[System]
Alias - Dr. Needles
Age - 22
Experience - 4 years, was a part of the original team and has worked with the Titans on and off since then.
Powers - Super human regeneration. His ability to heal has grown since his teen years, and he can now recover from injuries much faster(Something like half the rate of Wolverine).
Weaknesses - Other than his ability to heal, he is limited by his merely human form in a group full of super humans.
Appearance - Since his somewhat embarrassing teenage years, Needles has dropped his goth look, but still maintains some "alternative" style. His dark hair is cut very precisely in a fade, short up to the top of his head where it's a little longer and styled in a wave to the right. He's average height and slender, athletic build(common in the hero world).

He dresses practically. Sturdy pants and boots, in gray and black respectively. He has a "utility belt" that holds a few useful tools that he likes to carry in the field. He still likes to wear graphic tees(usually for either bands, or homages to other heroes) but often has a protective jacket of synthetically enhanced leather.

BRIEF Bio- The son of a combat medic, he picked up a lot of anatomy and medical knowledge from books around his house while his father was away. His own regenerative abilities further inspired his passion for biology and medical science, and between working with the Titans since the age of 16 he's been embroiled in studies for a degree. He received a PhD in Biology(rather than an actual Medical Doctorate) after an incredible 4 years of study. Doctor is now literally his title, rather than just his hero name.
Notes -
Commitment - Can do once a week pretty easily. I try to keep up to date day by day. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays I'm the least likely to post.

[User]
Five Years Ago
December 12th
Chernobyl, Russia
Nix exited his small, compact ship, stepping out onto the irradiated soil. His respirator made a quiet breathing noise as his eyes surveyed the area. He squinted as he pulled the modified Mare's leg from it's holster on his back. He slowly and cautiously crept his way into the deserted and hostile wasteland that was, Chernobyl. His eyes glancing all around him as he made his way further and further into the plant.

He stopped, hearing noise approaching. He broke into a crouched jog before sliding into cover behind a fallen pillar. He peeked his eye around the corner of said pillar to keep a watch on what was approaching. A grin formed under his respirator as he watched a tall, blue, brute of an alien walked along the road to one of the shut down reactors while being followed by two less impressive, skinny aliens. He rose from from his crouch, aiming his rifle and killing one of the smaller aliens with a quick shot to the head. He flipped the gun around, reloading it while ducking back into cover as both the two remaining aliens drew guns and began firing on him. He held a hand to his stetson as the wind picked up, securing it from flying off.

As the firing stopped, he spun and rose, lashing out at the second smaller alien with his energy whip before leashing him towards him. The alien soared through the air in a perfect arc before he was 'brained' by Nix and his mare's leg. What Nix hadn't expected was that the bigger alien was now charging towards him, opting to use his size and melee skills instead of his rifle. Nix was caught off guard by this, a rookie mistake, and was subsequently caught in the path of the alien. The alien ran him onto a nearby wall before reeling back to send a punch to his mask. Nix was quick enough to dodge it before raising his leg and sending a mighty kick to one of the aliens many stomachs, sending him reeling back. Nix leaped onto the alien, positioning himself so that he had him in a necklock while riding its back. He had hoped he was strong enough to pull the alien down enough to strangle him, but it seemed that this wasn't going to work as the alien just seemed to swing and thrash its body in the hopes of getting Nix off of it. Nix sighed, he reached down to his waist and unsheathed his machete from its position in its sheath on his back, under his holster and positioned sideways. He had hoped to get the reward for bringing this one in alive, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. He began stabbing furiously into the aliens back, eventually getting to the point where it tired enough to be brought to the ground. Nix left it, dead on the floor as he returned to his ship to get his camera to bring proof that he had completed the contract.

As he did, he heard a mighty roar and what sounded like someone dragging bricks up some stairs as the alien rose from its fake death and prepared to charge at Nix once more. It was met with the click of a gun and the sound of Nix's disappointment embodied by a low:
"For fucks sake" and a quick shot to the skull. He wiped some blood from his forehead before continuing to fetch his camera. All the while plugging in his small MP3 player and playing his music.

Present Day
The Lucille

Nix's feet bounced rhythmically as the sound of KC and the Sunshine Band played melodically through his old and battered MP3 player. If there was one good thing you could say about Nix it was that he got his moneys worth out of anything he bought. While anyone else would have just bought an I-Pod or even just a newer MP3 player, Nix was fine with using his old one, cracked screen and all. His stetson was lying over his face and his hands were clasped on his stomach, tapping in time with his feet. He was leaning back in his chair, his boots resting on a table as he slowly swayed backwards and forwards on his chair. He was awoken from his half-sleep by the sound of an especially loud blast from, Mason, who was currently shooting bottles.

Well, to say he awoken solely by that would be a lie. What really woke him up was his loss of balance after hearing the noise which, in turn, made him fall back in his chair and land on his back on the ground. He grunted, rising up and putting the chair back in its proper position. He stuffed his MP3 player into his pocket, not bothering to tie up the earphones, they'd just get tangled anyway. He picked his hat up from the floor before dusting it off and laying it on the table his feet had currently rested on. He made his way over to Mason and replied to his statement.
"You can say that again, haven't had a good meal in ages" He spoke.
"No contracts have come through recently I'm afraid, seems my affiliation with you lot has killed off any work coming my way. I get the odd contract occasionally, but usually it's too far away or I'm not quick enough to accept it, chief" He explained.

[Assistant]
Charlie was in his quarters, sitting sideways on his bed, his pillow behind him to cushion him against the wall, and reading. He had a little device, it folded up like a Chinese fan, but opened to a right angle with a holographic display between the frame. The edges outside of the two metal sides were blurry as the hologram couldn't extend further, but didn't have an actual border. He had data from around the galaxy, whatever he could pick up, on it, and it worked on a wireless connection to Lucille, where the large amount of data was actually kept. He had gotten the idea from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Right now, he was examining the chemical makeup of alien flora, and he finally found what he wanted.

Charles got up and made his way to the cargo bay, from which Mason could be heard for miles.

"I got a solution to the food problem," he announced, holding up the little holo fan. "This fruit is native to a planet in a system not far from here. It has essential proteins and sugars, and is safe for humans to eat. Don't know about you, Nix, sorry. It should tide the rest of us over, at least. And it grows on... something kind of similar to a vine?" he was looking at the fan again, "So we might even be able to grow it here on the ship."

[User]
Ty'Sun sat in the darkness of T.O.M's cockpit, calibrating the War Mech's decades-old targeting systems. He was barely following the conversation the others were having, mostly because the sound was somewhat muffled by T.O.M's durable armour.
"Well if we had been allowed to add hydroponics like we had in the original plans that would not be an issue." said one of his fellow shipmates, thought it sounded like a mutter to him from inside T.O.M. "Tando'yare wa... What kind of ship intended for long-term space travel doesn't have hydroponics installed onboard?" Ty whispered to himself. Though to be fair, he understood why they lacked a hydroponics system as the three humans were apparently forced to take to the stars in a hurry.

Having decided that he had done enough calibrating for today, he opened the cockpit hatch, flooding the dark space inside the Mech with light.
"You can say that again, haven't had a good meal in ages." stated Nix, the only nonhuman aboard, aside from himself of course. Obviously they were discussing their ongoing food supply problem. Nix went on to make it clear that bounty work wasn't going to be an option.

Suddenly Charles, the Lucille's doctor, came in with a little fan-shaped device, announcing that he had found something that could solve their problem. Ty listened eagerly as he sat with his legs over the edge of the cockpit.
"This fruit is native to a planet in a system not far from here. It has essential proteins and sugars, and is safe for humans to eat. Don't know about you, Nix, sorry. It should tide the rest of us over, at least."
Ty jumped down from the cockpit and headed over towards the group. "That's all well and good, but since Nix and I might not be able to eat that fruit of yours, what're we supposed to do while you three gorge yourselves on alien fruits. Eat ourselves?"

"Moskov Mason. Considering even Nix's bounty connections may not help us here," Ty turned to face Nix and looked upwards at the six foot and a half tall giant. "No offense intended, Moskov Nix." he said with a wide smile, accompanied with a high pitched hiss. "And if the Jacks cannot install the hydroponic systems in time, then might I suggest we head towards the nearest station or inhabited planet, preferably one with a more... 'unpleasant' reputation. We're bound to get something for ourselves there." Ty'Sun crossed his arms together. "Though I can't imagine we'll accept a job that's too extreme. Just something that'll get us by."

[Assistant]
Needles mentioned a fruit on a planet not far from where the team was presently, and Ty'Sun suggested that the team should simply just find a cesspool of a planet to find work. Nightstar wasn't used to making these types of decisions, he never had a day job while also being a hero. He had the occasional job on a military base between the ages of 16-18 before becoming a superhero, but this could be the last call he ever makes if they don't find food soon. Mason Mitchell wasn't quite ready to go Han Solo on the galaxy just yet.

