[System]
Character Sheet
[VICTUS STYLE]
Nick Name: Shelley
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Appearance/Physical: Shelley is rather petite and doesn't have much of a figure. She has black eyes like shining onyx gemstones and long black hair that she sometimes braids into a ponytail or into pigtails. She tends to play with the ends of her hair with her hands when she's nervous or absent-minded which looks an awful lot like fidgeting. Her skin is porcelain pale.
Appearance/Attire: Shelley prefers comfort and modesty, so wears loose-fitting or baggy clothes with dark, dull or subdued colors, which can make her look a bit trashy. She's been pressured into wearing contact lenses in public even though she doesn't like putting things in her eyes, so when she is at home, she prefers her big, round, thick glasses that make her look the part of her inner personality, that of a soft-core nerd. Shelley never got into make-up. Shelley tends not to attract attention and prefers it that way.
Bio: Shelley is quiet and non-confrontational. Shelley has difficulty connecting with other people but wants to help them. She has compassion but not empathy, which means that she can see that people need help, and she wants to help them, but she usually doesn't know how to help them and doesn't know how to comfort them. This makes her feel pretty powerless at times. On the one hand, she is motivated by approval and will do anything to please those around her, on the other hand, she has an instinctual fear of this desire to please being exploited, so she avoids social interactions so that she only gives her all to the people that are truly close to her. She cannot stand arguments and disagreements and deeply resents those who disturb the fragile peace of her life, which she will do all in her power to preserve. Shelley tends to take everything personally and does not respond well to criticism, often internalizing her emotions and pretending she's 'just fine'. Shelley is an 'external locus of control' person. Though Shelley has never been diagnosed (her mother believes psychiatric care is costly and pointless and that her daughter is 'just fine'), it is possible that she falls somewhere on the Autism Spectrum.
History: Shelley comes from an upper-middle class family. When she was young, her father had an affair, resulting in her parents' divorce. Her mother who was a pharmacist, raised her alone and couldn't spend much time with her. Shelley's grandmother (from her mother's side) also lived with them. Shelley's mother and grandmother often argued. Shelley developed an isolated independence and learned how to take care of herself in a very basic way (simple cooking, laundry, etc.) and contributed to house chores as much as she could. Shelley's mother was something of a typical Asian 'tiger mom' so Shelley was pushed to excel at academics. She did remarkably well in elementary and middle school, but has started struggling in high school. Shelley never picked up a musical instrument despite the stereotype. She has instead immersed herself in popular media as her hobby, enjoying comics, manga, cartoons, anime, etc. Being socially awkward, Shelley finds history and English classes as fairly pointless, and only sees utility in science and math classes, in which she does better than her other classes.
Weaknesses: Shelley is easily manipulated, and even though she may look stoic, is actually quite emotional.
Strengths: Shelley is dedicated and loyal, sometimes to her own detriment.

[User]
Shelley stood in front of her locker at the end of the school day, taking any materials she would need for weekend assignments and leaving behind anything she wouldn't need. It had been a bad week. She had found a strange parchment and the people in her class created a rumor of how the mysterious note came for a psychopathic stalker. Before people usually ignored her, but now she had a lot of unwanted attention, and could only hope for everything to blow over. Still, as silly as the rumor sounded, the possibility of being stalked put her on edge and made her feel unwell and slightly paranoid. Out of a strange fear, Shelley hadn't yet thrown the parchment away, which spawned another ludicrous rumor that she actually wanted to meet her stalker. She closed her locker and hoped that everything would be back to normal after the weekend and the class' short attention span would find something else to latch on to.

As she made to head out of school, an older student stood in front of her. "Are you Shelley Cao?" Jonathan Hyre asked, mispronouncing 'Cao' as 'cow' instead of correctly as 'tsao', which is what everyone did anyways.

Shelley nodded weakly and replied, "Y-yes..."

"I heard you got a strange parchment," Jonathan said.

"I-I did. It's not from you...is it?" Shelley asked, shifting backwards apprehensively.

"No, no. I got one too, so have others," Jonathan replied, trying to calm Shelley, knowing that the rumors surrounding her parchment involved a stalker. "I take it you don't know anything about the parchment then?"

"I don't," Shelley replied.

Jonathan decided to be blunt, "Everyone I've talked to doesn't know anything about these parchments, so I wanted to gather everyone together tomorrow at 2PM, right here at this school." Sensing a bit of emotional vulnerability, Jonathan dialed up the pressure a little, "Everyone's going to be there, so if you don't come we'll all have wasted our time. You'll come, right?"

"I-I..." Shelley hesitated. She had planned on finishing her homework quickly and vegetating the rest of the weekend. But she was also a little curious. Maybe the whole thing was just an elaborate prank, but maybe at least after Saturday, the rumors would finally stop. "Y-yeah, I'll be there..."

"Great! I'll see you at 2!" Jonathan said as he went on his way.

"He didn't even introduce himself," Shelley thought, feeling suddenly a little used.

[Assistant]
The sun was kissing the horizon by the time Hoen made it to the rather large estate he begrudgingly called home. Marching up their long drive way Hoen paid the lavish garden beds full of flowers no mind, the sight would no doubt draw awe from others, however, living in the estate he found their appearance more superficial than anything, just another decoration aimed at showing others that Hoenhime's family had what others did not, or so he thought anyway. Hoenhime stopped briefly and looked over the place he called home, it was a large three story building adorned in a pale yellow white, complemented by marble pillars that held up a small covering protruding from above the front door. From the front you could count six rooms by their large windows dotting the structure in two vertical rows perfectly symmetrical from one another. The house contained a basement, attic, large kitchen and dinning room, three bathrooms, a huge living room as well as two studies, a dedicated entertainment room an ensuite and several other rooms, however, had you asked anyone who lived in this building for these details, save for the housekeeper, you'd likely get a very different response.

Hoenhime's parents worked a lot, their illustrious careers keeping them from home for prolonged periods of time, this made the estate an unpleasant place as it often felt quite empty without a proper commanding presence. For this reason Hoenhime and his brothers tended to keep to their own areas of the house. Though without fail most evenings his brothers would have guests over causing a mess in the living room and entertainment room on the first floor. It was for this reason Hoen felt blessed to be have the only occupied bedroom on the third floor, this was also where his father's study rested, housing several old and worn books covering the greater part of two walls.

As Hoenhime entered the estate a slim women in her twenties, dressed in a black frilly blouse with black dress pants rushed from down a hall to welcome Hoen. "Good evening Hoenhime." Marie said politely. Her long blonde hair sat tied back into a bun while thin square rimmed glasses sat elegantly on her face. The housekeeper always seemed to have a professional look about her, despite her rough and sometimes brutal nature.

"Hello Marie, it's quieter than usual, please tell me my brothers are in the hospital or some similar fortunate situation has come to be." Hoen stated sarcastically. His disdain for his brothers and theirs for him was no secret.

"I'm afraid not, Marcus is in his room listening to music while Wayne has yet to return home." Marie replied quickly. A concerned look grew on her face, she too wasn't a big fan of Hoen's older brothers, their spoilt nature and position of power often came to ill effects for Marie, though she knew how to enforce a degree of respect from them when ever they stepped too far out of line. That said, she was clearly chosen for this position due to her ability to handle Hoen's brothers rather than any particular skill in regards to housekeeping, this often meant that she'd come to Hoenhime for help regarding certain matters. Although an annoyance, Hoenhime didn't mind too much being relied on, it gave him a sense of responsibility and he appreciated the idea that there was someone who needed him in the world, even if it was for such minor affairs.

"Looks like it'll be a good day after all. I'll be heading to my room now." Hoenhime stated as he began walking towards the stairs.

"What should I do if Wayne doesn't return before sun down?" Marie asked with a concerned tone.

"Don't mind him, hopefully he wont return at all." Hoen replied.

"I'm serious, should I call him?" Marie snapped. After all this was not a joke to her, it was apart of her job.

Feeling somewhat annoyed at her incompetence, or maybe at the fact that even when he wasn't here Wayne was still in some way demanding his attention, Hoenhime responded sternly. "I doubt he'd answer, if he doesn't then..." Hoenhime looked at his watched. "Call mother in an hour and she'll take care of it."

"Are you sure it is okay to pester Mrs. Exentia with something like this?" Marie responded. Her inexperience was abhorrently clear, but it couldn't be helped, she was hired only a few months ago after all and she wasn't yet used to how things operated in this household. She'd no doubt get a response from Hoenhime's mother that Wayne told her he was spending the night at a friends house and that would be that.

"Well what would you prefer? To leave Wayne to his antics or pester Mother to find out what he is doing?" Hoenhime responded sharply. He turned back towards his path leaving Marie to weigh her choices. As he shifted towards the stairs on the 2nd floor leading to the 3rd Honehime could hear loud rap music resonating from Marcus's room down the hall, he felt relieved that his brother had decided to keep to his room this evening. Between the two Marcus was definitely the more obnoxious while Wayne was more conniving.

Hoenhime shifted his way to his bedroom, it's door nestled to the far east of the house. This is where his today would end and the his tomorrow would begin, he'd dwell on the happenings of his day as he did his homework, then he'd go to sleep expecting a similar experience tomorrow, after all Jonathan's sly little antic seemed to impose a degree of responsibility onto Hoenhime, whether it is warranted or not.

