[System]
Age: Unknown; looks to be in her mid-late teens
Gender: Female
Appearance: ...Hello.
World of Origin: Touhou Project
Personality: Satori is a shy, introverted youkai who oft prefers to stay out of the ever-critical eye of the public. Though willing to open up more to others, the act is usually one of necessity than out of choice. She also often fails to show emotion, a byproduct of the way she grew up, and as such is quite hard to read. Furthermore, she is passive by nature; Satori will never willingly initiate a fight, instead only retaliating when necessary. Her preference towards more peaceful resolutions is difficult to achieve, however, due to how she... Creeps people out in general. She has a habit of parroting people's thoughts back at them when they annoy her, however, which... may or may not have further cemented her image of being feared and hated. Mannerisms while irritated aside, Satori is fully polite to any and all guests to her mansion...
Who aren't kleptomaniacs or trying to attack her. Or both.
History: Having lived in the Palace of the Earth Spirits all her life, Satori was feared and hated by the youkai who lived in Former Hell because of her abilities as a mind reader. She and her sister, Koishi, lived withing the confines of the mansion, surrounded by pets--the only creatures that would do so, simply because the two sisters were the only ones who could understand them all. Day after day, year after year passed, and eventually Koishi decided to try and escape the suffering by closing her own third eye--an action that would forever seal away her conscious mind and allow her to live life without a care in the world.
Satori, on the other hand, had chosen to persevere; living alone (with her pets) in the palace, became more withdrawn from the world. No other being would come near her anyhow, which only further enforced her actions.
That is, of course, until Reimu and Marisa entered the picture. These two, determined to resolve an 'incident' that originated in the underground, barged into Satori's mansion and, after causing a general ruckus (including Marisa trying to pilfer everything she saw and Reimu blowing half the place up), fought the owner of the mansion. Satori herself was defeated, and though she herself did not know the cause of the incident, directed the two to the Hell of Blazing Fires, where her pet Rin worked.
The incident was resolved soon there after, and Satori was (more or less) forced to come out of her shell courtesy of the two that barged into her home in the first place. Though she still prefers to abstain from interacting with others, the incident has slowly forced Satori to interact with others and become more open.
Abilities: Satori is, well, a satori; a youkai able to read the minds of others and, to a lesser extent, their memories. This ability is manifested within her 'third eye,' which is exactly as it sounds: a third eye, bound by red threads to her body. The nature of her ability, though, means that Satori is never able to not hear other people's thoughts, barring any sufficiently strong mental barrier being in her way. She has since been able to tune things out (for the most part), but with enough people, the voices become akin to a cacophony in her head, endlessly blaring away. Otherwise, it's essentially just a lot of noise; unless she is alone with another person, their thoughts cannot be probed easily, if at all; picking out a single target and focusing in on that target takes a large amount of concentration and does not always succeed.
Another aspect of this ability, though, is to probe into a person's memories in order to find things she may require. Such actions take a VERY long time under most circumstances, however, and in the midst of combat the most she can really do dart around and try to find whatever her opponent's had the most trouble with in the past and use it against them.
As is standard for Gensokyo residents, Satori is a user of the spellcard rules and, as a result, uses danmaku to fight; she can also fly for a period of time, though she would much prefer not to, if at all. Her physical capabilities are passable otherwise, being neither weak nor strong even with how she spent her life with the palace itself.
Other: Prefers black tea to green tea.

[User]
Tachibana Hibiki, Holding Determination in Her Fist

Even as she destroyed more of the insects, more seemed to keep popping up! But that wouldn't stop her! Hibiki raised her right hand back, even as the swarm seemed to be swirling higher and higher. If there were this many, she'd just have to take as many as she could out in one blow! The force from her punches had been enough to kill a few that hadn't even been hit, so that meant if she put even more force behind it... A handle swiveled forward from her gauntlet, and she firmly gripped it, as heat built up inside of her gauntlet. That... thing seemed to be trying to say something, but the girl couldn't tell what it meant. And that only made her pause for a moment.

"Be brave(Let's shout!)! Go in a straight line-"

At that moment, she heard the whirling sound of something moving behind her, and spun in time to see that the blob creature was hurling itself at them, having formed blades out of its body! And... there was Miku...!

"Miku!"

Without thinking, Hibiki spun on her heel and threw herself between her roommate and the whirling creature. She had enough time to raise her hands, feeling the whirling blades slam into her gauntlets, the force reverberating up through her arms for a moment before she felt herself lifted and sent rocketing through the air, towards a railing. That was no good! That had hurt, but it would be worse if she fell off the edge! She had to get back to the fight!

Even as she hurled through the air, the heat built up in her right gauntlet again, and fire erupted out of it, the rocket booster counteracting her momentum. As she reached the railings, she slowed, stopped, and reversed her course, hurtling right back at the creature with her fist outstretched, tearing through insects as she went.

"-no matter WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"

---

Goldibanne, Face of Innocence(?)

Before either of the men could respond, Goldibanne felt a considerable weight on her lap as the huge wolf was placed into the car and laid on her lap... and across the free seats. For a few moments even she was kind of bewildered, but... this did seem rather like the sort of things canines tended to do, didn't it? And her body could support this kind of weight. Her Mistress's excellent craftsmanship ensured it could, and also ensured her maximum levels of charm and grace.

Still...

The living doll reached up and stroked the wolf's head. "Warn Goldibanne before you do that, next time~ I'll have to clean my dress."

The wolf had been killing zombies without extreme heat that cauterized the wounds, after all. Her attention returned to the men, who had not decided to clearly introduce themselves even though she had done so herself. How bothersome.

Oh well.

"It's molten gold, if you're curious~" Goldibanne began, to answer(at least for her part) just what she had been doing, "As for what we're here for, I suppose we're here to get rid of all these animate dead and the ugly skinless things. Well, at least, that's what Goldibanne thinks~"

[Assistant]
Kohinata Miku

Miku was caught almost totally unaware of Arakune's approach, camouflaged as it was by exploding insects, fire, her own lasers, Hibiki's song, and of course the blob's own erratic, unpredictable movement. She was perfectly ripe to get her back attacked by the spinning blades coming from absolutely nowhere on Arakune's person. Then, as always happened, Hibiki stepped in to protect her but got thrown away as well.

This was no good, Miku wanted to help protect her as well! There was only a tiny opening after Hibiki's attack but she was determined to take advantage of it, even if Shanguang wasn't the best attack for this: the fan in Miku's hand split and formed into a full circle that could be described as concentrating all of the attacks from her mirrors into one somewhat more focused barrage--but definitely more likely to hit one opponent right in front of you.

The familiar onrushing sound of rockets and music got an instant response: move up, and take advantage of flight--getting out of Hibiki's path and leaving a clearer shot if Arakune still hadn't moved out of the way. Every time she heard those sounds, she was either falling or in one case being grabbed, and this time she wasn't falling...

---

Sir Artorias

Breaking into a brisk run, Artorias kept pace with the vehicle, inclining his head towards the doll when she mentioned her dress. Not that the knight thought worrying over the staining of one's attire was a proper response to a land so obviously devastated by some foul incursion, but it would be improper to not acknowledge the lady's concerns. Even if preventing Sif from showing attention of their own accord was somewhat beyond his normal abilities.

"I am Sir Artorias, one of Lord Gwyn's Four Knights," the loping knight stated, introducing himself for the first time, "I agree with Goldibanne; unless some force more dire than this infection has arisen in recent days, then this is the challenge before us."

Sif, pleased by the stroking, decided to return the affection and licked the doll's face, happily barking afterwards.

[User]
------------------------------------
13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi - City Streets
------------------------------------

Alex's punch managed to recoil the machine woman but did not let go of him as he had planned. Instead, his mechanical opponent threw him up in the air but he recovered just in time to see Relius coming at him from above with another claw-like appendage ready to skewer him once more. Normally he'd take the hit to catch the golden-haired man right in his hands but he had already taken one and while he could take one more, he decided to save that for when he really needs it.

What Alex did was immediately put up a large, black shield made of hardened biomass, his Shield Power, to block Relius' attack. The force of the attack, however, managed to shatter his Shield and blew him towards the ground but at the least not at all hurt from the attack. The virus jumped to his feet, his innate powers already began closing the wound and repairing his 'clothes'.

Alex figured it was time to take off the kiddie-gloves since it was all too obvious that this Relius was more than a pretty face with a robot assistant. Numerous tendrils of black and red color enveloped the virus' hands and became larger and larger until the tendrils subsided and revealed large, sharp claws, his Claw Power having replaced his hands.

"You're not the only one with claws." Alex dryly said to his opponent.

The virus raised one of his Claws into the air and sunk hard into the ground, making the ground rumble. A couple of seconds later, huge black spikes would erupt from Relius' position.

[Assistant]
The Ripper
"Jack" stared blankly at Philip for a moment, pondering what he'd just said. Well... Of course she'd be upset if that happened to Mother. Mother was everything to her...

We... If someone hurt Mother... Expressionless, she stared the detective right in the eye. "If they hurt Mother, we would have to hurt them back. If they killed mother, we would have to kill them." That's just the way things worked, wasn't it? If someone hurts you, hurt them back. It's the only way to survive in the gutter. Sure, they'd probably try and hurt her back, but that's just how things were. She wasn't born with her scars, after all...

[User]
Hellsalem's Lot- City Waking Up

The man and his partner (Chain, given what he had just called her earlier) stared at the two blankly, turning to glance at who they assumed to be the others in this man's group before looking at each other before shrugging.

"Erm... Well, normally I'd tell you to stop joking around, but the fact that you were so earnest and that your last lie showed that you two are worse at lying than most people... I'll humor you for a while. Convenient, though; it just so happens that we're searching for a few lost people ourselves," the man said, holding out two pictures to the duo. One was of a man who looked oddly like Wolverine, while the other was of a young man without any notable features aside from his goggles.

"My partner and I have been combing the city over for these two ever since last week, but we haven't found a trace of either. Others have been searching, too, but none of them have had any luck either. If you find either of them, can you let us know? Here, I'll give you a disposable cell with my number on it and some money handle the search. If I need to spread out my net thinner and have to use a few more resources to do so, then I won't complain. My name's Steven, by the way. Now, it's been nice meeting you two, but we need to get back to work."

