[System]
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Appearance: Andrew wears simple and rough clothing, consisting of torn jeans and a sleeveless shirt, having learnt quickly that good looking clothing makes one a target on the street. His soft features from his pampered lifestyle have given way to a much rougher features including a number of scars from the brawls he has gotten himself into. His blonde hair has become rather messy and unkempt though he keeps it cut short so it stays out of the way. His eyes are a dark brown/green color and seem dull and without the spark of life at most times, though when he succeeds in a crime or venture they momentarily regain that spark. His overall body structure is toned but not muscular, his focus being on agility and dexterity rather than strength

Personality:Sadistic, Rageful, Selfish, Arrogant, Bad with Authority
Powers/skills: Corrosive Touch, Toxic Fluids, Poison Resistance
Corrosive Touch: The chemicals that splashed Andrew caused a side-effect in his biological makeup, granting him the ability to change the chemical compounds of the skin of his body. By focusing his mind on a part of his body, Andrew can make the skin of that area become corrosive enough that his very touch begins to break down the object he comes into contact with. The longer he concentrates and the longer he maintains physical contact with the area, the stronger this effect becomes. This effect is most pronounced when contact is made using the palms of his hands, however it can still be used by the rest of skin, though to a much weaker degree. When this is used on a person, it will initial cause a burning of the skin with longer contact beginning to melt the skin and work on the underlying structure of the unfortunate victim. Wounds caused by this resemble chemical burns and can result in poisoning in some cases

Toxic Fluids: Any of the liquids from Andrew's body, such as blood or saliva, can become toxic with concentration. With some mental effort, he can make the blood from a wound, or saliva he gathers it in his mouth change its chemical structure to be either poisonous or corrosive to the general human. Unlike his touch, the toxins produced are specifically designed for a biological reaction. The poisons produced can mimic most poisons found naturally in the world (Mild Paralysis, muscle spasming, blood thinning, blood thickening, flesh melting, etc.). The toxins become more potent if they manage to enter the targets bloodstream and with repeated doses

Non-living substances will have minimal effect from any toxins produced through these methods

Poison Resistance: Due to his ability to create poisons and toxins, Andrew has an initiate resistance to being poisoned himself. This does not make him completely immune to the effects but greatly diminishes their effect and renders them non-lethal to himself.

Equipment: The main tools he carries around a set of throwing knives and a sickle. He has no problem picking up any other bladed weapons he comes across as he can lace them with his poisons, allowing him to increase the lethality of what would otherwise be glancing blows

Short Bio: Andrew lived a life that many would have envied, having a well renowned father and mother for scientists ensured that he was well taken care of. Wanting to ensure the best for their child, his parents made sure he was offered the best education and experiences to ensure he would follow in their footsteps and continue down the path they had. Despite being provided the means to live in the upper echelons of society by his parents however, Andrew expressed resentment at how it seemed his life had already been decided for him by his parents. Further fueling this resentment was the fact his parents research demanded their time and attention, often leaving Andrew on his own unless it was him expressing interest in the topic of research they were currently working on

By the time he was finishing High-school and beginning to look at Universities, this resentment had developed into a deep-seated hatred which resulting in many arguments between the family. On one such night where his parents were on the verge of a breakthrough, when the family was planning on having a dinner together once they had finished the latest research, another argument broke out while tensions were at an all time high. Heated words were exchanged and becoming enraged by the conversation, Andrew began taking his anger out on the nearby equipment and causing it to malfunction. The end result was the equipment exploding, injuring Andrew both from the blast and the chemical burns he suffered.

After being rushed to hospital and stabilized, Andrew was eventually visited by his father who promptly told him this attitude of his could go on no longer, and he either to behave himself or become disowned. Left alone to mull over this fact, Andrew eventually decided he could not live with his life being dictated by others. While he healed he slowly began to realise the accident had resulted in some positive side effects. Spending the next few days testing his abilities, he eventually disappeared from the hospital, abandoning who he and any ties to his past. The next few years he spent honing his own skills and forging his own path, not caring for those he hurt or killed as long as he got to live his own life.

Other: N/A for now

[User]
"Free ice cream, huh??? Where?!" Queenie looked around of something she quite adored. Frozen sweet treats. Mmm. "Oh. You were kidding n_n Nevermind then!" Her voice was slightly high-pitched and rather sing-songy. She skipped behind the naked boy with the tats, keeping her mallet close as to knock whack any of the walls or doors. She never answered his question about why she was there, she had either forgotten he had asked or just didn't want to respond, it was hard to tell with her. When Loud Love turned to her and spoke she smiled big at him. Oh so he was /in fact/ a boy. Flipping her multi-colored hair from side to side as they walked through the long hallway the young woman responded. "I'd LOVE to know what I missed!" At once the young woman plopped down in a chair at the end of the hallway. She had kept walking forward until she had entered the room that the metal door had led through. It was nice, lots of shiny things and BIG TV screens. Wooo TV!! Her mallet rested between her legs and against her shoulder so the large part on the end was right near her head. If she needed her weapon it was near that's what mattered, right? Sure.

Queenie looked around at all her new group mates with a wide grin which could show how excited she was, had she not always kept that grin on her face almost at all times. When the weird voice spoke and the even weirder symbols were shown Queenie tilted her head. Those symbols, every one of them, were unfamiliar to her. It had been long since she was in school and had forgotten basically everything she learned except the English language.  "Ooo Circus?! Where?? When?? Let's all go!" A newcomer, like herself, glanced at her and then covered her face, a reaction she got a lot. Queen turned her attention to him and spoke  "Go ahead and blush, soldier boy! We're all familiars here." What she was trying to say was that he shouldn't be embarrassed.

[Assistant]
Phone Freak didn't enter right away. This latest show of theatrics was even more comforting than the last, be despite that she spent some time in the doorway letting the others pass her by as she ran her fingers slowly along the door frame. Occasionally she let a tiny spark, like static electricity, leap from the tips of her fingers into the door frame as she reached out with her will. This door was obviously controlled electronically, but she wasn't trying to subvert or undermine it. Just establish contact, see if she could get a read on its...state of mind, for lack of a better word. Machines had them. Most things had them, really, especially things built my humans. Life tended to rub off on things, and usually resulted in what could be considered a very simple emotional state. Doors, for example, tended to enjoy being used and built up loyalty to those that used them often. Normally this loyalty had no bearing on whether or not the door opened for someone, but if it was new and it's master didn't frequently make use of it or wasn't around often enough to make any impressions on it that would make it more open to, well, opening up for some kind technomancer who was locked in a room slowly filling with deadly poison spiders. The little sparks were like entreaties, more effective if she could get at the wires directly, meant to establish trust in the symbolic way that the ritualistic sharing of blood often did among people.

When it came to magic symbolic gestures were often the most important ones. It really was the thought that counted.

No matter what she discovered about the door she would eventually do as she was told and take her seat, picking out the one nearest the computer and claiming it as her own. After all, it wasn't like she had much choice. She had to trust that, even if they were suddenly locked in, there was enough of them here that they could find a way to escape before they were waist deep in horrible hairy spiders. She looked around and could swear that their number kept growing by the minute. There must be some combination here that could save them if things went pear shaped.

[User]
"Hmmh, a fair point. Guess you must be more familiar with these large scale jobs" Nergal begrudgingly admitted, most of the work he had done had only been small scale, where a simple contract and payment was required and sometimes a body. Glancing around at the group again, the precautions taken by their new employer did seem to make sense, a bunch of those here, including himself, likely would have killed the Presence if they had tried this in person.

As they reached the end of the hallway and the steel doors slid open to reveal the room inside, Nergal had to admit he was surprised. He had half expected their meeting room to look as downtrodden as the warehouse they were situated in, but instead this look rather comfortable and stylish. Not paying much attention to the voice apart from the instruction to take a seat, Nergal walked over to one of seats furthest from the entrance and gave it a closer inspection. It was the kind of quality he would have expected back in his old lifestyle and as he sat down it proved to be just as comfortable as his faded memories assured him it was.

Glancing back at the group he did another take. He could have sworn he noticed everyone before he came over yet now the group had grown again and some far more 'colourful' individuals had joined in as well. Sitting back into his chair Nergal watched them chat idly, he found such trivial conversations beneath him, the only thing he needed to know about this group was what they could all do and whether he could trust on them to do it. Absent mindedly as he waited, he dragged a finger across the table in front of him, burning the surface of it ever so slightly.


[System]
Age: 17
Appearance:
Bio: When you grow up with a Mother who is sweet and caring, kind of shy, but then has this powerful, harsh side and a Father who is basically a machine, childhood was a little, odd.
Iona has always been told never to use her abilities unless truly needed. Of course sometimes she'd disobey this rule in tiny little ways but generally, she's never used her abilities outside of when her Mother would train her. As Iona's abilities grew, the harder it was for her to go to a normal school. Her Cousin, Avary, went to a Hero School. Iona is skeptical about this idea, but yet her parents send her.
Ability: powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Chaos_Magic
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_superhum..
Basic-Advanced Level.
powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Reality_Wa..
Extremely limited on this ability. Can only do very little for a short amount of time.
powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Teleportat..
Advanced Level - User is capable of teleporting large distances, from one side of a field to another, or a few kilometers or so. User can teleport limited mass, equal to several people/heavy household appliances.
powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Telekinesis
Basic Level - ▪ Binding: To keep object/being from moving.
 ▪ Levitation: To lift an object, e.g. raising a pitcher several inches into the air.
 ▪ Psionic Speed: To augment the user's physical speed, e.g. outrunning a speeding vehicle.
 ▪ Psionic Strength: To augment the user's physical strength, e.g. punching through a steel wall.
 ▪ Telekinetic Bullet Projection: To project telekinetic energy or objects as bullets.
 ▪ Telekinetic Choking: To strangle others.
 ▪ Telekinetic Grip: To grasp an object firmly in place, e.g. keeping the tides from washing a friend away.
 ▪ Telekinetic Maneuver: To alter an object's directional course, e.g. changing what number a dice lands on or deflect an opponent attack.
 ▪ Telekinetic Pull/Push: To pull objects towards the user or to push objects away from the user, e.g. yanking a book off a shelf or sliding a cup across a table.
Child of a villan or a hero: Scarlet Witch & Vision

[User]
a huge mess
"Hey, I didn't start following you around. You're the one who was eavesdropping on Iona and I before. I'm just giving you back what you dealt." Avary said with a smirk.

