[System]
Age: 23

Class: Dark Mage

Weapons: Flux Tome and Dying Blaze Tome

Personality: A rather jovial and relaxed man, who posits that killing should be only done to prevent more killing from happening. Gets excited the point of being an annoyance when he is talking about something that strikes his interest, and is rather panicky and unhelpful under pressure. He's worryingly familiar with the dead and dying, and enjoys studying both magic and the inner workings of the human body. He knows that he can make people uncomfortable with his habits, and thus usually keeps his studies well away from everyone else in the army, lest they feel unnerved. Despite this, legitimately enjoys having others around, and the sight of a crowded campfire, in addition to being rather touchy-feeling when it comes to meeting new people. He's a lightweight when it comes to drinking, and absolutely sucks when it comes to bluffing in games of chance. Doesn't like hot climates.

Fighting Style: Slow and carefully measured blows with powerful magic, can't get into a melee brawl to save his life

History: Born as the second child of a reclusive family in the depths of the snowy wilderness in Augur, Nickolas was brought into the field of magic by his aging grandmother, a shaman of some renown who had retreated into the wilderness to study the machinations of the great 'elder' magics with his grandfather nearly sixty years prior. He proved to have an immediate talent with the otherworldly force, but never quite got over his habit of making sure his actions and incantations were aggravatingly exact. Despite this, his power grew immensely under his witch-like grandparent, who suggested that he study the world around him and the relationship thereof, before she ordered the boy's worrying father to take him into one of the towns to further help his understanding of people. From there, he was apprenticed to a variety of local mages and even a priest, before he was finally let free to roam the world at the ripe age of seventeen. Since then, he'd been roaming his homeland with a quiet sort of interest, making a small name for himself as a scholar and a mage as the war on the continent below raged. He proved to be unhappy with the state of the world, but had no way to vent his frustrations until he stumbled upon rumors of a definitive solution to the war, and made his way down south to join up with the Reclaimers.

Rationale: He joined the Reclaimers to serve what he felt was the best course of action and bring a sort of balance to the world.

Appearance: A pasty young man, with short-cropped dark hair and pale eyes. Averagely built and average height, his hooded eyes are constantly darting around with energy that doesn't match his dark looks. Wears dark clothes in greys and purples, with the odd white splash of fur or metallic highlight of gold. He keeps himself and his furs clean. Shows his discomfort easily by shifting(Either from foot to foot, or in his chair) or biting his fingernails.

Name: Kuur Salcair

Age: 20

Class: Archer

Weapons: Iron Bow

Personality: A quiet woman who, while at rest, one could mistake for being solemn or simply emotionless. However, she gets flustered easily, and runs away from her problems. She's quite shy when it comes to the group as a whole, and doesn't like being forced to interact. However, she's quite confident when it comes to her bowmanship, and can get fiercely competitive in practice and in battle. Hates to lose, no matter then game or challenge. Easily fooled and easily baited.

Fighting Style: Prides herself on the doctrine of 'one arrow, one man', and strives constantly to prove it in battle. When charged, she never sticks around in melee, instead relying on her long legs to simply outrun the more armored of her foes.

History: Born the third daughter of a successful Panoplian merchant, Kuur spent her younger years sheltered from the worst of the world due to the rich supply route her father ran. Once she was deemed old enough to begin helping out, she was shuffled around the various jobs of the caravan due to her competitive nature when it soon became apparent that she began to sulk when she lost out on whatever she precived as the 'winning' objective of whatever task she was assigned, causing her father no end of grief when he discovered yet another one of his offspring was unsuited to be heir to his vast fortune. To that end, she finally fell into the laps of the caravan guard to deal with, who soon whipped her into channeling her urge to win into archery and hunting, which she took to like a shark to water. As the war broke out, she separated from her father's caravan(Now under the hand of her younger sister) and, when the Reclaimers crossed her path, decided to see the world.

Rationale: In the style of Panoply citizens as a whole, Kuur wants to strike out on her own, but the war raging around her makes it difficult for her to travel unacosted. She found the Reclaimers as a safe buffer from the world, and one that would eventually end the problem altogether.

Appearance: A strong, rather voluptuous young woman with tanned skin and feathery white-blonde hair in a rough cut around her head. She has striking green eyes, and usually maintains a seemingly stoic expression. Despite her complexion, turns red easy. At six foot and one inch, she's taller than quite a few of the men, and somewhat embarrassed by this fact. Usually wears tan and brown shades in her light clothes, with the leather and metal of her armor sparse at best.

[User]
Hugh – Bloodstained Field

Scarcely had the sun risen before the Reclaimers departed the village. For another hour they walked northwest, most in a sort of anticipatory silence. After all, they were en route to the site of the mysterious reports. None knew quite what to expect, leaving imaginations to wander. Were they to find monstrous undead stalking the fields, like the legendary Risen? Was a band of cultish dark mages prowling among the dead, seeking trophies and samples for horrible, occult experiments? Were the unknown groups allegedly hanging around the fringes of the fight mere scavengers seeking to make a killing off the corpses' loot, or omens of something far more dire?

As it happened, the scene of battle was far less devoid than Hugh had expected. When the Reclaimers drew near to the sparsely-forested area, they encountered a division of the Bravuran royal army. The camp, as they passed through, was in a sorry state of affairs. Groans and cries of pain through the tents, the familiar and woeful sight of lacking field medicine, and obvious damage to equipment could mean only one thing: another skirmish had just been waged. "Hmm..." Hugh murmured as he looked around, audible to only the few Reclaimers nearest. "I hadn't expected this to be a live battlefield. Panoplian fighters must be on the other side of this expanse. We're going to have to tread carefully to avoid being mistaken for marauders."

After approaching the commander of the division, explaining what the Reclaimers were up to, and attaining his permission, Hugh approached the convoy and the soldiers around it. "Alright. We're leaving the convoy here and heading in. According to Commander Shepadd, the lurkers have been spotted to the north. Between us and them is the battlefield, including several copses of trees, a small river, and a hill, from which they are purportedly surveying the scene. Dylan, since you are the fastest, I would like you to take a discreet look at the hill from the east and report back. We need to know if there are more of them hiding in the trees, and if there are any bolt holes they might disappear into. Once you've found it, report back to me and Gaius. My plan so far is to send you, Kel, and Taene to fly around and flush them away from the northern trees, and the rest of us to move from copse to copse until we're close enough to ambush them. Depending on what Dylan finds, however, I might need you, Gaius, to help me amend that plan. Get ready for battle, Reclaimers. It's time we see our enemy's face."

[Assistant]
The night before...

Jeanne and Habeen--C-support

Jeanne perked up as she heard someone humming a familiar melody, a lilting 12/8-rhythm jig that she often heard in the forests in which she lived.

Jeanne, intrigued, followed the source of the hums, cupping her hand to her ear every so often.

Jeanne's stealth was a force of habit; back in the forests through which she chased the caravans of the pretentious wealthy, she would fly through treetops silently and undetected. It was a practice of hers that wove into her way of life.

Jeanne eventually found the source of the humming. She came across Habeen, who, sitting cross-legged by candlelight, was carving some kind of small totem while humming the melody. With short, swift motions, Habeen turned the totem in her hand and flicked shavings of wood off the totem.

"Hey," Jeanne said.

Apparently she had totally startled Habeen, who flailed her arms in surprise, letting both the carving knife she was using and the wooden totem fly into the air. With a THWOCK-CLUNK, the knife and totem landed in her lap and on her head, respectively.

"I totally meant to do that," Habeen joked, completely ignoring the fact that she was nearly impaled.

"Oh, yes, I'm absolutely sure that nearly knifing your noggin is TOTALLY what you want to do while whittling your wooden totem," Jeanne replied. "So, what's that song you were humming?" she asked.

"Just something I heard on my travels while staying in a forest village," Habeen replied. The dark-skinned Mage simply picked up her knife and totem once more and continued to whittle. "It was a lovely melody so I decided to pick it up. I think there were words, but I don't remember them."

Jeanne nodded. Habeen restarted the song, humming through the intro. It struck Jeanne: it was an old folk song that she herself knew in her childhood, that stuck with her for her life.

Habeen's humming entered the first verse, and that's where Jeanne opened her mouth and:

"'Neath the ole wooden towers
That do scrape across the sky
Lying underneath the bowers
We the forest-dwellers lie

With the verdant grass a-staining
Leaves a-whirling, swirling; why,
The forest is our home, a humble home, for you and I."

Habeen turned around. "Is that what the words are?" Habeen asked. "That was bothering me for a while. You know that feeling you get when you have a song in your head that you don't completely know the words to?"

"That's when you resort to, well, simply singing the merry melody," Jeanne replied.

"So you know that song?" Habeen asked.

"Of course! Everybody in my home in the woods knew that song. We were a small community, and every week we would gather at night and sing the song. Within the woods, the townsfolk were in tune with the trees and flowers."

Jeanne sat down next to Habeen and wrapped her arms around her own knees. "That song helped solidify the idea within the forest village of living in harmony with nature instead of conquering it," she said. "Like the birds and the flowers, we were a part of the forest habitat. Granted, we had houses and such, but still..."

Jeanne looked up. "Hey, when did you learn this song?"

"Fairly recently, actually; I passed through the village in which I heard this about a month ago."

Jeanne nodded. "You're certainly well-traveled," she remarked.

"Oh, I ought to tell you all about it," Habeen said, her smile growing wider.

Jeanne chuckled. "We can talk later, it's getting pretty late," she said.

"Alright, I'll just go back to cutting up my wood," Habeen replied.

Jeanne and Habeen reached support level C.

---

Jeanne Robina--Bloodstained Field

Jeanne wasn't stupid. She realized that juxtaposing an infamous thief and a whole lot of blood didn't do a lot of good. (In fact, quite the opposite.) As such, Jeanne made a mental note to refrain from thieving unless necessary (not difficult given her normal fare).

