[System]
Age: 18

Gender: Female

Appearance: 5' 7'' & 145lb (before muscle atrophy). Dyed orange hair and brown eyes--her skin is a dark olive shade, due to her constant presence outdoors.

Personality: Erin is an extremely energetic and outgoing girl, having been surrounded by a loving family and various friends most of her life. She's not afraid to take risks and is characterized by her zeal for anything athletic. Her life has been dedicated to sports, and it shows in her headstrong desire to always be better and her disregard for almost anything else (including academics).

Because of how she grew up, Erin doesn't have a lot of street smarts or self preservation, but is physically and mentally resilient. At the early stages of the disease, she goes through a dramatic change and becomes much more stoic, almost listless. As time passes, she becomes more introspective and regains the life and energy she had before, finding increased solace in the people she loves and a new interest in books.

Physical Traits: The form of a star athlete (in the sense that she's actively participated in various sports). She's currently in her school's softball team as their ace and often goes to a local gym, swimming on her free time. She's strong, has good aim and coordination, and houses impressive stamina. Her foray into athletics began when she was 5, when she first tried out gymnastics, then soccer, then martial arts; because of the various sports she cycled in and out of as a child, she has a high aptitude at picking up sports, but is a master of none.

Mental Traits: Incredibly strong willed as someone who has dedicated her life to sports. She's adaptable, and is used to learning from failure, having to constantly iterate on strategy and form in order to succeed in whatever she puts her mind to. Has an underutilized and underdeveloped attention span to anything other than what she feels passion for, which attests to her poor academic performance.

Color: Orange

How They Died: Diagnosed with FALS (Genetically inherited ALS) as 3rd high schooler and died within a year. She began the school year with the early symptoms of increasingly slurred speech, but was still able to play sports for a short time. First went to get diagnosed when she could no longer properly swing a bat. Within a few months, the neurodegenerative disease atrophied the muscles in her legs and arms, and she spent the rest of her time hooked up to a ventilatory support system before she died the following year.

Clues Discovered: 0

[User]
Mika listened to the male as he spoke about being just as clueless as her. But she stared at the butterfly as she followed it closely, getting to the right pathway and wondering if this was a trap or something. But she couldn't just stay here, just in case this was not a trap and they were both truly clueless. "I'll go with you two.... But only because I can't stay here alone.... It'd be too dangerous, and being with two people is better than no people.... This place is too weird for us to split up now." Mika said quietly as she looked at the two, deciding to trust them until they crossed her.... If anything, she could get rid of them easily if she had to.

But right now, not trusting them wasn't an option. So she silently followed the girl with the orange hair into the dense, weird forest, hoping that they'd maybe find some tools or some useful items, shelter, or maybe even food. All she knew is they'd need somewhere to stay, and fast, as this place didn't seem like the best place to camp out under the stars or anything close to that.

[Assistant]
"What's up with this forest? It's seriously creepy." With his hand still behind his head, Tsukasa continued on walking through the forest. He tried his best to try and keep on track, but more than once did he hit his nose against a branch or something similar, or at least, he hoped it was like that. Hitting something that wasn't a branch right now in a forest that seemed straight out of a horror movie would be the absolute worst, and something he didn't really want to even think about. "If I could only remember what I was doing here... Maybe it'd be easier to find a way out of this creepy forest." Tsukasa said.

While he wasn't clumsy, he still stumbled upon something. He was just about to fall, but he was able to regain his balance and not fall down, while putting his arms to his sides to keep his balance. "Ah, that was close. My clothes are already dirty, making them any dirtier... It'd probably be hard to wash off." Tsukasa looked at his clothes, trying to see if they got any dirtier. Luckily, they didn't. He let out a relieved sigh.

Still, he started hearing some voices from behind him. They were faint, but they were there. Tsukasa turned around, feeling hopeful. At the very least, he wasn't alone inside that clearing. "So there were other guys here?" Still, the thought of talking to them just like that was a bit intimidating. He was a bit unsure of what to do, but still, the light he was able to see all the way to where they were was actually relieving. Instead of doing anything else, Tsukasa decided to wait for them. He turned around and waited for them quietly.

[User]
As the butterfly led them down the path Hideki tried as hard as he could to remember something...anything. He remembered only what had recently transpired however and it was beginning to frustrate him. He could hear slight movement not too far down the path and began to feel slight panic along with the frustration. That was when the light from the butterfly revealed the face of another boy. Hideki felt his legs begin to want to carry him the other direction, but he continued anyway. He called out to the other boy "Hey there! Are you okay? We woke up in a clearing and have no idea how we even got here. My name's Hideki by the way". He looked to the boy curiously.

He then turned to the girls and smiled at them. "I can guarantee you that we're going to get out of here eventually. There has to be an end to this forest and from the end it'll be easy to make it to a town or something where we can use a phone". He smiled as warmly as he could hoping that he was right. 'If I'm wrong...I'm going to unfortunately be letting them down. I have to get us out of here and I hope this guy can help. He's probably the one who was talking when I woke up'.

[Assistant]
She stomped over dead leaves and twigs that scattered the ground, the light of the butterfly her only support. The forest gleamed an ominous red from the light that managed to get past the cluster of trees, but it was not enough to aid a smooth passage.

"Ah, damn," she cursed, and pushed a branch that had almost hit her in the face away,"watch it, guys."

It was quiet, the only sounds coming from the trampled objects beneath them and their own shaky breathing—she became more frightened the further she moved, the more twists she followed, and the darker it became; however, her resolve to stay strong reared it's stubborn head.

She coughed her throat and said, "Well, let's do introductions again. I'm Erin, and this is Hideki—we really don't know why we're here, but I think we'll be ok together."

The distant sound of a voice cut her off, and she stopped speaking; she continued forward, a steely resolve to find the source of the noise; the butterfly seemed to be undeterred by the noise and pressed on—so she followed.

Hideki surpassed her and approached what appeared to be another boy; Erin walked up to the two, and noticed the butterfly was not progressing without them. She immediately relaxed, and turned to the strange boy before grinning and saying, "I'm Erin. We're all trying to get out of this creepy ass place, so we're following that butterfly…That sounds a bit stupid when I say it like that, but we're ok. You don't know why you're here, either, huh?"

[User]
Mika stared at the two people in front of her as she walked behind them, hearing the girl introduce herself as Erin and explained that the boys name was Hideki. Apparently they were as clueless as her, and she wondered where exactly she was headed as they all followed the glowing red butterfly, as if they were blind as a bat.

"I'm Mika.... Nice to meet you both." Rose said quietly, wondering if Erin and Hideki heard her as they sped up and moved towards an unknown voice. Mika hesitated for a second before she started walking up again, meeting up with the two people she knew and.... Another boy who must've wandered down this path while they were unconscious and before they even came close to waking up.

"I'm Mika, I'm glad to see another person. The more people we have in our party, the better a chance we have at survival." Mika explained, knowing everyone might've thought this once they all had first woken up. If not, then they were hearing her opinion on the whole 'survival in this devilish woods' thing. She was also glad that she hadn't woken up here alone.... She probably would've had a heart attack and died if she did.

[Assistant]
The other guys approaching him seemed to be a group of three, being two girls and one guy. With Tsukasa, they would be two boys and two girls then. Still, when everyone just suddenly arrived and started introducing themselves, Tsukasa didn't really know what to do. "Eh? Oh, um." He nodded, at everyone's introduction. "I-I'm Tsukasa. Nice to meet you, I think?" Tsukasa simply said, while rubbing the back of his head. Somehow, he felt a bit awkward in this whole situation. Still, that guy, Hideaki.... He did mention something about phones. Did they even have their phones with them? "Um... no, I don't know either why I am here." He looked around, and the only real source of light was the butterfly... the butterfly. The red butterfly...

Tsukasa approached it with a curious look in his eyes. "It's so pretty... Hehe, it shines. How do you shine? Can I shine like that too?" He touched its wings with curiosity, being careful not to hurt it nor to scare it away. "Why is such a pretty thing in a forest like this? Can you guide us out of here?" Tsukasa talked with it, even though he knew that it probably didn't understand him. He then turned around ready to keep walking. "We should keep walking. I-It creeps me out a bit just standing around in one place in this forest. It feels as if someone were watching me." Tsukasa had a question in mind, but he had already forgotten what he wanted to ask.

[User]
The Crimson Man

A soft breath of relief escaped the Crimson Man as the children started to follow him through the darkness. If he was lucky, they would stick together through the whole forest and he wouldn't have to wear himself out trying to find them. When they caught up with Seiji he stopped and began flying around the children, just glad they were all safe for the moment. He would give them a moment to introduce themselves and feel a little bit safer with each other before pestering them about moving on. It was important that they trusted each other enough to stick together before moving on. If they all decided to take separate paths he most certainly wouldn't be able to protect them at all.

After they introduced themselves, Seiji came over, reached out a finger and touched one of his wings. Casually he just fluttered a bit of a ways away, just out of the boy's reach. He was fine with landing on people, but his wings were sensitive, he wasn't a big fan of them being touched. Instead of focusing on that, he started fluttering around Erin's head to get everybody's attention. They couldn't stay on the path for too long, it wasn't entirely safe, even if it looked like it was.

The Next Clearing

The next clearing was about the same size as the last one. In fact it was identical in appearance save for two features. This clearing only had two paths to continue along. One was narrow and small, though well lit, they'd have to crawl through it. But it was the safe path, other than the scraped up knees and elbows that they were sure to get. The other was pretty looking, the trees were covered in bright, colorful flowers. Unfortunately, like many things in nature, those pretty colors meant poisonous. The toxins the flowers gave off would have slowly killed the children, if not for the protection of the Crimson Man. It would still not be a pleasant experience for them.

