[System]
James

"Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid." -Jack Sparrow

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Personal Information
Nickname:
Trickster, Cardmaster, Jay

Birth Date:
July 17, 1997

Age:
18

Gender:
Male

Sexuality:
Straight

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In The Mirror
In Depth Appearance:
James has brown hair, dark brown eyes, and stands at 5'7". He prefers not to style or even brush his hair, letting it do what it wants, so to speak. His eyes are deceptively innocent at most times, but when he really gets serious, you can see it. He has a charismatic smile and several scars from monster attacks, although he mostly keeps them hidden. He's lean, but decently strong, with a runner's build. His hands are those of a magician, quick-moving and almost never still. His face is a handsome one, but when he gets angry, he looks downright frightening.

Clothing Style:
When he can, James prefers to dress sharply, usually in black pants, a white button up, and a dark blue vest. For his tricks, he usually rolls up his sleeves. When dressing sharply is a bad idea, he wears dark jeans, blue or green short-sleeved shirts, and occasionally a navy hoodie. No matter what else he's wearing, he always wears black running shoes.

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Delving Deeper

Likes:
* Performing magic, usually with cards
* Pulling off difficult thefts
* Secretly, he loves Disney movies
* Hard candy, mostly mints
* Pulling the occasional prank

Dislikes:
* Cheaters, be it in a card game or a relationship
* People who can't take a joke
* Horror movies. He will not watch them
* Broccoli
* Calamari

Fears:
* Being trapped
* Spiders
* Failing when it's most important that he succeed

Habits:
* Card flourishing when he's nervous
* Eating quickly, so no one can steal it
* Locating all exit points

Personality:
♦ Confidence ♦ Showmanship ♦ Friendliness ♦ Wariness
James is, to all outward appearances, a confident, slightly cocky showoff. He's pretty friendly to almost everyone, but he only lets his guard down around the few he trusts the most. He always knows at least seven different ways to get out of any room he enters, and he makes sure that one of those exits are within his sight at all times. If you gain his trust, there's no better friend; if you betray his trust, you'll never regain it. He is also a master liar.

Background:
Until he was seven, James lived with his magician mother and his environmental scientist stepfather. A few days after his seventh birthday, however, both died in a car crash. Refusing to go into the foster system, he ran away three times but was always found and brought back. His fourth attempt, when he was fifteen, actually worked. He made his way across the country, performing card tricks and sleight of hand to earn a living. He turned to small-scale thievery when he was sixteen, using his magic skills to distract while he divested his targets of their wallets. Now, at eighteen years of age, he has come to Olympus Academy, almost entirely by accident.

Extra:
My favorite god is Poseidon; my favorite goddess is Hestia.

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Godly Information

Godly Parent:
Hermes, god of travelers, merchants, thieves, and all those who live by their wits.

Relationship With Godly Parent:
James doesn't get along that well with Hermes. He's angry that the god let his mother die and never helped him. Hermes wants a better relationship with his son, but at the moment, James is still too angry with him to try.

Godly Abilities:
Persuasion - James can persuade almost anyone. Usually, this power/skill is used to convince people that he would never dream of stealing their wallet/watch/priceless work of art. It's gotten him away from several policemen and from those angry enough to take the law into their own hands.

Stealth - When he needs to be, James is one of the stealthiest people not currently employed by one of the multiple spy organizations. This is what lets him pull off some seemingly impossible thefts, and is also very useful for playing pranks. No one will ever catch him, and if they do, he'll persuade them that they must be mistaken.

[User]
Tara Niklos
Location; Party
Interacting With; Rozalia, Jonas Highwind, Dallas Relo ( @MiddleEarthRoze, @HereComestheSnow, @Plank Sinatra )

"Tch."

Muscles for brains. If that was a new one, Tara might have almost been impressed. As it was, being a child of Ares... Yeah, whoever this chick was, she needed to up her insult game. Calling a child of Ares "muscles for brains" was like calling a child of Zeus "needlessly stuck up" or a child of Poseidon "fish girl." At that point, you're just stereotyping, punching in the same spot thousands have before. It doesn't really hurt anymore. Her eyebrows went up as Jonas charged across the room, her hands sliding into her jean pockets. "Don't worry Jonas," she said, smirking slightly. "I don't hit children."

Her attention shifted to the girl, giving her a once over with her eyes and shaking her head. "Come back to bat in 5 or 6 years, honey. Then I'll fight you, I promise. Until then... You're not worth it. As Relo here has KINDLY pointed out-" The venom level in her voice went up a notch. "-I'm not being a terribly good bouncer right now. Last thing I need him to think is that I bully little kids instead of actual enforcement of the rules." She shrugged, looking back toward the three in the corner that Dallas had pointed out. "Besides, if the level of anger waiting to happen there is any indication, I'm about to be busy."

She flicked her eyes back to pint size piranha. "Honey, don't start the boobs thing. Please. That might wow Fred and Jimbo back at home but you're still a kid. Heck, I'm still young. Have your parents had the talk with you yet? The talk of avian and apiarian? You know, you're in an interesting stage of life, your body is changing in new ways... And I'm not really that comfortable explaining it to you."

She started humming something under her breath, but unless Roze was a rabid fan of ABBA she wouldn't know what it was.

[Assistant]
Zaheen Ibrahim
Location; In the Path of Oncoming Freight Train that is Tara
Interacting With; Rozalia, Jonas Highwind, Dallas Relo, Tara Niklos ( @MiddleEarthRoze, @HereComestheSnow, @Plank Sinatra, @Kaithas )

Zaheen wasn't big on parties. After all why should he be, the typical college party was an assortment of booze, sex and fights. When you mix all those problems with Demigods you end up with the proverbial up to eleven. Especially when it came to the fighting. As one can probably imagine, Zaheen wasn't a big fan of any of those vices. He didn't even drink for that matter, in part a result of his Islamic heritage and in part just the idea of the alcohol wasn't something he found particularly delightful. What use was there in slowing his mental facilities after all, it's hard to learn when one is drunk.

Which begs the simple question of why Zaheen was even here and simply put the answer was rather straightforward. He was here courtesy of one Jonas Highwind and one Dallas Relo.

My death will be there fault.

That said, while he may have physically been at Dallas' party, he took the opportunity to simply barricade himself in Dallas' room and turn his attention to more important matters. Namely his current Diablo speedrun. If Dallas' parties had one boon, it was the efficiency with which Zaheen found himself able to set new personal records in Diablo. Perhaps it was a result of the frustrations and annoyance with all the noise fueling his adrenaline, or perhaps it was borne out of a desire to finish the game before the end of the party so that he could start up a new campaign the moment Dallas and Jonas found themselves free.

Either way, Dallas' bedroom became Zaheen's personal sanctuary at times like these.

That sounded really weird.

Moving on.

And crap, I'm out of soda.

Again.

Forced to pause his game, Zaheen bravely unlocked the door and entered the purgatory that is Demigod parties. That sight that awaited was a familiar yet equally horrifying one.

Tara.

Pissed off.

To repeat.

Tara, daughter of Ares, pissed off and more so than the usual.

A L E R T

A L E R T

Alarms went off in Zaheen's head as he struggled to find a way to resolve the situation.

Maybe if I- yeah, that might- let's try it.

Raising a hand in greeting, Zaheen waved to the group. "Hey Tara, long time no see, Jonas and Dallas still giving you trouble?" Zaheen quipped with a laugh, "Mind giving me a hand a real quick? You're one of the few people to have beaten me in PvP, and I'm curious to see how you'd matchup against this new Diablo build I've been trying."

Looks like I won't be getting that soda.

[User]
Vivian Annabelle Corette

Location; Dallas's Apartment/The Party
Interacting With; Delilah Wells@karamonnom, Clarissa Price(Mentioned) @GoddessSophia

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---

The children of the gods sure knew how to party. All around, Vivian could feel the energy being emitted from every single one of them. From the yells and screams of excitement to the body-pulsing and high-bass vibrato from the pounding music entered every single one of them as they each delved into their own party-like activity. There were some that were playing beer pong, some were dancing to their heart's content, and some were fighting. While the latter wasn't necessarily a positive vibes, Vivian could see the smiles on their faces. Obviously those were the children of Ares and Athena.

"Lilah, can't you feel it? The rhythm of the music adding to everyone's excitement; the dancing and the playing. Everything is so infectious," Vivian said, sounding almost intoxicated by whatever took over her.

Her body spun around several times, taking in the positive feelings. When she did, Vivian's body faintly showed a golden glow. Vivian truly was taking in all of the excitement from everyone and adding to her already upbeat mood.

As she took Delilah's hand, Vivian brought her brunette friend to a spinning motion, smiling nigh-infinitely. Each spin was met with a laugh from the daughter of Apollo. Whether it was just her or if Delilah felt the vibes too, Vivian was having the time of her life, being with her best girlfriend and enjoying the party to the best that she possible could.

As they roamed around the free space of the party grounds, Vivian came to a complete halt, no doubt causing Delilah going face first into her friend's back, "no way!" Vivian said, turning her head, and looking at Delilah with an open-mouth, surprised look, "look over there, Lilah!" Vivian said, half-forcing Delilah to look towards where the beer and alcohol assortments were at, "Clarissa Price already making out with some guy. " Suddenly, Vivian's persona turned into that of some gossiping teenager.