[Assistant]
Sybil smiled a little bit, "I think I just got lucky, if they chose to administer the test with out the use of magic I'd be as lost as most every one else." She paused for a moment deciding how to sum up her powers, "I possess a great affinity for magic, I'm familiar with a large number of spells, counter-spells, enchantments, and even curses, aside from those uses I can usually feel or detect magic that is being used. Unlike my father I do not have to bargain with gods for magical power, I posses a great deal of my own but that means that I have more limits. In short, I am very magically inclined." She looked around again thinking over the situation they were in and Loki's last question, "No, pocket dimensions are an advanced technique that many, with out magical training, can't even recognize. With out someone of great magical talent it is almost impossible to break out, I'm not sure I could break out of this one which means that its likely most other groups are in the same situation. Further more it would make more sense for them to give us something to fight or a different problem to solve since they want use to prove ourselves but probably also don't want the school in tatters. That is my take on this and it may be entirely wrong." She hoped she hadn't lost them or bore them, magical theory was not the most enrapturing subject for most people.
XVI

[User]
XVI
"I shpuld just demonstrate for you." Avary said to Loki. He sped around him, then tossed him the crown he took off his head. "Nice crown. And if you're so interested in all of our powers, what are yours?"

[Assistant] Hanz looks over at Avary with icy look."DO enjoy zat und make sure to tell everyone else too about Sturmberg's A-Grade sausages. Hovever, steal from me again und I will give you so many rechts zat you vill beg for a link. Verstanden? Good." He looks over at Loki and shrugs."I control ze air. Und yes, all of it, vell, all vithin roughly a hundred meters radius. Zis includes making ze vind, calming ze vind, controlling air and currents. Zough I have never attempted flight zus far..I vonder if zat is possible." He shrugs again and leans back, lifting his feet on the desk.

[User] "I did enjoy it. So far, your best quality is your foreign meats.| Avary said, finishing the sausage. "And you don't scare me. Being able to control wind isn't that scary."

[Assistant]
@FinDragon
Sybil shook her head, "Perhaps you should be, to control an element so vital to life is no small thing. He could collapse your lungs or cause them to explode and that's with out even mentioning that he could suffocate you. Your arrogance can be your weakness." Her voice was quiet, she knew how the powers that seemed the most trivial could be used with great efficiency.

[User]
@FinDragon
Avary glared at Sybil. "I know he could do that, but he won't do that. He wants to be a hero, not what everyone labels us mutants." He said looking at Hanz now. "And my power is also pretty dangerous. I could pull you along whe I run, which could snap your neck. I could vibrate my hand and stick it through your chest. I could come at you with any type of weapon and you wouldn't see it coming. Just keep that in mind."

[Assistant] Jake sniggered slightly then grinned wide, crossing his arms.

[User]
a huge mess
"What do you think is so funny?" Avary says to Jake.

[Assistant] "I was only kidding dearest"

[User] "Nothing." he grinned wide

[Assistant]
a huge mess
"If you put a freaking kic me sign on my back." Avary says to him.

[User] "No." his arms were still crossed. He was thinking of a plan though.

[Assistant] Whisper haveing appeared in the room long ago by some unknown force   don't judge my nonsense I need an accuse to reappear in this!   she sat in the back quietly ignoring everyone until she's directly approached with a question.

[User]
a huge mess
Avary gave him a look. "If you do anything, then you will regret it."

[Assistant] "I'm not doing anything!" Jake gestured widely. "See?!?"

[User]
a huge mess
"OK, I've got my eyes on you." Avary says to Jake.

[Assistant]
a huge mess@Overlord24

Whisper finally zones back in and can't help but giggle at Jake and Avarys childness

[User] "What are you laughing at Whisper?" Avary asks her.

[Assistant] Grinning "you and how pathetically childish you are acting" she says.

[User] "You were the one messing with Hanzen Feffer over there." Avary says pointing at Hanz.

[Assistant] "Wuz! But that was long ago Iv seen grown up from that time" says to amuse anyone who might be listening.

[User] "It was like 15 minutes ago. And I know your father does it, but stop breaking the fourth wall Whisper." Avary says exhasperatedly.

[Assistant]
Giggling "awww your no fun!" She says as she gets up and sits on Avarys desk.
"Your just jealouse that you can't do it!" She says teasing as she messes with his hair.

[User] Loki listened to Sybil's explanation calmly, nodding a few times at certain points. "So in other words we'll have to wait and see." He gave Avery a bit annoyed glance. "Oh, nice you asked. I'm strong, durable, can create illusions and change my shape. I also have a very high tolerance for idiots - which is definately very good for you." He rubbed his right temple while following the situation, then when Jake and Avery still continued fooling around he took a deep breath. "Could we all please concentrate on the damn matter at hand here?!"

[Assistant] "I am fun. And you don't know if I can't talk to the people reading." Avary says and points at the people reading.

[User] Snickers "are not!"

[Assistant]
XVI
"Oh and I don't really have a power more of the fact that I'm just special! I'm an expert at every weapon and well it's impossible to kill me, oh and I'm awesome!"

[User] Jake just watched Avary and Whisper argue. "Maybe they should be separated..." he murmured to himself.

[Assistant] Sybil smiled to her self for a second, "I could put a spell on them that would make it impossible for either of them to talk, but that's not exactly a good use of my powers." She pulled a piece of chalk from her pocket, "If the trial is actually breaking out of this pocket dimension, I know a spell for that but its not easy and it will take some time to complete, I can start if you all think thats a good idea." She paused a looked at the chalk in her hand and then at the door of the class room, "You know, now would be a great time for them to start this test because once I start the spell, I have to finish it."

[User] "If the trial was getting out, they wouldn't have made it as simple at that though. I have a feeling there's something else..." he murmured more, tapping his chin with a gloved finger.

[Assistant] Hanz shook his head and closes his eyes."Sybil seems to knov quite vell what I can do. I'm actually glad to knov someone here can be right. I like intelligent people, zey do not annoy me too greatly." He states and sighs, opening his eyes slowly while looking at Avary, his tone nearly decreases the room's temperature."Unlike you, kid..Vhoever said zat I wanted to be a heldin.." He looks away from him over to Loki and chuckles then in a completely different tone."Vell, you have ein power zat I am very envious of zen Loki. Nov zen, Sybil, Loki, come on over. Ve have a trial to complete, ja?" He lifts his feet from the desk and sits properly, tapping his fingers on the desk."Pocket Dimension you said, right Sybil? Und you said zat you cannot smply break us out of it. Vell, something has to keep zis dimension up und fuel it, right? Just a theory, I am not too familiar vith ze pocket dimensions myself."

[User] Sybil walked over and nodded, "There are a couple different ways to break through a pocket dimension. First and most available to non-magic users is finding the 'door' its not really a door but its close enough, finding that may take a while and the door may be guarded. Second is if you can disable the person who is creating the pockets but as far as I can tell that person is not in this pocket dimension and none of us are on the outside so that isn't an option. Third and lastly, there are various spells that can break us out, the one I am most familiar with is a spell that uses the equivalent of blunt force magic to punch through. It takes a lot of energy and time, if there's a guard it will be drawn to us once I start the spell, I'm going to need everyone's help. If they're trying to weed us out the guard won't be easy to beat and you all are going to have to put aside your differences because you'll basically be one person down and I won't be able to help you."

[Assistant] Hearing people talked abput she pats Avary on the head then join the others " I will have you know that I choose to argue with someone. I actually consider you all friends so I have no difference to put aside". She says feeling a bit insulted

[User] Sybil look a little worried, "I was much less concerned about your amicability." Her voice was fairly quiet and she stole a glance at Hanz and Avary. She drew a deep breath, and began moving some desks around to clear some space in the center of the room. "I'm going to start the spell as soon, we need to be fast about this because we don't know how many other teams have finished and we definitely don't want to be the last."

[Assistant] Jake nodded. "I'll keep watch for anything that comes, anyone want to join me?" he offered as he walked to the classroom door and opened it.

[User]
The two boys bickered, causing Iona to sigh heavily. I'm going to have to find someone else to hang out with… She looked around the hallway while everyone still chattered on, and as people started moving to the homeroom, she followed. Someone said they studied the layout, and she thought she better do the same.
There was suddenly talk of pocket dimensions and trying to get out of somewhere. Oh no, no abilities. They said they don't use abilities. I can't use mine, I'll hurt someone…
Avary and Jake continue to bicker like children as others tried to sort out a plan. Avary then continued to bicker with Whisper. He seemed to be going round irritating everyone, Ioina disapproved and sighed.
"Um, I can do Chaos Magic, Reality Warping, Teleportation and Telekinesis…" She said softly, but it seemed people had already formed a plan. Iona just stood, unsure what to do, trying to keep her anxiety at bay so she didn't hurt anyone with her ability…


[System]
Students

---

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Personality: Jun-Sang is the very definition of a hard worker, which was due in part due to his Korean heritage. Jun-Sang is almost too hard of a worker, eschewing other things like sports, games and other such things. This also makes him not the friendliest person to be around; while he isn't opposed to social interaction, he doesn't have much in common with others, other than of course fellow studyholics. Jun-Sang is smart, and knows he's smart, and sometimes, that comes off as condescending, or giving an air of superiority. This isn't his intention, but merely a side effect of the way he perceives himself and others. He does try to be generally kind and helpful to others, but the way he composes himself while he does so may put some others off.

