[System]
Age: 24

Previous Occupation: Independent Contractor (Exotic Dancing)

Brief Personality/History: Elizabeth tends to have extreme shifts in her moods. Though often irritable, she can also be overly enthusiastic and happy. Most of the time she is impulsive and reckless; she doesn't think about the long term consequences of her actions so long as it makes her feel better in the moment. In her mind, the world revolves around her and the only other person she might love more than herself is her son. Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to see him as he lives elsewhere with his father.

Name: Tyler
Age: 35
Previous Occupation: Lawyer
Brief Personality/History: ???

Name: Ava
Age: 30
Previous Occupation: Secretary
Brief Personality/History: A quiet woman, she escaped the lobby with Elizabeth and Tyler in the office building when it all began. It wasn't long after she died a horrific death in front of Elizabeth, Erin, and Dallen that more than likely traumatized them.

[User]
"I don't like it down here," Erin stated, furrowing her small nose up as she looked around them. Even though there was nothing else they could do, she just wanted to make her feelings known. Talking about her likes and dislikes seemed to calm the girl down. It was something Elizabeth had noticed during her time together with her and tried to use it to her advantage.

Agreeing with her, she said, "I don't either." Looking down by her side at the little girl as they strolled through the sewers—something she never thought she'd be doing in her life—she said, "You know what else I don't like?"

Putting some serious genuine thought into the question, the girl eventually gave up as she had no idea. "What?" she asked curiously.

"Broccoli," she replied, bending down with an overly exaggerated face of disgust.

Even after everything, the little girl laughed. "Broccoli's the worst," she agreed. It didn't take long for the merry banter to stop though and the little girl fell quiet again as she stared down at her shoes. As much as she tried, Elizabeth knew that she wouldn't be able to take away the pain Erin was feeling from losing both of her parents in such a short amount of time.

With no idea where they were going, they took twists and turns through the labyrinthine passages until they saw a light at the end of one of the tunnels. Motioning for Erin to stay where she was while she went to check the area. Keeping her distance, Erin took a few steps forward as Elizabeth beckoned her forward with a wave of her hand. It reminded her of playing red light green light during recess.

When she didn't see the threat of the dead in the tunnel or in the immediate vicinity around it, she called Erin over. Her running footsteps echoed through the tunnel and Elizabeth helped her climb down. Once they were out she took the time to look around at her surroundings. Unfortunately, she still didn't have any clue where they were.

"I'm hungry," Erin finally said, lowering her head as if the declaration was a shameful one.

Even though she had no idea how she was going to fight her way through those things to find some food, she was going to try. "Then lets get you some food," Elizabeth said. Taking her hand, the two of them cautiously proceeded forward.

[Assistant]
The radio crackled to life.

"-Does anyone read- -Any survivors read this frequency-"

Steven rushed over to the radio and grabbed the mic. "-yes, yes, we're survivors here, over- -we are at the court house"

"-It's Tyler-" the voice replied. "-I found help- -with the military, at a checkpoint-" After pleaing with the military men he was with, together they found the frequency.

"-We over heard they were going to bomb the city, can you confirm, over-"

"-They're still evacuating the city, get to the Mecha City bridge, we have helicopters- Their orders are to hold the bridge until backup arrives, but yes, I'm thinking backup is bombing the city.-"

"-How long do we have...?-"

"-Hours, if your lucky. Get here now...I have to go, something's up...-"

Everyone quickly sprang into action. The vehicles in the garage were loading with supplies and people, and quickly they all moved out, leaving the court house building for good.

DAY 3 - 5pm

The convoy rushed through the city. They had trucks, a few shuttle buses, and a few cars. Judge Williams was in a Ford truck with Briggs driving and leading the group, Steven was with them in the backseat. Dallen and his daughter, as well as Ethan, Riley, Lucy, Buck, and Daryal were all in one of the buses.

"I don't like buses, Daddy," kelsey said, staying as close to her father as possible.

 "Remember that song your mother used to sing to you,"  he said cooly.  "I'd love to hear it."

Kelsey smiled just thinking of her mother. "She was lucky to have died before...I don't want to get eaten alive, Daddy, please..."

 "Nothing like that will ever happen to you,"  he assured.  "We'll find the military and get out...we'll be okay. Sure you don't want to sing that song?"

"I'd love to hear it," Lucy added.

"Yeah," Riley agreed.

Kelsey wiped her tears and cleared her voice. "It's stupid...but okay." She hummed the melody of a soft lullaby as they wizzed past street after street. She sang in the most beautiful voice, soft yet powerful...

youtube.com/watch?v=CdeOCZ6MA9Q

The others remained quiet as they drove on. The sun was beginning to set, and darkness and shadow was seeping already through the skyscrapers and buildings. The undead would start to come out in droves, snarling and running for the convoy. Each vehicle had someone firing back at them, clearing some of the way. They just had to make it to the bridge.

"We have a problem," Briggs said over the comms that were connected vehicle to vehicle. "There's too many."

Kelsey continued to sing, shutting her eyes and mind from the horrors surrounding her...

The horde covered the streets from shoulder to shoulder. The convoy turned to another road, but the deeper they got into the city, the more of the infected would come out. So much so that they started to run them all over, which worked for awhile. Slowly they rammed through the dead horde, using four wheel drive to pass over body parts and debris in the road.

"The others!" Lucy yelled, looking back at the convoy.

The dead swarmed those behind them, all of them. Their vehicles couldn't make it through and they got stuck. The infected smashed through the windows, tore into the people inside. None of them had a chance.

"We keep moving forward!" Briggs demanded.

They did, all night taking the only paths that were allowed to them. Eventually, the Mecha city bridge could be seen in the distance. It was up, blocking anyone in or out of the city. The military's firepower could be seen, fighting back the dead at one of the checkpoints. There were still hundreds upon hundreds of living people, all at the base of the bridge, all trying to get to the other side. The backup of vehicles stopped them in their tracks, though luckily there were no more dead around them.

"We go on foot from here," Briggs said.

The group got together, only a few firearms between them. They marched up the darkening beach line, Dallen holding Kelsey's hand the entire time.

"We made it!" Daryal exclaimed.

"...Not yet," Ethan replied.

The group walked all the way over to the bridge, where they were met by the other survivors of the city. Behind them were signs of a great battle, one that looked like the military had won. The barricades were holding for now, but behind them the undead pushed against continuously, trying to get through.

"Why aren't they letting us through yet?" Buck asked.

"Too many people, they've been letting us in section after section," a random person next to him answered. "Been here for nearly a day...They're just making sure none of us are infected."

The bridge would go back down after about thirty minutes, letting the next large group of people through. Then it would rise back up, as the military did their necessary check ups. The group made it close to the front, all of them staying together, hoping to get through the next time.

The barricade fell, the undead pressing against it caused it to tumble. It all happened so fast, as they began pouring into the checkpoint. A siren sounded from the bridge, just before they were to lower it again. A few military officials looked over from the raised bridge, down on the people below.

"Let us in! Let us in now!" Buck screamed with the others as panic started to arise.

The dead reached the survivors, tackling whoever they came across first. Others ran forward, and very quickly people were not only getting attacked from behind, but others would get trampled over and stomped to death. Dallen lifted Kelsey into his arms, not knowing what to do.

The military got the order to shoot to kill, everyone. Then evacuate. The tiny bit of hope in the crowd's minds was shattered, as they opened fire upon them, killing as many as they could. Judge Williams stared wide-eyed, as she was shot down multiple times, falling to the floor dead.

Daryal ran, pushing people out of his way the best he could, but he was caught. They swarmed him, ripping him to shreds from all sides, all while he was still standing shoulder to shoulder. His screams were muffled from the chaos around him.

Buck fired back, shooting a soldier in the head and dropping him, but his attacks were pointless. The soldiers continued to fire, and he got overwhelmed just as everyone else did around him. The bullets didn't kill him, but brought him wounded to the ground, where he was trampled to death.

Briggs forced his way back through the area they had come, blasting anything in his way with his shotgun. Dallen followed him, carrying a frightened Kelsey with him, her face burried in his shoulder. Briggs led them out, protecting them until he ran out of shells. They reached a beach side bar, as the man used the butte of his weapon to crack the door open.

"Get in!" he yelled.

A walker pounced on Dallen, though he held its head back and pushed it off. Ethan swung his baseball bat and cracked the things hard, slumping it to the floor.

They entered the bar, shoving a large jukebox over to the door to block it. There they layed low, hearing the mayhem surrounding them.

"Daddy..."

Dallen looked down at his little girl, her eyes coming in and out of focus. She was shot through the chest, and was dying.

 "No, Kelsey!"  He pleaded. He ripped off a portion of his sleeve and attempted to help, but she was already gone.

Before Dallen could scream, Briggs tackled to him and held him close. "We have to be quiet, brother!" he said, holding the man tightly. Dallen's face filled with tears, as he tried to fight back, but Briggs held him tightly. They stumbled to the floor, where Briggs still held him as the man cried into his shoulder.

Ethan sighed with defeat, tears rolling down his cheek as well. He knew now more than ever, that they were all going to die.

[User]
The two of them ran as fast as they possibly could with those things chasing behind them. Both of them gasped for breath and she could hear Erin whimpering in fear behind her. The transition onto the sidewalk was easy for Elizabeth, but Erin's foot caught on the edge and she tripped. "Lizzy!" she cried out frantically. Stopping to turn around, she saw their pursuers not far behind them. Racing back to help, she picked Erin up just as one of them reached out to grab her. Mere millimeters away from grabbing her, the thing fell over and bought them a little time as those around it tripped over the body.

