[System]
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Species: Human?

Occupation: Professional exorcist and cleanser

Personality: He's a bit of a strange little guy. Lucas is very peculiar about who he interacts with and how. He doesn't like crowds, being photographed, cameras, or being asked questions. Any of these things will have him become frustrated and he'll probably storm off in a huff. He can be a bit childish. If irritated, he will quickly resort to lashing out physically to get his point across. Seeing as he can't yell, one might think that this is his alternative.

If one gets on his good side, he's typically a mild, friendly man. Once he decides he trusts someone, he doesn't seem as stand offish anymore.

Appearance: Lucas can easily be described as a bean pole: tall and lanky. He's been told often that he's too thin and needs to gain weight. Lucas has a PEG tube that sticks out of his abdominal wall; it's basically a port straight to his stomach where liquid food and nutrition can be pumped. Due to the all liquid diet, he stays just above underweight.

He's pretty unassuming looking: hidden under oversized clothes with his face tucked into a scarf. He has a head of messy black hair, usually worn short due to his tendency to not take care of it. He has a natural olive tone of his skin, hinting at a possible Italian heritage. His eyes tend to catch people's attention. Some say he has the eyes of a feral animal, dark and a bit wild. Others say they see the eyes of a sad hound dog. Either way, his eyes are dark brown, the color almost indistinguishable from his pupils.

Lucas's most predominant feature by far is his face. He sort of doesn't have one. While his forehead and eyes appear normal, Lucas's face below the bridge of his nose is malformed. His nose appears to be incomplete, like someone cut the fleshy end off of it. And he completely lacks a mouth. His chin is narrow and pointed, his features almost elfish in appearance. If not for the deformities of his face, Lucas might be considered handsome.

Other:

Lucas has a very unique skill set. He has a 'gift'. Lucas can draw energy from surrounding sources, fire, sunlight, heat, electricity, and produce his own light. This light burns monsters that get too close to it, namely demons and vampires. While his light in ineffective towards werewolves, witches, and most other foul creatures, most are unable to touch his skin as if it were made of silver.

His gift of light is accompanied by an ability to defeat demons in a way that even the most experienced of priests have yet to figure out. When he comes into contact with the creatures, he seems to absorb them. If he is performing an exorcism, he draws the demon from the victim and into himself. This usually results in a short inner battle before the demon is completely eradicated. So far, Lucas himself has never been possessed.

weaknesses: Because of his deformity, Lucas is mute.

When tackling more powerful demons, there is a chance that they may escape, weakened, rather than be destroyed. After dealing with demons of high power, Lucas usually has to take time to recover.

Biography:

Where Lucas came from isn't entirely clear. He showed up in LA during a string of violent possessions at the hands of demons. He had been only just a boy, no older than 9, when he proved his worth by banishing demons that even the most experienced priests couldn't. The boy was a gifted exorcist.

It didn't take long for a local priest to take the young boy in. He allowed Lucas to live at the church, very interested by the boy and his mysterious heritage. Even as he has grown, not much is known of how Lucas came to be, or even what exactly he is. It seems to be a touchy subject, and he becomes impatient and irritable if asked about it. He, himself, doesn't even seem to know the entire story.

Lucas has remained at the church, being called on for particularly difficult demon cases. Some people have come to avoid taking his help, as the process in which he removes demons from their victims seems to have a 10% chance of killing the victim. While these deaths seem completely accidental, some the patrons of the church and demonology world have labeled the strange man as a murderer.

Supporting Characters:

Father Walter: The priest that serves as Lucas's main caregiver. He watches over the odd ward and allows him to live at the church for free. Father Walter is in his middle ages, and has been an exorcist for many years now. Priests of his experience level are becoming a rare breed. As the years go by, less and less people believe in possession, and mental illness tends to be blamed for the culprit. He took Lucas in because he saw the boy as a valuable asset, and he didn't want him to fall into the wrong hands.

See No Evil: He is a man around Lucas's age, cleverly named Seymour. He, like Lucas, is deformed. He has no eyes. Seymour also has powers similar to Lucas. He lives in Louisiana and is sort of a penpal to Lucas after having heard about him from an acquaintance. It's still yet to be discovered if there is a third "Hear No Evil".

[User]
Hector Sea

 Hector stepped out into the parking lot and located his car, fumbling around with the keys and unlocking the door. Hector entered the car and located the ignition, and pressed the key first the wrong way and then the right way into it. This would be his first time driving a car, but he had ridden in one before and was given lessons in how to drive courtesy of the Camarilla. Hector enjoyed the new technology of the ages, but he needed some time to get acclimated. He put his feet on the gas pedal and the car exploded forward, Hector slammed on the brakes and went slower on the gas next time. He worked his way out of the parking lot and headed out into the road.

Hector remembered the man with no mouth, and that he was being targeted by the cult. Hector drove out back to the warehouse, and went to were the man was being held. He activated his Auspex while touching some of his blood on the floor, and saw a vision of a scarfed man sitting in a church. Hector knew where he was how to find him. He headed out back to his car, but saw something strange on his way there.

 There was a woman with scales, horns, a tail and wings overlapping a normal looking figure. Hector found this to be bizarre, this was a supernatural he had never occurred in his 600 years of life. He approached, cautiously, and said:

 "Excuse me, but what are you?"

[Assistant]
"Ahhmmm~~~" Elleonora made a pleased sound as she stretched her arms, leaving the building where the self defense classes took place. Today was actually payday so she now had good money in her pocket. Frankly... she was making a living albeit just enough. With the money she got from her side job as model for usually adult magazines, she somehow or other managed to keep just enough money in hand to live a good life with enough luxuries to not have the right to complain about. Well it wasn't always nice because of this dual nature of hers. She felt that half her being was content with this life and the other half hungered for something way greater. She had decided never to complain though, so she simply took life as it was, struggling to maintain the point of equilibrium.

 Best thing was that she could take out Jane for lunch tomorrow, after paying her part of the bills. Thus in this fine night, with a smile on her face she slowly walked down the streets, just waiting to reach her favorite side alley where no one was ever present, just so she could take off and stretch her wings properly.

 She was currently dressed in low cut jeans and open back frilly shirt made of thin veil like material that was blowing gently by the air as she walked. Elleonora had just about reached the alleyway when she heard a voice call out to her. She turned to the side, raising an eyebrow as she faced the man who talked to her." What is it that you mea...n... ohh" She started quickly with the standard question to divert from the topic. She was pretty sure there weren't humans who can see her form, but it seemed this one was not human... This was something else. Judging by the pale skin..." Bugger..." She mumbled, making an expression of complex thinking." Frankly nothing that would concern someone like you. Or to be precise nothing that you should concern with." She stated, just in case the silly humans were listening. Not that changelings like herself were harmless, far from it. Just that she didn't want to really get involved in anything of this kind. What a bad luck for someone to randomly spot her. He must be using an ability to see through the mask. She really doubted they were looking for her in specific. She very briefly considered just bolting into the alleyway and then flying up.

 "Can I help you with something or you just wanted to ask that?" She asked, wanting to know before hse decides on a course of action.

[User]
Hector Sea

 The woman just nudged him off with a blunt remark, Hector didn't take to kindly to this. Hector's Auspex faded away as his vision returned to normal. He saw that the woman who once had wings protruding out of normal body was now just a normal woman. She must be hiding herself with something. As long as she didn't reveal the supernatural to humans, Hector didn't have a problem with her, but just in case Hector let her off with a warning.

 "Reveal that form to any humans and we're going to have a problem. We don't want another Inquisition on our hands, but you're probably too young to know of it." Hector said to the girl. Before she could retort to his warning, Hector dissipated into Dark Shadows and went to his car. He turned the engine on and headed for the church where Lucas was taking shelter.

 Hector pulled up to the driveway of the church and took a look around. It was a quaint little place, there was some greenery which you didn't usually see in L.A. Hector could hear the birds chirping-the sun was going to come up soon. He had to be quick about this. He entered the church and used Auspex, locating Lucas easily. He approached him, and as he looked into his eyes he Dominated Lucas. Hector threw a pad and a pen at him, and told him to write down everything he knew about the Demon Cult of Cidahl.

[Assistant]
Adam was on a walk. This was not uncommon, but lately, his little walks had been..tense. His senses were on overdrive, and it was almost painful, but Adam could deal with pain. It was more how..big the world seemed, ever since he learned about Ada, what she was..and what he was. That..that was more then pain. It was confusion and paranoia and..Adam heard something. There, from that alleyway..he strained his ears..what, don't..reveal that..
Adam's heart thudded a little faster. Maybe it was someone like him in that alleyway. A little voice in his head whispered on how Ada could change too, but still, he had to have hope right? He took a deep breath and headed towards the alleyway. When he finally reached the place he called out to woman, using a soft voice.
"Hey..I uhhh, heard that exchange, and..what form did he mean, and I'm cool, I'm not a hunter or anything.."


[System]
Age: 42

Race/Gender: Caucasian/ Male

Brief physical description: (Physically, he's more or less modeled on a younger Kris Kristofferson) Slight age in his face, greying brown hair and a rough beard with a little grey in his beard. Wears his worn trader's clothes with its many pockets and restitched pouches. He also wears jeans worn with age use and a hip holster where he keeps his 10mm. He wears worn leather boots that have borne him from all over the country.

Clothing/Armor/Weapons: He basically wears these clothes from the game and a bulletproof vest underneath the jacket for protection as well as a knee brace on his right knee for shooting situations. On his back is an old M40 Sniper Rifle on his back for long range engagements.

