[System]
"Beauty's only skin deep? Bah. Tell that to this lovely kidney~"
Nicknames/Aliases:She's garnered many over the years, mostly from bullies. But she does like the nickname Nightie.
X-Men Code Name: Stitches
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Physical Description: At about 5'4" and 96 pounds, it's not exactly wrong to say that Florence is a rather frail individual. She doesn't have many curves to her body, something that she somewhat resents along with her height. Her skin is deathly pale due to a near constant avoidance of the sun, which leads to her becoming sunburned quite easily. Her eyes are a bright hazel/green depending on the light and are also somewhat small. Florence's face and features show her half Asian heritage. Her hair is platinum blonde, but she likes to partially dye it brown because she doesn't like how bright it is naturally. Typical clothing include t-shirts with red crosses, a brown or black leather jacket, and a pleated plaid skirt. She wears small, thin-rimmed black glasses with rubies embedded in the hinges.

Mutations: Florence was born with telekinesis and an unnaturally high intellect for a human being. Unfortunately for her, she never had the same kind of almighty telekinesis as others. Her telekinesis was limited to about an arms length, maybe a foot or two more, in front of her and behind her. All things considered, that sounds like it should be highly useless, but there is a saving grace. Her telekinesis has several modes of operation, or so she says. This has yet to be proven, as she refuses to show. And along with that claim, it is confirmed that her telekinesis has a quantifiable enhance in strength and general force. Probably as a result of being short-changed on range. Although she hasn't managed to do it, she reasons that eventually she might be able to shift around someone's organs if they're very close to her. She has not attempted however, as she doesn't want to do it and accidentally rupture anything.

Her intellect is genius level, perhaps a bit lower on the scale but still superhuman. She graduated out of school quite early in life and has a great grasp on higher level maths, a couple of languages, and human anatomy down to a T. Her intellect was boosted greatly around the time of her mutant awakening, throwing her brain into overdrive for a short while. Unfortunately, it seems that around the time of her awakening she was also inflicted with a bit of slight intense psychological instability as well as a lack of inhibition.

Personality: As previously mentioned, Florence is a bit... unstable. It's very easy for her to change emotions on a dime, and can switch back and forth between moods so fast that it can even surprise her. When she's not flipping back and forth between several emotions like a crazed dog that hasn't seen a human in several years, she's usually a very cheery and smile-filled individual who has a tendency to be quite playful. Unfortunately, she can be a bit too rough with her play and can end up seeming a bit creepy as well. Florence, since her awakening, has had a deteriorating sense of inhibition and she finds it much easier to be open with others as well as reaching for personal goals.

She takes an odd amount of enjoyment from the human body, enjoying showing off her expertise with anatomy by pointing out specific muscles and bones, as well as major arteries. Another quirk of hers is to point her hand out in a finger gun position and say "Bang" quietly when someone gets near her. Never really explained by her. Florence is very, very nervous and paranoid about being attacked or taken away in her sleep and as such, tends to deprive herself of sleep for days at a time. She also suffers from sleep-walking and typically ties herself down before she goes to sleep.

Background: Florence had a rather normal life growing up. She went to school like any other kid, but as she got older and older her mother took note of her daughter's intelligence and began to push her somewhat to do more with what she had. Piano lessons, advanced placement, skipping grades. And, honestly, Florence was happy with it. She wanted to be a doctor more than anything, to help people, to cure illnesses previously considered incurable. Then she awoke.

When her mutant power awoke itself, in the middle of her college education, she freaked out for days on end wondering what it would mean for her. Her career, her future. But as days passed, she found more and more that she didn't care about her career much anymore. She wanted to further explore her abilities, but wanted to do so that'd be safe for her. After doing some online searching, she found out about Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. However, upon attempting to find more information about it, she was redirected several times to Ashford's Institute. Deciding that that might be her best chance (and it was closer, gas money and all that), she enrolled in the school as quickly as she could and has since settled in somewhat. Although day by day, she continues to deteriorate mentally.

Recap of your mutations awakening: Kids are cruel, man. Florence knew that better than anyone, she thought. One day she was sitting in her school's courtyard, eating her lunch by herself to avoid conflict with her fellow students when she felt something hit the back of her head, hard. When she turned around, she saw one of the girls that'd been bothering her since she arrived at the school with a handful of rocks. She attempted to simply avoid conflict and smile the girl away, but the she wasn't having it.

As soon as she turned around another rock was thrown at her head. And when she attempted to ignore the girl in the hopes that she'd just get bored, another rock. After 3 or so rocks and the back of her head becoming sore, Florence could no longer take it. She turned around to scream at the girl, but as soon as she did another rock came whirling at her face. She braced for impact as fast as she could but expressed shock when she didn't feel intense pain in the following moments. When her eyes opened, the girl was staring in a wide-eyed fashion as the rock stopped itself in mid-air and crushed itself to dust. Almost immediately, Florence ran to the infirmary to be sent home early on the grounds of hallucination.

She found out a few days later that it wasn't a hallucination.

[User]
He blinked and looked down at Nate before smacking him in the back of the head. "Dios Mios, My mom is Mexican remember...I'm mexican" He said before laughing sitting down in a chair and kicking up his feet. "and your shitty at making it look like your comfortable. I think people getting mugged look more relaxed then you" He said as he tossed that oil and grease covered rag at Nate "I may hate people, at least I can hide the fact I want to choke them out." he said as he started to look around the the room.

 He watched as some more people walked into the lounge. A red haired girl fallowed by another guy(Jake), another girl who walked in and seemed to be watching everyone(Dani), he watched her watching people as he smiled "al menos las chicas son lindas." He said as he had a rather stupid grin. He looked almost child like as he looked over at her cousin "How bout it Nate, we can get you a girl. Maybe some one into all that dark moody shit you like." he said smiling as he relaxed a bit, he was quite for a moment before looking over at his cousin and speaking though his voice was softer. "Take the opportunity Nate, you finally escaped your mother. Vive en sus propios términos." he standing up shoving his hands in his pocket. "Live on your own terms." he said before walking off, giving a bit of a salute with two fingers "Later Nate" he said walking off He figured he should take a shower and get some of the grease and oil off before the shindig.

[Assistant]
When he'd first arrived, Jackson had had his priorities straight. After hopping buses for nearly two days to get here, he'd felt grimy and unkempt (and not to mention trapped). He had immediately sought out a staff member and expressed his need to settle into a dorm immediately so he could clean up, grateful beyond words when she had understood and passed him off to a much sterner man. Some basic rules were laid out with a "here's a pamphlet, now hit the showers" leading to the professor's abrupt departure. The best part? Jackson didn't smell like the bus anymore. No buses, no cigarettes, and no crying babies. Just Jackson and his new college life...or so he told himself. The institute catered to mutants of all ages, so maybe it would feel more like high school all over again. The very idea of it had given him goosebumps; hopefully, this would not go over like high school.

At the very least, Jackson had been neither the first nor the last to arrive; he'd gotten in the day before, and students were still arriving. Tonight seemed to be an important cut-off, however, seeing as the banquet would be taking place. Delicious. From his perch on the back of a couch in the student lounge, Jackson laughed at the witty one-liner someone in the small group he'd drifted into had told. However, his attention drifted between the group and the doors that led in and out of the room. With each opening and closing, a new gust of air would bring new information to him, hushed conversations tickling his ears before falling into background noise again as the air settled. He could feel himself sit up a little straighter every time it happened, and it was beginning to grate on his nerves. Was everyone a straggler? Sure, there were two pairs of footsteps every once in a while, but it seemed like everyone was either entering or leaving as an individual.

Maybe whiling away his time in the student lounge wasn't such a great idea after all.

[User]
Nathan let a frown slip through despite his best intentions when he realized his shitty attempt at a joke, asking his cousin why he speaks Spanish, fell utterly and absolutely flat. 'Why would that have been funny?' He thought to himself...'Why do I even try?' He followed his cousin's eyes to look at a few of the students who were entering the room. Like everyone else they seemed friendly enough, and Nathan momentarily contemplated waving at them; though he didn't know why the thought even crossed his mind and nixed the idea as soon as it came. Then he heard his cousin's words, suggesting he find himself a "girlfriend"...It's not like the thought hadn't crossed his mind before, in fact he thought about it all the time; he pondered what it would be like to have that kind of relationship. Before now he never would have been able to do anything like that because of his mother. As soon as he thought about her his cousin said it: "...you finally escaped your mother." His cousin truly had no idea how true of a statement that was; he knew that Jason had his own suspicions and thoughts about what went on in their home but he didn't know the half of it...no one did.

All of this caused Nathan's anxiety to spike intensely, he'd say it had reached a 9...maybe even a 10, it was as though the room around him began to spin and he closed his eyes tightly to get things under control, to fight the urges that erupted inside him. "See you at the banquet", Nathan managed to squeeze out as his cousin made his leave. He was alone again and it was probably for the best, but at least he was beginning to calm down a bit. As his anxiety lowered he realized that he had been clenching his fist hard...so hard that a few drops of blood began trickling down his hand. He had dug his fingernails so hard into the palm of his hand that he had broken the skin. 'Great just one more God damned thing to worry about.' He thought to himself as he stood and cautiously made his way towards the bathroom where he could clean the cut up and hopefully stop the bleeding before anyone noticed how fucking weird he was.

[Assistant]
The stench of grease and oil almost suffocated her and threw her focus off completely. At the time her eyes were focused on the young man perched on the couch, he seemed to be growing irritated by the minute. While her ears happen to catch the last bit of conversation of the two standing near the door. Sure hyper-senses sounded amazing; Eyes like a hawk, nose better than a hound, ears that could hear the quietest whispers, even delicious food tasted out of this world. Why wouldn't anyone be happy with such abilities? Well there was an awful downside to it all.

