[System]
Age: 18

Gender: Female

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

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

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

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

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

Color: Orange

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

Clues Discovered: 0

[User]
Hideki felt....hard ground under him. He couldn't say why this was his thought but it felt as though it was the wrong kind of ground. 'What does that even mean?' he thought as he began to register the fact that there was little sound around him. Just as he had started to accept that there wasn't much to hear, he heard a voice which caused him to instantly snap his eyes open. "Well! Things will just come together later!.... I think." Hideki heard the footsteps of the boy who had just spoken, but he couldn't take his eyes off the sight just in front of him. There was a girl laying there who had hair that was redder than any hair he could remember seeing. In fact, he just realized, he couldn't remember anything.

He pushed himself up and propped himself up on one arm and noticed there was yet another person. Everything seemed......wrong was the best way to describe it. He knew he was in a forest, so where were all the animals? The trees weren't moving, but there wasn't even the feeling of a breeze. Even without that however, Hideki shivered. 'I don't really feel like hanging out here, but maybe one of these other two can help me. Plus, it'd be best to make sure they're alright.' He stood up and walked toward the pathways looking directly at the butterfly. It seemed to be unafraid of his presence, not that he was trying to frighten it, which was unusual. He stepped in front of the middle pathway and looked down it seeing that it seemed to be the clearest and likely best option to move forward.

He looked down at the girl laying practically at his feet and noticed the branch. He frowned slightly wishing he could help remove it, but knowing there was no way with how weak he was. He took a step back and turned to an angle where he could face both of them waiting for some sign of life. 'If neither of them move, I'll have to check their vitals. Should I have to check their vitals and there is any sign of life I should probably start gathering food and other sorts of supplies from wherever I can find them...' He quickly was lost in his thoughts.

[Assistant]
The first thing she remembers is the musky smell of dirt.

Erin exhaled deeply and stretched her limbs out, feeling the muscles tense and relax as she regained consciousness. She rolled over and lied on her back, before opening her eyes. The stars shone brightly above her, but a large branch highlighted by the light of the moon obscured her vision. She smiled softly and raised an arm to swat the branch away, but was only able brush the tips of the leaves oozing red. Still disoriented, she closed her eyes and dug her hands into the ground, rolling soft clumps of dirt between her fingers.

Red moon. Silver stars.

A spasm rocked through her body and she jerked into wakefulness, sitting up to stare at the sky. The moon shone a bright red and the stars sparkled metallically, as if mocking reality.

"Huh?"

She could not remember who she way or why she was there—she felt her chest hollow and her heart drop. It was then she noticed the presence behind her, and she immediately pivoted, ready to throw her entire weight into whatever it was.

It was a boy about her age, who looked just as confused as she. She studied his face for a moment before she relaxed. It was good to be around another person.

"Uh, hi," she said,"You wouldn't happen to know why we're here, would you? And is it just me or does the sky seem kind of weird?" It was a strangely casual remark for the situation she was in, but without her memories, extroversion was the default she felt comfortable with.

She took the moment to look around and noticed a glowing red light near a path to the left. It seemed to be flittering here and there, reminiscent to a firefly or a butterfly. Before looking closer to investigate, the bright color of red--the shade of a girl's hair--caught her eye.

"Damn," she murmured, and rushed to the girl's side,"what the hell is going on?" She shook the girl lightly and pressed a couple fingers to her throat. A pulse. She sighed in relief, and supported the girl to a sitting position. Erin looked at the other boy in the clearing and asked, "And you? You ok? I should've asked you that first."

[User]
'Mmmm.... Pine? Why do I smell pine trees? And why does my head hurt a bit? Its probably nothing.... And am I laying on the ground? I smell fresh soil too.... I know I need to wake up, but I don't want to open my eyes. I just want to lay here in peace.... Wait, is something touching my neck?! Why am I starting to sit up!? What the hell is going on here!?' Mika thought to herself, quickly opening her Peridot eyes as she stiffened at the sight of her surroundings.

She shook off the girl and scrambled to her feet, dusting off her black and white attire as she stared at the three people in front of her; One boys, and another girl. The girl with the orange hair was kneeling on the ground where she once was, having been the one helping sit her up. And then the boy with the black hair.... She looked closely at him, trying to figure out this weird feeling she had going on in her gut.

"W-Who are you all, and what are you doing here? What am I even doing here? What's going on, and why can't I remember anything?! Did you two do this to me!?" Rose asked as she started to panic, not knowing what to do, where she was, or even who she was. This was so confusing, she just wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. So many questions roamed her mind as she leaned against a pine tree, her eyes wandering from the two people who seemed to be the only ones, to the glowing red butterfly that appeared to have the color of her hair all over it.

It was absolutely beautiful, her mind mesmerized as she approached it and offered it her finger. "What is a wonderful innocent being doing in such a forest like this?" She questioned it quietly, her blood red hair swaying a bit as she shook her hair back and forth. "Why must bad things happen to such good creatures?" She asked even quieter than before, wondering if anybody had heard her or not. She was calmed by this butterfly somehow, the sight of something good in this ominous place felt like a relief to her.

She waited patiently for someone to answer her questions, wondering if they even knew themselves.... Or if she could even trust them for that matter.

[Assistant]
The Crimson Man
"No, no, no, no! Why did Seiji have to go down the right path! He'll never find his way through the darkness without any light." The Crimson Man said to himself in a panicked tone. Not that the teens could hear him in his butterfly form. All they could see what his flight pattern change to something more erratic and panicked. It would seem he would have to lead them down the right path instead of the safety of the left one. The right path was tricky even with light, there were sudden twists and turns that if not followed would lead the teens off the edge of a drop, or onto freezing cold water. They couldn't die here, considering they were already dead, but it would wear him out to bring them back each time.

That was part of his deal with Kami-sama, he could manipulate things somewhat in this land between the living and the dead, but not without cost. Because his job would be easy, and Kami-sama didn't want that. Then every undeserving teenager would get a second chance at life and screw it up. Only those who proved themselves got to go back. The Crimson Man hoped that this group would make it. They really did deserve to go back after dying in such horrible ways. He wished he could take his human form and hug them all, but that would scare them. And he couldn't touch them in his own, ghostly form. It was Mika who was the first to approach him, reaching out a finger for him to land on. Normally he would have, but there was no time now. Instead he did the butterfly equivalent of bop to the nose. He fluttered past her, brushing her nose with a wing as he did. He stopped at the right path and increased his glow, showing the teens that he could light the path if needed. And it was needed if they were all going to get to the next clearing safely.

The Right Path

The right path was exactly as described. A long, pitch black road with sudden twists and turns leading to drops, water, ditches, things that wouldn't be fun for anybody. If those turns weren't taken, the teens would find themselves in a bind. Seiji was very close to one that led to a ditch that would be impossible for him to climb back up himself. The path was really only dangerous if one wandered off without the light the crimson butterfly could offer. It was one of the longer beginning paths and could tire out those without much stamina. But was wide enough that those who were clumsy didn't need to worry about falling off.

[User]
"Uh, hi. You wouldn't happen to know why we're here, would you? And is it just me or does the sky seem kind of weird?" The girl's voice snapped Hideki back into reality. He looked at her and sputtered "N-no I wouldn't. Sorry I was lost in thought hoping that you would both wake up". He watched as the girl rushed over to the girl with the red hair. She seemed to shake the girl's shoulder a bit and Hideki began to stand. He could tell by her sigh that the other girl was still alive. He was happy to know that no one had died. He brushed himself off a bit and looked back at the first girl. "I'm fine thank you. My name is Hideki by the way." He smiled brightly and saw the other girl spring up from where she was laying. She seemed to be panicking which Hideki couldn't blame her for, before she walked over to the butterfly.

Hideki smiled even brighter at her conversation she was having with the butterfly. "I don't really know what's happening myself. This other girl has only just woken up before you. I don't know why any of us are here and I don't know that I want to know. The only thing I really remember is my name. I don't know about you two." he watched as the butter fly flew to the right path and began to flutter erratically. He watched as it almost seemed to be pointing them in that direction. "I think your new friend wants us to follow it." he said looking at the red haired girl and gesturing toward the butterfly. He took a few steps toward the rightward path and turned to the others. "I don't expect you to trust me since we only just met, but I think we should go this way. If this is where we part ways then...it was nice meeting you I suppose". He turned back toward the butterfly. "Take me wherever it is I should go I suppose. I don't know why I trust you because butterflies shouldn't glow...but you're the only connection I have right now so, onward!"

[Assistant]
Erin looked up from her position on the ground to Hideki and said, "Hey, that's good to hear. I'm Erin."

She lost her balance as the girl with striking red hair shot out of her arms and jumped away from her. Erin was about to reassure her that they were all in the same situation and that they could work together, but the girl suddenly turned and approached the floating red light she had seen earlier. It came closer and fluttered gently—a butterfly.

There was nothing to explain. Hideki had already briefed the girl on their situation and had done so with a warm smile.

"What a nice guy," she thought,"We'll get along fine."

She walked up to the pair as the butterfly started to zig zag across the air, as if alerting them of something; Erin watched the creature in fascination as it flew to the right road and continued it's erratic movements. The others seemed to be inclined to follow the butterfly, but the clear road to the middle appeared much less dangerous. She looked at the two roads again before nonchalantly shrugging.

"Sure, let's go! Better than staying here, right?" She said brightly, "As long as we stick together, it should be fine. Plus, we have a new member to the party." Erin pointed a thumb at the butterfly and beckoned the rest towards the road.

