[System]
Age: 20

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Standing at about 5'9" tall, Tiral has a fairly average build for his age, which is kind of strange considering how he's perpetually surrounded by the other Iron Rose Knights who seem to be much sturdier than he. His light brown hair is cut short, but has found a way of remaining a shaggy mess that barely avoids his eyes, even while he is wearing armor. More often than not, though, Tiral opts to avoid the usage of any large plate armor or metal armor, instead only wearing stronger equipment over his vitals and leaving the rest under regular leather garb. His sword will often times be sheathed at his side, ready for combat at a moment's notice.

Personality: Tiral is... Actually fairly deliberate for a knight, if not somewhat bored by the peace of everyday life. His journeys at a young age meant he was already able to experience life in the real world, and since then the dusty old libraries that the mages hold in such high regard have been... Well, fairly dull. This doesn't mean that he isn't devoted to his work, but rather that he does not wish to learn anything unless he finds it interesting. Even so, his patience when it comes to such things is unparalleled. Or maybe it's just the fact that he can slap some ice onto people's mouths when he's trying to focus. That too.

Brief Backstory: Having been orphaned a young age due to an illness that wiped out the rest of his village, Tiral was taken in by a priestess of Mayon who was moving with a group of travelers to bring aid to those in need. Though he was never explicitly religious, he greatly appreciated the efforts put forth to save his life, even then. As he grew up alongside these people, the priestess soon found that Tiral had an aptitude for magic. With a recommendation from her (and the goading of those around her), Tiral went off to the capital to further his studies of magic. Sadly, the monotonous life of a studying magician was not quite what the then-young boy had expected of magic.

It was then that he heard of the Iron Rose Knights, whose feats were oft recorded in the books he was forced to pore over. Deciding that the life of a knight was much more entertaining than the life of a magical scholar, Tiral packed up his things once more and went to join the order. Learning the sword came about as easily as magic did to him, but the combination of the two (and his somewhat strange insistence on learning both at once) made him particularly noteworthy among that year's recruits. Since then, Tiral has been honing his abilities, both magical and physical.

Equipment: Other than his rather 'unique' set of armor, Tiral wields a shortsword and a small ceremonial dagger. While the sword is standard-issue, the dagger is mainly used as a catalyst for some of Tiral's larger spells. It may be used as a glorified kitchen knife, but he'd probably never stand for that. More often than not, this dagger is tucked away in his shirt or under his breastplate, but it never leaves his person.

Skills: Contrary to many of his peers, Tiral has chosen not to solely specialize in the way of the blade; rather than just being proficient with his shortsword, Tiral is also proficient in the usage of magic in combat. This magic, focusing mainly on the manipulation on water and ice, has become particularly noteworthy for those who are particularly religious. He, quite frankly, just sees it as sort of a coincidence; his specialty being water does not mean that anything was pre-ordained by the gods.
Probably.

[User]
They'd chosen to fight, as predicted--but the timely intervention of Marianne had bought the extra few seconds needed and her arm, whilst still horribly burnt, actually had functional muscle again. Tyaethe forced herself to grasp her sword properly and took a moment to clear up any doubts about her identity: "Don't call me a little girl! Don't you idiots recognise the sword? I'm Sir Tyaethe!"

Despite the frustration evident on her face and in the luminescence, the paladin took a deep breath as the skeletons moved in and charged herself, ducking under one skeleton's swinging axe and barging another with her shoulder before it could attack. Her focus seemed to be entirely on the necromancer, with the paladin drawing the sword back for a clear thrust... but the thrust never came, only a cursory swing to ward off an attempt at getting too close as the run came to a dead halt.

The paladin had weaved through the beginning of the melee and the one conspirator they would absolutely have to take alive--in order to take up a position guarding their hostage. If the Knights foe had no leverage, then everyone else needed no reason to hold back.

[Assistant]
Tiral smirked as he saw the vampire's arm get frozen to the wall, the regenerative effect stopped dead in its tracks as the blood uselessly tried to drag the limb back to its original position. Sir Garrett's followup attack gave the mage just enough time to jump to his feet in preparation for another attack, though; with their opponent now in a murderous rampage (and the other now dead, thank the gods), things seemed to be going a bit faster than he had expected.

"Hm. Well, now this means you're at a heavy disadvantage, now aren't you?" Tiral asked the vampire, not expecting a response in the midst of the blood fury that the enemy had gotten themselves into. With all that blood dripping out of the body, it was only a matter of time before things closed themselves out, right?

"Captain, rest easy for a moment. We'll handle the rest," the mage said, chanting a bit before stabbing his dagger into the ground. The water that had since been lying around in between the cracks in the stones quickly began to gather below the vampire before spewing up like a geyser. The water itself, though, seemed to freeze mid-eruption. If it caught the vampire in it, then all was well and Sir Garrett could finish the job. There were more opponents to worry about further ahead, anyhow; it'd be best if he could preserve some of his Magil for later...

[User]
With the help of the tiny captain the Steel-clad axe-wielding man was finally slain, cursing the Iron Roses with his last breath. In the momentary reprieve Alaric reacquired his Hammer, though with no danger of being attacked by the giantess again and the party of Iron Roses capable of finishing the vampire he took a moment for himself. He planted the pommel of his hammer on the ground and rested one hand atop the head.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm himself, when he suddenly began quietly speaking "hmm? yes I know I got out of hand, it isn't usually a problem, you know I'm not used to fighting alongside others...well it doesn't help that the undead are involved...of course I'm going to be more careful!"

[Assistant]
The brothers looked with wide eyes, as the infernal creature seemed to not only catch the crossbow in short notice, it was now threatening to skewer them with the failed bolt, waving his hand menacingly. And then, a magical explosion. The arm was no more, frozen and pinned against a wall.

And the beast's regeneration was failing. The magic seemed to have worked against the creature. Bobd and Bõbd had no time to capitalize on the staggering blow, however, as a half crazed madman lifted and tossed the vampire. Was that an Iron Rose? He seemed to be more crazy than their own sister, and that was saying something.

However, Bobd couldn't help but smirk at how the vampire was finally taking hits and wounds, even though they were fastly closing. He had taken back his sword after the attempt with the crossbow. It was ill-fated however, as he found himself in front of the pissed off savagery of the vampire. Luckily, he was a far shot from a defenseless maiden, and he could put his shield up to offer resistence, even if he staggered quickly against the beast.

A second shield soon joined the struggle, as Bõbd joined shoulders with his brother, defending against the attack. It bought time for the two to retreat, just as the Iron Roses renewed their attack on the vampire, without any kind of warning or consideration whatsoever.

Don't they even know of teamwork? One of the two mumbled about, while they once again began to flank the beast,shields up, ready to leap with their swords at its head whenever the vampire faltered...

---

Sult eyed the scene unfold before her eyes, as she spared a blank stare at Marianne. "I can't believe you had not noticed that earlier in the party." It escaped her lips, as briefly the sheer klutziness of the Delacroix overtook the battle in Sult's mind. Thoughts that were yanked quickly, as the battle raged on once more. Two conspirators were there. The hostage was there. Well, that was easy. Barring the undead, crazy lightning mages, and necromancers. Sult couldn't help but pick up the hesitation of the little Nem assasin when seeing her own sister.

There was a time... in which she knew what was to have a sibling.

And not that obnoxious Nero.

Who seemed to be positively delighted at the situation, as he poised himself for the attack. "Oh, we're reaally sorry." He taunted to the lightning mage. "Was that Caloh fellow your brother? Your Lover? Both?" He finished, doing a flourish with the sword.

Sult almost resisted the urge to facepalm. Granted it was a good quip, but the timing could not be worse. With Marianne and Nero attention's on the caster, and Tyaethe pulling some sort of strange stunt without touching the enemies that had been sent towards the group, The skeletons were heading quickly towards Tilli and herself.

"Okay, time to reveal one of the big cards." Sult sighed to herself."Tilli, go fetch your sister when I make an opening." The blue haired lady breathed deep, and as if invaded by an inner peace, she raised her blade vertically above her head.

Gently, but ominously, her own hair began to sway and float, as flickers surrounded her armored form, her mana herself finally starting to leak outwards.

And the skeletons drew closer.

The flickers began to appear more frequently. Of a golden, and white kind of nature, they began to dance in circles around the sword. Sult's eyes were closed, her lips whispering a prayer.

"O, holy Reon. Grant thy humble servant the power of thy scorching flame."

The flames ignited around the sword, flickering faster, as the mana output tinged Sult's surroundings of a golden color. Like the very fires that were manifested in her sword, of an unearthly white with golden highlights.

One skeleton lunged at her.

Only the cinders and half molten armor remained after the first strike.

"Now go." She whispered to Tilly, as beads of sweat began to appear in her forehead. She could feel the weight of all her slacking, her sins during her training as priestess cramping and slowing her body, as the Holy Flames of Reon kept eating her mana while engulfing her sword.