It took a lot out of her when all her senses started working at once, not to mention how sensitive she was to any kind of touch. She tried many times not to focus in on everything all at once, but it couldn't be helped. Having this ability let her view the world and its people in a beautiful way.

"Oh God" she whispered to herself before bringing a hand to her mouth. It was the sudden smell of fresh blood that made her head spin, but it wasn't the blood that bothered her. It was just all too much to handle at once.
Without another thought or word she darted for the bathroom, it was that puking feeling again. She was about half way there when she collided with a giant of a man who also seemed to be heading in the same direction. Damn, that impact definitely hurt. Dani was tall for a female but this guy was over 6 feet.


[System]
AD VICTORIAM

---

---

Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I shall fear no evil.
Alias: Omen

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Primary Skills*: Melee, Energy Weapons, Unarmed

SPECIAL:
S: 7
P: 5
E: 7
C: 5
I: 7
A: 4
L: 5

Gear/inventory:

* One-Handed Vertibird Blade (Handle is chopped down)
* T-60f power armor with Kryptek Typhon camo (Or dark hexagon if you don't feel like googling)
*
*
* Standard survival supplies (canteen, military rations, matches etc.)

History:
Growing up in the Brotherhood may seem easy to those on the outside, but its what they don't see that makes it hell. When Ezekiel was 10 he became a Squire like all Brotherhood children, except being the son of a Paladin, he had some higher expectations. By 14 he was carrying weapons into the field. By 15 he killed his first raider. From that first kill, his future was set. At 18 he was made a Knight and to celebrate, he was given the opportunity to accompany his father on a sweep of some local ruins. Super mutants inhabiting the ruins fled at the sound of the vertibird, hearing death approach can work through the thickest of skulls. Once on the ground, the duo set up camp and waved the vertibird crew off hoping the mutants would return. Night approached and no mutants had been seen since they arrived. As this was his first true mission, he was given first watch. Staying alert in the wasteland only helps you up to a certain point, that point has a name which is instilled in the hearts of all people in the wasteland, Deathclaw. The beast ripped through a small door set at the back of the building they were staying and before Ezekiel could so much as fire a shot, it was on him. He managed to only get thrown through a weakened concrete wall while his father attempted to slay the beast. T-45 power armor was like tissue paper to the beast and his father like a sardine in a can. Ezekiel could only watch as the beast was then gunned down by the returning vertibird.

After two years of missions and constant devotion, Ezekiel was named Paladin and became Head Paladin of a new bunker only months later. After another two years he managed to earn the rank of Star Paladin. Receiving a mission to relink all of the Brotherhood, he set out across the wasteland. A year later he returned to the Elders with the news that the Brotherhood was too far spread to be successfully integrated as a whole at the current time. For his honesty and for the service he had given, he received the rank of Paladin Lord and given one last order, "Go South."

[User]
War... War never changes...

In the years following the second world war, America had emerged as an economic and military superpower. It ended the war with the unleashing the power of the atomic bomb. This terrifying power combined with an almost completely unarmed industrial base made America seem invincible. However, its unilateral possession of the fruits of atomic age did not last long. A brief four years later, the other emerging Superpower, Russia obtained the same terrifying might. For the first time, Humanity had the combined ability not just to end other people, but ALL other peoples. The fear of each superpower wiping each other out overnight caused the world to descend into a Cold war. The World drew lines and waited for the end.

But, the end did not come as soon as expected. Unparalleled prosperity in America and else where brought about unimaginable wonders of science fiction to reality. However, by the mid 21st century, this unfailing prosperity proved hollow. Resources began to run out. The resource wars began. Power armor replaced once mighty tanks. Laser and plasma weaponry powered by portable nuclear power cells replaced the use of steel bullets. All the countries of the world moved towards their inevitable end. China seized Alaska only to have it taken back as America awoken for one last moment of glory. The Chinese sailed back to their homeland, but they did not accept their defeat.

What happened next was a two hour conflict that has been called by its survivors the "Great war". Yes, survivors for there were no victors. The world erupted in an exchange of nuclear fire. The Old world died and for a time, the world fell into the silence of Nuclear winter.

But the end of one world, was not the end of everything like most feared. Surviving in great underground Vaults, humans emerged back into the surface world to find it totally alien in nature.

-----

Florida was spared a lot of the damage from direct nuclear strikes do to a relatively lack of strategic resources. Most of the bombs that hit Florida were targeting major population centers. This left Florida mostly intact. The following Nuclear winter killed more animals and wildlife than the bombs. For almost 180 years, Florida was a barren wasteland barely able to grow enough food. Locals had to survive on the remains of the old world and the ever abundant sea life. That was until a G.E.C.K. was discovered by those who had no idea what they had. Once activated, the GECK began to restore the once green Everglades to their former glory. However, it never stopped. What emerged was a twisted, warped, and savage jungle. The locals, once having to deal with the dangers of the new world, now had do deal with the terrors of the Old world's primal nature.

At the Junction of the once great I-10 and I-75, a small trading outpost had sprung up in the years following the great war. Refugees from the Vaults lowly evolved this small outpost into possibly the largest settlement in Northern Florida. It name New Hope truly lives up to its ideal of having a new hope in the wastelands. The settlement has seen its share of trouble from everything the wastles. Part makeshift walls and reused Steel wealded into place make up the walls of New Hope. To the North, its walls were a modest 10 feet high, but to the south the walls stretched upwards of 35 feet. This town excepted all comers, ghouls, friendly supermutants, humans, as long as they did not take hostile actions within the walls. A well armed Volunteer militia and a robot defense force ensure a safe society. This is the town that our story begins.

In the town of New Hope, there was pub called Pandora's Tears. It accepted all comers as long as they were civil. The Sentry bot bouncer outside the Saloon told any travelers it mean its "Be Civil" policy. The two Assaultron Bartenders were also secondary protections. A local band of musicians played the songs of the Old World as the crowd slowly gathered for the night's usual festivities. The human bartender, Rusty, was always present to give a more homely touch to the establishment.

[Assistant]
An old man and an irradiated dog enter Pandora's Tears, almost kicking the door open, an alive glowing one on the old man's shoulder attempts to thrash out in a violent rage, a muzzle stopping it from biting while a strait jacket and ankle restraints keep it from moving and tearing anything apart. "Get a strong scotch ready and the location of something dangerous out there on a map." the old man happily orders before dropping the ghoul, smiling slightly with the satisfying thud the imprisoned creature creates.

After attaching a leash to a collar the old man drags the annoyed ghoul to the bar where the man sits on a nearby stool and the dog starts resting beside the stool. "Don't mind the bait, have it in line for my welcoming hunt." The old man states heartily to Rusty after looping the leash around another stool, the feral thing straining to no avail, attempting to lash out at the floor.


[System]
Age
Looks to be 21

Gender
Male

Appearance/Looks
Himself

Will

Species
Mutant - He is immortal, and has an evil alter-ego

Sexual Preference
Gay

Likes
When his alter-ego stays quiet inside him, rain, sugary things, books, fire, and nature

Dislikes
Being immortal, being too fancy, electronics, being alone.

Bio
Adam has never known who his parents are, or were. All he's known, is too things. He's immortal, and he has evil inside of him that must be contained.

Adam has been in love twice. One with a man whose name was Taylor. But he found that it did not work out when he accidently killed him in his sleep because of his alter-ego taking over. Once he found a way to control Will that would work for awhile, he fell in love with another man named Sean. But he outlived Sean, and so he dislikes the idea of love.

He feels like he is the only immortal being in the world (even though he's not) and feels like only he knows the pain of being alone forever.

Occupation
Teacher (Drama)

Country of Origin
America

Feelings about meeting their soul mate
Hates the idea of having a soul mate, because he doesn't want to feel any more pain.

[User]
Adam
Adam walked the streets. There was some sort of concert going on today, but he didn't want to go. He was feeling quite strange. One part of that might've been the fact that Will, his anti, had been growing stronger and more untameable each day and wanted out. The other part might've been that yesterday he'd bumped into his soulmate in the metro, his wrist burning. He'd kept on walking, trying to avoid him.

When the name Danilo had first shown up on his wrist, he had been teaching his class how to actually be their characters rather than just acting them. Metaphorically, of course. Well, maybe the name had shown up before that. But he'd noticed it then and there. He kept his cool, but he was really freaking out. He didn't want to hurt another soul or outlive them.

But he knew there was no denying it or avoiding it, even if he tried before. Everyday since that day, he couldn't help but wonder what they'd be like. Would they like the rain, or hate it? Did they prefer one sugary thing over the other? But when he'd been able to meet them, Adam had avoided them.

He felt kind of guilty, for missing his soulmate. He still didn't want to, but still had no choice all the same. He'd waited all day, and there was still no sign of them. To ease himself, he'd went outside and began to walk. He heard the concert a few blocks away.

As he passed some sort of bar, Adam felt his wrist burn a little. Less than the first time, but still a burn. He looked down to see the name Danilo glowing.
No..., he thought. He stopped in front of the building, deciding whether to go in or not. Finally, he sighed, heading inside as his wrist burned more. He looked around, looking for someone who might react to their own wrist burning.

[Assistant]
The small office was dimly lit, most light coming from the small desk lamp that sat slightly precariously on the corner of the desk that was positioned oddly off to the side of everything, facing a wall. It's surface was cluttered with various stacks of paper, pens, and currently the resting head of the immortal that sat in the chair behind the desk.

Letting out a small groan Titus lifted his head to look down at the paper in front of him, a short single page length thing scrawled over in red ink. Reaching out he took hold of a sharp tipped fountain pen that had rolled some ways down the length of the desk. Uncapping it Titus wrote on the top of the page "Redo and hand in again" and moved the page to a pile to his left. He was about to grab another paper when his eye caught the glint of the blood red ink on the small 3 page packet. Sighing he capped his pen and leaned back muttering quietly "Iv'e told them three times now not to use red. Or was that last years class... Have I even told this one?" He paused in his moment of confusion, a slightly worried look crossing his face before he finally resolved to just tell his students the next time he saw them.