The second different was the tree stump resting directly in the middle. On the stump were four pieces of paper. The birth certificates of each child. Giving them their names, birthdays, parents, maybe things they were dying to know. Even if they knew their names, it was completely confirmed now. This was the first step into them discovering their pasts and the truth about why they were stuck in this forest between life and death.

[Assistant]
"It's good to meet you guys," Erin said with a grin. They huddled together under the ominous shade of the trees, their only light from the butterfly, as the night sky was obscured by the bushels of leaves that bent towards them, as if with the intent to consume.

The butterfly fluttered towards her, and rested around the crown of her head. She felt calm despite the precarious situation she and the others were in--there was no use in doubting her instincts now. It led her to the boy who was as lost as she and could potentially lead them out of the forest. She had nothing to lose.

Signaling to the others, she pressed onwards, careful to avoid stumbling on the thick roots and uneven floor of the forest made visible by the crimson light. When they reached the next clearing, Erin immediately fixated on the pieces of paper on the stump in front of them and picked up the one with her name on it.

"Erin Iwasaki.." She murmured, her eyes scanning the rest of her document. Name, birthdate, gender, parents--all the normal information that there was on a birth certificate. She felt a chill run down her spine; they weren't here for no reason. Someone, or something, had put them there together with complete intentionality. Erin turned back to the two others with wide eyes and said, "You guys may want to take a look at this.."


[System]
Age:
Twenty-seven
Brand:
Mist
Weapon/Rune:
Compound bow. It itself lacks runes, but Astrid uses several different types of trick arrows with various runes that allow for explosive/incendiary arrows (her own mist brand); laser beams, shield arrows, flash arrows, light arrows (light runes); poison arrows, freezing arrows, and razor arrows (liquid runes).
Non-magical twinned curved swords, about as long as one's forearm, the blades are designed to draw as much blood as possible and make wounds that are difficult to close without magical means thanks to well-honed edges.
Non-magical throwing knives. It's honestly surprising how many she carries, seemingly pulling them out of nowhere.
Faction:
Ex-Old Path, now a freelancer that takes contracts with the White Teeth, Golden Boys, et cetera.
Personality:
Distant and reserved, the only emotions Astrid seems to display are those of negativity. Often appearing scornful and annoyed, few people realize that these emotions are more of a face than reality, although they were originally adopted from two things. First, her time in the Old Path taught her to eschew and deride the modernity of current day Kokotha, a feeling she often has difficultly setting aside despite enjoying many of the luxuries afforded to the modern citizen. Secondly, most people call her "Rougish Astrid," a name she highly dislikes due to her actual training as a scout.
Background:
With several years of training as a scout and ranger in the forces of the Old Path, Astrid eventually found herself wandering further and further from the Path, both literally and figuratively, as she saw more and more of the modern world. Eventually, she went AWOL, leaving the order to begin working as a freelancer and information gather that is usually under contract to the White Tooth Men or Golden Boys.
Other:
She still wears her own armour from her time in the Old Path, although it has been dyed and repainted. Its black and grey colour scheme offers a lot in the way of stealth.
Dialogue colour

[User]
Before Gregor even steps into the room, Mercury is in the process of searching for anything that looks important. Documents, journals, anything she can fit into the small pack strapped to her waist.

"Whatever your escape plan is, it better be good. Fighting our way out is basically guaranteed death at this point."

She retrieves a book from a desk drawer, rather ornate and sporting a small lock. She snaps the lock off with ease, and begins flipping through the pages, looking more for Gustrag's handwriting than any actual evidence of anything. At this point she's just taking whatever might be important.

[Assistant]
Johnny Conagher

"So they were a red herring this whole time..."

Johnny said, smirking to himself as Galette gave them information even after saying she wouldn't.

"But why would they agree t'do that to begin with? Juss' what is it that they stand to gain outta all this nonsense?"

[User]
"Discord. Hatred. War. All dhings dhat would strengdhen dheir ability to move in dhe shadows. Dhen, when we are all weak from dhe infighting, dhey swoop in and destroy all who remain. It is a classic technique in warfare." Astrid bristled, her voice cold and full of spite. "We need to leave, I dhink. Dhey know we are here; it is only a matter of time before more of dhese elites -" she spat at that word, continuing, "- show up and outnumber us. Dhen we can go to dhe Old Padh and clear dhis nonsense up. It will require a united front to fight dhese... assholes."

Nothing for Duff to add

[Assistant]
@MercuryNH

Daud, meanwhile, has been at the rear of the group, ready to defend his comrades or slow down the attacks at any cost. In his element, he was being totally silent until Gregor spoke up about an escape route. Throwing him an incredulous look behind his visor, he lets out a scoff.

"And let these sycophants go on living outside the law? I think not, my comrade!" He shouted, keeping watch at the door.

However, it didn't take him long to consider that maybe staying and fighting wouldn't be the best idea. Sighing, he nods his head.

"Actually... Whatever you have up your sleeve, Gregor, perhaps it'd be prudent to hop to it!"

[User]
Yoshimi

There is someone else from behind the scenes? Yoshimi said, You mentioned another traitor didn't you that isn't Gotthard? Someone else?

Crossing her arms, she shook her head, she scrolled through the papers, before catching one. A small map, with a little island circled just south of the island masses in South Kokotha. I think I know where we've going next...

Storm
If you want to go on to the Old Path, that's fine. But I think I have another location in mind. She said, holding up the map. But in any case... What about her? Yoshimi said, clenching her fist, a slight growl in her voice. Come on, you're coming with-

As Yoshimi got ready to hit Galette across the face to take her with them, a large rift appeared in the room. A white slice in the fabric of space, leading to Yim. From it a large beetle-like creature burst out, its face resembling a rather human looking porcelain mask. There, riding on its back, was a short man, holding a large lance. Astrid was right. They were coming and fast.

Galette was been defeated? No matter... Don't run. This will be oversoon The man said, his voice very high pitched, his mount turning to face the group

Shit! Scratch that! Hold on to the plans tight and let's get out of here! Yoshimi shouted, already running. They couldn't stand and fight. There would be more to come and she didn't want to fight both a Elite and an Amalgamate.

Children's Beastmaster: Master Ku

---

Gregor
Meanwhile elsewhere...

Gustrag's room was just what one would expect; a large regal room befitting someone of high class and wealth. Journals, documents, and what looked to be business contracts were all present. Seems that Gustrag was the type of person to keep things documented.

Gregor held his pistol out, a white glow coming from it. Already, he was working on opening a rift to a dimension in Yim, the ultimate escape route. He had never done it under stress or in a rush. Before he had all the time in the world to do it and even then it was rather tough. Don't rush me, I know!

Don't cost us our lives or worse, knight... Gregor thought to himself, a bit annoyed. A-almost got it! There we go! Gregor said excited, his pistol sputtered and flickered... Then nothing. Gregor stared at the space directly in front of him, no emotion at all, then quickly turned to anger as he smacked at his pistol ...Or not. Come on, dammit!

---

They were running out of time...

Meanwhile in the courtyard of the villa, guests were gathered and restrained, the Children's Elite had gathered, only 5 of them were present, not counting their beastmaster down below. Among the Elite that had gathered was a tall man wielding a large mace, his body covered in what appeared to be plant life, and what looked like a wooden mask covering the top half of his face. Defusing of the situation is underway. I will go for Gustrag's room, the rest of you spread out and search for any more party members. The party crashers are to be killed on sight. Other partygoers are to be taken in for questioning... If any non-Children members possess classified knowledge, they are to be executed. Understood? Nodding, the other Elite's agreed and began to head out, their commander following soon after, but not before being interrupted by large man, standing before him.

Sallix! the man shouted, blocking his path, revealing himself to be the own of the manor: Gustrag. How dare you came before me... They have ruined my event and broke into the sanctity of my quarters. Now you rush in, like a flock of vultures upon a corpse?! I demand you to fix this situation without the use of your goons. You'll only make things worse!

I refuse, Gustrag. Sallix noted, slamming his mace to the ground. Suddenly, Gustrag began to feel an unseen force pressing down upon him, steadily getting heavier. You allowed this to happen. You wrote our names down in your little book. Your mistakes have costed us... And for that, the Queen has ordered your execution. The weight pressing down upon Gustrag began to get heavier and heavier. Before long, Sallix's power had crushed the man, like some sort of invisible press, leaving nothing but a bloody, messy indent in the ground. In any case... Onto important matters. Sallix said, making his rush for the Quarters where the heroes worked on their escape.

Children's Quartermaster: Sallix

[Assistant]
Johnny Conagher

Excellent! It seemed like they were really starting to come to a head with all of this nonsense. Now they just needed t-

...

Johnny took one look at the abomination that had just rode in on his trusty bug steed and said one word.

"...Nope"

Johnny seemed to fade into dust before the arthopodal cavalier's eyes, vape-a-porting to Yoshimi's position.

[User]
"Hurry it up, eh mate?" Duff called over from his position. "Wouldn't be surprised if they're on their bleedin' way!" He had taken cover around the corner in Gustrag's room, the barrel of his beloved rifle ready to fire down the corridor to the room they had just fought Xenan in. There's only so long I'll be able t'keep anyone offa yeh!"

