[System]
Appearance
Age:
21

Brand:
Body

Weapon/Rune:
Storm runes tattooed on the backs of her hands

Faction:
The Covenant; Covenant of Body

Personality:
Brash, hot-blooded, and quick-tempered, Mercury has a pension for getting into fights that sometimes gets her into trouble; a bit of a problem child from the start. That said, there's a heart of gold buried beneath that rough exterior. She's always willing to lend a hand to those in need, and will never hesitate to stand against any perceived injustice. Hot-blooded though she may be, she is a wonderful friend.

Background:
Mercury grew up poor, spending most of her time prowling the streets of New Wickenborough, usually looking for things to steal for the sake of self-preservation, because god knows her incompetent whore of a mother couldn't do it. The house she was supposed to live in didn't feel like a home, it barely felt like a house, and her mother didn't help the situation with giving the local 'gentry' far more attention than she'd give Mercury. Most of their interactions consisted of screaming matches and Mercury taking a backhand or two. This went on until roughly the age of 13, when she encountered Eiichiro, or rather, a pack of his more unruly students, in an attempt to pick-pocket one. Keeping an ever-watchful eye, Eiichiro watched as they began to pick on young Mercury, ready to step in at a moment's notice should they overstep any line. Mercury, however, was the one who decided when a line was crossed, and, as is in her nature, swung first. Much to Eiichiro's surprise, she was able to hold her own for a while, but being outnumbered, she quickly lost ground, at which point Eiichiro himself intervened. He explained to her that he and his students where visitors from Xiao, on an outing to seek more worldly knowledge and experience. After a short discussion, and hearing of Mercury's plight, he offered to take her in. It didn't take much to get Mercury on board with the plan. She left nothing more than a note explaining that she was leaving and never coming back for her mother to find. 8 years later, and Mercury has blossomed into a beautiful woman, and a fierce fighter, bearing the brand of body magic. She travels the world now, largely in pursuit of competition fighting events to earn her living. Far from a master of her martial arts, she has applied the skills she does have, dissected and woven them into her own brand of street fighting, creating a unique fusion of precise technique and blind instinct; a genuinely wild style of combat.

Other:
A common practice among those who train in the use of body magic is a technique used to harden their body to a stone-esque state, mostly as a means of defense. Mercury's use of this ability is no different, but her ability to harden her body surpasses even some of the strongest body magic users. While for most, their skin would appear no different, Mercury's body will turn black and smooth like polished onyx in the effected areas. While not unheard of, this is a rare trait in body users.

[User]
Johnny Conagher

Storm

"Roger that" was all Johnny managed as he kept his eyes peeled for a gap in the mist. Once he spotted it, he nearly raised his six shooter at it before realizing how likely it was that he could hit Yoshimi.

Instead, Johnny just closed the gap with a quick combat roll and stabbed at the gap in the mist.

[Assistant]
Storm

Damn, this bastard's persistent... At least they're slowing him down, which makes it just a bit easier for Mercury to prepare her technique to stun him.

>"Those who make enemies of the Queen are not welcomed in our world!"

Oh... Oh, fuck you!

"It's not your world, asshole!"

Now sufficiently furious at their adversary, she draws out a bolt of electricity, as though readying a staff for combat. It takes her a few short seconds to narrow her focus down among the rain of light bolts before hurling her lightning like a bolt from Zeus. It won't have great destructive power, that much she knows, but if this guy's anatomy is any sort of normal, it'll put him out of commission for a while. She's a good shot, but where her partners' efforts enough to keep him still?

[User]
Duff finished cutting the hole through Xenan's attempt at a prison. Now his colleagues could get out. It was then that he noticed the prison weakening itself, as Gregor executed control over their opponent's magic. Nice, the old soldier thought, turning to engage Xenan at a range most might not expect him. Moving faster than his limp might suggest, Duff closed the distance between him and Xenan, flanking with the big warrior Daud. He wasn't ignorant of the shards of light raining down; even with the resistance he had built up against magic, they'd hurt. The thick steel chestplate and vambraces he wore would stop most of the shards from hitting him, but the one or two that got through seared and stung as they cut into his arm and shoulder.

It wouldn't be enough to stop him; and he suddenly popped up behind Xenan. "Nice trick," he grunted, bringing his Voidstone sabre up and going for one of the injuries Xenan was having difficultly healing. "Got a few of my own, though, eh?"

---

As if she had formed straight from the Mist, Astrid was already flanking the movement with Johnny. "Good eyes, cowboy," she said, spinning her blades into the hole in the Mist. "Let us see how well sse hides when sse is bleeding!" Her blades were sharp and willing to cut. There was very little that would be able to stop them if their target wasn't armoured. Hopefully a bleeding bitch was easier to track, as they had to let Yoshimi get herself set up or this would end up in a shambles.

Astrid didn't do shambles.

[Assistant]
Yoshimi/Galette

@Ember Storm
With the melee strikes from both Astrid, the elite was revealed. Steadily the illusion began to fade, crumbling around them. Bastards... The masked woman fell down, heavily wounded. You think you've won here? You can't stop our progress... Kill me or not, my death will not change our future victory.

Yoshimi, still charging up an attack, stepped forward, Get away from her, she might have an explosive on her! If she tries to run I'll blast her. What did she mean by progress? Just what were they planning here, Yoshimi wondered. Astrid, you have that file don't you? What are the specific contents of it? Read it out. She said, still holding Galette up in case she tried anything cleaver.

Gotthard... Is that why you came here? To find him? He's too far gone for any of you... Galette said with a quiet laugh, Poor man... Poor Old Path... Spent so long after the "traitor knight" they didn't expect the greater one right in front of their eyes.

What are you talking about? I don't care about the Old Path!

---

Gregor/Xenan

The bolt hit dead on, electrocuting the supposed immortal. Going down on his knees, he acted as anyone would after taking such a powerful shock. Commenting on it, Gregor smirked Maybe immortal, but not invincible. We should hurry before Gustrag comes here as well. Get to his quarters.

Storm
On contact, the Voidstone blade would slice through Xenan's body like a knife through butter. His wound didn't even bleed like his previous ones. Rather his sound resembled crumbling stone, as if Xenan was a walking stature. While his wound was healing, it looked like it'd take far longer than the others. Steadily, the stony craggy appearance began to appear over the rest of his body. He had pushed himself too far as he did with his fight with Daud. Heh... So you got me. Crumbling away, Xenan shook his head, You're not getting out of here alive. In a few minutes, more of the Elite of the Children will be arriving here. Call it a bit of clean up. If you call this a victory, you have your head up your ass. Get whatever you're after here, very well, but how will you last against a whole squad of the Children's Elite? Xenan said, smirking, not once did his tone or expression convey one of defeat.

As Gregor slowly began to realize the situation... He gasped, looking to the door to Gustrag's quarters. Guys we need to go! Bluffing or not!

[User]
Johnny Conagher

Storm
At Yoshimi's instruction, Johnny backed away from their wounded foe, keeping his six shooter trained in case Galette tried anything funny. Just what in sam hell was she talking about, anyway? Was she one of these artificial amalgams?

"Ah've got some of th' papers, Yosh. Astrid might too."

With that, he searched around for where he'd stashed them away. As he searched around, it occurred to him to ask a question.

"What d'you even mean by 'progress'? Progress towards what?"

[Assistant]
>"...a whole squad of the Children's Elites?"

"Shit..."

While Xenan himself went down against the four combatants with relative ease, a larger group of people with his magical prowess would prove a much more significant issue. She pumps magic through her legs, muscles tightening, spring-loaded to send her across the room as quickly as possible.

With a powerful kick she closes the distance between herself and Gustrag's private quarters in a split second, her upper arm and shoulder turning black with her hardening technique to smash through the door. Key card be damned, they need to get in there now.

[User]
Astrid pulled back alongside the cowboy as her Mist faded from the air around them, spinning her blades impatiently, just waiting for her opponent to reveal a bluff. "What do you mean about dhis 'greater one?' What purpose does it serve to break dhe Old Padh from within? Dhey are nearly obsolete."

As Johnny replied about the papers, she nodded. "I have some, yes."

Here was hoping there were answers somewhere... if not here, then with the other group, should they have survived their own fight.

---

"Mercury, you an' Daud go grab the journal in Gustrag's room. Gregor, you an' me should cover 'em. We've got range on pretty much anythin' that might come through here." Duff said as he stowed his sabre and revolver and began reloading his rifle. "Hurry now, eh? We can be outta here before anyone else arrives." He grimaced in pain. His shoulder was probably bleeding something fierce. Once they were out, some bandages and painkillers would suffice until he could heal naturally. Hopefully this didn't fuck his shoulder up like that one Amalgamate did his leg all those years ago. "Go!"

[Assistant]
@Ember Storm
You would like to know, wouldn't you? She said, chuckling I have no reason to tell you anything. I have failed here, it's either die by your hand or die by the Queen's. I choose to withheld information, best I die with my honor and loyalty intact.

As Galette bluffed, Yoshimi however, went through the files, reading them. Detailed processes of just what the making of an artificial amalgamate was. Injection of certain magic components, exposure to magic boosting properties to unstable levels... Yoshimi's eyes widened. They're... Turning people into Amalgamates through scientific means, but at the same time they're planning on keeping the person human. "The mind and sanity of a caster, but the power and capabilities of an Amalgamate. With neither of the weaknesses."

Gripping at the floor, Galette was silent, behind her mask, she was seething in anger.