Placing his pen once more on the desk Titus rose from his seat, a yawn breaking free as he did so. Stepping away from the chair he crossed the linoleum floor of his office, finding the light switch with a practiced reach in the dark and flipping it to turn on the overhead light. As light flooded the room it revealed that the state of it was an almost mirror of the desk with various shelves sitting here and there on the walls, and down the middle of the room, each filled with books or small trinkets the spanned ages. Yet there was a sense of order to the chaos, an almost chronological progression that played out on the shelves, but Titus ignored all of it as he slowly walked back to his desk. Pulling a chain that hung from under the lamp he turned it off and gathered a couple of things, a key ring, couple pens and the like, ending with a simple grey jacket which hung on the back of his chair.

As he left Titus double checked that he turned off the light and locked the door before swinging his jacket on and walking out of the building, offering a small conversation to the janitorial staff that had begun their work in the hallway. As he emerged into the night air an electronic beep sounded from his left wrist. Lifting it up he saw it was the watch that he wore face down was pulsing a low green light, which oddly enough made him grin "Left before the alarm again, guess I need to reset it." As he moved his hand he almost missed the numbers that were just barely visible from underneath the watch-face. A set of what looked like letters, that he made no effort to read them again as the information they contained had been read a hundred times over.

So instead he thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, he had heard about a venue that had live music tonight from some of the students, and supposedly it was going to be a fairly good show. Clicking on the phones display, and with a few thumb strokes he brought up directions to the place (throughout all the years in the city the ever changing layout still threw him sometimes) and some information about it, "Huh a vampire venue, should prove interesting and its not to far. Wonder if they still don't mind me wandering around." Clicking off the display he se of though the main entrince , his shoes making a clacking sound on the tiled floor of the large main floor before he exited the building, joining the main street and found himself once more blending in with the natural hum of the city.

[User]
Danilo sipped some more of his drink, listening to the ideas for tattoo his friend soulamte may or may not have. Would his soulmate have some? He emptied his glass, as if trying to drown his thoughts away.
"Yeah I'll admit to that one. Even for a vampire,"

''Admit it you want to kiss her... or have you already felt her lips, mmm? '' Danilo took the bottle, even if he was a dragon and could handle alcohol really well, added to the fact he grow up with rakija such a enjoyable drink in his opinion it, he still wondered if he was starting to get tipsy. The need to sing a old song, he was resisting the urge, pouring both him and Tholo a drink more. My love you agonizing my heart with out knowing....

As if responding to the a inner melody a gently burn started, or did it last for a while? He barely noticed it. Placing his glass down he spoke in a sober voice.

''Tholo....I think ....my wrist may be burning ...faintly... Or I drunk a few glasses too much?...'' Maybe just this one time he should not jump up, like yesterday morning when the sun warmed his hand up, instead of a real burning. Maybe he was all just imaging it because he was... just like that a dreamer. Dreaming up what his heart desired. That would be stupidly!

Looking once more at Tholo, in the dragons eyes one could see the fire shine, before the bangs fall over them like a curtain. Dan grabbed his hat and staff, gently placing the hat on the head and holding the walking stick under his arm. He than processed to step on the table. '' Sorry Tholo.'' He said as he nearly tipped the bottle over.

''Good evening.'' Dan started bowing elegantly sliding the staff into his hand while the other took the hat off. '' May I steal a moment from your attention. '' He put the hat back up and leaned with both white gloved hands onto the walking stick. '' I must know if by chance my dear beloved soulmate is here. You see I kinda lost him the last time. '' He chuckled amused he was either drunk or determent, he couldnt be sure. There was one thing Dan was sure.

He isnt letting his soul mate out his claws, with out getting him to know at least.

''This time if I miss you I am sure my friend would be able to track you down, right?'' Did that sound way to, off?... Hopefully not. It wasnt scary sounding or? ''It is my pleasure to meet you, the stars have paired up our hearts with a unbreakable bond. So please step closer to me. Данило Сувић is how you speak my name.''

[Assistant]
Adam sighed. There was no way this guy was his soulmate. But as he looked around, he sighed because he noticed that no one else had any reactions as if their wrists were burning. But when he mentioned not missing his soulmate again, he knew the chances were raised that this was in fact his soul mate. Adam sighed, stepping closer inside.

"Hello, I'm going to guess you're Danilo Suvic. Or how you pronounced your name before. My name is Adam. I think am your soul mate," he said, walking closer.

Adam had to admit that he was cute, with his orange hair and his hat. His outfit was fancy, but not too fancy.

Rainbow Moonstone wasn't doing much. She was sitting at home, playing her guitar randomly while reading a book. She did this regularly, and was actually pretty good at it. Unlike most people, she'd rather stay home than go out to some concert.

She knew that the day to meet her soulmate was coming, and it was strange to think she had one. As a gem, you didn't really need love. It was just a side thing. But it intrigued Moonstone, and interested her. It was such a cute little thing, like glass. It could be strong, but messing with it too much shattered it into tiny fragments.

When she'd first gotten her soulmate's name on her wrist, she was confused as to what it was. She had to ask someone in the library (which was weird, because you don't talk in a library) and they'd told her all about it. She'd then asked what love was, and that was a very interesting conversation.
So she found it quite cute what humans did. They were so peculiar, with their love.

And she stayed inside, playing her guitar and reading books. Before long, her mind wandered on to thinking about her soul mate. Would it be a he or she? Would they like books? Would they be human, or some other sort of creature? What would they look like? She got so off track, she had to read the whole chapter all over again.


[System]
Age: 785 years old
Gender: Female
Race: Oni - Elf
Class: Berserker
Weapons: Naginata, Katana, and Wakizashi

Bio: A young O-kuni thief turned rich artisan, influenced to become a warrior activist for her people before falling into an occult of darkness. Hisaya has lived many lives over the course of 6 centuries. She's loved and lost more times than she'd ever be willing to count. Now, she remains a devout warrior priestess to the Great Kagi Lord of The Tranquil Step. This path in her life is meant to serve as a karmic pilgrimage to atone for the unholy rituals committed as a chaos mage. Stripped of all magic, she is left with the burden of rage that once fueled her powers. With the aid of the Tranquil Step, she keeps her fiery nature at bay through meditation and honing of her bladed spider dance.

Special Ability: Complete 360 degree diameter field of vision within a 30 foot radius. This is the only ability that remained after The Kagi Lord of The Tranquil Step took away her chaos magic. Though she no longer possesses the ability to cast spells, she is knowledgeable about its use and application, proving to be a valuable consult about the arcane arts.

Miscellaneous: Her acceptance into The Hakumei is a controversial one, especially among humans who were the target for many of her blood rituals in the past.

[User]
Chiyoe no Kurushime, "Tormented Thousand Generations", held her red parasol above her head, the sun filtering through it fiercely, as if a leering old man who wished to caress her pale skin. How she dislike the sun. It was too fierce, too bright and far too persistent for her tastes. It made love to the earth with such unyielding passion that it could burn and scorch it's lover. How unseemly, to say the very least.

The Hakumei caravan traveled along slowly and it was very interesting to watch the scenery go by, but quite uncomfortable for her small and delicate frame. In the master's manor (her mother's master that is, for no one would ever be her master) everything had been kept shaded, pleasant, sweet-smelling, and comfortable. A wonderful tactic on their part to try and soften her past the point of ever wanting to leave such a gilded cage.

A tactic that hadn't ever a chance of working, however. She was far too strong willed for a woman, as men always said. But perhaps that was in her nature. She very well didn't like being dictated too. Or perhaps this was all just the restless energies of youth. She was only forty-seven after all, a mere youngling to other oni and yokai kind. But traveling with a warrior party full of strangers she had only glanced to dangers unknown was hardly the folly of youth. At least for a woman, anyway.

The pig farm in the central lands of Raiden had been the most interesting thing she had seen yet, to be sure. It had smelt awful and looked even worse. Chiyoe had quite enjoyed it. The complete opposite of manor life. A sign that she was heading down the right path for sure. Kotori Raiden, co-leader of the Hakumei squad, had been everything Chiyoe had been taught not to be: tomboyish, direct, awkward, and informal. Simply wonderful. There was yet another great sign of fortune in her choice.

The 8-foot horned oni however had been curious. She hadn't much opportunity to view other oni who displayed their birthrights so physically. Her grandmother had often told her of their Iso Onna cousins, who had only the faces of women with bodies of serpents. Hari Onago, cousins as well, were not dissimilar to her fellow Nure Onago kin. With the appearance of beautiful young women, their hair was often left down and rather disheveled. Upon closer look, however, the tip of each of their hairs fitted with a needle-like barbed hook, that moved about at her will.

However, with only tales and paintings to go on, Chiyoe never could imagine the colorful appearances of her traveling companions. Or their intriguing customs, as so shown to example with war song of Gaignun that left a ringing in her ears even after they set out on their long hard journey. But she did so admire his reptilian steed. A warrior such as that might just gain her undying loyalty. It was good that both leaders of their little band had enough admirable qualities to gain respect in such a short time.

But after all the wondrous fun of the morning, the ride had grown rather tiresome upon her hind-end. But at least she was on the supplies chart. Riding sideways on a horse would have been far more uncomfortable.

The doll of an oni sat up high, where she could see all on top of the supplies chart roof, looking about with an entertained smile. Though her rouged red lips were often in a small smile. And her large eyes were always looking about, their dark depths devouring everything could. With her silk black hair pinned and styled just so, adorned with floral pins and combs, she really was the image of a doll. Even her layered kimono, though mostly black, and red obi were made of fine quality cloth. And her little feet were primly pressed together, her back straight no matter how tired and sore she became.

