[System]
Male
Age 31
Appearance
6'2"
Blue eyes
Long neat blonde hair that reaches down to the shoulders.
Bangs can easily cover his face if Felix doesn't keep them pinned to the side.
Felix has a rugged face with scruffy patchy facial hair (constant five o' clock shadow)
Felix wears glasses only for reading, and heavy arch-mage robes.

This is what Felix basically looks like.
I'm
Magician Savant: Felix is well versed in virtually every magic style the Catholic church is aware of. He is a master of both combat and defensive magic, as well has healing magic. Felix has always been exceptional at magic, to the point of even creating his own spell and combat style.
Manaegis: At the age of twenty he created Manaegis, his flagship ability. Manaegis forces latent mana within the user out into a physical manifestation of a bright blue full suit of armor and a weapon. Both the armor and weapon are essentially weightless, but are slightly stronger than steel.
Manalysis: Due to Felix's mastery and large mana reservoir, he has an ability known as manalysis. Manalysis allows Felix to comprehend mana in a way most people cannot. First off, Felix can physically see the auras of other Talents. These auras each have colors unique to the individual's aura. This color has to do with the type of magic the Talent has a mastery in, as well as their personal morality alignment. The size of the aura is directly correspondent to the size of the Talent's mana well. Manalysis also allows him to feel small shifts within mana waves in the air. Nature exudes its own mana waves, which are disrupted by other mana users who have their own magic wave radiation. Felix is able to feel this discrepancy and interpret use it to sense others. He can use this in combat to predict his enemies moves, as well as out of combat to detect mana users. Manalysis while not rare, is very difficult to master to the degree that Felix has.

Felix also has a mastery of spacial magic allowing him to levitate and teleport on a whim.

Felix was born in New York City, New York. When Felix was an infant, the Catholic magi scouts detected a large amount of mana residing within the Felix's household. Knowing about the newborn and the massive reserves of mana held within him, the scouts approached Felix's parents telling them of the situation. Felix's parents, having seen small displays of magic from Felix decided they were not equipped to raise the child and relinquished the custodial rights to the Catholic Church. Throughout his childhood, he studied and lived at the NYC Catholic cathedral. At around the age of sixteen, he showed such prowess and proficiency with magic, that the NYC cathedral had nothing left to teach him, so he was sent off to the Vatican to learn from the best of the best. After studying at the Vatican, it wasn't long before Felix achieved the status of Arch-mage and earned a seat in the inner council. At the age of twenty Felix developed his own magic style, manaegis. After developing this magic style, he was asked to become an instructor at the Vatican and teach others to master the magic style. This is where he resides to this day.

Armor looks essentially like this
But is completely smooth without bolt marks and bumps, and is also a bit transparent as well with a blue ethereal glow.
The weapon looks like this
but completely blue with the same transparency and ethereal glow as the armor

Felix is headstrong, intelligent, and very wise (although only 31 years old). Felix does his best to be passive, but has no problem fighting if he deems it necessary. Felix hardly ever gets angry, and when he does it is always justified. Stuck in his ways, he can be a little too headstrong. This resulted in him not leaving the Catholic church until recently, even though he knew some of the problems the organization had. Felix loves music, and is very musical himself. He carries with him at all times a Hoener Marineband Special 20 B♭ harmonica. He knows how to play the harmonica, piano, and guitar. As a professor, he is very instructive, and is a great mentor. Felix is very friendly and tends to think of everyone he meets as a friend. Even when Felix has a problem with someone, he will not hold any ill-will toward them.

[User]
"Things are often better when they are make bespoke to you, aren't they?" Nemo commented, sitting back up in the couch inspecting the sword from his seat. "I suppose you might be interested in some of the things in my possession then. My favorite type of weapons to collect are the ones considered to be cursed. I can sort of relate to them in ways. For me they are the closest thing to a companion I could get." Nemo explained. "And without a doubt, this is one of the finest pieces I possess." Nemo said, waving his middle and index fingers in front of him, causing a distortion in the air and spawning a black katana. It floated there for a moment before Nemo extended his right hand out to catch it as it fell.

The first thing to note was that the blade seemed to have it's own magical presence in addition to Nemo's own. It was certainly ominous and dark, matching the color scheme on the sword, which seemed to compliment Nemo's own in a yin yang black and white sort of way. It had a dark iron pommel, black silk wrappings on a rayskin handle with a iron oni caricature ornament, a circular iron tsuba designed to look like a person's head, iron spacers, and a black lacquered saya with a black saego cord.

Nemo gently placed it down on the same table Raiya's sword was on. Compared to Raiya's katana, Nemo's was a shorter standard size. "This is a Sengo Muramasa blade. I won it in a duel long ago, ever since it's been one of my favorites. It's been a match for me, seeing as all of it's 'downsides', uncontrollable blood-lust, and the need to kill after unsheathing the blade have no effect on a anti-magic user such as myself. Regardless, I don't want to disrespect it, every time I do draw it, it's to kill." Nemo finished.

Nemo didn't show the actual blade on the weapon, but anyone who has knowledge on Muramasa's blades would know that it probably has a mirror image hamon, with a shallow valley midereba pattern between a cluster of gunome shapes. And a fish belly tanagobara shaped nakago.

[Assistant]
Travis eyed the chest only briefly to inspect its craftsmanship and structural reliability in deducing its compatibility with his blinding rune. There wasn't much to the simple box Felix himself crafted aside from the noticeable cherry wood construction and glossed coating. While falling short of the artistic standard Travis has assumed, the chest's linear design was practical and was nevertheless sizeable enough for the rune to be inscribed to without compromising its flat image.

"Perfect," announced Travis as he reached into one of his inner trench coat's pockets and produced a large rolled up scroll. Through his own method of casting a levitation art, Travis underhandedly tossed the scroll into the air just as his spell caught it and carefully unwound the page, revealing his complex magic circle, "This may take a few minutes to imprint given that much of the scripting is mainly written in instructional sub-text..."

Manipulating the article so that is floated neatly over the chest, the Unltalent then casted the speel responsible for carrying out the imprinting of the rune. Transparent embers of prism-illuminating colors began to sprout from the top of the chest as Travis commanded it. As the temperature-less fumes scatted across the surface of the chest, so did the glowing threads of the rune soon developing along the paths of each ember. Travis' face remained expressionless as he focused on installing the rune. Small traces of sweat began to appear as he ensured each detail was finely applied to the cherry wood box.

"Almost...there!"

With the rune now completed, the cindering traces that wrote the entire script quickly flickered into nothingness along with the scroll rolling itself back into its condensed form and calling into Travis' hands. The rune itself continued to radiate a stream of light through the crevasses of each finely written detail while pulsating a soft aura around the box. Only for a brief instant did the rune's light aggressively surge outward, expelling with it a loud but localized roar before returning to its passive state again.

"Looks like the rune found and isolated Espial within the chest," explained Travis as he marveled at his creation executing its purpose, "it'll likely do that every time it secures a new Paragon...though I'll admit the process seemed more...belligerent than I had anticipated."

[User]
Felix placed his hand under his chin as he watched the whole spectacle with critical examination. After the whole thing was finished, Travis commented on the process and the comment seemed rhetorical, but Felix extrapolated upon it regardless.

"The violent nature of the paragon suppression is to be expected actually. I was watching the whole thing with manalysis activated. The rune you expertly crafted didn't just simply suppress the Paragon. It quite literally severed the paragon's ley lines, completely cutting the Paragon off from any ethereal interaction." Felix rubbed his chin for a moment, "That... might be a problem." he mumbled under his breath.

Felix took out a piece of parchment and began scrawling a massive numerical equation upon it, upon finishing his writing he paused a moment.

"I have never seen ley lines severed before. In order for an aura to interact with another aura, ley lines are formed bridging the gap between auras. Before mana becomes an aura, it is simply mana energy. Raw mana energy is filtered through our mana wells and then converts into aura mana energy. Er... I suppose filtered isn't the right word. Quite the opposite actually, pure mana energy is diluted in our mana wells. Exactly why this happens is up for debate, but in the Arcanocracy we came to a consensus that it is our souls or our individual spiritual essence that comes in contact with the pure mana energy and then becomes infused and diluted. Pure mana energy needs no ley lines to interact with itself, because pure mana energy is the same substance as... well... itself! In order for an aura to interact with another aura, however, ley lines are established. This isn't something done consciously, rather it is an automatic reaction between two auras. The reason why the reaction was so violent is because Espial's aura was passively interacting with our auras. Which is fine..." Felix explained, "Aura's in close proximity to each other passively interact, it is natural, mana is attracted to other mana regardless of how many additives are mixed in with it. But if the ley lines are severed, that might mean..." Felix paused. He took his glasses off, closing them and placing them down to the left of the parchment in front of him. He closed his eyes and rubbed them in a gesture of deep thought.

"If the ley lines are severed that means the Paragons will become unusable by another aura. The means in-which to interface with the paragon have also been severed." Felix opened the chest and carefully extracted the paragon. With his manalysis he could tell his aura and the aura of the paragon were not interacting at all, but rather it almost seemed like they were repelling each other.

He placed the paragon back down into the compartment and closed the chest. "On one hand, this means the paragons do not need to stay in the chest to be in close proximity to one another. On the other hand, it also means interfacing with the paragons will be impossible until we figure out a way to fix it." Felix explained, "As I've said before, I've never seen ley lines severed before. A ley line isn't something that I thought would even conceptually be sever-able. Who knows, it might just be time sensitive and the paragon without the rune would just naturally reestablish its ability to create ley lines?"

