[System]
(Everything still in progress. Sorry!)

There are five major Ruling Companies.

The largest is Volkov Security .LTD. Volkov has an intensely grandoise naval fleet, and occupies the massive land of Russia, which, uniquely, has a sort of after-war ecosystem. However, the creatures that are a part of it are severely over-aggressive, likely due to the condition of the surface. As well, while the various fauna that inhabit it are 'stable', occasionally there are what can only be described as mutants roaming about, rumors say that they are failed genetic experiments.

In terms of military technology, Volkov-made designs are very good at what they do, yet can not be expected to do anything else at all with any efficiency. A Volkov interceptor can only be an interceptor. A Volkov defense NC can only be a defense NC, with minimal tactical overlap. Thus, if a Volkov taskforce is well-suited to the task, it will do so very quickly and effectively. If not, then they will be crushed.

---

Denver-Vegas Solutions, tied with both Red Star and Paragon for second-largest corporation, is focused in the North Americas, in what used to be the United States and southern Canada. Of the Ruling Companies, they are actually quite technologically simple, but don't be fooled. While they may not have any energy weapons, prototype or not, their solid-shell weaponry is second-to-none. However, their more advanced technologies are a bit under-performing, even if they're quite reliable under fire.

On the field, Denver-Vegas values powerful artillery, and heavy armor. They can flatten an area and simply run over what's left, crushing their enemies underfoot. Or tank-track. The area they occupy is a lifeless desert, even compared to the other areas of the world. Indeed, they rarely have to even worry about sanitation or vermin, there's so little life. However, they have been lucky and have stumbled upon a number of reliable metal deposits, meaning that they assuredly have enough resources to construct so many tanks. However, this also means they will likely be fighting Volkov quite often when the corporate cold war goes hot. (Which it certainly will)

---

Paragon, which controls a good portion of the rest of Europe, focuses on flashy, high-tech hardware. However, it's very common for them to release parts and designs that are honestly half-baked. Their thruster systems are commonly quite hot as well, meaning that they're extremely easy to lock onto with most missiles. However, all of the qualities of their NC parts (Flashy, high-tech, speedy, hot) makes them surprisingly good distraction units. If your job is to defend another valuable unit, perhaps a Paragon thruster array will make you a bigger target, but your mark a much lesser one?

---

Situated in Japan, and surprisingly, a good amount of South America is Redstar. Redstar has a technological edge rivaling even Paragon, yet they are... eccentric. To them, long-range duty is a punishment, and their mediumly armoured, yet extremely quick designs are fully suited for very close range, melee combat. Indeed, they have the largest selection of melee NC parts by far, and their NC frame parts have extremely good mechanical systems.

Of course, all this comes at the cost of any long-range ability, their units simply don't have the targeting, sensor, or aiming systems to do long ranged combat at all. If you hate aiming anyway, perhaps these kindred spirits can help you improve your design?

---

Finally, Fairbanks .LTD, the smallest 'Ruling Company', is only situated in what used to be Alaska and a tiny, tiny portion of Canada, which they fight with Denver-Vegas regularly over. The heavy fighting they constantly do with a much larger force makes them spent all the time, yet their designs are the only ones with absolutely no weaknesses, even if they don't have particular strengths. Their occasional gun-running for the other corporations (mostly the very minor ones) is the only thing keeping them afloat.
-None-
B3-004 Frame Part Set. Low-cost, Medium Durability set. Easy-to-modify, 42,000 ICC
HSMS 'Kunai'. Set, suited for high speed. Rapid-Twitch motors pre-installed for melee. 46,000 ICC
-None-
FFS-081. Standard, decent across-the-board frame parts. Easy to use, no weaknesses. ICC 48,000
-None-

VEKW-01.65, a refinement of an early after-war NC weapon. Advanced railgun, features superb firepower and cost-effectiveness, but power consumption is a concern. the .65 model is dedicated to anti-armor work, and is thus slow firing with 10~ shots per minute max, but it can take out most non-NC targets in 3-6~ shots, max. 12,000 ICC. Can be mounted anywhere but the head.

VGKW-04.36, high-explosive fragmentation missiles, 360 degree blast radius, perfect against groups of soft targets, but is useless against armor. Can be mounted anywhere but the head. 8,000 ICC.

PPC-1.66, Paragon-made energy weapon, plasma caster. Effectively a medium-range (3,500~ meters) 'focused flamethrower', very high 'ammo capacity', but consumes power. 16,000 ICC
FNCR-5, NC grade rifle, 120 Rounds Per Minute and is effective against all targets, with good accuracy up to 4,000 meters, and a variety of munitions available (Sold seperately). 14,000 ICC
'Gustav' CFR, a severely modified rifle made to fire effective anti-armor flechettes at high rates. Can make swiss-cheese out of any target, you just need enough bullets, and it can carry plenty. 11,000 ICC and made by renowned independent NC architect 'Gustav', who used to pilot NC's himself.

[User]
Seeing everyone head to the briefing room rather quickly Joe silent followed. He didn't see a need to thank Alex and Slinky for the ride, they had simply done their job.
He also got a look at his NC in person, and surprisingly wasn't too impressed. All one could tell from a look at this distance was already described in the file of the NC.
Joe didn't recognize any of the engineering personnel, although he heard quite a lot of stories about his father's former colleagues from him.

[Assistant]
Percy follows Madison into the briefing room, shivering one last time as he walks into the warmer area. He sits at the farthest end of the table - probably not too far from Madison, really. He seems insistent on making himself as unnoticeable as possible.. which, ironically, is putting him in the spotlight.

He puts his hands together and breathes into them in an attempt to warm them up further.

I shouldn't have done this, I'm fucking up big time. Why the fuck did I decide this would be a good idea? Oh yeah, let's just basically put a gun to my head and hope there's not a round in the chamber! God dammit I'm an idiot. I'm a fucking idiot. Ana's going to be without a mother OR a father because I'm such a damned moron..!

He doesn't look up from his hands - which are now in his lap - for a while. He's too absorbed into his own thoughts.

Percy wash your mouth out you have a severe case of sailor-mouth.

[User]
While everyone was inside the briefing room, geeking out at having to meet their new superior, they were likely too absorbed to notice...

She was already there! Of course, she seemed to be severely focused on something herself, but quickly noted everyone getting seated next the large, oblong table in the center of the room. She began to speak, her voice pleasant, but very authoritative. "Welcome. I do hope everyone is ready for their very first briefing? I'll review the plan of our first operation."

"Before I start, I'd like to apologize that this all seems so.. slapdash. Mainly, because it is. I'm afraid I'm one of the few ones in the entire town that actually has real experience in this sort of thing. In any case..", she would quickly and efficiently pass around a few dossiers, "You NC Pilots will load up and rendezvous at one of Fairbanks LTD's outposts, an underground one. They want us to check out why it hasn't been responding in any way for a few days now. My personal guess is either a fatal reactor failure, or it was attacked. If we're unlucky, it could be both."

"The first picture there is the sole entrance, large NC-grade doors. Most of the interior is NC accessible, due to it being an NC production facility, and hangar. Verona, your job is to try and open it the regular way. It has a remote connection, try to hack into it. If that doesn't work, Eli, you have permission to use one of Blur's Demo-charges to blow it sky high. Set it at that red-highlighted area, a weakpoint in the design."

"When everyone's inside, you'll split into three teams. To your left will be the facilities' NC hangar and production area. Percy, Madison, Go in, and clear it out of any hostiles if any are detected. Jingo, Verona, go to the right, towards the material storage facilities and reactor core. Do note, as aforementioned, the reactor core could have had a malfunction. Verona, if you detect any radiation, get to the reactor and hack into the control system, initiate the failsafe. Jingo, as your NC is the smallest and least durable, if Verona detects radiation, get out of that area immediately and follow Eli instead. Eli, you will go directly forwards into the facility's barracks and control areas. If a reactor core failure was the problem, they'll likely be held up in the emergency room, highlighted yellow. Wait until any radiation subsides and save them from any hostiles."

"You'll all be launching in...", She checks her watch, "Four hours. Get a meal, then connect into your NC and run the simulation programs that have been installed. This OP is a very simple one, just get in, fix whatever issue, then get out. I expect a success rate of 98%, minimum."

"We'll likely get to choose what contracts we'll accept afterwards. We already have two contracts awaiting judgement, but we'll discuss them after this operation."

"Oh, finally, that last picture and its' captions, detail the plausible attackers, and what they'll most likely be packing. Good luck on the OP, but you honestly won't need it."

The possible enemies include...
Volkov would've likely sent out 3 Non-NC walkers, tanks, and 5~ Transports or Gunships. Alternatively, they might've sent one or two proper NC's alone. Verona's Swarm would be the best bet against Volkov units.
Denver-Vegas probably sent out one of their 'Siege Tanks' or two. They feature near-NC grade armor and kinetic weapons, but their rear armor protecting the engine is poor.
Red-star would send out two of their melee-focused NC's. Let Blur handle them and give fire support. One good hit from one of their heat-blades would likely kill, so don't let them.
Paragon would likely send out a few of their amphibious hovercraft, with a possibility of salvaged energy weapons. Mad-E's armor could tank them the best, so let her take the worst hits.