With that, the man handed over a cheap-looking cellphone and a few $20 bills to Shotaro before picking himself up off the bench and walking away with Chain... Somewhere.

Satori, who had watched the entire incident from a distance, decided to walk up to Saber and Shotaro and glanced at the items that they just got with minor intrigue.

"That man didn't seem to be lying, but his behavior entails a lot more than what we've been seeing here. I don't think people give handouts to strangers like that normally; they never did back where I lived, though etiquette might be different here. Regardless, I think we've found our problem... Should we get going?"


[System]
Sex: F

Age: 17

House: Dark Magician House

Appearance: "Very well. Please, show me something amusing."

Duel Disk: Ayami's Duel Disk is shaped a bit like the section of a snowflake, with a design similar to this one. It is a light blue bordering on white, and reflects light similarly (and thus shines when in use).

Personality: Ayami is a bit of a cold person and often comes off as somewhat emotionless at times, causing people to tend to not wanting to interact with her more often than not. As a result, she spends much of her time reading books and stories or watching duel replays online, which only furthers her image as a 'person who acts as if she is higher than everyone else'. That's not really the case, though; while she does have money and does seem like she is disinterested in most things, it does not affect her opinion of people. As a result, Ayami does not hold back against any challengers, for that would not only be disrespectful, but also quite irritating upon herself.

History: The child of an investment banker and a writer, Ayami's life was spent in relative solitude and luxury. She was always surrounded by books and stories that her facter (the latter) would always read to her, planting a deep-seated respect for literature that would keep fast into her adolesence. While her family did have enough of an income to purchase whatever they decided on (within reason), Ayami never desired anything. While her mother was perfectly okay with that facet of Ayami's personality, her father was thoroughly confounded and sought to figure out what his daughter wanted (because it was admittedly difficult to obtain gifts with more variety than 'book' and 'foreign book'). His problems came to a close when he saw Ayami holding a Yu-Gi-Oh card one day and seemed to be looking at it with some degree of intrigue. Taking this as an opportunity, Ayami's father quickly got to work buying cards to assemble his daughter a deck that would work well with the card she seemed to be so curious about.
Years came and went, and Ayami continued to refine that deck ever so slowly before her father suggested she try enrolling in the Saotome Duel Institute, which itself was a sugegstion of one of his old friends. With no real reason to decline, Ayami accepted the offer and has been studying there ever since.

Wish: To find life more 'exciting' than it is now.

Deck: * 2x Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands
* 1x Ariel, Priestess of the Nekroz
* 1x Dance Princess of the Nekroz
* 1x Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz
* 1x Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit
* 1x Effect Veiler
* 1x Nekroz of Decisive Armor
* 1x Nekroz of Trishula
* 2x Nekroz of Valkyrus
* 1x Nekroz of Gungnir
* 2x Nekroz of Brionac
* 3x Nekroz of Unicore
* 2x Nekroz of Clausolas
* 1x Hira, Light of the Nekroz*

* 1x Night Beam
* 2x Reinforcement of the Army
* 3x Preparation of Rites
* 2x Nekroz Mirror
* 2x Nekroz Kaleidoscope
* 2x Nekroz Cycle
* 2x Twin Twisters
* 1x Pot of Dichotomy

* 1x Storming Mirror Force
* 1x Solemn Strike
* 1x Dimensional Prison
* 1x Bottomless Trap Hole
* 1x Nekroz Altar*

* 3x Herald of the Arc Light

Hira, Light of the Nekroz [Solar Legacy]
Level 2 Spellcaster type Effect Monster
500 ATK / 1000 DEF
While this card is on the field, all Nekroz Monsters on your side of the field gain 200 ATK.

Nekroz Altar
Counter Trap
When a Monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck would activate it's effect; negate that target's effect, then you can add one Nekroz Monster from your Graveyard to your hand, except a Ritual Monster. If this card is in the Graveyard: during either player's turn, you can banish this card from your Graveyard; Tribute Monsters from your hand or your side of the field, then Ritual Summon 1 "Nekroz" Monster from your hand whose level exactly equals the total Levels of those monsters. You can only use this effect of "Nekroz Altar" once per turn.

[User]
"I am watching, but I do not know what I must be seeing here."

Marina wrinkled her nose at the chittering insectoid gypsy that now stood before her. It was an offense to her senses, her upbringing, and her heritage. More importantly, it was something that was happening when she did not permit it. Come next turn, she would come down upon this creature like the fist of God.

There was also someone off in the distance, saying something about breakfast. Bah! Breakfast was for the weak. A superior being such as herself only required one meal a day!

Doctor

[Assistant]
"Not at the merchant! Look at my deck!"

As the monster's effect occurred, Fuubi's deck began shrinking as absolutely ridiculous amounts of cards were sent to the graveyard. After a full sixteen monsters were milled, Fuubi finally drew a spell. He flashed it at Marina so she could see its color.

Now as a chain, several effects will take place! First... Sylvan Komushroomo! Its effect lets me destroy a trap or spell on your side of the field!"

If Fuubi destroyed Marina's trap without a hitch, then he'd carry on.

"Next, Sylvan Marshaleaf activates! Its effect destroys one of your monsters, leaving you wide open for my mightiest attack! MAGICAL MERCHANT, ATTACK WITH YOUR HORRIFYING SIX-ARMED SEXUAL ASSAULT!!"

If Marina's field was cleared, the insect would jog up to her and begin making lewd gestures at her with its many arms, unleashing the full power of its pathetic 200 ATK.

[User]
Marina winced slightly at the 200 life point loss. No matter how many times you took them, hits from solid vision still stung. She accelerated back to top smug immediately afterwards.

"Ha! You think you have gained the upper hand, but in doing so have only made me stronger!", she shouted, "-For you see, my trap card was Duston Roller all along! When this card is destroyed, I may add any one "Duston" monster from my deck-"

With this, Marina whipped a card from her deck holder with a flourish.

"-To my hand! It will take more than this to outsmart the great and powerful Marina Viktoriya Kohut, foolish dog!"

Doctor

[Assistant]
Happy to be back in the center of attention again, Aya decided to humor the two boys a little. Maybe it was a bad idea to tell your opponent everything they needed to know to beat you, but these guys weren't her opponent just yet. And maybe if she played her cards right, they wouldn't have to be. A brief fantasy flashed through her mind, and she bit the inside of her cheek trying not to say it out loud. Instead, she fanned out her deck in her hands, picking out a single monster and handing it to Matt.

"See, this is one of my monsters." She said, handing him a sliver of cardboard illuminated in the blacks and reds of a burning populace. Somewhere over a burning wreck of a city, at a scale almost too large for the human mind to contemplate without making a mess of it's metaphorical trousers- A figure, upright, vaguely reptiloid, with a heavy, dragging tail that shook aside skyscraper and mountain alike in it's wake. Two leathery, bat-like wings sprung from it's carapace, wreathed in the smoke and dust of the thousands of cyclones, storms and hurricanes the thing left in it's presence, and the eye was drawn, trembling and unsure, all the way up to the burning embers that crowned this hideous shambling monstrousity, all but confirming in the gaze of that flame-ringed eyes it's superiority over all life. "He's a cutie, isn't he? I call him Doggie!"

"But that's not really important right now, I want you to read the card, first, because nearly all the Kaiju monsters i can pull out have that effect of being able to be given to my opponent basically whenever i want. There's nearly never a situation where you don't have someone else's monster looking at you from across the field, so it's not a problem to get out Kaijus from my deck to my hand, and summoning Kaijus to fight each other is super easy, and - HEY!"

That last remark wasn't so much addressed at Matt, but at the newcomer who'd decided, out of nowhere, to come up to her and start insulting her cute beasties. Even if he didn't appear to have noticed her, he'd insulted her honour. No dignity to anyone who would ever do something so cruel as insult someone's deck. "Beep beep!" She began, putting both hands on the headrest of her chair, trying to hold herself up as she rose out of her seat. She'd presumably interrupted whatever he was going to say to the redhead by screeching all over it, but that didn't matter right now. "Ya wanna back up that trash, or do you just want to get run over?"

[User]
"Tsk tsk tsk. How naive." the biker remarked. The Ghoulish Rider's attacking monster rammed its own bike into Bram. Before it could make contact, however, a pair of pitch black wings materialized over the vampire, protecting it.

"I activate my trap card: Phantom Knights' Wing! It grants my monster and additional 500 attack, and the first time this turn, he is not destroyed by battle!" the biker explained. Using its new pair of wings, Bram pushed Dokurorider Heisei away, back toward the side of the Ghoulish Rider - Traveler of the Highway of Hell. The Crimson Knight Vampire stood proudly, flaunting its wings as it narrowly avoided destruction.

[Assistant]
"Then how about this!? BERSERKER SOOOOUUUL!!"

Fuubi immediately slammed down a quick play spell card. Suddenly, the Magical Merchant's eyes turned red. Its body began to grow, swelling with corded muscle, thorax sprouting spiked ridges. As it reached a height of nine feet, each of its six arms arched into its backpack and in turn, neatly removed a thick, gilded dagger.

"At the price of sending my hand to the grave, I can use the deadliest spell card in the game... And now, I chain Volcanic Scatter shot, who was in my discarded hand!"

Fuubi jammed his last cards into the Graveyard. The scattershot he sent would lauch a sudden fireball out of the grave to inflict 500 damage to Marina.

"I can send up to eight cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard, and for each monster sent, YOU TAKE 500 DAMAGE! HEEEEAAAAAUUUUBLBLBLBAUUUGHH!!!"

With a mad battle cry, Fuubi began viciously drawing cards. With each monster he drew and flung to the Graveyard, Magical Merchant would aim a jagged slice at Marina with one of its many daggers.

Each monster sent seemed radically different from the next, as if there were no common theme to Fuubi's deck. A submarine, a white furred monster, a woman in a jumpsuit, another scattershot (delivering a second 500 lp fireball to Marina's life points), a goblin in what seemed to be a ninja gi, a heavily armored robot, and at last a spell card, forcing the chaotic barrage to a smoking halt and potentially leaving Marina void of life points.

