[System]
Age: 15

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Faction: Japanese Imperial Demon Army

Personality: Kind and gentle to all at the moment, as well as forgiving. Will change after meeting his Demon Weapon, possibly.

Bio: Valerian was too young to understand what was happening when his parents died. Too young to understand murder. Too young to remember anything important. Only that he could smell blood. Whilst this wasn't that big of a thing, it lingered in his mind and made him feel uncomfortable when around vampires, however, he felt the same as most of the orphans during their time in the vampire city. Once they had failed their escape, despite the three of them escaping, he changed in how he viewed things. He became a much more forgiving person, not being driven by vengeance to join the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, but by his need for protection of his remaining family.

---

[User]
Athena@CriticalHit

---

FOUR YEARS LATER

---

Valerian was changed by the incident. Rather than feeling revenge, what was enhanced was his level of compassion towards the others; his friends. He felt a kinship between them - whilst Ellie, for one, had become more distant from him than they were before (although they were never close anyway). This could be attributed to the loss of Aya. He could sympathise with her feelings of revenge but could never feel them himself. The vampires themselves were a tragedy; their life depended on the suffering of the human race. Only a few individuals were the bad guys, right?

He had become an astute student, academically and physically. He studied hard for school and was in the top end of the class. On the other hand, he had begun practising boxing; whilst it wasn't exactly the best method of self-defence, it could help somewhat.

[Assistant]
Moonlight@IceboundMemoire@Lady Athena

Rai was initially shocked by Guren's appearance, thinking that he was a vampire who was lying in wait at first, upon looking closer Rai immediately realized his assumption was wrong. Guren made his offer just as suddenly as he made his appearance. " A chance to g-get back at those bloodsucking freaks?" Rai thought about this for a moment, the vampires had killed Aya and nearly killed Valerian, if there were people who dished out retribution to the vampires Rai wanted to join up with them. "Count me in Mr. Ichinose." Rai then looked back at the still-unconscious Valerian, he was hurt really badly so Rai was not about to pass up a chance to get him some help. " U-um Mr. Ichinose? My friend here is really hurt, is there any way you can help him?" Rai asked while showing Guren where Valerian laid and all the injuries he had attained.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOUR YEARS LATER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rai was at his locker and looking into a cracked mirror that was inside. He had changed a bit over four years, he'd gotten much taller, and he did not sound like the same person he was four years ago. Thanks to Aya, he had made it out of that hellhole along with Valerian and Eleanor. He wasn't exactly proud of running away and leaving Aya behind, but that was what Aya wanted, everyone else to go free. However, Rai didn't exactly feel "whole" anymore. A part of him was left behind and died four years ago, Rai wasn't even sure what part of him got left behind, he just felt "incomplete".

He was stuck in this school by Guren who claimed it was "an important part of their training" and Rai hated every breathing moment of it. It all felt like irrelevant, boring, nonsense that wouldn't help them in the slightest when they had bloodsuckers at their throats, he had accepted Guren's offer in order to get back at the vampires, not so he could endlessly slave over a textbook! Nonetheless, Rai was grateful that Guren came along when he did, he didn't even want to think about what would've happened if Guren never showed up.

[User]
@Lady Athena

Valerian did enjoy his studies quite a bit. It was a vast change from the life the orphans had endured in the Vampire City. Whilst he knew that both Rai and Eleanor wanted vengeance for what happened to Aya and the other orphans, Valerian knew that that could lead them down a dark path. He didn't bear any sort of grudge towards the vampires, only a disgust for Ferid, but not one that would drive him to hatred. When Guren asked whether he wanted revenge or not, his only answer was that he wanted to protect his remaining family: Rai and Eleanor. Whilst Eleanor had become distant to the point that it was clear she disliked him, Rai had remained the same. They were both family, despite their differences, and that had to be cherished.

[Assistant]
@Lady Athena@IceboundMemoire

Aya walked for what seemed like hours before seeing some humans. She hid to see what they were doing. She narrowed her blue vampire eyes and saw they were harmless and had no idea where they were going. She then walked away,praying they didn't see her. She then got back and saw Ferid standing there. She had taken a hatred for this man ever since the massacre.

Aya pushed past him despite his protests and whining, then she spotted Devon. She sat alone a little ways away from him and pulled out a book.

[User]
@IceboundMemoire

Eleanor did in fact want revenge, but she always wanted to be able to kill vampires any way. She was beginning to become impatient with Guren, but she knew patience would help her get out of this stupid class and onto the field quicker. When Guren asked Eleanor if she wanted revenge or not, She kind of just shrugged and replied with "I guess, but I other objectives, some of which include defending others and becoming more adept in her plan making". That conversation did end with tears, but it was convincing enough that Guren bought the half truth.

Larges bangs of horsemen and the imperial army could be heard from the school. Eleanor just sighs as she imagines herself taking down a horseman. Followed by a rather familiar scene... The deaths of everyone at the hands of Ferid. She snaps out of her daymare when the teacher shouts at her "W-What?.... Sorry, I wasnt paying much attention. I was having a trauma attack" The teacher facepalms as Eleanor is pointed towards the door. The room was completely empty besides her and the teacher "Oh... Sorry. Ill be going now"

[Assistant]
@Lady Athena@Nikki Moonlight

Rai still felt his desire for revenge burning deep inside him, they all needed to pay for what they did to Aya and the others, one vampire in particular however deserved it more than all of the others combined. Lord Ferid had earned Rai's hatred, the very thought of him made Rai visibly angry. Ferid is a deceptive, cold-hearted parasite who needs to die! Rai thought to himself. Revenge wasn't the only thing Rai wanted though, his true agenda was the liberation of as many human captives as possible. He'd been asked by a few people what life was like in the vampire city, his response was always the same "Down there, you're drained of your blood and treated like dirt on a daily basis, nobody deserves that kind of fate." Aya had given everything so Val, Ellie, and he could escape, so Rai decided that he would give what Aya gave them to as many people as possible, the chance to live a free life.

[User]
Moonlight

Devon folded his arms and watched the exchange between Aya and Ferid. Clearly they weren't talking, again. Devon knew why, of course, Ferid had killed several of her orphan friends when Aya had been human, and had betrayed the little girl's trust. Four years was nothing to Aya, just like human lives were nothing to Ferid. Actually... were any lives valuable to Ferid? Devon smirked. Probably not. He looked over at Aya, considering going over to her and tapped a finger against his arm. Truth was, Devon was planning on betraying the children as well, but not like that, not like Ferid did. That had definitely been over the line.

Devon then shifted his beautiful red eyes over to the tall, lean vampire noble's back as he walked away slowly, pretending not to be offended by Aya's dismissive rejection. Damn Ferid could act, and he could keep up his act for years too. He never missed a beat on pretending to be kind to Aya, even after all this time, regardless of how she ignored him. Sometimes, Devon actually wondered if Ferid felt guilty. Then there was the fact that Aya was the queen's child, and Ferid hadn't seen that coming. Of course any child of hers would be best for him to get along with.

Devon turned his head so that Aya could hear him. "I know you've been outside, Aya. I know you've found some humans and were watching them."

[Assistant] Aya looked at Devon. "Yeah. They were harmless though, just children." Her voice held no emotion as she spoke to him. She was beginning to get thirsty, very thirsty. But she refused to drink human blood.

[User]
Moonlight

"Feral humans are quite young. Aren't they? Humans are so much like us, but yet they know so little. A human is like... a pre-person, like a child waiting to be born. That does make them precious, in a way. Of course, we can't can't turn all of them. There just isn't enough room for all of them to be born, and all that are not turned eventually die."

Devon knew Aya didn't think like he did, not yet anyway, but regardless, what he said was nothing less than true. He looked at her while leaning against a wall. "You're still dying, actually, Aya. You've grown in 4 years, but it's because you're aging. Ferid doesn't actually have to bring any harm to you... All he has to do is wait."

[Assistant] Aya looked down. "I know. And I know what you're going to tell me to do to help with it. I refuse." She took out a vial full of the Queen's blood and she tipped it down her throat. Her thirst went away for the most part and she felt it keeping her alive. She closed her eyes and then opened them again. "And I won't let Ferid do anything, I'll kill him first."

[User]
"You? Kill Ferid?" Devon frowned. "I know you hate him for what he did, Aya, but let me be the voice of reason for you. It's a very narrow minded goal. Even if it were possible, I would hope that you had something else to live for besides revenge, because when it is over, you have to have some reason to keep going on. What you keep overlooking is that you have an *immortal* life. If killing Ferid is the only thing you plan on doing with it, then you should just kill yourself now. It'd be just as meaningful. Think about that."

Devon puts his hands in his pockets and started walking away. He liked Aya. He really did. That's why it was difficult to see her suicidally sulk all the time. He had to remind himself that she was still an infant, not even an adult by human standards.

He kept on walking, now focusing his mind on other things. There were humans all too close to the city, and he at least was going to keep proper tabs on them. He left the city and passed through the wilds to spy on the humans. What were they up to?

[Assistant] Aya did not in fact want to kill Ferid. She had meant she would kill him if he tried to kill her. She would not kill a Progenitor unless she absolutely HAD to. She said softly, "That's not what I meant..." She watched him walk away. She knew he saw hr as an infant. She closed her eyes, long thick black lashes brushing softly against her cheekbones.

[User]
@Lady Athena@IceboundMemoire

Devon was sneaking around where Rai, Elenaor, and Valerian were.

[Assistant]
@IceboundMemoire

As much as Rai wanted to shut out the stream of thoughts regarding Aya's death and why she sacrificed herself, he couldn't manage to block them out. Rai's expression changed to one of regret as doubts flooded his mind. Do I even have a reason to be here? Should I have died back there four years ago? Why did I get to survive instead of her?  Rai gritted his teeth and started beating back the doubts, he knew why he was here, and he knew that if he died as well that night he would've went against what Aya wanted for the Hyakuya orphans. With those thoughts staved off for now Rai turned his eyes to the cracked mirror inside his locker and practically stared his reflection down. " I'm here to give your gift to as many people as possible. Aya... I swear I will not let your sacrifice mean nothing. That is the reason I'm here." Rai unknowingly said aloud. Lucky for him there weren't too many people left in the hallway to hear him...