Felix retrieved his glasses and replaced them upon his face. "But that rune! Imagine the applications! Once we figure out how to reestablish ley lines, that rune could be used on a person to prevent them from being psychically tampered with, it could prevent illusions, and every manner of curse in existence!" Felix raised his hands in a grandiose excited manner, "Although," Felix placed his hand back under his chin resuming a state of deep thinking, "someone with this rune on them wouldn't just be immune to curses, they'd be immune to blessings too. A person with this rune wouldn't be able to be healed by other auras or given bolstered strength or any sort of blessing..." Felix resumed his normal composure and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, needless to say, I think it would be best if we did not put any other paragons into this box before we have figured out this ley line conundrum." Felix finished.

---

Raiya gasped, she unconsciously reached her right hand up to her mouth in disbelief.

"How in the blazing hellfire of hades did you get your hands an a Muramasa!?" Raiya exclaimed.

Muramasa's work was one of a kind, ancient, and definitely cursed. Regardless of the curse though, it was said that Muramasa's work was some of the best if not the ultimate best work in terms of tachi smithing rivaled only by Masamune. She'd never seen one of these blades in person, but she knew the Yakuza had at least one in their posession, and it was not ever wielded by anyone, but kept sealed in a box locked away in a vault. The fact that Nemo was in possession of one was frightening to say the least.


[System]
Age: 14

Appearance:

Nationality: German

Personality:
Julia is always serious and determined in her actions, whether it is speaking with brutal honesty or clobbering her enemies until they're wet stains. She loves fighting to an absurd degree, and easily succumbs to her bloodlust, turning into a crazed beast. She hates weak people, civilians and soldiers alike, and doesn't waste any chances at berating them. She is proud of her fighting skills, and loves showing them off whenever she can.

However, despite all her abrasiveness, she has an honorable side to her, and respects others who have proven themselves as capable warriors to her, which is usually when they defeat her or otherwise impress her. Her trust is hard to come by, and she can be argumentative and skeptic about a lot of things. However, deep inside there is a vulnerable side to her that she keeps in check by focusing on her training.

Afflictions: N/A

Wish: "I wish to never stop changing." Julia's wish came from a desire to grow, both physically and mentally as well. It was also affected by her mother's last words to her before she departed: "You have grown up so much, you're turning into a young woman." However, when her wish was granted, she came to realize that even if she would grow her entire life, it would now only happen at an incredibly reduced rate; resulting in her attaining regular height when she would turn old.

Biography: Julia grew up in a pleasant rural village with her parents and big brother Romeo, who was a part of a local gang and respected as one of their best fighters. She looked up to her big brother, and admired him for being strong always there to protect her. Their father however denounced Romeo for his delinquent ways, and forbade Julia from seeing her when she turned 12.

Julia still secretly met with Romeo, and asked him to let her in the gang as well and teach her to fight. He eventually did, and Julia was happier than ever going to their secret meetings and getting to spend more time with him and his "friends", and in time she even developed a tiny precocious crush on him. The gang came to resent Romeo for bringing his meddling sister to the mix, and when a gang war happened he was betrayed and left for dead at the hands of a rival gang known for their ruthlessness.

Julia never truly recovered from what happened to Romeo, but his words of encouragement inspired her to grow stronger so she can protect herself, and not rely on her brother like she used to. Her mother's death only encouraged this, and when Kyubey walked in on her life, she already had her wish in mind. Soon after, she moved to Poland with her father to escape from the gang violence that enveloped their village, and settled on Danzig.

Skills: Julia is physically fit, and has some skill in most sports and physical activities. She also has experience in travelling, and so has some knowledge in basic survival.

Threads of Fate: 7(+0)

Magical Weapon: Julia uses an over-sized hammer that she wields with great strength, using it's weight to smash her enemies. Julia can also ignite the small motor on either side of the hammer, causing it to make a small explosion when it lands a hit.

Experience: 4

Magical Ability:
(Core)
Skull Barrier:
Julia generates a spherical barrier in the shape of a cartoon-stylized skull reminiscent of her old gang's symbol. They protect from physical and magical harm in the immediate vicinity of the area the spell was cast in, usually as a personal shield around the user. They form instantly either around her or an external target that is within reach. The barrier can either be formed with a set amount of magical power that shatters when it's damage threshold is reached, or a continuous one that drains Julia for as long as it's active.

(Secondary)
Rallying Point:
Julia can plant a hammer at a location and use it to remotely set up a barrier at will. However, the hammer is consumed in the process, and the barriers are weaker in strength than those personally created by her.

(Secondary)
Stunt Jump:
Julia creates a barrier under her feet in midair that she can use as a physical platform and jump out of, granting her some degree of aerial mobility.

(Secondary)
Homerun:
Julia creates a smaller barrier that she launches as a magical projectile using a swing of her hammer, like a golf ball. Barriers generated in this manner can be destroyed with less power than defensive barriers.

Signature and Finisher: N/A

██████: 18%(+???)

[User]
MARY BETH
Abyss-Shattering Confections of Surtr's Eye

Eyes glinting with a new, feral light, Mary looked to the small girl who had appeared before her, emerging from a rip in the fabric of the 「World」 itself. The simple scan of her eyes told the confectioner enough. Clearly, the existence before her had undergone a tremendous struggle, not far distinct from the great 「Three Calamities」 and 「Nine Tribulations」 that those who trod the path towards 「Eternity」 necessarily faced. Barely escaping with the threads of her severed soul intact, barely having fallen short of that grand apotheosis in which one is made symmetrical above the flesh, she had arrived here.

"Gahaha! Within my mind is that transcendent 「World」 that sees all in this reality! Should you require my consultation, simply ask!" Roaring with raucous laughter as she tilted her head back, Mary spoke up in reply. As she did, though, her hands moved with a surprising quickness to snatch the coins up and pass forwards a small box of caramels. Truly, this was the essence of a thrifty businessperson. "It is, after all, the duty of I, the 「Blue-Gilded Prophetic Gateway Into the Heart of a False God」, to aid my sidekicks when they require it! Otherwise, how could I ever call myself the heir to the 「Legacy of the Raging Aether」?"

In what was likely something to be thankful for, it didn't seem that the surrounding individuals took particular note of Mary's overly loud and ostentatious miniature tirade. This could probably be attributed to the fact that, among the din of the parade, her voice was drowned out at a distance, coupled with the fact that many who were listening had probably gotten used to her manner of speech by now. In that sense, this was the best possible vein in which to speak of things that should not exist in the world; if everything said would be dismissed as "Mary's eccentricies", nobody would think anything of it, in contrast to how whispers being traded in a secret location would be perceived.

The candy was a bonus.

[Assistant]
Kei Wentz
For the first few seconds, Kei listened to Mary's voice without actually hearing the meaning in her introduction. She held face, keeping herself as presentable in her assigned role as possible, but a little tug warmed up the edges of an unborn smile. People weren't even staring, at least any more than they would the usual cackling teenager in a dress. Damn, this girl is good. She's still got the knack, every bit of it. It was a strange thing to listen to, but Kei had almost forgotten just how fluid Mary was at doing her thing. Whatever it is she was actually saying, the aura was perfect and she didn't miss a single beat.

The effect lingered long enough for Kei to stumble in preparing some way to respond. She blinked back into awareness and rested the box in her hands, then pocketed it with a slight fidget, buying herself not only melted sugar but a precious extra second to try and fit her thoughts into the conversation. She didn't want to break Mary's flow. "I've uncovered something that I think you can guide me on, while I was travellin- traversing the shaded lanes," she opened, flickering her gaze down the main street and hoping that she'd piqued Mary's curiousity without sounding too, well, weird. "I looked, and beheld two girls in flight, both blessed with a magic light-" That really wasn't meant to rhyme, whoops, damnit, should've used 'glow'- "And they were strangers to me. They were together treading the familiar ground to the place where witches dwell, but I had never shared their footprints before, or, ah, seen them, other than in one thing: The lead girl wore a scarlet coat made in the very image of the Heir." Shit, were they looking at her?

Kei decided to cut herself off there. Instead she lifted her palms to her shoulders and pointed to Mary, then gave a cramped, questioning little shrug. Her confidence was trailing off the longer she kept it up, and it would be awkward to whisper. I swear this chick has a degree. In theatre. From somewhere.

Maybe it would be better to just hand over the reins completely than try to eke out information. Mary was always ready to receive them, anyway. "That's the story, Heir to the Legacy. What do you propose I-We do to find out who these are?"

[User]
In an instant, the destinies of several warriors lying separated by the Threads of Fate come together around a single person. All at once, the Magical Girls of the city of Danzig converge on Minerva's location, drawn there by the scent of fresh prey. As absurd as it might sound on paper, a large number of people were already gathered around for the parade, so it's only natural that both Magical Girls and Witches too would be drawn to the scene.

Kyubey blinks and looks over at Minerva's face, which was distracted by attention to her work. I should say... as expected, right?

---Minerva

"Hmm?" Minnie looks over at Kyubey on her shoulder, her look quietly questioning. To this, he just blinks and says something that sent a jolt of surprise through the girl he was currently riding. "The others are coming, too. It seems they caught the scent of the Witch."

"Others," she asks sharply. "You mean other Magical Girls? Well, I guess it's natural that it wouldn't be just me..." She looked visibly troubled by something, but that expression quickly changes as she alters her strategy. Having transformed in the span of time before Kyubey's remark, she abruptly stops in her tracks and looks backwards to where the girls would have to be coming from. In the corner of her mind, she marks the direction of the Witch's movements, mentally noting where it seemed to be headed.

As she stands there waiting for the other girls to arrive, she didn't need to wait long. In less than ten seconds, another girl approaches, fiercely dashing towards her.

"Good morning," Minerva calls out as the girl approaches, slightly raising her hands in a non-confrontational manner. She was in her transformed state, with a syringe at her side filled with a clear pink liquid. "I guess I wasn't the only one to smell this prey, huh?" Her appearance and tone were both pleasant and welcoming, without a hint of aggression. The look in her eyes was a mix of curiosity, and perhaps mild surprise.