"Dismissed"


[System]
Appearance:
Gender:
 Male
Age:
 17

Personality:
 Though coming off as a bit of a loner, and seeming adverse to conversation, Masahide is fairly well known about the social circles. An excellent student- with grades to match, an excellent study under the kendo club, and has been known to volunteer for community work around the area. However, it's not enough… Or at least to Masahide. Striving for prefection to the point of nearly tearing himself to pieces, the young boy barely has any time to enjoy his own life. It's for this very reason that he seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, 'If only I were better,' a reoccurring thought in his own head. It's because of this that people have seen him passed out during lunch hours at school, or seeming shaken and ill fed. But what would you expect? The pursuit of perfection is a long and excruciating process… Though less than fruitful. He'll never achieve perfection, but he'll never accept it… In the end though, something has to give. And at this point, it's looking to be the boy.

Equipment/Skills:

 Uniform: Masahide takes great pride in his school and studies, wearing his uniform fairly consistently. However, it's not uncommon for him to dress in a rather dark ensemble on off days or when out with friends… If he had any.

 Wakizashi: An heirloom of his family, this masterfully made blade bears a significant importance to his family. It is for this reason that Masahide covets it, training with it hours after school before washing up and heading for whatever activities he has planned.

 Deductive Reasoning: Always the analytical one, if the pieces are laid out before him- odds are he'll solve whatever the puzzle may be. Though it'll take a couple failures (of which he'll hold over his own head), it's only a matter of time before the solution is in place.

 Zealous: You get Masa to swear to a purpose, nothing will stop him. Even if it's simply studying up for a test, or squaring off against someone, he won't back down. The task will definitely take it's toll, and will ultimately consume him if not achieved, but he'll be damned if he doesn't try.

Background:

 Born to a wealthy industrial family, Masahide would want for nothing. Whatever his heart desired, his parents allotted him. However, over time- this became dull. What worth were these things? Merely baubles and trinkets of his vanity and greed. It was shortly after that realization that he began to strive to make a name for himself. First, it was cleaning the house while his father was out, then it became excelling at school, and then a physical training regime. Then suddenly, the house wasn't enough, he'd seek to assist at shelters and shrines, anything he could do to keep himself busy and making a contribution. However, when his father was diagnosed with heart complications and forced to retire, this merely kicked Masahide into overdrive. Now taking up odd jobs to make up for the lack of income (though it wasn't needed) and going without on pretty much everything, Masa would become an asset to his family. When his father ultimately passed away, many feared the grief would kill the frantic boy. Instead, it had the opposite effect, it mellowed him out. He saw what the years of strain did to his father, so he dialed back his efforts… However, he still spreads himself much too thin. Though he's trying to accept the fact there are things beyond his control, to this day, Masahide Saji will never stop striving for perfection. Even if it kills him.

Persona:

Tyr-

 Known as the Norse god of war, Tyr was considered one of the wisest and most courageous sons of the All-father, Odin. No clearer was this evident then the binding of Fenrir. The mighty wolf was the harbinger of the Ragnarok, or so the gods foresaw, and they attempted to bind the massive wolf. Every time, Fenrir broke free and grew wiser to his own strength. In a final act, the gods had dwarves craft a 'ribbon' that was strong enough to bind the wolf, yet would not openly display this prowess. Having grown wise to their schemes, Fenrir offered to wear the ribbon if one of the god's placed their hand in his mouth. Tyr volunteered. Though he lost a hand in exchange, it kept the wolf from being able to fulfill his purpose. Disaster averted- Tyr continued to retain his mantle, even if it costed him one of his hands.

Appearance:

Abilities:

Arm Chopper: Deals light Phys Damage to 1 foe and has chance of fear

Rampage: Deals light Phys damage to all foes 1x to 3x

Matarukaja: Increases attack for 3 turns (party)

God's Hand: Deals Severe Phys damage to 1 foe.

[User]
Alexei Dragunov | Hall of the Slain

It has been a daze, these past few days and weeks. Ever since he had gone through the harrowing experience of nearly losing Elena to an unknown world. He had been given a strange power, rather a calling card what Rui later told as 'Persona'. It had been a surreal experience, though he didn't remember much if he was even helpful in his first delving in the mirror world.

Even this time, he was barely making any sense of the situation. The corridor was dark and every time they try fending of the lingering malevolence that permeated the place, they'd be attacked from an other direction. It was tough time moving forward. Though he had the familiar face of Kotori, he couldn't say if he was giving a good account of himself in this situation.

The tyre iron in his hand was idle for a long time he had swung at shadows that were elusive before a strange hawk appeared. With its appearance the area was bathed in red light and their assailants was revealed. Skeletal assassins, they seemed intimidating when Ayano had brought them up but looking at their size, Alexei felt a hint of confidence. His persona was a being that handled fire and technically from what he saw, fire worked well.

He called Prometheus and said "Maragi", the persona swung his baton in a wide arc, dousing the eternal flame that it carried onto a bunch of skeletons while Alexei charged to the nearest on with an overhead crushing strike from the iron. Prometheus too mimicked his motions as he went to attack another shadow in a similar strike.

[Assistant]
Super Magical Runway F2
28/6/2015 Sunday
@i-am-x@sen

Even the spells seemed to not be making as much as a dent... It was safer certainly, but Rui was noticing something strange about it's spell defense...

"Megumi, confirm it for me. Where are all it's tendrils going when it defends a spell?", he inquired.

"Huh? Oh it's... All to the spell?... Ah!", that's right, whenever it defended from a spell, it concentrated all it's defenses to the source of the spell. Rui drew back his sword and moved into the front line.

"Keep hitting it with spells, it seems to be open when it's defending", he ordered. At the same time he summoned Askr, casting Sukukaja on himself. The Matarukaja from Akane earlier was going to be a real help. His aim when going for the flank attack was to compromise it's defenses at best, so that everyone else could wail on it.

---

Hall of the Slain F1
28/6/2015 Sunday
nyan@diabolicalrhapsody@takaru

"Okay let's keep moving", ordered Kami, leaving the room behind in a mess of fire, as the last of the stealth skeleton shadows fell beneath the party's immense counter-attack. The hawk seemed to have left, unfortunately, but according to Ayano it was heading to another dungeon... Strange. It's like it was helping everyone, still, this was a blessing, they can be at a better state when they finally reach the end of this dungeon. Eventually they came to a giant door at the top of what appears to be countless steps... The serene and martial silence of this room told them one thing... That door up there was going to be the way to the finale.

"Right, everyone make sure you're ready, then we move", he gave everyone a moment to recompose before they made the long climb... As they got closer they saw that the door was ajar... They could hear talking.

Your time has come.

---

Moritomi Home for the Disturbed F1
28/6/2015 Sunday
@floodtalon

Ryan's Garula was effective... On one of them, sending it flying back and slamming into the wall, but like suspicious and cautious beasts, they used that attack as a sign to lash out, charging at Ryan. At that moment, Tadao stepped in-between the charging shadows and Ryan, his Persona with it's giant shield managing to stop them from reaching Ryan.

"Don't worry about me, keep attacking. My Persona was made for this", he assured. Right, keep on attacking while Tadao held them back. The gigantic sword-shield of his Persona was quite reassuring, still, the party's aim was to attack from behind the safety of Tadao and his Persona Roland. Simple enough, but they needed to be quick. The one Ryan had struck earlier was getting back up, if they were this sturdy their waves of attacks needed to be consistent unless they wanted to be overrun.

[User]
Hall of the Slain

 Within the lavishly decorated throne room that resided just before the dungeon party behind the marginally opened door, two similar voices could be heard subtly echoing into the hallway. Even now, the voiced seemed to be in heated debate, though one of the voices seemed only to be amused by the exchange. As the party drew closer, their words would now become audible as the light from within poured into the dimly lit tunnel.

 "You're out of your damn mind," The angered voice called out in a near-shout, "You really think I give a damn about the opinions of others? Hell, half of the people in this town can't get by on their own, and it's not like I don't get paid to do my part.

 "Ah, true," The other voice responded, it's tone more regal and formal in it's address, "But that does not explain your reasoning behind your heavy load. You run yourself ragged for their approval, and you have every right! Why would a shining beacon be content with being ignored? These people should worship and adore you for all that you have done for this city and the people within it."

 If the party opened the door, they would be able a well lit throne room, ornate in it's design and decoration as several of the pillars that lined the interior of the dungeon now marked a lavish carpet that led further into the room. Despite the pristine condition of the expansive room, the walls and ceiling were littered with manacles that held within them a featureless figure that remained still in it's elevated nature. These blank bodies hung limply from their restraints, all with heads facing the floor as if in a display of bowing towards the throne. At the foot of the ascending stairs stood Masahide in his school attire, his foot placed squarely upon the first step as he looked up the pathway to another man, seeming an almost exact match to the male. Despite the resemblance in facial features, the complexion of the regal male atop the ivory throne was more lively than his counterpart, his body sheltered behind lavish gold armor that shone brightly in the well-lit surrounding.

