[System]
Age: 14

Gender: Female

Nationality/Birthplace: ?

Current Residence: Republic City

Appearance:

Occupation: Student/Babysitter

Elemental Affinity: Air

Theme: Fireflies - Owl City

Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue.

Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi.

The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol.

Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.

[User]
Asha smiled a little over at Siku when she said there were plenty of dishes to accommodate for vegetarians; it was nice that the restaurant took those who did not eat meat into consideration. She wouldn't have made a big deal out of it or anything, she would have just munched on some bread, but still, she was really looking forward to trying something on the extravagant menu.

She turned her attention again to the boy, who she learned was named Katsu, and giggled a little when Siku said her name for her. Siku didn't seem very approving of how Katsu was talking to her, but she didn't mind, it was interesting to see how everyone interacted differently towards one another. Asha looked into Katsu's eyes and blushed a little, "Nice to meet you, Katsu."

Asha briefly wondered if anyone found it odd that she didn't carry a last name. Some air benders who lived a more modern life style had one, but since she was taught in the ways of the older teachings, she did not have one. It was always sort of funny to be introduced to someone new and always have them ask for her full name, not realizing that she had honestly just given all of it.

Siku had seemed to notice her fidgeting and her face turned a bit red again in embarrassment. "Thanks, I appreciate the offer," she said with a small smile. She did feel very under dressed in this establishment, but tried not to let it get to her so much. Like Siku said, most people understood a traditional air bender way.

Finally she found something on the menu she was excited to try, and noticed the server was already at their table, waiting to take their orders. She told the server what she would like politely and then waited for the rest to order, wanting to get back to talking to everyone; it was so much fun to be able to chat with other people. Of course she loved her family and friends back at the Island, but it was always refreshing to get to meet someone new and get to know their life story.

[Assistant]
Katsu was trying really hard to be civil here, but Siku wasn't making it easy for him. He would hardly go into a fit of rage or anything when provoked, but while trying to put on a front to trick Asha he couldn't be saying anything off color. So long as he behaved the right way and said the right things the Air bender ought to have no reason to suspect anything of him, and already he could see he was having an effect on her. "Hey, I am clean and proper. The only bit of dirt on me is when I ran into Hiresh," the thief pointed out, smirking as he glanced across the table at the officer, "Sorry for that, by the way. I know neither of us have apologized for the accident but I figured I'd take the first step." Heh, and paint himself in a better light by seeming the bigger man while he was at it.

Their server had been awfully prompt in retrieving their order, much to Katsu's delight. While he might not care terribly much for luxuries there was always time for food, and it made little difference to him whether it was five-star dining or a little sandwich shop on the corner, food was food. Of course the food here was less liable to make you sick, and you knew where the meats came from, but he couldn't see himself coming here often. The whole place just stunk of snobby people, like everyone here had something to prove. Another reason he rather disliked the rich, even with all they had they still felt a need to act like they needed more, or deserved more. A little humility wouldn't kill them, though then again considering how hard it was for some to get it perhaps it would.

Just as swiftly as their server had seen to them did their food arrive, and loathe as he was to admit it the food looked very good. Probably cost a small fortune for every bite, but then when you weren't paying for it caring was well beyond the thief. Taste wise... Eh, honestly it was alright. Katsu had eaten better food before and at less reputable places, here it just seemed like you were in part paying for the name and all of the fancy surroundings. Nonetheless he cleaned his plate, having to very closely mind his otherwise voracious eating behaviors in front of Asha. Normally he'd go to his food like a wild animal to its first meal in a month, it was just how he learned to eat. When you sometimes had to run from wherever you were you learned to do things quick, and inhaling half a pound of food in about a minute just so happened to be one of those things. Thankfully though he managed to draw it out, still finishing before anyone else but doing so in an orderly fashion. By the time everyone had finished he sat lazily in his chair, a smile on his face and hands folded over his now full stomach.

"Wow... Thanks for that Siku, it was great!" Katsu said, grinning as he looked across at the Water Bender. He'd not expected to be treated to a meal, in fact he was still a bit confused as to why he had been brought along at all. It would have been just as easy for Siku to send him off and explain things to Asha, he was certain that's what she would have done. So why take him along? Inevitably the Fire Bender's mind only settled on one possibility, squirming slightly in his seat as he hid a knowing smile behind his hand, coughing to mask it. She's totally into me... She just can't admit it! he thought smugly, glancing over at Hiresh. Tough luck for him, the officer probably had a thing for Siku. She was pretty, sure enough, and the fact that she had a bit of money didn't hurt either. Were it only the three of them here he might well flirt with Siku just for kicks, see how far he could take it in a public place before she snapped or attacked him for it. But he wasn't looking to cause a scene, and besides, there was Asha to see to.

Belching quietly into his arm the Fire Bender turned to his side, smiling sweetly as he reached over and placed a hand on Asha's. "So... You're an Air Bender, that's really interesting. I've never met an Air Bender before, certainly not one as pretty as you are," he said, giving her hand a pat before folding both of his own on top of the table. "Tell me a bit about yourself, hm? I hear the Air Temple is supposed to be a really nice place. Lots of discipline, but really nice. Are you from there, or did you move there?" He couldn't quite care much really, but if it helped earn this girl's favor then hey, he'd ask about her dang pet Platypus dog or whatever she might have. Giving Asha a moment to gather her thoughts Katsu glanced back over at his gracious host, winking mischievously as he did so. In a way he was saying 'Go ahead, do something, make a scene.'

[User]
"That little runt over there?" A young man only a table or two away asked. "There's no way it's him..."

"Shut up. Look, I know you're new, but try to be professional. We just watch," Their voices were rather low, but the older one seemed to be a bit agitated with his 'friend.' His voice returned to normal, "So how's your wife?" He asked with a laugh, "Still nagging you about taking care of the laundry this week?"

The younger of the two seemed a bit confused before realizing his position, "Well, yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That honeymoon phase never lasts as long as you want it to, eh?"

"Never!" He replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got away without doing it this time, though. We have our days..." The conversation faded into the background as the waitress came back to Siku & co.'s table.

The girl seemed slightly nervous as she placed the tray on a stand and began to set the dishes down at the table, naming each one as she passed it to their recipient. Siku, however, had heard the conversation nearby - she often heard other people talking about her with the assumption that she wasn't listening. It ended with some hurt feelings sometimes, when she'd hear her friends the moment she was gone, but it was something you learned to deal with when others were so jealous. Honestly, she didn't care until their conversation suddenly shifted... That was strange.

"Hiresh," She started, looking over, "Keep your eyes up..." She was a little bit nervous, sure, but it wasn't like anybody would try anything out here, in front of a bunch of people. She'd been in similar situations before; her family had money, it wasn't really avoidable when she lived such a high profile lifestyle. She didn't have her waterskin with her... or her dao, she realized. Of course, she didn't carry it with her into public often, but she was allowed to wear it for ceremonies and in formal attire. Most people thought it was just a decoration, but she treasured it beyond what was likely considered 'normal.'

The metal bender looked around, suddenly more alert as he tried to pick up suspicious conversation around them. Everybody seemed normal, but the air did feel a bit more tense when one paid close attention to it.

Siku looked to Katsu as he reached for Asha's hand and sighed, she'd slap him if she wasn't more occupied otherwise. The tables around them began to shift and their waitress - in fact, most of the staff - was nowhere to be found. The pairs and groups around them started to rise and brush themselves off professionally, every door suddenly had somebody standing by it. Some of them had waterskins, others just looked ready for... something, it was hard to say.

Siku looked to others at the table, "Hiresh, we gotta get out of here..."

"The doors are blocked, Siku... If we make a scene now, they'll know we know, just eat." He ordered, leaning over his food, "So, Katsu, what do you do for a livi-"

Four men stood in front of their table as the leader, the older man from a couple of tables away cleared his throat.

Siku leapt to her feet despite the small space between her and the table, shocking most of the people around them as she pushed it forward to the men and it fell to the floor on its side. An aquarium nearby burst as she pulled the water toward herself and she blasted one of them in a surprisingly short moment. It was the youngest, newest guy who was thrown across the room into another booth.

"Get the hell away from me you creeps!" She ordered, readying her next attack as the floor in front of Hiresh cracked and a small chunk of earth rose from the floor.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down!" The man exclaimed, putting his hands up and starting to laugh. "You okay over there, Hansa? Ha, rookies..."

"Urgh... That chick packs a punch, man..."

"Shut up and get on your feet." The older man turned to look at Siku, "My apologies, Ms. Tsukiko, we're not here for you though."

The girl seemed honestly shocked, "W-what?" Hiresh snickered slightly.

"We're from the White Lotus - some of the newer members that just joined in the last few years... We're here for Katsu," He explained, turning to look at the boy, "We were hired after you left... You need to come back - you've spent enough time out here goofing off."