And she lunged forwards towards the skeletons, her fire leaving white trails of holy magic.

I won't be able to keep this for long, so be quick!

[User]
Fanilly only glanced at the paladin talking to himself for a few moments. Was he admonishing his own actions? She wasn't sure what to make of it, but at the moment it wasn't what mattered. It would be difficult for her to get close to the attack on the other conspirator, at least at the moment, so while there wasn't an opening... she quickly hurried over to the injured Mariah, kneeling beside her. She reached out and was thankful when she could feel the half-giant breathing, making a relieved sigh as she did.

At least nothing worse had happened to her.

The vampire's body bent backwards at Garret's initial attack, moments after slamming into the shields of one of the two knights who had fired the crossbow at him. His crimson eyes seemed to burn with anger as he righted himself, but his grin had also returned with a manic intensity that seemed utterly joyless.

"Die! Die die die die die die die die die die die die diediediediediediediediediediediediediediediedie!"

His weapon lashed out with lightning speed, deflecting attacks to strike back with mad fervor. Only to hear something below... he spun to avoid it, but the geyser of water struck his hand, catching two of his fingers in ice. It took only a moment for the vampire to rip his hand back, tearing two of his fingers off in the process. He was now wholly focused on the mage, breaking into a lightning-fast sprint towards him.

Of course, this meant the fight could end with one quick blow...

---

"Yes!" Eliabelle nodded excitedly on that note. She'd heard so many stories of the bravery and valor of the hundi, how they were a race of noble warriors who would fight to the bitter end for honor and justice. After all, Fireheart had gone into just what a hundi's coming of age ritual was like. It had covered, in great detail, how a hundi had to make such a journey in order to be considered an adult. That, and it was just fun to read! "I really want to hear it, Sir Ian!"

[Assistant]
"...Oh, gods be damned. What have I done to have luck like this?!" Tiral asked nobody in particular as he pulled his dagger from the ground, still staring at the raging vampire who had finally decided that he was enough of a threat to warrant a reckless charge at his face. Maybe he had spoken too soon about the whole 'let the Captain relax' thing, but he would look like a complete fool if he decided to retract his statement. Even if things were looking kind of hairy right now...

Well, even he still had to preserve some face here.

As the vampire drew in close for a lunging attack at him, Tiral quickly dove off to the side and recited a quick incantation before slipping his dagger into another crack in the ground, quickly creating a barrier of ice around himself to ward off any incoming attacks. If their enemy's current demeanor was any indicator, then sitting still to let the thing whack away at the ice while the rest of the Knights took him down was probably the best option.

The best part about the ice, though, was its transparency. Tiral flashed a toothy grin at the vampire from behind his barrier in another attempt to provoke him. If the enemy took his eyes off of Tiral to handle someone else, then he could just send a spear of ice through his back. Honorable? No, not in the least. Workable? Probably.

Glancing at the rest of the Knights, the mage hoped that at least one of them would take advantage of the opportunity in front of them now...


[System]
24 years old
𝔸𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕥
paint & drawing

Biography – Adriana grew up next door to a Jacob Stacera, someone she became friends with since she was an only child to two parents who were barely home due to their high important jobs of being CEOs of major companies within the area. They got along really well and played together up until their high school years. She, being the less than social type, spent her time doing on line courses and enjoying a anti-social life outside of her one friend.

But soon he went on to bigger and better things and she stayed home. It wasn't until she turned 21 that she began to make more friends and ventured out into the world. She made some great close friends but missed her old dear friend.

[User]
It didn't take long before young Mr. Prince popped off with a flirtatious remark and Adriana barely caught it. In fact she was so blind-sighted by his comment that she looked down at her clothes and laughed an honest laugh. "I don't normally wear dresses but it does look pretty good. It's probably the blue." She stated before her brow pushed together and she called out to Crystal. "Blue right? Blue eye hazel eyes?"

"Yes dear." Crystal responded as she grabbed the can of hairspray and gave it a few shakes before giggling and speaking to Robert. "I'll take my beer after the show." A victorious tone to her voice as she covered his eyes and nose with as she laid a layer of hairspray into his hair.

"That means I'm right!" She said sounding more proud of herself than she probably should have. But then her face dropped into one of shyness as she turned her attention back to her hands. She wasn't good with this whole talking-to-people stuff, especially someone she didn't know well. The blonde's attention went to her feet until she heard the door open.

Unlike many of the other members, she kept in contact with Markus. Since they lived in the same town they made sure to get together once and a while to talk. Despite the fact that someone – side eye to Jack – never responded to her, she kept up with the bands whereabouts through Markus and… admitted exactly who she had a crush on for so long whether he was pudgy or built, Jack had owned her heart for quite a while. Many conversations came up about 'how she should tell him', 'why she should tell him' and 'when she should tell him'; between Markus and Crystal, they were both sure the blonde should just admit her feelings but… she lacked the ability to open her mouth and spit them out.

As soon as her attention turned upward, she pointed directly at him. "YOU OWE ME A MEME!" She shouted int eh middle of the room before feeling her face flush red for being so direct. And to her blush was met with a roar of laughter and admittance that he was a fault.

Crystal gave a final spritz before pulling her hand away from his face and stepped back. "Meh, I can only do so much." She said with a playful shrug before pulling off the cap and gestured for him to get out of the seat. "You don't need to tell me how great I did, I know." A playful shrug rose and fell her shoulders before she pointed at Alexander. "Pretty boy, you're up." A small hand patted the newly vacant seat waiting for her next vict—client.

"We've been exchanging Memes back and forth to keep us laughing during boring times. It works out pretty well…" Adriana admitted with a tiny shrug before she turned her attention back to Jack. "Hey, I've been wanting to ask… Why a ballad? And why that song as a ballad?"

[Assistant]
Larry had to admit that he was slightly shocked that his flirtatious remark had gone either unnoticed or ignored. He was a very kind-hearted, good-looking man who also had a lot of money he truly was what most women would consider the perfect man. The best thing about it was that no matter what Larry would never womanize or disrespect a woman in any way nor was he cocky about his looks or riches and so he cleared his throat slightly. Looking over to Crystal he shrugged his shoulders knowing that this woman was Adriana's best female friend.

Robert sat in the chair that Crystal had sat out for the members of the band to sit in so she could help make them look better for the concert tonight. "You'll get your beer I can't believe that someone so beautiful, and intelligent could also be so... Oblivious to real life events happening in front of her. You'd think being as beautiful as she is she'd be used to getting hit on with a string of heartbroken boyfriends behind her. But I guess certain people live their lives differently, I mean Jack get's hit on every single day of the year and in the years I have known him he's never had a girlfriend so I guess good-looking people can in fact stay... Pure at least in certain ways.

Markus smiled as he walked over and immediately hugged Jack who you could tell was extremely happy to see one of the founding members as well as the original guitarist for The Lords of Captivating Hearts for the first time in years. "My God kid you've gotten so big and so grown-up," he said placing a very soft tap straight to Jack's chin with his left hand which was his real hand. It was good to see everyone together again but somehow, being the only person in the room that knew of the mutual crush that Jack and Adriana had for each other he felt like it was going to be his job to eventually get the two together but not as of right now, right now they needed to get used to being around each other again. As Adriana shouted at him Markus actually jumped slightly before laughing "Fine, fine kid calm down... I currently don't have any memes to give you... How about instead I get you a boyfriend" he asked teasingly as he winked at her knowing she'd know what he meant not knowing that Crystal would also know what he was talking about.

Robert heard Crystals comment about only being able to do so much and sarcastically he said "Ha, ha you're really funny has anyone ever told you this" he asked curiously as he stood up slowly. "And cocky, my I'm telling you the more I get to know you the more you seem like my kind of woman," Robert said teasingly before walking away to go sit on the couch beside Adriana.

Jack looked over to Ri-Ri as he heard Adriana ask him about why their new song Winter Love was written and especially why it was a ballad since LOCH was normally not the kind of band to play a ballad. For once Jack was actually speechless, sure he had explained to Elizabeth Viduelle the woman who had shown them around the building why the song was written but he couldn't tell Adriana that the song was written for his love for her, that he was madly in love with her and had been since they were kids. And he began trying to think of an acceptable lie to tell her so where he wouldn't have to tell her the truth.

 "Go on Jack just let her know that the song was written because you've not dated anyone since you were in middle-school and that the song is a representation of your own deep seeded hopeless romanticism and the wanton need to find your soulmate. Again you've known Jack you're entire life Adriana how is it that a man who spends his entire life singing and talking to the masses seems to find himself speechless around a person he's literally known his entire life?"

[User]
Robert's complaints about Adriana left her providing him with a small simple shrug as a response. There was a lot about Adriana that most people didn't understand, including but not limited to her love life. This 'love life' was practically didn't exist. Her was oblivious to the point that anyone flirting with her would get a response like Larry received or she would assume it was for someone else and end up leaving when someone was giving her attention. That simple shrug from her best female friend said 'This isn't new'. And it probably will never be something that would continue.