But it was all borrowed wealth. Well, perhaps not 'borrowed' but close to it. Her mother's master wouldn't miss what she took after all. For the most part it should have been her family's anyway, after all the awful treatment they had been subjected to. So Chiyoe simply took her small share. And it was enough for an extra, less elegant dress, parcel for her pins and sentimental trinkets, her tea set, a biwa, and just a bit more money for any emergencies. To be prepared when going out into the unknown was important after all.

Beside the two leaders, there were others of interest, of course. The Pale One,@Astronaut Jones a woman who smelt like elder oni, perhaps around her mother's age, though who could really tell among oni kind? And there was also a fire-haired swordsman oni,@ReaptheMusic who was all but covered head to toe in ill-fitting armor. And a human male.@Leodiensian Chiyoe wrinkled her nose. She was not overly fond of human males. Sweet smoke drifted up from the supply caravan. And then he started to sing a most crude and vulgar song. No, she was not overly fond of human men. Especially this one.

"If you would, please," her voice was youthful and sweeter than spring sake drunk under a sakura tree, "I would be most appreciative if you did not smoke by our supplies." She pulled her legs beneath her, wooden geta clacking on roof of the supply cart. Chiyoe lifted up a delicate and nimble hand, her slender fingers pressed together in elegance, much like a fine dancer about to begin their show. "A fire inside with our valuables would be upsetting," she overturned her hand, the boiling pipe's water leaving out through the resin in the form of mist. Hopefully it took the awful resin with it. "Do you not agree?" She flickered her fingers, the lock of mist coiling through the air like a snake to dance at her leisure. It was hardly what she wished to say, but it seemed the best course of action at the moment.

"And you are most ill-skilled in singing," Chiyoe added drily, her red lips in a pressed flower smile of wry amusement.

[Assistant]
The little girl's head bobbed dozily with every sway of Gaignun's giant lizard. She was sat right behind the oni, but the size difference made it difficult to tell whether or not Gaignun even knew she was there – and from time to time, it looked like she might fall off without him noticing. She had said nothing, done nothing but glower and sulk in the midday sunshine. She practically leant on Gaignun's shins during the initial meeting, and even during the terse, silent journey she seemed to be pressing her tiny body as close to the oni as possible.

Of course, barely anyone would've understood why the little oni did what she did; only those from the bustling port towns of the east would recognise a Zashiki Warashi when they see one. It was the midday sun that was causing all of the hassle...Zashiki felt it beating down on her skin, it hurt in the back of her eyesockets and the headache was intolerable. It was noon when Zashiki was the most tranquil she could be. Her internal body clock told her it was long past her bedtime, and with the abominable sunlight shining it was practically impossible to remain focused. With a sigh, she pressed her forehead against Gaignun's battle armour, feeling particularly exposed in her thin, ragged shorts and sleeveless tunic. Whether or not her travelling companion was sympathetic to Zashiki's plight was unknown, but she had noticed that he walked a lot slower when the shadows shortened compared to the rest of the days she had spent with him.

A brief murmur of conversation from the back barely registered with Zashiki; she was particularly against striking conversation in her current state, and seemed to be keeping quite the distance from Tatsuji. Were it not for the loud and bawdy song which erupted from the general vicinity of the supply caravan, it was likely Zashiki would have continued sulking until the very end of the mission. Instead her head swivelled around, revealing her inky and inquisitive eyes. It didn't take long for her to smile, and that smile revealed two neat rows of jet-black, shark-like teeth. The girl gave Gaignun two feeble punches to the back (given her size, it was likely the only way to have caught the towering oni's attention), muttered something to him and promptly fell off and under the giant lizard, undoubtedly crushed as the beast put its foot down where she should have landed.

Only there was no sign of her presence; she appeared to have vanished under the lizard and out of existence entirely. It was only when Chiyoe made an idle remark about Hidari's singing prowess did a loud, childish and ever-so-slightly grating voice explode from the gloomy depths of the supply caravan; Zashiki had somehow managed to appear on the edge of a crate, camouflaged seamlessly in the shadows. "OHHHhhh, I don't think his singing is THAT bad!" she cried, almost certainly too loud for any decent conversation. It had to be intentional, some sort of signal or code, since her volume dropped to a more tolerable (but still irritating) volume immediately afterwards. "But I guess a song about whores might upset a Kitsune," continued the little creature innocently. She flashed her smile at the human once more, but in the darkness it looked more like a menacing grin.

"Human, human, why'd you join the Hakumei? This is no samurai taskforce." Zashiki barely gave Chiyoe a moment to respond to her wry remark; her raspy, grating voice took on a singsong quality as if she openly teased Hidari, leaning as far forward as she could whilst avoiding that sharp, clear line of sunlight in the end of the caravan. "This is no brothel, human, I can't see any golden groves, not a lot of gold here at all..." Zashiki trailed off and looked upwards, at the flicker of a red parasol. "...Unless you knew where to look. Is that why you joined, human? You sing like the port-town man but dress like a merchant, where you from, human?"

The barrage of questions seemed to go on for an age, but stopped just as suddenly as they started when the caravan went over a ditch. The light shifted back and the oni stopped talking as her face was put into sharp relief, revealing the chubby cheeks, rounded eyes and pouty lips of a toddler. It was as if she expended a short burst of energy and the sudden distraction threw her momentum as her head tilted and came to rest on the adjacent storage container; Zashiki still stared down at Hidari eagerly, but her body language clearly displayed the exhaustion that she was poorly hiding.


[System]
Age: 23

Rank: Commander

Theme Song: youtube.com/watch?v=dVcy_9GqS9c

Description: Soma is a young girl who doesn't really look like a pilot at all. Thin arms, thin legs, thin body. She looks fragile, at the very least compared to other soldiers. However, this is practically a disguise as she is in actuality a Super Soldier capable of unbelievable feats of strength and speed. She has snow white hair, and golden eyes. Beyond looking young, there doesn't seem to be too much else that is considerably special about her.

Image Reference:

Bio: Soma was once known as Marie Parfacy. However, she was chosen for the Human Reform League's Super Soldier program. The things they did to the members of this program was borderline torture, as they effectively fused two people together, one a natural, genetic person, the other a manufactured super soldier personality. This was how Marie Parfacy became Soma Peries. But things didn't work out for the Human Reform League with this program. A raid by Union forces destroyed the facility, and while many of the Super Soldiers were killed in the conflict, confined in their rooms as the building collapsed around them, a rare few escaped. Soma was one such person who made it out alive, only to be picked up by Union personnel. She was transported back to Union territory, and after extensive testing was offered a place within the Military. Considering she was a Super Soldier, it didn't take long for her to rise through the ranks, and was a Commander at the age of 18. Now, five years later, she is still faithfully serving within the Union as a Flag Pilot, recently being given permission to form her own team.

Mobile Suit: GNX-U02X Masurao

Mobile Suit Information: The GNX-UO2X, known more simply as Masurao is a highly customized Flag built from the Ground up to combat Gundams. It is built for extremely high speed and maneuverability, perfect for being piloted by a Super Soldier. Its main drawbacks is that it has very little combat capabilities at a range, as its main weapons are two custom beam sabers, along with small, low power laser machine guns mounted on the head. This is in part due to the fact it was created to combat Gundam unit 00 Exia, a Gundam unit that was specially designed for melee combat. As such, the Masurao was designed for the same thing. Seeing as Gundams no longer seem to be a threat however, this particular Masurao has been equipped with a 200mm New Type Linear Rifle, also known as a Trident Striker. This is the same weapon carried by the Over Flags, the Mobile Suits on which much of the Masurao's design is based.

Mobile Suit Image:

[User]
1200 hours - Fort Jefferson 'United States', Union Territory

It had been five years since Celestial Being first appeared, and four years since their defeat. And yet, the one year that Celestial Being was active felt like a lifetime compared to the four years since the end of the conflict. The world felt peaceful by comparison, but to some the comparison was twisted by the conflict. Compared to a nearly unstoppable force of four Mobile Suits and a single Flagship that took the combined might of the three factions to defeat, yeah these days were pretty quiet. But compared to what things were like before Celestial Being... it didn't feel all that different. Some people had forgotten what it was like to live in a cold war, where nobody was allies, nobody was enemies, war was all around but invisible to the naked untrained eye.

There was no denying it, the world was at war. They just hadn't pulled the trigger yet.

The Union wasn't about to stand by and let its enemies sneak up and make the first move. Not that they had any intentions of open declaration of war, but the Union was certainly preparing for one. More and more weapons, warships, Flags, Soldiers to use these things of course as well. And that meant that new squads were forming up.

One such Squad, currently unnamed as the members were still being picked, was lead by Soma Peries. Formerly from the Human Reform League, she had more than proven her loyalties to the Union in the battle against Celestial Being. Even when the UN formed she didn't trust it. She knew it wouldn't last. The HRL and the AEU were cowards. They were intimidated by the power the Union held. It was after all, the Union who was at the forefront of the conflict, putting their soldiers, their people at most risk to end the threat. Now, it was the other Nations that were a threat, not some small group of children with fancy Mobile Suits.

But she had to put all these feelings behind her. The time for war would come, she was sure of it, as she sat in her new office. Fort Jefferson was a new addition to the Union's bases. It was, at one time, nothing more than history. A fortress from a world long forgotten. But the Union decided it could be of use again, and rebuilt the whole fort from the ground up, including a large number of hangars to store Flags, and a large port for warships. It wasn't exactly, extremely close to the Orbital Elevator. But it was within sight of it, and was a lot closer than her previous post in Washington, now putting her in the middle of the ocean South-West of the Florida Peninsula. She felt like she could do more from here, and in fact, she had been put in command of her own squad, and to be honest, she wasn't far off from being the Commanding Officer of the whole base. There were only a few people above her, but she liked that. Something in her head, a part of her rebuilding at the hands of the HRL... it made her want to take orders. To be told where to point her weapon. Where to aim her sights, and when to pull the trigger. It was the program they put her through... to be a good soldier. To follow orders.

