[System]
Appearance:
~1.8 meters
Variable weight
Primary colors being metallic white for stuff you'd consider 'skin', metallic silver in some spots to give a better overall look., metallic blue for stuff that is cloths, or black in whatever areas don't really matter too much.
A colony of nanobots ran under a single AI. They tend to take the shape of a female robot with obvious robotic looking features such as no nose, no mouth, large black and orange robotic eyes, fairly large head, no ears, small helmet looking hair, ext... all on a body that looks like its made of living metal instead of being made out of components and everything. Said body has a thin frame with thin arms with large hands, tanktop looking shirt thing, legs that end at a point instead of feet, and things coming from her wide hips that look like some sort of long skirt or short dress with the front a bit opened up. Really if you think about it she kinda looks like one of those cartoon robot things from that one planet. You know, the one with the moonspeak stuff(think Medabots, just shes much bigger), except a lot more expressive and energetic since the eyes can actually flex a bit unlike a normal robot.
Due to the nature of being made out of nanobots, joints aren't really a thing for this unit so movements tend to either try to mimic having joints while looking unnatural, or just ignoring that fact altogether and make you feel like the arms or legs are made out of tentacles even while looking vaguely robotic human shaped. Course that living metal thing also means there are bits on the body that do bounce a bit from gravity, a side effect of preferring a female form over a male one. After all, curves look much better in a mirror than boxes and tend to get far, far more attention from the organics and robots alike.

Species Name & Description: Nanobot colony Robot/AI. Basically a robot that is made from a ton of nanobots being controlled by a single AI. And the whole robot is made out of nanobots, no pesky things like reactors or batteries here!

Favourite Side Dish: Matter in general. The tastier the better. Food is really good in particular, especially if its tasty.

Useful Skills & Abilities: Nanobot things. Things like insane regenerative properties, being able to convert matter into other types of matter, stick to things, turn to goop, body morphing, super strength, ext... Lots of stuff you can do when your body is made up of teeny tiny robots that can manipulate things on the molecular level. Course that also means you have a lot of limitations, so no making a nanobot army or making yourself the size of a planet by eating a planet, Magnets are really bad, ext...

Membership Number: 88888888, Eight Eight Eight... Do I have to put a number for every nanobot or...?

An Inspirational Quote That Sums Up The Character's Personality: "Don't be serious. You don't want me to get serious back. Lets have fun instead!"

History: TBD

[User]
Well things were finally picking up. Leftover boxes coming out and being transported to the ship, a human coming to say goodbye, and... Well, when the Nurr-Sluggi ship passed by, scanning the docked ships for something. When it stopped on the Quest for Flavor, Toony hid one of her hands behind her back and started to form the barrel of a Gauss cannon out of it. It didn't find what it wanted and passed by, Toony turning her hand back to normal when it decided to leave their ship alone.

When Vanessa finally returned, saying she was done packing and it was time to go, Toony followed the group out to the ship. "So lets get going to that party! I'm going to try to see if I can get smashed!" she said with a cheer. Sure she knew that alchohol didn't do anything for her but give her some complex carbon chains to break down, but it was the thought that counted. Though since this was the first time that she was to see the inside of the Quest for Flavor, having only seen the outside of the ship the day prior. "So, do I have a room or do I just live in the storage compartment?" Toony asked, the question coming to her mind.

[Assistant]
"Having taken your comments into consideration it looks like we are going to help set up a party"

the accountant bees can be heard blowing party horns (sound warning) in celebration of this fact.

"Though please try and remember this is a job and we aren't just going to a party. So we will be heading to Ofromia to meet this Zane Heron fellow once we finish up here. Feel free to finish eating and we will set off once everyone is aboard."

Outside the Bees had finished getting their order from the drive through and as a result the queue started moving again. Back on the ship itself the word of the party job had filtered in with the soldier bees and the pre party planning party was in full swing. If any of the crew where to venture to the bee colony in the cargo hold they would be greeted by a massive amount of the Bees drinking, feasting, playing loud music and engaged in an odd 3d football like sport and other recreational activities.

"So, do I have a room or do I just live in the storage compartment?"

"good question, take these"

The accountant bees put away the horns and retrieved a set of keys with a number on them and handed one to any of the crew who had not yet moved in.

"we haven't cleaned out the spare quarters since your predecessors… left us, so consider any of the things you find in there belonging to the previous occupants you own."

This was not entirely true most of the 'good stuff' had been salvaged by the bees already and was either in their cargo hold town, sold or back where it belonged in the armory/engine room/med-bay if the occupant had been the thieving type. What was left was furniture, some clothes and anything the Bees had not considered valuable, though they could have been wrong when appraising some of the items.

[User]
Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief at the movement the group had made towards the ship. She got up and left the diner relatively quickly, thankful to be on the move before anyone tried anything else. One person making trouble frequently made others more daring in their approach, and Vanessa didn't feel like having a mess to clean up. When the question of living quarters came up, Vanessa opened her mouth slightly to comment upon the situation, but The Bees quickly stepped in and handed out spare keys to anyone not already having one. Thankfully, Vanessa didn't need one. She was already situated within a special room upon the Quest for Flavor. Vanessa's room was pitch black, unlike most of the ship which was relatively well lit. Within it, against the left wall, lay a couch for Vanessa to relax upon and read. A small portable terminal lay upon the couch and was plugged into a charging station tucked into the corner. The terminal featured a small light array indicating if anything had happened while it was inactive. Currently, a small red light on the array blinked. This indicated that there was a new message from someone. Also within Vanessa's room and situated against the back wall was a well stocked weapons workbench that Vanessa used to maintain her rifle, along with some other weapons from time to time. Next to this bench was a locker that Vanessa could store her rifle in for safe keeping, along with some other weapons should Vanessa find them interesting enough to keep.

resting upon the right wall was an ornate coffin, padded with red silk cushions and bolted in place. Next to it was a midsize clothes locker that held several sets of the same suit that Vanessa currently wore, along with perhaps a few secrets for special occasions. Finally, upon the right corner of the room lay a well stocked bookshelf of Vanessa's personal favorite books from the libraries upon Dämmerlicht. These were, of course, reproduction copies and not the originals, since the originals wouldn't stand up to the rigors of space travel. Upon the floor of Vanessa's room was a red and black oval carpet, intricate weaving depicted a bat similar in design to the one on the coin that Vanessa had given Clarke. A Celtic knot pattern twisted around the edge of the carpet. Everything else was rather plain within the room, with little in the way of extra furnishings and exotic decorations.

The room was kept specifically devoid of light to give Vanessa a small sample of comfort from the often bright lights favored by many. The walls, floor, and the interior of the door had been painted with special vantablack paint to absorb any and all light within the room, which left it much darker otherwise. There were lights present encase of emergency, but they were frequently left off since Vanessa could see perfectly even without them. Vanessa had been a part of the crew for a short amount of time. She'd been taken aboard in the brief intermediate time that the old crew had left and the new crewmembers were hired, which was present time. Vanessa's status as a vampire was known to both the pilot and the captains, since Vanessa was picked up from Dämmerlicht itself when the [/i]Quest for Flavor[/i] had stopped for fuel. The stop had been brief and Vanessa's introduction to the skeleton crew even briefer. Thus, most of what the pilot and captain knew about Vanessa came from her rather short personnel file, which left out a lot of details that Vanessa didn't want to trouble the crew with.

Vanessa being a vampire was likely largely unknown to the rest of the crew, unless they had already assumed it. Vanessa did make a small effort to hide her nature from the rest of the crew, though the presence of her fridge likely gave away everything. This was part of the reason Vanessa never gave an open-lipped smile unless she was truly happy about something, since she didn't want to constantly flash her fangs at her crew members and unnerve them. This was also why Vanessa usually ate separately, since she frequently added blood to her meals in order to make them actually nutritious to her. Normal food, while filling, carried no nutritional value to her, which blood did. So things like wings with barbecue sauce became wings with blood sauce, which is what Vanessa had ordered before. Despite her inherently messy eating habit, Vanessa did her best to keep her appearance clean, which was rather difficult with her suit. Regardless, Vanessa managed quite well, and even her white gloves were spotless of any incriminating evidence to her true nature.

As the crew moved aboard the ship, Vanessa would move momentarily to stow her rifle within the locker in her room. While she was within her room for a brief time she noticed the message light blinking upon her terminal and gave a sigh. She ignored it for now, not wanting to get into possibly sensitive material while anyone might be passing by. Leaving her room and closing the door behind her, Vanessa moved over to the common area of the ship and sat down upon one of the curved couches there. There was another across from her and a table between them. This was also typically where the crew ate their meals, since it was much more comfortable. Vanessa, while frequently present, had never eaten here. The smell of her meals was often enough to sour the taste of others, and so Vanessa didn't want to trouble her crew members appetites.

Now, with little more to do or say, Vanessa waited for something else to happen or someone to request her attention.

[Assistant]
With all the meaty joys and greasy horrors of the Henderson's Ribs behind them, the rather more inviting and significantly less crowded ship welcomed the crew back home. There was still a steady stream of ships coming and going, handled by a process that'd make any modern air traffic control operator wake up in the night, trembling and sweaty. To give the briefest of overviews and an indication of where management ought to be making changes, Henderson's Ribs licence for operating above the planet of Nurr-Sluggi does not grant them the right to track ships that are nearby due to security concerns. Officially, this meant that once a ship's location could not be tracked until it was safely docked at one of the air locks. The Customer Flow Management Team was forced to press their faces up against the glass of the control tower to get an idea of what was going on out there.