Backstory: The work ethic in South Korea is tough, and Jun-Sang experienced that firsthand. His parents constantly pushed him to do well in school, and so he didn't really have much time for leisure activities. Instead, he studied, and studied, and studied. Jun-Sang didn't really mind, though. Unlike his peers, Jun-Sang actually enjoyed studying. He enjoyed learning new things and applying what he learned in his everyday life. And so he went through his early life, not having that many friends but not really caring about it, either.

Jun-Sang's abilities manifested when he was 14. His parents were thrilled that their son had this ability within him. At first, Jun-Sang disagreed with their parents' outlook. This was just something that took time away from studying. But his parents managed to convince him by stating that this was just something new to study. When he thought of it that way, Jun-Sang was at least willing to give it a try.

This is Jun-Sang's third year at the Institute, and although he doesn't have that many friends, he is popular with fellow academics, and lots of younger students look up to him as a tutor. He's on good terms with many of the teachers as well.

Appearance: "No, no, you add the powers, you don't multiply them."

Equipment: Jun-Sang carries various small items on him at all times; his current collection consists of one six-sided die, one 20-sided die, three large ball bearings, and two small polished stones. As well as being fidget toys, Jun-Sang uses them in conjunction with his powers.

Abilities: Jun-Sang is incredibly smart, and has thorough knowledge of math, chemistry, physics, and electrical circuits. He is also an excellent teacher, being able to explain concepts in ways that others can easily understand.

Channeller category: Alternative

Description of power: Jun-Sang can alter the density of objects, increasing or decreasing the mass of an object without affecting the volume. Having been at the institute for the three years, this ability has an effective range of about 5 metres, meaning that he can affect the density of an object mid-flight. However, this requires Jun-Sang to focus on the target object for a moment, which causes a short delay between intent and activation, and breaking that focus will detriment his ability to affect the target object. In his current state, he can't decrease the density of an object while increasing the density of another object. The volume of the target object and the amount he can change the density by are inversely proportional to each other; the larger the object, the less he can affect its density. Jun-Sang can choose to affect only part of an object. In this case, the volume of the part is factored into how much he can affect it.

Names/descriptions of moves: Impact Point: Jun-Sang increases the density of a particular point on his body, making it so that anything or anyone that hits it feel like they just hit a brick wall.

Catch.: Jun-Sang throws an object, increasing the density of it as it leaves his hand. This results in the object hitting with a lot more force than expected.

Rain of Pain: Jun-Sang throws a bunch of objects in a high arc, again increasing the density of the objects as they leave his hand. These objects then fall to the ground, pummeling anyone unlucky enough to get caught underneath them.

Lighten Up: Jun-Sang decreases the density of an incoming object, reducing the force of the impact.

[FUTURE MOVES]

Fortress: Jun-Sang increases the density of his entire body, becoming impervious to physical damage, and enabling him to hit like a truck.

Next Level Jesus: Jun-Sang decreases the density of his entire body to the point where he can float on water, or become lighter than air. With a little bit of manipulation, Jun-Sang can walk on water and even fly.

Name: Ryousei Aoyama

Age: 15

Gender: Male

Personality: The first thing that must be said Ryousei is that he likes girls. A lot. Like... A LOT.

With that out of the way...

Ryousei is brash, but friendly. Always wanting to get a laugh or at least a smile out of people, he makes a lot of jokes, and is overly friendly. He doesn't have a verbal filter, which may cause some people to avoid him, but he always means the best. Ryousei has a tendency to butt into other people's business, especially if those people look like they need help. Ryousei isn't particularly serious about anything, with one exception: kendo. Ryousei is proud of his swordsmanship, so insulting that is probably one of the few ways to get on his bad side.

Backstory: Ryousei is the son of a regionally famous kendouka, and from an early age he's been interested in kendo. With an instructor right in his household, Ryousei began training early on in his childhood, honing his kendo skills. As he grew older, he began to study other forms of swordsmanship. He knew that as great kendo was, it wasn't everything, so he studied other forms of swordsmanship. His father didn't exactly approve of this, so Ryousei had to study these other forms in secret. During this time period, other interests began to take hold. Ryousei is a huge fan of video games and electronic music.

Ryousei's ability manifesting was a dream come true, though his father didn't think so. His mother came through for him then, stating that Ryousei was a grown boy, and this was a great opportunity for him to take his natural talent to the next level. His father, although still not a hundred percent on board, relented, and Ryousei was whisked off to the institute.

Appearance: "Hey, hey, watch this move!"

Equipment: A shinai.

Abilities: Ryousei excels at kendo, and has been studying other forms of swordsmanship. Although he is not as good at those other forms of swordplay, he is competent enough to put what he's learned into practice.

Channeller category: Architect

Description of power: Ryousei can manifest blades of all types. Though he would prefer to manifest swords, he is also capable of manifesting other blades, such as daggers and spears. He can summon one large blade or two small blades at a time.

Names/descriptions of moves: Yuurei: A katana.

Terremoto: A large, wide broadsword.

Pergélisol: A rapier.

[FUTURE MOVES]

Höllenfeuer: A flamberge.

Lux and Tenebra: A pair of daggers.

Thýella: A two-handed spear.

Name: Rumi Kataoka

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Personality: Rumi is incredibly laid back; it is incredibly hard to get her worked up. She takes life at her own page, not really caring about what other people think of her and not worrying about anything, big or small. Rumi is also absent-minded, often lost in her own thoughts and frequently actually getting lost. Sometimes, Rumi can get so lost in her own thoughts that getting her attention would take about as much effort as waking a heavy sleeper. Her absent-minded, laid back nature makes her hard to hate. Rumi is also creative, and usually spends her free time sketching. Good luck getting her attention if she's focussed on her work.

Backstory: Rumi's life was incredibly average, and nothing really to write about. She was born to average parents, grew up in an average household with average siblings. She went to an average school and had average friends. She's had one average boyfriend and they broke up after an average amount of time. So, yeah, her life was a riot.

Rumi's power didn't manifest until she was 17, and it took a while for anyone to realize what her power did. As soon as someone figured out the nature of her power, her family was pestered endlessly about having her enrolled in the Institute. Her power was, after all, useless without other people with powers. Her parents deferred the decision to her. She accepted, because hey, what's the worst that could happen?

Appearance: "...Huh? Sorry, didja say somethin'?"

Equipment: Her sketchbook.

Abilities: Rumi is quite skilled at drawing, stemming from her lifetime of sketching.

Channeller category: Alternative

Description of power: By maintaining physical contact with another person with a power, she can store that person's energy and amplify it. As long as she and her target remain contacted, the target's energy output becomes more than its normal level. This generally manifested as an increase in an ability's raw power, and does not affect the target's competence in manipulating their energy. For example, she can make a firecaster's flames hotter and brighter, but she cannot make that firecaster control said fire better.

Names/descriptions of moves: Amplification: Amplifies the energy output to a target. Currently running at 120%.

Feedback: By breaking the contact prematurely, before the target stops channeling energy to her, Rumi can output the surplus energy inside her, allowing her to use that target's powers until they are depleted. Currently running at 20%. This process can be extremely painful for Rumi, depending on the type of energy inside her.

[User]
The last thing Zeke remembered as the school building thing just...magically showed up right outta nowhere was thinking: "What the fuck". After that it was kind of a blur. There was a lot of wondering about brain damage and if he'd fallen asleep watching a Harry Potter marathon, and considering everyone around him insane for not questioning the invisible building in the middle of nowhere. There was also a lot of running in the opposite direction from everyone else, knocking people aside left and right, before being caught and dragged towards the "school" by two nameless, faceless goons like the ones that'd driven him there.

Or maybe they had names and faces and rather than dragging him in they'd just gently guided him towards a nice, comfy office. He really couldn't say, he was so dumbstruck he didn't even try to punch them and just kinda sorta almost listened to the lecture about some magical force or another and how they were being trained to use it. He would've told them that sounded mental and dangerously close to some cult child soldier shit if he were functional. Maybe he hadn't dodged that asshole truck driver the other week and he was actually dead now. Yeah that was totally it. The afterlife was weirdly okay, it was like something out of a chinese cartoon.

By the time he was led back outside in what felt like a really rushed, impromptu situation, Ezekiel had taken several deep breaths and more or less centered himself. If he was dead he might as well see how this whole thing went, what was the worst thing that could happen? It didn't, however, mean he was exactly calm. It was all too much to take in all at once and he was still more or less on autopilot, going about like a man posessed. Feeling the need to confirm he still, on some level, existed as he knew himself, he walked up to a tree, took a deep breath, assumed a perfectly square stance and dug his fist right into the bark.

Such an action would likely not go unnoticed by the two other teens standing nearby, a short red haired girl carrying around a baseball bat and an equally strangely redheaded asian carrying around a shinai like a spaz. Who the crap just carries a wooden sword around? If the first impact and the sudden sound of splintering wood didn't get their attention then perhaps the following two did. Practiced strikes done for form rather than power, each thrust of the fist accompanied by a matching pulling motion on the other arm, aimed in order at an imaginary nose, sternum and stomach. Then another set for good measure, each set in the blink of an eye.

Everything checked out. Breathing was fine, posture was solid, same distance, same impact. Dying wasn't too bad, he got to keep his body as it was and everything. Hell, he didn't know if he could trust himself but he felt a bit stronger and tougher. Then and only then he really took stock of the situation and saw the one kid looked to be dragging an actual sword around rather than a fake one. "Hey! The fuck you think you're doing with that?!" he called out, stepping up to the little shit with his mind in full guard and already measuring a conservative maai. "Put that shit away before you do something you'll regret".

