[System]
gender: Female

godly parents:
* Mother: an unnamed Cherubim
* Father: Kagu-tsuchi (Indirectly. A drop of his/its blood was used.)

sphere of control: Blood, Weapons, Mist, and Entertainment

personality: Miriam prefers to ignore just about anything she's not interested in, opting to play some game or stare at nothing and eventually fall asleep instead. However, when it comes to Claire, Yuki, and fighting, a plethora of emotions could rise out of her. She fights for fun, and often holds herself back in mortal fights by using a fragile human vessel.

When an opportunity to fight arises, she becomes ecstatic, excited, and crazed. This is usually calmed by her friends. If they aren't around, however, then she would most likely start many battles. Aside from that, the only times she shows any emotion away from her friends and battle is when she goes to a human convention of various fictional things. She is an enthusiastic expert on cosplaying, and loves to role-play on the internet on various sites such as this one.

sacred animal: Condor

powers:
* Weapon Conjuration
* Ammunition Conjuration (makes it a rule only to create arrows when using this power)
* Red Mist Manipulation (Actually just mist manipulation, but the mist turns as red as blood when she controls it for some reason)
* Mist Travel (can essentially travel to and from thick clouds of mist and fog)
* Blood Travel (only when there's a large enough amount of blood in a given area)

weapon(s): Trick weapons (i.e. a threaded cane, a scimitar scythe, a bladebow, and a trick twinblade/dagger and katana named Rakuyo)

History: Miriam was birthed from blood. Deities may call it ichor, but it is their blood nonetheless. She was birthed from two drops of blood. The first was a preserved drop from a long-dead creature. The second was that of the one who raised her. A cherubim angel, whose name was lost to time. This angel felt that her own end was to come, and so she set out to create an heir. Her attempts were doomed, as the deities refused to accept a creature such as her, whose beastly appearance was...not favorable to them. However, the blind goddess known as Fortuna had admired the cherubim's attempts, and helped her. Fortuna gave the angel a vial that contained a drop of blood, belonging to the deceased son of Izanagi and Izanami. The one known as Kagu-tsuchi, whose blood had created a number of gods from the Japanese pantheon.

By allowing her own blood to mix with Kagu-tsuchi's, Miriam had been created with the body that her mother would have had, had she been born a goddess. Miriam did have a few quirks, though. While the Cherubim wanted her to live as peaceful as the angels did, Miriam was a violent child when unsupervised. When her mother had turned her back, Miriam went down to the earth, where the hidden amazons lived, and slaughtered all but two of them. Miriam would continue to use this method of killing warrior races and mythical beasts as a way to train herself in the ways of combat.

Her mother knew of them, and often scolded Miriam about those instances, but she loved her daughter too much. She taught her how to bend mist and fog to her will, and distracted her from chances of bloodshed with games. Even when she was at her most uncontrollable, Miriam loved her mother, and stood for ideals of peace and love.

When her mother died, Miriam was lost. She traveled from here to there, fighting and killing within every war she happened upon, until she met Claire. Claire took her in, and introduced her to the entertainment that the earth had to offer. The two would live together, even when Yuki arrived. The sister goddesses of the Dusk and Dawn, of Music and Dance, became her closest friends.

other:
* She holds some VERY well-kept secrets. Ones that I don't feel comfortable sharing, for fear of her somehow coming to life, reaching through my screen, and strangling me to death.
* She crafted her weapons herself, then became excited when she found similar weapons being used in her current favorite video game.
* Fortuna, seeing herself as what the humans would call a "godmother" (heh) to Miriam, had blessed her with good luck in games where she played against others.

[User]
Alec found himself back in the human realm quite often during the month. His underworld being cleaned up and the statues replaced mysteriously. He often found himself going back to rhona though, to check on her...to see her breathe telling him that she is still alive and eventually will wake up. All seemed...peaceful. After everything he still did not find himself being remotely happy with this world or what happened to rhona. Even black coffee didn't taste the same. Then...chaos broke out.

Humans attacking gods, one roped up as a warning. That really pissed him off. Egyptians were never even that cruel and they were quite an interesting people. He couldn't help it he found himself in his God form killing many humans in a berserk rage fit. Managing to dodge bullets through teleporting quickly a few inches. His death touch seemed to be on almost constantly in the human realm his eyes glowing eerily whenever he is there. He became responsible for many humans lives being lost. Something that hurt him terribly, he never killed any children or innocents though. Finding it easy to distinguish the two....not that many innocents were left.
He stopped going to earth after awhile. Finding that his anger was not helping, that the humans were lead by a mad man and that is who he should be angry at. Not them. He still cared for the humans, still helps the souls that come to him even if they never had faith in him. Staying in the underworld or with rhona made him calm down. He would come up with something....even if the humans were insane right now.

-------current----------
Alec finds himself teleporting to rhona'a side missing Leon by a few minutes. Somehow he has managed to avoid Leo for every time he has come here. This time he holds a small golden egg. He smiles and places it into one of her pockets to hide it from her brother. "Hey....I" he rubs his neck in his human form...finding he uses it here more then earth now. "I brought you a gift....its...,its a widget egg" he smiles somewhat. "It's a runt egg so the mother tried to eat it" he looks away. "Figure it could keep you safe...and keep you company" he looks up finding his emotions difficult to deal with. "I'm sorry" heavy sigh. "This is my fault....just...please wake up" his voice is pleading. "If you wake up...and I'm not here...just know I'll get here" sounds horribly awkward...like how he feels he silently gets on his knees beside her watching her for a few moments before standing shoving his hands into his pockets and teleporting back to his home, if the others need him then they can send for him.
of flames01

[Assistant]
After the battle with the old gods had ended. Landon returned to the Nexus. He stayed with Cia and Flemmings for a few days, but he was deeply bothered and didn't know what to do with it. He was angry at everything, but knew he had no reason to be angry. To much had happened to his world. He knew it wasn't actually his, but it was his homeworld, so it might as well have been his. At the same time everything was getting out of control. He was beginning to resent his own world. He wouldn't have minded just destroying all of it and starting over. The old gods created this world, the Merged could figure out how to start a new world too. One with more order and oversight. A world with more control. Landon was tired of not being able to do anything for the world.

After a few days in the Nexus he went to his cold dark realm to explore more. The time to himself didn't help either. He sought to train more, but felt discouraged in his training as he felt it was pointless. He did practice manipulating his new arm. He could keep it stable for days at a time, and could even sleep with it on now. It was taking him no concentration at all anymore to keep his prosthetic. He could even manipulate it to take different shapes and sizes of tools and weapons. None of this helped his mental state though. He was still distraught and actively training was difficult for him. That's why just working on his arm with no thought was easy for him. He sort of just meandered in the darkness trying to forget his thoughts. One day, he was interupted by the humans who thought they could challenge the gods. They had found his realm. Unable to see anything they were rather clumsy, but with technology they could trace Landon. The tactical team was no match for him though. He quickly disposed of them all and threw their bodies back to earth. The human invaders were a nice distraction for a moment. He began to look to humans and earth as a type of distraction. Their pathetic individuality and sacrificial teamwork amused him. Mortals were rather fickle. He thought just a few years ago he was the same. He changed a lot since then.

He noticed that the earth was in constant darkness now, and that some were crying out for light, even the moon at night. Landon saw this opportunity and took it. He left his cold dark realm to visit earth for a while. He went to Iceland and blended in with the humans. He lost his prosthetic in order to keep his cover. He just told anyone that asked about it, that he lost it in a hunting accident when he was attacked by a wolf. A few days after arriving on earth he met humans that asked for even the moon to provide light on the gloomy world. Landon brought the moon out that night and told them the truth about him. They didn't believe him at first, but when no moon came the next night, they begged him to bring it back again. The next night he brought it about again and the group praised him for the moon. Some were still doubtful, but the word spread and many began to worship him in this time of chaos and darkness. As word spread, the anti-god collaboration began to come as well. Landon protected his worshipers as they fought with him against Sven's militia, but soon his own were joining their ranks. Swayed by the anti-god agenda, his followers numbers were dwindling. A spy had even gotten close to Landon. Fotunately for Landon the spy was only able shoot him in his prosthetic, before he obliterated the spy. With this turn of events he decided to return to the Nexus. He was looking for information from Cia on the god's propositions to deal with the humans. Assuming they had made any yet. He stepped down into his shadow like he was on a staircase. He walked back up the staircase in the Nexus through a shadow that proceeded to be his as he completed the jump. He took note of the four gods that were there and gave disregard to all, but Cia. He walked over to her with a smile that had been missing for the last month. "Hey Cia. How are you doing? It's been a few days since I last saw you. I was wondering if you knew what was going on with this anti-god agenda and what the other god's have been saying about it?"

[User]
A month had passed since the alien war god had sent everything into a wave of chaos and death. A month since its peaceful counterpart stopped it. Back then, after the battle was over, Claire took Yuki and Miriam back to her dimension of music to rest. However, something must have happened, as there were several aliens among the shadowy, twilit denizens of her realm. A fight must have broken out where she had left the humans and the aliens, and her monolithic sentinels did their job, preserving the peace by sending the side that was attacked to safety. Claire was honestly disappointed that such a thing had happened, but what was done was done.

Claire had a difficult time explaining what had happened, as she didn't quite know all the details herself. She told them that a war god named Zeltrax had corrupted several individuals and deceased deities for his own purposes. What that purpose was, was not known to her. She told them that some sort of device that acted as a seal had been broken, and whatever was inside put an end to Zeltrax.

As the month continued, Claire, Yuki, and Miriam had watched from the realm of Dusk and Music. They witnessed this new deity unite the humans and use the alien technology for themselves. They saw Cythlla's corpse. They watched the human challenge them for no other reason than to prove that they did not need gods. Unlike the heroic warriors of fiction, who fought against gods to preserve free will and life, however, this man was maddened. He was attempting to kill them just to prove his statement, not noticing the destruction and pain he and his followers were sewing across the Earth.