 A voice crackled over the radio in the cockpit. It sounded stressed out and, in the background, a careful listener might be able to pick out the usual sounds of a Henderson's Ribs control tower. Which is, to say, shouting, screaming, swearing.

 "This is Henderson's Ribs to Quest for Flavour at Dock 16. You have permission to... wait for it, wait for it, okay, go! Permission to undock! This window is available to you for another eighty six seconds, eighty five, eighty fou-"

 It fell silent for a moment, then woke back up. A different voice came through, the original speaker could be heard making some sort of muffled protest.

 "Apologies for the technical difficulties, Quest for Flavour, you are free to undock whenever you like. Please be aware that we are experiencing," a blood-curdling scream rang in the background that was cut abruptly short with a gurgle, "technical difficulties and we ask customers arriving or departing to take extra care on their journey today."

The ship was ready to go. The galaxy was their genetically modified bivalve mollusc.

[User]
It took Toony a bit to find her room, this being the first time inside this ship. It was really weird, most of the rooms being at the front of the ship while the back was mostly just ship bits. A few of the pieces looked fairly old and outdated as well, but she was there for security, not to tune up the place. Some of the bees guided her to her room, acting fairly distracted along the way. Mutterings of honey being the main subject of their yammering.

The room she was given was... well lived in was one way to put it. Lots of organic bits everywhere, while most of the electronics was already taken leading only a bed, a table, a few other decorations, and of course, lots and lots of scattered bits of organic matter that Toony decided not to think about. It didn't matter either way, as she got to cleaning and reassembling the room to something she liked. For the rest of the ship, her rearranging, absorbing, and fabricating things in her room was pretty quiet.

Besides a nice soft place to relax and a large screen for viewing things when she felt lazy, there wasn't much else to the room. Sure there were cubes of various elements she had left over around the outside of the room, sorted to make pixel art of various cartoon characters, but besides that it was fairly tame. No real point in anything other than the basics, not like she'd be staying in her room for very long anyway. It was more fun to play with the others!

Though she'd need to figure out exactly what the others were into. The Bees seemed to be into everything, especially honey, so Toony could always count on them for an interesting time. Fiddlesticks... well he seemed to wear his emotions on his sleeve so he ould be into anything. Really the only mystery person was Vanessa. She seemed to keep a distance and to herself. Though she could've just been having a bad day, Toony only knew her for a few hours after all! Eitther way, Toony began to explore the ship, humming a catchy toon as she went.


[System]
Age: 20

Description or Pic:

Sex: Male

Personality: Kyle is very curious, and always shows up if there is anything interesting happening. He also is charismatic, and makes friends easily.

Equipment(things that you would be able to pack in a backpack): His camera, a pocket sized notebook, three pens, five energy bars, a folding pocket knife, and three bottles of water.

Bio(can be short): Kyle was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and decided to go the local college in West Virginia. He has a decently popular blog called 'Kings Point Happenings' where he reports on all the news in the area. He is majoring in Journalism, and hopes to one day report for a big news company like The New York Times or Wall Street Journal.

[User]
Ole Top Bar Kings Point,West Virginia

4:30 PM

The sun was finally about to sink into the hills that lay beyond Kings Point and the small but vigilant police force were all over the town square waving to lumberjacks and miners coming back from work. They might have been friendly on the outside but in the inside they were scared hoping that no hiker would be foolish enough to go back into the mountain...but they were wrong.

Inside of the lively bar was a large table with just a single person waiting,his name was Ledger, and he was hoping that he wasn't the only one to take on the challenge of finding who was responsible for these murders. All around him lumberjacks were laughing and having a good time not noticing the sore thumb sitting by himself with just a half-empty beer beside him. He gulped at the notion of going on that mountain by himself and promised that by nine if no one showed up he would stay at the local hotel and by the next day would make his way back to Wheeling but then he heard the door chime ring.....

[Assistant]
Britany pulled her farm truck into the bar's parking lot. She didn't know King's Point well, but as with all small towns, finding the bar is often the easiest thing. She watched the many lumberjacks come and go, reminding her of when she used to watch her dad go to work with the other miners. She missed those days, where life was easy and carefree. Back then, she had dreams, goals. Now, it was just another day, and another paycheck to get her by, and keep her dad alive for just a bit longer.

Stepping down from the truck, she already knew eyes would be on her. But Britany was used to it, colored hair often had that reaction, especially in these areas where everyone knew everyone else. Smiling at a cute lumberjack, sweaty and grimy from his work, who also smiled back, she hiked up on her tiptoes to reach into the bed of her truck. From there, she lugged out her hiking pack, and sling it over her shoulders. Turning back toward the lumberjack, she saw the color drain from his face, and he quickly skittered away. She huffed. Looking around at the rest of the town, they were all staring at her in horror. Clearly they were all on edge, and thought her a lunatic for what she was about to do.

Shrugging, assuming she'd find no romantic prospects here without the million dollar reward, she started toward the bar. Pushing through the open door, and looked inside. For the most part, it was almost the same scene as back home. There was a heavy air of cigarette smoke despite the laws that said no smoking indoors. The bar had a large amount of husbands that were putting off going home to their wives and a couple of the local skanks sniffing about for an easy lay. There was even a few clearly too young minors in the back corner, probably only allowed because they had money, and wouldn't cause trouble.

There was, however, an outlier. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, and certainly didn't fit the crowd. That meant he wasn't from here, which meant he was here for the same reason as her. Smiling lightly as her eyes pass over his, she moved to his table and sat down, meekly saying "Hi."

The waitress, an older lady, who'd likely been working here since she was in middle school, came over. "What can I get ya hun?"

"Just a Coke please."

Drink now in hand, Britany couldn't bring herself to strike up a conversation, wondering if anyone else would show up.

[User]
Jacob had just left the hotel he had checked into and was walking down the street towards the local bar. He brought along his heavy hiking pack knowing that he might have to spend the night in the woods at a moments notice. He noticed the many groups of Lumberjacks that just stared in horror at another hiker that might also die like the rest and paid little attention to them, keeping his head down. His pace quickened, wanting to get out of the chill air.

 The bar coming into sight, Jacob opened the bar door, hearing the chime ringing above his head, his eyes scanned the room and quickly noticed the girl the multi-colored hair, he knew right away that she wasn't from here and the other guy sitting at the table seemed shifty. He swiftly approached the table and took a seat and nodded to the two already at the table. A middle aged woman came over and took the new customers order, "What will it be?" The waitress said with tone as cold as cement. "I'll have a bottle of beer, ma'am." The woman
Nodded and went behind the bar to get his order. "I assume that we're early then?" He said with a sliver of a smile on his face.

[Assistant]
As soon as Bobby pulled up to the bar, she reached for her cigarettes. She needed to calm herself. When she heard about the call for help, to discover what was up in the mountains that was taking lives at random, she was more than interested. Bobby had always been an explorer - the money was just a plus. The thing was that, whenever she did her exploring, it was always alone. She knew there would be others who replied to the posters. She wondered what they were like and what it would be like going into mountains with other people. These thought occupied her mind as she lit up a cigarette and slowly made her way into the bar.

The scene was just as she'd expected. Men shooting pool, lonely women at the bar, looking over their shoulders for a suiter, middle aged men with balding heads sitting by their lonesome, drowning their sorrows in drink. And then Bobby saw a table where three college aged youth sat. All appearing to be in awkward silence. She assumed these were the people who had replied to the posters.

"Hi," Bobby said meekly, coming around the table and hesitantly taking a seat. "I assume all of you are here because of that poster they put up."

[User]
Kyle felt very out of place in his shiny blue Prius as he pulled into the parking lot full of loud, mud covered trucks. He could feel the stares of the lumberjacks as he exited the car wearing a madras shirt and cargo pants.

He grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat, and put it on one shoulder. As he walked past a couple of rough looking lumberjacks smoking, he was almost expecting one of them to spit at his tennis shoes, and say something along the lines of "What are you doing here, city boy?"

Thankfully, nobody did that. However, Kyle was still a little concerned about his car. He just brushed it off, and went into the bar.

As he walked in, he spotted the table of people that he presumed were others that responded to the flyer. He walked up.

"Excuse me, are you guys the people that responded to the flyer?"


[System]
Character Image Goes Here - Not applicable at this time

Age: 12
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: '4"5 / 136cm
Weight: 80lbs/35kg
Physique: A slender and somewhat muscular body that seems frail at first glance.
Complexion: Caucasian
Immunities: Age, Mortal Needs (sleep, thirst, hunger)
Weaknesses: Illusions, Charms and Betrayals

Titles & Feats: None yet

Basic Personality: Merlin is a very reserved lady, who often preffers to be ignored rather than be included into unnecesary chit-chatter. She is often concerned about what is to come and what must be done, and is the first to commit to a personal sacrifice for the greater good.

Psychological/Social Issues: She is so concerned about the future that she often forgets to live the present, distancing herself from everything that might derail her plans.

