situation. I'd probably consult fire safety experts for advice on accommodations... and perhaps some electricians. If the power could be harnessed for energy, perhaps I could make a deal with the tenant and the power company to offset the cost of those accommodations by lowering the electric bill," she offered. I don't know if that's actually possible, though... she thought to herself, hoping she didn't sound like she was talking out of her ass.</s>	<\|message\|>Conner Waters Conner stood in line waiting for a long time. Mostly because the line was filled with scammers pretending to have an essence in order to get their refund. They were busted quickly, but it definitely made this line move slow. Finally, it was Conner's turn. "Finally! Look, I'm the real deal. Watch this!" He opened the water bottle he was carrying, and wave his hand over it, pulling out the water that was inside. He waved his hand around, levitating the water around the room. Then, he managed to successfully put the water back into the bottle. He need to drink that water later. "I didn't splash anyone this time. Ha!" He threw a fist in the air. "I think I might be a seaweed essence. I've been having dreams about being underwater surrounded by seaweed… I think that's what that means. Anyway, when do I get my monies?"</s>
<\|description\|>Conner Waters Appearance: Conner is tall and lean, standing at exactly six feet tall. He has slender well defined swimmers body that he is very happy to show off. He spends plenty of time out in the sun, and thus has a lightly tanned skin complexion. He has a boyish heart shaped face, with big brown eyes, and a small nose. He keeps his brunette hair spiked up in the front, a style he thinks is cool. He can most often be seen with a grin on his face. As for clothing, even though Conner comes from a wealthy family, he doesn't dress the part. He wears simple T-shirts and jeans all the time. He also likes to wear tight fitting tank tops to show off his physique at times. When it's cold out, he'll wear a light blue hoodie. Footwear consists of a reliable pair of blue and white sneakers, or sandals. He dresses for comfort more than for fashion. He does like the color blue, and incorporates that into his wardrobe. Gender: Male Age: 18 Occupation: Surfer/Surf Shop Employee Plant Essence: Seaweed Superpower(s): Conner has control over water. At the moment, he can only move small amounts of water, and can't pull moisture from the air. Only control existing sources of water. He can splash people in the face with water from a water fountain. With time, his powers will grow. Personality: Conner is a spontaneous and outgoing young man. He likes to have fun. His favorite activities are surfing, swimming, playing video games, and reading comic books. He enjoys socializing with others and being the center of attention. He is an handshaking, touching kind of guy. He openly expresses affection through hugs, holding hands, as well as stroking and grabbing shoulders. He particularly likes flirting with attractive guys. He makes friends easily, and will happily chat up strangers if they interest him somehow. He enjoys social situations, and believes that everyone else would too. He's likely to convince people who he perceives as being lonely to come along with things like 'come on, you'll enjoy it!' or 'you don't know what you're missing!' While he does need to spend time alone once in a while, he gets bored if he does it too long. He values all his relationships, and will happily stick with anyone he considers a friend. He can often be found with a smile on his face, even during stressful situations. He often makes jokes, when the situation is tense to lift people's spirits. He may tease others in a 'playful' way, and expect them not to 'take it so seriously.' He does feel bad if somebody does actually get their feelings hurt by what he says. Sometimes his attempts at humor are read as him not taking the situation seriously. While he does joke around a lot, he is capable of getting things done. He just doesn't feel the need to be so dour about it. He often suggests that others not be so serious. Conner enjoys showing off his skills for others in order to get praise. He is prone to bragging about the things he is good at. He does it in a 'look at this awesome thing I can do!' way, rather than an 'I'm better than you.' way. He likes to live in the moment rather than dwelling on the past. This means Conner is not the best when it comes to organization, or planning. Due to his lack of planning ahead, it makes him impulsive, and he tends to jump into things without a second thought. He gets bored when he is not sufficiently stimulated, and will complain about being bored. He is also not the most tidy person. He does clean up his mess after the fact if it's pointed out to him, but he has trouble avoiding making a mess in the first place. Growing up a member of a rich family that has high standards, and a seemingly perfect older sister has given him a number of insecurites. He's always worried about not being good enough, and that he doesn't belong anywhere. He feels like he has something to prove. He wants to have a purpose in life. He tries to hide his worries behind a mask of cheerfulness, but they're always there. It manifests as envy torwards others he thinks are better than him. History: Conner grew up in an upscale area. Comner was the youngest son of the wealthy and prominent Waters family. His parents were quite strict, and they had high standards for their kids. Conner had an older sister named Arianna, and she was the the apple of the family's eye, at least it appeared that way to Conner. She was beautiful, talented, intelligent, and it felt like she could do no wrong. To him, it always seemed like anything he could do she could do better. In his teenage years, Conner gave up trying to live up to the high standards set by his sister. He only did just well enough in school to get by, and spent a lot of time slacking off. He would often act up in class, and get himself into trouble. There were days where he would cut class to go to the beach and surf. Surfing was one of his favorite activities. It was definitely something Arianna wouldn't do. He enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline high of catching a big wave. That, and he also flirting with the hot guys in swimsuits on the beach. He continued coasting through life trying to have as much fun as possible. Even though his grades weren't the best, he was rather popular with other students, and had a few close friends. His parents wished he would put more effort into his studies, and better represent his family name, but Conner didn't really care to try. His sister was obviously the shining star of the family, so why did they need him for? He managed to graduate with just good enough grades to pass. He continues working as an Employee at a local surf shop, and isn't sure if he wants to go to college or for that matter, what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Conner discovered his powers while surfing, naturally. He was able to move water when he was paddling out to sea. He had superpowers. He read about people having them, but never in his life did he think he'd get them too. That was something Arianna didn't have. If she did, she didn't tell anyone about them. While these powers are awesome for sure, but besides getting people wet, there wasn't much he could do with them right now. So he kept them a secret until he had a better handle on what they could do. Miscellaneous: He's gay!</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabins - Central Pavilion The volunteer gazed skeptically at the glob of water leaving Conner's bottle. His expression turned to neutral and finally impressed as the liquid levitated with control around the room and back into the water bottle. He thought for a moment and then nodded toward Conner, handing him an earned refund and a special sticker to put on his event program. A few minutes later, the tired volunteer seemed less impressed by Mara's display. He narrowed his eyes and considered for a moment. "An... electric lemon essence, you say?... would qualify for a refund. To ensure fairness toward all participants, you'll have to consent to a thorough pat-down to check for well-known items such as tasers or-" "Ahh, you're doing a good job," a clear voice interrupted. The volunteer stiffened as Dr. Nichols, dressed in the most outdoorsy clothing possible to still maybe get away with calling it business casual, propped an elbow on the man's shoulder. "Way to hold down the fort. You give yourself a break, I can take it from here." The volunteer still looked a little peeved about the researcher's display of boisterous friendliness. But he wasn't about to argue about a break. As the skeptical volunteer walked away, Dr. Nichols turned to Mara and handed her the plant essence refund and sticker. "I wish some of the unessenced would get over their jealousy enough to realize that every essenced person is a benefit to humanity as a whole," Dr. Nichols commented more quietly with an understanding smile. "Electric powers, for example. If even one out of a thousand people had well-developed electric powers, we could greatly cut down the use of fossil fuels! Have you met any other plant-essenced people here? I have several events to run, but I would love to find a little time on the side to group together and talk." Flame @LuckyBlackCat</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @Emeth Mara pressed her lips together, but nodded. Tasers weren't exactly known for channeling electricity through people's fingers. Or smelling of lemon. This guy was clearly looking for any excuse to withold refunds, not that she'd expected anything different. That expectation was turned on its head as an official-looking figure approached, taking over from the volunteer. A much friendlier attitude wasn't all he presented - to Mara's surprise, he handed out a sticker and a wad of cash. For a few moments, Mara was speechless. Well, that was quite the upturn of events. "Thanks, I was starting to doubt I'd see a cent of that." Tucking the money into her wallet, she rolled her eyes in the direction of the volunteer who trudged away. Ok, so maybe her judgement of him was a little unfair. An unessenced person sick of people rubbing their talents in their face - That sounded rather familiar. As much as she'd envied her siblings, and as badly as they'd treated her, they did benefit humanity. She couldn't deny that. "Yeah. Though it sure would help if some weren't so quick to flaunt it at every possible opportunity." She thought of Conner, and the water splash. "And yep, it'd be nice to make something useful of this." Useful. She hadn't imagined that word could describe anything she did. Could that change? Producing clean energy would be a better line of work than waitressing, depending how well the people involved were treated. "As for other plant essenced people," she continued, "Turns out there are a fair few here, despite all the time-wasters we've had in the queue." Speaking of, she wasn't about to hold up the rest of the line. "Well, I'd better let things move along, but I guess a chat later wouldn't hurt." Whether it would help was another matter, but at least there was a chance. She wondered if the researcher had met any other electricity users. If so, would he have any advice about electric powers? Heading away, she cringed, gloved hands in her jeans pockets. As someone who preferred to get things done herself, the thought of asking for help didn't sit well with her, but she had no choice. Right now, she needed to find Felicia, to further discuss matters.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Central Pavilion --> Hiking Trail 10:45 a.m. Dr. Nichols frowned as he glanced between his watch and the couple in front of him. "I'm sorry, we don't have enough time now for a whole cup- excuse me-" The researcher left with an apologetic look and stood on top of a wooden table. "May I have everyone's attention please?" Dr. Nichols shouted from his perch. "A few things before we start our hiking and zip line excursion. Don't forget that this is a wild forest. We will be staying on the marked paths. Leaving the paths could result in you getting lost or hurt, and that would be a big bummer. If you need to leave for any reason, use the buddy system and take the main paths. Remember to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. And most importantly, have fun!" With that, the man hopped down from the bench. He and one of the blue-tagged volunteers began leading the conference-goers over to the trail, while two other volunteers stayed behind to bring up the rear. The group soon passed the signpost that marked an entrance to the main trail. Almost immediately, the trail was surrounded by tall thin trees, casting shadows on the ground and the faces of the campers. The path itself was covered in dusty gravel, which petered out into a section of bare damp earth as the group scaled down a small hill. The gravel returned as the path kept alternating between levels of civilization and wilderness. The trail was wide enough for about three people to walk together, though sometimes it narrowed through winding areas. "Hello, America!" a strong masculine voice cut through the quiet wilderness. "This is John Jacob at the long-awaited SHARP conference. We are on a hike through these beautiful woods at the Cypress View Retreat Center. Let's see if we can find some interesting people to talk to. Who knows, we might even meet some plant-essenced people today!" The peppy talk show host smiled brightly as he just about shoved his big microphone in one of the hiker's faces. A few meters behind John stood a big man with an almost equally big camera and a thin young woman who looked annoyed. A few hikers gave the camera crew a weird look before politely walking around the impromptu set. "Hello there!" John Jacob addressed the random hiker. "What is your name? What are you looking forward to at this conference?" Further back in the line, NatJack averted her eyes from the camera crew, decidedly NOT wanting to be any part of that. The redhead kept to herself, though she sent some thoughtful glances Connor's way from time to time. Flame @Emeth @GreysonEA @LuckyBlackCat</s>	<\|message\|>Conner Waters After Conner finally got his money, it was time for their hiking and zip lining adventure. He had to admit, Conner was more excited about the zipline part of this excursion, but eh it was fine. It would make the ziplining that much more fun once he got there. Then, something unexpected happened. A guy shoved a microphone in his face. There was another dude with a giant camera behind him. "Hello there! What is your name? What are you looking forward to at this conference?" Conner smirked. "Name's Conner Waters. I'm looking forward to learning about these awesome new powers I got." He did his usual trick of manipulating the water in his bottle. "Btw, if my parents and sister are watching this, well… SURPRISE! LOOK AT ME NOW GUYS! I'M NOT THE PERFECT CHILD YOU WANT, AND I NEVER WILL BE! I HAVE SUPERPOWERS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?" Then he flipped off his family on camera.</s>
<\|description\|>Conner Waters Appearance: Conner is tall and lean, standing at exactly six feet tall. He has slender well defined swimmers body that he is very happy to show off. He spends plenty of time out in the sun, and thus has a lightly tanned skin complexion. He has a boyish heart shaped face, with big brown eyes, and a small nose. He keeps his brunette hair spiked up in the front, a style he thinks is cool. He can most often be seen with a grin on his face. As for clothing, even though Conner comes from a wealthy family, he doesn't dress the part. He wears simple T-shirts and jeans all the time. He also likes to wear tight fitting tank tops to show off his physique at times. When it's cold out, he'll wear a light blue hoodie. Footwear consists of a reliable pair of blue and white sneakers, or sandals. He dresses for comfort more than for fashion. He does like the color blue, and incorporates that into his wardrobe. Gender: Male Age: 18 Occupation: Surfer/Surf Shop Employee Plant Essence: Seaweed Superpower(s): Conner has control over water. At the moment, he can only move small amounts of water, and can't pull moisture from the air. Only control existing sources of water. He can splash people in the face with water from a water fountain. With time, his powers will grow. Personality: Conner is a spontaneous and outgoing young man. He likes to have fun. His favorite activities are surfing, swimming, playing video games, and reading comic books. He enjoys socializing with others and being the center of attention. He is an handshaking, touching kind of guy. He openly expresses affection through hugs, holding hands, as well as stroking and grabbing shoulders. He particularly likes flirting with attractive guys. He makes friends easily, and will happily chat up strangers if they interest him somehow. He enjoys social situations, and believes that everyone else would too. He's likely to convince people who he perceives as being lonely to come along with things like 'come on, you'll enjoy it!' or 'you don't know what you're missing!' While he does need to spend time alone once in a while, he gets bored if he does it too long. He values all his relationships, and will happily stick with anyone he considers a friend. He can often be found with a smile on his face, even during stressful situations. He often makes jokes, when the situation is tense to lift people's spirits. He may tease others in a 'playful' way, and expect them not to 'take it so seriously.' He does feel bad if somebody does actually get their feelings hurt by what he says. Sometimes his attempts at humor are read as him not taking the situation seriously. While he does joke around a lot, he is capable of getting things done. He just doesn't feel the need to be so dour about it. He often suggests that others not be so serious. Conner enjoys showing off his skills for others in order to get praise. He is prone to bragging about the things he is good at. He does it in a 'look at this awesome thing I can do!' way, rather than an 'I'm better than you.' way. He likes to live in the moment rather than dwelling on the past. This means Conner is not the best when it comes to organization, or planning. Due to his lack of planning ahead, it makes him impulsive, and he tends to jump into things without a second thought. He gets bored when he is not sufficiently stimulated, and will complain about being bored. He is also not the most tidy person. He does clean up his mess after the fact if it's pointed out to him, but he has trouble avoiding making a mess in the first place. Growing up a member of a rich family that has high standards, and a seemingly perfect older sister has given him a number of insecurites. He's always worried about not being good enough, and that he doesn't belong anywhere. He feels like he has something to prove. He wants to have a purpose in life. He tries to hide his worries behind a mask of cheerfulness, but they're always there. It manifests as envy torwards others he thinks are better than him. History: Conner grew up in an upscale area. Comner was the youngest son of the wealthy and prominent Waters family. His parents were quite strict, and they had high standards for their kids. Conner had an older sister named Arianna, and she was the the apple of the family's eye, at least it appeared that way to Conner. She was beautiful, talented, intelligent, and it felt like she could do no wrong. To him, it always seemed like anything he could do she could do better. In his teenage years, Conner gave up trying to live up to the high standards set by his sister. He only did just well enough in school to get by, and spent a lot of time slacking off. He would often act up in class, and get himself into trouble. There were days where he would cut class to go to the beach and surf. Surfing was one of his favorite activities. It was definitely something Arianna wouldn't do. He enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline high of catching a big wave. That, and he also flirting with the hot guys in swimsuits on the beach. He continued coasting through life trying to have as much fun as possible. Even though his grades weren't the best, he was rather popular with other students, and had a few close friends. His parents wished he would put more effort into his studies, and better represent his family name, but Conner didn't really care to try. His sister was obviously the shining star of the family, so why did they need him for? He managed to graduate with just good enough grades to pass. He continues working as an Employee at a local surf shop, and isn't sure if he wants to go to college or for that matter, what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Conner discovered his powers while surfing, naturally. He was able to move water when he was paddling out to sea. He had superpowers. He read about people having them, but never in his life did he think he'd get them too. That was something Arianna didn't have. If she did, she didn't tell anyone about them. While these powers are awesome for sure, but besides getting people wet, there wasn't much he could do with them right now. So he kept them a secret until he had a better handle on what they could do. Miscellaneous: He's gay!</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington "Isn't it obvious?!" The superhumanly amplified voice was the first thing Mara heard when she re-entered the pavilion, after having tried and failed to find Felicia. She flinched and stared. The discussion wasn't due to start quite yet, but in the middle of the gathering stood a wild-haired woman shouting to anyone who'd listen - not that they had a choice. "For all the ills of the modern age, a select few of us are still in tune with the natural world. So Mother Earth has called us to end the scourges of technology and civilization! Rise up, my fellow chosen ones, and let's abandon the cities for the woodlands, where we can live carefree, peaceful lives in harmony with nature's paradise once again!" She spread out her feet, raising her fist in a superhero-like pose, tendrils - no, roots - trailing from her limbs. Oh. Of course, mandragora essence, Mara thought, considering the folkloric connotations. If she'd guessed right, that'd explain the shrieking. And while respect for nature was by no means a bad thing... Peaceful? Either the speech-giver had never seen a wildlife documentary, or she had to be saying all this ironically. "I, for one, will start with this!" The shrieker flung her cell phone at a wall, where it smashed, shards clattering to the floor. "Liberate yourselves, blessed ones!" Several people, including Mara, slowly backed away. Hiking suddenly didn't seem so bad an idea. If this loudmouth didn't get kicked out, it was clear nobody else would get a word in edgeways. Mara sighed and hurried back out into the clearing, just in time to catch the end of the announcement. She sprinted over to the hiking group, slowing her pace to a leisurely traipse once she caught up, thankful for the quiet as they headed down the tree-lined trail. Ziplining was still a no-no, but at least a walk and some fresh air could prove relaxing... "Hello, America!" Or not. At the sight of a camera crew of all things, Mara startled. Sparks crackled at the tops of her gloves. Her stomach dropped, and she grimaced, eyes flicking from side to side as she drew back. She hadn't zapped anyone or anything, to her relief, but what if she'd drawn the crew's attention? Being on TV would be nothing short of a nightmare. Hoping they'd keep focusing on Conner despite his attitude, or even because of it, she edged further and further away. She should have stayed at the discussion after all.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Hiking Trail Mara's 'accident' happened plenty of distance away from the cameras and went unnoticed by most of the crew. The surly thin woman standing behind the cameraman startled a bit as the sparks caught her eye. She looked at Mara with widened eyes for just a second. Then she averted her gaze, acting natural, letting the situation pass without a big hullabaloo. The cameraman did his work well, following the stream of water as it floated through the air, catching John's amazed expression and Conner's proud one. The reporter's trained smile faltered just a bit as Conner decided to start going all Rebellious Teen on the air. Ever the professional, the cameraman predicted Conner's subsequent gesture and only half a second of the bird appeared in the corner of the screen as the camera panned back to John. "Well there you have it," John said with a bright smile. "A spirited bunch at the conference. We'll be back with you soon!" The instant the camera cut, John's plastic smile dropped. He rubbed his eyes as he addressed Conner. "I guess you're probably not mature enough to care, kid, but this is one of the first impressions the world will have of plant essences. For your own sake, maybe think about not making that impression so... abrasive in the future." John rubbed his temples and turned away, looking ten years older without his well-trained TV personality pizazz. "Candy," he grumbled. "Go get my smokes." The thin woman in the background took a breath and braced herself. "You said they were 'only for emergencies,'" Candace replied in a bored tone. "Your future self would not say this is an emergency." "My future self can kiss my ass this one time," John practically barked. "Go get just one cigarette, Candygirl. I won't. Ask. Again." Candace fought the urge to roll her eyes. Both of them knew that statement was a lie. Before she could reply, a bearded man with a bandaged hand took an exaggerated inhale awkwardly close to the tense conversation. "You smell delightful," the bearded man addressed Candace with a smile. "I can tell with my dog powers." Candace froze for a second, pondering. "Fine, I'll get your smokes," Candace muttered, starting back down the path toward the cabins. At least it would be a nice break from these obnoxious men. Joseph continued sniffing around, trying to find the source of another delightful smell. He hadn't pinpointed Mara yet but was getting dangerously close. NatJack continued hovering around the area. She eventually worked up the nerve to reunite with Conner. "Uh... hah," the redhead spoke. She looked away. All this time working up the nerve to converse with one of the people who had cool functioning powers, and she didn't even know what to say. "...So, uh, how long'd it take ya to learn howta do that?" @Crimson Flame</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington When the camera cut, Mara gave a huge sigh of relief. Shuffling back in the line, she glared at the camera crew and the volunteers. The staff could have said this would happen, instead of springing it on everyone like that. "Never a dull moment," she muttered to nobody in particular. That trend showed no sign of stopping. The bearded guy from earlier clearly hadn't learned his lesson, sniffing at a woman in the crew, trying to impress her with his claim of dog powers. Predictably, the first thing the woman did was make a swift exit. Mara groaned, wondering what essence the guy would try - and inevitably fail - to convince everyone he had next. She took another step back as he started heading her way, no doubt picking up on the smell of lemon. He hadn't found the source just yet, but it would only be a matter of time until he did, and Mara grimaced at the thought of being on the receiving end of that terrible flirting attempt. Before it could happen, she faced him, glowering. "Funny. Didn't you have ivy powers a few minutes ago?" No sooner had she said it than childhood memories surfaced, accompanied by a spike of guilt. Stumbling around a dark room, convincing herself she had feline night vision. Sneaking to retrieve toys her siblings had stolen from her, wishing she had the cunning of a fox. That hope, followed by disappointment, whenever she dreamed of an animal. Sure, she'd been a kid back then, but maybe she wasn't one to judge.</s>	<\|message\|>Conner Waters When the newsman scolded him, all Conner could do was mock him. "For your own sake, maybe think about not making that impression so abrasive in the future." Conner did not hide his disdain with an eyeroll. "Dude, you need to chill. We are human beings. Not aliens. We just… happen to get cool powers out of it." Then he made his poor beleaguered assistant fetch him some cigarettes. This guy was clearly a jerk. Then NatJack approached him, and asked him how he learned to do that, and Conner grinned. "Ah yeah. It wasn't easy. I watched a lot of cartoons, read some comic books, and copied what they did. I'm still not that good though. I can't do anything bigger than this damn water bottle. One day I'll be able to summon my own sick waves to ride. That'll be sweet." Then he looked back at the newsguy smoking a cigarette. "Speaking of sweet… Watch this." And he used his powers to throw some water at the man's head. "Like I said, you need to chill. Hope the water helps bro!"</s>
<\|description\|>Arthur Luna Appearance: Arthur is quite small, both in height and build. Standing at 5'5'' and weighing 130 lbs, Arthur is something of a shrimp. This isn't helped by his total lack of toned muscles, with his torso being completely flat and his arms and legs being small and stringy. Arthur's skin is a pale white as he tends to avoid the sun. Arthur's oval like face is covered in long black hair that goes all the way down to his neck. He also wears a pair of black glasses over his hazel eyes. Arthur tends to dress eclectically as he doesn't subscribe to any one style. As such he can been seen often in a variety of colours, fabrics, and other styles of dress. Usually multiple shirts are worn at once and a sweater as well most times. Arthur tends to prefer long pants rather than shorts, as well as running shoes instead of dress shoes. Arthur has also been experimenting with gender non-confirming clothes, mostly keeping to feminine colours and styles of shirt at this time. Gender: Male Age: 20 Occupation: Receptionist/Hobbyist Podcaster Plant Essence: Ipomoea alba aka Moonflower Superpower(s): Moonflower is a species of flower that blooms at night and closes back up during the day. In relation to this Arthur now possesses an involuntary transformation during the night. Currently this causes Arthur to become even more pale in skin pigment, for him to grow an inch in height, and possess heightened speed, strength, and reflexes. Once it becomes day again Arthur loses the enhanced abilities and returns to his default body. In the future Arthur will get taller when he transforms, with maybe even more visual changes, and his enhanced abilities would increase to a superhuman level. Personality: At first glance Arthur seems to be the quiet guy, mostly falling into the background in most situations. However, if you get to know him he begins to bloom, revealing a very passionate and talkative individual. Once a conversation begins with Arthur it tends to go on for a long time as he sometimes doesn't know when to stop. Coming out of a sheltered past, Arthur is always trying to experience new things. To that end he associates with a varied type of people. He has also been experimenting with his sexuality, but currently does not want to use a label. He has also gotten into many fandoms, which has helped him meet new people, and given him a lot of references to use in conversation. Arthur also has a tendency to help out others in need. This could be as simple as buying groceries for the struggling single mother next door, to helping a friend get sober. Arthur also would like to think that he would defend someone in a fight, but he questions this with his current physique, leaving that up to the realm of superhero stories. History: Born in a small town of which his mother was mayor, Arthur had a sheltered childhood. Arthur was the middle child of three, and was quite often expected by his parents to both follow in the footsteps of his older brother and be a good example for his younger sister. For the first few years Arthur did as his parents asked, only engaging with others they approved of. But as Arthur got older it became harder for his parents to control him. It was at the age of eight that first saw someone with animal powers. In his small town no one had powers, and the adults didn't talk about it, so mention of powers was restricted to stories traded by the children. Because of this Arthur was sceptical of their existence. But that was changed when he saw a man who had just been kicked out of the town's only bar, launch into the air and fly away on wings that appeared out of nowhere. Arthur decided to keep this sighting from his parents, figuring it would just get him into trouble. Wanting to learn more about the animal powers, Arthur turned to the public library for information. Going on the public computer, Arthur looked up all he had wanted to know, wondering if he could give himself powers, maybe get rid of his nearsightedness and sensitivity to light. Noticing what Arthur was searching, the librarian approached him, offering his assistance. Arthur accepted, quickly learning that the librarian was different that the other adults in town. Arthur would spend a lot more time over the years at the library, looking up topics that he wouldn't dare search on the computer at home. His view of the world began to expand, as he started new hobbies like rollerskating, playing board games, and working at the town's community garden. It was quickly becoming apparent to Arthur's parents that he was a free spirit, so they worked to corral him in. As Arthur's brother left for college in the city, his parents encouraged him to follow suit. Arthur said he would think about it. When Arthur finally graduated from his local high school, the issue of college was raised again. Arthur declared that he too would move to the city, but unlike his brother he would take a year long break to discover himself before applying. This made his parents irate, but Arthur's brother was more of the mind that at least he is planning to go to college. Thus he helped Arthur moved to the city. Once Arthur made it to the city he quickly became a part of the community. He made friends with the other tenants in his apartment complex, he found a local gaming group, and found a new community garden to work at. Job hunting did not go well initially, but after two months Arthur got a position as a receptionist at a doctor's office. Things were going well, so well that Arthur pushed back attending college by another year. In the mean time he started a podcast with a few of his friends, hoping to make it big. Arthur's family's patience was quickly running thin, eventually running out when Arthur postponed another time. His parents stopped talking to him, his brother questioned if he had any intention of going to school, while his sister just did what her parents said and didn't speak to him. This sent Arthur into a bit of a spiral. He began to question all of his choices, hoping that he was making the right ones. It was a few weeks later when Arthur was working in the community garden by himself around twilight. He had just finished watering the vegetables and was sitting down on a bucket, watching the moonflowers. Arthur had always liked watching them bloom as the night came. However this time, something else changed beside the flowers. Arthur felt a slight pressure as it seemed liked his body was getting taller. The feeling ended just as the moonflowers finished blooming. As Arthur got up to leave the garden, he noticed that his skin was paler than usual. Not thinking much of it, Arthur began to jog back to his apartment. Without thinking, he immediately began sprinting, making it back home in record time. He then went to bed, and when he woke up the next day, found that his skin had gone back to normal. For the next few nights Arthur would notice the skin pigment change, the increased height, and stronger physical abilities. After a week Arthur began to question what was happening to his body at night. At first he considered that he might have animal powers, but he couldn't think of an animal that would match his powers. So he went into researching animals in his free time, trying to see if that could answer his question. Miscellaneous: Arthur is queer, but is still figuring things out and as such isn't using labels yet. Arthur has been sensitive to sunlight since he was a child, causing him to prefer to remain indoors. He also tends to revamp his wardrobe every few months, as he loves buying a lot from thrift stores. Arthur also hosts a podcast with two friends. What the topic of the podcast is, I currently don't know. I welcome any suggestions.</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Saturday, June 19, 2021 This time Danielle sat in the front passenger seat with the window rolled down as she and her mother weaved back and forth down a long gravel road. Hee younger siblings napped, snowing softly, while her sister listened to her music. They were surrounded on either side by what felt like jungle. There were towering trees with twisting vines and giant leaves so dense you could hardly see a foot in. There were colorful birds, hanging snakes, and skittering lizards. The air was thick with heat and humidity, causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead. The girl closed her eyes and leaned her head out the window, welcoming the breeze. Her heart was anxious, racing. She breathed in a heavy breath. Almost a month had passed since Danielle and her family moved to Florida, but it all felt so strange. She felt like an alien on a distant planet, lightyears away from the forest and meadows she had called home, and its inhabitants were not taking kindly to her. Danielle was not alone, however; the dandelions had come with her and she came to see them as her friends. They were like little fairies or sprites that whispered hopes, dreams, and words of encouragement in her ears (and some gossip from time to time). Somestimes, when she was alone, Dani would whisper back. Dani had almost given up hope of attending the conference when just last night, Dani's mother purchased last minute tickets after a big fight with the boyfriend. She had taken a few punches and needed to 'get away'. It was bittersweet. Dani couldn't help feeling like it was her fault, but she just knew she had to be there. The dandelions had told her so. Danielle breathed out, letting her troubles get taken away on the breeze. Soon they came upon a clearing, where probably one hundred cars parked haphazardly on unmarked ground. Danielle's mom pulled crookedly into a spot, easily taking up two cars worth of space. "We're here! Everybody get out and get your bags," Mom said cheerily as she shut of the engine. She turned around and smiled with a tiredly with puffy eyes, gently shaking the two younger ones awake. A few grumbles and protests later, and the family was making their way toward their campsite, as they had opted for less expensive or inclusive tickets. There were people of all different kinds gathered around, chatting up or heading to the motel or cabins. Some looked like academics, some looked extraordinary with mutations or exhibited powers, and others seemed to just be average Joes looking for a good time. Dani closed her eyes as she walked, listening for whispers... Yuck, what is that smell? I want an essence of my own... I wish I had powers! I hope I meet a cute guy today... I want a power just like my dad...! Oh, if only I could live here... I wish I never got this stupid power! When is this thing going to start? Uh, I hate bugs! I never should have come here... Danielle was startled by a high-pitched whistle and crackling followed by shouting and shrieking of nearby onlookers, causing herself to let out a little 'eep!' and hide behind her backpack. "Awesome!" William exclaimed while making a fist. "Yeah, cool!" Destiny echoed. Even Abagail seemed somewhat interested in the commotion. "Come along kids, it's not polite to stare. Mind your business," their mother admonished, pulling the younger ones along by their hands while they protested. Abagail shrugged and followed after them. Dani, on the other hand, lingered, captivated by the arcs of electricity and scent of lemon zest in the air...</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Oh I wouldn't hold your breath." Alonzo chuckled softly, giving the girl a sharp grin at the snobs comment. Alonzo wasn't one to entertain those with more money than they necessarily deserved for long. Him and his grandmother had struggled and scraped for all they had; those born into money or just expected things tended to grate on his nerves. He made brief eye contact with the man who had appeared from behind, giving him a small nod in return before his attention was snatched away by an arm around his shoulders. He blinked for a moment; he really needed to keep a closer eye on people. The guy moved fast. His cheeks turned pink at the compliment and ducked out of the arm around his shoulders, giving Conner a sheepish smile. "Alonzo. Alonzo Solandis." He introduced himself, the sharp whistle making him wince and flinch slightly although that wasn't the worst reaction from their little group. He didn't see much besides the arc of electricity and the resulting large burn on the newcomer's arm. "Christ, that's some powerful stuff He muttered, shoving his bag in Conner's direction before hurrying over to the other guy. "I can help with that, give me your arm?" He offered out a hand, giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabin 7 At some point during Kerri's display of body horror, Libby got spooked and left the room. The rafflesia-essenced woman was left alone to rip off her blooms and stew for a couple minutes. Then the blonde tentatively peeked her head around the wall again. "Are you okay?" Libby ventured. She blushed slightly at the dumb question. The girl's skin was bubbling like a pancake a minute ago, even in a context with superpowers that didn't look very okay. "Uh... need anything before the conference starts?" She probably should've left the leave-me-alone-I'm-emo girl alone. She stayed on the balls of her feet, prepared to run if the angry woman attacked her with whatever nightmare power that was. But at least Libby had to check back to make sure the woman wasn't actively dying or anything.</s>	<\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur chuckled softly at the reply of the strange woman sitting on the picnic table. Groovy. The only person he had heard that from none ironically was an older woman in his apartment building, one who had been a flower child back in the day. Yet this lady in front of Arthur was clearly way younger that, so he wondered why she was using such terms. He thought that it might be a hipster thing. As she continued to speak, Arthur began to wonder if she knew where she was, "You know this is a scientific conference, right? I don't think they'll be sticking anyone with needles randomly, if you were worrying about that. As for harmonious thoughts, I'm not sure." Arthur paused, before laughing, "I mean do you think we should try and commune with the plant essences? I have no idea how that would work, but you seem like the kind of person who could get that started." Arthur was serious in what he said. This whole plant power thing had been nothing but a mystery since it started a few weeks back. Up until hearing about this conference, Arthur never had a notion that plant essences could be a thing. Yet he did change at night, same time as the flowers changed. So maybe a strange hippie lady leading some kind of meditation would allow him to gleam some information. It was worth a try. "My name is Arthur," he said as he extended his hand, "And would it be too forward if you yourself have a plant essence power?" Arthur was under the assumption that most anyone here that didn't look like a scientific type was probably someone with powers or knew someone with powers. Arthur himself at been keeping his power secret to those around him, but was warming up to the idea of being open with others with plant essences. Perhaps having some sort of community would make this life change easier for Arthur. Suzhen</s>
<\|description\|>D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Appearance: Danielle is rather plain and average looking, never one to stand out in a crowd. She is not ugly, but "pretty" at best. Her hair is grown out long and is a strange blond that almost appears almost green in poor lighting, but golden in sunlight. Her skin is pale and somewhat translucent, making injuries and blemishes more apparent. Her eyes are hazel, some parts more gold and other parts more green in appearance. She has a small rump and chest, and slightly round belly. She usually wears plain, modest, but feminine clothes, particularly in natural shades of white, yellow, green, blue, and brown. Her hair is either worn down or tied in a loose braid. She rarely accessorizes, but if she does she wears natural gemstone jewelry or real flowers. Her hair and clothes are often covered in dandelion seeds. Gender: Female Age: 18 Occupation: Student, 12th Grade Plant Essence: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Superpower(s): Dandelion Whispers: With the use of magic or science we don't understand, Danielle can subconsciously send and receive messages through dandelion seeds. These messages can manifest as voices, images, dreams, or other sensations such as scents and tastes. - Dandelion seeds naturally gravitate toward Danielle from other sources or toward its recipient if sent by her. She does not and cannot control them consciously. - Dandelions seeds may pick up any thought or feeling (not just the ones directed at them) but they seem to gravitate toward people with strong emotions. - Dandelion messages are strongest/clearest if in direct contact with its source/recipient, but simply being near it is enough to recieve/emit its signal. - Like carrier pigeons, it takes time for seeds to find their recipients. - Simply being within 2 ft of somebody is enough for a seed to emit or receive a signal. - The power seems to have an effect up to a 2 mile radius around Danielle. -Messages usually only capture a sentence or two, or a vision/dream up to around 30 seconds long. - If a dandelion message sender is willing and intentional, Dani can tell who the message came from. If the message sender is unwitting and/or unwilling, Dani can receive a message but can't tell who it came from. - Danielle does not make or produce dandelion seeds. She must either carry some with her or rely on those found in her environment. Light as Air: Danille can make herself light as a dandelion seed, yet maintain her mass. This makes is possible to leap to great heights and almost fly as she floats on a breeze. Solar Power: Danielle's powers seem to be fueled by light from the sun and moon. She is strongest on sunny days and moonlit nights. During the winter and stretches of cloudy weather, she feels weaker. Personality: Danielle is a dreamer, always with her head in the clouds and a wish in her heart. She enjoys reading, painting, drawing, and just being in nature, stargazing, and cloud watching. Dani adores animals and could watch them for hours, but is afraid to touch or play with them. When interacting with other people, Dani is soft-spoken and polite. She is never one to raise her hand or voice. She is a good listener but never has much to say--or rather has trouble finding words. She dislikes small-talk and avoids social interaction, especially conflict. She is always the first to back down from a fight or argument. Despite her social avoidance, she still needs friendship or she will suffer from loneliness. History: Danielle's parents divorced while she was very young and she never got to know her own father. She grew up with her mother and three siblings in a trailer park, always afraid. Her mother was loving and gentle, but she fell for the kind of men who would get drunk and beat her and her children. Her family was poor, and so Danielle was bullied at her small town New Hampshire school for being "trash." Home was no better because she was tormented by her mother's abusive boyfriend. She would run away to the woods and hide for hours to escape the yelling, crashing, and thudding back home. On her 17th birthday, after an especially bad day, Danielle found herself clutching a dandelion, crying a waterfall as she blew the fluffy white seeds away. She wished for a new life and for powers like she had heard and read so much about, so that she could make a difference in her family and others' lives. Around a month later, Danielle began to have strange, vivid dreams, all involving dandelions. The dandelion seeds would tickle her face and gather around in swarms and lift her into the sky and heard toward the sunset, echoing her voice and wishes as they carried her away on a warm breeze toward the sound of crashing ocean waves. It was only just a week ago Danille learned that she and her family would be moving to the boyfriend's hometown in Florida. She would be leaving the only place she ever called home, her friends (if she could even call them that) and the forest she had grown so fond of. Now, like in her dreams, she will make her way toward the sunset and a new life... Family: Fauna Dallon (mother, 37) - a wonderful and caring mother when sober. Irrational and irresponsible when not. She is a codependent woman. She married Daniel Dallon, her high school sweetheart in a shotgun wedding and and broke his heart only two years later. Daniel Dallon (father, 44) - a man who worked too hard and too much. Lost his family as a consequence. Abagail Dallon (eldest sister, 19) William Harrison (mother's boyfriend, 38)- charming, humorous man by day. Abusive alcoholic by night. William Harrison Jr. (half-brother, 11) Destiny Harrison (half-sister, 10) Miscellaneous: Speech color- Khaki Zodiac- Pisces Sexuality- Heterosexual, but not ready for or interested in romance yet.</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington Flame @GreysonEA @Heartfillia Another, much more level-headed guy piped up, pointing out that the conference hall was their best bet. Mara snorted. "That figures." With another glance around, she lowered her tone. "Let's hope we're not dealing with a bunch of snobs with more money than sense." She wasn't doing a whole lot for the mood, but they couldn't hope for too much. That said, any support was better than none, even if said support figures would probably look down their noses at them. "I'll be over in a moment," she said as the softspoken guy shifted his position. "Just gotta take some electrical safety measures." Pulling at her gloves again, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, but the lingering smell of smoke and citrus didn't help matters. Instead, it brought back memories of that day, and a pang of guilt along with them. The property damage her parents were dealing with wouldn't be quick, cheap or easy to fix. And if the fire had been worse, if everyone hadn't gotten out in time... It didn't bear thinking about. Ok, she couldn't exactly blame the BioTech staff for keeping their distance. Shuddering, she edged away from the charred grass. Just as she did, a sudden sharp whistle sounded right behind her. She jumped and whirled round. Sparks crackled, all the more erratic from the water, as another arc shot from her forearm and struck the guy who'd whistled. "Fuck!" Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening at the burn mark on his arm. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?" So much for electrical safety measures.</s> <\|message\|>Conner Waters June 19, 2021 Cypress View Retreat Conner couldn't help but think this woman was a grouch. Sure, he did get her wet, but that was an accident! No one was hurt or anything. They had gotten superpowers, and were basically on vacation, and they had gotten cool superpowers, and all she could do was complain. He figured anyone willing to fork over the cash to come here would have been excited about this development. She asked about the Bio-Tech people, and Conner blinked. "The who now?" It took a second for Conner to put it together. "Oh, right. The science peeps. Uh... nope haven't seen em." Then a tall boy came out, and pointed in the direction of where the science people could be found. Conner was particularly concerned about that though. He approached the other guy, and put an arm around his shoulders. "Hello, I was hoping I'd meet a cute guy today. Guess I got lucky. Names Conner." Then Conner heard a whistle, and saw a dog run past him. The woman freaked out, and she accidentally shocked the guy who whistled. Another handsome dude, even if he did seem older than Conner. This day was getting better already! "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready." @Heartfillia@GreysonEA</s>	<\|message\|>D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Saturday, June 19, 2021 This time Danielle sat in the front passenger seat with the window rolled down as she and her mother weaved back and forth down a long gravel road. Hee younger siblings napped, snowing softly, while her sister listened to her music. They were surrounded on either side by what felt like jungle. There were towering trees with twisting vines and giant leaves so dense you could hardly see a foot in. There were colorful birds, hanging snakes, and skittering lizards. The air was thick with heat and humidity, causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead. The girl closed her eyes and leaned her head out the window, welcoming the breeze. Her heart was anxious, racing. She breathed in a heavy breath. Almost a month had passed since Danielle and her family moved to Florida, but it all felt so strange. She felt like an alien on a distant planet, lightyears away from the forest and meadows she had called home, and its inhabitants were not taking kindly to her. Danielle was not alone, however; the dandelions had come with her and she came to see them as her friends. They were like little fairies or sprites that whispered hopes, dreams, and words of encouragement in her ears (and some gossip from time to time). Somestimes, when she was alone, Dani would whisper back. Dani had almost given up hope of attending the conference when just last night, Dani's mother purchased last minute tickets after a big fight with the boyfriend. She had taken a few punches and needed to 'get away'. It was bittersweet. Dani couldn't help feeling like it was her fault, but she just knew she had to be there. The dandelions had told her so. Danielle breathed out, letting her troubles get taken away on the breeze. Soon they came upon a clearing, where probably one hundred cars parked haphazardly on unmarked ground. Danielle's mom pulled crookedly into a spot, easily taking up two cars worth of space. "We're here! Everybody get out and get your bags," Mom said cheerily as she shut of the engine. She turned around and smiled with a tiredly with puffy eyes, gently shaking the two younger ones awake. A few grumbles and protests later, and the family was making their way toward their campsite, as they had opted for less expensive or inclusive tickets. There were people of all different kinds gathered around, chatting up or heading to the motel or cabins. Some looked like academics, some looked extraordinary with mutations or exhibited powers, and others seemed to just be average Joes looking for a good time. Dani closed her eyes as she walked, listening for whispers... Yuck, what is that smell? I want an essence of my own... I wish I had powers! I hope I meet a cute guy today... I want a power just like my dad...! Oh, if only I could live here... I wish I never got this stupid power! When is this thing going to start? Uh, I hate bugs! I never should have come here... Danielle was startled by a high-pitched whistle and crackling followed by shouting and shrieking of nearby onlookers, causing herself to let out a little 'eep!' and hide behind her backpack. "Awesome!" William exclaimed while making a fist. "Yeah, cool!" Destiny echoed. Even Abagail seemed somewhat interested in the commotion. "Come along kids, it's not polite to stare. Mind your business," their mother admonished, pulling the younger ones along by their hands while they protested. Abagail shrugged and followed after them. Dani, on the other hand, lingered, captivated by the arcs of electricity and scent of lemon zest in the air...</s>
<\|description\|>D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Appearance: Danielle is rather plain and average looking, never one to stand out in a crowd. She is not ugly, but "pretty" at best. Her hair is grown out long and is a strange blond that almost appears almost green in poor lighting, but golden in sunlight. Her skin is pale and somewhat translucent, making injuries and blemishes more apparent. Her eyes are hazel, some parts more gold and other parts more green in appearance. She has a small rump and chest, and slightly round belly. She usually wears plain, modest, but feminine clothes, particularly in natural shades of white, yellow, green, blue, and brown. Her hair is either worn down or tied in a loose braid. She rarely accessorizes, but if she does she wears natural gemstone jewelry or real flowers. Her hair and clothes are often covered in dandelion seeds. Gender: Female Age: 18 Occupation: Student, 12th Grade Plant Essence: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Superpower(s): Dandelion Whispers: With the use of magic or science we don't understand, Danielle can subconsciously send and receive messages through dandelion seeds. These messages can manifest as voices, images, dreams, or other sensations such as scents and tastes. - Dandelion seeds naturally gravitate toward Danielle from other sources or toward its recipient if sent by her. She does not and cannot control them consciously. - Dandelions seeds may pick up any thought or feeling (not just the ones directed at them) but they seem to gravitate toward people with strong emotions. - Dandelion messages are strongest/clearest if in direct contact with its source/recipient, but simply being near it is enough to recieve/emit its signal. - Like carrier pigeons, it takes time for seeds to find their recipients. - Simply being within 2 ft of somebody is enough for a seed to emit or receive a signal. - The power seems to have an effect up to a 2 mile radius around Danielle. -Messages usually only capture a sentence or two, or a vision/dream up to around 30 seconds long. - If a dandelion message sender is willing and intentional, Dani can tell who the message came from. If the message sender is unwitting and/or unwilling, Dani can receive a message but can't tell who it came from. - Danielle does not make or produce dandelion seeds. She must either carry some with her or rely on those found in her environment. Light as Air: Danille can make herself light as a dandelion seed, yet maintain her mass. This makes is possible to leap to great heights and almost fly as she floats on a breeze. Solar Power: Danielle's powers seem to be fueled by light from the sun and moon. She is strongest on sunny days and moonlit nights. During the winter and stretches of cloudy weather, she feels weaker. Personality: Danielle is a dreamer, always with her head in the clouds and a wish in her heart. She enjoys reading, painting, drawing, and just being in nature, stargazing, and cloud watching. Dani adores animals and could watch them for hours, but is afraid to touch or play with them. When interacting with other people, Dani is soft-spoken and polite. She is never one to raise her hand or voice. She is a good listener but never has much to say--or rather has trouble finding words. She dislikes small-talk and avoids social interaction, especially conflict. She is always the first to back down from a fight or argument. Despite her social avoidance, she still needs friendship or she will suffer from loneliness. History: Danielle's parents divorced while she was very young and she never got to know her own father. She grew up with her mother and three siblings in a trailer park, always afraid. Her mother was loving and gentle, but she fell for the kind of men who would get drunk and beat her and her children. Her family was poor, and so Danielle was bullied at her small town New Hampshire school for being "trash." Home was no better because she was tormented by her mother's abusive boyfriend. She would run away to the woods and hide for hours to escape the yelling, crashing, and thudding back home. On her 17th birthday, after an especially bad day, Danielle found herself clutching a dandelion, crying a waterfall as she blew the fluffy white seeds away. She wished for a new life and for powers like she had heard and read so much about, so that she could make a difference in her family and others' lives. Around a month later, Danielle began to have strange, vivid dreams, all involving dandelions. The dandelion seeds would tickle her face and gather around in swarms and lift her into the sky and heard toward the sunset, echoing her voice and wishes as they carried her away on a warm breeze toward the sound of crashing ocean waves. It was only just a week ago Danille learned that she and her family would be moving to the boyfriend's hometown in Florida. She would be leaving the only place she ever called home, her friends (if she could even call them that) and the forest she had grown so fond of. Now, like in her dreams, she will make her way toward the sunset and a new life... Family: Fauna Dallon (mother, 37) - a wonderful and caring mother when sober. Irrational and irresponsible when not. She is a codependent woman. She married Daniel Dallon, her high school sweetheart in a shotgun wedding and and broke his heart only two years later. Daniel Dallon (father, 44) - a man who worked too hard and too much. Lost his family as a consequence. Abagail Dallon (eldest sister, 19) William Harrison (mother's boyfriend, 38)- charming, humorous man by day. Abusive alcoholic by night. William Harrison Jr. (half-brother, 11) Destiny Harrison (half-sister, 10) Miscellaneous: Speech color- Khaki Zodiac- Pisces Sexuality- Heterosexual, but not ready for or interested in romance yet.</s> <\|message\|>Muriel Shropshire "Call me Mur'" she replies, keeping her cards close to her chest for now. "And you'd be right, but I'm going to wait and see exactly what the men in white coats are up to before I give too much away." The crack of a miniature lightning bolt interrupts Muriel, and she turns her head, thinks for a moment, then slides off the table. "Then again, I may be able to help that girl a little. That's worth the G-Men learning some secrets." She walks over to the crowd starting to form around Mara with a wave and a smile. "Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." She isn't actually sure if her rubber essence will make her immune to the electricity. She also isn't sure if she has fifty bucks. Well, if she's wrong, maybe Mara will accept a joint or two instead... @LuckyBlackCat</s> <\|message\|>Ryker Burke --- --- Ryker muscles suddenly stiffened for a few seconds when he felt the electrical surge hit his arms. He didn't cry out in pain as one would expect. But he groaned through his teeth as he closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment. His memories flashed before him. The smell of burn flesh... the soreness from the beatings...the searing pain of that jumper cable connected to a 12 volt Battery. The screams of his brothers being tortured. He could even hear himself saying his Rank, Name and ID over and over. "Sergeant Ryker Burke, 1013758492!" Each time being asked an incomprehensible question, and shock for not answering to the torturers liking. His left hand began to shake slightly. He shook his head a moment later to physically rid the thought from his head, and tightened his left hand into a fist. He looked over at the shorter blond, who had her hands over her mouth. A look of terror in her eyes as she looked at his arm. He looked down to see a hole in his jacket, a fresh black burn mark on his arm. Honestly he felt it only slightly. It wasn't as bad as he remembered. It was only then he seemed to warp back into the present, hearing almost everyone at once. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?" "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready." "I can help with that, give me your arm?" Sascha suddenly pushed herself between her legs, Sensing his confusion. Ready to protect him with his order. He quickly reached down and placed a hand on her head to calm her. He hesitated for a moment before offering his arm to the guy with a nod of accepting his help, Looking to the blonde who shocked him he then said, to both her and the one who offered to help. "Its fine, It doesn't hurt that much...I'm used to it." He said realizing afterwards that would be a very awkward thing to be used to. "It my fault. He added quickly with a smile... "I didn't mean to scare you with the Whistle..." He was pulled away as the odd girl in a bikini and shirt suddenly appeared. Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." What the hell, who asks for that kinda thing? He wondered, as he felt Sascha move her head closer to the new person sniffing. But she didn't move from between his legs.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, tattoos exposed, and pushed his glasses further up his nose before taking the guy's arm gently in his hand. He felt the fluttering of nerves in his stomach but took a deep breath to try and calm them as much as he could. He had an actual use now, no chance to mess this one up. His eyebrows furrowed with concentration, fingers of his other hand flexing as they tingled. "Sure did a number on this but it could be worse. No one's at fault though, just wrong place, wrong time. Nothing for anyone to kick themselves over." As he spoke, the burn started to slowly fade. The burn was large enough to leave a faint scar, and he hadn't got a proper handle on this new power enough to make it disappear completely, but it would fade quicker than usual and was definitely better than if it had been untreated. "S'alright though, look? Gone... more or less." He gave him another brief smile and stepped away, flexing the tingling from his fingers; the newer scent of lavender far overpowering the lemon from before. "She's cute, what's her name? Alonzo asked curiously, eyeing up the cause of the whole fiasco. "And yours, actually?" He added quickly, cursing his lack of manners. His grandmother would have his head if she could hear him.</s>	<\|message\|>D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Something went wrong. Terribly wrong. One moment Dani was watching lightning dance, the next second somebody got struck. A line of dandelions lit up like Christmas lights before promptly disintegrating as Dani shrieked and fell to her knees and crumpled to the ground in pain. The would around her faded out, and Dani became somebody else--a young man in a mysterious room that smelled of burning flesh. Her new body was beaten and bruised, and felt like it had been for days. But even worse than they pain was the tortured screams of seemingly familiar voices. A vague pressed a live wire to her arm, sending a second surge of pain through her body... Danielle awoke screaming and disoriented. Who was she? Where was she? She groped at her arms and face. "Dani? Dani?" somebody asked, hovering over her with breath that reeked of alcohol. Her mother, Dani realized. She was herself again, and the pain was gone "Are you okay, Dani?" William asked with big eyes. "You scared me! Don't do that again, Dani!" Destiny chastised with a wrinkled forehead and pouty lips. "Just get up already!" Abagail muttered. With her mother's help, Danielle sat up slowly. William handed her a bottle of water and she took it gratefully. After a few gulps she put the cap back on. Her mother pat her back. "There, there. Take it easy. We think you might have had heat stroke. You were hallucinating. Let's get you out of the sun," she soothed, rubbing her daughter's back. Danielle felt like throwing up. "Oh-okay..." Dani answered weakly. She took her mother's hand and shakily returned to her feet. Her mom put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and began leading her toward their cabin. As they continued past the group she was watching previously, the girl settled on a man in his late twenties with a well-behaved working dog between his legs. She looked at the man's arms and face and found scars, many of them deep. With all these details, and her gut feelings, somehow she just knew he was the one the vision had came from. What happened to you? Dani asked the universe with tears running down her cheeks. He looked like such a good guy, and he didn't deserve whatever happened to him. The girl sniffled, wiped her tears away and continued into cabin '2'. Unbeknownst to her, the universe listens, and a nearby dandelion seed carried her question heavily to the man known as Ryker Burke.</s>
<\|description\|>Alonzo Solandis Appearance: Alonzo is fairly tall and lanky giving him a permanently teenager look. He looks as though he never really grew into his limbs, and can be slightly clumsy at times. He does keep himself fit, but isn't all too much to look at until you catch sight of his tattoos. He's turned himself into a living canvas - with art inked into most available space. His forearms are near completely covered - the left with runes and a compass done in blackwork, and the right a stormy sea, hiding a kraken under the waves. More tattoos trail up over his shoulders and back, but those he doesn't show off unless asked. He has bleach blond hair, cropped close at the sides and longer on the top that he claims as natural, but his dark brows and the peroxide on his bathroom cabinet say otherwise. He has piercing blue eyes, that are occasionally obscured behind a pair of large, round glasses. He has a single piercing in his tongue, but not many people realise. He can usually be seen dressed in comfortable hoodies, sweaters and jeans - usually in shades of blue and beige. Gender: Male Age: 20 Occupation: Artist Plant Essence: Lavender Superpower(s): Alonzo has a healing aura about him. He can heal minor wounds with a well-spoken word. He's tried this power on most scrapes, scratches, even a stomach ache or two - but he can't figure how to make it work for himself. He can also calm situations by speaking, although this doesn't work as well as he often hopes - he'd much rather no one get hurt in the first place. Personality: Alonzo is incredibly soft spoken. He is rarely confrontational and is kind to a fault. He sees the best in people even when they don't necessarily deserve it - this causes him to become a bit of a pushover in certain situations and is often walked over in arguments. He is polite and civil a majority of the time, and isn't quick to anger. He can be somewhat snarky and scathing when comfortable with people, or when talking to himself and so one can often hear him swearing softly under his breath when he thinks no one can hear him. He can also be self-deprecating at times, not trusting himself or his own skills and abilities. History: Alonzo grew up with his grandmother in a quiet part of town and to most he was a pretty unassuming and inoffensive kid - but he was his grandmothers world. His parents wanted nothing to do with him when he was born so he was handed over to his closest relative. His grandmother was a pagan, and taught him all she knew about herbs and spices and what they could do for him if he set his intentions right. She passed on her love of cooking and Alonzo tried to incorporate what he'd learnt - setting intentions in his cookies and sigils into his bread. When she passed away, Alonzo was untethered. Lost and without direction. He threw himself into his passions, often disappearing for weeks at a time and barely speaking to anyone. He discovered his powers in the months after his grandmothers death; he was on his way to the art store when he watched a small child slip and fall in front of him. He rushed over and was greeted by teary eyes, with grazed knees and sore palms from the pavement. He murmured his sympathies, brain whirring with how to find the little boys mother when the tears stopped, palms lost their redness and the grazes all but disappeared; leaving behind a smudge of dirt and the faint smell of lavender. The encounter stuck with him for weeks afterwards and no research could be found. His first thought was maybe animal essence but it didn't match up to anything he could find online about animals that could heal themselves. And it still didn't explain the lavender. He kept it quiet until the broadcast on tv. He stood in his living room with painting forgotten on his easel, listening quietly before making a beeline for his laptop and his grandmothers notebook. He flipped the page open to lavender, one he knew all too well but had never thought to check before. He bought the conference ticket with money he made from selling a few of his paintings, finally freeing up some space in his spare room and jittery with anticipation for meeting others like him. Miscellaneous: Solandis means 'delicate flower' in Old English! He's also super queer but doesn't shout it from the rooftops.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Oh I wouldn't hold your breath." Alonzo chuckled softly, giving the girl a sharp grin at the snobs comment. Alonzo wasn't one to entertain those with more money than they necessarily deserved for long. Him and his grandmother had struggled and scraped for all they had; those born into money or just expected things tended to grate on his nerves. He made brief eye contact with the man who had appeared from behind, giving him a small nod in return before his attention was snatched away by an arm around his shoulders. He blinked for a moment; he really needed to keep a closer eye on people. The guy moved fast. His cheeks turned pink at the compliment and ducked out of the arm around his shoulders, giving Conner a sheepish smile. "Alonzo. Alonzo Solandis." He introduced himself, the sharp whistle making him wince and flinch slightly although that wasn't the worst reaction from their little group. He didn't see much besides the arc of electricity and the resulting large burn on the newcomer's arm. "Christ, that's some powerful stuff He muttered, shoving his bag in Conner's direction before hurrying over to the other guy. "I can help with that, give me your arm?" He offered out a hand, giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabin 7 At some point during Kerri's display of body horror, Libby got spooked and left the room. The rafflesia-essenced woman was left alone to rip off her blooms and stew for a couple minutes. Then the blonde tentatively peeked her head around the wall again. "Are you okay?" Libby ventured. She blushed slightly at the dumb question. The girl's skin was bubbling like a pancake a minute ago, even in a context with superpowers that didn't look very okay. "Uh... need anything before the conference starts?" She probably should've left the leave-me-alone-I'm-emo girl alone. She stayed on the balls of her feet, prepared to run if the angry woman attacked her with whatever nightmare power that was. But at least Libby had to check back to make sure the woman wasn't actively dying or anything.</s> <\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur chuckled softly at the reply of the strange woman sitting on the picnic table. Groovy. The only person he had heard that from none ironically was an older woman in his apartment building, one who had been a flower child back in the day. Yet this lady in front of Arthur was clearly way younger that, so he wondered why she was using such terms. He thought that it might be a hipster thing. As she continued to speak, Arthur began to wonder if she knew where she was, "You know this is a scientific conference, right? I don't think they'll be sticking anyone with needles randomly, if you were worrying about that. As for harmonious thoughts, I'm not sure." Arthur paused, before laughing, "I mean do you think we should try and commune with the plant essences? I have no idea how that would work, but you seem like the kind of person who could get that started." Arthur was serious in what he said. This whole plant power thing had been nothing but a mystery since it started a few weeks back. Up until hearing about this conference, Arthur never had a notion that plant essences could be a thing. Yet he did change at night, same time as the flowers changed. So maybe a strange hippie lady leading some kind of meditation would allow him to gleam some information. It was worth a try. "My name is Arthur," he said as he extended his hand, "And would it be too forward if you yourself have a plant essence power?" Arthur was under the assumption that most anyone here that didn't look like a scientific type was probably someone with powers or knew someone with powers. Arthur himself at been keeping his power secret to those around him, but was warming up to the idea of being open with others with plant essences. Perhaps having some sort of community would make this life change easier for Arthur. Suzhen</s> <\|message\|>Muriel Shropshire "Call me Mur'" she replies, keeping her cards close to her chest for now. "And you'd be right, but I'm going to wait and see exactly what the men in white coats are up to before I give too much away." The crack of a miniature lightning bolt interrupts Muriel, and she turns her head, thinks for a moment, then slides off the table. "Then again, I may be able to help that girl a little. That's worth the G-Men learning some secrets." She walks over to the crowd starting to form around Mara with a wave and a smile. "Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." She isn't actually sure if her rubber essence will make her immune to the electricity. She also isn't sure if she has fifty bucks. Well, if she's wrong, maybe Mara will accept a joint or two instead... @LuckyBlackCat</s> <\|message\|>Ryker Burke --- --- Ryker muscles suddenly stiffened for a few seconds when he felt the electrical surge hit his arms. He didn't cry out in pain as one would expect. But he groaned through his teeth as he closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment. His memories flashed before him. The smell of burn flesh... the soreness from the beatings...the searing pain of that jumper cable connected to a 12 volt Battery. The screams of his brothers being tortured. He could even hear himself saying his Rank, Name and ID over and over. "Sergeant Ryker Burke, 1013758492!" Each time being asked an incomprehensible question, and shock for not answering to the torturers liking. His left hand began to shake slightly. He shook his head a moment later to physically rid the thought from his head, and tightened his left hand into a fist. He looked over at the shorter blond, who had her hands over her mouth. A look of terror in her eyes as she looked at his arm. He looked down to see a hole in his jacket, a fresh black burn mark on his arm. Honestly he felt it only slightly. It wasn't as bad as he remembered. It was only then he seemed to warp back into the present, hearing almost everyone at once. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?" "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready." "I can help with that, give me your arm?" Sascha suddenly pushed herself between her legs, Sensing his confusion. Ready to protect him with his order. He quickly reached down and placed a hand on her head to calm her. He hesitated for a moment before offering his arm to the guy with a nod of accepting his help, Looking to the blonde who shocked him he then said, to both her and the one who offered to help. "Its fine, It doesn't hurt that much...I'm used to it." He said realizing afterwards that would be a very awkward thing to be used to. "It my fault. He added quickly with a smile... "I didn't mean to scare you with the Whistle..." He was pulled away as the odd girl in a bikini and shirt suddenly appeared. Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." What the hell, who asks for that kinda thing? He wondered, as he felt Sascha move her head closer to the new person sniffing. But she didn't move from between his legs.</s>	<\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, tattoos exposed, and pushed his glasses further up his nose before taking the guy's arm gently in his hand. He felt the fluttering of nerves in his stomach but took a deep breath to try and calm them as much as he could. He had an actual use now, no chance to mess this one up. His eyebrows furrowed with concentration, fingers of his other hand flexing as they tingled. "Sure did a number on this but it could be worse. No one's at fault though, just wrong place, wrong time. Nothing for anyone to kick themselves over." As he spoke, the burn started to slowly fade. The burn was large enough to leave a faint scar, and he hadn't got a proper handle on this new power enough to make it disappear completely, but it would fade quicker than usual and was definitely better than if it had been untreated. "S'alright though, look? Gone... more or less." He gave him another brief smile and stepped away, flexing the tingling from his fingers; the newer scent of lavender far overpowering the lemon from before. "She's cute, what's her name? Alonzo asked curiously, eyeing up the cause of the whole fiasco. "And yours, actually?" He added quickly, cursing his lack of manners. His grandmother would have his head if she could hear him.</s>
<\|description\|>Alonzo Solandis Appearance: Alonzo is fairly tall and lanky giving him a permanently teenager look. He looks as though he never really grew into his limbs, and can be slightly clumsy at times. He does keep himself fit, but isn't all too much to look at until you catch sight of his tattoos. He's turned himself into a living canvas - with art inked into most available space. His forearms are near completely covered - the left with runes and a compass done in blackwork, and the right a stormy sea, hiding a kraken under the waves. More tattoos trail up over his shoulders and back, but those he doesn't show off unless asked. He has bleach blond hair, cropped close at the sides and longer on the top that he claims as natural, but his dark brows and the peroxide on his bathroom cabinet say otherwise. He has piercing blue eyes, that are occasionally obscured behind a pair of large, round glasses. He has a single piercing in his tongue, but not many people realise. He can usually be seen dressed in comfortable hoodies, sweaters and jeans - usually in shades of blue and beige. Gender: Male Age: 20 Occupation: Artist Plant Essence: Lavender Superpower(s): Alonzo has a healing aura about him. He can heal minor wounds with a well-spoken word. He's tried this power on most scrapes, scratches, even a stomach ache or two - but he can't figure how to make it work for himself. He can also calm situations by speaking, although this doesn't work as well as he often hopes - he'd much rather no one get hurt in the first place. Personality: Alonzo is incredibly soft spoken. He is rarely confrontational and is kind to a fault. He sees the best in people even when they don't necessarily deserve it - this causes him to become a bit of a pushover in certain situations and is often walked over in arguments. He is polite and civil a majority of the time, and isn't quick to anger. He can be somewhat snarky and scathing when comfortable with people, or when talking to himself and so one can often hear him swearing softly under his breath when he thinks no one can hear him. He can also be self-deprecating at times, not trusting himself or his own skills and abilities. History: Alonzo grew up with his grandmother in a quiet part of town and to most he was a pretty unassuming and inoffensive kid - but he was his grandmothers world. His parents wanted nothing to do with him when he was born so he was handed over to his closest relative. His grandmother was a pagan, and taught him all she knew about herbs and spices and what they could do for him if he set his intentions right. She passed on her love of cooking and Alonzo tried to incorporate what he'd learnt - setting intentions in his cookies and sigils into his bread. When she passed away, Alonzo was untethered. Lost and without direction. He threw himself into his passions, often disappearing for weeks at a time and barely speaking to anyone. He discovered his powers in the months after his grandmothers death; he was on his way to the art store when he watched a small child slip and fall in front of him. He rushed over and was greeted by teary eyes, with grazed knees and sore palms from the pavement. He murmured his sympathies, brain whirring with how to find the little boys mother when the tears stopped, palms lost their redness and the grazes all but disappeared; leaving behind a smudge of dirt and the faint smell of lavender. The encounter stuck with him for weeks afterwards and no research could be found. His first thought was maybe animal essence but it didn't match up to anything he could find online about animals that could heal themselves. And it still didn't explain the lavender. He kept it quiet until the broadcast on tv. He stood in his living room with painting forgotten on his easel, listening quietly before making a beeline for his laptop and his grandmothers notebook. He flipped the page open to lavender, one he knew all too well but had never thought to check before. He bought the conference ticket with money he made from selling a few of his paintings, finally freeing up some space in his spare room and jittery with anticipation for meeting others like him. Miscellaneous: Solandis means 'delicate flower' in Old English! He's also super queer but doesn't shout it from the rooftops.</s> <\|message\|>Conner Waters June 19, 2021 Cypress View Retreat Alonzo blushed, and escaped Conner's grip, and introduced. Conner smirked. That was not a rejection? Did he actually have a chance with this guy? Who knows. There was still plenty of weekend left. Alonzo threw his bag in his direction ran over to the other guy's side. Conner couldn't exactly blame him... He was handsome and had a cute dog to boot. Alonzo rolled up his sleeves, exposing the tattoos on his arms, which Conner did not expect. This guy seemed like the shy quiet type, and not really the type to have a whole sleeve tattoos. Then he worked his magic, and healed the guy's arm. Conner picked up Alonzo's bag, and strode over to him. "Nice! But dude, we have got to talk about this awesome ink!" He took Alonzo's right arm with a tattoo of the sea, with a Kraken beneath the waves. "Who did it?"</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @GreysonEA @Bai Suzhen @LostButterfly92 The man's reaction was worse than Mara had feared. Instead of yelping or recoiling, he spaced out for a few seconds. Mara's stomach clenched as she noticed the trembling of his left hand, the traces of scars on his arms and face. Had she just triggered a bad memory? As if the whole situation wasn't already shitty enough, in the distance, a scream rose up. She stared over at the teen hunched on the ground, people gathering around her. Great, she'd all too likely set off someone's phobia of lightning. It was only when a dog pushed between the guy's legs, poised to guard him, that he snapped back into the present. Although he tried to reassure her it was ok, Mara bit her lip. Used to it? So she had gone and reminded him of something unpleasant. Judging by his reaction, he wasn't used to shocks in the same way that electricians and engineers were. "It wasn't your fault," she replied. If only she'd damn well pulled herself together, this wouldn't have happened. "Not like you could've known." Before he could answer, the woman with flowers in her hair approached, with an odd request. Mara raised an eyebrow. Give her a zap? While both damp and on edge? Yeeeeah, what could possibly go wrong? Even if this girl had an essence that could lessen the effect, it would still be a risky move. "Ehh, I'm going to guess you want to keep your fingers in working order." She folded her arms. "So I'll pass. What was it you wanted to check though?" As much as she needed the money, to help cover the cost of repairs to her parents' home, it wouldn't be worth it, at least not until she dried off and calmed down. She glanced at the wounded man again, proof of why it wouldn't. The tattooed blond had stepped in, the wound fading at his touch. Not completely, but enough that it wouldn't get infected or leave major scarring. Mara gave a sigh of relief. Ok, lucky there was a healer around. His essence was obvious - the distinctive scent of lavender overrode the smoke and lemon smells. Of course, that still left the issue of the guy's mental state, as the concern in the approaching teen's eyes made clear. The same girl who'd panicked just now. The burn may have been healed, but that didn't change the fact that electricity freaked out at least two people here.</s> <\|message\|>Ryker Burke --- --- Ryker reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a stick of gum, expertly unwraping it with one hand and sticking in his mouth, calming the slight anxiety that popped up from the memory. He looked away towards the girl who screamed out when he was shocked. Now that his mind was catching up with him. She was up now, moving towards them. And She was looking towards him with a tear rolling down her cheek. Suddenly a voice popped into his head, asking what happened to him. It sounded like someone was whispering directly into his ear, but no one around him asked it. The voice was different from the two next to him now. His head cocked as he thought. I was...shocked? clearly confused by who said it, and clearly connecting it with what just happened. But I'm ok. He quickly added...not knowing if he would even be answered. The scent of Lavender overpowering the lemon and even peppermint that was always escaping his lips. He had to admit it was an extremely useful power. He didn't mind one bit that it left a scar. Just another among the many on his arm. He smiled, "Thank you. I hope I didn't cause you too much discomfort." He said, while indicating his fingers. "This here is Sascha..." He paused for a second before realizing he was asking for his name, not if Sascha was hers. "I'm Ryker Burke... it's a pleasure to meet you all." He looked to blond girl and smiled confidently. "No harm done, Well some harm....My favorite jacket now has a charred hole in it. Though I barely felt it. We are all learning so I don't blame you one bit... Excuse me..." He said with a chuckle. He then looked to the girl and moved over to her and her mother. Sascha moving out from his legs and standing right by his side looking up at him. "Excuse me, are you ok?" He asked with genuine concern. Then looked the mother,"What happened? Is there anything I can do to help?"</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n A cool breeze blew by, carrying with it a tiny, glowing seed. It swirled and danced on the air, finally settling in a few strands of Dani's golden locks. I was...shocked? But I'm ok... , a mysterious voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Dani stopped in her tracks, heart racing and wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights. Her mother stumbled but held tight to Dani, using her to keep balance. Dani just stood there, unblinking, with her heart pounding. Her mother put her cool hand to the girl's clammy forehead and felt her cheek and face. "Honey, what's wrong? Are you feeling faint again? Don't be frightened, I'm right here," she soothed, stoking her daughter's long hair. Dani was hardly listening. She stared blankly ahead, lost in thought. Di-did he hear me? Was... was that him answering back? Dani wondered frantically. Never had she heard such a deep voice come from a dandelion messenger. They were usually celestial. Angelic. The dandelions must have contacted him on her behalf. But then, did that mean her mind was no longer sacred? Could she trust the dandelions with her thoughts and feelings and secrets? What if she accidentally hurt someone by thinking something she would never say out loud, or what if people found discovered her power... The next thing she knew, a man with that same deep voice was speaking right in front of her, asking if she was okay. It seemed her hunch was right. She looked him in his amber eyes and at his scarred face for only just a moment before looking away with an embarrassed smile and reddening cheeks. "I um, I'm fine, really... " Dani stammered quietly. It was bad enough to be speaking with somebody she didn't know, and worse that he might figure out she has powers. Dani looked down at the dog by his side to distract herself and avoid accidentally sharing her thoughts, but the dog only made her feel more anxious. Good doggy..good doggy...good doggy... Dani repeated in her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearing her mind. "Oh, just a case of heat exhaustion. A little bit of water and some shade and she'll be right as rain," Dani's mother answered for her, patting her on the shoulder. Feeling a little more calm, Dani nodded and drank from her plastic bottle water to help support her mother's explanation, while avoiding eye contact. "She's a little shy around strangers," her mom explained, leaning in to whisper toward the brown-eyed man, before wobbling back upright. "Anyways... my name is Fauna and this is Danielle, William, Destiny, and Abagail. Say hello to the nice gentleman, kids." Fauna said with a friendly smile, pointing to each child in turn. Abagail crossed her arms and mumbled 'hello', William nodded and said 'hey'. Destiny gave him an energetic wave, 'hi' and a big grin, glancing to and from the man and his dog, but more interested in the dog. Fauna nodded approvingly. "And who do we have the pleasure of meeting?" she asked. "Can I pet your dog? Can I please?" Destiny suddenly blurted out, reaching for the animal. Danielle grabbed for her sister's shirt sleeve, trying to stop her, but the girl slipped from her grasp.</s>	<\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Nice to meet you both." Alonzo nodded with a slight smile, waving away the concern of his hand. He stepped back a little to give Ryker some space, and to also get out of the worst of the lavender cloud. He knew the smell would cling to his hair and clothes for hours now. Not that it was a bad smell; he just wasn't a fan of the old lady images it brought to mind. "Teething problems, bit of a weird sensation to get used to. Nothing major though." He gave him another brief smile before Conner was in front of him again, hand on his arm. This guy was definitely the touchy-feeley type, but Alonzo didn't mind too much. He'd had worse. He grinned brightly at the mention of his tattoo. They were his absolute pride and joy. "I designed this one. Well, adapted it from a painting I did a few years ago. I regretted selling it so much that I redrew it in tattoo form. One of my friends actually tattooed it though, he lives in the south. This one," He held out his other arm, adorned with runes and a compass. "My grandma designed for me before she passed. She was very spiritual. All of the runes mean something different." He smiled a little sadly but didn't dwell. "I have more on my back and my shoulders. One on each thigh too. I've spent way too much money on these already, but I still have some space so still room for more."</s>
