[System]
♬ Theme

CHARACTER
Age: 28 (in human years)
Gender: Male
Race: Zora

Personality: Abrasive and forward, Nikou isn't a man of great patience when it comes to dealing with people and often finds it insufferable to deal with the sensitive world of politics. His serious and pointed nature grates against casual or overly soft personalities. For example, nobody gets along worse with the royal twins than Nikou; so much, that he's often a common target for their pranks simply due to how mad he usually gets. It's no wonder he has a reputation for being overly stern. Despite this appearance, however, Nikou cares strongly for his people and is passionate about trying to ensure a strong future for everyone.

Biography: Born to a guard father and singer mother, Nikou was raised in Zora's Domain as the eldest (and only) son of an upper class family closely tied to the royalty. Being part of the upper class itself, Nikou is all too familiar with the often petty politics of the zora world. Though he had no interest in dealing with the problems of the noble class, his stalwart personality and succession to his father made him a clear candidate as a strong member of the guards.

 Due to his relatively close blood status and natural aptitude for the job, Nikou found himself ending up in the position of a royal guard for the reigning family of Zora's Domain. Though he found the gentle nature of some of the family hard to deal with, Nikou found himself looking up to the strong leadership of the guard captain Goldor. While Nikou couldn't help but agree the reign of peace was what was best for the zora people at the time, he couldn't help but feel like the place was stagnating away as its upper class tore itself apart while the lower class suffered. Something inside Nikou told him that Zora's Domain would be in much better hands if Goldor could lead a bolder, tighter ship. Change something, instead of holding onto a status quo that just isn't working... Or was he just being idealistic?

 Regardless, as of the moment there was little anyone could really do to change the world of Zora's Domain, leaving little else to do but do what you do. For Nikou, that meant getting forced into escorting a Zora Noble into Hyrule Castle City so that they could discuss several trade deals with the Hylians. What was supposed to be a simple escort assignment, however, would soon turn into a much bigger legend...

Notes: - Gets weirded out by most magic. Just, doesn't like it.
- Father shared his hobby of throwing knives with him. Nikou knows his fair share of tricks.

STATS
Health: 6/10
Stamina: 4/10
Magic: 0/10

Hearts: 12 (9 + 3 Armor)
Stamina: 45 (35 + 10)
Magic: 15

FEATS
[RACIAL] Home at Sea: Zoras have the ability to swim and are most comfortable in the water. They move faster in water and can stay in bodies of water for any desired amount of time, giving them huge advantages in watery domains. Improved swimming/diving ability and indefinite underwater breathing.

[TALENT] Acrobatics: The culture of Zora performance combined with the innate mobility the Zoras have in water makes acrobatics, both in water and on land, pervasive in even the most serious places. Because practicing such techniques makes for good practice and an even better past-time, Zora guards often train their stamina, endurance, and finesse through such activities. As such, this trait gives strengthened stamina (+10 to cost pool) and heightened flexibility and finesse.

[TECHNIQUE] Ending Blow: [5 Stamina] Capitalizes on unsteady foes with a decisive strike. Deals extra damage when used against a target that's been knocked away or off-balance. Can be used without consuming stamina, but if done so, it does not deal the bonus damage.

[TECHNIQUE] Sweeping Slash: [10 Stamina] Swings a weapon around in a 260 degree arc in front of the user, aiming low. While not much stronger than a normal slash, the force of the swing knocks down enemies' legs if it connects right.

[TECHNIQUE] Dolphin Dive: [5 Stamina] Uses the zora's innate talent in the water to launch out and then leap onto the enemy with a powerful downward strike. While it covers significantly less distance out of water due to being unable to build up speed through swimming, it can still be used on land to perform a strong leaping strike.

[TECHNIQUE] Spear Flurry: [10 Stamina] Rapidly thrusts a spear at the enemy, hitting four times in quick succession with 50% effectiveness.

[TECHNIQUE] Joint Lock: [5 Stamina] Pinpoint knife throws target certain points in the body to lock down movement. If the knives properly connect, the target will be temporarily stunned. Ineffective against armor.

EQUIPMENT
Main Weapon: Zora Spear [Medium/Melee] Standard issue, military grade.
Off-Hand: Throwing Knives [Sidearm/Ranged] Light-weight knives built for slicing through the air. Given to him by his father.
Armor: Zora Armor [Medium/+3 Hearts] A hardy, breathable armor given to guards; made from hardy scales of a certain type of fish.
Potions: Health Potion [Basic] & Stamina Potion [Basic]
Other: N/A

#1 - Crime Rings & Sweaty Fighters
#2 - Official Guard Business & Official Magicians
#3 - To The Sewer Entrance?
#4 - Hard Evidence (or the lack thereof)
#5 - VS. Dodongo
#6 - The Battle Rages On!

[User]
Tinnun Chordata
Hyrule Castle City, Inner Wall District

A Rito carrying around a lot of food on her wings and stumbling forwards while doing so seemed to be quite a sight to behold, Tinnun had thought to herself. Indeed, she felt a little silly doing so. Not helping is the constant feeling that she's being gawked at, regardless if someone is staring at her or not.

She eventually reached the square where the tournament is being held. She didn't know why they decided to put the stages and the platform near the fountain. Dramatic effect, the woman guessed. Tinnun couldn't help but feel a bit hyped up by the MC, the energy was very contagious. However, Tinnun has to look for the person to talk to to ask them if she could volunteer in cooking for the crowd, and search out this person she did.

[Assistant]
"I can participate by myself! It's my right as a citizen of Hyrule, isn't it? Hardly my fault all these people's eyes are disabled." Confliti pouted a bit, which was normal anytime Gorn brought up his inability to properly interact with the rest of the world. Most minish didn't mind, and even thrived on it. Confliti had... Different opinions. He mumbled to himself, something Gorn wouldn't have a chance of hearing between the minish's size and the expansive crowd around them. Turning his head to give his old friend the proverbial cold shoulder, Confliti caught sight of others in the area. One in particular caught his attention. A small deku scrub moving in behind them. Now that was peculiar. Confliti had seen many unusual creatures in larger metro areas before, including the elusive koroks, but a scrub? Ill tempered and usually defensively paranoid, they were not one to venture out from their forests, and attacked most people they came into contact with.

Confliti decided to observe this scrub as Gorn brought them to register for the tournament, together. Wait, where did that scrub get all that food? That was way too much for one little scrub! "Don't go too far, Gorn! I'm going to grab a quick bite!" With that he jumped off from Gorn's shoulder and gently floated to the platter of treats using a leaf. Ah, this smelled good! Confliti picked up a berry and began to eat it like a melon.

Then something bizarre happened. Shrubs sprouted up around Gorn! The minish narrowed his eyes up at the deku. Forest magic. How dare he pick on Gorn like that? "Go on, get us registered! I'll deal with this ner'do'well!" Confliti lifted his berry with one hand and hurled it at the deku's face in a surprise attack! Not even bothering to ensure it struck its mark, thet minish warrior grabbed more food and chucked it all! Every crumb, every leaf, berry, roll, and whatever else sat on the plate hurled through the air in a crazy fit. To the onlookers it would appear some invisible force had possessed the food and now had it in for the poor deku...

[User]
"You haven't heard?" He asked. "Jaque the Ripper. Charming name. Appropriate, because, allegedly, this individual...Well, rips. People's organs." He made a tearing motion with his hands. "Out of them." They were near the house. The scent of blood was in the air. "So they're asking me to investigate. I'm supposed to have a partner, but he's probably off at some travern." He shrugged. The house was cordoned off, and there was a sense of dread that hung heavy in the air in stark contrast to the festival.

"To be fair, I wish I could do the same, but that's my job." He shrugged. "Thanks for the help, by the way. Duty calls." He said, before heading over to the captain. "Sorry I'm late. Got a bit lost." He said. "Rin Utoh. Sheikah Ninja." He reached into his kimono, taking out the envelope which held the letter he'd recieved. "I've been called here to investigate the murder. May I see the corpse?" He looked over the house, curious how big it was. "Do we know how they got in? Any signs of forced entry?" He was different from how he had been talking to Luna. His airy, lighthearted demeanor was gone. His tone was of a professional, and his eyes had grown focused. They were the eyes of a hunter.

[Assistant]
Nikou - Hyrule Castle City, Inner Wall District Nikou straightened his back as the guard captain eyed him for some sign of validity in his statement. The garb was apparently enough proof of his statement, despite the white lie, seeing as the captain merely nodded and started divulging the information. It seemed Nikou's suspicions were pretty much correct-- the Templars were too busy with quelling cultists and serial killers to deal with other crimes. Nikou couldn't help but grin, though, amused by the fact that they were so short on guards that they would just let some Zora guard come in and deal with it.

 Either way, the captain took out some papers and read some of the details to him. As he listened, though, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. It was a lot less information than he was hoping for, but if they had a who, where, and when, then they probably wouldn't need "international cooperation" to pursue the investigation. The names were... also disappointing, though. 'Sewer Steve'? 'Gaunt Grant'? He was plenty familiar with all kinds of criminal pseudonyms, but they never failed to be as stupid as ever. Couldn't they ever be something cool...? Regardless, after a short debriefing, the captain signaled for someone to bring out the actual dossiers they had, and Nikou eagerly looked through them.

 The first one, Gaunt Grant, was pretty much an enigma due to the lack of any specifics about where the guy could even be. The second one, Sewer Steve, was directly referenced in the interrogation of one of the crime ring workers, though similarly, there was little information to work with. So basically all he had were some nicknames and some wanted-poster info. His first worry was if he would even be able to do this in the short several days he was posted in Hyrule City, especially in tandem with his actual job. This was quickly invalidated by the fact that he could pass anything he found out to the actual guards, so pretty much getting any progress at all was his ultimate goal.

 Nikou sighed. While he couldn't take the documents with him, there wasn't much to forget. Before he left to go snoop around the city, however, Nikou looked at some of the information scattered around the guard center. It was mostly standard stuff, like citizen complains and schedules for patrol, but it didn't hurt to look. Though, maybe it'd be a good idea to search around the areas where the guards patrolled the least? The more hidden the place is from the government's eye, the more appealing it would be to a criminal after all... Was this "Sewer Steve" really operating out of the sewer? People hardly ever went down there...