When Vivian turned her attention to the guy that Clarissa was macking on, she tried to figure out who he was. Vivian was a social butterfly, so she knew just about everyone at Olympus Academy. Even if they didn't like her(and vice-versa), she would know them at least on some level. As such looked at the currently locked with Clarissa's lips, she couldn't tell who it was. Granted, it was hard to determine who a person was by the side of their face, but even still; Vivian had no clue. The dark skin and the long, brown hair was as empty as Clarissa's kindness streak. SEriously, for as long as Vivian has had the displeasure of knowing Clarissa, she hasn't known the Daughter of Aphrodite to ever do anything nice for those who weren't her brother, The Platinum Prettyboy, Skye. So, to see her exchanging saliva with some skinny-looking, nigh-emo, caramel-skinned boy was an absolute shock for Vivian.

"I wonder who that is?" She asked Delilah in a hushed, almost-whispering tone, "doesn't look like anyone that I know." Vivian said, disappointed almost, "how about you?"

[Assistant]
James Oake
Location; The party
Interacting With; No one, but open

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After receiving directions, James headed off towards the party, contemplating the tricks he was planning to play. Would it be better to insert himself into the party quietly, or make a dramatic entrance? One look at the moon convinced him. "Heh. The Moonlit Magician is coming." A smirk settled onto his face as he thought out his entrance, and a tiny bit of him wondered if his father would approve. He squashed that thought, however. What did he care what Hermes thought?

When he reached the apartment that the party was happening outside of, he wrote a note on a blank card and sent it flying through the air. His aim, perfected by years of practice, was spot on; the card flew between a couple of girls before hitting the wall by another demigod's face. The speed of the card ensured that it got stuck in the wall, and didn't fall to the floor. The note was rather simple, a single sentence along with KID's usual signature. I will be entering this party in exactly ten minutes. Kaitou KID~

After ten minutes had passed, he created an explosion of KID's usual pink smoke. As heads turned to look, he appeared when the smoke disappated, his back to the party, looking up at the moon. Then, he turned. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" He greeted them with a smirk and a bow. Just look at their faces! James loved the looks of surprise he gained from his getup, grinning on the inside, although his Poker Face remained unchanged.


[System]
Age:  28

Sex: Female

Nationality:  United States (of Irish/German descent)

Occupation:  Doctor / Former United States Air Force

ID no.: ES0186426

Bio:  Erica was born in Seattle, Washington to a pair of physicists. Growing up in a world of academic prowess and science, she took a particular interest in space travel at a very early age. During high school, she competed in robotics competitions, and entered college with interest in engineering. However, while working to tweak the mechanics of biomedical equipment that a local hospital was planning to improve in its laboratories, she discovered a whole new area of science: medicine. From that point forward, she pursued a career as a doctor, specializing in biomedical advancement (such as creating artificial organs, internal prosthetics, brain-mapping, etc.) During her residency, she made the decision to enlist in the Air Force, deciding it was the best way to continue practicing medicine while still being surrounded by engineering and staying close to aircraft advancements. It was through this that she was approached by NASA and the SpaceEX program, who were searching for individuals of various professions to begin the process of colonizing the moon. Having no family and no other commitments, she accepted.
Erica was within one of the later groups to be sent out, and while her main objective is to monitor the health of everyone else and run tests, she has also taken it as an opportunity to conduct her own personal studies, keeping a detailed record of the way the new environment interacts with human biology, as well as psychology.

Personality:  Erica was raised in a very strict household, and has no time for bullshit. She has a very strictly-business attitude to everyone she interacts with, and can at times come off as too serious, uptight, or even condescending. While she values human interaction from a psychological standpoint, she doesn't like to make small talk, and makes no time for it. Growing up very focused on her studies and academics, she isn't very well versed in the way of socializing, and although she has a strong personality, tends to keep to herself not only due to her analysis of others, but due to insecurity. She is also very much a stickler for the rules, and fails to see why people get upset when she calls them out for doing something they aren't supposed to. The way she sees it, they were all sent here for one purpose: Discovery. Their duty is simply to check things out and report back the results, for the future of mankind, rather than for themselves.

Other:  Nothing I can think of for the time being.

[User]
Casey yawned, the noise emitted high-pitched and almost strained as her arms came above her head. Slowly she brought herself to sit up in her bunk, examining the computer on a movable wall stand, the screen had gone into standby. Still half dazed and sleepy she brought up the display, eyes widening slightly as she read the time, shaking her head lightly from side-to-side: annoyed with herself for sleeping in and wasting time.

The majority of the Mission Specialists personal goals in research and study were in chemical compositions and study of lunar soil among other things. SpaceEX, the people who hired her and the science officers around EDEN also had specific missions for her, she had only been on EDEN six months now being among the last lucky few to gain a place living and working on the moon, pioneers, the first.

There were always stories being thrown her way of how horrible it was up here by a couple of people she worked closely with who had been on the station a lot longer than her. It was all just teasing, she was mostly sure. Her ambition and work ethic had not gone unnoticed during her time here either, she browsed down along the assorted list of numerous files, scientific research, neatly and efficiently sorted for sake of convenience. A lot of this stuff was research from when she simply worked for SpaceEX back on Earth, she didn't like to delete any of her work. Taking her hands away from the computer to brush her messy bed hair out of her face and bring her nails down along her thighs and shins, scratching the mild itch. She hopped out of the bed, quickly got changed and tied up her hair so she looked somewhat presentable. After quickly washing her face she felt ready to face the day and made her way out of her habitat, laptop tucked under one arm preferring it to the tablets while she had one she kept it down in the research bloc.

Casey was strolled through the corridors, tunnels and blocs of NE EDEN, making her way to the labs for experiments linked closely with her studies, she hadn't come across anyone until she heard footsteps and as she turned the corner saw someone who she thought she recognized in a hazardous materials suit. They apologized as he walked past and she suddenly recognized the voice, "Oh hi!" She uttered but wasn't sure if he had heard her as he seemed to be a bit hectic. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, still feeling heavy and carried on her way. She had only talked to him on a few occasions, namely in passing but he seemed nice.

Just as she came to LAB she ran into one of the science officers, she sighed and closed her eyes for a second, this guy knew how to get under someone's skin and Casey had gotten just a little bit of a creepy vibe off him which wasn't what bugged her about him but did't do any favor to his character. He stopped her to ask about studies, she politely stopped but hurried to get into the LAB and just work. Setting up her laptop on one of the free stands and and went to make herself coffee, this would be just what she needed. Once she had a cup she walked back over to the workstation and began to bring up files. A radio call distracted her, it was from Space EX officials back home so she left the coffee down to take it.

[Assistant]
Everything was going smooth as silk in the Cargo bay. "Alright Luke you got everything off?" the Co-captain Reggie said to him as he was messing around on his Uke. Luke yanked the Uke out of Reggie's hands, eyes squinting, then a smile creeped across his face, "Of course buddy, everything seems to be covered. Y'all heading over to Bay 9 for refueling I assume then back out?" Reggie laughed and put up a fake boxing stance, sent a few punches into Luke's arm, "You know it buddy. Got a few more trips to make back and forth. So I will catch you next time. Next time for you is..." he trailed off as Luke turned to see a young gentleman wondering around the workers with some paperwork. "Next Monday my boy, will be nothing but a mining shipment this time. So all the crew members will get some stick time on the fork lifts. Until then man, safe travels."

Luke put his logistics paperwork under his left armpit and began strumming Elvis' "Can't help falling in love" on this Uke as he made his way over to Julian. Trying to match his eyes to his he asked, "Here for a pickup?" The young man before him seemed like a very humble young man. Looked like this might be his first time picking up for his section, whichever that might be. As he waited for a response he heard a loud thud behind him. As he whipped around he saw that it was a couple of his crew mates messing around on the forklift and had sped it into a couple of boxes. Their eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights as they noticed Luke had saw them. "Unless you plan on paying for the fork lift as a gift for yourself to take home I suggest you start treating it with a bit more respect you dang chillrin. If you can't do it on your own I have no problem having some of the heavy mechanics come down here and schooling you on that machine again for as many hours as it takes" Finishing with a smile as the two of them apologized profusely. Turning back to Julian, clearing his throat he shot a smile his way, "Kids will be kids right?"

[User]
What was written in the studies didn't mean much to Tommy as he skimmed. A lot of the terminology used flew over his head but it was some study delving mainly into the links between environments and human biology and psychology. It was obviously related to EDEN and Tommy had some own personal philosophy and reflection on the matter but he was no psychologist.  "Excuse me, I'd prefer it if you didn't flip through classified documents." His attention shifted immediately to the Doc who was closing distance quick, he stepped back from the file as she took it up and shut it. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, no I was just checking everything here is alright." He replied with a friendly grin. "Faulty electrics." He elaborated, he never knew what to do with his hands when standing and always wound up sticking them in his pockets, otherwise he'd just fidget. "It's interesting, so it is." Tommy's right hand pointed towards the binder that Erica now held onto before pinching his nose and then going back into his pocket. "Any news with yourself?" He inquired, there wasn't anything worse than an awkward silence when it came to conversing, despite his reserved nature it was something that irked him. He'd personally never had any problems with Erica despite what many would see as an abrasive attitude at at times, Tommy liked a good character. He caught her look at his appearance and as her attention fell away from him straightening out her own coat he took a quick glimpse at his stained clothes.