Yuki, being the one more familiar with Cia, left to go seek her council on what to do. Claire decided to stay and protect her denizens, and help the aliens with their needs. She also stayed behind to make sure that Miriam didn't leave her realm to do anything stupid.

When she arrived in the Nexus, Yuki found that other deities had the same idea. She remained silent, for it was obvious that they had all come for the same reasons.


[System]
* Age: Unknown; physically around 12.
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: I'm a nasty surprise, I'm a devil in disguise...
* World of Origin: The Fate/ side of the Nasuverse; primarily /Apocrypha and /Grand Order.
* Personality: "Jack" is a rather contradictory young girl. Pure and innocent yet cruel and savage, her rational mindset conflicting with her emotional weakness, she repays kindess and cruelty alike with equal measure. Despite her outfit, she is shy and doesn't like going out in the sun, much preferring the cover of night. She always seems to refer to herself as "we" and "us", and strongly yearns for a mother figure.
* History: Jack the Ripper is an infamous serial killer, whom little is known about aside from the fact that he murdered several prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London during the late 19th century. The true identity of the Ripper was never discovered, and even today who he was or even what his real name was are unknown. However, his infamy was so great that his spirit ascended to the Throne of Heroes to become a "Heroic" Spirit, who amongst other things could be summoned as a Servant during the Grail War... Revealing that "he" was, in fact, a "she"; the legendary serial killer was in fact a young homeless girl with mother issues.
* Abilities: As a Servant of the Assassin class, "Jack"'s possesses superhuman physical capabilities. Whilst her strength and endurance pale in comparison to the Saber class, she more than makes up for it with her speed and agility. Due to being an Assassin, she also possesses the ability to conceal her presence, not only allowing her to easily hide in cover or shadows but making her immensely difficult to detect via supernatural means; in addition, and unique to her amongst Assassins, those who encounter her quickly forget all about her, including her appearance and capabilities, although this fails to work on those in regular contact with her. She possesses the Mental Pollution ability, which means that due to her fractured mind she possesses a good deal of resistance to mental interference and mind control, and thanks to the Surgical Procedure ability she has a crude understanding of anatomy, surgery and medicine. As a Servant, she possesses Noble Phantasms, items that represent her legend. Specifically, Jack possesses two such Noble Phantasms:
	+ The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis: Taking the form of an antique lantern, by activating The Mist "Jack" can create a field of thick smog, obscuring the landscape and providing cover to those within it. However, the smog is also a curse that will cause anyone within it to begin choking and doubling over in immense pain, eventually culminating in a painful death. "Jack" can designate who is affected by this curse, however, and if she doesn't want someone to be hurt by it they won't. For the purposes of this RP, the curse only really affects nameless henchmen-level characters.
	+ Maria the Ripper: The Holy Mother of Dismemberment: A set of four long knives "Jack" carries around her waist. Whilst they are mildly powerful magical weapons in their own right, by calling the name of this Noble Phantasm she can activate a powerful killing curse which, under the right circumstances, will kill the target instantly as the knives manifest inside their body and vivisect them. However, the circumstances are rather strict, as the killing curse will only affect a female target on a misty night, and for the purposes of this RP the smog produced by The Mist does not count towards these circumstances. Whilst physical defence is all but impossible against the killing curse of Maria the Ripper, a strong resistance to magic and curses can allow the target to negate its effects.
* Other:

[User]
Alex watched from afar as the strange group of individuals... 'talked' amongst each other. 'Talked' since they had a really funny way of communicating with each other. Still, these were the people Alex was going to work with if he was going to save the life of normalcy he had fought so hard for.

At first, Alex did not believe the situation he was in. He was ready to call the bluff and leave for home. However, he was a virus. He cannot hallucinate and everything he saw was as it is, even if all the scientific minds he had consumed could not comprehend it. It was all surreal but it was all real too. The only thing Alex could do was play along, and hope 'Lydia' was telling them the truth and send them all home after all of this was over.

Suddenly, the being Lydia reappeared. The portals were ready. Behind her emerged three doorways, each leading into a spiraling vortex. The leftmost one seemed to be leaking a grey fog, covering the ground nearby with it. From the center, a similar, but more sinister blackish-blue fog seemed to spread out. The rightmost one, however, seemed to be the most ominous: faint screaming and moaning could easily be heard past the gateway.

It was game time and the one with the huge sword had already gone and left. But between the portals and Alex were the crowd of his teammates. Pushing and shoving through them would be a pain, not to mention rude so the Blacklight virus simply made a huge leap to get himself over the crowd and in front of the portals. Before he went into the fray though, he turned to his teammates.

"I'm... Alex. I'm younger than I look." Glancing back to the portals, he added. "Anyone who wants to come with me is welcome. I uhh, look forward to working with all of you." Courtesy was one of the things Dana had taught him if he was going to live the normal life though Alex felt he was a little off.

The portal Alex went into was the middle one, the one with blackish-blue fog. The virus was not sure what he was going to see in the other side but if he has survived a nuke, he can survive this.

------
13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi
------

Alex dropped into a thin alleyway, his weight forcing dust and wind to fly off a bit upon his landing. Alex checked his surroundings, the ominous fog that haunted the portal he entered was practically nowhere. The only traces of it that he could see is a very thin layer hovering right above the ground, just faint enough to slightly tint it a slightly darker shade of grey and brown. If anyone was going to go with him, he'd expect them to plop here too.

The virus heard sounds of fighting in the distance and decided to exit the alleyway. What greeted him was a world straight out of fiction. The weird mix of technology left and right yelled 'Steampunk' to Alex. He wanted to explore this world more, both to complete his mission and to sate the curiosity. However, he figured to wait for any allies that also chose this world to fix first before investigating the sounds of combat.

[Assistant]
The Two In One Detective - Shotaro Hidari and Philip
"Now that you mention…" Philip answered back to Goldibanne, "I am rather curious to know what you are. Going by the distinct joints and clicking, you would appear to be a doll of some sort." He stroked his chin curiously as he eyed the girl over, "Animated through what means, I wonder?"

"It isn't obvious? Obviously it's ma-AH!" Shotaro's curt response was cut off by the cookie that was flung right into his mouth. He coughed from the unwelcome food and was quick to pull it out, shaking his fist to reprimand the… ninja? Cowboy?? Rocker??? "Oi! What's the big idea, man?! There's a time and a place to do that!" he briefly paused as he took in Kinji's appearance and mannerisms, "Wait- That's too many conflicting themes at once man! A ninja, an oden cart… and a cowboy rocker?!"

It was almost offensive to Shotaro how many themes Kinji was playing off of at once. He and Philip were a bit too caught up in responding to the two to really answer the others. Although they did make a special note not to think of anything weird while around the youkai girl. Youkai, though? She didn't look like any sort of monster to them. Before they could think more on the matter, Lydia appeared again and opened the way to their mission. Er, rather, ways The duo observed the doorways and the increasing dangers each felt that they posed.

"Aw, come on… None of these look all that welcome," Shotaro remarked, raising his hand up to hold his hat.

"If you are so off-put by them, shall we venture into the most welcoming then?" Philip responded, half-serious and half-joking.

"Very funny," he sneered back, "But do you think you could handle what's through the other two?"

Philip didn't seem so confident about testing his chances in those worlds, so he had to give it up to Shotaro on that one. "Alright, you win there. Let's go then?" he asked, adjusting his grip on his book.

Shotaro grinned and flicked his wrist in the direction of the leftmost portal. "Of course."

And on that note, the two walked through and found themselves in the foggy park, immediately looking around and taking in their surroundings. "A big fountain… And that arch?" Shotaro noted, "Is this… New York? Are we in America?"

Philip looked around at the few people walking around, making note of the less than human characters around them. "Certainly not the America we know, but an Earth nonetheless." The two walked forward a little more and looked back, waiting to see who would come with them.

[User]
Goldibanne, Face of Innocence(?)

When the oden came flying at Goldibanne's face, her reaction was, well... almost distressing, especially on what otherwise appeared to be a harmless, smallish girl(provided you didn't look too closely at the joints). Her head snapped sideways, too far for a human neck, and her hand snapped up, catching the dumpling in between two fingers as it did. Maintaining this position, she simply smiled at the... cowboy... rockstar ninja? What kind of combination was that?

She popped the oden into her mouth, chewing and swallowing in silence, before her head returned to its normal position and she shut her eyes, crossing her legs and raising her skirt as she curtsied politely.

"Goldibanne is so very pleased to meet you all~" she replied to the newcomers, "And that dumpling was delicious~ But be careful, some people might not like it if you get food in their eye~"

Opening her eyes, she spun on one foot to face the portals. She would have to talk to the two men who had spoken to her later, as they'd already went through one of the portals... her next decision was made entirely on a whim, as she cheerfully passed through the rightmost gate, which seemed most sinister. And yet, well, certainly that meant she could brighten it up, couldn't it?

Immediately she was met with a rather dismal sight. Fire, burnt out vehicles... Ah, how miserable. Certainly not the sort of place the living doll enjoyed being in, but at the same time, the sort of place that could absolutely use a little more cheer.

The living doll was torn from her thoughts when a foul-smelling body throw itself at her. A man, it seemed, who looked entirely worse for wear. Goldibanne's right arm lashed out and caught him by the forehead, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"... Oh? Animate dead?" she asked, cocking her head to one side with a click. "Or something else? Fufufu, it doesn't matter~"

Goldibanne felt the heat build in her hand, and forced it out. With a hissing, sizzling sound, she watched the man's body thrash... and then go limp as a thin spike of flowing, molten gold burst out from the back of his skull. It warped and then retracted, and she released the corpse, letting it fall to the ground with a thud.

There were many more of what seemed to be Animate Dead shambling all across the street. Goldibanne shrugged.

"What a miserable place~" she commented, cheerfully, before outstretching both of her hands. Molten gold flowed from her finger joints, coalescing into a pair of long, golden, and extremely hot whips. The tall man with the massive sword was already working at thinning their numbers...