 At once, the attention of the seated male turned to the party as he arose with outstretched arms, "Ah! See? Even now, the people flock to their lord! They cannot exist without our guiding presence to lead them." With this, the regal figure of Masahide's shadow began descending the stairs, the red cloak of which he once sat upon billowing in an exaggerated fashion as he moved.

 As the shadow mentioned the others, Masahide turned to the group in a mild disbelief, clenching his teeth as he attempted to still his growing rage as the words of the other, "Great. Now we have an audience." With a harsh sigh, Masa pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation as he fell silent.

 "Hush, boy. You know that we long to be the center of attention," The shadow spoke out once more, having fully descended the stairs as he stood before the true Masahide with a knowing smirk, "It is only right for the people to pay homage to the true hero of this city! Let them marvel at our splendor." With this, the armored male passed by the other without another word, his arms falling to his side as his attention turned to the party once more.

 Now trembling with anger, Masahide rounded, his fist clutched tightly as his voice rose to a shout, "I don't know who the hell you think you are. You keep talking like you know what goes on in my head, but you couldn't be farther from the truth. Who gives a damn if people notice me? Why is it impossible to believe that I'm just doing this to leave my mark on this world?!"

 "It is not impossible, but what is a defining mark without anyone to witness it?" The regal Masahide quizzed the other, raising a brow curiously as his attention remained forward, "We both know your true desires. After all, I am just a spitting image of who you are. Which only comes naturally, because-" Turning his head to gaze over his shoulder towards Masahide, the man in gold armor retained his smile as he spoke, "- I am your true self. The one you try to keep hidden from others."

 "What are you talking about?!" Masahide erupted with anger, his voice echoing through the very room as one the bodies subtly swayed.

 "Hahahaha! Do not play dumb with me, boy! Why deny our perfection? You cannot possibly believe that you and I are so different? The sooner you accept it, the easier it will become. Embrace the fact that I am the true you!"

 "… Shut up." Masahide snarled, his body growing heavy at the mix of hatred and embarrassment at the private words being bellowed out before the others that had arrived mere moments before, "Just because I'm trying to make this world a better place does not mean I'm a vain bastard like you! There is no way in hell you can be me!"

 At this, a strong an audible pulsing resounded within the room, bringing the expansive venue to an eerie silence. Without warning, one of the manacles from the ceiling audibly snapped as the held body plummeted towards the floor. One would expect the lifeless figure to strike the stone beneath with a sickening slap, but the body merely landed upon it's hands and feet as it remained crouched at the side of the shadow in armor. Slowly, the form of the Masahide's shadow began to twist and contort, his arms and legs extending disproportionately as the features of his face faded to a blank expression with harrowing eyes. In a matter of moments, the man before them went from an ornately armored mirror-image of Masahide to a menacing, yet regal shadow that clasped what appeared to be a glass of wine that accompanied his lavish suit that replaced his former armaments. The blank form to his side also began to twist and distort, sprouting fur in tufts that quickly overtook the now elongated and bestial form of the creature that curled around at it's master's side.

 "And with that, the curtain arises," a voice boomed within the room, the face transposed onto the seemingly wolf-like beast moving it's mouth along with the spoken words, "Come now, children! Offer yourself to the god amongst you!"


[System]
Age: 18

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Weapon: The Ampere, a unique polearm with a wide, flat blade rather than a spearhead along with a gray steel pole. It has both range and lethality, keeping most melee fighters at a range safe for Abel but devastating to them with a tempered steel point, as well as channeling Abel's natural aura far better than he can do by himself (Inside the the Ampere's pole is a thick mesh of silver and copper wire). The Ampere has a single alternate mode that splits the wide blade into four parts and reverses their direction, creating a vaguely mace shape. In this mode, the Ampere can release bolts of lightening that travel impressive distances instantly.

Specialty: Abel fits best into the role of guardian, fittingly enough. His size, range, and defensive characteristics make him good at intercepting danger coming for his teammates, and he can certainly throw his strength around at close range, armed or not. Using his lightening bolts, he is able to paralyze if not flash-fry a single opponent at long range.

Semblance: Surge - This ability allows him to project electricity that can manipulate the Ampere at short range without touching it and summon it back to his hand when disarmed, as well as channel electricity to shock anything the weapon touches. By using Surge to rotate his staff quickly at very close range, he can create a sort of shield. When he focuses his power sufficiently through the Ampere in staff mode, he is able to fire a bolt of lightening that takes several minutes to recharge.

Personality: Abel is proud and gruff, very serious and totally without humor. For someone who appreciates the creativity and technique of both weapons and battle so thoroughly, he ironically is without creativity. Instead, he tend to go about his business by the book, a principled young man of habit and routine with little to no capability to think outside the box. While he is dependable, he is not flexible, and can respond to bullying, injustice, or even plain teasing with sudden anger. While not antisocial, he sticks with only a few friends at any given time, concentrating on strong bonds rather than many bonds. He loathes popular culture and those who overtly subscribe to it. The Grimm mask he carries makes him upset and angry, more at himself than anything else, but as it reminds him of his brother he cannot let it go. Deep down, Abel is a severe defeatist.

Color: Azure

Emblem: An azure lightening bolt, naturally.

Appearance:
When reading, he is forced to put on glasses.

[User]
Marcus felt like he stepped out of a hot shower when the lessons of the day were over. Truly sharpshooting and a little programming was the way to spend a quiet afternoon. The professor, once he realised what Marcus' semblance could do, had actually made him work by hand, an approach Marcus had not even considered once. Ni turned out to be right though, as the manual work made Marcus realise what a horrible clunky mess he made mentally with stray thoughts scattered everywhere throughout his programs. He'd been so absorbed in what the man had to show him Marcus barely even greeted his teammates in the lesson, too absorbed in work. Once the assignments were done he started to overhaul the programming for the Unsubtle's various systems, ironing out kinks he had never even realised were there in the first place.

Like his old mechanics teacher told him, simplicity was the hardest.

After the lesson Marcus disappeared into his garage for the standard day to day maintenance on the Unsubtle. After that he settled in MODA's dorm for some paperwork and finally, more code work. His coat and hat were set aside for the moment, on his bed neatly folded with millimetre precision. As Oswald came in Marcus was still engrossed with the screen and barely looked up.

"The morning aside surprisingly soothing and informative, thank you. How's your injury by the way? I've thought of putting MODA up for light mission work, but we'll need medical clearance." the officer replied absent-mindedly. Then Marcus processed what he had seen on Oswald's chest and did a double take.

"Also wow. Those scars look painful. Ritualistic?" he asked.

[Assistant]
The rest of her afternoon went rather dull - not that Diamond would complain. As soon as she vacated the library, her steps took her outside rather hastily, her fingers itching for the cigarette. She hated to admit it, but the task of quitting this particular vice might be harder than it looked. To her great displeasure the smoke burned up all too quickly, but she managed to restrain herself to only one with the aid of a bag of chips that blissfully kept her hands and mouth busy as she returned to their room.

As she walked by, she stopped to check the board in the main hall. Out of curiosity she took a look at the missions roster, knowing Friday would have them on one. Mostly they seemed dull and offered pathetic little in cash payout, but one did catch her eye due to the overseer. She figured it could never hurt to make contacts in a company like the SDC - as long as they didn't dig too much in her background.

She returned to the dorm, wanting to just lie down and sleep off the strain the classes put on her. Whoever was composing their schedule was a sadist, putting all of the physically exerting classes into a single day. And the day after the initiation too!

Passing through the door she took one look around the room and nodded a greeting before making a beeline for her bed, collapsing on it with a sigh of relief. Overhearing Marcus talk about the missions brought her earlier inspection to mind. "Hey boss, take a look at this." she said, fetching her scroll and sending him a link to the convoy escort. "Good credits, pays well, and seems fit for your... unique equipment." she suggested.

[User]
"Afternoon."

Headmaster Ozpin sat languidly behind his desk. Written on his face and resonant in his voice was the vestige of resignation, though such a display of fatigue was not unwarranted. No day carried with it more tumult, more upset, or more tremendous upheavals than school's first day, particularly to the man who arbitrated it all. Forgeries, injuries, second chances, mysterious disappearances, and more all combined to give the silver-haired man an iron-crushing headache, but not all matters today were destined to wear away at his sanity. Before him stood a trace of hopeful optimism: three transfer students about to begin the most important of their lives so far.

Cerulean Sebastian, clad in black, wielding blades below the shoulders, hailing from mistral, and of unabashed demeanor. Krysanthe, last name unknown, a previous tenant of Vacuo and a boot user, strong of body and stronger of will. Ebon Umbranox, from a locale as of yet undisclosed, master of drones and a warrior marked by pride.