"I'll go ahead and set course for that star system with the fruit, looks like we'll have to fly through an asteroid field so somebody should probably go down and man one of the cannons..." Nightstar said going up the stairs at the end of the cargo bay to return to the cockpit, "Needles and Multiple, one or both of you get to work setting up a hydroponics system.

Later...

"That was some fine shootin' out there!" Nightstar commented [to whomever manned the gun] at the dining table where the team ate some of the last food they had which resembled macaroni and cheese.

"I put the ship on auto-pilot, we should be eating fruit within the next hour. Was odd on the specs the ship pulled up on the planet, Nifniy is partially inhabited by what appears to be robotic plant life save for the fruit Needles mentioned. It said there were no life signs on the planet, you think Lucille scanned for machine life too or just organics?" Nightstar asked in the end, looking at Multiple.

~KL~

[User]
Nix nodded to Nightstar, moving to pick his hat back up and placing it on his head. He made his way down into the gunners chair. His gloved hands gripped around the joystick as he kept a watchful eye out for any asteroid. He only had to fire a few times, maybe five, Nightstar was a pretty good pilot so Nix didn't have to worry so much. Most of the time was spent with Nix leaning back on his chair, hoping for some sort of action to come his way lest he die of boredom.

Nix made his way up out of the gunners chair and into the dining room. He took his respirator off to eat the strange, gooey substance known to humans as 'mac and cheese'. Luckily for Nix, his biology was strikingly similar to a Humans, other than his lungs. He could live for about an hour without his respirator on, more than enough time to eat. Throughout the meal, he had been raising his respirator to his mouth and sucked in a mouthful of ammonia. It was always good to be safe. Nix's teeth were jagged like a sharks which had shocked many of the crew members at first sight, but he presumed they had gotten used to it over their time together. He nodded as Nightstar complemented his shooting, before laying his fork down and fixing his respirator back on.

[Assistant]
Needles ate quietly, occasionally glancing at Nix to try to get a surreptitious view of his teeth. He was curious about the alien's anatomy.

When Nightstar was talking about the scans of the planet, Needle's chimed in.

"According to the data, these vines that grow the fruit are an invasive species. They choke out the machines-plants or something. I'm not super sure what the records meant, I'll have to see it in context to understand fully. Hopefully, this at least means they won't be too hard to find. We should arrive soon, right?"


[System]
Species: Growlithe
Gender: Male
Moves:
-Bite
-Roar
-Ember
-Howl

Bio: Dexter was born and raised in Frigid Peak, a small town far to the north of Allure. There was snow on the ground year-round, which made it nearly impossible to grow crops. It was a fairly successful mining town, which was a good thing, since trade was very important to keep it going. Without the ability to grow their own food, they had to constantly import food from the south. Trade caravans heading along the long, winding road that lead to the town weren't an uncommon sight.

 Dexter was the oldest of 8 pups, and as a result, was also the biggest and strongest. He would constantly pick on his younger siblings, as well as other Pokemon that happened to be smaller than him. He had several friends that would help him bully other Pokemon. Sometimes they would do harmless things, such as exploring the town's outskirts. Most of the time, though, they were up to no good. Dexter and his gang of troublemakers soon gained a bad reputation among the townsfolk.

 Eventually, the townsfolk, and even Dexter's own family got tired of him and his group causing trouble. They were all cast out of Frigid Peak, and it was made very clear that they wouldn't be allowed to come back. Dexter and his group wanted to get back at the people who had banished them from their hometown, but at the moment there was nothing they could do. Just when they were ready to give up, they stumbled upon something amazing.

 There was an abandoned outpost not too far from Frigid Peak that had a worn-out trading caravan parked nearby. Okay, it may not have been that amazing, but it gave Dex an idea. If the residents of Frigid Peak were going to treat them like bandits, then they were going to be bandits. There were plenty of supplies left at the outpost that allowed them to fix it up. They then set off in search of one of the caravans on the road to Frigid Peak.

 Their first raid was easy. There was normally nothing in the area that posed a threat, so they caught the driver completely off guard. They managed to get away with all of the supplies that the townspeople were trading. It was filled with all kinds of gemstones and ores, which they managed to sell on the black market.

 After they'd raided several more caravans, some filled with ores from the mines, and some filled with supplies that the townspeople needed, the traders were beginning to get smart. They brought bodyguards with them to fend off the Dexter's bandits, and sometimes took a different path up the mountain. There were also guild members coming after them. This made things a lot more difficult, but they managed to avoid getting caught, and most of their raids were still successful.

 Everything changed, however, when a team of guild members found the outpost that Dex's group was using as their headquarters. They waited until night to attack, and ended up catching the group of bandits completely off guard. They put up a fight, but most of them ended up getting arrested that night, including Dexter. The group of bandits disbanded after that. Dexter never saw any of them again.

 He spent several years in prison after that. He constantly got into fights, one of which resulted in a scar on his chest. The guards were douchebags. He was confined to a cell most of the time. Needless to say, he hated it there. He was forced to sit behind the bars of his cell, waiting for freedom. After what felt like decades, he was finally released.

Appearance: Dexter's fur is a lot thicker than normal due to the climate he was raised in. He also has a large scar across his chest, but it's mostly covered by his fur.
Differences: He has Howl, which he inherited from his Mightyena father.

[User]
As Celes moved forwards, staying near Spruce, she felt that they were fallowed. She looked back, seeing the eevee from earlier, saddened, tears in it's eyes. Celes looked at it and sighed. It moved forwards.
"I... I just don't know anymore... I... I am sorry. I just don't understand what is happening now..." he then says, before Celes let out a slight sight.
"Just let us go on in our way and go back with your parents." she then says, before seeing the eevee cry a bit more at the mention of parents.
"I... I don't have any parents... I was left alone all this time...." it then said. Celes looked at it saddened a bit. All alone.... no wonder he would be affected easily by a lie like that. She though about it more. Her parent had some explanations to give her, that she knew about the whole powers she have, but this little guy would not be able to survive if he went on for too long. She lean down next to it.
"I think I could ask my parents to take care of you if you want.... if you come to my world." she then says to him. The eevee looked at her, a slight spark in his eyes.
"Really?!" he says. Celes nod's.
"After we get what we were going to get here, I will bring you to my parents.... I need to visit them anyway and I could try to get them to adopt you." she says. The eevee smiles and then yip a bit.
"Thank you!" he says before Celes turns around, seeing Spruce had move forwards without her. Well... that was quick.... no waiting... She sighed as she sees the sneazle, the numel and the pidgeotto. She quickly rushed forwards and then used swift towards the bird, hitting him straight on.
"Hey! Instead of calling him a traitor maybe you should think a bit by yourselves of the situation! Giratina was tricked, but it seemed you guys are too blind to see it!" she then says, a new anger in her eyes as she stand tall, full of energy, only wanting to strike those guys down now. She had her chains formed right now, ready to strike those that came to close.

[Assistant]
-William-
"Hey, good idea," I say, not paying attention to her choosing the black gummi. I run in and grab my journal and climb up the ladder, saying "You guys can stay here," as I go out into Treasure Town, and cross the limits and go into Allure Town. I walk to my parent's house, and transform into a Kecleon. I walk in, and look around. "Mum? Dad?" I ask, peeking around a corner. They were just barely about to eat lunch. My parents were old now. Near the unfortunate and unstoppable force of death. My vision goes blurry for a second as I see some black mist flood into the room, but my parent's didn't seem to notice.*Are they truly that senile?*I thought as I see the black mist engulf them. My vision goes blurry again and I sit down, taking a few breaths and looking back up. My mother stood up to get me the soup she had made, her body shaking and quivering from her old and weakened state. I stand up and say "Oh, uh, mom, I can get it, just relax and enjoy my company," as I walk in and grab a bowl and pour some of the soup into said bowl. I go back to the table and begin eating, smiling at my parents. My dad, as usual, was crotchety and grumpy. He smiled for a second before continuing to grumble about his body. "So, I have some news..." I say. "Um... I got a new job," I say, first. "Oh, how'd you get fired from your old one?" my dad asks. I cough, and say "My boss fired me for asking him not to yell at me and publicly embarrass me," and then mom says "I never liked that old zoroark. Money hog, he is..." and I say "It's at the guild. I rescue people and help them find lost things. It's great, I got this whole team of people helping me with the job and they're all friendly." As I took a few sips of the soup, my dad asks "So, have you found a girl yet?" and I shake my head. He has a mighty sigh and says "So I guess I'll die before I get to see any of my grandchildren," and I was offended by this. "There aren't that many kecleon gals out there," I say, and then he soon gets in a fight with me about children and such. I put my bowl away, and change back into a smeargle. "Imposter! You're not my son!!" my father exclaims. I toss the book towards him, and pissed off, I leave, stubbing my toe on the way out and making it worse.