"I'll go first to make sure there aren't any weird steps," she said, before following the butterfly into the dark path.


[System]
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Appearance: Danielle is rather plain and average looking, never one to stand out in a crowd. She is not ugly, but "pretty" at best. Her hair is grown out long and is a strange blond that almost appears almost green in poor lighting, but golden in sunlight. Her skin is pale and somewhat translucent, making injuries and blemishes more apparent. Her eyes are hazel, some parts more gold and other parts more green in appearance. She has a small rump and chest, and slightly round belly.
She usually wears plain, modest, but feminine clothes, particularly in natural shades of white, yellow, green, blue, and brown. Her hair is either worn down or tied in a loose braid. She rarely accessorizes, but if she does she wears natural gemstone jewelry or real flowers. Her hair and clothes are often covered in dandelion seeds.
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Occupation: Student, 12th Grade
Plant Essence: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Superpower(s):
Dandelion Whispers: With the use of magic or science we don't understand, Danielle can subconsciously send and receive messages through dandelion seeds. These messages can manifest as voices, images, dreams, or other sensations such as scents and tastes.
- Dandelion seeds naturally gravitate toward Danielle from other sources or toward its recipient if sent by her. She does not and cannot control them consciously.
- Dandelions seeds may pick up any thought or feeling (not just the ones directed at them) but they seem to gravitate toward people with strong emotions.
- Dandelion messages are strongest/clearest if in direct contact with its source/recipient, but simply being near it is enough to recieve/emit its signal.
- Like carrier pigeons, it takes time for seeds to find their recipients.
- Simply being within 2 ft of somebody is enough for a seed to emit or receive a signal.
- The power seems to have an effect up to a 2 mile radius around Danielle.
-Messages usually only capture a sentence or two, or a vision/dream up to around 30 seconds long.
- If a dandelion message sender is willing and intentional, Dani can tell who the message came from. If the message sender is unwitting and/or unwilling, Dani can receive a message but can't tell who it came from.
- Danielle does not make or produce dandelion seeds. She must either carry some with her or rely on those found in her environment.
Light as Air: Danille can make herself light as a dandelion seed, yet maintain her mass. This makes is possible to leap to great heights and almost fly as she floats on a breeze.
Solar Power: Danielle's powers seem to be fueled by light from the sun and moon. She is strongest on sunny days and moonlit nights. During the winter and stretches of cloudy weather, she feels weaker.
Personality: Danielle is a dreamer, always with her head in the clouds and a wish in her heart. She enjoys reading, painting, drawing, and just being in nature, stargazing, and cloud watching. Dani adores animals and could watch them for hours, but is afraid to touch or play with them.
When interacting with other people, Dani is soft-spoken and polite. She is never one to raise her hand or voice. She is a good listener but never has much to say--or rather has trouble finding words. She dislikes small-talk and avoids social interaction, especially conflict. She is always the first to back down from a fight or argument. Despite her social avoidance, she still needs friendship or she will suffer from loneliness.
History: Danielle's parents divorced while she was very young and she never got to know her own father. She grew up with her mother and three siblings in a trailer park, always afraid.
Her mother was loving and gentle, but she fell for the kind of men who would get drunk and beat her and her children. Her family was poor, and so Danielle was bullied at her small town New Hampshire school for being "trash." Home was no better because she was tormented by her mother's abusive boyfriend. She would run away to the woods and hide for hours to escape the yelling, crashing, and thudding back home.
On her 17th birthday, after an especially bad day, Danielle found herself clutching a dandelion, crying a waterfall as she blew the fluffy white seeds away. She wished for a new life and for powers like she had heard and read so much about, so that she could make a difference in her family and others' lives.
Around a month later, Danielle began to have strange, vivid dreams, all involving dandelions. The dandelion seeds would tickle her face and gather around in swarms and lift her into the sky and heard toward the sunset, echoing her voice and wishes as they carried her away on a warm breeze toward the sound of crashing ocean waves.
It was only just a week ago Danille learned that she and her family would be moving to the boyfriend's hometown in Florida. She would be leaving the only place she ever called home, her friends (if she could even call them that) and the forest she had grown so fond of. Now, like in her dreams, she will make her way toward the sunset and a new life...
Family:
Fauna Dallon (mother, 37) - a wonderful and caring mother when sober. Irrational and irresponsible when not. She is a codependent woman. She married Daniel Dallon, her high school sweetheart in a shotgun wedding and and broke his heart only two years later.
Daniel Dallon (father, 44) - a man who worked too hard and too much. Lost his family as a consequence.
Abagail Dallon (eldest sister, 19)
William Harrison (mother's boyfriend, 38)- charming, humorous man by day. Abusive alcoholic by night.
William Harrison Jr. (half-brother, 11)
Destiny Harrison (half-sister, 10)
Miscellaneous:
Speech color- Khaki
Zodiac- Pisces
Sexuality- Heterosexual, but not ready for or interested in romance yet.

[User]
"Call me Mur'" she replies, keeping her cards close to her chest for now. "And you'd be right, but I'm going to wait and see exactly what the men in white coats are up to before I give too much away."

The crack of a miniature lightning bolt interrupts Muriel, and she turns her head, thinks for a moment, then slides off the table. "Then again, I may be able to help that girl a little. That's worth the G-Men learning some secrets."

She walks over to the crowd starting to form around Mara with a wave and a smile. "Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it."

She isn't actually sure if her rubber essence will make her immune to the electricity. She also isn't sure if she has fifty bucks. Well, if she's wrong, maybe Mara will accept a joint or two instead...

@LuckyBlackCat

[Assistant]
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Ryker muscles suddenly stiffened for a few seconds when he felt the electrical surge hit his arms. He didn't cry out in pain as one would expect. But he groaned through his teeth as he closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment.

His memories flashed before him. The smell of burn flesh... the soreness from the beatings...the searing pain of that jumper cable connected to a 12 volt Battery. The screams of his brothers being tortured. He could even hear himself saying his Rank, Name and ID over and over. "Sergeant Ryker Burke, 1013758492!" Each time being asked an incomprehensible question, and shock for not answering to the torturers liking. His left hand began to shake slightly.

He shook his head a moment later to physically rid the thought from his head, and tightened his left hand into a fist. He looked over at the shorter blond, who had her hands over her mouth. A look of terror in her eyes as she looked at his arm. He looked down to see a hole in his jacket, a fresh black burn mark on his arm. Honestly he felt it only slightly. It wasn't as bad as he remembered. It was only then he seemed to warp back into the present, hearing almost everyone at once.

"Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?"

 "I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn't gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready."

 "I can help with that, give me your arm?"

Sascha suddenly pushed herself between her legs, Sensing his confusion. Ready to protect him with his order. He quickly reached down and placed a hand on her head to calm her. He hesitated for a moment before offering his arm to the guy with a nod of accepting his help, Looking to the blonde who shocked him he then said, to both her and the one who offered to help. "Its fine, It doesn't hurt that much...I'm used to it."  He said realizing afterwards that would be a very awkward thing to be used to.

"It my fault. He added quickly with a smile... "I didn't mean to scare you with the Whistle..."

He was pulled away as the odd girl in a bikini and shirt suddenly appeared.

Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it."

What the hell, who asks for that kinda thing? He wondered, as he felt Sascha move her head closer to the new person sniffing. But she didn't move from between his legs.

[User]
Alonzo rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, tattoos exposed, and pushed his glasses further up his nose before taking the guy's arm gently in his hand. He felt the fluttering of nerves in his stomach but took a deep breath to try and calm them as much as he could.

He had an actual use now, no chance to mess this one up.

His eyebrows furrowed with concentration, fingers of his other hand flexing as they tingled. "Sure did a number on this but it could be worse. No one's at fault though, just wrong place, wrong time. Nothing for anyone to kick themselves over." As he spoke, the burn started to slowly fade. The burn was large enough to leave a faint scar, and he hadn't got a proper handle on this new power enough to make it disappear completely, but it would fade quicker than usual and was definitely better than if it had been untreated. "S'alright though, look? Gone... more or less." He gave him another brief smile and stepped away, flexing the tingling from his fingers; the newer scent of lavender far overpowering the lemon from before.

"She's cute, what's her name? Alonzo asked curiously, eyeing up the cause of the whole fiasco. "And yours, actually?" He added quickly, cursing his lack of manners.

His grandmother would have his head if she could hear him.

[Assistant]
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Something went wrong. Terribly wrong. One moment Dani was watching lightning dance, the next second somebody got struck. A line of dandelions lit up like Christmas lights before promptly disintegrating as Dani shrieked and fell to her knees and crumpled to the ground in pain.

The would around her faded out, and Dani became somebody else--a young man in a mysterious room that smelled of burning flesh. Her new body was beaten and bruised, and felt like it had been for days. But even worse than they pain was the tortured screams of seemingly familiar voices. A vague pressed a live wire to her arm, sending a second surge of pain through her body...

Danielle awoke screaming and disoriented. Who was she? Where was she? She groped at her arms and face. "Dani? Dani?" somebody asked, hovering over her with breath that reeked of alcohol. Her mother, Dani realized. She was herself again, and the pain was gone "Are you okay, Dani?" William asked with big eyes. "You scared me! Don't do that again, Dani!" Destiny chastised with a wrinkled forehead and pouty lips. "Just get up already!" Abagail muttered.