"Let's brighten it up~"

[Assistant]
Akira stared for a moment as the duo introduced themselves as a single Kamen Rider. Did they fuse somehow? Rider suggested some kind of mount, so did one of them turn into a bike or something? Deciding it was better to not dwell on it and just ask later, she shook her head and moved on. Of course, this was helped by the sudden edible projectile hurtling towards her.

"Gah! What the hell?!" she exclaimed, barely catching the incoming free sample before it hit her in the face, "Who throws food like that?"

Turning to the source, she was met with a character with way too many motifs going on. Cowboy, rock star and apparently ninja too. Akira was a little annoyed that the ninja would risk potentially hurting people and, more importantly (given the circumstances), wasting food like that. However, another distraction popped up at that moment. Lydia returned and with her, a set of doorways had appeared.

Akira found herself hesitating for a moment, as each of the doors was at least a little intimidating. She wasn't going to back down after agreeing to help, but...easing herself into this situation seemed like the best idea. With that in mind, she followed the youkai and Kamen Rider through the left portal.

"America, huh?" She repeated, taking in the surrounding area. Akira tensed up for a moment when she saw the non-humans, but the fact that no one was panicking seemed to suggest that might just be how things were in this world. The fog clouding the sky looked a bit disconcerting too.

[User]
The Ripper
Tilting her head to the side, the girl who identified herself as "Jack" stared in confusion at the boisterous man as the food he had tossed whizzed by past her cheek. She... Wasn't sure what to make of it, really. It didn't seem ill-intended, just... Bizarre.

The blonde knight assured her that she wouldn't be harmed, and even though she clearly wasn't Mother "Jack" couldn't help but feel calmed by her words. But still, she wasn't Mother... And Mother was the only person she could trust. As soon as she found her, that was...

As the gateways opened, "Jack" creeped over and found herself drawn to one in particular; grey fog seemed to be billowing from it, and whatever lay beyond seemed... Familiar, yet different. It wasn't quite London, but... As she scuttled inside, she heard the so-called "Kamen Riders" mentioning something about New York. The name... Did not sound unfamiliar, as though it was something she might have heard of in passing... But she could never have imagined it looking so big. Were there really cities bigger than London out there? It... Scared her somewhat to think of such things, really. Still, now that she was here there wasn't much point in worrying, so instead she stepped past the two men and inquisitively leaned over the edge of the fountain, staring blankly at her reflection in the water.


[System]
Esper
[Student]
[Micro Type]

Blessed with a slender frame and soft features, Wataru is nevertheless much stronger than he looks. He stands a mere five foot and is rarely seen out of uniform even on days off. His hair is long and dark, tied back in an elegant ponytail that reaches to the small of his back.
Nickname/Alias: None

Position: Judgement, Junior Member

Faction: None

Seat Number: #19

Nationality: Japanese

Age: 15

Gender: Male

Blood Type: O

Biography: As one of the lucky few to live in Academy City most of his life, Satou Wataru has attended school here since he was a child. He never really stood out much, coasting along comfortably intul the end of middle school where he finally mustered the will to do something with himself. Opting to join Judegment at 14, Wataru spent the next year undergoing the ruthless training regime suffered by all new recruits. By the end of it his confidence had grown immensely, even if his nature as a social satellite had not.

He settled in well with his new co-workers in Judgement's Hybrid Academy branch, earning himself a valued place as an informant and tracker. While his record of arrests was relatively low, his assistance was often a decisive factor when dealing with a delinquent with a strong combat ability. While he had a few good friends within Judgement that he trusted implicitly, Wataru hadn't made much headway with his classmates; something he planned to address in the coming weeks.

Personality: Gentle, relaxed, quiet. While many enjoy the limelight and being the centre of attention, Wataru prefers life on the outskirts of the social group, close enough to join in but distant enough to not be noticed. Despite this, he isn't of a nervous disposition or unsure of himself; he simply enjoys a quiet life without the petty bickering so common among people his age. Wataru's sense of humour is somewhat snide at times, but he generally acts with the best of intentions if not the best of results.

Likes:
- People watching
- Animals
- Reading
- Urban exploration
- Western food
- Outwitting people and people who can outwit him

Dislikes:
- Robots
- Cameras
- Explaining himself
- Scary movies

Skills:
- Keen eyed observation
- English and Japanese literacy
- Knitting
- Always armed for duty, in one way or another

Ability:
Mirage, Level 3
While his ability grants him no real fighting power, Wataru can manipulate the local AIM field to warp what others perceive. Normally he uses it to conceal himself or change his appearance, but can use it to create phantoms to frighten and confuse his opponents, giving him the opportunity to attack in more conventional ways.

Magic: None

Theme Songs:
At Ease

Extras: Because his ability is of limited use in combat, Wataru has learnt to be proficient in other weapons to carry out his role with Judgement. His is pretty handy with a wooden cosh and always keeps a taser on his person.

A Discourse on Hamsters (also a voice sample)

[User]
Thank god for Haemokinesis, truly a blessing in disguise. Akira thought as he saw the level 5 Esper, Ria Tsurara, also known as Absolute Zero. . . strip down to her underwear as she introduced herself. If not for his ability, Akira would have bern rather red in the face and flustered. Now he was just flustered.

"Tsurara-san, I understand from rumors that you have a habit of. . . exhibiting yourself, but I don't think it's very appropriate to do in class. So if you could put your clothes back on, I'd appreciate it." Akira said with a semi-nervous smile, his eyes taking in the sight before him with an artistic interest in the forms. In the right kind of dress. . . maybe a loose, flowing kimon- Stop it Akira, now's not the time to be think about your art work. You'll ask later.

[Assistant]
Kazeno grinned, "You can use wind too? How long can you fly?"
Kazeno chuckled, a part of his ego hoped Ray couldn't fly as he himself could only "fly" through a series of air dashes and gliding. He flicked his wrist and his paper broadsword exploded into individual sheets which went back to doing ballet, "Say, how much different is Wind magic compared to aerokinesis?"

Slowly, Kazeno began to realize that some of his papers were disappearing, he looked up and Chi Ni had been fishing them up with a ghostly bamboo rod, "Chi Ni! Give those back, they aren't even mine!"
Kazeno began jumping up and down trying to get Luna's papers back from the mischievous ghost, hoping he didn't look to weird to anyone else as he probably looked like he was trying out a hipster exercise routine.

[User]
Luna

"I'm so sorry, but I can't actually use magic. I'm just an official from the church, sent to observe the school." When Ray started talking about her puzzles, her eyes lit up, but suddenly she remembered she didn't have time to be chatting. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go. I'm really late!" She rushed toward the door, bowing to the teacher as they passed, and quickly made her way down the hall to the principles office.

Tsumiki

After Ria finished introducing herself, Tsumiki stood up, ignoring the people who hadn't realized class was starting. "My name is Tsumiki Tatsuya, Level three Esper and Student Council President." With his terse introduction over with, he sat down again and waited.

[Assistant]
Ray as confused by the Esper's question. What satisfaction would the young man derive from knowing how long Ray could fly. He raised and eyebrow and laughed. "For as long as my Mana lasts, so for a while, but I don't utilize that ability much." He said as he wiped a tear from his eye. Maybe he wishes to fight against you, compare his strengths to yours. "He would lose, without a doubt." He said sternly in his head. " Espers usually don't train there bodies, which would mean my physical prowess and Spell diversity would blown him out of the water." He said to his conscious. Don't underestimate your opponents, ever. Ray sighed, he could never with these arguments.

Ray ignored to ghostly presence that plauged that student he was conversing with and turned to Luna. There could be a logical explanation to this anomaly. Ray ignored his conscious and focused on Luna. "Oh, well, hope your report turns out to be a good one." He said scratching the back of his head. He actually prayed that her report was good, it would have been logical to believe that he would be the one to blame is the school got a bad review, as he was the Vice President. Calm down. You'll do fine. "I'm sure your right." He mumbled to himself.

Before Ray could say something else the girl was already about to leave. Ray raised an eyebrow and watched her was she ran away, he had to wonder why she was so late. It's illogical to be late, that many times. She is going to have a hard time doing her job. Ray agreed with his conscious, if this girl was to do her job, she was going to have to find away to fix her problem.

"Crap." Ray mumbled when the teacher finally walked in. He silently went back to his seat and listened to the blue lady make her joke and ask for everyone to introduce themselves. Ray payed special attention to Absolute Zero's intouduction. Ray was enjoying hearing about her until she striped as she talked. Ray's eye widened and his face wet red, as lovely as the show was, Ray had never seen a woman without a shirt on. Ray barely noticed the room getting cold, although he probably wouldn't have felt it anyway.

After that incident and some more introductions, Ray decided to introduce himself. Ray stood up straight and looked at the teacher and class. "My name is Zentaro Ray, also know as Ray-Ray. I am the Vice President and a Magician." He said sternly before taking his seat once again. To much information.

[User]
Seiji shuddered a bit as the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees, which kind of irked him. He wasn't in much of a mood for cold temperatures, so he he clasped the novel shut before looking around. Maybe someone had...

Scanning the room, Seiji's face immediately turned a bright red as he noticed one of his fellow classmates down to her undergarments- a girl, no less! Using the book to cover his vision (and his face), Seiji cleared his throat and spoke.

"I'd really appreciate it if you could put some clothes on... Please. We're in a classroom, regardless of whatever circumstances you decided it was okay to strip down because of."

Yep, his intuition was dead on. The class was definitely full of some weird people. Looks like his social life was forfeit for this lifetime. Maybe he'd have better luck in the next. Maybe. The cold temperature, he could deal with. That? Not so much.

[Assistant]
To aru Kagaku no Janpā!/ A Certain Scientific Jumper! / To aru konton shitta no Janpā ! / A Certain Chaotic Jumper!