 Nikou realized he'd been holding his breath and exhaled harshly. It really wasn't much to go on, and Nikou didn't even know how to even investigate a sewer system. The first step would probably be just to figure out where it even was, though, so he thanked the other guards for their cooperation and walked out of the station. He doubted they would be much help with this for now. It'd probably be best to find someone who looks like they know the backstreets of the Castle City, but that'd be easier said than done due to the sheer magnitude of people who've came to Castle City from all over the kingdom for the festivities.

 The first place Nikou thought to look was one of the many market streets filled to the brim with people selling and tourists buying. Though, as he walked with the crowd and looked around, it quickly became apparent it'd be hard to really get anyone to talk; everyone just wanted to enjoy the day, and all the shops didn't want him holding up their business. In fact, he'd even got threatened by some feisty Goron seller who was trying to pawn off sketchy 'fireworks' to the crowd. Nikou's first stop on his investigation was about to get marked up as a failure until one more interesting thing caught his eye.

 A Rito street magician was performing for a small crowd, capitalizing on the especially festive tourist crowd. Nikou stopped and watched for a minute, observing the simplistic yet appealing snowflake patterns he was making. It was pretty, sure, but he couldn't help but wonder if that was anything close to any of the mage's true powers. Curious, he waited for a lull in the action and a gap in the crowd to approach.

 "Could you put your show aside for a minute? I'm currently on an investigation-- official guard business-- and I need to ask you a couple of questions." Nikou said, though it felt a little awkward to have to look so far down to talk. He was at least a couple feet taller than the grey Rito. Regardless, Nikou showed the street magician the poster he had taken from the notice board. "Do you know either of these men? Or, would you happen to know how to get access to the sewer system of the city?"


[System]
Alias/Nickname: (not sure yet)

Appearance:

Age: 36

Race: He is convinced he is human.

Personality: Damien is a guy that everyone overlooks and ignores. He expects this, since that is how he has been treated by society for most of his life. He isn't a nice person, as he is severely broken and pessimistic about everything. He doesn't befriend anyone without expecting them to turn on him at some point. He's lonely, jaded, and hateful.

Biography/history: Another orphan story. The only details that matter are that Damien knows his last name from a script of paper that was dropped off with him on a doorstep, and that he was raised an unwanted child in an orphanage with a strict religious theme. As he grew, it became clear he had been favored or blessed by Yishreenok, or maybe the young lad had been secretly seeing him out. Damien acted innocent, but rumors spread, and he was disliked. After he grew up, he met a girl who actually spoke to him and was able to touch his cold heart. She followed Thandarilasad, the god of life, and began to sway young Damien. Theologists had long suspected that the god of life and god of death might actually be the same god. Damien began to question this. He opened up to the girl and they fell in love and married. Immediately thereafter, she was killed without explanation by the Stygian Blade. She could have been a target, or maybe she was just an innocent bystander, but Damien knows they are at fault. Consumed by pain and despair, Damien surrounded himself in darkness and death, never to trust again and blaming the living and their gods for what happened. Exandra would not hear him, for his desire for revenge went beyond justice. Now Damien broods and laments and takes any opportunity to destroy the Stygian Blade.

Reason for recruitment: to promote his own agenda of vengeance, a pain that will never be extinguished, a hatred that will never be satisfied.

Strength of Will: Between potent and greater, depending on how close he is to attaining his goal.

Magic: Damien's magic is all channeled. He can do some interesting things:

Soul sight - Damien can sense or "see" souls within a certain distance around him, which includes seeing them through walls, trees, or complete darkness.

Energy Drain - Upon touch, Damien can sap the strength from another, causing weakness, even to the point of unconsciousness if he holds on long enough. The affect lingers.

Raise undead - Yishreenok allows Damien to actually raise a corpse into a zombie minion for a time.

Controll Undead - Damien can control an undead that he has raised via his will, and he can control other undead if they do not have wills or controller's wills stronger than his. There is a limit on range and number at a time.

Smite Undead - causes serious pain to undead, could kill them if they are weak. Explodes zombies or dispells ghosts.

False life - If Damien energy drains someone, he can temporarily use that energy to heal himself or give himself some strength. If he doesn't then escape and truly take care of his needs, his wounds will re-open and possibly kill him.

Servant of the cold - Damien is resistant to cold and can freeze objects close to him. His skin is cold to the touch.

Damien is still alive and human. His longevity is extended but he is not immortal and does age slowly.

Encourage decay - Damien can cause illness or disease temporarily to targets he focuses on. He has to do this intentionally. This could weaken a warrior or make it more difficult for a caster to concentrate. Only works on living beings and can be resisted by will.

Call of the grave - grasping skeletal hands reach up from bare earth to grab the legs of the target, slowing them or stopping them.

God relations: Feeling he has lost everything worth living for, Damien pleads with Yishreenok to make a servant of him. He longs for death himself, but he is forbidden from taking his own life. He wishes to become a lich in service to the god of death. Yishreenok seems to want Damien to learn something or accomplish something before his requests can be granted. Damien shies away from the God of life, Thandarilsad. The god reminds him of his beloved and that greatly weakens his resolve. Perhaps he feels he has failed somehow. Otherwise he pretty much hates everyone.

Tech: Damien normally wears some kind of Star Knight standard issue armor, in black, with a cloak and hood, and underneath it, a protective metal skull mask with a HUD and a communicator. His main weapons other than his magic are two hand held lightning-shooting arc-spanners that are attached to bracers on his arms. They can be set to stun or to kill by electrocution. There is also a setting that emits a force wave that can push back a charging enemy.

Possessions/items/property: Damien has been poor all his life. He is put up by Star at the moment.

Skills: Damien loves to drive large vehicles, including cycles, cars, trucks, planes, and copters.

Misc: Damien wears the wedding ring of his deceased wife on a cord around his neck. His own ring is on his hand.

[User]
Pandora's Companion

 Ludelle and Damien

Wind Wild

Day 1, Morning

Ludelle's head slowly rose as her ears caught the first change in the buzzing silence that had become her world. Unbelieving at first, too cautious to latch onto fake hopes, she listened to the footsteps as they slowly grew in volume, drawing images in her mind. She didn't dare move least they were coming for her, but at the first sound of voices her awareness awoke like an inflamed and feverish organ, suddenly pushed to trying harder than. It was a pleasant stimulation in a timeless world.

Listening to the voices, she quickly realised what was going on: she was getting a companion. One she immediately took a liking to when he demonstrated his insubordinate nature. "Another one." She thought almost happily. His words were confusing – what did he mean the ring is keeping him alive? - but the voice behind them, a slight growl, the unsaid "fuck you" pulled at her lips and her heart strings. Of corse, he was quickly punished for his insolence but surely he'd foreseen that and still didn't give a shit. And judging by the sounds, he wasn't going down easy either.

The woman tilted her head down so nobody would see her smirk even if they shone a light in the cell. Ah, if only they tried to taze her. Electricity had no power over her, it was a one-sided relationship with her always on top and if they had given her any spark whatsoever... oh, the things she could do. She wasn't a murderer so she would probably stop herself before she incinerated anyone, but right now giving some of her pain back to her torturers was a magical fantasy.

Whatever, that wasn't happening. Everyone in this prison was aware of her magic and was strictly instructed not to give her any opportunities, even despite her alchemical alterations. Putting the violent desires to the back of her mind, she crawled slightly towards the bars, curious to catch a glimpse of the prisoner. If anything, her dark attire made her almost invisible in this darkness unless a light hit the reflective lines on her skin. She managed to see the inmate briefly before he was overpowered by the guards and disappeared into the cell. The guards mentioned something about a hacker that made her hair stand on end but then they vanished as quickly as they'd come.

Ludelle stared into the neighbouring cell even as all light retreated, leaving the place in the same utter darkness as before. It was intimidating, but it was also giving her courage. With one hand on the bars, bitter that she couldn't sense the man's electromagnetic field as she used to, she wondered if she wanted to engage him in conversation. The hype of getting another soul she could talk to was dripping away, slowly replaced with doubt and dread. It seemed almost too easy, too convenient. A rebel like herself, placed in exactly the cell next to her? A little show to gain her trust and then a quick retreat, letting her spill all the confessions the court needed to hang her? Was it all a ploy, a play, staged by the Stygian Blade to expose her? It wasn't beyond them, she knew. Would placing hope in that man be foolish? Or would it be foolish not to accept a gift from the heavens, a chance at freedom?

She was cautious and over-thinking everything. She knew that but couldn't help it, she had to be to survive. Still, caution wasn't always the best way ahead. Sometimes it only stopped you from proceeding.

"Hey." She called softly in the darkness. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

[Assistant]
Fresh Blood
Tracyarmav
Day 1, Morning
Christian, Calder

Calder slept like a stone, not having had much rest prior to arriving at the tower. He rose late, and took his time stretching and planning his opening feint... it would be with the Avatar of Storms. It would be interesting to see how the man would react. He'd doubtless see right through the ploy, but perhaps he would play along and find his own uses for it, like a proper fae lord. If he didn't notice the ruse or chose to ignore it, no matter, it would still give him some practice with the new mask. Calder reached into one of his pockets, and pulled out a sealed clay jar, not much smaller than his head. He opened it carefully and then muttered something under his breath, and his hands warmed up, and in a few moments the jar of thick broth was bubbling gently. Calder put the jar to his lips and drank the whole jar in a series of large gulps, enjoying the warmth flowing down his throat and then seeping into the rest of him. It was time, the late risers were stirring, he'd just make it to Christian's office before a line started if he left now.

Plodding into the corridor, Calder made his way to the lifts, with a slow heavy step, completely devoid of grace. He trudged along, grunting in reply to any greetings offered by others in the halls. Waiting for an empty lift car, he gazed at around him dully, seeming to take in very little of his surroundings. Doing his best to cultivate the dumb strong stereo type with his fellow initiates. Why? simple, the less they knew the less they could tell someone else, regardless of their level of motivation. The elevator opened, and the few beings in it looked at him and quickly emptied the elevator. His scaly body stood 7'11" tall, and close to 4' at the shoulder, he was not a being that others felt comfortable with in an enclosed space, like an elevator. Calder stomped onto the elevator, and gazed at the buttons blankly before pushing one, seemingly at random. The doors closed, and he grinned maliciously. Mortals were so easily deceived preferring to see what they wanted rather than the painful truth of the matter.