With her mother's help, Danielle sat up slowly. William handed her a bottle of water and she took it gratefully. After a few gulps she put the cap back on. Her mother pat her back. "There, there. Take it easy. We think you might have had heat stroke. You were hallucinating. Let's get you out of the sun," she soothed, rubbing her daughter's back. Danielle felt like throwing up.

"Oh-okay..." Dani answered weakly. She took her mother's hand and shakily returned to her feet. Her mom put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and began leading her toward their cabin. As they continued past the group she was watching previously, the girl settled on a man in his late twenties with a well-behaved working dog between his legs. She looked at the man's arms and face and found scars, many of them deep. With all these details, and her gut feelings, somehow she just knew he was the one the vision had came from.

What happened to you? Dani asked the universe with tears running down her cheeks. He looked like such a good guy, and he didn't deserve whatever happened to him. The girl sniffled, wiped her tears away and continued into cabin '2'.

Unbeknownst to her, the universe listens, and a nearby dandelion seed carried her question heavily to the man known as Ryker Burke.


[System]
Male // 30 // Firefly

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BRIEF SYNOPSISNathan Bates (Call sign: Firefly) grew up in sunny South New Jersey in the heart of Camden with a crowded family. Forth child and third son of the family. Bates joined the military once he graduated from high school and spent two tours in the Middle East. Because of his leadership capabilities and checking all boxes within the set of criteria for Directive 51, the sergeant was trained at an undisclosed location and then allowed to live a normal life.

That was until the signal was activated.

Without any reason, Bates gathered his things and left his loved ones without reason (as instructed), heading out as an agent of The Division. Command appointed Nathan as leader of Wolverines, one of the dozens of squads being used for Operation Osiris.
BRIEF PSYCHEFirefly had a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy for military command. In several simulations, he gave up valuable fortifications and strategic locations to enemy forces. And when they were tried and weakened, Firefly attacked and won with few casualties than predicated. Cost him several promotions as a result before enrolling in Directive 51. That reputation meant that he had a problem with his emotions. Note that Firefly might disregard suggestions or advice for ISAC along with orders from Command.

Yet, Firefly is determined to the objective and willing to sacrifice everything to complete it. He's somewhat optimistic, even during these tough times.

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INVENTORYSCAR-L
- Suppressor
- Extended magazinePF45
Contact Lenses
Smart Watch
SHD Issued Equipment
- Body Armor
- Masks
- Gloves
- Backpacks
- Knee Pads
- HolstersSHD Tech
- Blinder Firefly
- Remote Pulse
- Airburst Seeker Mine

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[User]
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LINCOLN TUNNEL // HUDSON YARDS
Figuratively. Fucking figuratively. This is what Marines meant when they said Army eats crayons. He had fallen into the stereotype of a grunt that had shooting as his only ability and fell for such nonsense. The Agent was angry as all hell, though his face didn't twitch the slightest amount to reflect this.

The man raised his rifle, thoughtfully deciding that this creature wasn't worth a bullet and that all the suffering of her last moments would be more than deserved. Once more the woman's speech seemed to be ever so similar to Don's own beliefs regarding criminality, but deep down he also knew that there was a fine line between himself and the officer. Namely, there was the fact of those he likewise considered "degenerates" would be rather few that the woman and her comrades did. Still, this moment was sobering. Badger made sure he'd keep this event at the back of his mind so that he wouldn't stoop to the levels of Ms. McKinney.

What the woman said was not very informative to be frank, at most it revealed there was a good deal more rogue policemen about the city which was a natural following from the fact that already two were corrupt enough to shoot innocents.

Just as these thoughts ran through the head of the soldier there was soon the sound of more police coming to the scene, clearly ready to kill after having been attracted to the scene by the sound of gunfire. The encounter with the officer still kept a seething hatred in the heart of Badger, and he wanted to fight these bastards; after all, they were just coppers with soft armour and pistols. But he knew he couldn't. There was no time to waste, and if he did stand and fight then he'd be a hyppocrite given how recently he considered chastising his partner for even bothering with this fiasco when there was a more urgent task at hand.

Thus the man nodded in concurrence, giving the wounded police officer a harsh kick on the head to make sure she wouldn't be able to recount to her comrades where the two agents had gone. With that done he ran over to Bates with rifle in hand. Well, now was a better time than any he supposed. "We shouldn't have done that, playing hero. There's a job we had to do, saving a single person - especially when they just get shot right afterwards - isn't worth it when completing our current objective might save a lot more." The whispered words were extremely utilitarian, but Badger meant them wholeheartedly and (although admittedly he had never run into such a situation) he would not let personal feelings get in the way of his duty; even if that civilian was from his family he would have known that the right thing to do was think of the greater good.

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[Assistant]
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LINCOLN TUNNEL // HUDSON YARDSBates paused for a moment to reflect what Badger said and sighed. There was a point to be made given the current situation. With everything that happened only a few minutes ago, he had nearly forgotten about the post office. But, the sight of police officers gunning down citizens was wrong, and he had to do something. He turned towards his partner and whispered back, "I know what has to be done. I... wasn't exactly expecting rogue police officers right away."

"Whatever. Shit happens. Let's just keep our eyes on the job from now on." and - as far as Agent Hayes was concerned - that was that.

Both of them made their way farther away from the scene, hoping that nobody spotted them fleeing. The trash and waste helped somewhat disguised their presence. And once they were in the clear, Bates pulled out the map to see their current location. The attack on 40th Street brought a lot of attention, meaning they had to find another way to the post office. After a minute of figuring out a way, Bates had a plan to avoid getting noticed. "Okay, we are going to keep taking the alleyways until 38th Street. That's when we follow it until we get near the luxury apartments and then taking every possible shortcut. And once we get to 34th, we should be in the clear to the objective. Understand?"

"Right." Badger replied once Bates announced his plan, again flicking the select-fire of his rifle. "I'd just be on the lookout for more little friends along the way. I doubt those boys in blue were the only local outfits looking for trouble; got to be ready to change course right away."

"Sounds good." Firefly nodded. Then, both agents began moving to the objective location, hoping for no more trouble.

For now.

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"Stat rosa pristina nomine, nomina nuda tenemos." — Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose.

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PENNSYLVANIA PLAZA // JAMES FARLEY POST OFFICEEver since leaving the tunnel, Bates was immediately uneased with the quiet streets and empty sidewalks. New York City was supposed to be the city that never sleeps, but it seemed that it finally took an eternal slumber. Yet, there were hints of life struggling to survive. A young couple was playing some cards on the balcony of the luxury apartments. One of them watched Bates and his partner passing below before telling the other to rush inside. It was brief, but the sight of citizens gave him hope for the first time in a while.

Of course, that moment was shortlived by sudden loud bursts of gunshots. Firefly got the rifle ready for a fight and started moving faster. Then, he heard police sirens and instantly hid behind a delivery truck. He questioned if it was the officers from earlier, hoping it wasn't them. Instead, he watched as three police cars and an armored vehicle drove past them, heading in the direction of the post office. It was when Firefly had an idea of what was happening. And it was terrible.

"We need to move now." Firefly turned his partner and started sprinting towards the objective. While making his way, he managed to patch into the local JTF radio channels. And when he was in view, he saw NYPD officers setting siege to the post office while its occupants fought back defensively. With the arrival of additional officers, the JTF soldiers were outnumbered and surrounded. Even with the odds against them, they kept on fighting for as long as possible.

"Additional officers have arrived along with... an ESU team!? Shit!"

"We have to retreat! Get any citizens to safety while we hold the ground inside. Hopefully, we can at least take a f-argh fuck!"

"Romero has been hit!"

"I-I am fine! Get inside and prepare to fight!" Nearly the entire JTF force retreated inside while a few stayed behind to stall the threat. Firefly, without hesitation, opened fire upon the officers and dropped a seeker mine. The mine detected a nearby squad of hostiles that spotted the agent and rolled towards them. When it was close enough, the mine detonated and released chaff into the air. Before the officers had time to respond, the chaffs caught on fire and began burning them alive.

Firefly rushed towards one of the police cars and used it as cover. He hoped that stunt provided relief to the JTF soldiers and attracted attention. But to make sure, he pressed his earpiece to get in contact with Badger. "We have to make sure that the officers don't have a chance of entering the post office. Do whatever to get their attention!"

---

[User]
PENNSYLVANIA PLAZA // JAMES FARLEY POST OFFICE

In the tunnel Badger was fairly relaxed, for with a flashlight on him the threat of ambushes was minimal and it was simply a relaxing walk. But the moment the light of day struck the man he became tense, alert. This was the modern day Vietnam or Afghanistan; you were surrounded by civilians but just because they didn't wear uniforms that didn't mean they were non-combatants. To make it worse, the power tripping fucks of the police were now just another gang. Except this gang had experience shooting, and they carried high end weapons rather than zip-guns of all sorts. The people enjoying some fresh air entertainment? Those could easily have been snipers ready to end either agent's life from afar.

The caution about his surroundings seemed to prove itself to be well founded only moments later when the sounds of gunfire broke out. From the sheer amount of it, he decided it was wise to flick the select-fire of his rifle to full auto. The enemy came into view quickly and by God there were a lot of them. They had helmets, vests and automatic carbines. But they had the misfortune in context of being law enforcement, which would mean that while their helmets and vests would be rated for pistols, they weren't rated for rifle rounds and thus both 5,56 and 5,7 would easily chew through the false sense of security their soldier-boy outfits might give them.

Running for cover Badger didn't make a noise. But Firefly said that they had to get their attention, which made the man groan faintly. He would have preferred to use the fact they were in a good position to crossfire to wipe out these traitors in one go, but he supposed this time a more humanitarian approach was technically more important.