Jeanne heard the moans of pain and winced. "I'm just wondering," she said to no one in particular, "but what kind of vile violence just ravaged this field?"


[System]
Title(s): Scion of the Ashbrands

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Rank: Fes

Objective for the Grail / War: There are several outward reasons. Chiefly, he is there to be able to reach the Origin for his family. Secondly, it is to test his own craftsmanship in a new environment, with new variables and possibilities. Thirdly, he wishes to gain some inspiration, some new "spark," that can further his craft to a greater extent.

Command Seal: It's basically a stylized stick figure. The head, the body, and the limbs are the three seals. When used up, it's essentially a reverse hangman game.

Personality: Usually, Christopher portrays the image of a methodical, careful individual, who tries to prepare for every possibility. To most individuals, he seems mild-mannered, and in the words of a certain someone, "polite enough." However, when pushed, he becomes somewhat frantic and unkempt, similar to a procrastinating student with a deadline looming over them. Though, just as when at the night before the deadline, the student does pull an all-nighter in the hopes of completing their objective, Christopher has the same foolhardy determination to finish what he sets for himself.

However, if that was all that there was to him, he'd never be an individual that would advance far in the Moonlit World. He genuinely loves his craft, and finds great satisfaction in completing a ritual circle, crafting a new part of a golem, or simply learning something new.

On a side note, he likes listening to music very much, and is capable of playing the piano because of not just the image he needs to portray, but out of simple enjoyment.

Bio: The Ashbrands are perhaps what you may call the "average" Clock Tower family. A somewhat respectable family of eight generations, they came into being after the Spanish Alhambra decree, as the Sephardic Jews fled from Castile and Aragon into other areas, such as North Africa, Latin America, and other European nations. Who would become the origin of the Ashbrand family took one such family in, and as thanks, was taught the art of golemancy.

As the Ashbrands sank deeper into the world of magecraft they became aware of the goal of all magi: the Origin. And so, they sought to obtain the Root through every aspect of what they were granted. From the simplest of things, such as creating the "body" of a golem, to the most important aspect of the discipline, breathing "life" into the chassis, they sought not just simple improvement of the parameters, but a sort of balance, of harmony, in how every single factor worked together to make a functioning golem. It was not enough to make the "best" golem, or to make the one "closest to approximating a human," but the act of creating "life" would be how they would achieve Akasha, in their eyes.

This was the family that Christopher was born in. One constantly fascinated with "creation of life" that even his birth was documented and carefully studied. One may think that resentment would breed under such conditions. However, under the careful tutelage and excellent care that his parents and caretakers gave him, he grew to love everything about thaumaturgy, and such a possibility was extinguished. After all, when one is able to withstand the agony of the activation of Magic Circuits, or the pain of the cut of a ritual knife, what is some discomfort if it is for the purpose of the art?

When he was old enough, he entered the Clock Tower with great enthusiasm to learn more of the art. However, he was not treated overly well at first, especially for his pursuit of formalcraft, with his "average" family and circuits being targets of the higher nobles in the Mage's Association. Rather than lashing out however, he simply saw it as another challenge in the name of magecraft, and crafted something of a "mask" that mimicked nobility, one that was the image of a mage. That was how he spent his years of magical education.

Of course, when he returned home, he fully focused on the core foundation of the family, golemancy. Just as his forefathers did, his eyes sparked in excitement when "creating," going every which way in working out a new song, and a new melody of beings.

---

Magic Circuit Switch: A pair of glowing eyes opening.

Number of Magic Circuits: C

Quality of Magic Circuits: C

---

Elemental Affinity: Earth

Magecraft: As an individual who completed his mystical education at the Clock Tower, it's a matter of course that he grew competent in the basics taught to every magus.

As a matter of making up for his mediocre circuits, he gained a greater than normal interest in the subject matter of Formalcraft, or Rituals in general. As he grew more and more proficient in the art, it steadily became a dependable part of his repertoire that supplemented his family's focus. While not a true master of the discipline, given enough time and the right materials, he is able to enact rituals that can mimic magecraft those of his rank and age should not be able to achieve.

Golemancy is where his true skill lies, however, as befitting one who bears the name of Ashbrand. He is proficient in making basic, earthen golems swiftly, and has a great amount of skill in making the traditional-style golems that come close to resembling humans, as the foundations of his magecraft. What his true passion is, however, is experimenting with different materials to bring about different results. Perhaps iron for a more durable frame, crystals and gems for more efficient energy storage and conductio, maybe even parchment for ease of inscription. Many failures occurred, but some-

Some have succeeded beyond his wildest imagination.

Crest: 8 Generations Old.

Weapons:

Tools of the Trade: Christopher has a general kit to work with, at the very essence of it. Within his luggage, he has things such as ritual knives, brushes and paint, reagents, and so on and so forth. He also packed some sets of clothes, a measure of the universal currency, gold, and some construction tools. Set aside, in a different and seriously secured container are some exotic materials and parts. Generally speaking, these are contained within valises and chests.

Azoth Blade: As a magus, it is a matter of course that Christopher has an Azoth Blade, one of the most basic and commonplace of Mystic Codes. His in particular was given to him by his father when he graduated from the Clock Tower, fine-tuned to him in particular, inscribed with various scripts and suchlike. It has all the typical functions of an Azoth Blade, with a great capacity for magical energy and amplification of such, among other things.

Seeker of Mysteries: Due to him seeking out better materials for his golems constantly, Christopher crafted personally something that could "seek out magical energy." A "magic compass," if you would. It would allow for him to find areas heavily saturated with mana, lost items that may be fragments of valuable artifacts, and things like it. Of course, it can just as easily find someone enacting a spell, if not adequately disguised or protected.

Armor of Terra: And of course, Christopher could hardly call himself an Ashbrand if he did not have a proper golem mystic code. It began simply as a protective suit, as one would use to keep oneself safe from dangerous temperatures and spills of toxic substances. Christopher improved upon this, as the areas he would delve into became increasingly perilous. Eventually, after many reinforcements and inscriptions, it became somewhat difficult to move in, and thus he "breathed life into it," giving it the beginnings of intelligence so it would "help" him move and suchlike. As he went to different areas, and worked upon different projects with steadily more exotic materials, only the bare chassis remained, and different materials would be added into the frame. Eventually, however, Christopher became weary of constantly upgrading and taking apart the suit-golem, and just thought "What if I could just make parts I could attach and detach as necessary to an extremely durable and receptive chassis?" And so it occurred. With the right configuration, the suit is capable of travelling anywhere, and working with anything, with Christopher safely ensconced in time.

Exceptional Benefit: One Week of Preparation Time. As Christopher is well-versed in formalcraft, as well as it being a core part of his repertoire, he realized that he could not enter half-cocked and rushed like a procrastinating student. Rather, he needed time to properly set up his atelier, to have a proper environment to summon a Servant, and stage his attempt on the Grail from. He knew that he would not be able to compete with those such as the Great Families in their preparations, but at the very least-

He wants to be able to present his skill as a mage to the best of his abilities.

[User]
Shinto Town, Harbor/Port

Dawn, one of the perfect times to move suspicious items and individuals in and out of the port and since this was the nineteenth century, Customs weren't as heavily enforced as it will be in the near future. Several Americans in swanky suits and ties flood the harbor little by little to prevent suspicion by the local populace. Each one of them raised a hand to wave at the many who come to see them as alien, someone new, a potential friendly when little did they know that these men were dangerous and were all here for a different altogether. There were way too many "suits" just hanging by the Harbor, it's as if they own this place but the port hands don't seem to disappointed as they are tipped with items of value coming from the Land of the Free.

One such individual was looking at several crates being shipped out and with him are several "suits" standing guard. "Everything is in place, sir." One of the men said. Enzo Levito, the heir of the Levito Crime Family had arrived in Fuyuki and is here to cause havoc all for his family's wishes. With a great number of men, arms and resources at his disposal as well as the port under their ownership, this is no problem.

"Caster." The mafia boy called, turning to no one in particular, it seems that a quarter of the harbor had been under a Bounded Field that allowed the port hands to continue working without a care in the world. "Is this place suitable to create your Territory in? We could move elsewhere but it will take a while." It certainly is a nice view and it's far away from the competition which was in Miyama Town by the big bridge. Apparently he had summoned his Caster Servant already.

[Assistant]
Shuten Douji, Fuyuki Outskirts
Einnashe Workshop 'Lucus', center of the summoning circle

An offer of freedom accepted hastily and without second thought.

An eruption of light and sound amid the otherwise tranquil forest.

The aroma of ripened fruit, dripping fresh and gory.

The feeling of grass between the toes.

Oh such wonder to live again, such a feast of the senses already.

A... Child? Oh how peculiar.

Without even leaving the circle the servant seated herself, legs crossed, and immediately began to fiddle with the mouth of one of the many gourds that dangled heavily about her shoulders. A vulgar posture un-befitting of the beautiful form of a maiden, but perhaps not so shocking given those blood red horns.

Only after making herself comfortable did she speak, "So...You, a mere child, are my master? This is already so amusing." Her voice, soft and airy, quiet but heavy on the ear, it was certainly not the voice one would expect from her at first glance. Her questions where rhetorical. There was no eye contact nor apparent interest. Her focus didn't leave the vessel, which she had managed to uncork while she spoke.

She had existed in this world for less than a minute and already she was beginning to pour a drink. Not even so much as an introduction... Though she held the red lacquered bowl in her palm, now filled near to the brim with a clear liquid whose identity was betrayed by its aroma, out towards the boy.