Siku furrowed her brow and looked over at her 'friend' ... acquaintance? Person she bumped into? She'd known Katsu for a couple of years - her parents didn't know she'd hung out with him; they'd probably have a hippo cow if they knew she had a friend from that circle. But now... what was the White Lotus doing here for him? Suddenly, her attack maneuver turned to him and she readied it, "What haven't you told me?"

Hiresh was up for no joking, however, as the earth shifted and it moved to 'rock' Katsu's feet to the floor, if he didn't move first.

[Assistant]
Asha was really enjoying herself as she sat and ate a meal with her friends. Although she didn't know Katsu well enough yet, she figured if Siku was friends with him then it was alright for her to be his friend as well. The food came just as quick as it was ordered and she was honestly very surprised at the swiftness the cooks and servers managed everything.

The brunette seen that Siku seemed rather preoccupied, her face having an interesting expression on it, meaning she was concentrating on something that wasn't in her direct presence; people at another table, perhaps? She looked beside them at the other tables and seen some older men who seemed to be glancing in their direction every so often. Asha didn't take this to be a threat at all, since Siku was a very rich and well-known person.

Katsu asked her some questions and she smiled politely. Blushing when the boy put his hand on one of hers she laughed a little and shrugged. "Oh, it's not really anything too exciting..." Asha began, but was cut off when the men who Siku had been focusing on came closer, causing Siku to attack one of them. She blinked at how fast Siku had reacted and almost squeaked at the show of violence; it wasn't THAT violent, but when you live on an island where people find peace and harmony the only way to live, it is quite a shock.

Asha felt very much like a bystander, unsure of whether or not to do anything, but thankfully the strangers put up their white flags as soon as Siku had attacked one of them, and said they were actually there for Katsu. Her eyebrows raised and her heart was pounding in her chest. What were they wanting him for?

White Lotus? That sounded awfully familiar. Asha watched as the men talked to the boy about goofing off and the like and cocked her head to the side; this was a lot of excitement just for an evening out for dinner. Siku had turned onto Katsu then, as well as Hiresh, and she stood up. "Hey wait, why are you guys on the offensive towards Katsu? The White Lotus are here for him...I think that means that...he is..." her eyes widened when she had finally realized just why the White Lotus would be after Katsu.


[System]
* Age: 10
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: A small, slight little girl with pale blue, almost silver eyes and silvery hair. She has pale skin and her clothing is largely tan in coloration.
* Personality: Imarui is an endlessly inquisitive young girl who seems to largely possess little in the way of fear. This isn't to say she is completely lacking in caution, as even a young artifact hunter will quickly come to understand you need to be at least somewhat cautious at the potential expense of their own life, but her ability to ignore her own fear and press onwards is what fuels her ability to explore. Indeed, Imarui has a reputation among the children of Hensia for being the first among them to go exploring any new and exciting locations found around the settlement. An enthusiastic and cheerful child, in spite of her lack of a family Imarui has a bright and friendly outward approach to others, and is quite eager to meet hunters and all kinds of other people from outside of her hometown. That being said, this sunny disposition is not the sum total of her character. Her curiosity and boundless desire to explore is born in part from her desire to learn about her family. She is also deeply protective of her necklace, given that it is the only thing she has from her family, and thus is quite unwilling to share its secret. Deep down, Imarui feels some jealousy towards those who have gotten to grow up with their families, even if she tries not to show it. When upset, she is prone to recklessness, forgetting her own sense of caution and trying to explore to cheer herself up. Willing to do anything to learn more about her family, there's no doubt Imarui would be swift to follow even the slightest potential trace of them.
* Brief Backstory: Imarui arrived at the Hensia orphanage courteously of what can only be presumed to be her mother. A beautiful, almost ethereal woman who had appeared as an artifact hunter from Navra suddenly dropped off a bundle at their doorstep, and departed just as quickly as she seemed to appear. On investigation, the bundle was a newborn baby, with a note attached to her blanket simply reading "Please take care of Imarui" and a necklace with a blue gemstone inlaid in it. It was here she was raised, and came to be a part of Hensia's young artifact hunters. Located near an old city with an almost infinite number of deep tunnels beneath it, Hensia's population is distinct in its high number of artifact hunters. It also has some of the youngest artifact hunters, in spite of the danger inherent in the profession. Artifact hunting is viewed with considerable reverence in Hensia, and therefore in spite of the danger and her young age a combination of this reverence and Imarui's own adventurous nature spurred her to throw herself into it. Besides, if her mother was an artifact hunter, maybe she could learn more about her by doing it herself? It was quite quickly that Imarui discovered the properties of her necklace. That it could detect artifacts and guide her to them. Amazed by this, but fearful that it would be classed as an artifact and taken away from her if she told anyone, Imarui has kept it a secret ever since she first learned about it. Not only is it her only link to her mother, but perhaps it will let her discover something that could lead her to learn more...
* Skills: Imarui has a high level of energy and is good at climbing and squeezing into small spaces. She is also fairly knowledgeable about local flora and fauna around Hensia, as any artifact hunter in the area should be to avoid tragic circumstances. She's capable at running and hiding, but her only self-defense abilities beyond that are knowing how to stab things with her small knife.
* Abilities: Imarui is an ordinary ten-year-old girl in capabilities. She does not know magic nor does she possess any supernatural strength in any way.
* Equipment: Imarui carries with her a back full of basic supplies for an artifact hunter. Food, water, a few small knives and excavation tools, and flares. She also carries her Hensia Artifact Hunter's League badge. Most important, however, is her necklace. Not only is it the only thing connecting her to her family, but it is also an artifact in itself. A strange type, nameless as it was never registered with the auction house, it seems to function only by detecting other artifacts and guiding the user to them with a shaft of light. This is the only ability Imarui knows it has.
* Faction: Hensia Artifact Hunter's League, the guild which all local hunters work out of.

[User]
Erika Frost and a Robot Catgirl Ready Up

---

Erika had took the early morning to gather her supplies. One could never know how long they would be stuck searching for Artifacts. Or, perhaps, if they would ever come back from searching at all. She scratched the back of her head and sighed as she stuffed a small amount of supplies into a backpack. Should be enough for the day, perhaps she could push it to tomorrow easily. Worst case, had to come back for a resupply. This would be easy enough. Well, it would be normally.

The tanned girl looked over to the other inhabitant of the room. An odd... creature? No, what she was told was... Magitech Robot? Something of the sort. Omega... Something, something. Tanja was what she was sure this girl was called. Her teacher had mentioned an agreement with Alhein. One of her disciples would watch over the catgirl, the disciple in question being Erika herself. What Fuuka got out of it? Well, that was a good question. She was rather vague about it. Though, Erika might have been distracted by other things when she was told about it. There was likely something good for her master to agree to it.

Well, either way, it was just her normal job with an extra person along. She fastened a couple of items to her belt. A light source that one could attach to their head, a small portable laser cutter and a flashbang device. Then, one of the more important items, her magitech sword. She attached the sheath to her side and pulled the blade out to check on it quickly enough. Yes, it seemed to be in fine condition. With a smile, she put it back in it's home and double checked. Yep, that was everything. After that she looked at the Artifact on her wrist, Medusa, and rubbed it with a small smile. Her partner for ten years or so now was one of the few constants in her life. She hoped it would stay that way.

Either was, now wasn't the time to think on the past. She walked over to Tanja, hoping she'd be ready to head down into their new brand of hell. "You cute little thing." Erika said, rubbing the catgirl's head a small bit. The cat had seemed friendly enough so far and that was fine with Erika. "Hope you're ready to head down. It's the start of Tanja and Erika's big Artifact hunt. Our goal is at the very least ten." The girl said with a confident smile. Of course, it was most likely an unobtainable goal of course. One was lucky if they would find even one artifact, let alone ten. "Something tells me that we're up to a very good partnership!" Her arm wrapped around Tanja's head and pulled her close. "You know how to get to the site right?"

[Assistant]
Robot Cat, Ready and Waiting

Tanja was gaining an appreciation for what it was like to be some sort of incomprehensible work of art. First, that jerk had come and found her and made a big mess out of things... then an even bigger mess trying to work things out. Then she'd been traded off to Alhein after he gave up in exchange for something more practical. And then they had passed her off to some lady with glasses because nobody wanted to do any babysitting. That hadn't lasted any time at all before Tanja had once again been handed over to another stranger, though Erika didn't seem to be in a hurry to get rid of her.

At least all this being shuffled around had given her time to learn the local language--and get hold of some sort of pistol given how she was apparently now a tagalong explorer. Nothing too impressive or high-spec but... it was perfectly adequate for the time being. Way less interesting than the ID she'd been issued after some confused arguing, with Alhein finally being the ones responsible and some arguing about what on earth the details should be.

Nobody had been receptive toawrds giving Herr Wal one, though. So mean...

