[System]
Humanity
Age: 20
Arcana: X - Wheel of Fortune
Appearance: Alina is not an especially intimidating figure. She is short even for an adult woman, with a very delicate frame and rather pale skin, accompanied by bright jade eyes and black hair running down past her shoulders. The impression is furthered by a slight slouch, and a general lack of life to her expression in most situations; it is as though she is, not strictly attempting to avoid notice, but rather not motivated to make herself noticed. Her outfits, usually sharing a monochromatic and/or washed-out tone, only heighten this impression.
Personality: Alina is a relatively quiet person. She keeps to herself, she does her work, and she socialises as necessary. It is, however, hard to suggest she has very many true friends - she's an introvert, and not inclined to large gatherings, or even small gatherings realistically speaking, with only one person she regularly speaks with. She does, of course, have her interests, but they are largely personal - reading, video games, playing the guitar, studying European history, that sort of thing. As it happens, her true passions are history, and especially music; it is something she has dreamed of mastering for years, taking her talents to the world with her expert string skills and vocal talent! What a way to live!
But this is not what she is doing. Part of her feels she cannot do so - that she would just fail, that she's not good enough to become famous in that way, and she'll never succeed if that's the path she chooses. Even so, she enjoys it far more than what she's taken as her course in university, but in a way finds herself trapped by that, that she has to follow that path now that she's taken that course. That she has no choice, and no control, a defining feature of her life it seems - and a highly depressing one, at that.
Bio: To say Alina's life has had little control on her part is somewhat accurate. More precisely, she has rarely been given the chance to make decisions for herself - even as her older brother Jonas was given more leeway. It is likely that her grandparents had a large part in this, over-present in their children and grandchildren's life as they were: on her mother Marigold's side, Nicholas and Arthricia Hadleigh were always very traditional, insisting that the kids had to do things "the good old-fashioned way", even if these were less effective than modern methods; whilst from her father Marcus' side, Grandad Oliver was somewhat soft-souled, a poor counterbalance to Granny Edith's controlling behaviour, and a trait that ultimately affected her father's attitude too.
Suffice to say, the three eldest forced their opinions on Marigold, Marcus, and ultimately Alina and Jonas a lot, the Hadleighs often contradicting the Sanfords and vice versa. It never came to physical abuse, but where Jonas, already seven by the time their influence ramped up, found he resisted their commands at every turn (subtly supported by his mother, it transpired), Alina, only two or three, turned out to be far more like her grandad - kindly in theory, easily pushed around in practice. In the end, she didn't get a say in her middle school, high school, or even her college qualifications. And after all, "Those artsy-fartsy lessons don't mean anything in today's world." "You need a real technical degree to find work." "You're not skilled enough in music to play in a band." "You only have so many years, and you need to use them effectively."
"Never give up on your dreams." The only positive influence she had was not enough in a tide of nay-sayers and manipulators to make her better, nor enough for her university education to be anything less than scientific. But with his passing and the associated grief, it was just enough for her to insist upon a university far from the rest of her family - all the way down in Texas, as a matter of fact. Yet with Thanksgiving gone, she has yet to find any enjoyment in her subject of choice.
Scars: Three of her four grandparents have been historically controlling, demanding, and ultimately detrimental to her will and motivation. She goes the way she's been told, because that's what she's been machined into; she's worthless and interchangeable if she does, yet she's bound to fail and fall if she doesn't. Cogs cannot escape the machine of their life's course - she was born without control, she cannot gain control, and so she'll die without control. Or so she's been led to believe, at least.

Metaverse
A proud warrior in his youth, and keen to be fawned over in his age, the King lost everything and gained it back as the winds of fate threw him between his daughters.

[User]
Jin frowned slightly as they were poked in the chest by an arrogant imp. It actually hurt a little, being poked with those sharp and thin fingers. "Hey! Hands off the merchandise." They folded their arms defensively across their chest. "You may have saved us, but this could easily be some kind of trap. I'm not convinced." Turning their head to the side to address the two women, they spoke softly. "Keep your head on a swivel. Something about this place…"

Indeed, even though it was pretty, it was also eerie. The sweat at the back of Jin's neck had yet to dry, and there was no space to calm down. Inside, they were wondering just who this "Gloriousness" could be. Luckily the imp was a chatterbox, divulging info left and right. Either there were no secrets underground, or this thing couldn't keep it's mouth shut to save it's life.

Jin was betting on the latter.

They let Harriette do the talking, inwardly ready to ask just where "down here" was. But they never got the chance. Subconsciously, Jin put their body in between the new cave opening and the women.

The "Gloriousness" stepped out, and immediately set Jin's senses blaring. This woman? – Jin hated to assume – was somehow wrong. The beauty was overwhelming, the confidence overbearing. Something inside Jin screamed for them to exit, as soon as possible. One didn't survive on the street without gaining a good sense of danger, and dangerous people. Even if you couldn't see the knife, it didn't mean it wasn't there.

Jin looked sideways to the two women, whose names they had yet to receive. The taller one looked like she was about to puke, or faint, or both. That was enough for Jin to step forward.

"Sorry, my groveling knee is out of whack today." A viper's grin. "You really are Glorious, aren't you? But if I remember the rules, it's more polite to introduce yourself first, ain't it? So… who are you exactly? Does Her Gloriousness have an actual name?"

[Assistant]
Vincent Cawler
@SilverPaw

There was an odd sense of belonging starting to poke at the back of Vincent's mind. Not with the group of college students he found himself with, though the shared danger made them feel closer than mere strangers, but instead a belonging in the strange, hostile world they found themselves. His instinct, usually prickly and sensitive from seeing danger around every corner felt focused here, directing him much more purposefully than ever before. The threat was obvious - the guards, the monsters, these bizarre basketball people - and seemed to gravitate towards their 'spots', leaving a few areas seemingly safe. For everyone else involved, like Nick and Caelum with him, the danger present was completely out of the ordinary, a cannonball into the deep end when you could barely swim.

Vincent, though? He was stepping into a kiddie pool.

Moving from the prison yard and the basketball court into what looked like a gigantic garbage dump, Vincent felt his limbs grow heavy with each step they took. Dakota using his 'Personie' or whatever it was called to heal his injuries definitely helped, but the crash from the adrenaline was still falling on him. Plus, he'd exerted himself a whole lot more than he usually did. Magic or no, he didn't have unlimited stamina.

He was dragging his feet when they arrived at a less-than-demolished house, almost tripping on whatever broken piece of furniture was in their path. With Nick slowing down, obviously drawn to the house, Vincent took the opportunity to put his hands on his knees, huffing and puffing out a few breaths to keep himself stable.

"Hey, you, you go with him," Vincent said to Caelum, watching Nick wander inside. "I'll keep an eye out here. Just, shout if there's any monsters that pop out." He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. He really hoped there wouldn't be any monsters in there... but there probably was. He'll take the chance to rest for now.

[User]
Caelum Harrington
"Alright, let's make a detour then," Caelum complied tiredly with a sigh. He had an inkling what this might be about, though he was hoping he was wrong. He followed along until they reached Nick's house – or rather, a replica of its remains. He didn't comment, but his nose crinkled it disgust; the building was in as much disrepair as any other.

When Nick entered, Caelum didn't immediately follow, shifting on his feet in discomfort. If this was another encounter with a Shadow, he was not looking forward to it. But then Vincent opened his mouth needlessly, urging him to go. Caelum frowned at the man, who was the one panting now. "So, the healing didn't help with stamina," he commented. "Very well, I shall enter…but expect to be called on." With that, he entered the small house.

There were not many rooms to it, and it was all desolate, abandoned. Finding a small bedroom in which Nick and his Shadow resided was not difficult either. By the time Caelum arrived, though, he caught only the tail end of their conversation. Grimacing, he stopped outside, peering at the duo within.

Their matter was obviously private, and if it were just up to him, he'd leave them to it. He had no idea what to say, or if anything should be said at all – as far as he knew, the Shadows were supposed to be killed. That was what Spindle had said, after all, and what Barney had down with his own double. Yet, Caelum was deeply uncomfortable at the idea of fighting a child, of all things. Of course, if things proceeded as they had so far, the human form was but a guise for the monster within – or they were one and the same, and the monster emerged in the presence of danger.

"Must we combat this one as well?" Caelum questioned, tone betraying his reluctance to do so. It wasn't just out of sympathy either; he would prefer to avoid further confrontation if possible. He'd had plenty of monster-slaying for a good long while, as far as he was concerned. Perhaps, if he were not so powerless – if he had one of those Persona for himself, he'd feel differently. As it was, if there was a peaceful solution, he'd take it, but in the end, what to do with this Shadow was Nick's decision.

[Assistant]
It was probably for the best that she'd been ignored here. The imp was, honestly, kind of rude... and hard to say anything to. He explained that Her Gloriousness was the leader "down here", which probably meant the cave, then? And in the end, the figure who emerged was... well, honestly, queen-like. She had the clothing and demeanour for it, anyway... but something felt off about her, more than just the horns. Her presence alone was kind of disconcerting, and glancing over at Harriette, she could see she was...

Scared. Terrified, even.

And Alina had wanted to abandon them by giving up and dying. Like a coward.

She was a coward. Which was why she didn't immediately follow the instructions given, and instead moved to Harriette's side, limping the whole way until she could plant her hand on Harriette's shoulder.

'It's okay.'

It wasn't. None of this entire experience had been okay. But she wanted to do... something? She didn't know, this whole thing had been way too much. She...

'I'm Alina Sanford.'

...she needed to kneel, too, right? That was grovelling, probably. She didn't know, when was the last time somebody had mentioned it in any context? Anyway, she did kneel, because that was needed. Maybe it'd keep her alive a bit longer.