Guys... The Old Path was a cover up for their operations. They wanted the Old Path to get flak and be the center of attention. So they could take the blame instead.

So that the rest of the factions in Kokotha could could weaken themselves fighting against "Gotthard's Path" Galette said, speaking up.

---

Gregor

Gregor, now sprinting, looked at a device to the side of the door. A magic based key system... Just the right size for the keycard from earlier. There is a handle, dear! Gregor said, slightly sarcastic, but at the same time this wasn't quite the time for jokes. I just wanted to come here to gain undeserved profit! Why am I getting myself wrapped up in this mess?! Holy shit!
Storm
We fought an elite, sure, but can we take on 2 or 3 at once? What about a whole squad of them? They'll tear this place up if they have to! Gregor said, now standing at the doorway Mercury had broken down, pistol in hand. Hurry and work those fast hands, Kid! The Children travel through Yim, they could be here any moment.

Through Yim...

I think I got an escape route. Can't say the same for the others, but they should be safe! Just cover me because I've never done this under stress!


[System]
Age: 32

Gender: female

Appearance: Ramia stands just under 6 feet. Her hair is on the darker side of brown and extends just beyond her shoulders. Ramia's shoulders are quite broad in comparison to the rest of her body. Her face is quite pretty - though the large burn marks on her left cheek mar the overall image.

Her left arm has been also burned badly and has been reinforced with a second grade bionic enhancements of sub par quality - with some of the remaining burnt tissue still visible and the fake skin peeling off here and there to reveal the metal underneath it.

Ramia's right eye still has it's icy blue color and piercing stare, but the left one has been replaced with a bionic prosthetic that occasionally flickers between green and red-ish orange.

Most distinct feature of Ramia's clothing is the gray officer's jacket of her's and a black leather trench coat that's obviously two to three sizes too large for her - so it has obviously belonged to someone else in the past.

Personality: Ramia can be at times a real pain to work with - though she adapts well to all kinds of situations she'd still rather handle things her own way. Keeping the Xian Federation in check for nearly 4 years has taken it's toll on her, making Ramia even more cold, calculating and cynical.

Deep down she is a caring person - not that she'd admit it to anyone not extremely close to her - and will put the safety and even well being of others over her own.

Strengths: Expert tactician - in both space and ground combat, charismatic leader and a very gifted speaker, is an ace pilot.

Weaknesses: Ramia is able to get very little sleep at nights due to the pain caused by the haphazardly installed bionic arm of hers, she also has a nasty habit of underestimating people based solely on first impressions.

Equipment:

Of the very few resources Ramia still has at her disposal the Guardian Mark IV Bipedal Flight Suit is perhaps the most awe inspiring even if it's missing nearly three quarters of it's armaments.

The humanoid shaped Flight Suit stands at nearly 50 feet tall and is armed with a pair of high caliber machine guns that are mounted on it's left arm - admittedly the Mark IV should have a pair of shoulder mounted missile pods, but those have either been removed or there has not been any time to actually install them. The right arm should also contain a high powered laser cannon, but judging by the very shoddy wiring and barely held up plates that has been removed as well.

The only two parts of the BFS that seem to be in remarkable condition are the thrusters mounted on it's shoulders and feet - and the cockpit situated inside the machine's chest. The Guardian's paintwork is peeling off here and there, but the stylized spear emblem of the Xian Federation can still be seen on it's chest.

Biography: Ramia Zeon was born in a space colony to a family of soldiers. Many generations of the Zeon family had been soldiers with variable success. Ramia herself showed interest in warfare at an unnervingly young age - first in simulations ofcourse, but at the age of 16 she had already taken part in her first real battle. She rose through the ranks at an alarming speed - mostly by the qualification of being one of the few remaining officers alive after nearly any conflict. At the age of 26 - to her own amazement and to the amazement of those around her - Ramia was given the title of a general, which wasn't quite unheard of, but still caused quite a fuss.

She however quickly proved that she was just as good - if not even better - at leading the troops and fighting with them on the front lines. By 27 she had earned the nickname of Halcyon General for her remarkable ability to keep her cool even under the most dire situations.

At 28 Ramia let a coup at a small colony called Xian, crushing all resistance without suffering nearly any casualties. The Xian Federation was born soon after and Ramia was appointed as the acting head or the High Lady. She spent her time playing mind games with the other main members of the coup, slowly causing infighting and making her hold over the Federation even tighter.

Some might say that she should have seen what was coming - the few remaining originators of the Federation finally saw through her plans, Ramia was deposed and - in a moment of utter imbecility on the behalf of the new leaders of the federation - actually left alive. She was imprisoned, but managed to escape by again manipulating the leaders, causing another wave of infighting.

She lost an arm and an eye during her escape and only managed to hijack a Guardian BFS instead of any of the newer models - the one she got wasn't even fully armed, but that was not the most important thought in Ramia's mind back then. The fact that she had survived was. As she flew away to relatively safety from Xian she saw under her the colony - her Federation - literally disappear in to flames.

A year has passed, some people are still wary of the Halcyon General, some say she died when the Xian colony was destroyed, but some people know better.

Romance: Yes.

[User] Ramia glanced at both Huzuni and Belle with a dry little smile on her lips. The last thing she really needed now was conversation, but at least she could get to know the two a bit better. Hastily the dark haired woman leaped out from the Flight Suit's cockpit and adjusted the black trench coat of hers. "Oh I just tested the... durability of the cockpit's frame that's all." She answered Huzuni's question with a little amused smirk before glancing at Belle while the bionic eye switched color to a blue shade. "I'm fine, just a bit vexed and tired due to things that have happened recently. Nothing you should worry about." Ramia turned her back on the two and did her best to seem like she was examining the Flight Suit.

[Assistant] "Hmm, What was that about? Also, hi there, you must be Belle. How are you doing?" He asked, as he did so, something blinked. That image... back onto his head... but this time, it was starting to make him weirded out. Every single time he saw Belle. He had a bad felling. But, just like last time, tried ignoring it.

[User] Seeing Belle alone with the newest addition to their group, Artyem walked over to the nano-suited man and offered his hand. "my name is Artyem, pleasure to meet you." Then, turning to the purple-head he said, "Hey Belle, can you meet me here later? I want to know if you can put some upgrades onto my drone, since it's only a basic production model."

[Assistant]
They where nearing the warp gate. He always liked the way they looked for some strange reason. he then aimed straight for the gate." well that took long enough. with that he enterd the gate. when entering it seemed like the ship was concealed in a giant bubble wich was surounded bye black and nothing else expect a few white flecks who gave the idea of stars. He then stood up heading for his bedroom. Evi be a dear and watch the rest of the crew for me will ya.""of course sir anything else some tea or a massage perhaps."?"well you could just shut up but i think that would be asking to much now would it"?

he grinned and shut the door behind him just hearing Evi say. asshole. He ignored her and lay on his bed watching the stars and he fell to sleep into a horrible nightmare.

[User] "Right, testing the frame. Gotcha." Belle says, cocking an eyebrow at Ramia. Before she could say anything else, two more members of the crew began to speak to her. "I'm alright." She says in reply to Huzuni, petting her bird before shaking the hand of Artyem. "Yes, I'll be sure to meet you here, sometime soon. First, though, I believe someone called in saying they needed help. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a cargo crate full of scrap metal with me, but I'll see about helping fix that thing up with what I've got. Hey, if we need some metal, there is always Penny." Hearing this comment, the robot bird quickly took off and fled to a doorway, clicking onto the ledge and turning to look at Belle with what would, if she could actually show it, be a glare. Belle knew Penny well enough, and just laughed off the glare. "Baby, I was kidding." She says. The bird lifts it's head like royalty, and Belle rolls her eyes before moving off to grab tools. Moments later, Belle comes back with a toolbelt laden with tools and a single datapad strapped there. She began to get to work on Ramia's flight suit.

[Assistant] The samurai shacked his hand with Artyem, since he's not so social with people due to how he was raised, and replied with "My name... is Huzuni". He then took a small step back and said "We must be going through the gate... Hmf, if what is after this is peace, then I'm happy. If not, I guess I'll just need to show them what I've been tought. Anyways, I'm going to restart my nano-suit. Who knows what we'll find on the other side?" With that, he headed to his room and did what he said. While doing such, he tought "I think I'm going to have a hard time on the other side... oh well, just more people or creatures who stand in my way..."

[User]
All these people are so different than the one's I've used to working with... Better watch my step just in case... Ramia thought as she smiled very faintly while following the interactions between Belle and her little robot. The Halcyon General had already made her own assumptions about the younger woman - she was at least a capable technician if she really had built that little robot all by herself, also Belle was quite pretty too. The fingers of Ramia's right hand instinctively moved to touch the burn mark on her left cheek and the color of her bionic eye changed to a very pale shade of blue - nearly as cold as her normal eye.

These people don't seem to care about my past - either they simply do not care, or do not know who I wa- am, who I am. Ramia shook her head ever so slightly and glanced at Artyem. There was just something about him... Maybe it was the REMOD rifle, or the overall appearance - the dark haired woman decided it would be best for her to keep her guard up even more when the man was around.

Would they react differently if I told them more about myself? Would they trust me more or less? I doubt anyone of us trusts each other at all... At least I don't trust any of them before... She barely got a good look at Hazuni, but she guessed the fellow was much more than what meets the eye. He seemed like a calm person, maybe one who would either be good at giving orders or receiving them.