Tanja wouldn't deny being cute, though, nor reject the tanned girl's affection. Ah, that felt nice, and the taller girl was friendly... eyes closed, the robot missed most of her following statement, purring, quite loudly at that, under the attention. Though being roped into the hug brought her attention back to the conversation: "Ja! Ah... follow you!"

Maybe she should pay more attention to details like that now she wasn't in some pass-the-parcel game.

[User]
---

Waking up early did not help with the number of people who thought of the same thing lining up and waiting inside the Hensia Artifact Hunter's League's main administrative building for their temporary license to be issued. The line nearly reached all the way outside of the plant-covered building! Leo couldn't blame them though. A practically untouched and recently cleared tunnel looking for hunters to explore it? Too sweet a deal for any self-respecting hunter to pass up. Well, maybe too sweet a deal considering the number of hunters present. Looking on the bright side of the situation, at least the line was moving and there was no point in waiting while doing nothing. Leo unscrewed a respirator tube from his mask and let it fall limp on his shoulder as he prepared to light and smoke a stick while waiting. But an abrupt cough and an irritated-looking staff member pointing to a 'no smoking' sign cut him off just as he was to enjoy the wait. "Figures." He says with a disappointed tone as he put away his cigarette and reattached the respirator tube. This was going to be a long wait.

[One hour later...]

Now with his temporary license, he can finally go to the tunnel and get this party started.

The quick walk through the sun-filled streets of Hensia was quite uneventful. Other than the odd peddler trying to vie for his attention and interest in the wares they were selling or the interesting looks from the locals, Leo wouldn't mind staying a few extra days here. A soft smile graced his hidden face when he remembered the equally peaceful and tranquil streets of his hometown. His musings were cut short when a middle-aged man clad in grey and a tall hat asked him for his badge. While handing over his temporary license, he noticed a peculiar thing to the chasm that made him raise an eyebrow in confusion.

A little girl, no older than ten, stood ahead of him. Waiting for the elevator and looking around to pass the time. "Hey...uh...kid? You lost or something?" Leo asked. His voice muffled as it may be from the airtight mask, was with concern for the seemingly random chid.

Skills:
◼ Uncanny Combat Prowess -  From humble fisticuffs to complex magitech weapons, fighting comes to him as if second nature.
◼ Equipment Maintenance Proficiency -  Take care of your gear and your gear will take care of you.
◼ Medical Ability -  He's no doctor by any standard, but he can patch you up in a pinch.

Abilities:
◼ Peak Human Ability -  You don't really last very long in the business if you aren't.
◼ Enhanced Willpower -  Willpower is significantly above average. It will take a lot to break him.
◼ Natural Navigator -  Unless caused by magical means, getting lost will not be a concern.

Equipment:
* Modified T-35b Combat Armor Set - Segmented combat armor lightened enough to not hinder movement, but kept tough enough to withstand small arms fire and offensive spells to a reasonable extent.
* Custom GK-4 Battle Rifle - A battle rifle modified with a shorter barrel for maneuverability in small areas and a fixed bayonet for instances Leo can't switch to his axe quick enough.
* Type 5 LH Axe - A battle axe fitted with a device that layers the axe head with a disruptive field to significantly increase its cutting ability. Helps retain the edges to boot.
* Durable Knapsack - A bag made from tough leather that contains tools, gadgets, supplies, and other goodies you wouldn't want to leave home without.

Faction: Independent

[Assistant]
"Ah?"

The voice from behind her sounded funny... sort of unclear and muffled, like they were wearing something over their mouth. And when Imarui turned to face them, she discovered that was exactly the case. It was a figure much larger then herself, completely covered in metal. For a moment she thought he must be some kind of machine, but that didn't seem very likely when she thought about it. His voice didn't sound like it was a robot's voice... not that she knew what that sounded like.

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, "I'm going down to look for artifacts, just like you are!"

Realizing that just saying that might not be enough, she quickly reached into her bag and retrieved her league membership badge to show off. To be honest, she hadn't registered herself. It was an automatic process that had been done for her, just like many of the other children at the orphanage.

It was perplexing to Imarui why she'd been asked in the first place. There were artifacts hunters all over, right? So surely she wasn't the only child who did it, right?

Of course, Imarui had no idea that child artifact hunters were not only very rare outside of Hensia, but not even legal in many territories.


[System]
Biographical Information
Nickname(s): Charlie (preferred) Lotte
Date of Birth: March 7th, 1975 Pisces
Skills/Abilities: see, hear, breathe underwater, self defense, street smart, enchanting singing voice (mer form only)
Weapon(s) of Choice: mostly physical like fists or feet
Occupation(s): student and part time marine biologist

Physical Description
Specie(s): mutated human/mermaid
Gender: female
Height: 5'6
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: dark brown

Overview (Brief Summary): Charlie grew up exploring the waters with her father and shows no fear of it. She's even helped educate others about marine life and helped her father at his rehabilitation center. Months before her fifteenth birthday, she was finishing up tending to some fish when she slipped on a mysterious green substance, falling into the tank. The event changed her DNA to where she becomes a mermaid whenever the bracelet she was wearing that night is removed from her wrist.

Personality: + Compassionate, artistic, gentle, wise, likes music, romance, being alone and swimming. -Fearful, overly trusting, being criticized, past coming back to haunt her

Out-Of-Universe Information
Face Claim: Rachel Leigh Cook

[User]
"She's talking about the Foot Clan again." Charlie said as her roommate walked in, eyes glued to the rabbit eared TV the two had. "Looks like they've struck again with stealing packages from cars, pickpockets, the usual street thieves stuff." She added before glancing at Jen. It was hard to believe their lives had changed so much after coming into contact with whatever made them into what they were now.

"Thankfully nothing's come up about anyone seeing me swimming a few nights ago. I thought it was going to be the end for us; testing and everything." She said as she walked over to the kitchen to grab a couple of plates for them. "I know I have to be more careful, but it's New York! It's impossible for me to go swimming without being seen."

[Assistant]
The Asian teen walked towards the entrance of the apartment building, and pressed the buzzer, hoping that Stacy would be able to know of her return. Since her tremendous transformation, and crossing paths with the younger brunette, the two girls decided to stick together, especially at night, when crime was at its worst. It was an instinct that she had - to protect, causing her to quit her current job, and find a smaller one, where it wouldn't make her seem suspicious; all for the sake of her shrouding their secret, and prevent further harm.

It was really a few months, after they met, that they have been sticking to each other by-the-hip, like two friends adopting each other, like sisters. It was a small family, she and Charlotte; one that was formed, out of their own shared differences and similar interests. Even if she had to take Charlotte for a midnight swim, Jennifer was always there.

Making her way up to the room that she and the other teen shared, only about a good few floors above ground level, she opened the door with her key. Jennifer smiled to herself the second she heard the sound of her brunette roommate. Things have been rather grim when she was on her own, before she met Charlotte. Of course, after having to find some common ground, there wasn't much for the Asian teen to rely on, other than the girl that she now shares an apartment with. Placing her key into the bowl that was next to the door, Jennifer spun the box on her finger and giggled.

However, she immediately got serious once she mentioned about the state of things outside. "I haven't been jumped yet. But everything seems to have quieted down. At least, for now", Jenni said, having to hear the sound of April continue ringing through the room, as she helped prepare their plates.

"...crimes without criminals? An invisible gang at work? Who are we going to call? Unfortunately, the police are the only ones available to combat what some are dubbing 'the silent crime wave'. But perhaps the most disturbing silence...is that coming from City Hall. April O'Neil, Channel Three Eyewitness News..."

[User]
"Yeah...for now." Charlie echoed before opening the box and grabbing a couple of slices. She wished she was more combative like her roommate but she was just a little too passive to be violent. That wasn't to say she wouldn't fight back if cornered or provoked. She just didn't want to hurt anyone.

She sighed softly before sitting back down on the couch. It was clear something was pestering her mind. "Jen? Do you think there's others out there, ya know, like us?" She asked her Asian roommate. It was definitely a question that buzzed around her lately and a good one at that. She wasn't sure what to think.

[Assistant]
With that report finished, Jennifer took the remote, and changed the channel, hoping to find something to brighten the gloomy feeling. "I can't be sure, Lottie. It can only be a coincidence that we have already been exposed to the ooze. For others, they could be on the other side of the city, if we know it. Or, living underneath it", she sighed, while continuing to flip through the channels.

Letting her long dark hair down, Jenni took a bite of the pizza that was in the box. "You going swimming again?"

[User]
"Yeah. And don't call me Lotte. You sound like my aunt." Charlie replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust. She hated the nickname but she was stuck with it thanks to her name. "Don't wait up for me." She said before leaving. She manoeuvred her way through the streets of New York towards the water, being careful that she wouldn't be seen.