Rai deposited his books from his last class in the locker, he'd almost forgotten he was carrying them this whole time! He was done with classes for today so he decided to go and search for Valerian, who had remained relatively friendly to him as opposed to Eleanor who became quite cold towards him. Rai knew Val could be doing almost anything right now but he was probably either studying or practicing down at the gym so he decided to head down the the school's gym to look for Val.

[User]
@IceboundMemoire

Eleanor left her class as it was finished. She didn't care too much for Rai or Valerian, so she just went outside and lied underneath a tree. She just stared at the sky wondering how much longer these classes would take before she could finally wield a weapon and take down some vampire butts. What was taking Guren so long, she wasnt the biggest fan of school and she would rather be out fighting and making plans for fights

[Assistant]
Valerian delivered a blow to each side of the punching bag. Whilst it had helped to imagine Ferid's face on it as he struck each blow, he didn't want those feelings of revenge. He noticed Rai walking from the entrace of the room and ran over to greet him.

"Hey, Rai. What do you need?"


[System]
Age: 20

Birthday: July 27

Magic: Barrier Magic

Moonless Gown: A simple yet extremely versatile type of magical art. The main usage of this ability is to create incredibly resilient magical barriers of various sizes and shapes. The barriers have the ability to be cast almost anywhere and can even be activated on reflex to protect the user. The strength of said barriers is great enough to withstand blows from a manner of high-tier magical beasts and can even resist multiple high-class magic spells before breaking, though this is greatly influenced by the wielder's state of mind and magic reserves.

Alan's creativity has allowed him to use his barriers for a range of functions, including but not limited to:
Creating a barrier around a target and collapsing it inward, destroying whatever is caught inside.
Using barriers to target certain body parts on an enemy, allowing them to be tripped up or halt their advance.
Creating a large barrier and then using it as a battering ram to plow through obstacles.
Placing barriers around his fists and feet to greatly increase the power of punches and kicks.
Making barriers into platforms, allowing him and his allies to walk on air.
Using barriers to carry objects and people to wherever he desires. Can even be used to transport liquids like water to put out fires.

Change the texture of the barriers to act like trampolines or to bounce certain attacks back at the user.

Change the shape of his barriers into various weapons like arrows and spinning discs (thanks to being able to make the edges sharp) allowing him to launch a large swarm of smaller projectiles or a couple of very large projectiles at one time.

Can expand the barriers on his arms and legs to cover his body in a sort of makeshift armor. Although this greatly increases his strength and durability, to the point of being able to withstand weapons that cut through solid steel, it comes at the price of making him rather slow and requires a frequent supply of magic to maintain. Not only that, making more constructs in this state is so difficult that it's practically not even worth it

Morph the barriers even further into actual constructs but this takes up considerable magic to even maintain and as such he is still
working on this function. As a result, he typically takes a "shortcut" by taking several barriers and stacking them together to get what he needs.

Magic Level: A

History: Alan's early years are not something he enjoys talking about. His mother died during childbirth, leaving his father to raise him all alone. He eventually came to believe that his father secretly blamed him for his wife's death as he seemed to get very angry and resentful whenever the topic of her came up, and as a result, their relationship was one that felt strained and on uneven ground. This was also further hinted at since Alan displayed a love of baking at an early age, something his mother enjoyed, but his father tried to pressure him into a role in blacksmithing instead.

His life was made more complicated by the fact that the community he lived in was almost xenophobic when it came to anything related to magic, regardless of what kind of benefits it could bring or if the people wielding it were good or bad. Anyone who exhibited even a little magic, even children, were taught to hide it, to suppress it and never use the power for anything, lest they be corrupted. One noteworthy example of this was when Alan was injured while trying to work the blacksmithing machinery and a kind sorceror who had been travelling at the time healed his hand. However, before the lad could show his gratitude, his father and the villagers spotted this and turned on the sorceror and drove him from the village.

When Alan tried to defend the person who helped him, his father actually slapped him, called him "useless" and sent him to bed that night without supper. Needless to say, that day sparked a measure of resentment within the lad. From then on, he secretly went behind his father's back, baking cakes he dropped off anonymously to villagers who had little pocket money, skipping out on his work, and so on.

This led up to the day he discovered his magic. While out in the forest, picking ingredients, he stumbled onto the mayor's kids being accosted by what looked like several oversized wolves that tried to eat them. Realizing they were in danger, his body acted on its own and before long, he found himself stepping out and raising his hands, somehow calling forth a blue magical barrier that repelled all the beast's attacks. Operating on autopilot, his shield expanded until it nearly crushed them against a giant tree, forcing them to flee.

Realizing what he'd just done, he tried to explain himself to the kids, and although they were grateful it was agreed they needed to keep this a secret. Alan watched them return home and thought of what to do next...only to be suddenly greeted by the voice of a sprite named Aura whom watched him in action and believed he had "potential" as a mage. Although he tried to wave it off, she seemed rather insistent and said she would be around if he ever changed his mind.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him, especially when he stumbled onto a diary that confirmed his mother had the same powers as him. So, wanting to learn more of his strange powers, took up a role as Aura's apprentice and partner, gradually learning more about his magic and filling the sprite's endless appetite for various types of pies. Despite his reservations, she proved herself to be good company, mentoring him and treating him with a level of fondness and respect that his father had hardly ever given him. It helped too that she hardly ever took anything seriously.

About a year later, the wizard-to-be found his life undergoing yet another strange twist. One day, a large group of lizard men assaulted the village, killing many innocent people, as the leader proclaimed wanting something called "The Fragment" but nobody knowing what he meant. Alan, realizing he could no longer hide, stepped forward to protect those remaining and with the help of his partner, fought off and defeated all of the lizard men.

However, instead of being grateful, the villagers turned on him, calling him a "monster" and the cause for all the death and destruction. Even his own father refused to acknowledge he was his son anymore. Heart-broken, Alan fled the village, now feeling he had no place left to go. Aura came to him then, apologizing and saying she was likely the reason for all of this since it turned out she was just the leftover "fragment" of a larger spirit that had been splintered long ago. Her efforts to train him were in order to prepare him for helping her recover her scattered fragments and thus return to her former self.

Realizing there was nothing left for him here, he agreed to go with her and, after she used her power to gather his few belongings, the two set out on their travels and towards an unknown destiny....

Personality: Generally a kind, friendly individual who tries to see the good in people but is by no means stupid. He prefers honesty and devotion and dislikes secrets and liars, even if they were told for good reason. Has a strong sense of justice and loyalty and will refuse to leave someone behind. Is also willing to disobey orders if he feels they are stupid or go against his own values. Is also very studious and works hard to train his magic, and as a result, he sometimes gets annoyed by his partner's antics.

Guild and guild mark location: Not In A Guild

Team Members: Aura, The Sprite.

Name: Aura
Species: Sprite
Age: Unknown
Appearance:

Magic: Due to being reduced to just a sprite, she has lost the vast majority of her magical powers. However, she still retains some traces, enough to phase through physical objects and even bring objects through with her. However, she cannot use this on other people and extensive use can leave her fatigued and weary.

History: Very little is known about this mischievous sprite, to the point even she doesn't entirely recall her own past. All that is known is that she was once an aspect of a powerful high-class spirit but one day, due to a great battle, she was shattered to fragments. Eventually, she managed to gain back enough magic to manifest the form seen above, but was significantly weakened and struck with a dose of amnesia. She wandered for a time until she reached the village Alan grew up in. She stumbled onto a pie being laid out to cool and, letting hunger get the better of her, ate it all.

Overjoyed by the love she acquired from eating the pie, she kept returning to find more pie, and from there, she gained a soft spot for the person who made them. One day, she finally met the man and, from there, the rest is history...

Personality: A very laid-back individual who hardly ever takes things seriously. She is also rather mischievous and a glutton for anything that deals with baked good and sweets. That said, her odd behavior is sometimes her own subtle way of mentoring, using unorthodox methods to teach things like patience and perseverance, believing that training the mind is equally as important as training the body. That said, she is very fond of Alan and wishes to see his dreams come true.

She spends most of her time inside Alan's knapsack or just napping wherever she feels like it.

Three Strengths:
1. Compassionate
2 Fiercely loyal to those he trusts
3. Very Creative with his abilities

Three Weaknesses:
1. Sometimes lets his emotions cloud his judgement
2. Is not fond of taking orders
3. Is not as skilled in combat as some other folks, especially when it comes
to actually wielding weapons.

Greatest Love: Baking cakes to see the smiles on people's faces

Motivation: To regain Aura's scattered fragments and earn his father's love and respect, along with making a name for himself in the world.

Appearance:

Appearance when using his Barrier Armor:

Additional Details: Typically carries around his mother's diary as it seems like one of the few things that ties him to her. He also uses his barriers for a range of everyday tasks, such as carrying heavy loads for him, creating protection from the weather, and even chairs to sit on.

[User]
Alan was quiet while Mako gave his explanation of the guilds and their purpose. He got a wishful look in his eyes once the latter had finished. Now he felt a tad guilty about jumping to conclusions and assuming that a guild was just another kind of military branch. Still, at least he had gotten this cleared up before he went and did something stupid. He sat back in his chair while sipping his drink, "Hmm...family, huh?" A bit of a wishful look crossed his facial features for a second.

Only for him to shake those thoughts away and focus once more on the present, "Well, that's a relief...I suppose we'll have to pay a visit to some of these guild masters after we're done here. At the very least, we'll get some info to point us in the right direction."