This day and never again, I'm not in class but needless to say I'm having epistaxis right now, Ria-sama is at it again~ kyaa~ A daily life of a fangirl doesn't get any better than this. Sigh.....can we get to the point already, I already know who looks good, who is an asshole, who is likeable, who is interesting, and who doesn't get my interest at all. Until this very moment, I recall being in Mr.Principle's office, he doesn't want me to ruin the ceremony, it's so bad that I have to be under tight pressure; Judgement are everywhere during the ceremony and I couldn't do anything about it. Furthermore,why not just pull the fire alarm?...Then the fire sprinklers leading to warping pond into the classroom and trigger the sprinklers. Needless to say, what about a pond to the classroom? No, only Anzai knows how to deal with complicated things, he probably is peeping on Ria-sama by now. Then warping to the fire alarm and back into hiding? Genius.

In that case, I have to wear gloves and not leave evidence and make sure to warp the handle off... no..no... that might point to me since all the blame is onto me with my foul records. Technically there should be a frame, a culprit foil, I just have to make it look like it is destroyed by someone else's power! Therefore it is X person's fault and Y person passes on the blame! Judgement and Anti-skill specialize on that sort of investigation, damn it. They'll see cameras being clean, hidden ones and a mask might do. Covert operations with Anzai is a miss on those days, if only he was here, my plans are accurate. What a pain, what a hassle. I can just take everyone's pants off as I recall bumping on everyone today but it doesn't change the fact that, they may not even be in class. It will take a lot of calculations to do so, I have to analyze the mass, quantum, velocity, vector.... It's so cool, I'm already a genius thinking this ahead! HAHAHAHAHA

Jumper on the way! I appeared out of nowhere in the table, glomping Ria-sama; "Yagami Kaori-Janpā desu yo!" Oh I love the sound of that, the fire alarm. Let me explain this to you all. Before glomping Ria-sama, I made the decision to sound the alarm, destroy the evidence and frame it on selected few. The hammer should be hidden in someone's bag right now but that would take a lot of effort to pull. OH! Bonus points for breaking the fourth wall! AWESOME! Needless to say, I am great at this, Chaos is the Norm!

The Jumper unleashes chaos!

[User]
Dylan

Dylan held in a scream of pain as the cold water from the sprinklers hit his burns, turning around quickly turning around to see the familiar face of Yagami Kaori, one of the biggest trouble-makers he had the pleasure of knowing. Normally, he would be enjoying her little prank, as he enjoyed the rest of them, but given that he was covered with burns, being drenched in ice cold water without warning left his sense of humor sorely lacking.

"Kaori, this is your doing isn't it? And dammit Ria, could you put you clothes on for christ sake." A slight blush dusted his face as he saw the Level 5 in her underwear, but he didn't avert his gaze as he glared at the blonde trickster at her side.

[Assistant] For a long moment Wataru was sure he had offended the girl. Panicking slightly, he ran one hand through his hair, wondering if perhaps it was a mess or... Luckily her expression soon relaxed, at least a little bit. 'Otonashi-san, then? I look forward to studying together; let's have a good year.' Flashing a genuine smile, he mentally analysed the girl and her reactions; Otonashi was nervous, furtive. She seemed embarrassed by her level, which he could understand; most of their classmates would likely be 3s and 4s. Wataru himself was only a low level 3, so he could sympathise. 'Do you mind if I ask-' His question was cut off by the entrance of that blue woman, presumably their homeroom teacher. Giving Otonashi a friendly wink, Wataru faced forward and gathered his class materials. The lesson seemed interesting enough; he hadn't decided whether or not to participate in the hybrid program, but the theory behind magic sounded fascinating. Hoping to get right to grips with the mechanics, Wataru found himself slightly disappointed when a round of introductions began. He waited patiently, averting his eyes from Tsurura's antics and the general weirdness in the room; there were a ton of JUDGEMENT members present and they barely responded to the clear breach of school rules and basic human decency before them... He started resolutely ahead, awaiting his turn. When it finally came, he opened his mouth to speak... only to be cut off once again, this time by the screaming introduction of one Yagami... Wataru took a deep, bracing breath, stood and introduced himself in a dignified, if flat voice. 'Satou Wataru, JUDGEMENT and Student Council. I am a level 3 esper. And now...' He turned heavily to the errant student, his smile frozen. 'Yagami, is it? I have no doubt that we'll be seeing you a lot in the coming months...' He cocked his head, listening out for a school-wide announcement; if Hybrid Academy was anything like a normal school, the fire alarm would trigger a tannoy call confirming a fire. When none came he sighed deeply and turned to the front once more. 'Sorry Sensei, may I go to the faculty office to check this alarm? I am with JUDGEMENT, so I know the procedures.' Despite being satched though to the skin, Wataru kept his expression neutral and calm, in stark contrast to the irritation welling up inside. There was no immediate threat of fire, so most urgent was getting those damn sprinklers turned off...


[System]
BASIC
Goes By (Nicknames): Mel
Age: 2,500 approx.
Gender: Female
Race: Silvan Elf

APPEARANCE

Face Claim (Actor/Actress They're Played By): Ehh, she's never really had an actress per se, it's a drawn picture that I found on google that I use for her but it's just perfect for her xD)
Hair Color: Straw blonde
Eye Color: Ice blue
Skin Tone: Quite pale-porcelain-ish
Height: 6 ft
Weight: No idea tbh XD I'm no good at working out weights lol let's just say she weighs around what she's supposed to for her height
Build: Slender and tall like all of her kin, well-muscled with a strong/sturdy frame overall
Weapons: Bow (which was once her father's, was passed on to her when she was old enough to learn to shoot), Rapier, set of elven fighting knives

Overall Appearance:
Appearance + "Casual" Clothing (ignore the sword and the magic mist stuff, she doesn't have that xD) :

Armor:

Arm guards:

Bow:

Rapier:

Daggers:

PERSONALITY

Likes: The stars/star watching, spending time with her family, killing orcs etc.
Dislikes: Orcs and other such evil beings, watching her loved ones sad/suffering
Strengths: An excellent and swift fighter with both bow and blade, fiercely loyal and devoted to her family and loved ones, will always stand up for her beliefs and friends
Weaknesses: Headstrong and stubborn, does not always listen to others' advice or orders. Often impulsive and rushes into things before thinking of consequences.
Fears: Surviving severe injury but not being able to fight or look after herself properly, losing Legolas or Thranduil, being unable to have her own children someday

Overall Personality:
(huge paragraphs oops sorry-have a basic breakdown in case you don't feel like reading the whole thing xD)
Sarcastic | Untrusting | Loyal | Sharp-tongued/snappy | Compassionate | Sensitive

Mel is a witty, fairly sharp tongued and often sarcastic individual, she is wary of strangers and will take quite some time to trust most she meets, though those who have a child-like innocence about them seem to find her trust a lot easier. However her tough exterior does hide a soft and loving side deep down. To her family and close friends she is devoted and gentle, and would do anything for them. Losing someone that she cares deeply for affects her more than most perhaps, and it would take her a good few centuries on most accounts to reach the point where she can accept it fully and "move on" from it as well as she is capable. Indeed she still feels melancholy at thoughts of her passed relatives but can push it aside if the situation calls for it. Her sense of duty is unparalleled to most, and many a Mirkwood soldier who has served under her command has been known to describe Mel as "hard headed and as determined and foul-tempered as a Warg keeping hold of the last scrap of meat at mealtime". Once she has a job to do, she will not abandon it for any cause, no matter the consequences, until the task is completed.

Mel is extremely wary of dragons and would sooner attempt to kill one than converse with it, regardless of whether it approached her in a friendly manner or not. She has seen the ruin and death that dragons can bring, and indeed she will never forgive the beasts for tearing apart her family, to ask her to befriend one will be met with only contempt, bitterness and hate on her end. Other than dragons, there is very little that sparks enough fear in her to reduce her to a blubbering mess, as Mel is a particularly tenacious individual which is to be expected from someone who has grown up in a forest which has been steadily taken over by darkness and evil. Having to slay and fight with nests crawling with extremely large spiders on a daily basis means it's not exactly a "good idea" for lack of a better way to phrase it, to be afraid of them. However, anything larger than those spiders which she has experienced in Mirkwood is highly likely to leave her rather bemused and more than slightly concerned, as she has never confronted any arachnid of a larger size before in her life. In regards to how she responds to fear, even when Mel is scared to death she is not the type of individual to stand there literally quaking in her boots, whimpering and bawling. Instead she typically takes on the "rabbit in the headlights" kind of approach and tends to completely freeze up, totally unsure of whether to run away or fight whatever puts her in that position.

While she is by no means a "damsel in distress", nor does she necessarily act like a "spoilt princess", however she does occasionally act at rather 'high and mighty' as some may describe it, because of her well-off upbringing. Mel isn't a tantrum thrower by any stretch of the imagination, but she does at times react to things which displease her by pouting and/or sulking and then proceeding to make some sort of snide comment on the matter. Snide comments and sharp remarks are something Mel is never short of, which may come as a shock to some as they would expect someone of her upbringing to be "polite and lady-like", though she is far from it. She is not inherently rude all the time, and due to countless lessons from her aunt and uncle in her younger years she is perfectly capable of acting in a civil manner to form treaties, alliances and other such things, and is indeed even rather capable of sitting in on many political matters and being rather persuasive towards her own or her kingdom's need and win the opposing party over - even if it bores her to death! She does not take lightly to insults towards either herself or her family or kingdom, and unfortunately it doesn't take much to get her riled up. Mel is not unknown to take a swing or two at someone who overstepped their mark with her, though for the most part she tries her best to keep herself controlled and will usually just respond in turn with some other cutting remark towards the person who started the whole affair.

BACKGROUND

Date of Birth: I actually haven't been able to work it out exactly just yet XD it's a couple decades before Legolas', though ;)
Place of Birth: Mirkwood (well, back then it was still Greenwood but yeah XD)
Family Relations: Ardor (father, deceased) Thranduil (uncle), Legolas (cousin)

[User] Kili looked up as he heard someone speak to him and blinked at Maleficent, nodding. "Yes, my name is Kili." he confirmed. "Why do you ask? Do I know you?"