The doors opened and Calder plodded out, passing an armed and armored girl(Adéla) he'd not seen before on her way out. He grunted a greeting at her, and plodded on by without changing pace in the slightest. Stopping at the door to Christian's office, Calder waited a moment before raising a fist to pound on the door three times. He then stood there staring blankly at the door awaiting the summons that he expected would soon be forthcoming.


[System]
Gender: female

Age: 15

Appearance:
Sophia is shorter than average, in fact she has never met anyone who could look her in the eye without looking down or bending their legs. Her face is very expressive, particularly her grey eyes, due to it being one of her primary ways of communicating. She has a very lithe, slightly muscular build from all the running and climbing she does. Because of her active lifestyle, she prefers to wear t-shirts, shorts, and running shoes or hiking boots. She also wears a shark-tooth necklace.

Personality: Sophia doesn't speak. Period. She has not spoken so much as a single word her entire life, and it is not known whether this is due to some unknown brain condition, or if she simply chooses not to. Regardless, this does not seem to hamper her much, as she always finds some other way to communicate what she wants to others. She's also very active and athletic, usually going on a run before school, participating in her school's track team, as well as being a parkour expert; if she doesn't want to be caught, then no one can catch her short of flying. She's also recently started teaching herself MMA, mostly by watching videos on the interwebs.

Because of her apparent "disability", she is subject to a fair degree of ridicule and teasing, particularly from those who believe that she just chooses not to speak (her most common nickname is "Silent Sophy"). Her typical responses to this are scathing looks, sarcastic comments delivered via a text-to-speech app on her phone that she had downloaded, and rude gestures delivered at point blank range. In fact, Sophia doesn't seem to place much, if any great importance on personal space; she loves to communicate through physical contact, particularly with hugs, slight caresses, or drawing on someone's skin. However, she will give space if she sees that her actions are making the recipient particularly uncomfortable. Those who know her know that this is just her way of demonstrating affection.

Background: At the tender age of 18, Madeline Callahan left her small town roots and made her way to the sunny shores of California, in pursuit of great dreams, good friends and a bright future. Upon arrival, she promptly shirked those dreams and indulged in every pleasure possible. She was a party girl, living the good life without a care in the world…
Until reality came knocking, and she found herself pregnant. Abandoned by most of her friends, Madeline was still determined to live her life her own way. She decided to keep the baby, more or less cleaned up, and managed to support herself and her daughter, whom she named Sophia, as a waitress. It was not an easy life, but with the help of a couple remaining friends, it was a more or less good one for the first couple years.

However, Madeline became troubled. Even up to the age of four, Sophia had still not spoken a single word. There didn't seem to be any apparent medical reason preventing her from doing so, and she seemed to understand others perfectly; she just didn't speak herself. Madeline attempted to get a speech therapist to help her daughter, however she was unable to continue paying for them. Additionally, Sophia had seemed to have inherited some of her mother's wilful attitude, since she didn't pay the slightest attention during the few sessions that she did have.

Out of both options and money, Madeline made the grudging decision to move back home, where she has lived with her brother and sister-in-law ever since.

Relationships: Richard Calhoun has been Sophia's best friend almost since the day she and her mother moved in with her uncle. People love to tease about them being an "item", and while Sophia has never said yes, she's never said no either.

Powers:

[User]
After their last class, Blake and Al had an uneasy bike ride home. They were quite sure it would be more than a little uncomfortable to have to explain what really went down at lunch and why Blake wound up pulled into it. True enough, the atmosphere was a bit heavy when their parents got home. The first thing they did was sit the boys down to give them the whole truth of the matter- which they did do, but filled with reassurances that neither of them did anything to make it worse. The Reyes knew they didn't raise liars, so they bought into it rather well, if a little angrily. What good was it in calling out the people who seriously couldn't do a thing? What kind of teacher calls their students sheep?! And what kind of a detention occurs that late at night on a Thursday?

The family pulled a collective shrug. Mr. Reyes called the teacher who assigned it an asshole.

However, just because they didn't agree with the punishment didn't mean it gave Blake a free pass to skimp out on it. Unfortunate as it was, he still had to attend it. Despite his heavy groaning about it, his parents ordered he finish his homework early so he could just get this over with.

And so he did…

At around 7 PM, Blake biked away from his home in the same old clothes, but with an old, yellow hoodie swapped out for his button-up shirt. Mostly by his dad's nagging and his insistence of always arriving somewhere with half an hour to spare. Blake never made it a priority to actually follow that creed, but if his dad was around to enforce it he didn't have much of a choice. His dad also usually insisted the boys not go out alone around night time, but just this once he decided to test the waters and let Blake go by himself instead of just driving him there or making his brother accompany him.

When Blake arrived, however, he found himself half-wishing Al was here with him. He couldn't help but feel somebody was watching him as he locked up his bike. It didn't help matters at all when he saw something dart just out of sight when he turned to check on it. There was a growing sense of discomfort in the pit of Blake's stomach after seeing that… Was somebody stalking the park? Or was somebody just being a sneaky little sunuvagun? He wasn't sure he'd enjoy the outcome either way. To try and settle down, he just pat his face and started making his way to where he thought the meet-up location was. Surely it was just nothing… Surely.

[Assistant]
Thursday March 21st, 2016

Ice Queen. How did that happen? Mina used to be a very friendly person, a person that everyone could easily become friends with. But after the accident happened, she started to block everyone out, not wanting to get close to anyone.

Mina tried not to remember, and shook everything off.

When Alden arrived, Mina looked up. Since everyone, except The Signing Girl, seemed to be here, she put away her book. As soon as she noticed him looking at her, she stared back. Mina took everything as a competition, and this one was going to be a challenge. After standing there stupidly for about a minute, she looked away first. Damn it! Mina could feel her heart beating, and she desperately tried to slow it down. Detention was going to start soon, after all.


[System]
Nickname: Cactus

Species: Turian

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Stands at just over six feet.

Weapons/Equipment:

M-37 Tempest Submachine gun

K-22 Ursus Heavy pistol

Reinforced Gauntlets & gloves

Skills and Abilities:

Rookie - Tacticus has not participated in any combat against real hostiles. While he has been extensively trained and there are several veterans on the team, there is no true substitute to the real thing. This also lends itself to his biotics skills being limited aswell.

Cabalist - At 15 when Tacticus joined the Turian military he was immediately separated from his classmen and put into a Cabal training program. Among biotic training Tacticus was also given heavily specialized training as a shock troop, meaning he is skilled with pistols, explosives, and infiltration.

Combat Biotic - Tacticus's biotics are strong enough for his abilities to be used as weapons on their own. Most of his abilties are focused on augmenting his own body for the time being. Though his manipulation of mass effect fields beyond his own body are limited he only needs his hands to punch a hole through most people and objects.

Pilot - As part of his training in the Cabal he is rated to pilot most vehicles if need be.

Background: Tacticus was born to 40 year old parents both of whom were special forces in the Turian military. This meant that after parental leave one of them had to retire from active combat to raise Tacticus, his father ended up volunteering for the job and took a position planning operations while his mother continued her active service. Since he was an only child Tacticus was given quite a bit of attention from his father which ended up shaping him into a shinning model of Turian selflessness. Though since his parents were both serving the military Tacticus never stayed on one planet or space station long. This meant he generally had few friends which he always knew he would have to leave behind, he never became very attached to them as a consequence. That changed however when his mother was injured during an operation and forced to retire from her active combat position. When Tacticus was given the news he was pulled out of his class. The young Tacticus was so distraught learning this he accidentally discovered his biotics. From that point on Tacticus isolated himself from others his age as he did not want to hurt them. His parents knew that this would force him into the Cabals when he turned 15 so they decided it was best to wait out the last few years and provide support as best they could.

When Tacticus was signing his life to the Hierarchy he was afraid of what his fellow soldiers would think of him in basic. He knew the stigma he was facing, after all his own parents didn't trust him when he first found out. While the following year was not as bad as he thought it would be it still left him alone whenever they were not doing exercises or general training. But when all of their assignments were being dolled out Tacticus was immediately assigned to the cabals. Thus began his grueling two years of training.

An odd thing happened though when he became apart of the all biotic strike force. He finally felt like he was home. Most people in the cabal he was assigned to had similar stories to his and it made Tacticus feel like he truly fit in somewhere. The companionship Tacticus built up with his Cabal through blood, sweat, and tears during their demanding endurance exercises and the fact that they were alone together made him become extremely close with his squad and vice versa. The squad spirit that was exemplified through their well oiled actions later in training was one of power and determination to assist the Hierarchy in any way possible.

Recently the squad was given a handler and moved to the outer reaches of colonized space. They are set to provide security in the Pylos Nebula and to deal with any more dangerous elements that always pop up on new colonies. Currently however they have been assigned to a ship that will act as their temporary home.

[User]
Voira was perfectly willing just to let the human go. If he wanted to get killed by his own actions, it was no problem with her. He had already caused more injuries than all the enemies combined. Raa, however, was not and seemed intent upon both giving up her Medi-gel and following him. The Asari couldn't allow her to do either. Voira sat next to the Quarian, hugging her gently. "The Cabalists and Avatar can go after him. Solares too, if he likes. You're going to stay here and recover, and then we'll go. We'll get medi-gel from whoever we can." She was quiet for a moment, then spoke with a gentleness most people wouldn't have expected the fiery and aggressive Asari to possess. "You're going to be okay Raa. You helped save the Turian's life, and the medic will make sure she makes it. You're going to get through this, it's normal to feel numb after so much death." She didn't add that she had long since gotten used to seeing it and was abnormal in that regard as well. She released Raa with only one arm, using the other to untie the blanket tied around her shoulder. "While we clean you up as much as possible, tell us the schematics for the Yasis, serial 4505, Class C ships. Like the one your grandfather worked on with Devryn for Tevura."

