[System]
True Name: Apocrypha
Player Name: The Grey Dust
Domains (Portfolios): Knowledge ( Secrets ), Fate ( Mystery )
Alignment: LN

Symbols: A circle with an X, representing something not only disallowed once, but twice over as something truly forbidden. It is also a reference to his namesake.

Appearance:

Appearing to both Mortals and Gods in the same form, X does not differ his appearance to either party. There is nothing to hide from Mortals in his appearance, as it reveals scarcely anything. It is easy to discern X is a God by the otherworldly manifestation, and yet knowing X is a God is meaningless in itself for no one but X knows anything more. A flowing robe conceals his physical manifestation, dissolving the God to little more than a pair of long slender hands emerging from the sleeves and a partial face beyond the veil of eternal mystery. There is no face beyond the lower half of his visage, and in truth nothing beneath the robes.

Personality: A mystic god who challenges the very idea of Omniscience. While it is possible to consider that X is a "fallen" god of knowledge, that is rather than sharing knowledge is the forces which obscures them, there are things which even the Gods themselves cannot answer perhaps of their own creation or the world before anything. It is the spirit of mystery and obscurity itself which awakened to manifest as X in moments after the Flash, for it existed long before the moment and the question was asked.

Being the essence of such, X is cryptic and indirect, and yet welcoming to those who seek him. A paradoxical combination which makes it difficult to understand X's motives and agenda, as befits a god of secrets. While it can be assumed since he is the progenitor of obscurities, would it be safe to say he is Omniscience incarnate, choosing to selectively censor and edit information as needed? In truth even X does not know and seeks to know, for the duality of his role is to also encourage others to seek the hidden truth even as he may conceal it. Which explains the nature of his paradox.

X is both a blessing and a curse, a curse for those who would fight against him to reveal who is plotting against them, but also a blessing to those who would seek to conceal a secret plot. Yet X is often receptive to bargains, for one block lifts the other, and perhaps a secret that is shared will create another in return. Thus the web of secrecy grows, and his Portfolio shall continue to expand. Much to his appeasement.

Dogma: If there was a Dogma for X, only X knows it and he has yet to share it. Some interpret his mantra to be to guard secrets, and protect the sanctity of the arcane. Others suggest the opposite, that is, to seek out truths and uncover secrets to revel in knowing the esoteric. As such the teachings of X are to be taken in either fashion, depending on the school of thought, as perhaps in truth X may encourage the constant struggle between two opposing ideas as a means to stabilize the flow of secrets and knowledge.

[User]
In the beginning there was nothing but possibilities. Infinite forms of reality condensed into itself, with unfathomable aspects of existence fighting with what was to come.

Then the first moment past and there was the Flash.

To a outside observer it would look like a bright light had come to encompassed a great darkness, but in reality space itself expanded from a singular point with the light being only a after affect of the rules of reality being enforced for the first time in eternity. Aspects of these rules and laws came into existence at random across the new universe, beings formed as physical representations of a small aspect of the universe, and they would be called the Lords of Creation.

Please make IC posts in the following manner:

Title-Location/Characters Involved:

At least one paragraph for a description or a complete sentence for a response in a conversation.

The Action-Cost-Name of Action: Description

Total AP - Costs= New Total AP
PAP Total - Used PAP= New Total PAP

[Assistant]
The Nature of Order and the Beginning - The Void

Xeaniax

Order. It comes first and then everything else comes.

I think, therefore there is my conscience. I can create in my mind without it existing in the void; therefore there is a separate place from myself. The void, my mind and my creations exist, therefore there is the difference between existence and inexistence, there is order in this duality. As order exists also exists chaos… There is a duality in this fact also, the very existence of chaos is a sign, a demonstration of the principle, of the very first axiom, of order.

There must be a manifestation of the principle of order, matter, of this matter (1AP) I will be a creator. Of this matter I will make something of my image, ever malleable, capable of almost endless combinations, of new forms of order but ever true to its very essence: metal (1AP). Of those elements named as metal there will be many and very different between them.

In the void there cannot yet be metal by itself though. I will create the stars (1AP) and the very cogs of the order that move them, it shall be named gravity (2AP). But gravity shall crush stars into themselves should it be alone. I need a power, the power of the very essence of matter to compensate for it, the three remaining forces must rise to my command (6AP).

The Action-Cost-Name of Action: Description
Creation of mundane concept: Matter 1AP
Creation of mundane concept: Metal 1AP
Creation of mundane concept: Stars 1AP
Creation of advanced concept: Four fundamental forces, 2AP each.

16AP - 11AP = 5AP
PAP = 0

[User]
Chapter I: Thought - The Void
The Audience

I am the darkness the blind see,
I am the whispers the deaf hear,
I am the utterance the mute speak,
No thing am I yet I was and will be.
What am I?

I am Nothing.

And yet, here I am. No, here We are. We, yes, there are others. More of us. But not of us, or I. They are different, and yet the same. Children born of creation, just as the new day dawns. Dawn. From where do I know this concept? From where do I know it all? I know what I am. I am consciousness, a consciousness. I cannot remember what I was, but I know what I can be. I was there in the beginning, a time before time itself, when and where the void was stirred into everything. There in a sudden stroke of being, unbeing was pulled back, like the opening of a camera shutter. Camera, how do I know of this device? Why am I aware of its function, though it exists not, and I know it exists not. How do I understand the mechanics of its workings, how the lens captures the light as an eye may do so. And what of the flash? The brilliant light which engulfs the subject, bathing it in light before immortalizing it in picture form? I know much, too much. Are they the remnants of the last world, or are they the prophetic vision of the next? The others cannot know of this. Such terrifying insight would drive them mad. Yes, I know what we are now, I am certain of it, and I am unique amongst them. For I am that which is unseen, that which is unheard and that which is unspoken. I am not nothing, I am a secret. What am I?

So I tore myself from the weave, the first to do so as I felt the awakening. From the hands which made me, I mimicked the very shape that wrote my very thoughts and actions. I extended my new fingers, and five pillars raised above the infinite expanse which faced me. There I held all of existence within my very palm, and I saw that there was a boundary between this reality and the one superseding our own. It was unnatural, and shall be the last time any of us shall feel the presence of the others. So with my other hand, a reflection of itself which hovered above it all, I grasped the precipice of everything that is. Then in my first act of creation, I twisted reality upon itself. Collapsing and folding upon itself as I saw fit to seal us off from the others from the far realm. There will be a gap of course, a natural leakage from which the other side can reach us, for the paper-thin fabric would tear under too much strain. Thus I made the choice to stopper it, and I shall be the one to preside over it. The Knowledge that would taint the waters of our discourse, the meta-information that we should not know, and yet I do. Once this act is complete, I shall create something which shall allow me to purge what knowledge which had escaped and began to drive our brethren to madness from this existence. This is my duty, this is my destiny, I am the veil.

And this is my plane. A hidden nexus for when a story is written, there is a spine within the book, a roll for a scroll, and a cord to every voice. Here shall be the place, this great expanse of nothing shall become my palace and my prison. Behold as form takes shape and shape takes form. New shapes, shapes like that I have observed in the world left unfinished. Stone rises into mountain, let these be the foundation of which my temple shall be laid. I with tools, I shall carve my library until it is complete, and all knowledge has a place to be. And over the center chasm which leads into the other reality, have filled with waters let it become a hidden wellspring, a fountain to the forbidden. None shall drink from it, not even I, and it is better to die of thirst than to drink from it. Parting from the waters which once quenched my needs, I turn to view my home. My actions shall be now my own, as shall the actions of my brethren. For as I closed reality off and erected the walls. I took once last gaze at and saw, we are the lords of creation, and we are all Children of the Flash.

The first act of creation I have done is complete.

Now I must captured all that has escaped into the world. For they are dangerous things, and knowing is not better than not knowing. So ignorance is the path of bliss. And with my hands I shall write my thoughts. And with my power, all other thoughts shall be written in the very same medium. A book which holds the universal mind, a collective consciousness of thought made to regulate the flow of information. to strike it out from the ledger is to erase it from memory, making reality itself forget that which was learned and stricken from the sacred text. And with its connection to every sentient mind in existence, I am able to gift knowledge as I see crucial to our games. For in this second act of creation, I shall rise above my brethren, for knowledge is power, but power is not knowledge. So with this Memoir, a Tome of Apotheosis, I claim my stake as Librarian amongst the Children and write my name, stylized by two opposing slashes: X.

The Second act of creation I have done is complete.

The work is not yet finished. There is one more which must be done, for I alone shall not stand vigil. These hands of mine have served me well, but now I shall create more. From my fingernails I have formed their masks, born of my essence, and now fueled by my divinity as I infused my being into their new existence. They are mine, and mine alone, for they are me. Parts of me, my children, amongst the first of all living things in creation to be aware. They are young, but share in my immortality, though since they are of material things, they too shall fade with time. But I shall reclaim them, though I have not made many, and they shall not make many of themselves. I have instilled them with great powers, to change reality just as I may so that they can stand with my in vigil and complete the tasks I have done. For perhaps in their greater numbers, together they may become more than I could ever be. And should they complete the work I have made them to do, then I may retreat into the other world and leave my realm in their capable hands. To each I shall bestow upon a name, and a nature for truth. Any who can address them by their name, is worthy of their respect. Now, before the work is complete and they awaken, I grant my children, and the children of the others the gift of Writing through the Tome of Apotheosis, for I have seen the power of writing as a force of creating our world. So too shall writing continue to shape it.

The Third act of Creation I have done is complete.

All that remains now is for me to write my will upon the stones. For my children, I shall not leave the question of their origin, for I know the emptiness which comes with the mystery. There shall no mystery as to how they came to be, my Children who are the Sphinx, their task shall behind for them. They fill the library. The endless amount of knowledge which I have contained within this Tome, must be rewritten upon blocks of stone to be recorded, and then shrunk to the size of a grain of sand. They shall populate my realm with their writings, and will turn the mountains into desert sand. And now my children, I rest myself.