[Assistant] "I figured that I'd know you. And I think I do", Maleficent responded to him in her soft voice. "I think a long time ago that I've seen you. You were children, I think", she pondered in thought. "There was a woman with you. I think...her name was...Dis?", she guessed, trying to find the name of the dwarven woman she too has met.

[User] "My mother." the young dwarf confirmed with a nod at hearing the woman mention his mother's name. "We don't see her very much anymore, but Thorin looks after us."

[Assistant] That was her? It was all coming back to her now, but she finally had it. Widening her eyes, she looked at him. "I remember...", she began to say. "You're my godson, Kili, and your brother", she continued. "She told me that I'm your godmother", Maleficent concluded. "She chose me to be your co-parent when you were just infants", she nodded. "I ran. I figured thought I wasn't capable enough to actually watch a child"

[User] "Perhaps that is why I remember so little of you." the young dwarf suggested, his shoulders rising and falling in a shrug. "All the same, it's good to see you again...I think." he didn't want to be rude, but it seemed awfully strange to him for her to suddenly turn up out of nowhere and claim to be his godmother, he didn't know her in the slightest!

[Assistant] She already noticed and knew that he didn't know her in the slightest. It was true that he wouldn't. Who could know someone and know them if they barely have knew them? It was true that Maleficent didn't feel ready to approach them after the blessing, if she could remember. Plus, she barely stayed with them. How could she prove it? Probably stay with them at all times? Maybe not. Remind them of their mother? Perhaps. Say something that only they would know? There was really no logical evidence with her for proof. Memories were screaming at her in her sleep as well as seeing them everywhere. She looked away to the side. "Do you know what a godmother is?", she asked him in curiosity.

[User] "Someone who's supposed to look after us if our mother ever can't." Kili answered, his eyes watching the flames dance in the hobbit's fireplace. "But I don't think we need one, Thorin looks after us."

[Assistant] That hurt a little, but honestly, it was true. She was strong-willed, but not too strong. "What if he couldn't? How would you feel?", she curiously said before looking at the fire as well. It danced, and danced, like sprites on a flower. "Best for family to stay together, right? Like you and your brother", she finally chuckled for the first time in a while. It has been a while since she ever laughed since she has been here.

[User] A smile began to spread across the dwarf's features. "Yes, they should. Well, I guess if Thorin wasn't there we would need someone." he admitted eventually.

[Assistant] "Indeed", the winged female agreed with a smile on her lips. He was right; they would need someone if Thorin wasn't with them. At least she was warming up to him a little bit, and for that, he didn't push her away. Good start so far, she thought to herself. "If the mountain is what your kin wants, I will gladly help you get there", she promised him before turning to him. "All the way", she added.

[User] "You would do that?" Kili looked at her in surprise. "But...why? What's in it for you?" not that he didn't appreciate the offer of help. They'd probably need all the help they could get, after all they would have to go up against a dragon when they finally got to the mountain.

[Assistant] "I'll tell you one thing: it's not the gold", Maleficent softly joked and chuckled. It wasn't wealth that she wanted nor did it attract her interested. Not to mention that the greed to gold was disgusting to her. "Gandalf wanted me to redeem my past mistakes by doing something for someone else. Starting for me to help take you to the Lonely Mountain", she explained to his question.

[User] Curiosity niggled at the back of Kili's mind, wondering what past mistakes she could need to repent for. But if there was one thing his uncle had taught him it was that prying into sensitive parts of someone's past such as this was insensitive and shouldn't be done.

[Assistant]
Soon after, everyone was near the fire, and to Maleficent's ears, she could hear humming. It was something she believed that she heard during her time in the Lonely Mountain itself. She kept her place near Kili while the fire danced in front of her.

"Far over the misty mountains cold, to dungeons deep and caverns old. We must away, ere break of day, to find our long-forgotten gold. The pines were roaring along the heights, the winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it's flame has spread, the trees like torches, blazed with light"

Unexpectedly, Maleficent was sleeping on the couch, and odd enough, the young dwarf was laying on her feathered wing. Not that she minded, she was happy they met the night before. Otherwise, she won't have anyone else to trust, apart from Gandalf.

When everyone was up, they were on the road, on ponies. She didn't have her horned headdress on at this time, since it was sunny and warm, and to also let her straight dark ashy-brown hair flow freely. She refused one since she preferred to walk, while holding onto one of the laces attached to Kili's pony. A few laughs they had, and she rarely talked to Fili. She didn't know why, but she would eventually get both to them into a friendship with her. It was sad that Bilbo declined to come, but she didn't blame him.

[User]
"I bet that the halfling will still turn up." Kili apoke aloud suddenly after the group had travelled in stony silence for a while.
"Oh aye? Are ye willin' tah put gold on that, laddie?" Dwalin retorted as he twisted in his saddle to look at the younger dwarf.
"I'll wager against you if you're up for it." Kili challenged.

[Assistant] Holding onto Kili's horse while walking beside him, Maleficent listened to Dwalin say something about a bet. "A bet?", she asked the youngest in a half-curious and half-confused tone. She was warming up to him in a friendly manner, and the fondness grew mutual between them. Still, she was learning about him and Fili. She hasn't seen them since the brothers were children, and they were already appearing like young dwarven men.

[User] "Yes, a bet." Kili confirmed, his attention turning to Maleficent then. "You know, you put up a wager of gold coins, whatever all the participating parties agree on, and whoever turns out to be right about whatever you're betting on gets all the coins." the dwarf explained.

[Assistant] Maleficent listened to Kili's explanation about Dwarven betting. It sounded fair, nor was the concept itself greedy. She nodded with a smile and looked up to him. "So, if I say that if we make it to the mountain alive, you would owe me?", she teased with a chuckle.

[User] "If I disagreed with you and said I thought we wouldn't, yes." Kili nodded. She was smart, that was for sure. She caught on quickly.


[System]
Age: 15

Appearance:

At 5'6", she's tall for a Japanese girl, with a leanly muscled figure. Her dyed-blue hair is kept short for practical reasons, and is usually messy. When not in school uniform or sports gear, she wears loose T shirts and shorts.

History: Nanami is the classic middle child. With an older brother who's skilled at engineering and went on to study it at university, and a younger sister who's the top of her class, she always found it difficult to measure up to them. It was clear from a young age she wasn't academic like them. While her parents always showed her some affection, the other two were the ones who got all the praise, the ones they spoke about positively to family friends. And she was often expected to match their level of skill. The disappointment in her parents' faces when she fell short got to her every time.

With the support of friends, she began to focus on something she enjoyed more, and was better at - athletics. She'd take part in swimming competitions and marathons. Not that it got her the same level of recognition as more "useful" skills would, but it was something, at least.

She and Saya have been friends since childhood, having met when Nanami stepped in to stop some bullies, ending up with a bloody lip and a detention for her trouble. They often meet up outside of school, and Nanami keeps Saya's spirits up during her hospital stays.

Recently, her brother has gotten a low level job at Chrysalis Corporation. Although envious of his career prospects, she's happy for him, unaware of the shady goings-on within the business.

Personality: If Nanami could be described in three words, boisterous and energetic would be two of them. The third, depending who you asked, would either be "fun" or "annoying". She doesn't often realise when she's being too pushy while dragging her friends into her antics. Nonetheless, she means well and is overall a kind person. While she envies her more successful and academic siblings, she cares a great deal about them.

Having experience with feeling inadequate, she won't stand for bullying. If she sees a friend getting mistreated, she'll step in, sometimes inadvertently escalating the situation and getting in trouble.

Highly passionate, she adores sports. Swimming is her favourite, closely followed by running and volleyball. While she likes the friendly competition aspect of it, really she wants to prove herself - not that she'll let insecurity show.

For all her tough, tomboyish front, she has a secret that only her best friend, Saya, knows. Throughout childhood, she was obsessed with mermaids, and still frequently fantasises about being one.

After fusing with the Symbiont, she'll slowly become more and more emotionally detached, and will develop a smug side as she becomes the "superior" one for once. Expect this to cause plenty of conflict with her passion for life/hobbies, and her bonds with others.

Ta'ge Symbiont

Natural Weapons:
* Electric tentacles: The tentacles protruding from a Thalassan's shoulders and hips are tipped with pincers that can deliver electric shocks on contact. These appendages are strong and dextrous, able to restrain enemies or deal a decent amount of damage even if the Thalassan doesn't use her electricity.
* Darts: The Thalassan can fire small, thin darts like bullets from her hands and the tips of her head fin.

Limit Weapon: A whirlpool-like vortex of water appears in front of her, from which a swarm of crustacean sea monsters appear, floating through the air and attacking enemies from all sides with their blade claws. They're more of a manifestation of her will than actual beings, and do as she wants.

Other Supernatural Abilities: The most notable is the Thalassan's ability to manipulate water. Not in the bodies of organic beings, but she can draw it from the air, and from nearby pools, lakes etc. This takes concentration, but with enough of it she can shoot high-pressure jets at enemies, or simply soak them to make her electric attacks even more devastating. Other than this, Thalassans are extremely agile and flexible, particularly nimble in water, with a high tolerance to the cold. With their six eyes, they have a wide field of vision, and can see in the dark. When underwater, they can also use a sonar sense.

Personality Traits: Thalassans are cold and calculating, analysing situations to their advantage. They tend to be arrogant, looking down on "lesser" beings. Humans, dhoanoids, even non-Thalassan tagers. As such, if the easiest solution to a problem requires the sacrifice of innocents, so be it.

Hybrid Form: Nanami's eyes become pure yellow, sclerae and all. She gains her night vision and control over water.

[User]
"Yeah, we have." Saya reached for the offered snacks, but something out of the corner of her eye didn't seem right, either. Some sort of movement, and a shape like a strange, inky jellyfish. "I think so? I saw something."