The baby blanket was in surprisingly clean, and Voira fully planned on ruining it. She began to wipe the blood off of Raa, one arm still hugging her.

[Assistant]
Solares opened a private channel for Voira so the two of them could talk without any interruption. "I have no doubt both of you have survived worse, to my surprise you two make an incredibly strong and inseparable team." said Solares as he very carefully and gently picked out pieces of metal debris from Voira's armor with his hands, dropping them onto the now discolored floor beneath her. "I am still concerned for everyone's physical and mental health after what just happened though. I know five of us, including myself, can handle the stress and pressure from war but it seems Donny and Raa are not faring well after what just happened. Did Raa ever go through heightened stress and situational combat training?" There was a short awkward pause, he knew the answer was no just by the way Raa had reacted to the first fight alone.

 "That was a stupid question wasn't it? Once all of this is over and she has healed fully both mentally and physically, my mate and I will help her via the Turian Special Forces training regiment. I personally think that this is a great idea and opportunity for her, it will improve upon her mentality when in combat situations such as what just happened and traumatic events." The medic and Special Forces solider looked Voira in the eyes then spoke once more, a serious tone in his voice. "You and I both know that the Galaxy is a cold, harsh, ruthless, and vicious place where one must learn to fend for themselves. I care for Raa just as much as you do, and only want her to be well equipped for whatever may happen out here in the galaxy." Having put in his opinion and having a private chat with Voira, he sat down next to Raa and guarded her, still feeling as if he had been hit by a large truck due to the shockwave.

"I don't agree with being stuck here while you heal Cabal but I will do what you say for now." Solares watched Voira leave before re-positioning himself in front of Raa and removing his helmet so that she could see his face. "Hey Raa, concentrate on me and let's have a chat alright?" it was clear she was in shock, thankfully it wasn't as severe as he thought it was going to be. He lightly ruffled her hair before bending down on both of his knees and quickly looking her over for any injuries. Glancing back up and holding eye contact, he spoke "Do you remember that one time we were taking a walk in the presidium with Voira and I lost my footing then fell into the lake below? I said it was deliberate but you knew it was a mistake, I can faithfully say that there are indeed no fish in that lake."

Holding someone's attention while they were in shock is important so that they do not focus on the traumatizing events. Donny then had a mental break down shortly after, tossing all logical decisions and thoughts out of the airlock for an unknown reason, then slowly turned and left the hallway. "Someone take care of Donny and talk to him, I am busy over here for the love of all things." Solares turned back to Raa and kept a close eye on her until Voira returned. When she finely did return she took a seat next to Raa, and Solares sat on the other side of her, adding positive comments whenever he could. Pushing himself up onto his feet, he offered Raa a hand to help her stand. "If you require it, I can carry you to the shuttle bay Raa."

[User]
The reaction of Avatar's allies to the situation was not ideal. Donny's misjudgment as to the yield of his explosive, coupled with the emotions brought about by witnessing the execution on the screens around them, caused him to behave irrationally. He quickly began to leave without ensuring that his allies were following. Voira had elected to use her medi-gel to treat the injured hostiles, and while Avatar recognized it to be a humane action, there was a strong possibility that they could require those medical supplies to treat their own wounded. As well, Raa seemed to be enduring acute mental stress, though it did not know exactly which event had provoked it.

As Avatar was quickly attempting to determine the best course of action, it heard Voira attempting to calm Raa. The Asari was the individual best-suited for that task, but her plan was potentially dangerous. Avatar understood the desire to keep non-combatants out of the firefights, but the safety of the security room could not be guaranteed. Avatar had locked down most of the security doors in the area, but the schematics did not indicate that any of them were more durable than the doors the enemy had breached minutes ago. The enemy could break through by force if hacking was unsuccessful.

While Solares seemed to be comforting Raa, Avatar quickly approached Voira. "Warning; this course of action is not recommended. Hostile forces are capable of breaching the security doors, so they will not be stopped entirely. We will likely reach the airlocks before they can follow, but that assumes we move quickly. Additionally, I do not have control over the Human shuttle itself. It is currently free to leave at any point, but the Human forces on the station are yet to reach it. If we clear hostile forces near the airlocks and reach the shuttle, the pilot is likely to follow the orders of the Human ambassador and may leave before non-combat personnel have time to reach the shuttle from this room. Human forces aboard the station have demonstrated a willingness to abandon allied forces in stressful situations." It warned.

[Assistant]
Things began to slow down and fatigue began to set in for everyone as the fighting had been near constant since the ambush. They really needed to leave this place soon before the rebels regrouped and managed pick off each group individually. After picking a piece of shrapnel out of his mandible and making sure the two that had been close enough to the blast to receive concussions were good to go he made his way over to Titus as Sura wanted to know if they could reasonably move the diplomat. It was in the nick of time to as Titus called for someone to help him. He walked by the Turian diplomat still on his feet biting his fingers at the idea of his friend laying on the group dying. Tacticus knelt down next to the Turian women just as she was being rolled over onto her side. "Alright on three I'll yank the tube out. She'll try to claw at the opening in her chest. Keep her from doing that so I can close her up." Tacticus nodded and grabbed the free arm of the diplomat firmly as she struggled to breath. The count down started three...two....one. When he slid out the bloody makeshift tube the diplomat used all of her strength to try and push Tacticus off. Luckily he was much stronger than her and grabbed her other arm as she tried to flail it. She inhaled sharply and was kicking her legs around. Titus quickly went to work applying medi-gel to the inside of her lungs and then to the incision that had been made. Once she started breathing correctly Titus quickly went to work on calming her down. Cactus looked at the scar on her chest and realized that the Quarian had been less than an inch from her heart with that incision. This diplomat could have easily just been killed. Deciding against saying anything Titus informed him he could take care of her and that they could move now if they needed.

Getting up Cactus saw the Human run out the door like he had seen death. He guessed he felt guilty for almost killing multiple of their own people. "Where is he going..." Tacticus said semi aloud. Shortly after that the Asari said she wanted to stay here in this room with the Quarian. If he didn't know better he would have thought that these people wanted to die. He went over to the Geth and the other two gathered around the Quarian now. When the Geth finished telling them what their best chance was and what was likely to happen Cactus chimed in "I somehow don't doubt that they would leave without us, considering he did...again. Look if you guys want to stay here and die that's fine. But we can move the diplomat now and we will be taking the rest of the civies with us to that shuttle. If we have too we can subdue the Human pilot. I... can drive the shuttle."

Sura then walked up behind him. "Guess all that time you should have been sleeping is going to pay off. I don't trust the Human pilot regardless of what happens." She then turned to the rest of the group. "Look, I know that we're tired and want this to be over but we arn't out of here yet. I really hope you three will be on that shuttle with us. Geth, I'm going to assume you like your platform or whatever and want to get out of here to. Quarian, whatever your name is you just saved one of our diplomats and I'm grateful for that. But we do need to move...now." Sura walked away from the group quickly and began barking orders at the rest of the Cabal to get ready to move. Then quickly making her way over to the remaining diplomats and telling them something similar.

"Let's get the hells out of here." Tacticus said as he readied his weapon and then hustled over to the now forming up cabal.


[System]
Age: 19

 Magic: Trinity's Magics -

Energy Make (A Rank) - Caster Magic. Lost Magic. Taught by her father. Trinity molds energy into a state where it can interact with matter. She can manipulate the qualities of this energy-substance to be immaterial or material, and what kind of discharge contact with it will give. She can create a discharge of force, electricity, heat, and light. Pain is something she achieves through heat, electricity, and moderated amounts of force in odd directions. Unless she employs a special technique, she can only vaguely control Energy Make objects she is not within five feet of. She can cheat and create wires, though.

Energy Make can absorb energies, though this may render the energy 'substance' difficult to contain.

Bard's Legerdemain (A Rank) - Caster Magic. Taught by her mother. She can use this magic to play any instrument within 100 feet of her without touching it. It will float as needed, and may even move with her as she moves, but she cannot control an instrument expressly to move it. On its own, this magic must be used to perform. She can do something like play a single note and it counts, though.

She can cheat this a little bit and combine the magic with Energy Make to make an instrument. She creates a blueprint of the instrument and uses Bard's Legerdemain to give it a shape. She doesn't really understand quite how it works, herself. She describes it as imprinting something within the magic of Bard's Legerdemain onto the Energy Make. Trinity can conjure into existence any instrument she knows how to play. She can even create unique, custom instruments, though these creations require more magic power than a generic instrument.

Arrows Magic (B Rank) - Holder Magic, using a magic quiver. Taught by her uncle Weigraf. Trinity can use this magic to conjure arrows to fire as projectiles from a bow. The arrows can take on a wide variety of effects, from exploding into a chunk of ice on contact or becoming a bolt of flame, to bursting into a net, carrying a homing signal, or homing in on that signal.

Fire Arrow ★★+, Ice Arrow ★★+, Lightning Arrow ★+, Wind Arrow ★★★★
Love Arrow ★★★★★ (Energy Make Combo) - Love Arrow is an arrow made from Trinity's magic power (with a little Energy Make), and she can shoot it to give strength to an ally. The power of love bolsters and purifies... or something?
"They say loves heals, right?"
Beacon Arrow ★★★ (Energy Make Combo) - Beacon Arrow turns an arrow into a magic beacon, which can be used for a number of things, such as a homing beacon for Homing Arrow.
Homing Arrow ★★★ (Energy Make Combo) - Homes in on the Beacon Arrow.
Net Arrow ★★★★ - Fires an arrow that turns into a net.
Ringing Arrow ★★★★ - Fires an arrow that makes a noise.
Bright Arrow ★★★★ - Fires an arrow that emits light.

Requip (D Rank) - Trinity was taught this magic for the convenience of it, which was the motivation for the woman who taught it to her, her aunt Vivian. As an act of disgust with the woman's purpose, Trinity doesn't actually use it much, but she does use it for certain important items.
Rainbow Quiver - Necessary for Trinity's Arrows Magic.
Midnight Alloy Crescent Moon Staff - Mysterious. Gnarled. The night sky sparkles in the metal of the crescent moon that adorns the top of this staff. It asks for something...