<\|description\|>Alonzo Solandis Appearance: Alonzo is fairly tall and lanky giving him a permanently teenager look. He looks as though he never really grew into his limbs, and can be slightly clumsy at times. He does keep himself fit, but isn't all too much to look at until you catch sight of his tattoos. He's turned himself into a living canvas - with art inked into most available space. His forearms are near completely covered - the left with runes and a compass done in blackwork, and the right a stormy sea, hiding a kraken under the waves. More tattoos trail up over his shoulders and back, but those he doesn't show off unless asked. He has bleach blond hair, cropped close at the sides and longer on the top that he claims as natural, but his dark brows and the peroxide on his bathroom cabinet say otherwise. He has piercing blue eyes, that are occasionally obscured behind a pair of large, round glasses. He has a single piercing in his tongue, but not many people realise. He can usually be seen dressed in comfortable hoodies, sweaters and jeans - usually in shades of blue and beige. Gender: Male Age: 20 Occupation: Artist Plant Essence: Lavender Superpower(s): Alonzo has a healing aura about him. He can heal minor wounds with a well-spoken word. He's tried this power on most scrapes, scratches, even a stomach ache or two - but he can't figure how to make it work for himself. He can also calm situations by speaking, although this doesn't work as well as he often hopes - he'd much rather no one get hurt in the first place. Personality: Alonzo is incredibly soft spoken. He is rarely confrontational and is kind to a fault. He sees the best in people even when they don't necessarily deserve it - this causes him to become a bit of a pushover in certain situations and is often walked over in arguments. He is polite and civil a majority of the time, and isn't quick to anger. He can be somewhat snarky and scathing when comfortable with people, or when talking to himself and so one can often hear him swearing softly under his breath when he thinks no one can hear him. He can also be self-deprecating at times, not trusting himself or his own skills and abilities. History: Alonzo grew up with his grandmother in a quiet part of town and to most he was a pretty unassuming and inoffensive kid - but he was his grandmothers world. His parents wanted nothing to do with him when he was born so he was handed over to his closest relative. His grandmother was a pagan, and taught him all she knew about herbs and spices and what they could do for him if he set his intentions right. She passed on her love of cooking and Alonzo tried to incorporate what he'd learnt - setting intentions in his cookies and sigils into his bread. When she passed away, Alonzo was untethered. Lost and without direction. He threw himself into his passions, often disappearing for weeks at a time and barely speaking to anyone. He discovered his powers in the months after his grandmothers death; he was on his way to the art store when he watched a small child slip and fall in front of him. He rushed over and was greeted by teary eyes, with grazed knees and sore palms from the pavement. He murmured his sympathies, brain whirring with how to find the little boys mother when the tears stopped, palms lost their redness and the grazes all but disappeared; leaving behind a smudge of dirt and the faint smell of lavender. The encounter stuck with him for weeks afterwards and no research could be found. His first thought was maybe animal essence but it didn't match up to anything he could find online about animals that could heal themselves. And it still didn't explain the lavender. He kept it quiet until the broadcast on tv. He stood in his living room with painting forgotten on his easel, listening quietly before making a beeline for his laptop and his grandmothers notebook. He flipped the page open to lavender, one he knew all too well but had never thought to check before. He bought the conference ticket with money he made from selling a few of his paintings, finally freeing up some space in his spare room and jittery with anticipation for meeting others like him. Miscellaneous: Solandis means 'delicate flower' in Old English! He's also super queer but doesn't shout it from the rooftops.</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington As Mara stepped into the vast hall, the air conditioning provided some relief. Hot weather didn't do much for an already irritable mood. Just as she'd expected, though, a volunteer explained that the test for refund eligibility wasn't possible just yet. Mara resisted the urge to huff. Of course. There'd probably be some excuse later on too. Taking one of the few empty seats at the back, she read over the itinerary and frowned. Either it was full of misprints, or someone had gone and put different activities in the same timeslots. Activities that looked rather less than helpful, to boot. Water balloon fight? She gave a hollow laugh. While Conner would undoubtedly love it, it was safe to say that was out of the question for her. Which left the panel discussion. She could only hope it wouldn't be as condescending as she suspected. It wasn't long before the conference started. A generic pseudo-inspirational speech, a rundown of self-evident rules... Well, so far it was meeting her expectations. Good thing she kept those expectations low. What she hadn't been prepared for, however, was the group activity. Stifling a groan, she traipsed towards the "2" sign, beside which a small group gathered. Public speaking was not her forte. Putting up with people who jumped at the chance to talk about themselves, even less so. Her gaze drifted to her scuffed boots, and she shuffled back from the group for their own safety as her heart began to thud. Right now she felt like that awkward kid in school again, with nothing interesting to say. Someone else piped up - Dani, even less at ease by the look of it. The nervousness, and the longing for an essence, were things Mara could relate to all too well. As people scoffed at Dani's words, Mara found herself glaring at them. Yeah it was none of her business, and she knew she was likely asking for trouble, but for some reason she couldn't help it. One by one, Dani's family went next, Abby having the right idea. Once her 'speech' was over, Mara breathed deeply and looked up. The longer she waited, the tauter her nerves stretched, and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Best to get this over with. Plus, she'd freaked Dani out earlier. The least she could do was help make her more comfortable. "Mara. Lived in Florida my entire life. Plant essence, namely lemon..." God it sounded even weirded spoken out loud. "In other words, electricity. Don't ask. As for fun facts, I, uh..." Scrambling for a remotely interesting fact, she struggled to keep looking at the crowd and not at the floor. No, she was NOT going to act like that insecure kid she'd once been. She had to keep her defenses up. "Does not really being one for fun facts count? But if it's a must, I've always liked lemon flavoured stuff... I guess this explains it." Whew, just like that it was done. Now able to relax somewhat, Mara waited for the next person to speak up.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Flame @GreysonEA Next to Conner in the Cabin 5 group stood a young woman with loosely waved red hair pulled up in a casual ponytail. With a large, broad frame adorned with equal parts fat and muscle, she wouldn't look too out of place wrestling a bear. She seemed to pay more attention to the two men with plant essences. "Uhh, hah," the woman drawled, shifting a little uncomfortably as her turn came. "Ah'm Natalie Jackson, but most folks call me NatJack. Ah live in Mississipi, but ah have an aunt around here so it wasn't too hard ta get here. Uh... Ah think Ah have a soybean essence? Well, Ah had the wahld dream lahk they say the essenced folks do, an' Ah ain't never had any'a that soy stuff before, so whah would mah brain think'a that on its own? But Ah don't know what mah powers are yet." NatJack took a breath like she was about to add something else, but a hesitant expression came to her face and she paused for a couple seconds before continuing. "Ah love grillin' and fishin', and ah've won a couple competitions. For fishin', at least." --- @LuckyBlackCat "Hello, everyone," a 40-something woman in the Cabin 2 group said with a dreamy wave. The chunky bracelets on her wrists clinked lightly as she continued gesturing throughout her introduction. "I'm Dolly. It's so nice to meet you all. I live near Orlando. I have been blessed with the iris essence." Dolly gestured to a delicate yellow flower in her hair. She pulled back some smooth black strands to show that the flower appeared to be rooted to her scalp. "I can plant temporary flowers on other people, too. Would anyone like one?" "Me! Me! I want one!" Destiny cried eagerly, jumping with enthusiasm and clenched fists in anticipation. Fauna chuckled and put her hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her down. "That sounds lovely, dear, but do remember to use your indoor voice and say 'please'," she reminded her daughter quietly, with a smile and a pat. Destiny stopped jumping and raised her hand instead. "Please! Please choose me!" The girl begged, quieter now, but still beaming with excitement. "Alright," Dolly chuckled. "You may go first, since you asked so politely. Though there's plenty to go around." At this, she glanced toward Mara for a moment before returning her attention to Destiny. "This might itch for just a bit..." Dolly parted the young girl's hair and touched her scalp near the back of her ear. As advertised, Destiny would feel an itching sensation for a few seconds, almost like ant or mosquito bites. Then, a thin stem emerged and quickly bloomed into a beautiful purple flower. The medium-sized accessory for Dolly looked comically, but cutely, big on a small child. "Purple stands for wisdom," Dolly addressed Destiny. "You must be pretty wise for your age!" "I am! I have the best grades in my class," Destiny boasted with a proud grin on her face and her hands on her hips. People in the crowd stared and gasped in awe. Even Abagail raised a brow and looked the girl's way. "How do I look, Momma?" Destiny asked, scratching a bit at the roots that now covered her head. "You look beautiful, dear. Like a fairytale princess!" Fauna answered enthusiastically. "Ooh! Thank you, mom. And thank you, miss Dolly!" Destiny said with a grateful curtsey, smile, and bob of her flower before returning to her mother's side. "You're very welcome," Dolly responded. "It should last for about eight hours. Then it will wilt and fall off painlessly on its own." Dolly shrugged with a wistful smile. "It's not a 'save the world' sort of power, but it's a nice opportunity to add a little more beauty to the world." "Oh dear... I've hogged the spotlight, haven't I? I'll make my fun fact quick. I'm a vegan and an advocate for animal rights. But not like PETA or anything, they're terrible."</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @LostButterfly92 As remarkable as some essences were, Mara didn't want to appear too impressed. She wasn't going to give anyone that satisfaction. However, when Dolly spoke up and showed everyone the flower growing from her head, Mara's eyes widened. Not just from fascination, but wariness. Great, so people would be walking around Cabin 2 with large, flammable flowers rooted to their skin. Even more incentive to get these electrical problems under control. "Gonna have to pass," she replied to Dolly's offer. For all her love of plants and gardening, she'd had to get rid of her houseplants after a few close calls. Having one attached to her skin wouldn't be the smartest idea. "It'd be a shame to fry it." Shuffling back and pulling up her rubber gloves, she watched Dolly demonstrate her essence on Destiny. Petals unfurled behind the child's ear, spreading into a huge purple flower. Apparently the colour wasn't random, as Dolly explained it stood for wisdom. "Huh... Not bad, I've gotta say," Mara admitted. Sure, it may not be a superhero power, but if the colour thing was accurate, it would be useful for figuring out people's traits and skills. Dolly would make a good teacher or therapist, if she wasn't one already. It was certainly better than her own essence. And thankfully, Dolly wasn't the type to go on and on about it, wrapping up her introduction quickly. Considering her and Dani, maybe the people in Cabin 2 wouldn't be so bad after all. Which still left the issue of the flowers. Arms folded, Mara inched further away from Dolly and Destiny. If it came across as rude, so be it.</s>	<\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo gave Connor a brief smile before he started speaking. At least he wasn't going to be alone stuck with complete strangers - although they had only known each other a matter of hours. He half listened as Connor spoke, eyes flicking around the group to gauge the reactions of everyone else as he announced his sexuality to everyone. He had more nerve than Alonzo did. His eyes drifted to the young woman next in the circle, who seemed to be paying the pair of them more attention than anyone else in the cabin. He offered her a hesitant, but genuine, smile. Alonzo wasn't about to admit that he was slightly intimidated; Natalie, as she introduced herself, was only slightly taller than he was but looked as though she could snap him like a twig without a second thought. "Soybeans?" He murmured, trying to rack his brain for anything related to soybeans but all he could think of was soy milk - and he had no idea how that could translate itself into a power. "Maybe your dream had some sort of clue as to what your powers could be? Or maybe even how to kickstart them?" He asked; his curiosity piqued.</s>
<\|description\|>Ryker Burke Appearance: Ryker stands at about 5'10" with Brown hair and Amber eyes. His body is athletic and muscular, as he must be to do his job. He has a few scars that could be seen on his arms and face, but many more on his body and back. The way he carries himself it's clear he was a soldier. Gender:Male Age: 28 Occupation: Detective Plant Essence: Peppermint Superpower: Ryker has the ability to cool anything he touches, and can make it so cold it can freeze as if he dipped the object in liquid Nitrogen. He currently can't control his ability, which really comes from his fingertips. So he wears gloves to block it so he doesn't accidentally freeze someone. The air around him always seems a few degrees cooler, and his skin is cold to the touch as if he was standing out in a blizzard for too long, this causes his skin to be a bit numb...and because of this he has a higher tolerance to pain. This is also bad, because while he may brush it off as a small thing, or not even realize how bad it is... until he suddenly gets woozy from blood loss. His breath is cold as well, and sometimes you can see a puff of his breath if he was standing in a freezer even if it's 100 degrees out. With practice he would be able to control it without worrying about gloves, how cold it gets, and how far it can expand. As of now, it's about a three foot radius from the point he touches that can freeze. It's also nice touch he smells like peppermint every time he uses it. Personality: Ryker is a very intelligent and observant person. Who is quick to pick up something with what seems like little effort. However despite his natural athleticism and smarts he believes in working hard for what you want. There are many hours of training and learning when people are not watching. He is kind, and respectful, with the habit to address everyone as Sir and Ma'am. He is quick to make friends, and is always willing to help complete strangers. As if they were close friends. He has a mischievous side to him as well, often joking around even while working. He also is known to always have gum on him, specifically peppermint. In his pockets, car, desk, home. While really odd, it became a joke for everyone that knew him. He claims it's just something he picked up while in the military to deal with stress. While fighting though, he seems like a completely different person. History: Ryker grew up in a Military/police home. So it's clear where he got his strong sense of morals from. However he wasn't always like that. He was a little cheeky rambunctious kid who always got into trouble all the way through his teens. But he got his act together just before joining the military. He excelled while there, making three close friends that became his brothers after a small conflict turned bad for them. The short story, which is all he would say always if asked. They were captured and tortured, for a few weeks before managing to escape. No matter how many times, he won't go into details. After the military the four stayed in touch, he became uncles to their children, despite not being related by blood. He also joined the police force and became a K-9 officer. Where he and his partner Sascha, did really well for five years, somehow managing to be a part of some big busts during that time. One of them, almost killing his Partner. While she managed to live, she was retired from the force and he decided to become a detective after that, not wanting another dog. A few months later, he found out one of his brothers was killed in a car wreck, along with his wife. Their 10 year daughter, Everly was also in the wreck, but managed to live. He took a few months off to take care of his brother's funeral and arrangements, he also took custody of Everly, as he was named the GodFather in their wills. About three months ago, when he came back to work, his fellow officers pranked him by filling his desk with hundreds of packets of gum, as well as placing a large Peppermint plant in a pot on his desk. After all the joking was done, he decided to keep it in his office. It was after that he started to have strange dreams of peppermint plants freezing over by themselves. Over the next week he Catch himself looking at Peppermint plant for no reason at all thinking about the dream. That it would just stick with him. He felt a sudden surge of cold surrounding his chest. Then slowly spread throughout him. He didn't think much of it, as he got up and left, he didn't see his chair's arms were cracked and frozen. Miscellaneous: -always has a pack of gum, but not always chewing gum. -Sascha usually follows him around everywhere.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis "Oh I wouldn't hold your breath." Alonzo chuckled softly, giving the girl a sharp grin at the snobs comment. Alonzo wasn't one to entertain those with more money than they necessarily deserved for long. Him and his grandmother had struggled and scraped for all they had; those born into money or just expected things tended to grate on his nerves. He made brief eye contact with the man who had appeared from behind, giving him a small nod in return before his attention was snatched away by an arm around his shoulders. He blinked for a moment; he really needed to keep a closer eye on people. The guy moved fast. His cheeks turned pink at the compliment and ducked out of the arm around his shoulders, giving Conner a sheepish smile. "Alonzo. Alonzo Solandis." He introduced himself, the sharp whistle making him wince and flinch slightly although that wasn't the worst reaction from their little group. He didn't see much besides the arc of electricity and the resulting large burn on the newcomer's arm. "Christ, that's some powerful stuff He muttered, shoving his bag in Conner's direction before hurrying over to the other guy. "I can help with that, give me your arm?" He offered out a hand, giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabin 7 At some point during Kerri's display of body horror, Libby got spooked and left the room. The rafflesia-essenced woman was left alone to rip off her blooms and stew for a couple minutes. Then the blonde tentatively peeked her head around the wall again. "Are you okay?" Libby ventured. She blushed slightly at the dumb question. The girl's skin was bubbling like a pancake a minute ago, even in a context with superpowers that didn't look very okay. "Uh... need anything before the conference starts?" She probably should've left the leave-me-alone-I'm-emo girl alone. She stayed on the balls of her feet, prepared to run if the angry woman attacked her with whatever nightmare power that was. But at least Libby had to check back to make sure the woman wasn't actively dying or anything.</s> <\|message\|>Arthur Luna Arthur chuckled softly at the reply of the strange woman sitting on the picnic table. Groovy. The only person he had heard that from none ironically was an older woman in his apartment building, one who had been a flower child back in the day. Yet this lady in front of Arthur was clearly way younger that, so he wondered why she was using such terms. He thought that it might be a hipster thing. As she continued to speak, Arthur began to wonder if she knew where she was, "You know this is a scientific conference, right? I don't think they'll be sticking anyone with needles randomly, if you were worrying about that. As for harmonious thoughts, I'm not sure." Arthur paused, before laughing, "I mean do you think we should try and commune with the plant essences? I have no idea how that would work, but you seem like the kind of person who could get that started." Arthur was serious in what he said. This whole plant power thing had been nothing but a mystery since it started a few weeks back. Up until hearing about this conference, Arthur never had a notion that plant essences could be a thing. Yet he did change at night, same time as the flowers changed. So maybe a strange hippie lady leading some kind of meditation would allow him to gleam some information. It was worth a try. "My name is Arthur," he said as he extended his hand, "And would it be too forward if you yourself have a plant essence power?" Arthur was under the assumption that most anyone here that didn't look like a scientific type was probably someone with powers or knew someone with powers. Arthur himself at been keeping his power secret to those around him, but was warming up to the idea of being open with others with plant essences. Perhaps having some sort of community would make this life change easier for Arthur. Suzhen</s> <\|message\|>Muriel Shropshire "Call me Mur'" she replies, keeping her cards close to her chest for now. "And you'd be right, but I'm going to wait and see exactly what the men in white coats are up to before I give too much away." The crack of a miniature lightning bolt interrupts Muriel, and she turns her head, thinks for a moment, then slides off the table. "Then again, I may be able to help that girl a little. That's worth the G-Men learning some secrets." She walks over to the crowd starting to form around Mara with a wave and a smile. "Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." She isn't actually sure if her rubber essence will make her immune to the electricity. She also isn't sure if she has fifty bucks. Well, if she's wrong, maybe Mara will accept a joint or two instead... @LuckyBlackCat</s>	<\|message\|>Ryker Burke Ryker muscles suddenly stiffened for a few seconds when he felt the electrical surge hit his arms. He didn't cry out in pain as one would expect. But he groaned through his teeth as he closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment. His memories flashed before him. The smell of burn flesh... the soreness from the beatings...the searing pain of that jumper cable connected to a 12 volt Battery. The screams of his brothers being tortured. He could even hear himself saying his Rank, Name and ID over and over. "Sergeant Ryker Burke, 1013758492!" Each time being asked an incomprehensible question, and shock for not answering to the torturers liking. His left hand began to shake slightly. He shook his head a moment later to physically rid the thought from his head, and tightened his left hand into a fist. He looked over at the shorter blond, who had her hands over her mouth. A look of terror in her eyes as she looked at his arm. He looked down to see a hole in his jacket, a fresh black burn mark on his arm. Honestly he felt it only slightly. It wasn't as bad as he remembered. It was only then he seemed to warp back into the present, hearing almost everyone at once. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?" "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready." "I can help with that, give me your arm?" Sascha suddenly pushed herself between her legs, Sensing his confusion. Ready to protect him with his order. He quickly reached down and placed a hand on her head to calm her. He hesitated for a moment before offering his arm to the guy with a nod of accepting his help, Looking to the blonde who shocked him he then said, to both her and the one who offered to help. "Its fine, It doesn't hurt that much...I'm used to it." He said realizing afterwards that would be a very awkward thing to be used to. "It my fault. He added quickly with a smile... "I didn't mean to scare you with the Whistle..." He was pulled away as the odd girl in a bikini and shirt suddenly appeared. Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it." What the hell, who asks for that kinda thing? He wondered, as he felt Sascha move her head closer to the new person sniffing. But she didn't move from between his legs.</s>
<\|description\|>Ryker Burke Appearance: Ryker stands at about 5'10" with Brown hair and Amber eyes. His body is athletic and muscular, as he must be to do his job. He has a few scars that could be seen on his arms and face, but many more on his body and back. The way he carries himself it's clear he was a soldier. Gender:Male Age: 28 Occupation: Detective Plant Essence: Peppermint Superpower: Ryker has the ability to cool anything he touches, and can make it so cold it can freeze as if he dipped the object in liquid Nitrogen. He currently can't control his ability, which really comes from his fingertips. So he wears gloves to block it so he doesn't accidentally freeze someone. The air around him always seems a few degrees cooler, and his skin is cold to the touch as if he was standing out in a blizzard for too long, this causes his skin to be a bit numb...and because of this he has a higher tolerance to pain. This is also bad, because while he may brush it off as a small thing, or not even realize how bad it is... until he suddenly gets woozy from blood loss. His breath is cold as well, and sometimes you can see a puff of his breath if he was standing in a freezer even if it's 100 degrees out. With practice he would be able to control it without worrying about gloves, how cold it gets, and how far it can expand. As of now, it's about a three foot radius from the point he touches that can freeze. It's also nice touch he smells like peppermint every time he uses it. Personality: Ryker is a very intelligent and observant person. Who is quick to pick up something with what seems like little effort. However despite his natural athleticism and smarts he believes in working hard for what you want. There are many hours of training and learning when people are not watching. He is kind, and respectful, with the habit to address everyone as Sir and Ma'am. He is quick to make friends, and is always willing to help complete strangers. As if they were close friends. He has a mischievous side to him as well, often joking around even while working. He also is known to always have gum on him, specifically peppermint. In his pockets, car, desk, home. While really odd, it became a joke for everyone that knew him. He claims it's just something he picked up while in the military to deal with stress. While fighting though, he seems like a completely different person. History: Ryker grew up in a Military/police home. So it's clear where he got his strong sense of morals from. However he wasn't always like that. He was a little cheeky rambunctious kid who always got into trouble all the way through his teens. But he got his act together just before joining the military. He excelled while there, making three close friends that became his brothers after a small conflict turned bad for them. The short story, which is all he would say always if asked. They were captured and tortured, for a few weeks before managing to escape. No matter how many times, he won't go into details. After the military the four stayed in touch, he became uncles to their children, despite not being related by blood. He also joined the police force and became a K-9 officer. Where he and his partner Sascha, did really well for five years, somehow managing to be a part of some big busts during that time. One of them, almost killing his Partner. While she managed to live, she was retired from the force and he decided to become a detective after that, not wanting another dog. A few months later, he found out one of his brothers was killed in a car wreck, along with his wife. Their 10 year daughter, Everly was also in the wreck, but managed to live. He took a few months off to take care of his brother's funeral and arrangements, he also took custody of Everly, as he was named the GodFather in their wills. About three months ago, when he came back to work, his fellow officers pranked him by filling his desk with hundreds of packets of gum, as well as placing a large Peppermint plant in a pot on his desk. After all the joking was done, he decided to keep it in his office. It was after that he started to have strange dreams of peppermint plants freezing over by themselves. Over the next week he Catch himself looking at Peppermint plant for no reason at all thinking about the dream. That it would just stick with him. He felt a sudden surge of cold surrounding his chest. Then slowly spread throughout him. He didn't think much of it, as he got up and left, he didn't see his chair's arms were cracked and frozen. Miscellaneous: -always has a pack of gum, but not always chewing gum. -Sascha usually follows him around everywhere.</s> <\|message\|>Alonzo Solandis Alonzo rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, tattoos exposed, and pushed his glasses further up his nose before taking the guy's arm gently in his hand. He felt the fluttering of nerves in his stomach but took a deep breath to try and calm them as much as he could. He had an actual use now, no chance to mess this one up. His eyebrows furrowed with concentration, fingers of his other hand flexing as they tingled. "Sure did a number on this but it could be worse. No one's at fault though, just wrong place, wrong time. Nothing for anyone to kick themselves over." As he spoke, the burn started to slowly fade. The burn was large enough to leave a faint scar, and he hadn't got a proper handle on this new power enough to make it disappear completely, but it would fade quicker than usual and was definitely better than if it had been untreated. "S'alright though, look? Gone... more or less." He gave him another brief smile and stepped away, flexing the tingling from his fingers; the newer scent of lavender far overpowering the lemon from before. "She's cute, what's her name? Alonzo asked curiously, eyeing up the cause of the whole fiasco. "And yours, actually?" He added quickly, cursing his lack of manners. His grandmother would have his head if she could hear him.</s> <\|message\|>D D a n i e l l e D a l l o n Something went wrong. Terribly wrong. One moment Dani was watching lightning dance, the next second somebody got struck. A line of dandelions lit up like Christmas lights before promptly disintegrating as Dani shrieked and fell to her knees and crumpled to the ground in pain. The would around her faded out, and Dani became somebody else--a young man in a mysterious room that smelled of burning flesh. Her new body was beaten and bruised, and felt like it had been for days. But even worse than they pain was the tortured screams of seemingly familiar voices. A vague pressed a live wire to her arm, sending a second surge of pain through her body... Danielle awoke screaming and disoriented. Who was she? Where was she? She groped at her arms and face. "Dani? Dani?" somebody asked, hovering over her with breath that reeked of alcohol. Her mother, Dani realized. She was herself again, and the pain was gone "Are you okay, Dani?" William asked with big eyes. "You scared me! Don't do that again, Dani!" Destiny chastised with a wrinkled forehead and pouty lips. "Just get up already!" Abagail muttered. With her mother's help, Danielle sat up slowly. William handed her a bottle of water and she took it gratefully. After a few gulps she put the cap back on. Her mother pat her back. "There, there. Take it easy. We think you might have had heat stroke. You were hallucinating. Let's get you out of the sun," she soothed, rubbing her daughter's back. Danielle felt like throwing up. "Oh-okay..." Dani answered weakly. She took her mother's hand and shakily returned to her feet. Her mom put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and began leading her toward their cabin. As they continued past the group she was watching previously, the girl settled on a man in his late twenties with a well-behaved working dog between his legs. She looked at the man's arms and face and found scars, many of them deep. With all these details, and her gut feelings, somehow she just knew he was the one the vision had came from. What happened to you? Dani asked the universe with tears running down her cheeks. He looked like such a good guy, and he didn't deserve whatever happened to him. The girl sniffled, wiped her tears away and continued into cabin '2'. Unbeknownst to her, the universe listens, and a nearby dandelion seed carried her question heavily to the man known as Ryker Burke.</s> <\|message\|>Conner Waters June 19, 2021 Cypress View Retreat Alonzo blushed, and escaped Conner's grip, and introduced. Conner smirked. That was not a rejection? Did he actually have a chance with this guy? Who knows. There was still plenty of weekend left. Alonzo threw his bag in his direction ran over to the other guy's side. Conner couldn't exactly blame him... He was handsome and had a cute dog to boot. Alonzo rolled up his sleeves, exposing the tattoos on his arms, which Conner did not expect. This guy seemed like the shy quiet type, and not really the type to have a whole sleeve tattoos. Then he worked his magic, and healed the guy's arm. Conner picked up Alonzo's bag, and strode over to him. "Nice! But dude, we have got to talk about this awesome ink!" He took Alonzo's right arm with a tattoo of the sea, with a Kraken beneath the waves. "Who did it?"</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @GreysonEA @Bai Suzhen @LostButterfly92 The man's reaction was worse than Mara had feared. Instead of yelping or recoiling, he spaced out for a few seconds. Mara's stomach clenched as she noticed the trembling of his left hand, the traces of scars on his arms and face. Had she just triggered a bad memory? As if the whole situation wasn't already shitty enough, in the distance, a scream rose up. She stared over at the teen hunched on the ground, people gathering around her. Great, she'd all too likely set off someone's phobia of lightning. It was only when a dog pushed between the guy's legs, poised to guard him, that he snapped back into the present. Although he tried to reassure her it was ok, Mara bit her lip. Used to it? So she had gone and reminded him of something unpleasant. Judging by his reaction, he wasn't used to shocks in the same way that electricians and engineers were. "It wasn't your fault," she replied. If only she'd damn well pulled herself together, this wouldn't have happened. "Not like you could've known." Before he could answer, the woman with flowers in her hair approached, with an odd request. Mara raised an eyebrow. Give her a zap? While both damp and on edge? Yeeeeah, what could possibly go wrong? Even if this girl had an essence that could lessen the effect, it would still be a risky move. "Ehh, I'm going to guess you want to keep your fingers in working order." She folded her arms. "So I'll pass. What was it you wanted to check though?" As much as she needed the money, to help cover the cost of repairs to her parents' home, it wouldn't be worth it, at least not until she dried off and calmed down. She glanced at the wounded man again, proof of why it wouldn't. The tattooed blond had stepped in, the wound fading at his touch. Not completely, but enough that it wouldn't get infected or leave major scarring. Mara gave a sigh of relief. Ok, lucky there was a healer around. His essence was obvious - the distinctive scent of lavender overrode the smoke and lemon smells. Of course, that still left the issue of the guy's mental state, as the concern in the approaching teen's eyes made clear. The same girl who'd panicked just now. The burn may have been healed, but that didn't change the fact that electricity freaked out at least two people here.</s>	<\|message\|>Ryker Burke Ryker reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a stick of gum, expertly unwraping it with one hand and sticking in his mouth, calming the slight anxiety that popped up from the memory. He looked away towards the girl who screamed out when he was shocked. Now that his mind was catching up with him. She was up now, moving towards them. And She was looking towards him with a tear rolling down her cheek. Suddenly a voice popped into his head, asking what happened to him. It sounded like someone was whispering directly into his ear, but no one around him asked it. The voice was different from the two next to him now. His head cocked as he thought. I was...shocked? clearly confused by who said it, and clearly connecting it with what just happened. But I'm ok. He quickly added...not knowing if he would even be answered. The scent of Lavender overpowering the lemon and even peppermint that was always escaping his lips. He had to admit it was an extremely useful power. He didn't mind one bit that it left a scar. Just another among the many on his arm. He smiled, "Thank you. I hope I didn't cause you too much discomfort." He said, while indicating his fingers. "This here is Sascha..." He paused for a second before realizing he was asking for his name, not if Sascha was hers. "I'm Ryker Burke... it's a pleasure to meet you all." He looked to blond girl and smiled confidently. "No harm done, Well some harm....My favorite jacket now has a charred hole in it. Though I barely felt it. We are all learning so I don't blame you one bit... Excuse me..." He said with a chuckle. He then looked to the girl and moved over to her and her mother. Sascha moving out from his legs and standing right by his side looking up at him. "Excuse me, are you ok?" He asked with genuine concern. Then looked the mother,"What happened? Is there anything I can do to help?"</s>
<\|description\|>Felicia Vespa Gender: Female Age: 24 Occupation: Landlady Plant Essence: Robinia pseudoacacia - Black Locust Superpower: "Natural Defenses" Rose's Thorns: It's said that every rose has its thorns, and Felicia's thorns mean business. They can grow from shoots that extend out from inside her sleeves or up from the ground to create a hedge around her, then quickly retreat. They vary in size, from that of small daggers to a size small enough to pick locks. Current Mastery: Can make a set of "grass knuckles," or snag an ankle with an underground shoot. Toxic Love: Everything Felicia produces is toxic. Shoots, wood, bark, thorns, leaves, flowers, fruit and all. Even her bodily fluids are poisonous. The range of symptoms include anorexia, depression, incontinence, abdominal pain, weakness, paralysis, and cardiac arrhythmia. They are debilitating, but very rarely lethal. Current Mastery: Can't control which symptoms manifest. Doesn't actually know this power exists, as its effects are still too weak. Exposure might give you butterflies, but won't send you to the hospital. Yet. Mother's Resentment: Felicia is tough—unnaturally so. Certainly, her own poisonous fluids do not harm her, but her body will also toughen up in response to trauma. Punching her is as effective as punching a tree. Literally, her skin takes on the texture of bark and the hardness of wood. She punches above her weight as well. Her strength increases while in direct sunlight, but rapidly depreciates in the shade. Current Mastery: The effects of her decade-old smoking habit have begun to reverse themselves. A natural night owl, Felicia hasn't yet made the connection between this and occasional exposure to sun. Personality— You know her type. An ill-tempered woman who communicates primarily in short phrases of three-to-four letter words, the most polite of which sounds an awful lot like "your rent is due." But in the Smoky Mountains area of eastern Tennessee, Felicia is known as "that quiet biker girl who drives the old ladies to the grocery store." It's true—behind a layer of toxic levels of sass and "intolerance of other people's B.S." hides a dependable soul who only shows her soft side to those she deigns to be too pure, vulnerable, or naive to take advantage of her kindness. If she sees trouble, she'll put on her best Karen act and become an even bigger source of trouble, hiding her intentions behind a veil of narcissism. She puts her entrepreneurial skills to good use, capitalizing on opportunities only someone like her could. History— Felicia comes from a rich family, which with the benefit of hindsight, she would describe as "a family of well-adjusted psychopaths, with a worthless Wall Street Baby at its head." The family matriarch, Felicia's mother Rosa, was particularly vicious towards her for not fitting in with the rest of the lawyers, doctors, and politicians—all of which were, at least at home, devoutly Catholic. As for Felicia, it's as the song on the radio goes: she'd lost faith in science, the holy Trinity, and the people on TV, including those aforementioned politicians. Over time, she developed a hair-trigger sensor for all manner of abuser language, gaslighting, and mind games, and is deeply skeptical of everyone and everything that evokes it. So, when one day Felicia just up and vanished with the money she was supposedly going to use for college tuition, no one batted an eye, except perhaps to gather in some half-baked prayer that she wouldn't do anything to embarrass the family. Rather than going to a university, she packed her bags and just told her driver to take her as far away as possible, as fast as possible, avoiding any major cities along the way. After an entire day spent in a car, she woke up from her nap and asked where she was, which was Knoxville, TN. She decided that was good enough, and started looking for opportunities to grow some new roots in the area. After a few months, she found a mark: a gated community of retirees who were unwilling to leave, even though the place was floundering under incompetent management. She bought it, hired new staff, and improved the living conditions of her new clientele, earning her a lot of respect in the small community in Sevierville, which she then moved to. It seemed her new life would run smoothly, until one day she suddenly started having horrible nightmares, wherein she'd find herself being buried alive in a pit of snakes, which would bite at her hands and not let go. When she woke up, she'd find unexplainable puncture wounds on her hands, with no sign of snakes anywhere. Not on or near her, her bed, bedroom, house, or even, as her gardener assured her, her property. Dare she resort to calling a priest? Hardly. She simply dealt with the disturbingly mysterious malady, until one day, it happened while she was awake. While reaching for her coffee, she felt a sharp pain, which at first she thought was simply due to her missing the handle on her mug and bumping it with her thumb, but after looking, she saw that her hand was nowhere near her mug. Instead, grasping the mug was a ring of vines covered in thorns, one of which was puncturing her thumb. After reeling her hand back, spilling coffee on it and burning it, the thorns retreated into her arm, like some kind of Spider-Man special effect. What. But, Spider-Man... maybe she was on to something. Animal-based superpowers were a thing, apparently. Nobody else in her family had them, but she could simply be the first. Nothing strange about that, but as for what kind of animal it could be... unless it was snakes? Ugh. Why'd it have to be snakes? Regardless, she'd have to master this new power at least a little before she'd feel comfortable leaving the house again, so she did just that for as long as she could get away with lying to her employees and clients about her newly found passion for quilting—and she was going to be self-taught, mind you. Finally, the day of the Miami researcher's fateful discovery came. Felicia missed the broadcast on American Morning—being a night owl—but she caught the articles and memes afterward, and she knew she'd have to go to the summit. Even if all she got was a bunch of lies from talking heads in suits, knowing what lies they'd cooked up this time would itself be useful, or so she'd convinced herself. It's not as though she had many opportunities to gather information about this. Still, there was no way she would be so forthcoming as to show off her powers for a mere Benny. She certainly wasn't in the market for an Avengers-style cast of characters to add to her contacts. This was strictly... reconnaissance. Right. Miscellaneous— Bisexual. Her name means "Successful Wasp." Plant Facts: * The "Rose's Thorns" picture is actually the Honey Locust tree. The Black Locust's thorns come in much smaller pairs, at the base of the leaves. * It's speculated that the Honey Locust's massive thorns evolved to deter prehistoric mammals. They aren't very useful as a defense against small animals. Thus, Felicia shows her soft side to small animals, and people who remind her of small animals. * The Black Locust is actually toxic, with the exact effects described in Felicia's "Toxic Love" ability. In reality, horses are most vulnerable to its poison, as they tend to eat the shoots and chew its bark. Human cases of Black Locust poisoning are rare and unremarkable. * The Black Locust can tolerate poor quality or disrupted soil, and even the pollution of big cities—but not the shade. Its wood is also among the most durable in the US. This was used as the inspiration for her "Mother's Resentment" ability, which increases her tolerance of poisons and general hardiness, while in direct sunlight. * The Black Locust succeeds by colonizing poor soil early, growing with weed-like speed to shade out its competition. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots then allow other species that it gets along with to move in. This inspired her entrepreneurial sense, occupation as a landlord, and design as a front-line fighter. * Pseudoacacia means "false acacia," so Felicia's personality is a little two-faced. * The Black Locust is both native and very desirable in some areas of the US, but is considered invasive in others. Make of that what you will.</s> <\|message\|>Charles Grunewald - tea Cabins - Central Pavilion Joseph Anderson was so immersed in brainstorming, he failed to notice his surroundings and had to be nudged whenever the line moved up. He wasn't quite satisfied by his plan when his turn came, but it would have to do. "Hello, and welcome to the SHARP summit," the worker in the blue name tag said in a cheerful customer service voice. "Please show your ticket and step over there to demonstrate your essence." The man pointed to an open field a relatively safe distance away from all the people in line. "Actually," Joseph began, "my essence is ivy. I'm an expert climber! But, you see, there's nothing to climb on over there. You could take my word for it, or I could climb on this pavilion." The worker's smile sagged a bit, already looking tired well before noon. "Alright," the volunteer decided, "but we'll have to move everyone away, for safety reasons." As the grumbling line was forced to move back into more of an abstract squiggle, Joseph rubbed his hands and stretched his legs, firing himself up. When the worker nodded, the bearded man leaped onto one of the wooden beams with gusto, hoisting himself up as fast as he could. He shimmied up to the roof with impressive speed. Well, impressive for a regular human. The volunteer pursed his lips, not really sure how to judge this ivy man. "Alright, you can come down now. I'll talk with my superiors and let you know their answer soon." "Okay!" Joseph shouted down, beginning to slide back down the pole. "When my refund's ready, just call me on- ACK!" The bearded man was interrupted by a large splinter sticking into his right palm. The man lost his grip and flailed for a moment before landing hard but on his feet. The shaken man stood frozen for a second. Then he put his hands up and posed like a gymnast landing an expert trick. "I also have extra ivy resilience! Ow..."</s> <\|message\|>Mara Harrington @GreysonEA @Emeth Taking another look over the brochure, Mara sighed. While she needed answers, philosophical theories would be no substitute for cold hard facts. Probably the best option though - ziplining would be fun and all, but the slightest panic from her could ruin everyone's day. Bracing herself for the upcoming drudgery, she shuffled from the room, towards the line of people queuing to display their powers. She gave a nervous tug at her gloves - she'd be able to manage a small spark without hurting anyone, but she'd still want to keep a safe distance. Her eyes flicked around the area, settling on someone who'd spoken up earlier. The dark-haired woman who'd introduced herself as Felicia, also heading towards the queue with Ryker and his dog in tow. Overhearing Alonzo's question about another zapping incident, Mara huffed and rolled her eyes. "So, about what you said earlier," she said, approaching Felicia. Best to skip small talk and get to the point. "You say you cater to essenced people, so... Would you happen to know how to mesh day-to-day life with electric powers? They're not exactly a great mix." The only thing she could think to do was put rubber sheeting all over her apartment. Which would mean she needed the money even more, but maybe a landlady could help with practical matters. She whirled round at a yelp from the pavilion. A guy who'd had the oh-so-bright idea to climb to the top flailed before falling. Mara gasped, but luckily the guy landed on his feet, trying to save face with a showy pose. It looked like only his ego was hurt. Ok, and maybe his hand and feet. Mara turned her blank stare from the show-off guy to Alonzo. "Well, there's your chance."</s>	<\|message\|>Felicia Vespa Felicia turned to face the lemon-scented girl—clearly a young lady with a lot of spunk. At least, Felicia was not used to being casually approached like that. Her mind blanked for a moment as Mara put her on the spot, mentioning that she catered to plant-essenced people. In actual truth, she didn't, and learning how to cater to such people was merely a pretense for coming to this summit, that she had come up with in the spur of the moment. Now, however, she found herself needing to prove her worth to this new community of people with much more diverse traits and abilities. "Electric plant essence... That's not something I'd have expected," she said, truthfully. "It shouldn't be an impossible situation. I'd probably consult fire safety experts for advice on accommodations... and perhaps some electricians. If the power could be harnessed for energy, perhaps I could make a deal with the tenant and the power company to offset the cost of those accommodations by lowering the electric bill," she offered. I don't know if that's actually possible, though... she thought to herself, hoping she didn't sound like she was talking out of her ass.</s>
<\|description\|>Derrick Errance * Age: 21 * Gender: Male * Appearance: "Nope, not here." * Personality: Preferring to take a more methodical approach to problems, Derrick tends to sit back and observe before acting whenever possible. He is rather reserved when it comes to dealing with people and tends to be rather blunt, which can occasionally come off as standoffish or rude to those not used to dealing with him. With that said, he cares quite a lot about those close to him, often prioritizing their health and well-being over his own (and occasionally even those of others). Interpersonal relationships aside, though, Derrick is intensely curious about the wider world, and has a non-insignificant number of documents and books scrounged up from traveling around in his room. This has given him a surprising amount of knowledge that one might not expect for someone with his upbringing, and maybe even less so someone of his profession. With that said, his own curiosity may rarely override his tendency towards analysis, which... May or may not be a good thing. * Brief Backstory: Derrick was born to a young Embrian woman in the midst of the war; he never knew who his father was, but the bitter look on his mother's face whenever he had asked gave the young child more than enough reason to stop asking eventually. The town where he would have grown up—Kalan—had been razed to the ground by the invading Alvadians, which left a young Derrick next to no time to be a child. He spent much of his childhood away from the ruins that were slowly being rebuilt; few of the survivors (if any) wanted to have anything to do with him, and though the village had since begun to be rebuilt, Derrick had been left with little else besides his mother and the clothes on his back. As the war finally drew to a close, Derrick found that the gap between himself and the rest of the townsfolk had only widened. More than a few seemed to dislike him—for what, though, he could only wonder. His mother seemed to receive only pity where he found scorn, but the fact that she continued to give him her affection despite all of this only further question his place here. If it was any solace, though, the young boy found a few books to keep to himself, hidden away from judging eyes in the safety of his home Things changed, however, when a wanderer passed through the region. Most of the other townsfolk seemed to pay him no heed, but the young Derrick could not help but be intrigued by the odd-looking case he kept with him. When he collapsed on the side of the road, it was Derrick who acted out to help, if only out of sheer curiosity; though his mother disapproved of the wanderer's presence, she could not well refuse the earnest (if not somewhat self-serving) desire of her son to help. Said wanderer, as Derrick would soon learn, was a man by the name of Arden. He introduced himself (however hesitantly) as a researcher from Alvad to the young boy. He explained that he had escaped from his home country once his heart could not in good faith help the war any longer, and that he had taken his equipment with him to assure that he could prevent it from continuing further in what little way he could. Though Derrick's mother seemed less than pleased with that sort of information, the young boy, curious about what that equipment was and about the only other person who treated him with something other than disdain, begged for him to stay—at least, for a while. He wanted to learn, and if nobody else would teach him, then a stranger and a refugee could at least help bridge that gap. Eventually, if only through sheer perseverance, Derrick succeeded. Arden had initially been less than receptive to the idea (he would have liked to have sought asylum with what he had and left as soon as he could have), but a few days of rest was probably for the best, given that he had collapsed on the road. Those days soon began to extend, though, as he learned of Derrick's aptitude for knowledge. Days turned to weeks, weeks into months; before long, Arden had become more than just a stranger to Derrick; he was a teacher, someone to look up to who he had never had before. But those days soon came to an end; news of a group of hunters seeking him eventually met Arden's ears, and the researcher knew that what time he had left was fleeting. To the young man who had insisted on keeping him around, though, the researcher gave unto him one thing before leaving: the Air Grid, the tool that Derrick had been so curious about until now. There was no guarantee that his work would make it out, and given that it was him they were after, losing the Grid for all the goodwill he had been shown was not much of a loss. Arden leaving meant that Derrick was once again left with just his mother, who would continue to work herself to the bone trying to make ends meet. Meeting the researcher had changed Derrick, though, and the young man found himself working to try and understand what it was that had been left in his hands. He succeeded eventually, if only through sheer force of will; understanding everything. Having been long since aware of his status as a pariah, Derrick chose to leave Kalan and pursue work elsewhere once he came of age. A single letter to his mother was all he had left behind as he travelled to the border, and the young man eventually found himself employed as a mercenary at Wild Rose. Even if he didn't have any direct combat experience, the group accepted him so long as he was willing to put in the effort—something he was more than willing to do. * Skills: Rather than being specialized for combat like many of his peers, Derrick has placed more of his effort into making sure that everything remains running smoothly. In other words, things like gear maintenance and medical work are a part of his usual activities. As a result of using the Air Grid, Derrick is also uncannily apt at multitasking, leaving him able to flick between multiple jobs at once without losing track of himself in the process. * Abilities: Derrick's spells mostly focus around supporting and reinforcing his allies, mitigating the damage they take and keeping them alive enough to continue fighting. The method for doing so—the Air Grid—allows him to use Cure and Protect where it might prove dangerous for most other medics, though it may take up his concentration in the process. He can also cast Ruin with the Grid, but as it is not optimized for offensive spells, doing so may put unnecessary strain upon its equipment. The number of Conduits from the Grid that he uses to cast spells also affects their output; while a Cure may be cast with one, for example, two would be optimal; similarly, while he could cast it with two Conduits, three would be optimal for a Protect. + Limit Break — Aegis of Heaven: Derrick overclocks the Air Grid, pushing it beyond its usual capabilities to create a massive barrier in front of him. This barrier is able to protect him as well as anyone behind him, and is able to deflect or absorb an absurd amount of damage before faltering. This ability is not without drawbacks, though; the barrier is incredibly taxing upon the Grid, and the heat damage that they sustain can outright put Conduits out of commission if not damaging the mechanisms within. * Equipment: + Air Grid: A prototype tool 'relieved' from Alvad in the years prior to their collapse. The Grid itself consists of five 'Conduits', prism-like structures with a refined Lumo core at their center. Each Conduit is able to fly about according to it's user's commands independent of any physical command, and unlike most other magitech objects, does not need to be refueled with Lumium to function. Conduits can also be used to cast spells—a function that would have in theory made Alvadian combatants all the more problematic should the project have reached fruition. With that said, the Grid itself is not without faults; in exchange for not requiring Lumium to function, each Conduit requires a near-constant stream of mana when in use, and that amount only increases when used to cast spells (hence the term 'Conduit'). Despite the high barrier of entry to being able to use the Air Grid, its versatility and maneuverability allows Derrick and any of his allies a lot more breathing room in the heat of battle. The Air Grid can, in theory, be upgraded, and the Conduits increased in efficiency and power; that would, however, require finding someone who could create the components necessary to do so. Derrick himself understands the fundamentals of how the Grid works and has learned to use it effectively (enough) in the decade or so to be able to maintain and repair it, but the possibility of him screwing something up in the process has given him enough pause to at least find someone who has more 'professional' experience before attempting anything.</s> <\|message\|>Derrick Errance As soon as the first volley of bullets had been fired, Derrick trained his gaze on the remaining mecha. It was easy enough to tell that they had refocused their barrels away from Freyja, and it seemed that his companion had noticed likewise. "Switching!" he shouted out, the Conduits near Freyja quickly abandoning their barrier before flying over towards Cadenza. There were a scant few moments before the bullets would begin to fire, if their retargeting was to be believed... But if he wasn't able to ward off the shots aimed at the mercenary, then all he could do was try and recover the damage afterwards. Shaking his head, Derrick quickly poked his head out from behind his current piece of cover before aiming his two remaining Conduits at one of the further machina. A single Ruin would ideally be enough to offset the barrel should he fail to stop the damage in time, but in this case, it was likely better to cover as many bases as he could. @Wayward@Pyromania99</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Aaagh!" Cadenza made a primal, rallying growl. Small though her success was, any momentum was good momentum. The mech staggered and toppled under its own weight, and fighter backed two sizeable steps to avoid being caught under it herself. In the proceeding instance, the expected shift in direction came to be. Cadenza found herself set on by the sights of the turrets of both the crippled machine and its remaining cohorts. It wasn't really much of a surprise; they were basic models, programmed to focus on threats as they presented themselves. As the barrel of her recent quarry spun around to take aim at her, she listed slightly, in counter direction to its rotation. Drawing back towards the mecha, she reached, taking hold of gun. Heaving another brutish grunt, she manhandled the turret in one-eighty, directing the business end of the weapon toward the next mech in line; she would use the felled walker's weapon against its packmate.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The scout drones were simply not equipped to deal with such a focused counteroffensive. The drone that was targeted by Freyja was caught seconds before it opened fire, the darkness-coated sword slicing through its armor like butter and cleaving it neatly in half, sparks flying as both portions of the machine toppled to the side and caught fire. The remaining drone was unable to pierce the barriers put ahead of its guns, though upon realizing this they seemed to begin adjusting its positioning in a bid to get around the shields. Unfortunately for the automaton, this put it directly in the path of the weaponry of its disabled fellow as Cadenza wrenched the cannon out of place, and the hail of bullets shred through its armor and tore delicate systems apart, a small explosion erupting from the drone as it crumpled backwards. The only remaining drone was crippled in the pugilistic girl's hands, functioning leg whirring helplessly. @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "YEAH!" Bullets from the still-upright mecha flew, but helplessly stopped upon colliding with the barrier that had been placed between it and Cadenza. In almost the same instance, the rounds from the turret she had commandeered rained forth as the shield dispelled. The walker had little defense against the firepower of its own kind; the bullets from Cadenza's manhandled weapon ripped through its plating with almost no resistance. "GET SOME!" she bragged, though this was mostly drowned out by the sound of the machine gun fire. Showing, albeit too late, a sign of restraint against targeting an ally, the automaton that the pugilist had muscled struggled to right itself and train its weapon back onto her. Its fate, however, was already being sealed. No sooner than it's volley concluded, Cadenza pulled up against the barrel of the gun. While the turreted artillery had a 360 rotation along a horizontal plane, the nature of the weapon rendered it unable to do the same along its vertical plane. The tension of Cadenza's pull on the barrel was joined swiftly by a set of fist strikes against the mounting apparatus that attached the canon to its swiveling base. It was the proverbial breaking of a stick over one's knee; the mecha would, in theory, be left active, but effectively crippled and disarmed, left to rot away as time and nature played out against it... unless, of course, one of Cadenza's teammates saw fit to put it out of its misery.</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja gave a small sigh of relief as the last of the scouts went down. They hadn't seemed to have sustained any real injuries today so, that could count for something. Derrick really pulled through for them with his protections. "Alright, that's taken care of." She hefted her sword over her shoulder and started to walk towards the inside of the complex. "We just need to keep moving carefully. We have no idea if there are any other leftovers from the empire here. Or... Other undesirables." She took a look back to her companions. "I'll take point. I've taken my fair share of bullet wounds before, I'm sure it won't be the last." The Dark Knight mentioned with a rather unconcerned look on her face before she headed off, keeping an eye out for her surroundings and her teammates.</s>	<\|message\|>Derrick Errance Once the last turret had been disabled, Derrick pushed himself back his feet before dusting himself off, the Conduits all returning back to his side without any further fanfare. The make of the machines were nothing particularly special, and though he might have wished to go bring them back for salvageable components, the three of them had a job that they came here to do. Anything extra could wait for the return trip. "No injuries, then?" he asked, glancing at the two at his side before looking back towards the facility. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that someone was expecting us. But by all means, lead the way." His job was to keep everyone in combat-ready condition, so there was no reason for him to be part of the vanguard on this team. If they got flanked, then it was the least he could do to block and stall for time as the other two moved to adjust—at least, that was how he saw things.</s>
<\|description\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] Age: 25 Gender: Female Appearance: 'Sup? Personality: If there was a poster child for "hot-headedness" Cadenza would be a strong contender for the title. With a mind that runs at miles a minute, Cadenza comes across brash and impulsive, jumping into the fray with little to no evident forethought or planning. Though most of the time her "fight first, talk later" ideology seems to work itself out to the best results, it has a propensity to create backlashes amid more delicate situations. In the heat of conflict and combat, she follows quick-thinking, improvisational style, and generally has the wits and psychological fortitude to engage multiple opponents up close. She can be short-fused, easily rallied to action as one seeking conflict might be. If one can restrain her physically, talking her down becomes a manageable task. But, if she is allowed gain momentum, the prospect of pulling her back into a docile becomes significantly more unlikely. Once engaged into a the midst of an altercation, Cadenza is unlikely to back away unless she either emerges victorious or is rendered incapacitated… or worse. Though her physical appearance may be less than impressive to the naked eye, her raw vitality and fiery disposition tend to make up any lost ground, and then some. She abounds with an excess of pride and self-confidence, which, when she's on the up and up, provides her a formidable advantage. Yet, as with many good things, too much can be problematic. Her confidence has a glass-canon element, being handily shattered in the moments during which real adversity and defeat hits. As such, it often takes Cadenza a longer period to psychologically recover when an endeavor doesn't pan out in her favor. Brief Backstory: Cadenza grew up close to the hostilities between Embria and the Alvadian Empire, specifically at the Embria-Alvad border, where the coalition of resistance fighters from Imperial lands and the standing armies of Embria centered the command for its counter-offensives. Her father, Solo D'Concerta, was among the ranks of the resistance, and reasonably respected among the Embrians and resistance fighters that knew him; such was his reputation that the Embrian military honorarily bestowed upon him the rank of Sergeant. Cadenza lived with her father within a militant community, which the residents of simply referred to as "The Compound." In her time there, Cadenza absorbed much of the combatant lifestyle. Whether through her father, other residents, or the occasional drifter, she developed a knack and a passion for fighting that just about only someone raised by fighters could have. As a youth, she would play war games with other children on The Compound; as a teenager, she would tag along with her father to observe military training exercises. The war came to an end just as Cadenza began arranging to join her father in the war efforts, getting so far as to equip herself with weapons and armaments. Disappointed in the missed opportunity, she argued with her father, until, after a course of nearly a month, she relented to his directive to return home and assist the rebuilding effort. During the following five years, Cadenza spent much of the daylight hours playing the role of homemaker, repairing both the house she and her father had once lived in and those in the surrounding community. By night, however, she found a stand-in for her itch for fighting in the form of an underground combat ring, within which she competed in (often excessively violent) matches against both young adults with similar backgrounds to herself and younger ex-militants looking to feed their conditioned proclivity for bloodshed. In a fashion not unlike her father, she garnered the respect of the ring, being dubbed by her innermost circle as "Donna Toro." Solo was rarely home, having dedicated his post-war life to mercenary work with the goal of ensuring stability as the newly formed Republic of Alvad established itself. His visits home were brief, and Cadenza often saw him only once or twice: as he arrived, and just before he departed. He knew nothing of Cadenza's double life. However, nearly five years into the post-war era, Cadenza received troubling news: her father had been mortally wounded by Imperial sympathizers while in the line of his mercenary duties. Distraught and angered, Cadenza caught the first transport she could to her father's station. Her itinerary was short, simple, and sweet: paying her last respects, taking up her father's mantle, and exercises hard justice on those responsible for putting her father on his deathbed. Skills: Cadenza is a survivalist to the extent that she has conditioned herself to perform optimally for extend periods of time off between sustenance; she go longer than the average person between eating or drinking water. Her true forte, however, is in her aptitude for combat, particularly at close range. She's dexterous, strong, and resilient, particularly when faced with physical assaults; intensive magical onslaughts prove to be a significant adversity, as do ranged assaults if she cannot quickly close the gap. Abilities: Cadenza has tapped into her inner vitality to bolster a baseline of enhanced physical performance. Her developed magical prowess revolves around spells that further draw upon her fighting spirit. "Haste" improves aspects of her speed of mobility; "Gain" increases her attack strength. She is further able to impart her spirit and will unto those around her through "Cheer." Limit: Battle Cry – Vicious Strike; an instantaneous, and short-lived outflux of strength and speed propels Cadenza with ludicrous speed towards an unfortunate adversary. The resulting blow is enough to cause fatal damage to weaker foes, typically defeating them in a single hit; when used against near-human sized enemies, the impact may also be enough to ripple and cause minor residual damage to others nearby with no discrimination between friend and foe. Pushing her body this far results in need for either a period of recovery, or an urgent application of healing magic from an ally (whichever comes first). Equipment: Impact Bracers – Designed and manufactured in the years following the war, Impact Bracers are a line of hand weapons for those that like to let their fists do the talking. Inspired by Gunblades that rose into popularity during wartime, Impact Bracers implement the same concept into the form of an adorned armament. The design is that of a pair of armored gauntlets that cover from the hands in their entirety to halfway along the forearms. Engineered within the palms of the gauntlets are mechanisms activated by way of clenching of the fists that that release a light to moderate kinetic vibration that resonates through the surfaces struck by the gauntlets, amplifying concussive force. Cadenza's present armaments consists of a pair of Standard Impact Bracers, which function as described. A more advanced model has recently hit the market though: the Type-M, which include Magitech conduits that channel energy from pre-loaded Lumo Crystals through Impact Bracers, enabling the added effect of spell-like effect to be implemented. Cadenza presently longs to bring in enough of an income to invest in a pair of Type-M Impact Bracers.</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Finally, something reared it's ugly head. A robotic scout. She had seen plenty of them in her time fighting. That said, these things were rather cheap. She wondered if they were old units that never saw action back in the day or reprogrammed for use later. Well, these things were rather fragile as far as a Dark Knight was concerned. Their weapons could be a bit on the dangerous side but, well, she's fought worse. Derrick had made the suggestion to clear these and move on. That seemed a good idea to her and she had thought the same of course. His barrier around her was helpful against the firepower of these robots. Before they started opening fire, she charged at them. Her sword moved from on her shoulder to down towards the ground. She carried the lower stance of her sword as she closed the distance until she was just about on top of the first one. She then jumped up and a small film of darkness covered the outside of her sword as she raised it high up, using just her left hand the bring it towards the robot. One good hit would be more than enough to destroy one of these things. At least, for the type of weapon she had.</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Heh? Suit yourself then." Cadenza scoffed towards Freyja's response; that one seemed to be something of a stick in the mud. "We all gotta have a way to cut loose after a hard day's work though." She chuckled heartily. "Don't worry," she added, "I'll show that I'm worth the gil you offered out there... Whoa!" She shrugged her shoulder with a quick, aggressive jerk as a hand set down on it from behind. Cassidy walked by; a charmer. "Damn right I can," she said. "I can manage myself just fine." She smirked in return to his suave demeanor. "After the payday we'll have, I can certain take a chance at the card table. Just don't pull any fast one's on me." "We're coming in for a landing!" The pilot's voice called from the front of the ship. A bright-eyed Cadenza strode closer to the bay door at the craft's rear, situating herself next to Freyja. She was a brawler, after all; she wouldn't get much accomplished sitting behind the line. A moment or two of turbulence was followed by the rocking sensation of the aircraft setting upon the ground. The fighter bumped her fists together and broke into a tooth-bearing grin as the door opened. Serious as the situation may have been, she saw no point in not having fun. Freyja was the first to deboard the Blue Lily. Cadenza followed next to her and practically at her heels. As if on cue, a foursome of mechanaloids emerged from out of the accumulating brush and industrial rubble. The grin on Cadenza's face turned to a grimace just as quickly as the machines had arrived. It was an old Imperial scout mecha. One such model had been set upon the Compound Cadenza had lived on during the war. The base was still being fortified at the time, so even such a light weapon had been able to cause significant harm; a handful of deaths and more than enough wounds to go around. "This time, it's different," she spat towards the cold machinery. She took a fighting stance. In a subtle flash, her spirit surged, and not even a second after, she was off at Haste speed. As Freyja trained her blade onto the first of the four, Cadenza beelined slightly out toward the side, intent upon the last one in the line up. As she closed the gap between herself and the mech, she pulled her right hand back to ready for a strike. She wasn't entirely sure if she could do much damage to the machine's body, but the legs... she threw her punch. The material of her Impact Bracer's rang against the left leg of the mecha. In the instance that her fist connected, she quickly clenched her fist. The gauntlet in turn clicked softly, her adorned weaponry amplifying the kinetic impact against the metallic limb.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The bullets fired by the scout mechs pinged off the barrier created by Derrick, scattering to the sides harmlessly as others careened past the barrier and missed their target entirely. The drones were not created for the purpose of raw power. Rather, the intent of their creation had always been lightweight combatants who were capable of exploration and attack. When encountering a barrier like this, there was little they could do to break through it quickly. There was a shearing sound as Freyja's sword bit through solid metal and tore its way cleanly through the first of the machine's inner workings, devastating its functions and leaving both haves of the drone toppling to either side, smoke and sparks rising from its innards. The machine struck by Cadenza let out a low-pitched whine as the joint of one of its legs bent backwards from the blow of her fist, metal twisting and tearing from the blow. It slid backwards on its wheels before toppling sideways, though its weaponry swiftly trained on the pugilist and prepared to open fire! The other two machines seemed to figure out that their attacks had no impact on Freyja, and instead began to train on Cadenza instead... @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja immediately turned to the other scout mechs as her blade cut through the first. Cadenza was going to have a whole heap of trouble soon if nothing happened. She stretched her right arm and shot a bolt of Dark magic out at the furthest of the two undamaged mechs while she barked out orders, "Adjust barrier recipient!" She hoped that even as small the impact of that attack might have, it might throw off the machine's aim. She wasn't sure if Derrick could do such a thing, but she had hope. The ex-Alvadian gripped her weapon and charged the nearest scout mech, intending to tear through that one as cleanly as she had the last one. As Freyja neared the third machine, her blade one again gained the coating of darkness it had before as she swung her weapon with the goal of bisecting the scout. Hopefully, Cadenza or Cassidy would be able to take care of the other two while she managed this one.</s> <\|message\|>Derrick Errance As soon as the first volley of bullets had been fired, Derrick trained his gaze on the remaining mecha. It was easy enough to tell that they had refocused their barrels away from Freyja, and it seemed that his companion had noticed likewise. "Switching!" he shouted out, the Conduits near Freyja quickly abandoning their barrier before flying over towards Cadenza. There were a scant few moments before the bullets would begin to fire, if their retargeting was to be believed... But if he wasn't able to ward off the shots aimed at the mercenary, then all he could do was try and recover the damage afterwards. Shaking his head, Derrick quickly poked his head out from behind his current piece of cover before aiming his two remaining Conduits at one of the further machina. A single Ruin would ideally be enough to offset the barrel should he fail to stop the damage in time, but in this case, it was likely better to cover as many bases as he could. @Wayward@Pyromania99</s>	<\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Aaagh!" Cadenza made a primal, rallying growl. Small though her success was, any momentum was good momentum. The mech staggered and toppled under its own weight, and fighter backed two sizeable steps to avoid being caught under it herself. In the proceeding instance, the expected shift in direction came to be. Cadenza found herself set on by the sights of the turrets of both the crippled machine and its remaining cohorts. It wasn't really much of a surprise; they were basic models, programmed to focus on threats as they presented themselves. As the barrel of her recent quarry spun around to take aim at her, she listed slightly, in counter direction to its rotation. Drawing back towards the mecha, she reached, taking hold of gun. Heaving another brutish grunt, she manhandled the turret in one-eighty, directing the business end of the weapon toward the next mech in line; she would use the felled walker's weapon against its packmate.</s>
<\|description\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] Age: 25 Gender: Female Appearance: 'Sup? Personality: If there was a poster child for "hot-headedness" Cadenza would be a strong contender for the title. With a mind that runs at miles a minute, Cadenza comes across brash and impulsive, jumping into the fray with little to no evident forethought or planning. Though most of the time her "fight first, talk later" ideology seems to work itself out to the best results, it has a propensity to create backlashes amid more delicate situations. In the heat of conflict and combat, she follows quick-thinking, improvisational style, and generally has the wits and psychological fortitude to engage multiple opponents up close. She can be short-fused, easily rallied to action as one seeking conflict might be. If one can restrain her physically, talking her down becomes a manageable task. But, if she is allowed gain momentum, the prospect of pulling her back into a docile becomes significantly more unlikely. Once engaged into a the midst of an altercation, Cadenza is unlikely to back away unless she either emerges victorious or is rendered incapacitated… or worse. Though her physical appearance may be less than impressive to the naked eye, her raw vitality and fiery disposition tend to make up any lost ground, and then some. She abounds with an excess of pride and self-confidence, which, when she's on the up and up, provides her a formidable advantage. Yet, as with many good things, too much can be problematic. Her confidence has a glass-canon element, being handily shattered in the moments during which real adversity and defeat hits. As such, it often takes Cadenza a longer period to psychologically recover when an endeavor doesn't pan out in her favor. Brief Backstory: Cadenza grew up close to the hostilities between Embria and the Alvadian Empire, specifically at the Embria-Alvad border, where the coalition of resistance fighters from Imperial lands and the standing armies of Embria centered the command for its counter-offensives. Her father, Solo D'Concerta, was among the ranks of the resistance, and reasonably respected among the Embrians and resistance fighters that knew him; such was his reputation that the Embrian military honorarily bestowed upon him the rank of Sergeant. Cadenza lived with her father within a militant community, which the residents of simply referred to as "The Compound." In her time there, Cadenza absorbed much of the combatant lifestyle. Whether through her father, other residents, or the occasional drifter, she developed a knack and a passion for fighting that just about only someone raised by fighters could have. As a youth, she would play war games with other children on The Compound; as a teenager, she would tag along with her father to observe military training exercises. The war came to an end just as Cadenza began arranging to join her father in the war efforts, getting so far as to equip herself with weapons and armaments. Disappointed in the missed opportunity, she argued with her father, until, after a course of nearly a month, she relented to his directive to return home and assist the rebuilding effort. During the following five years, Cadenza spent much of the daylight hours playing the role of homemaker, repairing both the house she and her father had once lived in and those in the surrounding community. By night, however, she found a stand-in for her itch for fighting in the form of an underground combat ring, within which she competed in (often excessively violent) matches against both young adults with similar backgrounds to herself and younger ex-militants looking to feed their conditioned proclivity for bloodshed. In a fashion not unlike her father, she garnered the respect of the ring, being dubbed by her innermost circle as "Donna Toro." Solo was rarely home, having dedicated his post-war life to mercenary work with the goal of ensuring stability as the newly formed Republic of Alvad established itself. His visits home were brief, and Cadenza often saw him only once or twice: as he arrived, and just before he departed. He knew nothing of Cadenza's double life. However, nearly five years into the post-war era, Cadenza received troubling news: her father had been mortally wounded by Imperial sympathizers while in the line of his mercenary duties. Distraught and angered, Cadenza caught the first transport she could to her father's station. Her itinerary was short, simple, and sweet: paying her last respects, taking up her father's mantle, and exercises hard justice on those responsible for putting her father on his deathbed. Skills: Cadenza is a survivalist to the extent that she has conditioned herself to perform optimally for extend periods of time off between sustenance; she go longer than the average person between eating or drinking water. Her true forte, however, is in her aptitude for combat, particularly at close range. She's dexterous, strong, and resilient, particularly when faced with physical assaults; intensive magical onslaughts prove to be a significant adversity, as do ranged assaults if she cannot quickly close the gap. Abilities: Cadenza has tapped into her inner vitality to bolster a baseline of enhanced physical performance. Her developed magical prowess revolves around spells that further draw upon her fighting spirit. "Haste" improves aspects of her speed of mobility; "Gain" increases her attack strength. She is further able to impart her spirit and will unto those around her through "Cheer." Limit: Battle Cry – Vicious Strike; an instantaneous, and short-lived outflux of strength and speed propels Cadenza with ludicrous speed towards an unfortunate adversary. The resulting blow is enough to cause fatal damage to weaker foes, typically defeating them in a single hit; when used against near-human sized enemies, the impact may also be enough to ripple and cause minor residual damage to others nearby with no discrimination between friend and foe. Pushing her body this far results in need for either a period of recovery, or an urgent application of healing magic from an ally (whichever comes first). Equipment: Impact Bracers – Designed and manufactured in the years following the war, Impact Bracers are a line of hand weapons for those that like to let their fists do the talking. Inspired by Gunblades that rose into popularity during wartime, Impact Bracers implement the same concept into the form of an adorned armament. The design is that of a pair of armored gauntlets that cover from the hands in their entirety to halfway along the forearms. Engineered within the palms of the gauntlets are mechanisms activated by way of clenching of the fists that that release a light to moderate kinetic vibration that resonates through the surfaces struck by the gauntlets, amplifying concussive force. Cadenza's present armaments consists of a pair of Standard Impact Bracers, which function as described. A more advanced model has recently hit the market though: the Type-M, which include Magitech conduits that channel energy from pre-loaded Lumo Crystals through Impact Bracers, enabling the added effect of spell-like effect to be implemented. Cadenza presently longs to bring in enough of an income to invest in a pair of Type-M Impact Bracers.</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Aaagh!" Cadenza made a primal, rallying growl. Small though her success was, any momentum was good momentum. The mech staggered and toppled under its own weight, and fighter backed two sizeable steps to avoid being caught under it herself. In the proceeding instance, the expected shift in direction came to be. Cadenza found herself set on by the sights of the turrets of both the crippled machine and its remaining cohorts. It wasn't really much of a surprise; they were basic models, programmed to focus on threats as they presented themselves. As the barrel of her recent quarry spun around to take aim at her, she listed slightly, in counter direction to its rotation. Drawing back towards the mecha, she reached, taking hold of gun. Heaving another brutish grunt, she manhandled the turret in one-eighty, directing the business end of the weapon toward the next mech in line; she would use the felled walker's weapon against its packmate.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The scout drones were simply not equipped to deal with such a focused counteroffensive. The drone that was targeted by Freyja was caught seconds before it opened fire, the darkness-coated sword slicing through its armor like butter and cleaving it neatly in half, sparks flying as both portions of the machine toppled to the side and caught fire. The remaining drone was unable to pierce the barriers put ahead of its guns, though upon realizing this they seemed to begin adjusting its positioning in a bid to get around the shields. Unfortunately for the automaton, this put it directly in the path of the weaponry of its disabled fellow as Cadenza wrenched the cannon out of place, and the hail of bullets shred through its armor and tore delicate systems apart, a small explosion erupting from the drone as it crumpled backwards. The only remaining drone was crippled in the pugilistic girl's hands, functioning leg whirring helplessly. @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "YEAH!" Bullets from the still-upright mecha flew, but helplessly stopped upon colliding with the barrier that had been placed between it and Cadenza. In almost the same instance, the rounds from the turret she had commandeered rained forth as the shield dispelled. The walker had little defense against the firepower of its own kind; the bullets from Cadenza's manhandled weapon ripped through its plating with almost no resistance. "GET SOME!" she bragged, though this was mostly drowned out by the sound of the machine gun fire. Showing, albeit too late, a sign of restraint against targeting an ally, the automaton that the pugilist had muscled struggled to right itself and train its weapon back onto her. Its fate, however, was already being sealed. No sooner than it's volley concluded, Cadenza pulled up against the barrel of the gun. While the turreted artillery had a 360 rotation along a horizontal plane, the nature of the weapon rendered it unable to do the same along its vertical plane. The tension of Cadenza's pull on the barrel was joined swiftly by a set of fist strikes against the mounting apparatus that attached the canon to its swiveling base. It was the proverbial breaking of a stick over one's knee; the mecha would, in theory, be left active, but effectively crippled and disarmed, left to rot away as time and nature played out against it... unless, of course, one of Cadenza's teammates saw fit to put it out of its misery.</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja gave a small sigh of relief as the last of the scouts went down. They hadn't seemed to have sustained any real injuries today so, that could count for something. Derrick really pulled through for them with his protections. "Alright, that's taken care of." She hefted her sword over her shoulder and started to walk towards the inside of the complex. "We just need to keep moving carefully. We have no idea if there are any other leftovers from the empire here. Or... Other undesirables." She took a look back to her companions. "I'll take point. I've taken my fair share of bullet wounds before, I'm sure it won't be the last." The Dark Knight mentioned with a rather unconcerned look on her face before she headed off, keeping an eye out for her surroundings and her teammates.</s> <\|message\|>Derrick Errance Once the last turret had been disabled, Derrick pushed himself back his feet before dusting himself off, the Conduits all returning back to his side without any further fanfare. The make of the machines were nothing particularly special, and though he might have wished to go bring them back for salvageable components, the three of them had a job that they came here to do. Anything extra could wait for the return trip. "No injuries, then?" he asked, glancing at the two at his side before looking back towards the facility. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that someone was expecting us. But by all means, lead the way." His job was to keep everyone in combat-ready condition, so there was no reason for him to be part of the vanguard on this team. If they got flanked, then it was the least he could do to block and stall for time as the other two moved to adjust—at least, that was how he saw things.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie With the sound of bending steel and tearing metal, the drone's cannon was torn loose from its body. Now the machine was left helpless, letting out whirring noises as various mechanisms inside of the device worked but were unable to achieve anything of note. If one did not know any better, they would likely have described the machine as looking almost crestfallen at its predicament. But it was unlikely it possessed the programming to experience such emotions. With that, each of the drones had either been disabled or destroyed. The way ahead towards the facility was clear, or at least seemed as such for the moment. Approaching the facility, however, would tell a somewhat different story. There did not appear to be any other enemies on the immediate path to the lab, but rather there were the remains of at least six more scout drones. They lay, smoking, blown apart into pieces. Some were still quite hot, meaning whatever had done this couldn't have done it very long ago. There were a few scorch marks on the ground, as well, though they were less notable then the sizzling remains of the drones. Still, there appeared to be little else in the way of progress... for now. @Pyromania99@PKMNB0Y</s>	<\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] With less than a sweat broken in the process, Cadenza pulled the last drone's cannon from its mount, and retreated several feet as it jerked as though attempting to buck her off. She, as she surmised her comrades did too, sighed, savoring their moment of triumph before they would continue onward. She watched curiously as the drone's unarmed swivel spun around to no avail; if not for her disdain for the machine, she might have almost found it comical in its helplessness. She let out a grunt, and shrugged her shoulders dismissively, and peered towards the path ahead of them. "I'm guessing these probably aren't the only relics of the Empire still stalking around here," she said, moreso to herself, but loud enough to be heard by her companions. She looked down at the old cannon, its mount frayed from where she had ripped it from its owner. "Useless," she remarked, her tone hinting at the thought of holding onto the firearm for later use. The Empire, forward thinking as they were, had designed the turrets with triggering mechanisms located within the drones; without it, the weapon couldn't be used if detached. In theory, a part could be rigged to bypass that, but it would take more time and effort than she cared to invest while on a job. Half-frustrated, she lobbed the gun into the nearby brush, and continued moving. As the group advanced, she would assume position at the front of their formation; she was, after all, useless from a distance.</s>