[User]
"I'm home," Shelley said in Cantonese upon entering her house. Shelley's mother and grandmother were in the middle of some sort of argument, so her mother simply gave a short nod of acknowledgment.

Her grandmother, on the other hand, stopped the argument for a moment and turned to Shelley, "Welcome back, Shi Ling," she said in Cantonese, "How was your day at school today?"

Shelley's mother gave Shelley a look that said, 'just indulge her, but not too long; I'm not letting her weasel her way out of this argument just because I'm winning'.

"It was fine..." Shelley said non-noncommittally.

"Did you meet any nice boys?" her grandmother prodded.

"Mom..." Shelley's mother said in exasperation, "Shi Ling's too young, and needs to focus on her studies."

As their argument resumed, Shelley quietly made her way upstairs to her room. Because of the thin walls, she could still hear the argument downstairs, a cacophony that always made her heart sink. She booted up her computer and put on her headphones. Randomly, her grandmother's question popped into her head, and she realized that she had in fact met a boy, Johnathan Hyre, but she doubted that that really counted. But then again, he did ask to meet up on a weekend, but it wasn't like he was asking her out; Shelley wasn't really 'dating material', people hardly looked at her. She didn't really want to go tomorrow, she had just purchased an empire management game during the recent Steam Sale and was ready to waste her whole weekend pouring hours into attempting to conquer the galaxy against a bunch of AI. As if to provoke her, the parchment stuck out awkwardly from a stack of unsorted stationery. She'd be glad to be rid of it along with the dumb rumors that had been circulating. She sighed and booted up the game; she would play until her mom called her down to an awkward dinner.


[System]
Age: 4
Gender: Appreciates being referred to as Male
Race: Liberated Lightning Elemental
Occupation: Research Assistant, Bodyguard, Storm Chaser, Power Source (?)

Personality: Actually quite friendly and very curious, Vesper cautiously seeks out knowledge in hopes of discovering the magic behind his creation and the other magics that create the realm, and he's a fast learner. He learned the common language just be focusing and listening to the world around him.
 He loves children and playing with them, and he loves it when it thunders and rains. One thing that he longs for is a little more physicality, because he can offer comfort in certain ways, but he cannot really receive it. Unfortunately, Vesper is still quite naïve. He can often be conned or tricked into doing things he wasn't expecting or otherwise, though he refuses to hurt people for the sake of hurting them. That being said, don't talk to them about having a master or inquire into who created him, because he will get very angry very quickly, and that won't be a pleasant experience for anyone.

What's in your bag:
- Nothing but the armor strapped to their back.

Extra: He loves doing chores and helping out around the bar. He can also control his electrical output so that it can do anything from giving you a warm fuzzy feeling to zapping you with a lot of electricity.

[User]
Mr. Scarper Montmorency

Montmorency blinked when the bartender huffed after he had finished his line of questioning. Had he said or did something wrong? Did he commit some offense unknowingly? When the gruff lizardman finally spoke with a rather displeased tone, Scarper turned his head to the right as directed and instantly understood what wrong he had committed. He was erroneous in his assumptions that the Strumpet Inn's owner was male. My, how sexist of him. Women could own businesses and property too, after all! Mentally, he reprimanded himself. What was that silly little saying about making assumptions? Something about...making donkeys? Well, he certainly felt like a donkey, though it didn't show on his face. Turning back just in time to see the lizardman storm off, grumbling.

"Drat. Have I already made such an unfavorable initial impression?"
Staring at the bartender's back as he continued to walk off, Scarper's mind worked tirelessly towards methods of restoring his image.
"Should I apologize profusely to the bar owner? No, that would not do."
But, he would still apologize.
"Should I declare myself an idiot and decry my ignorance? No, that would not do either."
He knew that was not true.
Scarper is a dignified and intelligent man.
Humans are flawed creatures and are not flawed creatures permitted to make minor mistakes from time to time? He certainly did not think himself perfect or above others, that would just be arrogant.
It was when a musical giggle was heard did Scarper finally return from his thoughts that he turned to face the bar owner.
"Oh." He blinked.

Scarper removed his glasses and slipped them into his inner vest pocket.
It appeared that at least she did not seem to take any offense. But what was so funny? Was there something on his face? Did someone tell a funny joke? Or was it his bumbling actions that was the cause for her tittering? Why did she shake her head? These and so many other questions littered Scarper's mind.

"Curious. Curious indeed."
He looked at her presented hand and perked up a little, smiling warmly at her as she introduced herself.
"Lovely."
He thought.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Veda. As you may have heard, I am Scarper Montmorency. I, myself, am doing fantastic today, thank you for asking. How does this day treat a lady such as yourself?"
Taking her hand in a firm but still gentle grasp, he shook it exactly two times.
Once.
Twice.
He hoped his hands weren't cold.
Though his mother once told him something that bothered him to this day.
"Warm hands, cold heart."
Did that mean the opposite was true?
He didn't think himself a bad person.
But, the thought of a 'cold' handshake disturbed him.
"I do apologize for the misunderstanding, Miss Veda. I have just recently arrived in town from my travels and learned of your wonderful establishment just today. I did not care to discover or ask as to the gender of said owner and only jumped to foolish conclusions. Please, forgive me for my blunders."
Scarper again smiled, the corners of his lips tugging just a smidgen wider than they normally did.
"As you may have heard when I was speaking to your bartender, the dragoness outside has business to conduct with you. She had bid me entrance to your inn and requested the owner specifically, but it seems that she was also under the assumption that the owner was male as well."
His eyes briefly looked Veda up and down.
"And much older."

[Assistant]
Tae'o

When the dragon had introduced herself as Ashwing to the eloquent man standing next to him, memories flitted through his mind of a dragon he had heard mention of before by a sister tribe of pixies he came across while in the southern deserts. Dragons were practically all but legends now so the few that still remained were known by all. Just like the pair of dragons that lived in the mountains near Nivalis, this tribe knew a dragon that claimed a nearby dormant volcano it's lair. They had called it Flare but later as Tae'o continued his travels through the human domains, he heard stories of a dragon by the name of Ashwing that were eerily similar to the dragon the pixies spoke of. Tae'o idly wondered now if these two dragons were but one and the same?

Coming out of his reverie, the pixie's pale blue eyes widened in shock when the beautiful dragon acknowledged his compliment with one of her own. "Your wings are rather radiant themselves". To think he had been complimented by a dragon! Whether she had just been trying to be nice or not didn't matter. Tae'o couldn't help the smile that stretched his face just then. Facades be damned! In his excitement and a snap! of blue-white light, Tae'o had retransformed back into his Pixie Form. The small blue orb of light danced up and around the dragon's head, tittering excitedly.

"Oh, you're too kind! My wings are nothing compared to the magnificence of yours, My Lady! Regardless, your words have made my day!"

The blue light lazily floated back down, a bit more calmly now that his remaining energy had been spent in his excitement. This time a wisp of pale blue smoke appeared until Tae'o was standing in his Human Form again. Just then an extremely excited muscular fellow all but barreled out of the inn. Seems Tae'o wasn't the only one wishing to meet a dragon. A lazy smile adorned his face as the pixie stared up at the dragon once more.

"Well, seems you have another patron wishing to gaze upon your glory. All this excitement has made me hungry and tired so I shall take my leave. It was a fantastic pleasure to make your acquaintance. I do hope our paths cross again in the future. Until then, Lady Flare."

Tae'o gave a deep bow and a polite wave to both the newcomer and the dragon before pushing open the door leading inside. Instantly his ears were bombarded with the sounds of drunken laughter and shouting, the tantalizing smell of food filtering through his senses. The diversity of the patrons inside would never rival the dragon he just met but all sorts seemed to call this town their home. Elves, orcs, lizard men, even a sylph!! How exciting! However, his stomach grumbled its command of food so Tae'o decided to take a seat at the bar, not wishing to take up a whole table to himself. Meeting everyone else would have to wait for now.

Tae'o remembered the words of the girl who had originally pointed him to this inn, that the owner offers free food and board to anyone willing to offer their services. Flagging down the bartender, Tae'o decided to test the advice by ordering a simple plate of fruit and greens. When the food was set before him, the pixie barely had a chance to open his mouth before the orc walked off to help the other patrons. No demand of coin was met. Not like Tae'o had any coin to speak of anyway. Tentatively grabbing a slice of apple and popping it into his mouth, Tae'o's suspicion instantly melted away as his taste buds thanked him. What fresh produce! Humming in delight, now content that he was filling his belly, Tae'o glanced around the tavern before he noticed a whole wall near the back that boasted bounties. So that must be where the jobs were posted. It seemed rather empty. Well, priorities first! Turning back to his food, Tae'o grabbed another apple slice, biting into the crisp sweetness with fervor.

[User]
Veda

Veda was pleased when the gentleman had apologized, though she wasn't expecting one, another giggle escaped her. "Oh Scraper.. or should I call you Mr.Montmorency? You needn't apologize for such things, I understand the confusion. You see, this inn was once owned by my Uncle. He had since passed and left me with the ownership. So those who used to travel through here, well... they're under the impression my uncle is still alive and laughing. Which unfortunately is not the truth." Veda's head hung low for a moment, a few tears glittered her silver eyes.