More of them ran out of the allies, Elizabeth shrieking in terror as they managed to jump out and surprise her, barely missing her as she jumped out of the way and out of their grasp. Erin screamed too though being smaller and faster she was able to dodge more easily.

"Come on," Elizabeth managed to say between breaths, making sure that Erin was ahead of her. Her lungs were burning for air, but she couldn't stop because those things wouldn't. If those things caught up to them, with Elizabeth between Erin and the danger, she would be the one to go first giving the little girl a chance.

They needed to find somewhere to stop for even a few seconds to catch their breaths. Though Erin was doing a good job at keeping up, and was even surpassing her, Elizabeth could see she was getting tired. At the first building she saw, she yelled, "There! Go! Into the church!"

The little girl ran as fast as she could to the building with the tall steeple and stained glass windows. Emerging from its hiding spot, one of those things charged in Elizabeth's direction. Unable to turn around, she had to go through it. Picking up a trash can lid, she used it as a shield bumping into it and shoving it aside. She didn't stop until she reached the church. Together they shut the doors and she locked them. "Find something," Elizabeth said as she pressed her weight against it. Searching around the pews, Erin found a cane in the umbrella stand and returned with it. Slipping it through the handles. If she could have moved one of those large wooden pews in front of it for an extra barricade then she would have, but unfortunately she wasn't strong enough for that.

"We made it," Erin said happily, celebrating their temporary success.

Not feeling the same excitement, she tried to muster as much enthusiasm as she could not to worry the girl. "We did," she said with a strained smile. Luckily Erin didn't notice as she ran to look around the building. "Stay in sight."

The colored light from the windows dimmed as the numbers blocked the sun. Not a religious person herself by any means, she found it ironic either way that she would end up in a church. Picking up one of the choir books sitting in the pews, she flipped through it reading the lyrics to old hems she'd never heard of. "Lizzy! Look! Food!" she heard Erin exclaim. Closing the book and setting it down, she went to join the girl at the front where she pointed to a collection of boxes full of boxed and canned goods. There was a sign near them that read 'Food Drive Donations'.

Searching the boxes, she picked up a small tin of fruit and tried to open the tab herself. Smiling at her attempt, Elizabeth couldn't stop thinking about this little girl was so strong. Had she been stuck with any other kid they would have probably been crying, fighting, and arguing with her right now. But Erin was so well-behaved and even after the recent loss of her parents, she was pressing on.

"Let me," she said, holding her hand out for it. Erin bounded over to her and held it out to her. She pealed the lid back with ease before handing it back and watched as the little girl happily ate it, fruit juice dribbling down her scraped chin.


[System]
Alison Marie Geoffory
A little about me...
Nickname: Ali

Age: 21 years old

Hair Color: Brunette

Hair Type: Thick & Curly

Hair Length: About four inches below her shoulders (due to the length she normally will have it braided in a normal or french braid where her long bangs fall free on a normal day, during festivals or balls she allows the ringlet curls to lay loose across her back and shoulders)

Eye Color: Ice blue

Body Build: Slender with the perfect curves in the right places to drive men crazy

Weight: 120 lbs

Height: 5'4"

Race: Human/Wood Elf (Her mother was a wood elf and promised to her father who was a human)

Siblings: She is an only child though her parents tried for other children to no success

Personality: Ali was always rather sweet and caring when it came to everyone around her, she tried her best to put her people before herself - trying to make the children smile. She managed to get herself into trouble at times, speaking her mind when the time called for it but when it didn't call for it - she kept to herself. She was curious and adventurous, sneaking off the kingdom grounds when it was possible and doing so without her personal guard. She is very respectful of others wishes, always friendly to people - even those she doesn't know. However due to her status, she plays her cards carefully to make sure she can trust strangers since she will one day take over her kingdom. She is very trusting and trustworthy, loving - she tries to always make time for her people and her personal guards children.

Weapons & Training
Throwing knives: made from elvish metals so they are extremely light and easy to conceal as well as throw, taught by both her father and her personal guard how to use them. She is pretty handy with them since she was first taught to use them when she was only ten years old, she was taught to throw them from the ground and horseback.

Bows & Arrows: a fine elvish bow and quiver of elvish arrows, another light and easy to maneuver weapon for someone with her small frame. She can hit targets from standing still to riding horseback, very talented with a bow and arrows. She is always willing to give a warning shot before actually hitting and killing someone.

Sword: a sword made of elvish metal, the sword is normally her last choice and it is normally attached to her mounts saddle. She prefers to fight from a distance than fighting up close and using her sword, but if required she will use her sword to defend herself. Normally, if her guard is around - it will never get to this point.

History
She had a normal life for a princess, she was allowed as a child to play with all the children of her kingdom. Her parents never held their status and acted as they were above their people, they normally could be found out among their people - enjoying the local shops or speaking with their people. They did their best to keep their people safe and happy, helping in any way they could. As Ali grew, so did her studies in how to rule her kingdom as well as what was expected of her as the princess of her kingdom. Her father however gave her a bit more freedom that what was considered normal, not that anyone seemed bothered by it. She always remained safe and respected her fathers wishes for the most part, besides sneaking out of the kingdom. She has always been great with the kingdoms children and animals, always willing to lend a hand with any of the kingdoms mounts if it was needed. She is respected by her kingdom and always tries to help where it is needed, she respects her parents enough to agree to their terms of marrying the man of their choice.

[User]
Ntaj listened to Alison speak ill of her uncle, already planning how he could take over this kingdom. Her uncle sounded like a tyrant, but the current king was ill and it seemed that Alison was his only child. Indeed, once her father falls it'll only be natural for her uncle to rule in his place. And it looks like the power has already gotten to his head, despite the lack of a formal crowning. Removing those who supported the old office isn't an unusual thing in Ntaj's mind, but he wondered just how deep the claws of Alison's uncle dug if he could afford to purge the inner court of the king's old supporters and retainers. It was one thing to be able to bribe and trick others into servitude, but loyalty was more valuable than gold. It wasn't long before the man himself arrived and quickly ignored Ntaj to yell at Alison. When the wicked uncle stepped forward, Ntaj acted.

"Surely you would not deprive a guest of his company?" Ntaj stood between Alison and the man yelling at her, presumably this uncle she was talking about. He was a right piece of work, that was for certain. But characters like him was a dime a dozen back at Keratia. A lot of power hunger men with views that ensured they stayed in power. But that's why they were killed, and why the Yaj family ruled an empire. "I apologize if I seem to be speaking out of turn, your majesty. But surely it's only proper procedure for royalty to meet." Removing his helmet, Ntaj revealed his face, and more importantly his piercing red eyes, like freshly spilled blood. And if this man knew anything about the Keratia royal family, he'd know that only they would have these red eyes.

"And I would very much like to keep her within my sight, so that I may speak with her. Is that going to be a problem?"

[Assistant]
Alison
The young woman was rather shocked as the armored man moved between herself and her uncle, not that her uncle was stupid enough to lay his hands on her in public. It was easy to anger him and he did not settle down as time passed, his anger usually only seemed to grow the longer he waited to punish whoever he could take his anger out on. Her uncle didn't at all seem pleased that the man was standing up for him, slowly straightening his shoulders as he quickly tried to puff his chest up. The princess rolled her eyes, watching her uncle as he attempted to make himself look tougher than he actual was.

It was rather amusing for the princess to watch, aware that her uncle stood no chance against the younger man that had moved in front of her. Her uncle however paused a moment as the man declared himself royalty before he carefully removed his helmet, the princess moved herself to stand next to him - glancing over at him with a raised eyebrow a moment before her eyes moved back to land on her uncle. The man now seemed like he'd seen a ghost when he studied the man, clearly knowing who he was and the mistake he just made. "Oh, the Prince of Keratia has come to visit - I'm guessing for the tournament?" He muttered.

"I certainly hope not to just see my rebellious niece." He muttered, not seeming at all happy with the fact that his niece found the prince before he himself had. The princess however wasn't very fazed by it, she knew a bit about the kingdom of Keratia - but clearly not as much as her uncle apparently had. She was however surprised to see that her uncle wasn't doing his best to try to marry her off to this prince, but maybe her uncle figured out that if she were to marry someone else - she could turn around and have her then husband attack him and take over her old kingdom, which wouldn't really be too bad of an idea.

But if that was what he was trying to prevent, the young princess knew what his plan was - he would do his best to force her to marry him so he could become the rightful ruler. Her uncle didn't seem the least bit pleased when the man next to her pointed out that he wanted to keep her in his sight before he asked if it would be a problem, her uncle cleared his throat - flashing a rather quick smile. "I'm afraid that the princess' fiance would not be too happy about that, maybe even to the point of calling the wedding off in fear that his future bride isn't pure as she should be." He commented, watching the two of them.

The princess couldn't stop the smile on her lips as she held in a chuckle, glaring over at her uncle. "Oh, now don't you dare start any of that! I am not engaged nor even being courted, I would watch exactly what lies you throw out. Your not really the best at keep track of them all, there is no problem whatsoever with it." She pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest as her uncle only grew in anger. He didn't seem to like his niece talking back to him the way she just had, he never liked it.

[User]
"Her fiance say you say?" Ntaj chuckled at this notion. Alison's uncle was right about one thing, she was hardly the type of princess any other man would want. Vocal, rebellious, bossy. She was practically already a wife without the bonds of matrimony. But Ntaj didn't hate that; he liked a woman with some fight in her. As long as she was willing to face off against him as an equal, perhaps Alison would have a place by his side. But first, Ntaj had to deal with her uncle. "Well surely whoever has the pleasure of marrying the Princess here is a wise ruler, a stalwart warrior, and a champion of those he holds dear. I'd very much like to meet this fiance of hers, and see if his worth is as great as his prowess."