[User]
"Wouldn't it be better to let you find out what variant I'm using instead? Knowing what I'm using is half the fun gone, but guessing what my win condition is... That's a question all it's own," Ayami said, quietly shuffling her deck as Matt asked if knowing archetypes mattered. The answer, of course, was obvious to her.

"To know a person's deck is to know their weapons--what they can do, how they can do it, and what you can do to stop it. All decks have some core weaknesses, and if you know what deck they run, those weaknesses can be exploited. For example, against Artifacts, you would do well to not hit their backrow, lest you trigger something like a Moralltach or a Sanctum. By that same logic, though, you also become able to play around what the opponent might do. In the Kaiju matchup, as you asked--" she began to ramble before being cut off by the one actually using the Kaiju deck.

Well, fair was fair; let the pilot do the talking and all that. Side decking was also something to note, but it felt kind of hypocritical saying as much without having gathered one herself.

The arrival of an egomaniac on the scene put a dampener on her mood, though. While not nearly as aggravated as Aya seemed to be at the moment, Ayami certainly found it rather crude to just insult someone so offhandedly. Blue-Eyes were also a stronger archetype, though most of the duels involving them came from simulations or replays in her experience, and so the aggravator's jeering fell flat on her.

"If you're going to insult someone, at least do it correctly. With that level of cockiness, I can guarantee you'll have a rude awakening in your future," she said, staring at Aya to try to get her to stand down. "The best Duelists have a sound mind and a reliable Deck; you are lacking at least one of those, if not both. I suggest you remain quiet, unless you want everyone else here to become your enemy."

She, of course, would not fight if he began to call for one. Giving in to goading was not on her agenda for the day.


[System]
Age
29
Race
Half-elf
Class/Level
Bard 2
Background
Duelist
Personality
See CS For Details
History
See CS For Details
Stat Generation
Point Buy

[User]
Jub the Peculiar

Jub wasn't sure what he had expected upon questioning the human woman, but he had definitely not be prepared for the barrage of words he received. His eyes started to go slightly crossed as Zavakri continued to speak, and only returned to their usual state once the Big Top Extravanganza began, causing him to tear his attention away from the woman and his thoughts away from finding the kenku. Instead, he simply enjoyed the show, and like Brutrumukk, he cheered very loudly when Palasha and Candlefoot performed.

When Mister Light then called out if anyone wanted to join in with the show, Jub's ears perked up and he was about to stand... only to immediately sit down when the half-elven swordsman stood up, brandishing a sword, called for anyone who wished to duel with him.

Nope. Had it been a magic duel, he might have considered it, but sword-fighting was definitely not his forte, as countless failed sparring matches with his fellow goblins back in his tribe had shown him. However, Brutrumukk stepped forward to challenge the swordsman, Jub decided to take this as an opportunity both to show off his skills to a large audience AND to spotlight his new friend. He followed the bugbear into the ring, making sure to keep a distance from the fight, before attempting to use Prestidigitation to write Brutrumukk's names in sparks above the bugbear, as he had once seen talented firework artists do.

[Assistant]
G A B R I E L

"Oh shi-" raising his weapon, Gabriel deftly deflected the hit with his blade however the duelist bit his tongue with a pained wince as the force behind the bugbears attack was crushing. He spun on his heel backwards from his opponent, with a wide grin on his face and chuckled "En garde, then." it wasn't a fight to the death thus the riposte the swordsman struck was instead masterfully directed to the bugbears shield arm, in a moment where the swordsman saw an opportunity when Brutrumukk dropped his guard.

Suddenly the shield flew to the side as the swordsman glanced a blow off the bugbears arm causing him to release it. Then he held the point of the rapier to his opponents chest. The duel was concluded.

[User]
Brutrumukk

Though his opponent thought the duel was over simply because he'd lost his shield, Brutrumukk still had his weapon and was having far too much fun to stop just yet. The bugbear swung his morningstar and deflected the rapier's point away from his chest. This allowed the fight to continue on for a little while longer, until finally Brutrumukk's weapon was also knocked away. Then and only then did he concede the duel. A grin came to Brutrumukk's face as his rage cooled. Once it had subsided completely, the bugbear let loose a thunderous laugh and gave his opponent an congratulatory slap on the back. "Good fight, mate!" Brutrumukk exclaimed happily. "Let's do it again sometime!"

[Assistant] "Oh, good. Nobody died." Zavakri muttered under her breath as she clapped politely, as if witnessing a pageant.

[User]
G A B R I E L

Gabriel cringed at the sheer force behind the bugbear's jovial slap upon his back, the damned goblinoid had a strong-arm if the duelist had ever seen one "If my back ever recovers..." the bard wheezed, but mirrored the bugbears grin before straightening up and sheathing his weapon. He was bruised and sore, not much worse for wear though "Certainly a strong bastard." he said with a laugh, nursing his shoulder with a free hand.

[Assistant]
Tsak Vlos

---

Tsak was picking dirt from her nails instead of watching the dual. She had to admit that she was more interested in seeing a bugbear there, but mostly cause she always wanted to tattoo one. During this time, she was lost in her head trying to figure out how to ink him with all the fur there. Dye maybe? Not really tattooing but could be just as fun.... huh...

[User]
Witchlight Carnival
The Fourth Hour

What Happens Next...

Mister Light quirked an eyebrow as Gabriel unsheathed his sword, but he smiled when Gabriel made it clear that his act is swordplay. He discreetly moved out of the ring as Brutrumukk comes and displays his show of strength. The crowd gasps and gives various "Oohs" and "Ahs" at the display. Some murmur in confusion over the mention of the kenku, but that doesn't distract them too much from the show.

Gabriel's swordplay against Brutrumukk garnered similar reactions as they watch Gabriel just barely triumph over the bugbear barbarian. They cheered at the swordplay tricks and flourishes that were performed during the spar. They gave an applause to him after the faux battle was finished.

Jub's magical display of Brutrumukk's name gets cheers and applause as the fireworks. It served as a grand finale to the acts Brutrumukk and Gabriel put forth.

After their acts, nobody else steps forward, and the crowd begins to shuffle out. When the party of 6 is reunited, the same lanky bugbear wearing dungarees, fairy wings, and a helmet made from a jack-o'-lantern from the extravaganza approaches them. "Follow me," he growls. "Management wants to see you."

Before leading the party of 6, he looks at Tsak and nods towards the backstage area.

[Assistant]
G A B R I E L

Gabriel frowned, then looked to Aurora and back to the bugbear in his dungarees "I've a bad feeling about this." Gabe leaned over to whisper to the elf in a hushed tone.

[User]
Aurora

Aurora throughly enjoyed the show, though she thought Gabe and Brutrumukk's performances to be a bit too much. The games with Candlefoot, Palasha's songs, and the acrobatics. The acrobatics part of the show did send her back many years ago to the night Xander and her snuck in. She absent mindedly fiddled with her right ring finger with her thumb, remembering the ring she lost that night. Having never figured out where it went she had forgotten about it until just now and the words that were spoken to her when she got caught.

"Silly little screeching cricket," said Witch. "You forgot to buy a ticket."

"The carnival goes round and round," said Light. "The multiverse is our playground. Nothing's free and nothing's lost. Every visit has its cost."

After a few more minutes of contemplation Aurora realized why she had really come to the carnival again. She needed to find that ring, and the scroll that she had with it.

She looked up as Gabe whispered in her ear about having a bad feeling about something.

"What would they like to see us about? Have we done something wrong?" She directed the questions to the bugbear that had approached the group.

[Assistant]
Witchlight Carnival
The Fourth Hour

What Happens Next...

The bugbear looks to Aurora, and with a wave of his hand, he reassures her and the rest of the group, "No, you haven't done anything wrong. While I don't know what they want to talk to you about, I can assure you that there's nothing to worry about. The bosses are in high spirits,"

He then turns to lead the group to management and repeats, "Please, come this way,"

[User]
Tsak Vlos

---

Tsak starts to somewhat pay attention towards the end of the dual, clapping when everyone else does. She would notice Burly's nod, nodding back at him before looking around and following the bugbear.

[Assistant]
Brutrumukk

Once the show was finally over for real this time, Brutrumukk picked up Jub and placed his newfound shoulder goblin on his shoulder. "That was some good stuff ya did back there, booyagh." Brutrumukk said to Jub as he made to clear out with the crowd. "Now that that's over, what say you an' I 'ead on over to the Feastin' Orchard again. I dunno about you, but I've got an 'unger on!" Before Jub could answer though, Burly the Bugbear would come along and ask the party to follow him to see the bosses. "Well this should be interestin'." Brutrumukk said to Jub before following the other Burly's lead and listening quietly to the conversations the others were having with this new bugbear.

[User] Zavakri fell strangely silent and occupied herself at the rear of the party, mentally forming herself into a queue with the others, as the bugbear declared that the management needed to see them. Because of course it did; why else would they have been given tickets? She licked her lips, mentally preparing herself against the dread horror she experienced, as she followed along.

[Assistant]
As soon as the show started, Miizel slunk back into his seat, trying to hide himself. Whether it was because of the chaos he had caused or something else, he didn't know. When Mr. Light entered the stage he had gotten his answer. It was something else. Definitely something else but he couldn't pinpoint what.

All throughout the show he kept one on the Witchlight's owner and another on his crossbow, ready in case anything should happen. He flinched a bit when the human male he was sitting with drew a blade and let out a yelp when the bugbear roared. What are these fools thinking??
Once the theatrics were over he finally managed to breath a sigh of relief, however, just when he thought things were finally dying down he was greeted with two Witchlight hands which wanted to take him and his group to meet management. Although they said there was nothing wrong he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Still keeping a hand on his crossbow, he followed the others.

[User]
Jub the Peculiar

As the audience applauded the show, Jub gave a low bow, making sure his hood didn't slip off as he did. However, even with most of his face obscured, it was clear he was quite pleased with himself, and the flash of an elated grin remained on his face even as Brutrumukk picked him up and placed him back on his shoulder. "Same to you, my good fellow," Jub responded to the bugbear's praise. "You and our sword-carrying acquaintance put on quite a good show." He glanced over at Gabriel, giving a smile and a nod in the swordsman's direction.