Veda wiped them away and met Scraper's gaze with a large smile, back to normal again, "I do appreciate you fetching me though, you said a dragon was out there looking for the owner? Interesting. I have never met a dragon. I'm down right excited now!" Her exclamation resulted in her glass dropping to the floor, quite clumsy she was. A few patrons looked over to them, wondering what the excitement was over. Most looked away and shook their heads, a smile on their lips knowing Veda's accidental habits.

"Oh my goodness, I am sorry if any got on you!" Veda immediately jumped off her stool and began picking up the glass. MacGruff chuckled at her and threw her a towel. Once she was done tidying she set the towel with the glass contents on the counter and looked back to Scraper. "My apologies, I'm a bit of a klutz," Her bright smile was a large contrast to her skin, "So, I suppose our meeting is to be cut short by my visit with a dragon? We should find each other again, I do hope you're staying?" She was full of questions, she loved meeting new patrons. Especially since the rumours of her bar were going far and wide now. Soon she would not have room for all the occupants.

[Assistant]
"Wearing some armour might help," A child suggested to Vesper once, "At least then you won't look like some scary ghost."

 Well, It's a little heavy sometimes, but at least now people can see me without being scared.

 Vesper sparked through the bar as his form levitated above the wooden surfaces. Those who were regulars since he got there were used to that prickly static sensation that drifted over their backs when he rushed by, but sometimes guests and newer people didn't really know how to act around the lightning-personified. The armor buzzed with sparks and glowed neon blue like the rest of him as he pulled a bucket in one hand along with a mop in the other.

 For someone that came into existence only a few years ago, with shockingly little information surrounding how the world worked, he did know how to work hard. In essence, he was created to be a servant, so things like sweeping and wiping tables and mopping floors came easily to him. Even now, just as the Lady Veda's glass shattered against the floor; he was there a moment later with the mop at the ready, though it seemed that they'd already solved the problem just as he arrived there.

 "Oh dear, a little slow on the upkeep, it seems," Vesper sighed as he let the mop droop down just a little bit.

 He'd been doing this for about a year now. Doing simple chores and odd jobs around the Inn to keep it looking tip-top. He rarely took requests on the board, and when he did usually it was to assist with research or simply to fetch something for someone else. To be honest, he only really did them for a sense of purpose. He didn't need to eat or sleep really. Usually, all he had to do was go into a storm every few months and recharge by pulling the lightning towards him. They kept him around because he was so willing to help out, and, well, the rest of the world didn't really know what to do for him.

 Plus, having a living incarnation of magickal energy around to scare off some unruly patrons was usually a good thing.

 In his moment of hesitation, he looked up to realize the man whose space he'd invaded. He tended to space out every now and again in his own reflection, leaving him staring both partially at the bartender and the man who was talking to Veda only moments before.

 "Oh, uh… Hello. I'm sorry for rushing in here like this and I hope I didn't surprise you!"

 His voice exudes a level of sincerity, the like of which is akin to an eager adolescent ready to take on the world, but the living plasma isn't quite ready for something like that yet.


[System]
Age: 22

Gender: Female

Appearance/Looks:sp.yimg.com/xj/th?id=OIP.Mcb4ac5b247d6..

Species: Human

Sexual Preference: Heterosexual

Likes: Secrets, darkness, hiding, attention

Dislikes: Dishonesty, witnessing others acting cruel, people who are too optimistic

Bio: Jaze is a bit of a pessimist, but she hides it rather well. She is very introspective, so oftentimes she will go into one of her hiding places to escape the world (one of her favorites is the roof of her house). Jaze will continue to run and hide, but all she desperately wants is for someone to come after her - someone to tell her it's going to be okay. She's always been so strong on the outside, never to let anyone see how she really feels. She doesn't want to push anyone away - she doesn't want to scare anyone. But this all may be about to change...

She was born into a sweet, little family and had a pretty good home life until the age of seventeen when both of her parents passed away in a terrible accident. She has raised herself since then, getting a job and maintaining good grades - Jaze put herself through college and just recently graduated. She does all this and puts up a front, while on the inside, she feels as if everything she's doing is all for nothing. Her main focus now is surviving...

Occupation: Jaze is a waitress at her local bar and grill and has had numerous other jobs up until this point.

Country of Origin: North America

Feelings about meeting their soul mate: She is very excited, but anxious about meeting her soulmate. She has always longed for someone to call her own - someone to love. As the date gets closer and closer, she can feel it in her bones, the feeling of something new.

Soul mate:

[User]
Abel tilts his head. "The glare is more because you a wolf are standing in my territory. I figure the wolf pack didn't tell you about me...most likely because we don't bother each other much, so i am attempting to ignore it." He then leans forward a bit. "Give me a good reason as to why I would need you...wolf" He hears the roar bark and looks back at Manu. To him he gives a friendly smile and a shrug before turning back to Jose...his glare not returning...but curiosity showing up. Truly if he isn't given a good enough reason he will probably shut the door in Jose's face and go to Manu. With the way this guy is phrasing everything he has a feeling Manu is a newer were, which means he will have to help Manu change to human. Something he has never done, but feels he can do.

The words his responsibility did irk Abel a tad, those words make Manu sound like a little kid...or a dog. Which was something that he certainly did not feel Manu is. His stare remain piercing and curious even while several different thoughts shoot through his mind. His feline side still irritated that this uninvited wolf is standing in its territory...even more irritated that the wolf was doing it so easily. It wanted him to just slam the door and go back to his mate...ignoring the other wolf completely, but he seems to be ignoring that side for now.

[Assistant]
Early morning sunlight glinted off of the phone's reflective screen. Béatrix stared down at the piece of technology as it it had offended her. Sending that message was foolish, she shouldn't have done it; Yet there she sat, apprehensively waiting on his response like a schoolgirl that just admitted to liking her crush. The phone buzzed after a few moments passed, somehow managing to surprise the vampire.

The number on the screen was the same one that she had just sent the message to. Her still heart seemed to jump up into her throat. Maybe it wasn't him, maybe she'd sent the message to some confused stranger because she didn't remember the number correctly. Deep inside she knew that wasn't the case, her memory was about as sharp and precise as it could get - which was both a blessing and a curse.

Trixy opened the message to see a lovely photo of the moon. Her nature led her to prefer the night, that was something the two unlikely soulmates did have in common. "You are my moon, Trixy. No matter the distance, we are always together." Her eyes widened after reading the caption, the romantic overtones and raw honesty were jarring. Trixy felt the familiar urge to bolt in the other direction, even if he was an ocean away. She looked away from the phone and let out a deep exhale, trying to remember her grandsire's advice, and the comfort she found with the Delacroix last night. This was supposed to be a new beginning... no more running.

Smirking, Béatrix clicked the reply button. The cold woman wasn't quite warmed up to the idea of gushy romance, but she could handle witty flirtatious banter. "Your moon? That best not be a pale joke." she replied with a silly face emoji. Yes, the 630 year old vampiress is hip enough to use and enjoy emojis. After sending the response, Trixy set the phone down and stood up to face the peaceful morning.

In that moment, she felt so free. It made her want to feel alive again. Despite only wearing her flimsy nightie, the vampire climbed up onto the railing of her balcony. Her pedicured toes gripped the metal as she held out her arms crucifix-style and stared down the plummet to the forest below. The chilly morning wind tossed her hair about and swept the silk nightgown taught against her skin, revealing every bump and curve beneath it.

Her breath caught in her throat. She was almost there, almost alive. The winds grew stronger, yet her supernatural balance kept her anchored to the rails. But what if it didn't? What if she let the wind take her? The idea was so irresistible that she did just that. When the next gust came, Trixy didn't fight it, she simply let herself fall.

Exhilarating.

Euphoric.

There weren't accurate enough words to describe the feeling. Falling made her feel human again, it awoke those primal urges to preserve her life. She wasn't alive, of course, and she would land unscathed when this was all over, but in that moment she let the intoxicating feeling overtake her.

It was over all too soon. Béatrix landed on bent legs and her left hand with grace that would make cats themselves green with envy. Adrenaline was coursing her veins, awakening the predator within. Her blue eyes peered into the woods searching for the nearest heat signature. Upon seeing what looked like a large-sized deer a half a mile out, her muscles coiled underneath her porcelain skin and sprung her into action. Feeling very much alive and free, Trixy tore through the woods in search of her prey.

Anyone who knew her wouldn't recognize the vampire wearing her skin. This wasn't Madame Vengeance, nor Wolfsbane, this was a new Trixy. She all but giggled as she frolicked through the private wooded area in nothing but her silky sleepwear. So caught up in the chase, the normally vigilant vampire had her guard down. She didn't sense the figure trailing her. She didn't smell him. She didn't register his thoughts, and she didn't hear the sharp whistle of a projectile heading her way until it was too late.

Thppt!

The sound was punctuated by a sharp pain at the nape of her neck. Heat blossomed around the tip of needle as she stumbled gracelessly. Trixy clawed at what felt like fire on the back of her neck, managing to retrieve the dart that injected her. Confused, she stared down at it. Whatever was in the vial was now coursing in her bloodstream. Vervain? Holy water? Liquid silver? It didn't really matter now… The edges of her vision started to get blurry. Her limbs grew cold and heavy, pulling her farther down. It felt like the earth was trying to swallow her in a mouth made of molasses. She was drowning, she couldn't swim out this. Her eyelids fluttered until everything went black...

and then, there was nothing at all.