@tipssyCalibrator

[Assistant]
AKIKO

Akiko watched in surprise as the boy threw the bamboo sword against the tree and then suddenly materialized a real sword out of thin air right afterwards. This took Akiko by surprise, though less from the fear of the sword and more just in the astonishment that he could do that at all (she was still not familiar with channeller powers yet, after all). She then let out a light chuckle as she slung over the bat on her back and grabbed it. "Hope you don't think you're scaring me with that. I do my best with a handicap!" Akiko retorted as she prepared to rush forward towards the kid

ASA

"Just what in the HELL is going on here?!"

If all the students looked over at the source of the voice, they would see a tall woman with black hair tied up in a ponytail and wearing a black tank top, aviator sunglasses, a patrol cap, and a very, very irritated scowl on her face. She was looking over at them with her arms crossed, obviously very unimpressed by what was about to unfold

"...Who are you?" Akiko said, completely confused

"Don't pretend like you don't recognize me. You saw me give the speech in front of the school, remember?" Asa said before promptly pulling down her sunglasses and glaring at both of the students. "Now I'm going to give you ten seconds to explain exactly what in God's name you were about to do!" Asa demanded to the two kids, her voice filled with anger

[User]
Before the fight could actually start, however, some approached him. Someone huge.

"Whoa, there, big guy," Ryousei said, not moving from his stance, "Just a friendly spar. Two people consensually having a practice bout. So..."

He looked over to Akiko for confirmation, but was interrupted by another voice cutting through the scene.

He turned to the source of the voice and

OHHHH SHIT.

To be honest, Ryousei really should have expected this. But, he didn't, and now here he was, caught red-handed and, from the look in Asa's eyes, about to regret everything.

He cleared his throat. Gotta at least try to be diplomatic.

"We were just... ah... warming up," he explained, looking over to Akiko, "Get those muscles moving, you know, just... ah... sparring, right?"


[System]
Age: 24

Gender: Male

Race: Human (Mandalorian)

Appearance:

Personality: Much towards himself, never knowing who he can trust. However, he has some kind of conscience, as he only takes on missions he considers good. He only does something really unethical if he finds the money worth it.

Profession: Bounty hunter.

Skills: Excellent pilot, efficient marksman.

Abilities: His PCD makes him able to become temporarily invissible for the naked eye, and his jetpack makes him able to fly short distances, although even if he used them at the same time, the jetpack's propulsion would give away his position, and not only visually.

Equipment: A PCD, a jetpack (black) and a E-17d sniper rifle, along with black Mandalorian armor, geared up with a whipcord launcher and a range finder on his helmet. He also owns a modified X-wing (except not being made of Lego xD) and a black and red R2 series astromech droid, called R2-D9, nicknamed 'Denying'.

Brief Backstory: Born in a Mandalorian family, he left his tribe when young because he didn't want to follow the Resol'nare completely, specificly the part about following his leader, the Mand'alor. By leaving, he not only became a dar'manda, but also stopped following another part of Resol'nare, the one about contributing to his clan's welfare. He had no family anymore by that time, so he didn't break that one. He became a bounty hunter, and seemed to survive this way. He kept telling himself that he was still a real Mandalorian as long as he kept following at least half of the tenets of the Resol'nare. However, with already two down, he knew he was nearing the edge.

[User]
The driver's side door swung open, Delro's chauffeur booted out and landing with a loud "plop" on the sidewalk. Lucar slammed the door back, rolling down the passenger's side window. This wasn't the first time a rival gang or government official came upon one of his deals with Delro... And, hopefully, it wouldn't be the last. Lucar began fiddling with the comms on the driver's side.

"Get in, Sulik, we're not waiting around for the Republic agents show up."

[Assistant]
Sulik
Sulik eyed Lucar with unmasked suspicion. He certainly didn't expect him to have done something as rash as that. Perhaps that was why he resorted to hiring someone like Sulik instead of a regular security force. Carefully watching him all the while, Sulik squeezed into the seat next to Lucar.

"It's your choice, valued customer. If you like, you can sign a second bodyguard contract with us, for when the Hutt whose car you're stealing comes after you. We can discuss our rates after you return to your shop."
Sulik leaned back and set his boots on the dashboard. It wasn't like the owner of this car could complain about him-- Lucar would take all the blame. Besides that, Sulik was sure there'd be some fun to have when Delro noticed the theft of his prized speeder. The potpourri of thugs outside continued to ignore everything that was happening around them.

"If this is all you're doing, I'd suggest we move on soon. I am not obligated to fire back at anyone coming after us, as per the terms of the contract." Sulik chuckled. Old Platki always knew how to write a contract, and Sulik was glad that he'd insisted on being specific when writing this one up.

[User]
Lucar

"Sulik, Delro and I have done good business for decades. One more borrowed speeder isn't going to screw that up. Hell, this isn't even the first I've had to steal from him this month."

Lucar began prepping the speeder for takeoff. Unfortunately, he was met with the sound of grinding gears.

"Besides, I'm not doing time in a Republic prison. They'd take my fingerprints and find me out. They'd send me back to Naboo."

Leaning over the divider, Lucar reached into a compartment and retrieved the owner's manual. Leaning over in the driver's seat, he thumbed through it in a panic. Something was obviously upsetting him.

"I can't go back to Naboo, Sulik. The Gungans will kill me after the incident."

Sighing in frustration, Lucar tossed the owner's manual over his shoulder.

"Frell it, I'm not chancing Naboo."

With that, he slammed his fist into the dash... as the speeder's repulsorlifts flared to life. He gunned the accelerator, shifting the gear... and finding himself unable to slow down.

A few seconds later, the antique dealer and Trandoshan were crashing into a stand selling some sort of citrus fruit across the street. Lucar coughed as the dust cleared, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the air. He shook his fist at the crashed speeder.

"Who the hell still drives stick?!"

[Assistant]
Emergency Response Droid F7-250

A blur of blue and white, F7 streaked down the corridors that twisted inside the Ardent Liberty's interior. The machine bounded off walls, leaped over the panicked and frantic movements of other humanoids rushing towards the sounds of battle, and ricocheted past all manner of obstacles in order to complete its task. As an ERD, response time was everything, and F7 in particular was programmed to seek out the most efficient path possible to better preserve organic life. Ever the slave to its programming, F7 would not be denied in the pursuit of its goal. Absolute focus, that was the reward droids received in exchange for the chaotic non-conformity of most other sentient, and it proved this focus that spurred F7's servos into action.

Its agile, cat-like form screeched to a halt in front of the flashing, red lights of Engineering; small sparks birthed into existence as metal scraped against metal underneath the droid's feet. Optical scanners scouring for signs of distress, F7's large, blue head provided stark contrast to the emergency lights shinning above as the machine ducked into the room. It didn't take long for the droid to locate the sprawled and slightly bleeding form of an engineer, the poor man's head being cradled by a fellow organic as others swarmed around the pair.

"Attention, my purpose is the extraction and preservation of injured organics. That humanoid has sustained damage to its chassis, and I will repair it to the best of my ability. Permission is not required," F7 explained flatly to the worried form of the uninjured engineer. Its programming dictated that during times of stress, organics tended to respond irrationally to stimuli, and as such, when the conditions were met, F7 was to lend its aide as its processors deemed logical. The engineer did not offer resistance as its three-pronged digits gingerly replaced hers. The whir and buzz of its processors operating at full capacity hummed quietly as F7 analyzed the sustained wounds. Unconscious, Human male. Carpal bones seemed to have sustained three hairline fractures, and abrasion on left-side cranium indicates head injury. Possible concussion. Solution: Immediate transfer to medical bay for further aide.

"I will be relocating this organic to the nearest medical facility. I recommend you return to your preassigned task so that other organics do not succumb to the opposition's star-craft fire. Lasers are extremely hazardous to one's health," F7 ordered matter-of-factly to the still sitting engineer. Without waiting to see if the humanoid responded, the machine proceeded to carry the injured organic in its arms bridal-style and rushed towards the Med-Bay. While the Human seemed fairly stable, F7 did not want to risk the chance of the Corvette's now obvious and risky landing jeopardizing its new patient.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dark Jedi Akaemos Fain

That cold, cruel smirk crept its way back onto Akaemos' face as Tras Oren's words buzzed into his comlink. Heading his Commander's que, the Chiss fell in line with the rest of now apparent Acolytes. He saw a few familiar faces, well, masks rather, stand at attention beside Tras Oren. However, one caught his that he hadn't noticed before. She introduced herself to the Hutt and its surrounding henchmen as Darth Ianthinus, before falling back in-line with the rest of her fellows. Her accent was strange, Akaemos decided. Not quite Imperial, but rather more colloquial and relaxed. Perhaps I should keep an eye out for her, he thought to himself. It was perhaps a bit too irregular to so casually introduce oneself to a crime lord and its lackeys, and it would be just like the Jedi to attempt to infiltrate their ranks, but then again, Akaemos had a tendency to jump at shadows. Regardless of its legitimacy, the Chiss kept his concern filed away in the back of his mind for later.

Ready for whatever those Jedi scum brought for his entertainment and ever the creature of Imperial habits, Akaemos waited for further orders from his superior and the green light to assault the New Republic crew.

[User] Owen still pointed his blaster at Aura as she made her piece. When she was done, he kept it pointed at her for a moment, before exhaling and bringing the pistol down. "Alright then. What exactly are you on this moon for? Nothing here but crime and scum for hundreds of miles, and hell, there's a meeting between a boatload of crime lords now, at least to my knowledge there is." He looked at R2-T5, before looking back up at Aura. "Anyhow, the name's Owen, Owen Glewdis. This is my Astromech, R2-T5, but we all just call him T5." With that, Owen stepped forward and extended his hand for her to shake.