She also felt something. While Saya didn't hear a clear voice at first, there were some strange sounds beginning to impign upon her, like rushing of winds that weren't there, or scratching of ground glass. And there were these...probing sensations. And something deep within her was telling her to get away, some ancient memory of dark forests and things within them considering their next meal.

"We should definitely get out of here." Saya stood up to run herself, and her vision swam. Was she really in that bad of a shape? Wild colors burst across her vision, and she could almost see some other world superimposed, like some sort of film projection, over the park: a strange sky with many planets or moons suspended within it, and the pillars of what could be a temple. That presence she had felt earlier was hurtling toward her, but she couldn't move to escape.

Eyes, glittering coldly like gemstones in the dark, regarded her. "Small, weak." something that could almost be a dismissive snort echoed from all around her. "Refuses to die, at least. Not the one who called out, and yet..." The voice shifted its attention slightly, to actively address her. "What you need is strength. And you shall have it, unless you would be food." Saya didn't really have much choice in the matter, as at least in her vision, she was quickly surrounded by webs of flesh, bladed tentacles, and the eyes...those gleaming eyes.

The pain was exquisite. Even to someone who was no stranger to pain, it was almost impossible to endure, feeling as if Saya was being flayed apart layer by layer and rebuilt, all raw nerves. Even her mind hurt, crushed under a wave of pressure and force as her body was alight in sheer suffering. She managed to hold onto herself, somehow.

And then she was there, back in the park as if nothing had happened. "I'm okay! I...think. Just what the hell was that?" No reason to keep quiet as far as she could tell. "I think that thing was about to eat me or something."

[Assistant]
Jumping to her feet, Nanami took a step towards Saya, who doubled over in clear agony. "Saya, what's happening?" Mouth dry, she gently grasped her friend's shoulder. "Are you ok? Can you hear me? Saya!"

The monster was nowhere to be seen, but something lingered here, where Saya stood. That chaotic energy crackled around the two of them as if a storm were about to begin. It stabilised, but didn't fade completely, still thrumming in the air as Saya opened her eyes. Whatever had happened, she seemed to have shaken off the pain as quickly as Nanami had, but not the confusion.

"I'm ok! I... think. Just what the hell was that? I think that thing was about to eat me or something."

With a sigh of relief, Nanami shook her head, glancing all around. No alien creatures in sight, but she frowned as she noticed something else out of the ordinary. Had the lamps brightened, or had her vision sharpened a little? "No idea, all I know is it tried to either drown me or dissolve me. But let's not stick around to find out." She took off sprinting down the path, quickly realising she didn't have to look over her shoulder to check where Saya was. She could sense her, a short distance behind. "Huh?"

She stopped, something else dawning on her. There was no strain in her muscles. Her athletic pursuits kept her in good shape, but that run had been as effortless as a leisurely walk. For someone who'd just had an apparent near death experience, she now brimmed with vitality, as if she'd had the best night's sleep of her life followed by an energy drink. She could chalk it up to adrenaline, although that didn't explain the radar-like sense. A shiver ran through her, equal parts fear and exhilaration, as she recalled the alien's words. "You want to be the best, don't you?"

That creature... It had been real. And it had done something to them, but what exactly?

Turning to face Saya, Nanami tilted her head, eyebrows furrowed. "Hey... Are you feeling different at all, by any chance?"

[User]
Saya nodded at the suggestion they leave. "Yeah." She followed shortly after Nanami. There really wasn't much reason to stick around, and if anything, it was better to try and process what had happened elsewhere. Was this the sort of thing they were supposed to report?

She didn't notice anything odd like being able to tell where Nanami was without looking, but she could see the other girl, after all. That didn't mean she didn't feel things were plenty different as-is. For one, she felt truly healthy for the first time in her life. Like she actually could just run around for hours without worrying about anything.

"I definitely am," she answered Nanami's question. "I've never felt better." Would that be a problem, though? She'd have to still pretend to be sick, or something? "Like, no pain or anything. Heck, I bet this is how you must feel all the time." She did feel like she could take on the world.

"Wait a sec. Strange, uh, things, and all that...maybe we are magical girls now." Saya giggled. "Though until we run into some sort of monster, I guess we can't be sure."

[Assistant]
"Huh... Maybe what happened wasn't so bad!" Nanami gave a shaky laugh. Her heart still hammered from the experience, but if Saya's health problems were cured, and she herself had grown stronger... "I mean, the way it happened certainly was, but that creature did say it wanted to help. And if you're feeling better, seems like it actually did!"

Her eyes widened at Saya's next words. "Magical girls? Heh, anything's possible after that!" As bizarre as the idea seemed, it couldn't hurt to test whether it was true. Taking a deep, steady breath, she willed herself to transform.

Water swirled around her. "Wha-?" Her body reshaped itself like liquid once more, but this time there was no pain. In fact, shifting came as naturally to her as walking or breathing. When the foamy whirls faded, she looked down at her new form and gasped.

Well, this wasn't what came to mind when she thought of magical girls. Blue, yellow and white fishlike skin glinted in the lamplights, translucent patches showing mechanical-looking muscle and sinew. Fins lined her limbs, and tentacles trailed from her shoulders and hips, each one tipped with a metallic pincer. "Oh wow..." She raised and studied the tendrils, the new limbs moving just as easily as her arms and legs. She barely had to turn her head, her field of vision much wider, her eyesight so sharp she could see deep into the shadows of the trees. Running to a nearby pond, she crouched and stared at her reflection. Looking back was a being with only traces of herself, her form mostly that of the aquatic alien.

"I'm..." Those six eyes blinked. She reached up, touching the smooth manta-like fin that had replaced her hair. "I'm an actual mermaid? Well, close to it anyway!" Through the whirl of bewildered thoughts, the word came to her. "A Thalassan." How had she even known that? She had no idea, but one thing was certain... this really wasn't so bad. Of course, if she could still blush, she would have done at the fact that she was naked, but at least scales covered everything. And while she was no conventional mermaid, a Thalassan seemed much cooler.

Not that she'd want to be standing around where she could freak out passers-by. She hurried and hid under a shaded, leafy canopy. Insects fluttered and crawled in the corners of her expanded vision, in stark clarity despite the darkness. That was going to get distracting, but everything else had to make it worthwhile. "This is awesome!" She grinned at Saya, her ribs convulsing with joyous laughter. "We're real magical girls! Hey, let's see your magical form!"


[System]
Age: Physically 25
Gender: Female
Race: Elven

Appearance: Juna has in possession great natural beauty, and many men have fallen for her for this reason in the past. She is about 5'2 in height, with green eyes, and not very muscular, with gentle and graceful features. She has fair and clear skin, with golden blonde hair. She usually wears a set of brown leather armor, but in times of comfort she will wear lighter cloth or wool clothing.

Brief Character Concept: Juna, despite her gentle appearances, is far from gentle. She is quick in combat, and surprisingly strong as well. She skillfully wields her sword, and uses her many knives as further support in battle. Her personality, at least on the surface, is that of a carefree, if snarky, individual. She lives a life full of independence, and is known to be loyal to no one except Lothren. She has two true goals in life, and that is to kill Amon Serona and see that Alonso lives out his life peacefully.

History: Juna was born to a pair of normal Elven parents on the border of Areta. She had a normal youth, where she lived as a carefree, youthful spirit, with her childhood friend Ilias. Then she met greatest love of her life, Hadrian, a young human man. They would often play the harp together, and he taught her how to sing. Yet when they had finally grown close, Hadrian succumbed to a sickness that he had long held secret. Hadrian passed away from Juno seemingly as quickly as he had come, and although her heart healed in time, a deep scar would remain in her heart.

She grew close yet again to Ilias, and in time the two of them were to be married. Yet it was not to be, for on the day her wedding was to be held, the Aretan Knights came. Illias and Juna's parents were killed, and only Juna survived. She cried, mourned, and cursed her fate. She remembered the face and the name of the one she saw as most responsible, Amon Serona, and Juna swore to herself that every future day of hers would be dedicated to hunting him down until one of them was dead. Juna, over the years honed her skill in fighting mostly through experience.

She does not hesitate to speak of how she has murdered. Before she was among the Mummers, she was caught in a human village while chasing down Amon. She found herself having a hard time escaping, and she slew a few knights, and a few people who shouldn't have died did die as well. Juna never refers to this event in any detail, only saying that it makes her a murderer. She would not have gotten out alive were it not for Lothren, and for this Juna offered him unflinching loyalty. When she met Lothren, and he offered her a place as one of the Ytharien, Juna was hesitant, but accepted. With her impeccable skill at both the harp and her beautiful singing voice, as well as her personality, Juna was a natural performer, and as the years passed she grew into the role.

[User]
Gerald

"A whole purse of coin says it was the fucking elves!" Gerald shouted and turned his horse around, slapping the stirrups and racing up the hill they had come down. If he took up position on the hill, he could see the entire village; perfect. "Of course the captain makes me take watch duty, what a prick." He thought to himself, cursing Amon under his breath. However much Gerald hated it, his eyes were the best out of the group. He knew it was beneficial for him to be keeping watch, but that didn't mean he wouldn't leap at the chance to abandon his post. Gerald kept a firm hand on the handle of his knight's issue blade, ready to unsheathe the deadly weapon and spring into battle at any moment.

A flicker of movement caught Gerald's eye and he immediately focused in on it. A grungy looking nomad man was lurking around in the ruined buildings. "An elven spy, no doubt. He'll be dead before he has time to run!" Adrenaline surged through his body as he pulled on the handle of his sword and took it out of the sheathe strapped to his hip. His wild eyes flared with the fires of a predator as the horse charged down the hill towards the man, who hadn't noticed him yet. As Gerald neared the nomad he began grinning with the excitement of battle, the man turned around to look at the gallopING steed charging towards him and had little time to react before Gerald leaped from his horse and screamed a battle cry as he landed on him.

Having the man pinned with his sword pressed into his throat Gerald shouted in his face, "Where are the elves, you traitor scum?"