There as X the awakened god manifested himself into being, his formless body obscured beneath the robes to mimic the shapes of other he had seen in the world behind this one, and hands which through the power of writing composed his world and realm. The young god made one last adjustment as to his being. For even without eyes he was pleased with what he saw, the fruits of the first three steps as he gazed at the Prime Material Plane from the other side of his veiled realm. There beneath the mystic hood, the lower half of his face emerged from the unknown darkness.

And upon his lips: a smile.

The Action-Cost-Name of Action: Description

Weave Plane: 4 AP - Creating The Hidden Nexus: Creating the spatial geometry which makes X's Realm border everything in this reality. While also humorously nodding at the existence of our reality in the form of a 4bidden Well rather than 4th Wall...

Forge Major Artifact: 5 AP - Creation The Tome of Apotheosis: Creating X's Major Artifact in the form of a large book that regulates all the knowledge in existence, connected to the minds of all things in creation such that it can grant knowledge as well as remove knowledge from all sentient things. Granting the wielder with a 1 AP Discount per rollover on an action in any concept creation action, as well as blessings/curses which involves revealing or concealing information.

Create Fabled Life: 6 AP - Creating the Sphinx: Creating X's children, among the first of the sentient races and rather powerful as they share an infusion of his essence. See the Codex Vitae for more information on this race.

Creation of mundane concept: 0 AP - Birth of Writing: Unlocking the secrets to the written word, allowing all things currently created (i.e. his Sphinges) to understand and utilities the process of writing (and in natural tandem reading, although only within their own native language). Other created beings from this point forward can also develop writing as a free action.

16 AP - 15 AP = 1 AP
PAP = 0
FLAP = 1


[System]
Mikachu (her older sister used to be a huge Pokémon nerd, but she hasn't called Mikayla by that pet name in ages)
Miks (called that by Mackenzie James)
Gender:
Female
Date of birth:
7 October, 19 years old
Sexuality:
Homosexual (but still closeted, except to select friends)
Appearance / Notable physical features:
Standing at 157cm (5'15"), slim and fine-boned, Mikayla is easily dwarfed in a crowd. Her russet hair is cropped, with a wave of fringe that habitually falls into blue-silver eyes. From her fair complexion, it's pretty obvious to any average observer that Mikayla doesn't get out often. She owns spectacles, but her degree isn't high enough for her to have to wear down twenty-four-seven. Her attire is frequently tragically casual – with baggy shirts and jeans, sometimes topped with hats and a leather jacket thrown on.
Personality:
Down-to-earth and mellow, Mikayla is by nature a recluse. As much as humans can fascinate her with their individual quirks and habits, she much prefers the company of animals and mobile devices. The Internet is her kingdom, as far as she is concerned, and films and photography are fields that most capture her interest. She may be a little stubborn, and she will stand up for what she believes (William Shakespeare might have been a great landmark in literature [debatable], but that doesn't make his work enjoyable) and for her friends. Teachers have labeled her 'mature, level-headed, able to keep from being frazzled under pressing situations', but they have never seen her fight her case in an argument over LGBTQIA-rights before. Additionally, she is innately impulsive, and since she is so enraptured by the phenomenonal workings of popular culture, she can also be just a little obsessive when it comes to fandoms. Just never in public.

When it comes to interpersonal skills however, Mikayla isn't all bad. She cracks jokes, ribs herself and others, and is quite lively in general. She loves to laugh, and it's boisterous enough that people have jestingly made fun of her for it before. Her brand of humour and sarcasm is snappish. If you have her hackles raised you will know only backhanded compliments from her; if she is endeared to you, she will place your happiness above her own. Mikayla is, by and large, a frank person, but the prickly barbs of this honesty lie beneath layers of subtlety.
Roommate-ness:
Roughly independent and self-sufficient, Mikayla is quiet, to say the least. More often than not she will be found plugged into her laptop, with headphones curled over her. She used to have a YouTube channel, where she had a decent following thanks to a passable marketing strategy, before she shelved that away for college, so roommates need not fear walking by her door and hearing Mikayla talking to herself. An introvert, after a day of speaking to professors or students on campus, she would like nothing more than to retreat to her own corner with only herself and her laptop for company. But if her roommate would like to go out for a night and have someone accompany her, then Mikayla would oblige and tail her to the club – just so she can pick up the drunk mess after closing hours and bring her home. She's a lightweight against alcohol herself, and doesn't drink.

There's a maternal side to Mikayla that rears its head when it seems domestic duties must befall her. She will frequent the grocery market, buy milk, ensure the rent is paid on time, and cook dinners. Although she will draw the line at laundry and dirty dishes – those, her roommates will have to settle themselves. Mikayla is all about organisation...except spatially.

Perhaps one drawback of living with Mikayla would be the way she tends to make like Great Britannia, and colonise. It is rather like she has tentacles for arms, and extends them to whatever empty spaces there might be in the apartment. That table heaped with files and reports and assignments? All Mikayla's. The chair that was put in the corner for decorative purposes and in the interest of space conservation? Don't bother sitting there; Mikayla left the needles and thread from her last sewing endeavour on it. However, if you push all of Mikayla's right buttons and guilt-trip her enough, she will pick up her stuff. With very, very audible groaning.
Public records / Bio:
Mikayla used to vlog on YouTube for a little supplementary income, and so there's a portion of her life left indelibly on the Internet – including her opinions and a little of her history. But she kept her family and very private life away from the online window.

Mikayla does engage in social media however, so it would only take a swift Google search away to learn that she is currently studying Business & Marketing Strategy at UCLA Anderson School of Management, and to stalk the photos of café windows, essays verging on completion, campus grounds and libraries that depict the vague storyline of her present life, as well as friends she has made.

If a journalist were very, very good – and not to mention: very, very free with his/her time – he/she might be able to trace Mikayla back to her hometown, where she was born a younger daughter to Jeffrey and Augustus Campbell, with an older sister called Fiona (now a raging success in the biochemistry field). She moved away to Los Angeles however when she was 18 to further her studies on a scholarship. The public eye would also be able to scout out her old YouTube channel, on which she discussed subjects such as agnosticism, and the right to love freely. However, she keeps her sexuality under wraps, and would appear to the audience as a straight ally.
Vices:
* Hot drinks and classical films on a cold night
* (Not so much a vice as a severe weakness but) Severe romantic; wants to find someone who can sweep her off her feet, and whom she can settle down with
* Slash-ships. She thinks Johnlock was life even in the Victorian era

Skills:
* Driving a social media campaign – Mikayla studied marketing – and she was good at it. When it comes to statistics, viewership, and the like, she's a whiz with numbers and inflating them. Pair that up with her beloved Internet and she could work until she drops and never be happier.
* Faking it until she makes it – There are a few things Mikayla is insecure about, but she focuses on what she has some confidence in, and siphons out esteem from there.

Other:
* Mikayla labels herself agnostic
* She can't take alcohol
* Major geek
* Hates that she's compact-sized, but figures its an ideal height if she needs to punch a guy's nuts

[User]
Her preshow ritual consisted of three things:
1) Munching on the brownies/cookies/cupcake/whatever it was she baked the night before
2) Blasting her adrenaline-building, good luck-granting playlist
3) Charging her battery

Mackenzie nibbled on the last of her chewy, dinosaur-shaped brownies, savoring its chocolatey goodness. Not to toot her own horn or anything, but these were preeetty great. Like, even stoners would prefer these over pot brownies kind of great. She thought she had mucked up the recipe when she added a tablespoon more of Hershey's cocoa than was prescribed, but it turned out to be a happy accident. Anyway. First one down, two to go. Completing her ritual was a must. Laugh at her for being superstitious, but she'll have you know that there was a precedent to all this. That one time she skipped on eating her stress-baked baked goods (because she was having a really bad case of stage fright back then and eating would have been a terrible idea), she tripped over the mic stand and almost crashed into Levi in the middle of his guitar solo.

So. Time for number two—er, not that kind.

Pulling out her red wireless Beats from her backpack, Mackenzie sat upside down on the couch, feet immediately tapping out a rhythm against the wall as soon as the tracks played. Music blared out of her headphones; a muted melody to anyone that was not her, but a crashing wave in her ears, drowning out all ambient noises in the Green Room. It was easy all too easy to get lost in the upbeat riffs and the hypnotic tempo.

For a moment, she saw the band on stage. Bright lights flashing, the crowd erupting in cheers.

Mackenzie grinned.

No matter how many shows they've done, the preshow jitters never went away. It starts days before, planting dozens of little caterpillars in her stomach that metamorphose into butterflies right before the curtains were drawn. Some shows, it gets really close to a full-blown panic attack. Other shows, it's barely there. But what she learned was that the more it happened, the better she became at converting those jitters into pure energy. She let another three tracks play, letting the music wash over her, until it swept away her thrumming anxieties and only a growing excitement remained.

Now for number three.

Mackenzie rolled off the couch with flourish, newly awakened vigor very much apparent, and slid her headphones down to her neck. Now, the last part was the most important. Every performance gets emotionally-charged really fast—it was one of the perks of being a walking, talking marquee of expressions—and that means it gets draining just as quickly. She needed her dose of assurance.

Her eyes searched through the room and locked onto a target. One tried and true and ever effective.

Mackenzie bounded toward Mikayla, giving Levi a light head-ruffling as she passed him by. The bottle in his hand made her playfully wag a finger at him. Beer probably did nothing to his amazing guitar skills, but she had learn to dislike the drink after it had dried up her throat after only a couple of sips.

"Miks!" Mackenzie was careful not to interrupt until the camera dinged, signaling the recording was over. Then her hands flew up and around her best friend's neck, in a Max-patented tacklehug from behind. "Charging time!"

The red LED numbers projected on the wall started a countdown. There were only minutes left until Miami Over Moon took center stage.