[Assistant]
Saku Rira

Well, that had certainly been one way of getting there. Saku steadied herself shaking her head, having used some application of the Force in order to keep herself from falling down. The Corvette, shielded and much larger and heavier than the fighters, had of course not taken damage, and the Interceptors were steadily breaking off as they realized the ship was far too close to the city below to risk firing on it. Needless to say, the situation was looking more and more like they would soon find this meeting of crime lords and Children of the Empire.

"... That was incredibly reckless and incredibly brilliant," Saku said, unable to stop her usually irritable expression from breaking into a grin, "The Imperials didn't expect that! ... But now's not the time for celebration. We have to land, and fast. They'll be organizing forces to intercept us when we land, no doubt."

Saku peered out of the viewing port, to the spaceport below. Yes, they needed to quickly land to avoid being overwhelmed. If they cut to the heart of this matter, and fast, then they could end it just as swiftly. And discover just what that disturbance was.

---

The fighters had to break off. After all, they needed to at least make it appear they cared more for the city below then destroying the Republic... Commander Oren swiftly turned to face the assembled crime lords again. They were all staring in surprise at the dark jedi who had assembled. Certainly, it was not something they had access to under normal circumstances. The Imperial commander addressed the room at large once more.

"There are four of these Dark Acolytes," she began, "Though one of their number is currently assigned another mission. As you have agreed to sell us this information, they will be at your disposal."

There was a murmur of approval among the crime lords. Dark Jedi working for them... That was interesting.

Grogga leaned forward.

"{Certainly, we rarely have such agents at our disposal,}" the especially corpulent hutt began, "{But the New Republic has entered our airspace. What will you do about that, Imperial?}"

Oren nodded her head, quietly. "We'll stop them. No matter what."

As she spoke, a large contingent of Stormtroopers made its way to the nearby spaceport...

The Children of the Emperor had one last plan to ensure that this went through.

[User]
Sulik

Sulik crawled out of the dented wreckage of the speeder, thankful that Lucar had the good sense not to die in a blazing inferno. With barely-concealed frustration, he hauled Lucar out of the driver's seat and hauled him to his feet.

"In the interest of self-preservation," Sulik hissed. "I am going to take charge here."

Sulik smoothly pulled a small device out of his belt-pouch. With special care not to let anyone else hear him, he began muttering into it.

"U-SK to U-KR, U-SK to U-KR. Situation changed, need exit. Be advised, multiple points in airspace, exercise caution. Over."

Sulik delicately returned his device and looked determinedly at Lucar. The air of professionality evaporated.
"Ride's here, ten minutes," Sulik hissed. "starport's couple blocks away. Follow me."

Sulik took off at a healthy jog towards the starport eclipsing the skyline. By coincidence, it was the very same port The Ardent Liberty was preparing to touch down in. Completely unaware of the situation he was running into, Sulik forged onwards.

[Assistant]
"I'm a trader. Had some goods that wouldn't sell brought em here," Aura shrugged non-chalantly. "Here bout that meeting though, nasty business if you ask me. Heard something about these Dark Jedi signing up to work for the crime lords. The New Republic really should put a stop to that if they have any sense," Aura continued muttering on as if nothing was wrong. "The names Aura Cyone and this is the Majestic," Aura stated gesturing at her ship. And then realising that she was a wanted criminal so giving her name out to the New Republic pilot was probably not her best idea ever. So she carried on speaking. "Saw your mates were heading to ground? Want a lift for you and your droid, least I can do, some sort of civic duty I guess."

Unicycle

[User]
Bounty Hunter Krat Gyton

As Krat arrived at what used to be the battlefield, he saw the TIE-interceptors were already retreating. "Looks like we just missed the party." He said dissapointed, and Denying sounded angered that they didn't have the chance to take some out. However, he had came to the Republic vessel with a reason: he needed help with this task. "Denying, open a channel with the Republic vessel, please. And make sure it is secure this time." Denying, a bit annoyed, opened the channel. "Greetings, Republic people. My name is Krat Gyton, bounty hunter, and I think we have some mutual interests in this situation that drawn us to this planet. I like to ask your captain for permission to dock onto your vessel for what I could best describe as a business proposal." He muted his microphone. "Denying, keep your scanners on high alert. I don't know what those crime lords are planning, but I know that they don't give up that easily, and the Republic might take precautions when talking to a bounty hunter..."


[System]
Appearance:

Age: 30
Height: 6 feet 7 inches
Weight: 280 Pounds (of muscle)
Good Personality Traits: * Hardworking
* Strong
* Loyal
* Honest
* Caring

Neutral Personality Traits:* Dry
* Paternal
* Reserved

Bad Personality Traits* Brutal
* Impulsive
* Unself-critical

[User]
In The Center Of The Largest City Market

A thousand strangers eyes gave fearful glances. A blade leaving a trail of red behind, strapped to the blood covered beast. Carrying a large carcass on his shoulder. He moves through the cobblestone streets. Passing the clamoring crowds from dozens of street vendors peddling their wares, briefly turning silent. Hearing the whispers of his scars and beastfolk stereotypes. He walks straight up to a stocky beastfolk vendor, dropping the carcass down on the table. Waking the sleeping beastfolk vendor, who looks up and lets out a bemused chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck, fishing out a leather bag from a chest he was resting beside and extending his arm toward him. The bloody beast grabbed the bag, it was heavy and the sound of jingling when lightly shaken gave him a brief smile.

"Sounds like the payment is all there. Thank you for doing business with me, it was a tricky creature to track and hunt. But it provided me with quite a good workout." The beast said turning around, stopping when the vendor did an intentionally loud throat clearing.

"Bastian-you may want to go to the bath house and wash that blood off. You're making the market goer's uncomfortable, hell I've known you for years and you're making me uneasy. Last thing I need is scared off customers during the biggest influx of new customers, because of the prisoner slave trade that starts later this morning." The vendor explained. Bastian glanced back at the vender, eyebrows raised slightly, retaining a solemn expression.

"I suppose so, thanks." "Though I don't see why blood is so much of a problem in a city as immoral as this one. Though a prisoner slave trade? Maybe I can find someone there…" Bastian thought before heading straight to the bathhouse. Stepping inside and stripping off the little clothing he had, into a steaming hot bath. Feeling relief from his aching muscles, washing himself off for a moment. Staring at the silver ring around his middle finger than letting out a sigh.
* * *
"Maybe I should've rested after the night hunt." Bastian thought letting out a yawn, scratching his chest and stretching backward, hearing a loud crack, looking up at the clear morning skies. Stepping through the gathered crowd of aristocrats, a single article of their clothing probably costed more than the bag of coins he carried. The city guards had their weapons drawn, standing on a tall wooden platform, with several rows of people with balls and chains. It was clear that the prisoner slave trade had just begun...

[Assistant]
Elizabeth had been arrested almost a year ago for a ctime she hadn't committed. The person who framed her had done such a good job that no one had even questioned that she was the responsible party. Because she wasn't the type to stand up for herself she had ended up a slave in order to pay off her debt to society. She hadn'the fought or defended herself. She had known she couldn't win against the person who framef her so she had given up.

Every morning she sat in the corner of her cage with her arms wrapped around the legs dreeding the day she was sold. So far she had been overlooked. Which she thought was a good thing. She had heard stories of what happened to young slaves. She didn't dare hope for a good master. She wasn't that lucky. At best she would spend her rest of her life in the cage. She was used to being invisible. The way she saw it things could be worse so why stir the pot?

[User]
The silent anticipation riled up the increasingly large crowd. They debated on how to properly use their slaves, ridiculing them, mostly in hushed whispers between the aristocrats, making Bastian's skin crawl. A pudgy, curly mustache gentleman stepped forward declaring the auction had started. The crowd clapped and cheered. While one by one, a prisoner was thrown forward to be judged how little their entire lives cost them. Bastian glanced at each of them squarely in their eyes, before looking away.

"Maybe this was just a waste of time..." Bastian thought before noticing the second row of prisoners were lead to the front of the stage, he clenched the hilt of his sword. Bastian started elbow checking anyone in his path, knocking several straight on their heads. Leaping up on the stage, receiving many insults and jeers from the audience. The guard's getting in defensive positions, surrounding the pudgy man.

"What the hell is you're problem? No one is allowed on this platform but official members of the-" The pudgy man sneered but fell silent when Bastian completely ignored his shrill voice. Instead, walking up to Elizabeth and raising up his sword into the air and slashing through her ball and chain with an effortless swing. One of the guards hastily grabs the pudgy man's shoulder.

"Sir! Look at the beastfolk's necklace...he's one of the cursed!"

"What? Stand down men! Don't get to close to it!" The man commanded, causing the guards to slowly back away from Bastian. Bastian turned around and tossed the leather bag of coins that dropped directly below the pudgy man's feet.

"That's my bid." Bastian said coldly. "Anyone else challenge my bid? I'll fight to the death for it." Bastian declared with his blade raised to his chest. Answered by the dead silence of the crowd.

[Assistant]
Auction day was the worse day for Liz. They were forced to wear skin tight clothes so that those buying could see everything they had to offer. Not that she had much. She was about as average as a woman could get. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail but it still reached her waist. Her eyes were a medium blue that was neither light or dark. Her skin was tan but not overly so. She had about the size of a grapefruit. While her waist was smallish it wasn't as small as some.

Liz kept her eyes down as she walked until she heard yelling. She looked up to see who was causing the chaos. She saw a large beastkin heading towards her. She trembled in fear. She prayed to ever god she had ever heard of that this man wouldn't be her new owner. She nearly fainted when he cut her chain. She knew her fate was sealed when the beast tossed a bag at the auctioneer and told the man she was his.

No one spoke when the beast challenged them to try for her. Liz knew no one would. She wasn't interesting enough for someone to try to go against a beastkind. She officially belonged to the scariest being she had ever seen. "SOLD! Take your slave and leave." The auctioneer said moving back as far as the stage would allow him.