"Kyubey didn't tell me there were any other girls in this area. But... well, it seems like there are more than just you." Her eyes drift over the girl's shoulder and, after a moment, another girl enters her field of vision. Smiling at the newcomer, she returns her gaze to the first girl, giving a slight frown. "I suppose we ought not to stand around like this. It's getting away."

She waits for the others to respond. No use making enemies this early... and I don't really know how Magical Girls are supposed to treat each other.

---Witch(???)

The Witch, sensing its pursuit slowing, slowed its own escape in turn. The outer wall of its barrier was thin, unusually so, and the inside was far less spacious than other Witches.

In fact, it wasn't even a Witch at all. That was just a misunderstanding. No, this monster was something much more frightening.

It was a familiar.

[Assistant]
A flash of red streaked through the alleyways and empty streets of Danzig as Julia took the most direct approach towards her target, her feet skipping on the ground at abnormal speed. It was then that she realized she left Yuniko behind; she must be wondering where she has gone to by now. "I'll just make this quick then. No need to keep her waiting." She did notice that she was spotted, but she didn't recognize her as one of the magical girls she has seen roaming about since her arrival in in the city. There weren't many who survived for longer than a few months, so any that she could remember were usually experienced ones, sometimes even more so than herself, which was definitely uncommon.

She turned a corner and skid to a stop using tiny momentum-stopping barriers at her feet. She planned to cut off her mark at the alley as usual, but her eyes sharpened reflexively at the sight of the magical girl, especially once she caught the syringe she held on her person. The crimson girl held her arm out in preparation for using a barrier to deflect any attacks that she may have prepared in advance, but none came; instead the girl gave her a friendly greeting. Julia didn't recognize the girl from anywhere, so she must have either arrived recently in the city, or was a complete newbie. The slightly tense situation caused the red-headed girl to grin in enjoyment as she put her hands to her hips and slowly walked towards her; she decided to put on a non-hostile appearance herself, but her hands were still slightly cupped out of habit.

"That seems to be the case. Hmmm, haven't seen you around here before...you're fresh meat, aren't you?" She stopped halfway through the alley. She was about to say something else when Yuniko reached the two of them. She raised an arm to greet her friend without letting her gaze off the syringe girl before her. Yo, Yuni! Didn't mean to keep you hanging! I wanted to quickly snatch a greasy, but got sidetracked by this rookie."
She cleared her throat after listening to her again. "Yeah, it's getting away because of you! Now listen up. I smelled the prey first, so it's ours to hunt. You got a problem with that, you can take it up with me. Not that I would want to waste my time on a newly-hatched chick." She bared her teeth, summoned her hammer, and hoisted it on her shoulder in an attempt to intimidate the younger girl. "You better decide quickly, or there's going to be a spanking."


[System]
Age: 17

Gender: Male

Hero/Villain name: Speedy

Good or Evil?: Good

Origin/backstory: Blah, blah, blah, parents died...
Blah, blah, blah, inherited lots of money...
Blah, blah, blah, trained a lot...
Blah, blah, blah, hunted down Green Arrow to show him his skill...
Blah, Blah, Blah, Green Arrow was impressed, and took him on as his partner...
Boom, Speedy was born.

Height:5'11"

Pets:None

Powers/skills/abilities/weapons: NO POWERS, BOI. INCREDIBLE MARKSMANSHIP, TRAINED IN HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT, HAS SOME LEVEL OF STEALTH

Bow and arrow, lots of trick arrows to use in his arsenal.

Job (if any): No

Mentor: Green Arrow

Home Planet: Earth

Personality:BJKASUDBASUKDBAJKD

Weakness: Rat poison, short-tempered.

Strengths: I'm tired of this, go look above, you wimp.

Looks:

Crush/gf/bf/spouse: ;)

Team affiliation: None

Family (if important): ;_;

Anything you'd like to add?: ;_;

Other: I love myself. I always look sexier den a mug.

[User] Zatanna smirked at Kid Flash's enthusiasm. She found the bunch rather enjoyable to be around, despite Speedy's obvious grumpiness. Her eyebrows rose at the archer's sudden outburst. Her opinion was a bit strained with his statement. Sure, her father often treated her like a little girl but she was here, wasn't she? It was a small sign that he trusted that she could handle it. "Please, let's not jump to conclusions," she stated, removing her top hat and placing it on the armrest of the chair. "We just need patience. I'm sure the league will come to allow us in sooner or later." Zatanna thought Roy was being too unrational about their situation, he just needed a moment to calm down and think.

[Assistant]
Koriand'r was not a specifically easy opponent. She was a trained warrior with capabilities no human man could dream of. Once she was surrounded she took flight, taking into the air and holding out her arm as she prepared to use her a starbolt. She tried to give what she assumed would be a useless declaration of peace." Ruth'bargtar! Komolin'dar!" She shouted as her hand began to glow it's telltale pink.
Her enemies however did not back down, and she blasted one with a hot starbolt. Another gripped her ankle midflight and dragged her around and slammed her into the ground.
For a moment she did not move, instead anger flooded her body and she shot into the beast fist first. She cursed in Tamaranian, not wishing to bring harm to the creatures she did not recognize. But they had first attacked her, so naturally she had no option.
Her voice was much more serious, dangerous even." Ruth'bargtar! Komolin'dar." But they did not seem to stop but she opted not to blast with her starbolts again. The angered alien teenager took flight again, speeding off, leaving behind a trail of light that lasted only a few seconds behind her. She glanced over her shoulder for only a moment before her hallway ended and she slammed into the wall at a high speed. Flying indoors was not particularly safe for a disoriented teenager, so through the wall she went. She bounced at first hitting the floor and skidding some distance. She skid across the room and into the next wall, leaving a good dent but not enough to go through it.
She groaned and attempted to stand from her indent but found it rather difficult to do so. As another small group of genomorph's approached she let out an angry call, raising her hand and shooting out another hot starbolt, already getting drained.

[User]
"Yeah I here you loud and clear," Deadshot answered Ravager as he was dressed up as a police officer as he walked out security room. "Everything all set, but there maybe a problem here something is going downstairs and something tells me it's not friendly," Deadshot said as into his earpiece as he took one more look at the footage of Starfire fighting Genomorphs and closed the door behind him. "I'm going to get changed now so if were going to do this mission we best start doing it soon. as he walked down the hall and went into the janitor's room to grab out a bag filled with weapons and his coustume.

--------------------------

"But why do you say that they have to trust us come on Speedy we known each other for years even though this HQ is not as big as we thought it to be it's still not that bad i bet you we'll get are moment to shine soon enough," Kid Flash tried to convince his friend from not leaving even putting his hand oh is shoulder as he tried to smile to lighten the mood.

[Assistant]
Speedy thought about opening his mouth to explain that the Hall of Justice was just a forefront for tourists, but, with the way they were reacting to everything, it wouldn't change things, even if he told them. "Waiting, waiting, waiting, that's all I've been doing for the past three years!" He angrily responded to just about everyone, as he shoved Kid Flash's hand off of him. "I'm a hero, and I don't need people like the League pushing me back, cutting me off from the real deal, as they tell me, when to go, how to go, where to go, and why not to go, with little to no reason. If this is how they're going to treat us, It's clear to me I'd be better off on my own." He angrily explained, as he shoved his way past Robin and Kid Flash, exiting out of the room without another word.

Robin's mouth gaped open, as he simply stood there, staring at the place where Speedy just was. 'He's not right, is he?' The thought floated through his head. The Boy Wonder had no idea Speedy even felt this way, as it was clear he'd had this anger and frustration bent up inside of him for quite some time, they all did. Robin wondered, just how close was everyone else to going off the edge, leaving for good, how close was he? Not even the young detective knew the answer.

Suddenly, the computer started giving off an alarm, as the monitor quickly flashed on to reveal Superman himself. "Superman to Justice League," he called out for the team.

Suddenly, Batman, followed by the rest of the Leaguers, flooded back out into the library, as they heard Superman's distress signal. They all looked on at the monitor, up at Superman, waiting to hear his report, as they basically all ignored the younger kids.

"I've got a report that there was an explosion in one of the labs at Lexcorp, it's started a fire." He explained.

"This may present the perfect opportunity to-" Batman was suddenly cut off, as another alarm went off. Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, appeared in the corner of the screen, in a small window, covering up most of Superman's right chest.

"Green Lantern to Justice League, the sorcerer Wotan is using the Amulet of Aten to blot out the sun. Requesting full League response." Jordan relayed his own predicament.

There was a small pause, as Batman turned over to Superman's portion of the screen, "Superman?"

"It's reported to be a small fire, Luthor's already taking all of the proper procedures to get it under control, and everyone to safety. It should be under control." Superman reasoned.

"Then we'll take care of the bigger threat." Batman told Superman, along with the Leaguers beside him. He walked over to the computer, as he held in a single key on the keyboard. "All Leaguers rendezvous at Hal Jordan's coordinates, Batman out." The message was sent out to every member of the Justice League, across the globe. He took his finger off of the button, as he turned to face the sidekicks.

"Sounds like you guys could use all the hands you can get; wherever you want us, Batman." Robin took center-stage, in front of the group, as he tried to stay as emotionless as possible; this was the bigger problem to solve, with or without Speedy.

"Wait, where's Roy?" Green Arrow questioned the group, only now noticing his disappearance.

"He-" Robin almost whispered, as Batman quickly cut him off.

The Dark Knight squinted in agitation, as he stared down at Speedy's hat, lying on the floor, forgotten by its' owner. "We'll discuss it later. Right now, this mission requires the full attention of all League members. For now, you four need to stay put." Batman gave a nod to Green Arrow, before giving a look to each and every one of the teens.

Robin clenched his fists angrily, but rested them soon after, as he let out a sigh.

