[System]
* Age:17
* Gender: Male
* Appearance:He's a tall beefy dummy.
* Personality: Ryuji is one of the gentlest people of the school. He's dedicate, straightforward, honest and well meaning. He is also stubborn as a mule and a staunch pacifist, which does clash directly with the School's aim. Truthfully, he dislikes the school, but keeps from disclosing the reason why is he even here. However, there are still ways to set him off. He abhors violence as a tool to oppress the weak, and he frowns upon bullies. He also dislikes people who think violence is fun. He prefers talking people down, but when left without options, Ryuji's fighting ethic is implacable and vicious, aiming to disable opponents as quickly as possible.
* Backstory: Isobe was born in a rather poor and somewhat dysfunctional family. Money didn't flow much into the household and his mother and father were alternating yelling with making amends to eachother. Still, he was happy of his small but humble dwelling, and he even had friends to play with. The most notable was the girl next door. Both of them had several adventures through the neighbourhood together, and in all, they spent being kids in those summer days. Yet one day, Isobe had to depart. His parents apparently had lost the house and were evicted, and thus they had to move and start anew. Ryuji's mood darkened, and he started picking up fights constantly to quell his anger. It got so bad, that his face eventually became marred with a knife scar when he picked on the wrong crowd. However, when things were at his darkest, Ryuji found a helping hand in the figure of his would be Sensei, his own grandfather, who had been a martial artist all his life and taught Ryuji how to endure and stay away from violence. Ryuji found he had a knack for martials as well, and he trained vigorously. He even run errands to earn money to travel to Tibet in order to practice with the monks there. One day, a letter penned by his childhood friend arrived at his new home. Ryuji visiblely wept, and reading the letter, he found out she was in trouble and nobody else would answer, so she tried asking Ryuji. He thus set forth to the last known place where she was, Shiroyama High School.

It didn't turn out as expected. Apparently, while his friend desired his help,she had actually warped the reality of the situation and she wanted some extra muscle. Ryuji was disgusted at this, but he decided to stick in the High School for a while. Perhaps these people would see sense in their violent folly one day.
* Inherent Engine Skill: Ki Control. Years of martial arts disciplined have honed Ryuji's body (and Mana core) to the point of being able to do supernatural feats. His body's resilience is the stuff of legends, as well as he may as be well called supernatural when performing physical feats. He is so adept at this, he can expel the Ki (mana) in the form of blasts through his hands when performing certain fighting techniques. He can even force his body and mana core to go into overdrive, but this comes with the inherent self-inflicted damage this implies. (He likes to call this technique Asura mode. He's still a bit of a dork).
* Active Engine Device: Beads of Soothing- These wondrous beads, given to him by Tibetan Monks, are useless in battle most of the time, but their power should not be scoffed at. By concentrating and praying with these devices, one may shield allies from harm,
 purify areas or people from negative effects, and if taken to the extreme, heal grievous wounds and mystically repair buildings or devices. Worth noting that these require the user to be still and concentrated, and thus open to attacks.
* Skills:Ryuji's concentration is hard to shake. He is also a martial artist of great skill, like the ones of tales. Ryuji excels in repetitive tasks, and couple with his strong and fit body, he is pretty good at manual work and errands. He also knows how to do minor sewing and cooking, and stand on his own. Given his martial background and size, he can give heavenly massages or even set bones. On the other side, years of conditioning have stripped him of the ability to dance, and he's tonedeaf. He also lacks some people's skills.
* Rank:0
* Club: No one, unless there's a pacifist club or something.

* Name: Kawaguchi Mika.
* Age:16
* Gender:Female.
* Appearance:The right half of the picture.She also likes to be on top. Her actual height is 4'8''.
* Personality: Mika is at first glance a shy, unassuming and fragile bookworm mouse who has a natural air of grace and fragility around her. She is usually bashful and prefers to keep a distance. However, deep down she is fairly determined, bitter and cold. She also has a pretty strong libido, and likes to predate on both boys and girls. Mika holds a grudge at people who belittle her because of her somewhat homely looks or apparent lack of physical strength, and she would enjoy proving all those who think that martial strength is all that matters that they're wrong. Mika also has none of the fears a lot of people have towards bugs and spiders. She would also want to have babies with Ryuji
* Backstory: Mika was born in a rather humble militaristic household. Her father lamented that instead of a healthy young boy rascal with spunk to share war stories, he got a fragile flower of a daughter with a weak constitution and that had to be take to the hospital frequently. He vented his frustration on his daughter and household, appearing as an overbearing controlling father who dictated what and when Mika did in her everyday life. The young girl only found solace in two things. An adventuring kid next door, called Ryuji, full of vitality which was always eager to play with her, and even give her piggy rides when she collapsed; and books. Books were one of her best refuges to her life. But of course, her father had other ideas. He wrongfully thought that that many reading was weakening his daughter even further and routinely sabotaged her attempts. With Isobe gone, and her own mother a subsirvient shell, Mika soon fell into despair, and began to turn into someone cynical. She begun to despise the world, all while keeping a masquerade of goodie two shoes girl. When the battle school programme was suggested at her household, Mika just accepted because she wanted to prove her father wrong. She despite being weak, would trumph what he considered strength with her own bookish smarts.

It wasn't as initially planned, though. The challenge bar was high, so Mika eventually relented to asking help from her best friend. She tried her best to honey the situation, but in the meantime Ryuji had become a goody two shoes and rejected her offer. Now she is likely to try a different approach...
* Inherent Engine Skill: None! Although given the nature of her Device, most people think she has a field of mana draining around her.
* Active Engine Device: Arachne - Arachne is just a bunch of metal strings. However, they're highly mana-conductive, very thin, and deceptively strong and resistant. If these strings wrap around a person or AED, they will interfere and cancel any mana based skill or operation, so long as said person remainds "grounded" by the strings (Ie, with a couple of coils wrapped around it). Mika can also use the strings in multiple ways, as improvised traps, to swing midair, as a makeshift whip, and to dispell mana-based projectiles. She can even use them as a spider would use a web to listen to her surroundings.
* Skills: Mika is an intellectual sort of person. Academic subjects are easy deal for her, and she's always craving more knowledge and gather information. She's good at sciences, including math. Mika is also highly skilled in analyzing situations and finding the best course of action, as well as being fluent in English. As a side effect of her weapon use, she's an amazingly skilled puppeteer and nimble but otherwise pretty weak physically with one of the worst staminas of the entire school due to her heart condition.
* Rank: 14
* Club:Class Rep, Literature Club.

[User]
In the courtyard, dealing cards on a foldable table, was Megumi. The table itself, despite being a bit shabby, stood firmly on the ground. The cards on it, surprisingly, didn't get blown away by the wind. Around the table; Megumi and some flunkies from the 'Shiroyama's Decadent Failures and Disruptive Elements' Club. Lost in some meaningless chatter between each other while playing cards.

Another notable thing on the table, were the stacks of chips. Shiroyama's Decadent Failures and Disruptive Elements Club were at it again, they seemed to be gambling during school times. Some might wonder about a delicate-looking girl like her, gambling with delinquents, but as the round of cards had ended and she drew all of the chips close, it was clear she managed just fine.

Megumi collected the cards and smiled, then with nary a word, she left. The delinquents followed her with defeated looks in their eyes.

"Now...What shall I have you guys buy for me today?"

Yukazu Megumi might not have been on this school for too long, but it was already clear to her she could teach these guys a few tricks.

[Assistant]
Normally, when you saw a cute girl with a radiant, malice-free smile bright enough to lift your very soul from crushing darkness, said smile was not met with recoils of fear and dread. Usually, someone with such a demeanour would be cheerfully greeted by her peers, or perhaps even openly admired by smitten bystanders.

As it turned out, carrying a six-foot tall axe over your shoulder as if it weighed less than a feather was a great tool of intimidation.

Yamada Chie, a girl with the kindest smile you could ever imagine, patrolled the grounds with a cheerful hum, revelling in how totally obvious her delinquency was.

The head of the Decadent Failures etc. Club was currently exercising her influence to the other students, as she tended to do during lunch. Part of her role as a delinquent was to make it obvious she was 'looking for trouble', and an unfortunate student was likely to be bullied a little for some spare battle points. Or lunch money. Or whatever they had in their pocket. It could be a candy wrapper for all Chie cared, as long as it was something she could steal in the name of delinquency!

She came to a stop in the grounds, looking around with a cheerful expression. There was a transfer student that had made a bit of a name for herself, right? Hopefully she was around somewhere. It was part of Chie's duty to remind transfer students who the 'top dog' was in school, right? Better to do that sooner than later. Wouldn't want the newbies to embarrass themselves by doing something that would anger her club members.

"...Actually, wouldn't it make sense to let them make the mistake in the first place?"

As Chie pondered this conundrum, she spotted some familiar faces from her club; Megumi being the most notable. Unlike the generic-faced students that made up the majority of her club members, Megumi was unique. Must've been the mysticism angle she seemed to have going?
The leader of the school's undesirables walked towards the table at a casual pace, practically unnoticeable if one were to somehow ignore the axe.

"Hiii~" Chie greeted her club members like a good friend, "Oohh, a game? Who's winning?"

[User]
— Courtyard —

Tsukada Red glided along the path through the courtyard, looking down at her phone to watch again the final, fleeting moments of yesterdays fight. If it could even be called that. The final blows were too fast for the phones camera to follow, something that was true for whatever other videos that had appeared on social media. Not even his skills could get anything useful out of the footage side from a handful of halfway decent single frames. Obviously a higher quality camera would have to be used in the future.

He kicked off again as his momentum faded, gliding on the path as if it were the most perfect ice. Ren put away the phone and took a sandwich out of his bag. He ate while thinking over the idea of spending some battle pints on a new camera. For a lot of fights lately what he currently had just didn't cut it. Around him people seemed to be coming to the end of theirs meals and one or two began sizing each other up, something that Ren seemed oblivious to.

[Assistant]
Another day, another struggle for Isobe Ruyji to find motivation to go on. Yet, he was seasoned in the way of martial arts, he would find inner strength still to pursue such a misaligned path in the current circumstances. Would he persevere? Mayhaps not, but it was certain that all of his being compelled him to do something about his current situation.