Soon she had Alexander in her seat and she began to work on him. A smile on her face as she did so as she ease dropped on the conversation that was happening.

How about I get you a boyfriend? Markus's words echoed through Adriana's ears and her face exploded in the color of red seeming surprised that he would state something like that so… so bluntly! With cherry red cheeks she turned her gaze sharply away from the eldest of the group and proceeded to give the shoes at her feet extra attention before asking Jack her question.

His expression seemed to change and for some reason he didn't seem to know what to say. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as her small head tilted slightly to the right, blonde hair falling off her shoulders like a curtain. He seemed a little perplexed and unable to discuss the topic. But… but he was the one who wrote it… so why wouldn't he know the inspiration for it.

Head straightening and turning to look at Robert, she listened closely to what he had to say and when he presented her with the question of why she wouldn't tell her she jumped to her feet. "I know why!" She declared as she dashed from the room.

"You're about to owe me another beer." Crystal called out to Robert as she sprayed some moose in her hand and began to wrack her fingers through Alexander's hair.

As fast as she left, she had returned with a bottle of cold water and a wet towel. Sitting next to Jack she placed the bottle of water in his hand and wrapped the damp cool towel around hers. "You're not getting sick are you Jack? Not enough water? Your face looks flushed…" Her voice was filled with concern as she leaned toward, gently dabbing the cool cloth against his face.

[Assistant]
Markus smiled as he looked at, Adriana, he could tell that she understood what he was saying, they had spent multiple hours talking about her secret love for Jack just as Jack and Markus had spent multiple hours talking about Jack's secret crush on Adriana. He was sure Adriana's friend knew about Adriana's crush but Markus was most likely the only person in the room that knew of both crushes. And he was going to have Crystal help him figure out a way to get two of his best friends together finally after years of denying the other the truth. Knowing that it was time to change the subject because of the way Adriana looked "I forgot to tell you Ri-Ri that Rachael just found out that she's pregnant you're going to be Auntie Ri-Ri, Alexander and Jack you're going to be uncles as well" he wanted to give them all good news. As Adriana asked Alexander what the song Winter Love was written about and why it was a ballad instead of the normal rock song that Lords of Captivating Hearts was known for Markus smiled waiting to see the answer that he gave her since the song was actually written about the time where Jack and Adriana had been walking in the snow and they had fallen and he nearly kissed her, the song was a way to right the wrongs so to speak lyrically by showing what would happen if he had kissed her that night.

"I uh" Jack stumbled as he tried his best to come up with a false story about what the song was truly about but he had never been able to lie to Adriana. As Robert came to his rescue which caused him to mouth the words 'Thank you' so where only he could see "Yeah the song was apart of a... Uh, time in my life where my hopeless romantic side bled through my rock star persona of being all together" though right after he said this she ran out of the room.

"It looks as if I am" Robert said with a smile watching as Adriana ran out of the room and came back moments later with a wet cloth and began dabbing Jack with it trying to take care of him and Robert knew then that these two kids truly were made for one another but neither of them was in a position to tell the other their feelings which actually made him sad. Robert up until this point had been the kind of person that believed one man should not settle down and that he should instead be with multiple women but now seeing Adriana and Jack together he knew that he had been wrong his entire life and that certain people in life were actually made to be with each other.

Jack smiled as Adriana touched his face the contact was something he'd missed, though it also made his heart skip a beat. "I'm...I'm fine Ri-Ri," Jack said both embarrassed and sad that he almost had to lie to her since he wasn't ready for her to know that he loved her just yet, the two had just been reconnected after years of being apart so there was no need to scare her away or ruin their friendship. "I'm not sick it's just a little warm in here."

[User]
When he said he wasn't sick she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh good." Her caring kind nature had taken over and her worry filled her because she didn't want anything bad to happen to anyone; especially Jack. Pulling the rag back from his face she pulled it from her hand and began to fold it before her phone buzzed. "Oh!" She said excitedly. Sending a quick text in response she got to her feet. "Your mom wants me to join them for dinner before the show so I'm going to head out." She gave hugs to the other members of the band except for Robert who she gave a polite handshake and Larry received the same response as she didn't know him as well as the rest before giving Jack a longer-then-normal hug before leaving, having the last scent that she knew be Jacks.

Finishing up Alex she shooed him out of the seat before bringing Jack over. Pulling out a comb she began to work on his hair. "Look Mr. Stacera, I know you've known Adriana for a long time but… now that she's an adult she's different. Not different in a bad way but different in an Addie kinda way." She explained as she ran the comb through his hair releasing all the tangles. "She is looking to find someone she can spend the rest of her life with and… she's really picky. But so am I." Her head rose and fell with a nod.

"As anyone in this room would be protective of you, I am protective of Addie and don't bother dodging it, you're in love with her. I can see it when you look at her. Don't worry; I'm not one to meddle in someone's love life. I'm not stupid. But I will tell you this," She pulled the comb from his hair and picked up a bottle of hairspray. "You break her heart, I break your legs." Her tone was sweet and kind which just made her choice of words all the more threatening. With that she covered his eyes and sprayed his hair.

"I've known her since you've been gone. Do you want some tips? Or have any questions? This will probably be the only time we can talk without her around."


[System]
Age: 14

Appearance:

House: Lannister

Family:
Mother: Tarla Lannister (Deceased)
Father: Vernan Lannister
Brothers: Open
Sisters: Open
Uncle: Martyn Lannister

Skills: From a very early age, Khailey has been instructed in all of the subtleties of being a proper and perfect lady. She is elegant and intelligent and knows when a compliment is more appropriate than a jape and all the other nuances of courtesan life.

Weaknesses: Although she seems like the perfect little lady most of the time, she does have quite the temper and has been known by those closest to her to be very cruel when things don't go her way.

Weapon: Nothing but her wits and her words. And the wealth of Casterly Rock when all else fails.

Title: None

Personality: Khailey is sweet, kind, noble, and generous to those that she seeks to please. But in reality, she is selfish, ambitious, cruel, and temperamental. Deceit is a way of life for her, and she isn't afraid to lie or cheat whenever necessary to get what she wants.

Bio: Her mother died bringing her into the world, and so she never knew her. She was raised mostly by wetnurses while her father was away from Casterly Rock. She is the daughter of Ser Vernan Lannister, who has brought her with him to King's Landing in order for her to find a suitable husband amongst the lords and strengthen the bonds between House Lannister and those that would seek to help them against the Targareyans.

Other: "When you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die."
Name: Vernan Lannister

Age: 45

Appearance:

House: Lannister

Family:
Wife: Tarla Lannister (Deceased)
Sons: Open
Daughter: Khailey Lannister
Other Daughters: Open
Brother: Martyn Lannister

Skills: Vernan is highly skilled with his greataxe and he is an excellent strategist and natural leader of men on the battlefield. He used to be a fine rider as well, but his injury has robbed him of that skill.

Weaknesses: Once a mighty warrior who fought with reckless abandon, he was nearly mortally wounded when he was thrown from his horse in battle and trampled beneath its feet. He now walks with a limp as his left leg never fully healed and he has a long scar that runs from above his left eye to just under his chin.

Weapon:

Vernan is not quite the warrior that he once was before his injury, but he is still a cunning and dangerous fighter who wields a greataxe that was handed down to him by his father.

Title: Ser

Personality: He is a hard and practical man that knows how to rally men to his cause and strike fears in those that oppose him. Loyalty to his house is what has made Ser Vernan so well respected amongst House Lannister and its allies. He trusts no one outside of his own house and he longs for the days when House Lannister has control of the Iron Throne.

Bio: In his youth, he was all but unstoppable on the battlefield and killed many men in combat. He is no longer the same warrior, but his reputation as a merciless fighter on the field of battle makes many think twice about ever crossing him. He was knighted by King Jaehaerys after winning a tournament at the age of seventeen, but he has never liked nor trusted the Targareyans. He firmly believes that all of Westeros would be better off if a Lannister sat upon the Iron Throne.

Other: "When you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die."

[User]
Lord John Stark of Winterfell

John's horse trotted along the cobblestone streets of the capital of Westeros, King's Landing, his family's
carriage following behind. His sword was at his hip and his eyes were on road in front of him. They were approaching the famed Red Keep, the stronghold that two hundred years ago, had been taken back by Daenarys Targaryen.

Finally, John reached the castle and was welcomed into the courtyard. He dismounted his horse which was lead away to the stables. His mother came out of the carriage, the northern-born woman turning her nose up at the salty smell of sea air. He walked with her into the castle where servants greeted them and led them to their luxurious quarters with promises of their belongings being delivered later in the day.