Of course, Ntaj had some suspicions that either this Fiance did not exist, or Alison's uncle had ideas to marry her personally in order to solidify his rule. Such was the tribulations of monarchy. Frankly Ntaj had quite enough of Alison's uncle and needed to devise a way to escape him. Fortunately, he spotted his old friend Mordekai not too far away. The two locked eyes for a moment, and Ntaj sent him a single. A wink, a smirk, and a motion with his hand. A simple signal: Ntaj needed a distraction. Mordekai nodded his head and called for Alison's uncle. "Excuse me, your majesty! Your attention please, I have urgent news for you!" Mordekai pushed Ntaj out of the way to speak to Alison's uncle face-to-face. During the one moment where he was distracted, Ntaj took Alison by her hand and whisked her away from the scene.

The distraction would be short, but it was more than enough for Ntaj to take Alison away from her uncle and somewhere they could speak privately. Even Alison's bodyguard and Mordekai would have a bit of trouble tracking them down, more so since Ntaj made sure the two were on the move. "Your uncle is a mess of a man, isn't he?"

[Assistant]
Alison
The princess paused a moment as the prince practically asked her uncle to meet this fiance of hers, her uncle seemed to get rather annoyed as he seemed to try to think on his feet of who would dare to marry his niece. "I'm afraid that he is not currently here, I believe he went to get something's for their wedding." He pointed out, seeming rather unsure of his own words. The princess rolled her eyes, wanting to get as far from his uncle as possible as quickly as possible. Why did he have to do this? From what she knew of Keratia, they could easily defeat her kingdoms army and take over the ruling.

The princess glared at her uncle, he was such a liar - he was no ruler of hers or her kingdom. "And if he does not meet your standards? What business is this of yours? It's not like you are going to marry her yourself, are you?" Her uncle muttered, his tone rather cold as someone suddenly called for him. It was another man, a lot larger than her uncle that made his way toward the group - placing himself between the prince and princess and the king. She felt the prince reach out and take her hand in his own as he pulled her along to follow beside him, unaware of where she was being led.

She followed the man, curious as to where he was leading her and why. She looked over at him, studying him a moment at his question of her uncle. At this point she noticed his red eyes, remembering her father mentioning something about only the royal family having red eyes when it came to Keratia. "To be quite honest that is a rather large understatement about him. He is much more than a mess, and in all honestly - the sooner he is no longer king…the better." She commented, brushing her bangs out of her face with her free hand. She didn't see why she couldn't speak the truth around this man, he wanted the truth after all.


[System]
Age: 44.

Appearance: Subtly waning. Innocent retains a head of dark hair, dark eyes and a good height for an adult, but his scalp is beginning to show through and a growing hunch in his back wears down his tallness while his eyes accumulate red mazes. Well veined, sundried skin tell of a long life outdoors. Half a beard populates his jaw. A dull tunic, dusty straw hat, and duller, dustier trousers provide his daily modesty, held together with a rope belt.

Occupation: Beekeeper in a dale just south of Flidais, a temperate, grassy city perched between foothills. Innocent gets by with few visits to Flidais, selling honey, beeswax, animal feed and carvings to whoever might pass his cabin on the way and buying necessities from travelling merchants and nearby farmsfolk. Innocent plays a simple flute, carved and tuned by his own design, but does so poorly.

Personality: Gentle enough to be called kind, but this trait is bred more from meek complacency than empathic feelings. Sidwell is a highly submissive individual, asking little from others and rarely questioning them or the services they require of him unless he feels personally threatened. Although he means only to live and let live, these traits may see him being labelled by some as a sycophant, and by most as a coward. Innocent is religious on his own terms. Terrified of death and hell, he believes that if he avoids human confrontation and keeps his world small and modest, he will avoid sin and be blessed by God, an attitude which has seen him safe thusfar.

History: Innocent Sidwell was born in Flidais and, the youngest son to a mother of eight, was sent to the hill monastery even sooner than most novices. Sidwell entered monasticism as a child already conditioned to avoid the fierce competition of his elder siblings and live in modesty. Although this kept him in the favour of the prior, Innocent's ways changed as he matured. While his earlier compliance was forced by the pressure of his environment, he was now in a community wherein passiveness was self-motivated, and repressed adventurousness began to emerge. The prior tolerated Sidwell's growing cheek for a time, granted that he performed his duties and did not leave the monastery. He was expelled when finally caught in an act of homosexual conduct with another novice. The prior was shocked and betrayed and threatened both Innocent and the other novice with public exposure as they were punished and cast away, but his old love for Sidwell kept him from making true this threat, unknown to Sidwell, who that day was cursed with a terrible fear of exposure, of sin, and of living any less than a pious, modest, and celibate existence.

Fleeing south on foot, Innocent found work as a farmhand for a time before he apprenticed under his predecessor beekeeper of the valley, and has made this his living for three decades.

[User]
It looked like little silver wings, probably hundreds of them approaching like they were on a mission. It was tough to tell what they were until he twisted a dial and had the telescope magnify closer on the winged beast. When he zoomed in they were quite little silver birds the most eerie feature about them was there solid red eyes, similar to that of an albino. They looked like they were traveling with the menacing cloud, almost like they were a team if that was even possible.

Christopher was looking so close at the birds that be almost missed something that was even more menacing than the silver birds. There was an extremely.huge shadow silhouette that was looming over the thunderstorm and the red-eyed silver birds. When he seen this he stumbled a bit losing grip of his dark book that was now falling the length of the pillar.

The book made contact which was no surprise to Christopher since the book had fallen but it wasn't until the book made contact a second time before he realized that something was a stray. Upon looking over the side of the pillar Christopher had noticed that his book had made contact with the person standing on the floor ... Wait person. He must have entered while he was staring into the telescope but how had he entered, it wouldn't have been the door since the vines hadn't acted up. That was when he noticed that there was a trap door that was opened, how had he not noticed that door. It must have been underneath of the table that he hasn't examined since he was so busy raging against the bookcase.

 "Hello down there, I'm sorry about the book I didn't realize that anyone was down there. Were you the one that returned my knock? I don't really have any clue what is happening here. Do you? What's the craziest thing you have ever seen? I bet it will change if you look through this telescope. I'm sorry I talk a lot when I'm nervous aaaaaand right about now is one of those times. Oh by the way my name is Christopher. One more thing can you throw that book back up here ... Please "

He was so nervous after seeing the ominous cloud, red-eyed silver birds and giant shadow that he had no vocal filter at the moment and everything that came to his mind went right out his mouth.

[Assistant]
DECK

Moss flinched at the screech, the nightmarish sound that shattered the air and made her grip the hammer tight. Everyone had scattered, the storm was beginning to shout its hateful intentions, and Moss was beginning to get the feeling that they were not the first ones to sail on the wretched ship.

"We should do whatever the fok it takes to make sure we never see what made that bloody sound," she said quietly. It wasn't as if anyone would have heard her over the roar of the world anyway, had she spoken normally.

They needed to be moving, they needed to be getting the people in the Engine room out and away from whatever it was that was down there. She looked around, spying anyone and everyone she could and waving her arms in the air.

"C'mon!" she shouted, forcing her voice through the dense sounds of the storm. "Over here, gather 'round c'mon!"

[User]
Engine Room

Connor, still caught up in the heat of the moment, did not even notice the creature's disappearance until he felt the sudden lack of anything under his hand. His bayonet, which had been buried hilt-deep in the creature just a moment ago, was now just held in front of him, the blade devoid of any blood and the only sign that it had been used in combat being the scratches marring the blade's surface. Once his mind caught up with the situation, Connor staggered back, dropping his weapon. The room still looked the same, but there was no creature, not even the corpse Connor had been expecting to see.

Looking around him, Connor felt his breath catch in his throat and his head spin. The Oriental, Suichiro, looked dead - Connor did not even need to check, he had seen the same vacant look and lifeless eyes before, when he had the misfortune of having to pull the bloated bodies of drowned sailors from the beaches. The other girl, Samira was hidden behind a boiler, with only her leg visible. Connor did not fancy the chances of her being still alive, but he maintained hope.

Above all, however, only one thought went through his mind. Had there really been a creature? There was nothing to tell him that the thing he had just fought ever existed. Could it be that it had all just been a figment of his imagination and that in fact he had just slaughtered those who were trapped in the room with him in a fit of panic? The thought of it was just too much for him to bear and, for the first time in a very, very long time, he doubled over and vomited.

Fucking shite, He thought miserably to himself as he stood back up and wiped his mouth clean with his sleeve. Taking in a deep breath, he took a few uncertain steps towards the still form of Risa. There was only one way to find out if he had indeed killed all these people, and that was to see if the girl was dead with a stab wound through the abdomen. Connor felt his heart race as he dreaded what he was to find, but he steeled himself and pushed on. Much to his relief, as little as it was, the girl was not dead, but unconscious, and her wounds were not at all consistent with the killing blow he had dealt to the creature.

"Come on," Connor muttered as he pulled the girl away from the boiler. He was no physician, but he could tell that she was just barely alive. She was going to need help quick, and Connor was not at all a person who could provide it.

He walked over to the horn and spoke into it again, this time his voice tired and weary. "Engine room again," He began and took in a deep breath to conceal his fear. "Whatever was hammering us is gone, but we have one dead, one possibly dead and another going to be dead if we don't get help soon."