He had pursued his training as a mean of achieving inner peace, and yet here he was, in a place that was anathema to his philosophy, a battle school. He meditated again the chain of events that had led up to this contradictory stance. He had been tricked. But he was not one to hold grudge against someone. Those kinds of things could eat away someone's soul. He felt something was eating his soul away altogether, namely the fact he had not started having his lunch yet, wich was resting in the firm grip of his concrete-shattering hands. With an swiftness that didn't quite match his size and bulk, he made it for the rooftops, curry bread in hand. He liked the place. Usually not many bothered there, and sometimes little birds happened to approach him to eat away the crumbs of his meal. It was an odd peaceful moment of the otherwise action packed school.

Alas, it seemed that no meditation would happen today. There she was, the new student who had begun her path in one of the most flamboyant manners possible. By declaring the intention to defeat the leader of the school. While it was a true honest intention, and for that Ryuji felt respect towards, there was something in the new girl that worried him, Isobe Ryuji.

He sat next to her, and unceremonously unwrapped his curry bread, eyes fixed on the newcomer as he wolfed down his paltry lunch. Moderation was also part of his way.

"Out of all ways someone can lose their soul in battle, revenge is by far the most tragic one. Be careful, transfer student."

Was he doing the right thing? He did not know. He suddenly wished he knew how to talk to girls.


[System]
CHARACTER SHEET
Age: Self explanatory.
Nationality: Marrywell Academy is a global school and front for the Grand Ministry, welcoming Magical Girls from all corners of the world. Where do you hail from?
Appearance: Self explanatory, both for transformed states and regular clothes.
Description: A brief description of your character. This can include bits of personality, backstory, likes and dislikes, etc. Above all else, describe how they became a Magical Girl and their thoughts on the Grand Ministry.
Grimoire: Every Magical Girl begins her story with one unique Grimoire, a mystical story book that somehow found its way into her possession.
 • Title: One defining trait of all Grimoires is that they are copies of fairytales and other stories of our world. They are similar enough that you can use them as the basis for the naming and powers granted by the books.
 • Classification: Under the Grand Ministry's ranks for all Magical Girls, what classification does your Grimoire fall under. This determines the level of your power, rank, and experience among other Magical Girls.
 • Description: A brief description of the contents of your Grimoire regarding the tale it embodies.
 • Abilities: What kind of powers, weapons, gear, etc does the Grimoire grant to your character?
Misc: Trivia, theme songs, or anything else not covered above should go here.

[User]
@TheWendil@Majoras End

Maria had failed to notice the amassing group of students that came to watch the training and only really took note of them when Charlotte caught their attention. "You really are that known, are you not, Charlotte? That is quite formidable." Maria said, answering her companion's question with a smile - the first honest smile since she walked to the girls' side.

Maria followed that by ignoring Charlotte's comment about needing girls like her. She, of course, disagreed. Maria felt like her presence was a potential risk to everyone around her...but that train of thoughts was redundant. She felt there was no need to bring it up out loud and, anyway, had a creeping suspicion that Charlotte might already know how Maria felt inside.

She followed Charlotte away from the crowd, remaining silent at first. She had briefly heard of what had happened but only in whispers. Charlotte, if she was to be believed of course, confirmed it. Of course the Ministry would keep such dangerous news hidden from them. Maria sighed, looking down. News of a rogue magical girl was bad enough - and in a way terrifying - and they wanted her mixed in all of it? It was as if the Ministry twisted her fears on purpose in the worst ways possible.

"I am afraid you might be right." she answered the the red head's last bit about getting used to her designed role and finding a teammate. "It cannot be avoided. I just hope that they will accept my presence. Very well then, Miss Clementine. I thank you for your time and wish you well."

Maria politely bowed her farewell to Ozma and made her way down to the arena, arriving shortly after the blonde haired girl, Celina. Maria would also walk closer and give the same polite bow she gave Charlotte just moments earlier - an act of etiquette clearly betraying her real age.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Miss Lupin." she began by answering the newcomer.

"My name is Maria de Borbón. It's a pleasure to meet all of you, truly. I had the pleasure of watching the end of your previous training exercise and was... impressed." Maria deemed unnecessary to mention out loud why she was sent here just yet. She did not know how the group would react to that, and did not wish to pass as pompous or pretentious. She then walked closer towards Valeria, who was in her conjured vehicle still.

"Greetings, Miss Weizenbaum. Could I possibly have a word with you if possible?"

[Assistant]
LILAC SHIMMER

Bonnie took some time to regain her footing on the ground and steady out, be which time Nessie had already moved on. "Eh? That's it?" She stared in confusion at the mecha monstrosity's ease of disintegration. "I guess that was like, four of us attacking at the same time? I thought it was supposed to be all of us."

Then came Valeria's assessment, and Lilac's brow furrowed. "That's not how this is supposed to work. It's supposed to not work the first time, and then the failure teaches us to do all the stuff you're talking bout now, right? This would make a terrible story moral! Don't do the stuff that worked fine?" One of the few things that seemed able to get Lilac worked up was when the magical girl stuff wasn't working out like it was 'supposed' to. "Unless like, this is the moment of hubris and a giant super Pageless only defeatable by teamwork shows up later?" She paused for a moment, and then bounced up to the edge of the arena and peered over it to double check, just in case. Glancing back and forth, she was not quick to find any giant Pageless sneaking up on the school.

Lilac crossed her arms, a little upset at another team thing so soon after the other one... "I suppose team names and attacks are fun..." Lilac begrudgingly admitted, and finally lightened up a bit again, now starting to feel a little silly over being upset. Hopefully no one had been paying attention to her since she hadn't been talking to anyone in particular.

As Lilac started looking around again, she noticed a couple of new faces... since when did they have a cute doggo girl? Was she someone's familiar like Rose's friend or a magical girl? Eh, either way, Lilac decided to wave to the newcomers, before thinking more about partners.

It seemed like while she was focusing on other things, Lilac missed the talk about becoming closer to one's Grimoire, but, just as well, it seemed quite a few people were following that path already. Oddly enough it was Tesni who caught Lilac's ear.

Huh, Tesni seemed to make a little sense, wait what was that about weakness? Why would someone want to be weak? Lilac didn't seem to get that. She decided to walk closer, her earlier hesitance forgotten in curiousity, and perhaps a spirit of camaraderie over unsatisfaction with the battle. "Um, I'm not sure I get that. Are you saying like, being the strongest would be boring because you don't have room to improve?" Lilac tried explaining what she thought Tesni said as a way to hopefully get correction on what Tesni meant.

[User]
Suzuya Kuzunoha

The lessons were concluded for the night, or so Burning Heart believed, her attention pulled from peers and students to find what should have been a lesson was more a spectator sport. How embarrasing would it have been had they failed miserably with so many seniors and peers watching over them? The vulpine Magical Girl shuddered and chose to hop off of Xolys shoulder as more new faces came from stand and shadow alike to either introduce themselves or peruse them like one does a merchant's wares.

With a slow blink, Burning Heart stopped, reconsidering that maybe her sour impressions of, well, the entire landmass of England and all therein, was making her a touch paranoid. Her transformation unfurled around her, a swirl of flame the rose dispersed on the wind to leave skittish, old Suzuya in her place. In Xolys shadow. Her heart slammed into her throat and she nearly bit her tongue stiffling the imminent urge to shriek.

But...she knew he wasn't slimy. That counted for a lot, even without her Grimoire girding her will actively, and she tentatively reached her hand out. Just a pat, light and brief as though expecting to bitten, before withdrawing to her side. She'd touched him, and he was most definetly dry! The blonde perked up, imaginary ears wiggling atop her head before she remembered she wasn't a fox at the moment- Err, at all!

"I think I can sleep without transforming tonight..." She murmured, hands curling under her chin as pulled her sweater to hide the excited flush of her cheeks and the giddy pull to her lips. There was a pleased warmth coming from her Grimoire, and she wondered if she actually needed a tuner to get in touch with it.

[Assistant]
Valeria's lessons were not clicking like she wanted them to. She had hoped to be the cool teacher that let the students do the fun stuff the more conservative staff would not allow, but things were not so easy. Perhaps she wouldn't be a natural fit for this role as she had thought but she quickly cast those doubts aside.

"Oh I wanted to go easy on ze kinder. Now I am regretting my choices. They performed very well! No problems on the surface."

Valeria greeted Ozma with a wave and her trademark enthusiasm. She'd clap her metal hands together and return her attention to her protesting students. Suzuya's glare did not go unnoticed, and Valeria was tempted to respond back by sticking her tongue at her. She'd have to remind herself she's supposed to be a good role model and Ozma was counting on her. Instead, she'd take all three girls together in a tight group hug enforced by her steely metal arms, bringing them all together. Probably not much more mature, but Valeria was a hugger.

"Listen. My comments were not meant to be so harsh! You destroyed that hulking beast in a single maneuver, very impressive and your power is in no doubt! But the Ministry does not like lone wolves, I learned that the hard way." She'd pause a bit, recalling very specific memories. "It is not about who is strongest or who is weakest, Lilac and Tensi. I thought that way myself once! I am a big angry German war machine, and I can summon anything I want at my disposal! Why would I ever want to work with a team, they'd get in my way! I thought that way for a long time...and then one day my arm was nearly destroyed in the middle of a battle against a Pageless. Ozma actually saved my life there, with her grimoire. Our stories make us strong but stories are not told alone, they are shared in a group. That is what I've learned. To value what the stories of others can bring to you, and they can make the grimoires you carry even stronger."

Valeria blinked after she finished speaking, shocked to hear herself open up so much. She's left wondering if she was spouting complete bullshit or very insightful teacher commentary. She'd let everyone else be the judge of that. She'd release the students and give them a wave goodbye.

"But either way, don't hide your feelings. I appreciate the honesty from you all. Now if you'll excuse me I think I am being called away..."

Maria finally arrived, and summoned Valeria away from her students. She'd give her farewells and last minute commendations before observing the lovely new lady. Drossel had her items to offer to the class and she did not want to get in the way of her. Always had to help a fellow German.