Brief Background: Born in rural Mississippi, his life in the Apocalypse wasn't exciting or scary. He helped raise the chickens, the Brahmin and grew fruit on the farm like his dad, his grandfather before him. At the age of 18, he realized he needed to see the world and spoke of his dreams to his family. Instead of fighting it, his father smiled and went in the house, bringing his prized joy, the family heirloom; an M40 Sniper Rifle from some long dead ancestor. His father also offered him one Brahmin to trade for goods. On the road however, Adam learned his Brahmin, which he'd named Bessie, was far more use as a pack-mule than trading her. He spent the next 30+ years of his life traveling up and down the South, over and below the old Mason-Dixon line and eventually found his way to D.C. and, finally, to Boston. Eventually, the trails of the Old World brought him to Salem. It was a quiet enough town, good enough to settle in, sell his wares and live a settled life with Bessie, his rifle and his old country music Holotapes.

[User]
Brandy Brooks - Sandy Coves

Celeste straightened and smiled. "It is a good morning!" she replied. Frieda merely smiled. Just then, the robot entered the reception area from the kitchen.

Brandy's eyes widened. "That is fantastic and this place is HUGE!!"

"Visitors! Welcome, welcome!" the robot chimed. "We do hope you enjoy your stay here at Sandy Coves." Brandy just stared at the functioning robot in awe.

"They're not here to stay, Archie," Celeste corrected. "These are some people I met just last night, Brandy, and Frieda."

"Ah, I see. Well, do take care not to loiter about too much, hmm? Please excuse me, I must retrieve some more paint from the basement. One of those cans had the bones of a dead animal in it and was totally dried out."

"He paints too? WOW !!!" Brandy

The colour drained from Celeste's face. "The paint, or the bones?"

Archie seemed to hesitate. "Both, I suppose. In any case, lovely meeting you all!" It floated out from behind the receptionist area, back down the hall, and completely out of sight.

Brandy waved, "Nice to meet you too Archie." She looked at Celeste and pointed at Archie, "Now that is really cool, you're so lucky. If I had one of those I could get so much done."

Celeste walked around the desk, "Well, why don't I take you both on a tour, huh? Then you can at least tell people you've seen it and it's fantastic," she winked.

Brandy looked up at Frieda with a big smile, "That would be wonderful Celeste."

Celeste began by leading them up the stairwell immediately sprouting off the foyer. She pointed out the different rooms, gushing about how each of them have their own bathrooms with real, working plumbing. "They're all just so unique, you know? One was decorated all pre-war military style, another was full of boats, then there was one covered in paintings...just such a fascinating place!"

"Oh, now that is neat. All of them have working plumbing? It took me over a week to get mine up and running, it really sucked." Brandy went and flushed the toilet in one room.

Celeste led them onto the balcony that overlooked the dining hall. "Now this is one of my favourite things: the big ol' dining hall. Ace runs a fine diner, and I'm not about to try and compete with that, but just look at that big room! The robot fixed up a bunch of the tables and chairs, so there's lots of places to sit. Maybe I should try an' collect some books and magazines, maybe just turn it into a coffee shop? I do make a decent scone..."Anyways," she shrugged, "it seems like a big waste of space if I don't do something cool with it, you know?"

Brandy looked out over the balcony, ideas rushing through her head. Then she was snapped from her thoughts as Celeste motioned for the women to continue following her. "That's my room," she pointed to her quarters. CELESTES RUME had been written onto the door in permanent marker. "This is the kitchen -- it's not as big as the one in the diner, I'd imagine, but it will get the job done! There's a little coffee left, if either of you are interested? Just help yourself!" Celeste led them back into the foyer. "That's that! The whole place. It's only eight caps a night. Not too steep for a place with clean linens, huh?" She grinned, looking between both women. "What do you think?"

"I think it will be great when word gets out. I mean, it is already great, but when more people can enjoy it will be something special." Brandy places her finger over her mouth, "You know Celeste, I brew my own moonshine. You have the space, I have the knowledge to make a one of a kind alcohol, I think that space would make a nice honky tonk...bar kinda thing. I also have some interesting recipes for potatoes and onions if you have a deep frier. But we can talk about that some more later, I told Rook that I'd help with the wall."

Archie could be heard greeting someone at the front desk. Brandy looked and saw the trader she had met at Ace's Diner speaking to Archie, "Woah, slow down there, hoss. I ain't here for room and board. I'm uhhh, here to speak to your boss. Tempeste? Selista? Somethin' like that?"

Brandy walked out and waved, "Good morning," she offered a pleasant smile and pointed, "That's Celeste."

 A rather large man with some pretty intense scars walked in just moments after the trader, "Do you work here, or know the person that works here? Emergency."

Brandy looked, the man was intimidating then pointed at herself, "Na...no, I don't, the robot is Archie and Celeste over there is the owner." She then caught herself looking at the large man's scars and shook her head, "Emergency? Is everything OK? Can I help?"

[Assistant]
CELESTE BROWN - Sandy Coves Inn - Morning

"I think it will be great when word gets out. I mean, it is already great, but when more people can enjoy it will be something special." Brandy places her finger over her mouth, "You know Celeste, I brew my own moonshine. You have the space, I have the knowledge to make a one of a kind alcohol, I think that space would make a nice honky tonk...bar kinda thing. I also have some interesting recipes for potatoes and onions if you have a deep frier. But we can talk about that some more later, I told Rook that I'd help with the wall."

Celeste's eyes widened. Moonshine! "Hold up, are you serious?" She could barely believe what Brandy had just old her. "You'd...you'd distill out of my inn?!"

They were approaching the foyer again. Before Celeste could continue questioning Brandy, the digital voice of Archie could be heard, talking to...someone. Brandy was there, first. Celeste thought she recognized the man at the counter, but wasn't totally sure. She was pretty tired the night before and couldn't remember everyone she saw, if she hadn't talked to them.

"Woah, slow down there, hoss. I ain't here for room and board. I'm uhhh, here to speak to your boss. Tempeste? Selista? Somethin' like that?"

Brandy walked out and waved, "Good morning," she offered a pleasant smile and pointed, "That's Celeste."

"Good morning!" Celeste chirped in addition. "Can I help you, sir?"

A rather large man with some pretty intense scars walked in just moments after the first, "Do you work here, or know the person that works here? Emergency."

Brandy blinked, then pointed at herself, "Na...no, I don't, the robot is Archie and Celeste over there is the owner."

"...hello," Celeste replied awkwardly, offering a small wave.

"Emergency? Is everything OK? Can I help?" Brandy continued.

Celeste looked over her shoulder to see Frieda remained loitering in the doorway to the hall, appearing slightly interested but generally disconnected to what was going on. She's so weird. She returned her attention to the folks in her foyer and cleared her throat, trying not to sound annoyed. "Sorry to interject," she smiled, tilting her head to look up at both men standing in front of her. "I'm Celeste Brown," she repeated for emphasis, flipping some curls off her shoulder and smiling her sweetest smile. "This is the Sandy Coves Inn, and my assistant there is Archie."

"Pleasure to meet you!" Archie greeted in a pleasant sounding, though robotic, voice.

"I'd be glad to help out as best I can," Celeste continued, "but you're all gonna have to tell me what it is that's goin' on. So!" She placed her hands on her hips and stood up as tall as she could, which truly, was not very tall. "Who wants to go first?"


[System]
Aqualad

Character Age

17

Attributes & Abilities

Kaldur has the abilities of all Atlanteans possess thanks to their life underwater. He can breath below water, can swim and incredible speeds, has dense, durable flesh, and has enhanced strength, ranging towards super strength. Thanks to his time training under Queen Mera, he is also an accomplished Atlantean sorcerer. He has the ability of hydrokenesis, and can even form hard-water constructs, allowing him to turn water into bladed or dull offensive weapons. He can also generate electricity, not unlike an electric eel. He has also been working on the ability to speak to marine life, though he has far from mastered this. During his time training under Aquaman, he has become an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant.

Character Synopsis

Kaldur'ahm is the son of Atlantean Sha'lain'a and mutated human Calvin Durham. Calvin was experimented on by the villains Black Manta and the Ocean Master in order to have a man on the inside of Atlantis. While he was relaying information back to the Manta, Calvin slowly started to fall in love with the Atlantean way of life. More importantly, however, he soon found himself in love with the beautiful Sha'lain'a. He hid his true nature from her, and the two were married after a whirlwind romance. Nine months later, Kaldur'ahm was born to the joy of the two of them.

Kaldur grew up around the palace of Atlantis as his mother was a friend and handmaiden of Mera, the betrothed of Orin, king of Atlantis. As he grew, Mera saw the boy had a knack for Atlantean sorcery, and began training him when she could. As the years passed, he was joined under Mera's tutelage by the beautiful Tula, whom he quickly fell madly in love with. The two were Mera's prized pupils, and King Orin began to take a liking to the boy as well, and began training him in martial arts.

When Kaldur was in his early teens, Ocean Master and Black Manta launched their master plan. With the intel that Calvin had supplied years ago of a secret passage into the palace of Atlantis, Manta and his shock troopers attacked Mera and Orin, keeping them pinned down. Meanwhile, Ocean Master, the king's brother, attacked with his forces outside the city. Without their king and leader, the forces of Atlantis were disorganized. Calvin, though he had long ago abandoned his mission, realized his information had been used against his new home, admitted to his wife and son who her truly had been once, and rushed off to help the king and queen. His son, not missing a beat, followed close behind.

When they reached the throne room, they found the royal family near defeat. Father and son joined the fray, though they stood little chance. Kaldur used both his sorcery and his fighting skills in order to drive back the shock troops, but Black Manta proved to be too much for Calvin. The Manta killed Kaldur's father right in front of the boy, before beating Kaldur senseless. The young Atlantean was saved by a resurgent Orin, and the Aquaman repelled Black Manta before leading Atlantis's troops in victory over the Ocean Master.

