[System]
Eska
Age: 22

Gender: Female

Physical Description: Standing at 5'9" Eska has a slender figure with muscles that are toned from years of training. Her thick, dark chestnut brown hair reaches to the middle of her back, and is usually in a loose side braid on the left side of her head. Long bangs frame her face, with two little blue beads resting half an inch from their tips keeping them out of it. Her face gracefully slopes down to a heart shaped chin, with cheekbones lightly dotted with freckles. Eska's icy blue eyes seem to peer straight into souls, though will never linger too long. While she does stick to the traditional blues and whites of the water tribe, her clothing is light due to Republic City's climate and is loose so that she is free to move as she pleases. She normally wears navy joggers, tucked into light brown, slim calf boots that hug the shape of her feet and point at the tip of them. She wears a light blue tunic with a traditional collar that ends at her hips, sloping down to mid-thigh on the right side.

Backstory: Eska, of no relation to Desna and Eska, was born of Northern and Southern Water Tribe descent. Her father was a part of the Northern Water Tribe and her mother that of the Southern Tribe. They initially resided in the Northern Tribe, where her father worked in the government and provided Eska and her mother with a comfortable life. Her mother was a bender, who was overjoyed to see her daughter was gifted as well. With enough convincing, Eska's father allowed her to begin training at the age of seven. She mostly trained in the Northern bending style, yet whenever her family took vacations to the Southern Tribe she would receive lessons from her mother's side of the family. Thus, she was trained in both the Northern and Southern styles of water bending. Despite this gift, her father always taught her how to be humble and only use her bending when she necessarily needed it.

As a young girl, she admired Avatar Korra and Katara, daydreaming of adventures across the world. The years passed, and her fantasies dissolved as she learnt that the world was falling into a time where there was no balance. At the age of fifteen she moved to Republic City, where her father was sent to be a small time diplomat. There she learned of the political strife that laid thickly over Republic City, and she began to miss the peace of the water tribes. Homesick, she began to bury herself in her bending training. Eventually she began to adjust to life in Republic City, although her father worries about her safety in the city. Despite his wish for her to live at home, she moved out and into her own apartment at the age of 20. She found a job teaching the basics of water bending to young benders, and has found a fascination in the spiritual side of bending. She taught herself basic healing techniques within the span of a month, and continued to hone her bending.

Now at 22, Eska prefers to keep her bending to a minumum, though she continues to teach young benders and train. She plans to travel to the Southern Water Tribe within a few months to become a a master bender.

While she may not use her bending in public she always carries a small amount of water with her, as if it were pepper spray. She keeps a level-headed, playful atmosphere about her, with a few close friends in the city and a whole bookcase of bending knowledge in her room. Always tuned into the news, she has a feeling deep down that she wants to do more for Republic City.

Bender/Non-bender: Water bender of moderate skill; knows the basics of healing and fighting styles of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes.

[User]
The young man in the cage took deep breaths as he drowned out the cheering crowd. Most contenders made a show of their victories, waving or egging the crowd on, or other such theatrics. But Shu wasn't here for theatrics. He wasn't here for the audience's sake, in fact he might even insist that he wasn't here for the glory either. He was here for the fight itself. Something about it was just... therapeutic to him. Being able to beat an opponent senseless, unleash all his pent up rage and frustration with the world and putting it all into strikes against poor unsuspecting opponents. His sharp, angry glare never left Shu's face even as he Earthbent a short pillar in front of himself.

The usual rules of the Cage was to fight until you drop, a sort of King-of-the-Hill competition where the Cage was the "hill" and whoever was left standing was it's current king. Right now, that meant Shu, and so he waited for whoever was going to come out next. He passed the time in his usual way, by striking at the pillar of earth he had erected for himself, using it as a training dummy. There was something to be said for someone who would, without hesitation, repeatedly punch rock and stone with their otherwise bare fists. And these were regular strikes. too, no Earthbending involved. That of course meant his knuckles, forearms, and legs were impacting the pillar no differently than those of a non-bender. Suddenly he heard someone calling him, and whatever trance-like state Shu had been in was broken. He stopped striking the pillar of rock and turned to the source of the voice.

"Some nutcase rookie wants to challenge you, offered good money for a chance to fight you on the spot. It's not our usual rules, but we can't ignore the money. It's your choice, but the boss has authorized me to offer you a cut of the bet if you make the rookie run home screaming. So what say you?"

The Master... he rarely left his post in the Red Room. So this had to be a pretty unusual circumstance. His words didn't mean much to Shu. The money would surely go to good use of course, but he also made it no secret that he didn't really do this for the money. He also wasn't as stupid as most people took him for either. Most arena fighters were thought to be brainless muscle, unable to figure out when something was suspicious. Well, Shu was far from that image. Whoever this challenger was he obviously had some other agenda. As for what that actually was, well, Shu would just have to ask him... using his fists of course.

"You should know me by now, Master." Shu responded, his tone even and without hesitation, "I'm here to fight, don't much care against who. If he wants to get hurt so bad, then let him. No skin off my back." he didn't say anything else, instead returning his focus to the pillar he had erected earlier. The Master must have walked away to inform the officials, because within moments the voice of Zhou thundered on the loudspeaker.

"Stop the presses, folks! Some newbie thinks he can conquer our beloved Beast!" the crowd seemed to be split on this, half of them cheering and the other half booing and hissing, "So let's bring him out see if he can walk the walk or if he's all bark!"

The more he waited, the more furiously Shu struck at his stone pillar. By the time his challenger would enter the Cage, Shu's pillar was starting to form cracks on it until he finally gave it one last mighty blow to shatter the pillar into pebbles and gravel. Then Shu's angry eyes, filled with rage and fury, shot a threatening glare at his next opponent.

[Assistant]
@Exit

"Kid wants to fight," the Master replied as he walked back from the Cage. "Don't know if that's good news or bad."

"It is good news for you," Shiban replied, checking the makeshift cloth bandage he had wrapped around his left forearm to hide his tattoo while he had waited. There was no point flaunting his allegiance in front of a large crowd. He then made a move towards the entrance to the cage, but stopped as the Master laid his hand on him. He turned irritably.

"Now, look here Mister whatever your name is," the Master began, his features hardening. "I don't know why you are doing this crazy thing. It's your life. But if you try anything funny in there, I will stop you. Provided the Beast doesn't finish you off first."

Shiban raised an eyebrow in amusement. This old Master threatening him was the funniest thing he had heard in recent times.

"So what do we call you anyway?" the Master continued. "The Destroyer or something?"

Shiban grinned. Something nudged his memory, and he remembered a name from long ago. Why not, he thought. He controlled his manic laughter as he said, "Call me Sparky Sparky Boom Man."

His shoulders were still shaking with mirth as he entered the cage, while the Master scratched his head in bewilderment.

Shiban stepped into the glare of the cage. He couldn't see few feet beyond the cage as the floodlights momentarily flashed in his eyes. He pulled his probending cap lower on his forehead and approached the lone fighter standing there, having just smashed a block of rock to pieces.

"And here he is, folks!" the announcer was screaming. "The craaaazy fighter who wants to take on the Beast! My, look at the size of him! Well, as they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. But let's not count our pig-chickens just yet. He might still pack a mean punch."

Shiban stared at Xun, the Beast. He was just a young man. But in the cage, he seemed much larger. Shiban nodded to himself. The prophecy seemed to be true. But he needed to test this kid to know his true mettle.

"Greetings, Beast," he called out from where he was standing. His legs were spread to imitate a solid stance. But he was light on his feet, ready to pounce away the moment the earth shifted under him. "It will be my honor to fight you."

He never broke eye contact with Xun as he stood his ground. Somewhere in the arena, a bell rang. It was time to fight.

[User]
Maika looked at him as if she was seeing a ghost. Or a miracle. Was this just an act he was putting on? But no, he seemed genuine. He sounded sincere. Maika turned around to face him.

"What gave it away was your kindness. No inhabitant of this city ever spared so much time for the poor and the weak. You know, if I had met you even a month earlier, I would have said you are a fake. Or I would have laughed in your face for your naivete. But... but something happened. Something that made faith meaningful. I wanted to see proof of the strength of hope. And now... I see you." She gave him one of her rare smiles. Not the flirty one she used on her marks. She felt genuine warmth emanating from him.

"The name is Maika," she said, offering her gloved hand to him. "And you and I are not all that different. I try to help the less fortunate. 'Try' being the operative word." She sighed. Why should good things be so difficult to do, while crime came easy?

"You know... there is a great ice cream place around the corner. The owner is a friend. She gives free ice creams to poor children once all the customers are gone. And she always needs more hands to help." She raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "There is a free raspberry smoothie in it for you. Or any other flavor really," she added with a small laugh.

[Assistant]
"The moon is brightest at night. And so are you," said Old Man Wu, chuckling to himself. If his dear Mili had been alive to hear him flirt with a girl his granddaughter's age, she would have chased him around the block, creaking knees and all.

"And don't you get me in trouble again, young lady," he wagged his finger at her. "Last time I told you probending stories, the boss man wanted to fire me for wasting your time. Hmph!"

He made sure to mop while he talked, taking care to get the dirt between the floor tiles. The gym could have long since fired him. Or let him go in a dignified manner. But his wife Mili's death changed everything. He did not want to spend his final years stuck in the lonely house full of memories of her. He wanted to work for as long as he could. The work was therapeutic to him, something to focus his mind. The owners of the gym were kind enough to let him stay.

"But... I do have something to tell." He was uncharacteristically subdued as he broached what was weighing his heart down. "Eska, I don't know why I want to tell it to you. But... it will help me if you listen."

He was a bit anxious. Eska had always been nice to him, consoling his grief in those rare moments he thought of his family. Sometimes, he would imagine his son alive, married to someone like Eska. But he didn't, anymore. There were too many dead people in his memories these days.

He motioned to a row of chairs set against the wall by the large windows. Moonlight was streaming in through the windows, giving the place an ethereal lighting.

"Perhaps we could sit down and chat?"

[User]
"The moon is brightest at night. And so are you," Wu said with a chuckle afterwards.