[Assistant]
Mako Kurohiko, Exiled Warrior|Fairy Eatery

Mako made a mental note of the wishful look that crossed Alan's face when he thought about the concept of a guild family. It suggested things about the young man's past that Mako could avoid asking about during conversation. "I'm here to speak with the guild master as well. Although I hear a rumor on our way here that the majority of Frenzy Plant left, including their guild master. If that's true, then something must have come up that required their attention and we're both short one information source."

[User]
Alan rose an eyebrow at hearing about this, "Huh...must be something important to get an entire guild to bail out of an event like the Great Magic Games..." It was definitely something worth looking into at some point as they would possibly have information that would help their own respective causes, "That's quite a shame, but not much one can do about it I suppose..."

Aura swallowed an entire cinnamon roll, how she was not getting sick was anyone's guess, before speaking up, "Perhaps we should check in on that Phoenix Wing group? From what I hear, a lot of very talented individuals tend to end up there, and from what I here, the jobs they end up with tend to pay very well too."

The barrier wizard rolled his eyes before smirking in her direction, "You just want more money for food, don't ya?"

The sprite recoiled and looked away, turning her head up, "Hmph, I will neither confirm nor deny that claim."

[Assistant]
Mako Kurohiko, Exiled Warrior|Fairy Eatery

Mako chuckles at Aura, taking a bite of his own food before speaking. "And that is all the confirmation we need. That said, I did intend to speak with Phoenix Wing's guild master, Jamie Beltran, first. From what I've heard, she may be the most likely of the three to have the information I'm seeking." He took another sip of his tea. "Alan, if I may, what inspired you to take up magic? Having lived in a community that shunned it, it makes the most sense that you did it in rebellion, but you don't seem the type."

[User]
Alan was in the middle of eating when Mako asked his question. He wiped his face and sat back,"To be honest, I was wondering when you might ask a question like that. My reasons are...not exactly among the most noble, let's put it that way. I guess in a way it was like...an escape from the life I had before. Certain people were content to force me down a path I wanted nothing to do with. I inherited this magic of mine, Moonless Gown, from my Mom, may the Spirits rest her soul, and Aura here took an interest in me....and when I read this, her diary.."

He pulled out a small leather-bound tome, "I realized I had a window into another world. A chance to be something more. If I took this chance, I could be my own person, be in charge of my own destiny, and so on. Needless to say, this didn't come without cost..." He chuckled rather emptily, "About a year after I started my studies, our town got attacked by lizard men who were looking for Aura. They destroyed buildings, killed people...I fought them off and saved the rest, only..."

"Only for that pack of ungrateful whelps to turn on him and treat like he was some sort of demon spawn," Aura snarled as she slammed her glass down, "Seriously, his own father disowned him right there in front of the whole town! Who does that, I ask you?!" She shook her head, "So, we decided to heck with it. My partner grabbed his stuff and we left...and Mr Idiot here still thinks he can earn his father's love and respect by using his magic to help people..." She sighed and down the rest of her drink. "But then again, I suppose I'm not much better since I'm traveling with him..." At this, she smiled.

"There's more to it than that, but that's pretty much the gist of our story." Alan shrugged.


[System]
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Ier-Briar Thorn-of-Mountain Volkovin

17 winters have passed since my birth.

You're seriously going to ask? Female.

Like my father and his forebearers, I will strive to become a Shieldbearer capable of providing shelter from hellfire and shadowsteel.

As a nobleman's daughter, I am well-versed in art, languages, embroidery, music, dining etiquette, and philosophy. As my father's daughter, I can ride as well as any man, know how to care for my own armor and weapons, and can recite our family's pre-battle prayers from heart, no matter what situation. I will leave it up to you to consider which set of skills is more polished, considering my current vocation.

A lion doll. …are you laughing? You're laughing, aren't you. No, it's not cute. No, I don't care about other dolls. Why would you think that? Gods above, it's a memento you insufferable dweeb. Now come over here so I can break your shit-eating face.

Look me in the eye. Can you tell what sort of person I am? Good.

…

I have to explain anyways? For the readers? Gods, you're insufferable.

My mother thinks I'm an uncouth, rude tomcat, a terrible example for my younger sisters. My father thought I was the son he never had, full of the fire and steel he himself had during his springtime. My sisters, unlike what my mother would like to think, adore me. And for good reason. Though some rubbish-headed academics may consider me a hot-headed brute stuck in the body of a soft woman, I am anything but that. Challenge me to a drinking contest and I'll send you home with a face redder than the sun. Challenge me to an arm wrestling contest and I'll send your hand straight through the table. Challenge me in anything and I'll prove to you that I'm better.

Think I can't? I'll do it until I can.

My father, before he passed away, granted me the name 'Thorn-of-Mountain'. And if I can be a thorn to even an entity as mighty as the mountains that forged my people, then you better hope you don't find my thorns sticking into your sides. Insult me and I will break your teeth. Insult those I cherished and you better pray to the gods that's all I'll do.

My name is Ier-Briar Thorn-of-Mountain Volkovin, eldest daughter of Dry-Ael Blood-of-Wolf Volkovin, the Blue Fang of Alcidea, the Holder of Farrow's Deep, who passed away bravely two winters ago against the sullen horde of Valkraza the Hollow-Hearted. I was also engaged to some guy that was apparently of good blood, but I sure hope they gave up on it after I dumped a casket of wine on him.

As for my past, you can say that I was raised like any son in a warrior-lord's household would.

I'm a woman? Yes, I am. That's the point. My father was for it, my mother was against it, but considering how she kept on shunting out more daughters from her womb (thank gods for that), there was really nothing she could do. The glorious Volkovin name would be besmirched if there was a generation incapable of passing on the family arts to the next, after all. Alongside other, more 'sophisticated' arts befitting of a lady of my own standing, I've also learned the warriors' craft since I was a child, honing my skill with halberd and horse, sword and shield until I can say with confidence that I was one of the finest warriors in my age bracket.

Of course, the man my father swore a blood oath to didn't care for womenfolk amongst the ranks of his guard, and when my father died, all my mother could think about was selling us off to the highest bidder.

Perhaps I am being a bit harsh on her. Perhaps she simply wanted what was best, even if that vision doesn't align with my own interest.

But gods damn that conniving sow regardless.

Anyways, I took my horse, my armor, my steel and what have you, and now I'm here.

What do I planned if you turn me away?

…

Hahaha, why would you turn me away?

[User]
---

Province of Ilagorn -- Adventurer's Guild a.k.a. The Delipitated Duck
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

For all the abuse hurled in the party's general direction, Ier-Briar remained undaunted. Even she had enough sense to not break the front teeth of her new 'employer', after all, and instead, the blonde knight burned with a desire to prove the bespectacled woman completely and totally wrong. A waste of time? No, they'd come out of this as 'very important'. Her heels dug in, and she engraved as many details about the work as she could have.

The shipment broke off from the main road. The forest was filled with wildlife and lesser creatures, but also home to elementals and dryads, surprisingly enough. The water temple's ruins sounded interesting, but irrelevant. The fog and humidity would make starting any unmanageable forest fire unlikely as well, and Ier-Briar flicked her blue eyes in Mallory's direction for a moment, a reassuring and competitive glint in her eyes. If the woman's flames could torch even a forest eternally mired with fog that would certainly live up to its famed nature wouldn't it?

"If we're lucky, we'll stumble upon such circumstances and survive them," Ier-Briar returned with a smile with more teeth than mirth, "And we'll most certainly tell you all about it, Guildmaster. Look forward to it, won't you?"

With that, she turned heel, expecting the others to follow. The southern highway. Iber. Fogmere Forest. She recalled the general form of the map, but she certainly didn't expect the Guildmaster, thorny as she was, to offer them that map as a freebie as well. Once they were out of the Dilapidated Duck, Ier-Briar was quick to turn her attention onto Nimr, then sweep her gaze onto the others as well.

"We'll start with preparations first, if any of you require that 'last minute shopping'. Nimr?" A pause. "A detailed explanation on your capabilities will be essential as well. As is clear, I'm a knight, strong of arm and skilled with the blade. My focus sharpens with the battle oaths of my ancestors, my shieldwork is of particular note, and I am wholly confident in my ability to make myself the center of our monstrous foes' attention."

It was a bit forced, wasn't it? But the faster they got everything out of the way, the faster Ier-Briar could saunter back into the Guild and make sure that woman understood that she wasn't like any others before her.

[Assistant]
---

Province of Ilagorn -- Outside the Adventurer's Guild
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

"I guess the best course would be discussing how much money we want to devote to supplies before we leave town." Orena volunteered, awkwardly clearing her voice as she moved in 'formation'.

The young control mage tightened her grip on her staff as Ier tried to force the group into a marching formation, her knightly sense taking the group by the reins. Orena thought they'd discuss these things before leaving the guild hall, but strangely that seemed to not be the case. It wasn't that she had a problem with Ier's abrupt command of the group she had collected for her charter, but rather that Orena was used to less impulsive ideas, especially when such things were at the potential risk of her own life. She hoped the rest of the group had enough money to devote to food and supplies, though by the sounds of it a lot of them had come to the door's of the guild with less preparations than Orena had. Her anxiousness didn't make her doubt her decision, though, she had committed to this lifestyle no matter the odds and consequences.

"Sorry to interrupt! But where are we on money? I've got a decent amount, but what about you guys?"

[User]
---

Province of Ilagorn -- Outside the Adventurer's Guild
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

"Ara ara," Siwan said in response to Orena, "my answer is zero. I don't have any money. My people live off the land." He chuckled and gave her a warm smile. "I didn't say it earlier, but I am both a healer and a hunter. I know how to use my spear and make camp. I can also hunt animals and traverse the trees. Ask me anything about animals, too. I've learned about them all! By luck, Ier had chosen the best task for me!"