The whole of the kingdom was in King's Landing. And most of the highborn lords and ladies would be staying for the next few weeks. John's friend, and the new king, Daeron Targaryen, would have his coronation tomorrow. To celebrate the young dragon was holding a large festival. Feasts every night, a tourney with the promise of knighthood awaiting the winner, and a carnival on top of that, filled with entertainers from across the Narrow Sea. John was taken aback by the extravagance that he saw from his balcony. He was a long way from home.

[Assistant]
Khailey Lannister

Although she had only been in King's Landing for a few days, already she was sick of the smell, sick of all the fat, squawking noblewomen, and sick of her father reminding her each and every day why she was here. She knew why she was here, and she had no intention of disappointing him. A marriage to another powerful house was what House Lannister needed in order to help them return to their former glory, and she planned to make sure that it happened.

Getting out of bed, Khailey slipped out of her nightgown and went to her closet to find one of her best gowns to where for the day. The room that she had been given to stay in was much smaller than her room back in Casterly Rock, which was something that she was not pleased about. But complaining about it to her father had yielded no results, so she decided to just make the best of it. Settling for a red gown with a gold trim, she got dressed and then braided her long golden hair before leaving the room to go look for her father. Her father's squire had delivered a message saying that he wanted to see her right away, more than likely to introduce her to another lord that he thought would make a suitable match for her. Khailey wondered who it was that he had found this time. Last time, it had been a Tyrell man even older than her father. Thankfully, she had talked him out of that match. She hoped that whoever he found this time was someone at least a little more pleasant to look upon.

[User]
King Daeron Targaryen of Westeros

Daeron was awoke by his mother ripping the curtains apart, allowing light to invade his chambers. He shot up, surprised by the sudden radiance of the light. His room was covered in old garments and plates. His mother scowled at him. "I've allowed you certain liberties but it is time for you to present yourself as a king," the Queen Mother said. She left the room, her message having been delivered as servants rushed in to dress him.

After his rude awakening, Daeron was led down to the royal family's quarters where he broke fast with his mother, the two remaining silent most of the time. Towards the end however, his mother spoke. "You will have to make a decision today, Daeron. You have yet to fill the position of Hand of the King. And you have a lot of choices," she said, looking over at her son. Daeron looked back at her, surprised. "I was planning on John. He is my most trusted friend and offers some of the best advice in the Seven Kingdoms," he said. Olenna smiled and shook her head. "Daeron that isn't how things work. And you know that. You can't give the position to a boy as green as John Stark, no matter how close are families are. What about your cousin Gwayne? It is well known that he seeks the position."

Daeron had waved his mother off, telling her he'd think about it. Which was exactly what he was doing. He was wandering the halls, thinking. Being the king wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

[Assistant]
Lord Jakob Frey, Lord of the Crossing

Jakob prefered to travel by horse, a carriage was loud, a lot less stable on the stone and made him look pompous. Finally pulling up in front of the Red Keep Jakob smiled, the journey was finally over and now he could focus on what he came here to do. Stooping in the cramped space he heard the click of his guards opening the door. Stepping into the warm glow of the sun he stood upright and stretched out his muscles which had become deadened by the journey. Waiting an orderly stepped forward and directed his retinue as to where they could deposit the Frey carriage as well as how to bring Jakob's effects into his room. Nodding briefly at the orderly he walked up the grand stairs into one of the most imposing castles he had ever seen. Despite his distaste for the squalor of King's Landing, he understood why kings and queens made their home in the Red Keep. Walking amongst the history he quickly took in the classical scenes of battle and glory that adorned the walls. Turning a corner he was escorted by the Gold Coats and his own personal retinue towards the throne room. Jakob knew he had to present himself to the Young Dragon before retiring for some rest, though he doubted that King Daeron even considered Jakob an important banner.

Finally arriving at the grand entrance Jakob paused, breathing deeply he nodded and the large wooden doors were opened up for him to enter. The hall was filled with the faces of nobility and grandeur, all awaiting their King to take his place in court. Each of the lords would need to declare their allegiance to the King, before a short time of networking and eating, and finally the announcement of the Hand of the King. Jakob was quite far down on the order of lords and ladies to swear allegiance. This meant he had a chance to look over who was present and who wasn't. Rumours circulating the court had reached his ears and he had a great many people to speak too before the end of the next few days.

Nodding to his men they spread out across the edge of the room with the other guards, he would not need their direct protection here. No one was foolish enough to kill a noble here. Having arrived alone also allowed him to cast an eye over the younger ladies that were present. He was still looking for a suitable bride to both secure his line and secure a fast ally of the Freys. The Latest Walder Frey had given the Frey name some infamy in regards to marriage and so Jakob was determined to right past wrongs of the family, even if he felt no real connection too it.

[User]
Ser Vernan Lannister

The grizzled old knight stood in a fine tunic of red as he waited for the king to make his appearance. He couldn't honestly say that he was eager to hear the young dragon's decision. He doubted that it would be anything that he wanted to hear. No doubt the king would choose either the Stark boy or the Lord of Highgarden, neither of which were any friends to the Lannisters and did nothing to help his own house. He couldn't believe that there was not a single Lannister among the small council. It was just plain wrong as far as he was concerned. This dragon clearly had no inclination of how to rule. Unfortunately, there was nothing that Ser Vernan could do about it. His brother Martyn Lannister was Lord of Casterly Rock, but he was timid and fearful of the king's wrath. He needed Vernan to show him that the Lannister's had allies, and that they would have the Iron Throne if they seized their chance now. If a marriage could be found for Khailey to gain the power of another strong house to the Lannister's cause, it would shift the balance in their favor and perhaps his brother would then approve of striking out at the young dragon.

Khailey Lannister

The young lioness entered the hall and looked around for her father, but she saw no sign of him in the gathered crowd. She sighed, put on a dignified smile and started to move through the crowd with her back and shoulders straight and her hands locked in front of her as her septa had taught her to walk. She moved with grace as she crossed the hall and no doubt caught the eye of many of the men in the hall.

[Assistant]
Lord John Stark of Winterfell

John finally decided that it was time to go down to the ceremony. Every house in the realm was here to swear fealty to the king. John, being a Stark, was higher on that list than most so he decided he best hurry. He retrieved his mother from the room next door and they descended stairs until they reached the crowded throne room. John was also nervous about Daeron's largest decision today. The Hand of the King. His mother told him that he was one of the better candidates. And John didn't like that at all. He'd grown up with Daeron and as such, was very familiar with his personality. He was always entitled and had a famously short temper. But John feared it would get worse now that Daeron had such power. He feared that Daeron would be loathe to take his advice. John took a place in the hall near Ser Vernan Lannister. John smiled politely. "Hello Ser Vernan. I expect your journey was as uneventful as my own?" John asked. He had no love for Lannisters but it never hurt to be on one's good side.

[User]
Ser Vernan Lannister

He hadn't been expecting to be approached by the Stark boy, but he gave him a curt nod and said. "My journey was much shorter than your own, so yes uneventful was a good way to describe it. How are things in the North?" Vernan didn't consider the Starks as allies of his house, but he knew that friends and enemies switched often and to see someone as an enemy on principal was not a wise decision.

[Assistant]
Lord Jakob Frey, Lord of the Crossing

Jakob grimaced as he saw the Stark boy arrive. The Freys had always been looked down on by the other lords and ladies, the Starks being one of the worst, and despite the fact Jakob attempted to break the stereotypes associated with his family people continued to gossip. Next too John was Vernan Lannister, one of the gentry who he had had little contact with. Dealing more with Vernan's brother on state matters. Whilst the larger houses were getting ready the other less notable nobles were still milling around. Surveying the crowd he spotted a few faces he remembered, and then one face in particular caught his eye.

The striking blonde hair and holier-than-thou walk and a figure that looked crafted by the heavens, it was without a doubt a Lannister. Though Jakob was struggling to remember her name. It was strange to see her away from the rest, especially amongst the other less noble houses. Sighing he walked over and introduced himself.

"It seems the lioness is walking amongst the sheep today, rather than moving with her pride."

[User]
Khailey had just spotted her father speaking with John Stark, which she found a little odd, when suddenly she heard someone speaking to her and she stopped and turned to see a man that she did not recognize approach her. He was clearly a knight and a lord of some importance, though, and she smiled warmly at him.

"And are you a sheep, my lord? I should think not. A man such as yourself should certainly be associated with something more noble than a sheep, don't you agree?"


[System]
Rank: Lieutenant

Age: 26

Biography & Concept: Born the second son of the esteemed Caladwarden family, who's lineage reaches back to the first millennium of human space exploration. He was one of three, his older brother Brandon having been groomed to succeed his father as a representative on the Cinnabar Senate in which his father is a prime member. His young brother Gridor placed in administrative duties on their island home estate. Kaiden was raised to be a military man, representative of their family's old notions of loyalty and homage. There needs to be at least one member of the family in the Cinnibar Navy, and Kiaden has grown up with such expectations and responsibilities. Though his brother Brandon did sign on for a brief period to learn his worth and to show his dedication to the Republic.