[User]
He sighed putting the sword back into its sheath. Turning to Elizabeth, extending his arm and offering her his paw. Watching her and the even other prisoners shake fearfully, but ignored most the words spoken.

"May I hold your hand dear, we're leaving this wretched place." Bastian said softly, yet rather monotone with a serious face. Bastian's ears twitched only listening to the auctioneer's statement, because it was what he wanted to hear. He firmly took hold of her hand, like a father would to a young child. He started casually walking with her down the steps, leading her gently if he had to. The crowd quickly scattered with panic, some even running away as fast as their legs could carry them. Leaving him plenty of room to make his exit.

[Assistant]
Liz nodded mostly because she didn't know what else to do. It wasn't as if she had a choice. She had never had a choice. That was a dream that she had given up when she was arrested for a crime that she didn't commit. She followed the beast. She kept her eyes down. The crowd scared her almost as her new owner did. In a way she was thankful for the crowds reaction to her new owner. She didn't know what to expect. She knew next to nothing about the beastkin. She had heard rumors but she knew that those were not the most reliable source of information.

She could only hope that her new owner wasn't half as bad as the rumors said he would be. He seemed kind. He hadn't hurt her despite her lack of response. Nor had he yelled at her or talked down to her the way some people did. It gave her hope but Liz tried not to let that hope get too big. She had been crushed enough times in her life. She didn't want to be disappointed when she learned that this man was no better than any of the others she had dealt with in her lifetime. She followed him out of the building feeling more like a puppy thank anything.

[User]
Bastian lead Elizabeth to the same beastfolk vendor, having just served several customers that were in the process of leaving. The vendor gave him an odd glare to the both of them, when Bastian came up to him.

"I want work and half my payment in advance. I'll have it done before closing." Bastian stated. The beastfolk vendor sighed, rubbing his mane with his sharp claws.

"You don't listen to a word I say do you? I suppose there's no use arguing with you." The beastfolk vendor half-muttered, going toward his chest, sifting through his pockets to find a key and unlocking it quickly. Bastian simply watches him silently, putting coins into a bag and taking out a scroll, putting both on the table in front of Bastian. Bastian took the scroll, using a claw to open and read it.

"I'm giving you twenty percent. Have a problem, go elsewhere. If you haven't scared them off already." The beastfolk chided shifting his eyes to Elizabeth, slyly smiling. "You didn't pick one with a lot of meat on their bones. Hardly enough for a meal." Bastian gave the beastfolk a glare, before the vendor snickered.

"I don't find that funny and I will not let you scare her." Bastian carried the scroll and small bag of coins in the opposite paw, he faced her. "I'm not going to hurt to you. Let's get you something to eat." Bastian said giving her a slight smile.

[Assistant]
Liz didn't know what to think of her new owner. He said nothing to her as he drug her through the streets. She had the feeling that if they hadn't moved he would have simply plowed them over. Luckily people moved out of his way. She stumbled slightly when he stopped suddenly in front of a vender. This one was one of the few beastkind venders. She did her best not listen while they were talking. It was none of her business what they did.

She was surprised when her master spoke of feeding her. Liz gathered her courage and looked up at him. "But I haven't earned anything yet." She had never had an owner but from what she had been told in the cells. Nothing was free. You had to earn everything. If you wanted to eat you had to do something to earn the food. If you wanted something to wear beyond the super revealing auction outfit you had to work for it. She hadn't done anything accept stumble behind him. She didn't know why he would be offering to feed her.

[User]
"My work consists of long hours of traveling and endurance and since you're accompanying me, you'll need to keep your strength up. I need you to be fully efficient and you look like you haven't eaten for at least a day..." Bastian said.

"Such a softie." The vendor muttered while going back to sitting down beside the chest. Bastian overheard, but ignored his comment. Leading Elizabeth away to an active vendor full of mercenaries, selling various cooked meat on a bone, skewers, other natural produce. The prices weren't cheap but it was far from extravagant. An older gentleman, with a long pointed chin with a stretched and slender body, perpetually hunched over serving each customer quickly with impatient hand gestures, never even looking anyone in the eye.

"What would you like to eat? Choose something you can carry." The vendor approached leering at Elizabeth.

[Assistant]
Liz couldn't argue with that. What he said made since. So she nodded. She studied the table. Her stomach rumbled. Everything looked so good. She considered carefully. While her owner seemed kind but she wasn't going to relax her guard. In her experience men were not kind. She picked the cheapest piece of meat. It would help a lot. She hasn't eaten much in the last couple of days. She watched the beastkind out of the corner of her eye. She didn't know what to expect from him.

She assumed that they were going to be traveling sinced he told her to get something she could carry. She had traveled a lot since she had been sentenced. But she had a feeling this would be different. She she could only hope that she could satisfy the beast. The thought of disappointing him terrified her. He would be harder on her then her father and the slavers. "I am ready to go." She didn't want to keep him too long. She knew that he had a job to do.

[User]
Bastian quickly ordered what Elizabeth selected, along with several mutton skewers. Releasing her, before paying the gentleman and handing her the food. He inhaled the pleasant aroma of the meat, held between his fingers. Facing her, not grabbing her arm again.

"You seem smart enough to not run off. Stay close to me." Bastian said walking off, averting his eyes from her sight, using his twitching ears to focus on his surroundings. If she would've tried to escape, he'd be aware and able to stop her before getting very far. Bastian pulled some meat from the skewer starting to chew and coming to a realization before swallowing. He glanced back. "Do you have a name?"

Regardless of her answer, he didn't speak another word for the remainder of their walk...
* * *
Finishing his meal. Approaching a large stable on the outskirts of town after several minutes, plenty of folks leaving their horses and goods under the owner's protection. Heading toward a horse drawn cart, Bastian stroking the black mare's side. Motioning for Elizabeth to come closer to the back of the cart. He opened a wooden chest and pulled out clean clothes, fitting a woman with a similar frame, though quite baggy for her. Bastian held the clothes out for her to take. "Take those rags off and put these on."


[System]
Apparent Age: 25

"IS": Human

Features: Female, 5'9", brown eyes, cropped brown hair, light brown skin.

Role: Porter

Description: Ruby takes pride in her work as a Porter, and dresses in a smart, professional uniform, with her hair neatly cropped, nails clipped, eyebrows plucked, and - most importantly - teeth brushed. You won't find just another smelly adventurer here; this girl can Dress to Impress. The oral hygiene doesn't seem to work so well on her language, though, as she's steadily sassing her way through a library of cusswords every time she goes out.

Armaments:
* Porter Uniform: Resistant to shear, stain, fire, cold, and water. Grants +1 to Professionalism.
* Arcane Blaster: Magical flintlock pistol. When the flint strikes steel and sparks the magic circuit, it draws from the user's mana to fire a deadly bolt of energy. Can load and fire flares.
* Bag of Holding: Dimensional storage pack with infinite capacity. Stores everything listed below, in addition to client properties.
* Survival gear: rope, cooking pot, ladle, survival knife, matches, ferro rod (for sparking fire), compass, canteens, gill net (for fishing), charcoal water filters, a month's worth of pemmican, several changes of clothing, magic torches, first aid kits, 6 flares (used: 1)
* Crafting gear: tool box, sewing kit, chemistry supplies
* Hygiene kit: several bars of soap, toothbrushes, floss, tongue scraper, several tubes of toothpaste, tweezers, brushes, combs
* Office supplies: ledger, checkbook, notepad, sticky notes, box of pencils, eraser, sharpener, felt-tip pen

Teraterifficence:
* [REDACTED]
* Crazy-prepared, if the above Armaments list didn't give it away.
* Alchemic Crafting: Can use the "essence" of monster drops to enhance items. Requires construction of a magic circle for transmutation.

Original World: An interplanetary empire has conquered the entire galaxy. Their fleets are nigh-invincible, and rebel forces are powerless to stop them.

And they're the good guys.

Upon expanding their reach to the galactic edge, the seven immortals on the empire's ruling body, the Immortal Council, set out amongst the stars to create new worlds for their people to inhabit. Planets that were once desolate grew life, and systems plagued with disaster saw peace. Each world took on a life of its own. Some developed a rich fantasy life, while others created breathtaking marvels of science. There was a place for everyone.

That is, until all hell broke loose on a certain backwater world named Aion...

Backstory:
"You were adopted."

Just three words. Some think it's an insult, as if being pushed out of a body part is somehow superior. Some think it's an expression of love, from people who could have picked anyone they wanted and deliberately chose you.

I just munched on my cracker.

It wasn't exactly a revelation to 10-year-old me - I mean, when my dad stormed into the living room ten years prior and the first words out of his mouth were, "You went and bought that little chicken-fried f*cknugget from the agency?" it wasn't hard to put the pieces together. I was a baby, not deaf. Ironically, that old potbellied fart became my role model when I grew up, because Holy Smuckeroli, the adventurers here are dumber than ducks on Sara Lee white bread. Fire-breathing dragon captured the princess? Bring a wooden sword to the battle! Kraken tearing up your ship on the open sea? Oh, a lightning spell will do nicely. Vampire Lord threatening the country? Kill it with blood magic! They collect harems of psychopaths, waltz into traps, spare bloodthirsty monsters- I'm surprised there's anyone left in the Hero business to cuss at.

The sorts of people who think 101 Ways to Die is a guidebook are also the sorts of people you can make money on. If there's one thing every aspiring hero needs, it's a girl with a level head, plenty of Band-Aids, and just enough romance to keep him puffing to Season 2. That's where I come in. For only 2 cents an hour and 3% of the total loot, the Redford Porter Service will handle all your adventuring needs. Lost in the Forgotten Woods? I got a full-color topographic map. Broke your Master Blade cutting grass? No worries, I can make you two more. Whatever moronic puzzling predicament you find yourself in, I gotcha covered.

