[System]
Clan: Shima
Title: Eagle-Eyed Elder
Gender: Female
Age: 78

Race: Tengu
Height: 4'5"
Weight: 30 kg (~66 lb)
Appearance: Current and younger appearance:

(Metou's wings and hair are black, but her hair turned white with age. Her priestess attire (which should have more details than the sketch) is purple and blue. The robes she wears in the present are black and are made with a lot of crow's feathers, meant to mimic her old wings, and the dress she wears underneath is purple.)
(And she should probably have an eyepatch as well.)

Occupation: Mostly-Retired Sniping Trainer

Notable Skills: Back in the day Metou was the sharpest eye around, despite having only one of them. Her accuracy is still pretty good, but her eyesight has deteriorated and she's not as quick on the trigger as she used to be. As a necessity of her powers, Metou knows how to preserve things in formaldehyde.
Since retiring from combat, Metou has gotten decent at sewing clothing and gardening.
When she was younger, Metou could fly short distances. However, she was always a bit heavyset for a Tengu, so she could never fly as far or for as long.

Magical Abilities: Metou can shapeshift into others by removing their eye and inserting it into her empty eye socket. Though she'll possess their physical power and some of their muscle memory, any learned magical abilities or techniques will be inaccessible to her. Metou can transform for an hour at a time before the eyeball automatically pops out of her head, and rapidly transforming and untransforming tires her out, but she can do it a few times in a row with a couple seconds of break inbetween. As long as the eye is in her head, it functions as a living eye.
If Metou shapeshifts into someone, anything she wears or was carrying disappears and she gains whatever the person she shapeshifts into was carrying. If she removes something from her person when transformed, that object will stay off and disappear when she takes on a different form, and then reappear in the same location when she takes on that form again. If she changes any of that form's inventory it will disappear when she leaves that form and reappear when she takes on that form again. In essence this means that Metou can change the outfits and equipment of her alternate forms and keep them consistently without permanently duplicating items.
Any damage that happens to Metou in one form happens to all of her forms, as well as any recovery from injuries that occurs.

Ki Techniques/powers: None

Weapons:
Rifle - Accurate and useful for long distances. In her prime she could load a shot in 3 seconds, in her old age it takes her 6.
Pistol - Not Metou's speciality, she carries this only for defending herself in close quarters.

Other Gear:
Formaldehyde Jars - Metou possesses 6 jars of formaldehyde that hang from her person, used for storing eyeballs.
Eyeball - The eye she lost when she was 18. Inserting this eye transforms Metou into her younger self.
Walking Stick - Wooden, and has a U-shape for a handle. Metou can use this to prop up her rifle and keep it steady. Also, she needs it to walk at any reasonable pace.
Metal Scoop - Looks sort of like an iron ice-cream scoop with a sharp, tapered end. It's used for "extracting" eyeballs.

Personality: Most people think Metou grew crotchety and irritable with age, but that only had a minor effect of Metou's personality. Ever since her banishment Metou was always bitter and jaded, even after Shima treated her well. Unlike many others of her age, Metou had no qualms about increasing the military might of the clan, though as an outsider her opinion wouldn't be worth as much. Metou is passionate about defending Shima and disinterested in the politics of other clans or in people who pursue power. It may seem hypocritical but due to her upbringing Metou still distrusts spirits and magic in general, and is even uncomfortable about using her own powers.

Brief history: Metou was born and raised in the Dokutsu Clan, or Dokutsu Town depending on who you ask, a small reclusive village hidden in the mountains populated by both humans and tengu (and an oni who liked the atmosphere). Like Shima this clan was neutral and well-protected, but they preferred not to communicate or interact with any other clan at all, and a unique culture developed as they were cut off from the rest of Baji. The people of Dokutsu forbade the practice of magic among their people, believing it to be the source of the corruption and war that plagued the other clans below them. This made Metou's discovery of her own latent powers a bit of bad news.

Metou served as a religious figure in the town, somewhat akin to a shrine maiden, and helped guide the village in prayer to keep them safe from the world around them. In addition she lead many of the towns customs from the birth of a villager to the death of one, and helped protect the town from interested parties with a rifle. When she was 18 Metou lost her eye while constructing a new building for the town, and in an act of desperation tried to replace the severed eye. It functioned perfectly, but Metou knew it could only be magic that allowed it to do so. She kept the eye preserved, being familiar with the chemicals used in village customs to preserve the dead, and experimented with her power in secret. She discovered that she could transform into animals using their eyes, but she was eventually discovered by the village when she was 20 and banished.

After a year of travelling Metou found residence with the nearby Shima clan, and she used her skill with a firearm to give herself a place in her new home. During her years living in the Shima clan she served as a sentinel, participated in a few military skirmishes, traveled occasionally and had a few lovers but never married. Though Shima would have been more accepting, out of habit Metou rarely ever used her powers, and most people don't know she has them. When she got too old to bother standing watch with a gun in hand, she helped train new guards in the art of accuracy. Metou tries to help out as best she can, but as others take over her old job she leaves her house less and less. Though she lives in a hut on the outskirts of her town, Metou is still well-known around the village.

[User] Was good to see the group moving along after that ordeal. Now was the planning phase, they had to execute everything perfectly. One wrong comment could break out a war between Ru and Shima. One wrong action in their borders could cause their lord a slew of problems and resources. He kept his inner ramblings to himself as Metou spoke until she advised him to warn Ru of the ki witch, which was the opposite of what they were told to do. "Whoa! No, we can't do that, none of us can talk about what just happened. That crazy psycho killer wench knew a lot of intimate things about us. She's probably having us tracked right now. She told us not to mention herself or her mother. I think they wish to remain anonymous and telling anyone about them would mean only their death and her anger for us. If we really want to heed their warning and keep others and ourselves safe then we have to keep our mouths shut about our source." Jiang was getting more and more pissed off as he thought about this entire situation. It was going to get dark and bad before it got better.

[Assistant] Takumi didn't interfere in the disagreement about the ki witch, him never knowing how to handle events and situations that involved her. If they did as she said without question it would almost certainly backfire, it had been 200 years and no one knew what exactly the ki witch wanted. With that still in his head, he went over a few things about Ru mostly about their focus on and history with martial arts and their different ancestry. Beyond that there wasn't much info to tell outside of Lady Ru's reputation for not following what most consider proper custom and that she would rather fight then serve guests or drink tea. With all that explained they continued moving towards Ru, the group continuing their discussion on the proper plan of action and if they should tell Ru about the Ki Witch or not . Knowledge such as that would have a pretty big change on how Ru and others treated the situation and the decision to tell them or not was one that would have a large effect on the journey. Eventually they arrived in Ru just as evening was turning into night, with guard changes occurring and people lighting the torches around the village. It as winding down, but some people were still outside of their homes and of course places for traveling were always open, with more than a merchants hanging about to avoid traveling at night. Since raids and attacks on Ru were uncommon it was a pretty safe place for travelers to stop in and the people were pretty friendly to those that didn't try to cause trouble. The Naji were still around, with some of the Princess's soldiers helping with guard duty and a few hanging around the Inn, their banners resting against walls around the village but not actually placed anywhere specific or in official position.

[User]
"I have no intention of respecting the wishes of a tempermental psychopath sponging off her mother's power, nor anyone who lobotomizes men and makes them their slaves, or any charlatan who maintains their power through ridiculous rumors," Metou said back to Jiang, wishing she had said it in a less harsh tone the moment it came out of her mouth, but since she was already on a roll, she continued. "I admit the Ki Witch is dangerous, but that's all the more reason we must be honest with the true dangers associated with our quest if we are to make business with Ru in good faith, if they help us they deserve to know who's involved."

As long as she was being this snippy, Metou figured she might as well drive the point home. "Besides, rolling over for a wolf won't make them any less hungry," Metou said, "If you think doing every single thing the Ki Witch asks us to do will end with anything but a piece of bone wedged in each of our skulls, you're naive. When she turns against us, we don't want to be alone against her. Think, there's no reason she'd want her involvement in our affairs to be a secret if these thieves could supposedly destroy or control the island, she would be a hero. She needs to be a secret because she's using us."

[Assistant]
Yuudai had been listening to the group argue over telling people about the Ki witch or not, a rather big thing if what had happened before was anything to go by. "The fact that she is helping us if we keep silent is a boon we should not toss away. However if the time comes then we can always just use her name as some kind of last resort, more so as we start collecting relics. Use her instead of her using us so to speak." It seemed the most logical to her, after all it was more a weapon than they had before and simply blowing it the moment they could would do them little good.

That was the only thing the half oni would say on the matter before the group reached Ru, where her mind was taken up with other things that she held in great importance. "I'm going to grab something to eat." With that she was on the hunt, stalking the streets in search of her pray, or well just down the road in a small open food stand. Stilling down at one of the open stools she tapped her hand on the counter "Hey, I will take the specialty dish you have on sale." Feeling small bumps against her she looked down to her arm where small mushi were bumping against her wounds, which she dismissed with a wave of her hand.

[User]
The stopped right outside of Ru while the debate was getting heavy. He understood everything that she was saying, but felt as if she wasn't looking at the big picture. Disobedience only endangered all who they were connected to and could even mean their own deaths. "Those are exactly the reason why we should follow and do as they say for now. You saw Takumi's reaction to her, you saw what she did and if her mother is even more powerful then what chance do we or Shima have? If Naji is wary of their actions then why would a lesser clan like Ru be willing to deal with them? Right now, we have to just play along. She wants to remain anonymous, that is what she wants. She will maintain her anonymity by killing off those who know of her involvement. There will be razed villages left in our wake as we travel, heralding the involvement of crazy psycho killer bitch's mother. We are being watched and if you disobey her now then she may very well target our own clan to teach us a lesson. Can you live with the loss of Lord Shima because you wanted to defy someone else?"