"Stay put." Batman said it once more, quieter, as it seemed to be directed more to his own sidekick. With this, Batman led the Justice League members back into the restricted room, as they prepared to use a zeta beam to quickly travel to Lantern's location.

 Once again, the teens were left alone.

[User]
Zatanna opened her mouth to say something in retort to Roy's words but she just slowly closed it. With why angry and frustrated he was, she saw no point in actually trying to argue with him. The girl just frowned and crossed her arms. She watched the ginger leave before she let out a heavy sigh. That's when the alarm went off. Zatanna stood up in reaction, her eyes darting towards the screen. Just the exchange of the Leaguers' words filled her with excitement, though she didn't show it. Perhaps this would be an opportunity for the younger ones to go on a mission!
But, it was not meant to be. Zatanna just look away from the group, hugging her arms. As soon as the Justice League left the room and the teens were alone, the black-haired beauty returned her gaze back to the others. "Are we actually going to stay put?" She questioned.

[Assistant]
"Why blot out the sun?" Donna questioned to herself softly. She didn't understand why someone would want to destroy a whole planet. Like Robin, Donna assumed they would be going on the mission with the League, but she was wrong. Batman simply have them a chilling order and left.

"I suppose this is what we asked for," Donna sighed, "They did not bring us as their sidekicks."

Donna then considered Zatanna's question. Batman wanted them to stay in the Hall, but they were heroes now, not sidekicks. "There was a fire at Lex Corp," Donna pointed out, "Perhaps our assistance would be welcomed?"

[User] Before Kid Flash cold say another word to his friend it was already to late Roy left. "How could they just leave us today was the day," Kid flash bent over as he began making circle motions on the ground with is finger. probably upset because he lost a friend and he doesn't get to be a Justice League member and the worst part of it all Roy might have been right. Kid Flash heard what the beautiful magician and amazon girl said "Yeah we should totally go check out that fire the bound to be something there right?" Kid flash said as he turned towards. "It's time for us to be hero's and this could give us the respect that we deserve what do you say Robin?" Kid Flash looked over towards Robin to see what he would say after all the man who told them to stay put was Robin's mentor.

[Assistant]
"Please, everyone, remain calm." A security officer asked off Bane's tour group, as he stood in front of them, blocking them from proceeding any farther.

"Mm, I have problems here too, friends." Bane whispered in response to Deadshot's comments, as he slowly started to back away, distancing himself from the rest of the group. He guided himself along the wall, searching for a door, any door, for him to slip into, and disappear.

"There's been a small explosion in one of our labs upstairs, for your safety, I'm going to have to ask the lot of you to exit the building as soon as possible. Your money for the tours will be refunded if desired, just check with the guys out front." The guard explained to the group, as he pointed back to the way they came, where there were a number of exits for them to disperse from. His eyes suddenly diverted over to the suspicious hooded man. "Hey, you!" He called out angrily, as he watched Bane go in an opposite direction from everyone else. "Where do you think you're going!?" The security guard stormed over to Bane, as he grabbed onto his shoulder.

Bane sighed angrily, as he was just about to slip away through a door too. He stood there, still, as he carefully contemplated his next move. If he went all out, berserk, with this many people around, the Justice League could be called in, and that was the last thing they wanted. But, at the same time, he had a job to finish.

"Just hang on right here, buddy." The security guard ordered, as he leaned down to the walkie-talkie clipped onto his shirt. "Yeah, Troy, we got a wanderer down here. Can you come down and escort him out? I have to finish up evacuating the rest of the civilians."

"You don't want to do that, little guy." Bane said in a very threatening tone, as he looked over his shoulder, casting a furious glance at the guard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ravager continued to watch Lex's every move, as he watched the businessman fumble around, angry and stressful. "He's distracted; he won't be at the top of his game if we hit him now." Ravager relayed to the rest of the team, as he sat up for a moment, fumbling through his duffelbag. "Keep moving, Deadshot; find the Blockbuster." Finally, Ravager pulled out an enormous rocket launched, as he hoisted it over his shoulder, and carefully aimed the weapon at Lex's office, well, more specifically, at Lex.


[System]
Nickname: She's had a few nicknames, but most of them have been not too flattering, so she left them behind when she went to join the Devil Runners.

Age: 29

Personality:
People person - Vadri has always had someone there with her, from siblings to squad mates, and even now prefers to have others around her.
Open minded - Knows that not everything is black and white, and tried to see things from others view before jumping to conclusions.
Calm and controlled - The battlefield is not somewhere to lose your cool, and Vadri knows this. She keeps a level head in even the worst situations.
Listener - Vadri enjoys listening to others, no matter if it's normal talking, ranting about something they don't like or being someone to confide in.

Background: Vadri wasn't born on Enoh, instead raised light years away with her family of seven, both parents, two older brothers and a younger brother and sister. When the older brothers and herself were old enough, all three of them joined up with the planetary army as their father had, sticking close. Of the three of them, Vadri inherited their father's old M72 rifle that he had used during his army years. She was often referred to as the squads unofficial counselor. Once their time was over, Vadri went home, joining the local police and quickly being admitted into a SWAT team, putting her training to good use. Several years later, a request for aid from Enoh against the underground Mafia had her volunteering quickly. She was quickly packed up, shipped out, grouped into a squad and tossed into the fray, helping take over Mafia holdings. She was on the planet for less than a week before the Wormhole collapsed, leaving her and her team without radio in one of the deepest parts of the slums. As all order collapsed, the group decided to follow the example of a lot of other trained groups, forming their own mercenary team. Vadri stayed with them for almost an entire year, but when they decided to partner up with the new Mafia, she had had enough. Grabbing some supplies and as much ammunition as she could fit in her armor pouches, she slipped off during her perimeter patrol and made for the closest settlement with the intention of finding and joining the Devil Runners group she had heard of.

Pros: Weapons expert - Between military training, SWAT team exercises and personal time in firing ranges, she is capable of using most weaponry proficiently, preferring Assault rifles and LMGs.
Loyal - Vadri will rarely waver from her chosen course or group, staying with them long after others might have run.

Quirks: Follower - As a middle child and a soldier, she's always been one to follow orders, not give them. She has no experience at leading, nor a drive to, so she relies on others for direction.
Unfamiliar - Not having any previous knowledge of the planet, Vadri has no idea where things are or what places to avoid.
Predictable - Anyone that knows her can probably tell you what she is going to do before she even knows.

Habits: Helping out - Vadri is always doing something when she can, from helping repair something to talking to locals about what needs to be done. This goes

Equipment: Full body combat armor, the helmet has filtration, but other features are inoperable.

-variable scope (2x and 4x)
-60 round magazine
-single, burst and full-auto firing modes
Combat knife

Motto: "You don't have me surrounded, I'm just in a target rich environment."

Relations!(finally)

Ashur "Loki" Lean - Decent enough leader, a little crazy but not too much it interferes with her leadership. Can't say I'm a fan of what she does to some of the bodies though.

Rue "Newt" Oxton - Small, young and curious, she has a tendency to get her hands on everything. Initially, it seemed that she tried to annoy me, but as someone with 4 siblings, she didn't even come close. Pretty decent person to talk to though.

Klaus "Speed" Tallen - A loner, keeps to himself and his art. Which, by the way, is actually pretty good. Don't get to talk much though, so can't say much personally.

Sidney "Boomer" Cornell - Had this been in the military, I'd have tried to have her sent back to basics. She might be excellent in her field, but her habit of blowing things up is a serious concern. Outside of that, she's actually quite a nice person to talk to.

John "Teach" Louis - Ahhhh, Teach. Like my old drill sergeant, he usually opens his mouth to yell at you. Well, mostly the others, he doesn't seem to mind me too much. Still, he usually had a good reason to yell at you when he does, seeing as he seems to think a lot more clearly than most of the group.

Kian "Deadeye" Dresden - I actually wasn't sure if an optimist could have survived this long. In any case, seeing as he's not full of the usual doom-and-gloom most people on this planet is, he's quite good to talk to, and his accuracy is definitely appreciated on the field.

Russel "Doc" Rudolf - I can't say I've ever liked doctors. Even less so when they have shaky hands, seems to talk to himself whenever he's left alone and just doesn't seem like he's not all there even when working. Let's just say I'm happy about my armor.

Liam "Grim" Carter - Kinda an ass, but seems to leave me out of most of it. Not sure why, but I'm not complaining. In any case, he's good in a fight and can hold his own against most things, so I don't have any real opinion about him.

Konstantin "Flamel" Prohászka - When it comes to people, he actually is pretty decent, seems to like to keep those he likes close. Outside of that, though? Chem addict, inability to keep still, fear of the sun, obsession with blood while also avoiding fights. I try to stay nice, but I've never had the urge to take someones fingers off because they wouldn't stop tapping before him.

[User]
Going on a mission without Doc... sure... we'll see how this works... should be interesting... if not slightly worrisome.

Klaus had this thought swirling around in his head as he gathered everything he'd need, having noticed the missing person in the flurry of movement. He tried to focus on the automation of getting his things, having passed out whilst fully dressed the night before.

Fastening his quiver to his back, he meandered over to the chest underneath his bed, opening it. He slipped his golden lighter into one of his many pockets, quickly followed by his usual pack of smokes. He was about to grab the flask buried at the bottom but paused, thinking about it for a few minutes.

Eh... headache is barely even there... He admitted to himself, grabbing the flask and slipping it into the inside of his jacket. He then grabbed the swiss army knife, the familiar weight making him feel a bit lighter. Slipping it into his boot, he closed the chest before standing.

He put on his hood as he walked over to the others, snatching his bow off a nearby table. Oh my love, how I adore you. He internally cooed to his bow, gently slipping it over his head so that it rested over his chest for easy grabbings.

Standing by the others ready to go, his content smile turned into a small frown when he noticed who was missing. Shit... There was no doc.