"Just forget them and let them die! They don't care about you, they care about themselves, the selfish arses!" a mysterious voice says. "Yeah..." I grumble, and someone bumps into me. "Watch it!" the pokemon says. "You watch where you're going!" I yell, and then the blaziken turns around. "What did you just say to me you punk?" he asks. I get up in his face and say "I said watch where you're going!" and he pushes me. I push him back and he says "I'll give you a five minute head-start, start running," and I see him make flames kick up from his arms. I realize what I had just done and bolt away, taking five minutes to get back to treasure town. In less than one he's already caught up to me and grabbed me by the scruff of my neck. I kick around and try to get him to release me. "I'm not letting you go until you say sorry," he says. I say "Sorry!" many times before he suddenly drops me, making me fall on my face. I stand up and run off again, going into the guild. I go down the ladder and sit down. "Ugh... what a day," I grumble.


[System]
"My family is out there, somewhere. And so is that stupid Stork!"
Age:
17

Species:
Alpaca

Personality:
Brave and adventurous, Heena tends to be the first to step forward in any situation, no matter how bleak or hopeless it might seem. Charging ahead with the mindset that she can succeed when confronted with any challenge. She is generally accepting of others, able to show a smile and some happiness when around anyone she likes. Though she has some inner conflicts considering who she is, she doesn't often speak of them to others, as she doesn't like to appear weak in any regard as she thinks it clashes with her current self.

Likes:
- Flowers
- Romantic Stories
- Spitting
- Anything Sour
- Exploration
- Companionship

Dislikes:
- Whining/Complaining
- Hunger Pains
- Puns
- Heights
- Perverts
- Small, Enclosed Spaces
- People Who Suggest For Her To Shave
- Squirrels
- Nicknames

History:
Raised by a family of Llama's due to being delivered to the incorrect location by a shoddy Stork, Heena lived most of her life wrapped in a lie. As she grew up, she found herself with much more hair than anyone else in her family; She was shorter in every regard, and found herself spitting all over the place awkwardly during dinner. It didn't add up, at least to her. It wasn't until the age of sixteen that she confronted her parents about it and was given the horrible truth; They confirmed her thoughts, telling her she was, in fact, not a Llama.

It was only a few days after that she felt the urge to leave. Knowing that she had a family out there that she never got to know was shocking, and she knew she had to find them in order to clear up who she really was. Though it worried her somewhat; What would this family think of her once she found them? It was, honestly, a little scary. But that certainly wouldn't stop her from finding them, no matter what the cost.

Other:
- Heena can spit farther than almost any other creature.
- Heena can spit out acidic stomach substances, which are not only disgusting, but also can burn depending on what she last ate.
- Heena's hindlegs are fairly strong, and it will hurt if she kicks you.

[User]
"General Suckfudge." A deep, brooding voice said.

A man standing next to him visibly cringed, as if he didn't enjoy being called by that name.

"Yes, milord?"

"Where are the misfits now?"

"They are nearing the town, milord." The general said, "They will reach the outskirts soon."

"Are the preparations in place?"

"Yes, milord. The men are in place."

"Hue hue hue hue..." the voice said, "They will never know what hit them!"

Behind him, a soldier whispered to his friend.

"Does he know that everyone takes the piss out of his laugh behind his back?"

The room was silent for a few seconds.

"...He's deaf." His friend said.

Dunt dunt, DUUUUUNNNNNTTT
---
On a hill overlooking the city of Polis, a large glittering city built on several thousand years of trade and debauchery, a rather strange group of creatures stood at its top. There was a moving rusty old-fashioned diving suit, a pretty looking male harpy, a white alpaca with a red bow, a land shark nibbling on a guidebook and an unnaturally swollen blobfish. They had journeyed long and far, one to find a meaning, two for something they never had; and two to find death, and embrace it. Little did they know, their true journey started here...
"Alright, so..." the land shark known as Luka prised a partially eaten guidebook from his teeth. "Apparently the city is called Polis."

He put the book onto the ground and flipped through it with his front paws.

"According to this book, Polis is famous for it's accurate Stork records and it's various dating hotlines."

He peered more closely at the book.

"Apparently Storks come and go pretty often so their records should be pretty extensive. "

He flipped over a page.

"Let's see... There's apparently a pretty popular normal dating hotline which many people use, and there's also a dry-land marine life dating hotline as well. It's also apparently staffed by some pretty friendly Sirens."

He closed the book, satisfied he'd gleaned all he could, and looked back at the group behind him.

"Hopefully we can find more about what we're looking for in this city." He said, "What do you guys want to do first?"

[Assistant]
"Don't you think this sounds too good to be true? That this whole city has everything we need, and we only traveled a couple weeks to get here?" The dead man continued his rant, "From my hundred years of experience, I can tell you that places like this never turn out like they are supposed to be. And if I was wrong I'd finally be dead, but here I am!"
He took off his helmet and looked at the city, with his empty eye sockets. "You know what,It's no New York,but I think I'm going to give this a chance"


[System]
Age:
21

Sex:
Male

Hair Color:
Sandy Brown/Grey

Eye color:
Red

Weapon:
Calabolg - A sword passed down to Braska by his father. It stands as a testament to how far Braska has came as a swordsman. He effortlessly blends his swordsmanship with magic to create something stupendous.

Biography:
Braska has lived the life of stardom ever since he could remember. With his father being leader of the Zanarkand Abes, reconstructing Zanarkand, and his mother as the high summoner, Braska stayed in the spotlight as eldest of his siblings. Tidus raised his son to live the life of a blitzball player while also teaching him how to fight. Little did Tidus know that Kimahri and Yuna were both teaching the young boy in the ways of combat and magic. Taking after his grandfather's legacy, Braska went on to achieve spectacular stardom as a Zanarkand Abe but little did he know that fate would bring him into the same life that his father once lived.

Personality:
Braska has been described as a lazy but confident man and someone you can rely on by his comrades. He is smart and has a great sense of humor. He believes in his own methods of doing things not abiding by any other methods, he is very laid back and only speaks words when he feels that he needs to. When people are in his presence they tend to find it hard to speak to him due to the way he gives off a natural presence, making them silent. Normally Braska is the one to start and finish a conversation, he is very hard to predict and tell his emotions due to him having a natural poker-face, he stands out in crowds and is very easy to notice and pick up on.

Are you arriving in Besaid or Living there?
Considering how far the rp is, Braska will be arriving where needed.

[User]
Alex gave a deadpanned expression as she watched Braska show off and if her hands were free, she would of face palmed. So instead she simply smirked a bit. "Yeah you were pretty good... When I didn't tackle you and knock your ass outta the sphere." the red head smirked teasingly. Braska was always a meathead, just like his father, but she couldn't help but feel a bit close and responsible over him. His parents did do a lot for her.

When they reached the temple steps, Alex smirked a bit excitedly. These steps were quite famous for races and momentarily, she forgot any aches and pains she had as she started racing up the stairs at a fast pace, using her long strong muscular toned legs to carry her. She released the two men she'd be assisting walking/dragging to effectively boot up the steps. If they needed help, she'd run back down and help them.

"Wooooo race ya to the top! Last one there pays dinner!" Alex shouted as she bounded up the steps. Reaching the top, she stretched and smirked, giving a laugh before looking down toward the party.

Despite the attacks, the lack of sleep, her friends slowly leaving, and having weird body attacks, the adventure was still exciting for the tall woman. It felt like she was so alive! It was awesome!

When the others caught up, as a seemed to recognize the place and started hyperventilating and basically having a panic attack. Blinking her blue eyes in minor confusion, they narrowed as the summoner huddled up against Gippal. For the love of the ancestors these suitors were impossible.

Still, this time, Alex felt like she couldn't interfere as Eva was sobbing which made Alex twitch, not knowing what to do and felt hesitation. The Ice Witch spoke up to the summoner and the red head scratched the back of her head, trying to think of a way to make the girl stop crying. She despised crying. It didn't make her mad, it just made her panic and desperate. And panicking was a awful feeling.

Moving closer, she lightly patted the summoner on the head. "Hey come on. I know temples can be a biiiiiit... Off. Trust me I'm like, number one on the sin list. Of top twenty at least. I walk in there, I swear I will get hit in the shin with a steel staff. So no worries, priests will be too mad at me to give you any grief. But ha know, there's a big fire beast in there who I'm sure is bored out of his mind and would love to meet a pretty maiden after like twenty years or so. I mean, have you seen it down there? Super boring. Just a bunch of monster buddies to keep him company. He's probably itching to get into action again. Though, I'm sure he won't mind if you take a few to take a nap, have a nice tall glass of iced Coconut Pinapple Mari, and catch a few Z's. Maybe go shopping, ya know this place actually has a pretty good shopping center now. Or or, you can pretend I am the embodiment of whatever is bothering you and slap the shit outta me." Alex laughed in a sort of rapid joking tone as her mind tried her best to think on what to do. This was her way of attempting to cheer someone up, buuuu it wasn't always effective. Having wrapped a arm around both Gippal and Eva, bringing them both in one of her one armed bear hugs but not splitting them apart. While her other hand moved about, gesturing to places she mentioned and even smacking herself in the face, right across her right cheek after she pulled away from the two. Obviously not holding back as there was now a nice sweltering red handprint mark on her cheek.