Even though they had quickly acquired an indelible leader, the process left a bit of a weird taste in his mouth. While it was nice to do zero work, he hadn't really followed a leader such as her. In fact, he never really had a leader before. If Ier-Brier yelled for him to do a pushup, he probably would do it out of confusion. Her frantic pace was something that he wasn't quite used to, however. All his life, he had gone at his own pace. He did what he wanted when he wanted to do it. To have someone else do it all for him made him feel as though he was being dragged along by his feet. It wasn't really that pleasant, but he didn't really mind it enough to bring it up as an issue.

"Maybe I should lead the way once we arrive at the trees? Marching like a soldier is hard in the forest."

[Assistant]
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---

Province of Ilagorn -- Adventurer's Guild a.k.a. The Delipitated Duck
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

Nimr began to contemplate the info obtained about Fogmere. It was almost a mistake not to have an actual ranger with them, given how stuffy it gets when traversing through the woods. Nimr was not a fan of having his face hit with branches, after all. That would not be very economic. Still, however, the bard-to-be got the information he wanted, merely nodding with a smile before turning away and crossing his arms. Nimr resolved to silently following the knightess... at least, until he was addressed.

"Oh, right. I don't think last minute shopping would be ideal for me." Nimr stated plainly. "I'm dirt broke, aside from having enough money to pay for the essentials such as room and board. Even then, however, I only have enough coin to pay for two weeks at the most.

"It might be a good idea for us to pool our funds for equipment that would benefit all of us equally after we return from this job, yes? I can help with the calculations, if you desire. I can assure you all that you can trust me with your funds. I've managed the coin of my family's inn and have brought it up to some semblance of prosperity... at least for an inn, after all."

[User]
Province of Ilagorn -- Adventurer's Guild a.k.a. The Delipitated Duck
12th Hour of the 2nd Day, Summer

---

"Hrmm," Ier-Briar vocalized, as it turned out that Nimr was actually dirt-poor and just flapping his gums to sound smart before the Guildmistress. Still, another educated individual was useful, and the knight crossed her arms in momentary contemplation. Siwan claimed to be a hunter, but a forest filled with the monstrous would naturally be filled with prey accustomed to the insidious machinations of foul beasts. Nothing that a soft-hearted hunter would be accustomed to trapping.

"My own coin purse is more than sufficient for my own needs, and perhaps the needs of another," Ier-Briar spoke, "And my pack has ample supplies, but once again, for my own needs alone. It'll last me three days, five if I stretch it."

Her azure gaze turned towards penniless Nimr. "Two days if I share it with those without. For now, however, I wager a day-time excursion to Fogmere Forest will be sufficient to test the waters of this wilderness. Once we gain some knowledge of the lay of the land, we can then prepare more fully for a long-term adventure within the fog." Ier-Briar nodded to herself, her bangs bobbing up and down, and concluded. "Naturally, though, that won't be necessary. I trust that our skills combined are more than sufficient for discovering the lost shipment before the sun sets."


[System]
'Sella'
♀

---

Abilities

Personality

Biography

[User]
"It was an atrocious scene, to be sure," commented Aleksiya, cocking her head back with a smirk on her lips, "Whoever was responsible surely seems to be a depraved sort. But you wouldn't have any idea, would you?"

Of course, she didn't expect he was actually involved. But at the same time, it was hardly a poor idea to prod him towards divulging any guesses. He had the most experience with the people around here, so even if he didn't have any idea who did it specifically it was possible that he had a guess.

Still, she had another goal in mind. Stepping away from her fellow lord, the diminutive vampire approached the nearest of the beast corpses. Perhaps, if there was traces of the force that caused this...

Extending one small, pale hand, she reached into the creature's lost blood, splattered across the ground. It began to vibrate, the puddling ichor responding to her power. It was vile, distasteful, but even blood of such grotesque nature could offer information.

She just had to see if it was there.

Landshark@Rune_Alchemist

[Assistant]
Location:
Human Village
Landshark@VitaVitaAR

---

"I beg your pardon, sir? Show me, immediately." Giles demanded, frowning deeply at the statements Dragan was making. How could…why would someone do such a thing? He couldn't fathom it, let alone someone among the villagers. Certainly some had thought that capturing and training or studying them was a good idea, but he had always refused. Too dangerous.

Had someone gone against his orders?

However, when he was taken to the scene, all he could do was sigh.

"...So that's how it is." He'd grumble. "This building was unoccupied, until very recently you see." He'd hold a hand to his mouth, quietly stifling a gag as he'd observe the scene. "Quite a dreadful scene…ugh, anyways," He'd glance towards Dragan. "Three travelers arrived some time ago. Asked if they could stay. We had no reason to refuse. A man and two women. Two dressed like they had come right out of the old world, and the third claimed to be a traveling scholar and alchemist, though her manner of dress was much more…shall we say, old." He'd frown. "She made an effort to inform everyone she was just traveling with them for a mutual deal for now, but the other two claimed to be from something called the 'Ithica Society'. They left for that damned city some days ago now. The alchemist left a few days before them, into the forest."

Aleksiya's own investigation however, would not go unfruitful. It was faint. Diluted. Horribly so. To call it the blood of a prestigious vampire lord was laughable…but she could feel it. Something familiar. Something ever so faintly familiar. A feeling of animalistic vigor…but also irritation and anger. An almost feral rage at…something.

There was no mistaking it. Kordelia…but what was she so angry at, and was she doing this on purpose if she was still alive?

Location:
Human Village, Riverside
@Click This@Asuras

---

The gorebat chirped, a bit annoyed it couldn't eat the human and was forbidden from snacks, but it did as it was told, swooping off into the darkness.

"Hmph, any gods that do exist aren't ones I'd want to-Weh!?" Julene shouted, not expecting the woman to just pick her up so easily. She'd struggle only briefly. "Y-you put me down! This instant you hear me!" But alas, her pleas fell on deaf ears as Akyasha would refuse to do so. "Tch, fine. Whatever you fake nun, fine! Thata way."
Julene's directions would soon enough lead them towards a surprisingly well kept and reinforced home, from the looks of all the others. The walls had all been reinforced, remade, and several walls had obviously been replaced. The first floor had even been expanded quite a bit, to make room for an indoor forge as well as a general workshop it seemed. The second floor had well, been completely removed. One of the walls completely knocked out, a ladder leading up to the roof with several platforms along the way stocked with barrels and also what seemed to be toher supplies.

Intentionally done, perhaps?

"You can put me down now." She'd huff, and if Akyasha didn't drop her, she'd give the nun a whack on the top of her head until she did.

"Here. Workshop takes up most of the place…ah? Another one?" This was about the time Luna would walk up on the trio, earning an exasperated sigh from the Blacksmith. "...I ain't even surprised anymore. Whatever."

Location:
Forest of Beasts
Paladin

---

The woman, did not respond.

She'd keep writing into the small book she was writing in for a few long, awkward seconds after Argus responded. It was only after these few long seconds, that she'd turn around, and immediately set eyes on the pirate.

"Moons tears!" She'd shout, jumping back a few feet and bumping into the table and causing the glassware to rattle. "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to sneak up on someone? They might turn you into a toad!" She'd close the journal she was carrying, stuffing it into her tattered robes. Now that he could get a good look at the woman in question, she was…well, she fit right in with these woods.

Short, shoulder length messy brown hair with yellow eyes with more baggage than an emotional nobleman from the old world. The clothes under them seemed to almost be falling apart at the seams, with just a cloth covering her chest and a small skirt covering her lower body. The cloak though, was the most curious thing. Well taken care of…but it certainly wasn't something she could have made herself. It seemed older. Almost more regal.

A bone ring adorned her finger, made out of some sort of small bird skull.

"What do you want? I am a busy woman and have no time for idle chatter. If you're heading towards that village in the distance, there's a place you can cross the river not far down that way." She'd huff. "If you're looking for my services…I'm curious as to how you found me all the way out here, but stranger things happen. I don't come cheap as a healer or scholar."

[User]
Dragan Meszaros

Giles's reaction told Dragan all he needed to. The man had no knowledge of what was going on down here. Good. Dragan at least somewhat approved of the man. He was simply trying to keep his own people alive, something that the Death Knight wasn't exactly unfamiliar with. A good man, thrust into a nearly impossible situation. Whatever suspicions the headman had towards him were more than warranted. And likely justified, considering some of the company he traveled in. What he said further was cause for much greater concern, though.

The Society? Elena had spied something related to...whatever that organization was, back in the city. Before she'd most likely passed on. This was the second time they'd come across this group, now. Their status in relation to Ichor's brood was still unknown, but whatever they were, they were at least able to pass as human, if what Giles said was any indication. Dragan paused, trying to remember what exactly Elena had said about them, before the memory ran through his head.

"These 'Society' people. What were their names? Was either a Rykard or Rhea? Of the three, how did they behave while they were within the village? Moreover, what does your village know of this city, exactly?" He added the last one on as an afterthought. It would be good to know exactly what was said of Alavaris in the centuries that had passed. Judging by what little Giles had said of it already, it would seem prudent to not mention they had come from there originally.

[Assistant]
Captain Argus Fellborn

Argus had not lost his touch when it came to scaring people. Perhaps this woman might not have deserved to be frightened in this manner, but he preferred that the mortals whom he dealt with feel at least a twinge of fear or unease. Better for everyone that way, he felt.

"I did not mean to startle you," he assured her. "I am clearly a bit rusty at making a proper entrance."

The woman identified herself as a healer and scholar. Her knowledge might prove useful, Argus surmised. Assuming, of course, that he could pay her. Just what sort of currency would these broken people use, anyway? Surely the precious coins and metals valued in the previous age would not hold the same worth to such a broken civilization.

"There is something of an arguably scholarly nature...that I would like to know," he proposed. "I have a specific interest in the the ship graveyard, and the malevolent force that commands the dead. Just what manner and form of payment might you request for such knowledge?"