"Did you hear? the new SPR is going to be tested this week." Tommy mentioned, trying to tribute her dislike of small talk by bringing it on to something more related to the main focus. Hackett had headed the team of a handful of fellow engineers who together through their variety of expertise conceptualized, designed and produced the first rover of its kind before everything the station was today had come to be. The 'SPR' he was referring to was the Specialized Pressurized Rover, allowing passengers to traverse outside the walls of EDEN without the need for a cumbersome spacesuit, that is until they have to disembark at least. He had been designated one out of four participants for the first round of outdoor testing which was really more of an excursion in the field of science as well,it was something he thought she might have been interested in. He took on a slight slouch and seemed more relaxed scratching idly at his stubble. As well as enjoying a good conversation, Tommy found it one of the most effective ways to kill time or delay doing something. Some days however there just wasn't much to do outside of basic routine and rounds, it could get a bit mind numbing on occasion.

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[Assistant]
Ever the analytical one, Erica couldn't help but subtly observe Tommy's mannerisms and body language. Her reservation faltered a bit - it was clear he meant well and hadn't intended to pry. She needed to quit stressing over every little thing, no one here was going to cause any harm, and he and everyone else on EDEN spent every day doing exactly what she did: Going through the motions and trying to keep occupied. Of course there was much to do, things to be taken care of, machines to be operated and tests to be recorded. But at the end of the day... there was a lot of spare time. Even in their small community, every wing and bloc had more than enough manpower to take care of things and there wasn't much of a sense of urgency unless the situation called for it. Even in the medical wing, the majority of Erica's job was based on interviews and evaluations. It wasn't particularly exciting, and it was very rare for an emergency to occur. So it was nice, on occasion, to just interact. Erica knew that much of EDEN considered itself to be a "family" of sorts -- she had never gotten so close to anyone here as to consider them family, but at times, she understood the appeal considering that many of them had left real families behind on Earth.

She returned the grin tightly, clutching her binder to her chest and looking back toward the laboratory when he mentioned the electrical system. "Seems to be alright," she replied, "Just a power drop, nothing major, everything important switched to backup battery power." It was then that Tommy mentioned her binder, and her eyes widened. Clearing her throat and trying to remain unperturbed, she said, "Yes, honestly fascinating. We train and groom ourselves for months in preparation to come here and still the environment has some unanticipated effects. And no two people react to it the same, everyone experiences it a bit differently." She smiled, shaking her head and laughing a bit. "I could go on about it for hours honestly but I won't bore you with it." When asked about herself, all she could do was shrug. "Nose to the grindstone as usual. Been doing some research on dietary supplements to counteract the weight loss effect. Much as everyone exercises and eats around here, it's hard to keep up the muscle mass, so we've got people in the lab working on it. Just for something to do. What about you? Anything new?"

She found that Tommy was easy-going enough that she could speak with him fairly openly. To her knowledge, he'd never expressed any kind of judgment or anything similar in regards to her personality; As clique-y as things could get up here, there were some people, including herself, who didn't partake in that kind of thing. And she appreciated when others held themselves above that as well.

At the mention of the SPR, Erica lit up a bit, excitedly. "I did hear! That's wonderful! Are you excited to test it out?" Ever since coming to EDEN, she had been immersed in the medical world and had little time to focus on her other interests. Hearing about what was going on in the other wings kept her sane. A lot of the new technology in EDEN was discovered through trial-and-error and safety precautions were always taken to make sure no one got hurt in case of malfunction, but it was always fun to see things evolve from an idea to reality and all of the brainpower that went into creating it. The SPR had been in the works for longer than Erica had been on EDEN, and if all went well, it would be an exciting advancement in their abilities as far as leaving the base itself.


[System]
Rank (If applicable): Commander

Species: Sangheili

Appearance (for his armor, at least):
Height: 7'10"

Skills:Vael bears the title of a blademaster, and with good reason. He also has general combat experience befitting his many years of experience, and has a long history of leadership.

Preferred Weapons/Equipment:
* Type-1 energy sword
* Type-25 plasma rifle
* Type-57 carbine
* Active Camouflage

Background: Vael 'Virisusai is an old and experienced warrior, having already held the rank of major at the start of the Human-Covenant war. For him, the war had been an opportunity both to strive for the honor and glory of victory, and to serve the will of the gods. Early in his career, there was nothing that had set him apart from other ambitious Sangheili warriors. He did not have any particularly exceptional skills, nor an enlightened strategic mind. What he did have was the ability to survive, and to learn every lesson he could take in from every battle and skirmish.

Over the course of the war, every facet of Vael's skill as a warrior was honed to a fine edge. From simple aim, to his ability to keep a calm mind in the chaos of battle, Vael became a more and more deadly presence on any battlefield. Victories, and especially defeats, shaped his judgment and leadership ability just as much as his personal combat skills. Like many of his kind, he preferred to kill in close quarters, especially with a blade. In both fighting against the Humans and countless hours of training and sparring among other Sangheili, he learned the intricacies of using a blade in a variety of contexts, and against different opponents. Given his people's respect for swordsmanship, it was this accomplishment, perhaps more than the others, that most helped him to ascend the ranks of the Covenant. In the end, it was not accident, nor fate, nor genetics bestowing natural talent that created the warrior Vael became. It was pure, earned experience.

In the closing years of the Human-Covenant war Vael had ascended all the way up to the rank of Zealot, and in the final months, he had remained on High Charity after accepting an even more honored position. He was present when High Charity arrived at Installation 05…and present when the San'Shyuum wholly betrayed the Sangheili. Being stationed on the Covenant Holy City, he was a part of some of the thickest of fighting against Jiralhanae-led Covenant forces, then later the Flood as it infected the city. Ultimately, he did escape the parasite and went on to join the Fleet of Retribution to cleanse Earth of the Flood. From there, he took part in the Battle of the Ark, which finally put an end to Truth's Covenant.

Following the end of the war, many Sangheili returned to their homes, to their clans. Many of those allied with one faction or another, but Vael did not do so immediately. His life had been one of honor and war, but most of all service to a faith he now knew to be a lie. Shortly after the Battle of the Ark, he secured a small ship and simply…left. He was not seen in Swords of Sanghelios space, nor that of the UNSC. With the exception of a single re-fueling run on Squala, it was as if he had vanished from civilized space.

Then, after a year's absence, Vael suddenly returned to Sanghelios itself. He pledged his service and loyalty to the Swords of Sanghelios. Given his history, he rose quickly through the ranks. However, those who knew him before the war would have saw some changes in him. He was more reserved, both in terms of speech, and in a more cautious, calculated style of leadership. Perhaps the most notieable change is that, while he still kills his enemies without hesitation, he no longer shows the same eagerness to take glory in battle. He no longer demonstrates his pride in his kills, nor intentionally seeks the most challenging of foes. Despite all of this, his effectiveness has not diminished. He continues to be an honored warrior among the Sangheili, but for those who knew him before, one cannot help but to wonder what else has changed within him. Despite this, he has been chosen for the Aegis Team as a Sangheili warrior with enough skill and experience to be comparable to a Spartan.

[User]
Grikgar /Grik/ Seeker
// Unggoy Ultra // Demolitions and Artillery // Location: heart of the beast

Grik held his fire for what seemed like an eternity. The vines were thrashing more and more and Tar was still within the blast radius of the fuel rod. He knew he couldn't fire prematurely that would cause serious damage to Tar and the others but how much longer could they hold back the ever approaching vines.

Hearing a cacophony of noises behind him made him glance back only to see a wall of vines surging towards them. The sight of it reminded him of his encounters with the Parasite. That was a creature that he very much wished never to encounter again. It seemed the plant was trying its best to get rid of something that was stuck in its throat as it continued to thrash and lash out.

That's when he saw it loose its grip on tar as she was pulled back up. Grik didn't need to hear the order to fire. The moment they were out of the blast radius he squeezed off two rounds with mere seconds in between each shot to make sure they wouldn't collide. If they found its mark at the middle and top of the bulb he was sure it would kill it. However, his comrades were still a bit close and may be hit with at least some of the heat from the explosive.

[Assistant]
Vael 'Virisusai

---

The damage that the fuel rod gun caused was immediate and pronounced. The sheer intensity of the heat was enough to penetrate deep into the bulb. The vines again reacted, but this time it did not seem to be a coordinated defensive response. Rather, they moved and spasmed seemingly at random for a few seconds. As the bulb served as the being's "mind", damaging it was like damaging an animal's brain. Those who had been constricted by them would find it as an opening to act.

Vael and Ryker had only just managed to pull Tar from beyond the blast radius. Even still, Vael's shields flared from the heat. However, this was an opening on which they had to act. Grik had created an opening to the creature's core, so as soon as Vael could get up off the ground, he took aim with his plasma rifle and fired straight into the wound at the top of the bulb. The plasma could now hit straight to the core of the bulb where it was vulnerable, causing yet more random thrashing among its vines.