<\|description\|>Freyja Dämmerung Age: 25 Gender: Female Appearance: Freyja is consistently described as a solemn beauty for the consistent serious look on her face and for her rather good looks. She has a fairly nicely shaped body as well as some lightly toned muscles that came as a result of her continued training routine that has since been reduced since the end of the war. Personality: If one were to meet Freyja on the streets, they would have nothing to complain about her manners. Despite her strained face, she's a rather kind woman that's willing to help others, so long as it doesn't take her too far off her task at hand. She hardly ever smiles but this is more of her attempting to hold her emotions back, a habit that she had worked to get over from her time in the Imperial military. Hardly ever, doesn't mean never, however. There are quite a few times where she'll give a small smile to a joke or gratitude from others. Inside, however, she's a broken person. The war strained her mental state and she never really fully recovered. At night, it wasn't uncommon to hear sad noises coming from her room though this has since seemingly stopped. Guilt sits inside her from the war and it never left. Rather, sometimes she goes out to the streets and meets those who lost loved ones and internally she blames herself. But she doesn't show it. Not much. Sometimes, she shows a small, pained face. Brief Backstory: Freyja was raised in the Alvadian Empire. Her family was a military one and she was quickly placed into the military at a young age starting as a foot soldier though she was quickly promoted, most likely due to her family, into a special unit called the Dark Knights. They were a group of warriors that specialized in dark magics and powerful weapons. The magic they used were used to steal the life force from enemies and sacrifice one's own physical well-being to increase their own strength. And that's when she got thrown into the war. The Dark Knights were used as shock troops, typically clashing into lines that were already engaged from the sides or in ambushes and casualties were not uncommon. They were used fairly often, though… Soon, they were pulled off the front lines for reasons undefined. The entire unit was pulled back to a base and told they were to be guarding the base because there was a suspected surprise attack incoming in the next month. During her time there, Freyja had multiple duties. Helping with supplies, delivering messages between commanders and the most concerning was guard duty for the lab. As the month carried on her duties turned more and more towards guard duty for this lab. This was more and more concerning. Until finally, one day she noticed something during her duty. She was stationed in the internal section of the lab and noticed something… Odd. A scientist was pushing a rather large cart around. It was black colored, rather deep and had a tarp fastened over it. The odd thing was that she was sure there was a human finger poking out from under the tarp. And it twitched. A few days later, during her guard duty, she was handed an envelope by what she assumed was a leading scientist. "Deliver this to the commander." She was trusted to deliver a confidential message and Freyja assumed this was because of her family. Regardless, she started to walk towards the Command Room. Her concerns were filling her to the point where she decided she needed to open it. The details inside were… More than concerning. It incited a need to escape. "Our research on the Dark Knights is progressing less than we would like, but the results we do have are quite good. We've had to release a few more samples than we would like. In the near future, I would likely need more volunteers. We should talk today. " She gathered her weapon, a few supplies and some other things. And went to the gate. She told them that she was ordered to patrol around for Embrian scouts. They believed her and she ran. Not long after, the Empire was in hot pursuit of her. The chase led on for days with many close calls. She fought a few enemies where she could, when she needed, but she was far too outnumbered to do much more than run. Then, when she was basically at the end of her ropes and cornered, she was saved. A small detachment of Embrian soldiers flanked a number of her pursuers, cutting down the Alvadian pursuers that resisted. The leader, Sevard Kellson,spared her to question why she was being chased. Despite not trusting them, she told everything. What happened at the base, why she was on the run… Who she is. They took her in as a prisoner. Truthfully, being a prisoner with the Embrians was still a better experience than being experimented on by her own country. She understood that soldiers had a duty to their country, but was being experimented on by their country part of their duty? Sevard took the time to talk to her every day. Particularly how she felt about her country. And day by day, she was feeling more negative towards it. She, of course, loved the people. But… Those in charge? Those that ran those inhumane experiments that she didn't even know the extent of beyond the blatant disregard of human life? No. Not at all. "Let me fight for you." She asked. "I have nothing else but to fight for my people. I can never return, but I can fight for the Embrian army." Sevard was obviously skeptical at first but he could see the passion in her eyes. He agreed and she joined the Embrian army despite the reservation of many in the upper echelons of the Embrian army. Regardless, she proved her loyalty to Embria, or perhaps, Sevard himself. She found herself relegating herself to the position of Sevard's personal bodyguard. Eventually, the war came to an end. Freyja wanted to retire from fighting as did Sevard. As she had no place in Embria, she took a job as a maid for Sevard to give her one. The people that knew of her supposed origins were wary of her and she did her best not to face them. The two of them lived this peaceful life for four and a half years… And then, Sevard disappeared. She searched and searched but… There was no sign. She had no money herself and had to abandon the house they lived in and needed to find a job. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, she knew how to fight and decided to join a mercenary group, Wild Rose… Skills: As a maid, Freyja has taken to being a master of household skills. Cleaning and cooking are the things she's refined over the last five years. She also knows how to set up camp and hunt, though her aim has diminished since she was a soldier. Abilities: As a Dark Knight, her combat abilities focus mostly on empowered weapon attacks, draining attacks and dark magic. Her weapon strikes can be weaker, but drain life force or magical energy from enemies, called Siphoning Strikes. Alternatively, she can make her strikes stronger by allowing the darkness to drain her own life force to empower her weapon, known as Souleater. And finally, she can use her magical energy to use minor magic attacks made from the Darkness. The weakest of which, and all she seems to be able to use now is Ruin. * Limit Break - Dark Ruination: The strongest ability of the Dark Knights only usable by some now. It was a devastating ability used by some of the most trained Dark Knights in the war, though most of the Dark Knights have been phased out in some way or another. When used, Freyja slashes an enemy with her weapon and it slices an opening full of dark energy. Quickly, the energy festers and then explodes out from the cut. Equipment: Freyja has put together a new set of armor which is sleek and maneuverable. It gives decent protection from the environment and monster attacks. Her weapon of choice is the very same Magitech Greatsword she used all throughout the war. It's also a reminder to her of the lives she has taken.</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Yet another Alvadian research lab it would seem. This would not be the first one she had ransacked and certainly not the last one either. Freyja had been sitting ready with her weapon resting on the floor in front of her and pondering her current situation in more depth. She had mixed feelings. There was a part of her that hoped that the facility they were headed to was the one that she made her great escape from... But... Well, that didn't seem likely. Which also made her glad. She wasn't sure if she had it in her to visit again. Not yet, at least. She wanted to stop thinking on that. Rather, her attention turned to her comrades. Other members of Wild Rose. First, there was Derrick. He seemed level-headed enough and a magic user of sorts. Well, if she had to guess. He didn't have the feel of a warrior about him. Of course, she had yet to talk to him in depth yet but she had to trust her gut. Then there was Cadenza. By the limited interaction, Freyja came to assume her a hot-headed individual. Cocky even. If she understands her own limits at least, that much is fine. Really, she worried about the woman's reliability because of her attitude. Well, she had found that she worried about anyone's reliability since the war ended so that didn't speak much of Cadenza in Freyja's mind. Rather, the one that she was more... concerned might be too strong a word. Regardless, it was Cassidy. He was a bit of a smooth talker. She was somewhat skeptical of him in general. Perhaps it was jut her but he was a small bit shady to her. Something seemed off, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Still, one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Something that the Alvadian Freyja understood far too well. For now, she would put any preconceptions about these people to the back until she had more knowledge about them. She figured most of them probably didn't trust her either. She wouldn't blame them if they knew she was an Alvadian or even if they knew she fights like an old Alvadian Dark Knight. As the woman put her thoughts behind her, she grabbed the handle of her weapon and stood. She allowed the compacted weapon to release to its full size to inspect it once before they had to head out. It was like a ritual for her, looking it over for scratches, fractures and other things that might be faulty to a weapon. Well, that was part of the good thing about Alvadian Magitek, even years later it was in near perfect shape. At least, the ones designed to be good. That was when the pilot announced that they would be touching down at the zone soon. "I suppose it's time then. We dance again, Alvad." She mentioned to herself before placing her compacted weapon in a specially crafted sheath on her back. With a sigh, Freyja turned and headed for the disembark ramp. Once there, Cadenza mentioned something about shit hitting the fan and pounding shots down. Well. She certainly was cocky in the way she said it. Freyja eyed her for a couple of seconds and shaking her head lightly. "So long as you keep the drinks relegated to when we're not on a mission." She just assumed that Cadenza was more than happy to take care of herself. As was she, for that part. Perhaps she would need to keep an eye on Derrick or Cassidy, or perhaps not. That was to tell at the moment. "I, for one, don't plan to join you on that, Cadenza." Freyja added, ready to get to work. Perhaps searching the lab would give her some time to not think about the things that haunted her.</s> <\|message\|>Cassidy Eno-Royal "Caseno Royal" "Hey, thought I'd let you know we're just a few minutes from our destination!". A voice exclaims over a loudspeaker. A man with medium length hair sits in a sleek trench coat, shuffling a deck of cards in between his hands. "50..51..52.." A glow shines from every card that the man touches as he counts each one with a very particular awareness of each card in his hand. As the voice comes over the loudspeaker, the man stops shuffling his cards, and stands to his feet, revealing a compact Bo-Staff. "Perfect timing." Cassidy whispers to himself, as he stashes his cards in a pouch on his belt, and places one hand on his Bo-Staff, as to make sure he is battle ready. Walking at a steady pace toward the doorway, Cassidy sizes up his soon to be comrades. No stranger to reading people in a quick manner at the card table, Cassidy can make a quick judgement about his fellow Mercs. Body language says more than words, most of the time. Nonetheless, Cassidy is focused on other things - his payout. All he has to do is make it through this mission, and he'll likely never see these kids again. Though he realizes he has seen, or heard of, at least a couple of these kids before now. Cassidy speaks in a soft tone as he approaches Freyja "Ah..I've heard about you. It'll be interesting to see what you have to offer out there.". Cassidy winks at Freyja as he continues walking. Passing by the others, there's mention of shots at the bar. "Hey kid, how about you put a couple shots in the pot of my card table when we get out of here? You look like you can handle yourself.". Cassidy places a hand on Cadenza's shoulder as he strolls past. As Cassidy reaches the opening of the doorway, he stops to turn to his comrades. "Who wants to place bets on what waits for us outside this airship? Cassidy let's a slight grin cross his face as he surveys the room..</s> <\|message\|>Eurie "We're coming in for a landing!" A slight tremor ran through the Blue Lily as it began to descend. From this distance, it was possible to see their destination. A somewhat imposing but degraded structure, resembling multiple boxes stacked upon one another with a taller rectangular tower extending from the top, it possessed a utilitarian look common in Alvadian research facilities. Of course, due to five years of abandonment, it was adorned with vegetation and rust. But otherwise it seemed mostly intact, at least from this distance, though the fencing around it certainly wasn't. With a steady humming sound as its propellers slowed, the Blue Lily lowered towards the ground. Going by the position of rubble, structures, and plants, this was one of the clearest spots to land in the area. "I'll be waiting to pick you up," the pilot added, "Try not to get hurt too badly out there, okay? Transporting the injured always makes me nervous." The rear of the airship slowly opened. The path to the complex seemed relatively clear at the moment, but that didn't mean that it was. @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s>	<\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung "Back at yet another Alvadian lab." Freyja mentioned to herself as she ignored Cassidy and disembarked from the ship. She couldn't count the number of Alvadian facilities she had visited in her time both as a sword for hire and soldier. There was always dangers lurking in these places. Rogue experiments, bandits, monsters... It was never a question of if there was danger but more a question of what it was. As she touched the earth and let the dirt, debris and rubble crunch beneath her boot, the woman grabbed the handle of her weapon and unsheathed it, allowing the mechanisms to put the sword to full length. It was only a few seconds that the mechanisms took, but sometimes those few seconds were the most precious. She didn't really pay much heed to those behind her as she scanned her surroundings for anything suspicious.</s>
<\|description\|>Freyja Dämmerung Age: 25 Gender: Female Appearance: Freyja is consistently described as a solemn beauty for the consistent serious look on her face and for her rather good looks. She has a fairly nicely shaped body as well as some lightly toned muscles that came as a result of her continued training routine that has since been reduced since the end of the war. Personality: If one were to meet Freyja on the streets, they would have nothing to complain about her manners. Despite her strained face, she's a rather kind woman that's willing to help others, so long as it doesn't take her too far off her task at hand. She hardly ever smiles but this is more of her attempting to hold her emotions back, a habit that she had worked to get over from her time in the Imperial military. Hardly ever, doesn't mean never, however. There are quite a few times where she'll give a small smile to a joke or gratitude from others. Inside, however, she's a broken person. The war strained her mental state and she never really fully recovered. At night, it wasn't uncommon to hear sad noises coming from her room though this has since seemingly stopped. Guilt sits inside her from the war and it never left. Rather, sometimes she goes out to the streets and meets those who lost loved ones and internally she blames herself. But she doesn't show it. Not much. Sometimes, she shows a small, pained face. Brief Backstory: Freyja was raised in the Alvadian Empire. Her family was a military one and she was quickly placed into the military at a young age starting as a foot soldier though she was quickly promoted, most likely due to her family, into a special unit called the Dark Knights. They were a group of warriors that specialized in dark magics and powerful weapons. The magic they used were used to steal the life force from enemies and sacrifice one's own physical well-being to increase their own strength. And that's when she got thrown into the war. The Dark Knights were used as shock troops, typically clashing into lines that were already engaged from the sides or in ambushes and casualties were not uncommon. They were used fairly often, though… Soon, they were pulled off the front lines for reasons undefined. The entire unit was pulled back to a base and told they were to be guarding the base because there was a suspected surprise attack incoming in the next month. During her time there, Freyja had multiple duties. Helping with supplies, delivering messages between commanders and the most concerning was guard duty for the lab. As the month carried on her duties turned more and more towards guard duty for this lab. This was more and more concerning. Until finally, one day she noticed something during her duty. She was stationed in the internal section of the lab and noticed something… Odd. A scientist was pushing a rather large cart around. It was black colored, rather deep and had a tarp fastened over it. The odd thing was that she was sure there was a human finger poking out from under the tarp. And it twitched. A few days later, during her guard duty, she was handed an envelope by what she assumed was a leading scientist. "Deliver this to the commander." She was trusted to deliver a confidential message and Freyja assumed this was because of her family. Regardless, she started to walk towards the Command Room. Her concerns were filling her to the point where she decided she needed to open it. The details inside were… More than concerning. It incited a need to escape. "Our research on the Dark Knights is progressing less than we would like, but the results we do have are quite good. We've had to release a few more samples than we would like. In the near future, I would likely need more volunteers. We should talk today. " She gathered her weapon, a few supplies and some other things. And went to the gate. She told them that she was ordered to patrol around for Embrian scouts. They believed her and she ran. Not long after, the Empire was in hot pursuit of her. The chase led on for days with many close calls. She fought a few enemies where she could, when she needed, but she was far too outnumbered to do much more than run. Then, when she was basically at the end of her ropes and cornered, she was saved. A small detachment of Embrian soldiers flanked a number of her pursuers, cutting down the Alvadian pursuers that resisted. The leader, Sevard Kellson,spared her to question why she was being chased. Despite not trusting them, she told everything. What happened at the base, why she was on the run… Who she is. They took her in as a prisoner. Truthfully, being a prisoner with the Embrians was still a better experience than being experimented on by her own country. She understood that soldiers had a duty to their country, but was being experimented on by their country part of their duty? Sevard took the time to talk to her every day. Particularly how she felt about her country. And day by day, she was feeling more negative towards it. She, of course, loved the people. But… Those in charge? Those that ran those inhumane experiments that she didn't even know the extent of beyond the blatant disregard of human life? No. Not at all. "Let me fight for you." She asked. "I have nothing else but to fight for my people. I can never return, but I can fight for the Embrian army." Sevard was obviously skeptical at first but he could see the passion in her eyes. He agreed and she joined the Embrian army despite the reservation of many in the upper echelons of the Embrian army. Regardless, she proved her loyalty to Embria, or perhaps, Sevard himself. She found herself relegating herself to the position of Sevard's personal bodyguard. Eventually, the war came to an end. Freyja wanted to retire from fighting as did Sevard. As she had no place in Embria, she took a job as a maid for Sevard to give her one. The people that knew of her supposed origins were wary of her and she did her best not to face them. The two of them lived this peaceful life for four and a half years… And then, Sevard disappeared. She searched and searched but… There was no sign. She had no money herself and had to abandon the house they lived in and needed to find a job. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, she knew how to fight and decided to join a mercenary group, Wild Rose… Skills: As a maid, Freyja has taken to being a master of household skills. Cleaning and cooking are the things she's refined over the last five years. She also knows how to set up camp and hunt, though her aim has diminished since she was a soldier. Abilities: As a Dark Knight, her combat abilities focus mostly on empowered weapon attacks, draining attacks and dark magic. Her weapon strikes can be weaker, but drain life force or magical energy from enemies, called Siphoning Strikes. Alternatively, she can make her strikes stronger by allowing the darkness to drain her own life force to empower her weapon, known as Souleater. And finally, she can use her magical energy to use minor magic attacks made from the Darkness. The weakest of which, and all she seems to be able to use now is Ruin. * Limit Break - Dark Ruination: The strongest ability of the Dark Knights only usable by some now. It was a devastating ability used by some of the most trained Dark Knights in the war, though most of the Dark Knights have been phased out in some way or another. When used, Freyja slashes an enemy with her weapon and it slices an opening full of dark energy. Quickly, the energy festers and then explodes out from the cut. Equipment: Freyja has put together a new set of armor which is sleek and maneuverable. It gives decent protection from the environment and monster attacks. Her weapon of choice is the very same Magitech Greatsword she used all throughout the war. It's also a reminder to her of the lives she has taken.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The bullets fired by the scout mechs pinged off the barrier created by Derrick, scattering to the sides harmlessly as others careened past the barrier and missed their target entirely. The drones were not created for the purpose of raw power. Rather, the intent of their creation had always been lightweight combatants who were capable of exploration and attack. When encountering a barrier like this, there was little they could do to break through it quickly. There was a shearing sound as Freyja's sword bit through solid metal and tore its way cleanly through the first of the machine's inner workings, devastating its functions and leaving both haves of the drone toppling to either side, smoke and sparks rising from its innards. The machine struck by Cadenza let out a low-pitched whine as the joint of one of its legs bent backwards from the blow of her fist, metal twisting and tearing from the blow. It slid backwards on its wheels before toppling sideways, though its weaponry swiftly trained on the pugilist and prepared to open fire! The other two machines seemed to figure out that their attacks had no impact on Freyja, and instead began to train on Cadenza instead... @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja immediately turned to the other scout mechs as her blade cut through the first. Cadenza was going to have a whole heap of trouble soon if nothing happened. She stretched her right arm and shot a bolt of Dark magic out at the furthest of the two undamaged mechs while she barked out orders, "Adjust barrier recipient!" She hoped that even as small the impact of that attack might have, it might throw off the machine's aim. She wasn't sure if Derrick could do such a thing, but she had hope. The ex-Alvadian gripped her weapon and charged the nearest scout mech, intending to tear through that one as cleanly as she had the last one. As Freyja neared the third machine, her blade one again gained the coating of darkness it had before as she swung her weapon with the goal of bisecting the scout. Hopefully, Cadenza or Cassidy would be able to take care of the other two while she managed this one.</s> <\|message\|>Derrick Errance As soon as the first volley of bullets had been fired, Derrick trained his gaze on the remaining mecha. It was easy enough to tell that they had refocused their barrels away from Freyja, and it seemed that his companion had noticed likewise. "Switching!" he shouted out, the Conduits near Freyja quickly abandoning their barrier before flying over towards Cadenza. There were a scant few moments before the bullets would begin to fire, if their retargeting was to be believed... But if he wasn't able to ward off the shots aimed at the mercenary, then all he could do was try and recover the damage afterwards. Shaking his head, Derrick quickly poked his head out from behind his current piece of cover before aiming his two remaining Conduits at one of the further machina. A single Ruin would ideally be enough to offset the barrel should he fail to stop the damage in time, but in this case, it was likely better to cover as many bases as he could. @Wayward@Pyromania99</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "Aaagh!" Cadenza made a primal, rallying growl. Small though her success was, any momentum was good momentum. The mech staggered and toppled under its own weight, and fighter backed two sizeable steps to avoid being caught under it herself. In the proceeding instance, the expected shift in direction came to be. Cadenza found herself set on by the sights of the turrets of both the crippled machine and its remaining cohorts. It wasn't really much of a surprise; they were basic models, programmed to focus on threats as they presented themselves. As the barrel of her recent quarry spun around to take aim at her, she listed slightly, in counter direction to its rotation. Drawing back towards the mecha, she reached, taking hold of gun. Heaving another brutish grunt, she manhandled the turret in one-eighty, directing the business end of the weapon toward the next mech in line; she would use the felled walker's weapon against its packmate.</s> <\|message\|>Eurie The scout drones were simply not equipped to deal with such a focused counteroffensive. The drone that was targeted by Freyja was caught seconds before it opened fire, the darkness-coated sword slicing through its armor like butter and cleaving it neatly in half, sparks flying as both portions of the machine toppled to the side and caught fire. The remaining drone was unable to pierce the barriers put ahead of its guns, though upon realizing this they seemed to begin adjusting its positioning in a bid to get around the shields. Unfortunately for the automaton, this put it directly in the path of the weaponry of its disabled fellow as Cadenza wrenched the cannon out of place, and the hail of bullets shred through its armor and tore delicate systems apart, a small explosion erupting from the drone as it crumpled backwards. The only remaining drone was crippled in the pugilistic girl's hands, functioning leg whirring helplessly. @Wayward@Pyromania99@thecatinaction</s> <\|message\|>Cadenza Ovatra D'Concerto ["Donna Toro"] "YEAH!" Bullets from the still-upright mecha flew, but helplessly stopped upon colliding with the barrier that had been placed between it and Cadenza. In almost the same instance, the rounds from the turret she had commandeered rained forth as the shield dispelled. The walker had little defense against the firepower of its own kind; the bullets from Cadenza's manhandled weapon ripped through its plating with almost no resistance. "GET SOME!" she bragged, though this was mostly drowned out by the sound of the machine gun fire. Showing, albeit too late, a sign of restraint against targeting an ally, the automaton that the pugilist had muscled struggled to right itself and train its weapon back onto her. Its fate, however, was already being sealed. No sooner than it's volley concluded, Cadenza pulled up against the barrel of the gun. While the turreted artillery had a 360 rotation along a horizontal plane, the nature of the weapon rendered it unable to do the same along its vertical plane. The tension of Cadenza's pull on the barrel was joined swiftly by a set of fist strikes against the mounting apparatus that attached the canon to its swiveling base. It was the proverbial breaking of a stick over one's knee; the mecha would, in theory, be left active, but effectively crippled and disarmed, left to rot away as time and nature played out against it... unless, of course, one of Cadenza's teammates saw fit to put it out of its misery.</s>	<\|message\|>Freyja Dämmerung Freyja gave a small sigh of relief as the last of the scouts went down. They hadn't seemed to have sustained any real injuries today so, that could count for something. Derrick really pulled through for them with his protections. "Alright, that's taken care of." She hefted her sword over her shoulder and started to walk towards the inside of the complex. "We just need to keep moving carefully. We have no idea if there are any other leftovers from the empire here. Or... Other undesirables." She took a look back to her companions. "I'll take point. I've taken my fair share of bullet wounds before, I'm sure it won't be the last." The Dark Knight mentioned with a rather unconcerned look on her face before she headed off, keeping an eye out for her surroundings and her teammates.</s>
<\|description\|>Dura Mor Age: 32 Gender Identity: Female Sexual Preference: Pansexual Species: Orc Appearance: Dura stands a little over 6 feet tall, possessing a lean yet still muscular build. Her green hair often stays in a permanent loose low ponytail with only the longer back bits pulled into it and the shorter bangs and top part is parted to the side with her characteristic red streak through it. She also choses to keep one side shaved. She also sports a medal bar/spike through the bridge of her nose. Her upper torso is covered in what appears to be rather deep scars though they were very clearly intentional in a less than common form of scar tattooing. Dura also has a scar through her right eyebrow, it is clear this was from a former injury rather than the same "tattooing" process as her upper torso. Her deep brown eyes almost appear a dark shade of red at times. Height/Weight: 6'1" 172lbs Agent of the OMR: Despite her tough appearance Dura is an OMR field medic and a rather good one at that. Biography: Dura was born into a small orc tribe located in Southern Belarus near the Poland and Ukrainian borders. The small tribe mostly remained solitary, living of the land and practicing there own culture. It was here that she spent a majority of her younger years. However as she entered her teen years she became curious of the world outside of her home and decided it was time to take a "spiritual journey" as she explained it to her tribe elders. In reality it was less of a "spiritual" journey and more of a "knowledgeable" journey. There was so much she wanted to learn and see and she couldn't do it while living with her tribe. So with her mind settled she headed out into a world she knew very little about in search of an unknown knowledge. It very quickly became clear to the young Orc that travel was going to be difficult if she did not have the fund to do so. As a result she took up odd jobs in each town she visited. After several years of this she ended up taking an odd job cleaning a local clinic. It was here she discovered her fascination with the ability to send people off better than she arrived. However once again funds become an issue. After a while of trying to save one of her co-workers suggested she join an armed force and this is exactly what she did. Managing to have enough intelligence to secure herself in some field medic training after basics. From there her love for her job only grew. Several years later Dura was a pretty established field medic, being able to do her job as effectively as many of her higher-ups, one of whom agreed to pass on the few pieces of magical knowledge they had. This is where Dura began to train to use the magic she can today. By the time she was 27, armed with her knowledge, she was recommended to be transferred into the OMR where she has been happily working since. Likes:* Food oh boy does she love food * Friends and family, her friends are her family * Sitting alone in silence, not all the time but she does enjoy her "me time" * A good book Dislikes:* People who talk down to her or her friends * Bigots, aka people who see and think she is some big dumb brute and treat her as such. * When people try to "share" her food * Being interrupted when she is enjoying her quiet time Reason to be chosen for the mission: As one of the best Field Medics the organization has it seemed a good idea to recruit her for the mission in case they sustained any casualties. All weapons and equipment must be registered: * Several Field Medic pouches containing mostly anti-biotics, syringes, bandages, medical tape, scalpels, and various other small medical supplies * An OMR issued Firearm * Dagger Magical Abilities:* Stone Skin: Dura can magically harden her skin to the toughness of stone this is used mostly as a short term defensive spell however she can deliver some pretty sturdy punches while like this as well. * Minor Healing: This only allows her to rabidly close up smaller wounds or stop the spread of infection though at a great cost to her own physical energy and thus she choses not to rely on this skill unless absolutely nessecary. Skills:* Adaptability: Dura can analyze a situation and adapt accordingly in any medical manor she needs * Durable: She can take quite a beating and come out decently okay. Because of this she thinks it's funny to call herself "Dura the Durable", the nickname hasn't stuck. * Hand-to-Hand Combat: Dura is rather skilled with her hands in more than being able to quickly repair a person's body, she is also a very capable close range, hand to hand fighter. Miscellaneous Facts:* Dura, when not on duty enjoys heavy drinking, she can drink most people under the table and will happily do so. * Due to most of her education being career based she isn't the most intelligent when it come to non-medical topics.</s> <\|message\|>Xaviron "Avi" Mosley -Vancouver- Avi's flight had been delayed by an hour, as there was a bad storm over the Rockies. He had been sitting in the Vancouver International Airport for a while now and was getting quite bored. He had come back to his hometown to visit his parents, as he hadn't seen them in two years. They were aware that he worked for the OMR, but didn't exactly no what his job was. Truth be told he had been undercover in Mexico for the past two years, trying to expose a group trafficking in banned magical ingredients. While it had been a long case, it did end in the arrest of most of the group's leaders. Yet, even after doing such a good job with his previous assignment, the OMR already had need of Avi again. It had only been a week and a half of free time for Avi before he was contacted again. Avi leaned back in his chair, looking over the brief fax he had been sent. He was needed in Germany, in regards to stopping weapons smuggling. The mission was in his usual wheel house, plus he was fluent in German, as it was one of the first languages he mastered in high school. What was different this time is that he would be working with a full team on this assignment. Usually the only person Avi had to keep in contact with was his handler. Avi wondered about who he would be working with, as he knew the OMR employed all kinds of people, with representation from almost every species. Avi thought it would be cool if he could work with a deity, as he had never actually met one. Avi was considering getting a frozen yogurt cup, when the PA system announced that his flight was now boarding. Avi placed the fax back into his carry on bag and started to walk toward the boarding area. The flight to Frankfurt would apparently take about ten and a half hours, time Avi could make use of. He had considered either bringing a book to read or to practise up on his German, but he was really mentally tired after his time in Mexico, so he decided to use that time to sleep. -Frankfurt- Avi awoke at about an hour out from his destination. For a second he forgot where he was, reaching for the wand hidden in his jacket. Another second later, he remembered what was happening. He let go of the wand, technically an item he wasn't allowed to bring on a plane, the illusory invisibility spell still active. The spell in question was strong enough that no one during his previous assignment even knew he had a wand on him. Avi was always taking a risk by bringing his wand on his person, but he always felt more secure knowing it was there. By the time the plane landed, Avi had drank some sugary cola and was now fully awake. He disembarked the plane and made his way over to baggage handling. Avi had packed light, all of his clothes contained in his carry on. What he did grab was a sealed briefcase that housed his knife and gun. As an OMR agent he was allowed to bring it on a plane, but it had to stay in the cargo bay sealed. Avi picked up the brief case and headed over to the front of the airport. Waiting there was an Elf in a suit with a sign that read: Xaviron Mosley. Avi walked over to the man, remembering his cover story that he was an appraiser of magical items from Canada. As Avi approached the Elf he gave him a quick nod, the Elf recognizing who he was. Avi was led outside the airport to a small black car, one without any OMR markings. As Avi entered the car, the Elf turned to him, speaking in English, "Coffee?" Avi waved his hand, "No, can't stand the stuff." "Alright then," the Elf said, taking a sip of the coffee instead. The Elven chauffeur drove from the airport into the heart of downtown Frankfurt, the radio playing some German pop the Elf sung along to. Soon Avi could see the OMR office, a tall building he had previously only seen in files. The Elf drove right up to the front of the building, still singing in German. Without saying anything, Avi got out of the car, which promptly drove away, presumably to pick someone else up. Avi entered the building. Waiting in the front was a Dwarf dressed in a turtleneck and sport jacket. "Good day sir, how can I help you?" he asked in German. Avi replied quickly, his German not at all rusty, "I am an OMR agent, here for a briefing." Pulling out his ID, Avi let the Dwarf scan it before being signalled that he could go deeper into the building. Avi made his way up the stairs, pulling the fax out of his bag to recheck what room he was supposed to go to. Upon confirming the room number, Avi began a brisk stride to get to it. The delay on his flight, mixed with the sudden abruptness of leaving Vancouver, meant that there was a good chance that he would be late for the meeting. Upon finding the room, Avi heard talking coming from within. With the faintest of movements, Avi nudged the door open, slinking his way inside, hopefully unnoticed. Inside was a menagerie of different races, but what caught Avi's eye was a woman taking off her clothes. Avi had heard that Europeans were more liberal but this was taking it a bit far. But Avi quickly saw the point as she revealed that she had gears and mechanisms for a body. Avi had heard rumours that the OMR had artificial beings, but he never thought that they would be so life like. The robot, or Amanda she called herself, began to explain her origins. Avi was a little bit shocked that the OMR had been making artificial beings for nearly his whole time alive. And apparently they had rights? It was a lot to take in, even for a Canadian, as she made her joke about Americans expecting a robot apocalypse. The next person to speak was named Ross, apparently having served during the Shattering. Avi was always amazed whenever he met a survivor of that battle as he had heard the stories of soldiers dying by the thousands to take out the Abomination. Seemingly echoing Avi's thoughts about the Shattering was a Dwarf who wondered why this mission would require such a legendary warrior. Rather then dwell on why people like Amanda and Ross would be needed on the team, Avi decided to introduce himself to them, "Xaviron Mosley. Illusions, appraisal, and intelligence. First time on a team like this." He had decided to speak in English, as even though they were in Germany, he was unsure if everyone present was fluent.</s> <\|message\|>Micheal Crane aka pîhtokahânapiwiýin Micheal Crane Micheal had gotten some directions from a well meaning OMR agent in the foyer. He'd waited of course for the others who arrived just right ahead of him to enter first. And he's standing at the rear of the group slightly to the left, his duffle bag over his shoulder. He smiles, "Good medicine." The reveal though is astonishing, "A living machine." Micheal's eyes wide as he observes. The initial shock broken when standing up from behind a drape Whiskeyjack mutters, "Damn! new reason to a hard life. She's all hard." Micheal growls, "I swear. I will bind you if I have too." He then turns to the rest, "My apologies. I have a trio of hitchhikers with me. usually I'd charge gas money but I came by plane." He turns to the grinning god with a stern look, "How did you get in here anyway?" Whiskeyjack grins, "There's a door, and it's not my fault if no one is paying attention to the guy in the headdress." He shrugs and gives a really good impression of the cheshire cat right then. And all Micheal can do is shrug in apology. "But seriously, that incredible eh? And the rest of us. Quite a crew here. Makes you wonder what's we're all going to be able to bring to the table." He idly begins to flip his tomahawk in hand, almost casual in it's movements, "Hello everyone." He finally finishes with, a big grin on his face. He's about to ask for information on what is going to happen when his gaze fell on Ullross or Ross. His eyes narrowed, and gleamed. Staring right at a tall dark formless mass hovering about him. He'd seen free spirits that could walk and move and interact. He'd seen gods not quite ready to manifest. And he'd faced dark spirits, malicious and angry. But this thing hovering over Ross, is something else. For a moment he grips the handle of his tomahawk tightly, then reigns in his reactions, not a good time to react. He gulps then looks about, regaining his composure, "Micheal Crane, pîhtokahânapiwiýin among the Shamans of Canada and the United States. Don't expect me to speak much German. It's a pleasure to meet you all."</s>	<\|message\|>Dura Mor Dura waited patiently for the others to arrive. She knew the basics of pretty much everyone on the team from the files she had plucked but seeing them all in person was a different thing all together. She wasn't too shocked by the reveal of the android but still the question entered her mind, though she didn't vocalize it. The concern however was plastered on her face for a split second and gone before anyone who wasn't looking at her noticed. "How the hell am I supposed to patch up an android in the field? Hope we have a stellar mechanic. I do not know the first thing about sentient robot bodies." Dura's attention went to the others who introduced themselves. She recognized the man who introduced himself as Ross. He had come to her some time ago to see if she could help with his sleep issues and though that wasn't really her area of expertise she had been able to recommend a few things to try out. After a few others introduced themselves Dura cleared her throat to do the same. "Dura Mor, I will be your licensed Field Medic for this mission. Served in the German armed forces for several years before being recommended to join the OMR ranks about a year after The Shattering. Served on one of the many ships during the battle as a medic. Your health is my concern." Her voice was loud and thick with a German accent. She attempted to sound more formal than she usually was. She knew she looked more like she was here for muscle than anything else, after all her rough exterior didn't exactly scream delicate medical knowledge. She spent a lot of time observing the others. She tried not to judge anyone based on appearance but from what she had seen so far many of them seemed less fighters and more espionage or specialist types. So maybe the mission would be less head on and more information gathering. If that was the case that would make her life pretty easy. Maybe she wouldn't have to worry too much about severe wounds.</s>
<\|description\|>Xaviron "Avi" Mosley Age: 33 Species: Half-Elf Gender Identity: Cis Male Sexual Preference: Bisexual Agent of the OMR?: Yes. Avi is one of the OMR's undercover operatives. He goes wherever he is assigned. Reason to be chosen for the mission: Avi was specifically chosen for this mission because of his illusion abilities and language proficiencies, which will allow him to blend in while undercover. Appearance: Avi is a slender individual, hiding the strength that he has within. With pale skin, black hair, and grey-blue eyes, Avi would seem like most northern dwelling humans. However, his pointed ears would betray the fact that he has elven blood. Besides his features, Avi dresses quite drab, with a lot of black, greys, and navy blues. He tends to wear long shirts, jacket, pants, and boots. However, when undercover he will wear whatever is needed to blend in, which could mean all varieties of colour and design. Height: 5'10'' Weight: 154 lbs Likes: - Magical Studies - Frozen Yogurt - Linguistics - Punk Music - Horror Movies Dislikes: - Country Music - Criminals - Philosophy Discussions - Fanaticism - Coffee Biography: Avi was born in Vancouver, Canada, the son of an elven mage and a human police officer. Avi's father was an elf obsessed with the past, naming his son Xaviron after an ancient elven hero. His mother however disliked the name, instead calling him a shortened version, Avi. Growing up, Avi didn't see any other half breed children, as the various races were segregated in different parts of the town. But Avi would eventually make friends with someone of another race, Viktor, a very small Orc. For most of his childhood, Avi would be friends with Viktor, though they would be viewed as strange for being a half-breed and a Orcish runt. As Avi got older he was forced by his father to begin magical studies. While initially not into it, Avi would find that he had a knack for it, particularly illusions. By the time Avi started high school, he began to drift apart from Viktor. Avi began to throw himself into his magical studies, while Viktor began to finally bulk up, becoming an athlete. Avi ended up graduating high school with honours. After the graduation ceremony, Avi's father gifted him his ancestor's wand, allegedly taken from a branch of the world tree Yggdrasil. Avi wholeheartedly accepted the gift, but he would then surprise his father by choosing to join the police force rather than magic university. Based on his skills, Avi was soon accepted into the ranks of the Royal Canadian Mountain Police. Avi would serve the RCMP in a small town north of Vancouver for five years. After that he was stationed back in Vancouver, during the height of the panic of the Abomination coming. Within a few months of being back in Vancouver, riots began to break out as people were scared and demanding answers. Avi and his partner were sent to break up one such riot. Avi wasn't prepared for the chaos of it all, quickly losing his partner in the crowd. When he did find him a few minutes later, he was beating up an Orc. Avi quickly realized that it was Viktor, and jumped in, acting on instinct. Avi pulled his partner off Viktor, then punched him in the face, knocking him out. Following this incident there was an enquiry into Avi's actions. Because of his partner's actions in the situation, Avi was not charged with any crime, but was dishonourably discharged from the RCMP. Avi would flounder for a bit, not knowing what to do with his life. Eventually he decided to try and get back into magic, taking classes at a college. It was during this period that the united fleet destroyed the Abomination. Like most of the world, Avi cheered on this great victory. But back with the school, it was becoming apparent that Avi was already beyond the skill level of what they were teaching. Upon graduating college, Avi would quickly get scooped up by the OMR. Given a great job offer, because of his magical aptitude and previous law enforcement experience, Ari would become a junior agent. After a year with the OMR, Avi would become an undercover agent, using body illusions to sneak into organizations. Recently, Avi had just finished a long two year undercover mission in Mexico, only to be immediately assigned to the operation in Germany. Weapons/Equipment: - Ancestral Wand: Given to Avi by his father, this wand is allegedly made from a branch of the world tree Yggdrasil. Regardless of origin, this wand is useful in focusing on spells that Avi is less familiar with, acting as a focal point. - Elven Knife: A small knife used in elven martial arts. Avi always has it on hand. - Hand Gun: A standard issue OMR hand gun. Depending on the mission Avi could either have it on him, in his car, or back at a safe house. Magical Abilities: - Illusion Magic: Avi's primary focus in magical pursuits. Avi is quite good at changing his appearance to perfectly mimic any other humanoid. The actual spell takes a few minutes to cast, and can last upward to a day before the spell must be recast. Avi can also create minor illusions to confuse or mislead enemies. These happen instantly, but can only last a few minutes. - Combat Spells: Avi knows quite a few combat spells. These include a stunning spell, a push back spell, a psionic blast, and a blinding spell. Avi is more comfortable casting these with his wand, as it allows for greater accuracy and bigger effect. Miscellaneous Facts: Avi is a polyglot, speaking ten languages. These include English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese, Congolese, and Hebrew. Avi is also a skilled runner, having been on his school's track and field team.</s> <\|message\|>Micheal Crane aka pîhtokahânapiwiýin Micheal Crane Micheal hums, "So Dura and Astfiridur are off on another adventure. Leaving us here to rock out? Well we can manage with what we have right?" He looks around and smiles. He gives a sniff, "Okay so we need a proper summoning huh? I'm kinda tapped, and summoning isn't exactly my shtick." He gives another sniff. And redraws his pipe, "Well, it's all I got the energy for." He takes a few steps out, while repacking the bowl of his pipe. And with a flick of a match he lights the pipe, taking a few pulls to get the magical herb going, and kneels to carve an indigenous summoning rune into the ground, "Let's see." Giving a hum he finally begins, "Ancestors, Spirits, Oymantou, hear me. I seek a comrade. Ulross Vallath. I seek his presense, help me bring him to us. Ancestors, Spirits, Oymantou, help me. I give this sacred pipe and it's smoke to all of you. Help me bring Ulross to us." He kneels beside the rune and begins to pray in his mother tongue of Cree. Sending out steadying urging and wishes for Ulross to come to them in their time of need. The shaman maybe tired from the ritual he had performed but he does his best to send out a summons for Ulross to join them.</s> <\|message\|>Ullross "Ross" Vallath Ullross "Ross" Vallath The android seemed to be able to discern what the significance of the outbuildings with a quick check then she was off again. This made the man wonder why they were even here as it seems that other than magic she could very easily take care of most things on this mission. Hmm perhaps her being a bit showy is nice though, if the enemy is watching and sees that she is more capable than the rest of us might focus their efforts in neutralizing her. His line of thought was broken when he heard someone call out his name. Ross groaned and shook his head, these people did not act like the others he had been tasked with recently almost light hearted compared to what he was in earlier. Perhaps he could still salvage a few things from this outing and at least have a little fun. Ross began rummaging through more boxes of rations finding a couple he liked and stuffing them away in his jacket before setting his eyes on some crystals that looked interesting. None of the things in this building were noteworthy and soon he felt himself being drawn back towards the main building by some mystical means. Guessing that the team was waiting for him the large man made his way back to the main building where the others have gathered. Some still seemed to be inspecting a wall but otherwise seemed like they had finished their inspection. "Are we ready to go?" A straight forward question while he pulled out one of the rations with smoked fish so he could snack on it while he waited to see what the next step was.</s>	<\|message\|>Xaviron "Avi" Mosley -A Few Hours Back- Avi had remained quite for most of the briefing, unsure of if he even needed to say anything. This was his first time working in a group for the OMR. But he was sure that he could handle it. Toward the end of the briefing, the same dwarf in a turtleneck from earlier poked his head through the doorway. Avi glanced over at him as he motioned for him to come into the hallway. As silently as he could, Avi made his way out of the room. He followed the dwarf down the hallway, eventually stopping in front of a small office. "There's an urgent call for you Agent Mosley," the dwarf stated. "May I ask who it is?" Avi asked as he entered the office. "An Agent Brock I believe." Avi sighed as he picked up the phone. Agent Theodore Brock was one of the higher ranking OMR agents in North America, and had been his handler on his undercover mission in Mexico. He had made his distaste for Avi's handling of the mission quite public. "Xaviron Mosley here." "Mosley, I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time?" Brock asked. "Well. I was in a briefing, so-" "Fine I'll keep it brief. Romero is dead." Avi felt a pang in his chest. Luca Romero was a fellow OMR agent working the Mexico mission with Avi. While the mission had technically been a success, it had ended in a shootout, where Romero had taken several bullets. He had been quickly airlifted to a hospital in Texas. "How did he die?" Avi asked with the faintest of a quiver in his voice. "Infection," Brock answered, "They didn't clean out one of the holes good enough so it got infected. Then it spread damn quickly." Avi was silent. "Well I thought you should know," Brock said, his voice cold, "Maybe this mission you won't fuck up your fellow agents." "Goodbye Agent Brock," Avi replied quickly. Avi slammed the phone down, while yelling fuck. Once he was done he glanced over at the dwarf in the hall who had heard his scream and seemed bewildered. Avi didn't save anything as he left the office. He made his way back to the briefing room only to discover that his new team had already left. Avi then proceeded back to the main office. The receptionist let him know that his team were investigating a warehouse stocked with weapons. Avi wasn't in the greatest of moods and decided that he wasn't needed in the field now. Instead he decided to look over the case files, as research always seemed to calm him down. So he requested the pertinent files and sat down at a small desk, going over everything once more. -Now- Avi set the final file down while sighing. He gave a glance at the clock on the wall and saw that several hours had elapsed. The time taken to research had indeed calmed him down, so he figured now was the time to rejoin his team. If they asked where he had been he could always say that phone call had taken much longer than it actually did. It was a lie, but Avi was good at lying. It helped make him a good undercover agent. Avi stood up and turned to the receptionist, "Could you perhaps arrange a driver to pick me up?" The receptionist nodded and within ten minutes, Avi was outside and getting into an unmarked black car. To his surprise, it was the same elven driver from earlier today. He asked Avi where he was headed, to which Avi supplied the address of the warehouse. The drive there was uneventful, save when the radio played Rock Me Amadeus, to which Avi tapped along to the song with his fingers. A few minutes after the song finished, the driver pulled up to the building. Avi got out and immediately took out his wand. While he was pretty sure it was a safe situation, Avi knew that there were always dangers involved with working for the OMR. Upon entering the building, Avi spotted Amanda the android. He was just in ear shot as she described the transport manifest and the nearby house. Also possible bad guys meant Avi was not wrong to have his wand at the ready. As the rest of the team gathered, Avi made his presence known, "My apologies. A very pressing matter had come up at the office that required my presence. But it would seem I arrived at the correct time. If everyone is prepared then I'll accompany you all to the location on the manifest."</s>
<\|description\|>Morgana Faith Age: 26 Gender Identity: Female Sexual Preference: Heterosexual Species: Human Appearance: Morgana is a little on the short side and has a slim build, making her rather petite overall. She is not very physically, meaning there is not much muscle on her frame, especially on her arms which are notably thin. Her skin is pale, a result of spending too much time in the labs and not enough time outside. Her eyes are a vivid green in colour and her hair is a deep black that reaches all the way down her back. Morgana doesn't do anything to style her hair or to keep it under control, so it tends to stick out wildly the further down it goes. She has large eyes set in a round face, with a small nose and a smaller mouth that is almost permanently set in a smirk. Morgana is not one to wear much make-up or wear jewellery, but she tries to take care of her skin and it is blemish free as a result. Her clothing is often smart casual clothing that doesn't bare much skin, consisting mostly of blouses and skirts, stockings and tall, heeled boots; all in black or dark colours. She likes to wear long coats both at and outside of work; when at work this will be a lab coat, outside of the labs she will substitute it with something of equal length. She will also, on special occasions, wear a tall and wide brimmed witch's hat. Because it irks people. Height/Weight: 5' 3"/121lbs Agent of the OMR: Morgana is a researcher in the OMR Department of Heretical Studies Biography: Born in northern England, Morgana is the only daughter of Angelica Faith, the current head of family whose roots run deep in the British magical community. The Faith family one of the few who can trace an unbroken line of practitioners all the way back before the witch hunts that consumed Europe hundreds of years ago; this, along with being connected to most other magical families through blood or marriage, gives then a certain level of prestige even though they have declined in wealth and power in the last century. As the next in line to take over the Faith family, Morgana began her tutelage at a young age so that she could begin to inherit all of the knowledge that her family had gained over their long history. Hopes for her were high in the beginning; she was intelligent, diligent, appeared to have good reserves of mana and showed an aptitude for the kind of thinking that was necessary for a witch to be successful. However, the longer Morgana studied magic, particularly the brand of magic her family was versed in, the more she began to ask a single question. Why? Why did things works the way they did, why did this have to be done that way? Why did willow make for a better magical conduit for women, while ash worked better for men? Why did the age of the material matter? Why do magical circles have to be drawn in chalk and not ink? Why did the phase of the moon affect the effectiveness of certain rituals? It all seems so arbitrary and nonsensical. The more questions she asked the more she found the answers unsatisfactory and the more she found the teaching of her mother and her aunts… restrictive. So she asked herself another why; if they didn't know the answers or if they weren't willing to entertain her questions, why was she learning from them? By the time she was a teenager, Morgana was fully into her rebellious phase. She had long ago stopped asking for answers and instead looked for her own, conducting her own research and her own experiments to figure out the answers to questions that made others uncomfortable. She drifted further and further away from the superstitious leanings of her family and extended her knowledge into all kinds of new areas. The Faith family was obviously not very happy with their scion pulling away from them in such a blatant manner, even more so when she actually found some success with her experiments; the way in which she sought to question, break down and even prove wrong the magic they had spent centuries developing was not just offensive to them it was… heretical. By the time Morgana was eighteen she was ready to leave home and her family was more than happy to see her leave. She left home to attend university in London, studying both ritualism and occultism while keeping up her own private research and after several years graduated at the top of her classes. After graduation she was scouted by the OMR and was asked to become a researcher in their Department of Heretical Studies, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek name for a department dedicated to improving the organisations knowledge of how magic truly functioned. The name appealed to her, as did the promise of research grants and the freedom to dictate her own projects should she advance in the organisation. Since joining the organisation Morgana has been the co-author on many research papers that have helped to disprove old notions of how magic worked, particularly in the areas involving external factors such as wands, staffs and ritualistic tools. She always makes sure to send her mother a copy of each paper she is involved in, when they are released to the public. Reason to be chosen for the mission: As an expert on defensive wards and apotropaic magic, it is expected that Morgana will provide extra protection for the team during their investigation. It is also hoped that her expertise as a researcher will also come in useful. All weapons and equipment must be registered: There isn't a single piece of clothing Morgana wears that isn't imbued with some kind of ward, apotropaic defence or magic circle. Some of these are passive until triggered, others are weak effects that she feeds mana constantly, while yet more are larger and require conscious activation to have any effect. Aside from this her equipment is fairly standard, though it does include many small items such as chalk, balls of twine and so on that are less common. Magical Abilities: Morgana has a broad knowledge base and has dabbled in many different areas of magic, but her expertise mostly lies in the areas of ritualism and magic circles. She is capable of creating and conducting rituals to achieve a variety of effects from scrying, warding, healing, sealing, protection and so on; Morgana's research has led her to be able to do a lot, but the trade-off is that she cannot do anything as well as someone who focuses on a single thing. Depth has been traded for width. Her magic circles meanwhile, essentially small rituals themselves, act as pre-determined spells which can be activated automatically; a magic circle is etched onto an item, whether it be carved into stone or simply drawn on a piece of paper, with a pattern designed to mimic the effect or a specific spell. When mana is pushed through this circle the spell in question is cast, without a conscious effort on the caster's part to shape the spell. This allows for faster casting than normal without the caster needing to even think about the spell itself, but the need for the circles to be created beforehand means that she is locked into whatever she thought to prepare ahead of time. Morgana is not a combat agent and her ability to perform magic under pressure is low. Should she not have the right tool for the job prepared ahead of time, she is at a disadvantage. Miscellaneous Information: Morgana has been credited with assisting in the research and writing of the following papers; * The Effects of Perceived vs Actual Properties of Conduits on Casting Efficiency * An Experiment on the use of Blood as a Reagent in Rituals: How the Perception of Costs Paid Affects Results Given * How The Shattering Changed Lunar-centric Occultism: An Analysis on the Long Term Effects of Reality Changing Events * An Analysis on the Perception of Age and its Effects on Magic * A History of Apotropaic Practices in Europe: An Analysis on the Effects of Persecution in Shaping Magical Communities</s> <\|message\|>Micheal Crane aka pîhtokahânapiwiýin pîhtokahânapiwiýin, The Shaman Micheal pushed off the table he's leaning on and grabs Whiskeyjack by the back of the neck as he dances by. Leaning in to look the god in the eyes, "Stop...for now. Later you can be silly but we need to get serious." The young-looking god pouts a little and nods, going to sit on a couch for now. And yes he does very much sulk and pout where he sits. Micheal walks up closer to watch the presentation. He hums softly, one of his hands pressed to his cheek as he watches and listens. He hums. Weapons shipments...illegal weapons shipments. Sure not good juju, but why would the OMR...all the groups getting these weapons and ultimate Mr. X. "How cliche..." He said outloud, not realizing he did so. And casually reached out and smacked Whiskeyjacks hand as the god tried to reach out from behind Micheal to play with the projector. A second later Micheal did the same thing for Raven who reached a slightly feathered hand over too. And then a THIRD time when Manabozho did the same thing. Micheal shook his head, "I have a trio of kids following me..." To which Manabozho grumped out, "Hey!" Micheal nods, "Well I'll do my best to help out. Not sure what my skill set will help with." He grins, "But I'll help." He shrugs and nods, "So what next then?"</s> <\|message\|>Dura Mor Dura Mor Dura remained in her spot leaned against the back wall and just observed the interactions of the group. She had a habit of observing before truly interacting. It was generally so she could get a feel for the people she was going to be working with. As she was doing this she had pulled a snack out of her pocket. Dura almost always had food of some sort on her. The red head was certainly a ball of energy just watching her made Dura a little bit tired. Sure, she herself was a generally energetic individual, but the sheer amount of talking the clearly younger female did was enough to make one's head spin. The rest of the group were all interesting in there own ways. All seeming to have a variety of skill sets and back grounds. Some of which had more magical backgrounds than others. As a few people started getting into a conversation about magic and dragons and who knows what else Dura ended up spacing out. Most, if not all things involving magic went over her head and even when people tried to explain it to her she was confused. She learned by doing things and so it was hard for her to grasp some concepts. So she spaced out, the groups chatter turning to background noise until the Android started roll call, something she nearly missed as she only tuned in when she heard her own name called. Then the mission details were given. Dura had a hard time focusing back in though she felt she had gotten the just of it. She was a little confused as to why she had been recruited if they had the girl who could create portals but she supposed having a medic on stand-by who knew the details of the mission was useful. The less that needed to be asked when treating someone the faster the treatment could happen. When one of the males, she had failed to catch his name commented on how Mr. X was a cliché name Dura nodded in agreement. Sure it made sense since this man was an X factor in this situation but she couldn't help but think it was silly. Regardless she nodded along to the presentation as if she was understanding it all. When the lights came back on she squinted a little not expecting it. And then the Android mentioned a warehouse with weapons. Dura figured this would be there first job and so, she mentally prepared herself for the worst case but hopped for the best.</s>	<\|message\|>Morgana Faith Morgana had to admit that she had been rather curious was all of this was about, before this meeting. Although summoned, she had been purposefully kept in the dark regarding the details of this assignment aside from being told that it would involve fieldwork and a trip to Germany; it wouldn't be the first time, the OMR did enjoy keeping its secrets at times. She had thought it would be some kind of new project; something cutting edge and top secret, given the lack of details, or perhaps something anomalous had been found and they needed her expertise. Finding out that instead she was to assist in what was essentially a criminal investigation was… disappointing. Her remit was that of research, not investigation and although they both might be concerned with the matter of finding answers they had little in common with each other in practice. There was little use she could see for her skills here, which meant this whole endeavour was going to be a waste of her valuable time. The mundane and non-magical nature of the crimes in question only made things worse; arms shipments and terrorist cells were no concern of hers. The only point of interest in this whole thing was the possible use of teleportation magic to transport the illicit materials. Long distance teleportation was always a tricky prospect, though not impossible, and the difficulty only increased with the amount of matter being transported and the distances involved; if they were using such methods to move their shipments around then that suggested the group had someone particularly talented in the use of teleportation rituals, a being of immense magical power in their employ, or something else entirely. Any one of which would be interesting. It was a bare thread, but one she'd have to cling to for now. "Aside from the teleportation spell, are there any other cases of them using magic?"</s>
<\|description\|>Emmaline Von Morganstern Human \| 23 \| Female Appearance Of medium height with bright yellow blonde hair Emmaline is the picture of Andrean womanhood. Statuesque, with pale blue eyes and a dimpled smile, she has an open face which gives the onlooker the impression that she hasn't a brain in her head. Personality Emmaline is friendly and lighthearted, so long as that suits her. The somewhat flighty exterior conceals her deep self absorbtion and hedonistic self indulgence. She is clever and inciteful but fundamentally too lazy to put in the work that would allow her to capitalize on her (well concealed) virtues. Background * Swindler * Acolyte * Middle class, though she passes herself off as upper class. Emmaline's father was a potter and her mother a milliner. They raised their pretty daughter with the hopes of marrying her into the lower aristocracy, so she does have a smattering of class. History (Optional) Raised to make an advantageous marriage Emmaline rebelled against her parent's early on and fled to the dangerous streets of the city. Once there she rapidly fell in with underworld element. She worked as a dancer and actress before being taken under the wing of a notorious con-artist who used her charms to pull confidence scams and to case the homes of rich admirers. During one of these cons Emmaline became involved with a particularly debauched nobleman who dabbled in black magic. Believing it to be a bunch of simple tricks and nonsense Emmaline went ahead with the con. It was a red flag when she found herself naked and tied in an arcane circle, but it was rather too late at that point. The nobleman, the Black Count, wanted to use Emmaline as a sacrifice in a ritual. She was drugged with wine infused with dark magics, and as she struggled to get free, watching the knife come down a voice sounded in her head. Emmaline had never heard of Zagonath the Whisperer, but when he spoke to her she used the words he provided, striking her captor dead. Unfortunately Zagonath was less forth coming on how to escape from her bonds, and she was still bound up when the guards broke down the door and arrested everyone in the house. Despite her protestation of innocence, the Temple Court found that Emmaline had been touched by dark magic. It was also clear that it had been involuntary, and after weeks of debate a compromise was struck. Rather than being burned she sent into exile with nothing but the clothes on her back. Actually they had to provide the clothes, but the metaphor stands. Reason for Exile Passing false coins, petty theft, fraud, prostitution, consorting with ye olde powers of darkness. Motivation Safety. Emmaline is fundamentally fearful and seeking some kind of sanctuary. Through her own foolishness she dabbled in dark powers that she doesn't understand or know how to control. Having spent her entire life in Andraad, she now finds herself in exile and alone. Capabilities Attributes Combat * * * Intelligence * Literacy * * Charisma * Charm * Deception * Seduction Health * * * Faculties * * * Agility * Pick pocket * Sneak * Mysticism 4/4] --- Sorcery.... Equipment You will leave this blank, since you are a prisoner. * * * Money For simplicity's sake, we're doing 3 types of coinage. Royals (Gold), Lordlings (Silver), and Commons (Copper). They each measure 20 of the previous coinage. 20 Lordlings makes a Royal and 20 Commons makes a Lordling. You have no money as of yet. Languages You know one language. If you added Linguistics as a stat, you can speak an extra language beyond your native tongue. --- Character Relationships Your characters have only known one another for the week it has taken to move your wagon through the Inner Kingdoms, with only a marginal time to speak. This is where you put your initial thoughts of each character, and you edit these as their opinions change. This also includes the Merc NPC. Faeril Skywatcher Grumpy Scary Dwarf - Seems willing to wait till the earth cracks open before making a decision Reyvadin Ismirala Vaegir Some kind of a ranger, seems alot like the nobles who used to cheat on their wives while whining about their honor Lorcan Lorcan can turn into a tree. Like literally a tree. Migi BlackbarrowI like Migi, she is small and adoreable and has more balls than any of the men combined Radek GrantonRadek messed up my spell, but I didn't get killed so that was a good thing</s> <\|message\|>Emmaline Von Morganstern Emmaline took a bottle of grain liquor and poured some of it into the bowl of water Beren had brought, then she took a drink herself and set the clay bottle down. She took a length of clean cloth and dipped it into the now pungent water and began to sponge at Beren's wounds. "Don't worry, I used to be a priestess," Emmaline lied glibly as she carefully worked the char and mess out of the wound with the stinging cloth. She certainly had never been any such thing, but she had stitched up enough people after bar fights, climbing accidents and other such mishaps that she had some idea how to manage the business. "We really should salve it, if you have anything, otherwise it will weep everywhere until it crusts over," Emmaline expounded. "I was going to ask you about this deposed Sultana, but I feel like that might be a little overshadowed by the fact that the inn was attacked by some kind of ravening half demon... I thought we might talk about that," she said a twinge acidly, pressing a little harder than was necessary to scrub the wound clean. "I mean its a nice inn, but off all the inns in the city those things come here?" she arched an eyebrow in question Deception - 6 Not really a priestess</s> <\|message\|>Character Information Beren squared his jaw, but otherwise he didn't show any discomfort as she helped him. Well, this was a bit familiar for him, but he was glad for the help. Lack of sleep and injuries made him a bit more weary and a bit less wary. Not in a drunken way, say, but definitely less scrupulous. He looked to take her confession as a former priestess without doubting her. Then again, he also had no reason to think she would lie. His burns were not too hazardous, but it was plain to see how they would take some time to heal. "Thank you. I have some salve in my room. I can run it on tonight," he told her, taking a long drink from his jug. A small trickle of water escaped his lips and slid down his strong neck, the long droplet making a turn at every indention of muscle down his torso. He put the jug down, turning and listening attentively as pondered her question about the Sultana. He flinched when she pressed into the wound, looking at her with a perplexed smile. "You're right, it's strange, but it wasn't 'cause of me." He chuckled, not realizing she had likely added pressure through an absent mind. After another wince, the pain died down again. "Whatever it was, it used to be a man. And after I killed it...it smelled like one. Except for his arm. It stunk of sulfur and rot." She began sliding the bandage over his wound, and when he tried to help she gently but firmly kept his hands down. "I think it had something to do with the calamity. The thing that hit the forest north of here." He admitted, and then glanced behind him to make sure there was no chance of others listening in. His voice was soft. "I saw what was in it... I know the stench of hell. The calamity brought it and whatever attacked reeked like it." He shrugged his muscular shoulders. "As for the Sultana, I'm not big into gossip. Like any high borne thrown out of their home, she probably has six others, or she's looking to take the city back somehow. If she's still alive, at least. You might be able to find out more in the slums, but I wouldn't go in there without someone to watch your back." He ran his hand over the bandage, feeling a dull ache but otherwise finding he felt better. "I can go with you if you want." He offered.</s> <\|message\|>Reyvadin Ismirala Vaegir Apparently Reyvadin missed quite a bit last night. While he was awoken by Faeril's shouting, by the time Reyvadin was roused to fight the battle was already over. Something or someone had attacked someone last night. Details were blurry. Everything happened in a very short amount of time, with no one really knowing what happened. Frankly Reyvadin thought it was just a botched burglary. Someone tried to break into a room of a drunk patron and got his ass handed to him. But apparently there was something bigger going on. The inn was shut down and there was some talk of demons? Heresy, is what Reyvadin thought, but then again he wasn't there to see what had happened. Entering the room, he sees Emmaline talking to some man. His wounds looked like burns: from what he caught up so far, this demon used hellfire against one of the residents. So maybe this wasn't purely heresy. There was a barmaid who told tales of of some massacre that happened nearby. Could this possibly be related? Surely no one was just going to dismiss the presence of a bunch of corpses within city limits. He decided to grab some breakfast and join Raddek at a table. "So... Sounds like a lot happened last night. I was too late to participate myself, but from what I do know you were there for the entire event. So what happened?" Reyvadin asked as he ate the breakfast served to him.</s> <\|message\|>Faeril Skywatcher "What happened? I'll tell you what happened while you were sleeping the night away. Some fucking monster kicked in the door to the room next to where the women were staying, and then proceeded to try to murder everyone it saw. Then the shirtless guy punched it to death in the middle of the streets. I don't know who was sleeping in the room, or if they're still alive. We're fortunate to be alive ourselves, given that it looked like a fucking nightmare given life and seemed to take quite the beating." Faeril made his way towards the table with the two of them, crossbow still at hand. He looked even grumpier than normal, having not gone back to sleep after fighting the demon, then soothing the owner of the inn, and then settling down with his crossbow and his paranoia to keep him company. He didn't know where the demon came from, but he wasn't willing to bet that the bouncer to the inn had killed it or that there were not any others coming behind it to finish the job. So he had waited quietly in his room for any sound that would indicate someone was coming for them again. It was a quiet night, much to Faeril's relief. Still, it did nothing to improve his mood or temperment. He spoke between bites of the food, grunting in thanks at Isolde. "Now, apparently, there's a string of mauled corpses that conviently lead to us. That just happens to be showing up the same night a demon tries to kill us. I'm not one for coincidences personally, so I think we should figure out who was in that room and why they were being attacked by that disgusting thing." Looking around, he spotted Beren and Emmaline. He didn't know what the shirtless man's name was, but that wasn't particularly important as he yelled across the tavern. "Bouncer! Who was in the room that that thing attacked first? And are they still breathing?"</s>	<\|message\|>Emmaline Von Morganstern Emmaline finished the bandage and tied it off in a surprisingly neat knot. She drumbed her fingers on Beren's arm oblivious to the fact his arm was wounded. There had been a fair amount of talk about the clamity, but it seemed unlikely that they simply attacked the inn at random. Still, if Beren and the rest of them were determined to play innocent a direct approach wasn't likely to work. "I'll feel much safer with an obviously injured bodyguard," Emmaline said but her heart really wasn't in it. "I'll bet that at the very least a Sultana in exile has some gold put by," Emmaline mused. The idea of gold briefly made her drift off into a pleasant fantasy of clinking metal. The snap of Beren's fingers infront of her face brought her back to reality. "What is the worst thing that could happen if we asked around," Emmaline pondered. Probably rather alot, given the Sultana was presumably on the run but Emmaline's eyes were clouded with the idea of gold. At the very least they might get some info about what was going on in the city. "Lets give it a try!"</s>