 Magic Level: A

 History: Trinity was part of a minor noble family in Minstrel. She learned music, of course, and found a preference for the harp. Her father taught her Energy Make. She lived a calm, peaceful life, playing with and learning her magic, until a Guild (that was, at the time, a Light Guild) attacked her home. She was rushed to the basement by servants, hiding her away in a shelter below. They later emerged to find her father missing, her mother tearful but strong.

Her mother had instructions from Lord Stratos, and met their daughter with a staff, made from a gnarled branch, with some crescent resting on the end, made of some mysterious metal. She was to take the staff with her and go to her second uncle's home in Midi, where she would learn archery with her second cousin. There she stayed for two years. After, she moved in with her great aunt Vivian in Stella, who showed her how to Requip items, and some "finer points of being a lady," though such phrasing made Trinity scoff. Neither of her parents had been very intent on teaching her manners, so she never saw the importance.

After almost one year with Vivian, Trinity then took to wandering. Living under someone else's roof was too stifling (particularly Vivian's...), and she wasn't used to these people, as nice as they were.

She went west, across Bosco, and into Fiore.

 Personality: Though a bit of a drifter, she's a carefree, sweet young woman.

 Guild: Phoenix Wing
 Team Members: Karn, Fleo, Ariel

 Three Strengths:
 1. Music
 2. Physical Science Savant
 3. Agile, Dextrous
 Three Weaknesses:
 1. Physically meager
 2. Idealistic
 3. Rude? There's a word I can't think of...

 Greatest Love: Life Music
 Motivation: Step 1, find dad, Step 2, bring Metal home
 Appearance: Trinity wears her white hair short, framing a soft face and heterochromatic eyes. One is gold, the other purple. She dresses in cropped and tailored red robes.

 Have we met before...?

 Additional Details: Likes exploring ruins and old magic stuff.

Theme(s): Main Theme, maybe?

"アアチェリのまほう！" [Archery Magic!]

"エエナギ・マアく" [Energy Make]

[User]
Ayame
Phoenix Wing
Nero

Ayame was already getting used to the crowd a little more. She already figured out not many of the other guild members were paying attention to her so she was eased a little bit more. However she still carefully took one step at the time looking hastily around herself if she didn't annoy anyone by stepping into their vision or something. Once she was about 2 meters out of the toilet a certain somebody sneaked up on her already and gave her a (hearth) suprise attack. She jumped up from Nero his voice and immediatly turned around yelping at him while tears had already appeared in her eyes "Do-don't scare me like that!" The expression on her face told that she was a little mad at him for teasing her, already a lot had happened so quickly it was just a bit to much. But when she saw what was happening with his hands and around her body she stepped back waving both her hands at him in a 'no' gesture "No, no, no not again" She had closed her eyes already but soon realised she didn't feel any different.

Ayame slowly opened up her eyes again and saw what he did just now. It was somewhat blurry but it was clear what he did to her "O sorry, I tought you might have... turned me into a animal again..." She emberasly looked away for a moment and felt the glasses on her face being taken away. Ayame curiously looked at Nero with his new pair of glasses on his face and started looking over her own clothes herself. She hadn't seen herself like this in ages, her face was glittering of happiness as she felt the fabric of all the different clothing parts. She gave a double nod at Nero as a big smile sparkled on her face. She kept feeling the fabric of the clothes with her hands while talking to Nero "So you are a mage for sure now. But what is your magic called? I haven't seen it before."

[Assistant] Melina and Mithera Mithera looks up when Karn comes back, and she's completely clean of blood, revealing her nice white fur. She had been relaxing on a low-lying branch, and when Karn showed up and placed the dead animal down, she flew over onto his back and nuzzled her tiny head against his back. She was glad he was nice enough to go get her food, and she did a little glide down to the carcass and dug in, getting blood all over her. Melina just rolled her eyes in mock distaste. "Thanks Karn, I guess. When you're both done eating I can convert the body into magic power, which'll refill my magic power as well as not attract any local predators to here. But, just eat up. I'll be over... here." Melina slipped out of sight of the two animals. Maybe she was just a little squeemish about blood, despite her magic. Mithera just continued to chomp and rip away at the dead deer Karn had brought like it was going to be her last meal, though she wasn't making much of a dent in the creature.

[User]
Tamashii@BrodZ11711@Amaya Tamashii

Nolan didn't even look Fleo in the eye. He just kept his gaze towards the ground and walked passed her, blush tinted his face heavily from sheer embarrassment for that side of him to be seen. They would both arrive in front of a simple wooden carriage that was able to move by itself due to a magic enchantment that allowed an object to move when given a set destination. He opened the door and simply motioned Fleo to follow him inside, not saying word. He sat down on the red velvet seat and looked at the window to view the outside just so he could avoid her gaze. As soon as Fleo sat down the wagon began to move and made its way over towards Phoenix Wing so they can pick up Amaya and Lucas.

[Assistant]
Karn
Fiore || On the way to Mt. Hakobe village
Interacting: Mithera, Melina, Zero/Zenoram, Damian

Karn purred softly as he felt Mithera nuzzle against his back before watching her dig into the carcass. Tilting his head at Melina's words, blinking a little as she seemed a bit less excited about this. Here he thought she would be digging in with them, maybe even cook her share of meat since regular humans seemed to need that. Still maybe it just wasn't her thing.

Waiting a little bit for Mithera to get her fill in, he started digging into the carcass as well. He didn't really waste any meat from prey. Simply because he was taught not to since every bit of meat helped when out surviving and it was disrespectful to the prey. But usually, it was never wasted since there were other scavengers waiting for their turn.

Ripping up most of the eat and gulping down the flesh, he decided he should bring some to the other males of the group and share. So he ripped off one of the legs of the buck that he left untouched, easily coming off as the rest was mostly blood, bone and some scraps of flesh other than what he left for Mithera.

"I'm going to see if the others want some." he chirped, before the piece picked up the leg with his blood stained jaws and bounded back where the others were left.

When he arrived, he bounded over to Zero and Zenoram and dropped the leg to their feet. "Hey Zero-kun, Zenny, Dammy! I caught some food do you want some?" he asked cheerfully, tail wagging ever so slightly.

[User]
~*~Amaya VanIsis~*~

Amaya watched Floe and Nolan leave to go retrieve the dreaded carriage. She gulped some wishing that she could get out of going on this mission that has her to a great disadvantage in so many ways. They were heading to a dry hot area, something Amaya avoided like the plague. This place they were going to fit another mage which would mean her attempt at keeping her magic secret was going to be next to impossible. Alpng with the simple facts they were going by carriage which will make amaya's motion sickness active and that was plain embarrassing. What a way to start out.

[Assistant] Melina and Mithera Once Mithera was finished eating, she flew over to the spot where Melina had been waiting, and came back clean of blood, again. This time she landed on Karn's back while she was still eating, curling up, and glad to have a full belly. When he began bounding back to the carriage, she lifted her head up a little, and sunk her tiny claws into his back just enough to hold on. She climbed up onto his head once he had stopped and began offering the leg to everyone else, with her front paws on his head and her rear ones on his shoulders, stretching forward. She enjoyed being small sometimes, since she could do things she couldn't do in larger forms, though it always had its drawbacks. She stayed up in that manner until she felt Karn was likely getting uncomfortable, and settled back down on his back, sitting. After a short time, Melina came back as well, and just shot a glance around before climbing back into the carriage.

[User]
Master Jamie

Jamie smiled at Alexi, and nodded, "of course. We can step back into my office. Lucas, I'll talk to you next" She said, as she led Alexi back to the small room that Jamie conducted things in. Mainly looking through job requests, or research. it was messy, full of papers and books, spread out over the place, a result of his search for an answer to Wes's disappearance as well as research on Edolas.

Moving a few things, Jamie found what appeared to be a blue print. "oh. Thats where that went. And here I was, saying the builders must have lost it. Well. No matter" Jamie said, turning to Alexi, "Sit"

Jamie sat, pushing aside a stack of job requests as he leaned one elbow on the desk.

[Assistant]
Phoenix Wing
The flower to his speech, this man had to be a poet. She playfully rolled her eyes as he gave them, what Vivian would call, a blanket compliment. Works well on crowds.

Trinity never really liked Vivian.

But, this man didn't quite seem to be as - aaah, how to say - as much of a social "chess player," so to speak. That could be yet another air, used to decieve, but how far was she willing to doubt?

"So then, you are his... brother? An interesting way to speak of your brother, if you ask me." Then again, this guy could have meant a number of things. It was hard to tell, honestly. But... at this point, she had no real reason to doubt him. "Well, he just left. Not sure where to, or really how long it'll take him. You're welcome to wait here for a bit, if you like."


[System]
All I've got is my sword. You should have an easy time.
Nickname/Alias:
N/A

Gender:
Male

Age and date of birth:
14, Fifth of Januari

Age Appearance:
13 - 14

Sexuality:
Homosexual

Parents:
Wa Ling - Mother
Ken Ling - Father

Length and build:
5'0ft, lithe and thin. Rather than possessing bulky muscles, Toko has a thin frame, athletic like that of a dancer.

Weight:
90 Pounds

Favorite weather and season:
Spring and summer.

Village:
Konoha

Birthplace:
Konoha

Organization:
Shinobi Forces

Clan/Bloodline:
Ling

Rank:
Genin

Chakra Nature:
Fire

Appearance:
Toko possesses a thin frame, rather light skin and black hair. A set of brown eyes rest above his nose and peer at you with a soft smile stretching across his lips. There isn't much that would catch your eyes about this boy. He wears clothes that allows for freedom of movement and prefers to move about without much encumbrance.

Toko's body is what would be expected from a ninja his age. He's rather small which would lower the threat he'd impose to quite a drastic level. It would be uncommon to gaze upon this boy and expect much of a punch but as most would have learned through their experiences, in the world of the ninja, a person's size and age mean next to naught. Toko always wears outfits akin to his clan, consisting of an elegant silken vest that licks his thin torso rather tightly. Apart from the fingerless leather gloves donning has hands for a better grip, his arms are bare and leave little to imagination.