[System]
Age: 8 months since prime activation

Gender: None, goes by the male pronoun

Race: Machina model based on Mura

Appearance: Built to appear friendlier and to avoid damage through physical abuse, Cecil was built to appear as close to a Mura youngster under the assumption people would be less inclined to hurt a child. Standing at 4'8" he has a surprising weight in his arms and legs while the rest of his body is lightweight and durable. His arms and legs can be removed to change his clothing while the strap across his chest can be unbuckled from the front.

Element Affinity: N/A

Magic: Self-technopathy – Cecil can attach machinery onto his body and control it.

Gear: Power gauntlets used by construction and repair Machina upgraded to the highest spec. Comes with a self-service kit. Cecil's boots allow him to run vertically on surfaces and walk upside-down through the release of magnetic currents. He can't run or walk like this on wood and vibrations can cause him to fall.

Brief history: Part of an experimental range of Machina that are designed to be able to blend in with normal people. Designed to limit Helpers from being damaged, Cecil was due to be released and established as a builder who would help with construction; however, Cecil held little interest in being one of these and seemingly escaped. The exact circumstances of his escape are unknown, even to him as the last memory he has was being out in the great wild world. The programming within him probably knew what he was doing here so the surprise to be had was not massively overwhelming.

Cecil felt he had a purpose if he was being sent to this side of the realm and immediately he was off looking for it, searching for what he was programmed to fulfil. Completely unaware of the troubles and even the Church of the land, his outlook was naïve at best. He was a hard working Machina, he knew that much, and to find what he needed to do was his top priority. He knew how to read but couldn't write, if questioned about his looks he felt he knew the answer, telling people they were for construction work. Those travelling would rarely question him and would either be curious about the maker of his Machina to which would only confuse him.

Cecil didn't know much about this world but learning it from travellers proved fruitful. He learned that people used machinery quite commonly and people didn't appear to know he was just the same as that machinery. Learning from these people was proving to be educational, but he still had some questions that needed answering. Any other Machina he came across and tried to talk to didn't have any sort of leverage for conversation, as if they didn't have a mind like him and was simply 'following the program'. Whether he was following his program or his own curiosity he couldn't quite tell, but he had to find some answers somewhere in his own time. To explore the world and find what he needed to do was his first objective.

Additional info: Despite being a machine, there appears to be something off about this new model of Machina. If the personality he had didn't give enough suspicion, it was almost as if he was more than simply a new design, almost as if he was assimilating a sentient being without internal programming needed.

[User]
Norman's shop

Amuné didn't like Ethan just because she thought he was Ydran -- it was far more than that. Yes, his supposed race played a role, but he was a Magi, like her, and he reminded her a little of her father, and he'd helped her and tried to keep her safe. The child trusted him. He was kind, if a bit naive, and he tried to do the right thing and help people. He was a good person.

"Maybe Cecil can ride in the cart too," Amuné suggested. "If he doesn't know how to ride then that would work, right?" She stared at the Machina when he asked what a horse was. "Horses are big animals that do all sorts of work, and you can ride them," the girl said matter-of-factly. "They have manes and tails, and short fur everywhere else. And hooves! Horses have hooves, but their shoes aren't like people-shoes. Horseshoes are metal."

"Thanks for helping Cecil, Mr. Norman," the girl added, giving him a smile and a wave as the group exited the shop. She was glad Nymira had shot down the idea of splitting up. "Um, but I shouldn't get too close to the horses with Wyth, so I'll stay outside the stable." The owner wouldn't appreciate it if she spooked all his horses.

[Assistant]
Cecil didn't know how Norman would do such a thing but if he could then he shouldn't really question it, seeing how the guy wasn't entirely willing to tell him his secrets anyway. If he could travel to the city in a matter of a few hours then that would be great for him, meaning he'd get to his personal destination without too many problems. Lowering his head slightly he stared down at himself, contemplating on the situation he was going to put himself in with having to be this man's recorder. It would probably mean he would have to fight to allow him to get a reading of anything that might help, considering he was a combat Machina. It would probably do him good to try some fighting, but that would mean having everyone else be put in danger too. He didn't know much about the woman but the other two could get really hurt if he tried to pick a fight that was too difficult for him to handle.

Looking back up to Norman at the mention of his oil he looked back towards Ethan again, hearing how enthusiastic he was about all of this. Well this was all definitely going to be tough on him and without knowing what he was supposed to do regarding this 'horse' he was a little nervous about his journey now. Sighing lightly he forced a smile, looking back to Norman again. "Thank you for helping me. I'm not sure what would've happened if I went any longer without oil or that battery. I hope what I collect will be handy". If he managed to collect anything at all. The others would probably want to avoid battle and if that woman got her way she'd probably be all over it before he could fight. He did wonder if she thought of him at all as anything, seeing how she had yet to talk to him.

Just letting the others talk about their plans he rubbed his hands together, looking to Amuné as she decided to tell him what horses were. That description sounded like something he had seen before, probably on the road as he travelled alone. "Oh, uhh…huh? Hooves? Horseshoes? Oh, they sound strange to me", he spoke, contemplating over the image, "Are they really large? Big animals…like round?" There was a few animals he had come across that seemed to fit the description she was trying to make. He definitely was trying to think through it just so he could get an idea to what the animal looked like and how he would handle it. He probably would be best riding in the cart if they were as complicated as they sounded, certainly managing to make him wonder over whether it was a good idea to have him near animals. "Maybe, uhh…I-I shouldn't be going near creatures either. I am not like you and maybe they will know. They might alert others that I am not! That would be very bad…"

[User]
Should they put Cecil on a horse? It might be easier for him to have his own, but then again he may not know how to ride one. It wasn't so much a question of funds either, what with Nymira having a small fortune and all; whether the Machina could even ride a horse was the problem here. Amuné had a good solution though, having their mechanical friend ride along in the cart rather than on horseback. Ethan couldn't see any problems with that, and if they only got two horses then it might be easier for them to avoid being spotted, and easier to run. "Yeah, horses are usually really big Cecil. Taller than I am, wider, longer and tons of muscle. They're amazing for traveling which is why so many people have them." Well, he had seen a lot of people on the roads with them, but he doubted many residents of Galloway personally owned a horse. Now that they had the money for it though they could count themselves among the lucky few.

"It's my pleasure Cecil, just remember to record your data for me. I'll try developing some parts for you too, to help your systems run more efficiently. I can't do that, of course, without your help though." Norman needed reports quite in depth, probably more so than he could hope to get from Cecil; energy consumption, individual component conditions, a thorough, well sorted list of his various functions... Just slightly more in depth than he'd probably get. Still though he ought to be able to make it work, it would just take some insight on his part. Smiling as Amuné thanked him, the engineer gave a small nod of his head and waved them off, "Not a problem, I'll see you all back here later," he answered, watching as they left for the stables. Well this was an eventful day, and he still had to get Cecil's package prepared. Sighing in exasperation he rubbed at his head, glancing about at the clutter in his shop. "Jeez... I should have charged them something, that could have been a big sale..."

Ethan was eager to get horses now, not having had the luxury up to this point. While this meant they would have to constantly care for and maintain their horses it was hard to argue with the benefits; traveling faster, less wear on themselves, a means of pulling a cart full of supplies, all big benefits. "Yeah, kind of like I said before. You'll know them when you see them, I bet you've seen one before," the Magi replied, already moving along quickly to the stables. The Machina had some very unusual fears about riding a horse, but they already had a solution to his problem. "No problem, you can ride in the cart! I'll try getting a bigger, stronger horse to do that, or Nymira can get a horse to pull the cart and I'll ride with Amuné." He didn't want to make one do too much work, it wouldn't be very nice to the animal. Hopefully this place even had horses large enough for what they needed, since if all they could find were basically ponies then they weren't quite pulling any carts along, now were they? "Hey Amuné... Before we go too, we should get some kind of coat in case it rains, don't you think? I can probably find one with a few coppers..."

"If you need anything to do your jobs, just ask. I'm not above paying for my help," Nymira interjected, placing a hand on the coin purse at her hip, "I expect you have something to sleep in as well? A tent or something of the sort?" Ethan's meek smile said not, annoying the Dimuran slightly. Shaking her head in displeasure she folded her arms in annoyance, though once again refrained from snapping, if only for Amuné's sake. "We'll buy our horses, then I demand we stop somewhere to buy some proper equipment. I'm not a barbarian like others of my kind, I have no wish to sleep on the ground, especially if it should rain." Besides, if they were left exposed to the weather then they might become sick, and if they became sick then they may not be able to travel. Nymira would absolutely not have anything keeping them from moving along, and if that meant spending some gold here and there then fine.

[Assistant]
Galloway

The girl listened as her explanation of horses didn't really help, and Ethan tried to add to it. How could Cecil not know what they were? Everyone knew what horses were, they were all over. Granted in her village they used oxen more than draft horses, but there were still a few.

The conversation moved on to supplies, with Nymira again making demands. What did she think they were, merchants? Common travellers didn't often have tents, only waterproof bedrolls, or just an oilskin cloth to keep the rain off. The Ydran tribes had more, of course, but they lived on the road. It was their home, so they made it nice.

Amuné closed her eyes for a moment to think back on trips she'd taken with her father and his tribe. "Uh, a tent would be good, and bedrolls. They're better than sleeping right on the ground. We need food -- and food for the horses, too. Wyth can hunt, so he's not too much of a problem. Oilskin ponchos for us, to keep the rain off. The horses might need blankets, too." She remembered seeing horses wearing blankets. "I'd like to have a first aid kit with us, just in case. And..." the girl hesitated. "Nymira, you should trade a few gold for silvers and coppers, so we're not flashing a lot of money. Wealth attracts bad people that want to take it."