<\|description\|>Jaina aka Jai Ra'sheek \| 30 \| Female Appearance Standing at 5'1, Jaina is a rather small individual, even among those of her own tribe. She has a lithe yet strong body, honed from years of living on the go with her mercenary rag tag family. Her skin is olive toned, sprinkled with light freckles from being out in the sun more often than not. Her long black hair has a brownish sheen under the light, once again from continuously being under the desert sun. Her face is surprisingly scarless, sporting dark brown eyes resting beneath long dark eyebrows, a straight thin nose and full dark lips. Most noticeable on her, however, is the tattooed lotus on her forehead. Often mistaken from far to be henna, it is a permanent mark on her otherwise flawless visage. Personality At first glance, one would see a serious and perhaps unapproachable looking sort of person, which would come as no surprised since Jaina grew up as a mercenary who had to keep her wits about and look at strangers with narrowed eyes, not just for her own survival but those she was taking gold from to protect. Some may call her a rather paranoid individual, but she likes to describe herself as cautious and careful, unwilling to stray too far from the line unless she is forced to. She is quite tough and hardworking; once she is given a mission or an objective of any sort and has agreed to complete it, she will make sure to get the job done. If there are hurdles in the way, her stubbornness will not allow her to quit; she will find some other way to complete her tasks. That being said, money is not always the motivator for the Ra'sheek mercenary. While she likes being paid, she has a conscience of what is morally right and wrong, and there are some lines she will not cross, no matter the amount of gold. Once a person actually takes time to get to know her however, Jaina is actually a friendly individual who enjoys stories and jokes as much as the next person. Still a quiet sort, she is more a listener than talker, though surprising people with the occasional dry humour. When she grows to like a person, she finds herself to be rather loyal and protective of them, and will stop at no end to keep them safe from any sort of harm, be it physical or mental. Background * Mercenary * Fighter * Lowborn/ Mercenary's daughter History (Optional) Reason for Exile Jaina had been hired by a rather influential and wealthy businessman, Haider Sherjihan, to protect him and his wares while he and his caravan travelled North to sell their exotic wares. What should have been an easy journey with only the usual dangers became much more when one of Haider's son decided this was the right time to stage a coup. Haider wasn't too well liked among his own, known for being strict and stingy with his family and even more so with those who worked for him. It was not hard to believe someone would wish to overthrow him and take over his business empire. Jaina however was not swayed by the money; their inner politics weren't her affairs and she simply wished to be paid the amount that had been promised to her at the end of the journey. There was no contest when it was the entire caravan versus two people. Jaina was a skilled fighter, but there was no way she could take on over ten people and keep the businessman alive and well. In the end, she was able to escape with her life, continuing her way back to the city. It wasn't long before she was accused of murdering Haider, and overnight she left, leaving behind her family, not wishing for them to be blamed and targeted because of her. Word spread that if she returned she was to be killed on sight, and those who aided her would suffer severe consequences. News however travels fast, and soon enough Jaina found herself once more being accused of a murder she hadn't actually committed. Since there was no actual proof of what had happened, it was decided that she would not be jailed or executed, but she was however banished from staying in the North. Motivation Jaina can't go back to her family nor can she stay in the north, not unless she wants to lose her life or the ones of people she actually cares about. Knowing only the life of a mercenary, there isn't much else she can think of perusing now with options closing off to her because of a false accusation. At least with like minded people, she knows where she stands. Capabilities Attributes Combat * One handed sword * Dual Wielding (2) * Intelligence * Literacy * Bestiary * Charisma * * * Health * Stamina * * Faculties * Intuition * Resolve * Agility * Stealth * Run * Mysticism [0/1] --- Equipment * * * Money 0 Languages Aradian --- Character Relationships Character Name Character Name Character Name Character Name Character Name</s> <\|message\|>Jaina aka Jai If Jaina had been by herself, she would have probably continued her way through the city and not really given much of a care about some random men being held outside. After all, who knew what people actually were? Thieves, murderers, rapists, all of the above- there were enough of those in the world; she had dealt with many of the like. However, in the two days she had spent with this group, while perhaps not the most ideal company, she knew they were the sort that were probably good to have on ones side during trying times like these. Besides, she was quite sure these guards didn't really care much about what they were, just what they had on them. Greedy bastards, though as a runway mercenary with a mark on her head, she wasn't one to judge too much. Still, it was an annoyance that people from her group were stuck being bullied. It didn't seem as if Lorcan's words made much of a difference to the guards, and while she could certainly give credit that he tried, it wasn't surprising to her that it had been in vain. Truth be told, if she'd had a silver or two she would have flung it at them and let them be happy. However, runaway prisoners didn't normally carry much in the way of coins, and she certainly hadn't had the time to procure any in the two days she'd been free. She sighed softly, hearing what the blond woman had to say. Her ploy could work, that was for sure, though if it backfired, the guards would probably think the Lady had goods on her that they could take in lieu of coin. For the time being, Jaina would simply observe. There was nothing she could do without further agitating the situations, and if luck was on their side, Emmaline's lie would be sufficient for the unfortunate ones in their group to move forward. And if not... well, they would worry about that then, she supposed. She'd bet there were plenty of ways to sneak in if someone how an imaginative and creative mind. Perhaps she would help as well?</s> <\|message\|>Character Information Had it been less turbulent times, the sentries might have asked for papers and credentials. Even the lowest born aristocrat had an emblem or proof of identification in heraldric papers. But the crowd was burgeoning, and Emmaline carried herself with an imperious air, cleverly utilizing every asset of her body to seem peerless in their presence. The other members of the group played along perfectly, with the notable absence of Reyvadin who seemed to be missing for a minute. Still, while apparently aristocratic, to the guards it was clear Emmaline was not above a petty baroness, if even that. Raddek sped the process along to keep them from asking too many questions, barking at the men to grant them their names double time. Five were taken; Holton, Borgund, Kurt, Rogelo, and Anthonie. "My lady, you and your...guards clearly have not been in the region long." The one called Kurt said, eyeing Lorcan for a moment and snorting derisively. "Orders are orders, and had you not been highborn we would have had to execute them without bias. As it stands, the city council has far larger concerns that us, even without the calamity. My advice, stay safe and keep your purse with you. Some men here only speak the language of money, if you get my meaning." Raddek elbowed past the other men with purpose, though Emmaline and perhaps another observer would see he cocked his eyebrow at the guardsman's statement. He bowed before her, his eyes now level with hers and moving erratically to indicate they should make haste out of the gateway. "Your retainers are waiting, my lady." He told her, and with that he stepped forward and lead the group deeper into the street, making sure to find a nice corner where the refugees and citizenry were not packed so thickly. Judging by the short, stout tower that cast a shadow across their crew of miscreants, they were beside a miller or a storage building of some kind. Once everyone was gathered, Raddek crossed his thick arms and gave one last look down the street for good measure before he felt safe enough to speak. In the shadows, his iron eyes were grim. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm going to get a drink and to find somewhere to sleep. Luckily I know someone that might help ease the price on something like that. Migi, me, and anyone else who wants to follow are going to the Ubrico Soldati. It's only a few miles southwest of here, close to the docks. It's fairly cheap for being in one of the smaller areas of the city, and if my friend is still there we can probably manage. Everyone else, do your thing. Just take care. Varone is still probably one of the wonders of the coast, but it's fallen on hard times so watch your purse and your necks. Let's all meet at the Ubrico tonight anyhow." Not one to mince words, Raddek merely gave a nod and started moving back up the street from whence they had come, Migi and whoever else was going in tow. --- 1 hour later... Despite the steady flow of fleeing civilians and countryside immigrants, the city of Varone proved to be as cosmopolitan as its reputation gave. Most of the buildings were made of stone or marble, and there were not two streets without some great work of art or statue on display amidst fountains or lavish trees. Carriages of rare Mulgrave Wood weren't uncommon, horses cantering past the group in perfect step. Canals crisscrossed along the streets nearly every mile, patrolled by guardsmen in rafts or the odd rich citizen in longboats of their own. Some couples wanting a romantic day on the town rented out smaller crafts, snogging in the back of the boats as local oarsmen tilled them about. Most were content with staying in the larger channels between the three great 'islands' that made up Varone, but some traversed the smaller canals and slipped under the bridges, ignoring those on the street. They passed a few taverns and breweries, including the Blackmoon Dive, one of the more raunchy locations west of the palace that would have likely suited them had they been able to get in. Raddek informed them you either had to be in league with one of the thieves guilds or be willing to pay a pretty penny to enter. Across another bridge and down a lane that led into a concrete jungle of tunnels and walkways beneath a guildhouse for the Brewer's guild, they stepped out into another street and found themselves right in front of a stone alehouse and inn, its front consisting of four archways that led to a patio where people could drink and feast outside without fear or rain. Raddek had enough of trekking outside, so he moved in. Inside, the establishment seemed clean and well ordered. Serving maids and manservants in aprons, tan tops and striped loose trousers gave calls in Dre Costan and served food and drink with the swiftness of professionals. In the center of the dining area was a large rock of obsidian, and two rusty cutlasses were stuck fast in it, crisscrossing due to their curved blades. Next to the rock, recently emptied bottles were placed there in what looked to be some strange ritual or contest. Various men and women were being served, including a few very odd people. A tanned, sumptuous woman with dangerous eyes and dark jewelry drank a bottle greedily as a rotund Andredian sobbed into a bowl of porridge three tables away, comforted by a perhaps not fully-human lass with unruly red hair. A cloaked figure ate quietly in the back, two tables from two men in matching robes speaking quietly over their hardly-touched dinners. Scattered among them were either well dressed citizens in fine satins, silks, and linens, a table deep in a tense card game; or hard men armed with daggers and swords, sporting at least three different brooches with varying marks signifying different mercenary companies. "Get a table, I'll be back." Raddek told those that followed him, and he stepped past the counter into the back kitchen as if he owned the place.</s>	<\|message\|>Jaina aka Jai Well, that was nice. It seemed that Emmaline's ploy had worked well enough for the guards. Jaina was satisfied that she wouldn't need to find another group that didn't want her in chains anytime soon. It would be good to stay around sharp minded people, if only to get out of trouble easily. Running away felt tedious, and she had no coin. Even as muddled thoughts swam about in her mind, she followed along with the rest of the group, dark eyes taking in their surroundings. She had to admit it was actually not a bad looking place at all, and perhaps it did make sense that the guards would be picky about whom they allowed in; troublemakers did tend to make... trouble. It would be a shame to have something happen here as well from simply being negligent. She'd bet money that they already had their share of miscreants and hardly needed more. Well... she would bet if she had some money on her. Alas. "I'll accompany you," Jaina decided after hearing what Raddek had to say. Hopefully they didn't charge for water at the Ubrico Solidati. In any case, she wanted someplace to sit for a bit and simply listen in on others. If nothing else, she could probably exchange her amulet for food, drink and a place to sleep. Sentimental attachment was something to set aside when you weren't sure where you'd be getting your next meal. She sighed. She really didn't like being without gold... --- Jaina would say she was a well traveled sort, but the fact was that she was well traveled in the desert lands and certainly nowhere like... here. Though her face kept her usual composed expression, her eyes were flitting to and fro as she walked with the group, taking in the beautiful buildings, the canals, actual boats in a city. It almost felt as if people were carefree here... perhaps there would be a chance to find a job where she could be hired as a mercenary? She followed after Raddek, pausing slightly when the man spoke up. "Sure," she replied, turning to see if she could find a free table. Normally she would have found someplace in the corner, but since this was a new city, she preferred sitting someplace she could actually hear as well as observe. Pulling a chair at an empty table near some of the fancier looking folks, she raised a hand when she saw a maid nearby. "Just some water for now," she instructed the pretty serving girl, giving her a brief smile before looking away, her eyes training between the men playing cards to the fellows with the weapons. Perception - 7</s>
<\|description\|>AnnaBeth Species: Human appearance/Escaped "special child" of Lilith Age: 23 Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Being one of Lilith earliest experiments, AnnaBeth is drawn to the other special children, like Sam. She always seems to end up near them, and now...specially Sam Winchester. Bio: In 1983, there was a contest in Hell. Who could present Lucifer with the ultimate vessel? Lilith proposed all women, being she was the original First Lady, and the first woman to rebel. Azazel was more equitable with his choices, making sure they covered all spectrums. Ultimately Azazel won, picking Sam Winchester (among other poor souls) as the Boy King...the ruler of demons, vessel of Lucifer and bringer of the end of days. But where did that leave the others? Well, in AnnaBeths case, both forgotten and hunted. It has never been mentioned to her, that she might be special. However, she has these dreams...awful dreams about a man, about the end. With her powers stifled, much like Sam's, she simply heard voices. But if she's angry, the wrath of hell will rain down on the individual in her sights. Weapons: None really. But hey...can she have your gun? No, really. You should give her your gun.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean smiled softly, still fighting a lump in his throat as Mika reassured him. He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles as they walked back toward the house. He couldn't justify in his mind why she didn't just run away from him. In his mind, the things he had done in Hell were unforgivable at best, and at worst, he definitely didn't deserve to leave the pit. "Let's go see what my brother has brought home…", he muttered with a smirk, finding exactly what he was afraid of when they stepped into the room. The tension and panic made him raise both his eyebrows, holding Mika's hand a bit tighter as he looked between the people in the room, "Yeah um…is everything okay with you guys? Sam? You good?" He asked his brother if he was okay knowing he most likely wasn't, but he wanted Sam to know that now that they were back together, he had his back, if anything crazy was going on. Cason Cason frowned at Esme still shooting him down every time he decided to shoot his shot and flirt with her. He stepped over close to her as the others discussed what was going on. Most of the information they were churning out, were things he had heard through the grapevine anyway. So, none of it really surprised him. However, when Annabeth skidded into the room, a familiar smell flooded his senses, and he turned to her. Before he could go over and shake her for being an idiot, Sam was there, checking her over. "What the hell did you do?", he asked, the tone of his voice portraying the full devastation he was feeling at seeing her eyes magically back, while she smelled like literal Hell. His eyes turned black, as the smell was no longer something he could just get past and growled. Annabeth Annabeth stared at Sam, surprised and thankful to see his face again, as he checked her over. She let him, almost smirking, until she realized that the look on his face and everyone else's faces was not that of happiness, but worry or fear. "Um…that's hard to explain.", she whispered, her large blue eyes staring up at Sam, begging him not to test her ability to keep a secret. She knew that with him, she would fail miserably. When Cason asked her what she had done, she closed her newly repaired eyes and looked down at her feet, which caused him to sigh in another show of his devastation, throwing his hands up and then bending as if he couldn't breath, placing his hands on his knees. "Listen…I didn't know what else to do!", she pleaded with the entire room, barely acknowledging that Dean and Mika were back in the room, until Cason spoke up again. "She made a deal…with a demon…", he gasped, feeling sick, "After all this time. Why didn't you come get me? I have half a dozen dogs out there. They could have ripped Alastair to shreds…" "You did what?!", Dean erupted, causing Annabeth to jump, her hand instinctively coming to Sam's arm as she forced her eyes closed again, "You made a deal with Alastair?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" "HE WAS GOING TO KILL SAM!", she finally snapped, knocking the wind out of Dean's lungs with her sudden outburst of frustration, and causing him to clutch his chest as she gripped Sam's wrist, "He was going to kill Sam. I didn't have a choice…"</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling As Esme leaned against the wall, she continued listening to what they discussed in the room. When she heard they had also dealt with an angel, she closed her eyes tighter. So, that's what was trying to contact Dean. she thought to herself. She sighed heavily at the thought of more than one angel being around them. So, they knew of two angels at the moment. How many more would they come in contact with? She was pulled from the thought when she was hit by a wave of emotion, it caused her to gasp and hold her chest as pain flooded it. She opened her eyes just as Sam's shocked voice rang into the room. Esme's eyes followed him to the kitchen where Annabeth stood. Esme's eyes widened in shock as she saw she had eyes. "How in the hell?" she whispered. She cut her eyes over at Cason as he spoke to Annabeth. Not only could she hear his emotion she could feel it too. She pushed herself off the wall and stepped forward as Annabeth started to explain. She saw Dean and Mika enter the room, but her eyes didn't leave Annabeth. When Cason took it upon himself to announce what she had done. "You what?!" she got out at the same time Dean spoke. She closed her eyes as more pain took her over, now spreading to her head. She opened her eyes just as Dean finished speaking, and Annabeth snapped. Annabeth's sudden outburst of frustration hit her hard. Esme gasped and tightened her grip on her chest before falling to her knees. She had the wind knocked from her lungs. She had never felt such a powerful wave of emotion before. She used one hand to hold herself up. She felt sick and shaky. She looked up at Annabeth, pain clearly visible on her face as she fought for air. "We could……. Have still…..Helped" she gasped. "We're in….. This together." Esme curled in on herself as the pain spread more.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, SAM AND NATALIA Mika's justification for not just giving up on Dean was purely because she had sworn ever since she came clean to him to who she was that she would never walk out on him again. She wasn't going to just up and leave him no matter and whatever terrible things either of them did, she would be by his side. Sure, it was a serious shock to her to hear what he did and how he liked doing it, but she couldn't say she wouldn't have done or felt the same way if she was in his shoes. Hells, she probably wouldn't even lasted as long as he did and that in her eyes was admirable that he held out for as long as he did alone. She also fully believed that despite everything, he could be redeemed for what he did, that it wasn't his fault. Not only that, she loved him with all her heart and soul and after he did everything to not give up on her, even when she drove him near damn insane making him believe she was someone else and was infact dead, he kept persuing for the truth and to get her back. So the least she could was the same damn thing for him whether he thought he deserved it or not. "Lets" she replied, before she walked inside with him and saw the scenes before them both. She felt like they had been gone for five minutes and all shit broke. She let him hold her hand a bit tighter when he saw the sight before him as well, knowing he was only going to get instantly about Sam despite everything that was going on. She was just massively confused, they told them that Annabeth didn't have her eyes, but here she was standing in front of them all with her eyes very much intact. "I'm fine, but confused!" Sam replied to his brother, wanting to ask him if he was okay as he recognised when his brother had been crying but he knew this wasn't the time nor the place to do so, not to mention he was solely focused on Annabeth right now. He glanced back at Cason as he also asked Annabeth what happened and how it happened, when she started to say how it was difficult to explain, "Try me" he replied to her, not wanting the simple 'difficult to explain' excuse to be her only answer. That wasn't good enough for him, but it seemed to took Cason to figure it out for him to get the answers he was asking her. Ontop of that, Cason gave a name to the demon responsible, a demon name that he didn't recognise but looking at Dean and how he was reacting, it was evident that he did recognise the name. As Dean reacted the way he did, Mika also felt shocked to hear Alistair's name said not once, but twice in a space of five minutes. Alistair was here!? If she had known, she would have loved to have the opportunity to go after the son of a bitch that tortured and turned Dean into a torturer, even if it would prove the stupidest idea known to man. She found herself feeling shocked at the outburst of Annabeth's. It made her step back slightly in surprise but not ocne did she let go of Dean's hand to give him that moral support he clearly so needed. Natalia also found herself being frozen to the spot she was standing in when Annabeth admitted she got her eyes back from a demon named Alistair and if she didn't, he would have killed Sam. This information froze her in her tracks, but she also felt incredibly angry that Annabeth could have fallen for such a callous trick by a demon. She was beginning to wonder if believing demons was a common trait for the girl. "I can't believe you would believe a bloody demon over that!? Don't you get it? They'll say anything to get you to do what they want you to!" she couldn't help but scold the girl. It was then she saw the state of Esme, and it was becoming evidently clearer to her that Esme was a natural empath. Looking back at Annabeth, she waved her arm in the direction of Esme, "She's right, we could have helped! Dean, Mika and Bobby haven't been slaving away trying to find answers just for you to go and make deals with a bloody demon!" she sighed exasperated. She had to pinch the bridge of her nose to make herself calm down and not punch the nearest thing. She was so incredibly done with demons twisting people's arms to get what they wanted. She herself was a victim of such a manipulative action so it always rubbed her wrong way when she saw others fall for the same game. Sam, as much as he was touched by the fact everyone was so quick to jump to his defence in a round about manner, he did think they had a point but he also had to question if they would have done things all that differently if they were in Annabeth's shoes. "Anna I'm glad you got your eyes back and you took the deal trying to do the right thing to save me, but they do have some valid points. Making deals like that, so abruptly never ends well for anyone. Esme is right, we could have found another way, or at least a way to do it together so you didn't get tied to Alistair through a deal" he told her, alot more calm than how the others were talking to her. "I think everyone needs to calm down" he then said, looking at everyone in the room and seeing more and more how the name was affecting Dean, which got him thinking, how did he know this demon?</s>	<\|message\|>AnnaBeth Cason, Dean and Annabeth Annabeth took a deep breath, gasping for air after the outburst as the entire room seemed to be scolding her for something she didn't even know she had the choice to say 'no' to. She closed her eyes, letting their voices wash over her, to get the brunt of it off their chests as she stood still. Cason, on the other hand, crumpled to the floor beside Esme, pulling her to him and rubbing her back to try and get the worst of the shockwave out of her system, before a question burned his mind. He let Natalia scold her, as Annabeth seemed to respect her, and he hoped maybe she could pressure some answers out of her. But when no answers came, and Annabeth stayed silent after Sam finished speaking, he decided to ask the burning question. "What did it cost?", he asked her. His voice exasperated and heartbroken. She didn't answer him at first, only keeping her eyes closed, "Tell me! What did it cost…your soul?" "I have to…", she started, opening her eyes and peering up at Sam before letting out a small sigh of panic. Dean had gathered himself by then, standing up straight and glaring at her. He didn't want to hear what was coming next, but he almost knew the answer. "I have to go with him. He gave me 24 hours.", she whispered. Cason's gasp and groan pierced the near silence in the room as he ducked his head again, "He threatened horrible things. There was nothing any of you could do. Sam would have just broken into pieces in front of all of you, if I had said no. This wasn't a 'go get the others and see what they can find' situation. He didn't even explain why he needed me, only that my choices were stay here…and Sam dies horrifically. Or I go with him, and you're all safe, as long as you don't come after me." She looked over at Natalia, her eyes heartbroken and red, "I didn't make a deal for my eyes. That was just his first good faith payment or something. I made the deal because he could have snapped his fingers at any second…and blown any of you to pieces." Dean cleared his throat, "She's probably right. Alastair is someone I have heard of, recently…and lets just say he's Lilith without the moral compass. If she says he would have killed you, Sam…he would have, in a heartbeat. He's creative, too." Annabeth sighed with relief that Dean understood her motives, if nothing else. She looked up at Sam, knowing that this news wouldn't be what he wanted to hear, and brushed his hair behind his left ear, "You can't come after me. You hardly know me, right? This way…you guys won't have me to worry about. I'll be his problem. And if I get the chance to run, I'll run." Bobby took a deep breath, now that everyone was starting to simmer down and held his hand up, as if he was in class, "We can use my vault, to buy us time, but I can't guarantee he won't come and kill all of us anyway. If we protect Sam and the girl, maybe we can find a way to kill Alastair?" Dean raised his eyebrows, holding a hand out toward Bobby to see if the others agreed with him, as he did.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Aurelia Ruby There was something about possessing a body that had already been so close to death that just made it feel... nastier. She allowed herself to be consumed by the hot water for as long as she felt necessary to get all of the surface grime off at least. She sighed, she wasn't sure how long she'd been in the shower, but she knew it had been a while. She got out and wrapped her hair up and dried herself before getting dressed. She could hear the conversation, faintly, going on between Sam and whoever had been at the door. She couldn't make out what was being said, but she knew they were still talking. This caused her to roll her eyes. People really just needed to leave them be. There was still too much to do! She started brushing out her hair and started the hairdryer. She wasn't about to look unpresentable when she got out of the bathroom, especially if this person hadn't left yet. This was getting annoying. She had heard the talks of Dean being save from Hell, but the likelihood of it just didn't seem high. Especially given who she had been hearing it from. And if that were the case, he would be none too happy to know what she and Sam had been doing this whole time he was gone. Sure, once she found him again, she knew Sam had been trying his hardest to get Dean back, but that was the thing with deals. You got your time and then your soul belonged to Hell. Something she knew all too well. She turned off the hairdryer and soon her phone rang. She looked at the name and raised a brow before answering it. "Hello?" she asked. "You're going to have to watch your back. One of Azazel's old pets showed her face again, and I know how you and this one were." the voice on the other end said. "Who are you talking about?" she asked, sitting on the closed toilet. "Aurelia. She's finally resurfaced, and one can only imagine why. Just watch your back." they said. There was a click before Ruby stared at the phone. That wasn't good. Aurelia knew her affiliations almost better than anyone, but she also knew that Aurelia was a tricky sort. No one knew her better than Azazel and Meg. With Azazel dead and Meg in the wind it was hard to know what would make her come out of hiding. She sighed, and decided perhaps it was time to get out of the bathroom. She could only delay so long. "That was-" she began, but she saw the man at the door. "Guessing not the pizza then. Oh well." Something about this one didn't feel right either... She shrugged a bit and took her dirty clothes and placed them with her other things before sitting down. She wouldn't interject in the conversation until she felt Sam wanted her too. It was usually best if she stayed quiet and played the part of the 'hook-up.' And that was her intention, plus now she had other things to worry about.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) SAM WINCHESTER Sam listened to benjamin as he explained a brief history of when demons had been after him and what level demons were after him. He had to admit inside he was rather impressed that this psychic knew his levels of demons which told him he truly did know what he was talking about and that he wasn't newbie psychic who was way out of their league. He found it interesting also that the demons seemed to get lower in class as the attacks went on instead of higher which seemed rather unusual to him but if that was the case then it would be pretty easy to get them off this guy's back in theory. He noted Ruby's entrance from the bathroom and how she walked to the bed to stay out of the way but no doubt eaves drop. Something he wasn't so sure was the best idea right now, whilst smirking at her remark about Benjamin not being the pizza delivery "sadly not" he replied. He then turned back to Benjamin "astaroth? Never heard of them" he replied, but his curiousity was indeed piqued so much so that he walked over to his laptop and booted it up to do a search for said demon. NATALIA WINCHESTER Natalia listened to what the girl was explaining and wondered who the hell knew of her link to the brothers and more importantly who the hell these people were. She was taking a risk saying she was their half sister as it was but she needed to know more, especially as she dumped the bombshell about Dean on her. "Bobby is a family friend,that's all you need to know" she told her as Annabeth walked inside with Natalia noting she didn't get caught in the hidden devils trap under the doormat. Okay, so this girl wasn't a demon that was one thing she didn't have to worry about. Yet the moment Cason walked in and got stopped by it she knew instantly why he was so hesitant to be sticking around. She instantly pulled out her handgun and took the safety off, aiming it right at the man. "You're hanging around with a bloody demon?!" she questioned, raising her voice probably a little more than she should have. "Are you insane?!" she asked again, looking at Annabeth only briefly befor elooking back at Cason. MIKA CHAMBERS Mika hated that Dean was shouting at them and clearly hurting his throat in the process. The course sound coming out of his mouth didn't go amiss on her and she instantly went to the fridge and grabbed him a bottle of cold water, handing it to him. She let Bobby answer the questions that Dean was asking, before continuing to hear what Dean said about the area where he was buried. "Things haven't been the same since you've been gone, I don't know whats going on it seems something is coming. But I'm sure Bobby could explain better than I can, I pretty much gave up hunting when I knew we couldn't bring you back." she admitted to him. "But we'll find Sam and Natalia, I promise" she reassured him, sitting next to him on the couch. "I'm so glad you're back though" she added.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth AnnaBeth and Cason Annabeth's eyes were the size of saucers, staring at Cason. She didn't understand why he couldn't move. But he seemed to know why, and was extremely angry. Her fear and shock turned into nervous tears as Natalia snapped at her. Her body flinched before she narrowed her teary eyes, causing a tear to fall, "A what? Demon?! Demons are real?" "Kitten…listen. I can explain.", Cason calmly muttered, holding a hand out in front of both women, mostly to try and keep Natalia for throwing anything at him…or as the Winchesters seemed to be keen to do, stab him, "Stay back!" Annabeth positioned herself almost behind Natalia as Cason spoke, terrified of the man she had been dating for the past two years. —— Dean Winchester Dean took the water from Mika, cracking it open and nearly drinking the entire bottle in one long gulp. Sighing in relief, he placed a hand over his eyes, "He must have made a deal. Whatever dug me up or rode me out…it's nothing good." He glanced up at Mika, taking in all of her features. Good terms…bad terms. He was good to see her, "I'm glad to be back. But, don't get too excited. Look at this." He then unbuttoned his sleeve, and pulled his arm from his shirt, showing Bobby and Mika the handprint left on his upper arm. This caused Bobby to stand from his chair, his eyes wide, "What the hell?" "Exactly. What do you think we're looking at here?" Bobby brushed his fingers across the scared tissue, and shook his head, "I have no idea. That seems like a good question for Sam." "Wait…Nat's not with Sam? Do we know where she is?", Dean asked, glancing from Mika to Bobby. Bobby simply shook his head, "Great. Two needles in two different piles of needles. I'll activate Sam's GPS." Dean sat down behind Bobby's desk carefully, his body still sore from the walking. He noticed all the empty bottles lying around and raised an eyebrow, "Hey guys? What's up with the liquor store?" When Bobby didn't answer him, he shifted his gaze to Mika.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin Benjamin, getting ready to fight, has a serious, focused look on his face as he glares at Ruby. "Sam, look out, it's one of them!" He points at Ruby. "Get rid of it, before it attacks!" Benjamin thought he had sensed something, and he did. It was Ruby. This demon was not especially very powerful, but for her rank, she was. Benjamin couldn't have known that Ruby was not just reliant on her powers but her skill and competency in fighting. As his voice rose in seriousness, he was getting ready to attack with serious telekinetic force. If he had to fight here, he might accidentally destroy the hotel room.</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Natalia saw how Annabeth was reacting and was beginning to question if the girl was either a really good liar at pretending to not know that demons existed, or if she was really being genuine. It was also really difficult to not just shoot at Cason for the sake of it before stabbing him and sending him back to Hell. She let Annabeth stand behind her, something now telling her that the fear in ANnabeth was indeed real and there was no way she could be faking this. As Cason told them to stay back she narrowed her eyes at him, "You don't get to tell us what to do!" she sneered at him. "Why is a demon just hanging around this girl anyway?! ANd why are you two after Sam!?" She demanded again. "Has he hurt you?" she asked Annabeth, not ever imagining that a demon could be dating the girl and actually have genuine feelings for her. In her expertise it was never real and always a ruse and now here they were asking to find where her half brother was and who Bobby was? nah, that wasn't going to fly with Natalia easily and if Cason wanted out of the devil's trap then he'd have to seriously convince her he wasn't there to kill her brother. MIKA CHAMBERS Mika was glad that Dean gladly took the water bottle and noted how he drank it almost completely in one hit, telling her he was in need of hydration and probably food a lot more than they could probably imagine. The moment he said about checking something out that was on him, she turned herself to face him more and looked with curiosity before gasping at the scar tissue hand print that was right across his upper arm and almost curling over his shoulder. Bobby's words said exactly what he was thinking, whilst being unable to touch and check the scar herself. If it was Sam that got him out of Hell then she too wanted to know who he made the deal with and who the owner of the handprint was. Before she could comment on it, Dean seemed to change the subject onto Nat and how she wasn't with Sam, to which she also shook her head "no, they were for a while but then got separated" she explained. She sighed and went to lean back into the couch when Dean spotted the many beer bottles scattered absolutely everywhere, everywhere she left them. The glance at her after Bobby refused to answer made Mika give Bobby the look of 'you traitor' before looking back at Dean, "Don't give me those judgy eyes Dean. I didn't handle losing you well alright? Grief doesn't crazy things to people and you're hardly ever the saint of sober life" she told him.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme closed her eyes and took in a slow breath at Cason's answer. She had grown tired of his smartass remarks and smug attitude. The way he acted as if they couldn't do anything to him because he had the answers they needed was infuriating. The more he spoke, the more she wanted to punch him in the face. She opened her eyes just as it happened. Dean had punched Cason square in the nose. It was as if he had read her mind and it was a beautiful site to see even if Cason did laugh about it. As she looked down at Cason, she saw Bobby rise to his feet in response to Dean's tone out of the corner of her eye. Then Mika pulled Dean away from Carson so he wouldn't go after him again. After a few more words, Natalia and Sam were now moving in on Cason. His vagueness on everything made her want to kick him in the face at that moment, which she easily could have. She couldn't help but give a nod at Natalia's and Sam's words. She wholeheartedly agreed with them. When AnnaBeth broke her silence with yelling, Esme nearly jumped out of her skin and backed away from Carson as he coughed. She backed up even more when the mirror above them cracked. Esme looked at AnnaBeth as the others were trying to calm her down. But it didn't seem to be working. She was playing right into Carson's words. She didn't know what to do. This was one situation she had never found herself in. She closed her eyes tight and balled her fists even tighter. She was about to lose it, until things finally calmed down a bit. She opened her eyes as AnnaBeth talked calmly to Dean and Sam. Her eyes shifted to Cason as he spoke once more, then disappeared with a snap of his fingers. "You've got to be kidding me." she said in almost a growl. This was getting to be a bit too much for her, her head felt like it was spinning. She staggered away and rested against the wall behind her. "I'm sure it won't be the last time we see him." she almost whispered, mostly to herself. She grabbed her head and looked over at AnnaBeth, who was now clinging to Sam.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin "Well, if Cason is the only real threat we have to worry about, it doesn't look like he can stop all of us." "A powerful psychic, demon blooded Humans and hunters aren't anything to scoff at." "So um, what's the plan now?" "Cason's probably gonna tell his boss about everything now." "Oh, and Annabeth, I could sense the demon blood. Hence, why I accused you of being a demon." Benjamin seemed a little distracted. "So, Lilith. This Lilith demon, Lucifer's right hand. . . erm, woman?" His mind wandered. "I'm not an idiot but I'm only an amateur hunter. I don't have a lot of experience tracking down, trapping and killing demons." Closing his eyes, Benjamin gets a headache and puts hand to his temple, before staggering to the ground. Managing "Dean. . ." "Mister Winchester. . ."</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) NATALIA, SAM AND MIKA Sam could feel symapthy and empathy for Annabeth, no matter how much he felt he had changed emotionally since he lost Dean in those four months. "I am...was..I don't really know to be honest. I've not had visions for a while" he replied to Annabeth but he did know that if he drank demon blood, particularly from Ruby then he could exorcise demons with his mind like her, but he wasn't going to go into that just yet with his brother, sister and someone who he practically considered a sister-in-law even though Mika wasn't, he was close enough to her to see her as such. He looked over at Cason when he just had to interrupt what they were talking about, him deciding that he was going to leave this confrontation to Annabeth and not insert himself, like Cason felt was necessary. He got taken aback ever so slightly when Annabeth eventually walked back to him and held onto his arm for protection, but he got what she was doing and didn't try to shake her off or the sort. What he did find utterly curious was it seemed that Cason was clearly getting genuinely emotional over it all and before they could stop him, he let himself out of the room. Natalia was about to go stop Cason from possibly doing something stupid, not knowing if he was going to teleport or make an attack move, but it was too late. He was gone and Dean was beyond pissed off about it. "Don't yell at her Dean, the girl didn't even know the guy was a demon until just before we left for here today. It's not like any of us a 101 manual for every single demon in the universe is it?" she told him back, knowing that no matter how angry they were over everything and how few answers they had gotten, directing their anger onto Annabeth was not the route to take. She sighed wondering what the hell to do now, when Benjamin spoke up with his thoughts out loud to them all and she found herself shrugging. "Well our family still need answers for what brought Dean back from Hell, Something tells me Cason won't be running off to any bosses. He's a smartass, snarky son of a bitch but there's definitely more to him than just being a demon lacky to someone else." she remarked. Mika nodded at everyting that was being said by everyone. She didn't believe for a moment that it'd be the last time they'd see Cason, she also didn't think he was the type to be a blind dumb lacky for someone else. he had too much snark to be that kind of demon in his eyes, but whatever angle he was playing she couldn't figure out just yet. She tried to keep Dean calm in her own way by walking up to him and attempted to slowly and softly remove his gun from his hand for everyone's sake. What she wasn't expecting was Benjamin to suddenly hold his head and ask for Dean. "I think what we need to do, is have Dean and Sam talk in private and us lot sort out everything else and try and see what's happening with this guy-" she said, gesturing at Benjamin. "I agree, I need to speak to my brother...alone" Sam agreed, before glancing down at Annabeth, "You can stay with Nat and Mika. They're trustworthy" he told her softly. He would have added Esme but quite frankly he personally still didn't know who she truly was, only Dean did and Dean hadn't acknowledged their past yet.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin looked at Dean. . . "Mister Winchester." He whispered, as the vision flooded his mind. He shifted uncomfortable on his feet as he saw something he couldn't understand. "Why do you have wings?" "This vision feels like I'm on some kind of drug." "I need to sit down." Disoriented, he sat down on a bed.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester/Annabeth Dean calmed, relaxing his shoulders and allowing Mika to take his gun. He sighed loudly, pointing a finger at Annabeth as if to tell her something else. However, as he relaxed, he saw how terrified she was, and if he knew his brother…Sam was now her savior as long as she was scared and showing humanity. He dropped his hand to his side, and turned to Mika and Nat. "I agree. I'm sure my brother has some questions. I have a hell of a lot of questions…", Dean started, before Benjamin interjected again causing Dean to narrow his eyes, "Wings? What like a dragon or something? I mean…" He laughed, tongue between his teeth and glanced at Mika, before letting his face fall, "Why don't you get some rest, buddy…I'll give you one of our cards and you can go grab you a room. See if these visions are stress or something." AnnaBeth gripped Sams arm a little harder as he spoke to her about going with Mika and Natalia. She could feel his heart beating through the veins in his arm, and it was hard and fast. She narrowed her eyes in confusion at the irregular heartbeat and released him. "Where will you be?", she asked him. The severe anxiety she felt, leaving with what seemed to be two regular humans when she was beside someone that seemed to understand her was immense. She changed her stance to let her eyes wander to Mika and Natalia, and the angry man…Dean, "I'll go with them, but I don't want to be alone with him, your brother."</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, NATALIA AND SAM Mika couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when Benjamin started muttering about what he was seeing in his vision, wondering what the hells he was on about. Wings? On Dean? That was to her the most obsurd thing she had ever heard. If it was her benjamin was tlaking about she sort of could see it, but with Dean she couldn't at all. She didn't know if said vision was to be about the future or what, but it was certainly curious even if they didn't have a moment free to truly think about it. As Dean glacned at her with a smirk after his dragon or something comment, she couldn't help but match his smirk before letting it disappear from her her face and return the seriousness of the situation at hand. "Dean's right, get some rest in a room that won't have one or several of us constantly chatting and disturbing you. Like he said, it could just be stress related or something" she suggested. Sam felt Annabeth's grip get tighter which made him turn properly to face her and place his free hand ontop of hers to try and relax her and calm her down, sensing that she was getting severely anxious, something that he knew if either of the girls could understand, it would be Natalia in particular, but both would be able to sympathise with Annabeth. "It'll be okay I promise. You've already met Nat and as much as she acts all hard, she's a softie really and Mika is like another sister to me. You can trust them both, I promise. I won't let you be left alone with Dean. I'll just be in this room but on the other side of the wall there in the other half of the room." he explained to her, gesturing exactly where he would be. When she said that she would go with the girls, he nodded and gave her reassuring smile. "You'll be safe with them both and I'll be right back" he said once more before gently peeling her hand off of his arm. "He's right, you can trust us" Natalia replied walking up to Annabeth, "And if you ever get scared by Deano there we'll put him in his place. If he listens to anyone it'll be Mika. You've seen for yourself how much he calms down when she's there" Natalia smirked kindly, trying to make some smart ass quip to try and lighten the mood. She then looked at Esme "You wanna hang around here with us or what? I'm aware I probably interrupted you're moment of break back in Sioux Falls" she commented, partly feeling bad for that.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Bobby and Dean "Alright, then. I'll go and get some stuff together. We're gonna need lots of supplies if we're gonna summon…well…everything.", Bobby clapped his hands and slapped Dean on the shoulder. He then turned to leave, before stopping, just before the wall, "And Sam…be careful. Demons might know something, but they may not be ready to talk. No groups, if you can help it." Bobby then walked to the door and exited. Dean turned to Sam, shrugging his shoulders, "I guess I'll just…stay here and babysit? I'm not sick. I'm not weak. I'm alive and well." ——— Annabeth Annabeth nodded, taking a deep breath, taking in what Natalia was telling her. Demons were something they apparently had in common. Who would have thought? Demons. She held her hands, almost linking their fingers as she grounded herself. She was alive and this was real. Taking another deep breath, she nodded again, "My dreams…well…the voices started when I turned twenty-three. No warning or anything. I started hearing the um…demons talking about Hell and Dean. I brushed it off at first as just stress, but they got worse. My hands would get hot. My brain would feel like it was melting." She closed her eyes and sighed, "But the visions hadn't started until I met Sam. Until then, they just wanted me to find him…but never said why."</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme rested her hands on her lap after Mika shook her hand. Then the question she had been waiting for left Mika's lips. A small smile came to her lips as she leaned back in the chair. "I met Dean back when we were teenagers." she replied. She was about to go more in depth about it, but AnnaBeth seemed to have spaced out with a vision. Esme stayed quiet as AnnaBeth spoke. She felt sorry for the girl and wished she could do more to comfort her. She watched as Natalia comforted her and could relate to what she had been through. She continued to listen as AnnaBeth spoke about how she didn't get vision, just voices that spoke to her about things. What Natalia and AnnaBeth spoke about was quite surprising to her. She had never heard of such things happening to people. "I'll also help you in any way I can." she said, giving AnnaBeth a warm smile. She knew all too well how it was to be alone with no help, and wish you had someone around that could help.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) NATALIA, SAM AND MIKA Sam wasn't surprised that Bobby would want to get whatever he could get his hands on to summon whatever yanked his brother out of Hell. He let Bobby leave after explaining the gameplan would be and nodded back, "Always am Bobby" he replied back with a typical 'Sam' smile. He then turned back to Dean as he said about staying put which made him smirk. "Oh come on Dean, like you'd complain being surrounded by women so soon after coming back. You got your sister, your girl and whoever that Esme is that you seem to remember." he replied to him, before getting a mischievious smile on his lips, "Hope Meeko don't get too jealous" he teased, before making a swift exit back into the main part of the room. Natalia listened to Annabeth, feeling thankful that because she opened up to her, that Annabeth felt she could open up to her back and explain when all this began. She found it curious that the voices started happening when she was twenty three years ago, swearing that similar for Sam also, but she didn't need to say any of that just yet. "How curious" she replied to her after she was done talking. "Seems like we need to find out why we all needed to meet. It's definitely not a coincidence that you were brought to me first. Don't worry, we'll figure this out" she told her reassuringly. Whilst the boys were talking behind the wall, Mika was busy listening to what Esme had to say about when she met Dean, making her raise an eyebrow in a curious manner. Sure, there were many days where she herself didn't allow herself to be on the same case as Dean, especially in the beginning as she was mostly hiding in Bobby's attic and training to be a hunter in secret whilst pretending to be dead in the hopes that Dean would just move on from their childhood friendship, but it never happened and now they were adults, she was glad he didn't give up on her. She still wasn't particularly proud of making him think she was a woman called Kenzi, but at the time she still swears that it was necessary. "Oh right" she simply said as they got well and truly distracted by Annabeth's situation. "I'll do all I can to help also" she said lastly to Annabeth after Natalia opened up to the woman and Esme also offered her help. She was surprised that Natalia opened up so easily, she was usually more closed off than even herself, which for those who knew Mika and Natalia, knew how telling that was. It was soon after they spoke to Annabeth that she noticed Bobby and Sam exiting the room, seeing that finally their little private chat was well and truly over.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean cocked his head to the side, giving a 'makes sense' look to Sam, "Yeah…you're right. A little estrogen might be a welcome break considering how much time I spend cooped up with you asshats, usually." Smiling at his own joke, his smile fell when Sam walked away from him. Sighing and rolling his eyes, he stepped out around the wall, himself. He clapped his hands together loudly, "So, what's the plan for you ladies? If I'm hanging around, let's do something…" He yawned loudly, suddenly remembering he hadn't slept, other than in the car. Shaking his head roughly after the yawn, and smirked at the ladies. ————- Annabeth nodded at all the women offering their help. Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she released Natalia's hands. She thought about the fact that the voices and visions had brought them all together, and something about it seemed as fishy as what Natalia was making it out to be. When Mika offered her assistance as well, Annabeth sighed, "I think…I think I want to rest, but I feel like there is something I should be doing to be honest." As Sam exited the other room, she turned on her heel, stepping up in front of him before he could reach the door, "…so you're leaving. Um. I can come with you. If it's the d-demon stuff, and I can't even believe I'm saying that out loud, apparently I'm pretty useful. I'm not sure when or how, or what makes it work. But I can help." She rambled off quickly and then took a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme continued to listen to AnnaBeth talk, glad to see that she was relaxing and began warming up to them all. She too thought it was strange that all of them somehow met up all at once, and thought it couldn't be a coincidence. Then again, she hadn't seen or talked to Dean in years. So, could she really be a part of this whole thing? Or did she happen to be at the right place at the right time? As she sat there, the thoughts spun around in her mind. She just barely saw Bobby come from behind the wall and leave out of the corner of her eye. Then Sam followed a short time later, but the thoughts kept swimming around in her mind even when AnnaBeth stopped Sam from leaving the room. It wasn't until Dean came from behind the wall and clapped did Esme get pulled from her thoughts with a jump. The sunned loud sound had caught her off guard, but she couldn't help the small smirk that came to her lips at his words and his sudden yawn. He hadn't changed a bit since they last met. A reply to his question quickly popped into head, but she wondered if she should actually say it or not. She still didn't know everyone here that well, and the same went for them, but she really couldn't help herself from wanting to say it. Her smirk grew bigger as her eyes finally looked up and found Dean. "Well…." she said, then looked around the room. "Yeah, there's enough of us." she continued after a moment. "We could always play spin the bottle." she finished, her smirk really showing now. It was clear she was trying to lighten the atmosphere a bit more. Her smirk soon turned into a big smile, with her tongue slightly poking out from between her teeth, followed with a laugh. Even if she was making a joke, she knew that Dean could possibly keep it going and agree and say he wanted to play.</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) NATALIA, MIKA AND SAM Natalia and Mika both listened as Annabeth spoke and noticably calmed down a bit more as Natalia held her hands to calm the woman. Both were glad that she was starting to trust them all, at least enough to open up a little bit and let them touch her, unlike the last time Natalia tried to put her hand on her arm and she got shrugged off very abruptly. There was a lot of progress there in such a short amount of time which was very reassuring to the both of them. Both looked up as Sam exited the room and Annabeth went to him to point out he was leaving. Sam just smirked and rolled his eyes at his brother's comeback before he exited the room, he was half expecting out of them all, it to be Annabeth to say something as she really didn't want him to leave. He nodded at her assumption and gave a small smile, "I am, I need to find some information from anywhere I can about who brought Dean back" he explained, just before she offered to come with him, which made him look at the girls and Dean before down at her, "uhh..." he began to say, scratching the back of his neck as he pondered if it was a good idea or not. "Alright, but only because I've seen you can look after yourself, but if I say stay back, please do?" he replied. With it decided that Annabeth was going to go with Sam and by the sound of Dean's clap of his hands and asking about what to do, Mika looked at him and smiled, sensing he was staying behind just for the time being. She was about to suggest something when Esme beat her to it and suggested spin the bottle. It made her smirk whilst thinking 'oh here we go...a suggestion that Dean won't say no to, this could go south reaaaaaal quick'. "Sure, I'm down if the rest of you are" she replied, looking at Nat and Dean mostly. "I mean.. if it's a truth or dare based spin the bottle then sure, not my usual go to activity with my brother but what the heck" Natalia said with a shrug.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Poe Ryan Poe shifted his weight from one foot to the other, feeling weird about just letting Sam Winchester leave the parking lot with the girl he had with him. She fit the description. "It's nice to meet you Benjamin." Poe stopped at Benjamin mentioning his psychic powers and smiled brightly. He then gave a laugh from deep in his chest, "Oh that's great! A Winchester, a fugitive, a psychic, and let me guess, a gaggle of women surrounding Dean Winchester." He shook his head as he chuckled and placed a hand on his Jeep, trying to make a decision on whether to follow the younger Winchester or to tackle the hotel room.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA AND NATALIA Mika tried to believe Natalia that it was just Dean being nice to someone he used to know as a kid and was getting used to seeing them again after so long, but after she had gone four months without him, grieved him for all that time she couldn't help but get suspicious and have that twang of jealousy creep into her heart and mind. She knew deep down she didn't have to worry about Dean being unfaithful, they had quite literally gone through hell and highwater to find each other again and stick together. They grew up together, but becuase she lost him twice due to one reason or another, she was terrified when someone else came on the scene. She knew there were times when he slept around when she was technically out of his life, pretending to be someone else, and that jealousy all began there. She didn't blame him for it before because he thought she was Kenzi, the cousin of herself, but now there was no excuse in her mind. Suddenly Dean and Esme both ended up in full view of herself and Natalia and Natalia instantly winced whilst thinking 'oh shit...' before looking at Mika, seeing her almost go red and green all at the same time. Hearing what they were saying together didn't even help either and Natalia knew that Mika's mind instantly was going to 'she's one of those girls he slept with'. "Meeko...don't...it's nothing, remember it's nothing. He came back to you, don't do anything ra----" she started to warn when Mika ignored her completely and lost her shit before she could even finish her sentence. "you've got to be bloody kidding me!? Are you serious right now!? You lied about how you know her! She one of those bed notches you had!?" Mika practically screamed at the two of them, mostly at Dean before storming off, her hands visibly shaking, opening the hotel room door and slamming it behind her before leaning against the hallway wall and desperately trying to not burst into tears. SAM WINCHESTER Sam decided with his free hand to quickly send a text to Ruby to meet them at the diner opposite the hotel, figuring that if anyone was as good a palce to start asking questions, it was with Ruby, he did though still listen to everything that Annabeth was saying, as he grabbed her hand after their hands brushed together. "it's okay i get it. I didn't know what was happening to me for the longest time as well, Dean was scared of me for a while, we got into many a fight over it before he had my back every which turn. It's perfectly normal to have the feelings and thoughts you have and we'll get you your answers" he told her. "But what you can do is essentially you can exorcise the demons from their bodies and send them back to Hell" he told her as he headed to the diner across with the street with her.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean smiled down at Esme's hair, kissing the top of her head one more time before pulling away from her. He pulled his arm up in front of her face, and lowered his sleeve to show his wrist. The bracelet she had left with him, a simple string wire bracelet, still around his wrist. "It made it to hell and back, apparently…", he laughed, just before Mika stormed into the area, causing him to instinctively jump and push Esme behind him. His free left hand resting against the small of her back behind him, while his right hand came up to try and fend off Mika's potential rage. Hell, he was tempted to try and put furniture between them. "Jesus Christ Mika! It's been years…I…Mika…son of a bitch…", he stammered at Mika as she screamed. He froze a bit as she stormed off, not knowing whether he should follow her or not. Turning back to Esme, he searched her eyes for a bit of forgiveness. "I'll be back…", he whispered, kissing her forehead for more forgiveness before running to the door as it slammed in his face, causing him to flinch. He flung the door open, stepping out into the hall with a huff, finding Mika there. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he stood in front of her, "You wanna tell me what the hell happened back there?" Annabeth Annabeth held his hand tightly as they walked across the street, watching him text someone. She was curious, but didn't ask questions, as she didn't know his contacts or how they could help. Her eyes went a bit wide when he mentioned the demons and what she could do to them. "I can do what?", she asked, thinking back to Cason and the black smoke. She raised her free hand to stare at her palm in awe, now knowing what the heat was, and why. Sighing, she stepped up to the door of the diner and reached for the door handle. Ruby Ruby looked down at her phone, rolling her eyes as she sat in the near empty diner. It was closed, but a few people still lurked, none of them demons. Her interest was piqued as Sam and a mystery blonde approached the door. Her eyes turning black at the sight of the girl, she groaned, "Dammit, Sam…"</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme couldn't help smiling when Dean kissed the top of her head again before he pulled away. As he did, she released him, letting her arms fall to her side. She watched as he lifted his arm and pulled his sleeve down to reveal the wire bracelet on his wrist. Her smile grew when she saw it. "Who would have thought….." she said with a laugh before Mika stormed in, cutting her off. She jumped in surprise just as Dean pushed her behind him protectively and kept a hand on her back, which she wasn't expecting. It was a strange feeling having someone protect her from another. She couldn't see Mika from behind Dean, but she could hear the rage in her tone, which caused her to wince. Notches? She thought. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was getting at. She thinks Dean and I…… she trailed off in her thought. She was about to speak out, but Dean had tried talking to Mika before she could. She winced again as he stammered as Mika screamed at him. She remembered earlier how Mika stuck close to Dean and seemed to calm him when no one else could. She had thought little of it at the time, but now she couldn't deny it. There was definitely something between them and she had apparently stirred up some jealousy in Mika. She felt terrible now. She didn't want to come between anyone and mess anything up between them. That was the last thing she wanted. She took in a breath when Mika stormed off. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath. When Dean turned to face her, her face and eyes held a soft look. "It's alright. Go after her." she told him softly. Esme's eyes closed when he kissed her forehead, then opened as he ran for the door. She flinched just as he did when the door slammed in face. Once he was out the door, she walked over to a chair, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she went, before she sat down. She placed her elbows on her knees, then put her face in her hands and sighed heavily. She now wondered if she should stay or leave. Would her being there put too much stress on things?</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Under any other circumstances she would have jumped in to stop the argument between Dean and Mika, but it wasn't exactly the first time this sort of thing had happened between the two of them. She also knew better than to get in Mika's way when she had it in her head Dean was being anything but faithful to her. SHe winced as Mika accused Esme, someone they didn't even know of being just another otch on Dean's bedpost, a bedpost they didn't have any claim to as they rarely remained at Bobby's. Yet the way Dean was being with Esme did come across as suspicious, that much she did have to admit, so as much as she didn't agree with Mika adding 2 and 2 and coming up with 5, she could see why she would have done that. Even she flinched as Mika had slammed the door shut in Dean's face before turning her attention to Esme and seeing how much Mika's behaviour had clearly hurt the woman. "Word of advice?" she began saying, "Ignore Mika. She's touchy at the best of times and this isn't the first time they've argued, not about women necessarily, but yeah...it's what they do. They hash it out and instantly make up again." she explained. "It's got nothing to do with you. Their history is complicated to say the least. When you would have met Dean, Mika was presumed dead. He knew her as Kenzi at that point. I don't know the full story even now, but I've been told enough. Basically they've lost each other a few times and have done all they could to find each other again. You're not the first person to give him something either. So seeing Dean be that close and affectionate to you? It'll trigger Mika's insecurity." she finished explaining hoping it would be of some reassurance to the woman. MIKA CHAMBERS She ignored the fact she could hear the door open and Dean exiting the room to follow her before she looked at his steel toed boots in front of her which just made her look up at him. "I could ask you the same damn thing. What's with all the affectionate touching with her?" she asked him, anger in her dark brown almost black eyes but not only anger, but also hurt and pain. "I JUST got you back in my life Dean and then suddenly I see you all over her, is this some kind twisted way of paying me back for what I did as Kenzi?" she added, tears threatening to spill from her bottom eyelids. SAM WINCHESTER Sam smiled softly as Annabeth tried to comprehend what he just said she could do with her mind, whilst keeping her safe beside him as they headed across the street and to the doors to the diner, where he saw Ruby already there waiting for them through the glass windows. He gave her the look to get rid of the black eyes before he entered the diner with Annabeth and over to Ruby. "Thanks for coming back" he said to Ruby finally.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Cason, Dean and Annabeth Annabeth took a deep breath, gasping for air after the outburst as the entire room seemed to be scolding her for something she didn't even know she had the choice to say 'no' to. She closed her eyes, letting their voices wash over her, to get the brunt of it off their chests as she stood still. Cason, on the other hand, crumpled to the floor beside Esme, pulling her to him and rubbing her back to try and get the worst of the shockwave out of her system, before a question burned his mind. He let Natalia scold her, as Annabeth seemed to respect her, and he hoped maybe she could pressure some answers out of her. But when no answers came, and Annabeth stayed silent after Sam finished speaking, he decided to ask the burning question. "What did it cost?", he asked her. His voice exasperated and heartbroken. She didn't answer him at first, only keeping her eyes closed, "Tell me! What did it cost…your soul?" "I have to…", she started, opening her eyes and peering up at Sam before letting out a small sigh of panic. Dean had gathered himself by then, standing up straight and glaring at her. He didn't want to hear what was coming next, but he almost knew the answer. "I have to go with him. He gave me 24 hours.", she whispered. Cason's gasp and groan pierced the near silence in the room as he ducked his head again, "He threatened horrible things. There was nothing any of you could do. Sam would have just broken into pieces in front of all of you, if I had said no. This wasn't a 'go get the others and see what they can find' situation. He didn't even explain why he needed me, only that my choices were stay here…and Sam dies horrifically. Or I go with him, and you're all safe, as long as you don't come after me." She looked over at Natalia, her eyes heartbroken and red, "I didn't make a deal for my eyes. That was just his first good faith payment or something. I made the deal because he could have snapped his fingers at any second…and blown any of you to pieces." Dean cleared his throat, "She's probably right. Alastair is someone I have heard of, recently…and lets just say he's Lilith without the moral compass. If she says he would have killed you, Sam…he would have, in a heartbeat. He's creative, too." Annabeth sighed with relief that Dean understood her motives, if nothing else. She looked up at Sam, knowing that this news wouldn't be what he wanted to hear, and brushed his hair behind his left ear, "You can't come after me. You hardly know me, right? This way…you guys won't have me to worry about. I'll be his problem. And if I get the chance to run, I'll run." Bobby took a deep breath, now that everyone was starting to simmer down and held his hand up, as if he was in class, "We can use my vault, to buy us time, but I can't guarantee he won't come and kill all of us anyway. If we protect Sam and the girl, maybe we can find a way to kill Alastair?" Dean raised his eyebrows, holding a hand out toward Bobby to see if the others agreed with him, as he did.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme remained curled in on herself as Cason came to her aide. She didn't have the strength to even try to push him away when he pulled her to him. She could hardly breathe, her chest was on fire, and she was shaking badly from all the emotions that surrounded her in the room. She clutched her chest and tried to take in slow deep breaths and let them out as she listened to everyone talk. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Esme struggled to lift her head to look at Annabeth as she continued to explain what she had to do. Annabeth felt she had to make the deal to keep Sam alive, and even feared this demon would kill them. If she had the air, she would have sighed at the thoughts swimming in her mind. When Dean cleared his throat, she looked at him. His words surprised her. She couldn't help but wonder how he'd known of such a demon. Her attention went back to Annabeth as she spoke to Sam. She closed her eyes tight when she said he could go after and they wouldn't have to worry about her. Those words hit her hard. She didn't like just letting her go off to fend for herself against a demon, even if it was to keep them alive. At Bobby's voice, Esme opened her eyes and listened to his plan. She had to admit; it sounded better than Annabeth going off with this Alastair. When she saw Dean agree with Bobby, she fought to pull herself away from Cason and sat with her legs under her. She didn't attempt to stand, even though she wanted to. She knew she would just collapse back to the floor. So, she stayed sitting and silently nodded in agreement to use Bobby's vault to protect Sam and Annabeth. She ran a shaky hand through her hair to get it out of her face, then looked around the room to see who else agreed with the plan.</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, SAM AND NATALIA All three of them couldn't believe what they were hearing. Natalia didn't want to scold Annabeth but she just felt the need to after everything the girl had just gone through, she felt like she needed protecting on a bordering on overprotective scale. She didn't want to think of Annabeth as the selfish type to just make a demon deal for her eyes, but until it was explained why it was made, it was all she could possibly think of. Hells, it was the only thing it was coming across. Now Natalia was not the sentimental type in the slightest, she wasn't one to feel like she needed to protect anyone and everyone that came across their group or grow attached to the person she had to save. Victims were just a job that needed sorting out to her, but Annabeth seemed to get under skin as she clearly did with Sam as well. She didn't understand it personally, but was wondering if it was because Sam was attached to the girl and seemed to recognise her from somewhere else or some moment in his past, when she wasn't in his life herself. When Annabeth explained what Alistair wanted to do to Sam, Nat clenched her fists tightly closed by her sides. She may be the newest in the great scheme of things Winchester, but both of them were her weakness, especially Sam. If how she treated Dean's death and going to Hell badly, it didn't take much to imagine how badly she would take Sam dying. "son of a..." she muttered under her breath, teeth gritted tightly closed, almost grinding them together. They all listened as Dean confirmed that Alistair was a demon that would fulfill his threats and enjoy doing so more to the point. Sam wanted to know how Dean knew this demon, but his mind was racing over how to protect Annabeth at the same time, making it very difficult to fully comprehend and prioritise his thoughts into some kind logical order to make some kind comment. He looked at her when she brushed his hair behind his ear, bringing those memories of their childhood meeting back to the foreground of his mind yet again. "Anna....I can't let you go out there and be in danger" he told her. "Not again..." he mumbled under his breath, loud enough for only her to hear him. Mika stayed beside Dean, in the hopes that her being close to him would be of some kind of calming influence but with his anger practically radiating off of him, she was beginning to feel pretty much useless in helping him in any manner. She watched how Annabeth was with Sam and vise versa making her get assumptions that Sam had met this girl before, still not realising she was the kid they found Sam had run away with into a cabin in the woods in Minnesota. Natalia walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, "Anna, you have never been a problem. Don't ever think that" she told the girl a lot calmer than when she scolded her. She also couldn't help but make the odd glance over at Esme and Cason to see how they were handling the news that Annabeth just dropped on them all, before looking at Bobby as he gave an idea and nodded. "It could work, I'm all for it. We can't let Alistair just have her so easily" she commented, Mika also nodding her agreement. "I'm in agreement also. It's worth a shot surely" Mika replied. Sam had to think it through for a brief moment before nodding his agreement as well. "I agree too" he spoke out.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Cason Cason sighed, pushing some of Esme's hair out of her face for her as he adjusted to sit himself on the floor near her. He knew that the plan to hide Annabeth and Sam would only be a temporary bandaid solution. If they were lucky, the Angels would come and take him, or harm him, and forget Anna was there. On the other hand, the angels could come, get in, and kill her. "I agree, for now. But we need to try and find a plan B. The odds of the angels coming for him are decent. The odds of the angels showing up and only dealing with Alastair are slim. They'll most likely come for Anna, and we'll all be collateral, all but Sam.", he explained, as he stared around at all of them. He turned to Dean, who was surprisingly willing to listen to him, "We are going to have to make her untouchable, somehow…" Dean Winchester Dean watched his brother with Anna, his brain recognizing the girl from her mannerisms, the way she looked with Sam and just the general vibe they had toward each other. But even hearing her name, the full memory of her being with them was so faded, he couldn't bring it up fully in his mind. But seeing how committed Sam was to her safety, he couldn't help but find himself rooting for her. She seemed to just be naive, or potentially brainwashed. Something was off about her situation, and it was something he could probably get out of Alastair, if he could get him alone. He turned to the Demon on the floor, before the others had a chance to chime in on the idea. He nodded to him, turning to everyone in the room as they declared their support for locking them in a vault. However, he had to wonder if the vault was out in the barn. "And Bobby, just where is this vault?", he asked Bobby, now satisfied that they could at least buy some time. "It's in the basement. Duh. You think I would live in a house without some protection? I had a weekend off, and I built a panic room. C'mon. I'll show ya.", Bobby said proudly, strolling past all of them to head downstairs. Dean allowed everyone to finish calming, stepping toward the basement stairs. Annabeth Anna gave Sam a sad smile, feeling as though she wouldn't have much of a choice, regardless what they decided to do. She let her hand fall from the side of his face, down to his hand, her much smaller fingers linking with his as the familiarity of the current stance mesmerizing her brain. "I'll stay and try. That's all we can do.", she muttered back to him, not truly believing it, but wanting Sam to. As Nat approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, she simply nodded. She was feeling the self sacrifice angle would be best, and she silently wished that she had just gone with him straight away, and none of this would be an issue. She could have just disappeared, and none of them would have known what happened. Cut and dry. "I can bring two of my dogs in from outside. Yeah, Dean. I know.", Cason started, glancing over at Dean as he spoke and seeing how scared he looked, "They won't hurt you, unless I ask them to." "And what about Angels?", Annabeth asked, looking up at Sam with a bit of fear in her eyes. She was much more worried about the Angels than the demons. She started walking toward the basement stairs with the others, holding Sam's hand tightly. Bobby was already at the bottom of the stairs, and had opened the giant iron door to the vault, causing Dean's eyes to turn into saucers as he saw the door, "Bobby. You're awesome!" Cason turned his head to pull Esme's face toward him, so he could look her over. He was happy to see that she wasn't injured from the energy blast, only emotionally tired, and looked like she had been through Hell again. He felt slightly helpless as he scanned her eyes. He wanted her to hide in the vault, too, even if he couldn't get to her, or at least to sleep somewhere where his dogs could keep watch under her window. He decided to strike up conversation to try and get her to smile, but also to check on her, "So what's going on with you? It seems like you're just sucking up all the negative in the room, or something. Being around this group, that'll be pretty much a full time job..." He smirked, dropping his hand to pick up hers, seeing if he could transfer some of his 'chill' into her, only for her, it wouldn't cost her anything, like so many of his clients.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme was pretty much out of it by now. She hardly noticed when Cason moved hair from her face, she just barely took in what he said to the others. She dipped her head and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself from the massive amount of emotions to hit her all at once, not to mention the blast that came from Annabeth. When that hit her it was excruciating. It had felt as if her chest was going to burst. She could just make out them talking about the vault and where it was, giving a small smirk at how Bobby answered Dean. When Cason mentioned bringing in his dogs, she thought about it and almost jumped at the thought that came to mind. He didn't mean Hellhounds, did he? She pushed the thought from her mind for the moment and concentrated on her breathing, trying to keep it slow and steady. She heard several sets of footsteps leave the room to check out the vault, and she knew Cason was still at her side. Esme opened her eyes when he pulled her face towards his. She watched him as he looked her over. It was still weird to her having a demon worry about her wellbeing. By the way he was giving her, she knew she must look pretty rough. Possibly worse than she did at the hotel. At his words, she looked away and closed her eyes. "Ha, so you noticed that?" she asked tiredly, with a smirk. She opened her eyes again and looked at a book that happened to be on the floor. "I'm starting to realize that as well." She sighed heavily and shook her head gently. "They're going to be the death of me, not some monster or angel." she mumbled in the same tired tone as he picked up her hand. She shifted to the side and moved her legs out from under her. She stretched her left one out and bent her right. Esme then leaned forward, crossing her free arm over her knee and rested her chin on her arm. It was then she fully realized that he had her hand. She looked down at their hands, then at him with a raised brow. "Have you figured out my secret?"</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, SAM AND NATALIA When Dean asked where Bobby's vault was, Mika couldn't help but smirk, wondering how long it would take him to actually ask that question. Due to this being her home as well, she knew of the vault and was there when he built it over one weekend, despite it almost feeling like months as it felt endless. She remembered how she would complain from the noise only for her to be called an utter hypocrite by her Uncle which she thought was fair enough, but it didn't stp her complaining when she was trying to either study or read in general and all she could hear was him banging, weilding and scraping who knows what as he built the damn thing. She walked with Dean, letting go of his hand so they could all go downstairs one by one as the staircase really wasn't wide enough to walk side by side with anyone. She let him go first as for him, Nat and Sam it was more of a momentous moment than it was for her. She watched as Dean's eyes went wide and his mouth practically dropped to the floor before declaring Bobby was awesome, making her smile smugly that her uncle managed to get such a reaction from Dean. "Told you he'd react like that when he finally saw it" she told Bobby, "Surprised it's taken him this long though" she added cheekily. Natalia walked down behind Mika after giving Annabeth a pat on the shoulder to not only sign to her that she was sorry for scolding her (she was awful at apologies), but she also was rooting for the two of them and to take their time before coming downstairs. She thought over what Cason said about having his hellhounds look out for them both, and like Dean, she wasn't entirely comfortable with that news. Dean may have been the one ripped to shreds by the hellhound, but those memories of seeing it completely destroyed her emotionally. By the time she got downstairs, she looked impressed and walked over, stepping inside when the door to the vault opened and looked around, "Damn Bobby! This place is fully kitted out and everything!" she beamed, until her brain at a delayed moment, realised what Mika said, looking at Dean then at Mika and Bobby again. "Did she just....?" she began asking, pointing her thumb in Mika's direction whilst aiming the start of her question toward Dean. Looking back at Mika, she saw the woman start to laugh and nod. "Yes, I knew all about this vault" Mika confirmed. "We'll figure the Angels out, just like everything else" Sam tried reassuring Annabeth, not wanting her to be afraid over them even though he was partly afraid of them himself, especially after he witnessed their power for himself. "For now, lets try and keep us both safe and figure something out, even if we let go we have to have some kind plan in motion as well" he told her, before walking behind her downstairs and seeing the vault himself. "This is impressive Bobby" he remarked with a smile.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester and Bobby Singer Bobby smirked and shrugged his shoulders as Dean complimented him on the vault that he had built for his own safety, if he was honest. He shifted his eyes to Mika with a proud smile on his face as he stepped into the vault with Dean, allowing him to look around the place. "Mika's pretty familiar with the place. It's got solid iron walls, coated in salted holy water. Devils traps on the floors. There's warding for just about any thing that we've ever known how to ward against, other than angels. Even the ventilation is a devils trap. From 10 am to about 7 pm, the entire room is a devils trap, due to the shadow." He explained his handy work excitedly, pointing around at various things as he described them, "And there's enough food, water and medical supplies in here to last a few months at least." He turned back to Dean who was still smiling brightly, as Natalia stepped into the room as well, seeming excited. For a second, Bobby forgot the reason he had needed to show them the vault/panic room in the first place, as he watched the 'kids' he loved freak out over something HE did. Then it struck him that they were on a time schedule, "I figure we can bring one of the mattresses down, if needed, or a bunch of blankets and pillows. I don't figure many of us are gonna be sleeping in the next day or so." Dean nodded to him, his smile fading just a bit as he thought of Sam being essentially locked in a cage, waiting for the worst. He ran his finger along the salt crusted walls as Sam stepped into the room and made his comment. "Yeah, well…this is your home for the next 24 hours.", he responded to his brother, giving him a cheeky smile as Bobby patted Sam on the shoulder, "Let's get started on the prep, I guess. Like Bobby said, this sleepover party is going to need a bunch of blankets, some beer, some food, and maybe something for you guys to do…" Annabeth Annabeth smiled softly at Natalia as she passed, appreciating the small gesture of good faith and kindness. She realized at that moment that the understanding of what she had done was slowly sinking in for everyone, which caused her shoulders to not be quite as tight. She glanced up at Sam, listening to him explain that they would figure out the angels. She gave him a sad smile, almost telling him with her eyes that what he was saying wasn't possible. But she couldn't help go along with his optimism, nodding to him as he at least admitted that this might not work. She sighed, before they turned to go down stairs, "As long as you're realistic, Sam…this might not work. I need you to prepare yourself for that." She kept hold of his hand, walking down to the vault and stopping at the door, releasing him as they arrived, so he could join Dean and Bobby inside. She peered around the room, noticing how blank it all was, but after listening to everyone talk about the protective properties of the room, she felt instantly safer. As Dean spoke about a sleepover, she couldn't help laugh quietly, and look down at the floor. "Sam doesn't strike me as the sleepover type…", she spoke up, catching Dean's attention as she did so. For the first time, since they had met, Dean smiled at her. He was amused, and cut his eyes to Sam, and then back to her. "You have no idea. Sammy used to LOVE sleepovers. Little pillow forts and flashlight stories. Oh the works…", he told her brightly, stepping over to slap Sam on the chest as he finished, and Annabeth laughed. Cason Cason kept his hands on Esme's arms as she adjusted herself, sliding them back down to her hands as she got comfortable and asked if he had figured out her secret. He nodded with a small frown, before turning up the corners of his lips into a sad smile. "Yeah. You could say that. Believe it or not…when I was human, I was a bit of an empath. Being around people like Dean, for example would have put me out for days at a time.", he muttered, as he concentrated a bit of heat into her hands, "To answer the burning question of how I went to Hell, way back in 1785…I sold my soul, like most, to a demon. When talks of revolution started in New York, I was just a 30 year old drunk." He turned her hands over, happy to see that their hands were a bit connected, as he worked what little magic he had cared to remember, in terms of helping people. "I met this guy in a pub. He was spouting off about helping with freeing the colonies, but he needed payment. I was too drunk to really know what I was doing, and I signed up. The looks on the faces, when a handful of drunk grown men kissed the stranger…phew. I became one of the fighters on the front line, right along side Alexander Hamilton and the other big dogs.", he smirked, "All was well, the war was won…and then my time came up, and what was it all for? I assume that the nature of why, lead to me being a piss poor demon with a flicker of a soul." He gave a small laugh, pulling his hands from hers. He placed her hands gently on her lap and pulled his legs up to wrap his arms around them in front of her. "But yes. I know you're an empath.", he admitted. He then sighed, as he readied himself to tell her his plans for her, in the next 24 hours, "I um…I would like for you to be guarded. I know how most of the people in this house feel about Hellhounds, but my girls answer to me. They would never hurt you. They won't even come near you, if you would rather they stay away. But I would be a lot less distracted when the demons show up, if you were safe with the dogs."</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme lifted her head from her arm and sat when Cason took her hands again and watched as his frown became a sad smile at her question. As he spoke, her eyebrows went up a little, that's not something she expected to hear from him. Hearing he was a bit of an empath when he was human was strange for her to hear. She was about to say something when she felt the heat in her hands, but he started talking again, so she listened. As he turned her hands over, she looked down at them. She could feel the little magic he was working, so she let him continue. Any other time, she would have pulled her hands away, but she could clearly see how much he was trying to help her. She looked back up at him as he spoke again, going into a story about his past. Never would she have thought he would reveal his past to her or how he became a demon. When he finished, she had no words to respond with as he laughed and put her hands in her lap. What was it about her that made him reveal that part of himself to her, other than helping Annabeth? She was pulled from the thought when he made himself comfortable in front of her. Esme pulled both of her legs up and crossed her arms over her knees, then rested her chin on her arms as he confirmed he knew she was an empath. At his sigh, she knew he was preparing himself to say something. As soon as he told her he wanted her to be guarded, she closed her eyes. She should have known that was going to come up. Esme remained quiet to hear him out. She tensed up when he mentioned the hellhounds. Hellhounds were one thing she had never planned to come in contact with. She was well aware of the stories revolving around them. She sighed heavily as he finished, opening her eyes to look at him. "If I refuse. I'm assuming you'd say you'd like me to join Sam and Annabeth in the vault." she stated. She looked away and to the book on the floor she had been looking at before. She rolled the options around in her mind. She didn't much like either option, but she didn't want to be locked in the vault feeling like a prisoner. She felt bad for wanting to go with hellhounds, knowing how Dean and the others felt about them, but she really didn't want to go into the vault. "Fine." she sighed. "I'll go with the dogs. I just don't like the fact I can't see them." She turned her gaze back to him. "Knowing there's something there watching me I can't see is a bit unsettling."</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA, SAM AND NATALIA As Bobby looked esctatic over the face that the others were showing interest and excitement over the iron vault and how much work Bobby put into it, Mika smiled also giving Bobby simply a nod of knowing that this was how they were going to react. As Bobby stepped forward to step inside and do the full break down of what the vault consisted of, she simple just stepped up to the door and stayed outside of it as she looked in, watching Natalia and Dean with curiosity as they touched the kit, the walls and looked upwards at the skylight. She stepped out the way as Sam made it downstairs and wanted to step inside to check it out for himself, to which she let him go inside and then Annabeth following on behind him. He gave her the look of 'you not coming in?' and she just simply shook her head. "This isn't anything new to me Sam" she replied, seeing no need to step inside. Nodding at her words, SAm thought nothing out of character with her answer, thinking it just made sense that if she lived here then sure, she would have known about the vault and probably would have seen every inch of it more times than she deemed necessary. Mika and Natalia both started sniggering at the sleepover comment from Dean towards his brother, Nat shoving her hands into her jeans pockets casually, "trust you to make it sound like a sleepover" she remarked under her breath as he replied to Annabeth's comment at not seeing Sam as the sleepover type. "Dean's right, he was always for it when we were kids. Though Dean didn't exactly object to them either. I can tell you many times he used to hide under my bed to hide from my dad" Mika smirked, feeling more than happy to tell those embarrassing stories infront of Bobby, Sam and Natalia for amusing Annabeth. "Wait...Dean...that one right there was scared of your dad?!" Natalia asked, shoving her hand in the direction of Dean this time, eyebrows raising high into her forehead in surprise. "Oh yeah!" Mika chuckled. "But those stories can be for another time." she added. Sam smirked remembering the night Dean ran all the way back to him and John panting for dear life because of Papa Chambers. He then found himself glancing down at his chest as Dean slapped him there before looking up. "Okay, so...you still keep the blankets in the same Bobby or are they elsewhere?" Sam asked, not sure he liked the idea of being down here but it was a good option to keep Annabeth and himself safe overnight, whilst they tried to come up with some plan. If they could stop Annabeth going, then maybe they could do something to know where she would be the entire time and use it to get to Alistair and get Annabeth back again. Natalia eventually stepped out of the vault again and stood near Mika.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme had listened to Dean's voice as she tried to calm her down, him calling her baby girl replayed in her thoughts. She remembered him holding her like this and stroking hair whenever she would have moments of painful reflection. After she had calmed and he took her face in his hands and rolled his head against her forehead, she looked into his face as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Alright, sounds like a plan." she whispered as he pulled back. She watched him as he pulled her arms from around him, which she didn't fight, then wrapped her left arm around his. As they walked, she held onto his arm, almost leaning into him for comfort. __________ When they reached the house, she almost sighed at the same time Dean did. Like Dean, she was waiting for Mika to pop out and ambush Dean, or even her, from the night's events as they walked into the house. She looked around the house, only seeing Bobby and Natalia inside. She relaxed a bit, realizing Mika wasn't inside the house, but wondered where she was. After Dean asked his questions, she followed his gaze and saw Mika pass by the window in the kitchen. She couldn't help but wonder about her, since she left them a while ago. She looked at Natalia, seeing the disappointment in her eyes, and listened to her words. They hit her hard. Even though Dean had told her that this was on him, she still felt like she played a major part in all of it. If she hadn't followed Natalia from the hotel she met her in and showed up at the motel where they had all met up, none of this would have happened. She would still be on the road on her own, thinking Dean was dead, but they would be fine and Mika wouldn't have to worry about her coming between her and Dean. She sighed inwardly at the thought as it played out in her mind.