[Assistant]
Samantha McGlynn

She sat atop the lone ottoman in the green room, hunched over as she held her compact mirror to her face. For the 5th time, she brought a red and purple stained tissue to her lips, wiping off the plum colored lipstick she'd just applied. With the tissue still in her hands, she bent to her side, reached down into her oversized makeup purse, and latched her index and ring fingers onto another tube of lipstick. She uncapped the capsule and reapplied it to her lips, coloring them burgandy. The girl grinned at herself in her mirror, clasping it shut along with the lipstick and tossing it back into her bag.

Undoing her high bun and letting her hair fall over her shoulders, Samantha retrieved her phone from the front pocket of her dress, snapping a quick selfie... or four, rather. Once she was done, she locked and pocketed the phone once more, practically beaming as she stood up straight, turning her head over to the bespectacled man on the couch behind her. She must not have noticed Mackenzie passing her by just moments ago, having been too focused and stressed out about getting her makeup to look the way she wanted it to.

"Hey Levi, when are we on?" she asked him, having forgotten the existence of the clock hanging on the wall behind her.

[User]
Levi AstrauckasGreen Room, 'The Amp' premier venue.

As Levi raised his bottle to his lips, he met eyes with Mikayla over the bottle.
"Good looks. And wicked sound, of course." Mikayla answered. Levi perked his brow in agreement as he lowered his bottle.
"Got just the right man for the job then, hey?" he jokes with a smirk as he idly looks over those in the green room. Samantha McGlynn: talented bass guitarist and singer, and she founded the band with him all those months ago; defiantly one for stage presence, with that personality of hers. Who else, uh.. Adalaide Laroche - a little for quiet tonight, that's a bit unlike her. But where did Mackenzie g-

Levi playfully swatted at the hand so impolitely ruffling his immaculatly groomed hair - or so he'd probably like to think, anyway.
"Hey, the hair! Hot property!" he playfully cried before returning a hand to his hair to fingercomb it back into the ideal spot. After identifying the waving finger, Levi couldn't help but smirk: he raises the bottles back to his lips as he makes a peace sign with his spare hand. After taking in another mouthful, slowly progressing through the bottle, he rests his wielding arm back on the chair with a content sigh. It was looking good, after all: good company, a big gig, and Coors - oh, the lovely Coors.

"Hey Levi, when are we on?" came a familiar voice - the aforementioned Samantha McGlynn herself.
"Uh..." Levi lets out as he brings up his left wrist and tilts it around to present the top to himself. After a brief moment to figure out the whole 'analogue clock' thing again, he lets out a lesser curse as he swings his head up to the countdown in the room. "Bit under 3 minutes." he quickly follows up before raising the bottle to his lips, holding it near-vertically and quickly processing the rest of the drink. Upon completion, he hurriedly sets the empty bottle on the coffee table before he reaches over the couch to grab his American Vintage '58 Telecaster. After a brief moment of fumbling to take a Jazz III plectrum out from it's tactfully position holder behind the headstock, he runs through the strings from low E to high E as a last-minute check that all's tuned and in order. "Get keen, boys!"

[Assistant]
"Ten seconds, huh? That'll cost you two strawberry jam ones." As Jackson preened himself for the camera, Mikayla just grinned at the image of his face, captured in a miniscreen. She couldn't speak for herself - but she reckoned Miller could appear on footage with an egg smashed on his head and the majority of women would still find him attractive.

"Man, inflation hit us hard here," she said, pressing record.

Mikayla dodged to the side for Jackson to fiddle with a few knobs, letting the camera run a little longer for B-roll. "Nah, it was good," she said with a grin. "Girls online will absolutely love you." About to answer the next question, she ended recording, only to hear her name in a yell. With but a moment's preparation, Mikayla felt herself propelled forward in a bodily tackle from the back. She jack-knifed at the waist, but straightened her back with a beam as wide as the moon. She knew that voice, that practice. "Charging time!"

"So charge your battery, not at me," joked Mikayla, turning around to engulf her oldest friend in a tight if brief hug before pivoting to sling one arm over her shoulders and face Jackson. "You're going to have to ask the best member on this band if they're ready. I haven't the foggiest clue," she said to him, looking between Mackenzie and Jackson. "With you killing it onstage with the rest, and you holding down the fort, I can't imagine anything going wrong."


[System]
Age: 21
Bio: Loreena was the second child born to Harold and Tiana, a bit of a surprise so soon after the arrival of Annalise. She was a bit of the opposite of her elder sister, darker in hair and skin and also possessed a disdain for all things court related as she grew out of the nursery.

She loved her books, often sneaking down into the library and reading long into the night. She devoured books like a starving man would a loaf of bread, and it was discovered that she possessed an eidetic memory, making her classes a breeze for her, though it seems like applying her knowledge to real life provided a challenge. Lore was also the first, and seemingly only, of her sister to show any skill in magic, swiftly coming under the tutelage of the royal mages. She is able to pick up a skill quickly, but mastering it takes time.

Her most secret and ardent desire is to go on an adventure. To visit a far off land, to learn new magics from various teachers, and to write an adventure story of her own. For this reason, she is, perhaps, the most interested of her sisters in the plan their father laid out for them to marry one from a different kingdom. As long as he has books, or doesn't mind her building a library, and a sense of adventure, she will be content.

[User]
Jin relaxed considerably as Lore adjusted her hairstyle. Her sister's touch was very warm and soothing. It was so much nicer than when her ladies in waiting did it. They always made the bun too tight. "Much better, Lore. Thank you." She smiled widely and took a delicate sip of the wine. It was delicious, and quite powerful, and had a different scent entirely than what they usually had with dinner. Sulhana was always good at choosing that kind of thing.

"A drinking contest, hm? I suppose I will join. Consider this my entry." While she had grown used to the nonalcoholic cider in the silver cups, today was apparently the day she became an adult. She took another careful sip of the wine and watched as Vyarin sputtered over his. What was that about? Was he going to be alright? Lore was already on it, so she turned her attention to Hana as she approached.

"I wouldn't have run away. Not from this. I'm supposed to be the bravest of all of us, aren't I? So here I am." She chuckled as she was engulfed in a hug. There had always been a bit of the dramatic in Hana, spymaster or not. She had always been the one to make up stories as children. Her speaking of governesses and new-dress days with four less than earnest young ladies brought a sparkle to her eyes and a grin to her face. It had been simpler, yes. Much simpler.

Jin actually lost composure and blushed when Sulhana mentioned the armor she had received. But she was surprised at her elder sister's advice. "You think I should have? Perhaps. Then the men would know what they're really working with, instead of… this." Sometimes the fancy gowns felt like lying.

She approached Prince Gil, swept a curtsy and smiled. Before they could really get to talk, however, Hana announced that dinner was on the table. Despite her earlier nerves, the head-clearing workout from earlier had made her rather hungry now. It would be good to sit and eat.

[Assistant]
---

---

Annalise's attention remained on Uriah as he spoke, basically confirming what she already knew. She smiled at the mage, giving him a nod before turning her attention back to her sister and Prince Erick who had started talking about Lore's gift to the man. The eldest daughter knew that of the four of them it was Lore who was far more interested in this deal than the rest of them. From what she had seen she was the most invested out of all the nobles gathered. Anna smiled at her sister as she spoke about the jewel gifted to the Prince beside her. Even she didn't know the little tidbit that her sister shared. When it came to magic most of it went over her head.

As she was musing to herself in her head Jin entered the courtyard followed closely by the Prozdy prince. She was not surprised by her youngest sister's disheveled appearance. It was not the first time she had been late to an event in favor of her blades, and it certainly would not be the last. She was about to move toward Jin but Lore beat her to the punch. Ever the caring one she took to fixing Jin's hair and fussing over their younger sister. She did however chime in when Lore blamed her for the drinking competition. "Actually that was more Hana, and Prince Gil's decision. I was simply here and thought it sounded fun." She knew Lore and Jin were not the drinkers that Hana and herself were. Father often insisted that none of them partake in the wine or if they did that it be watered down, however, Hana was always rebellious, and Annalise had taken to drinking to prove that she was no different than any of the male members of the court. Not that it helped, she was still constantly fighting to be heard even though the country would be hers very soon.

Her mind wandered to the suitors, and who of them would allow her to rule her country, who would stay out of her way. Gil, the third Prince who Hana had gathered had no interest in a position of power such as the ruler of a country seemed a good option. He however had carefully avoided talking to her since he had arrived at the courtyard. She was sure that in Gil's eyes, she was his last choice. She knew nothing of the elven Prince who had yet to arrive at the courtyard so she couldn't make any assumptions on him at this point. Erick seemed polite enough and he might be content to command Astalia's armies and remain out of the finer aspects of ruling the country. Though again, this was only speculation. Lastly was Prince Vyarin who was also more or less a wild card. She was sure that if she wanted to be underhanded about it she could use his limited knowledge of her language to her advantage for a while. She wasn't that manipulative though. She shook the thought out of her head as Hana approached them with Gil on her heels.

At the mention of food her stomach growled, she hadn't had much to eat today, the nerves had gotten the better of her so any food in her system would be extremely welcomed at this point. She had almost missed what Erick had asked her, lost in her own thoughts. "Hm?" Was all that escaped her lips before her brain fully registered what he had said. She moved to take a seat across from him rather than directly beside him. It was a deliberate action, keeping openings for the other Princes to attempt to make a move, while still remaining close enough to Erick to still interact with him. She waited until Hana finished speaking to reply to his earlier statement and question. "Unfair you say? On whose side, mine or yours?" She cocked her eyebrow at him as her good eye looked directly into his, a very small smirk playing at her lip. "As for how I would test you, well that is simple, we must each finish the same amount of drinks by the end of the night, whoever holds their alcohol better is the winner. In other words, whoever is less drunk." She emphasized her point by finishing her own glass to make them equal. "If I win…" She paused to think. There were two ways she could do this, the light hearted way or more serious. After a moment she chose the more light hearted option. As much as she wanted to let him know that her country came first, now was not the time. "If I win, you have to tell me an embarrassing story from your childhood. And since we are declaring Price Vyarin the judge he will have final say on who is the winner. Of course you get to name your prize as well, within reason of course." The smirk was now prominent on her face as she carefully ate a bit of the food that was put in front of her, her stomach instantly reacting to finally being fed.