Appearance: Merlin's a short frail-looking girl, a look betrayed only by the slick muscles she's developed through thorough slavework around the household. Her golden hair shaved clean glimmers in the sunlight, contrasting against her dirty rags. A triskelion shaped birthmark spans the width of her left breast.

Natural Abilities:

* Seer – Merlin held a great power to see the future in her past life, which shows as foreshadowing dreams and fragmented hallucinations in this one.
* Daughter of Magic – Merlin was once a mediator for all fey and supernatural of Britania. While a lot weaker in this reincarnation, her natural charm and disposition to the non-human (beasts and monsters) remains.

Power: Shapeshifting - While only a pathetic shadow of her legendary power, Merlin has retained some of her bloodline's powers. Though much concentration and planning she can change her appearance, always remaining humanoid and never too far off her original dimensions.

Companion: None

Relations:
Possibly - Arthur Pendragon - Protegee
To be determined

[User]
Name: Edgar Allen Poe
Occupation: Librarian/Birdkeeper
Time/Date: Day One, Evening
Location: The cellar underneath the dining room.
Tagging: Arthur, Leo, Bram

Edgar sat in complete darkness, perched atop a massive cask that he had managed to laboriously scramble up with the help of a few other barrels as stepping stones, his ear pressed to the ceiling above him. The masonry was solid, and to anyone else the several feet of stone would have completely stopped any attempt at spying on the dining hall above. But Edgar wasn't anyone else.

There were seven hearts beating in the room above him, two of which he was able to recognize. One was Edgar's master, Crassus, and right nearby was his fellow slave Arthur - obviously, Crassus was keeping his favorite pet close to him, as always. Edgar didn't recognize the other guests, but from the position of the heartbeats he could roughly guess that three of them were dining with his master, and the remaining two were flanking one of the dinner guests.

That was a disappointment, to say the least. He didn't really care about whatever was going on at the banquet, truth be told - no, he'd snuck down to the cellar to spy on these proceedings for an entirely different reason. There was a mystery afoot in the manor, and if he'd never accomplish anything else in his wretched existence, Edgar would get to the bottom of it.

The mystery swirled around the nature of the most feared overseer in the Manor - Ivan Vasilyevich. Every slave in the manor knew better than to cross him, lest they 'disappear' in the night, never to be seen again. He was only seen at night, and what was most puzzling of all, Edgar had never heard his heartbeat. The young slave had supposed that maybe he had some way of masking it that had something to do with his penchant for high society, but the abundance of heartbeats in the room above seemed to belie that. Well, it had been a weak theory.

Whatever he was, he was a violent, fearful man, and Edgar had already made peace with the fact that he would never be punished for that - he had power and his victims didn't, and that was how the world worked. But even so, he had to know.

Something was happening up above. Two new heartbeats entered the room, one of which belonged to Overseer Gilles De Rais, the other to Leonidas, the enslaved pit fighter Edgar bunked opposite from in the slave's quarters. His heartbeat began to move erratically, as did one of the stranger's, both of them elevating and pounding with adrenaline. Clearly, his Master had found some use for a pugilist.

Gradually, Leon's heartbeat slowed, the gradual thumping of slumber. The poor boy had, evidently, met his match at last - such was life. Edgar reached into his ragged tunic and produced a matchbox he'd managed to swipe from one of the Overseers, striking a match and climbing down from his perch. It was a pale, flickering light, but it was enough for Edgar to see by, at least enough to be able to walk.

He was just creeping over to the stairs back to the servant's corners, prepared to chalk this night up as a defeat, when he heard the flutter of wings from behind him. His longtime friend and companion Usher set down on his shoulder and cooed into his ear, head tilting quizzically. Edgar had sent the bird to the kitchens, hoping that he might see or hear something pertaining to Overseer Vasilyevich, who often seemed to frequent the kitchens at this hour. "Usher," he whispered, "Did you hear anything?"

The raven opened his mouth and from it issued a rough approximation of Overseer De Rais' voice, "Wait… we're not taking him there."
The bird paused, and then changed tone to a burlier, deeper growl. Vasilyevich's voice. "What do you mean? Lord Crassus ordered us-"

 De Rais again. "I know what he ordered, but I haven't fed Corpseeater in a while."

Vasilyevich. "If Lord Crassus finds out that you didn't-"

De Rais. "Hush, he won't find out. We will say that the boy's wounds were so severe that he succumbed to them. Now come, there's a place in the cellar where we will take him."

Edgar furrowed his brow and patted the raven on the head. "Good bird. Curious..." A smirk became affixed on the boy's face. "Well now, Usher, you know I'm not overly attached to living in this world, but we shouldn't investigate alone... what do you suppose Bram is up to at this hour?"

The satisfaction of a mystery - what else could a young slave hope for, living in a world as wretched as this one?

[Assistant]
Name: Bram Stoker
Occupation: Cook
Time/Date: Day One, Evening
Location: The kitchen
Tagging: Arthur, Leo, Edgar

The smell of boar haunted him. The kitchen had been a nightmare today. The God King was visiting, along with some others. Bram didn't care. Why should he. Every day was a nightmare. Bram knew there were beings lurking in the castle. One, he knew the identity of. That damnable Overseer. Sighing, Bram continued on with what he was doing. Cleaning. He was quiet, almost silent as he went about his task. He was in the far corner of the kitchen. All the others had been let go, and he had been tasked with finishing up. He noticed one of the overseers, De Rais, go by, with Leonidas, the fighter. They hadn't noticed him, giving him the opportunity to eavesdrop.

Bram listened to the conversation, hiding behind a stove. Corpseater? Is this the creature he felt. Alas, they had departed. Down to the basement. He would smuggle out some weapons, try and help Leonidas, if he had the power. But he continued on. A young boy, Bran felt fear while walking the halls alone, returning to the slave quarters. He was sneaking around, when he ran into Edgar

[User]
Name: Arthur Pendragon
Occupation: Crassus' Steward
Time/Date: Day One, Evening
Location: Banquet Hall/Library
Tagging: Leo, Merlin

The dinner was going how most events had gone since Arthur had officially became the Lord's steward. He stood by Lord Crassus' side, making sure his cup never got too empty. Arthur was surprised though when Emperor Caesar wished to purchase him for himself, and more surprised when his own Lord refused. What was it about him that made the two powerful men want him as their stewards? Perhaps they could see he was meant for greatness and each wanted him for their own ends.

The night became more interesting as the two men brought out fighters to win the right of ownership over Arthur. If he were allowed to admit it he would tell them he was honoured. Instead he just kept silent and made sure his Lord's cup didn't empty. The boy he knew as Leo gave him a strange look as he passed, and he also looked at the food. Some of the other slaves didn't like Arthur since they thought he was treated better because of his position. Maybe in some senses, but if Crassus ever ordered a beating for Arthur he could see the pleasure in the Overseers eyes when they got the chance to beat Crassus' special slave. Arthur made sure not to do anything that would warrant a beating very often.

As the boys fought Arthur couldn't help but think if this is what all powerful people did, just have others fight their battles for them. Arthur didn't like the thought of that, he'd much rather fight his own battles. In reality he'd rather not fight at all, but if it came down to it he'd want to fight rather than stand behind someone else. In the end Leo had lost, and Emperor Caesar told Arthur to come over and fill his cup. Arthur hesitated and looked to his Lord, who held up his arm to keep Arthur where he was. He accused Caesar of cheating, and looking at it Achilles was totally unscathed from the fight. Another competition was set up and Arthur was worried for Leo's fate before Sam Adams had offered to buy him. Lord Adams seemed a good man, Arthur wouldn't mind being his slave, he seemed like the kind of man who would treat his slaves with more respect.

Leo was taken away to be cleaned up and the rest of the dinner went by as Arthur would expect, political things he knew he could do nothing about, so why bother worrying about it. One interesting thing was Lord Adams dropped his handkerchief in front of Arthur, he picked it up and was about to offer it back but then he noticed there was something written on it, something Arthur could read no less. He hid the handkerchief away on his person for later. Once the dinner was over Arthur was dismissed as Lord Crassus retired to bed for the night. Arthur ran as fast as he could to the library, where he figured Merlin would be at this time. "MERLIN?!" He began shouting her name as soon as he was in the library, he knew no one else should be in here at this time. All the important people from the banquet had left from what Arthur saw, and he couldn't wait to tell Merlin what happened and about the secret note he got. "Merlin! Where are you?"

[Assistant]
Name: Merlin Ambrosium
Occupation: Library Staff
Time/Date: Day One, Evening
Location: Library/Mansion's Corridors
Tagging: Arthur, Poe

The preparations for the banquet had been centered mostly on the dining hall and the feast itself, but Merlin had managed to get herself assigned to tyding and re-organizing the library, in case the master and his guests wished to converse in the privacy of the silent study-hall. Merlin had been left inside the library, alone, working on the final arrangements on the study, and would, as the overseer had stated, stay there until the laberinthic room was spotless and ready to receive the lords.

And alas, she was still there, not because there was work to be done, for the hall had been rearranged to hold a meeting with perfect comfort, but rather because this was where Merlin felt the most at home, not to mention surrounded by books while being unsupervised. After the overseer had left to assist the master at the banquet, and Poe, having finished the task at hand, had taken his leave, Merlin had crawled into a secluded corner between the bookshelves and curled up with a particular book in hand, one which not only lacked a title on it's cover, but whose content Merlin found almost familiar, despite being unable to read it.