After the battle, Orin offered Kaldur a place at his side as his protege. Kaldur accepted, and has worn the mantle of Aqualad ever since, protecting the Earth next to the Aquaman.

[User]
---

Location: New York City, New York -- City Streets

---

By X'Hal, I must be lucky.

Kori could feel her knees buckle as she tried to assess what was going on throughout the streets of the urban battlefield she was fighting upon.

As far as she could tell, the arrival of a green-skinned warrior appeared to catch the able-bodied Gordanians off-guard. The Tamaranean was grateful for such a development, but even as more warriors began to set a perimeter or engage with the Gordanians she could see the resolve upon her pursuers strengthen. Gordanians were stubborn; like a hungry glurk upon a herd, they refused to let up even when the odds were stacked against them. Had they not been hunting her down, Kori might have found their passion admirable. How many Gordanians were there exactly left? Four? Five?

Kori looked back to the direction she had sent the leader flying. He was probably still getting his bearings. The green-skinned warrior had thrown several into the air, and kicked another one into another building. Two of the others had dealt with an individual Gordanian at the very least—though the one wearing a mask was not as close as the three others. It was a small battlefield, though between her blurring vision and the chaos of the situation she found it hard to keep track of everything. She forced a smile, knowing that there were not many Gordanians left to be worried about. There was a chance she would not be taken back yet.

She could see the Gordanians spread out, some climbing out from the buildings they had been thrown in several moments prior. She was sure they were being screamed at by their leader over their private communicators as he picked himself out of the building she had so kindly thrown him into only a few moments ago.

Kori took another deep breath. The last push was coming soon.

[Assistant]
---

Location: New York City, New York - Streets

---

The aliens poured into the streets, as Jason was sneaking about, avoiding their gaze and their attention for as long as he could. Every moment was a gift in situations like this - in a sense, this was no different than when Bane juiced up half of Gotham on venom and Bruce was taken out of commission. Leaving Jason alone to rescue the hostages and save the day. Being an underdog against forces far greater than those he could overpower wasn't news to the Boy Wonder.

That didn't make it any less scary.

He grappled onto a rooftop, scanning the area, from his belt he detached a small electrical spy-drone that would fly across the streets, surveying the scene and gathering intel for him. He needed to know where the civilians in need were. As he did, he caught a glimpse of a massive boy in a black shirt and with black hair, beating one of the aliens up with his bare hands.

"Either Superman took a dip in the Lazarus pit, or that's a new player." He commented, seeing the building he had been fighting next to, and how it's left side wall was about to collapse. Right onto of a young girl and her grandmother, who had gotten pelted in the side of the head with debris, knocked to the ground and bleeding. The.. Amazing-Kid or whatever wasn't paying attention, too focused on the fight ahead, and perhaps a more valuable use of his powers, left the scene to go fight the aliens.

Robin flipped off the roof, swinging his hook to the next one, vaulting over a lamppost as he did. Landing next to the pair. He produced the bo-staff from his belt and extended it, holding back the wall as he handed the still attached grapple to the girl, while he still held onto it with one hand. Scooping up the elderly lady with his other hand, he said, calmly.

"Hold onto me." Assuring the women that they would be fine. He pulled the grapple and yanked all three of them away, just as the staff gave way to the wall. The staff snapped in half, leaving the two about evenly shaped sticks behind. As he went to join the others in their fight, he heard the loud thuds, slowly coming towards him. It was one of the Aliens. Gravely injured, his face was burnt and beat up, probably from the flying girl's energy blasts.

But he was pissed. Real fucking angry.

Jason wasn't a stranger to fighting with simple rebar, so, the pieces of the Titanium alloyed staff Batman had given him were certainly a step-up from his rebar days.

He rolled to the side, whistling at the alien, dragging it's attention away from the girls. His red batarang popped out of his glove, throwing it with the one hand as he dashed to the weapons next to the crumbled wall, the projectile soaring in the air like a discus, before coming back, the alien hardly even saw it coming as it pierced his neck.

However, the four inch blade didn't seem to bother him too much. That's never a particularly good sign. If anything, it just pissed him off. He rushed at Jason, his wings seemingly limp from whatever massive hit he took. The Robin thanked his lucky stars for any advantage he could get on his side here. It charged at him from his left side, Jason got his hands on the sticks and leapt under the alien, rolling behind him and stabbing the pointy, broken piece of one of the sticks into the aliens heel. It was like stabbing a brick wall.

The blade pierced and the beast got pissed. Turning around and Jason dodged to the left, he should've bobbed to the right as he now got caught with the backhand of the behemoth, knocking him to the ground like he was a rat.

His head spun from the tumble. The monster limped towards him until the spear in his heel broke, than he didn't care about his bleeding foot, only interested in tearing the Boy Wonder's head off. Jason threw a handful of explosive marbles at him, packed with C-4, exploding in his face and disorienting him, stumbling backwards. Robin stalked him from the side, swinging the stick with both hands as hard as he could, he came with a downward diagonal strike towards the alien's head, striking the Batarang as hard as he could on the outer side, making it rip through the behemoth's body as it careened blood from it's throat.

He collected himself, grabbing the other shard of his staff before heading to find his would-be allies. He ran a scan on the alien he had just downed as he ran through the streets. It was still alive, somehow. Just unconscious. He couldn't quite figure out just how freaking tough these things were. But, it certainly gave him a whole new respect for Bruce and his willingness to face down with the intergalactic heavy-hitters the Justice League danced with on the regular.

He came swinging into the fray, as the remaining stragglers of the alien forces would charge the small group of heroes, raining explosives down onto them, drawing a line in the concrete.

"You guys come here often?" The Robin tried to joke, reading the sticks in his hands. The knuckles on his gloves sparked with excitement as the tasers were activated, transferring the electric current into the broken staff.


[System]
Age: 15
Element: Wind
Appearance:

Personality:
Hot-tempered, strong-headed, and proud; those three words perfectly define her. She also has a strong sense of justice, which coupled with her pride, meant that she would rarely, if ever, bow down to someone or something she deemed wrong. Thanks to her upbringing, she has quite a bad opinion on non-elementalists, thinking of them as a bunch of ignorant molasses who hated something they knew nothing about. She is also somewhat of an introvert, but not the shy kind. She doesn't really value friendship that much, preferring to spend her free time reading over socializing with others.

History:
Born from an elementalist family, she took great pride in the fact that she was one, so much so that she would be instantly hostile to anyone who viewed her kind badly. Age didn't deter her strong-headedness in this matter. She wouldn't even hesitate to use her power against a non-elementalist, if they offended her so badly. Of course, this led to her and her family having to move around all the time when she "exploded" at her bullies. They didn't really mind that much though, as they loved their daughter and knew that she did nothing wrong, especially her mother, who was just as hot-tempered as her. They eventually sent her to the academy to nurture her power, which she gladly went along with, as she was quite tired with the non-elemental buffoons surrounding her.

Equipment:
She is often seen with a little book on her hand. A pocketbook that she could carry around everywhere, so she could read whenever she wants.

[User]
Silas Asara

I guess we have no choice but to turn back... Letting out a sigh Silas reluctantly followed the girl and began the journey back to the crossroads. Though having someone to make the trip with made the backtracking bearable, Silas was still pretty annoyed that they had wasted all that time on a dead end. His own self-annoyance was enough to make him lag slightly behind, and before he knew it his companion had suddenly disappeared into the all-consuming smog.

What the- She was just here! How the hell did she manage to slip away so quickly?

His thought process was then swiftly interrupted by laughter of all things, something he would almost expect in a creepy forest. This laughter however, was not creepy or eerie but instead it was the kind of laugh that almost sounded forced and overly happy. Perhaps it was one of the seniors trying to freak the first-years out, but instead of scaring him they had successfully destroyed the ominous night's atmosphere, at least for the moment. If that's your attempt at scaring us, you're doing a pretty shitty job! As if on cue someone grabbed his arm, causing Silas to freeze, but his instinctual fear fell away as the someone in question turned out to be the girl with the flashlight. In response he let out a half-relieved, half-annoyed sigh as he wiped the scared expression from his face.

"Ah, there you are love,"

"You've scared me than anyone else tonight." He said while letting out a slight chuckle.

"Hopefully the next path we choose will get us to the right place."

"I sure hope so, I'm not exactly keen on being the last one to finish this run."

As the reunited pair made their way through the mess of gnarled branches and fog, Silas was focused on remaining alert. The seniors had already announced their presence by blasting the girl with water earlier, so Silas was determined to not be an easy target for them. He'd win this run, no matter what they decided to throw at him! The two talked as they made the seemingly arduous journey back to the crossroads with only the light from the girl's phone to dispel the fog.

"And well, I don't really know if things in other parts of this place are as exciting as what happened back there, but if I wasn't loud enough to wake them, I've no idea how loud anyone would have to be."

"We get eliminated from the run if we get caught by the teachers... I don't want to lose! So let's not get caught, okay?"

"So... I'm Vera, by the way, and who might you be?"

"My name's Silas, I'm a water elementalist. How about you Vera?"

[Assistant]
When Jordan winced, Catherine looked back at him with sudden concern in her eyes. He had told her once, in a moment of vulnerable intimacy, of his pains. She wondered if she went too far when giving him 'CPR' earlier in the day. She wanted to say something, but the words couldn't come. They always took things too far, they had gotten too close, too quickly, exposed their weaknesses and ugliness, like they were trying to make up for lost time, like they were both running from something. If love was a choice, then is it no longer 'love' when it became a 'need'? Before she could say anything, Jordan stalked off into the darkness. Hearing a familiar voice call out and begin asking questions, Catherine balled up her fist in regret, and turned to address the student. Though Lyra's question seemed biting and pointed, having met her previously, Catherine had a hunch that the girl with the violin was merely harmlessly curious. "Just a pleasant, late night stroll between two colleaugues, think nothing of it," Catherine pleasantly reassured Lyra, who seemed to be lost in thought anyways. "Good luck," she wished the pair of students as they continued through the forest. As they disappeared among the trees, Catherine tugged absently at the noose around her neck and closed her eyes tightly. Weightlessly, she lifted off the ground and flew towards the main building; she had had enough 'fun' for one night.