"Don't call me Miss! Val or Valeria is fine! What do you require of me? I don't think you plan to become my student too, ja?"

[User]
It sounded like the students were wrapping up their night class. Charlotte kept one ear on the arena and one on Maria and the newly introduced Celina. It wouldn't be long before everyone was dismissed back to their dorms for the night but for now, they had a minute or two to lounge about. After all, the only consequence was, of course, being late to their morning classes. Charlotte turned her full attention on Celina even as she gave Maria a nod and farewell wave.

It was like night and day seeing the two girls beside each other, if only momentarily before Maria left to bother Valeria. The difference in their magic, the difference in their experience; it was like a contrasted conduction of energy between Maria and Celina. Soon enough Charlotte's instincts were confirmed when the blonde introduced herself as a new student. Somewhere in her head the redhead wondered if Celina assumed she was a teacher. Or maybe the Grand Minister set the new girl up to approach her? It was all coincidence and, frankly, doubtful. But one could never be too sure in a school where the dean predicted all possibilities.

She was just about to welcome Celina as the new student she was before a rush of magic plumed in front of her. Gone was the blonde, now replaced with a stark red hood and wolven ears that could only mean she held the Little Red Riding Hood Grimoire. Charlotte's expression paused for a good moment before her eyes twinkled and smile widened. "Oh wow you're…so….cute!!!" The Crimson Comet was mere inches away from the new girl in a matter of moments, gaze sparkling as she looked up and down the wolf girl's transformation.

"We haven't had a student with that kind of Grimoire yet! Your ears look so fluffy too! Can I pet em? I'm gonna pet em," the Brit said with confidence that would not be shaken. She did just that, marveling at how soft Lupin's ears were with gentle pats, the gray tufts just peeking out from under her hood. "So cool, so cuuuuute….oh, uh, welcome to Marrywell too. I'm, uh, not actually part of the staff so…." Charlotte unconsciously kept patting even as she said, "I can point you to a teacher but your schedule should be in your dorm by the time ya get there."


[System]
Gender:
Male
Age:
18
Grid:
Luminosity
Secret Gift:
Illusion Imagery/ Projection- Colt has the ability to project illusions on someone's mind. He can alter his appearance this way as well as make people experience their worst fears or put them in a life or death situation in their mind. He will mostly use his gift for changing his appearance to sneak into places and steal things. He does use his as a weapon though, against those he fears will hurt his family.
Weapon of Choice:
Pair of dual katanas that was given to him by his parents. They have white hilts with a single red strip around the middle of the hilts.
Gear:
The usual Guard gear, plus a pack with a survival kit in it. Also he tends to wear tennis shoes more than boots with his Guard uniform. He wears his katanas on his back in sheathes and he has a pistol on his hip as well. He has two knives on his legs and one on his left forearm, all in sheathes.
Bio:
TBR in the RP
Habits (Optional):
Nothing
Theme Song (Optional):
Enter Sandman by Metallica
Other:
Nothing

[User] Estella was sulking over her black eye. Still, she made an effort to watch the remainder of the fights. While she felt bad that Lilith lost, she was kind of glad that Mason won and hoped he would continue on winning. She made her way to Lilith and said, "You did well, too bad you were going against Mason." Her hand was still covering her swollen eye and she really hoped that Lilith wouldn't comment on it.

[Assistant] Finn sighed before picking himself up off the mat. He'd lost and now it had probably just reinforced everyone's thoughts that he was some spoiled, Principle brat. He moved towards the wall where he slumped down to the floor. He wasn't exactly in the mood to talk. His body ached and his pride was probably more bruised than anything else. He'd come here to make a difference but he knew he wouldn't be able to do that if he didn't get better. He chewed his lip as he watched the next two Recruits get ready to fight, trying to put the thought of his own loss out of his head.

[User] Nya waited against the wall, continuing to observe her peers. No one stood out as high competition to her though there were a couple kids who weren't terrible. Sure, there were students who were stronger but they tended to be sloppy. She could see their moves before they executed them. It was written on their face and in the way the held themselves. Their muscles would tense, their weight would shift, and then bam - they'd punch from their favored fist. She was deep in thought when Sky announced the next round of competitors. Nya heard her name and her heart sank. She was going to fight Colt. He was the one person she knew may be a threat. He seemed to know his body more than the others did. She took a deep breath. No use in worrying , she thought. Nya went back to looking around. She considered going back to the girls she had first tried to approach when she came into the room but decided againt it. She wasnt really in the mood for small talk. Then, She looked over to Seril and saw him still wiping blood off his face from his round with Chess. She grabbed a towel sitting on a small table a few feet from where she was standing and walked it over to him. "Shitty match, no?" She handed him the towel, hoping he was in the mood to take her mind off her upcoming match.

[Assistant] Seril took the towel laughing as he proped himself up on the wall "That kids pretty fast, I wonder if he'll be able to even fight Mason" he said imagining the bigger boy ripping the smaller one in half, he shivered. Not a pretty thought. Wipeing the blood away he chuckled under his breath, he hasn't thought he was gonna win but he thought the fight would have lasted longer than that. The other boy was just to fast though, before he evennknew it the other boy was dropping a foot on him at dangerous speeds. Serilcould tell this wasn't the first fight the boy had had with a bigger opponent. He looked back at Nya, "Was I that bad?" He said thinking of how much of an ofe he must of seemed like.

[User]
Derric Vs Dyana!

Derric frowned as he heard the announcement of the next fight. Another girl? He didn't have any problems fighting them of course, but he much more preferred punching makes in the face... It gave him a lot less of a feeling of guilt. As he stepped up to the mat he faced his opponents, narrowing his eyes. There was something off about her... He felt as if the room began to spin without any warning, causing him to suddenly stumble back slightly and close his eyes. Holy shit there was a ton of emotion spilling off of this girl... That was a huge problem. Once he had recovered from the sudden assault on his sense, he stepped forwards and nodded at his opponent, already knowing he was at a serious disadvantage.

Dyana silently screamed in happiness from Colt winning his battle, but at the same time dreaded it. She almost couldn't stop herself from thinking about his guy and his whole attitude changing from last night to now. Her mind started to go into a daze until she slapped herself in the face "Focus on the task at hand dumbass...focus..." she heard her name go up on the next bracket and yet another silent cheer out as Colt wasn't her next opponent. Instead the guy that had faced a girl prior was. She still felt her emotions going from between her task at hand and to Colt, but she walked after her opponent who was heading to the mat. She noticed that he seemed to stumble a little but waved it off and shook her hands a little, getting rid of her jitters. Nodding back, her face seemed to go flat and waited for the match to start.

Derric narrowed his eyes as he observed his opponent carefully, attempting to use his gift in order to retain focus. Unfortunately it seemed to be doing the exact opposite, which meant throwing off every single sense he had. His sense of smell, sight, sound... Everything seemed to go haywire until he gave up trying to use the gift entirely. It was only confusing him. "Focus Derric..." He mumbled to himself as he slowly took a step towards her to gauge her reaction .

Dyana moved back slightly, smiling a little "Guys got me shaken already..." she moved to the side of him and started to attempt to circle around him, not so much making an approach but more so trying to get the matvh moving instead of still.

Derric mirrored her movements as he began to circle her as well, pressing his lips into a thin line. He actually had little-to-no experience when it came to hand-to-hand combat, which meant he usually relied on his gift to give him the ability to fight back. Without it he knew he was in a majorly unwanted position right now. Knowing they were on the clock, he quickly stepped forwards and threw the first punch, heading straight for her head.  "Might as well jump into it..."

Dyana was a bit shocked at how fast he was striking, but how open he was. She quickly quickly grabbed his fist and arm, using his weight against him, and pulling him up and over her, slamming him into the ground. Releasing him, she stood over him and fired off a punch towards his face.

Derric felt the wind leave his lungs as he hit the ground with a sizeable thud, however that was fortunately not enough to stop his reaction to her punch. His hand flew to the side in a sweeping motion, knocking her arm to the side so that her blow only barely missed the side of his head before he attempted to shove her off with as much force as he could muster with the little air he had.

She was shoved back and rolled backwards onto the floor and landed on her back, kicking herself up, she started circling him, letting him get up and catch his breath, she wasn't smiling much anymore and yet another thought of Colt popped in her head, making her even angrier.

Derric's face visibly formed an expression of pain as he felt her feelings of anger flow over him once again, once again muddling his sixth sense to cause him to lost concentration. He did his best to recover and take a readying stance as he hopped off of the floor, but he had to admit he was most certainly confused as to what in the world was going on at this point.

Dyana watched him get off the floor, then in complete sense of anger, she ran towards him, sending a fast kick to his right side with all her strength.

Derric barely even moved to block it, feeling the strike his side with enough force to stagger him backwards as he grunted in pain before doing his best to recover, using his already moving momentum to spin and send another kick back at her side.

She saw him stagger, and saw his body move to kick her with his momentum. Ducking under the kick, she got low and moved to sweep his other leg that was keeping him up.

The boy moved his body to take the brunt of the fall on his back, doing his best to roll backwards and stand up quickly. The girl seemed to be entirely focused on anger now... As long as she focused on the one emotion he would be able to use his gift to imitate her ability to fight.

She went back to circling Derric, thinking for a moment, then she ran towards him again, this time sending a jump kick towards his chest, she would never try a move like this, but her anger made her want to get this match over with.

Derric smirked as he stepped forwards, confident he could counter this move... However he made the slight oversight of assuming that she was done with her anger. Unfortunately as he stepped forwards the girls emotions spiked past anything she had before, causing him to essentially stumbled directly into the kick and fall onto his back harder than anything the girl had thrown at him up until this point.

Dyana took the chance, quickly jumping on top of him and putting her knees on his arms. Sending a vicious right punch into Derric's face. Then sent a left hook, effectively knocking the kid out completely. Dyana got off his arms and felt his pulse, making sure he wasn't dead, before sighing and getting up, bowing to Sky and then to Derric before stepping off the mat and going up against the wall.