Eska's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, shaking her head at the old man's musings. She never took his flirts in a literal way. After all, she was the same age as his granddaughter.

"And don't you get me in trouble again, young lady," he continued, and Eska looked to see that he was waving his finger at her. "Last time I told you probending stories, the boss man wanted to fire me for wasting your time. Hmph!"

Eska laughed softly. "This place would be a pig sty without you, Wu," she mused. "I promise not to get you in trouble again." She watched as the old man mopped the floor, sensing a change in his demeanor. Something was bothering him, but it seemed like a different problem than the usual old memories giving him heartache.

"But... I do have something to tell. Eska, I don't know why I want to tell it to you. But... it will help me if you listen." Wu said, as if he was reluctant to share what was on his mind. He motioned towards the chairs by the windows. "Perhaps we could sit down and chat?"

Eska furrowed her brows lightly, nodding in concern. She moved towards the chairs, bringing her water bottle with her. "I'm off the clock anyways," she said with a small smile as she hoped to lighten the situation. She took a seat in one of the chairs, crossing one leg over the other. "What's wrong, Wu?"


[System]
Alias: She-Wolf

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual

Personality: Although the media paints She-Wolf as a vicious beast much of the time, Accalia is actually somewhat calm and slow to anger. She's very physically affectionate around the people she loves, and will hug, smooch, and snuggle the heck out of whoever she's feeling loving towards. Even when she's out superhero-ing, she prefers not to use violence or force until she deems it necessary or is pissed off enough–– and when she's pissed off enough to use excessive violence, there is no rhyme or reason to it; it's animalistic rage. She'll bite, rip and tear at whatever she can.
Being a werewolf, she eats mostly meat, and is prone to really pissing off vegans more than the average person.
Much of her superhero-ing involves rescuing animals and escorting people home at night, but she also (literally) sniffs out dog fighting and human trafficking rings.
She has some canine-like traits: She is startled and wary of new things, she gets distracted by animals, she likes to roll on things she think smell good (this includes her favorite people).

Appearance:

Powers:
•Shapeshifts into a larger-than-average, black-furred wolf (This takes a lot of energy, which is probably why she eats so damn much)
•Enhanced senses (Night vision, very strong nose and hearing–– her color vision is actually weaker than most people's)
•not really a power but she just really doesn't give a shit about the cold
•in her wolf form she can "talk" to dogs/canines with body language, and is in general in expert on it

Bio: Accalia has been a werewolf since birth, because her father was one and surprise surprise it's genetic. She's had a pretty good relationship with her mother for the most part despite the fact that it is not easy raising a werewolf child–– doctors always think/thought she has abnormally high metabolism (she sort of does), she sometimes just kind of went missing as a toddler and her mother would find a tiny wolf pup in various locations throughout the house. Basically it was like having a baby and a puppy at the same time.
Her father was absent because he died when she was seven months old of leukemia.
There is no crazy origin story. Accalia just graduated high school, moved out, and got bored. Naturally, a part-wolf 18 year old with a lot of pent up energy is going to decide to be a vigilante, because that's just the most logical decision, right? She donned her ridiculous costume, went out at night, and started small, just rescuing puppies and whatnot. She didn't become actually recognized as a superhero until she was 20, and long story short, ended up in a dogfighting ring.
That is also how she got her media reputation as a vicious beast, but worry not, every dog made it out okay!

[User]
`Good morning, Kingsport! It is currently 4 AM and welcome to WKXZ News Radio, your local station for all the things happening in this amazing city of ours! Our top story for this morning: last night around 10 PM, an apartment on West Gay Street caught on fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene after a neighbor reported a sound like an explosion to find the top half of the six-story building burning up. One fatality has been reported so far, and eight people are in the hospital for related injuries. There is no news as to what caused the fire or the explosion-like sound. Anyone with possible information is encouraged to call the police station. Personally, I'm trying to remember off the top of my head if any of our local supervillains are known arsonists. But that may just be me.

The weather for today is predicted to be a wonderful seventy degrees Fahrenheit, partly cloudy with winds under five miles per hour and no chance of precipitation. Humidity will be only 37%. Listeners, if you want to see the sunrise, it's predicted to begin at 4:37 AM this morning, so grab your coffee and cameras and get ready for a wonderful start to a wonderful day!

Onto the traffic: Highway 40 is currently clear. We- Hm. We seem to be experiencing some technical difficulties with the drone, we'll get back to you on that, but your commute should go smoothly. No accidents have been reported yet and with the weather the way it's been, there are no hazards to warn about.

Onto the other stories for the day!`

-kzzzt-

`Good morning Kingsport! It is currently 4:30 AM and welcome to WKXZ News Radio, your local station for all the things happening in this amazing city of ours! The sun should be rising soon - on our sponsor break, I decided to take my own advice and prepare my camera for the sunrise. I think our friend Matt in Weather may have made a few wrong predictions - the sky seems to be blanketed in clouds this morning. I couldn't even see the stars! So that's your weather update, first of all. Secondly, I apologize, but it seems the traffic drone is still out of order. I sent Clara out to report on the roads herself, so don't worry, we'll have information to you all in good time! Everything you need to know to have a wonderful morning!`

-kzzzt-

`Listeners, I believe Matt has made another mistake. The sunrise seems to be a bit late this morning. Our apologies from everyone here at WKXZ News Radio, particularly those looking forward to a beautiful sunrise. We are trying to correct this error. In the meantime, on with our coverage that will affect your morning commute!`

-kzzzt-

`I... Good morning, Kingsport. It is now 5 AM - I think - and and welcome to WKXZ News Radio, your local station. In especially local news, we are examining the clocks in our station. The sunrise seems unusually late, as verified by our callers, but it's possible we've ignored Daylight Savings Time or something similar.

Clara has been reporting in - roads are mostly clear. We have our outbound traffic as usual, heading off for that forty-minute commute - we wish you luck from here at WKXZ News! Inbound traffic seems to be moving slowly, though there are no accidents. Probably some rookie drivers. More on this as it progresses.`

-kzzzt-

`Listeners, the sunrise is over an hour late now. We can't find anything wrong with the clocks. I went outside - the sky is still black, with no stars visible. Matt is calling the National Weather Center in the event we are experiencing strange meteorological phenomena. However, I also received a call from Clara - she's now inbound to Kingsport. She doesn't know what happened, and, frankly, neither do I. Each of her reports indicated she was headed straight out of the city. She says she's going to try to turn around and exit the city.

I- excuse me, we just received a call. One moment.`

-kzzzt-

`...Listeners. We have an exclusive story from Mother Mercy General Hospital. According to the employee who called me - after they'd calmed down enough to tell me the story - all of the comatose patients have awoken. There was no warning, just, suddenly, everyone's awake. Of course, families are being contacted and many of them are apparently well enough now to return home. It's as if nothing ever happened to them.

Afterwards, Clara called - she managed to turn around and kept me on the line as she drove outward - only to return into the city. She told me what she was doing, and I don't think she's trying to trick me. Listeners... she sounds scared. I'm going to call Meridian County Police, try to get some help here. I think something terrible may be happening. If any of our local superheroes are awake, I will also plead for you to help find out what's happening.`

-kzzzt-

`..........`

-kzzzt-

`Listeners. The Meridian County Police answered when I called, and promised to send out a car to get a sense of the situation. That seemed reasonable to me, since no one's getting hurt yet, as far as I've heard. Just a lot of callers confused and scared since, well, the sun appears to be missing and so far we have a looot of late employees unable to leave Kingsport to go to their place of work. It's very bizarre to say the least. But anyways.

The Meridian County Police sent their car.

Their car came back.

Listeners... they can't find us. It's as if Kingsport has been plucked off the face of the earth. They've sent out three more cars, to no avail. They're working on escalating to state and even federal assistance. In the meantime they, and I, advise you all to stay indoors unless necessary to go out and call the station if there are any more updates to report. Again, if any superheroes are listening to us at... 7:45 AM, please, help us.

What is going on here?`

[Assistant]
Sarah stared at the radio in silence, she had woken up to the alarm and the soothing voice of the morning radio host blaring through her small room alongside the loud obnoxious beeping of the alarm. And what she heard as she pulled herself from her half-awake doze was troubling. Normally she only listened for a few minutes before going on with her morning....

This morning she quickly flicked it off and turned on the radio in her main living space. It was 5:30 am and the..sun was late?

Unable to completely comprehend what she was hearing, the young woman quickly scrambled to put together some coffee. Her ears strained to pick up more information, trying to understand completely what was being said as her coffee brewed. The sun was missing. A peering look out of her slightly dirty windows told her that. It was late this morning.

People couldn't leave town. That was troubling as well.

Drinking her coffee and trying to remain calm, she listened to the radio. Listened to the slow advance of news that told her more and more...and left her with more questions than answers. She grabbed her phone and called Sakura, her best friend and the only one who knew…

Well...everything.

For Sarah wasn't just Sarah Quick, IT technician to Kingsport Media and News (KMN). She was also Sparks. Superheroine with the power to control and manipulate electricity.

"Sakura I swear to god. Pick up." Sarah hissed as the ringing drew on more than twice. Eventually Sakura answered and between the two of them they worked out what their next step should be. The debated between listening to the news. No one could leave the city. Everyone was turning right back around somehow. And no sun? And then the coma patients waking up.

The churned out one idea after another, who could be behind this. Why it's happening and they found nothing worth noting.

Eventually it was decided, the city needed Sparks right now, a somewhat familiar face hopefully on the streets will ease some hearts and minds as she went looking for answers.

Draining the last of her coffee, she heard that final question. "I'm hoping to find out." Sarah said to no one and everyone all at once, before disappearing in a bright flash of lightening and electric energy into the outlet. She'd start with the cops.

Whether they liked her or not, they could use all the help they could get at this point.

[User]
"Hm. No sun..? That's weird." Adelaide thought, extinguishing the small flame in her hands. Her cat Sammy jumped onto the couch, meowing a few times to show that he was hungry. "Yeah, yeah, I know. One sec."