[User]
Yalu 'Suumko

The helmet Yalu wore picked up the ensuing sounds. Some parts of him were constricted tighter, some slackened, including his left hand holding onto the middle of his scattershot. The weapon was still stuck fast. He let go and tugged at the vines keeping his right arm pressed against his chest and wriggled it free. He ignited his wrist blade, grabbed at the vines holding his head and shoulders, and sliced them off in one draw. Finally, he fell free and found himself swinging upside-down from vines closer to the ceiling.

The situation he took in was self explanatory. Catching his breath, he reached over his shoulder and found a grip on his needle rifle. He drew it and aimed forward.

"Good hit, Grikgar! Our turn now..." Yalu said. The sight flipped up -- towards the ground from Yalu's perspective. The bulb lit up in the crosshair. He pulled the trigger as rapidly as he could. He did not need precision as much as enough blamite crystals in close enough proximity within the creature's new wound.

[Assistant]
Spartan Lucas Ryker

The heat from the explosion caused the SPARTAN-IV's shields to flair, but it wasn't enough to break them fortunately even as he fell backwards from the sudden lack of resistance from the plant as Tar rejoined them on the platform. Standing up quickly, Ryker pulls his DMR free of it's place on his back and fired on the now exposed weakness of the Tengmaa. "Burn in hell, you crazy, carnivorous freak of motherfucking plant life." He fired most of his clip into the thing before stopping, taking a moment to see if the hail of fire had the desired effect as he quickly swapped out the clip, six rounds still in it for later.

Infiltrator Comi'Masam

The moment the explosions were done, Comi drew her plasma pistol once more and fired into the bulb with the rest of her new team, stopping her barrage just in time to allow the weapon to cool down before she resumed firing another burst. She would repeat this until the order to stop firing came from Vael. Her energy sword remained active and she would use it to lance out at and slice any vines that got too close down, though with the wounds inflicted to the bulb made their efforts weaker and less concentrated.

[User]
The suggestion that Spartan Aviza had made about using the M379 charge against the massive Tengmaa bulb apparently went unnoticed among the squad, since there was no comment made about it in the slightest. The charge would have been quite dangerous to use but even more so effective against the hostile force that was trying to turn them into it's next source of nutrients. Instead, they focused upon cutting down vines that got to close to them and attempting to do any sort of damage. Thankfully, Aviza had decided to stay back from the edge of the pit that lead to the heart of the carnivorous plant, using her SRS99-S7 AM Sniper Rifle to fire upon the vines in the distance. If they managed to get close enough, she would then switch to either her underslung shotgun upon her MA5B Assault Rifle or Energy Sword to cut through them.

A few of the vines had managed to end up getting a bit to close for comfort, drawing her attention away from what was happening at the pit to make sure she did not end up with a barb somewhere soft on her armor. The sound of her underslung shotgun firing off flechette shells echoed through the chamber as they tore through the vines with great ease. What did bring her concentration back to the center of the chamber was hearing from Vael that Tar had been caught by a few of the vines. Aviza swiftly moved to the edge of the pit, but kept herself at a safe enough distance to not be grabbed and dragged in afterwards. Without saying a word, Aviza took a half knee stance and aimed the cross hair of her SRS99-S7 AM Sniper Rifle at the vines below, firing off a few rounds that would hopefully do massive damage to the vines. The thought of tossing Tar her Energy Sword came to mind but that might end horribly, instead she kept aim, firing at what she could.

This continued untill Grikgar fired off a few rounds from his Fuel Rod cannon at the Tengmaa bulb, giving them their chance to put it down for good. The intense heat from the explosions going off caused Aviza to shield her eyes for a few second, moving backwards in case Grik fired again. Lowering her arm to look at what remained, she noticed that they now had the chance to do some damage. Instead of firing immediately, Aviza took her M379 charge and tossed it down into the pit where it landed safely. It would not go off untill she detonated it, and she was going to make damn sure everyone was outside of the cave before she did so. For now, she returned to firing off high caliber explosive rounds at the massive Tengmaa bulb. As she did so, she checked her teams coms and spoke, "Does anyone need any medical attention? I can tend to injuries immediately." Aviza would then reach out to Shih, "Two things, I would like full medical diagnostics on the team and then I would like an update on the storm outside please and thank you."

[Assistant]
A Tengmaa bulb's hide was tough for a reason - all of the plant's digestive and nervous capacity was contained within that control centre. However, the plant's evolutionary pathway evidently hadn't prepared for a barrage of radiation, explosives and bullets. So when the bulb's vulnerable innards were exposed under the water and promptly cut to shreds, the Tengmaa quickly lost control of its numerous appendages.

The first to go limp were the half dozen thick trunks which stretched all the way out into the sunlight, gradually tapering at the end. Next were the serpentine manipular vines coating every surface of the cave interior. Then, with nothing left to distract the invaders, the throbbing cilia inside the pool trap promptly died.

And with that, the Tengmaa bulb unmoored from the position it had held over the cave's onward descent for decades. First came a sickly snapping noise as the struts supporting it detached. Then, with a sound like a giant toilet flushing, it disappeared into the large hole on which it had previously been sitting. This was how it had filtered waste water out of the chamber to stop it flooding before.

The water rushed over the rocks, disappearing down the waste chute after the bulb. The chamber was filled with this roaring sound for a while. This new opening also helped disperse some of the toxic particles from the room, though Tar still choked uncontrollably as she struggled to her feet and surveyed the area. Water was pouring in from the opening above their head and another gap along the wall from them (the other cave opening, most likely). It wasn't enough to refill the bowl below them though, so it quickly emptied until just a few carcasses lodged in place remained.

Fanning her mandibles with one hand, Tar got up, walked to the edge and wordlessly jumped down into the barren bowl. Her energy sword's pommel had fortunately gotten stuck in a crevice and hadn't washed away, so she carefully picked it up. Looking up toward the ceiling and coughing lightly, Tar returned her lost sword to its mount on her back, with the other one.

She pointed upward, to the feeble shaft of light shining down on her from above. "I see the way up the mountain! I remember now - it is an invigorating climb."


[System]
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Main
Jinn (Jonin)
Natsuko Rinha (Genin)
Kazuhiko Taketori (Genin)
Tetsuba Zaisette (Genin)

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Supporting

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NPC's
Gakuro - ramen shop operator near ninja school's front gates

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[User]
Genin all around the courtyard's main entrance turned towards an unsightly disturbance. Whispers and sighs echoed silently between the students as one of the village's Jonin found herself trudging through the front gate, uncomfortably pulling at something that slowed her to a crawl. She jerked and huffed irritably, prompting several chuckles. What in the world was she doing? A few moments after her apperance, it became painfully clear as she tore a boy from behind the courtyard's frontal wall.

 "Quit pulling," Jinn grunted, with her newly assigned student caught firmly in her grasp. Tetsuba pulled and yanked as hard as he could, struggling to escape Jinn's vice-like grip to no avail. "Quit it." It was rare to see any shinobi putting on such a defiant display the way Tetsuba had with his assigned sensei, but what little reputation he had made it somewhat believable for any who'd recognized his name. Jinn scanned the courtyard silently while the boy continued to struggle, spotting her other two students a few moments later, to her relief. She released Tetsuba's wrist, and let him tumble backwards. In a clumsy display of stubbornness, several Genin found themselves toppled by Tetsuba as he careened towards their small group. A Chorus of grunts and angry shouts rained upon the boy as he stood himself up and scrambled back towards Jinn. Clumsy idiot, reckless jerk, why is he even here? Jinn shook her head and waved to both Kazuhiko, and Natsuko. "Hey, kids!" She called out. It was a little early for her to arrive, but Jinn hadn't ever found herself in this position before. Teaching Genin? The Hokage wasn't exactly clear on when, or how her duties were supposed to be carried out. So, in a shameless display, she'd rushed to find all three of her pupils, starting with the most difficult of the lot. Tetsuba spun around and dusted off his cloth pants, and bare chest. The boy's appearance was curious, but it hardly drew as much attention as his bitter attitude. As soon as his composure returned, he looked over to the two Genin that Jinn had called towards them. He didn't recognize either of them, why should he? What he did notice though, were Kazuhiko's pale eyes. They resembled the famed Hyuga eye coloration, an appearance that Tetsuba found a strange comfort in. For one who's own eyes were unusually pale, it was nice when others shared his problems. Though, to his knowledge, the Byakugan was not frowned upon in Konoha, and the Hyuga was dearly respected, much unlike the Tetsuba clan.

 "We're not supposed to-"

 "Hush!" Jinn hissed, spinning towards Tetsuba for a brief moment. He flinched, but stood his ground and shrugged it off. There really wasn't any point in trying to run off again. He'd already been publicly humiliated. What more harm was there in just... Going with the flow? He set his eyes back on the two that Jinn waved over and sighed. The small silvered Genin wasn't looking forward to any of this.

[Assistant]
A commotion in the crowd drew Natsuko's attention away from Kazuhiko as her eyes sought out what the noise was about. The crowd parted just as a feminine voice called towards Natsuko and Kazuhiko. Frowning, Natsuko looked between the female ninja and her very unwilling travel companion in confusion. Who were they?

Kazuhiko, however, was already up and moving. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together and figure out who the odd pair were, and the boy crossed the distance between them just as quickly.