It gained him an edge on the officer's exam for Lieutenants, and he passed with relative ease. His contention with his father however came at the death of his older brother, who died during a brief skirmish. Kaiden was given leave to convene with his family, whereupon his father ordered him to relinquish his duties as a Lieutenant and take Brandon's mantle as the first son. Kaiden refused, preferring to make his own way in the Navy rather than relying on his family's influence to gain notoriety. He had always been independent minded, and if he hadn't already a knack for the officer's life he likely would have defied his father long before the Brandon's death. His already rocky relationship with his sire plummeted into them parting ways with harsh words and even harsher sentiments.

An oddity, this "prince of the isle" does rather enjoy lowborn commoners. He speaks easy enough and is no stranger to hard work. But he always tends to have an air or superiority and education most can find grating. Ever rebellious, he was involved in a few low-end scandals with servants and young women cooks at his family's estate, being rather good-looking with a smooth, deep voice that can be used to flutter hearts or send men to battle.

Here's hoping he can muster up a good battle record with his meager gifts, because war has just begun...
@Penny

[User]
The ship certainly didn't look good from the outside. Once an impeccable and expensive, albeit baseline ship of the line, the Vickie now looked closer to a pawned off older model sold at half price to pirates. The hull was marred as if great beasts from the seas of old earth had clawed at it. Even now he saw a sail, half shorn and hanging by a veritable thread from it's base, lightly flapping in what solar winds it could catch so far out here in the boonies. Kaiden knew it would take a huge sum of money to clean up, but at the end of the day it was mostly cosmetic damage. None of the ship's integrity had been compromised, all guns in tact, none of the main sails had been damaged. Port side seemed to have gotten the worst of it, but it was nothing more than being hit by a light, unexpected asteroid anomaly. More annoying and more concerning beforehand than the results that occurred afterward.

Kaiden made his way back from the portside to reconvene with Sabatine at the center of the aft to report damages to one another. He saw her coming slowly from the distance, still bewildered he was finding the woman he wanted to never see again as more and more of someone he needed to depend on again. Kaiden himself was planting another fuel gauge that gone loose, twisting it shut in the vacuum of space and lifting himself to his feet, now face to face with Sabatine.

"How's your end, Sabbie?" He asked, the glass of his helmet pressed to hers. "From my end it's workable, if we keep from getting any more hull damage."

[Assistant]
"Its a mess part of ventral A carried away, ripped through some of the mizzen on B before the lines snubbed it. Might be best to take the A ring of the sail plan and re-rig with B. I think we can get 90 percent efficiency within about an hour that way, vs eight hours to put ventral A to rights," Sabatine replied. Kaiden said something to her but her mind had wandered back to the engagement they had just survived.

"Sorry, sorry sir what was that?" she asked.

"I said go ahead and re-rig, hours count here, but obviously your mind was somewhere else?" he asked. Sabatine tried to look at Kaiden, the motion momentarily breaking the contact of their helmets, but all she could see was the mirrored reflection of the matrix in his visor. She was wrung out, as much by adrenaline as by the short action they had just fought.

"I keep thinking about that cruiser, I mean she is stuck on the ground, it will take three days at least for her crew to lift her," she explained, replaying the images of Graving's gunnery display in her mind, seeing the fittings and the outriggers struts burn under the hammering of plasma.

"We crippled her but she isn't finished, a couple weeks and she will be back in action. And while we are at it... I mean I shouldn't be saying this but what was with the Captain, he just froze up, never known him to suffer that badly from extractions, and that was only a few hours in the matrix." She thought back to the strange conversation she had shared with Commodore Welkins the night before they had lifted. The memory of how she had acted that night embarrassed her but she swallowed it down.

"I don't know, just don't know what to think," she admitted.

[User]
He wouldn't lie and say he hadn't had similar thoughts, both on the Captain and the rig stuck there on the moon. "From the look of him, I didn't know if he'd ever been in an extraction." Kaiden relayed, shaking his head inside his helmet. "You know, I've always noticed Micha being nervous at weird times, but I chalked that up to different reasons than cowardice. I think that might be the case though, as much as I'd hate to admit it."

That didn't spell well for the ship, if this attack was the beginning of a full scale war. And there was no reason to suspect these were rogue agents acting outside any alliance chain of command.

"You're right, though, about the cruiser. It's..." He sighed. "It's our duty as Cinnabar Officers to see it doesn't rise again, regardless of the Captain's misgivings."

"What are you saying?" She asked.

"I have an idea."

---

Hours later.

"That was the most flagrant disregard of my command, my crew, and the bloody republic!" Micha screamed, his face so red Kaiden thought he was about to break out in hives. The crew that happened to be on the bridge watched silently, the tension in the air so thick it was hard to breathe. The two Lieutenants didn't shirk from Captain Micha's wrath, Kaiden fully acknowledging that it was likely earned, no matter if they did the right things. Many courts in the system could consider what they did an act of mutiny or even treason, at least out of context of the situation. "I should have you both stricken from the military, or at the very least demoted! In fact that does not sound like a poor idea in my ears. Starting a war, not only by attacking a peaceful scouting party, but engaging a foe that cannot fight on the ground!"

Micha was skipping over the space battle and tight maneuvering they had to pull off in order to destroy the cruiser, using a gambit of missiles and a faux retreat to catch the Alliance ship off guard. Through Kaiden's plan and Sabatine's brilliant ordering of the crew, they had won the day without any further damage, though it did lead to what Kaiden knew was a defining moment in one or two of their three careers, meaning he, Sabatine, and Micha.

"With all due respect sir, I don't think you quite understand the seriousness of the situation." Kaiden said coldly, piercing eyes boring into the Captain.

Micha guffawed, unable to contain his sheer amazement at the statement. "What the hell do you think I've been yelling about!?"

"The Alliance situation, sir. Not ours." The prince iterated dangerously. "Every man and woman on this vessel understood and faced the situation with bravery, Captain. None shirked their duties, save you." He could have mentioned Ensign Enrique, but he did not fall under the category of cowardice or shirking duties. Kaiden had to admit his orders had been so outrageous to the normal ear that anyone would have given pause, and the time simply did not warrant delay. Enrique was many things, but he was neither coward nor insubordinate. "Why do you think the crew went along with my and Lieutenant Hickoring's idea despite your misgivings?"

Micha ground his teeth, puffing up like a fat dog raising its hackles. He looked flummoxed, but too enraged to think clearly. Not that he'd likely have a good explanation after being given a moment to cool off. "That is it! I cannot believe I saw potential in you. Someone send a transmission to command and Commodore Welkins! I want these two detained and off my ship!" He cried. No one immediately made a move, so Micha continued. "You can count on your father hearing of this, Lieutenant."

Kaiden winced, despite his resolve that they did the right thing. Sabatine knew better than anyone that bringing up Kaiden's father was a sore subject. The Prince disliked the man at the best of times.

[Assistant]
Sabatine felt her stomach lurch as she stood up from her station. Things were rapidly getting out of control but she didn't see a way to deescalate them that wouldn't be seen as cowardice in her own eyes if no one else, and whatever else Sabatine Hickoring was, she was no coward.

"Can I take it then sir, that you are refusing Lieutenant Caladwarden's plan to return to station and re-engage the Alliance," she spoke firmly and distinctly, despite a quivering in her bowels at the thought of what was coming. Micha's eyes, almost impossibly bulged further and his face flushed with anger. The bridge sensors would record what she was saying for posterity.

"Are you out of your mind Hickoring?!" he exploded, "It is a miracle we survived the first time, and this yahoo wants to take us back into the lions den?!" Micha was right in that it was a miracle, by an enormous stroke of good luck they had extracted at precisely the right position, any closer to the destroyers and they would have been destroyed before they could either escape into the matrix or inflict significant damage. Watching Micha's throbbing temple Sabatine hoped he might have a stroke, that would make all of this easier.

"Of course I am refusing, our duty is to get back to Herculaenum as soon as possible and report this disaster!" Micha screamed, spittle literally forming on his lips. The bridge crew and probably numerous men and women in the hallway stood silent.

"So you are refusing to engage the enemy sir," Sabatine pressed, drawing close to the knife edge that would put her and Kaiden's life on the line.

"I just said so didn't I, Boson Higgs, get your men out and set the rig for transit to Herculaenum! And I want these two taken into custody!" Still no one moved. Helenna Graving looked like she might be about to throw up and everyone else looked panicked.

"Lieutenant Micha," She began formally, "In the face of your repeated refusal to engage the enemies of the Republic in wartime I am left with but with no choice but to relieve you of command of RCS Viceroy until such time as a court martial can be convened in accordance with the Code of Military Justice." Her guts tried to crawl up her throat as she spoke.