[System]
Vena said to post my CS in this tab. Yay!
Age: 8 years
Gender: female
Race: half-Ydran

Appearance: Amuné looks like a normal Muran child at first glance. It is only at closer examination that hints of her Ydran parentage. She is on the smaller side, lacking the slight chubbiness of most younglings. Her features have a sharp cast, though her ears are not so pointed that she cannot pass for Muran. Her coloring is washed out, with pale mousy hair cut a little past her jawline and light grey eyes. At the moment, her clothes are ragged and stained, her hair untidy and her face splotched with grime. She travels in the company of Wyth, a large moorcat. a younger version of Amuné

Element Affinity: Luminous (Seer)
Gear: Amuné has next to nothing in the way of possessions.

Brief History: Amuné's parents met by chance as teenagers when Baldur's tribe passed near Amira's village. Amira, who was studying to be a midwife and herbalist under the elderly village healer, came across him and a few others while out gathering plants. She had seen Ydra only rarely, as they didn't often come to her town, and she was fascinated by them and their animals. Baldur found her bold curiosity cute, and he enjoyed the energetic company of someone that wasn't from his people. They quickly became friends, and over the following few years, Baldur would make excuses to go off on his own to see her whenever his travels brought him within a day's travel. Eventually romance blossomed, and a tumble in the woods lead to a child. Baldur had moved on by the time Amira found out she was pregnant, but when he received word following Amuné's birth, he went to join her in the town. He was met with some suspicion by the villagers, as they had limited contact with Ydrans. This never completely went away, but his bright personality smoothed things over for the most part.

The pair were both Magi. Amira had minor skill with healing, and Baldur was a talented Air Magus. He also had a knack for woodwork and other small crafts, and his toys and kites became popular with the village children. Amuné was not formally acknowledged as his, as Amira realized this would make life easier for the child, and the girl had enough difficulty already. Even as a baby, the girl was a bit odd. She would react oddly to what appeared to be nothing at all, and at times her mood would change for no apparent reason. On occasion she was even afflicted with fits where she would not respond to those around her, instead focusing on something only she perceived and saying things that made no sense. Eventually it became evident that, among other things, she seemed to know the outcome of calls for her mother's services as a midwife before Amira returned home. Baldur realized his daughter had an unusual gift indeed: Sight. He'd heard of the occasional Seer but never met one. By this time technology was taking hold, and there was talk of the decline of magic, and the start of tension between Magi and non-Magi. As the victim of low level xenophobia himself, Baldur realized that her power could easily be viewed with suspicion, and imparted to Amuné the importance of keeping it to herself. She took his advice to heart, but cannot always control her visions, nor what she says during them, and there were at least a small number of villagers that figured out she had magic of some sort.

Life was good for the most part, but when the Church of the Nine Saints turned to technology and tensions erupted, as both a Magus and an outsider Baldur fell under increasing scrutiny. The townsfolk didn't mind Amira, for though she was a Magus she was one of their own, and a healer besides, but became more hostile towards Baldur, accusing him of stealing power from their Demacite crystals to use, even though he had all but stopped using his magic. The pair discussed leaving town, but Amira had spent all her life there, and while she was curious about outsiders the thought of leaving everyone she knew terrified her, and she couldn't bring herself to agree. The ill temper and seething discontent encouraged by the Church erupted one evening, and a mob came to kick Baldur out of their village. Amuné was outside playing, and she retreated to her father's side as the villagers confronted him. Baldur ordered Wyth to sit, so the cat wouldn't seem to be aggressive, and tried to talk them down and reassure them that he was not trying to cause harm to anyone. They didn't listen, and when a man who shoved Baldur brushed against Amuné as well, it triggered a vision for her. She said only "the village will be in flames", but that was enough for the riled-up townsfolk. They tried to grab both her and her father, over Amira's protests. With his daughter in danger, the generally gentle Baldur tried to fight off those going after her, using fists and his magic. He was not a strong man, and hadn't needed to defend himself in years -- not since he'd come to live in the village. Wyth made a better accounting of himself, but there were too many for a single cat, however fierce, to fight off. Baldur's aim was to take Amuné and Amira, if the woman would come, and flee, but he was unable to break away from the attackers. Following a solid stab to his hip and one to his shoulder, he told Wyth to take Amuné and run. The last she saw of her parents was her mother trying desperately to reach her fallen father as the mob turned on the woman as well.

Additional info: Frightened by the events immediately preceding her leaving her home, Amuné is more withdrawn than she was growing up.

Name: Wyth
Age: 10 years
Gender: male
Race: moorcat

Appearance: Wyth has an appearance typical to moorcats. He is a large feline, standing nearly two and a half feet at the shoulder, with a thick, slightly shaggy coat of mottled gray and brown, with a lighter gray and cream underbelly. His paws are proportionally larger, to help distribute his weight on the often sodden and muddy ground of the moors and marshland. His eyes are pale green, on the yellower side of the hue.

Brief History: Wyth was the kit of another moorcat owned by a member of Baldur's community. He imprinted on Baldur as a kitten, and has accompanied the man ever since. When Baldur fell for Amira and eventually went to live in her village, Wyth joined them. The moorcat is very fond of their daughter, Amuné, and treats her like he might a kitten.

Additional info: Originally the companion of Amuné's father, he now stays with her and guards her.

[User]
In a cabin of the Aube Doré, Danica sat on the bed, clearly at ease as she leaned back with her legs loosely crossed and her arms propping her up behind her. The distant sounds of men calling to one another reached her as they unloaded the cargo from the ship. Over the years, Danica had developed an eye for hefty pockets and fine goods, and she knew exactly how valuable the expensive cloths and liquor aboard the ship were. A fine haul indeed. For some reason, they saw fit to keep her down here at the moment, so she lounged around as she waited for something to happen. She couldn't say she minded too much; the bed was comfortable enough and patience was something she had plenty of. After all, a thief who couldn't bide her time to strike at the opportune moment was a dead one, or at least very poor. Not to mention that she didn't have to help with carrying all those heavy crates around like the others on deck did. What a relief.

The sound of approaching footsteps made her look up as the bandit leader crossed the room to stand before her. She felt a slight flash of irritation as he reached down to pull her up, calling her "Naga" instead of addressing her by name, but she hid the sentiment flawlessly—after all, she was used to it, and she was used to keeping up quite a charming façade. With that in mind, she allowed the man to take her hand and rose smoothly to her feet, meeting his gaze with a sly smile. "Oh, don't worry. You'll get your money's worth out of me," she assured him, her eyes flashing dangerously as her mind raced, already planning her moves and strategy. She worked better in the dark, and the dim lighting of the hold would provide her with plenty of opportunity to strike from the shadows—literally. "Take care who you send down. Wouldn't want them to get in my way," she couldn't resist adding. While she could use the support reinforcements would provide, Dani regardless had a habit of running her mouth even when it might not prove to her advantage.

She drew her knife, observing its keen edge before carefully returning the blade to its sheath. Her bow and quiver were with her, but there wouldn't be much use for archery down here. Nevertheless, it seemed safer to keep them on her person, especially since her arrows were… "enhanced". It would require a lot of effort to replace all the toxins on new arrowheads if she were to lose her current stock. Her natural venom was always a useful weapon, even if she couldn't exactly bite through armor to get to a vital point. Still, she had enough to weaken her opponent and give her an advantage, at least temporarily. Rumors abounded in the cities that older Naga had venom potent enough to kill a grown Dimuran warrior with a single drop, but Danica highly doubted that was accurate. Maybe there was a grain of truth in there somewhere, but there was no way of knowing considering the average lifespan of most Naga living in foreign cities, and how reclusive they were. Maybe she would find out if she ever grew old enough, but she doubted that would ever happen either.

She was already dressed in full armor, of course. Considering they were floating in a river in the middle of nowhere with stolen goods, it wouldn't do to be caught unawares without battle gear. Satisfied that she was ready for combat, Danica locked her hands together, lifting her arms above her head in a long stretch as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. She was already anticipating the rush of battle. Sure, there might be nothing out there and they could pull off the operation without a hitch, but experience had taught her to always be prepared, no matter what. So the Magi would wait belowdecks, melting into the shadows at the first sign of trouble with her knife in her hand.

[Assistant]
Despite all the stress Cecil was feeling he was still greeted with just a little bit of subtle comfort as Amuné took hold of his hand, his eyes going to it briefly before he sighed, smiling just a little bit. He didn't know what about it was so comforting to him, but it was certainly easing his worries if just by a little bit. Holding off asking about everything they were having to do was proving to be the hardest challenge he could face throughout the entire time he had been alive for. He couldn't compromise himself by asking stupid questions. This was just a giant pain to him at this point, like he wasn't entitled to learn more about the world all because he was with a stranger.

Once again after he thought he was safe for now as the conversation about alcohol continued, the attention was shifted to whether he was feeling okay by Zander and the inevitable question as to whether he was alright with a 'Seal Paper' being used on him. Raising his shoulders as he was brought to feeling considerably tenser he shook his head, disliking the very idea of something being used on him. "I am fine! I am most definitely certain I am okay, t-thank you", he spoke hastily, hoping he didn't sound too rude with that answer, "I'm just…concerned about falling in the water, is all. You know…uhh, metal just sinks…"

He really hated being rude but it was the easiest way to say he would have trouble with water without outright saying he was a Machina. This was certainly the most stressful time he had so far, even more so than the time he was completely caught out by a whole village no less and chased out of it. He didn't know why he was attracting this man's attention so much either, he was perfectly fine from an outsider's point of view while inside he was feeling tired because of the power he used yesterday. Trying to keep pretty quiet and to himself his attention was soon diverted to the massive ship that they were supposed to find, or at least it was 'massive' to him. He had never seen anything like it and was immediately excited yet anxious, knowing if he showed even a shred of excitement he would probably be questioned by the man again for getting enthusiastic over something normal to them. Growing flustered inside he let out a groan, keeping low as they hid away from the sight of those aboard the ship.