"Jinn Kokono, correct?" he asked, coming to a stop beside the Jonin. Flicking his eyes over the shirtless boy on the ground, Kazuhiko frowned. While the boy's eyes were light in color, they lacked the most notable colorations or traits that graced the Village of the Hidden Leaf, thus alluding Kazuhiko. And Kazuhiko hated being in the dark. "Are you Tetsuba Zaisette?"

In the time it had taken Kazuhiko to ask his questions, Natsuko had sprinted over to the now-trio, skidding to a halt beside the Taketori as she eyed the shirtless boy in amusement. "Tetsuba Zaisette" had just about met all of her requirements for "teammate that she would mess with," as Kazuhiko had automatically been ruled off the list due to his standing as both the genius and heir of the Taketori clan. However, formalities came before fun, and Natsuko tore her attention away from the pale boy to focus on her team leader, a Jonin with a fierce pair of scars running along her jawline.

"Natsuko Rinha," Natsuko said, bowing respectfully to the jonin. "Thank you for taking us under your wing!" Introductions with the authority figure out of the way, Natsuko turned her attention to her other teammate that she was sure would open up to her with time. After all, she didn't ask for much—just a few personal details here and there, perhaps, paired with nagging attentions if they weren't forked over. "Nice to meet you, Tetsuba Zai-set-te," Natsuko said, sounding his last name out one syllable at a time. "Are you by chance foreign? You have a rather odd name."

The question caught Kazuhiko's attention, and his eyes flicked to his female teammate in momentary shock that quickly morphed into exasperated amusement. Only the likes of Natsuko Rinha could get away with such an upfront and rude question, and by "get away" Kazuhiko meant "be accepted for" because he was sure that even the Rinha herself knew that she probably wasn't going to get much out of the boy so quickly. His eyes flicked to Jinn's face briefly before focusing on the scene around him—lost and confused genin trying to match names to faces and faces to teams. He'd have to start now too, Kazuhiko realized. After all, it was team against team during the chunin exams.

---

[User]
Jinn nodded and turned to Tetsuba, who'd seemed a little shocked that somebody had addressed him by name. The young boy glanced at Kazuhiko and nodded, while still cleaning specks of dust off of himself. "Call me Zay" Tetsuba muttered, "I prefer Zay." He'd liked Kazuhiko from the start. It had more to do with his eyes than anything else, really, but something about the boy was more respectable than most he'd met, even if they hadn't even exchanged more than ten words. Jinn turned back to witness her third student rushing over. Zay looked up, far less excited, especially when she started asking questions about his name. "Yeah, foreign," Tetsuba barked, answering her question briefly and looking back towards Jinn for guidance.

 "Forgive his manners," Jinn cut in, with a humble nod, "Tetsuba- Ehm, Zay here isn't very social, from what I've been told. But there will be plenty of time to fix that!" Zay huffed at Jinn's confidence, and looked over his new teammates once again. Kazuhiko seemed more astute than Natsuko. His posture spoke worlds, and the way he observed his surroundings was rather telling. A thinker, was it? Or just another dog to the Hyuga name? Zay didn't care either way, it was a respectable type of composure! Tetsuba couldn't relate. Then again, he didn't have a family reputation to uphold at all, let alone one that mattered nearly as much as the Hyuga's. That girl on the other hand...

 "Admittedly, I'm new to this whole, uh... Leader, teacher-type business. I've always been more of a soldier.." Jinn croaked, unsure in how exactly she was to approach training the children before her. Zay toned it out and focused on Natsuko. She seemed so much more care-free than the other boy in his group. The way she approached them, the look on her face, the way she sounded out his name... It all bugged him, more so than her question had. Tetsuba wondered if anyone here even knew what being a shinobi entailed? Whether they were a loyal prodigy, or a peppy go-getter, the point of all this training remained the same. Zay's eyes drafted away from Natsuko, and he began to look over the crowds. Genin glared at their group, both with jealousy, and pity. Paired with him? Good luck! Zay wasn't fond of what their eyes implied, but shrugged it all off with a hearty yawn. Jinn's eyes darted towards the boy, but she cleared her throat and kept speaking.

 "That being said, I haven't had much time to prepare a lesson plan, or anything along those lines. So, considering the current uh, Dynamic that we've been gifted with," Jinn paused and glanced at each Genin briefly, "I imagine that getting a little more acquainted with one another would be an excellent start to our morning! But, as much as I love being surrounded by excited young Shinobi, I think it would be wise for us to set a much more reasonable meeting place, for today, and the future." Jinn smiled and rose one arm, pointing it towards the courtyard's exit and starting her way away from the academy. "We'll have plenty of time to talk as we walk- Ah, incidental rhyme!.. Ahem."

 Zay immediately turned away from his teammates and shoved his hands into his pant pockets, lazily trudging after Jinn with his back held unusually straight. Zay had always been the lazy sort, but posture was of utmost importance to him! Especially since he rarely ever wore a shirt in the summer. Nobody needed to stare at a crooked spine, the mere thought embarrassed him more than any tumble through the dirt ever could.

[Assistant]
Natsuko liked Jinn. While the Jonin was clearly a lot more well-versed in the world than Natsuko herself, she had a sense of humor to her that didn't say "I'm-a-broody-teen-don't-mess-with-me" like the aura around "Zay" did. But, sadly, she'd have to make do with the mysterious white-haired boy that didn't seem to be from any major or minor family in Konoha. No, Natsuko was pretty sure he was either from some ambiguous family that had lived in the village fringes or simply from another village altogether — the second of which was more interesting.

"No problem. Maybe we could just walk around and grab an early lunch," she suggested to Jinn with a grin. "Worst comes to worst, we can just meet up here and head elsewhere every day."

Beside her, Kazuhiko snorted lightly, but Natsuko paid him no mind. Instead, she skipped ahead to keep in pace with "Zay." "So, Zay," she said, a mischievous grin on her face as she looked him up and down, "where are you from? Who are your friends? How old are you?" Ignoring the second light snort from beside her — Kazuhiko, the stiff — Natsuko grinned at the boy she'd been hurling questions at. "All I know is that you're not from around here — I know all the boys in the neighborhood, and none of them have a head of hair that's half as pale as yours."

"Oh, there's a great ramen place just down the street to the left," Natsuko said as the quintent neared the end of the street. "Not that Kazuhiko-san has ever been there — or bothered to try — but it's pretty good." After a brief discussion — slight protest on Kazuhiko's end — there seemed to be no better ideas, so to the ramen shop they went.

"Natsuko! I see you've made new friends," the wrinkled noodle maker said, lines accentuating his delight in some customers — new customers, to boot. "How can I help you four today?"

"The usual for me, Gakuro," Natsuko said, a grin on her face as she hopped on to one of the barside stools. Kazuhiko followed hesitantly, eyes flicking between the shopkeeper and his menu hanging on the back wall.

"I'll get the udon with chicken broth," he said at last, fiddling with the chopsticks in front of him.

"Mother would approve," Natsuko sniped as the others placed their orders, thanking Gakuro as he passed her a ceramic cup of steaming tea.


[System]
Age: 13
Hometown: Ecruteak City
Appearance (pic preferred):

Starter: Torchic
Bio: Shiranui had developed a fascination with fox-like Pokémon from watching the Kimono Sisters performing during his childhood. His favourite Pokémon are Espeon, Umbreon, Delphox, Zoroark and Ninetales. He is generally kind, but has a low tolerance to those who speak ill of his likes. He had been inspired to go on a Pokémon journey ever since he spotted Ho-oh taking off from the Bell Tower at age 8, later catching it during his journey through Johto along with two of the three Legendary Beasts.

Having experienced the wonders of the Kalos Region, Shiranui had conquered the Kalos League and was added to the local Hall of Fame after defeating their Elite Four as well as the local champion Diantha.

[User]
"Our next contestant is #13! From Ecruteak City in Johto, Champion Shiranui Tsukiko!" The audience cheered as Shiranui walked out carrying what looked like an ancient scroll, but was in actuality a prop. He opened the scroll and started reciting what was written on it. "私は古代な守護霊呼びます。ゴルーグは起きて。" A dark illusory fissure opened up on the stage floor and a Golurk (Zoro in disguise) slowly rose out of it. The audience was awestruck when they saw the ancient guardian. "Shadow Ball, Night Shade and then Fling!" A shadow Ball was conjured and Zoro used an illusory Night Shade to make the ball look like something evil. He then used Fling to send it flying and the dark Shadow Ball soon started ricocheting around the stage. "Hang on, you're not the ancient guardian!" said Shiranui, throwing some play acting into the appeal, "Reveal your true form!" Zoro dropped his Golurk guise and put his speed to work dodging the dark Shadow Ball. "I should have known it was you, Zoro," Shiranui continued, feigning disappointment, "Use Night Slash!" Zoro stood his ground and as the dark Shadow Ball bounced towards the Zoroark from above, Zoro slashed it and the ball exploded into dark sparkles.

"Now that is a performance worthy of Poké Star Studios."
"Zoroark are remarkable!"
"Your Zoroark is very well trained."

10
9
8

Shiranui noticed his total score was equal to Liam's.