[User]
Akyasha put the blacksmith down gently and took a step back to look at the place. She wasn't exactly surprised to see all the barrels. Or the forge. As she quietly observed, she heard another approaching and it was Luna. "Luna, how pleasant to see you again. No life threatening situations I hope." Akyasha asked, thinking back on the situation she and the blacksmith girl had just been through. Well, hopefully, they had some small minutes to catch their breath. "We ran into a situation just some minutes ago but it's all but taken care of by now. Luckily, Giselle showed up at just the right time."

Luckily, the cleric's body was starting to fix itself full and she felt somewhat just fine. "This is... The Blacksmith Girl... I suppose." Akyasha mentioned. Come to think of it, the girl had yet to introduce herself. "Hmm. I think I mentioned mine before, but my name is Akyasha. What is yours, miss, if you don't mind me asking." The cleric asked, looking toward the girl hoping she would answer it. Akyasha had on her usual smile as she waiting to see if the girl replied.

[Assistant]
Luna Emeraltide

Luna strode back into the village and took little time to sense her way towards Giselle and Akyasha. Julene's reaction earned a confused tilt of Luna's head. Whatever it was that had annoyed the blacksmith was unknown to the vampiress. She spared questioning the circumstance and approached her sisters, eyes briefly cast upon the reinforced building that had appeared to be approaching.

"None," she replied to Akyasha's question, "...and I trust you two remain in good health as well," she began, folding her fingers together and offering a warm smile. "Oh my -carrying her like that without even knowing her name? I did not take you for one so bold and expedient, Akyasha," Luna said, seemingly mostly sincere. Brushing aside a lock of hair from her face, Luna wasted no more time in detailing their own findings beneath the town.

"Dragan, Aleksiya and I have split up for different tasks. We ventured beneath to find tunnels rife with beasts as well as their apparent means into the town. It seems as though someone amongst the townsfolk's ranks was experimenting on them down there, though the human in question was nowhere to be found. What's more, this mad scientist also seemed to propose that the beasts were coming from none other than a..." Luna paused, and for a moment just barely seemed to glance towards Julene before continuing, "A vampire... Somewhere within the forest nearby. We were concerned that you, Giselle, might have found your way too deep into the forest. I am glad you're safe, however."

Luna gave Julene another brief look over, followed by the workshop, and smiled again.

"What have you two been up to?" she asked.

[User]
Giselle de FarryUndead Princess, de Farry

---

Giselle decided to ignore Akyasha's shenanigans, even if she disapproved. She simply followed the cleric silently, but not before collecting Julene's sword. She gave the weapon an eye. She supposed it was a good weapon for this new age, but of course, the princess of creation could do better. The purity and composition of even base metal in this era left things to be desired. To Giselle, though, remedying deficiencies in something as mundane as the mix of iron and carbon and removing impurities even her state was child's play.

With the time she had, she made sure to ask the girl a few questions about the village and surrounding region, even if speaking to her while she was in a princess carry was… awkward.

By the time the trio arrived at the blacksmith girl's house, she had made some quality improvements to the blade, for only a modest expenditure of blood.

While Giselle didn't quite whistle –that would be inappropriate of someone of her standing, even if she spent centuries cultivating a reputation of being the friendliest vampire lord—she was somewhat impressed by the home that the girl lived in, if only in relation to the rest of the homes she saw in the village and in this age. It had the marks of a girl who knew what she was doing with engineering, though it was obvious that she never been to a true school… then again, what sort of architectural or engineering institution would still be extant in this time?

Despite that, it was clearly built with defense in mind. That was something that she could respect.

"It's clear that you've put a lot of thought into home defense," she admired. "If we continue to work together, I wouldn't mind sharing some of my own ideas and techniques. It is something of a specialty of mine." Indeed, a few firing slits here and there, and perhaps installation of some shaped charges in strategically placed positions like doors and hallways would make it all but impenetrable to the threats that the three of them had faced earlier.

If they were to ever make this village a temporary base of operations, then the village's defenses would need some proper refurbishment, too.

When Akyasha put the girl down, Giselle handed her sword back. "It got a little dinged up during the battle, so I fixed it for you," she said modestly, before noticing Luna approach.

"Ah, Luna. How fares it inside the village?" She frowned as the songstress relayed her information. The news of a breach and further mysteries was surprising and unfortunate news… but informative. "I see. I trust they have the situation in hand now. As for what's in the forest… I suspected something similar. I'm not foolhardy enough to investigate without sufficient force in hand. I would like to have a look sooner than later, however." She gave a look towards her fellow vampires.


[System]
Age: 17
Gender: Female

Star Ranking/Goku Uniform: Zero Stars
Fighting Style – Medium/Long range

Strengths
Steady Aim – Jäger has a keen eye and well trained aim that makes her attacks at long range very accurate and precise, with no trouble hitting both stationary and moving individual targets.
Stamina – Jäger has high stamina, allowing her to sustain her speed and mobility for long periods of time before she begins to flag and tire.
Mobility – While not as flexible as a parkour practitioner Jäger is nimble and able to stay mobile, even in rough and treacherous terrain. Her mobility is greatest in outdoor, natural settings, or any reasonable artificial approximations of such environments.
Armour Piercing – While not overly high in offensive power Jäger's attacks are primarily piercing in nature, allowing her to inflict respectable damage against opponents who specialise in defence and/or wear light to medium armour.

Weaknesses
Endurance – Jäger lacks the physical build and training needed to endure melee hits of any substantial or sustained nature.
Unsteady Aim – As Jäger's fighting style is ill suited for melee combat her accuracy drops significantly when opponents enter into close range, potentially causing her to panic and fumble her shots.
Focus – The greater the number of opponents the harder it becomes to focus on any particular target. This is especially true when using long range weapons that require time to draw and aim. It is compounded further if those targets are all moving in a random/chaotic manner.

Favourite Activity: Archery

Personality: Charlotte is generally speaking a cheerful and open minded if not slightly aloof young lady who is prone to the occasional bots of dark moods. Her opened minded nature is a direct result of witnessing her father's countless romantic entanglements and conquests, giving her a live and let live attitude toward life in general. If people are happy and no one is getting hurt then she is usually content to let them be. It also comes as no surprise to find that she is somewhat lacking in personal motivation and drive, especially when it comes to her leadership of the Archery club, a position to which she was elected to in secret by the other members of the club. Despite regularly competing in Archery competitions she shows very little actual competitiveness when it comes to her personality and is far more likely to praise the achievements of others then to laud her own accomplishments. Though she is quick to neglect her own safety she is quick to leap to defence of those she considers to be 'in her care'.

Biography: Charlotte, or Jäger to her friends, is originally from the outskirts of Munich, Germany and is the daughter of the world renowned playboy explorer Anton Jäger Neumann, a millionaire of no small influence on the international stage. An only child, Charlotte had an unstrained and fairly relaxed relationship with her father, aware and accepting of his playboy lifestyle provided that she didn't have to play house with his numerous 'bunnies' and 'kitties'. For his part her father often brought her along on his less dangerous expeditions, teaching her from a young age how to use the bow, just as his father had taught him at the same age. The two of them were close and shared everything, or at least she thought they did. That was until his death.

Charlotte had been with distant relatives when news of her fathers death reached her, apparently killed in one of the many small conflicts that flared up following the spread of the Kiryuin family's influence across Asia. As an only child Charlotte now found herself orphaned. Fortunately her father had been a man of some considerable foresight and had made arrangements several years previously that in the event of his untimely death his daughter would be transferred to the prestigious Berlin High Academy. Charlotte now lives a few miles from the academy in a specially built cottage located in the woods, courtesy of the Academy. As to how this arrangement came to pass the specific details are unknown save to a few individuals, though it is widely thought that the Neumann family's financial resources had been brought to bear. The generous contributions made to the Academy by the Neumann Foundation over the years would seem to bear this out.

During her first few months at Berlin High Charlotte had trouble integrating into school life and making friends, partly due to her own aloof nature and at the time heavily depressed mood. It soon started to affect her grades as well as her health. She even started to skip lessons on a regular basis. In an attempt to improve the situation it was suggested that she join one of the many clubs promoted by the Academy. In the end it was decided that she would join the Archery club. Unsurprisingly she excelled in the club and was thus quickly able to begin making friends with the other club members. This not only brought around her mood but improved her grades as well, returning her to normal, more or less, though she still has the occasional sombre moment. In terms of academics she is somewhat mediocre across the board. She still skips the occasional lesson as well.

With the still growing influence of the Kiryuin family spreading even more deeply into the fabric of European society the headmaster of Berlin Academy, Kenta Sanshiro, approached Charlotte along with certain other individuals at the Academy with a plan to stem the tide. Charlotte had originally been hesitant to take part in such a plan. To win her over Kenta Sanshiro revealed to her the reason that her father had died and how it was related to the Kiryuin family. She has yet to reveal what she was told, even to those she considers friends.

Weapons: Large Composite Bow – A simple but effective weapon constructed from a new carbon-fibre/alloy composite material that makes it more far more durable than any store bought item of similar size and design.
Items: Medical Kit – Her father was a famous hunter and explorer, meaning that Jäger is no stranger to injury and is relatively well versed in a wide variety of medical procedures, many self taught. These range from treating wounds and abrasions to relocating dislocations and broken bones.

Other
She is a universal blood donor and can perform field transfusions should the need arise.
As the current leader of the Archery team she has won several tournaments for the Academy.
She takes regular medication to help her maintain her mood.

[User]
Kisuke turned his head toward a voice that was unfortunately far too to him and glowered momentarily at the interruption. The voice belonged to one Yoshi Kanada, captain of the Kendo team. The former three-star was full of himself, as per usual. Kisuke spun around toward him and smiled confidently at the senior. "Yeah, yeah, that's right, everything I do is a joke to people like you huh? What, did you really think I would be doing something so despicable to the peons? Really?" Kisuke said with no malice or annoyance in his voice as he addressed Yoshi. But really, was that how the stuck up bastard saw him, as some horny pervert intent on debauchery? Well, it didn't matter either way, an order was an order.