[Assistant]
Mess.
Another barrel, a continuing sense of involved urgency, and as Sidwell soon discovered, a considerably flimsy one. The second lid opened with difficulty, unwilling to bare its contents to the world, but he did not relent. The shapes confused him before they settled into the timeless familiarity of a human skull. The man stood still in the rising smell of ancient flesh, softer than cider and subtler than smoke, and more powerfully disorientating than either. He replaced the lid, perhaps out of courtesy.

Oh, but, wait. You're only dead, like the rest of us. Feeling apologetic and rather detached, Sidwell removed the lid again, childlike, and set it aside. It was a kind but pointless gesture. This corpse, unlike himself, did not seem to be feeling very energetic, and clearly hadn't been for quite some time. He raised a hand to see if he could borrow the fellow soul's knife, clearly recalling the overgrown bookshelf and bound stacks of metal balls in his current room, but decided against it. It seemed unlikely that the skeleton would talk back if he asked, and he couldn't possibly take something without permission. This is foolish!

Tuning himself back to his surroundings revealed that the room below was no longer crackling with fire, or not crackling loudly enough to be heard. His eyes were focusing better in the dark. Tracing the outline of the stain of cider on the floor revealed a fox, likely the very same one, backing itself away from a figure he hadn't seen. Tamtam was here, and her stance and voice still read distress. In a perversely refreshing turn of events, however, she knew something, had scratched out valuable information from such a tangled world. Keys on a door, in a mapped-out room. Likely in a room where Tamtam had been before, reachable from the deck above. Keys, of course, which would lead somewhere, beyond the doors at the far end of the mess, and- in an escalating series of assumptions- from there into the burnt room below. It was an oddly phrased instruction, but Innocent was glad to seize upon it.

"I can try to get them. If the room they're in is charted out, it mustn't be too hard to find." And the children are still above deck in the storm. They had gone out of his mind between the fire and the corpse. It would be easy to continue forgetting them, but a new breed of self-doubt was unkindly informing Sidwell that doing so would be unwise. The closer he walked back to the stairs, the more convinced he was that someone was yelling on the deck (The red-hair girl, it must be), and for the first time in months he bent into a shambling run.

He only paused briefly, when the floor-voice started again. Only one, muffled but audible now that the fiery chaos had died down. "...Is gone, but we have one dead ... Dead and another going ... Don't get help..."

Don't get..? Curse these ears. "We are coming," he answered loudly, unsure if the voice needed help or not but determined to find its owner either way. Thunder echoed through the stairs as he went back upwards, steeling himself for the uneven deck, the swaying ship. The sky was darkening.

Holding himself against the wind, it took him several seconds to find the red- and blue-haired children who stood dwarved by the trees even with their arms up. Sidwell waved in response, beckoning widely with his arm. "Come down here! It is better." He was hesitant to leave in search of the mapped room before they had made their way below deck, but he turned his eye back to the observatory. There is a room under the room with the books- I know that- I can search that. Come, children, hurry!


[System]
Race: Cait Sith

Position: Personal servant to the Winter Queen

Age: Unknown, even to him. (Approx. 3,000 years)

Personality: Grim always seems to know something others don't, and constantly has a wicked grin on his face. He takes delight in the misfortune of others and great joy in causing it himself. This does not mean he can't be well-meaning and helpful, but it is a rare occurrence and any help offered is generally in the form of a riddle or bittersweet compromise. Grimus loves riddles and music, and is ever attracted to a warm fire or lap. In the end he seeks only to further the ends of himself and the Winter Court.

Appearance: Grimus's true form is that of a large and well-groomed black cat with a white spot on the center of his chest and the general shape and build of a lynx. His fur is smooth and sleek, his teeth resemble those of a shark, and his eyes glow gold. In this form he uses his Glimmer as a way to fade from notice and apparently vanish from sight.

Aided by innate magic, Grim can take a humanoid form at will. This form is a tall and lean man with shoulder-length black hair and pale skin. His eyes do not change color, and he wears violet-tinted glasses to hide this. This form generally wears a sleek black suit with a white dress shirt and black bow tie, but can be made less conspicuous with a Glimmer.

Background: From the very beginning of the courts, there has always been a Grimalkin in service to the Queen of Winter. Serving as ambassador, assassin, confidante, and personal servant, this position has many roles and has been filled many times. Every time the current servant passes on, a new one is chosen from among the most powerful and demented of the Cait Sith.

Grimus is the direct descendant of the previous Winter servant, though there is a generation or two between them. He had been groomed for the role most of his life, and spent a considerable amount of time among the Winter Fae. When finally his grandfather passed from the world, Grim was more than delighted to fill his shoes. As the Winter Queen's right hand, he has proven a capable servant in many ways. He uses his connections and power wisely, and is careful to never cross the will of his Queen. Constantly he waits for her call, ever ready to sow misfortune and havoc among humans and the lesser Fae.

[User] "Sounds to me that I'm more like a pet than a slave then." Max rationalized, and actually smiled a bit. It didn't sound too bad, the way Grim was describing it. "What kind of things will you expect me to do then? You haven't captured me for my well being have you?" He pointed out, and kept following after the man. It was at that point he realized that he couldn't stop following him. If he tried to stop, his legs ignored him. He then remembered that this fae told him to follow. He had obeyed an order he didn't even realize he was given, and he was still obeying, even though he wanted to stop. He wanted to keep talking, but he felt his voice catch in his throat. He was too encapsulated by shock and fear to form words.

[Assistant]
Ama looked stopped when she heard the new voice. She looked over at what appeared to be another fae. A little taken back that she was not noticed, her emotions were sent to the trees close by, making them twist and turn.
"She is fine where she is." Ama said, a bit peeved.
Her skin thickened with bark, but swelled back down. She shouldn't be mad. The fae did nothing wrong. Sighing, she looked back at Lyra.
"She is under my protection. So she is safe. I don't believe I have seen you before..."

[User]
Lost hadn't taken this path in a while. He forgot how beautiful it was. He was always getting caught up in the affairs of other fey as of lately. He felt like he was at an awkward age where he had enough power to be feared by most, but many were still above him. The beautiful scenery and Tarani's calming presence helped him to relax and lower his gaurd some. He would never fully let it down though. That was just folly waiting for disaster in his mind. "Well Anya, I try my best to remember every name I am fortunate enough to hear as well. I have never realy met you, but just heard of you. You seem much more calm than the stories."

Lost knew of the broken promises all too well. He had never been foolish enough to do that himself. The most serious of punishments lied in wait for liars, and he had taken advantage of that for other fey and humans as well. He was more self-centered than this noble Earth Nymph. He still served Falk loyally, but only as much as he had to, or as much as was convenient for him. Anya now asked a troubling question. Yes if he was eager to give his life in name of the King then he would have confronted them immediately, but he was merely looking for some fun today.

"I was sitting in that tree when she happened underneath of it. A lot happens at the gates between realms. As for the other fey, I didn't think they were so dumb as to mess with the King's girl. Should they have tried any harm I would have intervened, but if they merely took her with them, I was going to follow and lead the King or one of his Legions to them. Although with your arrival none of that mattered, I knew none of them could sense me, but I suspected you would have. So even if they had engaged you I would have joined you in their crushing as well. As for their relationship, that is another story. It really does baffle me, but I would never do anything against the King. His way is his own. Whether I understand that way is completely irrelevant."

Turning the conversation from himself, he asked Anya a question. "And what about yourself? Why are you so eager to defend the King and his possessions?"

[Assistant]
Stories? Tarani thought to herself. It had been a while since she had heard any "stories" about her. She considered the thought of hearing one of those stories sometime. It might've did her some good. She was glad at least that Lost was calmer now, obvious he wasn't going to let his guard completely down. It didn't bother her though. Her most devious plans were better left for the Fae and Humans who opposed her and disregarded the rules of the Fae Realm. "I have many names, Lost, but most I have either chosen to forget or have no desire to hear such a name. You may continue to call me Anya, for now, but at some point, 'The Lady', will come back and all shall bear witness to her dark beauty."

Her plans for power were ever growing, and she constantly played with new ideas and added new factors into her games. It was a most pleasurable thing to experience for her. She didn't understand why others didn't engage in such stimulating activity. None of that matter, however. Lost held her intrigue for the time being. "Your motives for moving based on those circumstances is merely from a beneficial stand point, and if not that then fear of displeasing the Fall King drives you to do perform the acts you would've had to perform if things had turned nasty? I do not mean to imply, merely...to take a gander at your reasons." She continued to glide along the ground, gnarled roots twisting over unbeaten path.

A smile formed on her lips, the conversation had turned to her. A twist to be expected--a game that Tarani was happy to play. "'Why', you ask" I shall tell you like this. If it wasn't for the power and knowledge that the oldest of Fae had acquired from teachings passed down through generations of Kings and Rulers, then Lord Falk wouldn't be where he is today. The universe has an odd way of turning things about, don't you think? In my eyes, Lord Falk is the embodiment of the beliefs that the Old One's held--beliefs that I too share." Her answers were carefully worded, ensuring that nothing she said could be used against her at a later time. She didn't particularly fear this Satyr, but a problem is a problem no matter which way you look at it. It was the best way she explain it without delving into her personal life.

[User]
@luclovers

Lyra - Summer Land Forest

Lyra smiled brightly and giggled when the Tree Lady made the fruit appear on the branch. She took it gleefully and bit into it.
"Fank ou" she mumbled with her mouth full of the sweet perfectly ripened fruit.