[Assistant]
After Shiranui, a green haired boy did an appeal. He was introduced as Drew from LaRouse City. His appeal featuring a Roserade a combo of Petal Dance, Synthesis, and Grasswhistle. Drew got a near perfect score. with that, the top eight co-ordinators were announced and shuffled into the following matchups:

1 RP vs RP
2 Shiranui vs Drew
3 RP vs RP
4 RP vs Liam

The first battle was a young boy dressed in a tux, while wearing makeup to look like a skeleton. He used a Haunter, whose appeal included juggling his eyes, as well as a few random items it grabbed with psychic (including Joy's hat). It defeated the opposing Nosepass.

[User]
Shiranui remembered the eye juggling from the time he and Liam sheltered in a haunted house south of Laverre City. It was soon time for him to face Drew. "Go Roserade!" Several petals flew out of Roserade's Poké Ball and coalesced into the Roserade Shiranui was up against.
"Zoro, I choose you!" From Zoro's Great Ball, lots of little red, blue, yellow, white and orange petals flew around and coalesced into a Florges. The timer started and the battle was on.
"Roserade, start with Grassy Terrain!"
"Zoro, Springtime Petal Dance!" Roserade covered the stage in grass and Zoro conjured an illusion of a forest of cherry blossom trees, adding an illusory Petal Dance in the form of pink and white petals floating about. The audience reacted with awe when they saw the display and Drew lost some points.
"Roserade, Magical Leaf!"
"Zoro, Protect!" Castle walls rose out of the ground as part of the scenery bordering the whole contest hall as Roserade sent two iridescent leaves flying. The leaves tried to slash the petals, but it was to no avail as the petals were illusions. They zeroed in on Zoro afterwards, but the crafty Zoroark shifted into a Shield Forme Aegislash and blocked the leaves, costing Drew more points.
"Roserade, Energy Ball!"
"Zoro, Double Team!" Lots of Sheld Forme Aegislash appeared in various places. Some were the copies produced from the move, some were illusions and one was the real Zoro. Roserade threw an Energy Ball at one of the Aegislash and scored a lucky hit, causing Zoro to lose his Aegislash guise and costing Shiranui some points.
"Roserade, Sweet Scent!"
"Zoro, Taunt!" Zoro disappeared and was soon spotted peering over one of the castle walls. Putting on an outrageous Kalos accent, the Zoroark delivered a nasty taunting that only Roserade could understand and finished it by blowing a few Razz Berries. A good percentage of the audience erupted into laughter from that move and Roserade was furious while Drew lost more points. Time ticked into the final minute.
"Roserade, Magical Leaf!"
"Zoro, Night Slash!" Zoro leaped high into the air and zeroed in on Roserade with claws glowing a darkly colour. Roserade threw more leaves and both attacks landed. A cloud of dust obscured the Pokémon and both coordinators lost points. Time had expired before the dust cloud could clear and Shiranui was deemed a clear winner.

"I knew watching that movie with you was a good idea," Shiranui commented to Zoro.

[Assistant] It was down to Liam and Shiranui again. Liam stood on his place. "Blissey! Let's go!" Liam called as he tossed the ball up. The Happiness Pokémon emerged and took her place.

[User] "Zoro, I choose you!" Shiranui tossed a Great Ball and it opened to reveal his Zoroark.

[Assistant] "Docs Blast!" Liam called.

[User] "Counter Shield!" Using a combination of Night Daze and Incinerate, Zoro conjured a shield of fire and darkness to try and counter whatever attack was coming his way.

[Assistant] The Focus Blast was stopped by the shield and Liam lost a few points. "Sing and Power up Punch!" Liam called. Blissey released the notes into the air. She hit them with a barrage of Power up Punches, each being stronger and the sending the note with more force, and being harder to evaded.

[User] "Make like a ninja and Fling!" Zoro dropped his counter shield and rather than try to evade the notes, he caught them, infused them with dark energy so they looked like note-printed shuriken and threw them back at a greater velocity.

[Assistant] "Safeguard into Attract!" Blissey was saved from the sleep inducing notes and then winked at Zorro as hearts flew toward him.

[User] "Zoro, give Blissey a nasty Kalos Taunting!" The Zoroark sprung into action and with his outrageous Kalos accent, gave Blissey an earful. The hearts shattered while some of the audience burst into laughter at the silly act Zoro was putting on.

[Assistant] "Dazzling Gleam!" Liam ordered. Blissey fired the blast of bright pink light after gracefully leaping forward and landed on one foot.

[User] "Night Daze!" Zoro conjured a dome of darkness and the attacks soon met in the middle. It was a literal battle between light and darkness as each attack tried to overpower the other.

[Assistant] "Metronome!" Liam called. Blissey bega to wag the free hand back and forth while it was glowing white. Signal Beam fired off from the free hand. The attempt was to hit Zorro with it so that the Night Daze would fall and the Fairy move would hit.

[User] "Feint Attack!" The Night Daze shattered, costing Shiranui some points, but Zoro was nowhere to be seen until the illusionist reappeared right behind Blissey with a fist at the ready. Half the time had expired.

[Assistant] "Power Up Punch!" Liam called. Blissey was hit, losing Liam some points, Blissey countered with a super effective hit.

[User] The hit may have been super effective, but Zoro laughed it off and Shiranui lost a small amount of points. "Zoro, use Flamethrower!" The Zoroark donned the guise of a Delphox before pulling an ebony stick out and saying what passed as an incantation. He pointed the stick at Blissey and flames of a rainbow of colours issued forth.

[Assistant] "Ice Beam!" Liam called. The frigid attack met the Flamethrower dead on. The attacks were at a standstill dead even across the arena. The attacks quickly canceled each other out and since Liam initiated the display, Shiranui's points dropped a little bit.

[User] "Zoro, Attract!" The Zoroark performed his species' courtship dance while conjuring an illusion of cherry blossom trees in spring. Lots of pink hearts flew out and made a Beedrill-line for Blissey.

[Assistant] "Power up Punch into attract!" Liam called. Blissey started punching the hearts, making them shatter and dropping Shiranui's points. Blissey fired off her own hearts.

[User] "Night Slash!" Zoro's claws glowed with dark energy as he slashed the hearts in two, causing Liam's points to drop.

[Assistant] "Ice Beam!" Liam called. Blissey began shooting the attack toward Zorro's feet, hoping to freeze him in place, while making pillars of ice shoot up in the process.

[User] "Feint Attack!" When the ice formed around Zoro's feet, the stricken Zoroark vanished as it was a decoy illusion while the real Zoro reappeared behind Blissey ready to strike. Time ticked down to the last minute.

[Assistant] Liam smirked as Shiranui fell into the trap Liam placed. "Flash now!" Blissey emitted a bright light, which reflected off glaciers in an attempt to temporarily blind Zorro.

[User] "Substitute!" Zoro conjured a decoy that was immune to the light and made his escape.

[Assistant] "Charge Beam!" Liam ordered. Blissey fired off the electrical attack. She hit one of the ice pillars, making it shatter, trying to hit Zoroark with the now, electrified shards of ice.

[User] "Night Daze!" Zoro conjured a dome of dark energy that made the shards disintegrate into sparkly powder.

[Assistant] "Attract!" Liam called. Blissey sent off the hearts again.

[User] "Fling!" Zoro caught the hearts, covered them in dark energy and made them into purple heart-printed shuriken before throwing them in various trajectories. The timer was on the verge of expiring.

[Assistant] "Hyper Beam, go!" Liam ordered. Blissey fired off the powerful beam. There was an explosion that obscured sight of the Pokémon, but showed that Liam and Shiranui both had an equal amount of points remaining. Assuming neither was KO'd, they would continue until one side successfully landed a hit on the other. The smoke cleared and Blissey had taken a knee, but was still able to fight.

[User] Zoro was in a defensive pose and still able to battle. The sudden death round had begun. "Zoro, Double Team!" The Zoroark made illusory copies and the whole group of them shifted to the forms of the whole set of Eeveelutions.

[Assistant] "Soft-boiled!" Liam called. Bliss's egg began to glow yellow and she was enveloped in the light as well. The glow healed her injuries.

[User] "Time to get busy, Zoro! Scratch that Blissey!" The Eeveelutions charged at Blissey with claws at the ready.

[Assistant] "Doubleslap it!" Liam called. Blissey attempted to grab Zorro by the outreached scratching claw and give it a few good smacks across the face.

[User] The Glaceon that Blissey grabbed vanished into a series of sparkles. "You missed, Blissey," said Shiranui, "Zoro, Hidden Power!" The Espeon stood its ground while the other six ran around until they turned into glowing orbs of energy. Zoro dropped his Espeon guise and fired off the attack.

[Assistant] Liam had Blissey use Light Screen to try and stop the attack. While it was hindered, it still managed to make contact and hit Blissey, giving Shiranui the win. Blissey walked over to Shiranui and with hand gestures indicated that she would patch Zorro up.

[User]
"Thank you Blissey," replied Shiranui, "Zoro, Blissey's going to take care of you." Zoro ambled over to Blissey and allowed the Happiness Pokémon to perform her work. He felt grateful for the care his friends were giving him.

"Liam, that was the closest battle we've ever had," stated Shiranui.

[Assistant] "It sure was." Liam replied. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blissey run by with the first aid kit he kept in his bag. Blissey used a Neosporin-like product made from Orren Berries and some bandages. After that, Blissey used Soft-boiled.