Cecil didn't know what the hell they were going to be able to do, nevermind what he might be able to do to help with this. All of it was designed to catch him out and he really didn't appreciate that. Watching Nymira and Ethan discuss their little battle strategy Cecil twitched when he was brought into the plan like he could do something useful like help defeat these men, briefly looking up over the bush before back to the pair. They couldn't be serious, they could take them out by themselves surely without his help. He wasn't going to be of much use to them anyway if he was just going to end up running low on power and appearing even weaker than he did this morning. If he was weakened on the boat and they threw him off then that was it for him, he would have no way to recover from that and would just sink straight to the bottom. "I forget: does the ship have to live…? Burn it, make them jump in the water", he grumbled, obviously not happy, "I don't even know why you brought me over here…"


[System]
Age: 32

Appearance:
Height: 6'1"

Weight: 185 lbs

Likes:
+Caffeine
+Reading
+Conspiracy Theories
+Working-Out
+Talk Radio
+Cars/Trucks/Vehicles/etc.

Dislikes:
-Seafood
-Sports
-Cold Weather
-Bad Grammar
-Authority
-Disorganization

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Special Talent: Legendary Alcohol Tolerance

Profession: Mechanic/Owner Apex Designs, a small, single-door garage, tucked away on the industrial Southside end of town with enough room for about three cars inside.

Bio/Personality:
Joel is a man who views himself as someone not necessarily doing what they want to do in life, but doing what they're good at. He enjoys repairing the automotive woes of many of Sol City's wealthy clientele. However, even though his work is considered some of the best in the city, he's often equally known for his lengthy vacations and costly invoices. Additionally armed with a business degree that he earned off of an only briefly offered scholarship in his youth, he very carefully balances work, play and sometimes outright laziness. He keeps no set schedule and can be found in his shop sometimes at the most bizarre of hours.

Outwardly, Joel has a very arrogant aura that often turns off others. He's been told that he's "unapproachable" and though he likes the thought of being intimidating, sometimes he does feel a genuine desire to have deeper conversations. He enjoys flirting and being in some social venues, but often feels bored and out of place. He doesn't consider himself extroverted. Interestingly, he tends to talk non-stop while working on vehicles and has his own crowd of conversational regulars, often the bored and retired older men of the city, that stop by just to see what he's working on.

Joel is very aware of his eccentricities and has a warped sense of justice. He enjoys watching people that may have wronged him or refused his advice "get what they deserve" to the point of comedy. He likes that some may look down on him for his chosen profession, but at the same time wishes he was doing something else. He's never satisfied for very long.

Favorite Song:

Tell us about yourself:

Age: 32
What part of the world are you from?: VA, USA
How many years have you been writing/roleplaying: Around 17
How often do you have time to post?: Usually 2-3 times per week, maybe more depending on my work schedule/other things.
Anything else you want to mention?:
I actually work a pretty cool job, but it does demand a lot of time out of me sometimes. I'm married and have three kids. Roleplay/Writing is one of my few surviving hobbies in adulthood next to working out and reading a book occasionally. I usually only have time to write one game at a time here on the Guild so this is it for now. I'm going to my level best to make sure its a winner. I try to take care of my players, so if you're reading this and thinking about joining, we'll be glad to have you.

[User]
Joel Nicolosi
Wednesday Morning

Joel parked the Jeep in the long-term garage, popped the hood and took the battery kill-switch key with him as the headed for the international terminal. He didn't get out to Sol's main commercial airport often, but he always tended to enjoy it once he got past the idiotic security. A couple people recognized him in the baggage line and he casually waved and returned cordial greetings. The TSA checkpoint wasn't too bad and he was putting his sneakers back on in fairly short order. Glancing down at his phone to the boarding pass, he was about an hour ahead of schedule and had time to kill before he had to be at the gate. He slinked past a sign for the Sol City Grand Prix that still hadn't been taken down and set about his way.

Sol International was still fairly new and strolling the terminal was a bit of a curiosity he enjoyed and blending into the crowd for a while was a welcome change from the past few days. His phone and email remained full to the point that he thought he might have to hire someone to sort through it all. The thought crossed his mind that Sio might be a good candidate for such a task since she insisted on being there while he worked. She might as well be useful, he mused, but he quickly stored the thought as he continued to walk down the wide, main corridor with a book-bag slung over his shoulders. It was going to be a long flight and he planned to take care of some business along the way. The race winnings and his wager from Nissan had already been deposited in his account and he had made a list to spend part of the flight taking care of every debt he ever owed to anyone. His mother insisted it would be a classy move to at least donate some of it to a charity and he was going to take care of that as well.

Then there was the matter of Marlin and her family baggage. It occurred to him that she was much more interesting without her snooty rich family. They all seemed to be of one mind at the party and it was slightly creepy. Her tough-guy cousins had shot him some dirty looks and he contemplated what they'd look like when his thirty-five millimeter wrench went upside their head. Assholes. He had been nice enough in the days that followed and he returned her texts in a nice way, but again she seemed to be much stronger when she didn't have anyone to run to, like when he found her at the cargo office that night. Then there was Sio who was a whole different level of fireball. He grinned at the thought of women competing over him.

As was his usual custom, he first scoped out the gate where he would be boarding then headed over to the very posh Cathay Pacific lounge to kill off the remaining time. It felt in poor taste to ghost through the airport without saying anything to Marlin after she wished him a nice flight. She knew when he was flying and could see when his flight landed so he went ahead and texted her back telling her where he was and if she had time could stop and chat.

[Assistant]
Marilnalia Romus. Sol International
Wednesday, main airport.

The Chapter one Epilogue

---

Marinalia she spotted Joel as she was passing through the airport. She was busy a second and sorting out a security issue with one of the guards, checking a cargo would be cleared. She had grown used to the guards, even the heavily armed guys with rifles who managed to saunter by looking remote in sunglasses and armour. They where people, just with a extremely serious job, and had been quite thankfulnof there prescense calming situations by sheer menace and matter of fact danger.

He was heading through security, he be there a while, the flights where busy and gates where running slower than average at this time of day. She still had to slot in a flight and transmit there slot over. It was easy ernough but just took some time to get some sense out of tower as to what was clear or not, and which cargo bays where free. Her Job was to make things work out, she would be back in air soon but she still had a few days off flight duty till next week thanks to all her life. She did not feel safe to fly quite yet. Especially with Bob majorly hovering at back of her mind. She would need alot of time to get past that event in her life.

Feeling a buzz and seeing her phone as he texted her. He was at a fancy lounge on the Asian section of airport. She knew the airline, he was not exactly flying coach to Japan. Her thoughts about Joel where mixed, she had to face him and he had left door open, but she was almost... Scared to deal with her feelings, but her therapist did say, she should face her issues and not let them fester. Probbly should follow professional advice.

sure. Cannot stay too long as I'm at work.

 Mali x

Walking over, she took a short cut waving her hand at a seeming wall and vanishing down a staff back route to the TSA point. Popping out and showing her I'd vmbefore being waved through the checkpoint. Staff with clearence could pass quite freely about the airports zones. The Cathy Pacific lounge staff waived her though with a slight dig at her airline. Always the same. Always.

yeah yeah... Groundies. My office has a nicer view.

Laughing, the airport staff from various airlines had a freindly rivalry, it was good nature's but rarely a little brash and louder. In her neat office uniform with fitted skirt, Jacket and wings, it was comfortable but she preferred a flight jacket. It was a a little older styled than some of the airlines but passengers seemed to enjoy the little extra touchs. Smart staff and neat well tailored uniforms.

Seeing Joel, she had finished her fruity tea drink and sat next to him, and nibbled on a complementary cookie she had acquired along the way. Patting down her skirt a a little nervous but also glad to hmbe able to talk, it was nicely tailored but she was not quite intending to be out and out like that blue dressed woman in micro dress practically flashing anyone if she ever tried to do anything but walk carefully.

Hey, good choice of airlines... There fleets are all good spec. Very modern and I hear the food is OK. Well for airline food. Good luck over there whatever your doing.

Umm.. I'm sorry about Sunday night... Things got out of hand, alot . Cannot say I had a easy week, and I well... Thought trying to explain all this over text was a a little bit of a cop out.

You probbly think I'm a right... Hydra perhaps?

Sighing, how much did she tell a Joel? Did she utterly trust him or reserve some of it not to overload his side of things. Things where a tad tricky and did not to scare him off but not lie either. It was strange...

Bob, I never got over that attack.. Therapist seemed to think honesty helps. I lied to myself somewhat. Kinda why I've been so... Eratic. I should have just ignored that woman, but I cannot change the past, much as I can predict the future.

Now I've rambled. How the week been now your Sols fastest and greatest son? I'm guessing things still all sinking in and a a little surreal going from old to this.

Feeling more relaxed, surprisingly warm in this small lounge, she shed her jacket, with a smaller silver necklace of a planet with 3 linked moons glittering round her neck.

This is a a tiny bit embarrassing, and a big ask given past week.. but can you get me one of those Japan only picachu... I've wanted one since I was a kid and there only sold in stores in Japan. I've never worked in Asia, mostly North America and Europe.

Il offer you that flight I promised a while ago in return... See things from my office. Propper plane, its a replica mosquito fighter from 1945... Not a washing Machjne with wings.

Talking abit. And feelings a alike less self conchous than. The start, though still a a little realising how he might perceive her. Good or bad. Sure she probbly verbally threw out about 1000 words in short time, well her nerves told her she did. If they where right was up for internal debate.

Her eyes grey as always, but not hurt however still turmoil regarding everything, her sisters treatment and events, obvious she still had alot of things to make sense of first before she could say she was back to any degree of normal..

Maybe there was hope to try and patch up the bridges, she had been entitely honest and had relised with hindsight how badly the Gala had gone. It still cringed a a little how she hand handled that particular social occasion. Though that unpleasant realisation had taken a few days to fully process.

Victoria, what would she do when her sister returned too, if all went well she could be a new person, if wrong, need alot more support to handle the changes to her life. Either way, things where not going to be boring for a while. Her own or her half sisters.