Her mouth was full of another bite when another lady spoke. Lyra thought she'd seen her before but wasn't sure.
"Hi!" she waved, her messy face smiling. She then dismissed the newcomer and turned back to her friend the Tree Lady. "You want some too?" she asked, willing to share with her friend.

It didn't cross her mind that the female below might not be friendly, or perhaps might even be dangerous. Everyone was nice to her, because if anyone was ever mean she knew Ba-Ba would make them stop.

"We go to Ba-Ba now?" Lyra asked the Tree Lady.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jessalyn - Winter Land Forest

Although she was taken aback by the woman's suddenly harsh verbal attack. Her first thought was to wonder what she could have done to deserve such judgemental condemnation.
Her second thought was 'what a bitch'.
Her third, and most important thought was what the hell had she found herself in the middle of. Was this some kind of joke? Prank the blind girl?

She was brought from her musings abruptly as she was forcibly moved. Her hands gripped the arms of who she assumed was the man or boy from before. His voice changed, becoming more serious and very much unnerving.
Lasander barked and growled, shaking the snow off since he had been caught by some of the falling snow. Jessalyn put out her hand, a sign for him to come and he obeyed, taking his place beside her.

She heard the woman disparage her harshly, but didn't so much as flinch. It was nothing she hadn't heard before, about being useless and good for nothing.

"Perhaps I see where others are blind," she said cooly. "And maybe I am strong where you are weak, for I don't feel the need to attack others to prove my superiority."

The man or boy declared her safe with him. With the way everyone was talking she wasn't sure. She just knew she needed away out of this looney bin.

[Assistant]
Anya's warning of the return of the Lady seemed almost as if she was talking about a different person. The Lady seemed like a dark person to say the least. Lost was relieved to know that he was walking with Anya and not with the Lady. Lost began to wonder how good of graces he could get with this woman. She seemed willing to open to him and theirs could be a very lucrative relationship. The Lady was a character that Lost had not had much desire to associate with, but Anya was different and real, if he could call it that. Though beings like the Lady had their power, to often they sought power through destruction and fear. Anya seemed to enjoy life. It seemed she desired power as well, but enjoyed the game of obtaining it, as Lost does.

Her next comments were absolutely true. "No, you're fine with your implorations. They actually hit right on the mark. I noticed at a young age a lot of the younger Fey find their demise to carelessness and greed. Very few are simply unlucky, but there is nothing you can change about that. I take great consideration into my actions and the risks and the rewards they bring. I do love the King and he is certainly different from us, but at some point he is the same as well. We are all Fey together. At some point he was a young Fey and in ten thousand years one of us could be the ruler of the Fall Realm. I think we should certainly help each other, but we are competitors as well. It's a difficult and tricky game, but even the King plays it. I can't imagine how the King will fall, but time has told one story, and that story is that everything falls. I really don't wish it, but even if we became rulers our time would come as well. And it all comes because of greed, but there would be no game if there was no greed and life would be boring then." He stated that last sentence almost happily.

Lost was slightly proud of what he knew about greed and lust. Much of it he actually learned from the King himself. It was amazing how Falk could rule with fear and destruction, while similarly enjoying life and it's games. Even without split personalities as it seemed Anya might have. "Knowledge is a great power, but it is available to all the Fey ready to accept it. Unfortunately it comes with responsibilities and not everyone wants those. The King may appear to be the embodiment of the Old Ones beliefs, but I believe that is because he is wise and shares them as well. So similarly in my eyes as you share those beliefs you are just as ready as he is to be a ruler, probably better than the Summer or Spring rulers right now if I say so myself." Lost wasn't just blowing smoke here. He saw how the King should be protected, but also how rulers changed and someday one of the Fey around him would become ruler and he would give them the same respect he gives Falk now. Even Anya would receive his utmost respect should she become a ruler. As for the Spring and Summer rulers though, their actions were to sporadic and immature. They had Lost's respect as being more powerful than he, but as leaders he viewed them poorly.

[User]
Naime of Summer

 Naime looked at the child, blinking, and then turned to the Dryad which had suddenly made itself known to her.
 "My name is Meredith." Naime said, smiling a bright smile to match her bright hair.
 "I'm on my way to court," she explained. "I could use some company." She offered, hoping to understand more about how to act normal in this summer land.@Belle@2b3heart

[Assistant]
"For the most part, you should consider this arrangement to your benefit. I do not know how you will be of use to me yet, but you have already shown yourself to be a quick learner. For now, you shall be given time to grow and become accustomed to this world. That will let me know more about where your talents lie, as well as meet the other important denizens of this realm. My court is only one of four, after all, and the others generally take exception to... well, me." Grimus had stopped at the edge of the treeline, and was looking down at his home while he spoke. The palace was a work of true beauty, even compared to other Faerie constructs. Something caught his attention though, and he turned his head sharply to one side and sniffed at the air.

"Perhaps we are not as alone as I thought. Another human... maybe two? Shall we go and play with them?" he wondered aloud, scratching at his chin with one finger. It was a rare occurrence for him, to have so much free time to enjoy himself. Deciding it would be a waste not to, he started back into the trees towards the others he had sensed. Besides, it would likely be a comfort for the boy following him to interact with his own kind.


[System]
Appearance: Short, standing only an inch or so above 5ft, with wavy bob-cut black hair and green-grey eyes. She's petite and fragile looking in a sense, however she has a calm and meticulous look that gives her an air of maturity that she does not really possess.
(Image will be uploaded later)

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Abilities: A jack-of-all trades that can use multiple abilities, but has yet to proficiently use one, not to mention being hampered by her physically weak body. Abilities include; elemental manipulation, mind-reading, aura sensing, clairvoyance, barriers, healing spells, and etc. Basically, anything that can be learned, she probably learned it. Still, as of now, Meruin has two main focus: her barriers, which, when given enough time, can reach astonishing levels of intricacy and toughness, and runes, which she uses in place of aria's to speed cast.

How you could work in a team: Support and logistics. Never put her on offensive, unless she is given adequate time, in which case, she is capable of being highly devastating to whole teams in combat.

Personality: Introverted and quiet, she prefers to study than talk with other people. Focused and serious when it comes to her studies, she is otherwise a dunderhead when it comes to social interactions, and cannot read social ques very well, hence she doesn't mind doing what may be inappropriate in public (or more like she doesn't know she's doing anything wrong . . .) Gullible and still quite childish at heart, but stubborn and confident in her ability to succeed. Meruin, surprisingly, also has a very high degree of pride, though admittedly she takes pride in the strangest of things, so being able to push her pride requires some degree of familiarity with her. Meruin is also very quirky, often taking interest in the most random of things at any given time, so long as her attention is not occupied, and is not the slightest bit hesitant to act upon those interests, however awkward or embarrassing it may be (most often and especially for other people.

History: Suffice it to say that she came from a family of losers and wanted to be different, and through her efforts met the grandest of all mages (in her opinion), who henceforth became her Master. Any more than that shall be revealed during RP.

Other: Can cook and sing quite well. Has a weak body and is Asthmatic and Anemic

First period: Alchemy
Second period: Rituals
Third period: Arcane Arts
Fourth period: Elements Class
Fifth period: Free
Sixth period: Arts & Crafts
Seventh period: Magic theory
Eighth period: Sealing

[User]
Arcadius began thinking mayybe it wasn't a good idea to have chosen her to help him..but eh. Shrugging to himself he spoke "Good, then it's settled then." He picked up the book and held it out to her. "First, see if you can lift it without me or yourself having to cast any spells to make you stronger...no offense but you look a bit weak on the physical side. Then again, others have said I do as well so that point is moot.."

Holding the book out he gripped it tightly for a few seconds before relaxing his grip, he was about to do the one thing he hadn't done in quite some time: Trust someone other than himself and his family with the Grimoire.

He really hoped he could trust her, he'd rather not have to potentially explain the dissapearance of a new student.

[Assistant]
@Eklispe

"Forged by battle, were we?" Azrael asked with a larger smile. His lessons had been similar, many days of his flesh being bruised, battered, and hardened by the harsh training of the Spirits. "My training was similar, but not by the passing challenger." "I signed up for a fair bit of everything. These classes should prove to be a real challenge, I can't wait to start learning either." Sol's enthusiastic mood was infectious. Az felt a bit lighter because of it, a stress relief that he sorely needed. He shifted from foot to foot, getting a little stir-crazy in the close quarters. He turned to the other boy, noting his unique sword handles and the way they simply hovered as if hung from a sword belt. It was an ingenious way to keep your blade on you and Azrael promised to himself to ask about the spell work necessary.

"What about you Kieran? Did you learn under a swordsmaster or are you a soldier of fortune as well? Any classes you're particularly looking forward to?" Azrael asked, not wanting for the third party to feel shunted from the conversation. These two would be excellent training partners. Azrael thought of Aleksandra as well, who would be a good addition. With these three, the other well-versed students, and the intensive and advanced classes about to begin the boy easily saw that his powers could grow by leaps and bounds if he just made the most of it.

A bit of an altercation caught Azrael's eye for a moment. It seemed Chen had found some equally rowdy students and they were like peas in a pod. Azrael's fierce new friend might have found a woman after his own heart. Through the moving bodies, Azrael glimpsed a drawn knife and wondered if Chen would be alright? But the situation seemed to resolve as quickly as it started.

[User]
"No offense taken," said Meruin. She really was on the weaker side of the physical spectrum. There was a reason for that, but it was uneccessary to be mentioned at this point. In any case, Meruin took the book in her hands and gripped it tightly. She had no idea why he wanted her to try lifting the enermous tome, but it was his request . . .

Meruin took the book from his hands, and was consequently nearly thrown into the floor. The little mage's face turned slightly red with the effort, but nonetheless, she managed to keep the book close to her chest.