[Assistant] Holy damn! That girl beat the shit out of him. At least she took his pulse. Alda let out a short whistle and stepped forward, hauling Derric off of the mat so that he'd be safe from the next set of fighters. "Hey sleeping beauty," she murmured with a sharp grin, giving him a couple of gentle slaps to attempt to wake him up. "How's it feel to get your ass beat so hard that your soul leaves your body?" Of course, she was only referring to herself but she assumed that he wouldn't know. "Apparently her name's Dyana, but it's probably closer to Karma, amirite?" she added, looking around in hopes of having her stupid joke acknowledged.

[User]
[@CLIW

Derrics head was pounding as he vaguely heard his friend speak, though it was far off and sounded as if it was echoing over and over again. He had enough coherence to hear the las thing she said before he groaned and slowly sat up. "Fuck off." He mumbled weakly, though he gave her pained smile to let her know it was all in jest. "She had an unfair advantage she just didn't know it ..."

[Assistant]
Colt Versus Nya
Colt watched Dyana's fight with interest. He was curious as to what made her so angry, as was Sky. "Alright then… I guess Dyana is moving onto the semifinals," Sky said carefully. Sky then looked back at the bracket. "Alright, Colt and Nya, you're up next." Colt smiled and popped his neck, looking over at Nya, who does not look nervous one bit. He cocked an eyebrow. This was definitely going to be an interesting fight. She looked like one of the more difficult opponents.

They walked out into the center of the floor and Sky began to count down yet again. The two opponents stared each other down. As soon as Sky finished, Colt launched himself at Nya. Nya swiftly side stepped him and shoved him into the wall, doing the same move Citrine did. Colt slammed into the wall and coughed as the wind was knocked out of him. Nya reared back to kick him against the wall, but Colt quickly dropped to the ground and Nya's foot hit the wall. Colt rolled away and jumped back up to his feet.

Colt charged directly at her again and swung a punch at her. She slipped underneath his arm, grabbed it, and yanked it behind his back. He let out a yelp but didn't back down. He slammed a foot into hers and ripped her around, slamming her directly into the ground. She saw stars as she looked back up at him. He tried to slam his fist directly into her face, but she rolled out of the way, rolling directly at his legs. He jumped over to her and that little bit of time managed to allow her to jump back up to her feet. This time, she rushed at him. She surprised him though. She slid to a stop a few feet away from him and slammed a hard blow directly into his jaw.

He felt something pop, but he didn't stop, even as a blaring pain shot up and down his jaw. He didn't want to hit a girl to ruin her pretty face, but Nya had just pissed him off. He slammed the heel of his hand directly into the center of her face, possibly breaking her nose, he didn't know, and tried to roundhouse kick her temple. Still stunned from the blow to her face, but not enough to knock her out, Nya blocked his kick and twisted his leg. He jumped up and kicked her in the temple with his other heel. She fell to the ground, dropping her leg, but almost immediately jumped back up. Colt stared at her, panting. What the hell was this girl? An Anomalous?

She swung another punch at his jaw, but he deflected it. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it back behind her back. He began twisting and he knew immediately that he could break it. Sky knew it as well. "Colt, stop," Sky hissed. Colt didn't stop. He continued to twist and Nya let out a gasp of pain. "Colt, enough! You won, alright?!" Nya whimpered slightly and Colt punched her directly in the temple, shoving her to the ground. She swung another punch at him, hitting him in the cheek this time. His fury overtook him and he nearly leapt on her if Sky hadn't come and knocked him away. Sky pinned Colt to the ground and glared down at him.

"Colt, you need to learn to control your anger," Sky hissed at him. Sky shoved him into the ground and Colt glared up at him. Sky walked over to Nya and helped her to her feet. He took her over to the wall and leaned up against it, glaring at Colt. "Colt wins." He then looked at Colt closely. "But if ANYONE does that again, they will be kicked out of the Guards before you can even say sorry." Sky gritted his teeth and walked back forward.


[System]
Appearance: [A younger version of the following]
Age: 16
Race: Nord

Gear: Stormcloak armor, hide boots, Forsworn bow and arrows, steel dagger
Items: Lockpicks
Abilities: Advanced lockpicking, average stealth and pickpocket, amateur archery and one-handed

Job: Adventurer
Bio: Raised in a small and well-hidden orphanage near Falkreath, Felix had no knowledge of his parents whatsoever. He were told tales of the Dragonborn even before he saved the world by defeating Alduin, which fascinated the young boy in need of a hero. Determined to become an adventurer and one day meet the Dragonborn in person, he left the orphanage a year ago despite his loving caretaker's worry. The harsh life as a novice wanderer almost killed him multiple times, but he managed to stay alive and keep his kneecap intact. Having done his fair share of petty crimes to survive, Felix is now quite adept at lockpicking and pickpocket without being noticed. While he can use bows and one-handed weapons, he avoids them most of the time simply because he's not good at them. He is now staying in Riverwood.

[User]
@Evil gnome

Before Felix could utter a single word, another customer visited the general store. "Greetings! This one sells alchemical ingredients, yes?" The enquirer was a Khajiit. Felix stood silent and watched as the elf introduced her store once again. Jo'marash the Khajiit followed Valrona into the store; Felix then got in behind them.

The curious customer seemed to be in search for some kind of alchemical ingredient. Felix decided it would be best to wait for the two to finish their deal. He knew next to nothing about alchemy anyway. Meanwhile, he could try to befriend the black wolf who was casually strolling around. "Hi, Yang..." Felix usually stay far away from wolves, but this one seemed pretty tame and relaxed, plus the owner was just there.

[Assistant] Jo'marash didn't know how many he needed, but he knew that you never could have too many ingredients. " Hmmm…. One can never have too many ingredients, but Jo'marash is a little short on coin at the moment. Khajiit will have 1 bushel." He said as he walked towards Valrona with a septim in his paw.

[User]
@Evil gnome

Valrona smiled as he asked for only one. "Here...I will make you a deal. I will sell you two for one gold. It looks like you need it." She said knowing she was selling it at a loss but she knew if she made a good deal for him that he would be sure to come back to her shop if he needed anything else.

Yang smiled at the man addressing her. She walked up slowly to him and licked his hand and wagging her tail. It was rare that she could make new friends after the attack. She walked off and came back with a small ball of string dropping it at his feet.

[Assistant]
Illium Vethlot - Helgen

At first glance the room beyond the door seemed disorderly and messy. Illium had been inside on more than one occasion and could explain in great detail how organized everything was beyond the initial shock of seeing things everywhere. As the door to Casimer's house swung open, Illium's head turned back around to peer at his friend. The man had obviously just stopped working, or atleast took a break to answer the door, when he had arrived. Then again, Cas did give a time of day to have it delivered.

When the other man's gaze turned away from himself, Illium turned once more to look towards Helena's. The thought crossed his mind that they wouldn't send anyone with aid, but then he turned back to address the man with a question.

"We did send a runner to Whiterun with a message saying we'd been attacked, right?"

[User]
Casimer Demetrius-Kahn - Helgen

His brow furrowed deeper at the question. With a weary sigh, he shrugged his shoulders.

"No one's told me anything."

He peered out again towards Helena's, his features adapting a more thoughtful expression. "But Helena will know.". With that, the Imperial took a step back, allowing Illium access to his home. "And if you have the time, we can get that metal stacked over here" - one hand jerked to point in the direction of the small stack Illium had spotted earlier - "and then head down."

[Assistant] "Alright. Perhaps I shall check in the store. I suppose guarding the town is a worthy endeavor in light of attack here." Ardashir shrugged and padded his way over the the store, where he found Valrona and some others.

[User]
Wolfgang finished up blessing the temple and organizing the furnishings, which were for now just a bed for himself and some shrines since he had spent most of his money on the temple itself. He made a mental note that at some point seats would need to be added but until then those who entered would have to kneel to pray.

Wolfgang walked outside equipped in his full set of gear, the town was half destroyed of course but considering its state it was bustling with many people, even an argonian and a khajiit had made their way here. He walked up to two people talking "Hello brothers, I am Knight Protector Wolfgang Vestenheimer. I've recently built a temple here and it now serves as a headquarters for the The Knights of Aedra and Protectors of the Blessed" Deciding on the spot that was the name for the order which was a mash up of the two names he was considering "I invite you to come pray sometime soon, and if either of you are the fighting sort perhaps you would be inclined to join?"

@GrizzTheMauler

[Assistant] Cedus followed Ardashir to the general store. The Argonian had won his friendship. He was quite an interesting fellow, in his opinion. And most likely brilliant at fighting. "Would you like to go on an adventure soon?"

[User] Corinth chuckles. "I would be interested. The god I serve is Talos, like my father and the ones before him. No matter what the damn Thalmor have to say about it. I am Corinth Frozen-Hammer, I am currently the Captain of the Guard here in Helgen."

[Assistant]
Vauldis viewed the ruined town before him. He had noticed the wreckage the previous night, he had also noticed the group attempting to rebuild the town. This could be an opportunity to gain some renown in the province. And renown can attract admirers. Admirers can become servants. Or food.
Approaching the ruined town, he observed it from a closer distance. There were several buildings already being constructed, the necromancer noted the church with disdain I should burn that if I get the chance, who knows what trouble those Divine worshipers could cause for me.
As the argonian reached centre of the town he looked around where he noticed many of the townsfolk entering a store. He followed, grasping some of his concoctions from his robe as he did. Entering the building, he spoke with a somewhat weak and raspy voice "Does anybody require an old alchemists service? I noticed the activity around the town and thought you would appreciate any help you could get." Vauldis noticed the young argonian wearing hide armor, presuming he was a fighter, he revealed a red poison vial He added the last part of his sentence hesitantly, he knew little about his races traditions but he was sure they refer'd to each other in such a way.

[User]
@DriveEMOut

"An adventure? Sure. We can call it a hunt. If any of you need to find an excuse to go off to war, you can call it that." Ardashir flexed his clawed toes, a sign of enthusiasm for a trip among argonians. "And yes, I would appreciate any and all help I can get. I was thinking we could raid a ruin not too far from here. One of those old nordic barrows. Maybe do some actual hunting if we have time."