[User] Jaze shivers, her mind completely occupied by her thoughts of the day. She had just gotten off work and was headed to the library in town to grab a few books. She is totally wrapped up in her own thoughts as she walks down the street. That was terrible, I can't believe you broke that plate at work. You're a failure. Jaze sadly shakes her head. It's not like she did it on purpose! Leave her alone. Jaze arrives at the double doors and walks confidently through. She looks around confused as the lady at the desk asks if she can help. Jaze shakes her head, blood rushing to her face - embarrassed. She realizes she is at the local hospital. In her mindless wandering she must have ended up across the street from the library. "I might as well look like I came here for something..." She thinks. Jaze turns the corner looking for a vending machine. Wow, look at you. Just making the day better. You can't even get us to the library without doing something wrong! She sees a doorway with a soda machine inside the room. She's right... Maybe we can't do anything right... Jaze pulls out her wallet to count out the money for the machine. "Would you both shut up?" She mutters, "It'll be fine."

[Assistant]
Breeze
Astley, now completly scrubbed down after a surgery and in scrubs heads out to the front desk. "Hey Sarah....let the family know he made it....and that there was a significant amount of drugs in his system....clearly meaning the reason for the accident was the drugs...oh and I'm taking a small break" he smiles. "I'll be by a vending machine" sarah chuckles and nods taping away on the keyboard in front of her then dialing a number.

Astley then makes his way through the doors to the vending machine. Seeing someone there he sits down in a chair and waits. His wrist starts bothering him, but he seems to be ignoring it completly right now.

[User] As Jaze reaches down into the machine to grab her soda she feels her wrist start to burn. She immediately looks at it, it has today's date. How could I have forgotten? She is extremely alert now, probably looking a little crazed to everyone else. Jaze sweeps the room with her gaze trying to figure out if anyone had seen her startled. She sees no one but a doctor sitting in a chair, Get a hold of yourself Jaze, stay calm. Today is the day. Have patience. She nods to the doctor and turns to leave the room.

[Assistant]
Jose sighed rubbing his temples. He must have been born under a unlucky star, as the were feline went on about things Jose found of little importance.
"Give me a good reason as to why I would need you...wolf"

"Great you are one of those types of were." He declared in a annoyed tone, yet he tried for Manus sake to salvage the situation. He was angry and worried, but could one really blame him. Manu went missing, in a city he didnt know, all but kidnapped by a possessive soulmate, apparently. In Joses eyes he wouldnt have been surprised to hear the other being a murder at this point. Maybe he should employ a private detective for a background check. Yes that exactly what he will do once this is over.

"You are wrong on two accounts. First not wolf. Neither Manu or I are related to those meat brains. So please behave like a person and drop the dog vs cat fight." It was shown in Joses posture he tried to be calm and reasoning. He still questioned how much of a effect would it have. The question if the cat were was a in heat lingering on his mind. He hoped he wasnt.
"Second you are in great illusion if you believe its me who keeping your soulmate away from you." Wondering if the were would believe him, maybe? Jose put his money on the maybe not option thought. Quite ready to get a door in his face.
"Being a good person that I am. Jose is my name. I can save you a heart break or two, if you let me help you. But its on you if you want to make this all harder on you self. I am sure it brings plus points to slam a door in the face of a person Manu cares a lot about."

[User]
Abel sighs heavily. The mention of him being someone Manu cared about slowly snaps him out of it. With a small grumble he pinched his nose as if clearing out the scent then looks at Jose. "maned wolves are still canine....anyway how about you come in..." His cobalt eyes pierce jose's. He then gently closes the door to remove the lock then opens it for him to come in. He makes his way over to his food and leans against the counter watching while he eats. He expects Jose to come in and close the door behind him and then hopefully help his soulmate here....hopefully not taking him away....he really didn't want that. His eyes go to Manu watching for his reaction, his eyes actually concealing how he feels for once.

------------------------------
Breeze
Astley nods back then hisses somewhat when the pain in his wrist increases. His eyes then widen as he slowly look back up at the woman. He stands and holds out his wrist. "I don't suppose this is your name....is it?" His eyes holding a mix of emotions, his body language betraying how tired he is, but also how excited he is. This is his soul mate....his. His instincts wanting to grab her and fly off to make her his queen. Then again....trying to turn her into his queen might kill her. Irritating details.

[Assistant] As she turns her wrist burns even more intensely, she glances back at the man in the room. His eyes widen, visibly shaken, could this be him? The one I am supposed to be with? The man stands up and shows Jaze his wrist - she tentatively leans in closer to read the name... Her name... Jaze looks at him longingly, she has waited so long for this. "Yes," she manages to get out, "That's my name." Jaze shows the man her own wrist. Her legs feel like they might give out underneath her, she's having trouble not showing that her entire body has started shaking.


[System]
Appearance (Real Life):

Height: 5ft

Weight: 111lb

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Hazel
Age: 13

History: Hibiki comes from a very wealthy family who has personal bonds in the Deep Ground Online game, with her mother and father both important investors. Her family runs Toho Systems, a conglomerate of computer hardware, program apps, security, and just about anything that you'd imagine is "Futuristic". Hibiki, being the youngest of five, was rather spoiled. Her parent's financial success actually allows them to spend time with their daughter, unlike her older siblings who grew up without them for the most part. It has made some slight tensions, but in the end they're all family.

The biggest issue (If it could even be called that) Hibiki ever had to deal with was her innocence. She thinks that she knows the world, warts and all, and believes that she can actually do something for it. Her parents do nothing to dissuade these notions or even show her what the world is really like outside the walls of her house and the media. So when Hibiki was 13 of course she took part of the Deep Ground Online, using the best her parents would provide for her. She wants to change the world, even if she doesn't really know what's out there.

Hibiki has a grudge against the Black King, Moon Rider, due to a close friend named Onyx Fox. Onyx Fox was a young servant just a few years older than Hibiki, who was basically her sister. Onyx Fox was in the Ebony Strykers and hoped to use her time in the guild to have a bright future, but after the Ebony Strykers disbanded Onyx Fox started losing. Eventually the player of Onyx Fox simply left, and Hibiki hasn't heard from her since. She can't find her friend anywhere, and not even her parents know where she is. Fearing the worse, Hibiki has a grudge against the Ebony Stykers for abandoning her friend and blames them for her disappearance.

Hibiki also doesn't like the Sweepers as they've targeted her for some reason. She hasn't played for long and doesn't really know anyone, so she isn't sure why they are attacking her. They also have a bad reputation for just being highly organized outlaws, so she doesn't believe a word of their "Protecting the weak and fighting evil" creeds. She likes them even less now that they've joined the Ebony Strykers.

Personality: Hibiki is naive to the point of stupidity. While having a healthy amount of caution, she still has her youthful vigor and ignorance of danger, more so in Deep Ground since to her it's all just a game. While she can have quite an attitude and a bad mouth when dealing with bullies, she rarely holds grudges for long unless you really do something horrible. For better or for worse, easy to befriend and is a nice kid, even if she constantly wants to hang out with you.

Appearance (Avatar):

Avatar Class: Rogue

Avatar Title: Smitten Kitten

Avatar Level : 3

Avatar Guild: None

Avatar Abilities:
Cat Cut - Smitten Kitten can always cut her enemies, either with her claws, teeth, or even a kick. Her damage and speed grows stronger with her level and if she actually has a weapon to use. Only scales with melee weapons. Kitten can also use her claws to climb on walls, ceilings, or even her enemies without any trouble.

Feline Grace - Smitten Kitten will take no damage from falling and is unaffected by anything that limits her mobility or speed. She has perfect balance regardless of whatever her terrain is. Smitten Kitten is also capable of great acrobatics and can even do multiple jumps in the air. She can do one jump for each level she has.

Devil Cat Ghost - Smitten Kitten becomes a ghostly creature, capable of phasing through opponents and obstacles. She cannot be harmed in this form, but neither can she harm others. Smitten Kitten is also becomes invisible to those without abilities to detect her. She must come out of her ghostly form outside a solid object; if she doesn't she'll be forced back to where she was before she entered the solid object. She can stay in this form for one minute, but afterwards it will go on a five minute cool down.

Unlocked Later

Tiger Rend - Passively, each of Smitten Kitten's attacks lowers a random stat against her opponent. The stats can continue to become lowered until the target is dead. Smitten Kitten can also activate the Tiger Rend so that each of her attacks causes her opponent's special abilities (Like Avatar Abilities or Feats) to instantly go into cool down. Techniques already already in cool down will have their timer reset as if they were just used. Tiger Rend has a cool down for ten minutes when it's active ability is used, including it's passive ability.

Copy Cat - If Smitten Kitten is near another Avatar who activates one of their avatar abilities, Smitten Kitten can try to copy a version of it that is only 70% as strong. After she uses it, Copy Cat goes on a ten round cooldown. She can use the ability she copied only once during the cooldown, but she'll lose it once she can use Copy Cat again. Smitten Kitten can only copy things that need to be activated to use, so she can't copy a passive ability. She also can't copy abilities that require specific weapons or gear unless she has one herself or something similar.

Nine Lives - Smitten Kitten can create 8 additional copies of herself, each one with only 1/8 of her max health and unable to use any of her feats or abilities except Cat Cut and Feline Grace. Smitten Kitten can dismiss a copy to regain health back based on how much health the copy had (To a max of 1/8 of her total health) and/or to teleport to where the copy was before it was dismissed. Has a ten minute cool down.