---

"Uh...eh...umm..." ShiZhen was still trying to process Lyra's question, when Catherine answered. "Y-yeah, i-it's probably not...that..." ShiZhen said, blushing in the dark. Suddenly Lyra went searching for the source of the water, so ShiZhen automatically followed, though she offered Catherine a respectful bow. "W-wait for me!" ShiZhen called, "I-I don't think we should go looking for trouble!"

[User]
"Hmm, I don't know if I should be proud of that," Vera replied in amusement to her companion's statement about him finding what she had been doing scarier than anything else that had happened.

"Well unfortunately, our chances of winning this thing heavily depend on luck, perhaps even more so than skill," she then pointed out when he spoke about not wanting to finish last. Personally though, she did consider that she might have to be thankful for the fact she had stated, seeing as how she didn't have the slightest experience with something like this and that there was a chance that she might have an advantage if other participants' paths were even more difficult than her own.

This boy had made it clear that he wanted to win. Despite that, he still seemed rather pleasant and not overly competitive. It was nice to know that he appreciated her company as much as she did his. "Oh yes, of course. It'll be great to win this. We'll do our very best!"

'Silas' then replied to her asking for his name, also telling her his element and asking for hers. "My element is light, though, it probably wouldn't help even if there wasn't a rule about not using our powers. If you actually saw me using my light abilities as I can right now, you probably wouldn't be seeing anything after."

Vera let out a small laugh at her own humorous implication. She was actually quite eager to do some research about her element the next afternoon after classes, and perhaps even look for this 'venerable lord of light' that had been mentioned to her by Hargreaves. She brought her mind back to the run, figuring that she and Silas should be back at the crossroads soon, considering how long they had been walking. It is said that the journey of coming back from somewhere was always shorter than going to it. Obvious this didn't apply when the introduction of fog was a factor.

"Oh darn, picking another path will be be so much harder now with this mist."

[Assistant]
Jideh wheezed, and watched as the wind blew chunks of dirt from the spider, but...

The breeze did nothing to stop its inexorable advance. He rolled over and managed to put his arms underneath himself to sit up. The spider was at the base of the wall, and he could spot the base of the spider, roots dangling between its legs and running through the whole of the soil. It was as though the spider were a possessed tree. The earth was being wielded undoubtedly by the elementalists controlling the tree, but the tree itself couldn't be moving on its own, could it?

But if they were moving the tree, then that must mean that the tree itself was being enhanced and if it could be enhanced then couldn't Jideh-

No, he'd never done that! Couldn't do that, as far as he knew. Jideh stuffed his hands in his pockets, but none of the familiar seed shapes could help him here. He didn't even have any food to eat. The spider was crawling up the wall now, and Jideh realized he'd have to act now, and think later.

Jideh stood up, head dizzy and light. He reached down with his elemental energy, and with all the effort it would take to practically lift and throw the spider several metres, Jideh induced a surge of growth energy into the spider-tree-earth elemental, hopefully causing the roots of the tree to shoot outward, immobilizing the construct as its roots dug deep into earth and stone, preventing its legs from moving it any closer to catching them.

Of course, Jideh wouldn't see any of this happen, and it might not matter at all if it had worked, since after using that burst of energy, he felt himself falling backward, tumbling through open air. And as he fell, Jideh remembered the gym teacher and laughed inwardly.

That teacher should give me some pointers on how to deal with this sort of thing. He seems like an expert at it.

---

Jordan locked his shed, having put away the equipment he hadn't decided to crush and erase from his memory. He made his way back to the gym at the student dorms, just to lock up his office and retrieve his finished prep papers. He found a note taped to the door and read it, nodding as he finished the paper. He'd need a lot of rest if he was going to give this kid a run for his money. After all, Jordan thought as he winced, rubbing his shoulder, An old pro like me has got a lot to live up to, facing a rising star like Felix.

"Fuck the whole lot of us indeed..."

[User]
Silas Asara

As he ducked a low-hanging branch, Silas sped up just so he could catch up to Vera before she could be swallowed by the great grey void once more. Since visibility was almost zero at this point, he didn't want to lose sight of his newfound friend. Vera seemed pretty nice, and she could take a joke unlike a certain wind elementalist Silas had met earlier. Just thinking about her earlier abrasive reaction made Silas appreciate the fact that he'd run into the much more easygoing Vera during the run.

"Well unfortunately, our chances of winning this thing heavily depend on luck, perhaps even more so than skill,"

Unfortunately, she was right, and Silas knew it. Any idiot could've picked the right path and arrived at the fountain with little to no difficulty. Their chance of victory was slim, but were they just going to lay down and accept defeat like that? HELL NO! We'll still win this thing, even if it takes hours! Silas thought to himself as the duo walked onward. It seemed that the enthusiasm wasn't restricted to just Silas, because soon after Vera responded in a way that made Silas doubt if his thoughts were just spoken aloud or not.

"Oh yes, of course. It'll be great to win this. We'll do our very best!"

Damn right we'll win this, I really like the way you think Vera! Or maybe you just really like he- NO. Stop it.

 "My element is light, though, it probably wouldn't help even if there wasn't a rule about not using our powers. If you actually saw me using my light abilities as I can right now, you probably wouldn't be seeing anything after."

" A light elementalist has to bring a flashlight to see? Heh- that's pretty ironic."

The pair soon reached the crossroads, the journey certainly seemed a lot shorter whilst returning. Maybe it was because he'd made the trek with Vera? Maybe he was just exaggerating the length of the trip there in his head? Silas didn't know, and honestly he didn't care, so long as the backtracking was over.

"Oh darn, picking another path will be be so much harder now with this mist."

"Not really, you yourself said this thing was more based on luck than skill in the first place. So why not just pick a path and see where we end up? Who knows, Maybe we'll get real lucky." he said as he looked to Vera.

[Assistant]
Seeing how her attack had barely any effect on the spider, Kanako turned into panic mode once more, especially seeing how it was now climbing the wall they were standing on. She had nothing else other than just blowing wind towards the creature. It wasn't like she was a high level wind elementalist that could do more than that, like, for example, grabbing Jideh and flying the hell out of here.

...Wait, Jideh! Maybe he could do something with his element! It should be Earth so maybe he could make a hole for it to fall to or something!

But Jideh didn't wait for her to ask, as he already gathered his energy and unleashed it upon the spider creature. And when Kanako looked behind her, she looked just in time to see him falling backwards off the wall towards the ground below.

Reflextively, she leaped towards him, her right hand reaching towards him. But it was too late. She couldn't reach him in time.

There was no choice. She had to go after him.

With a second leap, she dived towards him, conjuring a burst of wind behind her to make her fall faster. She managed to hold Jideh in her arms as the two fell to the ground. Without thinking, Kanako conjured another burst of wind beneath them to soften the blow. And noticing how her arms who were holding the boy would be squished by the impact first hand, she conjured yet another burst to make them spin 180 degrees, hoping that they would land on her back.

And it actually succeeded. When they landed, Kanako could feel her shoulders hitting the ground first hand, sending a jolt of terrible pain that coursed through her entire body. The effect of her wind however made them roll togethere for a few feet before they stopped, with Jideh on top of Kanako, his face landing right atop her breasts.

"A-are you alright?" Kanako asked him, her arms still hugging him, not noticing where his face had landed. "R-really, why did you fall off all of a sudden? You're lucky I'm a wind elementalist!"


[System]
Age
21

Appearance
A life dedicated to training has left Eli with a lean, athletic form. An albino, her skin is chalk-white, her long hair a similar color, and her eyes holding a glassy-blue hue. She has a hard gaze and straight posture, like a soldier constantly at attention. Despite this, she's prone to wearing civilian clothes when things are quiet. Scarves strike her fancy, and she'll often wear them high on her neck over her mouth, but she's also prone to gloves and arm warmers.

Personality
Cold and dismissive to anyone that isn't her superior, compliant and dutiful to all others with an underlying layer of competitiveness beneath everything. A quick, calculating mind and fast reflexes make Eli a good soldier and little else.
When she was in her late teens, Eli suffered a nervous breakdown that left her an anxious wreck. Not knowing how such an incident would affect her daughter's future, her mother went to great lengths to keep it a secret. The girl recovered without assistance and seemingly returned to normal within a few months.

Background
There were a lot of people in Smith's Rest when Eli was still but an idea in the minds of her parents. Her mother a hunter/gatherer, her father a simple key maker, the two of them got along well until their child was conceived. Three months into her pregnancy, Eli's mother lost her husband in large fight, reportedly started over medicine.
Eli never felt the impact of her father's death, but her mother suffered greatly. Not in the sense of sorrow –though she surely endured that as well– but rather she became incredibly strict. From Eli's earliest memories her mother has been cold, but it could never have been said she didn't care about her daughter. She taught Eli to survive in the harshness of Smith's Rest, taught her to fight, taught her to know her environment and learn to analyze a situation.
What Eli did not receive in compassion, she was given twice-over in discipline, and by the time she was in her early teens the girl had a mind like a soldier. What small scraps she got into with other kids were quick and brutal, leading to a small string of incidents and an even smaller string of friends. Indeed, by the time she was a young woman, Eli had no peers to consider close, nor was she bothered by this fact. Fewer ties meant fewer distractions, something she still sees as important on the battlefield.