[Assistant] "Sounds good. Would you like to go now?" Cedus was shifting balance back and forth between his feet, bursting with anticipation. His sword and pack were strapped to him. He had several rations in his pack, as well as a canteen and a compass. He had been waiting for the right time, and now seemed to present itself as such.

[User] "I'm ready, so if you are, yes. I have my weapons on me. Got some magic too. If this goes well, maybe I'll buy a new longbow, or maybe get one from one of the enemies we're going to face." Ardashir opened the door and walked out of the building.

[Assistant] "Ah Talos? Interesting" Wolfgang said. Even before the Thalmor shoved their jackboots down the empires throat there had been intense theological debate in the ecclesiastical community and various holy orders on the divinity of Talos, with Wolfgang himself spending many hours debating and nights pondering the question. Eventually Wolfgang settled on the idea that while Talos was certainly not Aedra, he however managed fit into the category of God anyway, alongside Lorkan and Anu, and had earned the right to be worshipped. "Fear not, I'm no Thalmor agent, your Talos worship is fine with me. Speaking of which, welcome aboard. Come by the temple when it pleases you so you can be officially inducted"

[User] Cedus followed. "Let's go mate! Now, I'm thinking we could see if there's any bandits who've stolen metals that I could use for my work. Or money. So I could buy a workshop. Or weapons. So I could sell them for a workshop." He was already running down the road, before stopping. "Wait, which way again?"

[Assistant]
Corinth nods. "I will, once the men Siddgier sends me get here. Now I must take my leave, I have not slept since yesterday afternoon and I need rest. None guide you, friend." With that, Corinth heads back to the keep to get some much needed rest.

Off in the distance, voices can be heard coming from the south west. Soon, the familiar banner of Falkreath can be seen as a caravan with some guards enter. A courier runs through the town and enters the Inn.

"Afternoon, may I speak to the owner of the establishment?" The courier heads over to Helena.

Guards start heading towards the keep, talking amongst themselves as they lead the carts.

"I hope the place doesn't get attacked again..." One says.

"Aye..." Another nods.

[User]
@Evil gnome

The wolf proved very friendly, licking Felix's hand and wagging her tail, perhaps even more so than most dogs. She then walked away then came back immediately, dropping a ball of string at his feet.

"A ball of... string?" He murmured unconsciously. Is it a toy? Should I do something with it? He was confused, as he didn't have much experience dealing with pets. As the Khajiit and Valrona made a deal, he decided it would be best to simply pick it up and wait for the elf. Meanwhile he continued petting Yang absent-mindedly.

[Assistant]
Vauldis followed the two young men out of the building, still holding the vial of poison in his hand "Would you care to take these off my hands? I will accompany you, I have some uses outside of crafting potions" to prove his point, he fired a frost bolt from his free hand into the woods. "Or do you feel an old man such as myself would just drag you down? Take this poison either way" He said while offering the red vial to the argonian, his pale hands trembling slightly as he held the potion.

@DriveEMOut

[User] Helena was wiping down a counter when the courier entered and asked his question. "I am the owner. What did you need?" There seemed to be a commotion from outside as a group of people made their way across town. She doubted the courier needed any quartering or alcohol considering it seemed he was on official business.

[Assistant]
The courier has a note in his hand. "I was sent by the Jarl to hand this to the leader of this town. To let them know supplies and aid is on its way. Do you know whom that might be?"

The guards enter the keep and see Corinth snoring as he sleeps on the bed.

"Is that him?" One guard asks quietly.

"I'm not sure... He looks like the description..." A second answers.

"He looks like a strong warrior..." A third states.

Corinth grunts and sits up. "By Talos I'm trying to sleep here..." He rubs his eyes as he looks over. "Oh. You the guards Siddgier sent me? Hope you are ready to work. Names Corinth Frozen-Hammer, after when I had my Naming Day I killed a troll with a hammer. Now, Two of you set up patrols at the north gate. One at the South and East. And the rest put any supplies in the keep storeroom. You will find me a very accommodating man. But slack off and we'll have problems. Understood?"

The guards salute. "Yes, sir!"

Corinth nods. "Good. Get to work." He watches as the guards start moving, getting things done.

[User] Yang crouched down when he picked up the toy wagging her hips back and forth to show that she wanted to play. Valrona looked over to see Yang and she laughed softly. "She is trying to have you throw the ball. Don't worry Yang is careful around the shop. She won't knock anything over." She said to the other customer before looking back to the Khajiit.

[Assistant] "Well, there isn't exactly a delegated leader currently," Helena explained, "but I will get this taken care of as soon as possible." Now that she thought of it, they really hadn't decided a leader for the village or even for the reconstruction. Everyone just did what they needed to do in order to rebuild the city. Once the courier made his exit, Helena began informing anyone who entered her inn to meet back an your before dawn and to spread the word as soon as possible. Most people nodded and agreed, others gave some attitude. Either way as long as the word was spread, she was happy.

[User]
"Thanks for the poison. Not sure if I'll need it, but it always helps to be prepared." Ardashir placed it into a pocket, keeping the vial secure. He then turned to Cedus.

"This way. Follow me. We have to get out of Helgen and onto the main road, in the direction of Riverwood. Not that we're going all the way there, of course."

[Assistant] So it was a toy. It was quite obvious judging from the wolf's eager tail-wagging, but the master's confirmation made Felix smile with relief. He tossed the ball to the other side of the shop lightly. "There, Yang." It was his first time meeting a wolf that didn't want to kill him. Instead, she wanted to play with him. He found it very soothing, especially after his distance-wise short yet treacherous journey from Riverwood.


[System]
Appearance:

Gem: Sodalite

Gem Location: back of left hand

Emotional Strength:h Honesty/truth
Emotional Weakness: disregard

Weapon: Shovel/gauntlets

Power: omilingualism/Vast Multilingualism - knows a wide variety of languages, and can translate and read them almost fluently. Reasonable Larkin for error for when she thinks, speaks, and writes in all different languages, making her a giant mess of different languages.

Other: Her desire for the truth often leaves her indifferent towards things like safety and even whether or not if some things should be left uncovered.
-Is a media nut
-Overlord of useless information
-MASSIVE hoarder

[User] The music was different now, but Sodalite didn't mind. It was still pleasant to her ears, and put a different set of emotions into her mind. Still, she said nothing, and bobbed her head to the new rhythm of the music. It was much nicer now that Emerald was in a better mood, and allowed her to hum quietly in peace. The van was comfy, cozy, and she felt like she could spend another unknown amount of time just sleeping in there like the apparently did in her hole back in the Kindergarten.

[Assistant]
[Feel free to post stuff taking place before this post at your disgression.]

As she felt the van slow to a stop, Spinel went completely invisible and waited for someone to step out of the van. Of the sensations she'd observed so far, she was sure that peaceful isolation was her favorite, but the anticipation of frightening someone took a close second. Maybe it will actually work this time. Then again, since most of the people in the van knew she could become invisible, maybe not.

[User]
Click.

Recording ended.

Taking the video camera off his tripod and placing it on his lap, Gilles began to scroll through his clips, occasionally pausing one to write what were probably either notes, or perhaps edits to his script, on the pad of sticky notes by his side, which he later stuck on his papers. After finishing his scribbling, he would then delete the clip, giving a goofy grin and an awfully cheery "Adieu!" as he did so. It wasn't too often that he took his scenes away from Mohs Town, so doing so meant that this video would be special, and therefore he'd be a bit more picky with what made it into the video and what would not.

His scrolling, however, had come to a sudden stop. Fingers that once hovered over the 'trash' button immediately dropped down. He blinked once. Twice. And then he hit the 'play' button once more, a goofy grin spread on his face. If he had been excited before, as he usually was while recording, then he was ecstatic now, for somehow he had captured something truly unusual.

In the background of one of his recordings, a van seemed to have driven by, drowning out his voice. Under normal circumstances, he'd have probably deleted it for that very reason, but ironically enough, the van was reason behind why he did keep it. Why was that?

Atop on the van was a person.

Except people don't glow like that.

Hello? Mystery!

The video could wait, and Gilles could not. And so he quickly folded his tripod, gathered his papers, turned off his camera, shoved them all into his carrier, slung it on his back, and took off in the direction of the van with his arms made like an airplane, giggling to himself like a sugar-crazed five year old. He had no idea what it was that he had just seen, but he was determined to find out. Besides, if he wasn't mistaken, it wouldn't be too hard; he'd seen that van around town. It shouldn't be too hard to find, right?

[Assistant]
As slowly as it started, the van that Sodalite and the group of gems were in began to slow to a halt. She shifted slightly as they stopped, but did her best to keep her weapons on her without letting them be seen. They were hidden under her dress and arms, which was actually somewhat uncomfortable, but she made it work. None of them were currently stabbing her, or if they did, she couldn't tell, and the Gem began to scramble towards the door.

She fiddled with the door for a good minute, trying to figure out how it worked and how to get out, before she was able to open it and escape back into the outside world. The air was back to normal, and while she had no reason to breathe, Sodalite took a large breath of air, relaxing slightly out in the open. Her arms were still close up against her body, trying to prevent the weapons from falling out, but she could be seen relaxing and getting comfortable back out in the open.

She shuffled slowly away from the van, hoping to get a little more room so her weapons would have an even smaller chance of being seen.

[User]
--5052 years ago, near the beginning of the Gem rebellion--

"I can't believe this, how could you go against your own kind. I thought we were partners. What makes these humans so special to you? What do they have that I don't?" Bloodstone shook his head and turned around. "Jasper, Bismuth, let's get out of here. This fool and her 'friends' will see what happens to traitors."

[Assistant]
Following Sodalite's example, Evenkite got out of the van in quite a hurry, refrainign from flat-out running only out of fear of dropping Amber's gemstone. There wasn't anything particularly bad about being in the van, for the crowded space wasn't much of a bother due to her size, and the other song wasn't quite as harsh on the ears. Nonetheless, she was glad to be out in the open once again. There was a lot to see, and the little gem was eager to take it all in. More than that, however she wanted to be away from the others, even if just by a little.

As she wandered off to get a better look at all the unfamiliar sights, her eyes currently fixed on colourful winged creature which some part of her mind registered as a butterfly, something had occurred to her; she hadn't seen Spinel get off the van, but she didn't remember her still being on top of it, either.