---

Astrid scowled. "Oh for the love of Kodo'Yim," she said. Bringing her hands together, she pulled the Mist into a large, almost opaque cloud around the newcomer before igniting it with a dull roar. Turning to the door, she addressed her colleagues.
"Let us go." She was seething.

[Assistant]
Her pack filled to the brim, Mercury nervously takes a look out the window, doing her best to stay out of sight while getting the best point of view she can. Naturally, what she sees is cause for concern.

"Gregor, if you could make this go any faster at all, it'd be greatly appreciated. These folks don't look too friendly..."

[User]
Yoshimi
Storm@Nashie

I hope you guys have an exit route in mind! Yoshimi shouted, as she began to make her way towards where they came. Stick to the narrow corridors! He shouldn't be able to follow us through there!

As the insect rider began to chase after them, the two of them would disappear with in a rift in Yim, unable to follow the group through the narrow corridors.

The exit is close, when we reach it do you have any escapes in mind in case we run into more trouble? Because I'd love to hear them.

While the cistern where they entered was in sight, there waiting in it was the Amalgamate Rider, having traveled through Yim to get there, waiting for them.

---

Gregor
@Ember Storm
Gregor concentrate, he couldn't lose concentration for a single second, if he did he'd have to start all over. As he concentrated, he murmured a prayer, a common chant used by worshipers of Dualism. "Oh Strong Father Kodo, protect me with your shield and your spear, oh Kind Mother Yim, wrap me in your gentle embrace, oh Kodo'Yim, the two gods who are one, guide me in the best and the worst of times."

Then, out from Gregor's gun came a flash of light, opening up a white rift in space. Go! He shouted, motioning towards it. They won't be able to find us here! As Gregor shouted, Sallix was closing in on the group, dragging his heavy weapon behind him. You guys go through first!

[Assistant]
Johnny Conagher
Storm

"Astrid an' I can get back up th' cliff the same way we came down, but...."

And there was that horrid abomination again. Johnny had no patience for this Blattodeic bullshit, so he was just gonna run right through Master Ku if he could.

He drew his wakazashi and went into a full tilt run, making little platforms of ice under his feet so that he could effectively leap at Master Ku and deal one hell of a savage blow with his blade.

[User]
Astrid didn't miss a beat when Johnny attacked. Pulling on her Brand, she began to suck the moisture out of the air behind their adversary and his beetle-Amalgamate. The result of this was clever: A breeze began to push Johnny along faster, insuring that his blade would impact with even more force. As well, as the mist she was moving about condensed, all of that energy had to go somewhere, and something would heat up. She chose to see just how hot she could make the atmosphere around their opponent - not only would the temperature increase, but the condensation would also cloud his vision. Johnny could complete his attack and the two women should be able to skirt past a hopefully blinded Child before the steam cleared. Clean and clear. Hopefully.

---

"He's on 'is way!" Duff called over as Gregor's portal popped into existence. Upon the conman's directives, Duff lingered just long enough to fire a single Voidtip down the hallway, hoping to slow the knight enough for the quartet to escape. The soldier had no idea what their new adversary was capable of, and he didn't intend to stick around long enough to find out. Unsure of what would happen to him - a non-Caster - through the portal, but also lacking any time for self-debate, Duff ran through.


[System]
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Alchemist Name: The Blue Devil

Alchemy Type: Fire Alchemy - Blaise, inspired by a distant relative of his, going by 'Roy Mustang', Blaise has permanently tattooed and sewn in similar transmutation runes on ever single digit of his hands, along with a more intricate pattern on his two white ignition gloves. When wearing the gloves, only a snap of the fingers will ignite the oxygen in the air, where the ensuing sparks from his snap will ignite an inferno of fire to consume the target into nothing but ash.

He can also use other techniques with the gloves - a noticeable, often-used one being grabbing onto any part of the opponents body and using the friction to send blasts of fire from his palm - the head being the most used body part. Due to the transmutation circles on his fingers, he can do the same without his gloves - only, it will char his hand, which is why he prefers not to. A sharp, cracking 'snap' is usually the telltale sign that someone's about to be burned to a crisp, or him clenching his hand into a fist, almost experimentally. Oddly enough, his fire is a vibrant blue, rather than the natural fire - although this doesn't change it's destructive power, and is mainly a side-effect from the transmutation backlash.

Personality: To be revealed IC. Noticeable traits; Laidback, calm, distant, razor-sharp wit, inquisitive nature.

History: Born to a rather normal family, Blaise was brought up as a soldier-boy, his parents thinking that he would follow in his family's footsteps and become a high-ranking official in the military. Obviously, Blaise was too independent for that, and saw luxury in travelling alone, gathering a vast amount of wealth while also experiencing excitement and action, something you wouldn't really expect from such a calm, laidback, distant young lad. He grew up hearing stories about Roy Mustang and other noticeable figures in history, and thus, he opted to take a page from the man's legend and becoming a Flame Alchemist - that way, he could leave, without joining the military.

Thankfully, he was a genius, and after a few months, everything was taken care of. The following test was...interesting; basically, he ended up burning down his home, and his family inside. Taken aback, and highly disgusted in himself, Blaise took to the road, training and taking different bounties and missions as he fought to forget about the sin he had commited. Years upon years passed like this, and due to his prodigal ability in combat, he quickly became feared as the 'Blue Devil' due to the fearful blue flames he released.

Level in State: N/A - He's a mercenary/bounty hunter/treasure hunter/adventurer...yeah, basically, he does what he wants. He doesn't care about the military or whatever.

[User] Tash stood in a alley of Central. She had a piece of chalk grasped in her hand as she watched people walk down the streets. Her heels bothered her feet but she wasn't going to complain. She was waiting to meet up with any of her fellow coalition members.

[Assistant]
"Burn." The word was spoken calmly and stoically, the black-haired, suit-wearing man casually ducking underneath the thug's fist and clenching his own gloved hand around the man's face. Before anything could even be uttered, the mugger screamed in fear, beady eyes widening once he saw the runes on the gloves shining brightly. He just had to try to mug the Blue Devil-

Birds flapped into the sky as the inhuman scream skyrocketed in loudness, an inferno of beautiful, fiery blue fire exploding into the sky. The suit-wearing man merely walked out of that same alley-way, hands in his pockets as he headed in no particular direction. Citizens stared at the man, and then the alley. Only, there were no ashes there; just scorch marks.

[User]
Dan walked down the street casually. Her normal dress on but a black leather jacket over it covering her alchemy tattoos on her back so no one knew who she was. Since she was a special ops alchemist for the state most people only knew her name not her face. The people that did know her face and her name were either dead, in jail, or a fellow state alchemist ranked higher than her.

Dan was enjoying peace from her walk when from a distance she heard an inhuman scream then saw a pillar of blue fire explode into the sky. 'Alchemy.' she thought before she took off running through streets and side alleys towards where it came from. When she came to the scene she pushed through the crowd until she saw the scorch marks in the alley. A lower ranked soldier of the state tried to push her away but she simply pulled out her pocket watch. They immediately stepped bow and apologized before letting her through and into the alleyway. She kneeled beside the scorch marks and looked around. "No other clues were left behind, just the blue flames and these scorch marks from the burning of a victim." Dan said to no one I'm particular as she stood up and began to ask people of what they saw.

[Assistant]
Harry was walking down the street with his hands in his pocket. He had his symbols hidden when he can so no one could copy them. Plus with how they worked he didnt want to blow himself up by accident. While he walk a blood-curdling scream sounded out through the city. He just smirked because to him it sounded wonderful.

As he walked he saw he was getting close to the meeting point of his fellow coalitionists. So he started making sure he wasnt being followed. No point getting caught now. Once he was sure it was all safe he walked up to the meeting point.

[User]
The young commander had a moment off from strenuous work, however that didn't necessarily mean her vigilance wasn't necessary. She had sauntered about the city, her body hidden under more casual appearing clothing with her precious guns hidden underneath her leather jacket.

Lanette ran her fingers through her hair, a small sigh escaping her lips as she walked down the street. Her mind had wandered elsewhere and because of that, she managed to bump shoulders with a passerby. "Terribly sorry, sir." She murmured in a calm tone. Her violet gaze rested on him; The man's appearance was rather... Unsettling to her. Lanette kept a relaxed disposition and continued on, only to stop and turn on her heels once she was a good distance away to begin a pursuit.

[Assistant] Erik was forced into office duty yet again. Though, a nearby sound startled him from the paperwork he was being forced to fill out. He instantly ran outside to try and investigate the source and thought the smoke rising up was probably a good place to start. He ran out in front of the alleyway and attempted to stop but instead tripped and fell on is face. "Ow... maybe this is why I never get a promotion." He mumbled to himself instead of picking himself up.

[User] Tash let out a angry huff. "Where are they?" She mumbled checking her watch as she perched on a trash can. Her dark sapphire eyes glared out at the crowds that couldn't see her from her location in the shadows. She did nothing but pull a black cloak tightly around her and pulled the hood down to cover her face and onyx hair. If anyone spotted her or any of her coalition members they'd all be in danger and she preferred to keep her identity a secret until she put her plan into action.

[Assistant] "Augh life in central is so boring!" David groaned. He had just finished delivering papers when an unearthly scream tore through town. David quickly hopped up from the bench he had been sitting on and sprinted strait to the scene. He was too quick to even have been blocked by the men who were trying to keep people from the scene. David was not the first one at the scene like he had expected to be.@Kitty "Long time no see Dan"  David said. "You may not remember me but I remember when you got your license. In all honesty I thought you had gotten yourself blown up or something. I haven't seen you in years. I wasn't a soldier back then, but I was the runt who kept getting under your, and other soldiers, feet while I was still in training. So what happened here?"  David asked while glancing at the burn marks left at the scene and the way the corpse's muscles were tightened. "Obviously somebody was burned."