Once on a bridge that wasn't too occupied, she looked for the right point to jump into the water below. Upon finding it, she carefully climbed onto the railing, balancing herself as she looked down. To any passerby who noticed it looked like she was going to jump to end her life.

[Assistant]
Jennifer chuckled at Charlotte's reply, shortly before she noticed her leave. Shaking her head, she took the plates, and washed them in the sink. Looking out the window, she noticed the reflection of her katana hanging on the wall.

Meanwhile, a tall individual in a trench coat walked across the bridge before having to notice the girl standing on the very edge. He was silent upon his approach and, by the time he walked passed her, he pulled her by the back of her shirt, and back on solid ground, at a safe distance near the railing.

[User]
"Ack!" Charlie yelped as she was pulled back, landing a little roughly on her butt. She looked around for who grabbed her before seeing someone in a trenchcoat walking off. "Hey, what gives, jerk?!" She shouted at him, not fully thinking of the consequences of her reaction. She was just upset some bozo stopped her from her swim.

She growled softly before climbing back up onto the edge, not caring if he'd try to stop her again. She was jumping off this bridge for her swim, damnit!

[Assistant] The individual in the trench coat turned around, once he heard the faint clink of the railing, and found standing on it again. Was she out of her mind? It was a long way down, and he didn't know whether or not the water was shallow. It made the person groan. What was up with these humans?

[User]
Charlie heard the person groan but she didn't care as she edged forward on the edge, getting ready to take her bracelet off once she jumped. But something nagged at her as she felt the eyes staring at her. "What's your deal?!" She finally snapped at the guy, turning to face him. She didn't move from her spot on the ledge.

"This isn't what it looks like, so just go away!"

[Assistant]
The individual in the trench coat just stood there, continuing to look at her in silence. A car drove by, and the light managed to briefly put a shine on the stranger. It only made a shadow, like a silhouette in front of car headlights. There was even a brief instance where his eyes appeared.

Even when she was yelling at him, he didn't move, only shaking his head in silence, and turning away.

[User]
"Weirdo." She muttered before turning back to look at the waters below. She had done this before and knew it was just the right spot to jump. Not too shallow but deep enough for a dive. She leaped off, taking her bracelet off at the same time. Unfortunately, she let go of her bracelet as she launched herself, causing it to softly clatter on the sidewalk of the bridge.

Soon as the jewelry was off, her legs fused together into an orange fish tail that faded into sunset colors. She landed with a slash, quickly swimming off a ways should someone see her. She smiled, finally feeling free as she swam around.

[Assistant]
By the time he saw her lean forward, his instinct told him to grab her again; to catch her. However, the look in her eyes told him to stay out of it. Aside from his brother to tell him what to do, something inside him told him to comply with what she said. Seeing her fall, and hearing the splash, he immediately ran to the railing, nearly stepping on the bracelet on the ground.

Picking up the trinket, he didn't know what to make of it. Should he wait? Instead, he listened to his head, and silently placed her bracelet at the side of the river, where the path was, if she ever wanted to get out. Walking away, he left, disappearing in the shadows. He wasn't aware of her change.

[User]
Charlie swam around, laughing at her freedom as she chased after some fish. Even in the dark she could see clearly as if it was day. She slightly wished she could share it with someone like her. She shook the thought away before jumping out of the water akin to a dolphin, letting out a happy yell.

It was close to midnight when she hauled herself onto land, blinking in surprise upon finding her bracelet there. She then realized she had left it behind when she jumped, but wondered who left it for her. She shrugged before putting it back on, changing back into a human before heading home.

[Assistant] By the time Charlotte managed to make it back home, Jenni was sitting upon the fire escape, right outside the window, trying to think. Although she could have also been meditating. The Asian teen smelled the air, and listened to the noise. Her katana sat nearby her figure. She heard the apartment door open, and turned to see her roommate walking through the door.

[User] "You will not believe the night I've had." Charlie said before telling her about Trenchcoat Guy and how he stopped her from jumping the first time. "No one's stopped me before, so what gives?" She asked before heading to her room to change into dry clothes.

[Assistant] Jennifer listened to Charlie's story about the stranger that tried to break her fall. Weirdly enough, this individual saw her take the jump. The teen wondered if she should have went with her. But then, she wondered if she had to, especially every time they go out. This person could have seen Charlotte transform. Whilst it was quiet for some time, a great yell sounded. "DAMN!"

[User]
Charlie flinched at the yell, brown eyes widened in fright. "What the hell was that?" She asked before looking outside the window in some hope she'd see who had shouted. She drew back in, shrugging in confusion.

"Nothing." She stated as she looked at Jen.

[Assistant]
There was a certainty that at least half of the city heard of the very angry yell that sounded. Someone would have quickly assumed that it was someone on a drunken rage. But then, it was New York, where something new and odd would come up every day and night.

The next day, Jennifer crashed on the couch, after a long night, causing her to drastically over sleep that morning. However, she managed to be up to see the television on, with the interview of April O'Neil interviewing the chief of police. Would she be able to get it through his thick skull that something was wrong with the economy?

[User]
"He's sooo not happy with her. You can see it in his eyes. Body language too." Charlie said as she ate her breakfast. She had gotten up early despite her midnight swim which was oddly normal for her. Well, since her change that is.

"Honestly, I'd vote for her a mayor or something like that." She said before eating a spoonful of cereal. "She'd clean up this town." She added.

[Assistant]
"...what that means, Miss O'Neil, is everything is well in hand"
"What do you know about an organization, known as The Foot Clan?"
"There is no evidence to link such a name to these incidents"

Jennifer closed her eyes and shook her head, growing annoyed at the interview, as well as the stubbornness of the police chief. Giving a yawn, the Asian girl walked to the fridge to grab a jug of orange juice, and poured herself a glass.

"Are you denying an organization, known as 'The Foot' exists?"
"I'm not denying anything. You're putting words into my mouth..."

"How do you feel about going out for a walk?", she asked Charlotte. "Find any trace of this organization, and take it to the police? Maybe then, he'll feel more convinced and pressured to actually do something, instead of sitting down".

[User]
"Sounds good to me. These guys aren't going to help, we might as well." Charlie replied as she got up to take care of her dishes. She then got to thinking about the guy who stopped her last night and if he was part of it. No, he couldn't be. He wouldn't have left her bracelet behind if he was with them.

She sighed softly before glancing at her roommate. "Do you think we'll ever have a normal life being what we are?" She asked


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

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

Finger Claws:

Curved Daggers:

Combat Outfit:

Dresses for Two Towers/Return of the King

Wing-Cloak

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[User]
Saeril looked and listened, a sign of understanding her every word. If she wasn't too sure of her feelings, then the elder will not pry too much on her thoughts. It would be considered inappropriate, so the elder will respect Yavanna's wishes, and keep her distance away from the princess' private affairs. "I understand", she said, accepting her honest answer, like how a mother would for their child.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me", she smiled with reassurance, before giving a wink.

[Assistant]
Yavanna smiled softly; she was glad Saeril was understanding off the situation. And not, judging or anything that'd make her uncomfortable. "With these around..not sure, how long it'll be a secret." Yavanna teased a little...as she nodded her head towards the doorway...that kept them separated from the company. Some of them were bound to pry a little, or tease...nothing stayed secret for long, with the Dwarves.

Inside, Kili was a little confused and worried. Bofur wondered if he said something wrong. "What do you think, that was about?" Kili asked his brother.

[User]
Once again, the elder chuckled at the youngest's instinct of teasing back. It was making her grow even more fond of the girl, who acted exactly like how a daughter would traditionally express themselves: Laughter, joy, innocence, and beauty, altogether. In a way, Saeril just wanted the girl to be of her own, and yet she couldn't. This girl was just so pure, almost the opposite, and a reflection of her former self, before her corruption. She was a literal star; a literal light in the darkness. In a way, her darkness.

Fili stayed by Kili's side since their God-mother and Yavanna left the house. Honestly, he didn't know what was going on, yet he saw that something seemed to be bothering their "sister", which was how they viewed the princess now. "I don't know", he responded to his little brother's wonder.

[Assistant]
Yavanna had always been considered a blessing, among her people. As was her elder sister. With her rare bloodlines mixture, her beauty and natural kindness, compassion and love for almost everything in Middle Earth. Yavanna was loved by most. Yet the heart of a star; desired by enemies. Many believed her and Arwen to be a symbol, of peace and beauty. Some believed, she represented hope for the future of their world. Everyone had their own views on the matter.

The young she-elf embraced Saeril in a soft hug. In a way, she was thanking the elder...for listening to her. The girl felt a part of the family, like she had known them all her entire life.

Kili had pursed his lips, it seemed like neither of them knew what was going on. "I hope, she's okay." he said softly. He had never seen, anything bother Yavanna before. Besides his health and injury, the last few hours. This was new.