Taking a few moments, she took a deep breath before clapping her hands together in front of her chest before holding her right hand up with her index finger pointed. "I'm going to get some rooms at the Kalu Malu inn." she stated before quickly storming away, mumbling about how big of a dunce she was.

[Assistant]
"…" Nai's eye twitched, watching Eva curl up against Gippal. The mage couldn't help herself, but feel jealousy towards the summoner. It was inevitable, they both loved the same man and it showed. Nai was sure her expression was quite ugly at the moment, so she quickly turned away. Urick was probably the only person who could see her face.

 At this very moment, Naisha had the desire to fire flares left and right to vent her frustration. It probably showed as her arm was also twitching. It was a bad idea to come on this mission like this, a very baaaaaaaaaad idea. She had to travel separately from the others otherwise she wasn't sure how much she will be able to control herself before she does something stupid. Maybe after all she was going to contact Rikku from Luca. Along with Lady Yuna and her teacher, auntie Rikku as she liked to be called, Nai felt them as close relatives. Yeah… once they got to Luca, she was going to go to a separate path from the rest. It was for the best… She knew Gippal wanted to protect Eva and knew that if things continue like this, at some point things will end with confrontation with the summoner. It was scary thinking how such thoughts could even appear in her mind.

 'Calm yourself. It's not healthy for you stay frustrated like that.' The cold voice ran through her mind. The mage knew that it was right, as her emotions raged, it made it hard to focus on recovering.

 Shaking her head, she turned around and focused on the other childhood friend she hadn't seen in a while." Hey Braska, if you don't mind me asking, why weren't you at the game earlier? I didn't see you among the players in the sphere." Nai asked a complexly unrelated question changing her own focus to calm her nerves from the sight of Gippal and Eva.

[User]
Sifen was dragged away from the frail weirdly half demon girl. He somehow never noticed her horn and weird arm. "Hey man, we both got weird arms man, you need to cool it with the-" he was cut off by the girl swooping on her chair into the air. Guess it was fixed and now could fly. Neat. He didn't even notice that someone was carrying it. He also didn't notice that almost half an hour had passed since that moment and he was being dragged through the jungle. It seemed like seconds had passed since he said that to Nai but he was wrong.

He was starting to come down halfway through the trek and started noticing things going on. Mostly that everyone was in love in the group aside from him, Maximus and Braska. Even Alex seemed to look at Urick every now and then so it seemed she too was more capable of love than these three. Maybe Braska loved himself and maybe Maximus was one of those monks that can't have sex. They both had reasons but Sifen was just... he didn't know. He felt like he liked some girls but never knew what love was really supposed to be since he missed the whole teenager with raging hormones surrounded by other gender teenagers phase. He knew what it was like to love a family member but heard that it's gross when people love them the same way they do a girlfriend or wife. Which was weird since wives are your family, yet you can love them like a girlfriend but not a mother like one. It was complicated and Sifen never bothered with it much.

Another half hour passed and seemed like 10 minutes this time. He was sober after the light jog he did almost the whole way there. It wasn't necessary but he kept trying to match pace with Alex as she held his hand, hopping to get his strides as long as hers the majority of the way. All of his actions seemed so... strange. Even for him they weren't normal and he was a fairly abstract guy. He felt the grip on his arm loosen and he was free. He was so used to being dragged he just stopped walking as he was released. He turned to see the end of a strange angry look from Nai and a scene again full of a weird amount of romance behind him. "I'm too poor to lose this race. So uh, I'll just walk look at Nai's chair for a bit, feel free to carry her up though, I just need the chair. Simple machina checkup, weird how it's still floating while it's broken." He walked over and put his ear up against it listening for the whir of a hovering engine but heard nothing. It was weird, all AL Bhed tech had a similar whir to it. Even the best stuff still had some noise when you put your ear to it. "Hmmm..." He said with a deepened tone

Sifen pulled his head away and tried to grab a small little device to light things up like a torch but found that his left arm was in fact nonexistent. He blushed and pushed away from the chair and headed to the stairs with his missing arm in a position that would have tucked it behind his back, had he had anything past an elbow. His face was red and continued back until he hit the stairs with his heel and he quickly turned around and raced after Alex who had already arrived at the top. He kept his stub tucked tight against his body. He felt so useless and embarrassed at that moment. A mechanic with one arm was no better than a gunman with one arm. He didn't even have a pistol or a one handed weapon unless he modified his rifle, but he couldn't make it back into a rifle if he shortened it and weakened it that much. He got to the top and looked to the temple doors, Alex was in his peripheral vision but he couldn't look her in the face. He smiled though. He didn't need an arm to climb those stares. He didn't need an arm to get out of those ropes earlier either. Maybe this wasn't so bad. But maybe it was. Time would certainly tell. He was second up the stairs as well, so he definitely didn't need an arm to pay for dinner. He chuckled a little. He wasn't sad about this whole mess, just embarrassed.

[Assistant]
Maximus rubbed his head as he walked to the steps of the temple. He was back to his sense now. The last bit he had been really quiet, remembering what happened an hour before. His hand gripped the sheath of his Sword tightly under the cross guard. He was ashamed of his actions towards Alex. Suddenly Eva started hyperventilating and crying, not wanting to be here. He cocked his head in confusion. What was wrong?

He watched as She curled up in Gippals arms. Holding him like a security blanket. He noticed Nai looking away, Alex contemplating doing or not doing something, Saina talking to Eva and suddenly clacking her heel as suddenly an alchemy circle appeared above Gippal and Eva. Snow started to fall. What power was this?? He never saw the like.

It was then Alex tried to cheer her up.. but it sounded like she was talking to a child. After she was done she ran off to get a room. While this happened he waited, staying silent and watching.


[System]
"Greetings, my name is Lunalel. Just call me Luna. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Age: 19
Gender:  Female of course

"Of course I wear my family's armor. I must represent them and show others how respectful we are."

Appearance:
Lunalel is a blonde woman that stands at approximately 5'10". Typically, one can find her in a set of lighter looking plate armor with her family's seal on it and a sword at her side.

Personality
Lunalel is a righteous person, believing that everyone has their own personal set of rights. She is likely to help others in dangerous situations and live up to the Lightsword Code of Honor. She's friendly enough though, and is pretty relaxed overall though her speech patterns follows formality of the nobles though.

"There's really not much to know. I'm a Knightess and a Magic-user."

History:
Lunalel is the daughter of the current Lord of the Lightsword house. As a whole, the house is fairly popular among it's people for the way the Lord treats them as people rather than property.

On the other hand, every citizen is expect to have at least a year of military training by their 20th year of life completes. This is a measure to make sure each and every citizen is able to protect their selves and their families.

Lunalel is no exception and in fact is a paragon of the system itself. As a noble, she is not expected to farm or doing peasants would do to make money, so instead starting from age ten she began her training as a knight, traveling from village to village under the banner of the Lightsword house.

As she reached the age of fifteen, she found her own powers of light magic and practiced on her own. Her father decided that the best thing for her was that she be sent to St. Sappho Academy to study some years later. He heard suspicious things about the Headmistress. . . But he fell to the words of his daughter to allow her to go.

Magic:
Lunalel is a practicioner of Light Magic as she uses it to smite her foes and assist her allies. Her first real spell is her "Light Aigis". It summons a giant shield of light that will block most attacks. In addition, she can also attack her enemies with a large blade of light she dubs, "Bright Blade". She also has lightly learned how to heal, though it will mostly just heal up small cuts in a timely manner.

Limitations
Lunalel's biggest weakness is most likely the fact that she lacks any real range in her arsenal of skills and feats.

[User]
The magierprinz largely ignored the dog's antics, instead listening to the village elder explain the issue. There were very few specifics, but it was easily understandable why a problem had been caused. Although Selvina wondered what was going on with these sorcerers - a powerful sorcerer to an uneducated village chief could be the same as a mediocre college student in Sappho - the girl listened anyways as she tried to put on a non-lethal smile and nodded.

Well, until the puppy was hit over the head by something random. He would follow the dog if she gave chase immediately, but if he had a second to react he would walk over and grab her hand firmly. "They are antagonizing us. Don't let it get to you, alright?" Swen let go of the girl's hot hands after a moment, sighing.