Whatever, it's not like she can't handle herself. Besides, you're not responsible for her.

Though she tried to shrug it off, curiosity, as always, got the better of her. Did she care about Spinel? To be honest, probably not. But she was curious as to where she now was nonetheless. Thus Evenkite turned around, gave the butterfly one last glance, and made her way back towards the van, though still keeping her distance as usual.

"Spinel...?" She called out, eyes scanning the area for the faintly glowing gem. It seemed as if the thought of Spinel being invisible had completely slipped her mind.

[User] Spinel had been patient enough. Scaring two people wasn't as good as scaring everybody, but her invisibility power wouldn't last forever and beggars couldn't be choosers. She climbed down the side of the van opposite Sodalite and Evenkite as slowly and methodically as possible, so as to not alert them. She tip-toed behind them, standing about 15 feet away. In her best 'ghost' voice, she said "Johnny forgot to strap me to the roof and I fell off, and you left me back in the canyon! Whatever will I dooooooooo?"

[Assistant]
"NO!" Sodalite shouted upon hearing the disembodied voice once more. She was caught completely off guard, and proceeded to unleash every single weapon that she had been concealing, throwing them all in every direction in hopes of keeping herself safe from the ghost of the seemingly dead gem. The weapons dug themselves into whatever came in contact with, rocks, trees, dangerously close to Johnny's van. Her breathing became heavy, her eyes flickered about in hopes of seeing the so-called ghost, and in an instant, she curled into a tight ball.

Unknown to her, Sodalite's gem began to glow, incasing both of her arms in a soft light before forming two large shield-like devices on her arms. It wasn't until she began calming from her rush of adrenaline that she felt the slight weight of the gauntlets. Still, she refused to stand back up or even open her eyes, and kept a large portion of her body protected by her new weapons.

[User] Emerald awoke from quite a peaceful slumber (This time he didn't snore) to the sound of the van doors being opened by the smaller Gems. He grabbed his Rubix Cube, fully solved, from the floor, before wiping the sleep from his eyes and pushing the van door open with his arm, pulling himself out....only to remember that he still had statue-legs. Emerald fell ungracefully from the back of the van and stared up awkwardly towards the two other Gems. The stone around his legs began to glow and then fell off with a loud clatter, and Emerald stood up with the Rubix Cube. He then began to run in circles cheerfully. "Finally! I can move my legs! This is great!" He then ran around to the side of the van. "Hey guys! I can finally move my legs!" He then shoved the solved Rubix Cube into Johnny's hands before running in circles around the van for a while.

[Assistant] Spinel was internally laughing her head off at Sodalite's reaction to what she'd said. Okay, maybe just one more. She noticed Emerald running around and decided she had a new target. "It wasn't very nice of you all to let me diiiiiiiieee, and now you have to paaaaaaay!" She snuck up behind Emerald. "Since you left me way down in the canyon, it's only fair that one of you give me a ride!" She awkwardly grabbed Emerald's shoulders, thinking that doing so would cause her to slide along with him.

[User]
Though she would most likely deny it afterwards, Evenkite had been shocked at first by the voice, and Sodalite's over-the-top reaction didn't help. For a split second, Amber's gemstone had left her protective cradle and found itself in the air, leaving Evenkite desperately grasping at it as it bounced off her hands once, twice, three, and then a fourth time, until she finally caught it, much to her relief. Whether dropping Amber from such a height would do anything bad was unlikely, but she wasn't going to chance it.

For a few moments, the worry on Evenkite's face remained, until it occurred to her that Spinel could turn invisible.

Wow Eve, not only are you nearly useless, but their idiocy has rubbed off you as well. Great job!

She let out a groan and brought her palm to her forehead with an loud slap, purposely covering her cheeks in an attempt to not let her embarrassment show over her annoyance.

"Spinel," she growled through gritted teeth, her grip on Amber's gemstone tightening, "Not funny. Or scary." That last bit was partially a lie, because she had been shocked.

"I know it's you."

And, of course, Emerald was back to his annoying old self. Just fabulous. Whatever feelings of this potentially being a good decision that still remained with her began to fade away.

[Assistant]
Zircon fell asleep earlier to the music in the same cross-legged position leaned back against the wall. She woke up silently just before the van came to a slow stop. She wiped her face tiredly while following a couple gems out the back of the van. She continues wiping her eye while observing the new environment they are in. Her gaze would wander back to the van and then upwards towards the roof of it. She stops rubbing her eye as she just tiredly stares at that direction. Something seemed different--actually--something seemed missing. Zircon blinks a couple times and it took a few but quite long seconds for it to click in.

What happened to the white gem?

As soon as it clicked in Zircon's eyes widened slowly, and it widened in a way of realization, worry, and scared. As she heard the disembodied voice claimed what happened her face remained the same staring in the same direction. At this moment there was only one word that Zircon could get out as she slowly put both hands to her head, "...CrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--" she didn't get to finish her word when she was cut off by Evenkite and hearing say that she knows it is Spinel. Zircon turns to her and responds while having wide eyes still and an awkward smile as of trying to look like she's calm, but it was a little obvious she kind of wasn't. "P-Psh! Well yea it's her! It's her GHOOOOOO- wait a second..." Zircon suddenly put on a straight face as she thought. There was a disembodied voice earlier right? And that voice was revealed to be... But what if this is the real thing? Or what if it's not? It's real. Wait no it's not. Yes it is. Is it?! MAKE UP YOUR MIND ZIRCON.

[User] Emerald ran along with the creepy ghost on his back-wait, what? "Aaaahhhh!!!" Emerald said, flailing his arms wildly in the air. "Get off my-wait......is that you, fake ghost?" Emerald stopped running and remembered something. His eyes. A smile spread across his face as he turned to face the Gem who really liked to pretend to be a ghost. Then he turned on his lights and started laughing hysterically.

[Assistant] Spinel was a bit dazed from the light, and she let go of Emerald and clumsily sneaked up behind Evenkite this time. She stood about 3 feet behind her and said "Sooo, yoooooou don't think I'm really deeee-eaaad?" Her voice was starting to crack from holding back laughter. "Well, you want to know what I think?" She took another step and tripped over one of Sodalite's thrown weapons. She was in a ball on the ground now and visible, but she was satisfied with herself. "I THINK YOU ALL JUST GOT SPOOKED!" she squeaked, and began laughing uncontrollably.

[User]
Finally, Sodalite looked around once more. Her light glare was focused on Spinel, who was currently a ball on the ground because of the blue gem's reaction. She felt a slight amount of satisfaction at getting back at Spinel, even if it was entirely on accident. It was her fault in the first place for scaring her, and Sodalite considered them even for the time being.

She stood up slowly, examining the large weapons on her arms. They weren't as heavy as one would believe them to be. She gave them a few experimental swings, albeit a little rough and aggressive for just test swings. They would definitely help in carrying more weapons in the future. She was sure about how well they would help in that situation.


[System]
Species: Human/Witchling
Age: 52
Description: Having let her hair grow out, her dark auburn locks are typically tied up in a braided bun, several pieces, refusing to be bound, frame her face, complementing an olive skin tone. A grey strand here and there, depicting age. Her eyes are something to behold; light green surrounded by a thin ring of gold. Freckles sprinkle lightly over a smooth face, nearly void of any wrinkles representative of a woman coming into her fifties. She stands at about 5'7" tall, a petite upper body sitting upon wider hips and thick thighs. Not overly muscular though her body is tone. When exposed, displayed on her back are a number of scars, some seeming a bit more prominent. A rather fresh one sits just above her right brow. She may have aged some from the last time any had seen her, but she certainly doesn't look as old as she is.

Personality: She is typically cold and brash, on the outside anyway. Her overconfident ways have often gotten her in a pinch, but not one that she couldn't ever find her way out of. She never takes the easy way out and has a soft spot for those who have been bullied. Having grown used to the luxuries coin can buy, she would prefer a more lavish lifestyle. Shiny things may distract her from time to time, but it is never to say she had an easy life.

Clothing: She typically wears light fabrics, leathers and cloths of darker shades. A large cowl normally covers most of her features. Dark brown leather boots extend up just past her knees, straps and buckles secure padding where would be needed. Plain cloth pants are held up by a thick black belt, lined with a few pouches and oddities.

Weapons: Through her training, she has become a jack of all trades. Though her favorite weapon is the battle axe strapped to her back. She has a dagger hidden within her boots and one saddled to her belt at her right hip. The dagger hanging from her belt is a curved blade, with a ruby embedded within the hilt.

Skills and Abilities: Part of the reason why the witches wanted to do away with her because she did not have the affinity for magic as they did. However her time in the Assassin's Keep allowed her to develop other skills and techniques:
Shadow Prison: Isabeau is able to shadow step to her foe for an attack. During this attack, her foe's movement speed is drastically reduced temporarily
Wild Blow: Isabeau is able to manipulate the shadows around her weapons, increasing the damage done by her attacks. The attack is usually used when attempting to sunder a shield.
Wildfire: Despite not having the understanding of the weave, as the witches did, Isabeau was bestowed with a gift from her mother. The gift of Wildfire. This gift takes an enormous amount of energy to control and wield. When called upon, the shadows immediately surrounding her will ignite and deadly flames will coat her axe, adding fire damage to her attacks. This generally leaves Isabeau quite drained afterwards

In her time away from civilization, she has learned to tap into the shadow realm. The more time she spent in the dark reflection of home, the less stable her footing became in each world. She would shift back and forth, sometimes without even meaning to.

Magic:N/A -see skills above

Backstory:
Rumors of long ago, tell a tale of a witch who fell in love with a prince from a far away land.

The prince had journeyed far in search of a magical herb that was said to cure a sickness plaguing his kingdom. He came upon a young woman living deep within the woods. Beautiful in every way imaginable, the Prince became enthralled with the young woman and insisted that she leave the woods and return with him to his castle. As tempting as the offer was, she could not leave her home. For she was a witch, just as her mother before her, and so on down the line. Their family and gifts had been banished from the kingdom long ago, and since, they had taken refuge in the forest, tending to the wilds and those who dwell within its sanctuary.