---

Blur
(Hidden for size)

:Body-Plan:
Blur is a humanoid, bipedal NC, designed to move and strike quickly. Its armor is lacking, but a myriad of thrusters allow not only for fast evasive maneuvers, but also for gap-closing on enemies.

:Type/Quality:
Blur is designed to be an up-close-and-personal NC, meant to close in on key targets before engaging in a mainly melee assault. In this, Blur excels, and should the enemy be unequipped for close-range combat, they may have trouble. However range is her crux, and while Blur is good at evading enemy fire, should one corner her from far enough away, there is little she can do to get out of the situation.
Though Eli would never admit it, Blur works best with, and sometimes even requires a team.

:Equipment:
-Sets of thrusters allowing for enhanced mobility and sustained flight.
-Flare caches for more difficult evasive maneuvers.
-Targeting system designed to track a single enemy and suggest/allocate NC power to close the distance in the quickest/most effective manner. Suggestions are automatic, control/execution is manual.

:Armaments:
-Standard NC beam swords. One held in the right hand, the other projecting from the top of the left wrist.
-Standard NC shotgun, highly dangerous at close range with an exponential decrease in effectiveness as range increases.
-Set of demolition charges sized for NC's. The charges are kept as two separate components that are combined individually in their storage to become armed as needed, so as to avoid detonation from trauma to the housing NC.

---

Vera Voloshyna

Appearance
Vera looks about as any ten-year-old ought to. She's short, her blonde hair equally so, and her eyes are vibrant, lively green. She's taken to dressing like Eli in some cases, with scarves and hoodies and the like, and generally has smudges of dirt or oil on her face. One of her front teeth bears a chip to it.

Personality
Vera is both easily excitable and hard to bring down. The girl almost always has a smile on her face whether something fun is happening or not, and tends to be more on the gullible side. Growing up in Smith's Rest however has made her somewhat shy around strangers, and she might hesitate before approaching someone, even if they appear friendly.

Background
Vera's parents were at Smith's Rest long before she was born, as refugees from the harsh cold of Russia. Her mother was a doctor, and as Vera understands it she helped Ms. Jackspar deliver her daughter not long after their arrival, and it wasn't until more than a decade later that she herself was born.
Their families grew close, and Ms. Jackspar took on a completely different, warmer persona around the Voloshynas. When Vera was two, she spent much of her time being babysat by them, when she was five, she had managed to befriend Ms. Jackspar's daughter, Elizabeth. When she was six, her parents vanished.
The family had received threats multiple times over the course of their stay from residents none too fond of the Russian Volkov Security. The Voloshyna's tried in vain to explain they held no part in the company's actions, but when at last the threats turned to violence, they had no choice. The letters never addressed their daughter, perhaps because she spent so much time with the Jackspars it was assumed she was just another daughter. Regardless, when Vera's parents fled they took the opportunity to leave her in the care of their friend, who agreed without complaint nor protest.
The girl did the rest of her growing up around Elizabeth and her mother, and grew quite close to both. She did not receive the harsh training the other girl did, but Ms. Jackspar did teach her a few tricks to keeping well in the settlement.
Nowadays she tends to follow Eli around, though given the other girl's busy schedule, she often meanders about the hangers and machine shops out of fascination.

Additional Notes
Though she learned English as a first language, she understands Russian from hearing and speaking it around her parents. As such, her spoken English does carry a faint accent, and at Eli and her mother's behest, tries to avoid letting it slip in front of too many people.

---

Celina Jackspar

Appearance
Celina is tall and lean, much like her daughter. Her skin bears the tan of someone constantly at work, and her dark hair falls straight past her shoulders. Though she generally wears a fairly standard expression, it might be hard to match gazes with her should she turn a cold eye.

Personality
Once a cautious yet happy individual, now Celina is focused on one thing and one thing only, making sure neither herself nor her daughter suffers the same fate as her husband. She's respectful and not openly aggressive to anyone, but it's hard to get many words or any sympathy from her.
That being said, beneath everything she's proud of her daughter's accomplishments, and it doesn't take much to see that she cares deeply for her.

Background
A hunter in both youth and adulthood, Celina grew up in Smith's Rest. She saw its hardships age with her, and like her they only grew harsher. Now she still hunts, but most of her time is spent training her daughter, or caring after Vera.

[User]
The ride continued, oddly silently. The humming of Slinky died down, and an hour or two passed. Feeling relatively soon, they reached the destination. It was a very large rectangular structure, with a parking area, and five massive hangar doors. Each was nearly eighteen meters tall, and ten meters wide. They parked, with just enough space for four of the truck in the zone, and disembarked. It was, uniquely, a paved parking area, apparently made of concrete, like the structure it was attached to.

Bill and Alex showed them inside, the quintet of pilots seeing a relatively large amount of people working on various things. To their right were additional rooms, with signs above each set of double-doors marked 'Barracks', 'Briefing', 'Kitchen', 'Storage', and many other things. The left, or north side of the facility is dominated by five massive giants of metal. This, would be the pilots' first glimpse of their NC's in person. They certainly look larger then they heard.

All of them were pointed towards the east, which was the opposite of where Smith's Rest proper was located, to the west. Obviously, the hangar doors were on the east side as well. The NC's were also marvelously well cleaned and maintained, considering the circumstances. They actually gleamed and shined!

Each was obviously very unique. From the closest to furthest, was Blur, a towering, mobile brawler, The Wessex, a shorter, but massively dependable scout, The Mad-e, a severely over-armored brute of a stand-off unit, the 'Papa Mike', a refreshingly standard design that could do anything required, and the Swarm, an NC that could accurately be described as an armored missile launcher with legs. Each of these may not be all that advanced or well-hewn, but dammit, they were something.

Nearly a dozen people were working on the NC's, two or three for each, and one was very familiar to Madison; a tall, ginger male tweaking one of the leg-motors of the Mad-e. Yet, before they could notice each-other and greet, Alex told the group, "First things first, you guys should probably confirm you're here with The Captain. She's probably in the briefing room right now. Don't worry, she won't bite. Probably."

"Yeah. Oh, you guys are going right from the frying pan and into the fire, by the way. If I remember correctly, they want you to make-up to Fairbanks, y'know, do a more or less freebie mission for them today. Good luck.", Slinky soon interjected.

Obviously, you have 'actual' control of Duncan, Nutts.

[Assistant]
Percy sighed exasperatedly - but quietly, so nobody could really hear him over whatever hustle-bustle there is inside the hangar.

It sure would have been nice to know that he'd be obligated to speak with someone that was actually very important! Hell, he would have taken more time getting ready that morning and maybe would have even put on his best shirt! But no, he's in his tacky green jacket, dingy looking white t-shirt and dirty gray sweatpants, and is going to be talking with their captain. He looks to the right, staring at the signs. Not really reading them, just staring. Today's going to be hell on his nerves, he can feel it.

Why didn't I just become an engineer?

alterate thought, if you'd prefer. I thought this one was funnier but decided against it. :P
Why didn't I just become a dentist?

if this is too short I'm sorry but I don't know what else to put in this post

EDIT:

I DIDN'T MAKE THE FACT PERCY'S WEARING A JACKET OBVIOUS BEFORE SORRY. I mean it's not a really heavy jacket, it's kinda puffy, but that's it. I'M REALLY BAD AT PUTTING IN ALL THE NECESSARY STUFF AND FILLING IT WITH FLUFF WEH.

ANOTHER EDIT: WOW I'M REALLY AWFUL OK SO I DIDN'T MAKE IT OBVIOUS HE WALKED IN
i'm so sorry guys
just
ugh
i'm gonna be that dumbass that has to edit in details and fucks everything up for everyone I'm so sorry.
you might wanna see the post too idk.


[System]
Species: Human

Gender: Female

Age: 34

Nationality: Outreman, previously citizen of Angjusk

Occupation: Deputy head of department - Cradle Research & Development

Cybernetics:
* Cradle quick-access implant - Allows access to and from the Cradle environment without additional hardware. This advanced module also reduces fatigue caused by the process, allowing power users multiple entries in a single day.
* Tier 7c 'Cradle Builder' suite - Grants access to the programs created specifically for 'terraforming' the Cradle. Tier 7 out of 20 allows Freyr to auto-build a variety of specialised equipment and propose-build mid level structures.
* Ilyes Brand communication and productivity module - Standard implant for access to Outremer's communications network. Also integrates with many well known productivity tools like a personal assistant, as well as more bespoke scientific tools.

Backstory:
Freyr was born on Angjusk, an older colony than Outremer that was renowned for its military materiel, particularly star ships.

Her mother was an innovations tsar assigned by the government to a consortium of the planet's largest ship manufacturers. During most of Freyr's childhood, her mother's sole task was making sure Angjusk battle fleets were the best money could buy in the Diaspora.

Before she was born, her father owned and operated a series of protein farms across Angjusk. After a chance encounter at a lobby meeting, he was headhunted to co-ordinate the military industrial complex's entire food supply chain. He also met his future wife, as it was Freyr's mother who had recommended him for the job on that fateful day in the lobby.

Freyr was born five years later. Her early life was a whirlwind of schooling, snatches of intimacy with her parents (when they weren't busy) and extended periods with friends. She discovered a natural capacity for learning and excelled in her studies. So much so that she received offers from universities across the Diaspora to come and develop with them.

Her mother and father both pressured her to consider diplomas like Interplanetary Relations or Agrarian Policy. However Freyr was not interested in pursuing a career in politics. Angjusk has been involved in at least a dozen small conflicts since Freyr had been born. She had seen how politicians would destroy entire cultures for the sake of influence, and wanted none of it.