After giving Sammy a bowl of food, she sat back down on her couch. "Wait. The... people in a coma are awake? Damn, I kind of wished that Jakob would die. He's such an asshole." The radio went silent again, until that annoying news guy came back, this time with news about the Meridian county police cars or whatever.

She felt oddly calm about all this.

"Hm.. the police will probably take care of this. Or some of those 'superheroes' people like to talk about."

Adelaide stood up from the couch, and went into her room. It wasn't anything fancy, she mostly just slept on the couch anyways. She went to her closet, taking out a dark green tank top and shorts.

[Assistant]
"Five more minutes, please," grumbled Accalia, even though there was no one to hear her. Her ringtone was playing, and it wasn't very loud, but she had one sensitive pair of ears––which made that, and the accompanied incessant buzzing of the phone on the nightstand that much more annoying. Eventually it stopped.

Then it started again. She answered with her mouth curled into the slightest of snarls, a fang sticking out onto her lower lip. "Yes, what, hello? What time is it?"

"It's seven in the morning!" answered her mother.

Incredulous, Accalia looked out the window––not that she needed to. It was utterly dark out, which must have been why she hadn't woken up at her usual time. "Stop playing with me," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Look at your phone. Look at the time."

She did, and for a minute she didn't say anything. It was too early for this. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Turn on the radio. It seems like, um, the sun is missing. No one can get out of Kingsport and people in comas are waking up!"

Accalia turned on the radio with her free hand and listened. "What in the fresh Hell?"

"You have to go out there and help them, you have to do something."

"Mom I thought you hated my, er, lifestyle. Plus, what am I supposed to do?"

"Get out there right now, young lady!"

Accalia yawned loudly and nodded, even though there was no way that her mother could see it. "Okay, okay, I'm on it, I'm getting out there. Love you."

"Love you." Click.

Well, that was possibly the most unusual thing that Accalia had ever woken up to. She rolled out of bed with a low noise that sounded like, but wasn't quite, a growl, and got dressed in her superhero getup. Much too early for all of this. She ate a hasty breakfast consisting mostly of lunchmeat (she'd make up for all the calories transforming took later) before she turned into her lupine form: a large, bristling black wolf, and exited through the doggy door installed in the back door.

After trooping through several backyards and the somewhat scenic surroundings of a biking trail, She-Wolf emerged onto the street with a determined trot. She didn't actually know whether it would do any good to talk to anyone about this whole issue, least of all the police, toward whom she had mixed feelings. Contemplating this, she shifted back to her human shape, standing on a sidewalk. Her transformation had startled an already panicked passer-by, who she just waved at.


[System]
Appearance: "What, can't you just look at me and take some notes? No? Alright fine. Reptilian, green scales, spikes trailing from the top of the head down to the end of the tail. Usual outfit of a hooded long-sleeve shirt, pants with a hole for the tail, no shoes. That good enough for ya?"

Species Name & Description: "Last I heard the going name for us was 'Reptiloids.' There's a bunch of us out here, enough to have several different factions. Not sure most of us came from the same planet originally, actually.

Favourite Side Dish: "I..uhh..whaddaya call the little yellow sweet bits? Starts with a C...cake? No...car? No, that ain't it...Corn! Yeah, corn!"

Useful Skills & Abilities: "I'm a pretty decent pilot. Used to run cargo for a bigger shipping company, before they got bought out. Had to sell my ship recently to get some cash flowing again, but my skills still hold up."

Membership Number: "%XYN)p(Xf@vlv)fL. Yes, I know there's no actual numbers in it. Don't ask me, I just read it off the back o' this badge.

An Inspirational Quote That Sums Up The Character's Personality: "A wise, long-dead human once said 'Life is like a sewer… what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.' I gotta say that you humans sure know how to make a guy laugh."

History: "Oh, you want my story? My WHOLE story? Well sit back, and get comfortable, cause its gonna be a long one..."

[User]
The Bees second Vanessa's fridge comment as some had already had a look inside and had ended up moved it to the medbay assuming it was simply in the wrong place. They apologies for the inconvenience on that bit

"Now that we are all here, I am, as you're probably aware unless I have only communicated with you viea a messaging system for the recruitment process, your Captain: Draksal the Devourer!"

The bees collectively roll their eyes at this last part.
The Bees explain that the voice is The Mind, they are The Bees and that they are very excited to go on adventures with you all

The rest of the group apart from... Tik-Tik, (the mind could probably pronounce her name, having no vocal cords to get in a twist as a result of being a disembodied voice, but her nickname was certainly faster to say/think) had ordered the waiter dispensed a fresh copy of the Space Friends Newsletter.

"Oh good, a copy that hasn't been used by a napkin by someone. Get rid of that one someone left here and wake up Elarin, there is business to be discussed before food arrives "

The old issue was quickly scrunched up and tossed at Elarin to try and get him to join in the discussion that was to follow as the two captain bees packed away the chess set and hovered above the newsletter to view the possible tasks.

The words shrink ray immediately attracted their attention, such a device would be very useful to… acquire and the Bees did have a small number of individuals who had rigorously read detective novels that had seen very little use. The Bees were particularly fond of parties much to the chagrin of The Mind, though free cloths sounded nice so that one was also on the swarm's table.

"As captain I would be interested in hearing your opinions before we decide. It will be useful to get some knowledge as to how you think your skills would apply to that task, vague as their descriptions are"

[Assistant]
"Guten Tag, comrades. My name is Vanessa Kiyvana, though some of you already know that one. I run on a special diet, which..." announced the pretty girl. Fiddlesticks couldn't pay further attention to Vanessa's announcement for he was lost in her eyes. Her voice was as clear and as melodious as crystal rains of Symana. Her eyes sparkled like the stars themeselves. Suffice it to say, Fiddlesticks was a sucker for a pretty face.

"Alright Fiddlesticks old boy. It's game time. Be smooth." Fiddlesticks told himself under his breath. He was painfully shy around pretty girls. The prettier the girl, the more intense his shyness. Vanessa's beauty certainly wasn't helping him with that.

"V-v-Vanessa, if you're done with the newsletter could I have a look?" asked Fiddlesticks. "Cool gun by the way" he commented. His voice broke on the word cool. Fiddlesticks heart was racing. He blushed noticeably.

[User]
Vanessa gave a brief wave of her hand towards the bees and said. "It's no trouble. I moved it back earlier today."

It had been moderately confusing as to why her fridge had been moved, but Vanessa was used to such a thing and had promptly checked the medbay for it's location. It was a good thing she did since the blood wasn't transfusion quality. Attempting to use it in such a way would quite likely kill the recipient, since most of it wasn't filtered and purified to the quality of transfusion blood. Vanessa could, in theory, drink the blood and barf it back up, since her body was able to naturally filter and purify blood. Though Vanessa obviously knew that such blood, despite being clean, wouldn't be very comfortable to use.

Since Draksai had asked for opinions, Vanessa spoke up about her logical findings. "Personally, I would avoid the first and third missions upon the list. The first one likely involves combat between military grade and capital ships which our ship is, quite obviously, not cut out to handle. The third mission is what appears to be someone abusing the system to advertise themselves as help-givers rather than an actual mission. The rest I have no comment on."

Vanessa knew that trying the first mission with their ship in it's current state would be quite the hassle, as Vanessa didn't know how well the armor or shielding would hold up under military grade weapons fire. For that matter, was the ship even armed? Truly, the first mission seemed like a logical impossibility, and Vanessa hoped that the more action oriented members of the crew didn't attempt to sway everyone into undertaking such a mission. It would be rather foolish and likely result in most of their deaths when the ship went up in a fireball after a brief volley of weapons fire.

The other missions seemed much more practical in comparison, since they didn't involve capital ships or military grade equipment. There was the possibility of them looting a disabled ship should they take the first mission, but the cost of adequately repairing something of that quality and size with matching quality components was going to likely break the bank of everyone sitting at the table.

Thus, Vanessa had made her statement against the first mission. The third mission seemed to be rather out of place since the group sitting here was together to give aid, not receive it. They were a crew, not a support group. That left several other missions of various types upon the paper before them, and Vanessa didn't really have too much of a preference to be made about any of them. Vanessa could assist with all of them in some way, and thus was rather neutral in opinion about them.

Vanessa's ear twitched slightly as she heard the music stop and change to another track. Much the same to the previous one in terms of instrument composition, but the note composition was different and the song thus sounded different from the previous one. It too soon faded into the background hum of noise since Vanessa turned her attention away from it, but it was nice to know that the radio system still worked properly and wouldn't be playing the same repeating tune time and time again for the duration of their stay at the eatery.

Weaving her hands together once again, Vanessa took a moment to shift her legs and switch the way she crossed them. Vanessa shifted her rifle as well, moving it to the other arm and resting the butt of the gun upon her other foot, which now sat flatly upon the ground. The rifle was nestled within the crook of her arm just as before, sitting comfortably like a date who had been informed that they were not upon the menu back upon Vanessa's homeworld.

It was a rare treat, to be invited to the feasts there. Vanessa had personally never brought anyone with her, though she had seen plenty of others and thus knew what the feeling was like. The relieved look upon the faces of the men and women as they walked in with their partners. Lovely times, though Vanessa didn't feel homesick upon thinking about them. That was probably a good thing, since returning home after just making friends was probably not the best thing.

With little more to say or think, Vanessa waited for others to voice themselves. Though it was now that she heard Fiddlesticks speak up in her direction. He had complemented her rifle and was asking to see the newsletter. Though this was a rather interesting request since Vanessa hadn't touched the newsletter. Her eyesight was more than powerful enough to read it where it lay upon the table, and as such Fiddlesticks was free to take it at his own pace since Vanessa hadn't moved it. The commander bees were currently reading it, however, and it would likely be best to ask them.

Vannessa gave him another closed lipped smile and said. "Thank you. The design is an old one, though I had it rebuilt using modern materials. I have more weapons at home, though this one is my personal favorite, so I brought it with me." Uncurling her hands from one another, Vanessa gave her free wrist a flick and set a .303 England round upon the table before saying. "It fires these. Not as fancy as some of the other weapons of today, but quite reliable in function and performance. There have been few times where I've needed anything else to ensure my viability in combat."