[User] Dan turned to look at him and gave a slight nod as her mind ran through the information learned from witnesses. "All I was able to collect from witnesses is that there was a scream, a pillar of blue fire, then a man in a suit with black hair walked out of the alley and away from the scene. I have a soldier that has artistic abilities drawing out sketches of the suspect from different witnesses." Dan said giving the most information that she could. "Also David I believe you forgot that when I got my license you were taller than me and you are also barely younger than me. Although you enjoyed being in the middle of action even when you were inexperienced. If I remember correctly I saved your ass a few times." Dan said smirking playful as the soldier with the sketches brought them over to her. She handed a few to David as she looked over them. They reminded her a bit of the legendary Fire Alchemist, Roy Mustang.

[Assistant] Just as Harry thought he was safe from someone following him, someone bumped into him. He looked behind him and swear he saw that same person walking behind him. He cursed under his breath because he was close to the meeting point. He crossed to the other side so he could pass the meeting point without drawing attention too it. Since he thought he was being followed he need to lose the tail before he could loop back around and meet up. He was gonna need some kind of distraction to get away so he looked for something that would work.

[User] "Hahaha, that may have been exactly how it happened, many, many times." he said "Thanks for the information, see send people to look for this man on the ground and see if anybody in any nearby streets have seen anything." He said. Then realized that he had given a higher ranking soldier an order. "If you see fit." David quickly jibed in quickly as he took a pin out of his pocket and pricked himself till blood came out. "I know there are other ways to do this, but I don't have the time to do it properly. I'll look for anything suspicious from the sky." He said before drawing out a transmutation (correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't read/watched FMA in about a year.) circle with his own blood. The wind suddenly picked up and David shot into the sky, gliding on the wind looking for the strange man in the picture that he now holds in his hand.

[Assistant]
The man in the suit continued to walk down the street, a cherry-smelling cigarette hanging from between his lips, while his hands rested in the pockets of his slacks. "What a drag..." He growled underneath his breath. Eyes that seemed bored, yet were actually sharp, nimbly leaped from one person to the other. He knew that the mugger had orders from someone else; someone farther up on the whole 'gang food chain'. Judging by the man's crimson bandana, he was a part of the Blaze Krew - a bunch of thugs with half-assed fire alchemy that took too long to transmute to get a spark, like most alchemy-users these days. However, his previous action a while ago couldn't have gone unnoticed, so he basically had two manhunts going on at the same time.

As a woman in a crimson-bandana began to tail him, Blaise sighed underneath his breath, taking a puff of his cigarette before spitting it out and turning on his heel. "YAAAH!" The woman screamed, rushing forward with a knife in one hand, while her left rapidly formed a circle through the air, with some sort of ink. She was abruptly cut off by the foot lazily brought up into her face, sending her flipping in the same spot, through the air. Mid-air, Blaise's hand clenched around her face. Civilians could only watched as she screamed, as a razing inferno of blue fire consumed her body and the air around it, sending yet another pillar of billowing blue flames into the air.

The body turned to nothingness in his hand, and still with his other hand in his pocket, Blaise turned and began walking once more, the crowd parting for him. That was one thing he needed to work on...his whole 'hand-clenching' move, while his signature, was too...showy. The pure blue fire he sent out usually created a twisting pillar of beautiful blue flames into the air, but with enough time, he could fix it...


[System]
BASIC
Goes By (Nicknames): Maleficent (alter-ego); The Winged She-Elf; She-Devil, Devil's Incarnate (by Thorin); Delva, God-Mother (by Fili & Kili).
Royal Titles: Lady of Ambaróna/"Fangorn".
Other Titles: First Commander of Isengard, Sauron's Most-Trusted Servant (as Maleficent); The Watcher; Guardian of Durin's Folk.
Age: 5,739 (Looks 37-38)
Gender: Female
Race: Elven Hybrid (Sindarin and Noldor Bloodlines)
Other Bloodlines: Silvan and Teleri (Through her grandfather's relatives)
20/20 Elvish (10/20 Sindarin, 6/20 Noldor, 2/20 Silvan, 2/20 Teleri)

APPEARANCE
Face Claim: Angelina Jolie
Hair Color: Medium Brown
Eye Color: Yellow-Green (Boldly-luminous when furious/angry)
Skin Tone: Creamy
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 119 lbs
Body Build: Slim

Finger Claws:

Curved Daggers:

Combat Outfit:

Dresses for Two Towers/Return of the King

Wing-Cloak

PERSONALITY
OVERALL PERSONALITY
Likes: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Ents, Happiness, Animals, Peace, Music, Plant-Life, Training, Flying/Sightseeing, Yearly Seasons.
Dislikes: Death, War, Chaos, Greed, Spiders, Maleficent, Orcs, Sorrow.
Strengths: Fighting/Combat, Flight, Knowledge, Wisdom, Harsh Temperature Resistance, Protective/Affectionate Nature, Keen Senses, Agility.
Other Powers: Wallcrawling, Banshee Scream, Enhanced Strength, Telepathy, Telekinesis.
Weaknesses: Stubbornness, Loneliness, Anger, Vindictiveness, Split Personality.
Fears: Sauron, Losing Family.

Elegant | Unpredictable | Capable | Headstrong | Mysterious | Maternal | Observant | Intelligent

Everyone believed Saeril to be born as a creature of chaos and pure evil, but they just do not know the true story. In actuality, Saeril is a good-hearted, nurturing individual, who highly valued the peaceful natures of Middle-Earth, whilst having the passion to support and protect its various realms and inhabitants. Born during the First Age, Saeril is a strong-willed she-elf, and the last of an ancient Elven clan from Fangorn Forest. A very intelligent, loyal-to-the-bone perfectionist, who stays true to her word, she focuses on finding the best intentions for others, to the point of making great judgment calls, as much as willingly risking her life, in the process.

From the despair of her devastating past, following the Deceiver's corruption upon her mind, Saeril is truly hurt and very lonely inside, having to be caused by the guilt and horror of her cruel and malicious deeds, as well as the amount of pain and trauma she had to endure. After being rescued by Gandalf the Grey, she was left "more Orc than Elf", while her other alter-ego "Maleficent", a psychopathic representation of her corruption, still lingers within her mind. However, after Sauron's defeat, this other personality dissipated, giving back her natural Elven beauty.

The ultimate goal was to redeem and dissipate this inner darkness from within, but she never anticipated it to be a challenge when she rekindled herself with her Dwarven godsons Fili and Kili, whilst having to closely bond with a young she-elf named Yavanna, whom she had grown to love and deeply care for, as if she were her own daughter. Determined to protect both the Sons of Durin and the Bright Star of Middle-Earth, Saeril will become extremely aggressive and violent, whenever someone threatens, or has inflicted any sort of harm to them; as this contrasts her more-gentle nature, she will be blunt and gladly let the offenders know the price. In addition, since witnessing the death of Fili, she will go to great lengths, if it means to prevent Kili and Yavanna from falling under the same fate.

Both as "Maleficent" and herself, Saeril is a ruthless, immensely-formidable warrior in her own right; despite withholding a certain elegance, she's truly a very deadly foe for anyone who'd dare challenge her personally. A vast majority of her strength came from the enchantment Sauron had placed upon her, as well as the supernatural connection he was able to forge between them; even while she was formerly his chief of the Isengard legion, she possessed a number of abilities that have allowed her to stand her own, and even overpower the most skilled of individuals. Due to this connection, she's able to enhance these abilities. She also shows herself to have great telepathic power; either taught or naturally inherited from her parents and/or ancestors, she can read the minds of others, conjure up visions through physical touch, and receive thoughts from a certain distance.

Saeril will not hesitate to comfort, guide, or advise others when they seem to need it. Proud, proper, and almost-completely fearless, she will never bow to anyone she disagrees with. Evident by her relationship with Thorin Oakenshield, it's complicated when it comes to terms of the trust; she betrayed him (as he claimed) by "stealing" the starlight jewels from his treasure hoard for King Thranduil. Although she was claimed as not "trusting", Saeril openly showed that she cared a great deal for him, saving his life multiple times on different occasions.

BACKGROUND
Place of Birth: Fangorn Forest (Also known as Ambaróna).
Family:
- Kili Durin (Godson; Alive) (Dwarf)
- Fili Durin (Godson; Deceased) (Dwarf)
- Dis Durin (Co-parent; Alive) (Dwarf)
- Vili Durin (Co-parent; Deceased) (Dwarf)
- Hermia (Mother; Deceased) (Noldor Elf)
- Lysander (Father; Deceased) (Sindarin Elf)
- Ulla (Aunt; Deceased) (Sindarin Elf)
- Kinloch (Uncle; Deceased) (Sindarin Elf)
- Kriva (Grandmother; Deceased) (Noldor Elf)
- Disgla (Grandfather; Deceased) (Silvan/Teleri Elf)
- Fidnai (Great-Grandmother; Deceased) (Teleri Elf)
- Sahov (Great-Grandfather; Deceased) (Silvan Elf)

Other Relations:
- Gandalf the Grey/White (Mentor/Friend; Alive) (Maiar)
- Thorin Oakenshield (Friend; Deceased) (Dwarf)
- Aragorn II Elessar (Friend; Alive) (Man)
- Lord Elrond (Acquaintance; Alive) (Half-Elf)
- Tauriel (Acquaintance; Alive) (Silvan Elf)
- Haldir (Acquaintance; Alive) (Silvan Elf)
- Gimli (Acquaintance; Alive) (Dwarf)
- Thranduil Greenleaf (Acquaintance/Friend; Alive) (Sindarin Elf)
- Legolas Greenleaf (Acquaintance/Friend; Alive) (Sindarin Elf)
- Yavanna Undomiel (Friend/Daughter-Figure; Alive) (Elven Hybrid; Mortal/Sindarin/Noldor)
- Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrine Took, and Meriadoc Brandybuck (Acquaintances/Friends; Alive) (Hobbits)
- Azog the Defiler & Bolg (Enemies; Deceased) (Gundabad Orcs)

[User]
At the barge, the mystery man began putting the empty barrels onto the barge. The company followed, clearly stripped of protection, and though Kili claims he was fine, Saeril insisted on carrying him on her back, almost in a sort of piggyback position, along with Fili following them.