"I'll keep this brief. You three come from diverse places and diverse backgrounds, but now that you are here in my academy you must look forward. Certainly, the past is immutable, but you must focus on the present to attain a future. You will be held up to the same standards as every other student, and over the course of education, become no less than hunters worthy of taking on this world."

Looking down at his scroll, Ozpin shuffled some icons around and before sending them off. He slipped a trio of student scrolls from a desk drawer and pushed them toward the new arrivals. "Every detail you need, including locations, identities, and faculties have been given to you. While we have taken the liberty of breaking the ice for you, it is up to you three to forge the bonds that will last you for the next four years. I'll give you a quick rundown of your situations."

"Cerulean, you have been assigned to the newly-reformed team RCJM – Reclaim, captained by Rayna Bryson. Your teammates are Jack Orpheus and Mokuren Sabella. I hope you find them capable, reliable allies. If you are interested, more information regarding the previous members of teams JRVR and GJMM will be rendered to you at a later date."

"Krysanthe, your station is team KESS – Kiss. Following a revelation concerning the background of the previous team leader Seilber Vulpez, she has stepped down, and none other than you will be filling her place. Though you are new here, we are confident that your skills -as proved by your file- make you a fitting substitute for Seilber and a fitting role model for Sepia. It is your job to reunite that team the best way you know how. Question my judgment if you must, but I trust that you will abide by it nonetheless."

"Ebon, you, too, are joining team KESS. Our last eyewitness report of Mr. Ineko Irandi indicated that he fell off a waterfall several hundred miles away from here on a Survival class went sour. Naturally a rescue team has been dispatched and honed in on him in short order, but as pronounced by the field medic his injuries were too severe and the damage to his cybernetics too extensive to allow him anything but the relief of hospital treatment. As such, you are taking his place on KESS. Do not think of yourself as a mere substitute, however. We know you have the power to...what's the phrase nowadays? Rock them. Do so. Exhibit a will powerful enough to catapult your team to number-one."

"Dismissed."

-=-=-

Abel Fulgurate
Learn from mistakes of others?

That wasn't what Abel thought. As expressed by the besuited mafiosos of the previous century, the theme of Mr. Albion's fable more closely seemed to Abel to be know when you're beat. Sure, the fox learned something, but mere seconds before an ally had been slaughtered by a powerful evil that could not be reasoned with. The story echoed the plight of the hunters and huntresses of Beacon, Abel reasoned, and if none of the people around him developed the skill of knowing when to give up, their careers wouldn't amount to a stain on the pages of history.

The remainder of the hour slouched groggily by. Although he was still breathing heavily from the entire Survival class's near-death experience in the forest, the guardian was able to work through the assignment pretty easily. Words had always been preferable to numbers for him, and a long time atop walls with mostly books for company left Abel appreciative of their art.

When the bells finally announced the end of sixth period, Abel bid farewell to Robert and Mr. Albion and made straight for the dorms, though his sense of direction might as well have been as soggy as his coat, for he chanced to end up back in Combat class. Realizing his craving for a little excitement, Abel casually entered and seated himself in the bleachers. It took only a moment to discover the intensity of what was going on in the ring: a full-out team battle. At first the raging confrontation looked to be a three-versus-three, but a quick glance upward determined that was not the case.

On one side, the monitors displayed the faces of the unassuming but well-built team that had assisted him and Sapphire in the initiation ceremony against an Ursa: PHGM, Pan, Hansen, Gretchen, and Mary. Across from them were four that Abel didn't recognize: a scruffy-haired blonde boy with a nervous expression, a ditzy-looking girl wielding a hammer, a tough-looking redhead that for some reason brought up the memory of breakfast, and a dark-haired boy with startlingly pink eyes. The first member of this team JNPR -and the leader, which made it more humiliating- had his face grayed out, and when Abel scanned the battleground he saw him lying on the ground and drooling, a sizable bump on his head.

The other missing person resolved herself by suddenly becoming visible again directly behind the redhead, who was currently engaged with Hansen. As Abel silently marveled over the thought of an invisibility semblance, he watches as the siblings Hansen and Gretchen attacked the girl simultaneously, using a well-coordinated combination of bone halberd and burning cattleprod. It was with ease, however, that the other girl knelt and met both attacks with her shield, poked Hansen in the foot, swept Gretchen's legs beneath her, and then rose in a single fluid motion. Before the brother and sister could fully scramble to her feet, the girl took their heads and slammed them together, cutting their aura levels to red.

Meanwhile, young, innocent-looking Pan had summoned his shadow, and the two were fighting the hammer-wielding chick as one. They constantly surrounded her, striking quickly from both sides, and not allowing her the space necessary to swing her massive mallet with enough force. With a loopy smile on her face, however, the girl raised her weapon and smashed it into the ground instead, causing an explosion that blew both Pan and his shadow apart. The phantasm vanished, his master's aura level reduced to critical.

"Break!"

Mary and the pink-eyed boy, currently engaged in a rather feeble fistfight, eased off. The familiar tones of Professor Goodwitch resounded across the arena. "That's three out of four down for team Pilgrim! Juniper takes the match!"

It was at that moment that the guardian discovered his favorite coat pleasantly dry. Nodding in grim approval, Abel vacated the combat hall for the second time that day, and allowed himself no distractions this time in his quest to return to bed.


[System]
Gender: Female

Age: 20

Appearance:

Occupation: Daughter of the Clan Chieftain, Scottswoman, Highlander

Skills: She can run a household and do woman's work, aye, but she is a sharp and fairly accurate shot among mostly claymore swingers. Often shadowing her father, any trouble that sets in on their lands, she will follow her father in. While most find it odd for an unmarried woman to sit in on important meetings, they respect her father enough to hold their tongues about any of her odd interests in men's work. Aibhilin can ride a war horse as well as any warrior, and this is the only thing that concerns her father, since it was horse riding that killed her mother.

Possessions: The blue plaid clan colors of the MacConnich and the sturdy bow that once belonged to her mother are her two most prized processions. Along with the peculiar pendant handed down from mother to daughter for generations. It hardly means anything but strong sentiment to the MacConnich, but it is treasured none the less. And unknown to them for good reason.

History: Aibhilin is the eldest daughter of four girls, much to the dismay of her father. While he loves each one of his daughters, they will marry and most likely leave to live with their future husbands' families. This is the usual way it is done. But Aibhilin protests in such things whenever they arise. Ever since the death of her mother when she was eleven, she has resisted such status quos. While helping their governess and nanny Melag look after her younger sisters, Aibhilin also took on matters of keeping the household as well as helping her father.

At first her father protested. It was not a young lady's place to learn the workings of men, such as balancing the books and overseeing the warriors. But the girl's persistence was endearing. As long as she kept up with the duties of the household, her father did not see the harm in her observing him do his work. And as all the girls grew older, each one seemed to take more of a liking to certain aspects of the home.

The youngest fair-haired daughter, Muira, took interest in keeping up the garden and making sure their home always smelled of flowers and herbs.

The second youngest, Dolina, with her dark black locks, took her interest in the cleanliness of the household, overseeing maids and servants alike, always making sure no creepy crawlies were about.

The second eldest, Brae the brown-haired, found her interest in the warm kitchens of the home, always creating something new and filling for those who eat in the great hall of their household.

And finally there was the eldest Aibhilin. With all her duties mostly taken over by her younger sisters, it gave her more time to shadow her father. She could do all of the household women's work, yes, but none of it interested her all that greatly. She'd much rather practice her archery as her father taught and sparred against their warriors. Or ride the great warhorses while her father oversaw their boundaries, making sure nothing was amiss on their farming and flocking lands. Or even just reading and peering over his shoulder, correcting his equations as he balanced the books.

But it was high time she started thinking about marriage, her father scolded after she corrected him one too many times. She was neigh passing twenty as plenty of young women her age were already bearing their second child. How was he to ever rest easy if she never found a husband to take care of her. The red-haired lass felt her temper spike and quickly left her father in his study.

Take care of her? Take care of her?! She didn't need anyone to take care of her! Storming down to the beach below the cliffs (a place her father hated her going to) she railed at the open misty sea. Her angry shouts could be heard only by the hissing waves and when her anger left her, she sat down on the white sands beneath her feet. Ach...what was she to do? Marriage... Such a foul sounding word that only meant restrictions on her freedom and a life of complete boredom.

Ach... What was she going to do?

[User]
Haakon tried to hide the fact that he was gritting his teeth. It had been weeks since they had seen land, and they certainly need a resupply and a dry place to sleep. On the other hand, time was not on the side of the raiders. The choice was obvious, but Haakon knew the answer would come back to haunt him.

"I accept you're offer, and I thank you for your generosity." Haakon said with a bow. He turned to Snorri. "Tell the men we are moving out. Put five of them on guard duty at the ship, and the rest come with us. I'm sure you know what to tell them regarding hospitality." Snorri nodded, and walked back to his men. Snorri was a long time raider, and he would tell the men the ground rules.