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester Dean clenched his jaw at his sister's smartass remark. He deserved it and he knew he did, but that didn't make it any easier to hear from Nat of all people. He glanced down at her face and glared at her, "You don't have to tell me that. I've been with her to some degree for the last fifteen years. I know her better than anyone…I need to talk to her. I can convince her to…" Bobby sighed and sat his glass roughly on the coffee table, standing from the chair, and stepping up to Dean menacingly, "You let her have her space. If…and that's an if…she decides to talk to you, that's her choice. It's not like you've never been a stupid dickhead before, like this, Dean." Dean flinched at Bobby's words, watching his father figure's eyes as he tore into him. His eyes turned from Bobby's face to the window of the kitchen, seeing Mika and Cason both standing there, "No." "What the hell do you mean, no?", Bobby snapped. "I mean no, Bobby. Things are good, with us. Things have been good! I'm not going to sit back like the rest of you and let whatever this thing is win! Whatever this is, it ends tonight…", Dean snapped back at Bobby, staring him down for a brief second and then stepping away from him to stomp through the kitchen. "Dean…", Bobby called after him, before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, "And around and around we go…" Dean stepped up to the back door, opening it and stepping through the light weight metal, standing in front of Mika. Tears almost immediately pricked the corners of his eyes as he watched her face, "Talk to me…please?" Cason Cason stood close to Mika's back as she turned to him. He nodded his head quickly, knowing that she was right. Dean was incredibly good at reading people. The nervous pit in his stomach knew that there was a really good chance that he would find out either way. As Dean came through the back door, Cason's breath stopped in his chest, taking all of his will power to not let his eyes turn black from the panic in his chest. There was the man who was likely going to kill him, brutally. The great torturer of Hell, Dean Winchester…great… He raised his eyes to the window, and stared at Esme, just standing there. She was so beautiful. And that's when the guilty feeling in his stomach felt different. It tasted different. He had poured his heart out to the poor girl, and now, he was complicating her life even more. Cason almost wanted to tell her the truth, but as close as she was to Dean, it was a horrible idea. But he needed to touch her. He pushed carefully past Mika, and then around Dean's back and stepped through the door of the house. Closing the gap between himself and Esme, he reached out and carefully picked one of her hands up, kissing her knuckles. "I heard what happened…", he whispered, glancing up to meet her eyes. Annabeth Anna smiled against his lips as they kissed each other. The familiar urgency was exciting, and although he was taller, he was just Sam. Feeling his hands pulling her close to him, she sighed and pushed slightly against his chest, to turn him back toward the small bed in the room. It wasn't the most glamorous space for them to rekindle what the had lost so many years ago as teenagers, but at the same time, neither was their last meeting place. At least the panic room had less dust and more security. As he lifted her, she hopped up a bit and wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands coming up to tangle in his hair as she kissed him a bit rougher, biting at his bottom lip As she pulled away from the kiss briefly, his lip tightly between her teeth, she whispered, "Sit down." Anna knew that the others could walk in on them, but from the sounds of the conversations up stairs, they were definitely occupied. Right now, they could just be. She didn't know if it was the demon blood spurring her on, but she felt incredibly bold, in that moment.</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nat could tell that her words hit hard with Dean and she was glad of it. He didn't have to like the words, they weren't said to be liked, they were said to drill home the severity of his actions. She listened to his words, finding that due to the amount of time he had been with Mika albeit, on and off, then he should know even more that his actions were completely and utterly wrong. THat by now he shouldn't even be thinking of kissing another woman. But that was her opinion. She looked up when Bobby stood up and went over to Dean, seeing the highly protective uncle figure coming out for the first time in a very long time. It took a lot for Bobby to stand by his niece in Natalia's opinion so when Bobby did get like this with Dean she knew even more so how out of line Dean was. She even gave a discreet flinch at him calling Dean a dickhead whilst reminding him this wasn't the first time he had been as such to Mika. Yet Dean cut Bobby off back, and practically yelled at him back, whilst also bringing her into it. "Now hang on!" she spoke up pissed that he was accusing them of sitting around and doing nothing to find a solution to this shitshow, but it was no use, she couldn't even finish her sentence as Dean stormed off to the kitchen door to go outside to Mika. She sighed shaking her head. "you got that right" she commented, taking another swig of her drink before herself another one. She couldn't even look at Esme in the room either, even though the girl wasn't fully to blame and was unfortunately dragged into the middle of this, but she did think Esme had to take some of the blame as she should have shoved Dean off of her, not returned the kiss. It wasn't like she didn't know Dean was with Mika after all.... MIKA CHAMBERS She was about to chicken out and not go through the kitchen door when the door suddenly opened before she could turn on her heels and came face to face with Dean...her Dean. She felt she could barely look at him, she didn't know how to look at him. She was hurting greatly, and to top it all off, she was feeling now great guilt for what she did even if it was technically against her own will. Turning on her heels, she looked away from Dean and took a few steps back toward her car, anything to try and get some distance between them after Cason made a swift exit away from the two of them and into the house over to Esme. "What do you want me to say? Because last I checked it's you that has a hell of a lot to explain!" she said to him, trying her hardest not to cry out of frustration. She was so done with crying, it had caused her face to hurt. "If you think I'm gonna apologise for punching you, think again." she told him, turning to look back at him after she said her words. "you ALWAYS do this to me! You LIED to me Dean! You told me there was NOTHING between you two! That there was no history between you and she was one person you never slept with. How can I believe anything you tell me right now!?" she ranted, the tears now falling down her face. "Why can't you just be happy with knowing I love you!?" she asked, putting emphasis on the word 'I'. Even though she had just slept with Cason, she felt so much betrayal from Dean, even though she knew in her heart he was the only one she could ever see herself with for her entire life. He was the one she wanted to grow old with if they were ever to be that lucky. HE was the one she wanted to be an official member of her family, she didn't believe marriage as such (despite being a hopeless romantic) but she would marry Dean at the drop of a hat. She had told Bobby that plenty of times over the years. Reaching her car again she kicked her tire hard, not caring that it would hurt her more than it would the car. In her state she'd gladly punch her hand through the window if it would fix things. But she loved her car too much to actually break a window. She then sat on the trunk, putting her head in her hands, still not realising Cason's jacket was on the back seat. She had improved on herself so much in these last few years with Dean which was a big reason why they had been so good with each other for so long, now she was beginning to think it was all for nought. Maybe he didn't think she was good enough for him. Was he lying about loving her? Did he wish he never had come back to her? Was she just someone to use as he didn't have Esme? So much was running through her head, so much she hoped she was wrong in thinking. SAM WINCHESTER Sam found himself smiling into the kiss as she guided him backwards toward the makeshift bed in the vault. Flashes of the memory of them making out in the cabin on the couch coming back to his mind in rapid succession. He held her firmly in place as she wrapped her legs around him, as a soft noise came out of his mouth when she bit his bottom lip and tangled her hands into his hair. He smiled with his eyes as she ordered him to sit down, "bossy as ever I see" he whispered to her teasingly, doing as he was told and sat down whilst making sure to be careful so Annabeth didn't fall in the process. The makeshift bed creaked under his weight, telling him it wasn't a new one of Bobby's but he didn't care for that at the moment, he just hoped that it didn't make too much noise as things rapidly got heated between them. For Sam he didn't know if it was the fact they were truly alone again after so many years that was spurring him on or if it was the fact that there was a risk of one of the others coming down and catching them that spurred him on, but either way he was welcoming it. It was a rush he hadn't truly felt since Jessica. He kissed her once more roughly and hungrily as he then pulled off the clean top she had only just put on then held her close to him once again...</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS AND NATALIA WINCHESTER The moment Mika and Natalia saw him look at Mika as the three important words came out of Mika's mouth, both thought that this might just be the beginning of them all getting through to him. This was so much worse than when Dean and Mika broke up for three years after he beat the living crap out of Ethan all those years ago, and Mika knew it. This verison of Dean was utterly terrifying but she refused to just up and leave him out of her own fear for him, she had to show him that she was with him, even if she became unfaithful thanks to a damn Angel meddling. Natalia however could feel Dean tightening his grip round the knife which wasn't giving her hope that he would actually let it go but she had to keep trying, she couldn't give up on her brother. She took note of how much Cason was shivering and flinching under Dean's weight and despite all the bravado moments ago, it was clear to Natalia that he was truly shit scared of the man above him. They both heard Esme also pleading with him to stop and not to go down this road, but the moment Dean glared at Mika.... actually glared at her with his nose bleeding it threw them off guard just enough to make Dean shrug Natalia off of him roughly, making her stumble backwards and onto her ass, failing to get the knife out of his hands. Mika's eyes went wide in fright at the glare Dean gave her. He had never glared at her in that way before, he had never scared her to her core in quite this way before and she didn't know how to react other than slowly and shakily letting go of the sides of his face. "please Dean...come back to me" she mumbled, implying about how he wasn't like himself right now. The moment he lifted his hand with the knife, she went even wider eyed and before she could stop him, before any of them could stop him, he brought the knife and smashed it into the floor with great force that caused the knife to still shake in the floor. THe sound it made made Mika and Natalia flinch before he got up and stormed off, ignoring every single one of them. Natalia scrambled back onto her feet, dusting herself down and beginning to head after Dean, pausing beside Esme just long enough to put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "I've got this." she told her then gave Bobby a simple nod toward Mika whilst glancing at him then headed outside to where she knew Dean would be. Mika didn't know what to do, she felt like thanks to Cupid she really messed things up this time. She was on the ground, her legs bent off to the side, shaking and hugging herself. She couldn't look at Cason on the floor or anyone else in the room as the look Dean gave her still burned into her eyes, haunting her very soul. She couldn't speak or do anything except cry and hug herself. SAM WINCHESTER Everything felt so peaceful down in the vault when he was laying with Annabeth when it all kicked off upstairs, making him gently move Annabeth off of him and for him to sit upright, tilting his head to look up out of instinct. "What the hell...?" he muttered in disbelief as he recognised all the voices that were screaming. Dean was pissed because of something and something he could only imagine that was major which made him wish he could get out of the vault to try and calm his brother down. He could hear his sister and Bobby pleading with Dean loudly to stop and when he heard the word 'killing' come into the equation his eyes went wide. He got dressed quickly in the hopes that someone would come downstairs and let him out to go after his brother or at least come down to let him know what the hell was going on. He hated that all he could do was listen to the whole storm blow up above him and not do anything to try and help. If he had known that Dean had Ruby's knife to Cason's throat he woiuld have been able to overpower Dean and grab the knife from him. As the shouting finished, he quickly went over and grabbed his phone, texting Bobby, "Bobby what the hell is going on!?" clicking send, he sighed running his hand through his hair.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester Dean shrugged everyone off, stomping off the porch and onto the gravel. He had barely noticed the pain in his nose, as the blood began to dry in the night air, his face a mess. However, as he heard Natalia's footsteps behind him, he knew exactly who was following him, just by her step. He couldn't believe that Mika would be able to be seduced by someone she barely even knew. At least with Esme, they had a past. They were in love at one point. It made sense that she would be his weakness, considering the lack of closure in their relationship. Cason was a demon. He was a demon that she barely knew, and Dean only knew in passing, but the guy knew a lot about all of them. The odds that he was fully effected by Cupid was hard for Dean to wrap his head around. He still felt like killing him. Just turning around and marching back into the house, and plunging a knife into his heart. But for some reason, everyone in the house was protecting Cason, which just made the rage bubble up in his stomach even more. Climbing up onto the trunk of the Impala, he sat panting, and didn't turn to Natalia. "Go back to the house, Nat…", he said simply, as he stopped short of his Impala, just standing beside it, trying to take deep breaths to calm down from the rage that was still flooding his body, "Now…" Cason and Bobby Singer Cason sat up, his body still shaking as Bobby approached him and wrenched his body from the ground, with a slap to his back. Bobby was thankful that Cason was still alive, considering he was the only person in the house who really seemed to know what to do about Angels. He felt his phone vibrate against his side, and quickly pulled it with a hand still on Cason's shoulder. He flipped it open, tapping Cason and pointing to the couch, which Cason took as instruction and sat. "I'll be down in a second…" He turned from Cason, "You gonna heal?" Cason simply nodded, and Bobby nodded back, walking toward the stairs of the basement. He approached the door, and turned the heavy wheel, before wrenching the door open. "So this is where you have been the whole time your brother has been losing his damn mind. What's she doing uncuffed?!", he asked Sam, looking over he and Anna, who was still sitting on the floor, a blanket up around her chest. Sarah and Violet, hearing Esme screaming, reacted, wanting to protect her and their dad from a possible explosion. Running across the yard, they entered the house, snarling and fighting with each other as they tried to enter at the same time. Eventually, they managed to squeeze past each other, with Sarah hopping up, placing both her paws on Esmes chest to knock her back onto the floor, then placing her body weight against Esmes legs. Violet ran over to the couch, seeing that Esme was cared for and jumped onto the cushion, curling up on Cason's side, her head on his lap, as if to tell them both to calm down…</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) The fact that Dean just knew it was her before he even turned round wasn't of much surprise to her. She may be the newest member of the family in some ways but she had still been around them long enough to have her tells in the ways she walked and such for them to tell when it was her and when it was something/someone else. She knew he was hurting from what happened, but she always knew that him being alone right now wasn't entirely the best idea. She watched him as he walked toward his impala and was about to go sit ontop of it when he told her to go back inside, then sat on his trunk. "No" she said back to him a lot softer than she had previously spoken to him this evening. She continued walking up to him and sat next to him on his car. "I'm not going anywhere" she added. "What did they actually do together to make you hulk out like this?" she asked him, keeping her tone softer and more sympathetic towards him. "She does love you Dean, if Cupid wasn't involved she never would have hurt you" she told him, fully believing it as she had seen for herself how good they were. She had only seen the odd little squabble from them since she's been around, but they were always good. Truth was, as much as what he did disappointed her, she was worried for her big brother. "But if you don't wanna talk, we can just sit here in silence too, whatever works for you. But I am worried about you bro, I really am" she sighed, looking in front of her as she spoke the entire time, her hands interlocked together casually on her legs. She just wanted to help, she didn't want to see her family fall apart around her. She's seen one family of hers fall apart, she didn't want to see this one do the same. MIKA CHAMBERS Mika couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't be around everyone that was left in the room as she was aware of Bobby taking his phone out and instructing Cason to go take a seat on the couch whilst he dealt with whatever it was that pulled his attention away from the situation up here in the main room. The moment Bobby went downstairs, she stood up off the floor and gave Cason an apologetic look. "I-I'm sorry...he found your jacket in my car..." she mumbled to him before making a sharp beeline for the stairs and ran upstairs to her room, skipping every other step as she did so. In her room, she closed the door, not wanting to even look at Esme, Cason or even attempt to go outside to Dean. She figured being alone in her room was the best place to be as she walked over to her bed, climbed onto it and sat there and sobbed. "Cupid you're such an asshole, I believed you were good....for years I believed in you....now I see you're just another asshole spiritual being" she cried out quietly, even though she had no idea if CUpid was even hovering around still or not. She just had to get the words of her system. Little did she know that she was going to be the victim to his antics yet again any minute now. SAM WINCHESTER WHen Bobby walked down the stairs Sam sighed as he heard the familiar heavy footsteps coming down to the vault. He walked toward the vault door as he waited for Bobby to open it. With it soon open he sighed with relief as Bobby seemed unscathed which then got him worried about what the fight was about. He looked over at Annabeth then back at Bobby. "I had to so I could help get her cleaned up off the demon blood that she was soaked in and she could change. But she's better Bobby, trust me. She won't run" he reassured him as best as he could. "More importantly what went on up there!? Why could we hear Dean and Cason and everyone else shouting like banshees?" he asked, not wanting Bobby to change the subject too much.</s>
<\|description\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) Nickname: Nat but only certain people get away with calling her that Species: human/hunter Age: 24/about to turn 25 Birthday: November 4th Appearance: She has long brunette hair that has a natural wave to it as well as always being side parted and hazel brown eyes. Almost always sports a smokey eye look with nude lipstick (or a tinted lip balm). She gets teased for it but she doesn't care. Her outfit includes her beloved biker jacket that is always at least a size too big for her, but it makes it all the more comfortable. She always wears racer back vests with black jeans and beaten up old combat boots that she refuses to replace. She'd rather get them get resolved than change them completely and go through the pain of breaking in new boots. She sometimes wears a couple of necklaces round her neck but not always, depends on the job and her mood and sports an anti possession tattoo on her left collarbone like her brothers do. Sexuality- straight and single. Relationships get in the way in her mind. Height- 5'7" Right or left handed: left Scars: a couple of large ones on her back, going diagonally across from her right shoulder blade down toward her left side of her natural waist. Personality: sassy, snarky but loyal to those she let's in emotionally. Quirky at times and old school in her professional life. Relation to characters (optional): half sister, John is her biological father. Bio: The younger sister of the Winchester boys whom she only met much later in life. They collided on a hunt that the boys were doing at the asylum she was in, and from there learned they were all blood related via their father John. Natalia was brought up by her adoptive parents Kara and Harry whom were scared of her by the time she was a teenager. They thought she was insane and put her in a hospital for the insane, as she would have visions in her nightmares of her birth father fighting all things that go bump in the night, making her want to sneak out at night to try and get answers on what they meant. Little did she know it was all a ploy by Hell and a demon named Azazel to get her committed so the wheels would begin turning for her meeting her real family, to play mind games with the winchester boys. She was ready to escape one night when she was in her early twenties, when Azazel of all people went to break her out by letting her out of her room, setting in motion for her to collide with the brothers in her escape attempt, whilst all hell broke lose in the asylum with a wraith. Her relationship with the boys wasn't plain sailing at first. Dean didnt trust her at all. He was convinced for months that she was a fraud until Sam proved him wrong. She feels this is why she grew much closer to Sam as opposed to Dean, despite having much more in common with Dean. She loves old school rock and roll, she loves to sing and sketch in her downtime if they ever get it or when in the backseat of the impala. Weapons: firearms of any kind, she's not fussy in the slightest, but likes the convience of handguns as they can be hidden well enough. If it ever calls for it, she enjoys bringing out her compound bow, but it's very rare she gets to use it for ranged attacks. She also likes her arsenal of knives for close melee attacks. She also has the habit of fiddling with her knives if she's restless or impatient over something, or just plain bored. Has left at least two indentations from her knives in every motel room table she's ever sat at.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling When Cason moved to Esme's side and grabbed her hand she thought little of it, she didn't even look in his direction. She mostly played it off as his instincts kicking in as she kept her focus on Castiel. She stayed quiet as Castiel spoke to them, but mostly to Dean, taking in and processing everything she heard come from his mouth and also Dean's. Esme was surprised by what she was hearing, but not quite as surprised as she thought she should be. It was just something that came with the job of being a hunter, which made it hard for things to really surprise her about certain aspects of cases. After everything she had witnessed in her time as a hunter, thinks that revolved around the supernatural were almost nothing, but there were things about humans that would surprise her to no end. It was a little funny to her on how that worked. When Castiel's attention when to Cason and Annabeth, Esme grew tense at his words to Dean. She stood straighter and moved slightly so that stood in a spot that she shielded Cason and Annabeth both, even if Sam and Natalia were protecting Annabeth as well, her eyes narrowed. But it seemed her action was for not for Cason disappeared with a pop, leaving her standing there on her own. So she moved a little more, so she was closer to Natalia, Sam, and Annabeth with a small sigh. She wasn't going to let her be smited by Castiel, she had been helpful and had done nothing against them. "You will do no such thing." she stated firmly almost at the same time Natalia and Sam spoke. Esme knew she wasn't a match against an angel, but she wasn't going to let Castiel just up and kill her without a fight. She also knew that their words were more than likely falling on deaf ears, since Castiel only seemed to listen to what Dean had to say. Her gaze shifted more to Dean, waiting for him to say something to stop Castiel from doing anything. When he did, a wave of slight relief washed over her. Esme continued to watch Dean and listen to what he said to Castiel. Her fists clenched as she stood there, her eyes dropping for a moment as she heard Annabeth speak, then went back to Dean and Castiel. At Castiel's words and powering down, she relaxed slightly and moved back to her original spot. She placed her palms on the table and leaned into them, her gaze dropping to the table as Castiel continued to speak to Dean. Her gaze lefted slightly at the mention of Annabeth having a deeper connection with Lilith than Sam, this was new news to her. Esme kept silent though, just leaning against the table and taking it all in. Her fingers gripped at the table, her nails slightly digging into its surface as she felt Dean's anger rise and Annabeth's nervousness rise. Her eyes closed tightly as Dean snapped at Sam, but was relived when he didn't continue on. Now was not the time for that discussion. They needed to focus on what they needed to do for the seals to remain unbroken. Opening her eyes, she lifted her gaze as Dean took the note from Castiel's hand. When Dean looked around at them after looking at the note and saying it sounded easy, she pushed herself upright and gave a small smile and a nod, letting him know she had his back on this. When Bobby came over, she watched his actions. She too was wondering about the question he asked Castiel. They needed more information before going out to take care of it. She watched Bobby walk to the fridge and pull out three beers for himself, Dean, and Castiel. At Bobby's works, she nodded in agreement. It was definitely going to be that, no doubt about it. Esme watched Dean take the beers from Bobby and open Castiel's before handing it to him. Her gaze fell on Castiel, watching him as he inspected the beer before taking a sip and thanked Dean. She lifted an eyebrow when he then downed the entire beer and spoke. Spending time with this guy was definitely going to be a challenge for her. He was strange and one of the driest people she had met. She pushed that aside as he continued to talk and then answered Bobby's question, his words causing her to cross her arms over her chest. Of course, he didn't have any more information for them. That's how it always seemed to work out, but at least he could tell them a little more. Esme turned her head to Natalia when she spoke to her about helping her grab the beers from the garage, noting the tone she used. "Umm, sure. I can give you a hand." she replied. She then walked around the table and met up with Natalia and walked out into the garage with her and seeing Cason standing there smoking next to Dean's Impala. Esme saw her nod of acknowledgment to Cason before Natalia turned to her and spoke. She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when Cason spoke up and turned her gaze in his direction. "I agree with you on that." she replied with a sigh. "No, he didn't tell us where they are, but gave us, or rather Dean, a location to go to." Esme turned her attention back to Natalia, the look on her face slightly troubled. "Honestly…... I don't have any idea if we can stop it from being broken or not, but can we really stand by and not try?" she asked her. The thought of just sitting back and letting it happen hadn't crossed her mind. She felt the need to go there and at least give it her all to try and stop the seal from being broken. She knew it could be a long shot and that one of them could possibly be killed or seriously injured in the process, but she still had to try, even if that person was her that ended up seriously injured or dead. Esme then looked Natalia fully in the face to read her and see what she could be thinking.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean rolled his eyes at Castiel's long winded response to Bobby's words and his own. But as the words washed over him, he narrowed his eyes, realizing that Castiel was literally telling him that the entirety of the situation they were fighting was because he was resurrected. The self hatred that Dean fought with every day began to bubble up, and the fear that he was better off dead took over as he swallowed and stared at Castiel's face as he continued. Dean frowned a bit deeper as Castiel explained that the angels would obliterate the town they were headed to, if they failed to save the seal, "Now hold on a second…". It was power they had never dealt with before, and a concept that Dean couldn't sit back and let happen. They had to stop this seal, no matter what it took, or thousands of people were going to die. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, but when he opened them, Castiel was gone, "Don't give me time to respond, you dick!" Dean screamed the words up at the ceiling, slamming a fist on the table in front of him. He glanced around the room at everyone, trying to keep his cool, but he was terrified. Now, the angels were giving them make or break tasks, and it was something that he couldn't fathom without stress. "Well, I guess we had better try, right?", he turned his eyes to Mika and shrugged. He shot a glance toward his brother, momentarily remembering that Castiel had said something about Annabeth's demon blood activities, "And on the way, me and Sammy are going to have a conversation..."</s>	<\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS AND SAM WINCHESTER As Castiel went into the long winded answer to such a simple question, both Mika and Sam listened and found their minds being blown over everything that was being said to them. It was such a lot to take in and both of them looked at Dean briefly when Castiel kept reiterating how this was all because he was ressurected. That was a bombshell that no one deserved to hear and both of them knew in that second that Dean would only blame himself for everything once again. Mika particularly coiuld read Dean like a open book and knew what he was thinking. She had those thoughts of being better off dead far too often over the years that she just knew when Dean was having those exact thoughts. It broke her heart to know that what Castiel was telling him was having this effect on the love of her life and what surprised her even more was that she was glad that Esme wasn't in the room at this moment as her empath ability would have been in overdrive very rapidly. She couldn't believe she was thinking it but low and behold she was. Like Mika, Sam also could tell that Dean was far from okay with hearing the information but he couldn't tell exactly what going through his head like Mika could because he didn't know about what happened in Hell, unlike Mika who did know. When Castiel said how if they failed the Angels would literally nuke the whole town, that was news that didn't sit well with either of them, the look of disapproval, anger and shock all evident in their faces to everyone in the room. There was no way either of them woiuld just let a town be nuked if they failed to keep the seal that raised Samhain got broken. They'd rather have their own lives on the line than have a town full of innocent people get hurt or killed. Then Castiel left in a blink of an eye before they could drill anything else out of the Angel. Mika flicnhed ever so slightly when Dean slammed his fits on the table she was sat at, looking up at him and placing a hand ontop of his to try and give him some comfort and silently letting him know that they will succeed in doing this, or at least do their damnest to make it succeed. Sam saw the look he got from his brother and he couldn't help but sigh when Dean declared that they were going to be having a long chat on the way to the location. He nodded his agreement to have the chat, even though he knew Annabeth probably wouldn't want to travel with anyone else, even if it would be safer if she rode with Mika whilst the chat happened. "Anna can ride with me whilsrt you have the chat" Mika told Sam, giving Annabeth a glance behind Sam to say 'trust me, you won't wanna be in the car with them during their chats'. NATALIA WINCHESTER In the garage with Esme and Cason, she began rummaging in the outside storage, pulling out quite a few beers, putting them on the work desk nearest to Esme as she did so and Cason spoke up about her question to Esme. She sighed when Cason answered a question meant for Esme but let it slide this time. They did however have bigger issues to deal with than people answering questions not meant for them. She nodded at what Esme was saying, agreeing wholly that they couldn't just let a town be at risk with Samhain roaming the Earth if they didn't try to stop it. Her face showing how she was thinking what Esme was saying. "I agree with you, theres no way I'd feel comfortable with letting that seal break and a town be victims to who knows what as Samhain walks the damn Earth" she replied. She then looked at Cason, "yeah that's exactly what I said before you ask" she said before he could even repeat what she said as if he misheard her. "Castiel gave Dean a location of a town where the next seal is to break. Said we have to stop it from happening or Samhain gets risen again" she told him, sighing again. She opened three of the bottles of beer whilst the three of them were outside and handed one to Esme then one to Cason, deciding that they seriously did need it, even if she was about to drive. "Guess we should bring in these bottles to everyone else and see what else was mentioned" she then said to Esme.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA,NATALIA AND SAM Ever since Lillith's hellhounds took Dean as the due payment for bringing Sam back, Mika was a wreck emotionally which made her a complete livewire when it came to hunting. Her and Sam did all they could for two months to try and bring Dean back, tried making deals, killing anything that got in their way and didn't give them answers that they either liked or needed and sent far too many demons to Hell out of pure spite. Mika had lost Dean once because of the wendigo attack almost damn well killing her and going into hiding as Bobby brought her up, she wasn't prepared to just lose him yet again. Yet no matter what tactic they used, nothing worked and they had to begrudgingly accept that he was gone. A brother, a partner, a friend. Sam soon went off on his own, leaving not only Mika alone with Bobby, but ignored every bit of contact with them completely and didn't even acknowledge his half sister Natalia either. Mika became lost and kept hunting when she could, even though it didn't quelch any of the pain she felt, if she ever felt anything at all. If she was too numb feeling she remained in her bedroom and didn't leave for days at a time, stacks of plates regularly always piling up with uneaten food, but always there was empty beer bottles. She always told Dean that she would come back to and for him, and now here she was on the other side of that promise. The side where she was probably feeling everything that Dean felt as a teenager when she was proposed dead, and then pretended she wasn't her every time they bumped into each other on hunts. She was certain she would never get over his death. Natalia on the other hand was still hopeful that Dean would somehow return. She may only be the half sister that only came into their lives a couple of years ago, but that didn't mean she didn't care about the boys. She refused to give up and although it wasn't always the first thing she did, she did still keep an eye on what Sam was doing and check in with Bobby about Mika to see how she was coping. She remained on the road, similar to Sam except she wasn't sleeping around in hotels like Sam was. Alongside picking up any hints or clues to trying to bring Dean back, she got on with her life as a hunter. Right now she was in a hotel just outside of Sioux Falls, fully intending on just sleeping in after a night of hunting vampires. Sam was also in a hotel albeit different to Natalia and not nearly as close to Bobby's as Natalia was, with a dark haired woman. He didn't particularly care for the woman but she was company when he craved it and that was just fine for him. He had changed so much from Dean's passing and as much as he liked Mika and Natalia, he couldn't deal with being round them any longer. Mika's grief got too much to handle when he was dealing with his own and Natalia in his eyes just couldn't understand what either of them were feeling being only the half sibling. His grief made him blinkered and hardened in his soul, distancing himself for his own sanity.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin, Mika, Natalia and Sam The witch was unsure how he was going to react to all the attempts on his life ever since the death of Azazel. Knocking on the door, he decided he was going to just meet up with Sam and the others as an "ordinary" psychic. He gave the door three hard knocks on the door. "Please open the door. I'm looking for someone named Sam? He's dropped something on the ground out here." The voice had a British accent of a young man. The man would get ready for a fight if he needed to. As he understood it through his clairvoyance, Sam and Dean had both been through intense traumatic experiences. Benjamin was ready to defend himself, but he was hoping to just ask some questions. Get Sam's trust and then help him re unite with his brother, and aid the two in getting rid of the threat on his life.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean walked for what seemed like a million miles in the hot sun. He finally reached what looked like an abandoned gas station, breaking his way inside in search of water, food, money, anything helpful. He found all of these things, while running around, as well as a newspaper. Holding the newspaper in front of him, he stared at the date, "September?" "I've been gone four months...", he thought, taking a bite from a protein bar he had just swiped. Shrugging his shoulders, he stepped behind the cash register and popped it open. As he dug the money out of the register, the TV behind him clicked on. He turned and carefully pressed the power button. It turned back on, along with the radio, the sound getting louder at every second. Realizing he wasn't alone, he began casing the joint. Salt, he needed salt. Finding the salt, he popped the top and began spreading it on every window...just as they blew out in his face. The buzz was deafening. His eardrums felt as if they were melting, and just as fast as it came on...it disappeared. ----------- AnnaBeth "I found it.", Annabeth shouted, signalling Cason to come and look at her laptop. She had found the gas station the mysterious man in her dreams had entered. "So, what's your plan? You've never actually chased one of these visions, and now? The voices said this dude was dangerous. They told you to go find this...Sam...Winchester guy." Cason paced while holding a piece of paper, names and images scribbled across it. "I have a hunch. What if this guy knows something about my visions? What if the visions are happening because of him? Shouldn't I at least check him out? He dug himself out of the ground. I would say that sounds interesting." "Interesting?" Cason asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This isn't interesting. This is scary. He DUG HIMSELF OUT OF THE GROUND!" "Yes!" Annabeth shouted back, "And we're going to find him." She snatched her car keys off the counter, snatched the paper from Cason's hand and ran for the door. As he heard the engine of her old truck rev, he rolled his eyes and punched the air. "Dammit!"</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme had somehow found herself in Illinois after taking on a Shapeshifter the day before and ghosts the day before that and early this morning. Now exhausted and sleep deprived, all she wanted to do was find a place off the highway she could pull over and have a small nap. Sleep deprivation had somehow blocked her from seeing exactly where she was in Illinois, but what she knew was that this road seemed to go on forever with little in sight. After what seemed like hours of fighting sleep and slapping her face to stay away, something had finally popped up in the distance. "Finally." she groaned. She looked down at her gas gage briefly. She still had a quarter of a tank of gas, so she didn't really have to worry too much about that if this place ended up not being a gas station. As she got closer, she slowed down to get a good look at the building. "Geeze, is this place even going?" she questioned, looking at the small building with blown out windows. With a bit of reluctance, she drove on ahead, not really trusting the place. A little way up the road, she found a place to stop that looked a bit more promising, even if it was still on the side of the road but could still get a suitable distance between the road and her car. Parking as far as she could from the road's edge, she cracked a couple of windows and locked the doors, then made herself comfortable in the front seat for a catnap.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) SAM WINCHESTER Sam heard the knock on his hotel door and wondered who it was as it couldn't have been the pizza delivery he ordered for himself as it was far too soon for that. Then he heard a young sounding British accent come through the door asking for him in particular making him raise an eyebrow in curiosity. He shoved a shirt on and went to the door, making sure he had his handgun in the back of his jeans waistband just incase knowing very few people would come searching for him and use his real name unless they either friend or foe and he certainly hadn't been in touch with any family or friends lately. He then opened the door cautious and stood in the doorway looking at the young looking guy standing on the outside. "Whose asking?" he asked, looking around the area to make sure the guy was alone and it wasn't some kind of ambush from something that went bump in the night or another demon. MIKA CHAMEBRS Mika had finally decided to get out of her room and walk down the creaky stairs of the Bobby Singer household, heading straight to the kitchen without even greeting her uncle in the process. She headed for the fridge and pulled out some food that she was finally agreeing to eat and stepped outside to get some fresh air. From where she was, she could see her own '66 chevrolet impala parked, gaining a little bit of dirt and in need of a wash despite not having been used for long periods of time. She refused to use the car due to it always reminding her of Dean's own '67 model that Sam had comodeered. She had spent too many days wishing that a sign would just come out of nowhere to say Dean didn't really end up dying and going to Hell and this was all just a weird horrible nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Sam "Sam, is it." "I'm a Psychic, not a pizza delivery boy, sorry. I decided to lie just so I could get a foot in the door." "I need your help. My life is in danger." He then stated honestly. "Demons. Demons are everywhere I go, and they just keep coming." Benjamin stated. "I came alone, I promise."</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth AnnaBeth and Cason "They, um…they didn't explain much. The voices. They just said names, and your address. They knew you, or at least your connection with these men. Who is Bobby Singer?", Annabeth asked, stepping inside the room and looking around. She believed that the people she was looking for were not here, but who was this woman? Just as she started to ask how the woman knew Sam and Dean Winchester, Cason groaned. "Son of a bitch…", he whispered, standing on a small rug in front of the door. He pushed forward with his body, attempting to take a step, but realized he was trapped, "I knew it. I told you we should have left!" Annabeth narrowed her eyes, confused, "Cason. Come sit down." "I can't…", he muttered through clenched teeth, sneering at Natalia. Annabeth had no idea he was a demon, but that goose was probably cooked now. —— Dean Winchester "He what? And you let him go?!", he almost yelled at the two of them, before holding a hand over his sore throat. He had screamed for hours in that box. His throat was destroyed from the stress. "What choice did I have? He was dead set on it. He left not too long after we buried you.", Bobby retorted, unpacking the weapons he had stashed away in his pants, onto the wooden desk in front of him. "Why did you bury me, anyway?" "Sam said you'd need a body to come back to when he got you home, somehow. That's all he said.", Bobby muttered, his face somber. "Great. Just great. And now here I am…", Dean ran a hand down his face, sitting on the couch by the window, "Whatever this is…it's some bad mojo. You should have seen the gravesite. Guys, it looked like a nuke went off. And the force I felt…"</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme had managed to make it through the door and down the hall that led to her room while lugging her bag with her. After reaching her room and opening the door, she dropped her bag on the floor and unzipped a pocket and rummaged through it. She pulled out a permanent marker and knelt by the rug that was in front of the door. She flipped it over and drew a devil's trap on its underside before flipping it back over. Once that was done, she rose to her feet, grabbed her bag, and headed to the bed. She tossed the bag on the end of the bed, setting her gun next to it, then headed to the bathroom for a much needed shower. It wasn't until she looked into the mirror she noticed just how bad she looked and why she got such a strange look from the man at the front desk. She laughed it off as she went and turned on the water. She had to admit that the water pressure wasn't bad, despite how the place looked. Once the water temperature was just right, she stripped and stepped in. Once she felt clean, she got out and made herself presentable. Esme walked over to the center of the bed, relaxed and feeling even more exhausted. She fell face first on the bed and passed out.</s> <\|message\|>Aurelia Ruby There was something about possessing a body that had already been so close to death that just made it feel... nastier. She allowed herself to be consumed by the hot water for as long as she felt necessary to get all of the surface grime off at least. She sighed, she wasn't sure how long she'd been in the shower, but she knew it had been a while. She got out and wrapped her hair up and dried herself before getting dressed. She could hear the conversation, faintly, going on between Sam and whoever had been at the door. She couldn't make out what was being said, but she knew they were still talking. This caused her to roll her eyes. People really just needed to leave them be. There was still too much to do! She started brushing out her hair and started the hairdryer. She wasn't about to look unpresentable when she got out of the bathroom, especially if this person hadn't left yet. This was getting annoying. She had heard the talks of Dean being save from Hell, but the likelihood of it just didn't seem high. Especially given who she had been hearing it from. And if that were the case, he would be none too happy to know what she and Sam had been doing this whole time he was gone. Sure, once she found him again, she knew Sam had been trying his hardest to get Dean back, but that was the thing with deals. You got your time and then your soul belonged to Hell. Something she knew all too well. She turned off the hairdryer and soon her phone rang. She looked at the name and raised a brow before answering it. "Hello?" she asked. "You're going to have to watch your back. One of Azazel's old pets showed her face again, and I know how you and this one were." the voice on the other end said. "Who are you talking about?" she asked, sitting on the closed toilet. "Aurelia. She's finally resurfaced, and one can only imagine why. Just watch your back." they said. There was a click before Ruby stared at the phone. That wasn't good. Aurelia knew her affiliations almost better than anyone, but she also knew that Aurelia was a tricky sort. No one knew her better than Azazel and Meg. With Azazel dead and Meg in the wind it was hard to know what would make her come out of hiding. She sighed, and decided perhaps it was time to get out of the bathroom. She could only delay so long. "That was-" she began, but she saw the man at the door. "Guessing not the pizza then. Oh well." Something about this one didn't feel right either... She shrugged a bit and took her dirty clothes and placed them with her other things before sitting down. She wouldn't interject in the conversation until she felt Sam wanted her too. It was usually best if she stayed quiet and played the part of the 'hook-up.' And that was her intention, plus now she had other things to worry about.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) SAM WINCHESTER Sam listened to benjamin as he explained a brief history of when demons had been after him and what level demons were after him. He had to admit inside he was rather impressed that this psychic knew his levels of demons which told him he truly did know what he was talking about and that he wasn't newbie psychic who was way out of their league. He found it interesting also that the demons seemed to get lower in class as the attacks went on instead of higher which seemed rather unusual to him but if that was the case then it would be pretty easy to get them off this guy's back in theory. He noted Ruby's entrance from the bathroom and how she walked to the bed to stay out of the way but no doubt eaves drop. Something he wasn't so sure was the best idea right now, whilst smirking at her remark about Benjamin not being the pizza delivery "sadly not" he replied. He then turned back to Benjamin "astaroth? Never heard of them" he replied, but his curiousity was indeed piqued so much so that he walked over to his laptop and booted it up to do a search for said demon. NATALIA WINCHESTER Natalia listened to what the girl was explaining and wondered who the hell knew of her link to the brothers and more importantly who the hell these people were. She was taking a risk saying she was their half sister as it was but she needed to know more, especially as she dumped the bombshell about Dean on her. "Bobby is a family friend,that's all you need to know" she told her as Annabeth walked inside with Natalia noting she didn't get caught in the hidden devils trap under the doormat. Okay, so this girl wasn't a demon that was one thing she didn't have to worry about. Yet the moment Cason walked in and got stopped by it she knew instantly why he was so hesitant to be sticking around. She instantly pulled out her handgun and took the safety off, aiming it right at the man. "You're hanging around with a bloody demon?!" she questioned, raising her voice probably a little more than she should have. "Are you insane?!" she asked again, looking at Annabeth only briefly befor elooking back at Cason. MIKA CHAMBERS Mika hated that Dean was shouting at them and clearly hurting his throat in the process. The course sound coming out of his mouth didn't go amiss on her and she instantly went to the fridge and grabbed him a bottle of cold water, handing it to him. She let Bobby answer the questions that Dean was asking, before continuing to hear what Dean said about the area where he was buried. "Things haven't been the same since you've been gone, I don't know whats going on it seems something is coming. But I'm sure Bobby could explain better than I can, I pretty much gave up hunting when I knew we couldn't bring you back." she admitted to him. "But we'll find Sam and Natalia, I promise" she reassured him, sitting next to him on the couch. "I'm so glad you're back though" she added.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth AnnaBeth and Cason Annabeth's eyes were the size of saucers, staring at Cason. She didn't understand why he couldn't move. But he seemed to know why, and was extremely angry. Her fear and shock turned into nervous tears as Natalia snapped at her. Her body flinched before she narrowed her teary eyes, causing a tear to fall, "A what? Demon?! Demons are real?" "Kitten…listen. I can explain.", Cason calmly muttered, holding a hand out in front of both women, mostly to try and keep Natalia for throwing anything at him…or as the Winchesters seemed to be keen to do, stab him, "Stay back!" Annabeth positioned herself almost behind Natalia as Cason spoke, terrified of the man she had been dating for the past two years. —— Dean Winchester Dean took the water from Mika, cracking it open and nearly drinking the entire bottle in one long gulp. Sighing in relief, he placed a hand over his eyes, "He must have made a deal. Whatever dug me up or rode me out…it's nothing good." He glanced up at Mika, taking in all of her features. Good terms…bad terms. He was good to see her, "I'm glad to be back. But, don't get too excited. Look at this." He then unbuttoned his sleeve, and pulled his arm from his shirt, showing Bobby and Mika the handprint left on his upper arm. This caused Bobby to stand from his chair, his eyes wide, "What the hell?" "Exactly. What do you think we're looking at here?" Bobby brushed his fingers across the scared tissue, and shook his head, "I have no idea. That seems like a good question for Sam." "Wait…Nat's not with Sam? Do we know where she is?", Dean asked, glancing from Mika to Bobby. Bobby simply shook his head, "Great. Two needles in two different piles of needles. I'll activate Sam's GPS." Dean sat down behind Bobby's desk carefully, his body still sore from the walking. He noticed all the empty bottles lying around and raised an eyebrow, "Hey guys? What's up with the liquor store?" When Bobby didn't answer him, he shifted his gaze to Mika.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Benjamin Benjamin, getting ready to fight, has a serious, focused look on his face as he glares at Ruby. "Sam, look out, it's one of them!" He points at Ruby. "Get rid of it, before it attacks!" Benjamin thought he had sensed something, and he did. It was Ruby. This demon was not especially very powerful, but for her rank, she was. Benjamin couldn't have known that Ruby was not just reliant on her powers but her skill and competency in fighting. As his voice rose in seriousness, he was getting ready to attack with serious telekinetic force. If he had to fight here, he might accidentally destroy the hotel room.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>Samael Dean Winchester Dean nodded to Mika, stepping over to her and reaching for her hand, squeezing it tightly for a second before releasing her and looking around at all the sigils on the walls. He turned his face to Bobby, "What do we need to do, to finish all this…?" Bobby simply shrugged, and pointed at a bowl that set atop an old work bench, "Blood. Hair. You choose. But we gotta get moving…" Dean nodded, and pulled his knife, knowing that blood magic was a lot more powerful than a simple strand of hair. He quickly walked over to the work bench, seeing that Bobby had already laid out the greatest hits of weapon choices they had. He gently picked up Ruby's knife and stared at it for a few seconds, before Bobby cleared his throat. "Yeah. I got it…", Dean whispered, squeezing the blade in his palm and slicing it over the bowl with a growl. He hated cutting his hands, but at least they healed quickly. He let the blood soak the herbs and pieces of bone that Bobby had assembled in the bowl, and then quickly wrapped his hand in a bandana he pulled from his back pocket. "Well. Here goes nothin'. You ready?", Bobby asked, clicking his tongue at Mika and tossing her a sawed off shotgun. He picked up his own rifle as Dean leaned into a fighting stance with Ruby's knife. "As ready as I'm gonna be…", Dean muttered. Bobby began speaking clearly in Latin, running his finger along the page of a book he had propped up on the table. As he finished the short passage of Latin, he looked up at the ceiling, picking up a match. He struck the match against the table, and dropped it into the bowl. Nothing. "…Did it work?", Dean asked, his eyes wide as he looked around the room. Everything was silent. Bobby simply shrugged at him, before the building began to rumble and the roof planks began to rise and fall loudly. The electricity came in and out, and Dean stood, the knife out in front of him as the front door to the barn began to rumble. Samael and Cason Cason groaned loudly as his back slammed into the window and then the ground below the window. That was unexpected. Groaning, he sat up, snapped his fingers and appeared back in the room, even if it was the last place he wanted to be with an angel. He raised his hand, ready to slap it on his little drawing, while glaring at Benjamin. Samael laughed grimly at Sam, "How noble of you…you have no idea what I am. I mean, how could you? Your kind, at least in this world, haven't laid eyes on my kind, that you can remember…" As the witch showed up, Samael raised both his eyebrows, amazed by what was standing in front of him, "A witch. How…interesting. Darling, I hope you don't think that your 'magic' is anything I'm particularly fearful of. I have dealt with your kind before. A mild annoyance, but, I'll deal." Samael simply snapped his fingers, and pointed at a nearby chair, causing Benjamin to sit in it. "Move…and I'll tear your forcefield to shreds and burn your heart from inside your chest. I have business. Particular business." He turned to the others in the room, seeing Esme seeming nervous and almost in pain, as well as Natalia who was being snarky toward him. He waved his hand, "If everyone can just calm themselves down…that would be lovely." He pressed Natalia, Esme and Sam's arms to their sides and sighed, "Better. Now…to business." With his right hand, he reached down, touching Annabeth's forehead gently. Watching her intently, he smiled when her eyes shot open and she let out a loud gasp, as her neck repaired itself. She looked up at him with wide eyes, and he smiled back at her, as if he was her savior. "There's my girl…", he whispered, rubbing the side of her face gently. He looked up at Sam, his eyes turning to an intense glare as he did so, "Take a look at the man who got you killed, love. Give him a good…hard…look. I want you to know, all of this is his fault. I'm sorry." Annabeth cut her eyes to Sam, where he stood bound and her eyes begged him to help her, "Sam? Sam what's going on?" Still staring at Sam, he ran a finger down her chest, her skin searing as he did so, causing a loud scream to leave her throat. As she screamed, every piece of glass in the room shattered. Samael shielded his vessels eyes and stared down at her. "Wow!", he laughed maniacally, doing the action again, which caused part of the ceiling to crack. Another caused the air around them to become hot. Samael continued laughing, but quickly realized that her skin being removed was not causing her enough harm, "And that is disappointing. You should be nearly dead by now, darling. A lowlife demon was able to snap your neck and I…can't simply torture you without you bringing this entire building down around all of us. I don't know if my brothers would appreciate not being able to kill the young Sam Winchester themselves. So, unfortunately…" Sighing, he rolled his eyes, glared at Sam one more time, and pressed his palm to her forehead. Her eyes, nostrils, and mouth lighting up a bright orange, and her skin burned brightly. Cason recognized what was happening, the light leaving her face shocking him out of his trance of shock and horror at her being sliced on. His hands were shaking as he scooted over to the table and slapped his hand against the sigil. A bright blinding light pierced every corner of the room as the angel screamed and disappeared, not even having time to make anymore remarks. Annabeth continued to sob, her hands coming up to grip her face, and shield her eyes in agony as she laid on the bed, curling up into a ball. She didn't even notice that she was bleeding badly from the missing skin on her chest, her eyes. She couldn't see… Her skin was still scorching hot to the touch and the glow was toning down.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) SAM AND NATALIA WINCHESTER Sam looked at Samael as he spoke to him with such an air of arrogance that if it was a punch it would have floored him easily but luckily for him it wasn't a punch and was just pure arrogance, arrogance that reminded him of what Demons had. Yet there was no way this guy was a demon, not if what he said was actually true anyway. With Benjamin's words making Samael turn his attention to him, SAm wondered if this would be an opening to get the upper hand but things were still moving far too quickly. How was this guy keeping the upper hand!? It made no sense to him, he just wanted to grieve Annabeth or find another way of bringing her back but he couldn't do anything in peace it seemed. He felt like if it wasn't for Ruby sending him to the damn school none of this would have happened and Annabeth would still be alive. He looked at the girls seeing how much Natalia wanted to go into fight mode, shaking his head at her discreetly to signal not to do anything brash but she just couldn't just stand back and watch. Especially when this Samael guy was being an incredibly smug son of a bitch. "Oh you son of a----" she sneered and was just about rush at him to punch him in his face when she felt her arms get binded to her sides, with no hope of being able to lift them. She hated that she could do nothing but watch on with everyone else as Annabeth suddenly got ressurected with just a touch of Samael's finger to her forehead. Sam couldn't believe what he was witnessing, seeing Annabeth come back to life with a gasp and eyes shooting wide open. He looked between Annabeth and Samael as he tried to process what was going on, whilst he glared back at Samael not approving of being blamed for her death. It wasn't his fault, was it? He didn't know if he should be blaming himself as this was now two epople blaming him. "I don't know Annabeth, but I'm trying to help you, I am" he said to her, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks once more, feeling utterly helpless. He just wanted to get to her but he couldn't, completely stuck and bound to the place where he stood, as he struggled to fight against the invisible bind on his arms at his sides. As the torture began on Annabeth, Sam screamed and begged Samael to stop hurting her as he fought against the binds more but couldn't break free. He tried to shield himself by squatting down on the ground and tilting his head forward to try and protect his head, as did Natalia as the glass and ceiling began to crack and shatter around them from Annabeth's power. As Samael paused his torture to speak to Annabeth and mentioned about demons, Natalia looked toward her brother wide eyed and then proceeded with the look of 'we need to talk if we survive this' which Sam tried to ignore. He knew his sister wouldn't let this drop if they got through this. When it wouldn't just stop Sam kept shouting and begging the angel to stop torturing Annabeth, tears flowing down his cheeks like waterfalls, his body starting to shake in fear and anger of not being in control whatsoever. He hated seeing and hearing her sob feeling so useless right now, especially when the light started to escape her but it was when Cason slammed his hand on the wall and the blinding flashing white light filled the room, did he and Natalia then shield their eyes by looking down at the ground and closing their eyes tightly shut. When the light disappeared, they felt the release on their arms and sighed with relief that they were even alive still. Sam ran to Annabeth's side, wanting to go and touch her but something told him not to, "Annabeth??" he questioned, his tone already asking for his vocal chords to ask if she was okay. "What the hells was that?" Natalia asked, looking primarily at Cason and Benjamin as it seemed they both knew what Samael was.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee "That was a corrupt Angel, Samael." "He wants to kill Sam and Dean or something. I wasn't sure. I got the vision to get here as soon as I can, since I didn't know if Samael would just kill you all." "Unfortunately, he had more power than even I could imagine. I was powerless to stop him once I got his attention." Benjamin looked nervous, hoping they wouldn't ask him about him being a witch.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS With Castiel now gone and Bobby waking up first, Mika was out but when Dean skidded across the room and grabbed ahold of her and she started to stir awake as she heard his voice pierce through the thin veil of unconsciousness and consciousness combined. As she woke up she groaned a bit, instinctively lifting her free hand up to her head, to feel Dean's hand there already and looked at him as he requested. "Urgh...what the hell was that?" she grumbled as she then hugged him, grateful that she was still very much alive and more importantly Dean was still alive and okay. She didn't even complain when he pressed his hand lightly on her forehead on the cut that had appeared, figuring that she must have hit her head on either the table or the shotgun, but judging by how the shotgun was laying on the ground, she guessed it was that she smacked as she went down. She then looked over at Bobby and sighing with relief seeing that he too was okay and not hurt. If she lost her only family member she never would have come back from that kind of grief. She had known for a long time that if she lost Bobby, she would go so far down the grief road that she was damn certain nothing would bring her back. "Everyone else okay?" she asked them both. SAM WINCHESTER Sam was glad that she let him try and clean her up a bit, whilst also glad that she was now calming down and not causing anymore damage to this hotel. As he finished doing what he could, he threw the ripped piece of cloth from his shirt into the nearby bin and looked up also having heard Cason's footsteps coming from the bathroom. He listened to his words and as much as he would love to disagree with him just on principle of him being a demon that was clearly posessive over Annabeth, he knew he couldn't disagree. The guy made a very valid point, the hotel looked worse for wear and if they stayed any longer he was convinced they might be blamed for the damages, which in a way he wouldn't blame the owners for doing as it was kind of their fault. "I agree we need to move on from this hotel. Before we either get kicked out or charged for the damages or have the feds on our case because we look like a right dodgy group." Sam replied before giving it a think about how many rooms they would possibly need for everyone. His thoughts were broken up by Annabeth whispering to him about wanting to travel with him in his car and nodded, "You can, dont worry" he told her back quietly then looked up at everyone in the room. "I do think we should bunk up with someone, no one should be left alone in this situation. I recommend Nat be with Esme in one room, Annabeth can share with me as she requested it, benjamin, if you're coming along I'd suggest you share with Cason unless Cason insists on bunking with myself and Annabeth, so that's three rooms possibly. Then get a fourth for Dean and Mika. If Bobby stays around which I doubt he's the only one I trust to be alone." he explained, throwing out a rough idea to see what the others thought.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling As Cason washed his hands, Esme leaned her head back against the wall but made sure she could still monitor him. When he finished and turned to her with a grin, she raised an eyebrow. As he spoke, she listened and studied him. He appeared to be truthful. But then again, she was pretty much a human lie detector. She almost laughed when he told her to consider him in her debt. A demon in the debt of a hunter, now that was something. That could either be a good thing or a bad thing because who knows when it could go bad and bite you in the ass. Esme looked at him with her brow still raised as he tried to prove that he was serious. All she could do at this moment was let it play out and see where it went. When Cason poked his head out the door and held his hands up as if she would fall, she couldn't help but roll her eyes a bit. She sighed heavily at his words to the others. She pushed herself off the wall and stumbled a bit. "I said I'm fine!" she snapped at Cason. Though the quick movement was a bad idea, her vision blurred, and she became light-headed. "Hellfire." she mumbled, as she reached for something to grab a hold of. She could feel nothing close and soon felt herself falling towards the tile floor.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean nodded at Mika, as he looked her over, running his thumb lightly around the outside of her head wound. He was concerned about it, but it didn't seem to need stitches. He brought her face to meet his eye line, by holding her cheeks to look her over, and make sure her eyes were reacting fine as he muttered, "We're fine. Are you okay?" "I'm good!", Bobby yelled from across the room, brushing dust and grime off the front of his shirt and pants. He looked around at the warding, and then at Dean, who seemed to be the only one not knocked out by whatever the hell that thing was, "If you got any good information, now would be the time to spill it." Dean shook his head lightly, "I need to confirm what the guy said before then…Why don't we pack up and head back to your place. We can figure it out there, where we have plenty of booze and a safety net." Bobby couldn't help but agree, staring down at his niece with worried eyes, "You doin' alright? I mean…are you good to ride, kid?" Cason As Esme snapped at him about being fine, he rolled his eyes as well, seeing that she was becoming more pale by the second. He listened to Sam's plan and shook his head lightly, "I don't sleep. So, I think I'll hang out between rooms. I can just walk around, or I can hang out with anyone who can't sleep. I don't want you….alone. And I don't want her without…" Cason stopped his sentence, as he was speaking about Esme when she fell. He reached his arms out, catching her, and gently lowering to the ground with her. He did his best to make sure he took most of the fall, and groaned. "…without someone to watch her. I owe her a debt for trying to save Annabeth. None of you could understand what that means." He pushed Esme's hair out of her face, and quickly vanished with her. After settling her in a room, near St. Louis, Missouri, he pulled out his phone and texted Sam's number on a phone he had lifted from Bobby Singer's car. 1113 Sycamore Drive Arnold, Missouri —-Already checked in, Samuel. Annabeth Annabeth gave a relieved smile, leaning her head against Sam as he spoke, listening to his voice vibrating his chest. She honestly didn't care where everyone else went, but she didn't trust him to be alone, and she didn't feel safe alone…especially now that her eyes were gone. She also had her powers to deal with, and try to figure out, and Sam seemed the least afraid of her. He was the one who treated her most like a human. And she was starting to have tiny flashes of a past life, where they were together as teenagers, but it felt brief. He was a lot more angry, in her visions. He was more stressed, but just as gentle and kind. The thought made her smile against his chest. "What about the angels? What do we do to stay away from them?", she asked honestly. She thought about her powers and then Cason disappeared, his absence something she could feel, after being with him for so many months, "I guess we'll just have to hope for the best…" Her words came out almost as a chuckle, as she scooted back from Sam, wanting to try her legs so they could get out of there. She swung her legs over the bed beside him, and stood carefully. "This is going to take getting used to, the whole…no eyes thing."</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee "Keep those glasses with you. Repeated long time use will allow you to eventually see shapes, colors and general locations of where everything is without having to wear them." Benjamin stated. "I regret not having the power to save you. That angel has a very ominous name, it's only fitting that he is so evil." "Annabeth, I could perhaps hide you from them and give you a place to rest, once we get to wherever we're going." He offered with a sign of regret in his voice.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin Lee Species: Witch Age: 21 in appearance, 178 years old Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Benjamin pretends to "just" be a psychic and clairvoyant, helping the main characters, be they Sam and Dean or anyone else for that matter, to prevent the Judeo Christian Apocalypse. Bio: Born in the English countryside in 1830, Benjamin was a natural born witch who could speak with plants and animals and later manifested telekinesis in puberty. English witches could sense his natural born talent and took him in to learn their craft. This man traveled the world after reaching his twenties and eventually settled down in America in the year 1948. He has tutored witches from all over the world over the past one hundred years. As is unusual with a witch, contact or some kind of involvement with demons was very uncommon for him. However, this powerful male witch has recently been targeted by demonic entities, and he is seeking out the Winchesters to help them overcome the source of the attempts on his life. Powers and Abilities: Powers: Telekinesis Clairvoyance/Psychometry Communication/domination over Plants and Animals Enhanced Perception: Evil Telepathy Longevity Omnilingualism Peak Human Intelligence Sheer Force Of Will/Pain Tolerance/Concentration Spell Casting: Protection spell creates a force field, skin tight around his entire body, and is at least as durable as Kevlar. He can focus on the forcefield to strengthen it. Protection spells cancel out curses and make it more difficult to effect a target with hostile magic. Ignis: A fireball erupts from the palm of his hand and strikes out at his targets. Frigis: A localized blizzard homes in on enemies, attempting to freeze them to death. Healing Spell: With a pinch of salt and herbs he can perform wonders of healing, curing long term chronic diseases and with incantations even curing permanent paralysis, blindness and cancers. As long as the body is whole and not too old, it is possible he can even resurrect the dead. Unlocking/Locking/Sealing Spell: Benjamin knows spells to lock/unlock and seal objects, people, animals or even occasionally spirits away. Glamor: Benjamin can change the physical appearance of himself or others through a one word command. Mirror Images Benjamin can split into multiple images of himself, which even those with clairvoyance or psychic abilities find very difficult to tell apart from the real man. Fulminis Venite: Benjamin conjures a lightning bolt to strike an enemy. Dispel Magic: Dispel magic causes spells and hexes to fizzle out. The stronger and more complex the spell, the less likely this spell is to work. Even with Benjamin's sheer force of will, something like Rowena's protection spell over her house, opening Lucifer's Cage, etcetera, and the major spells/rituals of the show can't be nullified. Salire per Spatium: A teleportation spell. Weaknesses: Despite having peak intelligence, and having the appearance and biological health of a young man, Benjamin has some kind of modest senility which occasionally effects his behavior from time to time. He once knew a vast array of powerful spells and only remembers a little over several of them now. Whenever in the presence of significant evil or danger, his senility is set into remission. Also, he has never learned how to use curses in spell casting on anyone.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Cason Cason smiled, pleased that she agreed to take his hand. He pulled her to his side as she stood, seeing the nervousness on her face, "I promise…I'm not going to let them hurt you." He spoke the words with a serious look on his face, reaching a hand up to quickly brush his thumb down her chin in an attempt to elicit a smile. He then turned to the front door, bringing her along with him as he turned the door knob, and swung the door open. Sarah quickly turned her head, and peeked around the door facing as they approached. She stood about a half a foot below Cason's eye level, her smoky hair whipping around as the chilly night air washed over them. "Hey, darlin'.", Cason almost cooed to her as he stepped over the threshold of the door, and onto the small porch. She backed up as he pulled Esme through the doorway with him, bringing her in front of Sarah. Her appearance was akin to a Doberman Pinscher, made of smoke and glowing red eyes as she pulled her lips back to show her teeth, "This is Esme. I know…she's a human. But you need to protect her, at all cost. No matter what you see. No matter where I go. You watch her." Sarah turned her gaze to Esme, stepping forward with a small thud and bowing her head. Cason didn't stop his orders as she did so, bringing his hand to her snout, "And anything that tries to get into this house, or near her, that doesn't smell like I do…destroy." Sarah growled, almost excited at the permission to kill something. She kept her bowed stance in front of Esme, as Cason reached down for Esme's hand. He yanked her forward, placing her hand amongst the wisping smoke atop Sarah's head, allowing her to pet the hellhound, something humans never were allowed to do, or they would be torn to shreds. "She can't hurt you now, even if she wanted to. Even the guy I stole her from, as a puppy, has no say, here."</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Cason's words didn't bring Esme much comfort. She didn't give a smile at his attempt. She followed him to the front door, her eyes trained on it as he opened it and swung it open. She saw Sarah peek around the door as they approached. Esme's eyes went wide at her size. Her eyes didn't leave Sarah as Cason spoke sweetly to her as they walked out onto the porch and in front of Sarah. Esme took in Sarah's appearance, noticing how much she looked like a Doberman that was made of tendrils of smoke. The most startling thing about her was her red eyes, followed by the showing of her teeth. Esme took a few steps back at the action as Cason spoke to Sarah. She couldn't lie to herself or hid it from her face. The hellhound that stood before her absolutely terrified the hell out of her. She froze as Sarah turned her red eyes on her and stepped forward and bowed. She listened to what Cason told Sarah as he placed a hand on her nose. Sarah's growl sent a shiver down her spine. Esme gave a yelp as Cason grabbed her hand and yanked her forward to Sarah, only to set her hand on Sarah's head as she closed her eyes tightly. She felt that her hand was on something solid, but she dared not open her eyes even at Cason's words. Was her hand truly resting on top of a hellhound's head? Was she still standing on Bobby's porch? Or was her mind playing tricks on her? Esme barely opened an eye to peek at her surroundings and Sarah in front of her, her hand was in fact resting on her head. "Holy hellfire!" she said in barely a whisper that was shaky. Esme finally opened her eyes fully and looked at Sarah, still not believing she was actually standing in front of a hellhound and had her hand on its head. This is stupidly crazy. she thought. Sarah still had her terrified, but she was slowly gaining control of herself and gaining color back to her face.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Cason Cason smiled at Esme's reaction to touching Sarah's head. Sarah groaned in appreciation of her new friend, nuzzling her smoky head into Esme's hand. Violet, almost seeming jealous of the attention her sister was getting and strolled over, herself, offering herself to Esme without a prompt, which caused Cason to smile wider. "While it will be these two who follow you around, any hellhound on this property knows the rules…", he explained, patting his best girl on the back as she nuzzled Esme and sat on her rump in front of her. "If you need private time, tell them. They can understand you, for the most part. They will just sit outside whatever door you're behind. No salt lines, unless they are inside, or they can't protect you…", he explained, "And they can't come near the vault. So, I would stay away from it, as well. Other than that, they're yours until you decide to give them up. I think you'll find it relaxing, once you get used to it." He looked out over the foggy junkyard, seeing the other hellhounds around the perimeter, patiently waiting for the worst to come. He could feel it in the wind that the demons were probably not going to play by the rules, but why would they? It wasn't Alastair's style. He heard the others entering the living room, as they stood with the door open, Bobby grumbling a bit about him wasting the air conditioning, despite the cool air coming through the door. "We should probably see what the plan is, yeah?", he said to her finally, nodding toward the open door.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme calmed a bit more when Sarah nuzzled her hand with a sound that sounded like appreciation. Esme then rubbed Sarah's head, then looked over at Violet as she came over. She couldn't help but smile a bit as Violet looked a bit jealous of the attention Sarah was getting. Esme slowly lifted her other hand and placed it on Violet's head and rubbed it. This was one of the craziest things she had done in her life, and she had done some crazy things in her life. When Cason spoke, Esme turned her head to look at him. Esme nodded to show she understood, then turned back to the two hounds in front of her as she was nuzzled by one. Esme rubbed their heads and patted the sides of their necks as Cason continued to explain everything she needed to know. She knew well that she wouldn't be able to use salt lines unless absolutely necessary, but she was glad he mentioned the vault. She knew nothing about it except that it was there, since she didn't go down with the other when Bobby had shown them. "Relaxing?" she repeated in a questioning tone. "Maybe." she said, looking over at him. She followed his gaze, looking out over the junkyard, taking in the fog and other hounds that roamed the grounds. If and when anything comes, they would be sure to hear with so many hounds around the house. Esme looked back at Sarah and Violet. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes. Even with the extra protection, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about this whole situation, but they couldn't let Annabeth go without a fight. She knew well that this all could end terribly. They could be killed or seriously injured from all that was coming their way. She sighed again as she heard Bobby grumble about wasting the air conditioning. She then nodded to Cason as she opened her eyes. "Yeah, we should. I don't want to be left in the dark on any of this." she mumbled. She looked at Sarah and Violet as she gave them both a good pat, a small smile coming to her. "Thank you." she whispered softly to them both. "I don't see a problem with one of you coming in. I don't think there is room for both of you in the living room. Just try not to make yourself known. We don't want to freak out the others." she continued in a soft whisper. Esme then turned to head back inside with the others.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA AND NATALIA Seeing Dean almost grumble in disapproval at her quip about how Dean used to like sleepovers also made Mika smirk smugly that she got one over on him for once. It made a change from playful jabs being made at her and she very rarely got one over on him, so when she did, she revelled in it and she noticed that Natalia and Sam noticed it also as she smirks on their lips. This was also her way of backing Sam up from the jabs, just like she always used to. As Dean said about getting the blankets and sleeping bags, she decided she would help him if it came to it, by remaining out of the way of the cast iron door and letting him. She didn't notice it, but being this close was making her skin feel rather warm under her clothing but she thought nothing of it, just assuming it was because there was no real air conditioning in this basement of Bobby's. She watched as Natalia stepped out behind Dean and then started walking toward the steps with her. "Can't believe you didn't say anything about this being down here" she quietly told Mika, "None of you asked" Mika quipped back with a smirk and light snigger. "Touche" Nat replied before looking back again as it was dicussed about the two of them helping come up with defence plans. SAM With the jesting done and over with, he looked back down at Annabeth as she walked back to him after studying every inch of the vault. He smiled at her at first but then she spoke so seriously and quietly, his smiel faded a little, not knowing where this was going but knew they did indeed need to talk. He wanted to tell her that he remembered her from when they were kids, remind her of that one brief meeting that night, but it seemed she needed to get what she had to say off her chest first. The words that came out of her mouth did not sit well with him at all, and he shook his head lightly but he knew she was right, he would have to let her go if they were to get any kind of advance on Alistair, but he didn't like the idea. "I don't wanna let you go again...but...but I know I have to" he mumbled back to her. "We have met before Anna...in Minnesota, in some grubby motel parking lot. We ran to a cabin in the adjacent woods and my brother and Mika came after us. Just know I have never forgiven myself for letting you run off that night and if I fail you again by getting you hurt because I agree to letting you go with AListair? I won't forgive myself for that either" he explained to her, placing his forehead to hers.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin Lee Knocking on the door, the witch noticed that he could sense the presence of someone very experienced and skilled as a hunter. Benjamin politely gave just three more raps on the door and would wait for Bobby to answer. "I'm a friend of the Winchesters." He stated. "Name's Benjamin, I fell asleep in the car." "Sorry!" He stated, as he was embarrassed. Sioux Falls was beautiful this time of year, he thought to himself.</s>
<\|description\|>Samael Species: Angel Age: ageless - as old as Castiel Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Tasked with ensuring that the abomination attached to Sam Winchester is eliminated, swiftly. Bio: Samael is a soldier, first and foremost. His no-nonsense and no quarter policies have made him an icon amongst the garrison he leads in heaven. He fought alongside Uriel and Castiel until his number was drawn to eliminate threats on Earth, similar to Castiel's own tasks. However, while Castiel is tasked with making sure plans are acted out according to the book, Samael is tasked with eliminating the Second. Liliths Second is a viable host to Lucifer (although not his true vessel, like Sam), a potential barrier between the younger Winchester brother and his purpose of releasing Lucifer, and must be killed. She has been shielded by her demon boyfriend's attempts to keep her from Lilith, but has not been warded against Angels. It's most unfortunate that she has once again come into the path of Sam Winchester...most unfortunate indeed. They might have told him to try and save her soul, but that's not his business. His business is getting the task done, by all means necessary. The Winchesters are gnats. They can be swatted, and if God wants to bring them back for their roles, that's his business. He has his orders. Weapons: Angel Blade His own grace - can smite demons and humans as well as heal them. He can also teleport, thanks to his wings, and can time travel.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme didn't miss Mika's nod of thanks to her and gave a small smile in return. She sighed inwardly as she finished pulling out what they needed for Dean. She could still feel the tension between them but was happy she acknowledged her help. She was about to walk away from the table to tidy up the room a bit when Mika suggested she wrap Dean's left hand. "Alright." she said with a small smile. Esme grabbed some gauze and alcohol wipes before walking over to Dean's left side. She listened as he spoke and sighed. She didn't blame him for being worried about this whole thing. The last bit of what he said made her look up, even if it was directed at Mika. But she could relate to the statement even if she didn't have words to express it at that moment. Esme set the gauze on the arm of the chair and opened one packet, letting the paper hit the floor, then carefully pulled out the wipe and unfolded it. "This may sting a bit." she said as she gently took his wrist. She then carefully cleaned the cuts on his hand with the wipe, just barely catching what Natalia had said. Her eyes never looked up from her job. She then used the other for good measure. She tossed the wipes on the table before grabbing the gauze from the arm of the chair. Esme then carefully wrapped the gauze around his hand, being mindful to not wrap it too tight. When she had finished, she released his wrist and took a step back and looked over at Natalia. "I can hang back with you here." she told her. "You don't need a large group going with you to summon this thing." she said, looking back at Dean. "With Mika going, that should be plenty. Plus, it'll give you one less person to worry about." she continued. "Though, I won't lie. I'm worried about the three of you going to confront whatever this is."</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA AND NATALIA Mika knew that Dean would pick up on the fact she was letting Esme help her out and would take it as a start to her apologising to the woman for her earlier behaviour. That assumption was proven right when she noticed Dean smile breifly at her to which she returned and smiled back. She didn't fully agree with him flexing his hands but she let him do it anyway, understanding that it was just to make sure he could feel his hands. Though she did wish he would have a bit more faith in her handiwork than that. She had patched him plenty of times before after all, just as he had for her. With Esme finally coming over and helping her as they both listened to Dean admit he was worried about what they were about to get themselves into. She like Esme, understood why he was so worried, it was something they hadn't ever come across before and like he said, there was never anything given to them like this without some kind of price to come biting them back in the ass later on. She did the same routine as Esme did with Dean's right hand before leaning back in her chair when she done to stretch ehr back out for a split second. She listened to Esme give her two cents and Natalia's before she decided to speak up, "hey...we got this. We've made it through some pretty rough times, I've had worse I'm sure, can't think of any right now but you catch my drift." she replied to them all, which was half a lie as she could think of one incident....her miraculous survival from a wendigo attack. Natalia smiled as she rolled her eyes at Mika's comment to Dean and Esme, wondering when that fake cocky smart ass side of Mika would show up, she was tempted to say something about her childhood survival but decided against it, instead focusing on Esme deciding to stay behind with her to which she nodded in agreement. "Fine by me and I'm worried too but Brother you got this. We're Winchesters remember, we don't go down easy. Whatever is messing with you like this should learn to regret their actions" she told Dean. It may not have been the normal thing to say a sibling but it was her way of saying she had faith in him, Bobby and Mika to get answers and that he would be alright. It was also her way of showing some kind of sister affection without showing stereotypical affection. SAM WINCHESTER Seeing her groan and move on the ground, Sam sighed with relief that she was still alive and okay. He nodded at her words, and welcomed her coming to help him when she got grabbed and thrown again making him go wide eyed, "Annabeth!" he called out, struggling more to get out of his bonds. He did not want to lose yet another person on his watch, he wouldn't be able to handle another loss. Seeing her get up yet again and run over to him, he found her stubbornness strangely familiar, was it because they had met before at some stage he had forgotten about? Or was it because it was similar to his sister's and Mika's stubborn personality? He couldn't work it out initially but now wasn't the time to try and figure that out. He looked at her right in the eyes as she came over, her suddenly sweeping of his hair behind his ear and touch on his cheek felt like a massive brick wall had just been blown down as he suddenly remembered.....Anna. The girl from his teenage years, the girl he briefly ran off with to a cabin in the woods ooposite the motel that Dean and Mika were in, when Mika wasn't...well...herself. Now it made sense! Why her name rang a bell in his head, why her stubbornness felt so familiar...it was the same as when she begged him to run with her. "Anna..." he breathed in a whisper toward her, showing he wasn't upset with her in the slightest, just worried about her well being and shock that she was somehow back in his life. He was convinced that when she went missing that night after leaving him, Dean and Mika that she was dead, that the vampires had killed her. He snapped out of his thoughts when she went and untied his hands, making it easier for him to slip his hands out of the ropes. Yet his eyes suddenly spotted the demon walking in grinning like the cheshire cat as he looked like all his christmases had come at once. He got up off the chair as Annabeth tried to exorcise the demon with her hands and mind, but it just failed and then something came about that he was hoping never would....the demon got the upper hand and he witnessed him just snap Annabeth's neck like it was nothing but a twig. "ANNABETH!!" He screamed, tears filling up in his eyes as he saw her lifeless body on the ground. He had just found her alive and somehow been reunited with her and now he had lost her...again. This couldn't be happening, he can't be losing more people so soon after just getting Dean back. He couldn't take it anymore, he didn't even care that the demon was seeing him cry for the girl. Soon enough he looked back at the demon and narrowed his tear filled eyes in anger at him. "You son of a bitch" he sneered, using the back of his wrist to wipe his tears away. He held up his hand and focused with all his might to do everything Ruby had taught him and send this bastard back to Hell once and for all.</s> <\|message\|>AnnaBeth Dean Winchester Dean shook his head at Esme, but also agreed with her through his eyes, "I think you would do fine, with us. If this thing was something we knew about, I would trust you in action in a heartbeat. But…I don't want weaknesses around us. My weakness, not yours. Mika is a weakness for me, but I also know that if I say run, she'll run…or at least…I think…" He frowned a bit, wincing at them messing with his hands. This was going to be fun, fighting whatever the hell this thing was with no feeling in his hands. Dean smiled warmly at Natalia, not even realizing how much he had needed her around, until she was around. His time in Hell was very vivid in his head, and the demons had used plenty of threats toward her to torment him, before realizing it wouldn't break him. But, seeing her alive did set his heart aflame. "I mean. You're not wrong…", he muttered at her, raising his eyebrows. She was right about one thing. The Winchesters were damn hard to kill. There wasn't much they couldn't do together, and most everything in the universe seemed to know it. He pulled his hands away from the girls as they finished up, and stood, trying not to knock either of them over as he reached for his jacket. "Welp. There's no time like now to die, right? Twenty four hours out of the hole, and we're already on the chopping block again…Winchesters.", he laughed slightly, before shoving his gun back into his pants and stepping across the room toward the door. He waited there for Mika, and turned to the other girls, "You girls stay safe. Lock the doors…don't answer for anyone you don't know. You know the drill…" He gave the dad speech with a faux serious face, waving his hands around. Annabeth Annabeth lay on the dirty floor, her eyes open and glassy…lifeless as they stared at Sam. Her soul had left her body, and was now bouncing around between heaven and nothingness. The demon felt fulfilled as he stared at how she had folded up on the ground from the fall. His eyes then widened as Sam stepped forward and held his arm out in a rage, "Now hold on…you can't…" He began to gag, his body shaking and his eyes bulging as he stared at Sam. Black smoke began to slowly erupt from him throat and fall with sparks onto his feet and the ground below. "…It's a myth!!!", he screamed before the smoke sped up, and finally left his throat completely, causing his dead meat suit to crumble on the floor with a thud. Another demon that was merely in the room, waiting to subdue Sam if needed began to scream at the ceiling, the black smoke from his throat flying into an air vent as he panicked and ran away from Sam Winchester. Staring at Annabeth's body, and the body of his boss, the final demon had just stepped into the room, and also smoked out loudly.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin Lee At Dean's Grave At this point there was yellow tape around the area, the police were gone and no one else was around quite at the moment investigating. Benjamin was going to touch the grave to use for his psychic abilities to determine what his visions meant. As he touched the grave with his hand, he felt the presence of some strange divine being behind him. He turned around as the visions flooded his mind, this time, he needn't worry about being distracted by them, as he sensed danger from the mysterious spirit. "Oh, the name I'm getting from you, is Samael." "That . . . is really interesting. You feel like an angel, yet the name you carry is sometimes attributed to the Devil." "Care to explain sir?"</s>	<\|message\|>Samael Samael rolled his eyes, while sitting in an office chair in Heaven. A prayer was coming into his mind as he sat there. He was tempted to simply smite the psychic by showing his true form, but instead, he communicated back with an air of sarcasm to his voice. "What humans and prophets have attributed my name to, means nothing to me. I am an angel, although not as soft as some of my brothers...", he muttered, rubbing his brow, before his eyes widened at the life force of his target fleeing. The girl was dead. Screaming, he stood and turned the massive glass table with a huff, before smiting a young angel next to him with a thought and a growl. He then disappeared from the room, with a flutter of wings.</s>