Avatar Feats:

Level 3: Vicious Strikes

Unlocked Later

Level 4: Grim Stride

Level 5: Deadly Aim

Level 6: Trip Wires

Level 7: Soaring Slayer

Level 8: True Sight

Level 9: Bullet Hell

Other: She likes the color orange and wants to defeat the Black King.

[User]
~Yoshino Tsugumi~

"You're going nowhere Yuuno," said the School President; Yoshino grabbed her cousin by the back of her shirt and stayed rooted in place. Yuuno could try to twist and turn all she wanted, but she wouldn't be escaping the other girl's grip. "Besides, I would think you'd introduce me to your boyfriend first before leaving him behind so readily," she said flatly.

For a few moments, Yoshino took the time to scan the room as well as the two occupants who had obviously been chatting it up before her arrival. By their mumbled words and jumpy sentences, they were probably getting into some deep relationship stuff. Well, well, that only piqued her curiosity all the more.

"I'm here to personally thank you for your efforts in Deep Ground Online, Asahi Goroshi. Specifically your work as Arm Slave during the Fake Moon Rider incident," Yoshino began, adjusting her glasses with the hand not leashing Yuuno. "Don't act so surprised now; you didn't make it exactly difficult to guess you and Arms Slave were one and the same. Though I suppose you already have a reward in the form of my young cousin here."

She felt that Asashi would be a valuable asset in the Festival coming up in just a few days. Given his popularity among some of the students as well as a bolstering influence in the Sweepers, he would be the perfect poster boy. So maybe…stick him in a maid dress? No doubt Yuuno would find that image very appealing.

Back at the mall, Dana was grinning like an idiot and copied Rufus' action right back at him. Some of the drink that she was carrying sloshed off to the side and onto the floor, spilling a good amount of the orange liquid contained within it. A shame too, because some Irish-sounding dude had walked up to the pair inquiring about a lost drink.

Dana paused, eyes looking down to the spilled orange soda on the floor. Then her eyes went up to meet Angus and a slow grin formed on her face. The boy would be able to see the shark teeth gleaming in the girl's jaws as she said, "Nope. That's not orange soda on the floor and there's no orange soda in this cup. This is green soda." After that, she took a direct sip of the cup for good measure. "Yep. Definitely green soda."

---

, @Awesomoman64, @Lonewolf685, @Lucius Cypher

[Assistant]
"Yeah... What he said." Kosuke said.

He wanted to get away from the Blue King as fast as possible so he was going with minimum pleasantries. Paper Moon had said something about buying something, right? So that meant there was only one place to go.

"The mall, huh?" Kosuke muttered.

He wasn't sure how he personally felt about the mall. He was more of a 'warm spot in the sunshine' kind of guy on account of having poor blood circulation, he didn't go to the mall too often. There was a grocery store outside somewhere which was all he'd ever needed. He was, in a word, kind of a boring guy. Past petty revenge plots and rocketing around in Deep Ground he didn't do awfully much.

That's not to say he'd never been in a mall before. His sister had taken him a few times when he was younger, and Purple Crown's mall was just the same as those ones had been. Big, bright, and loud. Since it was the weekend, and the festival was just around the corner, there was a large amount of students either milling around or rushing around the mall. It was kind of making his head spin...

"So... what the hell are we buying?" He said to Shiro. "I was just going to grab flowers and some strawberry milk."

---

[User]
Hibiki followed her friend home without incident. It still unnerved her to see so many guns in one place. These weren't just security guards, but soldiers. It made Hibiki wonder what sort of people lived here that they would need such heavy protection. But once they got into the elevator and into Itsuko's apartment Hibiki's worries went away. This place was still as messy as it was before and before she knew it, Hibiki was starting to pick up the various books and trash around the room and trying to clean up. When Itsuko asked Hibiki what she wanted to do she nearly jumped. "Oh! Right! I figured we could play Deep Ground for a little bit. I'm at the Black City right now and I could use some help getting out. I kinda... Used an Outlaw Declaration. And I'm not really on good terms with Moon Rider." Hibiki knew that since she was level 2 she wouldn't suffer the usual effects of dying as an outlaw, but that didn't mean she wanted to give those Sweeper scumbags the pleasure of getting EXP out of her.

As Hibiki tossed away some trash and put Itsuko's book back onto their shelf, her friend started talking about being a hero. Itsuko has been training for a long time, which would explain all her injuries, but it seemed like even with training she couldn't protect herself, let alone others. But hearing Itsuko say that made Hibiki's back grow hot with anger. "Being a hero isn't about winning, and... It's not always about protecting others." Hibiki took a moment to think about her grudge against the Ebony Strykers and the Sweepers. Hibiki couldn't say she was protecting anyone from them, and if she actually fought them Hibiki would probably die. A lot. But that's not why she was going to keep trying.

"There are all kinds of powerful bad guys in the world. Heroes are the ones who oppose them, even if they are alone and weaker. Sometimes... Sometimes it's better not to have to protect people and just keep attacking." Hibiki stopped talking after saying that. She didn't want to say it outloud, but she felt that if she had to protect people then she wouldn't be able to destroy her enemies. If the Ebony Strykers or Sweepers knew about the people Hibiki were close too, she knew they would try to hurt them. That's why Hibiki had to be cunning and at times, devious. It did make her wonder if that made her like the Ebony Strykers in the first place, since their underhanded and backstabbing tendencies were exactly why she was fighting them.

"If the heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight? Heroes are the ones who have to stand up to stronger people and make them stop. No matter what. If you only try to fight when they're weaker, or when you gather more people who are weaker than you, you'll just end up crying when someone stronger shows up." Hibiki looked at Itusko with an embarrassed smile. It looked awkward after her serious speech. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to seem serious. I mean, I guess... I want to be a hero too. But... Being a hero, it's not really something you need to train for. It's hard to explain... I guess if you're a hero, what you can do will be more than enough. So if you try and train, and what you train for isn't working, that doesn't mean you can't be a hero. Um..." Another awkward chuckle and Hibiki just sat down. She really wasn't sure where she was going with this. She didn't want Itusko to seem sad, but at the same time Hibiki didn't want to say white lies to make her feel better.

"I guess you got into a fight today, didn't you? That's why you were hurt in the food court. I don't know why you fought, and I hope you weren't trying to pick on someone else. But if they were picking on you or someone else, as long as you stood up to them you're a hero. Even if people call you weak or stupid, you did something most people are too scared to do. And being able to do that is what makes you a hero."


[System]
Alias(s): Paladin, The Paladin
Age: 24
Affiliations: Heroes.
Factions: Independent.
Description: Alex is an unassuming, somewhat scholarly looking young man. He works in a museum and looks the part, with somewhat messy brown hair, thick glasses, and a generally mousy demeanor. He bears himself in a way that seems to take a foot off his height and most of the broadness from his shoulders - he is, in general, a man nobody would think twice about.

The Paladin persona, however, is nothing of the sort. The Paladin is a towering figure, clad from head to toe in steel armor that looks straight out of the Middle Ages. He tries to present himself as a larger-than-life ideal heroic figure, with varying success - to some, he may seem an angel, a mighty savior descended from on high to deliver the innocent. To others more accustomed to the world of the Gifted, he... may just seem like a dorky, old-fashioned weirdo.

What's certain about him is that there seems to be no darkness in the man whatsoever. He is a tireless optimist, an incorrigible idealist, and an absolute puppy dog of a human being. He has yet to affiliate himself with the politics of his world, preferring to help out where he can as a 'small steps' sort of hero.

Powers: Alex possesses, in addition to increased durability, strength and speed (think Captain America rather than Hulk or Thor), primarily photokinetic abilities - he has the power to manipulate and control light, even being able to create 'hard light' tools and objects. He mainly uses this to make glowing swords or shields out of pure light, being a stickler for his theme. He is also capable of producing light, being able to make his body 'glow' - this, however, tends to tire him out very quickly, leading to his powers being much less effective in a no-light environment.

A side-effect of his light generation is that his body also tends to produce an immense amount of heat while he does so. He is able to survive this, being largely resistant to the effects of heat (though very vulnerable to cold temperatures), but anything else touching him when he gets warmed up may as well have touched the inside of an oven.

Skills: He's not the most talented Gifted around, though he's put a lot of hours into practicing with his hard light weapons and so has become a capable combatant with those. Otherwise, he has little in the way of relevant talents - he's a History Major, in case that ever comes up. Oh, he's also a decent cook, should that matter.
Equipment: His suit of armor is the only notable piece of equipment he owns - it's made of an alloy he doesn't fully understand that possesses both physical durability as well as confusing, sciency photon-storage properties. The upshot of all this is that it's a full body suit of armor that provides reasonable protection and glows when he pours light into it. It's pretty heavy though, so even in spite of his increased strength, his movements when inside it can be... awkward. The armor is his most prized possession, and he treasures it highly.
Ranking: Upper B Rank.

(Optional) Brief History: Alex was a normal boy with superpowers trying to get by in a world getting weirder every day. For most of his life, he hid what he was, hoping only that he wouldn't be noticed. That changed one night two years ago, when he met an older, technologically gifted Meta who was impressed by his character and convinced him to take a more active role in the world. Thus, The Paladin was born, with the help of a suit of armor crafted for him by his mentor, and the new knight began his daylight patrol of city streets and dark alleyways, seeking to spread light and hope wherever he was able.