She was holding the book open on her lap, staring at the pages, hoping something would stick in her brain, when the sound of her name startled her into the afterlife and back.
-"MERLIN?!" It was Arthur shouting her name wildly into the emptyness of the library.
-"Merlin! Where are you?" he kept inquiring openly, so sure that she was there that she'd almost be insulted by the implied predictiveness of her actions. That is, if she wasn't painfully aware of her solitary tendencies.

Merlin shut the book with the most delicate of touches and carefully placed it on the topmost shelf to her right, a seldom visited spot amongst the romance novels that somehow had made their way into the library, perhaps the guilty pleasure of one of the overseers.
-"Shhhh!" she shushed him from behind the line of books, not a loud shush, a mere whisper that would be appropriate for their current locale.
-"Over hither, Arthur." she said as she pushed the row of books to either side, sicking her head out between the books, chin on the ground, eyes looking up at him.
-"What has occurred?" she questioned. It was a rare occasion when they managed to talk casually, and usually it involved some sort of orders from the overseers or the master. But by then the banquet should've been over, and with it the activities for the day, she reasoned. So what could little Arthur require?


[System]
Character 1:

Nickname: Experiment 76195

Gender: Male

Age: 26

Bio: Sonic was born into the lab from a mother that was captured before she got pregnant with Sonic inside her. Sonic's father died from an experiment that the scientists did, and Sonic's mother died during his birth, and Sonic had to be rescued through a c-section. So, Sonic was an orphan since the beginning of his life. He was bottle-fed and raised by the scientist, who later betrayed his trust by starting to do experiments on him. Sonic got used to people injecting him with liquids, taking blood samples, getting cut with a knife to see how the wound would heal, you name it. After several years of torture, Sonic started to fight back...

Personality: Sonic has been described as being "like the wind"; a drifter that is always on the move and is noted for being free-spirited and adventurous. He values freedom above all else and lives his life according to his own rules rather than the standards of those around him and without concern for what others think, and enjoys nothing more than traveling the world. Endowed with a strong passion for life, he is always moving forward to look for his next challenge. Sonic is most of the time easy-going, cool and care-free. However, he is often impatient, hates boredom and has a short temper. Because of his impulsive nature, Sonic can be reckless and quick to act before thinking, throwing himself into trouble without a second thought and regardless of other's warnings. Regardless, he is honest and always keeps his promises.

Crush: Impress me

Mate: None

Kits: I might have some, if they took sperm from me without me knowing it.

[User]
"Uh, Sonya I can protect myself you know. I am not exactly a small kit anymore." Sonic said, having a feeling that Sonya was playing on the safe side a little too much. Yes, she had a point in asking, but Sonic knew that they could both defend themselves and each other if it came down to it.

"I don't exactly know. I was young when I ended up in the lab. But, I have had visions, when I was sleeping and I have a feeling that the those vision were trying to tell me the past. Anyway, I was a small child, maybe about five or six years old when it happened. I was outside, working on my muscles when there was a bright light. Curious as to what it was and not knowing any better, I went to it. I must have blacked out, because the next thing I remember from those visions is walking through the streets, and some old man tricking to going with him. At the time, I was so desperate for an answer then I went with him, and he led me to a group of guys in white coats. They shoot me with something, and then I woke up in the lab, with plain white walls, the smell of cleaning supplies and I was in a glass containment area. It wasn't breakable glass either." Knuckles answered.

[Assistant]
Rolling her eyes, the blue female glanced to Sonic, as he commented on her way of approach. "Do you want our freedom to be one-hundred present fulfilling? Or do you want us to end up back in a cell?", she asked the male hedgehog, with a small, smug smirk appearing on her face. But then it faded into a frown. "We've got to be careful, Sonic, if we ever want to see daylight again", she reminded him. It was probably best to play it safe for now, instead of putting themselves at risk of getting caught.

Sonya heard the red Echidna's story, and she couldn't agree to the info. It was almost the same as their own. Except for Sonic having yet to be born, and herself being only a year-old kit at the time. "It does seem obvious that you've escaped. How did you exactly?", she had to play it safe with Knuckles, though she did admittedly screw in giving away sensitive information about their childhood. But, a deal's a deal.

[User]
"Sonya, it is not that I want to end up back in the lab. I was just saying I can defend myself and you if need be. That I am not a small, defenseless kit anymore." Sonic said, hiding his small annoyance at his sister.

"I escaped when they decided to take me out of my containment for more experiments. I finally rebelled and knocked out the scientists that I was with. The alarms went off as some of the other humans noticed that I escaped, but their efforts to escape were too late. I had smashed the doors blocked my path and made a break for it. They haven't found me yet." Knuckles explained, ignoring the blue male hedgehog that was annoyed with his sister, though he refused to show it.

[Assistant]
Sonya thought about what Sonic said, and she internally rolled her eyes, even though she visually closed them, admitting defeat to the male hedgehog's point. She was so focused on keeping themselves safe, she completely forgot about their own capabilities.

Opening them again, the female listened to Knuckles' story. "...so you took sanctuary here? Where they couldn't find you?", she presumed. It wouldn't surprise her that he would make a break for it from the humans; his power and impressive strength was no joke, obviously seen in how he attacked them. Sonic may not like it, but she had to ask. "You don't mind if we crash here for the night, do you, Knuckles? Perhaps join us at daybreak?", she was curious if they could survive, with some extra help.

[User] Void

[Assistant]
"I guess it gets a little lonely in here, living oneself. Sure, you guys can stay. It's not like you have anywhere else to go, right?" Knuckles answered. He assumed that answer was a no, considering that their only real place to go was the lab they escaped from. Going through lab experiences himself, Knuckles thought that they didn't want to go back to the lab any more than he did, and that's why they escaped. Unless they was more that they weren't going to tell him, but he dismissed the possibility.

Sonic bit his tongue, trying to force himself not to say anything. He didn't think that he or his sister needed the charity, but he knew if he voiced that thought, his sister would shut him up. It was true that they didn't have anywhere else to go, other than the lab, which Sonic DID NOT want to go back to, not after overhearing what they were going to do to him. His sister wasn't mention in the conversation about dissection, but Sonic had a feeling that if they succeeded in taking him apart to learn about mobian anatomy, his sister would have next in line.

[User]
"Thanks, Knuckles. And no, there is nowhere for any of us to go", the female hedgehog, very respectfully, responded to the Echidna, before looking around the cabin. It could use a little bit of TLC, considering that it looked beyond its years; like one earthquake can just make the place collapse at any time. Sonya out in her thinking face at the thought, before looking at Sonic, having to notice that her brother was trying his hardest to keep his mouth shut. He was quite the most impatient of the two; a little brother, he is one.

Placing her gloved hands on her hips, the female hedgehog looked around on the floor. If she remembered back at the lab, there were blankets for her and Sonic to sleep on. So, there should be some that would be discarded here. There was an old bed mattress here that looked to be beyond stable. Having to use great speed, she ran around the bed, having to blow off the dust, as well as anything else that would be considered unsanitary. Stopping before the object, she gestured her younger sibling to it. "After you".

[Assistant]
"I think the term is ladies first, and not men first." Sonic replied, slowly approaching the bed. Yet, he refused to get on it, as exhausted as he was, wanting his sister to get comfortable before he did himself. His legs felt weak from exhaustion, and Sonic wondered if the the scientists in their last experiment gave him some kind of drug. It wouldn't be the first time Sonic was given drugs that did this to him, but it would be the last time, and Sonic wanted to make sure of that.

Knuckles chuckled a little, watching the siblings talk about who got to get comfortable first. They were protective of each other, and the two of them only had each other as family. So, Knuckles understood why they were so protective of one another, because the other one would be alone if something happened to one of them. After watching for a few more moments, Knuckles headed off to his mattress, leaving the two siblings alone for the night.

[User] Sonya sighed as she almost gave him a face of defeat before becoming confident once again, putting her hands back on her hips. "Well, considering that you are the most tired, you first", she didn't want to baby him again, but if one of them are in any kind of condition that needs immediate tending, that one's wellbeing comes first. So, the female hedgehog insisted that the younger should go first. With that, she tenderly took his wrist, and helped Sonic get on the bed. She was the one to tuck him in, before doing it herself. Halfway through the night, she proved her protectivess by holding the male's gloved hand, curling up against each other.

[Assistant]
Sonic smiled in his sleep as he felt himself curled next to his sister and his sister curled up next to him. They looked like a pair of mates where one was protective of the other, and the other one was protective of his or her mate. But they weren't mates, so it was more like a pair of overgrown kits, since Sonic and Sonya would often curl up against each other like that they were small and Mobian hedgehog kits, when there was more than one, would do that to keep warm since they had a hard time maintaining their body temperature.

It took Knuckles a while to fall asleep, but he did managed to find sleep eventually. But not before sneaking out of the building to look at the stars, which often helped him sleep when he couldn't, though he never found out why that was the case.

[User]
When they were kits, back in the lab, the scientists recommended that the two blue hedgehogs were to be housed together, considering that it was important for one kit to get used to another, and imprint them as family the second they open their eyes. Even when they were just kids, the two siblings stayed in that same case until they were ready to be separated from the presence of the other. But still, even at that age, they shared the same bed, ate the same food, and shared the same cage.