Thus, he stood up with his ballistic shield and assault rifle, spraying his entire magazine towards the cops to suppress them and catch their attention. With that he dropped the weapon, getting his entire body behind the shield. He knew some less experienced or simply more gung-ho agents tried to shoot with a pistol while holding one but Badger considered them stupid. What was the point of a shield if you were going to nevertheless expose a chunk of yourself so visibly to overwhelming firepower? Thus instead he approached the foe calmly, making sure his entire body was always behind the shield, ready to throw a sticky bomb come the moment he was close enough to do so accurately.

The enemy was of course moving in to outflank him, they weren't stupid enough to just waste ammo trying to break the shield with volume of fire. But the Agent hoped his action would be enough to catch the attention of the renegades just long enough for Firefly and the other JTF warriors to either reposition and mount a counterattack or to at the very least evacuate.

[Assistant]
PENNSYLVANIA PLAZA // JAMES FARLEY POST OFFICEOnce the police officers realized there was someone else, it was already too late to react. Overwhelmed and surrounded, there was no other option than to retreat. A few officers sacrificed themselves to ensure that everyone else was able to escape without harm. And after killing the last remaining officer, Firefly understood that it would be a waste of them chasing after them and decided to let them run away. Now, his attention was on the base and the soldiers outside. He tried to make his way up to the stairs, but guns were immediately drawn upon him and his partner. One of them, a young woman, slowly got out of her cover and cautiously looked around her surroundings. "While we are grateful for your assistance, it doesn't mean you're allowed to approach us. Who are you?"

Firefly lowered his rifle and slowly held his hands up. "I am Division Agent Bates, empowered and authorized by Executive Order and DHS Directive 51. We are here to help."

There was some mumbling between the JTF soldiers while the woman examined the agents. Of course, she didn't believe it. Given the current state of the city, Bates was understandable of the distrust and was prepared to earn their trust. He was about to respond until the solider was alerted by her comms. She signaled one of the other soldiers to keep an eye on the strangers and head inside the base. An awkward silence followed for seconds. Then, the doors opened wide, and the soldier told them to follow her.

Firefly nodded and made his way inside, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. A dozen casualties filled the entrance while the few doctors and nurses were doing their best. He did his best to avoid the dire situation and kept on following the soldier. Eventually, they arrived at the makeshift command center, where another doctor was treating a soldier's gunshot wound. No doubt it was Romero. She noticed the strangers and turned towards the doctor.

"We can continue this later, doc."

"But, I wasn't done-"

"We can continue it later." The last word came out sharper than intended, but it got the point across. The doctor said nothing but it was clear that she was unpleased with the demand. And when it only the three of them, Romero took a moment to examine the strangers before introduction herself. "I was told that a pair of well-equipped men saved our asses from death. Now, I don't know if you are a blessing or a curse in disguise. I guess we will find out eventually. Introduce yourselves."

"I am Division Agent Bates, empowered and authorized by Executive Order and DHS Directive 51." Firefly extended his hand out to her, but it became immediately apparent that Romero didn't trust them. He put his hand down, and awkwardly continued talking. "And this is-"

Romero put her hand up to interrupt him. "Can't he talk?"

"Well, yes-"

"Then, let him speak." Romero turned her attention towards Badger, waiting for a response.


[System]
"Why am I here, you ask? Well, for the adventure of course!"
Nicknames/Title:
 Spell Blade
 The Wandering Scholar

Theme Songs:
 Standard Theme
 Battle Theme

Gender:
 Female

Marital Status:
 --

Age:
 20

Sexuality:
 Pauline

Family Ties:
 --

Class:
 Magus
 There are those who spend their lives poring over ancient tomes and texts, unlocking the power of magic, and there are those who spend their time perfecting the use of individual weapons, becoming masters without equal. The magus is at once a student of both philosophies, blending magical ability and martial prowess into something entirely unique, a discipline in which both spell and steel are used to devastating effect. As she grows in power, the magus unlocks powerful forms of arcana that allow her to merge her talents further, and at the pinnacle of her art, the magus becomes a blur of steel and magic, a force that few foes would dare to stand against.
 Magi spend much of their time traveling the world, learning whatever martial or arcane secrets they can find. They might spend months learning a new sword-fighting style from a master warrior, while simultaneously moonlighting in the local library, poring through tomes of ancient lore. Most who take this path dabble in all sorts of lore, picking up anything that might aid them in their search for perfection.

Weapon Mastery(ies):
 Sword, Tome

Inventory:
 Silver Sword
 Arcthunder
 Vulnerary

Personality:
 Youthful, and full of energy and wonder, Aika feels most at home both at the heart of a battlefield and in the depths of a library. She often might act too immature or optimistic for her companions, but she is a reliable source of knowledge, and a well trusted blade. Doesn't like to talk about her family.

Biography:
 Originally from the icy peaks of Frossbarr, Aika took to the roads in pursuit of great masters of magic and martial arts. Her desire to become a legend in both swordplay and spellcraft has led her across the sandy deserts of Alistaf and the thick jungles of Jotenvarr, stopping only to learn and practice with scholars and soldiers alike.
 It was during her stay in Jotenvarr that she learned that King Alexandro himself requested her by name for her skill. Upon arrival, she happily agreed to take up arms in the royal guard.

[User]
Mikhail hated axe fighters. Granted, that wasn't saying much, seeing as the man hated most things, but their was an exceptionally hateful place in his heart just for them. Especially ones that lectured him on how to fight.

The cavalier knew full well that the duel would ride heavily on whether or not he was able to keep his distance, which was why he had hoped his opponent would be as reckless as the assassin.

 That sadly does not appear to be the case, Mikhail noted, watching the royal guardsmen change his stance. It didn't take a genius to understand that leaving the axe fighter to his own devices would have devastating consequences.

With two kick taps and a pull on the reins, Rollo picked toward the knight and started to gain speed. Mikhail didn't have any time for fancy maneuvers, so he simply levelled his lance at the giant of a man.

If the axe fighter swung, he was ready to parry the swing, even if it came at the cost of his lance. And if that did happen, the cavalier was fully prepared to run him down with his stead.  Honourable or not, I'm winning this damn fight.

[Assistant]
Alexandria Victoria

Alexandria watched the brutish buffoons rally behind a leader with some level of competence if he can use a silver sword. Alexandria couldn't help but smirk as the man called them weaklings who depend on fancy weapons and titles instead of skill like he implied. A true man? To bad for them she's no man.

Alexandria's grip on the short ax tighten as Vivienne roar loudly at the fast approaching steps of a Bandit, Alexandria looked at the direction of the heavy steps to see it is a man with a WyrmSlayer. Alexandria glared at the running man studying the way he ran and held the sword. He looked strong but not much else as he charge at the two with reckless abandonment, when he swung the heavy sword in a wide arc the two barely dodged the blade's edge and in retaliation Alexandria threw the short ax at the man's exposed back which lodged itself deep in the shoulder but it didn't kill him. The man screamed and threw his body around in a crazed manner which the sword followed in suit, while Vivienne dodged all the attacks, Alexandria wasn't as lucky, as her leg got slashed deep by the berserk sword wielder, blood ran down her foot and onto Vivienne's scales, and when Alexandria let out a pained grunt as she tried to hide the pain, Vivienne roared loudly, louder then any other point so far in training. Alexandria hasn't gotten hurt like this while training and Vivienne knew that, so to the wyvern the man was the most dangerous thing to it's master.

Suddenly Vivienne slammed it large body onto the crazed bandit knocking him down to the ground where Vivienne grabbed the man's head with its clawed foot where it suddenly started to slam the man's head onto to the snowy ground repeated, leaving a bigger and bigger bloody mess with each slam. The man was already dead by the time Alexandria started to tell the Wyvern to stop. Alexandria sighed and lowered herself to the man's mutilated body and pulled out the ax out of the man's back.

"Some man you turned out to be, Darling."

[User]
Compared to the training that followed, the first trial seemed surprisingly easy. Every day, it was like training in the ninja village where she stayed, except five time tougher. Her reward was food, perhaps the best reward among the ones her companions got. That apple pie definitely gave her enough motivation to continue... Ah, it was amazing. Pauline managed to get it once though, that one time when she hit all the targets. Most of the other times... Let's just say that she got used to eating wild fowl.

The second mission was up in the mountains. This environment was a lot less appealing to Pauline than the forest they were in for the last trial and she hoped that her stealth skills were enough to attack someone without getting noticed.

It seems that they were not the only squad who tried to complete the challenge. Pauline whimpered slightly when she saw the dead bodies of another squad. She knew she would need to deal with gore, death and murder, but still, it was incredibly distressing. A female scream drew her attention and Pauline ducked slightly, ready to dash off and help, yet when she glanced behind her back, she saw bandits approaching. The ones Hirotsuka mentioned…

Pauline barely noticed the wyvern rider in the sky when Tybalt called her and explained his plan. Thankfully, the bandits were slower than the mounted enemies they fought with, so they might have some time. The ninja waved her hand to get Hyakuya's attention and glanced at the leader. "We're lucky their leader didn't come from the mountains. Let's go while there's still time, I certainly hope you're good at climbing, because you'll probably be attacking from up there," – she pointed at one of the less steeper hills and rushed towards it.