In her first act of defiance, Freyr accepted a position at a school in Babylon, the main city of a far away frontier colony called Outremer. Driven more by the desire to have time away from her planet than by the subjects on offer, she researched what Outremer was known for. It was here that she first discovered the object powering this section of the Diaspora - the Cradle.

She quickly became obsessed with its untapped potential and seemingly unknowable past. She decided to pursue Xenobiology and Machine Intelligence as her subjects of interest, voraciously consuming the knowledge gathered so far on the Cradle.

It was here at the university that she met her future partner, David, who was studying art history. Isolated from her family and friends, alone on a strange planet, Freyr was glad of his unassuming company and kindness. They grew very close over the course of their degrees, and moved in together after graduation. Their daughter Amy was born a few years later.

After Uni, Freyr was picked up by an Outremer administration outreach team and placed in a government career fast lane. Her obsession with the Cradle made her an obvious choice for the Cradle Research & Development department. Once there, she quickly proved herself capable. Several breakthroughs in her first five years meant she was allowed to hand select a team of dynamic young individuals to help pursue her work. A couple more catapulted her into a deputy head of department role, to the ire of some of it's older and more entrenched members.

It was on her 34th birthday that the Cradle abducted her family. It had been acting strangely for weeks prior, rolling back years of terraforming. Freyr had been working round the clock to figure out why, practically living at her field office by the Border. David had bought sweet treats and had Amy with her.

What can only be described as creatures emerged from beyond the Border and overran the camp. A panic spread through the mostly unarmed workers, leading many to flee for their lives. Freyr's last memory of her family was being propelled across the camp by one of the creatures. She could only watch from her position immobile on the floor as they carried off her husband and little girl.

Security forces conducted a sweep of the immediate area beyond the Border, but found no sign of them. So Freyr began looking by herself as soon as her broken bones were reconstructed. Months went by. Her work stopped and her mental health deteriorated. Eventually she was placed on sick leave and her access revoked, after she attempted to use her influence to organise an armed excursion deep into the uncontrolled zone.

[User]
They decided to contact the Tindrel representatives first.

The Tindrel embassy on Babylon was among the biggest. But it was also located relatively close to the Tower of Babel. So, they had been among the first to evacuate when the Navigator was reunited with the Cradle beneath the city. The Ambassador and most staff had been relocated under police escort to a row of townhouses on one side of a prestigious planned square called Félicien Place:

The houses were purposefully nostalgic, and the Tindrel were too large for the Human-sized rooms, so they had fallen back on the old ways. Junior staff clung to the ceiling with four of their legs as they worked. The higher up the hierarchy you were, the lower you were to the ground. Specialised equipment was stacked up in corners.

The Ambassador had been writing his report for his superiors on Tind when the request came through. Patching through on a secure line, he saw a row of faces looking at him. Some of the faces were very recognisable, and not all Human. Very curious. His mandibles tapped together instinctively, and he shifted from one set of legs to the other.

"Firm greetings of this day to you all. What is the meaning of this ambush?"

[Assistant]
"Greetings, Ambassador." Taranik'Nhet began. She paused a moment, taking in a long breath as she gave one more glance to her notes in front of her. "Unfortunately, as you can probably imagine, it is not good news that is bringing us together right now. Forgive me if we skip some pleasantries, but to avoid keeping you in suspense, I am going to get straight to the business at hand. We have recently become aware of a potential, military threat, not only to our nation, but possibly every nation in our galactic community. Datius Rareth, would you…" Her voice trailed off to become inaudible over the call as she gestured to Rareth.

The Datius stepped forward, serving as more of a "military" presence to state the facts about this threat they were describing. "Last week, Rothian space was attacked by a foe of unknown origin, with unknown capabilities. These ships were operated entirely by artificial lifeforms. They attacked, then self-destructed once disabled. There have been no friendly casualties thusfar, though we believe it likely that these were merely scouts, so the true capabilities of this foe are, as I said, still unknown. As of this moment, they have only been found in Rothian, or unclaimed space, but approach vectors for ships we have detected have placed them as moving towards the territory of other species as well. We have no reason to believe they will restrict their attentions to us."

Taranik continued right away from where Rareth left off. "We are contacting you now to inform you of this threat, and to invite your people to join in our response to it."

[User]
The Ambassador gurgled within his chest cavity.

"I am a Tindrel representative to Outremer, not Rothian space… João what say you?" Tindrel language was an eclectic mix of gurgles, subvocals and clicks - but this translation sounded to
the senior diplomat like how he imagined an eloquent house parrot might speak.

Most of the Committee had left for other engagements by now, including Lord Hale. He and Souza could approach this however he wanted.

"This is a courtesy call. So far we don't have any evidence to suggest these ghost ships are more than some isolated incident."

João barely had time to finish before the Ambassador interrupted.

"Hmmmm. Ok. Thanks for letting us know. I will inform my superiors."

[Assistant]
"A 'courtesy' this may be, but I would advise taking our warning more seriously than some…others are." Rareth remarked. "It is much better to over-prepare for a minor threat than to under-prepare for a major one."

Taranik spoke up quickly to steer the conversation towards their most pressing issue. The Outremans were hesitant about giving too much information away. Rareth was going to be negotiating in favor of further disclosure to their allies, but for now, Rareth was being patient enough to wait instead of proceeding without the Outremans' agreement. At the moment, Taranik would only give away some of what they knew. "Indeed, and part of that preparation is why we are contacting you first. We are attempting to get to the heart of this threat before it has a chance to cause any major damage. That investigation, from my understanding, is leading us to a system in which the Tindrel have a presence. Are you familiar with the Psi-Helios system? We require access to that system for the investigation to proceed."

[User]
The Tindrel Ambassador burbled quietly, then turned off sound and talked to someone off-holo for a while. João Sequeira conferred with Benoit Souza too - they had become quite a formidable team in the maelstrom following the government dissolution. Their goals seemed to change by the hour, but that was all part of a front for organised defence of Outremer's holdings and status abroad.

Finally, the Ambassador resumed the conversation after twenty minutes. This was quite common with the Tindrel.

"That is a Demilitarised Control system. As part of the agreement, Tindrel, Qalian-Vosh and Earther parties must consent to any civilian access. What is your objective here?"

[Assistant]
"Nothing more or less than to guarantee the security of ourselves and our allies." Rareth answered without hesitation. "Our efforts to investigate and address this new threat leads us to Psi-Helios."

Taranik did her best to complement Rareth's arguments, while keeping more of a diplomatic attitude. "Naturally, we are not expecting you to give us a final answer here and now. We know you do not even have the authority to unilaterally grant this request on the Tindrel's behalf. We just want you to be informed, so you can convey the…importance of this request to your superiors."

"The Rahn'Saki considers this a priority request." Rareth emphasized. They were words which held weight, considering how rarely they were invoked. A priority request from the Rahn'Saki was not something most diplomats would ever hear, and not something one would ignore.

---

Through the day, the council gave similar requests to all the relevant parties to this decision. It was a demand on short notice for some, but Rareth was sure to thoroughly convey the importance of the meeting to each and every one of them. For the Rahn'Saki to take such direct interest in any matter meant that, whatever the subject was, it would have ramifications across an entire civilization. For them to call upon so many nations at once, simply put, was almost unprecedented. The last time this had happened had been long before the lifetimes of any of the other representatives.

The hour was getting late, but there would be no stopping until this matter was resolved. In the time they had been waiting, Rareth had been on her own calls back to Rothia, though even the other Rothians were not privy to the details of those meetings. It was an hour or so before the meeting was scheduled to begin that she sent a request (or polite demand, more accurately), to the other Outreman representatives to join her in a call. Taranik was the one who sent the request and, in as diplomatic of a way as possible, made sure to be clear that this meeting was not optional.

Rareth had stated before that Taranik would be joining her for negotiations, so her absence in the call was conspicuous. Given that this summit with the other nations was drawing ever closer, Rareth wasted no time in getting to business. "Before we bring this to the other species, the Rahn'Saki want to make sure we are all in clear agreement on how this is going to go."


[System]
Gender: Female
Appearance: Misaki is a kitsune with white hair that reaches down past her shoulders, which is obviously a far cry from the body she used to have before dying. As of now, she is slightly shorter than she was when she was a human (though not by much), which in and of itself isn't as much of a problem as it could be. Of course, modern clothing would be preferable above all else, but given the circumstances that she finds herself in, whatever works, works.
Goals: Given that she passed so suddenly, Misaki's primary goal is to make the most of her new life, which, as vague as it sounds, does have some basis behind it. Given how ruined the world she now finds herself is, that means working to make a place that's hospitable to live in without accidentally dying again. Risks are a given, of course, and the allure of adventure has not yet left her, but once that leaves, reattaining the amenities of modern life would be the most important thing to pursue.
Past Life: Mamoru used to be a college student studying history, which, as far as things went, meant that he was one a one-way road to either remaining in academia or ending up as a salaryman like a majority of his peers would. Obviously, the former would be far more preferable than the latter when it came down to it, and with Mamoru's own natural curiosity about his homeland, going out and traveling Japan (be it for entertainment or research) was going to be frequent no matter what. Everything would have been fine, had he not ended up missing a step on a hike in Hokkaido and falling to his death.
Ending up in some odd void-like space and being told he would end up being reincarnated like he was in some sort of light novel fantasy was far from the first thing he had envisioned after dying, but that was something he could work with. The body, however... That would take getting used to.
Abilities:
* Physical Conditioning: Peak Human—Your body is naturally tough, durable, and strong. The pinnacle of human physical strength, endurance, and agility. Keep training, and surely you can surpass even stronger beings.
* Soul Flare: The ability to turn ones soul into a weapon itself. Needed for most basic magical feats. Channel the mana present in the air through your body to achieve great feats. Allows one to interact with supernatural things, and perceive things others may not.
* Historia Technologica: The goddess has complied every single technological advancement humanity has made up until the point you died. Theoretically, you can call upon this knowledge whenever you desire...should it allow you too. The world follows certain laws. A certain undeniable rhythm. You can not know what you have not interacted with, or spent some time learning on your own. You will start with three branches. You will need to figure out how to 'Unlock' more of them yourself. However, do keep in mind - Some materials here will be as alien to your world as you are to this world.
Knowledge Available:

	+ Medicine - You can tell if a plant has medicinal properties or not. Yet for now, you can not determine what those are upon sight alone.
	+ Material Science - At a glance, you can tell what a minerals and are and roughly how decent they would be at performing a certain task. You however, do not know exactly how to forge or implement them yourself quite yet.
	+ Agricultural Science - You know rudimentary agricultural and cultivation techniques and how to achieve a decent crop yield without knowing too much else about the surrounding environment or what plants would grow well in what areas.