Knew exactly what kind of situation they were in, he knew how far this rabbit hole would travel. Baji didn't know all of the players, what the endgame was or any other specific details, but the situation was frighteningly similar to his previous life. Now wasn't the time to unload all of this on them, especially in front of the Ru village. He turned his back to the gate and kept his voice down so only his allies could hear him. "I am begging you, and the rest of you to trust me on this one. For now, let's keep this thing quiet. They're not going to attack us if we disobey their command, they will hurt those around us, they will burn this place to the ground, attack our families, hurt Shima himself. Even if you don't believe me, if only this seems to have a sliver of possibility happening if we run our mouths now then that should be enough to keep quiet and play their game. I don't intend in being their pawn until my death, but right now we should research our enemy before we defy them. So please, keep this quiet for now, let Takumi and I speak with Ru and I promise that I will come back with her as an ally to Shima." This group barely trusted him or respected his words, but this was one time where he was hoping that they would follow his advice. He, himself was also hoping that he wasn't leading them down the wrong path. Jiang was trying to make the best decision for everyone's survival, and he prayed that he was the right one, instead of Metou.

[Assistant]
Jiang had brought up some good points. Although Metou had no intention of keeping quiet about their mysterious interloper indefinitely, she could see the logic in waiting a while before mentioning it to anyone. Especially considering how worried Jiang was about the well-being of others if they told it. Metou was skeptical that the Ki Witch could see inside a private meeting with the leader of Ru as well as she could dig up information about a few hired hands, but it was better safe than sorry.

Metou sighed a little bit in preparation to concede her point. "You're right, I suppose we could play things safe for now," Metou said with a touch of bitterness. "I may not be convinced the legends about her are entirely true, but she does hold considerable power for us, so I suppose we have no choice but to do as she says."

After Yuudai had already left to grab food, Metou glanced over into the town they had reached. "Did she say which group she would be assisting?" Metou asked. "Well, I suppose we should all get going anyway. Who wants to help me pursue the lead that woman gave us?"


[System]
"I am the shield that which the enemies of the Emperor break themselves upon."
"Heretics crave the cleansing fire of absolution. They need not fear for we shall deliver."
Age:

Thirty

Gender:

Female

Personality:

As a member of the Adepta Sororitas, Andromedai has a will of iron that is matched by her steadfast determination to thoroughly eliminate all hostiles that threaten the Imperium of Man and The God Emperor. Some call her reckless, but in truth she carefully plans out each of her actions before swiftly putting them into motion, there is no room for mistakes upon the battlefield. When serving along her own kind, she is selfless and honorable. She will assist those who are in need the most, if appropriate. At times, she can be unpredictable, using her creativity to overcome whatever challenges that are tossed her way. Very rarely, some of her past life will show through her personality, showing the humanity that still remains buried behind her intense training and brain-washing she endured over many years.

Former Occupation:

Ophelian Celestian for the Order of the Argent Shroud.

Equipment:

Armor: Full suit of Celestian Power Armour with Order of the Argent Shrouds shading and emblem.

Primary Weapon: Astartes Mark Vb Godwyn Pattern Bolter - [Modified for increased range, stability and accuracy. Attached to the bottom of the weapon is an automatic shotgun device used for close combat scenarios.]

Secondary Weapon: [None so far.]

Melee Weapon: Chainsowrd

Accessory 1: Krak Grenades

Accessory 2: Melta-Bomb

Accessory 3: Rosarius

Acessory 4: Librium/Tome.

Medical Equipment.

[Has been seen operating with a Mk IV Arkhan Rifle in the past.]

Notable Events:

The Obsidian incursion:

A few months after being assigned to the Order of the Argent Shroud, Andromedai was stationed upon the Shrine world of Erathell to help protect a number of Important Temples and Shrines dedicated to the God-Emperor of Mankind. While she preferred a combat role, guarding such holy sites was also a critical role she was honored to hold. Many months passed in calm before the Slaanesh devoted forces of Chaos invaded, bringing a wave of death and destruction to all that they touched. Due to where they had started their invasion, Andromedai was one of the first to throw herself into Erathells defense. Alongside her fellow Sisters of Battle, they pushed back against the chaos forces over two days of non-stop fighting. The records for the battle indicate that not a single Adepta Sororitas had been lost, through the forces that had invaded the world had been completely irradiated. This was the first world invasion that Andromedai had been part of, from it she had learned many useful skills and had gathered much information about the enemy that would help her through many other battles in the future.

The Assault of Dalenarth:

Andromedai and her fellow Sisters of Battle fought alongside the fabled Space Marines in a war called the Assault of Dalenarth. A large number of Tau forces had been spotted in the Hawkings cluster but vanished from all sight, seemingly to vanish in the depths of the galaxy. When further investigation into the Hawkings cluster was issued, a large base was found to have been established upon an abandoned War world, hiding amongst the rubble. Swiftly and to the letter, the threat was analyzed and considered to be grave, if not completely annihilated. Their numbers were massive and thus both the Sisters of Battle and the Space Marines were sent to deal with the threat. As soon as they arrived, war had broken out and casualties on all sides were counted but never admitted to. Working alongside a Space Marines for the first time, she witnessed the combined strength of their forces. Eventually when Andromedai found herself alongside a single Space marine in the depths of the Tau base, the two of them burned through the hostile forces together, finely eliminating the Tau commander who had organized the whole mission. Both of them were recognized for their acts during the war that lasted two weeks.

The Slaughter at Mobius:

The Slaughter upon the desert world of Mobius is a failed assignment that not many members of the Imperium of man know about. Andromedai had been asked to lead fifteen Sisters of Battle to a small civilized world that had been also called a desert world due to its arid and barren landscapes. Why the Imperium of man had decided to place a colony here was beyond Andromedai she had her orders to investigate a destress signal. When they landed upon the planet, what they found was much more horrific than what was expected. The colony had been completely destroyed, leaving little to no sign of. Further investigation resulted in stirring up something that laid below the sands.

The colony had foolishly built their city on top of a forbidden world, unknown of the dangers that laid below it. They had awoken a small group of hideous xenos known as Tyranids. There had been no way to tell if the distress signal was a trap or not, but what they did know is that all the occupants of the city had died seemingly overnight. The corpses that still remained were fresh, it was very likely the hostiles were still close by. Quickly, Andromdai sent out a message for immediate evacuation and recommended exterminates to quell the threat of the hive. The order would be given to destroy the planetary biosphere and all life upon the world once she had her troops were evacuated.

The pilot informed them that she would be at their location in sixty seconds. Those sixty seconds proved to be the worst she had experienced upon any planet or any battle since she had seen combat. The ground broke apart in the distance and from it came the Xeno horrors that had wiped the colony clean. Almost every round and explosive that the group had was expelled before the drop ship arrived, strafing the area then quickly landing almost on top of the Sisters of Battle. To her surprise, every member of her squad made it onto the drop ship, allowing herself to be the last to board. When she did though, she felt numerous rounds from the Tyranid weapons travel through random parts of her body.

The wounds she sustained were incredibly severe and life threatening but with great will and determination she pushed herself part way into the drop ship. The two medics from her squad helped pull her into the ship just as the doors were closing. Within moments, they were a safe distance away from the planet and were now heading back to the fleet where the wounded would be tended to. As they did though, they witnessed the order for the exterminates being carried out in full, a magnificent but also horrifying spectacle to witness.

[User]
Vala was luckily helped to get up so she blinked a few times, shook her head to clear her mind and nodded." Yeah... I just hit my head when I was thrown in the explosion. The helmet took the blunt of the impact so I should be fine in a little bit." Vala explained, listening to the others as they were forming out glorious plans of combat and nearly sure death. She naturally wans't too much into the subject at hand which was suicide missions at the heart of chaos infestation with possible chaos astartes hanging about. She still had bad memories about a certain chaos ship she nearly got herself killed on...

 "Just give me half an hour with some ordinance and you shall have a bomb... a big one." She said finally, shacking her head one last time to get her vision sorted out as she slowly tried to get up without pushing herself too fast too far. She had to give her body a little bit of time to get used to the situation and then sort her concussion. She didn't have time to deal with it medically. She still felt like falling over, but kept it together for the moment." Any decent explosive device you can spare and even spare las cells will do. I have a way to overcharge and destabilize those..." She added." We just throw some blessed seals of purity or holy water or so on on them to sanctify them and we should be good. Alternatively I doubt anything short of full blown artilery or orbital barage can make a hole through everything on the surface through the cathedral all the way to the gate." She explained with a sigh.

 She kept an eye on the psycker who was seemingly having whispers of the warp reaching her ears or something like that. The very fact 'whispers of hte warp' were mentioned made Vala regard her with a certain suspicion. Then again the navigator on their ship back when she was a merc was also not quite all in there when it came to his head. His raving about the 'song of the warp' and the dances of the strings of sapace were something she had more or less memories because she heard it like a million time already.

[Assistant]
"Ma'am, as we move forward, is it possible for you to discern active physical threats from immaterial ones that are yet to manifest? That would expedite our approach immensely."

"That would be fairly simple... divination is one of my main disciplines after all." Adrianne stated with a suddenly far more cheerful tone to Ansgar's question.
"Within the tight confines of these corridors and tunnels, I can detect their auras sooner than most imperial sensors can detect their physical presence, and my powers allow me to foresee most forms of traps or ambushes long before we walk into them. It will get harder the closer we get to the warp anomaly, but out here it is still relatively easy."

People were actually asking for her powers ahead of the anticipated situation rather than when they were already knee deep in xenos and heresy!!

"I could get used to this... " Adrianne thought.

" ... I could get used to him!" Said the whisper in her head!

"Shut it!"