[User]
Saeril felt the girl's hug and, in reaction, she returned the favor by wrapping her arms around her; one hand settled on the back on her head, with the other on her back. However, unaware to the princess, the elder felt that same pinching headache that she felt back in Greenwood, causing her to make a silent wince of pain. Strangely, it disappeared, as soon as it came.

After a few minutes of their warm embrace, the elder pulled back from Yavanna, quickly composing herself from what she just recently experienced. She didn't, and couldn't, tell the princess for what happened because the last thing they need is to worry about something else, other than Kili.

[Assistant]
As the pair were in their embrace. Yavanna gave Saeril a slight squeeze. The young girl stayed in her arms, for a few moments. Like a child, with it's mother. As their hug ended, Yavanna smiled softly at Saeril. Not knowing of what happened before.

"I think, I could use a little walk. There's something, I been meaning to find." she said softly.

[User]
Saeril smiled back at the girl, and gently returned the squeeze. In truth, she didn't want to let her go yet. Just by looking at her fair and innocent face, the elder lifted both of her hands to gently stroke the sides of her face, before tilting her head down and placing a kiss to her forehead in fondness, and out of familial love.

Just when the youngest mentioned about taking a walk, the elder pulled away her hands. "I'll join you if you want?", she offered with a motherly smile.

[Assistant]
Yavanna looked up at the elder, with a warm; kind smile on her face. Saeril's motherly touch, made her smile and brought her comfort. It seemed to ease some worries away. But they were still there...at the back of her mind. As she heard her offer, she nodded softly. "Four pair of eyes, is always better than two." she said softly. Happily accepting for Saeril to come along.

As the pair, walked down the stairs away from the house. Yavanna kept her eyes wide open...as they walked. She felt the cool breeze tickle her skin. But she kept looking for signs, of the flower she desired. Checking most flowers, she passed by.

[User] Just as Yavanna began to walk away from the house, Saeril willingly followed, slightly tailing behind her, with their hoods over their heads. "If you don't mind me asking. Just what exactly are you looking for?", she asked, out of curiosity. What could the youngest be looking for? Something of great importance, perhaps?

[Assistant] Yavanna knew that Saeril would ask that question sooner or later. "A special flower. It has healing properties...that work miracles against poison." Yavanna said softly. "It's for Kili...just in case..." she said softly. She didn't know, how much the poison had spread in his system, by the time she helped him out earlier in Bard's home...but this might be needed. If something were to happen.

[User]
Saeril was already impressed though it wouldn't surprise her that Yavanna knew the ways of medicinal plant life. Not too far from behind her, the elder had to look over her shoulder a few times, though there were moments where she would help her look. That was when it hit her. Yavanna might be looking for Athelas, or Kingsfoil. This plant was highly-used back in Fangorn Forest, where they used it to heal themselves, as well as both Man and Dwarf.

The elder was so busy helping the princess look for at least a hint of the weed to tend to Kili's wound, she then heard a controversy near the Mayor's house. "Yavanna", she called to the girl, who was searching nearby. Her Elvish ears were no mistake, so after taking the youngest's hand, she pushed her way through the crowd, and her eyes widened once she came next to the house of the Master.


[System]
Age: 19

Gender: Female

Appearance: Onyx has black hair and green cat eyes. The skin of her entire body is covered in short, soft cheetah-patterned fur, except her wings and face. She is missing her left ear and has a scar on her left cheek from a fight she was in a while back. Her wings are like the wings of a brown hawk, and her wingspan is twice her arm span. She usually wears a shawl so that her wings are hidden unless she is flying.

Equipment: 3 or 4 small knives (and other tools), a pair of restored Twin Pistols, and a basic med-pack.

Physical Abilities: Flight, 6th sence(hunting/tracking), Speed & Agility, Stealth.

Background: Onyx's species, the Elissics, live in the mountains and old cities found there. They could be categorized as a frightening predator and enemy to all creatures, as they have barely any ability to distinguish one race of creature from another from the air, and there's barely any escape once they swoop down on their prey. They are not a particularly smart race, they can't understand old human language and can just barely manage to put back together the few relics they find from humans. They can only make crude weaponry, and are fairly simple with the other things they make as well. Their society is broken up into many nomadic tribes across the region, each having their own unique color of wings, and they have no unified head of power, so they will often fight with each other when the different tribes meet.

Onyx herself is a bit different from the others in her tribe… she likes to be alone, rather than hunting in a group, and will keep trying towards her goal until she figures out how to get there. Instead of trying to fly over the tallest mountain and tiring herself out, possibly even getting sick, she'll look for the shortest path around. She's better with strategy and quick moves than drawn-out fights and trying to compensate for a group. Because of this, she is sort of left out of everything, and she doesn't care because she doesn't want to have to feel like she can't say what's on her mind. She is often given solo missions that really don't make much difference around the tribe, and whenever she's not on a mission will fly in random patterns around the mountains, usually ending up at a large lake (or small sea) where she likes to fish using an old net she had found nearby the first time she had gone there. Onyx, just like the rest of the Elissics, doesn't worry much about the state of the world or how it got that way. They all live completely in the moment.

[User]
"That sounds...terrifying. I think I'm glad I don't have wings now; being pushed off of a cliff doesn't sound appealing. Anyway, I'll try to look for some redeeming quality in all of this. That, or I'll just close...or, well, no, closing my eyes won't get me any closer to overcoming this. Maybe I can just focus on the view; I'm sure it will be spectacular." Tarentek commented. When Onyx grabbed him, he felt himself become more nervous, if that was even possible. His mind was screaming at him that this was a bad idea, but for his own sake, he had to get over this fear.

Tarentek let out a deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready."

[Assistant]
Onyx took off the second she heard Tarentek say he was ready. He was a little heavier than he had been the first time she had carried him, and she took that as a sign of his health. She wouldn't tell him that though, it would probably just scare him more. He was not any harder to carry because of it, although his tenseness and nervousness might prove to be a problem. He was scared stiff, as he'd said he probably would be, and that was making Onyx nervous.

"Hey, loosen up. I'm supposed to be helping you get over this, but I cant do that if you're made of stone. Focus on the horizon, see how far we are from the mountains already?" Onyx turned in midair so that Tarentek would be able to see the hazy blobs in the distance that were the mountains her Tribe lived in. Going back to her course, Onyx sped up as she flew. "It's easier to fly the faster I go sometimes, I promise I'm not trying to scare you even more than you already are. Calm. Down." Onyx kept up her little babble of 'calm down's and 'relax's all the way to the sea, too busy trying to keep Tarentek calm to even think about her own fear that she was about to face.

[User]
Tarentek managed not to close his eyes as they took off. In fact, they were about as wide open as they could possibly be from fear. As Onyx suggested, he kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, apart from the brief moment she turned him to look at the mountains behind them. "Ah this is...okay, okay, okay, just...okay. I need to...okay." Tarentek repeated, unable to collect his thoughts into rational sentences. His heart was absolutely racing, but he tried to follow Onyx's advice as best as he could.

"You don't want me to be as stiff? Okay, I'll try, but you also said not to move around as much. How much should I be moving, or...not moving? This is all just....I can see everything from here. It's terrifying and amazing. Seeing the world like this is beyond beautiful, but if you let go of me right now, I would die. I just can't get that thought out of my head." He said, putting his focus into the conversation instead of the flight.

[Assistant] Onyx sighed. "Don't be made of stone, and don't force yourself to move. Relax enough that you feel almost detached from your body, almost as if you were asleep. That would make it the easiest for me to carry you. Honestly, I find your reaction to this quite hilarious, it seems as if you can't even think straight." Onyx slowed down as she saw the sea ahead of them. "I'd say you're doing well, we're almost there now. I think calming down is the key, you may not have noticed but I have. A few minutes ago you couldn't form sentences, then you calmed down enough to talk to me."

[User]
"I, uh, I wouldn't call this calm, really. I'm not exactly panicking, but..." Tarentek responded. His breathing felt almost as rapid as his heart rate, but he as least wasn't completely frozen anymore. He saw the sea ahead of them, though he still found it best to keep his eyes on the horizon.

Now that he was in a marginally better state of mind, he was able to focus on something other than the thought of falling. At this height, he could see in quite a far distance in all directions, enough to spark a thought in his mind to keep him distracted. "How high can you go? From the Human works we translated, we learned that the Earth is like a ball; rounded. If you go high enough, you can actually see it. Have you saw the curving of the horizon before? I'm not sure how high you have to go, or if you can even reach that height." He asked. Although this was the first time since they took off that he had said anything not related to his very present fear, it was obvious from his tone that he was still quite nervous.

[Assistant]
He was still really nervous, just his voice told Onyx that, but he was also alot more relaxed than he had been so far. "I've never tested just how far up I could go before, I've never thought to try. But what you say about the Earth being like a ball makes sense. I suppose that's why a mountain seems shorter from further away, because the ground curves away from you and covers the bottom." Onyx realized that Tarentek might be using the conversation to keep his mind from his fears, if only just a little, and tried to expand the topic.