[Assistant]
With the emerald rider closing in on him, the warrior pulled back his heavy blade even more, showing the flat behind his right shoulder to the direction Mikhail's lance was about to strike. He tilted his body even further to his left and kept his eyes on the encroaching foe until the very last moment.

With the clang of steel ringing through the battlefield, the tip of Mikhail's lance impacted and slid along the back of the warrior's right pauldron, sliding off at an angle as Rollo galloped behind the axe wielder. Instead of swinging his blade to the right and striking Mikhail from behind, he completed his turn and shoved the weapon forward, such that his enemy would charge straight into the wide flat of the axe's head. Assuming that somehow disrupted their movement, he would try to again attack the horse.

[User]
Hyakuya

With his dragonstone firmly placed in his pocket once more, Hyakuya listened to Tybalt's strategy. It wasn't bad. The manakete admittedly wasn't one for surprise attacks but he wasn't complaining now. After that, Pauline waved her hand and his attention was transferred to her as she explained what they would do. "I've spend a fair share of time walking instead of flying. I can manage that." Hyakuya replied as he looked at the steep side of the mountain. Good thing manaketes age slowly or else he would've crumpled in pain because of weak bones. "If we ever get spotted, I'll carry you back." He said, pertaining to how he'll transform and then grab her by the arms and fly away. He would follow Pauline as she moved, trying to be as stealthy as he can.

With that out of the way, the manakete took a deep breath. The risk was there and they were in a true battle, unlike the first trial. Here, they could kill people as revenge for killing the other squad. Something inside of him was just itching to transform and kill these bastards. He tried to calm himself down. No, he can't fight. Not yet at least. He needed to get up there so he can trap those barbarians and then rain fire on them when they least expect it. If they get caught, then he'll have to take Pauline back to the group before even thinking of making any risky maneuvers.

[Assistant]
Mikhail Fuast

It was becoming more and more clear that Mikhail's opponent did not become a royal guard by riding on the laurels of anybody else. From his form to his calm and calculated response to being charged by a cavalryman, the odds of being able to end the fight quickly and cleanly were looking grim for the lancer. And then his hit glanced off of the bastard's pauldron.

Well shit… Time had a funny way of slowing down when things went to hell. In this case, it was just long enough for Mikhail to notice the axe-fighter's plan. There was no chance of moving out of the way, which left him with a hard choice and only a split second to decide. On one hand, there was the option to roll with the hit and hope that if there was a follow up attack that he would be able to either parry it or avoid it. Or he could be an absolute idiot and hope it paid off.

The royal guards were given some of the best toys the kingdom could afford. Piercing their heavy plate mail was a dubious ordeal at best, but the price they paid for that kind of protection came with the severe weight of them. And that was a fact the totally inept decision-making portion of Mikhail's brain realized he could take advantage of.

In the moment before Rollo became all too familiar with the back of an axe, the cavalier relinquished his grasp on his spear in one deft motion and made a grab for the knight's wrist. Best case scenario, he would end up throwing the knight completely off balance and making him fall, which would then hopefully give him enough time to recover and circle back with his sword. Worst case though, he would end up looking like a complete idiot that dropped his spear and then fell off his horse because he overextended himself during the collision.

All in all, Mikhail absolutely detested what he had managed to come up with in his clairvoyant split-second. But seeing how he was already committed to it, he saw no reason to repress the insane grin gracing his face. Whelp, one way or another, this will be a moment I'll never forget.

[User]
Diana

Apparently reinvigorated by the appearance of their leader the men charged at them with renewed vigor. Diana simply smirked, they would be even easier to deal with when they were scared and angry. One axeman charged her directly seeing her spear, a mistake on his part. Diana held her lance out towards the man charging her and he grinned, chopping at it to knock it out of the way. Diana simply spun, moving her own weapon out of the way and causing the man to stumble off balance- directly into her shield that was powered by her spin. The man fell to the ground dazed and wasn't given a chance to rise by the lance he'd attempted to bat out of the way driving into his head. Diana's face showed no remorse as she returned to her original position. Another axeman approached her slightly more warily attempting to close the distance between the offending spear and Diana's more vulnerable self. His careful approach meant Diana couldn't do much more than nick him without leaving those behind her open to attack but the man didn't make any progress either and would be forced to relent before those tiny cuts started adding up. The wyvern rider seemed to be doing well for herself, already laying low two of the bandits. Personally Diana thought that going through the work of flanking was somewhat excessive and that they should just kick ass, but it was fundamentally sound.

[Assistant]
For someone who uses an axe, the warrior did a fine job of breaking stereotypes. He came off as collected and disciplined, instead of loud and brash. He seemed like someone who was ready to most any situation, but right now proved itself to be the exception. Mikhail's grapple attempt to topple his foe would have worked because of this, but the warrior's raw strength was simply enough to remain standing as Mikhail effectively pulled himself off of his own steed as Rollo raced by the unmoved soldier. His body tumbled to the ground, landing face up just in time to see the warrior hold his axe over Mikhail.

"If it wasn't entirely clear, we are not sparring." He rose the weapon high above himself, ready to bring it down upon the green knight.


[System]
Nickname(Optional): June Bug

Age: 33

Gender: Female

Physical Appearance: Sayeeda is a medium sized woman of middle eastern extraction. She has the wiry build of a swimmer or long distance runner. Her eyes are dark and almond shaped and focus slightly beyond the horizon most of the time. Sayeeda keeps her hair just longer than a buzz cut in order to facilitate wearing her helmet. She has a large tattoo of several owls in flight on her right shoulder. Sayeeda does have feminine curves but her breasts are on the smaller size of average and she does very little to emphasize her gender.

Clothing:  Camo pants and a tank top are her civilian dress. She wears a ceramic breastplate if she is expecting trouble and also has a commo helmet which she uses in battle and for technical tasks.

Personality: Sayeeda is a former mercenary soldier and has a fairly relaxed view towards life. Anything and anyone not currently shooting at her is the second priority. She is very tightly wound when it comes to people doing what she expects them too in dangerous situations and she is extremely punctilious when it comes to fulfilling any sort of formal contract.

[User]
Sayeeda didn't much like funerals. In theory Andor's Armored had always tried to recover the bodies of fallen troopers for proper interment. That wasn't always practical. She had too many memories of manhandling the bodies of fallen comrades over the side of the fighting vehicle during an engagement or coughing as she breathed in the finally dispersed vapor of plasma torn troopers. As the captain of the Highlander however it was proper that she was present as the three soldiers who had died of their wounds were loaded into the airlock and jettisoned into the roiling tide of RIP space.

Aiden, having shed his armor in favor of what she could only assume were the most subdued clothes Neil had ever owned, spoke a few solem words and then dismissed the gathering. Three more of his men were critically wounded but had been saved by virtue of putting them in stasis within their three theoretically functional cryo pods. It was axiomatic that if a soldier could reach advanced medical care he would survive, modern medicine didn't lose too many people who got to a surgery while still breathing. Several other men were due long sessions with the autodoc but would emerge none the worse for wear.

When the formalities were done Almaric's advisor, the grizzled old sergeant, invited them to conference with the Prince. The cockpit was chosen by virtue of being the only large space that could be isolated from the surviving troops. Several of his hangers on tried to join the meeting but the lack of space and a stern glare from the sergeant were enough to dissuade them.

"Firstly I would like to thank you again for saving my life and those of my men," Aiden began with a grateful nod at the Highlander crew. Out of his armor he was a surprisingly impressive man, he clearly spent a good deal of time out door or else worked hard to maintain his physique. That wasn't Sayeeda's usual impression of aristocrats, they tended to let themselves go as far as their egos would permit.

"I would like to offer you a suitable reward as soon as I return to *BLANK*," he went on grandly.

"Well we will be happy to accept your gratitude," Junebug commented drly, having gained the distinct impression she was interrupting a rehearsed speech. Aiden turned his dazzlingly white smile upon her with an engaging nod. She could see why Taya was smitten with him.

"I would also like to discuss chartering this vessel… The Highlander is it? Direct to *Blank*, I will compensate you for your lost cargo but it is impressive I return home immediately," the prince declared with surprising earnestness. The old sergeant was nodding his approval of this course of action.

"Surely you would be more comfortable on a proper passenger vessel…" Sayeeda began to object but Aiden was shaking his head even as she began the objection.

"Comfort is an irrelevance Mistress Cykali…"

"Captain," Junebug corrected.

"Captain Cykali," he finished with an apologetic bow of his head.

"You see the story of how my vessel came to be wrecked on *BLANK* is a complicated one."

"It is treason sire, call a spade a bloody entrenching tool," the old solider grumped earning a slightly pained glance from his principle. Aiden spread his hands and leaned back against the viewport.

"I have something of a reputation as a scholar of the Ancients," Aiden went on, unconsciously his eyes flicked to Neil's tattoo before returning to the group. That showed a surprising degree of observational skill given the crisis they had just come through.

"I was on my way to view the ruins on Hue 326 when I decided to stop and investigate the rumors of uncharted Ancient sites on *BLANK*. We had almost landed when an explosion tore out half our engineering section and the ship crash landed." Sayeeda let out a low whistle and Taya gave her a questioning look.

"According to the charts Hue 326 is another week or week and a half away," she explained.

"If he hadn't come out of the RIP…"

"My ship would have vanished forever and no one but the plotters would know what had become of me," Aiden concluded, his face hardening for the first time into something beyond a jovial aristocrat.