"... Any decent explosive device you can spare and even spare las cells will do... "

Adrianne turned to the group's tech heretic asking for free explosives; eyes drifting down to the two melta-bombs shew as carrying around; before giving Ansgar a very peculiar stare with her skeletal mask.

"I have some melta bombs... not sure how good they are if you want the explosion to be particularly big." She said, continuing with an accusing look down at the shorter krieger.
" ... you are the closest this group has to a demolitions expert, do you have anything to help our tech-heretic?"

[User]
"That will suffice ma'am, once we are close enough, stealth will likely no longer be an option regardless of our ability to scout ahead. Chaos forces have a tendency to detect intrusion into sufficiently corrupt areas despite better efforts." Considering 'that will suffice' was as close as the Krieger was going to get to saying thank you, he turned his attention to the tech heretic as she spoke up about explosives. The Grenadier cocked an eyebrow under his mask, the gesture unreadable due to the rebreather, but one could almost sense the reaction that a veteran Guardsman might have with a mercenary just jumping in and effectively doing his job for him. But, he didn't say a word in regards to her remark, instead he was about to sling the bag of explosives he was carrying up to this point over for the mercenary to sift through when the Psyker once again garnered his attention.

Her remark on the melta bombs was accurate enough, considering the plan he suspected that the mercenary was putting together simply boiled down to strap as many explosives as she could into one massive bomb, plant it on a load bearing support, and detonate. It would probably work from sheer brute force, if nothing else, but he would have much rather simply plant them in several locations and detonate at once. But the psyker's question warranted a response, even if her glare could be detected well enough given her intense downward stare, which the Kriegsman had yet to even look up to meet the much taller gaze. "I have frags, which will not help, krak grenades, which could provide secondary effect, and a few demolition charges. She can utilize all explosives I have except for two demolition charges, the other two I will retain for secondary demolition needs. The Psyker should save her melta bombs for vehicles or Traitor Astartes, as needed."

With that, he set the bag of explosives Ansgar had been hauling around down in front of the tech heretic for her to sift through. True to his word, there were a number of frags, kraks, and four demolition charges. Considering she had free access to all but two demo charges, it should likely be enough explosives to more than suit her needs. Leave it to a Grenadier to have enough explosives to clear an entire building out, or even outright collapse it. It was at this point the Krieger chose to meet the strange, staring gaze that the psyker had been giving him up to this point, simply making an open remark towards her gaze with two words, muffled yet neutral despite the accusatory nature one might feel from such a gaze. "Yes, ma'am?"

[Assistant]
"Eh, it's the whispers of the warp. The barrier to the immaterium is weakening in the proximity of the ritual, allowing the voices from beyond to reach through."

Adrianne's reply was devoid of any actual information that the Sister of Battle did not already know. She felt as if the Psyker was purposely avoiding informing her of who this Zirael actually was. Aviza figured this was either for her own protection or for some other reason. Aviza was quick to point this out to the Psyker, "That is not what I asked you Psyker Adrianne, I directly asked you who this Zirael is and how they or it tie into all of what is happening around us." Aviza's eyes narrowed behind the visor of her helmet, glaring back at the Psyker who was apparently more than she appeared to be. They would have to talk about this later, but for the moment, they all had some mission planning to discuss.

"I agree with taking a side tunnel to flank the heretics, while at the same time avoiding their main force, is the best option for the situation. As stated, there should be less Chaos in those tunnels. Perhaps we could even quickly and quietly eliminate those hostiles in the tunnels, avoiding unwanted attention and giving us more of a chance to infiltrate their base unnoticed." Aviza scanned her surroundings and looked for the small opening that lead into a side tunnel that the mini-map on her HUD showed. It was easily located, allowing the Sister of Battle to mark its location until they were ready to move out.

The discussion of taking down the Chaos portal and putting a stop to the ritual that allowed the heretics to flood into the city followed shortly after. The tech-heretic, also known as the mercenary Vala had the idea of combining their remaining explosives to create a more powerful explosive that would hopefully destroy or at least severely cripple the Chaos portal. It was as good an idea as any, and Aviza supported it. She handed Vala her metla-bombs, informing her to be careful while tampering with all the explosives. The last thing she wanted was for them to all go off, effectively killing most of the squad.

"Whatever is below the cathedral, we will be able to handle it. I brought a couple special grenades with me that I had quite a bit of trouble trying to get my hands on." Reaching into a securely fitted bag upon her left hip, she produced two hallucinogenic grenades that she knew were bound to come in handy somewhere down the line. "These will cause whoever breath in their particles to go into a hallucinogenic rage, attacking anything and everything around them, regardless of friend or foe. Using these wisely, we could cause pandemonium within their ranks." Aviza placed the grenades back into the fitted bag and sealed it shut with great care. "Vala, get to work with those explosives, every second we waste means more enemies to fight in the end."


[System]
Age: 17
Appearance: -
Dimitri could be best described as a walking brick house, standing at 6'4" and weighing in at 210lbs

Short bio: Originally born in Salem, Oregon, Dimitri's life has been filled with odd instances that are in no small part thanks to the fact that he's always been a very observant individual. He became a ward of the state at the age of four when his parents died in a car accident, and with no next of kin to speak of he was placed into the nearest orphanage, which happened to be in portland. There's a reason that the term "keep Portland weird" is so popular in Oregon, and no one knew that better that Dimitri. As he grew Dimitri began to notice weird things around the area; strange noises, odd looking people and animals wandering the area at night. One fellow in particular seemed to roam rather closely to the orphanage every night, though no one could ever seem to catch a glimpse of him besides Dimitri despite the odd jittery motions the guy made. By the time he'd reached sixteen, Dimitri had become a very large and imposing individual, having taken up various odd jobs that required a fair bit of labor for spending money, as well as receiving a few boxing lessons from one of his regular employers. This gave Dimitri a rather inflated ego, enough so that he snuck out of the orphanage one night to confront the weird man. A poor choice. The man was actually a skin walker, whom proceeded to drag away and rag doll Dimitri for the better part of ten minutes despite Dimitri's best efforts, and was set to use Dimitri as his new skin suit until Mathias stepped in. He would later be adopted by his savior and taught the ways of the hunt
Weapons: A mossberg590a1, Sig Sauer P226, and a crowbar
Slayer Weapon:,
 the knife is pretty normal, simply made out of high carbon steel, however the interior of the sheath is coated in white ash which rubs off onto the weapon and gives it a harmful effect on supernaturals
Vehicle:

Room:
Other: He saved up some money from all of the little odd jobs he did and used it to buy a six month old rhodesian ridgeback puppy he named Brutus. Dimitri is currently trying to teach Brutus how to track the supernatural.

[User]
Damian suppressed a yawn trying to escape his throat as e walked along the moon-bathed docks. He looked down at his watch to see that it was now ten after midnight. Under most circumstance he was up for hunting all night, but after having to chase down a pack of helhounds for the better part of an afternoon he was exhausted. Still he didn't really have a choice in the matter, Mathias had gotten word of a small infestation of ghouls at the docks and had sent them to clean it up, and whatever Mathias said was law. He was more annoyed than worried about facing the ghouls. Even in groups of five they still only held an F class ranking on the Slayer's letter based classification system. Ghouls were like the rats of the supernatural world, annoying pest that had a tendency to bite and only posed a real threat in large groups.

He let out another yawn as he turned the corner and almost ran right into a slow moving blob, a Slime. "Oh you've got to be kidding me!" He sighed in exasperation. Slimes were even more hopeless than ghouls despite being official classified, many Slayers didn't even consider them a threat. They don't naturally reproduce but they usually just sort of happen when there's some sort of mass buildup of some supernatural substance like ectoplasm or miasma, but can also be artifically made by relatively easy alchemy or magic, so they showed no signs of ever going extinct. Still they were laughable as a threat, most are too dumb to even notice a prey is even there, or too slow to really do anything about them. They were kind of pathetic actually, basically the Magikarp of the supernatural world. Damian leaned down to eye level with the slime who was was making some sort of, what he guessed, was a sniffing motion. The thing was to busy looking around to notice that he was standing right in front of its face. "Wooooow you're dumb. I'm even more tired just watching you..." He looked past the slime to see a red door that led into one of the warehouses on the dock, the last area he had to search. "If they're here they've got to be in there." He muttered as he stood up again looking back at the slime. "I'll come back for you."

He pulled out his 1887 shotgun from it's holster and pushed open the red door slowly. He nearly dropped it when he saw the inside of the warehouse. From top to bottom practically standing on top of each other was a massive infestation of ghouls at least a hundred strong. Ghouls were a cakewalk in groups of five hell even ten weren't that tough for someone who wasn't a rookie. But a hundred, hungry ghouls? That was most definitely a problem. Damian slowly reached for the bluetooth headset in his ear that he and his siblings used to keep in contact on hunts. "So good news, I found the ghouls...Bad news, there's a whole lot of them. If you guys could hurry on over to the south side of the docks before they all start swarming on me that would be great."

[Assistant] Alexi chuckled. "What a Slime problem again, I thought you were stronger than that." She said, coming out of the coffee shop. "Don't worry I'll be on my way." She then got into her Subaru, sipping her coffee as she turned on the engine. She then took one last sip of her coffee and tossed it out of the window into the trash can and she sped off towards Southside Docks.


[System]
Age: 13
Hometown: Blackthorn City
Appearance (pic preferred):
Starter: Mudkip
Bio: Liam dreamed of being a pokemon trainer like his father was once upon a time. He has a fondness for dragons. He dreamed of what the Dragon's Den would look like and hopes to one day be able to visit it. Liam traveled tough Kanto with Shiaranui. The two faced off in the final round of the tournament. When Liam was a baby, he had a babysitter, a Chansey named Florence. (She has evolved since Liam left on his journey.) A slip on a wet floor in the Pewter City Museum revealed that his hair is only dyed black. It was revealed in Blackthorn City, that he is the son of a Nurse Joy. He was as a random trainer called him when he was 5, "The shiny Pokémon of humans." Liam also explained that he uses a special dye, that has Bluk Berries as a key ingredient.
 Liam participated in and won the first ever Dragon Cup in Blackthorn City, having teleported home for it with his shiny Alakazam, Sherlock. He has also mastered the Battle Chateau in Kalos.