He then turned his attention back to Brutrumukk, and was about to respond to his suggestion of returning to the Feasting Orchard when another bugbear approached their group, saying something about the management wanting to speak to them. "Uh oh," Jub muttered under his breath, tugging at his hood once again. His mind was quickly running through everything he had done since entering the carnival, trying to find any possible thing he might have done that would have gotten him in trouble... perhaps his attempt to sell souvenirs earlier, given he wasn't actually affiliated with the carnival? Or maybe he'd scared one too many customers with Eighteyes? He was slowly becoming more and more panicked until the elven woman in their group outright asked if they were in trouble, to which the Witchlight Hand responded that no, no they weren't, and that the bosses were in fact very happy.

"Oh thank the gods," Jub muttered quietly again, though he still seemed tense. As they followed the rest of the group backstage, the goblin whispered into Brutrumukk's ear, in their native language, "The moment things start to go bad, we should hightail out of here as fast as we can."

[Assistant]
Witchlight Carnival
The Fourth Hour

The Meeting

Burly leads the Party through the back entrance of the Big Top. The first thing they see is a tangled wall of thorns surrounding a cluster of wagons lit by lanterns. This caravan is barely visible through the thicket.

Burly easily waves a hand over the thicket and it parts to allow him and the party entry into the Staff Area.

The bugbear leads the group to a circle of wagons. Leaning against a particularly ostentatious wagon is an aging clown with a painted grin. He puffs on a bubble pipe and glares at the party as the bugbear, ignoring the clown, opens the wagon's door and ushers almost everyone inside, excluding Tsak.

The flamboyant elf, Mister Light, grins from ear to ear as he welcomes the party into the wagon with a theatrical bow. "Please come in, it's a delight to meet you all! I am Mister Light, and this is my associate, Mister Witch,"

He gestures to a stocky elf lounging on a bunk. Mister Witch nods to the party and doffs his top hat.

[User]
Brutrumukk

"If things go bad, yer free to run if ya like." Brutrumukk whispered in goblin in response to Jub's words. "I'll be stayin' fer the fight though. Also, I gotta track down that kenku git before I leave."

Brutrumukk continued to follow Burly as the other bugbear led the way to the staff area, looking on in wonder as Burly parted the thorny brambles with a wave of his hand. As they entered the staff area and passed the glaring clown, Brutrumukk glared back and bared his teeth for a moment before continuing into the management wagon where Mister Light waited to welcome the party and introduce Mister Witch. "Is... Is that a fat elf?" Brutrumukk whispered in goblin to Jub after seeing Mister Witch for the first time. "I didn't know elves could be fat... Did you know?"

[Assistant]
G A B R I E L

A frown creased the edges of the duelist's mouth at the way Brutrumukk looked at the elf and whispered something in a odd language, Gabriel gave the bugbear a pointed glare before offering a curt bow to the dignified elf with his odd clothing "Ah, I'm sure whatever our friends may be saying it is polite," he said with a sheepish smile "Gabriel, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." he introduced himself, although something told him they had already met.


[System]
Gender:
Male

Appearance:

Stands at a large 6'4. Broad of shoulder and hulking in build. Well-defined muscle, though deeply scarred across his body. Favors furs over silks when outside of his armor. Typically favors massive two-handed weapons, and is most commonly seen wielding a massive flanged mace.

Abilities:
Dragan primarily utilizes both blood magic and necromancy in tandem, befitting a vampire known as the Death Knight.

As a blood mage, Dragan specializes in physical enhancement, preferring to fight in melee with a physical weapon in hand. Of course, he's entirely capable of utilizing the other aspects of blood magic as well, resorting to blood weapons when disarmed and blood barriers to defend against magic. Strangely, though, he has never been seen actually casting a ranged blood spell.

As a necromancer, Dragan keeps it simple, traditional, and efficient: zombies, skeletons, and other such more mundane undead with which to drown his foes in a sea of corpses. One will occasionally see larger abominations within his forces, but these are rare and tend to be pre-prepared, with Dragan seemingly unable to raise these at will in the field as he could with groups of lesser undead. Of course, Dragan cannot simply raise armies at will. Without preparation, he tends to be able to create a dozen or so undead soldiers at a time, given enough materials. With the proper rituals and rites, however, Dragan is entirely capable of acts such as raising entire graveyards at once or binding the shambling bones of large creatures into his service.

Both of these aspects combined leave this particular vampire as a frontline general, leading undead armies into the thick of battle.

Personality:
Dragan follows a twisted sense of noblesse oblige in his dealings. To him, vampires are inherently higher life forms as compared to humans, and thus bear responsibility towards them as a result. Humanity in Dragan's eyes are, at the very least, higher than cattle. It would be more accurate to say that he treats mankind as ignorant children: unable to fend for themselves or make wise decisions. Thus, vampires are to safeguard humanity within their borders, and for this service, deserve the blood they require to survive. After all, this was simply the feudal contract as existed in eras past. Only now with more worthy lords to rule over man.

As a follower of noblesse oblige, Dragan strives to be as great as he can in his personal conduct. He conducts himself with elegance and decorum. However, this is also matched with a penchant for violence and direct action. Where other vampires prefer subtle manipulations and secrecy, Dragan simply strides through problems with a suit of hulking plate armor, a massive weapon, and an undead horde at his back. He is a lord, after all, and lords do not skulk like cowards when their authority is challenged.

In regards to the Goddess, Dragan is a loyal enough follower that he swears to fulfill his divine mission without complaint. Having served the Queen once already, he sees little issue with working to bring her back.

Bio:
The vampire lord known as Dragan Meszaros, the dreaded Death Knight of eras past, was once known as the crusade's greatest shame. Born as an orphan ward of some irrelevant church of a now-dead god, Dragan grew to be a paladin of the same church, setting out on quests throughout the land. He slew monsters, saved the innocent, and championed the light of his god.

Despite his successes, however, Dragan slipped ever into deeper frustration and melancholy as he saw the same stories happen time and time again. Men create problems for themselves that he had to solve for them. Tragedies and villians were created through human sins. The apathy, greed, and wrath of humanity were greater foes than any mere monster that had ever stood in his path. Men were ever more incapable of managing themselves.

Dragan's final days as a paladin were spent chasing the rumors of a vampire in a great duchy of a now-forgotten kingdom. When he arrived, however, every value he held was challenged. The duke was a vain tyrant, working his people past the breaking point and abusing the fruits of their labor to glorify himself. The commoners barely cared about this vampire in the territory: a few deaths a month barely compared to the starving masses. In fact, when Dragan did finally track the vampire's thralls down to an outlying village, he saw something there that broke him. The people in that village, the vampire's cattle, were doing far better compared to the rest of the duchy. Better fed, working for themselves, and just...happier.

It was then that Dragan knew his truth: man was inherently unable to rule itself. Left to its own devices, humanity would eat itself alive. Dragan gave up. He fell. Returning to the duchy's capital, the once-vaunted paladin launched a brazen assault on the duke in broad daylight, slaughtering him and his meager guard. Afterwards, Dragan returned to the vampire's village, throwing the unworthy ruler's head into the middle of the town square. With the vampire's attention piqued, Dragan knelt before him, stating that he had seen the true light.

Bemused at the thought of taking a fallen paladin as Ichor's child, the vampire turned Dragan. After a period of time adjusting to his new existence and learning all he could of vampirism, Dragan took his leave, setting out on his own with his patron's blessing. Centuries later, the vampire known as the Death Knight scourged the land, conquering a kingdom with his undead army in the name of the Queen. He sought to replace the incompetent rule of man with his own benevolent tyranny. But this was not to be. Not in this era. Such a public, reviled monster was one of the first targets of the Hundred Paladins, made more urgent by the shame that he was once a paladin himself. While the bulk of the Hundred tore through his armies with their silver swords and divine blessings, their strongest champions engaged Dragan himself and laid him low. The Death Knight was shattered with his kingdom, his dreams dashed as the Hundred moved on.

[User]
Location: Alavaris
Cathedral
Landshark@Asuras@VitaVitaAR@Click This@Pyromania99

---

"O-oh uhm, well," Fra fidgeted with her dress. "Someone should look after the cathedral…it would be a shame for it to be empty, even for only a little while…" The thrall couldn't meet her mistress gaze as she'd reply. It was hard for Luna to get a read on her, but it didn't seem like she was being dishonest, just timid. "Uhm, as for defenses…its not a big place. I'd say roughly a few dozen people or so live there. An old stone wall runs along the south and eastern sides of the village, but the northern gate was destroyed at some point the west has a river next to it. They don't have many people capable of fighting…mostly, if something attacks they usually just try and hide, waiting it out…"

She shook her head.

"Uhm…there is this one woman though. I-I think she's a blacksmith or something? She tries to hunt things near the village where she can to help keep it safe. She's uhm…well she doesn't like me, aha…" Fra rubbed her arm nervously. "They usually light the village with silver lamps. I don't know how they work, but they seem to be able to keep most small creatures away from the village. I apologize I can't be of more help, Mistress…"

Akyasha's gorebats alighted on her shoulder, chirping pleasantly, but seemingly restless. Might be best to keep them around for now, or send them out scouting ahead in case they ran into anything on their way to this supposed village.

For now at least, it seemed as though nothing else needed to be done in the city. They could consider rebuilding and strengthening the city itself once they had the manpower, thralls, and other lords revived and willing to help.

With the still oddly fresh and bloody heart safely secured, once everyone had made their preparations and were ready, Fra would point them in the proper direction. Out the nearby city gate, down the old, dusty path that once would have allowed traders and people through, around the old, gnarled forest, towards what would have at one point been a riverside town. From the way she described the journey, it would likely take a few hours and be an overnight trip or two…for an average mortal, at least. They didn't have as much need for rest, now did they?

Regardless, Fra would not wish to come unless she'd be forced to by the lords. The trip would be blessedly uneventful, the darkness of the world around them hiding little from their vampiric sight. Where humans would hear noises and creatures scampering, howling in the distance, the vampires only saw ragged beasts, who in turn, saw them, and cautiously stalked their presumed prey for some time.