"As - wheeze - you can see, I am completely - wheeze - capable of holding up - uuurgh - okay nevermind. A moment - wheeze - if you please," she groaned, her arms shaking a bit.

The little mage tapped the floor five times with her left foot, muttering a few hurried spells in intervals under her breath, and in response, an overgrowth of vines and plants sprung up under her, forming the shape of a hand. Meruin fell back into it, letting the new construct of nature support her weight and that of the books.

"There, no strengthening - huff - magic on myself, from you or from me," she said with a succint look. It was loophole, but whatever. She could do without details for now.

[Assistant]
@xXSINXx

"I prefer to think of myself as Moriarty. We are going to be battling soon after all, we're just having a pleasant conversation beforehand." Chen shrugged and looked over at Arcadius and Meruin. That was some advanced magic to perform with only a few taps of her foot. "Interesting. When do you think this pathetic excuse for a meet and greet will end?" He asked the others as he turned back towards them.

[User] "Yes, disciplinary committee is charged with stopping any 'Major' problems that would potentially pose a threat to the school and its population" Aleksandra stated with the upmost pride. The way things were going in the room Aleksa could feel the energy levels rising, "were you planning on getting into fights right away charles?" she asked after shifting her weight onto the back of the chair and propping her arm up, "I know I have to be ready for the hell storm to start".

[Assistant]
ghost in black
he looked at her then looked at everyone else "...was i planning to?.. no... i don't really like being around people.." he says getting bit more comfortable talking to her "..then again.. with my abilities.. unless it's required... i wont need to..." he tells her "if it is... i'm not to sure how well I'll do against anyone.." he states "..my abilities can be bit... unpredictable to me if a fight happens..." he tells her.

[User]
@floodtalon

Ava smirks. "I figured as much." She states. "That's why I haven't bothered putting much effort into this little charade. Yes you know my power, but it's what one can do with the power that truly makes it effective." She stands and looks at the two. "Give a kid a toy and they are gonna find their own unique way of playing with it." Ava said. "Well seeing as we're all going to kill each other anyways. Good luck." Ava then turns and begins walking back to where she sat prior to the meeting.

[Assistant]
@WittyWolf

Kieran looked over at the student with a gun, who's name he couldn't remember, and the girl with the knife, who's name he'd missed entirely, as they got into a heated situation. it cooled off quickly however and he returned his attention to Azrael and Sol. "i suppose i was taught by a master, though it comes a bit more natural to me." he held out his hand and one of the handles one his belt floated into his hand "it depends on what kinds of blade i'm using" a small dimensional rift opened within the handle and a longsword blade appeared on the handle "my styles will differ between something like this" another handle floated into his other hand and on it appeared a curved shotel blade "and using something like this" both blades disappeared and the handles returned to his belt "as for my classes, i've taken an interest in rituals, sealing and binding beings and spirits to things. something i aim to master" he said the last sentence with a growl.

[User]
looked at her, slightly puzzled at the fact she took a question for examination as a challenge to overcome and the fact of how easily she cast that spell while under stress of trying to lift the massive paperweight that was his Grimoire. "Interesting way to get around the need of a strengthening spell..however I simply meant if it was needed to be cast it shall, and if it didn't neither of us would have to expend energy to do so. Not so much of a 'see if you can do this, if not too bad' sort of thing so much as a 'if you can't do it this way, we'll do it this way' kind of thing." He spoke.

At-least now I know if she tried to steal it she wouldn't exactly be the most subtle thief. he thought to himself. "You can read through it now if you want, I'd suggest starting at th first to get used to the text gradually." He told her. "One thing I forgot to mention earlier, just don't let anyone else read it or tell them its contents."

It would be bad enough for her to have powerful family spells, but if everyone and there mother had them they could level the entire school without the proper knowledge.

[Assistant] "Ah, so you have different styles depending on which blade you use, interesting." Azrael stated, watching as the swords appeared in the empty hilts. If only his blade did something other than never wear or break. "I've taken quite a few classes, so we'll probably be seeing each other again." Az was glad he'd see a couple of familiar faces in his classes. Again, he noted the curious sword belt Kieran had. "I'm curious, is the floating unique to your swords and magic, or could I get something similar for my own blade? It's a bit of an antique." Azrael affectionately patted the pommel of his hilt in a familiar fashion.

[User]
Once he saw the meet and greet session was almost at an end he shook of the cloak making him invisible to magical eyes and non magical alike and appeared on the podium. "Well hello!" he shouted his voice attracting the ears of everyone in the room, even some of the ones sleeping.
He then slipped back into a normal levelled voice. "I've never been one for long speeches so I am just going to say Hello." With that he cloaked himself again and walked down to a spare seat where he sat down and uncloaked himself, fiddling with a small dark flame in his hand and smiling...

[Assistant]
Meruin huffed, relieved of the weight of the book. "That's good to know. Well, just consider my earlier demonstration as a challenge to myself," she replied without missing a beat.

"I will read it later, preferably while you're working on it. I'll be able to sublimate information much quicker that way."

Meruin placed the book on her newly created shrub stool, and tapped it a few times with her index finger. A small explosion of black miasma and magic energy erupted from the tip of where her finger touched the book. Meruin drew her hand back in a snap.

"Well, at least I know your family put adequate defenses on it, your own not withstanding," her expression was even, and she looked seemingly unpeturbed bu the fact that her finger was smoking. Meruin had just attempted to forcibly transfer random bits of information between her and the book, bypassing and even breaking right through a few enchantments before hitting a defense too powerful to overcome. That was completely within the bounds of her expectations, of course.

"As for the secrets of your Grimoire, I had thought that that was a given? Naturally, I would never be so rude as to simply divulge its secrets to those unrelated to it; 'The power of magic lies in its mystery' - that was one of the first teachings of my master. It was a lesson that will stick to me for quite a long time yet. Quite literally in fact."

Suddenly, Meruin began to take off the blouse she was wearing, exposing the pale pink skin underneath. With an unconcerned expression, the tiny mage pulled down a bit of her bra, revealing the flesh above her heart to Arcadius.

"Keeping secrets is something expected of us Mages to do. In fact, had you not asked me, I would have reminded you right after slapping you for being an utter fool."

At the spot of her exposed skin, a strange symbol rested. It was a rune that constantly shifted and changed shape - looking at it was absolute torture for the eyes, with humans unable of being capable of even processing what they were looking at, and clenched the heart with fear: Fear of the unknown, and fear of being confronted with an overwhelming power.

"My master placed this curse on me to ensure that I never divulged her secrets to anyone - correction, to anything. Had I done so, my very existence would have been split apart and thrown into different dimensions, preventing me from reincarnating and even wiping out any memory anyone ever had of me. To be honest, I had expected you to do much the same."

Satisfied with her explanation, the still stoic Meruin drew back. The point she had wanted to make was simply this:

"This is only between us. Your secrets are safe with me."


[System]
Y o r u

Personal Dossier

---
Age

15

Origin

Takamatsu, Kagawa

Physical Description

Standing at 5'3", Yoru is perfect height to be an idol. Her physical traits are well groomed. Her pure white hair is cut to a cute length and styled frequently, her dark skin is free from any noticeable blemish as a result of her extreme skin care, and her clothes seem to just fit better than other people. To call her an idol rather than a hero wouldn't be too far off.

Characterization

Attention-seeking
Spiteful
Self-centered
Artistic
Calculating
Vain

Personal History

Born to two pro heroes, Yoru's chance at a normal life was gone from the start. Unfortunately for her, neither of her parents decided to slow down their heroism. From a very young age, she was raised by a series of caretakers. They were fine, but none of them stuck around long enough to make a connection. The only friend that she had during all of this was her art. Years of charcoals, pencils, pastels and paints had formed her childhood. Art was the only thing that made her happy, but the direct scorn of her parents for this killed any interest the young Yoru once had on it.

As she grew, her parents kept on trying to instill their sense of heroism and justice on her. Every heroic thing she did was rewarded by her parents with love and affection, even if they were such small things as helping an old woman move a sack of rice. Conversely, every time she showed her parents her art or anything else unrelated to being a hero, she was meant with disapproval and ignoring. Even though they were her blood, her parents never felt like as though they raised her. The isolation corrupted Yoru. She would be a hero, even if it was just for the attention.

Of course, the easiest path was through a hero school. With all of her drive put towards becoming a renowned hero, she was just good enough to enter Ishin Academy—the school her parents wanted her to enter. Her path to superherodom would start there.

Character Development & Conceptualization

As a character, Yoru is meant to symbolize and exploit the issues of commercialized heroism. Rather than be a hero for the sake of helping others, she is a hero in order to become famous. She's meant to ask the question of what is actual heroism. If someone saves a life to save a life and another saves a life for fame, what's the actual difference between the two? Likewise, what does the effect of this commercialization and commodification have on these types of people?

Likewise, she's meant as a character who isn't able to do what she wanted. Her number one goal was to be an artist, but was unable to because of her parents disapproval. Being the child of two pro heroes, nevermind two absentees, has an effect on the head. For Yoru, becoming a renowned hero is a way to gain her parents approval. The fame she desires stems from the corrupted dreams of wishing to become a renowned artist and the belief that her parents will finally pay attention to her.
Abilities & Talents

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Quirk Type

Emitter

Quirk Description

Going by the name [Black Paint], one can easily assume the basics of Yoru's quirk. From her mouth, she can exude a pitch black substance that allows for the creation of "holes". These holes can be created by the paint being placed on opposite sides of an object. If a direct path can be made between the two painted areas, instantaneous travel can be made between the two points.