"What makes you think I would help you?", the man asked them in annoyance. Hearing the question, he answered while continuing to reload. "A boy and two girls", before loading the last barrel. Glaring at the them, he demanded answers. "What's your hurry? I would like to know who you are, and what you were doing in these lands"

[Assistant]
Yavanna looked at Bard. "I know a good person, when I see one." she said softly. "I believe, you would have turned us away already, if you didn't intend on helping." she said softly, as he loaded the barrels onto the Barge. Answering his question about helping them. Kili tried to walk on his own, but due to his God mother, instant that she carry him...he let her.

Balin smiled, hearing Bard talk about his children. "And your wife, she must be a beauty." he commented, not knowing it was a dangerous territory. "We're simple Merchants, from the Blue Mountains. Going to visit our kin...these lovely ladies, are friends, companions."

"We need Food, Supplies, Weapons..will you help us?" Thorin asked, looking at Bard.

Meanwhile, back in the palace Halls. Thranduil circled the Orc that his son and Tauriel had captured. "Such is the nature of evil, there in the vast ignorance of the world. It festers and thrives. A Shadow that grows in the dark. A sleepless Malice, As black as on the oncoming wall of night. So it ever was, so it will always be. In time, all foul things come forth."

The Orc struggled against the blade, that the Prince held to his neck.

[User]
The man ignored that comment about his wife, clearly affected by the comment. Instead, he picked at a dent on one of the barrels where the wood had started to peel away. "I know where these barrels came from", he stated. "I don't know what business you had with the elves of Mirkwood, but I don't think it ended well".

Turning her head to the side, so she could see him at the corner of her eye, Saeril had that glare of a traditional concerned mother, and adjusted his position so she and the young dwarf are in a comfortable position, before looking back at the bargeman.

Back in Mirkwood, Legolas held the orc at knifepoint while holding him on his knees. "You were tracking the company of thirteen dwarves, and two she-Elves. Why?", the prince demanded, the memory of the girl vaguely hovering within his mind, but kept a straight face.

[Assistant]
Yavanna saw the look in his eyes, as Balin mentioned his wife. She gave Bard a sympathetic look; clearly sorry for his loss. "That is a slight complicated matter. And a some misunderstanding good sir." she told Bard softly. She then lowered her voice to him "If you can smuggle us in, we'd pay double." she promised him.

Kili held onto Saeril, watching Yavanna dealing with the Bargeman. He was glad, the young Princess had a way with words. Letting her mostly deal with Bard was a good idea.

The orc choked slightly. "Not Thirteen...Twelve." he corrected with a sick chuckle. "The young one, the dark haired archer. We stuck with a morgal arrow...the poison is in his system. Soon he will choking on it." he laughed evilly.
Tauriel narrowed her eyes at the Orc. "You like killing things Orc? You like death?!" she asked "Well, let me give it to you." she yelled almost stabbing the Orc...but the King stopped her.
"Tauriel...leave." Thranduil told her. He knew that the she-elf cared for most living creatures. Tauriel had a good heart. But he did not want a dead-orc before getting answer. Tauriel left, leaving the two royals with the scum. "One dead dwarf doesn't concern me. What do you want with the she-elves...especially with Lord Elrond's youngest daughter?!" Thranduil said looking down at the Orc.
The Orc smirked with a chuckle "Pretty little elf isn't she?" he asked glancing at Legolas "Pretty little head, that will be be-head and pretty little heart...of the Star..will be ripped out." The Orc taunted.

[User]
The dwarves all gathered on the deck of the boat as Bard sat at the helm and steered it through the waters. "Watch out!" shouted Bofur as he saw a large structure in their path, and all the dwarves ducked out of the way and yelled in panic. Luckily, the Lakeman steered the boat to evade the obstacle.

Saeril had her hair flowing in the cold breeze, while sitting with the brothers. Noticing Kili being stubborn again (it was obvious that he was pale and shivering), the she-elf sighed and stretched out her cloak to wrap it around his shoulders. The lack of layers he and Fili had, were not the best of wear in these kinds of weather conditions. She figured that they were either stripped of protection, or if they just plainly forgot about their coats back in Mirkwood.
Since she boarded the vessel, Saeril felt a light-weight upon her head, before noticing that she couldn't feel her horns anymore. The deformity spell must be slowly fading, but what was the reason why? She had to ask Gandalf about this. Even if she didn't have horns now, she still wanted to keep her black horned headress.
What she was worried about, was Kili's condition. He was hit with a weapon she knew was particularly fatal, and if not treated quickly, it would surely hurt from the inside-out. Letting him lean against her shoulder, she kept her cloak laid on him like a blanket. "Are you okay, young Durin?", the she-elf asked him softly.

His taunting seemed to have negatively affected the Elf Prince. It was evident in how he tightened his grip on both his blade and the creature. "Do not test me", Legolas sternly warned him. The statement was unexpected, even for him. Why would he say that? Since when did he learn to even care about the girl? He knew about the good deeds she had recently performed, but they can't change his perspective of her, can they? "The Dwarf runt will never be King!", Narzug responded. "King? There is no King under the mountain, nor will there ever be. None would dare enter Erebor", Legolas told the orc with his grip on the dagger tightening even more.


[System]
Belladonna

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Character Summary
Aliases: Bella, Donna, BB
Age: 22
Birthday: December 20, 1995
Birth Place: Unknown
Gender: Female
Powers/Special Skill Set: Weapon Infusion (With Elements), Combat Prowess, and Espionage
Editorial Nickname: The Badass
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
How long have they been with X-Factor?: Two Years

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Appearance
Height: 5'9''
Weight: 120 lbs
Build: Slender Athletic
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Platinum Blonde
Skin Tone: Ivory
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: Scar along right hip, scar along upper back, tattoo of the Yin and Yang symbol behind right ear, ear piercings on both ears
Personal Style: Bella dresses as the situation demands it, but she does get some enjoyment out of wearing things considered girly and cutesy as she fights because it gives her an advantage. She does not wear anything particular when not in a mission, preferring comfort when not in the field. She has been seen in sweatpants and a t-shirt or a stylized dress on any given day.

Her color scheme ranges based on the day also, though she usually opts for darker colors. Her hair is usually tied in twin tails or let down to her lower back. She wears make-up as she sees fit, mainly on a mission when she needs to look a certain way. She will look presentable when it benefits her or whatever task she is on.

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Psychology
Disciplined * Crafty * Impressive * Secretive * Stoic * Restrained

Sexuality: Bisexual
Relationship Status: Single
Personality: Bella doesn't show emotion. Or it could be said she shows emotion rarely. Trained to believe emotions are a weakness, she gets the job done, no matter how dirty the deed. She is disciplined and direct, though she does have a sarcastic side to her she lets out, particularly when she is annoyed.

She stands out amongst others for her dedication to the work she is in. She knows she is impressive and valuable to any who have her on their side, but she does not care one way or the other about whatever side she is on. She does the work and she gets paid. Even in the midst of torture, she can endure without shedding a tear or uttering a scream. To some, that is a valuable skill in a spy. To others, it's concerning that there may be darker things underneath that pretty exterior. She will never tell.
Habits:* Sarcasm
* Listens to music when training

Hobbies:* Watching Trashy TV
* Sparring

Fears:
* Being Buried Alive
* Cannibals
* The Bottom of the Ocean

Likes:
* Techno Music
* Dueling
* Exploring
* Detective Novels
* Proving People Wrong
* Podcasts

Dislikes:
* Assholes
* Cat Calling
* Being Spied On
* Birds
* Lines
* Fake People

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Cards On The Table
General World Skills:
* Tracking
* Espionage
* Parkour
* Lockpicking
* Poison Knowledge
* Cryptology

Combat Skills:
* Elemental Imbuement: Bella has the ability to imbue her weapons with elemental enhancements. This can be any weapon she obtains (but most notably her sword and gun)
* Sword Combat
* Firearm Combat
* Hand-to-Hand Combat
* Morning Star Combat

Medical Issues/Injuries
* None

Possessions:
* Clothing - Black Top, Checkered Mini Skirt, Black Boots
* Katana
* Handgun
* Morning Star
* Two Clips Extra Ammo
* Lockpick
* Poison Vial
* Extra Hair Ties (around wrist)
* Cell Phone

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History
Why did you join X-Factor?: It wasn't so much that Bella joined X-Factor, it was more that she was obtained. Having fought for her own freedom, she opted to use her skills and training to aid the highest bidder, which had its own danger. X-Factor allowed her to continue to fight, earn her keep, and be protected in a way. The only thing they do not have is her loyalty as she is only loyal to herself, but she will keep the team safe.