Inventory:
* Clothing.

[User]
Skill Seeker

---

Paladin@VitaVitaAR

---

"They were likely trying to draw it to the village..." Enli would frown. "...if it attacks so broadly and openly then it would only cause even more people to hate the Beast, in turn likely drawing more people to the Illuminator." The older man would frown. "I...may only know a little of this 'Seal'. My grandfather mentioned something about the Illuminator and the Ocean Goddess having some sort of...deal to protect something but it was so long ago I can't remember if there were more details." He'd do his best to avoid looking at the deceased bodies in front of him. "And I would trust Bolcha with my life. I already asked him to watch the longhouse for me. I'll see if I can't find more about what they mentioned once I return."

Enli would turn to leave, unless stopped by Nobunaga or Novak, certain at least he could make it back to the village on his own so long as he hurried. The hunters were likely occupied elsewhere, and wouldn't likely be able to realize their ambush had failed yet.

They knew at least roughly where the man had spoken of, all that was left was going there and seeing what was what if they desired. Considering how things were clearly escalating, they may need to figure out a plan sooner rather than later.

---

"Eh? Fast paced? Like fighting and hunting?" Lazhira would tilt her head to the side with a grin. "Eeeh, Didn't take you for a fighty sort Misaki..." She'd shake her head with a light giggle. "I've thought about it, but even if I do go somewhere...that won't solve anything, will it? It's not like I can get rid of-" Of course, interruptions abound. Before she could finish it seemed Misaki's fears were on point. The two hunters would slowly approach the two, Lazhira seeming to not have been paying attention enough to notice them.

"The girl. Nowl." One of the would say, pointing to Lazhira. The other would brandish the spear at his side.

"...B-but he said I wouldn't-"

"Don't involve yourself traveler. Hand her over." Lazhira would stand quickly, nervously rubbing the silvery emblem on her hand.

A little secret
Lord

---

This

"Oi lass, ya most certainly can!" He'd say in a jovial, friendly manner. "In fact, I'm glad ya haven't just shunned me like the other one. Really now. I'm trying to help everyone here. Unlike the other one. No idea what's going on in her head. She doesn't tell us anything! Which is fun, in a game of guess what experiment I'm performing on this mortal, but not when she's doing something I don't want her to." He didn't seem put off or otherwise perturbed by her defensive posture, walking over a bit closer in a casual manner as he'd twirl the can in his hand.

"Just a little proposition." He'd say with the same air of mirth. "I want to know...if you'd be interested in possessing a little something that could help you with that whole, everyone wins, lives happily ever after you want. I've got a little something I think you people would like...tried to give it to that black haired girl, but alas, she was too stubborn. Supposed I should have showed her this to start with, but oh well." From one of his sleeves, he'd pull a scroll of paper, slowly unrolling it, briefly showing it to her.

"A little something I've been cooking up since you meddling travelers have showed up. I think I knocked it out of the park, this. Better than anything even before the Moonless!" If Narkissa happened to get a good look at it, they seemed to be some sort of blueprint, of some long narrow...cane of some sort? It had a short circular barrel, that slowly grew in size. There was some sort of trigger mechanism too-

He'd quickly roll it back up. She didn't get a good look at it beyond that, but it seemed something like she might have seen before.

"What do ya say, lass? Help me finish this, and maybe potentially even use it and you could solve all this villages problems if it all goes to hell in a mindbasket. Just need some...help getting the last few materials I need."

A Traveler

---

Item Acquired: Hunting Knife
A fairly standard looking hunting knife. Made of iron. Its age is noteworthy, as with the apparent love it had once been taken care of with. Still sharp enough to cut most things with, but won't provide much in the way of defense.

Unlit Torch:
Little more than a stick of wood wrapped in cloth and a bit of some burnable resin. Will likely stay lit and provide some light for a decent amount of time, enough to at least guide one out of harms way as long as they move swiftly.

Old Lamp & Oil flask:
An old metal lamp, with a glass chamber one lights a small wick in to offer light. It didn't have much oil in it when Nicholas picked it up, but should be enough to at least help. Its lightweight and fairly small, easily attachable to ones belt if one wanted too.

Having tools to see with was always welcome, but perhaps he should also find a method of lighting said implements with.

"Always." The maid would reply airily. "Fools always make messes we have to clean up..." She'd stop her sweeping motion, looking up from her task and towards Nicholas. Not exactly at him, her head was looking in his direction, but she'd be looking a little over his shoulder towards Elisette. "I ask politely that you do not. I do not take kindly to others adding to my workload when I already have ten other things I must see to clean. If you are here to help though..." She'd lean the broom against a nearby wall. "I'm certain both these people and my employer will be quite pleased."

The Roma Mob
@Pyromania99

---

"That...is a lot to take in." Sorcha would frown, releasing Leuca from a hug. "I have no qualms teaching you how to wield something, as long as you do not complain and can keep up with the training..." The warrior would slowly turn her head towards Isidore. "Our date time apparently already being occupied aside...what do you mean someone of influence is accusing Rullphana of something?" Understandably, Sorcha was likely concerned for Leuca's safety if the Court Mage was up to something shady.

Octavia would sit idly next to Augusta, seemingly wanting some pets though she seemed a bit restless again. Seemed she was hungry again already.

"Uhm...Sorcha, can Augusta even use the Leargas?" Leuca would ask, pulling her attention from her question with Isidore.

"You'll have to help her with that yourself, Leuca. I'm not an elf, though I can at least help with instruction and theory as I did when you did it."

"Uhm...R-right." Leuca would nod in an uncertain manner. "Uhm...I guess I can tomorrow a bit before my lessons with Rullphana..."

---

Send Feet Pics
Chulainn

---

"Aye, thank you Nomura." Bolcha would respond, waving him off. "I'll tell Enli you were able to help." Of course, the craftsman would then turn to the Oni, intent on making a deal for the safety of his friend." It was easy enough to return to Mie. The fox was sitting languidly where she was usually, behind a table in her tent. Seemed she had been drinking a bit again.

"Ah, well, someone works fast. I've already been informed by Ayumi. Good work, I'm impressed." Mie would say with a nod. "I'll give you a little bonus after this next job I have of yours...and it might require you getting your hands dirty a little, if you don't mind me saying." Mie would say, motioning one of the Oni guards to close the flaps to the tent, silencing and preventing any from seeing within. They were likely preventing anyone else from entering either.

"...Someone stole something of mine." Mie would say with a frown. "I want you to find out who...and if possible, return it." The fox's tail would swish back and forth seemingly in thought. "Its...an heirloom of sorts that was stolen from my family many, many years ago. I had been in contact here with someone that managed to find it, but it was stolen before it could be returned to me." She'd tilt her head to the side. "No one in this village would steal it...and if they had, they would have likely already been talking about it or I'd have heard something. So I can only assume one of you travelers have in some fashion."

Ayumi would bolt in from somewhere, and position herself in Mie's lap.

"You also owe Ayumi...a fish was it?"

[Assistant]
The first thing Augusta replied to was Isidore while giving Octavia some pets on the head. "Of course, Isidore. You're practically my brother at this point. If my gift can assist you, then of course I'm willing." Augusta said with a smile before looking to Sorcha. "Of course, Lady Sorcha. I have many things to learn, as I mentioned, but I'm a good learner." She said with a smile. "I'm a complete novice but I'm absolutely looking forward to it."

Then, was Leuca. "And same to you, Leuca. I'm willing to learn as best I can. If it is possible to learn the Leargas, then you and me can make that a definite thing to learn." She cleared her throat. "And that aside, I shall be joining you on this lesson with Rullphana so we'll be together for a good portion of the day then." She mentioned with a smile. Perhaps she'd try to have the Queen watch over Octavia for a while so she could go to these lessons and not have to worry about Octavia going into hungry mode. She needed to find a cure for that.


[System]
* Age: 15
* Personality: Concise, honest, and very direct, she is very level headed, preferring to logical, rational thoughts before acting on anything. Precisely because of this, she fears doing anything too risky, preferring to err on the side of caution. This does leave her without many friends however, as her bluntness and concise nature are often seen as abrasive to others. Her idol persona however, belies this, as she dons the mask of an extremely cheerful joyous person who lives in the present and acts on instinct.
* Motive to live: To live another day
* Background: Utano lives in one of the older planets, where things are more developed than the outer rim planets and still less than the oldest planets. She started her career there as an Idol relatively young, singing first for someone's birthday party, and then was scouted out by an agency. From then on, she lived a dual life as a simple schoolgirl barely anyone noticed, and as the up and rising Idol UTAU. Barely anyone else but her family and her producer knew about her dual life, and the income she was receiving. Seeing a way to amass a lot of fortune, she concentrated on being the best Idol she could, following in a lot of different classes; fitness, flexibility, singing, and the like.