Requested Legend(s): Rayquaza, Latios, Jirachi, Deoxys
and his rival:

Name: Trevor Walton
Age: 13
Hometown: Vermilion City
Appearance (pic preferred):
Starter: -
Bio: Trevor disliked Liam, he disliked Liam solely due to the fact that he felt inadequate, believing Liam is coincided by his looks and talent in training. During the trip though Kanto, Trevor more or less followed the path of Blue in the original games. Recently, Trevor has warmed up some to Liam and Shiranui. He still may not particularly like them, but he respects them as strong Pokemon Trainers.

[User] In a few minutes, Jenny was there on a boat. She took the poacher into the boat and saluted the heroes. She than turned the engine back on and sped back to shore. Liam praised Gallade, Jiriya, and Pikachu for the hard work and told them to take a rest. "Well, now we need to get to our next task."

[Assistant] Shiranui recalled Saisei, praising the Mewtwo for its help. "Well, the next gym for us to beat would be up north at Mossdeep City," he replied, "The easiest way for us to get there would be to ride Kitakaze."

[User] "That might be best, but we should probably come in around back. People might freak out seeing a Suicune here in Hoenn."

[Assistant] "You're right," Shiranui agreed. He let Kitakaze out and got on the Suicune's back.

[User] Liam got on as well.

[Assistant] "Kitakaze, take us to the northeast corner of Mossdeep City please," Shiranui requested, "We want to avoid being seen." Kitakaze understood and set off north at the same pace it used to get to the atoll it departed from. The Suicune arrived behind the Mossdeep Space Centre less than a minute later.

[User] Liam got off and thanked the legendary Pokémon.

[Assistant] Kitakaze smiled as Shiranui got off and recalled it. "Time to heal up and then discuss strategies for the next gym," he stated.

[User] "Let's go to the Pokémon Center than. Liam said.

[Assistant] Shiranui nodded and made his way over to the Pokémon Centre. With the topic of the upcoming gym battle on his mind, he mentally went over what he knew about the Mossdeep Gym.

[User] "Well, it is a psychic type gym." Liam said thinking aloud. "So, they are weak to dark and bug types." Liam said thinking aloud. He went to make an adjustment to his roster.

[Assistant] "But unlike the other Psychic-type gyms we beat, the leaders will subject the challenger to a double battle," added Shiranui, putting emphasis on the fact that the Mossdeep Gym was led by twins. He adjusted his roster around after Liam was done with his.

[User] "Shall we go than?"

[Assistant] "Indeed we shall," answered Shiranui, wondering if the rumours he had heard about the gym on his travels were true.

[User]
At the gym, there was a boy and a girl standing in the Leader's box.
"Heh heh heh... Were you surprised?"
"Tee hee hee... Were you surprised?"
"That there are two Gym Leaders?"
"That there are two Gym Leaders?"
"We're twins!"
"We're twins!"
"We don't need to talk because..."
"...we can each tell..."
"...what the other is thinking... "
"...all in our minds!"
"This combination of ours..."
"Can you beat it?"
"We'll even take you both on at once."
"One Pokémon for each of the four of us. Even if one of you loses, as long as we are defeated, you both will receive the badge."

"Solrock!"
"Lunatone!" (f49ac2 = Liza, 0054a6 = Tate)

"Shiranui, I have an idea." Liam said. He than whispered his strategy to his friend.
 "Gallade!"

[Assistant] Shiranui grinned at the notion. "Titania, I choose you!" He sent his Gardevoir out. "Liam and I will show you what a pair of real psychics can do!"

[User]
"Solrock, Rock Throw on Gardevior!"
"Ice Beam on Gallade!"
 "Night Slash on Lunatone!" Liam ordered. Gallade slid to the side to evade the ice move and charged in.

[Assistant] Titania pulled off some ballet-style evasion tactics that were successful in dodging the Rock Throw. "Titania, Signal Beam at Solrock!" Shiranui was ready to activate his Mega Ring.

[User] As was Liam. He saw Shiranui moving for it and was ready to do it in unison. "Ready?" Liam asked.

[Assistant] "Ready!" Shiranui answered.

[User] "Now, Mega Evolve!" Liam exclaimed as he activated the Mega Ring Gallade, who was currently standing back to back with Titania was enveloped in the light and Bega Evolved.

[Assistant] "You too, Titania!" Shiranui activated his Mega Ring at the same time as Liam and Titania was also enveloped in the light. The gym was treated to the rare sight of a double Mega Evolution. When the orbs shattered the challenging battlers started executing their attacks, Gallade charging at Lunatone with his blades glowing a dark colour and Titania firing a beam of light at Solrock brighter than a signalling Ampharos.

[User]
The attacks hit their marks.
"Psychic!"
"Psychic!"
 The twins called for the order in unison.
 "Shadow Ball on Solrock!" Liam ordered.

[Assistant] The Psychic attacks had hit, but Titania and Gallade only felt minor damage in spite of the latter's nullified resistance to Psychic-type attacks. The Mega Gardevoir broke into laughter while Gallade threw a Shadow Ball at Solrock. "You two will have to do better than that! Titania, Hyper Beam at Lunatone!" Still laughing, Titania raised her right arm at Lunatone and fired a powerful pale pink beam. The beam got its pink tinge from the Mega Gardevoir's Pixilate ability.

[User]
"Protect!" Liza ordered. A green shield stopped the beam attack.
 "Flamethrower!" Tate called.
 "Furry Cutter on Solrock!" Liam called.

[Assistant] Titania had to recharge from her attack while Gallade slashed Solrock for super-effective damage that would add up through consecutive uses. The flames inundated the Mega Gardevoir for some damage, but did not leave a burn.

[User]
"Could you give me hand?" Liam asked his partner, hoping Shiranui figured what he meant.
 "Furry Cutter on Solrock!"
"Sunny Day!" Bright sunlight flooded the room.
"Protect!" The move failed.

[Assistant] "You got it!" answered Shiranui, understanding Liam's hint, "Titania, use Helping Hand!" The Mega Gardevoir lent some of her power to Gallade to boost the power of his moves and Gallade used the opportunity to slash Solrock with triple the power of his last attack.

[User]
The move made a critical hit and KO'd Solrock. Tate recalled it, leaving Liza to fend off the duo of Mega Evolved Psychic types.
"Ice Beam on Gallade!" Gallade was hit by the ice attack, and one arm was frozen solid.

[Assistant] "Titania, Heal Bell!" Titania let off a cyan glow before soothing sound waves of the same colour issued forth. The waves were the right pitch for the ice encasing Gallade's arm to shatter into pieces.

[User] "Thanks." Liam said. "Now, One more Furry Cutter!" This one hit and it hit hard. Lunatone was not knocked out by it however. "Light Screen!" Liza called.

[Assistant] "Titania, Snatch!" Titania waited and when Lunatone conjured its mirror-like shield, the Mega Gardevoir stole it and used its effect to suppress the damage from Lunatone's special attacks instead. Lunatone was left vulnerable.

[User]
"Shadow Ball!" Liam called. Gallade conjure the black ball and tossed it toward Lunatone. It hit with an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Lunatone was KO'd
 "Lunatone is unable to battle. Gallade and Gardevoir win, the victors are challengers, Liam Coleman of Blackthorn City and Shiranui Tsukiko of Ecqurteak City!" The ref said. Liza recalled her Pokémon. The twins walked forward.

"It can't be helped, you two won."
 "So, here take the Mind Badge."
 Both twins held one badge out to one of the heroes.
Liam thanked the twins. He turned and praised Gallade and Titania.

[Assistant] Shiranui thanked the twins as well after receiving his badge. "Titania, Gallade, you two deserve some Poké Puffs," he praised. Titania was overjoyed and was looking forward to tucking into the treats.

[User] Gallade was happy to hear it as well. "Let's go back to the Center than." Liam said.

[Assistant] Shiranui nodded and after recalling Titania made his way back to the Pokémon Centre.

[User] Liam did the same with Gallade. Once at the center, Liam placed Gallade's ball in the tray that a Chancey held out for them. Once she had Gardevoir's ball as well, she was going to take them and heal them.

[Assistant] Shiranui gave Titania's Poké Ball to Chansey and after Chansey left he sat down with Liam. "I think we both know what we could be up against in the Sootopolis Gym," he stated.

[User] "Well, it is a water type gym." Liam said.

[Assistant] "And from what I read, Juan has a unique style of battling," continued Shiranui.

[User] 'Well, Sceptile and Pikachu would be good additions to put on the team." Liam thought aloud.

[Assistant] "He'll be expecting you to throw Grass and Electric-type Pokémon against his Water-types," replied Shiranui, knowing by his logic Juan would be expecting Kinoko and Manectric as well.

[User] "That is true." Liam thought.

[Assistant] "What I would do is pick some Pokémon that are versatile with their moves," Shiranui suggested, "That way you can adapt your battle strategy."

[User] "Well, I have an idea on who I need to bring to the gym." Liam said. The Chancey returned Gallade and Titania. Liam decided to rearrange his party to be ready for the gym battle. They would have to hurry to catch the ferry to Sootopolis City.

[Assistant] Shiranui thanked Chansey and rearranged his party for the battle with Juan. He left the Pokémon Centre and made his way to the harbour at a fast pace.

[User] As did Liam. They both got on the boat with enough time to spare.