General History: Bella didn't know the joys of childhood. She never knew who her real father and mother were. All she knew was a man named Master Shien and he was cruel and demanding. With iron fist, she along with a select few other children were hardened, trained to fight, sneak, and kill. She didn't learn about the world like other children, she only saw it through blood.

However, the children still hoped for escape. The master could never break their resolve, even if he broke their bones. So they hatched a plan to escape and leave and go out into the world. It all came crashing down as Master Shien killed and slaughtered them one by one, leaving Bella along with two others. Bella took her sword in hand and challenged the master. They fought hard, each dealing blows to the other, but Bella came out on top, decapitating her "father" and leaving.

Since then, Bella had to gradually learn how the world worked. She was smart and capable though (plus the internet) and she knew her place. She began to sell her skills as a professional hitman or spy for various factions around the U.S. She was sought after due to her unflinching nature and her results.

Bella no longer cared though. She was in it for herself and knew no one else could be trusted unless they earned it. That was when X-Factor came into the scene. Hearing about her skills they offered her a position amongst the team. Bella agreed for a limited time, mainly to see how it would play out for her. Once she was satisfied, she joined up. Could she be trusted though was the question.

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Extras
Character Quote: "If looks could kill I'd be a mass murderer. Oh wait...."
Theme Song:
Anything Else: Invisible Woman, Link

*By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.

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Relations

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Belladonna
"I don't do friends. And yes, that's what she said."

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⟢ 🎆Respects ⟡ 🌓Neutral ⟡ 👋Acquaintance ⟡ 🙇It's Complicated ⟣
⟢ 💛Friend ⟡ 💙Good Friends ⟡ 💜Best Friends ⟡ ❣Ex-Friends ⟡ 😈Frienemy ⟣
⟢ 💘Infatuation ⟡ 💓Loves ⟡ 💗Couple ⟡ 💕Basically Family ⟡ 💞Family ⟡ 💔Ex-Lovers ⟣
⟢ ♨Tense ⟡ 💀Dislikes ⟡ 😡Hates ⟡ 👿Enemy ⟡ 👹Absolutely Loathes ⟣

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🌓 Andrew Rossi 🌓
"Smart man can grow big or small. He doesn't bother me too much."

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🎆 Demetria Clarke 🎆
"She can freeze shit, which is pretty awesome. Other than that, she's cool."

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🙇 John Watts 🙇
"He looks at me like a daughter. I...do not know what to think about this."

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🎆 Evelyn Holder 🎆
"Assassins don't have a code, but I can respect her game provided she doesn't step on my toes."

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🎆 Alannah Ó Ceallaigh 🎆
"A warrior of the past meets a warrior of the future. This will be fun."

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♨ Barbara "Bobbi" Leigh-Anne Hobbes ♨
"She's loud and grating. Could she shut up for two minutes?"

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👋 Wasley Martin 👋
"He's um...he's cool, I guess. Stop asking me!"

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[User]
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Evelyn Holder

Location: Serval Industries, R&D Lab
Skills: N/A

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Evelyn wasn't an expert on technology, but she was still pretty sure they could try and take something off of the helmet even if information on their server it was linked to was deleted. "It's still a worth looking over anyway." Evelyn said, as Watts took a step closer to her she blushed slightly, though she didn't show it right now when he kissed her on the cheek. Though the information Watts told her was also pretty interesting, and maybe why they needed the splicer in the first place as well. "Well it looks like we will have to sneak into her office, or track her movements." Evelyn whispered back to Watts before taking a step backwards.

Then Watts picked up a wrench and threw it across the room, looking over at him with a slightly confused look though she wasn't seeing anything at all. Right now she was just thinking it was a lot of stress that had happened the last month and dealing with the loss of Andrew, looking back at Watts. "So, throwing a wrench would be a good way to test a theory that the ghost of Andrew is here?" Evelyn asked, even if Andrew was alive, they would have had some kind of sign that he wasn't dead by now other than recovering his helmet.

[Assistant]
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Location: Serval Industries - Rooftop --> Kitchen --> Training Room
Skills:

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Bobbi finished her cigarette and dropped it to join the little pile of butts in an old coffee can. She was sure to stab it out, she didn't want to burn down the building after all. She gulped down the last of her coffee and dumped the one that had been for Andrew over the side of roof. Into an alley below, not quite caring if it spilled onto someone. Probably deserved it if they worked at Serval.

She went back down the stairs and into the warmth. Her fingers stung as blood began to flow properly through them again. In the kitchen she washed her mugs right away, taking care to clean up any mess she had left behind. She very nearly fell into a cleaning trance again but snapped herself out of it. She had wanted to fight and better herself, not clean. She made her way toward the training facilities, hoping Wesley would be there. She wasn't in the mood to hunt him down.

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Location: Serval Industries - Library --> Ceiling
Skills: Enhanced Strength and Military Training

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Wesley hissed with surprise as the woman appeared behind him. Her voice caused him to spin around. He was ready to sputter out some sort of statement that he had not been eaves dropping. But she had caught him quite obviously and she left him no time to defend himself. He tensed at her statement. How was she planning on making him disappear when there were others who knew his whereabouts. He frowned as the room started to shake. Books fell from the shelves and knocked into him, bruising flesh. Was it just him or was the room getting smaller?

He breathed in counts of three to calm the nerves which were unraveling. Once he had found himself to be steady enough to handle the task at hand, he began to search the room. He knocked on walls, looking for weak points and searched for vents through which his bulk might fit. He even tried the door just in case but found it tightly locked. The room was becoming less and less roomy.

He glanced up at the ceiling and could have smacked himself upside the head. The ceiling was tiled. He climbed a nearby bookcase. At first he had trouble - perhaps his excitement causing him to misstep. He slipped part way up, falling painfully onto his back. He groaned as a book smashed into his face to seal the deal. He rubbed his forehead before trying again. With speed and more alacrity than he had shown before he managed to scale the bookcase. Once atop, he moved the tile aside and lifted himself carefully into the ceiling. With even greater care he moved, making his way toward the lab.

Survival skill? Navigation? Photographic memory? - Making his way to the lab through the ceiling.

[User]
Location: Serval Industries - Training Room
Skills: Hand-to-Hand Combat

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Respecting the woman's words, Bella took her position and waited until she felt Sapphire was ready. Once they were settled, Bella sprung forward quickly. She spun and kicked at the woman's chest, planting her foot and sent the girl stumbling backward a bit. Bella had intended to knock her to the ground, but no such luck. So once she landed Bella dropped and swept her leg, hitting the woman's legs and sending her to the mat below.

Bella stood up and stepped backward. "Is mind reading one of your powers then? I'd like to see how you handle without your powers preferably. They can be a handicap if you rely on them too much, not that I doubt your abilities. But anything goes, as we stated." Bella took to her fighting stance, ready to face off against the woman in front of her. She hadn't even considered anyone else in the room now.


[System]
'Sella'
♀

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Abilities

Personality

Biography

[User]
"Tch. Idiot."

Aleksiya's criticism of Akyasha's actions was far less gentle then Giselle's. Even as she snatched the rat, the scowl on her face made her feelings immediately obvious.

They could have earned what was likely human blood by cooperating with that man, and yet they would be feeding on the blood of rats, and for what? The diminutive vampire hadn't the slightest idea as to why the priestess had chosen not to cooperate. For one who professed her love for her fellow vampires, it seemed that something else was more important to her at the moment.

Still, she couldn't exactly ignore the prospect of a chance to feed, even if it was on some foul vermin. Her teeth were for the necks of humans, those who had earned the right to enjoy the privilege of her feeding, or her enemies who would be drained until nothing remained. A rat, by contrast, was vermin.

She would not bite into the flesh of vermin. Digging her nails into its skin, she needed only a small injury to permit her desired manipulations.

The rat's body spasmed as she began to move the blood inside of it, its flesh tearing as its blood began to freeze, tearing its way out of the rodent's flesh, a glistening crystal of blood steadily extracted from its body.

It was that which she consumed. It tasted foul, but it was far more refined to feed like this then anything else. Tossing the bloodless body away, her attention refocused.

The most important matter, indeed.

Ichor's voice. Hearing it once more...

The sight of the other long lost lords, especially the absence of certain ones among their number, was a pleasant one.

"Indeed, we shall," she replied to Dragan's words, smiling as she approached the balcony. There was comfort in the Goddess's words. The framework through which this world would no longer be twisted, where monsters would be given their due punishment. It was a warmth that cut through the terrible condition of the world around them.

Aleksiya curtsied.

"My wings of frost shall always spread for you, goddess. Please, guide us."

This@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

[Assistant]
"How ungrateful the both of you! I get put in a dire position and this is the thanks I get?" Akyasha was justifiably angered. The Cleric pondered if she should help the either of them if they were in a bad situation again, considering how rude the two of the have been to her since they had woken up. She had made an oath to treat her sisters well but she felt, in the situation, that treatment didn't have to extend to the rudest of them. If their unlife were in danger, perhaps. Otherwise, they were on their own. This would not be a violation of the oath she had taken, surely.

It took some small amount of time, but the troop walked into the Cathedral proper and, as Akyasha was taking in the beautiful sight of it all, she noticed some few others here as well. Ilena, Dragan, and Luna and a thrall of some sort? Curious. "More of our fellows! Perhaps you all will be less of the rude sort than my current company." Akyasha said before hearing the voice of the Goddess. "Ahh! Goddess! To the balcony?"