Picking up the round again, Vanessa gave her wrist another flick to return the round to where it had previously been. Though this location was a mystery to everyone else at the table, Vanessa kept the rounds hidden within her suit, since carrying around exposed ammunition was rather unsightly. Vanessa knew that Fiddlesticks had taken a liking to her, though she also knew that she was rather incompatible with him as a mate due to her status as a vampire, and thus had politely chosen not to reciprocate the feelings that he felt since she knew that it would only lead to disappointment.

Vanessa would live as long as she wanted to, Fiddlesticks likely didn't have that option. Thus, to spare him the misery of not growing old with someone, Vanessa remained aloof in terms of romantic feelings.

[Assistant]
Vanessa gave Fiddlesticks a look of confusion. Perhaps it was because he asked her for something she didn't possess. Vanessa did eye the newsletter with great interest from a distance so he naturally assumed she would be the next one to have it. In truth, Fiddlesticks didn't care about the newsletter. He just wanted an excuse to talk to Vanessa. "Thank you. The design is an old one, though I had it rebuilt using modern materials. I have more weapons at home, though this one is my personal favorite, so I brought it with me." she replied. Her tone was polite yet business like.

"Oh, that's really cool." replied Fiddlesticks sheepishly.

Fiddlesticks may be clueless at times but a fool he was not. He could tell, with a high percentage of probability, that she wasn't into him. This realisation would've crushed Fiddlesticks if it weren't for the fact that he was used to disappointment. The only thought that consoled him was that he was with what seemed like a pretty cool space crew and that Vanessa herself seemed very professional. A professional like her would never let things get awkward. The prospect that soon he'll get to sink his teeth into some honey braised ribs and sweet potato fries also kept his spirits up. Hey, it's a big galaxy and there's plenty of fish in it, literally and figuratively.

Vanessa and the swarm of bees each gave their spiel about what missions to take from the supposed list. Apparently the swarm of bees was the captain. Fiddlesticks was skeptical of this seemingly peculiar arrangement. He decided to test this captain, or captains, a little.

"Excuse me sir, or sirs. Are you or you all the captain or captains of our crew?" Fiddlesticks asked the swarm of bees. "If that's the case, then I assume you know what to do in an emergency? Let's say that we're boarded by space pirates, what do we do?" challenged Fiddlesticks.

[User]
Elarin's eyes opened exhaustedly after the ball of sauce-covered paper bounced off his snout. With a hiss of air as the spines on his head and neck were removed from the holes they made in the upholstery as his head shifted forward. Elarin noted that Vanessa was talking about the various missions listed on the want ad, including one that was actually someone offering help, and a massive space battle. Elarin scratched his snout a bit with his first two claws on his left hand, and glanced down at the list. He read through the list, making careful note of the less violent cries for help, then took to listening in on the conversation.

Elarin had a good internal laugh at Fiddlesticks trying to hit on Vanessa, which was audible as a small hiss to any that cared to listen. When Fiddlesticks began to question Will(or rather THE Will, but Elarin had taken to calling it Will)'s authority as Captain, he spoke up.

"Let me stop ya right there, kid. Will and I are two of the longest-serving members of this ship's crew. We've been through more together than I care to remember right now, so believe me when I say that Will is probably THE most qualified person here to captain the ship."

With that, he pulled a sucker from inside his sweatshirt pocket, unwrapped the paper, and popped it in his mouth. "Now, about these missions. The Quest for Flavor certainly ain't designed for combat, even with all those modifications that Mr. Icey, or whatever his name was, added, so that mission's out. Now, I can get us to the planets listed in the other ones no problem, but as far as which mission I'd rather help on, I'd like to hit up this 'Zane' guy. He sounds like a pretty cool frood, someone who knows where his towel is, all that jazz. So I say we help him out, but that's just my vote. I'll listen to whatever anyone else has to say."


[System]
Role: Middle Prince
Age: 13
Appearance (Pic or description):
Personality: Can be introverted and secluded at times, but at others is very open. Usually open when with his family or close friends.
Other: Has always been fascinated with magic, something that, "Isn't fit for a Prince."

Name: Dante Shadowlord
Role: Villain
Age: Unknown, but appears to be around 15 or 16
Appearance (Pic or description):
Personality: He acts like a child a lot. But he holds a great hatred towards Woodgrove and the royal family.
Other: He is the youngest and remaining member of the shadowlords. He is a powerful dark wizard, but rarely uses the full extent of his powers though.

[User] Avary nodded and went in, scoping the area for potential enemies.

[Assistant] Amalie went in after Avary, searching for the tapestry that hid the tunnels. Suddenly, she heard the sound of the armies getting closer. She went pale, but that steely glint remained in her eyes.

[User] Avary heard this as well and started breathing quickly. But he tried to hide it with false confidence.

[Assistant] Amalia recognized the signs of when Avary began to get anxious. She always had. She took his hand and gave it a light squeeze, using the other to pull back the tapestry.

[User] This helped calm him down slightly. He stood complacently while she pulled the tapestry.

[Assistant] Amelia stepped into the dark tunnel. She held out her hand for Avary to grab.

[User] Avary grabbed her hand, a litle embarrassed, and followed her through the tunnel.

[Assistant] Amalia began descending the steep stairway, fumbling for the wall and the steps. It was pitch dark in the tunnels, black as a moonless night. A spider scuttled across her hand and she shrieked.

[User] Avary flinched when she screamed. He had decent night vision and was able to see a little bit.

[Assistant]
Levi woke up to see a maid tending to his wounds using magic. He got up. He was in working order. "Many thanks. If you would like safe passage, I know a secret tunnel we could use to escape. My siblings are most likely there." Without waiting for an answer, he tore past the castle gates and down the halls, eventually ending up at his mother's room. He took a second to rest.
Moonlight

[User] Amalia's night vision was not decent whatsoever. She had never been able to see in the dark, so all she was pitch-black. "Sorry." she whispered to Avary, her voice echoing in the chasm. "It was- it was just a spider." she said this last part with such fear and shivered.

[Assistant] Elizabeth went to find the king.

[User]
@DriveEMOut
"It's OK. Hey, do you hear something from mother's room?" He asked her.

[Assistant] Amalia listened a bit closer- and found that she did hear something from the room above. She swore aloud, using the dirtiest word she had ever learned. She dragged Avary, Harold, and herself into a small, hidden niche in the tunnel, making sure that they were safely hidden from whoever might be up there.

[User] Avary gasped a little, he had never heard Amalia swear. He followed her into the niche and held his breath. His eyes were alight with fear and he was thinking about every bad thing that could happen then.

[Assistant]
Levi burst through the tapestry. "Brother? Sister? Are you there? It's Levi." He drew his broadsword and prepared to fight if necessary.
@canaryrose

[User]
@canaryrose
He nudged Amalia. "It's Levi." He said, then scrambled to hide his amulet before Levi saw.

[Assistant]
Amalia stayed hidden. she knew that it was Levi, she heard his voice, but it could be a trap. They could be forcing Levi to ask for them. She held her breath, covering Avary's mouth to quiet him.

@Overlord24

[User]
@DriveEMOut
Avary saw her hesitation and didn't move. It might even be Dante using magic to change his voice.

[Assistant]
She shifted a bit and the bells on her skirt jingled a bit, and she cursed in her head.

@DriveEMOut

[User]
@canaryrose
Avary sucked in a breath, waiting for the inevitable.

[Assistant]
Cyrus grove Enson, King of Woodgrove
@DriveEMOut@Nikki Moonlight@Eviledd1984@canaryrose

The mysterious army was starting to fan out around his castle. Some were jumping over the fence and starting to rush for him with their swords drawn. Two men in particular rush forward with dark smiles plastered on their faces.

Cyrus ducks as one of the armored men slashed at his head, making a cut above his eyebrow. He quickly backs up and moves his sword Dumort to be in front of him as blood begins to drip down his face.

 The two men run forward at the same time, which is a big mistake. Cyrus bolts forward and slashes once with his sword. The two men stop sudenly and their swords clatter to the stone floor of the garden.

 A burst of light comes from them and their blood and meat fly in each direction as their guts fall out of their stomachs. The blood starts to pool around their bodies quickly meeting Cyrus' boots.

 Cyrus looks to Dante and points his bloodied sword to his heart. Cyrus then says in dark town, "Let's dance little lord, or does war frighten you?"

 Cyrus completely forgot about the person in black Dante had called out. The mysterious person had a woman build and she was completely dressed in black.

Catherine Lillasteen, the Assasin
@DriveEMOut@canaryrose

Catherin watched Cyrus destroy two men in a burst of light, sending a dark smile to her lips which was concealed by black cloth. It was quite a sight to see the King fight with his legendary sword, Dumort. She had heard many stories of the sword and that is had conquered the underworld and brought light to the Kingdoms. But when you saw it in action it blew your mind. Literally.

He almost always had that damned sword next to him so every assassin that tried to kill him were blown to cat food. Who was this Dante anyway? He must have some fucking good way to live from a strike of the king's sword to run in here.

 But anyways Catherine had other things to do then watch a man blow to best by the hand of the king. She flicked her eyes to scan near the wall and spots Prince Levi and a maid.

Why not have some fun of her own, thought Catherin as she streched her arms over her head and stood up. Catherin quickly jumps on top of the fence from the tree she was perched on and lands on the stone ground.

 She hisses with the impact of the stone but continues to run silently towards the pair. Before she get there Levi sets up and runs towards the castle.

 Catherine then growls and follows the Prince to the tapestry. He burst though it which gives Catherine the time to attack.

 She quickly passes through the doors and drags her long dagger out of her boot pocket and brings it to rest at his neck with her other arm resting at the back of his head.

Her hood still conceals her face as she hisses into his ear,  "Hello there Princeling. I'm terribly sorry to intrude." Her dagger begins to dig into the soft skin underneath.

She then hears a jungle and a breath being taking in sharply. "If your hiding you better come out or I'll slit Prince Levi's thorough!" Her voice seemed to get darker at every word, but it was true. She would.