But now, she had to give them, as she sat there behind her desk, feeling more than a little awkward in such a place, awaiting the arrival of the first of her new squad members.

At least things were... tropical.

[Assistant]
"Sir we're going to wish you the best of luck with your new team but once a Union Bell, you're always be one." Senior Airman Rhodes commented to his former commanding officer Chad Wayne. The two of them had been chatting a little over the past events of these last few years. How Chad had gone from rookie, to Second Lieutenant at such a quick pace, be it forced by circumstances or not. Many of the Union Bell pilots were older than him but many held respect for their junior's skill. A lot of them were solid pilots in their own regard but now with the factions reemerging they felt the need to spread out the best pilots where they were needed. Chad wasn't always comfortable with being top dog he had only been good at telling people what they needed to hear at the right time. Rhodes was a newer recruit a man at the age of 22 who had served in the Federation just like him before its collapse. "I'm going to miss you guys. Flags fly best when they're with friends. This Overflag I've been assigned is a pretty sweet piece of gear. Left over from Graham Aker's unit way back. Wonder what happened to that guy? Whatever...I saw those gundams, those machines were beasts of war. I wonder where, and why we haven't been handed machines like those yet. We saw that we made machines good enough to take 'em out. Surely five years would've produced something by now? Maybe it was the fracture." Chad said lamenting his position.

 He sighed. "Look boss just make sure you don't push yourself too hard you over think things a lot. Gotta let this new chick handle the position she was handed. Let her take the reigns." Rhodes stated as Chad agreed. "Don't worry I won't judge her. Whoever she is she likely earned her spot..if not then I guess she'll find herself out of this new team quick. Hope they got boys like you in here Rhodes. Then again you Union Bells are second to none." Chad said with a wide smirk as he saluted his ex-trainee. "Talk to you later sir." Rhodes said as Chad reciprocated the goodbye and turned the video off.

As Chad walked down the hall he straightened his uniform minding the Bell symbol plastered on his uniform. He had requested that the brass let him keep the patch they had agreed to do so. He hoped the new boss wouldn't mind. He hadn't served under anyone directly since Roan...would he compare the new person to him? It felt unfair in a way. Still as he walked past the various officers, and technical advisers in the halls he knocked on the door to the meeting place had been told about before entering. As he entered the room he saluted his new commanding officer. "Flag Pilot: Chad Wayne. Second Lieutenant reporting for duty."

[User]
Soma had gotten lost in her own little world. What would have happened if the Super Soldier facility hadn't been attacked. Would she be piloting a Mobile Suit for the HRL right now? In her heart she knew she wouldn't have a choice. That's what this personality wanted. To fight for someone, even if it was the people who practically tortured them. But this was better. It had to be better than what could have been.

Because of this daydreaming, she jumped a bit as the door was knocked on, and let out a long breath to return herself to reality. As the man approached, and saluted her, she stood up, and returned the salute. "Soma Peries, Squad Commander. I suppose we will be working together from now on. Did they tell you why this squad is forming?". They had likely told him whta he already believed. That they were simply spreading the skill out evenly. More skilled pilots in squads with rookies would mean the rookies would learn quicker. They would get back up to full strength in no time. And in part, this was certainly true. But for this squad, posted out in the middle of nowhere, certainly had its own reasons for existing.

As for Soma herself, she didn't even look like a Commander. Even only being three years younger than Chad, she still looked more like a child in many ways. Not someone who was scarred by war in any way. Yet Chad had no doubt been told that she was Commanding Squads through the war against Celestial Being, as if to say "Don't worry, you can trust her" in case he doubted her ability to lead. But then again, there was always someone above her. She just relayed the orders. This was the first time that she would be making the decisions, the plans, the strategies. The Colonel of the base was little more than a flight planner and intel dump. He gave the intel, she chose how to act on it.

[Assistant] "No ma'am? I've not been privy to the facts of this squad. Is there something I should understand about it? I've been thrown haphazardly through commanders since Celestial Being fell. I've been in command of my own squad for most of them. All the same I'm looking forward to seeing you at work. I've heard a report you had seen action in Fallen Angels way back. If I may say so ma'am I hope that I live up to the expectations placed on me. I fight for the Union, and for my brothers I will do my upmost to live up to my former comrades." Chad stated professionally calm, and collected and he moved his hand down he still was not given the command to be at ease which was slightly unnerving. Still he kept his posture as upright as he could. "I was expecting to placed under a tactical forecaster in all honesty. I feel I do my best work simply as a grunt."

[User]
Soma saw no reason to give such an order, as this was an important talk to be had. She wanted to make sure his full attention was in this moment. Not that she expected him relaxing would cause him to be any other way. "Yes, I was there. I fought against a Gundam personally, someone who is able to affect me in ways I don't understand. Get in my head, make me lose focus, give me a horrible headache. I destroyed them at the cost of my own Mobile Suit, so I know what it's like to be up against something everyone claims is undefeatable. As for why this squad is being formed, the higher ups have been looking at how Celestial Being operated. They want something similar. A small squad, that can go where they want, and do what they want, when and how they need to. This squad will have far more freedom than what you're likely accustomed to. We are given intel, and we decide how to act on it. I'm sure you've heard of such a task force before. As the saying goes, technically, we don't exist. Many things we do, the governments will deny any part of. This is to allow us to take action that we otherwise could not. Say for example, we find a warship straying too close to Union territory. If an accident were to happen, the Union has no part in it."

She paused, as she looked out the window behind her desk, looking down over the sea's seemingly infinite expanse. "It is vital that you understand that how we operate is not natural. It's not the same as other Squads. When we fly with the world watching, we are just another Union Squad. But we will be doing much more than that." Looking over her shoulder, she simply said "Assuming you understand and accept all this, you may be at ease."

[Assistant] After being reassigned Rin spent the next thirteen hours as on a flight from Japan to Fort Jefferson. He rushed through the halls of the unfamiliar, almost labyrinth like base trying to find his new commanders office. "Man, I hope she won't be mad that I'm late." After what seemed like an eternity he found himself standing in front of door like any other in this base, written in bold letter 'Commander Soma Perse'. Rin took a moment to calm himself and fix his uniform before entering and salute. "Flag Pilot: Rin Izumi. Lieutenant, I apologize for my tardiness." He stated clearly he was still nervous.


[System]
Age: 17

Gender: Male

Race: Faunus (White-Tiger based)

Weapon: Kladenets & Perun

A Charge-Blade and Axe-Shield combination weapon. The two weapons have the unique ability of fusing into a single, larger weapon. Taking the form of a giant axe for a more powerful, albeit slower, combat style. The sword becomes the shaft of the axe with the shield becoming the axe's head. Internally, his weapons house a hidden firing mechanism that allow him to load Dust Ammunition. With loaded ammunition he can unleash destructive, close-ranged, explosive blasts.

Speciality: Though he doesn't necessarily fall into a single, defined role he primarily engages close-ranged combat, but can act as a defensive off-hand tank with his shield and utilizing his Semblance, provide a supportive role. With his shield, he can skillfully defend and attack at the same time with his sword at extremely close ranges. Sheathing his sword into his shield, he can then switch to a defensive position to guard himself or his teammates. As part of his versatile and adaptive nature, his shield has a bladed edge and short punch-spike at its base that allows his shield to double as a weapon. Hidden within his shield is a speed-loader that can quickly reload his sword with a full magazine of Dust Ammunition in the event of an emergency.

Combining his sword and shield together to from his Great Axe, he trades speed and defense for a purely offensive style of combat. With his giant Axe he can use his impressive strength to cleave, crush, and smash through large groups of enemies at once. Though his attacks with his Axe are much slower and in wide arcs, the sheer brute power of the weight of the axe and its slightly increased melee range makes it a fearsome weapon in Kuhaku's hands.

In either its sword or axe form, Kuhaku can load special Dust Ammunition to either 'Burn' or 'Fire'. 'Burning' a round, he can propel himself short distances for a powerful and quick strike. 'Firing' a round unleashes an explosive blast in a small area in front of himself. His explosive dust attacks all require ammunition and as such, he wears a belt with Dust Shotshells on them.

Semblance: The King's Voice - With the sound of his roar, he can temporarily remove mental limiters on he and his teammates' minds. Allowing them to fight with enhanced senses and bolstered physical capability for a few minutes at a time. For his enemies, the sound of his roar has the opposite effect. Muddling their senses to reduce their effectiveness and confusing them.

However, his Semblance comes to him at a cost. The more often he utilizes his Semblance, side effects start to appear though only in himself. The side effects can range anywhere from headaches, impaired senses, seizures, temporary memory loss or permanent memory loss. Not only coming with side effects, there are certain conditions to his Semblance in order for it to be completely effective, if at all. Whenever he prepares to utilize his Semblance, his golden eyes turn a burning, glowing blue. With black 'stripes' appearing on his 'fur', face, and arms. His stripes and eyes can also act as a timer, fading as the effects of his Semblance wears off.

Personality: Having been orphaned at a very young age, Kuhaku never had a home to call his own. As such, he primarily lived in orphanages, moving to a new one every so often. Growing up having never known his own family, he was constantly abused and subjected to prejudice due to his race. Though due to his strong will and good heart, he never held the abuse he went through against Humankind and overcame his rough upbringing. He endured humankind's irrational hatred and treatment of his own kin.