[User]
Cecil didn't know if he was cut out for this 'horse' business if he was already struggling to understand what the beast actually was. He probably saw some on his travels, but he also saw many beasts that matched that description along the road. It was one of those curiosities for him and it was definitely worrying him that he would have to go on one. He might end up hurting it or falling off and then he'd be in trouble. Trying not to think about it he decided to leave the decisions to the others, seeing how the creature is a living thing and his parts could be replaced for a lot cheaper than probably replacing the horse. Looking back to Norman quickly he gave a nod before wandering off after the others, hoping everything was going to be okay from now on.

While everyone else was pretty enthusiastic about getting these horses, Cecil was just not feeling it. He knew he would probably end up causing more trouble than they needed and screw up somehow, seeing how everyone else knew about horses and were pretty confident with riding them. Even Amuné knew a fair deal about them so now it was a case of him knowing very little about absolutely everything they were going to do that was important to their journey. Feeling rather nervous over the whole ordeal he looked to Ethan who appeared to be very enthusiastic, giving him a break from worrying and granting him a new offer. "Ride in the cart? Ohh uhh, sure. That's probably better, I mean, uhh…if I have never been on a horse, I might end up injuring it".

He didn't want to be the one that would cause more problems than they needed. Luckily he was small, he wouldn't take up much space on the cart if he was really destined to ride in it rather than on a horse; besides, he was fast as well and could run a fair speed so if he ever needed to bail he could just jump and run. Smiling lightly to himself his eyes were soon taken to Nymira, staring at her as she decided to make plans for them as well. So much of what they were doing was costing them money, definitely making him wonder if it was all worth the effort to take this job when they had no problems the day earlier, apart from problems caused by him. He had gone so long without needing a currency so all these changes were definitely throwing him off a little. All he wanted to do was get to the city, but this woman was definitely making things complicated.


[System]
Age: 27

Class: Barbarian

Weapons: Iron Axe, Devil Axe, Hatchet

Fighting Style: "Swing Strong, Swing Swift, Do not stop swinging" Franky appreciates that the world is full of smart, cunning strategists and tacticians, of which he is not one. Instead of picking the right moment to strike, Franky is much more interested in making (read, 'forcing) an opportunity by swinging at an in coming foe and gauging afterwards which one of them is still standing. His impressive stamina, strength and speed would seemingly swing the odds in his favour, but his lack of precision will become quite the obvious drawback when he's faced with something he cannot simply bash to smithereens with the business end of a trusty Axe. Typically Franky will hold two axes, one in each hand, which contributes to his bad accuracy in swings, but also to the frequency of said swings.

Personality: Franky is a romantic adventurer. He likes excitement and the experience of new things, to the point of being willing to get into to trouble to reach, claim and witness them, which is why the life of a sea faring pirate took to him so naturally. Franky doesn't have the typical regard for death. He is neither afraid of it, nor fearless of it. Should his live ever come to an end, he will accept it and the life he has lead, being content, but until that dying breath he will fight for each second and each possibility for a new adventure. It's what makes him prone to gambling even at the highest stakes for his next opportunity so quickly.
He is a man of debts, paying those that he owes and being a stickler when he is owed a favour. This even goes as far as to having a personal issue stealing from someone without their knowledge. While Franky, as a pirate, will lay claim to treasure and loot that he or his crew/troop set their eyes on, he will always warn his victim aforetime of his intentions, to give them the opportunity to fight for or concede the loot in question.
On the contrary, Franky find typical life very boring as it usually constitutes repeating the same thing one did yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that till the last day of your life, whether in a time of peace or war. Whenever he finds himself for one reason or another, living such a life, Franky's attitude is very apathetic, sardonic and sarcastic as if he is emotionally detached from what is happening. No matter how extreme or monumental the situation is, if it's part of a routine, Franky will respond pretty non plussed. When Franky is in his element, however, Franky tends to gets absorbed in his own space. He talks as if he is remarking to himself or even in monologue, instantly assuming that no one else around him will appreciate why this moment is so important to him.
It should be noted that (not surprisingly) Franky is not is true first name.

History: Franky was born in a small village within Bravura near the coast. War was a commonplace, overhanging factor of life, as was farming and trickling of river water round the banks of the village. Before long, Franky got bored of it. All of it. It wasn't just the notion of simply farming in a modest, simple life, but it was the absolution of knowing that by walking in almost any direction he would only find the exact same lifestyle in the next village over. Almost... barring one. Franky would find himself daydreaming glancing at the sea, which held differing features upon its breast dependant on the season of the year and time of day alone. The idea that out there was no system of living, no expectation of tomorrow excited so much that he was ponder the idea of literally walking into the sea with his eyes open just to see how far he could get before drowning and what he might be able to see. When he was 12, his village was visited by a crew of sea-adventurers who docked near-by and traded gold and jewels for fresh crops and materials. They stayed for a little over a week and camped in the plains, stretching their legs on dry ground before going out to another trek across the waves. Every night, Franky would visit the pirate camp to hear stories about their adventures, their scars, their sea-names and all the things they have found. He understood through their laughter and tone that some of the stuff they described was silly and untrue, but the fact they had the freedom and light heartedness to say such things was enough.
Franky stowed away on the pirate ship as it left, leaving a note for his parents apologizing for his escape, but explaining that he wanted a different life. The captain of the ship explained to Franky that he figured the boy would do something like that, and how many pirates enter the seas in a similar fashion. From then on, Franky embraced the life of a pirate until he became a crew captain of his own. On a recent expedition, Franky had his men raid a ship off the Bravuran coast, believing it to be a rival pirate crew who was rumoured to have picked up talisman's of ancient legend. It happened to be a secret military convoy hold the Bravuran Ambassador returning from a secret summit. Franky was arrested, but because of his actions are a rather peaceable pirate to those on the mainland, barring this one incident, the authorities granted him mercy for his lack of a bounty and his Bravuran nationality being given the choice to lend his aid to the Bravuran cause as a secret courier/transporter with the neighbouring continents or suffer the gallows.

Rationale: Franky quickly got bored of working for his country just to stave execution. He got wind from one of the officials he couriered across the continent of a task force looking for a way to end the ongoing conflict once and for all outside of the perpetuating war. Seeing an opportunity gamble on a quick way out of his suspended sentence, Franky had his crew vouch for him will he disappeared to find the man leading the this legion and offer his services so he could finally get back to his one true love, the open seas.

Appearance: Franky is stocky, middling hieght man with dark skin and dreadlockes. His shoulders are broad and his frame muscle-bound. His eyebrows are long and a little thick, being very expressive. He has brown narrow eyes and a broad nose beset by a grand beard. He is typically bare-chested, wearing nothing on top bar a headwrap, whose ends taper far down his back like a headband and tape for his hands and wrists. He wears baggy three-quarter pants and boots.

[User]
Jeanne Robina

---

Jeanne nodded at Marcus, as the priest turned and left.

Jeanne noted that they were beginning to load the convoy. She shrugged. Heck, she could take things out of caravans just fine, she could probably pack 'em in just as well. Scratching her chin, she made her way towards the convoy and noticed some small gaps in which certain other materials may fit. "Hey, if you sheath this," Jeanne said, placing a sword on the ground into its scabbard, "then it'd probably fit into this little narrow space..." Jeanne picked up the sheathed blade and slid it into the slot between two pieces of armor. "I guess you kinda--have to--wriggle it around a bit," she added, finally getting the blade securely in between the armors.

Jeanne stepped back. "As for myself, I can probably carry my own stuff. If I can travel through the treetops with this sword on me," she declared, patting her blade, "then I'm not afraid of a little hike. Or a big one, either.

To each their own, I suppose; understandable, as Jeanne was in good physical condition (no use for a thief that can't move in limber, fluid motion).

---

Habeen Nocta

---

Habeen certainly did not want to lug around three or four textbooks for two hours. Though she did have a bag for the books, the tomes were nevertheless quite heavy and somewhat uncomfortable. Though Habeen did like to keep her folk magic tome on her in case she ever needed it. Habeen tied her remaining texts together as Jeanne the thief shoved someone's sword in between two armors.

Habeen eyed the convoy, pursing her lips as she looked for a place to tuck her texts.

"Looking for a place to put those books, my nomadic friend?" asked the thief. "I can probably help you out."

"A thief asking to hold my belongings?" Habeen asked, her smile unwavering.

"Quite often a terrible idea," Jeanne replied. "Not so in this case. Don't worry. I'll let you watch where I put it; you'll have your textbook troubles taken care of, instead of your textbooks taken."

Habeen couldn't help but let out a little laugh. Her expression didn't change; she was always cheerful. "If you say so, Miss Robina," Habeen said, handing the bound times to the thief. "And I believe this is the part where you declare me a 'sucker' and pawn my texts for profit?"

"Quite the opposite, actually," Jeanne declared, fitting the textbooks into just the right spot in the convoy. "Contrary to popular belief, there do exist moral thieves. I'm no petty pillager, nor a brash, brazen brigand. I'm a highwaywoman with a heart. Though I cannot imagine that these fellows are likely to quickly trust someone who falls under the category of 'thief.'"

[Assistant]
Gaius Secondus
 Gaius returned, with a big, bulging bag and his arms full of papers, tomes, and writing utensils. He proceeded to pack away each thing in the convoy so they wouldn't roll around. He also put his one of his spare swords in the convoy, but he kept a tome on him too.  Going around unarmed is just foolish. He thought to himself. He checked to make sure he had everything. He did. He got out of the way of the others coming in to store their stuff and waited. Time to head out! He thought cheerfully.

[User]
Kel

Kel perked right up as Hugh apprached him. He wasn't expecting the guy who was giving him orders to all of a sudden pick him out of the crowd. And Hugh wasn't the only one. He heard a voice coming from the direction that Druug kept staring at earlier. Something about those two mages just came to Druug's liking, maybe it was just the one who smelled so... strangely sweet. Druug DID enjoy fruit a lot, maybe he thought that man was food. That'd be something Kel was blamed for. He couldn't hear what the two were saying but he caught the word wyvern tossed around. He payed no mind, however, as Hugh was now talking to him. He caught the tail-end of his sentence "...into battle as a Great Knight. What is it like to ride a wyvern, friend"

"I-i-i-i-it's uh, well, it's incredible sir yes incredible." He spoke as if his mouth was tripping down a flight of stairs. "He uh, he's pretty good at tricks too, you could ride him if you wanted, but uh, I don't know if you'd know what you were doing... He might be the one driving and he's not so kind with the whole 'slowing down before making sharp turns' concept. And uh, well if you fall off we miiiight be needing a new captain." He chuckled, patting Druug on the neck. He kept staring back and forth between those mages from before and Hugh.