The woman rushed to the top happily, "Goddess! I beseech thee, bless your unworthy children with thy words!" The cleric had said after practically sliding into a kneeling position at the top of the balcony. This was standard fare for the Cleric, of course.

[User]
Location: Alavaris
Cathedral
Landshark@Asuras@Erode@VitaVitaAR@Click This@Pyromania99

---

"...ร๏ Ŧคг…ร๏ ร๓คɭɭ…"

The red light gently caressed the undead that presented themselves. Not even the titans, entrapped by the storms could make them feel threatened in their weakened state. The commanding voice they had initially heard faded into a quiet caress.

"...๓ץ ς๏๓๓คภ๔…เร รเ๓קɭє."

Though the crimson star was worlds and realms away, her voice was still clear despite the quiet echo they could all hear.

"...รєשєภ…รєשєภ ๓๏гє…ยรє Շђє ђєคгՇ. ๒гเภﻮ Շђє๓…Շ๏ Շђє ợยєєภ…"

The queen? Seven more? Perhaps it would have been more cryptic to others, but for any of the vampires with an inkling of how things were before the end of the last era, there was no doubt who the seven were.

"…ฬєรՇ…รՇคгՇ Շђєгє…ђย๓คภร…"

Slowly, the crimson light faded. The swirling storms far in the distance slowly spiraled out of view, the darkness that had become familiar to the six upon their resurrection. They had a direction from their goddess, at last. West. Humans. Were it not for the giant undead blocking the main gate in that direction, this would be a simple task.

But it seemed, the only way they were to go on their journey is by through it. If nothing else, the few vials of blood left that the Thrall was carrying, now would serve their purpose. It would not grant them major strength, but if nothing else, they would certainly be able to take this shrieking undead with little difficulty.

Supposing Giselles' group informed the other three of it.

Or perhaps the six had other ideas. Their goddess certainly gave them a heading, but then what of Rikard? Or this mysterious partner of his? Or the odd serpentine creature Ilena's group ran into? So long as they ultimately completed their goal, it likely mattered not to the goddess.

[Assistant]
@Psyker Landshark@Pyromania99@Click This@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

Westward, then, to claim blood more human, more satiating. And to seven more lords, resurrection to grant, the seven whose fall marked the vampires' end. The sanguine light faded, Ichor disappearing into the cosmos, and Ilena let out a breath, rising up from her position. Amethyst eyes flickered from one new arrival to another, faces indistinct but repute well-marked enough that unfamiliarity would still bring forth fragments of knowledge with regards to their pedigree. Two royals, and a true-blooded cleric of Ichor. Of the naturalborn aristocrats, Giselle de Farry was more tolerable of the two, an architect of crimson constructions compared to the more child-like pretensions of the Rime-Winged Vermillion Angel and her hedonistic pursuits. And as for that Blood-Lily Cleric...

...well, Luna may have found her a like-mind, but the two were incomparable in methodology and grace.

"If the Goddess desires it, then westward we depart." This city and its mysteries could be left to be uncovered at another time, for vampires truly had but an excess in time. As for her familiar, for the Skeeters she's sent out to hunt?

She can await their return on her own time.

[User]
Luna Emeraltide

Much as the thrall had her own ideas of servitude and punishment, Luna had her own -and who would have a better handle on what was best: herself, or a thrall? As the nameless woman slipped back into unconsciousness, Luna disregarded Dragan, and began the quick ritual to revive the woman as her new thrall. With shut eyes, she could hear Dragan's motion in the background. Quickly, blood dripped from her eyes as gentle tears, and ran down her cheeks. She cradled the thrall with one arm, and with her other hand reached up to pry a single droplet. She paused, her body freezing at the feeling of something washing over her.

A warming voice, distant and pleasant, roused her ears and fluttered her unbeating heart. Ichor's voice rolled over the balcony and banisters, and its familiar, enlightening spirit drew greater power from Luna's eyes; her tears flowed more freely, more voluminous, and in turn poured greater power into the ritual. It was not her intention, but this thrall would given more strength than Luna had planned for. In her trance, it was difficult to care.

Prying a single large droplet from her closed eyes, she fed the blood to the thrall through her lips, and offered a short prayer.

"Beneath Ichor's gaze, this child, this master commands thee to rise anew. Born again as servant to Luna Emeraltide."

Whether the thrall awoke or not, Luna stood, still carrying the woman, and hurried up the stairs to the second floor where the others had gathered to witness their Goddesses' light and hear her command. She set the thrall to the side -away from the gates which Dragan had opened- and joined the others. She practically fell to her knees, and clasped her hands in silent prayer as her ears caught the last vestiges of Ichor's mystic presence. Even as it left, she remained there in pious reflection for a moment more.

Standing, Luna only then acknowledged the three additional faces. Little introduction was needed for so notable a crew. Though, truthfully, Luna had little inclination to give regards to one in particular. Their journey was just beginning, and there was little room for petty squabbling and rivalry Luna felt. It was time to behave and consolidate.

"Have we any needed preparations before going?" she asked to the group at large, "Did you find anything of note yourselves?" she directed to Akyasha, Aleksiya, and Giselle.

[Assistant]
Dragan Meszaros

Dragan merely kept his head bowed as he received his orders, waiting for Ichor's light to disperse before he dared stand once more. As he did, the Death Knight contemplated the directives they'd all been given. Head west, and resurrect the seven vampire lords in the Queen's service before bringing back the Queen herself. Understandable goals. If the current group had all been brought back to life, it stood to reason the same could be done for the greatest among their number.

Of course, there were some that Dragan would have preferred not be brought back, but a command from the Goddess was inviolatable. The Blight Lord and the Sanguine Regent were stains upon their shared race as a whole, but their abilities and knowledge were invaluable. No matter his opinion, though, what was left of the paladin inside of Dragan drove him to follow Ichor's decree. Even he could see the logic in bringing them back, and if what he assumed of the crusade had been true, vampires had been all but wiped out until their recent rise.

"Westward, then." Dragan murmured as he placed his helm back atop his head, turning to exit the balcony. He turned back towards the others. "For those of you that just joined us, Lady Ilena is already bearing the heart that the Goddess mentioned. It ought to be safe in her care until the time comes for it to be used."

[User]
Giselle de FarryUndead Princess, de Farry

---

Great, it seemed like the priestess was as clueless as she was stupid. Not that Giselle was ever going to say that, either to her or in public. She was too much of a class act for that, even if she did like to show her disapproval of things at times. Rather than correct Akyasha's misconceptions, the white-haired vampire thought that she had better things to do, such as to pay proper attention to the words of her goddess. She hardly rushed to hear her words like a giddy child, instead affecting a solemn pace and posture as she received her words.

Her words of guidance were more worldly than what might have expected out of a god, but given the circumstances, it was very understandable. To revive more of her fallen brethren, together with the queen of her kind was only logical.

Giselle did have her doubts about 'the seven,' but there was little doubt as to who the seven were—the seven remaining vampire lords that had not been resurrected and were together in the cathedral with her. Some of those remaining seven, though… Well, for somebody who valued good governance, administration, and the love of her people, she had no love for them and thought they should continue to rest as they were.

But who was she to question the will of a goddess? She did have to admit, in these times, a strong set of hands would be needed to guide things onto a better path, no matter how flawed the tools might be…

Eyeing one of the leftover vials of blood, Giselle made to partake of it, even as she continued to mentally curse Akyasha for the loss of an extra good vial.

"West we shall go, but a word of caution, friends," she said, once she was done. "The three of us recently came from that direction. With six of us, it might not be so problematic, but it is worth mentioning that a great skeleton beast lies in our path there. Perhaps one of you have also encountered it?" She glanced over at Luna, Dragan, and Illena, inclining her head towards the latter as Dragan mentioned her as the bearer of the heart.

"There are also other humans in the city we have encountered. Other entities too, though it was not I who encountered them…" Trailing off, she glanced at Akyasha.


[System]
Age: 16

Gender: Male

Arcana: Magician

Equipment: One strong-looking Nine-Iron, a rosary, more eyewear than you'd ever believe necessary (mainly triangular shades), the Necronomicon and other such Grimoires, a Japanese-to-English dictionary.

Skills: Greco-Roman wrestling, whiz with a golf club, knowledge of the paranormal and supernatural, knowledge of anime and internet culture, bit of a sneakster, bit of a trickster, most casually optimistic guy ever. Girl-crazy smartass.

Appearance: Standing tall and lanky for a Japanese teenager at 5'10, Tomoda is most immediately recognizable in a crowd by his never-buttoned Hawaiian shirt, his obscenely cool triangular shades, and his wild, bleached blonde hair and chin scruff. Always wearing a cheshire, shark-toothed smile and waltzing around town with his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts, he is the epitome of carefree in body language and demeanor, with the brown eyes hidden behind the eyepieces always either gleaming with humor or an insidious plot to do something dumb and rope his friends into it.

Personality: In case you couldn't tell yet, he is defined by his carefree disposition and whimsical actions. Nakamichi's both a willful idiot and a wise guy, always acting as if he's at play even in the most dire of situations. Not to be written off as a simple bellend, however, he's quite adept at thinking on his feet and balancing himself no matter how shaky the ground he and the gang are standing on gets. Openly friendly and good-natured, he's the type of guy who is enjoying his youth wholeheartedly. His interests are a big part of who he is, and he's never one to shy away from talking about them. Especially if the interest in question is girls. Hates goodbyes.