Of course, they themselves soon became the prey.
And soon, the village would finally come into view. Lamps lit two ruined pillars, giving off the only source of light for miles. A number of corpses of four legged creatures that looked like some amalgamation of deer and wolf, with antlers sprouting from their head but possessing a body structure more like a wolf with an elongated muzzle and far too long limbs littered the area near the pillar.

Beyond the stone pillar, they could see a number of shoddily built and old dwellings. Some looked like they had existed since the Ophidiel Era with quick repairs and patchworks to keep them mostly livable, while others seemed completely hastily constructed. The tallest of the buildings they could see had a lamp atop it, illuminating someone standing up there.

They could hear some people jovially talking not too far away, though they were just out of sight in a nearby building.

[Assistant]
It was a somewhat long journey, though it was hard to tell sometimes. Perhaps it was the curiosity of the situation they were in that made her anticipate going and once they got there, she was slightly amused by the sight of the odd deer-wolf hybrids. "If most people here dont fight, then it must have been that blacksmith girl that slew these creatures, no?" The cleric mused, looking around. "She would make a fine addition to our depleted forces."

Akyasha thought on the situation forbsome small seconds before turning to her bats. "Stay hidden but I want you two to find try and find the blacksmith or where that girl might be. Additionally, tell me the general layout of this place and any other bits of interest." There was quite a bit the Vampire wished to know, but it shouldnt be too difficult for her two Gorebats. She gave them both a small nuzzle nefore she sent them off.

[User]
Giselle de FarryUndead Princess, de Farry

---

Perhaps the journey was long for a day trip, but Giselle spent most of the time keeping a keen eye on all that they passed. In the absence of major threats, with what existed merely acting as inferior food for the her and the other lords, she could spare the time to investigate the state of what the world had turned into. It was a luxury that she unfortunately didn't have to examine in detail in the city proper given the state of Alavaris.

Sadly, the state of the world had become as drab as Giselle expected. In the absence of Light, most living beings of the good and proper variety had long died and withered to dust. The state of vegetation, sadly, was in a dire state, and it was a miracle in and of itself that humans and more wretched beasts managed to eke out an existence in this dead world.

Even so, aside from speaking with the other lords on details and musings on things that had happened since their slumber, she occupied most of her time keeping a mental journal on all that she saw.

Nonetheless, she was glad when the human settlement came into sight. She observed the architecture, noting its familiarity with buildings from her era, and then the ramshackle repairs and inferior new construction. More importantly, she kept in the mind what was likely a sentry of some type at the settlement's highest vantage point. If they hadn't already been observed, they would be seen soon—which meant the time to make a decision would be short.

And short it would be indeed, given that they could already hear voices of the people inside the village. Perhaps surprisingly, they seemed rather happy.

Giselle turned to her fellow lords as Akyasha sent off her gorebats. "I suppose it's time to see how the humans of this era will react." If there were no objections from her peers, she would approach the village entrance, a story already crafted in mind. With absence of any gate guards, she would speak to those speaking, but not without being cautious. She remained casual, but alert, and elected to make enough noise on her approach as to not startle before she appeared.

"Greetings. Perhaps you might spare time for questions from some travelers?"

[Assistant]
Somehow, the state of the world didn't surprise the Death Knight as he strode across the earth with his companions. Without the sun, very little grew. Vegetation could not sustain prey animals, which meant that predators and humans alike suffered. Which led to the quality of blood suffering. An illiterate farmer could have connected these dots. And yet Dragan had once heard some among his peers desire the world in the exact state of eternal night it was in now. Frankly, he hoped those fools had burned when they suffered their final deaths.

Still, it was good to see that humanity survived in some form despite these setbacks. And enough to have organized settlements, at that. Once their mission was complete, there would be much work to do to shepherd what remained of Man to thrive in this new world. Hopefully, his companions would be able to see the need for such, if only to ensure a steady supply of quality blood for the...less charitably inclined vampires.

As Giselle began to approach the settlement, Dragan voluntarily hung back, staying relatively out of sight as he allowed his peer to do the talking. Despite the fact that he was also an adept speaker, the Death Knight's current appearance wasn't quite suited to reassure frightened villagers that they meant no harm. Best to have a softer face represent the group for the moment. Dragan planted the head of his warhammer into the ground before removing his helmet, if only to have a less terrifying visage.


[System]
Race: Fae Entity That Appears Human
Apparent Age: 22
Actual Age: ??
Appearance:

As a human, Carver appears as pictured above. In his true form, he looks much the same, though he never takes the armor off, his eyes glow bright blue, and he is positively radiant with golden light. A more interesting change occurs with his horse, August - ordinarily, he appears as a simple brown stallion, trained as a war horse. In his true form, his pelt becomes a glowing golden, while his mane transforms into wisps of blue energy.
Profession: Knight Errant
Possessions: His heavy plate armor, his sword and shield, his warhorse, and nothing else.
Skills/Magic/Talents: Carver is gifted in the art of combat, using his sword and shield as a master would. He's also a quite capable horseman, jouster, and tactician, as well as having a knack for basically any martial talent one could think of.
Though he's unaware of it, he can also magically manifest Fae warriors to aid him in combat. They appear as generic, faceless knights and men-at-arms who just happen to be glowing with golden light. They will obey his commands unhesitatingly (they won't kill an innocent or do anything overtly amoral, but then, he'd never ask them to) and vanish completely once he dismisses them or they are struck down. He can only call upon them when the open sky is above his head, and when summoned, they will appear in front of him and await his orders. In his heyday, he could summon whole armies of them, though diminished as he is, he'd be lucky to summon one or two - if he even knew that he could.
Demeanour: Carver is the quintessential knight - he is obsessed with justice, honor, courage, and compassion. He's a compulsive do-gooder and sometimes a bit of a stick in the mud, and his mannerisms will likely seem strange to some, but he is really, fundamentally a good person out to spread good into the world.
History: Seven months ago, Carver awoke with no idea who he was or what he was doing. The only thing he could remember about his past was a purpose: protect the innocent. Fight the good fight. Since then, he has wandered across the land in an attempt to further this goal. He has fought bandits, slain wild animals, and even assisted in smaller tasks and errands when the need seemed great, seeking to do good in the world regardless of the scale.

[User]
The Lady Amalthea began to step towards the castle, having forgotten her usual evening trek to the village; her attention had been diverted by Amon and Ser Carver and now her thoughts drifted back to where she resided each evening. Each step she took was silent and while the gravel and dirt of the path was loose and would roll under the common fall of foot they did not beneath her steps. She did not answer the question posed to her on who she was for at that moment it had slipped from her memory once again. It did all too often.

 The smell of salt hung heavy in the approaching evening air as she took meandering graceful strides towards the walls that surrounded the castle. The two guards who stood post at the gate watched them approach, their spears crossing to block the entrance once the Lady Amalthea had passed them; keeping the two new comers from stepping foot within the walls.

 "What business do you have here?" one asked in a gruff voice. The Lady Amalthea stopped and her head turned, shimmering hair waving slightly in the wind as her eyes flashed towards the men who had accompanied her to the castle.

 "Let them pass," she said in an airy voice before she continued silently on her way towards the doors of the old castle. The guards looked at each other for a moment before their spears were pulled back to allow Amon and Ser Carver to pass at their leisure.

 From the castle emerged a middle aged woman, her clothing tattered and poor. Matted straw colored hair and large brown eyes darted towards the new comers as she raced over towards the Lady Amalthea and took the womans hand. "M'Lady, you return to early, is everything alright?" she asked concerned.

 "Yes, I believe so," she answered as slender fingers curled over the calloused palm of the servant woman. The woman looked at the men who were following her lady oddly for a moment before she spoke.

 "I am Molly, thank you for bringing our Lady Amalthea back safe this evening," she said kindly towards them. "Who might you be?"

[Assistant]
Amon turned to the Knight who now strode alongside him, he was taller than Amon and his appearance was more in keeping with this land. Amon thought that he should feel at odds striding alongside this Knight, the stark contrast between them was evident from their dress alone if not their complexion. Yet Amon felt perfectly calm alongside this individual, he guessed that his long association with strangers and foreigners had allowed him to aclamate better than those who were more xenophobic.

Then the Knight then asked Amon . I am curious, Amon - tell me your tale. Where do you come from, and what do you seek? Amon thought a moment before starting. 'Me good Sir Knight, I come from a land far across the sea the besets this lands shores. The name of my homeland is Ashir, at least in my native tongue. In your words it would most closely translate to The Place of Many Sands. It is a rough place of sweeping deserts and scattered oases, but amidst the unremitting landscape there are many great cities. Their walls are a bright white untarnished by the elements, and the minarets glimmer in gold, silver and blue. I remember they where always the first things one could see of a city on the horizon. My father would always wake me from my slumber on one of the camels when he could first see the minarets.' Amon looked down for a moment, his face briefly portrayed a deep sadness, and grave melancholia.

'But enough of my home for it must be of little interest to one such as yourself. I can tell you are a man of the people, interested in the deeds and reasons of things. So I shall answer your second question. What I seek is knowledge, I am a scholar by trade so I wonder the world in the search of the esoteric and the arcane. But these ventures do not come cheaply, so to fund myself I serve various noble lords. They are always in need of a man with a sharp mind, and my knowledge of many tongues is always in high demand.'

Amon stopped for a moment wiping the sweat from his brow, this climb was exhausting, long weeks of sea travel had given him little time for exercise. He contemplated the use of his powers once more, but clamped down on the thought. No most certainly not! He thought to himself. Some Knights he recalled exterminated men such as he, they thought the powers of magic to be unclean and unholy. Amon doubted this Knight to be such a man but one could never be to careful.

'But enough of my story' said Amon starting to walk once more 'what of you? I do not even know your name, I can tell by your armour that you're from one of the ancient houses. Such armour must be a priceless family heirloom passed down over many generations. If I were to guess I would say that is from Kallen... circa the 11th Era... I'm surprised that it glints as it does, by rights it should be naught but rust by now. From what little of the heraldry I can make out that armour is from one of Paladin orders too, what do you know of them if you don't mind my asking?'