Disturbed by the story, the prince vowed that he would speak with his father to lift their exile if she would return with him as his bride. Gleefully, the young woman accepted. And with the prince as her guest, she spent her last few days in the woods saying her goodbyes and making arrangements for after she left.

Those last few nights blanketed by the stars, we're magical for her and the prince. Though as the story goes, it was the last shred of happiness for the young couple. Grandmother Amari, the high witch of their clan, had high expectations for the young witch. Plans, that did not include the Prince, that would've been especially ruined if the prince took her away to become a princess in the castle. Though a silver lining appeared that would help Amari's plans along. And so the high witch gathered her kin, and her plot for war went into action.

On the eve before the two lovers were to leave for the castle, Amari had one of the youngest within their clan travel to the cottage where the two were staying. She silently crept in, cloaked within the shadows and darkness of the night. With one clean swipe of her blade, she sliced his throat open, and without anyone noticing, made her way back out. He bled out onto the bed next to his beloved, who never stirred, and never realized his death until the next morning.

It wasn't until many months later did they all realize the young witch was with child and when the news had traveled to the High Witch, it was ordered to discard the baby once it was born. The young witch with fire red hair and green eyes encircled with a gold ring would never know her daughter.

Isabeau continued to meet only betrayal and despair as she grew older unfortunately. Bred into a world of death and darkness, she was raised within the Keep of the Assassin's Guild and was honed into the land's deadliest weapon. She was taught to cast all emotions aside, especially that of love. They told her that love made people weak, love would hold her back, get her killed. And just as they had warned her, love had been her undoing and led her to flee.

~~*~~
Since her departure of Waeldeshore, much has happened . Her reasons for returning are her own, but she has vowed to make things right.

[User]
Ionathan could not help but smile back at Genevieve as she smiled at him, he could not remember a time when she had ever smiled before, she had always seemed to have a cold personality but at that instance she had nothing of the sort.

At the mention of the traitor, Ionathan narrowed is eyes and his free hand clenched into a fist. He despised traitors, those who would betray their friends and companions, those who would break every oath that they swore in order to gain some petty desire. But this traitor had not only betrayed her comrades, but also betrayed the forces of good in this world.

"Unless of course you can provide more detail than what is being said already, Hepburnberg."

Placing his Sallet on the table along with his leather gloves he straightened his back, his hands clasped behind his back. He shook his head "I'm afraid I know little about this incident, I was with the guard launching dawn raids on demonic cults that had spawned up over Waeldeshore. I only know that Genevieve had a little...confrontation with the women in question only because a local reported it as a civil disturbance. Although, I might know who she was."

He was going to ask why Genevieve had not gone to the guard for help in pursuing her stolen property but cast the thought aside, if the women is question was the one he thought she was, then asking the guard for help would have been a waste of time.

Ionathan was about to take a guess to who the witch was when Regina floated to Genevieve and asked to let her see the traitor. Using one hand to rub his forehead Ionathan turned to Regina. "You know, you could just ask who she was rather than invading her mind."

@vietmyke @AdamantiumWolf @Zero Hex @The Harbinger of Ferocity @IcePezz

[Assistant]
The sage continued at length about her order and how she was most likely the last of her people. She explained more about the artifact in question, and the gravity of the situations that it could cause if put in the wrong hands. She then spoke of a traitor, to which Emil immediately looked up at her with attention, concern. Could one of the Heroes of Waeldeshore have been a traitor? The idea of any of the heroes from Waeldeshore being untrustworthy or unnoble spat in the face of almost all of the stories he had heard about them in his childhood. He shot a glance of doubt at Sir Hepburnberg for a moment, before quickly shaking his head and dashing all the unease from his mind. Impossible, Sir Hepburnberg was a model soldier, a man that countless young men from both Waeldeshore and Edessa looked up to. Just because one of the heroes had become corrupted didn't mean that the rest of them would be.

Some of the others discussed the identity of the traitor. Emil noticed the beast-kin staring him down, and almost shrank in his seat. The stare was unnerving, inhuman, and rested on him for several moments before the beast-kin Sakaala asked Sir Hepburnberg questions regarding the rogue hero.

Unlike the others, the man Ajax comparatively seemed unconcerned by the notion of the traitor. In fact, he seemed rather unimpressed by the entire situation, requesting further information about their possible monetary gain and their exact duties regarding their foes. If it weren't for the fact that he bore no weapons and wore no armor, Emil might have written him off as every other sellsword in the land. And while the man Ajax certainly had his points, he had all the subtlety of a charging lancer crashing through a library.

Emil continued listening to the others, deciding not to put his own input in this time- he had no desire to appear ignorant or misguided about the current goings on, and didn't know enough about the situation to just spout out his own opinions.

[User]
Genevieve grumbled softly as she looked in Regina's direction. As the hin attempted to enter her mind, the woman would've snapped back, with a loud roar of a voice that only Regina could hear. "You did this once before, never do it again!"

"You know,you could just ask who she was rather than invading her mind." The knight spoke up.

Genevieve sighed and closed her eyes, attempting to regain her composure. "Her name is Isabeau Falkenrath. Her mother was descendant of a high witch, the leader of one of the deadliest clans of this realm. I call her a 'witchling' as she is only half, her father was human. The clan had her father killed, and her mother died not too long after giving birth to the wench. When her abilities had not manifested the way the high witch had hoped, she was traded off and raised by a guild of assassins. She was part of the group that had helped Waeldeshore 25 years ago, and from then, the rest is history."

She paused a moment in thought. "For years, she has ... eluded me, but I managed to track her here. My sources say that she is working with the Maji. Of course it would be best if the guild was taken out, but my sources also tell me that there is so much corruption within their ranks, they're doing very well with thinning out their own numbers without anyone else's help. Once I'm able to acquire the keys, they will be no threat."

"I do not know much about them, however, I can tell you this. The order is well known in the western world for being one of the single most reliable and powerful institutions of magic. The fortress itself is thousands of years old, said to have been made by an archmage of the ancient days. The structure itself is made from a combination of pure runes and hardened obsidian, and is the approximate size of a small city."

"The order was originally created 800 years ago by the archmage Sevria Tarvanox, considered to be one of the greatest human users of magic in history, if not the greatest. Her success came from a discipline, she said, taught to her by an old mage in her early childhood. She dismantled the old line of Runic Magi. Runic mages had long been considered the world's most powerful mages; but Sevria proved that the "Weave", a more pure form of magic, was not only more powerful than runes, it was easier to use and safer. Naturally, the Runic mages didn't like their works being taken apart; but every time they attempted to take her out she became stronger and undermined Runic authority. Eventually, she lead an army of "free" mages to destroy the Vlantian Estate, which was the headquarters of the mages. The defeat caused the Runic magi to scatter and lose all unity; few were ever seen again. Those who were ended up dead after evidence arose that Runic magic had demonic roots."

"She assumed control of the castle the magi are based in today and steadily recruited followers, over the years laying roots. Someone else holds the mantle, but for over a century now, the Magi have developed a reputation of having professional mages, being completely neutral, and having little inclination to interfere in world affairs. Over the past 20 years, the magi have become much more secretive and have begun to withdraw followers from various parts of the world to vanish into the castle they are based in."

"During my search for my missing artifact, I was able to track it to their hold, however, upon doing my own search I wasn't able to find it. I believe they are either hiding it under a cloaking spell or …" She taps her chin gently in thought, "Isabeau can cloak herself in shadows, if she was able to tap into her ability, she could have accessed the shadow realm. Which is essentially a mirror of this realm. They could be hiding it there. I have maps that will direct you to where the artifact should be. I will give you all the information that I have to further aid you in this quest; details of their stronghold, demons that infest the area in question …"

A cough or two slipped out. Her voice started getting hoarse at this point. She cleared her throat and continued. "All that I am asking for is for you to return what is rightfully mine, how you go about it is your choice. I believe the magi will try their luck at acquiring the second and third key. If they manage to get all three, well, you can count yourself among the dead if that happens. What Isabeau's plans are, I'm not quite sure how far she is in with the magi or what her plans are other than keeping that key from me. For your efforts and time, I will compensate you with coin. Fifty thousand each. I hope that will suffice. If you do choose, or if you're able to slay any of the magi, I will pay you an extra twenty five thousand for each head you bring me. Does that sound fair? Are there any other questions?"


[System]
* Age: >500
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: Older than she looks.
* Personality: Ami's a rather relaxed person: she enjoys meeting new people, taking time to paint, and nowadays watching TV. However, she's got a resolute moral core and a sense of duty with her abilities--as bad as vigilantism is, the vampire can't stomach sitting by and doing nothing. This desire to help people is why, despite her age and lack of interest in the actual result, she continues to participate in the White Night every time it occurs--not to mention that she promised she'd keep an eye on it.
Capable of being friendly to anyone.
* Abilities: For one, Ami's a vampire with all the advantages and disadvantages that come with it. Secondly, she's had a long time to work out what her Night affinity is good for. Notably, she has a spell that allows her to function in the daytime despite that normally being a no-go. Her favoured repertoire also includes contact spells to put someone to sleep, or influence the emotional state of a target. Due to some overlap with other affinities, she's also not half bad at illusions.
If combat actually needs fatal damage, however, she's reliant entirely on common spells that, filtered through her affinity, look somewhat terrifying. Unrefined magical damage on a touch--not necessarily by her hands--is her bread and butter if it comes to that.
* Skills: Combat-wise, not all that much: she can dodge vastly well, but her idea of actual mortal combat relies entirely on simply touching someone, so her offensive skills tend not to employ much of the strength that she could use. She's got huge amounts of practice at her current and previous mundane jobs, at least. And painting.
* Equipment: Seeing as she's on her home turf, Ami's very well stocked on the magical equipment side of things, though her actual use of items when it comes to it is pretty minimal. Her bar, however, is very well prepared for anyone not expecting a literal siege. Aside from being quite a resilient piece of property and notably smaller than its neighbouring buildings, it has floorboards with runes on the underside... that simply put to sleep anyone on them that starts a fight. Various structural components likewise cause a minor illusion that obscures talk of the magical from anyone without at least the potential.
* Brief Backstory: Over half a century ago, out of memory of any western magic users or those interested in the White Night, a vampire came to the small settlement that evolved into Rokuro. Their stay didn't really have much impact--except on one of the girls living there, who continued to rely on accommodating travellers for years afterwards, whilst the settlement grew.
Things changed for Ami when the first westerners to arrive in the place were able to take note of her oddity and, when the ritual's real time-scale became apparent, enlisted the local undying girl to keep an eye on it through the ages and to stop it spilling out into the public. A few even spent some time teaching the vampire basic magic so that she would stand a better chance over time.
Thus, over the centuries, Ami has become essentially a fixture of the White Night--stepping in where possible if things are getting too heated to keep it secluded. She's also moved into explaining the scenario for anyone that might happen to just... stumble onto things or enter with incomplete knowledge, though her more pressing concern is trying to prevent the more moral participants from getting killed off and encouraging their success.
She moved out of the hostelry business and now mostly runs a bar, one that still functions as an effective neutral zone and refuge for the White Night: no matter if people were mortal enemies half an hour ago, they'd better not start anything on the premises. It's also one of the few public places in the city where the supernatural can be openly discussed without spilling everything to the public. There are, however, rooms to rent--all conspicuously free now that the ritual's starting, though they have an unmentioned cost...
She's never actually left Rokuro.
* Plot Role: Veteran