But unfortunately that meant that he had failed in his task, at least to an extent. In truth it was his own fault. Had he bypassed his usual theatrics he could have been done with his task by now, instead of getting reprimanded by this close-minded fool. He sighed and nodded in affirmation to Yoshi's orders. Kisuke spun around back toward the assembled no-stars and grinned at them. "Sorry kittens, looks like we'll have to do this another time," he said with a very convincing apologetic tone before casually walking away, his subordinates following in his wake.

Jäger sighed in relief as the crowd started to rapidly disperse toward the assembly hall. "That was just…weird," Jäger said as she headed in the same direction as the others. She was getting a whole load of mixed signals about the people in this place. Some of them seemed like genuinely bad people, others however she wasn't so sure about. Kisuke for example. Despite what the two-star had said she simply didn't get that kind of vibe from him at all. "So what was the point of all that?" she said more to herself than to anyone in particular. He had had her picture in that file of his, along with pertinent data. She assumed then that the same was true for everyone else assembled. What had his purpose been? Whatever it was it had clearly not been official business.

[Assistant]
As the starred students began to argue amongst themselves, Kageta kept quiet, idly looking around at the different students in line, he looked for Charlotte again and spotted her just a ways off to the front. Once the assembly was disbanded, everyone started to go their own way and he lost sight of Charlotte in the crowd. He groaned to himself.

He spent a few minutes pushing through the dense crowd, but when it grew thin, he could finally see her at least. He made his way over to her and almost fell into her... again. Close. "Jeez, almost crashed into you again. And on that note, why you gotta leave without me? He looked back at where the assembly was before they dispersed. "What was that about anyway?" He asked not really expecting any sort of answer.

He then realized that he had no idea what his class number is. Though, since he was in the assembly with Charlotte, they were probably classmates. "So uhh, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go ahead and follow you to class... ok?" And with that he smiled sheepishly.

[User]
Jäger gracefully side stepped just as Kageta reached her, just in case of another collision. She looked at him quizzically for a moment before smiling. "Kageta!? I wondered where you had gone, you keep disappearing on us. I was getting worried that something had happened to you," Jäger said as she motioned with a tilt of the head for Kageta to follow her. His suggestion that the two of them must be in the same group because of the unofficial meeting that they had been caught up in was a simple one that she had not considered. "Sure, I don't mind. At least you're not as unsociable as that brain dead oaf," she said as she headed toward the room that she had been assigned too.

"As to what that was about I have no idea. Recruiting for a club maybe? Could have been some kind of random security thing I suppose. Who knows in this place. As to the guy himself I'd like to say that he weirded me out but to be honest he kind of reminded me of someone that I used to know. A lot, actually," she said solemnly as the two of them approached the classroom. Outside the door was a one-star hall monitor, however he didn't give them any trouble other than a mean eyed glare. Jäger guessed that the reason for their lateness was already known to him. She wondered if the one-star Kisuke, a hall monitor himself had arranged it as such.

Jäger entered into a mainly empty room, save for one or two no-star students already in their seats and a unenthusiastic looking teacher who barely even glanced her way. Never the less she walked over to him and bowed politely, showing him one of her best smiles. "I'm sorry for my lateness, it won't happen again. My name is Charlotte Jäger Neumann, it's a pleasure to meet you sir," she said in a warm tone that matched her warm expression. Both of which seemed to take the teacher a little off guard. Clearly he was not used to such courteousness for his students. In fact he looked a little confused.

"Me?" he said as if not understanding the situation. Momentarily confused Jäger returned his confused expression. He stared at her for a moment before simply sighing. "Anyway, don't make yourselves comfortable, once the rest of you slackers get here we will be heading to the assembly area." He didn't bother getting up as he spoke, nor did he bother introducing himself afterwards. Not even as an afterthought. Both of these things annoyed Jäger far more than they should have. Her brow twitched in annoyance. "Thank you sir," she said very politely.

[Assistant]
Charlotte and Kageta got to their room, Charlotte went in first and apologized to the teacher for their tardiness. As the teacher entertained her, Kageta walked inside inconspicuous to the teacher and sat in an empty chair. When Charlotte finished speaking, she went to her own seat. Kageta stood up and moved to the seat beside Charlotte. "Hey." Kageta stated as he sat next to her. The Classroom was fairly empty anyway.

Kageta looked around the spacious room. The no-stars looked fairly different from most one-stars, the one-stars were uniformed and organized, while those lower seemed to have more individuality, he also wondered to himself what, if at all, the teachers' powers were like, then again, he hasn't seen any combat in-person done by any of the students, save his classmates. Then there were also some one-stars who retained some sort of individuality, as well as the other multi-starred students. Possibly, individual personality was needed in order to achieve a higher rank than one-star. That was interesting to note. And reminded him.

"So, when do you think we'll get our own starred uniforms?" He asked Charlotte. His voice more quiet than a statement, but louder than a whisper.

[User] Aaron felt like his head was about to pop between the new kid and Eika when suddenly Mr. Chang stood up from the chair he had literally just sat down on as the last of the students got into the room. "Alright class let's take make our way down to the auditorium so we can meet with our school president and his council. Sasaki got up and only to get pushed aside by a bigger kid behind him forcing him over his desk but he got up claiming he was fine and walked to his seat where he proceeded to miss making him land on his butt and making him look like an idiot. The real kicker for Aaron though is apparently the other no-stars didn't give five shits about it because they were so use to it apparently. "...Anyways I will lead you to the auditorium assuming none of you have an other questions." Mr. Chang said as she looked at the group of kids in front of him and when one of them asked a sarcastic question about how much he should suck up to the school president the teacher promptly answered they shouldn't and instead focus on their grades in a completely serious tone before he got all the kids up and forced them out of class in a straight line.

[Assistant]
Jäger stared with narrowed eyes at the teacher, sat directly in front of her at the other end of the room. She didn't like it when people just casually disregarded her like that, especially when she went to so much trouble to be polite and friendly. Not that any of the other late arrivals faired any better, which was something at least. She turned toward Kageta and hummed thoughtfully as she considered his question. "I'm not sure. It's clear that we can't just go and ask for one, or everybody would have one. No, we need to do something to earn them, something to catch their attention, something that they can't ignore," she said thoughtfully, referring to those who constituted the real power in this academy. She had had an idea about that, however she was cut off just as she opened her mouth to speak, the sound of fist on blackboard silencing the background conversation of the other students.

Once their teacher was satisfied that he had gotten everyone's attention he cleared his throat to speak. "OK listen up brats, you have an assembly to get to, pronto, no slacking off. If I catch anyone trying to sneak off you'll be sent straight to the Disciplinary Committee, understand? Good," he said in monotonous tone that suggested that despite his words he really could care less. After a moment of hesitation the students started to mobilise, displaying no more enthusiasm than that shown by their teacher. Jäger turned toward Kageta and shrugged before joining the rest of the students as they headed toward the assembly point.


[System]
Age:
25

Gender:
Female

Years in Whittier:
7

Occupation:
Coffee Shop Barista

Room Number:
1108

Personality: (3 positive traits and 3 negative traits)
Positive: Clever, Independent, Good-Natured
Negative: Uninhibited, Unemotional, Idealistic

Small Biography:
Coral was born in Buena Vista, Georgia as the second daughter of Pastor Glenn Hardwick and his second wife, Melinda. Coral was raised in the church; her family attended church every Sunday, and participated in bible study on Wednesdays. They'd even made sure she had a spot on the youth praise dance team. Because she was raised in a very strict family, she didn't have much of a social life outside of church. She was not allowed to go out to parties, movies, dates or anything of the sort, as her parents thought that it would hinder her growth in the church. When Coral turned thirteen, however, she began to grow more rebellious and resentful towards her parents. She sneaked out whenever she had the chance, stopped participating as much in class, and even dropped out of the praise team. The thing that tipped her parents off the most, however, was when seventeen year old Coral brought home a girlfriend.

Glenn and Melinda clamped down on their daughter harder than ever, taking away most of her privileges. In their eyes, there was nothing worse than having a gay daughter. They wouldn't even hear the girl out when she tried to explain to them that she was not gay, but bisexual. As if that made things any better. Eventually, Coral graduated from high school with a solid C average and multiple college acceptance letters, but her parents absolutely refused to pay a dime towards her higher education. They'd even stopped acknowledging her presence in their home, doing petty things such as not setting a place for her at the table, only buying new things for her sister, etc. Coral was forced to get a job at the local coffee shop in order to support herself. The day she turned eighteen was the greatest day of her life; it was the day that she gathered up all the money she'd earned, packed up all of her belongings, and bought a bus ticket to Alaska.

Seven years later, and she is still working the same job she's been working since she was a teenager: a barista. Coral has not kept in contact with her parents over the years, but talks to her sister every now and then to catch up. She lives in room 1108 of The Begich Towers with her German Shepherd, Sarge.

Relationships:
TBD

[User]
Evening Before The Darkness

---

A four note tune chimed through out every hallway through the Begich towers signaling the start of an announcement.

Margorie Bouvier's petite and faint giggle came over the speakers. She had been sitting on the lap of the mayor after a few drinks and was trying hard to keep her composure. "Oh stop.." she insisted, pushing his hands off her and she cleared her throat. "Good evening residents!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking at the end, with the familiar chuckle of the mayor heard in the background.

Margorie continued,  "As you all may know, tonight is the last day of the month. Tomorrow marks the start of the annual month of no sunlight that we have all encountered while living her in Whittier." she continued, "We'd like to invite every one up to the 14th floor into the meeting room where we have set up a little banquet of sorts for us to enjoy the company of one another before the hard, cold month ahead. There will be food and drink provided.." her voice traveled off as she thought of anything else to add. "See you soon!"

Slowly but surely the residents of the tower made their way up the stair case or elevator up to the 14th floor.