[System]
Character

Age: 19

Bio: Having been born just a few years after the Heartless and Nobodies appeared, life wasn't exactly easy. Mai's father was a part of the New Shinsengumi, and her family needed someone to succeed him should he fall in battle. Being the only offspring of her parents, she was raised and trained in the ways of the blade. Her dexterity proved to be a challenge at first, as being a southpaw in a group of orthodoxes meant that everyone would have to adjust for her, and her to them as well whenever they would spar or be partnered together. While she never neglected her studies and duty, her only wish was to be able to travel the world on her own.

One day after finishing her duties, the city her family was living in was suddenly invaded by a horde of Nobodies. Although she was told to preserve her strength and help with the injured, the sight of her father being wounded in battle sprung her into action. With a quick swing of her blade, the Nobody that had injured her father disappeared into nothingness. What she had in hand however, was no longer the blade that she had been practicing with, but rather, a Keyblade. No one knew what it actually was, but it was capable of defeating the Nobodies and Heartless that had been plaguing them with moderate-to-little effort.

Shortly after, Mai was frequently brought out into the fray due to her ability to combat the Heartless and Nobodies more easily thanks to her newfound weapon. Although her parents were against it due to her young age, they couldn't deny Mai's will to help however she could to deal with the threats that frequently popped up.

Despite her best efforts, sometimes her best wasn't enough. At times, the amount of casualties and even comrades of hers to fall were high. Being the only one who could properly combat both the Nobodies and Heartless, her constant fighting for over four years has been taking a toll onto her body. Although it doesn't come up often, Mai has started having an unconscious fear that one day, her body would break down and no longer be able to fight and move.

Personality: Upbeat, energetic, and very easily excited, she is always eager to meet new people and learn new things. She is also very loyal to her family, knowing nothing but their own teachings and lifestyle across the years. Aromatic food and sweets will almost always guarantee her attention, and she has a soft spot for children. In battle, she drops her cheerful demeanor in favor of a more serious and calculating approach. While she is no master at strategy, she is a demon in duels.

Skills: Being an adept in the ways of the blade, Mai is very good at Sword-based skills, however, she knows little-to-no magic. But she does have the capacity to learn them should she have a capable mentor to teach them to her.

[User]
Chease
Cheese was at the time still invisible, but the fact that Philippa had managed to get a few shots far too close for comfort made her change
her current approach to evacuating the citizens. Casting a quick glance over at Mac, who had leapt to safety.

"We can't go out there." Cheese slammed the door shut behind her. "How many are left?"

Dashing into the darkened living room Cheese counted four citizen's left standing away from the curtained windows.

"What about a garden?" Cheese asked.

Cheese then repeated hurriedly a few times before one of the citizens nodded understanding. Taking her by the arm the young boy lead Cheese and the other three citizens through the small kitchen and out into the garden that was bordered by neat brown wooden fencing on either side and a tall hedge at the bottom.

"il y a une clôture métallique!" The boy pulled Cheese back from the hedge. Even in another language Cheese recognised the word. Parting a few of the branches revealed the back of another house through a chain-link fence. "All up" the boy pointed to the top of the hedge. It was far too high to jump or even climb.

Cheese Grabbed the child under his armpits and the pair became invisible. "Stay quiet." She ordered and flew him over the hedge. After repeating this with the other citizens Cheese hopped back over the hedge one last time and into the house.

Mac
Mac swore several times behind the stone bench whilst it was being chipped away by Nora's attacks. There was then a pause in the rain of bullets and Mac tentatively poked his head around. He had left Cheeses knife embedded in the barrier around Drake where it hung in the middle of the spider web of cracks that had only grown larger under the barrage of stray bullets. At present though it looked like Seth had managed take out one of the terrible trio leaving just Nora and Philippa to deal with.

Mac took the chance to shout at Drake. "Just hit it you, stupid ba" Another wave of bullets forced him back.

"Mac." Cheese appeared beside him looking drained and breathing heavily. "Where's my knife?"

Mac simply pointed in the vague direction of where he had left it which earned him a very annoyed look. Without a word more Cheese emptied out of her pockets a candle, a bar of soap, a half used cigarette, a salt shaker and a small plastic container.

"The heck are you planning?"

"A Dispelling spell. It'll take down any barriers and protection spells nearby, if I do it right anyway." Cheese explained and held the cigarette up to his face. "I need the ashes from this. Smoke it."

Mac just stared down at the cigarette. "Cheese I'm trying to quit; I don't even have my lighter on m-"

Before he could finish another person then appeared beside them and while to Mac they just looked like some strange teenager, Cheese immediately recognised the magic brewing inside them.

"Light these." She ordered with the candle and cigarette held out.

[Assistant]
Ryteb was resisting the urge to throw up. What was the old saying, don't swim nor teleport less than half an hour after eating. For the first minute he didn't even pay attention to his surrounding, being brought back into focus when this strange woman started shoving things in his face. A candle and a cigarette.

"No thank you ma'am, I'm not allowed to smoke." Ryteb said, before his brain finally shifted back into gear, "Wait, really? You are asking me, a mage of considerable power and wisdom, to preform the service of a matchstick?"

The youth raised his hand, and flames of many colours appeared around him. His eyes glowed with an aura of mischief to them. "What is your next wish milady? You know you only get three right?"

[User]
V2 would find himself in the central square of a French - Swiss village, where two groups, one led by an sadistic-looking woman with a Keyblade, the other presumably led by an 18-year old with black eyes and messy black hair, were facing each other, with the sadistic-looking woman, whose short-cropped, but neat, black hair and fierce blue eyes shouted:

"Damn you, Apokaukos and Shahrukh! You think to swarm me with numbers? Fine, then, I'll bring in some minions of my own!" Opening a Corridor of Darkness, she shouted:

"Baron Carlstein, I need you!" And with that, a fat man clad in a silk tuxedo, with brown hair and bushy eyebrows, carring a golden Keyblade shaped like an aristocrat's cane but with biteings, walked through, his beardless face in a frown.

"Should have known you cannot do it alone, Philippa." He would then turn towards v2:

"My name is Baron Engelhart von Carlstein, one of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness. I have power over Munny just as Philippa has powers over Borders. And so," he would continue, as a shining ring made up of a mass of gold coins appeared around him, "I have to ask, is there some way I can buy you off?"

"Understood. You are my enemies." v2 said, robotic and emotionless as he snapped into a fighting stance so quickly you'd think he was a statue. This was somewhat exiting. Normally he would not be able to move nearly that fast. Moving that quickly, that precisely, was far too robotic to do in from of the adoring public. He did not have the opportunity to make full use of his body very often. "Thank you for the clarification. Identifying friend from foe in this situation would have proven otherwise problematic."

In particular, across the battlefield, he was registering the signature of something like a heartless. In the absence of clarification he would have gone right for that. That was not taking into account the not-quite-human signatures he was getting from here. This was going to prove difficult even with two apparent enemies right in front of him.

The antennea on his shoulders popped out, channeling into the finger he pointed at the fat man. "LIGHTHEART JAB!" He screamed, the electricity flying off in an arc toward him. Inwardly, he frowned. He disliked the Attack Name Protocol when it wasn't necessary.

"Reflaza!" shouted Baron Carlstein at the same time v2 cried out his attack. A green triangular barrier would surround the Seeker of Darkness, and cause the lightning to bounce off it and back to the robot!

"Ha!" spoke the baron, "you forget, my elemental concept might be relatively weak, but I am still a Keyblade Wielder!"

The lightning struck the robot, but didn't seem to cause him any distrss. The lighning split and was absorbed back into the antennea, which retracted back into his body. "I did not comment." He said, steaking forward under rocket power. He held out his hand, his blade snapping into pace in the strange way it always did, and bringing it down onto the fat man.

Only for Baron Carlstein to block the blow with his Keyblade-cane, before summoning a sheet of dollar bills to envelop v2!

While v2 was fighting, the Baron would then take out a Summon Charm and shout out:

"Summon, Owl of Athens!"

An ordinary-looking owl would then appear beside Baron Carlstein, then say, with the voice of an old man:

"What do you wish?"

"Tell me what this robot boy wants, and I'll give you enough money for 1000 burnt offerings!" the Baron replied as he conjured up clones of himself made up of Munny to further bother v2, buying time for himself.

The owl began whispering into Baron Carlstein's ears...

[Assistant]
"Over here! Quick!"

Mai's orders towards the civilians were short, but efficient. She was able to guide a good amount of civilians out of the village for their safety from the Heartless. The Large Bodies and Red Nocturnes proved to be a nuisance for her, as this was her first time encountering such enemy types. Even at a glance, she had sustained some injuries from said Heartless, but nonetheless kept her poise and acted as if she was unharmed to keep the civilians calm and under control, something she often did back in her home world.

Once the coast was clear, one of the last men in the crowd to join called out to her and began pointing towards central square. From what she understood, apparently there was something really big happening there.

"Oh crap!" The girl got too... comfortable in her situation, as it was something she was very used to doing a lot. Just as she was about to rush out, a sting in her right ankle momentarily paralyzed her as she regained her composure. "This is gonna be a nuisance. I'll need to be careful." It was an injury she sustained from a Large Body several minutes beforehand. It had blindsided her and caused her to land on her feet awkwardly and forcefully as she recovered from the attack.

"Did something bigger appear?" Was the first question that popped into her head. The sounds of a big battle in the square were echoing through the now empty streets, even as a few Heartless did pop up here and there, of which Mai quickly dispatched.

Once she arrived at the edges of the square, she took a moment to assess the situation. "Who the heck are all of these new guys?!" It didn't feel like she was gone for too long, but now there seemed to have been at least five more non-Heartless people she didn't recognize present and fighting. She couldn't tell friend or foe at first, but when she saw familiar faces on one side, it was clear to her that the others left weren't friendlies.