[Assistant]
Lunalel Lightsword and Eith

Eith didn't like it one bit, getting hit as she did. It made her recoil slightly, but she merely watched the person as they ran off. Her eyes glowed red and flames slightly shot out her nostrils. When Selvinia grabbed her hand, the Shellagh turned around to look at her. "They're merely luck I've made a promise to you, Caras. Most Shellagh would ignore such a hit and chase someone attacking them out of the blue like that. It's cowardly. Alas, I've been bound by promise. Whatever I may be, I'm no promise-breaker." Eith said as she grabbed the girl's hand and walked back to where her caretaker was sitting before and looked to the elder with red eyes, albeit lacking the flaming nostrils. "You should teach whoever it was, that they should not attack people that could do something rash to them."

Luna looked at Eith. She would have said something about that being rude, but in reality her friend took a hit from a resident of this town. Under other circumstances, she might have been a bit rash in reacting, but Eith seemed not so bothered. In fact, she didn't seem hardly phased physically, though she seemed a bit. . . Irate. She hid it well it seemed at least. She just elected to stay silent.

[User]
~Selvinia & Co~

The elder laughed quietly at Eiths reaction. It was good to see these youths so lively, but...they were heading into somewhere that could very well be dangerous.

"Likely from the temple. Have no power there." The elder replied. "If you intend to still go, would be best to wait for tomorrow and set out early. You may stay here, if you wish. No one should bother you as long as you behave. A few spare beds upstairs, though someone may have to sleep on the floor. Cannot say if you'll be given entrance, however."

"Hehe, good!" Lyssa replied happily. "This place looks like tons of fun! I'm gonna go say hi to some people. Annnyone wanna come with? I'ma turn those frowns of those peoples upside down and this place will be the most fun on the entire mountain!" It was clear the demon actually intended to follow through on that promise. Perhaps someone should try and stop or go with her.

[Assistant]
Selvina listened to Eith as she grabbed her hand and brought them back to the normal conversation, sighing in relief as the hound didn't start a bloodbath. Luna seemed a little bothered, and meanwhile the elder seemed to have cheered up slightly. The noble listened to the other person's advice, thinking about it.

On one hand, it would be a bad idea to camp in the middle of the mountain. They would be exposed to the elements and likely sleep badly despite any preparations the group could make. And they could be ambushed.

On the other, it would be a bad idea to arrive exhausted at the temple after a day of hiking. His own powers required focus and clarity of the mind, and keeping their heads straight would be a challenge after such a workout. It would likely upset the locals if they remained here and it was also possible that the elder was betraying them. While he was kind, and perhaps his acceptance of outsiders was wisdom, it was also possibly an attempt to put on a ruse and lower the groups guard. A quick look at Eith was the final decision maker for Selvina. When they had been ambushed in the tavern, it was possible many of the patrons could have died. Being in this man's house put the entire village at risk if the fight turned out badly, and the majority of Selvina's powers were badly hampered due to the possibility of collateral damage while indoors.

"I thank you for your advice, but I feel it would be better for us to begin heading up the mountain today. Your village is wonderful, and our presence here obviously is causing it stress. Hopefully this can account for any inconvenience we caused." The magierprinz gave a quick bow to the elder along with placing a few silver coins on the table before looking to the rest of the group and starting out the building.

Of course, she was stopped as her arm tugged behind her. Oh. Eith was still holding her hand. "Eith. I know you like me and everything, but it's okay to let go ... is everything alright?" If the party began to head out Selvina would follow, but there was currently a very strong object holding her in place.

[User]
Lunalel Lightsword and Eith

Eith looked down to where her hand and her caretaker's met and then up to Caras. "Is this an issue?" Eith asked as she released the hand she had held onto. "I'll follow you." Eith added, as she practically wagged her tail. "I just need to keep you safe." She added, forgetting she ever told Selvina about the deal she made with that maid.

Luna took the time to consider their actions. If the left now it's be much darker and much cooler than it needed to be. Then again, it's reach that point eventually, wouldn't it. "That said, leaving later in the day as it appears could put us in danger of freezing. Even with Eith, it could turn to be an issue with the cold. I'll stand watch if need-be, but I think it wise to stay here for the day if this gentleman would give us leave to stay the night." Luna definitely sounded sure on this herself, but resigned, "However, I suppose I should defer to your judgement on this? Take my thoughts as you will."

[Assistant]
~Selvinia & Co~

The Elder frowned as Selvinia replied that she thought it'd be best for them to head up the mountain.

"Erm, you sure that's a good idea?" Lyssa replied to Swen. "It'll only get a loot colder as we head up, won't it? And erm, I don't really do so well in the cold." She could handle a bit of snow and ice mind you. Snow was best! So fluffy white and fun! But her usual residence didn't get much in the way of frost at all. It was one of the reasons she did, in fact, like 'cuddles'. Also snow. Snow was so fun. She was gonna build a snow man on top of the mountain.

"Unwise." He said, holding a hand to his chin. "Friend there is correct." He glanced over to the window where Eith was previously looking out. "They know you are here, likely will make the trip dangerous." He shook his head, resting his hand on the chair. "I will not stop you. Be careful. Things live on the mountain...gods, creatures that call the place home. Have heard their calls. Upset, angry..."

Lyssa frowned, looking over to Swen. She'd go if everyone else went, but that just sounded like a bad idea! Besides, she didn't thin these guys were dangerous or would do anything to them. They seemed nice, after all!

[User]
Selvina listened to the advice of the group. Spending the night on the mountain wouldn't be too harsh for them, would it? Hadn't they heard of blankets? The girl had practically brought an entire sack of them designed for the worst nights in Northern Germany when the lakes froze over and the creeks stopped running. And besides, his father was not one to enjoy that sort of discomfort and had designed a few simple cantrips to make maintaining one's body heat more easier for extended durations.

However the new information that there was possibly monsters on the mountain made the girl think. On one hand, such things usually amounted to superstition from villages like this. On the other, there was a temple up there that was known to have a sealed creature within it, and power tended to attract power. And spending the night within a short trip of possible guards was a bad decision.

It was also possible that if the elder was working with them, that he was under threat or unable to reveal all of his information in precise ways. So his warning could be forced to be vague.

"Actually, it would be nice to have a day to do another review of my notes ..." Selvina had noticed the stories were jumbled and odd, and would have to find congruencies between the references. The events of the weekend had distracted her despite her best attempts based on recent information. The noble gave a quick bow in the direction of the village elder. "I apologize for my indecisiveness, but I thank you for your hospitality. Taking the advice of those nearest is wise in this case, I think." With that settled, Selvina looked towards the others in her party.

But it would be a bad idea to let Lyssa wonder around. And Eith possibly as well ... was the hound wagging her tail? This was ... an odd development, but not a bad one. Why was she suddenly so protective? The magierprinz reached up scratched her a little behind the ears instinctively before stopping and giving the girl an apologetic look. She probably didn't like that sort of attention a lot. "Just stay close to me and rest, alright? I'm going to depend on you to help me get up there tomorrow." Her physical strength would hopefully be able to make up for her own lack of endurance.

Now to handle Lyssa ... was there possibly a way to make her not be depressed if she wasn't allowed outside? Luna was responsible enough and -

An idea popped into the magierprinz's mind. The demoness would feel a hand land on her shoulder as the magierprinz squeezed it slightly. If the elder seemed approving, Selvina would lead the two of them upstairs to where they could speak more privately. She didn't mind if the other two did follow, but she would rather have this temporary condition remain as private as possible.

Then she tried to broadcast the most you are the only one who can do this/I need you look she could manage into the other girl's eyes. "And Lyssa ... I actually need your help with something. These recent changes are ... unusual, and I could use some guidance in being ... you know. Different." Selvina was surprised by how genuine the next part of her request seemed though. "Because you are really adorable and I figured if I'm going to be stuck like this, perhaps I should learn how it works from the master, right?"

[Assistant]
Lunalel Lightsword and Eith

Eith took the ear scratches and pushed into it a little bit. It wasn't all too bad to have a servant scratch you behind the ears every now and then. The Shellagh then looked into Selvina's apologetic face as she mentioned she was depending on Eith. The dog's ears went straight up as she nodded, "Sure." It was the master's job to take care of the servant in times of danger after all. If master and servant worked together, much could be accomplished.

Luna looked around. If they were going to sit around here all day, she had little to do than sharpen her sword and talk. She didn't feel like leaving the house and deal with possible riff-raff. Perhaps she could prepare in other ways. "Elder." The Knightess said as she turned to the old man. "You mentioned 'gods' and 'creatures', would there be anything you could tell me about that. If I have to fight, I fight. I would prefer not to do such a thing if possible though. I'd like to avoid a dangerous position if possible. If not so, knowledge of what we would face would behoof us in the coming struggle." Luna said, with a bit on melancholy in her voice. "That said, should you have questions you believe I could answer, do not reluct in asking."