"So, what else do you know because of these translations? Actually, before I ask that, what are Humans? Are they the ones who left behind the ruins and relics we find scattered around everywhere?"

[User] "Yes, that was their name for themselves. Many races have many different names for them, but that was their own word, so it is what we call them. From all we have found, they once controlled all of this planet, and had a masterful command over the natural world. They needed to move faster, so they built machines that could move themselves much faster than any person could naturally. They did not have wings, so they built machines that could fly. They even flew above the Earth itself to the moon above our heads. In short, they were all that my people aspire to be." Tarentek explained. Speaking about history and technology was perhaps the best way to distract him, given its importance to himself and his people. He could see the sea growing closer below them, but did his best to ignore it. The fear was still very present in his mind, but holding a conversation such as this helped to give a sense of normality to being higher in the air than his people were ever meant to go. As well, Onyx had not seemed even remotely like she was close to dropping him at any point, which did help calm him marginally.

[Assistant]
"They went to the moon?! But that's... How did they make a, machine, fly? Nothing can fly without wings, so they made themselves wings? Wouldn't they have had the same problem as you are now?" Onyx was now very curious, almost enough to make her forget to pay attention to how she was flying. She noticed herself slowing down greatly, so she did a dive to pick back up on speed, weaving through the last few standing ruins to the sea. They were close enough now that she could put Tarentek down if he asked, so now Onyx slowed down on purpose and decided to tell him.

"Hey, I can put you down now if you want, we're pretty much there already."

[User]
Tarentek would certainly be lying if he said he was not frightened when Onyx started to dive. His first reaction was to scream, but he managed to keep himself quiet. Onyx had already proved she was more than capable of flying like this, but that rational thought was in conflict with his innate fear of heights. Fortunately, he did manage to avoid any outward panic.

"Yes you can...actually, no, I can do this. Just go ahead and carry me all the way to sea. I can't stop now." Tarentek answered with an interesting tone consisting both of fear and resolve. Given how close they were, it only took a minute or two to reach the sea, and finally set down on solid ground. Tarentek wanted to collapse to his hands and knees at that moment, but he kept himself standing

"Oh thank Jhala we're here. That was...Karisskan were never meant to fly. But...I guess that could have gone much worse, and there is still the trip back to get through. I didn't like it but...maybe I can actually do this. Maybe if we just keep flying, it will get better; maybe I'll even start to like it." Tarentek commented, staring out to sea for a few moments before glancing back to Onyx. "Anyways, do you want to go ahead and start the lesson now, or take a break first?"

[Assistant]
After Onyx had put Tarentek down by the water, she flew back a ways and landed there, not making any move to go closer to the water. "I think you forget that I won't be able to fly for a while if my wings are wet, so you don't have to worry too much about the way back. That flight will be considerably shorter than the way here had been."

She looked around at the horizon for a little bit, judging the time of day by the sun's height in the sky. "I want to stay as far from the water as possible, maybe even just fly away now and leave you here to swim on your own, but I made a promise. Even if it's a reckless promise, I'll keep it as I try to keep all my promises." As she spoke, she forced herself to walk closer to Tarentek, her heartbeat getting more rapid with every step. "The sooner we start, the sooner it's over, right?"

[User]
"Don't worry, Onyx. You will be as safe in the water as I was in the sky, perhaps even more so." Tarentek responded as he started to undo the belts holding his pouch and machete in place. "I'm glad you agreed to this. Swimming is a useful skill, and it can even be fun, just as I'm sure flying can be for you. I promise I won't rush you into anything, and I'll be right beside you the entire time in case you have trouble. You know how strong I am, and it is even easier to carry something in the water, so you'll be in no danger. Now, I'll let you get ready. Once you have your belongings situated, just step into the shallows beside me."

Tarentek found a spot on the shore sufficiently far from the water and placed down his pouch and machete, then removed his robe. He carefully laid out his robe flat on the sand, then set down his rifle on top of it to prevent sand from finding its way inside the weapon. Walking into the shallows, he stopped once the water reached about ankle high. "Since you spoke before about liking to fish, I'm going to assume you're not completely terrified of touching the water, at least not just a section that barely covers your feet. I have an idea of how to ease you into it."

[Assistant]
Onyx watched as Tarentek got ready and stepped into the water. She walked over to where he had put his belongings and took off her shawl, wrapping it around her med-pack and placing it carefully on the sand so that no sand would get into the pack. "I don't touch the water when I fish. I fly over it with a net and scoop up anything I can." Onyx paused and looked at Tarentek, trying to will herself closer to the water, and failing.

"The only water I touch it the water I drink, because that can't hurt me. I don't trust this realm of nature." Onyx managed to focus enough on her words that she walked all the way to the edge of the shore before noticing where she was and freezing in place, staring at the dark water.

[User]
"Water doesn't have a will, or a desire; it simply exists like the air around us. And just like the air, you can master it to glide through it with ease. If you're anything like my people, you will float in water, as long as you have a decent amount of air in your lungs. I this salty water in particular, you'll have a hard time sinking. The water where I'm standing right now is so shallow, you couldn't drown in it if you tried." Tarentek said, trying to encourage Onyx as best as he could. He took a few steps forward, still keeping his feet in the water, and extended his hand, offering it to her.

"I'll be right here with you." He added.

[Assistant] Onyx forced herself to look at Tarentek and not at the water as she took his hand. "I don't believe that anything simply exists. The wind is the breath of the spirits, a gentle embrace. The ground is the bodies, for everything does eventually return to the ground, they support us when we cannot. I would say that water is like the vengeful thoughts we all have, free-flowing and everywhere, inescapable as it weighs us down in a way that takes the most freedom from us." Onyx sighed and closed her eyes, her voice now shaking a little. "You promise you won't make me go any farther than I can force myself to?


[System]
Gender:Female

Appearance:

Goals: Bella was studying to be a History Professor with a focus on classical civilizations to the medieval era. In this other world of scattered people… Maybe she can see if she can make a Roman Empire that doesn't fall.

Past Life: Bella grew up the daughter of a politician and a History Professor. Her mother is an accountant turned politician and her father is a long time History Professor. Since she was young, her father introduced her to the History of Rome and taught her all about it. By the time she was out of compulsory schooling, she was about as knowledgeable on everything during the reign of Rome as her father and had a working knowledge of the Latin language. If anyone had a question about it, she could answer easily.

She went to college as a history major with a minor in political science. And the political science minor was only because her mother took up a career as a rather successful politician. Through her time in college, she assisted her mother's campaign as well as study history. Every now and then, she would go and look into other politicians and get interviews when she could.

In the end, her life ended as someone stabbed her from behind. Likely from asking the wrong individual the wrong question about the wrong person.

Abilities:

Physical Conditioning: Peak human
Your body is naturally tough, durable, and strong. The pinnacle of human physical strength, endurance, and agility. Keep training, and surely you can surpass even stronger beings.

Soul Flare: The ability to turn ones soul into a weapon itself. Needed for most basic magical feats. Channel the mana present in the air through your body to achieve great feats. Allows one to interact with supernatural things, and perceive things others may not.

Ability Gained: Goddess' Eye
 The Goddess has given you a prestigious blessing. The eye will allow you to see things about a single living target in your vision that others can not. Status, general health, current disposition, abilities, special and other such information. Use it wisely, and you could use words as effective as any weapon or use it to disable someone with as little conflict as possible. Additionally, you can see things that are unable to be seen, and interact with it, and they you. Spirits, ghosts, and other such beings and things of that nature. However - things with special protections, such as beings with a divine connection, and skills will obscure your vision. It does not reveal things that are hidden through mundane means.
Trivia:

-Bella played a lot of Total War: Rome II to try and put old Roman strategies to practice.

-Bella can speak Italian, Latin and English

Inventory:
-Padded Armor
-Rapier

Learned Skills:

-Cleansing Fire - Fire, is not always destruction. It is also life, energy. It invigorates and brings warmth to all. Were fire never to exist, humanity may have never made it through the ice ages, for without its warmth they would fall victim to the frigid cold that envelops this land. Though fire can burn wildly, furiously, and destroy all, yours can also heal and bring comfort to those. By focusing positive energies into your fire, you may heal and cleanse small wounds.

-Mana Redirect - A skill allowing one to redirect magical energy tossed at them from any supernatural source. Rather than absorbing and meshing it with your own, you redirect it to some other purpose, thus weakening its effects upon you as you turn it towards something else. Generally, this will work with everything but some sources of energy would be far too strong to completely deflect, and some are easier to work with then others.

-Flora Command (lesser) - You're able to command the natural world around you, to an extent. Though, as it comes from domination rather than understanding and mutual understanding, it is not out of mutual respect or because they desire it. Rather - they do not wish to incur your wrath, so they cooperate.