Ramia turned her attention back to Belle and tried to sound as friendly as possible - her best wasn't quite the friendliest tone, but at least she didn't sound condescending or impolite. "I don't think that li'll thing would have enough metal in her to even fix the cup holders. Anyways... Uh... Thanks for checking up on the Flight Suit." The dark haired woman sounded a bit like she was having difficulty talking to someone who was equal instead of being beneath her.

[Assistant]
As the nano suited man walked off mumbling to himself, Artyem quickly became bored and decided to return to his room. Motioning to Jack, he walked back to his room, but before leaving he turned to Belle and said, "Hey Belle, I'd appreciate it if you didn't use your bird to spy on me. Next time you do, I'm accusing you of being a voyeur." Done with his warning, Artyem quickly hurried back to his room.

 Locking the door behind him, he began inspecting his ammunition blocks. They were simple blocks of metal that his REMOD rifle would shave off to fire. He had 5 basic block was capable of providing 100 each in rifle form, and 10 in railgun. He also had two blocks of Tungsten blocks for personnel armor and light vehicles. Finally pulling out the final ammo block, Artyem pulled out the block of depleted uranium, which he reserved for tanks and the like. Satisfied, Artyem "ordered" Jack to keep watch as he went to sleep after he placed everything away.

[User]
Huzuni, who was still as unsocial as he is, tought to himself that maybe if he gets the crew to know him, they might trust him better. And perhaps, help him find answers about his death, and also who killed his master, long ago.

"They probably won't be much help, but having people who I can call "Friends" would be good... maybe if I settle arround in a public area... it's going to be awkward for sure... but maybe they'll understand."

With such, he decided to walk arround the ship, to see if there was a crowded area. He didn't go to the cockpit cause he didn't want to disturb who was having an eye on it, so he didn't bother. He didn't go to any are where members of the crew were working, for the same reason as the cockpit. So he ended up finding pretty much no one.

"Should have know they're all busy... oh well, I guess I'll get some sleep. Don't have better things to do anyways" And so he went to his room, layed down on his bed, and slept away.

[Assistant] "No problem," Belle replies to Ramia. After tapping her wrench on the side of a plate to check it, she looks up at Ramia, cocking her head. "Ramia, you're sounding a little off," Belle says, pulling herself up, looking straight into the eyes of Ramia. "Tell me," She says, tilting her head. "Tell me, tell me, tell me." Belle speaks quickly, smiling at the other woman kindly. There was suddenly a loud clunk as something lands on top of the flight suit, sounding more like it slammed into it, and peered it's head over to stare at them. Belle looks up at Penny, then looks back down at Ramia with a little giggle.


[System]
* Age: 16
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: "Of course you are." Chinatsu is short, at under five feet in height.
* Personality: Chinatsu is a serious-seeming girl who is also rather down to earth and practical. However, in spite of this attitude, she also has quite an aggressive temper and a deeply sarcastic side she is liable to unleash rather freely. However, Chinatsu is also very focused on her goals, and frequently channels her temper into combat. At the same time, when she becomes angry enough she may begin to misjudge what she is doing and make mistakes. Regardless, she is a rather snarky girl even when not in a bad mood, deadpan sarcasm or biting insults being her preferred way to display mild irritation. Chinatsu dislikes stupidity, and she will loudly voice her discontent with anyone behaving stupid. Chinatsu is confident in her abilities as a fighter, but lacks self-confidence in a number of other areas, such as her lack of physical maturity, or her height. She is also very easy to make flustered or embarrassed, in spite of her serious and confident behavior. At the moment, her aggression is largely directed towards ascending the ranks and taking on the Student Council President herself.
* Backstory: Chinatsu is hardly very forthcoming about her history, but it seems she was raised by a relatively average family until her father died in a sudden accident. It wasn't long after that her mother, too, fell ill and died. Without parents, raised by a family friend, Chinatsu ended up focusing on the use of AE Devices, particularly Ryu, the sword owned by her family. This singlemindedness lead to her being referred to as the Bloody Assassin during Junior High. After spending only a short time at a different High School, she suddenly left and transferred to Shiroyama. On her first day, she declared her intent to defeat the Unbreakable Student Council president, something no student has ever achieved. Her fellow students thought this was ridiculous, as she was a Rank 0 regardless of her reputation in the past. Shiroyama's standards are quite high, after all. After being harassed by a Rank 10 student during lunch, Chinatsu defeated him almost effortlessly, sending her immediately up to Rank 5.
* Inherent Engine Skill: Flash Step - Chinatsu can perform what is seemingly teleportation, but is in fact a sudden acceleration to ridiculous speed, for a split second. This causes her to seemingly disappear and reappear to avoid attacks or suddenly close a small gap between herself and a target.
* Active Engine Device: Ryumaru - A glowing, red, straight-bladed katana referred to as "Ryumaru" by Chinatsu, this AE Device crackles with red energy when unsheathed. Naturally, it is capable of a basic, straightforward function. That is, cutting things. It's rather effective at doing so, slicing through mundane materials easily. It is normally carried sheathed on Chinatsu's lower back. It has a few different functions.
	+ Shoheki Taberu: An attack designed to destroy mana core-based defenses, Shoheki Taberu surrounds Ryu with energy and forces itself into the outer layer of shielding. Then, it releases this energy, in a move designed to dissolve the barrier from the inside out be directing its own energy through the barrier's structure. However, Shoheki Taberu has no use against physical barriers, or any IE skill that directly hardens the body. In addition, the attack must hit point first.
	+ Fukusū no hōkō Jikkō Kōgeki: An attack that causes Ryumaru's blade to alter its course in an impossible way, striking at two different angles on a single target simultaneously. This ability is not impossible to block, but it does certainly offer a difficult attack for an opponent to deal with.
	+ Ansatsu Mode: A "kill or be killed" last ditch effort attack, Ansatsu Mode transforms Ryumaru into a large, even sharper form, the blade splitting and producing red energy to length and enhance its cutting capabilities. This form begins to draw off of Chinatsu's vitality, quickly draining her of all her remaining ability remain on her feet, but is incredibly dangerous to her opponent and very capable of winning a battle in a single blow, if she can land it before collapsing.
* Skills: Chinatsu is an awful, awful cook, to the point of her cooking being considered an "alternate weapon". Aside from that, she is extremely fast and light on her feet, a capable and speedy girl who can even briefly run along walls.
* Rank: 5th
* Club: Chinatsu has no allegiance to any clubs for now.

[User]
"Well, I'll tell you how we're going to do it when I get that far," Mori replied, releasing Daichi from his (admittedly non-serious) grip, and patting him on the shoulder. "Gonna need a lot of prep work. I'll get around to it when I have the time."

If Daichi wasn't getting excited then it was hard for him to get excited about this. It was pretty long in the future as far as he could tell, he'd give it time.

He wanted to keep it secret partially because Getter Robo was also kind of like that, a little bit. The lab was fighting against an evil force, the Student Council wasn't exactly evil but they sure did act like it sometimes. They'd be sourcing their own funding anyway, and they weren't gonna be using the grounds for testing. Why tell them anyway? Still it definitely sounded better in his head than when he said it out loud.

"Well, I'll try and grab somebody else for Karaoke, see you tonight!" He called out as he left the Repair Club.

Thinking about Getter Robo got him thinking about pilots for it. Well, it could certainly be the repair club but they weren't the best candidates ever. Not like they were making the best machines every either, but surely it was the thought that counted. Well... no that was stupid. He just wanted an excuse to go bother some people.

Outside of the repair club the people he really knew were few and far between. Sure, lots of people knew him, but not so much the other way around. There was one particular student he was thinking about. The new transfer student who had been generating some measure of attention. He... didn't remember what her name was, but he had her in his dossier. Hard to not write somebody like that down.

"Where is it..." He muttered flipping through the pages. "Here we go..."

On top it was written; "Sword was cool. Think up a cool name.."

Well, he had come up with a couple good ones, by this point, actually. 'Hot Sword.' On a more serious note, 'The Flash Flameblade', 'The Flashflame Blade', 'The Flame Flashblade?' He wasn't sure whether she could shoot fire yet, but that was his head-canon at this point in time. The sword was red hot so what else was it going to be?

She was also short. The main reason he wanted to find her was she looked like she'd be fun to heckle.

"Now if I were a passive-but-aggressive loner with no patience for other people where would I go?" He said aloud.

Rooftop it was.

[Assistant]
"Tally ho!"

It was amazing how quickly it had happened. Daiji's plea for assistance was barely out of his mouth when a girl flew feet first into view as though she had been spring loaded, a bullet in a gun waiting for this moment to be fired. She planted the bottom of her sandals into the side of the still standing delinquents head, sending the boy sprawling onto the cafeteria floor.

She landed with a short "oof" and a few metal clanks. One of them was the long pole that she'd used to launch herself at the delinquent, clattering to the ground just inside her reach, but the other was her helmet. It had fallen off as she vaulted through the air and was left spinning on the floor behind her.

The fact that she'd been wearing the helmet wasn't the only thing odd about her. She had a cheaply made scrap metal shield strapped to her back, armor on her legs, and a raging fire in her eyes as she hopped up and placed herself between the delinquents and Daiji. All in all she looked like she was halfway to dying gloriously for her country as generic CGI footsoldier #314 in Hollywood's next fantasy epic.

"Hear me, oh dogs of the dark lord Chie." She said, kicking her pole back up into her hands and leveling it at the two. "I know not what vile deeds you had intended for this middle aged man, but on my honor he will not be your only foe. I am Fukano Yume, knight errant. Rise, and name thyselves!"