Additionally, if something is covered in an uninterrupted line of paint, a light force will cause it to split into two. These objects are still connected, so to speak. The insides are covered by a thick black and a nigh indestructible elastic rope connects the now separated objects. While it can't be cut and resists almost all impact, the rope is limited to a ten meter stretch. Each meter is harder to pull than the next and the resistance approaches about infinity at that mark. Reattachment is as simple as placing the two separated pieces together again.

The paint has a simple weakness: it's a liquid. If it mixes with any other liquid, it will violently attempt to make things how they were. Any object intersecting a portal will be shot out via the path of least resistance. If a rope is wet, then it will slowly retract until fully repaired. Once the black paint is no longer intersecting a foreign object or reattaches separated parts, it will begin to wash off. It also lasts up to thirty minutes before flaking off and turning to dust, causing the same process as water.

Other Talents & Attributes

While rough around the edges, Yoru is half decent at art. She suffers from not actively pursuing her interests, but the effort she put into it during her early life is apparent. She also knows a bit about art history, but it's not often that it comes up.

Her voice and mannerisms are pleasant to listen to. This is less natural and more effort, as she has spent months of effort into making herself as marketable as a hero as possible.

She's also rather athletic. Not enough to win any competitions or set any class records, but she put the effort into exercising that she wouldn't be left behind by anyone.

[User]
---

Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, April 7th
Interacting With:: Akizawa-san(@Asura)

---

The moment the goo girl shook her head caused Adrianne to tilt her head and raise and eyebrow before lightly shrugging and gesturing for Akizawa-san follow after her. The chill of the school didn't bother her too much, though she was itching to get started with classes as she slowly walked towards the building with a couple of the other girls forming their own groups and such to chat with their roommates.

Adrianne sighed, not really paying any mind to her own roommate as she went about analyzing other students on the campus who were either being led on by another older classmate, or were on their own in pairs either heading to the dorms or frittering their time away by chattering like a bunch of numbskulls. It sickened her to her stomach as she walked through the courtyard before biting her lip and glancing over at the silent slime girl.

As much as she appreciated the silence, it didn't help that the only thing she could pick up off of this girl was that she seemed introverted and kept to herself. Adrianne's sigh broke the lull of their walk as they continued to the dorms as she glanced over at Akizawa-san with a somber look on her face.

"So, uh... well..." Great start Adrianne, stuttering; you might not know what to talk about, but don't mumble like some friggin' pushover! "Akizawa-san, I'm curious about your thoughts about getting a day to adjust to this new setting," Adrianne lacked any sort of harshness in her voice, though she was candid and rigid in her speaking patterns.

"I'm not too much of a fan starting out like this as I expected us to get begin immediately," she huffed, brushing some of her hair away from her face as she glanced curiously at the gooey gals jiggling hair.

[Assistant]
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Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, April 7th

---

With a finger squished into her cheek, Hajo ruminated over Shun's words, her eyes flickering back and forth between him and their neko-senpai. "Ehhhh?!! But of course! A hero saves everyone, and gets along with everyone!" Showing off her pearly-whites, Hajo throws the pineapple-carrying boy an animated thumbs-up, almost dropping her duffle bag, only to hastily catch it as it slipped off her shoulder halfway through. "I just meant, uhm, I expected a lot of boring meanies." Her brimming, expectant gaze glued towards Nekohara did not match the crushing judgement of her impression on Ishin.

Giving her senpai a happy little wave as the catgirl excused herself, Hajo thrusted her bag upwards, steadying it tighter, before letting her eyes wander over the assembled students once more. "So she's none of them, but hmmm..." Her mouth shrunk into a tight-lipped dot, head tilted in thought. "Roomie must be one of them. Guess we'll talk later!" With a quick little shrug she gave Shun a quick bow. "Sorry that you're stowed away all alone! But at least you don't have to worry about a snoring roommate, heh. I think I wanna snoop around a bit and see where everything is. I guess you have to, uhm... get your pineapple stored away, too? See you around, Shuun-san!"

[User]
Kana found the dormitories pleasant, certainly more than she thought they would be. There wasn't anything particularly extravagant about them, but beds and desks and closets, and above all, space and fresh air, were things she'd taken for granted before leaving Goshogawara. In Kagoshima, at least where she'd lived, everything was salt and brine, and the humidity that clung to the air carried the scent of the docks with it, which was something she'd never quite grown accustomed to.

Once they were inside, Kana was quick to close the door behind them out of habit. Reflex wanted her to lock it as well, but she figured that might have seemed strange.

Now you're worried about being weird?

She silently thanked Wakako for carrying her bag, and shuffled it out of the way while her roommate surveyed the room for herself. Cozy, that was apt. She couldn't remember the last time she'd thought of a place as cozy.

"Oh, no, this is wonderful." Kana answered, pleased to hear the evenness in her own voice. Their departure from the public had done more for her nerves than she'd thought. Without the eyes and ears surrounding them, with the excess anxieties sheered away, she was quite surprised with how comfortable she felt. It wasn't perfect, the jitter was still in her bones, and her heart was still just a bit too lively, but compared to earlier, she was practically calm.

Time to absolutely ruin it, then, while she still had the confidence.

"Thank you for…ah, humoring me. I'm sure there's still plenty you want to go out and do, or see. I just wanted to get, uhm, grounded first, I guess. So, thanks—no, I already said that."

She'd meandered to the window without realizing it, and nearly lost her train of thought, again, looking outside at the academy. It was still jarringly unfamiliar to her, and she worried that, just like the smell of Kagoshima's harbor, the sight of Ishin would never quite settle with her.

"Anyway," she said, pulling herself back. "My quirk isn't…it makes me stronger, and…uhm, well, it sort of hurts when I use it. But I guess that's the…point. I'm sorry, I'm explaining this really badly. I should just—"

Kana knelt down by one of the beds and got her hands underneath it. The mattresses were thin, the frames thick but manageably light. Altogether it was still too heavy for her on her own. She considered activating her quirk, but letting it build up on its own could take a minute or two, and while Wakako had proven to be an accommodating sort, Kana didn't want to push her luck. So, instead, she braced herself, and then banged her elbow deliberately against the bedframe.

"Ow…" she muttered, but it wasn't so bad, really. More pins than needles. Still, it was enough; she could feel it in her veins, or her muscles, or wherever the quirk made its nest within her, and for a few moments she felt decidedly bigger than her own skin. She managed to get the bed up, not very high, and more tilted against the wall than straight, but it was a good enough display, she hoped. The effects wore off quickly, and she lowered it back to a proper rest while she still had the means to do so gently, then got back to her feet.

"And that's it, really. The more pain the more…that. I haven't really done a lot of, uhm, conditioning. I'm not very good with pain. I guess that's something I need to work on. But, sorry, I'm talking a lot. I do want to know more about you—your quirk, I mean. N-not that I don't want to know more about you, too, of course." She bowed her head. That too had become a fierce habit. "Sorry if that was rude. I didn't talk to many people in Kagoshima, and I guess I'm a bit nervous, and I'm…still talking a lot. I'm sorry."

---

[Assistant]
Eurgh. Yoru's face didn't change in the slightest, but she internally cringed. A slumber party felt a bit redundant. Considering how they would sleep within four tatami mats for the rest of the school year. Well, it wasn't like Yoru was involved in any of those either. Not that she wanted to, of course. If she was able to have a slumber party in the first place, of course she'd refuse it.

But again, social standing. This was someone Yoru would be spending time with until late March, whether she liked it or not. She had to, at the very least, humor her roommates whims. There was no other reason why she'd accept a sleepover, none whatsoever.

"Sure~!" That sweet tone of hers came out again. She didn't refuse Haruhi's help in carrying her sole bag. There was no verbal jousting of 'oh no it's heavy, I can carry it myself' and other similar things, nor was there any offer of repaying her in some way. Just a simple thank you the moment she offered. With that, the two of them left the group of students to go see their own room.

It certainly was a room. That's pretty much all they were. The accommodations were nothing special. Room to study and sleep, but that was about it. The adjacent beds weren't something that Yoru particularly liked, but it was fine. Beds were for sleeping on and nothing else. The furniture was serviceable. Nothing special or lush, but that was also fine. It wasn't in disrepair, though that was expected. Horrible student accommodations were more of a non-hero university type thing. At least, that's what she read on the internet.

So she placed all of her things in the right spot. Uniforms in the drawers, as she planned to buy actual clothes at a later date. Make up and self-care products all over her desk alongside a hand mirror. Really, it was astounding how many care products she brought along. They took up the entirety of her bag, minus the uniforms. She settled in well enough.

"So Yano, what's the first thing you want to do for this girl's night~?"


[System]
Age: 19

Gender: Female

Appearance:

Attire: Meredith has a particularly "rough and tumble" style to her outfits, giving her a rather rebellious and nonconformist air. She has a fondness for fur collars (though admittedly, it's more likely to be faux fur) as well as leather from time to time, as well as boots of all varieties. It's very rare (especially after she graduated from high school) for her to be found in anything that could be construed as even semi-formal, so it's pretty much all-casual all the time for her.

Arcana: II ~ The High Priestess

Weapon: An oar.

Personality: Despite her taste in clothing and seemingly punkish demeanour (accentuated by her naturally serious expressions), Meredith is in actuality a pretty amiable (albeit somewhat flighty) youth. She's welcoming, considerate and never seems to be actively malicious in any way. Anyone talks to her usually considers her to be a rather nice girl, and indeed, she is always happy to engage patiently with anybody who talks to her. An avid conversationalist, she takes to any topic with the utmost honesty, meaning that she can serenely do her best to keep up with every word thrown her way.