Upon his legs, Toko wears a pair of shorts reaching down to his kneecaps. Finally by his ankles the boy's ninja sandals take over and cover his feet. Most of the time, he'd leave it at that. He dislikes accessories as they get in the way and dresses in a way that reflects his view of life, simple. Across his waist there would often be a belt which holds his blade to the boy's side, ready to be drawn if such would ever be required.

He's not very creative when it comes to colours as most of his clothes are either black or grey, however a rather colourful personality can at times make up for it.

Personality:
What lurks behind that cute little smile of his? It's a question many have asked, but none has quite been able to decipher it. Toko doesn't appear to be menacing in the slightest and sometimes he could seem a bit 'too' innocent. However, those who know him also know that this is far from the case. While not quite an act, Toko appears to be incredibly humble and never measures himself with anyone. He would much rather simply step aside and allow the situation to take its course without violence or pride getting in the way.

One could call this cowardice but on the contrary, it's confidence. Toko doesn't feel like he has anything to prove to anyone but himself. He is very well aware that there will always be those who are stronger than he is, and there will always be those whom he can best without much of an issue. This is an objective truth which will always ring true no matter where you are, no matter when you are. In short, Toko sees no reason in measuring himself with others and has as such developed a calm, serene and harmonic personality which allows him to meet conflicts with a smile, an apology or a simple nod.

Of course, this humble personality does have the tendency of pissing some people off as they can take it as patronising. This is never the intent, however when words reach physical violence, Toko will never hesitate to commence combat. The boy is an incredibly protective individual and will do everything in his power to protect those he considers his friends. However, he is not a fool. Being a ninja, Toko has been taught to be disciplined and professional, never rash and foolhardy.

Quiet and without many words to share, Toko is still quite social. He enjoys contact with others but prefers to listen rather speaking. Words have a much greater impact if they are charged up with knowledge and wisdom, something that is acquired by listening. Speaking of which, Toko holds great respect towards his elders and gladly listens to their experiences as to learn from their lives. Respectful would be a great word to use when describing this boy, something he has been both praised and scolded for. He'd go as far as to respect his enemy as well, maybe to a fault. He much rather fights his opponent at full strength rather than resorting to the ninja way of using 'cheap tricks'. While a weakness, Toko stands his ground on this and would sooner give his opponent a sword than fighting an unarmed enemy. Calling it stupidity or honour makes little difference, as it is a code he has decided to live by.

History:
Toko grew up with a close relationship to his mother and father, both of whom were incredibly open minded and accepting individuals. They raised him well, but throughout his childhood, Toko kept mostly to himself and it grew with the years.

It was early that he learned that his mother had been struggling with a terminal illness but it didn't show itself very often. In fact, she was a very strong woman but with her energy being constantly sapped, it eventually became too much. What could be considered a perfect little family was down one member once the illness finally won the fight. Since childhood, Toko's mother had been an astounding warrior, but the one foe she could not beat was the illness draining her spirit. Her passing was hard on both Toko and his father but together they managed to struggle through it.

With her gone, Toko grew even more reserved and kept to himself most of the day. The passing of a year was enough to eventually crack a small hole in the shell he had created and he started to speak more and spend more time with his father. Their relationship grew stronger once the mourning had been going on for a while and things started looking up.

Ken continued with his missions, and Toko's grades at school were picking back up. Before and after his mother passed on, Toko's life was rather straight forward. His Bloodline Limit ability showed itself as early as ten years into his life and has since then been close to his heart. It has been the centre of his combat prowess and what draws his clan's capabilities.

Toko gets along with most people but has at times difficulties initiating meaningful conversations with others. It has however been noted that his ability to maintain social interactions with others has improved quite a bit over the years.

Since an early age Toko found great interest in the concept of bloodline limits and powers all together. Given the fact that he noticed how he was 'different' at such a young age, he quickly grew interested in what other people could do. He happily spent many hours listening to stories and tales of old, learning about various clans and their feats.

Theme Song:
youtube.com/watch?v=6hTr1lWlsng

Weapons/Items:

A light sword given to Toko by his father when he graduated from the academy. This blade holds no special properties apart from good craftmanship and is the young ninja's main weapon of choice.

Skills/Abilities:
Excellent - Kenjutsu and Taijutsu
Good - Athleticism and Acrobatics

Horrible - All other kinds of jutsu
Horrible - Ranged Combat
Horrible - Surprise attacks
Horrible - Variation
Horrible - Flexibility

Special Traits:
While wonderful physical fighters, the Ling clan are unable to manage even the simplest of jutsus beyond their own Kekkei Genkai.

Kekkei Genkai:
Chakra Enchantment
The ability to infuse an inanimate object with chakra to enhance its effect in various ways. A user of Chakra Enchantment can make a stick strong as steel or a sword supernaturally sharp. More advanced users can infuse items with flashy, flamboyant and explosive additions while others prefer a more subtle approach.

The size of the item in question decides the amount of chakra used to enchant it. Unless one has unlocked an advanced stage of his bloodline limit, one item at a time can be enchanted. It is easier to enchant solid items like steel and wood, rather than free flowing items such as cloth. Living, organic material has not been known to be effected by Chakra Enchantment.

It has been noted that not a single member of the Ling bloodline has been able to manage even the simplest of ninjutsu or genjutsu. It is safe to assume that the feat is impossible for them. It is speculated that chakra flows through their bodies in a different way and cannot be conjured into jutsu the way many other ninja can.

[User]
Seichi relaxed as he felt the soft touch coming from his shoulder.

"You're right. Of course we should grow together as a team, in both skill and bonds. I hope that further down the line, we'll be able to always be honest with each other and be there for one another."

Seichi smiled widely at the boy's reassuring statement feeling much more confident. He quickly then glanced as Sushi lowered onto the table. The dango he had eaten earlier was still settling in his stomach but Seichi knew he could make room as he felt his hunger return shorty at the sight of the Shushi on the table. Seichi grabbed his chopsticks and quickly snatched a single shushi from the plate, slowly laying the shushi down onto his tongue and savoring its taste.

He would then glance up as Asuka and Kanon came back. He debated with himself if apologizing was needed. In the end, he overall felt that he took part in provoking the Kunoichi thus felt he was also to blame. He quickly chewed the shushi that laid moistened in his mouth and swallowed, rushing to clear his mouth. "Yeah, sorry if I said anything unnecessarily before." He added rubbing the back of his neck. He tried to respectfully bow but ended up pulling too hard forward and slamming his head onto the table. He would comically lift his head with a face that expressed his playfulness and held back tears.

Returning his attention to the shushi, he would glance at Toko who stared off worryingly. Seichi's first thought was that Toko obviously did not like the Shushi but did not want to complain on behalf of Taibushi's generous payment. He came to realize that Toko must have been worrying about him, putting the subtle hints from before together. Seichi put one hand on Toko's shoulder, trying to mimic as he did before to Seichi.

"You know..." Seichi would say grabbing another shushi off the plate with his chopsticks and dropping it into his mouth. "This shushi sure makes a guy feel better" He would hope his remark would help ease Toko's worries a little more. Siechi's personally had been doing his best to trick himself into ignoring the pain. He himself did not know if it was serious or not and he refrained from speaking to his parents about, knowing how they'd overreact.

[Assistant]
Shingetsu Hozuki

Shingetsu shrugged to herself as Kanon pulled Asuka away and into an alley.

Like I said, she didn't mean any of it. Glad to see she's making amends so quickly.

She was just about to head back inside when she sensed someone's chakra from a rooftop. She quietly jumped up on the back side and watched as Taibushi created his ice sculpture. She looked down at the finished product appreciatively.

"Perhaps, friendship is worth pursuing, I suppose I should try to overcome my social ineptitude."

"I would say so. It's good to have people you can rely on, especially for us."

She smiled and took a seat a few feet away, on the rooftop's edge.

"I like that technique. It's quite a nice take on street art."


[System]
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Occupation: Exotic Dancer

Personality: Cunning, Bold, Forceful, Intelligent
Appearance:

[User] "Anyway, I got to get back to work", she said to them after she finished her water. "Be careful tonight, boys", she warned them before leaving. "Don't trust the cops?", Tom questioned Chris in confusion. "What did she mean by that?"

[Assistant] Chris was brought back to reality when Nancy warned them and then bid them farewell. Chris nodded before his attention was on Tom who didn't seem so convinced. Chris wasn't either exactly but to understand why. "Seems exactly that Tom. Don't trust them. Now that I thought on it, it does seem storage that when we got here, it was a tad quiet. Not a lot of people about the city. Did you ever notice it?" The tall sandy blonde asked.

[User] "I honestly noticed that too. It was indeed quiet when we got here. Barely any cars", he said to him as he acted a little cautious as he thought over Nancy's warning. "I also noticed that prostitute business ratings are decreasing as well. Haven't seen the young ladies around lately", Tom said aloud. Nancy did tell them that the young women are self-governing themselves from the police. Basically their at war against law enforcement. The prostitutes were guarding the far side of the city where they were retreating. Girls like Becky were "free-roamers". They don't tend to stay on their own turf, instead they just roam around the city as rogues.

[Assistant] Chris nodded in agreement. He felt edgy being here now than he was before. At first he played it off, then when someone talked about it, he opened his eyes and saw that it wasn't safe for either of them. "Well. We could always stick around till the show is over, then head back together to the hotel, leave by morning. If this isn't a safe place to be we shouldn't be here any longer than we need to. I don't want anything to happen to us that is going on around here." This was only a suggestion so this was also up to Tom.

[User] Tom nodded in agreement before finishing his water. "Fine by me", he said to him before placing his hand in Chris' own. Tom, honestly thought that leaving here was a bad idea. He would miss Nancy. Heck, he just met her in person. He would also miss the ladies here. Before he met Chris, he used to hire the girls as their client. The one he missed was Becky. Becky was the youngest of the Girls of Old Town which was where he and Chris are currently residing. Tom treated her with care whenever she came over even though she was in her mid-twenties and also was a bit smaller. But he couldn't blame her. He knew that Becky was the rogue on the streets, barely working now.

[Assistant]
Chris felt a bit out of place about this, but he honestly didn't know what else to do. Turning his hand to intertwine his hand with Tom's, looking at his hand before bringing them up to place a kiss on the top of Tom's hand. "Come on. Lets go watch the rest of the show." Chris didn't want to think about this anymore. Just have a good time with his love, watching their favorite dancer. Only after will Chris would want to worry about the rest of the town.