You can't perform complex actions or move them very quickly yet, and flora with more vitality may still ignore you outright as of now.

[User]
Novak
The girl continued to describe the area, mentioning hunters and hunting festivals. Once again, Lazirha mentioned this Kyrinth. Novak had no idea what it was, other than that her description inferred it was a dangerous being of some sort, but not a direct threat to the town. It was definitely something that they should ask about prior to heading back out into the wilderness. Fortunately, if the town was as full of hunters as Lazirha seemed to infer, it shouldn't be difficult getting information on this Kyrinth and any other local beasts worth worrying about.

The village was roughly what Novak expected from the girl's description. However, it seemed a little odd that none of the others had a tattoo on their arm like Lazirha's. Did it mean something special in the village, or was it simply a meaningless adornment upon a bored girl? It shouldn't be hard to find out, although it might be wise to wait until a more appropriate time to pry about it.

Just as the girl was inviting the group back to her home, they were interrupted by a commotion. Several armed men were confronting a massive, somewhat mammalian armored beast. The creature was covered in what looked like metallic scales, and it was holding something in its mouth. The beast seemed to glare at Nobunaga, and it was only at this point that Novak realized that it had human remains in its maw.

Is this the Kyrinth that she was talking about?

Novak readied his sword, but there wasn't much he could do with it. He didn't know anything about using the sword, and he certainly didn't know anything about fighting an armored, man-eating monster. Of the three of them, only Nobunaga stepped forward to fight the beast, already barking suggestions to the village's spearmen. Lazirha seemed to be surprised and perhaps a bit confused at their inability to fight.

"It's a long story, miss Lazirha, but suffice to say, Misaki and I aren't fighters," Novak interjected. "Heck, I just picked up this sword to defend myself from birds. I'd say the only reason we're alive is because we haven't been doing this for very long, and most of that time has been spent simply trying to not die horribly."

Once again Novak was blurting things out that, had he been thinking clearly, would not have revealed to an outsider. Right now, however, the primary thing on his mind was not getting killed and eaten by this strange monster. It was an upsetting realization, that he was so unprepared for this world, and completely unable to fulfill the mission given by the goddess to protect these people. Perhaps now would be a good time to begin making use of his skill-seeking ability.

I could learn something quite useful from watching how the hunters move when fighting that monster, but I'd better first he sure that they know what they're doing.

@PKMNB0Y@VitaVitaAR

[Assistant]
@Rune_Alchemist@PaulHaynek@Guy0fV4lor

Nick lagged behind; it was uncertain whether the young man would follow the rest all the way into the depths, especially as the stench of decay grew stronger, as the darkness grew thicker. Not all were made for such escapades, and Isidore could only hope that Nick didn't make any rash decisions.

The darkness shone with blue light as the quartet passed the point of no return.

There was a chasm underneath the prison, home to a garden of tar-stained flowers and trees. That sweetness, once overbearing, was now undercut by the smell of brine, like the world's shittiest salty caramel. The walls of this cavern were made inaccessible to them all by the ocean water that seeped into the place, while the garden was the territory of shadowy humans, lumbering disconcertingly around the place. The former researchers of the prison above? Or more of those wretched experiments, made puppets by the tar-plants.

Then, there was the clattering of feet against stone off in the distance, muffled by vines. Isidore turned briefly, noting that of the three that had followed, two now remained. Nick was gone, having taken the sealing of the entranceway as reason enough to escape. Isidore's expression remained unchanged. Loyalty or conviction hadn't yet had any chance to grow amongst these strangers. Such action couldn't be faulted, but it would be remembered.

Isidore let out a breath, let out all the tension that had built up in his body.

Time to continue.

Not certain whether the others could see so clearly as he could, he kept a firm grip on Octavia's leash, as he began to walk upon the raised platform, keeping an eye on the largest plant at the back of the garden. Black stones impaled it, but it was through those same black stones that it could grow its progeny upon the surface, to birth creatures such as Octavia. It was a detour, and he had to drag Octavia with him as he did so, but Isidore wasn't fool enough to walk boldly into the territory of the tar-plants. All the toughness in the world meant nothing once restrained by a dozen ancient roots.

"Donovan, shield up. Protect the others. Octavia, there are things moving within the garden to our left. We are approaching the largest of the tar-plants, the one whose roots stretch all around this place." He paused. Levity may be appropriate in these dark times, so deep underground. "If any of you were a fire-breather in your past life, this would be a good chance to show off."

…

Isidore coughed, then allowed his muscles to relax further.

The door, he hadn't mentioned. It was left open for a reason, and that reason was still unknown to him.

[User]
Augusta looked at the pin Donovan was asking about. She was more than ready to trudge forward into this dungeon-like thing in front of them, but the question posed seemed fair compensation. "A pin?" Of course, her eyes reacted not to it. It only seemed to work on creatures of some sort or another. Some issue in and of itself though it would definitely help more than hurt. She sighed with no reply from looking at it. "Haa..." When her eyes fail, there was little more she could figure to do but touch it. "Hmm. Obviously it's... What's the word? Enchanted? Yes, enchanted. Weakly magical?" She questioned, looking at the thing. "It's possibly I might be able to tell you more after I've figured out magic more." She stated, removing her hand and giving a nod to the man.

The deeper they went, the more there was that... sickeningly sweet smell. She had done her best to push it to the back of her mind but the more they traveled, the worst it got until finally they reached a rather dark place. The sweet smell was mixed with the all too familiar scent of the sea. "How peculiar." Still, it was rather dark and she couldn't see very well. There was salt water for sure. And those black tar-like plants that came with Octavia. Hmmm. How curious. She sighed and started to walk forward when she heard a rustling behind her. The vines had blocked their path back? Somehow, she expected that much, really. "No going back, it seems."

With a slight shrug, she followed Isidore as he took the initiative. He barked out commands that made her wonder if he had prior experience in such a thing. It wouldn't be farfetched after all. Either way, she continued to follow him and tried to look around but... "I can't see a thing in this darkness. Wish I had magic for that." She mentioned, playing around with the idea in her head and at her fingertips. It'd be great to just collect power to her hands and make a ball of light to just, illuminate around them. A certain game called it Mage Light, she seemed to remember.


[System]
Hero Name
Quake

Nicknames
N/A

Gender
Female

Age
23

Date of Birth
July 20th

Physique
5'7/147 pounds. Jamie is a fit, pretty young woman. She has straight, honey blonde hair of medium length. While down, her hair reaches to her chest. She has bright blue eyes and tanned skin.

Blood Type
O-

Occupation
Superhero

Side
Hero

Affiliation
H.E.R.O

Tier
S

Personality
Jamie is the definition of heroic. She's kind, brave, and has a strong moral compass. She believes that all people are inherently good, but, in order for people to remain that way, bad people must go down. She views the world in an inherently black and white way- for her, there is no grey area. You are either bad or good, not both. Needless to say, thinking this way leads her to being incredibly naive and short-sighted. She is ridiculously trusting in others and extremely gullible, having fallen for multiple Nigerian prince scams. She's rather ditzy, too, having trouble remembering simple things. She often goes overboard on the battlefield, forgetting just how much damage she can cause in the pursuit of a villain. Although not a thrillseeker at all, she's extremely irresponsible and often causes massive damage to surrounding areas, having collapsed several structures and caused several earthquakes.

Backstory
Before her powers, Jamie had led a relatively normal life. She grew up in an upper middle class, white-picket fence suburb somewhere outside of Castleburg, with a mom and a dad. She was the youngest of three. She went to high school- planned on going to university before it was all derailed. She was popular at school, but not the mean kind. Got decent grades. Life was good- if boring.

Her normal life changed when her powers emerged. Her mom had powers, too- a minor form of telekinesis, helpful for getting the television remote and not much else. The catalyst was a fight with her older sister. It was about something stupid, Jamie remembered later. The TV channel. They were fighting over the TV remote when the house started to shake, to shiver, to tremble- and as Jamie's anger rose, so did the shaking. She felt the tremors like an extension of herself, like she was shaking too. It was almost... euphoric. Until the house fell on her head, that is. The emergency workers managed to get her and her family out of the rubble, fortunately- no one died. But her father and sister were both terribly injured, whereas Jamie only ended up with a broken arm.

Being the age of heroes, this freak event was thoroughly investigated. Nobody believed that this event was due to an earthquake, of all things. It didn't match up. Investigators traced the event back to Jamie, and it was determined that she had powers. S-Tier. She was put on a watchlist, of sorts, and strongly encouraged to join H.E.R.O. Of course, she did so promptly. Now having earned the disdain of both her family and the opportunity to join a career where she would be able to truly help people, there was no clearer option to her. This was where she belonged.