Yume didn't actually need to know their names. After all, she knew them. She knew every member of Yamamoto Chie's insidious cabal of ne'er do wells, by face and attitude if not name, and had battled many of them at some point or another as they levied their unjust taxes upon the poor of the student body. Though now it looked as though they had graduated to assaulting the elderly! It made her sick, and with the fire of the noontime sun burning in her breast she made ready to crush them.

As soon as they were back to their feet, of course. It wouldn't be proper to attack them as they were now.


[System]
Age: 22
Gender: Male

Weapon: Studded Gloves. Fights with a semi-exaggerated flourish, using elements of boxing and kickboxing. Can layer his Stand over himself to benefit from its abilities, to a lesser degree.

Personality:
Think of the stereotypical anime anti-hero, and you honestly have Xander in a nutshell. He tends to approach things from his own standpoint, often indifferent to the matters of people and the world around him - of course, that's not to say such things may occasionally align. His standard range of facial emotions ranges from a stern, neutral look to a hard-eyed frown; in this way, Xander is fairly well-tempered, though is not above the use of violence as a solution. Don't mistake him for an ally, for his partnership comes and goes as he pleases, however the man decides it benefits him. Despite what you may think, Xander doesn't actually lie at all; he simply tells as much truth as he needs to.

Stand Name: Dragonforce

(without the sword, obviously)
Stand Ability:
This Stand can defy air drag at will, allowing it to exhibit much more force than nature typically allows. While this ability seems awfully simple, it combines with Dragonforce's great power and insane speed to make him a lightning-fast bruiser, dishing out high-speed movement and rapid smashing attacks with minimal effort or buildup. A side effect of this is that Dragonforce's quick movements will push air around quite easily; it is quite possible for Dragonforce to deliberately 'throw' wind at objects to knock them off-balance. The primary disadvantage of Dragonforce is that it lacks any ranged options, and so relies on Xander's own movements to get close enough to dish out damage.

Destructive Power: B
Speed: A
Range: E
Durability: C
Precision: D

What is courage? To become one with fear itself.

[User]
Izayoi Grand Hospital - Yosuke Tsukino

Gibson, still nervous and hazy presumably, tried to remember for Yosuke. Yosuke smiled encouragingly as his comrade gathered himself and pulled all the details he could out of the mental fog.

"I'm sorry... I only just woke up, I... don't know if she's in this room, m- maybe in another ward? I apologize, that's all I know right now, last thing I remembered was... something in my chest... a wave of... cold? Followed by pain... Does that sound familiar?" Gibson explained. Yeah, yeah that did sound at least little reminiscent. Did they all get shot? A drive-by? They had recently assaulted someone, so it made sense. The only odd man out was the angry man, he wasn't there. Had both Yosuke and Gibson just forgotten about him?

The angry man got up, struggling even to speak. He must have gotten hit with a big brunt of the damage. He also asked about what the hell had happened, apparently everyone thought everyone else had all the answers. Or maybe it was that they hoped, that everyone else had all the answers. Gibson stuttered out an another answer, but this one was a bit more interesting. He described a black bullet, apparently magnetized to people. Yosuke found that a bit strange, but didn't question it. Maybe Gibson was hallucinating, or misremembering events. But whatever. Apparently they had been out for 18 hours, so Yosuke's parent's would be pissed, so that was another layer on top of the unfortunate events.

"That also begs me to ask... You felt the chest pains too, right? A feeling of... some sort of cold revitalisation, followed by... agony...? Like me? Me and Yosuke woke up with the same pain, i'm starting to think it's not a coincidence..." Gibson asked, trying to find out more about the situation. Yosuke thought that all this being related was pretty obvious, what with all of them except the angry man being in the same place, at the same time. He was really the linchpin, wasn't he? There were more important things to ask him, surely.

Yosuke opened up his mouth to intercept the question and ask the more important question of where he was and what he was doing before all this, but as soon as a syllable left his mouth, Yosuke heard the sound of a body slamming onto a hard tile floor. Tommy had fallen on the floor and mumbled something, probably cursing the pain or questioning his current situation, or both. He then got up, slowly, and made his way over to a wheelchair. The girl he had just met, Ram something-or-other, got up too, questioning everyone's health. Yosuke rubbed his chest a little. Still hurt, but whatever, he was tough, he could take it. "I'm, uh, I'm fine."

James McAfee, that guy Yukari had told him about, was also here. He too, confirmed he was well enough, minus the crippling chest pain. He seemed to have woken up earlier, having heard Gibson's recount of the tales, and confirming their accuracy, albeit while having nothing to contribute of his own. He did, however, remember that there was a "Nurse Call" button in hospitals, and gladly pressed it for them. Yosuke tuned everyone else out as he waited for the nurse. As soon as he heard the door click open, he attempted to bound to his feet. He grossly overestimated his current strength, however, and almost fell, grabbing the night stand at the last second. He shakily stood up, put on his glasses, and looked to the nurse. "Hey, Sir, do you know where Yukari Taiyo is? She's a little shorter than me, black skirt teal top, black hair, ringing any bells? Please?" Yosuke asked desperately. The man simply sighed and looked down. "I'm probably not supposed to tell you this, but you seem like a close friend, so... I'm sorry to inform you she passed away."

YoYo's eyes widened, and tears started forming. "W-what?" He asked, with a shaky voice. He must've misheard the man or... or something. "I'm sorry for your loss..." Was everything else the nurse said on the matter. YoYo blinked back tears and bit his lip. He refused to accept. Surely she had gotten out of the way, the nurse was... was lying. He shakily sighed and sat back on his bed, before lifting his glasses and wiping the spare tears that managed to slip past him. He quickly cleared his throat, and decided to focus on other things. "S-so, uh... what's up? How Ya'll- How you guys holdin' up?" YoYo asked with a silent sniffle and a smile even he could tell was faked. He just wanted someone or something to just... distract him. He didn't want to think. Not about her, about yet another person ripped from his grasp.

[Assistant]
Izayoi Grand Hospital - Ram Jam

Someone... had died? Yosuke's friend died? The news somehow hit Ramika even harder than the bullet did. She got up, shakily hobbling towards Yosuke.

"Oh Yoyo..." she said, doing her best to comfort him by wrapping him in a warm hug.

It was an odd feeling when someone like Yukari passed away. You didn't know them. You could never pretend to. They were someone who'd only been in your life for a few seconds at most, but when they left... somehow, in its own way, it was even more devastating than losing a close relative. When the victim is someone you know, it's easy to rationalize their death away as having meaning or purpose, some sort of role to play in the story of your life, where you're the protagonist. When your uncle or your father dies, it feels like Luke losing Obi-wan. It's crippling and tragic, but also empowering in the things they'd left you in your passing. Experience, determination, humility. Things like that.

But when someone you barely know dies, the death feels somehow senseless. They weren't detached enough from you to feel like another nameless victim, but not close enough that you'd know anything about them. You had no relationship to them. All that left was a feeling of emptiness and recognition of how cruel the world could be. Someone else, maybe someone you do know well, just lost their Obi-wan, and all you could do for them as you watched them suffer through the loss was grieve with them. It made Ramika feel so powerless.

[User]
Izayoi Grand Hospital -Goichi

"Gott in Himmel!"

Goichi's voice boomed across the hospital room and his lungs punished him for the effort. He blinked carefully in the harsh lights and tried to catch his breath from the exertion of his waking shout. He was rewarded for his efforts with a hammer blow on his chest that refused to go away. Every breath hurt, his ribs were probably cracked. He tried to remember what had caused this, but his memory didn't make any sense. He remembered something piercing The other people in the impromptu little group he was in, a flashing thing that could change direction in the air and pierced them through the hearts. Must have been a dream hallucination or something.

He pushed the thoughts from his head, instead focusing on his immediate surroundings. The strangers he had "met" earlier were here with him, but he could have sworn there was somebody missing. A girl maybe? He could have sworn there were at least two girls there, and the one he had nearly decked was accounted for. Several of them were standing now and a nurse was in the room. Time to get some answers,he thought. With a struggling wheeze he pushed himself off the bed and swung himself onto the ground, landing on his feet uneasily. He grabbed his jacket off of a hook near the bed and began to walk over to the others, the first steps unsure but slowly getting more sure as he went. He slipped the jacket onto his soldiers but decided against buttoning it up while his torso was still stuck in the industrial press. He got up to the small group clustered near the nurse and cleared his throat to speak "What the hell happened to uh..."the sentence trailing off into the ether as realization hit him.

"Oh Yoyo..."

Goichi looked at him then. He saw that there were tears in his eyes and his mouth was twisted into the kind of false, saccharine-laced, smile that only comes with bad news. He knew then, where the other girl had gone. And a rage began to build in his chest, burning him worse than the pain that already dwelt there. He knew that he had no reason to be so upset, he hardly knew the girl, didn't even know what got her let alone everyone who was still standing here. It could have been an auto accident, a truck whose breaks failed or something. There was no reason to think it was premeditated or that there was even a person to hold accountable. All he had was a gut feeling and he'd acted on less than that in the past. It was enough for Goichi to be sure that when he found whoever it was that did this to them he was going to tear them limb from limb. Enough to know that there was not a single force in the goddamned world that would get between him and whoever it was that was responsible.

"My god."In the end, for all his bravado and righteous fury, they were the only words that would come out of his mouth. There would be time for talk of revenge and justice and all kinds of theatrical crap like them later. For now they just needed to know what happened. "Does anybody know how we even got here? I remember getting stabbed by a flying...thing but it all seems so weird and nothing makes sense."