"What is going on here?" One of her supposed friendlies was getting ganged up on by figures that looked like the fat person in the farther back. "Is he behind this?" She poised herself for an offense, aiming her Keyblade at the big guy before closing her eyes to focus.

"One silent step." In a flash, the girl was just a few feet away from the fat person. "Two steps infinite." Mai pulled back her Keyblade as far as she could, "Three steps, a blade absolute!," before thrusting it forward in a piercing motion towards him. "Three stage thrust!" This move was one of her family's deadliest sword techniques. In theory, it is comprised of three thrusts that "occur and exist at the same time and place". Such a technique would normally not be blockable, and be very powerful. However, with Mai's very grounded logic and mindset, she isn't able to properly execute the technique, and instead in her state, it is just three very powerful thrusts that occur one after another.

That was the idea at least. "This is bad." She put too much pressure on her right ankle during her movement, and in her second of pain, caused her attacks to slow down and give her target some time to retaliate or block should he have noticed her arrival despite his size.


[System]
Age: 24

Gender: Male

Nationality: Chinese

Occupation: Chemist (not the working in shop type)

Field of Expertise: He is an expert in chemicals, toxins and metals.

Languages Spoken: Chinese, English, Hindi, a little German.

Personal History: Huan was born to a very poor farming family in a remote village in Qinghai province, in China. He grew up in a very small hut with 3 brothers and 1 sister, so space was very tight. He was forced to sleep in one bed with 2 of his siblings, and therefore he often got next to no sleep. His parents, despite their situation, tried to make the best of it. They as much money as they could on books and paper, so all of their children could read or write. This is how Huan lived for the first 6 years of his life.

Then, the holy package came through the hole in the door that served as the letterbox. It was from a British charity, and Huan's family had been chosen for a large sum of money. Instead of using the money to fund a better house or life for them, Huan's parents used it to send their children to schools in Xining. It was there where Huan found out that he was a boy with a flair for learning and academic work. Astounding all of his teachers and peers, he excelled in pretty much all of his classes, from science to history, from maths to geography.

He excelled all the way through school, and then he applied for the top university in Xining. He decided, as it was his favourite subject in school. As expected, he did very well there too. He graduated at University with flying colours, and went on to begin working in one of the provinces top research labs. He was often tasked with working on projects that involved testing poisons on animals, and although Huan didn't like them, he kept his mouth shut. He had heard about the trilobite creature and the pterosaur creature on the news, and didn't think much of it. Until one fateful day.

It all happened so fast. He was visiting his parents in the village. Then he heard smashing and screaming from outside. He told his parents he'd be right back. Huan walked out so see people fleeing, carrying babies and helping elderly relatives. Then the creature came cascading along the road. It crashed straight into his parent's house. Huan, crying, searched the rubble. He found them, but it was too late. They were dead. For a few weeks, he fell into a deep depression. Then he heard about the UN's plan to form a task force against these creatures. Huan quit his job, and after a lot of persuading and demonstration of his skills, he was allowed to join the force, as one of it's leading chemists. His aim is now to create some kind of toxin that will be effective against the Kaijus.

[User]
JUNE 1, 2019
SOMEWHERE OVER THE CELTIC SEA

The big plane was surprisingly quiet, the flight steady and untouched by turbulence. They'd reach their destination in very little time. They had a good pilot up front, Major Carvalho thought with approval.

No one had really gotten to know each other yet- they had all been rushed to The Hague and thrown into an office building barely a week before, and each person had been so occupied with getting his or her responsibilities in order that there hadn't even been time for a casual chat with anyone else, let alone a beer at the pub. And now, suddenly, they were going to Ireland before they had even managed to get unpacked.

Carvalho's tablet chirped. He took a peek at it, nodded to himself as he saw the new email from headquarters. Perfect. The last thing he needed to brief everyone.

"Alright, listen up, everyone," Carvalho said abruptly as he got up out of his seat. He turned on the intercom to the cockpit so the pilot could also hear what he was about to say. "You all know we're going to Galway, Ireland to assist there, but until now we haven't really known what we're getting into. Facts still seem to be scarce, but let me tell you what I can about the situation there."

He ported the viewing screen at the front of the cabin to his tablet. On an ordinary flight, this might show movies to bored passengers. Instead, it displayed a still photograph. A sandy beach, peacful and idyllic- except for the series of perfectly round holes leading out of the water. A meter wide and two meters deep.

"Footprints, ladies and gentlemen, at the beach by the little town of Cathair. Taken two days ago. The tracks of something very big, with round feet and no toes. And something that is apparently very hungry."

A new photograph came up, a scene of total carnage. A small rural pasture, the normally green grass stained red by blood. Tufts of wool and a few identifiable chunks indicated that this was all that remained of a herd of sheep.

"These footprints lead up to this paddock. Fifty-eight sheep dead or missing, torn apart and swallowed. By what, we don't know. It must have happened in the dead of night, no one saw or heard anything. The Irish police force, the Garda, was put on alert. Looking for sheep thieves, pranksters, god only knows what."

The photo changed once more, this time to a Nissan Terrano painted in white and yellow. The vehicle had been cut completely in half, and dried blood covered the crushed hood. "This is one of the Garda patrol cars, found this morning on a country lane outside Spiddal. Two men inside, and both are missing. As you can see, the whole vehicle was cut completely in half. Not torn or bitten, ladies and gentlemen. Cut, like with some giant blade."

The Brazilian frowned, then went on. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, you know as much as anyone else. We can safely assume it comes out of the water at night, and it seems dangerous. But with no witnesses, we can't say much else.

"The Irish authorities are keeping things quiet for now. They don't want a panic on their hands. The Armed Forces are being mobilized, but frankly they're not much. The Irish Air Corps operates no armed aircraft and the Navy is more of a glorified coast guard, so we'll be dealing mostly with the Irish Army. Now, I know you're thinking to me 'João, just splatter the thing with tanks and heavy artillery' but believe it or not the Irish Army has neither of those. So, they called us for help, because we're smart people who think outside the box, right?" He smiled, hoping the humor would cut some of the tension.

"So let's do some thinking before we touch down in Galway," he invited the group at large. "All of our heads are better than one. So let's hear some ideas, some thoughts, whatever you guys have so we don't show up empty-handed."

He opened a bottle of water and took a long swig, looking expectantly at the group.

[Assistant]
Lorenzo sighed loudly as he was sitting in his seat relaxing and waiting. More or less anyway he was chewing on a toothpick he had (which he has like 20 of) in his pocket. It was a nervous habit he developed whenever he was working on his own project or in stress he chewed on one since smoking was a bad habit and not a good idea whenever you were working with experimental gunpowder for example. As he looked out the window he soon turned to see their fellow ally Carvalho start talking about the situation they were going to Ireland that much Lorenzo knew what he didn't know was the situation. Evidently their was a monster or something incredibly large the odd thing was the destruction that was left over. First it seems like something large was crushing the area around it but when he saw the vehicle that cut in half Lorenzo covered his mouth in shock. Most weapons cant get anywhere close to that clean of a cut besides plasma weapons you see in TV or in video games. Lorenzo put both his hands together and bowed his head "May they rest in peace" Lorenzo said before he looked at it from a scientific point of view. Its obvious that something large came through and while it could crush anything it had some sort of blade as well for slicing. Now their friend Carvalho wanted people to start brainstorming ideas when he said that they were the smart people that much was obvious so that made Lorenzo smile a little but now to think of a plan that doesn't require heavy artillery or tanks.

Lorenzo first idea was to try and see if this was an animal then could it be moved away like any animal. What if we treat this case as if we were trying to keep a dangerous animal away? If we could set up all available heavy light equipment we could flash them simultaneously to any human it would at the very least blind it or make it think that we are firing more shots then we actually have. That however is if we don't want to kill this thing. If we are looking to kill then I say we set up all available vehicles near the coast line and set up c4 to blow at once at the very least this would injure the creatures legs. This is all conjecture however since we have no idea what the creature looks like or if it has armor plates to protect itself from said explosives" Lorenzo said thinking that he had two good ideas having both a violent option and a non violent one so now all that was left was to see if any of the others could come up with better ideas...


[System]
Age: 18

Appearance: Completely androgynous. Olive skinned (from her mother) and green eyes (from her father). She's 5' 5'' and has the lean physique of a runner due to her profession; the more mail she distributes, the more money she makes. Has short, messy brown hair which she keeps under a dark gray cap, and often wears simple trousers, a tunic, and hardy boots.

Occupation: Mail Runner

Personality: Generally quiet and hyper sensitive to her environment, but is coarse and foul mouthed to those she becomes comfortable with, mainly due to how she grew up mingling with street urchins. Because of this, she can be slightly off putting to those she meets, but doesn't mind. A true introvert, she likes to spend time alone or with a few group of people she enjoys being around.

She's resilient and well composed, having been put through many physically and mentally challenging situations in her life.

She has a quick wit and an even faster reflex, but lacks in people skills and academic strength. She's good at transactional relationships when you first meet her but has difficulty bonding with people beyond that. Has a keen sense of wanderlust, which she attributes to her father, but is much more careful than he.

History: Robin was raised in the poorer part of the city with her aunt and cousin after her father left to pursue riches in the east with the promise of "making our dreams come true! I'll be back!" Robin's father is a French traveling merchant who has always chased his dreams, despite having no record of success or measure of cautiousness. It was that lack of restraint that led him to marry her mother, a gypsy he encountered while traveling. With time and the disillusionment towards the romanticism of settling down with a family, the two parents agreed to split and leave Robin with her father's aunt, a stern and austere innkeeper.

Her aunt took baby Robin in, familiar with her brother's whimsical nature, and raised Robin as if she was her own--with unwaivable sternness. Her father has visited a few times, always with tales of foreign lands. Both Robin and her cousin, whom she grew up with, were put to work in the inn since day one. Robin never liked the monotonous work that seemed to bear little benefit to the family business, so when she was 8, she found other work as a mail runner and heaved the inn work on her cousin. She found that she could make more money as a runner the better she got, and could help support her family that way.