---

"How quaint." A sarcastic titter was drawn from Margorie's lips as she watched the trail of people come in for the banquet. "You don't have to be so cruel Margie." the mayor replied with his lips pressed to her ear, trying not to draw attention- but their affair had been not secret. He was old enough to be her father, but that didn't seem to bother them much.

Several round tables we're arranged around the room for people to sit and chat at. The food table was not as magnificent as imagined, containing only servings of herring, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. It wasn't the most generous offer but at least it was free.

Dave and Jenny Warbler had brought their selections of whiskey and vodka from their bar to share, propping it on the table next to the food. It too was lacking much excitement, but again- most things in Whittier were just that:

Lacking in excitement.

As most of the residents arrived, the mayor cleared his throat at the front of the room to begin his welcoming speech. "Good evening my neighbors and my friends." a wicked smile drawn across his face, "I'm so thankful you all have made it and we are blessed and delighted for such.." he paused looking at the sparse table, "fantastic food, and even better company."  he looked towards every one to see their reactions before continuing. "I don't tend to keep you much longer now, but some of our leaders have some announcements to make...so don't go anywhere!" he exclaimed, trying to be humorous. Margorie laughed alone, as the mayor and her quickly scattered to a seat.

Derek Yates and Daryl Davis both nodded at one another as they stood up and approached the front of the room together. They we're the head of the police department and fire station within the towers and fairly respected members of the community. Derek took lead in the announcement as he spoke with a slight commanding tone as he would to his officers, "As we all know, tomorrow is the start of our annual month of darkness. These are hard times for us all. Please be aware of any suspicious activity in our premises and report them immediately. Thank you." he nodded and stepped away leaving Daryl on the floor.

A warm smile swept along his face before speaking, "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I won't keep you long from one another, but I just wanted to give you a friendly reminder that because of the increase of fireplace usage in the building during this next month to be extra cautious of your surroundings. We don't want another incident of last year do we Hubert?!" the man chuckled and a few of the residents laughed at the old man's expense as well. Even Hubert gave a faint smile as he remembered setting his apartment a blaze when he had left his fur coat too close to the flame and fell asleep. "Anyway." Daryl continued as the crowd settled back down, "Let's have a nice night, and a good, safe, and easy month here..Cheers!" he too then scurried away.

Rosemary Adams, the pastors wife and one of the two teachers in the towers piped up cheerfully, "I also made my famous apple crumble cake for everyone to eat for dessert!" setting the pan down next to the food.

Residents began helping themselves to the food and drink that had been provided.

[Assistant]
"Mr. Parona—"

"Please, call me Antonio. Your dad and I were on a first name basis."

"Right. Antonio, please, come with me."

Helena closed the door behind her patient before she showed him to her office. Her work space was medium-sized, the light from the window behind her desk slowly diminishing as the early hours of evening approached. Mr. Parona was her last patient for the day, and she hoped it would be a quick session.

"So, I have here your file, the one my father kept for you. It seems that you may need to have the battery in your pacemaker replaced pretty soon. The earlier we do this, the better. I can place a call to the hospital in Anchorage and talk to the cardiologist and electrophysiologist. We'll schedule you for an appointment and they may even be able to do the procedure in that same trip. Does that sound like something you'd be okay with?"

"I suppose," Antonio shrugged, seemingly worried in reaction to the news. But Helena had gone through this more often than she could remember.

"Look, I know it sounds invasive, but I promise you this procedure is easier than the original one. You'll receive local anesthesia and you'll be out that same day."

Antonio nearly cracked a smile as his face filled with relief. "Outpatient thing, right?"

"That is correct," she replied.

"Alright, let's do it then."

---

Helena walked through the doors into the meeting room. She sat on the far end of the table, keeping mostly to herself as she waited for the others to arrive. The little banquet event had been a nice surprise, mostly because that meant she didn't have to cook that evening.

[User]
Twenty minutes earlier:

The apartment was seemingly empty. The two older occupants had already left for the bash upstairs, leaving their son to get ready and he was taking his time. Half dressed, he paced between the kitchen and his bedroom, one sock lingering at the tip of his foot, dangerously close to falling off. He was struggling to decide between two ties, not being markedly pleased by either of them. He turns his attention to the only person he knew he could rely on for an honest opinion. His muse as it were.

"Lieutenant Worf?" He asks, coming to a stop by his mopish German Shepherd. He still wasn't sure about the name, but the dog would no longer respond to anything else, so he figured the jury to be out on that one. Regardless, the dog pricks his ears up, looking up at the man infront of him.

"You're a good boy!" He praises, kneeling down and, while pinning the one tie over his shoulder, goes to stroke his pet. "You're going to help me pick a tie aren't you, you good boy. Aren't you." Worf looks away, visibly bored.

"Aw come on. Help me out?" He asks again, taking a tie in each hand and offering it. Used to this by now, the dog instinctively raises his right paw. Fletcher looks at the tie in his left hand studiously. It was a dark mauve with an orange vine pattern stretching from top to bottom. By all accounts it was putrid.

"You're lucky you've got the colourblind thing going for you." He shrugs, meeting the raised paw and shaking it. "Be back in a second." He zips back into his room.

---

Finally making it to the party, Fletcher opens the door and looks in. It was always odd seeing everybody huddled up in one room, he thought. He makes his way in, but rests at the side of the wall, not entirely wanting to be noticed.

[Assistant]
The sound of soft, breathy snores filled the silent, dark bedroom. The source of the snores, Coraline Hardwick, lay fast asleep in a crumpled heap on her queen-sized mattress, her mouth slightly open and a trail of drool running down her cheek and onto her pillow. She'd been so tired after a long, hard day of making coffee and dealing with the blatant passive-aggressiveness of her boss that she didn't even bother taking off her shoes or uniform before plopping down on the bed. Her lazy, over-sized ball of fur, otherwise known as her German Shepherd Sarge, lay stretched out at the foot of the mattress, snoring even louder than Coraline herself. When the four note tune chimed throughout the hallway, Coral groaned and turned over in bed, pulling the comforter up over her head. At the mention of a banquet on the fourteenth floor, however, her eyes shot wide open.

A very startled Sarge lifted his head and ears when Coral suddenly hopped out of bed. He laid his head back down, his eyes disinterestedly following the young woman as she snatched off her work apron and flung it towards a growing pile of clothes on the floor. Coral didn't remember being told anything about a banquet, but was eager to go; after all, food would be provided, meaning that she wouldn't have to go another day eating a cup of noodles because she was too lazy or tired to cook. Coral had changed into a completely different outfit, brushed her teeth, and fluffed her hair in less than ten minutes. She even sprayed a little bit of light perfume on her wrists, a failed attempt to overpower her faint scent of coffee beans.

Before leaving, the young woman made sure to grab the last unopened bottle of Hennessy VS Cognac from her cabinet. Although Margorie had said that food and drink would be provided, she wasn't entirely sure if that included alcohol. She would also feel a bit odd showing up empty-handed. "Be safe, make good choices, and don't chew up my shoes again." she called to her dog as she shut and locked the front door. After a brief elevator ride, Coral was on the fourteenth floor and approaching the meeting room. She'd arrived just in time to catch the last bit of the mayor's introduction.

On her way towards the food table, Coraline smiled warmly and nodded at Helena, Fletcher, and everyone else she passed by. Her smile slightly faltered, though, once she spotted what had been placed on the table: containers full of servings of herring, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. Taking in a deep breath, she shrugged, placed her bottle of alcohol with the rest, and reached for a plate and fork. It wasn't much, but it sure as hell beat Ramen noodles.


[System]
Age: 19

Gender: Female

Hometown: Driftveil City, Unova

Appearance: Aeris is 5 feet and 9 inches tall, Caucasian, slightly tanned, with red curly hair that reaches down to the ends of her shoulder blades and freckles all over her face. Over her bright green eyes, she wears glasses with a red frame on them, as she is near sighted. Her typical attire is something in bright colors, typically red or orange, but it can be any other bright color.

She starts her journey from Unova to Kanto wearing a red shirt with short sleeves, a vest over her shirt in the same color as it, orange jeans and green sneakers. Various other brightly colored clothes have been packed. On her back she has a red backpack in which to keep all her things, and she wears a belt which has six slots on it for keeping Pokéballs on. She also has a red Xtransciever on her left wrist.

Personality: Aeris is fairly hyper and is known to have big lungs, so she can talk forever before she has to take another breath. She springs from one thing to another, and is distracted almost easily, especially if it's something she's already interested in, like Bug type Pokémon. She can be very competitive at times, and protective of those close to her, almost surprisingly so for someone who appeared almost so bubbly and all over the place. Despite this, though, she's afraid of enclosed spaces because she is claustrophobic, and will become reserved and unable to do much of anything should she be put into an enclosed space, such as a cupboard of some sorts, or even a cave, no matter how big it is.

Profession: Trainer

Talents: Being a hyper person, Aeris is very active and fairly athletic, so she is faster than most normal people and a fair bit stronger. She has also developed a skill to understand Pokémon, not through words, but through actions, so she knows what most any Pokémon is trying to communicate to her, even one she's never met before.

Inventory: In her backpack, Aeris keeps a sleeping bag for when she needs to rest outside, plenty of clothes to change into when she needs to, TM 57 Charge Beam which she has taught to Lisa, 10 Dusk Balls that were a gift from her father, and 5 Potions from her mother. Her Xtransciever is on her left wrist. She had also saved up a fair amount of money before the trip to Kanto, so she has $500 in her wallet, which is kept in a pocket on the inside of her vest.

Starter Pokémon: Joltik, female, named Lisa. Has the ability Compoundeyes.

Biography: Born and raised in Driftveil City, Unova, born to the breeders Eileen and Henry, Aeris was a third child, having two older brothers, one older by three years, James, and the other older by seven, Harry. Once she herself was about four years old, she became an older sister when their parents had their fourth child, second daughter, naming her Heather.