[Assistant]
Izayoi Grand Hospital - Xander Johannes
TIME: 6:08 AM
DATE: August 19

"I- I- I... I d- d- don't k- k- know... Everything s- stopped moving... I saw people... excreting blood from their bodies and... black, like a bullet magnetized to a person... and I was in its range..."

"Why does everything hurt so much?... I think I want to go home now."

"What... the hell happened? Are you okay, guys?"

"...But... that's impossible...! Things like that don't exist...!"

Good lord. This business with the odd projectile seemed to have no rhyme or reason to it. At least, having experienced brutal damage before, Xander was able to cope with his own physical harm. These other folks probably had never felt a worse pain in their life, and they were suffering because of this. Was it just by chance that he, and all these others, were the only ones not brutally slain? Xander wasn't sure he wanted to know for certain.

"I'm sorry. We were all within sight of one another during the event. There was someone else, a young lady as described by Mr. Yoyo. I'm afraid you're the odd man out, Mr...?"

That man... not somebody Xander immediately recognized, but it invoked a feeling of somebody of high status. Maybe an philosopher of some renown? That was the feeling he got from the stranger. This assumed attack really didn't have any sort of trend to its victims. Sneering through the pain pressing on his torso, Xander sat up fully, intending to get out of bed in due time.

"Just call me Xander. I was heading by Chromatus Tower, when- well, whatever this was, happened."

Against the complaints of his burning chest, Xander stretched out a bit in his sitting position. At least he wasn't hurting quite as bad, anymore - it was more of a dull, roaring sting in his chest to remind him of this incident. There was something bigger at work here, Xander felt, and he wanted some idea of what it was, no matter how poor of judgement it was to pursue it. There was no way a tough man like him was going to be held down by some supernatural attack when he came out of it technically unscathed.

Someone had called for the nurse, as she came walking through the door as Xander was about to throw his legs over the side of the bed. 'YoYo' was quick to ask about someone - a sister, or something like that. The nurse had little else to offer but the cold, hard truth: she was dead. Died, of course, from that arrow plowing right through her... YoYo couldn't take it. He broke down crying, the others at his side consoling him for his sudden loss. Xander could only grit his teeth and his fists in anger. For them being the only ones to survive being struck, many more must've died.

His thoughts flashed back to that split-second glimpse of that hapless child, killed instantly when the projectile made a tunnel though his skull. These were innocent people, going about their day as any normal person would, only to be instantly destroyed without precedence. Someone, whoever it was that unleashed that golden arrow, was going to pay very dearly for this-!!

"Wait, sir, you must lay down and rest, you were-"

"Eighteen hours is plenty of sleep," Xander deadpanned seriously, continuing his small ordeal of standing up out of bed. With a final groan, he fixed his posture upright, stretching himself out a bit more. He was stiff and aching for having been unconscious for a while - maybe he'd actually have to go home first and get himself into shape again. And he never really had gotten those drinks...

"If you'd like to help, you could point me to the exit. I have a mission to go through with."


[System]
Age: 38

Occupation/Affiliation: Boss, Korean Mob

Physical Description: George Choi is a slight, short man of Korean descent. He prefers to have his longish hair slicked back against his head. His style of dress is somewhat ostentatious- bright print shirts, leather jackets, Oliver Peoples sunglasses, and of course the newly released Air Jordan XIII.

History: Choi's parents, sensing the impending conflict, left Korea in 1949 for a new life in the United States. Settling in Koreatown, they had their first child, named George in honor of the first president of their new home. George grew up speaking both English and Korean, and was bright enough, but struggled in school, often cutting class to make trouble with other kids his age. These hoods soon came to look to him as a leader. He dropped out of high school, much to his parent's disappointment, and soon graduated to more serious crime.

With a few other local hoodlums he began to integrate himself into the world of organized crime in Los Angeles. They stuck mostly to Koreatown, extorting money from local shopkeepers and running illegal games of cards and dice. Their most profitable operations were the occasional drug deal, but without a source of supply George Choi found these opportunities were few and far between. Still, the late 70s and 80s saw George slowly growing in influence, managing to recruit more and more men and find new opportunities.

The 1992 riots were devastating to Koreatown but beneficial to the gang. Plenty of angry and embittered young Korean men felt that they were alone and without allies in this city. Choi capitalized on their discontent, pushing a message of empowerment and solidarity that enticed many new members into the fold. The organization has nearly tripled in size in the past five years, going from a gang to a mob. Not all the new recruits are simple thugs, either. Some are former soldiers, fresh from service in the American or South Korean forces. Others are educated and trained professionals, including a few chemists with interesting ideas about a certain newly popular drug that can be made from materials as common as drugstore pseudoephedrine.

With so much new talent, Choi is beginning to eye expanding his operations to new neighborhoods and higher-class organized crime. There is plenty of competition in this city, of course, but Choi feels opportunity will knock shortly.

[User]
18th March, 1997

The young man was only 19 years old. He had fallen into crime at a young age. Growing up to a poorer family in LA, that would sometimes seem inevitable. But his latest foray into unsavoury activity would turn out to be a grave mistake. A few nights ago he had cornered what seemed to be a regular old man, walking down a seedy street on his own in the middle of the night. The young boy had pulled a gun on him, taken his wallet then disappeared into the night, happy with his crime. That old man, however, while retired, nonetheless had a very shady past to say the least, and was very well connected - but most importantly, a fiery and ruthless temper. So someone was on their way.

Álvaro leaned his head to the door, hearing for noise within. The TV was turned up extremely and scarce else could be heard from within the run down apartment. Methodically, he picked open the lock, before creeping inside. The sound of the television masked his footsteps, and before long he was directly behind the old man. Pulling out a handgun, Álvaro suddenly brought it to the side of the man's head and fired without hesitation. He slumped down, and Álvaro placed the gun in the now deceased man's hand with his own gloved ones. After searching for the old man's wallet and finding it, he left.

"It's done."

The call was swift, and Álvaro tossed his gloves in the back seat - they would need to be burned later - before getting into his car and driving away from his most recent assignment. It was a relatively cool spring afternoon in Los Angeles and Álvaro enjoyed the car ride - or perhaps he enjoyed it because he knew that payment awaited at the end.

As he drove along he couldn't help but notice a considerable slowing of the traffic. But that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. This was LA, after all, the city of traffic. The thing that suddenly became unusual was the loud thundering of a helicopter over head. Álvaro glanced out of his window. A news copter. He glanced back at the gloves. No, of course not. The kid was just some low life.

A large clump of cars rapidly coming closer up ahead was in a complete standstill, beyond them, he could see the flashing lights of the police. He wasn't going anywhere now, certainly not towards his payment. Álvaro sighed. The police holding shit up for their little theatrics again. He got out of his car and walked up to the gathering crowd. A more chaotic scene awaited his eyes than he expected. Much more cops, all of whom looked vaguely uneasy. Not regular nerves, just general unease.

A large cop, one with striking blonde hair caught his eye for a a moment before Álvaro looked past him to try and find somewhere to squeeze his car by. He eventually spotted it and slipped away from the murmuring crowd. He could get enough information on what happened from the news, anyway.

The hired gun got in his car and squeezed the car down a small road running parallel to the scene. A green SUV surrounded by cops was all he caught sight of before he continued down and away from the scene. Payment was finally back on the way.

[Assistant]
The First Day of the Rest of Your Life
March 18th, 1997

---

Smog snuffed radiance, and spring did little to ease one's mind. A fan circled its near perpetual dance above Kentrell's head and he was staring at the fan as it turned. It was mid-day, the stove crackled flame, Darius and Lorraine were up cooking breakfast: eggs, sausage, cheese toast. It was the same thing every morning--mornings began whenever the eldest siblings woke--Kentrell sighed. Excising crust from his eyes and tossing his mess of covers from himself, Kentrell sat on the side of the bed and pushed his feet into the house slippers waiting for him on the rug beside his resting place.

As zombies of morn do, Kentrell lifted himself up and lumbered toward the kitchen. A smell once welcoming and sloughing the monotony of routine consumption, Kentrell (or Tre as his siblings called him) would have sooner found Nirvana if he never had to smell cheese toast and eggs again. Sausage made his stomach churn. Kentrell ate it anyway, he was no cook himself--a deficiency which,as Darrius and Shontay reminded him often, made him goofy. Darrius re-attached he smoke detector once all the hot breakfast had been cooked. Lorraine had disappeared into the bathroom and there was no sign of Terell, Marcus, or Shontay.

Kentrell hated being alone with Darrius.

No sooner than Lorraine went to get dressed for work did Darrius begin his shpiel,

"You found a job yet?" Darrius sipped black coffee while Kentrell toyed with a plate of scrambled eggs, Kentrell's eyes met Darrius' own,

"Still lookin'." a dry enough response from the younger Price boy; Darrius knew it to be incredulous,

"Uh huh. Look Tre, I'ono what you plan on doing, but it gotta be something. Shontay and Terell ass, too, cause I know damn well I'm not about to keep doin' no' double shifts at McDonalds for three lazy niggas."

"Man, ain' no--"

"Nah, nah, nigga. Shut up."

"Man, aight. I'll see what up."

"I'm serious, nigga."

Lorraine came out of the bathroom and prompted an end to the exchange. In her return, Kentrell found safety from Darrius scold; Lorraine and Darrius left the house after other random chatter between themselves. Kentrell watched them leave and then finished his eggs and sausage. He went back to his room and threw on the same red t-shirt he had worn yesterday and exchanged his slippers for decaying red Converse sneakers. From inside his drawer he retrieved his red bandana and stuffed it in the back pocket of the khaki pants he had also worn yesterday. Hygiene, then Kentrell was outside.