[Assistant]
"Or the rest of your crew," Neil completed for him, his nod toward the Sergeant and the Councilmen was sympathetic. The Prince cleared his throat, but nodded in agreement, accepting the criticism. Neil knew the Prince obviously cared about his crew, or at least Neil had that impression. But he still had to voice it and remind the Prince. He wondered what Amalric would think of Neil as a former planetary insurgent and known criminal. Technically rebelling against Fortus law was rebelling against Imperial Law.

Good thing they were very far away from that system.

"What were you to look for on Hue 326?" Taya asked, her interest of the subject plain, though it was obvious the Prince also had something to do with it. For his part, the handsome aristocrat smiled at her question, and she practically melted under his gaze, though he didn't seem to notice.

"Literary sources tell of a planet where the birth of the ancients occurred." He explained. "An Eden of their civilization. It's...there are many planets that are possible candidates. This was one I felt was correct due to the alignment of the systems in one of the old maps I've found, but then again it could have been a barren rock. We'll return after we refuel and resupply, once we get these men home."

"My prince." The councilmen pipped in, and though it was a subservient request for his attention, the elder did have a scolding look about him. "You do know that soon you will ascend to the throne? You need to prepare."

Aiden let out a sigh, nodding. "Yes, Ranald I realize." He acqueised. "We'll see what the future holds, yes? Speaking of which, I would be honored if you and your crew would deign to stick around once we make it to our homeworld. If your business is not too pressing. I would be summarily crucified if my saviors were not shown to my family and some of the public. Perhaps if it was too late in the R.I.P. season, it would be a place to rest?"

[User]
Neil and Sayeeda exhanged glances. She hadn't heard of Dar'monad but logically it had to lay ahead of them or she would have seen it while searching for destinations on previous legs of the journey. The profit margin on the cola they had been hauling had been slight even before they had let a score of shell shocked soldiers trample all over it. They seemed to come to a mutual decision.

"Alright, we can shape course for Dar'monad," Sayeeda agreed with a professional smile.

______________________________________

Neil was taking his watch on the bridge when Aiden unexpectedly clambered up the ladder. For once the noble didn't have any of his entourage with him. It was what passed for the night cycle on the Highlander although Junebug was notoriously ambivalent to things like sleep patterns. There was a quiet hum of electronics lit mostly by the roiling golden fire of this portion of the RIP through the main view screen.

"Ah Mr Edwards," the Prince began his gaze sweeping the cockpit to make sure they were alone.

"I was hoping to have a chance to speak with you privately. A remarkable ship and a strangely assorted crew yet all the Captain will give me are vague monosyllabic responses. You are both former military yes?"

[Assistant]
Neil had been merely relaxing, his eyes having grown somewhat heavy. Usually he was a late kinda guy, but that last bump on the head really had thrown him for a loop. The young pilot had propped the chair back and had taken the time to recline comfortably when the Prince arrived and stole his attention.

"Ah, Prince Aiden. How goes it?"

The heir smiled, not used to being so informal, though he clearly didn't mind. He continued with his line of questioning, and Neil spun his chair around, considering why he was curious. After a moment, he supposed he didn't care too much. What would be the harm in telling him, anyway. They were heroes.

"Yes. The Captain's been fighting a few years longer than I have, but I've seen my share of professional action." Neil admitted.

"She seems a remarkable woman," Aiden confided, continuing before Neil could have a reaction to that. "Did you serve together?"

"No, I served on my home planet of Fortus. Sayeeda's been all over the place. I couldn't rightly give an accurate number of worlds, but she's fought on more than most people have probably been on." Neil said. "I did most of my travel after being discharged. Now we just get by best we can."

"What is the young girl's name? Taya?" Neil nodded. The Prince gave a small smile as if he had a very amusing thought. "She seems quite intelligent, though a bit out of place on this ship."

"I think we're all in agreement on that, but we like having her. If you want to know more about her, I'm sure she'd love to talk to you about it." Neil chuckled, and he took a sip of the cola he'd had next to him. The Prince idly gazed at the cockpit's inner workings as he continued, eyes following the row of knobs that indicated the thrusters. "You know I've been looking for contractors to perform some work for me. I cannot confide the details at the moment, but needless yo say I'm impressed by the ship. Captain Cykali tells me you're a fine pilot."

"Thank you, your highness."

"By the way..." He asked, casually pipping the question within the conversation. "Where did you get that marking on your hand?"

"My first job aboard the Highlander. One of the locals gave it to me. I decided to keep it. Cool tat, right?"

[User]
Aiden nodded skeptically, clearly unconvinced that the marking was a simple tattoo. The prince had been on many archaeological expeditions, a diallitente rather than a true professional, but he knew the working of ancient technology when he saw it. Never before had he seen it impact a human in such a way though. He sat himself down in one of the chairs and pivoted it slowly back and forth.

"You will excuse me if this sounds indellicate," Aiden continued, clearly a little uncomfortable to speak so informally.

"But is there anything.... you know... going on between you and the good Captain?"

_____________________________________

"Isn't he just the most handsom...ahhhhh!" Taya yelped as Junebug slapped her elbow. The pair of women were in the galley, with the table folded up to make an improvised exercise area. Sayeeda exercised with the discipline with which she approached everything and rarely missed an oppurtunity to train.

"Keep your elbow up," she snapped, "If you want me to teach you, you will pay attention." Junebug's voice was censorious but not angry. Taya adjusted her grip on the plasma rifle and lifted her elbow as instructed. Nodding her approval the mercenary backed off several paces.

"Why am I learning hand to hand if you are training me to shoot?" Taya complained. Junebug darted forward and snatched the barrel of the weapon as Taya began to swing the butt up in a defensive stroke. With a twist of the wrist she broke the younger woman's grip and yanked the weapon away.

"Don't hesitate like that, any move you make is better than no move," she counseled and handed the weapon back to the girl. Taya readjusted her grip.

"But Aiden is handsome right?" she pressed. Sayeeda could only sigh.


[System]
Rank: Spartan. Lieutenant prior to the end of the Human-Covenant war.

Species: Human (Spartan III)

Appearance: Generation 2 Mjolnir Armor, colored black with a dark-tinted visor. (I can look up the exact details of his accessories from the MCC gear list.)

Skills: Excellent sniper, although as with all Spartans, Ben is trained in the use of most if not all UNSC equipment.

Preferred Weapons: SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle, Covenant sniper weapons (when available), M319 grenade launcher.

Background: Entered service in 2545, having been born on the planet [Censored]. As with all Spartan-IIIs, Ben was orphaned at a young age when the Covenant attacked his planet, glassing the surface. Early on, he was singled out for his skills as a sniper, along with extreme levels of loyalty and a willingness to carry out any order given to him, even those which required him to turn of his own friends and allies. As such, Ben was assigned to the Spartan-III Security operations group, an organization so secretive, even other Spartans weren't made aware of it.

As part of Sec Ops, Ben was nominally a part of Beta company for some years, switching to Alpha and Gamma on occasion. He achieved an exemplary number of kills and was never part of a failed mission. As such, he advanced to the commissioned ranks quickly, becoming a lieutenant by the year 2552. None of the other Spartans knew that he was part of Security Operations, or what his real missions were, for while he still had the same objectives on each mission as the rest of the team he was assigned to, his real goal was to keep the other Spartans in line, report any dissent, and execute any member of the Spartan program who displayed treasonous behavior, cowardice, or put UNSC security at unnecessary risk. His authority for execution also extended as far as the normal UNSC military forces, a fact kept well off the books. It also extended to witnesses to any event which if reported, could jeopardize the political or military aims of the UNSC.

After the end of the Human-Covenant war, Security Operations was reformed into Epsilon company, and retroactively given all of the trappings of a normal UNSC Spartan-III company as if it had been active since the start of the Spartan-III program. Now that the Spartan-IV program has begun, no more members of Epsilon are being added, and members of the company are often combined or sent to participate in larger groups which are formed as the situation demands.

[User]
Spartan Lucas Ryker

Making the medic the Team Lead...alright, well, seen stranger things in my life. Lucas hadn't spoken again over the course of the briefing, choosing instead to absorb the information about the mission and only whistling quietly when Shih gave them a holographic look at the sheer size of Sarcophagus. The SPARTAN-IV had been on several missions both inside and on the surface of that Forerunner dome and it always amazed him that they'd pulled off getting it built before originally firing the rings. With the briefing finishing shortly after, and after reassurances that the Flood weren't present within the installation, which Ryker wasn't sure if he believed or not, the team was dismissed with the naming of Aviza as Fire Team Leader. He had no reason to delay heading to the Falcon other than to let the Mgalekgolo get on first.

The Pelican ride was quiet, as no one yet wanted to break the social ice, but then he couldn't say he was surprised. Aviza was likely mentally preparing herself to be in charge in the upcoming mission, the other two Spartans likely SPARTAN-IIIs and weren't keen on conversation anyways and the former Black Ops operative wanted nothing to do with the pair of ONI spooks unless he absolutely had to, he'd left ONI for valid reasons and he wasn't about to answer questions about his past with the Office of Naval Intelligence from people who didn't need to know.

So while they were in transit between the landing pad the Pelican had started on and the UNSC Chorus of Thunder, he simply enjoyed the view. He had decided that he would learn the most about their Swords allies once they had all settled in on the Heavy Cruiser and were able to get some training together in. [i]Actually...they had the module installed already, so maybe we CAN get some training in, perhaps some one on one custom games or something. At the very least, I'm gonna run some combat sims, keep acclimating to this dagger that a Spec Ops Sangheili had given him after a few missions together. Her name was Comi'Masam, one of the leaders for a Swords of Sangheilios Spec Ops squad operating in another part of the Arm of Orion. His previous fire team, Regis, had worked in tandem with them for several months shutting down a series of Covenant Remnant operations and cells. During that time, she'd helped him improve his skill as an assassin and with the twin energy daggers he used and before he'd left, had gifted him a more traditional energy dagger to aid in completing his missions with Aegis team.