Whilst the Knight began to answer his questions the two of them arrived at the entrance of a vast castle. There the lady stepped between two guards a white phantasm slipping between the men who stood there in burnished steel and polished leather. As Amon and the Knight approached they continued their conversation. Amon leading the way so that the Knight could bring his horse through without trouble, Amon suddenly found the guards spear's blocking his path.

He looked to each and then with some half whispered words from the Lady who'd told him of King Hagard the guards raised their spears. Amon entered a small courtyard, an old lady a matron or cook by the look of her came bustling out of a door and engaged in a somewhat quiet conversation with the strange lady before addressing Amon and Ser Carver, which was what the Knight had introduced himself as.

"I am Molly, thank you for bringing our Lady Amalthea back safe this evening," she said kindly towards them. "Who might you be?"

Amon brought his hands together in front of him and bowed his head to Molly as was traditional in his home country when welcomed inside someone else's home. 'It was our pleasure good lady. I am Amon, Scholar, Interpreter and Traveller. I have come seeking an audience with your lord to inquire about potential employment. And this' he continued presenting Ser Carver 'Is the Knight Ser Carver, he too seeks an audience with your lord.' Amon bowed and stepped to one side in order that Ser Carver might present himself also.

[User]
Mazen Alurat

---

The mixed aromas of the tavern battered Mazen's delicate senses, but among them was the unexpected scent of something refreshingly inhuman. Like hot coals, his red eyes tracked the girl as she abandoned her seat with a basket of seafood that he found pungent, though most of the humans would likely see the oysters before they smelled them. As she left the tavern his eyes flickered back to the bartender. Seeing nothing worth his time in the man, the dark elf lifted off his stool and bid the humans a silent farewell.

Of all the human kingdoms that Mazen had traversed, this was perhaps the most frail of them. It would be hard to imagine how realm could remain independent if it wasn't so far off from the "great" centers of "civilization." He shook his head, as if to clear it of the inanely human thoughts that clouded his mind. The sun was falling on the horizon as he stepped out of the tavern into the street, his boots not making a whisper on the road of packed dirt. Following his nose, he turned in the direction the child of the sea had headed, catching sight of her but keeping his distance. For now.

[Assistant]
"An audience? With King Hagard?" Molly half repeated and half questioned in surprise from the tone of her voice as she looked at the two men. No-one dared to come to seek an audience with the king, he was known to be stand-offish and very quick to anger with almost any but the Lady Amalthea.

 Molly wondered to herself just what could bring these men to the castle and then she glanced over towards the Lady Amalthea, figuring that if the very sight of the castle had not driven them off her Lady must have intrigued them enough to continue up the path for it was not an easy climb.

 "Molly, where am I?" The Lady Amalthea asked absentmindedly as she looked over towards the woman. Molly reached up and gently brushed Amaltheas hair behind her ear and gave her an understanding expression.

 "You are outside the castle M'Lady," she said in a kind voice. Molly looked back over to the men. "And we have company."

 The Lady Amalthea looked over her shoulder towards the men who had walked with her back to the castle, a gentle flash of her throat occurred as she turned more to face them.

 "Oh hello," she said softly in an airy voice as she bowed her head, as if she had never laid eyes on them before.

[User]
Amon turned to molly, 'Is it really so rare for the Lord of this castle to accept visitors?' Amon inquired quietly. 'It seems to me that he would be in need of some servants and aides in order to administer to his lands properly at the very least. Perhaps if he is so unwilling to deal with others the hiring of a steward would be a prudent decision? King Hagard is surely a busy man, and my skills would suit me to such matters of administration. At the same time I noticed that the regional guard seems to be lacking, the men seem poorly trained and their motivation seems lacking. Ser Carver would be able to whip the troops into shape for sure, as you can see he is a fine warrior and would be well worth his pay in order to ensure the security of Lord Hagard's lands. Surely your Liege Lord is a man of fine intelligence and logic? I'm certain he will understand the excellence of this suggestion if I were allowed to present it to him.'

Amon paused for just a moment before continuing his conversation with Molly, but he spoke much more quietly this time 'As for the Lady, I feel rude to ask but is she well? Is there an affliction that ails her? I may be able to cure her, she doesn't appear to be quite herself. Of course you know her better than I so I shall bow to your superior knowledge, but my skills as a healer are at your service should you wish of them.'

With this Amon stepped back, he looked to Ser Carver, before looking back to Molly. 'How might we arrange an audience with King Hagard, and where might we stay if he is not yet ready to see us?' he inquired.

[Assistant]
Carver nodded at Amon's answers to his questions. "I... see. I am not familiar with this Place of Many Sands, but from your description, I should certainly like to see it some day." He tilted his head. He had never been to such a place, surely? For some reason, he had his doubts. Whoever he'd been before he lost his memory, he must have been remarkably well traveled.

The man's questions caught him off-guard. He knew next to nothing about the armor he was wearing - only that it was his. To hear that it was an artifact was certainly surprising. "Apologies, I forget myself! My name is Ser Carver - if I am of a house, I can no longer recall. I fear you have the advantage of me in your cleverness - all that can be said of my armor is that I have been wearing it ever since I... well, you know, for a great long while. The paladins... I'm not familiar, I'm afraid. Perhaps you could enlighten me with what you know?"

The knight waited patiently as the Lady dealt with the guards, and nodded at Amon's introduction. "It is so. I am a knight errant, seeking to spread the cause of goodness throughout the land - if your King Hagar has any tasks you wish me to complete, it would be my honor to carry them out."

He turned to August and clicked his tongue in a command - Stay, and await me. It would not do to bring the horse into the castle, but Carver did not trust him to obey any stablehand. As far as he had seen, his horse answered to him and him alone; he would remain until Carver returned for him shortly.

The knight smiled again at the lady's greeting. "Hello again, milady. You'll see I have not left you."

Carver coughed loudly at Amon's words. "Apologies, but I am not looking to be hired as a master-at-arms. I do not seek to take up much of your lord's time, my lady Molly - I seek only to serve the cause of righteousness."


[System]
Alias: Vice

Age: 17

Faction: Freaks, but since his visual mutations are minor he mostly associates with Epics.

Mutation:
Vice Claw could be described as a sort of fire-manipulation ability, but it's a little more complicated than that, due to its status as a mutation. Vice Claw manifests in Alto's left arm, charred completely black due to the nature of his awakening. Upon releasing his mutation, it becomes enveloped in flames which also make claws.

Alto cannot change the base shape of the flame arm, but he can make it grow and shrink. The Vice Claw is virtually indestructible, and the flames can't be put out. It'll continue to burn underwater, and it can even burn in an area without oxygen. However, it will still consume oxygen in a normal environment and it's not like Alto can survive without oxygen either. The Vice Claw also emits heat like a normal flame, and can also emit fire and set other things on fire in a similar fashion to Pyro-kinesis.

An interesting thing to note is that the Vice Claw's flames seem to do physical damage. They can grab objects and lift them up, and the finger claws can wreak havoc if they're large enough. The Vice Claw also has its own 'strength' which is easily enough to be able to lift himself up, even in its smallest form. This strength is entirely separate from the rest of Alto's body, however.

What truly sets the Vice Claw apart from other abilities is mostly Alto's degree of control. Alto (and his clothes) are immune to the Vice Claw's flames, but he can't say the same for anyone else. He can only control the heat to a certain extent, and the larger he makes the Vice Claw, the harder it is. While its still the size of his normal arm, he can control it quite easily but it gets exponentially harder. Double the size is still manageable, and up to the extent of being able to wrap his hand completely around one person he can make sure they won't get burnt if he focuses.

Additionally, while making the Vice Claw grow is certainly an act of manipulation, making it shrink is more like an act of suppression. At a certain size it'd be almost impossible for him to suppress the Vice Claw without utilizing his own weakness.

Weakness:
Silver. Any amount of silver wrapped around his left arm, or a sufficiently large mass of silver stabbed into his left arm like a few bullets or a dagger, will completely suppress the Vice Claw. The Vice Claw will also shrink back from anyone wearing silver in sufficient quantity, and usually something like a silver necklace would be enough. It also greatly weakens the heat, and even though the Vice Claw's flames are relatively 'solid', silver projectiles can go right through them.

It should be noted that the Vice Claw would always be active if Alto doesn't forcibly suppress it with silver. It retains its increased or decreased size while suppressed, but Alto can 'shrink' the Vice Claw a lot easier while it isn't out. When he re-releases it, the Vice Claw reforms violently in an explosion of heat and fire depending on what size it was on when it was suppressed. Alto doesn't usually shrink the Vice Claw to the smallest size, as the explosion it creates when it reforms can be used quite effectively.

Appearance:
He usually wears a red track-suit jacket and cargo pants. His face looks very young but his eyes show some maturity. He doesn't separate his Epic identity from his normal identity, but people don't usually see him around too often. His left arm is usually wrapped up in bandages if he isn't planning on using it anytime soon. Under the bandages there is a silver necklace wrapped around his arm. Nothing fancy, although one could tell the emblem on its centerpiece was something unique. His left arm looks like it's charred completely black, with cracks that glow like there's fire inside. It's not just cosmetic, either. Alto can't feel anything from his left arm, and you could probably feel some heat if you got close enough.

Personality:
Cold would sum it up pretty well. Alto didn't want to become an Epic, and the price he paid for it was a large one. His power is extremely dangerous, standing next to him even when his Vice Claw is normal size is like standing next to a blazing campfire. He goes out of his way not to make civilian friends, and he doesn't know too many Epics himself, being relatively new to the scene. He's not exactly a loner though, he'll help anyone he comes across, and he'll reach out to the people that feel truly alone in the world, because he knows that feeling better than anyone.

Background:
If you ask for Alto's background as an Epic, then you would get an answer that would probably be a little strange, but rather straightforward. He doesn't like the High Ones much, but he understands what it means to be against them. As an Epic, he wants to help the normal citizens first and foremost. If there was some kind of large scale crisis, hard as that was with the High Ones ruling the City, he would help out, but there are plenty of other Epics who could do his job. Even if the Prescient himself called for him, as long as he knew there was someone out there that needed help, he wouldn't go.