Her attention moved to the entryway as the final member of this elaborate political game joined them. "Ah Prince Alvaro, happy you could join us. We were just about to eat, please, feel free to join us. Also if you are interested, we have some drinking games in place if you would like to partake." She motioned to the food and drink on the tables and also to the free seats.

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Gil watched Sulhana as she spoke. He was about to respond when the youngest Princess and the Prozdy Prince entered the courtyard. His eyes traced over the pair. The large male appeared more than out of his element and the smaller female clearly disheveled. His curiosity peaked at the two of them. What exactly had they been doing beforehand? He didn't assume anything promiscuous but still, he wondered. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle when Sulhana mentioned him falling for her already. Though he didn't get a chance to respond before she was off to greet her sister finishing off her drink as she did so. He too finished his drink, not wanting her to get ahead of him and followed her.

He did his best not to listen in on the conversation Sulhana had with her sister so instead he wandered off a bit to get himself another drink, returning just as Sulhana moved away to make a speech before offering food. He opened his mouth to greet Jin just as she started talking and closed it to allow her to speak. At the mention of food his stomach growled, realizing he had not eaten since before his arrival to the castle. He decided it was as good a time as any to get seated and get some food in his system, especially if he was going to be drinking heavily. He walked over to the table and pulled out a seat, offering it to Jin, more out of habit than anything else. "I could use some food, how about you?" He questioned the Princess politely. "Besides, if we are going to be drinking we should probably make sure we aren't doing so on an empty stomach." He smiled as he took his own seat, child-like excitement to eat some food, and hopefully taste some Astalian dishes. He hadn't even noticed the Elven Prince enter as he seated himself.

[User]
Vyarin gratefully takes one of the silver cups, looking down into the well to see for himself. This did not look particularly different from the profaned drink of the gold cup, but an experimental sip told him that it was well and safe enough. Opposed to the chokingly bitter sample before, this was mild, sweet but with a spicy aftertaste. How did they manage that, he wondered? Did they crush apples into a chalice, and sprinkle in a dash of ground peppers? What an amazing culinary tradition this land of Astalia kept. His mind came alive with the most absurd things being served on a platter. Goat's livers covered in honey? Fresh honeygrass mixed in with fried horseflies? Entire frogs, stuffed full with stalks of raw grain? He was certainly willing to give them a try.

"Let us go forth to glory," he sarcastically muttered in Prozdy, finally building up the courage to take a full swig from the spiced drink. It was a common phrase spoken before the consumption of a dinner. No man of the League would dare speak in the night preceding a battle. The various principalities that dotted the land were all unique in their own customs, but they all shared that much. The drink was strong with spice, so much so that he could feel particles of it scratch at his throat as it went down. It was powerful and uplifting, like the drink was made of fire, like it could fill him up with a fire's fury and he could raise fortresses with his own hands. Only guiltily afterwards did he realize he had taken the entire chalice in a single gulp, and was greedily eyeing another one. How unseemly of him, he thought to himself, pulling out a chair and joining the other heirlings as they gathered about the table, servants already melting away as they left behind them plates of resplendent, though disappointingly mundane-looking food.

The other seven chatted eagerly amongst themselves, all they who were fluent in Astalian. Vyarin felt a frustration bordering on anger bubble up inside him. So long as he sat here, he was deaf in all the ways that matter. He imagined it to be not much different from wading into battle missing an arm. Perhaps he could pick up a word that appeared frequently enough. 'Wine, wine,' they said. That Astalian word appeared frequently, but he could not even begin to wonder what it could translate to. Was it marriage? That was their purpose coming here, after all. Perhaps they were speaking of arranging matches between themselves. Was it war? There are hushed mentions of a brewing war, greater than any skirmish between princes Vyarin would ever have seen, between this land and the great northern realm. He could not see any sign of worry on any other faces; they are mighty and stoic, these fellow heirlings, brave in the face of threat. What could this 'wine' possibly be?

[Assistant]
Seeing that Vyarin was back in sone assemblage of sorts, she withdrew a little. He had gotten the message, and seemed inclined to no further conversation with her, so she left him to his founderings. A soft sigh escaped her lips and as she saw Alvaro enter, she arranged her face in a smile and moved to intercept. A hand on her arm stilled her and she saw Uriah standing there. "You need not fuss over every single person here, child. It is not your duty."

Loreena pressed her lips in a thin line. "I'm being obvious, aren't I?"

"Excessively..." Uriah replied without preamble, ignoring the look of consternation from his charge. "Come, enjoy a meal." He offered his arm, beckoning Alvaro to have a seat and be served while he led Lore to a seat as well. The flowers Suly had planted glowed and shimmered like stars as they passed and the jewel on her neck glowed brightly a moment. A few murmured words had a golden chalice of wine lift from the tray held by a servant on the other side of the table and move steadily over the heads of the seated guests to her hand where she plucked it from the air and took a sip. Uriah smirked. "That's the Loreena I was waiting to see," he said quietly.

Helping her to her seat, he withdrew some and sat nearby, as Sulhana made her grand speech. Lore lifted her chalice in a toast to Suly's words and to the assembled guests. "Hear hear, Sulhana! This morning we were strangers. Now we dine as friends. And may the days soon to come see us all as family!"


[System]
Age: 16
Appearance: Long curly black hair, covering her bright green eyes. She wears a black cloak covering her head and a blood red dress. She also has black shoes and a blood red headband, covered by her cloak.
Bio: As a baby, she was abandoned so went through care but ran away at the age of 8 and learned to fend for herself so she is independent. She keeps to herself a lot.
Ability: She is a vampire so super speed, can smell blood easily, hypnotics, becoming a bat, reading minds (rarely but these abilities are from young dracula) and can see pulses as well as making others vampires. She is learning the art of shapeshifting and she can also make fireballs. She gets burnt by the sun, can't eat garlic and a stake through the heart can kill her. Other than that, she is immortal.

[User] Yasmin was waiting for the announcement and she had eaten a lemon slice which had made her fangs retract so she looked like a normal human. She pulled her cloak hood over her head and her green eyes focused on the ground. Her powers weren't obvious to anyone except people who are smart or other vampires. She could also be detected by werewolves or any other supernatural that can detect what others were. Vampires are one of those supernaturals. She dragged her foot slowly across the floor.

[Assistant] Serah watched Yasmin. She seems interesting... Serah thought, her eyes following each and every one of Yasmin's movement's. She then approached her with as friendly a smile she could pull off. "Hi! I'm Serah, and you are?" She held her hand out to Yasmin as she introduced herself.

[User] Yasmin glanced up at her and smiled. 'I am Yasmin, nice to meet you,' she was happy that she had thought of making her fangs retract. She shook her hand.

[Assistant] "Nice to meet ya Yasmin. May I ask, why were you draging your feet and looking depressed?" She tilted her head slightly. She looked genuinely curious. Which was rare since Serah had seen it all practically and knew a lot of stuff.

[User] 'I don't want to talk about it as it is about my past and personal things to me,' She looked back down, disguising tears in her eyes. She bit her lip slightly and focused on fighting back her tears.

[Assistant] "Okayyyy? So what can you do? I can remember anything. Literally anything. Like the guy that was standing a few feet away from us just now probably hasn't showered in a very long time." Sera grinned widely as she spoke.

[User] Yasmin giggled slightly. 'Ew,'

[Assistant] Serah giggled and grinned widely. "I know. I notice the smallest details and remember them for like, forever!" She smiled. "So what can you do anyways? I bet it's more awesome than my ability." she tilted her head slightly as she asked Yasmin

[User] 'Well, That is hard, I am a creature,' she smiled. She then covered her mouth as the lemon started to wear off and her fangs started to grow back.

[Assistant] "What sort of creature?" Serah frowned worridly. She didn't like how Yasmin was acting. It was odd. Maybe she's just shy about her smile? Serah thought as she watched her cover her mouth.

[User] 'I don't want to say,' she pulled out a lemon slice and put it in her mouth. It was well known by supernaturals that lemon makes a vampires fangs retract.

[Assistant] "Mmmm...ok?" Of course since Serah wasn't a supernatural creature she didn't know this. She actually didn't know anything about supernatural creatures. So instead she just shrugged it off. "So are you excited? I'm not. "

[User] 'Me neither, I don't get along with others that well,' she sighed

[Assistant] "I just I don't like school." She shrugged slightly.

[User] 'At my old school I was known for getting good grades but never speaking,'

[Assistant] "I was known for being, and I'm quoting my teachers here, 'a smart ass'" she giggled and grinned.

[User] 'That is not as bad as students saying know it all and teachers pet when they don't know me at all, they used to bully me because I would turn up in scruffy clothes and my hair not done properly,'

[Assistant] "Oh trust me, I got that a lot. I was called a 'know it all' about hmmmmmm.... one thousand and seventy two hundred times." She smiled awkwardly. She then looked around to see if she could find someone to drag into the conversation to make it feel a little less awkward.

[User] Yasmin looked down slightly.

[Assistant] "-Yes I know you don't like being in the hood all day, but I can't rightly have you out and about, that'd cause trouble with the teachers. Look, behave yourself and i'll see if I can get hold of a ripened banana when we go to lunch. I'll even buy you a mango or two on the way home.". Where anyone actually to take note of him, some would consider Dimitri to be a boy of rather peculiar mind. He was standing by wall a bit away from many of the others, an action that wasn't odd in an on itself. However, the same could not be said of talking to oneself, which is what Dimitri seemed to be doing at first glance. A few other teens casted sideways glances at Dimitri as he continued to rabble on an on with what they assumed to either be thin air or voices in his head, however, were one of them actually willing to get close they would likely hear a faint sound, somewhere between a croak and a squeak, emanating from the hood of his jacket. Dimitri craned his neck to try and get a peek at the creature inside and smiled softly, "Some tomato worms? Eh, sure. It's the first day so we'll splurge a little at the pet store on the way home, but you've gotta promise to behave. That means no biting people.". The hood vibrated a bit, then lay still before a soft 'tek' noise came from within, "'Atta girl Minty.".