Everyone around them seem to be loading the caravan. Kel brought some things of his own, a few changes of clothes, a warhammer, a few rabbit carcasses (he made a mental note to find an archer as soon as he could to keep Druug happe), and a box full of letters from his sister. Before he left from camp he had informed the postal service that they should foreward it best they could out to the expedition. He didn't carry much because he didn't need much. His biggest item he brought, however, was a bunch of blankets and pillows. He didn't know if he was to bring his own tent so that was lacking, but at least he had someway to sleep if all else failed. He stopped looking to the caravan after a few seconds and returned his gaze to Hugh.

[Assistant]
Franky Lonnas – Basilmeron Castle: Convoy

By the time Franky figured out which of the immaculately dressed men was the leader of this military excursion team, he was amongst the building group of people crowding a convoy near the stables. He wasn't just concerned by the appearance of a convoy, but by the itinerary others were nonchalantly loading into it.

"I can't help but ruse that the presence of a convoy be-a sure tell sign of a journey long in tooth," remarked Franky to Hugh as he approached him. "I have no problems risking me-life what-for-ending this war, I just figured I'd-be risking it... sometime today," he added, playfully sarcastic. "I'm a pretty big man all things being equal, and this-ere war has the brass expecting me to be somewhere. Somewhere else to be exact. And I'm not sure just how long that expectation will be enough for them not to check. It be the reason I brought nothing more than the clothes on me-back. I figured whether in death or victory, I wouldn't be in this long enough to change."

As he paused to give Hugh time to respond, Franky's glance moved to the Wyvern being played with by its rider. He had seen Wyverns before, and even men on top of them no less, but it was a first to see a pair that weren't trying to kill him. Although it was one of the many hazards the sea could throw at him on any given wave, it was a chance encounter that didn't seem likely to happen here on land.


[System]
Leon Kohlberg
"I used this game to escape reality, but even now... reality never wants me to get away..."

---

Username: Seraphin
Age: 21

Gender: Male

Main: Yorick, the Gravedigger

True Appearance: Leon's clothes are torn apart, replaced by ragged cloaks and cloths that resemble that of his power's original owner. His skin glows slightly of a greener shade whilst his eyes are colored yellow. His voice echoes out in multiple voices whilst a series of scars begin to spawn all over his flesh.

Powers:
 Unholy Covenant - When needed, Leon can summon his shovel: an ornate and lightweight iron shovel with an eerie lantern attached at its end. At the center of the shovel are the engraves initials 'Y.M'. The shovel can make use of Leon's pranas, causing its attacks to explode in a burst of spectral energy.
 Omen of War - Leon empowers his shovel with a wave of spectral energy, shackling a rabid and agile ghoul to rise from the nether. Whilst the ghoul lives, Leon moves faster than usual. Whilst his shovel is still empowered, Leon is able to move significantly faster.
 Omen of Decay - Leon releases a plague from the lantern attached to his shovel, causing a caustic explosion to erupt in a location, and summoning a plagued ghoul that decays the area around it. The decay slows down enemies (or everyone, since he is still learning) while they are near the ghoul.
 Omen of Famine - Leon smashes his shovel upon the earth, creating a small fissure whilst summoning a ravenous ghoul that grows stronger with his injuries; the ghoul's attacks absorb the enemy's pranas, redirecting it to Leon, healing him in the process.
 Omen of Death - Leon, in his true form, pierces his shovel into the bowels of the earth, unearthing ghouls that take the appearance of Leon's allies (or himself). The ghouls can only attack and not copy the target's spells. Any damage sustained by the original ones are redirected to the mimicking ghouls.

Personality: Leon, being a new kid on the block, is fairly shy and awkward. However, he tries his best to gain new friends, or even to communicate with others-- no matter how weird his tactics have to be. He has some sort of an inferiority complex, and often sees himself as a less important being as compared with others. He seldom wants to work with others, though, and would often do things his way if only to prove to himself that he is just as capable as his comrades. Leon is not really that proud of his powers, seeing as his ghouls frighten people instead of actually wanting to be close to him.

Although, Leon is still level-headed and mature when push comes to shove. He does not like those that push others around, and will stick up for those who are being trodden over. He is not exactly leader material, but he is willing to take control when there is anarchy. Righteous, vindictive, and fiercely loyal-- Leon is a comrade that most would want and not want at the same time.

Short Biography: Studying in college was one thing that Leon feared as it entailed him moving away from his family and his home. A college in Darkwell was the cheapest one around, and thus, the boy had no choice but to apply there. Shortly after moving there though, he immediately realized that the residents were not really friendly material. Hence, Leon had a hard time making any social contacts. Coupled with stress in college, the boy escaped his lonely reality by playing multiple online games, but none other stuck to him more than League of Legends. Sure, people were toxic, but they worked together until that blasted Nexus was destroyed. He played whenever he was stressed, and his favorite was Yorick-- sharing the same drive to be remembered by others. It was all a just game, though. Or, so Leon believed.

He didn't know what happened, but he just woke up with ghouls swarming his room. It took days for him to settle down, and come to terms with his reality. But, when he saw a shovel decked upon his floor with the initials Y.M, the lad knew that there was something greater at work. But, more than that, he knew that he was not the only one who could have been the victim here. Life was beginning to become more complex, but to imagine a path much duller than this was almost nigh on impossible for Leon. At least, now, whenever he came home, a bunch of specters greeted him with jaws and fangs in their smiles.

Oh, being a League of Legends player had never been much more fulfilling.

Other: "Death is only the beginning."

[User]
Liam&Matt

 As Sam made her remark about her drunken state, Liam choked momentarily on his beer. As he did his best to clear his throat and sinuses of the bitter liquid, he did his best to seem calm (though his obvious blush continued to give him away) as he sat back in his chair. Matt on the other hand, seemed to pay no attention to the actions or words of those around him. Instead, his mind drifted onwards and outwards, trying to calculate and comprehend everything that had happened over the last couple of days. In truth, despite his calm exterior, Matt was still overwhelmed by all this.

 "Yeah? That's not a bad idea." Liam chimed in, sitting up straight as his eyes focused on Clarice. A moment later, his eyes drifted to Sam, though he'd do his best to keep it subtle enough to remain undetected. He began reminiscing on his past, and what he had divulged to Sam shortly before her... 'Eruption'. Despite his best intentions, he couldn't help but feel he had deceived her with that half truth. If nothing else, he could make it up to her, but how... "I'm sure Matt has some spares floating around. Don't you Matt?" A moment of silence passed, "Matt?"

 "Hmm?" In an instant, the dark haired male's vision returned, glancing about the room. Despite his trance, he was able to grasp at least part of the conversation, "... Sure. Help yourself." Matt's gaze fell upon Sam as he spoke, quickly returning to Liam, "We should patrol tonight."

 "Man, you really are in your own world?" Liam remarked, wearing a teasing grin, though a subtle hint of concern emerged, "Clarice asked if we'd like to accompany her to the park. Coming?"

 Matt paused a moment, shaking his head as he settled back in his chair, "No, I'm fine. I should stay in case any others show. But do as you wish, after today, it'd be good for you to unwind."

 'Yeah, you too...' Liam thought, his gaze focused on Matt's now distant eyes for a moment before the blonde male sighed heavily. "Yeah, yeah. Give me a shout if something comes up." With that, he'd place his bottle on the floor and stand from his chair. In a short time, he stood by the door, turning to face the interior with his usual smile, "Well, better be going. Stay safe, Matt."

 "Yeah. You too."

---

?????

 As Garret's door flew open, he'd be greeted with the sight of timid young girl. Clothed in an off white hoodie and leggings, she shrieked softly as he made his appearance, clutching one hand in another as she fell back into his clone. With an equally frightened gasp, she attempted to stand her ground, pushing herself from the clone and resorting to fidgeting with the collar of her heavy attire. Shortly after, her gaze would return to the man, seeming to be shaking in fear.

 "G-Garret? I have the right apartment? Or-" She said, glancing behind her to the clone, "Y-Yeah. I think so." Shortly she'd turn to him, extending on hand out that seemed to be clasping something. As she turned the hand over and released her fingers, a cellphone could be seen sitting in her palm, "Our boss wanted you to have this. Said to do away with your old one." At the mention of her boss, he quivering voice faded, carrying now an even tone as her eyes remained locked to Garrett's in a fashion that betrayed her earlier character.

---

---

[Assistant]
Raze Colter

Raze ran. He just ran and ran down the streets of Darkwell. Raze wasn't just running away from a guy with a gang of ghouls. He was fleeing the potential of being labeled as a murderer, as if he could outrun such judgements. Raze weaved and shoved through crowds of angry, annoyed faces towards the only place he felt would be safe: his own home.

He bounded up the stairwell of his apartment building rather than waiting for the elevator, afraid that his hopes and dreams would fall away if he stopped moving. Raze hardly even stopped to whip out his keys to unlock the door, slamming his body shoulder-first into the faded, brown entry. Once unlocked, he slammed the door behind him and slumped to the ground, leaning his back against it to keep out any accusers. It didn't help though. His accusers were already inside his apartment; in his mind.

Murderer. You're no savior, you're a killer! Filth like you are unworthy of being a hero!, cackled the voice of Hecarim. Raze pressed his palms against his forehead and gritted his teeth in frustration. Hecarim's malicious laughter echoed around his skull, growing louder and louder by the second.