Her brother, one day, left for a better job, leaving her with a promise to come back in time for her birthday. He never returned.

She didn't have to guess why. The news of the Cruxi was enough to tell her what happened. But still, Utano had to continue on living. Regardless of whether he was there, regardless of
* Notable Deaths: Older brother.
* Other things: If there is anything else you believe that needs telling, say so here.

________________________________________

Framewerk Sheet

* Framewerk Code Name: AGAS-P01 "Shrike"
* Appearance:
* Signature Weapon System: HAR-P01 - A heavy assault rifle firing powerful rounds with a lower rate of fire. The rifle itself is extremely hardy. No real distinguishing features or marks, save that it is a belt fed assault rifle.
* Secondary Weapon System: A large flat vibroblade sheathed on the side of the ammopack on the back, a side pulse pistol which uses energy instead of bullets, and two plasma grenades.
* Flight-Capability/Thrusters: Shrike is heavily armored, and optimized for movements on land, but it has a booster attachment for space deployments.
* Special Ability:
* Synchronization rate:74%

[User]
Sigma examined the situation. Already, several of the fast framewerks were assuming positions. She pondered. Should I already start with my positioning? No, perhaps it is too soon. The pilot of the sniper framewerk instead took off at normal speed, resisting the temptation of igniting the spacetravel thrusters. Seeing piles of debris, she began to scan for a suitable cover, as it was expected of a rifle-toting mecha.

The commlink to Serah and Elora, however, was saying something different.

PROCEED AS IF WE WEREN'T ALLIES FOR NOW. LET THEM THINK OTHERWISE.

[Assistant]
With a subtle sigh, Korie finally emerged from their room in their suit. It's tight...

Ignoring the obvious fact of how it pressed against their body, due to their petite nature and curves it was still hard to tell whether they were one thing or another. Looking up at a camera, and figuring they were under surveillance no matter where they were at they couldn't help but feel just a bit disturbed. Sighing again, Korie walked off towards the hangar and towards their Aester, not really paying attention to those around them as they approached their Framewerk and instead just focusing on it instead.

"It's good to be back, Aester," they smiled as they hopped into the cockpit and began to feel a warming ambiance from inside. It was familiar and soothing, it felt like a true caring aura was enveloping them... like they could accomplish anything. Like an extension of their body, Aester moved like a living being, walking out of the hangar calmly with fluid motions. Arriving onto the battlefield of the ruined city, Korie noticed those who were already there and their extravagant entrances with their weapons.

However, being inside of Aester just made them calmer. Looking around their surroundings before the match was to begin, Korie looked for a decent starting position to plan their strategy... before noticing some flowing water going into a hole. Pausing, they knelt down and used a subtle shockwave on the ground so that only they would notice it before smiling. Standing up, Korie and Aester walked off towards the ruins and promptly disappeared into the them.

[User]
As the other pilots began their sortie, Takeo rose to his feet, grimacing in prospect of the coming event. He hardly had any sim time with his Framewerk, and his first real enemies were going to be the teammates he was expected to cooperate with for the rest of his career as an operator. Fighting was never something he had much experience with, or enjoyed - he was a simple mechanic, and worked behind the curtain. He scrubbed his hat against his head in frustration as he began a slow walk to the hangar.

 A small chamber adjacent to Iron Sparrow's hangar was where he found himself harassed by several nameless members of the medical team, stripping his work clothes and pressing cold metal instruments against his skin. He gasped and giggled at the flurry of hands for several seconds until he was left naked and alone, blushing profusely at the violation. Takeo quickly spotted the familiar pilot suit he had worn a few times before; it was plain and grey, matching his enthusiasm for aesthetics and Iron Sparrow's skin just the same. He quickly pulled it over his head - though his normal bulky trousers and coat hid his physique, the skin suit tried its best to show it off. Thick muscle and broad shoulders gained from years of heavy labour bulged through the grey fabric. From a nearby bench he snatched his cap and goggles and placed them atop his red-gold hair.

 The sight of Iron Sparrow was never more imposing. He entered the hanger on its left-hand side, the massive steel giant gazing out across the exit ramp. The last of the service cables popped from its skin as Takeo approached. The way the shafts of light from the hangar's seams touched the Sparrow made it seem like it would turn and look at him at any moment. Takeo was not sure it wouldn't. He had worked on Iron Sparrow's maintenance himself, though with limited access, and every time he looked under the skin of his machine, he was left with more questions. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was not quite right, that it wasn't just a machine, but he knew prying with those questions would only cause him even more trouble.

 The service elevator quickly brought him to the cockpit, and he found himself inside once more. The door sealed, sending him into another world. A world of silence. Nothing inside the cockpit he could explain - and somehow, he never felt alone. It was a strange sensation that nearly pushed him to tears, but he had not the faintest idea why.

 Takeo quickly wrote in the ignition procedures and gradually raised power output. The metal beast roared to life in the hangar beyond, a silver-blue light emanating from the cross in its face plate. Takeo's visual feed flickered on, showing the hangar before him and notifying him of his Framewerk's status. Suddenly, everything in the world seemed so small.

 "Armour nominal, output nominal, core temperature thirteen percent," Takeo said, running through his startup checks. "Preparing thrusters." He switched on the main comms channel. "Testing communications. This is Iron Sparrow, preparing for field exhibition. Open hangar eighteen." He was nervous, saying the words he had learned in training mechanically.

 The hangar doors opened with a loud creak, and he acknowledged the operation of the Sparrow's audio input.

 "Roger," came a female voice from Takeo's audio feed. "Iron Sparrow, you are clear to sortie."

 Takeo swallowed hard, wishing he had another coffee. With a shaky hand he started the Sparrow's main thrusters and pushed the acceleration. The beast lumbered to life, steel feet grinding against the ground as it was propelled forward stiffly.

 Takeo heard another sound, then. He thought he did, anyway. It sounded like a murmur, a gentle noise, something familiar...he shook it from his mind, but when it was clear, the shaking in his limbs had stopped, and his carefree smile had returned to his face. He felt something else, then. He felt excited. He approached the end of the exit ramp, and kicked acceleration to full speed.

 "Sortie!" Takeo shouted, bursting forth into the daylight. The Sparrow slammed into the earth, causing a great rumble to everything nearby. It didn't just roll over the hills towards the battlefield, then - it rode through them, heavy frame rumbling as it tore the dirt before it asunder. It definitely wasn't an agile machine, but the power in its forward charge made up for that.

 Before long, Takeo was among the other Framewerks. He wasn't a pilot, then, none of them were - they were the machines, the Framewerks, and he visualized them just the same. He felt his own body in each one of Iron Sparrow's heavy limbs, bearing his armour, the weight of duty, the duty of protecting his comrades. But for now, he would show them what he could do. He had to. How else would they trust him with their safety?

 Takeo drifted slowly into the middle of the ruins, up on a rise. The great triangular shield on his back covered him from head to knees, making him nearly impervious to flanking. He knew he did not need to watch his six, so pushing right in the centre of the melee was his best option. The faster he could close in on his enemies, the quicker the fight would end.

 Iron Sparrow's sword lay dormant, connected at his right wrist and extending along the length of his arm and over his shoulder. From this position, it was useful as a guard - but that was not its purpose.

 "Weapons test," Takeo said on the main channel. He brought his hands together, punching the heavy switch on his wrist with an open palm. The giant rectangular blade exploded forward, shattering the sound barrier with a great crack. His arm lurched back from the recoil before he brought it up before him, blade pointing forward, ready to strike. He was ready.

[Assistant]
She stopped singing, as soon as the announcement came.

This was it. The free for all... Her chest feels like its about to burst, knowing that she will go into battle without training or even a tip on controlling whatever she will be piloting. Utano walked slowly to the hangar, feeling horribly like one about to be executed.

"..dead man walking..."

Utano stood in front of her mech, a small plate on it reading AGAS-P01, with smaller letters below that showing the full name designation for it, the Armored General Assault Suit. The P she assumed meant prototype. It really didn't look like much, unlike the others, who seemed to have a lot more interesting things to them, all of whom looked much more powerful than this. If she had to describe this, it would be that hers was more to a soldier, while the others were those dragons, and prototypical super tanks.

She gave out a rather choked laugh. What was she even talking about?

Shaking her head, she looked over at the suit they were supposed to be wearing. Almost immediately she remembered the woman earlier, and how tight the suit was. There was no way she was going to die in that outfit. Not when it would immediately outline every feature on her body. And speaking of which, there was no mention of a weapon's safety in this mock fight, or even that they will stop before anyone gets killed. Most likely her death would involve being exploded to a million pieces so no one could question her choice of wardrobe after death, but still, there was no way she would wear that.

She wasn't about to wear the pilot suit, but she didn't feel right leaving it either, so she simply threw the suit into the cockpit and got in after it. Almost immediately Utano was overwhelmed by the myriad of screens around her as the mech powered up, even more so when the walls of the cockpit started to shimmer and fade into a view of the outside. By her right was a level with a few buttons on it, plus a small console, by her left was a sort of a long console with a switch she could push to 0 to 100 as well as a smaller consoles with more buttons on it. She could also see a few pedals underneath her feet. And in front of her was a bigger console with a lot more buttons that were also larger, as well as a keyboard she could pull out.

Plus a cup holder.

"Wha... what do I do now?"

After a few minutes fiddling with the controls, and meddling with the cup holder to make sure its not part of the control disguised as a cup holder, she managed to get the mech moving, albeit ponderously, as every step it took shook her. Having no real plan or anything, she simply walked the mech out as far off as possible, seeking to avoid the inevitable battle.

Finding a spot filled with rubble and nothing else, she sat back in her seat, as her mech knelt down to minimize their profile. Pressing again the button on her headphone, she brought up the menu and started playing out her own songs.