[User] Sera saw the odd boy talking to himself and then walked over and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into the conversation. "You shall no longer talk to your jacket!" She exclaimed as she practically dragged him. For her lanky structure, Sera was actually pretty strong. Not overly so that it was too noticble. But she was strong enough to pull people around given the determination.

[Assistant] Henry walked by, scratching his butt and eating a Milky Way.

[User] "Wait, i'll no longer wha-" Dimitri started to turn his head and respond to the person that seemed to be directing their comment towards him only to be cut off mid-setence by a persistent tugging on his arm. His left brow raised a bit as he was dragged by the girl who had his arm locked in her grip. Dimitri considered resisting, however his curiosity was piqued. Well, that, and the girl was pretty goddamn strong for her appearance. After he and Sera came to a stop in front of another girl, Dimitri took a moment to brush one of his dreads behind his right ear before he opened his mouth to speak "Uh...hi?".

[Assistant] Henry stopped in front of Dimitri after having finished his candy bar. He smacked his pudgy lips, nodded to himself, bent over, and began grunting loudly as his face turned red. A moment later he straightened back up and reached into the seat of his pants, pulling out the Milky Way bar which was now intact again. He took a bite and walked down the hall.

[User] Dimitri's brows shot up at as his brain took a moment to process what he'd just witnessed. "Huh. Not the first place i'd chose to store food, but to each his own I guess. Dude's gonna get sick if he just leaves food in his pants unwrapped like that before he eats it." He mused aloud to no one in particular.

[Assistant] "Yeah. I'm Serah by the way and this girl is Yasmin. I'm a memory freak. What about you?" She grinned widely. Clearly she liked to get to know people. Actually more of talking to people...or at. Whichever worked was good to her.

[User] Yasmin nodded when her name was mentioned

[Assistant] "Huh, wha-oh, names." Dimitri said as he pried his attention away from the chubby red headed boy. It took Dimitri a few seconds for the words that he'd heard to properly reach his ears, but when they did so Dimitri responded with a friendly nod and a curst smile, "Sorry, got caught up in whatever that guy was- eh, never mind. I'm Dimitri. Nice to meet you guys. Er, what was that about memory freak?". Dimitri was completely clueless as to the abilities of the other students, and to a further extent the nature of the school as a whole. As far as he and his parents were aware he'd simply been sent to a school that catered to children that required alternative teaching methods to cater to students with different skill sets and learning styles.

[User] "I'm a memory freak. I can remember anything. Literally. I don't forget ANYTHING. What can you do except zone out?" She tilted her head slightly.

[Assistant]
Dimitri whistled a single drawn out note to express his impression. He wasn't quite sure whether or not to actually believe that one could literally remember every detail, however given what he was capable of the boy had learned to take everything with a grain of salt. Serah's somewhat quirky nature was rapidly starting to win Dimitri over, as well as clue him on to the fact that this school wasn't quite as normal as he thought it to be, "Well, I can wrestle, i'm pretty good at rock climbing, and I like to think I play a mean bass guitar." he began, rattling off talents that were fairly mundane in nature. Dimitri trailed off as he started to think that wasn't quite was Serah meant, and debated telling her about his more unique gift. The girl seemed open minded enough that she might believe him, "There is one other thing. My parents told me not to go talking about this people, but I don't think they actually believe me. I guess they think they're protecting me or something? I dunno.", Dimitri leaned inwards a bit as if to tell a secret, "I can talk to animals. Well, reptiles specifically. Not like just talking at them either, they can actually understand me. I dunno how or why, but I can also understand them.".

Dimitri gave a hesitant grin as he waited to see how Serah and Yasmin would react to what he'd just said. He was fairly certain that they'd probably just call him crazy or something, but something told him that things might not turn out like he figured they would today.

[User] "Thats so cool!" Sean exclaimed. She bounced up and down slightly. "Was that why you were talking to yourself, because there was a little gecko on the wall? Oh oh! Can you speak to like cats and dogs or just reptiles? And can you command them like an army general?" She kept the glow of questions coming at him fast and constant.

[Assistant] Yasmin nodded before getting out a book and slowly reading through it

[User] "Watcha reading there Yasmin?!" She tried to peer into the book

[Assistant] Yasmin slammed the book shut but had memorized her page. She held it close to her chest. 'It is nothing you would be interested in,' It was a book on vampire magic that can be learned and she was working hard to become as strong as possible and had a second book about the dark vampire magic.

[User] She frowned. "Awe. Just one itsy bisty glance?" Serah pouted slightly. Begging to look at the book.

[Assistant] 'No,' She growled at her. She put the book in her bag with another book and a bottle. She pulled out the bottle and drank some of it before sighing in relief. 'Just what I needed to get my energy back,' She put the bottle back in her bag. She then pulled out a lemon slice and bit into it before eating it and putting the bag of lemon slices back into her bag. She also had contact lenses in her bag which she put in her eyes before closing her bag and sealing the zip with a lock and hung the key around her neck.

[User] Dimitri found himself pleasantly surprised with just how quickly Serah had accepted what he'd said. He's sort of figured that she might actually entertain what he'd said, but full on acceptance was definitely a lot better. The rapid fire questions caught the boy off guard, leaving him a bit overwhelmed. By the time Dimitri was actually prepared to answer Serah had switched gears and started prying at Yasmin who was adamant about keeping her book to herself. The fact that Yasmin was determined to keep the book's contents to herself was indeed interesting, however such interest immediately took a backseat to more surprise as the girl put in a pair of contacts after handling a lemon slice of all things, "Um, ow? Doesn't it burn putting those things in with lemon juice on your hands?".

[Assistant] 'Nah, I am used to it as I eat lemon a lot,' She smiled

[User] "How much exactly do you eat?" Serah frowned slightly. She was still curious about the book but she knew she wouldn't get any answered about that so might as well ask about the lemons.

[Assistant] '2 lemons a day on average,' she replied, smiling.

[User] "Thats a lot. Well it is and it isn't. I mean a single lemon holds not even enough juice in in to make even a halve a glass of lemonade. Of course pure lemon juice is an acid so it can't really be that good to take in that much undiluted lemon juice." Serah hummed slightly as she started to wonder off in her own thoughts.

[Assistant] Yasmin nodded as she slung her bag over her shoulder, sighing.


[System]
Have a slightly different character origin (time period) than the others, with Mokley's approval.

---
Age: 23

Appearance:

Occupation: Aspiring IT nerd stuck in you average supermarket.

Personality: Very much a go with the flow kind of person and an older brother figure. He is a problem solver and prefers to avoid conflict when possible.

History: The oldest of 7 kids Chris was born September, 14, 1992 and grew up watching over others most of his life. As such he has come to treat most others in the same way. From an early age he took to computers well and devoted quite a bit of time to them. Thankfully it didn't get in the way of his grades and in collage he picked up a computer science degree. Even with some degree it was hard to land a job in his field. But he was patient and believed that if he kept on trying that he would get a break. Finally getting several interviews things were looking promising when everything changed.

[User]
It wasn't long until Chris stirred. Being transported from one world to another was quite jarring. Though he didn't recall going to sleep the hard ground and rustling of leaves in the wind alerted him to a change in scenery. He heard a voice that was unfamiliar to him. Opening his eyes he was greeted by a forest, a rather dense one at that. Silently confused, Chris sat up to get his barrings. Before him was a young girl who appeared to have been waiting for him to wake. "Who are you? Where am I?" As far as he could recall there weren't any large forests nearby where he lived.

Taking a second to observe the forest a bit more he straightened his glasses which had leaned to one side when he landed. Aside from trees the figure of a large wolf caught his attention. Even if it wasn't ready to pounce that particular detail didn't register. "Oh god." Scrambling to his feet he grabbed Anise and pulled her away from Reus. Had she not noticed it? It wasn't exactly hiding. By now a million and one questions were going through Chris' head. Very few of them had anything resembling an answer.

[Assistant]
Anise smiled when the man woke up. That was a good sign. He sat upright and confusedly scanned his surroundings.

She bowed her head slightly. "I am Anise. I'm afraid I don't know where here is, but it i-" As she spoke he suddenly scrambled to his feet and grabbed her cutting her off from what she was saying. She glanced around startled before realizing that the cause of his fear was Reus. Anise could empathize with with his reaction, as when she first saw Reus she ended up running away blinded by fear.

She calmly took his hand to calm him down and get his attention on her. "Don't worry, Reus won't hurt you." She suspected under the right circumstances the large wolf might, but these were not those circumstances. She kept her newborn senses up to feel the spirits around her. "There are a few things I need to let you know right now." Her tone had gone from calm to serious. "This forest is different from any place you've ever been. I know this because it's different from any forest I know. Every living person here, so far as I know aren't natives and have been stuck here... I'm trying to find a way out of here. I also want to protect newcomers like yourself from the dangers of this forest."

She pulled away from him and stepped up to Reus' side. She stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "There are things in this forest that you would count as not normal. For example, this night has been eternal and Reus is an exceptional wolf." She looked out towards the Dark with the recent incident still fresh in her mind. She would have to get more powerful to contest with the Lord of Shadow's power. Courage and willpower alone could only do so much. She had to get stronger in order to prevent any more of her friends from coming to a dead end.

She then faced Reus and smiled at him. "Reus, I am going to need to get stronger if I am to bring Light back to this forest. We were barely able to fend off the Darkness this time. Can you help me? I can't rely on the power of this lantern alone. I need to find my own."

[User]
The Tyaelaem spirit that Simon had taken control of had made it to Anise who he was slightly excited to see. He was guessing that she would be less excited to see the spirit that he was 'inside' of seeing as he was a lifeline during their earlier moments in this forest. As he was viewing her with the wolf that he had briefly met in the past but couldn't bring the name to his tongue since it seemed like ages since he seen it. As Simon was viewing this he could feel a slight oddness in his human body, almost like he attached to the spirit since when he came upon this scenario it seemed like his heart began to race while making no movements.