While romantic attraction wasn't his cup of tea, the Sangheili female had earned his trust in a way no one since he'd joined ONI had and he considered her a close friend. When Spartan Ops had asked for recommendations for Aegis from his previous post, they had been somewhat surprised that her name was the one he'd put forwards. When asked why he didn't put forwards other members from Regis Team, his answer had been simple. "These are war vets who fought the Covenant for nearly two decades before the War ended. Most of them could barely stand the Spec Ops team and that was a series of joint operations. Asking them to have to take orders from one of them on occasion?" SPARTAN Ops had let the issue lie and said they'd talk with the Swords.

As he felt the Pelican begin to settle down on the hangar deck aboard the Chorus, the SPARTAN-IV flexed his wrist experimentally, igniting the blade of the dagger. "Never get tired of that..." He gave a couple of small swings and thrusts with it before he deactivated it and looked around as the loading ramp lowered. Aviza was first off and headed to the Mess Hall, leaving an open invitation for the others to join her if they wished, but Lucas was sticking to his plan.

"Right, well, you have fun with that Fire Team Leader. I'm heading to the War Games module, get some training in before the mission starts. Gotta get adjusted to some newer equipment and it never hurts to stay sharp."

[Assistant]
Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael took a brief moment to review his map of the ship. It was detailed to the extent that it showed him the path to each place he would need to go as a passenger. The cruiser was of comparable size to a CCS-class battlecruiser, though somewhat smaller. Regardless, he doubted he would have need to see most of it.

Briefly, Vael considered simply waiting in the quarters he had been given until they arrived. Provided what the Captain had said was true, everything that he was bringing with him was already in his quarters, aside from his weapons. He had multiple sets of armor with him, including the one he was wearing, another environmentally-sealed combat harness, and another that he kept for…sentimental reasons. Checking over his equipment was an option, but ultimately, he felt that the time he had could be used more productively. These "War Games" did have Vael's interest. From what he understood, they could simulate combat situations with surprising accuracy. He was skeptical that it could truly compare to battle itself, but he could see its value in training. Several of the others seemed to intend to use the simulator while they could, but while Vael did want to see his team in combat, he decided that it was important that he take some time to speak with Spartan Aviza. She was the Fireteam Leader for their mission, but they were both leaders of this team, and it was their responsibility to ensure they guided their team efficiently.

Vael gave a brief glance to Spartan Ryker. He appeared to have integrated an energy dagger into his armor. The Humans had began integrating reverse-engineered Covenant technology into their own, though in this case, it appeared to be an energy dagger taken from a Sangheili harness and integrated into his own. While Sangheili did place special importance on the energy sword, a simple dagger did not carry the same cultural weight. Though, it was his opinion that the Spartan embarrassed himself by swinging it around like a child playing with a knife.

In any case, Vael put away his data pad and followed after Aviza. He remained wordless at first, but did eventually turn his head down towards her as he walked alongside her. "We should speak about our team, Spartan. I fear it shall be to our detriment that we will not have the chance to train sufficiently as a unit before this mission."

[User]
Grikgar /Grik/ Seeker
// Unggoy Ultra // Demolitions and Artillery //

Hearing the good news that it was unlikely that he would have to face off against any of the parasite relived him. Did that mean that he still didn't have to worry? Not really but at least he could relax a little. It would seem the first phase of their mission would be recon then move into search and destroy with the possibility of all out combat with the brutes. Grikgar could only hope he could get the opportunity to rally the other Unggoy with the brutes to fight against them. Still if they didn't, he had no problem killing all of them.

The captain and the others seemed rather interested and in a hurry to get off planet. He couldn't blame them really he was also excited to get back into the thick of it. Boarding the pelican and finding an uncomfortable spot next to the Spartan that called himself Ben. A rather bumpy and quiet ride for the most part, Grikgar was happily bobbing his head from side to side listening to some human music he was sure was loud enough to be heard through his helmet. Grik didn't care, this whole experience was exciting to him.

It wasn't too much longer and they had landed, the Spartan Aviza was the first off the pelican but didn't seem to be in as much of a hurry as the other two humans. He was unsure exactly why they were with them but o well, humans are weird. A simple map of the ship displayed briefly on his visor with a small point that marked where he was and another that marked his room. The design of the ship was strange and the exterior of the ship matched the interior, all these human ships lacked color and design. Every ship in the former covenant was a work of art in shape and color. However, he figured it was a luxury the humans couldn't afford.

The female Spartan spoke up again, something about a mess hall and food. Food was definitely something he could get behind. He was unsure of the mess hall though, "Why do Spartans eat in a messy hall?" he asked not really speaking to anyone in general. The Unggoy almost happily waddling slowly behind his commander as he followed them out of the pelican and down the corridor towards the messy hall.

[Assistant]
Ben made a bit of room for Grikgar, something he wouldn't have normally done for another Spartan unless he was outranked, and even then, not always. He walked with the Unggoy, finding that he strangely didn't mind the alien, despite having put countless bullets into the heads of Grik's fellow Grunts during the war. And plasma blasts. And grenades. And Ben had beaten more than a few Grunts to death with his weapon, including some which were asleep at the time.

"It's just a name. We prefer to keep it very clean. Take care you don't leave any footprints on the floors. They didn't take Unggoy equipment into account when building it. Also, I'm not entirely sure they'll have food you can eat in the mess hall itself, but they should have brought some food for you aboard the ship. You can have whatever you want, I suppose, just try not to make a mess, please." Without saying another word, he activated Phong and then let the AI figure out what he needed to know. Even when turned "off", Phong still recorded every word Ben spoke within range of his helmet's microphone, and would have deduced that he wanted to know if there was anything an Unggoy could consume in the mess hall. Even a dumb AI had deductive capacities, after all.

"My files on Unggoy anatomy are extensive, yet details are somewhat sparse on the workings on their digestive systems. Still, there should be no problem if an Unggoy ingests most human beverages, and they should be able to digest human foods with a liquid base such as soup. Would you like to see a list of possible allergens, or a list of foodstuffs native to-?" It was almost like a father having to vet a cafeteria for his son. Ben turned Phong "off" once more mid-sentence, insofar as such a setting was honestly labeled.

"When we're done eating, I'll head to the AR deck for training. I don't know what they had in the Covenant, but it's probably not the same thing." It dawned on Ben that the Covenant might very well have had more advanced training decks and that this could very well be a downgrade in Grikgar's eyes.


[System]
Age:
28

Gender:
Female

Race:
Human

Nationality:
Orlesian

Group Affiliation:
Inquisition

Occupation:
Bard (Assassin)

Equipment/Weapons:
Erika has a balanced longbow with an ice enchantment and her quiver of bows that sits comfortably on her back. At her side, a satchel sways slightly with her gait, it's contents vary from day to day. On her hip is a leather sheath, within it lies a silver dagger, ornate with Ferelden engravings.

Bio:
Erika was born in Orlais, though she never grew up to live a prestigious life as most do in the empire. The endless balls, parties, dinners, and formals were never Erika's form of entertainment, though being the daughter of two Fereldan merchants didn't leave much room for extravagant outings anyways. Instead, she spent her younger years with her older brother, aiding their parents with their shops and managing their goods. Her father was a weapons merchant, which up until the start of the civil war, brought in mediocre revenue. On the other hand, her mother played right into the Orlesian aristocrat's hands (and coin purses), by selling them beautiful and ornate garments and accessories. Her mother's business made up for her father's lack thereof, so the four were able to live a comfortable life.

As Erika got older, she grew bored of the merchant life. Sure, the trips the family would take into Val Royeaux for the market were exciting, but not nearly enough for a teen with a wandering soul. When her older brother left to join the Templars, Erika was truly left alone to suffer an unfulfilling life. This led Erika to grow resentful of the big whigs in Val Royeaux who pranced around without a care in the world, money flaunting everywhere while other people, like her parents, were left to work a hard life just to get by.

On her eighteenth birthday, Erika finally got the nerve to tell her parents that she was leaving Orlais to travel, first to Ferelden to see the place where her parents were born and raised. She was met with protest, but eventually, even they agreed that they could not keep her tied down. Erika left with nothing more than a rucksack on her shoulder and a dagger at her hip (a parting gift from her father). She headed down the dirt road from her home, and when she came to the end, the way to Ferelden would be on her left. Instead, she went right. To Val Royeaux.

Erika spent the next six years training as a bard near Val Royeaux. Bards were prominent in Orlais, and she found no better way to get back at the Orlesian aristocracy than to learn to pry apart every little secret that they had. She became proficient with a bow, though her father's dagger was still kept at her hip in a sheath. Erika first did freelance work, spying on whoever for whomever would pay her. Eventually, she was able to gather more noble assignments from the Chantry or the Templars, though the work of a bard can rarely be considered honorable by many people. The life of a spy suited her, and the shadows became her home. For Erika, this was her freedom.