[User]
Fletcher was concerned about these new people popping up left and right, what he had to deal with were these bomb strapped fellas. They seemed intent on running into the crowd, possibly to cause mass casualties by blowing themselves up. Fletcher acted in an instant teleporting to the dead eyed person who was the closest to the crowd, giving the man no time to react he teleported him away from the crowd on top of a building out of the way. Fletcher was no bomb genius and did not want to give him a moment to detonate the bomb. Teleporting it of his chest and off into a desolate desert. Putting the person into a choke hold he hand cuffed him. Reappearing with the hand cuffed man he proceed to engage the next bomb-man the exact same way. As teleporting back with the two hand cuffed he left them in the hands of e policemen and reappeared back at the building.

The whole scene seemed to be wrapping itself up with another meta getting involved to help clear away and take down the assailants. The Knight man was just standing their with the girl in his arms. Walking up to him he patted him on the shoulder. "Hey buddy, looks like it's all wrapping up here it's safe to put her down now."

There was no reply. "Mate? You there?"

[Assistant]
Aiko Fujiwara

Aiko Fujiwara was training at the Reformist Council in LA. She was not sure why they wanted something as powerful as her her at the reformists.

Aiko was happy on the island with her aunt and uncle it was a small fishing island where there were more cats than people. She at least had a good relationship with her aunt and uncle was unsure why this old woman took her to Los Anglese. The island allowed her the ability not to be inudated by mental images hitting her from all directions.

Aiko haed the instructor whomever it was he was a jerk. She was going to call and ask to be sent to island. At least the island was calm and uninteresting. She would not be able to see into others minds and alter them when she was on the island. Why was she here was the only thought she had and her reply to it was.

She did not know and she just wanted to go home.

[User]
Lucas Abd-al-Yasu walked towards Aiko's room; he wasn't the instructor, but he had some questions to ask her, questions about the past and future. For, you see, Lucas, normally an idealistic soul, had broken down, and the reason for said breakdown was that things did not go his way. Why had things not gone his way? Well, basically, he got passed up for promotion to an adminsitrative position, even though he was so much better, or at least, his vision for what the world should be was.

Don't be like that, he chastised himself. That way lies hubris.

It's my emotional comfort in an uncomfortable world, his own insecurities replied, without my ideals, I am nothing.

Those were his thoughts as he knocked on Aiko's door.

"Yes?" asked the accented English of Aiko from behind the door.

"It's not your instructor, but I did come here to ask you something," Lucas then remembered to introduce himself. "My name is Lucas Abd-al-Yasu, and I need someone with your powers."

"What is it?" asked Aiko cautiously.

"Because I doubt my head's policies, and I need the help of someone who can see possible futures to see if those doubts have any meat to them," Lucas was now opening himself up. "Because I have this flaw, that I'm rigid and inflexible, while I think Auntie Sable's policies are just too...cynical and..." he looked around him, "weak. Basically, what I'm saying is: I want to know, am I being a baby, or should I oppose my head's polciies?"

"Doing that is difficult it requires energy and a lot of effort. Also I cannot control where it goes. It could be a possiblity and not the real future. So you could be preparing for something that never comes." Aiko replied through the door.

"Then show me a future where I lose," said Lucas. "Show me a future where I lose, so that I never have the pride to air such views again."

Aiko came out of her room. "Alright I will look but don't do nothing ...creepy." Aiko told Lucas.

"I won't," Lucas promised, "sorry if I gave that impression."

"You want to know the future, the bad future, so yes I think you are creepy. I mean are you really that desperate to humble yourself? Just use your own imagination." Aiko told Lucas.

"Well, this is fruitless," said Lucas.

"Yes it is because I already saw a bad future. A future where the reformists loose and the government rounds up the metas. They have killed all of them. You were shot in the bathroom at an Applebees while hiding. So it is a version of Days of Futures Past."

"I don't believe that," said Lucas, "I believe, for some reasom, that the Underground Movement will win. Sorry to be my own variety of Debbie Downer, but in my travels around the world, putting our brushfires, I've long since given up hope that my ideals, of Meta and Human coexistence, can ever be put in place. Humans and Metas have so much to gain by cooperating, but the desire to control is Sapient Nature, and I myself have it. Should I join the battle brewing at the Human Centre, I'll lose, and there will be nothing." A flash of anger appeared in Lucas' eyes, and he spoke:

"Why am I so inadequate? Why am I such a loser? I killed the 'Caliph' of IS, but when I think of fighting that 'Edge' guy, a chilling certainty tells me that (Edit: he's too strong for me.)"

"But, at the same time, I cannot kill myself, I cannot die, I want to continue on, I want to win. It's just that, I can't win, the future is already set; Edge will win, and we are all doomed."

"You think the outcome of a winning over Edge will result in an age of peace? Peace does not exsist without work. But killing Edge will just have another enemy replace him. You think I think this world is easy? Terrorsim I could stop? Possible horrible leaders. See my problem is I can't tell the difference between the true future and a possiblity. No amount of training will make the true future visible to me. The reason is I cannot see the true future until it becomes the present. I have stopped trying to see the future at least intetionally."

Aiko sighed.

"All I want is to go home and to be with my Aunt and Uncle. I's like to help but I can't tell what will be a win for you. Last time I listened to my insticts I ended up leaving the island and coming to LA. But I could try." Aiko rubbed her eyes.

"Please, do," said Lucas.

[Assistant]
EDGE

He wouldn't say another word till getting back. It seemed like the most important members have heeded the call. Oddly enough they we're all in Nancy's office, each one pissing and moaning about what should have been. He listened to each one carefully.

Do they not see it? The bigger plan, the plan that would put Metahumans at the top. Such foolishness.

"The Reformist's have shown their hands. They have no one that can stop us and the plans that have been set into motion. This is merely the first salvo in the war too come. Small and measured testing that will lead to much bigger things. War is a marathon, not sprint. What comes next will be the blood bath you've all wanted. Have no fear on that score." EDGE said as he took off his trench coat.

He special assignments for each of them, a church here, a hospital there. Chaos will rub rampant before they take over and resort order.

"Savor this small victory. What comes next won't be near as easy." EDGE with certain malice in his voice.

[User]
A smile, obscured by the helmet, spread over Alex's face as he turned this way and that, marveling at the shimmering points of light all around him. "Remarkable," he breathed. "And you can see what it all means? That is... quite a power you have, my lady."

The Paladin shook his head and forced himself back to business. A new shape had appeared next to his - someone was trying to talk to him. Add to that the fact that the fight might still be going on, the civilians might still be in danger... there was really no time to admire this girl's strange, beautiful world. "Yes. Take us back."

The knight extended a hand to grasp hers gently. "On your time."


[System]
Age/Race/Gender: 24/Dalentian/Female
Appearance:
Googled mystic woman sci-fi, found what I wanted in the fantasy section, hahaha

Dalentians by themselves are usually tall humanoids with exceedingly white skin and haunting black eyes. A person looking at a unarmored Dalentian might take notice of their naturally thinner build and limbs, making them feel unnatural to a human. Yet, they have mouths, noses and eyes with senses very comparable to a human's, except the advanced night-vision. But, their bodies have an easier time building an acrobatic build and even normal Dalentians can do complex jumps while still wearing armor. They're natural hunters, silent in their movements and fast in their strikes. All of them likely have some form of markings on the side of their face, which designates their role in Dalentian society.

Lataniva herself is 188 cm tall, which is actually short for a Dalentian. As any Dalentian, she has white skin and black eyes, with long flowing black hair behind her. She wears tight black clothes along her body, which hides her body's shape by virtue of being dark. Her armor is flexible and light, despite how it looks, and allows her to move quickly in exchange for some durability. There are gems from her home-planet on the armor, and a gem on a headband she has attached to her forehead. Dalentians are under the belief that these gems enhance their psionics… though that's ludicrous. … Right?

Occupation: Convict, due to a specific set of circumstances. Might have acted as an assassin, at times. Hunter-Warrior of Dalentia, otherwise.

Weapons: A halberd, used for stabbing and slicing. The dangerous part is pretty small, it's made for doing injuries rather than killing mostly, hurting and incapacitating rather than finishing off. The size also lends itself to homing in on weak points in armor. Also, a number of (6) daggers sheathed here and there in her outfit, just in case.
Armor: Classical armor, made out of metal from her homeworld. It covers her legs, arms and torso. It's light, to allow for acrobatics, meaning it isn't quite as durable as it looks, which is intentional. Dalentians focus on dodging attacks above all, so the armor is mostly to look imposing, but it also protects against smaller attacks. Counts as Armored.
Items: Several gems, one on a headband she's always wearing, others on her armor. She brought a backpack, which contains things for surviving. Like, a simple cooking set, many days' worth of emergency provisions, a few replacement tips for the halberd if it breaks, tissues, several changes of clothes, what's left of her funds, a sleeping bag…

Skills: Considerably acrobatic, her body is that of a trained Dalentian warrior, able to make use of her enhanced awareness to avoid attacks. Lataniva also has considerable skill with her halberd, trained to be able to target weak spots in enemy armor and hit them. She's a skilled tracker, able to follow the slightest signs of that someone has gone through an area, and she can be absolutely silent sneaking up on prey. She has the knowledge to cook and survive in the wild without technology if that ever becomes relevant. She has pretty good memory as well as deductive capability. And, on top of this, her considerable prowess with psionic powers is not to be underestimated.
Antiskills: Dalentians are seemingly incapable of understanding how technology works. Even if they learn what buttons to press or how to use it, they can never become actually good at it. This includes aiming, piloting, operating consoles or instruments, etc. This obviously comes as a weakness in a world of space-crafts. In addition, as an alien with somewhat different values, it is often difficult for her to understand some things of the other races, and she will definitely normally stand out if trying to go unnoticed in a city.