 This echoed through his skull as if someone was yelling through a megaphone placed right against his ear. Just a few moments after the deep booming voice stopped echoing inside his cranium he heard another voice, a familiar voice that he recognized however this time it had a different tone. Simon could no longer see through Tyaelaems sight but instead it seemed he lost control of his hands since they had reached into the fire pulling out the ghost flower and smashed it into the ground followed by flinging dirt over its remains.

He felt like he was being squeezed empty of all his blood and emotions. He started to feel cold and trapped as if someone was closing him inside of a freezer. He couldn't even move a single muscle at this point in time, he was just laying on the ground hazily looking off into the distance. He thought for sure that this would be his few final moments. Such a miserable way to go, completely useless to an entity that he ultimately regrets calling upon. As all these thoughts ran frantic through Simons mind the thoughts slowly started to fade and his eyes became heavy and started to close.

Simon had managed to make his mouth move enough to get out a faint  Goodbye World Everything went to black and his mind followed an extremely small string forward through the forest until he was at the location of Tyaelaems spirit, Anise, the wolf. When suddenly he saw Tyaelaems spirit grab the lantern that was in Anises hands and the string disconnected and a blue pulse erupted from the lantern towards Simon following the reverse path that his mind followed to that plain. When the pulse made contract with Simons lifeless body it had launched him backwards landing on his back next to Tyaelaems still lifeless body.

His body slowly started to warm up and regain control of his own movements. As he looked towards the sky he noticed that his vision in his right eye was completely black. Nothing what-so-ever, no light no dark no nothing. He went to move his hand to his eye to see if something was blocking it or something but the recent 'experience' had left his movements a little bit slower. As if he hasn't used them in months. He placed his hand on his eye and noticed that his hand was messed up too. He looked at his hands with his left eye and noticed that they were both quite burned. He wanted to get up and go to Anise since she had the lantern that allowed him to escape his almost untimely demise, however his legs didn't seem ready for that at this exact moment. Simon noticed that the necklace was no longer glowing and something instantly clued in that it was why he had lost control of his body so he slowly and gently had taken off the necklace and placed it on the ground. Simon lay on his back blind in one eye and swore at the top of his lungs!

[Assistant]
The initial shock of seeing a large wolf was dispelled slightly by Anise's much calmer reaction. Though to be honest Chris still wasn't sure how best to respond to anything at this moment. The girl did seem to have a better grasp of what the situation so as she spoke he listened. Not that it made a whole lot of sense. So she wasn't from this place, wherever it was, either.

The explanation still lets a lot of questions unanswered. Like how he actually got here and where this forest was, among many others. During the time the forest was being explained he looked about at the dark sky and surrounding trees. Something like this sounded more like a dream or nightmare. Curiously Anise spoke about protecting him in the forest. At first it sounded odd, but then again he had no idea what environment he would actually be facing other than what he could see in the immediate area. And if Reus was any indication there were potentially dangerous animals out there.

After appearing rather dumbfounded by it all Chris spoke again. "It's nice to meet you Anise... and Reus. Do you happen to know how I got here? That detail is bothering me." That seemed like a decent enough quetion to start with. Really most of the questions sounded slightly crazy to him. Without knowing more maybe it was best to keep them simple for a bit.

[User]
Anise listened to his question. That had been a question that lingered in her mind for a while until recently. While no one had told her, it had happened often enough that she figured out how she got here. She raised the lantern in its damaged glory and nodded at it. "This lantern is what summoned you here. I know it may be hard to wrap your head around it, but it has power... and a sort of will of its own."

She fully put her attention on the newcomer. "There are two different and opposed factions in this forest. The Kith and the Pirates. Both I think are people that were forced here by the lanterns, and each found their own way to survive this place. They also both have their own stories about a great dragon that ruled over this forest. The Pirates believe that the dragon was evil and sealed it away into these lanterns of which I know of four, but I think there's more. The Kith revere the dragon as a benevolent being and believe that breaking the seals of these lanterns will free the dragon and bring back the sun. I think both may be true to some degree and the dragon's 'evil' was not naturally brought about. I also believe that the lanterns are the only way back home and want to collect them, cleanse any evil from them, and free them. I just want to help those that are stuck here find a way back home."

Her expression then saddened. "Also, the dead's spirits don't move on. I want to help them find peace." She also wanted to see if any of them wanted to help her protect those stuck in this forest and act as guardians. If she could gather many friends to help her then that would be preferable.

Anise's expression returned to a more friendly expression. "I'm afraid that I didn't hear your name. What are you called?"

[Assistant]
This was indeed quite a lot to wrap his mind around. Either what this girl was saying was true or someone was trying to play a cruel prank. For the moment he would have to hold judgement of the subject. The story of a dragon was interesting though. Real or not he could enjoy a good tale. his thoughts were interrupted by a request for his name. My name is Chris Addams. I um... I'm not exactly sure how to react to what you're telling me. It's kind of hard to believe."

Checking his pockets he found that they were all empty. So what was left was what he was wearing on his back. A sound made its way through the trees. At first Chris didn't make it out. But after a moment it clicked that it was someone swearing out loud. "Do you know of anyone else here in the forest?"

[User]
Anise nodded as Chris introduced himself and sympathized with his sentiment about what this forest was like. Ultimately, experience would be the greatest teacher here, but even the slightest bit of preparation could save his life, even if that preparation was just information. "I know... You'll know how to react when it happens. Whatever it ends up being." She was referring to the forest in general. She didn't know any other way to explain how this forest was other than as a living thing.

Anise glanced around as she heard Simon's voice echo through the forest. Something happened to him. Even with the previous mistrust between her and the group he was with when she met them, she felt concerned.

Apparently, Chris was also concerned about others, but not in the same way that Anise felt. She nodded. "I know of plenty, this one's name is Simon. He came here just like you and me. I thought he would join the Pirates, but if he's still where I think he might be then I'm not sure what to think. Either way, I want to help him if he's hurt."

Anise pulled the hawk mask down and used the clarity of vision it gave to help find Simon. While it didn't grant her night vision, somehow she knew where things were. She could tell where the stream was so she could use its waters to heal injuries. She walked cautiously back to where the conflict between her and the others happened. She was surprised to see that all had vacated the area except for Simon.

He was laying on his back, swearing out loud. She ran up to him and knelt down next to him to check his injuries. She found his hands were burned and one eye way badly damaged. "Simon! Oh gods! Can you stand? I can help you get to the healing waters. I know where the stream is." She offered to support him, even though she probably wasn't going to be tall enough to make a comfortable support. She was so used to operating on her own as of late that she didn't even consider to ask Chris for assistance.

[Assistant]
So there were other people in the woods. Though that shouldn't be surprising. But it was someone that Anise knew so that was good. When Anise started going Chris followed. Curiously the young woman put on a mask. Either it helped her see or she just knew the forest well because he couldn't see a whole lot as they went along. "A flashlight would do wonders in the place."

While there were still a lot of questions Chris didn't have the luxury of many answers, it seemed. Going in the direction of the yelling they came across a man. Right away Anise went to him and spoke about healing water. Chris wasn't sure he believed in such a thing but this man looked like he needed help either way. Stepping over he got Simon's other side for more support. "Lead the way."


[System]
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Godly parent: Nyx
Brief description of godly parent: Nyx is the goddess of the night, and so powerful that Zeus himself fears to anger her. Her home is in Tartarus, and she is the mother of many children, including Hypnos, Thanatos, Eris, and the Moirai, or Fates.
Appearance:

Skills/Powers/Weapons: Nycteris is an expert tracker and rider, and can use her weapon well both on foot and on horseback. She's athletic and participates in gymnastics. She can also manipulate shadows and darkness, travel through darkness, and she's stronger in the night. Her weapon of choice is a naginata, although she can also use a bow.
Strengths/Weaknesses: In the darkness, Nycteris is at her strongest. She's a competent tactician - through hard work and study, rather than natural skill - and a fierce fighter. However, in the daytime, her power is lessened, and if the sun is too bright, it can give her a headache. She fails at most homemaking skills, like cooking.
Other: Despite her appearance, Nycteris is a fairly friendly person, and still sees the wonder in the world.

Name: Ephraim Amirmoez
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Godly parent: Anuke
Brief description of godly parent: Anuke is a goddess of war. Not much is known about her, but she was always depicted as carrying a bow and arrows.
Appearance:

Skills/Powers/Weapons: Ephraim is a master archer and swordsman, and knows the basics of many other weapons. He's a crack shot with a rifle or a pistol. In battle, Ephraim can call on his mother to bless him, increasing his speed, stamina, and power. He carries a hand-and-a-half sword, a recurve bow, and a Sig Sauer pistol.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Ephraim is a fighter, plain and simple. When it comes to battle, he's in his element. However, after his mother's blessing runs out, he's left tired and weakened.
Other: Ephraim is a bit stand-offish, preferring to be left to train in peace. Simply put, weapons are his life.

[User]
Victoria turned her head to look at Adrian. "I dunno. A tac nuke would be nice, but it's awfully hard to get one. I could call my Mom, see if her contacts in Mossad can get us one, but I don't expect a lot of luck. Motherland's pretty tightfisted, y'know." Did I just make a racist joke on accident? She blew past it. "But we could probably go to some third-world hellhole and steal some old Soviet tech from them. I wonder if Ares has ever dealt with a T-62 or a MiG."

She saw the Ice Asshole raise the other kid into the air and before he had even finished the movement had her Colt in hand, putting a shot into the ground at his feet. "Hey, Ice Fucker, put the kid down or the next shot goes into your lap."

[Assistant]
"Are you entirely insane or only mostly so?" He said to himself watching what Riley was doing to the clearly in no way ready for this Rayon. Doing his best to conceal the fact that shooting him for putting someone in mortal danger wasn't the worst option.