Later that late night after the show, Chris and Tom are walking from the club to their hotel in Old Towne. Chris had become cautious since they left. Worried about anyone who wanted to jump them. The tall blonde didn't like being so uptight and having to watch every shadow and street corner. It felt ridiculous, 'cluding he had planned a practically carefree night with just the two of them. But it didn't seem that was going to happen and he felt bummed about it. Having intertwined his fingers in Tom's, Chris tried to not to make himself tense in of which was working for Tom was with him.

While the two lovers walked, Becky was on the other side of the street they were about to cross. Arms crossed over her chest, feeling a little chilly. The jacket she had was helping but not by much, roaming around doing odd jobs and such had its perks but not by much. Including if she had to find new places to sleep. Her dark hair down to keep the back of her neck warm, her hands under arms, she seemed to be waiting one someone or just be there to be there. It would be hard to tell. Beck didn't notice the two lovers on the other side of the street when she looked about. Turning around and going to lean against a wall, impatience taking over.

[User]
Tom followed Chris out and from the club. Tom did notice Chris' protective instincts kick in everytime they passed a street or a corner. It was dark outside and thunder with lightning showed above them without raining. It was always crazy stormy in Old Towne. But strange nights included no rain. Even though it was dangerous around here, Tom and Chris had made some friends around here. They were roommates with Shellie, ex-girlfriend and currently a friend with Chris. Tom liked Shellie even though he was with Chris now. There was no jealousy in Shellie at all, nor did she mind. He knew Becky for a while too. The girl was a rogue and she tends to refuse shelter even though she looks like she needs it.

Speaking of Becky, Tom noticed a female figure across the street and saw that it was indeed Becky. "Chris, hold on", he stopped him with a tug of his hand and pointed to the young girl. Tom walked to her and tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "Becky?"

[Assistant] Chris stopped upon Tom's request, though unsure as to why, but looked over to see it was a young female. Following Tom, he stayed close, though wondered why the no rain didn't come. The thunder and lightening always to seem to be around the Old Towne. When Tom went to get her attention, the girl known as Becky jumped a little before she looked in their direction. "Tom?" When she noticed it was Tom, she smiled, seeing she was happy to see him. "Hey! Long time no see! How have you been?" She looked to see Chris. The Sandy blonde held his hand out to Becky. "Chris. Tom's boyfriend." Becky looked him over before accepting his hand and shook it. "Becky. Tom's friend." They would then end the hand shake. "Well that's a handsome man you have there Tom. Congrats."

[User] "How's my girl?", Tom asked her as he kissed her forehead. "This is Chris, my soulmate", he introduced Chris to Becky and watched as they shaked hands. "Chris, this is Becky. I was her client before you and me even met. We are just friends, nothing else", Tom said to Chris as he wrapped an arm around Becky to stroke her right arm to keep her warm.

[Assistant] Becky couldn't help but feel excited and happy to meet Tom after so long. Hugging Tom, feeling him trying to keep her warm a little. Chris didnt seem to have an issue about the partnership between Tom and Becky. He didn't see why he needed to be jealous or anything. Becky though soon ended the hug. "I've been doing okay. Nothing new besides the usual. The Odd jobs here and there. How have you been?" Becky didn't mind interacting with friends or people she knew and liked. Seemed she had no where to go as of this moment.

[User] "Oh, you know. The usual. Taking shots here and there", Tom said with a chuckle and the movement of his head side to side. "How is the job? Are you doing alright? They better treat you right", Tom said to her in a protective. Honestly, Tom was protective of the Girls of Old Towne. Both Prostitutes and Civilians. He was friends with almost every girl in the city but some depend on their independence to survive instead of calling for help. Like Becky. He did make up a rule of his own for the city: Never harass or harm a female in Old Towne.

[Assistant]
Becky leaned back against the wall she had been leaning against from the start, listening to Tom questions, smiling at the end of them before she answer in order for her to talk. He would keep asking questions till he had no more to ask. "The jobs are good, honest work. Nothing too big but enough to get by. I can go up to about two weeks or less till they don't need me depending on the job. I get paid on some sort of fashion be it food, money or furniture. Normally the furniture goes to the prostitutes. I have no big need for normally what they give me." Becky explained with a shrug. "I have had no problems and even so I can hold my own."

Chris watched Tom as he seemed to be protective, though saw now harm for friends were protective of friends. I he was protective of his friends. So no biggy. He listened, let them catch up, Chris looked around. He had been calm but had left his guard down. He watched the streets, the allies that he could see and anything within his line of vision.

[User] Tom kissed her forehead and looked down the dark alley. After a moment, his phone rings. "Hello?" "No, my dear, we're fine" "Really?" "Alright" "We're on our way" "Ok, bye bye" he hangs up and turns to Chris. "Shellie calls, my friend. She expects us home by now", he finished as his face was turned into a frown before looking at Becky. He didn't want to leave her in the cold like this, but everytime he asks, she says 'no'. She knew better to at least find shelter like everyone else these days. But in Old Towne, it was a recurring hell-house for violence. "I don't trust the lady of this town. Ava Lordship? Heard of her?", he asked Chris. "That whore...", he growled aloud to himself.

[Assistant] Chris nodded when Tom told him about Shellie calling and what she called for. Becky looked a little confused but it didnt seem to be anything new. Becky though knew of who Tom asked if his lover knew of Ava Lordship. Becky did and hated the woman with a bloody passion. Always thought of ways to get rid of her for good. Chris shook his head. "No. I haven't. Who is she?" He asked, not really knowing the woman at all. He though wondered why his lover seemed to hate her.

[User] "Ava Lordship is a femme fatale. She was elected as a Lady of the State to takeover this town. But, in reality, she is a professional devourer of men. She had affairs with lots of them and she destroyed dozens of them. If you know what I mean, she is like a siren", Tom snarled in disgust for ever describing the woman. Rumor has it that she killed the man she loved so much, she betrayed him and became a very rich woman. "Chris, that woman is sick. Never trust her. She is the devil in this town", he told him as if it were a warning. Tom turned to Becky. "I'm sorry, my dear, but we have to go. Are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

[Assistant]
Chris took Tom's words to heart. He knew when he was joking, playing around, serious, didn't care or notice, angry and upset. Normally by the tones of which he used and the faces he made. Chris noticed how much he hated the woman he spoke of. Ava Lordship. He didn't like seeing Tom angry like this. Chris moved his hand to intertwine with Tom's in hopes of calming the man a little, to pull him from his hatred of a woman he need not concern himself with for now.

Becky smiled sadly, knowing of his hatred for Lady Lordship. She too knew of what people said about her. And none good. But there was nothing they could really do but survive in this city. When Tom told him what they had to do and if she was going to be alright. "I will be fine Tom. You two head home. Be safe." She said, a friendly smile of her face. "I hope to see you later." When Tom was ready, Chris walked with him home.

[User]
Tom looked at Becky with a sad smile as he looked at Becky. Guilt started to rise as he thought of leaving her out here. But he knew that she was smart. He saw this every once in a while during their "meetings" like before. His mind was turning as he thought of Lady Lordship. The woman was sick indeed. She was a slut that killed men for money. Especially the richer ones. All everyone should know is to stay away from her and her money.

He was cut out of his thoughts before he felt Chris tug his hand so they could go home to Shellie. He reached for Becky and left a kiss to the forehead before following Chris. The thunder and lightning strike the area as they walked. Surprisingly with no rain. It took them not very long before they reached the hotel. Walking up two flights of stairs they managed to make it to their room to where Shellie was staying.

[Assistant] Chris had nothing to say to keep their minds off the rainless storm over them, and this Ava Lordship Tom hated so much. Chris wish he could do something about it but there was nothing he could do but protect Tom and make him happy. With arriving to the the Hotel after a little tiring from the two flights of steps, the tall sandy blonde opened the door. Walking in and one to shut the door once Tom was in and taking off his jacket. He looked around the hotel room for any changes that he should notice be it good or bad.

[User] After entering the apartment, Tom let out a relieving sigh to get off the streets for the night. He was worried for Becky out there. And after talking about the Lady of the State, he just wanted to get that sick woman out of existence. Walking to the bedrooms, he opened the door, seeing Shellie sleeping soundly upon the bed with the tv still on. He eventually turned it off before moving a hair away from her face and kissing her forehead. He felt that Shellie was like a sister to him. A younger one. Closing the door behind him, he walked back to the couch and slumped on the floor in front of it, leaning on it.

[Assistant] Chris set his jacket on one of the chairs within the hotel before getting a glass of water before he walked back to see Tom infront of the couch, slumped before it and leaning. walking to the couch and sitting on the floor next to Tom and setting his glass on the other side of him. Reaching around Tom, he slowly pulls Tom to him in a one armed hug of sorts. "You okay?" He asked, using his other hand to mess up his hair a little than its usual sleekness before his attention was on Tom.


[System]
Want him to put on a shirt? Good luck convincing him.
Alias: Karate Bastard

Age: 36

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Personality: Keith is massively, incredibly arrogant- there's a reason they call him Karate Bastard. He firmly believes that he is the best martial artist in the world, questioning or denying that will drive him into a blind rage. Keith despises the very notion of weakness and will never admit to making a mistake. Not a man who has or wants any friends, though he will make alliances if it suits him.

History: Keith was born into New Zealand's famous and wealthy Blackwell family, known worldwide for their fine wine. Ensconced in an Auckland penthouse, Keith grew up wanting for nothing and continually having his ego fed. His parents, hoping for a well-rounded child, enrolled him in karate classes at age 15. There was nothing special about it to them, it was the same as the piano lessons, cooking classes, and reading program.

But Keith Blackwell quickly discovered he had an innate talent- a genius, really- for fighting. He understood and mastered the techniques intuitively, surpassing the teachers at his local school in a matter of months. Keith begged his parents to use their money to send him to Okinawa, the birthplace of karate, for a real education in the art. And so, at the tender age of sixteen, Keith Blackwell was put on a plane to Naha.