Swindle me, though, and I got a bullet with your name on it.

[User]
"Walkuh~!" Keepa chirped in amusement after Jericho finished introducing himself. "Well, Texas Ranguh, while you may think flattery will get you anywhere..." they snickered, coiling lower until resting on the floor like a snake lifting itself up almost 9ft off the ground, nearly touching the ceiling. The second head slank across the ceiling from where it emerged from the middle cell, picking up where the first one left off with, "...keep it up; ah may just help ya...pass through~" before joining the first one in the chuckle.

Kite's object was quickly resembling a shortsword by how the addition of more light from Ruby drawing their own torch illuminated more of the room. The cell that the second head emerged from didn't seem so much dark, more cavernous, as if the floor simply fell away past the threshold of the barred gate. Hundreds of small pale hands clung to the bars, seemingly to hold itself up in the abyss. At the same time, long, spider-like appendages arched bonelessly from the first head's massive neck, bracing against the other corner as well as gripping the one they emerged around...effectively blocking escape.

"Nawh...hold on," the first head abruptly ceased snickering to say, the second also falling silent as the first looked over Jericho to watch Ruby make their introductions. "Did...did you just-?" they started, their grin curling at the edges, pulling the expression into a sinister full-faced smirk. "You just saw...me...aaaand your first thought is-" Keepa started, lifting their head and wiggling as they flailed their arms by their head in a mocking manner, raising their tone to poorly mimic Ruby, "-'Oh haaay! Les trah feedin' it! Mehbeh it'll be ahr fraaaand~" before erupting into a low droning 'Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh' much akin to a guttural belch combined with a tortured moan, their expression even making their eye-holes slightly squint from how wide their mouth opened as they grinned...likely what actually 'laughing' was, for it. "Wha happens next, baby~?" they condescendingly inquired, their mirth blatantly being found in the girl's efforts to...bribe...him?
"Oh! Oh saaay you planned to put a dumb little hat ohn me! Maybe then givin' me a st-huupid nickname...ahn then you...you trah ta riaahd me around, a little~?" Keepa could barely contain their laughter, the other head noisily chattering their teeth between baleful roars and grotesque undulations, bashing its head against the ceiling repeatedly in its maddeningly hysterical fits.

"Aaahh, you adventurers ahr just puh-rescious! Tell-tell yuh what, consider me curious, now...y'know? Sure, ah'll bite. Whatcha got there, Sapphire~?" The first head inquired between hissing chuckles, the second one slithering closer to being over Ruby. "Izzit meat? Oh ah hope ya got meat foh me~" the second head inquired, a growl to their tone as drool dripped from their clenched teeth as they sized up the woman.

[Assistant]
Once Keepa made his appearance, Violet felt uneasy. While it was trying to be charming, something just felt off. If it wanted to feel friendly, why snuff out the light? Why try to scare them? Nothing about this was adding up. She wanted to call him out on this, maybe he just doesn't realize how he's coming off. Violet's met all different kinds of people today, who's to say this one isn't an ally. However, Violet knows Kite didn't let this one out. In fact she had no idea where it came from. She looks to Kite to see his reaction. Fear. Complete and total fear. She'd never seen Kite look like this. Even when he fought the other Kite, he stepped forward with resolve... but now...

Call me Walker, it's a pleasure Keepa. Apologies about the noise, seems it travels rather...

 As she's listening, Walker's words start to trail off to Violet. If Kite's afraid of this thing then what does that mean for us. I couldn't place the feeling before but now I get it. Just looking at this thing... I get the same feeling as fighting a Nightmare from my world. That same lingering dread from just being around them, this 'Keepa' is oozing it. This feeling just won't go away. The more she looks at it, the heavier that dread felt.
 Violet starts to see the events unfold. But one stands out more than anything. She can't shake the vision of Kite getting himself hurt again. What's scarier is that she feels 'hurt' may be the least of her worries. The memory of Kite's previous death keeps playing back in her mind even though she wasn't aware of how severe it really was. Kite almost got themselves killed before, barely hanging on by a thread and they were confident about that fight. Now, Kite's completely given into fear. This thing can really kill us. This thing wants to kill us. This thing is going to... no. Not again. I'm not going to let myself do nothing again. I promised Kite I wouldn't let anything hurt him. I have to do something. ANYTHING! Violet activates her ball and charges it up with all her power. The ball bursts into an ethereal yellow flame. Violet knows that color... the ball changes that color when her primary emotion is fear. Even if she's scared, it's not going to stop her from doing what needs to be done.

Izzit meat? Oh ah hope ya got meat foh me

 WALKER! DUCK! The ball streaking past Walker and slamming that thing square in the middle of it's head. I'M NOT LETTING YOU HURT ANYONE YOU MONSTER Realizing she was shouting out of fear, she tries to regain what composure she can. Talking now to Walker: That thing is evil incarnate. Don't be drawn in by its words. I had to make the first move before it did. Sierra! You could have been in a lot of trouble! It's clear we can't makes friends with it... As she says this, she looks over to the scared Kite before setting her eyes back on the monster in front of her, so there's only one other route to take... Violet stills herself for whatever comes next.

[User]
Walker was about to act under his own volition, since the others weren't picking up on the clue to act while he was distracting the damned thing, when the scream for him to duck caused him to do just, dropping to a knee and moving to act under his own volition. Given the situation, the time for talk was past, all things considered. At least one of them took the chance, even if the spiel about evil and chastising the other about befriending it. From his ducked position, he snapped upright with his lightened crossbow swung up, poisoned bolt being hurled from it the moment he had tracked the head that hadn't been aimed for by that damned crystal ball, slinging it again and drawing his arming sword with a practiced flourish, ready to strike out at the earliest opportunity at whichever head or appendage came closer.

 "Remind me to talk to you three about element of sodding surprise after this!" Walker was clearly accustomed to a crew that knew when he was stalling for an opportunistic first strike, screaming on about evil incarnate was, while perhaps not inaccurate, not terribly conducive in that regard. Holding a steady fencing stance, Walker was watching the abomination, his footing shifting subtly to indicate a combination of long years of both training, and even more experience, the torch being held offhand, high enough to provide full light but clearly considered a secondary weapon if the situation demanded. It wasn't a dagger or formal weapon, but a flaming bludgeon to the head could do wonders. Given the things devouring of light, however, it might be wiser to not slam one of their light sources into it. Needs must, though, and while he'd have to ponder that strange reference to a 'Texas Ranger', that was later. For now, it was fighting time.

[Assistant]
As Keepa loomed over her, drool leaking from between its teeth, Violet shouted, "Walter! Duck!" and a brilliant ball of flames slammed into the head. Ruby stumbled back and shielded her eyes. She risked a glance at Violet. Whoa, did that attack come from her? A flush of awe surged through her. Walker took everything in stride, his practiced strikes and efficient dodges betraying a level of skill well beyond par.

Ruby watched with her mouth hung open, bewitched. "Golly G. Whillikers...the kite sure knows how to pick 'em," she murmured.

Walker was a little less than impressed, though. "Remind me to talk to you three about element of sodding surprise after this!" he shrieked between attacks.

Ruby dove away to the wall and joked back, "I'd be surprised if you didn't!" Besides, she had a few surprises of her own. She armed her pistol and stuffed a flare shot down the barrel. If Keepa's dark body and the dungeon's light-snuffing habit were anything to go on:

"Eat this, Dingus Flamingus!"

She pulled the trigger.


[System]
Shou Matsuoka
Age: 29

Appearance:
(Credits to the original artist)
Has a piercing on his left ear on which he swaps between tiny spike or silver ring earrings. Dark circles aren't unfamiliar to his otherwise pale features, and his eyes are a clear, light, chocolate-brown colour which contrasts heavily with his (dyed) silver hair. In his youth, he used to have a select number of streaks in the mess of his locks that he dyed different colours once every two months. Though you can see a cigarette sticking out of his mouth when he isn't at school, it's replaced for a lollipop when he's on the job. Though oddly enough, it's difficult to tell from far away what it might really be...

Height: 6'2" / 188cm

Weight: 177lbs / 80.5kg

Likes: Fresh fruit, discussion and debate, thought-provoking material, philosophy, the sounds of the steelpan, the saxophone and the violin (and even the harmonica on occasion!), (soft spot for) Drum and Bass, oddballs, big dogs, breathtaking natural green scenery, lighting candles, aromatherapy, the colour blue, dressing classy, reading and writing fine literature, art, PC-gaming, white and milk chocolate, lollipops and gummy-bears, herbal teas and black coffees, blue orchids.

Dislikes: Liquorice, dark chocolate, small spaces, papaya, grading papers, his age and authority questioned, late students, the cold, spicy food, beetles, when people try to get him to dance, when things stop working.

Party Trick: Can, pitch-perfect and usually very loudly, whistle any requested song (that he knows).

Profession: Professor at the Shine City Academy (Department of Biology; Genetics specialist).

Bio/Personality:
Shou grew up in classy Shine City itself as the younger of two sons, so it's hard to find a place or trick or turn within it that the young gentleman doesn't know. Though, admittedly, he only came to learn of more of the city in his later years, having been homeschooled as a child and so finishing his education a couple of years early (due to missing out so many much-coveted summers). He landed his professor job through a mixture of sheer luck, his personal smarts and three rather interesting published works on the behavioural study of animals in captivity. This has led to him being a bit of an eccentric man, though he enjoys his fair share of parties as well, accompanied by a new experimental mixed-drink each time if not for a classic favourite of his: A glass of burgundy wine, for his more mature palette.