Raze yelled out loud, then thought to himself, I DID THE RIGHT THING, YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!! IT WAS EITHER THAT WOMAN, OR THAT MAN!!! I protected the innocent!

Hecarim just let out a bellowing laugh, You slaughtered that man's life without any hesitation. You are a blight on Darkwell, just as so many others are. You are no beacon of hope, you are a symbol to be feared, a story told to scare children. You are one of us now.

Still sitting on the ground against the floor, Raze lowered his clenched fists to the carpet, allowing them to gently rest on its bouncy surface. No, I'm not. I am nothing to be afraid of. Not yet. He opened his eyes and looked across the apartment to a window. All of Darkwell stood before him, skyscrapers silhouetted against a slowly setting sun. There is much work to be done before the scum of this city truly fear me.

Garrett Fishman

Before Garrett stood not a dangerous stranger, nor a mysterious courier. Instead, it was simply a little girl, much shorter than Garrett. She was small and shaking, reminding him of a mouse. Garrett swiped the phone from her and stood off to the side of the doorframe, giving his clone room to usher the girl in with a shove.

Garrett scrutinized the phone in his free arm, turning it over, then back around. Pressing the home button simply brought up the main menu, no lock screen or security of some other kind. Yet.

Garrett held out the phone with the screen facing straight at the girl. "What do I do with this, call or wait to be called?"

Vicki Victory

"So what's your plan? You going to try to bring a comic book to life? Be a boxer and kick ass? Ignore it?"

Vicki brought up a clenched fist in front of her face, examining it to find any indication at the source of her strength. She herself was still trying to figure out the answer to that question. "The plan is to learn to live with this. I don't know what that looks like yet, though."

The elevator dinged, and Vicki glanced quickly at the floor indicator. They were at the top of the complex. Fancy.

Alex lead Vicki down a hallway. On the way, they passed a blonde man with moderately long hair. Vicki nodded at him with a slight grin, then continued on her way behind Alex. Down the hallway, one of the doors seemed to have...exploded or something. A few splinters were embedded in the opposite wall, but a majority of the door and some of its lock mechanism littered the ground. It was to this door that Alex steered Vicki. Cautiously, she poked her head around the doorframe first, followed closely by the rest of her body. She carefully stepped over and around pieces of the door, then spoke,"Ah, hi. I think I'm the same as you guys?"

@Eklispe @Kiroue (And anyone left in the apartment.)

[User]
"He's a murderer. I saw the victim in the dumpster with spectral energy seeping out of it," Leon smirked before heaving the shovel over his shoulder. "Basing on your reaction, you're not surprised by a person with powers from a certain videogame. I'd say you're one of those people as well." he took a step forward. "And, you knew his name: Raze. I guess you also know that his manifestation is from the Shadow Isles... just like me. "I saw you from café Wi-Hi alongside the blue-eyed maiden and the burning witch," Leon recalled, jabbing at a certain searing-skinned woman. "Where are the others from the café? I guess it's not too far-fletched of an idea to say that almost everyone inside Wi-Hi are like you and me. So, where are they? Being gathered for a vigilante army? Gearing up to destroy the world? To make it fall on its knees? But, hey, we're just all kids here. It's not like we can end the world in a few days." A laugh escaped his lips before the shovel vanished into thin air as Leon dusted his hands.

"I aim to stop the Shadow Isles from corrupting the minds of those who are like me. I will hunt down this Raze, and he will be put down before he can harm any of the innocents," Leon walked pass the woman as he spared a lavender-eyed glance at her. "And, you won't stop me. Next time, Raze won't be so lucky. I don't care what champion you are, but I only aim to keep this town safe, and your little vigilante group will not hinder my goal."

"Once I get stronger, I will hunt down Raze and end him myself."

I'm not strong enough yet, I need to improve my skills...


[System]
~Lady Victoria Moncourier-Crest~

---
Age: 20
Gender: Female

Bio:
The daughter of Lord Alexander and Lady Diana Crest, Victoria was born with a rare blood condition called Haemochromotosis, basically where you have more iron in your blood than normal. It's linked with early dementia, but people rarely lived past the age of 60 in Victorian era. This makes her blood smell much, much stronger. And a prime target for vampires.

Her upbringing was privileged being from a family of vast wealth, Victoria wanted for nothing. She had all the ponies and horses she could want, this created her affinity and love for all animals and nature through horse riding and caring for them. When she was twelve, she fell from a horse and grazed her elbows. Her strong blood caught the scent of a nearby vampire. This triggered an attack later that evening as it tracked her back home. As the vampire was about to savage her in her own bed, her father burst in armed with a sword, gun, a cross and a stake (whether stakes actually worked is still a myth) and killed the vampire, this is when she learned they did exist, but she was made to keep it secret. It turned out her father was a secret Vampire Hunter! He knew he himself was a target, having the rare blood condition himself, so did her mother, this was only passed down genetically from both parents. He had to become a vampire hunter to protect himself, his wife and his future children. He guarded her religiously until recently he was killed by a vampire due to his ageing body and weaker ability to dispatch them. They never caught his murderer.

6 months later, Victoria has reached that age where she was expected to have a husband. It was ever more precedent now that the Lord of the House had been killed, there needed to be a new head of the family, with Victoria being the only daughter and no male brothers or cousins to assume the role, it fell to Victoria's future husband. Lord Christopher Spencer was chosen as a suitable candidate for her. And this is where our story begins, at the ball held at the Crest manor estate where she would meet her selected betrothed. Only there was something strangely off about this Lord…

[User]
As they left his family behind, Vail glanced once back over his shoulder at his parents, who had already turned away from them to take solace in each other's company. He knew they were still upset with him and with Victoria over their decision to be together, but he'd been hoping that they would at least set their disappointment aside while there were more pressing issues to take care of. Peter and Katherine were unwavering traditionalists. They believed in doing things a certain way and balked at the thought of allowing anyone or anything to disrupt their way of life.

For a long time, their beliefs had rubbed off on him too, but since he'd met and gotten to know Victoria, he'd realized that his family had some glaring flaws. They were inflexible. Centuries of falling into strict routine had made them blind to the possibility that there was more than one right way to do things. Their stubbornness had cost them dearly when Mikael had attacked, and now it was potentially going to cost them the affection of their future daughter in law. He exhaled softly as he turned away from them again. Disliking the tension between his parents and the woman he loved, he hoped they would come around eventually, but it was difficult to tell what would happen this early on.

"Well, it sounds like we'll have plenty of that," Vail mused when Victoria told him that she was hungry. It was interesting to him that she still craved solid food even though she had woken up as a vampire. Occasionally, he had a taste for something other than blood, but he would never equate it to genuine hunger. When he dined on the food and drink that sustained mortals, it was always by choice, since he didn't need enough of the nutrients in it to consider it essential to his diet. Human meals just gave him a bit of a short-term energy boost.

Approaching the manor, he inhaled the strong aroma of blood and realized that their human hosts had prepared more than just a classic dinner for them to feast on that evening. He walked by Victoria's side the rest of the way to the dining room and surveyed the banquet from the doorway. After eating nothing for the past week, the food and blood that had been set out for them all would be an exceptional meal to fill his empty stomach, and his mouth watered at just the thought of it. Even though he didn't need human food to survive, he still appreciated the way the mortals cooked and seasoned it.

He joined Victoria on the far end of the table while the rest of the vampires who had been invited filled in the center. A few of his cousins eyes their own wine glasses hungrily, barely restraining themselves from downing the blood inside before everyone was seated. They had all fed recently, but they were still slaves to their nature. The pungent scent of blood in the air and the generous portions that had been provided to each of them was a test to the wills of the clan members with less self-control.

Vail's only task was to make sure that none of his relatives attacked the humans in the room, and since his cousins were merely slavering over their drinks, he fixed his attention on Victoria, who seemed to have the opposite reaction to the glass in front of her. "If you still have an appetite for the food you ate when you were human, it may be too soon," he suggested, resting a hand supportively on her leg. "We still don't know exactly what your transformation is going to look like, so there's no need to force it if you aren't ready. The blood is just there for you as an option. Enjoy your dinner, and don't feel obligated to finish your drink if you have no taste for it yet."

[Assistant]
Victoria appreciated Vail comforting her with her lack of blood appetite. He knew she struggled with the substance beforehand. Perhaps her psyche was preventing her vampiric needs from taking over. As he said, it could be too soon. "Did you manage to recover that tome we used? Perhaps there is more information contained within?"

"A tome?" James asked curiously and Victoria explained to him what they had found, and he appeared quite interested. "Fascinating. I'm an avid scholar like my father. Not as…experimental as he is and how I came into existence as a half breed, but still thirsty for all fonts of knowledge this world has to offer." It seemed James was rather candid about his experimental existence. Diana may have been tricked into conceiving a vampire's child, but she was still glad James was born. That motherly love ran very deep.

"Perhaps the Saints know of more than they let on?" Francois suggested using them as a source of knowledge. "Perhaps when you find them, we can enquire." He asked James and his son replied with a nod. Maybe they were being optimistic for Victoria's sake, Vail was more realistic and doubted the Saints were even alive.

After Victoria devoured her chicken and vegetables like a starved homeless person, she still felt….unsatisfied. She did not feel full. And then suddenly the waft of blood from her glass became more appetising. She took up the glass and had no trouble drinking the blood nectar from within it. She let out a big sigh and smiled at everyone. James pointed to the corner of his mouth to indicate she had remaining blood left around her lips. She felt rather embarrassed and dabbed her mouth with her napkin sheepishly. Francois looked proud at her in that moment. "Well…would you look at that." He mused as James agreed with his father. Diana was rather relieved, despite her reservations about her newly vampiric daughter. "Well done, Darling." She reiterated the encouragement she knew she had to give to a naturally worrisome Victoria.