[Assistant]
Annara

"I told you before, Alan", Annara responded, looking up from polishing her short swords and examining them for dents and hairline cracks she may have overlooked. "I wouldn't look so serious during the play if Lyla would finally get around to making that dress fit for humans to wear. I mean, look at me!"

She stood up and spun around elegantly, wearing her dark clothes and armor of leather and metal that left little to the imagination. Of course she wasn't the only dancer in the troupe and most of the elven women looked otherworldly beautiful, but perhaps that was why she and the two, three other pretty human girls caught the looks of their fellow humans - their bodies' blemishes made them seem more approachable. And Annara enjoyed the attention.
"I'm not exactly 'thickset', like she claims, but even I can't fit into a dress made for an elf without holding my breath. How about you try to dance, play and sing for three hours while you're being suffocated?"

Her words earned her a few chuckles from several of the men and women around, even from an elf or two within earshot, and she grinned along with them. The people around were in a fairly good mood, considering what the night had in store for them. She hadn't understood why they needed to do this, not the first few times when she more or less just watched as it happened. She had called Lothren a 'cruel bastard' and a few other, much less flattering things when she saw the handful of dead people amidst the burning houses, and Annara had been tempted to leave, to return to her people, to admit that leaving her home was a mistake. But Alan and the others made her understand. It certainly wasn't something she felt very comfortable with but she had accepted it and her part in it.

Still, Annara tried not to let it show. She preferred looking haughty over looking guilty and let her swords glide through the air for a moment, twirling them around and, satisfied with the sound, put them into their sheathes. She picked up her cup and sat down again, now next to Aust, and, with uncharacteristically clumsy "oops", intentionally spilled half of her wine, turning the ground red - a small offering but sometimes that was all they needed. That and a clear thought.
Elders, please don't take any child to you tonight. Let their parents be watchful and loyal and let mercy guide our every hand and step.

Her face must have turned somber for a moment as she prayed, for when she reopened her eyes, she thought she saw Aust give her a sideways glance but upon actually looking at him, he seemed to go about his business unaffected by her 'accident'.
She put her cheery smile on again.
"Alan got one thing right, though - You were great."

[User]
Konrad rubbed his thighs vigorously, his muscles protesting loudly. They had ridden for hours on end, in increasingly hostile territory. The last village they visited a ma nspat on the road in front of them. He stroked his mustache.

A decade ago, I would have struck that man for his arrogance against the King's men. He shook his head again, his eyes scanning the horizon. He knew that Alonso had travelled far out this time, farther than he normally went.
Last time we found him, it was mere miles from the capital.. This time, I worry for him. It's too far from easy reach... I won't lose him.
Like the captain, Konrad served Alonso since he came into power. He had served his father, too. Although he missed the late king, Alonso was a good lad. He just needed to grow up and accept his duty to his country.
A few hours later, they found the village. The wreckage. It was sickening and infuriating at the same time.

"Falkenberg, those cattle don't look burned. Find out what killed them."

Konrad snapped to attention, straightening and offering crisp salute. "Aye, sir."
He hopped from his horse, walking over to the dead animals. He bent down, knees clicking. He grimaced, and reached towards the beast, turning the corpse about. Aside from the gnaw marks and the peckings of crows and buzzards, he noticed some deep scores in the bone, one rib cracked lengthwise.

It could have been brigands. They sometimes slaughter for sport.. No. They would've took the meat. These scores here.. And here.. These were bolts, from a crossbow. Hastily applied to the poor animals; they must've suffered..
The other beast had swathes of bones simply.. Broken and missing. The skull had a giant hole on one side, a smaller one opposite of it.
Shit. Blunderbuss? Pistol? Bolts are easy to stop. My shield'll do fine. Bullets? Fuck, I knew I should've brought my lucky pair of trousers.
He saw a glint in the dying light under one of the legs. Pulling it out, he swore. "Fucking bolt. Gerald's probably right. Fucking knife-ears."

He spat, slipping the bolt in his belt. Sloppy killers, whoever they were. Standing up, he heard Gerald's war cry, followed by a muffled thump and some cursing. He jogged to the source of noise.
Way too old, Konrad. Why didn't you open up an inn, like the old man said?
His steps faltered, only for a moment. More rooms for Astrid's lovers. God above, please help me so that I don't murder some poor noble one day.
He drew his flail when he reached the scene, the chain rattling. He snorted as he looked at the grungy man. He raised an eyebrow at Gerald. He grinned.

"Hey, Colossus. You think maybe you should ease up on that fuckin' sword? Looks like he can't tell you shit from how hard you shoved it against him. Any farther, and it'll be in his ass."
His face grew grim again, looking at the ruined husk of a village. "And seems you were right, lad. Fuckin' elves did this, mark my words."

These sods probably died as they lived. In abject squalor and filth.

[Assistant]
When every breath brings pain, one learns to guard ones words.

Kolbe hadn't said much during the journey. He'd spoken cordially but little with his fellow Knights and not at all with the commonfolk, and even now the captain's acerbic order drew only a low rumor of acknowledgement from behind the blank iron helm which hid that terrible, ravaged face.

Linus dismounted and planted the Aretan pennant in the center of the blackened ruin, driving the shaft hard into the dry earth and kicking up a thin cloud of dust. The sapphire-and-gold banner flapped morosely in the hot breeze, specks of soot catching on its surface and marring the royal heraldry. It was eerily quiet.

The perforated helm creaked left and right, taking in the scene. Destruction and chaos. Not a pillage or raid -- they'd stopped just shy of salting the damned earth. This was the burning-brand of fear. No human bodies. Slaves? Or sent fleeing, like the others flooding over the border? Details. Like as not unimportant ones, for now.

What narrowed his mind was the timing.

They were following the King and his new wastrel friends. The King had passed this way. And this was all that was left in his wake. Could be a number of conclusions a man could draw from that. Were they here, when this happened? Had the King of Areta been captured? Or did...

Hnh.

He turned away from the thought, looking back to his fellows. Old Falkenberg and Gerald the Giant, going about their duties and cursing the Elves aloud. With no small reason, for that. The further from the city's walls they'd come, the more ill rumor they'd heard of these savages and the cruel witchcraft they wrought along the river. In the end, the only surprise was they hadn't come across this sooner--

He felt the battle-roar in his bones almost before he heard it. Gerald had found one alive. Konrad was already on his feet and halfway there, ready to aid... or to mitigate whatever damage The Colossus was about to do in his fit of zeal. Kolbe took his time, marching slowly, watching their backs. He didn't know them well, and they like as not didn't well know him. But instinct told him they were good brothers. Brothers he knew he could depend on when the fat started to fry. He'd pay them the same, in blood if need be.

The captain? Could be that was another story. Could be he might not be a man who'd do what needed to be done. Time would tell.

It always did.

[User]
Juna
 Juna, like many of the rest of the traveling mummers, had sat down to enjoy herself. She held her goblet up to her mouth, gulping down a mouthful of mead, and then made an audible sound that showed her enjoyment of it, and how refreshing it seemed to her. The place seemed to be in a good at the moment, and Juna was feeling the same, and reveled in it. Between her and Annara's performances and the play, they had put on a good show today, and now that their work was over for the day the revelries could begin.

Times like these, for what they were worth, were quite enjoyable. You would take a seat, and have a nice drink with some of your fellows, while an entertaining yet absolutely unremarkable conversation would go on.

For now, though, that could wait. Alan had made a comment on how Annara ought to have less frown, more crown, to borrow a certain unnecessary phrase. Annara gave an acerbic reply, which was fitting for her. Juna had her usual mischievous smile the whole time, and she took another sip from her goblet. She didn't butt into their conversation, and let the kids have their fun. Juna instead allowed herself to be surrounded by men, who she might just lead on enough to keep them interested, and to keep them fun, but probably not more.

Of course, the mood couldn't stay flowery forever. At their heart they weren't just traveling entertainers, but a warband. Every one of them knew it, and no matter how much they fretted about the paticulars, they knew it to be true, and they'd accepted it. If they hadn't, they'd have left already. Still, Juna didn't want to see those two, Annara and Alan, with blood on their hands. Herself as a murderer was enough already.
In the background was Lothren being gloomy again. Juna eventually headed on out there, over to him. Her arrogance wasn't so great that she thought she would be able to make him smile and join closer with the others. However, what she did know was that she had known him for a long time, and he wouldn't be rid of her so easily.

"Being broody again?" Juna said as she knelt down beside him. She had a feeling that, even to her, he would be less than welcoming.


[System]
Human/Vampire, Female

---

Appearance (description): appearance pic, roughly 5' 7" with a lean build, confident mannerisms, clothing doesn't stand out or indicate any form of wealth/lack of wealth

Age (<50): 25

Personality: Polite but reserved. Straightforward, tenacious and somewhat selfish. Curious, adventurous and calm. Can be witty and sarcastic but isn't usually the first to speak up. Morally ambiguous. Meticulous and organized but has a rebellious spirit.

Occupation: Healer

Brief history: She was born into and raised by a religious family. She learned medicine through family practice and left out on her own after turning 20. Through old manuscripts (found in the apothecary shop she purchased) she learned of a man named Celderon, who studied something he called "thistlization" almost 150 years earlier. After becoming obsessed with the idea of magical properties originating within blood, Ivory spent all of her knowledge, resources, and time to study and recreate the thistlization process as well as to more efficiently harness the magic from blood. Xen learns of her and takes interest in her continuation of his work. He ends up finding her and turning her into a vampire - something he had not done before.

Aspiration: Seek out Elk to take her blood, which she believes grants endless magic usage

Flaw: Aversion to large/fast moving bodies of water

Inventory: Various home brewed potions and remedies, minimal blood supply in a non-descrip container, necklace

[User]
Caeleo
Location: Outside the Church of Midway
Notes: Addressing Sapphira and Ivory
Metallic, mechanically intricate. As tall as a large Naga.

---

Wrrrrr, new directive received. ithica. Crystal of Balance. Protect.