He spends his days teaching at the Shine City academy, hoping to inspire his students (though he has to admit again, most of them don't seem quite as much as interested in his lectures) to greatness someday. His personal interests are in the areas of Genetics and Zoology.
His young age is often a cause for playful kidding around by the older members of staff, though also gets him a lot of belittling remarks and unsatisfied glances from time to time. He claims he's just as much a student as anyone else, learning from his seniors whenever he can on their respective areas of expertise, and from his juniors on areas such as 'socialisation in the younger-crowds'.
He owns two dogs, a young Jack Russell Terrier called Jinxie and a larger Border Collie/German Shepherd mix called Romeo. Seeing as he lives by himself in a rather comfortable little house just far enough from the bustling city center to have an open yard, the two dogs get on well and don't get bored or lonely too often (special thanks to the dogs of the lovely old woman who lives next door!)

Shou himself is slightly introverted, preferring to be approached rather than approaching someone, though he has no problem doing the latter. He hardly ever is mentioned to say "he's bored", being a strong believer in finding entertainment in whatever one does. He is compassionate towards animals and, oddly enough, plants as well, having a well-tended garden set up in his backyard. He also possesses intensive knowledge on herbal remedies his mother taught both boys, Shou and Yuusha, when they were young. Being described as 'eccentric' due to his often chuckling at the most inappropriate moments, or his somewhat morbid love for setting things alight, or even his irritability on Thursday evenings when the weekend is so close, yet so far, he garners the positive attentions and affections of many others, particularly the schoolgirls at the academy impressed with just how young he is.
Or maybe they're just taken by his looks and undeniable quiet, mature grace.

As for his personal skills, outside of teaching and aromatherapy, Shou can also play the violin himself, whereas his brother picked up the saxophone when they were children. Though, to make up for it, he thoroughly neglected cooking in his youth and survives on the most basic meals, usually burnt or improper in some way, shape or form, but laden with spices each and every time.

In addition, it's been about four years since his long-term girlfriend and later much-beloved fiancée Alessandra (lovingly 'Alex') has passed now, the victim of a horrendous accident. Shou has mostly come to terms with it, though it isn't something one can recover from easily and he still thinks of her time and again, though still gets easily flustered around pretty women due to not being exposed to quite as much contact since her passing. It undeniably leaves him a little lonelier and 'emptier' than he'd like, and he often is solemn when he admits to that.

Romeo

German Shepherd x Border Collie
Adopted from the local shelter as a tiny pup, Romeo is now nine years old and an aging boy, but holds himself with a pride and loyalty to his master like no other. He makes an excellent companion on long walks, and in addition, an even more wonderful pillow to cuddle with when lonely.

Jinxie

Jack Russell
Jinxie is hyperactive and playful despite her six years of age, possesses a love for life itself any everything it brings. She's forever curious and could be called the polar opposite of Romeo, if not for the friendliness they both possess. She used to belong to Alessandra, but Shou has taken responsibility for her ever since Alex passed.

Theme(?)

[User]
Having recovered from the mornings events Ayane had gotten herself back up out of her bed and had just been sitting on her couch playing her guitar along with whatever songs came on the radio. After a while she'd stopped playing, sighing as she lent back remembering everything and daydreaming the different scenarios of what she should of or could of done in her head before reconciling with herself that it was over and done with.

"Bored..." moaned Ayane as she looked at the masses of books she's already read at least twice over, "guess i could go see if there's a new fashion mag is out..." she hung her head at her own comment "...need money", she put her guitar down and started rummaging around the room for any money she might of left laying around "come on... just some change they ain't that expensive" after nearly knocking everything off the table in the center of her room she found a little loose change from some previous shopping venture "Sweetness!" almost singing the word as she said it. Still dressed from earlier Ayane slipped back into her shoes and headed back-out locking her door behind her as she did so, "Well my luck cant get any worse today... i hope..." briefly fearing she just jinxed herself before choosing to ignore it, Ayane continued on wandering towards Shine Junction stopping at every clothing store window along the way admiring the displays "Man that would be so awesome to own... oooh! that ones cute too!" each time she got excited about the cloths however she noticed the price ranges which promptly brought her back down to earth at each store window.

Ayane slowly made her way along the street due to her wishful window shopping when she ended up passing the arcade which had many people coming and going "too busy, bet it's totally crowded inside" she stopped to check the little change she had then looked along the street to the small shop where she was heading, when she heard a slot-machine in the arcade burst into music immediately grabbing her attention someone had won a crap ton of cash from it as they yelled "jackpot!". Ayane looked at the store in the distance then at the change in her hand again "i did say my day can't get any worse..." despite the groups of people Ayane wandered in and took a seat at one of the machines not near any of the other players, & practically threw all her change into the machine before hitting the spin button to her supprise the machine spat out five times what she had "awesome!" she paused for a moment not moving from the machine & noticing the arcade had gotten a little quieter as groups of people had wandered off elsewhere, which made her feel a little more relaxed "i guess a few more goes couldn't hurt" Ayane smiled to herself as she put more coins into the machine & kept trying her luck, completely forgetting where she was originally going or why.

[Assistant]
Nori was still busy trying to look everywhere but Kyle when she felt him carefully place his hand on her head. The blonde peered up at him cautiously through her lashes and saw him looking down at her, a sweet little smile plastered across his face. He then gave her hair a gentle tousle before saying, "Hey, of course I still want to get nachos with you, it'd be rude of me otherwise to change plans at the last minute."

"Yeah, okay," the petite girl agreed, giving a little grin in return. She was grateful that Kyle was being so understanding, because even though she would never admit it out loud, Nori had actually been pretty lonely since her roommate moved out. "Thanks," she murmured, so quiet he might not have heard, before ducking out from under his hand and swatting at it playfully. "Alright, alright, enough with this sappy stuff. Let's go get those nachos!"

---

After a ten minute walk they finally made it to the arcade. Pushing open the door, Nori was relieved that it wasn't nearly as packed as the Mochavine. "I'll put these up after we eat," the blonde informed, leading them back to where the concession stands were. Nori placed her order for nachos and a bottle of water as she handed over her payment. The worker passed her the food and she told Kyle "I'll grab us a seat." The tattooed girl gave him a quick pat on the arm before heading over to the small section of tables and chairs set up by the window.

Nori sat down and nibbled on a chip as she waited for Kyle to join her. Her eyes lingered on the old school 'House of the Dead' machine, the blonde's hands twitching as she thought about playing it. It was her absolute favorite game in the whole building.

"So," Nori started as Kyle joined her, licking at a trail of cheese that had started to run down her hand. She really should have gotten napkins. "You were telling me what brought you to Shine City?"

[User]
"The arcade!" Shou's eyes lit up. And here, he laughed. "What all you kids nowadays do! I'm guilty of being there some myself, actually. You see, my fiancée-" he began, and a smile that previously reached his eyes got caught in his throat and his expression wavered momentarily, before he shook his head with a little chuckle and smiled back at Akane, a cocktail of thoughts and feelings in the flecks of his brown eyes.
"...I can be a sucker for the gaming tournaments there."
He paused, quickly adding, "Unfortunately, I'm not very good. There's this one kid topping all the best games there. If I ever meet them, I have to congratulate them. They go by a peculiar tag..."

As if on cue, at the very mention of Akane's success at cooking, the silver haired man heard his stomach quietly, but grumpily, rumble. "I'm sure it comes with time. I take cooking classes at the academy myself, every Sunday morning. Mrs Green runs them." he referenced the culinary department's biggest asset and a sweet old lady who loved to teach and cook so did both. "If your sweet tooth ever needs a good fix and the Mochavine is too far a reach, I'm sure she's always ready to blow your mind."

And, like clockwork (albeit very slow clockwork of a clock that took nothing short of forever to chime) finally his black coffee arrived, along with a generous slice of strawberry cheesecake. His favourite, just the way he liked it. He quietly thanked Rosanna under his breath before gently pushing the plate towards his conversational partner. "Please, Miss Takumi. I'd feel bad eating it by myself now."

And as he went to lift his coffee, he noticed some hurriedly scrawled digits on the napkin and registered them as a phone number. He was sure as hell confused, but what choice did he have? He would have to later ring up the number and ask who it might have been. And if it was not meant for him, but for Akane, that would be inherently embarrassing...
He took the napkin nonchalantly and thrust it into the pocket of his dark jeans.

"Seven cats, mmm?" a jocular smile played at the professor's lips as he lifted the steaming coffee cup to them, and pressed his lips to the hot liquid after gently blowing over the surface. It was hot and freshly brewed, just the way he liked it. He took a lengthy drag and relished the taste for every last drop of the sip he took before setting the cup down again.

If Shou Matsuoka was a machine, then coffee was his fuel. He immediately looked more alive, and less like the silver haired skeleton with the sunken eyes from earlier. He sat up in his chair and stretched out, still a little haggard definitely, but coming to life slowly.

"Cats, or any pet, are a wonderful idea. I own two dogs, actually. A German Shepherd cross and a Jack Russell. They're both charming, and have without a doubt, made me a happier man."

Maybe the coffee didn't do him what the acquisition of magical powers would have, but it certainly picked him up. Looking around the room, he begun to appreciate the little cafe more and more with each little drag of coffee he took. There were so many happy people, coming and leaving and-

Wearing the exact same hoodie as James Avery.

He only just kept from doing a double take. Yes, it was difficult and he may have been hallucinating, but the particular black hoodie was a dead giveaway. James Avery stood outside the Mochavine and probably was completely unaware his professor was inside. He was checking his phone, of course. Those kids...

His attention focused outside the window the pair were sitting by, his eyes, catlike in their nature, followed James' movements. He mumbled softly to both himself and Akane. "There's a student who can really wear out my patience sometimes, and surprise me right after. James Avery...sigh. He's got a little reputation with me, Miss Takumi. I only wish he was as conscientious as you."

Cautiously, Shou's fingers gently drummed against the glass. He would have to speak to James soon. Very, very soon.

Frokane