"This is mutiny! You will swing for this Hickoring, both of you will!" Micha shouted, his eyes so wide they were completely ringed with white, "Arrest these mutineers!" An able spacer caught in the wrong place at the wrong time took a step towards Sabatine but, surprisingly, Tilda stepped in front of him, denying him the ability to pass without making a confrontation out of it. Evidently the ground was too shaky for him to risk that and perhaps he recognized the way the reporter set her body, obviously she knew a thing or two about hand to hand fighting.

"Lieutenant Caladwarden will assume command until a courtmartial can be convened," she continued, amazed at how steady her voice was under the stress.

"Bosun Higgs, Bosun's mate Klave, you will confine the captain in his quarters until that can be arranged," she directed.

"Touch me and you are mutineers too," Micha warned, backing up as the two big riggers stepped towards him.

"Don't worry lads, its me that is for the High Jump if I'm wrong," Sabatine called, but neither of the spacers showed any hesitation in seizing the screaming captain and dragging him bodily but effortlessly from the room. A silence decended over the bridge that was as absolute as one could be on the deck of a working starship.

"Excuse me," Sabatine managed before grabbing a rigging helmet from a hook and vomiting into it noisily, her entire body trembling with shock.

[User]
The Vickie jumped out of system without delay. Kaiden almost thought the crew wouldn't follow his instructions. He'd gone off the map of his reality, sitting in 'Micha's chair.' But Higgs and the rest, even Sabatine leaped to stations at his call. The ship had roared internally before bursting out of their current location.

"Hickoring, give Graving 5 degrees left of the current location of the moon from our position." Kaiden snapped.

"Done!" A female voice called. Kaiden swiveled his head to his right and saw Tilda amongst the men, shapely legs crossed on a chair and professional, albeit sly look in her eyes. Kaiden didn't have the time to pay too much attention to it and barked again.

"Graving, I want you to fire half out silos at that location, now!"

"Yes sir!" The Gunner called after just a moments hesitation. Even in such a large ship, the firing of the missiles reverberated through the steel like someone was whacking a wooden bat against an armored car. Sabatine barked orders at the spacers but the Prince didn't hear over the din of his own commands. Kaiden could feel the confusion in the air, but his eyes remained steely.

"Locate twenty degrees from the moon and jump! Now!" He cried, not missing a beat. "Graving I need those missiles reloaded. All hands on the task. Tilda, keep us monitored on the enemy locations. I don't want AFS K-21 our of sight." Tilda moved like a machine, already transfiguring onto the Destroyer's location.

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity. Kaiden had never seen such discipline in the crew, though he'd always known they were capable of it. If every ship was like the Vickie, the Alliance wouldn't stand a chance. The Halifax was spinning desperately trying to realign itself to face the Vickie's sudden reappearance. The ship flew far too close to the moon for any older officer's liking. Once the ship was out of the jump, the Vickie once again fired at the location it fired last, only this time far closer. On the screen, the Destroyer AFS K-21 filled their vision as it continued its escape.

"I want us twenty thousand kilometers from that ship! Follow those missiles and blow that ship out of the sky!"


[System]
Age: 17

Heritage: The son of Hatter Madrail. Ghent's mother was murdered a few years after he was born.

Adoptive parents: Frederick and Elise Preston. Elise was the first to find Hatter's son; she was astonished to discover him in the woods near their home, disoriented and impossibly lost.

Appearance: Thick, medium length black hair. The style is unpredictable, but the layers sometimes give it an unruly appearance. His bangs fall in front of his eyes, which are blue in color and have a sharp, piercing quality to them. The rest of his features are dark and seem to contrast against his paler-than-should-be skin. He has a lithe build and currently stands at 5'9", but has about a year left to grow.

Distinguishing Marks: A few light freckles running across the bridge of his nose. A more noticeable one is underneath his left eye. He has a small scar underneath his jaw.

Clothes Wear: Whatever's comfortable. He usually wears hoodies, jeans, worn out sneakers, and three quarter/graphic t-shirts.

Abilities: Strength and magic, both inherited from his race. As far as magic goes, Ghent was completely unaware of the ability until Drust and Elayra came to earth. Understandably, he is inexperienced but has the potential to become better with practice.

Weapons: A staff, given to him on page 13.

Personality: It's no secret that Ghent can be a pain. He isn't malicious, but he enjoys pushing the buttons of others in order to get a reaction out of them. His sarcasm usually lands him in trouble, but his past experiences haven't been enough for him to keep his mouth shut. Despite his immaturity, he has a good heart. Ghent has lazy tendencies, but can be hard working with proper motivation.

Major Positive Traits: Compassionate. Empathetic. Hardworking (sometimes).

Major Negative Traits: Sarcastic. Cocky. Klutz. Impulsive. Awkward.

Weaknesses: At times, Ghent doubts himself and his abilities. The fear of failure usually prevents him from achieving success. Having lived in two worlds, he struggles with deciding where he belongs and where his loyalties lie.

Ticks and Tags: Ticks: Fidgets a lot, often with the drawstrings of his hoodies. When he's faced with a situation he can't wrap his mind around, he will pace and/or mumble to himself until he can make sense of what's happening.  Tags: "Cut me some slack!" "Great." "Wait, what?"

Fears: Ghosts. Failure. Being unable to return home. Wonderland in general.

Short Bio: Ghent's story could have been a tragic one, had he not been found. He was discovered in a forest as a toddler, and later adopted by the very family that took him in.
 For much of his childhood, Ghent lived in the comforts of a small farmhouse in the country. Life was serene, quiet, and good. He grew up happy and healthy, with a mother who doted on him and a dedicated, hardworking father.
 Things changed when they moved. Seeking better employment, Mr. Preston uprooted his family to the city, which is where they remained for the years that followed.
 The city posed many differences and challenges, but Ghent learned to adapt and knew his way around. Unfortunately, street smarts didn't help much in school.
 As Ghent grew older, the nightmares and flashbacks became more frequent. Different events or images would trigger a memory, many of which involved Elayra and Drust. The memories confused and frightened Ghent. He never forgot Wonderland, but he learned to stop talking about it after his parents sought him professional help. It was something his mother made the mistake of telling her longtime friend, Mrs. Saxon.
 News spread and rumors started. High school proved to be Ghent's biggest obstacle. He became an easy target for jokes and ridicule, and his grades began to suffer for it.
 Motivated by money and the desire to help his family financially, he began to take on odd jobs. His fifth job turned out to be his favorite: a part-time shift at Frank's Book Barn.
 Even there, Ghent wasn't free from Wonderland. Flashbacks would hit him at the most inconvenient times…and they didn't cease until became reunited with two important faces from his past.

Other Important Characters

Name: Henry

Age: 14

Appearance:  Henry is thin, wiry, with no muscle tone whatsoever. He makes an effort to look neat, but his untamed shock of ginger hair betrays him by looking a mess and his freckles are out of control. When reading, he wears thick black glasses over his large, brown eyes that give him an owlish appearance.

Clothes wear: Henry wears an odd mix of clothing. Most of his clothes are hand-me-downs from previous cousins, including Ghent. When his options are limited, he can be found wearing faded graphic t-shirts (he favors Disney ones) and jeans that have been rolled up at the cuffs in order to fit.

Personality: Despite a rocky home life, Henry remains optimistic, but he has a sensitive side that results in him crying at the drop of a hat. Although he has a sweet, childlike innocence about him, he isn't foolish. He's remarkably intelligent and has a great love for reading and learning. Because of his OCD, Henry is always cleaning and organizing, and likes to keep busy in order to make himself useful. His desire for perfect order can be a little overwhelming at times, but he means no ill intent and has great respect for his family and friends.

Bio: Henry is an only child who never longed for the company of a sibling. Growing up in the country, he had plenty of family and cousins to spend his time with. The families all lived quite close in the rural area, including the Preston family.
 Even as a toddler, Henry was fascinated by Ghent and seemed to gravitate towards him, viewing him as an older brother figure. To the delight of their parents, the three year age gap and a difference in personality didn't prevent the two boys from getting along.
 After the Preston family moved to the city, Henry was heartbroken. The families kept in touch when possible, making multiple visits during the holidays. The visits lessened over the years, but Henry took it upon himself to keep in touch through any means possible. To Elise's delight (and to Frederick and Ghent's dismay) Henry has been known to leave long rambling phone messages, sends more texts than a teenage girl, and writes letters so long, they need to be mailed in multiple envelopes.
 Henry is the only one Ghent continued to trust with his few memories of Wonderland. Their efforts to uncover the mystery were admirable, but brought nothing but disappointment and wild theories. Eventually, a disgruntled Ghent gave up, but Henry continued to search for the truth behind his cousin's past.