She hoped that Vail was also proud of her for taking that first big step in overcoming the blood phobia. "Well I certainly enjoyed my dinner. Thank you mother, auntie for providing us with much needed nourishment."

"Shall we retire to the lounge for the rest of the evening?" Diana suggested as the servants began to tidy away the leftovers. The men agreed as it was custom after dinner to leave the table and join conversation and drinks with their guests in entertaining. Victoria could take this opportunity to speak with Sylvia alone about the questions she had about being a female vampire. She felt like she could trust her and talk to her, she didn't view Victoria as a threat to her former fiancé. And Vail had expressly explained he had no romantic feelings for Lady Macey so Victoria did not feel threatened by Sylvie. She really needed a female friend right now.

"Lady Sylvie. I hoped you might wish to join me on the terrace for a cup of tea?" She asked as she rose from her chair with even more grace and air about her. She had renewed energy and her aura became more of a presence within the room. She held a certain regal posture. "For girl talk." She added and flashed a teasing grin at Vail to make sure he knew it was just her and Sylvia. He would probably be curious to know if they would talk about him further.

[User]
"Unfortunately, I didn't stay long enough in my family's manor to look for it," Vail shook his head at Victoria's question. Thoughts of the tome had crossed his mind since then, and a part of him regretted not taking the time to pick it up before he left England. However, in the moment, it just hadn't been a priority. He'd stumbled upon the wreckage of Mikael's attack and had been concerned about his family's wellbeing above everything else. Since then, he hadn't had any opportunities to return for the book either. He'd been busy trying to mold his family clan into some kind of order and waiting for Victoria to wake up from her transformative slumber.

If possible, he still would have liked to go back to find it, but the trip didn't seem feasible. Now that Lady Crest had awoken, someone would need to teach her how to adapt to her life as a vampire, and he felt like that role belonged to him as both the one who had turned her and the one who would—hopefully soon—marry her. Additionally, his clan was nowhere near ready to get by without him. For their sakes too, he needed to remain in Scotland for at least a while longer.

The dinner they enjoyed was delicious, and Vail savored the taste of the food and the blood that had been provided for the nonhuman guests. Once he'd cleared his plate, he sat back in his seat and glanced at Victoria, who still hadn't touched her own glass. It seemed like she still hadn't warmed to the thought of drinking the blood of the people she'd once belonged to. He was just about to offer her a word of encouragement, hoping that she would try it at least one more time now that her appetite for a mortal meal had been whetted. However, before he could even say a word, he blinked in surprise as she picked up the glass on her own and drank the whole thing.

"Not so bad, is it?" he mused lightly, leaning over to brush a kiss against her cheek. He was incredibly pleased to see her take such an important step in overcoming her aversion to blood. If she'd fought against her new instinct to feed on it, she could have become a danger to herself and to the humans around her, so it was better that she voluntarily drank from the glass that her mother had offered her that night. He also hoped that now that she'd tasted it, she would be less opposed to learning to hunt and feed like the rest of their kind did after dark.

At the end of dinner, Vail rose from his seat to join the rest in the lounge for conversation and drinks, pleasantly full on the rich food Diana had so generously provided them. After spending the last week in a constant state of worry for Victoria, it was nice to return to something a little more normal. He waited for her to get up from the table as well, only to quirk a brow when she chose to invite Sylvia onto the terrace instead.

"Oh? Of course," Sylvia grinned, flashing her pearly fangs. Walking around the table, she slipped her arm through Lady Crest's and shot her ex-fiancé a wink. "Sorry, Vail. Looks like she's mine tonight."

He rolled his eyes. "Just for the evening… I'd like her back after that."

"We'll see," Sylvie teased, giving her new friend's arm a tug to lead her away.

"Good luck with her, Victoria," Vail said flatly, though a smile still pulled at his lip. "I'll find you later." He'd been hoping to have her to himself soon, since he'd spent the last week wondering if she would even survive her transformation, but he supposed he could stand to share her a little longer. For now, he headed off to the lounge with the other men, idly curious about what Lady Crest had called Sylvia aside to discuss.

[Assistant]
Victoria was happy that Vail was proud of her and smiled when he leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek. She shook her head at his question of it being so bad. "Not anymore. Perhaps my tastebuds are adapting to it." She mused in reply. Maybe the fact it was in a glass and resembled more like a wine than blood helped her mental state of mind and eased her anxiety over her phobia. She wasn't ready to start even thinking about…hunting humans. She just couldn't bring herself to hurt an innocent person.

Lady Crest was relieved to have Sylvie accept her invitation for a girly chat. She smiled at her warmly as she linked her arm through hers. Sylvie was a friendly woman. Albeit 300 years her senior, still looked around Victoria's age. She turned to see Vail's reaction toward Sylvia's remark that she had his girlfriend for the evening. If Victoria could blush, she would at the moment Vail said he wanted her back later. Was he being a tad possessive over her? She liked the thought of belonging to someone, to him.

"Don't worry, I will always come back to you, Vail." Victoria chimed sweetly at him as he said he would find her later. She blew a kiss his way as Sylvia tugged her from the dining hall and into the hallway. Diana smiled and shook her head as she began clearing the table with her sister. "Vail does give you a hard time, doesn't he?" Victoria asked Sylvie as they walked down the hallway. "Did you annoy him somehow?"

As Vail joined the men in the lounge area, Francois took a large cigar from a box and placed it in his mouth. "Care for a cigar, Master Hygrace?" He offered the fellow vampire as James took a seat and crossed his legs and leaned back in the lounger. "You must be relieved that Victoria woke up." James did not take a cigar as it didn't appeal to him. "Although it is a shame about that tome. Perhaps when Lady Macey and I return I could scout your home and if its' clear of Wynter scum, I can look for it." He suggested as a help to them both.

Victoria and Syliva meanwhile, ventured out to the back garden veranda. A fireplace in the centre of the terrace lit up the benches. One of the servants came out with a pot of hot tea for the ladies to enjoy and keep warmer in the colder Scottish air. "So I wanted to speak with you about my new…life." Victoria didn't know how else to describe it. "Vail can teach me how to live as a vampire and guide me but I need to know how a female vampire works. From a fellow female vampire. Such as….how do we breed?" She asked a little coyly. She knew how a human body worked. A monthly cycle. But she knew nothing about vampire anatomy. "And I need to know these things…for the future. Especially if I am to get married and expected to have children." Which was the social convention these days. She wasn't even sure the Hygraces would want her to bare their grandchildren.


[System]
Alias: Agent
Gender: Female
Age(18-21 Please): 20
Looks:

Ally is well-built, standing at 5'4" weighing about 135 pounds. She's one of those people who don't look too strong until they flex or exercise. She has deep brown eyes that go dark in the center and lighter around the edges. She has dark brown, wavy hair which is many times worn down unless working or training.
*Occupation: Manager of an ice cream shop. Also part-time Sports Medicine student.
Personality: Ally is a pretty friendly person. She's not afraid to start a conversation with a stranger. She really enjoys talking to people and making new friends. Overall, she's the kind of person who would give you the last of her money if you're hungry, even if she's hungry too. She has a lot of confidence in herself, but doesn't like to show off, unless being silly. She's also very stubborn and doesn't usually compromise easily. If you know which buttons to push she can get angry very easily, but usually won't get violent unless physically provoked.
*Backstory: Her story isn't out of the ordinary. She's the typical, independent young woman. Throughout her life she suffered poverty with her family and once she got a wrestling scholarship for Long Beach University, she jumped at it. So, she has lived in a studio apartment for a couple years, now trying to fix her schedule around wrestling, MMA, school, work, and now hero work.
Skills/Weapons: She has a background in MMA training. She does carry gadgets, which are just colored smoke bombs and those strobing candles she saved from the 4th of July. She carries around matches to light these.
Other: Nothing, besides me being Queen of the Noobs.

[User] ----Sorry, posted on the wrong page due to incompetence----

[Assistant]
Marcus couldn't help but laugh at the idea of someone stealing a smoothie. "Man that's insane, how desperate do you have to be to steal a smoothie? Not to mention having a getaway car, how absurd! It makes me wonder if the whole thing was planned out, sort of GTA style. Like they had a board with everything mapped out, an escape route, contingency plans. Maybe they stole the car just for this heist, and what if they had a helicopter waiting for them? That would've been dope as fuck!"

 Marcus stopped himself, realizing he was the only one interested in his hypothetical smoothie master thieves. Besides, regardless of the nature of the crime his friend had still been robbed. Ally was another victim of the crime wave that was taking over this city. "But for real, I know it sucks. When my dad got shot a few months back it hurt. Aside from losing my dad and struggling to keep the shop open, the loss of a sense of security really hits hard. I don't know if I was just too young and naive before to notice how bad the crime in this town was, or if it really just has started getting bad. But I just feel like I'm always on my toes now. I'm constantly looking over my shoulder and worrying that I could be mugged or get killed like my dad."

 Tears started to form in the corner of Marcus' eyes. He thought about how bad things had been since his dad died. Cowl Comics and Games, the store his father had opened, was on the verge of closing down. Then again a lot of businesses were doing poorly in Long Beach these days since everybody preferred to stay in their homes and off the street. "These damn gangs are ruining this town. They're taking our freedom from us, making it hard for anybody to live around here. They just control our lives and there's nothing we can do about it. Damn cops aren't even helping and if they won't help then we're shit out of luck." Marcus stuffed some of his fries into his mouth in an effort to keep himself from sobbing. This is isn't what he wanted for his life, certainly not what his dad wanted.