[Assistant] "It'll only be a matter of time before we reach Sootopolis City," stated Shiranui.

[User] In a few minutes, the boat docked in Sootopolis. Liam checked in at the Pokémon Center.

[Assistant] Shiranui did likewise. "Do we take on the gym first or the Contest?" he inquired.

[User] "We have time to do the gym first." Liam said.

[Assistant] "In that case, let's go win our last badge for here," replied Shiranui.


[System]
Notable Parents: None that she knew of, she's a orphan so she doesn't know her parents.
Age: 21

Sex: Female

Hair Color: Red

Eye color: Bright Blue

Appearance: (Picture preferred, Description is accepted, both are best!)

Stands 6'8 and is quite muscular and thick boned and a solid body, has tanned skin with a large scar going from cheek bone to cheek bone and crossing the bridge of her nose just below the eyes. Wears black fingerless armored knuckled gloves, as well as a chain necklace with a silver pendant with design of the summoning creature Valefor.

Weapon: Sword, fists, feet... Actually most of her body.

Fighting Style: Alex is highly skilled in swordsmanship, to the point where she can dual wield, but her impressive strength goes nicely with one sword so she can land harder hits. She's also skilled in hand to hand combat, her fists and kicks making powerful blows that could knock a Ronso on his tail.

Limit Break: Damocles Photon Slash Barrage- User dashed toward the enemy, weapon glowing with energy and slashing upwards. Knocking the enemy in the air, the user jumps after and repeatedly slashes the enemy before stabbing the enemy and swinging the enemy over the User's head and throwing it back to the ground. User then makes multiple slashes, creating energy protectjiles toward the opponent before slamming downward to slam the enemy from above.

Any Armor: Has minor chest plates and shoulder pads and some protection to the hips and armored knuckled gloves.

Skills:
-Impressive physical strength
-Great swordsmanship

Shortcomings:
-High Temper. Loses focus and thought when angered.
-Emotionally Unstable.
-Highly weak against magic attacks.
-Lacks self-esteem and is often a bit overly paranoid, worrying over things that come to mind be it true or untrue.
-Can be manipulated and/or tricked pretty easily.

Occupation: Defender Blitzball Star/Currently Guardian to Eva.

Biography: There isn't much to say really. Alex was found at the doorsteps of the Besaid Orphanage when just a infant. No one knew her name or where she came from, but she was named Alexandra after a legendary summon. Though she mostly called herself Alex, finding the shorter version more pleasing to hear at least coming from others. She was always a rambunctious child, always outgoing and ready to take on any challenge. Having a temper and a blunt personality, she didn't have a lot of friends. Being the only child in the orphanage, she was always alone. During summers, she met with Gippal and Urick but that was only when they visited. Naisha was another child she played with until the girl got sickly for some time. So, in the end, Alex was a lot of times alone. Disliked by temple priests who would mutter about her. However, she loved hearing the stories of the heroes who stopped Sin. In fact, one day Yuna and Tidus came to visit the orphanage. The blonde man had shown her kindness and shared stories of his adventures, especially as a Blitzball Player. That was the day when she dreamed of becoming the best Blitzball player.

Of course, that was always difficult for anyone. So she practiced everyday to be just like Tidus. Practicing with a wooden sword and a ball. In her teen years, she had a lot of competition to get in the home team. Years in fact of trying in the try outs until she was finally accepted. Now she has become a star player, known for her aggressive tackles play on the field by defending her team.

Personality: Alex is a hot tempered woman with a sharp tongue. She is brutally honest and speaks her mind without truly thinking it through. She at times can be immature and is easily side tracked when pushed to aggression. Often careless and reckless, she finds herself in bad situations a lot times that usually end up in a brawl. Despite her aggressive nature, she has a kind heart and believes in doing the right thing, of course what she thinks is right. She has a soft heart for women and children, mostly. Usually she is able to speak her mind clearly, but when she feels flustered or embarrassed, she tends to stutter, have a mental panic attack, before avoiding the situation awkwardly. She also tends to have a very overprotective nature when she does care for someone. Be it friendship or love interest. She's brave and loyal, and despite her gruff hot tempered nature and being difficult to socialize with, she's a bit talkative and in reality is pretty lonely. Though she'd never admit it. She gets irritated when someone brings up how she has no parents, being slightly jealous others have a family while she lives without one. She has great confidence in her abilities as a warrior and a Blitzball player but finds herself being modest when she is praised a lot, unused to it. Usually has difficulties talking about herself.

Are you arriving in Besaid or Living there? Living there.

[User]
"Is that so? It's been a while since we sparred right? How about you try your stuff with me you two? Oh! Alora you can join in too! We can have a outright brawl! And Nai can shoot fire and lightning at us! And maybe those two can join in as well.". Nai heard Alex said and the mage let out a laugh."Indeed, fire and lightning I can shoot at you as much as you desire." The mage said still laughing. "But as a manager of the team I must consider the fact that there is a match soon, so I wont be using damaging magics on any of you." She added in the end, finally stopping to laugh and just having a smile on her face.

  "Nice to meet you Alora and as Gippal here said, there is no need to feel like you are imposing. He may plan to stay with us for a long time, but I personally plan to not let him escape like the last time at all. Besides when we leave for the tournament I still will be accompanying all of you because I'm obliged as the manager of the Besaid Aurochs."Naisha stated and snapped her fingers, creating a small piece of ice that she put in her drink. The frail looking mage didn't eat or drink much, compared to the others, but with her body she couldn't even if she wanted.

 "You know her as well as I do, you guys will be sparring. She will not forget about that, but don't worry. I will cast some protection spells on you to not get hurt in the process." The mage replied to to her white haired friend." As for the cooking… I personally prefer my teacher's. The cooking Lady Lulu prepares has stronger flavor, where Lady Yuna's is always making it have more gentle taste." Nai said with a smile.

 "I don't think we need to worry. Alex has been getting better at self control around the priests as of late and they also began to not get into open confrontation as much as before. A most they should be staring each other when we get to them." The frail woman said with a chuckle, but her laugh ended the moment they entered the temple itself… She immediately heard the low humming noise that was ringing through the temple."It can't be!" Nai exclaimed and turned towards the entrance to the hall of the trials. "We are heading down to the chambers of the Faith!" The mage stated and threw an angry look at the priest that was nearby."Didn't you notice this before? When did it start?"

[Assistant]
The rider from before had easily made her way into the temple and, when none of the priests seemed to be looking her way, easily entered into the cloister of trials. It was like she was a shadow, just a whisper passing by. The priests hadn't seemed to notice her at all. She'd made her steps down the hall long before the tall woman from before and her friends had entered the sanctuary. Her pale hands rubbed the temple's hall's interior and she inhaled. Ah... it felt so... familiar here somehow. Not like a home, but like she'd seen this place once before. Hm... yes... just up ahead she would see for herself.

She pulled her hood down, freeing her long black and blue high ponytail. With a slight stretch and a sigh, the pale woman padded down the halls toward the area she needed to be, curiously picking up strange, discolored spheres along the way. They seemed to be for some old traps or old puzzles, but now the glow they once held to signify their relevance was long dead. Seeing their lack of color sent a twinge of dis-ease in the riders belly. Her glowing blue eyes scanned the walls until they found an encave just big enough to fit the sphere. She held the sphere closer to her face, squinting. There was indeed still a very faint glow now that she looked closer. Perhaps, then, that meant it would still work. Gingerly, the pale woman inserted the sphere. With a groan, the rock door pulled open into the hub between the prayer room and the cloister of trials. Perking her head up, the rider walked within.


[System]
The Mundane
Age: 16
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 109 lbs
Hand: Left
Sanctum City: Siscia
Description:

Right: Ars Magi uniform, Left: Civilian clothes.

Penny is a slightly short, slim young girl with long, brown hair tied into a long braid, a heart-shaped face, and inquisitive green eyes hidden behind her glasses. A generous sprinkle of freckles decorates her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Penny's physique is slender yet toned from years of work and helping out the family in chores and work. She usually has a cheerful, helpful expression on her face unless she is deeply focused on something (like work), in which case, she assumes an expression of concentration and determination, and generally becomes inattentive to the world except what she's currently working on. She generally prefers practical work clothes, though she takes pride in her new school uniform.

Penny is rather strong for her size, able to lug around 90 lbs without slowing down.

Personality:
Penny is a smart, well-meaning girl who tries to be the best she can be in order to help the people around her. Always ready to lend a helping hand and a keen intellect, Penny can come off as a bit of a know-it-all, but doesn't intend to show off, merely help and explain. She is rather passionate about magitech, and will explain at length if allowed. However, she is still a friendly sort, willing to make new friends and acquaintances and will gladly help when asked. She's also a hard worker who believes in putting the effort, and does her best in anything she puts her mind to.

In many ways, being at Nova Lux is a cultural shock to her; while not poor, the grand architecture and spaciousness of the academy is a far cry from the practically claustrophobic neighborhoods she's familiar with, and the idea of luxuries being not rationed is impressive to her. Also, she can come across as a bit of a penny(hah!)-pincher, mostly out of habit as back home, every bit of cash brought to the house was measured against the bills and necessities of nine people living under one roof.

Background:
The third child of seven, Penny comes from a bustling household. Her mother is a sargeant in the Siscia Self Defense Forces, and her father is a local mechanic, granting her a low-income home but a loving family. Her two elder sisters (twins) are couriers in the city, and have taught her how to rollerblade (she's not as good as they are, though) as well as certain parkour skills she's developed further after her approval to Nova Lux, her remaining siblings are not of working age but help around the house. Her oldest brother (a year her junior) does have a peculiar habit of trying to make a living offering his services as a courier, message boy, or open various stalls with varying degrees of success, with big dreams of making it big to rise up in the world. Her remaining siblings are two brothers (twins) and a youngest sister. While the house is cramped and money is often tight, it's a good life with the family not lacking in necessities.