[User] Elizabeth emerged. "Let him go free, assassin! Or you'll have a very...VERY bad time..." Her hands vibrated with dark magic. She knew each form of magic, had studied extensively.

[Assistant]
@canaryrose@DriveEMOut
Avary gasped, Levi! He turned to Amalia. "We need to save Levi."
Dante smirked. "Cyrus, I have a proposition. I've met these guys, and they have no particular like for me. So, how about we work together to kill them, then fight afterwards?" He said, raising his sword towafd the army.

[User]
Amalia grimaced. She flung out of the shadows, fists ready. She launched upon the assassin, punching and biting and kicking and scratching. She also screeched. A lot.

@Nikki Moonlight@DriveEMOut@SoulEater

[Assistant]
@SoulEater
Avary did his best to attack the assassin, kicking and punching when he could.

[User]
Catherine Lillasteen, the Assassin
@Nikki Moonlight@DriveEMOut@Overlord24

Catherine clicks her tongue as the so called maid explode with black magic.  "Oh did I scare you sweet hart?" Catherine spat. She may be powerful but Catherine has indured some of the most cruelest training any teenager would surely die from. Actually she was quit tall for her age. So when she held Levi by his trough, it was no struggle. She just had to hold firm.

She then feels a jab of pain in her side which makes her hiss and turn her gaze to the Princess. Catherine smirks and quickly brings her heel up to connect to the girls perfect face.  "Stupid Bitch doesn't know her place. What a shame." Catherine laughs darkly.

 Then the other Prince joined in. She was get sick and tried of them so she moved Levi to lay his back against her chest as she moved and drew her sword out from behind her back. She slashed making to connect with his cheek, but her movement would only scar. This movement made her hood come of letting everyone in the room see her blood hungry eyes which once have seen love, but that was the old Catherine. She was out for royal blood.

[Assistant] Elizabeth shot a blast of magic at the assassin, making sure to miss the crown prince.

[User]
Amalia hears a crack and screams. Blood pours out of her nose, and her nose is crooked. she gasps, reaching up to touch it. But she hisses, and just fights harder.

@Nikki Moonlight@DriveEMOut@Overlord24

[Assistant]
Catherine Lillasteen, the Assassin
Moonlight@canaryrose@Overlord24@DriveEMOut

Catheine's eyes widen as the maid shoots a blast of magic of some sorts towards her. Catherine moves out of th way but she still get hit. Her brow starts to bleed dripping onto the Prince as she regains her hold.

She moves her hand and slips her sword into her back. She then wipes her blood onto her black glove and moves her hand to rest beside her. Her blood drips down and lands on the ground making a poodle of blood appear. Catherine then laughs darkly, "It's gonna take a damn lot more to kill me bitches!"

Catherine then hears a screech and turns her head with satisfaction as Princess
Amalia's blood pours out of her nose. The girl then proceeds to kick and scratch her which again sends Catherine over the eadge. "Oh did you not get the message girl? Don't fucking mess with me!" Catherine yells and grabs a hand full of Amalia's hair and picks her up of the ground and pulls her close to Catherine's face.

"Bitch." Catherine whispers into her ear and slams her to the ground with a flick of her rist. Catherine's dagger still remains around Levi's throat as she slips another dagger from her side and moved to make the attack connect to Amelia's stomic.

[User]
Amalia felt something- something slide into her stomach- and come back out again. Something cold and metallic. She screamed in pain, and fell to the floor, blood coming out of the wound quickly. She clutched a hand to her stomach, and looked at it. Red blood dripped from the hand. She would not get up again. She couldn't- she'd just fall over from the pain.

@Nikki Moonlight@Overlord24@DriveEMOut

[Assistant]
@canaryrose

Elizabeth cried, "Princess!!" She ran at the assassin and headbutted her in the back, gripping her, sending another burst of magic, a painful one, directly into her chest from behind, muttering an incantation.

[User]
Moonlight@canaryrose@SoulEater
Avary stared at Cat, and how she had cut his sister. He started seeing red. He looked at the sword his father had handed at him and ran at Cat with a rage he had never felt.

[Assistant]
Amalia weakly cried out. She was losing her strength quickly, due to her blood leaving her body. If you looked at her, you could see that her face was pale. Warm blood pooled around her form, turning the ends of her hair red.

@Nikki Moonlight@DriveEMOut

[User]
Catherine Lillasteen, the Assassin
@Overlord24@Nikki Moonlight@DriveEMOut

Catherine was to distracted by the soft screams of the dying princess as the maid charged towards Catherine's back. There was a blast from the girl which sent Catherine tumbling to the ground and leting go of Levi and the dagger. She crashed to the ground with a thump. Her back felt like it was burning which sent her blood boiling with rage. She got up slowly and turned her head as her eyes were in slits as she stares at the maid with pure rage.

Before she could attack the maid she gets hit by Avary's sword making a cut in her leg. The cut wasin't deep but it hurt like hell! She growls as if she were a beast and reaches behind her pulling out both of her long sliver blades. Catherine launches at him with both of her blades out stretched to hopefully meet with Avary's head.

[Assistant] Avary in pure terror, ducked his head, but one of the blades still left a cut on his head. He looked at her with rage and bewilderment. "Why are you doing this?"


[System]
"Oh don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me", I said "you're holding back", she said "shut up and dance with me!"
Face Claim: Kay Panabaker
Age: 11
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Date/Place of Birth: July 13th, 1998. Swindon.
Currently: Hogwarts
House: Gryffindor
Wand: Dogwood, 6 ¾", Phoenix Feather. Springy and excitable.
Patronus: Will be a Stoat
Personal
Childhood/Family Life: Sadie's childhood has been hard work. Raised on the family farm, Sadie is well acquainted with long days and extensive studying. An excellent student, she often ranked in the top ten in her coursework.
Exceptionally close to her mother, Sadie's most cherished memories are their numerous outings and girly nights. Sadie nurtured a mechanical streak with her father, helping him maintain aging farm equipment. Her relationship with her brother Brennan has always been strained, their personalities too similar to allow them to get on.

Personality: Bubbly, excitable, and prone to mischief, Sadie has a loud personality. Often bouncing between four different thoughts, she is often mistaken as a brainless ditz. Beneath her cheery exterior, however, lies a deeply curious mind and fiery determination. Passionate, dedicated, and fiercely protective of her friends, Sadie's sharp wit is a weapon in and of itself.

Hobbies: Video games, geo-caching, studying, calligraphy, cards.

[User]
He was awfully quiet. Sadie didn't quite know what to make of that. Mum had bemoaned her inability to keep her voice down a thousand times this past summer.*"You've been screaming since you were born, Sadie, please give it a rest,"*was a popular complaint of Brennan's. She didn't mean to be so loud, honest, but something about quiet made her deeply uncomfortable. Sadie resolved not to worry about it, her excitement for Hogwarts swiftly overwhelming any other thoughts.

"SIX HOURS," she hadn't meant to shout, but the thought was horrifying. She'd already waited*years*for this! Now she had to sit through a six hour train ride? Couldn't magic speed things up? Sadie had been reading her textbooks for weeks, and a little extra speed seemed perfectly within the realm of possibility! Of course, perhaps it was a safety thing, but she'd nicked her brother's spellbooks and they had things like shield charms in them—Sadie finally remembered that shouting was rude. She winced. "Sorry. Just… that's like, a million years."

A beat of silence passed. Sadie tried not to fidget. The landscape blurred past, turning into rolling countryside. Somewhere out there, in a tiny little village that smelled of cows and cheese, her little dog would be waiting for mum and dad to come back home. That life felt a thousand miles away, almost unreal compared to the train. It was curious.

George offered her a sweet. Sadie blinked intelligently. A jelly bean? She was about to ask what was so scary about jelly beans when he mentioned vomit. Curiosity lit up her hazel eyes as she connected the dots.

"So, they're weird… on purpose? Huh." Sadie considered that for a moment, and waited as he tried one. A wild grin spread across her face as he mentioned toothpaste. "I have got to try this."

She tipped out a bean, brown and shiny, popping it into her mouth enthusiastically. It took a moment for her to place the lemony flavor. She laughed brightly, even as she resisted the urge to spit it out. That was impressively disgusting. How had Brennan not shared these with her before? What a git!

"Wood Varnish." She turned the box over in hand, examining the packaging. It looked unlike anything she'd ever seen before. "'Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans'. That is really the most accurate name for anything in the history of the world."

She replaced the box neatly, impressed she hadn't spilled it. His next offer made her eyebrows elevate and her grin grow wider. 'Exploding' was such a dangerous description, especially when it came to Sadie, but it was awfully exciting.

"Mum says I'm not to explode anything," she admitted with a laugh, swinging her legs as her excitement built. Sadie had always been rather… competitive. "But I'm the reigning Queen of snap back home, and I will defend my title at all costs. How does the exploding part work? Is it like normal, non-blow-uppy snap?"

[Assistant]
She really was exicitable. George almost leapt out of his seat when she screamed some rather angry distaste out loud.
"It flies by." He stammered. They did have an entire country to cross, on a steam train. He'd heard muggle trains were faster, but there was something spectacular about steam powered trains. Perhaps it was the magnificence. "You've got a whole year ahead of you, more things than you'll ever imagine." If Hogwarts was really as wonderful as he'd been told, then things were really going to take off, he couldn't quite picture it in his head.

His own parents- well, his mum would already be home and his father would be fully aware of his sons new attendance to the school everything started at. His stomach turned at the thought. Both his parents had been Slytherin's, his grandparents and his cousins; at least most of them. He didn't need to be related to his death eater father in any other way, he shared a name and some hair, that was all. He didn't want or need to share a house.

He watched her amazement for a second and smiled. Deffintely muggle born. He couldn't wait to see her face when they finally arrived. She was entering a whole new world and nothing was ever going to be the same again.
"Some of them are nice. I've had banoffee pie more than once." He added, rolling up his sleeves. "There's plenty of sweets like this out there. Liquorice snaps, candy wands which produce sparks when you use them. They're not harmful, just fun." George , despite having forced himself out of his comfort zone, was feeling at ease. Sadie could quite well be a friend by the time they got off the train.