Devil's Runners

I've got a bad feeling about this... He admitted to himself, fingers lightly twitching in an urge to grip onto his bow. He was towards the back to provide support in case something went down so he'd be able to draw his weapon rather quickly before anyone really noticed. But, the last thing he wanted was to show hostility towards the already hostile-looking people. Especially if they weren't even going to do anything. His eyes flickered to everyone else, wondering if they also felt the kind of tension in the air.

But, regardless, they made it to the collapsed tunnels. He looked around with a somewhat bored expression, a usual for him. Bouncing lightly on the heels of his boot, he looked around casually.

"Great. Let's take look around and see what we can find. Newt, I hope you have the flashlights that I asked for." Those words drew his attention, eyes flickering over to the others.

"Shh. Wanna buy some torches?" He saw Newt whisper conspiratorially, looking quite shady as she opened her coat to reveal flashlights. He felt a sense of deja-vu but didn't linger on it for too long, wandering over.

"Don't mind if I do." Klaus said with a small smile, grabbing one of the flashlights. Tossing it up in the air and catching it, he gave a pleased grunt. He proceeded to do this while walking away, glad to have both light and something to entertain himself with.

[Assistant]
Liam gave a slight nod as he walked back to his bed. This will be fine, it should be absolutely fine. I can handle it. I've done it before. He thought to himself, as his mind was brought back to his mother telling him the only way to overcome your fears is face them as often as you can. Too bad I couldn't face my father and her eh, by her logic things would've been soo much fucking easier. He thought as a small smile crossed his face.

Liam never understood the people who believed that doing the thing you fear the most would help you lose your fear of it. Sure, some times it worked but most of the time? You'd be better off trying to make a pig fly. But none of this mattered now, all that mattered was the mission, and whether or not he liked it he knew that it had to be completed. With a sigh he strapped his sword to his hip and his slung his gun holsters over his shoulders and looked at the small mirror on his bedside table. "Jesus mate, you're looking uglier than normal." He chuckled as he put his helmet on and walked out to meet the rest of the group.

****

After walking for what seemed to be an eternity, finally the group arrived at Nairvalle. Liam watched as the guards shined their flashlights and aimed their guns at them. For a quick moment, Liam felt so tempted to just fire a shot off right next to them. Sure, they might've opened fire but not before shitting themselves. And its not like they would stand a chance. He chuckled at the thought as the guards realised who the group was and escorted them to the mayor of the town.

Liam took the place in. He loved it all, the sounds, the smells the buildings, It was easy to disappear in places like this. It was easier to make OTHER people disappear. "If there were ever a more perfect hunting ground..." Liam said as his voice trailed off. As the mayor began walking towards the collapsed tunnels, Liam noticed two of the men escorting them were looking at him in disgust. At first Liam thought they were looking at Newt or Teach, but as they moved further along Liam realized they were staring right at him.

"Huh..." He mumbled as they walked. Liam doesn't remember ever being to this place, let alone doing something to piss off these two guys. Liam cracked a wicked smile behind his mask as he suddenly snapped his towards one of the guards, making the man jump. Liam cocked his head to right as he stared at the man. After 3 seconds the man slowly backed away and joined up with the rest of the escort. As he walked up to join the rest of them Liam let out a soft chuckle. Liam had to admit, He loved the fear most people felt when he wore the mask. Liam knew for a fact that if he wasn't wearing he would probably get socked in the jaw if he tried acting intimidating.

I wonder if Teach could make a voice distorter. That would be the icing on the fucking cake. He thought as he laughed out loud. His laughing suddenly stopped as the reached the collapsed tunnel. "Fuck me..." He whispered as he stared at the tunnel.

"Great. Let's take look around and see what we can find. Newt, I hope you have the flashlights that I asked for."

"Shh. Wanna buy some torches?"

"Yeah..I'll take one please and thank you." he said as he took one from her. Liam clicked the switch on and shined his light on the wreckage in front of him. He noticed Klaus walking away and decided he would stick with him.

"Hey...hope you don't mind if I tag along." he said as he jogged up beside him and cracked a nervous smile. Not that Klaus could see it. Thank god.

[User]
Heading back to her resting place, Vadri quickly emptied most of her ammo pouches, probably leaving a good 40 pounds behind as she returned to the main area for their departure. She didn't like leaving so much behind, but if they were going to be hauling freight than she wasn't going to slow herself down too much carrying it all. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into too much resistance on the way there. Once she returned, she took her position up wordlessly. While she had to admit that this might not have been the preferred job, at the very least they would be assisting out the survival of a settlement until they managed to clear out the path for trade to continue once more. Once Loki returned, Vardi followed behind her as the group made their way to Nairvalle.

Once the group had arrived at the blockage, it became obvious that it wasn't something minor. After a few moments of silence, she looked over to Sidney. "Sorry to say, but I don't think you'd have enough explosives on you to put too much of a dent in this. Might make it easier to clear out the smaller pieces, but it might also just bring down a whole lot more on the worker's heads." She said before glancing over to Newt as she offered the torches. She smiled a little at the girl's antics before taking a torch for herself, saying a quick thank you before turning her attention to Loki.

"Well, what's the plan? A few heavy crates to lug through the maze of dark tunnels, so we'll need something to go off of until we get to another main passage that leads to the destination."


[System]
Age: 36

Race: Caucasian

Sex: M

Skills: Medicine and Botany/Hydroponics. Formally educated in The Institute so has a wide breadth of knowledge for various Bioscience topics (chemistry, genetics etc.)

Personality: Generally reserved and not too keen on getting close to people. Mostly because he's afraid they'll discover his past and associations. He is generally friendly and polite however, and usually very willing to help. Like many in The Institute he's very analytical and also maladjusted when it comes to wasteland living.

Weapons & armor/clothing: Has a well-worn hazmat suit that he uses to traverse the wasteland. Normally however, he can usually be found wearing a Vault-Tec doctor's lab coat taken from Vault 88. He also wears a pair of eyeglasses, which he is virtually blind without.

For self defense, he carries around an Institute laser pistol, which he claims he scavenged off a destroyed synth, but was in fact his own personal firearm while he lived in The Institute. Which he never needed to use until recently.

(Previous) Occupation(s): Institute Bioscientist

Faction (Minutemen, Institute, BOS, Railroad, None. Etc): The Institute. Occasionally, he still sends and receives coded radio messages to friends, family, and colleagues in Vault 88. But only rarely, given the considerable risk involved for both parties.

Backstory: Arthur was born and raised in The Institute and like most there, never saw the surface, having spent his whole life within its sealed environment. As a child, he was raised on the notion that the surface was a horrifying place: a nightmare realm full of mutated monsters and savage raiders. An idea which stuck with him well into adulthood.

After receiving his doctorate, he entered The Institute's Bioscience division where he served as a medical assistant for some time before jumping from project to project in various research roles. Eventually however, he was pulled into a top secret classified project within Bioscience after having been highly recommended by his superiors. He started work in the FEV Lab immediately.

Arthur was a part of the FEV Program for years, working very closely with his good friend and colleague Dr. Brian Virgil, and for years he experimented on wasteland test subjects. Injecting them with the modified variants of the Forced Evolutionary Virus and analyzing the results. Subjects that successfully transformed would typically be tagged and released back out into the wasteland. Those that did not, were terminated on the spot.

For years, Arthur never questioned his work. Many of the test subjects that were brought in were raiders, mercenaries, brutes, junkies, and savages. People who behaved as less than animals. All of these served to confirm his beliefs that the surface was a brutal, monstrous place. Experimenting on them for the betterment of science and even releasing them back to the surface, therefore, made perfect sense. After all, monsters belong where monsters live.

Every so often however, an individual would be brought in which didn't meet this profile. They were scared, no petrified even, of him. And they certainly didn't look like brutish savages. But they too would be used and then disposed. He initially justified this with his belief that even if rare exceptions occurred, the surface was still a terrible place where the weak would eventually be killed, tortured, or eaten. If anything, turning them would help them to survive in the brutal animalistic world they had to live in. And once they were turned, there was no going back anyway. And monsters belong where monsters live.

As the frequency of these 'exceptions' continued without noticeable change however, his doubts soon began to gnaw at him. They grew constantly, until it became an ulcer in his life. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and confided in his colleague, Dr. Virgil, that he was having doubts about the program and his role in it. Far from giving him the solace and reassurance he wanted however, Virgil told him that his feelings were the same and that he felt the project was both useless and deeply wrong. Together, they penned a formal letter of protest to The Director and requested the project be shut down, but it was summarily rejected.

Unsure of what to do next, and unwilling to continue their work, Virgil proposed a radical idea to Arthur. Sabotage. He made his intentions known that he planned to destroy the lab and escape The Institute if he had to, and he asked his friend to join him, knowing full well it might mean both of their deaths, but convinced that it had to be done. Arthur was shocked and terrified of the idea of leaving The Institute to live up top. Despite his misgivings about the project, he was still mortally fearful of anything above ground, and nightmares he'd had as a child about horrible things crawling around in the world above him crept back into his memory.

Arthur asked Virgil to give him a night to think about it, and they both agreed to discuss it the next morning. As Arthur lay awake in his bed however, his fear grew. Fear of being exiled and fear of what awaited him on the surface. His cowardice got the better of him, and he broke down. In the middle of the night, he reported Virgil to the SRB.

While Arthur waited in his apartment quietly, Coursers stormed Virgil's residence. They did not find him there. A second group had moved to secure the FEV Lab, and there Dr. Virgil was found, alone, at the lab. Arthur never fully learned what transpired there that night. But from what he understood, Virgil had been up making preparations for their departure, in anticipation of his friend agreeing to join him. The lab had apparently been completely destroyed and rendered useless in the scuffle. He never saw Dr. Virgil again.