She befriended the other mail runners, who were often older street rats of various ages with impressive knowledge about the streets, and grew up with a family away from home who took her in as their own. Her hat was a gift from her "mentor" when she finally beat him at a race across the city. The nooks and crannies of the city became familiar, and the street urchins her teachers, and her feet. Family and running are the most precious things to her.

Items Held: A single Flower (received from Eveline, the lantern.

[User]
Anise payed no heed to the bloodrats that were now swarming over the old man's body. Her attention was on the naysayer before her.

She glared at Simon. "How dare you!" Her voice was like venom. "Tyaelaem has helped me ever since we've met. He has only been doing his best." She was tempted to attack him too. Her only hope to get out of here was Tyaelaem's help. Anyone trying to separate the two of them was the enemy.

Tyaelaem hurried next to Anise and grabbed onto her skirt. When he brushed up against the sword the reaction was instantaneous. She reacted as quickly as possible by putting the sword into its sheath which was now affixed quite nicely to her waist. After she did, she knelt next to the Kith and with a worried expression said. "I'm sorry Tyaelaem I didn't mean to hurt you."

Anise's heart soared when she heard that the lantern would help and she turned to face Kituo who was holding the lantern and some distance away. She started following Tyaelaem, but hesitated as she looked towards the purple light far off into the distance. The fire was a scary thing, but she was more scared of what might happen to Randold. "Tyaelaem! Randold is over that way! I saw him being carried by a group of pirates. I want to save him." Her voice was clearly uncertain and she wanted to hear his advice. "I want to help him get out of here too."

[Assistant]
Talan was still frantically trying to get free of his binding. At this point he began to speak in his clans tongue. "Nilto! Tul Chanak desto em? Em nar'herit Na'Ceal-"(Idiot, you dare insult me? I am the son of Na'Ceal-), his words were hateful and angry but he was quickly silenced when the woman brandished a knife. Talan calmed himself upon realizing he was not in a position to throw insults at these people. "...My name is Talan. I do not know anything about these "Kith", I did not even know that was one of their masks! As for allegiances I ally myself with no one"

Talan could feel the rope loosening slightly but he still had some way to go before he was free. He struggled once more to cut away at the rope but his efforts were halted by the appearance of a rat upon his chest. It nibbled at the bloody monkeybat skins he was wearing and at some points it'd miss and but his flesh. The sheer pain caused Talan to grunt while holding back a scream. This thing had to go but before he could try to deal with it more and more swarmed him and the collective bits of the rats caused his torso to feel like it was on fire. He squirmed and wiggled trying desperately to get these things off of him but they were latched onto him like fish hooks. He rolled on his side and ignored the pain for a second in order to build enough strength and with one hard push he flipped himself over onto his chest. The impact of his chest should have been enough to crush or scare off the rats but incase they were not affected Talan did this repeatedly, pounding his chest into the ground he could feel the bit marks from the rats as the impact irritated them. This place was a living hell.

[User]
The heat of the flames blistered Kituo's skin, causing him to cringe. His gut churned as his apprehension soared to higher elevations. It was happening again. A fire engulfed their surroundings, devouring all that dared to stand in its path. Kituo figured that the lantern would not be able to help him out of this predicament. Where was another stream of healing water when he needed it? At the rate which the flames spread, they'd need gallons to save themselves from being cooked alive. Well, on the literally bright side, at least the fire granted them a broader view of the forest. Unfortunately, how far they could see wouldn't matter when they were reduced to ash.

While he wasn't exactly the biggest fan of the old man, Kituo didn't think to kill him. He winced as the girl confiscated his sword and took a step back. Besides the intense heat, there was a different feeling looming in the air - the feeling of tension. He looked at the girl and felt a fear greater than what he felt of the old man, the monkey-bats, and the darned rat that chewed off his ear. He looked to Simon, hoping that his familiar face would soothe his nerves. It didn't. To Kituo something seemed off about Simon as well. Distrust swelled within the boy forcing him to hug the lantern. As the girl and Simon squabbled about the rabbit guy, Kituo analyzed them both and came to the conclusion that they were only going to get him killed. With the forest blazing around him, Kituo knew that it was either now or never if he was going to make his escape.

He wouldn't get the chance for he waited too late. He cursed his concious. If it weren't for it convincing him to stop earlier, he wouldn't be stuck with these lunatics or the pests that swarmed over the old man's carcass. The forest was taunting him once more as the rats - the brethern of the vermin that bit his ear - lasped up the blood of the dead old man. Although they were mostly ignoring him, Kituo imagined that it was his blood being licked up by the rats. Unable to further torture himself with their presence, he turned his back on the old man's carcass and groaned. The forest loved throwing bundles onto his plate at once and it would continue to pile on without consideration for Kituo's capacity to digest its horrors. He wished it were possible for him to regurgitate the barbaric memories that had been etched into his mind by the forest. It was official, he despised the place.

When the rabbit boy aimed his words to Kiuto, he didn't even bother to glance back. They all bothered him. As far as he was concerned, he was the last sane person remaining. That was certainly problematic as he was prone to snapping at any moment. Kituo sawed his teeth together upon hearing the rabbit boy's proposition about freeing the egg from the lantern. While Kituo believed that the lantern's contents both had special properties, he was reluctant to release it without knowing its capabilities for sure. If the rabbit boy was right about the motives for the Sparrow King's attack, then Kituo would vehemently deny freeing the egg to satisfy them. There was no excuse to resort to such an extreme just to see the sunlight. Growing up in the desert, Kituo didn't think the sunlight to be special anyway. Having been acquainted with it for the entirety of his life, he was liable to tell the rabbit boy that he wasn't missing out on a lot.

"Let's just getting going before those things attack again," Kituo grumbled, his back still facing the group.

The rabbit boy's stare singed Kituo worse than the fire. He didn't trust him a smidgen and from what he noticed neither did Simon. That made him feel slightly at ease. Of course he would never find solace as long as he was trapped in the dungeon that was the forest. For now he intended on tagging alone with the group. Escaping was still his preferred plan but it had lost its value. With the rabbit boy's focus locked on him, Kituo was stranded. Thankfully he still held onto his biggest asset and was perfectly fine with using it to bargain if needed.

[Assistant]
The orb inside a lantern glowed a soft purple, as if inviting Robin to approach it. She stared at the mark etched into its surface, transfixed by its calming and curious nature—she had never seen anything like it. Robin drifted closer to the lantern and reached out, fingers tracing the grooves of the iron and reveling in the warmth of the orb behind the glass. She turned it carefully and searched for some sort of latch, completely forgetting about the owl above of her.

She felt it before she saw it.

The skin on her back bristled and she broke into a cold sweat. Orange and purple reflected off metal, and she leaped back, rapidly scanning the skies above her. She watched the arrow rotate as it soared through the air, before it nicked the owl and lodging itself in a branch with a hearty thump. She searched for the source, trying to pinpoint the source of the palpable malicious intent, but it was too dark to see. Orange tendrils of light stretched out into the night sky, the sound of water trickling emerged from the darkness further ahead, and the ticking deep within the dead tree continued unforgivingly—something was very, very wrong.

She turned to the two other girls on the surface of the mushroom and considered leaving them; her urgency to flee had increased, but she still had no idea about where she was or how she got there—they were the only ones in the forest that didn't seem to convey feelings of malice. They mirrored back her ignorance.

If they were to leave the ominous white tree, that meant they were to be leaving their only source of light. Robin returned to the lantern and pulled at it insistently, trying to separate the shimmering thread from the iron frame. She took a hold of the string and snapped it in half, severing the lantern from it's hold.


[System]
Appearance:
Gender: Female

Age: 17

Grid: Focal

Secret Gift: Pyrokinesis-She can create fire from her palms. She can also control any fire she comes across. She can increase the heat of the fire or reduce it. She can manipulate fire into a spherical shape to throw at enemies, as a weapon.

Weapon of Choice: 8 inch daggers and ninja stars

Gear: Medical pack, compass, rope

Bio: Paige was born in Focal. Her parent's weren't Council Members, but they were close to becoming so. She never wanted anything that she didn't get. But, with her parents running a political campaign, they never had time to spend with Paige. She found herself acting out to get their attention. Instead of getting her way, her parents erased any mention of her from their lives. They said she was too big of a risk if she couldn't constantly be on her best behavior. So her parents bought her her own penthouse, which she's been living in since she was 13.

Habits (Optional): She is always chewing gum.

Theme Song (Optional): Ain't It Fun by Paramore

Other:

[User] Paige tried not to stare at her roommate strangely when he didn't immediately shake her hand. But that just reassured her that Lincoln wasn't from Focal. She never even considered the possibility that he grew up in a different culture. She rubbed her arm as they walked down to the dining hall. She knew exactly where she was going, and enjoyed the slow stroll. "So, where are you from? Not to be mean but you're obviously not from Focal. I'm from here, so I know how we act around each other. Plus you're way too soft spoken to be from here. At my school if you didn't speak up and take the attention, you never got it." She opened her mouth to say more, then scrunched up her eyebrows. "I didn't let you answer." She said more to herself than her roommate. Looking at Lincoln, she apologized. "I kind of just went off and didn't even let you speak."

[Assistant]
Dyana was almost startled from his reply, but it also gave her mixed emotions from him "So...like does he want me here cause he wanted to talk to me, or he doesn't want to be alone..." she felt like she was being pulled around her brain "I hate...this, whatever the hell this is" she smirked and blush, looking the other direction with his comment about being a guy of action "Slick with your words, aren't we now?" she looked back to see him get up. Dyana damn near fainted when Colt started walking towards her, feeling him look at her made her feel...she didn't even know a word for it, but it certainly made her blush even harder. If it showed, she would look like a damn tomato.