After Snorri left, Haakon turned to his host. "I am called Haakon, son of Harald, Jarl of Runhiem. If you could honor me with your name, so that we may be friends."

[Assistant]
Aibhilin relaxed some when it was certain that the young Viking laird would agree to her father's terms, but she was less than thrilled at the idea of a band of plundering pillaging dunderheads milling about the village. Much less the young dunderhead leader who could be kept within the walls of their own home. Any other lass would swoon at the sight of his broad shoulders and blue eyes, but he had still intended to invade her homeland. And now he'd be kept in her home where her three innocent and naive sisters were. No, she didn't like this one bit. Her father could bow and play host all he liked, but if this blue-eyed honey-tongued whelp laid a finger on her sisters, she'd stick him without another thought to it.

"I am Angus MacConnich, Chieftain of Clan MacConnich," her father grunted, pounding a fist proudly across his shoulder. Aibhilin had to smile at her father's show of pride. He could be rather animated when he wanted to. But then she noticed her father was looking right at her. Oh no. She wasn't going- Ugh. He was doing the 'I'm so disappointed that my daughter can be so rude to a guest' face. Her cheeks burned as though she were the little child who who used to put pranks on uppity guests all over again. Stepping forward slightly, and obviously hesitant, she dipped down in greeting before standing straight back up with her head held high.

"Aibhilin MacConnich," she said briskly. Her father bristled at her curt tone, but she just stood with her head held high. She wasn't usually so willful and stubborn, but this was a special occasion.

"I...apologize fer my daughter's lack of manners," he emphasized the three words and it made her face burn even more, "but she's her mother's child." He motioned towards the village. "If ye would kindly follow us, Jarl Haakon, we'll get yer men situated in the barracks," her father turned back to their horses and leapt on, "Ye and yer righthand man are welcome ta' stay in my home, should ye like to."

"Oh, aye, should ye like to, My Laird," she grumbled under her breath as she leapt onto her own horse with all the grace of a skilled horsemen, "Please come riiiight intah the chicken coop, Laird Wolf. Noooothin' will go array." But with all her grumbling done, she let out a huff and rode towards the village, wanting to get home to see to her sisters before the wolves came to dinner. It was a wise choice to invite them as guest as a leader, but it was also a choice she would not ever admit to liking as the keeper of her sisters.

[User]
Haakon bowed to Chieftain MacConnich. "I thank you again, sir. We will not cause trouble." We better not, at least. he thought to himself as the chieftain and his daughter rode away.

Snorri was there, shaking his head. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I don't think that girl likes you very much."

"There is not exactly alot to like." Haakon, hefting his shield and carrying his axe on his shoulder, replied. "She doesn't have much of a reason to trust us.

"That is true, and she will like you much less when she finds out how penniless you are." Snorri said with a laugh before returning to the men with orders to follow. Haakon could only roll his eyes and began to follow the host of clansman back to their village.

After only about an hour of marching, Haakon and his raiders reached the town. When Haakon pictured it in his mind, he had an image of a quaint, idyllic town with thatched roofs and people in the streets. And that's more or less what he got. He also counted on everyone in town giving him and his men the evil eye, which also happened. One old woman even spit at the ground as he walked past. By the time they had reached the barracks, the whole town knew who had arrived. Haakon turned to his thirty men.

"We won't be here long, and do not cause any trouble with the locals. Anyone caught with a local girl or robbing any villager will answer to me, personally." he emphasized the last word, making it clear that anyone who disobeyed this command could expect to swim home. "Other than that, try and get comfortable." He motioned for Snorri, and the two of them made their way to the chieftain's hall.

[Assistant]
"Yer back Aibhi! What has happened?! Is Da with you?!" Brae was the first to rush towards her as she entered the Great Hall, "Are they marching here?! Should we run?"

"If ye'll let me speak, Brae, I'd tell you what has happened," Aibhilin huffed with Brae trailing right behind her.

"Aye, let her speak, Bee" Dolina said in her calm way, though her eye swam with unease, "Tell us, Aibhi, what has happened?"

"The Vikings half way to the village by the time we reached them," she grumbled, crossing her arms and letting her sisters gather around her like ducklings, "We met with their Laird, er, Jarl and father agreed to shelter and supply them so that they might leave as soon as possible."

"They're staying?" Muira squeaked making Aibhilin sigh and feign a smile.

"Aye, they are staying in the barracks, but their Jarl," the word felt strange on her tongue, "and his righthand man were welcomed to stay here. In the guest quarters." Her sisters all started to talk at once, Brae in outrage, Dolina in concern, and Muria in fear. Aibhilin closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, letting them ramble on. The Great Hall doors opened once more.

"I see yer sister has told ye all the new," her father said all to calmly as he strode in, "I want all of you ta listen to me. Aye, that means you too Aibhilin Duinn MacConnich." She winced at hearing her full name. Ah, she was in trouble then. Looking up at her father almost a bit sheepishly, the young women all listened to what their father said. "These men are our guests," he put up a hand when the girls' voice started to rise once more, silencing them all, "But they will be watched. Yer not to be alone in the same room wit any of them, understood? They are warriors who've been at sea fer who knows how long. I'll no' see any of ye married off to a wolf, aye?" He paused giving them all a concerned smile. "I'm gettin on in years, so donna make me have ta fight some young pup, alrigh'?"

Even Aibhilin had to give a small laugh at that. For some reason the face of the young Jarl flashed a crossed her mind. The odd styling of his pale blonde hair and the way his ice blue eyes had pierced right back through her molten glare. He was so young to be leading a band of warriors and yet he had held steady as any seasoned warrior before their entire clan, and demanded respect. Her face turned a bit red. Why on earth was she thinking about that sly wolf? Fine. She'd only ever admit that she respected his bravery. But she didn't have to like him and she sure as the sky was blue did not trust him. Looking over her pretty sisters as their father explained that the men were to be treated and tended to as guests, Aibhilin came to a conclusion. She'd keep an eye on the young wolf herself. There was no way she was going to let there even be a chance of him getting near her sisters. Everyone had heard the stories of the Viking's and their silver tongues.

"Is that understood Aibhilin?"

"Wh-What?" she stammered caught off guard by her father addressing her. She turned red as her sister snickered. Her father just sighed and raised a brow.

"No quarreling wit' our guest, ye hear me lass?" he grunted, but gave her a grin, "Aye? Now off wit ye. Go help yer sisters." Aibhilin rubbed her cheeks as her sisters whispered teasing comments about just what she was thinking about. Tickling them to drive them off, Dolina stopped her. The reserved lass just smiled her ghostly smile and knitted her brows a bit. The elder sister gave her a questioning look.

"I know I usually show guests ta their rooms, but..." She didn't even need to finish her sentence. Straightening her back, Aibhilin smiled and put a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Jus' get the rooms ready and I'll show them ta the quarters," she put up a finger, "But get it done fast, aye? I'll no' have those dark, long-lashed eyes around any wolf. He'd gobble ye up in a moment!" With a laugh she tickled her sister, who was sent running off to her duties. With a small laugh to the empty room, the red-haired girl's smile faded. Right then. Time to see to the Laird Wolf then.

Leaving the Great Hall, she started her way to the barracks. He'd probably be overseeing his men. Peering in the large building, she put both hands on her hips and tried to look as intimidating as possible. It probably didn't work, but she felt intimidating. Or at least mildly confident. Somehow on her trek here those blue eyes had tried to drift through her thoughts again and she had slowly and steadily lost a good bit of her calm. What was it with those eyes? She had seen blue eyes before, plenty of them, but his were somehow more impressionable than the rest.

Aibhilin didn't like it. She didn't like feeling all vulnerable and shaken. So she scanned over each man milling about in the barracks with her head high and face impassable, if still a bit red. Finally she spotted him and marched right up, tapping him on the shoulder. The odd tingling feeling from touching just a shoulder was too warm and made the shaken part inside her feel even more unsteady. Placing her hand back on her hip, she tried not to frown so hard.

"Yer rooms are ready, Jarl Hakkon," she said briskly, "If ye'll ever so kindly follow me." The polite words sounded a bit to false on her tongue, but she managed a small smile at least, though it probably didn't look quite right. Ah well. She had tried.


[System]
Female
Age 24
Appearance
5'6"
Lean flexible athletic build
Light skin (Japanese)
Appears to have shoulder length jet black slightly spikey hair from the front. However her hair splits into parts, taking the longer half and tying it together at the neck into a downwards facing ponytail that reaches her middle back.
Medium sized ahoge, more of angular/rigid spike shape, changes based on their mood/emotions. And electrical charge in battle.
Dark drab blueish-gray/steel left eye.
Yellow right eye with a slit shaped pupil.
Eyebrow over her left eye has a slit break in it towards the outer middle.
Irezumi tattoos:
Right arm- Nagasode style sleeve tattoo extending down to her wrist. Nara black wind bars for a background, with a green snake with a red belly coiling down her arm with it's head ending at her outer wrist.
Left arm- Shichibu style sleeve tattoo extending down to her middle forearm. Nara black wind bars for a background, with a blue snake with a yellow belly coiling up her arm with it's head resting on the front of her upper shoulder. Kanji for Mamushi 蝮 (pit viper) tattooed in black on the inner blank space of her forearm.
Back- Her entire back is covered in large nara black ink clouds for a background. And a large tattoo of the giant 8 headed and tailed snake Yamata no Orochi, various flowers, and lightning bolts in the foreground.
Slightly elongated fang canine teeth on the top and bottom as compared to normal people. Teeth are overall sharper.
Ear piercings- Left: Two slim steel rings on their lobe. Helix cuff.
Right: Circular silver stud on their lobe. Smaller steel cuff at the middle of the outer ear/lower helix.
Black painted nails.