Vulcure finished repairing the damaged, dark, reflective golem. He found him outside, wondering seemingly lost in the darkness. Vulcure was among those who believed golems were just as alive as the other races of Y'vera. Not everyone shared the sentiment, however.

Caeleo continued discussing things with the influential figures from Veracity and some curious Delterians. Among them were Alex Stravier and Bob-Drakken, a purebred Naga with beast-like features. Bob-Drakken wasn't so sure about the danger the political climate posed.

"So you're saying Storxx and Rolark would be willing to put the crystal at risk? And for what?"

"They're old, and dying. There's a technique Cynthia left behind for immortality, but it involves controlling a majority of the flux on Y'vera. We call it a flux takeover."

It was about this time that one of Vulcure's guard arrived, leading the group of individuals Caeleo had asked for. He turned his head to look at them before returning to his conversation with the Drakken family member.

"As you know, the Crystal was created by Elk to stabilize the flux of Y'vera in order to sustain mortal life. It channels a huge amount of flux through it before distributing it evenly across the world."

"So," Stravier chimed in, "they want to use the Crystal to achieve a flux takeover and alter the rules for themselves. Clever."

"Exactly. There's no telling what type of effect a flux takeover will have on a plane with mortals. It's never happened before. It's possible it could wipe out mortal life, or worse..."

A stony silence fell over the group. Golems could be heard toiling away, repairing the damage to the church. Bob and Alex gave each other a knowing look before Caeleo started again:

"It was my job to observe the Crystal. Watch over it for dangers. I couldn't do it alone, so four more were assigned to watch over the rest of Y'vera for threats. I dragged them down from The Sky when I fell. Laeon to Silent-Run, Ipotael to Rissdar, Asael to Tarver, and Aefrit to Dunley. We all agreed to gather a force and convince Elk to help us protect the crystal."

Our protagonists recognized the names of stars as they realized not one, but five Nebula fell that night. "You all are that force," Vulcure chimed in, addressing the crowd, "you reacted confidently to Caeleo's arrival. We need people that aren't just warriors, but also ready to choose to protect Y'vera over the opportunity for power."

"Drakken," he continued, "I need you to find Elk and inform her. I know Veracity keeps tabs on her." Bob-Drakken nodded. "As for the rest of you, we'll be leaving from Lothair in a week's time. Rolark and Storxx will likely hear of the Nebula arrival soon, and we can only keep our intentions secret for so long." (A week is ten days on Y'vera. Likewise, a year has 50 weeks)

With that, Bob-Drakken and Alex Stravier took their leave. Vulcure approached Tarkus: "This is Igneous," he presented the so-far-silent golem made of jet black rock, "I want it to accompany you. I can't force you to help us, but something tells me you aren't completely unfamiliar with the landscape of ithica. If you don't want to help, feel free to keep it around. It's a stray."

Caeleo was talking with Sapphira and Ivory: "Thankyou for the warm welcome." He at least knew how to keep to formalities, despite his indifference to mortals. "We'll be leaving Delteria tomorrow morning if you want to accompany us. And you, Fae. You probably need to head back to Tarver? If you could accompany us, I know Fae have many useful variations of magic and enchantments."

[Assistant]
Igneous
Location: In the Church of Midway
Notes: Being revived by Vulcure
A big obsidian rock humanoid

---

 Words, haze, dust settling were the initial observations of the dark golem. Something from above had crashed into this structure next to it when it had been investigating what all the commotion had been about. The next thing Igneous knew, there was a crunching from behind and the world had fallen away. Something or someone had pulled Igneous away to safety. Although momentary, the golem gradually began coming to and was face to face with some other golem. It started, "You're looking not too shabby for a golem that had a wall fall on them," it paused as though thoughtful, "what's your name wandering one? You don't seem to be like the others I've seen throughout the land."
 Igneous waited for it to finish.
 "Igneous."
 "Ah, well then Igneous, I'd like you to accompany me for a moment," pause, "my name is Vulcure- here let's get you up." Igneous was brought to its feet and followed Vulcure around to the front of the church. Vulcure stopped in the middle of the threshold and addressed those who would listen. What was this about protecting Y'vera? The black golem thought to itself. It had only just recently entered this world, and it figured that it rather liked existing here, perhaps it would be worthwhile and assist this other golem thing in protecting Y'vera. Vulcure had helped Igneous when it was in trouble it rationalized, deciding it would do whatever Vulcure asked of it.
 It was then that Vulcure then touched its glassy, mineral arm and pulled it over to a lizardman that was standing nearby,
 "This is Igneous. I want it to accompany you. I can't force you to help us, but something tells me you aren't completely unfamiliar with the landscape of ithica. If you don't want to help, feel free to keep it around. It's a stray." The black golem stepped forward.
 "I will help protect Y'vera."

[User]
Location: Church of Midway // Apothecary
Notes: Interacting with Caeleo // women // guard
appearance pic, roughly 5' 7" with a lean build, confident mannerisms, clothing doesn't stand out or indicate any form of wealth/lack of wealth

---

At Ivory's outburst, both Vulcure and Caeleo, as well as a few of the nearby guard, turned their attention to her. The sudden onslaught of attention gave her pause, similar to the way she felt the first time she saw Xen's blood red eyes, although no where near as terrifying. She mustered up the courage to repeat herself. "Caeleo, may I bestow this blessing upon you?" Caeleo didn't respond. He did, however, turn to Vulcure, as if waiting for the Nebula to reply. At first Ivory felt slighted that the new fallen star would brush her off. Then it occurred to her that he may not have been familiar enough with what she was asking to give her an adequate reply; he was deferring to his brother, who knew the customs of the people better than he. Vulcure seemed to pick up on this as well. He made a quick motion of his hand as he replied.

"Step forward." Ivory obeyed, gracefully moving around the guard that stood before her. The crowd hushed, only some of them familiar with the ritual Ivory offered to perform. When she reached the two Nebulae, she bowed slightly out of respect and training. She then pulled a small bottle of oil from her cloak and removed the cork. The aroma of the mixed herbs circled around the group - chamomile for purification and protection, lavender for peace, rosemary for a smooth and beneficial transition and even a bit of mugwort for luck and success. She started by whispering a prayer to the Goddess, thanking her for sending Caeleo as a gift to them. She touched the oil to the inside of his wrists, accessing the flux to attempt to reach his own flux energy. If she was being honest, she had no idea if this type of ritual could even affect a Nebula. But she was going to try. She finished the blessing by touching the oil to the middle of his chest and asking Cynthia to watch over his travels. When she put her bottle away, Caeleo looked into her face. His metallic shell was unfamiliar to her, but somehow his eyes still conveyed warmth and understanding.

"You are a healer?" He asked. His voice was a give away that he wasn't human, even if he had appeared so. Ivory nodded as a response.

"Yes, I own an apothecary a few streets from here." Caeleo simply nodded, as if filing the information away for later use. "Are you going to ithica?" She couldn't think of a more strategic way of asking the Star's plans, so she decided a direct approach would get her results faster. Caeleo answered, seemingly unbothered by her blunt question.

"Soon." The response wasn't as informative as she was hoping for, but it was something. At this time, Caeleo rose, leaving her standing alone, and went over to where Vulcure had been joined by Stravier and a Naga that Ivory had seen around Delteria, but whose name she hadn't yet learned. She approximated it to be around 2am so she stepped away from the men speaking, slipped back through the crowd and headed to her shop to replace her oil and feed the alley cat that often waited by her door. She played the conversation with Caeleo over and over in her head. It was too brief. She hadn't made enough of an impact. There was no way he was going to need her to accompany him to seek out Elk. Maybe she could follow them anyway? The guard that he would no doubt have traveling with him were trained far better than she was. Would she be able to keep up with them without being caught? A woman's wail snapped her out of her thoughts. She had reached her shop, only to be met by two women at the door. One was doubled over, clearly in pain.

"Please! Ivory! My sister needs your help!" Ivory rushed to the woman's side, pushing open her door.

"Come inside quickly!" She urged them, helping to drag the pained woman inside. She pulled her to the very back of the shop, where she often met patients with varying illnesses. "What is wrong?" She asked.

"It's poison! Her husband has poisoned her!"

"What kind of poison?" Ivory immediately started to drain the woman of blood, catching the red liquid in a basin at the end of the table.

"Hemlock."

"Are you sure?" The woman nodded in response. Fortunately, this was not the first time Ivory had dealt with the poison. She pulled a potion made of peppermint and valerian off a shelf behind her. She handed it to the sister. "You need to have her drink this, slowly. If she starts to seize, stop." The woman obeyed and the poisoned girl drank it easily. Ivory tended the open wounds made from her cuts, sealing them with a wax while the girl continued to drink. She must not have ingested much of the poison because she was alert within a short time. The two women thanked Ivory for her help and headed off with a few small vials of vitamin supplement to aid in her recovery and a promise to contact the authorities at dawn. Ivory turned to her basin of blood. She poured the remainder of the potion she had given the girl into the basin and channeled the flux to activate it. The hemlock additives to the blood first coagulated into a dark mass, then evaporated. Purifying blood was one of the first things Xen had taught her after she turned. The process still mesmerized her. Suddenly, there was knock at her door. It was still too early for the shop to open, so she figured it had to be the women again. Maybe she hadn't gotten rid of all the poison. She opened the door and was started to find a member of Vulcure's guard. "May I help you?" She asked. He told her that Vulcure and Caeleo wanted her back at the Church. They were in need of her assistance. Her heart sped up. "Yes, please let me grab a few things." She was weakened from the blessing and the healing, and she needed blood. She shut the door, drank a bit from the basin, stored the remainder in a couple vials, then headed out with the man. As they came upon the site at the church, the guard stopped in front of the Naga that had been to the store with Stravier. He spoke to the lizard.

"You, Naga and that herbalist. Come with me." Reluctantly they followed with Sapphira trailing close behind. Vulcure spoke up, talking about how a few of them would be heading to ithica. Finally, her chance to find the Goddess was here.