"The best way to teach a person to swim isn't by throwing them into a river. If they fail they die and it is the fault of the one who put them in that situation to begin with. Not the one who was forced into it."

[User]
"I'm just surprised to could even attempt to gain the connections needed to get us a nuke..." Adrian replied to Promethean child, in some disbelief. It was usual for her to make casual boasts such as that from time to time, but something as serious as obtaining such heavy artillery threw Adrian through a bit of a loop. Soon after that, seemed most began turning their attention towards Riley, who took it upon himself to begin an extreme impromptu training session with the much younger, much more inexperienced, Rayon.

"Yeah dude, bring 'im down." Adrian joined in with the yelling and calling. "That's a bit much, even for you." Adrian almost felt like he was negotiating in some sort of hostage situation. Even then he didn't feel like his yells would reach the two, considering just how high up they were.

[Assistant] "That made more sense in my head." She thought to herself as she unslung her Mosin-Nagant and took aim. "Alright, I've got the asshole sighted. Anyone got a way to catch the other kid if Ice Prick drops him after I shoot him?"

[User]
Rayon froze - no pun intended - momentarily as he realized he was back in the air, with only fifteens seconds before he quickly fell ou of it. Rayons prieviously friendly smile of greeting was frozen in place out of sheer fear. He looked at the river below and back to Riley, alternatively

"Uh, eh, ye're joking right?" With a futile look, Rayon hoped that Riley would say yes at the last second. No such answer came.

"Oh he-"

His curse was cut off as the ice beneath him melted and he plummetted out of the sky. His fatigue and panic critically affected his decision making abilities, so rather than flying up, he kept falling.

On instinct, a powerful surge entered his body, invigorating his strength and durability. Of course, Rayon was now running on fumes, so it was unkown how long the augmentation would last.

[Assistant]
Falling child? Rhodri moved, dashing from his corner of the firing range towards where the commotion had been occurring. He had been aimlessly watching the group bicker, but he wasn't going to stand by while the kid fell that distance. With a mighty push of his feet against the ground, he jumped, divine strength sending him up into the air, where he caught Rayon.

The redhead landed with a thump, knees bending to absorb the shock of the impact, his body rattling against the force. Super strength and endurance or not, dropping from such a height was a pain.

"You alright mate?" asked the Welshman, looking down at the boy in his arms. "Not gonna crash on us, are ya?"

[User]
Riley
 He had had enough, first he was openly disrespected by a newbie member to the camp, then his methods, which had yet to fail once where being questioned, and he was being threatened. If he was anything, he was angry. But Riley became very cold angry, he wasn't the type to explode or start screaming, but he spoke in a manner that felt as if daggers were coming from his mouth. Lowering himself to floating just above the ground, he spoke.
"Deny him his training if you must, but know that it will be you nailing shut his coffin, not I."
He stated lowly, ice forming under the spot he was floating above, then he touched down.
"The river would have turned to a light snow, had you fallen into it, the worst damage you would have sustained would have been a slight chill. If you wish to be weak, so be it, but I could make you a rival to Odin."
He said directly to Rayon, then with a flash of his hand, he turned to Victoria, and with a wave her gun had several inches of ice in her barrel.
"Please, I beg of you to face an immortal with a weapon so easily dispatched, I think you all forget who we are up against, and an example is needed."
He growled lowly, his voice harsh.

[Assistant] Victoria stared at him. "You just did that." She apparently calmly set her rifle down on a table. "That was my mother's. Her father's before her." She smiled at him, a smile bereft of any warmth. "You're an imbecile. I met you five minutes ago. In that time you randomly attacked Ephraim, scared the shit out of another kid, and, oh yeah, you damaged my weapon." In a single blindingly fast movement she quickdrew her pistol and put a bullet in his foot, then leveled her weapon at his forehead. "You're quickly proving yourself to be a liability."

[User]
"There are more options than no training or throwing him into a river. You could teach him gradually as most teachers and trainers would do. Few use total immersion and expect positive results." Johnny replied, smiling at the others seeming attempt at intimidation. He wasn't particularly intimidated by the ice magic, knowing he wouldn't try anything too overt and if he did he would end up having everyone else attack him. So freezing a gun and speaking low and venomous had the opposite effect. It was then that Victoria shot him in the foot. It was then he looked dead serious.

"He may have frozen your gun and endangered a comrade, but actively harming him is a step too far." He said sternly.

[Assistant]
The area was becoming tense again. Least Adrian could do was attempt to defuse the situation. He began to approach Riley. "Don't start, Rie. They get it, you're powerful, and we could use the training, but even you can't help but think your methods are a bit unethical-" BANG! Victoria acted much faster than Adrian could, simply popping the cryomancer in the foot. Naturally, this surprised Adrian.

"AHH! FUCK!" He yelped and flinched on instinct. "Victoria! Really?! Jesus!" That shot was much much closer than he'd like to admit, and sent his ears ringing.

[User]
Riley
 Despite the screaming pain in his foot, he managed to maintain a semblance of his composure. Having suffered far worse wounds, a peek under he shirt could tell you that, he had developed quite the pain tolerance, even in the worst of situations he could manage to stay composed. As blood began to pour from his foot, the entire surface of his flesh was covered in a layer of Ice, different densities forming the intricate muscles and veins, essential repairing his foot for the time being. He was more than capable of turning his whole body into ice, but it ate up a lot of his power, so it only really worked in cases that he needed high defense. Which was rare.

 Facing the gun raised at his head, the pieces clciked together in his head, and he smiled softly.
"Strike Two."
 Was all he said with a whisper, before turning and walking, thinking as he went.

 He was a powerful ally to have in battle, but an even more powerful enemy, she had was near to making an enemy, and if she did, one day, she would suffer ten-fold the damage she had done unto him, he was sure of it. He would destroy her pride, perhaps by breaking her fingers, so she can never fire a gun, or perhaps have her paralyzed, leaving her a useless vegetable for the rest of her days. But, she still had one strike, perhaps she would justify herself.

[Assistant]
"What a bitch." She said as she holstered her sidearm. "So anyway, what was I saying?" She looked over her rifle. "Fuck, this isn't good." She drew her kukri and began cutting the ice off. "So anyway, we're going to need a lot of guns." And a knife. She flicked her head up. That was a weird thought. A single knife? Why did she need a single knife? She had a knife.

Weird day.

[User]
Adrian showed off a pretty good grimace as Riley did his best to patch up the grievous wound inflicted upon him. What was left of his foot was encased in ice...or turned into ice? Adrian couldn't really tell. "I'm not sure feet or ice work that way..." He mumbled, looking on as he hobbled away. "Or maybe they do. I don't know how that guy works..." "He should probably see a actual doctor or something..." He thought aloud, reproaching Victoria...who had gone back to their previous branch of conversation with nary a hitch. She seemed more excited after the event than before. Adrian sighed, grasping for his forehead.

"Typical morning at the Refuge..." He sighed again.

[Assistant]
"We can go over the details for such a thing once I can actually purchase them. For the time being, it would mostly be just talking about which guns we like the most. For now though I think I'd like some breakfast, and the grove has plenty of fruits and vegetables ready for picking." He replied to Victoria. Giving a slight bow as his father had taught him before walking away. The sight of two demigods getting into a fight with one or both being very much injured was almost mundane. Mixing various gods and pantheons was bound to cause problems.

"If anyone would care to join."

[User] Victoria ejected the magazine from her Colt and began slotting replacement bullets into the mag before slotting it back in and working the slide, then slid it into her hip holster. "Sure, what the hell. I already did PT this morning, I was just showing off for the Bow fanboys."

[Assistant] Seeing it as an opportunity to finally exit the scene, Adrian was eager to follow along with Johnny. "YES! Yes. Please, breakfast would be the best right about now." He replied, quickly taking up the rear. "I'm gonna have to meditate on this, after all's said and done...lord have mercy." He was gonna have a headache. He was never a fan of swiftly escalating confrontations.

[User]
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Ephraim attempted to calm himself. His hands trembled, and Nycteris's words once agains sounded in his mind. You know as well as I do that a little R&R can do wonders for soldiers. He was losing his cool, and he desperately needed a break. However, his idea of a break was a lot different from everyone else's. Carefully putting away his newly-strung bow, he buckled on a sword and went into the woods, to an area that few dared to venture.

Drawing the sword, Ephraim closed his eyes and waited. Then he roared and whirled on a target, cleaving it in two. None of the targets or dummies in his personal training area survived. Usually, decimating the many targets in his clearing would cool his head. Not this time.

Gods, he hated the powered ones. So often, they acted as if their superpowers made them somehow better than the rest of them. Ephraim's skills in war didn't come from any fancy blessing or magical power. He had to work for it, and work hard. Anuke was a loving mother, but demanding. Her son would not be allowed to slack. Breathing hard, he waited until his heart rate settled, and went off into the woods. This wasn't something he did often, and every time, Nycteris somehow found him and dragged him back to camp and to the nearest healer.

Sword in hand, a grimly determined look on his face, Ephraim went in search of monsters.


[System]
Nicknames
K.O (on the ice), Kiki (to VERY close friends)
Age
21
Gender
Male
Year
Junior year, still draft-eligible
Reason of Admission
Athletic Scholarship for Hockey
Major
Journalism, with a focus on sports / Communications
Sexuality
Heterosexual
Relationship Status
Single
Label
Heartthrob Jock

Appearance Details
* Hair: Brown | Long | Usually worn down, but he claims to have brought the manbun to Newfoundland, so he will wear it up in that style from time to time.
* Eyes: Blue
* Height: 6'3"
* Body Type: Athletic build, especially in the legs thanks to a lifetime of skating.
* Clothing Style: As an athlete, Kieran is expected to maintain a sense of style at the rink, so he has a couple of fine suits that he will wear on game days to look presentable. However, his preferred casual clothes consist primarily of jeans, both torn and untorn, open button-up shirts with t-shirts on underneath and a toque (wool cap) that will be worn to protect his hair from the elements. He wears a pair of dogtags in honor of his childhood friend and neighbor.
* Scars, Tattoos and/or Piercings: Nothing can mark that perfect body. Not yet, anyway.