He quickly laughed.
"It's a lot like muggle snap, the cards just explode randomly. Makes the games a lot harder. Especially when you're trying to match a pair and this whole deck goes up." He smiled.

[User]
He assured her the train ride would fly by—Sadie could only hope it would. She'd never been particularly patient, and she'd wanted to go to Hogwarts for so*long*. Brennan never answered enough of her questions and he had refused to show her even just a hint of magic ("*It's against the law, blah blah blah, I'm a total jerk"*). She knew next to nothing about it. It was a magical school, Brennan played some sort of game on broomsticks and was in a house called Gryffindor and apparently a ghost taught one of his classes. He'd always been rubbish at writing home and his letters never went into much detail. Mum and dad said he was going through a phase and simply needed space. Sadie thought he was just being a selfish prat.

"I hope so," she tore her gaze from the green farmland rolling by, resolving to be a little less anxious. Everything would work out. She would make it work out. Sadie had always been determined, and Hogwarts had been so dear a dream for so long, she couldn't bear the thought of it not living up to her expectations.

George was explaining the sweets and Sadie was trying not to get too excited, which was a doomed effort. Candy*wands*? How would that even work? Sadie's curiosity burned, gears beginning to whiz in her brain. She'd read the brief section on crafting in*The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One*which stated that, beyond simple tricks, true item enchantment was all but lost. Only the Goblins still knew how to create wondrous things, a secret they jealously guarded. Sadie hadn't finished the section on Goblin Crafting in her copy of*A History of Magic*, as her mum had to physically confiscate her textbooks so she would do her chores. Mum had kept her busy with the chickens and the cows for the remaining week of summer holiday, insisting that she would have plenty of time with her books at school.

"They just explode? That's perfect. Prepare to lose!" she laughed, folding her legs up on her seat. Sadie got comfortable, pulling her red hair to one side and absently fiddling with the ends. "So did you grow up with all this, then?"

[Assistant]
George was a little jealous. The Pure Blood kids, well, they were excited, finally going to Hogwarts. The act was like a coming of age, a right of passage. Yet to all the muggleborns, the whole thing was something from their wildest dreams.
"Yeah, both my parents came here." His voice trailed off slightly, uncomfortable and a little unsure. Perhaps he should have been thankful that Sadie wasn't like him. All the Death Eater arrests had front pages of the Daily Prophet, for years. Sometimes there would be months or years without another arrest. George shuffled the cards quietly, replaying that evening in his head.

***

"Mum! Theodore has my gobstones! He won't give them back!"

"For Merlin's same, stop arguing." His mother had called from the living room. "Just give them back and stop fighting." It took a few moments before Theodore gave them back. Outside, it was thundering, stormy and cold. The eldest Nott son moved over to the window and innocently looked outside. At the age of eight, he was old enough to realise somethings. Such as the two ministry officials that stood outside their house. He watched for a moment longer, counting men from the far side of their curtain.

It was another thundering noise that disturbed both Theodore and George from whatever they were doing. They were the unmistakable sound of their father's feet on the stairs.
"Kiera." He shouted, hurrying down the hall at a sprint. "They're here." That's all George and Theodore heard. During fights and private conversation, their parents always surrounded themselves with a protective wall of sound, preventing any sound from escaping that bubble. He next noise they heard wasnt something any of the Nott family would forget any time soon.

Bang!

The whole front door flew off the handles and sped at full speed down the entrance hall. Foot steps hurried down their corridor and the most visor moment he could remember from that evening occurred. His brother hurried over and pulled George up and behind the sofa, whilst the vision of his parents running in, holding hands occurred before them. There was another moment, one that defied his entire childhood. His father's hand rose up, as if the murder any of the Auror's that had come into their home. Instead, a small, pale white hand arose to deter George Sr. from making any more mistakes. Then his father pulled their mother into a loving embrace and kissed her, longer than he ever had, until he was thrown from her side.

***

George had never been able to remember just why that image stuck in his head for so long. Theodore had often explained it to be due to 'Dad's other women over the years. That Mum wasn't even sure he loved her.' It was obvious from that kiss, surely.

Coming back to reality, George handed the cards out quietly and offered Sadie another sweet.
"What was it like for you growing up?" At least it would create conversation, he wouldn't hear the same boring stories again and again, he'd finally hear something different and something new.

[User]
It was a little strange, to be chatting to someone whose*family*had gone to this mythical school. Logically, Sadie knew that she and Brennan were the strange ones, what with being muggleborn, but it was still impossible to imagine what magic was really like. She'd only ever seen the severe woman in green transform into a cat—and now some funny jelly beans. Her textbooks had moving pictures, but so did the internet, and that in itself didn't seem particularly special. Growing up with magic had to be better than farm life in a tiny village. No wonder Brennan was so bitter coming back to Hankerton every summer. Surely it couldn't even compare.

George went quiet for a moment. Sadie wasn't the most aware of people, but even she could sense that something was off. He looked contemplative and Sadie, in a rare fit of good manners, elected not to comment on it. He dealt cards, and they felt curiously warm. They really*could*explode, and the thought made her grin widen. She accepted the sweetie, ignoring the thought of her mum's chiding (*"They'll rot your teeth!"*), nibbling as she considered his question. What was life like in Hankerton?

"Boring. The Ethans have been raising cows for the past hundred years, and will probably keep doing so until the eventual heat death of the universe." She grimaced. She'd never liked farm life. School in Swindon had captured her imagination, and Swindon wasn't even really a proper city. She'd been to London once to get her school supplies and it had been the best day she'd ever had. The city was glamorous and exciting and didn't smell of cows. There were so many lights and*people*! It was a whole other world. "When I wasn't in school, I was cleaning out the barn or tending chickens or doing any one of my ten billion chores. I mean," she blushed as she realized how selfish she sounded, "It was just a lot of work. Things weren't*bad*I just… don't want to be a farmer when I grow up. I like cows, they're funny creatures, and it's important work and all, but I want to go explore. My brother's the same way. Dad was right upset when he said he didn't want the farm."

She'd said too much, as she usually did. Sadie had never been good at knowing when to stop talking.

The cards were dealt and smoking slightly. Sadie flipped hers, a funny looking King of Hearts with a lion's hat. The hat roared at her. Aww, how cute! She couldn't help but giggle. Mr. Tufty shot her a foul look, which she ignored.

"So, you said something earlier about sorting," she commented, feeling a bit apprehensive. "My brother's gone on and on about how awful it is, but he's a git and last time I trusted him I ended up stuck in a well, sooo… what's the deal with that?"


[System]
Appearance:

Symbol:
Age: 18

Height: 6'0

Weight: 130 Ibs

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Weapons: He wears bracers that have a retractable 7-inch blade in the shape of an arrow. When retracted, the bracers shoot 10mm rounds. Each bracer holds 20 shots, with extra ammo in pouches on his belt. A visor he wears with its own Heads Up Display uses a pair of crosshairs to show where he is aiming his weapons, improving his accuracy. They were designed and created by his dad when he unsuccessfully applied to Beacon around the same age as Robert. They are the only physical objects remaining from his family's past.

Specialty: Robert is best at fighting an opponent one on one, and because of this he relies heavily on teammates when in a large conflict with multiple enemies. It is also because of his helpful and team-player attitude that his teammates chose him to be the leader of his original team, RPGD, to his surprise.

Semblance: Robert's semblance allows him to subliminally affect probability fields, causing improbable, but not impossible, "unlucky" events to occur to enemies within his line of sight. At the time, Robert has no idea that he even has a semblance, let alone has been using his semblance on himself for years to increase his already bad luck to near-immeasurable levels.

Personality: Robert is an average geek with an interest in subjects like comics and ancient world history. Most groups of people would probably describe him as everyman due to him not having much in the way of impressive skills while others might see him more as a goofball thanks to his usual optimistic and joking attitude. When the going gets tough though, the red haired boy is a good person to have by your side as he will never give up or surrender, even when all may seem lost.

Eight year old Robert sat in front of the television, playing with his toy cars and action figures. Behind him, Robert's dad sat in a reclining armchair, half reading the newspaper in his hands and half listening to the TV. "John, could you help Scarlet with her dinner," Robert's mother called from the kitchen. "Yes, Marian," Robert's dad answered, walking towards the small toddler that was Robert's sister. Robert looked up from his toys to see the news channel that was on show the words "Breaking News". The anchorwoman then read the new news, "A warning to all human families living in neighborhoods with large majorities of Faunuses, the organization known as the White Fang, previously known for its peaceful protests, has been attacking humans in the before-mentioned neighborhoods. This recent aggression is suspected to be a result from-" Robert's dad turned the TV off. "You don't need to listen to that garbage, son," he said. He then walked back to the dinner table where Scarlet was playing with her food. Robert went back to playing with his toys. Unbeknownst to the Fallson Family though, a small crowd gathered outside.

Six Faunuses stood, looking at the happy family inside. "Burn it down," said the leader. The other five threw Molotov Cocktails at the two story house, the fire quickly spread throughout the bottom story and the roof. No one inside knew what was going on, all they knew was that the house had spontaneously burst into flames. Robert's mother screamed, Robert's sister cried, Robert's father yelled orders, and Robert continued sitting there confused, trying to understand what was going on. His father grabbed Scarlet, his mother grabbed a family photo album, and they both sprinted towards the staircase. As they reached it, his dad stopped and turned around, "Come on, Robert!" he cried. Outside, the leader of the attack turned and grabbed a baseball bat that was strapped to his back. It suddenly transformed into a grenade launcher, and one shot was fired. The single grenade incinerated the wall it struck, as well as the three humans standing next to it. In a flash, Robert's family was gone. A single, burning photo floated into Robert's lap. He stood there dumbstruck at what just happened. The creaking of the roof brought him back to reality though, as a large burning beam fell from the roof. He tried to dodge, but was too slow. It fell right on his back, pinning him to the ground and burning his flesh. He was able to quickly wiggle out from under it though, and jumped out of the hole in the wall that the grenade had made earlier. He laid on the lawn of his house, clutching the photograph from earlier. He saw the six Faunuses slowly approaching him, ready to finish the job. The sounds of sirens around the corner stopped them in their tracks though, and they escaped. Robert continued lying there, unable to move, sobbing. One of the officers picked him up and carried him to a patrol car. After sitting in the passenger seat for several hours, one of the firemen walked up and gave him the only other thing that survived the fire, his father's visor and bracers which were in the basement during the fire. Afterwards, the officers and firemen left Robert alone. Bad choice. He rose from the seat and walked off into the night, passing a street sign that read "Loxley St." Robert's eight year old mind thought of nothing but wanting to be alone.