Customized slightly oversized black leather asymmetrical moto jacket. Worn unzipped with belt hanging loose.
Steel curb chain necklace that extends down to her chest. Medium sized silver upside down cross pendant.
Zip-up black hoodie. Worn under her jacket with the hood laid over the jackets collar. Worn unzipped often with the sleeves pulled up to her elbows.
Vintage oversized heavy metal band T-shirts, some with the sleeves cut off. Worn over fishnet shirt. (Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Megadeth)
Long sleeve black fishnet shirt. Sleeve extends into a fishnet fingerless gloves on the left but is cut off at the wrist on the right.
Silver signet ring on right middle finger with an upside down cross engraved in it.
Mokume-gane Ouroboros shaped ring with pink jeweled eyes on left index finger.
Steel cuban link chain bracelet on right wrist.
Steel studded black leather belt.
Steel chain hanging down at her right side. One end attached to a belt loop, the other to a pocket watch manadial.
Worn/faded slim dark indigo Japanese selvage denim jeans. (Black or stonewash alt. colors)
Black with white accents Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 running shoes.
Black calf length open toe and heel socks.

Secondary hairstyle reference (Somewhere in between the two)

Close type of ponytail style reference

Raiya specializes in destructive magic. She is a master of electrical spells, and ruinous spells. She has a great foundation in most all Catholic magics as well as some Japanese Zen Buddhist/Shinto magic. As with her fascination of Japan, she also has a great fascination with snakes and has developed snake themed fighting style and magic. Every so often she sheds her skin, this makes her immune to aging. With her magic powers, she also has the ability to control certain light metals.

Raiya's parents, Japanese immigrants, owned a successful Japanese cuisine restaurant chain in New York City. Both parents died in a burglary gone wrong leaving Raiya orphaned in infancy. With a large mana constitution, Raiya was immediately adopted by the Catholic cathedral and put into mage training. Growing up in the New York Cathedral, she always shadowed Felix and thought of him as her older brother. Raiya was always proficient in magic, and her studies reflected that. Raiya achieved the rank Grand-Mage at the age of seventeen. At the age of twenty she was sent with two other grand-magi to investigate the sudden disappearance of a remote village in Italy. The village was razed, not so much as a 2x4 left standing upright. Investigating the trace of mana waves left by the spell she made her way to a nearby mountain where she found on a cliff-side the definite point of origin of the spell. Looking around the point of origin she found footprints. The foot prints looked exactly like the sole tread of a typical Catholic Magi officer. The level of destruction and the fact that the mana waves left by the spell accounted for only one spell, coupled with the footprint meant the evidence pointed toward an Arch-mage or higher to be the cause of the destruction. Once she returned to the Vatican, she provided the evidence in a council meeting. The council thanked her for the evidence provided but stated that they would be conducting the investigation from then on. Even though the council told her to no longer investigate this issue, Raiya continued the investigation on her own. Looking into the records of those who were gone the night of the destruction of the remote village, she narrowed it down to two, Arch-mage Thadeus and Arch-mage Felix. After obtaining this information, Raiya investigated both Thadues and Felix's living quarters. She discovered that Felix had never even worn his uniform boots, as he wore his own more comfortable combat boots. Thadeus, on the other hand, did not have any other pairs of footwear besides the ones on his feet, which were the uniform boots. Learning of this information but knowing the Vatican council would never listen to her, she approached Felix whom she knew was innocent. She told Felix all of the information she had obtained, but Felix brushed her aside saying that the Vatican was conducting their own investigation and to go against their demands to keep the investigation within their selected team would mean excommunication, even if the information was correct. Felix told her that he would not tell anyone about her own investigation, but pleaded with her to keep quiet about the issue until the Vatican completed their investigation. Raiya couldn't believe what she was hearing, that her cold hard evidence was being brushed aside because of protocol. But what's more, that the investigation team was comprised with Thadeus's brother as a member meant surely that Thadeus would never be convicted of this crime. All of this put into perspective Raiya's membership with the magi, and soon after she left the magi and Catholicism altogether. When she left two others left with her, the other two grand-magi that were on her initial investigation team with her. Soon after they left, they returned to NYC. Because the Vatican saw them as Apostates, they froze all their accounts and social security information, forcing them to make money through means less savory. Instead of falling into despair, Raiya and her two peers adopted the shady lifestyle altogether. Through their magic abilities, it wasn't long before they were running the biggest criminal organization in NYC. Raiya still resides to this day in NYC with the other two magi as her right hand women.

Raiya is seemingly devoid of any positive emotion. Her normal demeanor could be described as aloof. She is seen as a hard nosed, unwavering leader. This makes her well respected by her subordinates in the gang she runs. Though, to those who know her well enough she can be lighthearted. She has a short temper and a low tolerance for annoyances. In her annoyed state she has no problem threatening her friends with one of her sushi knives she keeps in her inner coat pocket, or electrocuting them with her magic. She loves Japan, even though she wasn't raised there herself. Her fanaticism for Japan runs so deep that she has Japanese tattoos, and has even taught herself the language perfectly. She is an excellent chef and specializes in Japanese cuisine. Even though she isn't very sociable, the few friends she does have are kept close to her and she protects them.

[User]
Nemo sat on the living room couch with his legs kicked up on a stool. He had taken a shower before he returned home, and his clothes were clearly recently cleaned. He had shed his coat, scarf, sneakers, and was wearing a black knitted polo with pastel pink collar, sleeve cuffs and name embroidery now. Nemo was idly spinning his embellished 4 inch birdshead colt revolver in his right hand, reading the paper emitting from the manacell held in his left.

He saw his mugshot, taken back when Felix had captured him. He had a toothy grin on his face despite the lofty sentence he had recently received at the time. His eyes then trailed down at the picture taken from the outside of the building, seeing Gianni hanging by his neck from the window.

The Giarciano Witch Hunter crime syndicate was the largest in Italy, but with their boss deceased, and no suitable candidates left to take over, is soon expected to crumble without leadership. We attempted to contact the Vatican Arcanocracy but they refused to comment.

Nemo heard Raiya descend the stairs, he deconstructed the paper and pocketed his manacell. "It feels good to be back in the papers again, Raiya. In The Clever Magi too, that's a pretty good one." Nemo commented without looking at her. "I don't think anybody will be bothering your gang again anytime soon. Fixing these types of problems is my specialty."

Nemo abruptly stopped spinning his revolver, catching the grip in his palm. He returned it to his holster. "With this, I do hope we can go back to being friends again."

[Assistant]
Raiya walked down to the kitchen, and grabbed a chobani vanilla yogurt. Raiya flicked her wrist, summoning a small vile from her mana inventory. The vile was a special elixir an alchemist from the Yakuza made. The elixir took about 10 minutes to work, but it specialized in curing hangovers and cold symptoms. Raiya uncorked the vile and poured half of it into the yogurt, mixing the yogurt with a spoon. After preparing her yogurt cure, she took the yogurt cup and walked over to the living room, sitting down on a sofa opposite of Nemo. She tucked in her legs, sitting on them in a curled up position.

 Raiya ate her yogurt as she listened to Nemo talk about his infamy due to the escapades of the night before. After finishing her yogurt, she placed the empty cup and spoon on the coffee stand next to her sofa. She placed the end of her thumb nail between her teeth, biting down in a expression of contemplative anxiety. "I thought I told you never to take a kill from me again?" Raiya questioned softly, dropping her hand with the thumbnail shed been biting down to her knee, "Don't worry. I don't hold this one as a tally against the Raiya rules you should never break, or else. But don't think for a second that this makes up for your other sins against me. As far as I am concerned, you only cleaned up a mess that you created." Raiya stopped to think for a moment, casting her gaze downwards. After about twenty seconds of silence she raised her eyes, looking at Nemo. "Friends?" She said in a mocking tone, "Ha! That's a good one. Since when have we ever been friends?"

 Raiya got up and took her yogurt cup with her walking toward the kitchen, out of Nemo's view. She didn't enter the kitchen but stopped at the threshold between the kitchen and the living room. Without turning back to face Nemo she said, "But, Nemo..." there was a three second pause and then she said softly, "Thank you," before continuing into the kitchen to toss out her empty yogurt cup, and place the used spoon in the dishwasher.