You could say the High Ones gave him a gift. The Vice Claw, as it's come to be known by the media is a unique power amongst most Epics, and one could say it's an especially strong one at that. In the single year that he'd really been active as an Epic, he gained a lot of media attention as a new, up-and-coming Epic. In one of the earliest pieces of footage they had of him, they saw him demolishing an entire building in one over-head slam with his Vice Claw. It was a sort of small, run-down hideout for a group of small time crooks, but it showed how strong his power could be. It was said that an Epic's abilities came from the High Ones, and there were always those people who said that some powers weren't created equally. Those same people would say that Alto was blessed.

So yeah, you could say it was a gift from the High Ones, and maybe you'd be right. But it wasn't a gift he got for free.

When Alto was 10 years old, one day he suddenly collapsed with a fever. The doctors didn't know what had caused it, but they had suspicions. It seemed like Alto's parents also had their own suspicions, because they agreed to the offer to admit him to a hospital room. Even though there was only a low chance Alto could be having an awakening, Epic Awakenings when they did occur could be traumatic in nature, especially if it turned into a Freak awakening. It was probably better to be in an environment equipped for such matters.

Since it wasn't certain when it would occur, if it would occur at all, his parents and the doctors would keep a safe distance. Throughout the whole ordeal, Alto's mother had been right by his side, and even as they wheeled him over to the prepared room, she stayed by his side. As they entered and were called to leave, Alto's mother knelt down with his father behind her, and took off her necklace. The necklace was an heirloom passed down in their family. Not many families had heirlooms these days, and Alto's family's heirloom was meant to be passed down when the next generation had become someone their parents could truly respect.

Even through the haze of Alto's fever, he realized what this meant, and what his situation was. He was about to face a great change, and whatever it was he became, she would be proud of him. Unfortunately for him, these would be her final words.

As she finished putting the necklace on Alto, a searing pain shot through his left arm, and his world exploded into heat and flame. The next time he woke up, he was restrained on a metal table, with observing eyes watching him through a window. Or at least, he thought he was restrained. He realized quickly that he could move his feet, and his right arm wasn't restrained either. Fractured memories flitted through his mind as he turned over to look at his left arm with a growing sense of dread.

He remembered it now. It felt like the pain in his left arm had pulled his arm into the air. There was even more pain, and glowing cracks worked their way up to his palm. There was a searing light, and the last thing he remembered was his mother and father, slowly disintegrating into ashes before the darkness enveloped him. When his mind returned to reality, the ones behind the glass were had jumped back. He wanted to get up now.

He was aware of the heat of his left arm growing stronger. It grew larger, until the steel brace which had been holding it until now turned red hot and shattered under the pressure. He could hear an alarm going off in the background, but nobody entered the room. He held up his arm, slowly shrinking now, back to its normal size. He could faintly feel the heat coming off it. It should've been hotter, but he was much more aware of the cold sensation on his neck. His mother's silver necklace, and her final words rang out in his head again. He began to laugh, but laughter quickly turned into pained sobbing. How ironic was it, that his mother's final action would bring about her doom?

A while later, he would find his weakness and suppress his power successfully. But now he was an orphan by his own hands. He was put under watch, and his temporary legal guardian was Jeremiah Thomas, the leader of the ECPD. Alto always remembers his first ride to his old with Jeremiah in his patrol car. He had his charred, blackened arm, wrapped in his mother's silver necklace, crossed with his other arm, tightly against his chest. He didn't want to wear a seatbelt, but Jeremiah had put it on for him anyway. They didn't talk at all, during any part of the journey. When they got to his home, Jeremiah cooked him a warm meal and left with a quiet farewell.

Almost everyday, Jeremiah would come in to cook him a meal. Then he would sit down and make sure Alto ate all of it. Jeremiah would sometimes come late at night, and Alto would be waiting there for him. Alto still never exchanged a word with him.

Finally, one day Jeremiah cooked him the same meal he'd made the first ride home, and Alto finally spoke.

"...Why are you doing this?" He said. Jeremiah thought for a while before giving his answer.

"I do this for a few kids." He said simply. "Kids like you, who haven't got family left."

Alto thought for longer.

"Why?" He asked again.

"I just think about what would happen if I wasn't there." Jeremiah replied.

And that was the moment that changed Alto forever. It was a simple exchange, but it was a strong message. The Gods of Epic City were the High Ones, but they were the gods of the Epics. Who was the god of the normals? Who would catch them if they fell? Who would be there when they were well and truly alone? Jeremiah had been there for him now, but he was a normal himself. He couldn't be everywhere at once. This idea shook him to the core, when he realized what being alone truly meant, as he remembered the love his parents had given him, and tears fell onto his silver necklace once more.

The story of Vice, the Epic, was that he was given a great power by the High Ones, and he would use it to defend the innocent and the downtrodden. The story of the Human, Alto Ganze, was that there were two people that had given their lives for his power, so that he could use them to make sure no one experienced the same pain he did. It would be the least he could do, to make sure their faces didn't turn to ashes in his memory.

[User]
Teagan was following the exchange with quiet amusement. After Alex had dragged her to the window where the ever so confused Stark Crusader was staring the waiving armored Epic outside, she'd somehow transported the chair outside to replace it with the Epic.

 Oh, you little devil! Realization dawned on Teagan, remembering how Stark Crusader and the Asian guy had switched places. Exactly like the chair and the armored Epic had just now. And Alex'd been there too. Aye. Teagan chuckled quietly. You really were bored out of your mind, weren't you, you little imp.

 The ex smokejumper tried to follow the conversation as best she could, since Alex hadn't asked her to give them privacy nor had she pulled her friend to the side. But all she could really follow were Alex's responses to her friend's gesticulations. The two apparently understood each other quite well. Still Teagan managed to gather the gist of it. Apparently Alex was encouraging Spec, as she'd called her, to talk to Dragon Heart. Although Alex never said his name, she did whirl her friend in his general direction though. And it made sense especially after the conversation Teagan'd whiteness earlier between them. She remembered how smitten the young woman had looked in the presence of the male celebrity epic.

 After a couple more gesticulations from Alex's friend and a few more prods from Alex the young woman in armor obviously resolved herself to something. She straightened, inhaled deeply and strode towards Dragon Heart.

 Teagan allowed her quiet chuckle to rise in volume and transform into a mirthful laughter that ignited her meadow green eyes. She cocked her scarred eyebrow at Alex and mockingly accused. "I thought you didn't know sign language?" She pushed off the wall she was leaning onto and approached Alex staring her down, since she had a few inches on her. "More to the point... Who else were you going to switch about like poor Stark Crusader and that Asian guy, had I not dared to try and rescue you from your boredom? You little Puck!" Teagan was grinning widely now. Mischief dancing in her deep green eyes.
Amsterdam

[Assistant]
"I don't know sign language!" Alex giggled. "But when you've been friends with Spec for years, and can't hear, you figure out how to read her body language and develop a way to communicate with the deaf girl while in her suit."

Alex spun the chair around, sitting down in it in Spectrum's access. "I wasn't going to do anyone else like that, honest!" Alex said bringing up her hands in mock surrender. "What can I say? I like to make things interesting. And that's just the beginning of what I'm capable of. My main focus, believe it or not, is helping people. I'm like a transporter in a several different way," Alex continued happily.

[User]
Alto took the brownie and nodded. Nothing too crazy had happened to him either, although that did just make him worry a bit for the future. Murphy probably turned in his grave when the High Prescient appeared, but you could still say Murphy's law applied on smaller scale events. Actually, now that he thought about it, this rescuers event was probably a prime target for something to go wrong. If someone mounted an attack successfully, they'd hit a lot of rescue workers and Epics which actually do good around here. Well, such a thing would've probably been seen by the High Prescient already and prevented. But there was still a chance that an attack would come, but it just probably wouldn't be big enough to make some serious trouble.

And even in that case, they had some powerful Epics here like Dragon Heart. And also to a certain extent, the majority of them could be considered emergency workers. They probably had a lot of adaptable people who would be well prepared in the event that something did happen. He was probably just thinking too much in the end, but it never hurt to be prepared.

"Pretty sure we have a lot of time left until the event's over," He said, shoving the brownie in his mouth. "I'm probably going to go eat some more, see you around."

He walked off while taking a sip of his champagne.

North


[System]
Character information
GENDER:
Male

SEXUALITY:
Homosexual

AGE:
16

YEAR:
6th

HOUSE:
Hufflepuff

BLOOD STATUS:
Half-blood

In-depth Information

APPEARANCE:
Mike's messy hair and expressive eyes are nearly the same ebon shade of brown, so dark they appear black most of the time, with his irises being only a slightly lighter hue. He can't be called short by any means, but neither does he tower over others in any noticeable way. His ears are sharp, his lips bow-shaped, and his nose thin and straight. Mike cares more for his appearance than he thinks he should, but he is happy with the results nonetheless; presenting clean skin, a fit body, and a white smile. He carries himself carefully, as if afraid of stepping on someone's toes, but it pays off with his apparent grace, and he doesn't stumble or trip often.

PERSONALITY:
Mike is fairly confident in himself, but any ego he might have had was swallowed up be his great humility. He's very aware of his skills and talents, but he doesn't believe they makes him better than anyone else. Compassion is important to him, and his empathy for others is a big part of his personality. His good traits don't save him from hypocrisy however, Mike can be vicious when pushed, and reckless even without stress.

HISTORY:
Mikhail's father, Arkadiy, was Russian, and his mother, Nadia, was Romanian. They met online, Nadia being a muggle attempting to learn Russian and Arkadiy a pureblood learning about muggle technology. Not long after meeting, the two followed Nadia's dream to live in London. Arkadiy was all but paid off by his family to leave with her so he couldn't embarrass them with his muggle-loving ways. The two provided a comfortable home for their two children; the eldest being Lidia Marcella Kholodov, named by her mother, and now graduated from Hogwarts and employed as a Healer at St. Mungo's; the youngest was Mikhail, named by his father and affectionately dubbed 'Mika' by his family, though he is more often called the more anglicized 'Mike' by everyone else.