Their parents were breeders, but raised their children to become independent and not have to become breeders like themselves. Harry was interested in continuing his parents' job as a breeder, learning to become one, and Heather showed interest as well at her young age, however James and Aeris weren't interested in breeding. Aeris was much more interested in the evolution of Pokémon, how it worked, the fascination of Pokémon becoming strong enough to change their form, how some Pokémon were affected by different things such as day and night, evolutionary stones and other various factors. That would be later in her life, however, once she would get closer to leaving for Kanto with her best friend, Fary.

As a child, Aeris wasn't much different from how she would be as a teenager and soon-to-be adult. She was very active, very hyper, very curious about most everything around her. She loved hanging around with all the different Pokémon that her parents bred for various people, and themselves, playing with them a lot. She wasn't alone in doing so, though, since their family were friends to another family of breeders, the Nitashi family, who had a daughter about two years older than Aeris, Fary. It didn't take long for them to become friends, and soon they spent a lot of time together with each other and the Pokémon their parents bred.

The two of them would grow up together as best of friends, going to the Trainer School in Striation City to learn even more about Pokémon. With a two year difference, they weren't in the same grade, but they still spent plenty of time together. There, in the Trainer School, Aeris learned even more about Pokémon Evolution, with one of her favorite books being made by Professor Rowan from Sinnoh about Pokémon Evolutions and how they worked. That's when she decided that she would become a Trainer and catch plenty of Pokémon to evolve them.

Before she joined the Trainer School, however, when she was still just a young child, there had been an incident with her when she had gone with James and Harry to play inside Chargestone Cave like they had done a lot of times before. It was a cave relatively near them, and much more interesting than the one that had been made near their city.

The three of them were playing around, this time playing hide and seek, with Harry seeking first, and while Aeris had gone to hide inside a crack in the wall, there was a sudden earthquake, not caused by a Pokémon but the Earth itself, and had made rocks fall right in front of the crack where Aeris was hiding. The crack didn't go very far, which didn't allow her to really move a whole lot. She called for her brothers, who came as quickly as they could and tried to remove the rocks, but were unable to due to the rocks being too heavy. They told her that they would go to get their parents and that she didn't need to worry about being stuck. Something took them a while to get there, though, and it was several hours before Henry and Eileen came with help in the form of some of the other residents of Driftveil.

They removed the rocks from the crack and helped her out of there, but the damage had already been done. While she was fine physically, she had developed claustrophobia while being stuck there for so long without being able to move, having resorted to crying the whole time her brothers had been away. After that, she wasn't able to go into or through anything narrow, or she would just freeze there or start crying uncontrollably, calling for her parents. Her family did the best they could do to comfort her and keep her away from any narrow or enclosed spaces. It took a while before she would return to normal, for the most part aside from her claustrophobia.

Once she was graduated from the Trainer School, her parents gave her a Joltik that they had bred specifically for her, as they knew she loved Bug type Pokémon, and they said that it fit her, being a little ball of energy and adorable. She thanked them for the Joltik, named her Lisa and put her in a Dusk Ball after showing her various types of Pokéballs to really be hers.

Aeris and Fary continued to be friends after the Trainer School, and Aeris was there for Fary when she went through some difficult times, including after she got dumped by the now Elite Four member Grimsley. When Fary decided she wanted to go to the Kanto region, not long after she got a Pokémon of her own, a Zorua of all Pokémon, Aeris thought that would be a good place to start her profession as an evolutionary Trainer. And so, Aeris left with Fary for Pallet town, where Professor Oak lived.

Notes/Other: Aeris will not stand for anyone taking her glasses off without her permission, and she's protective of both her Joltik, Lisa, and her best friend, Fary.

[User]
"Li-lit."

"Agreed," Danny muttered, leaning back on one of the folding chairs that lined the ship decks. Whoever it was, they apparently didn't know the word "polite", and it was getting on his nerves, and by the looks of it, his Litwick Inizio's nerves as well. He tried to show no sign of emotion as the commotion between the two girls went on in front of him. Upon observation, the two seem to be several years Daniel's elder...which was strange. He usually remembered back in his travels that the young-adult Pokemon trainers always liked to bring at least three Pokemon. Danny shrugged and looked back at Ini. Maybe they liked to have a challenge in a different region. And by their Pokemon, they were surely from Unova.

Ini had picked up this detail as well, but his shifting showed that he was not willing to approach the two girls and their Joltik and Zorua. "Oh, what's wrong, Ini?" Danny asked, noticing Ini's reluctance; a prompt splash toward the steel-bar railings allowed him to quickly piece two and two together.

"Water," he muttered. Danny knew how much the Candle Pokemon detested water; it was almost a death wish to come into contact with it. Danny finally sighed; they had plenty of time to mingle once they hit land, and forcing his Litwick to meet to two were surely going to met with fiery resistance. So instead, he stood up from his seat and simply watched a few meters away from the railings, seeing Pallet Town approach in the distance.

The town reminded Danny of something — this was going to be a new journey, with new lands to travel and new faces to meet. Danny wondered what the Pokemon here would be like. His parents had said that a few of the Pokemon they had met during their travels will surely be here, however. Almost immediately Danny felt homesick at the thought; he had already missed traveling along with his parents and the family Klink, and let out a small sigh.

Suddenly the boat came to a stop, and Danny snapped back into reality. Inizio was waiting on a table next to him, staring quietly at the town as well. The teenager smiled at Ini, picking him up, careful not to get too close to the blue flame on his head. "It's a fresh start, Ini. We can do it ourselves," he reassured, exiting the boat along with the group of trainers.

Danny slowly stepped out of the ship and onto the docks, feeling a bit wobbly with his steps, but nothing too uncomfortable. He rolled his eyes as Litwick comfortably slid into his sleeves with a smug grin. Time to go the Professor Oak's lab...which seemed to be the large building, apparently. With no time to waste, Danny and Inizio set off for what seemed to be a lab, trying to move past the group of trainers.

...Until he walked right into the path of the hyper-girl, crashing right onto the ground with Inizio. He wasn't sure if the Joltik girl had noticed crashing into him, but right now, the Litwick wasn't pleased and his fire on his head was growing.

[Assistant]
Charlie paused, as a shrill shriek grew from behind him. As soon as he could turn around, a spastic redhead was already loudly invading his space, damn near knocking him off his feet in the process. Despite such a fright, Charlie managed to keep on a smile as the girl gushed all over the sight of Quinn. Though, she spit out questions so fast, he could barely answer any of them. Quinn didn't appreciate all the loud attention, and only shrunk into a tighter ball. Even then, he felt he should introduce her instead of looking on like a Stantler in headlights.

"Uhh, heh, this is Quinn. We're from the Johto region...I just got her a few hours ago, so I haven't got around to feeding her yet...i'm sure i'll find out her favorite foods in due time, though!" He cobbled together something resembling a awkward reply, and topped it off with a sheepish chuckle. As his eyes wandered about the girl's person, he couldn't help but notice the little yellow pom-pom skittering about on the girl's head.

"Is that your Pokemon?" He thumbed towards the buggy puffball. It definitely looked familiar, but he couldn't put a name to it. It was something he never saw in person until today. It was pretty cute too. Before she could answer though, a boy came through the cut, crashing into the girl. The redhead was mostly (if not entirely) unfazed by the unsuccessful tackle, but Charlie was almost ready to jump out of his skin a second time. The kid seemed to take more damage than the girl did, and beside him sat...a sentient candle. "Weird." He thought before addressing the minor.

"You okay, bro?" Charlie asked simply, moving beside the redhead to help the guy back to his feet. "...I'm gonna also assume we're all going to the same place, yeah? To Professor Oak's lab? Y'all probably have a better idea on where it is than I do..." He added.

[User]
Danny groaned and slowly patted the sand off his clothes, sighing exasperatedly. Welcome to Kanto, he thought to himself as he slowly got back up and pulled the satchel to tighten it on his back. "I'm fine. Thank you, sir," he answered calmly...though Danny's Litwick thought otherwise. Danny was quick enough to realize the rising anger in Inizio, however, and quickly hugged him back up and showed him his Pokéball (which seemed to specially have a lighter coloration than a regular one), quietly threatening to return him back if he misbehaved. They had a lot of time to have to fun around here, but attempt to burn another person or her Joltik was not one of them.

"Well...this is my first time coming to Kanto," Danny admitted while Inizio mumbled to himself - which sounded more like "Lit-lit lit-wi..." Danny ignored the candlestick's complaints, however, and continued. "I'm from Hoenn myself...Slateport, to be exact, though I've been traveling to multiple regions with my family for several years. Got lil' Ini here from a Unova vacation here."

A light nudge quickly got the Litwick to chime it. "Lit-wick!"

Danny nodded and took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm Daniel, though I prefer it if you just call me Danny. And this Litwick here is called Inizio," he introduced. "Why don't we hunt for Professor Oak's lab together? It's probably the large building over there."

[Assistant]
Before she managed to answer Charlie, someone bumped into Aeris, which she didn't notice until Charlie went to help him up. She thought she remembered seeing him on the boat from Unova, especially since she'd probably seen everyone on the boat about a million times while she was bored on the way to Kanto. Can't really be too much all over the place on a boat.

"Hi!" she said enthusiastically to Danny. "I'm Aeris, and this is Lisa." She pointed towards her Joltik who was bouncing happily on top of her head. "Joltik!" she replied when her name was said. She was a little nervous, being around two Fire types, but their trainers were near, so she should be safe.

"I'm on my way to Professor Oak too! I came here with my bestest friend who's around here somewhere..." she said as she skimmed around for her. She was used to Fary being slower than her and taking her time, even though it was booooooring, but that was fine. "We came here to see the Professor together, so she should be able to find her way there." As she said it, though, she spotted her and waved towards her. "Faaaaryyyyyy! Over here!"