For the next several years, Robert would live on the streets. Stealing food and other necessities only when he had no other choice, and only from people who could still live without those necessities. Witnesses would often report to the police that the only thing they saw before their things were stolen was a figure with a green hoodie.

Robert didn't go it alone for all those years though. He did make some friends at a restaurant named Fryer Tuck's Diner; namely Tuck, Alan, and Miller. If not for them, he might not have been able to go to Beacon as they were the ones who helped him acquire a GED as well as the application for Beacon. If not for their moral support and assistance, he would have probably never gotten off the streets and into the prestigious academy.

Theme Song: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

Based off of: Robin Hood

Color: Rosso Corsa

[User]
Cobalt nodded and smiled as he listened to the headmaster tell him where he would be staying and such. His stuff had been delivered to the dorm and he would he receiving his schedule shortly. He was very excited to be attending Beacon, it's been his life dream to attend a prestigious school like this. He looked at who his teammates were going to be and smiled. These all sounded like very nice people. He should make them a welcome back feast when they get back from their mission. He should probably make something simple though. Headmaster Ozpin coughed to get his attention and Cobalt's eyes focused. "Oh, yes of course! I'll get out right now! You're a busy man and I don't want to keep you waiting for me!" Cobalt got out of his chair and began to leave when Ozpin spoke. "You're forgetting your schedule Mr. Chideta. We wouldn't want you to be tardy." Cobalt chuckled and grabbed it from the desk. " Sorry." He backed out of the room and closed the door. Damn. That guy really knows how to make a guy feel at home. He's so calm all the time.

Cobalt walked to his dorm and opened the door with the key he got. The room was nice, if a bit small for his tastes. He set up his stuff and smiled. Now all he needed was, ah there it is. He put up his poster of X-Ray and Vav and smiled. It wasn't much, but it was his new home. Now he needed to go out and make some new friends. He walked out of the dorm and locked it, then went to go meet people.

[Assistant]
Abel Fulgurate

A date? Abel had to make a conscious effort to stop himself from doing something stupid. Really, there wasn't much chance of it being a proper date, which was probably good given his inexperience. They would both have most of their teams around at the same time. Still, the thought of potentially spending time with someone not obligated to do so with him, particularly a girl like Krysanthe, made the smile on his face indelible for the next few minutes.

Realizing he had been getting nowhere in regards to locating his teammates for some time, Abel opted to whip out his scroll and contact the remaining members of his team via the wonders of technology. Right off the bat, he realized he had forgotten to get Shiro's new number, still having the number of his smashed scroll on his own. After a hefty sigh, Abel decided to message Gren instead.

To: Gren Orchid
From: Abel Fulgurate
Subject: Stuff we could do

Hi. Been looking for you guys. I thought we'd go with everyone else into town and have some fun before school started. There's a bowling place called Drury Lanes that also has fast food. Neat, casual sort of place, we could hang out.

Abel always felt somewhat self-conscious when he used words like 'hang out'. He always got the impression that other people would be thinking that he was trying too hard to be cool.

I'll be at the airship docks in ten minutes, even if you don't want to go. Sapphire's not coming, she's doing stuff with Oswald.

At first Abel had been about to type 'going on a date' rather than 'doing stuff', but he ran out of characters. Shrugging, he sent the text and made for the airship port.

Naturally, Abel was the first to arrive—if anyone else was, in fact, coming. As much as he wanted to remain optimistic, he couldn't help but get that sinking feeling in his gut. Hopefully he wouldn't be heading out alone.

[User]
Luke Schwarz -- Show & Tell

"They make hairclips that can do that?!" he gasped, eyes widening in disbelief. "Technology is amazing..."

Force-field hairclips? That was something straight out of some JRPG, maybe one of those "magitech" settings in anime...

Though, that'd be revolutionary even in Academy City...

Force field Hair Clips! Seriously! Imagine if the Railgun got one of those things!

A force-field Gekota clip...

Hm. Would she even need one, though? Electromagnetism can get a lot done...

"Oh, yeah. Already got it." he answered, vaguely gesturing outside. "Found a small little shop and got a nice one from it for a pretty decent price. Rides great!"

[Assistant]
Gren Orchid

Gren scratched the back of his head. He wasn't surprised at her reaction, he was a complete dork. Perhaps it was best to leave things as they were. And at least he tried; every swing he doesn't take was a miss after all. Gren was about to give up and just go back to gardening when he received a message from Abel.

"Bowling huh? I did have plans, but..." Looking over at the mysterious girl he sighed. He's already made a fool of himself already. What's wrong with doing it again? "Wait! I... My name is Gren Orchid. I'm actually going to head to the city soon to go bowling with my friends. If you're not busy, perhaps you'd like to come along?" Gren was expecting her to say no or just blow him off. After all, he invited her to breakfast, what made him think she wanted to go bowling with a complete stranger? Gren actually kinda wished he'd get attacked by Grimm right now. While this girl could no doubt take care of herself, at least it would give him a chance to act cooler then anything he's saying.

[User]
Kuhaku Shiro - Airship Docks

Shiro's ears perked when a student approached him and introduced himself. Looking up, he stared at the boy for a moment before frowning and tilting his head. His eyes brightened as he recognized the guy. "Robert? Robert Fallson? Oh, yeah! You're in Practice Class with me, aren't you? Yeah, I'm on Team Swansong with Abel." When Robert then reached for Scoot, Scoot crawled up to him and sniffed at the boy's hand. Shiro smiled and nodded, "Yeah, that's Scoot. You've heard about him already?" Looking at the ferret, Shiro was shocked as the creature then nipped and bit at Robert's hand. Telepathically exclaiming, "Bad!"

"Scoot! What are you-!"
Shiro quickly reached down and scooped Scoot up.
"You don't do that! He's a friend of ours, okay?"
Scoot, cradled in Shiro's arms, turned to sniff at the air towards Robert's direction and made an odd growl. "Bad!"
Shiro was surprised to learn that Scoot had learned a new word, but what was exactly 'bad' about Robert? To be honest, Shiro didn't really know the guy very much so he couldn't draw his own conclusions on the man's personality type. But, even still. For Scoot to just bite Robert's finger out of nowhere when he never demonstrated an ounce of malice towards any other student.

Looking up at Robert, Shiro's expression broke down into one of sincere apology. "I'm real sorry about that, he didn't hurt you or draw blood did he? He's never done that before, I don't know why he wouldn't like you." Shiro nervously chuckled as he leaned forward slightly to see how Robert's digits were. Straightening up, Shiro glared at Scoot and pointed a finger at the rodent's face. "Scoot, we don't do that! Bad!" The ferret, not quite understanding what was going on, sniffed and licked at Shiro's bandaged finger.

[Assistant]
Robert Fallson - Beacon Docks

Robert was probably more shocked than anybody else that Scoot decided to bite him. He let out an audible "Oww!" as his hand quickly recoiled away from the ferret. "Why would something so cute and adorable bite me?" he asked rhetorically. "And what did I do that made it dislike me so much? I don't smell that bad do I?" he continued, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Robert realized he was clutching his bitten index finger in his left hand and decided to give it a quick peek to see if it was in fact bleeding or swollen. As to be expected with his normal streak of luck, a slight trickle of red was running down the finger.

When the concerned Shiro tried to look at the extent of the damage done by his team's pet though, Robert quickly hid his hand behind his back so he couldn't get a good look. "No worries, it's fine. Just smarts is all. No blood or anything," he lied. The red haired boy hated doing that, especially to someone he was trying to make friends with, but if Shiro found out that Scoot's bite broke the skin he'd probably feel worse about the whole thing. It wasn't Shiro's fault that Scoot saw Robert as a threat. Besides, I've had worse. Ever been bitten by a venomous spider? Man does that hurt. And going through the whole procedure of getting anti-venom is a pretty big hassle, too. Especially when you're broke. But enough about me, what are you doing? Going down to Vale, too?


[System]
Margrave
Alias: Margrave
Age: 17
Alignment: Wannabe Antihero, formerly Wannabe Villain
Loyalty: Unofficial Ward
Appearance: A white male of lanky proportions, 6'1", most often clothed in dark colors. His features, from his nose to his jaw to his cheekbones, are angular, and his nose itself is rather prominent. By nature his brown hair is poofy, and he keeps it styled upward. His earlobes are attached, his eyes are a murky brown, and he has slightly yellowed teeth. His favorite attire includes a dark green high-collared trench coat that belonged to his grandfather and a black baseball cap.
History: Elliot came into the world in a rough period for his family. Poor, without a house, and constantly on the move, his parents did their best to love him and raise him while teaching him important lessons about life. Elliot learned quickly, becoming a very serious and reserved child. As the years went by, his family persisted in a state of continuous change. For a few months he and his parents might be living in an apartment or condo, and immediately after be back on the road in a station wagon. When Elliot was four, the trio finally settled, and Elliot went to school. Though not very social at all, he excelled in his classes, displaying streaks of perfectionism. Knowing that he needed something else to work on, his parents enrolled him in a kickboxing class, and he took to it like a fish to water. Eventually he found himself on the receiving end of some bullies, but rather than silently put up with their abuse he displayed a newfound confidence. One bully provoked him into punching, but even though Elliot missed, his enemies decided to find easier prey. All throughout middle school, nothing really changed.