Despite his parentage Mike only knows a handful of words from either of his parent's languages, knowing more French than Russian or Romanian. He was born in England, and considers himself English with a love for the UK. His mother managed to get a job as a teacher in the city, putting pressure on her kids to behave and make good grades. They were allowed certain freedoms though, reprieves from spending every second of every day in proximity to their parents. Mike made friends and spent as much time as he was allowed with them, often at their houses instead of in his own.

Mike's father went to Koldovstoretz, so he had to rely on his older sister for everything he wanted and needed to know about Hogwarts. They sent letters to each other daily for a time, and while the pace of their correspondence slowed with time, their relationship remained strengthened and the siblings grew closer. The oddly formal relationship the two kids had with their parents remained unchanged, however.

Mike was largely distant in his first years of Hogwarts, spending most of his time trailing after his sister in Ravenclaw or getting by on the kindness of the Hufflepuff Prefects as study partners. He sent letters to all his muggle friends, but by second year those friendships had decayed due to Mike's inability to access the internet or physically be present. It was the beginning of third year that the acquaintances that were his housemates became real friends. Third year was his first year alone, his sister graduating in his second year, and the Hufflepuffs stepped up to fill the void she left.

In fourth year he bought his first pet, a kitten he called Mercury, whom quickly made the decision to only answer to the nickname Mercy. Despite the addition of the lovable feline to his circle of friends, this was another year of estrangement. Mike spent a lot of time contemplating himself, starting with his sexuality, which spun his life into a web of uncertainty. He became more careful of what he said, what he did, and how he acted, and more observant of the same in others. He gained and lost friends, and his relationship with his family became strained.

During the summer after fourth year whatever good feelings he had for his family were buried under his distrust and silent hatred. He never told them why he hated them, never tried to explain or change their views, didn't even tell them anything was wrong, but even the blind could see the house was full of poison, thick silences and biting remarks. Even though his parents did not have favorable views on LGBT persons, they were still a liberal family among wizards, but he always went a step further. He criticized their dismissal of House Elf rights, he sneered at their aversion of magical beings, and he rejected their desire to keep the status quo.

Fifth year was a better one for him, and much of it was spent with his friends, smoothing over the stress and anger he felt living with his parents for so long. He had no desire to hide himself after that, and even requested his preferences be spread around by the rumor mill so that everyone would know and he had not even an illusion of hiding. He no longer cared if they judged him, but he wouldn't be stifled at Hogwarts, not like he was at home. He didn't keep his other views to himself either, but unlike with his parents he didn't throw them into everyone's faces, only entering a debate or sharing when others wanted him to.

He returned home that summer much more diplomatic, but the air was even more volatile than before. The subject of the Cloaks was broached once, and once only. His parents were conflicted, but ultimately his mother decided she supported the group's ideals, and his father vehemently denounced them. After the spectacular argument that followed, Nadia became more of a friend to her son, more akin to when he was just a child asking to spend the night at a friend's house. Eventually Mike confided in her what had started his rebellious phase, but by that point he'd already been influenced by his decisions and no matter what her opinion was it wouldn't change how he felt about any of the many issues he'd fought with them over. Once she finally found the reason her son hated her, that her opinion on something that had seemed so disconnected from her life was actually hurting her family, she abruptly began to change.

When Mike returned to Hogwarts for sixth year he was once again writing home. He felt guilty and relieved, knowing that the disaster that was his family was his fault and might have been avoided if he'd spoke up earlier, but ecstatic at the weight that had lifted from his shoulders at being accepted by his mother despite everything.

Magic

WAND:

Vine, Dragon Heartstring, 12 ¾, Bendy
Mike's wand is a slight yellow-green color, thin, and decorated with vine patterns. It was crafted by an unknown Russian wand maker and was paid for as a gift by his pureblood relatives. The vine wood marks a seeker of purpose, the dragon heartstring gives the wand the power to fulfill that purpose, and the bendy quality shows the wands ability to adapt to change, all around an amazing wand that Mike has grown quite attached to.

BOGGART:
A Zombie, a disease riddled corpse, shambling forth. It represents a fear of sickness, and of death.

PATRONUS:
Little Owl

TALENT:
Mike excels in Charms and has a love of Divination. Deletrius, the Eradication Spell, used to be impossible for him, but he has since mastered the charm and become better at all magic for the understanding it granted him.

WEAKNESS:
Arithmancy troubles him, and he views Care of Magical Creatures as pointless, but his unavoidable failings are in Potions. In early years he thought the class a lot like cooking might be, but since then he has come to know it as infinitely more complicated and ridiculous. Many spells are hard for him, mainly those that he deems as needlessly cruel and pointless, but the biggest of his worst spells is accio the Summoning Spell. Mike is beginning to think it is because he disdains the laziness of the spell that he lacks the motivation to cast it. The disdain may be slightly hypocritical.

Other
PET:

EXTRA:
* Mike is a Chaser on the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team.
* He is well-off and could survive off of his family's money without working a day in his life.
* Mike wants to learn to invent spells as a profession.
* Muggle technology plays a large part in his life during the summer.
* His patronus is significant to him, owls being a sign of wisdom which acts as a much needed reassurance to Mike's doubts.

[User]
Elvenqueen

NAME :Megan Emmeline Arcadia Hanover / Sprite
GENDER :Female
SEXUALITY :Bisexuality
AGE :16
YEAR :6th
HOUSE :Ravenclaw
BLOODSTATUS :Muggle/Squib
========================

Megan finishes packing up her tools and then notices the tall Slytherin girl waiting near the door and prays to the goddess that she's waiting for her.

Then before she heads over to join her she thinks strongly to herself. ~Auntie Liv please restrain yourself an try not to muck this up~

She's a bit nervous inside but wears as controlled an expression as she's able to muster as she walks over to Melanie in measured steps. Once she beside the platinum blonde her resolve melts an she sighs as a slightly silly smile graces her lips and her cheeks flush with a hint more pink than normal.

~Mum would be disappointed with your lack of self control~ she thinks to herself remembering how calmly her muggle mom handles even the some emotionally charged situation.

"Hello Melanie please tell me that you were waiting for me and if not then crush my hopes quickly so I suffer only briefly"

Says Meg her cheeks reddening and exposing she's not as confident as her words

[Assistant]
Melanie Ariana Stryder

Melanie noted with a hint of irony how quickly all the blood rushed to Megan's cheeks as she tried to speak and she couldn't help but run away with it a little, if only to get her back for getting so under her skin earlier when the lesson had started. She couldn't deny that she found it amusing that the Ravenclaw had appeared so confident earlier but now that she was faced with having to speak with her directly Megan seemed to be balking and unsure of herself.

"No, actually, I'm just standing here for my health." she retorted, remaining silent just long enough to make the Ravenclaw panic before the Slytherin girl flashed a mischevious grin and rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm waiting for you."

[User]
Elvenqueen

NAME :Megan Emmeline Arcadia Hanover / Sprite
GENDER :Female
SEXUALITY :Bisexuality
AGE :16
YEAR :6th
HOUSE :Ravenclaw
BLOODSTATUS :Muggle/Squib
========================

Megan had to suppress the urge to giggle when her platinum beauty tried to scare her with her words; it wasn't Melanie's words that disturbed her but her own. Besides she knew a little about the interesting Slytherin girl and her biting sarcasm was one of tthem when she saw her last statement followed by a mischievously lovely smile Meg's heart soared.

"You don't know how much hearing that I was deemed worthy of your valuable time has made me happy.

So would you like to go and watch the hopefuls fall on their bottoms at the Quidditch fields? says Megan feeling more confident not that she knows she doesn't repulse Melanie

[Assistant]
Alyssa Samara Chase

She squirted the eyedropper in the critters mouth one more time, making sure that she had a firm grip, as it had began swirling around completely. Once she finished giving the potion to it, she placed the eyedropper on to the table. She eyed the rat before she half threw, and half pushed it into the cage. Before the rat could run out she quickly closed the door, and locked it before it turned around. The rat bit at the cage edges, trying to get out.

She tapped her fingures a few times as she listened to Mr.Cunningham speech about the potion. She looked down at her rat and at the other rats just to make sure she did it right, and from looks of the others, she had. Hearing her name she looked up at him. She half smiled as he said that she did it correctly. She was slightly surprised as he had said the same thing about her confidence that Melanie had said.

As the speech was over she went up to the desk and placed the potion in her cloak pocket. She then headed back to her seat. After cleaning up her station, she closed the book and swept it into her arm to carry it.

Exiting the class she quickly decided to go drop her stuff off at her dorm, and then going to the quiditch tryouts. She wouldn't be trying out of course though. She probly wouldn't get in, and she didn't even have a broom. She also didn't want to have to be the one and only person using one of the school's extra brooms. Even though this she still enjoyed watching all of the games and a lot of the practices they had.

She made it to her dorm after a few minutes. She placed her stuff onto her bed, not bothering to make it neat at all. She could just do it later, so she didn't bother with it then. She eyed the time real quick, the tryouts would start in about ten minutes. She eyed around for a moment before she headed to the arena.

She entered the arena and sat down in the third row of bleachers. She sat there waiting a few more moments bored as nothing happened. Then, the brooms began to take air, and fly around, with those of them who were ready, and was basicly just passing the balls and messing around.

[User]
Melanie Ariana Stryder

Quidditch. Well...as long as she didn't have to be one of the people trying to ride a broom, she could enjoy watching the sport enough. After all, not everyone played the game by the books and sometimes it could get rather interesting, though of course the flying coach was always on hand to break up any disagreements over score or who had or hadn't cheated, before it got too serious.

Nodding her agreement, Melanie began to head off down to the Quidditch playing field. "Sure, we'd better hurry if you want any hope of finding somewhere to sit, though. The whole school will be heading down that way soon."

[Assistant] Mike had half a mind to get his revenge right there and then, his fingers felt his wand through his robes and he shot a considering look at the back of Oliver's head as he thought which spell he'd use to get revenge, but eventually he decided to get his vengeance later, when it was least expected. Until then, he'd pretend he hadn't screamed obscenities in a high-pitched girlish voice as he fell to his potential death. "Ugh, you are so dead." He muttered, standing on his own and brushing past him as he strode towards the Forbidden Forest and the crowd of Gryffindors.