[User]
With Raiya's final words, Nemo's expression visibly brightened up. He stood up from the couch and waltz over to the kitchen. "I suppose saying partners is still more appropriate." He said as he reached the doorway. "But maybe this will change your mind." He added as he put his hand behind his back, then pulled it back, now holding a large forest green gift box after spawning it. He extended it out to her with both hands.

On closer inspection, the lid was fastened down with two gold strings of ribbon wrapped around from each side. Where the ribbons crossed on the front of the box, a maroon colored smiley face wax seal held them together. On the bottom right of the box, a vintage looking to and from gift sticker was placed where Nemo had signed both their names in cursive with pen ink. Nemo clearly didn't save time with the packaging.

[Assistant] Raiya's expression visibly changed from cautious optimism to something resembling perhaps fear or nervousness? Civil discourse was one thing, but for some reason it didn't seem to Raiya to be a good thing to be in the habit of accepting, "gifts" from Nemo Smiley. Although, truth be told, it might be just as deadly to refuse a gift from Nemo Smiley. "W-what is this? It looks a little too large to be Gianni's severed dick." Raiya joked nervously. Raiya cautiously broke the seal and pulled the ribbon, carefully lifting the lid to peer inside.


[System]
Gender: Female

Age: 17

Former life: Third year student

Clubs: Cooking club

Gear: A lavender backpack containing a few feminine writing instruments. A couple of small cookbooks. Her most treasured posession is a ceramic white cutting board with frilly engravings.

Skills:

As the former star of the cooking club, Yumemi is talented in creating delicious meals. She excels at whipping up homemade japanese classics, but can also bake western pastries with ease.

The skill and dexterity she displays while using knives in the kitchen is so great that some would call it "concerning".

Another talent, one that she tends to keep to herself, is her peculiar ability to sneak around without being noticed.

Likes

Blunt knives are dangerous when cooking, you know? You end up applying more force and before you know it, you've hurt yourself! That's why it's important to always keep your knives sharp and pretty, eheheh~

* Proper kitchen safety!
* Insects and arachnids
* Cheesy romance movies
* Chocolate
* Passionate, unstoppable love

Dislikes

* Rainy days
* The cold
* Questions concerning her family
* Hunger
* Unnecessary obstacles.
* Missing ingredients

Personality:

Resourceful, sweet and friendly is the best way to describe Yumemi. She's sugar, spice and everything nice! She's diligent, knowledgeable on the facets of day to day life and as happy go lucky as a girl can be. At times, she can be a bit of an airhead. She occasionally exhibits strange and mysterious behavior, disappearing for hours with no concrete explanation.

Biography:

Childhood for Yumemi was an unpleasant experience. Her mother ran away when she was young, leaving her alone with her unstable alcoholic of a father. She effectively raised herself, doing all of the household chores that needed to be done while juggling school and friends. It wasn't easy, but she soon learned to appreciate her life.

As she grew older she slowly developed an obsession with romance. It began as a form of escapism for her and rapidly spiraled into a problem. Whatever small pockets of free time that Yumemi had would be spent binge watching anything and everything about romance. As a high school girl she wishes to follow the footsteps of countless big screen heroines and find pure, total love. By any means necessary.

Other: Yumemi shows no remorse or sympathy towards harming zombies and inappropriately treats them like a minor annoyance. Has no qualms about getting her uniform bloody.

[User]
Yuuki Kenji

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 7:20
Yuuki Residence

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 Should we cut down the size of the festival this year? Or reducing the fund of the baseball team? The track team needs some gears badly. But it does not seem like they really need it do they? How about the asking for more fund? Nah, it would probably get shot down immediately. Cutting the unnecessary tea and snacks seems like a good idea. And for Christ sake, how much paper do the literature club need? Are they planning to chop down all the trees? And the Cult club, what are they  The boy sighed, looking at the opened window before looking back at his note. Most of the fund had been distributed reasonably, with some problems like the Cooking club with their stupid thousand layers cake or the literature unreasonable rate of using paper. All is needed to put to check and balance, and Kenji needed to submit this plan by the end of this week.

"Just today, another woman was assaulted by a strange man. Luckily, she was rescued and transferred to the local hospital. Based on her description, the man was in his feral state…"

Focusing on his natto, Kanji glanced over the news with a flashy red title on its first page. "The End of the World?" or so to speak, providing some brief summaries of what others news had provided before. There was nothing new besides from the nearby stores are having a promotion on seaweed. But Kanji just laughed off before putting the paper on one side, unaffected by the shocking "revelation" of some tabloid newspapers. Truly, the thing can only be used by his mother for some gossips and debatably juicy materials.

"Thank you for the food," Kanji said, loud enough for his mother to overhear but small enough to keep the motherhood's conversation between his mother and the beloved sister to flow. And then the usual things, cleaning his own dishes, taking the pills for his mother, reminding he will come home late,... Another year is coming. Another year will soon go by.  Kenji thinks before he said goodbye to his mother, who is growing older by the years.  She used to be able to accompany him to his first-day school , Kanji thinks before giving his mother a final wave. That humble soul, withering away as time passed on, is still observing him and her from afar, fulfilling her long-promised oath.

And out of his hearing range, Kenji's mother whispered before slowly closing the door, "Have a nice day."

"Mother, would you ever leave us?" A soft voice broke out in the night, following the sound of something sobbing at the night. The woman darted to the lamp and turn on the light, fear of what happened to her son. Kenji, rubbing his eyes, remained to ask her the same question as she begins to check if he got hurt.
"Why did you ask?" The mother asked him back, before rubbing his back and getting him another cup of warm water.

"I'm scared."

"Oh come on, baby. Don't be. Did you have a nightmare?" The woman said to him before wiping another tear from his faces. Her expensive nightdress, now soaked with the little infant's sweat and tears, continued to be used as a napkin to take away her son's fears.

The little boy didn't say much, but his soft nod was enough to inform her. And his sister, after hearing from their mother, felt comfort in such loving had fallen back to her sleep of Doraemon and Shin-chan. But the boy, still painted with fears from his dreams, hugged her tight and refused to set her free from him.

"I will always be with you." She said, before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Now, would you like another bedtime story? I'll make this a secret if you promised." The woman pulled out a collectible of Grimm stories, gleefully watching her son's streams of tears began to dry.

"Once upon the time..."

[Assistant]
Genjo Arata

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6:30 - 7:45
Genjo Residence

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6:30, the same time Arata awoke each day. This morning his phone had selected a ONE OK ROCK song for him to listen to as he dragged himself out of bed. He grabbed his smartphone and turned the alarm off, his pyjamas were baggy on him, his top clearly showed he didn't have much muscle in his arms and his bottoms were a bit too long for him.

He stumbled downstairs, into his kitchen, as he put a piece of bread into the toaster he checked his phone for news. He disregarding most of the articles and quickly went to see if anything about his favourite anime were on the news sites. He briefly put the phone down whilst he buttered his toast. As he was eating he put on the latest episode of his favourite anime.

There was no one in his house, his mothered had sent him text saying that there was an emergency at work and she'd gone in earlier than usual and she'd made him lunch, leaving it on the counter. His Dad, a British man, had gone home for a month or so and was meant to be returning soon, it was not as though Arata saw him much anyway as he would be in a casino somewhere. Arata sighed, finding loneliness peaceful but boring.

He thought about his parents as he buttoned up his shirt, the final part of his uniform, apart from the bag he needed to grab. He picked up the backpack by one of its straps, as he was about to walk out of the door, he realised he'd nearly forgotten his dice. He grabbed a handful of six sided dice, around five, all that were purple and slightly transparent. With that he left for school, he had about a twenty minute run in front of him, but he loved to run anyway and he'd be early today.

[User]
---

Hey, living in the poor side of town had its advantages. The most important one was that since you knew all the thieves around, your chances of being mugged were drastically lower. The second, less important one, was that people tended to respect those who worked hard to get a better life.

Asahi was one such person, and nearly everyone in her neighborhood knew her. Whether they knew her because they were friends or because she'd given them a juicy 'fist sandwich' was another matter, but the respect was there.

She covered her mouth as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. She didn't jump in surprise when the car engine nearly exploded, as she was used to the sounds now. This was one of the wealthier people in the neighborhood that was giving her a lift. Takeda was his name, and for some reason he liked to treat her as a little sister. She didn't care about his weird mannerisms and actually appreciated how he sometimes went out of his way to lend her a hand when needed.

"You're out early Asa-chan, what's up with that?" Takeda asked, his voice raspy like it always was. Asahi could make out some amount of concern in his tone, though. Cute.

Asahi shrugged, "A lot of noise, y'know… I couldn't bear it, so I quickly did my thing and decided to leave for school early."

Takeda chuckled, "I have no idea how you keep a straight face while saying such things, it's barely sunrise!" He said as threw her a smug sideway glance.

Upon seeing the look he was giving her, she felt her cheeks color, "S-Shut up, it's very awkward so I try to, uh… You know-" She stuttered, "I-I just try to… Oh, just shut up." She puffed out her cheeks and looked out the window at the fronts of closed stores.