The training was brutal and merciless, but Keith took naturally to it. His ego grew even further as he became capable of even more outrageous feats, sharpening his body to extremes. He learned meditation, traditional medicine, the use of weapons. But the biggest thrill came after two years of study, when an argument with a drunken local escalated into a full-on brawl. Keith killed the man, breaking his neck with a single blow. It was as he was hiding the body that Keith Blackwell experienced a moment of blinding, glorious clarity- he was destined to be the strongest fighter who ever lived. Anyone who died in his quest to achieve that was merely a mark of his quality, a measure of how he had fulfilled his purpose. The vintage on his family's grapes was counted in years, his destiny was counted in the number of skilled opponents he defeated.

Any pity or compassion that was in him was crushed. After the day's rigors at the dojo, he would quietly slip into the red-light district of Naha and participate in underground fights sponsored by the local Yakuza family. When his actions were discovered by the sensei of the dojo, Keith was immediately expelled. He took the expulsion with a surprising amount of grace- he felt limited by karate.

From there, he traveled the world on his parents' money, learning as much as he could about fighting. Wing chun in Hong Kong, vovinam in Vietnam, fencing in Italy, capoeira in Brazil, dambe in Nigeria, hapkido in South Korea, knife combat in the Philippines, lucha libre in Mexico, savate in France- just a small sample of the eighteen years of intensive training in virtually every martial art he could find an instructor for. When Keith felt he had learned what he wanted to, he would typically challenge (and kill) his teacher and their top students. After all, their deaths were the mark of his success. Lately, he has started seeking out fighters specifically to fight them, for the rush of testing his skills.

WGUF-What Got You Famous: Keith's probably endless quest has just brought him to the United States. The idea of fighting superheroes interests him. As a warmup, though, he decided to take on several of the West Coast's better fighters. A boxer in Los Angeles was decapitated by an uppercut from Keith, a dojo owner in San Francisco had his eyes gouged out. Finally, Keith stormed into the ring during a title MMA match in Lochwell and bloodily murdered both fighters- and the referee, and the security guards who tried to stop him, and a guy with an annoying voice. He didn't resist arrest by ARGO- Keith has heard American prisons are pretty tough, there might be a good fight or two in there before he decides to leave.

Equipment: Karate Bastard will use traditional martial arts weapons on occasion, but does not possess any at the moment- ARGO took them all.

Powers/Abilities/Skills/Talents: Keith Blackwell has an innate ability to understand and master martial arts in short order. Twenty years of study in the discipline has given him tremendous skill at fighting. His intensive training has pushed his body well past what would normally be considered human limits- it is possible that he possesses genuine superpowers but that has never been investigated.

In particular, his speed and reflexes are at the peak of human potential. His strength is such that he can lift half a ton without exertion, and his knowledge of striking technique means that he is able to easily ram his bare fist through a brick wall. In addition, he is far more resistant to pain or injury than the average person and heals much more quickly.

Weakness: Due to his tremendous arrogance, KB will rush into things without any kind of plan whatsoever, without considering the odds against him. As he has done little with his life outside of study martial arts, he is socially backwards and has little understanding of modern technology or society. He has no real ability for ranged combat. Despite his increased ability to withstand injury, he is not impervious to it. Bullets, bombs, poison- it might take more of it than usual, but these things can indeed kill him.

Secret Hideout: None- KB only recently arrived in the country.

Relationships: None.

[User]
Nataliya was content to leaving them to fight the robot. She couldn't help but snark when the alien took the Warden's head.
"What're you going to do? Hang it on your wall?" She snorted as she climbed down into the submarine. She leaned against the wall, taking in the rest of the people she was with. She was silent for the submarine ride, as well as the butler explaining.

"Inconsiderate ass." She said, moving back to the lounge where the mini bar was. She grabbed the bottle of Stoli before rejoining the group.
"But I mean, really what did we expect? I thought you were so much more than us? Yet you were tricked just as easily as any other human." Nataliya asked the alien who was screaming. She popped the lid off and took a long gulp, relishing how the liquid burned her throat. She listened to him talk and it threw her for a moment. She had not known a single human capable of anything but deceit. Her husband experimented on her, her brother wouldn't get her out of jail. Her parents raised her as a Princess for a country that detested the aristocracy. It was all very disheartening.
"Perhaps you're right. Don't fault the...man? Eh, don't fault the man for his morals, for we have so few of them." Nataliya said, before taking another sip. She didn't go get the tablet, she didn't wish to know her limitations because that would be acknowledging that she wasn't human. She only used her abilities under times of great duress. Even how she killed was mortal, the only reason she ended up in that damned prison was because of her abilities, on multiple accounts. She finished off the bottle before setting it on the ground. She watched as one of the girls changed, debated being one of those people, did a quick wolf whistle before going to find more vodka. No more Stoli unfortunately but there were a couple bottles of Smirnoff which was almost as good. She grabbed those and made her way back once more, just because there wasn't a better show than a bunch of evil psychopaths all together in one room.

[Assistant]
When the battle concluded, Baal looked at his temporary allies unimpressed with their efforts to bring down the Warden, foolish mortals, always choosing the brutish way fighting a battle he thought to himself and followed the others to the submarine that Mr. Sinister had sent for them. Once in the underwater vehicle, Baal kept to himself and communicated telepathically with the high priests of his cult. They were glad to have finally made contact with him and inquired about what had happened. Baal just told them that he would inform them about his imprisonment later and ended his communication.

After a while the submarine stopped and Baal himself in Brigeport and followed the butler to a warehouse. He wondered why he hadn't just vanished and left the group behind, but he was now curious to find out who their savior was and if he was nothing more than a mortal worm. Once in the warehouse the butler introduced himself as Jenkins and explained how they were in one of the many places owned by the mysterious villain. Then the butler explained the nanites in their bodies that could kill at any moments notice. Baal was not very impressed with this fool's dependence on technology and asked the butler a question.

"please answer me this, how do you or your master know that my magic can't suck the power out these tiny machines? I could drive you both insane before you make them kill" he spoke to the butler as his eyes under his hood glowed an evil red. Baal was looking for a weakness in this man and his master's resolve, he would try to do whatever he could to manipulate this savior of theirs and have him grovel at his feet.

[User]
Riley ground her teeth as Jenkins spoke. Her skin crawled at the mention of nanites, running through her veins and tying a noose around her neck. She tried to seek comfort in the thought of their removal after the mission, but a man who would dangle a knife over their heads from the get go was just as likely to lie and double-cross. She wasn't about to take Mr Sinister's delivered word for anything. The rat.

Once Jenkin's left, Riley made her way to the bunk while some headed to the lounge. An intoxicaing drink sounded delightful, but she didn't like the idea of going on a mission tipsy. Highly unprofessional; potentially fatal too. Finding her bed, Riley plucked up the tablet Jenkins had mentioned. The technopath was a technophile too, it seemed, as Riley looked over the sleek design. A bit more digging unearthed a thick belt with small pockets sewed in a line, a rank of soldiers. Hopping back to her feet Riley quickly cast off her prison uniform, threw on a cotton singlet and pulled on boxer-shorts. Now in a decidedly comfortable outfit, she walked out the bunk, crossing some of the other Rogues but noticing no faces as she bowed her head over the screen of the tablet.

Letting her feet walk her across the warehouse and to the lounge, Riley heard some chatter - and some screaming - as her eyes slid from corner to corner, ingesting lines of information of her new comrades. Some came from scandals, from crimes. Riley rummaged noisily through the drawers with her free hand, picking out knives. She threw them upwards to watch them cartwheel, and caught them each by the handle before sheathing them in the belt slung around her waist. She smiled down at the screen as she felt her lower half grow heavy with her spoils. Ah, looting. She was back to her roots, wasn't she? Once each sheath was filled with a blade, Riley turned to lean against the counter, to commit the remaining profiles to memory.

The lounge was relatively quiet, with a muscled man filling himself with food and drink, and a blonde woman Riley recognised as Natilaya - a kind of femme fatale who'd been killing her victims after bedding them prior to prison-life - made several trips for an impressive amount of liquor. As she walked out the lounge, Riley arched a brow at her. Russian? She had the features for it.

Snapping her fingers absent-mindedly to spark them out of poor habit, Riley reached the last of the profiles and looked up from the screen to watch the blond ravenously devour his food. "Worked yourself an appetite, huh?" Riley said from her counter. She referred to the tablet again. "Karate Bastard." Riley looked at the man with a raised eyebrow to convey slight reprove, and then switched expressions to one of grimaced confusion. "I'm sorry." The apology wasn't very sincere, but Riley wasn't trying to convince him otherwise. "Can I call you Keith instead? Or Blackwell?" A sharp grin spread over her face, smoothing back the creases of the previous wince. "It's just that my mother always used to tell me not to swear."

[Assistant]
Engrossed in his food, KB was more than a little surprised when the newcomer in the lounge spoke to him directly. He hurriedly swallowed a mouthful of beef before putting on a smile that seemed to lean more on the side of a grimace. "You can call me by whatever name pleases you, lass. They only call me that because the world of martial arts ain't a piece o' piss, you gotta be a right bastard to be the best. Join me for brekkie?" He politely waved at an unoccupied chair. KB figured that a little courtesy might not be a bad idea now. Not that he was good at making friends. But if they were stuck working together might as well try to make it pleasant.

"That stuff you do with fire- right proper flash, that. That's really the sheep's arse. Saw what you did just now with those knives, too. Beaut stuff, there. I'm sick of these drongos who only want to use guns. Guns for show, knives for a pro, eh?" KB took in her more casual clothes. He hadn't thought to look through his bunk for clothing, he was still wearing the orange bottoms of his prison uniform. He'd have to lay his hands on some more comfortable duds.

Taking a swallow of his Scotch, he charged forwards with his awkward attempt to be friendly, choosing the only subject he felt comfortable talking about. "I've done some knife fighting, here and there. Texas, Corsica, Manila, Ostrobothnia, the Pampas. Folk know what they're doing with a blade in those places, no two ways about it. What I'm saying, lass, you ever want to swap a couple tricks that'd be right by me. We could both learn something useful. I mean, a bloke never knows so much he can't learn more." He wondered what else to say, couldn't think of anything, and instead shoveled more food into his mouth.