The memories of sharing the bed was coming back to Sonya when she felt her younger brother snuggle against her. She wasn't asleep when this happened, but was silently thinking on how they were gonna make their freedom possible. They were capable, yes, but there was much about the outside they, including Knuckles, didn't know about. So, they were just as clueless as the Echidna was. Were there other mobians out there? Ones who may have escaped from any other labs? Were they currently imprisined or re-captured at this very moment?

She watched her sleeping sibling who was curled up against her, until she gave a silent prayer to their mother. 'We're safe, mother. I promise, I'll protect him with my life', she thought, before falling asleep herself.

[Assistant]
When the sun started to rise and light up the city around them, Sonic was still asleep. His ears twitched and moved from time to time, as if listening for the sounds he had thought he had heard in his dream. He let out a kit-like squeak in his sleep, if he was dreaming about his early childhood, when he and Sonya shared the same cage and before the experiments really began, which, in reality, he was dreaming about just that. A second squeak came from him and then fell silent for a while after that. The sound of his breathing was the only sound heard from him, and his side slowly rose and fell as he breathed.

As for Knuckles, he was asleep was well, as result of not having slept well during the night. And the squeaks that presumably came from one of the sleeping hedgehogs from time to time didn't help either, as the sounds kept waking him up throughout the night.

[User] While daylight started to break through, Sonya slept beside her brother, but lost the blanket a few hours after midnight, which was messily bundled up at the foot of the bed. Funny enough, ever since the blanket disappeared, one of them was laying upon the other. The female awoke to find herself looking up at the ceiling, before seeing her younger sibling laying on his side, with his head upon her stomach. His squeaking didn't go unnoticed; halfway through the night, she figured that the male may have been dreaming. She wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad one, but she made her presence known by tenderly stroking the spikes upon his head, just in case.

[Assistant] Sonic's breathing started to speed up, a sign that he was starting to wake up. He opened his emerald green eyes and looked around, taking his head off of his sister's stomach. For a few heartbeats, Sonic didn't remember where he was, but then flashbacks from the day before hit him. He got off of the bed and shook out his cobalt pelt, looking at his sister and giving her a small smile. It was quiet in the building, and Sonic assumed that Knuckles was still asleep. So, Sonic walked to the entrance of the abandoned building, watching the city. He didn't leave or anything, not wanting to get caught again or get yelled at by his sister for leaving. To a person or animal that would have looked to into the building at that moment, all they could see was Sonic's eyes, as the rest of his body was hidden by the shadows in the early morning.

[User]
Sonya was already awake, even when Sonic began to arise. Taking her hand off of him, the female watched the male go to the doorway, causing herself to get off the bed, but not following him. Instead, she used her speed to fix the bed sheets. It was quiet, except for the birds chirping in the air, and the flapping of their wings that happened to echo. She assumed that Knuckles was still asleep, considered that she heard light snores coming from the red Echidna. She remained silent until she zoomed out of the desolate building, right passed Sonic, and into the valley; a blue blur dashing across the plain, and around the trees.

A few seconds passed, until the said-blur came dashing right back, skeetering to a stop before Sonic, with a few apples in-hand, and passing him one.

[Assistant] "Thank you." Sonic said, nodding in his head in thanks to his sister as he took the apple. He sniffed it, not knowing what it was, though he had seen the human scientists eat the strange red fruit before. Though, fruit seemed to come in a lot of different colors to him, and after deciding it was safe to eat, he bit into it. His ears perked in interest as he chewed the apple, lost in thought as he turned his attention back to the city as he found himself wondering how many other Mobians, if any, were stuck on this planet, or worse yet, stuck in labs on this planet.


[System]
Age: 21

Gender: Male

Race: Hundi

Appearance:

Ian stands at 5'3" with a deceptively lithe figure hiding a surprising amount of strength. Atop his head are two pointed canine ears standing up about five inches with fur matching his hair color, he also has a nearly two foot tail of the same fur color.
Personality: Ian is a rather free-spirited one, typically erratic and with a difficult to break happy-go-lucky demeanor. It's not very difficult to become friends with him and he is not too shy to display his interest in someone, bluntly or playfully, and he can on occasion be uncomfortably affectionate. He's very devoted to his companions, his dedication to their protection can be seen in his chosen fighting style and the tenacity with which he will defend them. His tail and ears are often expressive of his mood, the latter of which he enjoys having pet, messing with his tail, however, will usually earn a growl from him.

Brief Backstory: Ian was born to a pair of Hundi sellswords in service to a wealthy trader in Ithillin, nothing much happened in the early years of his life, he would train with his parents or wrestle with the Trader's children, he was even allowed to receive tutoring alongside them as well. As his sixteenth birthday began to draw near he started accompanying his parents on the trade caravans and once the day hit he accompanied his last caravan into Velt, and stayed when the caravan returned. At this point he set out into the world, traveling through Velt continuing to work as a mercenary to fund his wandering. He would eventually cross over into Thaln, where his first encounter with the Iron Rose Knights would occur.

He'd encountered a group of brigands on the road, brigands that had already been targeted by a small group of Iron Rose knights already. The initial brigands had been dealt with but Ian and the knights had confused eachother for enemies. Ian had come out of the fight on top, besting the knights one on three, it was then that the leader of the group offered him a place within the order.

Equipment: Light plate armor designed to allow for a wide range of movement, A pair of Towershields each about two feet wide and almost as tall as he is, A crossbow, And a waraxe.

Skills: Ian's unique fighting style has him using a towershield in each hand, utilizing the heavy shields not only for protection but to pummel his opponents. He is surprisingly agile when using them and can swing them rather easily. When not using his shields his fighting style switches to one reliant on agility, dodging strikes rather than blocking them. Alternatively, Ian is quite skilled with a crossbow.

[User] "I'm strong." Christina said, her breath making tiny ripples in the water. "I have a shield, and I know some protection magic." She punctuated the end of her explanation by sinking further into the water, so only her nose and eyes stayed visible. She blew a single bubble of air from her mouth, looking for all the world like a bored child.

[Assistant]
Marianne Delacroix

After having listened to Sir Garrett's dark story, Marianne and her maids made not a sound. Unmoving and expressions stoic as they all processed just what it was that he had told them. Marianne thought to defend herself and other magic users, but as Sir Garrett had shared such a personal and intimate story with them, she thought it to be disrespectful and rude to the memory of his sister. Thankfully, Marianne had eaten more than enough for her to be satisfied. Her appetite lost as she looked down to the table. She thought to perhaps express her sorrow and condolences to Sir Garrett, but thought that would reopen old wounds. At least, the ones she hadn't already unintentionally opened already for her comrade.

She bit her lip as she thought hard to herself, long strands of her hair falling over her shoulder to conceal part of her face as she did. She couldn't imagine the heartbreak she would experience if one of her brothers or other family members was to commit such an act. Brushing the strands out of her face and tucking them behind her ear, she looked back up to Sir Garrett. It was disorienting to see such a formidable man with all of his bulk act in such a way. The story his eyes told, his body language, and his tone of voice. It all painted the picture of a hurt man. A man betrayed by a loved ones in such a way that he condemned large general populations and cultures of people. She couldn't blame him for the way he thought and felt. Perhaps if such a thing were to ever happen to her, she may have been the same way. It made their relationship all the more awkward, though she felt oddly flattered that he was comfortable enough to share that tidbit with her and confide in her. Marianne wondered if he had ever done so for anyone else.

A maid stepped forth and gently touched at Marianne's shoulder, shaking her from her thoughts.
"Lady Marianne. You should retire to your chambers." The senior maid suggested.
Straightening in her seat, she looked at Sir Garrett and then to her maids.
She nodded her head, silently.
As Marianne stood, the senior maid pulled her chair out for her.
With a slight polite bow of her head, Marianne bade her good nights to her fellow Iron Rose Knight.
"It is getting rather late. Here is where we'll have to part ways, Sir Garrett. Thank you for joining me for dinner. We must do this again sometime in the near future." she managed to say with a smile.
Turning, Lady Marianne walked away with a certain grace. Unsure if her remaining silent was the right course of action to take. As she left the room, five of her maids followed closely behind her in a single file column. The remaining two stayed behind to clean up. One cleared Marianne's side. The other stood by Sir Garrett.
"Are you finished with your meal, Sir Garrett?"
If he answered in the affirmative, then she would clear his spot for him.
If not, she would remain behind until he did.

Once the last two maids had finished their tasks, they would leave and follow after the rest. Following Lady Marianne to her chambers, where she would then bed for the night to rest for the next day. Prepared for whatever the next day brought to her and the Iron Roses.

[User]
Sult nodded, as her deft hands made her way towards the soft skin of her captain's back. Even though her face remained mostly serious, she had always secretly wanted a little sister to do this kind of stuff. Thinking for a bit she pieced an answer together.

"I am Sult. I just do things, i guess. Well met."

It was then when out of the corners of her mind, the beast of mischief sprung forth. "If you want a backscrub too, please wait. Cutest go first."

As if on cue, Sult leaned forward towards Fanilly, starting to do something more than scrubbing. She was actually massaging Fanilly. Inching closer and closer, until the back of the first was touching so slighty the front of the second.

And then she finished scrubbing, sponge in hand.