For her part, Penny is a smart, studious girl with an emphasis on practical applications of knowledge, having picked up a flair for machine work from her father from a young age and had wanted to grow up to follow in his path. Penny grew up with precious little free time, between schoolwork and helping her father in the workshop, sometimes having to fix something her siblings broke given her skill as a handyperson. One of the few luxuries she's enjoyed aside from the pleasurable rush of a successful repair, is the TV show Divine Magical Maid Altea, a government-sponsored animated show generally designed to be propaganda but generally a decent show. Growing up watching the show, she had often wished to grow up to be a magical girl, but knew the chances of that were slim, so she focused on her other love; machines and magitech, and intended to grow up to be a Magitech engineer when she grew up. While she generally relied on public access terminals for knowledge and reading, Penny has taken to reading and supplementary self-education with a zeal, generally reading whatever scientific articles on magic and magitech she could. She intended to study up to prove herself at the local university, that she might get in on a scholarship, given her family's limited funds.

Some time after her 13th birthday, however, Penny started having trouble around the workshop. Equipment she'd work on suddenly developed issues with static and feedback, making repairs and work difficult. Anti-static equipment helped, but the problems persisted. Eventually, around her 14th birthday, the problem returned stronger, and she was sent for a medical checkup. What began as a routine checkup soon unveiled magic potential, and she was sent to a military hospital to confirm that yes, she does indeed have magical potential. That changed her life, and she changed her life goals to become an Ars Magi, as that would help open more doors for herself and her family, and more importantly, allow her to help more people with her abilities.

The Magical
Armagus Name: Bright Emerald Spark

Gladius: Groß Eisen

Groß Eisen is a 6'6", 70 lb two-handed power hammer with rocket boosters that can be turned on or off for additional attack power. While a sizable and effective instrument of blunt trauma on its own, Penny can channel her lightning powers into it, granting her the ability to do massive melee damage with lightning-boosted, rocket-propelled slams, or can focus her magic into one big "Meteor Slam" where she smashes Groß Eisen on the ground (or a suitable target) and causes a massive shockwave in a large (10') radius around her. She can also use Groß Eisen's rockets to propel her forwards on the battlefield, giving a couple spins in place to increase her speed before she lets the hammer pull her forwards with its boosted momentum.

Parma: Aside from a change of outfit, Penny's bangs become green, and her eyes become a more brilliant green color, with small lightning sparks visible in them when she's emotional or determined. Her outfit changes into something similar to her favorite show, Divine Magical Maid Altea, with a white/green color scheme, with her glasses becoming more futuristic in their design, more akin to a visor. Her shoes have roller blades on the bottom for additional mobility.

Combat Role: Penny's role in combat is generally that of assault, using her strength, speed, and toughness to mix it up close while swinging Groß Eisen to crush her enemies.

Elementum: Lightning/Electricity

Elementum Abilities: Penny can user her lightning ability for ranged combat, firing arcs of electricity at a target. However, she prefers to use her lightning abilities to power up her own physical abilities and attacks, emphasizing an assault-heavy style. She can either boost her physical strength or durability, and can focus lightning into her attacks to give them a powerful shock effect. Her preferred use of her Elementum abilities is to channel them into Groß Eisen for devastating heavy attacks.

[User]
Penny only managed to get some sleep before someone wakes her up again, announcing their arrival at Palmyra. Yawning, she tries to rub her eyes only to wince at the pain in her arm, reminding of the run-in with the Void. She sighs.

'And here I'd hoped it was just a bad dream,' she thinks.

Penny looks out to the city once they descend past the protective barrier, and finds the architecture (even in the low light) rather depressing.

"So there's the answer to 'what happens when you make a barracks into an entire city'," Penny quips. "And here I thought Ciscia's D-Fens Quarter was ugly and blocky."

When it's time for the tests, Penny is compliant despite her tired state, only too glad to get some proper treatment.

"Thanks, doctor," she says once she's had her arm in a cast and shoulder set. She downs one of the painkillers with some water.

At the Academy, though, Penny gives an appreciative whistle.

"Well, at least this place looks good," she says. "Too bad it's too dark to properly appreciate it. Probably look a lot better in the daylight."

Upon being escorted to their room, Penny thanks the escort for helping her carry her bags, and turns to Dana.

"Well, guess you're stuck with me, for however long we're here," she says. "Just a few things I should warn you about; I don't snore... too loudly anyways, though unless you have a snore like an industrial drill, I'm fine with it since my family can be a bit noisy when they sleep - well, okay, LiznLiz sound like someone starting up a racecar. I don't cause a mess, always clean up after myself - being around four younger kids and two lazy older sisters makes me a bit of a neat freak. If I stay up late, it's usually to study, so I'll try to keep it quiet. Also, for the next few weeks you might find me hogging the bath for up to half an hour; we have a shower to share between nine people and someone always uses up the hot water before it's my turn, so I want to enjoy a hot bath for once.

"Anything else you want to know, or do you want to share anything?"

[Assistant]
Dana was unsurprisingly taken aback after Victoria revealed that her opponent had indeed been another Ars Magi, or at the very least, something indistinguishable from one. And the Wing of Justice was right, it shouldn't have been possible, and yet…

"Understood, ma'am," Dana found herself saying, echoing Nicole's response to Victoria's instruction to never mention a word of what they had seen. "Loose lips sink ships, after all," she added with a nervous chuckle in a half-hearted attempt to bring some levity to the situation. "Or somethin' like that…"

Although she was as eager as anyone else to learn the true identity of Victoria's mysterious opponent, Dana knew that the present moment was neither the time, nor place to ask further questions. She was also still a bit annoyed by Astrelle's disrespectful attitude, but she figured that issue could be addressed at a later date as well, perhaps when she wasn't fighting to keep her eyes open…

After the Ars Magi had taken her leave, Dana's exhausted body had wasted no time in returning to unconsciousness. She awoke an hour later, when the airship finally arrived in Palmyra. Feeling a bit more refreshed, Dana gathered up her belongings and followed along with the rest of her new friends, first to a military hospital, and then to their dorms at Nova Lux itself.

"Yeah, I guess it's not much to look at," Dana agreed when Penny noted the somewhat ugly aesthetic of the city. "But, when ya think about it, it's really the people inside the buildings that count," she added with a grin.

Upon their arrival at Nova Lux, Dana couldn't help but jump up and punch the air in elation. "All right! We finally made it!" she cheered, before quickly sobering upon catching sight of the glowering visage of the faculty member who was waiting to greet them. "Eh, heh… Sorry about that…" she apologized as she followed the woman inside.

Dana's cheerful exuberance returned, when she learned that she would be sharing a room with Penny. "Awesome! Put 'er there, roomie!" she said, while holding her hand up for a high five. "Or, uh, maybe we should just gently fist bump…" she added, remembering the bespectacled girl's numerous injuries. "And don't worry, there's no one else I'd rather be stuck with! I think we're gonna get along just great!"

Her happy grin spreading from ear to ear, Dana listened as Penny "warned" her about a few things.

"Hey, that's fine!" Dana reassured Penny after the later said she might be taking some extra long baths. "I totally understand! I like my showers nice and refreshingly chilly, so it's no problem if ya use up all the hot water. I don't think I snore too loudly," she added. "At least, not as loudly as an industrial drill! I'm pretty neat myself, but if I don't meet your standards, please don't hesitate to let me know! Oh, and I can sleep through pretty much anything, so don't worry about that! Feel free to crank up your study music as loud as ya like!"

"I'd love to know the kinds of games and music ya like, and all sorts of other stuff, but I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk about that later. Right now, we should probably hit the sack," she advised, pointing her thumb at the bed closest to her. "After all, it's gonna be a big day tomorrow!"


[System]
Age: 16

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Appearance:

A bright eyed girl from the Steppes of the Northeastern highlands, she carries with her a brightness and optimism that would lead one to believe her a simple runaway girl with dreams of adventure. Her complexion is tanned from her time spent under the open sky, and she seems to be in a perpetual good mood, judging from her omnipresent smile. She is of a lithe build, and has a slightly bowlegged stance from her life spent riding on a horse. Her arms and legs are fairly toned and muscular for her frame, making her a lot stronger than your average girl from a farm.

She is almost perpetually seen with her hair in a ratty mess, the only restraint to it being her hairband that keeps her bangs from blocking her vision entirely. Her outfit usually consists of a traditional tunic of the Steppe, with large sleeves that give her arms free movement, a black long skirt that has been ripped at the sides to allow her legs more freedom, and a pair of leather sandals. When adventuring, she wears a leather breastplate beneath her dress for added protection.

Height: 5'7"
Eye Color: Amber
Hair Color: White

Personality:
A little ball of sunshine and happiness, there doesn't seem to be much in this life that can get the Steppe Archer down. She carries with her an almost infectious energy that brightens up the room, seemingly always in high spirits.

Her optimism is matched by her keen observation skills. In just a few minutes, she can identify the people in a room at a glance, and tell how someone is feeling by their expression. Despite her perceptive nature, she herself is very blunt, and often unable to think before she speaks. It is not uncommon for something she says to come across as harsh due to her lack of common sense compared to most other people.

Likes: Horses, Sweet Meats, and Flowers
Dislikes: Enclosed spaces, Negative thinking, and Insects
Hobbies: Leather working, Cooking, and Stargazing

History:
On the large rolling plains of the Northeastern Highlands, one is born, lives, and dies on the move. There is no pause available to the nomadic people, with each waking moment spent with focus being on procuring food, supplies, and, once those begin to run low, the focus shifts to uprooting the camps and moving elsewhere on the Steppe. Their society is organized by numerous small "tribes" that have banded together to form a Confederacy, overseen by a leader who rules for a period of ten years after a martial tournament is held between the greatest fighters of the tribes.