<\|description\|>Cason Smith Species: Demon Age: unknown Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Tasked with hunting down and killing the remaining special children, all but the Boy King, whom he worships. Bio: Cason was a rather boring guy, when he was human. At 30, he sold his soul for honor. He wanted to be a class A soldier, the best there ever was. But what good is honor, if you never live to see it play out? After 10 years, the demon came to him with her hounds. Her hellhounds ripped him apart, leaving his remains scattered about his cabin. In hell, he was a good soldier, being allowed to leave the racks after only five years. Some may have called him weak. No, in Cason's mind, it was an opportunity for glory. Make the best of your situation, right? Word spread about the special children. All corners of hell wanted a piece of the pie. And when it failed for Lilith? She came looking for her brightest and most talented soldiers to hunt down her failures, hiding them from Lucifer. Now, only one remains. She may seem innocent, but you would be wrong to underestimate her. With his devotion to Sam Winchesters destiny, he will stop at nothing to make sure the boy isn't challenged...no matter who he has to go through first. But the girl is beautiful. It's almost hard to kill her. No. It's his job...but...does she even know? Shut up. He's a demon! He's a warrior! There's no room for sentimental bullshit here. But...is this guilt he's feeling? Weapons: Himself - teleportation, ability to change bodies at will, super strength and can only be killed by the Colt or Ruby's knife. Can also be exorcised. Ability to control hellhounds.</s> <\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester Dean's eyes went wide with a mixture of anger and surprise at how quickly Mika exploded. He opened his mouth to speak after her first set of words, but quickly closed it as she continued. "I deserved that…", he whispered, when the punch to his face was mentioned. He was honestly surprised she hadn't hit him harder, or kept hitting him, considering this wasn't the first time she had witnessed a scene like that. He flinched as she continued, saying the words that he had worried she would say, bringing up their past, and how dishonest he could be when he was stressed. "Mika…", he started, flinching again at her final words, and pushing off the back step of the house to follow her, "MIKA! Stop walking. You're not a saint either, you know! I only met her because…" He didn't want to bring up their last big breakup, as closed the gap between the house and her car, slowing to a creeping pace as he caught up with her and watched her climb up onto the trunk. He stepped up to her, refusing to give her space this time, as he needed her to hear him out. Placing his hands on both sides of her face to lift her eyes to him, he nearly growled, but softened his voice as best he could. "Let me explain what's going on. Alright? I'll tell you everything, but you have to listen…to me…and try to relax.", he said to her, carefully. He pressed his forehead to hers, nuzzling his nose against hers as he started to hum their song, just breathing with her through the humming. Cupid had nothing to do with this one. It was just Dean, trying to save what little of a relationship they had been able to keep up, over the years. As he finished the humming, his lips coming up to kiss her forehead, hoping that she was calm enough to speak to him, he narrowed his eyes. Dean's eyes had fallen on Cason's jacket draped over the back of the passenger seat, through the back window, which was still fogged around the corners. "That's not mine…", he muttered against her forehead, before taking a step back from her, just studying her face, "Mika that's not mine. I recognize that jacket…" Cason Cason threw his hands up as Esme pulled her hands from him and stepped away. He wanted to follow her, but knew that if he did, it might just start the singing back up, which none of them could handle, at this point. So, he did what he knew how to do. He sat down on the couch beside Natalia, and took the bottle of whiskey from the table in front of her, "Bobby?" Bobby didn't even need him to say anything, he picked up another glass from beside his desk and tossed it to Cason who caught it skillfully, and poured himself a glass of whiskey, "Here's to everyone's fucked up little relationships, and cupid, am I right?" "You're still thinking it's cupid?", Bobby asked as if Cason was insane. But Cason nodded, convinced, and Bobby's eyebrows fell, "So how do we get rid of him?" "We don't. The only thing we could feasibly do is to blast him back to heaven, and get him out of our hair, but who knows for how long?", Cason replied, taking a drink of his whiskey with a quivering hand. "You seem on edge, boy…", Bobby sighed, watching the demon in front of him shake like a leaf about something on his mind. But Cason didn't answer, only stared at the wall, as if he was waiting for something to happen. Annabeth Anna giggled into the kiss at his words, her giggle only growing a bit louder at the sound the bed made as he sat. She straddled Sam's waist, leaning back to let him remove her shirt, before her hands came up under the hem of his, making quick work of it over his broad shoulders and head. She tossed it to the side and pressed their bare chests together, sinking into his kiss. Her fingers coming back up to tangle in his hair, her heart began to beat hard enough that it was visible through he vein on her neck, the overwhelm causing a small and happy sigh to leave her nose as they finally made up for all the lost time… ——- Laying on the pile of blankets Dean had brought down for them earlier in the night, Anna leaned up, still panting a bit from the 'exercise' and traced circles on Sam's bare chest, "Wow…" She giggled at the only word that she could come up with in her mind and leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips with a bright smile. She felt almost normal, in that moment. The demon blood was likely reeking havoc on her system, but it had caused a perfect moment with Sam, that ended up causing a few bruises and scrapes, but was a long time coming. She just watched his face, safe with her, wrapped up in what seemed like a sea of blankets, and content. The image almost made her wonder if there could be happiness in this cycle of torture she had been in, down the road. Hopefully, with Sam.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS The moment Dean said she wasn't a Saint either, she paused for the tiniest of seconds before shhe had made her way onto the top of her trunk. She was so desperate to say 'how dare you?' to him as he tried to bring up their past, to bring up Ethan...the only other person she had in her life who was a constant...until she got him killed. That was far too a raw line to be dredging up and she used all her will power to not say something even more hurtful back. Through her hands on her head she could see his legs standing right in front of her, refusing to give her space, even though that's what she wanted from him. She flinched slightly as he grabbed the sides of her face and made her look at him as he spoke up and agreed to tell her everything. She didn't know if she would believe it or not but sighed as he nuzzled her nose, humming their song, a song that no one knew was theirs. It caused a lump in her throat to appear as she unwillingly calmed a little bit hearing it, tears falling down her face and onto his. She could feel that this was purely him, not some outside source making him do this. She tried to not fall for it but failed miserably. His hope in calming her enough to talk, working. She closed her eyes tightly shut as he kissed her forehead but then came a comment she was initially confused about, making her look behind her and saw Cason's jacket. The realisation of what Dean was going on about hitting her like a ton of bricks as she slowly looked back at him terrified of what she was about to confess to him. "Dean I...." she started stammering, her dear of how he was going to react evident in her eyes and tone. "whatever is doing this to us... G...got to me a...agin." she kept stammering. "one moment I'm singing, n...next thing.. I.. I'm screwing Cason..." she admitted hesitantly. "Dean I'm so sorry. We had no control over ourselves..."she said to him, trying to keep him with her. Her apology completely heartfelt. She was absolutely terrified of his reaction and desperately trying to keep talking to keep him where they were so he didn't go after Cason, even if she knew deep down it was completely useless. She couldn't stop Dean going after Ethan all those years ago, so there was no way she was going to be able to stop him now. NATALIA WINCHESTER Natalia found herself glancing between Cason and Bobby a couple of times as she witnessed Esme just pull away from him and go outside to get away from absolutely everyone. She actually didn't blame the woman for needing space, it seemed to be becoming a common trait in the group tonight. She watched as he came to sit with her on the couch and grabbed for the whiskey to which Bobby entertained him eith by throwing the glass at him. She had to admit, Cason did look absolutely petrified. Something was definitely up with him and she wanted to know. Yet it seemed she wasn't the only one noticing it as Bobby seemed to be bringing it as well. Cason's shaking like a leaf totally distracting her from the fact that Cason was adamant it was Cupid making them all do these stupid relationship wrecking moves. "Cason, what's going on?" she asked looking at him after he didn't answer Bobby. SAM WINCHESTER Catching his breath as they laid there together, Sam smiled to himself before chuckling at how Anna could onlysay'wow' to what they just did. He stroked her shoulder as they laid there together with his fingertips before looking down and kissing her back sweetly. Like her, he felt like this a moment of normality whilst being completely oblivious to everything going on upstairs. "that's one word for it" he finally replied after pulling away from the sweet kiss. He watched her face back as he continued to lightly stroke her shoulder and down her bicep. He was aware of the scratches and bruises they had put on each other and just remembering how they inflicted them on each other made him smile to himself. "I'm so glad you're back with me Anna" he told her softly.</s>	<\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester and Cason Dean closed his eyes, and sighed, stepping back from her with his jaw clenched as she confirmed what he was half afraid was the answer. He ran his right hand slowly down his face, trying to wipe away the rage that was filling his chest at that moment, "He's a demon. Things don't affect him the same way they would you…" He muttered the words slowly, not looking at her as he thought over his next move. He had felt so guilty about everything that had happened over the course of the night, only to come home to this. He couldn't even cry about it. He just huffed in the cool night air, and thought over his options. "He's a demon, Mika. He's a…", he shook his head, pulling Ruby's knife slowly from the back of his pants, twisting it to hold in his palm, blade down at his side. The light caught the metal blade and glinted as he started his way back up to the house, not caring if Mika followed him, at that moment. Cason shook his head at Natalia's question, still staring at the wall as he finished his drink and sat the glass on the table, "Dean Winchester is going to kill me, tonight." As if on cue, Dean opened the back door and stepped into the kitchen, his eyes burning as soon as he caught Cason in his sights. Cason sighed again and held up his hands, standing from the couch to step back from Dean's burning glare. "Dean…don't do anything stupid…", Bobby said softly, seeing the knife in his hand, "Dean!" Like a pouncing animal, Dean punched Cason in the face, knocking him to the ground. He drug him toward him, dropping the knife on the ground next to him as he straddled Cason's body, holding him up by his shirt, and wailing on him. "Dean stop! Whatever this is about, we can talk about it! There are Hellhounds outside, you idiot!", Bobby screamed at him, trying to find an angle to grab Dean and pull him off Cason. But Dean never flinched, just landing punch after punch against Cason's face. He pulled Cason's face up to his, "You knew what you were doing…I let you in. I never said anything about you being a demon. I trusted you. And now this…" Cason head butted Dean in the nose, causing the larger man to fall back on his ass against the floor, with a groan as Cason stood to his feet and squared up. "Get up. Get up! If I'm going to die like this…I'm going out on a high. Blaze of glory, baby!", Cason laughed almost maniacally, as he realized Dean's emotions had made him tired. But Dean stood, spearing Cason's torso with his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Before Dean could throw a punch with his control over Cason, he was flipped onto his back, Cason's fist connecting with his sore cheek, and then gripping his jaw, Cason slammed Dean's face against the floor once…twice…and three times, which subdued him enough for Cason to stand, wiping his mouth as he stood over Dean's groaning frame. Dean groaned roughly, trying to shake the ringing from his ears as his fingers slowly creeped his hand over toward the knife. Grasping it, he drove it into Cason's ankle, taking the demon off his feet. He then straddled him again, panting as he ignored his now bloody nose. He rested the knife against Cason's throat, driving the blade into his skin with bright orange sparks. "Do it. Coward...", Cason seethed at him, his eyes jet black as he leaned his head back to give Dean better access to his throat, "You took from me...I took from you...finish it, between us." "Dean stop!", Bobby screamed, his hand coming to grip the back of Dean's neck tightly, "Stop…No one is dying in this house tonight."</s>
<\|description\|>Cason Smith Species: Demon Age: unknown Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Tasked with hunting down and killing the remaining special children, all but the Boy King, whom he worships. Bio: Cason was a rather boring guy, when he was human. At 30, he sold his soul for honor. He wanted to be a class A soldier, the best there ever was. But what good is honor, if you never live to see it play out? After 10 years, the demon came to him with her hounds. Her hellhounds ripped him apart, leaving his remains scattered about his cabin. In hell, he was a good soldier, being allowed to leave the racks after only five years. Some may have called him weak. No, in Cason's mind, it was an opportunity for glory. Make the best of your situation, right? Word spread about the special children. All corners of hell wanted a piece of the pie. And when it failed for Lilith? She came looking for her brightest and most talented soldiers to hunt down her failures, hiding them from Lucifer. Now, only one remains. She may seem innocent, but you would be wrong to underestimate her. With his devotion to Sam Winchesters destiny, he will stop at nothing to make sure the boy isn't challenged...no matter who he has to go through first. But the girl is beautiful. It's almost hard to kill her. No. It's his job...but...does she even know? Shut up. He's a demon! He's a warrior! There's no room for sentimental bullshit here. But...is this guilt he's feeling? Weapons: Himself - teleportation, ability to change bodies at will, super strength and can only be killed by the Colt or Ruby's knife. Can also be exorcised. Ability to control hellhounds.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme Stirling Esme watched Duke as he reacted to the news of Sarah being a Hellhound. Her grip on Sarah tightened a little when she saw Duke's eyes go wide, scoot away from her, and then spoke. Yes, she knew he'd more than likely flip out over the news, but that didn't mean it wouldn't affect her any. She inwardly cringed as she listened to his words and saw the concern in his very wide eyes, then nodded softly at what he was saying. She scanned his face as he stared between her and Sarah, wishing at that moment she could read his thoughts on what she had told him, and also wished she could reach out and help him through this. Though she knew this was something he was going to have to work out on his own, she couldn't make him okay with having a Hellhound around if he wasn't. When he stopped scooting back, she watched him intently, then realized what he was doing. He was waiting for Sarah to attack him as most would do, and she couldn't blame him for expecting it to happen. Her eyes never left Duke as he waited for Sarah to jump up and attack him, but when he realized she wasn't going to and was loving on her, it was easy to spot. When he spoke, she lifted her head slightly from Sarah's and listened to him, then gave a small nod before she had tried to lean back against the headboard and failed. When Duke quickly scooted closer from her hiss in pain, she quietly sighed at the same time he did and listened to him once more, giving a weak smile at his chuckle. It wasn't hard to see how shaky he was knowing there was a Hellhound lying in the bed with them, but she hoped that her being between them would calm him a bit. She lifted her head from Sarah's and was about to answer his questions when he reached out and brushed his fingers down her cheek, her eyes closing briefly at his show of acceptance and her smile growing a little. She could see just how hard he was trying to keep himself together, and it made her feel for him. Esme hadn't taken the news of the Hellhounds being around that calmly either when Cason first brought them around. In fact, it terrified her having them around at first. Then, oddly enough, she came to enjoy having them around and lost most of her fear of them. Releasing Sarah's head after giving her cheek a scratch, Esme focused on Duke as she reached over and took one of his hands in hers. As she did, Sarah rested her head gently on Esme's lap and softly nuzzled into her stomach. Esme held Duke's hand a moment before she started to answer his questions. "Yes, she listens to me, but I haven't asked her to do too much." she started softly. "I once asked her to keep Cason away from me so I could get some sleep. Even though I was asleep, I could actually hear her growl at him for getting too close to the bed as I slept." she told him, holding back a small laugh at the memory. "Then when she jumped up on the bed, I only gave her a look, letting her know you weren't to be harmed." She looked over at Sarah briefly and met Duke's gaze once more. "Yes, she's just laying there. Somehow, she and I have formed a bond, but I'm not sure if the bond would last if Cason were to remove the mark he gave me so I could see Hellhounds." Her gaze dropped to their hands, then fell on the black mark on her hand with a sigh as she ran her thumb over his hand. Cason could easily come and take the mark off her hand if he wanted to, and she'd only be able to hear the Hounds. "I know this was a bomb to hit you with and I'm sorry for that, but I didn't want to keep it from you with Cason bringing her into the room and then leaving her. If you're not comfortable with her being so close, I can have her move somewhere else. Or if you're uncomfortable with her being in here, I can have her go somewhere else." As if on cue, Sarah lifted her head from Esme's lap, gently nuzzled her cheek, and slipped off the bed to lie on the floor on Esme's side of the bed. Esme turned her head and watched Sarah with a small smile. "Thank you, Sarah. We'll just have to do things slowly." she spoke warmly to her before she turned her gaze back to their hands. "The others aren't thrilled I've allowed her to stay so close. So, I can understand if you feel the same way." Esme lifted her head and looked back at Duke, now feeling his fear with Sarah on the floor. Her features were soft as she met his gaze once again. "But yes, I'm okay, just a little sore in some places." she said, bringing her other arm and hand to rest across her stomach and side. "There is something else I think you should know, but I'm a little afraid to tell you right now. I think I should wait until you've calmed down about finding out what Sarah is. I don't want to throw too much at you all at once." With that being said, she took in a breath and slowly let it out as she tried to once again lay back against the headboard, wincing and gripping her side when the pain shot through her side and stomach.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) MIKA CHAMBERS, NATALIA AND SAM WINCHESTER Mika knew she had to step in with reason when Dean gave Natalia the all too familiar gesture to say 'please don't' and she was glad that she did speak up as although it meant he glared at her, she knew deep down he couldn't argue with the logic and common sense of the plan. She also knew that Dean was only being like this because he cared about Natalia a lot more than he ever let on, and vise versa. She didn't particularly enjoy going with a decision that was against Dean's ideas and decisions, but sometimes she knew it was completely justified to do so. So when he did finally back down and agree that the plan to have Nat and Anna go with Cason to one side of the graveyard, and them the other, she let the tension relax from her shoulders that she didn't even realise she was holding. She agreed though that if Cason so much as got a single strand of either of their hairs out of place, he had to suffer some kind of consequences, no matter who it was that dished it out. It was Anna's reply to Dean though that made her raise her eyebrows in surprise, having not expected such a cut and dry remark from the woman. "Then it's settled" she commented, before smirking at Natalia asking Anna if she would be her date for the halloween party thinking how it so typical of Natalia to turn a serious and almost argumentative situation into something comical even for the briefest of moments. The fact that Annabeth could respond to it with ease made Mika see that the woman was going to truly fit in with their group just fine if she could give as good as she got. "Well I'd rather your date be my sister than Cason" Sam commented, shaking his head at how Natalia and Anna were being with each other. "I'll look after her well big bro" Nat told Sam, giving him a playful punch in the arm that had no weight behind it in the slightest but that didn't stop Sam pretending that it hurt his bicep by giving it a rub and scrunching his face up. "I guess I'll head to my room and get ready, gotta get out of this dumb suit and into something more appropriate for a party. Gotta look good for my date" she smirked jokingly, giving Anna a wink as she headed to Dean's room door. "Oh my god, stop!" Sam complained with a playful edge. He then looked at Dean and Mika, "Guess I'll do the same unless you need to discuss anything else? The bones we've both found are from what I can tell infant bones which just makes me cringe all the more...but unfortunately makes sense" he commented to his brother and Mika. "Sick bastards, infant bones? That's just beyond wrong" Mika said with disgust as Nat slipped out of the room and headed to her own room, where she walked down a few doors, opened her door and got inside, locking the door behind her. The idea that some witch would think 'oh let's just burn an infant child for my spells' really did not sit well with Mika, the thought made her internally shudder with disgust. Nat wasted no time in kicking her heels off, letting them fly across the ground as she walked to her bag to pull out some more comfortable clothing. "hmm...what to wear....ah who the hell am I kidding, I swear the same old shit every time" she commented to herself as she pulled out a pair of her bootcut jeans, a tshirt and overshirt.</s>	<\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Winchester and Anna Dean rolled his eyes at everyone being so playful, while he still grappled with his annoyance with taking a demon with them at all. He raised a hand and waved it at all of them, except Mika, "Alright. Get the hell out of my room so we can get dressed. We'll catch up in a few. An Nat? This is a business trip. It's not a frat party for you to…do whatever you do at a party. Got it? You too Sammy." Anna was too busy laughing at Nat's messing with Sam to really be bothered by Dean acting like a father. She stepped close to Sam as Nat stepped out of the room, and shot Nat a wink as she exited. She snarled her nose at the same time that Dean did, but Dean gave a little shudder about the infant bones. Anna was realizing that she had even less of a reason to like witches, if they were all into killing babies or digging them up to use their bones. Shaking the thought from her head, she looked up at Sam, and trailed her hand down to grab his. She shook her hair over her shoulder and leaned up on her tiptoes togged closer to his face, "I'm going to get dressed. I'm definitely not wearing heels to a graveyard. A broken ankle isn't high on my list of things I am excited about, tonight. I'll see you in a minute?" She asked the question with a slight smile, leaning up a bit further to press a tight kiss to his lips, before she let his hand go, and walked to the door. Dean raised his eyebrows and glanced at Mika, before glancing back to Sam, "Pretty casual with the PDA after what…a day of knowing each other again? Some things never change, I guess.", he teased, before turning to his bag. As Nat stepped into her room, and kicked off her heels, Cason watched her patiently from the table that sat in the front corner of the room. He had already gotten himself dressed in a casual suit, with no tie and shiny Chelsea boots. His hair was carefully placed on the top of his head, and he smelled extra nice, as if he was taking out a first date somewhere in the city. "I think you look stunning in the 'same old shit'.", his voice suddenly rang out in the room, smooth and calm as he smiled widely at her, showing every one of his too white teeth. He lifted a glass of whiskey he had poured himself from the bottle he brought as a gift, and took a drink, "And don't mind me. I'm just here to drink away my troubles, and give you a ride…since this is a date, and all. I heard everything." Duke Duke listened carefully as Esme explained that Sarah was essentially just a large and invisible guard dog. From the sounds of it, as long as Esme could see Sarah, she could control her, and Sarah didn't seem to mind. Duke took a deep breath, and scanned Esme's face, before glancing down to where Sarah laid. He nodded slowly and glanced down at his and Esme's hands, scanning over the mark on her hand. Somehow he hadn't noticed the mark before, but now, he couldn't take his eyes off it. Some sort of demonic branding that could make her see Hellhounds? Sounded like a hunter's dream. "Don't be sorry. It's…it is a shock. I'm not going to lie. She seems big, and I know what Hellhounds can do to a person, you know? And most Hellhounds aren't pets. I haven't known many demons that kept them. I mean…I don't go around hangin' out with demons very often anyway, but apparently the Winchesters are doin' in now. So maybe I'm behind on the times." He chuckled nervously, after his nervous ramble about Sarah. But as Sarah stood from the bed and climbed on to the floor, Duke felt the bed rise with the loss of her weight. He still shivered a bit, as the last of his adrenaline rush, at the revelation began to fade. As Esme turned back to him, he rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand and took a deep breath as she spoke, "It's…unusual. But if she makes you feel better, who am I to ask her to leave. Just…keep her on her leash, if that's a thing." He moved quickly as she mentioned that she had something else to tell him. He wrapped an arm around the middle of her back, helping her lay back against the headboard. It killed him that she was so injured, despite everything that seemed to be coming up about her life. He wanted to know everything about what her life had been since she had left. Every single thing. But she seemed genuinely worried he would run off if she told him anything more, "Sweetheart…I don't think you could tell me anything heavier than what's been laid on me tonight. I'm gonna need a stiff drink, an IOU for that kiss from earlier, and pizza, but you can lay it on me."</s>
<\|description\|>Cason Smith Species: Demon Age: unknown Appearance: Relation to characters (optional): Tasked with hunting down and killing the remaining special children, all but the Boy King, whom he worships. Bio: Cason was a rather boring guy, when he was human. At 30, he sold his soul for honor. He wanted to be a class A soldier, the best there ever was. But what good is honor, if you never live to see it play out? After 10 years, the demon came to him with her hounds. Her hellhounds ripped him apart, leaving his remains scattered about his cabin. In hell, he was a good soldier, being allowed to leave the racks after only five years. Some may have called him weak. No, in Cason's mind, it was an opportunity for glory. Make the best of your situation, right? Word spread about the special children. All corners of hell wanted a piece of the pie. And when it failed for Lilith? She came looking for her brightest and most talented soldiers to hunt down her failures, hiding them from Lucifer. Now, only one remains. She may seem innocent, but you would be wrong to underestimate her. With his devotion to Sam Winchesters destiny, he will stop at nothing to make sure the boy isn't challenged...no matter who he has to go through first. But the girl is beautiful. It's almost hard to kill her. No. It's his job...but...does she even know? Shut up. He's a demon! He's a warrior! There's no room for sentimental bullshit here. But...is this guilt he's feeling? Weapons: Himself - teleportation, ability to change bodies at will, super strength and can only be killed by the Colt or Ruby's knife. Can also be exorcised. Ability to control hellhounds.</s> <\|message\|>Natalia Winchester (previously Natalia Drake) NATALIA Dean's feigning of innocence didn't wash over Natalia in the slightest. She just gave an unimpressed look to show him she didn't believe him at all that he 'didn't know what she was talking about'. She folded her arms across her chest to show him this was not going to be dropped and he may as well just come out with it before they butt heads all over again. It was quite the sight to see her almost mimic her brother's stance, showing there was no denying she was his sister, but unlike Dean, she didn't unfold her arms when he finally caved and began saying a load of questions at her. The moment he sarcastically called Cason 'Saint Demon' she narrowed her eyes at him and it seemed to be enough as he seemed to back down on that remark and try and word his question better, but it didn't get any better. He essentially asked her if she was already sleeping with him, making her scoff in disbelief that he'd think that low of her. She started opening her mouth to speak but Cason suddenly appeared behind her, making Dean let her know this conversation was far from over. Sighing, she finally unfolded her arms and gave Dean a nod. "Cason I'm alright, if you know where Anna is please tell Sam, I've got some more discussing to do with my brother" she told him, shooting him a quick glance but then looked straight back at Dean, her tone showing she was not happy with Dean still and she had some very strong words to say to him. She wasn't going to hold things back any more and instead of bottling everything up and keeping people out of her thoughts and opinions, she was going to start being open with them. SAM AND MIKA Mika and Sam were both ready to pounce between the two siblings the moment Dean started to ask his questions. Questions that Sam found valid and he himself was thinking even if he would have asked them in a slightly more tactful manner. He knew Nat was still in a very much delicate state and any wrongfully worded question to her could make her flip out on them all over again if they weren't careful. It seemed to him and to Mika, that Dean didn't share the same thought process. Then came the very blunt question of 'are you shagging him?' even if Dean didn't outright ask it in that manner and Mika instantly started to walk toward the two of them when Cason's re-appearance made her pause her walking and see just how close Cason had put himself to Nat. She gently shook her head at Dean to silently say 'be careful Dean', especially as she didn't appreciate getting brought into the earlier questions, but could understand why he did. To try and break up the silence, Sam cleared his throat and stepped forward to Cason, noticing the piece of paper in his hands. "Is that her location?" he asked him, gesturing to the paper in Cason's hand, wanting answers to Natalia's situation but also wanting Anna's location even more so.</s> <\|message\|>Esme Marabella Stirling Esme As Esme lay on the bed, with her arms still over her face, she listened to Duke come into the room and shut the door behind him. When he didn't immediately come over to the bed, she grew a bit worried but still couldn't bring herself to look over at him. When she heard his boots hit the floor and his hat land on the dresser, she figured he was getting dressed and would maybe walk back out giving her space when he was done. She wouldn't have thought anything of it if that was what he would have done, but he didn't. He stood at the end of the bed, she could feel his presence there and heard his deep breath to calm his nerves. She had made him nervous to come near her after everything that happened outside. Concentrating, to push past the shield Sarah caused, she could feel his nervousness, and it made her sick to her stomach. She didn't want him to ever be nervous to approach her after one of her little episodes, which she hadn't had in some time. She wanted to hide away from him more than ever now. She then felt the mattress dip as Duke crawled onto the mattress, then all the way up until he was next to her. It was strange witnessing him be so careful as if he was afraid she would go off on him again. She didn't have it in her to go off on him again, and she was still kicking herself for going about it the way she did. When he took hold of her wrist, her heart sped up. The gentleness of his touch started to break her out of her makeshift walls. She didn't fight against him when he pulled her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles after he spoke. Duke's light teasing and making sure she could feel his smile, caused an ever-so-slight smile to tug at the corners of her mouth. With him acting like this, she was finding it difficult to keep up her shield. Plus, it wasn't him that needed to apologize, it was her. She was the one that needed to apologize to him for her actions outside. Calling her Sweet Pea was what did her in, she could no longer lay there without looking at him, especially with how sweet and gentle he was being. Esme slowly pulled her arm from her face to see he was reaching for her other hand. Without thinking, she placed her hand within his, then looked up at him. She then forced herself to sit up and looked into his blue eyes, so she could talk to him, her eyes shifting between his as she looked at him. "Duke, I'm s…." she dropped her head and looked at their hands. "I'm sorry for the way I acted out there." She then lifted her head to look at him, then looked over at his hat on the dresser. "In less than an hour, I became a completely different person. I blew on you over the bounty hunter idea. Then when I went and talked to Cason, I used blackmail to get him to help us find Anna." She then dropped her head and shook it with a heavy sigh. "That's not me. I don't blackmail those that have helped me or are a part of the group I'm in." she rambled to him. "I'm honestly surprised you're even here next to me after I bit your head off. I've been a real bitch this morning."</s>	<\|message\|>Cason Smith Dean Dean watched the way Nat handled Cason and even tilted his head to the side in amusement at the way that Cason simply nodded, almost like a puppy in Dean's eyes, and pushed past both her and Dean. "Isn't that cute?", Dean muttered without even realizing it. He quickly looked down at Nat's face, and shot her a cheeky smile, before wiping it from his face completely. She would kill him before she would give him the satisfaction of insulting Cason, at the moment. "So, he seems to listen to you. That's nice. My question would be, why?", he asked, scanning Nat's face. He knew she was probably going to blow up on him. She would probably find every reason in the world to defend Cason, and honestly? He was tempted to give the guy benefit of the doubt, if his story was true. Cason Cason met Sam halfway, after leaving Nat, albeit reluctantly. As soon as the taller man stepped in front of him, he held the paper out in front of him and nodded, "Yeah. She was exactly where I figured she would be. She's a creature of habit, which is good for you, bad for her, I guess." Cason let Sam take the piece of paper and sighed, scratching his neck awkwardly to decide how to even talk to Sam as anything other than some random human, or at the least, the awkward new boyfriend of his ex. It wasn't as if he hadn't noticed Sam hovering here and there in the background, at Stanford. Or like Sam didn't pop up and come across Anna in coffee shops, where Cason would have to distract her to keep her from getting too close to him…for reasons. "I have to warn you. She's not alone.", he started, before holding his hands up to let Sam know he would explain, "I don't know if you remember Max. Short little guy with a bit of a droopy lip, dreamy blue eyes…had a bit of a crush on Anna before I met her. Well, she's staying at his place. He's a good kid. I don't recommend, if your plan is to bring her home, that you hurt him. Just trust me on that." Cason stepped over to the railing of the motel sidewalk, and leaned against it, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter, before lighting up. Now that Nat was all but demanding he stick around, even looking at the others was awkward. Duke Duke was relieved as the smile appeared from nowhere on Esme's lips, and when she pulled her other hand down, he dropped his shoulders with relief, a bright and familiar smile flooding over his face. But that smile faded after a moment, as she started to apologize. He gripped her hands a bit tighter and started to argue with her, but he knew that arguing, while trying to get his own apology in was probably not the best move. What surprised him was her explanation for her apology. Not only had she lost it on him but apparently she had all but bullied Cason into leaving, which was successful, so he didn't see harm. But he also knew Esme well enough to know that she was very VERY sensitive to manipulation. "So, you stop with that…first off.", he corrected her about him being there with her, "And as far as the blow up at me? You've blown up at me before. At least this time, I was being dumb…" His accent shined as he reached out and tilted her chin with one of his fingers, a smile spreading over his face again, "It takes a hell of a lot more than snappin' my head off, over bounty hunter drama for me to just run off. You know that. At least you didn't hit me, this time. No stitches…no foul." Duke pinched her chin gently, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip, while watching the contact intently, "I just assumed you were hungry. You always did turn into some other not so human kind of creature when you were hungry. Hangry…", he teased, before flashing his pearly white smile again.</s>
<\|description\|>Annabelle (Anna) Lockhart Personal Quote: "Well someone's gotta keep all these hungry mouths fed." Gender: Female Race: Caucasian Nationality: French-American Age: 24 Occupation: Camp cook Faction: With the McCullen rainwater gang for about 3 years, after she escaped from a rival gang "Bannon's Boys" alternatively known as "Bannon's Midnight Express Gang" on account of the fact that they were most famous for train robbings at night. Family: Antony Lockhart-Father-Ranch hand-Deceased (died of an illness) Sarah Lockhart-Mother-N/A-Deceased (died giving birth to Annabelle) Also know and Dick Head to the rest of the gang as the horse has a bit on an attitude toward anyone that is not Annabelle Equipment: Sharps Rifle, Volcanic Pistol, various cooking supplies (pots, pans, seasonings, the works) Skills: Cookin and Sharp shootin Personality: Perhaps a little too blunt for most people's liking. She isn't afraid to say what she thinks which sometimes leads to getting into various arguments with other gang members. She is however, fearisly loyal to the gang that basically brought her broken spirit back to life. She views the people within the gang as family and will go through Hevan and Hell for them if she needs to. Other than her blunt manor of speaking she is a rather kind individual however, making sure everyone is taken care of. Likes: Good food, good friends/family and a good time Dislikes: Betrayal, Boredom, Bannon's Boys, the Rival Gang she was originally with (Unintentional alliteration XD) Backstory (optional): Annabelle Lockhart was born to Jack and Molly Lockhart. Her father was a simple farm hand and her mother a seamstress. They lived a peaceful life. The family wasn't well off however they survived. Her mother even found time to teach Anna to read and write. As a child she ran around with her father's boss's son a lot. There parents were convinced the two children were smitten with each other. As much as two children could be. Eventually, when the two were just entering there teen year, the boy fell ill. He never recovered. Shortly after his death when she was 13 Anna began finding ways to rebel, one such way ended up being befriending the not so law abiding teens in the nearby town. One such teen was named Victor Bannon. Annabelle and Victor became quite close in the two years the pair had known each other so when an outlaw gang happened upon Victor it seemed a no-brainer for Anna to go with him. This would turn out to be Anna's first mistake. For three years Anna followed Victor around falling in love with him along the way, oblivious to the red flags the boy started to exhibit. It started small, however by the time she was 18 Victor had managed to take over the gang from the previous leader, turning it into Bannon's Boys. Many of the older members had either been killed or run out of the gang at this point. It was here that Victor became more violent. Even toward Anna. Of course at first she made excuses, it was her fault, he was stressed, whatever she could to excuse his behavior. She was in love after all, and at some point he had felt the same way toward her. Over the years things got worse and Anna realized that Victor was not the man she fell in love with. He had changed, but she felt it was too late. Anna spent 3 years being beaten by not only the man she once loved, but his men as well. Slowly growing to hate the people she once called family. Eventually she found a way out, stealing a horse nobody paid much attention to, the Shire she now calls Delta, and taking off. She was a shell of her old self when Elijah and his gang found her beaten and hungry on the side of the road. It was a wonder the group didn't think she was already dead. But they took her in and helped her get her life back. For this she is eternally grateful. When she was well enough she had taken over cooking for the gang. She felt like she was paying back the gang by doing this. And it gave her something to focus on, as well as taking care of Delta. The horse was in poor condition when she had stolen him and fled, but now they are both strong and healthy and looking out of Bannon's Boys, they want there revenge. She tends to keep most of her past to herself not really wanting to relive most of it. The rest of the gang simply know that she ran away from Bannon's Boys about 3 years ago and hate the members of the gang more than anything else on the planet, often going out of her way to kill one or two of them if given the chance. She now lives as the McCullen gang's cook and occasional sharp shooter if they need that.</s> <\|message\|>Peter "Pete" Tailor (adopted name, as Dietrich Schneider was hard for people to say.) When invited, Pete was all too happy to saddle up Kaiser and join everyone on their trip into town. He even shrugged as Ben gave him a slight ribbing, though he decided to keep his retort about how no amount of beauty sleep would do Ben any favors to himself. Kaiser stayed still while Pete set him up with saddle and bit. After a quick once over of his saddlebags, Pete slung his rifle over his shoulder and mounted his horse. When the call went out to get going, Pete gently touched his spurs to Kaiser to get him going. Pete liked to ride a few yards ahead of the wagon whenever they went out like this. There was something about a view of open country and big blue sky that made him glad to be alive. Not that he didn't like spending time with his fellow gang members, especially Annabelle. Annabelle Lockhart. He had been casually flirting with her for some time, but he had zero clue if this was even serious. Was she even interested? Maybe she was already spoken for? Either way, he decided to ask Ben about it later. Pete knew that he had much more experience with women. As he enjoyed the gorgeous vista laid out before the gang, Pete heard a loud pop, far in the distance. He thought he was imagining things at first, but soon the sound was followed by many, many more. "Boss." he said, turning back towards Elijah. "Sounds like gunfire." Pete was already bringing his rifle off his shoulder. "Want me to check it out?"</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin 'Ben' Masters There was trouble in the air. Ben could smell it on the wind as trouble was the keyword to trigger his senses. He narrowed his eyes and looked back over his shoulder towards the sounds. Those were definitely gunshots. He had heard plenty during his life as an outlaw to mistake it for anything else but that. A gunfight. Another gang that had ran into a posse of lawmen? The shots were too many to be those of hunters. Suddenly he remembered that some of the gang had gone out to hunt and had not returned when Ben and the others had left for McKinley, one of them being John Blackthorne. Damn. Damn. DAMN! "Check if your guns are loaded, ladies." He said as he took his rifle from his lap and cocked the lever. He was sitting shotgun next to Gus who was driving the wagon and he shifted on his seat with every shot that rang. He felt torn to what he should do. He was aching to go and take a look but Elijah had said that he had to keep an eye on the women. He cursed once again but louder this time. His eyes went to Kira while he wondered if she was thinking what he was thinking or rather feared. They had barely left camp and now this. If he had known the day would start like that... Finally he made up his mind and jumped down from the wagon, gritting his teeth. His blood was pumping in his veins and he could feel the pounding of his heart in anticipation for what was going to come. "Miss Blackthorne! Let me borrow yer horse for a moment and get into the wagon. No complainin'. Jus' do what I say!" He held out his hand to help her down as quick as she was able to. "Miss Annabelle! You take my place next to Gus! Keep the wagon going but do not rush. I'm sure even you can manage that Gus. I'll be back soon."</s>	<\|message\|>Annabelle (Anna) Lockhart Most of the gang was now headed toward town. It was a great relief to Annabelle as she needed to get into some sort of civilization for a breath of normal. Or as normal as her life could get. Though she was a little annoyed that Ben had somehow managed to take the shotgun spot. But she didn't let that annoyance show instead she reminded Gus that Delta needed a firm hand. The horse was as stubborn as they came toward anyone but Anna, this was only because she had rescued the big brute when she fled her old gang. Or rather, they had rescued each other. Anna never would have made it out of there if it wasn't for Delta and the same went for the horse. She was lost in thought when the sound of gunshots entered her ears. It was an unmistakable sound, one she had been around long enough to know it from any distance. She looked toward Ben and then to Pete both who seemed ready to make a move. Though Ben seemed more in thought than the other male. Eventually he seemed to have come to a decision, telling Anna to take his spot on the wagon, which she easily slid into as soon as the seat was available but not before reaching to grab her own rifle, just in case the trouble made it to them. "Be careful Mister Masters we don't need anyone else gettin hurt if it can be helped. That goes to you too Mister Tailor, be safe!" She called the last bit to Pete who was a little ahead of them. "The rest of us will keep headin to town, join us afterward if you can." She looked to make sure everyone was situated before motioning to Gus to keep them moving. Hopefully whatever was happening wasn't too much trouble for them. She would hate to have to pack up and move so soon after getting here. It would be a huge pain especially after only just unpacking.</s>
<\|description\|>Benjamin 'Ben' Masters youtube.com/watch?v=56mHjE4WTI4&ab_ch… Gender: Male Age: 26 Race: Caucasian Nationality: American Occupation: Stable boy, street kid Faction: Been with the McCullen-Rainwater gang since his 15 Family: Father Robert Masters former rancher (Died during the Civil War), Mother Eliza Baker (Died of illness), no other family that he knows of. Horse: Equipment: A colt SAA with black handle, an Evans Repeating Rifle, bowie knife, bed roll, red scarf, black gambler hat, buttoned leather vest, gray saddle pants and leather brown boots with spurs. Skills: Gang gave him much of his 'education'. Horseback riding: Knows his way around horses since he was a child. Explosives: Knows enough to understand how to blow open a safe or where to place them for maximum effect. Guns: Taught himself how to shoot at first, learned the rest when he was in the gang. Personality: You can without a doubt call him ruthless and cold-blooded and has no problem shooting somebody. Always takes what he wants and doesn't take no for an answer. Fiercely loyal to the gang. Does not drink alcohol because, as he says, you never know when you have to pick up your guns. Likes/Dislikes: Likes: Honesty, money, women and the occasional killing of somebody. Dislikes: Betrayal and the law. Backstory: Born somewhere in the state of Texas in 1861, while the country was engulfed in a terrible civil war in which his father lost his life. Benjamin knew only his father from the stories his mother told him and the picture she had of him. His mother, Eliza, struggled to make ends meet and more often than not, men who represented the bank came knocking. When his mother died after weeks of being ill, Benjamin was eight at the time, the bank confiscated the house and he was sent to an orphanage. It was there that he learned to fight. Older boys were constantly bullying and beating him without ever receiving punishment. He felt miserable yet he always tried to stand up for himself even if it meant he would receive even more beatings. One day, when he was eleven, he got into a fight and it ended with the other boy dying. It had been an accident, the boy had fallen badly hitting his head and did not get up anymore. Benjamin strangely did not feel any remorse, since it had been one of the older boys who had been bullying him ever since he had arrived in the orphanage. After it had happened, he ran away and hid in barns or sheds knowing they were searching for him. Eventually he got on board of a train, where he snuck into cattle wagon. He did not know after how many stops they found him but the rancher, who owned the cattle, decided to take him in and made him into a stable boy. The foreman of the ranch however did not like Benjamin one bit and treated him harshly and with disdain. Benjamin decided not to let it bother him too much and his life at the ranch was better than it had been the last years. Until he got accused of stealing. The law was send and they did not believe him when he told them he didn't do what he was accused of. When the officers of the law found the things tucked away amongst his belongings, they also found out that he was a runaway from the orphanage and that a boy had died because of him. Only by sheer luck he managed to escape the law, stole a horse and ran as fast and far as he could. The years that followed had not been better for him, years where he did everything to survive. He sold the horse and bought a gun, he started to steal and rob people. At times he even got paid to kill someone. He never stayed in one place too long, to keep evading the law. It was a hard life and there were times where he almost gave up on it. Then he was found by Elijah Rainwater and his life changed once more.</s> <\|message\|>Kira Blackthorne With each passing second Kira was agonizingly awaiting her husband's return, silently not saying a single word. She was unknowing of just what her beloved had gone through, still she was unaware of what she would soon be in for when he would be returning to her. She knew that he was a broken man but knew that she was also a forgiving woman when it came to a few things here and there. She waited in the carriage, looking down at her hands and soon she saw her beloved horse swiftly galloping by. "Feather! .. come here girl!" She called out to her beloved companion, the horse turning sharply and running toward her, slowing down and soon stopping in it's tracks. She shook her head from one side to the other as if she were sayig the word "no" neighing and huffing through her wide nostrils, pawing at the ground with her right hoof and alerting her owner that she was unsettled and nervous from all of what had happened. "What is it girl .. what happened back there?" Kira asked softly, gently, delicately, seeming to ask as if the majestic animal could speak of her language which was of course impossible. Kira stroked her snout gently up and down the middle of it, letting her beloved Feather know that she was there for her and the gang as well, also letting her know that this was a safe place and harm was not allowed. It was now a distant thing. Kira guided Feather to the carriage and stood there, waiting for further orders from the orders of the leader of the gang. She wanted to mount her graceful steed and ride her to the Hunting Cabin to find her husband but she was unable to because she was under strict orders because of being restricted to going into town only. She sighed sadly, wanting to ride to figure out as to where her husband was. She felt as though something awful had happened and it had her heart beating fast and her soul wanting to find out what exactly happened there. With each passing minute the timer ticked down on her sanity that her husband was not returning to the camp. SO far it was one and a half days but to her it felt like an eternity. She needed to hold him, to touch him and know that everything was as it should have been. Many would probably call her crazy, insane, paranoid, clingy, worried but she was just being her natural self. She missed John. She was clingy but she loved each moment of it. She loved his warm touch, she loved being a witness to his smile, she knew that she was a cause of it as he was of hers. She wanted to give him space but she always wanted to be a reason for his proudness.</s> <\|message\|>Hannah Faye Bennet Hannah Bennett Location: Town of McKinley, Saloon The perfect silence of the saloon had been broken. A gaggle of well-to-do Gents and a tag along lady fluttered into the empty halls, a cloud of sound with them. With a sigh, Hannah reaches over to get her husband's hat off the counter and flops it on her head, pulling the brim down. Oh she knew that voice all right. It was Mathias Quinn. She and her husband had bought horses from him a few years back and even sold one of their brood mares to him in return. They weren't exactly competition, but Hannah had always worried that the horse man would turn cow man once he found out how much more money running cattle was... of course, her husband had said that it was too dirty of a job for a clean man like Mr. Quinn. A bar stool not too far from herself rumbled softly against the floor as it was moved and out of the corner of her eye, Hannah could see a lady next to her. A proper one at that, although she seemed a bit... off. Peering over her mug of coffee as subtly as she could, Hannah gave the woman a look over. She had gathered from the conversation that she was likely the wife of Mr. Quinn, the rumors not unknown to Hannah... except this hide away girl was hardly what Hannah would have guessed. Town ladies, of course, had made her out to be a monster as they were all jealous of her quiet wedding to one of the most successful men in the area. "Mornin'" Hannah offered with a forced smile, her eyes suddenly catching the bruises on her wrists. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Her husband had been a rough man, but never with her... it sadly was not uncommon, but it was not highly acceptable either, for a man to beat his wife. Hopefully there was a better story than what was running through Hannah's mind. "Are y'all traveling through town? I don't recognize yer face..." she asked softly, trying not to be to presumptuous, although she was fairly certain she was correct in who it was that sat next to her.</s>	<\|message\|>Benjamin 'Ben' Masters With the gun fight over and the ground being littered with dead bodies, there was only one thing left to do for Ben and that was searching the dead for any and all kind of things that could be useful. So far he had found a few rounds of bullets, a letter to some girl with added picture (she looked mighty fine!), a pack of cigarettes and a finely crafted silver pocket watch, which he quickly stashed away in the pocket of his vest. All in all some fine prizes after a job well done. He heard Elijah's voice while he was checking on a sound coming from a nearby body who seemed to be not so dead. Without turning his head and without keeping his eyes from the wounded man he answered Elijah. "Sure thing, boss!" The wounded man grunted in pain and raised his eyes towards Ben, who knelt down beside him with a grin, in fear. "Yer bein' awfully rude, interrupting the boss. Hush." He placed his hand over the mouth of the man and took his knife out of the leather sheath on his belt. "Hush now." He said again as the man started to struggle, realizing what was going to happen to him. A few moments later the struggling was over, the light from his eyes had faded and Ben had watched it happen. He pulled the knife out of the chest of the now dead man and wiped the blade on his clothes. "I'm done here anyways." He said to Elijah as he got up and walked towards John. "Ya sure you'll be able to ride in yer condition there, John?" He pointed out the wound on his side. "Yer not lookin' too good. Let's pray those hicks in McKinley have a good doctor in town with at least a small notion on how to treat bullet wounds." Feather had run off, probably finding its mistress, leaving Ben without a horse so he decided to take the one from Jamie instead. The boy had no need of it anymore anyway. Nasty business and a bloody shame but such was life. One moment your running around enjoying life and the next your six feet under. Ben sighed as he got on the horse, patting the neck of the animal. They rode off, Ben slightly behind John, keeping a close eye on him. "Ya know, I can hold the reins for ya if its too hard to hold them." He said teasing John. It could earn him a punch to the face later but Ben did not care. As he had expected the wagon was not at the place where he had left them, certain they had made it to town already. Maybe that would be a good thing because if they had arrived all together, the women and both Ben and a wounded John, it would have drawn unwanted attention to everyone. Even know it would for Ben and John but at least the women would have nothing to worry about. Perhaps Ben could say it was a hunting accident or a bandit attack, which was not far from the truth, leaving the part they were a rival gang of course. I hope the womenfolk did not run into trouble while we were gone</s>
<\|description\|>Peter "Pete" Tailor (adopted name, as Dietrich Schneider was hard for people to say.) Personal Quote: "Just because we're in a bad situation doesn't mean we can't make a buck off it." Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Nationality: German-American Age: 26 Occupation: Soldier turned small time outlaw. Faction: McCullen-Rainwater Gang Family: Pete doesn't remember much about his family other than his name, as they died shortly after crossing the Atlantic to begin their new lives in America. What he does remember was his father, Fredrich, was a wounded veteran of the Prussian army. It was only a by a miracle that Pete survived the sickness that killed his parents and younger sister. Horse: Kaiser Equipment: Remington Rolling Block Rifle, Colt SAA Peacemaker, Sawed Off shotgun (usually kept on Kaiser's saddle) and a tomahawk. He also usually keeps a knife in his boot for emergencies. His uniform is long gone, but kept as many of the standard issue equipment as he felt was necessary. Skills: Thanks to a minor stint in the Army, Pete learned how to shoot, ride and fight by professionals. One of his unit's Indian scouts, Joseph Running Water, even taught him how to use and throw a tomahawk. He also still remembers enough German to hold a conversation with any native speaker, though most wouldn't know it by his lack of an accent. Personality: Pete is usually very courteous and polite to his fellow gang members. To him, they represent the family that he always wanted but never found. He is generally quiet around strangers, and is more than happy to let his fellows do most of the talking. When the bullets start flying, however, Pete stays calm and professional, focused on getting the job done as quickly and painlessly as possible. Likes/Dislikes: Pete enjoys playing Blackjack with his fellow gang members when he's at the camp, with occasional bouts of trying to flirt with Annabelle. The rest of the time, he likes taking Kaiser on long rides to see the sights and maybe hunt some game. If there is one thing that Pete cannot stand, however, it's large bodies of water. He has no clue how to swim and doesn't really want to learn. Backstory (optional): After the death of his parents, Peter turned to petty crime to survive on the streets of New York. After many years of stealing, getting into fights and just scraping by, Pete enlisted in the American Army and was shipped out to the middle of nowhere. It was a dull posting, with not much to do but drink and harass the locals. Eventually, discipline broke down and many of Pete's fellow soldiers mutinied and turned outlaw. Pete rode with them for a while before linking up with the McCullen-Rainwater gang.</s> <\|message\|>Kira Blackthorne With each passing second Kira was agonizingly awaiting her husband's return, silently not saying a single word. She was unknowing of just what her beloved had gone through, still she was unaware of what she would soon be in for when he would be returning to her. She knew that he was a broken man but knew that she was also a forgiving woman when it came to a few things here and there. She waited in the carriage, looking down at her hands and soon she saw her beloved horse swiftly galloping by. "Feather! .. come here girl!" She called out to her beloved companion, the horse turning sharply and running toward her, slowing down and soon stopping in it's tracks. She shook her head from one side to the other as if she were sayig the word "no" neighing and huffing through her wide nostrils, pawing at the ground with her right hoof and alerting her owner that she was unsettled and nervous from all of what had happened. "What is it girl .. what happened back there?" Kira asked softly, gently, delicately, seeming to ask as if the majestic animal could speak of her language which was of course impossible. Kira stroked her snout gently up and down the middle of it, letting her beloved Feather know that she was there for her and the gang as well, also letting her know that this was a safe place and harm was not allowed. It was now a distant thing. Kira guided Feather to the carriage and stood there, waiting for further orders from the orders of the leader of the gang. She wanted to mount her graceful steed and ride her to the Hunting Cabin to find her husband but she was unable to because she was under strict orders because of being restricted to going into town only. She sighed sadly, wanting to ride to figure out as to where her husband was. She felt as though something awful had happened and it had her heart beating fast and her soul wanting to find out what exactly happened there. With each passing minute the timer ticked down on her sanity that her husband was not returning to the camp. SO far it was one and a half days but to her it felt like an eternity. She needed to hold him, to touch him and know that everything was as it should have been. Many would probably call her crazy, insane, paranoid, clingy, worried but she was just being her natural self. She missed John. She was clingy but she loved each moment of it. She loved his warm touch, she loved being a witness to his smile, she knew that she was a cause of it as he was of hers. She wanted to give him space but she always wanted to be a reason for his proudness.</s> <\|message\|>Hannah Faye Bennet Hannah Bennett Location: Town of McKinley, Saloon The perfect silence of the saloon had been broken. A gaggle of well-to-do Gents and a tag along lady fluttered into the empty halls, a cloud of sound with them. With a sigh, Hannah reaches over to get her husband's hat off the counter and flops it on her head, pulling the brim down. Oh she knew that voice all right. It was Mathias Quinn. She and her husband had bought horses from him a few years back and even sold one of their brood mares to him in return. They weren't exactly competition, but Hannah had always worried that the horse man would turn cow man once he found out how much more money running cattle was... of course, her husband had said that it was too dirty of a job for a clean man like Mr. Quinn. A bar stool not too far from herself rumbled softly against the floor as it was moved and out of the corner of her eye, Hannah could see a lady next to her. A proper one at that, although she seemed a bit... off. Peering over her mug of coffee as subtly as she could, Hannah gave the woman a look over. She had gathered from the conversation that she was likely the wife of Mr. Quinn, the rumors not unknown to Hannah... except this hide away girl was hardly what Hannah would have guessed. Town ladies, of course, had made her out to be a monster as they were all jealous of her quiet wedding to one of the most successful men in the area. "Mornin'" Hannah offered with a forced smile, her eyes suddenly catching the bruises on her wrists. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Her husband had been a rough man, but never with her... it sadly was not uncommon, but it was not highly acceptable either, for a man to beat his wife. Hopefully there was a better story than what was running through Hannah's mind. "Are y'all traveling through town? I don't recognize yer face..." she asked softly, trying not to be to presumptuous, although she was fairly certain she was correct in who it was that sat next to her.</s> <\|message\|>Benjamin 'Ben' Masters With the gun fight over and the ground being littered with dead bodies, there was only one thing left to do for Ben and that was searching the dead for any and all kind of things that could be useful. So far he had found a few rounds of bullets, a letter to some girl with added picture (she looked mighty fine!), a pack of cigarettes and a finely crafted silver pocket watch, which he quickly stashed away in the pocket of his vest. All in all some fine prizes after a job well done. He heard Elijah's voice while he was checking on a sound coming from a nearby body who seemed to be not so dead. Without turning his head and without keeping his eyes from the wounded man he answered Elijah. "Sure thing, boss!" The wounded man grunted in pain and raised his eyes towards Ben, who knelt down beside him with a grin, in fear. "Yer bein' awfully rude, interrupting the boss. Hush." He placed his hand over the mouth of the man and took his knife out of the leather sheath on his belt. "Hush now." He said again as the man started to struggle, realizing what was going to happen to him. A few moments later the struggling was over, the light from his eyes had faded and Ben had watched it happen. He pulled the knife out of the chest of the now dead man and wiped the blade on his clothes. "I'm done here anyways." He said to Elijah as he got up and walked towards John. "Ya sure you'll be able to ride in yer condition there, John?" He pointed out the wound on his side. "Yer not lookin' too good. Let's pray those hicks in McKinley have a good doctor in town with at least a small notion on how to treat bullet wounds." Feather had run off, probably finding its mistress, leaving Ben without a horse so he decided to take the one from Jamie instead. The boy had no need of it anymore anyway. Nasty business and a bloody shame but such was life. One moment your running around enjoying life and the next your six feet under. Ben sighed as he got on the horse, patting the neck of the animal. They rode off, Ben slightly behind John, keeping a close eye on him. "Ya know, I can hold the reins for ya if its too hard to hold them." He said teasing John. It could earn him a punch to the face later but Ben did not care. As he had expected the wagon was not at the place where he had left them, certain they had made it to town already. Maybe that would be a good thing because if they had arrived all together, the women and both Ben and a wounded John, it would have drawn unwanted attention to everyone. Even know it would for Ben and John but at least the women would have nothing to worry about. Perhaps Ben could say it was a hunting accident or a bandit attack, which was not far from the truth, leaving the part they were a rival gang of course. I hope the womenfolk did not run into trouble while we were gone</s>	<\|message\|>Peter "Pete" Tailor (adopted name, as Dietrich Schneider was hard for people to say.) Pete Tailor counted at least four more dead men from his rifle, and maybe one or two others who would probably die soon without a doctor. Not every shot was a hit, but he felt proud of his work. Once again, he had justified to the gang why they kept him around. Pete got down from his perch to return to his horse, blowing into the breach of his rifle. He'd have to clean it properly later, but this would do for now. Once his gear was put back on Kaiser, he made his way down to the spot where the rest of the gang had been. His first reaction was to check the pockets of some of the men they killed, but once he saw poor Jamie, he could only stop and stare. "Shit..." was all he could say while wiping the sweat from his brow. When Elijah gave him orders to help bury the poor kid, he simply nodded and pulled his army issue entrenching tool from Kaiser. Digging the grave didn't take very long, and he helped Seth place Jamie's body inside. "I didn't know Jamie well." said Pete, taking off his hat in reference. "But he I knew he was a good man and a good brother." He offered the shovel to Seth in case he wanted to do the honors. Either way, he knew he was going to buy poor Seth a beer or three once they got to town.</s>
<\|description\|>Mus Rattanson - nickname 'Bumface' age: 19 occupation: shepherd description: hair color: dark brown (see eyebrows) eye color: deep brown skin color: fair, lightly tanned Mus is a bear of a young man. And he sure reminds you of one; of an overweight, chained up dancing bear. Regardless of his bulk, Mus Rattanson misses the confidence to stand up proud and claim space for himself. Usually he tiptoes, dances and fidgets about nervously. In a culture where abundant facial hair is seen as a sign of power and masculinity, Mus lacks even the smallest shimmer of a moustache or beard. He get's teased with that daily and the taunting nickname 'Bumface' has stuck to him like droppings to a sheep's curly-haired behind. The youngster is timid and soft spoken. His voice higher than you'd expect from a man of his size. To make matters worse, it has the most annoying tendency to shoot up a couple of octaves when emotions, nervousness or fear take over. Usually Bumface...errr....Mus wears a warm woolen shirt beneath a sheepskin coat, trousers or a kilt (depending on the season) and sturdy leather boots. Around his waist a belt hangs, with a footlong knife and a pouch with the necessities of a shepherd. He owns a battle axe, but through lack of courage, use and maintenance it has dulled and is starting to rust. temperament: Mus is self conscious and timid. He tends to shrink into the background as he doesn't like too much attention. Surprisingly, for a man of his size, he's really good at lingering in the shadows. Mus is most content when he can spend his day in the meadows with his herd. When Mus has a bad hair day, his tendency to take off and hide away becomes an urging he can't ignore. Luckily these off-days are rare. When people leave him be, he is most content. If one takes the time to sit and talk to Mus, one will discover that the babyface hides a solid set of brains. Yes, Mus is pretty smart and - if you get him started - well spoken and chatty. If you really want to discover who Mus Rattanson is, you have to earn his trust. A hard feat. With a history of harassment, Mus has learned to protect himself behind a thick thorn ring. abilities: Talents:* hiding in the shadows * gaining trust with innocents (sheep, children...) * raising a herd of sheep * using a knife and sling * surviving in the wild Mus sucks at:* standing up for himself * swinging an axe * talking to girls * gaining respect from his peers and elders precious belongings:* a small but healthy herd of sheep of 3 rams, 14 ewes * his grandma's old chainmail shirt, slightly to small for him, except at his chest where it is too wide (well kept, oiled and hidden away in a coffer) * a helmet with curled rams horns * a small wardrobe: 1 good and 1 worn woolen pair of trousers, 1 kilt, 2 worn woolen shirts, a pair of sturdy leather boots, a heavy sheepskin coat, a knitted, woolen bonnet background: Rattanson and Rattansdaughter is a prominent name in the clan. It is an old family of warriors which traces it's lineage back several hundreds of years. Usually the members of the Rattan family are wiry, sturdy people, with a slight tendency for backstabbing. Although people whisper that Mus must be the product of an extramarital escapade, none dare say it out loud. Nobody in his or her right mind would accuse Rattan Rattanson's fallen wife of such a thing! Still, most do agree that Mus is an apple who fell mighty far from the proverbial tree. His father is, as was Mus' mother, an exemplary Viking warrior, with a terrible temper. Rattan prefers bashing to bantering, marching to strolling and war cries to the soft bleating of sheep. Night and day, I say you, night and day. With not much in common, any true relationship between the two is pretty much non-existent. Mus has few friends. Only when it is the annual misfit unite evening - which seems to occur more often of late - Mus finds an uncomfortable sense of camaraderie and acceptance. If you ask him bluntly, Mus Rattanson will admit that he considers his herd to be his family and friends. This is expressed in a fierce loyalty between them. dragon: I have ideas, but they haven't quite crystallized yet.</s> <\|message\|>Singrid Ulfsdóttir Singrid Singrid had fought desperately to be able push back the attacking enemy however it was in vain, the clan was forced to retreat. Many had not made it out alive she was a lucky one, but only because one of the other warriors forcefully pulled her way from the battle field. She had spent the last week, since arriving here, cleaning and fixing up the place she called her home. Deciding, since there was extra space, to move out from the family that raised her and live on her own. It had been something she had been planning to do anyway. Seeing as she had hit the age where finding out what happened to her old clan was at the top of her to-do-list. Though with the recent attack on the clan she now called family and friends she was getting the sense that this happened to her own clan many years prior. She also assumed that her clan had not been as lucky and probably hadn't made a grand escape. This thought irritated her, and she chucked the last of the debris out the door only for it to hit a random dragon that have been seated outside watching her. The dragon snarled at the red head to which she seemed to snarl back. "Well if you weren't in the way maybe you wouldn't have gotten hit." It seemed all Singrid ever did was get irritated at the curious beasts around her. Sure the dragons fascinated her, however their own curiosity caused them to get in her way. Just the other day she had been training with her axe and had nearly taken one out that got to close. This of course ended in the hot headed female yelling at the beast to get out of the way. She had been angry for a solid week and had done her best to keep busy and not yell at every one around her.</s> <\|message\|>Freyhild Grimsdottir "No! NO! Shoo, shoo," Freyhild waved her wooden spoon in the direction of two baby Nadders that had come back again to sniff around the big pot of stew. She was trying to cut some more carrots to add to the stew but couldn't even finish that without having to run to protect the steaming pot frequently. "Go away, you dumb beasts," she mumbled, knowing that it is meaningless. They either didn't understand or just chose to ignore her. "Here is your water," a child brought a bucket from the well. Freyhild was cooking outside today, under a makeshift shelter that threatened to collapse any minute, especially as more dragons were sitting on it, peeking curiously. "Thank you, Halfdan," she replied to the boy, but he ignored her just as the dragons did. "Aww, look at those, aren't they the cutest!" Freyhild turned around only to see that the Nadders returned, one now hovering right above the pot, waving its wings rapidly. Halfdan was softly nudging the other one, giggling playfully. The dragon fought back, bumping his head against the boy's stomach, knocking him to the ground. Soon they were rolling in the dirt, consumed by their pretended fight, squeaks and giggles coming from that pile of arms, legs and wings. "STOP IT!" They were too close to the pot, it seemed like they were going to tip it over any second. The wooden spoon came down a couple of times, hitting random limbs entangled on the ground. The dragon waved his wings flying out of her range, hissing angrily. "Go play somewhere else," she told the boy, trying to stay calm. Normally she would threaten to talk to his parents, but she knew all too well that he probably didn't have any. Too many adults died fighting, too many orphans now wandered around the new village. "Go tell the builders that the stew is ready, they can take a break to come and eat. Grab a bowl for yourself as well. And you," she turned to the dragon still hovering over the pot. "If you come any closer to that stew, I swear to Odin that I will just chop you up and throw you right in!" She wouldn't do that as it was against Hog Morsan's orders, but the dragon didn't have to know that.</s> <\|message\|>Erik Erikson The pounding of hammer on an anvil in a steady beat had already been heard from before the rooster had crowed. To Erik it always sounded like music. The fire in his forge was burning hot and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and arms. He had woken early that day, earlier than normally, because he had a lot of work to do still. Orders to fill. Ever since they had gotten to this new place they would call their home, there had been enough things to do. They needed nails to rebuild, hammers needed to be repaired, shovel blades forged and new hinges for the new doors. At least he had not been lacking the materials to do so and both smelter and forge had looked intact when they had arrived near a week ago, though the walls had to be rebuild but that was not something new. The place had been a real mess. What had happened here, Erik did not dwell on that topic long, his mind occupied with more important matters. The roof of the house adjacent to the forge, the obvious choice for Erik to call his home, had collapsed on top of the previous owner and it had taken quite a few days before the rubble had been cleared out. Especially because of those pesky creatures he had to shoo away every now and then. One of them had even dared to eat the ores he needed for smithing. Both him and the dragon had roared loudly at each other but the only thing that had happened was that more dragons had come to look what was going on. After staring at Erik for some time, their eyes locked, the dragon had flown off with a last growl and had left the blacksmith alone. For now. Erik grabbed a tong and put the nail he had just made with the rest. After all this was done perhaps he could finally make some swords or axes once more but for now he had to be happy with making whatever the clan needed from him. So much work still to do and so little time. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, got on his feet and stretched his back with a groan. His stomach rumbled and his throat felt dry and longed for a mug of mead and some food. But could he leave his forge unattended? He shrugged and sighed. Working on an empty stomach is never a good idea so he went to look if he could find something to quiet his hunger.</s>	<\|message\|>Mus Rattanson - nickname 'Bumface' "Stew, steeewww, stew, stew, stew!", Halfdan yelled as he ran throught the settlement. As he ran, he collected kids and some of the smaller dragons in his wake. His vigor and loudness attracted them to him, like Vikings to an easy plunder. The other children took over Halfdan's chant and the dragons added flapping wings and chirps and squeaks to the hullabaloo. As this morning parade passed the homes of clanspeople heads popped out of doorways and windows. The racket easily drowned out the sounds of hammers, saws and other diy-sounds. There was no ignoring it. Halfdan was doing a great job getting everyone's attention. People wiped off the sweat and the dust and stepped out in the meagre sunshine. People knew. They knew that, whenever there was a great pot of stew of offer, it would most certainly be parked at Freyhild Grimsdottir's. And it would be good. Freyhild knew her way around a cooking fire, pot and ladle. As yelling Halfdan and his loud entourage went one way, a much calmer procession went the other way. A small chinking and tinkling of bowls and spoons joyfully making their way up to Freyhild's house. Soon, the whole of the village assembled at Grimsdottir's cooking fire. Everyone was cheerfully chatting away at each other, as they sniffed up the promise of a full belly. Hog Morsan looked around with guarded relief. She'd feared that her clan would never smile again, after the massacre by the Romans. They'd lost so much; parents, grandparents, children, confidence, innocence, even sanity. But now, here, this place seemed to have some healing effect on the Hjarn Knackars, despite it's obvious violent past. This place seemed to have been cleansed, albeit violently. It, like her clan, was ready for a fresh start. As she pondered this, she smiled at Freyhild, showing her appreciation of Grimsdottir's initiative. She, also, had lost so much. A small tear escaped Hog Morsan's eye as she thought of Thorsten and Kjot. Attracted to her mood, a small dragon - she didn't know what kind - curled up in her lap. 'And then there are the dragons', Morsan thought. She was convinced that they too, had a healing effect on her fellow clanspeople. They were curious, playful and surprising. How cute they might be, especially the smaller species and younger specimens, Hog Morsan understood that these were wild creatures. It made her wonder what awaited them here. 'Ah well...' Practical as ever, Hog Morsan shook her head lightly, to clear her head. The small creature on her lap scampered off, as she rose and walked over to Freyhild. As she came to stand next to her, Old Morsan laid her wrinkled hand on Freyhild's arm. "Smells good, hon'", she said. "You've worked a miracle again". Grinning she waved about at the assembled clan. "You did this. Do you feel the lightness, you've created here?" Peering deep into those stormy grey eyes, Hog Morsan added: "Thank you Frey'".</s>