[User]
As soon as the word left his mouth, Ghent felt a pang of regret. He knew darn well that he'd mispronounced the spell. Either nothing would happen, or all heck would break loose. The later of the two happened almost immediately.
 There was an odd, indescribable tingling that moved from his hand to his body. The suddenness of the sensation was enough for Ghent to open his eyes, and from there he got a good look at his very first spell.
 "Whoa!" The bolts of energy shot out in every direction, each leaving a permanent reminder of their swift but hazardous existence.
 Understandably, Ghent's mind was in a frenzy. The fact that he'd actually gotten the magic to work rendered him speechless, but then he remembered Elayra. She was right in the line of fire.
 "H-hey! Look out!" The warning would've been too late, but thankfully Elayra was quicker on her feet then Ghent was with his words.
 After the last bolt vanished, Ghent slowly lowered his hand, unable to tear his eyes away from the newest markings on the tables. For a while, he stared like a deer in headlights, unable to believe what he'd witnessed.
 "What the heck was that?!" Ghent spoke in a hushed tone, afraid to speak in fear of what he may conjure next. "Oh man...that definitely wasn't a shield!"
 Using real magic would have excited most teenagers, but Ghent could hardly see how this was any reason to celebrate. Sure, he'd somehow gotten the magic to work, but he'd messed up. Elayra had every reason to be mad him; he'd mispronounced the spell and may have gotten her hurt. Or worse. If the bolt was enough to mark the concrete, Ghent didn't want to know what it may have done to human flesh.
 "Hey, you alright? Sorry, I..." Wait. Was Elayra grinning?  This was the first time Ghent had seen her with an expression other than annoyance or anger towards him. Ghent squinted to be sure. Nope. She was grinning, alright. The show of emotion probably wasn't going to last long, but he couldn't help but smile too. If he'd gotten even an ounce of her approval, he must have done something right.
 "I dunno what's more surprising..." Ghent rounded the table, tracing his finger over one of the many bolt marks. "The fact that I used magic, or the fact that you're actually smiling for once."

[Assistant]
Elayra looked Ghent over, making sure he was unscathed as he gawked at the black marks the magic had left. For a short moment, she thought he may have been frozen in place, but then he spoke.
 "That," Elayra answered Ghent's quiet question as she came to a full stand, her expression unchanging, "was apparently what happens when people neglect a world's magic for too long. It's more excitable, even when you don't command it right."
 Her brows rose and her smile faltered when Ghent squinted at her. Had he hurt himself? Lost some of his vision in the aftermath of the spell-gone-wrong? But then he smiled, and she did not take him as someone who would be happy about going partially blind.
 She snorted once he finished speaking, but something going right for once had lightened her mood enough for her grin to turn into a condescending smirk instead of a scowl. Not bothering to go around the picnic table, she stepped nimbly onto the seat, and climbed over the table to the other side.
 She hopped down to the concrete, now trying to think of the last time anything had warranted a true smile. She shrugged, bushing the rather dismal thought aside. "That you used magic, of course. I mean, at least you're not completely useless," her smirk widened, and she looked approvingly at a deep, smoldering indentation in the table she had hid behind. She nodded to it. "I'd call that impressive, considering it was supposed to make a shield."
 Her attention snapped to her bow, her expression turning to a worried frown. "I swear, though," she stepped to and snatched the weapon up, running a hand down its limbs as she inspected it, "if you've damaged this…" Her finger paused on a new black mark in the wood. She brought it closer to her face, scratched at it, then nodded, deeming it nothing more than a superficial mark.
 "Consider yourself lucky." She twirled the bow slightly, and held it beside her. She raised her other hand, palm toward the ceiling, and muttered the focus word as she swept her hand slightly to the side, further aiding in directing the magic. Another shield shimmered into existence above her, only this time it was wide enough for two people to walk comfortably beneath.
 "We going, or what?" She jerked her head toward the rain-drenched streets, and headed out into the morning downpour. "By the way," she looked to Ghent, waiting impatiently, if necessary, for him to follow, "what is a 'java,' anyway?"

[User]
"Useless? I do have qualities aside from magic, you know." Ghent slipped his backpack off of his shoulders, taking this chance to retrieve the dark gray hoodie he'd packed. On the back, there was a large, faded emblem of a skull, hardly visible after so much wear. No use risking a cold the day of venturing into Wonderland.
 "I can be stealthy, I'm quick on my feet, and -- I know I don't look it -- but I'm strong, too. Bet I could pick up you and Drust without breaking a sweat." Ghent figured he'd get away with these claims; he was almost certain Elayra wouldn't want him to prove it.
 "Plus, I'm handling all of this pretty darn well. If you pulled someone off the street and told them everything you've told me...they'd either think you were crazy, or they'd have a mental breakdown. The way I see it, you lucked out," he started to put the hoodie on, words muffled until he found where to put his arms and head. "You guys need stability," he put emphasis on the word as if were the master of the meaning. "Someone with a good head on their shoulders. I'm the perfect member for your little team."
 With the world visible once again, Ghent saw one big difference. Elayra's smirk had vanished, replaced with a troubled frown.
 "If you've damaged this…"
 Uh oh. "Oh, come on...cut me some slack! It's not actually broken, is it?"
 Ghent peered over her shoulder, surveying the bow for himself. The mark was impossible to miss, but thankfully Elayra didn't seem overly concerned about the cosmetics of the bow, only the functionally.
 "Guess I should work on my aim," he laughed nervously, understanding that he'd avoided two deadly encounters. Hitting Elayra may have killed her, while hitting her bow may have resulted in his death.
 Ghent hadn't heard the word used to summon the rain shield, but he wasn't sure he wanted to try casting a spell so soon after the bolts-shooting-everywhere incident. Using a hand to pull up his hood, he was well prepared to face the rain, though the shimmer of the shield caught his eye. To his surprise, the shield was about twice the size as before. Ghent couldn't tell if this was a friendly gesture or not, so he hung back a few paces until Elayra announced it was time to leave.
 "Uh...right! Coming." Distracted by the shield, Ghent tripped over one of the tables, regaining his footing just in time to fall into step alongside of her. "I think some of the magic moved the tables around." Ghent would rather give a lame excuse rather than to give no excuse at all. He had just started to get on Elayra's good side, he didn't want to lose his progress by being a klutz.
 "What is a 'java,' anyway?"
 Elayra's question offered a chance to change the subject, plus it was easy to answer.
 "Java's just a fancy way to say coffee. It's an overpriced drink that girls your age go crazy over." While he talked, Ghent busied himself with readjusting the left strap of his backpack. "It's alright, I guess...it's either too bitter, or sickeningly sweet."
 Curious as to how she'd known about java, Ghent studied her face, wondering who had taught her to read in the first place. Drust didn't seem like he had the patience to teach reading as well as magic and combat.
 "Why? You want some?"


[System]
Age: 17
Gender: M
Arcana: Emperor

School: Eaglecrest High
Occupation: None
Weapon: Fists

Appearance:

Personality:
Most people would call Mikael an abrasive, hot-headed jerk--and they'd be right. He's brutally honest about his standing on everything, though he generally doesn't share it if people don't ask. This is actually quite the opposite with his emotions, however, as he's consistently in the sour mood of "I'll-punch-you-in-the-face" and refuses to talk about why. Ironically, he also shows how much he cares about someone in the same way, albeit with a much more light-hearted tone than normal.

History:
Mikael was fairly lonely as a child. Not that he minded it; he usually ended up fighting with other kids, anyways. With his father gone as a traveling salesman and his mother just... aloof, he was used to doing things on his own. Many saw him as a delinquent in school, despite him actually being one of the smarter students. Despite being perfectly comfortable with how he was seen, Mikael was suddenly noticed when he punched out a notable bully. People crowded him because of this, but, to his surprise, he enjoyed having others around him. However, this was short lived. His father had finally returned, bringing news that Mikael wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or overjoyed by: his father had gotten a permanent job in New Light, and they'd be moving there in a few days. When they got there, Mikael reverted to his secluded self.

Persona: Grazham
Arcana: Emperor
Persona Appearance:

Skills: Pain-Eater, Dia, Safeguard
Strengths: Resist Dark, Resist Light
Weaknesses: Electric/Ice

[User]
Eaglecrest High - 4:30 PM

"A-Akiko-senpai, here is the monthly expenditure..."

Akiko looked up from her desk at the Student Council's new treasurer.

"Ah, yes." She said, "Thank you."

She took the sheet from the nervous girl's hands and gave it a quick once-over. She was a new transfer student at Eaglecrest, she had come from Japan just like Akiko had. There were many Japanese students in Eaglecrest, even though it was technically an American school. The new transfer student was incredibly nervous, which was somewhat understandable, but she had gotten the position of Student Council Treasurer by herself which said something of her abilities.

"This report is good," She said, handing the paper back to the girl. "You're doing fine you know," She added, "You don't have to keep asking me about each report."

"A-ah, yes Akiko-senpai..." The girl said as she turned away

"Oh, one last thing, Reiko-san," Akiko said, the girl's name suddenly coming to her mind, "Just call me Akiko."

The girl nodded and gave some kind of weak acknowledgement before turning away and leaving the room. Akiko was the oly one left in the room now, and immediately, the smile faded from her face.

People change so easily. She thought. Well, it doesn't really matter does it?