After a long while, Asahi noticed the peculiar scent in the car, it was like a mix of smoke and gunpowder. "By the way, why are you out so early? Don't tell me you joined those guys, please."

Takeda's smile was wiped off his face with that question, and he was silent for a long moment.

"Nah. I was out with some friends," He looked at her for a moment and saw her skepticism as plain as the day that was just about to begin, "You know, bar-hopping and… Stuff like that."

Did he really think she was that dumb? Still, she nodded and looked out the window again, noticing the car slowing to a stop in front of the school. Without hesitation she opened the door and jumped out, making sure that she didn't forget anything.

"Thanks for the lift, Takeda! See you around." She waved goodbye at Takeda as he took off, leaving her in front of the closed gates. Now she'd have to wait a while, but anything beats listening to her mom and her mom's boyfriend going at it.

[Assistant]
Syori

School, gates

It had become a morning routine to start off with a horror scene each day. The blonde was staring into the mirror while she was fixing her hair into place. While she was peacefully doing her hair a horrified sight was seen in the mirror as se was forcefully trying to smile for practice to use it. She seemed more irritated then trying to smile, it was a devastation to look at. When she was done tying one of her side bangs into a braid she put both her hands to her mouth and pulled the corners of her lips into a more horrified smile as her brows furrowed. This sight was still painful to look at for her but it is as it is. She couldn't do anything about this except for relaxing her face, she had tried some stuff with makeup and stretching the skin on her face to different positions but it all came down to not trying to force it.

Syo dropped her hands down onto the sink and gave a deep sigh. She moved her face closer to the mirror as she studied the aspects of her face thoroughly again.

"It's my eyes isn't it... and my brows... and my mouth..."

Syo sighed again and pushed herself away from the mirror as she goggled her eyes to the side. Should she consider plastic surgery? It costed a lot but at least she wouldn't live as focused on her smile as this and seeing how she wanted to move out first thing it would take years before it would happen. Syo moved back to her room to grab her bag and headed out in her store clerk outfit. She did wear a jacket over her clothes so she wouldn't feel as embarrassed walking about in these work clothes. Her work wasn't too bad in general but it surely was humiliating to help her old classmates or any other people she knew from school.

Syo did partly ignore their talking about her but yet, it hurted inside. The only relation she did have left from her school was a childhood friend that did understand her. At least she had something to look out towards when she had to start to day and that was walking and hanging out together with that friend. Her friend was already patiently waiting for Syo to arrive at her house so they could walk towards the school together.

The chit chatted a little and generally had a fun walk, it took about 10 minutes before they arrived and just like any day they were even too early for the gates to open, nice! Syo could hang out with her friend a while longer. Most of these people that were here waiting always came around this time period. They did seem to notice Syo didn't belong here or didn't belong here any longer. It was clear she didn't belong here by the fact that she wore these work pants and would walk away when the gates opened. She did try to ignore them but accidentally made eye contact with one of them this time. She watched right into Asato her eyes and try to brush it off with the same smile she tried practicing this morning. It wasn't a great succes. Annoyingly she turned her head away while she muttered something inaudible under her breath, seemingly quite irritated.

[User]
Feeling Glum...
8:00 - 8:30

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Yumemi took a deep breath and passed through the school gates. The combination of new clothes and cool morning weather left her with a refreshed and perky feeling. There would come a time when the bright fluorescent lights of the school and the stiffness of her uniform would soften and be a part of her life that she'd take for granted, but today definitely wasn't that day.

None of the nearby students caught her attention much save for a couple of them. Some she had recognized from her previous years of high school. None of them were friends, but rather an assortment of faces that she had seen dozens of times existing in the background of her school life. One of them in particular, a girl that had been chatting near the school's entrance, had managed to catch her eye a bit. She had seen that girl around the school occasionally, and it was confusing to see her not wearing a uniform and not entering the building. She didn't think about it too hard and carried on.

Yumemi walked around the school in the same eerily quiet way she had a bad habit of always doing and found her classroom in no time.

A small pang of sadness struck her heart. This was her third and final year at Kokyo high. The previous two felt so unfairly short to her. Two whole years and I still don't know what I want to do. she thought. Yumemi sat on her desk and sighed as she waited for class to begin.


[System]
Race: Human
Position: not yet known
Age: 19
Personality: Kind but withdrawn. She tends to trust people a little too quickly and tries to attribute good to them even if there is no basis for it. Since she is blind she enjoys anything and everything she can, especially music and food. She even enjoys feeling different textures and smelling different smells. Her favorite scents are sandalwood and honeysuckle and anyone who offers her strawberries is instantly her friend.
When she gets angry she doesn't yell, although her quiet reproof makes you wish she would.
Background: Jessalyn was born blind in a family of twelve children, so they had very little money and attention to go around. Her father treated her like couldn't do anything for herself and her mother either kept her in the house, never letting her go outside to play with the others or even go to school. Her brothers and sisters pretended like she wasn't there most of the time, being jealous of her.
Finally she got a scholarship at nineteen to go to collage. It was a battle and a half to get her parents to allow her to go but they finally conceded only after the university offered to provide her with a seeing eye dog under the stipulation she would bring him to schools in the area for demonstrations.

Jessalyn's seeing eye dog :

Name : Lysander
Age: 5

[User]
@Natsu @BlackPanther

Falk frowns, tapping a finger on the ancient stone. "So we are decided." He was not overly pleased with the Moot, but the out come was well enough. The Summer King had become reasonable, perhaps he would survive longer than the rest in such a position. Another being would call the thought comforting, Falk called it a good time for plans to be laid. But young Winter was full of herself, flattery would best serve there. "Your generosity is most welcomed, Queen of the Court of Winter. I see the tales I hear ring true." Let Winter wonder, it would serve him best. The Fall King spared no glance for Spring, nor did he for Summer. The Queen of Spring was going to be a little fool, but best she be that fool. Falk would have her, he would bind her to the hunt she sought. Haunting green light made his eyes seem like the sicking coming of a storm, "I have nothing more to add to this Moot." Yes, this hand would play nicely.

[Assistant]
@Natsu @LadyRunic

"I too have nothing else to add" He looks at the other two rulers. "What of you?" he was half expecting spring to add something to the moot. That or just leave angrily...he was more toward betting on the first though. He saw the look in Falk's eyes, but didn't react. Spring had stepped into dangerous waters...and he would not help her. Seeing as she did insult him a bit and she set up the trap for herself on her own. Falk had also insulted him, but no matter how angry he got he knew better then to try to take on the fall king. He would take an ego lashing better then whatever falk would do to him should he fail to defeat him. Besides that, he would much rather work with this fae then try to fight him anyway. So he would continue to e polite and as reasonable as he can be.

[User]
Jessalyn - Spring Land

Jessalyn listened fully as The Wanderer spoke. She heard not just the words, but the feelings behind them. She heard both pride and bitterness when the female spoke of the past. There was a long and painful history there. One that, although she was curious about, Jess knew better than to delve into. It was none of her business and not her place to question. If The Wanderer wished to tell her, then she would listen.

It was Jessalyn's best quality, that she was a profound and empathetic listener. She always gave the people talking her full attention and really listened to what they said, offering counsel when asked and comfort when needed. It often led to a lot of people pouring out their hearts to her, telling her all of their troubles, their regrets, their wishes and their fears. Jess was like a deep well. People threw in their misery and drew up peace of mind after speaking to her. The problem was that they left her empty even as she filled them with comfort. It was often too much for her and the weight of her own insecurities and heartache coupled with those of others threatened to suffocate her. But she never turned anyone away. She couldn't. It wasn't in her nature.

Speaking of suffocating, The Wanderer took hold of her shoulders and led her forward. Jess complied and gave The Wanderer her trust to lead her to safety. Keeping a tight grip on Lysander's collar, she allowed herself to be propelled forward into the unknown.
Wherever they were their surroundings were suffocating, pressing down on her like a great weight. Lysander whimpered, feeling it himself. Jessalyn was afraid, but kept moving. Anyone from her world would have been shocked at how trusting she was of The Wanderer in that moment, would have told the female fae that Jess hardly ever trusted anyone except her dog. Not even members of her family held half of her trust. This was a huge deal for her and a big step. She prayed that The Wanderer would not take this lightly.

After what felt like hours but which was actually a short time Jessalyn felt the warmth of the sun and the scent of flowers filled her lungs.
They were apparently in the Spring Court now. The change was so sudden and so drastic Jess felt a little dizzy.

"Wh-what happens now?" she stammered a bit, hoping the spinning in her head would stop soon. She swallowed past her very dry throat and prayed she wouldn't throw up either on or in front of the fae before her. "Is this your home?"

Lysander liked the sunshine and grass far more than the cold and snow. She could fell in the strain on his collar and the shaking of his body that he wanted to run and roll around in the grass, but he would not leave her side unless she gave him leave. He was loyal to his human friend.