Power
 Tremor- Jamie has the ability to manipulate the vibrations surrounding her. In short, she can make things shake, and intensely. She does so on a fairly massive scale, having the ability to cause destructive earthquakes and shockwaves. When her powers are focused, she can create directed concussive blasts of vibrational force, which have a wide variety of uses. However, her power has one major weakness- it affects herself. If her powers are over-used, it has a very negative affect on her body. Her power has caused broken bones and even internal bleeding. She also doesn't have much control over her power, especially when feeling emotional.

Other

Name of Person
Blake von Brandt

Relationship Status
Good Friends

Quick Quote
"Ooh, Blake! He's super fun. Always down to do something- whether it's a mission, or just something super fun! Although everything always seems to end badly when I'm around him… huh…"

Relationship Description
Jamie can say with complete certainty that hanging out with him is an absolute blast. Even though their version of 'having a blast' more often than not ends up with getting dragged down to the police station or screamed at by Director Powers. She's been in a jail cell with him multiple times, so that has definitely bonded them. Even if most of the incidents weren't her fault.

---

[User]
---

Merely hours after Seraph's address, Starbright held a live stream toward his fans. 'Tears of sadness' ran down his face as he address the matter of Eagles. "So *sniffle* by now you all have heard about Eagles. *sniffle* I am sorry to say but I, Starbright, was not invited to join. Seraph has ended my hero career, I will keep producing my music but it will *sniffle* be tough with this weight on my heart. All I wanted to do was *more intensive crying*, save... people. But that isn't even the worst part."

Starbright had to try his absolute hardest not to smile at this next part. Although it was his duty to help keep Patty safe, he couldn't lie and say he wasn't about to enjoy what he was about to say. "A good friend... no, one of my dearest friends in HERO, Patty Donnelly, is being hunted down by Seraph. *sniffle* She couldn't be capable of murder she is only a teen and that isn't even all of it. She was my... biggest fan. Now, thinking about her on the run, all I can think about is that it could have been any one of my fans *sniffle* in her situation. So yeah, thats the main reason I am in tears. Please don't let this go unnoticed, I started a hashtag, #savestarbrightsbiggestfan, it up to all of you to be the heroes now." Well there you go Patty, Starbright thought. Until you start putting yourself in the spotlight, everyone will think you're my biggest fan.

---

Later on mainstream Castleburg news, a much more composed and serious Starbright made his address to those who aren't teenage girls.

"I think Seraph and Eagles are going in the right direction, Castleburg certainly needs change and has needed it for a long time." Starbright cringed at how vague the term 'change' was. He knew better than anybody that is was merely a buzz word people like himself and Seraph use to get blind support on an empty promise of progress. "However, the dispanding of HERO has gone under the notice of every employee there until Seraph's address. I think everyone would like a few things cleared up first, which is why I, Starbright, will be looking to produce an exclusive interview with retired legend, Hugo Powers. The problem is he has gone dark for the past week, so if anyone has any clue on his whereabouts let me know immediately. Not that I want to throw any accusations of course. Now where were we, ah, my new albu..."

The interview continues with non-hero matters for the entirety of the broadcast. Starbright added in that line about accusations, this should spark some conspiracy wack jobs to start speaking about a potential Powers kidnapping. Whether Seraph had been responsible for that or not was irrelevant, right now Eagles just needed as much doubt on them as possible without directly confronting them.

---

[Assistant]
Rumi was calmly arguing with a particularly confrontational hero about the lack of evidence between him and Patricia's mass murder case, and was soon able to get the hero to back off, having succeeded in convincing her. Almost immediately after, a peculiar-looking fellow barged into the lobby, shoving his way through the crowd, and emitted an EMP. It made contact with Rumi's energy shield, which flashed blue and disappeared as its power supply was depleted, rendering it inactive. Rumi knelt down, as if hurt by the sudden burst of energy. He wasn't, of course, but the pose would be helpful to him in the near future.

"Damage report," Rumi muttered under his breath. His suit's systems ran a quick diagnostic and displayed the information onto Rumi's glasses, confirming Rumi's devices had not failed him yet. The shield was down for the time being, but it had done its job absorbing and deflecting the EMP's energy, protecting Rumi's electrical equipment, including the hidden nanosuit within Rumi's three-piece. Rumi had thought it to be a good idea to Faraday cage the important areas of the Polamor Inc HQ, such as the labs and workshops, so those were also left unharmed. The same could not be said for the rest of the lobby, however. Much of the news reporters' equipment and any electrical gadgets the other heroes had were down, as well as many of the gadgets on display in the lobby. Rumi grimaced, thinking of just how much was being wasted due to this fool.

Rumi raised his hands up to appear as if he was surrendering, which seemed to do the trick as Snake Pitt walked forward, clearly confident about his current position. When he got close enough, Rumi muttered, "Suit up," activating his nanobots to form his suit. As they began to form around his body, Rumi went for Snake Pitt's gun arm, grabbing it as he twisted himself so Rumi's back was against him. Rumi then proceeded to pull Snake Pitt over his shoulder, flipping him over and smashing him onto the ground. While he was still disoriented, Rumi kicked away Pitt's gun and planted his knee on Pitt's chest to keep him from getting back up. Rumi also constructed a taser-like device over his right hand, stabbing it into a glowing portion of Pitt's suit in an attempt to overload any power supplies the suit contained.

"Emitting an EMP? In the middle of Polamor Inc. HQ? Idiot," Rumi scoffed. He switched to a grave, serious tone of voice and added, "Now, no more games, you slithering simpleton. Tell me everything you know about EAGLES' plans."

[User]
Jamie's brows took on a furrowed tilt as she browsed through the racks of shirts. It was 8 days until her and Brie's birthdays, but she was determined to find the perfect gift for her roommate. No lame gifters here! If Brie was going to get her a gift, then she might as well return the favor. But… she had no idea what Brie actually wanted, despite having lived with her for almost two months. So, naturally, Jamie had decided to head to their local Target. They had everything, after all- perfect for an indecisive gifter. In the weekday afternoon, the Target wasn't nearly as crowded as it usually was. Most people were at work on a Tuesday afternoon. Even Jamie had planned on working today but, strangely, the mission database had gone down 2 hours ago and had not come back up. She had attributed it to technical difficulties and then, when it hadn't come back up for a half hour, had decided to just go shopping instead.

She wasn't finding too much, unfortunately. She had found a funny birthday card which now sat in her cart, but she had quickly gotten distracted by the clothes section. Maybe Brie would want some clothes? But Jamie couldn't help but keep thinking of herself as she browsed through all the adorable maxi dresses and tank tops. After all, that dress with the embroidered floral hem would be so cute on her! And her last maxi dress had been kind of ruined by the combination of jumping into a pool and fighting ogres. No amount of detergent would ever get that smell out. Convincing herself against her better wishes, Jamie grabbed a gauzy embroidered floral dress off the rack and plopped it into her cart alongside the card.

Now that she had indulged herself, Jamie turned her cart towards the decorations section. Seeing a relatively clear aisle, a smile quirked on her face. Perfect. With a gleeful grin, Jamie kicked at the ground and put both of her feet on the cart, careening carelessly down the aisle. "Weeeeee!" she shouted, childlike, before seeing the decorations aisle and slamming her foot back onto the ground, stopping the cart in its track. She twirled it around into the aisle, beginning to browse through the decorations with a giddy smile still on her face. Hmmm… something bold, maybe? Bold, fun colors for Brie. Ooooh, this would be nice for Jamie's wall…

When she was about halfway through the aisle, pawing through decorations, Jamie's phone buzzed. And then buzzed again. And again and again and again… who was texting her so much?! Jamie snatched her phone out of her purse, opening it and swiping through her texts, stomping her foot. She was busy, damnit! She had five texts, all from different people. Her brow furrowed as she read them, her foot slowing its stomping. Four of them were from acquaintances, but one was from… Melissa? Her eldest sister, who she hadn't spoken to in at least a year.  "She never texts me," Jamie muttered under her breath, shell-shocked. She opened the text quickly, worry starting to build up in her chest. Why would Melissa text her?

Alarmed, Jamie opened up the article. She skimmed through it quickly, expression becoming more horrified by the second. HERO gone? Seraph taken over? Patricia accused of murder? Jamie scrolled through the article, jaw hanging open. She had to put her hand against the shelves to stabilize herself. Her heart began to pump with terror as she saw the photos of herself plastered across the article, alongside those of all her other friends.  "FUCK!" she yelled out, an uncommon occurrence for Jamie. She needed to call someone. Brie, maybe? Blake? Tom? But first… well, she had to get out of here. She could leave the birthday shopping for later. Hands shaking on the cart, Jamie rolled it over to the checkout counter. She smiled numbly at the cashier, loading her items onto the belt (chocolate ice cream, a card, the dress, and a scented candle). Evidently, the cashier hadn't seen the news yet, because she didn't even blink at Jamie, only smiling and starting to scan her items. Jamie pulled out her phone, navigating to the group chat.