Desiring to prove to others that the Faunus were not the 'beasts' and 'animals' most humans labeled his kind as, he enrolled in Signal as soon as he was able to. He believes that his enrollment to become a future Hunter as a way of demonstrating that Faunus and Humans can coexist and work together peacefully. He one day wishes to become a legendary Hunter to end the Grimm threat and prevent any future generations from ever having to go through what he did, having lost his family. As part of his good-hearted nature, you'll always see him in a generally bright and happy mood. Kind and polite to all who meet him, he treats most everyone with the same level of warmth and respect akin to that of a close, long-time friend. Outgoing, loud, energetic and enthusiastic are just a few characteristics to describe him. As a result of his tough childhood he has a deep understanding of other people's hardships and pain, granting him a strong sense of empathy. Quick to trust others and make friends, Kuhaku doesn't have a hateful bone in his body, despite what other ignorant humans might think.

Color: Sky-Blue

Emblem:

Appearance:

[All rights reserved to Nitroplus for the character image. Credit goes to Lugubrious for the Emblem!]

[User]
Those muscles bunching were impossible to miss. He couldn't really tell Goodwitch he'd gotten the message, what with the soon-to-be-whirling maelstrom of forelegs, but he nodded a little anyway. Deinamig gave a nice big boost to his legs while he jumped back, but not quite quickly enough to get all the way out of danger; not with the size of the Manticore's legs. He boosted his arms reflexively and lashed out as one of its blows grew a little too close for comfort, and he felt Artorius strike something hard and keep going after a moment's resistance.

The next few seconds happened in something of a blur. His feet hit solid ground again, just outside the beast's reach, and Goodwitch's first strike struck home. A second later a small white object, a little smaller than his fist, landed next to him. A piece of the Manticore's claw, one of them at least,cut off right near the tip. It must have been what Artorius glanced off of. Ben scooped it up with one hand and jammed it in a pocket, firing Lawnslot's Lightning Dust rounds in the Manticore's direction while he kept backing up to keep some distance between him and the frenzied assault.

"Got it, teach, ready when you are!" He said into the radio, snapping his fingers a little to get Amy's attention. "I've got Desree here. Once it's running, and once the teams are out with the survivors, she'll get us up to the airship."

"Just say the word."

[Assistant]
Kuhaku Shiro - Infirmary

Shiro's ears swiveled about, picking up little bits of conversation between the other Beacon students here and there. Some were here for minor injuries like himself, others were far more severe. It was odd being one of the few treated for negligible wounds. Watching as the Practice Class' aide walk by in some pretty seriously looking gear, Kuhaku winced as the nurse dabbed at his bite marks with some ointment. Sucking in air through his teeth, he broke his attention away to look at his forearm. The nurse apologized and finished, wrapping his arm with bandages and handing him his gloves.

Smiling and thanking the nurse, Shiro tugged his gloves back on. Flexing his arm, Shiro sighed. It was rather annoying, the fact that he came out of his mission with such a trivial wound. To be sure, he was grateful he and his team weren't in critical condition. But the fact that Sapphire had managed to break skin and draw blood because of the unexpected reaction really bothered Shiro. He wasn't able to use his Aura to defend from such an 'attack', which would've allowed him to avoid a trip to the ward altogether. At the very least, he was glad Sapphire didn't bite him right over his 'special markings' that he kept covered and hidden from plain sight. How she managed to have enough bite force to even go through his arm length gloves and bandages rather impressed him. She must've been either really angry or terrified.

Sighing again, Shiro's golden eyes looked up at the ceiling. Thinking about it, Sapphire had to have been somewhere in this ward herself. He figured it would least be nice to drop by for a few seconds and see if she was alright. No matter how terrible their relationship was, Shiro figured that was no excuse to be a complete tool. She was still his friend in his eyes. Determining himself discharged from the care of the medical ward, Shiro hopped off of his bed and began to wander around the wing in search of Sapphire's location. As his eyes scanned around, he couldn't help but smile and chuckled.

Hadn't they first met like this? Both in hospital beds.
He wanted to make this quick so that he could get changed and leave to go to town.
There was also a friend he needed to meet up with, rather badly.

[User]
Oswald Connoly- Infirmary

Consciousness was almost a stranger to Oswald in these moments. After the adrenaline rush had worn off, the pain he was in was absolutely unbearable. He'd never admit it, but he felt like he was dying every time he tried to sit up. It only made sense, though. Three broken ribs. A punctured lung. His nose and thumb, broken and a bit disfigured as well. Dull and sharp pains assaulted his senses from seemingly all sides, and the pain medications he was supposed to be getting dulled his mind too much for him to use them. He had to think, but the suffering was too much.

Maybe he'd click that button, get a little bit of medicine, just to dull the edge.

Just as he was thinking of doing so, the presence of another student roused his attention. Somebody who didn't get maimed? It's a Dustmass miracle... The sarcastic thought remained non verbal as Oswald pressed his little button. And there it was, the pain dulling medicine he was so uncomfortable using.

"Shiro...sup, dude?"

[Assistant]
Kuhaku Shiro - Infirmary

Shiro's ears perked at the mention of his name, swiveling to pinpoint their source faster. Turning his head, Shiro's face lit up and then immediately dropped when he saw who it was. He and Oswald had an odd kinship in his own mind, both Hunters wielding a shield and sword. The main difference was that Oswald's sword transformed into some drill like weapon, whilst his transformed into a grandiose axe. Though, he couldn't explain why the two of them shared a silent camaraderie. Possibly the two of them remaining somewhat traditionalists while the rest of the student body bore less-conventional equipment.

Like Gren's chainsaw/chaingun/rocket launcher/sword.
"Holy dust, Oswald?! Shoot, are you alright man! You look absolutely terrible!"
Shiro exclaimed, rather...loudly. Forgetting where he was.
"Oh, man! Are you alright? How's the rest of your team? Did your mission go okay?"
Without giving much consideration to thought, he began his string of verbal questioning. Bombarding the poor boy.

Shiro momentarily forgot his search for Sapphire, walking over to Oswald's bedside and looking at all of the machinery he was connected to.
He had to say, there was something odd about this scene. Especially witnessing it from an opposite point of view. Again, typically he was the one to be put in critical condition. Looking Oswald over, he slowly came to realize that for someone built like Oswald, the threat had to have been dangerously real.

"Gods and Goddesses above, what happened to you?..."
Shiro's tail restlessly wagged from side to side, he realized just how lucky his team was for their assigned mission.
Coming out relatively unscathed, he was becoming more and more grateful.


[System]
Age: Since the creation of the universe.
Gender: Male
Rank: Powered, High-Powered(Basically the higher end of Powered, but not quite God-Tier,) or God-Tier (variable)

Basic Appearance

Hair: Jet Black
Facial hair: None.
Eyes: Red.
Build: Lithe, like a panther, yet not frail.
Height: 6 foot, 5 inches
Weight: 210 lb. - 8.5 tons.
Special features: Face has often been described as that of an angel, but one that hides something malevolent beneath.

Combat credentials-
Athinar, depending on the match, can choose whether to purposefully limit his abilities or not. For fun.

Combat style:
(Powered)- Something like Kenjutsu
(High-Powered)- Spellcasting/Swordfighting.
(God)- His full immortal Voidform.

Abilities:
Peak Physical Condition- In Powered form, Athinar has the physical ability of a soldier, Olympic athlete, or trained assassin.

Blade of The Void- Athinar summons a katana out of shadowy mist, which is a plane that doubles as a portal to the void, and can cut through most materials, although at this tier, it can be stopped by superdense alloys. It can be dispelled and recreated within 0.5 of a second. The blade is 32 inches long, and 1.5 inches wide.

Arcane Style: Soldier- Athinar can reinforce his body with raw magical energy, doubling his strength, speed, agility, and durability. However, this only lasts for two minutes, and leaves him exhausted, afterwards.

Gear:
A single adamant katana, a physical double of the Blade.

Bio:
Athinar is the incarnation of evil in a distant world, which was destroyed by the ravages of time long ago, in a distant dimension. He was created by a Grand Creator, who set him against Sarin, the Lady of Light, with a smile and a pat on the back. He has razed towns and cities, caused nations and empires to fall, and murdered countless billions. That all said, he isn't that bad of a guy. He cares for his minions, up to the point that it infringes upon his efficiency. Can't have feelings get in the way of destruction, now can we?

Due to his being immortal, his physical form on a particular world can be killed, but between worlds, he lives in the Void, untouchable and almost infinitely powerful.

[User]
Rodetta's trusty steed 'Cinders' took her as far as the mountain trail, but wouldn't go any further it began to whimper and pull away, as if to urge the mighty war princess to turn around. Rodetta dismounted and pet the horse while retrieving her crossbow and javelin from it's saddle.

I don't blame you Cinder, the rumors of this place aren't entirely unfounded, this was the site of some great death and evil at one point and the stench of demonic energy is probably still strong, but I have a campaign to to launch. And this is a very important strategic location for me to scout if we are to ever defeat the Water Dragon Clan, they have a powerful navy you know this.

Cinders listened to his master but the stallion still wouldn't move, he had made up his mind. Rodetta sighed and told it to head back to camp, while Rodetta checked alone, Cinder gave Rodetta a look of worry before turning around and beginning the long trot back to camp.

Rodetta knew the area was dangerous, as she took the steps down the mountain trail which lead to the infamous cove she could feel the violent history in the air. She wasn't particularly spiritual but she had a strong sense that the docked pirate ship of the dead king's crew wanted to be left alone in the cove and she was intruding. She stepped towards the ship as she got down the cove steps and found the boarding ladder. She cursed her father for sending her on another pointless war campaign. The Water Dragon Clan were a pompous but fairly peaceful faction and she knew her mad-king father declared war on them simply for having 'dragon' in their name. Foolish pride knows no bounds. She began to climb on to deck, when she heard a noise.

Show yourself, you're in the presence of royalty...whoever's there.

[Assistant]
Athinar chuckled at the young woman's pluck. "Confident, aren't we?" The Void God sat upon the railing of the poop deck, the stern of the ship elevated above the main deck, wheel behind him. His adamant katana sheathed and on his hip, he smirked down at the girl, legs crossed.