Guilt ridden at what he'd done. Both to his friend and in his work on the FEV project, Arthur requested medical leave from The Directorate, which he was granted under the circumstances. The ensuing days became a blur for him. And when The Institute was destroyed by an act of an outsider, The Director's own father it seemed, Arthur made little protest or show of grief. Unlike most of his colleagues, he understood the reasons why this had happened.

When The Institute relocated to Vault 88, alive but resource strapped, and began the process of rebuilding. Arthur stayed for only a short while, before gathering what material possessions he owned, saying his goodbyes, and leaving. He journeyed out into the wasteland, fully expecting to die. But he knew he had to do it. After all, monsters belong where monsters live.

By some twist of fate though, he did not die. Instead he began roving from settlement to settlement and plying his services as a wandering physician, only asking for food, water, or a bed in return. In more than one instance, he had rather close encounters with the mutated monsters he'd helped to unleash. His own terrible creations. And in a few horrifying moments, he thought he recognized some of them.

Now Arthur's wanderings have led him north to Salem. The quiet ruins of the seaside town has attracted his attention and hope that perhaps he can find a measure of peace here. Although he rather doubts it.

[User]
Rick Noel - Salem - Mid-Afternoon

"That wasn't Latin, Rick", Mary replied amusedly, "I've heard missionaries from the "Abbey of the Road" saying their prayers in Latin, and that sounded nothing like those two." she then added, "They are probably Tribals speaking some made up language."

*Some surface dwellers developed their own language? I find it hard to believe, they aren't that sophisticated, plus I dont remember seeing any reports of there being such a case. Then again there was much that their reports missed...like the intentions of the devil that destroyed the institute.* He looked at mary and shrugged his shoulder's, "That could be so."

He drank the last of his milk, and he felt stuffed. "Like I had said earlier, I don't really know much latin just a tad but, and mostly of scientific terms. Some of the scient... some of the people I know, knew a bit for their resea...studies. You know wanting to understand the old world and make sure its secrets werent fully lost."

"Are you just visiting Salem", Mary asked, "or are you planning to stay? If you like, you can stay here for a few days...it's the least I can do for helping me with those robots."

"That'll be lovely, I thank you. Wasn't sure if the was a guesthouse or Inn in town for me to stay at." Rick replied, however as soon as he said that he could feel his stomach turn in all directions. It felt as if someone had punched him in the gut with their fool might. Rick maintained his composure in front of Mary. He had been warned prior to leaving, not to eat food. Of course he didn't listen.

Rick stood up excusing himself from table, "SInce I'm...Since I'm going to be staying here...perhaps I should check out the town." Rick left her house for a bit, and felt the strength leaving his body as it fought the food he had just eaten. He walked up the road past a church and some houses, he was by some cliffs, he looked around to make sure no one was around. He leaned over the edge and puked his guts out, and it seemed he was never going to stop.

After a bit he sat on the ground from exhaustion. He felt he couldn't puke anymore. he looked over to his side and saw an older man looking at him, "Son, you need a doctor. GEt on over to the church, doctor is there. I'd take you myself, but I don't want barf on me."

Rick nodded and he gather what strength he had and made his way over to the church. He clutched his stomach with one hand, and wiped sweat with another. he threw up again, next to the church. He wasn't sure how he was puking so much, his stomach was almost empty now, and gastric acid was making its way out.

He walked up to the church and there was a woman wielding some scissors there, "Please get me the doctor...I need him quick..." He saw a bin by the door, and threw up again, feeling the burning gastric acid.

[Assistant]
Eliza Weaver
 S&W Weaponry, Salem, Massachusetts - early to mid afternoon

 Eliza grabbed one of the bottles of water that Shelby had brought over. She was parched and could feel a slight headache coming on, on top of all of her other aches and pains. Dehydration was something she did not want to deal with right now when she had finally been given a chance to rest without fear. "In all honesty Shelby I came to this town to die. I have a lifetime of pain and suffering behind me, people I've lost or left behind. I can't live with that anymore, and I can't escape it in a world filled with it." Eliza was interrupted by the sounds of gunfire, instinct told her to spring onto her feet but her injuries stopped her dead in her tracks. Her body had become tense from the gunshots, and she quickly realized that she didn't have Bragg's gun with her.

 "Fuck! Where did I leave his gun!?" Eliza couldn't move but she was getting anxious in her seat with sweat running down her brow and slicking her palms. She was convinced that whatever trouble was happening outside of town was related to her. Even though Bragg had died she wasn't comfortable with the idea that he was the last person from her past that she would run into. In this life she had more enemies than friends, but she realized that she needed to keep her friends close to her if she wanted to push through this. Thoughts on the past and her friends brought her to her collection of dog tags, miraculously they didn't get lost in the shuffle but Eliza momentarily forgot about them. Between them and Shelby they were the only memories of her past that she wanted to keep close to her. Eliza fanned through each dog tag, putting a face to each name. These people dedicated their lives to her, and here she was the last one left. It hung heavy on her shoulders but she couldn't shrug the weight, this was her burden to bare.

 Fanning the dog tags helped to calm herself down causing her to realize that she may have struck Shelby a bit too sharply with the doom and gloom speech. She wasn't lying, there were more times than she could count that she contemplated ending it all but she could never go through with it. Eliza attributed it to her being weak, but now she realized that she was too proud. That's why she fought Bragg and struggled against her death, she wasn't willing to die like that. Her Riders wouldn't want to see her go out like that. She couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions when she thought about them, she missed those days so much. It was the closest she had ever come to having a family, but she still had a chance. Her brothers and sisters made sure of that. "Shelby I'm sorry. I should be thankful for what I have left, not what I have lost. It means everything to me that you're back in my life."

[User]
Dr. Arthur West - Salem Church Clinic, Second Floor Mezzanine

Arthur's eyes peeled open and in his disoriented state, he thought for the briefest of moments that he was back in his old apartment. But instead of the 1,000 thread-count sky blue sheets of his old bed, he found only the course linens and straw pillow that was the makeshift one he'd thrown together for himself in the church. The illusion vanished instantly and he sat up groggy and disorientated, and his vision was blurred. Even his exhausted state, he'd at least had the wherewithal to remove his glasses and place them on the nightstand. God knows how he'd get by if he lost them because he'd accidentally crushed them.

Gently, he reached for both his glasses and a nearby cloth and wiped them clean, before placing them back on his head. Now that he'd reoriented himself, and could actually see, he noticed that something else had been sitting on the nightstand: a brown bag and a short handwritten note attached to it. Puzzled, he examined the note.
'There's no free lunch! - pre-war expression - except today, this is a free lunch :) - F.R.'

F.R.? Frieda Richter?

He looked in the bag. Just as the note said, there was a neatly packed lunch inside. Arthur looked back down at piece of paper and re-read it. He couldn't help but feel a bit of embarrassment rising up. He had probably looked like a mess splayed out on the bed when she'd dropped off the lunch.

Well...at least I was decent. He thought to himself with relief.

It was a kind gesture, one he hadn't expected, especially from a woman he'd only just recently met. But....a welcome one. Arthur peeked into the bag once more and felt his heart sank. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he might not be able to eat well..any of it. He felt his stomach rumble again.

"I'll try some..just a little," He told himself.

His thoughts on the lunch were interrupted suddenly as he heard someone burst into the clinic and shout for the doctor. After that, Arthur had only heard the unstained sounds of someone emptying the contents of their stomach in a rather violent fashion. This caused Arthur to bolt out of his bed and rush down the stairs towards the man, who was currently gripping the sides of a waste bin for dear life,

"What's wrong? Are you sick? Or is it venom?" He sputtered out, trying to get whatever information he could.


[System]
Kynna of the Heavens
Age: She appears around the age of 18, though she doesn't know for sure.

Race: Human

Inherent Ability: Toughness.

Acquired Abilities:

Healing: Kynna is able to heal with just a touch of her hand and pure will. Though this leaves her weakened when healing a large or otherwise deadly wound, and she is unable to heal anyone too close to death.

Intuitioni] Kynna has very strong intuition. These will eventually lead up to occasional visions, but the intuition on things is still stronger. This intuition is her driving force, and she's always pulled to where she needs to go. Unfortunately for Kynna, she doesn't yet realize this is an actual gift.

Heaven Song: Arvas has bestowed upon his daughter a very unique gift. Because of her hatred for taking life, Kynna is able to change the mood of those around her. (She will be unaware of this for a while). By playing a flute, she is able to calm the very souls of people and spirits. Although, if a sad tune is played, they become saddened, just as a shrill sound might cause severe pain.

Appearance:

Personality: Kynna is a quiet young woman with a gentle nature about her. Soft-hearted, she cares deeply for those she considers her friends and is willing to risk her life to help them. She can't bare the thought of taking life, and for this reason, she does not kill for her food.

History: Not much is known about Kynna, even to herself. All she knows is that she woke one day in the middle of a field when she was very young. At the age of sixteen, her adoptive father was badly injured by bandits. She healed him. She has been on the run since the discovery of her magic, and has finally entered the Blackwood.

[User]
The forest was dark, almost to the point where it felt like there was supernatural forces at work that were actively keeping any light from the confines of the large network of tall and thick forest tree that made up the Blackwood. The trees surrounding the very mis-matached group of humans, elves and misc races alike were now creaking slightly, one by one. This was not because of the wind or any animal, this was Halen Claymore, jumping from tree to tree darting around the highest branches at a speed that would seem almost implausible, especially in the dark. But 50 years of stalking forest prey, had allowed the hunter to travel around tree tops as if it were his own home garden. Halen was on a very low key hunting trip, he wanted to stock up on some meat, so he thought he might hunt a boar or something and see if it would fetch a price at any surrounding settlements, but he was now deep in the heart of the Blackwood, one of the few places where his knowledge of the inhabiting animals was severely limited.