Personality Traits
Growing up in the rural part of Newfoundland has given Kieran an appreciation for taking things slow, but in the end it wasn't really for him. He likes the ability to do any number of things in one day, which was only possible after a long car ride back home. He likes to be out with people, doing things. He had enough hanging out alone back home.

Kieran has always been an easygoing person. Growing up constantly surrounded by a team atmosphere, he is usually the calm presence among his fellow athletes. On the ice, he plays as ferociously as anyone. He earned his nickname in his freshman season with Meadow after taking down junior enforcer J.P. Smolinski of Robert Morris in his first-ever scrap. He will fight for his team tooth and nail, he's that loyal once on board. It's a trait he carries with him off the eye, usually willing to stick up for anyone he considers a friend.

Upbringing Synopsis
Kieran O'Connor born in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador, and it was clear from an early age the kid was as Canadian as a Tim Horton's donut covered in maple syrup. From the second Patrick and Maryse O'Connor brought their youngest to Harbour Grace Arena for his first skate, Kieran showed he had a natural talent for gliding along the ice. As such, his parents invested all their spare cash in letting their boy pursue his dream of following Danny Cleary from the island to the NHL.

He was head and shoulders above the other kids in Harbour Grace and was a stand out even in the larger St. John's league. However, that still didn't amount to much and he wasn't drafted until the 10th round of the 2016 QMJHL draft by Blainville-Boisbriand. Not content to move to Quebec, Kieran didn't report to camp and instead decided the NCAA route would be the best way to reach then pros. His grades were so good that he had multiple offers from the States, but his parents insisted on education first and Kieran made his way to the top-tier Meadow University in 2018.

Kieran maintained an open-dorm policy when he got to university and it served him well, landing some solid friends and a couple eventual future roommates. He still is dreaming of that NHL contract so he can put the Rock back on the professional hockey map given the dearth of talent that has managed to stay in the big leagues.

Family

Father: Patrick O'Connor - 52 - Fisherman - FC: Alan Doyle
Mother: Maryse O'Connor - 48 - Director, Harbour Grace Tourism Board - FC: Natasha Henstridge
Oldest Sister: Caitlin O'Connor - 27 - Manager, Hertz Rent-A-Car, Toronto Bloor Street location - FC: Nicole Power
Older Sister: Hannah O'Connor - 24 - Junior Crime Reporter, The St. John's Telegram - FC: Sara Canning

Misc.
Brock O'Hurn | 87b5eb
- So I need another rom-com? Um... Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist?

[User]
This was beyond bullshit. Who did this fucking school think they were? Fiona didn't even attend the party, yet she was still on probation. What kind of bullshittery ----

Lost for words, the dark haired girl exited the auditorium, her resting birch face becoming more and more noticable as she went. Cassian and that other dude could both suck her dick. She wasn't going to have two years of her degree thrown away because two stupid boys - boys, not men - decided to get into a fight over who knows what. If Fiona had it her way, she'd be raging at Cass right now. In the meantime, she should probably get to know the other guy in the videos name.

Instead of drawing any more attention to herself, Fiona sat down at one of the tables in the courtyard. Digging around in her bag for her notebook, the young woman began to study. On the off chance she would get to stay at Meadow, she should wouldnt want to fall behind on her classes.

[Assistant]
When Theodore had gotten to the Bonfamille Manor in town, it wasn't quite yet sunrise but it was late. He didn't know if Bas or if Mads had gotten home okay but he had all the confidence in the world the two could take care of themselves. Lord knows when he sat down on the couch and laid on his side, he wasn't in any position to double-check.

He woke up close to dinner time the next day and still felt like shit. His head pounded like someone took a hammer to it, or a hammer-like fist and it physically hurt him when he brought his left hand to touch one of his cuts.

Thinking it couldn't get any worse than it was right now, Theo immediately was proven wrong as he reached for his phone on his nightstand and checked for any messages. There were a few but none appealed to him enough and made him open his eyes faster than he ever had done than when he saw a text message with an Instagram link. He tapped the link and it brought him to a video.

"Please don't tell me.." Theo's voice trailed off into silence, hating himself immediately. "They caught the entire thing," he mused, seeing just how...aggressive he was. In the deepest part of his gut, he felt something twist as though he was disgusted with the red-haired boy he saw because that wasn't a man he saw tackling Cass. That was someone less than.

Halfway through the video, which wasn't at the part where Theo got kicked in the chest, a pain that was still fresh, his phone went off. He scowled when he saw who it was.

Begrudgingly, he answered. "Can you save the lecture?" Theo said, eyes closed as he laid back on his bed. "I already know why you're calling, mother. And I know why you're about to give me the third degree. Just save it."

Adelaide Bonfamille didn't speak for nearly a minute. Theo knew she was considering her words. He knew her to be precise and not one to beat around the bush, not when it came to him, at least. Always the direct one. Even as much as he hates to admit it, that's one of the few things they have in common. They are often direct in how they act. For better or worse, Theodore and Adelaide possess that same fire in their souls.

Finally, as he heard her cough, she said, "I hope you're proud of yourself, Theodore."

"Oh, I'm just beaming with pride, mother! I sure love getting recorded and everyone seeing me lose a fight. Yeah, I couldn't be happier!" He spoke with such sarcasm that how his mother sounded, the way she breathed, he knew she rolled her eyes.

"Are you done?" She asked with restraint but clearly not in the mood for his sarcasm.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Good." Adelaide cleared her throat. "This is an absolute travesty, Theodore. What on Earth possessed you to think this was a good idea?"

"Honestly?" His rhetorical tone was met with silence, so he continued. "I don't know what you want me to say. Do I regret it? Well duh! This entire ordeal was recorded and I know everyone knows it was me. Hell, you even recognized me and you're hardly around to know if I still have my red hair anymore."And there it was. Direct and finally getting to his point.

"What do you mean 'I'm hardly around'?"

Theo went to open his mouth, thinking he was going to say it. And his voice half-cracked itself, but in the end, he betrayed himself by opting for silence instead of the truth. "Forget it. I'm tired, my head hurts, and I don't have time for this right now. Besides," Theo said, sighing, turning on his left side, settling into a comfortable position. As he yawned, he said, "I know you have that big concert in an hour. I wouldn't want to make you late for it."

"Theodore, wait--"

He cut her off as he hung up with her and shut off his phone. He knew she wasn't going to be particularly happy with him and he knew it would reach him eventually, but Theo didn't care. He didn't have the mental energy to spare for the likes of Madame Adelaide Bonfamille. He didn't even have it to spare for his siblings. He only wanted to sleep and sleep he did.

It had been five minutes since Theo left the assembly. He didn't stick around for the aftershow. As soon as the showstopping bomb was dropped, though he wasn't exactly thrilled, the young man shrugged, caring not to focus on it right now.

There was a lot on the oldest Bonfamille's mind. A lot of bad (for the most part). His part in that video that went around, how he acted against Cassian, and how ugly he might've appeared to a lot. By now, he was certain everyone knew who was in that video. Even if the Headmistress and all of those who worked for her didn't know, everyone else had to know — or maybe it was his own worst thoughts that wanted to think that.

As he walked through the courtyard, deep in his thoughts, Theo was late to the party when he came to a stop at one of the many tables spread throughout the spacious courtyard. As he sat and checked his phone, he saw a group text that was still getting replies. His initial reaction was curiosity. Once he figured out the original sender was, he laughed.

Theo and Nate weren't exactly close and given that some of the replies ranged from downright cruel to supportive, he couldn't imagine he was having any fun. Even still, Theodore wasn't close enough to really care about what Nate was going through, well, not enough to help the guy out.

As he shifted his body halfway out, the right leg on the outside of the table and his left still in, this gave Theo a better view of who was around. He saw some familiar faces. He caught Joanna Hart and that Charlotte girl walk off west and he saw Jasper Delamar storm off somewhere as though she was ready to beat someone up. Everyone was going somewhere and then came someone Theodore knew but not really.

Dark hair swayed in front of him and she probably didn't realize it, but she absent-mindedly took a seat opposite of him. If he recalled, her name started with an F or something like that. The fact she didn't acknowledge him prompted Theo to speak first. "Hey, you're Fi--" He tried to remember her name, "--Finna?" No, that didn't sound right. "Salvador, right?" At least he remembered her surname.

[User]
She's having a fucking laugh, right? She can't actually do that...

Kieran was still a bit in shock after the assembly. The early wake up call didn't help matters. While hangovers didn't have much of an impact on the Newfoundlander, having to wake up before 10 am did. Even if it was 90 minutes later back home on the Rock. Still didn't matter. Certainly doesn't help to get the news that the esteemed head of the campus decided to drop.

First, the fact that she actually knew about it meant there was a snitch in the ranks. Anyone who squeals is instantly ostracized for breaking the code in the locker room and Kieran adhered to those tenets in life. A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell, and a brother doesn't sell out a brother. Whoever went to the top sold out an entire class of students. Not cool.

Second, academic probation was not something Kieran could afford right now. He managed to slide through with a 2.3 GPA last year, but he could ill-afford being dropped down even further. Coach Smolinski wasn't exactly strict with the grades, but he still cracked the whip enough to keep the heat off. Besides, how was Kieran going to attract those NHL scouts if he wasn't able to play any games?

It all stunk. It stunk to high heaven. It stunk like the April catch of the day in July. But there was nothing Kieran could do about it.

He wasn't a trust fund baby. He didn't have any famous fathers. He was just here to make the hockey team look good, and it wasn't even good enough for a Frozen Four invite last year. There was no way he could guarantee safety.

It just made him mad. Something very difficult to do to the usually even-keeled Canadian, but it was frustrating. On the way out of the assembly, he punched a nearby drinking fountain hard enough to stick the button in the on position, to the dismay of eco-activists everywhere. His phone was buzzing. He didn't care to look at it right now. He just had to find some way to release this frustration.