Beyond the black iron fence which enclosed the apartment complex were a handful of people, all of whom had some designated article of clothing in homage to the hood. Red belts, red socks, hats, shoes, flags. Of the ten or so young men and women standing outside, there were the two he had wanted to see most: Terell and Shontay, and of the duo it was Terrell who welcomed Kentrell--or KP as he was known in the streets--first,

"Woop. What up, nigga. Where you been?"

"Shit, sleep."

"Sleep?! Nigga, it's 12:30! Been waitin' on yo' ass all day." KP joined with the rest of the group, to which Shontay gave her own greeting,

"Here come this ugly ass nigga!" KP kissed his teeth and indulged her with a one-arm side hug.

"Ya mama, nigga." KP's retorts were never quite tuned for quality,

"Whatever, you ready?" 20 sets of eyes turned to KP, nerves flashed up the boy's spine and settled in the rest of his body. A millisecond too long passed in silence, they could smell the hesitation.

"On Lanes, nigga, you already know I'm ready. Shit, been ready, blood." the answer appeased none, but no one feigned belief better than KP and his friends.

"We gon' see." Shontay and Terrell had already put in work, exactly what that work was was something Terell didn't quite know. A cherry red cadillac pulled up in front of the apartments, inside a muscled, dark skinned black man with a scar beneath his eye and a blunt hanging from his mouth screeched the cadillac to a halt. Shontay let her eyes fall to the vehicle,

"There he go. Aye!" she shouted to the car, "What up Bone?!" Bone only gave a nod,

KP had frozen solid in just that short span of time, it took a nudge from Shontay to rev life into him. With lowered tone, she spoke,

"Go 'head nigga, don't make him call you ova there."

KP's legs carried him. Hands clutched the unlocked door and he stepped in. Instinctively, he reached a hand out to Bone, who merely stared at the hand and then hit the gas.

And in a few seconds it all became real to him.


[System]
Appearance:

Parum is barely five feet tall and with her robes on, she's almost childlike. However hidden by her unflattering robes, Parum is definitely not childlike; she's a fully grown halfling woman, with a full chest and shapely hips. While she doesn't look strong, and she really isn't, Parum's small and light body grants her great agility and speed not often seen in most halflings. She typically wears clothing that won't restrict her movements, and even her signature robe is mostly for hiding her body; it does very little to impede her even during her more acrobatic movements, and she can tear it off with ease if it does get caught on something. She's often seen with a huge backpack that's at least three times her size, but despite that it's actually a bag of holding, albeit a flawed attempt at one. While it weighs about as much as a a backpack that size would weight (About twenty pounds), it can still hold a nearly infinite amount of space within and she won't feel a thing. It's bigger size also allows her to fit bigger things.
Age: 27

Race: Halfling

Class: Rogue

Biography: Parum was once just an orphan left in the streets. As one may imagine, being orphaned in the streets left very little options for the halfling. She knew no family she had; no mother or father, brothers or sisters, uncles or aunts. She resorted to petty thievery, stealing only what she needed to survive. Food, a bit of drink, sometimes coins to buy a bed in the inn during the winter. But surviving by a hair wasn't something Parum enjoyed. She wanted stability in her life, but she only knew one way how.

As Parum grew older, her skills in thievery also grew. She became quite adapt at stealing that she could swipe a sword out of a sheath or coins from a hand. Of course she isn't without failure, but those mistakes only allowed her to hone her agility and speed. Being a little halfling, Parum was also no stranger to being targeted by thugs and miscreants herself. She learned how to fend for herself, even took up a rather exotic weapon to compensate her overall lack of fighting ability. But aside from that, Parum did learn more practical trade skills. Amassing her ill-gotten gains over the years, she eventually was able to buy herself an apprenticeship in a merchant's guild. Much to her surprise, many of her skills growing up were used much more often. While she learned the art of haggling and worked as a locksmith, her deft hands and sharp wit put her into a position where she essentially became a thief for the merchant's guild; stealing back ill-gotten gains from other thieves, companies, or whoever.

Parum spent a good bit of her life with the Merchant's Guild, and she doesn't regret a moment of it. Even now she continues to keep good relations with the guild as she strikes out as her own independent merchant, hoping to gather her wares in the deepest of dungeons for great riches.

Skills: Parum is a fast fighter and quick thinker. While she lacks the pure strength and toughness to brawl most opponents, she's agile and precise to dodge most attacks and hit the right spots. She's very keen with daggers and can stick them into weak points, even throwing them with deadly accuracy. Her fighting style is dual-wielding, typically two daggers. She uses finesse over force, so she needs light weapons.

Parum has keen senses and can often hear, smell, or see others before they can see her, even if they're trying to hide. She can also discern people's motives and practically smell when someone is lying around her. She's very acrobatic and relies on this to dodge danger. Parum can disarm many types of devices and traps, even magical ones, though only with the right set of tools. Lastly, Parum is also good at hiding. Even with her huge bag, you'd be surprised at the places Parum can hide in, even when there's nowhere to hide at. She's the type who can vanish in plain sight without the need of magic.

---

[User]
Vivian

 Vivian picked up the glass with the first serving of wine sitting inside. She swished it around as she listened to Parum's words. Ten thousand gold for a artifact of Nerul most likely. It was a reward that would draw in numerous folk. She took in a mouth full of the wine from her glass and let the taste hit her tongue before swallowing it down. She then looked to Parum. "The job itself could be dangerous, I mean be it if this was any other temple such as one of Pelor or Corellian we would not have to worry about traps or curses, but no... this is a temple of a dark god. Of Nerul to be exact. The Reaper, the god of death and trickery. I expect this temple will be full of not just mundane traps but of magical traps." She answered. She took another drink of the wine. She looked to the pipe that was offered to her from Elleonara and waved her hand. "I'll pass, that is of little interest to me. Although the substance did make it easier for my kin to enslave the lesser minds of the surface to fight our battles for us..." She said holding that last bit for awhile as a smirk formed. "I'm joking,... the races we often tricked were brainless from the start anyways. Orcs, Gnolls, goblinkin,... those types."

 She turned to Parum once again. "As for the pay,... well they had to make it worth the while,.. I suppose. There are plenty of people that would take up a quest like that for that much. If bodies was what they wanted they sure got it." She said. Refering not only to our group but even people who are still arriving to take up the mission. The quest and task was obviously a loud and popular subject. Why wouldn't be... ten thousand gold was at stake. It would make any man a rich person. Even she was thinking of the gold and how it could help herself.

 "I believe it is most certainly worth the trouble,.. I mean that big of a reward would most certainly get me some friends in high places. Enough so that I wouldn't need this necklace anymore." She added. Then she sighed at the recall of Gnolls being sighted at the temple. "Sadly we are not the first ones there though,... The new of Gnolls being there bothers me. If in anyway these Gnolls are connected to the same group that attacked us then.... well I expect to seem a few of my kin there." Something like a artifact of Nerul would get her kins interest and if they can bag a deserter like herself in the process it would make the hunt worth it. The chalice was likely not the only thing down there either. Could be plenty of treasure down there to peak their interests. There was also her sisters visit... was she here also for the chalice? Was she also interested in the reward for it.

 She then figured out that Cassandra was not wearing much for a disguise. She showed her drow features without hiding it at all. Was this town more civil towards drow then most? Or did her sister already form connections. "Oh,... by the way while I was in my room I got paid a little visit from someone.....unexpected." She looked around the tavern to see how many people were within. "I think it wise if I tell you all in detail of the visit later though.... more private and on the road."

Alexander

 Alex looked down and over to the dwarf. She had asked if he was only having just one. He thought about it and shrugged. "As much as I do like mead, I think I may just keep to the one. We got some enemies that I want to be a bit sober to face." He said. If the drow do appear,... from what he heard just one could prove difficult with their skills in the blade and poison. They will be one tough challenge. Something a warrior like himself would find exciting. Even if he died to the blade of one of them... it may just be one worthy. He then looked to Vivian as he over heard her little talk with Parum. The subject was about the temple and their mission. The reward was a bit high.... I mean if they were being sent to destroy a lich or something of that stature then yeah ten thousand would sound reasonable. However,... this chalice did not sound like something worth that much.

 Unless...... unless it was just a lure and this mage was just a agent of Vivian's house. That would explain how the Gnolls knew which group to attack. I mean Vivian was in the wagon. You could not see her for the most of it tell she joined Parum in the front so how would they know?.... unless the mage or someone in town told them what to look for. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Damn it Parum..... I dont need this trail of thought right now. The chance of there not even being a reward was not something he wanted to think about. Alex looked back at the dwarf. He decided to engage in a conversation to get it of his mind. "My name is Alexander Von Wolfe, I belonged to a family of knights up north. Maybe you heard of it. Anyhow we would ride into battle on dire wolves. It was fun times for awhile. Tell I became the last Wolfe."

[Assistant]
Veridis Quo

As the bard strummed his lute a young woman came and gave him some ale. Veridis recognized her as the innkeeper's daughter, and apparently someone just brought him a drink. Looking back at the group he could see that a pink-haired dwarf had joined the others and in typical dwarven fashion she was already drinking. Not one to waste a good thing Veridis took a drink from the ale, tasting the bitter yet fruity beverage. Having never been a connoisseur of alcohol however, Veridis wasn't sure if this was good or bad. He wasn't puking however, so it was good enough.