Biography: Born into a fairly normal life, Tomoda was an only child with few real sibling figures, or for a good while, friends. As such, he was left to marinate in the things he found interesting, which happened to be fantastical stories of the arcane, paranormal, and supernatural right up until about his second year of middle school. At that point a drastic paradigm shift occurred, and the formerly nameless face in the crowd became gregarious in the extreme, eventually leading to the brazen boy we all know today. His family owns and runs the local mini golf course, and he's going to get a part-time job there soonish. So he says, anyway, "because girls like a working man".

Persona

Name: Jack o' Lantern (Pyro Jack)

Appearance:

Traits:
-Reflects:None
-Absorbs: Fire
-Void: None
-Resist: None
-Weak: Ice
Abilities: Agi
Sukunda
Provoke

[User] Senhime looked up from her book only to see the bright light coming from around the drama club she if she was not mistaken. Standing up and quickly packing the book she left the roof going down a bit in a hurry making sure she wasn't running as to not invite the teachers on her. Her school uniform's skirt coming dangerously close to flying up at one point when she almost tripped. Thankfully for Senhime it didn't though she did have a major blush on her face the rest of the way towards the club. Reaching the drama clubroom on the second floor she noticed some people already there. "W-w-w-what H-h-h-happened?" She asked as she looked at the closest person nearby.

[Assistant]
ost

"Yeah."

She had learned the Seven Styles of Bantz from under the floral-patterned wing of Nakamichi-kun. It was not as though she could not have scratched Daisuke's itch for someone to talk to, bounce his hot-blooded zeal off of. But sometimes it was best to just reflect on your day in silence, you know? Banter and cursing was nice, but if you did it all the time, things stopped being funny. You learned not to laugh at most of it, which was sad.

Kimiko still liked to laugh.

Anyway, that probably wasn't what Daisuke-kun would take out of her silence. He'd probably just think she was daydreaming about baseball or detective work or a kaiju made of Bubbalicious. There wasn't a deeper meaning behind Saitou Kimiko's silence very often, and she wasn't easy to read when there was one.

She decided to try communicating her intent to her bike-wielding classmate more directly.

"I don't know if I've ever seen your bike."

This was a start.

"Do you park it at McDonald's often?"

[User]
Fortunately for the petite girl, Aki's decent reflexes barely prevented him from clotheslining her as he turned the corner. Perfect, the drama room explosion caught the attention of some more people. The newcomers could take care of the casualties while he went after Yamamoto and Rena. A flustered blush coloured Honda's cheeks as she stuttered her way through her inquiry.

"Ah, I'm not too sure myself, Senhime-chan," he sheepishly grinned as her presence forced him out of contemplation. He reverted back to Default Mode: Airheaded Cinnamon Roll in response to her appearance.

"Seems like Oogami set off a military grade flashbang or something. It's a total mess in there and everyone's a bit dazed but they looked fine when I came in. I'm just going after Rena-chan and Kaede-kun cos they were, um ... getting medical attention! For Kaede-kun! Yeah, that!"

The urgency of the situation made his bluffing a lot sloppier than usual.

"You should go check up on the drama kids. I'm sure you'd be a better medic than Mr Clumsy here," he added. "I should go now, seeya Senhime-chan!"

He sprinted past without listening for a response. He'd explain himself later. He spied them already outside from the window. Looks like they were heading towards the clock tower.

[Assistant]
"Other than the fact that Lit club is covering Tolstoy's War and Peace, not much."

Teach did hit a nail on the head. School was boring. The only thing I had going for me was Lit and Soccer, and not much else.

I kept walking, but slow. Let the teach keep up with me.

"Classes...classes go how they'd go, teach. You should know that."

[User]
NPC: Igarashi Iemasa

"Tolstoy, huh?"

War and Peace wasn't something that he expected the Literature club to be covering, but it looked like his precious students were really expanding their horizons in search of greater understanding of their world. That was delightful for a teacher like him to hear; for the kids to take initiative and study such difficult texts, it was pretty awesome. There was a reason Tolstoy's works were so central to world literature after all, and even a history teacher like him could appreciate everything it taught!

"I don't know that, actually," replied Iemasa, relishing the last word on the tip of his tongue. "Every teacher has their own style of handling a class. What rocks for one might not for another. Like, I for one am totally in the dark on how Kazuma-sensei does maths."

Definitely not like how he taught history though. He liked a more cozy, talkative atmosphere, one that wasn't too conductive to all that numeracy.

"Some classes you might think are fun, while others? Snooze-inducing. Still pays to keep those eyes open and pasted to the work though."

Iemasa stopped walking.

"Anyway, I must be keeping you," he continued. "Have fun with Lit, Matsumoto-kun, and have a good weekend too!"

He stepped to leave, before pausing once more. Right. There was one more thing he was going to say.

"Oh yeah, if you saunter by the the drama folks' clubroom on the way there, could'ya tell Kaede-kun that he needs to get some paperwork to his club advisor? Thanks in advance."

[Assistant]
Arina Mifune – Uchima Senior High School

That's fucking stupid. School is over! Arina bowed, "Alright." She swiped the detention slip from the teacher's hand, reaching behind, placing the slip into her bag and left. As her journey to the parking lot neared the end, the detention was in her mind, how stupid it was for her to get a detention for this. Of course rules were rules, this was not America were it was common for students to question the authority of teachers. Though she should have kept her uniform on, but she realized that but her ego scoffed at the thought of that.

And she made her trip into the city.

--

Arina Mifune - Shikatsu (師勝町) - A Pharmacy in the City

After that hour of shopping for groceries, now it was time for his mother's medicine. The dreaded Pinkeye was it, for her mother's prescription was ready at the local drugstore. It was a large pharmacy and was equitable to CVS Pharmacy or Rite-Aid back in America. Though it did not have a lot of people when she originally entered, a few customers shopping around, employees stocking merchandise, it was quiet, which was somewhat odd at first but the she liked it as she sat on a chair near the pharmacy counter. She scrolled through her Instagram, looking at her friend's photos with harmony, waiting until the intercom call for her mother's medicine.

[User]
Lining the eastern boulevard away from Uchima Senior High, cherry blossom trees stood in stoic rows and silently awaited their turn of seasons. Nevertheless, afternoon sunlight dappled the verdant leaves and spilled over onto the ground, mingling with the shadows of tree trunks and students passing underneath. The weight of Japanese tradition literally hung over the heads of each successive generation who would attend and graduate from Uchima; only one exception was finding physical and mental difficulty in accepting it. That is, Kiritsugu found it his daily annoyance to brush away the lower hanging branches interfering with his movement.

About the twelfth tree down the line, Kiritsugu had enough of bending over to leaves whipping his face, and leaned back against its trunk, allowing those of better fitting stature to pass by him. Their usual drone of merrily chatting about their weekend plans, abound in Shikatsu, did not escape his ears. He shielded his eyes from the filtered Sun as he averted his gaze upwards towards the canopy. Sunlight's one thing, shadow's another. Can't win with both problems.

The surrounding fields of rolling green captured Kiritsugu's attention next. An image flickered in his mind's eye, and the blank panorama transformed for him. Apartment complexes rose out of the ground, followed by skyscapers in the distance, reaching to block out the Sun and cast their looming shadows. At the base of it all, familiar restaurants and shops opened up to direct the flow of customers as the crowd increased in size and intensity. Kiritsugu relaxed against a traffic light, and listened to the buzzing conversation of Cantonese speakers walking past him, merrily chatting about their next stops in Kowloon. His hand felt around for the button to activate the crosswalk signal...

...instead scraping it against the bark. Kiritsugu kicked behind him, and let out a disappointed sigh when the "thunk" of the tree trunk was heard instead of the hum of metal. His eyes swam in the white light before readjusting to the ample shade, and he held an arm out to steady himself before continuing his walk down the boulevard. Gritting his teeth as he emerged out of the last of the cherry blossoms, he'd just remembered the irony of his Japanese surname, as he entered the initial suburbs marked by family houses.

//

Let's think of something a normal person would for once.

Not much homework today. The weather's gotten to me, so no martial arts practice. If I'm indoors, at least I have to finish learning C++. Meh, programming's a bore.

Okay, any manhua I feel like rereading? Nope, still need to buy the next volume of Ravages of Time. That means waiting for mother to come home for longer than a day, and coinciding with a literature expo in Nagoya. Unless the heavens tear asunder and I can make a trip to Tokyo.

Oh look, here comes a truck. At least here I won't get run over looking both ways in the wrong order.

[Assistant]
"Yeah. There's a bike rack out back for employees." Daisuke started walking the bike next to him , headed away from the school down towards the street. He supposed Kimiko probably hadn't seen it before. He was usually gone by now, before most people had made their way out of the building. So it made sense that she'd be curious. She was like that. Curious, that is. "It's decent enough. Gets me where I need to go."

"So, how've you been?"

[User]
"I'unno, Senhime..." you murmur thoughtfully, fingers gripping the links in the fence by reflex.

Takauji wasn't the only one having a funny feeling about it, that was for sure. Even if your initial dismissal was correct, you wouldn't ever really know for sure like this, would you? And even if you were told after it passed, you'd always be left with that "what-if" burning through your mind, about a possibility that it could have been something supernatural and strange and mysterious.

It's always best to see things for yourself, and for what they truly are.

You turn, wearing that cheshire grin once more.

"Let's go check it out!"

With a little extra bit of pep in your step, you bound towards the door for the staircase.

You were, all of a sudden, feeling pretty energetic today. Something good must have happened over there.