[Assistant]
Well, this all seemed to be going relatively smoothly, at least. The two new knights seemed to be knowledgeable and adept at what they did, though without seeing them in action there was only so much that could be said. For a meeting being held in a bath, this was going somewhat decently. The girl couldn't help but flinch a little, however, when she felt Sult's hands on her back. Recalling getting the same treatment by her maids, however, she swiftly relaxed.

"It's... it's very nice to meet you," she began, attempting to ignore the 'cutest go first' comment. It was embarrassing... and then... then the older girl was massaging her. The smallish blonde trailed off, cheeks burning hot with embarrassment, as she felt Sult massage her back, lean in rather close... and then be done with it.

"... I, er... well..."

It took several moments for Fanilly to regain her composure.

From there, the girl managed to talk a bit more, mostly introducing herself and asking a few more questions about the new knights' interest in the order. Anything to keep herself from becoming an embarrassed mess.

---

The next day, however, was quite a different one. The sun was once again sinking low, this time casting the sky in a vast array of oranges and reds, purples and yellows. Light played off the low-hanging clouds in a dazzling display of colors.

Fanilly's maids had braided her hair. Her armor and weapons had been cleaned to their most perfect condition. Now, there was only one thing that remained for her to do. She had to proceed to the party. She'd picked a fair variety of knights to accompany her, focusing on both new knights and a few veterans as well. They had been permitted to wear any formal attire they so chose, and Fanilly had decided to request that any armor must be suited to this if it is brought along.

This, she had realized, put Tyaethe in quite a predicament. But she couldn't deny she felt some desire to see what was under the 'immortal knight's' armor. It was such a mystery, after all.

Regardless of mystery knights' looks, Fanilly felt her nervousness rising. Her training as a child had not exactly left her attending a large number of parties, though she had been to a few small affairs in the past.

This was no small affair. The Royal Castle loomed ahead, a throng of guests milling both in the castle gardens and visibly within. Fanilly had been to the castle before, but... never when it was this crowded. The walls around the castle were strong and thick, but naturally the knights had been allowed through. They were both guests, and the Iron Roses themselves, after all.

The castle itself was an impressive structure. Known as the Crown of Thaln, or the Spikes of Aimlenn, it was a rectangular building, four larger towers arranged at each corner with a much larger one in the center. It was made of a dark grey stone, decorated with white. The gardens around the castle were verdant and thriving, filled with small trees, a wide array of flowers, and small ponds. Even here, however, there were clear signs of spots where soldiers would hold their ground, in case of an attack.

But at the moment, there were no such soldiers.

Fanilly led her knights through the crowd, to the castle itself. The interior hall was wide and spacious, and a herald declared each knight's status as they entered the room. Tables of food lined the walls, men, women, and children were everywhere, adorned in finery, and guards were posted evenly about the hall.

Fanilly couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous about such a large event.

But, this was it. The princess was no where to be seen, for the moment, but Fanilly was certain that would change quite soon.

[User]
Martina Stonehammer
"Hmph..."

Martina didn't care much for formal events, really. They were always so... So formal! What was so wrong with just meeting in a tavern and having a few pints of ale, really? Why did the nobles have to be so stuffy about everything? The only reasons she was here was because her parents insisted that she be here... That, and the captain would be here soon too. She hadn't seen her for a while, and since she was about to return to the Iron Rose Knights it would be a good idea to greet her in a non-combat orientated situation.

Still, it wasn't worth her having to dress up like a surly chrysanthemum and... And mingle with the upper-class snobs. She hated the dress, really. It was too frilly and... And pink! And so impractical too! What did the nobles have against praticality anyway? Hmph...

Her eyes almost lit up when she heard the arrival of the Iron Rose Knights being announced. Of course, her expression didn't change that much; she was a dwarf after all, or at least half-dwarf. Overreacting to things is what humans did. But still, she couldn't help but scuttle over to the assembled knights... Approach the captain from behind... And give her a good old-fashioned dwarven greeting.

"Rally-ho, captain!" her voice boomed out as she gave Fanilly a hearty slap on the backside. It was almost as though the size of her voice was trying to make up for her only being around four foot six, really. "It's good to see you again, that it is!"

[Assistant]
Ian kept needlessly fidgeting with parts of his armor while he got ready for the ball. He'd honestly only ever been to formal gatherings twice before, both times as a bodyguard so going to one as a guest is going to be different. He was already having trouble with his wardrobe as the only thing that could even be considered formal that he owned was his armor, and he's spent half a day trying to make it as nice as it could be. It didn't help that Ian wasn't even aware of the ball till late morning, having missed the message since he slept in a tavern down the way a bit.

At least the armor did have a little fanciness to it, having a few colored trims and a design on the hood and cape. In fact the cape could put off a slightly regal appearance, something that would be easier if he wasn't the size of a child. Ian grumbled quietly, his size never really bothered him before, and even now it doesn't so much as the assumptions made from it, it is somewhat irritating to be confused with a child.

He sighed and shook his head, looking down at his left hand as he flexed it. He'd managed to see the healers before this whole thing. He no longer needed to keep his arm in the sling but it would be awhile before he could use his shields again. With all his things as together as they could be he set out, the last thing he grabbed was his axe, slipping it just above his tail under his cape.

Ian had his hood up throughout the walk to the castle and had intended to keep it regardless of how it would be viewed by the nobles, not that that mattered as he was startled by the announcement of their own arrival and his ears shot up, his hood falling back again. At that point putting it back up didn't matter. He took a few more steps inside and that's about as far as he made it. He just stopped at that point and looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to do with himself in a gathering like this.


[System]
OC: Lee Min-ho

Height: 5'9
Hair Color: Dark brown
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Fair
Body Composition: Slim
Age: Twenty-years old
Gender: Male
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pre-Outbreak Occupation: First-Year College Student/Barista

* Dexterity: With the nature of his occupation, Walter is fast in the usage of his hands; over the coarse of the outbreak, this resulted in him developing a preference for close-quarters combat, boasting proficient use of melee weapons.
* Stamina: Walter is a runner; given his shorter stature and agile nature, he was commonly a member of countless scouting parties and supply runs, allowing him to remain physically able for long periods of time before requiring rest.
* Fortitude: Motivation from his other group members has given Walter a stronger mind; the nature of the outbreak and most otherwise devastating occurrences do not affect him emotionally as much as others.

* Walter is not spectacular with firearms like most of his group, and only keeps/uses them as a last resort.
* Has a common tendency to work himself to extreme fatigue, sometimes not realizing his limits.
* He dislikes diverging from any given plan, and when it comes to those in his group, he can demonstrate a coldness to others that interfere.
* Afraid of heights.

* Backpack
* Canteen
* Standard hunting knife
* Steel crowbar
* Small foldable tent
* Canned food (four)
* First aid kit, only bandages

Group: Dana Point Group
Personality: Thoughtful, Curious, Kind, Loyal, and Reliable (to a fault). Headstrong in the face of pressure.
Backstory: Walter Pierce was the first child of a Korean mother and Irish father; his mother was an immigrant to the United States, and years before his birth, met his father. He grew up normally in the neighborhood of South Philadelphia, and despite racial differences between him and his peers, the boy got along just fine.

Overall, like most of the children and teenagers growing up, Walter was oriented on making his family proud, doing well in school along with running track, being greatly successful in this aspect. Despite this, the young man was at a lost; he struggled to find something to do with his life after the high school days, and in a series of breakdowns and falling outs, he moved away from home.

On the west coast, Walter found a semblance of purpose, attending college with a track and field scholarship and working part-time at a local cafe. Only roughly a year passed before the outbreak began, and Walter found himself on the run from the dead. Initially with another group of survivors who were headed for Dana Point, he was the only one to survive the trip, and arrived at the sanctuary damaged and broken from the experience.

But the wounds close and heal with time.

[User] Nikki nodded and quietly said, "I think so. Ethan is upstairs talking to Kat now. The baby is asleep so I think that's a big factor." Nikki looked at little Grace. "She sure is a beautiful baby." she said smiling. "Don't forget, take someone with you just in case, Walt."

[Assistant]
Alex Teixeira

 Alex withdrew himself and crossed his arms, tracing the outline of a lone spiderweb hanging daintily above Grace's crib, with its architect lowering itself towards the baby slowly, before zipping back up in a fright. Spiders were lucky. Everyone who feared them was too busy fending off far more dangerous intruders to pay them any mind. Alex should've known, his phobia of the little arachnids had nearly disappeared over the past year. There were worse things to obsessed over, like whether or not the next person he'd exchanged words with would try to slit his throat. Rowena assured everyone in the room that she was there to help, but Alex still held a reserved disposition around this newcomer.

 "I'll come with you, Walter," Alex offered immediately, pushing away from the splintered chair with both hands, his eyes fixated on the spider above Grace's crib, "You may want to kill the spider, Nikki. It may upset baby."

[User]
Kat hadn't wanted to let Grace out of her sight. Who knew what this group might do? She couldn't trust them.
But Ethan reappeared then and wanted to talk.
Great.

Grace seemed content in her play pen so Kat led Ethan up the stairs, but only after giving every person in the room a dirty look that said if they so much as made her baby cry she would hurt them.