Though Veridis thought about speaking to the newcomers, he chose to simply remain in the background to provide ambiance. It might seem strange for a bard not to take the front stage, but a good bard knows his place. Not everyone is the lead, and sometimes you need someone to set the mood. Seeing that the night was growing older and they had new, pleasant company, he decided to play a different tune. Though the establishment was smaller and less refined than the taverns at Sapphire, something about it's small-town, rustic feel gave it a charm that he wouldn't find in the big city. Between sips of ale and listening to the hearthfire crackle, Veridis was tempted to simply close his eyes and turn in for the night. But if the bard was going to do anything for the party tonight, it'd be to provide music and company until he's the last man standing.


[System]
Runan Isles Savior Corps

---

Established in the wake of Westwel's destruction, the Runan Isles Savior Corps is by no means the most impressive program on Illun, but it's well-funded and well-run by a few survivors of Westwel's own Corps.

Character Info

Name – Besca Darroh
Age – 35
Affiliation – R.I.S.C.

Originally from Westwel, Besca Darroh has been around Saviors her entire life. Her grandfather had helped fell the Modir who would become "Dragon," and her father had headed Westwel's burgeoning Savior program. She met dozens of pilots, watched as their connection to the Modir ate away at their minds and bodies. Other nations treated their pilots like a resource to be burned through, kept at arm's length in all but public affairs. Besca, however, went out of her way to engage with Westwel's pilots and even piloting candidates, caring after them with a degree of humanity which was, frankly, missing in the programs of other nations. Her methods were derided as frivolous and naïve by her peers, but the pilots appreciated it, which, to her, was all that mattered.

She lost many things in Westwel's fall; her home, her father, her friends, and no small piece of her faith in humanity, but ironically enough she didn't lose her job. When Runa took in her country's refugees, and subsequently acquired their first Savior, they came to the last living member of Westwel's program for help in founding their own.

Nowadays, Besca doesn't often involve herself in the politics of the program. Technically speaking she isn't even chief of operations—a position occupied by the Runan government—but rather, her duties revolve around "pilot maintenance." While she hasn't lost her desire to make life easier for the pilots, she isn't nearly as incorrigibly optimistic or sunny as she once was.

Character Info

Name – Dahlia St. Senn
Age – 18
Affiliation – R.I.S.C.

Dahlia was a toddler when her home was destroyed by the Modir, spirited away from Westwel in the arms of a family friend. She spent the first fourteen years of her life in the quiet, lakeside town of Hovvi. She was, like many children, absolutely enthralled by the Saviors, so when she tested positive and was whisked away into orbit, Dahlia thought her dream had come true. She missed her friends, and her adoptive father, but this was her opportunity to do something important. This was her chance to help.

She had no idea.

Runa's Savior, Dragon, had not been phased by a single pilot until Dahlia entered the cockpit. With its potential finally unleashed, she was able to end invasions within minutes—which was crucial, because she couldn't remain connected for much longer than that before the giant's neural regeneration reached critical levels.

Dahlia has become Runa's WMD, and as such, she actually doesn't pilot as much as she did before R.I.S.C. acquired its two other Saviors. Besca has become rather protective of her, not wanting to risk putting her in situations where she may be forced to over-exert herself, or risk being overtaken.

Character Info

Name – Hadrian Ghaust
Age – 38
Affiliation – R.I.S.C.

Hadrian Ghaust is Helburke personified. He is strong, unrelenting, stoic to a chilling degree, and utterly devastating in the cockpit. Ghaust is also a veteran pilot, having commanded the Savior Marrowman in service of the Helburken crown for 20 years, and despite a phasing speed so slow that he rarely deigns to use his magic at all, he was well on his way to becoming one of his country's most accomplished pilots.

However, Ghaust's priority has always been the fight against the Modir, and Helburke's clamor for political power is something he viewed with silent disdain. To him, using Saviors to settle diplomatic disputes isn't just wasteful, it's shameful. So, when Helburke ordered him to bring Marrowman to bear against the newly-risen Runa's Dragon, he refused. When, then, he was given the ultimatum of going through with the duel or forfeiting his rank and position, he looked his general in the eye, ripped the pilot's medal from his collar, and left his home behind.

Overnight Ghaust was made a Pariah in Helburke, and his home turned against him. He was forced to leave, and though several foreign programs sought him out, Ghaust denied them all, even passing up a pilot's seat in Eusero. Instead, he went straight to the burgeoning program in Runa, who was more than happy to take him.

Character Info

Name – Safie Calhan
Age – 22
Affiliation – R.I.S.C.

R.I.S.C.'s newest pilot, Safie has spent the past year earning her place at Dahlia and Ghaust's sides. Born and raised in Runa's largest city, Queenshand, Safie was one of countless starry-eyed youths who dreamed of the day she'd get to step inside the cockpit of a Savior. A positive connection-test put her on the path, but it was the months upon months of personal training, rigorous study, and nights spent running sims until dawn that pulled her ahead of the other aspirants. With a phase potential speed just above average, she was a perfect fit between Runa's other two pilots.

While Dahlia has accrued something of a heroic mythos about her, she's often reclusive and hesitant to make many public appearances. Safie on the other hand loves to meet the people she's helping, be that with personal visits, answering fan-mail, or simply getting her hands dirty cleaning up after the messier invasions. Some see her approach as distinctly Euseran, but Safie didn't become a pilot for the attention, she became a pilot because it was the right thing to do.

Character Info

Name – Lucis Abroix
Age – 25
Affiliation – Casoban, on loan to the R.I.S.C.

Casoban's sole effort to save Westwel, while ultimately futile, planted the seeds of goodwill between it and Runa. Casoban has always lived in the influential shadows of Helburke and Eusero, but allied with Runa, the two manage a strong presence on the world stage.

As a show of solidarity, Casoban has even begun sending a Savior of its own as backup to Runa's invasions. Enter: Lucis Abroix.

Lucis is perhaps one of Casoban's most beloved pilots, despite having only a handful of deployments to his name. Handsome, personable, with a poetic flare and the voice of an angel, many people back home already consider him the face of Casoban's Savior program—a role he is more than happy to play. Lucis makes regular public appearances, seemingly never missing an opportunity to espouse his love for the beauty of the world, and his burning desire to protect it from the Modir.

[User]
As the minutes counted down, the crew shuffled around with purpose. Someone produced a pair of small microphones over, unobtrusively clipping them to both Quinn and Mona's collars. Napkins and cutlery were brought out to the table next, along with a pitcher of water, and glass of wine, which Mona immediately sipped from. A thirty-second countdown started, and with only fifteen seconds left the food was served piping hot. From behind the counter, chef Akihiro gave Quinn an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Besca made her way around the set, to Mona's back, where she'd be in full sight of Quinn. She waved, smiled. Her look said: "You got this." But like Quinn, she was undeniably still nervous. Mona was about as good a draw as they could have gotten for the first interview, but a million things could still go wrong. They had just this morning, and while Besca had tried to be as comforting and supportive as possible, in the back of her mind she knew it was ridiculous to expect Quinn to have a complete hold of herself after a nap and a few sincere words.

A beep sounded, and red lights blinked to life on the cameras. A brief musical cue played as Mona waved to the centermost camera, and then there was relative silence.

"Good evening, Runa, and welcome to dinner!" Mona said. Her voice seemed much bolder now, more projected, almost like a stage actress. "Tonight's show is a bit shorter, but it's very special. That's right. I'm sure some of you watching right now are asking yourselves: who is this beautiful young lady? and to those first-time viewers—hello, I'm flattered." She giggled to herself, as if in-time to the laughter of some unseen audience. "But no, no, really! A lot of you probably have no idea who this is joining me tonight, and I don't blame you! But we're very honored to have her here tonight, and—you know what, I'm gonna let her do the honors."

Mona smiled to her, gesturing to the center camera. "Honey, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself? Tell'em why I'm so excited to have you here tonight!"

[Assistant]
Deep breaths. Deep breaths. More than three this time; just 'however many she could fit before the clock ticked down.' Deep breaths. Bury what was left of the panic so deep down it couldn't find her. Quinn was glad Besca was there. Mona was nice, she really was, but this place was still so foreign to her. Besca was like a grounding wire, keeping her from spinning out of control.

She really wanted to start eating. Desperately. Chef Akihiro had come all the way down her to make this for her, and wow if it didn't look and smell just as good as always. But she restrained herself; it seemed like eating before the show started wouldn't be a good idea. And she really, really didn't want Mona to be angry with her.

As the beep of the camera sounded, Quinn jerked slightly, taken aback. Oh wow. It was starting. She was...she was on TV! Some of that anxiety leaked out of her, and it was replaced with a kind of nervous energy. She smiled a lopsided smile as she looked at the big center camera that Mona had gestured to. She'd never talked in front of a camera before. So she took one more deep breath, reminded herself that Besca was right there cheering her on, and waved like Mona had, trying as hard as she possibly could to draw out that cheer that she'd lost.

She could already feel that nervous energy and anxiety balling up in her stomach like a chunk of lead, but she kept the enthusiasm on as best she could. So many people were watching, and Deelie was definitely watching, and Doctor Follen was probably watching too. So, pulling up everything she had, she let her voice go.

"Hey, I'm Quinnlash Loughvein, buuuut you can just call me Quinn! I'm the brand new pilot for RISC, and I'm super excited to be here!"

She was almost surprised at how...happy she sounded, and how natural it all seemed to feel, despite being so alien an experience.