He laid back down and said something about a pool "Well...that would mean I'd have to change and I don't know if I can trust you not to peek in" she walked towards the bed "I mean, from how much your eyes wonder, I might have to ask to make sure I get extra locks" she cross her arms and looked at the boy spread on the bed. "Do you think...nah just have fun with it" she stepped onto the bed and over him "But if you want to, we could go wondering, as long as I can get a piggy back ride, im down to go anywhere" she looked down on him and smirked "Dude what are you even...screw it what happens happens, you dont even know what guys like..." she couldn't go back now.

[User]
Lincoln enjoyed walking beside Paige. It was something that comforted him. He couldn't put his finger on it. Paige went on to ask him where he is from, and explained further. The she apologized, and Lincoln was almost stunned from the apology, "No! No problem. Honestly. I like listening to you." Then realized how that came out, "I mean, it is just I never really had a conversation like this. I grew up in Slight to answer your question, and in Slight, I live in a logging family. Since slight is the main source of wood and everything."

Lincoln went on to explain how he worked day in and day out either doing odd jobs around his town, or cutting down trees and delivering them. He objected himself to let her know he also had friends, but everything is much different from here, "It isn't nearly as formal. Or clean." Lincoln chuckled a little. It was nice to be able to walk and talk with a friend, well, an acquaintance. Life moves so fast, and being able to do something like this is very relaxing. "So, Paige," Lincoln's eyes made his way to hers, "I have to ask you something." There was a short pause, "Chocolate or vanilla?" Lincoln grew a big smile.

[Assistant] Derric smiled warmly as he saw he new boy, raising an eyebrow. Fortunately Derric wasn't oblivious, in fact he was the exact opposite. He understood people well, extremely well; and he knew what people were thinking. "Hey! I'm Derric, I guess we're room mates... I won't go past that, I'm too hungry. Wanna just get a bite to eat?"

[User]
Zeph had taken a detour to observe the layout of the floor in which they had all been assigned. She could note most had began to make their way towards the dinning hall. Perhaps it was their design that the recruits would share a meal together in order to eliminate the inital tension that would come with being surrounded by the unknown she thought. Her ears picked up on a voice that sent the closest thing to a chill she had ever felt.

"Hopefully we have a lot of the same classes,"

The Nolluxian and the Zaneux where of similar status, meaning Zeph was constantly forced into situations that where not ideal for someone of her...taste. Her parents trusted that they would be fast friends,sending her on shopping bouts with the younger Estella. One such occasion ended with her in a one girl fashion show trying on outfits that Estella had hand picked for her.

Her eyes searched for any means of escape, the ventilation was much to narrow, nothing to hide behind. She was trapped and wearing a suit no less...In a situation like this she would need to use a preemptive attack! Without a moment of hesitation she loosened her tie and unbuttoned two buttons that would allow her to look more suggestive. A pair of slender needles slid out of her sleeves, that quickly where used to style her hair.

The beast turned the corner, with a rabbit in its fangs. The poor girl, she had already been claimed Zeph thought.

"Estella." Zeph said with a smirk. "It has been too long. I assume you are heading to the dinning hall as well?"

[Assistant]
Nau checked his watch, looking down at the time. It was time for the new Recruits to head down to dinner. He looked over at Tri, who is scribbling furiously on his clipboard. Nau rolled his eyes and walked over to the intercom. He pressed a small, silver button underneath the mouth piece and then pressed the floor numbers that the Recruits were on. "All Recruits please descend to the cafeteria. Dinner will be served shortly. Any Recruit that is late will be locked out of the cafeteria and go to bed with no dinner. And no sleep for you will be staying up watching security cameras with one of the Elite Guards." Nau smiled to himself. "That's all."

Right then, Sky burst in through the door. Kym was not with him. Nau saw the look on his friend's face and knew immediately something was wrong. "What's going on, Sky?" Sky, who normally doesn't breath hard, lets out small gasps of air and shook his head. He stood up, running a hand through his hair.

"It's back," he said, jerking his chin toward the still occupied Tri. When "it" is mentioned, Tri looked up from his clipboard. He narrowed his eyes at Sky and reached up to touch a mark on his neck that almost looked like a handprint. Sky nodded, knowing what the others were thinking. "Yes. It is back."

"I thought Cru killed it?"

"I guess not," Sky said, shaking his head. "He might have killed the physical form, but it's ethereal form is definitely back."

Nau paced nervously. "What do we tell the Recruits? And where is Kym?"

"In the infirmary. She received a nasty blow to the head." Sky looked between the other two. "And we tell the Recruits nothing. They don't need to know until it is captured and destroyed. Got it?" Both Nau and Tri nodded and they all head down to the cafeteria. Tri was stroking his neck nervously, his thoughts taking him back to that fateful day on his seventeenth birthday and he suddenly shuddered. Nau placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and consoled him. Sky glanced over at the two and stared back at the ground, his heart aching from the mention of his partner and best friend earlier.

They walked to the front of the cafeteria and watched as the new Recruits entered the cafeteria. Nau looked over at Sky and Tri as the Recruits began to sit down and chattered among themselves. Sky nodded to him and at precisely six o'clock, the doors to the cafeteria were shut and Nau put on his bravest face as he walked to the center of the room. He felt the eyes of all of the Recruits on him. He smiled and said, "Hello again, all. As I remember, I forgot to introduce myself this morning. My name is Nau Kent. Not long ago, I was like you. I was in training to become a Guard as well." He took a deep breath and continued, "This will be one of the hardest, but greatest experiences in your life. You will make friends… you will make enemies. You will get crushes or girlfriends and you will get a broken heart. You will see friends conquer their fears and… you will see the light fade from their eyes." Tears started to form at the edges of his eyes and he coughed. "I'm sorry." Tri walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Nau nodded and waved him off before smiling once again. "Now, let's eat!" He threw his hands up and servers swarmed from the kitchen doors, bringing out platters and dishes full of food, setting them down in front of the Recruits. Nau met Sky's eyes through the chaos and he saw the same fear he had reflected in his friend's eyes.

"Sure go ahead," Citrine said with a smile, gesturing toward the door. She sat down on Sarah's bed and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. She smiled. This was all kind of surreal. She couldn't wait until class started tomorrow. Right then, the intercom came on and it was the man from earlier today calling everyone to dinner. She looked over at Sarah remorsefully and said, "Well, maybe later I guess?" She then walked out of Sarah's room and headed down to the cafeteria. She took her place immediately, walking toward the front of the cafeteria where the teachers from earlier were standing.

She was starved from this afternoon. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, which had been a big mistake. She watched as the other Recruits entered and sat down. She smiled at some of them and turned to face forward, looking as they shut the doors directly at six. Nau began to talk and she watched as he deteriorated from a strong confident man to a crying, miserable person. He tried to re-put on his brave face and he smiled and threw his arms up, releasing the swarm of servers behind kitchen doors. Citrine's eyes went wide when she saw all of the food. She had never had this much food before. She smiled and laughed, wishing Rey was here to see this.

Colt chuckled at her last comment and immediately stood back up. He pulled off his vest that he was still wearing. He tucked it into his back pocket. Now, he was completely shirtless. He grabbed Dyana, hoisting her up onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. He laughed and spun her in a circle. "How's this?" he said sarcastically. He was about to head out of the room when the intercom came on.

Once the announcement was done, Colt looked up at Dyana with a smile. "Well I guess I could take you there," he stated and took off at a full on sprint out the door. He made sure to grip her tight and he raced down to the cafeteria, not even slowing down for a little bit. He laughed again at the speed and suddenly he thought of her and his laugh was cut short. He dodged into the cafeteria and walked over to a table. He set Dyana down and pulled out a chair for her. After she sat down, he walked around and sat across from her, pulling on his vest once more. He smiled across the table at her and looked at Nau as he began his speech.

Once he was done, all of the servers burst through the doors and began distributing out food and platters and Colt laughed at how much food there was. He looked across the table at Dyana with a smile and exclaimed, "You'd think they're trying to get us fat!" He grabbed an apple of a stack of apples and took a big bite out of the middle of it.

[User]
@CallaLily

"Zephornial," Estella greeted politely. "It really has been and yes we are heading to the dining hall as well. Zephornial, this is Lilith. Do you remember her from our grid? Lilith this is Zephornial Nolluxian. You've probably have heard of her. Our families were good friends, and so were we, weren't we Zeph?" She smiled at Zeph, but it was a bit fake.

She then heard the announcement and said, "We better head to the dining hall quickly. I hope you know where it is Zeph, because we are a bit...well lost. If so, lead the way."

[Assistant]
Paige let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding when he accepted her apology. She nodded when he said he was from Slight. They continued to make their way to the cafeteria as he explained what it was like living there. She couldn't imagine growing up like that. It seemed so dull and boring. But maybe it was just that her childhood was too flashy. She turned to look at him when he said he had an important question. When she actually heard the absurdity, she broke into a laugh. "One of life's most important questions."

Just as she was about to answer the intercom came on and all the Recruits were called down. She would claim to be shocked by the ultimatum if late, but it really wasn't that surprising at all. They had to learn to be punctual, it made perfect sense. Walking into the cafeteria she chose a seat and folded her hands on her lap. "So, in answer to your question. I am a very loyal fan to..." She picked at the invisible dirt on her dark blue jeans, stalling. With a chuckle, she looked back up at Linc and grinned. "Vanilla. It's so much better than chocolate. What about you?"

As soon as the words tumbled from her lips, the doors were shut. Looking towards the front of the room, she saw the man who had greeted them outside. He introduced himself as Nau and gave them even more expectations for their stay. When he was done, a ton of servers came out with an abundance of food. She took a sip of water before turning her attention back to Linc. "What's your answer to the greatest question of all time?" She asked.