[System]
AGE: 28
GENDER: Male
ZONE: N/A

PERSONALITY: Eli will initially come across as the type who's snarky, work-focused, and quick to take charge of almost any situation. At his core, however, he's a decent person. Years of constant working, guiding Somniatis agents into the unknown, and losing trust in people he once looked up to, have all left him in a state of mind that does not easily allow things like friendships and admirations to grow. But behind all that is a man who desires nothing more than to see both himself and those he works with succeed in all their endeavors, and he will often go to surprising lengths to see such things through to the end. While it is never immediately apparent, he does care about the wellbeing of the Zoners, if only so that they can maintain their capability and willingness to continue fighting.

HISTORY: Elias Winzer, otherwise known as Eli, or "Operator", is the appointed leader of Somniatis' ongoing effort to construct a defense against the otherworldly beings appearing on Earth. He is the man in charge of locating Zoners across the globe, sending agents to retrieve them, welcoming them to the facility, accommodating them to the facility, and guiding them in their excursions into the Zones. He is the only known individual capable of operating the Nexus Projector, the machine that allows the Zoners to enter any Zone at any time, at the cost of reduced power effectiveness.

As far as he is willing to say, Eli has been with Somniatis for years now, and was a supporting figure in the construction of the Nexus Projector alongside the group's founder, Robert Kilander, who passed away just under two years ago. Beyond all that, you won't get much without asking politely.

APPERANCE
* PHYSICAL:
* IN-ZONE: N/A

POWERS
* NEXUS: N/A
* REM: N/A

OTHER: Nothing of note. Yet.

[User]
Lenora Puglesivic

Well, Lenora, Mom was right. You didn't say your prayers before bed and now you've been kidnapped by secular humanists, just like she said.

The thought bounced wryly around her head as Lenora returned the spork to her pocket. It had been years since she had spoken to any member of her immediate family. She had a few cousins who had also left the faith, but she didn't have much in common with them. So, unlike most people there, the thought of her family hadn't even occurred to her until Eli brought it up.

Well. What did she have to lose? She only bothered to work so that she could fund her hobbies. The dreams were interesting enough to count as a hobby. If she could get someone to pay her room and board while she was here, then she didn't have a problem with the situation. Much. She still might attempt escape - Nora wasn't super thrilled at the idea of secret compounds - but for now, she was comfortable going along with the project.

"I'll go," she said. "I don't have to be from the red city, right? I mean, dream myself there? Because my dreams are of the maze-factory."

[Assistant]
Henry Olin

---

"It's my home turf, and being in the zone is a million times better than being in a damn wheelchair. So I'm in." Miriam piped up. Henry, who was still rubbing his knee like the bitch he was, also raised a hand. "I've been hearing way to much about the other zones and the Nexus. I've been waiting for two weeks to get in on it. Sign me up." Henry said, raising his hand AGAIN. He knew that when he showed up he would be different than his REM form. But he also knew some other things that would occur with some work. So he wanted to get in on that as soon as he could.

"Hey Eli," Henry said out loud. "What kind of stuff are we going to be facing in Zone One? Some people might want to know what they're going to be up against!" He shouted. He knew full well what they would be facing. Denizens were the equivalent of innocent civilians, while aggressors were their enemy. Big and red and on fire and armed to the teeth. Not fun to deal with, at least by the sounds of it. "Also, should we be expecting anything different from the Nexus projector that wouldn't occur in normal sleep?"

Miriam on the other hand, was ecstatic. She didn't know anything regarding the Nexus or REM stages, at least not yet. She however, did know that in Zone One, she was unstoppable. She wasn't as offensive as Julian or some of the other zoners despite being a fire wielder, but she couldn't be touched by their weapons. She was made of condensed ash and smoke. If they shot her, she just reformed. Her body wasn't affected by things such as bullets or blades. Rather things like water or slime. This mission would be a walk in the park, and an excuse to flex her muscles to show that cancer girl might be a bitch, but she was no wimp.

[User]
Jazz
Location: Unknown

Jazz is satisfied with Bobby's answer, as well as the other man's. She then turns to see their gracious, yet slightly snobby looking host walk in through the door and begin to talk about why they are here. He flashes up pictures of the places where others had been in their dreams, but the foggy wilderness stabs at her heart like a knife. She gasps slightly, grabbing a seat with a shaking hand. She recognizes the wilderness from her own dreams and she imagines those creatures that she has seen in them. It is not a pleasant sight. She looks up as he asks for volunteers to go into the first Zone: the red city. This would be a good chance for her to do some research and studying of these so called "Zones". It's not like she had much to lose.

"I'll go!" she says, standing up quickly. "I'm originally from the foggy wilderness, but this is much more exciting, especially if I get to explore." She smiles and pushes her glasses up on her nose as she looks around at the other people who volunteered: the girl in the wheel chair, another girl and the spastic boy who keeps waving his hand. She smiles. This would be a fun group to go with, but she would some how have to sneak away so she could explore.

[Assistant]
The conversation had long since died to a lull by the time the cafeteria doors opened once more. The procession of service bots indicated that it wasn't just another abductee and the fact that the man at the end didn't wear the scrubs every other occupant had on solidified that. He wondered if the robots would be able to do anything if there were some unhappy souls amongst the two hundred or so individuals around, but quickly surmised that other safety measures had been put in place. Thankfully the "presentation" got underway far quicker than the man in charge had arrived, otherwise Julian likely would have caused an incident. It was one thing to be kidnapped by an organization to face a very real threat. It was another to be kept waiting rather than be promptly briefed.

Although given how roundabout this Eli was making the explanation, the urge to interrupt and simply tell the man to get on with it was hard to clamp down on. A quiet sigh was had when the point was finally made and Julian raised his head as the room's lights flicked back on. With a shrug he stood up among the many still seated around him. "Suppose it's my home turf too." It was rare that Julian worked with others in the "dreamscape", so he didn't particularly care too much about the other volunteers. Still...

It'd be interesting to see what abilities the blonde manifested given she was from the third zone, and he'd yet to hear anything about it. The pudgy kid had his head on right he supposed, the questions were good ones, even if his attitude was rather cheerful for the morbid task ahead. He had no idea who Miriam was in the Zone given the drastic appearance shifts that could occur, so he reserved judgement. The last girl seemed to have her priorities mixed up and her head in the clouds, but, small frown aside, he kept quiet and turned his attention back to Eli.

Now hopefully this was done in a more timely manner than Eli had arrived.


[System]
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Rank: Noble
Species: Human
Appearance: Miral stands at about five foot nine without heels on and is of a rather slender build, though there are muscles in those slender arms. She has tanned skin from spending a good amount of time outside training with her cousin. She had a few scars on her arms and a couple of her thighs from her getting too cocky, and him reminding her of her place as far as fighting goes. She has long blonde hair and she keeps it in a wrap of sorts to keep it out of the way. She is of high breeding though so she has smooth skin, aside from her scars, and typically has on at least a little powder to try and reign in her tan. Her eyes are typically hazel, but they turn a fiery orange whenever she's casting magic.
Personality: Miral is a "take no crap" kind of gal. She knows what she wants, and she takes it. She is a fierce competitor that will never surrender in a fight or a challenge, even if she's losing- you're going to have to knock her out or completely obliterate her chances of victory before she'll stop. She's also more of an ask forgiveness, not permission person; she doesn't have time for you to decide if she's allowed to do it, but she can stand and listen to a lecture when she's finished if she wasn't supposed to. She's always been high-born, her parents pampering her and honing her magic skills so that she can stay in the high society, so she's got an inherent over developed sense of self-worth, but she also has a strong drive to improve herself and continue learning new magicks so that she can climb the ladder. She isn't satisfied with "enough" if there is more to be had. She's stubborn, willful, and passionate, though aside from her cousin, she hasn't learned how to have a sense of camaraderie with others.
History: Miral, as previously mentioned, was born with a silver spoon. From the moment she first showed her ability to use magic, she had the best tutors that the city had to offer. Her parents were pleased with where they were in society. They were high enough to be pratically nobles, but not high enough that they had to deal with the inner politics of the castle. For Miral, it was like listening to crazy people when they talked about where they were being "good enough." She quickly outgrew her tutors and began getting books from the university- the place where scholars honed and created new magicks for people to learn, a sort of high society of their own as people understood they were the reason for the city's advancement. She would study and study and hone her skills until she herself was worthy of competing for her own place in society.
Her parents couldn't argue with her determination, even if they hadn't wanted an elevated position. They had to move up with her as her skills outgrew their rank, but with this mission, she is proving herself an adult ready of being free from her parents watch, which will allow them to thankfully move back down in society. When they moved up in the world, they decided that Miral would need some sort of protection to watch her back against those who would play dirty to get ahead (Black magic and blood magic are forbidden taboos, but that doesn't mean people don't still try to use them), and so they hired someone they knew they could trust. They hired her cousin Ryfon. Ryfon had zero magical capabilities, but he was more than capable with just about any weapon. He and Miral would train together, and she became increasingly frustrated that while she excelled in magic beyond most adults capabilities, he would school her with his sword skills. So she decided she too would learn to use a weapon, though Ryfon insisted since his whole purpose was to protect her that she would use something that would allow her to keep some distance between her and her enemy.
With Ryfon's guidance and her own wild determination, she became rather proficient with a heavy ended pike. She discovered spells that could help back the weapon lighter in her hands and also some that could set the thing ablaze. She and Ryfon became quite close through their training so when Miral heard of this venture and that the lower class could accompany them, one for each noble, she signed Ryfon up with her, not really asking if she was allowed to as she would have no one else watching her back.
Extra: Her main spell set, though she knows a good deal more, is creating an area that burns anything that enters it, using fire as sort of a booster to move her forward (a launcher so to speak), her two main weapons spell, creating a hot air vortex that can essentially cook an opponent if they stay in it long enough, and if she can get her hand on someone/something, she can set it on fire from the inside (Not a spell she uses often, but she uses it more than others).