[System]
Age: 18

Gender: Male

Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village

Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District

Appearance:

Occupation: Thief, Avatar

Elemental Affinity: Fire

Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons

History:
 Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter.

 How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City.

 It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus.

 Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.

[User]
"Well, yeah... I beat most of those creeps, so I protected you," Katsu retorted, frowning when he saw Siku's dao, "And you're bringing a sword with you..." There was no reason to have a weapon on them, not when they were all benders. Bending could be used for defense or offense, sure, but it wasn't always as lethal as a sword. What was the point in bringing along a blade anyways when the way they fought was likely to put them at distance from their opponents? Siku tried to justify her having the dao but he wasn't a fan of it still, frowning and letting out a huff before shaking his head. "If they get close then you can still bend, it's not like you lose bending in close quarters," the Avatar said, "Besides... If someone else is chasing us with a weapon can you really use it that well? If they're using one then they're bound to be really good with it, can you match them?" Made more sense in his mind to just put distance between themselves and their attacker and keep bending.

This was going to be one abysmal trip, if only because they had just begun and were already exhausted. Katsu hadn't slept terribly much the day earlier to begin with, having been busy on a job, and today hadn't allowed him more than a moment's reprieve. Much as he wanted to take a break and settle down he didn't want to be the one to say it, both pride and reluctance playing into it. When Siku mentioned taking a quick nap he tried not to jump at her decision, giving a small shrug instead. "We can do that, we've come a decent ways already," Katsu remarked, stifling a yawn with his hand before rubbing at his head, "Planning would be good... Don't want to wander around aimlessly." He had a few places in mind he might be able to go, places which would be easily accessible had they a vehicle; ferries and cars had gotten him around before, this would be the first time he really had to do extensive walking. The thief wasn't going to complain, he didn't mind the exercise, but it sure did make traveling take a bit longer.

Taking to the cover of the trees, the trio had sought refuge along the tall vegetation, just barely out of view from the road. They could have gone in deeper if Katsu hadn't objected, wanting to be able to keep an eye on the road to know if anyone was on their way up. Finding the only clearing they could, bedrolls were laid out and everyone got ready for a brief if much needed respite. Siku and Asha had fallen asleep fairly quickly, as had Koinu, yet Katsu found himself sitting up and awake for some time longer. There were too many thoughts swirling around in his head, too many concerns and ideas that things would only get worse from hereon out. It was probably lack of sleep and stress doing this to him, but for a good while he could only sit and stare down at the road, a bit paranoid that someone was going to come up on them while they slept. Eventually however his eyelids grew heavy and he found himself drifting off, and when next he'd open his eyes he would hear Siku's voice calling to him.

"Nnn... 'M up... 'M up..." the Avatar grumbled, already having been half awake by the time he was called for. Groaning as he sat up from his spot he raised his arms above his head in a stretch, popping his back before glancing down at Koinu, smiling as his companion woke too and greeted him with a happy yip. Scratching at the fox's head he moved over to join Siku and Asha, glancing down at the former's map curiously. "Gung-Li... Never heard of the place..." Katsu said through a yawn, sitting down on his rear and scratching at Koinu's fur habitually, "If we can get a ride there then let's get one there, no sense in more walking, right?" If they could find a ride then they'd make far better time, and more importantly put more distance between themselves and anyone that may be chasing them. If given the chance to get their own vessel should they take it? He'd been on boats before, sure, but he'd never actually piloted one on any kind of journey. Siku could water bend, Asha could air bend, so they'd have an easy enough time of making it he figured. "It might be better to get our own ship, come to think of it... Less people know about us that way and we're not relying on anyone else. If we're trying to keep out of view then we should avoid making any kind of transaction, you know?" he asked, smirking as he glanced at Siku and Asha, "I know something about flying under the radar, we should be fine."

[Assistant]
"Well," Siku started, pointing to a small island off the Fire Nation. "This is Iwa here and Gung-Li is... Here," She moved her finger to a peninsula where the city was marked, about a few miles from where they were now. "It's not exactly on the coast closest to the Fire Nation, but it's on the Eastern front of this peninsula here, so they might have some way to get there. However, it might be faster to find something to get us closer to the south-western border and cross there..." She mused, scrutinizing the map. "We'll have to see what options we've got when we get there and decide then."

She looked at Katsu when he mentioned getting on their way privately and she nodded, "On the other hand, if we go like that, then there's a more specific trail to follow. If we take a public route with lots of people, at least there will be witnesses and other people there to follow us in case something goes wrong. It'd be harder to track names, at least." The girl made sure she had all of her equipment before rolling the map up again and rising to her feet. "Alright, well... I guess we won't know until we get there, at least, yeah? So let's move."

Siku shouldered her pack and rubbed her eyes again. Four hours was not enough, no, but hopefully it would last her through the night. They needed food even more, though. "When we get there, I'm gonna eat... and eat... and eat..." She said as they found the road and started walking once more. "I'm so freakin' hungry... We could have planned our food and this walk a little bit better, I suppose."

A thought occurred to her as they walked and she looked at Katsu, "Wait... Katsu... In the sewers... You only used earth and fire bending..." She noted, furrowing her brow, "Have you tried air or water yet... at all?" It still baffled her that he could even think of having the power over all four and not at least have a grasp on all four.

[User]
Asha just listened to her two other companions as they decided the right route to take. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the zig zags swirling around the map, the brunette took to gathering her things up and placing them neatly in her backpack. She walked back over when it sounded like the two had settled on things and clasped her hands behind her back, "So, have we decided how we are doing things?" she asked, remembering she overheard something about their own boat...how were they going to buy their own boat? Weren't they expensive?

She giggled at Siku when the other girl mentioned food and how she was going to gorge when she was in sight of some; their food supply wasn't much since they had decided to pack light and with the older girl talking about food, made her tummy grumble in agreement. Asha held her stomach in slight embarrassment and laughed a little, "Sorry, guys. Guess I am hungry, too!"

The brunette looked over at Siku when she mentioned to Katsu that she had only seen him use Earth and Fire bending. She blinked when Siku asked the Avatar if he even knew how to use Water or Air. That would make sense as to why he hadn't used either or...but maybe he just didn't like them as much as earth and fire.

Either way, his answer was sure to startle the both of them.

[Assistant]
Whichever way they decided to travel it was going to take some time, Katsu knew that much. They had a destination, getting there was another matter entirely; shame he didn't have something like a flying bison, they could make the trip in no time at all. Koinu couldn't even carry him, let alone the three of them, so riding an animal was out of the question. The fact they were going to have to rely on public transit, a boat of all things, hardly thrilled him. What Siku said about it made sense, that being in a crowd might help obscure them. Yet the opposite might be true too, they could stand out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Not only that, but being in a mass of people it would be almost impossible to tell who might mean them harm; if they chose the sneakier route, then anyone they came across would more likely than not be against them.

"However we do it, we should do it soon. Nothing worse than sitting around while someone's searching for you," Katsu said aloud, frowning as he rose to his feet, "So we'll head to Gung-Li, and worry about getting to Iwa when we get there." If he'd learned anything in life, it was to be flexible. Even the best laid plans could be ruined by just one instance, so better to prepare to change than to stick to some routine. Improvising was something he was particularly good at, yet goodness knows if the same might be said for Siku or Asha. Giving Koinu's head a gentle rubbing, the Avatar began following alongside the Water Bender, smirking somewhat amused when she brought up food. "You'd never survive in the kind of life I've lived, you're too spoiled," Katsu teased, placing a hand on his stomach, "I can go for a while without eating, I guess it pays to be poor sometimes." Not that he was particularly poor now, but he had been for a while.

He would be fine without food, but Katsu did worry about Koinu. Still being a pup he really should eat regularly, and without any food really packed for travel, there wasn't much for his furry friend. Worst case he supposed he could go and hunt something, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. Glancing over to Siku when she started to question him, the Avatar's cheeks flushed slightly at what she had asked, looking away abashed and clearing his throat. "Well... Uh... No... Not really," he admitted, scratching at his nose casually with his index finger, "Never really had a chance to learn, or a teacher. Most of what I know now is self-taught too." He didn't really bend all that often, there was typically no reason to do so. It wouldn't be totally unfair to say he was out of practice, not that he'd ever admit such a thing.

"But hey, I can get on just fine without those two! I mean there's no big apocalyptic event going on, or some war threatening the world, it's just me running from some oppressive jerks. I don't see a reason to need all four elements for that," Katsu continued, grinning as he reached over and put an arm around both Siku's and Asha's shoulders, "That's what I've got you two for, right? My water princess and my little air nomad, you can make up for what I didn't learn." More than anything he just really had no desire to learn. Learning another element was difficult, that went without saying, and also immensely time consuming. It could take up to a few weeks to even grasp the basics, depending on his teacher, and longer still to have some semblance of a mastery. Much as he'd like to think they could teach him, Katsu had serious doubts about his companions being good teachers.


[System]
Age: 24
Height: 6'-0"
Weight: 170lbs
Allegiance: Aspirian Royalty
Distinguishing Traits: Wherever the party is, Cas is bound to be there also. He's a free spirit with a tendency to act without thinking through the consequences, although due to his cushioned upbringing and high status, he rarely has to face them. Despite his wild lifestyle, however, he has a soft side and has been known for taking in stray and injured animals he finds in the streets of the capital city.