Once they were upstairs Kat took a deep breath and faced him. One night stand and father of her child and she didn't even know his last name.
"Yes she is yours," she said, anticipating his question. "I'm sorry if this messes up things for you. You don't have to bother. She's mine and I will take care of her on my own like I have been. Just leave me some supplies and we'll call it even."

She was trying to give him an out. Any man she had ever known didn't want responsibility and that had been before the end of the world. He was probably terrified she'd expect him to stay here and play Daddy. He didn't have to worry about her having any illusions about a great big happy family. That was not how the world worked. At least not for her.

[Assistant]
Camyllia hopped over a car's trunk,turned and waited for BLitz to come out from under the car. Blitz remained there growling at something turning Camyllia saw a group of walkers coming towards her.

"Crap run Blitz!" Camyllia said hopping back over the trunk and running through the cracks between cars and hopping on hoods. More walkers appeared," Crap c'mon Blitz we gotta go back-"

 A feral growling came out of the dog making Camyllia turn and run over to Blitz, who was cornered by two walker's and crashed cars. That same feeling from handling the marine walker from before came back to Camyllia as she got out her knife and whistled to the two walkers they both turned Blitz attacked one and Camyllia went for the other. It tried to grab at her but the girl dodged the walker almost tripping but it caught itself. Camyllia took that as a sign to get the hell out of there so she grabbed Blitz blue collar and made a run for it through an opening crack between two trucks. they didn't stop running not even when they passed Blitz barely noticeable owner due to him being walker chow. Stopping at an old rust bucket of a truck Camyllia stopped finally taking a breath. Blitz walked over to her a whined.

"Nah, I'm fine..I guess some of the horde is movin' or a new one is formin'," Camyllia said sighing," C'mon lets head back mabe we can find someplace ta stay an' come up with a better plan," Camyllia said moving towards the rows of cars recognising them from earlier in the day with her dog not to far behind

[User]
Ethan Blackledge

They both look at each other for what felt like forever, before Kat decided to break the silence. Ethan knew it was his child, but it just took a lot out of him finding out he had a kid. "I know." Was all Ethan could muster up before she continued. He was shocked though from what she said next. "No… You think I'd leave my daughter? Even if I was so cruel to not want anything to do with her, I couldn't leave you behind…" Ethan took in a breath to brace himself for what he was about to say. "There's around a thousand walkers only a few hours away and it wouldn't surprise me if they're coming this way… You'll have no chance." Ethan didn't want to sugarcoat it for her, he wanted to be as bleak as possible to convince Kat to join them.

Then it hit him, "I…" He looked down, trying to get his words out, a slight pain clear in Ethan's face. "I don't even know my own daughter's name." Ethan waited for Kats response and a sad smile crossed his face as he looked back up at hearing the name 'Grace'. "I like it." Ethan couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, it was the first thing he managed to smile about after the horrible day him and his group had. After that they talked for a while longer until they didn't have much more to say to each other, heading back downstairs.

"Okay people." Ethan shouted as he walked in the front room getting everyone's attention. "Most of us know what's only a few hours away and we have no idea which way they're gunna go... That horde is too big to actually get rid of so we need to keep moving South... We'll rest here for the night but as soon the sun comes up, we set off. The nearest city from here is San Clemente and none of us here have any clue what's there, unless you two have checked the city out before." He pointed at the new two people. "If you both want and nobody as any problems you can come with us. We can always do with someone who has training from the Navy." He said to Jason and then looked at the woman, he still didn't know her name, "And if you actually want to help our group I can't say no to that, but these next few days are gunna be extremely difficult, I can't lie to any of you."

After his speech he stayed up for a while listening to everyone's opinions and concerns. Later on when the conversations started to die down, he went over to Walter and quietly said, "If you're still okay to take the first watch, I think our group would feel a lot safer. We still don't really know who these two people are and I want to make sure we can trust them first. When you want some sleep, come and wake me up… I'm gunna try and get some myself now, cheers mate." He smiled at him and then went off into one of the quieter rooms and lied down on the floor to try and get a bit of rest.

——————————————————————————————

Light slowly started to fill through the windows as Ethan was sat up in the corner slowly eating some canned tuna. There was still half a can left when he set it down, knowing someone else would need it. He slowly stood up and gave a stretch before chucking on his blue jacket on and quietly waking everyone up one by one.

As everyone was getting ready Ethan stepped outside to make sure there wasn't any sign of the horde. After that he took a swig of his water and put it back into his rucksack, whilst making sure his bow was properly attached to the bag. Ethan then leant against a car waiting for everyone to come out of the house.

[Assistant] Nikki had put the baby in her crib and was on top of the roof. She had been dozing off and on and she jumped off of the roof and did a tuck and roll landing about five feet from Ethan. "We going soon? Looks pretty clear so far." She looked Ethan in the eye and said, "You spoke to her. Good. I take it then she and the baby are coming with us." He nodded. It was kind of funny that they could almost answer without speaking. Nikki guessed it was from all the training and being more observant than many of the others. That and that Ethan was just quiet.

[User]
Upon seeing the leader walk back into the room, Rowena looked up, straightening her shoulders a little. Or at least, it seemed like he was the leader. When he informed her that she could stay she smiled, nodding her gratitude before looking around the house. She didn't have anyone to converse with and most of them didn't look like they wanted to. Biting her lip and curling her fingers into her palm she went to find herself a place to sleep. It all looked ten times nicer than the hard concrete floor of the sewer sidewalks. After a minute of awkward walking around the woman found that the best place to sleep would be a torn-up sofa. Or rather, just the end of it. She patted the largest corner that was still held together and smiled as Themistocles hopped up eagerly, doing his three little circles before laying down. Rowena took her baseball cap off and carefully climbed up beside him, bringing her knees to her chest and her letting her head fall to the animal's upper half. Protective as always, Themistocles shifted a little closer and let his tail sweep over her hip. And even though she was very tired Rowena didn't sleep for a while, falling in and out of her strange dreams. They were usually filled with her, a man and pretty, calm, undisturbed scenery. It was nice while it lasted.

Rowena was awoken by the noise of people bustling about and getting ready to leave. She was used to sleeping in, since she didn't fear walkers walking in on her and trying to eat her in her sleep. She stretched and ended up falling off the sofa with a small 'oof'. Brushing herself down as she stood, she slipped her cap back on and was glad to see Themistocles up on his feet already, looking around and then back to her, eager to see where they'd be going today. Although the trouble of getting her things back remained. If they followed the highway, she'd be able to get them back. There were a lot of useful things there. Rowena hoped they'd trust her enough to have someone come help her. Her supply run had obviously come up empty supply-wise and she was starting to feel a little weak. Time would tell, she supposed as she massaged her own shoulder gently, working out the tense muscles. "Morning," she said brightly, addressing no one in particular.

[Assistant]
"So what was it like? Out there, for that long? Without any place to go to?"

Walter could still see it, then; trembling, looking down at his bloodied hands. One moment he was sitting before the survivor, choked up and unwilling to speak of the family he had killed, and the other, sitting in front of the corpses, on the verge of vomiting at what he had done.

The guilt washed up throughout his body. He failed to swallow his doubt of deserving to make it, but even then, what did it matter now? Walter had made it, above the murders-- no, it was self-defense. They turned their weapons on him, first, that had to have meant that it hadn't been in cold-blood. Even the fucking kid, right?

"Walt, I can help you. You don't look so well... what happened out there?"

Walter tried to shake his head, to deny all of the eyes that watched him, but he was frozen. A single heartbeat resounded from the vacant husk that was his body, reminding the nineteen-year old that he was still alive.

"I shouldn't have survived."

---

The young man woke when Ethan came with a short knock on the door to his room. Walter blinked a couple of times, half-asleep as his eyelids refused to open. Peering through the narrow slits, he sat his back up against the wall, drawing a long yawn to find that he had been drenched in sweat over the memory. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, unaware that his hands had been trembling in tension.

Walter took a moment to compose himself, deciding to take a healthy swig from his canteen before it went empty. "Well, shit."

After throwing on his shirt and setting his belt tightly against his waist, Walter shuffled down the stairs to see that the group was already beginning to assemble outside. Slapping the exhaustion from his face, he lifted his backpack from the spot at the chair, quickly checking the contents inside just in case. When all was well, he pranced outside and flanked Rowena, joining up with them quietly.


[System]
Height : 174cm | Weight: 140lb | Age: 16
Appearance:
Transformed
In Ayaka's transformed appearance she sports the same exact outfit from the reference but without the headband and glasses. Her physical appearance stays primarily the same as well but her hair has lengthened to her back and a long amethyst-colored ribbon holds half of her hair up.
Description: A lackluster and lazy student, Ayaka is brazen as she is broad. Open with her opinions but simply too lazy to tell them. Sleep and the lack of is her prime enemy and attacks her anytime throughout the day. But the few occasions when she is focused or awake, she's either serious, often cold, or ready to win any sort of battle. Determination may not align with Ayaka often but when she hones on one thing, in any situation-- she will get the last say.

Grimoire:
 • Title:  Merlin's Prophecies
 • Description: A tale of an old wizard and his exploits. Known for his patience and wise guidance, he has fought off dragons and aided a king to rise for their nation. Well known for his magical gifts, Merlin is an exotic sorcerer who helps from the shadows.
 • Abilities:  The Prophecies of Merlin grants Ayaka the ability to conjure a staff of which she mainly uses to aid her teammates from afar casting shields and healing injuries. But can also cast heavy-hitting elemental magicks, although, in exchange for destruction, she must wait patiently to thread her more offensive spells together via runes, magical circles, or a sacrifice of an object.
Misc:
Sidhe Staff
Instead of a white crystal and a smaller dangling crystal both are purple.