[User]
Shi, the Quiet Killer

As Shi walked, she felt as if there were eyes on her. It was a feeling she couldn't stand... why was someone else watching her? It was bad enough already... so many people, it made it hard to breath. She felt so closed up inside. The tiny girl's heart hammered in her chest, as growing nervousness swelled ever higher. She couldn't handle this. What's more, she couldn't risk being followed to her destination. The white-haired girl had to avoid being witnessed, avoid being seen acting as her true purpose no matter what it took. Naturally, this extended beyond simply avoiding the eyes of others. Far, far beyond it. But she had to lose whoever was following her. As much as she didn't want to be in a crowd, with so many people around her, so close... losing someone like this wouldn't be hard, would it?

Shi glanced over her shoulder to try and get a quick look at who was following her, taking her eyes off her path for only a second. She felt herself hit someone, some person, and with a yelp fell backwards onto her bottom, the book tumbling from her hands as she tried to brace herself to avoid knocking her head on the concrete.

Realizing what she had done, the white-haired girl sat completely still for a moment, before slowly looking up towards the person she'd knocked into. Shi's red eyes were wide, her lower lip trembling as her body lightly quaked.

---

Ando Asami, Closer to the Origin?

Asami's hands remained firmly in her pockets as she walked along. She came to a pause after a few moments, her eyes travelling over the nearby storefronts. There was a ramen shop, apparently quite a decent one. Takaki's, ran by a young woman who was apparently quite popular in some circles. There was certainly plenty of time for ramen, that was for sure. It was strange, in spite of this still being a city, it had that nature that only a small town could hold. That way a shop could be known by nearly anyone who lived there. It wasn't something Asami was used to, she had to confess. She lived near Tokyo, and naturally that wasn't anything like a small town. But here, in Rokuro, it was like some sort of hybrid.

It was an odd place to wage such a battle, but it was the only place that permitted such a thing, wasn't it? The only place the White Night could exist in this world. It was a combination of so many factors. As Asami understood, one of them was Japan's isolation from the influence of Mage Circles so long ago, when the ritual was first conducted. That was, at least, part of the explanation for the location as she knew it.

Regardless, this wasn't getting her any closer to filling her stomach. Asami approached the humble storefront, pushing the glass doors open. Immediately she was struck with the delicious smell of ramen... all varieties.

It spoke deeply to her empty stomach.

"Ah, hello there!" said a cheerful, if somewhat rushed, voice from behind the counter. It was the shop's owner, a young woman with short brown hair. Asami returned her smile.

"Hello," she began, brushing her long red hair back, "I'll be a minute, I have to decide on what I'm ordering."

"Ah, right, good! Er, sorry, things are a little hectic!" the girl replied, hurrying off to attend to one of the other customers.

Right.

A meal to fill her stomach before the night. Before the fighting began.

[Assistant]
Kira walked through the streets, trying to figure out where her new residence was located. She sighed as she looked at the paper in her hand, she shouldn't have been so hasty in writing the address down, because now she could barely read it. The woman wore the typical kimono one would see these days, nothing unusual or special about it, pretty plain really. However, underneath it was a secret, something passed down in her family for generations; her family's spirit-bound armor. She also happened to be carrying a bag with her, it's contents clearly not visible, but known only to her. The bag held things she needed, most of them to bind a spirit to a scroll she would later use. There was one thing in the bag that was not used in that process, her family's katana. It was no regular old katana, it was special, handed down alongside the armor to each generation. Now it was her turn, as future head of her family, she was given the treasures to signify she was heir to the family name. However, she had another plan, The White Night. I will do more than inherit the family name, I will make it known by all. she thought. She heard footsteps behind her, getting a good whiff of alcohol coming from the man when he was close enough, his hand reaching out. "Hey! Y-you...shouldn't be o-o-out here...alone...some...guy might t-try to...take a-a-advantage...of a cutie...li-like you..." he stuttered, clearly drunk.

His hand rested on her shoulder, "Remove. Your. Hand." she warned, dropping the bag. The man chuckled drunkenly, "Aww, c-come on...g-g-g-give a guy a b-break..." he started. Before he could finish, she had broken his arm with her bare hands in several places, now turned around to face him. She held the man's throat, the look she gave him was dark, she clearly wasn't fooling around with him. "Don't you ever lay your filthy hands on me again, pig, otherwise I'll do something far worse next time!" she hissed in anger. He nodded, swallowing as he thought she was going to kill him right then and there. She pulled back from him, reaching for her bag, picking it up and slinging it over her shoulder again. Men. Filthy disgusting creatures. she thought, continuing on as if nothing had happened. She eventually arrived at her destination, sighing once she was inside. The apartment was almost bare, aside from a tatami mat and a couple of blankets, So this is where mother stayed during her time, hmm? It's...acceptable, I suppose, there's no need for anything other than food. she thought to herself. The White Night, she wondered just how many there would be this time? It didn't matter, she would win. She had to.

[User]
Tetsuo downed the beer quickly. He said "Guess news gets around fast here. Damn it, I didn't think it'd be like this. I mean, he was joining in the white night, and I knew that the odds of him making it out weren't good, but I just wanted to see him one last time. I wanted him to wait a bit, but he kept saying that this might be the only time for him to be part of it. He had all this stuff planned out, not just about what he'd do during the white night but how he'd say goodbye to everyone. His whole life was leading up to it, and someone killed him before the whole thing even started.". His voice was a low monotone and there was a small tear in his eye.

He looked around the bar for a bit while he regained his composure. The interior was old and ornate, it was strange to see what was a bar mostly populated by eccentrics and outcasts so lavishly furnished. Of course, everyone in the magical community knew that this wasn't just a gathering place for weirdos. A lot of important business happened here, especially when a white night was approaching. He asked "Kotetsu didn't talk much about his social life. I don't know if there was anyone with a grudge against him, or if someone wanted his stuff. It looked like they stole some of his gear, but they knew what they were looking for. Do you have any ideas?"

[Assistant]
Wakahisa Kanon

Kanon stared at the contents of her change purse in slight disappointment. No matter how tempting the smells that wafted from the bakery were, she just couldn't afford it. With a sigh, she picked up her school bag from the ground and slung it over her shoulder. She had hoped to surprise Shiroi with favorite bread, but taking care of the young shikigami and her assortment of pets were proving to be too much for her measly inheritance.

Maybe it was time to get a job? She was in her final year of high school and could always forgo college to go straight into the work force. And really, it wasn't as if she didn't expect this inevitability from the moment of her father's passing.

Not too far from the bakery, she spotted an underclassman that she occasionally noticed around the school and city. Kanon couldn't remember his name (Higurashi maybe?) but she had heard a classmate or two talk about him once. Not that she could recall what that was about either as she rarely paid attention to gossip, either.

With a friendly smile, she greeted the boy with with a wave. Unfortunately, in her absent minded thoughts about the future, she didn't realize that she had left her school bag open. Or that the contents of her bag had fell out one by one, leaving a trail of paper and books.

---

Cornelia Marie Falkenrath

The playground was eerily devoid of activity. Only a single child, clearly foreign, sat on a swing as she stared blankly at the dirt. Cornelia was avoiding going home, or more accurately, she wasn't allowed to return home until the night had passed. Of course, she couldn't even really do anything until it was night fall. So here she was, sitting alone in this empty playground.

Or so she thought.

The crunch of shoes stepping on loose gravel made the young blonde look up. A younger girl stood in front of her, carrying a large purple ball. Curiously staring at Cornelia, she held out her ball, "Do you want to play?"

Cornelia stared back, not uttering a word. Play? She didn't even know how.

The girl scrunched her eyebrows, "You don't want to...? Ah! Do you speak Japanese?"

"... yes," she replied slowly, unsure what to make of the situation. Cornelia really did want to play. But... something in the back of her head told her no. It insisted that she would get punished for playing.

She... hated being punished.

"Does that mean we can play?!" The girl asked again with a cheerful smile.

The magus continued to stare back quietly. A moment passed before she shook her head. The other girl instantly deflated, probably disappointed in how her attempt to make a new friend ended poorly.

"Oh, okay," She said softly before walking off, once again leaving Cornelia alone to her swing.

[User]
The vampire thought. Grudges, huh? If anyone had been planning this for a while, then they'd done a remarkably good job of keeping it to themselves. A quick, one-man job was easy to fly under her radar, especially in the build up to the White Night when there were so many more people than usual.

Ami shook her head, taking the glass and replacing it--though this time expecting payment, "I hadn't heard anything before the murder happened. If you're going to stick around for the White Night... be careful. I've seen people come in assuming it's a one-night fight to the death and throw their lives away aiming for a kill they didn't even need to do."

"If you lose, come here. This is the safest place in the city," she warned, "Don't turn this into a suicide attempt."