"Once, a foolish girl walked into a forest, all alone. Her cloak wasn't the only red thing in the snow once the big bad wolf was done with her." Grinning and licking his lips, he jumped down to the maindeck, crouching as he landed, dispersing the shock of the fall.

"This isn't a forest, Little Red. But it should suffice." Falling into a sword stance, he unhooked his sheath from his belt, and held it right below the sword's guard in his left hand. His right hand grasping the katana's hilt, he pulled the blade about a centimeter from where it rested in the sheath.

Slowly approaching the woman, his eyes glowed red as he drunk in her form, following her every movement. He was on the balls of his feet, ready to rocket off in any direction. If she charged him, he would dance out of the way, dodging to the side. Anything else, he would try to dodge while remaining in his position.

[User]
Almost instantly she got a response, a man with strange clothes was hiding up on the masts and let himself be known with cruel riddles and a disrespectful tone, he wasn't wearing the mark of a water dragon, so he must have been part of another faction. There was no time to do a background check, he began reaching for his sword as he advanced. Rodetta wasted absolutely no time raising he shield to steel herself, while still a good distance away from him she pointed her royal javelin in his direction.

You're too noisy to be a scout, I'm assuming you're here for some sort of lost treasure? You'll find none here. Now I have a job to do. So you have one chance to flee, I'm not currently at war with you or your people.

Rodetta's grip on her javelin tightened as she noticed he was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, she widened her stance and started to back step at an angle in anticipation of a bullrush attack. Noticing how absolutely large the main deck of the ship was. It looked like a vessel for giants not humans. The morning wind from the cove blew in gently, as if the cove its self was setting the stage for a fight.

[Assistant]
Athinar smirked. "Treasure? Why, the only treasure I wish to find is you, Red." His tone made it clear. He was there to try and kill her. "And Little Red, I'm at war with everyone. Don't feel too special." His creepy, casual manner wasn't an act to try and make her nervous. It was actually how he acted normally.

As she backed up, and prepared her javelin, Athinar would slash his sword at her, still in the sheath, making the thick hard leather, bound in metal, fly towards her helm. It was a distraction, rather than an actual attack. Hoping her eyes would automatically track the sheath, he dashed forward, slashing the katana to the left, horizontally, from the bottom of his ribcage.

[User]
The assailant seemed very set on taking Rodetta on in combat, and she had no choice now but to defend herself. Although she was a warrior through and through, she was not particularly thrilled at the idea of fighting and unknown opponent during a solo scouting mission. But the war gods had decided her fate and she was always prepared. After taunting her again with promises of violence and death, he moved fluidly and fiercely, like a deadly viper, swinging his sword in a manner that was both wild but precise, it was as unnerving as his voice and general demeanor.

She wasn't sure of his strategy so she just played it safe keeping her guard up until, the scabbard of his eastern sword was hurled at her face with the momentum of a swing. She was fast enough to see it but not fast enough entirely avoid the unexpected attack as it clipped her helmet and obstructed her vision. The scabbard was surprisingly heavy and even through her helmet she felt the impact enough to stun her back step for a split second.

Argh, you fiend!! You've sealed your fate now!

But that split second was all it took for the opponent to close the distance and swing his blade in a heavy sideways arc toward her midsection. But Rodetta was disciplined, although her vision was temporarily skewed she kept her shield tight to her body the whole time and the man's blade whipped against her large dragon scale shield with a hybrid scraping and clanging noise. The attack was blocked. But due to his scabbard attack she was too off balance to launch an effective counter attack so she increased her backpedaling to an instant backwards jump which put her a good 6 feet away from the man. Her lightweight armor allowed her to use her full athletic ability even when fully equipped. Her body started to heat up, there was red energy resonating from inside her armor that any magic user could probably sense.

[Assistant]
Athinar raised his eyebrows as she jumped backwards. She had a shield, was she not going to use it? Was she just intent on sticking him with the javelin- oh. Ohohoho. She was magical as well. Not only did she have a shield that could deflect an Adamantine Katana, but there was some sort of red aura coming from her body. Blood magic? Or fire magic? Didn't matter. Athinar had faced countless others like her, in weaker forms, and still won. He'd lost, many more times, but his experience and skill mattered more than raw power.

Dashing forward, he stopped about three feet away, and held the katana with both hands. Thrusting the tip of the blade towards her javelin arm, he tried to bait out a block with the shield. If she blocked, he would summon the Blade of the Void, and grab it with his left hand, transitioning to a Nitojutsu form, or, Two-Sword-Style, he would slash at her elbow from around her shield. However, if she did not block, he would push forward, and try to get within her reach, attempting to run her through the shoulder with the katana.

[User]
This man was skilled, dangerously skilled. Rodetta knew very few humans who could swing a sword so hard and be blocked, only to re-approach with no recoil. Its like he shield was a whetstone for him to grind his sword against. To be able to achieve that sort of form one must be expertly disciplined in the complex eastern arts that Rodetta was vaguely familiar with. But the warriors of the east she had seen before were more measured, more cautious and meditated, like machines. This fiend in black was more like a well of living oil, fluid and slippery with his every move, and he was fast, faster than Rodetta herself but not so much where she couldn't stay competitive. She was an expert in her own discipline.

Now she was able to clear some ground just as he began to dart forward to close the gap to 3 feet from her, but she was not going to be chased down again. Like a Cobra strike she expertly thrust her spear at the man's centre chest area as he dashed forward to approach her, as fast as he was, she still had the reach advantage as her spear was much longer than his blade. She caught him in forward momentum so she was confident her attack would hit somewhere. And to be to close as this attack was unfolding would have him end up impaled on her spear as she jabbed it directly in his attack path. Her feet were planted in the ground and smoke began to rise up from the damp wood of the ship's deck, her body was getting even hotter...

[Assistant] Athinar grinned as she thrust her spear at him. "What's the matter, little Red? Don't want to play with me?" Unlocking the only magic that this form possessed, a blue-green flame shot out of his eyes, and suddenly he was twice as quick and twice as strong. Dancing around the spear, he continued closing the distance, slashing diagonally downward from the right shoulder, holding his adamantine katana in both hands.

[User]
There was no getting around it, Rodetta was not expecting that, she had distance and form on her side, but the assailant countered with some sort of boost to his speed which made her very accurate spear attack miss, as he curved round the tip of her javelin she realised her weapon had side was exposed, she was not going to be able to block this, but she was still in a fight and wasnt going to cower, not yet.

The War princess couldn't do much in the short time before the now double fast man closed in with his attack but she raised her spear arm and rolled her shoulder to attempt to bock or deflect the blade with her gauntlets. It didnt work. She felt the Katanna impact the side of her bicep, glancing off the thicker armor there and cutting into her flesh around her shoulder and her back, only her shoulder roll kept the attack from going clean through her, but it was a devastating strike leaving a large gash from the back of her collarbone to near the back of her elbow. The moment she felt the blade she let the fire inside her surge forward and all around her. This is what her body was heating up for. An instant forcefful Explosion of flames burst out 9 feet in every direction around her. The area attack was small but it was focused. Amplified by the frightening pain of the sword strike, the outwards shockwave was defensive too, pushing the Katanna back so the blade would not dig any deeper into her flesh. The sound of the magical flame explosion rocked the very core of the ship and some of the dryer wood would begin to catch fire.

I don't want to play with you fiend, but the FIRE will play forever.

[Assistant] Athinar saw the glow surge through her body a split-second before he chose to jump backwards, attempting to get away from the flames. While not entirely successful, he did manage to turn his body away, and tuck his head and arms into his body, leather of his outfit taking the brunt of the damage. While still burned, it wouldn't reduce his effectiveness in combat. As soon as he was launched into the air by the shockwave, he threw the katana at the woman, and performed a flip worthy of Errol Flynn. As he landed on his feet, burns causing his left arm to become a burnt, ashy mess, smoke trailing from his outfit, he held out his hand, and summoned the blade. Winking at the girl, he took a sword stance, and held the Blade of the Void in both hands, waiting for her to approach.


[System]
"One of the biggest sicknesses this world has is expectation. We all expect other people to be a certain way or to do a certain thing. Most people, they spend their whole lives under the wants of other people."

Age: 11
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Date/Place of Birth: October 7th - Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge, London
Currently: Hogwarts
House: Gryffindor
Wand: Aspen, 9 ¾", Dragon heart-string
Patronus: Grey Wolf

Personal

Childhood: George grew up in a modest London home. His first years were spent in constant tension. Although he remembers very little, being only five when his criminal father was finally arrested, George remembered the arguing and the hushed voices. He could remember the masked faces in the living room before his parents would disappear for a few days, leaving them in the care of their relatives. George's relationship with his father is based merely on what he knew of what he'd done. His relationship with his mother had been close, not completely, but enough to substitute a healthy childhood. However, his relationship with his brother was closer. They stuck together and supported one another, despite the distance in location and now the distance in House.

Personality: George has a furious temper. Often people will find him stubborn and irritable, although this is rare at a young age. Whilst young, George is anxious and cautious, although friendly and outgoing once comfortable. He fears a great deal and expects much more of himself. Protective of his friends, he will prove to be more protective of himself and sometimes just plain selfish.

Hobbies: Duelling, Chess, Card-games and quidditch.

[User]
George's comment on brothers brought a grateful smile to her lips. It was nice to not be alone in dealing with obnoxious siblings. She finished collecting the cards she had thrown, arranging them as neatly as one could arrange recently exploded cardstock. Passing them to George, she returned her attention to the landscape, humming brightly. Everything would be lovely—they must be getting close, right? Sadie could only hope. She needed to be at the castle*now*!

He asked her about what she did—and she tilted her head, considering his words. As he mentioned that he had yet to go to school, she found herself gaping. No primary school? That was just*weird*.