Powers: Dalentians are powerful psionics.

Telekinesis: Using their minds, a Dalentian can push and pull objects around. It becomes an instantaneous amount of force, but with focus they can steadily lift something and move it. This has a limited range of 20 meters, and it grows weaker the further away from 10 meters the target is, and regardless it can only be used to lift up to 100 kg at a time, the effect growing predictably less impressive the more weight that has to be affected. Lataniva herself likes using it to pull guns out of the hands of enemies or sending her halberd or daggers flying into enemies, or to pull on enemies in close combat to make them lose balance and give her a chance to strike.

Psionic Burst: By focusing power, a Dalentian can cause some form of unnatural explosion of power. It can be either directed in a direction away from the Dalentian's hand or the power can be thrown to explode upon impact within throwing distance. The power is roughly that of a hand-grenade. However, this particular ability should be used sparingly, as focusing that amount of psionic power can take its toll on the Dalentian. Any more than two without rest in between can lead to severe exhaustion and headaches for the Dalentian, and even just one can impact the Dalentian's fighting prowess for a while.

Hyper Awareness: Naturally, sensing through a sixth sense, Dalentians can sense the presence of things in their surroundings using psionics. This is completely natural to a Dalentian, just as hearing and sight. With this sense, they know the movements of allies and enemies, and can predict when they'll be in danger so they can dodge. They use this to deftly avoid gunfire and attacks. The range is, if not blocked, around 30 meters. However, it is blocked by any and all walls, just as sight, as the sense somehow cannot go through physical objects. It can move around some limited things, you can't hide from it by hiding behind another person or a fence, but a wall will block it. As in, it can sense on the other side of a car, but it can't sense inside the car. Not usually an issue in the jungles of the Dalantian homeworld, but in civilization more so. It cannot sense through windows. Still, it means any Dalentian has an additional source of information about the area, one which might seem disturbingly unnatural to any onlooker.

(limited) Mind Reading: The Dalentians' greatest pride is their ability to distinguish the liars from the truthful. If they are allowed to touch a person, they can use their psionic talent to search the target's mind. To effectively search, they need to know what they're looking for, or the brain is just going to be a tangled mess to read. In addition, they've learned that other races don't appreciate being mind-read on a daily basis like back home, so they save it for enemies and possible liars. This power is what gave rise to the Dalentian's excessive obsession with trust and truth, for they had ways to find it. It should be noted, it is harder for a Dalentian to use this power on anything that isn't a Dalentian, harder the more foreign the mind is, but they can get it to work.

Mind Control: The most dangerous weapon in a Dalenian's psionic range. Given touch, and long enough time to touch someone, a Dalentian can rearrange a target's mind from the outside. With that, they can include ideas, missions, instructions to commit a certain action at a certain point of time. The procedure might take a long time, because the Dalentian needs to ensure every detail is perfect as s/he'll be completely unable to adjust the plan after having let go of the subject. The effects naturally wears off after a couple of days, faster the more complicated the instructions were, to the degree they might have worn off by the time it was time to actually put it to work. It should be noted that in Dalentian culture use of this power is seen as the ultimate betrayal of trust, and a Dalentian can tell a mind has been affected should they mind-read, and Dalentian culture has been built around discouraging the use of this power. But, sometimes, push comes to shove…

Other: Dalentians are a fairly mystic race that have lived on their planet in peace. They were fairly astounded to learn that not everyone in the universe has use of psionics. They live in some manner of primal society, with the chieftains on top and everyone else trying to scrape together enough to make a living. They live in constructed homes up in the trees of woods or inside of caves to protect themselves from the naturally powerful wildlife, and have plenty of traditions of connecting each-other's minds for absolute trust and truth. They value those matters above all, and betrayal/lying is met with punishment of immediate death. You'll find they usually speak only the truth. This because, unlike humans, other Dalentians have ways to find a liar.

They believe in a god, the Paionéè, who they explain is the source of psionics. They, among other things, believe the gems they sometimes find in the mountains are his work and wearing them boosts your psionic prowess, so it is tradition for a Dalentian to wear these gems on their armor and body if one uses psionics for combat. … Their mythology around him is utter nonsense, but that doesn't entail the story yet.

What does, is that their planet was believed to be uninhabited when some species of the Republic moved to colonize it. There was a realization that this planet did have some form of indigenous life-forms, but eh, they could take them on, superior technology. Turns out, the Dalentians had more fight in them than expected, and were offered a deal. So, the Dalentians had absolutely no use of the technology given to them because they couldn't make use of them for life, but they got to live in peace and in exchange many Dalentians got work for their psionics here and there in the Republic. They're fairly rare due to their low numbers in the grand scale, but they exist.

As the Human Alliance entered the picture and the Federation took shape, the few Dalentians out there in the galaxy found themselves a little bit of everywhere, supporting themselves wherever they found it the most comfortable…

As for Lataniva's story… Well. That's another story entirely. We shall see.

[User]
Arex

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Location: The Revenant, Crew quarters -> kitchen.Interacting with: food

---

***

As soon as the ship was stable Arex exited his room and went straight towards the kitchen. He could hear signs of the rest of the crew around him, noises from behind the dorm doors and down the hallway but he wasn't feeling overly inquisitive or social.

Once in the kitchen he began to search through and study the quality of their rations. After all this would compose his main diet from now on. Plenty of nutrient heavy packaged processed foods lined the shelves with powders and pastes by the plethora. The fridge and freezer held a bit more promise but segments were rationed and locked, only to be accessed by the chef.

Knowing where the cameras were Arex subtly pocketed a few bars and pouches with some simple sleight of hand. It was a selfish move but he would not rely on the good will of the others should they become stalled in deep space and short on supplies.

Tearing open the packaging of a dense dry chewy nutrient bar, he eagerly begins gnawing away at the near flavourless snack. It wasn't until now did he realise just how hungry he was.
A short moment later he sat at the table with a drink and bowl of semi solid mush before him. The food in the bowl was the instructive result of mixing one of the powders with liquid then zapping it.
Flavourless would have been better, but right now he didn't care.

[Assistant]
"Sure, trust the blind girl to patch you back up. What could go wrong, right?" Amy smiled sarcastically, wondering what the hell he was referring to when he mentioned Skelly. She did genuinely like the man's accent though, if only because it was different and goodness knows Amy appreciated the hell out of accents. They broke the monotony of having to listen to similar voices all the time. It's like being stuck listening to one specific music genre; there isn't any sort of variety.

"But really, thank you," she added minus the sarcasm, "I promise I won't be this much of a bother once I become familiarized with the ship. The first day or two is always the hardest, then it's easy as cake. But you know, what can you do when they throw an assignment on you at the very last possible moment."

Amy found the door frame again and braced herself for departure, hoping to all hell that they just hadn't sent her to her death.

[User]
Blind. Lack of such a vital sense for a human, yet still a crewmember of this ship? Lataniva felt immediate doubts in terms of Amy's expected performance, and gave a judging stare. However, it also held true that she must be on this ship for a reason. Lataniva hand twitched in her direction, her fingers flexing, but managed to suppress the desire to leech out the information through mind-reading. As she had learned, people tended to not appreciate that outside her home planet.

'I feel potentially unjustified doubt about your ability to not be a liability in an away-mission. May I ask you of your capabilities?'Lataniva asked, her voice not being so nice as to mask her judgmental nature. It wasn't in her nature to keep such doubt unaddressed.

As for the strategic discussion, there was something she wished to clarify on something which Sandra had said.

'For me to control someone, I need a bit of time. It's not something that could be done in the middle of a violent encounter or when there is a close time-limit. However, yes. If there's a relatively safe time, an easy instruction to make and we can spare fifteen minutes to an hour, I could send someone to destroy the base from within.' Lataniva commented.

She looked to Benny when she was spoken to further along with the plan, and considered what he had to say. If she could allow him into the main security room…

'That is possible. However, if we can get our hands on the right person, then I can simply obtain the information of how to do so for myself and then grant you access myself. Controlling someone takes time, as I need to calibrate a lot of factors, but just reading their mind takes but moments.'

As they were also suggested to prepare themselves, Lataniva found a suitable place to sit down and prepare herself until the take-off was complete.


[System]
Nickname: Shadow, The Reaper
Race: Lumyian
Age: 20
Gender: Male

Appearance:

Proportionality:
Height: 5' 2''
Weight: 105 lbs
Frame: Slender, Feminine, but slightly athletic build

_______________________

Personality:- Itzal is warm, kind, gentle, and friendly to those he knows, however, can come off a little cold and uninviting to those he doesn't know very well. He is also very relaxed to the point of being very lazy and tends to not take much seriously at first glance, but in actuality cares deeply (especially towards his friends). He doesn't have much self-confidence and is easily taken advantage of and tends to "care too much" for those he deems friends, which can end up hurting him if he's not careful.

Job: Thief, Fortune Teller/Oracle
Fighting Style: Uses Martial Arts and agile movements/speed, almost as if he's dancing, not physically strong without weapons or magic.