But none of that mattered now, after at least 20 minuites of treehopping through endless yards of thick forest he began to see a light, he also heard voices,it wasn't the exit, but a campfire, that of someone who was making a very quick stop as they journeyed though this maze of trees. The area surrounding the light had less trees then everywhere else, as if it was once home to a community of people. It had a few remains of huts and houses so it was probably a small village. As Halen silently leaped closer, managing to perch on a branch that was overlooking this ex-village space, he then saw people to match the voices, they weren't quite arguing but the tone was far from friendly. His half elven vision was just good enough to make out who the figures on the ground were.

A Human man, heavily armed, seemed to be ranting about eating meat and or fruit and was closest to the campfire. There was also a centaur, which shocked Halen, as he heard that they only really ever traveled in armies. And there were two women, one human, one an elf, but her energy felt strange, she could have been mixed but she definitely wasn't a standard elf. There was also a Demonfolk, which Halen hadn't seen since he left his own province, it was somewhat comforting to see these races again. But Halen was still cautious, they didn't seem like they were hostile, but the Hunter did not survive to 79 without being careful. He silently drew his long bow and began to speak.

It's very strange, you all look like capable fighter and warriors, but you talk and move as if you want to be ambushed. I'm not a category 3 predator such as a black lion or a wood-griffon, but if I was, I'd be enjoying a very easy lunch about now.

Halen strung an arrow to his longbow and his voice became more assertive as he addressed the entire group. He was still blanketed in shadows at least 20 feet above them all.

Now, apart from desperately trying to be eaten, what are the bunch of you doing here? I would have wagered bandits, but even bandits aren't this easy to sneak up on.

[Assistant]
The Forest was indeed quite Dark but for a small boy around the age of 12 said Darkness held no fear. The boy, named Mikael seemed undaunted by the black forest floor and if one looked closely they would see a small light seeing to shine from him in such a Dark place. The boy walked slowly but deliberately through the Forest as if he was searching for something. In fact he was searching for his 'ward', a girl named Kyanna who he had been sent to protect from the Good Father Arvas. As he continued walking he started talking to his friend and God Arvas, praying to him and asking him to guide his steps to better serve his purpose. He murmured his thanks and smiled softly as he stopped to rest for a moment and closed his eyes only to open them three minutes later as a young teenage boy instead of the 12 year old he had been before. His clothes had changed themselves as well and he now stood stretching wearing a brown boiled leather vest over a pure white shirt, his pants a lighter brown color with boiled leather legguards. On his side was a sharp Rapier and on the other side a equally sharp and somewhat long knife. He was slender but moved with a grace that trained fighters would notice spoke of agility and balance, a duelist for sure. Now in a more appropriate form for traveling he was about to continue on his way when his head snapped up and he strained his ears to listen...

Coming from the East was a sound that he instantly recognizes as a Heavenly Flute and Mikael smiled to himself, finally. He began running towards the sound, a light shining from his form as he ran to light the path. It didn't take long until he was approaching a clearing with ruins covering the entire area. A wave of sadness hit him as he wondered if this was once a village or farm, he shook his head to clear it and the music stopped.

Hesitantly Mikael walked into the light and took in the situation, a Human male wearing two large swords gave him pause for a moment and he wondered if he was perhaps compensating for something, but then again Large killing weapons were becoming more and more popular in this age. A Demon sat on the ground and Mikael almost hissed and gave away his position. He hated Demon's having had many battles against his kind but he was entirely thrown off when he recognized the Guardian of Death Unamia, and everything clicked. The Demon was the son of Ral, of course. In her mortal form Mikael would almost call her beautiful though he knew of her power and deadliness. Next was a Centaur, a race that Mikael had much respect for as guardians and custodians of the Dark Forest and Mikael made a note to give a prayer for this particular Centaur as he insulted the other races. Finally was a staught and stalwart Dwarf with his Pony and Mikael had to grin, it was the Dwarves who had once offered to build him armor for his Dragon Form which Mikael of course accepted though the Purge started soon after. He frowned again, but when his eyes came to the last person he gasped, there she was, Kynna putting her flute back into her bag and gripping a dead rabbit to herself. So that was the reason why she had played her song of grief.

He was about to walk forward when yet another made an appearance, a Half-Elf ranger from the looks of him with a drawn bow admonishing the group for being so careless. Mikael had to agree it was slightly careless but he was sure that Unamia had even seen him approach with her powerful senses. He slowly walked straight out of the clearing and towards the large group, ignoring the man holding a bow and sending a quick prayer to Arvas that the Halfling didn't in fact loose an arrow at them.

He made his way straight towards Kynna and smiled at her when they made eye contact and Mikael or Dragneel as he was called felt the spark that Arvas had placed upon him ignite and send a connection to Kynna. He then turned and nodded his head respectfully to Unamia, unsure of her mortal name as of yet.

[User]
Had one little fire really attracted so many? She'd been in Blackwood for what seemed like weeks now, and hadn't seen a single person since entering it. Now all of a sudden, she was surrounded by people. She could finally see the approaching man on a small pony and her head tilted slightly. What was really a dwarf, she thought no more than a very short man with a beard. Three men, an elf woman, a....half-horse man, and her. When the elf woman held out her hand for the rabbit, she blinked, looking down at the creature in her arms before blushing and carefully handing the poor thing back to the woman.

"I...I'm sorry. Thank you, for the offer, but maybe the others would like it?" She gave an apologetic smile. She didn't want to seem ungrateful to the woman.

And then the man who first took over her camp spoke, and she let out that quiet, gasped grunt of surprise again when he pegged her for not eating meat. He dropped an apple in her lap. When had she sat down? She blinked up at him, only to be patted on the cheek. He...reminded her of her father. She paused for a moment before standing and moving back toward the fire near the man. She reached into her bag, taking out some of the red berries and putting them in his lap in return.

"They taste like vanilla." She gave him a small smile before biting into the apple he had given her. Well, if she was going to be surrounded by people, she might as well eat something. And she hadn't had apples in ages. She couldn't help but wonder where the apples had come from. She hadn't seen any in the forest all this time. Her eyes drifted to the man with the scar on his face resting under the tree for a moment. He didn't seem worried about anyone here at all.

And then a voice came from the shadows. Again. Her brow twitched in irritation. All these people drawn randomly by one little fire. This was getting ridiculous. She set the apple down and stood up. Frustrated and feeling more than slightly invaded, she turned toward the voice with her hands on her hips. She frowned, then spoke loudly enough to make sure whoever it was would hear her.

"It's not like you own this forest, you know!" She glared into the darkness. Unlike the others, her human eyes couldn't see that well past the fire and the lighter shadows. "You wanna know why we're here? Well, I'm just passing through. So piss off! This is my camp and you've no right to be making demands of anyone here. I don't know who you are, and personally, I don't care. The whole lot of you have basically invaded my camp. I'm more than welcome to share, but stop sulking in the shadows and get down here or go away."

She sighed in frustration once she was done. "Arrogant son of a bitch.." she grumbled to herself. So. The girl had some backbone after all. Movement caught her eye, and yet another person came into light. She was just about to tell that one to go away, when she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened, her skin growing pale even in the firelight. The young man walked directly toward her, and she couldn't stop staring. Memories flashed through her mind of a young boy, one she'd played with almost daily before she'd left home. He'd been her best friend, and the day her adoptive mother had tried to kill her, he'd stayed behind to keep her safe while she ran. She hadn't seen him since that day, and she'd thought she never would. But there he was, right in front of her, that kind smile ever present on his features.

"Mikael...?" She whispered in shock.


[System]
character sheet:
appearance: Black hair, warm brown skin, brown eyes. Quite short and decently muscled. Looks very much like her late mother.
age: 17

bio(optional): As the youngest of four, Jinayah has enjoyed some degree of freedom. She is a strange sort of princess, well-known for demanding boys' clothes since she was old enough to express it. While she will wear gowns on formal occasions, most of the time she can be found in specially tailored tunics and pants, down at target practice. Her mother passed on due to sudden illness, which may be part of the reason she is allowed her freedoms and odd habits.

role in the story: Princess to be married off, I suppose.

other(optional): I will try to make something with her 'boy' clothes as soon as I can.

[User]
Jin's eyes lit up as she was understood. "Yes, archery!" She nearly shouted it in Prodzy, the word finally having popped into her head with all his gesturing. "I very like archery!" Father would just die if he knew how much of a mess she was making with the language. His Prodzy was elegant. A little formal, probably, but that was his way.

"Oloyeva make bows!" So he had someone in the family who made bows. This was good news. Although she was still working out the whole 'father-brother' thing. "Do you... to enjoy archery?" Hopefully he would say yes. That would give them something real to talk about. Talk as much as they could manage with the language barrier, anyway.

[Assistant]
Marabella
Bella smiled warmly at Gil saying he over thought the simplest things and that his mother told him the same. She had also been known to overthink things and would have to stop herself. She watched him as he stopped thinking so hard about the dance and got into a rhythm as he spoke. As they danced, she continued to listen as he spoke about dances in his country, and how they were all about feeling the music. The thought of that made her smile more, though when he mentioned getting stabbed by making a wrong move during a sword dance, she winced a little even at his shrug. She had to admit to herself, though, she would enjoy seeing one. "Some of our dances are less structured. I like those a lot better." she smiled. "I've never seen a sword dance, but I'd love to sometime." she spoke warmly. She looked around the ballroom at everyone dancing, seeing everyone was doing the same steps, then looked back up at Gil. "If you would like to, we could deviate from everyone and feel our way through the music."

[User]
Princess Annalise
Interaction with @Vampiretwilight

"You don't owe me an apology. I understand having siblings. I have four of them." She seemed to glance around the room looking for each of her sisters. Bella had found herself with the Half-Orc, Emily was actively avoiding the nobles who wanted to dance with her, and she had seen Jin wander off with the Prodzy Prince, which for some reason upset her, not that she would show it. "Sometimes, they just drive you crazy. Even without trying." She gave him a gentle smile as they danced. If she was honest she was beginning to get tired though she hid it well.