Only in high school did he start to open up, his defensive shell cracking to allow dry humor and the occasional hilarious remark to seep through. Meanwhile, he continued to study, balancing a life of school, video games, and hanging out with friends. He saw no problem in trying beer or a cigarette when pressured to but, finding neither remotely to his liking, he never tried them again. Elliot instead dedicated himself to a new goal: scholarship. Though his family's condition had improved immensely from his early youth, there was not a single sliver of a chance he'd be able to attend college. In scholarship, though, he found a solution: a full-ride to a local university, if only he continue to excel. In his sophomore and junior years he did exactly that, but a dark and brooding foe lay on the horizon. Confronted with Calculus II, a college-level course, in senior year, he was stumped for the first time. Having become accustomed to overcoming every obstacle easily, Elliot grew uncharacteristically distraught disturbingly quickly. He grew more and more crazed in his desperation, knowing that his future lay on the line. Yet his pride would not allow him to cheat. Though he enlisted the teacher for help, he continued to struggle, and at the end of the second semester opened a yellow envelope with shaking hands to discover that he'd fallen afoul of the cutoff for the full-ride scholarship by only a small margin.

Elliot stared at the paper, mouth agape and eyes wide. In his quest to get a passing grade, he'd practically severed ties with all of his friends. He'd staked everything on this—and now he'd failed. With a shattered confidence, knowing that he'd doomed himself to a rotten life and disappointed everyone who knew him, he went berserk. Before, he'd made certain to keep excelling by punishing himself when he failed, so what came next seemed obvious. Seizing a metal pan, he smashed it against his own forehead. The impact dazed him and the held-back tears poured forth, but he did it again. Two more times he cracked the pan against his head, not really caring if he lived or not. The fourth time, however, the pan broke off. Elliot didn't discover why until he awoke an hour later to the sound of his mother coming into the apartment. Deaf to her shriek of fear, he touched the broken, plastic pot that lay before him before passing out again.

After recovering, Elliot was advised to go to therapy, but he shrugged it off. With school over with, he took to spending a lot of time outside, exploring the city. He'd discovered something new about himself, and in doing so he changed. A new attitude had taken him over, forming a sort of persona. He acted strangely and extravagantly without any restraint. He continued to work as a junior instructor for his kickboxing studio, albeit with a shocking new persona that the kids thought was pretty awesome, and he earned enough money to live off of. Out of the studio he sought something different. After a painstaking search, he attempted to get in with the local supervillain gang, only to be conspired against and brutally kicked out for his lame attitude and power. With no other options, he sought the local Wards. Perhaps its leader took pity on Elliot, but nevertheless he finally found somewhere he felt as if he belonged, though he'd never show it.

Personality
Motivations: Elliot wants, more than anything, to be recognized. The road starts with getting attention and ends with getting famous—preferably infamous. He wants people to know his name, and to respect him.
Sexuality: Straight
Likes: * Looking cool
* Beating others at petty competitions
* Taking advantage of others
* Company
* Potato crisps
* Exercise
* Flaring up with no real reason
* Playing 'lone wolf' DPS characters in games
* Action movies, especially martial arts movies

Dislikes: * Being alone
* Being ignored
* Being wrong
* His lame power
* People who are full of themselves
* Goody-goodies
* Artificial sweeteners
* Support players who whine a lot in games

Derangement: To Elliot, the only way to become renowned and respected is to be respected through fear. To that end, he goes to frequently absurd lengths to speak and act mysteriously and threateningly, though more often than not this comes across as acting confusingly and obnoxiously. He cannot conceive of a different way to get famous and is completely ignorant of his own shortcomings.

Parahumanism
Skills: Elliot is a fast runner, with somewhat higher than usual stamina. He's pretty smart, and can produce a sense of humor from time to time, but what he's really good at is pissing other people off. When it comes to ideas, schemes, plots, plans, and so forth that might bamboozle, infuriate, or enrage others, Elliot's the guy. He's also got a hint of a British accent that tends to intrigue people who aren't familiar with it. From kickboxing lessons he's taken since he was eleven, he's got notable fist-fighting ability, as well as the strength to go with it, though his pain tolerance is surprisingly low.
Classification: Striker
Details: Upon touching an inanimate object, Elliot can turn it into a toy version of itself. This may include substance change (for instance, to plastic) size change, and so forth. The rate of toyification is tied to his mental state; when he's calm, the transformations go at an unremarkable speed, but if he's excited or scared, the process can be sped up by several times depending on intensity. Objects will tend to turn into toy versions of themselves that replicate or at least resemble existing toys. Someone's mech suit might, then, turn into a Transformer. A few traits are shared among all of the toys created by Elliot's power: they are simple, they are destructible, and they are harmless. An anvil, turned into a plastic toy, could be easily crushed. Elliot has some control over the change; IE he could choose whether to turn a gun into a Nerf gun, a Super Soaker, or a tiny action-figure accessory.
Limitations: This toy-transformation power can only emanate from Elliot's hands. He wouldn't be able to defend himself from anything threatening to harm his body if he couldn't physically touch it with his hands. Additionally, if one of his toys is moved out of close proximity to him, it will quickly begin to revert to its original form. This also applies to toy versions of things he might want to use himself, like vehicles or hidden weapons. Of course, this power is also of very little use in direct combat with other parahumans.
Equipment: At all times, Elliot has in some pocket or another handfuls of foam knives and action figure weapons. He's also got a little canteen and a bag of beef jerky, which he enjoys. His heavy clothing might also provide a little defense, but it's no substitute for anything resembling actual armor. However, he does wear cloth shin-guards and forearm guards beneath his clothes when out and about, which are valuable when fighting unarmed. As a Ward, he's also got a Protectorate Communication Earpiece and a holographic computer interfacing tool, courtesy of Decoy.

[User]
Farce - Judah's House@Spiffy
"Tell him the contact stuff, if you would please. I'm gonna get back in contact with my guy." Gaia asked as she left the kitchen, heading back to her room as she called Chilly Willy back.

"Mayn, do you call back fast."

"Can you still get us that floor plan."

"It's under a red barrel, mayn. Southern side of the buildin'."

"Nice. Check the news later." Click.

Gaia began to prepare her bag, grabbing Carlotta and her typical assortment of stuff, including a flashlight, dental floss, fake gun, a singular flashbang grenade (nabbed from the Community), and a set of brass knuckles (also nabbed from the Community). How useful these items would be, she had no idea, but each one had their uses, that was for sure. The twin put on a generic black hoodie and began to walk out of her room when she heard her brother chime into her head.

"Think we can actually trust Judah, after what that Troll said?" "Yes. Especially since he doesn't mind our presence." "He probably doesn't mind it because you show off your body all the damn time." "Buzzkill." "Don't forget your mask, eye candy." Gaia grabbed her mask as she left her room, speaking back to Dunn while she stepped back out. "Thanks for the reminder, buzzkill."

[Assistant]
Judah Raines - Judah's House
@solokolos@Xandrya

Judah texted Zach the basic information Gaia had given him. He ended with Meet us at **** a few blocks away from the warehouse ASAP

Then Judah went to his room to change. He donned his uniform from his feet all the way to his shoulders. He took his submachinegun out of the wall safe attaching his silencer. He grabbed a couple of magazines, tear gas canisters and a single flashbang grenade while holstering his sidearm with his free hand. Then Judah slung the MP5 over his shoulder and carried his helmet under his arm. He was ready for this. Anything that could give them a tactical advantage over The Community was worth the risk in Judah's mind. Potential weapons, ammo and cash was just what they needed. His combat boots thudded against the wooden flooring as he made his way back into the kitchen. Seeing Gaia, he asked, "Are we all set?"

If Gaia gave an affirmative Judah would call to Axel, "Come." His loyal companion immediately obeyed, following Judah into the Garage where his mustang was parked. He stored his MP5 in the trunk inside a case as well as his helmet. Then he got into the driver's side as Axel took his spot in the back seat.

Once Gaia climbed in Judah would turn to her and comment, "I hope this contact of yours is reliable. Otherwise, we could just be beating up a bunch of warehouse workers." Judah grimaced at the thought. One time was one too many. They didn't need to revisit that blunder again..

Then he pressed the garage opener and headed out towards their destination under the cover of night. Ever aware of their surroundings Judah decided it would be best to focus on their mission rather then getting sidetracked by the hundreds of potential problems they could help with. It became overwhelming sometimes to an empath. So Judah cut off his power for a little while. "Ah..sweet release," he thought to himself.

After some time, Judah parked at the destination that he had given to Zach. Not but a few blocks from the warehouse in a kind of strip mall looking area. It was lit by various light poles and the many shops that lined the strip. A few of the more shady ones remained open.

While sensing the area with his ability he asked Gaia, "You think Zach will find a ride? I don't even know if he has his license yet...Hahahahahahaha!" Judah laughed for about ten seconds until he finally brought his head to rest on the top of the steering wheel. This was the life. His own team fighting crime to make the city of Denver a better place. They didn't need badges, fancy titles or even public recognition. No. The knowledge that Denver was a little safer, a little more prosperous was all the reward Judah wanted. Not being ordered around was the icing on the cake.

[User]
For a moment Elliot felt positive that he didn't need to bother getting in any practice with his new equipment, but after Decoy made his suggestions he thought better of it. Gear and gadgets were what he, the five-man team's Sixth Ranger, had up his sleeve. Screwing up a vital deployment in the heat of the moment could very well cost him his life, and being able to adopt only a single pose for the remainder of eternity would not appeal to him at all for at least forty more years. So too was mission control correct about his needs—which was, in a way, disconcerting. Behaving in a way as to make plain one's reactive rejection of one being rejected by others was the natural and logical way of things, so any chance at being obliged -or dare he say it, cared about- could pose a threat to the established order. "Indeed," Elliot murmured, looking as erudite as a troubled teen possibly could. "I have much to gather in preparation for this mission."

It would appear that a trip back to the Protectorate HQ was in order. In an act of generosity, Elliot elected to not obey his urge to head there immediately while leaving his allies behind, so that they might benefit from proximity to his nebulous coolness. Truth be told, however, he doubted any save Lillian had yet to erect in their minds a defensive barrier to ward off feelings of inferiority, and neither he knew if Lillian might deign to gaze unflinchingly upon his brilliance. Crossing his legs and perching his chin upon the back of his hand, he awaited the super friends' departure.