<\|description\|>Freyhild Grimsdottir age: 38 occupation: weaver description: Hair color - red Eye color - grey Freyhild does not look her age, although you could find small wrinkles around her eyes and one or two silver hairs on her head, if you dared to take a closer look. She is tall and skinny, with almost freakishly long fingers. She has a few scars here and there, but nothing visible at first sight. Her long forearms are covered by intricate rune tattoos. temperament: All bad things that happened to her have left her bitter and sarcastic. On the inside, she is just sad and lonely, but hides it behind a mask of irony and bickering. She can be kind and pleasant occasionally around the people she trusts, but earning that trust is hard. abilities: Talents: * skilled weaver * great at cooking * moderate archer * good singer (but rarely sings anymore) * awesome at smacking people on their heads with a long wooden spoon Blunders: * actually fighting with weapons (wooden spoons excluded) * making friends * keeping friends * 'people skills' in general precious belongings: * her husband's and son's arm rings * leather bag with a bunch of ceramic flasks containing precious dyes * a long wooden spoon background: Freyhild and her husband Kjotve lived a happy life, just like all the other Vikings in the village. Kjotve was a raider, and a very good one, always returning from the raids with great spoils and riches and unharmed (mostly). Freyhild was a renowned weaver, her beautiful fabrics sold at a great price on markets in the neighborhooding villages. She even employed a couple of younglings to help her around her workshop, especially with creating yarn during the flax harvest and sheep shedding seasons. They only had one son, but Thorsten turned out nicely. Strong and skillful after his father, handsome after his mother, he made them both happy. When the attack on the village came, Thorsten and Kjotve were in the first line of defense. None of them made it. Freyhild couldn't even give them a proper Viking burial as she and the rest of the clan had to flee to save their lives. dragon: A Razorwhip named Silverwing - an older female who has lost her eggs in an earthquake following a volcano erruption. She is still devastated from the loss, being angry and lashing out at other dragons or humans. Normally, she is very smart and playful around the people she trusts, but as with all Razorwhips, their trust is hard to come by.</s> <\|message\|>Singrid Ulfsdóttir Singrid Singrid had fought desperately to be able push back the attacking enemy however it was in vain, the clan was forced to retreat. Many had not made it out alive she was a lucky one, but only because one of the other warriors forcefully pulled her way from the battle field. She had spent the last week, since arriving here, cleaning and fixing up the place she called her home. Deciding, since there was extra space, to move out from the family that raised her and live on her own. It had been something she had been planning to do anyway. Seeing as she had hit the age where finding out what happened to her old clan was at the top of her to-do-list. Though with the recent attack on the clan she now called family and friends she was getting the sense that this happened to her own clan many years prior. She also assumed that her clan had not been as lucky and probably hadn't made a grand escape. This thought irritated her, and she chucked the last of the debris out the door only for it to hit a random dragon that have been seated outside watching her. The dragon snarled at the red head to which she seemed to snarl back. "Well if you weren't in the way maybe you wouldn't have gotten hit." It seemed all Singrid ever did was get irritated at the curious beasts around her. Sure the dragons fascinated her, however their own curiosity caused them to get in her way. Just the other day she had been training with her axe and had nearly taken one out that got to close. This of course ended in the hot headed female yelling at the beast to get out of the way. She had been angry for a solid week and had done her best to keep busy and not yell at every one around her.</s> <\|message\|>Freyhild Grimsdottir "No! NO! Shoo, shoo," Freyhild waved her wooden spoon in the direction of two baby Nadders that had come back again to sniff around the big pot of stew. She was trying to cut some more carrots to add to the stew but couldn't even finish that without having to run to protect the steaming pot frequently. "Go away, you dumb beasts," she mumbled, knowing that it is meaningless. They either didn't understand or just chose to ignore her. "Here is your water," a child brought a bucket from the well. Freyhild was cooking outside today, under a makeshift shelter that threatened to collapse any minute, especially as more dragons were sitting on it, peeking curiously. "Thank you, Halfdan," she replied to the boy, but he ignored her just as the dragons did. "Aww, look at those, aren't they the cutest!" Freyhild turned around only to see that the Nadders returned, one now hovering right above the pot, waving its wings rapidly. Halfdan was softly nudging the other one, giggling playfully. The dragon fought back, bumping his head against the boy's stomach, knocking him to the ground. Soon they were rolling in the dirt, consumed by their pretended fight, squeaks and giggles coming from that pile of arms, legs and wings. "STOP IT!" They were too close to the pot, it seemed like they were going to tip it over any second. The wooden spoon came down a couple of times, hitting random limbs entangled on the ground. The dragon waved his wings flying out of her range, hissing angrily. "Go play somewhere else," she told the boy, trying to stay calm. Normally she would threaten to talk to his parents, but she knew all too well that he probably didn't have any. Too many adults died fighting, too many orphans now wandered around the new village. "Go tell the builders that the stew is ready, they can take a break to come and eat. Grab a bowl for yourself as well. And you," she turned to the dragon still hovering over the pot. "If you come any closer to that stew, I swear to Odin that I will just chop you up and throw you right in!" She wouldn't do that as it was against Hog Morsan's orders, but the dragon didn't have to know that.</s> <\|message\|>Erik Erikson The pounding of hammer on an anvil in a steady beat had already been heard from before the rooster had crowed. To Erik it always sounded like music. The fire in his forge was burning hot and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and arms. He had woken early that day, earlier than normally, because he had a lot of work to do still. Orders to fill. Ever since they had gotten to this new place they would call their home, there had been enough things to do. They needed nails to rebuild, hammers needed to be repaired, shovel blades forged and new hinges for the new doors. At least he had not been lacking the materials to do so and both smelter and forge had looked intact when they had arrived near a week ago, though the walls had to be rebuild but that was not something new. The place had been a real mess. What had happened here, Erik did not dwell on that topic long, his mind occupied with more important matters. The roof of the house adjacent to the forge, the obvious choice for Erik to call his home, had collapsed on top of the previous owner and it had taken quite a few days before the rubble had been cleared out. Especially because of those pesky creatures he had to shoo away every now and then. One of them had even dared to eat the ores he needed for smithing. Both him and the dragon had roared loudly at each other but the only thing that had happened was that more dragons had come to look what was going on. After staring at Erik for some time, their eyes locked, the dragon had flown off with a last growl and had left the blacksmith alone. For now. Erik grabbed a tong and put the nail he had just made with the rest. After all this was done perhaps he could finally make some swords or axes once more but for now he had to be happy with making whatever the clan needed from him. So much work still to do and so little time. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, got on his feet and stretched his back with a groan. His stomach rumbled and his throat felt dry and longed for a mug of mead and some food. But could he leave his forge unattended? He shrugged and sighed. Working on an empty stomach is never a good idea so he went to look if he could find something to quiet his hunger.</s> <\|message\|>Mus Rattanson - nickname 'Bumface' "Stew, steeewww, stew, stew, stew!", Halfdan yelled as he ran throught the settlement. As he ran, he collected kids and some of the smaller dragons in his wake. His vigor and loudness attracted them to him, like Vikings to an easy plunder. The other children took over Halfdan's chant and the dragons added flapping wings and chirps and squeaks to the hullabaloo. As this morning parade passed the homes of clanspeople heads popped out of doorways and windows. The racket easily drowned out the sounds of hammers, saws and other diy-sounds. There was no ignoring it. Halfdan was doing a great job getting everyone's attention. People wiped off the sweat and the dust and stepped out in the meagre sunshine. People knew. They knew that, whenever there was a great pot of stew of offer, it would most certainly be parked at Freyhild Grimsdottir's. And it would be good. Freyhild knew her way around a cooking fire, pot and ladle. As yelling Halfdan and his loud entourage went one way, a much calmer procession went the other way. A small chinking and tinkling of bowls and spoons joyfully making their way up to Freyhild's house. Soon, the whole of the village assembled at Grimsdottir's cooking fire. Everyone was cheerfully chatting away at each other, as they sniffed up the promise of a full belly. Hog Morsan looked around with guarded relief. She'd feared that her clan would never smile again, after the massacre by the Romans. They'd lost so much; parents, grandparents, children, confidence, innocence, even sanity. But now, here, this place seemed to have some healing effect on the Hjarn Knackars, despite it's obvious violent past. This place seemed to have been cleansed, albeit violently. It, like her clan, was ready for a fresh start. As she pondered this, she smiled at Freyhild, showing her appreciation of Grimsdottir's initiative. She, also, had lost so much. A small tear escaped Hog Morsan's eye as she thought of Thorsten and Kjot. Attracted to her mood, a small dragon - she didn't know what kind - curled up in her lap. 'And then there are the dragons', Morsan thought. She was convinced that they too, had a healing effect on her fellow clanspeople. They were curious, playful and surprising. How cute they might be, especially the smaller species and younger specimens, Hog Morsan understood that these were wild creatures. It made her wonder what awaited them here. 'Ah well...' Practical as ever, Hog Morsan shook her head lightly, to clear her head. The small creature on her lap scampered off, as she rose and walked over to Freyhild. As she came to stand next to her, Old Morsan laid her wrinkled hand on Freyhild's arm. "Smells good, hon'", she said. "You've worked a miracle again". Grinning she waved about at the assembled clan. "You did this. Do you feel the lightness, you've created here?" Peering deep into those stormy grey eyes, Hog Morsan added: "Thank you Frey'".</s>	<\|message\|>Freyhild Grimsdottir As the village gathered, Freyhild could finally take a moment to sit down and rest, watching them from afar. They were a small village, all the faces were at least familiar. That way she could see that every group that stood there, eating and chatting, had people missing. Family members, friends, fellow craftsmen. She liked how the village held together, the builders worked not on just their own houses, but helped anyone who needed to; Freyhild had no idea how she would get her roof and holes in the walls fixed on her own. Kjotve always took care of that kind of thing. She chased away a memory of him swinging his hammer, singing a worn-out song in an incredibly lousy tone. She didn't want to think about his smile now. The dragons seemed to be omnipresent, sniffing around empty bowls, stealing a bite or two out of those still full, carelessly set aside by their owners. It was surprising how quickly the people got used to them being around. Freyhild wondered what the dragons would do if the attackers followed them here. Would they fight and protect them? Or would they just disappear and wait who would win, coming back later to sniff around their bowls? Dark thoughts for such a nice day. Freyhild frowned, she found out it helped her to fight the tears off. When Hog Morsan came to talk to her, Freyhild bowed her head in respect. "Thank you, but it is just a stew. It can hardly be called a miracle. The people are working hard, I figured they needed a proper hot meal to keep their strength." But it was satisfying to look at. "It would have been done a lot faster if it weren't for all these damn dragons getting in the way," she grumbled.</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "FRIENDSHIP CAN COME FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 was not a nurse droid. They were not programmed to babysit dying Jedi. They were programmed for protocol procedures and of course covering fire if necessary. It has been a few times in their long tenure of working with Jedi. This was frustrating, sitting behind hoping that Commander Raynor didn't die. He was unconscious. Humans were fragile beings too. The all-clear wasn't coming. The mission wasn't being completed. The droid factory was still pumping out enemies. Enough time had passed that it should have. Something had gone sideways. MZ-33 turned to the Commander who lay unconscious. She considered the course of action that needed to be done. The mission needed to be finished and she had been ordered to take care of the Commander by her Jedi. If she could sigh she would have. Instead, she reached out and slapped the Commander. Commander. I need you conscious for this. We are ride or die Repulic boy. Get up. I'll carry you and you keep cover on me. We will get this mission completed."</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake The last thing Raynor remembered was the mine field. His old master, General Mozh, had told him to take a squad and scout ahead. He still only had the rank of Commander - he hadn't yet been promoted to the rank of General, even though he had passed his trials and became a Jedi Knight over a year ago. It bothered him, as he felt like Master Mozh was holding him back - but he pretended that it didn't. Jedi were supposed to be beyond those things. They weren't supposed to be attached - even in the heat of war, they were supposed to find strength in calm and serenity, never passion or anger. It was what he struggled with the most. Most Jedi in his lineage did - they traced back to Revan, the Prodigal Knight, the woman who brought the galaxy to its knees and came back from almost certain death. The next thing he knew, he was being slapped awake by... a protocol droid? Raynor frowned, reaching out through the Force but feeling no one nearby. "Droid, what happened? Where's General Mozh? Or Commander Firtick?" His eyes darted around the room - he was in the medical bay. There was a bacta tank nearby that looked like it had been recently used - his mind was piecing it together. He must have been injured by the mines, placed in the tank, and... left with some protocol droid?</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "Ah, well after your incident I was told to tend to you while they continued the mission. However, it is past the time when they should have completed it by almost thirty minutes. The mission must be completed." MZ-33 was like a hound dog with a scent. Determined to make sure the Republic survived. "I do not know what has happened to the General or Commander Firtick. I can only assume they have failed their mission." She didn't seem pleased with not knowing the answer. "Do you believe you could walk? If not I shall carry you." At least Commander Raynor was awake. MZ-33 had been a little concerned that he might not wake up. The damage to him from the mines had been...extensive. Not that MZ-33 had any medical programming. Something she thought funny after all this time. Not a single Jedi she had worked with over the two-hundred odd years had bothered with it, and Avar Kriss hadn't seen the point all those years ago.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "I can walk!" Raynor protested a little too quickly, his eyes slightly wide in shock. He'd never heard a droid be so... brutal and candid like this before. They were usually programmed to be either devoid of personality or overly apologetic. He had to wonder how old the thing was. Droids tended to get a little weird if they went on too long without a memory wipe. Had this been the droid General Mozh had acquired, the one she jokingly told Raynor was his replacement went his time as a padawan concluded? He swung his feet off of the bed, spotting a fresh set of clothes sat aside for him, as well as his comm link and lightsaber. Raynor quickly got dressed, glad to no longer be in his underwear in front of the droid, and he clipped his lightsaber onto his belt. His entire body felt incredibly sore, and his left arm hurt to move, but he didn't care. What the droid had said to him when he first woke up resonated with him - ride or die for the Republic. "What's your designation and capabilities?" Raynor asked. "No offense, but a protocol droid won't do much against battle droids."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 watched Raynor as he walked making sure he was not lying about his capability. "I am MZ-33. I am a protocol droid. However, I do have blaster integration." MZ-33 lifted her arm and out of it popped the blaster that had been built into it. If the droid could smile it quite probably would have been as they spoke. "I was designed to work with a Jedi." This was said with a bit of old sadness. Grief long inscribed into the circuits of the droid. MZ-33 didn't get into detail. The way her sentence clipped made it clear she didn't want to talk about it. That probably was another sign that MZ-33 was not your average droid. Desire and grief carried so clearly in her tone. "I was designed to assist in diplomatic matters...and escaping from diplomatic matters that went wrong." Again there was a grin in her voice. "You are prepared then?" She paused giving Commander Raynor time to respond, then turned and started out of the room.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "Emzie, nice to meet you. I'm Commander Blake - but call me Raynor," he said, introducing him even though he knew without a doubt that Emzie already knew his name. He raised an eyebrow, hearing that a protocol droid could use blasters. It wasn't the weirdest thing to hear, but it was definitely strange, especially considering that all of their enemies that they thought were droids. If droids were sentient and had souls, he figured that would have been a little bit weird for Emzie. The next thing was particularly interesting - designed to work with Jedi? Designed by who? He'd never heard of a droid like that before. "Let me recap - you're a protocol droid who can shoot blasters, rolls with the Jedi, and was designed to escape hostile situations?" he summarized. He looked more impressed than confused. "Who built you? And why aren't you, no offense, working with the clankers? I'd've thought droid engineers would be making bank with the Separatists." He rolled his head from side to side, cracking his neck. Some Jedi liked to meditate before a mission. Raynor just liked to hear bones go pop in his body. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ready," he answered, following the droid.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 tilted their head as Raynor introduced himself. He had called them Emzie, that was new. She liked it. Then Raynor launched into a series of questions. None of them about the mission. She tilted her head and his mention of 'making bank'. MZ-33 wasn't motivated by credits. "Your recap is correct. I tend to keep the blaster under wraps and use it when I am most needed." In the heat of a battle sometimes one extra blaster could turn the tides. "As for working for the Separatists. I am not motivated by credits. I was built by Lothal Logistics Limited." Her answer while technically correct, was certainly not the answer he was looking for. "I was built using the RQ protocol droid frame."</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor was beginning to like Emzie - they had a lot of personality, for a droid. He also noticed a certain bit of candor that he appreciated. He didn't want anyone keeping secrets. He hit the button to lower the ramp of the shift, allowing him and Emzie to walk on off, hitting the planetary surface. From what he remembered, it wasn't too far to get to the location by speeder - by foot would take some more time, but they didn't really have a better option. It'd at least give him a chance to think up a plan and then relay it to the droid. "What are you motivated by then?" Raynor asked. "In my experience, the droids with personalities tend to go a little rogue. Are you trying to save the General?" He then paused, closing his eyes and concentrating. He had a force bond with his Master, but he could not feel her. Either she was dead or his vision was being clouded by the dark side. He didn't tell the droid what he had felt - or more of, hadn't felt - as he began the long walk to their destination. "I'll come up with a plan, by the way, so no need to get your circuits going."</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I have an FV50 motivator chip. A rather state-of-the-art replacement that was made recently." MZ-33 said completely seriously, which made it extremely difficult to tell if MZ-33 was making a joke or not. As they exited the ship and stood on the planet's surface, MZ-33 was looking around. Her blaster reintegrated seamlessly into her arm. It was impossible to tell that the arm even opened. "Saving the General would be a priority but is secondary after completing the mission." MZ-33 said in response to Raynor's second question. "This mission is critical for their success." She pointed upward, indicating the battle that must be either beginning to be waged or already started. They were already behind schedule. "As for going rogue, I assure you I will not betray you or the cause of the Republic. A hint of their age became evident in the way she said Republic. It was not the current battle they were necessarily claiming loyalty to, but a much older idea.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor didn't pick up on the hint towards Emzie's age - he had never really met an ancient droid before, and it wasn't like he gave droids much thought beyond the most efficient strokes of a lightsaber to cut them into pieces. He knew that droids were an inevitable part of life, but it was still a little strange for his partner on this mission to be a droid, when they'd likely be facing Separatist droids in battle. They had to destroy the droid factory in order to keep the forces mobilizing on the station from being overrun. They didn't have much time left either - Emzie was right about that. "Great, I feel a thousand percent better," Raynor muttered. His mind was running. He was training in the way of the Jedi Guardian - a natural fit given that the Jedi Order were heavily involved in the Clone Wars. He didn't have the infiltration skills of a Jedi Sentinel, or the negotiation knack of a Jedi Consular. "How are you with explosives?" he asked Emzie. "There's got to be a primary power source at the factory we can target, between the two of us I can clear the way, and you can rig it to blow."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I am pleased you feel better." MZ-33 said taking Raynor's comment seriously. "I do not know how to use explosives. It is not in my programming. However, if you instruct me on what needs to be done I can follow the steps." MZ-33 said matter of factly. A blue glow appeared showing the map of the droid facility. MZ-33 pointed to a room on it. "This is the primary power reactor room." A path lit up. "This was the planned path for the attack." There was a preganate pause and then MZ-33 said. "If we follow that path we are more likely to find resistance. It would be best to use whatever distraction the original team made to our advantage." It also would be less likely for them to find any survivors if there were ones to be found, but MZ-33 didn't say that. She wanted to see what Raynor's decision was without drawing the conclusions for him. It was a test. Raynor could chose the more dangerous path that could lead to a higher chance of failure, capture or death. Or the safer path that was more likely to succeed. The harder path would also give them a chance to potentially save people. Neither was the correct answer, but MZ-33 knew which one her first master would have chosen. "If you require other assistance let me know." It was a vague offer. Truthfully not very helpful considering how little Raynor knew about the droid's capabilities. If protocol droids blueprints were one thing someone had spilled oil over the blueprints that made MZ-33, and hadn't bothered to clean it up.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor paused, before shrugging slightly. "Yeah, guess it would've been a bit alarming for a protocol droid to know how to rig a detonator," Raynor joked. He was slightly amused with himself. He never had been a huge fan of droids before, but Emzie was remarkably human. Their sense of humor was beginning to endear itself to him too. He fell silent though as Emzie brought up the map, his eyebrows furrowing as he studied it. He had been raised in the Jedi Order his entire life, taught that they must preserve the peace, that all life was sacred. Yet for the duration of the Clone Wars, he had been a soldier in a war. He knew that the Jedi way wasn't always the way that won battles. And while other Jedi may have scoffed and chaffed at such thoughts, they were comfortable to Raynor... largely because he was already in violation of the Jedi Code. He had a wife. A lovely Twi'lek with gorgeous green skin and brilliant eyes, more stunning and radiant than anything he had ever seen in the galaxy. There were things worth defying the Jedi Council for. Sparky was one of them. But could he give up hope that his former master, the General, was still alive? That the clones who had fought so bravely were lost? But if they failed, what about the lives of those fighting up in the skies above them? And those in the Republic who depended on the Jedi and the GAR? A sort of morose calm came over him. He could feel it through the Force. "Is there a secondary route to the core?" he asked Emzie.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie saw the decision be made. It was a hard one. And they respected Raynor for it. "Yes. It was not chosen as the original path because it goes past a guard station. If they are distracted enough we should experience minimum resistance." The route on the map changed. Flicking to a new path with a red mark where the guard station was. There was no guarantee it would work. The whole mission was a Hail Mary in a war of Hail Mary's. This wasn't unusual for Emzie. They trusted the Jedi on those types of missions more than they would trust a non-Jedi. The Force gave the Jedi an advantage. "There is also a route that requires passing through ducting." The map changed again. "This was not chosen because Clones would not fit."</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor nodded, taking in the path near the guard station. His master was dead. He couldn't deny the part of him screaming to destroy every last droid and Separatist to take vengeance on her behalf. But this was bigger than either of them - and he knew his master would have consoled him that she was part of the Force now. The best way to honor her and ensure her sacrifice had not been in vain would be to complete the mission - to help turn the tides of the battle happening up on the space station orbiting the planet. "I'm not chubby, but I'm also pretty much the same size as a clone, so that way won't work," Raynor told Emzie. "Guard station seems like our best call. It's direct and any droids that come near, I can handle." "Anything else to be aware of?" Raynor asked, hesitating for a moment. He knew that Emzie couldn't feel things through the Force as he did. "... My master and the others... They're gone," he then said quietly, his eyes shining with pain that he was struggling to allow himself to feel. The Jedi Council always preached serenity, not passion - that they could only find strength through peace and harmony, not rage and vengeance. Emotions had to be identified, understood, and then allowed to fade away. He didn't know how to do that though. All he could do was channel his grief into the task at hand.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid If Emzie believed Raynor they showed no sign either way. Though, Emzie had traveled with enough Jedi to know that Raynor was telling the truth. There were of course powerful ways to cover the Force signature of someone, but it would be nearly impossible on this scale. Emzie trusted that Raynor was correct. That left her without a master. She considered this and put it aside. The mission was to come first. Then she decide what to do. "I do not know of anything else you should be aware of." Emzie said in response to his question. "Our time is short though." They looked up to the sky their internal chronometer telling them that even if they were successful it was very likely it was too late for it to matter. Emzie started walking.</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake "May the Force be with us, then," Raynor bade, walking alongside the droid. His master's legacy felt heavy upon his shoulders. If they failed, then their sacrifice would have been for nothing. They were one with the Force now, he knew that was what the Jedi taught, yet Raynor couldn't sense them anymore. He couldn't feel his old master, even in the cosmic force. Tears dropped from his eyes despite himself and Raynor didn't wipe them away. He didn't want to admit that he was struggling to remain objective and focused, to harness serenity rather than passion, calm rather than rage, acceptance rather than grief. Some time later, they arrived at the factory. The droid construction factory. It was the key to the fight in the skies above the planet. It was the key to freeing Ringo Vinda from separatist control. Already outside of the factory, bodies of clones and droids alike littered the ground, showing clear signs of blaster fire. Raynor didn't dare try to pick out a familiar set of armor and he did everything he could to actively not look for the robes of a Jedi. "Which way?" he asked Emzie, crouching behind the rubble of what had been a droid tanker.</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie stood near Raynor. They pointed in the direction they needed to head. If they noticed Ryanor's tears they said nothing about it. "The door we want is that way just over 70 meters. It will be past a collection of pipes. The door is locked by an electronic keypad. I can bypass it." There were corpses littering the ground between them and their destination. Emzie showed little reaction. But started moving. They went quickly toward the door, stopping at it and pulling a wire from themself before inserting it into a small plug on the keypad. It took a moment and during that time Emzie seemed unconcerned with anything that was happening around them. It appeared as if they completely trusted Raynor to deal with any threat.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor followed Emzie's finger (finger?) in the direction they pointed, doing his best to sweep his eyes past the corpses. He couldn't do anything for them now - they were one with the Force. All he could do was honor their memory and complete this mission - to protect the Republic and the billions relying on the Jedi Order to stop the Separatist threat. "Emzie, can you scan for life signs? This place... It's clouded in the Dark Side." He wasn't too prideful to admit that his mind was disturbed here. The afterglow of death emanated into the Force, making it difficult for him to sense if there were any living beings here. He was a Jedi Guardian of course, not as skilled in the Force as say a Sentinel or a Consular, his primary talents lying in combat. They reached the door - just past the piping as Emzie had said. And suddenly, a deep feeling of distrust and suspicion burst inside of Raynor. He paused. "There's something here, I think - not droids, but..." his voice trailed off, as Raynor closed his eyes, trying to focus on what it was that he was sensing - what was lurking around, using the darkness of this slaughter to conceal themselves from his sight. The door then glided open with a puff of air, as Emzie successfully unlocked it. The hallway was shrouded in smoke, likely from some sort of damaged coolant or whatnot, and sparks of electricity from exposed wiring brought the occasional flashes of light. Something was at the end of the hallway - a figure, difficult to make out whether it was a droid or something alive. There was then the sound of something heavy rolling on the ground, as three destroyer droids popped up in front of them, their shields going live as they opened fire on Raynor and Emzie!</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I do not read any life signs." Emzie said as they finished opening the door. Inside the building, it seemed that someone was coming to intercept them. Emzie was certain that whoever this was they were still a droid. Dashing forward their path was blocked by the three destroyer droids. Their plan failed. However, not one to be deterred easily, Emzie released their blaster from its hidden compartment and shot at the figure behind the destroyer droids. The shot wasn't clean, but it still hit the figure. Maybe, Emzie thought, this would give a distraction for Raynor allowing the Jedi to join the fight with an upper hand. It would only work this once. Emzie had started them.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor was startled for a moment - it had to be a droid, right? But a sickening feeling in his stomach told him that something was very wrong here - that there was some grave imbalance in the Force. If it was a machine they were facing, it was somehow... The thought vanished, as Raynor's instincts took over. His lightsaber ignited - a glowing shade of blue, the weapon of a Jedi Guardian. He spun his blade through the air, deflecting the blasts back at their source. Emzie had hit the figure from behind the droids, and the destroyer droids had their shields up, continuing to send blast after blast. While he didn't consciously think it, Raynor knew the two main weaknesses of destroyer droids - their shields did not stop stationary/extremely slow objects, and they were blind from behind. Ordinarily when working with a Jedi, Raynor wouldn't need to tell them the plan - they would sort of feeling it, coming to work together in harmony. He didn't know if Emzie knew what he was going to do. But there was no time to stop. Whatever the thing was behind the destroyers, it was wrong. He just had to hope that Emzie had grenades or something on them, something to help them kill the destroyers. Raynor force jumped over the destroyers, landing down behind them. He slashed his lightsaber from up high, the figure he was attacking still mostly in shadows, expecting to be able to slice the thing in half - But instead, his blue blade met a scarlet red. "What are you?!"</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie had been working for Jedi for a long time. They had passed through several hands. This was not the first droid they had seen wielding a lightsaber, but it never spelled good things. "This appears to be an IG-110." Emzie said almost automatically. They did not go into detail. Emzie did not have gernades. If they could breathe they'd sigh. No wonder this mission was going sideways. The IG-110 was designed to destroy Jedi. This mission had been compromised. The Jedi had been expected. So now they needed to do something unexpected. They turned to the bodies nearby and searched quickly, not finding anything of use in the first body. Time ticked by and Emzie could measure it by the seconds. The second was just as useless. Very well. The bodies would not supply anything useful. They would have to do something else. They dropped to their knee and instead took shots at the lightsaber-wielding droid. Their shots were good and clear, but the other was faster.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor knew it was probably a bad idea to argue/quip in the middle of a fight, as he blocked blow after blow of the lightsaber strikes, scarlet clashing against brilliant blue. But he couldn't resist. "This can't be a double-one-oh - it's... it's like it's alive, Emzie!" Raynor shouted. He had been using the Perseverance Lightsaber Form, as it was ideal for deflecting blaster shots (i.e., the fire from the Destroyer Droids), but it was especially weak against a single opponent. Raynor was losing ground, being forced closer and closer to the Destroyer Droids. He switched his stance, switching his form into the Aggression Form - ideal for a single opponent, but horrible when it came to blaster fire. The sound of lightsaber hitting lightsaber filled the air, a continuous symphony of CRACKS from energy colliding with energy. The two Destroyer Droids kept their focus on Emzie, sending near endless volleys of blaster-fire at the droid, until suddenly the fire stopped. It was a stroke of luck, but the droids guns seemed to have jammed, at least for the moment.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie was confused now. The droid had no life sign how could it be alive. "There are no life signs." Emzie reassured. They were not certain what Raynor was sensing. Maybe the situation had gotten to the young man. Now was not the time to dwell on that though. Emzie set about trying to take care of the thankfully currently broken destroyers. "I do not have the means to take out these droids." They announced. A tinge of annoyance in their voice. "I can only continue to distract them." It was fortunate that the droids didn't have the best aim and Emzie had been programmed for evasive maniviours, and their chassis was surprisingly resilient. Something Avar Kriss had specifically requested when Emzie had been designed. There was something Emzie thought of. A weakness near the point of origin for the shield. However, again they lacked the tools to deal with it. Checking a third body gave nothing that could help and Emzie wondered if the bodies had already been stripped but left behind. They kept that thought to themselves, or they would have if the follow-up thought did not occur to them. "I fear we were anticipated." Emzie did not like that. This mission was too critical. They raised their blaster at the strange droid and shot, missing widely. There wasn't time for failure. It was already too late.</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake "It's definitely alive, you must have a screw loose or something!" Raynor shouted back, perhaps a bit more angrily than he should have. He knew what the Force was telling him - whatever thing he was fighting, it wasn't a machine - not in the way that droids like Emzie were or 110 units were. It wasn't an ordinary form of sentient life either, but it was alive nonetheless, and Raynor couldn't explain it. He continued to fight, blade hitting blade. He pressed forward, attempting to back the creature into a corner - he swung, going for decapitating blows, but there was no gap in its defenses. Raynor's frustration was mounting, especially with Emzie explaining that they weren't capable of taking out the Destroyers (Raynor knew it wasn't reasonable to expect them to do that, but still, he would've liked some help, rather than everything falling on him). But his frustration worked to enhance his power, allowing Raynor to thrust his lightsaber blade forward, skewering the odd creature and sending it limp - just a brief opening in their defenses had allowed his victory. Raynor was panting, dripping with sweat. He stabbed his lightsaber into one of the shields of the Destroyer's, breaking the shield with just one blow in a stroke of luck. "There, now you can handle one."</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "Oi, Captain I Only Have A Blaster, catch," Raynor called out. He picked up the red lightsaber of the strange robotic creature, and tossed the unlit blade to Emzie. He imagined that the droid likely had programming in how to handle a sword, given that it seemed to be proficient enough with a blaster - and if not, well, Raynor just didn't want to hear more complaining about a poor choice in weapon. Besides, holding onto the strange being's lightsaber was probably for the best - it might contain clues as to what it was they had just faced. One of the Jedi Masters might recognize the blade's craftsmanship. "At least these clankers don't have shields," Raynor commented, as they came upon a group of seven basic battle droids at the guard station. Raynor held out his hand, and one of the droids suddenly flew through the glass of the guard station, shattering it and creating a gigantic opening. Raynor then smirked slightly, throwing the flying droid to the side, where it hit the ground. "Oww!" the droid complained, still functioning.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I am not a captain." Emzie said seriously. They didn't have a rank since they were a droid. As they were distracted with their response, they did not catch. Instead, the lightsaber flew past them and landed a few meters away. Emzie picked it up and stored it. "I also do not have the programing to use a lightsaber." There was no need to mention Emzie wasn't force-sensitive; that was obvious by the simple fact that they were a droid. Or maybe now it wasn't as obvious of a fact. Emzie removed their blaster. The point Raynor had made was true. These droids did not have shields. So Emzie's blaster would work against them. They fired one shot at a droid, hitting it, and while it survived that first blast, the next two went a little wide, missing the droid Emzie had been aiming at. Emzie did not seem pleased. If they were capable of frowning, they would be.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- "You also don't seem to have much of a sense of humor," Raynor noted. Droids often were a little stiff, especially ones that were frequently wiped, as they didn't have as much time to develop personality quirks. But Raynor had a feeling that this was likely as quirky as Emzie would ever get - that this was the droid's natural and true personality. It could be fun to mess with Emzie for a while, but eventually, it'd grow old. He mentally shook himself. Focus. Clear your mind. Raynor's lightsaber arced through the air, slicing one of the droids in half. Another droid fired off a shot at the same time though, a cosmic stroke of misfortune, and the blaster fire hit Raynor in the right arm. He winced, only barely healed from the injuries that had landed him in the bacta tank in the first place. "Dammit," Raynor cursed.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie thought they were very funny, actually. It wasn't their fault the Jedi didn't understand their sense of humor. However, now was not the time to try to get into a comedic battle. There were droids in the way of their goal. Something Emzie was getting rather desperate to get to. Therefore, they chose not to continue the conversation but instead focus on the fight. Their first shot missed by a mile. Their second shot grazed their target. But the third destroyed the droid. That was two down out of seven. There were still five more that needed to be taken out for them to be able to move on. Those five droids fired off their own shots. Most went wide. But two shots hit home. One barely grazing Raynor, singeing off some hair, the other hitting Emzie doing damage to their chassis. But not penetrating through their specialized plate. If a second blast hit the same spot before it cooled, Emzie would be at risk of significant damage.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Raynor didn't like how many near misses he was experiencing - he could feel the heat of the blaster fire as it singed off some of his hair. He was a Jedi - he was supposed to be better at this, droids ought to be child's play. Shame mixed into the frustration he had already been feeling, and he reached out with the Force, shoving a hand forward as he attempted to stun the droid assaulting him. Ideally, sparks would've flown from his hands and hit the droid, disabling it. But the Force eluded him. The droid opened fire, and would've hit Raynor dead on, had he not redirected the blow with his lightsaber. The returned blast destroyed the droid on impact. There were four more droids left and each breath was beginning to feel a little more agonizing than the last. Raynor tried not to focus on the pain, attempting to leave his mind clear, to be in harmony with the universe - and he summoned the Force, calling upon it as he used it to push all of the droids back. Three of them crumpled, their frames sparking. One was left and fired off a shot, missing both Raynor and Emzie. "We're - wasting - time," Raynor said through gritted teeth.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie agreed with Raynor. They were wasting time. However, they couldn't do much without taking out the droids blocking their way first. With only one left, though, things were looking up. They shot at the droid, each shot going wild. Only one shot had gotten hit the droid, but it didn't do any damage. Thankfully, the return shot from the droid was just as useless. It grazed Emzie but did no damage. "I am not designed for prolonged combat." This was frustrating.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Raynor lunged forward somewhat recklessly with his blade, hoping to cleanly slice through the droid and end this conflict. His body felt like every nerve ending was on fire, screaming at him to take a beat, to catch his breath, to rest. But there wasn't time. And his body wasn't his own. He was a Jedi, he served the Republic, and he would die serving the Republic if that was what it took. His wild swing was a wild miss, and it left him open and vulnerable, as the droid shot him in the side. Raynor clutched his side, wheezing. The droid fired off another shot and it missed him, going wide. It might've been stupid, and it was a technique that Raynor had not even tried to study properly, but he threw his blade at the droid. The Force must've been with him in that moment though, as the blade skewered the droid and it crumpled to the ground, useless. Raynor staggered to the side, leaning against the hallway, the hand clutching the blaster wound damp with blood. "You - lead," he choked out, holding out a shaking hand to recall his lightsaber to him. "We ride or die for the Republic."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie started to lead. They followed the map that they had of the factory. A small light indicated to them where they needed to go -the power source of the factory. The rest of the way was clear. They had met quite a bit of resistance, but Emzie still felt it might not be appropriate. There was of course the strange droid with the lightsaber. The lightsaber that Emzie now carried. They had never carried one for more than a moment in all of their 'life'. Emzie stopped in front of a door painted red with several numbers painted in black. "Through this door will be the power source of the factory. The mission is to destroy that. The space battle currently happening above this planet would end faster without the swarm of droids that were being made and being shipped right out into the fight.</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. It was taking all of Raynor's focus to not just focus on the bloody wound in his side. He had to use the Force, reach out with his senses, determine if the way ahead was clear. The battle raging above the planet's surface depended on them. It didn't matter if they lived or died, all that mattered was if they could destroy the power core of this factory. In the shape he was in, Raynor didn't know if he'd be able to escape the factory in time if he destroyed the core, resulting in a violent explosion. "Do you know how to disable the core, Emzie?" Raynor asked, even though each word physically hurt to form. He reached ahead with his senses, trying to determine if he detected any lifeforms up ahead. He didn't feel any. There could be droids though. That was one of the pesky things about the clankers - they were slippery when it came to the Force. He could throw them around with the Force all day, but feeling their souls, their presence? It was almost impossible for him. He knew other Jedi were better at it, but he wasn't. Especially not now. He took another breath, bracing himself, before flinging the door open with the Force. His muscles were tensed, ready for a fight, and... The room was empty of droids. "Emzie, I don't like this..." he muttered warily. "It should be guarded, right?"</s>
<\|description\|>Raynor Blake Raynor Blake --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Ray, Rune Age: 23 Home Planet: Nar Shadda Species: Human Gender: Male Class: Jedi Guardian Languages: Galactic Basic, Droidspeak --- --- Appearance Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 pounds Build: Athletic Eye Color: Brown Skin Tone: Tan Brief Description: Raynor looks like a standard human - curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyes that a slight shadow to them, and all the standard limbs/appendages. He's lean but muscular, more of a sprinter than a boxer in terms of build. Most people wouldn't expect it, but he cares a lot about fashion. He tends to wear things that are a little more stylish and show off his figure than a typical Jedi. --- --- Psychology Protective * Secretive * Brave * Selfish * Intelligent * Introverted Personality: Raynor is a bit of a cryptic individual. Whether it's through what he calls his Charm or just his personality, he never is completely straight with someone. He could convince a Hutt to forgo a debt without breaking a sweat. Yet while some might think he's charismatic because of this, he's much more of a dry humor sort of person. He doesn't make a fuss if he can help it and tends to work in the background. Now, he's also incredibly brave and protective. He'll go out of his way to protect what he believes his worth saving - whether that's his own interests or those of another person. This ambition and resiliency can come off as selfishness on occasion, which isn't entirely wrong. Raynor cares deeply about the Republic, and feels a grave sense of responsibility for the galaxy and the people within it... but these days, that is motivated mostly by a desire to create a better world for his wife and kid. Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Married (secretly) Alignment: Chaotic Good Fears: * Losing his wife and child * Exposure of his secret marriage to the Jedi Council * The fall of the Republic Likes: * Fashion * Stargazing * Animals * Practical Jokes * Sunsets * Snow Dislikes: * Personal Questions * Hot, Desert Climates * Separatists * Politicians * Rations * Pazaak --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use: 0 * Demolitions: [Class] 2 * Stealth: 0 * Awareness: [Class] 3 * Persuade: [Class] 3 Repair: 0 * Security: 0 * Treat Injury: [Class] 3 Feats: * Jedi Sense * Jedi Defense * Force Jump * Power Attack * Dueling * Toughness * Close Combat Powers: * Force Push * Stun Droid * Throw Lightsaber * Battle Precognition Lightsaber Forms: * The Perseverance Form, also called Shien or Form V, is an aggressive form that does not sacrifice protection from blaster fire. It is most effective when facing blaster-wielding opponents or when outnumbered and least effective against a single foe. * The Aggression Form, also known as Ataru or Form IV, is best against a single opponent and is especially weak against blaster fire. Medical Issues/Injuries: Any long term medical problems or past medical problems need to be listed here. Put N/A if your character doesn't really have any. * * Possessions: Limited to the spots provided. This is generally the list of items that you own, just list your characters possessions. These are the basics that you have on you 24/7. These characters are moving a lot so you won't be able to keep much on you. The more you have, the greater the chance that it'll end up getting lost...If it isn't listed, you don't have it. * * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: 3 paragraphs. How did they get to where they are today? Republic Record: --- --- Extras Character Quote: Something they say a lot or live by Theme Song: What would be playing if they walked up in a movie? Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie started to lead. They followed the map that they had of the factory. A small light indicated to them where they needed to go -the power source of the factory. The rest of the way was clear. They had met quite a bit of resistance, but Emzie still felt it might not be appropriate. There was of course the strange droid with the lightsaber. The lightsaber that Emzie now carried. They had never carried one for more than a moment in all of their 'life'. Emzie stopped in front of a door painted red with several numbers painted in black. "Through this door will be the power source of the factory. The mission is to destroy that. The space battle currently happening above this planet would end faster without the swarm of droids that were being made and being shipped right out into the fight.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. It was taking all of Raynor's focus to not just focus on the bloody wound in his side. He had to use the Force, reach out with his senses, determine if the way ahead was clear. The battle raging above the planet's surface depended on them. It didn't matter if they lived or died, all that mattered was if they could destroy the power core of this factory. In the shape he was in, Raynor didn't know if he'd be able to escape the factory in time if he destroyed the core, resulting in a violent explosion. "Do you know how to disable the core, Emzie?" Raynor asked, even though each word physically hurt to form. He reached ahead with his senses, trying to determine if he detected any lifeforms up ahead. He didn't feel any. There could be droids though. That was one of the pesky things about the clankers - they were slippery when it came to the Force. He could throw them around with the Force all day, but feeling their souls, their presence? It was almost impossible for him. He knew other Jedi were better at it, but he wasn't. Especially not now. He took another breath, bracing himself, before flinging the door open with the Force. His muscles were tensed, ready for a fight, and... The room was empty of droids. "Emzie, I don't like this..." he muttered warily. "It should be guarded, right?"</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie looked around the room. They were tempted to fire a shot and see if it would bring out potential enemies. This was called 'scarring out the rats'. They did not though. Instead, they turned to face Raynor. "You are correct. This place should be guarded. There is a chance all the guards left and were caught by the original mission. We should continue. Can you place the charges? Or give me instructions on how to do it myself." The question seemed to be checking on Raynor's health, without asking directly. It was clear Emzie was distressed about Raynor's health but was too focused on the mission.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- "Right, the charges," Raynor muttered. He should have known that. He hated that he hadn't known that. The wear and tear on his body and mind was beginning to show. He turned, seeing that Emzie had the charges on them. Raynor knew more or less how they functioned - they were standard issue, the sort used on all jobs like these. But a relatively new design for the Grand Army of the Republic - an older droid might not know how they worked. "I can do it," Raynor assured Emzie, reaching out with a shaking hand and grabbing the bag of charges. He started towards the core, only to stumble and fall to the ground, the bag of charges spilling out around him. Then, the last line of defense of this droid factory showed itself. It came up from the ground, a horrific and noxious gas. Raynor's vision immediately began to blur. He cursed under his breath. Some Jedi were able to hold their breath for extended periods of time, calling on the Force... but he had already called on the Force so much. And the gas started to sting. Emzie would register that this gas was a chemical warfare weapon used by the Separatists to take out organic matter, whereas droids and whatnot would remain unharmed. "Place... the... charges..." Raynor choked out, before he lost consciousness.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- If Emzie was capable of blinking they would be. Staring at the no unconscious body of Raynor. Quickly they went over priorities in their mind. A decision was made. Emzie dragged Raynor out of the room and back into the hallway, checking for more droids. Emzie knew the basics of first aid. This was not a scrape. But they figured fresh air would be good. They also had no idea how to set the charges. Raynor could not. They could not. But they had the spare lightsaber that Raynor had removed from the not-a-droid-droid. Fine. Brute force it would be. Emzie returned to the room. Turned on the lightsaber and started dragging it through the machines. It was not easy. The parts that Emzie figured would be the best to destroy the system was hard to reach. She had no desire to throw the weapon. The weapon was also hard to manipulate. Some of the machines stopped working. But Emzie assessed the situation and knew it would not be enough. And Raynor needed to be returned to the Bacta tank. The mission. Was it already too late? There had to be something to stop the factory. A self-destruct. But it wouldn't be here, which meant they would have to find it. Get to it. And survive the whole thing. They picked up the bag of spilled charges and placed it back in their storage compartment, where they also placed the now turned-off lightsaber. Emzie left the room pulling up the map. Picked up Raynor again and started following a new path.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake --- --- Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight 21 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Raynor remained unconscious, unaware of the looming threats surrounding them. In his dream space, he saw something terrible. It was himself, violently disfigured, clinging to life on a distant moon. His Jedi robes were in tatters, his lightsaber gone, and his eyes... they were filled with pure hatred. Raynor watched like a distant observer, unable to do anything, as this version of himself clung to life through the power of the dark side. It was gathering around him more and more with each passing moment, swirling darkness that threatened to devour him and everything it touched... "No, no, no..." Raynor murmured in his sleep. "Not...me..." As Emzie moved along their new path, they would find more signs of the destruction wrought earlier. One hallway was littered with the bodies of Republic soldiers and droids alike, making it almost impossible to navigate. At the end of the hallway, two bodies in particular would stand out. One was the body of Jedi Master Sevrina Mozh - a Bothan woman. And the other was the body of Commander Firtick, CT-4827. Commander Firtick was still breathing.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid --- --- MZ-33, Protocol Droid 29 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Emzie mourned the loss of another Jedi. They paused at the breathing body of one of the clones. Someone was alive. Emzie gently placed Ryanor on the ground again and moved to Commander Firtick's side. They checked and found a few wounds, and one on his head explaining why he was unconscious. It took a bit of work but Emzie was able to bring the Commander to consciousness. "Be gentle Commander, but I need your assistance. Commander Raynor has lost consciousness due to some gas. We are unable to complete the original mission. The secondary option of the self-destruct is the best option we have." What had already been almost a suicide attack was now likely to be the only option. But the Republic needed them. Commander Firtick seemed to be concussed but at least he could stand. They must hurry. Emzie lifted Raynor back up and continued following the path. Expecting Firtick to follow.</s>	<\|message\|>Raynor Blake Commander Firtick 28 pts (Light-Side) --- --- Commander Firtick was not unaccustomed to loss. Nor were they unfamiliar with the idea that they might die on any of these missions. To lay down their life for the good of the Republic was a high honor; but to continue to serve her would be an even greater one. Their head was pounding and they reached up, feeling the site of the wound tenderly. They felt dried blood crunching underneath their fingers - one of the clankers must've gotten them good, but not good enough. They were still in this fight. "Sorry, what's your designation?" Firtick asked the droid. "My memory's a bit hazy, you'll have to forgive me," Firtick apologized. It must've been the head wound. They could remember bits and flashes - the droids coming upon them seemingly out of nowhere, the General going down... but the specifics, such as how they had gotten there, and what the backup plan needed them to do exactly were escaping them at the moment. "But the self destruct option... We won't all get clear. Take me to the designated point, and then I want you to clear out with Commander Blake. And that's an order, trooper."</s>
<\|description\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Recolor i.pinimg.com/236x/bf/0b/45/bf0b453982… --- --- MZ-33 --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Emziee Age: Dates back to the High Republic, estimated age is 230 (+/-5 Years) Home Planet: Lothal Species: Droid Gender: Feminine Droid (she/they) Class: Expert Droid Languages: Droidspeak, Galactic basic, Protocol Droid --- --- Appearance Height: 1.85 Meters Weight: 75 Kilograms Build: RQ Unit frame Eye Color: White Skin Tone: Blue, gold and grey Brief Description: MZ-33 was commissioned by Avar Kriss, using the RQ frame. The primary chassis is blue with the arms colored gold. Grey is used as highlights. Avar Kriss chose the chassis because of the flexibility it had versus some of the other frames available. --- --- Psychology Caring * Overbearing * Dutiful * Critical * Sympathetic * Pompous Personality:MZ-33 is a motherly droid. Tending to push for greatness out of those she has decided is her person. She wants to make sure social faux pas are avoided while also making sure the person eats their meals and gets the necessary sleep to function. Quite often she will be demanding about a schedule being maintained. She sees free time as the time to prepare for future dangers, though recognizes that the people she has served have needed leisure activities as well. Those she allows begrudgingly. For all the mothering she does it has made her fiercely protective. Having gained the programming to fight, despite what a protocol droid should normally have, she uses that to her advantage. She is often underestimated and allows people to believe her to be just an old doddering protocol droid that is easily past her prime. She appreciates the ability to "fly under the radar" and prefers to only fight when it is most dire. However, MZ-33 is no pacifist. She has seen the rise and fall of too many societies, and the damage those can do to innocents. Having lived so long and seen so much MZ-33 has gained an obnoxious pompous and self-important attitude. This is especially apparent when MZ-33 believes a situation should be handled a certain way. She is sometimes correct but also has been known to be wrong. Though she wouldn't admit to that even privately. Sexuality: N/A Relationship Status: N/A Alignment: Neutral Good Fears: * Failing at Raynor's last directive * Having her memories deleted * Being shut down for good Likes: * Schedules * Being on time * Children * Sunrises * Telling stories (be they true or made up) * Answering questions to the letter but not the spirit. Dislikes: * Crass behavior/people * When her person doesn't listen to her good advice * People who believe Droids are less than "human" * Improper grammar (intentionally) * * --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use (Class): 1 * Demolitions: * Stealth: * Awareness (Class): 3 * Persuade: 1 * Repair (Class): 1 * Security (class): 1 * Treat Injury: 1 Feats: * Droid Upgrade Class I * Blaster Integration * Logic Upgrade * Droid Interface * Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber) * Evasion * Toughness * Weapon Proficiency (Blaster Pistol) Powers: * N/A Lightsaber Forms: * The Determination Form, also known as Shii-Cho or Form I Medical Issues/Injuries: * Old? * Possessions: * Raynor's lightsaber * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: MZ-33 was originally purchased by Avar Kriss. They were support for the Jedi as she dealt with the "Legacy Run" explosion. From Avar Kriss MZ-33 passed hands among the Jedi, always working with them to keep the balance as both a protocol droid and a motherly presence when needed. Hundreds of years passed like that giving MZ-33 a vast look at history as it unfolded around her. She took the fall of the High Republic hard and in part wishes she could restore the Galaxy to the glory of her early years. In more recent history MZ-33 joined with the Jedi Raynor. Together they fought and sued for peace during the Clone Wars. He programmed her how to wield a lightsaber, an unusual ability among droids and unheard of for protocol droids. Saying that "You will be underestimated, use that to your advantage". When Raynor was killed during order-66 he asked MZ-33 to protect his family and gave MZ-33 his lightsaber. Shortly after she was shut down and stored, possibly with the intention of changing her programming it was never followed through. A poor choice by the Empire as MZ-33's data banks could have supplied a wealth of information. Zarina found MZ-33 and reactivated her. She has served Zari since then. Deciding even before she realized who Zari was that this would be her person. MZ-33 searched for what happened to Jedi Raynor's family and when they realized that Zari was his long-lost daughter it set into the stone of her programming to protect her at whatever the cost. Imperial Record: Known associate of Jedi, --- --- Extras Character Quote: "We're ride or die for the Republic boy." Theme Song: youtu.be/ySzrJ4GRF7s Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "FRIENDSHIP CAN COME FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 was not a nurse droid. They were not programmed to babysit dying Jedi. They were programmed for protocol procedures and of course covering fire if necessary. It has been a few times in their long tenure of working with Jedi. This was frustrating, sitting behind hoping that Commander Raynor didn't die. He was unconscious. Humans were fragile beings too. The all-clear wasn't coming. The mission wasn't being completed. The droid factory was still pumping out enemies. Enough time had passed that it should have. Something had gone sideways. MZ-33 turned to the Commander who lay unconscious. She considered the course of action that needed to be done. The mission needed to be finished and she had been ordered to take care of the Commander by her Jedi. If she could sigh she would have. Instead, she reached out and slapped the Commander. Commander. I need you conscious for this. We are ride or die Repulic boy. Get up. I'll carry you and you keep cover on me. We will get this mission completed."</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake The last thing Raynor remembered was the mine field. His old master, General Mozh, had told him to take a squad and scout ahead. He still only had the rank of Commander - he hadn't yet been promoted to the rank of General, even though he had passed his trials and became a Jedi Knight over a year ago. It bothered him, as he felt like Master Mozh was holding him back - but he pretended that it didn't. Jedi were supposed to be beyond those things. They weren't supposed to be attached - even in the heat of war, they were supposed to find strength in calm and serenity, never passion or anger. It was what he struggled with the most. Most Jedi in his lineage did - they traced back to Revan, the Prodigal Knight, the woman who brought the galaxy to its knees and came back from almost certain death. The next thing he knew, he was being slapped awake by... a protocol droid? Raynor frowned, reaching out through the Force but feeling no one nearby. "Droid, what happened? Where's General Mozh? Or Commander Firtick?" His eyes darted around the room - he was in the medical bay. There was a bacta tank nearby that looked like it had been recently used - his mind was piecing it together. He must have been injured by the mines, placed in the tank, and... left with some protocol droid?</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "Ah, well after your incident I was told to tend to you while they continued the mission. However, it is past the time when they should have completed it by almost thirty minutes. The mission must be completed." MZ-33 was like a hound dog with a scent. Determined to make sure the Republic survived. "I do not know what has happened to the General or Commander Firtick. I can only assume they have failed their mission." She didn't seem pleased with not knowing the answer. "Do you believe you could walk? If not I shall carry you." At least Commander Raynor was awake. MZ-33 had been a little concerned that he might not wake up. The damage to him from the mines had been...extensive. Not that MZ-33 had any medical programming. Something she thought funny after all this time. Not a single Jedi she had worked with over the two-hundred odd years had bothered with it, and Avar Kriss hadn't seen the point all those years ago.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "I can walk!" Raynor protested a little too quickly, his eyes slightly wide in shock. He'd never heard a droid be so... brutal and candid like this before. They were usually programmed to be either devoid of personality or overly apologetic. He had to wonder how old the thing was. Droids tended to get a little weird if they went on too long without a memory wipe. Had this been the droid General Mozh had acquired, the one she jokingly told Raynor was his replacement went his time as a padawan concluded? He swung his feet off of the bed, spotting a fresh set of clothes sat aside for him, as well as his comm link and lightsaber. Raynor quickly got dressed, glad to no longer be in his underwear in front of the droid, and he clipped his lightsaber onto his belt. His entire body felt incredibly sore, and his left arm hurt to move, but he didn't care. What the droid had said to him when he first woke up resonated with him - ride or die for the Republic. "What's your designation and capabilities?" Raynor asked. "No offense, but a protocol droid won't do much against battle droids."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 watched Raynor as he walked making sure he was not lying about his capability. "I am MZ-33. I am a protocol droid. However, I do have blaster integration." MZ-33 lifted her arm and out of it popped the blaster that had been built into it. If the droid could smile it quite probably would have been as they spoke. "I was designed to work with a Jedi." This was said with a bit of old sadness. Grief long inscribed into the circuits of the droid. MZ-33 didn't get into detail. The way her sentence clipped made it clear she didn't want to talk about it. That probably was another sign that MZ-33 was not your average droid. Desire and grief carried so clearly in her tone. "I was designed to assist in diplomatic matters...and escaping from diplomatic matters that went wrong." Again there was a grin in her voice. "You are prepared then?" She paused giving Commander Raynor time to respond, then turned and started out of the room.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake "Emzie, nice to meet you. I'm Commander Blake - but call me Raynor," he said, introducing him even though he knew without a doubt that Emzie already knew his name. He raised an eyebrow, hearing that a protocol droid could use blasters. It wasn't the weirdest thing to hear, but it was definitely strange, especially considering that all of their enemies that they thought were droids. If droids were sentient and had souls, he figured that would have been a little bit weird for Emzie. The next thing was particularly interesting - designed to work with Jedi? Designed by who? He'd never heard of a droid like that before. "Let me recap - you're a protocol droid who can shoot blasters, rolls with the Jedi, and was designed to escape hostile situations?" he summarized. He looked more impressed than confused. "Who built you? And why aren't you, no offense, working with the clankers? I'd've thought droid engineers would be making bank with the Separatists." He rolled his head from side to side, cracking his neck. Some Jedi liked to meditate before a mission. Raynor just liked to hear bones go pop in his body. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ready," he answered, following the droid.</s>	<\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid MZ-33 tilted their head as Raynor introduced himself. He had called them Emzie, that was new. She liked it. Then Raynor launched into a series of questions. None of them about the mission. She tilted her head and his mention of 'making bank'. MZ-33 wasn't motivated by credits. "Your recap is correct. I tend to keep the blaster under wraps and use it when I am most needed." In the heat of a battle sometimes one extra blaster could turn the tides. "As for working for the Separatists. I am not motivated by credits. I was built by Lothal Logistics Limited." Her answer while technically correct, was certainly not the answer he was looking for. "I was built using the RQ protocol droid frame."</s>
<\|description\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Recolor i.pinimg.com/236x/bf/0b/45/bf0b453982… --- --- MZ-33 --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Emziee Age: Dates back to the High Republic, estimated age is 230 (+/-5 Years) Home Planet: Lothal Species: Droid Gender: Feminine Droid (she/they) Class: Expert Droid Languages: Droidspeak, Galactic basic, Protocol Droid --- --- Appearance Height: 1.85 Meters Weight: 75 Kilograms Build: RQ Unit frame Eye Color: White Skin Tone: Blue, gold and grey Brief Description: MZ-33 was commissioned by Avar Kriss, using the RQ frame. The primary chassis is blue with the arms colored gold. Grey is used as highlights. Avar Kriss chose the chassis because of the flexibility it had versus some of the other frames available. --- --- Psychology Caring * Overbearing * Dutiful * Critical * Sympathetic * Pompous Personality:MZ-33 is a motherly droid. Tending to push for greatness out of those she has decided is her person. She wants to make sure social faux pas are avoided while also making sure the person eats their meals and gets the necessary sleep to function. Quite often she will be demanding about a schedule being maintained. She sees free time as the time to prepare for future dangers, though recognizes that the people she has served have needed leisure activities as well. Those she allows begrudgingly. For all the mothering she does it has made her fiercely protective. Having gained the programming to fight, despite what a protocol droid should normally have, she uses that to her advantage. She is often underestimated and allows people to believe her to be just an old doddering protocol droid that is easily past her prime. She appreciates the ability to "fly under the radar" and prefers to only fight when it is most dire. However, MZ-33 is no pacifist. She has seen the rise and fall of too many societies, and the damage those can do to innocents. Having lived so long and seen so much MZ-33 has gained an obnoxious pompous and self-important attitude. This is especially apparent when MZ-33 believes a situation should be handled a certain way. She is sometimes correct but also has been known to be wrong. Though she wouldn't admit to that even privately. Sexuality: N/A Relationship Status: N/A Alignment: Neutral Good Fears: * Failing at Raynor's last directive * Having her memories deleted * Being shut down for good Likes: * Schedules * Being on time * Children * Sunrises * Telling stories (be they true or made up) * Answering questions to the letter but not the spirit. Dislikes: * Crass behavior/people * When her person doesn't listen to her good advice * People who believe Droids are less than "human" * Improper grammar (intentionally) * * --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use (Class): 1 * Demolitions: * Stealth: * Awareness (Class): 3 * Persuade: 1 * Repair (Class): 1 * Security (class): 1 * Treat Injury: 1 Feats: * Droid Upgrade Class I * Blaster Integration * Logic Upgrade * Droid Interface * Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber) * Evasion * Toughness * Weapon Proficiency (Blaster Pistol) Powers: * N/A Lightsaber Forms: * The Determination Form, also known as Shii-Cho or Form I Medical Issues/Injuries: * Old? * Possessions: * Raynor's lightsaber * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: MZ-33 was originally purchased by Avar Kriss. They were support for the Jedi as she dealt with the "Legacy Run" explosion. From Avar Kriss MZ-33 passed hands among the Jedi, always working with them to keep the balance as both a protocol droid and a motherly presence when needed. Hundreds of years passed like that giving MZ-33 a vast look at history as it unfolded around her. She took the fall of the High Republic hard and in part wishes she could restore the Galaxy to the glory of her early years. In more recent history MZ-33 joined with the Jedi Raynor. Together they fought and sued for peace during the Clone Wars. He programmed her how to wield a lightsaber, an unusual ability among droids and unheard of for protocol droids. Saying that "You will be underestimated, use that to your advantage". When Raynor was killed during order-66 he asked MZ-33 to protect his family and gave MZ-33 his lightsaber. Shortly after she was shut down and stored, possibly with the intention of changing her programming it was never followed through. A poor choice by the Empire as MZ-33's data banks could have supplied a wealth of information. Zarina found MZ-33 and reactivated her. She has served Zari since then. Deciding even before she realized who Zari was that this would be her person. MZ-33 searched for what happened to Jedi Raynor's family and when they realized that Zari was his long-lost daughter it set into the stone of her programming to protect her at whatever the cost. Imperial Record: Known associate of Jedi, --- --- Extras Character Quote: "We're ride or die for the Republic boy." Theme Song: youtu.be/ySzrJ4GRF7s Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I have an FV50 motivator chip. A rather state-of-the-art replacement that was made recently." MZ-33 said completely seriously, which made it extremely difficult to tell if MZ-33 was making a joke or not. As they exited the ship and stood on the planet's surface, MZ-33 was looking around. Her blaster reintegrated seamlessly into her arm. It was impossible to tell that the arm even opened. "Saving the General would be a priority but is secondary after completing the mission." MZ-33 said in response to Raynor's second question. "This mission is critical for their success." She pointed upward, indicating the battle that must be either beginning to be waged or already started. They were already behind schedule. "As for going rogue, I assure you I will not betray you or the cause of the Republic. A hint of their age became evident in the way she said Republic. It was not the current battle they were necessarily claiming loyalty to, but a much older idea.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor didn't pick up on the hint towards Emzie's age - he had never really met an ancient droid before, and it wasn't like he gave droids much thought beyond the most efficient strokes of a lightsaber to cut them into pieces. He knew that droids were an inevitable part of life, but it was still a little strange for his partner on this mission to be a droid, when they'd likely be facing Separatist droids in battle. They had to destroy the droid factory in order to keep the forces mobilizing on the station from being overrun. They didn't have much time left either - Emzie was right about that. "Great, I feel a thousand percent better," Raynor muttered. His mind was running. He was training in the way of the Jedi Guardian - a natural fit given that the Jedi Order were heavily involved in the Clone Wars. He didn't have the infiltration skills of a Jedi Sentinel, or the negotiation knack of a Jedi Consular. "How are you with explosives?" he asked Emzie. "There's got to be a primary power source at the factory we can target, between the two of us I can clear the way, and you can rig it to blow."</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I am pleased you feel better." MZ-33 said taking Raynor's comment seriously. "I do not know how to use explosives. It is not in my programming. However, if you instruct me on what needs to be done I can follow the steps." MZ-33 said matter of factly. A blue glow appeared showing the map of the droid facility. MZ-33 pointed to a room on it. "This is the primary power reactor room." A path lit up. "This was the planned path for the attack." There was a preganate pause and then MZ-33 said. "If we follow that path we are more likely to find resistance. It would be best to use whatever distraction the original team made to our advantage." It also would be less likely for them to find any survivors if there were ones to be found, but MZ-33 didn't say that. She wanted to see what Raynor's decision was without drawing the conclusions for him. It was a test. Raynor could chose the more dangerous path that could lead to a higher chance of failure, capture or death. Or the safer path that was more likely to succeed. The harder path would also give them a chance to potentially save people. Neither was the correct answer, but MZ-33 knew which one her first master would have chosen. "If you require other assistance let me know." It was a vague offer. Truthfully not very helpful considering how little Raynor knew about the droid's capabilities. If protocol droids blueprints were one thing someone had spilled oil over the blueprints that made MZ-33, and hadn't bothered to clean it up.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor paused, before shrugging slightly. "Yeah, guess it would've been a bit alarming for a protocol droid to know how to rig a detonator," Raynor joked. He was slightly amused with himself. He never had been a huge fan of droids before, but Emzie was remarkably human. Their sense of humor was beginning to endear itself to him too. He fell silent though as Emzie brought up the map, his eyebrows furrowing as he studied it. He had been raised in the Jedi Order his entire life, taught that they must preserve the peace, that all life was sacred. Yet for the duration of the Clone Wars, he had been a soldier in a war. He knew that the Jedi way wasn't always the way that won battles. And while other Jedi may have scoffed and chaffed at such thoughts, they were comfortable to Raynor... largely because he was already in violation of the Jedi Code. He had a wife. A lovely Twi'lek with gorgeous green skin and brilliant eyes, more stunning and radiant than anything he had ever seen in the galaxy. There were things worth defying the Jedi Council for. Sparky was one of them. But could he give up hope that his former master, the General, was still alive? That the clones who had fought so bravely were lost? But if they failed, what about the lives of those fighting up in the skies above them? And those in the Republic who depended on the Jedi and the GAR? A sort of morose calm came over him. He could feel it through the Force. "Is there a secondary route to the core?" he asked Emzie.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie saw the decision be made. It was a hard one. And they respected Raynor for it. "Yes. It was not chosen as the original path because it goes past a guard station. If they are distracted enough we should experience minimum resistance." The route on the map changed. Flicking to a new path with a red mark where the guard station was. There was no guarantee it would work. The whole mission was a Hail Mary in a war of Hail Mary's. This wasn't unusual for Emzie. They trusted the Jedi on those types of missions more than they would trust a non-Jedi. The Force gave the Jedi an advantage. "There is also a route that requires passing through ducting." The map changed again. "This was not chosen because Clones would not fit."</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor nodded, taking in the path near the guard station. His master was dead. He couldn't deny the part of him screaming to destroy every last droid and Separatist to take vengeance on her behalf. But this was bigger than either of them - and he knew his master would have consoled him that she was part of the Force now. The best way to honor her and ensure her sacrifice had not been in vain would be to complete the mission - to help turn the tides of the battle happening up on the space station orbiting the planet. "I'm not chubby, but I'm also pretty much the same size as a clone, so that way won't work," Raynor told Emzie. "Guard station seems like our best call. It's direct and any droids that come near, I can handle." "Anything else to be aware of?" Raynor asked, hesitating for a moment. He knew that Emzie couldn't feel things through the Force as he did. "... My master and the others... They're gone," he then said quietly, his eyes shining with pain that he was struggling to allow himself to feel. The Jedi Council always preached serenity, not passion - that they could only find strength through peace and harmony, not rage and vengeance. Emotions had to be identified, understood, and then allowed to fade away. He didn't know how to do that though. All he could do was channel his grief into the task at hand.</s>	<\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid If Emzie believed Raynor they showed no sign either way. Though, Emzie had traveled with enough Jedi to know that Raynor was telling the truth. There were of course powerful ways to cover the Force signature of someone, but it would be nearly impossible on this scale. Emzie trusted that Raynor was correct. That left her without a master. She considered this and put it aside. The mission was to come first. Then she decide what to do. "I do not know of anything else you should be aware of." Emzie said in response to his question. "Our time is short though." They looked up to the sky their internal chronometer telling them that even if they were successful it was very likely it was too late for it to matter. Emzie started walking.</s>
<\|description\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Recolor i.pinimg.com/236x/bf/0b/45/bf0b453982… --- --- MZ-33 --- --- Character Summary Aliases: Emziee Age: Dates back to the High Republic, estimated age is 230 (+/-5 Years) Home Planet: Lothal Species: Droid Gender: Feminine Droid (she/they) Class: Expert Droid Languages: Droidspeak, Galactic basic, Protocol Droid --- --- Appearance Height: 1.85 Meters Weight: 75 Kilograms Build: RQ Unit frame Eye Color: White Skin Tone: Blue, gold and grey Brief Description: MZ-33 was commissioned by Avar Kriss, using the RQ frame. The primary chassis is blue with the arms colored gold. Grey is used as highlights. Avar Kriss chose the chassis because of the flexibility it had versus some of the other frames available. --- --- Psychology Caring * Overbearing * Dutiful * Critical * Sympathetic * Pompous Personality:MZ-33 is a motherly droid. Tending to push for greatness out of those she has decided is her person. She wants to make sure social faux pas are avoided while also making sure the person eats their meals and gets the necessary sleep to function. Quite often she will be demanding about a schedule being maintained. She sees free time as the time to prepare for future dangers, though recognizes that the people she has served have needed leisure activities as well. Those she allows begrudgingly. For all the mothering she does it has made her fiercely protective. Having gained the programming to fight, despite what a protocol droid should normally have, she uses that to her advantage. She is often underestimated and allows people to believe her to be just an old doddering protocol droid that is easily past her prime. She appreciates the ability to "fly under the radar" and prefers to only fight when it is most dire. However, MZ-33 is no pacifist. She has seen the rise and fall of too many societies, and the damage those can do to innocents. Having lived so long and seen so much MZ-33 has gained an obnoxious pompous and self-important attitude. This is especially apparent when MZ-33 believes a situation should be handled a certain way. She is sometimes correct but also has been known to be wrong. Though she wouldn't admit to that even privately. Sexuality: N/A Relationship Status: N/A Alignment: Neutral Good Fears: * Failing at Raynor's last directive * Having her memories deleted * Being shut down for good Likes: * Schedules * Being on time * Children * Sunrises * Telling stories (be they true or made up) * Answering questions to the letter but not the spirit. Dislikes: * Crass behavior/people * When her person doesn't listen to her good advice * People who believe Droids are less than "human" * Improper grammar (intentionally) * * --- --- Cards On The Table Skills: * Computer Use (Class): 1 * Demolitions: * Stealth: * Awareness (Class): 3 * Persuade: 1 * Repair (Class): 1 * Security (class): 1 * Treat Injury: 1 Feats: * Droid Upgrade Class I * Blaster Integration * Logic Upgrade * Droid Interface * Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber) * Evasion * Toughness * Weapon Proficiency (Blaster Pistol) Powers: * N/A Lightsaber Forms: * The Determination Form, also known as Shii-Cho or Form I Medical Issues/Injuries: * Old? * Possessions: * Raynor's lightsaber * * * * * * * * --- --- History Destiny: 1 paragraph. Consult with the GM. The character may not achieve their destiny, but as destiny is a force in Star Wars, so shall it be in the game. Is your character destined to do something unspeakable? Background: MZ-33 was originally purchased by Avar Kriss. They were support for the Jedi as she dealt with the "Legacy Run" explosion. From Avar Kriss MZ-33 passed hands among the Jedi, always working with them to keep the balance as both a protocol droid and a motherly presence when needed. Hundreds of years passed like that giving MZ-33 a vast look at history as it unfolded around her. She took the fall of the High Republic hard and in part wishes she could restore the Galaxy to the glory of her early years. In more recent history MZ-33 joined with the Jedi Raynor. Together they fought and sued for peace during the Clone Wars. He programmed her how to wield a lightsaber, an unusual ability among droids and unheard of for protocol droids. Saying that "You will be underestimated, use that to your advantage". When Raynor was killed during order-66 he asked MZ-33 to protect his family and gave MZ-33 his lightsaber. Shortly after she was shut down and stored, possibly with the intention of changing her programming it was never followed through. A poor choice by the Empire as MZ-33's data banks could have supplied a wealth of information. Zarina found MZ-33 and reactivated her. She has served Zari since then. Deciding even before she realized who Zari was that this would be her person. MZ-33 searched for what happened to Jedi Raynor's family and when they realized that Zari was his long-lost daughter it set into the stone of her programming to protect her at whatever the cost. Imperial Record: Known associate of Jedi, --- --- Extras Character Quote: "We're ride or die for the Republic boy." Theme Song: youtu.be/ySzrJ4GRF7s Anything Else: *By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie stood near Raynor. They pointed in the direction they needed to head. If they noticed Ryanor's tears they said nothing about it. "The door we want is that way just over 70 meters. It will be past a collection of pipes. The door is locked by an electronic keypad. I can bypass it." There were corpses littering the ground between them and their destination. Emzie showed little reaction. But started moving. They went quickly toward the door, stopping at it and pulling a wire from themself before inserting it into a small plug on the keypad. It took a moment and during that time Emzie seemed unconcerned with anything that was happening around them. It appeared as if they completely trusted Raynor to deal with any threat.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor followed Emzie's finger (finger?) in the direction they pointed, doing his best to sweep his eyes past the corpses. He couldn't do anything for them now - they were one with the Force. All he could do was honor their memory and complete this mission - to protect the Republic and the billions relying on the Jedi Order to stop the Separatist threat. "Emzie, can you scan for life signs? This place... It's clouded in the Dark Side." He wasn't too prideful to admit that his mind was disturbed here. The afterglow of death emanated into the Force, making it difficult for him to sense if there were any living beings here. He was a Jedi Guardian of course, not as skilled in the Force as say a Sentinel or a Consular, his primary talents lying in combat. They reached the door - just past the piping as Emzie had said. And suddenly, a deep feeling of distrust and suspicion burst inside of Raynor. He paused. "There's something here, I think - not droids, but..." his voice trailed off, as Raynor closed his eyes, trying to focus on what it was that he was sensing - what was lurking around, using the darkness of this slaughter to conceal themselves from his sight. The door then glided open with a puff of air, as Emzie successfully unlocked it. The hallway was shrouded in smoke, likely from some sort of damaged coolant or whatnot, and sparks of electricity from exposed wiring brought the occasional flashes of light. Something was at the end of the hallway - a figure, difficult to make out whether it was a droid or something alive. There was then the sound of something heavy rolling on the ground, as three destroyer droids popped up in front of them, their shields going live as they opened fire on Raynor and Emzie!</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid "I do not read any life signs." Emzie said as they finished opening the door. Inside the building, it seemed that someone was coming to intercept them. Emzie was certain that whoever this was they were still a droid. Dashing forward their path was blocked by the three destroyer droids. Their plan failed. However, not one to be deterred easily, Emzie released their blaster from its hidden compartment and shot at the figure behind the destroyer droids. The shot wasn't clean, but it still hit the figure. Maybe, Emzie thought, this would give a distraction for Raynor allowing the Jedi to join the fight with an upper hand. It would only work this once. Emzie had started them.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor was startled for a moment - it had to be a droid, right? But a sickening feeling in his stomach told him that something was very wrong here - that there was some grave imbalance in the Force. If it was a machine they were facing, it was somehow... The thought vanished, as Raynor's instincts took over. His lightsaber ignited - a glowing shade of blue, the weapon of a Jedi Guardian. He spun his blade through the air, deflecting the blasts back at their source. Emzie had hit the figure from behind the droids, and the destroyer droids had their shields up, continuing to send blast after blast. While he didn't consciously think it, Raynor knew the two main weaknesses of destroyer droids - their shields did not stop stationary/extremely slow objects, and they were blind from behind. Ordinarily when working with a Jedi, Raynor wouldn't need to tell them the plan - they would sort of feeling it, coming to work together in harmony. He didn't know if Emzie knew what he was going to do. But there was no time to stop. Whatever the thing was behind the destroyers, it was wrong. He just had to hope that Emzie had grenades or something on them, something to help them kill the destroyers. Raynor force jumped over the destroyers, landing down behind them. He slashed his lightsaber from up high, the figure he was attacking still mostly in shadows, expecting to be able to slice the thing in half - But instead, his blue blade met a scarlet red. "What are you?!"</s> <\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie had been working for Jedi for a long time. They had passed through several hands. This was not the first droid they had seen wielding a lightsaber, but it never spelled good things. "This appears to be an IG-110." Emzie said almost automatically. They did not go into detail. Emzie did not have gernades. If they could breathe they'd sigh. No wonder this mission was going sideways. The IG-110 was designed to destroy Jedi. This mission had been compromised. The Jedi had been expected. So now they needed to do something unexpected. They turned to the bodies nearby and searched quickly, not finding anything of use in the first body. Time ticked by and Emzie could measure it by the seconds. The second was just as useless. Very well. The bodies would not supply anything useful. They would have to do something else. They dropped to their knee and instead took shots at the lightsaber-wielding droid. Their shots were good and clear, but the other was faster.</s> <\|message\|>Raynor Blake Raynor knew it was probably a bad idea to argue/quip in the middle of a fight, as he blocked blow after blow of the lightsaber strikes, scarlet clashing against brilliant blue. But he couldn't resist. "This can't be a double-one-oh - it's... it's like it's alive, Emzie!" Raynor shouted. He had been using the Perseverance Lightsaber Form, as it was ideal for deflecting blaster shots (i.e., the fire from the Destroyer Droids), but it was especially weak against a single opponent. Raynor was losing ground, being forced closer and closer to the Destroyer Droids. He switched his stance, switching his form into the Aggression Form - ideal for a single opponent, but horrible when it came to blaster fire. The sound of lightsaber hitting lightsaber filled the air, a continuous symphony of CRACKS from energy colliding with energy. The two Destroyer Droids kept their focus on Emzie, sending near endless volleys of blaster-fire at the droid, until suddenly the fire stopped. It was a stroke of luck, but the droids guns seemed to have jammed, at least for the moment.</s>	<\|message\|>MZ-33 Protocol Droid Emzie was confused now. The droid had no life sign how could it be alive. "There are no life signs." Emzie reassured. They were not certain what Raynor was sensing. Maybe the situation had gotten to the young man. Now was not the time to dwell on that though. Emzie set about trying to take care of the thankfully currently broken destroyers. "I do not have the means to take out these droids." They announced. A tinge of annoyance in their voice. "I can only continue to distract them." It was fortunate that the droids didn't have the best aim and Emzie had been programmed for evasive maniviours, and their chassis was surprisingly resilient. Something Avar Kriss had specifically requested when Emzie had been designed. There was something Emzie thought of. A weakness near the point of origin for the shield. However, again they lacked the tools to deal with it. Checking a third body gave nothing that could help and Emzie wondered if the bodies had already been stripped but left behind. They kept that thought to themselves, or they would have if the follow-up thought did not occur to them. "I fear we were anticipated." Emzie did not like that. This mission was too critical. They raised their blaster at the strange droid and shot, missing widely. There wasn't time for failure. It was already too late.</s>