Was this what she'd been like before?


[System]
Age
22

Gender
Female

Race
Elf

Personality
Allisa seems to be the very definition of cheerfulness and friendliness. She is usually seen with a smile on her face, and doesn't hesitate to strike up a friendly conversation with people. She is also a very honest person, sometimes to the point of being brutal about it, and she is not a very good secret keeper either.

Abilities
Allisa is quite a skilled huntress. Having lived in the woods for much of her childhood, she is fully capable of using a bow and arrow to fell targets at long range. Allisa is also skilled with a dagger or two in hand to repel someone at close range.
Allisa is fully capable of stealthily hunting down targets in a forest, whether it be for food like deer and rabbits or for kill quests of dangerous beasts. She also feels most at home in a forest and will usually seek out a tree to sleep in, which certainly helps with money as there's not much need to find an inn.

Notable Equipment, Traits, etc
-Longbow and arrows: pretty standard stuff. The bow is nicely crafted, but made out of wood from the common trees, while the arrows can be bought in plenty of common weapon shops.
-Pair of daggers: Even a long range combatant may find themselves having to face an enemy in close combat, which is why these are here. Nothing really special about them, though.
-Obedient: Allisa will gladly follow any order given to her by someone she trusts, as long as the order is acceptable to her moral standards. Better be specific, though, because she tends to go above and beyond for these orders. Get some food? An entire day spent hunting down rabbits and bringing their skinned carcasses back to the person who issued the order. Make sure someone's not bothered? Drive away all people by threatening them with her bow and arrow should they get too close.

History
Allisa was born in a forest village, where she spent her entire life learning how to fend for herself. She learned much about the forest and its bounty of hidden goods, as well as the means of acquiring these goods. The migration patterns of certain animals, the edible fruits and vegetables, how to string a bow and hunt down animals, etc. Allisa was also told that she should have the ability to perform magic. However, she never really understood magic and its ways, so she quickly gave up on that idea.
As Allisa became of age, she decided to leave home. According to her parents, she was to be able to fend for herself now and earn a living for herself. After a day had passed, though, she realized that she felt... lost. She was so used to having people tell her what to do that she didnt really know what to do for herself. So, she wandered. She walked for days, stopping to rest for food and sleep, until she finally made her way to a city.
It was her first time entering a city, so all the sights and sounds were completely new to her. An adventurer found her and helped guide her through the city, making their way to the Adventurer's Guild. From there, she became an adventurer, and did her best to complete the quests she found.

Other
Most quests she does tend to be beginner quests, like find a lost pet or killing 5 or so troublesome creatures.

[User]
Over the past few months, Smith had been aimlessly wandering across the lands searching for a town. Of course, all she found were farms and bandits. Though, a few weeks ago, she had gotten directions to Lerot from some disgusting old fool. She thanked the man by only stealing his sword, and leaving the rest of his possessions in place.

She did eventually reach Lerot, convincing a nice young man to let her stay at his house for a few days, which may or may not have included threatening to steal away his wife. Of course, Smith couldn't resist secretly having her way with the man's wife at least once. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

Well, once Smith had done enough dicking around, she left the couple to their own devices, and headed down to the adventurer's guild.

Smith made her way through the hustle and bustle of Lerot, eventually finding the building she was looking for. Before she could make her way to the door, she was forced to stop by some sort of an egotistical moron, who was yelling about his "grand entrance" as he charged through the guild's doors.

"I didn't think humans could be this stupid." She muttered to herself as her hand found its way to her forehead. Her right hand eventually gave up it's place on Smith's face, resigning itself to the handle of the sword that hung from her waist. The demon returned her focus to the adventurer's guild, which she walked through the doors of as she began to notice the strange, yet ever so familiar looks, of the people around her.

It was pretty obvious to tell that Smith had some sort of connection to demons, given the horns on her head, so the reaction of some of these morons was expected. Some of the fools started to raise their weapons, but many more fools had something else raised. How could a bunch of fools resist a charming young succubus, anyway?

Smith paid them no heed, and moved towards the receptionist.

"Ca...Can I help you with something, miss?"

"I would like to register as an adventurer." The receptionist's face took on a look that was somewhere inbetween suprise and relief for a second before reverting to her previous calm expression.

"Oh, alright. Here, please fill out this paperwork and return it to me, and we will have your guild card soon after." Smith was handed a pile of papers, as well as ink and a quill pen. Smith took the pile to a nearby table, which happened to be next to where the idiot who slammed open the guild doors was sitting. The idiot had seemed to gather a reasonable crowd, which included a catboy, a walking green bean, and a rather cute looking girl. Smith hadn't had any fun in at least 8 hours, and this girl seemed like a nice catch, so Smith decided to go after her. The problem was the 3 amigos next to her.

The 4 of them seemed to be talking about partying up. This was good, Smith could ask to join in as well, but then she would be in a party with a bunch of dicks. She was left no choice but to steal away the cute girl. Smith, from her seat at the table, turned towards the girl, leaned forward slightly, and spoke as if she was the embodiment of friendship.

"Hey, I'm probably going to be needing a few party members, and you seem pretty capable. Why don't you party with me instead?" She kept her focus pointed at the girl, completely ignoring the triad of meat-heads around her.

[Assistant]
Ah, good, a customer so soon. Always an excellent forecast for the day's profits! Felicia flashed her most charming smile at the young lady gracing her... well, 'shop' may be too generous a word, but regardless, the honest merchant welcomed her happily.
Unfortunately, this customer did not seem happy with one of the items on sale. The girl regarded an artefact with sheer disapproval, and had somehow mistaken it for a lump of charcoal. Sadly, this was not an uncommon occurrence.

"I assure you, madam, this is no mere charcoal on a string," Felicia spoke with confidence, lightly gripping the dangling artefact, "granted, the appearance would say otherwise, but I have it on very good authority that this is actually a device used to manipulate time."

Felicia was a firm believer in not doubting the words of all of her business partners. How were you supposed to make any sales if you nitpicked one or two details about the item in question? The finely-dressed seller could accept that such a rare and powerful treasure was unlikely to end up in the possession of a shopless trader... but who would go to the effort of lying about it in the first place?

"From what I have been told, each swing of the Chrono Pendulum advances time by one second," Felicia advised, "as such, it may be wise not to swing it around carelessly. I heard that if the Strand of Time were to break, bad things could happen."

The strand, of course, being the perfectly normal string that was cursed to support the useless charcoal for all eternity.

"Of course, after you buy it, whatever you wish to use it for is entirely not my business!" Felicia chirped, all too ready to make a sale.

[User]
Maria stared blankly at the merchant girl who was trying to pitch what was, once more, literally a lump of coal on a string. As some kind of time manipulating pendulum. That... was not how anything worked. At all. Oh, she could buy that a magical artifact could seem unimpressive, but this was just ridiculous. 'Advancing time by one second'? 'Something bad would happen if the string were to break'? That was one of the most nonsense things she had ever heard. Who even did this? What kind of desperate con artist woke up one morning and thought this was a great plan?

She swung it back and fourth, faster then the seconds past, staring blankly at the tophat-wearing girl. She had a feeling that wasn't going to prove anything, though.

And so, instead of attempting to display how stupid what the girl said was with that method, she carefully took the charcoal, untied the string(it was barely even tied at all, it was like a four-year-old had done it) and laid both pieces of the... 'pendulum' down.

"It's a lump of charcoal and some string. You are trying to sell a lump of charcoal and some string."

[Assistant]
Koji held up his left hand as someone came up next to him out shouted in his face, his attempts to complete the documentation after reading it over temporarily stifled by such a loud noise. With a dramatic stroke to finish his signature, Koji placed the pen and ink to the side before turning to the girl, bringing his right hand in front of his face with a pose as he looked at her. Good, good! Even before he was bound to this place, people were already seeking his aid!

"Haha, so it begins! Very well! I sh-" he began to say before being interrupted by a animal-eared boy around his own age. Okay. Well. That was rude. But more people meant that people were already flocking to him! Yes! Success!

"Ahem. As I was saying, I sh-"

This time, a rather large green-haired man came to interrupt him. Gods damn it all, did these people have NO way of reading the mood? Not that he as complaining about the rather spontaneous formation of the party, but still!

"...Anyways... I s-"

And before he could get the next set of words out his mouth, the young archer was interrupted once more, this time by a woman with horbns who seemed to be trying to steal away the first person to request his help. In front him, no less!

"...Okay. Fine. Guess I'm doing this the hard way. You, who insulted my skill with my weapons: gaze in awe! And you, creature of the night who tries to spirit away those who seek my aid: let this be a warning to you!"

Very clearly irate at this point, Koji stood up and, in one swift motion, pulled out a few small coins and tossed them into the air, high above the (probably demonic) girl trying to pull the one with the squirrel away. Drawing his bows and spinning them theatrically for good measure, Koji shot each of the coins out of the air, the bolts eventually colliding with one another to land headfirst onto the ground right behind the two in question, the coins falling on top of their heads. With a wide smile and his confidence regained, Koji struck a pose and shouted with renewed vigor.

"Sear this moment into your memory, for I have given you ample warning! If you wish to be so rude in front of one such as me, then be sure to have a good reason for doing so!"

While he seemed to be confident as could be, however, Koji was shaking a bit inside. Those last shots were one in a million, and the recoil from the guns made his shots land perfectly like that. Everything ended up going perfectly right, which meant that if he was going to boast again, he'd probably have to try for... A bigger target. Hopefully.