There isn't a moment where she isn't thoughtful, always musing on the nature of everything in existence, no matter if it's seemingly pointless or of a more esoteric nature. Meredith is an understanding girl, making use of her intuition and all the bits and bobs of knowledge she's picked up in a way that makes her a surprisingly good at giving out advice and mediating any issues you got. She's welcoming, after all, and it's like she really tries her best to "get" people.

Of course, that's not to say that people "get" her.

While it's not hard to strike a conversation up with Meredith, many are quick to realise that the young woman doesn't exactly prioritise the same things as what most would. They would describe her as somewhat ... ditzy and airheaded, her random musings sometimes completely dissociated from what's important at the time. She sets her own pace and follows her own instincts rather than simply accepting what's expected of her; the mind she has is incredibly open, so she sees no problem with just taking everything in and doing what she thinks is right in her own way. Sometimes she might seem insulting if she says what's at the forefront of her mind, but she's undeniably somebody with very few bad bones in her body.

She'll apologise immediately.

She's a good-hearted young woman, after all.

Backstory: Originally a resident of the ex-British colony of Hong Kong (and thus having started as somebody in possession of a "British Overseas Territories" citizenship), Meredith Fong was born to a pair of native Cantonese speakers from Yuen Long, spending the first few years of her life in the Hong Kong New Territories until her family moved across the world to the British Isles sometime around the handover, settling down in the city of Cardiff. While there were a few growing pains in adjusting to living in a completely different city with all its unique cultural and linguistic mores, the Meredith of then was young enough that she was quickly able to adapt to her new environment, treating Britain as equal a home to her as Hong Kong was (though she would frequently head back whenever the school hols came around to visit her cousins).

Most of her life was spent in relative normalcy. She knew nothing of the strange and occult (beyond reading up on some fun hocus pocus type books and dabbling with some Wang Long fortune telling with her cousins in HK when she was ten), nor was she much affected by the Apathy Syndrome that gripped many. She was curious of course, and sometimes worrying, but it was a distant mystery to her, and no matter how much she mused, no answer came that would explain why there were such unexplainable events occurring across the world.

So instead, she graduated from high school.

Meredith Fong was accepted into the History and Politics undergraduate course at Cambridge University, but instead of leaping straight into her post-secondary life, the young woman decided that she would defer. That she would take a year off, see the sights of the United Kingdom and have some nice and happy memories and experiences that would help her breathe in the positive vibes of life. Leaving Cardiff behind with a wave goodbye to her parents, she set off into the countryside, with nothing but some money, her beloved motorbike, and a head full of petty dreams.

She picked the wrong time to roll into London, however.

The capital was somewhere she thought would provide many experiences.

But as the P3 Syndrome continued without any sign of abating, Meredith arrived in a city down on its luck, a bleak, depressing pall having fallen over its great towers like the Great Smog of over half a century prior.

She had no clue what was going on.

But there were kids missing, and there were people who seemed pretty sad.

So she guessed she'd try her luck at messing with the occult again. Maybe she could bring a little more faith to people around her.

Theme Song: Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

Note: Her name in Chinese is 馮羽傑 (Pinyin: féng yǔjié, Jyutping: fung4 jyu5 git6).

---

Persona Name: Rhiannon (will evolve into the Morrígan)

Persona Appearance: A tall figure with the overall shape of a woman, the Persona that has taken the form of the goddess Rhiannon is a strange sight, having incorporated the traits of both horse and raven into its body. Two large, feathered wings begin from the shoulder blades and drape over to grip across the front of its body, overlapping in an armour-like fashion to grasp onto both sides of the waist, tightly guarding its entire chest. This dark, foreboding colour is contrasted by the snow-white of a mane that flows majestically down its head, extending out to cover the entirety of its back. The hairs begin at the top of a crow's head, also black, which replaces what should've been a human's head. However, there is a distinctly human element to the avian body part (one that admittedly makes it more inhuman), as the red eyes are those of a woman's, and when the golden beak opens, one may catch a glimpse of human lips within. Her clothing is made up of silken brocades where there are no feathers or mane, the golden fabric decorated with pure white stylised horses in the vein of the prehistoric figure found at Uffington.

Persona Skills: Eiha, Dormina, Patra

Persona Traits: Resist Physical, Resist Dark, Weak Fire, Weak Nuclear, Weak Psychic

Character Relevance:

Like the Rhiannon of the Mabinogi, who begot the hero Pryderi with Pwyll of Dyfed and later wife of Manawydan, son of Llŷr, Meredith is a young woman who follows her own pace in life, seemingly unbound and unfollowable. However, it is pretty clear that she is always welcoming the approach of others, and it is then that they will know of her compassion and kindness. She is a kind and intelligent girl like the Great Queen, and the image of that Briton has thus become the shape of her will.

[User]
Butter Daisy Forest

Once the shadows before them had been either vanquished, or fled, Crobalt gazed at his Chronovoker one last time after he'd sheathed his sword and stowed his shield on his back. Listening to the ensuing exchange, Crobalt kept his silence for a time while the others spoke, just running through key fact the facts in his head.

"First, the laws of this world are radically different to ours, both in terms of combat and travel. Second, the Queen's ambition would eventually spell doom for the entire human race. Third, P3 might be within the vicinity of London for now, but who's to say it wouldn't spread to the entire world if the queen's "collection" was left unchecked?" Crobalt thought to himself, before following the others through to the domain of the Caterpillar.

Caterpillar Grotto

Landing upon his feet this time once he'd passed through the tree, Cronic began to examine his new surroundings while the Caterpillar spoke, about the Queen's forces, the defenses surrounding her palace, and how to access said palace, but also that they'd essentially be slaughtered in an instant if they were to go there as they were now. This last point prompted Cronic to pitch a question to the Caterpillar.

"If we are to grow stronger with our powers... We'd need to figure out how to bolster it, and defend ourselves doing so. The obvious answer would be to fight more of those lesser Shadows and spar with one another to figure out our strengths and weaknesses... But that alone would only do so much. So what I want to know is how do we really push this power to it's next level?" Crobalt said to the caterpillar, but before anyone else could answer, a loud "OOF!" made itself known behind everyone else after they'd arrived. Turning to look, they'd see a brown haired male in a white lab coat lying face down on the floor, cursing under his breath.

The ensuing commotion of the battle between the Lesser shadows and the newly awakened Persona users naturally caught the attention of Mark, who came to investigate... And for lack of better ideas opted to follow the group into the tree... Only to be caught off guard by the sudden transition and ended up faceplanting the floor.

"I hope that didn't crack my glasses..."

[Assistant]
Their battle was made mercifully short by the fact that there were just so many of their own. Hector had the worst feeling that there were hordes of these creatures just waiting to get in their way. It would be just his luck to find himself having to wade through miles of nettlesome shadow creatures just to get where he needed to go. As the conflict died down, it became apparent that one of their number was missing. Hector had no idea who it was they were concerned about. They had so many people, it was hard to keep track of which ones were still around, and there seemed to be a whole new bunch of them on hand for some reason. He was briefly concerned that they were so quick to write off whoever it was that had gone missing, but he did have to agree that there was little point in chasing him to parts unknown, especially when they were supposed to be doing something important.

Soon enough the rabbit found the magic macguffin they were supposed to use. Hector really couldn't care what it was as long as it got them where they needed to go. Following the others, he was distinctly unmoved by the new locale they found themselves in. Wonder and whimsy had never held his attention much, and this world had irked him enough he couldn't care less how breathtaking the environment might have been. They were here to talk to a caterpillar, or more likely a horrifying creature masquerading as a caterpillar for some unfathomable reason, and that was what Hector chose to focus on. They found their quarry eventually, and he launched into a long winded explanation. They were informed he was here to explain things to them, so Hector supposed this was to be expected. As far as he understood it, it all seemed to boil down to them needing to kill a bunch of things before they could proceed. No doubt said things were all hidden behind wave after wave of trivial, tedious underlings before providing them a long and aggravating showdown personally. Sometimes Hector hated to be proven right.

When prompted to ask questions, Hector seized the opportunity to ask one of his own. "Are you aware that this world of yours is similar to one described in a popular novel in our world? If so, do you have any idea why?" It was the painfully large elephant in the room, so Hector felt they may as well address it with the one person that would appear to have all the information in this world. Hector wasn't truly expecting a satisfactory answer, whether the caterpillar had one to give or not, but it needed to be said. He wasn't even sure if it would be better to hear that the similarities were coincidental, or that there was some weird special reason for everything, considering the implications that might have for them all. All he could do was await an answer.

Jest

[User]
The High Priestess - Meredith Fong

Meredith nodded in acknowledgement, her brain soaking in the information that had been delivered to them by the dapper and cuddly-looking bug alien. The natives of this plane were definitely embroiled in quite the pickle, but that was why she and all these other folks had been brought in, right? That hadn't really been what she thought her day would end up being, but -

She'd vowed to help save those kiddies, so she was going to stick with it to the end!

Her drifting attentions were drawn back into the real world (her initial guess of a super vivid dream was super off now) by that bad landing by the glasses-wearing dude. He was a middle-aged guy, a lot older-looking than everyone else who was hanging around, but there was a kinda youthful way he was carrying himself that made Meredith think he was younger than he actually was.

Old guys never seemed super face-plant ... y (was that the word?) to her.

"Don't worry," she said with a reassuring smile, strolling over and holding out her hand to help Mark up. "Your glasses are still fine, Clark Kent."