Before she was born, her father was heralded as the mightiest man on the Steppe, unbested in archery, and a master of wrestling. On the second year after she was born, he was dethroned and retired to his previous life of being a hunter to provide. In the time she spent with her father, she would learn the art of the hunt, and come to grow into a young girl. Life would proceed as it did, the circle of life in an unending loop, marching onwards with the beat of the people who's lives were spent chasing life. It wasn't all bad, not in the slightest. The meat was plentiful, the hunt was thrilling, and the life lead was one far from purposeless.

Eventually however, the decade-held tournament would be held, and with the rise of a new chief came new and bizarre laws. One of which being that a "bride" of each tribe was to be offered to his son, as if they were pieces of meat to be handed out. And quite unfortunately, she was "selected" as the delegated bride. Rather than accept some impish demand for her virtue and hand in marriage to some spineless whelp, she would instead flee the Steppe with her father and mother's blessings, figuring that she could eek out a living as a mercenary or adventurer.

With no military willing to accept such a young girl despite her demonstrated skills, she was left with no avenue but to become an adventurer, arriving in Palisade town on the Frontier due to its closeness to home.

Adventuring Rank: Porcelain

Equipment:
Nomad Bow: A composite recurve bow of Steppe Archer's own making, made out of horn, wood, and sinew. It is well used from the years that Steppe Archer has spent hunting. Due to its smaller overall size compared to a normal bow, it is ideal for shooting on horseback and while moving, while not sacrificing the power of a full bow.

Nomad's Sword: A steel curved sword resembling a slightly less curved scimitar. Ideal for slashing things apart, or gliding past something with a slash. Has a large enough grip to be two-handed.

Torchfire: A beautiful mature auburn colored horse that Steppe Archer rode into town on. Despite the fact that she isn't able to bring it on many adventures due to the danger, she still insists on keeping it stabled up in Palisade Town, just in case she needs it. She is Steppe Archer's pride and joy, and her greatest asset in battle on a more open plain.

Skinning Knife: A small knife that's sharp enough to cut through flesh. Usually used by Steppe Archer to skin the beasts that she slays, in order to sell the pelts for a sizable sum. Steppe life taught her never to be wasteful.

Steppe Ensemble: Steppe Archer's protective leather breastplate beneath her folk-style dress. Her clothes keep her cool in just about any climate, and the leather armor beneath provides enough protection to shield her from light damage.

Porcelain Adventurer's Tag

Skills:
Horseback Riding: There are few that can match the riders of the Steppe when it comes to equestrian based combat, and as a proud Steppe child, Steppe Archer can ride with the best of them.

Trap Setting/Disarming: Much of the Steppe's hunting is done using traps to catch prey. As such, Steppe Archer is proficient in finding the perfect spots to place traps, whether that be to aid her friends, or harm her foes.

Handy Woman: On the Steppe, work is divided amongst the men and women equally. As such, Steppe Archer is skilled with physical labor, capable of many tasks that many in the realm would consider "men's" work.

[User]
Once Lizzie-poo their lizard-friend took care of the campfire, and Druid Girl had checked to make sure neither she nor either of the other two had left anything behind, they were off. Walking back along the same way they had came here, it wouldn't take much time to get back to town. Still, the sun was setting and getting dangerously close to sinking below the horizon - still, barring a sudden ambush by bears or bandits, they should be able to get back in time.

The Great Red One then asked a curious question, one that caused the druid's eyes to grow slightly bigger and a confused expression to spread across her face. Had he never given a report before? Was this his very first quest? But he was such a capable warrior though... Surely he was jokibng? No, he didn't seem the type to do so. No, he was the overly serious type it seemed, and so, this too was a serious question. Druid Girl smiled at the prospect of being able to teach him something in return for his help and tips earlier - even if she did know what kind of firewood worked best, given her own training...

"Well, once we get back, we go to the front desk and tell them we've completed the quest. We give them the document, and then we'll go to a meeting room with a guild official and a Truth Seeker. We'll give a brief re-telling of all the major events that happened and answer any question they might have." She explained, before adding on - with a raised finger. "Oh, and don't try to lie or dodge any of their inquiries, Seekers can tell if you're lying, so there's no point in trying. Not that we've got any reason to lie in the first place, but just in case you didn't know, Big Red." She said, attempting to give the lizard a new nickname.

[Assistant]
At the question of braiding her hair, Steppe Archer was surprised. Mostly by how ridiculously hard that would be for someone to do. Looking back at her mess of silver hair she started wondering how long it would take someone to braid. Hours? A full day? Either way, that was far too long. Especially right now with all of this job hunting and turning in that needed to be done. Smiling, Steppe Archer would turn to her companion and say: "Ehehe...I don't know how cute it'd be, but you are right. It'd be a lot easier to keep out of the way. But, for now, its fine as it is. I'd cut it, but my tribe has a tradition for women. Its a bit weird, but we never cut our hair before we marry," she would explain, standing up once her hair was sufficiently dried.

The hurried trek to the town would get them in just before it would be shut off to them. Once the question of how to give a report was raised by her scaled friend, Steppe Archer would look back on her failure to complete the rats quest and hang her head a bit. That was...frankly more than a bit embarrassing. Being outclassed by big rodents. Even if she'd spent all her life hunting beasts, there was a very large difference between the terrain of a large plateau and the enclosure of a sewer. Any beast was more fearsome in its own den, she'd been taught but...

Rats? Really? Rats.

Before a look of melancholy overtook her face, the nomad girl would slap her own cheeks with her hands to perk herself back up. Right now, she had a quest success rate of 50%! That was...decent! "Let's go Big Red! You and me can do this! E-Even if the guild ladies look at us funny," she said, having had a bad experience coming back to the guild smelling like raw sewage to report failure and casualty. She was so caught up in wanting to do well she hadn't even confirmed if he liked 'Big Red' as a nickname or not. "Do we all have to go in to report?" Steppe Archer would ask, looking to her more bureaucratically experienced druid friend.

[User]
"I don't think we all need to take part, but the Guild prefers if we do. After all, if only one person gives an account of what happened, important things might be left out - unintentionally or otherwise." The druid replied to the archer's query about them all having to take part in the report debriefing.

As they walked along the dirt path, they soon came upon the eastern gate of Palisade Town. Two guardsmen, armed with spears, small bucklers and a each wearing a suit of ring mail, stood on either side of the entrance - looking rather bored and unmotivated. As the trio approached though, both of their heads perked up at the sight of the two, foreign girls - apparently being a sight enough to make their eyes sparkle just a hint... But, that was soon replaced by expressions of either revulsion or apprehensiveness, once they saw the giant red lizardman accompanying the girls. Didn't seem like these two were going to be trying to chat up the ladies anytime soon with their hulking friend tagging along.

The group passed by the gatehouse uneventfully, and walked on down the main street. The amount of people out and about had dramatically decreased, with only a handful of folks still hurriedly walking about. Palisade Town didn' have a high crime-rate, but people tended to stay indoors once the sun set, and as it was only mere minutes away from doing so, people were now preparing for the evening and supper. The windows of the houses along the streets were all alight with warm, yellow-y glow and small, translucent serpentine trails of smoke were seeping out of many chimneys. It was peaceful and mostly quiet, though getting to be a bit chilly with the soft evening-wind blowing.

"So, Big Red, you want me and her to join you in the reporting? It's usually the person who hands in the quest receipt who gets questioned the most, since they're usually considered the party's leader." She explained, looking up at the lizardman with a smile, just as they arrived at the guild hall.

[Assistant]
Lizard Fighter paid attention to Druid Girl when she started to explain things. He nodded along to let her know he was paying attention as she told him how they were supposed to do reports. "That seems like a long process...I'm surprised they don't just take written reports for small jobs and verbal for big ones." He said as they walked. Her expression before her explanation though had got him curious, did she think he was a veteran or something because he knew how to handle dead critters and how to fight boars?

"Boars are common in swamps and not a lot of good wood for fires is available." He said to her, letting her know how he knew how to do the things he had been doing. Mushrooms and vegetation were plentiful in swamp areas, also boars liked to wallow in muck on hot days.

His ears flicked at the new nickname, but this one didn't bother him. It wasn't purposefully cutesy like 'lizzie-poo'. The Archer girl got a dejected look, had she failed before? Her self cheek slapping got a rather confused blink before he just shook his head. Humans, so damn weird. "My blunt manner and my kind not being common outside of the swamps is what earns me their 'funny looks'. You smelled like a sewer..." He said, was that a little joking jab from the serious one? Possibly, and if asked he'd never let them know!

The Archer Girl did ask a good question, which got him to look at Druid Girl as well while the group walked with no rush.