[User]
Watching the two members of the Inquisition jump as if they'd just entered the fade without realizing, Nolan suppressed his amusement - figuring this was not the best time to laugh at two mysterious individuals he'd just met. Shifting his gaze over to Clara as his companions scrutinized her, Nolan took a few moments to process the dwarf's comment in regards to his staff, looking to the implement which he still held in his right hand - now that they were off the trail, it seemed far less practical to be holding it as he hung his staff over his back instead, keeping his left hand held open, further away from himself now and more toward his companion as he'd warmed himself at least well enough.

As the two commented on his crest, Nolan looked down toward it in a manner akin to if he'd just been informed he'd forgotten his trousers. Studying it for half a moment, he looked back up to the others in time for the woman's comment, shrugging. "Will of the Maker, perhaps?" Considering the fact that neither Clara, the woman or the dwarf had made any effort to murder one another yet, Nolan figured that perhaps the situation was safe and took a step or two forward to stand alongside her, as opposed to the defensive position he'd held behind her. As the woman began to explain herself and the dwarf, he'd raise an eyebrow. "Inquisition, hm?" He went for a moment to make some snide comment about how it was odd that the Inquisitor's will was to kill Templars, but then he remembered the actual purpose he and his companion were there, and he shut himself up.

Deciding to take it upon himself to provide the explanation for their being there, he glance over to Clara, figuring she'd fill in any gaps he left out. He was about to begin when the suggestion was given by the Orlesian, Nolan giving another sidelong glance toward Clara, not even bothering to suppress his amusement at the notion as he let out a hearty laugh. "Mage and Templar? That sounds like something out of Hard in Hightown." Continuing to utter a few brief chuckles at the notion, Nolan would eventually gather himself, and continue with their explanation. "Well, myself - Nolan, by the way - and my companion here, Knight-Lieutenant Clara, are, or rather - were - here for some..." He paused, thinking of the best way to describe it. "Aggressive negotiations."

Glancing toward the cave-in once more, Nolan cleared his throat. "However - it would appear as though you have done our job for us and uh... 'Convinced' the Templars here to stop living, so uh... Well done on that, we'll still take the reward for it if you don't mind." While he hadn't exactly explained the specifics of their overall goal, he felt he'd explained enough for the time being, after all, he hadn't exactly lied at all...

[Assistant]
@The Kraken@vFear
"However - it would appear as though you have done our job for us and uh... 'Convinced' the Templars here to stop living, so uh... Well done on that, we'll still take the reward for it if you don't mind."

Flint let out a deep bellowing laugh, the body shaking display of humor literally causing various beads interwoven into his beard to jangle noisily against his metal breastplate. He immediately liked the mage, or at the very least was doing a somewhat convincing display of acting like he did. "I like the way this one talks." Flint spat in a hushed tone while giving a sideways glance and toothy grin towards Erika. The brief look only lasted a second but in that amount of time Flint was able to get across to Erika that he indeed saw no threat from this random pair-likewise he quickly studied her expression well aware that she had reached a somewhat similar conclusion. It was the unspoken bond rarely seen in partners that had worked far to many high risk jobs together in the past.

After laughing over the implausibility of the two newcomers being a pair the man who Flint would come to know as Nolan went on to more properly introduce himself. "Well, myself - Nolan, by the way - and my companion here, Knight-Lieutenant Clara, are, or rather - were - here for some..." He paused, thinking of the best way to describe it. "Aggressive negotiations."

Glancing toward the cave-in once more, Nolan cleared his throat. "However - it would appear as though you have done our job for us and uh... 'Convinced' the Templars here to stop living, so uh... Well done on that, we'll still take the reward for it if you don't mind."

After listening to Nolan Flint let out another toothy fit of laughter as he was prone to do when his mind began to formulate mischievous ideas.

Reward.

Reward.

Reward.

The words echoed within his head as he quickly spoke up in response. "Reward, eh? Everyone knows a dwarf can appreciate a man wanting his well deserved reward. Am I right, Erika?" he asked rhetorically while getting a nod in confirmation from his companion. "What if I could offer you both an even bigger reward though?" He slung his shield over the makeshift prongs on the back of his armor, the small protuding pieces of metal allowing him to neatly keep his shield clung to his back. Likewise he dropped his mace between a similar looking contraption on his belt, the inverted slots of metal allowing his mace to fall into a wedge of sorts that kept the deadly weapon secured tightly against his hip.

Making his way over to Nolan far faster then his little legs should have been able to carry his metal encased body Flint slung his arm over the man as if the two were old friends, the odd sight looking even more comical due to Flints small stature. "So Nolan, names Flint by the way-big fan of the wardens-Who isn't though, amiright? Anyways, what if I could offer you all an even bigger reward? Me and my friend here well, we are both quite the, uhm, how did you put it?" He paused momentarily locking eyes with Nolan while sporting his infectious toothy grin. "Aggressive negotiators. And it just so happens we have quite a bit of...uhm, negotiating to do with some undesireable types that have recently opened up a mine here." Using his large stocky frame Flint spun Nolan slightly so the odd pair was now facing Clara, Flints beady hazel eyes locking place with Clara's metallic visor in a way that garnered her full attention. "A lyrium mine. And we could always use another hand or two when it comes to negotiations-after all as I'm sure you know meetings of that sort usually get pretty heated. Perhaps we could arrange something that benefits all four of us? After all we do work for the Divine herself." Again Flints eyes particularly lit up when mentioning the Divine to Clara, as if trying to make her feel like it was her duty to help out.

In all honesty Flint just wanted to lessen the chances he would be the one to take a fireball to the face today.

[User]
As the exchange led by the much more diplomatic Warden Nolan and the two odd companions went on in the tunnels, Clara grew visibly more easy: her stance grew straighter rather than braced and her shield arm would come to dip, both fatigued by holding up for so long and interpreting a reduced risk of attack. As far as she interpreted Nolan was handling the exchange well, so she kept quiet and played her part as the Templar of the party; she wasn't so zealous to be blind to the fact that her faith could bring a worse outcome.

It was at approximately this point that Clara tightened her grip on the hilt of her longsword:
"Reward, eh? Everyone knows a dwarf can appreciate a man wanting his well deserved reward. Am I right, Erika? What if I could offer you both an even bigger reward though?" began the dwarf, bringing Clara's mind straight to concluding the dwarf was suggesting paying off her and her companion. Who do they take us for? Paying off a Grey Warden and a Templar!? her thoughts rung within her head - although thankfully not for long enough before the dwarf kept talking. "...it just so happens we have quite a bit of...uhm, negotiating to do with some undesireable types that have recently opened up a mine here." Clara eased somewhat at this, starting to put together what the dwarf is truly suggesting - or at least by her interpretation. As the dwarf looked to her, she looked down upon him - indeed, her full attention gathered. "A lyrium mine." She didn't catch the rest of the dwarf's sentence - at the mention of lyrium, having gone some time without a dose, her senses distorted and the skin under her eyelid began to twitch. She craved a dose of lyrium, her nose began to twitch in anticipation; her lyrium sand was in her kit, after all, which w-

Clara suddenly brought her shield down, bringing it harshly into her left thigh. The sudden pain brought her back to her senses, in time to catch the rest of the sentence.
"...benefits all four of us? After all we do work for the Divine herself." the dwarf suggests, to which Clara nods in response as she lifts her longsword to slide it back into her scabbard now she's content the situation is safe.
"I imagine we could, Dwarf Flint - what exactly is your title within the Inquisition, by the way?" She pauses before speaking further, "The Templar Order can use any source of lyrium for its knights in the war - although, when you say 'undesirable types', exactly who do you reference? Between the four of us I imagine what we are able to fight is quite broad, although I don't intend to fight Chevaliers or Dead Legionaries."

[Assistant]
The shift in tone that the conversation had taken- from nervously sarcastic to genuinely friendly- made Erika settle in her soggy boots even further. It appeared all was well between the four, even so far that Erika and Flint even took care of the two newcomer's job for them. At the mention of a reward Erika could practically hear the gears begin to turn in Flint's head as he began to talk. Erika had given a glance down at Flint, but found that he had already closed the distance between himself and Nolan, throwing his arm around the much taller Warden.

She nodded rather convincingly when asked about their own negotiating power with rewards and such, but left the rest of the talking to Flint, who was already on a roll with trying to convince these two here to help them out in taking down the mine. Well, its the least they could do after all the help Erika and Flint were with the Templars, right? Erika admired her partner's quick thinking, provided it would work. The Inquisition often contracted out mercenaries anyways, and they had yet to meet up with their other partner. They would probably need the extra hands after all the attention they had brought to themselves thus far. It might make for a nice story later after a few pints, but Erika had definitely seen cleaner missions.

When the Knight-Lieutenant finally spoke up, Erika found a spot to cut in at. "We are both Agents to Spy Master Leliana, and Ambassadors to the Inquisition." That sounded good, right? It wasn't a lie, either. Just... not exactly an awarded title. The Inquisition being a fledgling operation, such titles were reserved for only those of importance, such as Leliana. Both Erika and Flint were more than capable of representing the order, and felt comfortable doing so.

"As far as our enemy goes, I'm afraid it is the Venatori whom we must face. They've been mining red lyrium here on the Coast and the Divine wants it shut down before they have a chance to do anything with it. Not only that, but the locals have been reporting some strange happenings in the area as well. The plan was to get in and out quickly and discreetly, but thanks to our rogue Templar pals back there, I doubt that plan will serve us much purpose anymore. If we have to, we'll use the rest of Flint's handy dandy Gaatlok and blow the place in on itself and bury the bastards with it." She gave a shrug. "That should be our last resort, however. Don't worry, though. If you choose to help us, you'll be adequately compensated, as my friend here has promised."