"Everyone is homeschooled? What if both your parents work?" She frowned, finding the idea very peculiar. Her mum and dad were always busy with the farm and their business. There's no way they would have had time to homeschool her. "I started primary school when I was five. I would have been going to secondary school this year if I hadn't gotten my letter. Um… outside of school and the farm, I really like films! And video games!"

Sadie didn't really think how alien her words would sound as she began babbling, bouncing away.

[Assistant]
George laughed. Perhaps it seemed strange, most wizarding mother's stayed home to tutor their children until eleven years old, unless they were well off. George had been tutored by a witch at home, alongside Theo, who'd taught them all the basics of reading and writing, life and everything else they'd need to learn in order to survive school. Their real education had started at Hogwarts, and perhaps that was the reason so many seemed out of place in Muggle Society.
"Most mum's teach their kids, but me and my brother had a teacher, she taught us three times a week." He turned to Sadie again and furrowed an eyebrow. She'd already been to school? It was strange to think. It was probably why muggle-borns and halfbloods fit into the system better, or so his brother had said. "You've already been to school, that's so strange."

"Video games?" George asked, looking at Sadie as if she were mad. Muggle's were odd. "I don't understand." Maybe he sounded like an idiot in her eyes, completely unaware of what she was talking about. During his trips through muggle London, George had seen various video games, though unaware at the time. He'd unknowingly noticed how popular and how many they were Yet without knowing what they were, he disregarded the fact and carried on their trip to Gringotts that day. His world must seem so strange to Sadie too, a world that was so sought after by muggles, a world of magic and myth. They had broomsticks, time travel, unicorns, wands, wizards, talking pictures and goblins. His world was her stories, however it was life to him.

"What did you think of Diagon Alley?" He asked, smiling to himself. So far it would probably be the only wizarding location she'd seen. He could imagine her face at the site. It would have probably been at lot like the faces of some of the other kids he'd seen.

[User]
"Why's it the mums job?" Sadie asked, a little annoyed at the idea. It hardly seemed right to her. She knew several of her friends mum's stayed at home, but Sadie had never liked the idea. As much as working on the farm didn't appeal to her, she'd been raised to work hard. She detested the idea of being stuck at home all day. She 'hmph'ed a little, before moving onwards. It was hardly George's fault that the wizarding system was so seemingly unfair.

"School is brilliant," she enthused brightly, folding her legs up onto her seat. "There weren't a lot of other kids in the village, but I got to make lots of friends in class."

He looked confused—oh, right, Brennan had mentioned that wizards didn't really have video games or television. How strange. She lit up, clapping her hands.

"Oh! They're brilliant! People make stories and you get to play them. Um! I don't know how else to describe them? I'm bad at this," she laughed there, scratching her nose. "You get to be someone else and fight bad guys or solve puzzles or save the galaxy. It's magical!"

He asked about Diagon Alley and Sadie lit up like it was Christmas. She couldn't help but gush.

"Oh my goodness! The*hats*! And the owls! And and the broomsticks were great and it's just,*wow*. I saw someone transform someone else into a teapot! Then blokes in funny robes came by and dragged them off and wow, it was just*crazy!*Ollivander's was brilliant, too. I guess it just, I don't know, made everything seem*real*. It's amazing. I never would have imagined something so wonderful, you know? I'm just Sadie," she softened there, shrugging her shoulders awkwardly. "One minute I'm gathering chicken eggs and cleaning up after cows, the next I'm buying a wand and going to learn*magic*. It's just… I guess I thought it was going to be a joke for a long time, like 'fooled you, Sadie, we got you good' but I'm on the train and it's*happening*. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and I'll be back on the farm."

[Assistant]
George tried to imagine what it would be like to have not grown up in the world he'd already been surrounded in. How he'd feel when he first recieved his letter, what it would feel like to enter a world that seemed so unlike what he'd alreay experienced. Seeing Sadie react was hilarious. Having grown up with wands, Wizards and witches, goblins, elves, ghosts, talking paintings, flying and apiration, it would seem unwordly to someone who'd never expirenced it all before. Despite all this, he felt Hogwarts would be the same for them both. His brother had described it to be the most amazing place he'd ever experienced, something of which George was already aprehensious about. He was nervous, for no reason he repeated to himself often.

"This would be an awful dream if it were one." He commented, adding a smile as he spoke. "Considering you're not the only one here." He reached into the bag for another Bean and glanced over the flavour. It shone a strange, misty blue, dancing almost. After Norway's win at the Quidditch World Cup that summer, there had been an influx of themed sweets. "Here." George offered, handing it to Sadie. "It's not a sweet, so don't eat it. It's a miniturised Dragon Egg, frozen as simply a shell. You can collect them, I think there's thirty, or just use them as decoration." They weren't rare as such, but a collection of petrified dragon eggs had certainly become a collectors item over the few months they'd been sold.

He turned his eyes over to the window, wondering just how long it would be until they were reaching the school. The last time George had known, they'd been in parallel with Norfolk, perhaps less than half way. He knew they usually arrived after sundown, but without watches, he hadn't a clue of the time.
"How long do you reckon is left?" He asked, turning his head back to his.. Friend? Was Sadie a friend now? His train of thought had been pushed aside when the door pushed open, two girls laughing and giggling themselves at the door.

"Here, a present." One laughed, throwing a small black package onto Sadie's lap. The girls laughed for a second, both pushing the door shut before the compartment burst into complete darkness. They could hear the girls on the opposite side of the door, but as George fumbled for the train window, he noticed one voice disappeared. He fumbled, coughing up the dust, or whatever it was. A hand found the latch and soon the window was open, black powder filing out the window as if it were forced. He rushed to the door and pulled it back open, aiming to shout at the girls who'd pranked them. Down the carriage, he saw the two girls running, hand in hand, hurrying away from them. One had been a slightly plump female, brunette and loud, the other had been a taller female, slimmer, and with a similar blonde to his own. It wasn't a rare quality, but striking to him all the same. The girls glanced back, laughing once more. George let out a sigh and groaned. He waved at the last bits of the Instant Darkness and sat back down.

[User]
Sadie laughed brashly at George's comment, tipping her head back with her mirth. He was being really rather nice. She didn't doubt the lengths that jerk's like her brother would go to in pulling a prank. She supposed the train was a bit out of his reach, but as a professional younger sister she'd learned that there was*always*a chance she was being messed with. Especially considering she tended to give as good as she got.

"Maybe it's just a massive prank and there's loads of hidden cameras everywhere," she grinned, although she had visibly relaxed in her seat. "And instead of Hogwarts we're just going in a big loop and we'll end up back at King's Cross. My dreams can be right terrible sometimes."

George offered her a small blue bean, which she accepted. She blinked as he told her not to eat it—and her mouth dropped when he explained what it was. Sadie was aware she looked daft, but this was too wild to be stupid like Brennan and feign apathy.

"A*dragon egg*?" She repeated, her little mind blown by the implications. "Like, there are enough dragons in the world that eggs can just be like, shrunk and passed out in sweets?"

She stared at the little blue bean—*egg*—in her palm, pale fingers reaching out to better examine it. It was so wee; and a little sad. She'd much rather it be a proper egg, with a proper dragon. Still, it was wonderful.

"Thank you," she breathed, rather enthralled, her brain working a mile a minute. She didn't process his question about the time, still puzzling over the egg, and then, rather alarmingly, something dropped in her lap and the compartment when black.

"Ack!" Sadie coughed, reflexively covering the egg with her hands to keep it safe. The light had been extinguished. It was oppressively dark, pressing in all around her, and Sadie let out a desperately uncool*squeak*. Her lungs burned and her heart raced in terror. She had to get out, it was too dark, she didn't have her phone to use as a light and—

The window opened, the air clearing almost instantly. Sadie breathed deep, grateful for the fresh air and all the precious*light*. Black powder streamed out in large swirls, but her heartbeat was taking longer to slow down. She relaxed against her seat as George went to the compartment door. An empty sachet sat in her lap, which she carefully turned over.

"'Weasley Wizard Wheezes Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder'," she read aloud, a painful knot in her throat. A humiliated flush had crossed her cheeks, freckled ears burning bright red. Sadie knew it was silly and childish, her fear of the dark, and wished desperately that she could be less pathetic. "That's, um… s-something else."

[Assistant]
George dropped into his seat with a light thud. He gave a short sigh once again and looked back up at Sadie.
"It's just prank stuff. There's a huge shop filled with it in Diagon Alley, I'm not sure if you saw it. It's supposed to 'get you out of any trouble spot'." Wouldn't work for something outside the safety of Hogwarts. "Just ignore it anyway, pranks never mean to hurt anyone." Despite the ease of their conversation before, the sudden interruption had done nothing but twist the eleven year old stomach into knots. He sat quietly for a short while, pulling a small handful of beans from the box.

They were two separate sides of the spectrum. Sadie was filled to the brim with excitement. George couldn't help but feel nervous. It didn't matter though, it hardly would. His dad had been in prison for a long time and wouldn't be facing the Dementors for a long while. He'd serve his time before they'd 'put him to sleep'. It was pretty much how his mother described it, how she'd always described what would happen to their dad. He gave another sigh and tossed back the last few sweets he'd taken from the packet.

George finally glanced up, taking in the colour of Sadie's cheeks and face. He gave a short laugh and smiled. He didn't mean it in offence, children never did.
"It's only a prank, no need to get embaressed." He smiled, offering her the box once more. Outside their compartment, he could hear the sound of others laughing and cheering, playing games and talking. He wondered how many of them would share the same family history as him. There had been potential for a fair few, especially if he truly believe the stories they had from before the Ministry burst into their home. George turned back to his friend once more.

"If you keep the egg warm for long enough, they're supposed to hatch. I don't know how true it is, they're only eggs. But there's loads of dragons, tons in the north and east. I've heard of them being found in the deserts in Africa. You'll learn about all that though." He added with a smile. He was sure they'd learn everything there was to know about the Wizarding World in time, they just needed to get there first.