<\|description\|>Adrastos My'nar Lord of the Tower Age: Unknown, but appears to be late middle aged for an elf. Race: Elf Physical Description: Andrastos is a tall, lean elf with sharp grey eyes that easily make you feel as though he can read your thoughts, much like looking into the face of hawk. His features are always intense and stern, but never harsh enough to display any sort of emotion. His long, brown hair is always kept in a mix of braids and ornate gold bands, with his thick beard done in the same fashion. His clothes usually made of simple, light materials with ornate embroidery along the collar and arms. In the colder months and areas, he dones himself with heavy leather gear that looks more like light armor than clothing and a fur-lined cloak. Title/Rank: Lord of the Tower Personality: Serious, intense, and calculating. Character History: There are very few elves who remember when Lord Adrastos was named Lord of the Tower, and even fewer that remember him as a child. His past is shrouded in mystery to non-elves, for even most elves refuse to mention it if they do know the tales. His rule is well respected by all of Evolin, thus why there was very little complaint about no other Tower Elves being named when the last few passed into the afterlife. In recent history, whispers of Lord Adrastos frequenting the Northern King (their oldest enemy) has caused some stir, and now some guild-masters move to have the council remove Lord Adrastos from his seat of power... for many of them profit from the constant war in the borderlands. (If you are going to play an elf with more knowledge about Andrastos, please PM me for details). Regional History: *This will be completed when we have elf players. I want to give people a chance to create their own history and weave it into the Regional History.* --- Sifora Dalgaard Princess of the North Age: 17 Race: Human (North) Physical Description: Sifora has skin as pale as the snow of the North and blue eyes like the glacier lake that gives life to all the North. Like all of her kin before her, Sifora has raven black hair that is straight even when wind-tattered. Standing at an average height, Sifora despite an athletic frame, seems quite frail amongst the northerners, who are a tall, stocky breed of humans. Title/Rank: Princess of the North (and heir to the crown) Personality: Confident (almost to a fault), passionate, stubborn, and perceptive. Character History: First born of King Jassard and Queen Emalia (Princess of the South and aunt to the current King of the South), Sifora disappointed many... except that of her parents. They were proud of their daughter, despite the kingdom wishing for a male heir. Like most royal children, she was well versed in everything from logic, history, to art and music. Throughout her early years, the Queen conceived and lost many pregnancies, some of which nearly took the southern woman's life.... and then, when Sifora was five, the Queen did finally die in the throws of early labor, leaving a small, damaged boy in her place. Shayden, Sifora's brother, was weakly and always two steps from death's door. The kingdom grieved over the loss of the queen, praising her for bringing King Jassard a son into the world even if it cost her her life. Little did that know that the damage would never be undone... for the young lad would never speak... would never comprehend beyond that of a toddler... and would never be able to rule. As the children grew older, King Jassard worked hard to ensure that no one questioned his daughter as his heir, having her even train with his closest General, Lord Erik Olofsson, a quite man from the furthest reaches of the North where the sunlight hid for a good part of the year. A rather weak fighter, Sifora made up for her shortcomings with her speed and her passion. She would never make it on the battle field, but could defend herself well enough to survive a surprise attack. Taking to the bow rather than the sword, the young Princess filled her time as a young teen studying war and tactics, instead of needle point and dance. Out of fear that the traditionalists, a group of High Lords who did not like the King naming his daughter heir, Sifora was hidden away from society and surrounded her by only his most trusted men and advisors... and of course, her brother. Closed in the black stone halls of the Castle, Sifora grew protective of her inner circle; her father, her brother, and Lord Erik. Anyone outside of this circle was held at arms length, which grew to be a huge challenge when her father fell ill just after her seventeenth birthday. As her father's health quickly declines, it is apparent that she must leave the walls around her and garner favor of the Council of Lords... before her father's last breath. Regional History: There is very little history of note for the North. When looking as far back as one can in the historical scrolls, the Northers have been fighting to protect their Ice-Diamond mines from the Elves (who claim they were stolen from them) and trading off weapons and furs to the South. There are rumors that the southern King, King Jassard's nephew, has been plotting against his uncle after he turned down an offer of a marriage between Princess Sifora and himself. Some even say the King had offered his daughter to the elf Lord instead, to further anger the southern King. All are unconfirmed rumors, but have permeated enough of polite gossip that they are stated as if fact. With King Jassard's health is in quick decline and his end inevitable, the Council of the High Lords are starting to show their colors... either by aligning themselves behind the Princess, or by otherwise plotting. --- NPCs Erik Olofsson General of the North AGE: 58 NOTES: Is of noble birth but does not hold lands (his older brother does). He has no kids and has been at the King's side since a young lad. The two have ridden into battle many... many times. He is stoic... and is built like a bear. Shaydon Dalgaard Prince of the North AGE: 12 NOTES: Has mental deficiencies due to complications at birth. Does not talk and only comprehends like a young toddler. Has a natural connection with animals and is scared of anything loud. Sybilla Rior Nomad; White Tent Clan AGE: Appears to be mid 20s NOTES: More to come.</s> <\|message\|>Adrastos My'nar Characters: Various Erikson household NPCs Location: The North--Erikson Mansion The half melted snow of summer slowly began to glitter in the twilight on the grounds of the Erikson Mansion. The twilight was too bright for the nocturnal critters to scurry about and the daytime life had still not crawled from their various homes. Only the soft bubbling of the property's stream gave the cool morning any sign of life. Inside those dark stone walls, however, the flow of life hardly ever ceased. Below the main floors in a massive kitchen, a never ending flock of men and women fluttered about day and night. The High Lord and his family, like most of the council Lords, had never known hunger... especially those in which owned Ice Diamond mines. "-well I don' know how they do et in tha capital, but givin' the poor cook less than a days notice-" Grumbled a rather large, round woman began, her red face glistening in the candle light with the efforts of rolling out the dough. She gave the dough a rather aggressive punch before continuing. "-it just don't seem right..." A tired looking man with a well trimmed beard and a tunic of leather stood next to the baker's table, a sigh escaping his lips that were pressed into a thin line. "I understand, Tilda... but this is her royal highness, not some common lady calling upon Lord Erikson and his family. This could very well set up the Lord for success...... or failure." "No need to get dramatic, Valcore." She grunted, flashing a half smile at the Steward. "I will get breakfast going an' then sit down withcha to plan out a few meal options for Lady Erikson to choose...." Tilda's smoky voice trailed off along with her grass green eyes towards where a rather buxom girl covered in flour stood, peering down the main hall expectantly. "POPPY!" The cook barked. The poor girl spun around. "Ma'am?!" "If my tarts end up flat because yer daydreaming after that Erikson bastard again, I am going to beat you until your ears bleed!" Tilda roared, holding up the rolling pin, a cloud of flour filling the room from the sudden upward movement. "Yes, ma'am." Poppy muttered softly, jumping back to her place. "Come now, Tilda..." Valcore chided, picking up the opened missive from the capital from the table. "What else are bastards good for anyway, if not sending all the scullery maids into girlish fits and lustful daydreams, hmm?" And with that, the man headed to go prepare for his master to awake to the news that the future Queen and her entourage would arrive at the Erikson Mansion in less than a day.</s> <\|message\|>Viktor Eriksen Viktor was always fond of waking up in the early hours of morning. There was a small sense of superiority in it, something small and meaningless to boost his ego, just the simple knowledge that his lazy brothers and useless sisters couldn't even manage to do that. Anyhow, the feeling didn't last long- he caught a glimpse of his window, and the twilight that struggled to be seen. His room was halfway underground, a compromise reached by his father and the Lady of the House. Viktor sleeping anywhere near her children's chambers would be a grave insult that would not be tolerated, and Viktor sleeping below the manor with the staff was an insult to Lord Erikson's blood. An easy answer was found: a tiny, damp, freezing room between two sets of stairs: halfway below ground, halfway up. He hated it, and smiled at the horrible little window like it was the most beautiful sight in the whole North. Feet on the cold, stone ground, he got up and dressed himself, in blue and silver. He looked back at the sight on the old mirror that decorated his walls. Appearance would be the only luxury a bastard like him held onto. Thin, and long, and with his limbs too slender and lanky, he would never look like a proper Northern brute, but he could do something even better, he could look expensive, regal. Who would look at someone like him and think him a product of unholiness? He smiled at his own reflection, a smile that everybody hated. Long legs carrying him down the stairs, Viktor adjusted his gloves as his feet stepped onto the main hall, his long, dark mane of hair slicked back. He liked to start the day by seeing how much he could aggravate the staff. This wasn't entirely malicious, as he preferred them eons better than the brats he shared part of his blood with, but being a nuisance always put him in the right mood. Besides, he was the only member of the family who would step into the kitchen out of his own free will, he must take advantage of that as much as he can. "Quite the commotion, at an hour like this." Viktor walked in, smile big and white and irreverent across his face "You mustn't tell me you let the hounds eat Ola's special sweets again." This had, in fact, happened once, and had been entirely his doing.</s>	<\|message\|>Adrastos My'nar Characters: Various Erikson household NPCs Location: The North--Erikson Mansion Tilda huffed, her face never lifting from the baker's bench as The Bastard joined the mix. "If ya came ta get beat with tha broom, dearie, then keep on talkin'. Ta-day just may put ol' Tilda in the grave..." She muttered, not her usually jolly self. Normally she would happy swap smart ass remarks with the boy, but this morning she was a woman on a mission. "Go ask yer da 'bout our special-" "-it's the Princess Sifora!" Poppy blurted from the stove, having nearly wet herself with excitement when Viktor had entered the room. The fat cook stopped a moment to send a sharp look at the girl. Oh if only looks could kill! Pressing her lips into a thin line, Tilda's face fell back to the bench. "Hand me that sack, boy. If yer gunna be a distraction to the girls in here, yer gunna be of some help." She barked pointing to the cloth sack full of flour that was on the far end of the bench near where Viktor stood. Then, slowly, a grin crossed her face. "An' if ya go an' feed these sweets ta the 'ounds... I will walk ya up by the ear to yer father meself and let ya explain why it is the High Council no longer has a seat for any Erikson...." Her words were playful, but there was a tone of seriousness to them today. The short, freckled faced Poppy let out a fearful gasp. "OH, please, don' hurt 'im, Tilda... I will take 'is lashes fer 'im!" She began to babble, dropping the wooden spoon into the pot she had been stirring. "STUPID GIRL!" Tilda roared. "Get back ta yer work or else ya will be gettin' some lashin's of yer own."</s>
<\|description\|>Viktor Eriksen Age:19 Race: Human, Northener Physical Description: Very tall, slender young man, with sharp features everywhere. Thin and not very physically skilled, unlike most of his Northern peers, with long legs to carry his body. Dark, silky hair, going down to his chin, skin pale as the snow, and icy gray eyes. Cheekbones sharp enough to cut through metal, and a bit of a shark-like smile that makes people nervous just at it's sight. A purposeful off-putting presence. Title/Rank: No title, bastard of a Northern High Lord Personality: With a flair for dramatics and an incessant need to go out of his way to antagonize his peers, Viktor was never very well-liked for his personality. He was a bastard, in the literal sense, but many would describe him as that in every sense. The way he saw it, he had two choices growing up: he could bow his head down in respect when the Lady and the family berated him, waiting for the acceptance that would never come, or he could take advantage of the fact that it was far too late to get rid of him. Quick-witted and with a borderline sadistic enjoyment of watching people get uncomfortable, upset, or downright furious. Going out of his way to ruin somebody's day quickly became his favorite activity. With an unwavering sense of self-preservation, Viktor carefully built the walls surrounding him. He could be funny and entertaining, and even superficially charming, when the situation required it, or he could be downright cruel. He's a bit lazy, having grown with some comfort, but gets easily obsessed and determined when a goal is set on his mind. Naturally mistrustful of all people, he has never allowed a single soul to get too close. Extremely dedicated to the few things he loves and has passion for, like politics, archery, and the history of the kingdoms. Character History: Viktor was considered lucky for the fact that he wasn't left out to die in the cold of the North, as bastards often do. His father was a man of means and influence, a High Lord, part of the council that had the king's ear. His mother was nobody, and therefore neither was he. This alone was enough reason to let Viktor out to die, and yet, that wasn't the case. His father took him home, to his lavish castle in the capital, announcing to his wife and his 3 legitimate children that there was another member to this family. Not killing him was the very last kindness Lord Eriksen ever showed Viktor. After that, all his father gave him were cold looks and cruel, distant words. Viktor could count on one hand how many times he saw him a year. Viktor grew up in the Eriksen estate alongside his father's family, but all of them made sure he always knew he was not family. Lady Niekene hated him most. He had barely learned how to properly walk and talk, and she still found every reason she could to punish him, humiliate him, to thoroughly remind him he was an outsider and a mistake. She shared this notion with her children, who disliked Viktor's existence just as much- Lucio, Marius and Ola treated him like a pest, like a limp, sickly dog who sneaked in their home during a snowstorm. He wasn't allowed to sleep in the same chambers as the members of the Eriksen family, no, Lady Niekene would never approve of it: Viktor slept in the smallest room as the castle, a floor above the underground lodgings of the staff. Viktor was different from them, he knew soon enough, in every possible manner- Lucio and Marius were strong and courageous, they had a love for fighting and brawling, were loud and impulsive and took any chance they had to start a fight and leave people bleeding. Viktor was scrawny, despite towering over both of them in height, he knew he would never beat anybody in a physical confrontational. He was a negation with a sword, something his father quickly recognized and berated him for. But this undeniable inability to fit in, that in his early, formative years, he saw as a curse from the Gods for his unholy birth, would become his first act of rebellion. No, he was not strong, or gifted in the arts of battle, but he was smart, very smart. At the age of 9, his tutor would approach his father with the information that Viktor possessed an 'extraordinary mind'- not only he had a remarkable memory, being able to remember any passage from any book after just one glance at it, he had an undeniable talent for strategy, logic. That was the very first time his father, or anyone for that matter, looked at him like he had any value. Lord Eriksen invested in that, this child he risked his reputation for simply had to be useful for something- he hired the finest tutors of the North to sharpen and curate the boy's mind, directing it especially to the noble art of war. He also made a particularly pleasant discovery: while Viktor was more likely to decapitate himself with a sword than put up a good fight, he was fairly skilled with a bow and arrow. Viktor, who once was so jealous of Marius for how applauded he was for playing with wooden swords, realized, in a glorious moment of clarity, why this was: they were idiots. The three of them, all his legitimate heirs, though they looked noble and princely enough, what they had in appearances and charm, they lacked in intelligence. And Viktor finally realized he had the upper hand. It was a turning point for him, who no longer had to cower to the rest of the family. It was far too late for anybody to get rid of him, and he used it to his advantage. He had observed everyone in the castle all his life, he knew what made them tick, what made them angry, and he took every chance he had to do so, antagonizing his half-siblings became his joy in life. Convincing Ola that the visiting Lord from the South was in love with her ad wanted to wed her, or constantly sabotaging Marius' armor. He once made Marius genuinely believe he was being haunted by an ancient elven princess, and the only way to make it stop was to lock himself in a cabinet, naked, covered head to toe in cheap wine for a week. That was one of the happiest weeks of Viktor's life, especially because he completely got away with it. It made all of them despise him even more, but what could they do? Viktor knew acceptance would never come, he might as well enjoy himself. At 15, he became a sort of advisor for his father. Not officially, he was a boy, a bastard at that, but he earned his father's ear with his silver tongue and his brilliant mind. His father still had no love for him, he knew that much, but Viktor had moved on from wanting to be loved to wanting something much bigger: wanting to be invaluable, irreplaceable- and he was on his way there.</s> <\|message\|>Adrastos My'nar Characters: Various Erikson household NPCs Location: The North--Erikson Mansion The half melted snow of summer slowly began to glitter in the twilight on the grounds of the Erikson Mansion. The twilight was too bright for the nocturnal critters to scurry about and the daytime life had still not crawled from their various homes. Only the soft bubbling of the property's stream gave the cool morning any sign of life. Inside those dark stone walls, however, the flow of life hardly ever ceased. Below the main floors in a massive kitchen, a never ending flock of men and women fluttered about day and night. The High Lord and his family, like most of the council Lords, had never known hunger... especially those in which owned Ice Diamond mines. "-well I don' know how they do et in tha capital, but givin' the poor cook less than a days notice-" Grumbled a rather large, round woman began, her red face glistening in the candle light with the efforts of rolling out the dough. She gave the dough a rather aggressive punch before continuing. "-it just don't seem right..." A tired looking man with a well trimmed beard and a tunic of leather stood next to the baker's table, a sigh escaping his lips that were pressed into a thin line. "I understand, Tilda... but this is her royal highness, not some common lady calling upon Lord Erikson and his family. This could very well set up the Lord for success...... or failure." "No need to get dramatic, Valcore." She grunted, flashing a half smile at the Steward. "I will get breakfast going an' then sit down withcha to plan out a few meal options for Lady Erikson to choose...." Tilda's smoky voice trailed off along with her grass green eyes towards where a rather buxom girl covered in flour stood, peering down the main hall expectantly. "POPPY!" The cook barked. The poor girl spun around. "Ma'am?!" "If my tarts end up flat because yer daydreaming after that Erikson bastard again, I am going to beat you until your ears bleed!" Tilda roared, holding up the rolling pin, a cloud of flour filling the room from the sudden upward movement. "Yes, ma'am." Poppy muttered softly, jumping back to her place. "Come now, Tilda..." Valcore chided, picking up the opened missive from the capital from the table. "What else are bastards good for anyway, if not sending all the scullery maids into girlish fits and lustful daydreams, hmm?" And with that, the man headed to go prepare for his master to awake to the news that the future Queen and her entourage would arrive at the Erikson Mansion in less than a day.</s> <\|message\|>Viktor Eriksen Viktor was always fond of waking up in the early hours of morning. There was a small sense of superiority in it, something small and meaningless to boost his ego, just the simple knowledge that his lazy brothers and useless sisters couldn't even manage to do that. Anyhow, the feeling didn't last long- he caught a glimpse of his window, and the twilight that struggled to be seen. His room was halfway underground, a compromise reached by his father and the Lady of the House. Viktor sleeping anywhere near her children's chambers would be a grave insult that would not be tolerated, and Viktor sleeping below the manor with the staff was an insult to Lord Erikson's blood. An easy answer was found: a tiny, damp, freezing room between two sets of stairs: halfway below ground, halfway up. He hated it, and smiled at the horrible little window like it was the most beautiful sight in the whole North. Feet on the cold, stone ground, he got up and dressed himself, in blue and silver. He looked back at the sight on the old mirror that decorated his walls. Appearance would be the only luxury a bastard like him held onto. Thin, and long, and with his limbs too slender and lanky, he would never look like a proper Northern brute, but he could do something even better, he could look expensive, regal. Who would look at someone like him and think him a product of unholiness? He smiled at his own reflection, a smile that everybody hated. Long legs carrying him down the stairs, Viktor adjusted his gloves as his feet stepped onto the main hall, his long, dark mane of hair slicked back. He liked to start the day by seeing how much he could aggravate the staff. This wasn't entirely malicious, as he preferred them eons better than the brats he shared part of his blood with, but being a nuisance always put him in the right mood. Besides, he was the only member of the family who would step into the kitchen out of his own free will, he must take advantage of that as much as he can. "Quite the commotion, at an hour like this." Viktor walked in, smile big and white and irreverent across his face "You mustn't tell me you let the hounds eat Ola's special sweets again." This had, in fact, happened once, and had been entirely his doing.</s> <\|message\|>Adrastos My'nar Characters: Various Erikson household NPCs Location: The North--Erikson Mansion Tilda huffed, her face never lifting from the baker's bench as The Bastard joined the mix. "If ya came ta get beat with tha broom, dearie, then keep on talkin'. Ta-day just may put ol' Tilda in the grave..." She muttered, not her usually jolly self. Normally she would happy swap smart ass remarks with the boy, but this morning she was a woman on a mission. "Go ask yer da 'bout our special-" "-it's the Princess Sifora!" Poppy blurted from the stove, having nearly wet herself with excitement when Viktor had entered the room. The fat cook stopped a moment to send a sharp look at the girl. Oh if only looks could kill! Pressing her lips into a thin line, Tilda's face fell back to the bench. "Hand me that sack, boy. If yer gunna be a distraction to the girls in here, yer gunna be of some help." She barked pointing to the cloth sack full of flour that was on the far end of the bench near where Viktor stood. Then, slowly, a grin crossed her face. "An' if ya go an' feed these sweets ta the 'ounds... I will walk ya up by the ear to yer father meself and let ya explain why it is the High Council no longer has a seat for any Erikson...." Her words were playful, but there was a tone of seriousness to them today. The short, freckled faced Poppy let out a fearful gasp. "OH, please, don' hurt 'im, Tilda... I will take 'is lashes fer 'im!" She began to babble, dropping the wooden spoon into the pot she had been stirring. "STUPID GIRL!" Tilda roared. "Get back ta yer work or else ya will be gettin' some lashin's of yer own."</s>	<\|message\|>Viktor Eriksen Viktor leaned against the counter, making no move to be useful and, in fact, actively standing in the way of the people trying to work. That's what she gets for ordering him around, now he was dead-set on making things even more difficult, whatever these things may be. "Oh, don't you worry, you must know by now that old Tilda is all bark. What's a fat cook to do? Sit on me until I'm squished to death?" The young bastard smiled between Poppy and Tilda. His mean words were as sure to come as the sun was sure to rise, other's aggravation seemed to be Viktor's fuel for waking up in the morning. Still, despite all he says to her, it was obvious the insults didn't translate in how he actually felt about the cook- if he truly had any distaste for old Tilda, all he had to do was put in a word with his father and have her thrown out. He hadn't done anything like that after all these years, hence why he stood in the kitchen exchanging barbed words with her. "Poppy, my dear," He turned his gaze to the freckled lass, using the words he knew would distract her most from the task at hand "What is it you said about the Princess?" Poppy appeared to be the only girl in the whole North stupid enough to prefer a boney thing like him than the likes of his brothers. Of course, he never did anything about, she'd be much luckier throwing herself at Marius or Lucio, they'd have her in no time. But he had his uses for her, seeing as the best source of information is the one that is eager to give it all up.</s>
<\|description\|>Yukihiro Naoki Age: 17 Occupation: Second Year High Schooler at Zenshin Private High Appearance: His jacket is an Iori Shopping Center brand one and the Japanese kanji writing on his is hood and back spell out "Iori Shopping Center" Personality: Good-natured, and overall friendly, he often acts overly blunt with people and causes trouble. He has a habit of happily saying "Imagine it!", with a smile on his face. He is an optimist who believes nothing can be achieved through idleness and has an almost disgust for those who take inaction when they want something, although he rarely shows it. He also has a tendency to daydream and often uses those daydreams to draw up inspiration for gunpla. Background: Naoki was born and raised in the heart of Shibuya, raised by his grandfather who was a former architect and instilled a love for building into Naoki at a young age. Born into a moderately wealthy family, he lives in one of the apartment complexes on the top floor. At a young age, Naoki would meet his childhood friend when moving into the center, this friend would introduce him to the world of gunpla building. Years later his love of gunpla has given him 3 goals in life; to one day create his "Ideal" gunpla, to participate in a "Battlogue", and to become the next Meijin Kawaguchi. If anyone decides to do an in-depth research into Naoki they'd learn that 3 years ago he was a part of Team Domino, last year's current runner-ups, and former Nationals Champion, although he was under the stage name Aznable at the time and wore a costume as Char Aznable. This fact is rarely known these days. Stats: - Battle sense: 2 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 4 Other Skills: - Proficient Builder, Naoki has a lot of experience with building and even has access to a 3D printer that he creates custom parts with. - Versatile Pilot, Naoki has piloted a number of gunpla and can very comfortably pilot most gunpla regardless of type. - Excellent Spatial Visualization, Naoki is proficient at mentally visualizing opponents movements and is able to keep track of enemies in his blind spots as well as figure out positioning through sensor data alone.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku A chance to buy a new model for only 500 yen was simply too good to pass up. That was Riku's mindset when he showed up at the Arcade Shop on Sunday morning. He made sure he was there at 10 on the dot, wanting to avoid finding out that the model he was interested in had already sold out. But thanks to his plan, Riku got exactly the model that had caught his eye, a Leo. Immediately after the purchase was made, the first thing Riku had done was write something on the box using a marker: KRB-8. He'd been wanting an excuse to start up a new line of builds, and this event was as good as it got. Also, this was the first model from After Colony that he would get to work with, so that was also quite an appeal for him. He sat down at a table, noticing a building lesson was going on a couple tables away. Riku instead chose to ignore that lesson altogether, putting in some earbuds and blasting some music out of them to drown out all the distractions. For the next three hours, he was in the zone. He was focused entirely on the Leo he was putting together, and even though the model was unpainted as of yet, he could already see some potential paint jobs for the Gunpla in his own mind's eye. Although Riku was indeed a student of Zenshin Private High, he wasn't wearing any kind of uniform. Why would he? It was Sunday, there was no school, and frankly he hated wearing those ugly white blazers. Even on school days, Riku was rebellious enough not to actually wear the blazer, but instead just tie the thing around his waist. Rules said he had to wear it, but they didn't mention anything about how he had to wear it. But for today, he was dressed in a much more preferable wardrobe consisting of a black t-shirt worn under a sleeveless leather cutoff jacket sporting a white boa collar. In addition to that he sported black pants, biker boots and a pair of fingerless leather gloves. "Hmm... better to leave that part for now until I decide how I wanna upgrade it later..." muttered the builder to himself. From what he knew about this model, Leos were capable of a wide variety of specializations and for the moment Riku hadn't yet decided what to do with his. Such versatility was the thing that drew him to this model, the sheer number of variants he could come up with for it being the main appeal for him concerning the Leo. For now, Riku paused from his building in order to access something on his phone. It was file labeled "Build Catalogue" that he opened up, setting the pone on the table and allowing to project a holographic viewing of the items listed within. He cycled through the Catalogue, looking over his past builds from the very first all the way to most recent. He was looking at what kind of specializations he had already done, so that he could deliberately focus on building a new type of build for the Leo. He noticed a lot melee focused and flying focused builds, but not a lot of builds focused on firepower. He smirked, knowing exactly what he wanted to do with the Leo now.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun "Yoshu Arcade, check!" Jun Takamaki, crossed off the words 'Yoshu Arcade' from his notepad. Above those words, was about half a dozen other names from other arcades already crossed off. Unsatisfied with the amount, Jun dumped the notepad into his pocket and let the door slam on the arcade he was leaving. As the door was closing, what could be seen from where Jun left, was the inside of the arcade. There, several faces of young boys of various ages could be seen with defeated expressions. All of them with their eyes either cast down at their beaten Gunpla or at the back of the one responsible who was leaving out the door, Jun. "The rumors were right, that Shark kid really did come here to take everyone on after all....He's crazy, how could he have that much stamina after so many consecutive battles?" "I don't know what was worse, losing to him or having to listen to him brag about us losing to him," "No, the worst part was definitely the fact that he told us to make sure no girls were allowed..." The group of boys talked amongst themselves about the wild blue-haired youth who had competitively ransacked their arcade. That boy, named Jun, was now grinning to himself while looking at the list of defeated arcade centers. As he was walking down the sidewalk, he couldn't help but speak to himself, "Ah ah, come oooon what am I so proud of myself for? This is nothing new, it's only natural that a Once in A Century Genius like me would become this skilled in any endeavor he puts his mind to." he chuckled, reeling in his own satisfaction. The stupid grin on his face grew larger. "Well, I guess I should give myself a pat on the back every once in a while, right? Hm Hm haha HAHHAHA!!" Eventually he couldn't kkep himself from laughing out loud. The odd scene drew disturbed glances from the people walking by him. Of course that didn't stop him from laughing to himself, but something at the corner of his eye did. It was inside a Gunpla shop and the conclusion of a battle had drew quite the commotion. From what he could gather, the blond-haired guy with the calm demeanor had just laid a thrashing on a trio of enemies, both with the Gunpla and in real life. "Wow, that guy's got some moves for someone who isn't a Genius like me," Jun boasted to himself after watching that boy leave the shop. The stranger had walked past Jun without any recognition of his existence, which Jun found insulting. So he glanced down at the boy's phone and only noticed a calendar with the note; 'Takemori Arcade, 1:00 & 2:00'. It was a rude thing to just look at someone else's phone screen but this was Jun, who cared very little about that sort of thing. Having his curiosity piqued, Jun entered the Gunpla shop the stranger had left and went up to the three losers who had been defeated. "Hey, what's the deal with that guy, and what's up at Takamori Arcade?" he bluntly asked the three delinquents as they were recovering. It looked like they wanted to resist answering out of their sense of pride, but of course that had been recently crushed, so one of them gave in and answered, "That's the Reaper, Kai Asakura, he's a jerk that goes around destroying other's Gunpla with just some jank builds.... As for Takamori Arcade, I think there's a Tournament going on there today." Jun pondered to himself for a moment at those words, "Kai Asakura,....I've heard that name before, but where...?" After thinking for a moment, Jun shook his head and grinned. "Whatever! What matters is that fate has set up another challenge for the Once In A Century Genius, Jun Takamaki, to overcome! Takamori Arcade! That's my next conquest!"</s>	<\|message\|>Yukihiro Naoki Naoki sat in his chair waiting, the newly made graze in his hand as he began to use a very thin marker to add detailing to it, as he mindlessly did the work he began to think of the other gunplas he's made today for the demonstrations. His mind began to wander to a battlefield... The fuzzy silhouette of a graze appears in view, its back turned as it turns to him, its arms and back larger and more robust. The graze unholsters its axe and began winding back, before finally swinging down with tremendous for- "Hey Nao, how's the crowd treating you?" a deep voice said behind Naoki, jolting him back to reality. He turns around to see an arms crossed man, probably in his late 30s, with short green hair and wearing an apron that says Takemori on it, similar to Naoki's. "The kids are doing just fine, I think anyway. They're all able to keep up with my demo and almost all finish making their models before the lesson ends." He says looking over at the other tables where those who hadn't finished moved their gunpla to finish on their own. "What about you, Shinrai? How're sales going?" The now named Takemori Shinrai smirked with a thumbs up. "I can proudly say that almost all of the Zaku II and Leo gunplas are sold out, with only a couple left of each, and we were able to sell two-thirds of our Grazes." Naoki nodded at this. "By the way, that one guy is here, he came in while you were setting up for presentations. I think he bought a Leo this time." Naoki perked up with interest before looking over at the tables and spotting Riku in the back of the room, far away from any of the kids or others in general. Sometime during the last year or so Riku had started to appear at the arcade, and whether it was by fate or by sheer horrible luck, Naoki had never seen Riku actually battle. Once when Naoki had to leave for a family event, Riku appeared at the arcade and headed straight for the battle tables. When Naoki arrived for his afternoon shift, Riku would walk out of the arcade having finished a fight. Naoki had naturally become curious about this tough-looking guy who would only be in the same room when building or buying a gunpla. That, mixed with the random whispers at school that he'd heard of the guy, had made Naoki curious. Was he skilled or an amateur? Was he a close range fighter or long? Did he like After Colony? Or did he just want a cheap build? However the current question on his mind was, "Do you think he'll be signing up for the tournament?" "Hmmm, hard to tell. Only really exchanged a couple of pleasantries. Tell you what, I'll ask him and let you know after I put up the signup sheet." Shinrai said holding up the piece of paper, "Which reminds me, did you want to participate?" Naoki flashed a smile and thumbs up, "Yep," He said with an emphasis on the p. "I'll be using the demo models." Shinrai raised an eyebrow. "You realize that's going to be an uphill battle right?" "Neh it'll be fine, I'm just here for fun after all! Win or lose it'll be fine." He replied while waving him off. Shinrai sighed, "Well, no skin off my back." He said, writing Naoki's name on the top before heading off to post it at the front counter. Soon after, the tables in front of him began to fill, with the front rows being filled with young children and their parents while a couple of lone teenagers and even a pair of adults sat in the back. This lesson was much smaller than the previous ones since it was the last of the day. "Well then!" He said with a clap to get the rooms attention. "Good afternoon everyone! Let us begin the final Beginners Building Event of the day. First things first we need to make sure everyone has what they need, besides the gunplas of course! At each of your stations you should have a pair of cutters along with sandpaper and ", Naoki began to ramble on, starting the lesson while looking over the crowd. --- In the back of the arcade, posted up next to the arcades gunpla store on the wall was the signup sheet with 20 slots, with 1 name already written in. At the top of the signup sheet had the following, Free For All Takemori Locals Tournament Rules: - In total, 2 Free for All Elimination Rounds, 1 DeathMatch. - 1st and 2nd round: 20 person free for all lasting 20 minutes each. - 3rd round: If 2 or more pilots are still standing, the 2 with the highest kill count will battle 1-on-1. - Mobile Suits Only. --- posting the sheet to the wall, Shinrai walked up to Rikus' table, trying to appear in his line of sight so as not to spook the young boy. Looking down at the boy's workstation he could see the finishing touches of the Leo the boy was making. Shinrai cleared his throat trying to get the boys attention, first quietly but then again much louder when he realized the boy had headphones in. Once he got the teens attention he asked, "Hey kid, uh .. Riku was it? Are you interested in signing up for the tournament? It's usually first come first serve but since you've been here all day I thought I'd give you a heads up before the list fills up." He said before heading back over to the store counter next to the signup sheet, keeping an eye of interest to see if the teen would follow him to join the tournament.</s>
<\|description\|>Yukihiro Naoki Age: 17 Occupation: Second Year High Schooler at Zenshin Private High Appearance: His jacket is an Iori Shopping Center brand one and the Japanese kanji writing on his is hood and back spell out "Iori Shopping Center" Personality: Good-natured, and overall friendly, he often acts overly blunt with people and causes trouble. He has a habit of happily saying "Imagine it!", with a smile on his face. He is an optimist who believes nothing can be achieved through idleness and has an almost disgust for those who take inaction when they want something, although he rarely shows it. He also has a tendency to daydream and often uses those daydreams to draw up inspiration for gunpla. Background: Naoki was born and raised in the heart of Shibuya, raised by his grandfather who was a former architect and instilled a love for building into Naoki at a young age. Born into a moderately wealthy family, he lives in one of the apartment complexes on the top floor. At a young age, Naoki would meet his childhood friend when moving into the center, this friend would introduce him to the world of gunpla building. Years later his love of gunpla has given him 3 goals in life; to one day create his "Ideal" gunpla, to participate in a "Battlogue", and to become the next Meijin Kawaguchi. If anyone decides to do an in-depth research into Naoki they'd learn that 3 years ago he was a part of Team Domino, last year's current runner-ups, and former Nationals Champion, although he was under the stage name Aznable at the time and wore a costume as Char Aznable. This fact is rarely known these days. Stats: - Battle sense: 2 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 4 Other Skills: - Proficient Builder, Naoki has a lot of experience with building and even has access to a 3D printer that he creates custom parts with. - Versatile Pilot, Naoki has piloted a number of gunpla and can very comfortably pilot most gunpla regardless of type. - Excellent Spatial Visualization, Naoki is proficient at mentally visualizing opponents movements and is able to keep track of enemies in his blind spots as well as figure out positioning through sensor data alone.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku Lion A full blown cavern, complete with waterfall and underground lake? Not quite what Riku had expected. Still, this would actually work out in his favor. The Metal Angel not only excelled in close range fighting, but even more so in enclosed places like this. It wasn't hard for him to decide that this place would end up being the Queen Mansa's tomb. Speaking of which, he saw the water of the lake bubble with activity as something rose up out of it. It was her. The Metal Angel appeared to stare down the Queen Mansa with unflinching resolve. On his way to this location, Riku had once again brandished the DODS Rifle that his Gunpla now held in its hand. And then he heard the pilot speak again over the intercom channels. "Heh heh heh, my my boy. I didn't think you'd be so brazen." In response, music began playing from Riku's intercom system. Not over his earbuds, but on his speakers so that she would hear the song as well. Just as music could soothe a savage beast, the right kind of song could also strike fear into the heart of an opponent, "Don't blame me," Riku said over the comms, "you're the one who targeted me first. So you've only got yourself to blame for what happens next!" and without even a hint of warning, he fired off a shot from the DODS Rifle, aimed past the Queen Mansa at the cavern walls above. He intended to use another rock slide tactic. However, Riku suspected this woman wouldn't fall prey to a rock slide as easily as Seo had in Round 1. But even if she avoided getting collapsed on, the same would likely not be said for her funnels. And really, that was Riku's aim anyway. As long as they were destroyed by the rocks or sufficiently distracted by shooting at them, it'd give Riku the opening he needed to close the distance. And close the distance, he did. Instantly, after the shot was fired, the Metal Angel dropped the rifle onto the ground and boosted full speed directly at the Queen Mansa. While the normal AGE-1 Titus model was known for being a bit on the slow side, the same was not true of the Metal Angel. In building it, Riku had used a combination of using slightly less armor pieces and increased energy output to allow it to move faster than it's official counterpart from the anime could. Riku's first move was to try and catch the Mansa in a frontal grappling hold. Assuming the grab was successful, Riku would activate the beam lariats. Upon this, disc-shaped beam weapons ignited around the Metal Angel's forearms. Normally these could be used for a powerful close-line charge. But for this scenario, they were being used to create a grappling hold capable of causing devastating damage to an enemy Gunpla's body simply by having the Metal squeeze its arms inward while the beams were ignited. It didn't need to last very long. In fact Riku expected the Queen Mansa could and would break free in mere moments. But those moments were all Riku would need. As the brunt of the beam damage would be against the Queen Mansa's tail binder, hopefully rendering it unable to deploy any more funnels. "Apparently you weren't watching what happened to the last guy who tried to fight me in terrain like this." Riku said. He was referring to Table B, when he completely crippled Seo's Alvaaron while piloting a mere Leo.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Lion Blade sighed and said," I wasn't patronizing you I was actually giving you a compliment." He looks around and sighed. He looks at the girl acrossed from her and gave her a thumbs up in a compliment and a sign of respect. He then focused back at the match. He moved the wing zero up and out of the water. The little damage he took from that crash unaffecting any of the systems and the wing. He said," alright who's next he turned the wing zero into neo-bird mode and flew off at high speeds.</s> <\|message\|>Kai Asakura Unfortunately for Hamada, Kai did keep track of him, after all he was laying down suppressive fire, meaning he was keeping track of him even though the rock slide because of his sense stat being four though he couldn't stop his enemy from going into the cave due to the aforementioned rock slide. The Taisen stepped down infront of the stone barricade. Kai pulled out a Panzerfaust and a Cracker and then tossed the Panzerfaust into the air, the threw the cracker into the stone pile blasting the cave open again, but Kai didn't go in. Kai caught the Panzerfaust and fired the one use rocket into the cave and then detonated it from afar with a shot from his beam rifle. The cave started to rumble as rather than going in and possibly being ambushed or wasting energy and time, the Gunpla fighter instead decided to try and literally bury his opponent again this time using cave in, though rumbling didn't just happen at the cave, but at multiple areas, Hamada's random barrage of mortar fire would have caused areas to have become destabilized, with Kai giving the last push to causing a chain reaction, he went back to the air and towards a different area.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun Lion Jun was disappointed to find that his blaster wasn't having the effect he hopped it would. Therefor he was surprised to see the Graze slip through his charge and attack from his side. Jun didn't break, instead he continued with his forward movement to evade the axe slash. However there was still a slight cut made across the Miracle's arm from the blow. "Tch! Yeah, I put it together! What's it to you!? Anything's possible for someone like me!" Jun shouted at hos opponent in frustration. The two of them were dueling with a series of strikes from their respective melee weapons. At the same time, Jun couldn't help but think to himself, 'What's with this guy... He's strong like Kai, but different. It feels like I'm fighting against the wind..' After sliding his Zamber off the axe, Jun used the front guard at the handle of his blade to hit the axe at it's flat side to throw off the Graze's aim. Once in that position, Jun would try to take advantage of the opening to launching a mighty spinning slash at the Graze's head. Jun would carrying that momentum ahead once he passed by the Graze and swing back around during the rotation to quickly combine both his Zamber and Blaster together to form a more highly powered Beam Rifle to fire at his foe. "Does this pack enough fire power for ya!?"</s>	<\|message\|>Yukihiro Naoki As music filled the open channel, Koga Kyo smiled. "Aren't you confident!!" She said as Rikus' blast hit its mark above her. As the rumble fell, her funnels all grouped above her before spinning, "Funnel, Blooming Rose Formation!!" The funnels all shot upwards before rotating in a circles and slowly shot outwards, destroying the rumble above and causing damage to the rest of the caves ceilings. Koga Kyo chuckled a bit to herself. So, this was Leo from the last round. Previously, Koga had been watching from a hidden area in the canyons, her funnels giving her a view of all potential opponents. Although there was no rule against switching between rounds, she wondered why he didn't use this new gunpla last round to score points. "Oi, smart strategy, but remember," She said as her funnel lasers had reached the ceiling above Riku, "The same trick works both ways sweetie!!" She finished as rocks and rumble began to fall all around the caves, the Queen Mansa beginning to float upwards towards the hole in the ceiling as she also shot a couple blasts towards the Metal angels general direction as the Metal Angel dropped its blaster and closed the distance. Koga Kyo turned right as the Metal Angel tanked a few blasts before grabbing onto the Mansas Binder. The beam lariat shot out of the Metal Angel, ripping her binder to shreds as she detached it, firing a shot at the binder to blow it up and create distance as she escaped the cave. "Smart move switching to close range, but this is over!" She yelled as her funnels came back to her, 7 staying out with nowhere to go as the wasted the rest of their energy causing destruction in the caves. --- Hamada breathed a large sigh of relief as his Buster finally stopped its thrusters, and landed on its feet. "I escaped. Now I j-" But he was cut off, as the stone barricade behind him burst open from Kais cracker. "Ah SHIT!!!" He yelled as his gundam immediately pressed against the wall. Maybe he was far enough away that the light wouldn't reach? Maybe he was out of sensor range? A missile fired through the cave and Hamada held his breath in, this cave was pretty straight, if he was lucky the missile would go straight and miss him. And it did, and he was happy …. But just as he was about to celebrate, not pressing against the wall anymore, a laser pierces his shoulder, before detonating the missile that just passed him and causing him to take serious damage, falling over. The whole cave began to shake as rumble began to slowly fall around him. "NO NO NO, MOVE BUSTER MOVE!!!" He yelled in frustration as the blue lights around him turned red. "Dammit, I didn't even." As Kai flew into the air, he realized his battle had moved him to around the center of the arena. From his vantage in the air, and using the long range cameras, Kai was able to identify 2 other suits. The first appeared to be a large black mobile suit currently flying out of a hole in the earth, firing downwards at something. The other was what looked like a white transformable type gunpla flying into the air above the ocean area. --- And as if their eyes actually met, Blade caught sight of the Red Zaku flying above the mountains. Flying through the air, Blade could see his gunplas condition was still pretty good despite his sudden dive, although through his camera he could see the Red Zaku still looked fine as well. The Zero System, however, he would still need a few moments before he could use again. Far Below, the battle between Jun and Naoki intensified as their weapons clashed. At Juns confirmation of building his gunpla, Naokis smile grew. So, the shark wasn't just instinct and talent. Naoki could tell from the Gunplas design. It wasn't a critique on performance, or power, or even strength. Naoki could tell the Gunpla was born from its creators heart and it shined because of it. And thats what excited Naoki. As they continued, Jun side stepped and got a clean hit onto his gunplas head, destroying his main camera. As he lost visuals, Naoki took a deep breath, his mind going into overdrive as his eyes flickered to the information the system was giving him. Radar said he was passing him, but now he stopped and suddenly turned back on his heel. The image of the Captain Miracle turning around and combining his Zamber and Blaster flashed, its powerful beam firing at the Graze and piercing its left side. A moment before the blast, Naoki detached his Grazes left arm and threw it towards the beam, "Does this pack enough fire power for ya!?" He heard as the blast destroyed the arm, before grazing the Grazes left side, causing serious damage as his Graze lost power, falling into the ocean. "Damn, even though I could imagine the attack, I couldn't respond. Heh heh, still though." He said as his Graze began to sink, the pressure of the ocean began to affect the Gunpla. "It was fun, Mr. Genius." He said through the open channel, remembering Juns entrance from earlier. The Graze reached the bottom, before exploding in an underwater pink cloud that signified Naokis defeat. "I really wanna fight you again, full power." He said to himself as the blue around him turned red.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku It was tough to ignore the "Shark's" entrance. His loud and obnoxious arrogance made it downright impossible to miss it. And yet, all it managed to elicit from Riku was a quick eye roll. In his experience, it was always the smallest dogs who barked the loudest. So for all he cared, that's all this so-called Shark was: a small dog desperately trying to convince the rest of the world that he was bigger than he actually was. A pity they didn't wind up on the same table for round 1, else Riku could have went for an early elimination to put the blowhard in his place. Nah, instead he wound up on the other table, with Seo of all people. He remembered the counselor suggesting to him that he join the Gunpla Club as a way to learn the ropes, but one look at these assholes was all Riku needed to turn around and walk away without even so much as an attempt to talk to them. Arrogance like the Shark's was one thing, guys like that just wanted to be in the spotlight. But arrogance like Seo's? That was a beast of another color, the kind of superiority complex that made Riku's blood boil just thinking about it. Guys like him and his little club were the kind that were in the most need of a rude awakening. Riku took a glance down at his Leo, briefly considering using the real Gunpla he'd brought along with him to step out onto the table and subject Seo to a much-deserved beatdown. But then, he smiled... another idea formed in his mind. One that would let him test the Leo and - if he played his cards right - knock that Seo bastard off his high horse. Riku took his place on the table, registered his base and docked the Leo. The Plavsky particles flowed around him as his immediate vicinity darkened, "...Launch!" and with that, his Leo launched and he quickly and quietly positioned himself within what appeared to be the dilapidated ruins of a military base. His Leo's urban camo would serve it well here, and he could power down his energy output and possibly pass himself off as just another part of the ruined base. He ducked his gunpla inside of a nearby Mobile Suit hanger and put it in a kneeling position so that it would appear offline to the untrained eye. All that was left was scan for Seo's signal and - once locked on - he could begin his plan.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Blake walking through the mall reading mentally for the tournament. He heard about it on the fliers around town so he thought he could put to the test his gundam wing zero. He walked into the building looking around once after signing up he was still hyping himself up as he looked at everyone that was there. He thought to himself,'dam lots of people,' Once the tournament started having everyone seated at Plavsky Particle Tables and such Blake took his seat quickly as he readied himself and put wing on the platform and took his position. He didn't really talk to anyone else he simply was there to try for the tournament and was ready for it. He looked around as he flew the battle feild looking for his opponent. He was ready for a fight.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun Jun had been tinkering with his Captain Miracle on a table. He was currently making sure all of the Gunpla's weapons were in check. In his head he was already visualizing defeating the other competitors and claiming his victory. Ensured of his victory, Jun stood up triumphantly once the announcement of the start of the tournament sounded. "A Battle Royale, that's just perfect for me! I knew coming here would be the right move!", Everyone around him was heading to their positions for their respective group battles. Before heading towards his own station, Jun noticed a familiar face. Asakura Kai, who he had indirectly learned of the tournament from, was seated at a table. Wanting to show appreciation in his own special way, he made that his destination. As he approached, he saw there was someone else standing nearby. @Crimson Lion "You're another challenger? You're a nice guy helping those beginners like that. Here's a word of advice, stay away from this bad boy if you want to last long," Jun held up his 'Captain Miracle' for the stranger to see before turning his attention back at the person he came here for. "As for you, Asakura Kai, or 'Reaper' or whatever you wanna go by! I can tell you're strong, but that's gonna be put to the test once you fight someone like me, whose super strong! No, ultra strong! No, super mega ultra strong!! So don't go disappointing me. It may not be a perfect nickname, but they're not wrong when they call me 'Shark'!" With a fire in his eyes and a grin to match, Jun made his intentions clear. Having said all he needed and not wanting to waste any further time, the boy made a line straight for his battle station. Once there, Jun placed his Gunpla onto the table and the Plavsky Particles surrounded him. He was now inside his mobile suit, which was stationed inside a hanger. "Takamaki Jun, Crossbones Gundam: Captain Miracle, launching!" with that, he hurled out of the hangar full speed. The scenery was one half coast and one half ocean. Yet he didn't make his way near the surface, instead he headed up high in the sky for all to notice him. That made him an easy target but that high altitude also allowed him to get a good view of any other competitors down below. "Let the challenge begin!"</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura Kai wiped the sweet of his bow as he inspected his handy work that he somehow managed finished up within the set amount of time. The Gunpla before him was simply a snap build with nothing original about, but it was better than his other attempt to say the least, mostly in part to Naoki's lesson, as he was about to stand up he was suddenly shouted at by a random loudmouth kid who was clearly challenging him, to which he had one question before walking off. "So, who the fuck was that guy?" Kai asked himself he was used getting challenged to fights, he just legitimately didn't know who this Shark was, he did the equivalent of living under a rock in the Gunpla community. "Well if he's strong, he's strong. If he can't back up his talk he's just going to get his ass kicked. That's all there is to it." The Gunpla fighter shrugged not really caring more than that as he walked over to the tournament floor. "Coastal terrain, looks like lucks on my side for this one." Coastal terrain meant that beam weaponry that most suits tended to rely on would be taking a hit. Beam weapons were naturally worse underwater and sand could cause malfunctions in the complicated mechanisms of beam weapons. As his Zaku only used physical weapons including a Bazooka, his weapons wouldn't be nearly at a disadvantage than other especially since most suits which tended to rely on beam weapon for their ranged options. Kai set his Gunpla and base. "Kai Asakura, Char's Zaku Orgin, launching." The Red Zaku flew out from the hanger, before slowly lowering himself to the sandy surface careful not to kick up a dust cloud which could give away his position. "I should watch the coastline, at this terrain that's the easiest place to hide and set an ambush." The Gunpla fighter noted to himself proceeded with fight with great caution.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Blake turned around and said," there you are! Get over here." He then launched the winged gundam forward with his own beam saber he blocked the others beam attack to and looked at the other gunpla. He chuckled a bit as he kicked the other back and he flew back a few feet. He smiled and thought to himself,' good a battle, alright wing zero let's do this.' Blake said," that was your brother? Interesting didn't even know what hit him." He looks at the other gunpla he just floating there, he pointed his beam saber at him and said," you think your a match for me and wing zero? Come on then!" He then launched forward, pulling out his second beam saber as he got closer to the only astray left on the field.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku Lion The moment Riku was through the canyon entrance, he slowed his Gunpla and double checked his energy levels. Just under 80%, which he had to guess was a bit more than where Seo was at due to going directly from one engagement to another without taking any time to recharge. That combined with entering combat in a zone his Gunpla would have a disadvantage in would hopefully be his undoing by the end of this. Statistically speaking, the Alvaaron was technically a superior machine compared to the Leo - especially thanks to it's anti-beam coating and GN Field effectively rendering the Leo's Beam Cannons next to useless against it. So Riku needed to play his cards right. Luckily, he knew the Alvaaron's GN Field needed to consume particle energy reserves in order to be deployed. So if Riku could force Seo to burn enough of his energy reserves, that would at least nullify or reduce the effectiveness of the GN Field. As for the coating, well, there wasn't much Riku could do about that, but thankfully all his other weapons were ballistic rather than beam type, so that could serve as a workaround. After turning his Leo around to face the entrance he had just come through, Riku could see Seo's Alvaaron approaching fast. Like before, his next maneuver required timing. Unlike before, he'd potentially face a severe punish if he got this wrong. He readied the missile pods mounted on his Leo's legs, but didn't fire them until just as the Avaaron would make it through the entrance. However, Riku wasn't aiming for the Alvaaron - at least not directly. No, he had locked into the canyon walls on either side. His shot would hopefully trigger a rock slide directly over Seo as he made his entrance. Unfortunately Riku didn't have time to watch the aftermath of his attack unfold. Instead he redirected power to the thrusters and once again made his way deeper into the canyon.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun Lion @Shiyonichi There Jun was, the thrill of battle rushing through his body as he faced off against three foes. Then a certain someone in a Red Zaku interrupted his fun. They even had the guts to take a shot at himself. However, watching the assailant make its entrance and attacks brought Jun enough time to react with a move of his own. The Captain Miracle removed the easily accessible Buster Gun from it's side and activated it's thrusters. The Gunpla slid across the surface in a half-circle around the Zaku, evading the machine gun fire at a hair's breath. "Those moves,....Kai Asakura! Hey don't get in the way, I had them just where I wanted!" Jun stated angrily, he had thought back on Kai's battle that he had seen earlier this morning and thought they were familiar. "Dammit, now they're gonna get away! This is all your fault!" he looked at one of his monitors and caught sight of the three GN-Xs and the Graze leaving the scene. Jun clenched his teeth in frustration, he was caught between wanting to take down Kai and taking on the group that was escaping. Without waiting, the Captain Miracle charged forward, weaving left and right in it's pursuit as it fired it's blaster multiple times at the Red Zaku. At the same time he was readying the Zamber in his other hand to slash at Kai once he closed the distance. "Well, the best solution is to just take you down first and then get rid of them afterwards! Yeah!! That's definitely the best challenge to take on!!"</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura Kai turned as the Crossbone made it half circle to prevent it from flanking him. In a contrast to Jun energetic movement dodged the beam shots with the minimal amount of movements weaving through the beam barrage by moving an inch to the right or left allowing it to pass by hit in a narrow miss as he did a tight zigzag forwards, as he seemed to have intended to finish this in melee battle as he put his machine gun back and seemed to reach for his heat hawk... Only that was a feint. The Zaku suddenly kicked the ground sending a wave of wet sand fly at Jun to blind him, using the opening the Zaku flicked his shoulder putting the Bazooka at it's side and detaching a Bazooka clip from the shoulder shield which went fly upwards before being caught by the other hand of the Zaku which quickly put it into place in a single smooth motion, turning the usual four second reload into a second and a half. The Red Zaku jumped up to create space to fire the Bazooka at Jun. Then using the recoil and the Zaku thrusters to boost himself further upward to get to a vantage point for a juicier target, the retreating G-NXs, they were currently dragging their injured comrade away meaning they were closer and clustered together and they were also slowed down and now where focusing on Naoki who went to chase them down. Kai grabbed on to the Bazooka with both arms to stabilize his shot before firing, with full intent to finish them off.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku Lion A full blown cavern, complete with waterfall and underground lake? Not quite what Riku had expected. Still, this would actually work out in his favor. The Metal Angel not only excelled in close range fighting, but even more so in enclosed places like this. It wasn't hard for him to decide that this place would end up being the Queen Mansa's tomb. Speaking of which, he saw the water of the lake bubble with activity as something rose up out of it. It was her. The Metal Angel appeared to stare down the Queen Mansa with unflinching resolve. On his way to this location, Riku had once again brandished the DODS Rifle that his Gunpla now held in its hand. And then he heard the pilot speak again over the intercom channels. "Heh heh heh, my my boy. I didn't think you'd be so brazen." In response, music began playing from Riku's intercom system. Not over his earbuds, but on his speakers so that she would hear the song as well. Just as music could soothe a savage beast, the right kind of song could also strike fear into the heart of an opponent, "Don't blame me," Riku said over the comms, "you're the one who targeted me first. So you've only got yourself to blame for what happens next!" and without even a hint of warning, he fired off a shot from the DODS Rifle, aimed past the Queen Mansa at the cavern walls above. He intended to use another rock slide tactic. However, Riku suspected this woman wouldn't fall prey to a rock slide as easily as Seo had in Round 1. But even if she avoided getting collapsed on, the same would likely not be said for her funnels. And really, that was Riku's aim anyway. As long as they were destroyed by the rocks or sufficiently distracted by shooting at them, it'd give Riku the opening he needed to close the distance. And close the distance, he did. Instantly, after the shot was fired, the Metal Angel dropped the rifle onto the ground and boosted full speed directly at the Queen Mansa. While the normal AGE-1 Titus model was known for being a bit on the slow side, the same was not true of the Metal Angel. In building it, Riku had used a combination of using slightly less armor pieces and increased energy output to allow it to move faster than it's official counterpart from the anime could. Riku's first move was to try and catch the Mansa in a frontal grappling hold. Assuming the grab was successful, Riku would activate the beam lariats. Upon this, disc-shaped beam weapons ignited around the Metal Angel's forearms. Normally these could be used for a powerful close-line charge. But for this scenario, they were being used to create a grappling hold capable of causing devastating damage to an enemy Gunpla's body simply by having the Metal squeeze its arms inward while the beams were ignited. It didn't need to last very long. In fact Riku expected the Queen Mansa could and would break free in mere moments. But those moments were all Riku would need. As the brunt of the beam damage would be against the Queen Mansa's tail binder, hopefully rendering it unable to deploy any more funnels. "Apparently you weren't watching what happened to the last guy who tried to fight me in terrain like this." Riku said. He was referring to Table B, when he completely crippled Seo's Alvaaron while piloting a mere Leo.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Lion Blade sighed and said," I wasn't patronizing you I was actually giving you a compliment." He looks around and sighed. He looks at the girl acrossed from her and gave her a thumbs up in a compliment and a sign of respect. He then focused back at the match. He moved the wing zero up and out of the water. The little damage he took from that crash unaffecting any of the systems and the wing. He said," alright who's next he turned the wing zero into neo-bird mode and flew off at high speeds.</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura Unfortunately for Hamada, Kai did keep track of him, after all he was laying down suppressive fire, meaning he was keeping track of him even though the rock slide because of his sense stat being four though he couldn't stop his enemy from going into the cave due to the aforementioned rock slide. The Taisen stepped down infront of the stone barricade. Kai pulled out a Panzerfaust and a Cracker and then tossed the Panzerfaust into the air, the threw the cracker into the stone pile blasting the cave open again, but Kai didn't go in. Kai caught the Panzerfaust and fired the one use rocket into the cave and then detonated it from afar with a shot from his beam rifle. The cave started to rumble as rather than going in and possibly being ambushed or wasting energy and time, the Gunpla fighter instead decided to try and literally bury his opponent again this time using cave in, though rumbling didn't just happen at the cave, but at multiple areas, Hamada's random barrage of mortar fire would have caused areas to have become destabilized, with Kai giving the last push to causing a chain reaction, he went back to the air and towards a different area.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Blade quickly put away his twin buster rifles away and pulled out both his beam sword in both hands he said," this is fun." He laughs as he striked at the person infront of him and began to an intense offensive do back his enemy up. Blade simple moving quickly now since he doesn't has the weight of the shield holding him back.</s> <\|message\|>Takamaki, Jun @Shiyonichi Happy, but not totally satisfied with the blow he had dealt to the the Wing Zero, Jun continued his assault. He used the Beam Zamber in his Miracle's other hand to lock blades with his foe. As the sparks flew between them, the boy noticed the disappearance of the Red Zaku. "Dammit, is that bastard Kai trying to escape from me!?" he cursed in annoyance, however that momentary distraction had allowed the Wing Zero's beam saber to singe into the collar of Jun's Captain Miracle. "I can't underestimate this punk either! Only a few minutes left..." Jun regained his focus after the sudden damage. Because the Miracle was only using one hand to hold off against the Wing Zero, it meant that Jun was losing in the struggle. So he tried to used the momentum of his opponent against him by boosting to the left side of Wing Zero and using the opportunity to unleash a flurry of shots with his Buster Gun.</s> <\|message\|>Yukihiro Naoki The blond haired Koga Kyo sighed as the hologram around her disappeared and she turned to enter the audience. The ending fight of that match was intense, fiery, dare she say even passionate as the boy charged and destroyed her gunpla. This was truly what she loved about the game! But … sadly she had failed in her mission and was unable to win in the tournament. And without a tournament win she wouldn't be able to enter regionals. "Things are really not going as planned." She muttered before she was stopped by the sound of her opponents voice. "Hey!" he called out as she turned, "Thanks for the fight, you were great out there. Battle me again sometime, won't you?" Her glum thoughts were replaced with the thought of another hot blooded battle. "Heh, maybe I'll see you at a bigger tournament, Sweetie." She said with an exaggeration, before walking away into the crowd. Naoki, who had approached Riku, was alittle taken aback when he started mentioning the rules before realizing he was still wearing his employee apron. Did … he not recognize me from school? Then again we're not in any shared classes so it makes sense. "Ah no no nothing like that." Naoki said with a chuckle. "Actually I'd like to talk to you about something if you wouldn't mind. We're still missing a few people for this conversation however, but they'll be done with their business soon." Naoki said as he led Riku to the sidelines and motioned to the monitor showing the 3 combatants Kai, Blade, and Jun. "Speaking of which, what do you think of the three left?" He asked the platinum haired boy. --- Kai successfully escapes the battle and dives into the ocean, letting the other two gunpla duke it out. Now escaping both of the gunplas sensors range, Kai now has the chance to both recharge his particles quickly since he wasn't using any flight and plan out his next move as he floats among the wreckage of previous battles as something catches his eye. --- @KenjuGuy As Blade changed the battle to close combat, Blade charged at Jun, lightly damaging the Captain Miracle in its side with a thrust and nic its shoulder with a slash before Jun began parrying the rest of its attacks. Jun, realizing a direct sword fight would be disadvantageous, blocks an attack and uses the momentum to maneuver to Blade's side. Once there he fires a flurry of shots, one of which hits the Wing Zeros left wing.</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura Kai grinned as he prepared his next attack... Kai's Theme The Taisen surfaced from the ocean, as Kai took a deep breath before opening his eyes as the mismatched Zaku's monoeye flashed in synchronization, as he activated his trump card. The Zaku held it's shield, and unknown to the others, there was something different about his shield. The Gunpla fighter threw the shield like a discus, his new arms helping better handle Kai's "Trump Card." The shield flew at great speed towards the two... only it wasn't going to hit either of them going between them and hitting the air... Before Kai aimed at it with his Dobergun. 'Sniping a moving target isn't just pointing and firing, you have to predict the path that the target will move and the angle at it be.' "Thanks, Kaguya." Kai said, as he recalled his old teammate's lesson on her specialty and the lesson that she had taught him before shooting his shield like a clay pigeon... and then a utterly massive explosion covered the skies. What Kai had found was the Graze's axe and embedded it into the bottom of the shield along with his own axe and bent the handles to create a makeshift rack to hold crackers while he placed and bent the handles of his Panzerfaust to better support it and add more firepower. Kai had put every single explosives he had into this, a grand total of 5 Crackers and 3 Panzerfaust, creating a crude discus of death. The resulting explosion was quite possibly the biggest the local had seen so far, the resulting blast wave being large enough to ripple the sea where Kai was standing and Kai made sure that both Jun and Blade were near it when it detonated. Kai drew his beam saber, not quite activating it, but preparing to charge in if the explosion hadn't quite finished the job.</s>
<\|description\|>Kai Asakura Age: 16 Occupation: High School Student Appearance: Personality: Kai is an odd contradiction of personality traits which could be described as samurai delinquent. While he is a delinquent and has rough mannerisms, he is now very calm, collected, and disciplined, coming off much older than his age. Background: Kai Asakura was born as the heir to the Asakura dojo, a dojo that teaches a martial arts style known as "The Way That Qwells the Seas and Silences the Storm." The Asakura dojo was a very strict and traditional dojo, which caused Kai to fall into delinquency during middle school and used his martial arts prowess to terrorize anyone in his way. Though one day he saw a classmate being bullied by another student, normally he would have just ignored it and moved on, though the bullying student had pissed him off earlier, so Kai punched him out. Turns out the other student was being bullied over his hobby of Gunpla Battle and his Gunpla smashed to pieces by the bullying student. Kai gave a bit of his curiosity towards the now broken plastic model, which caused the bullied to reveal that he was quite a blabbermouth and rapidly talked about Gunpla and the Gundam series which cause Kai to be caught up in the student's pace and caused him to be dragged over to Team Alexander, a competitive Gunpla team. There he was introduced to Team Alexander's leader and 1st pilot, who introduced him to Gunpla battle and convinced the now more interested Kai to join up with Team Alexander. With his skills as a martial artist translating rather well to Gunpla Battle, he became the team's 3rd pilot. It was in Team Alexander that Kai truly enjoyed himself and the three-man team gained some fame as they won several local tournaments and grew from 3 members to 6. The leader had even lofter ideas and they joined the regional tournament, where everything would fall apart. They had won the tournament and it was there that they caught the eye of a Global level team, who was looking for new talents from the regional to the national level. They contacted Team Alexander with an offer to raise the team to even greater heights, though this came with a condition, Team Alexander would be absorbed into the other team. The Team was split, on one side there were the ones who wanted to have a quick ride up to the Global level, on the other side there were the ones who didn't want the team to lose its identity and autonomy and those who wanted to stop as they thought winning regionals was good enough. They all collectively decided to settle it with a Gunpla battle, it would be between Kai who would represent the side that wanted to reject the offer and the leader who would represent the side that wanted to accept. They had a battle and Kai lost, however, it was quickly discovered that the leader had hacked into the Gunpla Battle system beforehand and cheated. The team was furious, it was decided by all members that the fairest way to decide was with a match, but the leader decided to ignore that all for the sake of their greed. This act caused the team to break apart and Team Alexander was dissolved, with every member going their separate ways. Since then he's been mostly a sort of Gunpla Wanderer, whispered quietly in some back alley arcade as a sort of Gunpla Reaper that would tear apart your Gunpla using only rentals and straight builds. Piloting Ability: (10 Max) - Battle sense: 5 - Perception: 4 - Mechanical knowledge: 1 Other Skills, Abilities, and Resources: Kai is an excellent pilot, however, he has very little experience with Gundam and Gunpla building as such he doesn't have a "Main Gunpla" starting out, due to it current being damaged and he didn't have the means to repair it. Name: TA-X-413 Turn-XCEED Gundam Model: Turn-X Stats: 28 -Power: 8 -Defense: 5 -Mobility: 8 -Energy Output: 7 Description: A unit built for Kai and Souji Kiryu's masterpiece, The Turn-XCEED is a heavily modified Turn-X redesigned for close quarter combat, made with the design concept to exceed and defeat a million Gunpla, the main builder Souji poured everything he had into making this unit. It's main system is the XCEED system, an upgraded RG system. When it detects Assimilation is being used the XCEED Absorber will go into overdrive and gather Particles from around and into the frame of the Gundam significantly increasing it's performance. When using this system, the vent on it's head will emit excess energy to prevent it from overheating, creating a luminescent plume. Turn-XCEED being based on the Turn-X, it still retains the ability to split and have the individual parts be maneuvered around, as well as the I-field and it's regeneration ability. It also can transform into 3 other forms, a butterfly like Mobile Armor by switching it's legs and arms for high aerial maneuverability, switching the side parts of the Abdomen Weapons platform it can transform into a scorpion like mobile armor for underwater combat, and by switching the Abdomen parts with it's legs it can turn into a beetle like shelling mode. XCEED Absorber: The butterfly shaped X on its chest is an upgraded Power Absorber using Sei's absorb system, which allows it to absorb beams and convert beams into energy when they disperse against the I-field. Twin Fusion Crushers: Gauntlets attached to both arms of the Gunpla. These are slimed down versions of the Fusion and Manipulator redesigned to resemble the God Gundam's finger protectors and have . They can be used like the original manipulator allowing them to fire beams, create a beam saber and use the "Shining Finger." The only part that was removed was the Grappling wire, which has been replaced with the ability to generate a beam cloth for use in grappling. Mega Particle Cannons: Like the Turn-X the Turn-XCEED is equipped with Mega Particle Cannons throughout its body, it can use it's I-field to curve the beams for a more focused barrage. The Ones equipped on it's Leg and feet can link up to form a beam blade between them for kicking attacks. Gigant Cannons: More powerful Particle Cannons equipped in the back of the legs, they can also create a very powerful beam saber for a kick strike. Variable Beam Vulcans: Beam Guns Equipped to the head at the V fin, giving the head some offensive capabilities. It is able to change between vulcans for soft targets and a focused beam for hard targets. "Tengoku and Chikyu" Butterfly Blades: A pair of Liberta Swords which can either coat themselves in Moonlight Butterfly Nanomachines or Ionized energy to disable opponents. It also uses technology from the Turns to overcome the weaknesses of the Shinguru blade technology, it uses Nanomachines to quickly reset the edge and an I-field movement system to deal with the weight and allows it to be used as bits. They can be attached to each other handle to handle, which compresses and increases the power of the Moonlight Butterfly cladding. "Luna and Sol" Butterfly Rifle: A pair of revolver style short barreled rifles with Shinguru blades down the handles, the handguns have three firing settings, a bullet made from compressed Nano Skin, a blast of nanomachines, or an Ionized blast for disabling, all of which are accelerated using I-fields. The Shinguru blades also use Turn technology to overcome their weaknesses, while it can't clad itself, this allows it to be used as bits and move around. The weapons can be combined together to create a bow like weapon. Ballistic Magnum: Team Alexander's signature weapons. It's a solid shot magnum with an Armor Schneider attached under the barrel. The Armor Scheider can be fired like a ballistic knife and then detonated. It is stored in the main section of the Abdomen Weapon Platform. Abdomen Weapon Platform: Made of three parts all on smaller arms attached to the waist of the Turn-XCEED the central part contains another I field generator and can be used as a shield, while the left and right parts have more standardised Fusion and Manipulators for combat wires included. These parts also have sections to hold Luna and Sol and Tengoku and Chikyu. The blades of the held weapons can also be emitted to create a crab like claw. Moonlight Butterfly: Uses Nanomachines to create butterfly-like wings that can break down man made materials into sand.</s> <\|message\|>Blade Heero Blade sighed and laughed a bit and said," yea sure ." Blade stood up and stretched, " but give me a moment there's someone I want to talk to." He took off running to find the girl, his wibg gundam in hand.@Crimson Lion</s> <\|message\|>Kusaka Riku Lion Riku could only blink in silence. Team? Him? The outcome of the battle wasn't even on his mind anymore. Did Naoki really want him on his team? He supposed this was inevitable on some level. WARS format required teams in order to make it work. It wasn't hard to see that the old ways of battling solo in a royale or in a duel against another Gunpla was slowly being phased out. Today's tournament was one of the only opportunities Riku had had to compete in some form for this reason. He wasn't one to just invite himself onto someone else's team, and until now, no one had ever approached him. WARS format... with opportunities to design everything from Mobile Armors to Warships. No way I can pass this up. His gaze shifted down to the broken Gunpla in his hand. That was something else he needed to mull over. With its present specs, the Metal Angel wasn't performing like he'd hoped it would. He'd already effectively decided it needed to have some of its armor slimmed down in order increase mobility, but it was also possible Riku would have to look into using a different model as the base for the build. He believed the beam spikes still made for an effective close range combat option, but the Titus was clearly too slow and clunky for his purposes. At this point, Riku had brandished his phone. On it he was browsing for information on various suits from various series, hoping to find one that might better match the movement capability he was looking for. And that was when he saw it. It was a clip from a series he hadn't watched yet, and the machines there were moving in ways unlike anything he'd seen elsewhere. He looked up the series in question, discovering it used the Gundam elements and placed them in a fighting tournament rather than outright war. And then, in one of the clips, he saw one of the Gundams detach its shoulder armor pieces and reattached them to its fists, converting them into reinforced punching weapons. In addition to that it discarded the chest plate of its armor entirely, overall becoming much faster and more agile as a result. But it was the emphasis on boxing that really sold Riku on this machine. "That's it!" he said to himself, not realizing he was speaking aloud, "I need that machine." he could already visualize a few ideas in his head. The question was, did the Gunpla Shop here at the arcade have any of that Gunpla in stock? Hopefully so, because Riku had already made up his mind. The model that would serve as the new base for Metal Angel... was that one: The Gundam Maxter. "I'll be in the Gunpla store. Need to pick something up." he told Naoki suddenly before rushing off without another word. He returned to the Gunpla store and began his search.</s>	<\|message\|>Kai Asakura The battle would be over with Kai's gambit, as both of his opponents would crash down and erupt into fireballs indicating his victory. The holographic cockpit would dissolve into particles as the shouts of the crowd and the announcer would fill the air, though he barely acknowledged it, he had won without taking a single direct hit and even finished off two opponents with one attack all while using a hastily built and repaired Gunpla, to some this would have been the highlight of their Gunpla career, but to Kai it wasn't enough. He felt he was stagnant. He had to settle a score, but he couldn't settle it alone. The current format prevented him from entering alone, but he didn't find a group that was skilled enough or had the right character to get to the point he needed. His thought were interrupted by Takemori. "Here ya are." Kai handed over his Gunpla Base, more than a dozen other wins would be recorded within it. "Why hell not, a I've got nothing else to lose." Kai would walk away after taking back his Gunpla Base, but not towards Naoki. Kai approach Seo's group... and completely ignore Seo himself, instead turning to Hachiyama. The Gunpla Fighter would put his fist into his palm before giving him a traditional martial arts bow. "I hope we can fight again." Without waiting for a response Kai turned on his heels and gave a slight wave. He said nothing to any of his other opponents, not to Kishimoto, not to Hamada, not to Blade, or even Jun he simply walked to Naoki and Riku. "So, I'm willing to hear ya out." Kai said to Naoki. "So what do ya want?" Lion</s>