[User]
Even as an outsider, it wasn't hard for Seyrun to pick up the weight of the atmosphere in the club room. They were in a deathly silence for a few good seconds before one of them finally addressed her after all. Moreover, the first to do so earned a raised eyebrow glare—a look of amusement—from her. A boy? What was he doing in an all-girls academy like this?

Seyrun steeled her countenance again, but before she could speak, a much younger girl interrupted the boy's not-so-inconspicuous attempt to get her out of the room. "Not quite, but that's close enough. Se-i-run is closer to how it should be. At any rate, yes, it's this one. A lovely volume indeed, I didn't think I would find a copy this far away from an old, musty French library," she said as she returned the book—which was clearly titled with the French name Cendrillon written in time-faded letters—to Yuzu.

While she waited for the smaller girl to finish her clerk work, Seyrun took a good assesment of the club room. Her gaze went over the boy closest to her, to the bespectacled girl and the even younger one—a middle schooler perhaps?—all the way to the half-closed window where Scheherazade stood observant and silent.

"The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" She said in a wistful voice as she gazed outside, past the—invisible to normals—magical guardian with a smile so subtle one wouldn't be at fault for thinking Seyrun was pulling her best impression of La Gioconda.

---

[Assistant]
The Butterfly's Choice: Moving On...

As Yuri was speaking to the mysterious girl about returning the book she had in her possession, Yuzu, the club president, interjected into the conversation and decided to take charge. It annoyed Yuri to a degree, but he wouldn't make a scene. He was already annoyed but the feline he once trusted and didn't much care for assertions of authority or claims of titles. He removed himself from the conversation and moved over to sit away from everyone with his legs crossed. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Ayaka and Kanata.

Kanata was new to the group and even though she was new, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her. She was younger and seemed so intent on feeding them. The way Ayaka and Kanata munched away at the food she'd prepared was adorable and Yuri found the moment cute. Even his stiffened heart couldn't resist the warming aura that Kanata seemed to have. It surrounded her like a bee to a hive and yet he knew she had a long way to go with her abilities. While he had spent numerous hours uncovering the Grimoire he possessed, he understood not everyone was as stern as he was with learning things. He still felt like there was so much more to learn, and the fight from the night before proved that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Clearly, those who had succumbed to darkness were stronger for some reason and he wanted to find out why.

If the feline wouldn't tell them the entire truth, he would figure it out on his own. Training had always helped him hone his skills, and this time would be no different. His eyes landed on Scheherazade if only for a brief moment before falling on Yuzu and Seyrun.

"If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something."

Yuri stood from his seat and moved swiftly towards the returned books to try and sort them out.

[User]
Ayaka Meru

---

 The air was sour, while Yuri and Yuzu handled the stranger at their door Ayaka was intent on berating their feline commander with questions. Deeper into her thought, she was surprised that no one had asked the simplest of questions or... if we did, did we forget them? The teen shook her head, sighing at the heavy amount of energy she was putting herself through thinking. The entire situation was completely bull and the teen simply wanted a safer environment for their group. If they were to save the world it was pertinent that they have all the information necessary.

 Ayaka sighs, a weak hand coming to adjust her glasses along the bridge of her nose. Sniff... Snifff The teen's eyes widened as her head shifted to the right following the scent of snacks and treats. It was Kanata, almost instantly her mood lifted, and although her face didn't show much emotion her body was definitely filled with energy.

"Fooba. "

 The taller teen says to the middle schooler, her pointing finger out tapping lightly against the bento boxes subtly asking for permission to delve into whatever sweet goodness were in those boxes.

 "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?"

"No. But I do not care. Please give me food. "

 Ayaka says plainly, her eyes intently staring at the bento boxes as if they were her first meal in decades.

[Assistant]
"Ah- thank you!" Yuzu said as she accepted the book. She gently held it in one hand and double-checked the list again. "Mmm, let's see. Sei-i-run... Seirun... Seyrun..." Yuzu mumbled to herself, trying to practice her senior's name a little. She wrote down the book's return date and then gathered everything together to put it all back to its proper place. She folded her arms over the list and book both, clutching it to her chest. When Yuzu looked back to the other girl, she was looking at the window where Scheherazade had decided to perch himself.

"The wind in this city... it's a very gentle one, isn't it?" the older girl said. Yuzu looked in the same direction.

"It is, right? The people here, too. I really love this city," she replied. Even though Scheherazade was blocking her view, Yuzu looked straight through them. Contemplating her hometown like this made the tension lift off her shoulders for just a little bit- until Yuri brought her back down to earth.

"If anyone needs me, I will be sorting books or something."
"Ah- Yuri?"

Yuzu calling out to him was in vain, the boy having already retreated further in. It's not like Yuzu didn't understand how he felt, but... that wasn't a reason to act out like this, was it? Yuzu turned back to Seyrun, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry... he's not usually like this. Thank you again for returning the book!"

With that, Yuzu followed after Yuri. He'd already begun picking up some of the books that other students had brought back and Yuzu noticed how large the pile had gotten. "Oh... we've really been neglecting our duties, huh?" Yuzu commented. She was still holding onto the book Seyrun had returned. Yuzu looked at her friend and said "It's a little too much for one person, isn't it? It'll be quicker with two of us, so let me help you out."

Thus- whether Yuri wanted it or not- Yuzu took a small stack of books herself to then return to the various bookshelves scattered about. "You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?" she told him with a knowing wink.

[User]
At Ayaka's insistence, Kanata handed over one of the bento boxes to her upper-classman since, given the eyes she was giving Kanata, if she didn't hand the box over fast enough she might just take Kanata's hands along with the box. Did Ayaka not eat at home or what?

"Here you go," Kanata said, handing over the lavender colored box to the famished wizard. The situation at hand with their returning-book-guest was well-handled, and that left Kanata with little to do save for to hand out everyone's afternoon snacks. Kanata felt extremely bad about last night, and as such had brought enough for everyone to sate their appetites with delicious confectionaries and general snackages.

Seeing as she knew that normal people couldn't see their feline benefactor, Kanata wouldn't give the cat his snack just yet, not until their civilian in the room was out of there. It'd be a bit strange to just...open a lunch box and leave it on a windowsill after all.

"Oh, uh, Yuri-Senpai, Yuzu-Senpai, I can help with that stack too!"

[Assistant]
"Don't worry, I'm the one who should be apologizing for coming at an inappropriate time," Seyrun said after Yuzu apologized for the rude manner the boy—apparently named Yuri—took his leave.

Once her business with the library club was concluded Seyrun turned her attention back from the outside to the smallish girl before her. "Very well, then, I suppose I should be the one leaving now. I hope we can meet again sooner rather than later," she said after signing the necessary papers.

"By the way, I hope you've brought your umbrella today. It's going to rain really bad later," Seyrun said to Yuzu in a casual, but sure, manner as she left the club members to their own devices.

※ ※ ※
"I suppose we can go back to our issue now. I know that asking for your forgiveness is too much, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Scheherazade said in a dejected voice, almost as soon as the club's unexpected visitor went away.

The feline was so down he didn't even bother moving to the food provided by the group's youngest member. How could he after all that happened?

---

Irish Tree@Ammokkx@DesperatePerson@WindsOfFate

[User]
 Eventually, minutes would pass by and during the third Ayaka would've finished her plate. She hadn't eaten since the morning and as her body was digesting the food she felt energy return to her system. A subtle burp escaped from her mouth as she sat, slumped against the back part of the chair. she observed the room and took a breath to herself, their cat commander to the side on a window sill and the others helping with books. It was almost normal before the teen remembered the question she was going to ask.

 After the stranger had left and the feline had spoken their spiel. Ayaka's mood changed rapidly and she stood from her seat and spoke clearly.

  "So. In review of the situation-- "

 Before continuing Ayaka's eyes began to glow a subtle purple as she snapped her fingers. The room wouldn't change but there were clear panels of transparent purple energy surrounding the doors and windows. Sound would not escape this room unless magic had pierced it.

  "Continuing-- In reviewing the situation, you had failed to reveal a critical truth that ended in our near failure. Although no one was hurt, we encountered an assumingly unforeseen disaster that ended with the arrival of two new enemies bearing the same powers likes ours. Due to this faulty knowledge Yuri and I had experienced near-death situations and if it had pursued we may have even lost our cover to what possibly might be our greatest enemy yet.

 When we all gained these powers we devoted ourselves to a grand cause of helping the world from dangers unlike anyone has known, we committed ourselves to a future that everyone could live peacefully and with this, we took on the possibility of near death. This whole situation would've been fine if you had... just simply not known about it, but clearly, you do. "

 "And I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for the hard truth and a promise that you trust us and that we are prepared for the worst of the worst. We need stability now more than ever and this discourse-- if continued will ruin us from the inside out. "

 Ayaka takes a breather, a large exhale escaping from her mouth as she finished her dialogue of a stern nature mixed with a cold demeanor. She was tired and wanted to be prepared for the next coming attack and there was no if it would definitely come.