______________________________________________________

Prince Gil Jalal of Afdan
Interaction with @Wolvena

His smile only grew wider when Marabella said she would like to see the sword dances. "They are certainly a sight to be seen. They are used as a right of passages for some of the tribes, when young boys become men. They can also be used as courting competitions, or simply as a form of entertainment. My brothers and I all participated in one when we turned 16. I am sure, no matter what happens eventually you will see one." He was beaming with happiness that she seemed to show an interest in his country's traditions or at least that one in particular. However when she mentioned stepping out of the line of what everyone else was doing he shrunk back a bit. He had never been one to intentionally stand out. Though he attempted to play it off in a way that didn't make her think he was a coward and forced a chuckle. "I can barely keep up with these steps. I am not sure deviating would be a very good idea. Besides, the dances of my country are much more...savage, or maybe, primal, than I think these nobles are prepared for." He seemed to hate using the word savage to describe his country's ancient dances but it was unfortunately the only word he would think of.

[Assistant]
Prince Alexander blinked. He was surprised. He was sure a lot of princesses, royalty in general to be honest, were alike. He had no reason to think any different this whole time. But, now? It appeared that he did.
"Truly?"
He had almost stuttered for a moment. Then, he saw where she had been looking for a moment. He took a breath.
"Are you worried? or possibly jealous? You need not smile if you are not feeling any reason to, not with me."
He was a kind soul fairly often. This was a time it was certainly showing. He continued to dance with her. He was a bit tired from everything, and was secretly wishing for it all to be over. Although, he was afraid to say it out loud, as he did not wish to offend or anything.

[User]
Archery? Well, Vyarin had to give it some thought. Sure, he understood its purpose, that much was well drilled into his mind. Yet, to actually wield one was another matter. He had been taught, of course. His tutor had taken it to heart that the young Vyarin could hit a target from twenty paces in a pinch. Yet this lady seemed rather enraptured by the idea of them. Perhaps Apura too had a strong archery tradition? It made sense to his mind, on some level. What was he to say?

"'Archery,'" he began. The word he didn't know in Apura-tongue, so he continued to use the Prozdy term. "I to know it. Yet not good. I ask you to help me? To make good in the . . . ahh . . . 'archery', yes?" That was about as well as he thought he could handle it. To be quite honest, it would be good to have some more practice in the craft. Strenuous activity was far more to his taste than this court life, and besides, it would be nice to share an activity with a local. Maybe even a friend, if the diplomatic relations here don't fall through. He blinked with his one good eye, recalling with a touch of annoyance playing across his face. The eye thing, right. He wouldn't be able to tell if his target were at ten paces or a hundred.

"I . . . not to see good. You help me there also, yes?" He said smiling a bit, hopefully conveying that it was but a light-hearted joke.

[Assistant]
Jin nodded happily, as Vyarin asked for assistance. "Yes, I will help." Of course she would. If any of her sisters had shown interest, she gladly would have taught them too. "Oh, your... eye... I am forgetting." She genuinely had - sometimes men had injuries of battle, even practice battles, or hunting accidents. She had learned to overlook them, working with men. Just as they had learned to overlook her breasts, for the most part. "I will help again!" There had to be some kind of way to assist, even though Prince Vyarin would likely never be a good shot. Maybe a bigger target perhaps?

She realized she was probably taking up too much of his time. This was supposed to be a ball, after all. If Father saw, he'd probably try to pair them. The Prodzy prince was pleasant, certainly, but she was not ready for that. (Also, was it her imagination, or had she caught A Look from Annalise earlier?)

"Please be excused of me." She curtsied properly as soon as there was a brief break in the music, and left Vyarin's side. One day, she'd visit Prodzy, and maybe come back with a nice customized longbow.

Scanning her eyes around the ballroom, she noticed a newcomer. It was hard not to notice him; his ears were tipped and his hair was frost white. If her memory served, this was the prince they had been missing.

She approached him and curtsied again. "Good evening." Her eyes took everything in, from the uniform, to the sword, to the distant expression. "...If you are who I think you are, you are quite late."

[User]
Dizzy

Droka had noticed the woman that was approaching him rather easily. To be fair it wasn't like she had been going to any actual length to try and hide her interest or her approach. He didn't ignore her either, but it wasn't until she had curtsied that he offered her his full attention and a respectful bow in return.

"Good evening to you as well. You are correct in that I am rather late to the festivities." He answered easily enough in her native tongue of Apura; His mother had insisted that he learned it in respect for her culture, even if it was only used at home or when speaking to humans travelers from her homeland. "Unfortunately there was a rather unavoidable change of plans on our part. You see my elder half brother was meant to be in attendance instead, but in his vainglorious pride he decided to get himself killed in a duel just as the carriage was packed. Had to delay the trip by several hours so that I could properly pay my respects to him before coming." For someone talking about the sudden, untimely death of a sibling Droka didn't seem that broken up by it. In fact he seemed to be rather relaxed.

"Then again he dedicated his whole life to be an inconvenience to everyone around him, it seems only fitting that his death do the same. Prince Droka of Tushina." He introduced himself easily enough, offering another small bow as he did so before requesting "And who's company might I be enjoying?"

[Assistant]
"Prince Droka, it is a pleasure." Jinayah curtsied, ignoring the faintest pop of her knees. "I am Princess Jinayah of Apura. It's a true pleasure. I am sorry to hear about your brother." Not knowing the context behind his death, she could only think of what it would mean to lose one of her own sisters.

"You're luckily still in time for the main ball. Would you prefer to dance, or should I show you to the food table?" Then again, perhaps the Prince would simply prefer to rest after a long time of travel.

[User]
There was a moment where Droka's eyes blinked in surprise at her offer to dance. While it was true that back in Tushina there were those who asked him to attend events or take part in something, usually there was an undercurrent of obligation and tradition behind such requests that actually refusing them without losing face or having it used against him unless something truly horrible was in progress.

The chance to actually politely decline was a novel idea... but one that he wouldn't indulge at this time. Taking a step away from the wall, he politely reached out to take her hand somewhat gently. A small smile appeared on his face as he explained "Considering that this gathering was organized in part so that I could meet yourself and your sisters, I feel like it would be the height of rudeness if I refused to spend any time with you. Besides, you were the first to come and speak with me so... I am at your disposal. What would you care to do Jinayah?"

[Assistant]
Princess Annalise
Interaction with: @Vampiretwilight

She giggled a little when he seemed shocked she had told him there was no need to apologize. Though the conversation quickly went to where her eyes had landed. "Oh no, nothing like that, more just nosey. I am the eldest after all, I am used to keeping my siblings out of trouble." It was a lie, she had, for some reason, felt a small pang of jealousy seeing her sister speaking to the Prodzy Prince. Though she couldn't figure out why exactly she felt this way. They had only just met, and it honestly didn't matter how she felt since it would be the Princes picking them to be their wives not the other way around. After another moment of two the song finally came to an end and Annalise curtsied to the Prince in front of her. "I apologize, I need a break from the dancefloor, it was a pleasure speaking with you."

She didn't even give him a chance to reply, she simply turned and walked to the back of the room where less eyes would be on her, taking a seat and removing the shoes she had been wearing with a sigh of relief. Why her handmaids had insisted on her wearing heels when they knew she would be dancing was a mystery to the Princess. Regardless, her feet hurt and she desperately needed a break. Unfortunately even here in the back of the room nobles wishing to dance found her and pestered her. With the polite smile on her face she rejected their offers and tried her best not to lose her patience with the more persistent ones. After a bit the nobles left her alone, she hadn't realized one of the guards had slid closer to her and had taken it upon himself to shoo off any coming her way with a simple look. When she did notice she nodded to the guard and mouthed a "thank you" before finally relaxing in her seat.

[User]
Prince Alexander blinked. But, he nodded. He was respectful. He did not push the subject or anything.
"...Very well."
He continued to dance with her. He did his best to try and cheer her up, to at least be a friend. But, soon enough, the song had ended. Their dance was over. He did his best not to sigh. He glanced at Annalise when she excused herself like that. She had also apologized.
"Very well. Farewell...I suppose."
He watched her leave.

Everyone else:
The prince wondered off to another area. His sister tried to follow him to scold him in private. He was not in the mood and he tried to avoid her. He tried not to look at the other princesses either.

[Assistant]
Vyarin continued to wander about the fringes of the party. Occasional snippets of conversation he would catch, then repeat to himself when he was out of their earshot. Always practice, practice, and eventually maybe he'll be the one speaking Apura and a foreigner would be parroting him. He didn't have the heart to ask any of the ladies to dance. Vyarin was a fortified man in his body and his mind, shying nothing from a bout nor a battlefield. Yet, this bravery of the court he found he was completely devoid of.

Eventually he found himself hugging the wall, looking out a window at the now-setting sun. Where were his loyal men? Perhaps in the town, causing who knows what sorts of trouble. One can never say with soldiers, even those reputed to be disciplined. It was a town, it must have some unsavoury pastimes that any man might fall into. And what of the danger? Two unexplainable events had befallen this hall today alone. What would tomorrow bring? Only the sun knows, as it descends past the quaint rolling hills following along the horizon.

[User]
Jin had to admit, she hadn't been asked what she wanted to do since this whole thing started. It was quite refreshing, actually. "Actually, Prince Droka, I don't wish to dance – I've been dancing all night and I'm a bit tired of it. I was just trying to be polite." She admitted that with a sweet and apologetic smile.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather just talk. It's near impossible to talk and dance. I'd love to learn more about your home country, if it's not much trouble." She wondered if him talking about his home would stir up bad feelings about the loss of his brother. "If it hurts to talk about right now, I will understand. We can talk about anything else you like."