[System]
* Age: 14
* Appearance: Whee. Nadeshiko is rather short.
* Personality: Incredibly shy and incredibly socially awkward, and tends to fall apart rather quickly when made the center of attention. However, the other main defining part of her personality is that she is a massive pervert. She loves cute girls, and if it weren't for her crippling lack of self-confidence and inability to properly socialize she would probably be a legendary skirtchaser. Instead, she focuses her perverted attentions on erotic anime, manga and visual novels, and peeping on the swim team when they're training. She does like less explicit media, but a lot of the time she only chooses to watch or read things because they have cute girls in them. As can be surmised from her obsession with cute girls, Nadeshiko is very, very gay. Despite her shyness, she's not exactly in the closet; it happens to be one of the few things she is very up-front about, and the first thing people tend to note about her after her shyness. One more important trait to note about Nadeshiko is her general laziness; if something doesn't interest her she's not likely to bother doing it, and since she tends to only show interest in things that involve cute girls, well... There's a lot of things that don't interest her.
* Level: 2
* Power: Psycho Print - Nadeshiko can project images from her mind onto paper (or really any flat surface). However, due to only being level 2 said images are incomplete and she usually has to fill in some of the blanks herself. Still, it makes it much easier to produce her doujinshi at a faster rate than would normally be possible for a single girl to achieve.
* History: Nadeshiko was so named in the hope that she would live up to the Japanese ideal of womanhood, but somewhere that went wrong. Instead of a confident, reliable, elegant young woman, she quickly turned into something of a shut-in. Her grades are average at best; she usually only just passes tests, and doesn't really excel at much, especially PE. However, her passion is art. She is a wonderful artist, able to expertly draw beautiful girls, beautiful girls kissing, beautiful girls sharing intimate moments... Mostly, she draws lesbian pornography. Her stories are well written enough, although it's clear that it's there mainly to set up for the main event. As far as her social life goes, it may as well not even exist; she has few if any friends due to her social awkwardness, leading her to be almost unable to talk at length with anyone other than her parents or older brother. Other than that, her life has been pretty average; her coming out wasn't much of a big deal, and she's mostly just kept to herself and her manga, anime and games.

[User]
Murakawa Torako

She pulled herself out from under the bed, looking at the two magazines incredulously. They were magazines for sure, but not the sort she went looking for when she was rummaging under the bed.

"This is wrong. This is wrong, Chibiko." Tora turned to look at the girl. "Where are those sort of magazines? Isn't it kinda basic to keep them under there? Then I'd have been able to find them and you'd go 'Kyaa~ kyaa!' and I'd make some sort of tsukkomi."

She sighed, before looking over the manga thoroughly. "Eh? Kinnikuman?" Without a word more, she dug under the bed again, taking out a whole lot of the manga series. "Whoah, this is incredible, Chibiko. I didn't think you'd even have these. I'm seeing you in a different light now."

Well, she had always been a fan of the series, but she never really had the time for them, so she never owned much more than the three books in her home. Tora had been working hard to get a spot in Academy City after all, finally managing to enter Nagatenjouki on her own. For such a distinguished school, she had feared she's be kicked out the moment she was tested to be a Level 1 esper. But it seemed they had others like her, even non-espers. It was quite unlike the stuck up Tokiwadai people, where everyone is at least a level 3 esper, with a lot of level 4 espers. So having the number 1 Level 5 in their school must be frustrating for Tokiwadai, even though they have two level 5 of their own. Level 5....

"AH! I completely forgot!" Tora put down the books hurriedly. "I had to go find those people!" She stood up and sprinted towards the door, stopped halfway and came back to the girl. "Ah, sorry. I forgot about this too."

"I'm Murakawa Torako, from Nagatenjouki." She smiled as she bent down to pat the girl's head. "Call me anytime you like, alright?"

With a last wave goodbye, she exited the place, closing the door gently before running out like a hurricane down the street. Pulling the cap down, she started pacing herself as she ran down the street.

---

Uiharu Kazari

Kazari glanced over at Annette, before sipping leisurely at her tea.

Since the question was directed at Saten, she'd refrain from replying. There was a bit of data that gave her some headache when she was searching for the truth behind Saten's legends. There were some reports of people passing out, and then returning in a daze logged. While one could argue that was already known from the legends, and people swearing up and down about it, having cold hard data logged meant there was concrete proof about it. Well, at least about the fainting part. The improved esper powers could just be a placebo effect. The power of suggestion can't be underestimated.

"Hmm..." How would her power develop if she suddenly gain several levels?

[Assistant]
Shirai Kuroko
The walk from the alleyway to the Judgement branch was about as uneventful as you you could hope for, which is to say that Kuroko only briefly berated the Level 5 for failing to consider that even if she was going to take out delinquents, she didn't need to do it so excessively as to cause traffic problems.

The sun was still high, and the weather good, as the two schoolgirls arrived at the building housing the office and climbed the stairs, with the smaller girl pausing at the entrance and studying the obviously-foreign girl. Being as uninformed as Uiharu to their boss's unfortunate leave of absence, she concluded that this girl was probably here to ask a request, "Is there something that Judgement can help you with, miss?"

---

Dark Alley
Looking away from Nadeshiko, the youth made an annoyed grunt and bolted, the enormous dog melting away as if it had never been there in the first place. He didn't seem to be the most co-ordinated of people, but chasing after him was made more difficult by the rubbish and its ilk that he knocked down as he ran. That was, of course, if anyone would rather chase after some blonde delinquent than talk to the obviously terrified girl.

[User]
Saten Ruiko

Smiling pleasantly, Ruiko waved her hand. While she did spend a lot of time in the Branch Office, she was hardly a member of Judgement. It was just because she had friends there. Sure, she helped out where she could, but the black-haired girl wasn't exactly any kind of official. Still, she was feeling rather mischevious at the moment, and as a result couldn't help but color her answer in a way that might embarrass Uiharu. Because, to be frank, that was always kind of fun.

"No no, I'm not a member of Judgement," she replied, still waving her hand. "I'm just here to take care of Uiharu!"

I was just about then that Mikoto and Kuroko showed up. Leaning a little to peer past the new person, Ruiko titled her head a little to the side as she greeted them. "Oh, hi, Misaka-san, Shirai-san!"

Misaka Mikoto

Of course Kuroko was going to give this lecture... she hadn't planned on going overboard like that! Those guys had just really ticked her off, she couldn't help it! Seriously, how many idiots were going to go preying on anyone who went into an alley by themselves... It wasn't like Mikoto could just sit there and wait. So... it was just an accident that she had knocked out the street lights, right? She hadn't meant to! At least the trip to the Judgement Branch Office was pretty uneventful... Even if the Third-Ranked Level Five could hear the honking and complaints off in the distance almost the whole way there.

When they arrived, Mikoto was surprised to see a lack of Konori Mii, and the appearance of a new girl. Saten was, of course, a common sight in the Office, and Uiharu naturally worked there... So this new girl must have needed something from Judgement. From experience, this really could have been anything. "Oh, hi."

[Assistant]
"Ah, I see," Annette replied with a nod. Well, that was on confirmation then, and a detail she filed away for later. If this 'take care of' involved doing what she had just seen Saten doing though, it probably wasn't all that appreciated. But she couldn't judge based off of a few minutes of interaction. Who knew, maybe Saten was useful in some way that she just hadn't seen yet.

Their discussion was interrupted by new arrivals, and Annette shifted to face the two of them. One was a Judgment member, as shown by the proudly displayed arm band, while the other was not. But her face seemed familiar, and Annette struggled to recall it as 'hellos' were exchanged.

She rose to her feet nonetheless as she bowed once more, to precise angles for societal norms. "Hello. My name is Annette Delauney. I'm actually transferring in effective tomorrow," she explained, a repetition of what she had said to Uiharu before. But that was to be expected, and she had no reason to think down on them for that when they hadn't been present before.

With the name drop via Saten, and her own memories, things at last clicked into place. Her eyes widened slightly in realization before Annette addressed another bow, deeper this time, towards Misaka. "Ah, you must be Misaka Mikoto. It's an honor to meet you in person." That it was. In fact, Annette had been hoping to meet her before, but the opportunity had never arisen, for various reasons. Regardless, now she had.

[User]
Beatrix gave her servant a blank look, completely missing what the taller girl was implying. Was she talking about romance stories? How were those embarrassing? They weren't even explicit! Only, like, a bajillion kiss scenes in one of them! No way would she ever 'kyaa' over something so mundane!

...Besides, she'd already got all of the scandalised blushing out of her system.

At any rate, the girl had apparently found something she liked. Something called Kinnikuman. It sounded vaguely familiar, though Beatrix didn't really remember actually reading it. It was either unimpressive, or she simply hadn't gotten around to it. After all, she had so many things to get done! And every time the gothic-lolita thought she had finished catching up, a completely new title showed up in her collection somehow. And were most certainly not series so awful and/or traumatising that they were hurriedly wiped from her memory before she could think to dispose of the offending material.

Come to think of it, she still had to reward this girl, right? Well... might as well give her the manga, right? Not like Beatrix would miss it terribly; buying them again wouldn't be a problem, and she was hardly attached to that series anyway.
As Beatrix opened her mouth to bless her guest with good firtune, however, she suddenly rushed out, having forgotten about some errand. All Beatrix could do was stare silently as her head was patted and Torako left. At least she took the time to introduce herself. But still...

"...Hmph. Who forgets important stuff..." Beatrix grumbled, her cheeks reddening slightly. Having someone act so... friendly and familiar was a really weird experience. Not at all like the grovelling she clearly deserved. Oh well, that was fun while it lasted. With a faint sigh, Beatrix busied herself with piling the manga up once more.

[Assistant]
Kyouma glanced at the restaurant signs in the area absentmindedly as he strolled down the street, contemplating which would be the most convenient for this time of day. He hadn't taken any time since he had been transferred over to go check out the streets (too busy studying, of course), so he had absolutely no clue what places were good, which weren't, and so on and so forth. If only he was back in a section of town he knew well- then he could just swing on by, grab some food to go and be on his way back home. But that wasn't the case anymore, now was it?

As he turned back to face the road in front of him, Kyouma noticed someone running at high speed towards him. What kind of person would...?

"Oh, it's-!" he said in momentary shock before moving to get out of the incoming girl's way. Right. That girl. One of those kouhai that he always saw standing out in the hallways as he walked to his classroom with his face buried in a book. He should've expected as much to happen to him on his first trip out in a while, though.

"Would it be better to stop her and ask her for a place to eat at...? No, that'd be too awkward. She looks like she's in a hurry, too..." he reasoned to himself quietly as he glanced at the signs once more. Geez, wasn't there anything that wasn't marketed towards kids here? Or, at the very least, something that looked relatively normal...