Weapons from strongest to weakest: Scythe, Sword, Staff, Dagger
Armors/Outfits: A black robe with a hood and long sleeves, brown slash, and brown thigh high boots.

Familiar: Hellhound

Familiar Appearance:

Familiar Abilities: Allows for Itzal to gain fire and darkness magic, unable to be burned and able to control shadows to attack or defend, however becomes weak to water and light. Susceptible to poison.
Movement Type: Walks and Runs

Familiar Size: Large

Relic Weapons: A cat o' nine tails that has fire burning at the tips.

Relic Armors: A choker made of obsidian, said to be crafted from the very fires of Hell. It severely burns those who touch it besides Itzal and gives off a blazing heat and can create a fire shield around Itzal and his teammates.

Trance: Acrobatics triple as well as his magic stats. Seems to buff up more in terms of body build and strength, gives off a dark purple aura. If stays in Trance for too long, becomes berserk and loses control of himself and his magic.

Pros- Speed, stamina, able to surprise attack, shadow manipulation
Cons- Able to be knocked aside easily by larger enemies, hardly any physical strength, can lose control and go berserk in Trance, concept of mind isn't very great and can be easily overcome to others will.
Racial Strengths- Can use Sign Magic
Racial Weaknesses- Weak to physical attacks by 50%

Background: Being a Lumyian, it is unsure exactly where Itzal is originally from or who his family is/was (and he's not telling), however what is known about his past was that he was once a slave to a noble in Alexandria, who treated him very poorly to the point where it affected his state of mind to the point where he lost all self confidence and esteem in himself and was completely dependent on his master for his physical and emotional well-being. However, one day his master vanished, leaving Itzal completely vulnerable. However, he managed to get by thieving and becoming a fortune teller on the streets, becoming well known for his fortunes due to the fact that he could predict a person's death and advise them on how to avoid their horrible demise. Itzal also began to start practicing the magic skills of his people once more to regain a sense of self that he had once lost and soon started slowly regaining himself as a person. He is a lot more confident and has more will power than he once had, he can still be reliant on others. However, to this day he is still searching out other Lumyians in hopes he can regain more of himself now that he has lost the aspect of having kinmanship.

[User]
Itzal gasped in surprise as Cassius took a shielding position in front of him, he definitely wasn't expecting Cassius to do so and flushed slightly as his ears lowered. He continued to fight with Cassius acting as his shield when Cassius summoned Camaztoz, watching in awe as the aura build above them and revealed the great bat's form. Itzal supposed that this must be one of Cassius' true familiars.

Itzal glared at the crocodile demi-human, he was starting to get annoyed with all this as much as Cassius was, "Why doesn't he put his money where his mouth is..." He muttered, brandishing his scythe much more. He paused for a moment, sharing the same vision as Cassius, he only came to his senses when Cassius fell to the ground. "Cassius!" He shouted in panic, wondering if he should continue to fight or help his friend. He noticed that Camazotz had also been struck as the giant bat creature landed near his master's side. Itzal bared his teeth as his choker started to glow, "YOU!" He addressed the croc. "You won't get away with this!" He growled threateningly.

[Assistant]
Wylde smiled at Karn's bad puns galore! She loved the little kitten and her puns! It was fun, kind of cute and most of all.. hella entertaining! Which kind of went with the fun part, but whoe cared. Bottomline was that Wylde loved spending her time in the amusing company of Karn. One of the reasons she stood behind with the company instead of continuing on her way. The other reason being the fact she got to dress like a teacher and beat the hell out of people while she trained them in stage fight dueling. Always a blast too~

 The slow was doing it's thing as expected and needed. Her familiar was still hanging above the ships, by the chains and cloth keeping onto th constant efforts to pull her back into the abyss a her shrieks signified the mass slow being active. Still by the way those pirates were dying out it made her wonder why they attacked them even if they couldn't hold their ground in a fight.

 Wylde then suddenly dashed with her huge speed and agility, as she intercepted a man going for her feline friend. She punctured into his shoulder, before pullign and stabbing him 2 more time in the neck and in the chest between the ribs." Careful, kitty Karn, otherwise you'd be pirated."

[User]
A Wall was caved in as the body of one of the Pirates was flung through it like cheap cardboard, he had been torn open and was Missing his liver but was still barely clinging to life. Rather he was still barely clinging to life, the Dolls swarmed him and began ripping him limb from limb as Hitori made his way through the hole. Hitori's mouth was covered in Blood as were his hands, every so often stray flecks of gore would stain his robes but he would simply laugh in a strange bell-like timber. He saw the Crocodile Man and Grinned, his teeth were a brilliant Crimson. He lunged at the Demihuman into the Other Vessel and Gripped his shoulders, "Hello new Friend." He said with a terrible Vibrating in his voice before moving with intense speed and Sucking his Liver out through his mouth, The Crocodile man writhing in Agony. Hitori Gulped the Liver down and let loose a gutteral clicking noise of pleasure as he did so. As Hitori let him go he crumpled to the ground of the Prima Vista and the Dolls proceeded to have their merry way with his body as they tore it apart.

"Oh Dear I must be quite a sight, how ghastly I must have looked. Siren, care du predicament?" Hitori asked his familiar.

"Thank you for asking nicely." Siren said as a Momentary Veil of Water overtook Hitori and cleansed him of all his gore.

"Much better, thank you my darling." Hitori said to the disembodied presence of Siren. He then made his way to Cassius, "Your lover boy is fine and on his way. He's displaying more arms than I can recall his kind having though and he is calling himself 'Zapathasura' like some old Monster from a fairy story. I must say I find this to be the most fun we've had in weeks!" There was the sound of child-like Glee in Hitori's voice.

_____

Noticing the opening made by Hitori and the Dolls Ritsu made his way through, still in full Trance. He watched as Hitori had delivered the blow to the Crocodile and was absolutely disgusted but thankful Cassius was unharmed. He sprinted his way up to Cassius and enveloped him in all his holographic arms as tightly as he could without crushing him.

"I was so worried about you....You aren't wearing the disguise anymore. That doesn't Matter though! You are safe!" Ritsu said as he held his love closely.

"I wouldn't say safe yet my dear Spider Monkey, These ships are going to go down whether we want them too or not and I think I can smell the Rumblies of a Few of those Rapscallions....I think we should have Strawberry Jam later!" Hitori responded.

Ritsu was just so confused, "Cassius your friend just gets weirder by the day."

[Assistant]
Karn glanced down as she felt her newly acquired choker throb, but for now she chose to ignore it, glancing over at Wylde as she took down a man about to make a swipe at the feline. Giving a soft grin, the blonde shrugged nonchalantly. "Why thank you my dear. It would be indeed Wylde if he pillaged my booty!" she snickered in response. Green eyes flickering above at the crocodile man, she raised a eyebrow, ears flicking a bit.

"Looks like someones a little croc-chity. He better dile it down a notch." Karn hummed before calling out. "I'd have to disagree with Lummy here! Kinda looks like you, your crew, and your ship ain't worth a single shit! And that's coming from a thief!" she snickered before watching the fox go to handle the said croc. Rolling her eyes a little. Foxes. Never understood why they went crazy over the liver of all things. It's one of the more inedible parts of the body. Of any creature. Possible his kind had natural ability to handle toxins, but hey, no loss if he dies from eating them so much.

With the Captain dead, most of the other pirates retreated from them. Wasn't much of a fight really.

[User]
Wylde couldn't help but snicker as she listened to her feline friend reply in the trademarked bad pun way. It was always a joy to discover what new gem would come out of the kitty's mouth." I would double his booty... holes if he did something like that, you know." The white haired woman replied, dealing with a random pirate, but overall the fight has been towards it's end." I would SPEAR him into crunchy dinner."

 With a wailing sound the giant familiar hanging above the ships by cloth and chain was pulled back inside the abyss she came from. Wylde gave her a nod and a smile, sending her on her way.' Until we meet again.' She thought, returning her attention on the situation around them." This was as unsurprising and unimpressive as expected..." She mumbled as she felt a coldness for a moment before all returned to normal as the last bits of her familiar's energy vanished.

 "Sometimes I wonder if life's worth the... wait a second...! Karn, who said you can call me 'my dear'!?" Wylde suddenly stated, turning towards the feline friend of hers." I'm the one who calls others my dear! During training sessions! Don't steal my role!" She stated with a smirk and joking voice.

[Assistant]
Itzal blinked in surprise as Hitori completely destroyed the pirate captain in a single blow, he had honestly hadn't expected that to happen... Though thinking back on it he probably should have. He knew that Hitori was in a relationship with Cassius, why wouldn't Hitori come rushing in to save his beloved. In any case, he could relax now that everything had calmed down and nothing had been stolen off the ship and there had been no casualties on their side.

"Are you all right, Cassius?" Itzal asked gently, helping him back to his feet. "We were certainly lucky that Hitori came to the rescue..." He said with a hint of bitterness. It wasn't like he couldn't have fought that pirate captain if he didn't want to. But, he decided he'd let this one slide... He honestly didn't want to be on Hitori's bad side. He swallowed slightly as he looked over Hitori, wondering if he would find a partner who would be so handsome and willing to come to his side. He shook his head, lowering his ears, feeling a bit ashamed of having such thoughts about another's lover. Honestly, he really had to get himself together.