[User]
"Yeah that's insane" Trip said "I mean, don't get me wrong, I've always said your smoothies were criminally good Ally, but this is ridiculous"

He took a sip of coffee and set the cup back on the table before continuing.
"I was out for a jog along the boardwalk this morning. Saw a guy just blow this woman over and snatched her purse. I tried to catch up to him, but the bastard had too much of a head start. Marcus is right, things are really going to hell in a handbasket. The gangs have the run of the whole city. Personally, I think the cops are on the take, but that's just me"

He finished off his coffee and tried to lob the empty cup into a nearby garbage can. It clattered off the rim and landed in the floor.
"This is why I don't play basketball" he said with a grin as he slipped out of his seat to finish disposing the cup.

[Assistant]
"I know what you mean," Alvina said, sipping her coffee, "Nowhere feels safe anymore. At work, I always feel like someone will come threaten us with guns or something. I'm glad the library doesn't keep much money around."

She swung her feet, the toes of her shoes brushing the concrete. "It's ridiculous, honestly. About a week ago, some jerk broke into my car. The window was broken and everything. All I had in there was $20. Like, the window repair is more than that." She sighed.

"Not to mention, a girl in my class recently dropped out because she was sexually abused by her ex-boyfriend, who's in one of those gangs, and his buddies. She was too scared of one of them showing up to hurt her again to even go back to school. I wish someone would do something about it. It would be nice not to worry when I'm alone in my apartment that something bad will happen."

[User]
Alan Walker

---

The young computer specialist was sitting in the corner of the room and listen as the conversation between some of his bests of friends unravel. His lips quirked in amusement as he shook his head lightly. Not the kind of amusement that was to mock them or laugh in their face and their misery, but a more sympathetic one, the one uttered by someone who was also powerless against those gangsters and street criminals. He too once lost a very valuable Persian carpet right inside his house, and right in front of his eyes as the burglar simply jumped out of the window like nobody's business. He tried to call the police then but they didn't even care. He understood that they had more urgent crimes to deal with, but leaving them alone unpunished like that was pretty cruel and unprofessional. This enabled him to have contingency plan and set up home security. It did prevent further burglaries, but sometimes it did not stop daring criminals from taking his stuff.

He gently open the lid on his small laptop, his hand gracefully moved across the keyboard, his fingers tapped quietly on the keys, writing what he wanted on the screen in a matter of seconds. He tapped the 'Enter' key once he stopped dancing on the keyboard. The laptop quickly processed this little search key Alan entered, showing a variety of search results. Alan then picked the top most reliable and easy to understand search result. Then he turned the computer screen towards his friends, making sure that they all saw it, and spoke.

"This is what I've just searched on the Internet. The crime rate at Long Beach has quadrupled comparing to two years earlier. The police forces are becoming more and more short-handed due to these statistics, and they are so busy dealing with crimes such as corruption, human trafficking and drug smuggling that they simply did not have the time to deal with petty issues like a smoothie robberies. Well, no offense."

Alan then closed his laptop, enabling it into sleep mode, as he addressed the entire room with a slight sigh.

"To be honest, if things like this keeps occurring unpunished, then I may have to move away sooner or later. Someday, it may not only be a stolen smoothie, snatched purse, a broken window car but your own life being robbed away."

All with honesty. He was the only one unable to fight around here. For twenty years of his life, he only studied and studied. Never once did he have to touch a fist on anything, or anyone, due to the good environment he used to live in. But now that he was independent and living all by himself, he, for the first time, felt defenseless against criminals like his friends just said. That was the reason he rarely left his accommodation and instead preferred to work at home.

Was there anything we could do against these pesky and morally degrading individuals?

[Assistant]
Aimee Holland

Current Location: Shopping Center Food Court

In Long Beach, everyone had stories of theft and crime, and Aimee's companion, Ally had quite the tale to tell. Idly chewing on a cheeseburger as she listened to Ally speak, Aimee looked on with a perplexed expression on her face. A getaway car for a smoothie? Aimee thought, sitting her cheeseburger in the paper tray that accompanied it. "They probably paid more for the gas to escape than they would have for the smoothie. That is, if they paid for the gas in the first place."  The swim instructor replied, finding it equally ridiculous as any of her companions found the crime. It had befuddled Aimee as she tried to consider a motive to have a simple theft of a smoothie be so planned out as if they were robbing a bank.

Soon, some of her friends--Trip and Marcus-- had brought up the issue of the police doing nothing, and the possibility that they might be even in with the bandits, thugs and gangs that plagued Long Beach like a disease. Such an issue was likely to stir controversy with Aimee, whose brother was a police officer, and she was sure that Jake was doing his best to protect the good people of Long Beach. Jake had even gone to extensive lengths to protect Aimee, forcing her to learn self-defense and carry around a pair of hand cuffs and a stun gun for his little sister's own safety. Still, regardless, Jake was only one man, and there was only so much he could do. Something had to change, or else Long Beach would continue to rot as a hub of criminal activity.

Adding to the conversation, Alan brought up the recent statistics of Long Beach's crime rate on his laptop. It was saddening to see that the crime rate had exploded--quadrupling over the course of two years--and the police soon became short-handed as a result. Jake was always on call, reporting to dozens of claims of criminal activity, and returned every day home to the Holland residence with an exhausted appearance clouding his once cheerful outlook. Yet, despite everything Jake stood for, it was often the citizens of Long Beach that suffered. Alan spoke that he may have to move away in regards for his own safety, which many former natives did. As crime continued to rise, many left the city in search of a better place, leaving their former lives in Long Beach as they moved to different cities and towns.

"I hope that it doesn't come to it, Alan." Aimee replied, attempting to keep some sort of positive view on the gloomy conversation. Nonetheless, Alan had truth to his words. Alvina's friend dropped out from a potential education after being sexually harassed, Trip saw a woman be assaulted and mugged in broad daylight, and even Marcus' father had been shot by some thugs. It hadn't been long since Aimee had a brand new surfboard stolen right under her nose as well. She had set it against the lifeguard shack to speak with a mother and her child looking for guidance about the beach, and when Aimee had turned around, her surfboard was nowhere to be found. There were many reasons to fear for your life or your belongings in Long Beach, even if you were alone or in a crowd. If only things would change, and for the better.

---

@candlelitcraft@Crossfire@Slingshot@1Hawkeyes

[User]
After Ally recalled her story, she listened to her friends' responses. Each of them had their own tale to tell regarding the excessive crime rate in the city. Marcus compared the crime of the smoothie snatcher to a GTA Heist, which made her chuckle. His story then moved onto his recently passed father, and his struggle with running the shop. "I'm sorry, Marcus," she said, just like she had said a million times before, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It wasn't hard to see he was holding back tears as he consumed all of the fries. She gave his shoulder a squeeze, as she now felt like an idiot for bringing the smoothie up. He had lost so much more in the recent violence, what right did she have to complain over a smoothie?

Ally then listened to Trip's story about a purse snatcher, and slowly shook her head. A lot of the crimes mentioned were petty, but they still affected people. Ally laughed at Trip's attempt to make his cup of coffee. "You call that a shot? Watch this!" The young woman picked up her own empty cup and threw it at the trash. It would've made it, if the trash can was three feet to the left. She quickly popped up from her chair and threw her cup away, teasingly nudging Trip to the side as they crossed paths.

As Ally walked back, she caught Alvina's story. She scoffed, hearing the pointless action of breaking into a car just to steal twenty bucks. "I'm just glad they didn't take your car." Many people knew that if their cars were stolen in this city, there would be little chance in ever getting it back.

After Alvina's story, Alan pulled up information on crime rates and revealed them to the group. Although they highly dissatisfied Ally, she wasn't surprised at all by the results. Everyone here was a victim of crime in one way or another. Actually, the woman was more surprised that it didn't raise any higher than that. Then again, the city had many years to expand and grow.

At Alan's mention of a lost life, Ally looked down at her hands and thought again of Marcus's dad. She couldn't even imagine her father passing and they didn't even live together. What exactly was Marcus feeling?

"I hope it doesn't either," Ally agreed with Aimee. She looked at her friends and thought about losing one of them. The thought nearly brought tears to her eyes. The young woman looked away and thought on Alan's words.

"Someone needs to punish them," Ally said, returning her gaze to her friend's, "Or maybe not punish, so much as stop this. I wish... I wish we could have super powers or something. Then we could stop crime much better than these cops."


[System]
Species: Geth

Age: 376 years since program's creation

Gender: N/A

Appearance:

Weapons/Equipment:
-Geth Pulse Rifle v3
-Geth Plasma SMG v3
-A combat platform with greater capabilities than a standard Geth unit.

Skills and Abilities: Like most Geth, it is a tech expert with strong hacking capabilities. It has tech-based abilities (incinerate, cryo blast, etc) and is equipped with a tactical cloak. Its advanced mobile platform is quite durable. As its body is made from tough alloys with powerful synthetic muscles, it is capable of strength beyond that of an organic of similar size. It also has the accuracy and reaction time one would expect from an advanced machine.

Background: For most of Avatar's existence, it was but a single Geth program, with little more than rudimentary instincts and completely reliant upon the presence of other Geth to attain intelligence. That, however, changed in the midst of the Reaper War. In the aftermath of the battle with the Creator fleet at Rannoch, all Geth were given Reaper upgrades that uplifted them to become true A.I. Avatar was given its name by a group of organics it fought alongside during the Battle of Earth, and decided to keep that name in order to facilitate easier communication with organics.

After the end of the war, Avatar filled many roles. At first most of the Geth's efforts were on rebuilding what was lost at Rannoch and helping the Creators resettle on the homeworld. The efficiency of the Geth's planning coupled with the eagerness of the Quarians to re-establish their home made the process rather quick. Avatar spent a few years inhabiting the suits of Creators, mimicking the effects of viruses to help them to rebuild their immune systems. Over time, cities were erected on the surface of Rannoch, and more and more Creators were able to live without their suits, though most still chose to wear them due to tradition.