She'd watched people enough to learn their patterns, how they tended to react, common strengths and weaknesses. Not out of any specific desire to read people, but simply because there was nothing else to do. But now she knew the limits, and she'd grown bored yet again. She looked down at her watch.

The car should be here now. She thought, I should go.

Kozue residence, Akiko's room - 5:00 PM

Akiko lay back in her bed, idly staring into space. Her mother wasn't home yet, the maids always left her alone...

She sighed. Why is there never anything to do?

She looked over to her bedside table, an old carefully folded note and a gleaming golden revolver lay on it; inherited from her father. She took the note and read it again. More for old time's sake than anything, she'd read it more than enough. He had died so many years ago, leaving her and her mother confused and bewildered...

I still don't understand...

Putting the note back onto the table, she instead picked up the golden revolver, the only other thing her father had left for her. She ran her hands over the cool, lustrous metal of the gun, savouring the cold feeling on her skin. It was oddly comforting, even with its history.

Her father had taken his life with this revolver, and if what the note said was true, so had his father, and a few more fathers beyond that. It wasn't as if the gun was cursed, but...

She sighed again. Thinking like that isn't going to help.

She turned onto her side, removing her glasses and reaching out to put them on the table in front of her. Then she curled up where she lay, and closed her eyes; revolver still in her hands.

[Assistant]
New Light University - 4 and.... something

How fast time passed while one was talking with their friends, yes. Touko's classes had already finished, but she was talking and gossiping with some of her friends after school. It was a good way to kill off time, of course, but she still like wasting her time in other ways, aside from drawing manga... Like reviving her chuunibyo from when she was still in Japan. It was fun to go back to pretending she was a vampire again, from time to time. Just like today, that she was playing around while moving stealthily through the shadows, avoiding the sun rays. She had a satissfied look in her face, no, more like an accomplished one, as she moved through the shadows of buildings.

"Kuh.... So, the society is still after me for my betrayal, huh? I can't afford to let my guard down, not even for a moment." She said, overlooking her accent completely while she was playing around. Though she felt the rigors of being an adult from time to time, she still had enough time to fool around like this. She had the day off from her part time work and the deadlines for the new doujinshi were far, far away. "And to think that my own kin would go after me...." She continued on crawling across the wall of a building, until she heard a familiar voice and stopped right on her tracks, with a surprised face and a ridiculous pose.

"Touko? What are you doing over there, Touko!" A girl, from across the street, called Touko's name. Touko quickly straightened out and adopted a normal pose, before her friend could catch up on what she was doing. The girl looked to both sides of the street before hurrying to Touko's side. "Hey there, Touko! Um, what are you doing?" She still tilted her head, as Touko's eyes swam around and her face blushed furiously. She just hoped that her friend didn't catch up on what she was doing, it'd definitely creep her out. She wasn't a middle schooler any longer, after all.

"Oh, nothin', nothin'. Dun' mind me." Touko said, going back to her usual self. "Anyhow, what's up? Weren' ya in class 'till 4:30 or somethin'?" Her friend looked disheartened. She just couldn't believe her friend was so much of an idiot. Well, being an idiot was one thing, but being such an idiot that you actually forget the time and can't even associate two events with each other. It was sad, very much so.

"It's already 4:47 already, you know? I got out of class a while ago." Touko looked really surprised, so much, it even irritated her friend. "Don't give me that and just look at your damn wristwatch!"

Touko's Apartment - 6:00 PM

After talking with her friend, and getting something to eat too, Touko finally got to her apartment. She opened the door to her not at all modest house, it actually looked more like a penthouse rather than a normal apartment. She took her bag off her shoulder and threw it away somewhere, making sure it wouldn't hit anything and making it land safely on the sofa of the living room. "Tadaima~" Touko said, after stepping into her house and taking her shoes off. Some habits died hard. "Yeah, right, I dunno what I was expectin'. It'd actually be terrifyin' if someone answered." Touko walked all the way to her bedroom.

She turned on the lights and before she knew it, she was already falling face first to the bed. It was comfortable, really comfortable. The bed felt as if it was pulling her towards it, kind of like a magnet. "Nooo.... I've to work on that script, or they'll come 'ere and bark at me..." She still lived in the USA and not in Japan, though, but her circle was vicious, they'd fly all the way to her house just to scold her for not hurrying up. "No, I really need to at least complete the cover." She was now decided, as she hopped to a side of her bed.

After yawning and rubbing her eyes, she finally stood up and walked all the way to her work desk. She sat there, feeling a bit drowsy, but she had to get on with things. She took a pencil in her hand, put a sheet of paper right in front of her and started drawing. Her hand moved around the page with a lot of dexterity, and soon, the drowsiness left her. Well, she could work on the cover until she felt like it, and it was better than doing nothing.

[User]
New Light University – 3:00 PM

Alyss yawned, a large motion that caused her small mouth to gape much wider than what would seem possible. She flopped on to the libraries counter and promptly huffed to blow the ice white hair that had fallen over her eyes out of them. She was bored. She had finished classes for the day and was roped in to working the afternoon shift at the New Light Library…not that much of it was really new these days. The building was still to go through an upgrade and it sure as hell needed one. Alyss' emerald eyes flicked up the lights that hung from the high arching ceiling and laughed "That's so fucking 80's it's almost cool" she said to herself as she stared at the bright orange fabric that ensconced the lights as a way to diffuse the brightness "almost" she huffed once more, sending white hair back into its proper position: sticking up as if saying fuck off to gravity. She stretched out her legs and leaned back in the recliner, arms stretching up and causing the knuckles and joints in her back to pop with satisfying sounds. She grinned and settled down into the chair, pulling out a battered copy of Alice in Wonderland to read to pass the time.

Alyss' Apartment – 9:00 PM

Alyss collapsed into her lounge after stumbling through her door. Kicking off thigh high boots was a problem easily rectified by laying down. She grinned a little and flexed her toes, happily sighing as she was now free from responsibilities for the rest of the day. She pouted slightly as she looked at the chipped pink polish on her toe nails and nodded to herself as she decided she would need to repaint them tomorrow…but this evening called for video games! She slid off the couch and changed quickly into her most comfortable oversized shirt before turning on her computer and launching Skype to annoy her friends on. Tonight's game of choice was a MOBA. Alyss grinned and settled in for a long night.

[Assistant]
New Lights University - 3:17 PM

Seo just awoke from his nap! Normally this was good, but now it was exponentially shitty. His nap was in his math class, one of the two he was borderline failing. The teacher was boring, and the material even moreso. It was his last math class he needed to pass in order to get what he needed, but he could never bring himself to pay much attention. He could post most of his classes without putting in too much effort, but math was his nemesis. The Grendel to him, the Beowulf. However, he had himself a secret weapon! One that had yet to fail him completely.

He employed a tactic used by a few other students he knew, he recorded the class on tape! His parents were able to afford a small HD recorder for him, which he could use to make the lessons a little more 'digital'. Now he could watch the classes over a gain, and binge on the knowledge whenever it was necessary. Anyhow, he took up his camera and gave the classroom a once-over, no one was there. He looked at his watch and it read 3:17 and then turned to 18. His class had been over for about 33 minutes! The fact no one bothered to wake him up sucked, but what sucked even more was that now he had to get rid of all the extra useless video he had recorded.

Seo's Apartment - 7:31

Seo sat his computer, with a bowl of cereal next to his mousepad. He was trying to figure out what parts of the lectures he could crop out, and what others he could keep. Already 1/2 of it was gone, and all of the non-verbal information could just be frame-cropped and turned into low-quality pictures to memorize and study later. He took two bites of his cereal and had trouble getting it down, it had gotten soggy. So he pushed the bowl a bit farther away from him, he was done eating for now. He did not want to finish off the soggy crap, just thinking of the taste and texture made him shiver. He figured he would pour himself a second bowl once he was done making his personal study guide.

[User]
Eaglecrest High - Time to get a goddamn watch

Mikael never actually kept track of time during school; he got on the bus in the morning and went through his boringly-easy, craptastic classes before getting on the bus home. However, he'd decided to join a club where he could do his homework at school. However, taking the late bus had finally made him realize something; most people had a cell or something to tell the time, but his parents never bothered to get him a watch, much less a cellphone that he wouldn't call anyone with. "But damn," Mikael thought as he adjusted his shades. "How long is it going to take to get to my goddamn stop?"

New Light University Plaza - 4:57 PM

As the bus finally pulled up to a plaza, Mikael looked up to a clock in the center of it... The heck? It was already five? He wasn't sure if it always took that long, but he never noticed if it did. "Tch," He clicked his tongue in annoyance. He would have saved some of his homework for the bus ride if he'd known how much longer the late bus took. Sleeping was not an option. "I won't be tired enough to sleep at home if I take a nap now..." He scowled slightly. "This is just a pain," Mikael muttered to himself, venting his building frustration in those few quiet words.