Short Bio: As the son of the reigning king, Atlas Maydestone, Caspian has lived the entirety of his life in the capital of Aspiria. He was born with a silver spoon in hand, enjoying the finest luxuries the country had to offer even when he was as young as five years old. This experience shaped him as a person. He grew up seeing the glass half-full and believing Aspiria was every bit as perfect and amazing as his father wanted him to think it was.

As a child, he spent most of his education being groomed to take over as the next king but never really took his future duties seriously. In his mind, it was so far off, there was no reason to worry about it. That is, until his father's health took a sudden decline when he turned eighteen. Suddenly slapped in the face by the reality that he was actually going to be the next leader of an entire country, he began to pay more attention to his teachers and did his best to understand all the different jobs he would have when his father died. However, the more he studied, the more he realized how unqualified he was for such an important role.

To deal with his rising sense of insecurity, Cas delved back into any and every social event he could find around the capital city. Partying and drinking with friends took the edge off his fears and helped him to forget about the impending future of his kingship. Deep down, he knew his coping strategy wouldn't change anything, but for now, it was good enough to keep him from getting absorbed in the weight of it all. He would just continue to put it off until he had to face it, the same way he handled the Scourge.

The rebellion (better known as the Scourge by everyone who lived in the capital) was the other big, glaring problem he tried not to think about. To make the enemies seem less imposing, he and his friends would make crude jokes about them and discuss all the creative ways the king could punish them for treason when they were eventually defeated by the state, but secretly, he was always on the lookout for anyone who seemed suspicious. As the crown prince of Aspiria, he'd heard the threats the rebels spat about himself and his family, and he was concerned about what could happen if they ever managed to get inside the stronghold walls.

He just hoped the military was strong enough that he would never have to find out.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

[User]
Caspian could hear his heartbeat drumming in his ears as he stood before the whole of Aspiria to send his father off to whatever sort of afterlife awaited him on the other side of the funeral. It was far from the first speech he'd ever given to the people, but it was the first without any oversight or follow-up from the man inside the casket. Although the advice Jacob had given him had been good, it hadn't completely mitigated his anxiety, and he had to take a few long breaths on his way over to the podium before he launched into the address he'd written earlier.

As he began to speak about Atlas, cementing his memory as one of the country's most powerful leaders by reminding the audience of the laws and decrees he'd enacted during his reign, he felt oddly detached. It was as if he'd split into two separate versions of himself: one who was delivering the message to Aspiria and another who was observing the event from a distance. He was aware that his lips were moving and words were pouring forth, but at the same time, his mind had wandered away from the sentences written on the paper in front of him, preferring to listen and critique as he went along.

Maybe it was the start of his processing or maybe he just had so many stopped-up feelings that they were too overpowering to keep forcing down, but talking about his father as a heroic figure in that moment made him feel like a hypocrite. Their last conversation had been a massive fight over Atlas's decision to have him institutionalized because the monarch couldn't believe that his son would take someone else's side over his. Even before that argument, they'd rarely seen eye to eye on anything. His father had withheld praise and encouragement to the point that if he ever spoke a kind word, it was dumbfounding. In his personal life, the king wasn't someone he looked up to, so each laudatory word that he spoke over the crowd felt tainted.

The worst part was that as he continued to describe all the ways Atlas had bettered Aspiria, he felt cheated. His father had been harsh and critical on him, but when it came to their country, he'd slaved away until his dying breath to ensure that their people—or at least, the high borns—and the nation as a whole was prosperous. He'd diligently upheld relations with Aspiria's allies, funneled money into the borders to defend the kingdom from both internal and external threats, made public appearances to assure the people that he was still a capable leader even in his ailing health, and made financial decisions on behalf of the county that had made the richest citizens even more wealthy. He'd dedicated everything to his duties as the king, and in consequence, ruined his relationship with his own family.

In spite of it all though, Cas couldn't say that he hated his father. He knew he was too empathetic for his own good, but he also understood that ruling an entire country was demanding work, and there was a part of him that still respected Atlas for everything he'd done when he'd been wearing the crown. Because of that, he forced himself to put his own conflict with the monarch aside until the speech ended, the audience applauded, and he stepped off the stage to take up his seat at the front of the crowd while a minister took over to finish the rest of the funeral.

Afterwards, Jacob upheld his end of their deal and palmed him a flask as they headed back to the car, the cemetery and then finally to the palace. Some of the reporters and guests had tried to ask him about the funeral and offer their condolences for his loss respectively, but the guards that had come with him fended them off until he'd made it safely past the barriers at the edge of the estate. Once he was alone, he went back to his room and shrugged off his suit jacket, sitting down on his bed and fishing his phone from his pocket. It was half past nine o' clock, so he had about thirty minutes left before he could expect any calls from Iris. It was a much-needed breather though. At the end of a busy day, he was just glad to have some time to himself, especially since his coronation was set to happen tomorrow at noon.

Taking a swig from the flask he'd borrowed from his security guard, he bent down to untie his shoes and then swung his legs up onto the mattress to lay down on his back. It was still hard for him to believe that in less than twenty-four hours, he was going to be crowned king. The ground had yet to settle over his father's grave, and he was going to be taking over the reign of Aspiria. He shook his head at the thought, fixing his gaze absently on the ceiling as he sipped at the flask again. By now, most of the whiskey inside had disappeared. He didn't know exactly how much he'd drank, but he could definitely feel the effect of the alcohol coursing through his bloodstream. It offered a pleasant numbness, and he closed his eyes with a slow exhale, letting his mind wander to less stressful things.

Almost reflexively, he found himself thinking about Iris, wondering how she was doing since he'd left the Sunset Veil in a rush that morning and wishing he could go back to see her. Even though the timing hadn't been great, he didn't regret running off to the resort with her the day before. Knowing that she was in a safe location for the time being gave him some peace of mind, and he'd also enjoyed spending the night with her for the first time. Memories of the previous night flitted through his mind, and he smiled to himself. He'd only told her to call if she needed anything, but he did hope that she would reach out even if she didn't. When everything else in his life felt like it was moving too quickly for him to keep up, hearing her voice was always a welcomed reprieve.

[Assistant]
Iris had watched the whole speech her eyes never leaving Caspian as he stood and addressed the country about the fallen King, his father. Listening to Cas only reaffirmed her belief on him being a good leader, the fact that he addressed everyone just hours after finding out with to her what seemed like confidence was astounding. There was no way she could have done anything like that, whether she had been trained or not she knew she would never have had the courage to do such a thing. Coupled with the fact not all memories had been great with her own father and she knew that Cas had experienced a bit of a rocky relationship also, but he had spoken about the triumphs his father had done. Not that she agreed with everything he had said.

It was strange to think how only last night his father had arranged for him to be sent to a mental institution because he was certain his son had something wrong with him all because Cas had stuck up for her and the life he had seen beyond the Capital. Now Atlas was dead, and she knew she would be lying when she said she was sorry for that because truthfully deep down she was glad he was dead. Sure, it had been the wish of the rebellion and she had wished it too, because the King had not once thought of the districts and not once bettered their area for the good. Not a dime had been thrown their way, so of course it was no wonder the people had rebelled and the only thing she was sorry for was the fact that Cas had lost his father as that was a blow no one could understand unless they had experienced it themselves.

Even though she had lost her own father it was still different circumstances, her father had been crazed in the end and lost his mind. There hadn't really been a father daughter relationship between them for quite sometime and it only took until recently for her to admit that fact. It was partly her being naïve to it, that her father wasn't obsessed with the rebellion and rising above his station. Shaking her head as the speech was over, she settled down on the sofa watching the clock, it wasn't ten yet, but she couldn't wait to finally call him and make sure he was okay. Iris would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't worried about him, they had been through so much recently and she didn't want this to be that final nail in the coffin for some sort of mental breakdown. If she were to list everything down that had happened, she wouldn't even believe it herself.

Tapping her fingers against the edge of the sofa she mumbled to herself waiting for the time to pass, "Come on…" It felt as if time was going by so slowly now that she was clock watching, the day had passed by in an alright fashion, but this last half an hour was almost torture. Standing up from the sofa she began to pace around by the kitchen glancing from the time to the phone on the wall and then finally to his number. Would it look to eager of me to call dead on ten? No… surely not. Though maybe? Letting out an exasperated sigh as she picked up the paper in her hands that contained his number she glanced once more back at the clock feeling her heart do a little leap seeing it had finally reached ten o'clock.

Without hesitation she dialled the number into the phone feeling her heart race as she waited for the other side to pick up, hearing the rings she started to doubt herself on if it had been the right time to call. Hearing the line connect she smiled relieved that she could finally hear his voice, "Hey Cas, how are you? Is everything okay? Well… stupid questions really, you don't need to answer that… I'm sorry." Amidst the excitement of calling him she had completely forgotten that he probably wasn't okay, and it was a silly question to ask him, but she was glad she could at least talk to him. Grateful that this phone was in the hotel room.

"I don't know why you were ever worried about being a leader, you should be proud of that speech. To get up there and address everyone after what has happened lately. You did good. I watched the whole thing." Iris knew she was already rambling, he probably didn't need her to ramble but she had been worried about him throughout the day and the mind numbing TV programs hadn't helped.