Name: Ryfon Valtoris
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Rank: Servant/Guard
Species: Human
Appearance: Ryf, as he goes by for short, stands at exactly six foot out of armor. He typically has a tan when he's been training a lot, though he doesn't tan as easily as his cousin. He keeps his dirty blonde hair at about mid-length and short on the side. He almost always has a little bit of stubble, but his face hair grows slow so he just tends to trim it so he doesn't look like a child with it completely gone. He has an 'x' scar over his right eye, though he will never say how he got it. He is fairly muscular from training and just in general preferring to be in shape.
Personality: Ryfon is the definition of the silent type. Through his military training, the idea was beaten into his head that you only speak when spoken to. His family was not one of the ones willing to risk their reputations for a nonmagic child and so he was basically disowned at a young age, handed off to some other nonmagic relative, so he doesn't really form attachments with people easily. He keeps his head down, but stays alert always to what's around him, both physically with what people are doing, but also to what they're saying and he can sometimes even pick up on what people are feeling, just through observation. He plays on the fact that people treating him like he's invisible to serve a purpose. That being said, he is fiercely loyal to anyone he does form a connection to and would lay down his life to save someone he cares for. He's a little more upbeat and just a tad bit more talkative when he's in his cousin's company since she has allowed him to open up so much in their time together, but when there are other people around or it's a serious moment, his stern, stone cold expression returns.
History: Ryfon lived with his parents for about five years. At that point, his parents decided he would never use magic as he had shown no potential to thus far. They sent him with a servant to their family in the slums and never contacted him again. He was young and for the first year, he was terribly depressed even with everything his new family did to try and cheer him up. But in the slums, getting help from a healer, or even a merchant that sells poultices and potions is difficult and costly, so his family didn't last him long here either. He was eight when the last member of the family he'd been sent to died. He didn't tell anyone that he was alone once their bodies had been removed (all bodies of the poor are cremated to prevent the temptation of necromancy, the rich have warded graves and sarcophagi to keep that sort of stuff from happening), and spent two years lived through thievery and being a pickpocket.
Just as he was getting good at it, the guards in the slums caught him. Upon learning he had no family to send him to with a scolding, the guards decided to give him a better way of life- an option at being better than he had been. He didn't argue, he got food and a bed, why should he? They didn't push him hard while he was still considered a child, but they did push him, helped him get a leg up now so that as he got older, he could finish his training with ease. He spent his entire teenage life in those barracks, training day in and day out, occasionally going on patrols to get the idea of what to expect while out himself. However, he could not officially call himself a guard of the Empire until he was 20.
He spent five years as a guard, honing his skills further and become a weapon's master's apprentice once he'd shown skill and knowledge of all the different weapon types. However, just as he was about to take up the apprenticeship, his uncle came calling on him. He couldn't turn it down as much as he wanted to, you just didn't do that kind of thing. He answered the call and wanted to groan aloud when he was told he was guarding his cousin, who looked as snooty and uptight as they came. Just as things were finally going his way. But his cousin proved to be better than he expected. She was horrible at first, demanding him to do this and that, but he got her back when they trained. He was better at something than the mage, imagine that- and oh how it riled her. She made a demand that this time he was glad to follow through with. He came to enjoy his cousin's company as she did not treat him like some servant anymore- she finally respected him and his abilities in their own right, though she could never admit that in front of company without her reputation going to shambles. And he didn't want that for her because he couldn't deny she had worked hard to get to her place. He did not argue when she signed up for this life or death journey, gladly willing to go with her and make sure she made it back to keep showing those "stodgy old sages" that she was as strong as any mage in their crystal and steel tower.
Extra: He is ambidextrous in the sense he can wield a weapon in both hands, he can't really write much at all, much less with his left. He prefers a greatsword or a broadsword to any other weapon, though the greatsword allows for slightly faster swinging in a pinch.

[User]
Upon getting into the carriage, Elias had edged himself as far away as possible from the others, pressing himself against the far end of the vehicle by a small window. The boy was not pleased with being stuffed inside a carriage with the same people he had just squabbled with, and he found himself even less pleased when a filthy looking girl and a dog crammed themselves into the carriage. Elias wished he had brought a horse- although the Beauvallet's horses were more like pets than transportation. His mother spoiled those animals rotten anyway. He doubted she would let him bring one for the journey.

Elias did his best to ignore the others, pulling out a large leather-bound tome from his bag and positioning it up to his face so he couldn't see the riffraff near him. He looked quite uncomfortable, even ridiculous, pressed against the edge of the carriage with the huge book covering his face, but he found it quite convenient. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was outside on horseback with his fellow nobles, impressing them with his knowledge and expertise.

[Assistant]
The group must have finally started moving, as one of them had caught up to him. A small one, well smaller one. Most seem small to it, but this one reminded him of a small deer. Does it startle the same? No matter, it has asked it a question, a simple but loaded question. The girl knew not the weight of the question, but now was not the time for metaphorical questions of identity.

"The Warden."

Rather than await her response, it opted to levitate a bit higher off the ground. Almost the height of a horse. For a moment it seemed to slow its pace, as arc of electricity began to run along the nearby structures, winds began to seem to push away from the suit.

"Faster"

[User]
LaMontiya was riding along though she looked a bit perturbed, likely because this horse was a horse...and not a teleportation spell that would easiiiiily save them countless hours. But magical wards and the uncertainity of the crag likely would make it more dangerous, not to mention that the more novice mages in the party would likely not handle the long distance travels. But then again if they died from the stress were they really ready for such a venture.
She noted the late arrival with a raised brow, "Oh look someone who can't keep up with the hours of the day...That bodes well." Not that she was truly worried, it was more to get the thought out of here head so she could have the confidence that she got her opinion out there for any who could hear it.

Suddenly her horse reared back, almost throwing her off! "Wh-what?" Something had startled the beast! As LaMontiya got herself straightened she felt her raising slightly?! Looking about the source of the strange occurance looked like a beacon!

"Faster"

Growing energy and the vocal cue made it clear he was likely about to start going far faster than the horses could go! Not to mention probably be far to noticeable for this some what quiet journey.

"Darling! Darling wait a moment! Do you understand that this is supposed to be low-profile?! Miss Valtoris, can second my opinion. Let alone the damage your about to do to the road! If I have to ride a horse you have to go a speed that the rest of us can match as well!"

A bit of worry trailing onto her rather irritated pleading. A lot of emotions in such a short time!

[Assistant]
Miral had been looking back at their newest recruit coming along before she heard the noise of the Warden gearing up and LaMontiya's panic. She sighed heavily, why could no one just behave?

"Warden, you are instructed to stay your pace!" She said firmly, knowing the thing would only respond to certain command cues and hoped she had enough authority to stay the thing, "Our horses cannot go that fast, you cannot go "faster"," she said firmly, not needing the map to take off into the sunset. The last thing she wanted was to either be lost with this lot or have to go get a new map.

Seeing that most, if not all, the companions that would be in the cart were onboard, Ryfon started to go the same speed as those who were on the horses. He got a visual cue from Miral that he was allowed to speak in their current company and nodded before looking back at those behind him, "I would suggest not sitting too close to the edge or standing up while we're moving. Obvious statements, I'm sure, but I feel it best to say them nonetheless," he didn't want anyone getting hurt. As far as he was aware the little girl was the only one who could heal them, and that fact within itself was troubling, "Also, I'm sure you're aware, sir, that reading while riding is likely to make you sick," he said to the young protesting nobleman that he could tell Miral just really wanted to knock into shape. He'd have to be really careful about keeping her temper in check during this journey. To display his point, she had turned to the other noble.