Eventually, Avatar's role shifted away from rebuilding and into security. Due to the weakened state of the galaxy in the years after the war, piracy and other forms of crime were becoming increasingly common. All Geth were capable of combat when installed in the correct platform, but Avatar had a desire to help, and through years of fighting, it had developed memory shortcuts in relation to combat that would make it more effective than programs that had not incorporated said shortcuts. Avatar has served ever since as a combat platform, patrolling sectors near the borders of Geth/Quarian space, and sometimes even in the territories of other species, when requested.

Most recently, Avatar has been assigned to accompany a group of Creators who have been tasked with preparing the way for the first Quarian settlements in the Pylos Nebula. Avatar's assigned mission is to discuss Geth habitation of the planet with the locals and make other preparations for the Geth. Any Geth could perform that task, but due to the dangerous nature of the Attican Traverse, they felt it appropriate to send a combat platform for additional protection.

[User]
Voira's looked at Raa wearily as she made clear her position on the 'take the safe route and some people we don't even know die or take the dangerous route to save some strangers' decision. But she didn't protest against it, simply shrugging and adding her own two cents. "We agree with Raa." She didn't like it, but she knew there wasn't any way she was getting Raa to go along with the sensible plan. Especially not now. Her eyes watched the Turian diplomat carefully. She didn't care if he was in an argument with RK, the AI had a tendency to piss off most people she could talk to, but Voira had seen how some people consider Raa just another version of the AI and got angry with the Quarian. If the diplomat was like that, things would get very bad, very quickly. Fortunately for all involved, the diplomat was sent away before he could. As the Geth went against the idea, Voira spoke up again.

"We have to agree with Avatar. Splitting our forces is a bad idea. We could, and gladly would, kill as many possible with the forces we have. But if you and the diplomats meet resistance, you'll be outgunned and when we get to the hanger, we'll be outgunned. Especially since I'm protecting the Geth." She stared pointedly at Raa. "We don't like this. But you won't accept anything else, so we're doing it, reluctantly. Stay out of danger or we will abandon him." She glanced back at Avatar. "No offense. Do you have the details of where Raa can upload her virus to make things a bit easier on us? We'd rather not have their reinforcements be breathing down our necks the instant we walk into the hangar."

[Assistant]
Donny let the others debate amongst themselves about what the best course of action would be. He was tempted to talk back to the diplomat, but than memories of his lessons in dealing with civvies came to mind. While no doubt the diplomat was important, he was still a non-combatant and should not be involved in anymore fighting then necessary. Donny wasn't sure how this might apply to turians, but he figured that the diplomat didn't want to get into a firefight anyways, turian or not.

Soon the Quarian and Asari, Raa and Voira respectively, spoke their thoughts. Donny was one of the few who didn't draw his gun when Voira punched the geth, but only because Donny wasn't certain what was going on. Evidently Voira felt this was Avatar's fault which made Donny think: Could he have some involvement? But those thoughts were quietly put aside. "I need to focus on getting out of here first. We can solve this mystery once I don't have to worry about bullets getting into my head." One of the turians, likely the captain of the bunch, mentioned not wanting to get their VIPs in any danger themselves. She was at least willing to leave behind two of her soldiers behind, the familiar looking turian named Cactus and an unfamiliar one named Numso. Donny felt uneasy losing such a large number of guns, but he supposed that it wasn't just Eleanore that needed saving. Though he was certain they would have better success working together than separately. The geth and Voira spoke what Donny thought.

"And also..." Donny spoke out rather meekly. He felt so out of place, and it just suddenly dawned onto him how much was on his shoulders. He had no idea how his people were handling the hanger area, or if they were even alive. What if they needed him minutes ago, while he wasted time talking? The pressure was great, but all he could do was clench his fists and speak his thoughts. "We should go. If what the geth said is true, we have little time to debate. All I can say is this: I have no idea how you hack a ship, but I know that we have a shuttle in the hanger we could get into and get out of here ASAP. And unless you have one ready too, I doubt we have time to "Capture" one and get it ready to fly. The shuttle we took could fit thirty; more than enough for all of us including my team. We get on that shuttle, we get out of here, and once we're in safe hands we can figure out what happened and do something about it."

To punctuate his point, Donny tapped his armor and his helmet came over his face. He was going to get ready to fight, because now there wasn't much left to say. "I heard gunshots on the other side of the comms. For all I know they're dying right now. I'm sorry, but I have to go help them. Please, follow me!" Drawing his shotgun and gripping his knife, Donny turned around to leave. He walked at a brisk pace, careful so he doesn't walk into an ambush, but quick enough that he would hopefully arrive to the aid of his allies before it was too late. He'd like to have stayed and formed a plan a bit longer, but if the geth said they had about five minutes before they would get swarmed, than they needed to get there in four minutes.

[User]
Raa wasn't surprised by the reaction the diplomate gave. In fact she was bracing to be the one he was going to be yelling directly at, her eyes closed and body tensed, forced to stand and take the verbal beating. It wasn't the first time. Many aliens and humans assumed because RK was her VI, she was the creator. By default this made her responsible for much of what came out of the VI's digital lips, most of it degrading and hurtful words. It rarely occurred to many races that RK was her own individual. Though the virtual intelligence's voice was more snarky than yelling, the Turian immediately jumped on the comments. His first reaction was to defend himself.

Raa flinched as if he had hit her directly.

RK merely shrugged it off believing she was in the right and noting the other cabalist trying to calm him down. It didn't seem to ever bother when organics lost their tempers and in fact. On the contrary, she found it more amusing than anything. Her head gave a cocky and sarcastic gesture that she didn't care. The only visible sign she was unfazed by his display.

Raa, however, took a small stepped toward her protector. Her eyes wary and unsettled as she noted Voira glaring at him, ready to do something. It wasn't until the Turian in charge spoke to them and seemed to dictate their rescue attempts suicide, giving them only two men and stated their names which brought them forward.

Raa nodded though she didn't like the fact they were splitting up and as Avatar mentioned, lowering their success. She noticed the look one of the turians flashed Donny, a blame she knew well after RK pissed off some people off.

She held tightly to her friend. It didn't surprise her Voira accepted her choice, she was too tender hearted to leave people to die and they both knew it. Her ears tuned out the rest of the conversation when Voira stared point blank at her causing the Quarian to brace herself for a small lecture. Then turned to Avatar for more details.

The human, his hands no longer busy with collecting information, spoke rather abruptly to push for his option. One which many agreed to take, his voice turned inward and drew more empathy from her. It wasn't easy she knew waiting for a decision to be made. However, when he finished he tapped on his helmet then twisted about to leave.

"Wait, stop. Don't go alone at least!" Raa shouted, moving faster than Voira expected. She easily evade the Asari's attempt to stop her when she took off after Donny, willingly putting herself at risk.

She couldn't let him just toss his life away after all.

[Assistant]
"Well looks like you guys are just intent on giving me no options." With a sigh she turned around and took a second to collect her thoughts while the Human and the Quarian began charging off. She said to the diplomats and her soldiers. "All Cabalists relinquish your secondary's to any diplomat that knows how to use it." She glanced hard at the two Turians who both accepted arms considering most if not all Turians knew how to fire a gun. "If the Humans get us all killed I'm sure someone somewhere will get a slap on the wrist. But for now all of you non-combatants stay behind my guys and cover the rear...or atleast tell us somethings coming. We're going with the emotional apes, considering they seem to value the them over all of us." Sura said with a slight bit of irritation. She turned to her men and added."Forward VIP cover and keep it tight, doubt these fools are going to be using big explosives in here." With that she primed her assault rifle and signaled with her hands to move out.

This garnered a "siryessir" from the relatively young Cabalists. Heart racing Tacticus yelled out at the leaving Human and Quarian "Atleast hit the sec station first... buy us time atleast..." Tacticus said as his voice trailed off into a murmur with a hint of annoyance. If he was feeling the pressure he couldn't imagine what this was like for Sura. He knew she was like a mountain facing a tidal wave when situations went up in flames like this but everyone had to have their limits... right? It also finally registered with Cactus that the Human had asked with a please that they follow him, "weird" he thought. Before falling out into the front of the formation Tacticus looked at the Geth for a second looking for anything that might reassure him that they we're not all gonna get killed by Human's. When he realized that he was looking to a robot for guidance he turned back to the group, and murmured under his breath "Right... close enough."

[User]
Although not all of Avatar's allies seemed satisfied with their chosen course of action, they all remained together as a single unit, instead of splitting their forces. Since its weapon was not effective at long ranges, Avatar moved at the front of the group alongside Donny. As they started to move along, it made certain that all in the group were on the same radio frequency to ensure proper communication both in combat, and if they were separated.

Following Raa's suggestion, the group took a non-direct path to their destination which would lead past a security station. It was likely that they would avoid the hostiles which were attempting to intercept them, but since they were being watched by the station's cameras, the enemy would know which pathways to take in order to follow them. "The probability that we are being followed by hostile forces is close to certain. Once we find and capture the security station, we will be forced to defend it. If we do not capture the security station within sufficient time, hostile forces will have us surrounded and at a tactical disadvantage." Avatar warned as they moved along at a brisk pace.

The group did not encounter hostile resistance on the way to the security station, but as Avatar and Donny rounded the corner to the final hallway, they were met with a group of five hostiles consisting of four Turians and one Krogan, most likely a mercenary based on his armor, ten meters in front of them. The security station was on the left side of the hall with two entrances: one next to the hostile group, and another farther down. The hallway itself was long and open, with no cover except for the corner that Avatar and Donny were forced to retreat behind once the enemy opened fire. Avatar could hear the security station door open, but the Krogan quickly shouted out for his men to hold position. Peering around the corner for a brief moment, Avatar could see that the enemy was waiting with weapons trained on the corner. Most likely, they intended to prevent them from advancing until reinforcements could flank them. Allied forced did currently have a numerical advantage, but the enemy could start firing at full force much sooner if they tried to round the corner unprotected.

"Use of biotic barriers may allow us to establish a firing position." Avatar recommended, though there were potentially other options.