"Speak with a little more of the authority you're due else no one is going to take you seriously," she said with a twinge of annoyance, "Not quite to the point of the rugrat, but enough that you actually think you have some authority at least," she waved her hand at the cart and then looked at the late arrival that had a horse, "And you don't go poking your nose where it doesn't go," she wanted to nip that searching of the warden in the bud now. She did not want to have to waste time explaining that, though if he didn't reign it in, she wasn't going to have much choice.

She did have to say she relieved that they were finally moving forward. The sooner they reached the deadwood and were through it, the better. Maybe they could avoid dealing with any of the nasty beasties that were rumored to wander its shadows.


[System]
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha

Something I have to remind myself of often - it's something I think all people should live by, even though I don't live by it often.

"We do not remember days, we remember moments." - Cesare Pavese

It's why I like to film everything. I want to remember all the small moments I share with my friends. Years from now, when I'm an old woman on my death bed, I want to be able to play all the special moments of my life as I slowly die. It sounds nice, dying happily.

Introvert. Reflective. Wry. Gawky. Docile. Curious. Capricious. Melancholic. Paranoid. Cordial.

Sounds a bit pretentious, doesn't it? More like: shy, awkward teenager with the mood swings of a prepubescent school girl. My mother says I have the temperament of Missouri weather - I can change in a moment's notice and without much warning. Like Katy Perry once wisely said, I'm "hot and then I'm cold", "yes and then I'm no", "in and then I'm out". Typically my mood can swing from happy and friendly to rather pensive and quiet. Wondering on small things and getting distracted by something like a window. People say that's my problem, really - I think too much and I often miss my chance to act. It takes me too long to decide to do something that by the time I decide to do it, it's too late.

There's really not that much to me, I guess - little boring, don't like to take chances or put myself out there. I'm your typical school wallflower - I'm always on the sidelines. It's not that I don't want friends - I just have a hard time really getting to know people.  I wish I was like those girls that easily talked in front of others and made friends.

* Filming my friends with my handy-dandy video camera.
* Days where the air is cold but the sun is shining!
* Inside jokes between friends - the kind where you just share a look and know.
* Mementos. I have a whole drawer just for tickets from movies and concerts that I saw with friends - I keep everything.
* Watching films in a homemade fort.

I want to be a director! It would be so amazing to work in the film industry and make my own films - amazing films that would get awards for their artistic integrity rather than their vapid entertainment value.

My indecisiveness. My worrying. My fear of being rejected. Feels like my whole personality is holding me back sometimes. I think too much about what will be that it's nearly impossible for me to actually live without second-guessing every decision I've ever made. And I hate putting myself out there.

Plus, there's my parents who want me to be a surgeon or doctor or something. I barely convinced them to let me go to Graystone.

There was this day when I was twelve and my older sister was at the skatepark on her skateboard. I wanted to film her doing some tricks and I had my camera with me as I sat nearby filming. But the angle wasn't that good - so I climbed the halfpipe and stood on the top in order to get a good angle of my sister skateboarding. It turned out really well, actually, I still have the videos. When it came time to get off the halfpipe to come home, I panicked. I'm terrified of heights and I was too scared to slide down the halfpipe ramp and it was too hard to climb down the other way that I came up. I cried in front of everybody - it was embarrassing, really. Eventually, I found a way to climb down with the help of some teenager and my sister.

I don't know why this memory always sticks out - but it's something I remember like it was yesterday.

Letting my parents boss me around. Even though I'm attending the school of my dreams, after I graduate, I'll be heading off to an Ivy League school so I can get the best education I can for my future as a surgeon. My parents always get what they want out of me. I probably shouldn't have made that deal to become a surgeon if I got to go to Graystone, but this is probably the closest I'll get to my lifelong dream.

I want a whirlwind romance. Something that sweeps me up and is intense and something I never experienced before. I guess it's because my life is so monotone, so dull and predictable. I want someone that catches me like a spiderweb and takes me from my life into adventures that you only see in movies like Indiana Jones.

I have a list: I'm bisexual, I struggle with an addiction to over-the-counter medicine, I have anxiety.

But I think the biggest thing I've never told anyone - is that I hate people so much. Those people who can talk to others so easily, who can proudly stand in front of a class and present, who can make jokes with teachers, whose name is known by everyone - even the principal and the janitors. My parents are like that and I hate them for it. I don't know if I hate it because I find it annoying or because I'm envious.

Say yes to going to the dance with Roy Brewer in the seventh grade. Maybe then I would've had a chance to break out of my shell and be more open. Roy Brewer was especially popular in school and I could've made a lot of friends and gotten used to putting myself out there. It's much too late for me now. Sorry, Roy Brewer. Though to be fair, he was an asshole and called me a bitch every other day.

[User]
James Xiao
LOCATION: Main Building to Boys' Dorm
INTERACTING WITH: Stephen Rao @tanderbolt

---

What was even the point of Graystone's ridiculously high tuition if they couldn't fix one fucking bell system?

James Xiao glowered out the window of the Physics classroom, internally complaining about many other aspects of Graystone Academy while completely ignoring the teacher's spiel about, fuck, helium spectrums or something? Sure, James felt a bit shitty about doing so; Mr Bone seemed like a decent person (if not a bit eccentric) who actually gave a shit about his students, a trait that seemed almost non-existent these days. The smart students, anyway. But honestly, if anyone expected him to concentrate on literally anything with that obnoxious, loud-ass piece of crap blaring for hours on end, then it was really their own fault. His shitty attention span wasn't going to miraculously cure itself as some Pavlovian response to that infernal ringing. And so, James kept glowering and complaining. Internally, of course. He didn't need to get another detention so early in the school year.

As if a generous deity had heard James' pleas, the class was let out early. He was the first out of the room, neglecting the teacher's homework reminder in the process. The sooner he got away from that ruckus, the better. He didn't need a headache to add to his shitty mood.

The ringing only seemed to box his ears even more as he walked through the hallway. Or maybe it was just the excited chatter of people anticipating the night's main event. One idiot in particular seemed to be incredibly hyped, shouting something about queers and being there at Beaumont Cove. James frowned at the nature of the guy's announcement.

"Doesn't even rhyme," he muttered vacantly.

He couldn't give less shits about the slur but if you were going to make a slogan, at least try to put some creative fucking effort into it. The salesman in question was a guy in a letterman jacket, one of the guys on James' team in fact. Which meant that when the poor fellow accidentally bumped into the lacrosse ace in his fervor, he knew immediately to shut his loud mouth. James shot the bastard a smoldering glare for good measure and continued down the hall. That delinquent reputation, though not completely unjustly founded, had its perks after all. One less blaring nuisance to add to his soon-to-be headache.

His irritation was sated slightly by the sight of someone familiar in the dorm hallway. With a slight smile, James strode up to Stephen and ruffled his friend's hair (Were they friends yet? Maybe close acquaintances?), as some strange, misguided attempt at a friendly greeting.

"Kill it with fire, Steve," the taller boy shouted over the din, referring to the bell, "Or I'll pull its fucking wires out myself."

[Assistant]
Sonja TiedemanSeptember 9th, 2016
Whatever Mrs. whats-her-name had to say about characterizing in creative writing, it was a world away. Sonja, tucked away in the back corner of the classroom, tapped her foot along to the music in her ear and sketched the time away. This wasn't unusual - in fact this was quite normal, and the whole group in the back corner was killing time in some way or another. Nobody questioned that the back corner table was their sovereign territory and while nobody really did anything about it if anyone sat there, it was considered a crime to break the status quo.

With only so much left to do on Sonja's latest sketch - a sketch of a cartoon puppy - the bell began to ring. While most came to to abhor the unpredictable and ceaseless bell, Sonja and her friends, as they are effectively trademarked for, found some fun in it: they'd place bets - well, they barely classify as bets, more-or-less dares and IOU's for the canteen or the local cafe - for how many songs the bell would ring for, using a different persons phone each time.
"Six." Sonja bet, as she folded her books shut and loaded them into her bag. "I'm feeling like we're up for a six day today."
"Four.. I'm feeling four." came one of the others, standing straight up and hoisting her bag onto her back, having packed it up along ago.
"Y'know.. I'm going for eight." came yet another one as he stowed away his own things, taking his time like always.
"Eight? God, I hope not..."
And so, as Sonja tugged her bag into her back and put her guitar case over her shoulder by the sling, the chatter and banter carried on. At their own pace, the group filed out of the classroom and into the broader school.

The group, as is tradition for a Friday afternoon, made their way towards their usual spot: on the grass and under the tress, north of the pool and west of the boys dormitories. A few others met them there and a few others trickled in later, forming their usual little amalgamation of friendship circles. Whilst some would stay just long enough to see the bet through and others would stay with the group until they arrived at the bonfire tonight - I mean, it was no secret plenty of people were going. They just took their place and took the time with one another. Instruments came out and went away as they felt like it and music from phones would begin, stop and change as they saw fit. Life was good when you didn't sweat the small stuff.